Yaoi, romance, slight violence.

[fic] Buy Me Love [3x4]

It was a simple assassination, but it required an efficiency beyond that of a simple criminal. Word traveled quickly in the underground making its way to the best hit man for hire there was. The job was to be done in two week's time, leaving Nanashi little time to check the information he'd received. Having completed a job without checking once, he always made certain the target was exactly what he'd been told. He had no problem killing one young slave trafficer, especially for the amount he'd been promised. He, however, had no intention of taking the life of another innocent.

He'd been given the name of the mark, but no further specifics were supplied until he'd officialy accepted the job. That was fine, though, he had ways of finding things out for himself. Unfortunately, little was known about Quatre Reberba Winner. Sixteen years old, he was the only son of the Winner tycoon who'd died one year ago. He was heir to the Winner fortune on his seventeenth birthday, two weeks away. If he was spending his money in a slave market, there was no evidence.

Thus Nanashi took to watching the Winner mansion. His surveilance paid off late one night. Actually, his watch read 2:17 a.m. when he spotted a cloaked figure climbing down the railing on hte backside of the house. From the one picture he'd managed o find of the Winner heir, he knew him to be blonde. So when the figure's hood fell back as he jumped lightly to the ground revealing pale golden hair, Nanashi knew it was him.

There was no reason for the boy to be out, especially sneaking as he was, unless he was up to something, so Nanashi followed him. It seemed his information had been accurate when the figure, hood back in place, headed straight into the worst part of the colony.

* * *

It was stupid, what he was doing. Pure insanity, really. The gun he'd hidden in his pocket was of no comfort to him as Quatre walked as quickly and silently as he could through the shadowed alleys. He'd heard that anything could be found and bought in the black heart of the city. Or *anyone* for that matter. And Quatre certainly hoped so, his life depended on it.

Quatre gave a sharp cry as a strong hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, swinging him around and slamming him into the brick wall of a building. Standing very still, Quatre let his fear show as his hand slowly slipped into his pocket to close around the gun. Light glinted off the man's eyes as he loomed over Quatre, hands holding his shoulders against the building as he smiled at the wide-eyed boy.

"Well, well. What do we have here? You're awful pretty to be walking around all by yourself. I wouldn't be 'gainst giving you some company."

Lower lip trembling, Quatre shrank back, shoulder flinching under the man's hands. "I-I d-don't have any money. I'd give it to you if I did-really. Please...don't hurt me."

The man's smile widened as he leaned closer, foul breath burning Quatre's eyes. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You and me're going to have a little fun, is all." Releasing Quatre's shoulder, he gripped his short thick hair, pulling his head back. Turning his head, he kissed the boy, grunting with satisfaction when he didn't resist. He had just slipped his tongue into the boy's mouth when he felt something hard pressing into his stomach and heard a click.

Moving slowly, eyes wide in shock, the man moved back, releasing the boy as he looked down at the large gun held confidently in Quatre's pale hand. He raised his own hands slowly, eyes narrowing in anger as he looked at the blonde boy. Gun pointing at the man's midsection, Quatre glared as he turned his head slightly, spitting on the ground as he wiped the back of his free hand over his mouth in disgust.

"So you're a feisty one, huh?" the man rasped, angry yet wary as he stood motionless. "Well, unlike some, that's not my preference. So why don't you put down the gun before you get hurt."

Letting out a slightly shakey breath, Quatre stepped away from the wall, not taking his eyes or the gun off the man. Then the man suddenly smiled, and Quatre froze as an arm slipped around his neck, lifting him off the ground. //I failed...but I was going to die anyway.// Choking from the grip on his neck, he brought the gun up, shooting the man in front of him in the shoulder before lifting his arm higher to aim the gun at the injured man's head. One hand clutching the arm that was cutting off his oxygen, Quatre was determined to pull the trigger before he lost consciousness.

Suddenly, the arm was gone and he was falling. He hit his knees, forcing his head up to see the man he'd shot disappear into the night. Falling on his side as he gasped for breath, Quatre turned the gun on the man behind him. The men behind him.

Stepping away from the body at his feet, Nanashi stared at the boy, raising an eyebrow as he looked to the gun now trained on him. Eyes flying from him to the body, the gasping boys slowly lowered the gun. Kneeling, Nanashi wiped his knife on the dead man's shirt, glaring in the direction the other man had fled. He'd had good reason to interfere as even if the boy was a criminal, he'd be unable to make his death look like an accident if he'd stayed out of it. Besides, he'd hated the two men for some time.

Standing, the green-eyed boy looked at Quatre who'd gotten to his feet and, still breathing hard, was leaning against the wall. "You shouldn't be here if you can't take care of yourself," he said slowly, voice monotone. Straightening, the boy slipped his gun into his pocket, eyes wary.

"I...have no choice. I need to hire someone."

Eyes narrowed, Nanashi looked at the boy. //Here it is. He'll sign his own death warrent.// "What's the job?" The boy's light eyes eyes grew dull and his expression hardened as he stood, back straight.

"I need someone who will live with me for two weeks and pretend to be my lover. I can pay." Quatre waited, obviously prepaired for any sort of reaction. He was still caught off guard by the fury in the green-eyed boy's expression and his hand slipped into his pocket.

"You fool," the boy spat, flicking his long red-brown bangs out of his face. He shook his head at the blonde boy, not missing the hand in the pocket as his bangs fell to cover half of his face. "Don't you know what kind of response you'd get if you went deeper into the underground with an offer like that?!" He stopped when he saw the confusion in the boy's gaze. //I *was* misinformed. Again.// "Does the job include sex?" he asked, his theory confirmed when the pale boy flinched, eyes dropping in humiliation.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Why?"

Quatre looked up, pain evident in his eyes. "What?"

"Why do you need to hire a lover?"

Frowning, Quatre looked away. "I'm supposed to get married, but the girl I'm to marry is planning to kill me after my birthday in two weeks. I overheard her. My family wouldn't listen to me when I told them." Looking back, he glanced at the other boy's blank expression." They're convinced I need someone to take care of me. I don't know *anyone*. If I can make them think I already have a lover, a strong one, I'm sure they'd cancel the wedding."

"Why don't you just run away?"

Quatre shook his head quickly, hands raised in entreaty for the boy to understand. "I don't dare do that. With me gone, one of my sisters would inherit and she'd be targeted instead. I can't let that happen."

Nanashi nodded slowly. //Fools. They should *not* have lied to *me*. To think that I might have had the death of another innocent on my head.// His mouth twitched with a smirk as he eyed the boy. //I'm a mercenary, a man for hire.// "Any specifics on the person you want to hire?" he asked, voice carefully controlled.

Quatre let out a relieved sigh as he realized the boy was going to help him. "Strong," he said, thinking quickly. "He can't be too old." His eyes flicked to the dead man and he blushed abruptly. "No one violent. He has to follow my orders."

Following the boy's gaze, Nanashi eyed the blush. "I'm for hire," he said slowly. "I don't think you'll find anyone else to fit your specifications. Anyone you asked would simply take you hostage the moment he found you had money." He waited as the boy stared at him then Quatre nodded sharply. "When do I start."

Quatre took a deep breath, staring at the boy. //I can't believe I'm doing this. But...he can't be much older than me. They'd believe it.// "How much do you charge? If...if you can come home with me tonight, I can give you partial payment tomorrow and the rest after my birthday in two weeks."

"And if I wanted more than you can pay?" Nanashi asked, amazed by how naive the boy was.

"I'm desperate. I'll pay what I have to."

"Alright then, I can get anything I need tomorrow." The boy smiled suddenly and Nanashi was startled at how lovely he looked.

"Come on, I'll show you to my home. Oh," Quatre's smile widened as relief surged through him. "What's your name?"

Still taken back by the way a smile lit up the pale boy's face, Nanashi blinked. "I have no name," he said slowly. "But if you must call me something it's Trowa. Call me Trowa Barton."

--*--*--*--

//He's so trusting. Naive. I could kill him and everyone in this house. Little fool. He's so innocent.// Trowa raised an eyebrow when Quatre entered the room. His eyes moved over the pale blue pajamas he'd changed into. They matched his eyes.

Quatre moved past Trowa quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't think any of my clothes would fit you," he said slowly. Trowa was about a foot taller.

"That's fine." Enjoying the boy's discomfort, Trowa caught his eyes and slowly pulled off his dark gray turtleneck. "You don't mind if I sleep in my pants?"

Blushing, Quatre shook his head quickly. //It was so easy in theory. I don't know if I can pull this off...// Sighing, Quatre quickly slipped into his bed, blushing again as he gestured to Trowa to join him. "They come in to wake me every morning. I thought it would shock them to find us together, make the story more believable."

Nodding, Trowa sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his shoes before stretching out beside the blonde boy. Not meeting his eyes, Quatre reached over and clicked off the light switch. Minutes passed as Trowa lay on his side facing the boy. Quatre was on his back, staring at the ceiling, when Trowa spoke he flinched. "This isn't going to work."

Turning on his side, he stared at the green-eyed boy with wide eyes. "No?"

"How many lovers would sleep a foot away from each other?"

"I don't know," Quatre said quickly, "I've never slept with anyone. I'm sorry, I thought this would be easy. Now...I don't know what to do, how to act."

"For starters," Trowa said slowly as he realized he might enjoy this charade, "We should get used to touching each other." Not waiting for a response, he pulled Quatre to him, closing the space between them. "No one's going to believe we're lovers if you wipe your mouth every time we kiss." Trowa smirked at the blue-eyed boy's blush and brushed his lips over Quatre's. Rubbing the smaller boy's back, Trowa smiled slightly before kissing him again.

Quatre quickly realized how right the other boy was. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to relax as Trowa's lips moved over his. The contact was nice, the movement of his hands over his back was soothing. Opening his mouth, he brushed his tongue over Trowa's lips, a warm feeling running through him when the arms abruptly tightened as the tall boy pulled him closer. Allowing Quatre a sense of initiation, Trowa moved his tongue into his mouth, hands stroking Quatre's back until his hands touched his chest. Aware that his control was close to slipping, Trowa ended the kiss. Moving his lips close to Quatre's ear, Trowa whispered, "It gets easier, doesn't it." Quatre sighed. Laying on his back, he pulled the small boy with him until he was curled against him.

"This is nice," Quatre whispered, smiling as he rubbed his cheek against Trowa's warm chest. "Is this how lovers sleep?"

"It'll do," Trowa said, smirking as he wrapped his arms around the boy. "Go to sleep. You'll have a lot of acting to do in when we're found in the morning."

Rather than marvelling at the sense of security Trowa's arms gave him, Quatre decided to simply enjoy it. "Alright. I don't actually have a plan, I'm going to play it by ear." Quatre sighed, "Good night, Trowa." His response was a momentary tightening of Trowa's arms around him, but that was good enought for him.

--*--*--*--

TBC