A/N: I feel the need to add a disclaimer to this fic. The language is pretty strong, there's some sexual stuffs going on (not a smut fic, but it easily could have been) and the unhappy subject of domestic abuse is broached. If any of that isn't your cup of tea, please read one of my other fics instead.

When Piper went to bed the previous night, dragging his feet in exhaustion and groaning whenever he held his shoulder at a bad angle while triumphantly clutching a bag of loot, he'd been alone. When he woke up the next morning to warm breath hissing out ocean sounds on his ear there was another body curled up alongside him. His instincts kicked in, and he suddenly shot up, elbowing the other person in the face.

"Oof!" The intruder fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a dull thud. Piper crouched at the head of the bed, where he pulled a flute out from under the mattress and poised it at his lips, ready to defend himself. Then he got a good look at the intruder.

"Trickster! What the hell are you doing?" He took a deep breath in an attempt to quell the adrenaline rush before, reaching out a hand to help his sometimes-colleague to his feet.

"I was checking up on you. I was just trying to screw with your dreams a little. You didn't hafta elbow me in the face." Trickster rubbed at his jaw and fixed Piper with large blue puppy-eyes. It was actually a little bizarre to see his eyes: Piper was used to seeing James Jesse only in full costume, which included a domino mask. That and he was sporting a black eye.

"You scared the crap out of me. I was completely within rights elbowing you. Why were you checking up on me?"

Trickster shrugged. "You looked pretty out of it last night. And then Flash knocked you out that window and into that dumpster. I dunno. I just figured you might need some company today. I would've helped you home last night, but I got into that Mario Kart play off with Mick, and when I finished you'd already left. So…you okay?"

"My shoulder's sore, but I'm fine." Piper said around a yawn. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a little groan as he cracked his back. "What about you James? Flash tapped you pretty good, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but I had ice on my eye most of the night. How's the bruising look?" Trickster asked. He leaned over, not that he needed to. His left eye was a vibrant shade of purple and slightly swollen. He also had a bump on the jaw that was starting to match, courtesy of Piper's elbow. He felt a little bad about that one, even though he hadn't meant to hurt the other rogue.

"Well it's a very lovely shade of purple." Piper put in, once it became clear James expected an answer.

"Damn it. I was hoping it wouldn't show. Oh well. So why were you so zonked out yesterday anyway?" Trickster plopped onto the foot of Piper's bed and hugged his legs, resting his head on his knees and regarding Piper with an almost-innocent looking gaze. Piper inwardly groaned; anything close to innocence on James' features meant trouble. Piper suspected a con-in-play.

"I wasn't aware I was particularly zonked out." Piper stood up and walked across the room to his closet, sifting through it for something to put on. He was distinctly uncomfortable having a conversation with this particular rogue in his bedroom, wearing only a thin t-shirt and a pair of boxers. He hadn't told the rogues he was gay, he wasn't planning on it, and damned if the young, cute blond was ever going to find out what Piper really thought about him.

"You totally were. C'mon Hart, I'm a con-man. I know how to read people and I know how to find things out, so you might as well just save me some trouble and tell me what was up. It's not like you to show up for a job distracted."

"Did Cold put you up to this?" Piper asked, accusation out of his mouth as soon as the thought occurred to him. He was halfway through putting on a green jersey when he turned to face the Trickster.

James sighed, and draped himself dramatically over the end of the bed. "I can't just be concerned for a friend of mine? I have to have an ulterior motive?"

"Yeah, you do." Piper said with a scowl. "I've been miserable pretty much my whole life and you've known me for almost a year of it. You've never checked up on me before, nor have I you. We're not that kind of friends."

"Yeah, Len put me up to it. He was worried you might blow things in the future, so he told me to find out what was wrong, and either help you fix it or you're out. Apparently emotional turmoil is like drugs. Too much and we're done." It was Trickster's turn to scowl. "Frankly, I'd rather ditch Boomer than you. The guy's a douche and he's always putting his foot in his mouth. You're fine most of the time."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence." Now dressed in a jersey-t and ripped jeans, Piper began the search along his dresser for a hairbrush and elastic. "It's not really a big deal. My roommate left yesterday and I didn't see it coming so I was just…shaken. That's all."

"Your roommate?" Trickster asked.

"Yes…"

"This is a one bedroom apartment." Trickster pointed out. Piper glared at him. "So if you mean your girlfriend broke up with you, you can just say it."

"Fine, my girlfriend broke up with me."

"I'm sorry dude. How long were you guys together?" Trickster asked, surprising Piper with the apparent sincerity of his tone. Then again, feigning emotions likely went hand in hand with conning. Still…Piper really had wanted a sympathetic ear for his misery, though he didn't have anyone he trusted enough to turn to.

"We were a little over a year." Piper finished pulling his hair into a ponytail and joined James on the bed, sitting down heavily and resting his hands on his knees.

"Why'd she leave?"

"Found someone else."

"Oh, dude, that sucks. You know, we could always pay her and her new guy a visit. Scare 'em a little."

"That won't be necessary James."

"You sure? Cuz, I mean, I've got this new bubble gum trick that's totally not even a little bit lethal, just really annoying, and Mick knows how to do some cool shit with his fire that won't even singe her, but she might lose her eyebrows-"

"Really James." Piper cut off the babbling super villain. "It's fine. I'm…my relationships don't tend to go well. I'll probably be out of my funk in time for the next job, and if I'm not then I'll sit it out. You can tell Len that I won't endanger the Rogues, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah that's fine. Um…so whaddya wanna do? Do you wanna talk?"

"Um…why? Do you want to listen to me whine?" Piper asked, surprised.

"Eh. I mean, honestly, no. I'd rather cheer you up by committing felonies together in spandex. But you totally seem like the thoughtful type, so I figured you'd rather talk." Trickster explained.

"I…I do kind of want to talk. I don't really have anybody to, but, well…"

"What?"

"It doesn't feel right. No one ever wants to listen to what I have to say." Piper mumbled.

Trickster grabbed one of Piper's pillows from the end of the bed, hugged it to his chest and flopped over, kicking his legs out behind him. "Well you've got a rapt audience. So what was your girl's name? What was she like? Was she pretty?"

Piper bit back a laugh at his earnestness and flopped alongside his companion. Indulging a little bit of Trickster's curiosity was probably safer in the long run than trying to shut him out anyway. "Her name was Maxine," he lied, "and she was a pushy, passionate bitch. She was very pretty, otherwise I probably wouldn't have put up with her bullshit."

"Sounds about right. Personally I don't do the monogamy thing very well myself. I've never tried living with someone before. How'd that go?"

"Not very well. Neither of us are very domestic, and the more time we spent with each other, the more we pissed each other off. It just seemed convenient. When I don't work with you guys, I work with Ea-Maxine."

"Ea-Maxine?" Trickster asked with a smile.

"Well I didn't always call her Maxine." Piper covered, too quickly if the look on James' face was any indication.

"So Maxine's a costume too? Would I have ever bumped into her?"

"Probably not."

"What's she go by, you know, for her villain name?"

"Hasn't picked anything yet." Piper lied. He didn't know if Fury had enough of a rep for the others to have heard of him yet. "Look, James, maybe this isn't a good idea. The relationship only ended yesterday. I don't think I'm ready to talk yet."

"Obviously. If I wait until tomorrow night, you'll have a whole story worked out, right?" James asked. He sat up and leaned over Piper to get a good look at him. "Now, I could be wrong, but I'm willing to bet my entire stock of rubber chickens that a woman hasn't been living in this pit of an apartment. So if you don't wanna tell Cold what's really up, that's fine, but dude, I am actually here as a concerned friend and not just a cohort. You can tell me."

"You don't think women can be slobs?" Piper asked.

"Not to this level. This is a guy's house. Plus there's no girly shit for her to need to come back and pick up later in the week. No clothes, no candles, no feminine hygiene products or books or anything. And in my experience, usually the girl throws the guy out. So, I have made my case. You're lying to me. I wanna know why." Shit.

'He's treating this like a game' Piper thought sourly. Perhaps mercifully, the frustrated and tired super villain was saved the trouble of needing to come up with a better story by the sound of a key in the lock of the front door. Forgetting the Trickster entirely, Piper shot off the bed and ran out into the living room. He stood anxiously behind the couch, wringing his hands, while Earl stomped into the living room.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a new state of scruffy, outdoing all its previous attempts at defying gravity, and he looked irritable, but Piper was still happy to see him. Earl had left in a mood, and really it was a relief that he hadn't picked a fight somewhere and gotten himself killed.

"Earl…did you, did you change your mind?" Piper asked, after almost a full minute of Earl just staring at him. He kicked the door closed behind him, dragged himself across the room and pulled Piper close for a rough kiss. 'I really should be pushing him away' Piper thought as he fisted a hand in the dirty grey t-shirt Earl was wearing and whimpered.

"You really are stupid enough to take me back, aren't you? Even after all that shit yesterday?" Earl rumbled quietly, tracing his fingers down the side of Piper's face.

"Well, um, well it's worth talking about."

"Yeah, I guess it is. But m'not in the mood to talk right now. Need a shower, need some sleep. C'n you…can you be around in a few hours Hart?"

Piper nodded without thinking. Because he was an idiot. He'd caught Earl cheating on him, and it's not like the guy had treated him that great before that either. In fact, if anything he seemed to enjoy the fact that he could get away with so much and Piper would still take him back. Earl may very well have been trying to see where the line was, if one even existed.

"Good, good. I'll talk to you later then, okay?" He ran the pad of his thumb over Piper's lower lip, and leaned in for another kiss. Then he let go and stalked off for the bathroom. A moment later the shower turned on.

Piper hugged his arms and kept his focus on the front door, so he wouldn't have to turn around and see James staring at him from the bedroom doorway.

"Dude…"

"I, ah, I'd rather not…um…"

"Dude, you really taking Maxine back?" James asked. Piper turned around and gaped at him, because that hadn't been close to what he'd expected.

"Don't judge me! You don't even know what's going on!"

"Well I didn't think you were lying about the infidelity part of your story." James said, leaning against the doorframe. "I mean, it all reeked of bullshit, but from the look on your face, I figured someone had left you for another guy at some point. So Earl cheated on you?"

"Um…yes."

"Ah huh. And what's he gonna say to make that okay with you?" James pressed.

"It's none of your damn business." Piper ground out. He opened the front door and waved an arm, indicating James should leave. He didn't budge.

"Look, Earl didn't seem like the type of guy I want one of my friends dating. Now sure, maybe I happened upon you guys at a bad time, but he looked like the ass end of a dumpster and even he agreed that he doesn't treat you right. Throw the bum out!"

"Trickster, really, my personal life is none of your business. There's a reason I've never told any of you thing one about it, and I don't want to start talking about it now."

"Dude, you said Maxine was pretty. That dude with the stubble and hair worse than Mark's, he wasn't very pretty."

"Well obviously I don't agree with you. Besides, you're not seeing him at his best." Piper pointed out. James rolled his eyes.

"He looked like a douche to me. I don't want you dating a douche. You can do better."

"I like doing Earl, now will you please leave?"

"I'm surprised you're rushing me out. I mean, I just found out for sure that you're gay. Aren't you worried about me telling all the guys?" James said, switching tracks. Piper's face fell a little, because he'd been terrified of the prospect, but he stood his ground.

"Of course I don't want them to know, but short of hypnotizing you into forgetting the entire morning, I don't think I have a way to stop you if you really want to. Look, James, I need to at least hear him out. This has nothing to do with costumed villainy. I said that if I wasn't good for a job, I'd hold back, and I may have been beaten up a little more than usual last night, but I was still good for my end. So will you…can you please just let me handle this?"

Piper put a hand to his forehead, hiding eyes that were rapidly watering. He leaned against the wall, allowing the door to swing shut, and took a deep breath, trying to pull himself back together. He jumped when he felt a hand on his chin, tilting his face up. James was standing next to him, chewing a lip thoughtfully as he looked into Piper's eyes. Absently, he reached into his pocket and handed Piper a tissue that had rubber duckies printed on it.

"I'm not going to out you, but so you know, the guys have started guessing at it anyway. Look, um, could you just call me later, or swing by or something, and let me know how it goes? I guess I want to be that kind of friend."

"O-okay. Um, yeah, I can call you." He wiped at his face with the tissue, a good dodge to keep from having to look up into surprisingly concerned blue eyes that were still plenty mesmerizing despite the fact that one was surrounded by a swollen purple bruise.

"Cool. See you later then." James wrapped Piper in a quick half-hug before cheerily making his exit, leaving Piper alone in his living room and fairly confused.

The sound of the running water brought him out of his daze somewhat, and he dropped the tissue on a cluttered end table before knocking on the bathroom door. "Earl…?"

"Yeah?"

"Um…can we, can we talk before your nap?"

"Can't hear you Hart. C'mon in." Earl called. Piper sighed, but walked into the bathroom anyway. He stood next to the shower curtain.

"Can we talk before your nap, if it's okay?"

Earl pulled back the shower curtain, presumably so he could look at Piper, but in the process he also gave him quite a view of a soaked, well muscled body. Piper's eyes wandered a moment before coming back up to Earl's eyes. Grinning, Earl tugged Piper into the shower, clothes and all.

"H-hey! Earl!" Piper yelled, trying to hop back over the side of the tub, but Earl held him firmly at the waist and he really was a lot stronger.

Earl was an enthusiastic advocate of using angry sex to work through their problems, while Piper preferred the seldom used strategy of talking. Earl wasn't a fan. After a little over a year of Earl's strategy winning out, Piper had finally found a way to sneak his method in: pillow talk.

Aware that the best chance for getting Earl to open up at least a little about their fight would be in the afterglow, Piper stripped out of his soaked clothes, made out with Earl in the shower, and then tugged him towards the bedroom.

Meanwhile, James had taken up a post on a neighbor's fire escape. He'd pulled the blinds up and opened the curtains before leaving said bedroom, and so had a pretty decent view of what was going on in there now, especially after having fished binoculars out of his pocket. He watched the two estranged lovers kiss and grope at each other, wondering how Earl had managed that seduction less than twenty four hours after getting caught cheating. That took skill.

James felt a nagging tightness in his stomach watching the two of them. He'd never once gotten off thinking about or watching a couple of dudes before, and where he wasn't exactly turned on per se, there was something hot about it. Hell he'd never seen his friend have so much fun before, since Piper was one whiny little rich boy.

'Huh. So Piper's a little hot. Who knew?' He shifted his position and focused his binoculars to get a better look.

"What is tha…" James trailed off. His view on the fire escape wasn't very good with where they'd moved, so he angled himself to see better. "Oh, ew! Wait, is that fun or something? Huh. Clearly I have a lot to learn about gay sex." James mumbled to himself. It looked a little rougher than most of what he preferred to engage in, but Earl certainly wasn't doing anything Piper didn't seem to enjoy, so he supposed he'd fulfilled his purpose in checking up on his friend (Earl reeked of being an abusive boyfriend, and James was damned if anyone was going to beat a Rogue on his watch).

James watched the rest of the show, scowled, and stowed his binoculars. "Alright asshole, but you'd better keep him that happy." He muttered darkly. He hopped off the fire escape, lightly ran through the air down to the ground level and found himself a payphone. He reached into his pocket until he found a napkin with a phone number scribbled on it.

"Hey, Kimberly? …yeah, this is James, that guy you met at the bar the other night? …hey yeah, you doing anything?...ooo, I like that answer…yeah, you get a nine for creativity…yep, ten point scale…cool, where do you wanna meet?...yep, okay, see you in a bit."

"You're awfully snuggly today." Earl noted, a pretty sappy smile on his face. Piper's face was buried in his chest, so he didn't notice, but some of the idiotic smile had made its way into his voice so it didn't really matter.

"I didn't think I'd get the chance to do this again. Pleasant surprise." Piper explained. He breathed in deeply, loving the sweaty, soapy mix that signified shower-sex.

"Yeah. I shoulda known I wasn't gonna last long, trying to give you up. You're damn addictive…Just fucking perfect."

"Then why'd you walk out on me?" Piper asked. He propped himself up enough to look at Earl, who promptly turned away, facing the wall. "Earl? Come on, I deserve an explanation."

"Yeah, well…I just didn't like how damn jealous you were getting."

"Jealous? I caught you with your hand down someone else's pants. By rights I should have been throwing you out." Piper pointed out, bristling indignantly.

"We're supposed to be cuddling, not threatening each other. You wanted me back." Earl didn't bother phrasing it as a question. The other crook had been plenty pliant towards him since he'd gotten back to their apartment.

"Well yeah, of course. I care about you. But, well, I mean…I dunno what I mean. I shouldn't have to explain why I want to be the only one you sleep with."

Earl sighed, still not looking at Piper. "Look, Hart…you're a pretty amazing guy, but I just…I mean I'll try not to sleep around, but I'm probably gonna anyway."

"Why?" Piper asked, not having expected the brutal honesty and taking it like a slap to the face. He'd almost rather have been lied to.

"Ida know, it's just what I do. I've never dated anyone before, I mean not like this anyway. Never tried living with anyone or anything. It's hard…and sometimes I just end up really wanting to hurt you."

"Earl, why would you say that?!"

"I don't know, it's just the truth! You always make me wanna tell you the truth too…I can't lie to you Hart. Ida know, I'm just an asshole."

"Can you just be my asshole then?" Piper asked in a small voice. "I really don't need that much from you Earl. I mean, it's nice when you're romantic and thoughtful, not gonna lie, but if I ever catch you cheating on me again then it's going to get awkward with condoms and blood tests and the like. I do care about you, but not enough to die of AIDS with you."

"Alright, alright. I fucking hate condoms."

"Baby. They don't make that much of a difference."

"Well then one of us is using them wrong, because I fucking hate them." Earl insisted. Piper shrugged it off, because it wasn't worth getting bogged down in a stupid argument over. Even the seemingly little arguments with Earl were capable of escalating into major blow-outs.

Although what did he really expect, dating a fellow super villain? Of course their relationship would be screwed up. They were by definition screwed up people.

'It'll get better though'. Piper told himself as he snuggled his boyfriend. 'Earl said he'd change, he's not going to cheat on me again. It'll be better.'