Wanna Bet?

Wanna Bet?

Love's Gamble #1

by Kayla


Disclaimer: Actually, they are mine now. I kidnapped the boys, and they all decided they wanted to stay. I wonder why? :)


OK, so I'm lying. A girl can dream, can't she?


Note: This story assumes that, while Xena Gabby and Joxer have heard of Strife, none have actually ever met him.


"Strife!" Ares paced across the room, impatiently awaiting his nephew's arrival. A flash of light caught his attention.


Dude, he looks majorly pissed! Shit! What'd I do? Strife combed his mind frantically, trying to remember if he'd screwed anything up recently. Coming up blank, he decided to bluff it out, and pasted on a maniacal grin. "Yo, Unc. S'up?"


Amused, Ares watched the nervous young god's attempt to appear in control. He has absolutely no idea what's in store for him. Smirking, he said, "I have a job for you." Strife's relief at this pronouncement was evident, since he realized he wasn't the object of Ares' wrath.


Well, hot damn! Hey, as long as it ain't me that got on his bad side, this could be fun. "Cool! Got someone ya want dead? Maimed? Tortured? Hey, whatever's great with me. Whatcha got in mind?" His enthusiasm took over now that he knew he was out of immediate danger, and he anticipated the chance to be able to wreak havoc.


"Not...exactly. Let me explain."


~~~~~~
Strife watched invisibly as the trio made their way down the road. He had seen Xena around when she still worked for his uncle, and he'd heard about the blonde who was currently babbling non-stop about something trivial. It was the man who lagged behind them that held his attention, though. e doe don't look so important. Wonder why Unc wants me ta keep an eye on him. An' what the fuck is that stuff he's wearin'?


He observed as the clanking figure tried to catch up to the two women, who steadfastly ignored him as much as humanly possible. Gods, I can't believe I'm gonna do this. Unc is sooo gonna owe me! He scanned the trail ahead, nodding in satisfaction when he located a small band of brigands nearby. Great. Well, here goes!


~~~~~~
"No way!" Aphrodite gapn din disbelief at Ares. "You have got to be kidding! That is so not gonna happen. Trust me on this, I'd know."


Areowerowered at her. "I know what I'm doing."


Aphrodite gave a very unladylike snort. "Oh, that would be a first. There is absolutely no way this insane idea of yours would ever work."


Ares smirked. "Would you care to bet on that?"


"Oh, you're on, bro!"


~~~~~~
"So, then the merchant was saying how --" Gabrielle broke off when Xena raised a hand abruptly. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "What is it?"


Xena tilted her head, listening, and Gabrielle did the same.


"Hey! What did you guys stop for?" Joxer asked loudly as he caught up to them.


"Shhhh!" both women hissed. Joxer looked back and forth between them, armor rattling. At a glare from Xena, he stopped moving, holding his breath for good measure.


In the stillness, the faint sounds of yelling could be heard coming from around the bend.


"Someone's in trouble! We should help!" Joxer made to rush forward, only to be stopped by an arm across his chest.


"Hold up now; there's no point in rushing in. Joxer, you stay here, Gabrielle and I will check it out." Xena dismounted, handing Argo's reins to Joxer.


"But don't you think --"


"Joxer!" Xena gritted her teeth. "Look, just stay here and...protect Argo for me, will you?"


Downcast, he replied, "Sure Xena." He watched as the two women went ahead.


~~~~~~
Stupid, pathetic little men. Do ya really think ya could hurt me if I wasn't lettin ya? Like, I don't think so! You're lucky I gotta pretend to be mortal, or ya'd all be toast by now! Strife made only token attempts to ward off the many blows the small band of thieves were aiming at him. C'mon, people! Get here already!


From the corner of his eye he noticed Joxer's travelling companions coming around the curve in the road. It's about time! He grunted as an especially well-placed blow knocked his breath away. Fuck! You are so gonna owe me for this, Unc!


~~~~~~
Xena and Gabrielle were just in time to see five rough-looking men pounding on a smaller guy, who didn't seem to be holding up too well. "Hey boys," Xena snarled. "Care to even the odds a bit?" Having gained their atten, sh, she proceeded to lay into them, while Gabrielle lashed out with her staff.


In short order, the robbers were dispatched, running off back into the woods. Turning toward the scrawny young man, Gabrielle asked, "Are you all right?"


Mentally Strife rolled his eyes. Duh! Lemme think...I'm sitting on the ground, bleeding, cuz a bunch of lowlife scum just beat the crap outta me. Gee, ya think? Out loud, he groaned, and stood stiffly. "Yeah, I, uh, I think I'll be OK." Where's the othah dude? Damn, did they ditch 'im or sumthin'? So not good.


Xena looked at him intently for a moment. Deciding to take him at his word, she turned to Gabrielle. "You might as well go get Joxer. I doubt if even he could get into much trouble now." The blonde nodded and went off.


"Well, uh, thanks fer...you know, that." He couldn't quite bring himself to be any more specific. Looking around, he saw the blonde coming back, Joxer in tow. Great. Thought I'd done all this fer nothin'. That woulda totally sucked!


Joxer watched Gabrielle lead Argo over to Xena, then turned to the subject of the rescue. "Oh wow! You look awful! Here, let me see how bad it is." Joxer walked over and began to fuss over the bemused god.


Well, least he's makin' an effort. Those othah two didn't even bother! He let the man lead him to a nearby rock, where he was seated and examined.


"By the way, I'm Joxer, that's Xena with the sword, and Gabby with the stick."


"Nice ta meet ya. I'm...Ryff."


"That's a very interesting name." Joxer smiled at him shyly.


"Yeah, well, I'm an interestin' kinda guy."


"I can see that. Well, nothing looks too bad, although we should clean out that cut on your arm. And you'll probablhe fhe for a few days. At least nothing's broken." Joxer said the last with some bitterness, as if he knew a great deal about that kind of thing.


Strife could totally empathize with that. "No prob. I've had worse, ya know?" They shared a look of understanding. "Hey, I was thinkin' -- maybe I could kinda come with you guys, ya , ta, ta discourage anyone else from messin' with me."


"I don't see why not. And I'm sure Xena and Gabby won't mind."


"Cool." Well, that's done. Damn, this guy's kinda...nice. I hope Unc don't want me ta do anythin' really bad ta him. Now those othah two...


~~~~~~
Strife was fuming. He'd only been travelling with the three for a few hours before they set up camp. The entire time, Joxer had been the brunt of countless snide remarks, barely veiled insults, and the occasional head thump or nose tweak. And that was when he wasn't simply being ignored totally. How in Hades can he put up with that!? I'da blasted 'em a dozen times ovah by now! I thought they was supposed ta be the good guys -- why do they treat him like crap? Damn, he looks...he looks like he's gonna cry or sumthin'. I gotta get him away from 'em. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna go down by the stream ovah there, ya know, ta clean up a bit." He looked at Joxer. "Ya wanna come with? Keep me company?"


Joxer looked genuinely shocked at this invitation. "Um...sure. That...I'd like that. I mean, if you're sure you wouldn't mind." He stammered out the words, then moved to join him.


What the--? He's actin' like no-one evah wanted him along before. That's...that's...Shit! Strife was steadily becoming even angrier with Joxer's supposed 'friends'. What kind of people were they? Trying to keep his bad mood from being too apparent to Joxer, he quickly led them o

~~~~~~
Joxer trailed a hand through the water, watching the ripples shimmer in the moonlight. He avoided looking in Strife's direction as he removed his clothing and slipped into the water. The voice startled him.


"Ya know, I was wonderin' sumthin'. How come ya let those guys treat ya that? I mean, they're not very nice ta ya an' all."


Joxer shrugged. "They let me hang around with them, and keep me from getting killed." He fiddled with a stick. "I...I know I'm not really a great warrior or anything like I pretend. I'm just a klutz. If I didn't have someone protecting me, I doubt if I'd last for long."


He sounded so miserable when he said this that Strife couldn't help but ask, "So, why don't ya jus' learn ta take care of yourself? There must be someone could show ya how ta fight an' all."


"Yeah, well, no one seems to think I'm worth the effort. They never wanted to try."


Strife chewed his lower lip. "But...why don't ya jus' stand up fer yourself a little with those two? Maybe they'd at least stop pickin' on ya so much."


"It's not that bad, Ryff. It's not like it's the worst I ever had to go through to survive." His voice was bitter, making Strife look at him in surprise.


Woah. He's, like, upset now. Shit, I didn't mean ta do that! Deciding it would be prudent to change the subject, he giggled and said, "Um, hey look, why don't ya come on in. The water's nice, and ya prob'ly need to clean up as much as I do. C'mon Jox, I don't bite."


Joxer was a bit hesitant, but finally gave in. He turned his back and peeled off his clothes, jumping quickly into the water.


Strife barely held back a gasp as Joxer's pale skin came into view. In the moonlight, it was possible to see a faint pattern of scars layered down the man's back. Fuck! Who in Hades did that ta him! That's...that's...Shit! Not wanting to analyze the feelings of protectiveness he was experiencing for the mortal, Strife ducked under the water. Coming back up, he saw Joxer standing a few feet away, scrubbing his chest to remove a layer of dust. Smirking, he flicked his wrist rapidly, sending ve ove of water splashing into the man's face.


Joxer spluttered. He glared at Strife then, noticing the other's playful grin, he smiled and retaliated. What ensued was a water battle of epic proportions. When it was over, the two lay on the bank, mostly clean and laughing hysterically, gasping for breath.


Strife flopped over to stare at Joxer. "Man, I ain't had that much fun in ages!"


Joxer grinned delightedly, leaning up on an elbow. "Yeah, it was great!" Looking down shyly, he added in a quiet voice, "I'm glad you came along with us today."


"Me too." Strife watched the man, gulping as his damp skin seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. Aw man, he's...he's gorgeous! I don't...I can't...this is not happenin' ta me! Unable to resist, he reached out to trace a path lightly up Joxer's arm. He reached the face, and tilted it up toward him. Leaning forward, he pressed a gentle kiss on the slightly parted lips.


Joxer started at the touch on his arm, then gasped at the kiss. Oh gods! Scrambling backwards, he stared at Strife with a kind of horror. His hand flew to his mouth. "What --? Why did you do that?"


Fuck! Shit! What in Tartarus jus' happened? "I...I just -- Ya looked so...beautiful. I wanted..." He pounded the ground with a fist. "Look, I'm sorry, OK?"


Miserably, Joxer watched him, confused by his actions. "But...why? I mean, I thought you liked me. But you just want to --. Why do you want to hurt me?"


Astounded, Strife stared at the man in disbelief. "I do like ya! An' who said I wanted ta hurt ya? I don't wanna hurt ya! I just...wanted ta kiss ya."


"Yeah, but you wanted more than that too, didn't you? You wanted to...do that. And then you would have hurt me more. That's what always happens."


Strife gaped, understanding dawning. Oh my gods. They...hurt him. Hurt him bad. He...Shit! Is that what he went through fer protection? They raped him! An'...an' beat him! Oh, damn! He felt a wave of homicidal rage rush over him. Whoever they are, I'll hunt 'em down an' rip 'em apart! Nobody hurts Joxer -- he's mine!


Making his voice sound as calming as he could given his state of mind, Strife explained. "Jox, I like ya, ya know? I mean, I would nevah hurt ya. An' I thought maybe we were startin' ta be friends. I didn't know ya'd been...hurt. I wouldn'ta tried nothin' if I had. But..." he took a deep breath, "..it...it ain't always like that, ya know? It don't hafta be bad. Not if ya have someone who...cares about ya."


"What would you know about it!?" Joxer snapped.


"Hey, like, ya ain't the only one it's happed to, 'kay?" He looked away, startled by his own admission.


Joxer stared at him in surprise. "I'm...sorry. Ryff, I didn't know."


"Yeah, well, it happened a long time ago. I try ta, sorta, forget about it."


"It's not easy, is it?" Joxer whispered, sorrow evident in his tone.


"No, it ain't." The two sat in silence for a while, then Joxer cleared his throat. Strife looked up at him.


Joxer blushed, glad for the covering darkness. "Um, so, it can be nice? Without the pain? If someone cares about you?"


Strife smiled slightly. "Yeah, it can be real good."


"And, um, you...care about me...right?"


"Well, yeah." Where's he goin' with this?


"So, um, maybe you could...show me?"


Woah! Um, gods, I...I don't wanna do sumthin' wrong...I, oh damn! I can't lie ta him, not now! I...I want him. Shit! "Look Jox, there's sumthin' I gotta tell ya. I, uh, kinda...lied ta ya 'bout sumthin'." He paused, plucking at the grass and shredding it to pieces.


Joxer's heart sank, and he paled. "So, I was right...you really do want to be like...that with me, huh? I'm just some little --"


"Hey, I nevah said nothin' like that! It's just..." he sighed, "I don't want ya ta hate me fer this, ya know? 'Cause I like ya, a whole lot, and, um, well, I'm...I'm not exactly...who I said I was." He brushed a hand nervously through his spiky hair.


"Wh...what do you mean?" Joxer could feel his trepidation growing.


"My name's not really Ryff. It's, uh, it's Strife."


"Um, OK. That's...not such a big deal. Hey, did you know there's a god called that? He works for Ares sometimes and --" he broke off as the other man simply continued to stare at him a bit warily. His eyes widened. "You...You're --? That's not...You can't --" Anger flared up. "So what, you just came here to use me or something? I'm some sort of joke to the gods as well? Well, I hope you --"


"Would ya stop with that! I'm tryin' ta explain this ta ya 'case I don't want ya hurt. Ya know, I couldda just taken ya up on your offer an' then left. But I wanted ya ta know the truth, 'cause I...I wanna be with ya...like, fer real."


Joxer was thoroughly confused by now. "Why...why would you want me? You're a god, I'm just...Joxer."


"Duh! Why do ya think I want ya? I happen ta like Joxer, a lot.


"You...really want me then? For...for how long?"


"Well, ya know, I was kinda thinkin' like, maybe, as long as ya wanted ta." He looked into Joxer's eyes, trying to convey his sincerity.


"What if..." Joxer whispered, "What if I wanted it to be...forever? Or as long as I live anyway."


"I think that'd be perfect. 'Cause, ya know, I really, really like ya." Moving slowly, he drew close to Joxer. Giving him ample time to reject his advances if he chose, he leaned in and brushed his lips gently against the man's cheek. When Joxer didn't pull away, he redirected his aim toward those full lips, initiating a slow, sweet kiss.


After a few minutes, Joxer moved back, breathless. "That was...I liked that."


"Mmmm. I'm glad. Wanna try some more?"


"Oh yes." Joxer sighed as Strife pressed their naked bodies together and began kissing him passionately. The two pale bodies entwined as they rolled on the soft grass, low moans and gasps breaking the silence of the night.


Finally, Strife wrenched himself away. "I wanna try sumthin', Jox. Do ya trust me? I ain't gonna hurt ya, 'kay?"


Joxer nodded. The gentleness Strife displayed convinced the man that no harm would come to him.


Strife grinned. "Cool. Ya know, ya look really beautiful in the moonlight. It's like your skin is glowin'. Makes me jus' wanna feast on ya. So, that's what I'm gonna do. Jus' tell me if ya want me ta stop." With that, he bent swiftly and engulfed Joxer's growing erection in his mouth.


Oh gods. Oh...my...God! Joxer arched his back as the intense sensations overwhelmed him. The hot mouth around his cock sucked as it plunged up and down, tongue swirling around the head. He tried to push further into the warm cavern, and shouted softly as Strife opened his throat and swallowed, muscles massaging his length.


Strife chuckled as the man writhed under him. The reaction that produced was even more intense.


"Please, oh please..." Joxer thrashed back and forth, thrusting up sporadically. He tensed, gasping. "Oh God...I...oh! Ryff!" He came hard, filling his god's mouth with his warm seed.


Strife pulled back a bit when Joxer started to cum, allowing the salty fluid to fill his mouth. He savored the taste, then swallowed it before it could overflow. He continued lapping at the spent cock until Joxer whimpered. With a final kiss to the limp piece of flesh, Strife moved up to lay beside the man. He nibbled an ear gently an whispered, "Ya taste good. All tangy. I could eat ya forever."


"That...that would...I don't think I'd live for long if you tried to do that. I think my heart would give out."


"Hmmm. Well, I'll jus' hafta make sure that don't happen. Then I can do it again, and again, and again..."


Joxer moaned. He looked down at Strife's still raging erection. "Um, should I..."


"Hey, don't sweat it; I can take care of that. Ya jus' watch me, 'kay?"


"OK, if that's what you want, Ryff." Joxer looked up at Strife's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should call you Strife, shouldn't I?"


"Nah, I like it when ya call me Ryff. It makes me hot." He leered at Joxer, who flushed. Licking his lips, he m a h a hand slowly down to grasp his cock. Joxer's eyes followed, and he asked in a low voice, "Can I...kiss you? While you...do that?"


"Oh yeah, I think I could handle that." He tilted his head, waiting, and his hand began a steady rhythm of pumping.


Joxer leaned toward him and captured his mouth in a deep kiss, tongues meeting and sliding against each other, vying for a position in the other's mouth. Joxer pushed Strife to lay on his back, then rested his head on the pale chest, playinly wly with a stiff nipple as he watched the hand move faster on the leaking cock. He stared in fascination at the drops of fluid that formed at the tip, only to be collected by fingers that squeezed the head, rubbing across the slit.


Strife clutched Joxer to him with one hand, while with the other he worked feverishly on his cock. He could feel warm puffs of breath against his chest, then groaned harshly when a wet tongue snaked out to lick across one of his nipples. He spread his legs and added a twisting motion to the movement of his hand.


Joxer sucked the pink nipple into his mouth, watching from the corner of his eye as Strife neared completion. He felt the arm around his back squeeze tightly and heard the god's breathing hitch. He whimpered when he heard his name breathed out hoarsely when Strife came. He lifted his head for a better view, staring raptly as the white fluid erupted to cover the god's heaving stomach.


Strife shuddered, jerking as he felt himself explode. He lay back panting, startled when he felt a finger run across his belly. He looked down to see Joxer lift the sticky finger to his lips and lick. He breathed in sharply at the sheer eroticism of the act.


Joxer closed his eyes at this intimate taste. He opened them to stare into Strife's as he swirled his finger back in the remaining fluid, slowly bringing it to his mouth until it was mostly gone. He gently rubbed the last spots into the milky skin, smoothing his hand over the god's chest and stomach.


When Joxer had finished, Strife pulled him up and kissed him tenderly. They lay snuggled together for a bit. Finally, Joxer sighed. "We should probably get back to camp. Xena and Gabby must be wondering about us by now."


"Yeah...I guess. Are, uh, are you OK with this? I mean, ya ain't gonna freak on me or nothin', are ya?"


Joxer smiled. "I'm very OK with this. I think...I think I might be...fallinginlovewithyou."


Strife blinked. Once he had deciphered that, his eyes flew wide. "Oh. I...I, ya know, think I might be, um, maybe, kinda feelin' the same." The smile this statement brought to Joxer's face nearly blinded him. Gods, I'd do anythin' ta see that again. Oh, man, I got it bad! Unc is so gonna kill me! I seriously don't think he had this in mind when he sent me here! But damn, it's worth it.


The two dressed in companionable silence. Starting back toward camp, Joxer looked back at Strife. "Um, you probably don't want me to say anything to them about this, do you?"


Taken aback, Strife replied, "Why not? Ya afraid they like won't approve of us bein' together?"


"Oh, no! I meant, you know, about you being...you. Strife, I mean. Instead of just Ryff."


"Oh! That! Yeah, well, we should prob'ly keep that between us fer now, 'kay? 'Cause I don't think things would go good if they knew."


"That's pretty much what I figured."


"Good. So, uh, let's get goin', then."


~~~~~~
"Huh. It worked. Weird." Aphrodite looked a bit dumbfounded. She turned toward her brother. "How did you know?"


Ares took on a smug expression. "Think about it. Strife is the God of Mischief. And who do you know that causes more mischief than Joxer? I figured, get the two together somehow, and they were bound to hit it off." I don't think she really needs to know about what else they have in common. But they should be good for each other.


"So, I guess you're not such a slouch at this love stuff after all, huh?" Aphrodite giggled.


"Yeah, well, don't let it get around, will you? Anyway, looks like I won our bet. You know what that means, don't you?"


Aphrodite paled. "Aw, c'mon Arry. You wouldn't really make me do that, would you?" She pouted, eyes pleading.


He snorted. "You're damn right I would! This is going to be great." He clapped his hands together in glee. Ignoring Aphrodite's protests, he sauntered out, his voice fading. "We'll need a large table, some fruit, a couple of frogs, I think I have a nice harness around here somewhere, and I've got the perfect outfit in mind. Although I must say, I don't think that particular shade of orange actually occurs anywhere in nature..."


Finit