Chapter Text
2012 - Calistoga, California
Breaking down yet another empty box Chris Argent turned to face his wife, who at the time was making work of the boxes in the kitchen, “Hi Hun, I think I’m gonna take in my Bike to see what she’s fussing about,” He said as he placed down the box with all the other empty once and went other to the front door to get his keys.
“Chris I’m warning you if you miss Alison’s try-outs this afternoon there will be trouble tonight.” Victoria warns her husband as she looks at him darkly over the kitchen counter.
“When have I ever missed one of her try-outs?” Chris askes with a hint of anger in his tone.
“Just make shore to be there.” She hisses back and then turns away to get back to work.
Sighing deeply Chris takes his keys and wallet and slams the front door shut after him as he makes his way over to his waiting truck still hooked up to the trailer holding his Motorcycle on the back.
“Dad?”
Chris takes a turn to the voice of his daughter and immediately gives her his warmest smile as he hugs her into his side when she’s close enough. “Hi darling, how’s your room coming along, think you’ll be settled in by tonight?” He asks as he strokes a hand through her long dark hair.
“Yha I’ll get through the worst of it…” She says distractedly and looks up at him with concern.
“What’s wrong darling?”
“Dad… should I be worried?” She says fiddling at the lowest button found near his upper chest on his white t-shirt.
“Worried, about what darling?” Chris askes frowning as he once more strokes at her hair.
“You and Mom… you’ve been fighting a lot lately…” She says in a whisper as she looks down avoiding her father’s gaze.
“Oh darling,” Chris says with a flinch as he looks at the pain on her face, “We’re not fighting,” he tries to bluff, “We’re just bickering, that’s all…”
Chris hated that it had come to this, Victoria had been picking a fight nearly every day for the last few months and the fact that their little girl had started to notes told him it really was as bad as it seemed.
Clearly seventeen year old Alison was worried that soon her parents would be filing for a divorce and Chris couldn’t blame her especially as bicker the other night had turned into a full blown fight with screaming so hard the neighbours must have heard, not to mention their daughter playing host to two of her friends, Chris would never get over the look of humiliation on her face when he came down the stairs to get the hell out of dodge for a few hours.
“Look darling,” Chris said lifting her chine so she would meet his gaze, “I’m sorry about the other night with your friends, I know you wanted that night to be perfect before you had to say goodbye so we could move down here, but your mother and I will get through this, we always do.”
“But I don’t understand Dad, what are you even fighting over?” Allison hissed in frustration and the worst part of it was that Chris had no strait answer to offer her, for not even he knew what had started half of the fights.
Smiling weakly Chris leaned in and kissed at her forehead, “We’ll be okay…” He whispered before pulling away and getting into his Jeep, not shore what else to say to the broken look on her face...
Chris had to ask around before he found the motorcycle repair shop set up next to the local Biker bar known as Alpha.Beta.Omega at the outer lines of town. Taking a parking spot between the two buildings Chris liked what he saw, at least he now knew where to come looking for a beer when he needed a few cold once.
Stepping into the repair shop as he took off his sunglasses it took Chris a moment to a gust to the lighting and to find a man hunching down next to a very proud Harley Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic.
Stepping closer he was surprised at the appearance of the man. He was younger than Chris five or six years give or take, with dark brown hair cropped short and styled to push up at the front, with a rather appealing goatee warming up the dip in his chin and making his strong jawline stand out even more, he was dressed in biker boots and old worn down oil covered jeans with his white t-shirt shoved into his back pocket exposing his well-defined chest accompanied by a silver pendent of a wolfs-head hanging from a silver chain.
“But no tattoos, no Biker club logos or American flag bandanas, just your average good looking man with dark blue eyes oh and a 1000 watt smile.” Chris thought to himself as soon as the man notes his client and said hi with that smile and eyes of dark blue pools abled to drown you in it.
Chris hadn’t found a man so appealing since collage this stranger literally had his breath stuck in his chest by just looking at Chris and then that voice just made it worse sending a frill down Chris’ spine… How weird, he hadn’t been with a man in almost 20 years, shore he stole a few glances here and there over the years but it had been a very long time indeed since Chris wanted to bend someone over other than his wife.
“H-Hey,” Chris lifted a hand and cleared his throat past his fist as he looked down on the smiling younger man “how bad is your work load, or can you handle a few moments to take a look at my Honda, she’s been making the strangest sound near the front wheel.” Chris says as he hooks his glasses into the front of his shirt. Stunned that he managed to get all of that out without stammering or rushing through it.
“Shore, She outside?” The man asks as he finds his feet while wiping his hands down on a dark blue bandanna.
“Yha I’ve got her up on my trailer, we just moved down here.” Chris says as they make their way outside. Though he had no idea why he felt the need to tell this strange that he was new in tow.
“Please tell me you were forced?” the younger man askes with a joking tone as they step up to the trailer and open up the back to get to the Honda.
“Why would I need to be forced?” Chris asked frowning as he watched the other man get onto the trailer and loosen up the straps keeping the Bike upright.
“Why would you willingly move to a piss poor excuse of a town like this?” Wow, sexy and blunt, Chris was in a load of trouble.
“Well you live here willingly don’t you?” Chris said wincing at his poor attempt at an answer, knowing that he was avoiding the real answer.
“That I do…” the younger man said with a wide smile as he wheeled the Bike down so Chris could lower her to the ground, “I’m Peter bide a way.
“Chris, nice to meet you.” Chris said smiling as he lowered the bike onto the ground only to watch Peter get down next to the bike and looking around the front wheel aria.
“I take it by her lack of protest just now she only complains when you’re on the road?” Peter asked as he looked up at Chris with squinting eyes at the sun behind Chris.
“As far as I can tell, yha.”
“Okay then, I have a Harley that has to be out in about two hours, why don’t you leave her hear with me, I’m shore I’ll have her ready by say… six? You can come pick her up then.” Peter said finding his feet as he took over the bike from Chris, their fingers touching slightly and to Chris’ surprise Peter to jerked his head up to look at Chris just as Chris did to look at Peter.
And for what felt like hours they just stood there looking for answers in one another’s eyes.
“Six?” Chris finely got out after God knows how long.
“If that’s okay with you, if it’s essayer she can sleep over till morning?” Peter suggested, his dark blue eyes still searching at Chris’ face with curiosity.
“No six is fine, I’ll see you then.” Chris said stepping backwards tortes his red Chevy Tahoe.
“Good luck with settling in.” was all Peter said as he wheeled the Honda in to his work shop.
****
“They didn’t have Dr Pepper so I got you a Pepsi instead,” Chris said taking a seat on the spectator’s section next to Victoria as his Light blue eyes moved over the string of kids currently taking their best shots at the bull’s-eye set up across the school fields while he handed her, her basket of fries.
“Chris I wanted the cheese sauce not mayonnaise.” Victoria said handing him the fries right back.
Biting down on his teeth Chris looked at her with irritation, “Vicky I’m sorry that was my mistake but that line is a mad house just eat it please.” Chris begged trying to hand her fries back to her.
But she just gave him that look, that look that can turn death right on over, that look of keep it up, you’ll be sleeping on the couch Argent.
“Vicky, Allison is about to go on, please can I just watch her first three rounds.”
“You should have thought of that before you got my order wrong.” Vicky hissed as she once more pushed at the basket of fries.
“What the hell is going on with you Vick, why are you constantly picking a fucking fight?!” Chris hissed under his breath not to draw attention the last thing he wanted was to humiliate Allison, again.
“Chris!” Vicky hissed right back making it clear he didn’t have any options here.
“Fuck!” Chris hissed as he grabbed the fries from her and stood up to once again get back into that ridicules food line.
By the time Chris returned Allison was finishing up on her third round at a nearly perfect score.
While yelling at Allison, ‘You got this Allison!’ Chris took his seat next to Vicky whom had his basket of fries in her lap nipping casually at the fries covered in tomato sauce.
With a frustrated sigh Chris moved to hand her, her basket now with cheese sauce, but she just waved it off and said, “No thank you I’m nearly full, you can have toughs.
“Unbelievable!” Chris hissed under his breath as he sat the basked down next to him, his apatite gone completely.
“What was that?” Victoria asked while giving him the death stare.
“Nothing.” This was getting ridicules, it was one thing to fuck him around on normal accounts but now she was messing with Allison’s time and that pissed him off in more ways than one.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to apologies for whatever it was he had manage to do wrong without knowing it, but this has been going on for months and to be frank, Chris didn’t know how he was going to fix this… maybe Allison had reason to be worried.
“You did great darling, I’m shore by Monday you’ll have made the team.” Chris said as he parked the Chevy in front of their three door garage.
“I hope so…” Allison said just above a whisper as she got out of the car with her bow and set of arrows, while Victoria stepped around to get the groceries from the back.
Looking after Allison whom was making a rather fast truck into the house Chris cursed under his breath as he stepped around to help Victoria with the waiting bags. “I need to go get my bike, so I’ll be back soon.” Chris said as they walked into the house and sat the bags down on the kitchen counter.
All Chris got in return was a waving hand of get out of my way while Victoria moved around him to clear out the bags.
****
Stepping out of the Chevy Chris found that the parking lot was a lot more filled than this morning, music and the smell of food and cigarettes coming from the bar next door as he made his way over to the work shop in the distance.
Stepping inside Peter was yet again the only one on the floor his back turned to Chris as he worked at the Honda and Chris took the moment to stair bluntly at the man’s jean covered ass. What a perfect ass it was in deed.
“Do you run this floor all on your own?” Chris asked stepping around so that Peter wouldn’t have to get up, where he had just moved to sit flat on his ass in front of the Honda.
“Hey, Christopher.” Peter said with a warm smile, “I was starting to wonder if your letting her sleep over.”
“Sorry I know I’m late my daughter’s Archery try-outs took longer than expected.” Chris said smiling back.
“How’d she do?” Peter asked with genuine curiosity in his tone and blue eyes.
“Good got a near perfect score, but we won’t know till at least Monday.” Chris said proudly
“Sounds like you have a real talent on your hands.” Peter said smiling as he reached into his tool box.
Smiling Chris took a look around the garage once more.
“No, Christopher,” Peter said with a soft laugh, “I don’t work this floor alone, my mechanics get off at five and my nephew just left early today, apparently he has a rather hot date.”
“She must be, if his willing to leave all this in waiting.” Chris said stroking an admiring hand over the expensive leather seat of another classic Harley.
“He, is not to bad looking, but not the type I thought my Nephew was into.”
“He?” Chris asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked back around at Peter.
“I know right, took me a second to adjust as well back when I first found out, though I can’t really blame the boy…”
“Wow, was that a hint, was Peter trying to tell him that he was into guys too, because if he was Chris might have to find another place to fix his bike at from now on.” Clearing his throat like he had earlier in the day Chris looked down on his Honda to clear his line of thought, “Would it be better if I did came back in the morning, you don’t seem all too caught up yet.”
“Yha, I got back logged with Derek leaving early, but I’m shore I can get her fixed up in the next hour,” Peter said looking Chris strait in the eyes, “There’s a six pack beer waiting in the fridge in my office if you want to stick around?”
“I should probably get home…” Chris said as he made no attempt to actually leave.
“Oh, cause seriously Christopher, you don’t seem in any hurry to get there, go get toughs beers, you can tell me all about the problems that come with leaving the big city.”
“Go on, it’s to the left tortes the back,” Peter urged after a long moment of Chris just staring at him as he bickered with himself.
“One beer.” Chris said as he turned to go look for the office.
“Wears the fun in that!” he heard Peter call from behind just as his eyes found the door to the office.
Shaking his head at the dangerous game he was playing at, Chris stepped into the surprisingly neat office, his blue eyes taking in the big wooden work desk with not one paper out of place, no food rappers or old soda cans, a stereo on the other wall still on to let free the music streaming through the inner garage and the fridge with a microwave on the top to its right.
Opening the fridge Chris grabbed the six pack and made his way back to Peter before he could change his mind, Peter was right he didn’t want to go home, not with Vicky in one of her moods and afraid to see the pained look on his daughters face one more time.
“So,” Chris said opening a beer and handing it down to Peter, “Till how late do you keep the shop open?”
“Depends on my mood, I’m up most nights since I have no one waiting for me upstairs.” Peter said and took a sip of his beer before he sat it down at his side and got back to stripping the front wheel of Chris’ Honda.
“Upstairs?” Chris asked as he brought his beer up to his lips and took a big gulp out of the very refreshing cold liquid.
“Yup, I live upstairs in the three bedroom loft, it’s been to quite for my taste since my daughter left so I work over time most nights.
“You have a daughter too?” Chris asked as he realised that Peter was most likely not gay if he had a daughter unless if he liked both teams…
“Yes she recently got reconnected with her mother, so she lives with her up in New York, I see her over school breaks.” Peter said.
“That must be hard, I can’t imagine my live without Alison.” Chris said as he pushed himself up onto a work desk and made himself comfortable by leaning back onto his palms with his beer pinned between his legs.
“Mmm” Peter said with a smile witch made Chris frown, “I have a feeling your daughter is the last of your worries.”
“Why would you say that?” Chris asked as he frowned deeper.
“Oh come on Chris I saw the way you looked at me today, your wife giving you trouble?”
With a hissing-laugh, Chris swallowed as he looked away, not shore what Peter was playing at and cursed at himself mentally when he realised Peter had caught onto the way Chris has been looking at Peter.
“Is she mad about the move?” Peter urged as he kept his eyes locked at his task at hand.
“I don’t know,” Chris said honestly, “I guess it could be the move,” he said realising she had been started picking fights shortly after he suggested the move, “She’s been picking fights over nothing at all, all the time and my daughter has started to notes.”
“Have you asked her about it?”
“Yha, I’ve even tried to apology’s for whatever it is I have done wrong, she barley looks at me these days, and when she does it’s like she’s trying to dagger at me… I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Shit, sounds like you have one pissed off lady on your hands,” Peter said shaking his head before he looked back up at Chris, “Mind if I ask when last you had sex?”
“You think this is about sex?” Chris asked completely taken aback by the frank question.
“Well maybe she misses the romance, I mean do you still buy her flowers, have candle light dinners and sweet , sweet love after?”
“She barley looks at me Peter, I’m afraid to touch her, that it would make it worse somehow.”
“Look the way I see it, you don’t really have anything to loose, maybe it’s what she’s waiting for, and if that doesn’t work, well shit I don’t know… maybe then it’s time to go see a marriage consular.
“Fuck…” Chris hissed past his hands he had now drawn down over his face.
By the time Peter and Chris had finished the six pack of beer and loaded his now fixed up Honda back onto the trailer it was way past midnight as Chris and Peter swapped out numbers in the promise to grab a beer some time.
Leaving Chris to think back on what Peter had said earlier the night as he drove home.
He wasn’t surprised to find the house completely dark when he turned off his Chevy and got out as he used his phone to light his way to the front door, setting down his keys Chris looked the door behind himself and made his way into the kitchen only to nearly break his neck over one of the stray moving boxes before he found a light switch. Taking a moment to look over the modern design of the kitchen Chris started to go through the draws one by one until he found the candles Vicky usually uses for table decorations and then made his way upstairs onley to take pause when he realised the TV was still on in the lounge. Setting the candles down on the table at the top of the stairs Chris made his way back down onley to find Alison curled up on the couch with the end titles of some movie played over the screen of the TV.
Switching off the TV Chris smiled as he remembered how he use to carry her to bed when she was still as light as a feather, taking a chance in waking her Chris reached down and took his daughters frame up into his arms and made his way up the stairs managing to lay her down into her bed without waking her, it stunned him that she was such a sound sleeper, but he liked to think that she slept so well because she knew how much she was loved.
Making shore she was settled in for the night, Chris returned to the candles and made his way into the main bedroom setting three of the candles down at his bedside table and another three on the dresser before he retreated into the bathroom, empting his tank, taking a quick shower, before brushing his teeth and returning into the bedroom to light the candles as he looked over Vicky’s sleeping form.
“What the hell are you doing?” Came her sleepy voice just as he was lighting up the last of the candles.
“Hi, sorry I’m so late.” He said as he crawled onto the bed in his pyjama bottoms to where she was looking at him in confusion.
“Chris…”
“Can’t we stop this constant loop of fighting, I love you Vicky,” Chris said as he leaned in and brushed his lips to hers onley to feel his heart contract painfully when she turned her face way, “Please, I miss you and Alison is picking up on the tension.” He begged as he stroked his hand up the side of her long soft leg, hoping that she would remember the countless good lights they had shared before this all went wrong somehow.
“I’m not in the mood, It’s late, get some sleep.” She said pushing his hand free of her leg, her face turned away from him.
“Vicky please, I want to fix this.” He said as he tried a difrent angle and kissed at her neck, his hand reaching for her silk covered breasts onley to have him shoved away with force as a hot slap fired into the side of his face.
“I said no!” She hissed and turned her back on him, leaving Chris stunned in shock as he brought his hand up to his heated cheek.
Swallowing down on the lump in his throat Chris found his feet to blow out the candles, before taking hold of his pillow to go sleep on the couch…