"Taking Chances"
By Viridian5
1/20/99

RATING: R.  Berg/Pete.  If m/m interaction bothers you, what are 
you doing here?
SPOILERS: Phooey on sit-coms' cutesy names for episodes!  For 
brevity, the eps referenced here are "Two Guys, a Girl, and...": 
"...a Homecoming," "...an Internship," "...an Oxford," 
"...Thanksgiving," "...a Gamble," and "...a Proposal." 
SUMMARY: Some upheavals in Pete's life as well as his reaction 
to a certain photo help Pete get a clue.
DISCLAIMERS: All things here are property of Infront 
Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television.  Anyone who 
thinks I'm infringing or making a cent from this is on drugs.  If 
Pete and Berg were mine, they would be much happier, and Berg 
would have more opportunities for evil fun.
NOTES: Yes, this is _Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place_ slash.  
If you're too frightened, you can leave now, but we'll pick on you 
once you're gone...  ;-)
Berg's full, actual name is "Michael Bergen."
For Te, who only encouraged me in my madness.  This story has 
not known the touch of a beta, so all mistakes are my own.


=================
"Taking Chances"
By Viridian5
=================

Berg's dark eyes gleamed.  "I'm really impressed.  It takes a 
special person to lose his job, girl, and surrogate son in one day.  I 
think this is one for the record books."

Pete leaned back on the couch.  "You're not helping."

"I tried to.  I told you that proposing was a bad idea, but you 
couldn't listen to me.  What do I know?"

"Like you've never done anything stupid for a woman.  I 
remember *someone* going off to England even--"

"You're lucky she turned you down.  It's not like you really 
wanted to marry her."

"She was The One!" They had this conversation about The One on 
a regular basis, so Pete knew Berg would answer with something 
like...

"This week.  You wouldn't have proposed if you hadn't seen 
Michael with his father.  You were trying to hold onto the kid, not 
her."

Pete looked at his longtime roommate.  He had some suspicions 
about Berg's motives that had only grown stronger lately.  "You 
liked the kid too."

"I don't like anyone."

"If you disliked him, you could have found a way to sneak off on 
your own.  Instead, you took him to the dogtrack to teach him 
ratios.  Not a bright idea--"

"Hey, it worked!"

"--but you seemed to be trying to help."

"He's my namesake.  How could I not feel some kind of bond?"

"Like she named him for you.  You liked being a second dad." 

Pete watched Berg bustle around the kitchen.  His roommate was 
always in motion and seemed to have more energy than should 
have been humanly possible.  He'd watched Berg before but not 
with this much attention.

"I would be a terrible dad.  *You* do the responsible thing."

"That's part of why I'd be so good at it.  I wasn't just the good-
time dad.  I was there for the rough stuff too, like helping him 
study and going to the principal for him."

"Well, I admire your anal rectitude.  That newfound enjoyment of 
discipline might help you later." Berg grinned and got himself 
some milk.  "I'd rather be Uncle Runs-With-Scissors," Berg said, 
making Pete smile at the affectionate way Berg used the insulting 
name he'd created.  "Or the grandmother who spoils the hell out of 
the kid."

"Not the grandfather?"

"You've never met my grandfathers.  From the one of yours I 
met--"

"Skip it.  The other one's different."

"Whatever.  Besides, I think your bride might have had some 
objections to me being Michael's other dad."

"You really didn't want me to marry her."

"I knew you were making a mistake.  You're too young and not 
ready.  She wasn't The One, and you only knew her for a month."

Pete baited the hook.  "So I should hold out for someone I've 
known for a long time."

Berg just looked back, inscrutable.  "People you know can still 
surprise you. Why take a chance on a stranger?"

"You would."

Berg leaned against the counter.  "You're wrong; I don't take 
stupid chances.  You should be spontaneous, not stupid."

"Sure.  If I was spontaneous instead of stupid, I could have blown 
a wad of money I didn't even have to fly to England to find a 
woman who wasn't there anyway and who only intended to keep 
me as a second boyfriend."

"Ow.  That was almost cruel." Berg smiled in that smug, devilchild 
way that lit up his eyes and made Pete want to grab him.  "You're 
getting there, Grasshopper.  But you start to dilute the effect if you 
overuse a tidbit."

Pete admired the long, lean sprawl of his roommate.  He'd been 
thinking some very different thoughts lately, mostly due to...  
"Looking at those underwear photos of you was enlightening."

Berg's face closed down, shutting out all of its usual inner light.  "I 
don't want to hear about it." There may have been actual hurt there.

"They made me wonder what else you might have done for money.  
Maybe... porn?" Pete smiled.  He had managed to render Berg 
speechless.  *That* was one for the record books.

Berg recovered.  "Oh, please."

Pete stood and wandered over.  "It just made me curious, that's 
all."

Berg leaned into his personal space, almost threatening.  
"About...?"

"You.  What kind."

Berg's voice had dropped low and soft until it hissed across Pete's 
skin.  "What are you expecting to hear?"

They were standing so close that Pete could feel the heat radiating 
from the other man.  He ignored the streak of terror that thrummed 
through him and leaned in, craning his head up a little, until their 
lips touched.  The fear of what he was doing and its consequences 
//If he takes this the wrong way, I could lose my best friend// faded 
when Berg started to kiss back, demanding yet gentle.  Thinking 
became the last thing on his mind.  

//Had to be gay porn.  Oh God...//

As obvious as it was, he couldn't help thinking that this was 
nothing like kissing a woman.  But he wasn't so sure it was like 
kissing a man either, not that he had any experience.  This was 
Berg--brilliant, mischievous, unpredictable, a bit evil, a bit 
dangerous, but also caring and loyal--and so strongly, blindingly so 
that Pete would have known that for certain even in the dark.

It felt so odd to have his head tilted up for this for once, being in 
the arms of someone taller.  Berg had taken control of him, 
wrapped and cradled him.  It felt good.  He also felt overwhelmed, 
but not so much that he couldn't stop this if he wanted to.  He 
didn't.  His hands combed through soft, curly hair he'd wanted to 
touch for a longer time than he could admit.  Berg was hard against 
him, but he didn't feel as threatened as he could have.

They broke apart a little to breathe.  "My roommate, the porn star." 
Pete moaned when Berg ground against him in response.  

"Still curious?" Berg asked, breath teasing Pete's ear.

Pete realized that it was all up to him.  He knew now that Berg 
wanted him, but if he decided that what they'd just done had been 
a little practical joke, carrying on Sharon's campaign of 
harassment about the photo, Berg would back away and agree.  
Everything could go on as it had before.  He didn't have to lose 
Berg as a friend.

A few months ago, none of the things Pete was thinking now 
would have ever occurred to him.  But that Pete had been certain 
he knew everything about himself, life, and his place in it.  He'd 
been an idiot, and he would have lived a life of quiet desperation.  
He would have been a successful architect, made a lot of money, 
and married well, but he would have been dissatisfied without 
understanding why.  The Pete who had thrown all that away may 
not have felt as safe and secure, but he knew he had a larger world 
and more choices.

He didn't want everything to go on as it had before.

"Even more now.  Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Berg smiled.  "About the porn?"

"About being attracted to me."

"I wasn't sure how you'd react.  You're getting better, but you still 
can be prissy about the stupidest things."

"Oh, thanks."

"A cute prissy, though.  You wouldn't be you without it."

"You know, when you had to wear that marching band costume for 
Homecoming, it was so hard to keep my hands off you, and I 
didn't know why."

"You weren't bad as the mascot, yourself."

"Being in a cell alone with you like that would have been a real 
kick if we hadn't actually been locked in."

"Prison guards can be so picky."

"We're partners in crime." Despite everything, Pete still felt a bit 
reluctant to touch Berg.  It would be like taking liberties.

Berg backed away, took one of Pete's hands in his own, and 
brought it to his face.  Pete sighed at the feel of heat, bone, and soft 
skin.  It was an invitation.  He moved his hand over a cheekbone 
and fluttering eyelids before moving down to stroke the long neck.

"You were one of the straightest guys I knew," Berg said, and Pete 
could feel the words vibrating into his hand.  "I liked being your 
friend and living with you too much to destroy it."

"You were right." When he felt Berg stiffen, Pete continued, 
"Then.  I wouldn't have been ready then."

"Now?"

"Now I think we went about it all backwards: moving in and living 
together before we even..." Pete took a deep breath, "had sex."

Pete could feel Berg's purr even as Berg said, "You don't have to 
do this."

"I want to."

As they kissed again, Pete lost himself in the feeling of being 
utterly possessed.  He didn't know what the hell he was doing, but 
he was sure Berg would show him everything he needed to know.  
He enjoyed having someone else take the lead.  He was terrified, 
but he wanted this, and Berg, so badly.  

He knew that Berg tended to talk during sex, rambling breathy 
nonsense that had driven him insane with curiosity as he'd tried to 
make it out through the muffling walls.  He wanted to hear it for 
himself now, know that he was responsible for reducing Berg to 
that, for stripping away all the cleverness and defenses...

"Oh my God!" 

Pete turned to see Sharon at the door.  She looked chagrined, while 
Berg looked deeply angry.  Pete tried not to laugh.

"I knew you guys did... whatever, but I never thought I'd have to 
see it.  Lock the door or something!"

"We.  Never.  Lock.  The.  Door.  Though the idea is starting to 
look more attractive.  Maybe if you knocked...?" Berg's voice 
could flay steel.

Sharon remained oblivious.  "I'll leave you two alone.  Eww!"

Once she'd shut the door, Berg said, "There has to be something I 
can do to her.  Something even worse than displaying her tenth 
grade high school photo in public."

"She thought we were already sleeping together."

"That's what it sounds like."

"But she--" Then Pete lost track of his train of thought in the feel 
of the fingers that slowly stroked him through his jeans.

"Can we talk about something other than Sharon?"

"Sharon who?" Pete croaked.

"That's my boy."

"Yeah, I am."  //And I like it.//


*********************THE END************************