Part 13


Puppy Love

JC and Justin shot a glance to Tyler as he entered the room, their eyes returning to the TV quickly, both thoroughly engrossed in the horror movie they were watching.

“Hey, Ty,” JC said absently. “How was school?”

“Fine.”

“You off tomorrow?” Justin asked.

“Yeah.”

“JC got us tickets to the Sonics game, want to go?” Justin asked around a mouthful of popcorn.

“I guess.”

“Want some popcorn?” JC asked, blindly holding out the bowl in Tyler’s general direction.

“No.”

“Well, your dinner’s in the refrigerator,” JC said, munching the buttery popcorn.

“Not hungry,” came the morose reply.

That got their attention. JC and Justin shared a glance, both men thinking the same thing. Not hungry? Tyler?? Both turned toward the younger man, noting his dejected posture as he sat in the chair. The lovers locked eyes, a silent message passing between them. Justin nodded.

“I’m going to bed, Jayce,” Justin said, slipping a videotape in the VCR and turning it to record. “I’ll tape the end for another time,” he finished, leaving the brothers alone.

JC rose from the couch. “Give me a hand with this stuff, would you Tyler?” JC asked, indicating the empty glasses on the coffee table. The boy did as he was told, following JC into the kitchen and placing the dirty dishes in the sink. He then slumped into a kitchen chair, leaning his elbows on the table and dropping his head into his hands.

JC suppressed a laugh. “So, baby brother,” he said as loaded the dishwasher. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tyler mumbled.

“Bullshit,” JC said bluntly, setting the dishwasher to delay start and joining Tyler at the table. “You’ve never passed up a meal in your life before. Not to mention you look sadder than Paw Paw did when that old cat of his cat died, so don’t tell me nothing is wrong.”

Tyler sighed dramatically. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” JC offered.

“Josh, it’s hard to…I mean…it’s about a …” his voice trailed off.

“A girl?” JC finished for him.

Tyler looked surprised. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“A lucky guess,” JC said with a smile. “Now, why wouldn’t I understand that?”

Tyler rolled his eyes at his brother’s obvious stupidity. “Because you’re gay!” he exclaimed.

JC roared with laughter. “Tyler, just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t understand relationships,” he said simply. “Trust me, boys aren’t much different than girls when it comes to matters like love.”

“Who said anything about love?” Tyler protested, his cheeks pinkening. “I haven’t…she’s…” His voice stammered as he shook his head. “Not…love.”

“Okay, okay,” JC soothed, holding up his hands. “Tell me about her anyway.”

Tyler’s eyes took on a dreamy look, a half-smile crossing his face. Oh, he’s got it bad, JC thought. Tyler talked animatedly about this girl, Kim, who was in his English Comp class. JC smiled, moving from the table to the fridge, getting Tyler’s dinner out and popping the meal in the microwave.

***

Justin roused sleepily as JC slipped into bed. “So, what was all that about?” he asked, pulling JC into his arms, spooning against the older man’s back.

JC sighed as Justin’s warmth enveloped him. “Poor Tyler,” he said. “Seems he’s fallen for a girl who doesn’t notice him.”

“Ick, girls.”

JC chest rumbled with laughter. “Yeah, go figure my brother to have such bad taste,” JC joked.

“What did you tell him?”

“Not much, really,” JC confessed. “Just give it time, be yourself, blah blah blah.”

“So wise,” Justin mocked. “Want me to talk to him?”

“Not unless he brings it up,” JC said with a yawn.

“Mkay,” Justin said, slipping into sleep, JC following him soon after.

***

“Good game tonight,” Tyler said as he and Justin walked from the Metro stop. Though it was JC’s school night, and JC usually walked to class, it was easier to take public transportation to the Key Arena than drive and park. “And that three-pointer at the end!” Tyler ran a head of Justin a bit, feigning a lay-up. He landed near a window, his eyes automatically looking inside. Suddenly, Tyler dropped down to crouch on the sidewalk.

Justin stopped, shocked at Tyler’s actions. “Are you all right?” he asked the younger man, coming to stand next to Tyler. He felt himself being pulled down to the sidewalk. Justin lost his balance and landed on his ass with a thud. “Fuck, Tyler, what are you doing?”

“Shh!” Tyler ordered. “She’s in there,” he said, pointing to the window.

“She?”

“Kim,” Tyler said. “And don’t even try and tell me my brother didn’t tell you all about it, because I won’t believe it. You guys tell each other everything.”

“Fine, but I don’t understand,” Justin said, shifting uncomfortably as the damp sidewalk started to chill his ass. “You like this girl, right?” Tyler nodded. “And this girl is in there?” Tyler nodded again. “Then what the fuck are we doing down here?” he asked, rising from the sidewalk.

Tyler grabbed Justin and pulled him down again. “Because I don’t want her to see me!” he hissed.

“Always the best way to get noticed,” Justin said sarcastically. He pulled his arm out of Tyler’s grasp and rose again, moving swiftly away from the boy. “Which one is she?” Justin asked, peering through the glass.

“Jeez, don’t be so obvious!” Tyler moaned. “She’s the blonde, behind the counter,” he continued.

Justin looked at the girl. She was young, probably eighteen. She had an open, expressive face and wide blue eyes. “She’s cute,” he said, peering down at Tyler, a thoughtful look on his face. “Maybe too cute for you.”

Tyler glared. “Bite me.”

“Hmm, no thanks. But…” Justin walked to the door. “Something to eat sounds like a good idea!” He heard Tyler groan as he walked through the café’s door.

***

JC was still awake when Justin came to bed. “How was the game?” he asked, laying down his book and looking over the rims of his reading glasses to gaze at Justin.

“Good,” Justin told him. “Sonics by one at the buzzer.” He pulled off his shirt, balling it in his hands before tossing it in the closet basket. He sat on the bed to unlace his boots. “How was class?” he asked casually.

JC was not fooled. “It was fine, Justin.” JC put a marker between the pages of his book, closing it and placing it on the bedside table, laying his glasses on top. “No after class discussion.”

Justin’s boots thumped on the floor before the younger man turned toward JC. “Sorry,” he said, twisting on the bed and fiddling with the covers over JC’s legs. “But let me just say, since I probably don’t tell you enough, how much I love you, and how very happy I am to have you.”

JC looked at Justin quizzically. “You tell me plenty, but it’s always nice to hear.” JC said. “What brought on that statement?”

Justin rose from the bed and removed his pants. “Your brother,” he explained. “We ran into that girl, Kim.” Justin kicked his pants off and slid into bed.

“Oh, boy,” JC said. “What happened? What did you do?”

“Me?” Justin replied with mock outrage. “Why do you think I did anything?” JC just looked at Justin. “Okay, maybe I nudged them along a bit.”

“What?” JC asked. “How?”

“We were walking past a restaurant and bam, there’s Tyler, hiding from this girl, who happens to work there.” Justin moved a bit closer to JC, leaning up on an elbow and laying a hand across JC’s warm stomach. “That just bugged the shit out of me, ya know? No one should hide from anyone. So, I went in and sat at the counter.” Justin laughed with remembered humor. “Took the kid ten minutes before he got the courage to come in after me.”

“Oh, Justin,” JC laughed.

“So, anyway, she recognized him, and he mumbled hello, so I, well…”

“You?”

“I said ‘Kim, my boy is too shy, but he’d like to take you out sometime.’”

“You didn’t!” JC exclaimed.

“She appreciated it,” Justin demanded. “I think. Anyway, she smiled, looked at Tyler, and said sure, how about Friday, she had two tickets for the Ataris’ concert.” Justin shrugged. “So, now they’ve got a date.”

JC shook his head in disbelief. “You’re amazing,” he told Justin. “Now we add matchmaker to the list of your talents.”

“Yeah?’ Justin scooted closer to JC, walking his fingers up the older man’s chest. “What else is on that list?” he asked, leaning up and laying his mouth on the skin just under JC’s strong jaw.

JC shivered at the contact. “Oh, you know…the usual stuff.” He slipped down to lay flatter in the bed, moving his legs restlessly as Justin’s hands moved over his body.

“Hmm…” Justin said, the sound vibrating against JC’s throat. “Is it…a long list?” His tongue flicked out to taste the rim of JC’s ear.

“Getting…uh…longer all the time,” JC said, his own hands pulling Justin closer. His hands moved down to Justin’s hips, grasping them close to JC.

Justin groaned in response to JC’s actions. He leaned up over JC, gazing down at him. JC’s eyes shone brightly, his handsome face flushed with sensual excitement. Justin wasn’t a religious man, but he realized, he knew how special JC was, how lucky he was to have found him. Justin sent a silent thanks to whoever or whatever—God, the Fates—that had brought them together. “So happy to have you,” he repeated solemnly.

JC looked up, his own expression serious but loving. “Happy to have you, too,” he said, pulling Justin’s head down so their lips met in a deep kiss.



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