by J. C. Allen
11
Derek
There were so many things wrong with having Roost over for the day instead of Eve that I had trouble counting them all up. But, bored as I was sitting on the couch, watching the fourth movie of the day, trying to kill time until Eve came back while Roost ordered his second pizza of the day to go with his first delivery of bagel sandwiches, I thought, fuck it, let’s count ‘em all.
First was the obvious lack of sex. Roost might have been as horny as Eve, but let’s just say his orifices were ones I was not willing to go down or even consider. Chastity seemed awfully appealing next to Roost.
Second, I couldn’t do anything without feeling like Roost was watching me. If I went to take a piss, I knew Roost was listening to make sure I wasn’t groaning too loudly. If I said I wanted to get food, Roost used his phone to order some and bring it in. I couldn’t hate it too much, since it was all in the name of getting me better, but goddamn did this get old!
Third, my God… I knew Tara had complained the morning before about his farts, and I knew from my time at the shop that he had a bit of a flatulence issue, but holy hell! And all over my stuff, too! And when I mentioned it to him, his response was, “it’s yer punishment to be with me all day.”
Fourth, he loved to talk about his recent sexual exploits. While I had no qualms with him being gay, just as hearing a straight man brag about the number of women he’d slept with, hearing Roost brag about the eighth guy he had gotten his dick into over as many days got old quite fast. It got especially old when he described the older men he had gotten with, and I just resorted to closing my eyes.
Fifth… I wasn’t running out of things to complain about, it was more that I was just accepting what today had turned into. Roost would control my apartment, keep an eye on me, and Eve and Tara would go off and do their own thing. It was their punishment to me for being too rebellious last night, or that’s what they said it was.
I didn’t even think I was being rebellious! I just thought I was helping the Marines! That’s the last time I ever help anyone out. Punks.
“Roost, I know you’re enjoying this as much as anyone else,” I said around 4 p.m. as the most recent movie, some comedy with Adam Sandler whose name I couldn’t remember, came to a close. “But I’m begging you, please let me go ride my chopper. Or at least find out where Eve and Tara are.”
“Hmm,” Roost said, stroking his chin deliberately. “I suppose I coulda done that for ya already… but ya never asked! Why, which of those two would ya prefer?”
“The chopper,” I said, thinking that if I had that, I could head to the mall and find Eve and Tara. I might get my ass kicked my Tara, but it’d be worth it to see Eve, even if all she did was tease, tease, and tease some more before kicking me out as well.
“Alrighty then, lemme just make a call real quick here,” he said, pulling out his phone.
He didn’t even turn it on…
“’Ello, common sense? Well hey there, how are ya? Yeah, this is Roost. My boy here Derek? He got shot last night, and he wants to know if he can go ridin’. What’s that? Ya say that would be stupid? No way!”
I looked at him, folded my arms, and rolled my eyes as I slunk into the chair.
“Alrighty then, thanks Mr. Sense! I’ll be sure to let him know!”
Roost put the phone down and cleared his throat.
“Sorry, but—”
“I get it, you’re good,” I said. “I suppose asking you if I can go see Eve and Tara is also out of the question.”
“Well, it’s not out of the question, it’s the question itself, right?” Roost said.
I looked at him, puzzled, and just shook my head with a groan.
“Since when did you become a philosopher?”
“Around the same time that ya went and nearly got yerself killed?”
“Oh Jesus,” I said, putting my hands on my face. “You know I didn’t actually get myself almost killed, right? That getting shot is part of the deal?”
I saw Roost take a hefty sigh, twiddle his thumbs, and then let out another sigh.
“I ain’t stupid, Derek, and I know ya know that,” he said. “I’m well aware—too aware, really, knowin’ yer daddy and Dustin—of the dangers of this. And I know that ya gots to put yerself in some bad situations in the coming weeks.”
He snorted.
“But ya got someone who loves ya. I’ll admit fully to bein’ skeptical when ya told me ‘bout her. At the time, I’m sittin’ there thinkin’ you’d lost yer damn mind goin’ for some Black Falcons whore. Now, be clear, I know she more than that now, but that’s what crossed my mind then. And, well, be honest, ya have lost yer damn mind, but ya lost it for the best reason possible.”
He let out a bellow of a laugh, as if in disbelief at what all had transpired. Even I had to laugh sometimes, although right now the pain in my arm and the aftermath of this was not quite letting me reach the same levels of guffaws as Roost had.
“She a special girl, Derek. Ya ain’t need me to tell ya that. But here’s what I can tell ya that maybe you ain’t realize. We had plans—me and a few other VPs and what not—for what we’d do when ya killed yerself.”
“C’mon,” I said. “I knew I was bad, but—”
“You was worse, Derek,” he said seriously. “We seriously believed ya’d hit a point where ya said ‘fuck it’ and ended it somehow. Frankly, I think ya can thank the ghost of Maggie for keepin’ yer ass alive, or her spirit, or however ya want to call it.”
How right you are without even realizing it, Roost.
“In any case, ever since the girl came along, ya know what? We scrapped those plans. I ain’t even sure who in charge of them anymore. I think they burned, honestly. Ya a new man, Derek Knight. The man who bitched and moaned and whined and everythin’? That man is dead. But in his place is someone much more valued.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Roost didn’t give these compliments much, but when he did…
“So when Eve comes to me and asks somethin’, I do it. Practically speakin’, she’s as much a reason for the Saviors makin’ a comeback as anyone else, even if she ain’t know the difference between a Colt 45 and an AK-47. Her presence is what keeps us goin’, or rather, you goin’, and so long as that’s the case, I’m doin’ whatever she requests. But, personally, I like ya two. Not always. Well, her, always. You, I oughta have kicked yer ass a few times. But ya two make a nice combo. Don’t lose that.”
“I won’t,” I said, thinking of all the potential Eve and I had for the road ahead.
No matter what lanes we took, it seemed all but inevitable that the future journey would encompass us both. It was entirely possible said road would end in a few days or a couple weeks, but if we got past that, we’d live to the end of our days together, true love forever and ever.
And yes, I was willing to say that. I think I was willing to say that before, but the last three weeks of her being there in the good times, showing me it was as valued as the troubling and dark times, made it worthwhile.
Even if she gave me blue balls this morning.
“Good,” Roost said. “Keep it that way. I ain’t huntin’ yer ass down for a beatdown more than once if ya fuck up.”
“I know,” I said. “Wow, Roost, thanks.”
“Bah, thank Eve,” Roost said with a smirk.
I smiled back at him, truly feeling flattered by what he said.
“I suppose with words like that, you could send me out now?”
“Nope.”
“Damn.”
“Nice try, though.”
I just laughed, scrolling through for yet another movie to kill the time. I settled on some sci-fi film about dogs developing human minds and let it aimlessly begin, not giving two shits about what it was actually about.
And then Roost’s phone actually rang.
“Is it common sense giving you a call back to let me out?”
“Yer a comedian, Derek,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Hey, whor
e.”
Well, that answers who he’s talking to.
“Yeah, yeah, ya two good?”
A brief pause came that temporarily left me concerned, but Roost’s unchanging emotion and continued silliness ameliorated any such worries.
“Ya ain’t buy too much of that shit, I hope,” Roost said with a long sigh. “Alright, I figured. Whatcha need?”
More silence came.
“Alright, sounds good. Tell Eve his boy’s been behavin’. Had to whip his ass ‘round coupla times, but he’s a quick learner.”
I laughed as I imagined what Tara and Eve were saying in response. Roost said, “See ya soon,” and hung up.
“Looks like yer getting yer wish after all, pretty boy,” Roost said. “Yer girl’s comin’ home. Piece of advice—be more patient with her than me. I’m a horn-dog. She ain’t gonna jump ya like I’d jump a gay bear.”
“Uh, huh,” I said slowly, knowing full well how close Eve had come that morning to getting me off. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. But, hey, Roost.”
He turned to me with a curious yet serious stare in his eyes.
“Thank you. Not just for what you say, but for being an awesome sergeant for the Saviors. We’d be up a Falcons’ ass about now without you, and given your status as the most tenured member of the Saviors, you’ve earned everything and anything given to you. I owe you my life on multiple occasions, including making sure I stayed at it between Maggie and Eve. So, thanks.”
“Aw, shit, Derek, don’t turn this into no Brokeback Mountain,” he said with a chuckle, although I swore—just barely—that his voice cracked a bit. By the time he resumed speaking, though, it was gone. “Just be yerself, bud. Easy to take care of ya when yer in good spirits.”
I didn’t have to say anything more. Despite the blue balls, despite the adult supervision, despite the lack of freedom, today had actually gone better than I could have ever anticipated.
And now that I had Eve finally coming home, it was bound to only get better.
“Ya know what the craziest thing is?”
“Huh?” I said, snapping out of my thoughts at Roost’s words. “What?”
“Tara thinkin’ of movin’ in with me.”
“Seriously?” I said with a laugh. “Isn’t she there already?”
“Well, yes, but that’s cuz I’m bein’ nice to her,” Roost said with an eye roll. “She talkin’ ‘bout payin’ rent and the whole schebang.”
“No kidding.”
“I wish,” Roost said with a laugh.
“You like her,” I said, speaking the words before I could fully realize the truth behind them. “You like a girl who can talk shit like you. You like her because you’ll never develop an attraction to her. She’s like the sister you never had. Huh. Is that it?”
Roost smirked.
“Alright, psychic boy, tell me what the future holds so I can go buy me a damn lottery ticket.”
I laughed just before I got a notification from Clarence—the girls were here and ready to come up.
“I would,” I said. “Except I already got myself a lottery ticket. And I won.”
12
Eve
By the time the elevator doors opened to Derek’s condo, all of the minor feelings of negativity had receded enough that I looked forward to seeing him once again.
Rather than try and fight them or hope that they would magically vanish, I just accepted they weren’t going anywhere. And, strangely enough, by accepting them so much, I realized that they were that much easier to handle.
“Sup, whore?” Matty said when the doors opened.
“Hey, fag! Hey, Derek!” Tara said, completely oblivious.
I just stepped through a little dumbfounded that two of my closest friends could call each other such names and have it be like me saying “Hi Mom, hi Dad!” I saw Derek and smiled. I wanted to rush up and kiss him… but that seemed a little bit too like I was desperate.
And while we were obviously way past the point of playing games on if we liked each other, I wasn’t past the point of continuing to have a little bit of fun today. I was going to tease him just a bit longer, certainly while Tara and Matty were still here in the apartment. So, instead, I blew him a kiss hello, which he reciprocated with dramatic flair.
“You guys survived your girls day out!” he said. “Oh, it was so strenuous being here with Roost! I barely survived, let me tell you!”
“Yer a drama queen worse than the boys who dress in drag!” Matty said back.
“Ain’t no one know how to do it like me, boys,” Tara said.
The three bantered some more, to which I just let them go off into their own little world. It was cute and nice to have moments of levity like this, especially knowing what lay on the other side of it. Even after Derek and I… perhaps… had a chance to go further than we did this morning, he’d have to head right back out into the teeth of the tiger and attack that tiger.
“Eve?”
“Huh?” I turned around to Tara’s voice.
“Roost here says there are girls who can work it better than I. Clearly, he ain’t ever seen me!”
“That’s all good, darlin’,” Matty said. “But I, for one, need to get home.”
It was obvious what Matty was doing. He wasn’t tired, and he certainly didn’t seem fed up by Tara—almost seemed to draw off her energy, honestly.
But I appreciated it all the same.
“And yer comin’ with me, Tara.”
Thank heavens. I love you, Tara, but I need Derek now.
“Ya got ice cream back at the place, Roost?”
“Do I? Ya think I got this fat eatin’ asparagus and veggies?”
More laughter erupted, but now it felt more like the friendly, appropriate laughter family had for each other when the underlying tone was one of “OK, this is nice, but it’s time to move on.”
I went to hug Tara goodbye, and she gave me a gentle but long squeeze. It wasn’t hard to pick up on what she meant—it was a hug of “remember what we talked about today.” I wouldn’t.
I heard Derek and Matty exchange a handshake and a one-armed hug in true guy form. Matty then came over, put an arm around Tara, and said, “Challenge ya to see who can eat the most ice cream.”
“Oh, hell yes, big boy, it’s on!”
Once more, that familiar but gentle laughter echoed through the apartment.
I waved goodbye and watched as Tara and Matty headed out and down the elevator, knowing Derek and I wouldn’t have a lot of time alone together. While they were going to get ice cream and hang for a bit, at some point, Matty would be back shortly for Derek. And while last night had helped some, Matty had also made it abundantly clear earlier he was going out with Derek when the time came.
And while that was probably done more for Derek’s benefit than mine, it was also quite clear that I’d have to fend for myself.
I looked back with it being just us, seeing that Derek was now back in bed. He still had his white wrapping on, but he didn’t seem as sluggish as he had in the morning.
“Are you still upset?” I said. “I imagine your blue balls might have hurt you.”
“Nope,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m all good! Did Tara and you have fun?”
Uh huh. Sure you are, bub. But I’ll play along.
“Yup! We went to that outlet mall again, even went to Medieval Times again,” I said, grinning over at him.
“Should I be worried?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Did the same knight have an eye for you, Miss Kellerman? Did they try and sway your heart with another rose?”
“Not at all,” I said with a giggle. “The knight gave Tara a rose this time.”
“Good,” he said, grinning. “I won’t have to kill anyone then.”
“Woah now,” I said, smirking. “You’d challenge a knight just for giving me a rose?”
“I’d challenge God, himself, for eyeing your kiester,” he answered with a smirk, “And, supposedly, he’d be the one I
’d have to thank for making that kiester in the first place.”
“Good to know,” I said, laughing as I rolled my eyes. “It sure sounds like you have some pent up energy. Almost like someone might have… teased you earlier, hmm?”
I said this as I strummed a finger over his thigh. He was trying to be coy, but it was so obvious that he was aroused—most notably by the way the blankets around his crotch suddenly elevated like a mountain—that I didn’t even bother to call him out. He knew how full of shit he was.
“Maybe so,” he said, trying to be serious. “You know, we don’t have much time until Roost gets back.”
“Oh? And why would that matter?”
“Why?” he said. “Because I’ve been begging to have you here all day and I finally got it and I don’t want to waste it!”
“Oh my,” I said. “Someone sounds desperate!”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Derek said, practically begging with the words. “I am desperate for you Eve! I want to make love to you!”
As if to further tease the point, I slid my fingers under the blanket and grabbed his fully swollen cock, sensually rubbing it with an erotic smile on my face.
“Is this helping?”
“It’s a start!”
Oh, how fun it was to tease Derek.
“You know, luckily for you,” I said, deciding the facade could now—slowly—drop. “I was pretty close to making a move on you this morning. Oh, for how naughty you were, you wouldn’t have deserved it, but God, are you tempting. How does it feel? To know I was so close?”
“Are you close now?”
Men. Always getting right to it.
Not that I mind.
“Would you like me to be?”
I watched Derek for a moment, not even realizing I was holding my breath waiting for his answer. My hands went still.
A moment later, he was leaning forward and slammed his lips on mine. I moaned, arching against his kiss as I ran my tongue against his own. He groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist as we continued to kiss.
And the teasing is over.