Ficlets: Brotherhood II, Miami, Another Gay Movie
So I decided to commemorate the death of Falwell by writing some hot boy on boy action. And okay, so there's no actual action in this first set of ficlets, but it's the thought that counts. This is the first half of the requests (I am sneakily combining a few of them so unless there are more requests, I think there will be six ficlets total); the second half is sure to be pornier. Included here are Speed/Tyler with a side of Delko, Harlan/Marcus and modern technology, and Griff/Jarod, aka The Sappiest Couple Of All Time. Hey, it's canon. Stop looking at me.
I. Harlan/Marcus, text messages. Requested by spoiledjap. Future fic in the Aftermathverse.
A murmur started in the crowd at the first ring, and Marcus felt heat creeping up his neck at the familiar sound. He leaned into the microphone as he dug in his pocket for his phone, pasting on what he hoped was a close approximation of Harlan's signature grin as he held up his phone. "Sorry."
The crowd laughed, and Marcus avoided the gaze of the panel coordinator as he glanced at his phone long enough to turn it off. He was pretty sure he knew who the text message was from and he was tempted to read it, but he knew better. Besides, the panel was half over, and with any luck he'd even get a few minutes to himself before his next session in the afternoon. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and turned back to the crowd, still grinning as the moderator asked him another question.
"Marcus, it's a pretty safe bet that everyone in the room wants to know when we can expect another game from you. Are you planning to make Demon Hunt a trilogy?"
He'd been expecting that question; he'd even talked about it with Harlan the night before he left, working out a strategy for what to tell the crowd. It wasn't just fans of the games, after all, it was the entire industry, and Harlan was right: Marcus didn't want to commit himself one way or another until he had to. So he shrugged and leaned toward the mic, smile shifting into something a little more innocent. "Sometimes the story takes on a life of its own. At this point, your guess is as good as mine."
Another murmur started up in the crowd, and Marcus leaned back in his chair and waited for the moderator to quiet the audience down enough to keep the panel moving.
For the next hour or so Marcus answered all the questions that were directed at him as vaguely as possible, giving them enough to make sure the trades would be talking about his 'new, as-yet-unnamed' project without giving any details. By the time the panel finally broke up and Marcus made his way off the stage he was starving, but he paused long enough to pull his phone out of his pocket.
'2 new messages,' his screen informed him, and Marcus flipped his phone open and pressed 'OK'.
Good luck, the first one said. Remember, keep them guessing.
Marcus rolled his eyes and opened the second message, smiling as he read it. When are you coming home, anyway? Call me.
He dialed Harlan's office number, but when the line connected it wasn't Harlan's secretary on the other end of the line. "Harlan Ratcliffe."
"Since when do you answer your own phone?"
"Since I started waiting around for you to call me back," Harlan answered, but Marcus could hear the smile in his voice. "How'd it go?"
"Fine," Marcus answered. "It's kind of weird, sitting up there with all those people staring at you."
"You're a celebrity now, get used to it."
"No, I'm not," Marcus said, but he had to admit Harlan sort of had a point. People knew who he was, anyway, at least in the gaming world. Not that sitting on a panel at a gaming convention made him Brad Pitt or anything, but it sort of felt like it while we was up there.
"So when are you coming home?"
"Tomorrow. I left my schedule for you."
"Yeah, I know. I was just hoping maybe you got an earlier flight."
"Now you know how I feel when you take off on your business trips," Marcus answered, but he couldn't help smiling at the idea of Harlan rattling around their apartment without him.
"You could always come with me, you know."
They'd had this argument a hundred times, but it was sort of comforting, knowing that Harlan wanted him around. Not that Marcus wanted to hang around some hotel room while Harlan wined and dined clients, but it was nice to have the option. "I know. Listen, I'll try to get an earlier flight tomorrow. If I do I'll call you."
"Call me anyway," Harlan said, voice dropping an octave and sending a chill down Marcus' spine.
And he'd been in Seattle for a week, so it was tempting to blow off the rest of the conference and go to the airport right now. Except that he still had another panel tonight, and if he cancelled at the last minute they'd probably never invite him to one of these things again. So he'd just have to take his chances at the airport tomorrow and try not to spend the rest of the day imagining what was going to happen when he got home.
Not that it was going to be easy. He might even have to turn off his phone.
~
II. Speed/Tyler, Delko, cruise. Requested (sort of) by rabidfan. Part of the Denialverse.
He'd been whining about Calleigh and that homicide detective pretty much since the minute Speed let him in, so it took Delko awhile to notice the brochures on the counter. Finally even Delko had to come up for air, though, and when he did he glanced down and saw them. "You planning a cruise?"
"No," Speed said, looking up from the roast he was rubbing with horseradish long enough to glance over his shoulder at Delko. "Tyler is."
"What, Tyler's planning a vacation without you?"
Speed rolled his eyes but didn't bother looking at Delko. "No. I'm just not interested."
"So you're gonna make him go by himself? That's kind of cold, don't you think?"
And now he wished he'd shoved the damn things in a drawer before Delko showed up, except that Delko never called first, so he hadn't exactly had the chance. Besides, if they weren't on the counter when Tyler got home he'd take it as some kind of signal, and Speed was really tired of having the same conversation over and over again. He just didn't get the appeal of floating around on a giant deathtrap in the middle of nowhere, and he didn't get why that was such a big deal. It wasn't like he'd refused to go on vacation at all; summer break was coming up, after all, and he could use some time away from campus. Granted, it wasn't as stressful as when he still worked in the lab, but he wouldn't mind going someplace with Tyler for a few days of just them and a big bed. He just didn't see why it had to be on a boat.
"I'm not making anybody do anything," Speed answered as he opened the oven and slid the roast inside. What they really needed to do was spend their vacation at home renovating the kitchen; that was the practical plan, and the money they'd spend on a week in the Caribbean would go a long way toward new appliances and countertops. But when he'd suggested it Tyler had just looked at him like he'd never seen Speed before.
When he looked up Delko was shaking his head, brochures still firmly in hand and Speed let out a heavy sigh. He'd already heard it all from Tyler; the last thing he needed was Delko pressuring him about something that was none of his business.
"Look, Speed," Delko said, holding up a hand when he looked up to find Speed glaring at him. "Just hear me out. I mean, this whole thing with you and Tyler kind of took me by surprise at first, yeah, but it's obvious you've got a good thing going. So why not just make the guy happy? If he wants to go on a cruise, take him on a cruise."
"Oh, so you're giving relationship advice now?" Delko winced when he said it and Speed was instantly sorry, but he wasn't going to take it back. They both knew Delko was the last one to be lecturing anybody on relationships, and anyway Speed didn't have to agree to some expensive vacation to keep Tyler happy.
"You're right," Delko answered, shrugging and okay, maybe Speed shouldn't have said it like that. "But that's my point, man. If Calleigh wanted me to take her on a cruise, I'd be on the phone to the travel agent before she had a chance to show me the brochures."
Speed didn't bother pointing out that his situation wasn't even close to Delko's. For one thing, Tyler hadn't spent the past six years giving him the run-around, and for another, they already lived together. Tyler knew how Speed felt about him, and he didn't have to prove it by getting on some boat with a bunch of other gay couples and waving rainbow flags all weekend. Not that Speed was going to point out to Delko that the cruise Tyler was thinking about was a gay cruise. "If you like the idea so much maybe you should go with him."
"Maybe I will," Delko answered, smiling that smug smile and Speed had to work hard not to laugh at the image of Delko on a boat full of gay couples. "I could use a vacation."
The front door opened before Speed could answer, and when Tyler walked into the kitchen he didn't stop himself from smiling. "Hey."
"Hey," Tyler said, leaning in for a kiss and that was still a little weird in front of Delko, but Speed didn't pull away. "Hey, Eric. How's life at the crime lab?"
"Same story, different day," Delko answered. Speed wasn't surprised that he left out the part where Calleigh had a new boyfriend and she'd pretty much told Delko it was never going to happen. Not that Speed blamed him; it was probably hard enough to admit it to Speed, there was no way he was going to say spill his guts to Tyler. "I was just looking at your brochures. Looks pretty nice."
"Tell that to Tim. He's sure the ship will hit a sandbar or something and we'll all drown."
"Delko's up for it," Speed said as he reached in the fridge for the green beans. "I bet he'd be really popular on board. Maybe he could even give you some diving lessons while you're in port. Your own private lessons. Though you could probably make a lot of money if you sold private lessons to the other passengers."
"What's so funny?" Delko asked when Tyler laughed, and Speed almost felt guilty again. But he was the one who wouldn't let it go, so it was his own fault.
"It's a gay cruise," Tyler answered, using that same gentle voice he always used when he was trying to convince Speed to do something Tyler knew he'd hate. "Couples, mostly, but some people bring straight family members."
"I don't think you could pass for our supportive brother, though," Speed added, laughing at Delko's expression.
"Hilarious," Delko said, dropping the brochures back on the counter and standing up. "If I wanted this kind of abuse I'd just hang out at the lab."
"Sit down," Speed said, ignoring the look Delko shot him. "Dinner's almost ready."
"I'm going to go wash up." Tyler pushed himself off the counter and headed toward the back of the house, but he paused in the doorway to look back at Delko. "You're staying for dinner, right?"
"I shouldn't," Delko answered, but he sat down and picked up the brochures again. For awhile he didn't say anything at all, and Speed wasn't sure whether he was getting the silent treatment or if Delko was just thinking about Calleigh again. Then Delko looked up and waved the brochure at him, and Speed stopped himself from rolling his eyes for the eleventh time.
"Seriously, you should go, man."
"Thanks for the advice."
Delko grinned at that and dropped the brochure on the counter. "What are friends for?"
~
III. Griff/Jarod from Another Gay Movie, which you should watch if you haven't because it's great. Put it in your Netflix queue. If you can get it at the same time as Hellbent, that's even better. This fic contains spoilers for the movie, though, so if you're a purist, don't read it until after you watch it. Requested by amandazillah, who wanted phone calls post-movie.
The phone was ringing when Griff finally made it back to his room, and he fumbled to get his key in the lock before it was too late. He grabbed the phone on the fourth ring, dropping his backpack on the floor by his feet. “Hello?”
“Hey,” Jarod said, the familiar voice in his ear making Griff blush. “You okay? You sound kind of funny.”
“Fine,” Griff answered, still breathless as he tried to navigate around his backpack and drag the phone over to his bed at the same time. “I mean, I’m fine. Just running a little late, that’s all.”
“Sure I didn’t catch you thinking about me?” Jarod asked, the smirk clear in his voice and Griff blushed even harder. They’d only jerked off on the phone together a few times, because it was hard to find a time when they could both be sure their roommates wouldn’t walk in. And he wished they could do it now, because his cock was half-hard just listening to Jarod talk, but his roommate was due back any minute.
So he shouldn’t flirt, because that would just make things worse, but he couldn’t help himself when it came to Jarod. “I’m always thinking about you.”
“You better be,” Jarod said, voice dropping just enough to send a chill down Griff’s spine. “I miss you.”
“Me too.” Griff sighed and settled back on his bed, arm wrapped around his pillow and okay, maybe it was a little pathetic to hug a pillow when he couldn’t hold his boyfriend, but what Jarod didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “Whose idea was it to go to different colleges again?”
“Not mine,” Jarod answered. “I wanted you to stay here and go to State. You’re the one who’s too smart for your own good.”
“Come on, Jarod, you’re not dumb. You totally could have gotten into this school.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t offer me a baseball scholarship,” Jarod said. “But if I’d known how you felt earlier I might have gone there anyway.”
“Wait. You applied here?” Griff asked, and he’d never wished so much that Jarod was here, just so he could see his face and tell if he was joking.
“Sure,” Jarod answered, like it was obvious. Like Griff should have known Jarod would apply to the same schools as him; in retrospect, he probably should have.
“You could have played baseball here.”
“Probably,” Jarod said, and Griff knew him well enough to picture the shrug. “But I couldn’t afford it without the scholarship. Besides, my team’s made the championships eight years in a row.”
“You could have asked me to stay,” Griff pointed out, even though he knew why Jarod hadn’t. The truth was he just liked hearing how much Jarod loved him, especially now that all they had were phone calls. It was one thing when they were home and he could touch Jarod, kiss him and see his face when he said ‘I love you’.
“So what if I’m asking now?”
“What?”
“I mean it, Griff,” Jarod said, and Griff could hear him moving around on the other end of the line. “You could transfer to State, then we’d see each other all the time. Hell, we could share a room.”
“We could get an apartment,” Griff said, heart racing because it was crazy, but he was actually considering it. His parents would probably kill him, but it would be worth it if it meant he got to see Jarod every day. Every night, and that was even better. “I mean, if you want to.”
“Are you kidding? I love you, Griff. You’re my best friend.”
And he loved hearing Jarod say that, but he loved it even more when it was followed by a kiss. “How long until spring break again?”
“Five weeks, two days and thirteen hours,” Jarod answered, and Griff grinned at the longing in his voice. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”
“I can’t wait for you to get me alone either.”
“When’s your roommate coming home?”
“Any minute,” Griff admitted, letting out a frustrated sigh as he weighed the possibility of barricading the door from the inside. But he knew it would never work, and even if he had time to devise something his roommate would never let him hear the end of it. “I think he’s going home this weekend, though.”
“Good. I can’t wait another five weeks to hear you come,” Jarod said, voice low again and Griff shuddered at the sound. “So are we doing this or what?”
“What?” Griff asked, frowning and glancing at the door again because he was pretty sure they’d just established that there wasn’t enough time for phone sex.
“Moving in together,” Jarod said. “If you apply for a transfer now we can start looking for a place this summer.”
“Yes,” Griff answered, heart skipping a beat at the prospect of sharing a bed with Jarod every night. He didn’t even have to think about leaving his current school, because there was no way he could take three more years away from Jarod. “I’ll download the transfer application tonight.”
“You sure? Because…”
“Jarod,” Griff interrupted, “I love you. I’m sure.”
“Good,” Jarod said, and Griff couldn’t help smiling at the relief in his voice. “So I’ll call you this weekend?”
“You better,” Griff said. He smiled wistfully as he listened to Jarod say goodbye; they both had homework, even though all he wanted to do was listen to Jarod breathe for the rest of the night. But in five weeks they’d have a whole week just to be together, and after that it would only be a few more months before they’d never have to say goodbye again.
~
Still to come: Forsaken fic, BWOC, and Suicide Kings. I will come through this time! Honest.
I. Harlan/Marcus, text messages. Requested by spoiledjap. Future fic in the Aftermathverse.
A murmur started in the crowd at the first ring, and Marcus felt heat creeping up his neck at the familiar sound. He leaned into the microphone as he dug in his pocket for his phone, pasting on what he hoped was a close approximation of Harlan's signature grin as he held up his phone. "Sorry."
The crowd laughed, and Marcus avoided the gaze of the panel coordinator as he glanced at his phone long enough to turn it off. He was pretty sure he knew who the text message was from and he was tempted to read it, but he knew better. Besides, the panel was half over, and with any luck he'd even get a few minutes to himself before his next session in the afternoon. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and turned back to the crowd, still grinning as the moderator asked him another question.
"Marcus, it's a pretty safe bet that everyone in the room wants to know when we can expect another game from you. Are you planning to make Demon Hunt a trilogy?"
He'd been expecting that question; he'd even talked about it with Harlan the night before he left, working out a strategy for what to tell the crowd. It wasn't just fans of the games, after all, it was the entire industry, and Harlan was right: Marcus didn't want to commit himself one way or another until he had to. So he shrugged and leaned toward the mic, smile shifting into something a little more innocent. "Sometimes the story takes on a life of its own. At this point, your guess is as good as mine."
Another murmur started up in the crowd, and Marcus leaned back in his chair and waited for the moderator to quiet the audience down enough to keep the panel moving.
For the next hour or so Marcus answered all the questions that were directed at him as vaguely as possible, giving them enough to make sure the trades would be talking about his 'new, as-yet-unnamed' project without giving any details. By the time the panel finally broke up and Marcus made his way off the stage he was starving, but he paused long enough to pull his phone out of his pocket.
'2 new messages,' his screen informed him, and Marcus flipped his phone open and pressed 'OK'.
Good luck, the first one said. Remember, keep them guessing.
Marcus rolled his eyes and opened the second message, smiling as he read it. When are you coming home, anyway? Call me.
He dialed Harlan's office number, but when the line connected it wasn't Harlan's secretary on the other end of the line. "Harlan Ratcliffe."
"Since when do you answer your own phone?"
"Since I started waiting around for you to call me back," Harlan answered, but Marcus could hear the smile in his voice. "How'd it go?"
"Fine," Marcus answered. "It's kind of weird, sitting up there with all those people staring at you."
"You're a celebrity now, get used to it."
"No, I'm not," Marcus said, but he had to admit Harlan sort of had a point. People knew who he was, anyway, at least in the gaming world. Not that sitting on a panel at a gaming convention made him Brad Pitt or anything, but it sort of felt like it while we was up there.
"So when are you coming home?"
"Tomorrow. I left my schedule for you."
"Yeah, I know. I was just hoping maybe you got an earlier flight."
"Now you know how I feel when you take off on your business trips," Marcus answered, but he couldn't help smiling at the idea of Harlan rattling around their apartment without him.
"You could always come with me, you know."
They'd had this argument a hundred times, but it was sort of comforting, knowing that Harlan wanted him around. Not that Marcus wanted to hang around some hotel room while Harlan wined and dined clients, but it was nice to have the option. "I know. Listen, I'll try to get an earlier flight tomorrow. If I do I'll call you."
"Call me anyway," Harlan said, voice dropping an octave and sending a chill down Marcus' spine.
And he'd been in Seattle for a week, so it was tempting to blow off the rest of the conference and go to the airport right now. Except that he still had another panel tonight, and if he cancelled at the last minute they'd probably never invite him to one of these things again. So he'd just have to take his chances at the airport tomorrow and try not to spend the rest of the day imagining what was going to happen when he got home.
Not that it was going to be easy. He might even have to turn off his phone.
~
II. Speed/Tyler, Delko, cruise. Requested (sort of) by rabidfan. Part of the Denialverse.
He'd been whining about Calleigh and that homicide detective pretty much since the minute Speed let him in, so it took Delko awhile to notice the brochures on the counter. Finally even Delko had to come up for air, though, and when he did he glanced down and saw them. "You planning a cruise?"
"No," Speed said, looking up from the roast he was rubbing with horseradish long enough to glance over his shoulder at Delko. "Tyler is."
"What, Tyler's planning a vacation without you?"
Speed rolled his eyes but didn't bother looking at Delko. "No. I'm just not interested."
"So you're gonna make him go by himself? That's kind of cold, don't you think?"
And now he wished he'd shoved the damn things in a drawer before Delko showed up, except that Delko never called first, so he hadn't exactly had the chance. Besides, if they weren't on the counter when Tyler got home he'd take it as some kind of signal, and Speed was really tired of having the same conversation over and over again. He just didn't get the appeal of floating around on a giant deathtrap in the middle of nowhere, and he didn't get why that was such a big deal. It wasn't like he'd refused to go on vacation at all; summer break was coming up, after all, and he could use some time away from campus. Granted, it wasn't as stressful as when he still worked in the lab, but he wouldn't mind going someplace with Tyler for a few days of just them and a big bed. He just didn't see why it had to be on a boat.
"I'm not making anybody do anything," Speed answered as he opened the oven and slid the roast inside. What they really needed to do was spend their vacation at home renovating the kitchen; that was the practical plan, and the money they'd spend on a week in the Caribbean would go a long way toward new appliances and countertops. But when he'd suggested it Tyler had just looked at him like he'd never seen Speed before.
When he looked up Delko was shaking his head, brochures still firmly in hand and Speed let out a heavy sigh. He'd already heard it all from Tyler; the last thing he needed was Delko pressuring him about something that was none of his business.
"Look, Speed," Delko said, holding up a hand when he looked up to find Speed glaring at him. "Just hear me out. I mean, this whole thing with you and Tyler kind of took me by surprise at first, yeah, but it's obvious you've got a good thing going. So why not just make the guy happy? If he wants to go on a cruise, take him on a cruise."
"Oh, so you're giving relationship advice now?" Delko winced when he said it and Speed was instantly sorry, but he wasn't going to take it back. They both knew Delko was the last one to be lecturing anybody on relationships, and anyway Speed didn't have to agree to some expensive vacation to keep Tyler happy.
"You're right," Delko answered, shrugging and okay, maybe Speed shouldn't have said it like that. "But that's my point, man. If Calleigh wanted me to take her on a cruise, I'd be on the phone to the travel agent before she had a chance to show me the brochures."
Speed didn't bother pointing out that his situation wasn't even close to Delko's. For one thing, Tyler hadn't spent the past six years giving him the run-around, and for another, they already lived together. Tyler knew how Speed felt about him, and he didn't have to prove it by getting on some boat with a bunch of other gay couples and waving rainbow flags all weekend. Not that Speed was going to point out to Delko that the cruise Tyler was thinking about was a gay cruise. "If you like the idea so much maybe you should go with him."
"Maybe I will," Delko answered, smiling that smug smile and Speed had to work hard not to laugh at the image of Delko on a boat full of gay couples. "I could use a vacation."
The front door opened before Speed could answer, and when Tyler walked into the kitchen he didn't stop himself from smiling. "Hey."
"Hey," Tyler said, leaning in for a kiss and that was still a little weird in front of Delko, but Speed didn't pull away. "Hey, Eric. How's life at the crime lab?"
"Same story, different day," Delko answered. Speed wasn't surprised that he left out the part where Calleigh had a new boyfriend and she'd pretty much told Delko it was never going to happen. Not that Speed blamed him; it was probably hard enough to admit it to Speed, there was no way he was going to say spill his guts to Tyler. "I was just looking at your brochures. Looks pretty nice."
"Tell that to Tim. He's sure the ship will hit a sandbar or something and we'll all drown."
"Delko's up for it," Speed said as he reached in the fridge for the green beans. "I bet he'd be really popular on board. Maybe he could even give you some diving lessons while you're in port. Your own private lessons. Though you could probably make a lot of money if you sold private lessons to the other passengers."
"What's so funny?" Delko asked when Tyler laughed, and Speed almost felt guilty again. But he was the one who wouldn't let it go, so it was his own fault.
"It's a gay cruise," Tyler answered, using that same gentle voice he always used when he was trying to convince Speed to do something Tyler knew he'd hate. "Couples, mostly, but some people bring straight family members."
"I don't think you could pass for our supportive brother, though," Speed added, laughing at Delko's expression.
"Hilarious," Delko said, dropping the brochures back on the counter and standing up. "If I wanted this kind of abuse I'd just hang out at the lab."
"Sit down," Speed said, ignoring the look Delko shot him. "Dinner's almost ready."
"I'm going to go wash up." Tyler pushed himself off the counter and headed toward the back of the house, but he paused in the doorway to look back at Delko. "You're staying for dinner, right?"
"I shouldn't," Delko answered, but he sat down and picked up the brochures again. For awhile he didn't say anything at all, and Speed wasn't sure whether he was getting the silent treatment or if Delko was just thinking about Calleigh again. Then Delko looked up and waved the brochure at him, and Speed stopped himself from rolling his eyes for the eleventh time.
"Seriously, you should go, man."
"Thanks for the advice."
Delko grinned at that and dropped the brochure on the counter. "What are friends for?"
~
III. Griff/Jarod from Another Gay Movie, which you should watch if you haven't because it's great. Put it in your Netflix queue. If you can get it at the same time as Hellbent, that's even better. This fic contains spoilers for the movie, though, so if you're a purist, don't read it until after you watch it. Requested by amandazillah, who wanted phone calls post-movie.
The phone was ringing when Griff finally made it back to his room, and he fumbled to get his key in the lock before it was too late. He grabbed the phone on the fourth ring, dropping his backpack on the floor by his feet. “Hello?”
“Hey,” Jarod said, the familiar voice in his ear making Griff blush. “You okay? You sound kind of funny.”
“Fine,” Griff answered, still breathless as he tried to navigate around his backpack and drag the phone over to his bed at the same time. “I mean, I’m fine. Just running a little late, that’s all.”
“Sure I didn’t catch you thinking about me?” Jarod asked, the smirk clear in his voice and Griff blushed even harder. They’d only jerked off on the phone together a few times, because it was hard to find a time when they could both be sure their roommates wouldn’t walk in. And he wished they could do it now, because his cock was half-hard just listening to Jarod talk, but his roommate was due back any minute.
So he shouldn’t flirt, because that would just make things worse, but he couldn’t help himself when it came to Jarod. “I’m always thinking about you.”
“You better be,” Jarod said, voice dropping just enough to send a chill down Griff’s spine. “I miss you.”
“Me too.” Griff sighed and settled back on his bed, arm wrapped around his pillow and okay, maybe it was a little pathetic to hug a pillow when he couldn’t hold his boyfriend, but what Jarod didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “Whose idea was it to go to different colleges again?”
“Not mine,” Jarod answered. “I wanted you to stay here and go to State. You’re the one who’s too smart for your own good.”
“Come on, Jarod, you’re not dumb. You totally could have gotten into this school.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t offer me a baseball scholarship,” Jarod said. “But if I’d known how you felt earlier I might have gone there anyway.”
“Wait. You applied here?” Griff asked, and he’d never wished so much that Jarod was here, just so he could see his face and tell if he was joking.
“Sure,” Jarod answered, like it was obvious. Like Griff should have known Jarod would apply to the same schools as him; in retrospect, he probably should have.
“You could have played baseball here.”
“Probably,” Jarod said, and Griff knew him well enough to picture the shrug. “But I couldn’t afford it without the scholarship. Besides, my team’s made the championships eight years in a row.”
“You could have asked me to stay,” Griff pointed out, even though he knew why Jarod hadn’t. The truth was he just liked hearing how much Jarod loved him, especially now that all they had were phone calls. It was one thing when they were home and he could touch Jarod, kiss him and see his face when he said ‘I love you’.
“So what if I’m asking now?”
“What?”
“I mean it, Griff,” Jarod said, and Griff could hear him moving around on the other end of the line. “You could transfer to State, then we’d see each other all the time. Hell, we could share a room.”
“We could get an apartment,” Griff said, heart racing because it was crazy, but he was actually considering it. His parents would probably kill him, but it would be worth it if it meant he got to see Jarod every day. Every night, and that was even better. “I mean, if you want to.”
“Are you kidding? I love you, Griff. You’re my best friend.”
And he loved hearing Jarod say that, but he loved it even more when it was followed by a kiss. “How long until spring break again?”
“Five weeks, two days and thirteen hours,” Jarod answered, and Griff grinned at the longing in his voice. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”
“I can’t wait for you to get me alone either.”
“When’s your roommate coming home?”
“Any minute,” Griff admitted, letting out a frustrated sigh as he weighed the possibility of barricading the door from the inside. But he knew it would never work, and even if he had time to devise something his roommate would never let him hear the end of it. “I think he’s going home this weekend, though.”
“Good. I can’t wait another five weeks to hear you come,” Jarod said, voice low again and Griff shuddered at the sound. “So are we doing this or what?”
“What?” Griff asked, frowning and glancing at the door again because he was pretty sure they’d just established that there wasn’t enough time for phone sex.
“Moving in together,” Jarod said. “If you apply for a transfer now we can start looking for a place this summer.”
“Yes,” Griff answered, heart skipping a beat at the prospect of sharing a bed with Jarod every night. He didn’t even have to think about leaving his current school, because there was no way he could take three more years away from Jarod. “I’ll download the transfer application tonight.”
“You sure? Because…”
“Jarod,” Griff interrupted, “I love you. I’m sure.”
“Good,” Jarod said, and Griff couldn’t help smiling at the relief in his voice. “So I’ll call you this weekend?”
“You better,” Griff said. He smiled wistfully as he listened to Jarod say goodbye; they both had homework, even though all he wanted to do was listen to Jarod breathe for the rest of the night. But in five weeks they’d have a whole week just to be together, and after that it would only be a few more months before they’d never have to say goodbye again.
~
Still to come: Forsaken fic, BWOC, and Suicide Kings. I will come through this time! Honest.