"Coup de Foudre" 2
Meanwhile, out in the Hollywood Hills...
By Gaedhal
Los Angeles, May 2016
“Gus! Get your ass down here if you want a ride to school!”
“Hang on! I’m coming!” he yelled from upstairs. “Don’t leave without me!”
“That boy has no time to eat any breakfast,” complained Carmel. “He is always running late - just like his father.”
“Brian’s still in the shower,” said Ron, sipping his coffee slowly.
“That man takes a shower longer than a regular person takes a bath,” Carmel sniffed. “What is he doing in there?”
Ron grinned. “Getting clean. Very, very clean.”
“You also ate no breakfast,” Carmel pointed out. “All the men in this house eat like birds. Why do I bother to cook?”
“Gus has a healthy appetite,” Ron commented, putting down his ‘Los Angeles Times’ and taking out a small pill holder. “When he has time to eat.”
“He ought to, he’s a growing boy.” Carmel frowned. “I will put in a piece of toast for you, Mr. Ron. You gotta eat more than those pills.”
“They’re vitamins.”
Carmel narrowed her eyes at her boss. She’d been his housekeeper for over twenty years and knew him as well as anyone outside of his husband, Brian. “Vitamins for the blood pressure. Vitamins for the cholesterol. Vitamins for the indigestion.”
“Okay, you don’t need to baby me, my dear,” said Ron. “I have Brian for that.”
“He’s a big baby himself,” said Carmel. “And Gus is a big baby. All these men like little boys! If you didn’t have me to take care of you, where would you be?”
“Having a much quieter breakfast,” Ron replied.
He pushed away his coffee cup. It didn’t taste right this morning. His stomach didn’t feel right, either. He’d given up a lot of his favorite spicy foods lately - Thai, Indian, Szechuan - because of this damn indigestion. His doctor had checked him out and told him there was no sign of an ulcer, but Ron wasn’t so sure. Something wasn’t right. He also wasn’t sleeping very well.
And sex…
That was getting to be a problem.
Brian hadn’t said anything about it, but it was obvious. Ron either wasn’t in the mood or else he had trouble getting it up. That had never been a difficulty before, ever. Maybe he should go back to his doctor and ask for one of those testosterone tests. He didn’t like to think about his age - 53 wasn’t that old, after all, and he worked out at least three times a week and played golf every Saturday morning with Jimmy - but Brian was still eight years younger and as horny as he’d been at 16.
Of course, Brian got his rocks off elsewhere when he needed to. That was a given and always had been. Their relationship had never been strictly monogamous, although Ron had usually joined Brian in the chase, especially in their early years together. But ever since Gus came to live with them two years before, things had changed. They no longer brought guys back to the house, for one. It didn’t seem right with an impressionable teenager there.
But the truth was that Ron didn’t really want anyone but Brian. He was fine with the sex they had, in their own house, in their own bed, even if it wasn’t as frequent as it once had been. It didn’t bother him - well, not much - that Brian still got the old itch and went outside to scratch it. He was always discreet and careful. A blowjob here and there almost didn’t seem like sex. What was it that Brian’s old friend Michael always said? Sex was like a handshake to Brian, at least with strangers. Whatever Brian did away from the house didn’t really count, Ron told himself. And he was always at home before 1:00 a.m. Always in their bed when Ron woke up. Always there, where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be.
And since Ron didn’t feel up to snuff, how could he begrudge his partner a little recreation?
Yes, he knew that Brian had a reputation as a bit of a slut, but what else was new? This was Los Angeles, after all. Every guy in town was on the hunt for dick. Or for pussy, if that’s the way he swung. People were jealous of Brian - of his beauty, his intelligence, his sexiness. And they were jealous of Ron for having Brian. Because a lot of guys had tried to get him away from Ron over the years. Some of those guys were even Ron’s best friends. But Ron and Brian just laughed at them. They’d been through too much together to throw it away now. That’s one thing on which they both agreed. Their partnership was rock solid and always would be.
“I’m ready to go!”
Gus looked like he’d just fallen out of bed, his shirt rumpled, his running shoes untied, and his brown hair sticking up in five different directions. That bedhead looked very familiar.
“Is that a clean shirt?” Ron asked sternly. He liked using his ‘father voice.’ He’d been using it on his actors lately and was amazed at how well it worked.
Gus sniffed himself tentatively. “Clean enough.”
Jesus, thought Ron. Fifteen years old! What a fucking age!
“Do you have all your books?”
“I think so. I have my English paper. I finished it last night.”
“Good. Let’s get going or you’ll be late.”
Ron liked driving Gus to school. It gave them time to talk, man to man. They discussed everything, from sports to girls - Ron had had some experience in that area before he’d met Brian - to travel to the movies. Gus seemed very interested in the picture business. Maybe he’d become a director one day, like Ron. Or an actor. Or a writer. Or a stunt man. Or a special effects artist. It was always changing. But something creative. Or maybe a baseball player. Or a soccer player. Gus was good at both.
Ron loved these conversations. The kid’s quirky perspective on things always amazed him. And he loved Gus. That surprised him, how much he’d come to love this kid. He’d never had the desire for children of his own, so he never imagined how much he would come to care about Brian’s son.
He remembered the way he’d balked when Brian broached the subject of Gus coming to live with them. Lindsay had started a new relationship and Gus and the new woman, Mavis, did not get along. That was an understatement - they hated each other. As a result Gus was miserable, and where before he’d been a straight A student, now he was acting out and failing most of his classes. Brian insisted that Gus would only be happy living with his father and wouldn’t take no for an answer. That discussion had caused the most tension between the pair in all the years they’d been together. Ron liked the boy well enough and didn’t mind him visiting for a few weeks every summer, but living there full time was another matter altogether.
In the end, Brian won. He always won. Ron just couldn’t say no to him. He wanted Brian to be happy, even if he thought Brian was dead wrong.
But in this case, Brian had been dead right. Gus was happy with them. And Gus being happy made Brian happy. Now Ron loved Gus like his own. It was a win-win situation all around. The only loser, Ron thought, was Lindsay, who was stuck in Toronto with a woman none of them could stand. Or maybe the other loser was Gus’s other mom, Melanie, who now lived in Miami with her own daughter, J.R., and only contacted Gus on his birthday and at Hanukkah. But she’d been out of the picture for a long time.
“Mel hates Dad,” Gus had confided on one of their rides. “I mean she REALLY hates him. But she’s a bitch, so who cares?”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say, Gus,” Ron countered. He barely knew Melanie, but he didn’t think it was good for Gus to bad-mouth her so directly. She was one of his mothers, after all - at least on paper.
“It may not be nice, but it’s true,” said Gus. “She says Dad is a selfish asshole who only cares about getting his dick sucked.”
Ron almost ran off the road at that remark.
“Gus - language!”
The boy had slumped down in his seat. “I know. I’m just quoting her. But it’s not true, anyway. Dad’s not like that.”
“He’s not,” Ron agreed. “He cares about a lot of things besides… sex.” Ron had to be careful here. Gus was precocious, but he was still only a kid. “You. Me. Carmel. Your mom. His friend Michael. Diane and little Mia. Dorian and Peter.”
“Don’t forget Jimmy,” Gus added. Gus was still impressed by Jimmy Hardy at that point.
“Um, yes. Jimmy. And his work. Your dad cares about a lot of things.”
Luckily, Gus had gone off on another tangent before he asked any more questions, but the conversation had played on Ron’s mind for a long time. He and Brian finally agreed that maybe it was a better thing for Gus not to have that much contact with Melanie Marcus, even if she was officially his second mother. Her dislike of Brian was as toxic as Lindsay’s new partner’s dislike of everyone, including Lindz’s child.
That had been almost two years ago and Gus had grown up a lot since then. Grown up very fast. Maybe too fast.
“I need some driving practice this weekend.” Gus had his learner’s permit and badgered both of them for driving time. “Ryan is getting a car this summer. His mom is giving him her old Lexus.”
“You’re not getting a car,” said Ron. They’d had this conversation about a thousand times. “You’re not even 16 yet.”
“But I will be in September. And if I had a car you wouldn’t have to drive me to school.” Gus had it all worked out. If he could convince Ron, then his father would go along with it - he hoped.
“I like driving you to school,” said Ron, remaining firm. “And you aren’t getting a car. At least not yet.”
Ron turned the Ferrari into the entrance of Milton-Foster Prep.
“That’s not a no,” Gus smirked. That smirk was so familiar it was scary. “That’s a maybe.”
“That’s not a maybe, it’s a someday-in-the-distant-future.” Ron sighed. They all knew that a car was inevitable. It was trying to postpone it for as long as possible.
Gus leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek. “I got you, old man! And you know it!” Then he climbed out of the car.
“Your dad will pick you up at 3:00. Don’t forget!”
“I won’t forget. Bye!” Then he disappeared in a mass of students heading inside.
Horns blasted behind him. “Keep your pants on, I’m moving,” Ron mumbled.
Jesus, he thought, the last thing I ever thought I’d be was a father. But that’s exactly what I am.
He smiled to himself. And with not one adolescent, but two. Because Brian would never really grow up. He was the perpetual Peter Pan - young, heartless, and free. Which was one of the reasons why Ron adored him.
He took a deep breath. He was so tired lately. He needed to step up his work-outs if he was going to keep up not only with Brian, but with Gus as well.
He turned the Ferrari out onto Robertson and headed for the studio.
By Gaedhal
Los Angeles, May 2016
“Gus! Get your ass down here if you want a ride to school!”
“Hang on! I’m coming!” he yelled from upstairs. “Don’t leave without me!”
“That boy has no time to eat any breakfast,” complained Carmel. “He is always running late - just like his father.”
“Brian’s still in the shower,” said Ron, sipping his coffee slowly.
“That man takes a shower longer than a regular person takes a bath,” Carmel sniffed. “What is he doing in there?”
Ron grinned. “Getting clean. Very, very clean.”
“You also ate no breakfast,” Carmel pointed out. “All the men in this house eat like birds. Why do I bother to cook?”
“Gus has a healthy appetite,” Ron commented, putting down his ‘Los Angeles Times’ and taking out a small pill holder. “When he has time to eat.”
“He ought to, he’s a growing boy.” Carmel frowned. “I will put in a piece of toast for you, Mr. Ron. You gotta eat more than those pills.”
“They’re vitamins.”
Carmel narrowed her eyes at her boss. She’d been his housekeeper for over twenty years and knew him as well as anyone outside of his husband, Brian. “Vitamins for the blood pressure. Vitamins for the cholesterol. Vitamins for the indigestion.”
“Okay, you don’t need to baby me, my dear,” said Ron. “I have Brian for that.”
“He’s a big baby himself,” said Carmel. “And Gus is a big baby. All these men like little boys! If you didn’t have me to take care of you, where would you be?”
“Having a much quieter breakfast,” Ron replied.
He pushed away his coffee cup. It didn’t taste right this morning. His stomach didn’t feel right, either. He’d given up a lot of his favorite spicy foods lately - Thai, Indian, Szechuan - because of this damn indigestion. His doctor had checked him out and told him there was no sign of an ulcer, but Ron wasn’t so sure. Something wasn’t right. He also wasn’t sleeping very well.
And sex…
That was getting to be a problem.
Brian hadn’t said anything about it, but it was obvious. Ron either wasn’t in the mood or else he had trouble getting it up. That had never been a difficulty before, ever. Maybe he should go back to his doctor and ask for one of those testosterone tests. He didn’t like to think about his age - 53 wasn’t that old, after all, and he worked out at least three times a week and played golf every Saturday morning with Jimmy - but Brian was still eight years younger and as horny as he’d been at 16.
Of course, Brian got his rocks off elsewhere when he needed to. That was a given and always had been. Their relationship had never been strictly monogamous, although Ron had usually joined Brian in the chase, especially in their early years together. But ever since Gus came to live with them two years before, things had changed. They no longer brought guys back to the house, for one. It didn’t seem right with an impressionable teenager there.
But the truth was that Ron didn’t really want anyone but Brian. He was fine with the sex they had, in their own house, in their own bed, even if it wasn’t as frequent as it once had been. It didn’t bother him - well, not much - that Brian still got the old itch and went outside to scratch it. He was always discreet and careful. A blowjob here and there almost didn’t seem like sex. What was it that Brian’s old friend Michael always said? Sex was like a handshake to Brian, at least with strangers. Whatever Brian did away from the house didn’t really count, Ron told himself. And he was always at home before 1:00 a.m. Always in their bed when Ron woke up. Always there, where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be.
And since Ron didn’t feel up to snuff, how could he begrudge his partner a little recreation?
Yes, he knew that Brian had a reputation as a bit of a slut, but what else was new? This was Los Angeles, after all. Every guy in town was on the hunt for dick. Or for pussy, if that’s the way he swung. People were jealous of Brian - of his beauty, his intelligence, his sexiness. And they were jealous of Ron for having Brian. Because a lot of guys had tried to get him away from Ron over the years. Some of those guys were even Ron’s best friends. But Ron and Brian just laughed at them. They’d been through too much together to throw it away now. That’s one thing on which they both agreed. Their partnership was rock solid and always would be.
“I’m ready to go!”
Gus looked like he’d just fallen out of bed, his shirt rumpled, his running shoes untied, and his brown hair sticking up in five different directions. That bedhead looked very familiar.
“Is that a clean shirt?” Ron asked sternly. He liked using his ‘father voice.’ He’d been using it on his actors lately and was amazed at how well it worked.
Gus sniffed himself tentatively. “Clean enough.”
Jesus, thought Ron. Fifteen years old! What a fucking age!
“Do you have all your books?”
“I think so. I have my English paper. I finished it last night.”
“Good. Let’s get going or you’ll be late.”
Ron liked driving Gus to school. It gave them time to talk, man to man. They discussed everything, from sports to girls - Ron had had some experience in that area before he’d met Brian - to travel to the movies. Gus seemed very interested in the picture business. Maybe he’d become a director one day, like Ron. Or an actor. Or a writer. Or a stunt man. Or a special effects artist. It was always changing. But something creative. Or maybe a baseball player. Or a soccer player. Gus was good at both.
Ron loved these conversations. The kid’s quirky perspective on things always amazed him. And he loved Gus. That surprised him, how much he’d come to love this kid. He’d never had the desire for children of his own, so he never imagined how much he would come to care about Brian’s son.
He remembered the way he’d balked when Brian broached the subject of Gus coming to live with them. Lindsay had started a new relationship and Gus and the new woman, Mavis, did not get along. That was an understatement - they hated each other. As a result Gus was miserable, and where before he’d been a straight A student, now he was acting out and failing most of his classes. Brian insisted that Gus would only be happy living with his father and wouldn’t take no for an answer. That discussion had caused the most tension between the pair in all the years they’d been together. Ron liked the boy well enough and didn’t mind him visiting for a few weeks every summer, but living there full time was another matter altogether.
In the end, Brian won. He always won. Ron just couldn’t say no to him. He wanted Brian to be happy, even if he thought Brian was dead wrong.
But in this case, Brian had been dead right. Gus was happy with them. And Gus being happy made Brian happy. Now Ron loved Gus like his own. It was a win-win situation all around. The only loser, Ron thought, was Lindsay, who was stuck in Toronto with a woman none of them could stand. Or maybe the other loser was Gus’s other mom, Melanie, who now lived in Miami with her own daughter, J.R., and only contacted Gus on his birthday and at Hanukkah. But she’d been out of the picture for a long time.
“Mel hates Dad,” Gus had confided on one of their rides. “I mean she REALLY hates him. But she’s a bitch, so who cares?”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say, Gus,” Ron countered. He barely knew Melanie, but he didn’t think it was good for Gus to bad-mouth her so directly. She was one of his mothers, after all - at least on paper.
“It may not be nice, but it’s true,” said Gus. “She says Dad is a selfish asshole who only cares about getting his dick sucked.”
Ron almost ran off the road at that remark.
“Gus - language!”
The boy had slumped down in his seat. “I know. I’m just quoting her. But it’s not true, anyway. Dad’s not like that.”
“He’s not,” Ron agreed. “He cares about a lot of things besides… sex.” Ron had to be careful here. Gus was precocious, but he was still only a kid. “You. Me. Carmel. Your mom. His friend Michael. Diane and little Mia. Dorian and Peter.”
“Don’t forget Jimmy,” Gus added. Gus was still impressed by Jimmy Hardy at that point.
“Um, yes. Jimmy. And his work. Your dad cares about a lot of things.”
Luckily, Gus had gone off on another tangent before he asked any more questions, but the conversation had played on Ron’s mind for a long time. He and Brian finally agreed that maybe it was a better thing for Gus not to have that much contact with Melanie Marcus, even if she was officially his second mother. Her dislike of Brian was as toxic as Lindsay’s new partner’s dislike of everyone, including Lindz’s child.
That had been almost two years ago and Gus had grown up a lot since then. Grown up very fast. Maybe too fast.
“I need some driving practice this weekend.” Gus had his learner’s permit and badgered both of them for driving time. “Ryan is getting a car this summer. His mom is giving him her old Lexus.”
“You’re not getting a car,” said Ron. They’d had this conversation about a thousand times. “You’re not even 16 yet.”
“But I will be in September. And if I had a car you wouldn’t have to drive me to school.” Gus had it all worked out. If he could convince Ron, then his father would go along with it - he hoped.
“I like driving you to school,” said Ron, remaining firm. “And you aren’t getting a car. At least not yet.”
Ron turned the Ferrari into the entrance of Milton-Foster Prep.
“That’s not a no,” Gus smirked. That smirk was so familiar it was scary. “That’s a maybe.”
“That’s not a maybe, it’s a someday-in-the-distant-future.” Ron sighed. They all knew that a car was inevitable. It was trying to postpone it for as long as possible.
Gus leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek. “I got you, old man! And you know it!” Then he climbed out of the car.
“Your dad will pick you up at 3:00. Don’t forget!”
“I won’t forget. Bye!” Then he disappeared in a mass of students heading inside.
Horns blasted behind him. “Keep your pants on, I’m moving,” Ron mumbled.
Jesus, he thought, the last thing I ever thought I’d be was a father. But that’s exactly what I am.
He smiled to himself. And with not one adolescent, but two. Because Brian would never really grow up. He was the perpetual Peter Pan - young, heartless, and free. Which was one of the reasons why Ron adored him.
He took a deep breath. He was so tired lately. He needed to step up his work-outs if he was going to keep up not only with Brian, but with Gus as well.
He turned the Ferrari out onto Robertson and headed for the studio.