In the Fishbowl - 11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks to Jim for editing!

Aiden Knightly wiped away the steam that had built over the bathroom mirror during his shower and lifted a comb to pull back his hair. He hated everything about it right now, the way that a few strands up front weren’t quite long enough to reach his ponytail, the way that the back always wet his shirt collar when there was even a drop of moisture in it, and the way that lately, he’d woken up with it sticking up in ways that hair wasn’t supposed to be capable of. He was half tempted to grab a shaver and tell Ryan to take it all off for him, and he really hated that the only thing preventing him from doing that had to do with the fact that Owen would hate it. Because Owen liked his hair; so much, that the last time Aiden had taken a few inches off it Owen had supervised the cutting of every single strand. When it was over, Owen had been just fine, of course. He was always just fine, because as much as he’d always insisted that Aiden was just fine the way he always was, any change Aiden made was just fine, too. And Owen had always had an uncanny way of making him feel... just perfect.

Except now.

Aiden didn’t feel very perfect when it came to Owen now. It sucked, too, because he felt so messed up over it that he refused to change one hair on his head out of fear that any change might damage his ex’s perception of him even more. And currently, Owen’s perception of him really wasn’t very good, and every moment of knowing that made Aiden feel... sick. It was the kind that made him feel restless, and shaky, and sometimes he felt like he hurt all over. It was just like the day he’d moved out of the Dovans’ house, away from Owen. But now it seemed worse, because walking away from Owen this time was different somehow. This time, Aiden didn’t know how to walk back.

The realization startled him, and there was a sudden tightening in his throat accompanied by a prickling in his nose and a sharp sting beneath his eyes, which had suddenly become glazed with moisture, blurring his reflection in the mirror. He sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, lifted both hands and stung his cheeks with a firm slap. Determined to escape the moment, he turned from the mirror and left the bathroom, placing himself in Ryan Sader’s apartment hall.

He stood there for a moment, wondering where he should go next. Nothing to do. Nowhere to be. And he used to think being self-employed was a good thing. But now, not knowing what to do with his time was a damn inconvenience. Left way too much time on his hands to be depressed with. And admittedly, a little crazy.

He turned suddenly, made it to the end of the hall, and stared at the closed door there for a long moment before swinging it open. He stopped again, and frowned to himself. Travis’s room was still empty. Tidy, and empty. It had been like that all day, and Aiden glared at the bed, where he’d decided that Travis might be sitting if he were actually present one of the times that Aiden decided to open the door.

“He’s not home,” Aiden heard Ryan call. He closed the door and changed direction, taking himself to the second bedroom, where the door was open and Ryan was seated on the floor in front of his dresser, pulling on a pair of socks. “He probably won’t be home for a while,” Ryan continued once Aiden was standing in his doorway. “So, you should probably give plotting his death a break for now... in fact, you should probably forget the whole thing.” Ryan suddenly laughed to himself. “You know, I already know how Travis can be when he wants something... it’s gotta be scary when the something is a someone. I can’t even imagine what getting that kind of attention might feel like.”

“Aggravating,” Aiden replied helpfully, and then, “interesting. Flattering. Fun.” He leaned against the wall, just inside of Ryan’s room and shook his head. “I want to tell him to leave Owen alone, and I should tell him to leave me alone, too... but I don’t know if I want him to leave me alone.”

Ryan looked up then, attempting to appear nonjudgmental, but it was obvious that what he was hearing didn’t make a lot of sense to him. “You just want him to stay away from Owen?”

“Owen’s different,” Aiden stated. “Travis would...”

“Probably talk to him the same way he talks to you,” Ryan remarked. He’d been amused when Aiden had first explained what his roommate had been up to. He’d never expected Travis’s interests to sway towards the same sex, but then, he hadn’t been too surprised, either. It certainly tended to make things more interesting since he’d obviously set his sights on Aiden... maybe Owen, too. Definitely funny business, Ryan had thought. Except, not anymore. Not with what Aiden’s reaction to it was turning into. “Look, Aiden... I’m kinda getting that you don’t really know what you want, so maybe before you do anything you should think...”

“I don’t know,” Aiden admitted. “Honestly, I’d love to beat the shit out of Travis.”

“Well, that settles it...”

“But I think that’s mostly because he’s looking at Owen,” Aiden admitted. “When it’s me, he makes me feel... different. He’s different, and new... and even thinking about him in those terms makes me feel like an asshole.”

“Because of Owen?”

Aiden sighed. “I told him Travis was out of his league. I told him someone was out of his league! Who says something like that? Seriously, what kind of person does that?”

“I don’t know,” Ryan replied as he stood up to straighten and close his dresser drawers. “Did you mean it?”

“What?”

“You said it,” Ryan pointed out, shrugging. “Did you mean it?”

“No!” Aiden said quickly. “Not the way it sounded, anyway. I mean, I’d never say that Travis is better than Owen. I’d never say anyone was.”

“So, what would you say?” Ryan asked.

“Huh?”

“You obviously have something to say,” Ryan pointed out, taking a seat on his bed and looking at Aiden expectantly. “So... come on, sort your thoughts. I’ll listen.”

Aiden smiled. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love it that you don’t get weird when I talk about boys?”

Ryan laughed. “Hey, around here I’m getting used to feeling like the minority, so don’t rub it in, okay? Now talk. What would you tell Owen if he’d actually listen to you at this point?”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “That he’s being an idiot for thinking I’d mean what he thinks I did,” he said, and then sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Owen... he has this way of thinking. He can be oblivious, you know? Sometimes I used to think that he doesn’t really know how much he’s worth.I know that about him, so what I told him... it’s the worst thing I could have said. I mean, he’s giving, and beautiful... and when we were together, I liked knowing... that’s mine. I still feel like no one will ever stack up to him, and...”

“But you told him Travis--of all people--was out of his league,” Ryan pointed out.

“Because I know Owen. He’d want more than Travis would ever give him. Travis would think it’s all fun and games. Owen would get hurt... that’s all I wanted him to understand. I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“But... it’s okay for Travis to go afteryou?” Ryan asked. “No offense, Aiden, but I kind of get why he’d be offended, and not just because you said someone was out of his league.”

“Which is why I’m an asshole,” Aiden stated. “I know.”

“Well, listen to the way you talk about Owen... why are you even thinking about Travis? If you still feel that way, then why not...”

“Because Owen and I... we can’t get back together,” Aiden said darkly. “And, I don’t think it’s because neither of us wouldn’t... he doesn’t want to. I don’t know. It feels like we got too comfortable, you know? Sometimes I felt like he was with me because he had to be.... and he’d always point out that I was only the second guy he was ever with.... the only one he was ever really with. Do you know how much pressure that was? Always knowing that he had no idea what else was out there... and how long were we supposed to do all this--be together? Until we really ended up hurting each other? Until we fought? Until we got so bored that we ended up hating each other? I think when we split up... I wanted him to know what else he could find before he figured out for himself that’s what he wanted to do. But if he’s going to find out what else is out there, it should at least be with someone who can make him happy... and I don’t know if I trust anyone else to do that, least of all Travis.”

“Because... you want Travis to make you happy?”

Aiden sighed. “If I’m interested in Travis... I at least know the difference between having fun and looking for something more. Owen wouldn’t.”

“Well,” Ryan said sarcastically. “I don’t know why you didn’t just tell Owen that. It explains everything.”

“You’re not helping,” Aiden informed him.

“Hey, I said I’d listen. I didn’t say anything about solving your problem for you. Look--you need to figure out what you want, Aiden. Because as much as you say you don’t want Owen to get hurt.... well, it sort of sounds like the only one who’s gonna hurt him, is you.”

“I know what I said was fucked up,” Aiden replied. “But I’d never hurt him--we’re not together right now because I don’t want to hurt him.”

“But, you haven’t let him go,” Ryan pointed out. “You say you want him to find out what else is out there, and Travis is definitely out there. You need to figure out that you don’t get to choose for him anymore, Aiden...and if you want to... take the chance of working things out, and if you hurt each other later... then that comes later.”

***

Travis looked up, squinting at the sky from atop the deck he’d just finished shoveling. It was getting late in the afternoon, and he felt trapped within the few moments before sunset that caused the light seeping through the clouds to cast long shadows and an intense glare that burned when looked at directly.

He moved down the stairs, feeling stiff and tired as he carelessly stepped through the puddles left in the lawn from the day’s burn-off and made his way beneath the deck he’d just been standing on to dip his fingers into the steaming water within the hot tub. He was ready to get in, but was being slow about it. A lot of it was wishing that he wasn’t about to go in alone, and he found himself wishing that the older couple who owned the house were home so he’d have someone to talk to. He was tired of feeling... tired. He wanted to talk, and laugh, and mostly just forget about what the entire weekend had been. So, the sound of the gate opening around the side of the house was a welcome one, and when Travis turned to see that Dennis Gordon had finally joined him, he greeted him with a smile.

“You showed up,” Travis said. Honestly he’d stopped expecting it thirty minutes before--almost an hour after Dennis had originally agreed to meet him.

“I got called in for a job interview,” Dennis replied, unapologetic. “Had to go.”

“Go well?”

“I don’t know yet,” Dennis replied as he paused a few feet from the hot tub to look around the yard as if he didn’t quite know what to do now that he was there.

“Hmm,” Travis mumbled as he slid his jacket past his shoulders and then sat to remove his boots this time. “Did you get tired of delivering pizzas or something?”

“I quit.”

Travis looked up at that, and while Dennis Gordon wasn’t exactly the most expressive person in the world, he did seem to be proud of his announcement. “Congratulations. So, who were you with earlier... with the crazy-scissors lady--I forgot to be nosy when you called.”

“Um... Owen Dovan,” Dennis replied, deciding that sounded strange to his own ears, though, not altogether unpleasant.

Travis looked up. “Really? Did he say anything about me?”

“Why would he?” Dennis replied, regarding Travis with a look not unlike the one he’d given Owen when he’d asked the same of Travis.

Travis shrugged. “No reason,” he replied, not bothering to get up as he worked his pants down over his boxers. “You’re gonna get in, right?”

As if he’d been waiting for an invitation, and now had to consider it, Dennis looked around the yard for a few minutes before he finally shook out of his coat to strip down, this time with a little more confidence since he’d bothered to stop home and put on swim shorts. He still felt rushed, though, as soon as the cold air hit his skin and it became a rush to get his feet from the cold cement and into the water. “I didn’t come over to watch you,” Dennis remarked as he sank into the pool, only to turn around and find that he was the one being watched.

Travis had a strange look on his face: startled and numb, and maybe even a little... ill? He looked like someone caught off guard by the sudden urge to puke, and his fingers seemed to be shaking where they’d paused just before lifting the bottom of his sweater.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dennis asked.

Travis blinked, and then smiled uncomfortably. “Nothing,” he insisted, and then in a quick action that frankly, seemed a little strained, pulled his shirt over his head, and suddenly, Dennis understood exactly what Travis’s problem had been.

He’d been reluctant about undressing, and apparently, had a reason for it, because even Dennis, who did his best to show little interest in everything that wasn’t his business, sucked in a breath when he saw that Travis perfectly resembled an overused punching bag. Below his neck, particularly on the left side of his abdomen just below his ribs, he was marked with angry bruises that looked red against his pale skin and put the more mild marks Dennis was growing accustomed to seeing on his face to shame.

“Have you been to a hospital?” Dennis asked, before he could think not to.

“What? For this?” Travis replied carelessly, even as he sank into the water in a hurry, regardless of the discomfort it caused him. “Nah. I’m just a little stiff now. I’ve broken enough bones to know I’m fine. So, is there a reason why you quit your job?”

Dennis frowned as he slowly moved back into the water, placing himself directly across from Travis. “What happened the other night?” he asked.

Travis sighed. “If that’s all you’re going to talk about, then I have nothing to say to you,” he said smartly before he sank under the water. If he was hoping that Dennis was going to forget about his question in the few seconds that he was under, then he was disappointed to find that the guy’s eyes were still narrow and on him when he surfaced.

“You always have something to say,” Dennis pointed out.

Travis seemed to give that claim some thought, and then shrugged as if to allow it. He turned in the water, suddenly kicking off the wall and drifted across the tub until he’d taken a seat on the bench next to Dennis. He popped out of the water for a moment, as if it had become too hot, and then uncomfortably sat again to rest his head back and look over at Dennis. “Okay, but I’m warning you, I’ve had enough lectures for one day.”

Dennis raised an eyebrow. “I doubt it... and I don’t lecture.”

Travis nodded. “I knew there was something I liked about you,” he remarked, and then his features became unrecognizably serious, his eyes drifting away as he considered whatever train of thought had come to him. “I fucked some shit up the other night. Your dad’s not very happy with me right now. No one is. I’ll fix it, though. I can still fix it... just not right now.”

“But what happened?” Dennis asked again.

“I have bad dreams sometimes,” Travis said slowly, as if he were asking a question rather than giving an answer. “Sometimes I’m not even asleep when they happen, and I mess myself up... and then I piss off all my friends, and on Wednesday, it’s my birthday. I hate my birthday. And I have bad dreams.”

“Are they... just dreams?”

Travis rolled his eyes at himself, shaking his head. “No.”

Dennis fell into a momentary uncomfortable silence, smart enough to understand that for some reason, Travis had chosen to share something that most never got to experience with him, but feeling too dense to understand why. “So,” he finally said. “My dad’s mad at you, huh?”

Travis nodded. “Oh yeah.”

Dennis shrugged. “Then I guess you’re human after all. Congratulations.”

Travis laughed.

***

Lacy tapped a pencil over the pages of a thick book that she should have been paying more attention to than she actually was. She lifted her soda, sipped from the straw, and looked across the small barroom at the table with a mess of chaotic papers spread out over the surface and the older blond with a perturbed look on his face leaning over them.

It wasn’t unusual for Chris Dovan to open the second floor of his club to his brother and his friends when they needed a quiet place to study; what was unusual was for one of them to show up with books when they didn’t intend to study at all. Or at least, didn’t intend to study the books.

Lacy closed her eyes tightly for a moment, opened them again, and blew a strand of hair out of her face as she finally dropped her pencil and sat back in her chair. “I think I’m going to go,” she announced, and frowned when she found that she might as well have been talking to an empty room when the only company in it didn’t so much as look up at her. “I’m leaving,” she said a little louder.

Chris looked up then, first seeming absent, and then startled. He forced a smile. “Alright. I’ll see you later,” he replied, and then his attention went directly back to his work.

Lacy rested her elbows on the table and her chin in her hand, and made no effort to go anywhere. “Thanks for letting me hang out,” she said.

“Uh-huh. No problem,” Chris replied, this time waving, rather than looking in her direction.He was currently being the most frustrating individual that Lacy knew. And she felt like an idiot for it.

She’d decided that her problem was that lately, she’d felt entirely too much like a young girl with a futile crush. Being attracted to Chris Dovan wasn’t necessarily anything new. That part was easy and familiar. Up until recently, she’d thought of him as half of the hot duo that made up the Dovan twins, and of course, her friend Owen’s brother. Nothing more. Nothing less. But now he was... Chris. He made her laugh and she’d discovered that he was just as easy to talk to as Owen, and while she liked spending time with Owen she found herself going out of her way to see more of Chris. And, she didn’t think she was going crazy when she believed that Chris was going out of his way to spend time with her, either. Today was an exception to that, of course. She’d just shown up, and he didn’t seem to have a single moment to spare. He could be a busy man. Lacy understood that. Which is why she was so annoyed with herself for feeling irrational about it. Whatever wall had been there before preventing her from ever entertaining the notion that she and Chris could ever be more than friends had somehow become thinner and thinner lately, and had brought up unfamiliar fantasies regarding her friend’s older brother that Lacy wasn’t entirely sure how to handle.

It would have been nice if Chris would make it easier, Lacy decided. There were moments when she swore he was flirting with her, and while Chris had always been something of a flirt, it wasn’t like he’d ever gone out of his way to order food and send it to her dorm, or to hold open doors and insist that she bring her laundry to his house when she mentioned it needed to be done. He’d done all of this in the last few days, and when he’d taken a moment to lift a loose eyelash from her face and told her to make a wish... well, that was just the sickening kind of romanticism she’d always considered herself too levelheaded for before he’d gone and introduced it. And how annoying it was! Especially since with Chris,it seemed to be there one moment, and gone the next. She felt torn between telling him to get on with it or to knock it off so she could feel normal again. But mostly, she wanted to sort out what she was feeling. Hell, she wanted to sort out whathe was feeling. But he was just such a... boy.

“Chris?”

“Huh?” he mumbled, and she wondered if he even remembered that she’d said she was leaving.

“Are you going to ask me out for Valentine’s Day?”

That got his attention, and plenty of it, Lacy decided as she watched him awkwardly lift a stack of papers and straighten them, only to drop them all over the floor. Cursing, Chris moved to pick them up while she remained right where she was, watching. Lacy had learned quickly that Chris hated it when she was forward. He liked to be the one who was forward. Threw his whole day off when someone beat him to it. Lacy almost felt bad. Almost. She knew she could have been more patient, but honestly, she was starting to think she’d be the old lady that had too many cats by the time he ever got around to asking her out.

Okay. That wasn’t being fair. She’d been interested in him for less than a week, and reason dictated that she should give him more than a few days to make a move. But she felt impatient. If only he’d give her the smallest hint regarding whether or not he was even thinking...

“Isn’t Valentine’s Day a ways off?” Chris finally replied.

“Less than two weeks,” she informed him as he righted himself, dropped the fallen papers on the table, and scratched at his head before he turned to regard her seriously. “And now you look businesslike,” she commented. “That’s depressing, Chris.”

“Um... I’m sorry. But, did I give you any idea that I would...”

“As a matter of fact...” Lacy started, crossing her arms.

“Oh, thank god,” Chris suddenly interrupted, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking past her.

Lacy frowned, and turned to see that Kyle Davis had reached the top of the stairs with a small box in his hands. “Hey, guys,” he said, and then looked at Chris. “Owen just dropped off the menu samples you wanted. What’re you guys doing?”

“I’ll take those,” Chris said of the box, motioning for Kyle to bring them his way, while Lacy only shook her head.

“Chris was just about to explain why he won’t go out with me on Valentine’s Day,” Lacy explained helpfully, earning herself a murderous gaze from Owen’s brother.

“I’ll take you out,” Kyle commented. “I’ve got nothing going on.”

“You’re working on Valentine’s Day,” Chris was quick to tell him.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

“Since you said you’d go with me,” Lacy supplied, sending a pointed look in Chris’s direction. “And I can’t go with you, anyway. I promised Nicky I’d set you up with my roommate.”

Kyle made a face. “My cousin has got to find a life,” he remarked, and then looked at Lacy curiously. “What’s your roommate like?”

“How do you feel about redheads?” she asked.

“Weren’t you leaving?” Chris asked her.

She smiled sweetly at him. “Changed my mind.”

“Never dated a redhead,” Kyle said. “Have you mentioned this to her?”

Lacy nodded. “She expects flowers.”

“Great. You and Nicky can come. We’ll double.”

Lacy looked at Chris and raised a challenging eyebrow. “Nicky’s working, too,” was his only response.

“I’m sorry,” Kyle said. “Did he find a job I don’t know about? Because I should probably start charging him rent.”

“He’ll have a job,” Chris swore.

Lacy rolled her eyes and finally stood to start loading her things into a new red backpack. “Now I am leaving.”

“Call you?” Chris asked.

Lacy narrowed her eyes at him, but then only shrugged.

“Hey, Lacy, hold on a sec,” Kyle insisted, moving to her table to help her gather her books. “I was wondering... do you know if Travis is working the video store later? I can’t get hold of him.”

Lacy shook her head. “Nope. He probably won’t be, either. Not until next week. He blew off work all weekend and my bosses are pretty pissed about it.”

Kyle frowned. “Have you talked to him?”

“Not since he came in earlier to bitch about having no hours,” Lacy replied. “Why?”

“I think he’s in trouble,” Kyle replied, sighing.

“Sounds like a common theme with that kid,” Chris remarked.

“What kind of trouble?” Lacy wanted to know. “Is this about his fighting again?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “But he was walking around with way too much money earlier... tried to tell me it was for a phone bill. There’s no way.”

“Exactly what kind of trouble do you think he’s in?” Chris asked skeptically. “If he’s doing anything illegal around my club...”

“I don’t know what he’s doing,” Kyle admitted. “I wanna find out, though... as soon as he apologizes. He decided to be an ass earlier.”

“So I take it you’re not doing anything for his birthday?” Lacy asked, and Kyle regarded her with bewilderment.

“His birthday?” he repeated.

“It’s the sixth,” Lacy explained. “I saw it on his application earlier.”

Kyle frowned. “I didn’t know.”

Lacy shrugged. “I figured if anyone did it would be you. So are you going to do something for him?”

“Aren’t you paying attention? He’s mad at the guy,” Chris remarked.

“Hey, don’t get snappish with me,” Lacy stated. “It’s not my fault you’re being annoying.”

Chris put up his hands defensively. “Not snappish.”

Lacy rolled her eyes at Chris, and then looked at Kyle again. “If you wanna do something for Travis at your place I’ll bring a cake. I think he could use a little innocent fun.”

Kyle frowned. “I don’t know... I think if Travis wanted to do something for his birthday he probably would have mentioned it... he probably would have told me it was his birthday. It’s not like him to hide from a good time, so that’s probably not what his birthday is for him.”

Lacy shrugged. “Well, let me know if you change your mind.” She looked at Chris. “I am leaving.”

Chris arched his brow. “I will call you.”

Lacy regarded him skeptically for a moment, and then tapped Kyle’s arm as she passed him. “See you later,” she said.

“Bye,” Chris called after her.

She waved over her shoulder, and then she was gone. Chris shook his head, and then looked at Kyle again. “Why wouldn’t Travis like his own birthday?” he asked.

“What’s with you and Lacy?” Lyle asked, still looking after her.

“Lacy has nothing to do with Travis,” Chris insisted, and Kyle smirked.

“I don’t know whether or not Travis likes his own birthday,” Kyle explained. “I’m only assuming he doesn’t. Birthdays are supposed to be fun when you’re a kid, you know? I don’t think Travis had any of that. He was in foster care, and from what I’ve heard, he wasn’t with very good people most of the time.”

“Too strict?” Chris asked. “I could see that being a problem for someone like Travis.”

Kyle frowned. “No, I don’t think so--not in the way you’re thinking, at least. Look, Travis only mentioned it when he was drunk, and Travis is a complete lightweight because he never drinks... doesn’t make a lot of sense when he is. But I think someone hurt him. I mean, Nicky told me what Owen’s dad did to him before he found you guys, but what happened with Travis... I think he had it worse, really young, for a long time. I figure it’s why he doesn’t trust a lot of people. It doesn’t come easy to him, you know? Anyway, I’m not taking the chance of doing something for his birthday if he’s not even going to like it.”

Chris frowned. “You know... I know Travis isn’t the same as Owen, but when me and Tony got Owen, he had some issues, too. With holidays and stuff, you know? We tried to make things the way we figured they should be for him... kinda pushed him into having fun, you know? Sometimes people need a push. Even if you do something small to let him know he has some sort of family... I don’t know. You might be able to get him to talk to you.”

At that, Travis laughed. “If all it took to get Travis to talk to me was a free meal and maybe some cake, I’d know everything about him by now. But, thanks. Maybe I’ll think about it.”

“Alright. But don’t think too long. The sixth is in two days.”

***

Travis felt funny, and he doubted it had anything to do with Dennis’s cooking. In fact, Dennis’s cooking wasn’t all that bad, which was saying a lot since Travis didn’t particularly care for eggs. He thought he felt funny because he was relaxed more than anything, there in the Chesleys’ basement. He wasn’t bored. He wasn’t ready to turn to avoidance, something he’d become particularly fond of doing after he felt he’d divulged a little too much of himself, and he was pretty sure he’d done that by talking to Dennis Gordon... but, he was still good. Tired, but good. And maybe, a little too comfortable with the poor guy who he’d recently decided would be his new friend.

Placing his plate next to him where he was sitting on the floor, Travis shoved the leftover towards Valentine, who didn’t need a second invitation before she attacked the plate, and he looked up to where Dennis was sitting on the end of his bed, penning something into the application he’d attached to a binder. Travis watched as he lifted a glass of orange juice, sipped it, and then moved to place it back on the floor. But, before Dennis could place the glass back in its designated spot, Travis reached for it, and took a drink himself as Dennis raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want some help with that?” Travis asked, nodding at the paper Dennis was busy with.

“Do I want you filling out applications for me?”

“Why not?”

Dennis shook his head. “No.”

Travis shrugged. “I don’t get why you bother with those things, anyway. Why not just walk into a place and tell them to give you a job?”

“That works for you?” Dennis replied, and then held up a hand before Travis could answer. “Never mind. I don’t think I wanna know. And I don’t need your help. I just want.... options. So I’m filling out everything I can.”

Travis looked towards the stack of unfinished applications near Dennis. When the water in the hot tub had grown too hot for him, especially with his injuries, he’d spent the rest of the afternoon driving around with Dennis picking them up. “Can I have some of those?”

Dennis raised an eyebrow. “You need another job?”

Travis shrugged. “Might.”

Dennis looked over the blank applications, obviously attempting to determine which he was willing to give up. “Restaurant?” he asked.

“Does it come with free meals?”

“How would I know?”

“I’ll take it,” Travis decided, and Dennis passed him the necessary paper and a pen. They were silent for a moment, both working until Travis once again proved that being silent for too long carried no interest for him. “Do you think they’ll hire me if I apply for the position of God?”

Dennis glanced up. “What?”

“It asks what position I’m applying for,” Travis explained. “I want to be God.”

“I’m pretty sure that position’s been filled,” Dennis said helpfully.

“Batman it is, then.”

Dennis lowered his pen and regarded Travis curiously. “Batman?”

“I always wanted to be Batman when I grew up,” Travis explained. “Cool cave. Cool car... he’s rich... and, I think I could pull off black leather. You don’t think the suit is actually made out of bats, do you? Something about that would seem fucked up.”

“It would be too much to expect you to take this seriously, wouldn’t it?”

Travis shrugged. “Sorry. I think I’m getting tired. It’s too much to ask to take anything seriously when I’m tired.”

“If you’re tired, I could always drive you home,” Dennis pointed out.

Travis was quick to shake his head. “I don’t wanna go home. I think you’re stuck with me for a while.”

Dennis rolled his eyes. “Lucky me.”

“You are lucky,” Travis insisted, as if there was something to agree with. “You’re keeping me out of trouble. Trust me, I could be causing chaos right now.”

“Then wouldn’t that make you the lucky one?”

Travis grinned. “That depends on what kind of chaos I’d be creating.”

“How long did you say I was stuck with you for?” Dennis asked worriedly.

“I dunno... until you’re sick of me, I guess. Are you there yet?”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Fair enough,” Travis agreed as he rearranged the way he was sitting to stretch his legs. “But you’re gonna give those applications a rest, right?”

“No. I need to finish.”

“So finish later,” Travis insisted, going out of his way to kick Dennis’s shoe with his own. “You’re gonna get bored.”

“I’m not bored.”

“You’d be even less bored if we do something else.”

“I doubt it.”

Travis made a face, and let out a breath.

“It’s not my fault you’re not very entertaining,” Dennis remarked without looking at him, and Travis’s eyes widened before he laughed out loud.

“Seriously, let’s go do something.”

“Like what?” Dennis asked.

“I don’t know... something. What kind of stuff do you like to do?”

“Pretty much what I’m doing now.”

“I didn’t say what youdo do, I said what you like to do,” Travis said. “Come on, let’s go somewhere. It’ll make both of us feel better.” He picked himself up off the floor and looked down at where Dennis was sitting expectantly.

“I don’t need to feel better.”

“Sure you do,” Travis insisted. “You need to feel better about something. Everyone does. When was the last time you got laid?”

“Excuse me?”

“That long, huh? Me, too,” Travis said. “We should go do that. What about the club? We don’t have to run into people we know. It would probably be better if we run into people we don’t know, anyway.”

“Because you wanna get laid?” Dennis asked, incredulous.

“Hey, I’m a firm believer that sex makes everything better,” Travis stated, suddenly impatient enough to reach down, grab Dennis’s wrist and pull him up off the bed. “Come on. This’ll be good. Better than sitting around here,” he insisted, now leading Dennis across the room.

“Travis,” Dennis said, an obvious objection in his voice, even if he didn’t make any move to stop.

“Look, we both need this,” Travis insisted. “We don’t have to go to the club if you don’t want. I know this bar, or there’s...”

“I don’t have car keys,” Dennis cut him off.

Travis blinked as he caught up to himself and came to an abrupt halt. He turned, stepped forward, and froze.

Suddenly, he was face to face with Dennis; so close that he could see the small scar on the heavy lid covering Dennis’s right eye, hear a subtle hitch in his breath and notice the red tint slowly covering his face. Travis opened his mouth, closed it again, and suddenly found himself shaking his head as if to realize something that never would have occurred to him.

“Or,” Travis said quietly. “Maybe we don’t have to go anywhere, after all.”

Dennis, obviously not understanding the sudden change in Travis’s demeanor, opened his mouth to say something, but whatever question he meant to ask no longer existed the moment that Travis’s broad mouth touched his.

With his hand still wrapped around Dennis’s wrist, Travis had leaned in quickly. Never one to waste any time, his chance kiss was direct, firm but soft, and unexpectedly lingering, considering that Dennis had gone completely rigid; his entire body had lifted onto his toes as if he was lamely attempting to escape the affection, and his hands came up, the sides of them shaky and defensive as they pressed against Travis’s shoulders, but his lips still moved beneath the dark-haired guy’s in a hesitant but curious motion.

Whatever Dennis was doing seemed to be just enough to keep Travis interested because instead of providing space, Travis moved closer, as if bringing his body closer and his hands to Dennis’s sides could calm his company’s nerves. For a moment, Travis might have even believed that Dennis was relaxing, but if there was any truth in that, it didn’t last beyond the sudden tap on the basement door.

Dennis jolted and turned, and either on purpose or accidentally, Dennis’s elbow shot out to strike Travis’s already painful midsection, and he doubled over. But, Dennis either didn’t care or didn’t notice Travis’s obvious discomfort as he stared wide-eyed at the door, blinking when there was another soft knock.

Dennis moved to yank the door open, and Travis was quick to move out of the way as he worked to right himself, forcing a smile when he saw Reilly on the other side of the door with a phone in his hand. Seeming oblivious to anything amiss in the room, Reilly looked at Travis first. “Hi, Travis.”

Travis forced a smile and gave a small wave, still feeling too winded to talk.

“What’s going on?” Dennis asked. His voice sounded strained; shaky and laced with an odd squeak.

“Um... you have another call...” Reilly started, and before he even finished his announcement Dennis was snatching the phone from his hands and slamming the door in his face.

“Was that necessary?” Travis asked, but again, he was ignored as Dennis brought the phone to his ear, suddenly acting as if answering it was the most important thing in the world.

“Hello?”

“Dennis?” the sharp, but unmistakably female voice returned. “You finally decided to pick up a phone. I hope this means you’re through ignoring your family.”

“Mom?” Dennis mumbled.

Where Travis was still standing, waiting for... he didn’t know what, he frowned at the way Dennis turned his back to him in an obvious attempt to forget he was even there.

“I want you to come to the house,” the woman on the phone said into Dennis’s ear.

“What?” Dennis demanded. Behind him, Travis was now taking the time to button his coat, all the while watching Dennis with curiosity and a reasonable amount of confusion.

“Right now would work,” Dennis’s mother told him. “We’ll be sitting down for dinner in thirty minutes. You can stay.”

“What?” Dennis said again, because honestly, it was the only thing he felt he could say. His head was spinning, and he felt shaky, like he’d just been injected with an adrenaline rush fit to wake an elephant. “Why would I...” He stopped, when he spotted Travis moving towards the door from the corner of his gaze, and surprised both of them when he suddenly lowered the phone and called out, “I didn’t mean to answer this.”

Travis turned, his brow knitted as he took a few steps closer to the wide-eyed gaze so intently focused on him. Looking between Dennis and the phone in his hands, Travis reached out and placed his own hand over the receiver, his fingertips brushing Dennis’s before Dennis moved his hand away from the contact. Travis smiled, but if he’d meant for it to be a happy one, he failed.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “But probably not for the reason I wish you had.”

Dennis bit at his lip, swallowed hard. “Are you leaving?”

Travis’ mouth turned up with some amusement, and he leaned a little closer to lower his voice even more. “Um, I’m pretty sure I just freaked you out... and I didn’t like it. So, yeah.”

Dennis numbly nodded. “Oh. Okay,” he said, and then jumped when Travis touched his shoulder on the way past him. He didn’t see Travis leave so much as he heard him, and then he stood there for an impossibly long moment, feeling as if the rest of the world was spinning around him, and he desperately needed for it to stop. It was his mother’s voice that finally cut through the thick, uncomfortable shock he found himself trapped within, and he looked at the phone, startled by it.

“Dennis! Answer me!”

Dennis was quick to drop the phone, which had suddenly become a threat, and as the device settled on the floor he aimed his foot at the button that was meant to turn it off until he was certain that his mother had left the room.

In time, Dennis’s gaze drifted to where Valentine was sitting on the floor, looking at him with what seemed like too many questions for a dog to have. It irritated Dennis and he frowned at her accusingly. “What?” he demanded aloud. “It’s none of your business.”