Be The Father Of This Child! - 3. No Big Deal

Chapter Three – No Big Deal

“Blonds? Like in blond guys? You told me you’re not gay!” April exclaimed and then pressed one hand over his mouth, stealing a nervous look in the baby’s direction.

Jett smirked. “I think it would be a good color for you.”

April began munching on one fingernail while he looked again at the hair dye in his hand. “Blond? Why this particular hue, though?”

The color on the package was enough to give April the chills. He couldn’t swear, hand on heart, that it was the same hue he had used at thirteen, stolen from his sister’s stash, but it was really close. It was a bright blonde that April was pretty sure it would catch on his brown hair like a fucking charm.

He studied Jett while trying hard not to stare. Could it be that Jett remembered him and now was just trying to trap him? But why the charade? He could say it.

Remembering how their friendship had ended wasn’t helping right now.

“I just picked it at random.”

Jett’s answer took a while to catch up with him. April stared at the package again, and then he threw it back to Jett. “No. I agree about taking care of Jay, which, by the way, it must be listed on the same level of danger as the Deadliest Catch or something, but I won’t play to whatever weird-ass fantasies you have. What? Do you want me to act like Jay’s mom, now? Is she a blonde?”

“I don’t know who she is,” Jett replied and shrugged. “Jay looks like he has blond hair, right? Ah, then he’s not my kid. I don’t fuck blondes.”

April stared at Jett and huffed. “Seriously? Just earlier, you say you like blonds. Did you mean it like blond dudes? For real?”

Jett cracked his neck. He did that a lot.

“Aren’t you too young to have troubles with your joints like that?”

“Don’t change the subject. Dye your hair, or I’ll take you to the bathroom, shove your hair under the shower and give you a total makeover myself.”

“Don’t tell me you want me to put on makeup, too! I swear I won’t look anything like a woman! Certainly not like Jay’s mom!”

“That’s not why I want you to die your hair, fool!”

“Jay’s mom might not be blonde at all,” April rambled on. “Kids have light hair when they’re little. It changes with age. Even yours was lighter when – I mean your hair surely changed, too!”

Which was true, since Jett’s hair had been a very light brown as April remembered, and now had a darker color. But he was not supposed to give himself away, and yet, there he was, making a total fool of himself.

“That’s it,” Jett said and grabbed April by one arm. “I’ll do it for you.”

“Hey, I need to supervise Jay. What if he wakes up?”

“He looks like he sleeps. It won’t take long. Also, I’ll need the key to your apartment.”

“Um, why?”

“Hey, you’re the dude in debt. I need to limit the damage. All your things will do.”

“Ah, so I’m taking care of Jay for free!”

“Stop talking so loudly! You’ll wake up the baby.”

They both stopped at the same time, holding their breath, and looked at the sleeping kid. Jay seemed completely unaware of the little domestic conflict taking place in the room.

“You’ll get a haircut, too,” Jett said with finality.

“Oh, great. Wouldn’t it be easier if you just shaved my head if you don’t like my hair color?”

Jett seemed to ponder for a second. “Nah, I don’t want you bald.”

“You seem very peculiar in your tastes,” April replied. “Why not?”

“I think you’d be less cute if I did that.”

Say what? April opened his mouth and remained with it like that for a couple of seconds. Jett pushed his index finger into his mouth, making him choke and take a step back while batting away the other’s hand. “Why the hell did you do that for?”

“Because it’s funny, that’s why. You made such a face.” Jett laughed and made a pour impersonation of what April might have looked like.

April wanted to protest some more, but Jett dragged him to the bathroom.

***

Jett took the scissors with confidence. He had no idea about cutting anyone’s hair, but it couldn’t be too complicated. It looked like April had resigned with the idea that he would get a makeover, whether he liked it or not.

He moved around, grabbing chestnut curls and snapping them fast. April was staring at himself in the mirror, his bottom lip jutting out. Jett stared, too. That lip looked damned juicy.

“Are you going to take all day? If this is some torture, you’re a complete weirdo,” April said.

Jett snapped out of it. What was with him today? From that time, when he had had fun all summer with Theo and forgotten about all the other things, he had kept away from feeling the slightest thing about dudes. Not that at thirteen, he had known jack shit about what he felt. He had just decided not to investigate further. He liked girls — end of story.

“Have you thought about wearing contacts?”

“Contacts? That’s a bit too much hassle, you know? They’re expensive --”

“I can pay for them.”

“That’s not the issue. I need to have them custom made, obviously.”

“Do you have like a second pair of glasses?”

April seemed to hesitate for a second. “No.”

Jett knew he would search the dweeb’s home for the second pair. “Now, the dye.”

April took the package from his hand. “I’ll do it. Just go watch Jay.”

“Why?”

“He might wake up. Imagine how he would feel, waking up alone in a strange house.”

“Hey, I left you two the cleanest room in the house.”

“Thanks. I was a bit surprised.” April pulled some food remains from his hair, using the brush he had found on the sink.

Jett stole another glance at him. April’s hair was a little spiky now, a consequence of chopped up curls, but even so, his face was still nice. He just looked a little punkish — a punk with glasses, good with kids, and with a passion for cryptocurrency.

Jett shook his head. “Be blond when I get back, or we’ll have a problem.”

“Yeah, yeah.” April waved for him to go away. “Get some food while I do this ‘cause I’m starving.”

Jett checked his watch. It was already two in the afternoon. Time did fly. “Sure thing. What do you want?”

“Cheeseburger. With pickles. Lots. I mean, if you don’t mind,” April said quickly.

“All right. You like your pickles, huh?”

“I like sour stuff, as a general rule.”

Jett pondered.

“Why are you narrowing your eyes like that?” April questioned, staring at him in the mirror. “You look like you’re about to do something bad.”

“Are you always so distrustful of people?”

“Only of gangsters who take me from my home and order me to dye my hair blond.”

Jett snorted. “Execute the order. Fool,” he added with some satisfaction.

April always bristled at that word. It was like an invisible hand was pinching him, and he got annoyed like a porcupine.

Whistling, Jett left the bathroom. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he remembered to check on Jay. From the door, he looked at the small seat that doubled as a baby crib on the bed. There was a reason why that room was clean. But April didn’t have to know about that. After all, Jett knew his dad wouldn’t be home for months. Even then, he would only be in passing, and the chances were he would spend little time at home. And, by then, both Jay and April would be long gone.

The baby was sleeping soundly. With a shrug, Jett left. So April liked pickles. A lot. Just like Theo. It had been an impulse to buy that hair dye, in that color. He was curious how much like Theo April would look. Well, he wouldn’t be Theo, but a version of that boy Jett had known at thirteen, and he would be okay with that.

Sometimes, Jett felt something when he thought of Theo. There was no point in sentimentalism, but it did feel like longing. Like when he heard a good joke, and wanted to tell it to someone, and he turned to his left, waiting, on some unconscious level, to meet those incredibly large green eyes behind the square, black-rimmed glasses.

He grimaced and took out his phone to order food. In the meantime, he took a look around. Maybe the house did look pretty bad. Jett grinned when an idea struck him. April the Fool just got himself another job.

***

April looked in horror at himself in the mirror. Fuck. If Jett thought he knew him from somewhere, now he would have the proof. Now, he was no longer sure whether he looked nothing like his thirteen-year-old self or not. If Jett found the glasses, he was fucked. Well, they were too small for him now, so he would say he wouldn’t wear them.

With slow moves, he put his glasses on and looked again at himself. He did look a certain way with his hair like that. And the spiky hair made him look a bit less like himself. Well, he would just deny that he knew Jett. What would the guy do? Jett knew a boy named Theo, not April. That was his saving grace.

He found the blow drier and proceeded to style his hair to be as tame as possible. As much as he tried, he still looked like he had just survived electrocution.

On his way down, he checked on Jay again. He would have Jett buy one of those fancy baby monitors so that he could move around the house and make it less of a pigsty without watching over Jay all the time.

Jett’s eyes were unreadable when he entered the kitchen. April pretended to be nonchalant as he sat down and grabbed the cheeseburger peeking from the paper bag on the table. He was about to take a bite when Jett moved so fast that it made him yelp. He was hovering way too close.

“Have you ever been to Lynn? It’s a small town, not so far from here.”

April managed to keep the cheeseburger from meeting the floor by executing a strange gymnastic maneuver. “Doesn’t ring a bell. I’m not from around here. I'm here for college. Fuck! What am I going to do about school?”

His predicament didn’t mean anything to Jett who was getting closer and closer, making him lean back into his chair. “Dude, you’re too close. And frankly, I don’t know how your girlfriends can stand you or kiss you. It would be like kissing an ashtray.”

Jett grinned. April was sure he didn’t like that. Slowly, he put the cheeseburger on the table, although he had to stretch so that he didn’t touch Jett by accident.

“Kissing an ashtray? Nah, I’m a great kisser. They all love it.”

April swallowed hard. Why was Jett so close, anyway? “Well, they might have bad taste, then. I wouldn’t kiss --”

Firm lips pressed against his so fast that he leaned back too hard. The chair balanced dangerously, but a steady hand caught it and made it regain its initial position, and April was brought closer, into the kiss. For a moment, his eyelids fluttered. At thirteen, Jett’s lips hadn’t felt like this. But then, April had been the one to kiss him. Their lips had been cold, but April had sensed warmth between them, or maybe he had just imagined it.

Now, Jett’s lips weren’t cold. But they were daring, not like that time, and there was more to that. April made a small sound when the brush of lips turned into something else. Teeth caught his bottom lip and bit it softly, making him open his mouth without thinking.

Jett moved just enough to sink one of his hands into the hair at the back of April’s head, intending to take the kiss deeper.

This is wrong, this is so wrong, was all April could think, but it was like he was paralyzed and his lips, no, his entire body, didn’t want to push Jett back.

A baby’s cry from upstairs made them both freeze. April was fast to push back his chair and escape Jett. Without a word, he fled the kitchen and ran up the stairs like he was possessed. Why the hell did he give in like that? Most likely, Jett was fooling around.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

He was fast to check Jay. The boy’s cry diminished upon seeing him, and April smiled. Well, he now understood his sister better. Knowing that someone this small and vulnerable depended on him should have scared him good. But, instead, he felt useful, and something more than that.

He busied himself with distracting Jay with one of the squeaky toys Jett had brought. Hopefully, Jett wouldn’t come after him.

April needed time to think. Why the hell had Jett kissed him like that? Was it only a dare for him?

***

Jett stood in the middle of the kitchen, his hands by his sides. What the hell had driven him to kiss April? He could blame it on the resemblance between April and Theo, or on how much he had wanted a repeat of that kiss from long ago, or solely on his impulse to taste April’s juicy bottom lip.

But that would mean he was at least a bit gay, and that wasn’t it. Jett shook his head. Eh, he would tease April over it if he said something. Yeah, he would play it cool. It was no big deal.

Now, he just needed to push the kiss away from his mind. After all, he had plenty of stuff he needed to do tonight, and one of them was to get laid. So, kissing a dude, even a cute one, meant absolutely nothing.

In the meantime, there were some hours to kill, and Jett had no idea how to fill them. There were no other jobs he needed to take care of, and somehow, he needed to stay away from April. It probably was just his imagination and how, so many times, he had hoped he would see Theo again.

Back then, Theo had disappeared without a trace. Jett hadn’t known the guy’s last name, and the vague address of an uncle Theo volunteered had led him to a morose man who told him no Theo lived there and also to take a hike. At that age, Jett had already started to make quite an impression on people.

The thing was Theo had lied to him about where he lived. Maybe he had lied about the parents who were supposed to take him back home at the end of the summer. He had just disappeared, without allowing Jett the slightest chance to make things right.

Not that Jett had had any idea about what to tell Theo. He had only known that Theo had kissed him and that he had pushed him away. Later, he had pretended not to know him, too. Theo must have been hurt. But, on a barely conscious level, Jett had known that the kiss felt right, even if it was from a boy. Yet, at the same time, he had felt like it was wrong.

Now, Jett knew a lot more, like what ‘confused’ meant. Not that he was confused. No, no, no, not in the slightest. So how the hell he could find this April dude so kissable? It had been so damned easy, too.

A brush of the lips and he wanted to taste. A small taste of that full bottom lip and he wanted in. Hell, if April were game, Jett would do more, like even –

Easy there. No way he thought that about a dude. Clearly, his mind was fucked up. Well, he would un-fuck it by getting laid and fast.

***

April made another attempt at the cheeseburger left on the table about one hour later and sighed in relief when he saw the kitchen empty. Maybe the divinity was on his side, and Jett was already away, somewhere breaking bones, or whatever he did throughout a workday.

Fuck, he had missed classes, April remembered. He needed to talk to Jett and negotiate something. Maybe Jett could take care of Jay while he was attending classes. Yeah, like that was feasible, he snorted.

“Are you talking to yourself?”

“Jesus!” April jumped, and the cheeseburger fell on the floor. “Fuck!”

Jett began counting on his fingers. “Taking the name of the Lord in vain. Saying the f-word. Playing with food.”

“Do I look like I’m playing with food? God, I can’t believe it! I’m so starving, and each time I try to eat --”

April swallowed his words. The other time when he tried to eat, Jett had kissed him. There was no point in reminding anyone of that. It had been nothing but a stupid accident. Maybe Jett had tried to stare at him, and maybe he had slipped and –

“Have this,” Jett said and went to one of the cupboards from which he extracted a bag of chips.

The moron was fucking grinning while holding that. April rolled his eyes and moaned. “Are you some champion for all the bad foods in the universe? You only eat takeout; you have only a bag of chips and beer --”

“Hmm,” Jett stared at the bag of chips with thoughtful eyes, “I was saving it to have it with beer, actually.”

“I may be a slave, but I still have rights. I will go and buy something to eat. And I also need to --”

“You’re not allowed to leave the house,” Jett said, and his caramel eyes were impenetrable now.

April stared at him, feeling puzzled. “Say what? Are you crazy?”

“No. You need other glasses. Otherwise, I’m not letting you leave.”

“You can’t really force me --”

“Jay needs you.”

“Hello! You’re the father! Shouldn’t he be your responsibility?”

“I paid your big ass debt. Now he’s your responsibility.”

Jett seemed very pleased with his line of reasoning. April didn’t like it one bit. He could walk out the door. Somehow, he didn’t fear Jett and knew the guy wouldn’t break his bones, whatever his mouth was yapping about. Still, he didn’t dare to leave Jay with Jett. He suspected that the so-called father wasn’t that much advanced from that baby, from a mental point of view. A look around that messy house was enough to confirm that.

“Fine! But I need to go to school. And I need my clothes. And I do have a life, you know?”

“You signed that over to me the moment you thought you would get rich with that crypto shit and failed to pay your debts.”

“All right. I’m willing to negotiate. I need to go to my place and grab some personal stuff, clothes, my laptop, stuff like that.”

“I’ll bring you everything. The keys,” Jett said and opened his palm.

“I’m not handing you over my keys. There’s stuff in there that’s valuable. Are you planning to sell everything? Just so you know, those things are valuable to me, but you won’t get much for them.”

“I’m not selling anything. I’ll bring everything here. Even your stupid mining rig.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Here’s my part of the negotiation. Stay here and take care of Jay, and I’ll let you mine your crypto.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Your power bill will go up, and then you’ll strangle me.”

“Why? How much up can it go?”

April hesitated. But there was no point in lying. “A couple thousands or more for one unit or something,” he muttered quickly.

“Shit.” Jett looked at him and shook his head. “How much is that one unit you’re talking about?”

“Ten grand. But it can go up.”

“Um, and you’re selling it where?”

“I can find buyers.”

“Your business model is complete shit.”

“Hey, it’s a profit.”

“It could be, but you’re already in debt. You went at it the wrong way.”

“I needed a decent rig.”

“You need a bit more brain.”

“Hey! How about you stop insulting people, Mr. I-Break-Bones-For-A-Living?”

“I don’t break bones,” Jett protested. “I merely inform debtors, firmly and assertively, that they should pay up.”

“Pay up or what?”

“I let them imagine any scenario they want. It looks effective.” Jett threw him a meaningful look. “I’m generous like that.”

Well, the look was meaningful, but April had no idea what it meant. “Whatever. I’m not going to fight you. So leave all the equipment there. I don’t see why you would want to haul it over here. Unless you want to sell it, after all, or maybe start your own mining business.”

“Sure, ‘cause I’m a fool like you.”

April frowned. “Stop using that word. Don’t you think I heard the jokes already? April’s Fool, ha, ha, so funny.”

“Well, your mom and dad must have suspected something about you the moment they saw you.”

“Seriously? And what do you think they saw?”

April crossed his arms over his chest. The look in Jett’s eyes was odd. He was checking him out, and April felt his cheeks getting red under that intense stare. What was with Jett, anyway? It didn’t seem like he wanted to insist on the kiss from earlier, and maybe he would put behind that April reminded him of Theo in the slightest. So what was that look for?

“Do you want the chips or not?” Jett held the bag.

“Yeah, I do.”

Jett threw him the bag and April caught it.

“I need to go and bring you some clothes and other stuff,” Jett said. “While Jay sleeps, how about you clean a little around here?”

“Am I your maid now, too?”

Jett shrugged. “You complained.”

April wanted to do that anyway, but it irked him that Jett thought of him as a pushover. “I’ll need a baby monitor, then. Without it, I won’t budge.”

“What’s a baby monitor?” Jett asked.

“Go to the store and ask for one. Take a wireless model. And make sure that it has a good range. I need to know when Jay wakes up while I’m around cleaning this fucking pigsty.”

“Deal,” Jett said with a smirk. “You suck at negotiating. You should have asked something for yourself.”

April rolled his eyes. “Go already. And grab some groceries. I’m no master cook, but I bet I can do better than the junk food you’re eating every day. Plus, that fridge is not there for beer, okay? It is the type of household appliance meant for keeping food inside. You know, that thing that offers you sustenance, not takeout crap.”

Jett’s smirk grew wider. “Sure. Send me a text with what ingredients you want. And, April the Fool, you do know what you’re practically just getting yourself more work, right?”

“Right,” April confirmed, not terribly convinced.

“Good. I was a little afraid you thought you were doing me a favor.”

Jett laughed on his way out.

“Bastard,” April murmured while looking after him. “I am doing you a favor.”

***

“What the hell?”

Jett stacked the equipment in the hallway. “I thought about it. A few grand profit for each unit of crypto you’re selling? I get half.”

“Half? Wait, then you’re paying half the bill, too.”

“Nah, that will come from your pocket. Hey, you live here, you eat here, all on my tab. Don’t think badly of me if I’m looking out for number one,” Jett said as he pointed at himself.

“Living here means that I’ll have to find a place on the floor to sleep, because you didn’t get a crib for Jay, yet. As for food, seriously, I only had that bag of chips since this morning.”

“I’ll bring in the grocery bag, too. And then you can get to work and make some food. Are you sure whatever you’re making is edible?”

“I survived on little since I came here. I can be very creative when it comes to food, and I’m actually quite good, not that I brag.”

Jett shrugged. “Where do you want all this stuff?”

April appeared to ponder. “Do you have like a basement or something?”

“Sure. As long as you don’t mind some creepy crawlers as company.”

Jett watched April as he appeared lost in thought. He probably strategized about how to set up his rig and get rid of spiders and shit, at the same time. This dweeb wasn’t Theo, but he sure as hell seemed to have the same ability to think of solutions and complain as little as possible.

“Ah. I also found your other pair of glasses.”

April’s hand was hesitant as he reached for the glasses.

“Put them on,” Jett insisted.

Maybe all dweebs liked the same kind of glasses. Jett could say that seeing those black-rimmed square glasses brought back memories.

“They’re from an old prescription.”

“Just do it.”

April was just as hesitant as earlier as he took out his round glasses and put on the others. Jett stared at him, and April appeared defeated, for some reason. Fuck, he really looked like Theo. What were the fucking chances?

“Do you have like a brother or a cousin about the same age as you and me?”

Jett watched April as his Adam’s up bobbed up and down.

“No,” came the whispered reply.

“Are you sure? Some guy named Theo?”

“No. Name doesn’t ring a bell.”

Jett moved closer. It was a bit of a dangerous move. What if you feel like kissing him again? But it was like a strange pull he felt like he wanted to look at April from up close.

A loud knock on the door interrupted him. April took the glasses off quickly. Jett mumbled something under his breath and went for the door.

“Jett, you fucking scumbag! Since when do you think I’m your booty call?”

Jett looked at the angry woman on his doorsteps. “Maya! Hey, don’t be mad, babe! I heard you were back and thought about a little bit of catching up.”

Maya was the kind to have a mouth on her, but also her booty was great. Maybe it wasn’t that great as a certain round ass … Jett shook his head fast. Why the hell was he thinking of April’s ass, which he had seen in passing and only because it had sprung right into his face by accident?

“I’m really curious what you have to say for yourself,” Maya said and walked by him into the house. “Who were you with, two nights ago?”

“Why? Are we going steady and I don’t know?”

Maya pushed a few curly locks away from her forehead. As a general rule, Jett preferred brunettes. Because of Theo, he had stayed away from blondes.

“Ah, so you do think I’m your booty call! Well, it’s going to cost ya,” she said and put her hands on her hips, rotating them in a way she knew well drew attention to her perfect behind, held barely in tight jeggings.

“Shit, I’m not paying for that,” Jett said right away.

“Hey, I’m not a prostitute,” Maya protested. “But you’ll take me somewhere nice tonight and then we’ll talk how steady you want us to be.”

“Steady? I don’t think --”

“If you want booty, darling,” Maya teased, slapping her behind, “you’ll have to pay up, one way or another. Your freedom will do.”

“All right,” Jett said with a sigh. One woman or another, it was the same thing for him. And Maya was great in the sack and funny to be around. He didn’t plan to say ‘no’ if that was what she wanted. “Well, April, it looks like I need to go out tonight.”

Maya only then seemed to notice April. “Who are you, blondie? You’re cute,” she said, pushing her already inflated pushup bra forward and walking toward April.

“Just someone who needs a particular article of interest from your boyfriend,” April said promptly. “Jett, the baby monitor?”

“Baby monitor? What the hell?” Maya asked. “What do you need that for?”

Like on cue, a cry reverberated through the house.

“Is that a baby?” Maya asked and turned to look at him.

Jett winced. How the hell could he explain that and without losing the chance to score tonight?

“Yeah, it’s a baby,” April replied. “Jett knocked me up, and now we have to raise the kid. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you, too.”

Maya’s stunned silence was enough. Jett threw April a murderous look, but the fool chose to rush up the stairs, pretending to be concerned about the kid.

***

Why the hell had he said that? April knew he had to check himself for signs of insanity. Jett would so kill him for messing up his date.

TBC