Chapter Twenty-Five -- A Boyfriend In Need Is A Boyfriend Indeed
"I'm so nervous I don't think I can eat anything until Friday," Ray said while shoveling cereal into his mouth like it was the only thing that mattered in the world at the moment.
Jonathan pulled the bowl away from him, leaving his roommate with his spoon in the air and a guilty look on his face. "Don't eat that, eat this," he said and placed a plate with eggs and salad in front of him.
Ray shrugged and accepted the fork Jonathan offered him right away. "I mean, who would want to see me like that?"
"Hanna would," Jonathan pointed out. "And stop making a big thing out of it. It's just a practical joke."
"Yeah, easy for you to say. I've seen you without your shirt, JJ," Ray said accusingly and gestured with the fork. "But I look like a three-months-old chicken. Ah, I should just chicken out and be done with it. That should be in line with the rest of me."
"Don't you dare. Your girlfriend got us both registered, and we don't want to make her mad, right?" Jonathan said. "She was quite adamant that we should be there. And all proceeds will go to an animal shelter, so isn't that a good enough cause to show a little skin? If you don't go, I won't, either."
Ray pouted, but then he reconsidered and sighed from the depths of his soul. "She'll get upset if we don't. I'll hold her responsible for my public embarrassment."
"I'll be there, and I'll hold your hand," Jonathan promised.
"And risk Maddox's wrath? No way."
"Wrath? Seriously, I still don't get why anyone would call him Mad Dawg in the first place. He's one of the kindest people I know."
"Yeah, I guess so, but I bet he's the jealous type. I've seen how he looks at you all the time. Like this." Ray pushed his eyelids upwards, exposing the eyes, and scanned around like he had laser vision.
Jonathan laughed. "Stop worrying, Ray. And I've heard that," he cleared his throat and forced himself to stop laughing, "The Amazing Four will be there. That means that everyone else will be practically invisible. We have nothing to worry about, I'm telling you."
Ray shook his head. "I appreciate your wanting to pretend that we're in the same league. But I bet that you," he pointed at Jonathan with the fork, "will win the contest."
"I prefer to doubt that. With the likes of Maddox and his friends competing, I don't see how. And no, before you say anything, it's not false modesty. It's the truth."
Jonathan understood Ray's insecurities, and from where he stood, his roommate had nothing to be ashamed of. But seeing how he himself was a bundle of vulnerabilities day in and day out, he was ill-equipped to offer some proper advice on the matter.
Then, an idea began to take shape in his mind. Well, it was wild and contained a considerable number of unknown factors, but if he put his mind to it, it could work and it was worth a try.
***
"Why are you in that contest?"
Jonathan turned to face Maddox, who was staring at him with a pissed off look on his handsome face. They were in the hallway and had to go to class soon, so the timing was not exactly ideal for a conversation. Although, when it came to Maddox, Jonathan considered skipping class for like a moment or so.
"The contest... ah, you mean the one this Friday?"
"The wet t-shirt contest," Maddox said through his teeth and leaned forward while holding his arms crossed over his chest.
He looked adorable and itching for a fight. Incredibly pretty, in a nutshell, and Jonathan had to close his eyes for a moment to stop the impulse to lean in and kiss those pouty delicious lips. As official as they were in everyone's eyes, it didn't do to kiss in the hallway like horny teenagers. They were, supposedly, responsible young men who knew better than give in to temptation like that.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Maddox asked.
"You're in that contest, too, aren't you?" Jonathan pointed out, failing to see what the issue was.
"Yeah, but that's not the problem. You are." Maddox changed his position and poked him in the chest.
"Hmm, are we having a fight?" Jonathan asked.
Maddox pondered for a moment. "Yeah. I'm not letting you go on stage and let everyone ogle you. Definitely, I cannot let them see this," his voice dropped and he wrapped his hand around Jonathan's right pec for a quick moment before pulling away.
"You're a bit absurd," Jonathan pointed out, fighting to ignore the small jolt of pleasure at having Maddox feel him up like that. "If we were on a beach, we would be a lot more naked than that."
"You're not allowed to go to the beach, either," Maddox said petulantly.
"Really?" Jonathan blinked. "You're half-way serious, aren't you?"
Maddox started to smile but then reconsidered. He moved closer until their faces almost touched and whispered, "I am because I'm supposed to be the only one who gets to see you naked."
"I won't be naked," Jonathan protested. "It's for a good cause. Don't tell me you want the kittens to go hungry."
"Got me there," Maddox played along. "But I'll be jealous. Make sure to be ready to compensate for that when you drop by on Saturday."
"I will. But since I got you here already, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What it is, boyfriend?" Maddox drawled.
Jonathan took him by the shoulder so they could walk side by side. "It's for another good cause."
***
Maddox knew a lot of things about why he liked Jonathan, but more and more were added to the pile every day. Sure thing, he had played it off as a joke that he couldn't let Jonathan show off his amazing pecs to the world in the wet t-shirt contest, and he was still jealous, deep down, but his boyfriend's idea was pretty brilliant, and they would end up turning the thing around for a good cause.
Dex and Kane had been on it right away. Rusty, as usual, had issued a challenge, and Maddox had had to tickle him until he couldn't breathe to accept it. So, the stage was set, and they only needed to get moving.
Sure thing, everyone seemed to have an amazing time, especially the girls who found the show a lot funnier than it should have been. It wasn't like it was freezing outside or anything, but still, standing there in wet clothes didn't sound like an appealing idea at all.
Dex was the showman now, shouting some indiscernible victory chants as he held his arms high and showed off his body. The t-shirt clung to him, leaving nothing to the imagination, but Maddox wasn't impressed. He had never looked at his friends that way, but the crowd was totally going crazy.
Rusty ordered the DJ to accompany his entrance with the right kind of music for a king like himself, and some reggaeton rhythms struggled to reign over the noises the guy's fan club was making. He, too, made a show out of it, dancing languorously and rubbing his chest and abs. And since Rusty was Rusty, of course he took off his wet t-shirt and threw it into the crowd.
"And now, while you might want to see the rest of The Amazing Four," the DJ boomed into his mike, "I'd say that we need an intermezzo to cool us down a little."
The crowd booed and the DJ had to hide behind his battle station as small objects of questionable nature began flying toward him. The DJ, however, was a brave man, and the chords of some fancy classical music replaced Rusty's reggaeton.
Maddox had known that moment was coming, but that didn't mean he was prepared for it. Jonathan walked onto the stage, nodded politely at the DJ and waited for the guy in charge to pour the bucket of water over him.
Magic or not, Maddox tuned out the crowd as he watched Jonathan run his hands through his hair to push the wet strands away from his eyes. His eyelids fluttered and his lips parted, making Maddox's heart beat faster. Then, he shyly rubbed the back of his neck and opened his eyes. His perfect pecs showed through the wet t-shirt, and the fabric clung to the mounds and valleys of his abs, offering everyone looking the unhindered sight of a body that didn't belong to an athlete like Dex or Rusty, but was still the most desirable of them all.
Maddox turned his attention to Jonathan's face once more, and then noticed the red tinge on the height of his cheeks, the increasingly frantic movement of his eyelids, and the small trembling of his lips.
Then sounds returned, and the crowd cheered loudly in his ears. Without caring about the consequences, Maddox jumped on the stage and took Jonathan by the hand.
"Oh, the jealous boyfriend appears," the DJ shouted excitedly.
Maddox moved to block the crowd's view of Jonathan and hugged him tightly.
"Maddox, what are you doing?" Jonathan whispered.
They both gasped when another bucket of cold water was thrown over their heads, and laughter could be heard from all directions.
"These guys need to cool off a little," the DJ taunted them from his station.
"Just follow my lead," Maddox said to Jonathan. He brought their mouths together in a kiss and held his boyfriend there until he felt the trembling in the other's body subside.
"Look at them snatching the big prize," the DJ went on, while the crowd continued to go wild.
Maddox pulled Jonathan away from the stage, making sure to stand between him and the crowd all the time. He waved and smiled at everyone and high-fived the DJ on his way out.
***
"Where are we going?" Jonathan mumbled.
The shower room in the pool building had to do as it was the closest. Maddox closed the door and turned the warm water on. He helped Jonathan out of his wet clothes and then pushed him under the hot spray.
He undressed, as well, and stepped to Jonathan's side. Without caring for the other's meek protests, he embraced him and kissed him. Jonathan was melting into his arms, the questions on his lips turning into soft moans. Maddox drank each and every one of them, while his hands wandered all over Jonathan's body, teetering between reassurance and desire.
When Jonathan threw his head back and offered his throat, Maddox knew for sure what he had to do. He hiked the other up in his arms and pushed him with his back against the tiles.
"That's a bit--" Jonathan tried to protest, but Maddox swallowed his words with a kiss.
"I want you like this," Maddox replied. The warm water spraying down his back made him shiver in pleasure as his cock pushed between Jonathan's buttocks. "Look at me, okay, just look at me."
He did, his eyes wide-open and full of desire and something else Maddox didn't yet dare to give a name. "Hold me, please," Jonathan said in a soft whisper.
