Spin

Liv lets out a squeal-scream to show both her shock and excitement, and I flinch, my ears already ringing. I'd completely walk away from her if she wasn't latching onto both of my hands while she jumps up and down in place. "I knew it!" she cries. "I! Knew! It!"

"Can you please calm down?" I ask, gently trying to pull away.

She's not letting go, though. "I fucking knew it! Oh my God. Oh my God!" She looks positively giddy. It's laughable, but she's good-hearted, so I let her have her moment -- that is, until she lets go of my wrists. "Guys! *Guys*!" She turns away and before I can stop her, she rushes out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Liv, wait a sec--"

"Guysguysguys!" she says, unable to stay still or keep her mouth shut. Bruce, Sasha, Corb, Trish, and the twins all look towards Liv in surprise. "Jackie and Gus are dating!"

I sigh, leaning in the entryway. I was hoping to tell everyone myself, but she's so quick to open her mouth. This is something Gus and I talked about, too. Just a few days ago, when it more or less dawned on us that we've been dating for a little over a month now, I asked him if he wanted to keep it a secret from the group. Liv was getting more and more curious about the nature of my relationship with Gus because, according to her, he and I were hanging out a "surprising" amount. I told Gus that if she sniffed it out, she'd tell everyone within earshot. "Do you want everyone to know?" Gus had asked me, and when I told him I didn't care, he smiled, appreciating that I valued his level of comfort. I just wanted to know how he felt.

It's a good thing he didn't mind, because it took Liv all of five seconds to tell all our friends. When she breaks the news, everyone turns to me, looking surprised, and a few of their eyes flicker towards Gus when he comes out of the kitchen to stand next to me.

"You couldn't wait two minutes?" I ask Liv.

"Oh, don't be like that," Liv says, playfully scowling. "You should have told everyone else before me."

"Then I would have never heard the end of it," I tell her. "You're selfish."

Liv is about to retort when Bruce gets his piece in. "Wait wait," he says, "you guys are seriously dating?"

I hold his gaze and nod. "Yep."

I'm trying to figure out what his expression says. He doesn't look angry, or irritated, or anything negative, I suppose. He just looks confused. "I thought you were straight?" he asks me.

I shrug. "So did I," I murmur -- and suddenly, everyone laughs, breaking the tension. A few of the girls are quick to mimic Liv's reaction but on a smaller scale, all looking particularly enthralled with this news once they get over the shock. The collective surprise makes me wonder if Liv was keeping her suspicions to herself. If so, I'm quite impressed. That's so unlike her.

The only person who doesn't seem to initially care one way or another is Kyle. Personally, I think it's because he and Liv got into a fight and now she's holding out on him. Kyle's lucky that Liv lets him anywhere near her body because he doesn't exactly have a line of eligible bachelorettes waiting at his beck and call. "That's so weird," Kyle says, squinting at me and Gus, as if not yet understanding the situation.

Liv is quick to snap at him. "Fuck off, Kyle," she says, clearly not wanting the good spirits soiled. Of course, this sparks some not-so-playful banter between the two of them that inevitably grows into an argument. Kyle spits back, and Liv approaches him with a threatening walk and a wagging finger.

In the meantime, Bruce approaches me. "Yo," he says before gesturing between me and Gus. "How long has this been going on?"

"Uhhh..." I'm not sure how to answer that, and when I look towards Gus, he just shrugs. "You could argue when we met," I finally say.

"Damn," Bruce says, surprised. "I had no idea."

"We keep things low key," I tell him, and Bruce nods approvingly.

"Respect," he says.

He seems to eye us weirdly, though. "All good?" I ask him.

"Totally, man," he says, meeting my eye and smiling finally -- and it feels genuine. "I'm honestly just super surprised, is all. You're happy, though?"

I grin back at him. "Yeah, I'm happy."

"That's what I wanna hear," he says, affectionately patting my chest.

It feels good to get that approval from my buddy -- not that I needed it, per se, but it's still nice to know that I can just openly be with Gus without any complications. Out of the group, Bruce's opinion is the one I care about most, so it would hurt if this had gone any other way.

The complication only comes from Kyle, who's still engaging in an argument with Liv. At first, I think it'll blow over. Quickly, though, it turns into a full-blown fight, with Liv's raised voice and heated emotions taking precedence. I wouldn't put it past her to lay hands on Kyle (and honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing that), but we all want to deescalate the situation. Corb, who towers over all of us, steps in between them and nudges Kyle away from Liv. Liv tries to keep shouting into Kyle's face, peeking around Corb's sides or under his arm, but I take her shoulders and pull her aside. I'm the only one of our friends who's not intimidated by Liv, so it makes sense for me to calm her down.

"Breathe, Liv," I say in a level voice, more or less holding her in the corner of the room like a chastised child.

"God, I fucking can't *stand* him," she says, red-faced and fiery.

"Stop thinking about him," I say, keeping my hands on her shoulders. "Come on. Breathe."

"Jackie, I--"

"Breathe, woman," I tease.

She gives me a frustrated glare but relents, inhaling deeply and then exhaling. I breathe with her, going through a few cycles until I finally notice that she has calmed down.

"You good?" I ask, trying not to laugh in her face.

"Yeah, I'm good," she says, brushing it off and sweeping her hair over her shoulder. Then, under her breath, she murmurs, "He's such an asshole."

I chuckle. "Yeah, he's an asshole now, but I'll give it two weeks before you're riding his dick again."

She looks scandalized, slapping my arm. "Why would you say that?"

"Uh, because it's true," I tell her. "You do this every time." She opens her mouth to retort but thinks better of it, and I grin, validated. "Why do you still fuck around with him anyway?"

"Because," she says, "he's really good at eating pussy." She says it with such a sadness in her eyes that I burst out laughing. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not, I promise," I say, stroking her arm to reassure her.

She just sighs before looking up at me and smiling slightly. "Thanks for telling me first, by the way."

"You would've been pissed if I hadn't," I remind her.

"And that's why I'm happy you told me first," she says before her eyes flicker towards Gus, who's watching everyone berate Kyle with amusement. "I really like him for you."

I laugh. "Thanks for the approval."

"I'm serious," she says. "He's sweet, and you two look good together." Then, she grins a bit. "What I'd give to be a fly on that wall."

"You wouldn't look at me the same," I say, smirking back at her.

Her mouth drops a bit. "Don't tell me..."

I know what she's wondering with that look: if I've bottomed. "Oh, no. I've been, uh, quite on top of things, lately," I say, and she snickers. "But I'm much more of a tender lover than you would have ever given me credit for."

"Guess I'll never know, Casanova," she says, playfully patting one of my pecs. "Should've taken you for a ride before you got a boyfriend."

I laugh. "You had plenty of time before."

"True," she says, tilting her head. "This really is, like, the first relationship you've had in *forever*."

I blink. She's right. I hadn't even thought of that. Things developed so easily with Gus that I didn't even think about the logistics of things. "Yeah, you're right," I say, my mind drifting a bit.

She drops the playful tone and looks concerned. "You okay?" she asks. "You look worried."

"No, yeah," I say, nodding. "I just... hadn't thought of it that way."

"It's not a big deal," she reminds me.

She's probably right, but I wonder if it *is* a big deal. Am I actually ready for a relationship? I haven't been in one for so long because I've always considered myself bad at them. I've been too inattentive or didn't feel connected enough to the person or refused to compromise. It got to a point where I figured relationships just weren't for me. Although things feel pretty simple with Gus, is it a risk? Are we just in our honeymoon phase? We've never even had this kind of conversation.

We all hang out for a while longer, making the most of our more frequent get-togethers. All of us realized that, even with our increasingly busy lives, we need our support systems -- so we've all made an effort to see each other more. However, I have tons of research to do and Gus has work, so we're the first to take our leave once the time is right.

Ever the gentleman, I decide to walk him home, so once we say our goodbyes to the group, the two of us head off towards his apartment. This works well, too, because I want to discuss a few things before I completely forget to bring them up.

"Well," I start to say, glancing over at him, "now it's out."

He looks over at me and laughs. "Us, you mean? Yeah, it feels... I don't know. Good?"

I smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Just that you've been so cool and open about... y'know... doing this with me," he says, blushing a little. "Makes it easier."

"I try," I say with a little grin before clearing my throat. "Hey, so, listen. I haven't been in an actual relationship with anyone in a long ass time, so... I don't know. I feel like I'm out of practice or something."

As the words leave my mouth, I feel a bit silly -- but luckily, Gus just smiles. "I think we know each other well enough to know that we don't take things too seriously." Then, he touches my arm as he clarifies something. "Not that I don't take this seriously, but... I just mean that this is really easy. And I like that about us."

I smile, a little bit relieved that he feels the same vibe that I do. "I like that, too," I say, not wanting to complicate things. "But that being said, I do have one request moving forward."

He cocks an eyebrow but nods. "Shoot."

"I'm the kind of person who tells it like it is, and I know not everyone's like that, but... if you have a problem with me, or us, or whatever it is, let's just talk it out," I say. That's really been the root of all my past relationship problems: not enough communication. What little communication there was was not open or honest enough. My girlfriends would keep their issues with me to themselves, complain to their friends, and then let it fester until they inevitably blew up on me -- and I have no patience for that. "Just be blunt," I ask him. "No harboring resentments."

He tilts his head a bit, pondering this. "Well, in that case... I have something to tell you."

Shit.

However, as soon as my face drops, Gus bursts out laughing. "I'm just kidding."

Immediately, I punch him in the arm. "You fucker," I mutter, smirking when he recoils while still laughing.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he says before composing himself. "I like this idea, though."

"It's just easier that way if we make a promise to be honest from the jump," I say. "I don't wanna be with you if you don't like how I am in a relationship. And I'm sure you feel the same."

"Totally," he says before laughing a bit. "This is... kind of refreshing. I've never had a talk like this when I started seeing someone. Or... ever, really."

I grin. "Well, I actually like you, so I wanna keep you around for a little longer, at least."

"What an honor," he says, playfully bowing before laughing.

As we continue walking towards his apartment, I feel even more excited about the future than before. Even though I've told previous significant others that I need open communication, Gus is the first one who I feel will really take that to heart. We both want the same thing, after all.

When we finally get to his apartment, we stop in front of his steps, looking at each other. "Well... Guess this is goodnight," Gus says.

I smirk a bit. "Guess so," I say. I of course want a goodnight kiss, so, after licking my lips, I lean forward slowly, and Gus doesn't stop me. In fact, he bridges that final gap, pressing our lips together with a light sweetness. We hold the kiss, both of us gingerly grasping each other's sides while standing on the sidewalk in plain view of any potential passerby. It feels like a particularly nice kiss: gentle and tender, perfect for a "Can't wait to see you again" sort of sentiment.

But then, just when I'm about to pull back, Gus takes it up a notch by sliding his hands to my waist and pulling me closer. There, he lets me feel how hard he is behind his pants, and I grunt against his lips, smirking slightly. "Horny?" I ask.

"Very," he murmurs, kissing me again. "Wanna... come up?"

He looks so shy and demure asking me that question that I can't help but laugh. Sometimes, when we're both in the mood for making out or oral, things unfold in an extremely casual, no-big-deal kind of way. However, there's a certain look in Gus' face when he's in the mood for more. When he wants to get fucked, it's almost like he's sheepish about it. I find it kind of adorable.

I grab his wrist and check his watch. It's past Gabe's bedtime, so he's probably dead asleep by now. "Your mom's going to work soon, right?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says, dipping his fingers behind the waistband of my jeans and tugging a bit. "C'mon."

"Needy, huh?" I tease.

"You have no idea," he murmurs.

Oh, I think I have an idea. But before I can respond, Gus grabs my hand and tugs me up the stairs. I smirk to myself, my cock already twitching at the thought of fucking Gus again. Ever since that first time, it's been quite a regular occurrence. It's something I don't think I'll ever get sick of.

However, when we head up to his apartment and greet his mother in the living room, Gus pauses, looking confused. "How come you're not ready for work?" he asks.

She just smiles, tossing a piece of popcorn in her mouth, fully decked out in her pajamas and nightcap. "Mama took the night off," she says, looking particularly energetic and giddy.

I don't blame her. The poor woman has been working daily shifts for weeks now, so she's probably taking a well-deserved break -- but Gus is making a face that seems like he knows he's about to get the biggest case of blue balls in recorded history. He turns to me and gives me a pleading look, unsure what to do, and I just chuckle, leaning in to whisper, "Wanna just come to my place?"

He nods. We could fool around here, but the apartment is small, and if his mother is awake and potentially wandering around, it's quite likely she'll hear her son getting dicked down -- and I don't think Gus wants that. "I'm just gonna grab a few things, Ma," Gus says. "Gonna stay with Jackie."

"Alright, honey," she says, waving him off and focusing her attention back on the TV.

I follow Gus to his bedroom and watch as he starts stuffing a change of clothes into a backpack. "Desperate for dick, ain'tcha?" I tease.

"Shut up," he mutters, his eyes scanning his bedroom for important things.

I just smile, watching him grab his laptop power cord. "You think you'll ever tell your mom about us?" I ask him.

"Honestly, I think she knows already," he says, laughing. "She's always like, 'So, how's *Jaaackie* doing?' while giving me a look, but she never pries."

I snort. Such a mother thing to do: pretend to be sly. "I love your mom," I say.

"She likes you too," Gus says with a smile. "Makes things even easier, I guess." Then, as he's stuffing his laptop into his bag, he looks at me. "Am I gonna meet your parents someday?"

"You wanna meet my parents?" I ask, surprised. He's never really expressed interest before.

He shrugs -- but it's clearly an automated response because he quickly nods after.

"That could be arranged," I say, tapping my chin. "They keep wanting to visit but I keep putting it off because I always get so busy."

"Would they be hard to impress?" he asks, grimacing.

I laugh. "My parents? Definitely not," I say, smirking at just the thought of them meeting Gus. I know they'll appreciate that he's kind, because that's what they value above all else.

"Don't know why that still makes me nervous," he says with a little laugh before swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Ready?"

After grabbing a few of his toiletries on the way out, Gus and I say goodnight to his mom and then take the short walk to the train in order to expedite the trip to my place. We make it right before the train is about to leave the station, sighing with relief as we take our seats. It's not very busy tonight. In fact, we nearly have a cart to ourselves, save for two other passengers, both of whom are laser-focused on their phones. I sit close to Gus, our arms and thighs pressed up against each other, Gus' backpack sitting squarely in his lap.

Luckily, the train ride is short -- but even then, we can't keep our hands off of each other. Gus keeps reaching over to grip my thigh, inching ever closer to my cock before groping it and then quickly snatching his hand away. Press repeat. I just sit back and smirk whenever he gets the urge.

"Patience, babe," I murmur.

He blushes and laughs. "'Babe'," he repeats.

I smirk. "Don't like it?"

"No, I like it," he says quickly, smiling sheepishly. With a smile, I put my arm around him and keep him close for the remainder of the trip.

After we make it to our stop, I can tell he's particularly antsy due to his walking speed. His pace has quickened dramatically, and I kick it up into a higher gear to keep up with him, laughing slightly. Even though there's no real rush, I kind of like this sense of urgency. It makes things exciting. It means that I'm gonna get it good tonight.

When we finally arrive at my studio apartment, I make a show of pretending to fumble with the keys -- and Gus makes a noise of impatience that makes me laugh. He stares intently at my hands as if trying to bend them to his will, to pick the right key and unlock the door with the highest efficiency possible.

I don't tease him for too long. When that latch finally clicks and I swing the door open, Gus pushes me through. We barely make it through the door frame before we're all over each other. Gus drops his bag to the floor with a thud, and even though I wince knowing his laptop is in there, he doesn't seem to care. He pushes me into the apartment, kicking the door shut with his foot, never letting his lips leave mine. I push back against him, both of us almost sparring like male deer. There's a real sense of intention behind our movements, of intensity. All we can do is slip out of our shoes using only our feet because our hands are so insistent on grabbing hold of each other.

I somehow get a bit of the upper hand and push Gus back into the wall as my hands go straight for his belt. He grunts against my mouth, almost frantically grasping at the hem of my shirt, desperate to get it off. Grinning, I break the kiss for a moment, just to let him strip me before our lips meet again. Then, my hands are back at his waistline, eager to feel him, touch him.

Once I finally get his belt undone, I unzip his fly and tug his jeans off of his hips, letting them fall to the floor. Then, I move my hand right to his bulge -- and I'm surprised to find a nicely-preserved package there. I break the kiss and look down, my eyebrows arching when I see he's wearing a jockstrap. "I didn't even know you were wearing this," I say.

He licks his lips. "Makes me feel kinda sexy," he says, blushing and laughing.

I grin at him. "As it should," I say before grabbing his hips, spinning him around, and pinning his chest into the wall. He grunts but doesn't resist, letting me press one hand between his shoulder blades while the other slides down to grab one cheek of his supple ass. "God, you're fucking sexy," I growl in his ear, nibbling on the lobe.