Dandruff

“I’ll give you a ride to work. Maybe we can have lunch together before your shift starts,” Danica batted her eyelashes at Marcus coyly as they journeyed to her beat up, white Ford Fiesta in the crowded student parking lot. It was Friday afternoon and school had just ended. The car park was always more congested on Fridays; everyone was looking forward to getting the hell out so they could start enjoying the weekend as soon as possible.

“That’d be super,” Marcus beamed. “Want me to hold your bag?”

“Nah, I got it. You’re gonna spoil me,” she slipped her small hand into his, blushing all the while. In return, he hunched over and pecked her on the cheek. As he moved to pull away, she gently tugged on his garish, red sweater in order to bring him down for a chaste kiss on the lips. However, over the lanky boy’s shoulder, her eyes met a very familiar disapproving glare from the uniformed figure sitting on the bonnet of her car.

“Jacob?!” she exclaimed, immediately pushing her puzzled boyfriend away.

“That’s the greeting I get?” Jacob scowled as he got to his feet. “I’ve been waiting out here for like an hour and your phone was off.”

She stalked up to him and wacked him right across the head. “You’re skipping school?! What’s wrong with you? God, do you like making me worry?!”

“Wow. You’ve gotten assertive… This can only mean that Marcus popped your cherry. Oh my god…” green eyes narrowed accusingly at the other male.

“It’s not like that!” Marcus stammered embarrassedly. Of course his objection was ignored by both parties. Such was the life of a wallflower.

“You’re such a jerk,” Danica admonished Jacob as she unlocked the car.

“What; you’re not even gonna stay and talk to me?” Jacob folded his arms agitatedly.

“We’ve got to leave now so I can get to work on time,” Marcus supplied, only to be met with a contemptuous frown.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jacob intoned.

“Leave Marcus alone! He’s just telling you the truth. I didn’t miss how nasty you can be to people,” she shook her head in exasperation, the beginnings of a migraine throbbing behind her eyes.

“You didn’t even invite me to come with you!”

“You didn’t give me a chance to!”

“Don’t try to blame me for this.”

“Uh, guys, I’m gonna be late…” Marcus interjected meekly.

“Shut up!” the other two snapped simultaneously.

“Okay!” Marcus snappily acquiesced.

“So… does the invitation still stand?” Jacob enquired nonchalantly.

“Of course it still stands. You’re my best friend for some stupid reason,” Danica allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of her lips. It was sad how much she missed this jackass.

“Awesome. I call shotgun!”


That was how the unlikely trio ended up in the tiny, two-door car, Marcus’ bony knees jutting out between the front seats. He was forced to sit in the middle since it was the most spacious area available in the back. Jacob had shed the burgundy jacket which was now stuffed in his bag, and loosened his tie, his feet propped up on the dashboard, looking as delinquent as ever. The wind from the open window whipped his hair around wildly, slapping him in the face every time sleep threatened to overpower. It also caused the gyrating, plastic, hula girl on the dashboard to jiggle maniacally. The tacky hula girl was already in the car when Danica’s parents bought it from its previous owner, and it seemed Danica had no intention of throwing it out; she thought it was cute. She had a penchant for collecting novelty items: her snow globe collection and her sequined Hello Kitty Zippo attested to this.

“Won’t Phoenix be angry when he picks you up and you’re not there?” Danica enquired, finally growing tired of the silence

Jacob shrugged. “I told him some bullshit about going to Trent’s house to work on an assignment.”

“So you just randomly decided to stop by…?”

“I needed to get out of that stuffy environment for a while. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Delayed culture shock? Well, at least you look cute in the uniform,” she smirked.

“I guess you could say that…” he said absentmindedly, his thoughts beginning to drift. The environment wasn’t the problem; Phoenix was the problem. He had been avoiding the man like plague, and Phoenix either didn’t notice or he didn’t care. Not that this was anything new. What was new was the constricting feeling in his chest whenever Phoenix acted like he wasn’t there. What was worse was the emptiness that filled him at the thought that Phoenix only wanted to use him. Why did he develop such strong feelings for someone who abused him, someone who was a selfish, violent, manipulative bastard? It was confusing. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to get out and be himself because he was obviously losing his goddamn mind in that house.

They shared a table at the mall’s food court, ordering from the pizza place Marcus worked at due to some twisted loyalty the guy had. Jacob was uncharacteristically quiet, allowing Danica and Marcus to converse easily. He felt like a third wheel, even though Danica occasionally tried to rope him into the discussion. Being around happy couples was such a drag when one was down in the dumps and tragically alone. Luckily, Marcus ate his five slices of pizza at a remarkable speed in order to get his uniform on in time for the beginning of his shift.

“Is something wrong? You’re acting really weird,” Danica spoke up after Marcus disappeared.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” he picked a piece of pepperoni off of his barely eaten slice and crammed it into his mouth.

“For one thing, you’re not eating a free meal, and you’re being really withdrawn. You’re not even insulting Marcus anymore and even I saw plenty of opportunities for that.”

“I just need to clear my head, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?” she wasn’t convinced.

“Positive.”

“Well… if you ever wanna talk about it, I’ll listen.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Honest; I’m fine,” he forced a smile. It’s not like he could seriously tell her what was bothering him. It was too complicated and more than a little taboo. ‘I’m sleeping with my married guardian, not only that, but we have extremely kinky sex and I love him even though he hates me!’ Yeah, that’d go down well. Besides, Phoenix would flip out if he found out anyone knew about their little affair. Ugh. Why did his thoughts always have to end up on Phoenix? This was unhealthy. He released an involuntary, depressed sigh that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I need to use the bathroom, okay? I’ll be right back,” Danica glanced at him worriedly before heading off in the direction of the restrooms.

Great; now he was by himself. What else was new? He sipped his soda, only to find the ice had melted and it was now watery. Why was everything going so terribly wrong? Before he could get too far in drowning himself in self pity, Marcus returned, this time wearing a giant, cumbersome, costume of a pizza where the only visible part of him was his bespectacled face in the middle. Jacob was torn between gawking in horror and laughing. So he settled on staring. Could this guy be any lamer?

“Where’d Danica go?” his voice trembled nervously.

“She went to the bathroom,” Jacob replied, still staring at the repulsive ‘uniform’.

“Oh. Well, I’ve got five minutes to kill before work starts… I’d sit down but this costume doesn’t really allow for much movement…”

“I bet.”

“Look, I know you don’t like me very much and all…”

“What gave you that idea?” Jacob rolled his eyes, wondering where the other boy was going with this. Why was he even talking to an oversized pizza-person? God, his life was ridiculous.

“Hear me out. We’re both important to Danica, and I don’t think we should be fighting. You don’t intimidate me!” Marcus loudly announced, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.

Jacob cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t intimidate you?”

“Okay, you do. But I think we should call a truce.”

“Whatever. Are you done now?”

A knowing grin wormed its way onto Marcus’ face, which in turn caused Jacob’s scowl to deepen.

“What the hell are you smiling about?”

“You’re not as venomous as usual today.”

“That’s why you’re acting like a loon?”

“You’re moping! You’re in love with someone!”

All Jacob could do was gape like a fish. If a dweeb like Marcus could see it, did that mean Phoenix knew? It felt like his world was at a standstill.

Marcus continued, “I was the same way about Danica. I never thought I’d have the guts to tell her. But golly gee! She made the first move and I’ve been happy ever since. You should just tell this guy how you feel.”

“…Did you just say ‘golly gee’?”

“I think you’re scary, to be honest, but I’m sure that guy will like you. I mean, Danica does, and she’s good at reading people…”

“He’s never going to like me,” Jacob made quotation marks with his fingers at the word ‘like’, “He just wants a good fuck every now and then.”

The harshly worded declaration stunned Marcus for a few seconds. “Maybe you should stop then… My dad always tells my sister no one is going to buy the cow if the milk is free.”

“…Were you raised in the 1950’s or what?”

“I’m just saying, Jacob. You’ve got self esteem issues. You might act like a jerk, but I think it’s because you’re scared. I’m sure if you let that guy know how much you’re worth, he’d chase after you.”

For the first time, Jacob observed Marcus as more than the ‘class nerd’. He was obviously not as socially inept as Jacob had believed. Hell, his niceness was puzzling. Grudgingly, Jacob realised he wasn’t even that bad looking; his skin wasn’t riddled like acne like the stereotypical geek’s, instead it was smooth and a nice chocolate shade of brown. He had sharp cheekbones and warm, dark eyes behind his glasses. And that was where Jacob brought those thoughts to a shrieking halt. There was no way he was going to check out some loser in a smelly, old pizza suit. He grabbed his backpack and stood.

“Tell Danica I had to go, alright?” and with that he was gone, leaving a confused Marcus in his wake. He quickly made his way down the escalator, pushing rudely past people and all but sprinted through the main exit. He had to be losing his mind. There was no other feasible explanation for his bizarre behaviour. Checking Marcus out was the final straw.

He reached the bus stop just in time to hop on board the one he wanted to catch. There weren’t many commuters inside, so there was no need for anyone to sit next to him; a blessing in his antisocial mood. At least something went his way for a change. He rested his head against the cool pane of glass, watching the familiar scenery go by through heavily lidded eyes. It was like stepping out of a dream and back into reality.

“What the fuck am I doing?” he whispered to himself as he set foot in the shoddy neighbourhood. It was as if he was stuck on autopilot, because his feet just kept on propelling him forward almost against his will. He trekked down the sidewalk, not batting an eye at the transsexual prostitute waving a pink boa at him in fishnet stockings and a purple wig near a phone booth. He was used to seeing all kinds of freaky shit living in an area just like this one.

The rickety stairs jostled under his weight as he ascended them. Why he didn’t just take the elevator, he didn’t know. His legs were tired by the time he reached his destination. He poised his hand to knock, wondering whether or not he was doing the right thing. And then he scoffed. Of course he wasn’t doing the right thing. He never did the right thing. The door was answered on the first knock.

“Well, well, well… Look who we have here. Haven’t seen you since your mother OD’ed,” the man looked shocked.

“I’ve been busy,” Jacob smiled unsurely.

“You look good, kid.”

“Thanks, so do you. Um, can I come in?”

“Sure. I can’t stay with you too long, though; got a shipment of Colombian Gold to pick up.”

Yes, he’d gone to his mother’s ex-dealer’s apartment. He needed something familiar, and this was somehow the best idea he’d come up with. Nick’s apartment was just as untidy as it always was; beer cans and porno magazines scattered all over the dirty, carpeted floor. The faint smell of second hand smoke and alcohol tinged the air, creating a nearly intoxicating aroma. Ironically enough, the drugs were always out of plain view, hidden away somewhere lest an undercover cop show up. Jacob threw his bag onto the floor and flopped onto the worn couch. He couldn’t help but feel trapped when he heard the ‘click’ of the door being locked.

“You want anything to drink?” his host offered.

“No, I just ate.”

“Don’t mind if I finish my drink in front of you then,” Nick swished the contents of a bottle of beer with a lopsided grin.

“No problem… Hey, you got a new tattoo,” he commented offhandedly, staring at the colourful chest piece of two crossed, winged pistols. Nick always had an aversion to shirts because they hid his numerous tattoos.

“Yeah, you like it?” Nick’s tone was flirtatious as he took a seat next to the teenager.

“It looks nice. Although I’m pretty sure you’re gonna run out of space someday.”

“Ha. You’re probably right about that. So, the rumours are true about Carlie’s kid moving to a snooty neighbourhood, huh?” Nick tugged at the burgundy tie teasingly. “Is this a school uniform?”

“Yup. I’m going to private school now.”

“Crazy world. Just don’t forget where you came from, man. I’m happy for you. So… what brings you back to the ghetto? Wanted to look down on people?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“Then why? Did you miss me?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Most people would be mad at me for indirectly killing their mom.”

“Stop bringing her up,” Jacob crawled onto the man’s lap. “I’m not here to talk about that.”

“I hope you’re not here to assassinate me in revenge.”

“You’re being stupid again.”

“Well then, enlighten me. What are you here to talk about?”

“Actually, I’m not here to talk at all…You know damn well what I want.”

“Oh fuck, yes. I’m so glad we’re on the same page here.”

Clothing fell to the floor in record time as enthusiastic hands touched, felt and groped desperately.


==


“Do you have any idea how far out of the way this place is?” Trent complained as Jacob climbed into the shiny, silver Mercedes Benz convertible. Jacob had taken the bus back to the mall and then called his friend for a ride home; his alibi had to add up somewhere. “I’m not your goddamn chauffer.”

“You didn’t have to come, even though I’m glad you did.”

“Gonna tell me what crazy shit you’ve done now? It’s the least you can do.”

“Why do you think I did something stupid?”

“I’m not gonna lie, you look guilty as fuck. You didn’t hide a body, did you?”

“Nothing that drastic… but no one is going to suspect anything because I was at your house studying all night.”

Trent tore his eyes off the road for a second to eye his passenger incredulously. “What?”

“Oh come on, I’d cover for you.”

“You could at least have informed me of my supposed involvement. What if I was still high? Then who would pick you up? Because I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to; my parents said if I wrecked another car that I’d have to take the bus.”

“You’re overreacting. Wait, you had another car before this?”

“I flipped it last summer while I was tripping on ecstasy. Anyway, how am I overreacting? This side of town is shady. Don’t you watch the news? A pretty, rich boy like you is asking for trouble.”

“Wow, Trent, I didn’t know you thought I was pretty…” Jacob jokingly ran a finger down the redhead’s thigh.

“Cut it out. I’m not fucking around. It’s dark out. Were you trying to get mugged and killed?”

“I can handle myself. Just drop it.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, because it looks to me like you’re doing something stupid.”

“Trent, your concern warms my heart, really. My mother is dead; I don’t need another one to nag me.”

“I’m done, man. See, before you started being a cunt, I was gonna do this for free. Now you owe me gas money.”

“Petty today, aren’t we?”

Trent just flashed him an evil smirk. They pulled into the next available service station on the way. Not only did Jacob have to fill the tank, but he had to pay for two packs of Skittles, a hotdog, three packets of bubble gum, three different brands of potato chips, and a litre of Pepsi. Apparently Trent had the ‘munchies’ and so gas money also referred to the gas in his stomach. With friends like this, it was no wonder Jacob needed a job. Money never passed so quickly through his fingers before. The intensity of his glare didn’t decrease even a fraction for the remainder of the journey; Trent managed to eat everything without even offering him one measly crumb. He was surrounded by bastards, honestly.

A wave of relief flooded his body as he trekked up the lonely driveway. Neither Felicity nor Phoenix was home; she was at work and he was god knows where. No sooner than the door was unlocked, he darted up the stairs and headed straight for the bathroom. A hot, long shower was in order. He peeled his sweaty clothes off and stepped into the stall. His hands were shaky as he turned the faucets to a reasonable setting. Warm water cascaded down his back, doing little to relieve the knots in his tense muscles. He fucked up big time and he knew it. If Phoenix found out about his little insurrection, he was a dead man. It hadn’t even helped him in his pathetic goal of regaining control of his life; the sex was mediocre and he regretted every minute of… all three rounds.
Phoenix really did a number on him if normal sex was an utter bore now. There had been nothing exciting about it. It wasn’t even remotely rough. It was a wonder he’d even managed to have an orgasm. All he could think about was how much better Phoenix felt inside him when compared to Nick. As if the fact that he had feelings for the man wasn’t bad enough, now he couldn’t even sleep around and get proper satisfaction! The one thing that Phoenix was always doing and he was deprived from, was fucking whoever he wanted. So he took it upon himself to do that… and he didn’t even enjoy it a little bit. Well, sure it was better than jerking off, but that was all it was better than.

Now he had an idea of what people meant when they said ‘Once you go black, you never go back’. Well, sort of. This train of thought led him to remembering how strangely attractive Marcus looked in his stupid pizza suit… which in turn led to his stomach becoming queasy. This had to be the most pathetic mental breakdown in the history of the known and unknown universe. Leave it to him to have one triggered by sadomasochism and pizza suits. Hopefully those two things never combined in order to create something truly disturbing.

After towelling off, he pulled on a T-shirt and some sweat pants and went downstairs to scour the kitchen for food. Juanita had been kind enough to leave a plate of pasta and shrimp in the fridge, so all he had to do was heat it up in the microwave. When he was finished eating, he put the dirty wares in the sink and then padded into the living room to waste some time watching TV. His mind had gone blank, his brain groggy from both physical and emotional exhaustion. He had no idea how long he’d been asleep when he heard the front door slam shut. In strolled Phoenix with a rather disgruntled expression. Oh joy. It wasn’t as if they were on speaking terms anyway. Jacob was fully prepared to ignore the other’s existence as he’d been doing for the past two weeks.

“May I ask how long you’re planning to keep this childish nonsense going?” the lawyer deadpanned as he bypassed the living room and went into the kitchen.

“What childish nonsense?” Jacob played dumb, cranking the volume up on the television. Despite his actions, his heart skipped a beat. Phoenix actually talked to him! Wow. Was he always this pitiable? He was becoming a worthy candidate for a lobotomy more and more each day.

Phoenix came back into the living room, this time without his jacket and tie, a few buttons on his shirt open. He walked up to the TV and switched it off before standing directly in front of Jacob, his arms folded across his broad chest and his eyes narrowed.

“You’re avoiding me. You sink to new levels of immaturity every day, do you know that?”

“You noticed? How shocking!” Jacob spat sarcastically.

“Don’t even dream of taking that tone with me right now.”

“I don’t talk to you, and it’s a problem. I talk to you, and it’s a problem. Why should I even bother?”

“Watch your fucking mouth, Jacob. I’m not in a good mood.”

Jacob reclined in the soft cushions, putting up a front of indifference. “When are you ever in a good mood, Phoenix?”

“Before you waltzed into my life, I was always in a good mood.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“ Where were you?” at those words, Jacob’s blood ran cold. He didn’t think his plan would be in shambles so soon. No, he had to play this cautiously.

“I sent you a text saying I’d be at Trent’s house.”

“Yes, you did. But again, I’m going to ask you where you were.”

“Why? Do you think I lied to you?”

“Answer the fucking question.”

“I was at Trent’s house!”

“And who’s Trent? I’ve never heard you mention him before. Are you fucking him?”

Jacob had to stop a relieved smile from worming its way onto his lips. Phoenix was jealous. Better yet, Phoenix had NO IDEA what really happened.

“You don’t talk to me, so of course you wouldn’t have heard about him. He’s straight. Not to mention his girlfriend… although I supposed that wouldn’t mean anything to you, now would it? You have a wife and you still fuck everything with a pulse.”

“If I snapped your neck, I’d probably fuck you as long as you’re still warm. You wouldn’t have a pulse then.”

“…That’s disturbing. I’m going to bed,” Jacob tried to stand, but he was forcibly shoved back into his eat. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You’re lying to me. I don’t like liars.”

“You must hate yourself then.”

A startled cry escaped Jacob’s throat when the bastard grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled on it. “The school called me. Allegedly, you didn’t report to any of your afternoon classes. Isn’t that strange?”

FUCK

“What’s the matter, Jacob? You look surprised. Honestly, I looked surprised, too when I received that call…” he languidly stroked the boy’s face. “It took you longer than usual to fuck up this time.”

“I wasn’t feeling well?” Jacob offered meekly.

“So you went to your friend’s house to study when you were sick? Jacob, I’m getting angry. I don’t like when people lie to me. I’m going to ask you one more time. Where were you?”

“I was with Trent! You can even call him and ask! I just wanted to hang out!”
That wasn’t a lie; technically… well, mostly…almost…ish.

Phoenix frowned and titled his head slightly to the left. “So you lied to me.”

“I’m grounded. You never let me do anything. Is the human need to socialise a crime?”

“You wouldn’t be grounded if you were obedient for once.”

“You’re being unreasonable...” he didn’t like when Phoenix used words like ‘obedience’… It meant that he was going to end up being forced into some kinky bullshit. As much as he tried to loathe the idea, he couldn’t stop the anxious feeling from swelling in his stomach. He was a walking contradiction when it came to the attorney.

“I’m inclined to disagree.”

“Well, I’m already grounded. What the fuck can you do to me now?” a shining example of the idiocy that was Jacob Reid.

The corner of Phoenix’s lips twitched upwards cruelly at the challenge, causing the boy to gulp loudly. Phoenix grabbed him roughly by the collar and used his weight as leverage so that Phoenix was now seated on the couch with Jacob prostrated over his lap. As soon as he regained what little wits he had, Jacob realised what was about to happen. Naturally, he started to struggle.

“You’re already in enough trouble; behave yourself,” Phoenix scolded, bearing his weight down on one arm over the boy’s back to keep him steady. He used the other hand to yank the pants and boxers down off the wriggling hips.

“I’m not letting you spank me!”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve done much worse than this.”

Jacob’s thrashing continued. This was too humiliating. He hated when Phoenix did shit like this; it was weird and it made him feel like he was seven years old as opposed to seventeen. Obviously his day hadn’t been crappy enough to please whichever deity had this vendetta against him. At least Nick hadn’t left any marks on his body per his request, or there would be hell to pay. A startled moan rumbled in his throat as a large, warm palm gently caressed his exposed flesh. As… pleasant… as the touch was, he wouldn’t allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of security.

SMACK!

“FUCKING HELL!!” Jacob yelled, trying in vain to pull himself up. Phoenix’s hands felt like they were made of lead! The area where the man’s hand landed was stinging, and though he couldn’t see it, it had turned a brilliant shade of red. It didn’t hurt as much as it did when he’d gotten whipped with the belt, but it was a close second.

“Stop fighting me or you’re going to get more!” Phoenix growled. He was getting off quite a bit on this, his erection pressed against the boy’s stomach. He slapped the same spot again, disappointed that Jacob stifled his screams this time around. He groped the red cheek lewdly, rubbing the hot, raw skin, enjoying how it felt against his palm.

“You’re being a pervert,” Jacob’s voice was muffled since he’d pressed his face into the cushion.

“Nonsense. This is all in your best interest,” the man grinned lecherously as a finger slid between the firm globes, travelling slowly down the crack, rubbing the puckered entrance lazily. “Did you just moan? You’re the one being a pervert, not me.”

Jacob turned his head to glare at the older male. “I hate you.”

“Eyes forward.”

“What?”

SMACK!

Phoenix’s approach changed, this time spanking the width of the boy’s entire buttocks, no force spared. Every slap was harder than its predecessor. Every attempt to escape the lawyer’s hold proved unsuccessful, and it only seemed to spur Phoenix on. Jacob had given up biting down on his hand (which was now littered with purple imprints of his teeth) and cried out loudly, almost blocking out the solid thwack of the man’s hand against his ass. The pain was blinding, and yet his cock was hard as steel. Only Phoenix could get this kind of reaction out of him. It was sad. The tears dripping down his cheek were being shed for so many reasons. He was confused, horny and confused. How could he be stupid enough to get into a situation like this? He was in love with the one person that made his blood boil. He gasped softly as Phoenix’s fingers slid down his perineum in order to play with his balls while the other hand petted his poor, red ass.

“Do you do stupid things just to get my attention? I can feel your erection. You’re such a pathetic child…” despite the harsh words, Phoenix’s tone was strangely comforting.

“Get over yourself,” Jacob’s voice sounded weepier than he would’ve liked.

“You’re lucky I don’t have enough time to fuck you.”

“You don’t?” the remainder of Jacob’s pride groaned miserably at how disappointed that question sounded.

“Felicity’s going to be home soon.”

Jacob unsteadily pushed himself upright, wincing when his T-shirt fell over his sore bum, the coarse fabric rubbing against it. Before he knew what hit him, he found Phoenix’s lips over his. His eyes widened comically. Phoenix was actually kissing him when there was no possible way they could have sex? His stupid heart fluttered with false hope. It wasn’t even a domineering kiss; it was sensual and relaxed. Phoenix never kissed him like that before. He was sure no one ever had. Could this mean that the man didn’t hate him as much as he let on? But of course, the perfect moment had to be ruined by the sound of a key in the door. Fuck. Neither of them had even heard the engine outside!

True to dick form, Phoenix shoved him out of his lap and he fell onto the floor, landing right on his injured behind. Fucking prick! With borderline superhuman speed, he watched the barrister disappear into the kitchen. If Jacob didn’t know for certain that Phoenix was just in the room, he would’ve sworn he’d imagined it.

“Why are you on the floor?” the blonde asked upon entering the living room.

He quickly got to his feet, grateful that his back hadn’t been facing her; his T-shirt wasn’t long enough to fully cover his still-bare ass; he hadn’t pulled up his trousers. “Felt like it. You know, sometimes you just wanna… hang out on the floor…like a Japanese person. This coffee table looks Japanese. They eat on the floor, right?”

Felicity looked baffled by his rambling. “Did you get hit in the head?”

“Hey, babe,” Phoenix saved the day be re-entering, looking as composed as he usually did. Jacob looked away as the couple shared a brief kiss. “How was work?”

“Busy as usual. I’m so glad to be home now.”

“Uh, I think I’m gonna go to bed,” Jacob announced as he made his way to the staircase.

“Jacob, your pants are around your knees,” Felicity snickered.

“Oh! Ha! Imagine that…”

Later that night, Jacob was serenaded to sleep by the loud, enthusiastic sounds of Phoenix fucking Felicity through the mattress. It wasn’t fair that she reaped the benefits of all his hard work… He pulled the pillow over his head. How the hell was it possible for her to shriek so loudly? And no, he was not jealous. Not one bit. He wasn’t in love with Phoenix. It was just indigestion that made him think that.

Yeah right.

He squeezed his eyes shut; hoping sleep wasn’t too far around the corner. He needed all his energy if he was going to babysit Miranda tomorrow, and if he knew his luck, he knew he was in for a handful.


==


The Munez Feed:
Wow. You guys left so much feedback. I’ve been having a really hard time lately, so it means a lot. Thank you! In other news, I’m done exams. That means we’re back to weekly updates. Yay?

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