Page 32 of Caught Running

Jake lay there staring at the box for a long while, too comfortable to actually move anything to reach for them. He wasn’t all too concerned, if he were honest with himself. He should be, he knew. Jake had truly forgotten them, overcome by lust that had apparently sucked his brains out of his ears. But Brandon had forgotten them, too, and Jake didn’t want to cut this short by pointing it out and sending the other man into a panic. Panic could come later, maybe. Along with the other panics that their little tryst would no doubt produce in them both. Until then, Jake closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against Brandon’s forehead, practically purring as he held the man.

The quiet rumbling made Brandon smile, and he turned his chin slightly to press his lips against Jake’s throat. He floated in a pleasant haze he knew would end, but for now he would soak up as much of it as he could get, just in case. Jake tilted his head and rolled slightly, catching Brandon’s lips with his own and kissing him gently. Brandon sighed against warm lips, the languid kiss pushing away the wakefulness that approached. It was so easy to just push everything away while he was in Jake’s arms. His chest began to tighten as he had the thought that this might be it. One time to get it out of their systems. Brandon already knew once wouldn’t be enough for him.

Jake fought with himself over whether to bring the issue up now or to leave it until they weren’t happily tangled together in bed. He wished his better senses would have told him to speak out with it as soon as possible, but Jake didn’t really have better senses. He pulled Brandon closer to him and kissed him harderbefore murmuring a teasing, “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” Brandon mock-whined in protest. Jake kissed him again and rolled until he was on top of the man once more. He pushed up onto his elbows to look down at him.

Brandon opened his eyes as he rolled and looked up at Jake, the last of the lassitude draining away. Time to face the music, he thought regretfully.

Jake smiled slightly and settled back down, his thumb gliding over Brandon’s lower lip as he slid his other fingers into his hair. “Hi,” he offered softly.

Brandon blinked. That wasn’t what he’d expected. He smiled tentatively. “Hi,” he whispered back, placing his hands along the small of Jake’s back.

Jake bent his head to kiss Brandon slowly, one last time, and nuzzled his nose against his cheek briefly before whispering, “We have a small problem.”

Tensing, Brandon wished, wished,wishedthis didn’t have to happen. “We do?” he murmured.

Jake nodded and lifted his head, looking up at the corner of the bed and reaching slowly to snag the edge of the box. He settled back onto his elbows, Brandon still securely beneath him, and waved the box through the air with a little flick of his wrist.

Brandon frowned as Jake shifted, and he followed the other man’s movement until he could focus on the box. He stared at it for a moment, connected it with the stickiness between his legs, and his brows shot up. He pressed his lips together to stifle a laugh. “Um,” he offered. “Some health teacher I am.”

“I’ve found that you laugh at rather inappropriate times,” Jake observed with some amusement. He chucked the box over the edge of the bed and bent to press a kiss to the side of Brandon’s neck before flopping to his side again.

The science teacher chuckled and covered his face with both hands before groaning in resignation. “Do I need to be worried?” he asked calmly after pulling his hands away. He really didn’t think so, but you never knew. He also wondered how the hell he’d keep a straight face when he gave the standard safe sex lecture at school.

“No,” Jake answered immediately, not asking the question in return. If the answer had been a yes then Brandon wouldn’t be quite so calm, he reasoned. “I’m sorry,” he offered sincerely. “I don’t usually get carried away like that.”

Brandon smiled. “Well, I’m rather glad I inspired it, actually. You don’t need to worry, either,” he added. It had been far too long and too many standard checkups ago to even think about, he added silently.

Jake couldn’t help but smirk slightly as he snaked his arm across Brandon’s waist. “So, Mr. Health Teacher,” he teased in a low voice. “Practice what we preach, huh?” he snickered, pulling himself closer to nuzzle Brandon’s neck. The relief over it not being a big deal was enough to make him a little giddy.

Brandon rolled his eyes and groaned, but he still hugged Jake close. “I’m going to hear about this for awhile, aren’t I?” he drawled before thinking. He stiffened. What if there wasn’t awhile?

“Oh yeah,” Jake laughed gleefully. “If I’m still Thundercat after fifteen years, you’ll be hearing about this for at least as long.”

Brandon’s pulse raced again at the implication, and he just looked at Jake’s smile until he couldn’t resist kissing it.

Jake groaned in surprise and tightened his hand in Brandon’s hair. They kissed for a long moment that stretched on and on, and Jake found himself in serious danger of enjoying it just a little too much. “Stay here tonight,” he requested impulsively.

Brandon gazed at him, recognizing the fact he wanted nothing more. He was already in so, so deep. There wasn’t going to be any way to save himself anyway. “Okay,” he agreed quietly.

It was a long while before Jake decided he was too sticky. A shower and some more groping later, he stood in front of the refrigerator staring at the meager offerings within. He held his pills in his hand, and his eyes strayed to the beer on the top shelf.

Brandon padded into the kitchen, dressed in more of Jake’s clothes. He stopped next to the other man, glancing into the fridge and raising an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you didn’t find anything.” It was certainly different from his own fridge. While he didn’t cook, Brandon ate a lot of fresh food, and he kept the larder stocked.

“I need to go to the store,” Jake grumbled as he reached in for a soda and popped the pills into his mouth while opening the can.

Brandon rolled his eyes and pushed the fridge door shut. “Ya think?” he asked sarcastically. “So are we ordering in or do you want to go to Publix?” He glanced to the clock; it was late, but not too much so for a Saturday night.

“Store, I think,” Jake answered after downing the pills. “What are you wanting? Anything specific?” he asked as he set the can down on the counter and reached for Brandon’s hips, pulling and turning him just a little to put Brandon between him and the refrigerator with a smirk.

Brandon smiled as he allowed Jake to maneuver him where he wanted him, and he settled his hands behind Jake’s elbows. “I mostly eat sandwiches, fruit, fresh vegetables, things that don’t require cooking.” He narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at the other man. “I’ve eaten more pizza in the last month than in my entire life, I think.” His face scrunched in distaste.

Jake pressed himself closer and bit his lip to stop his smile. “Well, we order it with vegetables on it,” he reasoned.

“Only after I threaten Jonathan within an inch of his life,” Brandon retorted.

“You were quite sexy doing it, though,” Jake purred teasingly, leaning in to brush his lips over Brandon’s. “I’ve got some pasta,” he offered. “I accidentally made this shrimp scampi with alfredo sauce once and it was really good,” he admitted with a small laugh.

Brandon shrugged slightly, still smiling, warmed by the continuing affectionate gestures. How so much had changed in a single day. “If you’re brave enough to cook, I’m brave enough to eat it,” he said. “But the store is fine, too.”