Bastards of Young

“One more time,” I said, grinning as I planted small kisses on his chest. Billie groaned and rolled away from me.

“No,” he said burying his face into the pillow. “No more. I’m a broken, tired man and I need rest.”

“You said anything I want all day,” I gently started to scratch his back.

“That was before I realized you suddenly had the libido of a fucking rabbit,” he lifted his head and looked around wearily. “What time is it?”

“Five and some change,” I said looking at the clock on the dresser.

“Let’s go get some dinner and walk around town or something,” he started to get up, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to me, leaning in as I did so. “Jean, c’mon!”

“I just want a kiss,” I assured him. With a sigh he let me pull his lips to mine for a moment. “See,” I said breaking the kiss to find him sporting a grin. “That’s it. Let’s go take a shower.” I got up and slipped an over sized t-shirt on as I spoke. Walking over to the dresser I grabbed some clothes for us. “Is this okay for you,” I asked holding up a striped t-shirt of his.

“Sure,” he said sitting up and rubbing his eyes with a yawn. I wrapped the shirt and all of the rest of the items required to dress a man up into a ball and threw them his way. Catching them, he got up and mumbled something about going to start the water running as he passed me.

“Okay… oh, and hey,” he turned and looked at me with his eye brows raised, waiting. “I love you.”

Breaking into a wide smile, he leaned over the corner of the dresser to kiss me, “I love you too.” With that I was left alone to find clean work clothes. Finally, I found my last clean black shirt and a pair of not too ratty jeans for the evening. Walking up stairs I heard the college radio station DJ announcing in a bored voice the local shows for the week.

“They always sound so not enthused,” I said walking to the bathroom where Billie had already laid out towels and hopped in.

“I know, it drives me nuts,” came his voice from the other side of the curtain.

“I’d be happy as hell if I got to sit around all day and play records,” I said putting my clothes next his and taking off my shirt.

“You should go for it,” he pulled back the curtain to let me in. “I think you’d be great at that sort of thing.”

I grinned as I stepped under the shower water to get my hair wet. “You’d say I’d be great at starting my own flea circus if I hinted at wanting to do it.”

“At least I’m supportive,” he smiled and grabbed the shampoo before squirting some into his hand and offering it to me. “I’m just sticking to my guns and saying that you’re way too full of potential to work shit jobs all your life,” he started to rub the shampoo into his hair.

“I know,” I said following suit. “I need to get my ass in gear… I just really fucking hated school.”

“Some times you gotta eat shit to play with the big boys, darlin’.” Smiling broadly he reached over and started to style my hair into one giant spike. “You look like a unicorn,” he chuckled. I started laughing as I opened the curtain to look at myself in the mirror.

“Nice,” I shut the curtain just as the spike flopped over, unable to handle the weight any longer. “My turn,” I said running my hands through his unevenly cut hair. “Who did this to your hair,” I asked frowning.

He laughed sheepishly, “A girl in Texas. It was getting out of control and she volunteered to do it for free.”

“Well, you get what you pay for,” I said teasingly finishing the devil horns I loved to put on him.

“She said she was in beauty school,” he exclaimed in passionate defense. I busted out laughing at how ridiculous he looked trying to be serious with curly horns sticking up on either side of his head. Pulling back the curtain he started to laugh too.

“Next time, hoss,” I said bringing him back to me, “Just wait until you’re back home and I can do it.”

“Deal,” he said leaning in to brush his lips against my neck.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” I said warningly as he started to bite gently at just the right spot on my neck.

“Okay, okay,” he said pulling back. He guided me under the shower water so that the shampoo would rinse out as he started scrub down the rest of his body. A few minutes later both of us were squeaky clean again and stepping out of the shower. Silently, we dried off and began to get dressed, exchanging smiles every so often. “Where to first,” Billie asked adjusting his boxers and going for his jeans next.

“Let’s let the road take us where it wills,” I smirked as I pulled my bra over my head.

“Could it maybe will us over to mom’s work? I kind of want to surprise her too. Plus,” he paused to pull his shirt over his head. “Free food,” he finished as his head reappeared through the hole with his hair sticking out at every angle.

“Okay,” I said as I put on my underwear and started to put on my pants.

“I’m always sad to see those go back on,” he said sadly watching me zip my fly.

“Hey, I gave you plenty of opportunity to keep them off downstairs.” Billie just laughed and shook his head as I put my own shirt on. Bending over and opening the cabinet I got out my make-up bag.

“Aw crap, I forgot you had to do your girl shit,” he said with a small hint of annoyance.

“I have to look sexy so I can good tips, babe,” I gave him a playful pinch on the cheek.

“But, you look sexy without make up too.”

“Uh-huh, flattery won’t change my mind. Go watch TV or something.”

“Fine,” he said in a huff as he dragged his feet out the door. “Just hurry, I’m starving.”

“Just hurry, I’m starving,” I repeated in a whiny voice and I began applying eye liner. Suddenly, a hand shot back into the room with its middle finger raised defiantly before disappearing just as quickly.

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“I can’t believe of all the days to not be working,” Billie said dejectedly as we walked out of the diner thirty minutes later.

“Do you want to drop by her house,” I suggested, taking his hand. Billie just shook his head.

“We wouldn’t have time to just hang out afterwards.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” I said with a shrug. “You’ve seen me all day.”

“And I’ve seen my mom a lot over the last twenty years. Come on,” he said giving my hand a tug. “I’m supposed to have lunch with her tomorrow anyway.” We started walking up the street to the bus stop in silence. The sun was almost down and there was a chill in the air, but it was still warm enough to where you only needed a light jacket. “God, tonight feels good,” Billie said reading my thoughts.

“I know,” we came to a stop at the bus sign as the bus was coming up the street. “We should go to that one place near Flipside.”

“The one with that like lion barrel thing?”

“Yeah, it has a patio and a really good juke box, remember,” we started to get on the bus.

“Oh yeah, sounds good to me.” I took a seat next the window near the middle of the bus. As Billie sat down next to me he nuzzled into my shoulder with a sigh.

“Tired,” I asked read up to scratch the side of his head, lovingly.

“Mmhm,” he reached across me to rest his hand on my thigh. “You wore me out.” I felt myself blush and suddenly couldn’t wipe the grin from my face.

“Sorry about that.”

“I thoroughly enjoy it, actually.” We were silent as I continued to scratch his head gently when a thought popped into mine.

“This is seriously me just wondering,” I started carefully. “But are you still going to look for your own place when you get back?”

“Fuck, Jean, don’t get on my case about that now,” he stirred agitatedly, but I made him stay on my shoulder.

“I’m not! I’m just wondering!”

“Yeah, well wondering always leads to yelling.”

I pushed back my urge to… well, yell and just answered as evenly as possible, “Don’t worry about it then.”

Billie sighed, knowing full well that he should probably still worry about it if he wanted the night to be pleasant. Sitting up, he looked at me frowning, “I’m going to look when I get back. I promise.”

“Okay,” I said putting my head on his shoulder. “I just worry about you.” He kissed the top of my head and rested his against it.

“Thanks,” he said honestly. “Are you still against me living with you and Trace?”

“Not against it,” I said trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say. “Just weary of it, I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on us just yet, you know? I’ve rushed into living with some one and it sucked.” I started to absent mindedly play with his hand.

“Who,” he asked and I could hear the frown in his voice.

“That Luke guy.”

“I fucking hate that guy,” Billie said with his voice dripping disdain. When Billie and I had told war stories about exes Luke’s story got the biggest reaction out of him. “He’s the one that was like forty when you where like eight-teen right?”

“Mmhm,” I said cringing at the memories. I felt Billie give my hand a squeeze.

“Fucker.”

I smiled, “I love how worked up you get.” I brought his hand up to my lips as the bus pulled up to our stop.

“The guy took advantage of you,” he said fiercely as we got off and started walking down the street, hand in hand.

“Yeah, but now I've got your cute ass, so why worry about that guy,” I pulled his hand so that he had to get right beside me as we walked. Taking the hint he leaned in and gave me a kiss before looking ahead happily.

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“I just think we should give it a shot,” Billie said before shoving spaghetti into his mouth. We had somehow gotten back onto the apartment subject during dinner and neither of us was budging on how we respectively felt. The good thing is that we were keeping level heads about it. Kids do grow up sometimes I guess.

“You’re so weird,” I said smirking as I took a bite of my chicken sandwich.

“How,” he tilted his head like he wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or not.

“Most guys would be ecstatic if their girlfriends thought moving in would be a bad idea.”

“Are you saying I’m the girl in this relationship,” he smirked as he asked, but I still chose my words carefully.

“No, I’m just saying you’re different from most guys.” Around us the restaurant was bustling with activity as some people gathered around TV screens to watch sports and others laughed and cut up over a few drinks. I had a feeling this is what was keeping us from getting too heated. Suddenly, the perfect counter to all of his arguments popped into my head.

“Think of it this way,” I started, “If you move to your own place I can come over for uninterrupted sex at any time.”

His eyes narrowed, “Okay, well, then why don’t we get a place together?”

“Touché, Armstrong,” I said shaking my head. “How about this? We forget I ever said anything and just worry about all of this when you come home for longer a longer period of time than just a few days?”

“Isn’t this whole conversation about how I don’t have a place to really call home?” I kind of started to miss the yelling arguments where he’d get so flustered that I’d just win by default.

“Okay, okay, okay, we’ll give it a shot,” I said starting to get agitated. Billie’s eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

“Sure, fuck it,” I took a drink of water. “I think too much. Let’s just try it. But,” I exclaimed pointing at him. “Don’t try to force anything, okay? You have to agree that if either of us thinks this won’t work out right now, we can tell each other without it turning into a reason for us to have to break up.”

“Agreed whole heartedly,” he said solemnly. “And like Tracy will be cool with it?”

“I’ll run it by her, but she should be,” I shrugged.

“You make me a happy boy,” he smiled dumbly.

I just smiled and took another bite from my sandwich, hoping that this wasn’t going to total ruin a good thing.

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An hour and walk on the beach later, Billie kissed me one more time before I had to walk into work. “See you at home,” he said putting emphasis on home.

“Okay, keep our bed warm for me,” I kissed him again before turning and walking into the bar.

By the punch in clock was a window that gave you the perfect view of the front and looking out I saw that Billie was still standing there looking at the ground, smiling widely. His head shot up when I knocked on the window. Resisting the urge to do something really cheesie like blow a kiss I just waved happily. But, of course leave it to Billie who immediately blew a kiss my way. Rolling my eyes I pretended I caught it and put it to my heart. He just laughed and waved as he started on his way home.

“He’s like the girl, isn’t he,” came Larry’s inquiring voice behind me.

“Shut up, Larry,” I said blushing and giving him a playful shove.

“I think it’s cute,” he said laughing. I gave him the finger behind my back as I walked to my first table for the evening.