Together Let's...

That Christmas wasn’t too eventful for the men, but that was more than alright. They hadn’t been lonely, not since they’d had each other, but Skype calls were all that could be made to their families. Plans were made for when the snow would clear a little better, and then the couple had spent the day cuddling on the couch in the living room.

Their presents had been opened before the sun had even risen above the horizon, and there were two things that Alex had received that he couldn’t wait to use—tickets to an Orioles game (which, sadly, was still quite a good deal of time away) and a gift card to a tanning salon. They were both things he knew Jack had bought last minute, and they were both things he knew Jack wouldn’t want to use with him (but would anyway), and for some reason, that just made it all seem that much sweeter. Sometimes he really felt that he didn’t deserve his partner.

It was only four days later, as soon as the snow on the ground began to clear, that Alex was pulling Jack from the house and forcing him into the car. The tanning salon was only open until two that day, and since it was nearing noon as it was, they didn’t have any time to spare.

Jack still put up something of a fight.

“I know you want to do this together, but it’s not like we’re gonna actually be in the same room or anything. We won’t be able to talk to each other or anything, and we’re probably gonna be the only guys there, and I was thinking that maybe you’d just wanna go by yourse—”

“You bought it for me because you knew it was on the list, so we’re gonna do it today. Besides, you know how much I love when you get all tan. You’re even sexier, y’know? And with New Years in just a few days, I need you to be as sexy as possible so that I can show off my man and make everyone else jealous that I have you and they don’t.”

“So you’re just using me?” Jack asked, tone laced with faux horror. “Here I thought you loved me.”

They’d pulled into the salon’s parking lot and the engine was cut, but instead of climbing from the vehicle, Jack crossed his arms and pouted stubbornly.

“I do love you, moron,” Alex said with a gentle laugh. His seatbelt was undone before he leaned across the center console and pressed a wet kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “I also love flaunting you around. I have the trophy boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I want to show you off?”

Jack gave a scoff but gathered his things and pushed his door open. “We both know that I’m the one who flaunts you around,” he mumbled, holding his hand out for his boyfriend to take a hold of once they’d met up in front of the car. With their gloved hands linked between them, Alex began the short trek to the building.

“You just don’t realize that I’m doing it,” he dismissed once the door had been wrenched open. It was warm inside, much warmer than the car had been, and Jack visibly relaxed as his numb limbs began to defrost.

There were women all about the shop, some customers and others workers. Gossip was being exchanged as the men approached the front counter, but then it just… stopped. All eyes turned to them, curiosity bubbling in all of their irises. The only person to move was the woman behind the counter, who smiled and asked if they needed help with anything.

Jack tried to will his embarrassment away as Alex talked to the lady. It didn’t work too well, if he was being honest, but before he could dwell too much on it, he was being pulled toward a room in the back.

The two stripped down in a changing room together as the woman turned on two machines in different rooms. By the time they had towels wrapped around their waists, she was waiting for them.

Instructions and tanning goggles were given before they went their separate ways.

Fifteen minutes passed, not a second more, before the timer built into the bed went off and both men pulled themselves out. They met up once more in the same room as before, and few words were exchanged between the pair as they redressed themselves… until Jack noticed a pale patch in the shape of a Playboy Bunny symbol near his boyfriend’s v-line.

“What’s that?” he inquired, having to put effort into keeping his tone even and his eyes away.

“This?” Alex asked, turning to point down at it. Jack thought he was going to die. “Well, it was like a sticker. It’s to show the differentiation between my skin tone before and now. They had a few different ones, but I figured you’d like this one best. You do like it, right?”

Jack didn’t say anything as he pulled his jacket on, nor as he bent over to finish lacing up his shoes. The only words he could eventually bring himself to muster, once they’d both gotten completely redressed and gathered there things, was a hushed, “I think that we should really just get home now.”

And while that could’ve been taken multiple ways, Alex knew exactly what those words promised, and he couldn’t have agreed more.