Let's Love

“Why do you have to do this now?” the younger boy questioned in a groan as he moved to kneel in front of his boyfriend, hands reaching out to press down against the elder’s feet to keep them planted down firmly as he laid himself on the ground, his hands moving to link together behind his head.

“Because I’ve been lazing around with you since football season ended, and now that it’s starting up again, I need to get back in shape,” Zack explained. He knew Jordan didn’t want to watch him do a hundred sit-ups, and he felt kinda, sort of bad about having him there when he could be doing something he enjoys more, like writing another song or doodling away in his favorite notebook—the one Zack had gotten him for their one-year anniversary only a few months prior.

“Why do I even have to be the one to do this?” Jordan whined as he watched Zack do his fifth (sixth?) sit-up.

“Because,” Zack began, gentle pants beginning to fall from his slightly-parted lips each time his torso curled towards his bent legs, “you’re my boyfriend and you love me lots. Besides, you and I both know that you also love dating the ‘most popular boy on campus.’ Can’t be that if I’m not on the team.”

“But why couldn’t you have someone else on the team help you with it? I’m sure some of them have gotten lazy, too. If you’re gonna sit here and tell me that Alex and Jack didn’t lay around like we did then you’re a liar and I don’t ever wanna talk to you anymore.”

Zack gave a breathless chuckle at that, twisting his body to the side as he completed his eleventh… or maybe it was his thirteenth… sit-up. Better to do more than less, at least. “Well, no, Jack did make him take a break with it, but he didn’t stop completely like you made me, and he said that he was gonna make Jack help him with his own workout anyway. Something about Jack being too out of shape or something like that. Maybe you could do some when I’m done with mine?”

“No, I’m fine,” Jordan replied, cringing at just the thought of having to do something physical that wasn’t also immediately rewarding. “But since I’m doing this for you, do you think that you could maybe do something for me after you’re all showered and stuff?”

There was a brief pause at those words, the older boy having a vague idea as to what that ‘something’ could be. Nonetheless, he resumed his actions, asking a struggled, “I don’t know. Depends on what it is, I guess. What’d you have in mind?”

“Listen to a new song I wrote the other day?” Jordan asked sweetly, leaning forward a little closer to see his partner’s initial reaction to the question. It hadn’t been what the older male was expecting, that’s for sure.

“You say that like I’ve ever denied you before,” Zack retorted, tacking on an eye roll for that little bit of added dramatic effect. “Maybe I should, though; all of the ones you’ve shown me sound like they’re about break-ups or something.”

Jordan scoffed. “Name three,” he challenged, eyebrow quirking as he awaited an answer. He knew he wouldn’t get one, obviously, because he didn’t write songs about—

“Killer, for one,” the older boy stated, stopping when his upper-body was practically touching his thighs to mirror his boyfriend’s expression. “What was that one song… Operator, I think it was, where she was ‘breaking your heart for fun’ and you needed a ‘love eraser’ because you didn’t know how to ‘operate her.’ That’s, what, two? How about…” he trailed out, lowering his body back to the floor and then repeating the process. “Upsets and Downfalls was an apology song, right? Because you fucked up and couldn’t live without someone?”

Jordan was at just a fractional loss for words, what with the fact that he hadn’t thought Zack paid as much attention to his songs as he apparently did, and he could feel his face redden with the realization that, yeah, maybe he shouldn’t play his sad, break-up-like songs for his boyfriend of a little over a year. Even so, he shook his head.

“I have a lot of happy ones, too, y’know,” he muttered, but he knew that no matter what he’d say, Zack wouldn’t let him live down the fact that he’d been able to name three songs about one specific topic when demanded.

Silence enveloped the two as Zack resumed his mental counting, deciding to just start off at thirty and work his way up from there. Jordan, however, was getting increasingly more bored as the minutes passed. While Zack’s stamina had started off pretty damn strong, it seemed to diminish just as fast, and the seconds began to drag around the couple like turtles through thick mud.

With a sigh heavy enough to wake a sleeping child, Jordan let his head fall against Zack’s knees, hums leaving his throat and his eyes slipping closed as he focused on remembering the words to as many of his songs as he could without fucking up.

Soon enough, even that became too boring for his liking, and he was leaning back, head lifting up until his eyes were glued to the ceiling above their heads. His blue eyes focused on nothing in particular, just sweeping from side-to-side in an attempt to find something that would entertain him and hold his attention for just a little longer, just until Zack could finish with his workout.

He didn’t find anything worth his while, and after a few minutes, another sigh pushed its way from in his lungs. His arms were even starting to get tired from having to put more effort than he’d originally anticipated into keeping the elder’s legs still. Shuffling forward just the tiniest bit closer, he lifted his right knee enough to rest it against the top of Zack’s left foot, doing the same with the left until his hands were empty and he could fold them over the taller’s own knees, chin resting on his forearms as he opted to stare at the wall directly in front of him, not even seeming concerned with the way Zack’s face would appear and disappear from his view every few seconds.

“Hey, Jo?” Zack’s voice suddenly called out, pulling him from his blank thoughts filled with nothing but the static a TV would display when it has no signal.

Jordan blinked once, twice, and hummed as a way of asking what his boyfriend could possibly want—hoping that the elder was merely requesting he move because he was finally done with his exercises—yet not really focusing too much on what was happening.

It was only the feel of something pressing against his lips that he jumped a little, instantly brought back into reality (and being a bit shaken by the abruptness of the action, if he was being honest). He had a clue as to what had happened, but was still too out of it to really piece it all together as Zack lowered his body back to the ground.

Then it happened again, just a short press of lips that Jordan didn’t even have time to respond to before the feeling had vanished once more. With yet another kiss, he was finally more aware of what Zack was doing. The only thing was the fact that he didn’t quite know why.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked another small handful of quick kisses later, puckering his lips as soon as he’d finished his sentence so that he’d be prepared for the next one to come.

Another kiss and Zack was laying down again, taking a break long enough to answer with, “Motivating myself and entertaining you,” before setting back to work, pausing for a slightly longer kiss than the previous had been.

“Motivating?” was all Jordan had to say for Zack to understand that he wanted a little more elaboration on what that meant because, hello, wasn’t playing on the football team for his senior year enough motivation as it was?

A second brief pause was taken for the elder to catch his breath, realizing he only had another ten sit-ups to do at most before he could be done with it for the day so that he could, instead, humor his boyfriend in whatever way he so desired.

“It’s motivation,” Zack said, beginning his movements again so that he could receive another kiss, “because I would do anything to reach those pretty lips.”

And even though it was such a girly comment, Jordan couldn’t help the way his face turned a deep shade of red, eyes flicking to look intently at everything but the older boy as he shifted his head just enough for his long hair to fall across his face, sending a silent prayer to whomever was listening that it was long enough to hide his embarrassment to the situation while still leaving him visible enough for more kisses.

Yeah, he decided, he was definitely entertained. If that was how Zack planned on keeping him amused, he would be more than happy to continue helping with his exercises.