Fallen From Graceland

Chapter 5

There was a perfunctory knock at the door before it swung open. "Hey, Boss," Matt Bongiovi called out. "I got your outfit from Dawn...making me feel like a damn delivery boy." He held it up to show Jon. "She said fuck you for ripping it."

"Yeah yeah," Jon grunted, barely paying his brother any attention. He was slouched on the sofa, marker still lying in his fingers from writing up the set list for the show that night. He didn't have the focus for it though. He'd tried a dozen times but his head was still picturing Richie and David together.

"Fuck's got your panties in a twist?" Matt asked, slinging the clothes over the couch.

"Huh?!" Jon said, looking blankly at him. "When did you get here? Oh, did the pants get fixed?"

"Glad to see you paying attention. Dawn said fuck you for ripping it straight up the crotch. You still upset about David and his boytoy?"

"Stay out of it, Matthew." Jon frowned, sending his brother his stink-eye for mentioning his current pain in the ass. "I don't need you to poke your nose into it too, and dredging up things that don't exist any longer."

"Things that don't-." Matt dropped into one of the chairs and crossed his arms. "You're still in love with Richie, aren't you? This isn't about David being gay. I know you. You've never had issues with someone being gay before."

Jon inhaled sharply. Damn it, he cursed himself. Out of both his younger brothers, Matt was the more intuitive to Jon's moods and needs. It's probably why he had taken on the role of personal assistant even though Matt preferred to call himself Jon's right hand man. "Personal assistant sounds like I should be following you around in stockings and high heels, with a notepad and pen," he complained one day when Jon had called him by that title.

"No, I-," Jon started to say.

"C'mon, bro...don't even try it," Matt interrupted, waving a hand at his brother.

"Try what?" he snapped.

"You're mad 'cause it's Richie. Every time I say his name, your cheeks blush."

"They do not, asshole!" Did they? Jon wondered, resisting the urge to put his hand on his face.

Matt chuckled and shrugged. "Fine...if you wanna act like a child, I'll leave you to it...." He stood and made a move towards the door, reaching for the knob.

"Matt!" Jon called out. "Wait up...please. I-I...you're right."

Matt turned on his heels and grinned at Jon.

"Stop looking so smug," Jon said, scrubbing his face with his hands, dropping his head to the back of the couch and flinging his arm across his face.

Matt raised his own in acknowledgement. "So you're just gonna be an asshole to them? Jonny, they're your best friends and pushing them away because you're jealous? I'm surprised David hasn't dropped out of the band over how you're acting!"

"I've fucked up, haven't I?"

"You've been fucking up since you walked in on Richie buried in Lema's ass."

Jon groaned pitifully, feeling the hot prickle of tears behind his eyes; ones that he would only ever show a few people. "I...I wasn't-," Jon cleared his throat in an attempt to make it sound less clogged with tears but failed. "Yeah. Yeah, I have. It should be me...not him," the last word came out strangled. He breathed heavily, trying to control his emotions before speaking again. "What do I do, Matty?"

"I would advise not continuing to be an asshole," Matt offered with a smirk. "You know it got back to me that David was out with Lexi last night. Just the two of them. But...before you go blabbing to Richie just--"