It's All Fun and Games

Chapter 5: Two Steps Forward

A/N Thank you guys so much for 1,000 reads!  I'm constantly shocked by how many people are reading/liking this! I'm really glad I decided to change it from a oneshot to an ongoing fic :) Again, thank you all so much for all the support! ~Ace

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"God damn, are we done yet, Hordan?" James huffed a sigh, giving a final glance at the Christmas lights he just spent the past hour hanging on the house before climbing down the ladder. He brushed dead leaves off of his jacket, pausing only to send an exasperated glare at the aforementioned man. 

"Yup, I'd say that about does it. Aleks should be finishing up the inside, so you can go help him out now." Wiping his hands onto his jeans, Jordan grabbed the last of the now-empty boxes, giving James an appreciative smile. "I guess I'll be on my way then. Thanks for the help, James. Don't forget to thank Aleks for me!" That said, he threw the box into the back of his car, turning back to wave at James before driving off.

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes as he collapsed the ladder, dropping it off in the garage before heading inside. When Jordan had said that it 'wouldn't take long', James mistakenly thought that he meant it wouldn't take longer than an hour. However, that didn't seem to be the case, seeing as how he had spent the last three hours hanging lights up on the outside of the house. As he entered the house, his eyes widened, taking in all the wreaths and gold tinsel decorating the oversized home. "Damn, you did all this by yourself?" He called out, eyeing his friend, who was reaching up to place a porcelain Santa on the fireplace mantel. 

Startled, the younger let out a small yelp, dropping the figurine. "Shit!" Aleks exclaimed, throwing a hand out in an attempt to catch it. His attempt was for naught, however, as it hit the ground with a crash, covering the floor with long shards. "Dammit James, you nearly gave me a heart attack! Couldn't you give me some warning or something?" With a tense exhale, the Russian ran a hand through his hair, looking at the mess with a mix of distaste and irritation. 

James fought the urge to laugh at Aleks' blunder, realizing that it would only make him angrier. Though it would be pretty funny to seem his get all worked up over it, it would do more harm than good to point out his mistake. "Well thankfully I didn't. Do you know how much hospital bills cost?" Flashing a grin, the older of the two shrugged before continuing. "Anyway, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. You stay put while I go grab a broom." Without letting the other object, he slipped into the hallway closet before quickly returning. Passing the dustpan to Aleks, James swept up the shards, throwing them into a trash bag to be dealt with later. 

Their mess cleaned, Aleks propped the broom against the wall, a frown on his face. "Dude, Jordan's going to be pissed if he finds out." Idly, the Russian rubbed his palm with his thumb, his brow creasing as a flash of pain shot through him. Glancing down, he took notice of an angry cut, beads of blood trickling out steadily as he moved it. "Fuck. . . Do you have any band-aids or anything?"

"We just won't tell him then." James shrugged, casually dismissing Aleks' remark before following his gaze to his palm. "Shit, that doesn't look good. I think I used the last of them in that last skit we did. Are you alright?" Concerned, James took Aleks' hand in his before adding, "If you want, we can go to the store and get some gauze?"

Aleks paused, judging whether or not his injury would be okay to leave open. If he didn't bandage it, he could risk an infection or a nasty scar, if the depth of the wound was anything to go by. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse." Letting out a breath, he nodded. "Honestly, I think that might be a good idea. Let's go."

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"There. That should be better." James patted Aleks' newly bandaged hand lightly, throwing away the wrappers from the gauze and bandages they had just purchased. Rather than waiting until they got back to the house to take care of Aleks' injury, they did it outside the store, purely for the sake of common sense. "How's it feel?"

The Russian stretched his left hand, wiggling his fingers before giving a tight smile. "Feels better." Leaning up, he brushed his lips against his boyfriend's cheek, fighting a giggle at the way his stubble tickled his lips. "Thanks, James." Giving him a light kiss, Aleks stepped back, lacing his fingers with James'. 

"Anytime." James smiled back, leaning down to rest his forehead against Aleks' in a simple, yet intimate gesture. "Hey, Aleksandr? You think you can tell me now what you were going to ask the other night?"

Aleks' smile wavered, but stayed put nonetheless. "Are you sure you want to talk about this here? In a parking lot?" While James might have pushed everyone and everything else out of his mind, Aleks was more than aware of the stares they were receiving by this point. He'd be lying if he said he didn't expect it, but somehow, the judging looks of bystanders made him feel uneasy.

"Ignore them. They don't matter. What matters right now is you and me, okay? Fuck what they think." The older Creature replied confidently, stroking the top of Aleks' hand tenderly. "So?"

He didn't want to reply-- He didn't want to tell James what he was thinking, but deep down, Aleks' gut was telling him that he needed to. "I want to know if this is really what you want. A relationship. With me. Now don't get me wrong James, it's not that I don't want to be with you. I just don't want this to be some sort of fling, you know? If we're together, I want it to be because you truly want to. Not as a way for you to test things out." His words were rushed and his voice shook as he spoke, eyes cast downward as if afraid to even look at the other.

"Aleks. . ." James pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, a frown threatening to tug at the corners of his mouth. "Why would you think that? I'm with you because I want to be with you. Hell, I'm not going to lie and say I'm confident in all this," he lifted one of their linked hands as an example before continuing, "because I'm not. I've never doubted my sexuality before this whole thing between us started, but that doesn't seem to matter with you. I don't know what's what anymore, to be honest. All I know is that I want to be with you, Aleks. As for whether this is a fling or not, that rests on you. I'm happy with you. I care about you." For some reason or another, it was all too difficult for him to start saying that, but once he began, the words tumbled forth before he could stop them. By the end of it, James felt ridiculous. It was as if he was some high school girl trying, and failing, to confess her feelings to a childhood friend. Because, in some way, that's what Aleks reminded him of. A childhood friend. Which was odd, seeing as how they'd only known each other for a few years now, but the bond they shared was stronger than either of them would have predicted. 

"Are you being serious?" Aleks asked hesitantly, voice laced thick with trepidation.

"Of course I am." James responded without missing a beat, feeling a sense of affection wash over him. Before now, he had been unsure whether or not being with Aleks was right for him, but now he was sure that it was. Hearing Aleks open up to him and make himself vulnerable made James realize that he had to be strong for his boyfriend. He had to keep him together-- had to keep them together.  From what he could tell, Aleks was having a much harder time accepting all this than he was.

"If I find out you're fucking around with me--"

"Aleksandr. Stop worrying so much. If I didn't want to be with you, I'd tell you." Shoving Aleks playfully with his shoulder, James gave a warm smile before releasing the other's hands. "Now come on, let's go home. It's freezing out here."

"Yeah, of course. . ." The Russian spoke to himself, climbing into the car after the other uneasily, apprehension still forming a knot in the pit of his stomach.