Queer as Muke

1.19.3 Good Grief!

"This is the one he should be buried in," Michael says, inspecting the suit he's just pulled out of his father's wardrobe. "Worn out and dreary, just like him."

"Do you think you should run it by your cousin first?" Calum asks from his perch on Michael's mother and father's double bed.

"She'd probably see this ugly old suit and start crying...again."

"Well at least she's expressing how she feels," Calum notes. Michael's family dynamic is weird, his cousin is like the favourite daughter that his parents never had. Brought up with Michael from a young age after her parents died, she had been the one to have achieved nothing, except a downtrodden marriage and bratty children, but received all the love and affection from his mother. Michael in the meantime, Calum knows, has supported his parents financially yet been brought up with fear and violence from his father and distain and aloofness from his mother.

"She's milking it for attention," Michael states flatly.

"Don't be cynical."

"Caitlin is a cunt. Dad couldn't stand her, her husband can't stand her and her own kids can't stand her!" Michael turns towards the wardrobe again, looking for a shirt and tie to go with the suit he's picked out. "So whilst she's busy being a basket-case, I'm stuck doing everything else; funeral home, cemetery, the obituary..."

"I said I'd help..."

"You want to help? See if you can find a tie that's not too offensive if that's possible!" Michael hands Calum his Dad's ties whilst he looks for a shirt.

"Michael!" calls Karen.

"What?!"

"Packets of sugar or sugar cubes?" his mother asks, coming into the bedroom. "We're going to have a houseful of guests, I don't know what people prefer!"

Michael opens his eyes wide, despairing as he turns to the wardrobe again, has he got to make every fucking decision?! "I'm sure no-one gives a shit!"

"Um, my Mum says people prefer the packets to the cubes at the diner?" Calum offers, trying to keep the peace.

"How is your mother Calum?" Karen asks, turning to him more out of politeness than anything else. She'd forgotten he was here.

"She's fine Mrs Clifford, thank you."

Karen nods, "She was always such a character. Please remember to thank her for the sandwich platter."

"I will, and I have to say I'm sorry for your loss."

Karen waves his words away, "Thank you Calum. Michael, if you see anything you want please take it. I've called the Salvo's, they're coming tomorrow.

"That was quick!" Michael says, pulling his father's bowling ball out of the expensive black bag he stored it in, running a hand over the shiny blue swirly surface.

"Well I don't like seeing things lying around, you know that! Your father spent more weekends with that than he did with me," she observes as she twists her earring around the lobe of her ear before looking at Calum again. "Packets. Well good, that's decided then."

Calum breathes out a sigh of relief as Karen leaves the room. He'd always been on tenterhooks in Michael's house as a teenager and isn't really surprised to find that he's still on them as an adult. Even with his father gone it's not a pleasant place to be. "I forgot what it was like at your house."

Michael looks over to him, "Yeah well, that's why I was always at yours."

~~~

"A guy threw up on my bed."

"What?" a bleary eyed Sam asks a very bright and perky Jake as he opens his front door to find him standing there knocking.

"The place where I'm staying? I went back there tonight and some tweaked out arsehole threw up on my bed."

"That's horrible!"

"I can't stay there anymore," Jake says, twisting his jacket in his hands as he talks, "I just can't."

"I don't blame you."

Jake takes a deep breath, "I thought of what you said. That I could count on you for anything..." his voice peters out as he watches Sam's reaction with a keen eye.

"So you came here?"

"I didn't know where else to go..."

Sam nods, warning bells going off in his head which he ignored because, yes, he did indeed say those words only a few hours ago. "I'm glad you did. Come in..."

Jake hesitates, "You sure?"

"Sure I'm sure.  You're welcome to stay for tonight, or a couple of nights. Did you bring your stuff?" Sam peers around the door, not seeing any bags. Jake silently turns to show him a standard back pack.

"Well," Sam yawns, "It's always good to travel light. Come on."

"I just want you to know that I'm clean, I swear," Jake steps in and swings the back pack off his back, turning to look at Sam once he's in the living room.

"I believe you..."

Sam makes to take Jake's pack off him so he can take his coat off but Jake steps forward and, taking Sam's face in his palms, kisses him soundly on the mouth, taking Sam's breath away.

Sam's brain goes to mush as he kisses Jake back until all of a sudden it starts functioning again and stops him in his tracks. "No, no," he whispers, his hand holding Jake's shoulder back a little, even as their foreheads remain in contact. "No, let's not..." Jake lunges to kiss him again but Sam pulls back, breaking their contact so he can look Jake in the face. "Let's not rush in to this...I mean we both need time to..."

Jake takes a step forward, leaning his head into Sam's once again as their foreheads nuzzle. He doesn't say a word, but lets Sam spill his words, knowing that nothing is going to happen until he's got all he has to say out.

"...um...process how we feel..." Sam's breathy voice has Jake looking all dewy eyed at him, and he takes the time to study Sam's face with a soft, loving, look on his face that takes Sam's breath away once again.

"...that said," Sam continues, feeling everything that Jake's expression is sending his way, overwhelmed by how much Jake seems to want him, and how much Sam wants him back, "...it's more appropriate, not to mention responsible, for us to..."

Sam's hands have been moulding and squeezing Jake's shoulders all the time he's been speaking, and it occurs to him whilst his mouth and brain are prattling on that he hasn't been able to break physical contact with Jake this entire time.

"...oh fuck it!" Sam cries, finally breaking free of Jake's shoulders only to grab his face in his hands once more and kiss the fuck out of him, his emotions bursting out of his chest as he feels Jake instantly responding back.

A/N - As usual, Aussies always shorten words - Salvo's is short for the Salvation Army, who run a goodwill kind of shop all over Aus.