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“Jay,” his mom said as he came downstairs alone the next morning. She was at the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee and reached for another mug when she saw him out of the corner of her eye. She looked small in the kitchen, a little shaky as she moved. “I poked my head in to see if you’d made it home last night, and I noticed you brought how a stray.”
“You said it was okay,” he said slowly. “I mean, I guess I didn’t ask if he could come over, but he’s my friend, and I couldn’t just leave him there.”
“Oh, it is. I’m sorry. I just meant, what happened?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me if I told you,” he said. “His parents are awful, really, that’s the short and long of it.”
“Beans,” she replied. “You know he’s welcome here. He’s always been welcome here. Talk to me, tell me what we’re dealing with here.”
“His parents are controlling, and they put a house arrest ankle monitor on him so he couldn’t leave the house without them.”
She blinked at him, those hazel eyes belaying her confusion.
“They, they what?”
“So, I went over and I broke him out of the monitor, and I brought him back here.”
“That’s - I – okay. Yeah, that’s fine. I can’t believe anyone would do that, and – you're sure it wasn’t just a regular house arrest monitor, that he wasn’t actually convicted of a crime?”
“He has not been convicted of a crime.”
“Right,” she replied. “Right. Okay. That’s - that’s something. That’s certainly something.”
“Yeah, so we jail broke him, and I brought him home. He’s still asleep upstairs in my room. I was coming down to grab some coffee.”
Jude poured him a coffee slowly to keep her slight tremor from spilling the coffee onto the countertop and set it closer to him.
“So, do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “Tell me more about it?”
“I don’t know how much is mine to tell, but I can tell you that his parents are obscenely rich, and they don’t like him very much. No matter what he does, he doesn’t feel supported, and I’m - I don’t get it. Throughout my life, even when Dad was being, you know, Dad , I’ve still felt welcome in this house, and that I could come back, that I could tell you the truth when I needed to.”
“That’s what we’re supposed to do as your parents,” she said softly and she rested her hand on his before she gave a soft squeeze. “We’re supposed to make you feel comfortable and welcome in our home. Whatever Mouse’s parents are doing, I suppose that that is their business, but -”
“But,” Jay led.
“ But it’s absolutely insane to me that they could put some kind of monitor on him like a dog, or a criminal, when he’s just a kid.” She scoffed and shook her head. “I know he’s had some trouble with drugs, and that’s understandable after what you two have been through. Hell, I would probably get high if I were in your position, but -”
“Mom!”
“What? I’d love some weed right now, but it’s not legal in Illinois yet, but that’s not the point.”
“What’s the point, then? Besides that my mother is apparently a drug fiend.”
“I am not a drug fiend. The point is that your family should be there to hold you up, not lock you up . I’ve been plenty frustrated with you and your brother throughout your lives, especially when you thought that joyriding was the correct way to learn how to drive, but I’ve never thought about putting you in a room and throwing away the key. I’ve always wanted you to live your lives as you felt appropriate, because I know that I did the best that I could with raising you both. The fact that they seem so insecure about the way that he turned out, that’s on them. They did a poor job, and they know it so they’re overcompensating.”
“I should let you at them,” he chuckled, and moved to grab them the creamer from the fridge. “I’d love to see how they handle you.”
“They couldn’t handle me, actually.”
He poured some cream into his own mug and then a little more into hers, and she smiled at him.
“So, we’ll make him feel welcome here. Do we need to make up Will’s old room? I could do that. We have spare bedding, and Will certainly won’t mind while he’s in New York.”
“Uhm. About that,” Jay said, and flushed hot as his mother’s eyes turned to him. “He’s going to stay in my room. With me.”
Her head tilted to the side a little, and she looked like a dog who had heard an interesting new sound, curious and bright-eyed.
“Oh?”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it, Mom.”
“I’m not making a big deal out of anything. I’m simply curious , that’s all. Aren’t I allowed a little curiosity about this stranger you’ve brought into my home?”
“He’s not a stranger, and you’re being weird about it.”
“You’re sleeping in the same bed as him, Beans.”
“I’m aware.”
“Are you dating?”
He sighed and took a sip of his coffee so he didn’t have to answer right away, because they hadn’t talked about it. He wasn’t sure what to say, because he’d fucked his best friend on the expensive carpet in his parents’ house and then they’d come back to his own childhood home to sleep the night off. He’d gotten out of bed before Mouse had woken up, and they hadn’t talked about it. What do you even say besides thanks for the spite orgasm, I hope your parents have cameras and know what we did here ?
“It’s complicated,” he answered, and Judith Patricia Halstead hummed at him as if she were expecting that answer. “Don’t hmmmm at me.”
“Well,” she replied, “I think you and your friend need to decide if I’m going to be making up the spare room or not, and you might want to decide that sooner rather than later, Beans.”
“I know .”
“Mm. Does Mouse like breakfast?”
“He does.”
“Good, I’ll make some breakfast, and you can bring him down, and I’ll make sure that he knows he’s welcome here, and if he needs me to fight his parents, I’m not above using my cane as more than just its intended purposes.”
“I don’t think you’d do well in prison, Mom.”
“No, I would. You don’t know me.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Alright, I forgot you’re a hardened criminal, and not a schoolteacher with flowers on her desk usually.”
“Don’t you give me sass, kid,” she said even as she was smiling. “I’m not afraid to beat your ass.”
“You never once raised a hand to me or Will, Mom, and we deserved it more than a few times. I don’t think you’re going to start now.”
“Yes, well,” she said. “Get out of here. Go make heart eyes at your complicated relationship, and I’ll have breakfast ready soon.”
He stopped by her and kissed her cheek.
“Love you, Ma.”
“Love you, too, Beans.”
She playfully swatted at the back of his knees with her cane but it wasn’t hard enough to hurt, and he chuckled as he left the kitchen to go wake Mouse. Except when he got upstairs, Mouse was awake and sitting up in bed, pillow creases lining his cheeks.
“Hey, Mom’s making breakfast,” he said.
“She knows I’m here, huh?”
“She does.”
“And does she want me to leave?”
“No, why would she – she’s making breakfast, not loading a shotgun.”
“I don’t know,” Mouse mumbled. “I violated her little boy and I’m a bad influence on you. I wouldn’t blame her if she wanted me out of her house.”
“Well, I’d point out that in that if anyone violated the other, it was definitely me with what we did on that carpet last night. Besides, my mom trusts me to know what I’m doing, and she wants you to be okay. I told her a little bit about the situation and she’ll fight your parents if you want.”
“She’ll – what?”
“Yeah, well, my mom’s one of those teachers who actually cares about kids, so she will fight any parents that aren’t treating their kids right. Doesn’t matter how old they are. Doesn’t matter if she’s gonna use her words and the law or her cane. She’s on your side here, Mouse.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m on your side.”
Mouse sat still, and looked at his hands. Jay took the spot in front of Mouse and chanced a hand on Mouse’s jaw to tilt his head up towards him. Their gazes met and Jay let go so he didn’t make Mouse uncomfortable with an extended touch.
“I’m on your side,” Jay repeated, “and you’re welcome here in my house. I meant it when I said you could stay here until we can find an apartment of our own, and we can live together until you’re sick of me.”
“I won’t get sick of you,” Mouse said.
“Well, good news, I’m not gonna get sick of you either.”
“I don’t believe that. Everyone does. Even my parents got sick of me.”
“Mouse,” Jay sighed, “I love you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You, uh, you’re – what?”
“I love you,” Jay repeated. “We went through literal hell together, and survived a war . You’ve been with me for years now, and you’re absolutely someone I want to spend years with to come. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t trust you and love you.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t know what we are, or what you want going forward, but I want to stay with you the entire time,” Jay admitted. “My mom is offering to put together the spare room if you want to sleep separately from me.”
“No.”
“No, you’re good sleeping in my bed?”
“Yeah, I want to sleep with you, in your bed,” Mouse said, and he flushed bright red as he added, “please.”
“I don’t mind. I want you here, too.”
“You do?”
“Mouse, can I kiss you?”
“You don’t have to ask, especially after what you did with me last night,” Mouse said, and he smiled for the first time all morning.
“I don’t want to presume,” Jay said, even as he leaned in. “Mouse.”
“Yeah, I want you to kiss me.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to Mouse’s lips, nothing aggressive, letting Mouse lean into him in return. It was slow, and sweet, and when Jay pulled away, Mouse hummed low in the back of his throat.
“I could get used to that,” Mouse admitted. “Your mom isn’t making pancakes, though, right?”
“What – no, eggs and toast,” Jay answered.
“Awesome. I’m starving.”
When they left Jay’s room, it was holding hands, ready to face the world together.