Something Beautiful

by Jenna Jones

  "Good."

  "But otherwise, I'm pretty good." He kissed Micah's hair. "I've got this crazy, wonderful family and friends who look after me, and I've got you. I feel like the luckiest man in the world."

  Micah leaned against Dune with a sigh and closed his eyes. He smiled when Dune kissed him and rubbed his back. "Let's go eat," he whispered against Dune's lips. "I want to get you home soon."

  Dune laughed, took Micah by the hand, and led him out into the apartment where breakfast was ready and people were starting to gather at the table. Micah took his usual chair and smiled when Ocean leaned over and kissed his forehead.

  "How are you holding up, sweetheart?" she asked softly.

  "I'm okay," he said with a look at Dune, across the table from him. "Not the best day ever, but it's only one day."

  She squeezed his shoulder. "We carry on," she said and let him go.

  ***

  After breakfast Dune and Micah went back to their apartment. Micah made phone calls: first to Shiloh, who said, "Mom called in hysterics, I couldn't understand half of what she said, she's panicking and Dad's furious and I told her I already knew so she's upset with me, too. She seems to think I could have talked you out of it or something."

  "I'm sorry," Micah said.

  "It's not your fault," Shiloh said with a sigh. "It's just a mess. Do you want me to go over later and smooth things over with them?"

  Micah thought about it. "No," he said finally. "It's not for you to make them understand, you know? It's entirely up to them. I think we should just leave them alone for a while."

  "Okay," Shiloh said. "If you need anything at all, let me know."

  He called Rebecca next, and when he'd told her everything that had happened she said, "Do you need me to come over, mini-bro? We could keep you company for a while."

  "No, I'm okay. Dune's with me. I'd like to see you soon, though. How's next weekend?"

  "Okay," Rebecca said. "Next weekend will be fine. I love you, honey. We all do."

  "I love you, too," Micah said softly. "Give everybody kisses from me." He hung up the phone and joined Dune on the couch. Dune put aside the magazine he'd been flipping through and pulled Micah to him.

  "Are we as much of a mess as I think we are?" Micah said quietly, and Dune held him even tighter.

  "I don't think we're a mess. Sure, I've got a new scar and may have to face Gavin again in court, and you've had one of the worst coming-out experiences I've ever witnessed." By now Micah was chuckling dryly, and Dune said, "But we're not a mess. I think we've got a real shot at this happiness thing." He paused and kissed Micah's forehead. "You're my hero, you know."

  "How do you figure that?" Micah traced his fingers over the backs of Dune's hands.

  "It was brave of you to take on Gavin and it was brave of you tell your parents the truth."

  "I don't feel brave."

  "You are." He tilted Micah's face back and kissed him. "You're brave and strong and beautiful."

  Micah pulled Dune's arms tighter around his chest. "I love you."

  "I love you, too. We're going to have that life you wanted. I want to give it to you." He kissed Micah's neck . "Though we'll have to talk about adopting. That threw me a little."

  "Sorry," Micah muttered, but he smiled to himself. It had thrown him, too, to even have the idea, but it had felt right.

  "It's okay. We'll figure it out." He rested his chin on Micah's shoulder. "It's all part of making a family."

  Micah closed his eyes and relaxed completely into Dune's arms. "I couldn't have done that without you," he said softly. "I wouldn't have had the strength. If I'm your hero, you're mine, just as much." He pulled himself upright and twisted around to face Dune. "You've made me everything I am, Dune."

  "I can't take credit for it all," Dune said, cupping his jaw. "I think you did a lot of it on your own."

  Micah kissed him, hands on Dune's chest. "Let's take Stuart up on his offer of the place in London this summer," he said softly. "I want to show you Europe, and you need to get out of the city."

  "I think I'd like that," Dune said, smiling as he added, "I won't beg you to marry me."

  "That's okay," Micah said.

  "Not yet, anyway." He smiled more deeply, and Micah had to kiss him again.

  "With you? I'll probably say yes." And even if he didn't, it wouldn't change anything. They didn't need a ceremony or a piece of paper to bind them together: they were bound by blood and friendship and understanding, far more substantial things. "I'm in this, you know. I'm in this for real."

  "I know," Dune said softly. "I am, too." He hugged Micah close and kissed his hair, and Micah lay on his chest, listening to his heart beating.

  Eventually Dune said, "I've been thinking about what I'm going to do next. I think I'm going to try doing the novel again. I threw out all my notes, but they're still up here." Dune tapped his temple. "I think I know how to do it right, now."

  "Good. Writing makes you happy. I've been hoping you'd get back to it. Is it still the story of little Johnny's heartbreak?"

  "No," Dune said slowly. "I don't want to write about heartbreak. Not exclusively about heartbreak, anyway. There's enough heartbreak in the world -- I don't want to add to it."

  "You should write about explosions and spies. That's what people want to read."

  Dune smiled, his arms tight around Micah. "Sure. Explosions and spies. Or bravery and being true to yourself."

  "I think you'd have more fun writing about explosions and spies. Or dragons! People like dragons."

  "You like dragons," Dune said affectionately.

  "I love dragons," Micah admitted. "You could write a great story about bravery if there are dragons."

  "Okay," Dune said and kissed his forehead.

  "And then I can make a game about it," Micah went on before kissing him back. "And then when they make a movie about it --"

  Dune started laughing. "That's really planning ahead."

  "May as well dream big. Think of it, Dunie, a video game tie-in to your book!"

  They were both laughing now, holding each other close, and Dune leaned their foreheads together. "You're a geek," he said softly. "You dance like a spaz, your eating habits are terrible, you're still much too young to settle down and I may have to hide the first time you have a Dungeons and Dragons game here, and I don't want to live without you."

  "Lucky you," Micah whispered, "you won't ever have to." They held each other quietly for a few minutes more, then Micah said, "Let's get some food and go see a movie. I want to make out with you in a movie theater."

  "That's what you want to do today?"

  "That's about all I can handle today, yeah." Micah got off of Dune's lap and held out both hands to him. "Come on, Dune. We can deal with the serious stuff tomorrow. For today, let's just go be happy."

  Dune put his hands in Micah's, and Micah pulled him to his feet. "Okay. Let's be happy."

  end

  Dune quotes "Under the Harvest Moon" by Carl Sandburg.