If the Stars Fall

by Diane Adams

  "Holy God." His voice shook, and trembling, he sank onto Jared.

  Strong and sure, Jared wrapped his arms around him. They lay together for a long time, his cheek resting on Jared's chest in a patch of cum, cock still buried in Jared's ass though it threatened to slip out as it softened.

  Alex pressed a tender kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Do you ever wonder why people spend so much time chasing a new piece of ass when they could have this?" Happy contentment colored his words.

  Jared carded his fingers through his curls. "I don't have to wonder, I already know. It's because they're lazy cowards."

  He huffed a laugh against Jared's chest. "What?"

  "New is easy and exciting, it takes no effort and involves little risk. While this…" Jared cupped his jaw in his hand, tilting his head back until their eyes met. "Getting to where we are takes a hell of a lot of work and demands you put everything on the line."

  His mind hazy with sexual satisfaction and thick with impending sleep, Alex nodded understanding. "It takes a hero."

  Jared's laugh at his response cut off suddenly as he stared into his eyes. Jared's thumb grazed his bottom lip. "Yes. It takes a hero."

  Alex snuggled his face back under Jared's jaw, oblivious to the wet sticky mess between them. Jared pulled the blanket over them and Alex reached blindly for his hand groping until he'd tangled their fingers together.

  "Thank you."

  "Hmm, it was pretty hot. You're welcome."

  "Not that." Alex squeezed Jared's fingers. "Thanks for being my hero."

  The Place We're From

  The sun warmed the inside of the truck as Jared turned into the parking lot of JD Construction, giving him hope the weather might have mercy on them the next day with the same warmish temperatures and no rain for their wedding. Spring weather usually proved unpredictable at best, so he couldn't count on it, but he had his fingers crossed. Jared pulled into an empty spot in front of the building and cut the engine. In the silence that followed he turned to face Alex.

  "Are you ready?"

  Looking a little pale, Alex's fingers tightened on the manila folder lying in his lap. He met Jared's eyes. "I'm ready. Are you sure?"

  Jared glanced out the windshield at the building in front of them. A white sign against the brick proclaimed JD Construction Inc. Behind the small professional building, warehouses stored equipment and supplies. Jared couldn't see the dump trucks, cranes, and bulldozers parked in the back lot but he knew they were there. JD Construction had come a long way from its humble beginnings in his garage. It had grown far beyond anything he'd ever dreamed of—or wanted.

  Jared's jaw firmed. "I'm sure."

  Alex searched Jared's face and his nod indicated he was satisfied with what he saw there. "Then let's do it."

  They found Clark in his office, sitting behind his cluttered desk looking slightly harassed.

  "Is everything okay?" Jared asked, dropping into one of the chairs situated opposite the desk, one he'd occupied often.

  "Hmm?" Clark looked up from writing furiously. He grinned at the sight of them and laid down his pen. "Oh yeah, everything is fine. A couple guys went out to fix a leak in Mrs Patton's roof. She called to complain that they made it worse."

  "Did they?" Concerned, Jared leaned forward, his forearms braced on his knees.

  One of his regular customers, Mrs Patton lived in a house dating from the early nineteen hundreds and he thought she might be a product of the same era.

  "Joe says they absolutely did. His foot went right through it." Clark sighed, shaking his head. "She needs a new roof… care to contract your first job with us? They're patching it but the blasted thing needs to be replaced soon."

  "I'll give her a call," Jared agreed. "Alex and I aren't going anywhere for our honeymoon, but we are taking a couple weeks to ourselves. I'll make an appointment with her to check it out after that."

  Clark frowned. "This feels weird."

  Alex moved away from the door and placed the folder he carried on the desk in front of Clark. He settled into the other empty chair and tossed Jared a nervous look. Jared agreed with Clark. The change in the dynamics of the business felt odd.

  "It better start feeling normal soon." Alex grinned with an attempt to lighten the mood. "It's all yours now."

  "Well, not quite all." A voice from the doorway interrupted them and Jared turned to face the newcomers.

  "Justin, Keith." Jared smiled, getting up to greet the couple.

  Justin White worked for him years before but quit to go home and start his own business. Having him back again and involved in the current situation made things feel more unbalanced than Jared anticipated. Justin and his husband Keith were Clark's new partners in JD Construction. They weren't equal partners. Jared refused to sell unless Clark had controlling interest, but they were a development Jared hadn't anticipated.

  Clark suggested it after talking to Stevie, because he decided he didn't want sole responsibility for the company and he knew Justin and Keith were looking for a solution to some personal problems of their own. They needed to get Keith's son out of the city where he'd become involved with one of the local gangs. Even knowing their need was desperate, the speed with which Justin sold his business to a brother and arrived with Keith to buy their share of JD Construction, took Jared by surprise.

  He and Alex shook hands with the couple still standing in the doorway and drew them into the office, where they all looked awkwardly at each other.

  Clark laughed. "Okay, enough of this." He opened the manila folder and looked for a long time at the legal document it contained. "So this is it, everything is final?"

  "That's it, the company is yours." Jared nodded at Justin and Keith. "And theirs. Take good care of her, guys." Jared couldn't decide how he felt. He'd been a part of JD Construction since he'd been old enough to wear a too-large hard hat and ride on his dad's shoulders around the job site. Alex's hand slid into his and he smiled, unwilling to let sentimental second thoughts steal his confidence. They'd done the right thing.

  Clark came around the desk and pulled Jared into a hard hug. "I've worked for you since I was fifteen," he said, stepping back.

  "Yeah." He sighed. "It's been a long time. You aren't very bright, but I think you've finally gotten it. You'll be fine."

  Clark looked startled and then burst out laughing. "You ass."

  The five men found themselves standing in silence, looking at each other again.

  "Enough with the awkward." Clark urged them towards the door. "The guys wanted to have a going away party/congratulations on your wedding thing for you. It's not much, but they're all out back. The grills are set up and there's beer. Go say hello, goodbye, or whatever, and make nice."

  "Ah." Jared nodded. "From little awkward to big awkward. Fantastic."

  "Just go." Clark pushed at Jared's shoulder.

  Jared pulled Alex towards the door but Clark tugged Alex's arm. "Wait, I want to show you something."

  Alex shrugged at Jared's questioning look and Jared sighed, resigned to facing their well-wishers alone as he followed Justin and Keith out of the office.

  When Alex joined him, Jared stood in the middle of the crowd around Vlad at the grill, snacking happily on the Filipino specialty Vlad piled on his plate. He'd reassured the men that their jobs were all safe, only he and Alex were leaving. The guys were curious to know what they had planned, and what he knew about Justin and Keith. They hadn't run out of questions when he spotted Alex on the outskirts of the group.

  "Ah, duty calls." He lifted his plate and his beer over his head to keep them from getting knocked out of his hands, and threaded his way through guys now more interested in getting food from Vlad than they were in talking to Jared.

  Alex collected a beer from one of the coolers and Jared led him around a corner so they had an illusion of privacy. "So what did Clark want… did he try to hire you behind my back?"

  "Not exactly." Alex looked a little dazed and he took a drink of his b
eer. "He had some information for me."

  Jared set his plate on a nearby air conditioning unit. "You should try that, I don't know what it is but it's good," he assured him, snagging another bite. "What sort of information?"

  "Bank of America wants to build a twelve-story business complex downtown."

  Jared remembered something Clark had told him a few days earlier. "He mentioned that. He said JD Construction got the job. It's taking the place of that block of empty businesses. It's a good move for the town."

  "Right, but the town council doesn't like the design of the building. They said it's an eyesore." Alex sounded a little stunned.

  "Hmm, so they are worried about beauty and who cares if it'll bring in jobs and revenue?" Jared rolled his eyes.

  Alex laughed. "It's not an employee, Jared. It's a building, and looks matter. Anyhow, the council city took some guys from the bank to look at some of the buildings at the college."

  Jared cocked his head and lowered the beer he'd been about to drink. "Which buildings?"

  "The ones I designed."

  Jared made no attempt to hold back the grin that split his face. "Clark didn't tell me that. What did they say?"

  "They liked what they saw. They called Clark and he sent them my résumé. Clark gave me the information to call and talk to them. They want to hire me to redesign their bank building." Alex looked shell-shocked.

  "This is what you want, right? It's part of the reason we're doing this?" Jared picked some more grilled goodness off his plate and took a swig of his beer, waiting for him to answer.

  "Well, yeah, yes, of course. But I don't have anywhere to work. My design computers actually belong to JD Construction. I can't just take them."

  Jared laughed. "We get to keep your computers. I thought I told you that. I'm not about to go buy all new ones and listen to you bitch while you install stuff and try to get the settings back to Alex Ross perfection."

  Alex's expression shifted from shock, to worry, to amazement so fast Jared could barely follow. He did understand what the sudden armful of Alex meant, and hugged him close.

  "You're really, really sure about this? I mean, your dad's company," he asked in a whisper.

  Jared draped his hand holding the beer over his shoulder and leaned their foreheads together. "It hasn't been my dad's company in a long time. This is for us, Alex, and I'm ready."

  A little of the tension eased out of Alex's shoulders and Jared looked forward to the day his confidence returned enough to erase the doubt plaguing him. They remained in the shadow of the building, talking quietly, shoulders braced against the wall and Jared tried to tease him into eating something.

  Alex eyed the plate. "That's isaw isn't it?"

  "Oh yeah, that's what Vlad called it. I couldn't remember what he'd said for anything. It's some kind of street food over in the Philippines. He says they have all these food carts, and he and his friends went out to dinner by roving from cart to cart, eating from them. I think our first trip should be there, it sounds cool."

  "The Philippines instead of Paris?" Alex asked, a grin quirking the corner of his mouth.

  "Sure. Vlad could make us a list of all the awesome not-touristy things we can do."

  "Jared, do you know what you're eating?"

  He looked at his nearly empty plate. "Well, I guess not, but I don't think Vlad is feeding us dog or anything."

  Alex choked back a laugh. "No, it's chicken."

  A sigh of relief escaped before he could stop it. Alex had him going there for a minute. "See?"

  "Intestines. Isaw is grilled chicken intestines."

  "Really?" He studied the few bites left on his plate, pretty sure he had lost a bit of color. On the other hand… "See, I told you, awesome. I mean how many people could make chicken guts taste so great?" He finished his off with relish, licking his fingers when it was gone.

  Alex laughed in defeat. "Fine, Philippines first, but I am not eating that."

  Jared took a long drink of his beer. "Yeah, I think isaw is something you have to eat and then find out what it is. Come on, I want some more."

  Quite a while later, after several more beers and discovering Vlad also knew how to grill more familiar parts of the chicken as well as vegetables, Alex and Jared sat together at one of the picnic tables, feeling happy and full. The afternoon hadn't been as uncomfortable as Jared expected and he appreciated the effort the guys had gone through to let him and Alex know they'd be missed.

  The party was winding down and several people were making noises about it being time to go home, when Clark stood up and whistled for everyone's attention.

  "Jared and Alex, we wanted to do something for you guys to say thanks and good luck. I happened to know the perfect gift, but unfortunately it's going to be several months arriving. The good news is you built this company using people with a hella lot of talent." Clark looked over his shoulder. "Justin!"

  Jared glanced toward Alex as an engine started just out of sight, he shrugged with the same bewilderment Jared felt. A few seconds later a forklift rumbled into view, carrying a large object covered with an old tarp. Eyes narrowed, Jared looked at Clark, trying to figure out what he'd done. The casual get together hadn't had any of the earmarks of a bachelor party but if a stripper jumped out of a cake, Jared felt certain he'd throttle him, best friend or not. The look Clark gave him back was nothing short of smug.

  Justin lowered the prongs of the forklift until they rested on the ground. Clark walked over to grab the edge of the tarp. "With things getting back to normal for you guys, and considering that girly need to cuddle you've never gotten over…"

  Alex glanced at Jared, and he made a face but didn't remove the arm he'd draped around Alex's waist despite the sidelong looks most everyone gave them.

  "If the two of you wouldn't mind coming up here."

  Jared led Alex to stand beside Clark, whose grin just broadened at the sight of their obvious unease.

  "Instead of everyone getting you something individually we decided to pitch in for a single item. After a lot of arguing about it, we took a vote and surprisingly the result was unanimous. It is the opinion of every person employed at JD Construction that under this tarp is the thing in your lives that most needed to be replaced." He handed the edge of the tarp to Alex.

  Something in Clark's eyes made Jared relax. The guys weren't playing a joke on them.

  Alex pulled away the tarp and revealed a recliner, one big enough for two. He whooped and grabbed Clark into a huge bear hug. Jared grinned, reaching out to lay one hand on the back of the recliner. The leather felt soft and supple under his touch.

  Letting go of Clark, Alex dropped into the chair and spread out, trying to take up all the space. He waved at the laughing crowd. "Thanks, guys, I'm not sure where Jared is going to sit."

  As everyone laughed at Alex's antics, Jared turned to Clark and shook his hand firmly, clasping one shoulder. "I don't know how you did it. Those chairs take forever, but thank you."

  "I had no idea one had to be preordered and custom built. This isn't your actual present, just a fill-in. The real one will be here in six to ten weeks."

  Jared glanced between Alex, wallowing in the new leather of the huge chair, and Clark in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

  "We didn't want to give you an IOU and I happen to know this guy who can't seem to let go of things."

  Jared's hand wrapped around a rock in his pocket, one polished smooth after so many years of being handled. Memory flared, a sunny day at the lake, a conversation overheard by accident. He couldn't deny his penchant for holding onto things he had formed an emotional attachment for.

  "Clark, what did you do?"

  "I broke into your shed and stole your old chair. Between all of us, we managed to rebuild and reupholster it."

  "This is our chair? The original one?"

  Clark shrugged. "I guess that's the age-old puzzle. If you patch a jacket until there's nothing left but patches and none of the original jacket rema
ins, is it still the same jacket?"

  "What are you talking about?" Jared laughed but his eyes were fixed on Alex, who'd stopped playing the clown to listen. He stared wide-eyed at Clark, his fingers petting the leather covering the arm of the chair.

  "It's your chair, Jared. We fixed it. Not as good as new but it should last until…"

  Jared didn't hear the rest, too busy pushing Alex to one side and taking his place in the chair beside him. The chair reclined as Alex put the footrest up. He forgot the small crowd of friends and co-workers watching as he wrapped Alex in his arms. His mind flooded with memories. The shopping trip when Alex took him to see the chair the very first time. Alex, so young and eager, flashing his smile. Comforting Alex after he'd come out to his mother. Making up with him their first Pi Day. With so many treasured memories wrapped up in sharing their original chair, Jared hadn't had the heart to dump it when he finally gave in and replaced it. He hadn't even told Alex he'd put it in the shed instead, just hidden it in a corner, covered with an old blanket.

  Alex pressed close, smiling against Jared's mouth. "It really wasn't a secret you kept our chair. We all knew it was there. But I had no idea Clark did this," he confessed.

  Jared kissed him, ignoring the background noise of whoops of delight and teasing shouts. He'd have to come back to reality soon enough, but not yet… not quite yet.

  You Light up My World

  "What are we doing here?" Alex glanced around with interest as they drove up the drive leading to their house. The new sod in the front yard looked green and healthy. He grinned with delight at the sight. He'd only had time to stop by the house a couple times, trusting Jared to make sure everything on the home front would be ready on time. The fact the house and yard looked so great, at least on the outside, amazed him. Jared had even had the house painted. It stood crisp white in the green yard, blue shutters gleaming.