Here We Go Again

by Romeo Alexander

  “It was cat fishermen, and I maintain that cats would make perfect fishermen once you got them over the whole fear of water thing.”

  “Because cats aren’t known for that or anything.”

  “Hey, I had a cat who we had to keep out of our swimming pool growing up, it can happen,” Troy protested.

  “You were dreaming, just own up.”

  Troy turned back to Gabriel with a shake of his head. “All lies.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “Right, well, you two seem to have a handle on things. I should probably head out, I have a flight in the morning, and I don’t want to be totally jet-lagged by the time I get back home. Oscar, be ready for a thousand different questions from the kids and a whole new lecture from Anne when she shows up.”

  Oscar groaned. “Is there any way you could make her, you know, not do that?”

  “Not a chance in hell.”

  “Great,” Oscar sighed.

  Gabriel reached out and pulled his brother in for another tight hug. “Take care of yourself, Oscar, okay?”

  “Don’t I always?” Oscar asked, hugging him back.

  “Not as good as you seem to think you are,” Gabriel said, kissing Oscar’s cheek.

  Oscar laughed. “You two sound so much alike right now, and it’s a little creepy.”

  “Just don’t get any weird thoughts, and it’ll be alright,” Gabriel said.

  Oscar wrinkled up his nose. “Gross.”

  Gabriel laughed and said his final goodbyes, which took another fifteen minutes before the man finally stepped out of the apartment. Alone with Oscar, at last, Troy turned to the man, ready to speak. He was startled when Oscar turned to him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace, holding Troy against his chest.

  “Jesus Christ,” Oscar muttered, pressing his face against the top of Troy’s head.

  Troy smiled, wrapping his arms around the other man and holding him tight. “It’s okay, Oscar.”

  “It is now,” Oscar whispered.

  Troy could practically feel the sag of relief as Oscar’s tension bled out of him. Troy rubbed his back, savoring not only the strength of Oscar’s body but the knowledge that the man was taking refuge in the comfort Troy could give him. He had no idea how long they stood there, holding onto one another, but the soft smile and the tears in his eyes never left.

  Oscar finally pulled away, his own eyes watery. “Thank you for staying.”

  All Troy had ever wanted was to know he’d always be allowed to be there for Oscar, no matter what happened to them. He’d left the apartment sure that he’d just watched his chance at happiness crumble before him. Troy would never quite be able to explain to Oscar what it meant to Troy to see the man chasing him down, pleading for him to stay. It was then that he knew they might actually be okay, for good this time.

  Oscar stroked his cheek. “I think I need to lay back down for a little while. Join me?”

  Troy chuckled. “Yeah, how’s your hip?”

  Oscar cocked his head. “Better than usual, that wasn’t my medicine you gave me, was it?”

  Troy shrugged, turning away so Oscar couldn’t see his face. “I have no idea what you mean. There’s no way I would happen to have a stash of medicine that I shouldn’t have for unknown reasons.”

  “And I’ll pretend that I believe you,” Oscar said as he followed Troy to the bedroom.

  “Good,” Troy said, flopping down onto the bed.

  Oscar lay beside him, wasting no time in curling himself around Troy and pulling him closer. Troy grinned as he bent himself to fit perfectly in the curve of Oscar’s body.

  “I can’t believe that went so well,” Oscar said softly.

  Troy grinned. “I’m really glad it did.”

  “Yeah, me too. I spent so long being worried about how Gabriel would react about the whole thing, I never even considered that he just wouldn’t care,” Oscar admitted quietly.

  “I’d say he seemed relieved,” Troy said gently.

  “Yeah, maybe. Just relieved to know the truth. I’ve never been very good at talking about myself much, even to him,” Oscar said.

  Troy smiled, rolling over so he could face Oscar. “And now you don’t have to worry about it. He knows, and he’s on board, so you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

  Oscar reached out, stroking his cheek. “And I guess I should admit that you deserve some credit here too.”

  “For what?” Troy asked with a gentle laugh.

  “For being there for me, for staying, for somehow knowing it was going to be okay.”

  “That assumes I wasn’t freaking out right alongside you when I realized who he was.”

  Oscar leaned forward, kissing him gently. “No, that was because I was freaking out, not because you were. You’ve always been there to try and remind me that everything wasn’t going to fall apart just because someone might know I’m gay.”

  “Don’t know if ‘remind’ is the right word, so much as harp on it,” Troy admitted with a cringe.

  Oscar smiled, kissing him again. “Maybe, but I’m hard-headed and need to be yelled at once in a while.”

  “I’ll take that as permission from here on in.”

  “As if you needed it.”

  Troy laughed. “Okay, fair.”

  Oscar pulled him closer, pulling Troy’s face against his chest. “And when it’s all said and done, I’m glad it’s over. Well, maybe not completely over.”

  Troy peered up at him as best he could. “What’s that mean?”

  “It means I have an idea.”

  “Scary thought. Care to share with the rest of the class?”

  Oscar kissed the top of his head, closing his eyes. “Not right now, I want to sleep on it, and sleep with you.”

  Troy wanted to push for more information, but considering the day they’d had so far, he knew Oscar deserved a break. He wrapped his arm around Oscar’s midsection, closing his eyes and settling in. The day had started with one hell of a scare, but now Troy could finally see the source of light that had always lurked at the end of the tunnel, waiting for them.

  “It’s gonna be alright,” Troy murmured.

  “I promise,” Oscar said.

  16

  Troy

  The few days since Gabriel’s surprise visit were possibly the happiest of Troy’s life. A distinct change had come over Oscar since he’d made peace not only with his brother but with his secret as well. He’d always been good about smiling and laughing when it came to being around Troy, but it came easier than usual, and Oscar was more prone to ravaging Troy at the most unexpected moments.

  Troy could understand, though, he’d been there. He’d held onto his own sexual identity for a couple of years before he’d finally built the courage to come out in his late teens. Once he had, having told everyone he thought worthy of telling, he’d grown more confident, and maybe a little boy crazy too. Thankfully, though, the only person Oscar was crazy about was Troy.

  They spent their every waking and free hour with one another, and Troy couldn’t get enough. They grew more and more comfortable together as the days passed, and the nights were as hot and heavy as ever. Troy had been caught in a haze of the sudden happiness and joy of the two of them together, that he’d almost forgotten about the Gala until he woke up on the day.

  Unfortunately, Troy had never got a clear answer from Oscar as to whether or not his boyfriend was going to attend. Troy had texted him while he’d been getting ready for the night, but Oscar was still on his shift and was slow to answer. Knowing he couldn’t keep waiting around, Troy grudgingly headed out to the hall where the Gala was being held.

  Outside there were clusters of people milling about waiting to go in. Among the crowd of familiar faces, Troy’s lit up when he caught sight of Dean. Beside him, decked out in his blues, was Sloane. The dark-haired man, who bore a resemblance to Oscar in his grumpiness, stood beside him, glowering at the crowd.

  “Hi, Dean, hey, Sloane,” Troy greeted.

  Dean beamed at him.
“Hey, you made it.”

  “Of course I did, when have you ever known me to miss a party?”

  “Well, you’ve been walking around in a dream the last few days, so I wasn’t sure you were going to remember,” Dean teased.

  Sloane smirked. “Isn’t that normal for him?”

  Troy cocked his head with a grin. “Aw, Sloane, I didn’t know you paid that much attention to my day to day attitude.”

  “You wish.”

  “I might have a thing for grumpy, but I have good taste in grumpy men,” Troy said.

  “Hey!” Dean protested, curling an arm through Sloane’s protectively.

  Sloane bent down, kissing the side of Dean’s head. “Ignore him, you know he’s prone to acting out when he has to stand still for more than a few seconds.”

  Troy ignored the jibe if only because he’d watched Dean’s face light up at the small gesture of affection Sloane had given him. Then again, Sloane’s grumpy expression had softened considerably when he caught the look on Dean’s face.

  “You two are so sappy,” Troy finally said.

  “Damn right,” Dean shot back.

  Troy wasn’t going to blame him, he was probably just as goopy and sugary when Oscar was up close and personal. It was nice to see his friend happy, though, and he gave the other man a wink.

  “Want to head in?” Dean asked, nodding toward the front door.

  “Yeah, let’s get this party started,” Troy said.

  As they walked through the front doors, Dean sidled up next to him.

  “Oscar not coming?”

  Troy pulled his phone from his pocket, seeing he had no new messages. “I don’t know, actually. I forgot to ask him this morning, and I haven’t heard from him since this afternoon. I mean, this isn’t really his scene.”

  Troy shrugged to show he wasn’t bothered, but the look on Dean’s face said he didn’t believe him. With everything that had happened, Troy was willing to accept going alone for the evening. It wasn’t like he expected Oscar to suddenly be okay with being out to everyone overnight, just because his brother had been okay with it. Troy would accept little steps at a time.

  Troy walked into the main room and nodded in approval. “Wow, they did good.”

  It was nothing extravagant, but the normally somber deep wood of the main hall had been softened with white and gold. Tables were laid out along the walls of the big room, with eight chairs to each table. A dance floor had been set out near the back of the hall, where some people had already managed to gather while quiet music played. There were still people filing in, and most of them headed toward the back right-hand corner where the bar had been set up.

  “Let’s go find ourselves a seat,” Dean offered.

  Troy agreed, once more pulling out his phone to look at the lock screen before pocketing it with a flicker of disappointment. He’d honestly believed Oscar would have been freed from being chained behind his desk by now. It wasn’t like Oscar wasn’t kept busy when on his shift either, but he’d remained oddly quiet for the past couple of hours.

  As they found a table in the corner for the three of them to sit at, Troy couldn’t help but wonder if Oscar was avoiding him. It would be odd behavior for the normally direct man, but Troy couldn’t exactly ignore how Oscar had once just walked right out of his life instead of being with him and facing their problems. Was Oscar worried that after settling things with Gabriel, Troy would find a way to try and push Oscar to come to the Gala with him, as a couple?

  “You alright over there?” Dean asked.

  Troy looked up, blinking as he realized he’d been quiet for too long. “Oh! Yeah, sorry, just tired and well, maybe a little hungry too.”

  “You know the dinner part of the evening isn’t for another couple of hours, right?” Sloane asked.

  Troy snorted. “I’ll suffer.”

  Dean leaned in closer. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Troy assured him.

  “You could try calling him,” Dean said softly.

  Troy had thought about it, but he wasn’t going to be the clingy boyfriend who couldn’t go a couple of hours without spam calling or texting his other half because he was insecure. Did it bother him that he hadn’t heard from Oscar? Absolutely, just like it made him a little sad to see a few happy couples as everyone began to filter to their seats, or even out onto the dance floor. But Troy point blank refused to do anything but remind himself that Oscar loved him and that everything was going to be okay.

  Dean leaned back in his seat, frowning at the crowd. “What the hell…?”

  “What is it?” Troy asked.

  “I think that’s...Marco?” Dean said slowly.

  “Wait, really?” Troy asked, craning his neck.

  Sure enough, the cute and rather sweet man that Dean had been seeing previously was weaving his way through the crowd. Unlike the service members, however, Marco was dressed in a three-piece suit, and Troy found himself nodding in approval.

  “What’s your ex-boyfriend doing here?” Troy asked.

  “They weren’t dating,” Sloane growled.

  Troy glanced at him in amusement. “Fine, then what’s the guy he was kind of dating doing here?”

  “I have no idea, but I’m going to go find out. Ooh, I hope he’s here with someone, if anyone deserves it, it’s Marco,” Dean said as he hopped up from his seat to hurry over.

  Troy eyed Sloane. “What, not going to follow?”

  Sloane snorted. “You know, as much as I’m glad he was okay with Dean ending things between them and dating me instead, I don’t want an extra dose of awkward in my day, thanks.”

  “Hey, at least he was understanding, right? It doesn’t bother you that Dean’s going to talk to him?”

  Sloane smiled, one far kinder than Troy was used to seeing on his face. “Not in the slightest.”

  “You’re a sap,” Troy teased.

  “For him.”

  Troy opened his mouth to reply and stopped as he, too, spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Oscar’s dour but handsome face emerged from the sea of people around him, stepping carefully. Troy’s heart leaped into his throat as their eyes met, and a warm smile spread over Oscar’s face. When Oscar was in full view, Troy had the man’s entire walk across the room to enjoy the sight of Oscar dressed to the nines in his dress blues, with just about every inch of it filled out by his bulky frame. Looking at him then, Troy didn’t even notice the slight limp in his step that was always there or the missing arm.

  “He made it,” Troy whispered.

  “What?” Sloane grunted.

  Troy’s smile grew as he caught the odd expression on Oscar’s face as he approached. If he didn’t know any better, Troy would think Oscar was worried about something, or at least nervous. His steps were more sure than usual, which told Troy Oscar had taken his meds, and his gaze was still locked on Troy as he reached the table.

  Troy stood up, beaming. “You made it.”

  “Of course, I did. Sorry I didn’t text you back, but I’ve been running all over the place for the past couple of hours,” Oscar explained.

  Troy shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, come and join us.”

  He made a point of introducing Sloane and Oscar to one another as his boyfriend made himself comfortable. Troy was practically vibrating with joy as he dropped himself into the seat beside him. His worries were cast aside as the three of them chatted idly about absolutely nothing, Troy’s mind singing a happy song that he would at least get to spend the night with Oscar. Six years ago, the man would have probably made a point not to spend too much time around Troy at such a gathering, which looked like it included everyone on the base, but now he was sitting next to Troy.

  Dean came back with a frown, prompting Sloane to ask him what was wrong.

  “Oh, something’s up with Marco. I would swear he’s here for someone, but he’s not talking,” Dean grumped as he sat down.

  “And you call me nosy,” Troy said.

&nbs
p; Oscar snorted. “You are.”

  Dean looked up, spotting Oscar for the first time. “Oh. Hello again. We were wondering if you were going to show up. Well, I was wondering, but Troy here was practically sweating as he waited to find out.”

  Troy gasped. “You little shit!”

  Dean winked. “Always here for you, buddy.”

  Troy looked at Oscar for help. “Do you see what I have to put up with at work? He’s a monster.”

  Oscar chuckled, patting Troy’s arm. “You’re going to be okay. It’s nothing worse than what you’ve put me through.”

  “That’s a lie, I’m sweet and kind to everyone I know,” Troy protested.

  “Don’t forget a pain in the ass,” Sloane added.

  “I hate all of you,” Troy pouted.

  Which lasted as long as it took for Oscar to lean forward and whisper in his ear. “You look amazing tonight.”

  Troy could feel the color rising in his cheeks as Oscar’s compliment sank in. Troy glanced at him, wishing he could say something in return but didn’t trust the volume of his voice not to betray him. If there was anyone who looked amazing, it was Oscar. Oscar’s dark eyes flickered over his face with a smile, as though knowing the effect he’d had. Troy fought to find something to say in return when Oscar reached out and took Troy’s hand in his, holding it on top of the table and giving it a squeeze.

  Dumbfounded, Troy looked down at their linked hands, and then up to Oscar’s face. That same expression of confidence, with just a hint of worry in his eyes, was still there, but Oscar never moved his hand. A smile spread across Troy’s face as he curled his fingers around Oscar’s, returning the hold with what he was sure was the goofiest smile in existence.

  “So I hear you’ve been settling into things working beside Christian, Oscar,” Dean said, a pleased smile on his face.

  Oscar turned his attention to him, nodding. “Now that I’ve had a little bit of time to get used to it, it’s not so bad. He still does most of the handling of the big hats that come in, but he’s used me to chase some people off too.”

  “Really?” Dean asked with a laugh.

  “There’s an advantage to being tall, grumpy, and scary,” Troy said, still grinning.