Bird Came Down

Theme Song: Don't Panic, Coldplay

They sat on the porch together watching one car and then a second and then a third drive up Milford Street.

“I’m going up to Michigan this week?”

“To see the kids?”

“To at least convince Kim to move down here. I don’t know why she insists on staying up there.”

“To punish you,” Joey said, simply.

Scott nodded.

“But you know what?” Joey said.

“Huh?”

“She can’t live in a house you’re not paying for.”

“We’re going to put it on the market.”

“Is she putting it on the market?” Joey asked.

“Not yet, but…”

“Listen, brother,” Joey said, “this chick is so treacherous she got herself pregnant by poking holes in your condoms.”

“You gotta point,” Scott said.

“How about we go up a few days early?” Joey said, “you and me? And Matt, and see about getting rid of the house?”

“Could we do that?” Scott looked doubtful.

“You’re just worried about the twins,” Joey said. “And once you got rid of that house they’d be back down here. I bet we could totally do it.”

“Alright then,” Scott nodded his head. “Okay.”

“We need to go shopping. I need something to wear.”

“You’re a priest. You wear black.”

“Bob’ll be there.”

“Oh,” Felix blinked.

“Well, don’t say it like that.”

“Ah, sis, but you meant it like that.”

“Well, speaking of Bob… Scott.”

“Scott?”

“He’s like your Bob. What did you tell him?”

“I told him the truth,” Felix told his sister.

“What,” Val said “that you were sleeping with his brother?”

“No,” Felix gave his sister a dim look. “I told Scott that we couldn’t really be together because I still had someone else.”

“But… is he still staying over?”

“Yes.”

“And are you still….?”

“It’s only happened twice. And yes,” Felix said. “And he doesn’t stay over every night. Sometimes you need to sleep like a starfish.”

“And then Joey… Is still…?”

“It only happened once.”

“But you are actually sleeping with both of them at the same time.”

“Well, you make it sound so bad,” Felix shrugged.

Valerie blinked at him. “How else is it supposed to sound?”

“I don’t know,” Felix shrugged. “Like a timeshare?”

Scott could not come over every night. He worked long hours, and then he went to his family’s house. He always wanted to go to Felix’s, but he realized without being told that you could not go from cherished almost lover to live in husband, especially not with someone like Felix. Those nights when he did come to Felix, always after nine, often past eleven, were treasures to him. He knocked. He heard Felix’s muffled voice say: the door’s open, Scott, and he would come in, leaving his travel bag by the door and bringing his brief case. Felix was always typing at the card table in the kitchen, which left the desk in the common room bare for Scott to work at. Scott would enter the kitchen for something to drink, running his fingers over the back of Felix’s head, and as he walked out, Felix would gently caress or squeeze his ass, maybe touch his hand, then go back to work.

“Scott, I didn’t tell you. I got a call from the community college. I have an interview.”

“What? When?” Scott turned from his work, putting his pen down.

“I can’t remember.”

“You can’t—?” Scott stopped, caught between disapproval and unbelief.

“I wrote it down.” Felix said. “And I will know when it is. I think it’s next week, though. I’m glad. I need work. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never taught before.”

“You’ll do great,” Scott said, unintentionally putting the emphasis on the G so that Felix was reminded of Tony the Tiger. And when Felix seemed unconvinced, Scott touched his knee, and then turned around and went back to work.

A little while later, Felix said, “I just did the math, and if I get this teaching gig, at even half time it’s actually more money than I’ve ever seen.”

“Half time cause you still need your writing.”

Felix liked how Scott wasn’t asking the question, he was stating the fact.

“Yes.”

“Then you better be up to it,” Scott said. “Even if you don’t feel up to it, make yourself up to it.”

He was right. That’s why he hadn’t even turned from his work, Felix realized.

Felix asked, “Do you want me to come with you? To Michigan?”

“Joey’s coming,” Scott said. “And besides,” he looked up from his legal pad, “I know you don’t want to.”

“Anything you wanted me to do I would be glad to do,” he said in a voice so sweet Scott wondered if he was being mocked.

“I know,” Scott said, “and that’s very kind, but… I’m kind enough to say don’t worry about it.”

Sometime in the discussion, or without the discussion, Felix would get up and touch Scott’s head, or Scott would come and touch him, or they would look at each other and stand face to face. Scott would bend to kiss him deeply, and then they would begin to undress and move to the couch, pull it out or pull down the mattress to the floor and taste each other, moving together, pressing together. For Scott, Felix’s body was a playground, and the way Felix cherished him, kissed his eyes, his mouth, even his arms, going down his whole body, taking his cock in his mouth, licking up and down the shaft, paying attention to his balls and the secret places, was a complete delight. Everything Felix did to him, he wanted to do to Felix in return. Every night Scott came to visit, whether it happened as soon as he stepped through the door, or long after when they’d drifted to sleep and were weary, they fucked each other. The first time Felix had brought Scott inside of him, Scott’s eyes opened wide in surprise as Felix, mouth forming an O, looked down at him, sitting on him and Scott whispered, “are you alright?”

“Don’t move,” Felix whispered. He tried to laugh, lowering himself. “You’re bigger than I thought.”

That same night, the very first time, Scott wanted Felix inside of him. and he learned that it always hurt. It never just went in lightly. There was always that moment when it seemed like it wouldn’t work, where the eyes burned, where one thought, this is a mistake, this is pain, this is… And then you settled into it, and having him inside of you, there was nothing better.

The Friday morning before Scott was leaving for the weekend, he and Felix woke up nearly the same time. He touched Felix’s head and said, “Do you want me to shave you before you go?”

“Is it looking bad?”

“Not at all, love,” Scott said, laying beside him. “I just wanted to do something for you before I go.”

Felix laughed and sat up, still chuckling. “You’ve done plenty for me.”

Scott sat up with him, “I don’t get tired of fucking you.”

Felix ran his hand over Scott.

“Or being fucked by you,” Scott added. “Or sucking you or kissing you. Or any of it.”

“Do you think we will, though?”

“Will, though, what?” Scott said.

“Get tired of each other?”

“No,” Scott said, looking offended. “I don’t. I could never get tired of us being together.”

“That’s,” Felix began looking at Scott with a half smile. “that’s couple talk.”

“I’m not offering any ultimatums,” Scott climbed out of bed, and Felix lay on his side looking at Scott’s naked body, his tallness, the straight shoulders, the long back, the surprising full ass and athletic thighs.

“No,” Felix said, reaching for his cigarette case, then remembering not to smoke around Scott. “It’s only… maybe you should ask for one.”

Scott was headed to the bathroom. He left the door open when he peed and the sound of his urine shooting into the bowl was always strangely comforting.

“If you got another guy, maybe you should let me meet this other guy,” Scott said over his piss, “and we can go toe to toe in combat.”

“You’d maim for me?” Felix cried.

Scott hit the flusher and came out of the bathroom his heavy dick swinging between his legs. He jumped onto the bed and kissed Felix.

“Maim and bomb and kill,” he said. “Now take a shower with me. I gotta get ready to go.”

“Are we staying all night, or heading back here?” Joey asked.

“I’d thought we were heading back, but, I don’t know.”

“Uh, you know we’re best buds and everything,” Scott said, looking to Joey like a kid in a suit dressed for Catholic school, “but do I need a special lawyer?”

Matt frowned across the booth at him.

“Like a father’s interest attorney,” Scott said.

“What’s that?” Taylor looked up at Scott.

“Uh,” Joey looked at Taylor and Nathan then said, “Why don’t we go to the Sundae bar.”

“Sundaes!” Nathan shouted, climbing over Scott while Taylor climbed across Matt.

“Manners,” Scott reminded them, but by then it was too late.

Matt looked after Joey and the kids and then, when they were at the bar, he turned to Scott and said, “That “fathers’ rights attorney” bullshit is bullshit. Alright? There is no special knowledge. The law is the law.”

Scott opened his mouth.

“Dads are just like moms,” Matt said. “They get joint or sole custody when they show the court it’s in the best interest of the kids.

“That’s not to say,” Matt continued, “dads don’t have certain issues that are unique to them. But those issues have to be looked at in the context of the children’s best interest, because that is what family law judges are trained to focus on.

“Like, it’s important that fathers with full-time or heavy work schedules obtain a custody and visitation schedule that gives them lots of time to spend with their kids.

“I can do that,” Scott said.

“Does Kim work at all?”

“Not… so much.”

Matt raised an eyebrow.

“She works part time.”

“Oh, come the fuck on!” Matt lost patience.

“What?”

Matt opened his mouth, then looked around and remembered himself. He leaned in and hissed.

“After all that bitch did to you.”

“What?”

“After all that bitch did to you, you just let her sit on her ass and have babies while you….”

Matt shook his head.

“How could you be so dumb?”

Matt looked at his embarrassed friend.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I just...”

“I feel so dumb,” Scott said. “Everyday I just...” Scott looked away from his friend.

“Every day I feel like such a fool.”

There was a catch in Scott’s voice and Matt looked around the restaurant. He reached across the table and touched Scott’s shoulder.

“Buddy, you need a minute?”

Scott didn’t look at him. He was looking hard at the table, unable to talk. He nodded rapidly.

“Alright, buddy.”

“Stop calling me that,” Scott said quickly. “That’s the whole reason Jen’s even in the picture. I would have been myself a long time ago if… You had been yourself.”

“Sundaes!” Joey shouted by way of warning.

Scott blew his cheeks out and shook his head, laughing as he moved out of his booth and the boys slid in.

“You better get yourself some,” Joey said merrily, though his eyes went cautiously from Scott to Matt. “Before we eat all the ice cream up.”

“Uh,” Matt turned to Joey: “Do you mind if me and Scott talk for a bit back at my place?”

“About c-u-s-t-o… oh, shit, I can’t spell it,” Joey said.

“Yeah,” Matt said.

“What’s custo?” Taylor asked.

Scott looked at Joey.

“It’s like custard.”

“Can we have some,” Nathan asked.

“You’re eating it,” Joey lied, quickly.