Phil’s mouth opened.He was about to ask again, and Ben wasn’t strong enough to keep lying.
“But it’s mostly everything with Charlie,” he said hurriedly.“I need to figure out where Charlie and I are going to live and what I’m going to do.I don’t know if I’ll evengetlegal guardianship, and then what?Then he’ll be alone again.”
“You’re living here.”
Ben rolled his eyes.“Yeah, right now.But we’ll have to leave soon.”
“Says who?”
Basic human decency?“Me.I say so.”
Phil sighed deeply as though Ben was being too ridiculous for words.“All right, so you’re staying home with him tonight.”
“I can’t.It’s—”
“We’re playing Chicago.They’ve been rebuilding for a decade, and it hasn’t stuck.The team can pull it off in their sleep.I’ll go in, do some armchair coaching, and keep an eye on Trout.You fix the kid.”
Ben closed his eyes against the sting of relieved tears.“Seriously?You’d do that?”
“Of course.I told you.As long as you’re here, I’ll take care of you.Both of you.”
For a long moment, Ben looked up at Phil, willing him to become less sincere.
He didn’t.
Ben rocked to his feet, grabbed Phil’s face between both hands, and kissed him hard.
Ben had been under the impression Phil knew Ben wanted to kiss him pretty much always, but especially when he insisted on being a disgustingly good person.Nonetheless, the shock made one of Phil’s crutches fall to the ground, and he clutched at Ben’s shoulder for stability.He didn’t pull away to pick it up.Instead, he let Ben take his weight as he leaned into the kiss.
Ben wrapped his arms around Phil’s middle, held him close and steady, and tilted his head enough to open his mouth, get their tongues entangled.
That was when the kiss turned savage.
Before Ben knew it, he was gripping Phil’s waist hard enough to feel the clench of muscles under his hands.He licked his tongue over Phil’s over and over again, and Phil sighed into his mouth as if he’d never felt anything so good.
Ben wrenched himself away.
Without his support, Phil wobbled on his feet.Ben ducked to pick up his crutch and handed it to him.
“Thanks,” Phil said, his voice quieter than usual.Weak.
“Anytime.”
Shit, why had he said that?He couldn’t start drive-by kissing Phil anytime he felt like it.He didn’t want Phil to think he would.“Fuck, I don’t mean— I mean, I won’t.I know you’re not…ugh.”
“I’m not what?”
“Gay.”
Phil blinked.His eyes seemed somehow darker and shinier than usual, as though Ben kissing him had relaxed him.“Oh.Well, no.But I like when you kiss me.Ireallylike that you didn’t apologize this time.”
What was Ben supposed to do with that?
Phil smiled sweetly.“You should do it again sometime.”
“I…” Ben could muster precisely zero sensible words in response.
Resettling his crutches, Phil headed for the stairs.He wanted Ben to kiss him again.
