Page 11 of Teddy Tea Time

Speaking of gossips… The knock on my door within an hour of the minivan pulling out next door is not unexpected in the least.

Eric doesn’t have to be in at the Monarch Room until later, and Matt has an early class today, so it’s not uncommon for him to swing by for a bitch session over coffee. Still in my pajamas – because fuck being presentable on less than three hours of sleep – I attach my pronoun pin to my shirt and reluctantly open the door for him.

Against my will, I am subjected to the latest scandals from the world of drag and rumors circulating among the staff at the university. Honestly, I am not even paying attention to most of it. My mind is stuck on our teddy bear and what he has to face today.

“And then the hockey captain straight up knocked the guy’s lights out right in front of the grandstand.”

Having missed most of the story, I give a half-hearted chuckle to match Eric’s cackle of glee. I’m not worried, though. He will likely be retelling the story a few more times until something juicier comes along.

“Alright, Ashy-boo. What’s up with you? You are more boring than usual this morning.”

At least this time, my laughter is genuine. After refilling my coffee, I take a moment to figure out just how much to share.

Eric would absolutely bend over backwards to help Jace out. He would also likely go on a huge bitch fest about the circumstances which absolutely would not be helpful when it comes to a grieving kid moving in. The man has a terrible relationship with his own father and that tends to color most father figures in a shitty light for him.

“Aside from my not being able to find a damn job thanks to our new robot overlords screening every fucking application and resumé? I’m just fucking peachy.”

Eric snorts into his cup before raising an eyebrow. His bullshit detector is rarely wrong. He knows I’m keeping something to myself, but for once, it looks like he isn’t going to push. Maybe he can tell I need to vent. I don’t know.

“And Jace is going through probably the worst shit of his life since I’ve met him and I don’t even know how to help him except for watching the kid for him since he can’t exactly take him to the bar or a kink club while he goes to work and I kinda hate the fact that we won’t be able to work the same shifts and crack jokes at the club when the judge’s wife makes him go get waxed and…”

A hand slaps over my mouth to stop my unceasing rambling, and I meet the eyes of my very confused friend. Thankful for his intervention, I obviously show my appreciation by licking his palm – much to his disgust.

“Eww. Brat.”

“Takes one to know one.”

We both smile at our usual banter before going back to the more serious topic of a kid coming to the neighborhood.

“Who all knows about this kid moving in?” he asks before refilling his cup. “I mean, Mattie and I have soundproofed our bedroom, but curtains definitely need to be a thing now if there’s a kid moving into the neighborhood.”

Why are curtains…? Never mind. It’s Eric. The man has traumatized many visitors since moving in with Matt.

In all fairness, the professor needs to start texting his fiancé when he’s bringing company over. My personal belief is that Matt enjoys showing off that he’s got Eric waiting and ready for him.

“To be honest, I have no idea who all Jace has told,” I sigh. “Obviously, he told Jackson enough to get the man to switch living arrangements. And the landlord has to be aware at this point because he made the move all legal and shit since the social worker was here yesterday to verify shit.”

Eric mumbles something under his breath, but I keep going because I don’t know if I was supposed to say anything about the social worker. I don’t know what the fuck I am supposed to be saying at all. I just can’t seem to stop.

“I’m pretty sure he only told me about his brother coming to live with him because I was here when the social worker showed up yesterday.”

When Eric’s gaze snaps to me like a drag queen locking onto a sale at Sephora, I know I fucked up. I definitely didn’t say brother before.

Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Sending up a telepathic apology to our teddy bear, I give Eric enough of the story to hopefully get him to not pry into things further and let the brothers have space to grieve their father together.

11

JACE

My little brother is a much braver man than I will ever be. After picking him up from Mrs. Stevens’s house, I drove us to the hospital. On the way over, I broke the news about his father not waking up. He surprised me, though. He had already guessed at the situation.

“Mrs. Stevens looked too sad over the last week when she looked at me,” he says after sticking the visitor’s badge to his shirt.

I let him push the call button for the elevator before taking his hand. As much as I would love to pretend it is for him, I know in my heart that I am the one needing comfort right now. Gerry got eight wonderful years with David.

I was fifteen when Gerry was born. If my mother hadn’t been so freaking selfish and actually told me my father’s full name, I could have had a real family – a real brother.