Clang(2)

His little brother came thundering down the stairs two at a time and  jumped on the landing. He was looking good in a black collared shirt  with a few little flowers printed on it and dark jeans. Cameron had  chosen shiny brown boots that matched his belt.

Cam looked thinner, too. Upon his diagnosis, they'd all realized how  lucky Cam was to make it through his pro sports career without cardiac  arrest. His condition, CPVT, was usually spotted in young teens or kids.  The fact that he'd made it until now was nothing short of a miracle.

Needless to say, they'd forbidden him from exercising. Beta blockers  weren't good enough on their own. The family was preparing for surgery  soon, while Cam was still in shape and likely to recover fast. Cam was  losing muscle, and it was hard not to notice.         

     



 

Jackson tried to drag his thoughts away from the worries that had  haunted him over the summer. "Noah's done a number on your wardrobe," he  teased.

"What?"

"Floral print?"

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Apparently they're "in" this summer."

Jackson laughed and stepped back so Cameron could lock up. It was  mid-August and still warm, so they didn't need jackets for the quick  walk. They were heading to the bar downtown to catch up with friends.

Thomas still didn't usually come out with them, but Cameron often did,  and so did his friends. Noah's friends joined in now and then. They'd  become a loose friendship group of mostly guys who went out for drinks  once or twice a week.

Noah, Cam's boyfriend was good for him, at least. He made sure Cam got  out of the house to socialize, and Cam had loosened up about his  condition a lot.

"How was work?"

"Oh, god," Cameron complained. "I can't bend over."

Jackson raised his eyebrows, deadpan. "Noah was working with you today?"

"No, I  –  fuck off," Cam groaned and smacked Jackson's shoulder. "I was  taking honey off the hives. It's fuckin' heavy. You're disgusting."

Jackson just laughed and elbowed Cam in return. They strode down to the  sidewalk, then crossed the street. "You're always out at his place these  days."

"Yeah. It's getting annoying going back and forth between our places."

Jackson cast a sideways glance at Cam. Was he hinting at Noah moving  in...? Maybe to help with his recovery? Jackson didn't even want to  think of that yet, though. "When's his lease up?"

"November." Cam shoved his hands in his pockets. "We've been talking about it."

"Nice," Jackson nodded. "The two of you are... well, it's been three months already, huh?"

"Three and a half." Cameron waited at a crosswalk with Jackson, glancing  back at him now. "Yeah... it'd be six months when his lease is up.  So..."

"Six months isn't too soon. As long as you feel ready."

"I am. I think he is, too."

Jackson smiled and clapped Cameron's arm as they crossed the street to the bar. "Good for you, man."

"So--"

No way. Jackson went on as if he hadn't heard Cameron beginning to form  the dreaded question in response. "Kevin's coming tonight, huh? Ryan  said he'd be here too."

Cameron paused, then went on. He opened the door for Jackson and glanced inside. "Looks like Kevin's already here."

Kevin, the captain of Noah's casual hockey club was always up for a  drink. He was a house painter and university student heading into his  last year of school.

"Hey, man." Ryan came up behind them, clapping both of them on the back.  He worked as a carpentry apprentice. "I've got this round. Just Kevin  here?"

"Oh, don't mind, it's only me," Kevin laughed.

"I didn't mean that," Ryan snorted. "The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"I'll help," Jackson offered, walking up to the bar to help carry back  beer bottles, plus a Coke for Cam. "Noah's supposed to be here any time  now, too. I haven't heard from anyone else yet, but we'll just see who  shows up."

"Fair enough. How was your week?"

"Ohhh, so many pieces. I got an order of three hundred rails."

Ryan shrugged. "Whatever pays, eh? Who's it from?"

Jackson took a couple open beer bottles when they were handed over.  "Derek  –  the guy who's in charge of the new subdivision from Frontier  Homes."

"Oh, yeah, I know him. He seems all right." Ryan handed over cash with a  nod of thanks to the bartender and grabbed the other three.

As Jackson caught up on his week, his gaze wandered back to Cameron. "He told you the news yet?"

"No? I don't think so," Ryan answered. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you at the table."

They slid in moments later, just as Noah came in. He always swished his  way around, a bit like Thomas. His mannerisms made Jackson smile fondly.

A quick glance at his brother showed him looking just as enchanted as  ever. Cameron's eyes lit up as he stood up to greet his boyfriend with a  kiss and pull a chair out for him. Noah wore a vest and collared shirt  and tie  –  he'd been curating some art show or another, then.

"Hi, guys," Noah greeted, then took his beer with a smile and sipped it. He managed not to wince. "Thanks."

Jackson chuckled. Noah didn't really drink beer, but around the guys he made an exception for bonding purposes. "Thank Ryan."

"Nah," Ryan waved it off. "So Cam has news?"         

     



 

Cameron sank back into his chair, his expression tighter as he grabbed  his bottle of Coke. Since going on beta blockers, he was banned from  drinking. "I got the letter with my surgery date."

"Oh, shit," Kevin exclaimed. He didn't know the full extent of Cameron's  undiagnosed heart condition. That May, he'd come home from Toronto just  as he'd been on the verge of being drafted. When he'd bowed out of the  hockey club Kevin captained, Cam had dropped hints. Everyone knew he was  waiting on surgery.

Noah smiled, glancing back at Cameron. "He's been waiting for months  now. The specialist okayed him. It's been hell with all the specialists  deciding what exactly he needs done and where..."

"I bet," Ryan frowned. "Good job, man. When is it?"

"December."

Noah added, "I still can't believe they won't get him in sooner..." For  once, he looked pissed, his dark brows drawing together protectively.

"I was lucky even to get all those specialist appointments over the  summer," Cameron reminded Noah. He rubbed his boyfriend's arm. "I got  ahead of a lot of people." He glanced at the others. "It's an obscure  procedure, they told me. Takes a real pro to do it, and there's only a  couple in the country."

Noah loosened his tie, the fight going out of him. "Right."

"How long does recovery take?" Ryan asked.

"Hard to say," Cameron answered, his jaw tight. "The first couple months  are riskiest. I can't exercise hard. Even afterwards... that depends."

"Damn," Kevin shook his head. "And I was just getting used to telling  people we got a pro on our team." That broke the mood a little and  everyone chuckled. "Glad you're getting treatment finally, though, man.  My partner took months to get specialist referrals..."

As the others lapsed into conversation about the healthcare system,  Jackson's mind wandered again. He kept glancing at Cameron and Noah.  They'd scooted their chairs closer together so their arms touched. Noah  reached out to play with Cameron's hair now and then or adjust his  collar.

Jackson's heart squeezed with yearning. Maybe he should get dating...  but every gay guy he knew here just wasn't a fit. But there could be  some who just didn't hang out with his crowd of beer-loving,  hockey-playing guys.

Online dating could be an option.

Hell with it, maybe he'd meet someone new and... get some stress out.  Best-case scenario, he could get a date or two. Hanging out with friends  was fine, but he had to avoid becoming a romantic hermit.



"What am I doing?" Jackson groaned as he leaned back in his computer  chair. His small office was covered in paperwork for his business, but  he kept one desk clear for his computer.

He was going to have to bring his laptop to the couch and brainstorm.

Once he settled on the couch in the living room, Jackson opened his profile again and stared at it.

What defined him? What would men find appealing, aside from the  blacksmith thing? That did get him a lot of attention, and he wasn't  ashamed to admit it was kind of nice. But what would be interesting  about the rest of him?

He bit his lip. Perpetual bachelor blacksmith who puts his family first? Not a great line.

Jackson wrote something to that effect: he was looking for fun dates and  maybe settling down with the right guy. He wrote that he put family and  his partner first, but that his blacksmithing work was also important  to him.

It seemed so bare compared to the profiles he'd glanced over already.  Everyone interesting had stuff to say about their job or their hobbies.  The guys with bare profiles didn't catch his eye, and he knew they'd  look at his bare profile the same way.