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If a scowl could make a sound, Lucas was pretty sure he heard it. "But it looks good on
me. Put down that stupid thing and check this out."
Sighing, Lucas put down the sextant he'd been looking at -- he was toying with the idea
of collecting pirate and ship memorabilia -- and turned around. The interior of the little gift
shop was lit from above by two skylights that poured pale sunlight into the room. The light
turned Tyler's hair pure white and made him glow like an angel. What appeared to be a brass
chain hung from his neck, the charms it held hitting him just beneath the collarbones.
"What's on it?" Lucas walked over and lifted the charms. "A pair of keys? What do they
open -- a pirate chest?"
"Full of boots that I can use to kick your ass," Tyler retorted. He pulled the keys out of
Lucas' hand. "They're symbolic, but I guess you're too thick to figure it out, new guy."
Lucas didn't take offense. Honestly, it had been a relatively stress-free afternoon which
he definitely hadn't expected when he'd warily accepted Tyler's offer to join him for shopping.
Lucas thought they'd be looking for a birthday gift for Adam, but so far they seemed to only be
shopping for Tyler who, like a bird, was fascinated by shiny junk.
"So if the keys don't open a pirate treasure what do they symbolize?" he asked patiently.
"You had a girlfriend," Tyler sneered. "You figure it out."
Lucas' mind leapfrogged the most obvious answer, but then paused and came back to
sniff it curiously.
"You're not trying to tell me those keys are supposed to represent the keys to Adam's
and my hearts, are you?"
Tyler shrugged stiffly.
Lucas' fingernails dug into his palms. He was sure he was going to draw blood. That or
he was going to have an aneurysm from holding back the laughter that wanted to explode from
his mouth. He had to turn away and pretend to be interested in a plastic mesh bag of silver
pieces of eight that felt suspiciously like aluminum.
When he had himself under control he said, "That's really sweet, Ty."
"You can just fuck yourself."
Tyler whirled, but Lucas managed to catch his arm before he could leave the store. A
good idea too, since he was still wearing the unpaid-for necklace.
"Wait. I'm sorry."
Jerking his arm free, Tyler muttered. "I don't care."
Sometimes, Lucas thought, being involved with Tyler was like having a girlfriend.
"Tyler," he said carefully, "I admit I found it funny at first, but actually it's really cool now that
I think about it. You surprise me, you know? A lot of times I forget that you're, well, not who
you always pretend to be."
Tyler glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't pretend anything. You think
I'm fake?"
"I think you're one of the most honest guys I've ever met."
"Bull--"
"No, Ty. I mean it."
Tyler blinked several times, looking so vulnerable Lucas was glad he and Adam were
his partners and not someone who would take advantage of him.
"If you're happy, you let it show. If you're pissed, you don't hide it," Lucas said. "All
that's real. It's just the attitude that's an act. Half the time I think you try to be the biggest
asshole you can just because it amuses you." He grinned. "And you're usually successful."
Tyler shrugged. "People get on my nerves. Like you. So I do what I need to to drive
them away."
The keys glinted in the sunlight. Lucas touched them with a fingertip. "I'm going to buy
you these."
"Whatever. It feels stupid now to wear them."
"It's not stupid and you're wearing them, but only if you get rid of the shark necklace."
Tyler's hand immediately went to the tooth. It was the gift his ex had given him and
which Tyler continued to wear to teach him a lesson. Lucas was sick of looking at it and all that
it represented.
A sneer passed over Tyler's lips. "Fine. Whatever. This thing is chipped anyway." He
fisted the tooth and yanked it, snapping the cord. He dropped the necklace into a pile of 'gem'
stones. Lucas could have jumped for joy. He wanted to grab a phone and call Adam to tell him
what had happened. But he carefully hid his reaction, not wanting Tyler to pick up the shark
tooth out of sheer, stubborn defiance.
As Lucas turned to go to the register to pay for the necklace, Tyler grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm not telling anyone what the keys mean," Tyler said, almost defiantly. "I'll deny it if
you say anything."
"Why would I care about other people knowing?" Lucas ducked in quickly and kissed
him on the mouth. "I only care about the three of us. Wait here while I pay."
As he paid, he glanced back to make sure Tyler hadn't run off. The other blond stood in
the shaft of sunlight, his head down, arms crossed over his chest. One hand played with the
keys, making them jingle softly.
It felt good to buy the necklace and charms for Tyler. Lucas could tell, as the two of
them continued window shopping, that Tyler was embarrassed, not of the keys but of allowing
Lucas to buy them after he'd admitted what they stood for. But Lucas loved the idea of them.
He wished he hadn't laughed. Maybe he'd been embarrassed at first too. Hearing something like
that from Tyler had blindsided him. It was easy to think about Tyler in terms of sex. Deeper
emotion, well, that was something Lucas had begun attributing primarily to Adam. Tyler had
yet to open up the way Adam had, but maybe this was a step towards that.
"Are we going to pick up Adam's gift?" he asked once they'd stopped at a cart for cups
of frozen acai sprinkled with granola.
"We're not buying his gift." Tyler scowled. "We have to come up with something
unique. Now that you're here we have to make it about both of us."
"Are you sorry you're going to have to share the spotlight?" Lucas teased.
"I just don't want you to screw it up," Tyler shot back. "Which is highly likely since
you're such a prude."
"What's that supposed to mean? We don't have to put on a sex show or something for
him, do we?"
"What if that's what he wants?"
Lucas took a few seconds to consider his answer. "I get that you expect me to say I'll do
whatever he wants, but I've got some self-respect, Tyler. I'm not going to humiliate myself and
I doubt he'd want me to. He told me he's not into that."
Looking disappointed that he couldn't trick Lucas, Tyler dug into his cup again. "Before,
I used to set up some kind of scene that would end up with me looking so hot he'd have to jump
me right there."
"So lying in bed, basically?"
Tyler gave him a look. "I'm serious."
Lucas grinned. "So am I."
"You're so fucking cheesy it's amazing you're not dripping with grease. As I was saying,
there would be some kind of set-up. Like one time we sent him on a scavenger hunt and each
time he found an item I'd remove a piece of clothing. The last item he found was a bottle of
lube and the last thing I was wearing was a thong." Tyler smirked at the memory.
"And then you did the stripper in a box thing," Lucas prompted.
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