Heavy Sting: Picnic-Bee-Lotion= 3 Little Words Challenge

Jasmine loved Blake. Blake loved Jasmine. But Blake refused to babysit, not that night and any other night.

“I can’t,” Blake said quietly to Justin. “I’d love to, but Brian really freaked Ted out. You know you can bring her over anytime you want to visit though.”

Justin huffed and rubbed another layer of sun block onto his arms. “Fucking, Brian,” he mumbled.

Blake laughed sympathetically. “Getting married was a big step for Ted,” he told Justin. “We aren’t like you and Brian. Just because we’ve known one another almost as long as you two have, our relationship is much different.”

Justin put a small drop of the water-babies lotion in his palm and spread it on Jasmine’s exposed skin. “I understand, believe me, I do. It took me years to get Brian to admit he loved me aloud. When Brian actually gave in and agreed to have Daphne carry a baby for us, I thought I was imagining things.”

“How did you win the argument? Brian said Ted had something to do with it?”

“Yeah, he did.” Justin grinned at the memory. “I sort of went behind Ted’s back and got him to financially plan out our future for me. So when I broached the subject with Brian, I was completely prepared. He’d kept saying he wasn’t ready, Kinnetik wasn’t in a good spot financially, and he wouldn’t have the time to be around the baby. So the plan assured him that he would have the time if he delegated some responsibilities at work, which he saw that he could afford to do. I asked him to tell me when he would be ready and not to use Kinnetik as an excuse, if he would ever or not, because I couldn’t keep hoping and waiting. Finally he just agreed.”

“It was that easy?” Blake asked in disbelief.

Justin shook his head. “Of course not,” he chuckled. “After that, there were still a million things I had to reassure Brian about, and then there was the whole ‘getting Daphne pregnant’, figuring out what role she would play in the baby’s life. There were a million reasons not to have a child with Brian.”

Brian waltzed over to where Justin was sitting. He thrust his finger into Justin’s face. “Do you see this?”

Justin looked at Brian’s hand. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“I got stung by a fucking bee!” Brian pointed to the small bump.

“When?” Justin asked, if it were him, he’d be crying. He laughed at that thought.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” Brian sneered. “I have no idea when it happened, I just looked down and bam!”

“Bam?” Justin asked.

“Bam!” Blake giggled.

“Oh fuck off and give me my child,” Brian demanded, bending down and taking her from Blake.

“Shouldn’t you put something on it?” Justin asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, now,” Brian told Justin kissing Jasmine’s cheek. “She’s all the medicine I need.”

“You didn’t just say that,” Justin gasped, his laughter uncontrollable now.

Brian glared at him and then turned his attention to Blake. “If you ever tell anyone I’ll make it even harder for you to get what we have,” he threatened.

Blake’s eyes widened and his laughter halted immediately. “I’d prefer if you would make it easier,” he said quietly.

Justin slapped Brian’s thigh. “Don’t be a fucker, Brian. Blake’s been giving us reprieve, remember?”

“This surprise picnic has taken a toll on my nerves,” he explained it as though it were an apology. “I’ll see what I can do about making it easier,” Brian barked and walked away, headed toward Ted.

Blake smiled at Justin. “I suppose there are a million reasons why you did it, too.”

“A million and one,” Justin said, his eyes following Brian. “And the reason that tipped the scales was a big one.”

TBC In Heavy Saccharine