How to Kiss and Other Treats

Jimmy didn't have a lot of memories of holidays from his youth. He usually got a new set of skates on Christmas from Darren, ate a heavy meal on Thanksgiving, and got a little chocolate on Easter. He could sometimes see fireworks from the MacElroy house on the Fourth of July, and Coach used his lunch break to plant a tree on Arbor Day. New Year's Eve just meant Darren got drunk and locked himself in his room for few hours, but that wasn't much different from usual. Coach would never work on New Year's Day, and when Jesse was hired, he didn't, either. None of those days really stood out; Jimmy had better memories of the Blueberry Festival, which Darren took him to every year to show off his parenting skills (well, primarily to admire the racehorses from the area, but Jimmy wasn't going to argue no matter what he said, because it was the only time he had that wasn't strictly monitored by his adoptive father).

What stood out was one October 31, when Jimmy was fifteen. He only vaguely understood that it was even a holiday — he couldn't even remember it being celebrated at the orphanage, and he suspected the nuns had chosen not to celebrate a holiday that promoted mischief. So, when Jesse asked him what he was "going as" for Halloween, Jimmy just stuttered something about spending the night studying as usual.

Jesse would have none of that. He wasn't all that close to Jimmy — not as fond of him as Coach was, anyway — but he still cared about the kid and couldn't believe the restrictions his father placed on him. With a little bit of manipulation that Jimmy missed, Coach helped out, too, distracting the elder MacElroy long enough for Jesse to get Jimmy out of the house, muttering about it being his "last chance to have any sort of childhood."

He was simultaneously excited and terrified. He'd only disobeyed his father enough times to count on one hand, but he was getting out of the house, and something about being dressed as a cowboy and getting candy for it made his heart thump in his chest.

Half of the houses had scoffed at the tall, gangly teen dressed in barely-fitting chaps over jeans, a too-small hot atop his blond curls, but Jimmy couldn't help but be pleased, and Jesse was happy for him, watching him almost like a parent from the curb as he went up to each house, occasionally waving to groups of small children as they passed. Darren confiscated most of the candy when he returned, but he was still happy, and Jesse saved a few bags of Skittles for him.

After he was disowned, Jimmy was compelled to try his best to repeat the excitement of that night. He quickly found that it was no longer acceptable for him to go door-to-door — his first clue was a group of twelve-year-olds pointing and laughing at his bunny costume — but after a bit of searching he knew he could find an open house party somewhere. Sometimes people would recognize him, but for the most part people were unaware of who he was or couldn't tell with his costume on; he wasn't sure whether he was really glad or not for that, but it at least meant he didn't have to sign autographs when he could be bobbing for apples, eating cleverly decorated food, or having a drink.

The Halloween after he and Chazz won the gold medal was no different. Only at the last moment, however, did it occur to him that he might as well go with Chazz, ho probably knew some place they could go directly to instead of just popping in somewhere randomly.

Only when he remembered he didn't have a costume did he realize it was a bad, bad idea to party with Chazz.

They'd moved into a house together; they didn't want to impose on Coach any longer, but they knew it was better to stay close, at least, and it cut the price of things down a little. Plus, he had to be the one to wake Chazz up most mornings, and occasionally it was even fun for Jimmy... when he wasn't trying to clean up his housemate's latest mess or block out the sounds of some moaning woman.

Moaning women who apparently left their clothing behind quite often, Jimmy realized as he sat on a chair in Chazz's room. He didn't dare sit on the bed — he didn't want to even think about it, knowing what had gone on on top of it so often. He tried very hard not to think that it might've happened in the chair, too.

"Every guy has to dress like a chick for Halloween at least once," Chazz insisted, digging through his closet and occasionally tossing articles of clothing onto the bed. "It's to prove you're man enough not to care about looking like a girl."

Jimmy wasn't sure that was true, but didn't bother to say anything. He flushed slightly when Chazz came out of his closet, examining all that had landed on his bed before picking up a red skirt, a pink tank top, and a bra that looked as though it had once supported a very large pair of breasts. "Those aren't clean."

Chazz rolled his eyes, but decided there was enough time before the party to throw them in the wash. A little while later, Jimmy found himself on the edge of his bathtub, the skirt and tank top on and knees pulled together, Chazz giving him a quick once-over. "I guess you don't need the bra. You look enough like a girl after all, MacElroy."

Jimmy narrowed his eyes in spite of his embarrassment. "Then maybe you should go as a cow. There's a natural resemblance."

"Cowboy," Chazz said, smirking and pulling at his vest proudly. "Maybe you should just grow a vagina, since you fit the part so well already."

"I'd rather not have you trying to get into my pants, thanks." Jimmy crossed his arms.

Strangely, Chazz didn't reply to the barb. "You've got lipstick and that stuff, don't you?"

"It's chapstick," Jimmy lied. Technically it was lipgloss.

"Whatever. You can handle that part better than me, since you have those 'feminine whales' and all."

"Wiles, and no, I don't."

"Just go put it on."

"Don't I need a wig or something?" Jimmy asked, looking in the mirror.

"Like I said, MacElroy, you already look like a girl, hair included."

Jimmy frowned, fingering a lock of his hair. It was not girly.

Okay, maybe it was a little girly. By the end of their first half-hour at the party, seven men had already propositioned him, stuttering and scurrying away when he first spoke to them. He half-wished he was still dating Katie; unfortunately, a few months into their relationship, she had realized that figure skating, his entire world, was something she had to separate herself from. They promised to stay friends and keep in touch, but they hadn't kept their word very well. He knew that was was living in Kansas, working with children in one way or another, and that she'd gotten a cat, but other than that she was almost a stranger to him.

Almost everyone at the party — which was a private one, and Chazz knew the hostess personally — was well on their way to being drunk. Although he had tried beer, wine, and hard lemonade, Jimmy had not quite yet reached that point, and wasn't sure he wanted to from the way even Chazz sometimes complained of hangovers. He could still hear his father bemoaning the evils of drink (even as he downed scotch himself); it would ruin Jimmy's focus, disrupt his good habits, and destroy the sport for him. He no longer fully believed it, but it still lingered in his mind.

The alcohol was the only thing he could think to blame when a man dressed as a vampire — if vampires wore fake plastic teeth that kept falling out and ragged capes with stains, anyway — swept up to him and, without a word, kissed him.

Thankfully, it ended as quickly as it started. It took Jimmy a moment to realize the plastic fangs were now hanging from his lips, and even longer to notice that the vampire-man hadn't ended it voluntarily.

"Hey Chazz," the man slurred, smiling lazily at the taller man. "How's it hanging?"

"It's hanging like your face will be if I catch you with Miss MacElroy again, Pat." Jimmy was about to protest the "Miss" part of that and point out that the threat didn't make any sense, but Pat seemed to get it anyway, nodding and backing away, bumping into someone dressed as a giant baby. Chazz glared after him for a few seconds, then turned to his partner. "You okay, Jimmy?"

He nodded quickly, tossing the fangs into a trash bin with a napkin. "Yeah, that was just—"

"Did you want it?"

Jimmy wanted to insult Chazz for even insinuating such a thing, but when he looked into his eyes...

The looked they fixed on Jimmy was intense, with a fire behind it that didn't speak just of anger for his best friend. Jimmy stared back, wondering if he really was ice, and feeling a little like he was melting.

"No."

"Let's get out of here," Chazz said quickly, and as he turned to leave, Jimmy just followed.

He didn't even get to bob for apples.

Only when they were in the car did Jimmy realize something was wrong. Or maybe not wrong, but... off. "What the hell was that about, you douche?"

"He was doing the tongue tango with you, Jimmy!" Chazz said from behind the wheel, which, on reflection, probably wasn't a great idea either. Chazz had definitely been drinking, and was possibly a little too emotional to handle himself. "And I know Pat, dude — when he's drunk he doesn't care if 'gina or bologna pony he's riding. He'd have been spanking you like a dirty schoolgirl in minutes."

"I can handle myself, moron." He was strong, too — he'd been the one to throw Chazz for the Iron Lotus, after all, and that was no small feat.

"It's my duty to protect you — as your best friend," Chazz exclaimed, adding the second part quickly, somehow keeping his eyes on the road even as he gestured almost violently with his left hand. "It's — it's like your ass is my ass, now, and I know I wouldn't want my ass violated by that guy."

Jimmy couldn't think of a way to reply to that. The rest of the ride went in silence. Both thought about turning around, cursing Pat and wondering just what had gone so wrong.

It was only when they turned on the kitchen lights that they spoke again.

"Look, Jimmy, I'm sorry, I just thou—"

"Thanks, Chazz."

The older skater looked almost like he'd been slapped in the face. "What?"

"Thanks, Chazz." Jimmy sighed, not looking directly at him. Even after almost a year of near-constant companionship, it was still hard to admit he was wrong to his partner, even indirectly. "You were just trying to help. I know."

Chazz smiled, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. Apparently he hadn't finished getting his buzz for the night. "Thanks, Jimmy. He was doing it all wrong, anyway."

Jimmy's brow furrowed. "What?"

"He was doing it wrong."

"What do you mean? He did what you taught me." Oh, God, why were they even having a conversation about kissing another guy?

"For you to kiss Katie, yeah. But for someone to kiss you..." Chazz paused, taking a gulp of his beer. "For you, it has to be different."

"How?" Apparently there was a lot more to kissing someone than Jimmy had ever realized.

"Well, not like kissing a girl," Chazz scoffed, and Jimmy was almost flattered. "You'd have to tease a bit with someone like you, and then..."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow when Chazz stopped again. "And then?"

Chazz set down his beer, sighing. "It's— It's like this."

It was just like at the party, at first. Chazz swept in, and if Jimmy hadn't just been watching him he would never had noticed him coming. But then — then it was different. Instead of grabbing his neck, as Pat had, he cupped one hand against Jimmy's face, the other resting gently on his shoulder, giving him enough space and slack to back away if he wanted to. But Jimmy found that he didn't really want to, because he liked the way Chazz bit at his lower lip, running his tongue across it before venturing into his mouth. Jimmy opened for him readily, almost an automatic response now that he knew how to do it right.

Chazz was right, it was different. Kissing Katie had felt like an accomplishment, a shiver running through him every time he did it right, like a perfect maneuver on the ice. Kissing Chazz — being kissed by Chazz — was more like temptation, like the urge to run from his father on Halloween to get candy he wasn't supposed to have. It tasted like beer, too — another forbidden pleasure. It wasn't sweet, and it wasn't holding hands, but it was most definitely arousing. Somehow, he felt like Jesse would approve.

When Chazz backed off, closing his eyes tightly, Jimmy leaned against the table in the kitchen, his legs splayed slightly, breathing hard. "Uh."

"That," Chazz said, looking like he was recovering but not opening his eyes, "is how you should be kissed."

"Yeah." He couldn't disagree. His dick certainly agreed, though the skirt sort of covered that. Jimmy wasn't sure he wanted it to. He cleared his throat. "Um, Chazz?"

"Yeah, Jimmy?" His eyes were still closed, even as he ran his tongue over his lips. After that, Jimmy knew he couldn't resist.

"There's something else you never taught me how to do." Cautiously, he spread his legs further, and as the material of the skirt was pulled, his erection became more visible.

Chazz opened his eyes and groaned.

"Katie and I didn't..."

He didn't need to finish. Chazz was there, between his legs, his hand going up his skirt as the other pushed him back onto the table. Even as he bent down to kiss him again, Chazz breathed against his lips, mumbling, "You can't do this to a sex addict, Jimmy."

Jimmy just wrapped his legs around Chazz's waist, pulling him in. He bit his lip as he felt Chazz's erection against his ass. He didn't reach up for the kiss. "I was a cowboy for Halloween, once."

"Not as good as me, though."

"No. I'm a better girl than you, though."

"You're not a girl." Chazz's hand moved up from his chest, his humb brushing across Jimmy's lips. "You're Jimmy. It's different with you."

"Show me," Jimmy challenged, tightening his legs. "Show me how you have sex with someone like me."

"I'll show you all the pleasures of the Chazz Michael Michaels Experience," Chazz whispered, and they were kissing again, finally, and his hand was moving, rubbing slow over his underwear, teasing, just like everything Chazz did to set Jimmy off.

Jimmy put his hands in Chazz's hair, feeling the Mane and Tail, the Verticoli, pulling him in. He could never refuse Chazz. When they fought, everything he said set him off. It didn't seem to be any different when they kissed.

Chazz stopped rubbing long enough to yank Jimmy's underwear down, and with a clumsy jumble of legs, it was off and Jimmy was bare, the skirt pushed up enough to show off his cock. He blushed a little, but he couldn't stay embarrassed when Chazz's hand fell back on it, stroking slowly. His head fell back as he moaned, and Chazz took the opportunity to suck at his neck.

Jimmy felt heat behind his eyes, traveling down toward his groin, but before it reached its destination Chazz let go of him, backing up and shuffling through his pockets. Jimmy looked at his quizzically, his eyes widening slightly when the other man produced a small tube of lubricant and several condoms.

"Cowboys are always prepared," Chazz explained, and though Jimmy didn't think that was quite right, he didn't protest. His breath hitched when a slick finger pushed into his ass gently. It was uncomfortable, even a little painful, and it didn't get any better as he pushed in, adding a second finger. He gasped when a third was added, trying not to whine in pain. "Don't worry — Chazz will make it better. Like a doctor, but with my penis."

Jimmy wanted to know how something so uncomfortable would possibly get better, but before he could ask he had his answer. His toes curled and his hands went back to Chazz's hair, gripping it. "Oh," was all he could manage, letting out one long, slow breath and then many short ones.

"Time for daddy's medicine," Chazz said, pulling his fingers out. Jimmy sighed, letting his head roll back. He knew he wasn't going to last for long.

A little fear ran up his spine when he felt what could only be Chazz's cock press against his ass, slick like his fingers had been, and he could almost hear his tutor and his father lecturing him simultaneously about how unclean it was to stick something like that up your ass. It was the last thing he wanted to imagine, so he wrapped his legs around Chazz's waist again, begging him to find that spot again.

"Patient, Lady MacElory," Chazz muttered with humor. Jimmy wished his partner was a little less coherent during sex, too, but he was in control, keeping the push into Jimmy slow, tantalizing, teasing. "Chazz knows what to do to make you happy."

Jimmy let his arms fall to his sides on the table, waiting as patiently as he could, though he tightened his legs periodically as Chazz pushed all the way in, pulled back, thrust in again. He was almost feeling disappointed, remembering to feel uncomfortable again, when Chazz hit the spot on one thrust, making him writhe. Hands on his hips kept him mostly steady, and after a few more thrusts his own hands went to his dick, unable to resist touching himself. He was panting again, moaning every time Chazz angled his thrusts just right, stroking himself quickly until—

He looked into Chazz's eyes and saw the fire again, just as he felt it burn through him, from his dick to his fingertips and the top of his head. He cried out, something strangled and almost like Chazz's name.

He was still in his pleasant post-orgasmic haze when his hands went up to Chazz's arms, traveling up his shoulders, down his chest. He pushed the vest aside — it was the same one he'd worn back in Stockholm — and hummed, barely thinking as he thumbed Chazz's nipples through his shirt, remembering how he'd done it to himself as a child, before he'd ever worn his own cowboy costume.

Apparently Chazz was a little more sensitive there, because he let out a deep, loud groan and his thrusts became jerky and frantic. Jimmy felt him still for just a second, and then there was a new, strange feeling, and Chazz collapsed against him, bracing himself against the table in time to avoid crushing the other man and shocking him out of his haze. He breathed deeply, shakily, over Jimmy for a moment before leaning down, kissing him furiously, almost as though he was trying to steal his calmness.

"Can we incorporate the two lessons?" Jimmy asked when Chazz pulled away, removing the condom and wiping up the table with a washcloth (that Jimmy made a mental note to throw in the wash as soon as he could move again).

"I'll see what I can do," Chazz said, yawning.

"Bed?" Jimmy suggested, feeling tired himself.

"Couch." It was closer, anyway,

"Okay."

"Jimmy, are you even concentrating out there?" Coach barked two days later as they ran through exercises, preparing to practice a new routine.

"Sorry, Coach," Jimmy said, fighting not to wince. The day off after Halloween would have helped the pain in his ass if they hadn't gone right back to the activity that had caused it in the first place. "I'm just a little distracted."

"Well, you've got to— is that a hickey?"

Jimmy blushed and covered the mark with his hand. "It's just— uh, I fell. Against the door."

He didn't look at Coach, and he couldn't look at Chazz — that would be too revealing — so he looked at Jesse instead.

The choreographer smiled, giving him a thumbs up.

Jimmy smiled.