High Heat (Hotshots 2)

“Sounds great.” Rain leaned down to brush a kiss across his cheek before hooking Cookie up to her leash. “I’ll be back soon. She’s all healed now, so we can run a little.”

After switching out of his shirt into something more comfortable, Garrick made quick work of chopping vegetables at the table, then transferred them to a skillet with a can of lentils. He was just checking his taco seasoning to make sure it was vegetarian when Rain came back in with Cookie, breathing hard and looking sexy all flushed and wide-eyed with his hair falling out of its topknot.

“Tell me about work,” Rain demanded as he undid his hair.

“Uh.” Garrick blinked, momentarily mesmerized by Rain’s hair, unrestrained for the first time, curly and wild and longer than he’d thought. He wanted to feel it on his skin, and the rush of desire made him a little lightheaded. “Sorry. Work. Yes. That. Mainly boring. More workplace safety videos and insurance paperwork, but there’s actually something you might be interested in.”

“Oh?” Rain bundled his hair back up, then washed his hands. He set the table while Garrick told him about the position Tucker had available. “Yeah, I could give that a try. Would you be my boss though? I don’t want to have to sneak around.”

“No sneaking around. Just being professional. I...uh...kinda mentioned to Tucker that we were...social.” He figured Tucker’s word was as good as any for describing the weird limbo land he and Rain occupied of not dating but also not platonic either.

“You did?” Rain’s small, pleased smile was all the confirmation Garrick needed that he’d done the right thing not trying to hide whatever they had going from Tucker. “Maybe we can be more social after dinner. Did you get anything...interesting from the doctor?”

“No prescription yet. She wants me to see a urologist because apparently there’s a couple of different kinds of pills they usually try first, but there’s also some tests the urologist can do on function.” Somehow it was easier talking about this with Rain than the doctor herself.

“That’s great news. That means there’s options for you.” Rain nodded enthusiastically as he retrieved the condiments Garrick had set on the counter for their tacos.

“And the urologist’s office called already. They actually have an opening next week. But I need a favor.” Garrick took his plate and started drowning his share of the taco filling in cheese and salsa.

“Sure. Anything.” Unlike Garrick’s ode to cheddar, Rain more sedately added a green salsa and extra cilantro to his portion.

God. Asking anyone for a favor was hard but especially Rain, even knowing he’d agree. Garrick took and swallowed a bite before figuring out how best to word his request.

“Can you give me a ride to it? I’d kinda rather not involve my dad and have to explain what the latest appointment is for. I told him today’s was for a neurologist follow-up, and he was cool. And he’d be fine with the other but...”

“You’d rather not talk about your sex life with your dad. I get it. I love my parents, who were always super open with us about stuff like that, and I still wouldn’t want them knowing everything about my private time. Does he know you’re pan or should I be more careful around him?” Rain had seen Garrick’s dad on several occasions, and while Garrick was pretty sure his dad had no idea what to make of Rain, he was his usual affable self around him, lecturing Garrick but polite to Rain.

“Just be yourself. I told him last year. Prior to the accident. A friend of mine on the crew was out, and a few more of the other rookies were various flavors of LGBTQ and I was just...tired of hiding it. Tired of it feeling like it was an open secret among most of my crowd, but not something I ever talked about outside it.”

“I feel you. There comes a point where not talking about something becomes almost this deafening roar, and you just want to get it out there.”

“Exactly. And anyway, there was Jacob, out and not getting hassled, and there was my other friend, stupid in love with Jacob but not really out, and it created...tension. I knew they had feelings, and I kinda tried to prod them in the right direction by making like I might go there with Jacob. And I wanted my other friend to stop being such a dumbass and just live his life already. Finally, they’re together now, and it all worked out, and somewhere in the whole thing, I ended up coming out as pan to more people, including Dad.”

“You’re a good friend.” Rain leaned over and squeezed Garrick’s biceps. “And your dad? How’d he take it?”

“Dad was okay. Tried to chalk it up to the fact that I love sex and have always made no bones about that fact, but I tried to explain that it wasn’t about being... I dunno...indiscriminate, but a legit way that attraction works for me. Like how I’m wired thing and not a ‘Garrick wants to double his dating pool’ thing. I’m not sure if he truly understood that part, but he wasn’t mean about it either.”