love comes

The next morning, Bruce was awakened by an incomparably wonderful aroma.He sat up, rubbed his eyes drowsily, then glanced at the foot of the bed, only to find that the little glove had left.His company was clearly no match for freshly baked bacon.His stomach growled at the thought of bacon.He yawned as he shuffled from the bedroom into the dining room.The small dining table covered with delicacies came into view, which made him stop in his tracks.Where the fuck did this come from?

As if hearing his question, Jess came out of the kitchen, and Bruce couldn't help blinking several times to make sure he was right.God, this man is... beautiful.It would be unfair to say that he just changed his mental attire.

Fortunately, Jess just put a plate of toast on the table and didn't notice Bruce's blank look at all.

"I wanted to make you breakfast as a thank you, and I hope you don't mind. I don't know what you like, so I made a little of everything."

"You did all this?" Bruce was dumbfounded.He's pretty sure the only things in his freezer are a few eggs, a morsel of cheese, and a few strips of bacon.

"Yes. Hope you like it."

Jace poured them each a cup of coffee, and sat down with him at the table.The food was so delicious that just one bite was enough to make Bruce melt.My god, this man knows how to cook - not like Bruce who nearly set the house on fire just by poaching an egg.

"How did I just meet you now?" he moaned, stuffing a forkful of food into his mouth.Bruce looked up occasionally and almost choked on the egg - Jace's reaction was quite different from what he expected, his cheeks flushed bright pink as he stared down at his plate.Bruce suddenly realized that there are more delicacies that make his index finger move more than eggs.To make matters worse, when Jace met his gaze, he seemed willing to be Bruce's meal.They can't do that.The hapless bastard had enough trouble already, and getting a shot would only complicate the situation.After all, the last thing Bruce wanted was for Jace to think he was trying to get something out of him.Maybe that was why Jace was blushing, not because the young man was gay himself.Bruce had been in it long enough to understand that assumptions like that could kill.

That sort of thing could happen at a certain time and place, but it shouldn't be in his living room, or between him and a strange man.He'd heard of cops who lured men like himself so they could be sent to jail.Useless bastard.If anyone wasn't cautious, they were unlucky, but trapping?This touches Bruce's bottom line.He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to breakfast. "It was really good. Thanks."

"Oh, uh, of course." There's a hint of disappointment in Jace's voice, but Bruce thinks it must be - probably - for the best.

Jess chatted about sports, and before they knew it, they were talking about the weather, the news, the radio, the movies, and many, many other things.This is very strange.Chatting with Jace felt natural, as if they were old acquaintances, and Jace had a sense of humor even after all he'd been through.Soon, the most worrying part of the morning came, and Bruce stood up.He told himself again that this was the best arrangement.

"I should go," Jess said, following him to his feet, "I don't know how to thank you, maybe one day, when I'm on my feet again, I'll come back and visit you, and we can eat together lunch."

"Or dinner," Bruce said without thinking.The sad smile on Jace's face was overwhelming, and Bruce couldn't help saying the words that were lingering in his head, "Then, I know a way for you to repay me right now."

Jess lifted his spirits, "Really?"

"My secretary is engaged, and I'm going to put an ad in the paper, but maybe... well, the pay isn't great, the hours are terrible, and you'll have to put up with my bad temper [-]/[-], but it's a steady job work, and I am not behind on salary.

"You're going to give me a job?" Jess asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"That's right. You used to be a bank, so you have all the necessary skills. Also, as my assistant, you can help me with cases. I'll pay you some salary in advance so you can find yourself a decent place to live, Buy some more clothes that fit. You're doing me a huge favor, really. I have to warn you, I'm a pain in the ass when I don't have my coffee in the morning. Actually, that's putting it mildly. I spend most of the day Just as annoying. I also break things a lot. A lot of stuff. I also lose things from time to time."

"I...I don't know what to say," Jace said softly, tears filling his eyes.

Bruce stepped forward and slapped him on the back, "God, you're scared to tears. I'm not that bad."

Jess smiled, then wiped his eyes: "If the little glove can handle it, I'm sure I can too."

A "meow" came from under the table, which amused them all. "Okay, then it's settled." Bruce knelt down and rewarded the little glove with a piece of bacon, "Now that the hostess has spoken."

Bruce lent Jess an old bomber jacket, and they walked together to the office, where Bruce spent the morning orienting the young man around and giving him assignments.To his relief, Jace was full of energy and eager to try.After he explained the matter to the child, he returned to his desk.

***

The second day passed very slowly, most people came to ask questions, and the same was true for the third day.When it came to Valentine's Day, the office was dead silent.Of course that means the rest of the day, when people take off their rose-tinted glasses, they're going to be busy.

Bruce sat up at the desk with his feet up, trying to focus on the cheap novel in his hand and not on Jace.The latter was busy like a little bee-sucking, dusting, scrubbing, cleaning up old newspapers, and organizing everything that appeared in front of him.Bruce had to admit, the kid was driven to do anything.His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his shirt collar was unbuttoned, and he was frowning in concentration.Bruce was about to continue reading his novel when Jace knelt down and started scrubbing the stains off the floor, his hips facing Bruce's eyes.Bruce allowed himself a moment to carefully admire the firm, round, toned ass.Then this "moment" prolongs uncontrollably, and he finds himself burning hot.

So far, they've managed to maintain a friendly distance, and Bruce has to admit with shame that he even has to rely on his little gloves to keep his thoughts from thinking about Jace, and when he finds himself lost in Jace's pale blue eyes, Bruce turns to him. She "asked for help".The cat was curled up on the table with her white paws on, staring at Bruce, like she knew what he was thinking and wasn't surprised.Bruce also insisted that Jace not rush to find his own place, which did not help his love.They were sitting at dinner early last night, after a brief, tense, and mostly fruitless search, when the golden idea popped up.They've got some new clothes for Jace, but haven't found a suitable place to live yet.The places Jace could afford were either already populated by a colony of rats or a colony of men, and Bruce didn't want Jace to stay in a shabby shared house.Bruce's apartment might not be as good as the Taj Mahal,[1] but it was clean, with running water and a private bathroom.Jace was so moved that he hugged Bruce, who patted the boy on the back awkwardly, before muttering an excuse to go to the bathroom.

Bruce threw his book on the table, stood up and walked to the window.He needs some fresh air.It wasn't until the window somehow got stuck halfway that he realized how distraught he was.He leaned awkwardly on the window sill and slammed on the window frame with his left hand.Just then, the little glove yelled, and as soon as he turned his head, the window fell and caught his hand.

"Damn it, son of a bitch!" he growled, pulling his hand free.This was obviously unwise, because the back of his hand was cut open.

"God, Bruce, are you okay?" Jace ran over and tried to check his wound.

"No, I'm no good! The damn window fell on my hand, and it's all your fault!"

"My fault? How could it be my fault?"

"You—" Well, Bruce, you tell him exactly why it's his fault. "Forget it, I'm fine."

Jess sighed exasperatedly and headed for the small bathroom, shouting over his shoulder, "You're not all right. You cut yourself." Seconds later, he was holding cotton balls, bandages, and iodine came back.He drags Bruce over to the table, then pushes him to sit on the corner of the table. "Give me your hand."

"No need, Scarlett. I'll do it myself."

"My name is Scarlett," Jace corrected.

"No, it's Scarlett. Because you make a fuss like a chick. I'm not a kid anymore."

"You're not, but you're acting like a kid. Give me your hand. I mean it, Shannon."

This was his "reward" for allowing himself to fall into a pair of beautiful blue eyes.He reluctantly handed Jace his hand, and Bruce pretended he didn't see the smile on the other's face when he saw Bruce frowning from the iodine stung.Well, this hurts, damn it.

"Okay, how does it feel?" Jace asked softly, leaning towards Bruce, his thumb caressing the bandage he had just wrapped, causing a tingling pain that spread down his entire arm.

"Well, it feels okay," he muttered sadly.

"Does it hurt?"

You can't imagine how much it hurts. "Somewhat."

Jace stared at Bruce's lips, then let go of Bruce's hand as if suddenly awake. "I'll clean this up. Let me know if you need anything."

"Oh, fuck it." Bruce tugged Jace closer so their lips collided.Jace's surprise was quickly replaced by hunger, and he wrapped his arms around Bruce's neck, eagerly tasting his lips.He pushes Bruce down on the table and rides on top of him.Things fell to the ground, and the little glove wisely walked away.

Thank God, his table is very strong.He certainly had nothing to complain about.Jace's slender, supple body was perfectly wedged into Bruce's strong embrace, and as Bruce explored every nook and cranny of Jace's mouth with his tongue, he realized he had never tasted anything sweeter than this.The raw, burning desire between them was so strong that Bruce let himself be carried away by it.

Jace ran his hand through Bruce's hair, and Bruce's hand slid down Jace's soft, alluring ass. .God, this guy is as hard as he is.Panting back, Jace fumbled to unbuckle Bruce's belt when there was a yell from outside the door.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Bruce jumped up and accidentally threw Jace off of him, and Jace fell heavily to the floor, whimpering in pain.Damn.Bruce immediately helped him up and looked him over carefully.

"Sorry. Are you okay?"

"Well," Jace replied, scratching the back of his head, "I'm fine. I forgot where we were."

"Me too," Bruce said, still a little breathless, "Damn it, Scarlett. We gotta be more careful next time. We'd all end up on the streets if we got caught—if those big guys I knew weren't going to Throw me into the Hudson first."

Jace adjusted his clothes, then quickly set Bruce's desk back in place, a big, crappy smile on his face.

"What's with that look?" Bruce asked, smoothing his clothes and hair.

"I'm thinking about next time." Jess smiled.

Bruce is better at hiding his crappy smile than he is. "Shut up and answer the door."

Jace nodded to Bruce with a chuckle, and opened the door as he had ordered.A tall, handsome man with reddish-brown hair stood outside the door.His eyes widened at the sight of Jace, and Jace looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Cecile?"

"Jess?"

No!

-TBC-

[1] The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a five-star luxury hotel opened in Mumbai, India in 1905.