Know Your Neighbours

It was 8 the next morning when Remy rolled over and opened his eyes. He had been laying on his right side, facing the back of the sofa. It was hot, under the blanket, and snuggled so close to the back that when he rolled over and pushed the blanket away from him, he shivered. Opening his eyes slowly, he squinted at the bright sunlight that poured into the room.

"Alex." His voice was lethargic the first time he said the name. By the second time, he had sat up and cleared his throat. "Alex...?" Squinting still, he raised his left arm to cover his eyes from the glare.

The pallet on the floor was gone, and Alex was nowhere in sight. Calling for the younger man one last time, Remy stood and steadied himself from swaying before making his way to the stairs. After waking up once, the night before to use the restroom, Remy made notes of what and who was where. He recalled waking up at about 7.30, and seeing the television on with no or little sound, and having Alex help him to the downstairs bathroom, around the corner. Telling Alex to "go home" half a dozen times and getting the same refusal each time, he thought that he had finally made himself clear.

Taking one stair at a time, Remy eased himself up to the top and stood there a moment to shake the drowsiness off before continuing into his room. "T'ought you went home." He spotted the young man sitting on the right side of the bed, hanging up the phone and smiling up at him. Remy had been curious as to who he was on the phone with but dropped it as Alex stood up and came closer to him.

"Uh,-- no, just had a few calls to make and didn't wanna wake you." Sounding as if he had been caught doing something wrong, Alex smiled and kissed Remy's cheek. "What are you doing up here?"

Remy blinked. "I live here." He couldn't resist a sarcastic remark. "Was gonna take a shower and mebbe wake up before I have somet'in to eat."

Alex looked anxious. "Oh. Well, do you need help....? How about a nice long bath, instead?" He wrapped an arm around Remy's back and placed a hand on Remy's chest to hold him up. The look on his face was that of thinking Remy was near death.

Sighing, Remy shrugged the young man off. "I tol' poppa, I'll tell you. Don't baby me. I ain't dead, or dyin. Just wanna take a shower, den mebbe get to work."

"Remy, if you're goin to work-- like that, um, you're gonna get the same reaction from your dad." Alex understood Remy had to do things for himself but he felt warning him was a good step. "Why not let me help you take a shower, and we can catch up on 'things'....? Might as well stay here anyway, your dad called about a half hour ago and asked if you were awake." Sitting back down on the end of the bed that was just a few steps away from Remy, Alex waited for a reply. "I told him you were sound asleep still and he said to let you sleep."

Remy sighed again but didn't look at or answer Alex as he started for the bathroom, across from the bed. He had taken his shoes off when he got up to use the restroom at 7.30. His socks felt funny as he walked across the carpet in them. Stepping from the carpet to tile, in the bathroom, he lowered the lid on the toilet before unbuttoning his jeans. Sitting down on the toiletseat lid to the right of the door, Remy started pulling up on his shirt. The medication he had taken after his restroom trip was taking more time than he liked wearing off. Another deep sigh in annoyance as he turned his head to look at Alex on the bed. "Okay. Come help me." The bathroom was a considerable size for the two of them to fit in. With a spa-bath to the left of the door and the double sink to the right of that, the shower was straight ahead.

That very phrase was music to Alex's ears. It wasn't often that Remy asked for help, and even less that he let someone hang around long enough for him to ask. Eagerly, he stood up and walked over to where Remy sat and began helping him with his shirt. He knew Remy liked hot showers, so in between helping him to stand, Alex leaned over and started the water in the shower. Kissing Remy's lips, he unzipped Remy's jeans before pushing the boxers and denim down to Remy's ankles.

He sat back down and let Alex remove the rest of his clothing before helping him back up and into the shower. Remy leaned against the inside wall and let the door shut between them as he watched Alex divest himself of his own clothing before joining him. The cool, dark brown squares on the wall felt nice as the heat of the water softly blanketed them. Remy hadn't wanted to move, he just wanted to stand there and let Alex wash him and dry him before a possible romp in bed.

Since Alex was under the waterspray, Remy decided to give him the scrub-down treatment first. As Alex picked up the green shampoo bottle, Remy only smiled and shook his head as he took the bottle from him. The blond hair turned light brown as it was weighed down by the water, Remy opened the bottle and poured a puddle of shampoo into his left palm. He replaced the bottle to the inset on the wall, beside them and rubbed his hands with the shampoo. Reaching up and beginning to thoroughly scrub Alex's hair, he was kissed again. Continuing to wash Alex's thick blond hair, Remy smiled and kissed him back.

The soft kisses were the playful ones, and the deeper, more intimate ones were soon to follow. Alex's hands moved over Remy's chest as if he were touching glass. The massaging of his hair was bringing out low moans and hums as his lips caressed Remy's lips, and jawbone, and neck. By the time they reached Remy's collarbone, both men were moaning and smiling.

With his hair full of shampoo and Remy's hands that idly swirled his fingers into the soapy mass, Alex began to work his way down Remy's godlike body. Kisses, licks, and soft breath tickled Remy's collarbone and neck. He had thought he was being pushed back to give Remy some air but Remy only smiled at him and held him back, under the spray to rinse the shampoo out. The same massagings were applied to the water as they were to the soap in Alex's hair to which he only smiled and hummed. Glancing beside him, he scooped up the green conditioner bottle and stepped forward out of the spray.

Remy obliged him with the second bottle and repeated his methods. Nimble fingers tightened as the kisses and licks started again. The hums now came from him as the mouth moved to his chest. Lingering lips on Remy's left nipple made his fingers tighten in Alex's hair even more as a warm, wet tongue soaked the tiny pink nub. His erection was at full attention as Alex kissed his way down to his belly button. Head back, eyes closed and a loud gasp as the tip of Alexs tongue teased the cleft in Remy's belly button.

Glancing up every so often at gasps Remy had made, Alex continued to kiss his way down to his lover's angry erection. He tasted delicious and spicy and sweet all rolled into one with a hint of bitter salt from the sweat that trickled down the flat stomach. Down on his knees, Alex looked up fully to see Remy in near writhing expressions before he smirked and aimed to set the older man into overload. Dragging his tongue slowly up the length of Remy's manhood, he couldn't help but laugh at Remy's quiet gasps and hums, fingers still lazily massaging Alex's hair. Circling the tip of his tongue around the head and dipping every so often into the hole, he paused for breath before swallowing the generous length.

"Unh.... dieu!" Remy gasped quietly, his head was still leaned back and his eyes remained closed until Alex managed to bring him to climax. His hips bucked outward and spasmed as the mouth continued. He opened his eyes and tilt his head forward to watch as Alex's head bobbed there until Remy held him still and came in generous amounts, the tip of his erection nestled nicely against the back of Alex's throat. "Mmm." He breathed, eyes closing again in concentration as the mouth continued to work around him.

When Alex stood up, he caught a brief moment of bliss on Remy's face as he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Turning to return the favour with washing Remy's hair, he was stopped as he reached for the shampoo. A smile quirked as Remy reached for the soap and the blue puff that dangled by a cord that was wrapped around the bottle's neck.

Unravelling the cord and wetting the puff, Remy swirled the soap onto the nylon fabric and began soaping Alex's shoulders and arms. He had turned the younger man around so that his back faced him and lightly scrubbed in tiny swirls down to Alex's tailbone. He giggled and nipped at places on Alex's shoulders and neck that the spray had already washed away the soap. Moving closer and wrapping his left arm around Alex's waist, Remy began soaping inbetween the firm cheeks before setting the puff back onto the alcove and placing his erection into the soapy crack.

Alex moaned and leaned forward, into the spray while Remy's body pressed against his back and lips against his right shoulder. His hand pressed flatly against the wall in front of him and Remy's erection slid slowly into the soapy hole. He gasped as Remy's pelvis met his backside. Gasping even louder as Remy began a slow rhythm and making him spasm backward, into the body that was giving him the wonderful attention.

***********

It was lunchtime, and Alex was in the kitchen staring into the fridge. He had taken the liberty of removing a corner of sheet that was draped over the window, across from the kitchen, to let in more light. Alex bent over with his right hand on the handle of the door, wearing only Remy's white towel around his waist. Beer, boxes of Chinese takeaway, a carton of 2% milk and a jug of Florida orange juice occupied the top shelf and anything below was mainly boxes of pizza and other various condiments. Sighing and reaching for the carton of milk, Alex stood up and opened the carton to take a drink. As he tipped his head back and raised the carton to his lips, he spotted, out of the corner of his eye, Remy's neighbour from across the street coming over with papers in hand. Taking a drink and lowering it before walking over to the door before Logan could ring the bell, Alex opened the door in time.

Logan stood there on the front porchstep and quirked a look at the young man standing in the doorway. "Afternoon. Came to give the kid his mail since I forgot last night, and it looked kinda dark in here. Also figured I'd see how he was doin." Nonchalantly giving Alex the once over, Logan made a note to himself to keep quiet on his thoughts. He decided to take his lunch break to deliver the mail, seeing as he wouldn't be home until later in the evening, Logan had become curious to how Remy was fairing.

Alex leaned on the door with his right shoulder, his right hand held the door just above his head. "He's uh-- upstairs, sleepin. He should be awake this afternoon, if you want to talk to him?"

"Naw, just let him sleep." Handing the mail to Alex, Logan turned and caught a scent on the air that was more than just the musk of sex. Turning back, he added. "Tell him I hope he's feelin better." He smiled as he turned back and headed across the street to his own front door. He could feel Alex's eyes on him as he unlocked the door and went in.

Closing and latching the door, Alex turned around and heard the low hum of his cellphone as it vibrated its way across the bar. Hurrying across the room to answer it, he had just barely said "hello" when the man on the other end began asking him questions. "What...? ......no, not yet....... Look, I haven't had time to-.... Alright! I'll get him to tell me, just don't-- What? Why next week?..... oh. Okay, just.... leave him to me." He was about to hang up when the person on the other end commented again. "Yea yea, you just make sure you have everything ready, that way neither of us'll screw up."

Hanging up, he tucked his phone into a drawer under the counter of the bar and turned to go back upstairs. Making his way to the top stair, he saw Remy sit down on the bed, his side. He sighed. "Great." Walking back into the room, he matched eyes with Remy and continued carefully to the end of the bed and dropped the towel onto the floor. He climbed slowly up to Remy and kissed him before sitting back on his knees and looking at the man who narrowed his eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Who're ya arguin wit'?" Monotonous voice over slitted eyelids. He raised his eyes to the young man to get an answer.

Alex smirked nervously. "Just some business I had to take care of, I guess I should get back to the office....." Before Remy could ask what kind of business, he leaned forward and kissed him as he eased Remy back down to the bed. "Maybe after a nap, hm?"

A hand on Alex's chest pressed them apart. "Don't hide, cher. You in de wrong house for dat."

Eyes blinking widely at him, Alex took a moment to let the emotion sink in before his next move. "Remy, you got nothin to worry about. It's just some business, I'm supposed to talk to a guy that has some information. That's all. Now, can we please crawl under the covers and snuggle..... I'm gettin kinda cold here."

********

Logan walked in and closed the door before reflexively locking it and taking a moment to stare out the peephole at the house across the road. "Hm." He wondered about the boy that met him at the door and reeked of fear and misdealings. Logan stood there a moment longer as he heard soft footsteps on the stairs behind him. "All yer homework done, baby?" Not turning around to see who it was he was talking to, he blinked at the peephole and took a deep breath.

"I haven't had homework since the fourth grade, dad." Stephanie stopped on the stairs and sat down on the third one up from the bottom. "That blond guy is creepy. When I tried to take the mail over and see how Mr. LeBeau was, he was going through his car and acted real skittish when I asked him what he was doing." Knees together and arms folded, resting atop them as they were pulled up to have her feet rest on the next step, she waited for Logan to turn around. "His mind had more doors than a maze. I don't see how Remy keeps company with him."

Giving one last look and blindly reaching to make sure the door was locked, Logan turned around. "I dunno darlin. Remy has his own version of events in his house so, it ain't our call. And I thought we had a deal, don't use your powers on just anybody?" He gave a scolding look that was only half-hearted. His scold turned to curiosity at her words. "What do ya mean, 'more doors than a maze'?" Logan came to sit down beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Stephanie had changed from her school clothes to a shower to her warm sweatsuit and doubleknit socks. Her hair had been still wet but combed back into a long braid that hung down her back. "I mean a maze, like-- well, like he was hiding something. When I interrupted him, he was thinking about some papers in like a notebook or something. Did you see Mister LeBeau?" She turned her head to look at her father as he bit his lip and thought of how Alex answered the door.

"Nope. The kid was asleep and I wasn't about to check on him." As he patted her back, she coughed horribly and made him give her a concerned look and feel for a fever. He had come home to check on her, as she had been home all day with a strange cold. Logan stopped her from going to school when she coughed so hard it gave her a bloody nose at breakfast.

She shrugged and coughed again.

Logan sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna call the doc and get you an appointment. We gotta find out where this came from."

Stephanie nodded and yawned as she lay her head against the bannister.

"Soup?"

She nodded and stood up. "What was wrong with him, anyway?"

"Who?"

"Remy."

Logan was taken aback by her question as she hadn't asked before. "He had somethin wrong with his heart, baby."

Stephanie sat down at the table and watched as Logan gathered the pot and can to make chicken noodle soup. "He doesn't have AIDS, does he?"

He stopped and turned around to meet her eyes. "No. Just somethin was wrong with his heart and that made him sick."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Do homosexuals always have those kind of problems?"

Logan had turned back and started fixing the soup again but stopped once again and spun around, dumbfounded. "Where did you hear that?"

"I saw them kiss and--.....stuff."

"When was this?"

Stephanie shrugged and fidgeted with the salt shaker. "The night that they had a fight over something, and the next morning the ambulance took him away. Remy was upset that the shades were open and something else. Then that Alex guy started kissing him and trying to undress him but Remy pushed him away, that's when he punched Remy and stormed out of the house."

Logan turned the burner on and placed the pot of soup on the orange glow before he turned around to face her. "Darlin, you really shouldn't spy on the neighbours. And two, Remy is a big boy and capable of making his own decisions on his life. Does it bother you that he prefers men?" He came to sit down across from her and folded his hands on the table.

Shrugging again and not bringing her eyes to meet his, Stephanie added. "Not really. He just seems like he would have women hanging all over him,..... not men."

"How do you know he doesn't?"

She sighed and kept her stare averted from him until he got up to stir the soup. "Is he still going to help me with my project?"

Logan stirred the soup. "That you'd probably have to ask him. Do you still want his help?"

Stephanie put her head down on the table, resting it on her left hand. "Yes...."


Continued...