Jealousy was a primitive chemical reaction, a holdover from the days when men protected their mates in order to ensure that theirs was the only seed that was spread. It served no purpose now, though it had become entangled in all the ideals of romance and had been transformed into something socially acceptable. It was no longer merely protecting an investment. It was romantic.
James tried to convince himself that he wasn�t jealous. Angry, yes. Anger was an emotion that he dealt with well, one that was completely familiar to him. It was easy to be angry with Kirk, over on the other side of the room cooing with some tramp. After all, what the fuck did Kirk need her for? Was he not enough anymore?
�Word of advice?� James glanced over and down and into Lars�s smiling face. �Quit staring before you set something on fire.� James grunted and pointedly turned his eyes back to Kirk. Lars got the hint, but ignored it. �She�s not even really that hot, man��
�No,� James agreed instantly, without thinking. �She�s not hot at all. She�s a disgusting tramp.� He spat the last word out like it was a projectile. If only. He wished he could spear the woman, leave her pinned to her chair like a butterfly on a mounting board. Beside him, Lars made a curious noise.
�Dude. Het. Please tell me you�re not saying what I think you�re saying.� James cursed himself mentally. He probably should have been more careful, but there was alcohol in his belly and he was furious. A bad combination at the best time, and triply threatening with Lars around. Cliff wouldn�t have gotten it. Kirk might not have either. Lars was the only one with a twisted enough mind to read into James�s words. �You�re fucking Hammett, aren�t you?�
�No.� Even to him, his voice sounded sullen, and he knew Lars wouldn�t believe him. He didn�t know why he was bothering to lie to Lars. It wasn�t as if he�d run screaming in the other direction. Well, he might still, but less because James was fucking another man and more because James was fucking Kirk.
�Don�t lie! You are!� Lars was unreasonably excited by his new discovery and James glared at him. �No wonder you�ve been looking so smug lately.� There was a pause, an all too familiar one. It was Lars�s way of testing the subject, poking the sandpit with a stick to make sure it wasn�t quicksand. �Is he any good?�
If anyone else had asked, the metaphorical sand would have sucked them under and they would have suffocated horribly in the stony silence that only James was capable of maintaining. But it was Lars and James had fully expected the question, so he shrugged. �He gives good head,� he volunteered. �Gets better every time.�
�You fucked him yet?� The sand shifted, and James�s eyes narrowed slightly. Lars blithely pretended not to notice.
�No.�
�Ooooh.� Lars nodded, hooking his thumbs in his belt-loops and rocking back on his heels. �He�s not ready yet, huh?� James shot a sharp look at his friend.
�What�s that supposed to mean?� he demanded. There�d been something in Lars�s voice, something irritatingly knowing that made James want to spit nails.
�When chicks say that they�re not ready, it�s because they�re waiting for you to say that you love them,� Lars said, glancing up. He was in one of his moods, Puckish and irritating. James expected him to sprout horns at any second.
�Is that why you said you weren�t ready?� James shot back, smirking a little in anticipation of Lars�s inevitable explosion. It didn�t come.
�No, I said I wasn�t ready cause I didn�t want your cock in my ass.� James scowled a little at that and Lars patted his arm. �Trust me, man, it was for the best.� James was forced to agree. There was a distinct difference between being a kid and experimenting with a close friend, and actually carrying that experimentation over into a full-blown sexual relationship. He and Lars would have murdered each other within a week.
�So what�re you saying, man?� James turned his attention back to Kirk, arms folded across his chest. The woman tried to stroke Kirk�s knee, and he gently shoved her hand away. That was good�
�I dunno,� Lars shrugged, following James�s gaze. Kirk was looking around now, clearly searching for a way out. �Maybe he�s really not ready.�
�You don�t actually think that.� It was a simple statement of fact, and Lars�s answering shrug told James all he needed to know. �I don�t love him.� There was a telling silence, and James scowled fiercely. �You don�t know the first fucking thing about it��
Across the room, Kirk latched onto Cliff, muttering a hurried explanation to the woman and fleeing with the bassist in tow. James relaxed a little, pacified by the scared bunny look on Kirk�s face. The woman, completely unfazed, turned to the poor sap next to her and started her routine again.
�C�mon, man, let�s get you some more to drink,� Lars said, slapping James on the back and tugging him along. James went willingly enough. There was nothing to be jealous of anymore. Not that he�d been jealous in the first place, but�
Lars glanced up at his friend and shook his head. �You could definitely use it��
