Date:	2008-11-30 23:21
Subject:	aumuses November prompt: Eclipse picture
Security:	Public

eclipse || 225 words || t




They lay together in the cool, damp grass. The only sounds were their even breathing, the breeze rustling the trees' leaves and the crickets chirping. The moon was impossibly bright but it wouldn't be for very much longer. Soon a shadow would pass over it while the world below watched, fascinated as usual by something completely normal that happened just infrequently enough to remain a novelty.

Growing bored with staring up at the sky where nothing was happening yet, James shifted to semi-pin Greg to the ground. He squirmed against the other boy and leaned in to nip at his neck. He felt Greg's arms slide around him and up the back of his shirt. It made him grin a little, sheepishly; the second there was skin-to-skin contact, he started getting hard.

"You're going to make us miss it," James mock-complained.

"You started it," Greg pointed out. "Besides, it's not like we've never seen an eclipse before. And it's not like we'll never be able to see another one again."

"And they are all the same," James agreed almost reluctantly.

The that's-the-spirit grin that broke out on Greg's face delighted James and made him laugh. He loved it when Greg smiled, especially when the cause was something that he had said or done. That smile was the real eclipse, he thought. It could overshadow anything.

Date:	2008-09-30 22:42
Subject:	aumuses September prompt: Survivor
Security:	Public

survivor || 325 words || t





The first night after John House caught his son giving James Wilson a blow job in the middle of the kitchen, nobody slept particularly well. Whether it was rage or shame or worry or a combination of the three that was torturing each individual, two households were filled with fitful sleepers.

The glowing display of the digital alarm clock in James' room told him it was going on 4:30 in the morning. Curled up beside him in bed, Greg's breathing had finally evened out and slowed down, signaling that he was actually sleeping instead of just pretending in order to avoid conversation. James stopped pretending, too, opening his eyes all the way and peering at the other boy in the dim moonlight filtering in through the nearby window.

He reached out cautiously and brushed a few strands of hair away from Greg's forehead. Even now, he didn't look peaceful. Greg never looked peaceful. But he did look slightly more at ease than he had since being caught. James suspected part of it came from the knowledge that he might not be welcome in his own home anymore but at least he could count on the Wilsons for a roof over his head and food in his belly for as long as he needed it.

Still, that was just one stroke of luck. James had never taken any of the good things he had for granted because he'd always had Greg right there to remind him by example of how different things could be. Greg's life had always been pretty miserable and it didn't look to be improving any time soon. Nevertheless, James wasn't as worried as, say, his mother was. He knew Greg. If there was anyone in the world who could take care of himself and survive, it was Greg.

But, James thought, leaning in to press the softest kiss possible to the other boy's lips, that doesn't mean I can't try to help.

Date:	2008-07-31 16:03
Subject:	aumuses July prompt: Write about a habit you find hard to break.
Security:	Public

comfort || 300 words || k+





Write about a habit you find hard to break.


The front door opened. James' eyes stopped moving over the page of his book and he just stared straight ahead of himself, straining his ears to hear Greg's movements. The door slammed. A heavy thunk conjured a mental image of the other man tossing his backpack to the floor angrily. Obviously, his second shift had not been a very good one. James quickly folded down the corner of his page, tossed the book onto the bedside stand, flipped off the light and slid under the covers to curl up and pretend to be asleep.

There was some light banging around in the kitchen but James had eaten dinner out with his brother that night so Greg's search for leftovers was -- literally and figuratively -- fruitless. Apparently, he didn't feel like making anything for himself because a few minutes later James heard him undressing in the dark and felt the bed shift with his weight as he climbed in. James stayed very still and concentrated on breathing believably. He suspected Greg knew he wasn't actually asleep but they'd gotten into the habit of not "burdening" each other with work problems, since they both had more than enough of their own, and this was part of the ritual.

He felt warm breath on the back of his neck. Greg didn't actually touch him, but James could still feel his body heat radiating between them and he fought the instinct to tilt his head forward and snuggle back against the other man. They stayed like that for several long moments until Greg's lips brushed softly over the bare skin of James' shoulder before he turned away and curled up to sleep.

James let out a soft sigh. Sometimes he wished he could be more of a comfort to Greg. But old habits died hard.

Date:	2008-05-26 13:36
Subject:	aumuses May prompts: Ouch; alarm clock picture
Security:	Public

ouch || 350 words || t




Maybe it wouldn't have happened if he'd gotten up when he was supposed to. People were predictable creatures; they had habits and routines and they usually stuck to them. If he hadn't overslept, James Wilson would have caught his bus and been safely inside the hospital getting some extra work done before rounds started. Instead, he was sprinting down the sidewalk in a desperate attempt to get to work anything close to on time. When a small boy stepped out of a doorway into his path, he sidestepped without looking and collided with someone on a bicycle, sending both of them sprawling.

"What the fuck?!" the cyclist raged.

James recognized the voice instantly. It was Aaron Tuttle, one of the other interns at the hospital. The two of them were not on what could be called friendly terms. James wasn't actually sure if Aaron was on friendly terms with anyone at all, but the other man's social life was the least of his concerns at the moment. Aaron had realized who had knocked him down and it made his anger flare even more.

"You fucking faggot," Aaron growled, hoisting himself up off the ground. He didn't even hesitate to assess his injuries before he lunged at James. Still on the ground, James automatically curled into a fetal position, trying to protect himself as much as he could.

The real problem, he knew, wasn't that he'd carelessly knocked Aaron down. That would be too easy; he'd be able to apologize and maybe get the punches to stop. No, the real problem was that James was, as Aaron had put it, a ‘fucking faggot.' And there was nothing James could do about that. At least they weren't very far from the hospital…

His last thought before a particularly brutal blow to the back of the head made him black out was to wonder if the kid he'd tried to sidestep had run away or if he was watching and learning either to hate and ridicule anyone who was different or to just lie down and take it when people treated you badly.

Date:	2008-04-26 17:47
Subject:	aumuses April prompt: When in your life did you know that you were not alone?
Security:	Public

funeral || 285 words || k+





When in your life did you know that you were not alone?


It didn't matter that he was pushing forty and hadn't really lived with his parents since he was a teenager. Standing there at the edge of his mother's open grave, James Wilson felt like an orphan. He glanced around, searching for some comfort. For somebody who understood and identified. But Chris' back was already to him as he ushered his wife and little girl toward their car. And Matty... Well, James wasn't even positive that Matty had gotten the news about Mom. He almost hoped not because if he did know and had just decided not to come, that was kind of shitty.

So he stood there alone, staring down into the open ground. He wondered if it was really six feet deep. He wondered if there was more to people than their bodies and if his mother was still here or if she'd moved on elsewhere. He wondered how long it would be before there was a hole in the ground like this for him. He wondered if Chris would have to comfort Anna and Molly then, too. He wondered if Matty would show up, or if anyone would even try to get in touch with him to let him know what had happened.

Suddenly, a warm hand slipped into his. For a split second he wondered if Anna had doubled back to say something to him but the thought barely entered his mind before he realized Anna's hands were much smaller.

It was Greg.

They stood shoulder-to-shoulder so none of the stragglers could tell they were holding hands but their fingers laced together tightly. They stayed there, still and silent, until none of the things James had wondered about seemed to matter anymore.