For Us

53. Stand up for you.

{Jon}

It was a quiet night shift at River House, broken by one phone call from Kurt. Jon lay on the couch in the living room with his arm slung over his face, listening to Kurt's story about AA and laughing quietly. He almost fell asleep on the job, while they breathed together, connected by the thread of the phone line. "Night, love," Kurt said. "See you in a few."

A little bump of adrenaline brought Jon fully awake, remembering his plan for this morning. "I'll be a couple minutes late," he said. "But I'll be there."

Jon went directly to Nicky's house from work and parked in the other man's driveway, getting out to lean against the car to wait. He was vibrating with contained energy and out of smokes. Restlessly, he picked a stone up off the ground, tossing and catching it in one hand while he watched the street.

A bus pulled up to the stop on the corner and Nicky emerged. Jon studied the other man as he walked up the block; Kurt's ex had the over-inflated upper body of a man who knew how to build muscles and no idea what to do with them. Possibly Nicky had been skipping 'legs day' for some time: his legs were comically skinny in proportion with his jacked biceps and shoulders.

At the bottom of his driveway, Nicky slowed up, cocking his hip and tugging at the end of his goatee. His hair was unkempt today, his face baggy and tired, and he was wearing the all-beige uniform of an Edmonton transit employee. "Who the hell are you?" Nicky asked.

Jon lifted his chin, flipping the stone onto the grass and making a flat smile. "I'm here for Visser's shit."

Nicky shuffled up the driveway, jingling through his keys, muttering. "I don't see why I have to give this to you—I bought this shit for that ungrateful little slut—"

"Watch your mouth," Jon said softly behind him.

Nicky threw open the garage door with such a dramatic flourish it bounced off the wall, and shot Jon a withering look. "Please. You know how many times he cheated on me?"

Jon went past him, his body on high alert, turning sideways so he didn't put his back to the other man.

"He's probably out sucking someone else's dick right now for a little cash on the side while you do his chores."

You're a piece of shit, Nicky, Jon said in his head, pressing his lips hard and glancing around the garage. He recognized the guitars and amps he had unloaded from Kurt's car the week before, and grabbed Kurt's acoustic guitar first. When Nicky didn't move to stop him, he picked up Kurt's electric as well. The other man stood in the middle of the room, his unbroken fingers shoved in his pockets, his lower lip pouting as Jon walked out.

Jon bared his teeth in a grin as he dropped the guitars into his trunk. He knew exactly the kind of bully Nicky was now—the kind that rolled over the minute someone stood up to them. He went back for the amps.

Nicky trailed after him, still trying to get his complaint heard. "Case in fucking point—" He held up his bandaged finger. "Who the hell was this dude that broke my finger?"

Ignoring him, Jon grabbed both amps and carried them to the car.

"I shoulda called the cops and charged him for assault," Nicky said. "Except no one knew who the hell he was. I can't believe I bent over backwards for that ungrateful little bitch. I called in every favour to give him a leg up in this town, did you know that?"

At this point, Jon had the balls to say, "Help me with this one," as he grabbed the bigger amp. He smirked to himself as Nicky obliged, carrying one end out of the garage and helping load it into Jon's backseat.

"Is that it?" Nicky said, his hands on his hips. "The little bitch got everything he sent you for?"

Jon slammed the door shut, tension coiling in his body. He dug his feet into the ground, trying to send his anger through the soles of his feet when he wanted nothing more than to turn around, yank Nicky's toothpick legs out from under him and choke him out cold.