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Nix grunted, eyes flicking to Ash who looked so peaceful, sleeping on Nix’s chest. Cuddled up next to the tattoo of an intricate serpent offering an apple to a beautiful Venus-like woman. “I’ll think on that later. Right now, I’ve got a good day coming up, pig. Colt said Ash can go to town on Lyle, after we bail him out in Vegas.” Nix tucked a stray lock of Ash’s hair back off his forehead. “Ash is gonna fuck him up real bad.” Carmelo watched on as Nix smiled at the thought. Like a proud mother at her perfect little newborn son. “And then Ash is gonna fuck me up real bad,” Nix said, biting his lip, closing his eyes for a second at the thought of that. “Aren’t I a lucky boy?”
Carmelo felt like he was intruding on a private moment, seeing something he shouldn’t be seeing. Something beautiful and intimate that stabbed in his chest again. He cleared his throat. “Lyle’s going to be having the come down of his life, he’s going to be a wreck-”
“Has he done time? Lyle?” Nix asked.
Carmelo pursed his lips in thought. “I don’t know, he’s served in the military, he’s been out to the Gulf, but…he never talks about it. I looked it up on the computer and it’s all sealed up, classified.” Carmelo thought about Lyle for a moment. “Poor fucker is doing time alright, but he’s put up the prison bars himself in his mind. The bars are all bottle shaped.”
“Locking him in and everyone else out,” Nix said, knowingly. “I haven’t seen him sober since I got here.”
Carmelo scratched his jawline again, the cool air beginning to pucker his skin.
“You made contact with your folks at all? Let them know you are out and doing okay?” Carmelo asked.
Nix screwed up his face. “Nah. They aren’t the ones I have to atone to. Damage is done.”
“What do you mean?”
Nix looked uncomfortable for a moment. Regretful. “I almost betrayed Ash, I kinda did betray him, I didn’t stay true-”
“I wouldn’t dwell-” Carmelo tried to placate him.
“Oh I will dwell every sleepless night, pig, have no fear of that.”
“That will keep me locked up, in my head, in here, for life.”
“Hey, you know the Bible stories, didn’t Jesus get tempted or something?”
Nix looked flatly at Carmelo. “No.”
Carmelo swallowed but continued. “Or he fell, or something, didn’t he?”
Nix sighed. “He fell under the weight of the cross, he needed help-”
“-carrying it.” Carmelo finished for him. Carmelo didn’t say anything more and let that sit with Nix for a moment. “Yeah, he fell over three times or something, isn’t that how the story goes? He needed help carrying that cross-”
“Died upon it-”
“And was resurrected,” Carmelo cut back in.
Nix was silent and looked as though he was chewing on something and deciding if he liked the taste.
Finally, he looked back at Carmelo. Peace in his eyes. “Hm,” was all he said.
But it spoke volumes to Carmelo. And Carmelo wished for that peace that could only be gained from knowing you weren’t alone. Carmelo felt alone sometimes.
Carmelo shook himself. “Colt was like that, for a long time, his heart was all locked up tight but…seems like good sex and a good woman cures that…oh, er…a good man, too, sorry-”
Nix laughed silently. “Don’t worry, Ash and I are up for seeing if some sweet pussy would help, too, don’t get me wrong.”
Carmelo quirked one eyebrow up but didn’t say anything.
“I know you’ve got that new contract with the Guardians of Purity, I hope it goes well for you, but I feel the real battle ground will be on the home front, so to speak.”
Nix tipped his head back and silently laughed.
Carmelo frowned. “What did I say?”
“Home. We’re bringing Lyle home. This is my home now... you are here so many nights... is this your home, too?”
