Page 26 of Forever Ink

Mouse leaned and poked me in the ribs. “No, I don’t. But I know you, and you’re going to worry yourself stupid until you ask him. You have my full blessing, not that you fucking need it. You’re both adults, or so you tell me.” Mouse leaned back suddenly and groaned. “Oh fuck, Dad’s going to be impossible. He’s going to be fucking stoked, but then it’s going to come. The ‘how come you haven’t met a nice guy Mitchel? Why don’t you go out to dinner with Mrs Lawson’s son, he’s a pharmacist.’”

We both cracked up at the thought of that. While Neil Lawson was a nice guy, he was so well, proper and put-together and vanilla in Mouse’s eyes that it would be a disaster. Besides I happened to know that Mouse was in love with someone else—well, I suspected he was. But if I brought up the subject, he changed it faster than changing a wet pair of socks.

“So, um, are you still going to that club?”

Mouse looked away for a moment, his shoulders going stiff. I worried I said the wrong thing, but he turned back and gave me a smile. “Nah. Well, not much. Most of the guys there can’t give me what I want. I think I freak them out a bit.” Mouse shrugged. “Guess I’m kind of weird.”

I shrugged and smiled. “I mean you are, but that’s what makes you brilliant. You’ll find the right guy. I’ll be honest I don’t get the pain part, but you probably don’t get some of the stuff I like.”

Mouse nodded as more of his hair came loose from his bun. “I don’t hate the softer stuff. I know I’ve got a part of me that wants to regress. Maybe not as young as you go, but it’s like this little side of me that wants to come out but is too scared. But I also need the hurt. You said how after a spanking you get all lightheaded but a good way, right?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of fuzzy. Some other stuff sends me there too. It’s different from little space, though,” I answered, excited for a chance to speak about this part of our lives. I had Daddy to talk to but sometimes it was good to have someone more like me to talk about stuff.

Mouse tilted his head towards me, smiling lazily. “When I get a good flogging or a dom takes me right to the edge with a good pain session, it almost feels like I’m flying, which I know sounds kind of corny. The problem is, after the session I kind of feel like shit.”

“Is it sub drop?” I’d read about it, and Simon and I had talked about it when we discovered I wanted to explore a little more about D/s scenes.

Mouse shook his head, “Nah, it’s in here doing it.” He tapped his head, looking away before he looked back at me. “We’re not talking about my fucked-up head today. You’re going to be my brother-in-law. Do you know how fucking cool that is?”

I scooted forward a bit. “You think he’ll say yes?”

“If he doesn’t, I’ll be taking him out the back and burying him neck deep in pig shit,” Mouse answered. “Mind you I’d probably need to use Dad’s wheelbarrow after I knock him out first.”

Now that vision had me cackling, and that set Mouse off. We were rolling on the floor laughing when a familiar voice broke into our laughter.

“I thought you lads were supposed to be getting Christmas decorations or some shit?” Doc stood at the top of the stairs, looking confused at the sight of us.

I sat up, still fighting the giggles. “Um, we sort of got distracted.”

Doc gave us both a look and shook his head. “I can see that. You got any more boxes to come down?”

“Yeah, just these two with the lights and the tinsel, the one with the decorations next to you,” I answered, moving to grab the box of tinsel.

“Well I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell Simon about your plan to bury him in pig shit for whatever mysterious infraction he might commit, and you can defend me from Simon and Callum.”

I shared a surprised look with Mouse who shrugged. “Eeh. Teaming up against those two sounds like fun.”

Doc gave a chortle, patting Mouse on the shoulder. “Knew I could count on you, Mitch.”

* * *

I looked down at the open boxes, trying to decide where to start. Mouse and I had held a heated discussion on the merits of baubles before tinsel and I’d won, if only by having the stronger pout. I was not averse to using my puppy–dog eyes on Mouse to win an argument, and he’d done the same thing to me a time or two.

Simon’s dad had gotten in some fresh packages of tinsel not knowing the state of the gear packed away. Mouse and I agreed that the new decorations and tinsel would look better, but we would use all the original decorations. There were so many beautiful baubles; Mrs Johannsen had had an amazing eye for what would look pretty on a tree. One small box was covered in felt decorations of a Christmas scene and I lifted it out. Mouse made a pained sound alongside me but urged me to open it. Inside were four beautiful hand-blown glass baubles, each with a name carefully painted on it.

“Mum got them made up about ten years ago.” Mouse said, taking the box from my hand and carefully pulling out one globe that was a sparkly pink and green. “She loved colours that shouldn’t really go together but she always made it work.” Mouse touched the bauble reverently, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Do you want to put them up once we get the lights and tinsel done?” I asked.

“Yeah, I do.” Mouse frowned for a minute. “But you deserve to have one too, you’re family right?”

“Don’t worry. Alice and I are on it.” Magnus spoke behind us. He held a small box of pretty baubles in his hand, Alice carrying what looked like an overflowing craft box.

I nodded, bemused, as Magnus set up a spot on the dining table and roped Simon, Cal and Doc in as well.

“At least that gets them out of our hair while we get this tree looking smashing,” Mouse said softly, smirking over at the crowded table. I noticed his eyes landing on Callum as he spoke before looking back at the tree.

Someone put on music and soon Mouse and I were dancing around the tree. I kept shooting Simon smiles as he worked on the bauble in front of him. He looked so cute when he was concentrating. I wasn’t sure if he realised that he poked the tip of his tongue out when he was focused on a task, and the sight of his pink tongue sticking out had my brain going places it really shouldn’t go in a room full of people.

---