Page 29 of Sugar

“My problem!”

Piper shrugged. “Yes, Juno.” It had been a while since Piper had used his name like that, and it hurt. “Your problem. I’ve told you that I like you. I’m doing my absolute best to be patient because I know you need time to process what you’re going through, and I can do that. But I can’t help you when you’re throwing shit at me like this. My financial situation is better than yours. That’s the reality, and I don’t know what else I can do to make it easier for you to accept that I can give you the things you want. Or that I don’t want anything in return.”

Juno turned, but the corner of the counter was in his blind spot, and he hit it. Hard. Pain lanced through him as he hit the ground, and when he heard Piper rush over to him, he held a hand out. “Don’t.”

Piper stopped, but he didn’t back away. He knelt beside Juno, then eventually sat and stretched his legs out. There were several inches between them, but the inches felt like miles.

“I do this.”

Piper huffed a soft noise. “Do what?”

“Fuck up. Piss people off. Push them away. It’s something I’ve worked on in therapy since I aged out, but I just…it’s a struggle.”

“Okay.”

Juno couldn’t help a small laugh as he turned his head to look at Piper. “Okay?”

Piper nodded. “I won’t put up with it forever, but we just met. We’re not even officially anything but friends. I’m not going to have unrealistic expectations for you right now.”

God, why the fuck was he so reasonable? Why couldn’t he be like everyone else and get fed up knowing that life with Juno would always be a bit more difficult.

He swallowed heavily. “I didn’t see the counter. I c-couldn’t see it.” He rubbed at his eye.

“You’ll get to know my place better. If you’d like to,” Piper said.

That wasn’t the point. Except…maybe it was. Piper had never once tried to pretend like Juno wasn’t losing his sight. He didn’t feed him platitudes or false hope that this was the worst it was going to get.

Instead, he offered him work-arounds. Coping mechanisms.

It was unexpected.

Juno rubbed both hands down his face and almost lost the battle as he fought to hold back a sob. “I’m sorry.” The words were a shattered whisper.

He could hear Piper moving, then felt the warmth of his body before tender arms pulled him close. This time, Juno let himself be held. Piper kissed his temple, then the crown of his head.

“Come with me.”

Juno pulled back. “Where?”

He was now falling into the spiral of feeling like he couldn’t possibly deserve whatever Piper was about to offer. It was a toxic habit, and a small voice told him he should probably call his therapist. He couldn’t afford a session right now, but she usually had sage advice for him and never bothered to bill him for a few minutes of her time.

Piper didn’t answer his question. He stood up and offered his hand, and eventually, Juno took it. Their fingers linked together, and Piper pulled him down the hall, passing the bedroom, and through a door that led to an office. It was dimly lit with a window that didn’t get much natural light, but it fit the vibe. There were massive bookshelves, a huge desk, a small telescope in one corner, and a very plush couch along the far wall.

Shutting the door behind him, Piper let go of Juno’s hand, then walked over to the window and closed the curtains all the way. The room plunged into immediate darkness, so black Juno couldn’t see any movement. Panic crawled up his throat, but before he could act on it, he heard the click of a switch.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then he realized the ceiling above him was glowing. He’d seen it before in photobooks and websites. Constellations and star clusters stretched from one end of the room to the other.

In the far corner was something bright, shining with reds and oranges.

“It’s called the Soul Nebula,” Piper said. He was nothing more than a shadow, but Juno could see him closing the distance between them. “It’s in the Cassiopeia constellation.”

Juno blinked up at the image. “How did you do this?”

“My brother created it. He’s really good with images and projections and stuff. He hooked it all up with a switch. Sort of a mini planetarium theater show.” Piper hesitated when he reached for Juno, so Juno closed the rest of the distance between them, and Piper let out a satisfied hum. He pulled them both to the couch, and they tangled together, Juno resting his back against Piper’s chest.

Thick thighs bracketed him, and while they were both almost too big to cuddle like that on the couch, Juno wouldn’t have moved for anything in the world.

“Did you see that nebula yourself?”

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