Chapter 2
The music inside is so loud that Jagger winces.
Elias leans down, says right in his ear, "I think maybe I have been here before."
"Really?"
He nods.
"The guys in Thimax always wanted to go to strip clubs in Auroria.
In Novaterra, the strippers don't get naked."
"They don't?
How do they strip then?"
"They wear underwear.
The team came here a lot but I only came once or twice," he says as they snake their way toward the back, following Antonio's texted instructions.
"I was busy when we played Westbrook."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes, there was this very boring boy always begging me to come over and fuck him.
He was pretty though.
Hard to resist."
Jagger nudges him, laughs.
The sound dies in his throat when he sees the top of Forbes's head.
"CAPITAINE!" R.J. shouts.
He must be really drunk if he thinks it's a good idea to call Jagger that here.
Two tables worth of Wanderers turn, watching him like they're assessing their prey.
Jagger's whole body gets hot, itchy.
Elias squeezes his hand.
"You're here!"
R.J. jumps out of his seat and hugs Jagger.
Then, he hugs Elias.
Okay, so he's not just 'really drunk'.
He's trashed.
"Beaumont," Elias says stiffly.
He hasn't warmed up to R.J., still hasn't forgiven him for doubting Jagger, even for a second.
"You wanna hear something fucking crazy?" R.J. says, pulling Jagger down into his booth.
"I'm getting MARRIED!"
"I know.
I'm so happy for you." Jagger smiles.
It really is crazy.
He'd sort of expected R.J. to float from club to club forever, but he got serious the minute he met Jessie, the owner of a restaurant he invested in.
"Still can't believe your girl let you have your bachelor party at a strip club," Prince says.
He doesn't offer Jagger even the most basic Aurorian kindness of fake pleasantries.
Now that the initial stare down is complete, they seem to be ignoring his presence entirely.
Elias sits down beside Jagger, presses heavily into his side.
"Sasha would have me killed."
"You're assuming she knows we're here," Forbes says, grinning.
The other guys laugh, except Remy and Elias, who both frown.
"She knows." R.J. waves a hand.
"No big deal.
She's going to a gay bar with her friends tomorrow."
"What?
Why?" Jagger asks.
"Women love gay bars," Elias says.
"Less creepy men and for some reason they think gay men will call them pretty all night instead of fucking each other."
R.J. laughs, but no one else says a word.
Jagger isn't sure if it's because Elias spoke, or because they're daring to talk about something gay.
"OKAY!" Antonio's voice calls from behind them as he places a tray of shots on the table.
Instantly, Jagger starts breathing a little easier.
"Crisis averted, just had to talk June down from her latest nightmare.
Hey buddy!"
"Hey," Jagger says.
When everyone reaches for a shot, he does too.
Elias raises his eyebrows, but says nothing, not even when Jagger immediately downs a second.
"You guys want any drinks?" Antonio asks.
"I didn't realize you got here."
Jagger and Remy both ask for beers, Elias a coke.
Antonio gives him a surprised look, but Elias just shrugs.
"Designated driver," he says, as if that's the only reason.
As if he isn't keeping a clear head in case Jagger needs him.
"I'll get the drinks!" Remy jumps to his feet.
Jagger has a sneaking suspicion that he's just trying to get away from the stripper in his sightline, but whatever.
It means that Antonio can sit in his seat.
"Is June okay?" Jagger asks quietly.
A naked woman flits past them and he offers her an awkward smile before averting eye contact completely.
Antonio launches into a long-winded story about June's recurring nightmare.
Jagger barely hears a word, too hyperaware of the rest of the table.
Forbes laughing about something with Prince, R.J. ogling dancers with Omari.
He wonders how he'd fit into this scene if he'd never left.
How many shots they'd be lightly pressuring him to take.
How many jokes he'd be inside of.
How many times he'd be checking his texts with Elias.
"...Jenna thinks it's because of the clown at their birthday party, but I'm not sure," Antonio says, and Jagger hums, hopes that passes as listening.
"I really thought they liked the clown.
June lost her mind when the balloon hat he gave her finally popped."
"No.
Is not the birthday clown," Elias says.
"They love Mr. Pratt.
Is the clown that rides the car.
The king of candy."
Jagger turns to him, frowns.
"The what?"
"King Candy!
In the movie with the big guy that breaks things.
But he says, 'no, I am sad, I do not want to break things anymore'.
Is very good."
"Wreck-It Ralph?" Antonio guesses somehow.
"Yes!
The villain is not a clown but he looks like a clown.
We watched it when we babysat last month.
She got very scared, remember?"
"Oh yeah," Jagger says, smiling, remembering how Elias held June in his arms until she fell asleep.
"You think he is helping the little princess, but really he is only helping himself," Elias says seriously.
"Huge betrayal, I was upset too.
We played cupcake princesses after and that helped—or I thought it did.
Poor June.
Have you tried—"
"Jesus, I'm not drunk enough for this shit," Forbes mutters.
Jagger whips his head in his direction, finds Forbes staring directly at Elias.
Jagger shouldn't say anything.
He knows that.
"What
shit
?" he says anyway.
The rest of the table falls quiet.
"Come on," Forbes says.
"Are we all just supposed to pretend it's normal that you're still playing house with Elias Roth?"
"Gabe—" R.J. says, but Jagger doesn't want him to finish that sentence, to pull Forbes gently off the ledge he's steering himself toward.
Jagger wants to push him, kicking and screaming, to make them say it to his fucking face.
That after all this time, they still hate him for the heinous crime of falling in love.
"We've been married for two years," Jagger says.
"I'm not sure that qualifies as playing house.
I mean, it's longer than you were with your first wife, isn't it?"
"Oh shiiit," Antonio mutters.
On Jagger's other side, Elias's grinning wider than he did when they won the Champion's Cup last month.
"Look, I'm just saying," Forbes slurs.
Despite what he said, he's clearly very, very drunk.
"Just saying, we all know the real reason you married Roth and I'm tired of acting like we don't."
"The real reason?"
"Alright, that's enough," Antonio says.
"Tonight's about R.J.
Stop being assholes to Jagger."
"Seriously guys," R.J. says.
"Leave him alone."
"No, I think it's time someone said it," Prince says.
"Said what?
What, do you think it's a publicity move or something?" Jagger scoffs.
"Oh yeah, you caught me.
Uprooting my whole life and getting regular homophobic threats was worth it for the PR boost.
It was my mom's idea actually, she thought it would make me 'relatable' to all the young hockey players out there taking it up the ass from their sworn rivals."
Wow, those shots did a number on him.