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minimusesJoe squinted up at the hot sun, staring at it for as long as he could before his eyes started watering uncontrollably and he had to look away. Around him, the parched summer colors were washed out from heat and the afterimage of the sun in his eyes; the grass was dry and cicadas hummed in loud, wavering choruses from the trees around the edges of the park. Some of his littler cousins were running around, shrieking laughter as one of them chased the others around with something-or-other, probably a grasshopper, but Joe and Nick were taking a break, resting under some meager shade provided by a shrubby little tree near the picnic tables. If there had been some kind of breeze or even just a water hose to play with, it wouldn't have been so bad, but the firework-printed tablecloths on the tables where their parents and aunts and uncles and other random church adults were sitting were utterly still in the close, humid air.
Nick was looking wilted in the heat, his fluff of curls weighed down with humidity and sweat, sticking in frizzy ringlets to his face and neck. He was kind of staring off listlessly into space, absently pulling out bits of grass from the dry ground. His mouth was kind of open like he was panting, hoping that would cool him down. He was still wearing a t-shirt and shorts, even though Joe had long since shed his own shirt and had hassled Nick for, like, ten minutes at least to get rid of his, too. Nick had stubbornly held it down at the hem with both hands, pulling out of Joe's attempts to grab it off and arguing that Mom hadn't put any sunblock on his shoulders or chest, Joe, and he'd get burnt if he took his shirt off. Joe had eventually had to shrug and let him suffer; Nick was already cranky with the heat, and getting downright belligerent the longer Joe argued with him.
When Mom had let them have popsicles and they took shelter under their tree, Nick had greedily gobbled his up, sucking the last of the melted juice out of the plastic package with a series of slurping sounds, trying to cool down as much as he could. But Joe was still savoring his, crunching the last pieces of colorless ice; he always sucked the flavor out first and then ate the popsicle, which Nick thought was weird. But haha, now Joe still had popsicle to eat and Nick didn't.
Except that looking at him, Joe felt sorry that Nick didn't have any more popsicle to eat. He was so red and sweating a lot. Joe put up his hand and touched the back of it to Nick's forehead, making Nicky jump a little.
"You feel like you're running a fever," he said around crunching ice. Nick frowned at him.
"It's cause it's like a million degrees," he said primly, rubbing some sweat off his cheek. He even sounded kind of lifeless, his voice thin and irritated. "I don't see why we gotta stay out here in the hot. The fireworks won't be for ages."
Joe nodded. He felt the same way. If they'd stayed at home this year for Fourth of July, instead of coming out to this dumb church party, they could've played in the sprinkler and just worn their bathing suits and not real, hot clothes. Now they had to pretty much stay here under this dumb tree to keep mom from seeing that Joe had taken his shirt off where girls could see. Joe did not see what the big deal was. If the girls were so jealous, they could take their shirts off, too, what was the problem? It was too hot for shirts. NOBODY should have to wear a shirt. Or pants, honestly, but Mom got super mad when Joe tried to take his pants off, no matter who was around.
"I wish we could have stayed home," Joe said, going to wipe condensation from his popsicle off his hand and then changing his mind and wiping it gently on Nick's forehead instead.
"Hey!"
"No, it's to cool you down, Nicky, see?" Joe dripped a little more water from his popsicle onto the back of Nicky's neck, and then leaned over and blew on it. Nick gasped and then cringed his shoulders up around his ears, giggling. Joe grinned.
"There you go. Here, you want the rest of my popsicle?"
Nick eyed the white ice dubiously, looking torn between lust and disgust. "There's no flavor in it anymore, Joe. It'll taste bad."
"But it's coooollld," Joe teased, waggling the packet at him. Nick held out another second or two, and then gave in, reaching out and bending the little plastic sleeve toward himself, pushing a piece of ice up from the bottom with his fingers and then catching it in his mouth, fumbling it out with his lips and teeth. He laughed a little, and then crunched it solidly, making a little face.
"Ew, tastes like water."
Joe knocked the last of the melted flavoring and water out of the plastic and into his mouth, licking his lips. He perked up. "Hey, there's some flavor left on my mouth!" he said, like he'd discovered a new continent. He leaned in toward Nick, almost pressing their faces together, and pointed at the corner of his mouth. "Here! Taste!"
Nick ducked back a little, instinctively. His expression scrunched up again and he laughed. "Jo-ooe, quit, your mouth is gross."
Joe just grinned harder and planted a sticky, cherry-flavored kiss right on Nick's cheek, slicking his tongue over the corner of Nick's mouth. "Mmm," he said, smacking his lips. "Blue raspberry."
Nick looked incredulous, but, not to be outdone, he turned his head a little and poked his tongue out to taste Joe's lower lip. His eyebrows jumped a little in surprise when he discovered he really could taste the popsicle sugar on Joe's mouth. "Mmm," he replied, smirking shyly. "Cherry."
"Here, let's put 'em together!" Joe suggested, and then put his lips on Nick's before Nick could even protest. He just made a shocked little muffled sound between them but didn't pull away, let Joe kiss him clumsily and then pull back, their lips sticking together a little as they drew apart. They licked their lips again, experimentally.
"I think it's wearing off," Nick said, sounding a little disappointed. "I can't really taste it anymore."
"Okay, one more to make sure all the flavor's gone," Joe suggested, and Nick nodded. This time it was him who leaned in and fit his lips awkwardly to Joe's. Joe laughed and moved his head to get them together better, more comfortably. Nick moved his mouth after a moment, like he was trying to get to every bit of Joe's lips that he could, just to make sure he hadn't missed any cherry flavor. Joe licked out a little bit, catching the last trace of sweetness in the left corner of Nick's mouth. Nick's breath caught. Then he was tentatively licking at Joe too, his tongue sliding up under Joe's top lip for just a heartbeat before he pulled away. He was breathing kind of funny and staring at Joe's mouth; it was a second or two before Joe realized he was staring at Nick's, too.
Joe sucked his lips into his mouth, pulling off the very last hint of flavor, and he could taste Nick's blue-raspberry popsicle even more than he could taste cherry. "You taste good, Nicky," he said, smiling big. That seemed to snap Nick out of it, and he smiled back at Joe.
"You too, Joey."
Joe wiggled his eyebrows, then jumped to his feet. He eyed his shirt and decided he'd rather get yelled at than put it back on. Nick looked concerned, afraid Joe was gonna leave him, but Joe put his hand down to Nick and wiggled his fingers at him.
"C'mon," he said, as he pulled Nick to his feet. "Let's try lemon and lime, now!"
Nick was looking wilted in the heat, his fluff of curls weighed down with humidity and sweat, sticking in frizzy ringlets to his face and neck. He was kind of staring off listlessly into space, absently pulling out bits of grass from the dry ground. His mouth was kind of open like he was panting, hoping that would cool him down. He was still wearing a t-shirt and shorts, even though Joe had long since shed his own shirt and had hassled Nick for, like, ten minutes at least to get rid of his, too. Nick had stubbornly held it down at the hem with both hands, pulling out of Joe's attempts to grab it off and arguing that Mom hadn't put any sunblock on his shoulders or chest, Joe, and he'd get burnt if he took his shirt off. Joe had eventually had to shrug and let him suffer; Nick was already cranky with the heat, and getting downright belligerent the longer Joe argued with him.
When Mom had let them have popsicles and they took shelter under their tree, Nick had greedily gobbled his up, sucking the last of the melted juice out of the plastic package with a series of slurping sounds, trying to cool down as much as he could. But Joe was still savoring his, crunching the last pieces of colorless ice; he always sucked the flavor out first and then ate the popsicle, which Nick thought was weird. But haha, now Joe still had popsicle to eat and Nick didn't.
Except that looking at him, Joe felt sorry that Nick didn't have any more popsicle to eat. He was so red and sweating a lot. Joe put up his hand and touched the back of it to Nick's forehead, making Nicky jump a little.
"You feel like you're running a fever," he said around crunching ice. Nick frowned at him.
"It's cause it's like a million degrees," he said primly, rubbing some sweat off his cheek. He even sounded kind of lifeless, his voice thin and irritated. "I don't see why we gotta stay out here in the hot. The fireworks won't be for ages."
Joe nodded. He felt the same way. If they'd stayed at home this year for Fourth of July, instead of coming out to this dumb church party, they could've played in the sprinkler and just worn their bathing suits and not real, hot clothes. Now they had to pretty much stay here under this dumb tree to keep mom from seeing that Joe had taken his shirt off where girls could see. Joe did not see what the big deal was. If the girls were so jealous, they could take their shirts off, too, what was the problem? It was too hot for shirts. NOBODY should have to wear a shirt. Or pants, honestly, but Mom got super mad when Joe tried to take his pants off, no matter who was around.
"I wish we could have stayed home," Joe said, going to wipe condensation from his popsicle off his hand and then changing his mind and wiping it gently on Nick's forehead instead.
"Hey!"
"No, it's to cool you down, Nicky, see?" Joe dripped a little more water from his popsicle onto the back of Nicky's neck, and then leaned over and blew on it. Nick gasped and then cringed his shoulders up around his ears, giggling. Joe grinned.
"There you go. Here, you want the rest of my popsicle?"
Nick eyed the white ice dubiously, looking torn between lust and disgust. "There's no flavor in it anymore, Joe. It'll taste bad."
"But it's coooollld," Joe teased, waggling the packet at him. Nick held out another second or two, and then gave in, reaching out and bending the little plastic sleeve toward himself, pushing a piece of ice up from the bottom with his fingers and then catching it in his mouth, fumbling it out with his lips and teeth. He laughed a little, and then crunched it solidly, making a little face.
"Ew, tastes like water."
Joe knocked the last of the melted flavoring and water out of the plastic and into his mouth, licking his lips. He perked up. "Hey, there's some flavor left on my mouth!" he said, like he'd discovered a new continent. He leaned in toward Nick, almost pressing their faces together, and pointed at the corner of his mouth. "Here! Taste!"
Nick ducked back a little, instinctively. His expression scrunched up again and he laughed. "Jo-ooe, quit, your mouth is gross."
Joe just grinned harder and planted a sticky, cherry-flavored kiss right on Nick's cheek, slicking his tongue over the corner of Nick's mouth. "Mmm," he said, smacking his lips. "Blue raspberry."
Nick looked incredulous, but, not to be outdone, he turned his head a little and poked his tongue out to taste Joe's lower lip. His eyebrows jumped a little in surprise when he discovered he really could taste the popsicle sugar on Joe's mouth. "Mmm," he replied, smirking shyly. "Cherry."
"Here, let's put 'em together!" Joe suggested, and then put his lips on Nick's before Nick could even protest. He just made a shocked little muffled sound between them but didn't pull away, let Joe kiss him clumsily and then pull back, their lips sticking together a little as they drew apart. They licked their lips again, experimentally.
"I think it's wearing off," Nick said, sounding a little disappointed. "I can't really taste it anymore."
"Okay, one more to make sure all the flavor's gone," Joe suggested, and Nick nodded. This time it was him who leaned in and fit his lips awkwardly to Joe's. Joe laughed and moved his head to get them together better, more comfortably. Nick moved his mouth after a moment, like he was trying to get to every bit of Joe's lips that he could, just to make sure he hadn't missed any cherry flavor. Joe licked out a little bit, catching the last trace of sweetness in the left corner of Nick's mouth. Nick's breath caught. Then he was tentatively licking at Joe too, his tongue sliding up under Joe's top lip for just a heartbeat before he pulled away. He was breathing kind of funny and staring at Joe's mouth; it was a second or two before Joe realized he was staring at Nick's, too.
Joe sucked his lips into his mouth, pulling off the very last hint of flavor, and he could taste Nick's blue-raspberry popsicle even more than he could taste cherry. "You taste good, Nicky," he said, smiling big. That seemed to snap Nick out of it, and he smiled back at Joe.
"You too, Joey."
Joe wiggled his eyebrows, then jumped to his feet. He eyed his shirt and decided he'd rather get yelled at than put it back on. Nick looked concerned, afraid Joe was gonna leave him, but Joe put his hand down to Nick and wiggled his fingers at him.
"C'mon," he said, as he pulled Nick to his feet. "Let's try lemon and lime, now!"
