Screw & Nail Chronicles Pt. 2: The Fourth of July Carol

1.

James Podolsky paced the rooftop of Dayton Kelly’s apartment, which sat on top of the Screw & Nail hardware store. The hatch leading down into the apartment was open, and not far from it there stood two lawn chairs and a cooler with beer.

“Dayton, I swear to god I’ll start sucking your cock without you!”

The sky above was getting darker, a few stars already sparkling in the East and a red stripe of sunset fading slowly in the West, complimenting the colors of the small town beneath it. Normanrockville was fully decorated for the Fourth of July, and so was James, clad in a deep blue star-studded tank top and striped shorts, an outfit positively elegant and subdued compared to some of his June looks.

Ever since Christmas when the two had started dating, James had been spending more and more time at Dayton’s. One night, going to the bathroom, he noticed a hatch in the ceiling and curiously pulled down the ladder. It took some effort to open the hatch, but after some clanking and screeching it let in cold night air and led James to the rooftop.

“What the hell are you doing on the roof with your bare butt?” said Dayton’s voice from below the hatch.

“Admiring the view. And giving you a view to admire.”

Dayton gave a concerned look to the lower half of the butt still inside the apartment.

“Great view, Jimmy, but please come down. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Aww,” said James, returning inside. “So let me guess, you never go there?”

“It’s a roof, what’s there to do?”

“Sunbathe? Do yoga? Get drunk? Fall over, make some memories? You’re missing out. Once it’s warmer outside, we should hang out there.”

“What if the neighbors see us?” frowned Dayton.

“See us doing what exactly?” James came closer and put his arms around Dayton.

“Making memories,” said Dayton, picking James off the floor and carrying him back to bed. “Let’s make some now, shall we?”

2.

The sky had gotten completely dark when Dayton appeared in the hatch wearing only a towel and slides. Going up the ladder he came face to face with James, sitting cross-legged with a bottle of beer.

“Took you long enough,” said James and looked down at Dayton's wet body. “Okay, this is worth the wait. Come on, the fireworks will start in ten minutes. Take your seat, grab a beer, and get ready for the most patriotic experience of your life.”

James led Dayton to a chair, handed him a bottle, kneeled in front of the man and carefully unwrapped the towel. Dayton took a swig out of his bottle and looked James in the eye, smiling.

“Like what you see, Jimmy?”

“I never, ever wanted to call you daddy so much.”

“Oh yeah?” Dayton took another drink. “Too bad you can’t talk with your mouth full.”

He pulled James closer between his legs and put a hand on the younger man’s head.

“Make daddy proud.”

James put his hands on Dayton’s thighs and took the length of the cock in his mouth in one slow move. He held still as long as his lungs allowed, then began moving his head up and down the shaft, licking and sucking it, making the whole thing so wet spit trickled down the balls and onto the towel. He could hear Dayton’s breath hitch when he flicked the tongue over the tip and looked up at the man. Dayton’s eyes were closed and his wet lips parted, hairy chest moving with heavy breathing. James smiled and went back to blowing his man.

“Almost time for fireworks, Jimmy,” muttered Dayton, taking a big gulp of beer.

James sped up, bobbing his head up and down and closing his lips tighter on Dayton’s cock. The first rounds were shot into the sky at the nearby park and sparkling palm trees grew above their heads. White cascades among bursts of red and blue lit up the night sky. Dayton grabbed James by the back of the head and held him still, shooting thick ropes of semen into his mouth. James swallowed the load and licked the cock clean before taking his place in the chair next to Dayton’s with a satisfied grin.

Dayton reached out to James, and so they sat there in silence holding hands, watching the fireworks. The men looked at each other, and Dayton winked at James, whispering almost inaudibly.

“Good boy.”

The sky exploded into waterfalls of glittering stars.

3.

The fireworks show was over, leaving only long, unkempt wafts of smoke slowly drifting through the sky. James turned his head and saw Dayton peacefully snoring in his lawn chair. The night was warm, the sounds of celebration outside were growing quieter, the street below dark and empty. James leaned back and took a deep breath.

“Happy Fourth of July,” he mumbled, sleepily watching the stars.

Smoke from the fireworks was almost gone, its last lazy puffs hung in the still night air, making vague, barely visible shapes. James was falling asleep looking at ghostly figures in the dark sky. A few wafts almost formed a face looking down at the two men on the roof, and James smiled to himself, thinking how Dayton was worried about their neighbors, but could never in his life expect smoke phantoms watching them.

It slowly dawned on James that there really was a face right in front of him.

He yelped and fell backwards in his chair, clearly seeing a figure approaching. The figure was tall and broad-shouldered, yet with a thin waist and wide hips, the left one looking a little lumpy and off. All the way from the plunging neckline to the floor the figure was covered in sequins, better heard than seen in the dark. Giant, elaborate hair was wobbling slightly with each step the figure took towards James’s legs sticking out in the air from the upturned chair.

“Fear not!”

“Who the hell are you and how did you get here?”

“First of all, rude,” said the figure in a deep, booming voice. “Second, I am the Ghost of the Holiday Past.”

“Jesus, how hard did I hit my head...”

“Again, rude. I am not a hallucination, I am the Spirit. Get with the program, girl, I don’t have all night. Rise and walk with me!”

James rolled on his side and got up, taking a defensive stance.

“Walk where?”

“The question is not where, but when! To a holiday past I shall take you, because this whole,” the Spirit waved the hand around, “this whole cute little thing you two got going here depends on it! Come.”

“Haven’t I seen you in that club last week...”

“Come already!” the Spirit grabbed James by the hand and walked off the roof with him, right into a motel’s icy parking lot.

4.

“Hey, I know this place!” said James, looking around them.

The large neon sign above was only partially lit and read “Chip’s Motel.” The parking lot stood empty save for a pickup truck.

“I know this truck!”

Dayton Kelly stepped out of the truck, looked at his phone, and walked towards one of the rooms.

“And do you know this man?” said the Spirit.

“Yes! Wait, you’re mocking me. Okay, I deserve this. Sorry I yelled at you,” said James. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you, dear. Now do you know when I took you?”

“This Valentine’s Day. I had a little present for Dayton. Why?”

“Your man had a little present for you, too, girl. But due to the nature of your present you missed it.”

“What?” James looked at the Spirit.

“Let’s have a look,” answered the Spirit and stepped through the motel’s wall into the room Dayton had just walked into.

James followed the Spirit only to slam into the wall. He took a wobbly step back and went in through the door.

Dayton stood in the middle of the room momentarily dumbfounded. On the bed there was the other James, fully naked and blindfolded, arching his back with his face in the pillow and the ass in the air. The word “slut” was written across his butt cheeks.

“Is this what you are, huh?” smirked Dayton, going around the bed, studying the young man in front of him.

He put his hand on James’s ass and slowly ran it up the spine, then got a grip on the back of the head, pushing it harder down into the pillow. The mattress creaked. Holding James like that, he sat next to him.

“Don’t you think this place is a little too classy for you, slut? Shouldn’t you be sucking dicks behind the motel? Or working a gloryhole at a truck stop? I guess you’re not afraid to be alone with a stranger. Stupid slut.”

Dayton walked back to the foot of the bed and took a long look at James’s ass.

“Now where should we begin?”

He gave James a quick, sharp slap on one cheek, then on the other. Dayton got down on his knees and pulled James by the hips right into his face.

“Oof,” said the Spirit and pulled a fan out of the air. “Is it hot in here?”

James shook his head, pulling himself together, and took a seat at the rickety table next to the Spirit.

“Something’s wrong with the thermostat, I bet,” he said, not taking his eyes off Dayton devouring the other James’s ass. “Is there a point to this? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Watch closely, for there was one thing you didn’t know about your man.”

“What?”

Dayton stood up and took off his jacket and shirt.

“Damn, sis,” whispered the Spirit.

“I know, right?” said James under his breath.

Dayton kicked off his boots and pulled down the jeans.

“Wow,” gasped the Spirit. “And I mean, wow. So, he’s a jockstrap kinda guy?”

“Not really. It’s always boxers. I didn’t know he had a jock on that day. Or had a jockstrap, period,” said James. “Wait, is this a clue? Is this what I missed?”

The Spirit said nothing, watching the scene unfold.

Dayton took everything off, grabbed James’s ass and pulled him onto his cock.

“Okay, I don’t see any plot twists coming anytime soon,” the Spirit turned to James. “So, what is this all about?”

James made an effort to look away from Dayton steadily thrusting into the other James.

“I told you, it’s for Valentine’s.”

“Most couples have dinner.”

“The guy’s been married three times. To women. He had enough dinners. And I, I don’t know, why would I have this man and waste him on dinner?”

James and the Spirit looked at Dayton growling as he pounded the other James.

“I can see that,” said the Spirit, waving the fan. “But isn’t there a vast middle ground between dinner and roleplaying as a cum dumpster?”

“It’s kind of a funny story,” said James. “See, I called Dayton a perfect trade one day. Then, naturally, I had to lecture him on what a trade is, and how gay hookups work, and what’s the deal with internalized homophobia, and how looking as straight as him is actually super gay. Like, he overshoots it with his flannel shirts so hard it kinda becomes drag, you know what I mean? He has a lot to learn. He’s new to all this.”

“And why would you waste your time educating him?” the Spirit shot James a quizzical look.

“Because he listens! And he learns, and we try everything, and it’s awesome! Like, I’m the Doctor taking him on this wild journey through space, time, and the Village People discography. Or Morpheus, you know, take this blue pill, and you can fuck my rabbit hole all night. I’m lucky to have Dayton. And it’s not just sex, which,” James gestured to the other James moaning underneath Dayton, “damn good sex. He’s the sweetest guy. Why wouldn’t I blindfold myself naked in a dingy motel for him? I trust him. I’ll do anything for him.”

“But there’s still one thing you’ve never done for anyone, James,” said the Spirit.

“What are you talking about?” said James, puzzled. “There’s probably more than one thing I have never done. I never jumped off a plane. Knitted a sweater. Murdered someone. Could you narrow it down a little?”

“You saw what you needed to see, James,” said the Spirit, looking at Dayton and the other James in bed next to each other, panting heavily. “My work here is done.”

“Wait, you haven’t done anything!”

“Goodbye, James!” said the Spirit standing up and waved a hand at him. Dayton’s jockstrap flew off the floor into James’s face, leaving a trail of sparks, and the night was dark and warm around him again, on the roof.

5.

“Get up, Jimmy!”

James opened his eyes and saw Dayton leaning over him.

“You fell asleep, baby,” said Dayton. “Come on, let’s go back inside. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What? Oh, I just had a really weird dream. I think,” said James. “Listen, Dayton, this may sound strange, but were you wearing a jockstrap on Valentine’s? You know, at the motel?”

“How do you know that? Did you peek under your blindfold? Wait a minute, you could see through it the whole time?”

“So you were wearing it?”

“Sure. Seemed like a fun thing to do. It’s probably still in that room somewhere, I couldn’t find it when I got dressed. Fell under the bed or something. Why?”

James rummaged under his chair and found a jockstrap.

“Is this it?”

“Have you been keeping it this entire time, you little freak?” laughed Dayton. “What were you doing with it? I want details.”

“No, see, I think I took it with me from a dream. Or maybe that wasn’t a dream after all,” James trailed off.

“You okay, Jimmy? You’re not making much sense. Let’s get inside, man.”

Dayton placed a hand on James’s shoulder and helped him go down the ladder into the apartment. He followed and closed the hatch behind him.

“Jimmy?” Dayton gently held the man’s face in his hands. “Did you have a heatstroke or something? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” smiled James. “Thank you, but I’m fine. However, I had a visit from the Spirit who told me I needed to see something very important to us both and then showed me your ass. So I’m a little lost here.”

“Are you saying my ass is not important to us both?”

“It is a cornerstone of our relationship,” said James, grabbing two handfuls of Dayton’s bare ass. “It’s the Spirit part that confuses me.”

“So you fell asleep, what’s the big deal?”

“And your jockstrap?”

“There has to be a rational explanation.”

“Like what?”

“Like the existence of ghosts and spirits!” joyfully proclaimed a loud voice from the bedroom.

6.

James and Dayton turned their heads, shocked by the sudden presence. There was a glow coming from the bedroom, changing colors, and a flurry of light spots dancing all over the place. Cautiously both men went into the room.

In the bedroom there stood a giant figure, a burly, hairy man in a leather vest, leather chaps over a leather jockstrap, boots, and bracelets. The man’s bald head could almost touch the ceiling, on which next to him spun a disco ball. The room was filled with colored lights illuminating a thick layer of fog on the floor.

“I am the Ghost of the Holiday Present!” happily exclaimed the figure. “Look upon me!”

“See?” James turned to Dayton. “Told you.”

Dayton stood there slack-jawed.

“You have never seen the like of me before!” exclaimed the Spirit.

“Well...” mumbled Dayton.

“What wisdom are you to impart on me, O Spirit?” interrupted James, doing his best Shakespeare in the park, and inched a little sideways to cover his naked, confused boyfriend. Dayton wrapped his arm around James’s waist and held him closer.

“A lesson awaits you, James! Come, follow me!”

James came closer to the Spirit with Dayton in tow. The Spirit placed his arms on both men’s shoulders and walked a small circle around the bedroom, turning them back in a few steps.

“Wait, that’s it?” asked James.

The Spirit waved his hand, and the bathroom door opened, revealing Dayton standing there naked, holding a big black douche in his hand. He turned his head towards the open door and saw himself, James and the Spirit in disco lights.

“What the fuck?” yelled Dayton, squeezing the bulb and spraying water all over himself.

“What the fuck!” yelled the Spirit and hastily snapped his fingers, closing the door. “This is not supposed to happen!”

James rushed to the bathroom, opened the door, but found the room empty and dark. He turned to the Spirit.

“What the fuck?”

He then turned to Dayton and smiled mischievously.

“So you have seen the like of the Spirit before.”

Dayton’s face turned red.

“Did you douche? Be honest. I want details,” James came face to face with Dayton.

“No,” Dayton couldn’t hide his smile.

“Did we scare you?”

“Yes,” Dayton was smiling from ear to ear, still flushed red.

“I think I know what this whole Spirit shebang is all about,” said James. “Were you to teach me about something I’ve never done, O Spirit?”

“Yup,” nodded the Spirit. “Look, I don’t know what went wrong, he was not supposed to see us, I mean, himself, I mean...”

“Sure, sure. Consider the lesson taught. Now could you please leave us alone? We need to have a talk in private.”

“Of course!” beamed the Spirit. “But, see, if you get a call from customer services, could you please not tell them about our mishap?”

“Leave us that disco ball, and it’s a deal.”

“Sure thing! Goodbye!” said the Spirit and vanished in clouds of colorful fog.

7.

The fog cleared, leaving the disco ball slowly spinning to a stop in the dark bedroom. James dropped on the bed, pulled Dayton down with him and gave him a kiss.

“So,” said Dayton conversationally. “Ghosts and spirits, huh?”

“Don’t change the subject,” grinned James.

“What’s the one thing you’ve never done then?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“You never topped nobody?”

“And you want to bottom for me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Dayton propped himself on an elbow and looked at James.

“I don’t know how to talk about these kinds of things!”

“With words, dummy.”

“Easy for you to say. And then the moment was never right. Like on Valentine’s? That was neither the time nor the place to ask you to top,” smiled Dayton and added tenderly, “you slut.”

“We had literally the whole Pride month,” said James. “Like, there’s no better time.”

“Sure, but didn’t you want to spend the month, and I quote, getting mercilessly railed by your hot new boyfriend? Your words, not mine. How could I say no to that?”

James shook his head and sighed.

“Okay, fine, I’m so slutty I don’t notice my hot new boyfriend has his needs, too. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” said Dayton and leaned in for another kiss. “The pleasure’s all mine. I’ll learn to talk about what I want, with words, I promise. Don’t actions speak louder, though? I mean, if you walk into the room, and I’m there on all fours with my pants down, you’ll get the message, right?”

“Oh my god, I can’t even imagine you on all fours.”

“It’s kinda like this,” said Dayton and rolled over on his elbows and knees in one move.

“Holy, and I can’t stress this enough, fuck. Did you rehearse this? Because damn,” gasped James, watching Dayton’s ass shake. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the darkness in the room shift and take a new shape. “Umm, Dayton? Not to interrupt, but...”

Dayton sat on the bed and turned around. The figure was standing in the dark, watching them.

8.

“Jesus fuck”, shuddered Dayton.

The figure was clad in black latex from head to toe. A zipper ran along the figure’s mouth. It stood in the middle of the bedroom, silent.

“The Spirit, I presume?” asked Dayton cautiously.

“We have learned our lesson, actually, O Spirit,” said James. “Five stars.”

The figure mumbled something unintelligible.

“Excuse me?”

The figure sighed and opened the mouth zipper.

“James Podolsky?”

“Yes,” said James.

The figure took a thick notepad out of the air, then rummaged a little in nothing in particular and produced a pencil.

“Your lesson tonight was?” asked the Spirit in a businesslike tone while flipping through the notepad.

“Listen to your partner and let him bottom?” hesitantly answered James.

Him and Dayton exchanged confused looks. Dayton shrugged.

“Yes, that is a correct lesson,” said the Spirit, having finally found the right page. “I need you to sign here.”

James took the notepad and the pencil from the Spirit and signed on a dotted line.

“O Spirit, if you don’t mind me asking, what future were you going to show me? I mean, if I understand your job correctly.”

“You do. Behold, Labor Day.”

The bedroom burst into flames, clouds of vile black smoke rose to the sky, cracks in the floor spit lava, flaming rocks fell from above, and screams of torment were heard all around.

In a moment, all was gone.

The men sat on the bed, shaken.

“All this,” wheezed James and cleared his throat. “All this because I never got to finger him?”

“I may be prone to hyperbole,” said the Spirit calmly. “It helps drive the point home.”

“Again, Jesus fuck,” muttered Dayton under his breath. “I respect the hustle, but Jesus fuck.”

“Would you recommend our service to your friends?”

“I guess,” said James.

“Thank you, gentlemen, and good night. Be kind to each other and don’t be afraid of talking.”

The Spirit stepped back into darkness.

James fell on the bed and let out a breath of relief.

The Spirit’s head quickly poked back from the shadow.

“And by talking I mean butt stuff!”

James sat up with a jolt and looked around. The room was empty. Dayton was sitting next to him, staring into the middle distance. He turned to James and gave the man a puzzled look.

“Same,” sighed James.

“Yeah.”

“We can be kind to each other tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. Butt stuff can wait.”

“Great. Can we go to sleep now?”

“Sure, baby.”

“Happy Fourth of July.”