To be honest, Caelan did not know how Dusty would take his proclamation. He was not suggesting they change much of the arrangement they had going. Instead, Caelan only mentioned it as a means to tell Dusty that he wanted to be around him. He liked their time together. Caelan wanted them to feel comfortable and selfish with each other. If Dusty wanted to take him fishing, Caelan would go. If Caelan wanted Dusty to help him change the oil on his bike, then Dusty would. They needed to be able to depend on each other for these small tasks and desires, no matter how fervently Dusty disagreed.<br/><br/>Dusty traded the jar of moonshine for a cigarette, offering the hooch to Caelan. The blond took it with his free hand, sipping at the liquid as he continued to fondle Dusty’s member. He didn’t have much of a taste for the homebrew, but it helped to take the edge off from what he was feeling. Dusty was unpredictable and he could only hope that the hand he had down Dusty’s boxers would keep him calm.<br/><br/>He stayed silent while Dusty mulled over his words. He continued taking small pulls from the jar in his grasp, licking the taste of rubbing alcohol from his teeth as it began to numb his gums. There was only a small bit left in the container, enough to give Caelan a small buzz and leave very little to offer back to the man. Dusty was visibly preoccupied with his cigarette and the thoughts inside his head.<br/><br/>Eventually, Dusty spoke and Caelan found himself hanging onto every word. It would be so easy for Dusty to end things, to end this, whatever it was they were doing. Caelan had murmured similar words the night before, suggesting that Dusty stop coming by if he thought that Caelan was an invalid. He had been far more upset and a little more drunk at that time, to be fair. Caelan could recognize now that Dusty was not shy with his words and often said exactly what was on his mind. What was he thinking now?<br/><br/>Caelan nodded but did not speak. He had very little experience with the things Dusty must have gone through growing up and even now, as an adult. He wasn’t going to ruin things by trying to relate. Connecticut was more accepting than the deep South, at least while he was growing up. Most of the kids he grew up with all went to his same boarding school. They studied their asses off during the week and did lines of coke and drank cheap booze out of paper bags on the weekends. None of them cared what the others were up to, as long as they provided some outlet to express their teenage frustrations.<br/><br/>It made Caelan sad to think about someone treating Dusty the wrong way. He did have an intimidating nature about him, which Caelan only imagined would be used as ammunition for those that wanted to punish or harm him for being the man-loving type. Caelan wondered now if Dusty’s experiences and memories would cause him to hesitate. It was easy to hang out and fuck around when they didn’t draw attention to it, but now that Caelan wanted to create a sort of unspoken contract? He was unsure.<br/><br/>And just like that, Dusty agreed to his proposal.<br/><br/>God, he was relieved. Could Dusty feel how intensely his heart was beating?<br/><br/>Their lips pressed together, the slightly sweet taste of moonshine mingling between their mouths, mixing with the taste of tobacco on Dusty’s tongue. He nodded eagerly into the kiss, pleased with his response.<br/><br/>“No,” Caelan breathed, feeling his heart thrum heavily beneath his skin, “never. Never."<br/><br/>Caelan dove back into the kiss without hesitation, licking into the wet warmth beyond Dusty's lips. He moved with borrowed grace as he slipped the cigarette from Dusty's grip and dropped it into the almost empty jar of moonshine. It extinguished within seconds. He reached blindly behind their stacked bodies to set the jar on the table. The thing caught the lip and fell from his grasp, hitting the wooden floor with a heavy<i>thud </i>before rolling towards the door. Caelan devoted his attention to Dusty, as if he had a choice. He extracted his hand from Dusty's boxers and reached to cup his face and neck. His kiss was rough and dripping with desperation, the thick muscle of his tongue sliding over Dusty's as the scent of tobacco filled his senses.