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Description
     Jimmie got a text from his sister and had to go. The cards, 2 half empty beer bottles and a mostly eaten pizza were still on the small kitchen table when Jose and Johnnie relocated to the balcony.

     Jose was relaxing on the lounge chair while Johnnie leaned against the metal balcony railing, his back to him. They had fallen back into a silence and, though it wasn't as comfortable as before, Jose was being patient.
     Finally Johnnie broke it.
     "I had sex with Jonathan."
     Jose nodded slowly and took a sip of his beer.
     "Jimmie thinks it was Nick," he countered.
     Johnnie sighed continuing to look out across the skyline and the setting sun.
     "Yeah. It makes sense actually, though I don't think Nick is a biter."
     "Ouch."
     Johnnie half shrugged as honestly he could only speculate.  "Well, maybe not all the time."
     Jose didn't bother to respond to that one, just watched his friend turn around to lean back against the railing. His phone chirped once but he ignored it.
     "Was that wrong of me?"
     "The sex or letting Jimmie believe it was not his cousin?"
     Johnnie pursed his lips as Jose brought up the core of the issue.
     "I meant Jimmie, but yeah, both."
     It was Jose's turn to sigh as he got up. He left his beer bottle by the chair and joined Johnnie against the railing. His phone rang and he silenced it, giving himself more time to formulate a reasonable response.
     Finally Jose shrugged and turned to face his friend. "Neither were wrong though Jimmie might mention his version to a few people." They both knew Jimmie wasn't very good at keeping secrets.
     "Whatever," Johnnie said waving the subtle warning away. "I could care less what people think."
     Jose gave his a doubtful glance and Johnnie chuckled in spite of the tension he was feeling.
     "Okay, okay." he admitted with a self depreciated grin. "Mostly don't care."
     Jose chuckled softly and nudged him with a shoulder,
     "Look I don't care either way. Just be aware, alright?"
     "Who's he gonna tell? Ecko? Jack? Pssh. Like Jack is going to care? And to tell you the truth, Jonathan is probably on the other side of the world right now and Nick is somewhere in Michigan."
     "He won't always be," Jose told him. "And Jonathan is at the police academy."
     Johnnie frowned. "Really?" he responded in disbelief. "Jonathan is gonna be a cop?" That brought a chuckle as he got a thoughtful look.
     "Not what I ever would have thought he'd choose from a career but don't let me get in his way."
     The silence fell over them again but this time it was Jose who broke it.
     "Are you in love with him?"
     "No," Johnnie blurted out but the reply was almost too quick and he immediately knew it. "No, I'm not," he repeated but when Jose gave him another doubtful look. Johnnie sighed. "I'm not. Really. It was more of a love/hate/anger sex thing. And with Nick it's more … I don't know … tender?"
     Jose's eyebrow rose in surprise.
     "You had sex with Nick too?"
     Johnnie scoughed softly and ran a hand over his head then rubbed the back of his neck.
     "No," he admitted.  "Just a brief moment at the bus depot before he left."
     He sighed softly and turned again as Jose nodded understandingly.  Both of them looked out as the setting sun splashed beautiful colors across the sky as several minutes of quiet passed between.
     "Part of me feels I betrayed Nick somehow," he confessed.  "Even though there were no promises and nothing happened…" He trailed off letting his head hang in frustration and defeat.
     "I am so screwed," he muttered.
     Jose purposely looked over at the visible marks on Johnnie and grinned. "Well that much is clear."
     The glare he received did not abate his snicker.
     "Oh well," Jose said with a teasing, no-remorse grin. The glare continued though it was lightened with a surrendering grin as Johnnie turned to lean his hip against the railing.
     "I know," he ceded. "Whatcha gonna do, right?"
     "Exactly," Jose said with an encouraging grin shifting to mirror Johnnie's stance. "Tell people, don't tell people. It doesn't matter." Jose stopped short, not reminding Johnnie he wasn't a cheap whore. Jose knew he wasn't but mentioning as much would bring up Johnnie's mother and how Johnnie as nothing like her and no matter how much he did or did not flirt with anyone, it would never turn him into the thoughtless skank of a woman that she was. Johnnie was very aware of who and what his mother was but he was also pretty protective of her which is why Jose kept that to himself.
     His phone chirped again and Jose opted for plan B.
     "Like you said, neither of them are here right now. You probably have a few months before either if neither ever turns up. Take your time. Write out the pros and cons."  Jose grinned smugly.
     "With any luck Jonathan will find someone cute at the academy and Nick will find someone pleasant up in Michigan and problem solved."
     Johnnie smirked, crossing his arms defiantly in front of his chest.  "All or nothing huh?"
     Jose's smile faded as he grunted in frustration.  "Johnnie, you can't have both the chicken and the cow."
     Johnnie frowned.  "The what?"
     Jose sighed and waved his hand dismissing his failed illustration.  "You're not really avoiding them if they're not physically available.  And if you want, you can call them and see which you'd like to pursue."
     "The chicken or the what?"
     "It's a wanting the whole farm reference."
     "What?"
     José glared at him.  "Stay focused."
     Johnnie pressed his lips together to keep from grinning but failed, eventually drawing out a grin from Jose as well.
     "You know what I mean."
     "I do," Johnnie assured him.
     Jose sighed gratefully before gently placing a kind hand on Johnnie's shoulder.  "Whatever you chose I'm sure it will be fine.  Just don't shut us out again, okay?"
      Johnnie reached out and cupped the side of Jose's face then smiled a bit gently slapping his face.
     "I won't," he promised.
     Jose dropped his hand away as Johnnie did the same then waved him out.
     "Go.  Find out what he wants," Johnnie gestured toward the cellphone in Jose's pocket.  "I'm going to head to the gym and hit something."
     Jose gave him a brief look then accepted him as his word.  "Alright.  Call me later."
     "You too."
     Jose started for the front door.
     "Hey Jose."
     Jose stopped and glance back "Yeah?"
     "The chicken or the cow?"
     Jose shook his head and flipped him off but there was a smile on his face as he headed out the door.


     Johnnie watched the door close behind his friend his own smile fading.  Maybe Jose was right.  Maybe the chicken and the cow would resolve things on their own.
     "I just want to know which one's Nicky and which one is Jon."  He grinned at the thought and headed for the shower.