A/N: I would just like to point out that dolphins are not, in fact, the only other mammals that have sex for pleasure. Bonobos also enjoy a good romp in the sack. They enjoy it quite frequently, in fact. Pigs do as well. To be completely honest, it is widely speculated that almost any animal that reproduces with a partner can and will have sex for pleasure. Aaaaaaaaand on to the boysex!
Justin grunted under the weight of the box. "No magic," his mother had said, "no magic! You can handle it the normal way." Right. Somehow, Justin didn't doubt that she would think differently if it was her job to move all the heavy stuff.
Ugh! Finally, he could put the large cardboard box down! Even though Alex and Harper had mostly finished unpacking and there were containers strewn about the room, it looked out of place to Justin. Perhaps it was the sheer height of the thing – it reached all the way to Justin's elbows when flat on the ground, and, not to brag or anything, but he liked to think of himself as a fairly tall guy. Maybe it was the color of the box, so bland and melancholy contrasted against the explosively bright paintings and furnishings that adorned the apartment walls and floors. Or maybe it was simply the mystery of the box. What could be inside? What on earth could Alex and Harper need that weighed so much?
Justin decided to worry about that at another time. Right now he was hot and in need of a cool beverage. Of all the days to be lifting massive objects, it had to be the hottest New York had seen that summer. A scorching ninety-nine, and right at the beginning of June too! It was as though the whole city was under a giant magnifying glass, and the ray refracted through the lens to slowly burn the ants inside of it.
But the heat wasn't the worst part. The sweat…oh God, the sweat. It started with a light covering of the skin, moistening the surface and causing his clothes to cling tightly to his body. But then it began to bead, materializing into a few miniscule rivulets that slowly navigated down the creases in his back, cautiously traversed the contours of his chest, shrewdly traced the hillocks of his abdominals. The droplets trickled so sluggishly that it was nearly unbearable. And, until a moment ago, he had been unable to do anything about it, carrying a massive box as he was. But now – and he smiled as the thought ran across his mind – Justin could free himself from the agonizingly lethargic movements of the sweat.
He crossed his arms just above the waistband of his drawstring shorts and tugged at the hem of his shirt. He chuckled lightly as the shirt rolled upward, coming off the way they did in the movies. For a moment Justin was no longer in his sister's new apartment, but was in a modeling studio, turning this way and that to face the flash of the camera. Click click click went the machines in rapid succession, inscribing in a memory card the image of his gleaming body, light bouncing off the sweat-slicked muscles in order to –
But that was enough. What if someone were to walk in on him? The young wizard shook his head. Talk about an embarrassing situation.
Stepping away from the studio lights, Justin made his way to Alex's refrigerator. Stacked precariously high in the cabinet above it were dishes, cups, bowls, mugs, and all manners of other dinner wares. He stood on the tips of his toes and reached for the cup at the top of the stack, reached and reached and he was so close! If he could just get his fingertips to go a little further…
He reached the cup! Unfortunately, in doing so he pulled the entire stack of cups out of the cupboard. They hurtled forward, separating in air and closing in on Justin. The boy dodged the missiles to the best of his ability, yet in the end he only managed to trip over himself and fall backwards onto the floor. His THUMP! was quickly followed by a succession of clunk clunk clunks.
To make matters worse, Justin was still covered in sweat and he had quite a difficult time getting up. Once he did, it was only to realize that he'd have to wash all the cups now – every cup in the stack had hit the floor and was now carrying whatever germs undoubtedly lived on the bottom of Alex's shoes. Scowling, he began to pick them up and place them in the sink, one by one lifting them off the floor and being extra careful not to drop them again.
By the time he had finished the rather monotonous task, Justin was feeling pretty wiped out. Although his hands were now as clean as the cups, his vigorous scrubbing had asked even more exertion of him, and he was sweatier than before. If only the sun would give it a break, even just for a little while.
Little chimes sounded throughout the apartment. Justin briefly wondered who would be visiting when it was so hot, even inside, but brushed the thought aside. Turning the handle with some difficulty (it's hard to get a grip when your hands are wet, ok?) Justin opened the door.
"Hey Alex, I was wondering if you – oh."