XXXVIII.
Jimmy woke alone in bed, much to his dismay. He lingered for several minutes, wrapped up tightly in the blankets, gazing unfocused at the ceiling, recalling the day before spent with Ben at that hotel, and smiling vaguely. It had been nice to treat Ben to a good time like that at least once before he wasn't able to anymore. The look on Ben's face throughout that whole day was perfect and he knew, even if something that happened tore them apart, even if tomorrow Ben ended things and left Jimmy alone, it wouldn't matter, because that smile and the way Ben's eyes lit would stay with Jimmy for the rest of his life.
Jimmy frowned. He lifted himself from the bed and slowly put on clothes. He trudged downstairs. Cass was gone from the couch. Karen was there feeding her son. She smiled a good-morning to Jimmy.
"Cass went outside with Matt," Karen answered the question Jimmy hadn't yet asked.
Inside of the kitchen, Tom was leaned against the counter sipping a mug of coffee and skimming over something he'd written the night before. He paused, watching Jimmy shuffle in over the top of his reading glasses, and then he pulled a mug from one of the cabinets, poured a cup of coffee and held it out to Jimmy.
"Thanks," Jimmy murmured, taking the cup and holding it between his hands, "Do you know where Ben is?"
"He wasn't upstairs?" Tom returned.
"No," Jimmy frowned at the coffee in his glass. He wasn't sure what had happened after he and Ben had fought the day before when Ben stormed from the room. He knew when he'd left to finish arrangements for the hotel and car, as he'd paused to whisper a few things to Cass about where he was going that Tom had been outside talking with Ben and it was obvious when Ben and Jimmy returned from the hotel, that Tom knew about their temporary break-up. It made Jimmy feel a lot more on edge around the Mason patriarch than he had ever felt before. Tom had given Jimmy his approval, and Jimmy had turned around and crushed his son.
Needless to say, Jimmy wasn't sure where he stood with Tom anymore.
"Mr. Mason, I…" Jimmy started.
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," Tom interrupted and Jimmy flinched.
"I know, I'm sorry," he immediately began.
"Sorry…for what?"
"I hurt Ben," Jimmy said, wincing as he continued, "I know when he thought that…that we had to break up that it really hurt him, and you have to know that…that hurting Ben, knowing I hurt him like that, it hurts me too, more than anything and…"
"I know," Tom cut in, taking a sip of his coffee.
Jimmy faltered, "You do?"
"Yes, I do," Tom said, smiling kindly, "Jimmy, Ben explained to me about your parents. He told me they gave you some sort of…ultimatum?"
"You could say that," Jimmy confirmed.
"I see," Tom sighed, "I'm guessing by the way you and Ben entered the house yesterday that you have chosen to stay with Ben."
"Yes, sir," Jimmy said firmly.
"Which means what...as far as your parents are concerned?" Tom pressed. Jimmy frowned, shrugged. He took a sip of the coffee, grimaced at its bitter taste.
"That I'm disowned, I guess," he wistfully replied, "I'm guessing they'll take the apartment first, just as a warning shot, you know? Give me a chance to 'get my act together'. They'll tell me they won't pay my half of the rent. So, I guess that makes priority one finding a new job. When they get desperate though, they'll go after school, threaten to stop paying the tuition, so eventually I'll have to figure out how to pay for that. I guess scholarships, right? I don't know if I qualify for any…I definitely won't qualify for financial aid."
"Right. Well, you'll need to call your advisor at school," Tom recommended, "I have a few friends out at Berkeley, colleagues, that I can call, see if they know of any scholarships you could apply for. As for the job, have you considered tutoring through Berkeley? The way Ben tells it, you've already established yourself in the department as an adept mathematician, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult for you to find work as a tutor – perhaps even freelancing – or maybe even as a research assistant? I'll speak to my colleagues about that as well."
Jimmy stared blankly at Tom a moment, taken aback at the sudden windfall of aid. When he walked into that kitchen, he was certain that older man would hate him, or at the very least, for some resent for events the day before.
"I would appreciate that, thank you, Mr. Mason," Jimmy mumbled, fidgeting with the coffee mug.
"It's not a problem. Also, Rebekah and I, we aren't as well off as your parents, and there isn't a whole lot that we can do to help you boys financially, but I'm thinking we'll take a look at our budget, see if we can spare you and Ben a couple hundred every month," Tom continued, "Maybe to help a bit with rent, maybe a little with groceries. We should also take a look in the area, see if we might find cheaper apartments near the campus."
"Right," Jimmy agreed, "Um…Mr. Mason?"
"Yes," Tom peered owlishly out at Jimmy.
"I just…thank you," Jimmy said, frowning at the ground as he went on, "My parents…they…they just really…and what happened with Ben, and…I know, that I'm probably not what you and your wife ever wanted for your son but it really means a lot to me that you're okay with me being with him."
"Jimmy," Tom began sternly, "All my wife and I have ever wanted for our son was to be loved and to be happy. You love my son and you make him happy. You are everything we ever wanted for him. Alright?"
"Okay," Jimmy mumbled, then smiled, "I could probably work as a tutor, but through the college they get paid seven dollars hourly based on how many students they tutor, and they're supposed to tutor each student for a minimum number of two hours, and they log their hours, though most math tutors average about three and half hours, so in order to make enough to cover rent I would need to tutor…"
"Are you doing math in my kitchen?" Tom demanded mock angry, "Because I have strict rules about math in my kitchen. Not if it gives me a headache."
"Oh…sorry," Jimmy said, sheepishly sipping his coffee.
There was the sound of someone entering the front door, and a few minutes later Ben strode into the kitchen. He went straight to Jimmy, placing a kiss on the other boy's cheek.
"Good morning, everyone," Ben beamed, pulling out a mug from the cabinet, pouring himself a cup of coffee and diluting it with a ton of creamer.
"You're in an obnoxiously good mood," Jimmy noted.
"Well, I just came from your parents' house," Ben said.
Jimmy face fell, "What?"
"Ben…" Tom started warily.
"No, it's okay, dad," Ben assured his father, then turned to face Jimmy, grinning and sipping his coffee, he repeated, "I had a talk with your dad over breakfast. Your mom makes the best eggs benedict; by the way, her hollandaise sauce is just like an explosion of wonderfulness in the mouth."
"Am I dreaming?" Jimmy demanded of Tom, "Am I still sleeping? Is this a dream? I'm still wearing clothes right?"
"Fortunately for everyone in the house but me, babe, you are still wearing clothes, yes," Ben cheerily answered, Tom shaking his head reprovingly at his son's antics, "Now, I spoke with your parents, and we've reached a compromise. They are going to keep supporting you financially and they will allow us to continue our relationship. In return, you will need to bring your grades up significantly, nothing less than a B in all of your classes next semester, and beyond that, nothing short of an average three point five GPA. Date night is going to be study date night from now on when classes are in session, sorry, babe. Also, you will be spending part of this summer interning at your dad's company. They wanted the whole summer but I talked them out of it if, starting next semester, I change my major to pre-law, with a minor in history, your dad seems to think I would make a persuasive arbiter, and that I might have a future in constitutional law, and could possibly find a career in politics. I will be interning in DC, while you're at your dad's company. Wait, don't freak out yet dad. Jimmy, your parents are willing to accept that a professor is a perfectly acceptable career suitable of a person dating their son, so long as I am tenured at a prestigious ivy league academy and have at least two books published before I turned thirty five."
"What?" Jimmy cried, "Ben, what did…? I don't understand."
Ben drank his coffee as Jimmy frantically searched for the end of a question.
"Also, we are to spend every Thanksgiving dinner at your parents', every Christmas Eve we need to at least make a three hour appearance at your parents' party, as well as every other Christmas and New Year's," Ben concluded.
"Your mom will not like that," Tom mumbled, "She will not like that at all."
Ben finished up his coffee, eying Jimmy with a self-satisfied grin. Jimmy gaped at Ben for several minutes, tipped his head to one side, narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow.
"You…you went and talked to my dad," Jimmy said.
"Yes."
"And…made…that…all of that…happen?" Jimmy stammered.
"Yeah…um…dad, you and mom are invited with Jimmy and I over to the Bolands' house for brunch tomorrow," Ben said.
Jimmy put a hand to his forehead, a smile creasing his features.
"What did you…wait, no…how did you do that?" Jimmy asked.
"I just laid out a series of rational arguments and explained in detail the various pros and cons of making us break up and letting us be together," Ben explained.
"I can't believe…you went over to my parents, and you fought with my dad for me? And you won?" Jimmy grinned, crossing the room to kiss Ben, "You're not entirely human, are you?"
"I swear I am. Well, maybe not…entirely."
.
.
.
A/N: Reading back of this chapter I'm like, "OI! I could've swore I put those lines in there"...there were whole lines that I meant to write in this chapter that were not in it at all, now they are...note to self, always proof chapters you write at three in the morning prior to posting, always, always, always.