Tommy and Mason…

The next morning Tommy sat at his kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee while slowly counting to three—praying for the patience he knew he was not blessed with as he listened to Mason chatter incessantly. The boy was like the friggin' energizer bunny! You ask him one question and get him basically wound up and he just kept going and going and going. There were things you wanted to know about people and things you didn't. The fact that Mason liked using Jude's fingernail polish on his toes, now perfectly hidden within his boots, was not one of those things Tommy wanted to know.

"….It's like Jude keeps telling me—'don't dwell on it so much Mason. If the press were really that interested in your life, then they'd hound you more.' But I still can't shake…hey Tommy, are you listening?" Mason asked suddenly as Tommy nodded while closing his eyes and blocking out the sound of Mason's voice as he continued. He heard Jude's alarm clock go off down the hall again and he sighed. How much did you want to bet that she was just going to ignore it? It was bad enough she had used his electric razor to shave her legs last night before her shower. Did she even know how much that dulled a blade? All she had to do was rub a hand along his jaw line this morning and she would know that. He heard her hit the snooze button and he rolled his eyes. Mason's voice continued to drone on.

"…And then there's the fact that Jude won't admit that, for her, fighting is like foreplay…." Mason said suddenly as Tommy sat up quickly. What? Hello! Halt! Okay, that eliminated the need for caffeine this morning. Tom placed a hand on Mason's arm.

"Woe there cowboy! I think I missed that last part. Can you back that up a little bit?" Tommy asked curiously as Mason shrugged.

"Sure, I asked you if you realized the utter tension between you two and you nodded so I was telling you that I thought it was caused by this false anger you two have created. I saw it on Dr. Phil—that sometimes couples fight the hardest only because they seem to view it as foreplay. Okay, so Doctor Phil said it was because they were fighting the need to protect their hearts, but I like the foreplay theorem better, and in Jude's case, I totally see that being the reason why she's so stubborn. She thrives on the challenge. It's what makes the two of you work so well in the studio together. You don't have a twin brother that's gay do you? Okay, didn't think so, but…." Mason continued as Tommy drowned him out once again. So Jude liked the adrenaline rush of being with him, did she? Tom wondered if she knew that he thrived off of it too—as if the tension made him feel younger. Not that he was old, mind you. Jude's alarm clock went off again and Tommy swore. Jesus! Just get up already. Tom sighed as he heard her hit the snooze button again. Okay, that was it! She had managed to throw his viper keys over the edge of a cliff, had him worrying over a set of pictures she still hadn't fully explained to him yet, used all of the hot water in his shower before he had managed to get her out of it, and dulled the blade on his razor. Not to mention that there was now a box of feminine items hiding away in his bathroom cabinet. She did not deserve to sleep in while he listened to her 'best friend' talk about fingernail polish and foreplay. He shuddered as he stood up determinedly, sighing when he saw a car pull into his drive outside his window. Dear God, his family was already coming back after only leaving about six hours ago?

"Where are you going?" Mason asked uncertainly as Tommy grinned—staring down the hall with firm resolve. That damn alarm clock went off again.

"I think it's time Jude greeted the dawn before the day manages to pass her right on by." Tommy uttered as he headed for the door. His mother walked into the kitchen from outside with a box of donuts as Mason stood up and shook his head at Tom's retreating back.

"Um….." Mason began as Tommy grinned wider before walking into his bathroom and turning on the faucet. He hadn't done something like this since his partying days in Boyz Attack.

"Just shut up Mason." Tom proclaimed as he continued on with his business—heading toward Jude's room with a smile. This day was looking up already.