Chapter Eleven: Kiss and Tell
Julien was sitting in his office, hands folded as he stared into space and reminisced about his family. It had been awhile since he'd had time to himself like that. Maurice had been in and out of the Zoo ever since he admit to him that he'd been a part of the plan, and because of his sporadic dance schedule, he had a bit of alone time. Granted, he was never really alone, but at the very least, no one was physically with him. He shut his eyes.
He was only a ten year old child when his parents and uncle died in the accident. At least, that's what Maurice called it - the two of them both knew very well it hadn't been a real accident. It had to do with the other woman that had been a close family friend during the time, who was also in the car. His uncle had certainly been into shady business, but he was never the target of any organized murder, not like her. Someone had tampered with their breaks and their steering, leaving them helpless when their car plunged off the side of a cliff and into the ocean below. Five passengers. Three deaths. Two survivors.
He'd been adopted, after that, by both Maurice and the woman who'd saved his life that day. Both of them had known his parents for years and it only seemed natural, being that he had no biological family remaining. They married shortly afterwards and moved to the states. Julien sighed as he thought of his college years, how they'd ended and a new chapter of his life began.
The chill was beginning to bite at his exposed skin and he shuddered, wondering if he'd be able to get home that night. Probably not, but he could always try to sneak back into the library and pass out there. The only issue with that was that he knew he'd done that way too many times. The librarians would soon catch on to his after-hour visits and might, potentially, ban him altogether. Unfortunately, it didn't look like the buses would be running again any time soon, not with the state of the road. And it wasn't like his father had the car, not after they had to sell it for food money. He wasn't in a favorable position - not that he had been, for years.
Two bright headlights approached from further down the snowy road. He opened his eyes, and exhaled. A white puff of air followed.
He didn't move, didn't blink, did nothing but breathe as the only car on the road pulled to a stop just beside him. Slowly, the window rolled down, black ink glass dipping behind the door to reveal a man, staring at the younger one as if he couldn't believe he existed. This was a look he often got. Uncomfortable, he hugged his bag slightly closer to his torso. The snow continued to fall, pure and sweet like powdered sugar. It descended from the dark sky between the two of them, catching on the young man's eyelashes as he blinked.
The door opened abruptly, revealing Skipper, Kowalski, Private, Rico, and Maurice. The five of them clamored into the room hurriedly. Julien was not at all alarmed, and instead leaned back into his chair with a mild smirk, raising one of his dark brows as his thick lips pursed.
"Have you come to arrest me, Skipper?" His voice bled into the air like perfume, deep and sensual.
Skipper was immediately affected, his face warming as he was met, once more, with the image of pure perfection. Julien was so casual in his inquiry that it didn't even cross his mind right away that Julien didn't know that he wasn't. He coughed into his hand awkwardly.
"Not exactly." He approached, as if drawn in by some sort of magnetism. "Julien, we know the truth about-"
Julien practically leapt across the desk, yanking Skipper by his tie and pulling him into a deep kiss. Skipper released a muffled sentiment of surprise, gasping against Julien's warm, soft lips. His heart sputtered, unsure of how to take his first kiss in eleven years, and Skipper's entire body tensed. Julien was momentarily just as taken by it as he, or at least, he made it appear so. His eyes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, dark and captivating, and he pulled back with a soft inhale, mouth not yet ready to leave the warmth.
Silence reigned, but Julien's eyes slid over to the top left corner of the room. Carefully, Skipper's eyes followed, and he discovered that there was a camera in use, pointing directly down at them. Julien looked back to Skipper, his irises deep pools of caramel honey, gold like treasure found in the most archaic hiding places.
"It is not safe to speak of this here," he whispered against Skipper's mouth. "There are eyes and ears, ready to be telling a gun to shoot. Follow me."
With that, he pulled away from the very stunned private investigator, and winked wryly. The entire room was staring at them in utter shock.
"Oh my, Skipper!" Julien exclaimed in a facetiously vapid tone. "You naughty boy you. Let us be taking you to my bed chambers, yes?"
Skipper was sure that his face was bright red at the comment, and he nodded speechlessly. He knew that Julien was only acting by then, but the implications of his words still made his mind wander to places they shouldn't. He pushed any semblance of arousal away; now was not the time. Breathlessly, he followed the master of seduction, the rest of his team and Maurice not far behind.
They weaved their way through the workers that were running this way and that, delivering drinks or haphazardly changing costume. On their way, Skipper noticed Doris again. She had been chatting to Marlene, but paused when she saw them pass, blinking in surprise at them. After a moment she waved, in particular to Kowalski, who looked like he'd really rather talk to her than follow Julien. It took a firm smack from Rico to keep him in their little flock, even though Skipper could tell Rico himself was interested in Marlene. After they left, Doris looked much paler, as if she'd seen something that made her nervous. Skipper didn't think too much on it.
Julien led them to the staircase, and then to the upper levels of the Park Zoo. It was at least three in total. Julien completely ignored the second floor, and Skipper frowned uneasily when he heard the sounds of distinct moans from within some of the rooms. That was probably where most of the illegal activity took place. Julien made it to the third floor, and then to the room at the very end of the hallway. Procuring a key from seemingly nowhere, he soon unlocked it and pulled it open.
Inside, the carpets were a deep, rich red velvet. The walls were a slightly darker shade, coated in a pattern of swirling gold. There was a white dresser and a pearl framed mirror to the side, directly next to a very packed bookshelf, filled with what seemed to be textbooks. They'd collected dust by that point in time. There was a loveseat and a recliner matching the general decor of the room, crimson with flaxen and white lining. In the center of the room was a grandeur, king-sized bed, covered by a fulvous sheer canopy. It's sheets were silky red, sun-colored pillows to accent the theme the room had. It was a bed fit for royalty.
Julien seated himself very precisely on the intricate sheets. He patted the space next to him for Skipper to sit in, which he did, with mild discomfort. Everyone else was accommodated by the other arrangements Julien had in his bedroom. It was unnerving to know that Julien literally lived at the Park Zoo, but no more so than the fact that Skipper was sitting in his bed. Especially after having shared a kiss with him.
He was still trying to process that.
"I apologize for my surprisingness back in the office," Julien was the first to speak up, plucking at his harem pants. "Clemson and the Blowhole guy had a camera put in there, to make sure there was nothing I did that was wrong… I couldn't have been letting you say anything to let them know."
"Blowhole!" Skipper gasped. "Blowhole and Clemson are working together?"
Julien nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes, yes. Parker is being one of Blowhole's agents, which is why the police guys were so not-professional about the whole thing… I am guessing you know him?"
"That fiend," Skipper muttered through grit teeth. "Yeah, I know him. We used to… Work together, sort of."
Julien stared at him in silence after he said this, taking an extra moment to speak up again. "I- ah, yes. Blowhole… He's not the nicest one."
"Understatement of the century." Kowalski pitched in.
Ignoring this, Julien continued. "So… Maurice told you the truths?"
"Everything that I knew, anyway." Maurice confirmed. "About how Clemson used to work for the Hoboken mafia, and how it was him who hired Parker, and that you were s'posed to go to prison in his place."
"Roughly," Julien smiled. "Clemson had big issues with the whole Hoboken mafia. He managed to upset them very largely on his way out. So when he started up in here, he didn't expect them to find him. I am not even really knowing how they did, since he did the whole name changing and stuff… But they did, and so he had to find a way out, 'cause they were going to murder him."
"He wouldn't shut up about it for days." Maurice muttered.
"That Blowhole guy comes here sometimes. A lot of his red officers, he calls them, enjoy our dancers. Since he and Clemson know each other, they did the deal striking - Parker would pretend to do the killing of Clemson, and I would be his scaping-goat. That way, Parker wouldn't have to be going to the prisons, and I wouldn't be able to be telling anyone what happened." Julien told the tale as if he was ordering a coffee, not talking about how his long-term boyfriend tried to send him to prison.
"That's a very roundabout way to do it, don't you think?" Private sounded exhausted from following the convoluted explanation.
Julien's smile turned slightly somber at that. "Roundabout is the only way Clemson knows how to be doing things."
"I don't get it, though." Skipper commented. "What does Blowhole have to gain from any of this? He doesn't just do favors like that."
Julien shrugged, seeming to make a point to lean in Skipper's direction and brush him as he did so. "I am not knowing that one. All I know is that he agreed to it, and Clemson didn't ask any questions."
"So… We can't go to the police about this." Kowalski concluded in agitation.
"We'll think of something." Skipper told him. "For now, let's just get you two out of here. You can stay at our place tonight, and tomorrow we'll figure something out."
"That is sounding very good!" Julien agreed in a relieved tone. "I just have one more dance coming up, I hope you aren't minding waiting for me too too much?"
Skipper's throat dried at the thought of watching Julien dance again, and then even more so at the mental image of him undressing. "Not… Not at all."
"Thank you so much." Julien grinned. "I am going to be getting changed now, then. See you all downstairs!"
Kowalski, Rico, Private, Maurice and Skipper got up to leave. The first four were talking amongst themselves, discussing what to do in terms of the case, but before Skipper could completely follow, Julien caught onto his sleeve. The rest of them descended the stairs, leaving Skipper and Julien alone. Skipper blinked rapidly, finding himself growing nervous once more. There Julien sat, his legs folded neatly beneath him on his magnificent, large, plush bed, staring up at Skipper with unbridled sincerity.
"Skipper… I want to be thanking you. For uncovering the truth." Julien's voice came out soft and heartfelt, eyes taking on a compassionate aura.
"Of-of course. It was mostly Maurice, who helped…" Skipper trailed off, slightly distracted by Julien's smooth, dark skin.
Julien giggled. The sound was like notes, fleeting from the melodious strings of a harp, and Skipper never felt so stupid or small in his life for being so smitten with this dancer. His face felt like a hot fire, blistering and unsoothable with it's heat, as he thought of how Julien had kissed him earlier. Was this what it was like to feel romantically towards someone again? He felt no different than a schoolboy, tripping over his own feet as he tried to talk to his crush.
"When you kissed me…" He found himself saying, nervous as ever. "Was it honestly just to distract me?"
The doe eyed heart-throb blinked up at him, chewing his lip for a moment. Julien himself flushed, a sight that truly took Skipper off guard. "Ah… If you are wanting the truth… No, it wasn't just that. I have been wanting to kiss you for a long time."
Skipper thought he might swoon, float away into nothingness, or simply faint altogether at the confession. He cleared his throat and nodded awkwardly, settling on flight. "O-oh. Alright… Uh! I'll let you get changed, now. See you downstairs, Julien."
Julien pulled at his bed fabrics, looking away bashfully. He glanced up one last time just to watch Skipper stumble from the room. "See you soon, Skipper."
