Lazy Valentines (Lazy Days)

been together. Devon's fault completely. He had big ideas on how to remedy that and in the meantime he'd just think about exactly how Scott seemed different before openly saying anything to him.
    He wondered if it had something to do with the phone call from Scott's mother. If so, getting Scott to open up was going to be tough. It probably wasn't a subject to be brought up on Valentine's Day anyway and Devon didn't want to make Scott feel self-conscious or cause any unneeded stress between them. He'd mull it over in his head, then figure out what to say or do. But first he had to solve the bike issue.
    Devon reached back and brought out what he hoped would change Scott's mind about riding with him. Scott's eyes widened when Devon put the shiny new helmet in his hands, seemingly not knowing what to do with it. Or what to say was maybe more like it.
    "It's the top of the line, safest, full-face helmet on the market. It's been tested under any and every condition and has been approved by anyone whose approval is important."
    Scott gazed up into Devon's eyes, fingers stroking over the shiny blackness as he tilted his head. His grin went from amused to concerned. "Why is this so important to you, Dev? To have me ride with you?"
    Devon bowed his head, scuffing the toe of his boot in some frosty rocks on the street before raising it again and sweeping the hair from his face. He twisted around to grab his own helmet, hesitating a moment before turning back to Scott. His mouth felt like he'd been chewing sand and his throat was more than a little clogged with something he didn't want to admit was emotion. He'd never been one to tamp down how he felt and he was the first to admit he was just a big old softie, especially when it came to people he loved. But there was a time and place for showing his wussy side and this wasn't it. He swallowed everything down then took a deep breath.
    "It's not like it's a deal-breaker and if you really don't want to do it I'm not going to be angry, but I just… I just really want to share something that's special to me. When I was growing up my mom was great but my dad… he was the biggest deal-breaker of them all, literally. "
    He paused, knowing he was making little to no sense. They weren't in the best place for him to spew his confession, especially since he didn't want to spill his heart all over the sidewalk in front of Scott's neighbor's house—the neighbor who was trying very hard to not be seen peeking out from behind her sheer living room curtains. But her really, really wanted Scott to understand and give this a try.
    "Dev." Scott pushed more wayward hair from Devon's face, stroking across his cheek as he gazed adoringly into his eyes. "We can talk about it later, if it's something hard. For now. how about showing me how to straddle this contraption so I don't fall on my ass in the street. I'm usually pretty good at the straddling position, you know—cowboy, cowgirl, cow-whatever—but this is a little more action between my legs than I'm used to."
    With a low-throated chuckle to cover up the leftover swell of emotion threatening to choke Devon, he side-hugged Scott as hard as he could. Pressing his lips to Scott's hair, he continued. "Long story short, my dad drank a lot, fucked around a lot and liked to hit me and my mom a lot." He nuzzled his nose against Scott's neck, Scott's scent seeping into his senses like a drug straight into his bloodstream. "When I got my first bike, I felt like I was finally free. It wasn't true, not really, but knowing I could get the hell away if I really wanted—needed—made things a little easier."
    Scott pushed his fingers through Devon's hair, massaging the back of his head while he ghosted his lips over his jaw. "I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?"
    Devon had no words, just the tightening of his arm around Scott's shoulders and the excessive increase in his heart rate. "I um… you know I feel the same. We could go for a little spin around the block to see if you can handle it first? If not, we'll take the Volkswagon instead."
    He loved the smile of gratitude on Scott's face and let him know with a quick brush of his lips. Scott returned the kiss then stepped back from Devon, his gaze traveling determinedly to the motorcycle at the curb.
    With a heavy sigh, Scott flicked his gaze back to Devon. "We're still learning each other and out of all the days we've had together, today is quickly becoming one of my favorites… I