Title: Blind Date

Author: Morgana
Author’s Email: morganalebeau@yahoo.com
Web page: http://www.paranoid.nl/avalon
Pairing: Jonne/Juha and Ville/Jack

Rating: NC-17
Summary: Christus, Jack and Jonne arrange a blind date for Ville.

Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm not making any money out of these stories!

Warning: Real Person Slash.

Not beta read!
All mistakes are mine.

Blind Date

“You did what? That’s insane! What made you do it? Fuck it, I’m not going!” Ville crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave his older brother an evil look. “I can’t believe you guys did that!” It wasn’t just Jonne Ville was angry with though. Jonne’s partners in crime sat on the couch next to the blond. Jack and Chris were equally guilty as far as Ville was concerned.

“But Ville,” Jonne said in an attempt to appease his younger brother. “During these last three months you have been going on and on about the fact that you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend: that you have no dates and are stuck at home, as you phrased it yourself! Or did you forget about that?” Jonne raised his right arm and pointed a finger at Ville. “You’ve been driving us insane with your whining!”

Ville pouted at hearing that. “Ah, so you consider that whining! I thought that I could always talk to my older brother, no matter what!” Seriously pissed off, Ville glared at Jonne.

“Ville, don’t made this into a drama,” Japa said after drawing in a deep breath. He knew the Liimatainen brothers well and had been subjected to their temper tantrums before. Ville and Jonne were equally good at throwing one. “It’s true! Each time you hang out with us, you complain about being dateless! Can you blame us for taking action?”

When Chris and he had become friends, Jack had also met and later befriended Jonne and Ville. He liked them and even Tommi when he wasn’t acting in the capacity of Negative’s manager, but he would never get used to the brothers’ mood swings.

“You could have asked me if I was interested in a date! A blind date at that!” Ville still felt insulted. Yes, he had complained – maybe even whined – but that didn’t mean they could hook him up with anyone!

Chris raised his arms and made a placating gesture. “Ville, seriously, give the guy a chance. Maybe you’ll like him.”

“You hooked me up with a man?” Ville stared at them in shock. Just what type of guy had they set him up with?

“Would you have rather gone on a date with a girl?” Jonne asked. He already had a good idea what Ville’s answer would be. Ville liked girls, but loved men. So when Jack had suggested sending Ville on this date, he had said yes, especially after learning that Ville’s date was male.

“No,” Ville said. He toned it down and his voice turned softer and more insecure. “But a blind date! I don’t know the guy… Do I?”

“I don’t think you do,” Chris said. “Juha lives in Helsinki.” He looked to Jonne for help.

Jonne shook his head. “You don’t know Juha.” Juha and Ville had never met. Jonne hadn’t met Juha himself either. It was Jack who had come up with the suggestion. “But Chris is right. You should give it a shot.”

Ville however still felt offended. “I didn’t ask you to arrange this for me! Cancel it.”

“Ville, he’s already on his way to Tampere.” Jack checked the time. “And you should get ready for your date. Or do you want to turn up dressed like that? And what about a little styling? You’re not even wearing make-up.”

Ville grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at Jack. He hit Jonne instead, but didn’t care. “This is the first and last time that I’m going on a blind date – especially one the three of you arranged. Don’t ever do this again!” He’d rather not go, but he didn’t want Juha to make the trip and being stood up. He would make a polite appearance, buy the guy a drink and apologize for his friends’ antics and leave.

Jonne waited until Ville had left the room and then the blond addressed his friends. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done that?”

Jack dismissed Jonne’s worries though. “Come on, Jonne. He was getting on your nerves too!”

Jonne nodded and his gaze focused on the door to Ville’s room. Ville had broken up with his boyfriend five months ago. His younger brother had spent the first month being miserable and mourning the loss, but then, during the second month, he had become angry and aggressive. That phase had passed too and resignation had sat in. For some reason Ville had convinced him that he couldn’t get any dates – that nobody wanted him. It was probably a very normal reaction after a break-up, but seeing his younger brother dejected like that worried Jonne. That was why he had given in when Japa had suggested sending Ville on this blind date. Addressing Japa, he asked, “Are you sure the guy is worth it?”

Jack nodded in turn. “Believe me, he’s hot.”

“And he’s single?” Chris asked in order to make sure there were no misunderstandings.

“He’s single all right. Juha’s quite picky. He’s careful about choosing boyfriends.”

Japa’s answer reassured Jonne only a bit though. He just hoped that Ville wouldn’t take his anger out on his poor date.

~~~

“Can I come inside? Or don’t you want me near you?” Jonne knocked on the bathroom door and peeked inside. He felt guilty for setting up Ville behind his brother’s back, but he hoped that going on a date would do his younger brother some good.

Ville sighed. He could never stay cross with Jonne for long. They had lived through too much misery together for that. They were as close as brothers could be and he couldn’t imagine life without his older brother, or oldest for that matter. They were a tight unit – Jonne and he, and Tommi as well. Tommi was their big brother who kept an eye on both of them. “You can come inside,” he said upon seeing the insecurity in Jonne’s eyes.

Jonne moved inside and leaned against the tiled bathroom wall so he could study his younger brother’s face better. “How mad with me are you?”

Ville shrugged. “I’m pissed off…but I’ll forgive you eventually. You know that.” He sighed and continued applying his make-up. Suddenly he halted in his movement. What the hell was he doing getting all styled up? He was just going to tell this guy that he wasn’t interested and that was it!

“I really thought that you might like going out – even on a blind date. I’m sorry.” Jonne opened his arms and Ville moved into them. “I’ll ask Jack to call this guy so he can cancel your date.”

“No. I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing he drove here and has to turn around again without even seeing me.” If he were in Juha’s place, he would feel pissed off if that happened. “We’ll have a drink and that’s it.”

Jonne’s fingers moved through Ville’s hair. “You look better when you wear it like that.”

Ville shook his head and smiled at his older brother. “I’m not trying to look pretty, Jonne.”

“But you are pretty – it’s a family trait!”

“Tommi’s pretty?” Ville asked playing along and in an effort to hide his insecurity at hearing Jonne say such a thing. He wasn’t handsome – and certainly not as pretty as Jonne.

“All right… He misses the right genes for that, but we got them for sure.” Jonne sighed, nibbled on his bottom lip and looked Ville in the eye. “We didn’t do this because you ‘whined’. We did it because we want you to be happy and Jack thinks that this Juha might be right for you.”

“We’ll see about that. Let me meet the guy first. We’ll draw conclusions later.”

Jonne nodded and kissed Ville’s brow. “Do you want me to drive you to Koti-Baari?” Jack had arranged for Ville and his blind date to meet there.

“I’ll take the car and drive myself. That way I’ll also make sure that I don’t drink.” If he drove the car he couldn’t have any alcohol and that was a good thing. Alcohol had been a good friend once, but recently he had discovered it was a foe instead – a nasty enemy – an addiction, one he had to stay away from.

“You know where the keys are.” Jonne gave his younger brother a thoughtful look. “You never know when love finds you… Remember that.”

Ville smiled at his brother. They were both unlucky in love. Jonne’s relationships never lasted and therefore it wasn’t a surprise that his older brother was single once more. “Maybe I’ll take revenge on you and hook you up with someone too.”

Jonne smiled sweetly. “Sure, why not? If you know someone interesting, do so.”

Ville hadn’t really expected such an answer and was a bit surprised. “I’ll see what I can do.” He hugged his older brother and left the bathroom. He picked up the keys on his way out and headed for the car.

~~~

Juha was nervous. He hadn’t thought he would be, but his hand shook as he guided his glass to his lips. He had opted for diet coke, staying away from any alcohol for now. He wanted to keep his wits about him and Jack had told him that Ville had a problem with alcohol. No way he was going to tempt his date!

Juha wasn’t sure what he was doing here. Why had he said yes to Jack’s proposal in the first place? He hadn’t even been drunk, so he couldn’t blame the alcohol for his stupidity. He had said yes to a blind date. When had he become so desperate?

Sipping some more, he shook his head and wondered about his actions. He should call Jack and cancel the date, but then again, the things Jack had told him about Ville had intrigued him and he had wanted to meet the other man.

He had been single for three years now, and although he wasn’t searching for love, he wouldn’t mind love finding him and dating was part of the game, wasn’t it? He seldom participated in it though. He wasn’t the kind of guy who chatted up people and after his boyfriend had died, he hadn’t thought about dating for a long time. Jack however had made him change his mind. His nervousness showed when he started to chew on his hair – certain habits never died.

The door suddenly opened and his gaze shifted toward it. It was a woman though and he released the breath he had been holding. Ville was a blond and Jack had assured him that he had the most stunning blue eyes ever. Ville was a few years younger than he was, but Juha didn’t mind – age meant little. It was life experience that made people age… not the passing of another year.

Growing even more nervous, Juha continued to chew on his hair and stared at the entrance. He sat at the bar, just as Japa had told him to and knew that if any blond, blue-eyed male walked up to him, it would be Ville.

~~~

Ville climbed the stairs to Koti-Baari and cursed the cold weather. It was March and yet spring seemed far away. More snow fell each night and steadily covered Tampere with a thick blanket. Ville took off his gloves, put them in the pockets of his coat and removed his beanie because snowflakes had fallen onto it and had made it wet. He stepped inside and looked about.

Jack had told him to look for a redhead sitting at the bar and he spotted his date at once. Ville indulged himself for a moment and studied the stranger. It was hard to gauge the other man’s age, but Ville was under the impression that he was several years older. The guy definitely had the longest legs he had ever seen. So this was Juha – his blind date. Amused, Ville noted that Juha’s bright red hair color would light up a darkened room. He drew in a deep breath and told himself to get it over with.

~~~

Juha was bored. His date was late and he considered calling Jack or heading home. It was a two-hour drive home, but it would be better than being stuck in this bar all night – alone. He was about to uncover his mobile phone when someone cleared his throat by coughing next to him. Curiously he looked to his right and stared into the bluest eyes he had ever seen. A quick look confirmed that the other man was a blond indeed. “You must be Ville.”

Ville nodded. “And you must be Juha.” He raised his arm and shook Juha’s hand. “I’m sorry that I’m late, but my brother and friends didn’t tell me I had a date until an hour ago.”

Juha’s eyes narrowed. “Jack didn’t tell you?” He had recognized Ville at once. Ville Liimatainen was a known face in Finland and he had seen the other man in newspapers and on television. Jack could have told him though!

“He told me an hour ago.” Ville removed his coat and hung it over a chair so it could dry. He sat down and ordered coffee as he needed something to warm him up from the inside. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not looking for a date. They organized it without me knowing about it, or me asking them to do this!”

Juha swallowed hard. “They set you up?” Such a thing had never crossed his mind. “Jack assured me that you’d like going on a date…even a blind date.” And he had been a fool to believe Jack. He should have known something was fishy: he *knew* what Jack was like.

“I’m afraid so,” Ville said and wrapped his fingers around the hot coffee cup.

“And yet you decided to show up.” Juha felt disappointed but managed to hide it. The idea of getting to know Ville better had appealed to him.

“I felt guilty. After all, you drove all the way to Tampere for this.” Ville cocked his head and checked the other man out. Yes, Juha was attractive, but Ville wasn’t sure the redhead was his type. “The least I can do is buying you a drink!”

Juha broke eye-contact and considered his situation – there was little he could do about it. It was best to accept that Ville wasn’t interested in a date, but at the same time he vowed to get back at Jack for setting him up! “Get me some coffee then. It looks like it’ll a long night for me.” He would head back to Helsinki in a bit.

“I’m really sorry, but this isn’t my fault. Jack’s to blame… and Chris…and Jonne.”

“In my case it’s just Jack who set me up. I don’t know Chris or your brother.”

Ville ordered coffee for Juha and shrugged. “They mean well, I guess, but… I don’t need them setting me up with dates.”

Juha nodded. “Sure, someone as young and handsome as you should have no problems getting dates.” He added milk and sugar to his coffee and stirred.

Ville’s features contorted, but too briefly for Juha to notice. That remark made him dislike Juha – he knew he wasn’t handsome – not like his brother and he didn’t like people manipulating him. “So are you driving home tonight?”

Juha sipped his coffee. “Yes, I will. There’s no use in hanging out here much longer, is there?” He gave Ville a pondering look.

“Not really,” Ville agreed. “But we can enjoy our coffee and warm up a bit before we go into the cold again.” Ville looked at the redhead and studied the other man’s profile. “What do you do for a living?” It was best to make some small talk. He hated silences.

“I’m a sound technician.” Juha cringed at seeing the disinterest in Ville’s eyes, which was a pity, because he *was* interested in the blond. He liked Ville’s voice, Flinch’s music and the blond had something about him that appealed to him. The attraction seemed to be one-sided though. So be it – he couldn’t change it at any rate. “I live and work in Helsinki.”

Ville nodded absentmindedly. How very boring – a sound technician. Jack should know better than to think that he would fall for someone like Juha. In an attempt to keep the conversation going, he said, “Interesting hair color you have there.”

Juha forced a smile onto his face. He credited Ville for making the effort to keep their conversation going, but it was obvious that the blond wasn’t interested. “I started dyeing it some years ago… I wanted to make a fresh start.”

Ville smiled, but had barely listened. The red hair was the only thing about Juha that wasn’t boring and it was time to end this farce. Ville paid for their drinks and brushed some remaining snowflakes from his coat. “I’ll be heading home then. I hope you’ll have a safe trip too.”

Juha finished his coffee and slipped into his coat. There was no reason to stick around any longer. If he left now, he would be home around two in the morning.

“I’m sorry Jack lied to you,” Ville offered as he put his coat on.

“Things like that happen – unfortunately.” Juha fell into step beside Ville and together they descended the stairs. “I’m sorry too, but for different reasons. From what Jack told me I think you’re an interesting person – one I would have loved to get to know better, but…” Juha shrugged and smiled at Ville. “I hope you’ll find someone eventually. Everyone deserves a shot at happiness.”

“No hard feelings?” Ville felt relieved – Juha could have made a scene, but the redhead hadn’t – he appreciated that.

“No hard feelings.” Juha’s warm and loving nature showed when he took Ville into his arms and hugged him. “Get home safe…” Smiling at the blond, he turned and headed for his car. He hoped he would make it back to Helsinki in one piece as it had started to snow heavily. But then again, this was Finland and no Fin would ever let the weather defeat him! He turned briefly, raised an arm and winked at Ville.

Ville blinked – Juha had hugged him. He shivered. He didn’t like strangers getting so close to him, but Juha had taken him by surprise. And something else had taken him by surprise as well – the way Juha smelled. Wow… Ville winked at the redhead and for one moment he wanted to call Juha back and stop him from leaving, but then he dismissed the thought. They had nothing in common. There was no way that a sound technician who led a quiet and uneventful life would ever understand what was going on in his. It was best this way.

Ville watched Juha get into his car and drive away. He hoped the redhead would get back home safely. The weather *was* unpredictable, but then again, why should he worry? He would never meet the redhead again. It didn’t really matter what happened to Juha.

~~~

Jonne felt disappointed upon seeing Ville climb the stairs to their apartment so early. “Why are you back already?” Ville had only been gone for one hour and driving to and back from Koti-Baari had taken Ville thirty minutes at the very least.

Ville stepped into the hallway and removed his beanie and coat. “Jonne, I never asked for the date to begin with, remember?” Ville removed his shoes and headed for the kitchen where he put on water to make tea.

Jonne sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. “Make me some tea too?”

Ville nodded and placed two cups and tea bags onto the kitchen counter. “I really felt sorry for the guy, Jonne. Promise me that you’ll never do such a thing again.”

“It was Jack’s idea. I only went along with it.” Jonne gave Ville a grateful look and wrapped his fingers around his tea mug.

Ville sat down opposite his brother and studied Jonne who looked absolutely miserable. “Did Jack and Chris leave already?”

“They fell asleep on the couch. I forced them to watch Titanic.”

Ville chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll never understand why you’re so crazy about that movie.”

“You don’t have to,” Jonne replied and gave Ville a wink.

“Hey, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with your date!” Jack stood in the doorway, looking absolutely rumpled. His black hair was tangled and his make-up a mess. “Can I have some too?” he asked as he pointed at their tea cups.

“Sure…” Jonne rose, made more tea and placed another cup on the kitchen table.

Jack sat down, thanked Jonne and focused on Ville. “You didn’t even give him a chance, did you?”

“Sure, he looks spectacular with that red hair of his, but… a sound technician? Jack…that’s boring!” Ville nursed his tea and shook his head.

Jack’s eyes widened. “Did you even talk to him?”

“Of course I did. How else do you think did I find out about his job?” Ville shrugged. “He isn’t my type to begin with. Boring sums it up.”

Jack’s eyes widened further and he slammed his cup onto the table. “Boring? Did you really say boring?” He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s true – alcohol really fucks up your brain cells! You can call Juha many things but not boring!”

Jack’s words offended Ville. “Why don’t you date him if you think he’s special?”

“I like girls…You know that!” Jack wagged a finger at the younger Liimatainen. “But if I liked guys, Juha would be right on top of my list. How can you call him boring? He rocks!”

Jonne frowned. “Why do I feel like I’m missing out on something?”

Ville shrugged. “I have no idea. Jack, Juha’s…Sure, he’s attractive. I’ll give you that, but… I need someone who understands the life I lead! You know what it’s like – gigs, music, the pressure, the drugs…”

Jack forced himself to be patient – Ville was young and he should keep that in mind. “Why do you think Juha’s a stranger to all that?”

“Jack, why would a sound technician know about it?”

Jack closed his eyes, counted to ten and said, “You asked him about his job, he told you and… Ville, you’re really stupid! Of course he knows about gigs, music, pressure and the temptation drugs present! He’s a singer himself! His band might not be as big as Negative, but…” Jack wanted to whack some sense into Ville. “You should have given him a chance!”

Jonne placed a hand on Jack’s wrist. “What band?”

“Reflexion!” Jack looked from Jonne to Ville. “Or For my pain. Fuck! You must have heard of one of those bands! Or Juha Kylmänen!”

Yes, those names rang a bell with Ville, who stared at Jack in alarm. “Oh fuck, yes, now it makes sense…” The red hair… He should have made the connection, but hadn’t. Juha – his date had been Juha Kylmänen and he hadn’t realized it. Why? Because he had been determined to sabotage his date. “Fuck…”

“That’s why I thought the two of you would get along! You have much in common! You’re both singers, write songs, love music, have your own band… Do you finally get it?”

Ville had the grace to grow flustered. “I do… Finally.”

“It’s a bit late though, don’t you think?” Chris said from the doorway. Their conversation had woken him and he had listened to them without being noticed.

“Probably.” Ville lowered his gaze. “He’s on his way back to Helsinki.”

“In this weather? They predicted a fucking snow storm!” Jack shook his head in exasperation. “You could have offered him the guestroom – or the couch.”

All right – now Ville *really* felt guilty. “It’s too late now… He’ll have left Tampere by now.”

“Let’s hope he drives carefully.” Jack cocked his head and gave Ville a stern look. “How are you going to make this up to Juha?”

Ville’s eyes grew big and stared at Jack in horror. “What did you say?”

“You owe him. You dismissed him without giving him a chance. Damn it, Ville! He was really interested in you! Not because you’re Ville Liimatainen, but because your personality appealed to him. We talked about you each time we met!”

Ville’s blush deepened, but at the same time a hint of anger showed on his face when he addressed Jack again. “Why the hell are you discussing me in the first place?”

“This date wasn’t just for your sake, Ville. I want Juha to date again too! He’s been on his own for three years.” Jack stared into his tea and grew worried. How was the rejection going to affect Juha? Juha seemed confident most of the time, but he knew that the redhead was really sensitive. “I thought you had a chance – the two of you,” he clarified.

Jonne couldn’t stay quiet any longer and asked, “Why hasn’t Juha dated in three years?”

“His boyfriend died in a car crash… He didn’t want to date after it happened and I understand that, but… life goes on and being on his own isn’t good for him. He’s someone who thrives on company.”

Ville felt even worse now. Juha hadn’t dated in three years because he had lost his boyfriend, and on his first date, Ville had rejected him – sent him home. “I fucked up.” He could have been more polite. He could have tried to make it work. Would it have been a chore to be nice to Juha? To find out more about the other man? To give him a chance? But no, he had been determined to sabotage the date in order to get back at Jack for orchestrating it.

Jack however shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I made a mistake in judgment. I thought you really wanted to date again… You always said so…” Jack sighed deeply and raised his gaze to look at Chris who had come to a halt behind him. The other guitarist placed his hands on his shoulders and started a massage. Jack chuckled in spite of his worries – Chris always knew how to help him relax. “Thanks,” he whispered.

Chris merely nodded and continued the massage. “You meant well.”

Ville realized that too – now. But it had taken him time to really grasp Jack’s intention. Jack had meant well and organizing the date had been a nice thing to do. Unfortunately for Jack, Ville had been determined to sabotage it. “I’m sorry I fucked up…” Ville offered softly. “I didn’t want it to work out from the start. You’re right – I didn’t give him a chance.”

“No, I shouldn’t have manipulated you.” Jack gave Ville a smile that asked for both forgiveness and understanding. “I meant well, but I shouldn’t have sprung this on you.”

Ville nodded: Jack was right about that, but still… He had dumped Juha before he had gotten to know him. He should have given the redhead a chance, but it was too late now. Juha was gone.

TBC

Part 2

“Jack? Do you have Juha’s phone number?”

Jack had been slipping into his coat and Ville’s question surprised him. After the date had gone wrong, he had decided it would be best to get out of Ville’s way and to crash at Chris’ place. “Sure, but why do you want it? I thought you weren’t interested in the guy?” Jack uncovered his mobile phone, accessed the information and sent Ville a SMS which contained Juha’s number so the blond couldn’t displace it.

“I’m worried,” Ville admitted softly. Chris had opened the door and a cold wind assailed them and they weren’t outside yet – just in the main hall way. “I want to make sure he got home safely. After all, it’s my fault that he has to drive through the night.”

Jonne nodded approvingly. “You do that. I’ll walk Jack and Chris to the front door.” Ville would want his privacy while calling Juha – and he knew his younger brother well enough to realize that Ville probably wanted to apologize to Juha. The three of them went downstairs while Ville returned to the kitchen and dialed Juha’s number.

“Don’t feel bad about setting Ville up with a date,” Jonne offered when Jack was about to step out on the street. He appreciates it, but at the same time, he’s too proud and stubborn to admit it.”

Jack nodded. “I’m not good at matchmaking.”

Chris patted his friend’s shoulder. “You did your best. Come on, let’s go home. I’m freezing my ass off.”

Jack nodded, hugged Jonne briefly, and followed Chris into the night. His plan had really backfired!

Jonne closed the door and climbed the stairs again, already wondering what kind of mood Ville was in. He would find out upon joining his younger brother in the kitchen.

~~~

Ville sat at the kitchen table and was growing increasingly frustrated. “Juha, answer it, damn it!” he whispered privately. He really worried about the redhead. Another look out of the kitchen window told him that the storm was still getting worse and the thought of Juha being stuck out there worried him. It was his fault that the redhead was driving home that night. If the date had gone well, he might have invited Juha over for a drink and the redhead could have slept in the guestroom. The phone continued to ring, but no one answered it and that fact added to Ville’s concern.

Jonne entered the kitchen and Ville helplessly shrugged. “He isn’t answering…”

Jonne gave his younger brother a look that spoke of sympathy. “Let it ring a little longer, or try again later.”

Ville was about to put his mobile phone away when there was some noise at the other end. “Juha, is that you?”

“Uhm, yes? Who wants to know?”

“It’s me, Ville. I got worried and wanted to make sure you’re all right.” Ville was relieved to hear Juha’s voice even if the redhead sounded annoyed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“Not really… I’m stuck any rate.”

Ville moved the phone in such a way that Jonne could listen in and then asked, “Why are you stuck? And where?”

“There’s a blizzard going on and it stopped traffic in its track. I managed to park my car but that’s about it. I’m not going outside… It’s really ugly.”

Ville’s features contorted. Juha being stuck out there was his fault! “Where are you? Are you still in Tampere or…?”

“Give me a moment to find out…”

Ville heard how the window was turned down and Juha asked a pedestrian where he was. That meant Juha was still in Tampere and hadn’t even made it onto the highway!

“Sepankat,” Juha said a moment later. “I was about to go onto the highway when the storm hit.”

Jonne, who had been listening in, said, “That’s only two blocks away!”

Ville nodded and considered their options. “With the way the weather is getting worse we won’t make it there with our car either.”

“Stay indoors, Ville. I’ve got blankets and once the weather improves I’m gone,” Juha said.

Jonne however shook his head. “It’s freezing and he can’t stay out there. We’ll get him and Juha can stay with us – in our guestroom.”

Ville nodded again: Jonne’s suggestion made sense. “Juha, we’re coming to get you. It’ll take us ten to fifteen minutes as we have to go on foot. I’ll call you when we’re there. Stay in your car and don’t go outside or we might miss each other.”

“Ville, you don’t have to do this!”

“No, I *do* have to do this,” Ville said determinedly. “I fucked up and I’m going to make it up to you. No way you’re spending the night in that cold because I acted like a spoiled brat and that’s it. We’ll see you in ten.” Ville ended the call and looked at Jonne. “You’re coming along, aren’t you?” He didn’t want to face Juha alone. Jonne could help him out if things got awkward again.

“Sure, that’s what big brothers are for.” Jonne however shivered at the thought of having to go outside. He really hated being cold.

~~~

Juha placed his mobile phone on his lap and frowned deeply. He hadn’t expected Ville to call him. He had been convinced that Ville had forgotten about him the moment they had said goodbye. A smile replaced his frown as he realized that Ville was worried about him. Ville wanted to know him safe – it was a start.

Burying deeper beneath his blanket, he stared outside. The weather really was horrible. When he had still lived in Oulu he had suffered through many such nights. Blizzards usually caught up with him whenever he was on the road and he had spent more than one night at the side of the road. In Helsinki such storms were less common and you couldn’t really get stranded there, but Tampere… He didn’t know his way about the city.

So Ville was coming to get him. Ville and his brother, by the way things had sounded. He had never met Jonne and was curious about the other man. That came as no surprise though – Juha was curious by nature. His best friend Mikko often teased him with that fact.

Ten minutes later his mobile phone rang and he answered it. “Juha Kylmänen,” he said and only then checked the display to see who was calling. Caller ID unknown… He hadn’t stored Ville’s number yet and so his phone didn’t recognize it.

“It’s me again. Jonne and I arrived. Look about and see if you can find us.”

Juha opened the car door and flinched at the cold wind that attacked his senses. He saw two men standing beneath the light of a street lantern and one of them was on the phone. Juha raised an arm and said, “I’m over here…”

“I see you… Lock your car, will you? There’s no way anyone can drive in this weather.”

“All right…” Juha ended the call, slid his phone into a pocket and got to his feet. He put up the collar of his coat, got out his shoulder bag and locked the car. He wasn’t quite sure why Ville was doing this, but he was grateful that the blond was taking him in for the night. It could get damn cold in the car and he had no idea where the nearest hotel was situated!

“You picked some great weather to drive home in.” Ville shook his head. “You were really planning to drive home in that?”

Juha turned and smiled at Ville. “I’ve seen worse.” His gaze shifted from Ville to the older Liimatainen and grinned. Jonne’s face was barely visible beneath a layer of shawls and beanies, but the big, blue eyes still showed and he felt like he could drown in them. ”Hello, I’m Juha,” he said and extended his hand in greeting.

Jonne took it. “I’m Jonne, Ville’s brother. Let’s get out of the cold, yes?”

Juha nodded. “I don’t like being cold either.” To Juha’s surprise Jonne hooked arms with him.

“We don’t want you to get lost, do we?” Jonne said and grinned.

Ville watched the exchange and felt strangely jealous. He knew that Jonne’s gesture didn’t mean anything special. Jonne was a touchy person and reached out to strangers more easily than he did. It still stung though that Jonne seemed to get along with Juha right from the start.

Juha noticed the annoyed expression in Ville’s eyes, but didn’t say anything. He had a brother too, Jarmo, and knew that sometimes family relationships were peculiar. He didn’t know how close Ville and Jonne were and he wasn’t going to cause arguments. “I could get easily lost here,” he said in order to break the silence. “I don’t know my way about Tampere and this storm makes things even worse.”

“It’s a good thing then that we live nearby!” Ville said, eager to take control of the situation. “We got a comfortable apartment and it will be much warmer there.”

Juha fell into step with Jonne who still held onto his arm and Ville walked next to him on his other side. “Thanks for getting me, but you didn’t have to. I spent nights in my car before.”

“Even during a snow storm?” Jonne peeked at Juha and wondered about Ville’s taste in men. How could his younger brother classify Juha as boring? The eyes alone were anything *but* boring. Green eyes, which possessed a cat-like expression twinkled mischievously at him and Jonne was forced to avert his gaze. He was sure he would have blushed otherwise. It wasn’t like him to react like that – especially toward another male. He had always known that he was bisexual, but so far, he had stuck to girls because a relationship with another man quit simply scared him. Maybe he feared the unknown and wasn’t sure about the dynamics of such a relationship, but he had vowed to stick to girls only. Juha however… Jonne sighed and shook his head. No, Juha was Ville’s date and therefore off limits!

Ville in turn wondered about his brother’s odd mood swings. He didn’t know Jonne like that. A look at Juha told Ville that the redhead had noticed Jonne’s odd reaction too. Ville tried to distract Juha. “I hope you don’t need to be somewhere early in the morning.”

Juha shook his head. “Good thing it’s Saturday…” He had left yesterday right after work and hadn’t counted on being home until Saturday evening. A look at his wrist watch told him that it was two AM already. If everything had gone according to plan he would have been home by now – stupid blizzard.

They walked in silence for the next few minutes. The wind picked up in speed again and a weird combination of snow and hail descended onto them. Jonne decided to make a run for it as their apartment building was on the other side of the road. He let go of Juha and started to run when the hail storm got worse. Ville followed Jonne’s example and started running as well.

Juha, with his long legs, quickly caught up with Jonne. A patch of ice glistered beneath the light of the street lantern and Juha cunningly avoided going near it, but apparently Jonne hadn’t noticed the danger and the other man slipped and took a fall.

“Damn it!” Jonne reached for his ankle and bit on his bottom lip in frustration. That hurt!

“Jonne!” Ville was at his brother’s side in seconds and squatted next to him. “What happened?”

“My ankle…” Jonne couldn’t believe this was happening. They were stuck out on the street, there was a blizzard going on and an army of hail battered away at their heads.

Juha quickly took control of the situation. “We can’t stay here.” He wrapped an arm around Jonne and pulled him to his feet. “Can you walk?”

Jonne tried, but a pain filled groan left his lips when he tried to put his weight on his right foot. “I’m not sure.”

Ville wanted to help, but Juha beat him to it. The redhead put his arms beneath Jonne’s knees and back and lifted him. It was probably best that way. Ville knew he would have a hard time carrying Jonne. “I’ll show you the way.” Thankfully it was only a few meters to their apartment building.

Jonne quickly put an arm around Juha’s neck as he suddenly found himself elevated. He hadn’t counted on the other man to lift him and held on tight, afraid he would take another fall.

Ville unlocked the door and took shelter from the hail storm. Juha followed a few seconds later and they stared outside, realizing the storm had just reached another peak. “That storm’s really bad.” They didn’t get such blizzards often.

“You can put me down again,” Jonne said in a tiny voice. He felt rather embarrassed after what had happened.

Juha however didn’t react to Jonne’s request and addressed Ville instead. “What floor do you live on?”

“Fourth… top floor,” Ville replied. Jonne had bought the penthouse apartment a year because they had loved the splendid view. “Good thing there’s an elevator!” Ville started to move toward it, but then saw the out of order sign. “Fuck, more bad luck!”

“Let’s get moving. Jonne’s starting to get heavy.” Juha flashed Jonne a blinding smile when the blond tensed against him. He hoped the smile would reassure Jonne that he wasn’t a burden.

“I’m not heavy!” Jonne pouted. He really wasn’t! He was a light-weight! Hardly weighed a thing!

“I didn’t mean it like that. Now don’t pout!” Juha followed Ville up the stairs and pulled Jonne tighter against him. “Let’s make sure you don’t fall,” he said, explaining his actions.

Jonne however wasn’t sure he wanted to stop sulking yet. He really wasn’t heavy!

Ville turned his head and looked at his brother from over his shoulder. The easy interaction between Jonne and Juha still surprised him, but he didn’t feel offended or jealous any more. Yes, Juha was pretty, but the redhead definitely wasn’t his type.

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination and Ville unlocked the door. He switched on the lights in the hallway and stepped aside to let Juha enter. “Take him into the living room, will you?” He pointed Juha in the right direction and while the redhead made his way over there he closed and locked the door.

Ville needed a moment to clear his head and sort out his thoughts. When Juha and he had met, nothing spectacular had happened, at least not for him, but… He wasn’t sure what had happened a moment ago when Juha had simply lifted Jonne in his arms. He had seen the look on his brother’s face and *knew* something had happened.

“That hurts!”

Jonne sounded upset and hearing his brother’s voice pulled Ville from his musings. He removed his boots, coat, and beanie and then disappeared into the kitchen where they kept the first aid kit.

“Please be careful!” Jonne shot Juha a pleading look. “That really hurt!”

“I’m sorry.” Juha had slipped out of his coat and now knelt on the floor in front of Jonne whom he had placed on the couch. He was trying to get Jonne’s boot off and had a hard time not giggling. It was the first time ever that he saw pink boots on a man. “I’m afraid it’ll hurt some more until we’re through.” He was as careful as he possibly could as he removed the boot.

Jonne flinched and tried not to call out again. Damn, Juha was doing that on purpose, moving so slowly! “Just get it off!”

“I don’t want to make things worse,” Juha explained. He managed to get the boot off eventually and put it aside. The ankle had already swollen and that was the reason why removing the boot had been so difficult and painful on Jonne. “You need to…” He didn’t have to finish as Ville had stepped inside carrying a large bowl filled with water.

“Put your foot in the water.” Ville placed the bowl onto the floor and opened the first aid kit. It was a good thing that Jonne always made sure everything was in store and he reached for the bandages. “I don’t know how to do that though.” Normally it was Jonne – or Tommy – fixing him up!

Jonne put his abused foot in the water and bit on his bottom lip. His ankle had already reached monstrous proportions and something told him that it would get worse before it got better. “I hate this!”

“You were lucky,” Juha said as he removed the bandages from the foil.”You could have broken it instead.”

Jonne shot Juha a look full of daggers. “Well, thank you for making me feel better!”

Juha raised his gaze, looked at Jonne and patted the blond on his shoulder. “You can snap at me all you want if it makes you feel better.”

“Sorry,” Jonne offered a moment later as he realized that he had been taking his anger out on Juha. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Ville sat down on the floor and watched them. He had expected Juha to snap back at Jonne, but no… The redhead merely smiled forgivingly at Jonne. Ville realized he had judged Juha too quickly when they had met at the bar. There was more to the man than he had thought. Jack *had* made a mistake though – Ville was sure of that. Jack had gotten his taste in men all wrong. Juha was too old for him – too mature and too… serious, but maybe Juha was right for Jonne…

“Ville, do you have a towel for me?” Juha asked, addressing the younger man who appeared lost in thought.

“I’ll get one.” Ville rose from the floor, went into the bathroom and returned with a towel which he handed Juha. He sat down next to Jonne and took his older brother’s hand in his. “Does it hurt much?”

Jonne didn’t want to worry his younger brother. It was only a sprained ankle. Nothing major -- nothing to worry about. “I’ll survive,” he said in an attempt to reassure Ville. He hissed though when Juha lifted his foot from the water. “Fuck…”

Juha gave Jonne an apologetic look. “You should check with your doctor. I think it’s merely sprained, but you should make sure it’s nothing worse.” Juha carefully dried Jonne’s foot, placed it against his thigh and bandaged it. “Tell me when the bandages get too tight.”

Jonne clenched his teeth and managed not to hiss again. Juha was careful and his touch gentle, but it still hurt. “This sucks!”

“It’ll heal again,” Ville offered and wrapped an arm around Jonne. “Try to think positive. This means everyone will want to pamper you.”

“Everyone being you?” Jonne smiled at his younger brother.

“Oh, don’t worry. If you want me to I’ll give Jack and Chris a call so they know that you need some tender loving care. You know what Chris is like… He’ll smother you.”

Jonne nodded. “And that’s the best argument for not calling them! I don’t want to be confined to bed and Chris won’t let me leave it. You can call Tommi though…”

Ville grinned. “Ah, a little bit of smothering is okay?” Tommi would fuss over Jonne, but only to an extent.

Jonne leaned heavily against Ville and realized that he had almost forgotten about Juha who had finished bandaging his foot. The redhead was still smiling at him and Jonne felt strangely warm because of that smile. No, he wasn’t falling in love. He had promised himself to stay in control of his emotions at all time. He didn’t want to be hurt badly ever again. He was single and wanted it to stay that way. Too many people had already trampled on his feelings and he wasn’t going to let it happen again. “Thanks,” he whispered.

“You’re welcome.” Juha put the things he hadn’t needed back into the first aid kit and closed it. He rose from the floor, stretched, and looked about. “Nice apartment.”

“Thanks,” Jonne whispered again. “Ville and I decorated it.”

Juha pulled a chair closer to the couch and sat down. “This is not the way I thought my evening would end.”

Ville kept out of the conversation, but watched them closely – Jonne in particular. He had learned to read his brother a long time ago and realized that something had happened – something out of the ordinary. The way Jonne avoided looking at Juha told Ville a lot. Jack had set Juha up with the wrong brother. A grin surfaced on his face. This was too good to be true.

“Neither did I,” Jonne said. He hadn’t wanted to carry on the conversation, but had no choice because Ville remained quiet. Glancing at his younger brother he wondered about the wicked expression on Ville’s face. What was his younger brother up to?

Ville realized Jonne was on to him and acted quickly. “I’ll show you to the guestroom and the bathroom for that matter,” he said addressing Juha. “And then I’ll help you to bed, Jonne.” Ville patted Jonne’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him.

Jonne nodded. “You’re probably tired,” he said and looked at Juha. “Feel at home here.”

Ville got to his feet and so did Juha. “I’ll show you around…” Ville first showed Juha where the bathroom was located and then led him into the guestroom. “The bed’s comfortable, at least that’s what our guests say.” Studying Juha, Ville realized that he wanted to get to know the other man better. Not because he was suddenly interested in him, but because he thought Juha would be good for Jonne. “Don’t bother getting up early in the morning. I always sleep in late and with that ankle, Jonne won’t be up early either.”

Juha nodded. He wasn’t sure about sleeping in though. He was a light sleeper and these were unfamiliar surroundings. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll just sneak out in the morning and head home. That is, if I can get my car out of the snow.”

“We can tackle it tomorrow. Don’t worry about it yet. Get some sleep.” Ville didn’t want Juha to sneak out first thing in the morning and he had the feeling that Jonne didn’t want the redhead to leave like that either. “Feel free to grab a bite to eat or something to drink in the kitchen before you turn in. I’ll help Jonne get into bed.”

“Thanks.” Juha smiled gratefully at Ville.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight!” Ville left and headed back to Jonne, who sat motionlessly on the couch. Jonne stared at his ankle and Ville hated seeing his older brother in pain. “Hey, are you ready to go to bed? Do you need to go to the bathroom first?” It wasn’t the first time he looked after Jonne. The two brothers had always looked after each other.

“Bed please… I want to lie down.” Jonne hooked an arm behind Ville’s neck and allowed his younger brother to pull him upright. He managed not to put any weight on his injured foot and with Ville’s help, he slowly, but steadily, made his way into his bedroom where he sat down on his bed. “This is bad timing.”

“Why?” Ville helped Jonne out of his jeans and hated hearing his brother hiss in pain again. “You don’t have any gigs this week and except for band rehearsal, which you can cancel, you have nothing lined up.”

Jonne slipped out of his sweater and stretched out on his back. He hissed when he accidentally moved his foot about. Ville was right of course, but Jonne hated feeling helpless at any rate.

“Are you comfortable like that or do you want another pillow?” Ville loved fussing over Jonne as he seldom got the chance to do so. Jonne was his older brother – his big brother – and normally Jonne didn’t show any weaknesses. That he did so now, was uncommon and worried Ville.

“I’m not sure…” Jonne carefully moved about until he had achieved a somewhat comfortable position. “Maybe you could get me another pillow?” he asked eventually and pointed at his foot. Maybe it would hurt less if it was elevated.

Ville fetched a pillow and put it gently beneath Jonne’s sprained ankle. “Like that?”

Jonne sighed. “Much better, thanks, Ville.”

“That’s what brothers are for…” Ville sat down on the bed and stroked Jonne’s hair. “Do you want a painkiller? We should have some aspirin.”

“Maybe in a bit. Right now I’m happy to be lying down.” Jonne looked Ville in the eye. “I’m sorry that the evening turned into such a disaster. I’m sorry that you don’t like Juha the way we had hoped you would…and then I make matters even worse.”

“You fell. You didn’t hurt yourself on purpose so don’t feel guilty about it.” Ville stroked Jonne’s brow in a soothing manner. “I’ll get you that aspirin and then you’re going to sleep.” Jonne nodded obediently and Ville studied his older brother closely. “Juha really isn’t my type, but you know that, don’t you?”

“Now that I’ve seen him, I get that, but when Jack told me about him I really thought…”

“Hey, I wasn’t lecturing.” Ville twined his fingers with Jonne’s. “I told him to sleep in late. There’s no reason to get up early on a Sunday morning, is there?”

“You’re right.” Jonne smiled ruefully at his brother. “I’m really sorry that your evening was a disaster.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Ville placed a chaste kiss on his brother’s brow and freed his hand of Jonne’s hold. “I’ll get you your aspirin.”

Jonne watched Ville step out of the room and closed his eyes. He’d had such high hopes and now Juha turned out not to be Ville’s type at all – that sucked.

A minute later, Ville already returned to his room and handed him the aspirin and some water, which he swallowed meekly. “Will you keep an eye on Juha? In case he needs anything?”

Ville nodded. “I’ll even make breakfast.”

Jonne closed his eyes again – he *was* awfully tired and hoped that the aspirin would kick in and numb the pain in his ankle. Ville took to stroking his hair and the smoothing motion made Jonne relax and eventually fall asleep.

Ville sat with Jonne a few more minutes longer until he was convinced that his older brother was sound asleep and then sneaked out of the room. Instead of heading for his room, he decided to check on Juha first. The door to the guestroom was ajar and soft humming could be heard. Ville knocked, not wanting to invade Juha’s privacy.

“Yes?” Juha got to his feet and pushed the door open. “Ah, Ville.”

Ville smiled at the redhead. It amazed him how easy it was to act around Juha now that he had sorted out his thoughts. “I just wanted to make sure that you have everything you need.”

“I’m fine. I’ll go to bed in a few minutes.” Juha gave Ville a questioning look. “How’s your brother?”

“Jonne just went to sleep. Thanks for acting so quickly when he fell.” Ville watched Juha closely and thought he saw interest in the green eyes – interest in Jonne, which was perfect as far as he was concerned. If Jack could play matchmaker, so could he. “I’ll see you later… Sleep tight.”

Juha nodded and smiled at the younger Liimatainen. “Sleep tight too.” He closed the door, moved back to the bed, undressed, but kept his boxers on and slipped between the covers. This was way better than spending the night in his car – in the cold.

Juha pulled the comforter close and rolled himself into it. Sliding one hand beneath the pillow, he got comfortable and closed his eyes. This had been a strange day indeed. His date had been a disaster, then he had ended up stranded in a blizzard and eventually Ville and Jonne had come to the rescue.

Smiling, he sighed deeply. Some good had come out of the situation as far as he was concerned. Ville no longer acted so hostile toward him and Juha hoped that they would get along and maybe even become friends. He had however abandoned the idea of Ville also being interested in him in a romantic way. He obviously wasn’t Ville’s type.

And then there was Jonne. The older Liimatainen brother had taken him by surprise. Burying deeper into his mattress Juha had to admit that Jonne had made an impression on him. Sure, he still liked Ville, but when they had met at Koti-Baari it had been obvious that they wouldn’t work out. They were too different. But Jonne? Oh my, he had felt lost the first time he had looked into Jonne’s eyes. Ah, fuck, why had things to be so complicated? He should get some sleep instead. Maybe things would make more sense in the morning, but somehow Juha doubted it.

TBC

Part 3

“Jack? Tell me, why do you keep lying to them?”

Jack released a deep groan. This wasn’t the first time Chris was calling him on his behavior, but so far he had always managed to distract his friend so he didn’t have to answer it. “Chris, it’s late and I want to sleep. Shut up.” Sleeping in the same bed as Chris meant he had a portable heater to snuggle up to, but the annoying thing was that Chris always wanted to talk at the most inopportune moment.

“Japa, I mean well. I just don’t get it.” Chris, resting on his side, studied his friend’s face. Jack had removed his make-up and suddenly the other guitarist looked so much younger – and vulnerable. “I know you like guys as well. So why do you keep telling Jonne and Ville that you only like girls? Why do you feel you need to lie to them?”

“Chris, shut up or I’m going to crash on the couch.” Jack pulled the comforter up to his chin and closed his eyes demonstratively. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“Jack, we’re best friends, aren’t we?” Chris poked Jack in the side until the younger man opened his eyes again. “Why don’t you trust me then?”

Jack sighed. “Chris, I don’t want to talk about it. Why can’t you accept that?”

“Because I’ve got the feeling that you’re unhappy. Something’s wrong. You haven’t been yourself lately. I want to know what’s bugging you so I can help. Please,” he said and gave Jack his most pleading look.

“If I tell you, will you shut up and let me sleep?” Jack wasn’t sure if telling Chris was the right thing to do. He didn’t know how his friend would react upon learning the truth. He had hidden his feelings for a reason.

“Sure…now tell me. Why don’t you want Jonne and Ville to know that you’re bi?” Chris had tried to make Jack talk about it for weeks and Jack had always closed down – until now. Had he finally gotten through to his friend?

Jack averted his gaze. He couldn’t tell Chris and look at him at the same time. “Because I… I don’t know when it happened…or why… But I… I like…him too much…and I don’t want him to know… I want him to be happy though…but I’m not good enough for him…”

“Uh?” Feeling confused, Chris blinked. “What did you say?”

Jack sighed. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to spell it out to Chris. “I’m in love with him.”

Chris blinked again. “You in love with…?” He still didn’t get Jack. What the hell was his friend telling him?

“It’s Ville, you dumbo!”

Chris’ eyes widened. “You’re in love with Jonne’s baby brother?” He hadn’t seen that one coming!

“I shouldn’t have told you.” Jack moved away from Chris and sat upright. “I don’t want anyone to know so keep your big mouth shut, do you hear me?”

Chris tried to catch his friend’s gaze. “I don’t get it.”

“What’s there to get? Even you can’t be that stupid!”

Chris drew in a deep breath. Sometimes he forgot that Jack was younger, more naive and in some ways very much unlike him. “I get that you’re in love with Ville. What I don’t get is why you set him up with Juha. Why don’t you go out on a date with Ville yourself? Geez, why are you making it so complicated?”

“I knew you wouldn’t understand!” Jack pushed back the covers and left the bed. He slipped into his jeans and sweater and made his way into the living room where he picked up his cigarettes and lit one of them. Sitting down on the couch, he inhaled and blew the smoke into the air. “I shouldn’t have told you!”

Chris had followed his friend and lit a cigarette himself. He saw down next to Jack and studied the other guitarist. Jack looked lost. “What’s the problem? Why do you feel you can’t tell Ville? You know the guy! You’re friends with him! He likes you!”

“It’s not that simple, Chris…” Jack gave his friend a look that spoke of misery. “What if I tell him and he rejects me? Or even worse: laughs at me? I’m not good enough for him… And you know what Ville’s like…”

Chris shook his head. “Ville’s not like that.”

“Don’t give me that crap! He only went to Koti-Baari to dump Juha! He would have dumped me as easily!”

Chris drew in a deep breath and prayed for patience. He wasn’t good at handling such situations, but now that Jack had finally confided in him, he had to stop his friend from making more mistakes. Chris drew Jack into an embrace and tucked his friend’s head beneath his chin. “Ville reacted like that because he felt manipulated. I might have reacted the same way. Setting them up wasn’t the brightest idea you ever had. Why don’t you ask Ville for a date instead? I really think he would say yes.”

But Jack shook his head. “I don’t think I’m right for Ville. He needs someone more sensible, like Juha.”

“Oh, Japa!” Chris couldn’t help it – he laughed softly. “Take a chance and tell Ville how you feel about him!”

Jack felt insulted and pulled away. “That’s easy for you to say! You’re not in my situation.”

“I’ve been in similar ones and I learned one thing, Jack. If you don’t take chances, you’ll never know if things would have worked out. You have to put your heart on the line. That’s the way it works. Have a little faith, Japa. Ville likes you – you already know that. Just ask him on a date and see what happens.”

Jack however wasn’t convinced. “It was a mistake to tell you.”

“No, it needed out – otherwise you wouldn’t have told me.” Chris pulled a protesting Jack back into his arms. “Sleep on it. I’m not telling you to call Ville right now. Just think everything over.”

Against his better judgment, Jack nodded. Chris was right – it had needed out, but now that he had told Chris, he regretted doing so, knowing his friend would get involved one way or the other.

~~~

They ended up falling asleep on the couch: Jack still dressed in his jeans and sweater and Chris tucked away beneath the blanket which he had removed from the back of the couch.

~~~

The next morning, Chris woke first and after opening his eyes, he studied the younger man sleeping tucked away against him. He loved Jack like a brother, but that was about it. They were soul mates, enjoyed an occasional kiss in order to entice some girls, but apart from that, nothing had ever happened between the sheets.

Chris was comfortable with that. Lovers came and went, but friends stayed a life time – real friends that was and Jack was the best friend he’d ever had. That was also the reason why he wanted Jack to be happy and it was obvious that at the moment, Jack was very unhappy. And all that because of Ville. He would never have guessed.

Last night, Jack’s explanations hadn’t made much sense, but then again, sometimes nothing made sense when one’s in love, so Chris simply accepted the things Japa had told him – for now. He wanted to talk some more though when his friend woke up.

For the moment he enjoyed holding Jack in his arms and grinned at his best friend. If necessary he would take Jack’s matchmaking role and get involved himself, but first he was going to try to convince Jack to tell Ville.

~~~

When Juha woke, it was still early. A look at the display of his phone told him that it was only seven o’clock and that was definitely too early to get up on a Sunday, but it was the time he normally woke up during work days. He was relieved that today wasn’t one of them and turned onto his other side, immediately growing more aware of the unfamiliar surroundings he was in. Ah yes, he was staying with Jonne…and Ville.

Juha knew better than to hope that he would fall asleep again once he was awake like that. He could stay in bed, but wouldn’t sleep any more. After staring at the wall for a few minutes, Juha grew bored. He sat up, pushed his pillow against the headboard and looked about the room which was painted in a friendly blue pastel. His bedroom walls were red, but then again, he had a soft spot for that color.

There was no way he could stay in bed much longer as he was growing restless. The problem however was that he wasn’t at home and couldn’t simply move about, but he did need to visit the bathroom.

A minute later he pushed back the covers, sat up, and placed his feet onto the floor. It was chilly in the room although the heating was on maximum and he wondered just how cold it was outside. He made his way over to the window, pushed the curtains apart and shivered. Outside, the storm continued to rage, dispelling snow, hail, and even the occasional thunder and lightning from grey, almost black clouds. Juha loved storms, but only when he was at home. Ah well, there was little he could do about Mother Nature and his bed was warm and comfortable.

Juha left the guestroom and headed for the bathroom. He carefully peeked inside just in case someone had forgotten to lock the door, stepped inside, and locked it. He relieved himself, washed his hands and face, and moved his fingers through his hair in order to entangle it.

He had really outdone himself this time, getting stranded in Tampere, but he vowed to get back at Jack for setting him up. He unlocked the door, stepped into the corridor and wanted to return to the guestroom when he heard noise coming from Jonne’s room. First there were painful groans and then curses. Maybe he should offer his help? Juha walked toward the door and knocked. “Hey, do you need help in there?”

Jonne looked up in surprise. He hadn’t expected anyone to hear him, but apparently Juha wasn’t someone who slept in. “Yes, can you give me a hand?” He was lucky to have Juha about. Ville wouldn’t wake until noon and he definitely needed help.

Juha opened the door and stepped inside. “What are you doing?”

“I need to visit the bathroom – quite urgently that is – but I can’t seem to walk unaided.” He had tried doing so, but had ended up loudly cursing the pain shooting up his ankle. “I’m sorry to bother you, but maybe you can…”

Juha moved quickly and wrapped an arm around the blond. “Are you sure you should put any weight on that ankle?”

“How else am I supposed to walk?” Jonne leaned heavily on Juha. “And I managed last night, so I should manage now as well!” But for some reason the pain in his ankle felt way more intense than last night when Ville had helped him into bed. He bit onto his bottom lip and closed his eyes. Damn it, that hurt!

“That’s not going to work, you know,” Juha said. “And furthermore, it’s bad for your ankle.”

Jonne shot Juha an indignant look and that was when he noticed that the redhead was naked except for some very sleek black boxers. Oh, that was way too much so early in the morning. “I can manage on my own, thank you!” What was his body thinking, reacting to Juha in such a way? Thankfully his boxers weren’t tight and they didn’t show off as much as Juha’s did. He pushed away from Juha in an attempt to get some distance between them and made the mistake to put his weight onto his abused ankle. “Fuck!” he called out as his ankle refused to carry his weight and it moved sideways, causing Jonne even more pain.

“Are you always so stubborn?” Juha moved quickly, lifted Jonne in his arms and carried him into the corridor. “If you keep that up, it will take your ankle much longer to heal as it normally should!”

Jonne grew flustered at finding himself in Juha’s arms once more. “Put me down!”

“I don’t think so. If I do, you’re going to take another fall.” Juha opened the bathroom door and carried Jonne inside. He had put the lid of the toilet down before he had left the bathroom and now placed Jonne on it. “Do what you need to do and call me when you’re ready to leave.” He then closed the bathroom door behind him.

Jonne stared at the closed door in bewilderment. This hadn’t happened. He had only dreamt that Juha had carried him into the bathroom and the redhead had most certainly not called him stubborn!

“Do you need help?” Juha asked when everything remained quiet inside the bathroom.

“No, I don’t!” Jonne relieved himself and then dragged himself over to sink where he splashed water onto his face after washing his hands. He was still thinking about Juha’s actions when he happened to glance out of the window. “What’s this? Let’s fuck with Jonne?”

The snow storm still raged and that meant Juha was still stranded and couldn’t leave. Jonne wasn’t sure how he felt about that. A part of him wanted Juha gone, because the redhead woke all these crazy feelings inside him and also because Juha was off limits as the redhead was Ville’s date. But hadn’t Ville told him last night that Juha wasn’t his type? And being honest with himself Jonne had to admit that he didn’t want Juha to leave. He liked the other man.

Hanging his head, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Jonne didn’t like complicated. That was why he had decided against dating after his last break up.

“Are you in pain? You shouldn’t be on your feet.”

Juha’s voice, coming from so close, sent shivers down his spine and made Jonne look over his shoulder. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I didn’t sneak inside… I made noise but you were lost in thought. You seem worried.” Juha wasn’t sure how to act. He would have loved to wrap an arm around the blond so he could support him, but Jonne didn’t look like he wanted to be touched.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind, yes.” Jonne drew in a deep breath and carefully turned about until he faced Juha. “I’d better get breakfast underway. You must be hungry.”

Juha however shook his head. “You sit and watch – I make breakfast.”

Jonne chuckled. “Do you always take charge like that?”

Juha shrugged and blushed a little bit. “I’m used to taking charge at work. My coworkers are lazy and if I don’t kick their butts nothing gets done. And then, with the band… Well, if it weren’t for Mikko and me there wouldn’t a band to begin with.”

Standing opposite Juha, Jonne noticed that the other man really was a bit taller. The red hair framed a handsome face and the eyes… Ah well, the eyes were quite something. Jonne swallowed hard. No, this wasn’t happening – no, no, no!

“Let’s go into the kitchen,” Juha said when Jonne continued to stare at him. “Just lean on me.” He wrapped an arm around Jonne’s waist and looked up upon hearing the blond chuckle. “What?”

“You’re not going to carry me?” Jonne batted his eye lashes and then cursed himself for that action. What the hell was wrong with him that he was flirting like that? His feelings were all over the place and he felt happy and depressed at the same time.

“I can carry you…” Juha didn’t know what to think of Jonne’s sudden flirting and decided not to worry about it for now. Instead, he carefully swept Jonne off his feet and carried him into the corridor. “Which way is the kitchen?”

Jonne raised an arm and pointed Juha in the right direction. He hooked an arm behind the redhead’s neck and his fingers absentmindedly caressed a strand of hair. He hadn’t known hair could feel so soft… Stop it, he told himself. Just stop it. “You can let me down,” he told Juha once they were in the kitchen. “Just put me onto a chair.”

Juha lowered Jonne onto a chair and looked about. The kitchen was well-equipped and the walls were a soft yellow. “Nice… Now where’s the coffee maker? Or do you prefer tea?”

“Coffee’s great.” Jonne pointed Juha toward the coffee maker. “You can find filters and coffee in the cupboard above it.” Oh, he should have told Juha to get dressed before the redhead stretched and reached for the coffee. Those black boxers were way too tight and Juha’s ass was… Jonne averted his gaze and sighed. This was so typical. Juha was the first man he was attracted to and he couldn’t have him because the redhead was Ville’s date. Why couldn’t Jack have hooked him up with Juha instead?

Juha got the coffee started and returned to the kitchen table. “Are you hungry?”

Jonne wanted to shake his head as he didn’t want to trouble Juha, but when his stomach growled, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was hungry any longer. “I could do with a bite.”

“What do you want to eat?” Juha looked about and located the fridge. He opened it and peeked inside.

“How about some cornflakes and milk?” Jonne suggested, wanting to make things easy on Juha.

“We can do that.” Juha removed the milk from the fridge and carried it over to the table. Following Jonne’s directions he also collected the cornflakes, two bowls, spoons and mugs to put their coffee in. It was a mystery to him how Ville could sleep through all the noise they were making. “Do we need anything else?”

“Sugar please,” Jonne said. With every passing minute he felt guiltier for making Juha work. “I’m sorry,” he whispered once Juha had sat down next to him. “You’re a guest and I’m making you work.”

“Don’t worry about that! I would be still stuck in my cold car without you and your brother!” Juha reached for the coffee and poured some into the mugs. “Let’s eat.” He was hungry too. They munched on their cornflakes, which, to Juha’s amusement, Jonne had buried beneath a pile of sugar. “Did you already happen to look outside?”

“I did and it sucks…” Jonne looked up and gave Juha an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not in the best mood at the moment.”

“Does your ankle still hurt?”

“Only when I move it.” Jonne had rested his leg on the chair next to him. “I doubt you’ll be able to get home today.”

“That thought also crossed my mind. I could take the train home, but then I’d be without my car.”

“And I doubt trains are running at the moment.” Jonne shrugged. “Maybe the weather will improve tomorrow. You don’t have to work on Sundays, do you?”

“I’m off Sundays, so yes, I could drive home tomorrow.” Juha peeked at Jonne and the blond averted his gaze. “I can get a hotel room if you want me too.”

“No, you can stay here!” Oops, that had come out way too quickly and had sounded desperate. “What I’m trying to say is that you’re welcome to stay. It’s the least we can do after setting you up on that blind date.”

“Ah yes, you were in on that too!” Juha had finished his cornflakes and dedicated himself to his coffee. “What made you think Ville and I were a good match?”

Jonne shrugged. “I didn’t know that much about you… Just what Jack told me. I never made the connection that you’re Juha Kylmänen. Jack only told me your first name.”

Juha studied Jonne and noticed the unease in the other man’s eyes. “And what do you think now? Am I a good match for Ville?”

Jonne nervously moistened his lips. Why was Juha asking him such questions? “Honestly?” he asked in an attempt to stall.

“Yes, honestly.” Juha cocked his head and smiled wickedly.

“Ville told me that you’re not his type, sorry…” Jonne didn’t make any eye contact at that point. He simply didn’t want to see the hurt in Juha’s eyes. After all, the redhead had been looking forward to his date with Ville.

“That’s okay. I figured as much. Ville is a bit too young for me to be honest.” Juha carefully monitored Jonne’s reaction and wasn’t surprised when the blond’s head shot up and the blue eyes fastened questioningly on him. “I’m twenty-seven years old in case you didn’t know.”

“You don’t look old…” Jonne instantly bit onto his bottom lip. “Sorry…” He hadn’t meant to offend the redhead.

Juha merely laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I know how you meant that!”

“What the hell… I’m trying to sleep! Be quiet!” Ville appeared in the doorway and stared at them in disgust. “It’s seven thirty in the morning and it’s Sunday! Go back to bed and sleep!” Ville turned around, marched back to bed, and once they could no longer see his face, he grinned.

“I’m impressed,” Jonne muttered. “Ville actually left his bed at this early hour.” That happened very seldom.

“Does this mean we have to whisper?” Juha asked with a wicked grin.

“Hell, no!” Jonne shook his head. “Although, he has a point. It’s early and Sunday morning. There’s not much we can do except going back to bed.”

“I’m much too awake for that.”

“Me too,” Jonne admitted after a moment’s thought. “So what do we do now?”

Juha gave the question some thought and grinned. “I’ve got an idea!”

“As long as it doesn’t mean I have to move about,” Jonne said and sighed. He hated being helpless.

“We’re going to move this to your living room!” Juha got to his feet and moved toward Jonne. “Can you carry the coffee mugs?”

Jonne had no idea what Juha was up to, but he took hold of the mugs and was then lifted again. Hum, he could get used to this, but in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn’t as it wouldn’t last. “What are your plans?”

“Let me surprise you.” Juha grinned from ear to ear as he carried Jonne into the living room. He lowered the blond onto the couch and shivered as he happened to glance out of the window. “I thought the storm had already reached its peak last night, but it seems to be getting worse.”

Jonne nodded and made himself comfortable on the couch. He was cold though and wished he was wearing a bit more than just his boxers. “Juha, would you do me a favor?”

Juha directed his gaze away from the window and toward Jonne. Seeing the blond tremble and gooseflesh form, he had a pretty good idea what Jonne needed from him. “Clothes?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll get some for you.” And he would put some clothes on himself. Juha left the living room, went into his, dressed in his jeans and sweater and detoured to Jonne’s room where he picked up a fleece morning robe from the chair. “Is this okay?” he asked and showed Jonne the morning robe.

Jonne nodded. “I don’t want to wear pajama bottoms at any rate.” Moving his foot about would hurt too much. He accepted Juha’s assistance when the redhead helped him into the morning robe and smiled upon seeing the comforter which the older man had also brought along. “Just what are you up to?”

“When you were little, what did you do on early Sunday mornings when you couldn’t sleep anymore?” Juha sat down on the couch next to Jonne, but didn’t move closer. He didn’t want Jonne to feel pressured or cornered.

“I watched a whole bunch of cartoons with Ville,” Jonne replied as he finally caught on.

“Exactly!” Juha handed Jonne the remote control and covered them with the comforter. “Anything else you need?”

“Hand me my coffee please?” Jonne said and as he zapped through the channels until he found the one with cartoons. He gave Juha a grateful smile and wrapped his fingers around the mug. Suddenly he felt guilty for having such a good time: it should be Ville snuggling on the couch with Juha. What possessed him to encourage the redhead to act around him like that? Jonne knew he was flirting shamelessly and that wasn’t like him.

“Where did your smile go?” Juha frowned. One moment Jonne had seemed happy and the next deeply troubled.

“I shouldn’t be doing this. You should be doing this with Ville, not me.”

Juha slowly shook his head. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not Ville’s type and I think I prefer someone a bit older.”

Jonne swallowed nervously. Now Juha was flirting too. “I’m not sure we should be doing this.”

“We’re watching cartoons and are having some coffee. What’s wrong with that?” Jonne was overreacting as far as Juha was concerned.

“Nothing… But I’d feel more comfortable after talking to Ville about…this.” About you, he had wanted to say.

“Let’s enjoy the cartoons, shall we?” Juha sighed, troubled. He was convinced that Ville was okay with him spending time with Jonne. Ville wasn’t interested in him, but Jonne was – Juha had realized that much. He just had to trust that things would solve themselves once Jonne and Ville had talked.

~~~

Ville found them like that four hours later. He had gone to bed after he had caught them in the kitchen and had instantly fallen asleep again. Ville remained standing in the doorway and took in the scene that unfolded in front of him. While the snow storm raged right in front of their windows, Jonne was closely snuggled to Juha and soundly asleep. His older brother snored softly and every so often Juha chuckled because Roadrunner had out tricked coyote again.

Amused, Ville grinned and then shook his head. Jonne had had several relationships, but none had worked out. He had always suspected that it had something to do with the fact that Jonne would be happier with a male partner, but his brother had always vehemently denied that. Ville didn’t know why Jonne was so damn uncomfortable with being bi, but hopefully Juha was the right person to help his brother accept that part of his personality as well.

As he didn’t want to disturb them, Ville sneaked into the kitchen and made himself some tea. He liked coffee, he really did, but his stomach just couldn’t deal with it first thing in the morning—hum, afternoon.

As he waited for the water to come to the boil, he considered his options for the day. It was obvious that he was stuck at home. With the storm going on outside there wasn’t much he could do to begin with. So how was he going to stop himself from being bored to death?

His gaze shifted toward the little table in the hallway which he could just see from where he stood. He tiptoed toward it, snatched up the mobile phone and returned to the kitchen. There was no reason for Juha and Jonne to find out that he was awake just yet. Jonne had seemed comfortable asleep like that and Juha had enjoyed watching those cartoons. Juha had also seemed to enjoy holding Jonne in his sleep, but that was none of his business for now.

Turning the phone over and over in his hands his eyes narrowed in thought. He should give Chris and Jack a call to let them know that he was no longer angry with them for arranging the blind date. The date might not have worked out for him, but he had the feeling Jonne would profit from Jack’s manipulation.

His fingers moved quickly and dialed Chris’ number. He hoped the guitarist was already awake.

TBC

Part 4

Chris arched an eyebrow when he looked at his phone’s display. Hum, apparently Ville had forgiven them. Otherwise the younger man wouldn’t be calling him. The sounds coming from the bathroom told him that Jack was still in the shower, which was perfect, as it meant he could talk undisturbed. “Chris here.”

“Hello! I thought I should give you a call and let you know that you’re off the hook. I’ve decided to forgive you!”

Chris chuckled. ”And what caused such generosity?”

“The fact that Jack’s matchmaking is working out.”

Chris’ grin died on his face. “I thought you disliked Juha?” What had happened after they had left?

“Oh, he’s definitely not my type and I only went to Koti-Baari to let him down gently, but Juha got caught up in that blizzard and we took him in.”

Chris blinked and shook his head. “So you’re saying that Juha isn’t your type, but at the same time Jack’s matchmaking is working out? Start making sense!” First Jack had confused him and now Ville was doing the same thing. Maybe the two of them were meant to be together, but no, wait, if they combined forces they would confuse him even more!

“All right, I’ll explain it nice and slow, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks, I’ll be eternally grateful,” he said sarcastically.

“Pay attention then! So, we’ve established that Juha isn’t my type, right?”

Chris nodded and only belatedly realized that Ville couldn’t see it. “Yes, we did.”

“But Juha is Jonne’s type,” Ville said and waited for Chris to make the connection.

“But Juha is Jonne’s type,” Chris repeated, needing to do so in order to fully understand what Ville was saying. Once he did, he grinned. “Juha and Jonne?” Oh, he should have considered that possibility right from the start. Jonne was closer to Juha’s age and the blond and the redhead would be a great match.

“Exactly!”

“And that’s why you’ve forgiven us for arranging that blind date?” Everything made sense now. Chris was happy that Ville was okay with this building attraction between Jonne and Juha. It would have been easy for Ville to be offended instead.

“You got it, Chris!”

Chris was still grinning by the time Jack joined him. The other guitarist’s hair was still damp from the shower he had taken, but at least he had already put some clothes on. Jack often spent the weekend at his place and the younger man kept spare clothes in his closet. While keeping one eye on Jack who was finger combing his hair, Chris asked, “So what are your plans for today, Ville?” Jack’s gaze immediately focused on him and Chris’ grin broadened.

“You’re talking to Ville?” Jack instantly grew worried. Hopefully Chris hadn’t told the blond that he had feelings for him. He didn’t exactly trust Chris to keep that information to himself.

Chris nodded. “Do you want to come over? Jack and I don’t have any plans either, but maybe we can jam and order pizza later? That would also give Jonne some privacy.” He was going to do his best to get Ville and Jack together. He didn’t know how he was going to accomplish it, but he was going to try.

“That’s a good idea… I like it… I’ll join you in an hour, is that okay?”

“That’s great!” Chris couldn’t stop grinning. “See you then!” He ended the call and gave Jack a brilliant smile. “Guess who’s coming over.”

Jack stared at his friend in shock. “You didn’t!”

“I didn’t tell him!” Chris shook his head and gave Jack a hurt look. “I just invited him over! You need to do the rest!”

“Forget it!”Jack wanted to get to his feet, but Chris grabbed his wrist and kept him in place. “What?”

“Jack… Take a chance… Tell Ville… Or, if you don’t feel up to it…show him that you care about him as a friend. Stop hiding your feelings.”

“You have no idea what you’re asking… It’s so fucking hard!”

“I know that, but what if it’s worth it?” Chris smiled reassuringly at Jack. “You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

“I’ll try,” Jack whispered half heartedly. It was the best he could do.

~~~

Ville took his time showering, got dressed and then peeked around the corner to look into the living room. Neither Jonne nor Juha seemed to have moved during these last thirty minutes. Jonne was still fast asleep and Ville’s eyes narrowed upon seeing Juha’s fingers wandering through his brother’s hair. Those two seemed awfully comfortable around each other. Ville didn’t know his brother like that – usually Jonne guarded his personal space closely. “I’m leaving… See you later!” he called, hoping to get away like that. He should have known better though.

“Ville!” Jonne’s eyes opened and he raised his head. “Where are you going?” He had been soundly asleep until one moment ago, but even in his sleep his senses had been trained on his younger brother. Ville was the most important person in his life, even more important than Tommi who could take care of himself, and a need to take care of his younger brother drove Jonne.

Ville sighed: damn it… He stepped into the living room and grinned upon seeing the growing blush on his older brother. Apparently Jonne hadn’t realized that he had snuggled up to Juha in his sleep. Ville crossed his arms and cocked his head, enjoying the scene which now unfolded.

“Sorry,” Jonne whispered as he pushed away from Juha. He felt embarrassed for cuddling close to the redhead who was practically a stranger. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Juha smiled at Jonne and brushed a strand of blond hair away from the younger man’s face. “You’re warm and soft, so there’s no reason to apologize.” He had enjoyed having someone snuggle up to him.

Jonne swallowed nervously and looked at Ville to find out his brother’s reaction to Juha’s statement. Was Ville okay with this? It had been Jack’s intention for Ville and Juha to start dating and not Jonne and Juha.

“Ah nature calls, please excuse me!” Juha had the feeling the two brothers wanted some privacy and he thought it best to retreat for a moment. That way they could talk – it was obvious that Ville and Jonne needed to discuss what was happening. Juha left the living room and headed for the bathroom.

Ville appreciated Juha giving them a moment to talk and marched over to the couch. He sat down next to Jonne and smiled at seeing the sleep-tousled hair and the drowsy expression in his brother’s eyes. “You still look tired…which surprises me…recalling the way you cuddled up to Juha.” Ville thought it cute, the way Jonne’s blush deepened. “You like him, don’t you?”

Jonne swallowed again. “It’s rather obvious that I do, isn’t it?”

Ville nodded. “Hey, it’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned! Juha’s not my type and I’m not interested in dating him. If you like him… Feel free to date him instead! And yes, I’m serious! If you want Juha, go get him!”

“Don’t you think that Juha has a say in the matter too?” Jonne glanced at the doorway to make sure that Juha hadn’t returned yet. He would be embarrassed if Juha caught them discussing him.

Ville smiled at his older brother. “He let you snuggle up to him, didn’t he? And he took care of you last night. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Maybe he just wanted to help… last night… and… maybe he just didn’t want to push me away just now – afraid to jostle my ankle.” Jonne hoped that Juha was really interested in him and he thought the redhead was, but… Maybe he was reading the older man wrong!

“I don’t think so…” Ville caressed his brother’s face. “Jonne, I didn’t know Juha was your type… You surprise me!”

Jonne lowered his gaze. “I didn’t know he was my type either. I didn’t even know there was some type of male I feel attracted to. This took me by surprise too.”

Ville stroked Jonne’s hair and nodded reassuringly. “Then go get him!”

Jonne raised his head and searched his younger brother’s eyes. “You really don’t mind? You were supposed to date him, not me.”

“Really, Jonne. I’m okay with it. I don’t mind! I’m happy for you!” Ville drew Jonne into a hug and held him tight. “Go get him!

Jonne grinned into his brother’s hair. “Thanks, Ville.”

“You’re welcome!” Ville patted Jonne’s back and pulled away so he could look at his older brother. “How’s your ankle? Has it improved yet?”

Jonne shook his head and stared at his bandaged ankle with a sad expression in his eyes. “It’s grown even thicker overnight and I couldn’t walk on it this morning. I should try again in a bit.”

Ville frowned. “But if you couldn’t walk, then how did you get into the kitchen this morning?” Jonne opened his mouth to answer him when Ville grinned and nodded. “Juha,” he said the same time Jonne did.

Jonne grinned and moistened his lips. “Juha, yes. He heard me moving about and helped. He even made breakfast.”

Ville felt grateful that Juha had taken Jonne under his wings that morning. “And after I went back to bed the two of you moved here?”

“Juha wanted to watch cartoons.” Jonne sighed. “I can’t believe I fell asleep on him.”

“You were tired… and Juha didn’t seem to mind so… I suggest you get him back onto the couch so you can rest some more. You’ve got a good reason to do so,” Ville said and inclined his head in the direction of Jonne’s sprained ankle. “Make good use of it!”

Jonne gave Ville a conspiring look. “I might…” Then he frowned and asked, “Where do you think you’re going? Do you have any idea how bad the weather is?”

“I’m only outside for ten minutes. I think I’ll survive that.”

“Where are you going?”

Ville grinned. “I decided to forgive Jack and Chris and visit them. They’re also going to order pizza so…” He winked at Jonne. “I’ll let them buy me some…”

Jonne considered this. “Okay, but be careful. It’s dangerous out there!” Jonne pointed at his ankle.

“I’ll be careful,” Ville promised and squeezed Jonne’s hand. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back so don’t worry.”

“Call me when you get there. I want to know you’re safe. And if you decide to stay the night, let me know too. You know that I worry… especially now that there’s a blizzard going on.”

“I’ll do that,” Ville said and hugged Jonne before getting to his feet again. “And enjoy your time with Juha – get to know him!”

Jonne nodded. “I’ll do that… Have fun with Jack and Chris… Keep them out of trouble, will you?”

“I will!” Ville walked toward the doorway where Juha had appeared. Grinning at the redhead, he gave Juha a wink and whispered, “Pamper Jonne a bit, will you? Bye! See you later…or tomorrow!”

Juha blinked: what had Ville just said? That he should pamper Jonne? “Here, I made coffee in case you want some!” He had put the coffee into a thermos which he had found near the coffee maker. “I even brought milk and sugar along.” He placed everything onto the coffee table and sat down, wondering about the thoughtful expression in Jonne’s eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I don’t think so…” Jonne took hold of his refilled mug and added milk and sugar to it. “I had a little talk with Ville.”

“Ah,” Juha said and sipped his hot drink. “And what did he say?”

“He told me that I should let you pamper me… And that I should get to know you.” Jonne felt shy: he hadn’t planned on telling Juha these things yet. “It’s the first time ever that I feel attracted to another man. Yes, I’m bi, but… I never considered dating a male before.” He was blushing to the roots of his hair by the time he had finished. “I only dated girls in the past.”

Juha nodded to show that he understood. “I had two boyfriends so far… I broke up with the first and I lost my last lover in a car crash… It took me a long time before I was ready to date again. I want to take this slow too.”

Jonne felt relieved. “Same thing goes for me. I need to take everything slow too.”

“Jonne?” Juha waited for the blond to make eye-contact before he continued, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Jonne gave Juha’s question some serious thought. “I’m not sure… I never experienced it in the past, but…” Jonne fumbled with a corner of the comforter and rubbed the fabric between his fingers. “Since I met you… Since last night I think love at first sight is possible.”

Jonne’s answer brought a smile to Juha’s face. “I feel the same way!”

Jonne chuckled. “I never expected anything like this to ever happen to me.”

Juha shrugged. “Love’s a strange thing. You can’t predict it.”

Juha was right, Jonne admitted. “So what does this mean? For us?”

“It means that we’re going to enjoy our coffee and in a bit, you can boss me around when I make lunch. I don’t know the way about your kitchen yet.”

Jonne sipped his coffee and then placed his mug back onto the coffee table. Even in spite of the coffee, he yawned. He still felt tired. “Can we stay on the couch a little longer?”

“Of course we can!” Juha emptied his mug, disposed of it and made himself comfortable again. He raised an arm, signaling Jonne that it was okay for the blond to snuggle up to him.

Jonne felt shy, but took Juha up on his invitation and leaned against him. The redhead curled an arm around him and Jonne sighed blissfully. He barely registered the wind and hail that battered against the window and inhaled Juha’s scent instead. He was happy – so very happy!

~~~

Cold… It was so fucking cold outside! Ville couldn’t wait to get into Chris’ apartment where it was warm and dry. Ringing the door bell, Ville wished Chris would hurry and let him in. “Come on, I know you’re home! You invited me! Open the door!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Chris opened the door and gave Ville an annoyed look.

Ville pushed inside and slid his hands under Chris’ shirt. “I’m cold! Warm me up!” Oh, he planned on having some revenge for the fact that Chris had set him up on that date! He knew how much Chris hated the cold – even more than he did.

“Get the fuck away from me!” Chris jumped away from Ville and warded off the blond’s hands. “Don’t come near me! You’re fucking cold!” His teeth chattered. He quickly pulled his sweater into place.

“Come on. You owe me! Warm me up!” Ville raised his arms, wiggled his fingers and tried to get back beneath Chris’ shirt. This time however Chris was on his guard and moved out of the way. “Jack! Help!”

Jack peeked around the corner. “What’s up?” He caught sight of Ville and immediately felt sorry for the blond. A thin layer of snow clung to Ville’s face and the younger man’s lips were blue. “Is it really so cold outside?”

“Yes, it is! Let me prove it to you!”

Chris chuckled, realizing what Ville was up to. Jack however was completely unaware of the blond’s plan.

Jack frowned. “Prove it to meeeeeee…Argh, Ville, shit, you’re cold!” Jack tried to get away, but Ville had a good hold on him. Jack squealed at feeling those cold hands pressed against his abdomen. “That’s evil!”

“Payback for setting me up!” Ville explained and moved his hands to the small of Jack’s back. “You owe me! Warm me! I’m cold!” And Jack was warm beneath his fingers. Really warm – comfortably warm. “Ui, I like it…” Ville purred as he pressed against Jack’s front.

Chris chuckled amused, “Jack’s hot…”

Ville’s sudden closeness was too much for Jack and his body reacted. He was growing hard and he desperately tried to move away, but Ville’s hold on him was surprisingly strong. “Ville, let go!”

“No way… You owe me!” Ville buried his nose in the crook of Jack’s neck and enjoyed pestering his friend. At the same time, he also savored Jack’s closeness. “And Chris is right,” he whispered into Jack’s ear. “You’re hot.”

Ville’s words made his predicament even worse, and as Ville was pressing even closer, Jack got scared that the blond would notice his arousal. He didn’t want for that to happen and pulled away, but as he did, they rubbed each other and the way Ville’s eyes widened told Jack that the blond had noticed.

Wide-eyed, Ville stared at Jack in surprise. Feeling Jack’s length press against his thigh took him by surprise. Why the hell was the guitarist aroused? And why was Jack growing flustered? “Japa?”

“I…” Jack stared at Ville in shock, pulled away and turned around. He marched into the bathroom and closed the door behind. Damn, that shouldn’t have happened. He had screwed up!

In the hallway, Ville sought out Chris’ eyes. “Care to explain to me what happened just now?” Ville removed boots and coat and walked toward Chris.

Chris had a good idea what had happened. “Can you blame him? You’re handsome.”

Ville blinked. “Jonne’s the handsome one, remember?”

Chris wrapped an arm around the blond. “We’re not going to discuss that again, are we? You’re pretty too!” Chris placed a chaste kiss onto Ville’s brow. “If only you’d believe me!” Chris guided Ville into the kitchen. “Sit down… What do you want to drink?”

“Do you have any hot chocolate?” Ville would have loved some beer, but couldn’t. He didn’t trust himself around alcohol.

“I can make some…” Chris put milk into a mug, put it into the microwave and waited for the beep. After adding some chocolate to it, he put it in front of Ville. “You have to imagine the whipped cream. I ran out of it.”

Ville nodded and stirred his hot drink. He tasted it, added sugar to it and tasted it again. Now it would do. “Why don’t you tell Jack that everything’s fine? It’s…a physical reaction… It doesn’t mean anything. I don’t want him to feel bad about it.”

“I’ll get him in a moment… But Ville…” Chris sat down next to the blond and managed to catch the younger man’s gaze. “Why is it so hard to believe that someone could be attracted to you?”

Ville sighed. “Chris, let’s face it. Jonne’s the talented one – the pretty one – he’s sexy. People like him – they tolerate me!”

Jack, who was standing in the corridor, listened closely without being noticed. He had the feeling that it was important he heard this.

“Ville, that’s not true!” Chris shook his head firmly. “You need to stop thinking of yourself as Jonne’s younger brother!”

“But that’s what I am. It’s the only reason Flinch got a record deal or that I get the chance to sing in a band… I suck at singing…”

“You don’t!” Chris protested again.

“I do, but I’m too lazy to take singing lessons… I should though…”

Chris curled an arm around Ville and pulled him close. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a good singer… You write your own songs… You’re popular with the girls…”

“Popular with Jack?” Ville managed a shy smile.

Chris nodded. “And popular with Japa… You like Jack, don’t you?”

Hidden in the corridor, Jack sucked in his breath. Chris wasn’t going to tell Ville, was he?

Ville shrugged. “You know I do… Jack’s a great guy.”

Chris licked his lips. He would be *so* dead if Jack ever found out what he was doing. “Did you ever consider Jack in that way? He’s handsome…a great guitarist… has a good sense of humor and a really nice ass.”

Jack’s breath caught. He was going to get Chris for that! Who had given Chris permission to discuss his ass with Ville?

Ville barely managed to keep the sip of hot chocolate inside which he had just taken into his mouth. He almost spat it out. “Are we about to discuss Jack’s ass?”

“It’s a great ass…” Chris nodded repeatedly. “Just check him out and you’ll see!”

Jack gnashed his teeth. That was about it. He was going to put an end to it even if it meant they found out he had been listening in. “My ass is mine! Stop discussing it!” he said as he stepped into the kitchen .”And no one is going to check it out.” Demonstratively he parked his ass on a kitchen chair.

“Hum, I already did… but Ville might want to check it out. Why don’t you get up and turn around?” Chris was having fun.

Jack however sulked. “Stop discussing my ass.”

“But Chris thinks it’s a fine ass and I want to judge for myself,” Ville said wickedly.

“Forget about it!” Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Chris could no longer hold back and started giggling. “This is too much!’

A moment later, Ville joined in and laughed warmly. “You can’t remain on that chair for the rest of your life.”

“Just try me!” Jack knew he was being stubborn. Ville was right – sooner or later, he had to get up. But for now, he was going to pout and stay put!

~~~

Jonne enjoyed being pampered. Juha had carried him back into the kitchen and all the blond had to do was to direct Juha around as the redhead made lunch. They had decided on sandwiches which were easily made.

“Are you hungry?” Juha asked as he looked at Jonne from over his shoulder.

Jonne wanted to reply, but his stomach growled and answered Juha’s question for him. “I know, it’s hard to believe, considering how thin I am, but I eat lots!”

Juha placed the plate with sandwiches on the kitchen table and poured orange juice into their glasses. Sitting here with Jonne and enjoying a late lunch was nice. He felt comfortable around the blond. They ate in silence, watched each other closely and exchanged smiles. “In a way, this is weird,” Juha whispered eventually. “I’ve only known you for day and I feel… so right… around you.”

Jonne nodded. “I know what you mean. It’s like…a dream.”

Juha munched happily on his sandwich. “This is really unexpected…”

“But you expected something from your date with Ville, didn’t you?”

“In a way,” Juha admitted. “I didn’t know what to expect – not really. It was my first date in years…”

Jonne thought it was way too early to ask Juha any personal questions, especially since he already knew that the redhead hadn’t dated because he had mourned losing his lover. That information had to do. “Would you take me out on a proper date once my ankle has healed? I’d like that.”

Juha nodded eagerly. “Yes, I want that too! But it’ll be a while before you can walk again.”

“I know that… It still hurts…Maybe you can fetch me some aspirin? If you don’t mind, that is.” Jonne hated being a burden.

“I’ll get you some after you finished your sandwich…” Juha’s gaze shifted away from Jonne and toward the window. “The storm is lessening in intensity. The way it looks now, I’ll be able to drive home tomorrow.”

Jonne knew that Juha had to leave sometime tomorrow and accepted that. “Is there a chance I’ll see you again next weekend?”

“I don’t have any plans yet, and even if I had, I would cancel them. I’ll drive to Tampere on Friday evening…if that’s okay for you?”

“You can stay here and use the guestroom as you please.”

Juha liked the idea. “I’ll give you my phone number… Just in case.”

“And I’ll give you mine.” Jonne finished his sandwich and drank his orange juice, all the while staring at Juha with shiny eyes.

~~~

“That’s the pizza delivery guy,” Chris said as the door bell rang. They hadn’t left the kitchen table since discussing Jack’s ass and Chris had used his mobile phone to place the order. “Jack, why don’t you get those lovely, greasy pizzas? I know you’re hungry. I hear your stomach growl from over here!”

Jack was tempted to get up and get the pizzas, but he refused to give in. They weren’t going to check out his ass. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at them defiantly. “You get them!”

Ville wondered why Jack was making such a fuss. Everyone knew that Jack had a great ass. He always laughed when he happened upon fan sites which featured pictures of Jack’s ass. What was the big deal? But then again, he still didn’t know why Jack had grown aroused in the hallway earlier. What was really going on? Frowning, he mentally reviewed everything that had happened and paid particular detail to the conversation he’d had with Chris before Japa had joined them. Chris had hinted that he should go on a date with Jack… At least, Ville thought that was what Chris had wanted to tell him – in that particular way of his.

“If we don’t open the door, he’ll go away again and he’ll take those yummy, fatty pizzas with him,” Chris said, baiting Jack some more. He had waited with calling the pizza service until Jack’s stomach had started to growl. “I know you’re hungry and that you want pizza.”

“You’re mean! I don’t like you anymore!” Jack’s stomach growled again and he cursed Chris for knowing him so well. “Damn you!” he said, jumped to his feet and dashed out of the kitchen. He was hungry and wanted pizza!

“You’re right, Chris… Great ass!”

Jack’s first reaction was to curse them for checking out his ass after all, but then he grinned instead. If Ville was interested in his ass, the blond might also be interested in him!

TBC

Part 5

“Jacky, stop being mean and give us our share!” Chris pleaded with his friend, who was hogging their pizzas. “You don’t even eat tuna! Give me my pizza!”

Jack however was determined to get back at them. “No, they’re mine!”

Ville exchanged a pouting look with Chris. Jack also refused to hand him his pizza. “Chris is right! You don’t eat tuna! Or pineapple for that matter!” And pineapple was on his. “I’m hungry!” In order to stress that statement, his stomach growled loudly. “Don’t starve me to death!”

Jack felt conflicted. It was hard to resist a begging Ville, but he recalled the way the blond had harassed him earlier on. “No, you brought this on yourselves!” He had to be adamant now, no matter how cute Ville was – or how pleading those blue eyes stared back at him.

Chris leaned in closer and whispered into the blond’s ear, “Jack doesn’t play fair, does he? So why should we?”

Ville nodded and gazed into Chris’ eyes. “You’ve got a plan?” The wicked gleam in Chris’ eyes told him that his friend was up to something.

Jack kept a close eye on them and disliked the way they were whispering. He bit another chunk off of his pizza with salami and pulled the other two pizza boxes toward him. Bah, the tuna stank, but he refused to let Chris have his pizza like that.

Chris continued to whisper, knowing damn well that his secrecy annoyed Jack. “Why don’t you distract him with a kiss? He won’t expect that and it will give me a chance to steal our pizzas.”

Ville cocked his head and considered Chris’ suggestion, which was rather bold, but he also realized it might work. The last thing Jack expected was to be kissed by his adversary. “I’ll do it… Just make sure you get our pizzas!” Kissing Jack was hardly a chore and a part of him was curious as to how Jack would taste. Chris and Jack regularly shared a kiss and Ville wanted to know if Jack was a good kisser. “Jacky, give us our pizza or we’ll make you!”

“No way!” Jack pulled the cardboard boxes behind his back. They sat on the thick and comfortable rug in the living room as that room was the warmest. “Mine!”

Ville grinned and winked at Chris. “Not yours… The pineapple and ham pizza is mine…” Ville started to crawl toward Jack on all fours and was amused to see rising panic in Jack’s eyes. Ah, someone was getting nervous. “Give us our pizzas, Japa.”

Jack was tempted to do so, but he didn’t want them to get their way so easily. “No way.” His mouth went dry though at seeing Ville crawling toward him like that. And why was there such a predatory look on the blond’s face? The blond hair, which was at shoulder-length again, teased against Ville’s facial skin and Jack longed to brush it aside, but he kept his hands to himself. He had to defend the pizzas!

“Jack… Hand over those pizzas…” Ville said as he came to a halt in front of Jack. They were only inches apart and a part of him hoped that Jack wouldn’t give in to them – he wanted to kiss the guitarist.

Jack swallowed hard and realized it would be best to give in, but he stopped thinking rationally when Ville leaned in closer and rested a hand at the back of his neck. Those pink lips reached for him and their softness pressed against his lips. Oh my, what was happening? Why was Ville kissing him? And why did the blond taste so damn good? Jack reacted instinctively by parting his lips and teeth. Ville’s tongue immediately slid into his mouth and started to explore. Jack moaned loudly, forgot about defending his pizzas and placed a hand at the nape of Ville’s nape in turn. The blond hair moved against his fingertips and Jack deepened the kiss, pulling Ville closer. He had dreamt of kissing Ville for a long time and now that it was finally happening he was helpless to stop himself.

Jack’s reaction to the kiss took Ville completely by surprise. He had expected Jack to turn away, or to allow him to brush the guitarist’s lips, but not in his wildest dreams had he expected Jack to react so eagerly. Jack had practically pulled him onto his lap, and Ville groaned under the growing intensity of the kiss. He hadn’t expected Jack to blow his mind like that.

Chris moved quickly and rescued his pizza and Ville’s. He removed part of his pizza, nibbled on it and enjoyed the free show. Ville and Jack kissing like that definitely looked hot.

A jolt went through Jack when he realized what he was doing and he abruptly ended the kiss and pulled away. Wide-eyed he stared at Ville and saw surprise on the blond’s face. He couldn’t help growing flustered and quickly averted his gaze. He shouldn’t have reacted like that. Ville had probably just been fooling around, distracting him so Chris could get their pizzas. The kiss didn’t mean a thing!

“Wow,” Ville said and blinked. “You don’t just have a great ass, but you’re a great kisser too!”

Ville’s remark made Chris chuckle loudly. So far, his matchmaking was working out!

Jack’s blush deepened further. “I’m sorry…”

Ville however had another problem – well, not problem exactly, but something he needed to deal with. He *had* ended up on Jack’s lap during the kiss and not only did he feel Jack’s arousal pressed against him, but he had grown hard himself too. Apparently both of them had enjoyed the kiss. Grinning, Ville removed himself from Jack’s lap, but he didn’t move further away yet. He didn’t want the moment to end. “You liked kissing me.”

Jack sighed and quickly glanced at Chris, hoping his friend would help him – maybe distract Ville from asking more questions. He wasn’t sure he could lie convincingly to the blond. “So what?”

“I enjoyed it too!” Ville cocked his head so he could catch Jack’s evasive gaze. The expression in the guitarist’s eyes puzzled him as he couldn’t identify it. What kind of feelings showed in those baby blues?

“I got our pizzas,” Chris said, having noticed Jack’s panicking expression. “Have a bite!”

Ville thoughtfully nodded his head and sat down next to Chris. He removed a slice of pizza from the box and chewed on it, all the while keeping a close eye on Jack, who looked embarrassed. What was he missing here? That something was going on was apparent, but what was it?

It was time to consider everything that had happened that day. First, Jack had grown aroused when they’d met, and a moment ago, he had felt the guitarist react to their kiss. But Jack only liked girls, or at least his friend had always told him so.

Jack peeked at Ville and could literally see the blond’s brain working overtime. Ville was close to figuring him out and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Not even Chris could save him once Ville made the connections.

Chris’ gaze shifted from Jack to Ville and realized the same thing. It wouldn’t take the blond much longer to figure Jack out.

Ville’s eyes narrowed and he swallowed the piece of pizza he had been eating. “You like boys too, don’t you, Jacky?”

Jack closed his eyes and wished this wasn’t happening. If only he hadn’t reacted to the kiss like that! He had really given himself away! “Maybe,” he whispered and avoided looking at Ville. “Does it matter?” As he had lowered his gaze, he was staring at his pizza. He had been hungry before they had shared that kiss, but now he wasn’t able to eat any more.

Ville considered Jack’s answer and the question which the guitarist had asked in turn. “Maybe it matters…” His thoughts raced. Jack had reacted to that kiss and being honest, Ville had to admit that he had liked kissing Jack too. His body had reacted as well, telling him just how much he had liked the kiss.

Chris watched the scene unfold and stayed out of their conversation. He had the weird feeling that the situation would solve itself. Ville was already on the way of solving the puzzle.

“Jacky….?” Ville grinned at seeing Jack cringe. He knew that Japa didn’t like to be called that and that was why he kept doing it. He liked to annoy Jack, and Chris for that matter. Jack finally raised his gaze and looked at him with obvious insecurity in his eyes. Ville felt nervous too, but pressed on. “Since you like sending me on dates… Would you be my date the next time I go out?”

Chris grinned from one ear to the other. Perfect! That was just perfect! He grew worried however when he realized that Jack’s panic was still rising. “Accept his offer!” he snapped at Jack before his friend could reject Ville’s offer. “Do it!”

Ville looked at Chris in surprise: he hadn’t expected his friend to get involved. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he *was* missing something. “Jacky, be my date tomorrow?” he asked and closely monitored Japa’s reaction. Jack seemed flattered, but at the same time, extremely nervous.

“Are you sure about that?” Jack asked after thinking it over. “I remember the way you reacted when I hooked you up with Juha.”

“You did that without telling me! I still don’t get it why you thought I’d be thrilled! But this is different. I know you, Japa. I like you. You’re a good friend and…let’s try.” A look to his side told Ville that Chris was repeatedly nodding his head. So the guitarist agreed with him? That was good to know. It also raised new questions though. What did Chris know that his friend wasn’t telling him?

Jack wasn’t sure he should accept. This was the chance he had always wanted, but had thought he would never get. Putting his heart on the line scared him. He was basically a shy person, although he managed to hide that beneath the image of a cool rocker. Accepting Ville’s offer to go on a date meant he had to let that other, shy and sensitive side show and he didn’t know how Ville would react to that. “I don’t know if I should…”

Ville shook his head in surprise. “Why would you say no? We’re friends. We know each other. I didn’t think that going on a date would be such a big deal for you.” Jack always acted cool and Ville didn’t understand why the guitarist had grown shy on him.

“Japa accepts,” Chris said eventually. “And tomorrow evening sounds great!”

“Chris!” Jack whacked Chris on the back of his head – not too hard, but making sure his friend knew he shouldn’t have done that.

“Great,” Ville said and lifted another slice of pizza. “Looks like I’ve got a date.”

Jack sighed deeply. Why the hell had Chris done that? Tomorrow evening would turn into a disaster!

~~~

Jonne didn’t want to let go when Juha lowered him onto the couch again, but couldn’t hold on either. “Thanks,” he whispered as Juha helped him to get comfortable. His ankle still hurt, but Juha’s presence distracted him and took his mind off of the pain. “It’s really nice of you to do this since my brother has deserted me!” Ville had left three hours ago and hadn’t even called him. “I should check on him…” His mobile phone however was on the coffee table and way out of his reach.

Juha had followed the direction of Jonne’s gaze and took hold of the phone, which he handed Jonne. “Then check on him!” Juha settled down on the couch as well and switched on the television, keeping the volume low.

Jonne dialed Ville’s number and waited for his younger brother to answer the call. When Ville did, he sounded muffled. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Am…eating…pizza… with…ham and…pine…apple.”

Jonne grinned. “They got you your favorite then?”

“Hum…Chris paid for it…”

Jonne buried deeper into the comfort of the couch and tucked his favorite fleece blanket around him. Without realizing what he was doing, he started to slide toward Juha and before he knew he, his head rested against the redhead’s shoulder. Juha wrapped an arm around him and Jonne snuggled closer.

“Juha made sandwiches. Those were yummy too.” Juha smiled cockily at that and seeing that warmed Jonne’s heart. Yes, something special was happening and he had the feeling it was something he had waited for all his life.

“By the way, I got myself another date!”

Jonne’s eyes widened questioningly. “And who’s your victim this time?”

Ville laughed. “Jacky! I asked him just now.”

In the back, Jonne heard Jack cough violently and he wondered what had happened.

“Easy, Japa! Be careful with that pizza…” Ville chuckled. “Hum, did you know Jack is shy, Jonne?”

Jonne’s eyes widened further. “Jack and shy? That’s hard to imagine!”

“He is shy though!”

Jonne smiled and rubbed his cheek against Juha’s shoulder. “Don’t drive him insane, Ville.”

“I will try not to! At least not until we’re on our date! Oh, and Jonne? I think I’ll spend the night at Chris’ place. It’s much too cold to go outside again.”

Jonne nodded against Juha’s shoulder. “I expected as much. What about tomorrow though? Will you be home then? Juha has to go home eventually.” Jonne didn’t want Juha to leave, but was realistically enough to know that it would happen.

“I’ll drop by sometime tomorrow to shower and change my clothes, but I don’t know when I’ll be home in the evening. That depends on how well my date goes.”

In the back, Jack coughed again and Jonne chuckled at hearing Chris murmur worried. He couldn’t really imagine Jack being shy, but it sounded like the guitarist was having problems with the date. Knowing his younger brother the way he did, Jonne knew Ville would continue to pester Jack with it. “Okay, I’ll ask Juha to leave as late as he can.”

Juha looked up and Jonne gave him an apologetic look. “I’ll explain in a moment.” Jonne said goodbye to Ville and put down the phone.

“What happened?” Juha asked curiously.

“Ville has a date with Jack tomorrow evening and he doesn’t know when he’ll be back and since I can’t move about, I was hoping…” Jonne smiled pleadingly at Juha. “You could stay a little longer than you’d planned.”

Juha burst out into warm laughter. “All right, I get it. How about I leave here very early Monday morning? I’ll be dead when I arrive at work, but… I can’t really leave you alone, can I? Who knows what kind of trouble you end up in!”

Jonne considered sulking after hearing that, but then decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead he cuddled close to Juha. “Yes, we need to make sure I don’t get into more trouble.”

Juha rested his head against Jonne’s and sighed deeply. He could get used to this.

~~~

“Chris?” Ville leaned toward Chris and gave him a puzzled look. Jack had left the living room because he had needed to visit the bathroom and Ville used that moment to talk to Chris without Jack listening in. “Care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Why should I? You’re smart enough to figure it out yourself.” Chris took a swig from his beer bottle. He hated alcohol free beer, but drank it because he didn’t want to tempt Ville.

“What should I figure out myself?” Ville batted his eye lashes at Chris. “Tell me…”

Chris sighed: although Jonne and Ville were very much unlike in some ways, they both possessed the patented puppy dog look that made him go all weak inside. “What’s there to tell… Jack kissing you back should tell you enough. You’re not *that* blond!”

“Ouch,” Ville said and grinned. “So, asking Jack out on a date was the right thing to do?”

Chris nodded. “I already told him to ask you out, but who thought he’s shy!”

Noise coming from the doorway told Ville that Jack was about to join them again and he changed their subject as he didn’t want Jack to know that they had been discussing him.

~~~

“What’s it like out there?” Jonne asked from where he was seated on the couch. Juha had pushed the curtains apart and was looking outside. “Still bad?”

“Not as bad as it was.” Juha opened the curtains so Jonne could see as well. The storm had calmed, but Tampere was buried beneath a thick layer of snow. “I doubt I’ll find my car again without Ville or you showing me the way!”

“You might have to call in sick or ask for the day off on Monday,” Jonne said cheekily. “Ville won’t be home early.”

Juha gave the matter some thought. “We’ll see what happens. I’d rather not do that.” He loved his job and knew his coworkers had to work harder if he didn’t show up. “Are you going to see your doctor on Monday morning?”

“Maybe. I don’t know yet.” Jonne experimentally moved his ankle and his features contorted because of the pain that radiated from his foot. “Okay, I probably should, but he’s going to tell me to rest at any rate.”

“Probably, but you should see him. You don’t want to be incapacitated longer than necessary.” Juha closed the curtains again and turned around. What were they going to do during the rest of the evening? Watch more television? No, he wanted some action. “How about a card game?”

Jonne shook his head. “I don’t think so! You probably want to play strip poker!” He chuckled: he knew that tactic! Antti had used it on him before. “How about you get me my guitar? I’d love to hear you sing!”

Juha coughed in order to clear his throat. “Are you sure you can deal with that?”

“You’ve got a great voice! I actually have one of your CDs and listened to it in the past.” Jonne watched Juha collect his acoustic guitar and had another idea. “Why don’t you play and sing? What’s your favorite song?”

Juha sat down on the couch and placed the guitar on his knee. “My favorite song? Reflexion song, you mean?” After Jonne had nodded, Juha thought it over. “I’d choose Child in dark, considering it’s acoustic.”

“Sing it for me?” Jonne pulled his blanket close to his chin and gave Juha a expectant smile.

Juha sighed, but then indulged the blond. “Because you’re hurt,” he explained.

“Does that mean I won’t get my way so easily once my ankle has healed?”

Juha laughed. “Who knows? You’ll find out,” he replied and gave Jonne a wink.

Juha’s fingers moved against the strings and he started playing and singing the song. Every so often he looked at Jonne to find out if the blond liked it.

Jonne sighed appreciatively once Juha came to the end. “You’ve got a great voice…” He arched an eyebrow questioningly when Juha handed him the guitar.

“Now it’s your turn to sing.”

Jonne settled the guitar against him and looked at Juha. “Any special requests?”

Juha didn’t know that many Negative songs – only the ones which had gotten much airplay. “How about “In my heaven”?”

Jonne nodded: that was a song he could manage. He started playing and closed his eyes, losing himself in the song as he so often did. When he came to the end, he opened his eyes again and looked at Juha. The redhead was smiling at him and he could tell that Juha had liked his singing. “I wonder how our voices sound combined. Want to sing together?”

“What song?” Juha asked. He liked the idea but they needed a song that fit their voices.

“Joutsenlaulu… Do you know that one?” Jonne reckoned Juha knew the song as most Finnish people did.

“I do.” Juha took hold of the guitar and started playing. Once he had the melody down, they started singing. Juha was surprised to find how well their voices matched.

“That sounds good!” Jonne said enthusiastically and saw Juha nod. The redhead obviously agreed. “Sing some more for me? I feel lazy at the moment.” He wanted to lie back and enjoy hearing Juha sing.

Juha decided to indulge the blond and sang more Finnish songs until he noticed that Jonne’s eyes were closing. He was surprised to find just how much the blond slept, but as he didn’t have the heart to wake Jonne, he continued to sing softly until Jonne was fast asleep.

~~~

“Come on, Jacky, stop moving! How the hell am I supposed to sleep like that?” Ville complained.

“Then go home and seek out your own bed!” Chris mumbled. “Stop complaining otherwise. “You know that this bed isn’t meant to hold three!”

Ville enjoyed their bantering. It was one of the things he loved the most when staying with Chris and Jack. “If Jack would move his ass I would have more space!”

Jack huffed at that. “Only a few hours ago you couldn’t stop staring at my ass and now you want me to move it! Well, I’m not moving! I’m comfortable the way I am!” Jack had ended up on his side at the rim of the bed and in order to show that he hadn’t completely forgiven them, he had turned their back toward them.

Ville turned onto his side as well and moved closer to Jack. “Hum, I can move it for you.” He pressed his front against Jack’s back and heard the guitarist sharply suck in his breath. He grinned: he wasn’t as innocent as Jack might think him.

Chris, who was on his back and staring at the ceiling, chuckled. He was tempted to leave the bed to them and crash on the couch, but then he would miss out on the fun and he wanted to see what Japa would do now that Ville was getting frisky.

Jack hadn’t expected Ville to do something like that and to feel the blond press against him made his heart sped up. “I didn’t know you were a tease,” he whispered between clenched teeth.

“Looks like there’s a lot you don’t know about me!” Ville draped an arm across Jack’s waist and pressed closer still. “I like it when I’ve got something to hold on to!”

“Hum, maybe I should crash on the couch tonight,” Chris whispered and sat upright to watch his friends. Jack was perched dangerously close to the edge of the bed and Chris wondered how long it would take for them to tumble onto the floor. “Ville, stop humping him!” He had expected things to be reversed – for Jack to hump Ville!

“I’m not humping him!” Ville said indignantly. “I’m cuddling!”

The hardness pressed against his backside didn’t feel like cuddling to Jack. Ville’s arousal was very prominent and although Jack felt flattered, it also made him nervous. He started to move away from Ville and then…”Fuck!”

“Jacky!” Ville, who had wrapped his arms around the guitarist was dragged along and both ended up on the floor next to the bed. It had finally happened – Jack had tumbled onto the floor. Once Ville had composed himself, he grinned broadly, realizing he had ended up on top of Jack and straddling the dark-haired man’s waist. “Interesting sleeping position!” Ville lowered himself onto Jack and rubbed his cheek against the older man’s shirt. Pity that Jack was still wearing fabric…

“That’s it! Decide if you want the bed or the floor! Once you made up your mind, tell me and I’ll know where to sleep!” Chris giggled like mad and watched Jack’s shocked expression with mirth.

Jack couldn’t believe the position he was in. Ville was snuggled tightly on top of him and didn’t seem inclined to move off of him. Ville wasn’t heavy, but the floor was hard and his back didn’t like the position he was in. “Ville, would you move? The floor isn’t really comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable though. Can’t you stay that way?” Jack made a great mattress and he pressed closer, inhaling the other man’s scent in the progress. Jack *was* a good friend, but he had never considered the guitarist becoming more than that. But ever since that kiss he had started to think differently and the more he thought about it, the easier it became to imagine dating Jack. Japa was definitely a catch – good-locking, sexy, quite the rocker and his ass was the best Ville had seen in a long time.

“No, Ville, I can’t. Now get off!” Jack gave Ville a pleading look. “The floor is cold.”

Ville took pity on Jack and sat upright. He moved off of Jack und sat on the edge of the bed. He extended his arm and pulled Jack to his feet. “I think we prefer the bed, Chris.”

“Okay, then I’m crashing on the couch…” Chris pushed back the covers and marched into the living room, intent on giving Jack and Ville some privacy.

Jack stood in front of the bed and became aware of the fact that Ville was holding his hand long after Chris had left the bedroom. “Ville…”

Ville patted the space next to him and pulled Jack next to him. “Do we need to talk?”

Jack shrugged. “Talk about what?”

“About what you’re not telling me. Jack, I’m not stupid. I might be blond, but I’m not dumb. Even though you don’t want to tell me in words what’s going on, your body makes everything very clear. You like me.”

Jack sighed and shrugged helplessly. “It shows, doesn’t it?”

Ville couldn’t help it – seeing Jack so shy and nervous made the guitarist even cuter. “Hey, don’t feel bad about it! I’m flattered! I really am! Such a big, bad rocker like you likes poor little me.” His remark made Jack look at him, just as he had hoped it would.

Jack smiled shyly. “Big, bad rocker…” He relaxed a bit when Ville returned the smile.

“So how long has this been going on?”

Jack frowned. “What do you mean?”

“That you like me,” Ville clarified. As he looked at his lap, he found that he was still holding Jack’s hand. He rubbed the fingers and Jack audibly sucked in his breath at the touch. Looking at the older man, Ville smiled reassuringly. He hadn’t thought he would be the one reassuring the guitarist who always acted so cool.

“For some time now.” Entranced, Jack stared at their joined hands. This wasn’t really happening, was it?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ville wondered about the shy man sitting next to him. He saw a whole new side to the older man and he liked the calmer and more serious Jack.

“I didn’t think you were interested,” Jack admitted in a soft voice. Peeking at the blond, he felt encouraged at seeing the open expression on Ville’s face. Maybe he had a chance after all?

“Is that the reason why you set me up on that date with Juha?” Ville asked in an equally soft tone.

Jack nodded. “I really thought the two of you were a good match… You were unhappy being single and Juha’s a great guy. He would have been good to you.”

“I understand that you meant well, but Juha’s too old and serious for me. He’s more Jonne’s type.” At seeing Jack’s eyes widen with surprise, Ville grinned. “You didn’t know that yet, did you? Jonne has taken a real liking to your redhead.”

Jack managed a shy smile. “Some good came out of it then?”

“I think so.” Ville squeezed Jack’s hand. “You should have told me, you know.”

“I was too much of a coward,” Jack admitted. His breath caught when Ville looked at him with *that* look in his eyes.

“I liked kissing you,” Ville said in a thoughtful voice. “And I would like to kiss you again.”

Jack swallowed hard and nodded. “I’d like that too…”

They gravitated toward each other and then their lips brushed in a first, sweet exploration. This kiss was different from the one they had shared earlier. It was the first time they kissed knowing the attraction was mutual.

TBC

Part 6

Juha woke that night because some noise had woken him. The first thing he noticed was the freezing cold in the guestroom. It hadn’t been that cold when he had gone to bed and he had made sure that the heating had remained on. Juha reached for the lamp on the nightstand and wanted to switch it on, but nothing happened. The switch moved, but the electricity was gone. Was there some sort of black out going on and was that also why the heating wasn’t working anymore? Reaching for his mobile phone, which he kept on the night stand, he used the light coming from the display to find his way to the door way.

“Juha?”

Ah, that was the sound that had woken him! Jonne was calling for him! He continued to use the display of his phone to light his way and walked over to Jonne’s room. He had helped the blond into bed earlier that evening and had then retired to the guestroom. Juha knocked and whispered, “Jonne?”

“Juha? What’s going on?”

Juha pushed the door open and went inside. It was freezing cold in Jonne’s room as well and he quickly marched over to the bed. Sitting down he placed his mobile phone on the bed so it lit both their faces. It also enabled him to see the worried expression in Jonne’s eyes. “The electricity is gone.”

Jonne sighed worriedly. “And that’s why the heating is off. It’s so cold in here.” He shivered to stress his point.

“I could… We could share body heat,” Juha suggested. “Your bed’s big enough for two.”

Jonne shyly nodded. “That would be great. I’m freezing.” He couldn’t move about much because of his ankle and now that the heating was off, the cold permeated his bones. He pushed down the covers, enabling Juha to slip into place next to him and then pulled the comforter back into place again. “You’re cold too!”

“The heating in my room’s off too,” Juha explained and shivered. Jonne felt icy cold to the touch. “Turn onto your side, will you?” He wanted the blond to be warm and spooning behind Jonne would work best.

Jonne needed a moment to attain a comfortable position as his ankle still troubled him. In the end he managed and sighed blissfully when Juha spooned behind him. The redhead’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. This was heaven – his heaven and he chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Juha asked, having no idea what was making Jonne laugh. He enjoyed holding the blond and buried his nose in the blond hair.

Softly, Jonne sang, “I'm lost in my heaven… I finally found my way to escape…”

Juha chuckled as well. “Yes, very fitting indeed.” He closed his eyes and enjoyed the intimacy. “I like holding you,” he whispered in a dreamy tone.

Jonne wished he could see Juha’s face, but he was under the impression that the redhead was smiling happily. “Do you believe in faith?”

Juha nodded against Jonne’s shoulder. “In this case I do. We are meant to meet.”

Juha’s answer made Jonne smile. “You’re warm…” he whispered happily. Juha’s body heat warmed him nicely. “Stay that way, will you?”

“Trust me, I have no intention of moving!” Juha tightened his hold on Jonne. “Do you want to sleep some more?”

“That might be a good idea.” Jonne pressed against Juha and closed his eyes. He was tired and it didn’t take him long to fall asleep again.

Juha however remained awake and took to stroking the blond hair that teased against his face. Years ago he had lost his lover and he had thought he would never find someone to love again, but Jonne – Jonne was someone he could love in that way. And the most beautiful thing was that Jonne wanted that too. Jonne felt the same way about him. Feeling grateful for his second chance, Juha squeezed his eyes shut and savored holding the blond.

~~~

It was fucking cold in the living room and Chris only had a blanket to keep him warm as the comforter was still on the bed, which was currently occupied by Ville and Jack. The cold was making it hard to sleep and Chris felt torn. He didn’t want to get up, as he felt lazy, but he didn’t want to be cold either – such a dilemma! What was one to do?

He wanted to be warm, he realized, and Chris got to his feet. He wrapped the blanket around himself and managed to reach the bedroom without tripping over the fabric. He halted abruptly and grinned at seeing Ville and Jack on the bed. They had snuggled close and Jack was holding Ville tightly.

Moving toward the bed, he sat down on the edge and put his cold feet beneath the comforter. Ui, it was really nicely warm beneath the comforter and he lowered himself onto his side, spooning behind Jack.

Jack’s eyes widened with a start and he squeaked. “Keep your cold feet to yourself!” He stared at Chris from over his shoulder. “What the hell?”

“It’s fucking cold in the apartment and you’re warm…” Chris pressed closer and sighed. Jack felt warm and he hummed approvingly.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Ville had woken up and glared at Chris. “Stay clear of his ass!” he added and grinned.

“You can have his ass. I don’t want it, but Japa’s warm and I’m fucking cold!” Chris exchanged a look with Ville and returned the grin. “You really like his ass, don’t you?” He was in a playful mood and pinched Jack’s buttock, which made his friend squeak again.

“Chris! Stop that!” Jack turned onto his back and then onto his other side, so he was face to face with Chris. Ville lost no time and quickly moved closer and spooned behind him.

“You’re no fun,” Chris said complaining. “Do you really think you’re better off now? Ville likes your ass more than I do!” He chuckled at seeing Jack’s eyes widen. “You didn’t think of that, did you?”

Ville pressed his groin close to Jack’s ass and let a hand slide beneath the fabric of Jack’s shirt. No, he wasn’t innocent at all – he was quite the devil.

Jack sucked in his breath and his body reacted to the touch. “Ville, stop it.” In thought, he added a ‘please’ to that request.

“I’ll behave – for now,” Ville said and rested his hand possessively on Jack’s hip. “But only for now.”

Jack swallowed hard: he hadn’t thought Ville would move that fast or be so bold and he wondered what other surprises awaited him.

~~~

Jonne felt warm and comfortable, snuggled in Juha’s arms. Last night he had gotten the best sleep in a long time and he had Juha to thank for that. Carefully as to not jostle his ankle, he turned onto his other side so he was face to face with the redhead. Juha was still soundly asleep and the redhead’s features relaxed. The eyes moved quickly beneath the lids and Jonne wondered what the older man was dreaming about.

Raising an arm, he let his fingers brush against the red hair before sliding them into the mane. Juha moaned softly at the touch and Jonne smiled. He wasn’t the type who let people get close to him quickly, but something about Juha drew him in. Part of it was the redhead’s cheerful disposition, his helpfulness and a much smaller part of it was his looks. Juha was handsome, but it was the older man’s character that appealed to him.

“You should be sleeping,” Juha whispered with his eyes still closed.

Jonne chuckled. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long, a minute, I guess.” Juha opened his eyes and smiled at Jonne. Waking up like that was great. “The heating seems to be working again.” The room had warmed up and it wasn’t really necessary for them to sleep so close, but Juha wasn’t going to let Jonne go just yet. “Did you sleep well?”

Jonne nodded. “Thanks to you. It’s been a while since I slept in someone’s arms.” His girlfriends had preferred to be held instead and it was nice that the roles were reversed for a change. “I liked it,” he said at seeing Juha’s inquisitive look. “Tell me more about you.”

Juha smiled and caressed Jonne’s face. “There isn’t that much to tell. My parents live at Oulu and my older brother in Turku.”

“You’ve got an older brother?” Jonne moved slightly to make himself for comfortable and studied Juha’s green eyes.

Juha nodded. “His name’s Jarmo. He’s five years older than me. I don’t see him often these days, unfortunately.”

“Why’s that?”

“Logistics, I guess. I live in Helsinki, he in Turku. We see each other during family gatherings, but that’s about it. We get along fine though, so there’s no reason to worry.”

“I’ve got an older brother too. His name’s Tommi. He helped me out a lot when I was younger and he still plays an important role in my life. Ville and I are much closer however. I took him in when I turned eighteen. We always took care of each other.”

Juha continued to caress Jonne’s face. “You moved out when you were still so young?”

Jonne shrugged. “Ville and I were living at a home because our parents weren’t fit to take care of us. When I turned eighteen I got a job and a small apartment. I still went to school, but making money was more important as I had to feed us.”

Juha brushed Jonne’s hair with his fingertips. “Something like that creates a tight bond.”

Jonne smiled, happy that Juha understood why he felt so connected to Ville. “He’ll always be my little brother – someone I need to take care of.”

Juha nodded again. “I understand that too.” Snuggling closer to Jonne he buried his face in the crook of the blond’s shoulder. “You smell great.”

Jonne chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment, although what you’re smelling is merely sweat! I desperately need to shower!” But that might be difficult, considering the state his ankle was in.

“You’ve got a bathtub,” Juha said, recalling having seen on in the bathroom. “I can fill it up for you and you can relax there.”

Jonne liked the idea. “But not yet. I want to stay like this a little longer. It’s rare for me to wake up like this and it probably won’t happen until the next weekend.”

“You’re right. I’ll probably be long gone when you wake up in the morning.”

Jonne placed his hands on either side of the older man’s head. “Promise to wake me before you leave tomorrow morning? I don’t want to wake up alone in bed. Give me a chance to say goodbye.”

“If you want it that much, I’ll wake you, but don’t bite my head off because it’s so early.”

“I won’t… I want to kiss you goodbye,” Jonne whispered and blushed. Juha’s fingertips brushed Jonne’s lips and he cocked his head. “I would like to kiss you now and not wait until tomorrow.”

Jonne nodded shakily. “I want that too…” He felt nervous though.

A moment later, Juha bridged the distance between them and claimed Jonne’s lips in a gentle kiss. Sliding his fingers into Jonne’s hair, he slowly deepened the kiss. He continued to look Jonne in the eye and parted his lips so the younger man could explore further.

Jonne nervously accepted the invitation and slid his tongue into Juha’s mouth. Slowly their tongues twined and Jonne moaned from deep within his throat. The kiss was magic. He had never experienced anything like it before and it was a sensation he could easily grow addicted to.

They broke off the kiss a minute later. Both their faces glowed and the eyes twinkled wickedly.

A healthy blush had settled on Jonne’s face and he smiled shyly at Juha. “That was…beyond words,” he said after a moment’s thought. “I don’t think I ever felt like that before. Not to such an extent.”

“I know what you mean.” Juha lovingly stroked the blond hair. He didn’t want to think about having to go home tomorrow and was intent on making the most of the time he had left with Jonne. “Shall I make breakfast and get the coffee maker started?”

Jonne would like some coffee, but wasn’t eager to leave the bed. “I’m not sure I can walk unaided yet. You’ll have to help me.”

Juha however shook his head. “You’re staying put. I’ll bring you breakfast on bed. How does that sound?”

“You don’t have to do that. I can get up!” Jonne started pushing the comforter away, but Juha wouldn’t have it and tucked him back in again. Jonne wasn’t sure if he should pout or feel flattered. “Okay, I’ll stay in bed,” he agreed eventually.

“Good, that earns you a kiss!”

Jonne’s heart missed a beat at feeling Juha’s lips pressed against his. He closed his eyes to savor the experience and the kiss ended much too quickly for Jonne’s taste. “I’ll earn another one. Just tell me what I need to do for that.”

“I’ll think of something. For now, stay in bed and rest that foot! I’ll be back in no time!”

Jonne chuckled at seeing Juha march out of the room. Today, he was going to be lazy and if possible, keep Juha in bed with him all day.

~~~

“Where are you going?” Jack asked as he looked at Chris who was leaving the bed. Chris looked remarkably rested and cheerful and that in itself was enough to worry Jack and make him cringe.

“Don’t worry your pretty head. I’m getting breakfast ready. That’s about it.” Chris was hungry and knew that if he wanted something to eat, he had to supply it. He just hoped he still had something edible in the fridge.”I’ll also start the coffee,” he said and nodded at seeing Jack’s questioning look. “You’re an addict, you know.”

“I’d rather be addicted to coffee than alcohol,” Jack whispered after making sure that Ville was asleep. Chris left, and Jack turned his attention toward the younger man still sleeping in his arms. Ville was a sound sleeper and even snored softly.

Stroking Ville’s hair, Jack sighed. Having Ville in his arms felt great. He had always thought Ville adorable, but had never really dared telling the blond. Too big had been his fear of rejection. Suddenly Ville’s eyelids fluttered and the blue eyes opened. “Morning,” Jack whispered huskily. He still felt rather shy around the younger man.

“Morning,” Ville whispered in turn. He smiled happily at Jack as he recalled the things which had happened yesterday. They had kissed and Jack had practically admitted being in love with him. Ville’s ego had expanded at hearing that and he basked in the glow of Jack’s affection for him. “You make a great pillow,” he added and rubbed his cheek against Jack’s shoulder.

The affectionate gesture made Jack blush. Damn his shyness! Why couldn’t he just act cool instead? “Glad to be of service,” he whispered shyly.

“Where’s Chris?” Ville asked as he moved closer.

“Making coffee…” Jack bit on his bottom lip and gave Ville a nervous look.

“What’s wrong?” Ville raised his arm and brushed Jack’s black hair behind an ear.

“Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to put a stop to it.” Jack was afraid to be hurt – who wasn’t? – and he hoped Ville understood his worries.

Ville nodded. “I want to give us a chance. I feel comfortable around you and… I have some feelings for you. Let’s date for a while and see what happens! You can’t force love, but we can try nurturing it, yes?”

Jack agreed. “You’re right. So do you still want to go on a date with me?”

“Yes, tonight… Let’s eat out and have a drink. We’ll see what happens.” Ville wasn’t going to force anything. If they were meant to be together things would happen.

“Coffee’s ready,” came Chris’ voice from the kitchen. “Come and get it!”

“I guess that means we have to leave the bed. That’s a pity… I’m really comfortable the way I am,” Ville remarked as he snuggled closer to Jack. “Do you think we can talk Chris into bringing us coffee?”

“Bad chance… Chris won’t pamper us. He’ll expect us to get it.” Jack didn’t want to leave the bed either, but he also knew they had to get up eventually. “Thanks for giving me a chance, Ville.”

Ville smiled brilliantly at Jack. “Why shouldn’t I? You’re sexy!” To his surprise, and amusement, Jack grew flustered. “I never thought you shy, but your blush adds to your cuteness.”

Jack’s blush deepened further. Cute… Ville thought of him as cute? And he had worked so hard on his cool, bad rocker image. Ah well, he would settle for cute instead. “Does that get me another kiss? Me being cute?”

Ville continued to smile at Jack. “Do we need a reason to share a kiss?” He cocked his head a bit, moved closer and pressed his lips onto Jack’s, or rather, that had been his intention, when…

“I said, coffee’s ready, damn it!” Chris peeked around the corner and shouted at them. “Oops,” he said upon realizing that he had chosen a most inappropriate moment to yell at them. “Hum, continue… forget about the coffee.” A guilty expression appeared on his face. “Sorry…”

Jack sighed – the magic of the moment was gone. “We’d better get our coffee.”

Ville nodded – Chris’ timing had been bad. He had just been about to claim Jack’s lips when the guitarist had poked his head in. “Chris won’t disturb us later,” he said and winked at Jack. “We’ll have plenty of time for kissing then.”

Jack blushed again and his embarrassment grew. Why couldn’t he stop blushing?

“Let’s have breakfast,” Ville said as he pushed down the covers. He got to his feet, took Jack’s hand in his and pulled the dark-haired man to his feet. “Hungry?” He placed a hand against Jack’s abdomen, which was no way as flat as his. He liked the extra meat on Jack though – it suited the other man.

Jack stared at their joined hands and followed Ville into the kitchen where Chris had already poured coffee into their mugs. Chris was in the process of lightning a cigarette and Jack took hold of one himself. Damn, he needed the nicotine.

Ville was tempted to light one too, but decided against it. He had lost count of the times during which Jonne had told him that smoking was bad for his voice. He hadn’t stopped entirely, but tried cutting down on smoking. He curled his fingers around the coffee mug and sipped.

Chris studied Jack first and shifted his gaze toward Ville later. Both younger men looked nervous – Jack more than Ville, but even in the blond’s eyes lay a nervous gleam. It definitely looked like the attraction was more mutual than Jack had thought. “What are your plans for the day?” he asked making conversation.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t have a plan.”

Ville however instantly grew energetic. “I’m going shopping! I need a stunning outfit for tonight! And I have to check on Jonne… I can’t abandon him altogether.”

Chris nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on Jack then and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid until it’s time to go on your date.”

Jack glared indignantly at Chris. “I don’t do stupid things!”

“Sure you do!” Chris grinned. “How about going to the hairdresser? You need to get your hair trimmed and dyed.”

Jack eventually gave in, knowing he needed something to keep his mind off of Ville and a trip to the hairdresser would distract him. “How late do you want to meet up tonight?” he asked Ville.

“Why don’t you pick me up around eight?” Ville suggested. “We can stay close so we don’t have to drive about. I’m not sure how safe driving is just yet.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll be there at eight.”

Feeling contented, Ville sipped the rest of his coffee. “Great, I’m looking forward to it!”

Jack wished he wasn’t so damn nervous – but he was. He was worried to disappoint Ville, it was as simple as that.

~~~

Jonne’s eyes glittered upon seeing Juha carry a tray into the bedroom. “You’re really sweet…” He moved about a bit and flinched at moving his ankle as well.

“Don’t… I’ll manage!” Juha sat down on the bed, rested his back against the headboard and handed Jonne a glass filled with orange juice. It had taken him a while to find the items he’d needed, but in the end he had created a luxurious breakfast. “What do you want? Toast? Cornflakes? Scrambled eggs?”

Jonne grinned. “Toast and marmalade, please…” It was his favorite way to start the day.

Juha buttered the toast, added strawberry marmalade to it and handed it to Jonne. Contrary to Jonne, Juha opted for the scrambled eggs. While eating breakfast, Juha kept a close eye on the blond. “Let me guess, you want to stay in bed today.”

Jonne swallowed his last bite and nodded. “For some time yes. I know we can’t stay in bed all day, but maybe a little longer?”

Juha nodded. “Your ankle needs the rest, so we’ll stay in bed for now. I can move you onto the couch later.”

Jonne finished his toast, emptied his glass of orange juice and smiled at Juha. “I could get used to you serving me breakfast in bed.”

“I don’t mind bringing you breakfast as long as I get to share the food.” Juha caressed Jonne’s face and sighed. “I don’t want to leave you, but I can’t stay.”

“I understand that. And we can talk on the phone. We should take our time anyways.”

Juha agreed. “If we want this to work long term, we need a strong fundament…”

Jonne caught Juha’s hand in his and squeezed the fingers. He guided them to his lips and pressed a kiss onto the fingertips. His feelings for Juha baffled him. He had never felt such an instant attraction before and normally he would stop and question his feelings, but not this time around. This time, he welcomed them and accepted he felt that way.

~~~

“I really like the idea of putting some white strands into your black hair!” Chris nodded repeatedly. Now that the hairdresser had suggested it, he felt it was a good idea. “Change your look a bit!”

Jack wasn’t convinced though. “Do you think Ville will like it?”

“Don’t be so insecure,” Chris said and pressed a kiss onto Jack’s lips. “He likes you with and without white strands! Normally you aren’t so insecure!”

“But I want to please him…” Jack tried to imagine what he would look like with those strands. “All right, do it, but if Ville doesn’t like it, you’re going to pay!” he said and wagged a finger at Chris.

Chris grinned. “Sure, blame everything on me!” He didn’t mind the threat though as he was fairly sure that Ville would like it.

TBC

Part 7

Ville grinned as he entered their living room. “Did you move at all since yesterday?” He found Jonne and Juha the way he had left them – snuggled up on the couch watching television.

Jonne opened his eyes and turned his head. “Ah, I didn’t hear you come home.”

Ville had been careful not to draw any attention as he had wanted to surprise his brother. “Surprise, I’m home!” He walked into the living room and dropped onto the recliner. “So what have the two of you been up to?”

“Not much,” Jonne admitted. “We had something to eat, slept, and cuddled on the couch. It’s a perfectly lazy Sunday. And what have you been up to? Tell me about Jack! Is he really interested in you?”

Juha listened up, but didn’t get involved, letting the brothers talk.

“Jacky took me by surprise! I never expected a thing!” Ville shrugged and gave Juha an apologetic look. “I have no idea why he set the two of us up on a date. He mentioned that he didn’t think he was any good for me though, the idiot.”

Juha smiled. “I’m glad Jack arranged the date. I wouldn’t have met Jonne otherwise.”

“Very true,” Ville said thoughtfully.

“So what are your plans?” Jonne asked, knowing his brother well enough to realize Ville had some sort of plan.

“I don’t have plans exactly,” Ville replied and grinned diabolically.

Jonne chuckled “I know that look! You’re up to something!”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not!” Ville got to his feet again, smiled at Jonne, and then left the living room. He wanted to shower first, plunder their closet next and ready himself for his date. Jonne was right of course: he had a plan. He was going to seduce Jack and find out how deep the attraction ran.

“I wonder… Should I be worried?” Jonne asked Juha.

“I don’t know Ville that well. You however do. What do your instincts say?”

“That Jack is in for one hell of a night!”

~~~

“You’re nervous,” Chris realized upon seeing Jack mess up with his kohl. “I’ll do it.” He took hold of the kohl and darkened Jack’s eyes with it. He was careful not to overdo it. It should remain tasteful.

Jack swallowed hard. “You’re right – I *am* nervous… I never thought this would happen and… I don’t want to screw up.”

“You won’t,” Chris said soothingly and pulled Jack into a loose embrace. “You’ll have a great time. Ville cares about you. He already told you – stop worrying.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Jack said and sighed. He just wished he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself during the night.

~~~

“What do you think?” Ville asked and turned around so Jonne could admire his outfit. “Will it do?” He had gone for classy instead of grabbing something out of the closet at random. Dressed in black and white, he hadn’t added any colorful accessories on purpose. He had kept it simple.

“I like it,” Jonne said. “But lose the beanie once you’re inside.”

“I can’t! It messes with my hair, you know that!”

“Then don’t wear it at all!” Jonne suggested.

“But it’s cold out there,” Ville said and protested. Losing the beanie meant styling his hair, which he hadn’t done because he was wearing a beanie!

“Be a man about it,” Jonne said and giggled.

At that, Ville turned and pretended to pout. “I *am* a man!”

“Then bear the little cold!” Jonne snuggled closer to Juha and enjoyed riling his younger brother a bit.

Ville returned to the bathroom, removed the beanie and sighed. Damn, it was almost eight and Jack would ring any moment now and he still had to do his hair. He could do with Jonne’s help at that point, but his brother was still confined to the couch because of his ankle. Ville had just started styling his hair when the doorbell rang. “Juha, can you get that?” He needed time!

Juha decided to do Ville the favor and walked over to the door. He opened it and smiled at his friend. “Hello, Japa.”

Jack had the grace to look embarrassed. “Hei Juha… I’m sorry for… I wasn’t really thinking… Maybe I hoped that Ville and you…”

“It’s okay!” Juha pulled Jack inside. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Juha, is it Jack?” Jonne called from the living room.

“Yes, it is!” Juha pushed Jack into the living room.

“Where’s Ville?” Jack asked as he looked about.

“Still stuck in the bathroom, I’m afraid. Hello, Japa!” Jonne smiled at the guitarist. “So you’re taking my little brother out on a date? You’d better behave… I have my eye on you!”

Jack swallowed nervously. “I’ll behave.” He wasn’t sure though Ville would. Eager to distract Jonne from the fact that he was taking Ville on a date, Jack asked, “Ville mentioned that the two of you…” He left his sentence unfinished on purpose and let his gaze shift from Jonne to Juha and back again. “I never thought…”

Jonne shrugged and reached for Juha. He pulled the redhead back onto the couch and Juha wrapped an arm around him. Jonne leaned against him and sighed contently. “Sometimes things don’t happen the way you expect for them to happen. I’m not complaining though… I’m the lucky one.”

Jack grinned at seeing Juha smile fondly in turn. It was easy to see that those two were in love. “I’m happy that things worked out that way.”

“Ready!” Ville stepped into the living room and hoped Jack liked the way he looked. He smiled at the guitarist and then raised an eyebrow. “I like it!” He walked toward the older man, let his fingers slide into the black hair and fingered a white strand. “A lot,” he added at seeing Jack’s gaze, which spoke of insecurity. “Jonne, I’m off then. Don’t expect me home early and if my bedroom door is locked…” He grinned mischievously at his brother.

Jonne laughed warmly. “In that case I’ll add another plate at the breakfast table!”

Jack couldn’t help growing flustered: the sexual innuendo was getting to him. “I’m not looking for a one-night stand,” he explained quickly.

“Neither am I!” Ville said. “Let’s get this date on the way then!” He hooked his arm with Jack’s and raised the other one to wave goodbye at Jonne and Juha. “Bye!”

Juha laughed softly and Jonne raised his head in order to make eye contact. “What?” the blond wanted to know.

“I think *I* am the lucky one here… I’m not sure I would survive a ‘real’ date with Ville. I’d rather be with you.” Running his fingers through the blond hair, he stared deeply into Jonne’s eyes and in his heart, he felt the first stirrings of a love he had waited for for years.

~~~

“Hesburger? You’ve got to be joking!” Jack followed Ville into the establishment and ordered his favorite hamburger along with fries and coke. “When you said we were eating out I had envisioned a different setting!”

“The idea was to surprise you,” Ville explained and placed his order as well. “I don’t like being predictable.”

“I finally get that!” Jack grinned and shook his head. “What other surprises await me tonight?”

Ville chuckled. “Let me surprise you.”

“Like I have a choice!” Jack followed Ville to a vacant table. They sat down and unwrapped their burgers. “I’ve got the feeling that things will never get boring with you around!”

Ville liked hearing that and bit into his burger, making the sauce spill from between the bun.

“You’ve got some sauce stuck on your chin…” Jack raised an arm and removed the sauce. Touching Ville send quivers through his body and he quickly pulled away his hand.

Ville pretended not noticing Jack’s nervousness. He took his time studying the older man. He was still getting used to this more serious side. “Jack, did you have boyfriends before?”

Jack blushed to the roots of his head. Was Ville really going to discuss that here? He would have liked some privacy! “Sure…when I was younger… I dated.”

“But nothing serious?” Ville munched on his fries.

Jack shrugged. “I was young…and not really interested in a steady relationship back then.”

Ville chuckled. “Like you’re so old now!”

Jack shrugged again. “I’m not that teenager anymore.”

Jack was probably right about that. Ville drank some of his coke and continued to eye Japa. “And now you *are* interested in a relationship?”

Jack nodded. “I think so… How do you feel about it?” He wanted to know Ville’s thoughts in the matter as well.

“If it’s the right person – yes,” Ville replied. He finished his burger and sipped from his coke. “So you have been with a man before? In bed, I mean.”

Jack blushed even deeper. “Yes…” Why was Ville asking him those things? And why couldn’t they discuss it in private?

“Top or bottom?” Ville inquired curiously.

“Both…” Jack moistened his lips. “Can’t we talk about this somewhere private?”

“We can’t go back to my place… Jonne will be awake and won’t leave us alone. Is Chris at home?”

Jack shook his head. “Chris wanted to spend time with Matti. He isn’t at home. He left before I did.”

“Then let’s head there.” Jack was right – they should discuss the matter in private.

~~~

Ville removed his coat and put it on the rack in the hallway. Jack was already on his way into the living room and Ville followed the older man. He had used his time well. During their walk over to Chris’ apartment he had thought everything over. Jack was fun. Jack *was* his type and he *knew* the guitarist was interested in him. Being honest with himself, Ville had to admit that he was interested in Jack in turn. So where were they headed? Ville seldom made plans – he let the moment take him.

Upon entering the living room Ville found Jack seated cross legged on the comfortable rug near the heating. The room was a tad chilly and Ville sat down next to the older man, enjoying the warmth emanating from the heating. Turning his head, he gave Jack a pondering look. Acting on his instincts, he took Jack’s hand in his and pulled it into his lap. Jack’s head shot up and the older man stared questioningly at him.

“I’m not good with words,” Ville said after a moment’s thought. “I never find the right words to express myself.”

Jack nodded. “I often have the same problem.” Jack felt increasingly nervous. The way Ville was looking at him made the butterflies in his stomach fly even wilder. That look… And why was Ville moving? The blond wasn’t going to kiss him again, was he?

Ville however had every intention of kissing Jack. He inched closer and let his lips do the talking. He brushed Jack’s lips lightly at first, but then he pressed them onto the older man’s, and when Jack parted his teeth, Ville’s tongue slid inside to caress the sensitive tissue. A soft groan escaped Jack’s lips and Ville moved closer still. He rested his hand at the nape of Jack’s neck and deepened the kiss further.

In the end, Jack broke the kiss and panted softly. Ville had robbed him of his breath. “Do you think that’s a wise thing to do?” Weren’t they moving too fast?

“I don’t know if it’s wise, but I *do* know that I want this – I want you.”

Jack swallowed nervously as Ville’s fingers managed to find their way beneath the fabric of his shirt. “Ville, no…”

“What are you afraid of?” Ville moved onto Jack’s lap and straddled the older man. He wrapped his arms and legs around Jack and searched the other man’s eyes. “I want this…”

“Just for tonight…or…?” Jack had to voice his fears.

“Not just for tonight. I’m not like that. I would have had lots of one-night stands otherwise. You know me… You know that I’m not like that.” His hands moved toward the small of Jack’s back and caressed the skin there. “”I’m not new to this either, and yes, I’ve been on both sides… So…don’t be afraid to hurt me or startle me… I’m no fucking virgin anymore,” Ville growled the last words into Jack’s ear. “I want this and you want it too!” He slid one hand lower, unbuttoned Jack’s jeans and chuckled. “No underwear?”

“I don’t particularly like wearing it,” Jack admitted. He quivered at feeling Ville’s warm fingers slide down the jeans. Jack couldn’t believe this was happening. He hadn’t expected Ville to take the lead or to be so aggressive. He had assumed Ville to be shy, like he was. Boy, had he been mistaken. He groaned when Ville squeezed his erection and bit onto his lower lip. “Ville, we shouldn’t…”

“But I want this…” Ville kissed Jack again and guided the other man’s hand toward his groin. “I want to feel you…”

Jack swallowed hard. No way this was happening! But then Ville stroked slowly and his groin tightened with pleasure. Oh yes, this *was* happening!

Ville enjoyed taking Jack by surprise like that. He liked being in control, calling the shots and Jack was easily overwhelmed. “It feels right, doesn’t it?”

Jack nodded: it was the truth – it *did* feel right. Slipping his hand beneath the waistband of Ville’s boxers, he pushed the fabric out of the way.

Their lips locked in another kiss and Ville rubbed his bottom against Jack’s thigh. “Make me come,” he whispered into Jack’s ear. “And I’ll do the same for you.”

Jack closed his eyes and fought his climax. He was so damn close. Ville’s presence, his unexpected advances, Ville’s scent… Everything pushed him toward the edge and when Ville sucked on the tip of his tongue, Jack lost it and climaxed.

Ville didn’t stay behind and experienced his orgasm a moment later. Jack milked the last droplets from him and then the fingers deserted his already softening flesh. “Wow,” he whispered and chuckled against Jack’s shoulder. “That was really good,” he said and looked at Jack with twinkling eyes.

Jack was at a loss for words. Ville was a mystery, but one that had very pleasantly surprised him just now. “Yes, wow…”

Ville licked his top lip provocatively and grinned at Jack. “I like dating you.”

Jack let go of his nervousness and chuckled along. “Your blind date with Juha didn’t work out, but I don’t mind that…”

Ville nodded and licked at Jack’s top lip before nibbling on it. “I like dating you better…” Looking Jack in the eye, he smiled. “Let’s go on another date tomorrow. Now that I’ve got you, I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’d better accept that you’re off the market – and mine now!”

Jack nodded happily and stroked the blond hair away from the slightly sweaty face. He was going to give this a chance. He wanted Ville and Ville wanted him… and something told him that they would work out.

The end