Hunger Unleashed

Chapter 33: Jean Broody vs. Bradley Jackson ~ When suppressed desires explode… Birthday treat!

***

After his shower, a boxer-clad Jean joined Bradley in the seating area with a pillow in each arm. He threw one pillow to Bradley who was sitting on the rug and threw the other onto the couch. Then he grabbed another bottle of beer from the chest and then flopped into the couch to watch the match with Bradley. And despite the fact that he knew the scores, he enjoyed watching the match with a surprisingly loud Bradley.

“That was a good game,” Jean said when the match ended. “Highlights. Great.” He said when highlights of other games began to show. “I didn’t watch most of these. So…” Jean looked down at Bradley from the couch. “How have you been spending your birthdays?”

“I don’t do birthdays,” Bradley responded, taking a swing from his bottle. “Birthdays are for kids.”

“Bullshit.” Jean chuckled. “Birthdays are…special days. Even if you find yourself alone, you should do something out of the norm as a form of celebration. Dean and I usually have lunch with our mum on our birthdays. That’s a tradition. But then we make sure we do something wild and fun to celebrate the day.”

“Well, I don’t have any family to celebrate mine with so...” Bradley said quietly. “But something wild hmm… Oh yes, I almost forgot. I usually spend the day in my birthday suit if I’m home.” He laughed when Jean’s eyes widened in surprise.

“And I thought I was the only fucked up one.” Jean laughed.

“No one is as fucked up as you Dr. Crazy.” Bradley chuckled. “Most of the time I’m out somewhere on a mission during my birthdays so I don’t even think about it. I once went to hang out with Ty, Dean, and those crazy friends of theirs. They didn’t know it was my birthday. Ty invited me just out of the blue that morning, to join them at his house. I had a blast. Those guys are something else.”

“Yeah, they all have mental problems.” Jean snorted, making Bradley laugh. He loved hanging out with his brother’s friends. They called themselves the squad. Their friendship was so tight it sometimes blew his mind. The care and love the group of friends showed towards each other actually reminded him of the bond he had with his own brothers. “So what would you want to do tomorrow?” He asked quietly. “Something unique. Remember, whatever it is would have to be indoors. Those military guys out there won’t allow you to go out.”

Bradley chuckled. “Who says I would want to go out simply because it’s my birthday anyway?”

“What would you want for your birthday?” Jean asked.

“Nothing. I told you it’s for kids.”

“Humour me,” Jean said. “Just tell me what you’d like to have on such a special day.”

“What are you going to do? Get it for me?” Bradley turned his head to look up at Jean, his eyes going to the pleasure trail that disappeared into his boxers. He looked away quickly.

“That’s the plan. Anything…within my power of course.” He quickly added, making Bradley laugh. “Yeah, I’d better clarify before you ask me to conjure those bad military guys you’re hating on so much right now.”

“That would be the ultimate,” Bradley said quietly. “Catching that bastard and his cronies would definitely make any day special.”

“Well, think of something you really want. You can tell me tomorrow.” Jean sat up and grabbed another bottle of beer. “In the meantime, I say we usher in your birthday on a high.” He raised his bottle and clicked it against Bradley’s.

Then lowering the sound on the TV, the two men conversed and laughed about topics from sports, to politics, and even their lives. It was obvious they enjoyed each other’s company. And with all that booze in their system, they were feeling no pain.

***

“I can’t believe I slept on a couch when there’s a perfectly comfortable bed not far from here.” Jean groaned from his perch on the couch the next morning. “Thought I’d see you in your birthday suit this morning.” He yawned loudly when he peered down at Bradley who was wide awake on the rug. They’d both fallen asleep at some point after midnight, both buzzed out of their heads.

“If you want to watch naked men, go read a porn magazine or watch something x-rated, fucker.” Bradley said with a yawn.

“Do you do that? Watch porn I mean.” Jean asked.

“Who doesn’t?” Bradley sat up.

“Which kind do you watch?” Jean’s voice was filled with curiosity.

“What do you think?” With a grunt, Bradley stood up, grabbed his pillow, and threw it at Jean’s face. Then he headed towards the door.

“Brad?” Jean called out before Bradley could get to the door.

“Uh-huh?” He didn’t pause in his movement towards the door.

“Happy birthday.”

“Nothing happy about it,” Bradley muttered. But when the door closed after him, the soldier just stood there, smiling.

Bradley wouldn’t have been able to say why he was smiling if he’d been asked. Maybe it was because someone had actually wished him a happy birthday on the morning of his birthday. He didn’t remember the last time anyone had. And that was when it hit Bradley… He was happy. And that smile remained on his face till he got downstairs. What he saw downstairs, however, wiped the smile off his face.

On the dining table was a huge birthday cake. Not only was the cake in military camouflage colours, but it also had on top of it a molded grenade, a military tank, dog-tags, and gun-wielding soldiers. Emotions flooded Bradley. When he was a kid, he’d been used to receiving exciting birthday presents from his parents. He wasn’t necessarily receiving those presents on the exact days but he got them all the same. And he’d loved all those presents. He didn’t remember getting birthday cakes though because his parents hadn’t had the time to bother with that. The sweet feeling inside, at seeing a birthday cake specially for him, therefore, was like nothing Bradley had ever experienced. When his eyes got to the base of the cake, he couldn’t stifle the laughter that burst forth. The words, ‘Stay Safe Asshole’ were boldly written at the base. He shook his head in amusement.

“Like it?” Bradley heard Jean and turned his head to look at him. He was coming down the stairs.

“When did you smuggle this in here?” Bradley turned back to the cake.

“Whilst you slept.” Jean came to stand beside Bradley, still in his boxer briefs. “I brought it when I came back from town yesterday. Left it in the fridge in the den.” He started towards the kitchen, leaving Bradley still staring at the cake.

Jean came back with two mugs of coffee in each hand and a knife stuck between his lips. When he got to Bradley, he made a sound, clearly indicating that Bradley take the knife from between his lips. With an amused chuckle, the soldier carefully took the knife and then took the mug that had in it, black coffee, from Jean.

“You’re nuts,” Bradley muttered, pulling a chair back to sit on. “You call that coffee?” He snorted, peering into Jean’s mug. “That should be called milkshake and not coffee.”

Jean took a sip of his coffee and moaned. “Please, have a taste.” He pleaded.

“Get that poison away from me.” Bradley laughed, cutting a piece of cake.

“It’s your birthday. Do something different. Taste my poison.” Jean watched the look of pleasure on Bradley’s face as he munched on a piece of cake and grinned. “I promise, that cake will taste even better with my coffee. Try it.”

With a sigh, Bradley took Jean’s mug from him and took a sip. “Like I said, poison.” He muttered, handing the mug back to Jean.

“Aw be honest, it’s nice.” Jean laughed as he took his mug from Bradley and cut some cake for himself.

“I don’t remember ever getting a birthday cake from anyone,” Bradley said quietly. “Thanks.”

“That look on your face when I came down said it all.” Jean didn’t think he would ever forget that look he’d seen on Bradley’s face. “You looked gobsmacked.” It had been a look of shock, mixed with awe, gratitude, and vulnerability. He’d never wanted to give anyone a hug as badly as he’d wanted to hug Bradley at that moment. “I’m glad I got you a cake but you still have to tell me what you want.”

Bradley shook his head helplessly, still reeling from the shock of the birthday cake. “You gave me a cake…”

“Which you didn’t ask for.” Jean stood up and picked up his mug. “Italian okay for lunch?” He asked, starting towards the stairs. “I want to order something for lunch.”