“Okay, I promised Phee I wouldn’t go too crazy… So what about this?” Tam’s voice reached Jasper’s ears from the other side of the room.

He glanced up from the computer screen, peeking over his shoulder at his boyfriend. His lip curled into a smile. “How did I know you’d pick the Triforce one?”

“Um, because it’s the greatest shirt I own?” Tam laughed.

“Obviously. It was a gift from the best boyfriend ever, after all.” Jasper gave him a small wink before turning his attention back to the computer screen. “It looks great.” He called as he went back to reading the article he’d been studying. “But honestly, I bet Phoenix doesn’t really care what you wear.” His voice trailed off slightly as he began reading once more. “He’ll just be happy you’re there.”

“Hmm… Good point.” Tam agreed. “So I’m good to break out the elf ears then? Go for the full Link look?”

“Sure.” Jasper muttered distractedly. His mind hadn’t even fully grasped what Tam had told him… He was too engrossed in his studies once more.

Tam stepped closer to him as he continued. “Great! So you’ll be Princess Zelda then?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Perfect! Just gotta make sure your dress doesn’t upstage Gigi’s… ”

“Mm. Yeah.”

Jasper nearly jumped as he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder.

“Jas… You know I love you. But it’d be kinda nice if you actually listened when I’m talking to you…” Though he smiled, Tam let out a soft sigh of annoyance as he spoke.

“Sorry…” Jasper gave him an apologetic smile as he gently lifted Tam’s hand from his shoulder and pressed his lips against it. “I’m just so caught up in this stupid article… I’ve gotta finish this analysis by Monday, and I barely even started.”

“I get it.” Tam assured him. “You’ve been kicking total ass this semester… might as well keep up that killstreak right?” He teased. “But your brother’s getting married today. In like two hours! And you aren’t even dressed yet.” He shook his head for a moment.

Jasper felt a bit of guilt rising up in his chest. He’s right. I’ve gotta chill out and focus on Phoenix. “I know, I know… You’re right.”

Tam winked at him. “Yup, like always.”

With a small laugh of amusement, Jasper finally rose to his feet. “Thanks for putting up with me lately… I know I haven’t been very fun…” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh! But speaking of fun, I forgot to tell you — like half the people from my chem class are going out for drinks tomorrow night… Celebrating that stupid project finally being over.” Jasper smiled. “You in? I’ve been dying for everybody to finally meet you!”

Just as he’d feared, the look on Tam’s face said it all.

“Oh, um… tomorrow? I wish I could… But I can’t.” It was so hard to tell whether his disappointment was genuine. “I’m supposed to stay late after work and help a couple newbies roll up their characters.” Tam explained. “The Wednesday night game group got a couple new people… And we still have room for one more, you know.” He added.

Judging by the look on his face, he’d already predicted Jasper’s answer.

Jasper sighed. Tam was always trying to talk him into joining one of his weeknight game groups. But things were so busy with school during the week. He just didn’t have the time. And they already did one game group together anyway. Wasn’t that enough?

“I’ll think about it.” Jasper gave his usual reply. “But hey — rolling up new characters isn’t gonna take all night, is it?” He asked. “You can always meet up with us after…”

Tam smiled softly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll probably be pretty wiped after my shift, but… Maybe.”

And just like that, Tam gave his usual reply too.

It felt like they’d barely seen each other for the past few weeks. Tam had been working a lot lately, and Jasper had been so busy with his studies that it took up most of his free time… They’d both been having such a hard time finding time for each other.

And every time the opportunity to go out with Jasper’s uni friends came up, Tam always seemed to have an excuse.

“Okay, well, we can talk about it more later.” Jasper suggested, trying to keep his tone casual. “Or maybe I can leave early and we can just hang out here when you get home from work instead?”

This time, Tam’s smile seemed so much more genuine. “I’d definitely be down for that! And don’t forget, we have those new costumes we still haven’t broken in yet…” He added with a wink.

He couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto his lips at Tam’s suggestion.

“It has been a while…” He admitted. Things had been so busy that they hadn’t had sex in over a week. Maybe that was what the real problem was… “Is it my turn to pick the theme this time?”

“Whatever you want.” Tam’s own smile widened. “You know I’m flexible.”

Jasper suddenly wished they didn’t have to leave for the wedding so soon. He could have taken him right then and there if he could. “Mm… Yeah, you are.”

Tam chuckled softly as his boyfriend pulled him in for a kiss.

“Okay,” Tam began as he finally pulled away from him. “I know you said Phee won’t care what we wear. But as much as you can totally pull off the shirtless-and-sweatpants look…”

Jasper laughed. “I know, I know… I’ll get ready.” He promised.

—————————————————-

Jasper smiled as he watched his brother and new sister-in-law making the rounds to talk to their small crowd of guests.

It had been a very small wedding… Just a short, simple courthouse ceremony followed by dinner at the restaurant that had belonged to Phoenix’s late grandfather. There were less than fifteen people in attendance, including Phoenix and Gigi. They’d decided only to invite their families. Plus Tam, of course. But then, he practically counted as family too, didn’t he?

And maybe he really will be, someday… Jasper and Tam had talked about their future together many times, but the possibility of marriage was something that still felt so far away. But seeing Phoenix and Gigi looking so happy and so in love… Well, it had certainly got him thinking.

“Man, look how happy they are.” He finally spoke some of his thoughts aloud. “I mean, they’re always happy together…. But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them like this.”

Tam nodded. “I know. It’s adorable.” He agreed.

Jasper hesitated a moment before allowing his next thought to pass his lips. “It still feels a little fast too though, doesn’t it?” He asked at last, his tone almost guilty. “I’m happy for them, obviously. And I know we were the ones who told Phoenix he should go to the US in the first place. But… you know what I mean.” They’d both privately shared some of their concerns with one another when Phoenix first announced their engagement. Jasper knew Tam was on the same page as him… But they’d both agreed to be supportive of Phoenix’s choice. And he felt so guilty holding on to some of his previous doubts. “I’m just still trying to wrap my head around it. All of a sudden, my brother’s married and moving thousands of kilometers away. It’s just… a lot.”

“It is. They grow up so fast…” Tam feigned wiping a tear from his eye as he spoke, letting out a small laugh. “No, but seriously… I get it.” He continued. “You know I feel the same way about this whole thing. And big changes like this always suck no matter what. For everybody.”

Jasper took a moment to consider Tam’s words before replying. “Well… Maybe not always. Sometimes change can be good, right?”

“Oh, it usually is.” Tam agreed. “But it almost always comes with something totally sucky too… It’s kinda like when you discover some kind of super kickass dungeon, right? We’re talking legendary-level loot hidden at the end of this thing. But you’ve gotta face hoards of zombies and spiders and shit before you can make it to the good stuff.”

Jasper couldn’t help but smile. Tam always had such a unique way of looking at the world. That was one of the things he loved most about him. “I guess you kinda have a point… Gotta work for it, right?” He asked with a smile.

His boyfriend nodded. “Exactly. It’s like when you decided you wanted to go to uni. It’s fucking awesome. You’re gonna be a goddamn scientist, Jas! That’s insane.” Tam’s smile faded slightly. “But… well, you know.”

“Know what?”

Tam shrugged. “There’s plenty of sucky shit we have to deal with before we get there.”

“Hmm… yeah, good point! There was definitely plenty of suckiness last semester, at least.” Jasper admitted with a small laugh. “But I think I finally got my shit together. I already beat the first level of the suck-dungeon!”

Tam’s smile flickered for just a moment. If Jasper had blinked, he probably would have missed it. “Not exactly what I meant…” He muttered. “But yeah, basically.”

Jasper’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “What did you mean, then?”

Before Tam had a chance to reply, Jasper felt a hand on his shoulder. He rose to his feet at his brother’s touch, pulling Phoenix into a warm hug. His talk with Tam could wait until later.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, Phoenix.” Despite his earlier moment of doubt, Jasper truly meant every word. His brother was happier than he’d ever seen him before. And that was what mattered, wasn’t it? Jasper turned to his new sister-in-law once he and Phoenix finally broke apart. “And Gigi… My condolences.” He teased.

She giggled, stepping forward to give Jasper a quick hug as well.

“Cute.” Phoenix shook his head slightly at his brother, but did not lose his smile. “I know we didn’t give you guys a lot of notice… So it seriously means a lot that you could be here.”

“Where else would we be?” Jasper asked. “We wouldn’t miss this for anything!”

“Anything, huh?” His brother raised an eyebrow as he and Tam pulled apart. “What if they announced GeekCon was hosting the D&D Championship Series? Today?”

Tam hesitated for a moment. “That was rhetorical, right? So… technically I don’t have to answer?” He laughed softly as Phoenix gave him a soft punch on the arm. “But, uh, speaking of questions… Do we still get to call you ‘Gigi’ now?” Tam asked the woman at Phoenix’s side.

Gigi laughed. “Hmm… good question!” Technically, her childhood nickname had been inspired by her initials — G.G. But she was Gabriella Rosebrook now. “But you know you can call me anything you want, Tam.” She teased, giving him a small wink.

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Hmm… Gotta think of a good one then.”

Jasper laughed. “Hmm… I guess ‘Mrs. Rosebrook’ is way too obvious, huh?”

“Yeah, but what about Lady Rosebrook? Much more regal.”

“True!” Jasper flicked his gaze toward his brother, smiling teasingly. “May as well up it to ‘Queen’ while you’re at it though. That’s how this whole ‘marriage’ thing works, right? The wife’s always in charge.”

Phoenix rolled his eyes while Gigi let out a giggle.

“Alright, what about when it’s your turn then?” Phoenix asked, smirking. “Which one of you guys gets to be in charge?”

“Neither.” Tam shrugged, not missing a beat. “It’s gonna be total anarchy and chaos. Duh.”

“See?” Tam asked as he and Jasper watched the newlyweds return to their table for dinner. “Look at those lovebirds… They’re gonna be fine.”

“I know. You’re right…” Jasper replied. And he meant it too… But their conversation from earlier still nagged at the back of his mind. “But what about all the ‘sucky shit’ you were talking about before? Are you saying they’re immune to that now?” He tried to sound teasing.

“Nah, nobody is. But I’m sure they’ll kick its ass as soon as it hits.” Tam smiled. “Or die trying… But hopefully it’s option A.”

Jasper laughed softly. “Hopefully… And hopefully we can kick some ass too with this whole uni thing?” He asked almost nervously, Tam’s words from earlier still lingering in his mind.

“Of course we can!” Tam’s reply was almost a touch too cheerful. “You said it yourself… You already beat the first level, right?”

Jasper could not help the vague feeling of dread that washed over him at Tam’s words.

Sure, he’d fought his way through the zombie hoards and beaten level one…

But didn’t those levels usually lead to a big Boss battle?