Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:07:42 +0000
From: Chris Salter <chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com>
Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 37

If you're under the legal age, or it's illegal in your area, leave now. If
Homosexuality offends, also, leave.

Disclaimer: I don't know Jake Gyllenhaal, nor do I wish to claim to know
his sexuality or relationship status, this work is entirely fictional.


Chapter 37:

It wasn't the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window that caused
Chris to stir, instead it was the shrill klaxon from the alarm system on
the neighboring building.  Jumping out of the bed, Chris looked over at the
clock. It was just after 1PM.

"Urgh, I'm beginning to make a habit out of this," Chris mumbled to Boo
Radley as he stumbled his way out of the bedroom.

Danny looked across from his seat on the couch, "Hey, you're looking better
today!"

Smiling innocently, Chris padded his way over to Danny and kissed him
briefly on the lips before sitting down near him on the couch. "So do you,"
Pulling Jakes sweater out of his usual hiding spot he once again held it
close to his body. "I miss him again already!"

"At least he's back soon." Danny conceded. "Then you're all his." Danny
paused for a moment before continuing. "It sounded like you were all his
the other night anyway."

Blushing profusely, Chris looked over at Danny. "So you heard that?"

Danny stuck his tongue out at Chris, "I'm not deaf you know. It was kind of
amusing to hear Jake falling into the water."

"Yeah, well nothing really happened."

"Good thing too," Danny responded.

Chris looked over at Danny, "Why is that?"

"Well," Danny continued, "You don't want him sick too, do you?" Danny then
smirked and looked over at Chris, "Unless that's your plan all along, get
him sick, so you can play nurse."

Shaking his head, Chris disagreed, "That's the last thing I'd want
actually. I'm shit at looking after people."

Danny laughed aloud, "You're great at it you fool. Remember when I broke my
wrist and leg on that site."

"Yeah..." Chris sighed. He hated that day. As soon as he got the call about
the beam falling from the floor above, he had immediately thought of the
worst. The whole time he raced to the hospital, his mind was filled with
the worst possible images. He never wanted to lose Danny, and him bringing
it back up wasn't helping.

"You didn't leave my bed for like a month, remember." Danny continued, "It
nearly got you fired."

Chris blushed, "I know." Looking over at Danny, he placed his hand on his
knee. "I didn't care, you were more important."

Placing his hand on Chris' for a moment, Danny smiled and took the paw off
his knee, "And now Jake is more important."

"You both are." Chris sighed again. Realizing the moment was becoming
awkward, he changed the subject. "I feel like going out somewhere, I'm sick
of being stuck inside."

Danny nodded his head in agreement. He loved spending time with Chris, but
stuck inside an apartment all day was getting tiresome. "Do you want to go
shopping?" He knew Chris' obsession with melting his credit cards.

"Too much effort," Chris groaned. "I kind of feel like just going down to
the park and lying there like old times."

Danny smiled and patted Chris on the knee, "Well go get ready and we'll go
there then."

Standing up slowly, Chris padded his way into the bedroom to get ready
leaving Danny alone in the living area once more.

"I hope Jake doesn't mind," Danny muttered as he looked over at Boo Radley,
who was lying on the floor staring at the door.

About fifteen minutes later Chris finally stumbled his way out of the
bedroom dressed in a plain white shirt and the loosest pair of jeans he
could find. He didn't care how he looked today, he just wanted to be
comfortable. "I'm ready now."

Danny stood up and walked over to Chris, "You going to be okay walking, or
do you want to drive down there?"

"I think I can make it down there," He responded. "Might as well take
Pupples down there too."

"Fine with me," Danny smiled as he indicated for Chris to head to the door
first. He still had a set of keys to the apartment, so it didn't matter
that Chris left the apartment unarmed with his usual pocket luggage.

Attaching the leash to Boo Radley, Chris headed out the door and waited on
the landing for Danny to lock the door. They then headed down the stairs
and towards the street.

"So what are you going to do in New York now?" Chris asked as they waited
for the traffic to clear.

Danny looked at Chris, "You mean because Alex knows where I live?"

Chris nodded.

"I don't know. I have a doorman, but obviously he was able to get past him
a few days ago." Danny sighed. "I might as well try and look for a new
place." Traffic clear, Danny grasped Chris' hand and headed across the
intersection with him. "I really liked that place though."

Chris was shocked by the public display of affection. He'd missed that with
Jake. It made him feel like he was loved, but he knew Jake would, and has
done the same thing whenever away from the public scrutiny. "I suppose you
could stay with Maggie until you find a new place, she'd be more than
welcoming."

Smiling as Chris, Danny let go of Chris now they were across the
street. "She did offer, many times." Forgetting which way to go, he waited
for Chris to point out the direction.  "I'll just get a short term rental
and lie low for a while."  He then smirked and looked at Chris, "Or I could
stay with you two...."

"Bit of a long commute from Los Angeles isn't it?" Chris asked.

"I meant New York." Danny replied. "Jake was saying about how he wants you
two to move there. He kept talking about getting an apartment with you
there."

He was slightly shocked. Chris knew Jake was thinking about New York, but
didn't know he was that serious about it. Personally, Chris loved the idea,
but it was still a scary thought, leaving everyone he loved in Los
Angeles. He'd done that before when he left Australia, which was one of the
hardest things he'd ever done. Still, as he wasn't leaving on his own, he
figured he'd be okay with it. "I guess we'll just have to have a talk about
it whenever he gets home."

"You're such a cute couple; I can't see you not living with him." Danny
beamed. "Plus, if you're in New York, we'd get to see each other more
often."

Chris smiled. "I'd love that." He was excited now. Ever since he was a
small child, he'd wanted to live in New York, preferably in an apartment
overlooking Central Park.  However, knowing Jake, he'd want something
modest, comfortable and cute, rather than something expansive, cold and
sterile.

Heading into the park, the duo found a fairly secluded and shady area under
a large tree and took a seat on the grass.  Chris immediately kicked off
his shoes and allowed Boo Radley to run around on his leash for a bit while
Danny laid down on the grass, staring up into the leaves.

Chris followed by lying down on the grass for a moment before sitting up
again, "I can't get comfortable like this."

Danny sighed, he was comfortable and didn't want to move. "Just do what we
used to do.  That always made you comfortable."

"That's different," Chris explained, "We were a couple then, now we're
not."

"I'm not going to try any funny business." Danny responded. "I don't want
to break you up; you're just using me as a pillow, like you used to. I miss
that."

Sliding himself along the grass, Chris carefully leaned back and rested his
head on Danny's stomach. It was a familiar feeling, soft and warm, he
laughed when he heard his digestive system at work. "I really wish I could
do this with Jake. Stupid media." He groaned.

"Don't be mean." Danny whispered. "He would do it if he could." Extending
his hand, he gently stroked Chris' ear and followed his jaw line before
resting it on his chest. "I can just see you doing this sometime though."

Chris smiled and closed his eyes, "Hopefully, one day."

"Even if it's not the park," Danny explained, "There's your parents estate,
or I'm sure Jake has a nice backyard."

Grasping Danny's hand, Chris admitted, "Well we did do this kind of thing
at Terry and Will's, but it's not the same as lying in the park." Using his
free hand, he pulled Boo Radley onto his chest and continued to rest. "I
just feel like the novelty is beginning to wear off."

"You better not want to ditch the poor boy." Danny mumbled. He was a little
angry that Chris was even thinking about the idea. "I will never speak to
you again if you do."

Chris sighed, "I'm not thinking like that at all. I don't want to lose Jake
again."  He didn't really know how to express it in words, but tried
anyway, "I guess it just feels like a real relationship, no more
infatuation, just love."

Danny smiled, "Sounds like you're happy."

"Absolutely!" Chris exclaimed. "Sorry Danny, but I've never felt this way
before."

"You're adorable." Danny replied. "You really are." Running his hand up
Chris chest, he gently caressed his Adams Apple. "Don't be sorry, I'm so
happy for you, it's cute."

Continuing to keep his eyes closed, Chris smiled and gently dozed off.

************************* **********************************************

Several days had passed and it was now Friday night. Managing to brave a
whole day at work, Chris pulled up in his parking spot absolutely
exhausted. "I just want to curl up on the couch and watch TV..." Chris
muttered as he unplugged the iPod from its docking station and headed up to
his apartment.

Unlocking the door, he was greeted immediately by Boo Radley, who then
followed him into the living room where Danny was resting his
eyes. Noticing something was cooking in the oven, Chris smiled and walked
over to Danny. Gently kissing him on the lips caused him to stir.

Danny moaned and slowly opened his eyes. As the swelling from his black eye
was decreasing, he was able to open the eyelid fairly easily. "Mmm welcome
home."

"It's just like old times." Chris whispered as he pulled Danny into an
upright position before heading towards the bedroom. "I'm going to shower,
okay?"

"Sure thing." Danny responded as he stood up and headed back to the oven.

Stripping out of his work attire, Chris stumbled his way into the shower
and quickly cleansed his body of dirt and grime before toweling himself dry
and heading into the wardrobe. The fact Jake had teased him for appearing
back in town for a few days before leaving for another week was really
hurting him. Wanting to be as close to him as possible, Chris pulled out a
pair of Jakes jeans as well as one of his shirts and sweaters, and threw
them on. Chris then began padding his way out to the bedroom to find Danny
placing the lamb dish down on the dining table.

"Well don't you look cute tonight?" Danny commented playfully.

Chris blushed and took a seat, "They're all Jakes clothes actually. What's
this?"

"Rack of lamb with, well." Danny thought, "Some vegetables I found, it's
not much."

"Smells good." Chris responded as he waited for Danny to take his seat and
pick up the new, overpriced designer cutlery he'd bought the night before.

Danny fumbled with the odd angle of the knife before looking at Chris,
"These things are weird, and why the hell did you get them?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders and simultaneously began fumbling with his own
cutlery, "They looked pretty on the website and even prettier in the
store." He smiled and blushed again, "I secretly went to the store to find
out how much Jake paid for the rings."

"Does it really matter?" Danny asked. "It's not like he's short of a buck."


"I know." Chris replied shyly. "I just wanted to know, I don't want to feel
like I'm being kept."

Danny glared at Chris, "He loves you, it was a VERY romantic sign, I just
wish I had thought of it earlier into our relationship."

Managing to cut through the meat with the oddly shaped utensils, Chris
managed to finish most of the meal before assisting Danny with the cleanup.

Switching the dishwasher on, Chris and Danny yawned simultaneously. Looking
over at his ex, Danny smiled, "I think I'm ready for bed too."

"Okay, I will see you in the morning." Chris whispered as he quickly kissed
Danny on the lips and began switching the lights off around the apartment.

Danny continued by switching the lights off on his way to the guest
room. "G'night Chris!"

Heading into the bedroom, Chris summoned the animals and changed into his
pajamas.  After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he padded his way
back into the bedroom and pulled the sheets back.

"I miss you baby." Chris whispered as he stared lovingly at the photograph
on the bedside table. Eyes fixed on the image; it didn't take long for him
to fall asleep.


--38 soon--

I hope you all liked that. The next chapter is interesting, so you will
have to wait and see about that.

I love hearing from you all. Drop me line either on the group or via email,
chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com

There's been some......interesting developments in my life lately. So I've
been distracted. I apologize for not uploading this sooner. Anyway, if you
wanna chat, drop me a line.

Thanks for reading again,
Chris