FICLET: Some Such Shit

A challenge on The Den was issued to write a drabble, ficlet, or story celebrating the SCOTUS ruling.  This is my little response.

Title: Some Such Shit
Characters: Ken/Jess
Series: Wedding Trilogy

"Ahhhh," Ken sighed after his first gulp from the cold beer.  Propping his dusty work boots on the railing of the back porch, he watched Jess's Adam's apple bob as Jess drained the entire bottle.

"You know we need to eat something before you toss back too many more," Ken said tiredly.

"Yeah, I know.  I'll go slower on the next one.  It was just damn hot out on that site."

Ken nodded.  As hot as it was in his cabinet shop, he knew that Jess suffered the heat more standing out with the sun beating down on him as he went over plans with contractors.  "How about I order a pizza?  We have to eat but damned if I want cook."

Jess reached down to the cooler that sat between them and pulled out another beer. "Sounds good to me.  By the time it gets here, maybe I'll have cooled down enough to eat.

Ken pulled out his cell phone.  Finding the number to the local pizza delivery, he quickly placed their order.  Turning to Jess, he said, "they said at least an hour.  Everyone and their brother must be ordering tonight."

"That'll work," Jess replied.

Ken leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.  He'd never get tired of this; sitting with Jess after a long day's work.  Just quietly sitting together.

"We'd never be able to wear rings."

Ken turned and looked at Jess.  "What?"

Jess cleared his throat.  "Rings are dangerous in our line of work.  They could get caught on a power tool and rip it right off. Finger and all."

Ken shook his head.  Was Jess proposing to him?  They'd celebrated the SCOTUS ruling with many of their friends that Friday night.  Then they'd come home and had their own private celebration.  But neither one had brought up the subject of marriage.  Ken had thought they were happy as they were.  And he didn't want to scare Jess.  His boy had calmed down a lot over the years, but he was still a touchy son of a bitch.  Ken loved that about him.  Finally, Ken replied with a noncommittal remark, "yeah.  Rings, um, jewelry, can be dangerous around tools."

"Necklaces, with like a pendant, could be worn under a shirt.  That wouldn't be so dangerous," Jess said.

"A pendant?" Ken asked.  He wished Jess would look at him, but his boy was staring off into the sunset.

"Yeah, circle pendants with a word that is symbolic to us," Jess said.  Then he mumbled, "you know or some such shit."

Ken held back a laugh.  "Hmmm.  Yeah.  Some such shit."

Jess finally looked at him.  But it was just to throw him a dirty look.  "I'm just saying, now that we could be legally married across the states, we couldn't exchange rings."

Nodding, Ken said, "well, we could exchange rings.  We just wouldn't be able to wear them when we're working.  But if we ever, you know, did something that we needed rings, I'd want to wear it everyday."

"Yeah.  I'd want that too."

Ken couldn't hold back the question any longer.  "So are you proposing to me?  Or some such shit?"

Jess laughed.  "Yeah. I think I am."

Pride and love swelled in Ken's heart.  This man who he had first met at a club, who stole his heart, who needed his ass beat occasionally, had just proposed to him.  What a long way they had both come.

He held his hand out and smiled when Jess took it.  "Yes. I'll marry you."


End