As the sky let the paved floor of the city be covered by a carpet of gentle white, the air turned brisk, carrying the scent of cinnamon and hazelnut from local bakeries and coffee shops. There wasn't a street corner where one could escape the sound of carolin and or the joyous jingle of the bells. The cityscape was transformed into a spectacle of colorful lights, mistletoes hanged from every streetlight and wreaths from every door, matching with the falling snowflakes, all of them hinting of the upcoming holiday season. Yet, not all could feel the magic in the air.

It wasn't easy for Brady to take his mind off Ness. Lucky for him, between studying for his midterms, school projects, and helping at The Little Café, he had plenty to do. Yet, no matter how many books he opened, projects he planned or tables he served, a part of him was always somewhere else.

Brady got that text a few days ago, and since then nothing. So, now it was only opening books, planning projects, and serving tables for him. Or that's what Brady thought until he got another text, this time it was Cowboy's.

Truth be told, when Brady invited Cowboy over he just wanted someone to distract him. And while, yeah, Cowboy did distracted him, Brady didn't plan for both of them to end up naked on his bed. Yet... it had worked.

There was something magical about having a boy knock on your door. The emotion, the sudden rush in your heart as he comes in, his face smiling with both his lips and eyes as he sees you and says hi. Brady felt it all and yeah, Cowboy wasn't a boy --in fact, he was... what? Brady wasn't sure, all he remembered was that Cowboy and him used to be on the same grade back in school so... probably also 19, maybe 18?-- yet he was no less delicious.

Even though Brady himself had never been one to like sports, he was well built. On the other hand, Cowboy looked leaner, even younger. And where Brady could grow a nice red beard, Cowboy barely had any hair on his face... or anywhere.

"How are things with that green boy of yours?" Cowboy asked as he took a seat on Brady's bed. Of course, Brady looked away and stayed quiet. "That bad, eh?" Cowboy took the hint. "I figure you could use something to take your mind off it?"

Again, Brady stayed quiet. Again, Cowboy took the hint and leaned on the bed.

That was his favorite part: undressing. Brady loved being able to take off each article of clothing one by one, slowly revealing each time more and more skin. It felt like finding a secret, like unwrapping a present. That's why he suggested playing poker the first time he and Ne... No. Brady looked away, shaking his head. He had to take him off his mind. Brady looked up at the golden haired boy laying on his bed.

First Brady took off Cowboy's shoes, then his socks. Feet weren't Brady's thing but to each his own, right? However, even he had to admit that Cowboy had unusually nice looking feet, not too chubby nor too boney, soft to the touch, smooth and with a beautiful arch...

Then, off came Cowboy's pants. Brady took them by the waistband and slowly pulled them down, inch by inch revealing more and more skin. He loved the sight: Cowboy's legs looked almost smooth with hair as blond as that on his head, soft like pillows, and they looked fabulous with his tight blue boxer briefs, showing a decent sized bulge inside...

Then, it was his shirt's turn. Cowboy always used square pattern shirts, and today's was yellow and black, it looked great but it looked even better as Brady unbuttoned it little by little, revealing a smooth, lean, pale chest underneath. It was obvious Cowboy took very good care of his skin, no imperfections on sight. And as he spread his arms, showing off his almost naked body, Brady stared at the beautiful terrain in front of him...

Finally, it was turn for the last piece of clothing Cowboy had on. But Brady didn't take it off, at least not right away. First he placed his open palm on Cowboy's bulge, engulfing it in his hand, squeezing it tightly. Cowboy moaned from that, his body twitching in pleasure. Brady touched everything through the fabric, from the very tip to the balls, to the base, to the place below the balls. Feeling his up, exciting him, making him hornier and hornier.

Then, taking him by the hip, Brady flipped Cowboy, making him lie on his stomach, his perfect, round ass, still hidden by the blue fabric, was up in the air. But Brady didn't take off Cowboy's underwear, instead he took a hold of the thin fabric and, with both hands, yanked as hard as he could until it teared, opening a hole right on his ass.

Cowboy lifted his ass in the air, impatient, hornier, wiggling as a dog in heat would. As anyone who has had this happen to them could tell you: it's fucking hot when they tear your underwear and leave you exposed. Brady didn't wait. He lubed it real nice, before sticking his dick right in.

Brady's bed started bouncing, the wood slighting a bit over the floor. Fucking Cowboy was entirely different from how fucking Ness had been. Yes, Ness was enthusiastic, had tons of energy and an almost endless lust, which made the whole encounter passionate, wild and feral, like beasts in mate. Meanwhile, Cowboy --although also lustful-- didn't make a single purposeless movement, his rhythm was professional, he knew how deep to get and how to get there, no awkward positions, or pauses to see if he was in pain, only sex and fun, he knew which spot to hit and when to hit it.

Better yet, as Brady got on the bed face up, Cowboy got on top and sat on Brady's dick, taking the control, bouncing his ass in and out of Brady's erection. His body followed every beat as if it was a dance, his ass waving masterfully. Brady barely had to move at all, so he placed his hands behind his head and enjoyed the orgasm.

They fucked at least every day for a week. Then, came December 14th...

Brady was sitting at his desk in the cozy glow of his room, textbooks strewn across the table, his laptop opened to a sea of notes. Outside, the faint sound of holiday tunes hummed from a distant speaker, when suddenly there was a knock at his door.

Brady looked around, suddenly standing. "Hey, Cowboy, give me a sec!" He called out as he closed his laptop and pushed his notes aside, heading for the door. Yet it wasn't him. Parked outside, down on the street, was a black sleek motorcycle.

"Hey to you too! Just... who's Cowboy?" Coan cocked an eyebrow, glancing past Brady into the apartment.

"Uh, long story," Brady chuckled awkwardly. "What are you doing here?" He stepped aside to let his best friend enter but then remembered the mess of books, papers, and the unmade bed. "Actually, let's go downstairs. Coffee?"

They walked together, stepping out into the chilly December air. The aroma of spiced lattes and fresh buttered pastries wafted through the air as they entered the coffee shop, finding a quiet spot by the corner.

"Sorry I didn't stop by earlier," Coan said as he took a seat, in his voice a hint of shame. "Ever since Thanksgiving, things at home have been... a bit tricky."

Brady nodded, sometimes the sudden, deep silences could explain more than even the most calculated and detailed sentences. "How's Ness?" He asked then, unable to hold it any longer. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Coan offered. "Grounded of course, but fine. He is... figuring things out. You know how it is."

"And your parents?"

"Angry at first. Well, no. Dumbfounded at first, confused, then angry. You know them. Dad has this quiet anger, and my mom just explodes. But now they've calmed down a bit. I think it helped that they've known you for years and know you aren't reckless or impulsive, or stupid. I think it also helped that they know that Ness is all those things." Brady wasn't sure how to feel about that. Coan continued. "It also helped that I pointed out that they both started dating when mom was fourteen and dad seventeen, I think dad lost his virginity at twelve so, that helps too."

Brady sighed. "Sound like things are weird."

"They are, but just for now, don't worry."

"And..." Brady doubted, Coan stared at him, intrigued. "What about us?"

"Us?" For some reason, Coan almost laughed. "Us? What about us, Brady? Dude, don't you remember the Bathtub Party we had? We promised, remember? We talked about this very scenario, we talked about us, our friendship. And we said..."

"...that we'd stay friends," Brady smiled, shyly.

"Friends?" Coan grinned. "Best friends."

That's one of the many things Brady liked about Coan: you could just talk to him. Purely, without reservations, Brady could just say the first idiotic or deep thing that came to his head and it wouldn't be judged or looked down upon. Really, how many people like that were in the world?

"So, tell me, who's this Cowboy guy?" Coan suddenly asked after ordering two cups of black coffee. Again, Brady didn't reply and that said everything. "Oh, damn, Brady you are fast, moving on already?"

"What? No, no, he's just..." Brady paused, Coan raised an eyebrow. "He helps."

Coan chucked. "Have you ever heard the saying un clavo no saca otro clavo?"

"I have no idea what you just said."

"It roughly translates to: a nail doesn't pull out another nail," Coan leaned forward in his seat. "It means you can't forget someone by rushing things with someone else. Or more bluntly: fucking around doesn't make you feel better after a break up."

"Shit, Coan, way too real," Brady blinked rapidly. "Where does that saying come from? It's Spanish so... Mexico? Spain?"

"Well my family says it, and they are from Mexico so... yeah? Mexico, I don't know, the point is that Cowboy guy, even though he sounds like fun, won't make you heal faster from that Thanksgiving fuckfest we had."

Brady fell into his seat when their order arrived: two black coffees. Coan simply thanked the waiter but Brady asked for sugar and cream. Coan looked at him judgingly.

"What? I like sugar and cream," Brady shrugged. "Makes things easier to swallow."

"Look at you talking about swallowing things," Coan teased.

"Shut up," Brady rolled his eyes. "And, for the record, Cowboy... well, yeah, he and I have been doing stuff. But I'm actually glad it was you on the door and not him just now."

"Why's that?"

"Well, Cowboy's great at many, many things but listening... not so much. And I wanted to talk to someone about something," Brady poured the cream and sugar into his coffee, mixing it until the black became a soft brown. "I... well, I met someone. I mean, I don't know where it's going but he and I hit it off and, well, I want to see where things are headed, you know? No, not rushing just... seeing where things lead."

"Really? I thought I was the casanova between us but you are really putting me to shame here," Coan took a sip of his cup. "Well, who is this guy? How did you meet him?"

"Well," Brady made himself comfortable on his seat. "I was reading a book on a bench..."

"He actually said that?" Coan interrupted. "Like, the dog magically ran to you and the boy actually said wow, looks like he likes you?"

"Yeah, he did," Brady replied. "Sometimes real life beats fiction. Now may I continue?"

"That really happened?" Coan interrupted again. "I mean, this Halloween party you are talking about is the same one you and I argued in the bathtub? Where you won the contest?"

"We didn't won, we came up in third, but yeah, same one," Brady nodded. "At the party, after what you told me in the living room I ran into Andy as he was coming out of the bathroom, he was... well, he looked bad, crying and all, so I told him he looked cute. He did. Then he just left and I got into the bathroom. Then you came."

"Wow, small world," Coan took another sip. "Carry on."

Coan leaned forward on his seat as he put the empty coffee mug down. Mine was still half full, next to it.

"So that whole park encounter happened..."

"Two days ago," I quickly completed. "He gave me his number and we've been texting a bit since. I already told you, I'm not sure where things are going but... Andy seems cool, maybe a little too shy but I don't know, makes him look cute."

Coan smiled, moving his head from side to side. "Another thirteen year old," he teased. "Guess you found your type."

"Oh, shut up."

"I'm kidding," Coan added. "But that story of yours that's a meet cute straight out of a movie or something, you could almost say it was too perfect, like destiny."

"Yeah, feels like that, doesn't it? Straight out of a movie..." Brady said as he stared out the window before placing both his arms on the table. "Just... could you not tell Ness about this? Things still are relatively recent, and he and I didn't precisely end on a good note... well, you were there, you know how things are."

"Yeah," Coan scratched the back of his neck. "Actually, when I found out you and Ness were dating... don't get me wrong, I love both you and my brother but... I know you, both. You never take a step unless it is a safe and sure one. While he, well, he was very little patience for almost everything. Guess that played a part in why I got mad. That's why I like the bathtub party we had."

"Best friends," Brady echoed from the memory of that night. "No matter what."

"Our own two-man gang," Coan gently pushed Brady's shoulder with his first. "I'm glad for you, this whole thing with Andy sounds cool... things with Cowboy also sound cool," he teased. "Just remember un clavo no saca otro clavo.

"A nail doesn't pull out another nail," Brady nodded "Don't worry, I am taking things slow with Andy. No more rushing into things. Besides, don't you remember? I'm Brady, I'm hard-as-nails. I don't fear no clavo."

Coan raised his cup, as if toasting to Brady's words, before sipping the last bit of his black coffee. "Hard-as-nails," he repeated.

They kept talking for a while. Evenings with Coan were always deeply appreciated and cherished. Yet, Brady couldn't help but feel that his best friend didn't entirely believe him.

***

A simple text message. Brady let himself fall to his unmade bed, bouncing a beat before taking his phone again.

Not even a minute had gone by when a reply game. Andy was like that, replying texts in an instant, no matter the hour, no matter the day.

The story was almost the same. Almost. After the whole Thanksgiving debacle, Brady was lost, couldn't concentrate, always thinking about his best friend's baby bro. Sex with Cowboy did help, it helped a lot actually. The only problem was that as soon as Brady came inside Cowboy, and the sex part was over, Brady was thinking about Ness again. And while Cowboy did like having tons of sex, he couldn't everyday at every hour so Brady opted for the obvious route: dating apps.

Mindlessly searching through the ocean of pictures, Brady saw him. Not at the park with a dog, in an app, there he was: that cute boy from the Halloween Party that had dressed as Ash Ketchum. His profile said he was 18, yet Brady remembered so he texted him.

The last few days had gone by like that, texting. Everything else from the story was real, every conversation Brady said they had had, they did have, his thoughts on the boy, his impression and the flirting, it was all real, only it had happened online, not at the park.

Honestly, Brady didn't know why he made up that story. He and Andy had talked about how they could've met besides the app, it had just been a fun, cute and silly thing but it also hid the fact they had met online... Now, that wasn't anything to be ashamed of, at all, but... maybe Brady didn't want to admit to his best friend that he had been so broken after Ness that he had started looking for quick, cheap, meaningless sex when he met Andy.

Un clavo no saca otro clavo, he remembered.

Brady smiled like a fool with that last text before, in a whisper, sending a voice note: "Can't wait to meet you too."