Jareth's Birthday-part 2 (Short Story)

A bit of a quicker story from Vinnie's POV!



In the early morning, as he often did now, Vinnie came to see Jareth before Cole had the opportunity to. He would sit beside Jareth and hold his hand, or rub his back, or pet his hair, and they would have a tender conversation together. On this particular morning, Jareth was a year older and Vinnie knew better than to bring him a present.

Vinnie carefully closed the grand mahogany door behind him with his eyes on Jareth’s bed. The sheer canopy drapes were closed, and Jareth’s figure lay motionless in the center covered in a thick layer blankets. The room was dim except for a single white slit of light from the window above Jareth’s abandoned writing desk. 

Jareth had not written a single song since the allegations had been made against him, and if he was not with Cole then he was in bed. 

Vinnie moved through the room with care. He stepped over books, papers, a doll, a candle, and a left shoe. When he reached the bed, he brushed the drapes aside with the back of his hand. Then, he sneezed, and Jareth’s curled body began to stretch into a point. He turned, looking up at Vinnie.

“Vinnie,” he said.

“Morning, Jareth,” Vinnie replied.

Jareth shifted against the bed, extending his thin, long arm with an upturned palm. Vinnie placed his hand in Jareth’s, and sat at the edge of his bed. He watched Jareth’s face, and rubbed his thumb back and forth on Jareth’s silky knuckles. Jareth’s eyes were still closed, and he breathed deeply through his nose as he failed to wake up. Vinnie felt extreme joy, yet his smile was subtle.

For a very long time, neither boy said anything. Then, Jareth opened his eyes and let out a very long sigh.

“I know,” Vinnie said, and reached down to slide a piece of Jareth’s thick hair behind his ear. “Sonya and Anthony are home.”

Jareth’s looked up.

“For the Birthday?”

“I don’t know,” Vinnie said. “Cole’s having me watch them till after the Birthday song.”

“Oh,” Jareth said, and closed his eyes again.

Vinnie stared at Jareth’s face, and wondered if there was hope that Ruby was back. He put this thought aside.

“Vinnie, I will be going on Holiday soon,” Jareth said.

Vinnie’s brows raised slightly. He didn’t know Cole had arranged a break.

“Rather soon, I think,” Jareth said, and began to rise from the bed. 

The thick sheets gathered at his waist and uncovered a generously unbuttoned night shirt. He rubbed his eyes and Vinnie stared at the smooth space between Jareth’s flat pecks. Then, Jareth leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around Vinnie in a loose hug. He leaned his full body weight against Vinnie, going limp against him. In turn, Vinnie slid his arms around Jareth’s waist.

Vinnie could feel Jareth’s slow breath against his neck and the weight of his forearms against his hips. His pajamas smelt like fresh cotton, recently washed. Jareth’s neck was warm, and Vinnie wanted to press his lips against it. He pictured laying Jareth down again, holding the back of his neck while kissing down his throat to his chest.

Vinnie closed his eyes and pressed his face into Jareth’s hair.

“I would rather like if you came with me,” Jareth said.

Vinnie smiled in Jareth’s hair, but his voice remained soft.

“How- how so?”

“You come with me,”

“Who all is coming?”

Jareth’s hair brushed Vinnie’s face as Jareth shook his head.

“No one,” he said.

Vinnie could feel a beat pressing against the back of his eyes, and his hands started to feel incredibly light. He swallowed thickly and began to rub Jareth’s back.

“I’ll think about it,” Vinnie said.

“Right, alright,” Jareth said.

After holding one another, Vinnie laid Jareth back down into bed and closed the canopy curtains. He watched Jareth’s figure pull the sheet over and turn away behind the sheer drapes. Then he left just as carefully as he arrived.

By mid-day Vinnie had ushered the kids to the west side of Jareth's garden where a bench was propped against a willow tree and a fountain trickled. Bushes of palm sized flowers surrounded the area in a half moon, encasing Vinnie who watched Sonya show Anthony how to shoot water from the gap between their two front teeth at the water fountain. 

Vinnie sat with one leg crossed over the other, getting warm in the light blue suit he adorned for the party. And just as Vinnie began to undo the first button of his collar, Jareth rounded the stone path still in his pajamas, shoeless. Vinnie uncrossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap, watching Jareth as he sat beside him. 

When Jareth crossed his legs, Vinnie mirrored him.

Jareth breathed very deeply and watched the kids, then watched the grass in front of his bare feet. He blinked slow, and said nothing.

“Where would we go?” Vinnie asked.

“Ehm… I haven’t a clue, really.”

Vinnie waited.

“America,” Jareth said. “Somewhere.”

Vinnie’s brows furrowed subtly. He wondered, to himself, if Jareth was taking him away for a confession. Perhaps a private place, somewhere secret for them… He felt a slight lurch of  joy, but did not show it on his face.

After some time, Anthony ran to the bench when he had noticed Jareth, and Sonya split from him to scale one of the many willow trees. Anatole slowed and stopped just in front of Jareth’s knees, then reached up with both hands for his uncle to hold him. Jareth stared at him, and Vinnie’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Jareth,” he said, quietly. Jareth looked at him.

Then, Jareth leaned down and pulled the boy up from under his arms to place him on his thigh. Anatole leaned against him and silently fussed with the buttons on Jareth’s silk shirt.

Vinnie watched them, suddenly feeling that Anthony indeed looked a lot like Jareth. In fact, he shared very little characteristics to Cole at all, including the lack of speckled birthmarks. Rather, he had a single birthmark under his left eye. 

Vinnie’s eyes went up to Jareth. He leaned back against the bench, and looked away to watch Sonya lift herself on the next branch of the willow tree.

“Do you want kids?” he asked.

“Ehm, no,” Jareth replied.

“Mm… Why?”

“I’m not ehm… I’m not meant to be a father, really. I shouldn’t.”

“Yea,” Vinnie said. “I don’t think I should either.”

Jareth turned his head to look at Vinnie. After a moment, Vinnie continued.

“I just don’t want them,” he said.

“Oh,” Jareth said. “Yes, I think they would know.”

Vinnie found that incredibly curious.

“Is that how you felt?” Vinnie asked. “Growing up?”

“No, no not really” Jareth said. He opened his mouth to say more, but Cole shouted from across the stone pathway at Sonya and began to jog over.

Vinnie had stood to the side during the Birthday Song holding hands with both Anthony and Sonya who had slowed significantly as the night got later. Anthony was swaying back and forth with his eyes closed and Sonya was leaning against Vinnie’s leg.

Vinnie watched Jareth’s blank face in the light of the candles, studying the warm glow in his pale eyes. He looked, even now in the midst of a horrendous crowd, gentle.

Vinnie felt that it was probably very loud to Jareth. The voices surrounding him were crass and off-key, and a woman who Vinnie didn’t recognize had her thin fingers wrapped around Jareth’s shoulder. The piano was horridly amplified within the hollow grand entrance, and Nigel had to slow the tempo not once but twice for the crowd.

The song came to an end, and Jareth blew out the candles, and the crowd cheered, and the camera’s flashed, and Jareth’s face strained from the clapping and flashing.

“Right,” Nigel said, loosening his dark green tie as he stepped in front of Vinnie. “Best get these muppet’s home.”

Vinnie leaned to the side, still watching Jareth as Nigel collected Anthony and Sonya. He knelt briefly to pick up Anthony, and when he stood he once again blocked Vinnie’s view. Vinnie leaned to the other side, raising himself up on his toes to see over Nigel’s shoulder. Jareth had already excused himself from the steps, and was slipping off into the library which had an exit to the garden.

“Give you trouble, did they?” Nigel asked.

“No, not at all” Vinnie said, and stepped aside to pursue.

“Hold on a minute now,” Nigel said, and Vinnie looked back at him with a subtle furrow in his brows. “What’s got you razzled?”

Vinnie felt a very sudden flare of slight frustration arise. He did not show it in his face.

“Well, I think Jareth is upset.”

Nigel looked at the still crowded stairsteps where Jareth was absent.

“At his own celebration?” Nigel said, and Anthony began to whine. “Right, good night then Vincent.”

“Goodnight Nigel,” he said, already walking to the library.

The garden had gone dark, and very few guests were still wandering it. The main pathways were lit by lamp poles with three bulbs, each covered by a glass shade. Anything not on the main path- thick bushes, benches, flowers- were barely visible.

Vinnie’s nice shoes clicked against the stone pathway as he walked swiftly, his hands in his pockets. He moved from the entrance of the garden to the very south wall, which totaled a seven minute walk. At the very back of the garden- hidden in a circle of young willow trees and bluebell bushes- was where Jareth sat at the edge of a koi pond with his head against his knees. 

Vinnie nearly passed the opening, then stopped to back his head at the entrance. He entered, his clacking steps going soft as his soles met lush grass, then sat down just beside Jareth. He criss crossed his legs and placed folded hands in his lap.

Vinnie was breathing carefully through his nose, doing his best not to breathe like he had been jogging. The water in the pond lopped, the tree’s above them rustled quietly, for a very long time, neither man said anything to each other.

Jareth raised his head and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

“I have to leave,” he said.

And instantly, Vinnie became very aware of what Jareth meant.

“Oh,” Vinnie said. “Now?”

“If I don’t leave, I think I’m going to kill myself.”

This troubled Vinnie deeply, and he frowned.

“Okay, okay,” Vinnie said. “I’ll go with you.”

Jareth nodded. And then, he reached out and scooped Vinnie’s hand into his own. His hands were soft and uncalloused, and he interlocked each finger with Vinnie’s to give his hand a squeeze. Vinnie squeezed back, watching Jareth’s face. Jareth watched Vinnie back.

In that moment, in the back of the garden by the pond, completely alone, Vinnie felt that he must be incredibly special to Jareth. And that, in some way, Jareth and him understood one another in a very special way.

Vinnie leaned in and pressed his lips to Jareth’s, and almost instantly, Jareth backed his head.

“I’m sorry-” Vinnie said, and pulled his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” Jareth said.

Vinnie’s eyes had gone wide, and his heartbeat pressed against his eyes. A much younger part of Vinnie felt embarrassed of his own face, and he wondered if Jareth thought his nose was too big, or if his eyes were beady. He wondered if Jareth didn’t want to pretend he liked boys anymore.

Jareth was looking at Vinnie with a gentle, sorry expression. Then, he stood and began to walk away, and Vinnie turned his face to the pond.

He pictured the morning with Jareth, and recalled the weight of his arms against his hips. He pictured Jareth's chin on his shoulder, holding one another tenderly. He pictured how, in the mornings before, they would sometimes lay together and not say a word to one another. Just Jareth would lay his head on Vinnie’s shoulder. He wondered how he could have misread this. 

 A much older part of Vinnie, a part that was grown up, became angry. For the first time, Jareth seemed terribly cruel to Vinnie.

“Why- why do you draw the line at kissing?” Vinnie asked, turning to look at Jareth.

Jareth stopped, and looked back at Vinnie. He didn’t say anything. Vinnie wondered in an instant something terrible.

“Were you having sex with Ruby?” he asked.

Under the light of a lamppost, Jareth’s expression went cold. His brows furrowed, and then he walked away.