Chapter Song: World of Broken Dreams – David Rovics

Chapter 47: Medication

As Mokuba learned more about the Neverlanders, he began asking more questions about university life, wondering if it was anything like the few movies he'd seen. Dimitri and Jessica shooed the fluffy orange cat, whom they called Toad, off the counter and bustled around the kitchen while they chatted about some of the finer points of campus culture. Joan waited for a lul in the conversation to ask the burning question on her mind. "Hey, have you two set a wedding date yet?"

Toad climbed onto Joan's lap and sniffed Mokuba.

Jessica cracked some eggs into a bowl. "No wedding. We're just happy being engaged right now."

Dimitri opened a can of black beans. "Yeah, no need to ruin things with the big M-word."

Mokuba extended a hand to pet Toad, and Toad climbed partially into Mokuba's lap, sprawling across both laps as if he owned them.

Joan nodded as she recalled the trauma Dimitri had experienced after his first marriage fell apart. "You can always throw a party without it being a legally binding thing, you know."

"But we throw parties all the time anyway," Dimitri pointed out.

"That's true," Joan agreed. Dimitri's first wedding had been such a spectacular affair that it would be hard to top without a rich bride's father footing the bill. The parties Jessica and Dimitri threw on a regular basis, by contrast, were far more intimate and also more fun. We can find more meaning in a campfire's glow than we ever learned in a year or so, Joan thought.

"So, what about you?" André asked. "What's with that Mrs. Kaiba stuff going around the internet? Some people say you're getting a divorce, but I don't believe it."

Joan laughed. "Michael says that when we get married, we should get divorced every day. After all, his name is on the ring too." She held out her hand and let André examine the ring.

"The plan is to throw a big party and simply change Joan's last name," Mokuba said. "I know it's weird, but in theory that will satisfy Seto."

André frowned. "No offense, but it looks like this ring came out of a Cracker Jack box."

"It's electronic. Activate random glow," Joan said. The holographic mask dissolved, revealing the full beauty of the gems.

André's jaw dropped. "Oh. How'd you manage that?"

"Trade secret," Mokuba said.

"I wanna see!" Jessica set her cutting board and knife aside. She dashed over to the couch and nudged André aside. "So pretty!"

Dimitri and Kris took turns looking and fawning as well.

"Hey, y'all still atheists?" Joan asked.

Dimitri pulled out a large skillet and set it on the stove. "Yeah, why?"

Joan considered telling them about the magic but decided to hold off. "Being in love activates the same feelings in my brain that religion used to."

"Girl, you got some wires crossed in your brain," André said.

"I've never denied that. We all do."

"Have you figured out what medication you're supposed to be on yet?" Dimitri plopped some patties into the skillet.

Joan grinned, remembering Dimitri's theory that everyone, without exception, needed to be on some sort of medication. "Sure. It's called lots and lots of hard cock."

"Wouldn't want you going without that tonight," Jessica said. "We can pitch a tent for you in the back yard. You want the air mattress or the crash pad?"

"What do you say, rich boy?" Joan asked.

"Air mattress, I guess."

Jessica nodded at the bodyguards. "How about you two? Crash pad or couch?"

"Either way, I'm not picky," Tamara said.

"Joe, any preference?"

"No," Mokuba's bodyguard replied.

Jessica slid a cutting board full of tomatoes into a bowl. "OK then, I guess you can hash it out later tonight."

"You need help with anything?" Joan asked.

"Nah, we got it." Dimitri pulled a few beers out of the fridge and used a wall-mounted bottle opener. The caps clattered on the counter. He kept one beer for himself and passed the rest around.

Jessica put the finishing touches on a salad while Dimitri flipped the patties and pulled out plates. "Ever had black bean burgers?" Jessica asked.

Mokuba's eyes grew wide. "No. Are those . . .?"

"Yep! You're in for a treat."

A few short minutes later, everyone was chowing down. Although different from his usual favorite food, Mokuba marveled at how good the meatless meal tasted. He lost himself in the variety of textures the various ingredients provided, so much so that he missed the Neverlanders' foray into the politics of prostitution.

A little squeeze from Joan stole Mokuba's attention away from the food. "Of course he's paying me."

Jessica swallowed. "OK, but you . . . you're different. You do a lot of things most people wouldn't normally do. You're technically an escort anyway though, right?"

"Technically, but that's just the word we're using to avoid legal issues since escorts don't guarantee sex. Call it whatever you want, but copulation is part of my job description, especially when I'm working for Seto."

"Sex should never be a guarantee," Dimitri said.

"If I may weigh in," Mokuba said, "My brother would have gone crazy years ago without consistent access to sex. It never really made sense to me until recently, but he never wanted a girlfriend. This whole love thing just sorta happened to us."

"So how long have you been a, uh, client?" Jessica asked.

"Just a couple of weeks, but Seto has been at it for more than a decade. It stabilizes his mood, and I've found it beneficial too."

"Kinda like your weed," Joan pointed out.

"You know that's for PTSD, right?" Kris said.

Joan nodded, but Mokuba twitched. "What do you think my brother has? Our parents died when we were really little, and we were adopted by one of the most heartless men on the planet. Seto sheltered me from that man and many others who tried to take advantage of our vulnerability as kids. He couldn't afford to go soft or numb his mind with substances. I don't know what your experiences were, but don't think for a second that growing up rich made our lives easy."

A tense silence settled over the group before Dimitri said, "Thank you for sharing."

"How about we go play a board game?" Jessica suggested.

Joan smiled with relief. "Great idea. Got anything new?"

André and Kris went back to playing music while everyone else headed upstairs, past a mural of a tropical jungle with Wendy and the Lost Boys painted on both sides of the stairwell. The stairs opened up to a spacious game room with two couches and shag rugs. Shelves with games and textbooks lined the walls, and a chalkboard displayed an eclectic combination of drawings and equations.

Toad followed them up the stairs and plopped himself on the coffee table. He meowed until Joan petted him. Jessica let Mokuba pick out a game, and they played around the cat. Tamara joined in the game as well, but Joe simply stood watch.

Later that evening, Jessica and Tamara helped Joan set up the tent in the back yard. Having never set up a tent before, Mokuba merely watched the ladies handle it. Once finished, Joan and Mokuba bid the others goodnight and got settled.

Mokuba and Joan inflated the air mattress with an electric pump, zipped up the tent, and enjoyed a leisurely fuck. The scent of reefer floated through the thin nylon as André and Kris enjoyed an evening smoke. Joan and Mokuba stifled their moans, but the two Neverlanders still noticed.

André waited until the moans subsided to call out. "Yo Joan! Got your daily dose of cock?"

"Yeah, but I could always use more," Joan replied.

"I thought you told Seto you weren't taking on anyone new," Mokuba hissed.

"Yeah, well André isn't exactly new to me. Jessica had a dream about us hooking up, and then we did that just for fun."

"Girl, if you'd asked me earlier, I'd be all up in you, but this shit makes me soft," André said. "Let me know if you're still down for it tomorrow."

"OK," Joan called back.

"I'm not ready for another threesome," Mokuba whispered. "Seto and Marc were one thing because I've known them longer than I've known you. Plus you've got your IUD out."

"How about I just give him a quick blowjob tomorrow while you chill with the Neverlanders? André has the best-tasting cum I've ever had."

"Even with the marijuana?"

"Maybe because of it. Tobacco, on the other hand, makes cum taste downright toxic. Michael used to smoke, and his cum got so much better after he quit."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mokuba said.

They lay in silence for a while, listening to Kris and André chat about theoretical physics. The words flew over Joan's head as usual, but at the same time she found them comforting coming from such familiar voices. The whistle of a nearby Coast Starlight train as it approached a station brought a nostalgic smile to her lips. She drifted off to sleep on Mokuba's chest, surrounded by more love and friendship than she could fairly ask for in a world of broken dreams.