Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 17:27:23 -0800 (PST) From: Reid Subject: If Only- Chapter 2 (gay male/celebrity/soulmating) S O U L M A T I N G ============================ by reid ||||||||||||||||| || DISCLAIMER || ||||||||||||||||| This story is meant to imply nothing about the sexuality of the real people involved. Anything mentioned from this point on is purely fictional and not meant in any way but the highest regard. The lyrics used within are not meant to imply anything about the individual preferences, practices, or lifestyle choices any of the musical artists mentioned. The lyrics are not used for any personal monetary profit... If you have any objections to my writing, then why in the name of Jesus are you reading this? I know some of you might like Hanson but I don't buy the whole "I didn't know it was a GAY STORY!" defense. So shut up and don't send me any more hate mail you stupid, obesessed little Christian girls. As always.... Comments, Suggestions, and Criticisms can be sent to saboteur_98155@yahoo.com WARNING!!! My stories contain mature themes and may project images or scenarios that are inappropriate for younger or sensative readers. I can be reached on ICQ at 70639912... Or on AIM at Reid00005992... Enjoy! |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| || If Only- Chapter 2 || |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| "Hi." I said, not really sure what else to say. "Hi!" He peeped back, smiling. I shifted slowly, "Can I help you?" Zac squirmed and yawned his eyes closed, "Jeez, Reid, what are you? A lawyer?" "Zac..." I whispered in his ear, "We have company." "Huh?" Zac opened his eyes and saw our visitor, "Hey Mackie." "Hi!" Mac chirped again. Zac reached out and affectionately ruffled his little brother's hair, "What's up?" "Mom says to not come down here." Zac smirked, "So you came down here anyway?" "Yep!" Mac sang and took off up the basement stairs. Zac smiled and snuggled back against me, pressing his ass into my crotch firmly and forcing me to fight off an erection, "Where DOES he get that from?" "I don't know but that was a little too close for comfort." I said, yawning. "Awww... he was bound to see something sooner or later." Zac murmured and pulled the cover up to his chin and stretched against the couch. I squinted my eyes against the bright morning light and hugged Zac close, "Your family is too weird for my tastes. I think I'm just gonna stay here and live my life on this couch. That way, none of your freaky siblings will make me feel like some weird old guy humpin' with their brother." "Awwww Reid," He giggled, kissing me on the corner of my mouth, "You can't stay here. We're paintballin' today." "Terrific." I said, not sounding enthused. "You're gonna love it!" Zac exclaimed through a yawn, pushing the quilt down and scratching the center of his chest. "Uh huh." Zac rolled over and kissed me on the lips, "I promise you'll love it. Besides, I'm counting on you and your deadeye aim to finally shut Tay and Ike up. Now that I have a team mate that can actually, you know, do stuff... I want to win for once." I sighed and sat up, stretching my arms above my head, "You sure don't sound too broken up. He is your dad, after all." "Hey... there are no familial bonds on the battlefield. My former colleague did not posess the ability to achieve victory at a pace that is condusive to triumph." Zac said, very matter-of-factly. After untangling my legs from his, I pushed off him and searched for my clothes on the floor of the rec room. Wherever he had thrown my shirt and pants had obviously been either far away or a very hidden place that I didn't know about. Wrapping a nearby towel around my waist, I looked around. Nothing under the coffee table or behind the couch and Gus Jr. didn't have any idea where my clothing had gone to. Zac stretched out, enjoying the full expanse of the couch, and had a hearty chuckle at my expense, watching as I searched for my garments. "Try at the head of the couch." Zac said as he pulled back his sleep-disheveled hair. And there they were. With a still sleep-dulled slowness, I pulled my t-shirt and boxers on, wincing at the warm crustiness that rubbed my skin like something slightly less abrasive than sandpaper. My hair felt like it had been deep fried and when I ran my fingers through it, it stood straight up like it had been spiked with gel. After a few annoyed murmurs, the hair finally behaved itself and I continued to search, trying to find my shoes. "Jeez Reid... in a hurry?" Zac asked, looking at me questioningly. I looked at him and the sight made me smile reflexively, "No. When my heart rate isn't pushing the maximum limit, I don't feel like I'm alive." "Come over here." He said, patting his stomach. How the hell could I resist? I walked slowly over to him and laid down ontop of his inviting warmth. He sighed and kissed me on the chin, his right hand reaching up and playing with my hair, urging his relaxed nature into me. It had become sort of a project for Zac to help me chill out and, as he put it, "unclench the brown starfish". Laying there ontop of him in the growing warmth of the summer morning, it wasn't hard to go limp and relax. As we laid there, his aromatic nightsweat covered body providing my nose with a unique treat, the thoughts of the night before came back to me and I could tell Zac was thinking about it too. From under the bedspread, I felt Zac's dick harder and press against my stomach. Raising my head from his chest, I looked up at him. "You're poking me." I said, disapprovingly. Zac looked at me, his brown eyes shining with a clearly practiced, punishment-avoiding, look of innocense and vacuousity, "But... Whatever do you mean?" Slowly, like a predator, I sat up and pulled the blanket off him, exposing his hard cock. We made eye contact once before I opened my mouth and took him in, deep throating him all at once. Zac let out a soft gasp and his body tensed, the surprise of my bold sexual maneuver adding another pint of blood to his already indestructible erection, causing it to swell and throb in my mouth. His hands went to the back of my head and he thrust his hips sharply, but with a very considerate gentleness, pumping his hard on in and out of my sucking mouth. The bulging vein in his dick rubbed pulsated and pressed into my tounge, which I could tell sent little pinpricks of pleasure straight down his dick and into his already frantic balls. I knew we had to work quickly and tightened my lips around his cock head, loosening my airlock just enough to slide up and down slowly. A deep groan reverberated from Zac's stomach and he stopped thrusting, and I looked up to see his eyes shutting tightly and his mouth falling open. My hands rubbed his thighs firmly, feeling his buttocks clench together as he raised his ass off the couch cushion, sending a cloud of hot, musky steam into the air above us. His body held there for several beats and his breath caught, and I could feel his heart pounding in the artery of his thigh. Slowly, Zac lowered his body back down before tightening again and letting out a short cry of pleasure. His cock swelled and jumped in my mouth, the foreskin retracting completely against the tip of my tounge, sliding the gummy surface of his head over the ridge of my tastebuds. His cockheat pounded on my tounge and I could feel his thick cum coursing out his urethra. With a well practiced quickness, the tip of my tounge jammed into his pee slit and held it open as he let loose with a thick shot of cum into my mouth. His whole body shuddered and he let out another moan, one that sounded amazed but at the same time, well aware of how nonsensically good it felt as three more shots of his hot jizz filled my mouth. I could barely swallow fast enough. "Awww fuck Reid..." Zac groaned after a second of stillness, his body shaking as another swell rushed through him and he sent another softer spurt of cum into my mouth. With a few final draining draws on his cock, his body relaxed and he went limp, panting softly and shivering from the power of the orgasm. His flaccid tool slid from my mouth with a soggy trail of ooze glistening from the pee hole. Zac squirmed and wiped the sheen of morning sweat from his forehead and smiled, watching as I licked his cum from my lips. His face contorted slightly with an aftershock-like pleasure and his cock hardened again as he watched me snake my tounge out and catch the translucent glob on my cheek. With a completing quickness, my lips closed around his cockhead one final time and sucked gently. Zac moaned, with an almost blissfully defeated tone, his legs shaking and his ass tightening again. His cock throbbed weakly and one more thin shot of cum hit my tounge, essentially waving the wet white flag. Zac was succumbing to my sexual ability. I pulled my mouth off, letting his cock soften again and flop from my mouth, landing limp and worn out across his empty nuts. Pulling my face back, I looked down and smiled at how the sunlight glinted off the blond hairs that had begun to dust across his nutsack. "Oh man... Reid..." Zac panted, breathing heavily and pulling me up ontop of him. "If you think..." I said softly, stopping to kiss him deeply and deposit some of his cum into his mouth, "That I give a good blowjob, you should see me play paintball." Zac smiled and his body convulsed once weakly under me, "At least now I can keep my mind on the game." His arms released the couch cushion, he wrapped his around my back and hugged me. We continued to kiss, my mind picking up the yucky kinkyness of the mix of cum and morning breath that swam in our mouths. After a bit, we laid there together and against my internal impulses, I relaxed and my breathing slowed down. Zac gently ran his fingers through my hair and kept me from feeling the itch of needing to actually do something. It was truly heavenly to listen to the soft thumping of his heart under my ear and know that he was at peace. Zac jiggled his leg, "Hey... don't go to sleep on me." "God Zac," I grumbled, "Not again." He laughed with a jerky haughtiness, "Oh ho ho ho... I won't be gaining what you earthlings commonly refer to as an erection for a long, long time. All the rigidity was sucked out of me by some freaky, oddball... yet, amazingly sexy man." I smiled and kissed him on the chin, "How long is this going to last? An hour?" "Not that long!" He looked nonchalantly horrified, "God, I'm not 80, Reid... More like fifteen minutes." The grotesque thing was that I didn't dare doubt him. * * * * * "Oh yeah! Ohhhhh yeah!" Zac shouted, his voice stinging my ear. "Zac, you're in my ear." I said, adjusting his weight on my back and trying to climb the concrete stairs. "Reid... sweetie... I'm gonna be in every hole you've got tonight." He panted, licking my earlobe. "Maybe we better worry about making sure your foot isn't too jacked." "I'm okay." Zac said, his body seeming a whole hell of a lot heavier than I remembered. My back strained under the sun and sweat rolled down my forehead, collected by the black bandanna that I was suddenly very thankful to have put on. It felt like a rain-forrest had swallowed my feet inside the boots as they struggled to carry us up the dilapidated stairway, which was most definitely not under cover. With every step, Zac grunted softly in my ear and his weight pressed into me, making each step feel like it was a mountain. As if a belt had been wrapped around my lungs, the air wasn't coming too fast and everytime I tried to take a breath, the heat constricted them even more. The majority of our game had consisted of covering a wooded area in search of the opposing duo's flag. We had hidden ours inside an underground tree trunk and Zac had assured me that Tay and Ike wouldn't even think of looking below the ground. It was with an almost unfamilial glee that he had doubted his older brother's searching ability. The paintball field was surprisingly large and we were able to travel the area without being in much danger. The lack of notification that they had found our flag was a good sign as we found a large concrete channel, complete with graffiti. When my feet hit the bottom of the channel, the heat resonating off the concrete was absolutely blistering. After shedding my black vest, which would stay there until they swept the field. Even clad in only a white t-shirt, it still felt hotter than hell. Zac had jumped down after me, landing wrong on his ankle and swearing softly. He was able to walk the length of the culvert and help me locate the flag in an old 60's era drainpipe, doing a halfcrippled dance of celebration. With no trouble, we got out of the ditch and back onto solid ground but by the time we reached the stairway, Zac's ankle was swollen and he could barely put any weight on it. So I carried him up the stairs. More sweat rolled down my forehead and into my eyes, stinging them and requiring a brief rest to catch my breath and wipe the moisture out of my eyes. My back burned and my leg muscles felt as if they'd been on a lifecycle for an hour but we had to win. From our position on the railed landing, we could see almost all of the open space at the beginning of the forest and the opposing team was nowhere to be seen. Zac had his 98 Autococker that could take out either of his brothers from far away. I had my Angel LCD which had been purchased for nearly $1500 by Zac without the batting of an eyelash, so we were in good shape. To top it all off, there was only one more flight of stairs between us and victory. "Hurry up, could ya?" Zac said softly with a hint of impatience. I stopped and took a few deep breaths, "How 'bout I leave you here to bake?" "Okay okay," Zac mumbled, "You're doing fine." After shifting his weight on my back again, my legs continued to carry us up the stairs and onto the final landing. Draping Zac's arm over my shoulder like an injured soldier, which is pretty much what he was, we walked the last hundred feet to the bunker and held up the flag. Zac cheered and collapsed onto one of the benches as the first-aid pothead pulled off his boot and sock and applied an icepack to his ankle. It took me a few minutes of not moving at all before I could stand up straight. Zac and I made eye contact and a pang hit us as we weren't able to celebrate as affectionately as we both so desperately wanted to do. Instead, I leaned against the wall and chugged water while Zac rested with his ankle raised, trying to keep the swelling down. A few minutes later, Isaac and Tay stumbled through the doors covered in dust and sweat. Zac took a great amount of merriment in gloating and rubbing in the fact that we'd won. It was obviously a victory that he'd been tasting on the tip of his tounge for a long time and now that he'd finally wrapped his lips around it, he was going to enjoy it to it's fullest. The funny thing was that Ike and Tay didn't seem all that annoyed. They actually seemed to be happy for Zac in a begrudging way. That didn't stop them from arguing about it and placing the blame all over each other on the ride home. * * * * * "Owww... owie. Reid, don't throw me down." Zac whimpered, showing off his surprisingly easy to bring out wimpy side. "Yeah, I'll try not to." I said, helping him sit down on the couch in the rec room... our couch... our mating couch. "Ahhh... oooh... I'm hurt, Reid." He winced as I propped his swollen ankle up on a pillow on the coffee table. "I know you're hurt, Zac." I said, draping two icepacks over it it. "I hurt my ankle... It's puffy, Reid." Zac panted, his voice sounding faint-hearted and helpless. I looked down at him, "Damn, Zac... aren't you the man?" His head fell back against the couch and pouted, "Reid... I hurted myself." "Yeah... You did." I said, trying not to laugh as I sat down next to him. "We won." Zac said, smiling as he laid his head on my shoulder. "Yeah." I said and cringed, feeling the burn in my back and legs. It was more than a well-earned victory. From my ankles to the small of my back felt as though I'd been lifting heavy concrete, but it wasn't all Zac's fault. All the running through the wooded area and climbing and searching really took its physical toll on my body. The aching really started to come alive in me when we stopped at the doctor's office to have Zac's ankle checked out but the ache was secondary until I knew Zac was okay. Which he was. Just a moderate ankle sprain that could be treated with plenty of ice, some Tylenol, and not too much pressure put upon it. It also meant that he'd have to be helped around like an invalid because of his aversion to crutches. Expecting a healthy reprimand, Isaac, Taylor, and I had been on guard until Mrs. Hanson only seemed to be peeved at Zac for what had happened. We all breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't get too happy about it because I would be the one elected to make sure Zac didn't strain his ankle too much over the next few days. It was another of the many times that I was glad for Zac's and my understanding of one another coupled with the natural respect that came with a romantic relationship. He knew not to abuse my caregiving and make me think twice should he be hurt for real and really need around the clock care in the future. "You okay?" He asked, noticing my muscular tension. "I'm fine." He nodded, "I think Tay and Ike knew that their reign of terror was over long before we actually won officially." I yawned, "Our brilliance intimidated them." "We're a perfect team, Reid. In every way possible." Zac said and wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me, kissing the side of my forehead several times. I smiled and stroked his hair, "You're lucky to have me, Zachary." "Urgh!" He gagged and pretended to choke at the use of his full name, "Never... EVER... use that name unless you're mad at me or something." I smiled and hugged him gently, the familiar feeling of his warmth pressing against me. The air conditioner had been running in the room and, as always, it was frosty and cool. A perk of Zac agreeing to sleep in the smallest bedroom, which really was little more than a large linen closet, was that he had basically free rein over the rec room during the weekends. We were using it to our full advantage, sitting in the dim room as the summer sun set outside, cuddling and recovering from the wild day we'd just had. For all his wackiness, Zac seemed to be surprisingly willing to settle down and just relax... willing to just be with me and not need to act out or entertain me. It was a pleasant change of pace for him. "We SO won." Zac said triumphantly as he nimbly draped his non-damaged leg across my lap. "It's not like we invented chocolate air." I laughed and ran my fingertip over a small, old scar on his knee. Zac snickered, "Oh man, Reid... if you could have seen all the times that Tay stood with that flag, looking at me with that angelic, barbie doll gloating look on his face... Reid, seriously..." I rubbed him soothingly, "It's okay, Zac... calm down." "I'm calm. I'm just so frickin' glad we won." He said, tensing during the final words. "I'm glad it was worth it." I said, shifting awkwardly. Zac looked at me with genuine concern, "Wow... you're really sore, huh?" I knew there was no way to hide it, "Yeah, like I have a full body stiff neck." "Yee-ikes." Zac said slowly and he kneaded my shoulder. "I'll be okay." He smiled, "Well... maybe I can help it along a bit." That didn't sound too chaste, "What do you mean?" "Well..." He leaned in and kissed me, "My hands are good at other stuff beside drumming." I shook my head, "Zac, you're on one leg." "Hands, Reid, my hands. That's all I need." "Okaaaay..." I said, knowing I was trapped. Zac's face lit up, "Okay, cool. Take off your shirt, lay down on the floor and I'll be right back." With a slight guardedness, I got up and pulled off my t-shirt and watched as Zac hopped on one leg across the floor of the rec room and maneuvered himself up the stairs. He managed to get up by leaning on the handrail and when the door at the top of the stairs shut, it was all in his hands. My skin shivered in the cool of the basement and being clad only in my boxer shorts, a rise began in my lap which I knew would be hard to ignore if Zac was going to do what I thought he was going to do. After arranging my hard on up against my pubes, it stood up straight and hooked in the waistband of my boxers. I pulled the quilt off the couch and spread it on the floor, arranging a pillow and laying down, resting the side of my face on the soft cushion. The room was so dim and soothing that I nearly fell asleep, the quiet whirring of the air conditioning only adding to my relaxed nature. A faint clunking sound caught my ears and I knew that Zac was on his way back down the stairs, but my relaxation didn't go away at all as he quietly hopped over to the radio and turned it on. The easy sounds of the romance radio show caught my ears and I smiled, remembering how good it was the last time we listened to it. Zac hopped over to me and I was slightly startled when he sat down, kneeling on either side of me and sitting on the backs of my thighs. A warm shiver ran through my body when my hopes were confirmed. With a feather touch, Zac ran the palms of his large hands over my shoulders and down onto the small of my back. His touch was so gentle but still posessed a very tangible sensation of his masculine strength. The warm pressure of his ass against my legs provided an incredible sense of togetherness that in all it's eroticism, was very reassuring. He leaned down and kissed the back of my ear, "Relax for me, okay?" I murmured in the affirmative as his gentle touching stopped and I could feel the warmth as he took off his t-shirt and leaned forward, keeping his weight off his ankle. A sweet scent caught my nose as Zac squeezed out some baby oil onto his hands and rubbed them together, warming it up quickly. He slowly brought his hands down on my shoulders and just before they touched down, a smaller shake ripped my muscles in anticipation. However, the anticipation was nothing compared to the blissful sensation of his warm, lubed up hands as they pressed deep into my shoulders. Zac leaned forward, putting his weight on the heels of his hands and kneading the muscles, pushing down onto the backs of my shoulderblades. My chest pressed against the quit covered floor and I groaned softly, the air being pushed from my lungs. Carefully, Zac moved down my back and worked the sides of his hands in two firm lines down the muscle, massasging and working away the small clusters of tension. Changing his technique, he began to use the tips of his fingers, pressing them into my muscles like cast-iron prods as he sunk them in deep enough to press the muscle but not enough to actually hurt. Even in my blissed out state, it was pretty obvious how good a masseuse he was. A warm pressure began to work it's way up my back as Zac used his forearms only and leaned down, pressing them into the muscle. With a slow, deliberate strength, he pushed his forearms deep into my back and worked away the tightness, his weight adding the necessary counterbalance. A few times, he had to shift to keep the weight off his ankle as he worked, moving from his forearms to his knuckles, digging them into the small of my back and twisting them slowly. At several points, I wasn't sure if I could stand the pressure but he pulled back at exactly the right times, leaving my muscles relaxed and loose. Slowly, the massage moved down to my thighs as Zac wrapped his hands around first one, then the other, squeezing and rubbing his thumbs into the back of the muscle. He worked very slow and didn't rush, his warm hands feeling indescribably good against my sore frame. I wasn't falling asleep but the place I was at wasn't exactly the waking world. Zac hummed slightly as he worked, his voice drifting along to the music, which was beautiful but at the same time, I had no desire to try and register what song as playing. The song didn't matter. "Feel good?" Zac asked softly, rubbing the backs of my calves. "Mmmhmm." I was in la la land. "That's a yes." "Mmmm... Mr. Hanson... your left hand seems so much stronger than the other..." "Haw haw." Zac said and poked me in the ribs very gently, not wanting to disrupt my relaxation. Zac giggled softly and worked his way back up my legs, pressing his weight against the small of my back and giving me some extra relxation assuring rubs. Goosebumps stood out on my back when Zac leaned down and kissed my shoulders, softly brushing his lips over my skin and caressing me with their warmth. He continued to rub my back, working his hands up to my shoulders, then pressing them into my back and dragging them back down. By the time he was done, it felt as though the muscles in my back had been worked over by a professional for free. It was a truly blessed feeling. A warm weight laid down on my body as Zac stetched out ontop of me. From the sound of his breathing, it wasn't too clear who had been relaxed the most by our little session. His breath drifted warmly over the back of my neck and his hair fell soft and askew across my shoulder. I could feel his warm cheek on my shoulderblade and he smiled, running his fingertips over the bent corner of my elbow. A cool evening breeze drifted in through the open window and the curtains fluttered slightly. I felt the tops of Zac's feet press against the curve of my foot and he stroked my sole with his big toe. It wasn't a "big" thing to do but it was a very clear expression of his fondness. "Wuv me?" Zac said quietly, chewing my earlobe. "Right now?" I smiled, "Hell yeah." He poked me in the waist, "You're a doof, Reid." I elbowed him back, "That's the pot calling the kettle a doof." "Grrr," He gave me a loud, wet kiss on the neck, "Either way, I love ya." * * * * * "What about this one?" "Uhhh..." My vision was suddenly a tad blurred, "You might be a little... 'big boned' for that one." He rolled his eyes, "Har har har." "You got dunlap syndrome." I said and cracked up at my own wit. "I do not!" He said, looking horrified and rubbing his stomach and waist. "Nah," I smiled, "However, that'll probably attract a whole bunch of creepy guys." Zac looked down at himself, "You're right. I'd have to get waxed too." I smiled in spite of myself, "Just wear a regular swimsuit." "But Reid," Zac sighed, collapsing like a ton of bricks next to me on his bed, "I want to give all the little girls who are gonna be watching from the woods with binoculars something to see!" "Just seeing you with your shirt off will be more than enough, I'm sure." Zac smiled and snuggled up to me, "For them or for you?" "Ha ha ha." I said, kissing him on the tip of the nose. Zac didn't say anything. He just stretched out and relaxed next to me, his forehead resting against my cheek and he yawned softly, probably still feeling some of the after effects from the paintball game. His massage had done wonders for me and by the next morning, there was no way of knowing that I'd nearly killed myself carrying him almost a mile in the baking sun. Zac's ankle was doing better as well, not nearly as swollen and only feeling slightly stiff when he tried to walk on it. All the ice and elevation had done it's job and turned what could have been an opportunity to whine and get pampered into something not nearly so much fun. The energy that Zac had saved from not crying too much about his ankle immediately went into nagging his parents into letting us go camping. After originally saying no and refusing to discuss it any further, over the course of the day, Zac had continued to convince his parents that as long as he stayed low key and didn't flaunt himself, things would be just fine. It was sweet but at the same time, kind of nerve racking to see Zac put the grease to his parents with such a devoted attitude. I knew that they knew that it would most likely only be us screwing like dogs in the tent with brief brakes to have a snack or go swimming. They knew that I knew that they knew which only made the situation more uncoordinated. To my surprise, they had finally relented. For Zac, it was as if he'd scored the winning touchdown in the Superbowl, cured cancer, and won a free Double Whopper. We were going to leave for the campground the next morning and it left us with a lot of packing to do. Well, Zac more so than I. What entailed packing for me was to make sure that the few t-shirts and pairs of old jeans I had were stowed somewhere they wouldn't get too wet. For Zac, it meant cramming his backpack with t-shirts, shorts, jeans, hair ties, socks of both the black, white, and dark blue color, and a swimming suit. He had a tought time deciding between a skimpy red speedo that he'd last worn when he was 13 and or a pair of his regular, baggy trunks. "Hey Zac?" "Huh?" He asked, rolling onto his stomach and looking at me, his eyes like deep dark windows to his soul. I had to shake it off before I could answer, "Are you gonna wear it to bed?" He smiled and rolled onto his back, "I doubt you'd mind." "Mmmm," I rolled over and cupped the shiny bulge with my right hand, "Anytime you show some skin, I don't mind." Zac shivered and goosebumps stood up on the wide expanse of his bare skin, "Oooh... maybe we should have a little goodbye party for it. Just to make it feel better about staying home." "No need for that," I said and licked the side of his nose, "We can just bring it with us," My hand slid up onto his warm stomach, "To have fun inside the tent." He let out a half giggle-half moan, "Imagine if Mac walked in on us now." "That'd be healthy," I said and pictured the situation, "Walking in on his jailbait big brother wearing a microscopic speedo and getting felt up by his 20 year old boyfriend." Zac giggled airheadly and squirmed, "Oh God... that'd be twisted." My hand moved down and I slipped my fingers under the waistband and stroked his waist, "Such warm skin... velvety and smooth... like a big, stinky pillow." "Oooh baby... Imagine how good I'm gonna smell after a day in the wildnerness. We'll be stuck together in that tiny tent and your nose won't be able to escape it." Zac giggled, running his fingertips over his belly and I could tell he was turning his brain off for the night. I had no problem with it at all. I smiled and gently nibbled his lower lip, "You're putty in my hands, Zac." "Let's save it." He said, sliding his hand up and weaving his fingers between mine. "Save it?" Zac kissed my chin, "Yeah. Let's not do it tonight and wait until tommorow night. We'll appreciate it more. Like if we wait and remember how turned we were now and then tommorow, we'll be twice as turned on. But if you want to do it, then we can. I just think it's a chance to remind ourselves how much we love each other." "Wow," I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and hugging his mostly naked body close, "You're pretty deep sometimes, Zac." "I'm serious. I know that didn't sound real great but I mean it. Sometimes, I think we're so horny that we have sex and we don't think about why we get so horny for each other or how awesome it really is, you know?" He lifted the sheet with his foot and grabbed it before draping it loosely over us. "Good idea." I snuggled up to him and kissed his neck gently, trying not to give into my blazing urge for his body. Zac reached up, clapped twice and the lights went off, "I love you, Reid." No matter how many times he said that, it still made my tummy feel all fluttery and weird. Something about hearing someone say something so intimiate and say it with such an honestly loving manor really cut through my protective layers. Hell, that was all that Zac had done since I'd met him. After he said it, he snuggled even closer to me and it felt like almost every free inch of the front of his body was against me. In the darkness, my lips touched his shoulder and I kissed him. After a second, I kissed him again and when I shifted, my hand brushed one of his nipples and his entire body shivered. It took just about every bit of self control I could muster to not peel the speedos off him and take him with a fit of passion. However, I didn't. After the shiver stopped, we both laid there and our breathing was shallow. Zac knew and could feel what I wanted to do and from the feeling of his crotch against my knee, he wanted the same thing. Eventually, our bodies relaxed together and my arms shifted again, thankfully missing his nipples. If I'd done the same thing and felt another of those shivers, I wouldn't have been able to resist. Gently and with a slow deep breath, I patted his firm, hard, muscular... his back. I patted his back and hugged him close, praying that I'd be able to fall asleep. Eventually, and it must have been some sort of gift from God, we both fell asleep. Zac, like most everything else, did it first and the sensation of his snug body limp and relaxed in my arms, so trusting and peaceful, felt so good. His ponytail tickled my forearms, and his warm breath tickled my collarbone. I didn't mind that he hadn't showered in what smelt like a great while. I didn't mind that he felt like a hefty bag filled with meat had been laid on me. I didn't even mind that when he slept, he made soft whinying noises right in my ear. I didn't mind any of it. It was a pretty sure sign that, as much as it pained me to admit, I had fallen in love with Zac Hanson. * * * * * "Come on, Reid... You wuv me." "Zac, this has been the longest fifty minute car ride of my life. You'll be lucky if I even talk to you again while we're here." Zac was quiet for a moment but still smiling, "You love me." "No comment." I said and pulled into the campgrounds. "You SO love me." He said and propped his foot up on the dashboard as he tied his shoe. "Yeah, I guess." I shook my head and parked the car outside the main office. "Do I have to?" He asked, giving me his best puppy dog look. "If you value our privacy." Zac pouted and gave me a sour look as he put on the familiar black stocking cap and dark sunglasses. We would be stationary for at least the next few minutes as I got us checked in with the office and let them know the situation. I felt bad for him that he had to hide himself when there was merely the possibiliy of being seen. One of the trappings of being a pop idol, and that was a list of things that I was becoming very familiar with. After stepping out of the car, the first thing I'd noticed was the humidty. It felt as though we'd parked in a rain forrest and immediately, I was quite thankful that I'd decided not to wear briefs and gone with boxer shorts. A heat rash would be a sure-fire way to ruin the mood. Everytime I even thought of Zac, which was basically every moment, my mind raced back to the night before and how much self-control we'd shown. It had been nearly impossible that morning while watching him get dressed and riding in the car with him and basically being around him to not yank his pants down and suck him off until he squealed. Just the thought was enough to make me lightheaded and I forced it away like a licking puppy, not exactly disliking the feeling but for convenience sake, not wanting to have to deal with it right then and there. It wasn't constructive. This campground was an interesting place. Not a tree in sight but the area was quite hilly. Several large grass hills in what could best be compared to a desert-like environment. It came highly recommended by Zac's parents and they said that since they were friends with the ranger, we would be able to stay there with a lot of consideration given to our privacy. I looked over my shoulder, and after finding everything safe in the stuffed car, walked up to the small brick building and opened the screen door. A small bell jingled as the door swung closed, reminding me of a 7-11 for some odd reason. Oklahoma was a state of air conditioning and I noticed it again when I stepped into the small office. It only took about five minutes to get checked in, which was a pleasant change from most registering experience I had. I was told by the mostly helpful but slightly dotty old woman that one of the park rangers would come by and make sure we were okay. It all sounded pretty good. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder several times to make sure that everything was peaceful outside in the car. Which it was. I sighed with relief and turned back to the desk and finished up the process before stepping back out the door and walking back to the car. "Lot 14 is ours." I said, getting the car and not looking at Zac. When I didn't hear a response, I looked over and saw that Zac had fallen asleep in the car. It was adorable. He had gone to sleep leaning against the window and he was snoring softly, his face pressed against the glass. I smiled and started the engine, watching his body only shift slightly as I pulled the car back out onto the road. The campgrounds were probably the cleanest place I'd ever seen in my life. Not a speck of litter was anywhere to be found and the sparse campers who were already there were few and far between. Those who were present looked like rich, upper class types with fancy motor homes and chic REI tents. Keeping my eyes on the white cards, I found lot 14 easily. We had been given a spot in the emptiest part of the camp as well as a close proximity to the bathrooms, which would be useful for Zac's 6:15am pee. Through the windshield, the afternoon sun was already beating down and it felt like it could easily be 90 degrees outside. After stepping out of the car and nearly melting on first contact, it was pretty clear that the temperature could have been five or six degrees higher than what I'd originially assumed. I was glad that our early morning shopping trip had included large amounts of water. Zac remained asleep inside the car as I set up the large blue mosquito net around the small red picnic table. Within seconds, the wood was cool to the touch and the nylon-cotton blend netting would give us a nice amount of shade and protection from the bugs and horseflies. With a heat driven promptness, I set up the other net over the space where our tent would be put up. It was hard to imagine putting it anywhere else since it had a very nice grass lawn-style cropping in the size of a rectangle. The work wasn't terribly strenuous, but the heat added to it and within minutes, my forehead was quite damp. My breath began to wheeze as I dragged the dark blue drawstring bag out of the back of the car. It weighed about 80 pounds when you included the tent poles which, according to some, were made of plexiglass and relatively light. Sure didn't seem like it as I lugged it off the truck and dragged it over under the second net. More sweat rolled down my forehead and my cheeks began to flush as I dumped out the bag and went to work setting up the tent, realizing that doing it myself would be easier than trying to wake Zac up and get him thinking clearly. By the grace of God, the tent was assembled without a heart attack on my part. When the final stake was in the small metal hole, I staggered to the car and dug a can of Pepsi out of the blessedly icy cooler and relaxed on the picnic table. After 2/3 of the can were consumed and my breathing had returned to normal, it seemed as though unpacking the car would be a good way to go. We had packed one large air mattress as well as one large sleeping bag, considering the heat and our usual sleeping style, we wouldn't need two separate bags. After the sleeping bag and air mattress, I pulled out the two stocked coolers and firewood that we'd filled and purchased at the local supermarket. Sleeping gear went in the tent. Coolers went on the picnic table. Firewood went over by the small firepit. Everything looked nice and orderly to me. A daunting task stood in front of me and it wasn't something I could deny forever. Like a dead man walking, I went over to the tent and began blowing up the air mattress, glad that Zac wasn't awake to make some remark about my blowing skills that would cause me to laugh and nearly give myself the bends. To my pleasant surprise, the mattress was easily inflated and soon, it was soft and made a pleasant cushion. After a moment of breathing, I rolled out the sleeping bag and neatly arranged the two light blue covered pillows at the head. Once everything was set up, my body seemed to give in. I collapsed on the air mattress and rolled around like a marathon runner, regaining my breath. It was so damn hot. It felt like the temperature had risen about 20 degrees since I'd started setting up and it was taking it's toll. I staggered over to the back of the car and pulled out my blue backpack and yanked out the small battery operated fan and switched it on. Gales of wonderfully cool breeze blew over my flushed face and I sank back onto the picnic table, enjoying the cool air and chugging more of the Pepsi. All things considered, it was pretty fun even if it had nearly killed me. After my brething had calmed down once again, I stood up and walked over to the car. Carefully opening the passanger door, I watched as Zac leaned against it even as it opened. The right side of his face was pressed against the glass and when I put my hand on his shoulder to keep him from falling out, a sticky noise came from the glass. Easing him backwards, I moved him to the left and watched as his face peeled off the glass and left an imprint of sweat. Zac's cheeks were ruddy and his hair had started to frizz out a bit and when I undid his seatbelt, I could feel his hot skin through the fabric of his red t-shirt. He didn't make any noise as I unhooked him, except for a slightly disturbed murmur when I unhooked his foot from under the small cooler we had in the front seat. For a moment, I smiled and looked at him. As hyper and goofy as he was prone to be, Zac was adorable. His sleeping face was unkempt but still as beautiful as I'd ever seen it. Instantly, I cursed myself for being so sentimental and slipped one arm under his knees and the other around his shoulders. It was important to show all the care in the world when carrying something so valuable. And I did. I carried Zac movie star style across the lot, and when his head fell back slightly, a nasal snore escaped him that made me laugh in a very immature way. My arms nearly fell off by the time I'd manuvered his large mass into the tent. The sensation of his weight being lifted off my arms was a welcome relief as he sank into the air mattress and squirmed restlessly in the heat. After rolling around for a few seconds, he seemed to get comfortable and he snuggled up to one of the pillows. I gently used the loose edge of the pillow case to mop his brow after taking off the sunglasses and hat, letting his ponytail slop down his back. He was Zac Hanson again. With an almost reverent care, I stroked the top of his head and smiled, admiring the sheer volume of his mane. Thick and silky... any rich old woman would love to have a coat made out of it. In the nylon-filtered light, it looked dark brown and layered with streaks of gold. Truly a beautiful sight. My parental side kicked in, albeit a much less creepy way, and I turned on the small fan and clipped it to the side of the tent, angling the quiet cool air down towards Zac. The loose wisps of hair moved softly as he settled in again, murmuring softly, and kicking his foot just slightly. Like a hibernating bear, he was. Watching someone else sleep was always contagious for me. I rolled over onto my back and yawned, keeping an eye on the outside of the tent and comforted by the fact that no one was hovering around trying to see Zac. The place was pretty much deserted. My eyelids began to feel heavy and I stretched my feet out, yawning again and looking out at the wide, sun baked expanse of land beyond the door of the tent. The soft whir of the fan was going to send me into dreamland before too long, I could tell. It also helped that my heart rate had returned to normal. For the next few minutes, my mind drifted in and out of sleep, interrupted by the occasional whoop or yell from one of the distant campsites. My sleeping was also disrupted on occasion from on occasional shift by Zac, which would send an aroma of his sweatiness over my way. Really, it wasn't sleep. I was just laying there and resting, preparing myself for the bender of energy that Zac would unleash upon me when he woke up. Just the thought of it made me feel incredibly fatigued and was nearly enough to send me back into dreamland. "Anybody home?" A voice said from outside. I stood up quickly and rubbed my eyes, being careful not to disturb Zac too much as I stepped out of the tent. I remembered what the woman at the front desk had told me. One of the park rangers had come by to check on us. He didn't look too difficult. My eyes still felt blurry from the half sleep as I went over to him. "Hi." I said through a yawn. "Hello there. You are our special guests, I'm assuming?" "Yeah." I nodded. "All right. You won't have to worry about anything. This is probably the slowest time of year for us so you'll have your privacy. Let us know if we can do anything." "That's it?" "That's it." He said and went back towards his jeep. "Okay." "While you're here, we'd appreciate it if you'd not subject us to your relationship." He said as he got in the jeep. "Excuse me?" He rolled down the window, "Not everyone agrees with you. Some people don't believe that a 20 year old man should be with a 15 year old boy. Quite frankly, some of us think it's disgusting." I felt the dragon begin to rise in me but moderated my tone, "Do you want us to leave?" "His father has always been a supporter of the Oklahoma wildlife conservation acts. As a show of respect to Walker, we're letting you stay here provided you keep it in the tent. Nobody here wants to see it." I smirked in annoyance, "You won't see it." "Good." That was the last thing he said before driving off. My body felt sore as I walked over and sat down at the picnic table, still trying to keep my temper in line. In the ranger's face, I'd seen every asshole who had ever treated me poorly because of my sexuality. As he had said what he'd said, my fists itched and I longed to go after him but I knew that no good could come of it. I'd be arrested and he would sing like a gopher with a hot fireplace poker up it's ass. If I had gone after him and beat the hell out of him, I was pretty sure that he'd sell his information to just about every tabloid that would listen. I leaned forward and rested my forearms on my knees. What the hell was his problem? If he thought the idea was so disgusting, why didn't he just keep his mouth shut? Of course we were going to keep it under cover. It's not like we actually wanted to show the world. More like I didn't actually want to show the world. That was another thing looming on the horizon. Zac was practically itching to come out of the closet but due to the urgings of many, most of all myself, he had begrudingly kept it under wraps and didn't say anything. There had been "slip ups" in interviews that had to make some people raise their eyebrows, but other than that, he'd done a good job. But it wasn't a job, he said, that he was going to work at forever. He told me that he didn't see the wisdom in working at a job that hurt him and forced him to be someone he wasn't. I had blushed horribly when he said that the only reason he agreed to keep it quiet was because he trusted my judgement. He trusted my judgement that it would be best to wait until the right time to come out of the closet. Resonsibility like that wasn't something that necessarily appealed to me, really. "Hey." Zac said from behind me and I turned around to see him nearly trip coming out of the tent. My bad mood was almost instantly lifted as he sat down next to me, "Have a nice nap?" "Yup," He said, standing up to dig around in the cooler, "Why didn't you wake me up? I would have helped you get all this crap put up and everything." I leaned back against the table, "Have you ever tried to wake yourself up, Zac? It's like trying to roust a lazy sloth." "Yeah, but I don't want my man dying of a heart attack." Zac said as he pulled out a can of Dr. Pepper and sat back down, but not before kissing me soggily on the cheek. "I'm fine." "You sure?" He said and put his arm around me. "Be careful." "Why?" "I got visited by our friendly park ranger. Nobody here 'wants to see that'." Zac groaned and his head fell back, "Thanks Dad." "What?" "My dad probably mentioned you as my boyfriend. He didn't mean for anything bad to happen. It's just become like second nature and I guess sometimes he forgets who he's talking to or something." "That could be slightly dangerous, Zac." "He won't forget with anyone that could really do us wrong. Besides, it's not like that guy matters. We're paying to use this place and I think we have every right to make out and hump each other wherever we want." I looked at him, "Somebody might see us." "I think it's time for people to see us." Zac said slowly and not really to my face. "If they do, it would have serious consequences." He took another swig of Dr. Pepper, "You're going to be here to help me deal with them? Or at least you'll be here to help me forget about them while we're together, right?" I smiled, "I'll go through everything with you, Zac. And what I can't go through with you, I'll be there when you get out the other side and help you with whatever you need." Zac smiled at me, nearly melting my heart, "Let's not think of it like going through something. Let's think of it like it's the first step. It's a step we can take together." "That sounds good to me." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "How should we do it?" "Wow," I shook my head, "I have no clue." "Let's just not hide it, Reid. After we get back, the band is going to L.A. to look at studios. You and I will be together and at one of the promotional events, we'll make sure they see us holding hands." He said, and it was with such a well thought out manner that I found myself buying into it. "Okay..." "Then when people ask, I'll be very honest about it. If you and I don't act like it's a big deal, it wont be a big deal after too long. We just act like a normal couple and after they make fun of us or try and shun me from society into some whacked out prison, they'll move on because we're really not that screwy or anything." "And then... after 5 to 10, I'll get out of jail and we can reunite." Zac stood up and led me into the tent. We laid down on our stomachs on the sleeping bags and Zac settled in and positioned his hands to explain the situation. Something odd was making me really trust what he was saying. It was obviously a scenario that he'd thought plenty about. "Okay... you would only go to jail if my mom and dad had you arrested. Us holding hands might look a little yucky to the unknowing layman, but that wouldn't really matter. If worse comes to worse, besides, we could just go to Canada and you'd become like the new age Roman Polanski." I laughed, "There ya go!" "Seriously, mom and dad know the kind of shit that would hit the fan if they had you arrested. Not only would I become impossible to live with, but Tay would stand up for us too. His life would be so boring if you weren't there to do any voice he requested," Zac took a deep breath, "So it would be cool. We'd have to deal with some kinda weirdness but I definitely think it would be worth it." "Okay, let's say that your weird theory actually works. They see us holding hands and it eventually becomes known that Zac Hanson is a big old queen," I said and he gagged at the word, "We could be looking at drops in record sales and the likely demolition of your entire music career. Fans would be turned away in droves. Hanson would be no more than a punchline." Zac looked at me skeptically, "Riii-iiight. And currently, we're setting the world on fire?" "You know what I mean." "Reid... the fans that would leave us over my sexuality, let alone any of our sexuality, aren't the kind of people that are going to stay with us for the long haul. You know how people say we're better than all the boybands?" "Yeah." "This could be a chance to prove this. If I don't hide that I'm gay but at the same time, I'm still myself and I don't change much, people will see that we're cool. It would be clear that we don't conform to the whims of a bunch of fickle little bitches!" "Easy there, tiger." "I'm serious. We would be honest to ourselves. It's something that has to start with someone." "I see." "It hurts me, Reid. I want to be myself. I want people to know that this is a part of me that's very real and it's not something that I'm willing to pretend doesn't exist in reality. The Backstreet Boys and N'Stank can pretend that they're hetero but it's not something that I can do." "Oh." "Besides," He said and snuggled up to me like a cat, "I want the world to know what a hilarious, sexy, fine guy you are." "Mmmm..." I grumbled, wrapping my arms around him, "Then I can get a TV show on NBC. TV Guide will do a story on me and my show, which will be called 'Fruit & Nuts'." Zac laughed and kissed me, "See! It won't be bad at all!" "Don't rush it. Don't do anything too fast." I said, kissing the center of his forehead. "I won't, winkiebear." He cooed in his babytalk voice and nestled his lips against my neck. * * * * * "Come on, Crispy Crème." I called, pushing myself up on the sandy bottom of the lake. Zac scowled at me and kicked off his blue sneakers, "I only had five." I laughed and dunked myself under the water, savoring the cool wonderfullness of the lake. The water is clean and clear and the beach was of a very nice yellow sand. Zac tossed his rolled Bugs Bunny towel down on his shoes and slowly, with a lot of showmanship, stripped himself of his red t-shirt. The sun glinted off his bare upper body and my mouth actually almost began watering. All those retards who'd said he was fat obviously didn't know the meaning of the word "sturdy." Zac wasn't sturdy in a Jason Biggs type way... more like a Lucy Lawless type of sturdiness. With no fear, Zac ran forward and jumped into the water, and for a few seconds, he was under the water. I winced slightly as he came back up above the surface and let out a yell of agony. Personally, I didn't think the water was all that cold. Zac shivered and went back under the water, trying to get used to it as quickly as possible. When he came back up, his pulled back hair was wet and when he came above, the water seemed to drain out of the mass. Like a fountain, a curl of water came out of his mouth and he backstroked around in the still shallow part of the swimming area. The water had been nicely warmed by the sun and it was pretty much heaven at that point. The lake was quite large and at various points in the distance, I could see trees and docks and other houses out in the wilderness. As I swam out, the bottom of the lake went down and soon enough, I was treading water out in the deep end. My eyes had been turned up towards the blue sky and when I looked back down, Zac was nowhere to be seen. I was concerned for a second before I felt a playfully firm tug on my leg. I smiled as Zac swam up and surfaced right next to me, his hair shining in the sun. For a moment, there was a silence between us as I thought about what the park ranger had said and I felt a bit ashamed. Zac smiled knowingly at me and ran his foot up my leg under the water. "Don't worry about it." He said, squinting in the sun. "I try not to." Zac splashed me, "Damn it, Reid! Don't worry about it! Do as I say!" I sputtered and splashed him back, "You're asking for it, dipshit!" "You gotta catch me first!" He hollered and took off for the shore. In a flurry of splashing and flailing limbs, he did his best to outswim me but I think we both knew that there really wasn't any way for him to get away. Moving at a leisurely pace, I caught up to him and was already standing half out of the water when he stopped to rest. Breathing heavily, Zac looked around and barely got out a whimper before I had my arms around him and locked him in a bearhug. After lifting him up out of the water, his warm wet skin pressed and rubbed against me and he giggled softly in my ear. His weight made my arm muscles strain each time I picked him up and splashed him down into the cold water. Zac was laughing hysterically and trying to get away with no real urgency as I hoisted him up and dunked him down into the lake over and over again. The action was repeated several times and Zac's hair came out of the ponytail, whipping around and splattering us both with the water. Picking him up was trying to hoist up a wet, giggling seal and the slipperiness of his skin felt absolutely divine against my chest and stomach. With one final heave, I sent him back into the water with a colossal splash. I fell backwards into the water and caught my breath, watching as Zac pulled himself out of the water. He swam over to me and tackled me into the water, straddling my hips and sitting ontop of me. The water was quite shallow and he was able to sit on me without any danger of drowning, allowing me to lean back on my elbows. Zac smiled and laid forward, his chest and stomach pressing against mine. "Think they're watching?" He asked softly. "Probably." Zac smiled cunningly, "Think we should give them something to watch?" One of my hands traveled up his wet, firm back, "No goin' back." He leaned in so close his lips brushed mine, "I want to see 'em try and make us go back." The water lapped at us as we laid there, looking into each others eyes on the verge of quite possibly our most dangerous kiss yet. There had been kisses that were pretty borderline and some showings of affection that might have looked a little more than just friendliness. This was a different story. We were wide open and exposed. No telling how many people could be watching us, laying together in the water, our lips nearly touching but not kissing. It wasn't hesitation, really. I think we were both really savoring the moment that would change our relationship forever. The moment that could quite possibly turn us from closet lovers into a real life, undeniable couple. Heat from the sun covered us both as Zac rested his forehead against mine and I felt the first touch of his lips. Their warmth pressed against my mouth and he kissed me deeply, his wet lips sliding and mashing against me. Under the water, my body squirmed and Zac pressed harder, his tounge licking my lower lip and sliding into my mouth in one fluid motion. I had forgotten, over the course of about 18 hours, what a damned amazing kisser Zac was. He didn't rush things and kissed with a very easygoing passion. Zac pulled away, "Good?" I could only nod. "Want to go back to the tent?" He asked, and I could feel him harden inside his swimtrunks. "Sounds good to me." To Be Continued...