Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 07:19:04 -0800 (PST) From: Virtual Insanity Subject: Mannie the Marine 9 This story contains male-to-male consensual sexual relationships, so if this is illegal for you to read, please adhere to whatever laws you abide by. **** This story follows a previous story of mine called Wade & Christian, which you can find in the 2004 high school section of this fine archive. I suggest you read it first. BUT, if teen angst and ultradrama romance is not your thing, this story does stand alone. For my fans, this story is mighty different from Wade & Chris and The Prick, it is about a conflicting relationship and the power of true love. So, if you are looking for any of my previous stories regurgitated, you will be sorely disappointed. This story will run about 12 installments. It will also feature the characters of Wade & Christian quite prominently, so let's enjoy the ride, shall we? Started a Group for easier updates, check it out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesvi/ *********************************************************** Mannie opened one eye and blinked at the single ray of sunlight that was peeping through the curtains to shine down on the bed he was lying in. He remembered quickly what had happened the day before. Scott's sudden appearance and how he'd withstood the test. He shifted in the bed and felt Jon next to him, then opened both of his eyes so that he could look at Jon. Jon was lying on his side, his angular face against the blue pillow and the light blazing behind him, giving him the appearance of something ethereal and his eyes were fixed on Mannie. Mannie smiled. "You look like an angel," he said, his voice raspy with sleep. Jon grinned. "You look like hell," Jon told him, his voice soft and quiet in the stillness of the early morning hours. "That's us the angel and the demon," Mannie quipped and Jon's shoulders shook with silent laughter. "You sleep with your mouth open," Jon informed him, lifting an eyebrow. Mannie shifted onto his side so that he was facing Jon in a similar way. "Well, you snore," Mannie told him and Jon's grin widened even more. "So, we're even," Jon said, sighing contentedly. "Not quite," Mannie said. "You drool profusely, babe. I think that means that you owe me one." "But I'm incredibly sexy in the morning," Jon said suggestively and wiggled his eyebrows, making Mannie lean back and laugh. "Yes, you are," Mannie agreed and Jon reached out and touched him, just the slightest of pressures on Mannie's bare almond-colored side. The smile slipped from Mannie's face and his dick sprang to life in the thin boxer shorts he was wearing. "Sexy enough for a kiss?" Jon asked. "Morning breath," Mannie warned him and Jon shrugged. So, Mannie leaned forward and pressed his full lips against Jon's. Jon returned the pressure and let his fingers slide from Mannie's side, down around his back and he used his arm to pull Mannie closer. Mannie opened his mouth and Jon slid his tongue inside, slowly stroking it against the length of Mannie's and moving so that Mannie was on his back and he hovered over him slightly. Mannie's cocoa brown eyes met his and Jon smiled. "I wanna take the next step," Jon whispered, his lips brushing Mannie's and they kissed again, letting their tongues dance for several minutes before Mannie pulled back a little. "What's the next step?" Mannie asked him. He honestly didn't know. He'd played a lot of games before, but when it came to a real relationship, he had no solid footing to stand on. "I love you," Jon said quietly and the emotion was there in his eyes, plain and blatant for Mannie to see. Mannie swallowed hard and nodded ever so slightly. Tears sprang to his eyes and he didn't even try to blink them back. Because this time, he knew that it was true. Jon loved him...and he loved the hell out of Jon. For once, Mannie felt like something was going to go right for him. It was as if the center of whatever it was his life was supposed to be about was lying there with him...and he didn't have to look any further. "I love you, too," Mannie told him, past the lump in his throat, blinking and letting the tears fall onto his cheeks, uncaring anymore that he was open, vulnerable. He trusted Jon. "When I saw you," Jon said, almost nervously, "in the airport. I just knew that something was about to change for me. I mean, I didn't know what that was. I just knew that I liked you and that if you were in the house I wanted to be around you. If you weren't in the house, I wanted to go and be wherever you were. I've never thought about being gay. I had Shannon and I loved her...and I never felt that I was losing out on anything...because I guess I've always been a more emotional person than physical. Like with sex, I never felt the way other guys do, where I had to have it. "At least not until I saw you in that alley. Then...then I knew what it was like to be...you know hard as a rock and not be able to get what you really want. I'm not good at...skilled at saying what I mean anymore, but I want to tell you how much this means to me. It's everything...and I never want it to end...like I wanna be like Wade and Chris are." Mannie nodded. "Me too." Jon smiled and then his face got serious. "So, what I wanna know is, if you leave, are you gonna take me with you...or what about in the future?" Jon asked uncertainly. Mannie kissed him hard, then pulled back. "I don't know where we'll be, but wherever you are, that's where I am," Mannie informed him firmly. Jon relaxed a little. "And..its just you and me, right...like I'm not sharing you with other guys or anything, right?" Jon asked, looking Mannie in the eye. "I've had enough variety to last me a lifetime," Mannie told him. "I'm yours, Jon. But you just realizing that you're into guys is a big thing. If you decide that you want to mess around, I won't be angry at you. I might not be jumping for joy, but I would understand...I just...you loving me is more than I even imagined." "I think you're gonna find out," Jon said, wrapping both of his arms around Mannie, "that I'm a pretty loyal kind of guy." *** Mannie filled the coffee machine with freshly ground coffee and hit the on button with a smile on his face, staring off into space. He heard a snicker to his right and looked down to see Kiesha standing close by his side, peering up at him with laughing eyes. "What?" Mannie asked. "Oh, we're talking now?" she asked, rolling her eyes in mock anger and leaning back against the counter, her very pregnant belly protruding out. "I guess so," Mannie said, looking away, then back at her. "I'm sorry I wasn't up to it before." She was staring up at him and Mannie could look at the motherhood in her face, uncharacteristic roundess and the glow of her mocha-colored skin. Her brown eyes were like honey warmed over as she looked at him...and he could see that she really did still care about him. "Well, I figured you'd get over it," she said, seemingly nonchalant. "I mean, you are going to be this baby's godfather, you know?" Mannie stared down at her incredulously. He reached out and touched her forehead. "Do you have a fever?" he asked. "Do you need to sit down?" She laughed, smacking his hand away. "I'm serious, Manifred," she said and Mannie reared back in total disgust. "Never call me that again, little girl," he warned her, but she was too busy smiling. "I want you to be my baby's daddy," she said, mockingly and they both laughed. "Don't let Reggie hear you," Mannie told her and she nodded. "He's already jealous enough of you," she admitted. "But he has no reason to be. Yes, I loved you, but I love him more." Her admission didn't hurt this time. Mannie understood. "But I did talk with him about this and I really want you to be my son's godfather," she said, more serious this time. "That's a lot of responsibility for an irresponsible guy," Mannie told her. "I've watched you taking care of Jon," she told him quietly. "I swear there have been times where I thought that Chris and Wade were going to drive that boy insane. They love him to death, but they would lead him around here like a two-year-old if they could. Since you've been here, he's a man again, Mannie and, in an odd way, its shown me the kind of man you are. The kind of father you would be. If anything happens to me, that's what I want for my son...its what Reggie and I both want." "I'm honored, Kiesha, I am and...and I want to tell you yes," Mannie told her. "But I have to talk it over with Jon first." Kiesha's smile got so big that Mannie thought her face would split in two. "Tell me that you've figured it out," Kiesha said hopefully. "I've figured it out," Mannie told her and she squealed in that special way that only women and severely enhanced drag queens have mastered. "Oh, thank God, I'm so happy for you," she said and gave Mannie a huge hug. "You deserve this so much, Mannie. So, that's why you're smiling and staring off into space and stuff, huh?" Mannie blushed. "Am I doing that?" he asked. "Yes," she nodded firmly and Jon came into the room. He was dressed in his Taco Fiesta smock. Mannie's eyes went soft and were glued to Jon. "I'm going to work," Jon said, chewing on a piece of a bagel. "Do you want me to walk with you?" Mannies asked, but Jon shook his head. "Nah, Wade's going that way on his way to his dad's," Jon told him. "But I get off at six." "Okay, I'll meet you in the back lot," Mannie told him and Jon smiled, then closed the distance between them and kissed Mannie, a lingering peck. Kiesha watched with a big smile and Jon glanced at her. "Hi, Kiesha," he said absent-mindedly when he was heading back out of the kitchen. "Hey," she said with a little wave and Mannie watched the door swing shut behind him. Kiesha whirled on him. "You two are so fucking cute," she exclaimed and Mannie closed his eyes. "Pinch me and tell me I'm not dreaming," Mannie grinned, holding his arm out at her. She pinched him hard. "You ain't dreaming, so don't fuck it up," she told him as Christian made his way into the kitchen, his blonde hair all over the place. "The dead has risen." Christian made a face at her and plopped down on the first available chair in his path. "Where the hell did all of these morning people come from?" he asked grumpily. "And in my house of all places." "You invited me," Mannie reminded him with a sunny smile. "And I basically live here, too," Kiesha said dismissively. "Where's Wade?" Christian asked, watching from beneath heavy lids as Mannie poured a mug of coffee for him and placed it in front of him on the table. "He took Jon to work and made a trip to his dad's," Mannie said. "God, his dad is obsessing over this dinner party," Christian ranted, suddenly wide awake. "We were on the phone until almost one a.m. clearning everything with him. He's insane." "He's a perfectionist," Mannie countered. "And so is his son for that matter. Which is why I think he doesn't like me all that much. Nothing about me will ever be perfect." Christian took a long sip of his coffee before responding. "Not true, Mannie," Christian lifted his finger. "You have perfect eyebrows. Women torture themselves with wax and tweezers to get eyebrows like yours." "Do I?" Mannie asked with a smile and turned to look at himself in a copper pot hanging over the stove. Kiesha grunted and both Mannie and Christian's eyes went to her. She was clutching her stomach. "What's wrong?" Christian asked. "My water broke," she said and both sets of eyes travelled down the wet length of denim that covered her legs and the resulting puddle of water on the tiled floor. "Ew," was Christian's first response. "Shit," Mannie said, and put his arm around her. "Damn, I have a Calculus test today," Kiesha said, leaning back against Mannie's arm. "I studied half the night for that thing." "I'm sure your professor will let you take it late," Mannie said, soothingly. "I'll have forgotten everything by then," she pointed out, then made a sound somewhere between a groan and a moan. Mannie led her to a chair. "Okay, so that's a contraction, right?" Christian asked and Mannie nodded, looking at his watch. "Should we try to pull it out?" Mannie pinned Christian with a quick look. "Chris, you've never even seen a real live pussy before, let me do the thinking here," he said, then turned back to Kiesha. "Just breathe, babe," he told her, kneeling in front of her. "We'll measure the time between contractions before we call your doctor. Do you have his number on you?" She nodded, breathing noisily. "I do, its in my...oooh...in my purse," she said. Mannie kept his eyes on her pursed up face. "Christian, could you get Kiesha's purse?" Mannie asked calmly and Christian went looking for it. "And the phone, Chris." He turned his attention back to Kiesha. "Are you hot or cold?" he asked and she shook her head, breathing hard until the contraction passed. Christian came back with the phone and her purse. "Where's the number?" Mannie asked her. "In my wallet," she said unsteadily. "His is the only card in there." Christian dug through her purse until he came up with the wallet and the card. "I've still got two weeks left," Kiesha said shakily. "Nope, I don't think so, Kiesha," Mannie told her, brushing her cheek with his fingertips. She looked at him, scared, then up at Christian. "Chrissy, I'm gonna have a fucking baby," she said, like it was a big suprise. "What did you think your belly was growing just for kicks?" he asked her and Mannie laughed. "I've gotta call Reggie," she exclaimed. Mannie held her firmly in place. "Just relax, Kiesha, focus on the baby and your body," Mannie told her in a calm, soothing way. "I'll take care of everything." She relaxed. She believed him. *********************************************************** Just a few more of these to go! Join my group! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesvi/