Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 23:43:46 -0500 From: Chicos Todos Subject: Mechanics of the Heart chapter 5 Hi readers! Thanks for joining me in a story exploring the complexity of gay relationships. Before getting to the action, I just wanna say one thing: Please donate to Nifty! http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html For years now, Nifty has provided us with countless FREE stories that celebrate sexuality, freedom of expression, and perhaps most importantly, get us off! Our monetary support is essential for Nifty to continue as a delightful source of pleasure. Donate today! © 2013 ChicosTodos. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. If you are a minor, or if it is illegal for you to read material containing sexual activity between male adults, please refrain from reading any further. ----- NOTE: this story is a sequel to "Roberto the Mechanic Stud", which can also be found on Nifty under Gay / Adult Friends and Gay / Interracial. ----- ----- "You ready?" Roberto asked over the phone. "...just about," Danny replied, shoving the last remaining pieces of clothing from his closet into a duffle bag. Around him, open cardboard boxes and a suitcase all stuffed with his belongings stood in a bare bedroom. His former bedroom. "All right! You can come over now if you like," the copywriter announced, zipping up the bag. "Okay baby, I'm heading out then." They hung up. Sitting on the carpeted floor, looking at the empty four walls, it hit Danny again that he really was moving out of his parents'. This was going to be a big new chapter in his life. He thought back to when he announced his decision earlier in the week. Facing him, in the kitchen, there was his mother, whose eyes widened, like those of a deer staring at oncoming headlights. Beside her, his dad Pierre raised his eyebrows. Danny was ready for his mom to raise her voice and begin an endless tirade. But instead, she just got up, expressionless and silent, and headed for the staircase. "Mom?" the copywriter asked as she walked by him. When she neither stopped nor responded, he turned to his dad, who responded with a silent half-hug and a pat on the shoulder. "Have you thought about this seriously?" Pierre asked. "Yes, dad," the brunet answered. "He's the one. We're serious about this." A slight smile appeared on his father's face. "You're all grown up now." He held Danny in a long embrace. "It will be hard at times. Call me if you need anything." "Merci, papa." Leaving his memories to focusing again on the present, Danny double-checked his closet. `At least I have dad,' he thought. Just then, Pierre knocked on the door. "Alors..." Danny's father said as he came in, "When are you leaving?" "Soon, maybe ten minutes" His father teased, "Love moves quickly, doesn't it?" "Dad..." Danny moaned, rolling his eyes, as Pierre laughed and patted the copywriter's shoulder. "Thank you, for supporting me," Danny said. "We love you so much, Danny. Both of us." Pierre paused. "Things have been a little bit difficult lately, but that's because you're our little boy. You'll always be our little boy." "Papa..." The moment just wouldn't be complete without waterworks from Danny. His father continued. "You're a man now. Take care of yourself. Take care of Roberto. Soon, you'll have to take care of us too!" Danny chuckled, wiping his tears away. "Are you done packing?" his father asked, his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Almost." "All right, I'm going to see how your mother is doing." His son frowned, guilty. "Just give it time, Danny," Pierre assured, patting his shoulder. Danny took a breath and nodded some more. "All right, go finish packing then." In his bedroom, the brunet tried his hardest to concentrate on checking everything in his bags and boxes again. `I'm doing the right thing, he reminded himself. I'm doing the best thing.' Several minutes later, Roberto texted him to say he'd arrived. Danny went downstairs to open the door for Roberto, hugging him tightly. Then they began moving the copywriter's belongings out of his parents' house. It took several trips to get his computer, his books, all his clothes, and every other daily essential and knick-knack into the mechanic's red Lancer; the trunk and backseat were filled to the brim. When they were all done, Danny made one last trip up to the master bedroom door. He knocked. Pierre opened up, and Danny's eyes immediately darted to his mom, sitting on the bed, blotting her eyes with a ball of tissue. The sight made her son choke up. "You ready, son?" his father asked. Danny nodded and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "Goodbye, dad. Goodbye, mom." As his father embraced him one more time, Danny opened his eyes to steal a final look at his mother. She was looking right back at him, her eyes red, her expression stoic but flecked with fear and sadness. That image haunted the brunet all the way back to Roberto's apartment. It would remain in the back of his mind for much longer. His boyfriend knew very well what was going on inside his head, and quietly held Danny's hand on the drive back home. When they arrived at the underground garage in Roberto's building, the last thing Danny wanted to do was to haul his belongings up to the apartment. As they got out of the red Mitsubishi Lancer, the mechanic suggested that Danny leave the nonessential stuff down in his basement storage locker. After dropping that off, they then carried everything else up to the apartment in a few trips. As they moved the final boxes in the suddenly cramped apartment, Roberto said, "You can start unpacking tomorrow. There's no hurry." The two of them pushed Danny's belongings first into the den strewn with exercise equipment, then finished off the last of the bags by throwing them into the closet. "We gotta get some racks or shelves for all your fancy clothes," Roberto exclaimed, realizing how much space Danny's stuff took up. Danny loved it every time Roberto said "we". "Don't worry; I inherited my mom's space-saving skills," he assured. "You'll barely notice my things are here after I'm done," he said with a smile. Roberto tousled Danny's hair. " I'll notice the extra mouth eating all the food...and the extra pair of ass cheeks just waiting to be taken," he quipped, giving his boy's bum a loud smack. The brunet jumped and squealed. "Help me make dinner," the mechanic requested, wrapping his arm around Danny's waist. After cooking up a chicken quinoa salad and finishing it quickly, the couple cleaned up and headed to bed. Both of them were silently wondering if they would have sex tonight. Danny thought Roberto would be too tired from the move to be in the mood. Meanwhile, the mechanic thought his boyfriend would still be too emotional to want some nookie. Sliding underneath the covers, naked, Danny reached to hold Roberto's naked body, wrapping his arms around his beefy chest. He rested his head on the mechanic's shoulder and sighed contentedly. In response, Roberto draped Danny's leg across his waist and traced soft circles on his buttocks. Just feeling Roberto's arms around him, his warmth, the protective strength of his hard body, was enough for Danny. For now. "Thank you," he said, hugging his man's arms. "For what?" "For asking me to live with you. And..." he turned his head, "Just for everything." Danny felt so loved, so grateful that they were now living together. He felt alive as he embarked on the next stage of life's journey with his love. The lovers kissed, gentle smooches to show their affection. Roberto snuggled his head deep in the nape of Danny's neck. "You're welcome, baby." Gradually, the rise and fall of the mechanic's relaxed body, and the soft rumble of his snores, they began to whisk Danny away to sleep. He smiled and wondered how his man always fell asleep so quickly. Several peaceful hours later, a full bladder woke Danny. The sun was already up; he paused, then reminded himself that it was Saturday. Carefully, he moved Roberto's embracing arm from his naked waist and strided quickly to the bathroom. After he was done peeing, he was eager to dive back into the warm bed, where his sleeping mechanic slept sprawled out, arms opened wide, with that gloriously built, hairy chest on full display. The rumpled blanket bared Roberto's thigh and erection, a delicious, oversized prick that was begging to be sucked. Danny could never say no to that slightly bent nine-incher. He wasn't about to this time. So he slid onto the bed like a predator, his arms and legs gliding over the sheets slinkily. Eyes locked on the prize, Danny licked his lips at the shaft of flesh. His lover's cock had already given him countless cries of pleasure; there were surely countless more to come. Around the penis, an expansive stretch of pubic hair flourished, curly and unruly. It ran down the insides of Roberto's thick, toned thighs and spread up his pelvis, camouflaging the veins, until the fur narrowed into the treasure trail that Danny loved to fondle and suck. Resting his head sideways on his mechanic's ripped stomach, Danny grinned and wondered how different his stud would look if they did a top-to-bottom Nair session on him. As he cast his eyes all over this stunning specimen of virile man, the slim brunet thought that Roberto would look like a fitness model. Danny softly fondled his lover's hard member, reaching to administer some loving touches to his hairy, droopy sacs. The hairless fantasy continued in his head. He imagined a photo shoot with a professional photographer. Roberto would feel awkward in the studio; he didn't really like how he looked in pictures. Danny gave him that one; he thought Roberto's captured images didn't hold a candle to how devastatingly sexy the mechanic was in real life. The younger man quietly giggled when he imagined the photographer barking orders to Roberto: "Flex! Look at the camera! Look at me like you want to make love! YES!! Keep flexing and bend your waist...HOLD IT!! DON'T MOVE." Danny couldn't wait anymore. He took that monster dick in his mouth hungrily. What would Roberto wear? Of course, the mechanic stud looked best naked, but if they were shooting a calendar, let's say, wouldn't he look cute dressed up as a firefighter? As a cowboy, with a lasso and assless chaps? Or maybe as a topless welder, with the helmet flipped back and grease all over? As Danny licked under and over the shaft, then sucked hard around the crown, he decided Roberto would look his best in just a pair of red Speedos...ooh, or jockstraps! Or...or, just in his mechanic coveralls, black oil stains and all, with the zipper pulled down to offer a tantalizing glimpse of his eight-pack and furry, veiny groin. Danny was hard now. He opened his jaw wide and deep throated his dream lover. The skillful suction drew a deep breath from Roberto. His big, rough paws found Danny's peachy bum and began kneading them. "Morning baby..." "Muhnuh..." Danny mumbled, not wanting to take his firmly-sucking lips off the cock. "Eager beaver this morning, huh?" Roberto remarked, reaching for the lube on the nightstand. Danny released his favourite plaything and looked at Roberto with mischief. "We didn't, last night." "You didn't get your dose of cum?" Roberto teased. "Berto!" "It's okay. I'm ready to feed my cum slut now," he winked. Danny blushed and slapped Roberto's thigh, but then eagerly went back to fellating the mechanic. "Guu..." Danny replied with the nine-incher stuffed in his mouth. As the younger man took his time to enjoy the sweet dick, Roberto slipped in two lubricated fingers into his favourite playground: Danny's hot, tight hole, the hole he deflowered, the hole that was his and only his to fuck and cum in. His boy yelped in surprise as his digits pushed past his sphincter and zoomed straight for the prostate. The both moaned lustfully during the foreplay, calling on each other to fulfill their all-consuming need. Danny took all the cock he could handle down his gullet, gagging a few times but pressing on, while Roberto continued pumping his fingers into his lover's rectum, the friction drawing wet squelches from the relaxing canal. He also used his other hand to stroke Danny's five-incher, twisting his wrist and circling his fingers to get his boy turned on and opened up quickly. Time slipped by uncounted, the lovers singlemindedly indulging in bodily gratification. Although the mechanic loved the view of his digits penetrating Danny's squeezing anus, and he loved having his dick attended to by his love, he wanted even more to stick it in and fuck away. "C'mon baby, you're ready now," Roberto finally said, taking his slicked fingers out of Danny's rectum and giving the perfectly perky globes a good slap. Danny whined, gave one last hard suck, then popped the massive prick out of his mouth and turned around to face his man. "Wanna ride me, baby?" Roberto asked with a grin. "Um hmm," his younger lover nodded. Danny got on his feet and straddled the mechanic stud's horizontal body. Reaching back, he found the steel-hard shaft and pointed it up to his rosebud. Then, locking eyes with his lover, he squatted down on it. They both cried out in pleasure at the tight, aching sensation. The brunet wanted to impale all nine inches up his ass, right away, but he took a breath and knew he had to be careful with Roberto's endowment. So he waited a moment, planting soft kisses on Roberto's waiting lips. "Fuck, you feel so amazing," the older man moaned in between the sloppy dueling of their tongues. He gazed longingly at Danny with hooded eyes. The young bottom bit his lower lip and sat down further, taking more cock up his tight little hole. "Oh! That's it, Danny! Fuck yeah..." Roberto closed his eyes, leaned back and threw his powerful arms above his head. The sight of the mechanic's densely tufted armpits drove Danny to slide his outstretched hands up the mechanic's impossibly muscled torso. He relished the texture of every corded ridge, his man from head to toe an exquisite model of highly-disciplined brawn. Taking in Roberto's statuesque physique while also taking in his oversized prick, the brunet bottom mewled seductively. "Yeah, baby, use my body..." the horny stud encouraged, as a gripping, aching warmth enveloped his pulsating cock. "Take that cock...that's right..." "Ohh!" Danny groaned, "I think you're all the way in..." Reflexively, Roberto thrusted his pelvis up and found that he was indeed buried inside of Danny up to the hilt. "Fuck yeah," he replied, reaching up to play with his lover's nipples. The copywriter leaned forward, hands bracing the headboard, and began to ride Roberto's dick. As they moaned and cursed with every squat and push, the bed bounced up and down, complaining with little squeaks. Thrusting that monster prick all the way up his rectum, Danny fucked his mechanic stud harder and harder. The squats slapped his peachy bum loudly against Roberto's thighs. "Aw yeah, baby, YEAH! You like that dick huh?!" the mechanic growled, eyes burning as they stayed locked on his lover's pupils. "You like taking that dick hard and fast??" Danny held their breathless gaze amidst the frenzied rocking. And then he felt his lover's paws gripping his buttocks. "Ye...y-YES! Oh Berto!!" Roberto couldn't help but start to take control. He grabbed Danny's bouncing buttocks and thrusted himself up into his lover; Danny screamed, threw his head back, and held on tightly. The bumpy jaunt rocked the younger man's entire body, breaking his loud hollering into coarse, agitated shouts. "Fuck me back, baby, c'mon!!" Roberto urged, giving Danny his all. His boy pushed his ass back onto the pistoning prick, matching the mechanic's thrusts, and screeched at the searing assault that ravaged his anal canal. "BERTO! OH GOD!!" The bed frame began to bump against the wall, a dull thud with every passionate fuck. With a massive prick drilling up his asshole nonstop, hitting then rubbing against his prostate every time, Danny soon felt an aching pressure build in his groin. "BERTO, I'm gonna cum...I'm gonna!" His man stopped. "No no! Not yet..." he breathed, grabbing Danny's body and flipping him back down on the bed. Then, he carefully lifted his lover's lower body and stood up into a wide squatting stance, until he was in position to piledrive Danny into screaming submission. "Pillow for your neck, baby," he offered with a grin, reaching back to grab one and hand it to Danny. As his panting bottom adjusted it to cushion his inverted body, Roberto held onto the back of Danny's thighs, ready to give him some rough love. "Berto?" Danny asked, looking up at Roberto with earnest eyes. "Hmm?" "Be gentle," he requested. "Too late for that," the mechanic replied matter-of-factly. Danny squealed in response, wanting to slap Roberto but helpless in his upside-down, all-open posture. "DON'T!!" "That means yes, right?" Roberto continued, licking his lips. As his bottom boy yelped again, he rubbed Danny's airborne thighs. "Don't worry, baby. I know what I'm doing." "You better cum all over my face," Danny retorted. His man chuckled. "Oh, you're gonna get it all over your face, and your chest..." Roberto started fucking mid-sentence. "...and your stomach, and your cock..." His boy's quivering canal felt so good. "And your little hole too..." Danny started moaning, the force of his lover's thrusts pressing down on his flipped-over figure. The position left his hole completely open, and he relished the feeling of being dominated by the love of his life. "I'm gonna get you good, oh yeah..." the mechanic stud growled, widening his stance to get at a better dicking angle. The deeper penetration took Danny by thrilling surprise. "YES! Take me Berto!!" Roberto loved watching his throbbing prick slide in and out of Danny's loosened asshole. The sharp angle of penetration also put toe-curling pressure on his glans. He fucked on and on tirelessly, while below, Danny bit his fingers, thrashed his head to the side, and called the mechanic's name like a cheap whore. Bumping his groin against Danny's, the mechanic stud held on tight to the back of his lover's thighs and kept eye contact during the rocking intercourse, watching the bottom's face twist and stretch in torturous rapture. "Oh GOD don't stop!" The pleasure-filled minutes ticked by with heated thrusts and grunts. Danny took in the sight of Roberto's body through his topsy-turvy vision. He loved watching the triceps activate, the pectorals flex, and the hairy, rippling abs drip sweat down onto his own smooth, exposed figure. With each piledriving slam, Danny surrendered himself again and again to satiate Roberto. "FUCK ME!! Take my ass, Berto!" The building pressure in his groin threatened to spill over. "You ready for my cum, baby?!" the mechanic demanded loudly, breathing hard, soaked with perspiration from the nonstop anal plumbing. "Omigod YES cum all over me! YES I WANT IT!!" Danny hollered wantonly, about to go over the edge himself. "Here it...UHH!!" They came together. Roberto fired off the first of his shots in Danny's milking hole. He whipped out his massive cock from the clenching orifice quickly as the brunet's ejaculation exploded. The two cocks pelted crisscrossing, milky trails all over Danny's stomach and chest. Then the mechanic aimed his third spray at Danny's gasping face, dousing his fair features with his salty nectar. With his eyes closed, the brunet bottom acutely felt each load of fresh hot semen raining on his body and face. He wailed through his intense orgasm, convulsing on the messy bed as he shot creamy geysers onto his flat hairless tummy. Finally, when the last drops of their copious semen flew from their piss slits, Roberto stuffed his still-oozing glans into Danny's mouth and held on. The electric shock he experienced as his lover worked on his depleting dick almost toppled him over. Danny quickly grabbed Roberto's buttocks and stabilized him, while staying busy with sucking and swallowing the remaining cum from his hypersensitive cockhead. "FUCK!! Uhh!!" Roberto hissed. He endured the sweet torture, because he knew Danny absolutely lived for cleaning cock. A grueling minute later, below Roberto's exhausted, crouched-over body, the drenched young man released his lover's genitals and took a breath. "Is it too much?" Danny asked, looking up at Roberto with a dribbling facial. The muscular top grimaced with closed eyes, his panting breaths levelling out. "No baby...play with it all you want." Danny smiled and wrapped his mouth back around the softening cock with delight. He gave it long, hard sucks, from the base all the way up to the tip, inducing ab-tightening shudders and guttural cries from his man. They only compelled the brunet to keep sucking. "SHIT!! Sensitive, baby, sensitive!" Roberto whispered harshly. "Ahh-AAHH! Fuck..." Finally, a series of busy slurps and anguished moans later, Danny pulled Roberto's spent, rubbery dick out out his mouth and gently stroked the shaft, giving little licks to the glans. "That was so fucking hot," he murmured, looking up at his lover. He felt cum cooling all over his naked body, a coat of jizz expelled from both of their cocks. A droplet of semen leaked out of his used asshole. "Aw yeah..." Roberto agreed with a sweaty smile, his limbs weak from the fucking and the post-cum-head. As their breathing slowed to a regular pace, Danny piped up again. "Berto?" "Hmm?" "Did I miss a spot?" he asked with guileless eyes, one hand still on Roberto's dick, the other running across the mechanic's wet muscles. "On my face?" That made the strapping stud laugh out loud. "You're such a little cum slut.." he sneered, laying his firm body on top of Danny's, looking at his lover face-to-dripping-face. "You missed your whole face," he affirmed, then looked down the length of Danny's figure. Pools of semen glued themselves to the mechanic's furry body and stretched in gooey strings. "And your whole body." Turning up his innocent-boy act, the brunet inquired, "Can you help me clean it?" Roberto took one finger and began sweeping the globs of cum on Danny's face into his hungry mouth. He loved watching his boy savour and swallow every goopy load. "It's tasty," he purred. ----- The next day, Danny went to the annual Big Fair by the lake with Richie, his tattoo artist boyfriend Trevor, and Simon. The copywriter was almost going to cancel when his mechanic stud said he had to go to some "mechanic's conference" at a nearby city. But then Danny thought it would be good to get out of his home, his new home with Roberto, and to take his mind off his mother. Also, it had been a yearly tradition between him and Richie to go to the Fair since they were little. Keen to rebuild his friendship with his lifelong pal, Danny knew how important it would be to attend. Though it was October, the weather was still warm. It was perfect for a day outdoors spent playing midway games, riding the ferris wheel, and eating junk from the enormous food building. In the busy, family-filled afternoon, the group found themselves in the lineup to a crazy spinning ride. Richie turned to Simon and asked, "So, what are you gonna do?" He was talking about Jae and Luke. The black musician did his trademark headshake and forehead slap. "I dunno. What would you do?" Richie's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "I'd jump on both of them, then ask if they were down for a threesome!" While everyone laughed and a father in line behind them gave Richie a dirty look, Trevor, sporting asymmetrical blue hair, commented, "Such a shy, demure flower, this one." "What about you, Danny? What would you do?" Simon asked. "I...I dunno." The copywriter hesitated, thinking. "`cos I would probably get attached to both or something, and then..." He finished with a frown on his face. "Yeah, exactly!" Simon agreed, nodding. "It'd get messy, and the last thing I want in my life right now is a mess." Quietly, Danny muttered, "Well, it depends on the kind of mess..." Just like old times, Richie didn't miss a beat to tease his oldest friend. "Tell us, Danny," he goaded loudly, "What kind of mess do YOU like??" The father waiting in line cleared his throat and glared at Richie again. He turned around to Trevor and mocked the middle-aged man's stern expression. "Unlike you," the tattoo artist said with a chuckle, "Danny is a freak in the sheets, but a lady on the streets." It was their turn to go on the ride. While Richie and Trevor were fighting over who would sit on the outside seat and thus get crushed once they reached top speed, Danny and Simon took the opposite approach and offered each other the inside seat. It took the cute teen operator coming around to lock the doors to force them to sit their bums down. Simon ended up on the outside. As soon as the ride started, the two of them regretted getting on. "Omigod...AAHH!" Danny screamed, trying hard not to. "Sorry!!" he screeched, as the centrifugal force pressed his slim body against Simon's. Simon was crushed but couldn't stop laughing at Danny's `get me off this ride!' face. In front of them, Richie and Trevor raised their arms and hollered. When the ride ended, Danny took slow, wobbly steps off the ride, holding onto Simon's shoulder for support. Richie bounded out like nothing happened and asked, "Who wants to go on the Drop Zone??" The musician and the copywriter both pursed their lips and shook their heads. "Wimps," the blond groaned, grabbing Trevor's hand and starting to walk. "Honey," the tattoo artist asked, "Why don't we play some games at the stands? You know I've got good aim." Simon caught the cheeky glance that Trevor shot at Richie. "Nah, it's a cash grab," Richie replied. "Danny and I come here every year and we've never won anything." "What?!" Danny interrupted as they walked towards the midway booths. "Richie, don't you remember we won that big mermaid doll?? We actually won the ring toss after spending like $50!" "Oh yeah!!" he responded, turning around to the brunet. "And then I lost the doll." "Doofus," Danny said under a fake cough. Suddenly, it began to feel like old times again. Simon observed the direction they were heading in. "So I guess we're heading to the food building..." he said with a grimace. The brunet and the blond met each other's eyes. "Deep fried, all the time!" Simon shuddered. "Well, I'll be eating my own food. I'll wait for you guys outside?" "What?!" Richie exclaimed. "Simon, sit with us. Omigod, it would make my day if you actually had a bite of deep fried butter." "Deep fried butter?!" the musician questioned in disgust. "Death on a stick," Trevor clarified. "Some people have no idea," Danny sighed, snapping his fingers and shaking his head. "Yeah, wait till you get to 30 and suddenly, it's not so cute anymore. It takes work to maintain abs," Simon warned and complained simultaneously, smoothing his hand over his stomach. In front of him, Richie stopped and turned around. "Have you seen his abs?" he asked Danny with eyes wide open. The copywriter turned to Simon with similarly wide eyes, then smirked. "Show and tell! Show and tell!" Richie chanted, clapping. Danny soon joined in. Rolling his eyes, the black musician looked around warily, then lifted up his polo shirt. Danny was surprised and impressed by how cut and perfectly proportioned Simon's six pack and obliques were. He cheered loudly with Richie and Trevor. "I'm still not going in that building," Simon declared, his cheeks flushed. "Oh, c'mon!" Danny exclaimed, as he and Richie pulled the black musician into the massive junk food centre. Inside, the odour of deep-fried grease saturated the air. Danny and Richie excitedly bounded up to each food vendor to check out what calorie-overloaded fare was on offer. Simon looked at the pictures of the food being served. He thought the food looked like artifacts in an avant-garde gallery exhibit. After a round tour of all the food stands in the circular, single-storey building, the pair of reformed best friends each bought a stick of deep fried butter and shared a donut burger. Simon had to look away as Danny and Richie bit into their crunchy, dripping meal; he promptly lost all appetite. The musician opened his messenger bag and looked for the banana he brought to snack on. As he rummaged, he heard someone call his name from behind. "Who's that?" Richie whispered, squinting his eye at the stranger. And then it hit him. Simon turned around. "Jae!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" "Just checkin' out the Fair, man!" he responded in his sunny manner. For a moment, Simon wasn't sure how to feel. The last time they saw each other was weeks ago, and Jae basically said he wanted them to be fuck buddies. Since then, they hadn't talked or texted each other once. But as the athletic Asian opened his brawny arms wide and moved in for a hug, the musician couldn't resist the physical contact. He savoured the warmth of Jae's tall, buff body. "Are these your boys?" the Korean asked after the embrace, nodding at Danny, Richie, and Trevor. He promptly introduced himself and shook hands with them all, while Richie shot quick winks at Simon. This was also when Simon saw Jae's friends, three girls and one guy who stood some distance behind the Korean. "Hi, I'm Simon," the musician offered politely to Jae's friends. He hated making introductions and small talk. There were no handshakes with this early-20s hipster group. "How do you know Jae?" one of the girls asked after names were introduced, then quickly forgotten. "Oh, I know his roommates." "Oh yeah, those guys..." the girl continued, looking to the side, nodding. Soon she was chatting amongst her friends, with her back to Simon. Meanwhile, Jae was charming the pants off of the musician's friends; business as usual. Much to Simon's amusement and annoyance, the Asian jock was having a moment with Danny and Richie over the deep fried goodness on offer in the food building. "Simon, you haven't had one of these?!" Jae asked in surprise, holding up a stick of deep fried butter. The musician shook his head and moaned, "Ugh." That was when a devilish glow flickered in Jae's eyes. He started walking towards Simon, the stick of pure artery cloggage held in front. "C'mon, it's so good," he teased, ready to feed the 31 year-old. "Don't you DARE!" Simon declared, backing away, his hand outstretched. But then Jae grabbed his hand, and he went still. "C'mon..." the young hunk said, raising the deep fried butter to Simon's lips. With a quick roll of his eyes, the musician opened his mouth and took it. He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly. Then his tongue darted out and swept up the crumbs that he missed. Jae's mouth hung open slightly, his eyes hypnotized by Simon's lips. "...damn, it's good," the musician said after swallowing. There was a shift in the stare between the two. Simon held Jae's gaze, and he was about to take another bite, when behind them, one of Jae's friends piped up. "Jae, c'mon, the dog show is starting soon!" Their moment broken, the Asian jock grinned and put his hand on Simon's shoulder. "Lindsey really wants to check out the puppies." Simon nodded. "Hey, are you guys hanging around for a while?" Jae asked the musician and his friends. "Umm, I dunno...maybe?" Simon replied. "They're doing fireworks tonight by the lakeshore. We're probably gonna check `em out...if you're around, come find us," the Korean suggested. Simon replied, "Sure, of course." "Text me," Jae said as he walked away with his friends, waving goodbye to Richie, Trevor, and Danny. Simon turned around quickly, lest he be caught staring at Jae as he left with his friends. He was greeted by Danny and Richie's arched brows. "Well then," Richie said with a wicked grin. "What?" Simon asked abruptly, starting to blush. "Nothing..." the blond continued, putting their food trays aside. "What??" the musician demanded again, as the group strolled out of the food building. They went around to several more booths, more rides, and a skating show, enjoying themselves as Danny and Richie bonded again. All this time, all Simon could think of was Jae. As the sun went down and the air got chilly, Trevor wrapped his arms around Richie. It was soon clear that everyone was ready to leave. Except Simon. "Dinner?" Richie suggested, looking at the group. "There's Chinese, Thai, and Italian places close by." As the others deliberated, Simon piped up hesitantly, "Actually, guys, I think I'm gonna stick around a bit longer..." "Yeah, we knew that," Richie responded matter-of-factly, then turned back to Trevor and Danny. "So Thai tonight? Okay!" The musician stood there blinking as the boys each took turns hugging Simon goodnight. "Play it cool. Be yourself. Don't think so far ahead," Richie advised his older friend. "Yeah yeah," Simon replied, rolling his eyes. When the boys left, he brought out his phone to text Jae. `Hey, u still at the fair?' Then came the part he hated: the uncertainty. Waiting for a guy to text him back. Not knowing whether Jae was still around. Whether he was still interested. And he wasn't looking forward to being around those elitist hipsters either. He hesitated between setting his phone on vibrate and turning up the ringer. Around him, families and hand-holding couples leisurely strolled through the Fair. He felt lonely, in the middle of the crowd. It was a feeling he knew very well: standing on stage, talking or singing into a mic, facing an audience who didn't give a shit. He just loved stepping up to the plate for life's curveballs, didn't he? Jae already stated where he stood. And he didn't even want to think about the possible drama with Luke at work. So far, the editor-in-chief had been completely professional since that dinner. But what if he tried to make a move? Then the SMS ring sounded and jolted Simon out of his fog of debilitating doubt. `Yo I'm at the shore! Fireworks r startin soon, come!' His heart jumped, and as much as he didn't want to look like he was rushing over to the lakeside viewing area, he well and truly was. It was funny how everything could change with just one text; before it, the Fair had become the loneliness place on Earth; but now, as Simon sped by a blur of midway booths, a rainbow of plush dolls, whirling rides with flashing lights, and children's laughter, he felt beyond excited to meet up with Jae, like he was zooming in closer and closer to the centre of it all. The cloud-free evening sky and the warm temperature was perfect for watching fireworks. When Simon reached the shoreline, it was dotted with people waiting for the pyrotechnics to start: families and friends chatting and laughing, some showing off their giant, hard-won toys on the boardwalk port, other wielding flashing wands and helium balloons. He almost leapt for joy when he saw Jae, by himself. His back was facing Simon, his arm leaning on the railing, his attention seemingly centred on the lake. Simon took a breath, walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. The athletic Asian turned around. When he recognized it was Simon, he flashed the musician a big grin, the same grin that had swept the musician off his feet since their first conversation in the kitchen. Before Simon could say hello, the first pop of firework sounded and echoed in the air. The musician's mouth hung slightly open; his eyes stayed steadfastly on Jae's smile, which was more vibrant than the burst of colour that erupted in the black sky. He was at a loss for words. The Korean jock cheered and pointed to the sky as a string of crackles reverberated from high above. Simon cast his eyes to where Jae was pointing, taking in the the spectacle of lights. To their left and right, there were whistles and claps all along the boardwalk. The night air was still, cool enough for a hoodie on top. Faintly, an orchestrated soundtrack drifted from the pyrotechnic boat to the masses. Simon wanted so badly to hold Jae's hand. He fought so hard to hold back. He also fought to stop his head from turning to look at the Asian hunk again and again, itching for another glance at his invincible smile. Iridescent flashes shot across the night sky, bursting into view from thin air. The blossoms of colour transformed in hue like airborne chameleons, morphing before their tone could be named or processed. Their forms, too, were kinetic but transient, never still, slipping away after fanning out gloriously for a second. Before there was any time to say more than "Wow...", a new wave of glittering spheres and comets ignited, starting the cycle anew. It was almost enough for Simon to be happy, standing there beside Jae, enjoying the spectacular fireworks. The musician didn't realize how quickly this blissful moment was passing until the pyrotechnics team went all out and the music swelled, signalling the final minutes of the display. It was like one big chaos of colour and sound, magnificently messy. Both of them cheered and clapped to the chaotic finale. And then it was over. The music ceased and the sky went back to black. "Aw man, I want more!" Jae exclaimed. A burning smell wafted through the air. "Yeah, that was incredible," Simon said. The young hunk turned to him. "What now, dude? Where to??" Simon shrugged. "I dunno. What do you feel like doing?" They looked at each other. There was a hint of hesitation on Jae's part, as if he thought of an idea he wasn't sure if he should express. "We can go for some food, maybe? If you're hungry?" Simon suggested. The Asian hunk sighed. "Ooh, I would, but I'm broke right now. And I have food back home..." His eyes lit up. "Hey, you wanna come over and have some? Nicole made some pasta and salad. We can download a movie on my laptop." "Oh, okay, sure," the musician replied, trying to play it cool. His mind immediately shot to a possibility, a possible...pastime that could happen, after food. He wondered if Jae was on the same page. He wondered if that was what Jae wanted to suggest in the first place. Just pasta and salad and a movie? ----- When they got back to Jae's house, they were both starving, and soon tore into the pasta, the salad, and other leftover bits in the fridge that Jae shared with his roommates Nicole, Julio, and Arthur. The others were either all out, or doing their own thing in their rooms. During the meal, the easy flow that coursed through Jae and Simon's conversation resembled the beginnings of a real friendship. Although Simon enjoyed talking with Jae, deep down this emerging layer of connection with the attractive Asian only confused his feelings even more. "I think it's harder to be a girl," Simon opined at one point in their conversation, feeling full from their hasty feast. Jae shot him an incredulous look. "Yo, are you serious?? Guys have it hard too." "Oh yeah? Like how?" the musician inquired with a grin. A serious tone suddenly washed over the athletic Asian's face. "Don't you ever feel like, sometimes, you're trapped?" "What do you mean?" Jae wiped his mouth on a napkin, then balled it up and dropped it on his plate. He took a breath. "It's become this `cool' thing for guys to be sensitive, and talk about our feelings or whatever. But, the fucked up thing is, when we do, it..." He thought for a moment, visibly getting riled up. "They can't handle it. There's this look that's like, disgust and disappointment. Like they'd rather us shut up and man up in the end." "Like, be sensitive, but don't be weak?" Jae clapped and pointed straight at Simon. "That's it! That's fuckin' it." The jock sat back. "And it's fuckin' bullshit." Simon smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But don't you think women have their boxes too?" "Yeah, of course, it's hard for everyone. But I think there's more awareness about women's issues than men's issues." Jae puffed up his chest. "Like, what the fuck, men don't have issues!" They both laughed. "Well, I can tell you it's a little different for gay men. Even more complicated," Simon began. "Sometimes it's cool because I feel like I don't have to fit into either box. But other times, it feels like the worst of both worlds." He felt like he was onto something. "Like, I'm gay, so I should be into fashion, and interior design, and musicals, right? But I'm not, and there's this stupid thing...I feel like some people judge me because I'm not gay enough." He waved his hands in front of him passionately. "But then, I don't make jock jokes or whatever, I don't like basketball, and yes, I am sensitive, and I have a high laugh, so I'm not man enough. Then on top of that, people look at me..." "Listen, you wanna come up for a bit?" Jae interrupted. He cleared his throat, looked around the kitchen, then directed his eyes at Simon. "Sure," the black singer said, trying not to sound too excited, trying not to go into mental overdrive. The walk upstairs was wordless; Simon used his golden ears to listen for the presence of Jae's roommates, but heard nothing. They made their way to the Korean hunk's room. As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut and locked, they kissed. Finally. Simon felt Jae's lips pressed passionately against his. Their tongues darted and rolled over each other, lost between discovery and dominion. Standing on tiptoes, the musician grabbed the back of Jae's head and pushed their faces closer together, their mouths pressing tight against each other. The taller jock moaned and kissed hard. Maybe he was just really horny, or maybe he was trying to show Jae such an amazing time that the Korean would have no need to look elsewhere for sex. Simon let his mind loose, and he let his body realize whatever fantasy was swimming in his head. So he went and bit down on Jae's beefy upper arm. The younger hunk squawked in surprise. "Shit!" "Did I hurt you?" Simon asked hurriedly. "Uhh..." Jae looked lost between astonishment and arousal. "This'll be better..." he muttered, planting a kiss where he bit down, then gently trailing up those big, hard biceps and triceps with his lips and tongue. Continuing to follow his lewd imagination, Simon snaked his hands under Jae's baseball tee and began groping the Korean's smooth, muscled body. Meanwhile, his own penis, trapped behind his boxers and chinos, was rapidly filling up with blood. "Whoa...you're fucking horny, aren't you?" Jae breathed, closing his eyes, wobbling slightly under Simon's touch. The musician stopped his kisses and nibbles. "Aren't you?" he asked back. Before Jae could respond, Simon pressed his hand against the jock's crotch and cupped his package. "Uhh!" The strapping Korean moaned with hooded eyes. "I never thought you were such a freak..." Simon smirked and pushed Jae down on the bed. Hopping on top of him, the musician threw a burning stare at Jae, and held his gaze while he felt his way to the jock's zip fly. Jae's breathing quickened as he heard the zipper being pulled down. Then, the button holding up his jeans came undone. Above him, the randy musician grunted and pulled Jae's shirt hem up, yanking it forcefully over his head. As the Korean pulled the rest of his tee up and away from him, Simon dropped low and took his left nipple into his mouth. He sucked hard and bit down. "Ow!" Jae screeched. "Sorry, sexy..." Simon whispered, licking that reddened knob furiously, then sucking on it again as if it was his last meal. His hand reached for Jae's other nipple and rolled the soft, swelling nub between his thumb and index fingers. Titillated yet feeling helpless at the same time, Jae laid back with his arms stretched above his head and closed his eyes. He hissed when Simon's teeth and tongue switched to the other nipple. Soon, he felt hot fingers wrap around his hard cock through his boxers. It made him moan and open his eyes. The aroused black man leaning over him seemed to be a differently person from the Simon he knew, the quiet, polite, immaculately put-together Simon. Here instead was an aggressive sexual beast seemingly intent on devouring him whole. It excited him. Meanwhile, Simon really wanted to take out his own eight-inch cock and feed it to the young jock. But he wondered if Jae would be okay with that, if Jae had ever sucked cock, or even wanted to. So he crawled back and frisked out the Korean's banana dick. Before he swallowed that pulsing member, he looked up at the young jock. Jae's eyes were wide with anticipation, His breathing was shallow. Simon, seeing Jae so vulnerable, his need at the musician's mercy...Simon was overdriven with desire. He opened his mouth and took the dick. Though it wasn't the biggest cock he'd ever sucked, Simon enjoyed going down on Jae because his oral skills got big reactions from the young Asian. The bursts of moaning, the hands clenching the bedsheets, fingers that caressed Simon's head, and eyes that rolled back as the musician circled his tongue around the velvety glans...it all got Simon rock hard without touching himself. "Oh wow...oooh..." The musician pivoted the dripping prick out of his mouth and shot a searing gaze up at Jae. Their eyes locked, Simon tapped the younger man's cockhead against his outstretched tongue, cooling it down before he resumed vigorously milking it. In Jae's mind, there was a moment when he wondered if he was turning gay. But then Simon's velvety lips, supple tongue and his mind-numbing sucking took all of his attention. As Simon worked his tongue and lips all over the banana shaft, he smoothed his fingers over Jae's tightening sacs and gently tugged. The gasp and soft whine he evoked urged him to do it again. Jae was like a lump of putty, albeit exceptionally well-shaped putty, by the time Simon went for the deep throat. The athletic Asian moaned loudly, gripping the bedsheets, and cursed in drawn-out mumbles. Simon gave Jae his best, working hard not to gag, at the same time enjoying the curved girth as it slid down and tickled his gullet. The musician himself moaned as he took pleasure from sucking, licking, kissing Jae's cock. Whenever he looked up at the blissed-out jock, he felt thankful that he was able to wrap his thick lips around such a sexy hunk. The singer's hands slid up under Jae's baseball tee and groped impressive pecs. Overdriven with yearning, Simon circled his fingers around the sharply defined muscles, tweaking the erect nipples at the centres. "FUCK you're gonna make me blow!" Jae exclaimed, lifting up Simon's face by the chin. His dick slid out of the black singer's mouth, dribbling with saliva. "What you gonna do about it?" the musician challenged, a curl on his lips. The young jock's mouth popped open for a second, but he soon let his brawny arms do the talking. Simon was lifted up, then flung onto the bed face-first. It squeaked in protest as Jae then pressed his body down on Simon's. When he parted the black man's plump ass cheeks and jammed his curved prick against the sphincter, the already-tight opening clenched. "Ow! Stop! We need lube!" the musician howled. "What are you gonna do about it?" Jae mocked above him. Simon then tried to move his arms, but the athletic Asian grabbed them at the wrists and pinned them onto the soft mattress. The precum from Simon's squished hard-on began to make a small puddle on the sheets. "Jae, I mean it! I need lube," he repeated. Jae moved his lips right beside Simon's ear. "Say please," he demanded. "Please." "You said it too fast. Say it like you mean it," Jae shot back. Simon sighed in frustration. "Pleeease?" "Please what?" the Korean hunk whispered. "Please give me..." Before Simon could finish, Jae gave a tantalizing lick on his earlobe. In his head, he recalled how freaky Simon was the last time they hooked up, which was also their first time. He thought back to the ambush, how he woke up with his dick already in Simon's mouth; how incredible Simon's blowjob was; how eagerly the slim, handsome black man sucked his dick; how unexpected the snowballing session was at the end. This time, he was gonna show Simon up. He was gonna out-freak him. "Beg for my cock," he ordered. Simon closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of air. "Please, your cock...I want your cock," he moaned. "Beg for my cock in your ass," Jae continued, a slight tremble in his voice from anticipation. "Please put your cock in my ass." As he began to reach towards his nightstand, easing his bodyweight on Simon, he instructed, "Beg me to fuck you like a bitch." The musician immediately tried to get out from under, but Jae's quick, athletically-honed reflexes overtook him. The younger jock seized Simon's shoulders and slammed him back down. "Do that again and I'll just jam it in," Jae growled. "Have fun telling my roommates tomorrow why you were screaming like a hyena." To prove his point, the Asian kneed Simon's thighs apart and pushed his bobbing boner hard against the musician's rosebud. A sliver of pain shot up the black man's spine. "OW! OW okay I'll stop!!" Above him, Jae stilled. "Gimme the lube," Simon implored. "What do you need to say?" There was a pause. ...then Simon knew. His cheeks flushed as he muttered, "...fuck me like a bitch." The strapping Korean leaned over to get the lube. "Say please," he demanded. "Please fuck me like a bitch, Jae," Simon whispered, burying his head in the pillows. "You asked for it," Jae taunted. Then, it seemed like an eternity followed while Simon waited for for his surprisingly rude and stern top to administer the slick balm. He heard the unscrewing of the lid, the soft squishing of the jelly being squeezed out, and then, silence. Until he felt a ringing slap on his buttock. Just as he yowled in shock and pain, the athletic Asian rammed two lubed fingers up his back door. "AHH!" "I'm gonna make you scream," Jae threatened thrillingly, quickly thrusting his digits in and out. Meanwhile, Simon tried to open himself up, concentrating hard on relaxing his anus. After a minute or so of squelching and heavy breathing, Jae sneered, "See? You're loose like a fucked pussy now." Simon turned his head with a frown. "What the fuck..." "I said your pussy's ready to be fucked!" The Korean jock pushed Simon's face to the pillow, determined to show that he was the freaky boss here. He snapped his pelvis forward and the head of his shaft breached through the lubricated orifice. He didn't stop pushing in when he heard Simon's muffled scream, only slowed his invasion, sinking deeper and deeper into the musician's rectum. Simon began whimpering, getting filled with young studly cock, subjugated by Jae's muscles and demeanor. He loved it. Seconds later, the dominant top grunted, feeling Simon's delectable, plump ass cheeks press against his hairy pelvis. Beneath him, Simon exhaled, relieved that Jae was all the way in. "You took it like a good bitch," the Asian remarked. He bent down to give Simon's earlobe another quick lick, making his bottom shiver. The hot, gripping sensation was just too good for Jae to stay still. So he began pumping, much to Simon's pain and pleasure. "Easy!" the black singer complained, gripping the sheets. In response, the Korean braced his knees on the bed and fucked deeper, harder. Simon cried out desperately, having no choice but to submit to the dicking with gritted teeth and clawing fingers. "I said I was gonna fuck you like a bitch!" With each thrust, Jae felt a delirious ache raced through his curved shaft. Simon's asshole seemed to cling to his member, refusing to let go. The powerful suction compelled him to fuck harder; he began slamming into his bottom bitch. His pelvis smacked loudly against the singer's bouncy buttocks. "JAE! FUCK! Slow down!" Simon begged in a pinched voice, burning from the anal ramming. With one more deep push to the greasy hilt, Jae decided he would go easy on Simon...for now. He withdrew his banana dick slowly, all the way up to the crown of his gooey glans, then gently slid it all the way back in. He didn't stop until his thick, moist pubes flattened against Simon's bum. He did it again, patiently pulling out, then slowly plunging back in. The anal canal slid over his pulsing prick like a form-fitting glove. Settling into this easier rhythm, Simon began to sigh in falsetto. At first, they were short, breathy, barely audible utterances. As the perspiring top continued to draw his erect cock out right to the tip, then plumb it back into the loosened rectum, the mewls developed into longer hums and ahhs. The high notes stretched longer and longer, the pitches began to bend, and gradually, words formed from Simon's shaking mouth. "Oh Jae don't you fucking stop...oh Jae..." It really turned Jae on to hear Simon call his name like that. He wrapped his big arms around Simon's tingling body and lifted his torso up, until they were both kneeling. Instantly, Simon turned his head, hungry for Jae's lips. The young hunk met Simon's open mouth and kissed hard. Their eyes met. It was then that Simon realized he was in trouble. He could feel it in his heart. "I'm cumming, I'm cumming!" he hollered Ribbons of white cum flew from Simon's steely eight-incher, soaking the pillow and the bedsheet. Jae was so engrossed in Simon's ejaculation that he stayed still and watched with wide eyes. "Shit, dude..." "Oh God! Oh fuck!" The cock filling his ass only made him cum harder. As he fell forward and collapsed on the bed from the dizzying orgasm, Jae flipped him over and penetrated him again in missionary, his own cock still needing sweet release. Simon screamed, everything below the waist extremely sensitive. He cried out at the top of his lungs when the lustful Korean above him got on his toes and power-fucked with no mercy. "JAE! JAE OH GOD!!" Simon's vision was being blinded by the acute ache from the rectal hammering. It didn't take long before Simon's contracting hole milked the cum out of that Asian banana dick. Jae thrusted wildly as he went over the edge, a fresh coat of sweat emerging all over his body. His yells were guttural and mad as he unloaded shot after shot in the black musician's pillaged hole. Below him, Simon felt like he was about to pass out, the genital pain and the rough rocking overwhelming him. Then he felt Jae's buff body fall on top of his, powerless, burning hot, slick with sweat. Instinctively, as the two of them laid panting, Simon wrapped his still-limp legs around Jae's wet waist. The Korean grimaced, trying to release his drained cock from the black man's rectum. "Stay inside," the musician whispered, holding Jae tight. Simon could feel the residual shudders and groans from his dominating top, who had now turned into a mewling ball of exhausted flesh. ----- Several days later, Danny came home from work and had some free time on his hands. He had a free hour to go before he and Roberto were to head off to the baseball game that Fred invited them to last week. Grabbing a drink of water, Danny looked around at his half-moved-in state. His daily essentials were basically all set up. His computer, though, wasn't yet; they needed to buy a desk for it, something that would fit in the bedroom. Same for his clothes: they needed a shelving unit for the closet, or even a new wardrobe. "Two, to be safe," Roberto joked. He thought about what to do for a while, before he had to pop the big bowl of stir-fried beef, the dinner that the mechanic had cooked in advance for tonight, into the microwave. His man wouldn't be home for another forty-five minutes. Gradually, Danny's eyes drifted towards Roberto's belongings instead of his. He thought about ways to more room for his stuff. `Well,' he thought, `his fitness magazines can go down to storage.' Roberto had a monthly subscription, and Danny noticed that very rarely did the mechanic ever reread an issue after excitedly going through it for the first time. So he packed them in a vacant moving box and took it down to their basement storage. When he got back upstairs, he was invigorated to continue on his organizational beat. His next project: Roberto's vast collection of workout equipment. Piled in the den, Danny had never seen Roberto use 90% of the gear. There were sandbags, medicine balls, resistance bands, endless free weights, and an assortment of other stuff. Danny knew what the latest purchases were; the rest of the gear had basically been gathering dust for months. So he grabbed as much as he could lift, and made a couple of trips down to the basement. After the second trip, he had to stop because his arms, legs and back all burned and couldn't take anymore. As Danny sat down to rest, he glanced at the kitchen clock. Roberto should be back home soon, so after a quick minute of downtime, he went to the fridge and got dinner ready. By the time Danny had changed into casual clothes, set the table, and put together a fruit salad, the lock turned on the front door and in came the mechanic stud. Danny threw a quick glance around the apartment before going up to his man. He was feeling pretty proud of himself. "Hey Berto," he sweetly greeted, giving his mechanic a deep kiss. Roberto kissed back and dropped his tool bag. "Hey baby," he replied, wrapping his arms around Danny's waist. He locked eyes with his boy. "It sure is nice to come home to someone," he sighed. Danny beamed the biggest smile he could muster. He felt so happy that he was certain he emanated a heavenly glow. "How was your day?" the copywriter asked. "Good," Roberto replied with a grin. "Are you excited for the game tonight?" Roberto shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I'm not really into baseball," he answered, turning Danny around in his arms and slowly pair-walking the two of them into the kitchen. "I didn't think you were, either." "I'm not. But Fred invited me and I thought it'd be nice to go together." Roberto nuzzled his boyfriend's neck and nodded. "Looks like dinner's ready," he whispered, his mouth beside Danny's ear. "Um hmm." They sat down at the table and quickly started eating, aware that they had to leave in about fifteen minutes. After they both had a few platefuls of food, Danny said, "So, I did some cleaning tonight." Roberto looked around. "Did ya?" He couldn't notice the difference. "Yeah, I, uh..." the brunet fidgeted. "Y'know those fitness magazines that you don't read anymore? Well, I put them down in storage." Roberto stared at Danny. "Wait, why did you do that?" The younger man swallowed. "Well, I thought I'd make more room for the wardrobe. Or two, like you said," he offered with a smile. "You didn't need to. We have room." Danny noticed that his man had stopped eating. "Well, you weren't reading them anyway..." "Doesn't matter. Don't move my stuff without asking me," he snapped back in a clipped tone. Sweat itched Danny's neck and back. He didn't expect this reaction. Roberto tilted his head. "Did you move anything else?" he questioned tersely. It was now Danny's turn to stop eating. "Yes, I moved some of your workout stuff. They were just sitting there in the den. I moved..." Without another word, the mechanic got up from the table and headed towards the den. Danny hurriedly followed. "Why did you move the weighted bags??" Roberto demanded as he looked around the stacks of boxes inside the small room. "It-it's been there for months and you never touched it," Danny answered, stammering slightly. "Look, I left the..." "I've been using them! I just put them back in the box after," the mechanic countered, turning around with a stare. "I-I didn't know. I thought..." Roberto turned back to his equipment and looked further. "You moved the resistance bands too." "Yes, and some weights," Danny continued. He crossed his arms and looked down. "Fine, I'll go get them now." At this, the mechanic stopped and rested his arms on the shoulder-high piles with a frustrated sigh, his back to the brunet. "Forget it. We gotta go." Wracked with shame, Danny stood still, not wanting to mess things up even more. After a few seconds, Roberto turned around. "C'mon! Let's go!" he urged, waving at Danny to start moving. In a flash, the evening had turned from delight to darkness. The drive to the stadium was oppressively uncomfortable, both men silent and staring straight ahead. As they turned onto the boulevard that led to the massive sports building, they were caught in a deadlocked traffic jam. Roberto cursed and exhaled. The urge to ditch their plans, pull a u-turn, and blast onto the 305 instead overcame him for a second. Beside him, Danny quietly asked, "Are we gonna be late?" "Yeah," Roberto replied in monotone. "Should we call Fred?" the brunet asked, stealing a glance at Roberto. The mechanic looked at his phone mounted on the dashboard. He tapped on the touchscreen to call his best friend. "Hey man, what's up?" Fred's friendly voice greeted amidst a wall of crowded noise. "Hey Fred, we're caught in traffic on Front. We'll be there in twenty minutes." "Oh yeah? The game's about to start...'kay, call me when you get here." "Okay, thanks." They were inching towards the stadium at a snail's pace; Danny was sure it would've been faster to walk there. In fact, at that moment, he felt compelled to get out the car and do just that. The shame he was feeling began to turn into annoyance, then anger. `Why is he treating me this way?' Danny thought. `It's just workout stuff he wasn't using anyway.' He folded his arms and glared out the window, at the throngs of pedestrians making their way across town. `He asked me to move in. I'm just helping him clean up and get organized. How can he be so ungrateful??' Meanwhile, Roberto rolled his eyes and wished this wasn't happening. `Ugh. This is why I don't do relationships. It ALWAYS gets complicated.' Though he was in a foul mood, the mechanic quickly reminded himself that he loved Danny, that he'd lost him once and wasn't going to lose him again. Still, he was waiting for Danny to apologize. Twenty minutes turned into thirty, until they finally rolled their way to the entrance of the stadium parking garage. Once through the automated gates, it then took circling down three floors before Roberto could find a parking spot. By then, both of them just wanted to get out of the car. As he locked the doors to his red Lancer, Roberto considered saying sorry first. Then he saw that Danny walked ahead briskly to the elevator without waiting for him. He decided his boy didn't deserve the nice gesture. In the elevator, they still weren't talking to one another. Roberto looked at Danny and saw the indignation written all over his face. The younger man didn't make eye contact, until they arrived at the seating floor. Danny sped out of the elevator, taking hurried steps, then stopped when he realized he had no idea where he was going. In the noisy hallway, where baseball fans crisscrossed in droves, he turned back and glared at the mechanic, who was on the phone calling Fred. "Hey Fred, we're here," he said, staring back at Danny. "Okay, thanks," he continued, then hung up. Just as Danny was about to turn around, Roberto grabbed his arms and stopped him. "What is it?" he asked. "You know what." "Why are you so angry?" "You know why," Danny spat. "No I don't." Roberto pressed on, tightening his grasp on the brunet. "Stop," Danny demanded, wringing his arms away from Roberto's grip. "Let go of me." The hurt expression on the mechanic's face drilled right into Danny's heart. "Guys, what's going on?" a voice demanded behind them. It was Fred. He looked at Roberto and Danny with sharp eyes, sizing up the situation. "Hey buddy, sorry we're late," the mechanic quickly said, going up to the office manager for a hug. "How's Jen?" he asked, but before Fred could answer, Roberto patted his friend's back and urged, "C'mon, let's go." Fred stayed looking at Danny, who looked like he was about to cry.. "C'mon, Danny," he finally said, nodding towards the direction of their seats. Roberto had already walked ahead. Fred knew something was wrong. While the mechanic continued on in a brisk pace, Danny lagged behind. "Hey Danny," the office manager said, extending an arm around the brunet's shoulders. "How's it going?" Danny looked up and forced a smile. "Hey Fred. Sorry we're late. I..." He hesitated. "We got held up...by traffic," he stammered. "No worries. I'm just happy you made it," Fred replied warmly. Out of the corner of his eye, Roberto watched their interaction. "Thanks for inviting us," Danny muttered, meeting the mechanic's eyes briefly. They turned a corner and arrived at the bleachers, which were three-quarters full, stretching left and right in a giant oval. Danny was taken aback by how deep and wide and full of people the stadium was, as they descended towards their seats. In the faraway green, the game was already under way, with a runner on second base. "Have you ever watched a game here before?" Fred asked. "No, I've never been here," Danny answered, a bit stunned by the magnitude of the locale. "I've never watched a baseball game," he added. Several steps later, Fred stopped and turned into a row, shuffling past seated attendees. Roberto and Danny followed suit. Farther down, a woman looked up and smiled. "Hi Jen!" Roberto greeted with a crouched hug when they arrived at their seats. Fred patted Danny's shoulder and said, "Jen, this is Danny, Roberto's boyfriend." Fred's wife wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was dressed in a casual hoodie, but she looked radiant. The smile that welcomed Danny was warm, adorned with beautiful laugh lines. Her eyes were quick and keen, just like Fred's. "Hi Danny. Nice to meet you." "You too." It wasn't until the copywriter sat down that he noticed Roberto was seated three chairs away from him, on the other side of Jen and Fred. Danny had never felt so alone in the midst of thousands. As Jen made small talk with him, he tried to reply as nicely as possible. At one point, she asked, "So how did you meet Roberto?" When she saw the pained look on Danny's face, she quickly changed topics. It didn't take too much longer before the new mom stopped asking questions, giving Danny the space he needed. But it wasn't space that he needed. The game went on and on. Danny asked Jen a couple of questions about what was going on, but her answers didn't pique his interest. Soon, the cheering from every section, the random bursts of music that boomed through loudspeakers, the players that seemed to run on and off the field at random...soon, they all receded into the background, serving only to highlight his miserable solitude. His focus was acutely centred on the man who sat three seats to the left. Danny stole evasive glances at Roberto repeatedly, all unreturned, which further tormented the brunet. Roberto seemed to be talking to Fred as if nothing was wrong, as if he wasn't bothered in the least. Finally, some two hours since he sat down, Danny neared his breaking point. The two teams were tied and it was the sixth inning. "How many innings are left?" he asked Jen. "Three," Jen replied. "Unless if it's still a tie. Then they add an extra inning. They keep going until one team keeps the lead for one whole inning." Danny's stomach turned and sunk. Gloom blackened his thoughts and emotions. This unwanted piece of information was the last morsel of a simmering, churning stew, a vat of noxious negativity that had completely swamped and suffocated his day. He wished to be anywhere but there, three seats away from Roberto. He wished he was at work; with Richie; back at his parents'...well, maybe not. Even out on that baseball diamond, where he could sprint and scream out his frustration, arms outstretched. Naked, even. "I'm going to the washroom," he announced, standing abruptly. Roberto was the only one in the group who didn't turn and look up. Danny tried his hardest not to let his emotions show, and he began walking. "No, don't cry, no no no..." He hurriedly paced down the curving, high-ceiling stadium corridor, passing by a few patrons buying snacks and drinks from a concession stand. Soon he heard a roaring cheer from the bleachers. He really needed to find the men's room and douse his face before the tears gushed forth. When he finally found the washroom, he ran in and thrusted his hands underneath the automatic tap. But it was too late; he was already sobbing pathetically. He prayed that there was nobody in the stalls who heard his misery. `What happened?' he asked himself. He looked up at the mirror: his face was ruddy and streaked with tears. Pitiful. `This can't be love,' he thought. `Love isn't supposed to hurt like this.' He wondered why it couldn't always just be him and Roberto on the bed, naked, spooning, content. That was love. That was happiness. Wasn't it? `If this is how it's going to be from now on, I can't do it.' His breathing ragged, he looked towards the washroom entrance. `I don't wanna go back there. I can't take this anymore.' He shook his head and then he ran. He ran out of the bathroom, and ran in the direction where the sign pointed to the stairs. Then he turned and flew down the wide, spiralling steps, speeding past surprised faces and dodging bodies. He just kept spiralling and spiralling down, until the stairs ended and he saw big glass doors in front of him. Pushing out into the cold night, he stopped and realized he didn't know this part of downtown very well. So he pulled up his hood and started walking aimlessly, wandering past people decked out in wool coats and scarves. He strided through intersections big and small, under sober lights and stoic skyscrapers that didn't seem to care about his problems. He realized this was what he was best at: running away. Maybe it was all he knew how to do. It was a shameful realization. He had no idea how long he ambled through the streets. He didn't pay attention to street signs, so clouded was he by questions he didn't want to answer, truths he didn't want to face. At times he wondered if he was walking around in circles. Turning another anonymous corner, a blast of frigid wind cut into his face and he sneezed. He lamented leaving his gloves in the apartment. The cold had gotten severe enough for Danny to stop walking. He considered heading indoors to warm up, then spotted a twenty-four-hour coffee shop down the way. Once inside, he was relieved to find it devoid of customers. "Medium hot chocolate," he said to the half-asleep student behind the counter. When he got his order and sat down with his drink, the doorbell chimed. In walked a couple, a straight couple, laughing. Maybe the game had just ended and they came here for a post-baseball beverage. Or maybe they were on an amazing first date. Watching the young man and woman order two coffees, with arms wrapped around one another, Danny thought back to his first date with Roberto. `Wait,' he thought, `Did we even have a first date?' They didn't have a conventional courtship. The first time they saw each other outside of Roberto's auto shop, it was at a gay club. At the end of the night, after the mechanic drove him home in Danny's own car, the brunet sucked Roberto off, in the same car where he took family trips with mom and dad. Then, the next time they "hung out", Danny gave Roberto his anal virginity. They ate at a diner before going up to Roberto's apartment...now their apartment. Past midnight at a diner, eating all-day breakfast...it was as close as they got to a first date. A bout of spirited laughter drew his attention back to the present, to the downtown coffee shop he was in. A few tables down, the man was trying to grab the chuckling woman, who slapped her hands on his chest and pushed him away. That gesture reminded him exactly of what he would do to Roberto, whenever his man said something naughty. He would slap his wide, firm chest, just like that. Unexpectedly, he caught himself smiling. `What am I doing here?' He didn't have to watch these lovebirds flirt with each other. He had his own source of happiness. He had his own man, the love of his life. `What am I doing here??' Danny rushed out of the coffee shop. He was running again, but this time he was running towards Roberto, not away from him. `That's progress, right?' When he reached the big boulevard intersection, he quickly flagged down a cab. He was ready to go back home. He was ready to go back to Roberto. On the way there, Danny took out his phone. Almost two hours had passed since he left the baseball game. There were five missed calls, all from Roberto. It warmed Danny's heart to see the notification. Then he worried that Roberto worried. He scolded himself for setting the phone on silent, though he couldn't remember when he did that. By the time Danny unlocked the front door to Roberto's apartment, their apartment, it was way past his bedtime for a weeknight, and he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was to fall asleep, wrapped in Roberto's hard, naked body. The mechanic was up waiting. He had just sent Nadia an email. As soon as he heard the door unlock, his heart jumped. "Where the HELL were you?!" Roberto demanded, stomping right up to Danny. Danny just looked down and shook his head as he walked into Roberto's arms. "Where did you go?! Why did you leave??" he pressed, lifting his lover's face. His heart was pounding. The short, slim brunet continued shaking his head. He closed his eyes and buried himself in the mechanic's embrace. ----- ----- I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Mechanics of the Heart". The end is in sight, but not before more drama and more filthy, nasty sex! Feedback is always appreciated at chicostodos@gmail.com. In return, I'll keep you updated with the latest exploits of Danny, Roberto, Simon and the gang :)