Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 12:59:08 EST
From: LaelSt@aol.com
Subject: Near Collision: Chapter 8

Usual disclaimers concerning who should read what and whether or not it is
legal for you to do so, so forth and so on. This is a work of fiction and
should be treated as such.

After a lonnnnnng delay and many anguished days away from the computer,
here is the next chapter in the Eros saga. Forgive its lateness. Special
thanks to Fred for editing on incredibly short notice. *hug* :) I am
keeping this short, so go read!


"Near Collision"
                    By Lael Stalnaker


Chapter 8: Filling in the Gap


  Eros landed in the garden at the center of the
wondrous marble structure. No trace of the gigantic
cloud formation showed, which supported the grounds
everything rested on. Even the movement of the palace
could not show noticeably once on the ground here.
Roses, hyacinths, cypress, magnolias, laurel, jasmine,
honeysuckle and many other flowers and plants all
blended together into an incredible scent and sight in
this garden. Waterfalls fell into pools that, in turn,
surrounded grottos suitable for privacy or company, as
desired. Paths wound throughout, leading strollers on
roundabout journeys all over the garden.

  Marvelous marble statues stood within sight of the
smooth cobble stone trails. Comfortable benches placed
always near at hand so that an observer would be able
to sit and really study a piece of sculpture at their
leisure and to their heart's content. All periods of
art and cultures were represented, based on their
beauty and suitability to the section of garden that
they were placed in. The background flora always
enhanced the piece of art that graced the nearby path.
No sculpture or statue stood within sight of another,
keeping them from competing with each other
unnecessarily. Occasional marble arches or grape arbors
spread over the path. Spectacular wind chimes, hung
from random trees and arches, added sound to the
assault on a visitor's senses. They blended well with
the splashing and burbling of the waterfalls into the
plentiful pools and ponds.

    Jewel toned hummingbirds flitted from flower to
flower, while bees tended the flowers side by side with
them. Butterflies wafted on gentle breezes. They lit
the air, just as magnificent as the hummingbirds, if
not more so. Incredible iridescent blue butterflies
from the Amazon Basin flew within spiral patterns of
Swallowtails and Monarchs. Dragonflies hovered over the
pools, as brightly colored as the rest. Ornamental fish
swam in the pools and deer grazed in glades. Swans,
also plentiful, glided in pairs on many on of the
pools. Flights of doves often took to the air. The
gardens actually seemed larger than the space
indicated. Still, in the Dream Realm, all things must
be possible, therefore all worked together.

It hardly seemed possible that one would not get lost
in this garden. It rivaled the ancient wonder of the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The only mitigating factor
to prevent total disorientation: the plainly visible
palace itself. It could be seen from any part of the
garden, day or night. Anyone could see into the garden
from the second floor balcony that went all the way
around the inner court. Beautiful stonework invited the
eye to linger on it when the gardens palled. Tiny
friezes became life-size, on closer examination,
moments of passion from history and fiction from
throughout the world. They blended in a way that caused
them to enhance each other, rather than conflict.

  Despite the universalness of the artwork and themes,
classical Grecian architecture dominated the actual
palace itself. The fluted columns were both inside and
out. Incredible pillar caps topped each. The appearance
of strength dominated the overall look of the
structure. Breezeways created an open air feel to the
entire building. The blue and gold veining of the
marble also lent itself to the magnificence. Massive
glazed windows appeared at regular intervals, on both
stories of the building. While not part of classical
architecture, they blended well with the overall look
of the palace.

  Skyler gawked at everything his eyes came to rest on.
This was certainly a home worthy of an Olympian god! He
turned in place, trying his damnedest to see everything
from just this one spot. Once it dawned on him that he
was attempting the impossible, he turned his eyes back
to Eros. Skyler grinned at him. Eros was just as
delighted with Skyler's reaction. It had been a very
long time since he brought anyone here. Eros took
Skyler by the hand to lead him out of the garden. So
far his plan worked just the way he envisioned it.

******

  Ethan continued to glare at Joshua. He did not back
down an inch as Joshua attempted to calm him. Ethan
shrugged off the hands that kept attempting to hold
him. He did not feel like being distracted from
anything this time. He began to walk forward. Joshua
had no choice but to back up or be stepped on, rather
forcibly, if Ethan's facial expression meant much.
'These twins are so volatile! Also very aggressive when
they feel the other has been threatened,' he musingly
thought to himself.

"Need I repeat myself? What happened to my brother?"
asked Ethan with even more vehemence than the first
time. Joshua found himself backed into a corner at this
point, literally. Ethan kept moving forward until his
nose touched Joshua's. He stared into Joshua's dark
brown eyes, unblinking. His anger was entirely
unmistakable. Joshua felt a chill run up his spine and
savored the new sensation. Being in entirely human form
was still a fresh new thrill for him and he intended to
enjoy the good, bad and indifferent aspects of the
experience.

"I honestly do not know, Ethan. Had I anything to tell
you, believe me, I would have said something long
before I ended up in this corner unable to breathe."

"Oh come on! You're trying to tell me that you don't
know what Bryce has done this time? Skyler tells me
everything. Bryce doesn't tell you his plans? I find
that hard to believe," Ethan pointed out. His hands now
rested on Joshua's shoulders, as if to keep him from
turning away.

  The contact between them began to cause a heat to
build. Not just a metaphorical one, but a real,
measurable one. Joshua flinched as Ethan dug his
fingers deeper into his shoulders. Ethan stared into
Joshua's eyes intently before finally letting go with a
shove. The temperature quickly dropped back to
something approaching normal. Joshua then realized that
the change had been reflexive on his part. The
attraction he felt for Ethan was running rampant
through his body. He was more aware of Ethan in these
brief moments than he had ever been of anything else in
his long existence. His inexperience with mortals in a
physical sense showed in the most original of ways.
Joshua's face nearly exploded in shades of flame and
heat as Ethan's eyes went down to Joshua's raging
arousal.

  Ethan raised an eyebrow as he studied Joshua. He
looked back up into those limpid brown eyes and almost
burst out laughing. The utter embarrassment that
flickered there was altogether too humorous for Ethan
to hold back. His rage now warred with his own
attraction to Joshua. Finally, after watching Joshua's
face for an eternity, Ethan gave up and grinned at him.
He backed up a pace to give Joshua some room and then
actually did burst out laughing this time.

  Both men jumped nearly to the ceiling as the phone
rang. Ethan debated with himself on answering it but
decided it needed to be picked up. He walked over and
slumped onto the edge of Skyler's bed. Indecision
recaptured him as he lost track of his original
intention. Worry for Skyler firmly gripped him again.
It rang two more times. Joshua moved quickly, picked it
up and handed it to Ethan. Ethan stared at it with a
strange dread.

*******

  Skyler was just as impressed with the inside of the
palace as he had been with the outside. Room after room
went by in a blur of impressions. As with the garden,
the inside was somehow larger, by many times, than the
outer walls had implied. The furnishings also kept with
the multinational theme that prevailed in most of the
outside carvings. Also, many modern conveniences found
in the best of homes, managed in this one to keep the
flow of line and intent. They in no way clashed with
the classical form of the building itself.

  As Eros led them through his palace, he made a point
of showing the worst of things along with the best. He
took great delight in Skyler's reactions to various
things and made note of what seemed to truly displease
him. After they had gone through the entire edifice,
Eros led Skyler to a series of rooms that Eros had
noted as being especially remarked on during their
earlier tour.

  It was a suite of rooms, a total of seven, which had
caught Skyler's attention firmly. They were furnished
in an Asian geometric style, with all cushions and
bedding in brilliant red against a black stained
lacquered wood. An anteroom was directly off the main
corridor, this room in turn led directly into three
others. From the right, it opened onto a sitting room.
To the left, it opened into the bedroom. If one went
directly ahead, the anteroom opened into a wonderful
library. Off of the bedroom were a beautiful bathroom
and also a separate closet area fully equal to any of
the other rooms. In an odd architectural twist of
reality, the library and bedroom had another room
annexed between them. The oddness was in the fact that
the room was twice the size of any of the others, but
still fit catty-corner. This was a private study that
could only be reached by the owner <user> of the suite.
Eros keyed ownership to Skyler and said nothing more
about how the room worked. All of these rooms were
gigantic by modern standards. Skyler fully intended to
examine them in depth later.

  Skyler finally realized that they still had no
clothes on. He blushed to the roots of his hair. Still,
it felt wonderful, in a way. He wasn't quite sure what
to think of all that he had seen. Too many marvels, too
much to process quickly. He had great ideas for his
thesis now. Eros led him back into his own personal
suite. There were far more rooms attached to this one
than to Skyler's, but that really didn't matter to him.
Eros waved a hand in the direction of an incredible
Roman sunken bath, which was really more pool than tub.
Cobalt blue tiles of varying shade created a subtle
classical Greek key pattern along its sides. Lighter
blue tiles led down into the depths of the pool and
culminated in a complicated interlocking circle done in
bright reds and yellows.

  Skyler saw ornate winged statue taps turn on, exotic
bottles of oils and salts uncap or uncork themselves,
towels floated to convenient perches near the water's
edge. The force of the water leaving the taps was
immense and soon filled the entire tub. Despite being
easily 20 feet across and 40 feet long, the 7 feet of
depth reached the lip of the tub in seconds. Physics
seemed to be awfully flexible here. Skyler nearly
jumped out of his skin as he felt invisible hands take
him gently by the elbows and lead him into the bath.

  It only then occurred to Skyler that Eros had
invisible servants. He frowned slightly at the thought.
Here he had thought they were alone all this time and
for all he knew they had been ogled from the moment
they got here. He turned to Eros, who had also been
escorted into the bath, with a deeper frown. He
definitely did not like that idea at all. His taste for
nudity ran more to the personal level rather than the
public one. Still the warm scented water began to
soothe him as Eros guided him to a tiled bench that ran
along the edge of the pool. They sat and soaked for a
luxuriously long time before Skyler broke the
comfortable silence.

"Shouldn't we go back?" Skyler asked, once the warm
water had begun to loosen his tense muscles.

"Oh. We will. Trust me, beloved. Time has little
meaning or hold over the Dream Realm. We will return
barely minutes from when we originally left. In fact,
we do not have to return to where we left from at all.
That is another surprise that I was saving for when we
do go. We can go back to anywhere in the mortal world
that you choose."

  Eros leaned back against the edge of the tub,
completely at ease. His wings still looked quite
serviceable. Perhaps they had the same water-repellent
properties as true swan's wings. Skyler relaxed his
angst and leaned into Eros' chest. His eyes then
wandered to the ceiling. He whistled softly to himself
at the mural that covered the entire surface, from wall
to wall. It was a scene of Nereids and Tritons sporting
erotically among the waves of Poseidon's realm.
Dolphins leapt and frolicked between scenes. Despite
the activity of the mural, it was very soothing
overall. Skyler felt very safe with Eros' arms wrapped
securely around his chest.

"This is all nice and everything, but why?" Skyler
finally asked, turning his head slightly on Eros'
chest.

"It seemed expedient. You are moving so quickly with
what you have learned; you might have stumbled onto
this without me being here to help you. There is a
limit though... you will have to be asleep to enter
this realm. You are still mortal and therefore limited
to normal mortal sleep. I, as an immortal, can simply
will myself here, waking or sleeping."

"So, this would've happened anyway?" a stunned Skyler
asked. He was beginning to get used to the feeling of
being pole-axed twice per day with new revelations and
information.

"Yes, I believe so. You have taken to the power granted
you in a most astonishing way. Other mortals never
fully understand or even use all of their abilities,
though they have them for decades. Even Psyche took
centuries..." Eros' voice trailed off. Skyler could
hear the pain in his last whispered words.

  Skyler turned slightly and snuck his arms around
Eros. He tightened his grip and laid his head against
the smooth muscled chest. He felt Eros set his chin
lightly on the top of his head. He could feel the
motion of sobs against his cheek. Skyler squeezed
harder. Eros' arms around him nearly convulsed with the
depth of sorrow that racked the winged body. Skyler
felt tears welling up in his own eyes in sympathy. It
was clear that Eros still loved Psyche deeply, even
after centuries of being parted.

  Eventually the sobs subsided. Skyler continued to
hold Eros tight. After a while, Skyler let Eros loose
and sat back up. He was looking with searching eyes,
into the deep brown ones that were now blotched from
crying. Eros smiled faintly at the intensity. He
stroked Skyler's chest with two fingers, up and down.
He then leaned forward and kissed Skyler deeply.

"It is time to go back, my love. We will go back to
just a few minutes after we left," declared Eros.

"OK. Though I wouldn't mind spending an eternity here
with you!" stated Skyler firmly.

  They both rose from the bench together. Water
streamed down off their bodies in warm rivulets. The
towels that had sat unnoticed at the side now floated
through the air to them, borne by unseen hands to
theirs. Skyler was still really uncomfortable with the
invisible nature of the phenomena. They dried quickly,
throwing the spent towels into the air, where they were
plucked out of mid-flight and carefully placed on racks
to dry.

  Skyler followed Eros into the sleeping chamber that
adjoined the bathing room. He couldn't help himself and
he reached out to the feathers in front of him. He
thrilled in the tingle that brushing against them
brought. Even here, in the dream realm, there was a
kind of phosphorescence to them. Eros' head turned and
he smiled. Skyler's heart thumped against his ribs as
his eyes locked with the immortal's. Eros held out his
hand to Skyler, who took it. Eros then led Skyler to
the bed.

  Eros drew Skyler down onto the bed and leaned back
into the ornate headboard. Skyler laid his head down
onto Eros' chest. His arms automatically crept around
the muscled body under him. He felt entirely safe as
Eros' arms encircled him lightly and he again leaned
his chin gently on the crown of Skyler's head. Skyler
felt his eyes drifting closed and he momentarily fought
against the encroaching sleep. Eros' hand soothed the
back of Skyler's neck in soft stroking motions. Skyler
lost his will and slept.

*******

  Joshua held the phone to his ear and then dropped it
into the cradle. The line had been silent, just the
hiss of an open connection with no one on the other
end. His haunted eyes stayed glued to Josh's. Josh
shrugged as if in apology for the useless maneuver.
Ethan felt all of the energy just rush out of his body
as the adrenaline left him. He felt weak and dizzy. His
limbs sagged under the sudden weight of remorse. Josh
jumped forward as Ethan collapsed down the side of the
bed and landed sitting on the floor, legs splayed,
hands covering his face. He knelt carefully and pulled
Ethan's head to his chest.

  Ethan surrendered to that without any fight. He just
didn't know what to think or feel at this point. Too
many shocks and surprises in too short of a time. His
head spun as he pressed his face against Josh's shirt.
Then he felt Josh stiffen under him. The arms holding
him relaxed and Ethan felt sure that something was up.
He pushed himself upright again and looked at Josh's
face. Joshua was staring at the bed intently. Ethan
turned his head and looked. A faint misty outline of
two forms began to take shape. Ethan's breath caught in
his throat as he began to hope that they were coming
back now.

  Ethan watched in fascination as Skyler and Bryce came
back into focus. It was the only way he could put a
word to the event in his thoughts. It was like when you
look through a camera or microscope, but before the
focus was adjusted. The entwined forms were blurry and
Ethan's eyes fought to shift away. Abruptly, the forms
solidified and came into crystal clarity with no
transition. Ethan's mouth gaped open as he realized
that both men were totally naked, very asleep and very
aroused. Josh's index finger shut his jaw for him.
Ethan blinked rapidly and turned back to Joshua. He
caught a twinkle there as he pushed himself up onto his
feet.

Joshua rose to his feet in a fluid motion. He took
Ethan's hand and led his quietly from the room. Ethan
had the presence of mind to pull the door shut on his
way through. A deep blush colored his tanned cheeks.
Joshua went down the hall to the living room and
plopped himself down onto the recliner. He threw a leg
over the arm and rested his chin on his knuckles. Ethan
threw himself down onto the couch and tried to get his
head back into thinking mode.

"Content, oh violent one?" asked Joshua archly.

"Uh, well, yeah. I am glad they are all right. I guess
I worried for nothing then, didn't I?"

"I am sure that your beloved brother will explain
things once they wake. Do your emotions always run so
heated? So extreme too! It must be exhausting," said an
amused Joshua.

  Ethan flushed again from the roots of his hair all
the way down to the base of his throat. He peeked at
Joshua from the corner of his eyes. Joshua was reclined
now, one leg still over the arm of the chair. It left a
certain bulge prominently displayed through the black
Docker's clinging lines. Ethan's blush deepened. He
mentally berated himself for the sheer amount of
blushing he had done this day. Ever since Bryce's
brother had appeared, Ethan had blushed more in the
last 6 hours than in the entire last 10 years combined.
Still, he found Joshua to be utterly irresistible.

  Joshua looked up and locked eyes with Ethan. He could
tell that something was troubling the mortal, but had
no idea what it could be. He mused on the intricacies
of mortal interaction as he watched Ethan's blush
finally fade. He lifted an eyebrow and watched a fresh
blush race over the handsome features of his newly
chosen. A grin quirked at the corner of his mouth. This
was going to be a true education in the ways of new
love.

"I forgot to mention something while we were at the
ocean," began Joshua. He wanted to see Ethan's reaction
to what he was about to say.

"Oh?" asked Ethan, interest quickly engaged.

"I am one of those immortals with more than one aspect.
Yes, the most commonly known one is of love rejected. I
also have another, less well-known duty. It has to do
with our birth, you see. Our mother, Aphrodite, felt
the Eros was unhappy and so gave birth to me as a
companion. Do not ask how she accomplished this, for I
have no idea. Nor do I understand why we are called
twins if I came so long after. But, she gave me the
aspect of love returned. The other one came after and
seemed to be the more commonly known one amongst the
mortals. The priests and priestesses knew both aspects,
the populace at large did not.

"So, you see, I have 2 sources of my being; love that
is spurned and love that is freely returned to another.
A balance, so to speak, of negative and positive. I am
justice for those that wither in the glare of rejection
and also the sponsor of those that love those who love
them. I take more joy in the latter."

  Ethan wrapped his mind around the new information,
dissecting, appraising, absorbing and setting it into
the puzzle that was Joshua/Anteros. He found himself
delighted for a change rather than pole-axed. Joshua
relaxed as Ethan smiled at him. That smile warmed his
innermost being in ways that he had never in his
lengthy existence encountered. He found that he liked
it. Intensely, in fact. Joshua's own smile nearly made
Ethan gasp.

"Well, that is good to know, Josh. It reflects a better
reality of the world," Ethan babbled.

"So, shall we do something, how should I say...
naughty?"

  Ethan blushed all over again. He really wanted
nothing else in the world, but he remembered Skyler's
warning about retaining himself. He thought furiously
for several seconds. He could see himself becoming
completely involved and losing sight of his own goals
and projects. All of his hard work for the last 6 years
could just vanish if he let himself surrender to what
he really wanted right now. His blush faded and he
locked eyes once more with Joshua.

"I think not... for now. I want to get to know you. I
want to be around you and learn what it means to be
your bonded in other ways first, before we take that
step. Believe me, I want you and I want us... but...
There are times and this is not the right one," Ethan's
voice trailed off. He feverishly hoped that he had not
just offended Joshua. He held his breath as he waited
for what Joshua would say in return.

  Joshua took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He
shifted uneasily and then had his own blush as he
realized the cause of that shift. His position was no
longer so comfortable due a redistributing of his blood
supply. He carefully removed his leg from the arm of
the recliner. He became more confused as the wash of
feelings surged through him. He had no idea why this
mortal form had so many of them, and at the same time
too! He struggled to identify as many of them as he
could so that they would not overwhelm him. It was a
race and he found himself both pleased and distraught
that Ethan wanted him, but wanted to wait. Frustrated
in a very evident physical way and touched in more
mental one that Ethan wanted more than just physical
gratification. Confused, aroused, intrigued, mystified,
vaguely unhappy, delighted: all surged upward from his
center in peaks and spikes. The morass was beyond his
experience. His breathing accelerated and he tensed up.

  Ethan watched, biting his lower lip. As the emotions
rippled over Joshua's face, he took pity. He rose from
the couch and knelt at Joshua's side. He took one of
the limp hands into his and kissed the palm. He looked
into Joshua's face intently. Joshua finally began to
get a grip on everything. The tide subsided, leaving
him feeling odd and disoriented.

"All I'm really asking is that we wait 2 more months
before going totally all the way. I need to finish
school. So does Skyler. Once that is out of the way, we
can devote all of our time to the problem Bryce has.
I'm saying this because I think I could lose sight of
myself with you. I'm afraid that I'll abandon all of
the hard work that I've already done. I want you more
than almost anything else in existence, but not at that
price. Can you wait for me?" Ethan's voice trailed to a
whisper as he hung onto Joshua's hand.

  Joshua was speechless. His throat closed tightly as
he swallowed down the cocky remark that had instantly
come to mind. Instead, he nodded. Ethan smiled and
Joshua's heart began to pound so much harder, also in
time with the throb in his groin. Ethan leaned forward
and kissed Joshua squarely on the lips. Joshua reveled
in the first voluntary contact that Ethan had made with
him. He became certain that the wait would be worth
every second as Ethan's lips branded themselves into
his memory.

*******

  Joshua pulled himself back to the situation at hand
and out of his memories of that night 2 and half months
ago. He watched the procession of the ceremony with
only mild interest, especially since Ethan had not yet
been called to receive his degree. He glanced quickly
over at Bryce next to him. Bryce had a secretive smile
plastered on his face. He had worked closely with
Skyler on getting things right in the final draft that
was finally turned in on the thesis.

  There had been a lot of things that filled the months
just past. Joshua zoned out on the ceremony again as he
mentally tallied up the events and changes for the 2
pairs. His eyes focused on the back of Ethan's head. He
was not in the least surprised when Ethan turned and
looked up at him without having to search at all to
find him in the bleachers. Yes, indeed, a lot had
happened. His mind skipped and danced erratically as it
recalled various things that interested him about the
past days and weeks.

  Skyler and Bryce had finally woken up and apologized
for not leaving word about what was happening. Rather,
Bryce had apologized and for some reason, Skyler had
just blushed furiously. Ethan was satisfied that it
would not be repeated. He had been fascinated with the
possibilities that the process of being physically in a
dream brought up. Joshua grinned to himself again as he
remembered some of those excited monologues that he
could hear Ethan having under his breath with himself.
The logical part of Ethan was enthralled with
explaining and integrating the abilities of the 2
immortals into physics. What appeared to boggle his
poor mortal head was how those same theories also had
to apply to his brother.

  Then there was the discussion on the Dream Realm and
explaining what it was and wasn't. They had gone round
and round over what it really was versus what modern
psychology said it had to be. The four had decided that
Morpheus had played an incredibly bad joke on everyone
and purposely incorporated mortal aspects into his
creation of the Dream Realm plane. Since he was
essentially unavailable for consultation, they were not
quite sure.

  Joshua almost laughed out loud as he recalled some of
Skyler's more spectacular experiments with his
abilities. Like the time he learned that it consumed
less energy to bring something to him that already
existed versus making it out of nothing. Skyler had
attempted to create some clothes in a hurry as he ran
to answer the front door. He willed a shirt and shorts
onto his body and then collapsed right as he opened the
front door. The sudden drain of energy had nearly
knocked him senseless. Plus the fact that this was his
first trial of such an undertaking. Joshua snickered to
himself. He had been the one at the door and caught
Skyler before he knocked his cute nose into the
doorjamb.

  Then there was the puzzle over what he was hearing
and what he was 'really' hearing. None of us had
realized that Skyler was hearing our thoughts. Clearly,
without any doubt as to whether he was mentally
deceiving himself either. That had startled Bryce and
me to no end. This mortal, fresh in his gift from my
brother, was finding abilities in far less time than
many newly minted immortals ever had! Many mortals
gifted so never found anything beyond a few simple
tricks and rarely did two mortals find nearly the any
like what another had.

  There was another rather humorous episode where
Skyler had transformed himself into an absolutely
beautiful Siamese cat. The transformation had been
something of a practical joke on his part and certainly
succeeded in startling the wits out of all. The real
fun came when he couldn't figure out how to get his own
form back! Spending a day and a half as a feline had
certainly changed Skyler's perception of how it felt to
be no more than a foot off of the ground. Even more so
on the indignity of being stepped on accidentally. The
pure insulted look he gave his own brother when his
tail got stepped on was plain as day, feline face or
not. Joshua personally thought the crowning insult to
the injury was when Skyler's arch-nemesis appeared once
more on the patio. Fur raised, tails bristled and ears
laid flat from both parties.

  Ethan told Joshua that his personal favorite
situation was when Skyler overreached himself and tried
to convert a favorite crystal sculpture into diamond.
He apparently had been unable to keep his thoughts
straight as he was trying this out. It flashed back and
forth between crystal and diamond for minutes, sweat
pouring down his face with the effort. He ended up with
an exquisitely shaped piece of coal. So much for modern
thinking being an advantage with immortal abilities. It
seems that too much education locked thinking in ways
most would never have ever known of. After all, what is
a periodic table of elements to such as them? When
Ethan explained it to Joshua, he was able to see what
the problem was immediately. Skyler had gone too deep
into thinking about what he was doing and focused too
hard on the fact that diamond is pure carbon. He might
have done better if he had focused on the crystalline
structure in addition to his atoms.

  Joshua continued to reminisce on Skyler's escapades
until he nearly choked on his laughter. He quickly
decided that he should stop or face Ethan's wrath if he
disrupted this day. He truly did not want his bonded's
ill will. Still, it was better than trying to focus on
this entirely silly ceremony. He felt Ethan's gaze
again and choked back an outright laugh. Bryce nudged
him in the ribs and looked sternly at his brother.

*******

  Bryce smiled to himself over Joshua's antics. His
brother still found mortals as daunting and mysterious.
Nothing they did made much sense to the immortal. He
was definitely learning though. The physical form he
now used was giving him one hell of a lesson in human
practicalities. Bryce almost laughed to himself. He
suppressed it viciously, not wanting Joshua to be able
to retaliate for the earlier elbow to the ribs.

  The memory that almost did him in with his own
giggles stayed right there in the forefront of Bryce's
memory. The image of Joshua coming to him in very
serious 'mortal' pain. Bryce had been totally
perplexed. Joshua finally spelled out the problem.
Bryce then having to explain what blue-balls were and
that he would have to handle that himself. Bryce had to
force himself to be compassionate. Joshua was not used
to assuming a physical form and therefore did not
understand the workings of his 'equipment'.

  In a weird twisted turnabout of mood, Bryce began to
think about the odd dreams and feelings of unease that
went with them. He had an overwhelming sense that he
needed to find his fellow immortals and fast. The
danger approached and he still didn't understand what
it could be. The dreams were very vague and unfocused.
They had no real form or order to them.

  He felt that if he could get the mortal twins to
help, perhaps more of the immortals could be found.
Bryce was grateful that this tedious business of their
schooling was now over. Skyler had promised to devote
his time to helping Bryce search out the missing ones.
His only hope, he felt, was to find others and see if
they had any other information. Joshua had similar
dreams but far weaker and had only been having them
since he took physical form. Nothing had come while he
had been in his non-corporeal one.

  Joshua had described a sense of feeling that even
Morpheus was threatened by whatever this was. Bryce
grumbled to himself about not being able to find Hypnos
on his couch nor Morpheus or any of his brothers within
their usual haunts within the Dream Realm. Bryce hoped
that whatever this threat turned out to be, it would
leave the Dream Realm intact. It was the best and
honestly, only, means of rapidly finding and gathering
the others. That Realm had to stay stable!

  Bryce's worry increased. Zephyrus did not understand
what the problem could be and refused to go one step
beyond the agreement they had made about guarding and
moving Eros' palace. Zephyrus would pay off his debt of
honor but would have nothing to do with anything else.
Bryce sighed to himself. He really wished that he knew
of a way to bring Zephy into this. He felt that the
wind god's help would speed things considerably. Still,
after centuries of guarding the Dream Realm palace,
Bryce really couldn't hope for more from the grump.

*******

  Ethan watched the twins on the bleachers with a
raised eyebrow. Something was going on with them. He
hoped that they would restrain themselves. Ethan
shuddered at the possibilities of what those two could
get up to. They were a lot like toddlers with new toys.
They had to try things out in every imaginable
sequence, usually for days, just to see what would
happen.

  With a smile to himself, Ethan turned back to the
stage before him. The department of anthropology was up
now. Ethan felt his heart swell with pride and joy as
Skyler accepted his degree. He grinned as the pair in
the bleachers snapped a ton of pictures. That was their
latest combined craze; portable, disposable cameras.
Ethan shuddered. He hoped those photos of him in the
shower never surfaced anywhere. Or the ones of him and
Joshua rolling around naked on the living room floor.
Ethan wanted to learn Greco-Roman wrestling and Joshua
had insisted that the only way he would teach it was it
they did it absolutely the correct way. Ethan had felt
up to that challenge, right up until Bryce began
popping off pictures.

  A blush began creeping up Ethan's cheeks... yet
again. He had blushed so much in the last 2 months that
he was sure that he was going to pass out from blood
loss to his brain. He also had never had so many erotic
dreams in his life either. Naturally, they all centered
on Joshua. Ethan's brow wrinkled. He would examine that
thought more closely later. Ethan remembered some
conversations with Bryce about the Dream Realm and the
fact that he had some sort of arrangement with
Morpheus...

  Those two never stopped looking at things and trying
to figure out every possible and often impossible use
for everything they encountered. Skyler laughed most of
it off, saying that they'd figure things out
eventually. Ethan, after rescuing several different
items from dunkings in chocolate (of all things!) and
assorted other liquids, called a halt to their
unsupervised experimenting. He could just see them
doing something in public that would be horribly
difficult to explain and might even get them tossed in
jail if it were extreme enough.

  Ethan hollered and hooted, pumping his arms up and
down as Skyler shook the department head's hand. That
thesis of his had really made waves. Still, he had been
able to justify everything he had stated and Bryce had
made damn sure that everything was traceable back
through the timeline, without any missing gaps. The
department was still chattering about it. Skyler had
collapsed for two weeks after finally sending in the
final draft. He had poured that much of himself into
the project.

*******

  Skyler was shaking as he regained his seat among his
peers. He had honestly never imagined getting this far.
His focus had been so set on the thesis itself that he
had forgotten what came after its successful
completion. It felt so awesome to finally have that
sword no longer dangling over his head. Skyler chuckled
to himself. He was even thinking his metaphors in Greek
mythology now!

  He loved having that pair of tricksters around. It
livened up the hours and minutes of the day. He loved
dredging Bryce's mind for details and truths from the
myths. It was often surprising what the real deal had
been with any given story. Then again, some of them
were actually as told. If Skyler could believe Bryce,
that is. Somehow, those always seemed to have Eros
somewhere in the background, if not forefront.

  Skyler snapped his attention back to the stage.
Ethan's department was next. He had tears in his eyes
as Ethan accepted his degree. Flashbulbs went off for
an eternity as Ethan waved from the stage. Skyler
couldn't help but think of their parents right now.
They would have been so proud of their sons. He hoped
that where ever they were, they knew.

******

  They pulled back into the apartment parking spaces
within minutes of each other. The Ranchero had been
cherried out by now and the Stingray was in as good a
shape as ever. They were just pulling in after having
had one hell of a dinner out. Skyler shut off the
engine and turned to Bryce. He leaned forward and
locked his lips to Bryce's. Bryce melted into the heat
of the satin skin against his. This was promising to be
a very good evening.

  Skyler broke the kiss and looked over to where Ethan
had parked. Joshua was practically sitting in Ethan's
lap, lip-locked. He chuckled to himself. Bryce had told
him about Ethan making Joshua wait for the degrees
before he was willing to sleep with him. It looked like
Josh was taking Ethan at his literal word. They were
going to have a night that Ethan was never going to
forget, if Josh had anything to say or do about it.
Skyler went oomph as Bryce pushed him up against the
car door. Someone else had ideas too.

"Let's take this inside, shall we? I really am not in
the mood to give a free show to the neighbors!" said
Skyler once he was able to pry Bryce back off of him.

  Skyler swung open the door and nearly fell out. He
grabbed the door and hauled himself to his feet.
Walking over to the Stingray, he thumped on the roof
loudly. Ethan and Josh broke apart with a start of
surprise. Skyler leaned forward and grinned in at the
two. Josh had managed to get Ethan's shirt open and
half off of his taut body. Skyler shook his head as he
outright laughed.

"Don't you think we should head inside? Or do you
prefer to educate the neighbor kids on the mating
rituals of the newly graduated?" asked Skyler in a
mocking tone.

  Ethan jumped as he finally noticed that his clothes
were in danger of becoming missing in action from
Josh's earlier assault on his senses. He blushed again
to the roots of his hair. Quickly, he struggled to get
his clothes into a condition where they would not fall
off if he stood up. Josh got out and waited impatiently
at the curb.

"Come on, Ethan! You have a promise to keep!" prodded
Josh.

"Hold your horses Josh. You're the one who made such a
thorough mess of me that I have to practically get
dressed all over again to get out of the car without
getting arrested for indecent exposure!" complained
Ethan.

  Skyler and Bryce headed back into the house. They
decided not to wait for the other two. They seemed to
be enjoying their back and forth banter. Why step into
the middle of their fun? They planted themselves on the
couch and waited. Their whispers didn't reach the other
pair as they opened the door. Once they were in the
living room, Skyler and Bryce broke into frenzied
applause, with huge grins.


"Masterful performance!" said one.

"Amazing restraint!" exclaimed the other.

  Ethan grabbed a pillow and hit Bryce in the head with
it. Josh was left to take on Skyler. He chose to
retreat to the kitchen for a moment and returned with a
loaded water gun. Skyler yelped as the ice cold water
hit him in the face and neck. The gun was usually kept
loaded with near freezing water for the invading
feline. Meanwhile Ethan was pummeling Bryce into
submission. All four guys were laughing hysterically.

  After the action died down, they sat around
struggling to get their breath back. Other thoughts
began to get attention. Within seconds, the living room
was empty and two pairs of men were in other rooms. It
was going to be a long, exhausting, fun-filled night.

------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's all for this chapter. The next one,
Chapter 9: Double Trouble, Times Two is essentially
going to be a sex chapter. :) After all, it has been
ages since Bryce and Skyler have had any fun and we
have yet to see Ethan and Josh get it on. Well, all
that will be remedied in the near future. Thanks for
your patience guys. As always, I can be reached at
LaelSt@aol.com or (preferred) ICQ# 11938988.