Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is sequel to the "Things that Go Bump" and "A Light in the Darkness" stories. You should probably read those first! Sorry for the long break but I've started a new and demanding job (third job, anyway)!
I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. It's closed membership to avoid spam and flames, so just let me know!
Chapter 04
Spencer sat up on his cot in his private quarters reading a book when the phone rang. "Lieutenant Spencer," he answered.
"Percival," the thick British accent cut across the line.
"Mother," he said with a smile, "you know I prefer Spencer..."
"Well, dear, it was my privilege to name you, so you'll forgive me if I rather like it... How are things there?"
"Wonderful, mother... We were just in Central America assisting Consul Salazar with the repression of a nest of cryptovamps."
"Nasty creatures," the woman said. "Were there many?"
"Over a hundred..."
"Good show!"
"Well, it was mostly Sebastian, mother," he said with a smile.
"Of course it was dear! No shame in that... There's a lot you can learn from him. If anyone else had asked for you, I would have refused..."
"Christen Wheeler," he began, but his mother cut him off.
"... is a witch, dear. One of our own. But Sebastian is an old friend. How are you, though?"
"I'm fine, mother! Really..."
"I just worry you'll get lonely there," Dora said.
"No more lonely than I am anywhere else. In fact, I've made a few good friends -- James of course, and Sebastian, but also Marcus and Chris, and some other guys..."
"Ah, yes, Marcus... Captain Donaldson is a bright young man. I understand he's going to be training some of Sebastian's boys?"
"Yes... They start on Monday..."
"And have you met with the Grand Marshal recently?" Dora inquired.
"I haven't seen Chase in a little while, mother. What's this all about?"
"Well, I was just hoping you'd have some time to get to know him better. The World Congress is not too far off, and it would be interesting to know where he stands on certain ... issues."
"I'm not sure he has a stand' on most issues;' he's a boy... And I didn't take this position to spy on my friends."
"I'm not asking you to SPY Percival... That's so distasteful. But if you had the opportunity to talk with him and see if he's amenable to our ways of thinking..."
"Mother!" Spencer exclaimed, but paused and caught his tongue before he said something unkind. "I'll talk with him and explain our position. But I won't pressure him..."
"That's all I can ask... Now, have you met anyone ... special?"
"No... It's hard for me, you know..."
"I know, dear... I just hoped..."
"I know, mother... But ... well, I don't know... I don't get out much and everyone around here seems to have someone..."
"Well, you're not that busy all the time. Go out! Ask James to show you around and maybe introduce you to some people... Or, perhaps Chris?"
"Mother!" Then after a pause he smiled a little. "Anyway, Chris is busy with Marcus."
"Alright dear... You know ... it's just I ... love you and I hate to see you alone..."
"Good night," the man said with a sigh. "I love you too..."
"Good night," Dora replied.
Spencer put the phone down and pulled on his pants and a t-shirt before stepping out of his room. The light was on under Marcus's door, but Spencer decided to head out alone and think. He let himself out the gate and walked up toward town. It was late, but there were some bars open. He went inside one that looked nice... It was a pub-style sports bar, and he sat down. "Ale, please," he said, and the young bartender smiled.
"English?" the man asked as he put a tall ale in front of the handsome young soldier.
Spencer smiled slightly and nodded. "Lieutenant Spencer, at your service..."
"Well, lieutenant, what seems to be bothering you on this beautiful evening?" the young man asked, leaning back against the counter opposite the bar.
"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Spencer asked, taking a drink.
"It's kinda late for a new customer. Most of the time, this time of nights, it's just regulars and guys who're already well sauced..."
"I'm just ... I've been spending a lot of time alone and I thought I should at least get out of the house..."
"Now what in the world is a man like yourself doing spending time alone? I'd think the ladies'd be all over you!"
"I'm on special assignment, so I stay at my post... Doesn't leave a lot of time for socializing, or dating," he added with a laugh, taking a deep drink.
"I see..." The bartender smiled and put his hands on the counter behind him, causing his triceps to flex nicely. "Where're my manners? I'm Dean!"
"My friends call me Spencer," the lieutenant said, smiling.
"No first name?" the man smiled wickedly.
"Not one I like," Spencer smiled. "My mom, and ONLY my mom, calls me Percival..."
"Oh, my," Dean said, repressing a laugh. "Well, Spencer, I get off in an hour and I'd offer to show you around, but nothing will be open..."
Spencer drained his glass and said, "Would I seem desperate if I took you up on that anyway?"
"A little lonely, maybe," the man smiled, refilling his glass. "But I'm glad to have the company. I never feel like hitting the sack after work... Takes me a while to wind down..." Seeing a customer at the end of the bar with an empty glass, Dean slipped away and returned after getting the man another whiskey sour. "So what do you do in the army, Spencer?"
The man took a drink to give himself time to think. He put his glass down and said, "I doubt you'd believe me if I told you..."
"Try me... You don't seem like a bullshit artist," Dean smiled.
"Special forces, black ops..."
"I've heard that line before from guys across the bar, but since there's no babe here waiting to get talked out of her panties, I'll have to take your word for it..."
"I'll give you a demonstration some time," Spencer smiled, beginning to feel the effect of the second ale in quick succession. "I may not look like a lot, but I've got skills..."
Dean smiled and thought to himself, `May not look like a lot, my ass... Mmmm mmmm...' But what he said was, "I believe you..."
Before the bar closed, Spencer had a third drink and was feeling buzzed, but not drunk. Three ales was a lot but he was English. He'd had that many at sixteen... Once all the other patrons were shooed out, and the bar was cleaned, Dean led him out and locked up.
"Where's your car?" Dean asked.
"I walked down..."
"Me, too," Dean replied. "Feel like a walk?"
The night was cool and Spencer nodded, "Yeah..."
Dean led him around the downtown neighborhood, pointing out restaurants and shops he liked and the better hangouts. By the end, they had circled around to building of condos near the bar and Dean said, "This is me..."
"Dean, thanks a lot for showing me around and talking..."
"I enjoyed the company..." Before Spencer could turn to walk away, Dean hurried to add. "You know, I'm just going to have some dinner if you want to come up for a while..."
"You're sure? I don't want to overstay my welcome..."
"Come on... I'm starting to get hungry," Dean said with a smile. Upstairs, he led Spencer into a small condo -- one bedroom, one bath with a eat-in living space and a compact kitchen. "It's small, but it's just me," Dean said. "Excuse the mess. I wasn't expecting company." With the exception of a shirt hanging over the back of a chair and a few open magazines, there wasn't much in the way of a mess.
"It's nice," Spencer said. "Homey..."
"Yeah, it's mine," Dean smiled. He got a bag of salad mix out of the refrigerator and put some greens on a plate, before grabbing some grilled chicken and dressing. "Can I get something for you?" he called to Spencer.
"I'm great, thanks," Spencer replied, sitting on the couch. Dean sat his salad on the coffee table and sat at the other end of the couch before grabbing a drink for each of them.
He was about to start eating when he saw Spencer's eye flit to the open magazine on the coffee table. Thank God it's open to an article, the man thought as he grabbed the magazines up carefully and said, "Let me get this mess out of your way." He tossed the magazines into a rack at the end of the couch and out of sight.
"So what's your assignment?" Dean asked as he ate a bite.
"Top secret, I'm afraid," Spencer shrugged.
"In our little town," Dean said, raising his eyebrows. "Hmmm..."
"Dean, I've already said too much as it is..."
"Don't worry, I'll drop it..."
"This must sound like a real line," Spencer said, looking at his hands.
"Yeah, kinda, but for some reason I do believe you," Dean answered.
"I just keep wondering what I could show you to prove it," Spencer laughed.
Dean thought to himself, "Take your clothes off and let me inspect your body,' but he said, "Don't worry about it man!"
Spencer got an impish smile on his face and stood up, walking over to an open patch of floor and bent over, placing his head and hands on the floor. Then he was standing on his head, his shirt falling and revealing his straining abs, and while Dean watched he extended his arms until he was standing on his hands. And then he lifted his left hand from the floor. With one extraordinary burst of energy, he was suddenly standing on his feed again.
Dean's mouth was agape, and Spencer smiled. "So you're either a special forces soldier or an Olympic gymnast," Dean said at last, "and I'm guessing they are even rarer than you guys..."
Spencer shrugged and took a seat, exhaling deeply from the exertion. He had cheated a little at the end, giving himself a magickal boost, but then, he was showing off...
After a silence, Spencer asked, "So what do you do when you're not tending bar?"
"Oh, I go to shows, listen to live music... Sometimes I play a little with friends' bands..."
"What do you play?" Spencer asked, interested.
"A little acoustic guitar... But they keep me around because I write good songs for them..."
"Anything I've heard?" Spencer asked again.
"Probably not, but one of my songs just got picked up by the label that has the Bieber kid. It's a cheesy love song and it would be perfect for him, so I've got my fingers crossed..."
"Waiting to hit it big?" Spencer asked.
"Nah... I like my life. Job keeps me out there meeting interesting people, like yourself," he added with a smile. "Got to have new material to write songs... But a few extra dollars a month would be nice!"
Spencer smiled and yawned. "I'd really better be going!"
"Listen, some of my friends are playing Saturday night at the coffee shop I showed you on the square. They're going to play some of my music and I'll probably join them for a song or two... My first Saturday off this month! Why don't you come out?"
Spencer smiled. "What time?"
"Starts at 9 p.m.! But you could meet me here earlier if you like," he added, writing his name, number, and email on a piece of paper he found on the side table.
Spencer looked at the paper and nodded. "Thanks, Dean. That sounds like loads of fun!"
Dean walked him to the door and locked it behind him, before leaning back against the door and sighing. "Wow!" he whispered.
Friday morning, Chase rolled over on top of William, both still naked, and woke him with a passionate kiss. "Hey," William grinned.
"Hey, yourself," Chase smiled. "Last night was ... a nice start," he added with a wink.
"I was thinking, with Aiden here for a long weekend, why don't we all pack up and head down to Virginia Beach? It's not the greatest, but I bet it's packed with cute sailors on shore leave," William teased.
"I'm not enough for you, eh," Chase smiled wickedly.
"Just because you've got filet mignon doesn't mean cheeseburger doesn't still smell good!" William laughed.
"Sounds like fun... I'll feed Alex while you go talk to your uncles!"
Chase warmed a bottle and grabbed the baby while William knocked on his uncles' door. "Come in," Xavier called. Both men were still cuddled in bed. William explained his plan and the men readily agreed. "When do you want to leave?"
"I should go see Sebastian and Avery at the normal time," William said, "but I'll come home by two... Then we can get there in time to check into our hotel. Traffic shouldn't be bad on Thursday..."
The men agreed and shooed him out so they could start getting ready. As they started dressing, Aiden said, "So we never did get to have that conversation last night..."
"What are you thinking, Aiden?"
"I'm thinking you'd make almost as good a mom as Chase," the man said with a laugh and felt a dirty t-shirt hit him in the back of the head. "Okay! As good!"
Xavier laughed. "It would mean a lot of changes in our lifestyle..."
"So does a move to Richmond... In reality, this move has made me realize how much of the work I was doing could be done as well by someone else. I need to delegate better, and being this far from the office is good for me. In a few months, I'm not going to commute at all. I'm setting my office here up for teleconferencing, and I'm hiring some new underlings! Then I'll only have to travel when there's trouble..."
"Life IS a little slower pace here," Xavier nodded. "Being around Alex... It's not as scary as I thought it would be..."
"Scary?" Aiden asked.
"Being responsible for a helpless living being, raising him right, teaching him... It's a huge responsibility..."
"I really think you'll be an awesome parent," Aiden said, smiling at the younger man.
"And you're ready to be a dad?" Xavier asked.
"I really am," Aiden said with a resolute nod.
"Well ... let's sit with it for a while, and then get in touch with our lawyers. Were you thinking of adoption, or a surrogate to carry a child for us?"
"Let's think on that for a while," Aiden said. "No real hurry. We've got Alex, and Sarah'll drop her litter soon enough."
"I'll tell her you said that," Xavier said, laughing.
"And I'll put that picture of you in Cancun on our holiday card this year..."
"TRUCE!" Xavier declared, laughing.
Chase and William packed their bags and got Alex's stuff together before William made a quick trip to Sebastian's for his first joint training session. When he was gone, Chase sent his mother a message letting her know which hotel they'd be staying in for the weekend -- his parents weren't due home until the middle of the following week.
"You came in late last night," Marcus observed as Lt. Spencer finally emerged from his bunk.
"Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you..."
"I was awake... Preparing to train the young whipper-snappers. I'm putting together some old standbys to get things going. So what were you up to?"
"Oh, had a little case of cabin fever... I went down to the sports pub and had a few drinks and chatted with the bartender. Nice guy... He invited me to a gig his friends are playing Saturday night at the coffee shop on the square."
"Cute?" Marcus laughed.
"He's a songwriter and a guitar player. Really nice. After he got off work, he showed me around downtown a little," Spencer replied, ignoring him.
Chris entered the soldiers' quarters and smiled at the men. "Hey Spencer," he waved before wrapping an arm around Marcus and laying his head on the man's shoulder.
"Hey, Chris," Spencer replied.
"So what are you guys up to?"
"Just chatting," Marcus replied. "Sleepyhead just got up... He was out cruising the bars last night..."
"Was not!" Spencer protested, blushing.
"She must have been cute," Chris said on seeing his expression.
Spencer looked at Marcus, surprised and thankful the man had kept his confidence, even with his boyfriend. "Indeed!" Marcus replied with a bright smile.
"So William and Avery are here and ready to train with Sebastian. You guys want to go watch, or join?"
The men looked at each other and nodded, following Chris.
"Hey, guys," William called on seeing the three arrive in the basement.
"You mind if we tag along," Chris asked.
"The more the merrier," he replied, and they all entered the training space he had conjured, through the existing portal in Sebastian's basement. Sebastian and Avery were already there, talking quietly in the corner.
"William?" Spencer asked, drawing the boy away from the others. "I wonder if I could come to Richmond some time and have a talk with you and Chase about the World Congress of Wizards that's coming up in the fall?"
William arched his eyes in interest. "Sure, sounds interesting... Why don't you and the guys come down to Virginia Beach this weekend? We're going on a little mini-vacation..."
"That would be nice, but I already told a friend I'd come to a concert on Saturday," Spencer replied.
"No problem... Next week, then... Just give me a call?"
"Thanks, William," Spencer smiled.
When Avery and Sebastian finished their conversation, Sebastian demonstrated a spell to call up a fog, and Chris watched while Marcus and Spencer, and Avery and Sebastian squared off to see who could maintain the most powerful veil. "It's a simple but effective spell," Sebastian explained. "Particularly useful if you need to make a covered retreat or retrenchment..." Then, turning his attention to Chris, he suggested, "I know you don't start your training until Monday, but care to give it a go?"
The boy raised his hand and hurried through the incantation and managed to produce a very thin cloud just in front of him. "Not bad!" Sebastian said. "I can't wait to see what you can do after a little training..."
"But mine sucked compared to everyone else's," Chris complained.
Sebastian laughed. "Chris, I was going to loan you my wand... We were all using them. Ritual tools such as these are foci through which we channel magick. Very advanced wizards can accomplish similar results without them, but with more difficulty. You did better without a wand than I expected you to do with one." Sebastian patted the boy on the shoulder and looked at William. "Could you demonstrate without a wand, William?"
William raised his hand and managed to conjure a thick cloud, but relatively man-sized, whereas before he had filled the room in front of him with an impenetrable fog. "William's been training for years with world-class wizards, Chris, and he holds a rank higher than either of these two soldiers," Avery explained.
Chris nodded appreciatively, and soon William and Avery departed to their homes. Chris and Marcus left to head into town to a bookstore, leaving Spencer and Sebastian momentarily alone.
"So, you're going to talk to Chase?" Sebastian asked. When the young man looked surprised, Sebastian pointed to his ears and said, "Vampire hearing, remember?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him about the World Congress..."
"Smart move," Sebastian frowned. "Be the first to get his ear, and you're his friend. Shame... I thought better of you than to play on that friendship, your highness..."
"I promise you it's not like that... Wait, you knew I was her son?" Spencer asked.
"I knew the first time I saw you at the base. I've known your mother since she was just a girl, Percival," Sebastian said with a crooked smile. "And I saw you many times during your childhood... I once helped your mother clean up an indelicate situation..." Spencer looked at him like a deer in headlights. "So what IS it like?"
"My mother did ask me to play on our relationship. I told her that all I'd do is explain to him very forthrightly our position, but that I would not pressure him for his support..."
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Spencer," Sebastian smiled. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions... You're an honorable man." Spencer turned to go and made it to the door before Sebastian called, "And if you ever want to talk, I'm just inside. I don't need to add that Peter knows a little something about what you've been through as well, but ... so does James," Sebastian added, looking away in pain.
"I ... don't know if I'm ready to," Spencer began. But then he stopped and said, "Thank you..."
Sebastian nodded, and the boy left him alone. So much hurt, he thought to himself. So much pain. Upstairs on the main floor, Sebastian ran into Peter in the kitchen. "Where's Richard?" he asked.
"Out doing some shopping for the kitchen," the boy answered as he made himself a sandwich. "I'm eating you out of house and home now that I'm just a growing boy again," he added with a smile.
Sebastian laughed, and then took another look at the boy. He didn't look at full strength and he was a powerful young teenager. Sebastian put a hand on his arm and frowned. "Peter, you're not taking care of yourself..."
"What?" Peter laughed. "I'm fine..."
"Peter," Sebastian said, looking uncomfortable, "Richard had been biting you too often... You're iron deficient, and your blood count is low..."
"Richard doesn't feed on me," Peter said, nervous.
"No, but ... when you make love," Sebastian began leadingly.
"Well, yeah, in the heat of it, I like for him to..."
Sebastian laughed. "It's the death of a thousand cuts, my friend. Take some iron and lay off the biting for a few days..."
"Thanks," Peter said, looking embarrassed.
Sebastian nodded with a smile and winked.
There was a buzz at the gate. "Yes?" Xavier responded as he was busy getting a few last-minute things together.
"Mr. Montrose? Dorian Brandt..."
Xavier raised his eyebrows but pushed the button. Thinking better of it, he called out, "Chase! Could you get the door?"
The boy came tromping downstairs in a pair of light cotton pants and a pink polo shirt -- dressed for an evening at the beach -- with the baby over his shoulder. "I didn't hear the bell!"
"I just buzzed someone up from the gate..."
"Who?" Chase asked.
"A friend," Xavier answered wryly.
When the bell rang, Chase opened the door and knew immediately he had been set up as he looked up at the handsome man at the door. "Dorian! Come in..."
"Who is this?" the man asked, looking confused at the sight of the baby in Chase's arms.
"This is my son, Alex," Chase replied with a smile.
"Pardon me, but you seem a little young..."
"Things happen," Chase said with an ironic smile.
"He's beautiful," Dorian replied with an inscrutable look. Chase led him to Xavier, who was riffling through drawers in the office looking for a few things.
"Sorry Dorian, but we're off to the beach and madly getting ready. What can I do for you?" Dorian was about to answer when Aiden entered. "Dorian, this is my partner, Aiden... Aiden, this is Dorian Brandt... He's the artist I was telling you about."
Aiden nodded, "Indeed... Well, it's nice to meet you, Dorian..." Then he cast a look at Chase and said, "When will William be home?"
"Soon," Chase replied.
"William?" Dorian asked.
"William is my partner," Chase responded, and Dorian couldn't help but notice the ring Chase wore on his left hand now.
"I.... Well, I just found one piece I forgot to show you and thought you might like it for your show," the man said, clearly flustered. Xavier and Chase followed him outside and he opened the trunk and unveiled the painting.
"What do you call it?" Xavier asked, immediately intrigued.
"Inferno," Dorian replied.
"I'll take it... Add it to the others when the men come by next week!"
Just then, William walked up then and tickled Alex. "This is William, Dorian," Chase said.
Dorian gave William a long and appraising look before giving him a strange smile. "Nice to meet you, William..."
"Nice to meet you," William replied, taking the baby in his arms and kissing him on the head. He thought he noticed Dorian's jaw flexing behind his handsome smile.
When the young man was gone, William said, "That was peculiar..."
Xavier snickered and said, "Not really... I took Chase with me to meet him the other day and was pretty sure the young fellow was pretty taken with the boy. I think you disappointed him by existing..."
"Ahhh," William said, nodding. Then both he and his uncle had a laugh at Chase's blush.
On Friday night, Marcus and Chris accompanied Spencer down to the pub. Marcus had been needling him about the guy, so Spencer wanted to get it over with and introduce them. But of course, Chris had to come, so he could have a little fun with the boy in the process.
The three of them sat at the little dining area of the pub since Chris was under age, and Spencer said, "So, Chris, can you guess who my friend is?"
After they ordered dinner and their drinks -- the older men beers and Chris a diet soda -- Chris tried his hand at identifying which barmaid or patroness was Spencer's interest. At last, Spencer walked up to the bar and asked Dean, "When you get a minute, can you come over and meet some friends of mine? Oh, and can I also get another ale?"
"Sure! I'll be over in a minute when Harold get's back from his smoke-break." Harold was an older man who was the second bartender on busy nights and the lone tender on very slow nights.
When Spencer returned, Chris commented, "The bartender sure is a hottie!"
"You think?" Spencer asked as Marcus nearly blew beer out of his nose. A moment later, the handsome young man took off his apron and walked around from behind the bar. Chris's eyes widened as the man walked up to their table and settled into an empty chair. "Guys, this is Dean. Dean, these are my friends Marcus and Chris..."
"Hey," Marcus said with a smile. "Nice to meet you guys! So how do you all know each other?"
"Marcus and I ... serve together right now, and Chris is friends with our boss," Spencer said, leaving out some of the stranger complexities.
But Dean had a sharp eye and was a keen observer of behavior. "Don't worry, I won't ask..." When Chris and Marcus gave him a strange look, he laughed and said, "I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but isn't that you guys' rule? Don't ask, don't tell? You're like ... army, right?"
"Ohhhh," Marcus said, laughing. "You're funny... Yes, it's army, but you can ask. They can't. And you aren't wrong." Marcus inconspicuously snaked his hand beneath Chris's.
Dean nodded and smiled, giving Spencer a look that no one could quite read. "So, you guys should come down to the coffee house tomorrow night with Spencer... I'm going to be playing with some friends..."
"Sounds nice," Chris said.
"I gotta get back," he said with another big smile. Then he looked over at Spencer and said, "I get off at midnight... Harold has to close up." Spencer nodded, and Dean took his place behind the bar.
"Holy crap!" Chris exclaimed. "That's a guy!"
"I'm pretty sure," Spencer said. "Though I'm not ABSOLUTELY certain..."
"Is he -- are you -- you know?" Chris asked.
"It's complicated," Spencer said, taking a drink. "Let's head back and I'll try to explain it to you on the way back to the manor..." Hanging back a little, Spencer whispered to Dean across the bar, "You mind if I drop by your place later?"
"I kinda hoped you would," the man replied with a smile.
On their way back to the manor, Spencer explained to Chris that he had always known he was bisexual, leaving out the part that would explain why he'd never tried anything with a guy. When they got to the house, Chris and Marcus went inside, while Spencer went to his quarters to read and pass the time. He almost never watched television, but his mind was so busy, he almost turned it on before he settled on a book he liked.
He was still reading when Marcus stuck his head in a couple of hours later. "So when are you leaving?"
Spencer smiled and blushed. "I don't want to be waiting on his doorstep when he gets home..."
"Good move... Then again, it would let him know you're interested. Good night..."
Spencer smiled. "Night..." When Marcus's lights were out, he left quietly and arrived at Dean's so that he was sitting on the steps when the man got home.
"Hey, Spence," Dean smiled brightly as he realized the man was there. "I'm glad you came..."
"Me, too," Spencer replied.
Instead of unlocking the door, Dean sat on the step next to the man in the cool night air. "Your friends are cool..."
"Yeah, they're nice guys... Some of the first real friends I ever made..."
"Why is that?" Dean asked.
"My family is prominent in England... I was always well protected. Plus, I was different..."
"What are you, some kind of prince?" Dean asked with a laugh.
Spencer looked at him with a sad smile and said, "In a manner of speaking... My family is very private, so you won't find me on any register, but our blood is royal..."
Dean smiled strangely at him. "And different, you say?"
"I hope it won't harm our friendship, but I'm bisexual..."
"Oh," Dean said, feigning disappointment.
"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, sounding fragile.
"Gay would have been nice, but bi will do," Dean responded with a smile. He turned so they were sitting eye-to-eye, and added, "I've been wanting to kiss you since you were in my apartment..." Spencer blushed, but leaned in part way, and Dean met him in the middle, kissing him softly on the lips. It wasn't a bolt of lightning, but it wasn't far off, either. Both men sat staring at each other long after the brief kiss ended. "Want to come up?"
Spencer nodded and followed him like a man under a spell. They repositioned themselves on the couch and kissed a while longer, a little more vigorously, before Dean at last exclaimed, "As much as I hate to, I've got to put an end to this! I'm absolutely starving!"
Spencer watched the man eat and blushed intermittently, while Dean just shook his head. "What?" he asked between bites.
"I ... never really thought ... anything like this would happen?"
"You never thought you'd watch a bartender eat leftovers on his couch after midnight?" the man asked jokingly.
"I never thought I'd ... act on my feelings for a ... you know...."
Repressing his smile, Dean said, "A ... musician?" Then they both laughed. They turned on the television, and sat close together. Soon they started kissing again, and Dean put a hand on Spencer's inner thigh.
Before he knew what was happening, Spencer had his wrist gripped tightly and wrenched high up his back in a policeman's hold. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!" Dean squeaked, and Spencer immediately released him, stood and backed up until he hit a wall, with a horrified look on his face. "What the hell, man?"
Spencer's eyes watered, and he said, "I am soooo sorry." As his tears started flowing, Dean stood to approach him but he kept backing away and circled around the table keeping his distance. "I'm sorry," he repeated and ran for the door and down the stairs before the man could catch him. But Dean was athletic and hot on his heels, so as soon as he was out of sight, he cloaked himself and ran as fast as he could back to Sebastian's.
As he burst through the doors of the barracks, he was mumbling, "Oh, God! Oh, God!" And occasionally he would kick something. Finally he made it to his room.
Marcus sat up and grabbed Chris's hands. The boy was giving him as massage, and felt sure he was on his way to the long awaited action. "Marcus...."
"Something's wrong, Chris!" Marcus pulled on his shirt, and Chris did likewise.
"You're right, I'm sorry," the boy said as he followed the man to Spencer's door.
"Spencer?" Marcus called. "For God's sake man, what's wrong?"
"GO AWAY!"
"Spencer! I can knock this door down!"
"And I can make you regret it," the young man spat back through the door.
"I'm getting Sebastian," Chris said loudly enough for him to hear.
"Wait!" Spencer called and they heard the door unlock. Marcus opened the door and they found the man sitting on the end of the bed, his head in his hands.
Chris fell to his knees before the man and put his hands on Spencer's. "What happened?" Chris whispered.
"We kissed," Spencer whispered his response. Then he spoke a little louder. "And then we kissed some more, and it was great... But when he put his hand on my thigh, something clicked, and I grabbed his wrist and wrenched his arm up behind his back... I think I hurt him..."
Marcus asked, concerned, "Badly?"
"No, bruised wrist, probably... But I freaked him out majorly... I ran out of there so fast..."
Chris gave him a big hug, knowing he was missing something huge but not asking, and Marcus patted him softly on the back, before slipping out of the room. He returned a few minutes later with a portable cot and sat it up near Spencer's.
"What are you doing?" the man asked, rubbing away his fading tears.
"I'm not leaving you alone," Marcus said.
"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Spencer said.
"I didn't say you would, but some other stuff might bubble up to the surface, in your sleep, say... I just want to be close by in case you need some help..."
"Okay," Spencer said glumly.
Chris squeezed the man one last time and headed up to the house. The two soldiers soon sacked out as well. About four o'clock, Marcus's fear was realized as Spencer started thrashing on his cot and he actually lit a fire in his bed in his sleep. Marcus was up in a moment and put it out with his pillow. "SPENCER! Wake up!"
The man clawed his way out of a very dark place, his body slicked with sweat. "Oh, God!" the man exclaimed as he sat up and wrapped his arms around Marcus. And the two men sat like that until nearly dawn.