This story is a work of fiction. The events in this story are fictional. The characters in this story do not exist and any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. Any use of celebrity or other real persons is entirely fictional and in no way reflects upon their actual sexual orientation. This story contains erotic and/or sexually explicit activities between consenting adults. If you are under age, find this type of work offensive, or it is illegal for you to view this, do not read it.
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Welcome Home – Part 2 By tmabare ©2016
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- Chapter 2 * * *
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"How're you feeling?"
"I'm okay, just tired and my knee hurts."
"Have you taken any of the pain killers?"
"No, trying to do it without them."
"I commend you, but get used to the idea. You're going to need them in this process. Are you hungry?"
"Starving." Anthony smiled at Ben as he watched him in the kitchen putting things away.
As Ben was moving around in the kitchen he stopped and looked over at the young man on the couch, "I bought some steaks, is that okay?"
Anthony smiled and then his face turned to a frown, "Are you kidding? I love steak, but don't you think it's a little late?"
"Ordinarily I'd say yes, but I'm starving and I want some good home cooked food."
"Well, it sounds incredible. Ben, I'm sorry I can't help you."
"It's more than okay. We'll call this payback for you bringing Wendy's earlier. Do you want anything to drink?"
"I'll take whatever you're having."
"Okay, let me start the grill, jump in the shower, and then I'll be right back and get us some drinks." Ben walked down the hall and into his bedroom.
Ben showered quickly, then selected a pair of baggy jeans and a Navy Health t-shirt. He put on his favorite pair of leather Olu Kai sandals and headed back to the kitchen. On the way back to the kitchen, he started the grill and checked the temperature of the hot tub. When he got back to the kitchen, he noticed Ben had turned the television off. He had also moved himself on the couch so he could see the kitchen easier from where he was sitting.
"Ben, this place is really great. I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, but are you sure you want me around?"
"I'm sure. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you and like I said, this place is incredible. I've always wanted something very similar."
"Did you have a chance to look around?"
Anthony laughed, "No, I just walked in and sat here on the couch. Besides, I didn't want to snoop."
"Well, I'll give you the guided tour later on." Walking into the living room, Ben handed Anthony a beer. "Here you go, I hope you like them. I couldn't remember for sure, but I thought this was what you drank the other night."
Anthony just smiled, "Thanks, this is perfect. I can't believe you remembered what I was drinking."
Ben decided to just ignore the comment, "I don't usually nuke potatoes, but don't really have long enough to wait tonight. So, don't judge my cooking based on that, okay?"
"Are you kidding me, I can't get over the fact that you're cooking for me. This is incredible, I'm gonna get spoiled."
`If you only knew.' Ben thought to himself. "I need to go outside and throw these on the grill, I'll be right back."
Ben walked outside onto the rear deck and started the steaks. All he could think about was the man in the other room. There was just something about him that he hadn't found in anyone else in a long time. `What the fuck are you thinking? He's a Marine, but at least he isn't as young as I first thought.'
Walking back into the kitchen, Ben heard Anthony on the phone.
"I love you too." His voice was low, "I miss you too. Okay, I'll call you later. Go back to sleep, Bye."
Ben could feel his whole outlook and demeanor change in that instant. Anthony hadn't said anything about dating anyone or any kind of relationship, but it sure sounded like it to Ben. `How could I be so stupid? Just look at him, he's a fucking walking wet dream. Why wouldn't he have someone and why the fuck would he ever be interested in me?'
Making some noise to appear he just arrived in the kitchen, Ben checked on the potatoes. "How do you like your steak?"
"Medium or medium rare." Anthony was trying to hobble towards the kitchen, "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I've got it handled, just have a seat at the table if you want and I'll be right back." Ben left the kitchen quickly when he could feel himself starting to get upset. It was more that he was upset with himself, but it still didn't matter. He didn't want Anthony to see him like this.
As he walked out he missed the look on Anthony's face. He had obviously picked up on the change in Ben and he didn't understand what had happened.
It took a few minutes for the steaks to finish and Ben pulled them off the grill. After shutting off the grill, he headed inside. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Anthony had made a salad and also put the potatoes and asparagus on plates.
"Hope you don't mind. I felt bad about you doing all the work."
Ben was surprised at the effort, especially since Anthony had to be in pain still. "Thank you, it looks great. You really didn't have to do anything though, I'm supposed to be taking care of you."
Anthony appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, "I'm not sure what I did to deserve this, but thank you. I can't tell you what it means to me. I couldn't begin to imagine what being cooped up on base with no one to talk to or anything would be like."
"Yeah, not to mention no one to help you." Ben half smiled, "For some reason I like having you around, so I'll suffer through it." Ben was fighting with himself and trying to not let his hurt show. He wasn't sure what he thought was going to happen. Hell, he wasn't even sure why he had invited Anthony to stay with him. That's not true, Anthony had shown him something that no one else had in a long time. Or, at least, Ben thought he had. Now he was questioning what he had thought he felt.
Anthony just sat there and smiled. "Well, thank you all the same. Like I said, I can't tell you what it means to me and I'll try to not make my stay a horrible experience for you." Anthony's laugh was warm and it relaxed Ben.
As soon as Ben sat their plates down, they both dove into eating. Ben watched as Anthony ate and realized that if he was going to be around, he should invest in stock for his favorite grocery store.
"Man, you can put the food away." Ben couldn't help but laugh as he said it.
Anthony smiled, "Since I was a kid. But, I guess I should watch it while I'm nursing this leg."
"We'll find a way for you to work it off. You can still workout, just not your leg as much."
Over dinner they talked about what the coming week would entail, then Anthony started to sound down. "So, how will this work with the surgery?"
"We don't even know if it is torn yet, but let's say it is. The first stage will be some physical therapy. Probably have you do about six weeks of PT before surgery. Joe Reilly will do the surgery and then you'll have more physical therapy afterwards. You're looking at up to eight months total, more or less depending on how it goes for you."
Anthony just sat there for a moment, looking at Ben. "Will you be handling my case the whole time?"
"Joe and I both, we talked and worked it out." As Ben finished, Anthony's phone rang.
"I'm sorry... I need to take this, it's my mom." Anthony answered the phone as Ben stood to get some more drinks for them both. "Hi, mom. Is everything okay?"
As Anthony was talking, Ben poured them both some water and then sat back down. He started playing with the steak on his plate and thought about the things he should probably tell Anthony. He listened to Anthony talk to his mother, and then Ben got his biggest surprise.
"Yeah, mom, I just talked to him a little while ago. He said he had a nightmare." Anthony mouthed the word `sorry' to Ben as his mother was talking into his ear. "Mom, I told him he could call me anytime he needed to. It's okay, I wasn't asleep. Yes, mom... What did his teacher say about his progress?"
Ben was sure his face showed a huge amount of shock, or was it relief, at that moment. He would have never thought about Anthony having a child and he certainly hadn't said anything during any of their conversations. Now the thoughts really started to run through Ben's mind. The main one being `where's the mother?'
"Mom, I need to tell you something... I may have torn my ACL." Anthony held the phone away from his ear and Ben could hear his mother's panicked and loud voice. "Mom! Mom! I'm going to be fine, and before you ask, no you don't need to come here. I'm being taken care of like you would never believe."
They continued talking for a few minutes as Anthony explained to his mother everything Ben had told him. Finally, Anthony paused, "Mom, I have to go. I'll call you later in the week, okay? Yeah, I love you too."
Hanging up the phone, Anthony looked at Ben. "Sorry, she can be such a pain. She forgets I'm not her baby anymore."
"All parents are like that. My mother still thinks the same way."
"Yeah, I'm sure I'll always think of my little guy that way too."
"What's his name?"
Anthony laughed, "Anthony Brunelli, Junior, but we just call him AJ. I know, very original."
Ben smiled, "I like it, AJ is a great name."
"You have any kids?"
Almost choking on his drink, Ben tried to regain control. "Umm, no. Not that I haven't wanted them, just not really possible." As soon as he said it the way he did, he wished he could take it back. "How old is he?"
"He's eight."
Again Ben decided to not ask any questions, even though he had so many floating around in his head. Ben quickly did the math in his head, Anthony had his son was he was sixteen. That made Ben's head hurt, even more questions.
When they finished eating and talking, Ben cleaned up as Anthony moved back to the living room so he could elevate his knee. He didn't want to admit it, but it was painful.
After finishing Ben walked back into the living room carrying some water and two pills. "Here take these."
"What are they?"
"Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory. I'm sure you're probably in pain right now and these will help."
"I am, but didn't want to say anything. I'm not one to take pills. Not to mention I didn't think I could with the drink earlier."
Ben sat down on the couch across from Anthony. "These are non-prescription, and like I said earlier, you're going to have to get used to it for two reasons. The first is anti-inflammatories will help keep the swelling down, which will aid in healing. The second is, and trust me here, you will need the pain killers if you have surgery. There is going to be a lot of pain in the days after the surgery. We're going to do a combination of drugs and a circulating cold water wrap to keep the swelling and pain in check."
Anthony sat there smiling as Ben was talking. "You know, you get kinda excited when you talk shop."
"Sorry, it's just a comfort thing." Ben wasn't sure but he thought he could feel himself blush.
"I can understand that. I do the same thing when I start talking about sports or hunting."
Ben had this sudden image of Anthony in camouflage and sitting in a tree stand. He could feel himself starting to get hard and he quickly tried to think of something else.
"It's getting really late, I bet you're tired. There are three bedrooms for you to choose from. I'd recommend the back bedroom, it has its own access to the pool, patio, and hot tub."
"Whoa, you have a hot tub?"
"I guess I should've told you earlier. I actually sit out there almost every night before I go to bed."
"Damn, I didn't bring a suit."
Ben realized he wasn't going to be able to do his standard naked relaxation ritual. "Oh yeah, suit... I'm sure I have something that will fit you."
"I take it you don't usually wear a suit, Commander?"
The grin on Anthony's face told Ben he was teasing or was it something else. "No, sir, I usually don't when I'm at home. There's a reason I have a huge privacy fence all around the back yard."
Anthony just sat there for a moment, "Well, you know what they say... when in Rome." Then he thought of something, "Unless you don't think it is good for my leg?"
"I think it'll be okay. We just need to limit your time in there. Can I interest you in something stronger than that beer to drink?"
"What do you have?"
Ben walked towards the kitchen, "I think I have everything known to man in here, there's more beer and some wine in the fridge." Opening the fridge, Ben bent over and looked inside, "Oh yeah, I also have shine."
Anthony laughed, "Commander, you mean you have illegal moonshine?"
"I grew up in north Florida, of course I have moonshine." Ben smiled as he walked to the kitchen. "I take it you want some?"
"What flavor?"
"I have peach and apple pie."
"Peach, please, I love it. Can make me crazy sometimes though, just so you're warned."
Ben started to daydream about the meaning behind the statement. The grin on Anthony's face made Ben excited, against his better judgment. "Two shines, it is."
"Ben, can I jump in the shower real quick?"
"Of course, did you pick a bedroom?"
"Yeah, the back one."
"Good choice and that bathroom has a walk in shower, so that will be easier on your knee. Why don't you go ahead and I'll meet you outside. Do you need help with your stuff?"
"Would you mind?"
Ben walked over to where Anthony's sea bag was and picked it up. He headed for the back bedroom, with Anthony behind him. Walking into the bedroom, Ben flipped the light on.
"Wow, this place is great. Who did your decorating?"
Ben laughed, "I did. Well, me and IKEA."
"You did a great job. I'm not going to want to go back to the base." Anthony sat on the edge of the bed and looked around.
"I'll put your shower stuff in the bathroom and you should be set. There're towels in there already." Ben started to walk out and then turned around. "Be careful and if you need help just yell."
Anthony thought about it for a second, "Um, can I get the brace wet? Or, how do I?" He had to admit he wasn't looking forward to falling in the shower when his knee gave out.
Ben thought about the options, "I'll put a stool in there for you. When you have your surgery we'll get you using my shower. It's got a bench seat in it, so you'll be safer. Try not to put your weight on it. If you do, I'm not sure you'll like the results."
"Okay, but don't go too far."
"Just take your time and don't try to do it all if you can't. Just yell and I'll help you. Remember, I'm a nurse, so you don't have anything I haven't seen before." Ben had to admit to himself that he really wanted to see Anthony naked. Thankfully, that was going to happen soon enough when they were in the hot tub. Sooner would have been better but he'd wait a few more minutes.
Leaving Anthony alone, Ben walked onto the patio and turned the pool lights on low. Then he lit some torches along the edge of the patio. He was trying to set a mood, but hoped it wouldn't be too obvious. He set the drinks in the holders on the hot tub and then dropped his shorts on the deck and climbed in. The water felt incredible tonight and he was excited he wasn't going to be alone like every other night. He leaned his head against the pad and closed his eyes.
"No fair, you're already in there."
Ben opened his eyes and saw Anthony coming towards him. He was walking slowly, with his brace showing out the bottom of the towel he was wearing around his waist. Ben was getting a good look at his now bare torso and arms. He had to admit it was even better than he thought it was going to be. Ben's weakness was beefy boys and Anthony was packed with beef. He had an incredible six pack and what appeared to be a hot Adonis Belt. Ben was feeling very inadequate, Anthony's body was a work of art. Ben saw a tattoo showing up the side of Anthony's torso, it looked like a tree. He then saw the one he had seen earlier on Anthony's upper bicep, it was a good looking Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
As he walked, Anthony turned his head and look at the pool house. "What is that?"
"The pool house?"
"Man, that's bigger than my place growing up."
"Mine too."
When Anthony reached the hot tub, he stopped and looked. "I hate to ask this, but how am I going to get in?"
Ben had to admit he hadn't thought of that part and he had to scramble to think of the easiest way. "Okay, I'm thinking the best thing is to sit on the edge, and then swing your legs over and in."
When Anthony reached the edge, he turned around and dutifully sat on the edge and took off his knee brace. He then opened his towel and spun around on it. As he did, Ben got the full view and instantly fell in love with what he saw. Anthony was large even in the current soft state, not to mention the large set of balls hanging below it. Ben almost laughed at the fact that Anthony definitely was only in the sun with a suit or shorts on. The difference in skin color was pronounced, but it made him even sexier to Ben.
All too quickly, for Ben's liking, Anthony slipped in the water and took a seat. "This feels incredible. What a beautiful night for this."
Ben shook his head, "It is. What kind of music do you listen to?"
"Country usually, but whatever you like will be good."
Ben reached over and turned the built in stereo on. It was already set to country and he smiled as it started to play. "I knew I liked you for a reason, most people your age I run into at work don't listen to country."
"I'm not like most of the people you're going to run into at work."
Ben had seen it in his record, but wanted to play dumb. "So, have you been deployed?"
"Yeah, two tours. One in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. What about you?"
"More than I want to think about. In fact, I just volunteered to be deployed again."
"Where have you been?"
"Just remember, I've been in longer than you... so, no old jokes. We don't have all night, but Iraq twice, Afghanistan twice, and a few others. Spent a few years in Japan and I've been to sea three times on top of that."
"Guess we don't think about the Navy guys getting deployed, but I forget that where we go, so does the team that takes care of us."
"Yes, we do." Ben looked off into the night sky and felt himself getting sad. There were so many memories flooding back as he thought of his deployments. Along with the things he wasn't ready to talk about with Anthony.
"So I was looking at the pictures in the hallway. Who is the Marine in most of them?"
Ben's stomach dropped. He wasn't ready for that question, but he couldn't think of any way out of it now. He suddenly wondered why he hadn't taken those pictures down, but he knew the answer to that. "That's Major Tyler Wyatt."
Anthony sat there waiting for more information, and when it didn't come he went on. "You two seem pretty close."
"Yeah, we were."
"Were? What happened?"
Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though it had been years, it was somehow still painful to talk about. "He was killed by an IED while on patrol outside Toshtay, part of Operation Khanjar."
"I'm sorry." Anthony could tell this was not a subject for tonight, "If you ever feel up to telling me, I'd like to hear about him."
"Thanks, I will, just not tonight." Ben took a huge gulp of his shine, "So, are you making a career out of the Corps?"
"It's funny you should say that. My commitment is about up and I've been thinking about a career change."
"Really, what do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure yet. There are a few things I've wanted to do since I was a kid. Honestly, I think I'm just going through a crisis. I don't like what I'm doing, but I also don't know what I want to do."
"Really? What have you thought about?"
"To be honest, I thought about nursing, something I wanted to do since I was a kid. But, I also would love to go into real estate and construction. I'd love to buy houses, fix them up myself, and then sell them."
"Two very different professions that's for sure. I would have never guessed you thought about nursing?"
"Yeah, it was something I've always wanted to do. The problem was my dad didn't think it was manly enough for his son."
Ben held back his first reaction, "Oh, not a very enlightened attitude."
Anthony laughed, "My father is far from enlightened. But, it doesn't really matter anymore. He and mom have been divorced since I was a kid. I haven't even talked to him since I went in the Corps, he's a huge bigot and asshole."
"Sorry."
"Don't be, I'm not. He pretty much wrote himself out of my life and that was his choice."
"I haven't talked to mine since I went to college. It was the same sort of thing, he didn't like the choices I had made in my life." Without thinking, Ben had used his fingers to make quotation marks in the air when he said `choices'. "We went our separate ways and I haven't looked back."
Anthony just sat there and looked at Ben, not speaking.
"It's funny you should be thinking of getting out of the Corps, more and more lately I think the time is here for me to start thinking about the private sector." Ben hadn't told anyone, and he wasn't sure why he was telling Anthony.
"Really? Didn't you just say you were trying to be deployed again?"
Ben laughed, "Yeah, I think that was my way of avoiding the subject of getting out. I've been looking for jobs lately; you know seeing what's out there. I'm up for promotion again and I'm not sure I want it."
"Have you found anything?"
"Actually, I have found a couple interesting jobs. One is in an Emergency Room in Florida and the other is working in a primary care clinic in my home town in Vermont."
"Well those are two completely different jobs. Good money?"
"They're both about a hundred and forty a year plus no cost benefits and retirement."
Anthony sat there for a minute trying to process what was just said, "Holy shit! Maybe I need to look at nursing again."
"It's taken me a long time to get to this level. But, if you want to revisit it, I'm sure I can help you." After another drink of shine, he went on, "I'm mainly worried that I'll be bored in the civilian world, more so when it comes to the primary care job."
"Need the adrenaline?" Anthony seemed to know exactly what the issue was.
"Yeah, after all these years, part of me would like a nice slow Monday to Friday gig, but... I know that would get old. I've lived the fast paced life for so long, I'm not sure I can do without it."
Anthony looked at the sky, "Well, I don't know about you, but I have some time to decide, especially now."
They sat there talking a while longer and Ben could feel himself falling deeper for Anthony. He wasn't sure if it was the stories of his high school football and baseball accomplishments or if it was the hunting tales that pushed it over the edge. Anthony was exactly what Ben had been looking for, for so many years. He knew it wasn't the smart thing or the right thing, but it was too late. He wasn't like anyone he had met for a very long time. He also knew he'd drunk way too much shine, he could really feel it.
"This is so relaxing and I'm so damn buzzed. I guess I better think about getting out of here and going to bed. It's been a hell of a day." Anthony almost sounded sad as he said it.
"You're probably right." Ben didn't even think about it as he stood up.
The alcohol prevented Ben's normally reserved self from being the least bit modest about being naked when he got out of the hot tub. Ben knew he had a good body, but he also knew it wasn't like the ones this young Marine was surrounded by every day.
When Ben was stepping out, Anthony saw three things he wasn't expecting at all. "Commander, what are those on your legs?" He said it in a fake panic voice.
Ben had to think for a minute what he was talking about, then he started to laugh. "You mean my tattoos," then he thought about what else was on his legs, "or the scars?"
"The scars, first..."
"Shrapnel, I was very lucky, didn't do much damage."
Anthony seemed to sense this wasn't a subject Ben wanted to talk about right now. "Man, I've never seen a Navy officer with tattoos. Kanji characters, right? What do they mean?"
Ben was still standing with his ass towards Anthony, leaning his head to the side like he was trying to see them himself "My left calf is love' and my right is loyalty'."
"Bad ass, Ben!" Anthony had to admit to himself that he liked them and it showed a wild side to the otherwise clean cut officer he was starting to learn more about.
When Ben turned around to say something, he thought he noticed Anthony zero in on his dick for a moment. He tried to not react, but he also realized he was half hard. "Do you need help getting out?"
"I'm not sure, I might need some." Anthony was able to lift himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the tub. When he swung his legs over, Ben was once again given the perfect view of his cock, but this time it was much larger than before. `Damn, it's not even completely hard and it's fucking huge.'
As Anthony sat on the edge of the spa, he tried to reach for the brace and couldn't get it. Ben knelt down to pick it up, and was suddenly eye-level with Anthony's cock. He couldn't help but smile, and as he picked up the brace and handed it off he knew he was busted. Anthony was looking down at him and Ben thought he saw a knowing smirk on the young man's face.
"Careful, it's been a long time since anyone was that close to him. I'd hate for you to get your eye poked out by accident."
Without thinking, Ben mumbled to himself, "Rather have my tonsils removed with it." He could feel himself turn red after he said it and he swore to himself no more alcohol around this one.
"What was that?" Anthony leaned over a little further to hear better.
"Nothing, bad joke. I think we need to get to bed, I don't know about you but I'm tired." Ben prayed he deflected the question.
As he finished placing the brace on his leg, Anthony tried to stand up. He then started to wobble and Ben grabbed him around the back with his arm. "Whoa, big fella. Don't fall on me."
"Sorry, too much shine." As he said it he placed his arm around Ben's shoulder, "Thanks, I might need your help getting to bed."
"Yeah, it's a long way to your bedroom."
"Is that one yours?" Anthony said it pointing to the open French doors that were close to the hot tub.
"That's it." Ben was still supporting Anthony as they stood there. He tilted his head down and noticed that Anthony was now completely hard and quite impressive. Ben then noticed that he had been caught looking.
"Sorry about that, I'm not sure why he's doing that. I try to beat him into submission regularly." Anthony laughed at himself, which caused Ben to laugh out loud also.
Ben wasn't sure why he said it, but he couldn't stop himself, "Him?"
"Yeah, Tyson. He's a heavyweight, fights like a champ and can really put a hurtin on ya." Anthony started laughing even harder.
"I bet he can."