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The Pretender Ch. 02

By: JaycobMatthews



"I want to know what became of the changes

We waited for love to bring

Were they only the fitful dreams

Of some greater awakening

I've been aware of the time going by

They say in the end it's the wink of an eye

And when the morning light comes streaming in

You'll get up and do it again

Amen"

*

Luckily Daniel lived on the first floor, and was strong enough from a career of wrestling with big dogs and the occasional visit to the gym. He hefted Michael up, and wedged his shoulder under his and dragged him to the door to his apartment. The door next to the creaked open, and Daniel's neighbor Katie poked her head out. 

"Daniel? You need help?" She said laughing slightly.

"Actually," Daniel grunted a bit under Michael's weight, "Yeah, can you unlock my door?" 

"Sure." Katie said giggling a bit. "What did you do to the poor boy?" 

"His dog died today. I took him out for a drink. He's out cold and I have no idea where he lives." Daniel pulled Michael into the apartment. 

Michael stirred a bit. 

"Bathroom...." He stood up a bit. 

"Okay, let's go buddy." Daniel said, guiding a wobbly, half awake Michael to the bathroom. Michael unzipped his slacks and put up the seat. Daniel shut the door most of the way as Katie stepped up behind him. 

"He's cute... even when drunk. Do you normally pick up grieving men at the clinic to bring home and ravish?" Katie seemed to always joke around that everyone was gay. Daniel was originally offended, but quickly learned that was her sense of humor. Whether or not she thought someone was gay, they still got teased about it. 

"Whatever... he just needs a place to sleep it off. Hopefully he's not too hung over to get to work tomorrow." 

Katie laughed.

"Well, do you need anything more?" She asked. The toilet flushed behind Daniel, and the door creaked open. 

Michael stumbled through, and then leaned on Daniel. 

"Naw, I'll put him to bed. I'll call you if I need you." Daniel said. 

"Will you call me if I need you?" Michael leaned close to Daniel again, this time not bothering to whisper as he cupped the bulge behind his zipper.

"Dear lord..." Daniel groaned. 

Katie laughed again and turned towards the door. 

"See you tomorrow!" She said in a sing-song voice, shutting the door behind her.

Michael pushed himself off of Daniel and started walking towards the bedroom. 

"Um..." Daniel rushed to follow him, intent on making Michael sleep on the couch. Daniel turned the corner to stop him, but Michael had flopped onto the bed, and passed out again. Daniel groaned. He hated sleeping on the couch, but unless he wanted to share a bed with Michael, which he was certain wasn't a good idea considering the way he was behaving towards Daniel while drunk. With resignation, he grabbed an extra pillow from the bed and a sheet from the closet and went back out to the living room. He pulled the futon out into a bed, threw the pillow on, and crawled under the sheet. 

Two hours later, Daniel gave up. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep on the couch. The railings under had no padding to keep from digging into his spine, and he always had trouble sleeping on his stomach. He debated about joining Michael in the bedroom, and figured he hadn't heard any noise, so it might be safe. Daniel snagged his blanket and pillow and brought it with him. At some point Michael had taken off his shoes, and crawled under the blankets. Daniel lay down on top of the comforter, and pulled the sheet over him. He fell asleep almost instantly.

As the morning light spilled in through the window, Daniel stirred a bit, as he was accustom to waking up slightly before his alarm went off. For the first time it quite a while, he slept amazingly well, and was snuggled up to something hard, yet yieldingly soft. He burrowed into it further. Daniel had always been a hedonist with pillows and enjoyed cuddling up to them. Except this pillow now had an arm around him! The memories of last night came screaming back to him in clarity. He'd spent the night with Michael next to him in bed, and although Daniel hadn't moved much, Michael had spooned himself up behind Daniel. Daniel was afraid to move. He could feel a hard presence tunneling into his crack. Daniel's body responded to Michael's hard cock grinding into his buttocks. He could feel his penis responding and quickly growing stiff. All the feelings he'd pent up since he was a teenager came crashing back to him. 

Michael slowly woke up to an amazing erection; his hand went to slip down to stroke himself as customary when he woke up. He realized shortly he wasn't alone. Slightly panicked, he froze. 

Daniel felt Michael stiffen behind him, and he knew that what he was feeling was too good to last. Michael would never want a guy like him. He was probably was one of those guys who, when drunk would goof around, but would never actually act on any "homo" feelings. Hell, Daniel could barely come to grips with his own sexuality, why in the world should he ever believe anyone would be interested in him? 

Michael was struggling with what led him to be in a strange bed this early in the morning. Since he was living with his parents while doing his externship he would not have gone home with someone! His parents would never forgive him. He felt a wave of grief fall over him as he recalled what happened yesterday. Mollie was gone. Daniel had taken him out for a drink. After a moment he realized he was spooned up behind Daniel, holding him close. Daniel was still, breathing slow and deep, he was probably still asleep. Michael had been sure the man was attracted to him, but he couldn't get a rise out of him any way he'd tried. He briefly remembered flirting last night while drunk. Well, now or never, he thought. He trailed a hand down Daniel's chest, leisurely dragging his hand through the scant amount of chest hair. He reached the edge of Daniel's pajama bottoms. He toyed with the strings. 

Daniel couldn't believe it, Michael seemed to be awake, and not only that, but he was touching his pants. Daniel wasn't sure what to do. He'd never acted on these feelings; in fact he'd never even gotten any farther then kissing a girl in high school. He had struggled so hard with wanting to be normal, so he'd never even entertained thoughts of touching another man. He couldn't even bring himself to masturbate with images of men. But he couldn't stop his reaction, especially when Michael reached into his bottoms and grasped his penis. Daniel gasped, his hips involuntarily thrusting into Michael's hand. Michael ground his cock into the small of Daniel's back in time to his firm strokes on Daniel. It didn't take too many strokes and Daniel's vision blacked out. He literally saw stars as cum erupted from his cock into his pants. Michael was panting against his neck, and a few pushes more against Daniel's backside had Michael crying out, and spilling into his boxers. The men panted hard, trying to get their breath back. Daniel panicked, he should never have given into these urges! He would never be normal after this! He bolted from the bed and ran to the shower. Michael, left behind was baffled at Daniel's reaction. This was the most intense experience he'd had, and Daniel was upset about it.

Daniel was crouched in the shower, struggling not to cry. He heard the door click open, and Michael taking a leak in the toilet. The shower curtain pulled back. Michael looked at Daniel in confusion.

"What's going on, buddy? Didn't you enjoy that?" Michael asked. 

Daniel whimpered.

"That's the problem... I did" Daniel whispered. 

Michael bent down, eye level with Daniel. 

"What do you mean?"

"I can't be gay. I mean, why me? I never did anything to anger God! I can't be gay." Daniel cried openly now, and curled on his side in the tub. 

Michael recoiled at the venom in the last sentence. He wasn't sure what to do. He caught a glimpse of the time- they had about an hour before they both needed to be at the clinic. 

"Look, Daniel, let's not put a label on this yet, there's no reason to freak out just yet, okay? Let's pretend nothing happened, I fell asleep on your couch. You get cleaned up, I'll fix you a cup of coffee, we'll head to work, and then tonight when we have more time we can discuss what's going on, okay?" 

Daniel hesitated. 

"Okay, Daniel? Let's just get through the day." Michael whispered. 

Daniel nodded, and stood in the shower. He grabbed his body wash and a washcloth and went about his normal routine. Michael left him to his business and went back out the bedroom. He found a smaller pair of scrubs that was a different color than Daniel normally wore hanging in his closet. Rather then wear his clothes from yesterday; Michael decided to borrow the scrubs. People would be less likely to question or comment.

The rest of the day, the boys acted as if nothing had happened. Michael realized then and there, he was positive Daniel was a great deceiver. He wasn't even sure if Daniel would admit to himself later that it had happened. Michael couldn't help himself from reacting anytime the big man came near. His blond shaggy hair cut was too damn cute, especially when it got in his face and he tried to move it buy blowing on it. It didn't quite work, but Daniel always made an exasperated face when he did it that was just hilarious. As the day winded down, Michael caught Daniel in the laboratory and cornered him. 

"Let's go out for dinner tonight..." He asked.

Daniel looked like he was a deer caught in headlights. 

"Um..." He stuttered. 

Sara came around the corner. 

"Hey Daniel, can you take a call?" She asked. Daniel gratefully bounced away from Michael. Michael heaved a sigh. It was going to be difficult to get Daniel to admit he wanted more then this morning. Michael sure as hell wanted more. He knew he was attracted to the lean man. His slight frame, Michael had learned, was very deceiving. Daniel routinely lifted dogs that weighed more then 80 pounds without struggling. He had seen the contact solution in the bathroom this morning, and suspected he looked adorable in glasses, if not a bit nerdy. He knew he was a kind, compassionate man, as clearly shown in his work. 

As Daniel came back around the corner, Michael tried to look busy studying the schedule for the next week. He would really only be around for one more full week, and then he was off to his next externship before heading back to school. He wasn't looking forward to leaving this clinic. He wanted a place like this once he graduated. There was nothing better then a place where everyone acted like family. 

The Pretender Ch. 03



The next day at work Michael cornered Daniel in the lab.

"Come to dinner with me tonight..."

Daniel stared at him. "No"

"Come on its Friday and you don't work tomorrow. Seriously I won't take no for an answer." Michael said.

"Well, guess what, I just said 'No' so you're gonna have to." He retorted.

Michael stared back, waiting.

"Look, I'm sure you didn't realize it, but I'm not a 'going out' type, nor whatever happened the other morning type, okay?" Daniel tried to push Michael out of the way, but the smaller man refused to move.

"I'm gonna keep invading your personal space until you agree to it, so unless you want some rumors floating around..." Michael lightly threatened.

"Fine. But just as friends. None of 'this'." Daniel said gesturing to Michael.

"Cool. I'll drive." Michael practically skipped away.

Daniel begrudgingly slipped into Michael's car. Michael turned to him

"So, what do you like? Want to do something around here?"

"Doesn't matter to me... I'm not to picky."

"Alright." A few minutes later they were at a hole in the wall bar.

"What is this? Some hick bar?" Daniel asked disbelieving.

"Well, you said just as friends tonight, so I wasn't thinking romantic restaurant. Although, that is on my To Do List. Besides they have great food here."

Daniel shook his head.

They sat down at a small table and Michael ordered for them.

"Combo platter and two of your most popular microbrews."

The bartender went to go place the order with the kitchen and promptly brought back their beers.

"So, Daniel, what was life like growing up as you?" Michael started.

"Well. Obviously I had a pretty sheltered life. My parents are pretty religious. I haven't decided if I want that or not yet."

Michael realized that was the root of Daniel's fear based anger at himself in the shower the other morning. After a moment of thought, he said,

"I think you should come to church with me this weekend."

"What?"

"I'm serious, you should come to church with me this weekend, get a different perspective on religion to help you decide." Michael already was thinking about calling his friend, Ben whose dad was the preacher. The food arrived and momentarily disrupted their conversation.

Daniel looked at him warily.

"Decide what exactly?"

"Look, Daniel, I understand what you are going through. You struggle with it on a daily basis, and you're hardwired to think you're a freak, an abomination, whatever." Michael leaned forward. "I've been through it myself, and was shocked once I found out how many people supported my decision to be who I was meant to be."

Daniel stiffened.

"I don't know what you are insinuating."

"Okay Daniel, I get it... look, if you want help, let me know, but don't lie to yourself. Obviously it's already causing you pain, and it'll just keep festering." Michael said firmly.

Daniel looked like he might get up and leave, but Michael saw a flicker of hope light his eyes. At that point, Daniel decided to change the subject since the conversation was not something he wanted to discuss, much less in a public area.

"So what led you to veterinary medicine?"

"Well, I always loved animals growing up. My grandpa was a vet, and my sister is too, but you knew that. I guess I always wanted to work with animals since I was young. What about you?"

"Well, I always loved animals even if we didn't have any growing up. I never wanted to be a vet though, I didn't like school that much, and wasn't sure I wanted to have that much responsibility. When I was in high school though, I started watching Animal Planet and had an epiphany. I knew watching Emergency Vets that I wanted to be a vet tech. I had no idea what a tech was until I watched that show. I never knew that something like this existed. Most people still have no idea what we do."

"Like run the place..." Michael joked. "You guys do everything! One of the first things they teach us in vet school is to not just respect your elders, but respect your techs. They are your eyes, ears and heart of the clinic. They will make your life miserable if they want too."

Daniel laughed. "That's so true. The doctors at the clinic wouldn't know how to run any of our lab equipment or x-rays if they didn't have us." 

They continued talking long after they'd finished their food. Daniel reluctantly agreed that the seedy bar did serve great food. Michael settled the bill and they walked back out to his car.

"Want to come over for a bit? Maybe a night cap?" Michael asked once they were in the car.

Daniel hesitated.

"I don't know Michael"

"Well, I'll drop you back off at your car, but if you change your mind let me know. No funny stuff though, since my parents will be home. Not that they'd care, they've known I was gay before I even told them..."

Daniel looked shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"My mom guessed when I was 14, but I didn't come to terms with it until after I met Ben. His dad is the preacher at the church I want you to come with me to. Ben knew who he was right from the start and his parents and support group never told him he was anything but normal. God that kid grew up the way any gay child should. He was never bullied or told he was different or anything! They both helped me come to terms with what I was feeling. It was so weird how it happened though, because I was never the stereotypical gay guy and after starting to feel that way, I thought I was a total freak, you know? Like I'm not a normal straight guy, and I'm far from a normal gay guy. Anyway, I was seriously depressed with that thought, and was contemplating what to do. I mean I wasn't close to hurting myself or anything, but I think if I hadn't met Ben I would have. I was walking home from an after football practice the one day, frustrated with myself since I almost popped a boner in the shower. Man the one wide receiver was so freaking hung..." Michael laughed. "And it started to pour, the wind picked up and all of a sudden I was caught in a terrible storm, so I ducked into the first public building. It happened to be a church. As I wandered around, Ben found me. He could tell I was upset, didn't let up his questioning, and he finally got me to admit I was concerned I was gay. His dad came around the corner then. I was terrified! Hugh in his preacher clothing sure was intimidating, especially after hearing all these horror stories about the Westboro Baptist Church and whatnot... I was about ready to bolt out of there, but Ben stopped me. We talked for hours while it rained outside. It was life changing; they helped me come to understand that God doesn't make mistakes. What's the famous saying? He doesn't ever give you more than you can handle. And I can handle this, and so can you Daniel. You don't have to worry about whatever people think. You need to be safe and comfortable in your own mind. You have to be okay with yourself first, before caring about others." Michael fell silent. Daniel was speechless, and for the first time ever he opened the door in his brain shut for so long.

"I think I would like to meet them. I think I might be ready to find out who I am." Daniel said before he could stop himself.

     That Sunday, Michael showed up on his doorstep bright and early. Daniel, although he was nervous, was ready, dressed in a nice pair of khakis, and a light blue collared shirt Michael almost laughed, because although he was wearing black pants, their shirts were very similar in color. Daniel followed Michael out to his car.

"Nervous?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure why though. This should go fine. I'm just going to church, right? Ha!" Daniel said.

"Well, we are talking about possibly changing all the ideals you grew up with... it's kinda a big deal. But I hope it works out. As your friend, I'm concerned about you."

"I almost just want to skip this and maybe meet your friend later"

"Daniel, really, what's the mantra you keep repeating to yourself?"

"Let's just get through the day?"

"Right." Michael said as he pulled into the parking lot of the church. It really was a small non-descript church, the parking lot only had about 20 spaces, and only half were full. The building itself did look like a church, but for some reason had a homey feel. Probably due to the fact that other then the large cross on the sign explaining what the building was, there were very few religious figures decorating the outside. Daniel followed Michael into the church. Instead of sitting in the back like Daniel would have preferred, Michael walked up the small row of pews and sat in the third row next to two young men. One was skinny, lean and quite short compared to Michael and Daniel. The other was a bit taller, and had a muscular build. Michael sat down near the taller of the two, and they shook hands. Before Michael could introduce them to Daniel, music started playing.

     Michael was a bit disappointed in the service, Hugh talked about honesty today, and after the first part Michael had truthfully drifted off into his own thoughts. Maybe after today though, Daniel would be more open to visiting again, and then they could catch a sermon on sexuality. He peeked over at Daniel, who looked a bit shell shocked.

     Daniel could hardly believe his ears as he listened to the preacher talk. When he first started talking, it was more so about being honest to those around you, but it blossomed into being truthful to yourself. About lying to yourself about who you were, leading into lying to others, causing your soul damage. Daniel realized then and there, he had to stop pretending. He had to stop lying to himself about the possibility he might be gay. It was damaging him, and although he knew it would be a long road to accepting himself, he had to start- right now. He turned to Michael.

"I need to go home." He quietly said. Michael seemed taken aback, but noticing the tears starting to form, he complied.

"I'll talk to you guys later, maybe we can do lunch." He said to the men sitting next to him. Daniel started duck around other parishioners leaving. He made it to the car before Michael did. Michael unlocked the car, and they silently got in. The drive to Daniel's apartment was just as quiet. When Michael pulled up to the curb, Daniel just about leapt out of the car and ran to the door. Concerned, Michael put the car in park, and followed him. He hoped that taking Daniel to church wasn't a mistake. Fortunately, Daniel was in such a rush, he hadn't locked the door behind him. He found Daniel curled up in a fetal position on his bed, crying softly.

"Daniel?" Michael whispered from the door.

No reply. Michael crept up to the bed and sat down. He placed a hand on Daniel's shaking shoulder.

Daniel jumped a bit at the touch.

"Thank you." Daniel whispered.

"For what?" Michael was baffled.

"I never thought.... I never guessed... I just, well, today was eye opening. To be religious, and be accepted as not being normal, you know?"

"Look, just because you might be gay, doesn't mean you're not normal,"

"If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I'd ever be able to see it that way. But now there might be hope." 



The Pretender Ch. 04



They stayed in bed next to each other for a little bit while Daniel absorbed his epiphany.

Michael turned to Daniel,

"Well, you want to do something for lunch?"

"Yeah I'm hungry now. I was so nervous this morning, I didn't eat breakfast."

"Oh, hey, let me call Ben real quick if that's okay. I haven't hung out with him and James in a while."

"Sure, I think I'd like to meet him. His dad is the preacher right?"

"Yeah." Michael said distractedly as he dug in his pocket for his phone.

Daniel recognized the two men as the same ones they sat next to in church.

"Hi! I'm Ben, this is James." The taller of the two introduced them. Daniel shook hands with them. He had to admit to himself, they were both quite good looking. Ben had just a hint of muscle to him, just enough for a good physic. James was skinny, and had artfully scruffy facial hair.

"Daniel." He replied. They all sat down together at the table, James and Ben on one side, Michael and Daniel next to each other.

"So, you two are a couple?" Ben asked.

"Just friends." Michael quickly answered, "at least for right now."

"Ah, this is the friend that needs a push." Ben nodded.

"Off a cliff..." James added jokingly.

"Well, actually it feels like a cliff, that's for sure." Daniel said.

"We have all been there. Some of us worse than others." Ben said seriously.

"Yeah." James said a bit sadly.

"James, why don't you tell your story to Daniel, I think he'd appreciate it. Daniel has some pretty religious folks that I think will be a problem down the road."

"Well, it was a beautiful fall day..."

"Jerk, just tell the story!" Ben said elbowing him.

Daniel laughed at the exchange.

"Okay, so cliff notes of what really happened. Well, my dad hates my guts to begin with because I was never a manly guy. I'm too skinny, too weak, blah blah blah. So I go to college, experiment, realize I like boys, men, penis whatever, so I broach the subject with my mom, my mom completely drops the subject and ignores what I have to say. I tell my sister, but Dad overhears. I end up in the ER, where Ben works. Ben convinces me to press charges, and to be true to myself. We fall in love, and that was 5 years ago. Dad's in prison, Mom hardly talks to me, my sister is the only one I communicate with on a regular basis."

"Jesus!" Daniel said after James paused for a breath.

"Are you shocked at the story, or at the fact he said that in one breath?" Ben asked.

James laughed.

"Well, honestly, both" Daniel said.

"Look, the cheesy 'It gets better' project really works, as lame as it sounds. Ben and his dad helped me understand that." James said.

"I'm a one man, Gay It Forward wiz." Ben laughed.

"Well, Michael sure speaks highly of you. Sounds like he gives credit to you for his accepting himself." Daniel said.

"I think Michael would have gotten there on his own. His family is pretty cool about it. Problem is, that there are more people out there like James, that will never be able to either come out because of fear, or will stay forever shut away, trying to lead a normal life. Those people I worry about. It eats away at you terribly."

"I understand that. I'm terrified what my parents might do. I'm not sure if I ever will get the guts to tell them if it does turn out I am gay."

"Hopefully, we'll give you the support system you need to find out, and then to help you let the world know."

"Can't argue with that. So, out of that I think I caught you work at the ER?" Daniel asked Ben.

"Oh, yeah, I'm an RN."

"Ah, cool. I'm a vet tech, so I get to do a lot of the same things as you, but obviously on animals."

"What?! No way, that is freaking cool. I always wondered how you guys could draw blood on animals. I've tried to visualize vessels on our dog, but I have no idea how to, it must be hard."

"Well, not really, I think the same thing of drawing blood on humans," Daniel laughed, "I suppose it's what you're used to. What kind of dog do you guys have?"

"An Australian Cattle dog. He's pretty cool, but high energy. It's a good thing I have James whose also high energy." The four boys all laughed at that.

"You have pets?" James asked Daniel.

"Well, I had a cat growing up, but he passed away while I was at college. He was 17 and the coolest cat ever, almost like a dog. I haven't decided yet if I want one or the other, and my apartment manager frowns upon having more than one animal. I kind of want a dog, but I'm not sure I have the time needed to devote to one."

"If you could have a dog, what breed?" Michael asked.

"Well, you should know the answer to that one... I love power breeds. Another reason why a dog won't happen to soon, I think the manager might have kittens if I told her that I had a pit bull."

"God I love pitties...." Michael said sadly.

Ben reached over to pat him on the hand.

"After graduation, as soon as I have a job, I'm going to the humane society to find one. But you're right Daniel, the timing is poor right now, with school finishing up."

"So where are you heading after this week is over?" Daniel asked Michael.

"California. It's a bit larger than the clinic here. 5 small animal doctors."

"I take it you're wanting to go into small animal work?"

"Yeah. I much prefer a controlled climate to the ups and downs of Wisconsin weather. I definitely don't want to be out in 3 feet of snow pregnancy checking cows..."

Daniel laughed.

"So, are you thinking about staying in the area?"

"Well, that is part of the externship in California, seeing if I would want to live out there. I always thought that I would like living on the west coast."

Daniel nodded.

"I used to think about moving out of the state, but jeez, call me crazy, but I love the weather here."

"You're crazy!" Ben, Michael and James all said at the same time.

Daniel realized he was completely comfortable hanging out with these guys. And he never would have thought they were all gay if they hadn't told him. James was really the only one that acted feminine out of the bunch and it wasn't even that pronounced. If anybody were watching, they would have just thought the four of them were friends.

Daniel excused himself to go to the bathroom. Ben jumped at the opportunity.

"Look, I'm all for the Gay It Forward, hell, I practically invented it, if not perfected it, but when are you going to admit that you like this guy?" Ben asked Michael.

"I don't know if I can. He still is so unsure of himself. At this point I don't know if he'll ever admit that he's gay, even though I really think he is. So I have to Gay It Forward to make sure he's happy, great. Even if it means I don't end up with him. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more, but I'm taking it one step at a time I guess." Michael replied.

"Okay dude, but I'm not sure I want to be the one you cry on when he finds someone else." Ben said.

"I will if he won't, hahaha." James joked. "I think he'll see the light. Almost like nightingale syndrome."

"Seriously? That's all you have to say about it? Ugh, why am I friends with you guys." Michael rolled his eyes.

Daniel scooted back into his seat.

"Nobody else would put up with you, that's why." Daniel said.

Ben and James laughed hysterically. 

"Where did you find this guy? I love him! To bad I met you first!" James laughed more, referring to Ben.

The last day of Michael's externship was a clear day. Daniel was sad that Michael was leaving for the west coast for another 2-week externship, but he would return in to the state after that for his final semester of school. And Michael had talked him into exchanging phone numbers so if he needed to talk about things, he could call. The day was turning out to be a busy one, and during the rush of appointments and surgeries, Daniel was able to forget his worries about his closest friend in years leaving him, if only for a short time.

As Daniel was walking up to the appointment rooms, a non-descript large black mutt of a dog bolted past him. He turned and quickly followed it- it was obvious the dog had slipped out of a loose collar. As he pursued the dog, Daniel grabbed a loop leash. The dog ended up cornering himself at the end of a hallway, but when Daniel approached it, the dog bared his teeth, eyes wide. Daniel stopped moving forward, immediately realizing the dog was absolutely terrified at being in the clinic and even more worked up after getting lost. If he moved too fast, the dog could either hurt himself, or Daniel. Daniel slowly knelt down, and reached into his pocket which always held a wealth of treats. The dog's eyes didn't seem to bug out as much when Daniel tossed a treat close to him. He held out another treat and the dog leaned towards him to grab it. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Dr. Schmidt, the vet the dog was intending to see came sliding around the corner and startled the already frightened dog. The dog reacted violently, and bit Daniel.

Michael heard yelling and barking from the treatment area, so he quickly went to see if he could help. Typically it usually meant a wiggling dog getting a nail trim, but Michael's concern rose as he turned the corner. It seemed there was blood everywhere. Daniel was holding onto a leash, at the end of which was a dog that was struggling valiantly. Blood was smeared all over Daniel's forearm, chest and the floor was covered.

"Daniel! Holy shit, are you okay?!" Michael asked.

"Um... probably not." He handed the leash to Dr. Schmidt and slumped against the cabinet. Michael slid around Dr. S to catch Daniel just as he was about to hit the floor. He looked pale, and his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

The next thing Daniel knew, he woke up in the emergency room. Embarrassment of passing out hit him like a wave. What self respecting 6'3, 180 pound guy fainted at the sight of blood when he worked around it all day? Daniel shook his head, but immediately regretted it, as it made him nauseated and dizzy at the same time. As his head cleared he realized Ben was hovering next to the hospital bed Daniel was laying in.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I work here." Ben chuckled. 

"Ah. Okay. So how bad is it?" Daniel asked, looking at his bandaged arm. His leg was sore too, and he couldn't remember everything that happened. That sort of thing occurred in the heat of the moment. Daniel rarely ever remembered getting hurt, the bruises or scratches showed up after the adrenaline high.

"Well. They said 41 stitches in the original bite, but then when Dr. S tried to pull the dog off you, he redirected at him, but got your thigh, so 13 there, plus I barely caught you, so your hip is probably sore, as well as your elbow, Chunky Butt." Michael said with a teasing smile as he walked into the room. Daniel laughed. As if anyone would ever call him chunky with his wiry frame.

"Thanks." Daniel said as the doctor walked in.

"Ah you're awake. Do you have someone to watch you tonight? Because then I can send you home. With you passing out I don't want you alone tonight, so if not, you get to stay here."

"I can." Michael said, without waiting for Daniel to reply.

"Alright, I will set up the discharge paperwork then." The doctor said absentmindedly, leaving the room.

"Dude, really? I hope you don't expect to share my bed..." Daniel said sternly.

"I'll take the couch this time." Michael said. "I'll go to the front to see if they need me to sign anything and pull the car around."

Ben waited until Michael left the room.

"What did he mean by 'this time'?" Ben asked.

"He got drunk after Mollie was put to sleep and I had no idea where he lived so I took him home with me. He passed out on the bed before I could tell him to sleep on the couch." Daniel omitted telling Ben the complete truth.

"I think he likes you." Ben said.

"I think so too. But I don't want to give him the wrong impression. I have a feeling it'll take forever to decide things and I don't want him to miss out on anything because he's waiting for me." Daniel said.

"I get that. But like we've told you, you can't worry about other people until you've worked on yourself." Ben said.

Michael came back into the room, effectively stopping the conversation.

"How are you feeling?" Michael asked.

"Sleepy. My arm hurts a bit."

"The pain meds will make you sleepy. But you are going to want to take them. And take it easy. We'll get you a doctor's note for work too."

"Well, let me grab your clothes. We'll get you dressed and then get us to your place."

"Okay." Daniel said. He followed Michael to the bathroom, were Michael laid his clothes on the counter. He stepped out, shutting the door to give Daniel some privacy.

Daniel was a little embarrassed, but putting on his underwear was enough to exhaust him.

"Michael..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to need some help getting my pants on. And probably my shirt."

Michael opened the door, mentally preparing himself to not show any reaction to Daniel's mostly naked body. The last thing this poor boy needed was a perv helping him dress. Daniel leaned heavily on Michael as he helped him step into his pants. But try as he might, he could hardly lift his arm to get it into his sleeve. As they were trying to decide what to do, Ben walked in with a sling in his hands.

"Ah, see I knew that would probably happen. The doctor tried to say the sling wouldn't be necessary, but I think it'll be more comfortable." Ben stepped between the two and helped Daniel put on the sling. After the sling was in place, he put Daniel's good arm through the shirt but his right arm stayed tucked against his side, under the shirt.

"Great if anyone sees me like this, they'll think the dog took my arm off."

"Despite the close call, I think people will realize that's your arm and not a weird set of boobs." Michael joked.

The three boys laughed.

Ben motioned to Michael.

"Go get the car, I'll wheel Daniel to the front and meet you there, I've got the discharge instructions and paperwork here."

"Ask him for his number before he leaves on Sunday evening, okay. That's my advice for you." Ben said. "And I won't say another word on the subject."

"I'll consider your advice." Daniel said as he sat in the wheelchair. He grimaced as he sat down.

"Man, he wasn't lying when he said my hip might be sore. Ugh..."

Ben chuckled as he wheeled Daniel to the front.

"Alright, the doctor went over stuff with you?" Ben asked Michael.

"Yup, got the sheets right here too. I'll call you if there's any problems."

"Ok, keep me posted. Hope you get better quick Daniel."

Michael pulled up to Daniel's apartment, and went around quickly to open the car door for him. With Daniel's right arm in the sling, it was difficult to open the door. He helped Daniel out of the car, and they walked up to the door.

"You don't really have to stay you know, I'll be fine without someone here."

"Dude, really, you think that you'll be able to do anything without help this first 48 hours? It'll take that long for you to figure out how to wipe your ass."

Daniel sighed.

"You really don't believe me, do you? Well then. I will sit on my ass on the couch unless you're ready to beg for forgiveness then. And after that, I will help you." Michael said with a devious grin.




(Thanks to everyone who has been following Daniel and Michael's story, and double thanks to my editor triple22. Again if anyone has suggestions or comments, please feel free to discuss...as a side note, I didn't get too far into Ben and James' story since I think I will make a spin off)



The Pretender Ch. 05



Michael had to admit that Daniel seemed to do pretty well with himself even one handed, especially since he was sure the man was right handed. For a moment he was a bit worried Daniel really wouldn't need him. In fact he watched with amazement as Daniel dug his keys out of his right pocket with his left hand, and unlocked the door. Michael followed him in.

"Want something to eat, or drink?" Daniel asked.

"Bottle of water?"

Daniel walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water as Michael walked over to the couch.

"Catch." Daniel said as he tossed the water to Michael. Michael caught it and sat down on the couch.

"Watch what you want. I think I'm going to go take a nap." Daniel said, walking towards his bedroom.

"Okay. Call if you need anything."

Michael quietly got up from the couch to sneak behind Daniel to see how the injured man was going to fair.

Daniel, with his back to the door, reached over behind his head, grabbed a portion of his tshirt at the collar and pulled it over his head. He tentatively pulled off the sling. Michael heard him wince once as the scratchy material of the sling rubbed on his stitches. He pulled back the covers, pulled a second pillow over, and crawled into bed. Michael watched with intent interest, watching Daniel's cute butt press against the fabric of the scrub bottoms he was still wearing. Daniel laid on his left side, his right arm curled protectively against his midsection. Michael left him to his nap. After all the excitement of the day, he decided to pull out the couch to lie down. While one of the Harry Potter movies played in the background, Michael drifted off to sleep.

Daniel woke up about 2 hours after he'd fallen asleep. It had been about 6 hours since his last pain pill, and his arm and thigh were throbbing. First things first though, he really had to pee. He stumbled into the bathroom. After a bit of struggle he finally managed to piss without making to much of a mess. He walked out to the living room because he wasn't sure where Michael had set his meds, if he'd even brought them in from the car. He laughed when he spotted Michael zonked out on the couch, snoring.

Daniel shrugged and looked around for any sign of the drugs. As he walked into the kitchen, he spotted the white pharmacy bag on the counter. He shook the vial out, and using his hip, he stabilized it against the counter and used his left hand to undo the child proof lid. He reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Daniel contemplated how to open the water, since pushing it against his hip like he did with his pills would result in water spilling onto him, and he was sure Michael would make fun of him if it looked like he wet himself. Or he could ask Michael to open it, but he was sure that he'd get made fun of for that too. Daniel figured he could hold the bottle in his right hand easier then trying to twist the cap off.

"SON OF A..." Michael woke up to a violent yell that cut off before the curse slipped out. He bolted up, and ran to the kitchen. Daniel was standing there holding a paper towel to his right arm, blood leaking through. A bottle of water was on the floor.

"Hey, are you okay?" Michael asked.

Daniel looked at him through a glaze of tears.

"Yeah. I think I might have torn a stitch though."

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have helped."

Daniel just shook his head.

"Daniel, really, that's why I'm here. Let me help you."

"Look, I can take care of myself. And if I wasn't so concerned about you making fun of me for spilling water, I would have done that instead of trying to use my right hand. I didn't want you to say 'I told you so', whereas if you weren't here, I would have no problem with water on my pants instead of bleeding. So this is your freaking fault." The tears that had been brimming started to fall. Michael stepped up and pulled Daniel to him. Daniel buried his face into Michael's neck and gave into the tears.

"I'm sorry." Michael said. "I know you can take care of yourself. I've already seen how you've adjusted and was surprised. I just know how stubborn my dad has been when injured and eventually he always gave up because he couldn't do something, so before knowing how well you could adjust I just assumed you would have problems. I'm sorry."

"Okay." Daniel said, muffled and teary against Michael.

"I also just want to take care of you. You're special to me, being my best friend here. Let me take care of you because I want to, not because you need it?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now let me look at your arm."

Daniel took a small step back from Michael and pulled the paper towel off. Michael grabbed some fresh paper towel, moistened it with some cold water and started to wipe some of the blood off. Daniel swiped at his face, removing the remaining tears.

"Ew. Your shirt's all gross from me crying on you, and there's blood on it now."

"Don't worry about it. I'll change in a moment, let's make sure I don't need to call Ben about your stitches okay?"

Daniel held still as Michael poked at his bite wounds, making sure nothing had gaped open. He gritted his teeth, as Michael's prodding reminded him he needed to take his codeine.

"Okay, it all looks good to me." Michael bent over and picked up the water and cracked it open. Daniel reached over for his pill, popped it in and chased it with the water.

"I have some extra shirts that might fit you in my room." Daniel said after he swallowed the pill.

"Go lay down on the couch, I'll find something. I creeped around in your room that other morning and found some scrubs that fit so I'm sure I'll find a regular shirt. Even if it's too big for me."

"You aren't that much smaller than I am, I wear a XL shirt, but that's because of my shoulders. I think you probably wear a large right?"

"Yeah, usually. Sometimes I squeeze into a medium, just to get guys to look at me, hahaha. Just kidding, I'm not that muscular." Michael wandered down the hallway.

Daniel sat cross legged on the couch.

"Bring the pillows with you when you come back?" Daniel called down the hallway.

"Sure, just as soon as I clean this pee off the toilet and floor..." Michael teased.

"Shut up, if I'd woken up earlier I wouldn't have had to pee so badly and I could've aimed better. Thank you though!"

Daniel laid down on the couch, feeling a bit drowsy from the pill already. He pulled the decorative pillows over. Michael came back into the living room with the pillows, and two new bottles of water. He was wearing one of Daniel's favorite shirts, a plain blue undershirt that brought out the clear blue of his eyes. On Michael it seemed to lighten his normally rich chocolate colored eyes to a hazel.

"Lift your head." Michael said as he placed one pillow near the wall behind Daniel.

Daniel lifted his head up, and Michael leaned down, setting the pillow under Daniel's head. Daniel noticed a strange gleam in his eyes, just prior to him leaning closer. Their lips met in a gentle, soft kiss that left Daniel aching for more. Michael touched his forehead to Daniel's. Daniel lifted up slightly for a second kiss, as gentle as the first. Michael pulled back then, looking into Daniel's eyes before whispering,

"Let's not get too carried away... If you weren't hurt I would be totally taking advantage."

Michael crawled onto the couch behind Daniel, being careful to not bump his right arm.

"What are you watching out here anyway?"

"Harry Potter movie marathon. I think I dozed off not to long after you did, though."

"Ah, okay. I wasn't sure, since all I saw was credits rolling. I'm good with that though... I'm probably going to drift off a bit anyway. I have poor drug tolerance..." Daniel said sleepily.

"Here," Michael motioned for him to roll onto his left side. He spooned up behind Daniel. "This okay?"

"Mmmhmm." Daniel somewhat nodded. Michael huffed out a quiet laugh. Daniel leaned back into him, snuggling in.

The boys napped for another hour or so, and as Daniel woke up he luxuriated in being held by Michael. Although he'd really just seen Michael as a really good friend, he was turning into more, especially if those kisses were anything to go by. He really was a great guy, fun to hang out with, funny when appropriate and serious when needed. He had such a big heart too, Daniel realized. Looking back, he could see that Michael truly was interested in getting Daniel to be comfortable in his own skin. Sure, he was attracted to Daniel, or at least it seemed like it, but he didn't push Daniel into intimacy. In order to keep Michael around, he may have to step things up a bit, Daniel thought. Or at least let Michael know he was interested in a relationship so he wouldn't loose him when Michael had to go back to school.

"Mike..." Daniel nudged back with his shoulder.

"Michael..." Michael murmured.

"What?"

"I prefer Michael. Sounds more adult." 

"Hmm, yeah, I prefer Daniel for the same reason. And everyone used to try and call me Danny and that just sounds like a girl name." He paused briefly, and then continued, "When you go back to school, do you have anybody special back there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know, like a boyfriend or a hookup or whatever..." Daniel fell quiet.

"No boyfriend. I hope you know I wouldn't be cuddling with another guy if I had one."

"Well, you can't be too careful." Daniel said softly.

Michael sighed.

"Does that mean you're leaning towards wanting to be more than friends?"

"If you want..." Michael could barely hear the response.

"Yeah, I want." Michael said.

Daniel sighed contently.

"Feeling okay? Need anything?" Michael asked.

"I'm a bit hungry, but my stomach feels off..."

"Ah, yeah Ben said the codeine can sometimes upset your stomach. It's probably a good idea to do something a bit more bland."

"I have some crackers in the cabinet."

"Stay here, I'll go get them." Michael said.

"I'm not an invalid. I could get them myself."

"Remember what I said about wanting to take care of you?"

"Okay... fine..." Daniel said. "This might take some getting used to."

 Sunday evening came too fast for both men. Michael was going to leave for California, and would be returning to Madison in 2 weeks. With 2 hours separating them, Daniel was unsure how their budding relationship would fair. And he wasn't sure what to do with himself since he was off a week from work, doctor's orders. Even if the doctor's orders were encouraged by Ben a bit. Daniel and Michael were sitting crossed legged on the pulled out couch, eating dinner.

"Excited for California?" Daniel asked.

"Meh, sorta." Michael shrugged.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I hate leaving while you're still recovering. And I'm going to miss hanging out with you."

"Me too. Can you give me your number? Maybe we can text or call each other if you're not too busy out there." Daniel asked shyly.

"I'd like that. Here give me your phone." Michael reached over. Daniel leaned back to get the phone out of his front pocket. Michael mistook the motion as Daniel trying to get away from him. He moved quickly, and started to tickle Daniel's side. He'd found over the weekend inadvertently that Daniel was pretty ticklish. Daniel yelped and tried to squirm away. After a bit of gentle wrestling, Michael ended up pinning Daniel down, into the pillows on the couch. Both boys were breathing hard, and Michael took advantage of the situation, and kissed Daniel hard. Daniel moaned under his breath and returned the kiss. Not wanting to accidentally bump Daniel's arm, he rolled him over, so Daniel was on top. Michael peppered Daniel's face with kisses, as Daniel got into the make out season more and more. It was hard to control his instincts, and Daniel's body was responding to Michael's touch. He could feel under him Michael's hard penis, growing larger. It encouraged his hips to start moving. Together they bumped their cocks, hips grinding. Too quickly, they started to reach the pinnacle. Just about as Michael was to spill his load, Daniel abruptly rolled over and sat on the edge of the couch, breathing hard.

"Daniel?"

"It's... God, I can't, I..." Daniel started to breath erratically.

"Hey, hey, hey... shhhhh. It's okay, deep breathes. You are Daniel. You were made this way. Deep breaths. There we go. Okay...." Michael rubbed Daniel's back.

"I'm sorry...." Daniel whispered.

"No, don't be. I pushed you further then you were comfortable. It's my fault."

"No, I wanted to be pushed but in the back of my mind, I just couldn't. If I purposefully make out and have sex with another man, there's no turning back. And it was just too much for my brain to handle right now. I feel so messed up!"

"Look, we've all gone through it. And yeah, this was a big step. Don't think you failed just because you couldn't finish it. Baby steps, right? One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..."

Daniel laughed at the Apollo 11 reference.

"Look, why don't I give you Hugh's number in addition to mine. If you need to, call me, or Hugh. Or Ben for that matter. We can all help you, but I think Hugh might be the one you need to talk to the most. He works with a lot of high risk youth, as well as the LBGT community for counseling. Promise me you'll call him? And once I'm back in the state, we'll try to go out for dinner or something."

"Like a date?" Daniel asked.

"Like a date. I want to get to know you better, Daniel. I really think that we have something special that I want to explore. You're like my best friend, but I think we could have something great."

"I want that too." Daniel smiled.



The Pretender Ch. 06



Daniel lazily stared at the ceiling. It was Tuesday. Monday, he slept most of the day away, due to the pain meds. Heck, even just regular Tylenol made him sleepy, so the codeine really zonked him out. Today, he wasn't in that much pain anymore, so he'd skipped his mid day dose. He wasn't sure what he was going to do the rest of the week either, but he was sure he was going to drive himself nuts without something to do. Resolving to get out of the house today, Daniel carefully rolled out of bed, and took his pajama bottoms off. He stepped into a pair of boxer briefs, and jeans. He was out of coffee anyway, so he figured he might as well go grocery shopping, and that would qualify as his getting out of the house. He cautiously pulled on a tshirt, but he hated how bruised his arm looked. He really didn't want people to ask him what happened, especially since he ran into clients at the grocery store on a pretty regular basis. However, if he wore the sling, it would cover his stitches and bruises so it wouldn't draw as much attention. Then he could lie about what happened if someone asked. 

Daniel pushed a cart around the grocery store, trying to decide if he needed anything else. Really, he just wanted coffee and cereal, since he wasn't much of a cook with one arm. As he stood in front of coffee, debating between a dark roast and a medium roast, someone tapped on his shoulder. 

"Daniel is it?"

Daniel recognized the man after a moment, realizing it was Ben's dad, Hugh.

"Pastor Hugh, right? Yes I'm Daniel." 

"I thought I noticed you over here, and unfortunately the sling was the give-away. Ben told me what had happened." 

"Bit of bad luck at work." 

Hugh nodded. 

"Did Michael tell you I'm supposed to call you?" Daniel asked.

"He mentioned you might. He wasn't sure if you would." 

"I think I should, at least once I guess. When are you available? I have the rest of the week off." He motioned to his arm.

"Well, actually I have time this afternoon; do you want to swing by the church?" 

"Sure. About 2? That will give me some time to drop off my groceries and drive out there."

"Perfect. I will see you then." 





Daniel was a bit nervous to see how this counseling would go, but not as nervous as he was when he first step foot in this church. And if it went half as well as last time he was here, he was in good shape. Hugh was arranging some flowers at the back of the pulpit. 

"Hi Hugh!" Daniel called out, to prevent startling the man.

"Daniel! I'm glad you came. Come with me to my office." 

Daniel followed Hugh down a narrow hallway into a cozy office. It almost resembled a physiatrist's office, with a desk, a chair and a long couch. 

"Please, have a seat." Hugh gestured in the direction of the couch and chair. Daniel decided to sit in the chair. He wasn't sure he wanted this to feel like a full blown counseling session just yet. Hugh sat behind his desk, rummaged around in a drawer and then pulled out a notebook.

"So. I understand you've had a pretty conservative upbringing." Hugh started. 

"Well, yeah. I was home schooled until I was a freshman. Church each Sunday with my parents. Sometimes Wednesdays too. Each time it seemed as if we'd listen to some lecture on why we were all going to hell. And everything I seemed to do was on that list."

"Sure. I guess traditional churches, especially Catholic and Christian ones will often preach against 'alternative life styles', but as with most things in life, one size doesn't fit all." 

Daniel laughed. 

"What you have to remember Daniel, is that the bible cannot mean today, what it meant back then. Sure there are some verses that can be twisted around to support or deny homosexuality, but in the end, God made you the way you are. Do you really want to change that?"

Daniel was silent.

"I just am unsure what it means to be Christian, or religious for that matter, and be gay. It just seems like it's one or the other." 

"It doesn't have to be Daniel. You can still be faithful and loving to God, but choose who you want to live with and love. I hope through our conversations and a few visits to the church that you will understand this." 

"It... well. Hmm." Daniel was a bit speechless at this. When all you've learned in the past has come crashing down around you, it leaves you feeling a bit alone. 

"Look, I know this is a lot to digest in one sitting. So, let's see each other on Thursday? Same time? And I will leave you with this thought. There are seven deadly sins, but homosexuality is not one of them. What does that say to you?"

Daniel wasn't given a chance to respond, but was politely ushered out of the office. 





Michael checked his voicemail as soon as he entered the airport. A message from the hospital he was about to have his externship at let him know they had booked a hotel room for him and a fellow 4th year student from Ohio State. Michael was a bit surprised at that, it must have been short notice that the other student was doing his externship at the same time, or had to switch his dates, since some clinics don't even like having one student shadow. He grabbed his bag, slightly disappointed that Daniel hadn't called. He picked up his rented car and drove to the animal hospital to pick up the details of where he was staying and his hours. He pulled into the parking lot, with a few minutes to spare before they closed at 6pm. The receptionists greeted him, and went to find the office manager. A middle aged women stepped through the door to the reception area and waved him back. 

"You must be Michael, I'm Gale the practice manager here. And this is Westley, the other extern that will be joining us here for the next two weeks. I hope you boys don't mind staying with each other, although we did get you a suite so you'll each have your own bed." 

Michael shook hands with Westley, giving him a quick once over since his gaydar pinged on first impressions. The man was short and skinny, with closely cropped blond hair and green eyes. He had to be at least a half foot shorter than Michael. 

"Nice to meet you, Westley. I look forward to working with everybody here." 

"Good, good. Well, I'll leave you boys to hash out the details. Here's your schedules, it's pretty much the same so you could carpool over here. Otherwise, we'll see you tomorrow!" Gale dismissed them. 

"Did you drive here?" Westley asked. 

"Yeah I have a rental." 

"Ah, cool, I took the bus, so can I hitch a ride with you?" 

"Sure, might as well." Michael waved goodbye to the receptionists, and walked out to his car, Westley following almost like a puppy. Westley quickly threw his small suitcase into the back seat and jumped into the passenger side. 

A bit of an awkward silence filled the car.

"So were do you go to school?" Westley asked. 

"Madison. I think I heard you are at Ohio?"

"Yeah."

"So, how did we end up on the same 2 week schedule, do you know?" Michael asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I had a medical emergency. Well. Yeah." He left it at that, going silent once again. 

"Ah, here we are." Michael said pulling into the hotel parking lot. 

"I hope they have a pool. I could use a swim... I brought my suit just in case." 

"I could use a swim too. Been a while." 

"Well, yeah considering it's sorta winter back home." 

Michael laughed. It seemed even with the odd silences, Westley and him would be getting along. 

Michael and Westley entered the suite that was to be their home for the next two weeks.

"You have a preference of which room you want?" Westley asked breaking the silence.

"Naw, you?"

"Not really. I'll take the one on the right. I assume they're the same." 

"Looks like it. I'll take the left. You gonna go swimming right away?" 

"Um. No, I suspect that right now there's a bunch of kids there. I'd rather wait. I think it's open until 1130, so I may go at 11ish." Westley said a bit nervously.

"As long as you don't mind, I'll go with you. It sounds like a good idea to avoid a bunch of kids."

"I might go unpack then, and maybe take a nap. Or do you want to do something for dinner?" 

"Meh, I don't really want to go out. What to order in something? There's a list of phone numbers for the restaurants in the area that deliver right next to the phone." Michael lifted up the laminated paper.

"Pizza okay with you? I'm kinda a college food staples guy" Westley said, laughing at himself. 

"Sure. You picky about toppings?" 

"Not really. Just no sardines or anything weird." 

"Ok, I might just do a veggie one, since meat gives me a bit of a heartburn issue this late at night." 

"Sounds good." 

Michael went about ordering the pizza while he watched Westley through the doorway into his room. He was kinda a cute guy if you went for a bit more of the twink look. Michael preferred more normal looking guys like himself. The typical normal looking guys versus the more extremes like twinks, or bears. He wasn't into the built or defined guys, and he liked his men to look like men, not boys. Like Daniel. He sighed thinking about the man back home. He was really Michael's ideal partner, minus the whole 'Not sure I'm gay' thing. But hopefully he talked to Ben or Hugh while Michael was away and would be really ready for a relationship. Soon enough the pizza came, and Michael and Westley talked about school, and the differences between the colleges. As the evening grew later, Westley got up to go change into his swim suit, and Michael did the same. 

As they were walking down to the pool, Michael thought he saw a fresh mark, somewhat like a tattoo on the back of Westley's right thigh, but dismissed it, knowing that anybody who recently had gotten a tattoo would know to stay out of a pool. 

The men enjoyed a quick swim, and then sat in the hot tub for a bit, before the pool room closed at 1130. 

That awkward silence happened again. Michael was never sure what to say in situations like this, because honestly, he wasn't used to it. Even with Daniel, the silence felt mutual, and comfortable, like nothing needed to be said. With Westley it felt like there was something hanging in the air, tension that could be cut with a knife.

"Um. I probably should let you know something before it becomes an issue." Westley said. "Because it was with my last roommate." 

"Okay..."

"Well. I'm gay." Westley kind of cringed, waiting for Michael to yell at him. Michael was just shocked at how it seemed recently he kept running into more and more gay men. Almost like he was fishing and he was a gay lure or something. He shook his head to get back to the more pressing issue. 

"Okay." He said.

"Just okay? No weird freak out, no requesting a new room?" Westley said.

"No dude, I'm gay too. Don't worry about it." 

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Westley said. 

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Michael laughed a bit.

"Well, remember what I said about the 'medical emergency'?" 

"Vaguely." 

"Well, my previous roommate decided to take it upon himself and mark me as a queer." Westley stood up and lifted the bottom of his board shorts to reveal a pink scratched out scar that read 'QUEER' in childish scribbles. 

"OH MY GOD." Michael said. 

"No shit... and this is with some scar reducing therapy too. I'm still waiting to see the plastic surgeon, but they want to have the reducing heal first." 

"Seriously, that is messed up, I hope you pressed charges." 

"Believe me, I did. He got kicked out of school too. Felony assault and what not." 

"Jesus. Man, I'm sorry. That's, wow." 

"I'm just glad to be among my own people. Or at least someone whose accepting of it." Westley said bitterly. 

"Do you have a support circle back home?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Like, any friends, your parents, counselor that helped you come out?" 

"I'm not exactly 'out' back home. This was the first experiment into that, by telling the roomie. I suspect it's going to be the same, but probably not as violent." 

"I would hope so! But hey, I have a set of friends and a pastor that you could always chat with too, if you're interested. In fact my best friend back home is just starting to go through with it, and we've been helping him out too. We like to refer to it as the 'Gay it Forward' movement. Helping others come out safely." 

"Little late for that, but hey, couldn't hurt, right?"





Daniel stood in front of his closet. He wasn't nervous or worried about today's talk with Hugh, but it was difficult deciding what to wear. Why? He wasn't sure. He really should just pick something comfortable since anything besides a tshirt rubbed his sutures a bit. He shrugged and grabbed the first solid colored shirt he could find, and put on a pair of nice jeans. It would have to do. 

He arrived at the church just before 2pm. He slowly walked up to the door. He wasn't sure what was making him hesitate. It wasn't like what Hugh had said Tuesday hadn't made him feel a bit better. It sure didn't make him feel worse. At least not that Daniel could tell. The seven deadly sins comment made sense to him, at least in part. He was still concerned that just because it wasn't a deadly sin doesn't mean God frowned upon it and wanted you to make yourself better. 

"Daniel! Come on in." Hugh waved him into the office from behind his desk. "Did last week's discussion help?"

"I think it left me with a few more questions then answers, but it didn't make things worse." 

"Good. That's what I want to hear." 

"That I have questions?" 

"Yes, because faith isn't blindly following someone, faith is trust, understanding and accepting, right?" 

"Yeah, that makes sense." 

"So what are you questioning?" 

"Well I guess I thought about what you said, with the seven deadly sins. But what I'm not sure I can glean from it is that God doesn't want us to fix ourselves." 

"Daniel, when it comes to a part of who you are, you aren't going to 'fix' yourself. This isn't something that can be 'fixed' any easier then being left handed, or being a different skin color. And you can use one of those examples as a stepping stone for the reasoning of the bible cannot mean today what it did then. Being left handed used to be seen as demonic. Children were forbidden from writing left handed. How is that any different then sexual preference? It isn't in my book. Oh sure, years from now they may find the gene responsible for causing homosexuality, but what do we do with that knowledge? It really doesn't change anything, except the nay-sayers will have to stop saying being gay is a choice."

"Okay. I get that. I guess I'm still struggling with the fact that I'm angry. I'm hurt. I'm, I don't know, frustrated with the fact that I am this way. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Was it something I did as a child, or in a past life or something stupid?" 

"Daniel. I understand that this isn't an easy thing to accept. The only thing that I can say is that Mother Teresa had it right. God doesn't ever give someone a struggle he doesn't believe they can't over come. And remember Philippians 4:13, 'I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me'. That itself is proof that God doesn't use homosexuality as a punishment. This isn't some struggle you have to live with because you murdered someone in a past life or didn't rest on the Sabbath when you were a child. This is something God knew you could handle. And in return, He knows you will make a difference." 

Daniel nodded. 

"Okay. I think." 

"Look, I know this is hard. I watched James struggle through it. He isn't as religious as you, so I know this will be a longer fight. I know there isn't a whole lot of obvious references to gays or homosexuals in the bible, and I'm sure you've read through it by the time you were in high school if your education was what I suspect. There is a subsection of Christians that believe that David, of David and Goliath fame, and his friend Jonathon were lovers. And as much as Leviticus 18:22 is thrown around, it really does seem to me that it refers to cult prostitution, and is taken out of context. And again, the idea that the bible cannot mean today what it meant then, is backed up by the changes we have already seen, contrary to Leviticus." 

"Like eating pork, and women being virgins when they marry."

"And resting on the Sabbath, as well as selling children into slavery."

"Okay. I'm starting to feel better about this. You're right though, I think it will be a battle to get my brain and my heart to think the same things." 

"Just remember this; once you are ready to let people know, you no longer have to lie. You don't have to hide yourself, and you can be who you were meant to be. You no longer have to suffer from depression and angst over who you truly are. You already are a good person. How can God deny you the love you deserve from Him and a potential partner?" 





Michael and Westley had a non-eventful first half of the week. After clearing the air the Monday night in the hot tub, the men got along well. During most of the days at work, they shadowed separate doctors so they really only had a chance to chat at lunch. Michael started to drive them back to the hotel after the long day. He'd gotten used to the silence that seemed to follow Westley. 

"You're a quiet guy aren't you." Michael finally said.

"Yeah. I was quite shy growing up. People always seem to do enough talking for me, and I found it was easiest to smile and nod." Westley laughed. "And it does come in handy. I've learned to be a great listener. And people think that it's a great trait. I also learn a whole lot about people in the process. Like you, I see you checking your phone a lot, you mumble under your breath and always ask me questions when the silence gets to be too much for you. Which is cool. It makes me think you got somebody back home that's supposed to be calling you or something."

"Well. Not supposed to be calling. Just might." 

"Hmm." Westley said 

"Yeah, it's complicated." 

"Sounds like it."

"I don't know. I'll tell you about it if you want." 

"You don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Maybe later. What to get something to eat?" 

"I have had enough cheap food recently. I could really use a salad or something I think."

"Well, let's go to the grocery store near the hotel, maybe pick up some salads, or stuff to make them." 

"Sounds good." Westley agreed. 





Daniel felt like he had a déjà vu moment. Here he was, lying on his bed, and staring at the ceiling. He should call Michael. Or at least text him since it was Friday. He was nervous about it though, unsure if Michael would want him to call or not. As he was arguing in his head the pros and cons in calling Michael, his phone rang. It wasn't a number he recognized. He decided to answer it just in case. 

"Hello?" Daniel answered.

"Daniel? It's Ben." 

"Oh, hey, I wasn't sure who it was; I haven't put your number into my phone yet." 

"So that's why you haven't called me. Michael was sure you would..." 

"Well, I actually ended up talking to your dad Tuesday and Thursday, so I didn't think to call you." 

"Oh, cool. Michael will be happy to hear that. I know he was worried about somebody checking in on you, but I didn't want to be intrusive. I figured you'd call if you needed something." 

"Well, actually, I could use something to do outside the house today, it you want to hang out with me." 

"Anything specific?"

"Not really. I've just been making it a goal of mine to leave the house once a day so I don't end up depressed and staring at the ceiling like I am right now." 

Ben laughed. 

"Okay. James and I were thinking of heading out for lunch. Probably Mexican if you're up to that."

"Sure." 

"We'll come pick you up then. Need some time?" 

"How long will it take for you to get here?" 




The Pretender Ch. 06



"Oh, probably 15 minutes or so." 

"That's enough time. I'll be ready. I just have to put on a shirt, comb my hair and probably put my sling on."

"See you soon." 

Daniel had enough time to get ready and wait outside before James pulled up in front of Daniel's apartment. Ben was riding shotgun and rolled down his window.

"Hey you! Need me to open the door?" 

"No, I got it. The arm doesn't hurt anymore, I just think the bruise looks terrible, and the sling covers it up."

"Nice."

"Eh, less questions I have to deal with." 

"So you're okay with Mexican food?" James asked. 

"Yes, definitely... So how have you guys been, anything exciting going on?" 

"Not really. Just the usual going to work, going to school." Ben replied. 

The men arrived at the restaurant, and once they were sitting, Ben asked,

"So did you learn a lot talking with my Dad?" 

"Yeah, I did. He really has me thinking about what it means to be gay, and to still be religious. It's a bit of a slippery slope, and it may take me sometime to really digest it."

"I understand that. I guess because I had such a liberal up bringing, I never had to experience it, but I've watch a lot of kids go through it."

"What exactly to you mean by a liberal upbringing? I mean I know that Michael said nobody ever told you that it wasn't normal to like boys, but that's just odd to me." 

"So, it's a bit of a funny story, but my grandparents are hippies. Like the total free love, commune living, no money, dirty hippies. And Dad when he got to a certain age, decided that wasn't for him. He wanted more structure, and a more normal mainstream life, so he asked to go to a public school. My grandparents weren't thrilled, but understood the reasoning he gave, and sent him to fifth grade. Dad loved it, and made friends pretty quickly. Well, he sleeps over at a friend's house, goes to church and gets his calling. Man, I can just imagine my grandparent's faces when he told them. It probably was more like what it should have been for me coming out!"

"That's crazy! But, how did that work out for you?" 

"Well, see after a while of living mainstream, Dad missed his parents, Mom was sick, and I was still young, around 4 years old. So his options became finding someone to care for Mom and me, or he could have his parents watch us. So that's what he decided. He did want to instill some of the values of the commune in me anyway, so it worked out well. I got to experience all different types of couples, interracial, gay, lesbian, open marriages from a young impressionable age. And my grandparents always said, 'love is love' and 'make sure the person you choose to live the rest of your life with is your best friend'. They never imposed a gender on those specifications. So when I got to puberty, it was natural in the commune to date who you were attracted too, and people there were open minded, so it never was a question to me. I preferred men, and that was okay with everybody." 

"Wow. So you were raised as a religious hippie... I think most people would find that as contradictory as the Christian gay..." Daniel laughed. 

"Exactly. More people laugh about that then when I tell them I'm a religious gay. 

"Haha, that's true." James said. 

Their food arrived, and the men were silent as they dug in. 

After the first few bites, Daniel asked,

"So how long have you guys been together?"

"Almost five years. I took Ben's grandparent's advice and am living with my best friend." James said. 

"That's awesome. I always believed if you could stand to be around a person for more then 15 minutes without wanting to strangle them, it must be love." 

"Hahaha. That's the truth. I usually can get to 20 minutes..." Ben teased James. 

"You're lucky I love you." James said, as he leaned over for a quick kiss.

Daniel smiled at the exchange. It was very familiar to how Michael and he interacted with each other. He realized then that he should call Michael tonight, he missed him, and wanted to tell him about his talk with Hugh, and lunch with Ben and James. 

Michael and Westley arrived back at the hotel late after a harrowing c-section both men helped with. Westley had gotten to perform the surgery, and Michael was on 'puppy catching duty'. The owner of the dog had picked her off the street, and had no idea she was pregnant until the puppies started coming. The dog's owner was a good pet owner otherwise, but had just gone through a health concern with her other dog and was short on money. So when the hospital owner offered a price break in allowing Westley and Michael to run the case with supervision, she'd agreed quickly, knowing that the dog and her pups were in good hands, and she was more then happy to give them a learning experience. The surgery had gone extremely well, and all five of the mixed breed pups had survived under Michael's observation. Of course he had a lot of help from the technicians, but he was allowed to make the recommendations for resuscitation, and got to handle one pup on his own. There was no better feeling then escorting a new life into the world. The adrenaline high was crashing by the time they got back to the hotel though, and a light late dinner from room service was all they wanted to do tonight. During dinner, they fell into a more comfortable silence, now that Michael was used to Westley's quiet personality. Both men ended up sitting on the couch, watching the movie Up. Michael felt himself drifting off to sleep, but the next thing he knew, Westley was leaning on him, snuggling in. Michael realized Westley was pretty much asleep, but was a little shocked at how forward the man was in his sleepy state. Michael was hard pressed to wake the man up when it felt so good to cuddle with someone. He hadn't really been able to cuddle much with Daniel, because often enough Daniel had some mental block to allowing himself to enjoy being held by another man. He felt a bit guilty nestling in with Westley, but at the same time, his brain kept telling him to go for it, it wasn't like Daniel would find out, and if he was honest with himself it may take Daniel a long time to come to grips with his sexuality, and he may never accept it. Westley seemed like the type of guy Michael could have a good relationship with, and if it wasn't for the possibility of Daniel, he would take advantage of the situation they were in. Did he want to wait for Daniel, give up his prime years for a man that he might never have? Was he strong enough to hold out for Daniel?



The Pretender Ch. 07



Michael woke up slowly, and realized Daniel was spooned up to his front. Usually because Daniel was too sleepy to really think about things was the only time they could snuggle, and do other stuff before he freaked out. Michael decided he was going to take advantage this morning. He ran his right hand down Daniel's front, and gently put his hand over his morning wood. Daniel's hips moved into Michael's hand encouraging more.

"Mmm, morning Daniel." 

"Fuck!" The warm body launched away from him. 

Michael shook his head, usually Daniel let things get further then that before he freaked out... And he'd never heard Daniel say 'fuck'... 

"Crap, I'm so sorry!" Michael said, as he sat up to a bewildered Westley staring at him.

"Well, honestly I was into it until you called me Daniel..." Westley said. 

"Yeah, sorry about that." 

"Want to tell me who Daniel is? Cause before this I was a bit surprised you never made a move. Unless I was imagining things." 

"No, not really, I think you're a great guy, but this friend I have back home..." 

"The friend you're helping to come to terms with his sexuality?"

"Yeah."

"Dude. Just, wow man. I mean you're seriously thinking about trying to be with him?" 

"If I can. I think he's the best thing that's happened to me. He's a great person, and I really think we would compliment each other if we were to become a couple." 

"What if he can't come to grips with being gay?" 

"I guess.... Well, I don't really want to think about it." 

"Really? Because seriously, I think you're hot. And I wouldn't mind giving it a try if you wanted to." 

"I can't, at least not right now." 

"Well, on that note, I'm going to go take a cold shower." 

Michael flopped down against the back of the couch they'd been laying on. It was still the middle of the night. He couldn't believe what had just happened. If Michael hadn't said Daniel's name, Westley and him probably would have gone a heck of a lot further then just a bit of a dick rub. Michael was disgusted with himself, but if he was honest, he would admit that he had feelings for Westley. Michael got up and went into his bedroom, and grabbed his phone. Without further thought, he called Daniel.

"Hmmp, Hello?"

"Hey Grumpy. What time is it there?" 

"Um. 1:15, why? Isn't it like 11 there? Why are you up so late?"

"Well. I just woke up from a bad dream, and I've missed you. Needed to hear your voice. And even if you didn't answer I could listen to your voicemail and still hear you talk." Michael was surprised at how well the lie came out. He felt even more disgusted with himself.

"Ugh... I'm not sure if I should appreciate that or not." 

"Okay, truth is, I lied just now, and I'm not sure why. I have a roommate out here, and in a sleep induced moment, I started to molest him thinking it was you. I wanted to call you, to remind myself that I can't be with him if I want to be with you." 

"Wait, what? That was totally a fast rambling mess. Did you actually sleep with him?" Daniel said in a neutral tone.

"Not sleep as in sex sleep, but we fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up I thought he was you, and tried to molest him. We didn't get too far, I barely touched him. But I feel disgusted that I did." 

"Okay." 

"What? Just okay? You aren't mad?" 

"Look, you told me you thought it was me. That's cool in my book. Unless stuff progressed after you realized it wasn't me." 

"No, he pretty much swore and jumped up when I called him Daniel." 

Laughter came from the other end of the phone. Michael felt relief. 

"I meant to call you tonight, but I ended up hanging out with Ben and James and I felt it would be rude to call while I was out with them. And they'd probably make fun of me while we talked." 

"Probably. So you did go talk with Ben?"

"Actually I went and talked with Hugh two times this week, and had lunch and dinner with Ben and James today. We got to talking, and lunch turned into dinner." 

"Good! So did Hugh have good things to say?"

"He was great. I think I'm really learning a lot about being Christian and gay, and I'm really coming to terms with it. But I've never been so bored! I still can't go back to work yet." 

"Your arm feeling better?" 

"Yes, in fact no pain meds since Tuesday." 

"Good. God I can't wait to see you in a week." 

"Me to. Now let me go back to sleep." 

"Okay. Good night." 

Michael, feeling a little bit better about what just happened with the reassurance from Daniel, left his room to apologize to Westley. He walked back out to the living room, where Westley was sitting on the couch. 

"Westley." 

"Yeah dude." Westley said without looking at Michael. 

"I just want to say sorry for taking advantage of you." 

"Dude, if you hadn't at some point, I would have tried. I just didn't know you had somebody back home." 

"Well, I think up until he talked with our pastor, he really wasn't my somebody." 

"Your pastor?" 

"Yeah, he's a good guy, his son is gay, so he's a great influence for young people questioning themselves. He helped his son's partner after he had a terrible experience with his parents." 

"Well, here's the thing, I know that a lot of students by this point in school have a job lined up. I haven't even applied since I'm not sure where I want to end up at." 

"Okay." 

"So I guess the question is, would it be weird if I 'followed' you home? I mean strictly as a friend? I feel like I should take your advice, not only about the support circle but with talking with your friend's dad. It seems like you've got it all together, and I'm barely starting. I can't imagine any of my friends back home even coming close to how supportive you've been, and really I feel like it hasn't been that much." Westley let out a sigh. 

"No, I think that's a great idea. Especially if we can find jobs close to each other, I'd like to stay friends. You can never have enough gay good friends."

Daniel found himself staring at the ceiling fan again. He seemed to be starting a bad habit. After Michael's phone call, he was still somewhat upset. He never would admit it to Michael though. It helped a bit that he said he'd thought it was Daniel next to him, but it still hurt. More so because he didn't know if he could be everything that Michael would want in a partner. Sure after his talks with Hugh, Ben and James he was feeling better about knowing he was gay and what that meant. But he still didn't know if he was going to be able to be intimate with Michael. He still got a little sick to his stomach thinking about it. That didn't mean he didn't want a relationship with him. He really did, but at the same time, he didn't want him to be bitter after 'wasting' years with Daniel until he came to the realization that they couldn't work through it fast enough. Maybe he should call Michael back and tell him to see where the relationship with his roommate went. He'd hate to be the one to hold Michael back from happiness. 

Michael lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He was miserable. He couldn't figure it out really. He honestly wished he was holding Daniel right now. Just to reaffirm his thoughts. He was pretty sure that Daniel was it for him. He knew it was too early to be thinking this, but he truly wanted only Daniel in his life, as his best friend, his lover and his partner in all things. He was falling in love, deep. And it scared him. He didn't know why he had such strong feelings for the man, whether it was due to 'love at first sight' or because of the stressful situations they'd been through together. Or maybe it was just due to the concerns he had over Daniel coming to terms with his sexuality. He needed to call him back and let him know where he stood on their relationship. As he reached for his phone, it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Um, it's Daniel again." 

"Hey, I was actually about to call you! I need to tell you something." But before Michael could continue, Daniel interrupted him.

"I think you should see where a relationship with Westley could go. I don't want to hold you back. We both know we probably can't sustain as a couple. We only met like 3 weeks ago, and I only admitted to myself this week that I'm gay. How in the hell can I expect you'll wait for me? I can't do that to you." 

"Whoa, Daniel, deep breath. And before you decide what's good for me, why don't you ask me?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, if you're thinking that I might feel waiting for you is unfair to me, why not ask me what I think about it? Do I think it's unreasonable to wait for you?" 

"Do you?" Daniel asked in a small voice.

"No, and Daniel? I actually was calling you to let you know I really think I want to be a part of your life. I know I've said it before, but I think we could have something special. But if you don't want it, okay. I don't know if it's because of everything we've been through with Mollie, you getting bit, and the whole coming out thing, but I feel like I want to experience it all with you. The good and the bad, everything. I want that with you." 

Daniel was silent and Michael's concern grew. What was he going to do if Daniel said no?

But then a quiet sob came over the line. 

"Okay." 

"Okay. Good." Michael said. 

"I can't wait until you come home. I miss you, and not even in the 'more then friends' category. I just miss hanging out with you as a friend too." Daniel said shyly. 

"I miss you too. As much as I'm enjoying the reprieve from the weather there, I miss Wisconsin." 

Daniel laughed. 

It was finally time for Michael to come home. Daniel knew when his flight was arriving due to their conversations over the past half week. Michael was planning on getting a taxi back to his parent's house for the week he had left before returning to Madison for school. They were supposed to meet up for dinner later today, but Daniel decided to surprise him at the airport since he had nothing else planned today.

Michael was eager to get off the plane. He never was a great flier, but he was impatient to meet up with Daniel for dinner. The elderly woman next to him he'd chatted on and off during the flight smiled at him as the plane taxied to the terminal. 

"Got someone waiting for you?" 

"No," Michael laughed. "Well, dinner with somebody tonight. That and I don't like flying much." 

"Ah, young love." The woman laughed, not believing anything else. 

Michael nodded. 

Michael leaned down and grabbed his bag from the bag return belt. He turned around to head towards the exit to find a taxi willing to drive the 30 minutes to his parent's house. He spotted a shock of blonde hair, and broke out into a wide grin. 

Daniel must have spotted him at the same time, and waved with his left hand over his head, smiling wide as well. Michael walked quickly, but he didn't really want to make a big scene in the middle of the airport, so when he reached Daniel, he just pulled him into a rough hug. 

"I missed you." He whispered into Daniel's ear. 

"Ditto." Daniel said. They pulled back from the hug in time to see the elderly woman from the flight smile at them. 

"Who was that?" Daniel asked as they turned for the exit. 

"Ha, she sat next to me on the flight. She made a crack about me being impatient on the way in and something about young love." 

"How cute. I'm glad she wasn't offended." 

"Come on, let's get you home." 

(Sorry this Chapter was shorter, but please keep a look out on my other story that I submitted at the same time:) thanks!)



The Pretender Ch. 08



(Thank you to everyone whose followed Daniel and Michael's story. If you haven't checked it out, Ben and James' story has been started as well (Help Me). A big thanks to my editor, msfexcellent, she's been an excellent resource and has added her eloquence to these stories. As always, please feel free to make comments, and ENJOY!) 



The men went to dinner and discussed the events of the previous 2 weeks. Michael shared about the thrill of helping with the Csection, which Daniel agreed was probably one of his favorite parts of the job. They finished dinner, but Michael had told his parents he'd be home late. 

"Want to come in for a bit?" Michael asked.

"Your parents won't mind?" 

"They'll be asleep, so no funny business. I suspect you'll be a screamer anyway..." Michael teased. 

Daniel blushed a bit, but parked the car to follow him in. The boys walked up the few steps to the door. Michael unlocked the door and let Daniel walk through first, then followed him in. The house was dark, Daniel looked at the clock, it was almost 1am. Michael's parents obviously had gone to bed hours ago,

"Here, let's go to my room. I have a TV there we can pop in a movie and talk." 

"Okay." Michael led the way through the darkness to a bedroom past the living room.

"My parent's room is upstairs on the other side of the house, so we don't have to worry about being too loud, but we should try to be quiet. Mom's a light enough sleeper. Here, pick out a movie." 

Daniel perused Michael's movie selection and picked one up. 

"Mmm, Fast and Furious... love that one. Of course, that's because of, well, mostly because of Paul Walker." Michael laughed. 

"Ha! I always liked Vin Diesel, course that was just me wanting to be more like him, not that I can recall wanting him sexually. But now..." 

Michael laughed harder, until Daniel poked him.

"We're supposed to be quiet, remember?" 

"Oh yeah..." 

Michael stacked all of his pillows at the head of his bed, and sat in front of them to lean back. He patted the spot next to him, encouraging Daniel to sit near him. Daniel hopped up.

"How's the arm?" Michael asked. 

"Good. I get to go back to work Tuesday." 

"Oooh, isn't it going to be weird to go back?" 

"No, I'm ready. I've found myself staring at the ceiling fan way too much because I'm so bored. It'll be hard because of the weight restriction for the first few days. When do you have to go back to Madison?" 

"Next Monday." 

"Well, at least that's within driving distance. We'll have to make sure to spend weekends together as much as possible." 

"Definitely. Do you want something to drink?" 

"Water, or whatever you were going to have." 

"Well, I was going to grab a beer, but..." 

"Depends on the beer I guess." 

"Spotted Cow, what else?" 

"Okay, then yeah, I'll take one." 



Michael woke up to tapping on the door. 

"Hey, what do you boys want for breakfast?" Michael's dad asked.

"Crap... what time is it?" 

"Early. 6ish. What time did you guys get in?" 

"Um, a little after midnight?" 

"Ha! Well, if you want I was going to make omelets or pancakes. Ask your friend there if he wants something specific." 

Michael blushed and looked behind him. Daniel was curled in a ball, with his back pressed to Michael. It was definitely not a platonic sleeping position. Although Michael's parents knew he was gay, he hadn't really told them about Daniel yet. Michael's dad laughed as he left the doorway. 

He rolled over and spooned up behind a still snoring Daniel. He shifted a bit, mostly to snuggle back into Michael's arms. 

"Hey buddy, wake up for a second..." He whispered into Daniel's ear.

"Unn... no." Daniel said, burrowing into the pillow further.

"If you want a great breakfast, you'll want to..." 

"What kind of breakfast?" 

"Dad said omelets or pancakes. I could talk him into both if you want." 

"That would be awesome. I've seriously lived off cereal the last week or so." 

"Cool. Let's get up and out of bed then." 

Daniel groaned. 



After a few minutes of encouragement, Daniel finally rolled out of bed. Michael led the way to the kitchen where his dad was already making pancakes, and had fixings out for omelets.

"Dad, this is Daniel, Daniel this is my dad, David." 

David turned around.

"I'd shake your hand, but I've got flour all over... But I think we've met before, you look familiar..."

"Um." Daniel said. 

"He helped us with Mollie." Michael said, stealing a piece of green pepper from the bowl next to his dad. 

"Ah, yes. You did a very good job, and I never got to thank you for that." 

"You're very welcome." 

"So, what would you like on your omelet? I couldn't decide between the two myself, so we've got omelets and pancakes." 

Michael stepped up to help put together ingredients for the omelets. In no time at all, the four of them sat down to breakfast at the table, Michael's mom pouring orange juice. 

"Mom, you might remember Daniel, Daniel, my mom Janice." 

"Nice to see you again dear. How long have you and Michael been dating?" 

"Um." Daniel hesitated. 

"Technically we just did, although we went out a few times before I left for California. Daniel, isn't, well, his parents don't know yet." 

"Oh, sweetie..." Janice said sympathetically. "I know that usually means parents that aren't as accepting." 

"Well, yeah, we're pretty religious, so I'm not sure how they'll take it. Probably pretty poorly." 

"That's too bad. I know when Michael told us it was a shock, but it didn't change who he was. He was still is a good kid, and grew up into a good man." David looked at his son proudly. 

Daniel tried to hide his sadness over hearing and watching parents be so accepting of their gay son. He knew that it wouldn't be that way for him. If he had it his way though, David and Janice would be like parents to him anyway. He smiled.

The rest of the meal the family chattered away about Michael's experiences working in California. Daniel couldn't remember having such a great time at a meal with a family. 

After breakfast was done, Daniel stood up and helped clear the table and helped Janice do the dishes. As the last plate was dried, Janice turned and shooed Daniel into the living room. 

"I know you boys got in late last night, why don't you go take a nap, and we'll wake you up for lunch?"

"Okay. Sounds good," Michael said with a yawn. "Come on Daniel." 

Daniel followed Michael back to his bedroom. Michael took off his shirt and crawled under the sheet. Almost before his head hit the pillow he was asleep. Daniel chuckled, and then debated taking his shirt off too. He still wasn't completely comfortable doing it without thinking about it first. Realizing it was now or maybe never, he stripped off his shirt and joined Michael in the bed. Michael was laying on his side, but when they'd slept together before, Daniel had always ended up as the little spoon, so he was curious to see how the opposite position felt. He slid up behind Michael and wrapped his arms around him. The skin to skin contact felt so great, Daniel sighed into the back of Michael's neck, and fell asleep almost as quickly as Michael had. 

About an hour later Michael woke up from his nap, and felt bare skin against his back. Daniel had never been this bold before, so he rolled over to make sure it was him. Sure enough, Daniel was pressed up against him, and did actually have his shirt off. Michael, feeling a slight bit guilty, decided to take advantage of the situation. Daniel always thought too much when they'd cuddled before, and when he was sleepy, Michael could get further. He started to rub Daniel's nipples. Daniel made a snuffling noise in his sleep but pressed into Michael's wandering hands. Michael smiled and rolled on top of Daniel, then started to nuzzle into his neck. Still asleep, Daniel brought his hands up to Michael's sides, pulling him closer. Moving his hips, Michael started as sensual motion, grinding their cocks together. He was hard almost instantly, and it didn't take much to wake up the lower half of Daniel. Soon enough, Daniel was arching his back, and rubbing into Michael with enthusiasm. Michael gasped, and shot his load into his jeans, but kept rubbing into Daniel. With a groan, Daniel woke up slightly, and opened his eyes. Michael kept rubbing, even as a slight look of panic took over Daniel's eyes. It quickly disappeared, as Daniel bucked his hips and came. His eyes remained open, and a look of wonder shot across his face. 

"There we go..." Michael whispered. 

Daniel groaned and pulled Michael into him, as he shuddered with aftershocks of his climax. Michael was extremely happy he'd been able to get Daniel over the hump, no pun intended, of intimacy. He figured from now on Daniel would be able to be more affectionate, now that nothing bad happened to him after having relations with a man. 



The boys didn't get to see each other too much that week except for a sleep over at Daniel's apartment on Friday night. Daniel ended up working that weekend, so he wasn't able to see Michael off to Madison. They promised each other Saturday morning, though, that they would call each other once a week and try to visit once a month. Really it was only until that June when Michael would graduate with his DVM, and then it was just trying to find him a job in the area. 



About a month after Michael left for school was Daniel heading out to Madison to spend the weekend for their first visit. Late Friday night, Daniel finally reached Michael's apartment. He used his cell phone to call Michael to let him know he was there since he forgot which number apartment Michael was in specifically. 

"Hey, is that you that just pulled up outside?" 

"Yup."

"Awesome, need help carrying anything in?" 

"I just have an overnight bag and my laptop." 

"Okay, well, I'll meet you downstairs then." 

Daniel gathered his stuff, and then walked towards the building. Michael popped his head out of the door and waved at him. He followed Michael up a flight of stairs and into a modest 2 bedroom apartment. As Michael gave him a tour he took it all in. It was a pretty small apartment, the kitchen and bathroom were quite tiny, but the bedroom held a queen sized bed and a dresser without being too tight. Daniel set his overnight bag on the bed, and stepped back out into the living room then set his laptop bag on the coffee table. 

"So, I rented a movie, since it's so late I didn't think you'd want to do anything else tonight." 

"Well, I'm also not really a 'going out' person either..." 

"Right, but dinner or something?" 

"I grabbed fast food on the way here." 

"Okay. Well, pick a spot. I'd prefer to snuggle with you on the couch..." Michael teased. 

"I'm good with that, except your couch is at on odd angle." Daniel mused. The couch was perpendicular, so if you sat down, you would actually be facing away from the TV

"Ah, wait a second, I'll fix that." 

"Um," Daniel said as he watched Michael step into the bedroom and come out with a couple pillows. He stacked them up against the far arm of the couch. He sat down, and leaned back onto the pile of pillows, and motioned for Daniel to join him. 

Daniel sat down in between Michael's legs and nestled back against his chest. 

"I seriously need a big bath tub so we can do this in a bath..." Michael said.

Daniel laughed. 

"That's a pretty random statement."

"But it's true. I would love to do this while in a bath. Or this..." Michael said as his hands drifted down Daniel's front. 

"Behave yourself..." Daniel giggled a bit.

"Did you seriously just giggle?" Michael asked. 

Daniel looked back at him, 

"Well, um. I'm a bit ticklish." He admitted. 

"Hmmm, I shall retain that information for further use." 

The boys snuggled together watching Die Hard. About halfway through the movie, Michael allowed his hands to drift down Daniel's sides again, this time with a distinct purpose. Daniel was too engrossed in watching Bruce Willis climbing through the ducts to notice Michael's forward hands at first. When they reached his pelvis though, his little head noticed, his cock rising to the occasion. 

"Mmm, I'm glad that you've finally been able to enjoy this..." Michael said as Daniel thrust his hips up into Michael's questing hands.

"So am I." Daniel whispered as he leaned back. Michael nuzzled his neck until he turned slightly to share a kiss. He boldly reached into Daniel's pants, past his boxers and finally touched his cock. Daniel jumped up at the slight touch, but settled back into Michael's arms. 

"First time anyone has touched you but yourself?" Michael whispered into his ear.

"Um, yeah... holy cow... that feels awesome..." Daniel gasped. Michael pushed his jeans and boxers down to mid thigh to release his penis. Daniel was lost in sensation, and Michael wanted to keep him there so he wouldn't freak out at the last minute. He quickly started to jack Daniel, rubbing the head every few strokes. Daniel slumped back, melting into Michael and rapidly lost control. Michael watched as his balls tightened to his body and pressed his thumb to the sensitive bundle of nerves under the head of Daniel's cock. Daniel cried out as his hips jerked with the waves of his climax. Michael pressed his lips to Daniel's in desperation as Michael lost control with him. Daniel's cum splattered his shirt all over his chest. They panted into each others mouths, and then shared a gentle kiss.

"Wow." Michael said as he came down from the high. Daniel hadn't said anything yet, and Michael became a bit concerned. Daniel had his eyes screwed shut, so it was hard to tell what the man was thinking. Michael didn't want to press, but wanted to know what he was thinking." 

"You okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah... just... wow..." Daniel said. 

"Speechless? Not freaking out are you?" 

"Speechless. I had no idea it could feel this right." 





The weekend went too quickly for them, but they parted ways on Sunday, knowing that they were growing closer. It would be hard to be away from each other, but in the end absence makes the heart grow fonder. 



It was a Thursday before Daniel was supposed to drive out to Michael's again for the weekend, when he got a phone call. 

"So, um... I have a question for you." 

"Okay..." Daniel said, not really liking the hesitation and nervousness in Michael's voice. 

"Well, I know you were planning on coming out this weekend, but Westley called me. He's having a rough week, and was thinking about driving out here to hang out for a few days. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that, and make sure you still were coming out this weekend too. I won't be mad if you don't want to come, but I don't want you to think anything bad, or feel jealous, I'm going to make him sleep in the spare bedroom, and..." 

"Stop. Seriously, you have to calm down when you're nervous, because you just randomly ramble. It's pretty funny. I was looking forward to this weekend, and I would like to meet Westley at some point." 

Michael let out the breath he was holding. 

"Good. I'm not sure what happened with Westley, but he sounded upset." 

"Hmmm." 

"And as far as I knew he wasn't out to his parents, so I hope that's not why." 

"I guess we'll find out." 



Friday night, Daniel got off work early, around 430pm, so he decided to head for Michael's right away. He had his overnight stuff in his car already. The drive took forever even though he took back roads instead of the highway to avoid rush hour traffic, but he still got to Madison before 7pm. As he pulled up to Michael's apartment he spotted an extra car outside parked on the street. He parked his little car behind it. It was an older Pontiac, rusted a bit. It looked appropriate for a poor college student, so Westley must have arrived already. Daniel grabbed his stuff and went up to the apartment building entrance. He pushed the button for Michael's apartment. 

He heard thundering footsteps move towards the door as presumably Michael ran down the stairs. 

"Hey big guy!" Michael said, hugging him as he pulled him into the stairwell. 

"Hey, how's it going?" Daniel laughed. 

"Good. Westley just got here too. I was thinking about ordering pizza unless you ate already, or wanted something else." 

"Pizza or Chinese... I didn't stop for anything, but I don't feel like going out." 

"Cool, I haven't asked Westley yet if he ate... we'll order something." 

Daniel followed Michael into his apartment. A short blond was sitting on the couch. Daniel wasn't too terribly impressed by the young man. Whenever he watched movies with Michael, he always admitted to liking actors that were taller, lean but slightly muscular. Westley didn't fit into anything Michael typically went for. Daniel laughed inside, wondering why he thought he'd be intimated by Westley. 

"Westley, Daniel, Daniel, this is Westley." 

Westley stood up to shake Daniel's hand. They both seemed to eye each other warily. 

"Hey, nice to finally meet you." Daniel said. 

"Pleasure's all mine." Westley said. 

"So, pizza or Chinese?" Michael said breaking the tension a bit. 

"Either... I'd lean towards Chinese a bit more maybe." Westley said. 

"I'm good with either." Daniel said. 

"Cool, let me get the menu from the kitchen. 

Westley looked Daniel over. He was a bit surprised that he looked pretty normal. In fact, he was sad to say, he complemented Michael well. They were both tall and lean, Daniel with broader shoulders. Unfortunately, Westley thought, he was really handsome, and he couldn't hold a candle to that. Too bad, since Michael was such a good guy, and Westley really liked him. Well, if it made him happy, he'd better be sure to be friends with Daniel if he hoped to stay friends with Michael.

"So, Daniel, what do you do for a living?" Westley asked. He heard Michael laugh from the kitchen.

"I'm a tech, actually." 

"Huh. Is that how you guys met?" 

"Yeah, Michael actually externed at the clinic I work at before heading out to California."

Westley nodded. 

"Okay, here's the menu. What do you guys want to do? Order a bunch of things or separate meals?" 

"I'd like some sweet and sour chicken." Daniel said. 

"Egg foo Young for me." Westley added. 

"Hmm, I'd eat both... how about some Lo Mein?" 

"I'd eat that too." Daniel said. 

"Good, we'll split everything then if everyone's in agreement." 

"Sounds good to me." Westley said. 

Michael dialed the number on his phone. Daniel wandered into the kitchen to get a drink. As he opened the fridge, Michael motioned for him to grab him one as well. 

"Westley, you want a beer?" 

"Sure." 

Daniel reached into the fridge, to find only two beers remaining out of the box Michael had in there. Shrugging he grabbed the two, and reached into the cupboard and pulled out a glass, and filled it with water. He handed one beer to Michael who was in the middle of ordering, and passed the second one to Westley. 

"You went to the kitchen just to grab us drinks?" Westley asked.

"Nah, there was only 2 beers left." Daniel replied. 

Michael hung up the phone, and heard the last bit of conversation.

"Hell, I want more then just one beer! I'll run down to the gas station on the corner." 

"Alright." Daniel laughed. 

Michael grabbed his keys, and handed Daniel a wad of cash. 

"In case the delivery guy gets here before I get back." He said as he walked out the door.

"So... where do you go to school?" 

"Ohio." Westley said. "You been a tech long?" 

"6 years." Daniel replied. 

There was an awkward silence. Daniel would normally feel comfortable not talking, but it felt like Westley wanted to say something, but was holding back.

"Look," Daniel started "I want us to be friends, mostly because Michael wants to be friends with you. So, whatever you have to say, say it okay?" 




The Pretender Ch. 08



"You screw up, I'll be right there to pick up the pieces." Westley said, punctuating the remark by taking a drink of his beer. 

"I know." Daniel nodded. 

"Good. Otherwise, I think you're probably a nice guy. I'd like to be friends too for Michael's sake. Seriously though... I'm not joking. Just give me a reason to step in." 

"Sure. I would be surprised if you didn't. Michael is a special guy. I'm glad I met him, I'm not sure where I would be without him." 

"Just so we're clear about each other." Westley said. They heard the downstairs door shut. Michael walked into the apartment shortly after. 

"No food yet?" He asked. 

"Nope." Daniel said. 

"Rats. I was hoping it was here. I'm starving." 

"It can't be too much longer..." Daniel was interrupted by the buzz of the door buzzer. 

"Awesome timing." Michael said, as he grabbed the cash from Daniel and ran down the stairs. He came back up with his arms full. The rest of the evening went smoothly, with no more dirty looks from Westley to Daniel or visa versa. Michael was relieved they seemed to get along well. 



Westley disappeared into the spare bedroom to change into his pajamas. Michael turned to Daniel.

"Okay, so we can either share my bed, or if you would be more comfortable with Westley being here, I can sleep on the couch." 

"Um... I'd prefer to sleep with you actually. It makes me a bit uncomfortable with Westley here, but the idea of being held by you trumps the discomfort." 

Michael laughed. 

"Okay good. I feel like it's been longer than 3 weeks since you were here last." 

"When are you planning to go visit your parents next? You could stay with me..." 

"Ooo. Next month I should have some time. I think that sounds like a good idea." 

Westley came out from the bedroom in a pair of low slung pajama bottoms. He was almost hairless, and what he did have was such a pale blond, it looked like he was shaven clean. He scratched his chest. 

"You guys staying up for a bit?" Westley asked.

"We might watch a movie if you wanted to join us." 

"Depends on what you might watch I guess." 

"Hmm. Good question. We watched Die Hard the last time Daniel was here, we could watch Die Hard 2," Michael started to pick through his pile of DVDs, "what's on the top here, hmm" he muttered to himself "Ah, Ghostbusters?" 

"I'm game." Daniel laughed. 

"Sounds good." Westley said as he sat in the recliner. 

Daniel was already sitting on the couch near the far end. Michael sat next to him, and encouraged him to turn sideways. Just like the visit prior they snuggled on the couch, but with Daniel behind Michael. Daniel caught a jealous look from Westley, but it was covered up quickly. They watched the movie with companionable silence. As soon as the credits rolled, Westley stood up. 

"I'm going to go get some sleep. I got up early this morning. I could hardly keep my eyes open during the last part." 

Daniel laughed quietly.

"I'm pretty sure Michael's asleep..." He said.

Westley looked over and then laughed. 

"Yeah, he's drooling on your shoulder." 

"Ew." Daniel said making a face by scrunching up his nose. 

"Good night. See you in the morning." Westley said as he headed into the spare bedroom.

"Sleeping beauty..." Daniel whispered in Michael's ear.

"Mmm." Michael half groaned. 

"Come on, let's go to bed. Otherwise you will be complaining about your back tomorrow morning." 

"Mkay." Michael reluctantly sat up and then helped Daniel up. They walked to the bedroom together. 

"So you and Westley seem to be doing okay with each other, huh?" Michael asked as he crawled into the bed after Daniel. 

"A bit, yeah. We had a quick discussion when you ran for beer." 

"About?"

"Basically he said to not screw up, otherwise he's going to take advantage of it." 

"He's not really my type. But if I hadn't met you, I would have been tempted. I'm not going to lie." 

"And I basically told him I knew that, and honestly, if you and I don't work out, I'm okay with it. He seems like a nice guy." 

"I think we'll make it." Michael said sleepily, wrapping his arms around Daniel. 

"Yeah. I think so too." 



Another month went past quickly April approaching almost without notice. The boys talked on the phone almost nightly. In what felt like no time at all, the weekend of Michael's visit had arrived. Daniel was supposed to meet Michael over at his parent's house for dinner on Friday night. Daniel didn't hear from Michael the whole day, but decided to go over to the Jacobson house as planned. When he arrived, he didn't see Michael's car, and got a little concerned. He walked up to the house and rang the bell.

"Daniel!" Janice said as she ushered him in. 

"Hi Janice, how are you?" Daniel asked. 

"Good, good. David's in the living room, Michael isn't here yet, but should be soon." 

Daniel followed her into the living room where Michael's dad was watching the news. 

"Hey Daniel, how have you been? It's good to see you again." 

"Doing well. Works been busy. Always seems to be around this time of year." 

"Heartworm season... everyone needs to get in for blood tests and get prevention." David said. 

"Yup." Daniel said. 

About 20 minutes later, there was still no Michael, and Janice became a bit worried. 

"Do you think I should call him?" She asked David. 

"Might as well, mostly to calm your nerves I think." David replied. 

Janice picked up her cell phone and dialed Michael's number.

"Hey sweetheart, just wanted to see where you were at... Okay... alright. See you then." 

Janice hung up. 

"He's still about a half hour away. There was an accident in Madison that he got stuck behind. He said we should start dinner without him." 

"Okay." David said as he got up from his recliner. Daniel followed them to the dining room. 

After dishing up food, Janice turned to Daniel.

"So, have you told your parents yet?" 

"No. I keep thinking maybe I won't have to, and at some point they'll realize it on their own, or hear about it and I won't have to deal with the consequences. Wishful thinking." Daniel said. 

"Oh, honey, I guess a passive way is okay to try. I think Michael originally tried to tell us that way too, but we'd already suspected anyway. Subtle hints don't work well with us." Janice laughed. 

They all enjoyed eating dinner together, even though Michael wasn't there. Daniel was beginning to feel like he finally belonged somewhere.



Michael came just as they were finishing washing the dishes after dinner. Janice had set aside a plate for him, so as soon as he walked in and kissed her cheek, she handed him the plate. He headed for the table.

"Where's your kiss for Daniel? You're such a bad boyfriend." She teased. Michael got up from the table, sauntered over to Daniel, bent him over romance movie style and kissed him silly. Without saying a word, he went back to the table to eat. Daniel blushed fiercely, while Janice and David laughed. 



After Michael finished eating, they decided to head out to Daniel's apartment for the night, with plans to meet up with his parents for brunch. Michael followed Daniel, pulling up to park on the opposite side of the parking lot from him. 

"It's such a mild night out, do you want to go for a walk to the park?" Daniel asked. 

"Yeah. I need to stretch after being in the car for almost 3 hours." Michael replied.

They walked slowly down to the park, enjoying the quiet of the town. It didn't take long to get to the park, but there was a beautiful river that flowed to the south of the park, out of sight from the playground. They walked hand in hand on the wooded path towards the river. 

"So, how's school treating you?" 

"Good. I'm ready to graduate, but 2 more months... 2 more months. And then I will hopefully be working around this area." Michael said wistfully. 

"Have you applied for a job around here?" 

"There were a few openings posted recently. A few nibbles, but no interview yet. Probably closer to May I think clinics will start to get serious." 

"True. So what happens if you can't find a job around here?" 

"Well, honestly, how would you feel about moving with me?" Michael asked a bit hesitantly.

"I'd follow you. Supposedly there's a shortage of techs throughout the state. Or we could try long distance for a while until we could find jobs close together." 

"I guess we'll see what happens." They neared a set of rocks along side the river. Daniel motioned for Michael to join him on a wide flat rock. The two sat on the rock listening to the burble of the river as it flowed over the rocks in the water. 

"This is great. I've never actually been down this direction. I've always stayed up by the playground. I totally forgot the river was here."

"It's so quiet; I often come here to think." Daniel said. 

The boys sat together for a while, just enjoying the quiet. Michael leaned over and kissed Daniel softly. Daniel returned the kiss eagerly. Michael was so happy Daniel seemed to be over his reluctance and worries over being in a gay relationship. The boys continued to kiss, loosing themselves in the moment. Michael leaned over Daniel, laying him back onto the rock. Suddenly, a flash of light swung over them. They tipped back to look up, and with shock, they realized a police officer was standing there, pointing a flashlight at them.



"Look, normally I wouldn't have interrupted, but the park is technically closed after 11." The officer said as he followed them out of the park. As soon as they got under a street light, Daniel realized he was not only in the presence of a city police officer, but the k-9 unit's handler Mark. Who of course, was a client at the clinic he worked at, and was friends with his bosses. Which meant Daniel was probably going to be 'outed' whether he wanted to be or not. 

"Daniel, right?" Mark asked. 

Daniel coughed. "Yeah. Sorry Mark. Won't happen again." 

"Good. Well, I'll let you off with an unofficial warning. So no paper trail or anything like that. We just have had some issues with vandalism, and drug use out here recently late at night, so we've been doing a walk through each night." 

"Understandable. Well, have a nice night Mark." Daniel said. Michael remained quiet as they continued walking back to Daniel's apartment. 

"This could be bad." Daniel said. 

"Obviously you knew that guy..." Michael started.

"He's a client. And he hangs out with my bosses. If this gets back to the clinic, I could have issues." 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's such a conservative area. I can just see people not wanting to work with me, or who knows. I hope to God I'm overreacting, but I feel like I may need to find a new job earlier than June."



The Pretender Ch. 09



*"Caught between the longing for love And the struggle for the legal tender Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring And the junk man pounds his fender Where the veterans dream of the fight Fast asleep at the traffic light And the children solemnly wait For the ice cream vendor"* 

Daniel stood before the office manager's door. He knew what this meeting was going to be about, and had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach about how it might end. Oh, he was sure there was going to be a spin on it, but at the end of the day, he was going to have to make a difficult decision. 

Jordan opened the door. She motioned Daniel to come in.

"Daniel... I have heard some disparaging things about you." She started. 

Daniel remained silent. 

"Is it true you were caught by local police in the middle of a tryst at the park?" 

"Yes ma'am" Daniel said. He didn't want to lie, sensing that could make it worse if he fudged the facts. "I was warned, but I did not receive a written warning or citation."

"You do realize that this behavior is violation of the employee handbook, correct? Rumors such as these have a tendency to get to the clientele and next thing we know, people are avoiding us here because of whatever reason." Jordan looked away pensively.  

"Look, Jordan, I understand what the problem is here. I know that this county has leaned towards being strictly conservative, and although I never meant for it to happen- God only knows how hard I tried for it to not happen, it did. I have fallen in love with another man. I also realize, however you rationalize it, you brought me in today to fire me due to my sexuality. It just so happened that I made enough of a mistake, without real proof since the police only issued a verbal warning, so there really isn't a record. And if it becomes a choice, I choose to be me, whoever that ends up being. I've come to terms with this mostly and I don't expect anyone else to understand." 

Jordan stared at him for a moment of awkward silence. 

"Well, at least we're on the same page. Do you want some time to think about it? Officially you were in violation of the handbook, and are being terminated as such, or offered a probationary period." 

"Nope. See you around." Daniel said as he stood up, and headed to collect his stuff. Luckily he'd already collected the wealth of handouts and items he'd created for the clinic's use, so he could potentially introduce them to a new employer. He was a bit worried about how this would look on his resume, but he figured, as long as he told prospective people the situation, maybe they would understand. And if not, then he didn't need to work for them. He gathered his personal items and took them out to his car. 

He stopped by his parent's house on the way across the state. It was now or never, he figured, since it probably wouldn't take long to get back to his parents why he was let go from the clinic. He parked outside his parent's small house, but nervously procrastinated in his car. He was absolutely terrified of what his dad would do. Would he end up in the ER like James? Thinking of James, he pulled out his cell phone, and called Ben.

"Daniel, this is a surprise, what's up?"

"Well. Um. I'm outside my parent's house."

"Are you about to do what I think you are?! Daniel! Do you have someone with you?" 

"No. That's why I'm calling. If you don't hear from me in like, I don't know, 15 minutes or something, can you call me back? And if I don't answer call 911?"

"Do you really think this will go that bad?" Ben asked. "Because then maybe you shouldn't do this now... you could wait until I'm there, or call Michael."

"I want to do this as much on my own as possible." He said. "I just wanted to be sure that someone knows what's going on." 

"Okay. 15 minutes starts now, okay?" 

Daniel took a deep breath and opened the door. 

"Daniel! What a surprise, take off your coat and shoes, stay awhile! We have your little friend Mary here, you know, the Mueller's daughter.... She's single... the Muellers are over for dinner." His mom said with a teasing voice. 

"Mom, not now. Where's Dad? I need to tell you guys something." Daniel said stoically. 

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"Well I don't think so, but I can't say for certain you guys won't think that it's wrong." 

"Charles, Daniel would like to speak with us in the foyer." His mom called out, looking at him warily. 

His dad walked into the entryway.

Daniel took a deep breath.

"I got fired today," Daniel said. Before he could finish, his mom started rambling.

"Oh, Daniel! Well if you need to move back home until you find a new job we would be more then happy to have you here. We've always wished you had lived closer to home anyway..."

"Mom!" Daniel interrupted. 

"Don't interrupt your mother." His dad said.

"Well she interrupted me. As I was saying, I got fired today. For being gay." Daniel stood his ground waiting for the eruption. His dad's face turned a peculiar shade of red. 

"Daniel...well obviously they're wrong, you're not gay. We need to find a lawyer to help us sue them for breach of contract and wrongful termination." His mom drifted over to the cabinet with the phone book.

"Mom... It really isn't wrongful termination, I violated the handbook because I was seen kissing a man. They fired me on those grounds. I don't think anything can be done about it. And I don't want to work someplace where they are so closed minded anyway." 

Daniel's dad turned purple.

"Get out. Unless you came here for help to stop being a faggot, leave right now." His dad said. 

"Charles!" Daniel's mom exclaimed. "He's not gay, he's just... well... confused."

"No mom, I'm gay. I like men. I... can't explain it or help it. Despite the hatred you and Pastor Cannon infuse in the congregation, I have to stop lying. I have to stop lying to myself, and to you and the world. I am a gay man, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. I've tried. God knows I've tried."

Daniel's mom started to cry. 

"Mary, go to the kitchen." Daniel's dad said. "Daniel. I'm disappointed in you. You've lost the way. You will burn in hell for this, you know that right?" 

"Look, I've joined another church that assures me that God doesn't make mistakes. He made you they way you are, and made me the way I am. I can't change that. Why would God want to change what he created? If we can't see eye to eye on this dad, I can't be around your hatred. I deserve better then that." 

"Then leave. And unless you're ready to pray away the gay, and become normal, stay away."

"This is normal for me dad. God doesn't want people to hate either, so before you cast the first stone, please look at yourself. If you change your mind, you can call me. I probably will be moving to Madison for a bit. Say goodbye to mom for me." Daniel turned, squaring his shoulders and walked out of his parent's house for the last time. A huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He was ready to move on with his life. He hit redial. 

"Daniel?!" Ben answered halfway through the first ring.

"Yup. Went as well as expected. I've been told to 'Pray Away the Gay' and to not come back until I'm not a faggot anymore. So, you know, I've been disowned, but not injured, so that's good." 

"Thank God. Are you okay mentally? I mean you sound okay with it." 

"You know, it's a relief. I finally came to terms with myself and I'm not going to let myself be dragged back down." 

"Good for you. What's next?" 

"There's only one place I want to be now." 

*"Out into the cool of the evening, 

Strolls the Pretender

He knows that all his hopes and dreams

Begin and end there"*

Michael answered the door in his boxers, because he really didn't care who saw, especially since it was one in the morning when the door bell rang. Unfortunately the downstairs door didn't have a peephole to look through, so he cautiously opened the door. 

Daniel never saw a better sight in his life. Michael was disheveled and sleepy eyed with just a pair of smiley face boxers on. 

"Hi. Um. Can I come in?"

Michael was absolutely floored that Daniel was at his door. The man lived over 2 hours away! Even though they kept in touch and visited as often as they could, Michael had been by Daniel this past weekend, and they didn't see each other that often due to their schedules. He must have packed some stuff and drove out there right after work. 

Michael realized Daniel had asked him if he could come in minutes ago but was so surprised he could hardly react. Finally he got his brain together just long enough to open the door all the way. Daniel slumped through with a bag over his shoulder, carrying a pillow and a laptop case. They walked up the stairs together.

"What in the world are you doing here!?" Michael exclaimed as they walked into his apartment.

"Well... I was fired today." Daniel said as he walked towards Michael's bedroom. 

"WHAT!? How can you be so calm?!" Michael grabbed Daniel's elbow and slowed his progress down the hall. 

"I knew it was coming as soon as I heard the whispers. Somehow our little interruption in the park was made common knowledge around the clinic. I don't think they knew it was you, but for sure, everyone realized I was the one sucking face with another man in the park. I was fired for violating the handbook, which basically means we are the face of the clinic outside of work and should act accordingly or some b.s. Things have changed around there anyway. So I'm free. Think they need a tech at the university?"

Michael stared at him, unbelieving. 

"Eh, never mind. I got some money saved up so I can help on rent, unless you want me to find a place of my own." Daniel said as he turned back down the hallway. 

"No, dude, I don't have a problem with that. Wait! Stop for a second!" Michael yelled as Daniel disappeared into the bedroom. 

Daniel poked his head back around the door frame. 

"What?" 

"I... just... let me get used to what's happening here. It's not every day your boyfriend gets fired for being gay, and then shows up at your doorstep while you were firmly in a REM sleep. Just, seriously give me a second to absorb this!" Michael said. 

Daniel laughed. "It gets worse." 

"I fail to see how much worse it could get." Michael followed Daniel into the bedroom. Daniel was already stripping down to his boxers. Michael was slightly distracted by his lean body, and he forgot what he was going to ask. 

"Well, I don't know if you want to know." Daniel said, climbing into the bed. Michael stared at him from the middle of the room as Daniel shifted down to lay his head on his pillow and snuggled under the sheet.

"Just, tell me now, might as well let loose all the bad news." Michael said. 

"I came out to my parents too." 

"Oh God..." Michael said placing his hands over his face. He groaned loudly. "It did get worse." 

Daniel laughed. 

"You're seriously okay with this? Or are you in shock?" Michael asked.

"I think I'm in shock, but honestly, I feel like I knew this was coming, and I think I have come to terms with it. Mostly, I guess. It just really is a relief right now. I feel like the weight of the world has fallen off my shoulders. I feel... happy. For the first time, ever, I'm happy. I don't feel like I have to settle anymore. I don't have to hide my feelings anymore. I can be me." Daniel smiled widely. 

Michael just stared at him. 

Daniel laughed, and patted the bed. 

"Just... seriously... just wow. I mean I don't understand the full extent of what you've been through because my parents were surprisingly okay with me being gay, although I did feel relief about not hiding myself anymore. But, really? You're okay with this?" 

"I think so." 

"I think I need a moment." 

"Then just come back to bed. Let's just get though the day..." Daniel said with a grin.



The Pretender Ch. 10



*"Ah, the laughter of the lovers As they run through the night Leaving nothing for the others But to choose off and fight And tear at the world with all their might While the ships bearing their dreams  Sail out of sight."*

*

While Daniel was upset he'd had to leave his old clinic behind, he realized now was the time to pursue what he really wanted out of his career. Before deciding to become a veterinary technician, he had toyed with the idea of becoming a behavioralist for animals. When he learned he could be working with animals hands on within the first few days of starting the vet tech program, versus strictly book learning for 4 years, he had wanted to dive in right away. He'd always been a one to learn better by hands on means than written word. Daniel sat at Michael's computer surfing the web for a job, specifically one where he could expand on his love of behavior. 

Michael came home late from classes, staying late in the library to look up some information for an upcoming test. He stepped in the door and was hit with a wonderful smell. 

"Hello? Honey I'm home!" He joked. 

"Kitchen!" He heard Daniel call. 

Michael walked into the kitchen and came up behind Daniel. He kissed his bare neck and slid his arms around his waist. 

"Now don't start that otherwise I'll burn the food..." Daniel said leaning back into Michael's embrace. 

"Mmm smells great." He paused looking down at the pan. "What is it?" 

"Eggplant Parmesan" Daniel said. 

"Um. Okay." Michael said. 

"What? I know you don't really like vegetables, but seriously, if you don't like my eggplant, I may have to disown you." 

Michael laughed.

"I'll set the table." 

A few minutes later, Daniel arrived at the table with a steaming serving plate of food. 

Michael tentatively took a small piece, and a larger portion of the spaghetti Daniel made for the side. He cut a piece off and popped it into his mouth, getting ready to spit it into his napkin. The moist piece of eggplant practically melted in his mouth, the breading and the marinara a complement to the slight bitter bite of the vegetable. It was absolutely delicious, and he moaned in delight. 

"See. Told you so." Daniel gloated.

"This is practically orgasmic!" Michael reached for another piece. 

Daniel chuckled. 

"Hey, just curious, but do you think you should talk to someone about the clinic firing you?" Michael asked after he'd eaten the second piece. 

"Well, I thought about it, but they did offer me all my unused vacation as a severance pay, and I think it would be a stretch to prove that they fired me for being gay. I am technically an 'At- Will' employee, and I did violate the handbook rules. It feels like it would be a waste of time, and I'd rather just leave everything behind, you know?" 

"I get it I guess. I just am so mad that I never realized how bigoted they were there." 

"I don't think they all are, but I suspect the image of the clinic is more important." 

"Their loss." 

Daniel nodded. 

After dinner, the two men retired to the living room to watch TV. There wasn't much on so Michael just left the news on and turned down the volume.

"So, besides cooking my now favorite meal, what did you do today?" Michael asked. 

"Well I cleaned up a bit, and looked online for jobs in the area. Found a few clinics I applied at. I'm still hoping to find something in behavior, but not a lot of general practice places work with that too much. If I could get specialized without working at a clinic this would be a bit easier, or I could go into business myself." 

Michael mused on that a bit. 

"Well, why don't you find a place that will be a good fit for you in general practice, and then once I graduate, we can either stick around here, or we can move to a place where we can both find something. Or we could wait until I'm hired, I can convince them to do behavior work and we can go about getting your VTS (Veterinary Technician Specialty) together." 

"I'd hate to not be working in the meantime though. I'd drive us both nuts, but I think maybe you're right. I should see about either convincing a new employer to consider behavior, or like you said, we can try to get hired together." 

Daniel yawned and leaned over onto Michael's shoulder. 

"Bedtime?" Michael said into Daniel's hair. 

"Yeah, I'm tired even though I didn't do much today." 

"Well, you did show up at like 1am yesterday, and we didn't get much sleep." 

Michael led Daniel to the bedroom and both men stripped down to their underwear, brushed their teeth and crawled into bed. Daniel spooned up behind Michael, sighed and almost immediately fell asleep. Michael took a bit longer to fall asleep, mostly because his body was turned on by the feeling of Daniel's cock against the small of his back, even though it wasn't hard. His brain wouldn't stop thinking either. Daniel had never been comfortable going past mutual masturbation and knowing his history and how he was raised, Michael had figured out Daniel was a virgin. He was such an introvert when they first had met, and with him not being able to figure out his sexuality or even explore it, there was no way he'd had much experience if any. Now that they were sharing a bed, it wouldn't be long before Michael would want to take advantage of that situation. He needed to plan out a seduction- and make Daniel feel comfortable so he could take their relationship to the next level.

Daniel finished his first interview since he'd been fired, feeling that things went pretty well. Everyone seemed to be nice there, he'd explained his situation with Michael and the office manager seemed to be okay with it. Of course Madison was quite a bit more liberal then the small town up north was. He told his side of the story of why he left his other clinic, impressing on how he thought it had to do with his relationship. The office manager here was sympathetic, 'but that doesn't always get you the job' Daniel mused. Buried in his thoughts, he unlocked the door to the apartment and walked in. He'd been living there about a week now. The lights were low, but Daniel knew that Michael usually stayed after classes to meet up with study groups. He reached for the light switch, but there was a note taped to it. 

"Don't touch, join me in the living room." Daniel read out loud quietly. He shrugged, grabbed the note, set his keys down, and walked into the living room. There was a candle burning on each available surface and Daniel smelled something good- but he couldn't put a finger on what it was. He couldn't see where Michael was at. 

"Hello?" He called softly. 

"Hey big guy." Michael stood up from the chair that faced away from Daniel. 

"Geez, planning on jumping out and scaring me?" Daniel joked, suddenly nervous. 

"No, not really, but I suppose sitting in that chair you weren't able to see me?" 

"Not really." Daniel said. He walked over to Michael and leaned in for a short kiss.

Michael took his time with it, slowly extending the kiss, but not pushing into "tongue action" as Daniel always called it. 

"So what's up?" Daniel said, a little breathless.

"Besides us?" Michael gently rocked his hips into Daniel's feeling the slight rise to both of their cocks. Daniel laughed. 

"Well I bought dinner, and wanted to have a romantic night in. I picked out a movie too, so we can sit out here and eat." 

"Alright." Daniel said. Michael led him to some pillows near the coffee table. It was then that Daniel noticed the two fondue pots simmering. Michael motioned to Daniel to sit down, and then nestled in next to him. He started the movie, the reached down and pulled out a bowl of bread chunks and a bowl of strawberries. 

"You've Got Mail?" Daniel laughed. 

"What? I know it's kinda a chick flick, but it's my favorite romantic comedy." 

"I hope that you didn't rent it then..." Daniel said.

"Why?" 

"Because I have it on DVD somewhere." 

"No... sadly I own a copy too." Michael laughed. 

Daniel leaned back on the front of the couch, still close enough to reach the fondue pots and settled in. Michael reached forward and dipped a few pieces of bread into the cheese bubbling gently. He then leaned over and held the bite out to Daniel. 

"You gonna feed me now?" Daniel said quietly. 

"Yes, if that's okay with you." 

"Only if I get to feed you too." 

After a few bites, Michael was trying to give Daniel a bite, but some cheese dripped off his bread and landed on Daniel's arm. Michael bent over, and licked of the cheese slowly. Daniel shuddered. Michael came up with an idea to help Daniel get over his hesitation over intimacy. He dipped a strawberry in the chocolate, let it cool enough it wouldn't be hot to the touch, and brushed the chocolate over Daniel's lips. He quickly kissed Daniel for all he was worth. The chocolate flavor burst between them, as their tongues danced together. Daniel moaned and leaned back further onto the front of the couch. Michael urged him to lie down on the pillows they had been sitting on, covering him with his body. All the pent up sexual tension over the past week exploded between them. Michael brazenly reached for Daniel's cock. Michael could feel his own erection spewing precum like never before. Daniel's hips pushed into Michael's hand. 

"Wait. Um, not sure..." Daniel said.

Michael looked questioningly at him. 

"Not that I don't want to, but I just haven't done this before, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, or how we're suppose to do this, and I don't know if I want to be a top or a bottom and I'm not even exactly sure what that's suppose to mean and I..." Michael put a finger over Daniel's mouth to stop his rambling. 

"Look, the first time is probably going to be awkward. However you want to do this, we'll do it. If you aren't ready, we don't have to." 

"But, well, you know I haven't had much thought into this... I'd been denying who I was for so long. I have no idea what I want to do. I'm totally nervous, but I want to." 

Michael nodded. 

"Here's the thing then. I'm versatile. I can top you, or you can top me. I guess it depends how you want things to go from here." 

Daniel ducked his head, his bangs falling into his face. 

"I guess I'm not even sure what that means." He blushed.

"Well, basically the top is in charge usually. He's the one that inserts, while the bottom receives. Does that make sense?" 

"Yeah I guess so. So if you topped me, you'd be putting that monster in my ass..." Daniel trailed off. 

"Well, we'd get you ready to take me. I'm not just going to shove it in to you. But like I said, I'm okay with either, and honestly your first time, I think as long as I walk you through it, either way would be enjoyable. You are more of a passive guy, so I had pegged you, no pun intended, as a bottom." 

"Your first time... what did you end up as?" Daniel asked. 

"Honestly, I was a top. My first boyfriend with was strictly a bottom, but my second was versatile. That's when I found out I was too. I like both positions." Michael paused a moment. "I wonder if that's the way to do it this first time. I know you're still struggling with how you were raised and the idea you need to be normal. It's closer to what would happen if you were straight. So it maybe easier for you to top this first time, see how it goes." 

"And you'll walk me through it?" Daniel said nervously. 

"Every step of the way.... Let's go to the bedroom, I have some stuff there." Michael leaned over, still on top of Daniel and blew out the candles under the fondue pots. He moved to a kneeling position and helped Daniel sit up. 

"Let's blow out the candles, or take some with us huh?" Michael said while standing up. 

Daniel nodded, and started to blow out some of the smaller candles. Michael grabbed two of the larger ones and lead Daniel to the bedroom. He set both on the bedside table, and pulled back the covers. Daniel stood still at the doorway, unsure of himself. He was internally debating about going through with it. One voice in his head told him he was about to commit an unforgivable sin, it sounded like his pastor back home. Another voice told him this couldn't be, not when he was sure he was in love with Michael. His penis, of course, agreed with that observation. He couldn't remember ever being this hard. His boxers were soaked. 

"If you don't think you're ready, we don't have to do this." Michael reminded him again. 

"I just am having an inner dilemma. Let me reason this out in my head anyway I can in order to enjoy myself." Daniel laughed half-heartedly. 

"Come here" Michael patted the bed next to him. 

Daniel hesitantly climbed into the bed, kneeling. Michael pulled him close, and nuzzled his neck. He trailed kisses up Daniel's neck to his earlobe then nibbled gently. Daniel shivered. 

"So here's the deal, I'll explain things a bit and you decide where we go from there, okay?" 

"Okay."

Michael reached over to his bedside table drawer. He pulled out a few things. 

"Lube- man's best friend." Michael set it on the bed. Daniel chuckled. 

"Condoms. Depending on how many you want to use..." He set the strip next to the lube. 

"And?" 

"And us. That's it. The plan is, we make out a bit and if you're ready then we start to get me ready. Technical terms, we need to stretch me out, lube up the chute, get a condom on you and then go slow. Bottoming can be a bit uncomfortable at first, so it's best to go slow and let us adjust to what's happening." Michael searched Daniel's face for any clues about how he was feeling. He looked nervous, but there was a hint of lust in his eyes. And his erection sure didn't waver. 

"Okay?" 

"Okay..."

"and if at anytime, either of us needs to or wants to stop, all we have to do is say so."

Daniel's response this time was to pull Michael into him for a heady kiss. They caressed each other's bodies, as their tongues matched. Daniel guided Michael back onto the bed, and slid across him. He un-tucked Michael's shirt from his pants and shoved his hands under. 

"See now you're getting it." Michael moaned into Daniel's mouth. 

"I watched a lot of straight porn... this part I guess is darn similar, it's just the technical stuff I wasn't sure about. "

Michael kissed along Daniel's jaw, but paused at the confession. 

"So wait, you watched porn, but not the stuff you were interested in? Not once?" he continued the kisses. 

"No..." Daniel said as Michael kissed a sensitive spot "I was always concerned it would truly make me gay if I did watch it. I tried so hard to be normal." 

"Who says what's normal for everyone? What if this is normal for you and me?" Michael asked as he pulled Daniel's shirt off. Daniel reached for Michael's pants and pulled down the zipper. 

"That's what I'm learning. What God could say that two people in love shouldn't express it?" Daniel leaned down to kiss Michael's stomach. Michael froze. 

"What?" Daniel asked stopping as well. 

"You love me?" Michael asked in a quiet voice, looking into Daniel's eyes.

"I'm pretty sure." Daniel replied.

"Good, because I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you." Michael responded. 

Daniel beamed, and continued his work stripping Michael's pants off the rest of the way. 

Michael lifted his hips to help. Daniel pulled the slacks over Michael's butt, and quickly realized he wasn't wearing any underwear. His cock slapped to his stomach. Daniel stilled for a moment, and hesitantly reached out to touch him. Michael's hips thrusted up to meet Daniel's hand. 

"Oh, that feels good huh big guy?" Daniel murmured as he stroked Michael's penis. 

"Oh, god, you have no idea...." Michael moaned. 

Daniel stopped briefly to finishing sliding Michael's pants off completely. As he moved back up to cover his body, Daniel kissed a trail up from his thigh, to his groin, avoiding his cock to kiss the junction of thigh and abdomen. He continued to tongue along as he slowly crept up to Michael's chest. There, his nipples begged to be touched, standing out, tall and proud. Daniel remembered back to some of his masturbation practices, and tweaked a nipple between his fingers. Michael bucked with the sensation. Daniel smiled against Michael's chest, and then pulled the other nipple into his mouth to suck on it. Michael cried out with pleasure. Daniel reached down again to stroke Michael's cock, but Michael caught his hand.

"You touch me now, it'll be over...." Daniel pulled his hand from his, and grabbed Michael's cock and firmly stroked.

"Oh god! I'm cumming!!" Michael groaned and Daniel felt the hot, wet blasts slap against his chest and stomach. 

Daniel leaned forward and kissed him as his body continued to quake through his orgasm. Michael returned the kiss with enthusiasm as he continued to thrust against him. 

"Holy... wow." Michael sighed. 

Daniel reached down and fondled his balls. Michael, even though he recently spilled his load and was never a multiple orgasm guy, could feel his body reacting again.

After playing with his balls for a bit more, Daniel felt bolder, enough so to move south of that to Michael's pucker. He dragged a finger across and was rewarded with another involuntary hip thrust from Michael. At this rate, Daniel felt he was riding a bucking bull. He fingered his hole a bit more- remembering from the porn videos the women enjoying this part, and why would it be that much different? And Michael's body sure was proving that theory correct. He considered what Michael said about stretching him out before they could go further. He reached for the lube and tried to open it, but his hands were shaking. Michael covered his hands with his own and helped open the bottle. 

"Just poor some onto a finger and gently push it in. I'm going to push out to help ease the way okay. Keep this in mind for when it's your turn okay?" Michael whispered in his ear. Daniel shuddered, but kept focus. He poured a small amount onto his finger and brushed it against Michael's opening. 

"More" Michael said strained, and Daniel went to push his finger in. Michael grabbed his hand.

"No, I meant lube specifically, but yeah... mmm...more" Michael moaned. Daniel quickly grabbed the bottle. He recalled what Michael had told him about lube being a man's best friend. He poured a lot more onto his fingers, gently pushed on Michael's hole. The tip popped past his sphincter, so Daniel poured more as he inserted further. 

"Oh, god... keep doing that... add another finger!" Michael couldn't stop his hips. Daniel quickly rearranged so Michael's thighs were over his own, and wrapped around his hips. This way when he bucked up, Daniel wasn't at risk of being dropped off the bed. He worked a second finger in, and then thrust the two in and out of Michael. Michael's abdomen was covered with precum, and sweat. He couldn't stop moving. But he knew it was going to get better. 

"oh... okay, so next... mmmgh... turn your" he panted "fingers around... oh god just like that!! Oh... god... now" he shuddered, "make, a motion, like a come here wiggle with your fingers... AH! GOD THAT'S THE SPOT!!" 

Daniel felt his fingers brush a lump deep in Michael's rectum. He wasn't sure what it was, but it must have felt awesome to Michael because he was squirming on the bed almost like it hurt, but the noises he made sure sounded like it was unbearably pleasurable. He kept working the spot until Michael screamed. Cum shot out of his cock like a fire hose, hitting Daniel in the face, as well as covering most of Michael. 

Michael panted hard, trying to catch his breath. He pulled Daniel down for another kiss. "Okay, now, fuck me." 

Daniel fumbled a bit.

"Here," Michael grabbed a condom, and the lube, sitting up a bit. After the awesome orgasm he just had it was difficult, but his cock was still hard and begging for another release. He wasn't about to deny his body the pleasure of being fucked. He opened the lube, poured some into his hand and rubbed a bit on Daniel's rod. Daniel shuddered but remained quiet. Michael then unrolled the condom, with Daniel actively watching. 




The Pretender Ch. 11



First and foremost, thank you readers for being patient with me. I had some bad luck late last year, with my laptop (a virus and then it decided to die) I was grateful I had backed up my work! Keep an eye out for additional chapters of Help Me and The Fighter- I'm putting some finishing touches on the next chapters and will be submitting them as soon as possible. Thank you! And as always any feedback is very welcome. 

* "I'm gonna be a happy idiot,And struggle for the legal tender, Where the ads take aim, and lay their claimTo the heart and the soul of the spender And believe in whatever may lie, 

In those things that money can buyAnd where true love could have been a contender"*

*

A Few Weeks Later

Daniel woke up to an empty bed. It wasn't unusual these days for Michael to wake up extremely early, go for a run, make breakfast for them both, and then slowly wake Daniel up. They had been living together for about a month now, and Daniel had yet to be offered a job. He was driving himself bonkers because he was so bored during the day. His savings were dwindling also, and he didn't want to mooch off Michael either. Although, with Micheal's graduation coming up soon, maybe it was a good thing he hadn't found a job just yet, in case Michael found a job in a different area of the state. He wandered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He had a bit of semen dried to his chest hair. Although they had experimented with different positions, Daniel had yet to bottom for Michael. They had talked about it, but Michael assured him he was enjoying being submissive to Daniel. His phone rang, and Daniel was about to hop out of the shower to grab it, but he heard Michael answer it. 

"Hello? Yes this is Daniel's phone. Let me see if he's available." 

"Hey, do you want to talk to the practice manager at ABC Vet Hospital?" Michael asked. Daniel turned off the shower and stuck his hands out to dry on his towel and then motioned for the phone. 

"Yes this is he.... I would have time after 2pm this afternoon for an interview. Okay, good, sounds like a plan. See you this afternoon." He handed the phone back to Michael and turned the shower back on. Thirty seconds later Michael stepped into the shower.

"Ewww... you stink." Daniel said as he moved from the spray to shampoo his hair and allow Michael to get wet. 

"Just finished my run, its already pretty darn hot out today, God I'm gross. So where's this interview?" 

"Close by. It's South of Madison." Daniel said scrubbing his hair. 

Michael shifted so they could switch around. Daniel rinsed his hair while Michael soaped up. 

"Hmmm, can I wash your back?" Daniel's voice got husky. 

Michael turned around and went to hand Daniel the soap.

"Oops... I dropped it..." Michael said with a mischievous smile. The bar of soap dropped to the bottom of the tub. Michael bent over to pick it up and wiggled his ass at Daniel. Daniel grabbed his hips and pulled him into his hard cock. 

"Mmmm, somebody is still open from last night..." Daniel said pushing a finger into Michael's hole. 

"Oh god. Don't stop..." Michael moaned.

"I need to grab a condom, maybe some lube if you want what I think you want." Daniel said with a chuckle. 

"Just get me off... we can fuck later!" Michael begged. 

Daniel laughed and shoved a second finger in, plastered his front to Michael's back, and reached around with his right hand to cup Michael's cock while he finger banged him. Michael slapped a hand to wall of the shower stall and cried out. Daniel added a third finger and Michael just about launched out of the shower. 

"Harder Daniel, as hard as you can... fuck!" Michael bucked his hips into Daniel's hand and then slumped back into Daniel's arms as his cock sprayed cum all over the shower. Daniel slipped a bit, so rather then fall, he gently knelt down, holding onto Michael tightly since he wasn't too coherent. Daniel was still hard as a rock, but wanted to see what Michael would prefer to do next. 

"You didn't cum did you?" Michael asked, still breathing hard. 

"Not yet..." 

"Oh, good, let's go to the bedroom..." Michael said. "But I may need help up since you reduced me to a pile of ramen noodles." 

Daniel laughed and then helped him up. The quickly dried off and raced each other to the bed. 

"So, I know we haven't really broached the subject much, but were you interested in bottoming at some point?" 

"I think so. But I know I'm not ready yet. I hope that doesn't bother you." 

"Not at all. You are an excellent top, and I just don't want you to feel you're stuck in that position for the rest of time, unless you want to be." 

"Well, good. Let me show off my excellence then." Daniel reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a condom. He rolled it down and lubed himself up. He stretched out on the bed.

"Ride me this time." 

Michael grinned. They hadn't tried that yet and he was usually the one to encourage experimentation, so he was excited to have Daniel make the move to try something different. Michael mounted Daniel and rocked back to position his entrance above Daniel's cock. He slowly sank down, watching Daniel's face the whole time. First his eyes closed and he rocked his head back, but once Michael bottomed out, his eyes opened and locked with Michael's. He reached up and twined their hands together as Michael began to move slowly. They made slow, sweet love as Michael rocked back and forth gently over Daniel. It was quite a contrast to the events in the shower, but both men loved it. After what seemed like hours, Daniel finally had to start bucking his hips harder, needing more stimulation in order to climax. Michael shifted higher on his knees to take longer strokes, reached down and tweaked Daniel's nipples. Daniel thrust hard against Michael's ministrations. He reached up, and started to fondle Michael's cock, which was rock solid again, despite the ferocious climax in the shower. 

"Holy... You've come along way in this short time... fuck, squeeze me harder... almost there..." Michael cried out and sprayed another load over Daniel, who slammed up hard at the same time, spilling into the condom. Michael collapsed onto Daniel, burying his head into his shoulder. They panted against each other, struggling to catch their breath. 

They snoozed a bit, without moving, Michael still on top of Daniel.

*

Daniel's phone alarm went off about 20 minutes after they fell asleep. Daniel stirred, since he'd always been a light sleeper. He shook Michael's shoulder but all he got was a snuffling snore against his shoulder. Daniel shook a bit harder and this time Michael rolled off him, but still was mostly asleep. 

"I swear to God. You could sleep through a tornado..." Daniel muttered. This was the reason Daniel had his alarm set. No, Daniel didn't need that alarm for himself, but he knew Michael well enough to realize he needed a back up in order to be on time to class the days he had early labs. Daniel knew the only way to get Michael out of bed and moving was to go make some coffee. All the shaking and yelling in the world never seemed to work, but somehow the smell of coffee always pierced the fog that shadowed over him in the mornings. Daniel made a pot of coffee, even though normally he'd use the individual brewer for days like this, Daniel was starting to like coffee and would probably drink some too. Although Michael preferred his coffee black, Daniel always added some sugar. He poured two cups and wandered back to the bedroom. Michael had yet to get out of bed, but somehow found a way to cuddle up to Daniel's pillow. 

*

Daniel set Michael's coffee on his bedside table and started to pick out scrubs for Michael to throw on once he woke up enough. He pulled out the dresser drawer and grabbed a tank top, boxers and socks as well. He set the clothes on the end of the bed, as he started to hear Michael stirring. 

"Coffee?" He murmured. 

"Right next to you." Daniel said as he started to pick up Michael's running clothes he'd thrown on the floor that morning. Michael sat up and drank about half the cup in one gulp. 

"Fuck, why did you add sugar to this?" 

"Michael! You idiot..." Daniel shook his head. He'd set his cup with the added sugar on his side of the bed, and Michael's cup on the other side. Which had been closer to where Michael had been laying. 

"I did it again, didn't I?" Michael said spotting the other coffee cup. 

"Uh, yeah." Daniel said shaking his head. 

"Sorry..." Michael set down Daniel's coffee and reached for the correct cup, and took an equally large gulp.

"Oh, much better." He groaned. 

"You better get moving, or you'll be late. I set out clothes for you." 

Michael swung himself out of bed. 

"Thank you honey..." He kissed Daniel's cheek. 

Daniel blushed. 

"You'll make a good wife one of these days..." Michael said teasingly, as he picked up his outfit from the end of the bed and wandered into the bathroom. 

Daniel tried to think of a retort, but wasn't quick enough, so he let it slide. 

*

The morning of Michael's graduation was a clear spring morning, and it was absolutely beautiful out. Daniel for once woke up before Michael, and practically ran to the kitchen to cook breakfast before he woke up. He was midway through cooking the French toast when Michael stumbled out to the kitchen. 

"I was going to bring you breakfast in bed..." Daniel said. 

"Um... I smell French toast and coffee..." 

"Sit... you zombie. Geez..." 

Michael sat at the table, and slumped over, arms resting on the table. He set his head in the cradle of his arms.

"I'm serious about breakfast in bed. I got about 3 minutes yet before it's all done." 

"Meh..." Michael said, muffled by his arms. 

"I know, that means you'd have to get back up." Daniel laughed. He walked over and set a cup of coffee next to his grumpy boyfriend, and then walked back into the kitchen.

"Thanks." Michael rolled his head to the side to look at the cup. 

"I don't have an IV set here to inject it straight into your veins, so yes you'll have to sit up enough to drink it." Daniel said as he flipped the toast without even looking back. 

"It's like you're a mind reader some days." Michael sat up and took a tentative sip. It was cool enough to take bigger sips so he drank about half the cup before setting it down. 

Daniel brought over the plate of French toast and syrup, and set it on the table, he ran back to the kitchen to grab plates and utensils. When he got back to the table, Michael had grabbed a piece of the toast and was calmly eating it dry. 

"Really? You couldn't wait 30 seconds?" 

"Not when it comes to French toast. Which this tastes different, not bad though, in fact this is awesomely better than your normal stuff." 

"I tried it today with Hawaiian bread." 

"This is fantastic. I don't really even need syrup." 

Daniel grabbed a piece, set it on his plate and added a bit of butter before cutting a piece and trying it. 

"Yeah, I won't be going back to 'plain' French toast now." 

Michael put a couple slices onto his plate and ate everything without another word. Daniel got up and grabbed the coffee pot so they wouldn't have to keep running to the kitchen to refill their cups. Michael ate 5 pieces and drank 3 cups of coffee before he was finally awake enough to hold a conversation. 

"So what's the full timeline today?" Daniel asked. 

"Well, my parents should be here around 9... so any minute now. James and Ben are probably going to be here shortly after them. Then we have to be on campus by 130pm, graduation ceremony starts at 3pm. Then supposedly my parents want to take us out to dinner." 

"Well. Good thing I didn't serve you breakfast in bed, we might have gotten interrupted by your parents." 

"Not something that I would particularly want to have happen..." Michael said. 

As if on cue, the door buzzer sounded. Daniel got up and hit the button to unlock the door. A minute later the door to the apartment opened and Michael's dad walked in first. 

"Ooo breakfast..." He set his bag on the floor and walked over to the table. Luckily, Daniel usually made enough for leftovers so he had some for David and Janice to eat. 

"You had breakfast already..." Janice said following him into the apartment. 

"That was like 2 hours ago." 

Michael and Janice shook their heads, but Daniel got up and returned with two sets of silverware and plates. Janice grabbed one slice of the French toast, while David was obviously the one with the appetite that Michael took after. He loaded his plate and then stole Micheal's coffee. Micheal started to complain, but Daniel poked him.

"You've had way too much already, and you don't want to have to sit through the ceremony needing to pee." 

Michael sighed. "Fine..." 

"Go get dressed, we'll wait for James and Ben. We need to probably leave for campus by 11 at the latest. Otherwise we'll never get good parking. We can grab a quick lunch downtown." Daniel shooed him to the bedroom.

Daniel sat with Janice and David at the table as he finished his own coffee. The door buzzed again, so Daniel went to let Ben and James in. 

"So where's the big guy? Is he nervous?" James asked.

"I don't think he's been awake enough to worry about it. I would just be happy if Mr.Klutzy can make it across the stage, and be announced as Dr. Klutzy without falling on his face." Daniel said.

"Thanks... I'm not that uncoordinated..." Michael said, straightening his tie. 

"Yes... Yes you are." Janice said. 

Everyone laughed, even Micheal. Daniel ran off to get dressed quickly. In a short time, everyone was ready to go and loaded into the two cars to drive downtown. 

*

Daniel sat next to David and Ben in the arena where the graduation ceremony was being held. He was excited to see the processional, and couldn't wait for the celebration after. Janice handed him a tissue over the top of David. 

"What's this for?" 

"You'll need it, don't worry." Janice replied. 

"Okay..." 

The ceremony started and seemed like forever until they reached Michael's class. As Michael's name was called, Daniel indeed felt his eyes get misty. He was so proud of all the work Michael had done to get this far. Even though Daniel hadn't known him all that long, it really made him realize the depth of commitment to his career path and his love of animals. He heard sniffing from his right, and knew Janice was using her tissue. The rest of the graduation seemed to fly. In no time at all Michael met up with them, looking very handsome in his cap and gown. Michael quickly hugged his mom and dad, but then turned to Daniel. 

"Hey." Michael said. 

"Congratulations." Daniel said. Michael enveloped him in a tight hug. 

"This was what I was most nervous about today..." Michael said, reaching into his pocket. 

"What..." Daniel stuttered. 

Michael dropped to a knee, and held out a ring box. Daniel's mouth dropped open. Michael flicked the box open to show off a simple silver ring with a small diamond embedded into the metal. It wasn't flashy by any means, in fact it could be called nondescript. But it was absolutely beautiful to Daniel. 

"Will you make an honest man of me?" 

"I... Yes! Yes of course!" Daniel finally found his voice. He never expected Michael to propose so soon, much less at his graduation. He was floored. 

Michael stood up and slid the ring onto his finger, and then embraced him in a hug again. 

"I know it's quick, but I can't see spending my life without you. Thank you for coming into my life." 

Daniel couldn't let go of him, and was slightly embarrassed to feel tears welling up again. He nuzzled into Michael's shoulder to hide the tears, but Michael just chuckled. He knew Daniel was crying. Janice and David came over and patted the boys on the shoulders as they held each other. James squealed and grabbed Daniel's hand to see the ring. It all seemed like a jumbled blur to Daniel, and it was almost over as soon as it began. Next thing he knew, he was in the car, Michael driving home with his parents in the back seat.



The Pretender Ch. 12



A Few Months Later... 

It was the night of the commitment ceremony. Daniel and Michael had invited all their families and friends to join them at the hall they'd booked. Although they couldn't get married in Wisconsin, they could apply for a civil union. It wasn't exactly the same, but it gave them the opportunity to be able to be each other's "next of kin" and to be able to share insurance coverage. Just Michael's family, Ben and James came with them to the court house to fill out the paperwork in front of the judge, but both men wanted to have the chance to celebrate with friends, so they decided to have a "wedding reception" type party at the local hall. 

"Before we get this party started, Daniel and I would like to share a few words... I guess they could be called wedding vows." Michael started. He handed the microphone to Daniel. 

"Until I met you, Michael Jacobson, I was a lost soul. I spent each day, just trying to get through until the next. I can not imagine life without you, and plan to spend each day making sure you understand what you mean to me. I love you Michael. Thank you so much for being my rock, and being patient for me." Daniel said choking up a bit. 

Michael took the microphone from Daniel. 

"I never knew what living was until I met you, Daniel Adams. Until that day I merely existed. I know each day was a struggle for you. I also can't imagine life without you." Michael also started to choke up. 

Ben ran up and grabbed the mic, 

"Guess it's time for the first dance before we all turn into blubbering fools..." 

Michael and Daniel laughed. 

The DJ started the song, which Michael had picked, without telling Daniel. As the last few lyrics rang clear through the dance hall, Daniel placed his head on Michael's shoulder and buried his head into his neck. He tried not to cry, but the last few lines of the lyrics hit home for them;

* "Are you there? 

Say a prayer, for the Pretender

Who started out so young and strong,

Only to surrender..."*

"You seriously got us a hotel room for tonight?" Michael asked as Daniel drove them across town. 

"I told you I wanted a wedding night... and a honeymoon. So tomorrow afternoon we fly out. And this is close to the airport." 

"Okay, fine. But I don't mind driving to the airport tomorrow." 

"Just enjoy it okay? James and Ben actually came up with the idea and paid for the hotel."

"Oh god, that makes it that much worse... what did we get ourselves into?" 

Daniel laughed as they pulled into the hotel. 

"Reservation for Jacobson/Adams." Daniel said. 

"Ah, thank you Mr. Jacobson, here is your key, everything is all paid for. Do you need a bellhop?" 

"Um, no I think we'll leave most of everything in the car, and just grab our overnights." 

Daniel and Michael headed for the elevator. Once the doors closed Michael turned to Daniel. 

"Ha, he called you Mr. Jacobson..." 

"I actually liked it. I think.... Hmm." 

"What?" 

"Well, what would you think if I legally changed my name to Daniel Jacobson?" 

Michael was speechless for a moment. "You really want to take my name?" 

"Yeah. I'd rather have your last name. My parents left me in the dust, why should I have any reminder where I came from? You are my family now, so why not." Daniel stated as a matter of fact.

Michael made a funny noise, so Daniel turned and saw Michael's eyes get misty. 

"Besides our vows, I think that was the most beautiful thing I've heard. And yes, I would love you to have my last name, especially when you reason it like that." Michael leaned over, and kissed him gently on the lips. The elevator door slide open mid-kiss, but the men didn't notice at first. A giggle caught their attention, and they pulled apart slightly, seeing two girls. 

"That's so freaking cute!" one said. They stepped into the elevator, both looked to be in their early 20s. 

"Totally." The other agreed. "How long have you guys been together?" 

"Um..." Daniel said. 

Michael laughed. "Just over a year. We're newly weds... on our honeymoon." Michael wiggled his ringed finger at them.

"Awe...." The girls said together. 

Daniel blushed as Michael laughed again. He pecked a kiss onto Daniel's lips and then stepped back a bit, but held onto Daniel's hand. The elevator stopped and the girls got off, but not before one tossed a "Have fun!" in a sing song voice over her shoulder.

Daniel sighed. Michael just shook his head in amusement. 

Finally the elevator reached their floor and they stepped off to search for their room. 

"Let's see, 1369 is the number... Ah here." Michael looked up and saw the door said 'Honeymoon Suite' on a placard. 

"Aw, crap, how much did they spend?" He used the card to open the lock. 

They stepped into the suite and were shocked. It looked like James and Ben had gone all out, and probably decorated the room themselves. Rose petals were scattered across the floor as well as the huge king sized bed that dominated the main room. A Jacuzzi tub that was heart shaped was in the large bathroom off to the right of the entrance. A large gift box was in the middle of the bed as well. 

"A lot..." Daniel said, stunned. 

"This is fantastic. Let's open the present." Michael bounced onto the bed like a little kid. Daniel laughed, set his bag on the table near the door, and followed Michael to the bed. He sat down next to him. Michael tore the paper off the box, and Daniel lifted the lid off it. They both started laughing together. 

"Only Ben and James... I swear." Daniel said as he pulled out a bottle of lube. Michael lifted up a book. 

"Hmm... 'Bend Over', the Complete Guide to Anal Sex for Men...." Michael fell over laughing. 

"Ooo, Gay Kama Sutra...." Daniel said pulling out another book. 

Michael sat back up. He pulled out a piece of paper covering what was left in the box.

He read it aloud, "The lube is for tonight. The rest of the items in this box are intended for the rest of the honeymoon. All you need tonight is each other.' James and Ben." 

"Cute. What else is in there?" 

"Hmm, handcuffs, some flavored lotion, and a variety of other sex toys." 

"Ah. Okay. I agree, let's put the rest away and just leave the lube." 

"I have a surprise for you." Michael said. 

"Okay. I have one for you too, but you first." 

Michael reached into his overnight bag, and pulled out a piece of paper.

"I got tested...So that we could potentially skip condoms tonight. I know you were a virgin when we met, so I feel comfortable moving ahead if you are." 

Daniel laughed, walked over to his bag and pulled out a similar paper. 

"I know it wasn't necessary, but I wanted the symbolic item to show off..." 

"Great minds think alike..." Michael said, reaching for Daniel. 

"One more thing." Daniel said against Michael's lips. 

"Make it quick, I need you in me." He said. 

"That's what I wanted to talk about. I want to bottom tonight." 

"Wha..." Michael froze. 

"I'm ready for it. And tonight is perfect, something different to remember our wedding night. I've been thinking about it a long time, almost from when we first started making love." 

"No matter what, tonight will be memorable. If you're sure, I want to make that you feel comfortable trying it. And if you need to, just like our first time, we'll stop and do something else, okay?" 

"Okay." Daniel nodded, looking enthusiastic. Michael laid him back against the pillows, the rose petals becoming displaced, sending the smell swirling throughout the air. He claimed his lips, kissing him hard. They struggled at the same time to pull each other's shirts off. Michael slowly kissed his way down Daniel's chest to his dress pants. He unbuttoned them, and tugged them down, leaving Daniel's boxers in place. Michael took his pants off quickly and then laid back down, covering Daniel's body with his. He leisurely rocked his hips into Daniel's, feeling both their cocks rise to the occasion. They continued to kiss each other, becoming lost in the sensations. Michael raised his head after a few minutes. 

"I love you." Daniel said

"Ditto." 

"Jerk. You know I love that movie." 

"Of course." Michael said as he pulled Daniel's boxers down. Daniel's cock stood straight out from his pelvis. 

"OooO, hello there." Michael leaned down and pulled Daniel into his mouth.

"Oh, gosh...." He whispered. Michael didn't dawdle long, but as he was suckling around the head of Daniel's penis, he worked a finger to Daniel's entrance. Daniel lifted his hips in ecstasy, leaning into Michael's fingers. He grabbed the lube and poured a generous amount onto his finger and Daniel's crack. He pushed his index finger in slowly. Daniel gasped, but pushed out like Michael had discussed previously. A few plunges with one finger, and then he worked a second finger in. He rotated his fingers to help open Daniel up a bit, and to find his prostate. 

"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed. 

"There it is..." 

Michael worked his fingers in and out, making sure to brush against his sensitive gland each stroke.

"Oh God, I need..." 

"Need?" 

"I need your hot dick in me... holy..." 

"Ready for me?" 

"Yes. Yes YES." Daniel said, punctuating his command with a thrust of his hips. 

Michael lubed up his cock and lined it up. 

"Okay, we're going to go slow..." 

Daniel sucked in a breath as Michael pushed gently. Michael watched Daniel's face closely to make sure he wasn't freaking out. So far, so good. He slowly inched forward. Daniel's mouth fell open, and his eyes screwed shut. 

"You okay?" Michael asked, stopping.

Daniel panted. Michael leaned forward a bit, and lightly kissed his lips. Daniel returned the kiss clumsily. 

"Um..." Daniel opened his eyes slightly, locking into Michael's. 

"Let me know... We're almost there..." 

"Go ahead... I think I'm okay..." Daniel closed his eyes again.

Michael pushed in tenderly the last inch. 

"All the way. Do you feel that? How deep I am in you? You feel great, I can't believe you're all mine." 

Daniel sobbed quietly, but Michael knew it wasn't because he was hurting, it was happy tears. Daniel's eyes shot open, still glistening, but now they had a determined glint to them. 

"Okay, um... I'm ready for you to move. It isn't uncomfortable anymore." 

"Okay, here we go..." Michael painstakingly pulled out slowly. Daniel moaned at the sensations, especially when he dragged the head of his cock across his prostate. Michael returned the vocalization when he pushed back in. 

"Oh God. I'm so glad we waited... this is fantastic." Daniel whispered. 

"Me too." Michael said as they slowly moved together, making love. Michael was moving so slow, it started to drive Daniel crazy. He began to push his hips back at Michael, wrapping his legs around his flank to gain leverage. Michael got the hint and started to take faster, shorter thrusts. Daniel threw his head back, enjoying every nuance of being a bottom. 

"You close?" Michael whispered.

"Almost..." Daniel jumped when he felt Michael's hand creep up to his cock and start to tug on him. 

"I need you there now, I'm so freaking close, I... oh lord..." Michael sat up on his haunches and hammered into Daniel for 4 or 5 thrusts, then stilled as he blasted his load deep into Daniel. The liquid rush inside Daniel spurred his climax to the forefront. Michael kept his hand moving on Daniel's hard cock as he erratically punched his hips through the feelings. Michael slumped onto Daniel's chest, squishing his cum between them. 

"I love you." Daniel whispered. 

"I love you more..." Michael said as he nuzzled into the crook of his neck. He nibbled along his chin to his lips, capturing them in a sensational kiss. 

* "Say a prayer for the pretender,

Are you there for the pretender

Say a prayer for the pretender, 

Are you there for the pretender?

Are you prepared for the pretender?"*

The End