Continuing Education

by Alicat

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asa/alicat/education.php
Summary: Two university students learn more than the curriculum.

"Good morning everyone," greeted the greying man who'd just entered the room. "I hope you all had an entertaining summer."

The room fell silent, the young faces seated in the lecture hall looking expectantly at the man who was now fussing with papers on his desk at the front of the room. One of the students, a young man with curly, rich brown hair, smiled at the student next to him, then whispered something. The blond man chuckled, making the professor look up.

"Courtship rituals aren't studied until next semester, Mr Sandburg" said Professor Myers, getting a laugh from the rest of the students.

"Uh, sure sir," laughed Blair, blushing anyway.

"That goes for you too, Mr Jackson," said the professor as he saw the blond man sitting next to Blair lean in to whisper back.

"Sorry," mumbled Daniel, sitting back resignedly.

"You know, I'm really going to complain to the administration next time he does that," growled Blair as they walked to their next class an hour later.

"You say that every time, Blair," said Daniel, half-smiling.

"Well it just drives me crazy! What makes him think that just because we don't have short hair that we're gay? And he's always picking on me! And on you," said Blair, launching into the well-known rant.

"Look, he's retiring after this semester, so let's just ignore him, ok?" sighed Daniel.

"For an anthropology professor, he's pretty close minded," said Blair, refusing to drop the issue.

"Blair," said Daniel, stopping and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "administration isn't going to do anything about it. They'll tell you that he's retiring next semester, so live with it. There's nothing you can do, believe me."

"Well it still bothers me. I don't see how it can't bother you," answered Blair, with less force than before.

"It does bother me, but I live with it," said Daniel, smiling. "It would help if you were seen around campus with those girlfriends you boast to me about!" he said, eyes twinkling.

"Shut up!" said Blair, grinning and punching his friend's shoulder.

Daniel grinned back, and they kept walking to their next class. At least Professor Silverman was the nicest teacher on campus. She didn't even mind students whispering in her class, as long as it was within reason. Her classes usually went by quickly because they were interesting.

The first week went by in a blur, the students falling into the old pattern of classes, studying, part-time jobs, and what social events they could squeeze in. Daniel and Blair realised one night that between the two of them, they could afford to move out of the dorms and into a small apartment. With glee, they moved into the first place they found.

"I am *so* glad to be out of that dorm!" exclaimed Blair as he sank down on the couch, running his fingers through his hair.

"Me too," said Daniel, handing his friend a bottle of German beer as he sat down next to him. "Ooh," he sighed appreciatively, sore from his day of moving.

"Cheers," Blair said, grinning as he twisted the top off his bottle, raised it for a moment, then took a long draught.

Daniel watched Blair's throat as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, swallowing. He looked away quickly as his friend met his eyes, taking a long sip from his own drink. Maybe they shouldn't have moved in together. He took off his glasses, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand before putting his glasses on the table.

They sat, quietly chatting, slowly drinking their beers. When the first was drained, it was quickly replaced. It was Friday, they were extra tired from moving, and they both felt comfortable just sitting in the semi-dark relaxing.

Daniel felt the alcohol slowly penetrating his system, making him feel flushed. Perhaps it wasn't only the alcohol. He watched as Blair slowly licked a drop of the amber beer from the corner of his mouth, his tongue slowly moving across his full lips. Daniel took a deep breath, trying to regain his self-control.

Just then, the phone rang, making them both jump. Blair stood, apparently too quickly because he suddenly swayed and nearly fell onto Daniel. Laughing, he made his drunken way to the phone, picking it up.

"Hello?" he said. "Naomi! Hi!... Yeah, we got moved in fine... No, we've got lots to eat... *hic* a little, why? It's German... Ma, come on... Ok, talk to you later... bye for now."

He hung up the phone and walked back to the couch, trying very carefully to walk straight and not trip on the boxes. He hadn't realised he'd drunk that much. Standing up had made him aware of just how little control he still had over his own body. Blair sighed, realising he should really get to bed, or at least eat something to prevent a hangover.

Daniel looked up in time to see Blair trip and start to fall. He yelped and put his hands out to catch his friend, feeling the hard stomach muscles under his hands, through Blair's shirt. Blair gasped in surprise that he'd tripped, and grabbed Daniel's shoulders to catch himself. Blair ended up half-straddling Daniel, arms around his friend's neck, Daniel holding him around the waist, their faces inches apart.

Daniel could feel Blair's hot breath on his face as he gulped for air, catching his breath. Daniel's control crumbled and collapsed, partly from the beer and partly from the situation. Unthinkingly, he closed the distance between them, gently brushing his drink-swollen lips against Blair's, so lightly that Daniel felt the heat of his lips more than the feel of them.

A heartbeat sounded in Blair's ears, as time seemed to stop. His eyes, opened wide with surprise, flickered across his friend's face. Daniel's eyes were closed, dark lashes just touching his cheeks. He was so beautiful, and his lips were so soft. The one light in the room highlighted his cheekbones softly. Then, his heart beat again and he remembered to breathe, pulling back and gasping.

Jumping up and blushing, he mumbled something about needing to take a walk, grabbed his coat, and ran out of the apartment, barely keeping himself from slamming the door in his haste. Daniel leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He felt so stupid!

It was too cold for just a jacket, as Blair soon found out, but he didn't feel it. He burned inside, and he wanted to just run until he fell off the end of the world. He felt strange, and he didn't even know why. He'd kissed men before, so why did Daniel do this to him? It was probably the shock of finding out that a man he thought he'd have no chance with felt something for him. But was it because of the beer, or something more?

A million thoughts churned through Blair's mind. Daniel should have told him. He should have at least told him that he was gay. Was he gay? Blair swore as he realised he didn't even know. What would it change, though? Blair walked faster, his breath fogging in the chilly night air as he wandered aimlessly. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't realise he was lost. Suppressing the urge to panic, he looked for street signs and realised he wasn't in a very good part of town.

Quickly orienting himself, he began to walk back to the apartment. As he turned a corner, he became aware of the footsteps behind him. After turning down several streets, his gut froze as the footsteps followed him, keeping pace. His breath quickened as he increased his speed, trying not to run.

"Shouldn't have left, shouldn't have left," Blair repeated to himself under his breath like a mantra.

The footsteps stopped suddenly as Blair turned another corner. He was close to home now. As he rounded the edge of the building, he nearly ran into a tall, beefy, very muscular man he recognized as one of the football players from the University. The man smelled of whiskey as he grinned down at Blair, towering over the much smaller man.

"Hey faggot," he growled, reaching for Blair with one meaty hand. "Does the pretty boy need a real man up his ass?"

"Shit," Blair breathed, blanching and backing away.

The football player lurched forward to catch Blair, but the smaller man turned and bolted, running as fast as he could toward home. He glanced over his shoulder a couple of times, but couldn't see the neanderthal anywhere. He hoped that he'd lost him. Panting, he ran up the stairs to the apartment and turned the knob. Locked. He fumbled for his key in his pocket and inserted it into the lock with shaking fingers.

The main room was dark, but the windows didn't have curtains. Blair closed his eyes as he locked the door and leaned against it, catching his breath. He'd been terrified! The street light illuminated the room just enough for Blair to avoid the boxes as he finally found the strength to push off the door and go to his room. Daniel's door was closed, so Blair assumed he'd gone to bed. He was too confused and scared to deal with that now anyway.

In his room, he flicked on the light. He didn't have a window. He stripped off his clothes, dumping them on the floor, and climbed into bed with just his boxers. Turning off the light, he closed his eyes and pulled the covers up under his chin. He had a lot to think about.

Despite his hangover, Daniel left early Saturday morning to wander the city aimlessly. He couldn't face Blair after what he'd done. It had been stupid. He should have shown more control, but he'd just thrown away their friendship. Living together would probably be too difficult now, and Daniel dreaded moving back into the dorm. His only consolation was that he'd get a room to himself. Some consolation.

It was times like this that Daniel wished he was still exploring the world. He'd started University three years late because of his insatiable curiosity. Blair the Braniack, as Daniel liked to tease him sometimes, started two years early. That's how they'd ended up in the same class. At least if he were still travelling, he'd be able to pick up and leave any time he liked. Or better yet, he'd be in a part of the world that didn't care who you loved, or whether a relationship was based solely on pure, animal need.

But Blair knew all this! He agreed that sex wasn't as big a deal as western society made it out to be. Hell, he called his mother by her first name. In America, that was quite revolutionary. Then why had he run out? Did he not practice his own convictions? Was he that disgusted by the thought of kissing a man? Daniel sighed, making the old lady who was also waiting at the bus stop shift away from him.

He rode the bus all day, changing busses once it got to the end of the line. Being on the bus meant he was warm and had a good place to think. It was a good thing he had a bus pass, so he didn't have to pay each time. Around 9:00 p.m., his stomach began to rumble and he remembered that he needed to eat. Switching busses, he made his way to the nearest burger place and soon sat down to an unsatisfying, greasy dinner. Blair made such good burgers... Daniel frowned, chewing on the rubbery excuse for a meal.

Deciding to walk home instead of getting on another bus, Daniel dumped the rest of his food in the garbage can and left the restaurant. Since the sun had gone down, the wind had cooled and it had started to snow just a little. Daniel pulled his collar up higher and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, hunching over to protect himself from the wind. Even though the bus would offer protection from the elements, Daniel really preferred to walk by this point. He doubted he'd take another bus all month.

He was chilled right through by the time he got back to the apartment. The wet snow had nearly soaked through his clothes, even his jacket. His hair was plastered to his forehead, slightly frozen, and he'd taken his glasses off ages ago, preferring to see blurrily rather than nothing at all. Daniel kept taking his hands out of his pockets, one at a time, to warm his face as best he could. His cheeks and nose were red from cold, as were his shaking fingers as they fumbled with the key in the lock. Would Blair have been worried?

Daniel flicked on the light in the front room. Where *was* Blair? He turned and locked the door behind him, shucking his jacket and shoes and walking farther into the small living room. The door to the bathroom was closed and Daniel could hear the shower running, then it stopped. He relaxed slightly. The door opened and Daniel held his breath.

The bright bathroom light flooded into the dimly lit living room, silhouetting Blair's slender form. He hadn't expected Daniel home obviously, because he was still towelling off his hair, leaving his body exposed. Daniel's eyes travelled from the slowly moving feet, up the muscular legs, tried no to linger on the dark patch over his groin, punctuated with a fleshy bit, and followed the trail of dark, curly hair up Blair's stomach to his chest. By the time Daniel's gaze made it up to Blair's surprised, bright blue eyes, he was feeling very uncomfortable in his cold, wet jeans.

"Hi," Blair said in a trembling voice, covering himself with the small towel.

"Uh, hi," said Daniel, blushing and looking away. He wiped off his glasses, having finally been warmed up enough to not fog when he put them back on.

"Where the hell have you been?" demanded Blair, frustration overwhelming him. It had been a very, very long day.

"Around," mumbled Daniel, not meeting his friend's gaze.

"Didn't you think I'd like to know where you were?!" Blair yelled, walking swiftly up to Daniel, clutching the towel with one hand while gesturing with the other. "Why didn't you leave a note - anything?! - to let me know where you'd be? For all I knew, you were never going to come back!"

"I'm sorry," said Daniel, swallowing to try to get rid of the lump rising in his throat and avoiding Blair's glittering eyes.

"Sorry?! For what? Making me worry?" Blair took a breath and said the next more quietly, as if he were afraid of being overheard: "Or kissing me?"

Daniel dragged his gaze from his shoes and looked into Blair's eyes. So beautiful. He set his face in a blank expression, clenched his fists, and took a quick breath.

"Both," he said with a surprisingly firm voice.

"Fine," said Blair, his gaze piercing right through Daniel's soul. "It never happened."

He turned and walked to his room, fully aware that Daniel was staring after him. Let him look. Let him see what he would never get. He held his head high, but his heart felt broken into a million pieces. He wasn't in love with Daniel, but he didn't want to be treated like something to use when Daniel got drunk. He'd thought Daniel respected him more than that.

Daniel blinked several times to clear his vision. Finally, his feet obeyed him and he made his way to his room. He peeled off his wet clothes, trembling in the cold room. He'd have a hot shower, and he'd feel better, at least a bit. Sniffling, he wrapped his dressing gown around his body and went to the bathroom, dropping his gown on the floor before turning the water on nice and hot.

The bathroom was still warm from Blair's shower, and Daniel had to wipe the mirror clear of fog. He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheekbones looked sunken in. The harsh lighting wasn't helping, and Daniel guessed that school and his job had also had a hand in his appearance. Then he remembered Blair's angry face. Maybe not.

Blair closed his door and tossed his towel on the floor, falling dejectedly onto his bed. He drew his knees up and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to wipe away the last couple of days. It had seemed like such a good idea to move in together. Now his best friend was acting so strangely, and then the *kiss*. Why couldn't he just come out and ask Daniel how he felt? But he'd said he was sorry for kissing him.

Daniel stepped under the stream of water, glad to be warm. He tilted his head back and wet his hair, running his fingers through it to make sure it was wet all over. The water ran down his body, almost caressing him. The heat relaxed him, and he dropped his arms and just let the water run down his skin. It felt good.

Turning onto his side, Blair stared at the wall. There must be something he could do to smooth things over. He didn't want to loose Daniel as a friend, and he hated arguing with people. He pulled the blankets over his still naked body and curled up into a ball. If only he hadn't run out. Maybe he could have done something else, like make love to Daniel.

But that was out of the question. Daniel had been drunk, and so had he. They would have regretted today if they'd followed through on that kiss. Blair felt himself getting aroused anyway. He remembered the feel of Daniel's arms around him, and the unmistakable feel of Daniel's erection as he'd landed on his friend's lap. His hand went to his own quickly hardening member.

The water was running all over Daniel's body. He closed his eyes and just concentrated on how the water felt as it ran over his skin. It ran down his shaft, exciting him. He shouldn't be thinking this, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He thought of Blair's passionate eyes as his friend yelled at him and strangely, he became even more aroused. Blair had such a passionate soul. He licked his lips and touched himself, taking his hardness in his hand and he began to stroke gently.

Angrily, Blair began to masturbate, thinking of Daniel. That man had been completely out of line. He should have never kissed him. Daniel shouldn't have agreed to move in without telling him about his attraction. Blair grew angrier and angrier, and yet he was more and more turned on. His fury spurred him on and he squeezed harder, rolling onto his back so he could stroke faster. Damn him!

His guilt overwhelming him but being unable and unwilling to stop, Daniel kept stroking himself. He put his free hand on the wall of the shower to steady himself and he pictured Blair's angry face. Blair was so beautiful when he was angry. If only he would pin Daniel down and ravage him passionately. Daniel's breath started coming in little gasps as he spurred himself on, running through his fantasies.

Blair felt flushed as he pumped his arm, drawing pleasure from himself while at the same time hating Daniel. He imagined throwing Daniel to the ground, stripping him, tying him up, and fucking his helpless ass. He was sure Daniel was a "top." That would be perfect revenge. Even so, if it ended up going the other way, he wouldn't complain. His balls drew up, preparing for his release.

He was going to scream. Daniel bit his lower lip as he tried to keep from crying out. Seeing Blair naked had been a very bad thing since he was trying to get over this. But he still wanted the man. So badly. He wanted to slam into that slender body, and he wanted Blair to do the same to him. His hand moved swiftly over his shaft and his breath came in such quick gasps. Oh Blair! Why did you have to be the way you are?

Two bodies released, spurting ejaculate onto sheets and shower walls. Two bodies gulped for air, holding themselves as they gently milked the last of their orgasms from their guilty and angry selves. Two pairs of eyes squeezed shut, and two tears welled out.

The next day, and indeed, from then on, the incident was relegated to a taboo subject. They both did their best to forget it, but nearly every night would be spent dreaming together. In class, they joked and chatted as usual, but the apartment was eerily quiet. At least they could study in peace, if they could get their minds to focus. After a few months, it was easier for them to stop pretending and they were actually able to forget the incident for weeks at a time.

March 26, 1990

The winter was over and the leaves of the trees were a bright, new green. Daniel woke up every morning to birds chirping outside and the gentle rays of the rising sun streaming through the thin curtains over his window. He kept his window open these days, and as he hit his alarm clock to stop its incessant ringing, he took a deep breath of the sweet morning air. It was going to be a beautiful day.

Climbing out of his warm bed, Daniel quickly dressed and ran a comb through his hair, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned one last time. He scratched his stomach as he went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. With a morning this lovely, he should make a breakfast to match. Besides, his first class wasn't until ten.

Blair woke up to the sound and smell of sizzling bacon. He grinned and looked at his clock through one half-open eye. It wasn't even seven thirty! He'd never understand why Daniel was such an early riser. Bacon was too good to pass up though, even on Monday morning, so he climbed out of his cocoon, not even bothering to straighten the covers. He'd just make it messy again tonight. Unwilling to get dressed just yet, he pulled on his robe and walked barefoot to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of his sleep-tousled hair in the mirror on the way.

"Cold floor!" he gasped as he stepped onto the tiles.

"Morning," Daniel said, smiling as he turned to greet Blair.

"Hi. Smells great," Blair said as he made it to a stool and sat down, resting his feet on the bottom rung.

"Works better than any alarm clock for you," said Daniel as he flipped an egg.

The toaster dinged and two pieces of toast popped up. Blair took them out and buttered them, putting in two more pieces as replacements. Next, he went to the fridge for the orange juice and to the cupboard for two glasses. Mincing his steps because of the cold tiles, he sat down again and poured them both a glass. The bacon and eggs were finished so Daniel served them onto the plates he'd put out earlier. Passing one to Blair, he went to the fridge himself.

"You know," began Blair, "this breakfast would be perfect if we just had-"

"Kiwis and strawberries," said Daniel, interrupting as he pulled them out of the bottom drawer of the fridge.

"Daniel, you're a genius," exclaimed Blair. "When did you get those?"

"Yesterday. I knew you'd eat them if I got them with the regular groceries."

Rolling his eyes, Blair took a kiwi and some strawberries and dug into his breakfast with gusto. Daniel chuckled and followed suite.

"Take one, pass the rest on," said the Professor Jameson as soon as they entered the lecture room.

He handed them a pile of papers and Daniel and Blair took a paper each, hoping it wasn't another assignment. The new professor was nice, but he really liked to pile on the work. The papers were passed around the classroom and slowly the noise level increased.

"Stonehenge!" yelped Blair as he turned his sheet over.

Daniel quickly looked at his sheet. They were studying the aborigines of Australia, so why was the Mr. Jameson giving them something about Stonehenge? At the bottom of the sheet was a price. It wasn't an assignment; it was a class trip!

"All right!" yelled Daniel. He'd loved Stonehenge the first time he'd been there, and he was sure it would be just as good the second time.

"Settle down, people!" roared Mr. Jameson as the noise level in the classroom reached a crescendo. Glaring at the worst offenders, he pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. "This is something I thought we might like to do. There isn't enough room for everyone, of course," he paused as sounds of protest
came from his audience, "so it's first come, first served. If you do decide to come, you'll be given an assignment to complete. Your grade will be marked as if you're getting an extra test." He frowned as the protests rose, and then eventually the class was silent again. "If you're interested, I'll need the first cheque in two weeks. The first fifty people will get in."

"Do you think we can spare the money for the trip?" Blair asked Daniel; not bothering to whisper as the classroom had erupted into chatter again.

"I can get it from my student loan. I didn't need to get those books this semester, so I've got some extra," answered Daniel.

"All right, I'll dig some up from somewhere," said Blair, wrinkling his nose.

"Probably from our food budget!" Daniel said, laughing.

As it turned out, Blair's mother was more that willing to help pay for the trip. She even paid for part of Daniel's fee. She said it would be "a good learning experience" and warned them about the strong British beer. The summer couldn't come quickly enough for Daniel and Blair. Between the end of the year crunch at school and trying to make enough money to pay for the trip, the two friends barely had time to sleep. Blair missed his stop on the bus several times because he'd fallen asleep. Weekends were spent cloistered indoors, either studying, sleeping, or at work. The Friday before the end of the year exams, Daniel and Blair decided to get out and party, so they wouldn't be so
stressed over the next week.

"Jay!" shouted Blair, waving as they entered The Mad Cow, the campus bar.

"Blair! I thought you were dead!" shouted Jay over the loud music, smiling as he greeted his friend. "Hey Danny-boy, how's it going?"

"Not bad, considering," answered Daniel, wrinkling his nose at the use of his nickname.

"Yeah, I sympathize," said Jay, grinning mischievously. "I'm even dreaming about radiocarbon dating."

They sat and chatted, and slowly more of their friends showed up. Pitcher after pitcher of beer was served, and the conversation got louder and louder. They watched the hockey game that was on, and they cheered and jeered along with the rest of their schoolmates. It *was* the playoffs, after all! It was a very good stress reliever. They smelled of sweat, beer, and cigarettes, but they didn't care. It felt so good to stop worrying.

It was well after midnight when they decided to head home. Their apartment was close enough from campus to walk, and it was such a nice night. The insects were chirping and buzzing, and a cool breeze was just strong enough to make goose bumps rise along their arms. The smell of lilac teased their nostrils and the two friends walked slowly, enjoying the night air.

"I'm really glad I'm going to get to travel again," said Blair, breaking the silence.

"You'll like Stonehenge," said Daniel. "There's a certain feel you get when you're around an ancient monument that's just incredible."

Blair nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Shit," whispered Blair after a while.

"What?" asked Daniel, suddenly wary.

"We're being followed," said Blair with a shudder. It was that football player again. He just knew it. He'd seen the giant man watching him on campus.

"What?!" exclaimed Daniel, forgetting to whisper.

"Quiet!" hissed Blair. "Keep walking. We're almost home."

They walked faster, but the footsteps still drew nearer. They were only a block away from the apartment when a figure launched at them through the hedge they were walking beside. It *was* the football player! He knocked Daniel over like a rag doll and grabbed for Blair. From the ground, Daniel saw the flash of metal and then red on Blair's cheek. He heard his friend's cry of pain and he jumped up to attack the man.

"Hey pretty boy," taunted the man, waving his bloodied knife under Blair's nose. His breath reeked of liquor.

"Stay the hell away from me," growled Blair, and he got a fist in his stomach for his bravery.

Daniel grabbed a branch that was lying on the ground. It wasn't thick, but it would hurt. He smacked the man across his bent back as hard as he could, finding a horrible pleasure in the swishing sound the stick made and the slap as it contacted. The man straightened up and howled with pain, so Daniel hunched over and rushed him, hitting his shoulder into the man's stomach. The two grunted as they slammed into the ground. A hand appeared in front of Daniel's face and he nearly hit it away before realizing it was Blair's.

"Let's go!" Blair shouted as he pulled Daniel to his feet.

The football player had hit his head on the sidewalk and was out cold. He might have a concussion, but Daniel couldn't feel sorry for him. The man was grimacing, but breathing steadily, so Daniel and Blair left him where he'd fallen. If someone came along, they could do what they liked with him.

"Let me see that cut," Daniel said as they entered their apartment.

"It's just a scratch. It doesn't hurt," answered Blair, waving a hand.

They were both still high on adrenaline, breathing heavily from quick dash they'd made for home. Daniel's shoulder and knee were sore from when he'd fallen, and he could see the blood slowly welling out of Blair's sliced cheek. He shook his head and dragged Blair to the bathroom, flicking on the light and turning his friend's face to the mirror, letting him see the wound for himself.

"It doesn't hurt because you're on an adrenaline rush," insisted Daniel, hating to see his friend hurt.

"Oh, I didn't think it was that bad," said Blair, looking noticeably paler.

Daniel helped Blair to clean the cut even though he knew Blair could handle it himself. With any luck, it wouldn't scar. It would only need a bandage for the first couple of days, so by Monday, he ought to be all right.

"Now you're going to tell me about that guy," said Daniel as they finished up.

Blair's expression clouded and he frowned. He'd have to bring up *that* day again. His heart sped up again. This wouldn't be fun, but Daniel really did deserve to know.

"He's been watching me around campus," he began as they sat down in the living room.

"Has he threatened you before?" asked Daniel bluntly.

"Yes," Blair answered, avoiding Daniel's eyes. "The night we moved in here."

"What?" Daniel asked, not remembering. Then, his eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth pulled down. "Oh, that. After you left?" he tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, and mostly succeeded.

"Yeah, I nearly walked right into him."

"Then what?"

"Daniel," Blair said, his eyes pleading, "I really don't want to go into it."

"We just got attacked by a drunk with a knife! You got cut! And you don't want to tell me? Blair, I *need* to know what happened!" exclaimed Daniel.

Blair turned bright red and looked away. He tilted his head back and took a breath before speaking. His Adam's Apple bobbed as he gulped and Daniel's eyes followed its movement involuntarily.

"I think he was going to rape me," Blair said, so quietly Daniel almost missed it.

"What?!" This couldn't be right. It was a nightmare. He'd scared Blair out of the apartment and into the waiting arms of a rapist psychopath! "Oh my god, Blair, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too," said Blair, standing up. "Goodnight."

Daniel stared after Blair, completely stunned. Why hadn't he ever said anything about that football player? Was it just because it had happened on *that* night? Daniel felt awful. He'd nearly gotten his friend hurt very, very badly. Poor Blair, that entire night must have been miserable for him. The worst part was, Daniel's feelings hadn't gone anywhere in these last few months. In fact, they'd gotten stronger.

Standing and rolling his sore shoulder, Daniel went to his bedroom to sleep. He lay awake for a long time, though, but managed to sleep eventually. His dreams were quite disturbing. At one point, he dreamed of raping Blair and woke up screaming. He was horrified to find ejaculate all over himself.

June 15, 1990

Knowing you were going to England right after your last exam was very bad for concentration, as Blair found out. He hoped he hadn't done too badly, but since he knew the subject, he wasn't very worried. Besides, why worry when you were about to leave the country? Flutters travelled through Blair's stomach and up his spine and he took a deep breath as he grinned to himself.

If he hurried, he'd have time for dinner before he had to be back to catch the bus to the airport. Mr. Jameson had ordered a coach to take the fifty lucky students right to the airport, and Blair guessed they'd be travelling in a similar bus when they got to London. This was so exciting! And it would be a relief to get away from campus and that football player for two weeks.

Daniel was trying to pack his backpack when Blair walked in the door. The younger man looked through Daniel's open bedroom door and laughed.

"You're not ready yet? We'll leave without you, ya know," he said with a laugh, pulling off his sunglasses and walking to Daniel's room, leaning against the doorframe.

"Shut up and help me with this," said Daniel, making a face at his friend.

Daniel had the backpack on the floor and was trying to close it, pushing down the clothes with one hand while trying to zip it shut with the other. Blair laughed and took the zipper, closing it as Daniel pushed his stuff into the bag as hard as he could. They finally got it closed and Daniel sat back on his heels with a sigh.

"Thanks," he said, smiling. "So, how did your exam go?"

"All right, I guess. It's too late to worry about it now, isn't it?" Blair answered.

Daniel nodded and stood up, stretching with his arms over his head. He dropped his hands and rubbed his sore shoulder absently. It was much better now, but it was still a little bruised.

"I just wish I could take it all with me," he said, gesturing to the clutter piled around the small room. "I always worry that I'm forgetting something."

"Come on Daniel!" said Blair, taking the backpack in one hand and putting his arm over Daniel's shoulders as he led them out of the room. "Live a little! If you forget something, you can borrow mine."

"Thanks," Daniel said, half-smiling.

June 19, 1990

The bus bounced along the narrow road. Even though the seats were thick, Daniel felt every bump. He sneezed again and glowered at Blair, who was trying not to laugh. This wasn't fair. At least Blair was enjoying the flowers, trees, and grass, all in full bloom. A cheer started at the front of the bus and everyone sat up, straining to get a glimpse of their destination. Sure enough, the rolling hillsides were giving way and a stone structure could be seen in the distance. Blair let out a whoop and stood up, cheering loudly.

"This is so cool!" Blair yelled over the babble in the bus, sitting back down and rubbing his hands together with glee.

When they got out of the bus, a lady greeted them. She introduced herself as their tour guide and made sure to get a head check before she let them in. The tour was boring, since every student there obviously knew more about Stonehenge than she did, so they just ignored her and looked around on their own. Mr. Jameson had arranged for the class to get Stonehenge to themselves for an hour, and they were even allowed to walk amongst the stones! The first things Daniel wanted to try to find were the Aubrey holes.

"I completely missed them last time. It was so busy that you could barely move," he said as he and Blair walked to the outermost circle of the site.

"Well I hate to break it to you Daniel, but they're really not that exciting," said Blair as they found one of the holes: a small depression in the ground.

"Not now, but I want to know what they were used for," said Daniel. "Were they just plain holes in the ground? Did they mark a special place? They must have a purpose."

"Like the Heel Stone?" asked Blair rhetorically.

Daniel made a sound of agreement as he continued to look around. Blair was much more interested in the actual stones themselves, rather than the earth surrounding them. Daniel looked at Blair, who was gazing back at the stones, and he smiled. A cool breeze passed by, tousling their hair and Blair breathed in the sweet air appreciatively. The countryside was truly beautiful. Daniel looked away quickly, worried that he'd reveal himself if Blair looked at him right now.

"Let's go to the Slaughter Stone," suggested Daniel.

"Good!" exclaimed Blair, eager to get moving.

The sunken stone as quite long and nearly buried in the ground. Over the years, it had sunk deeper and deeper and now the top was the only part that showed. When it rained, the high iron content of the rock turned the stone an eerie blood red. Blair glanced around, looking for the tour guide. She was nowhere in sight. He grinned and stepped onto the Slaughter Stone, lying down in the middle.

"So, how are you going to sacrifice me, Daniel?" Blair said, putting his hands behind his head as a cushion and crossing his legs at the ankles.

Daniel's breath caught in his throat. He wondered briefly if there was any way at all to get everyone to leave Stonehenge long enough for him to strip Blair and fuck him, right there on the Slaughter Stone.

"Blair!" Daniel hissed fiercely, looking around in case someone would catch them.

"What?" asked Blair innocently. "Oh, fine. I'll get up."

He stood and brushed himself off. They looked around the inner circle of stones next, and gave special attention to the Altar Stone. Walking in circles, they worked their way to the outside, examining everything thoroughly. What kind of people did what sort of activities here? Was it the Druids? Daniel and Blair had so many questions that they knew would probably never get a definite answer, like so many things in archaeology and anthropology.

"You were right, I love this place Daniel," said Blair as they made the last circle.

He rested his back on one of the giant stones, crossed his arms, brought his foot up and set is against the stone behind him. Daniel leaned against the stone too, his shoulder supporting him.

"It really is spectacular," said Daniel not looking at the stones.

The tour guide called the group back together. Their time was over, and it was time for lunch. Everyone trooped back onto the bus and soon they were in the nearby village of Amesbury having fish and chips in a pub. Daniel was glad his allergies had decided to give him a break, and he enjoyed himself thoroughly. The students visited Woodhenge next, then the Avebury Standing Stones.

After a night in a quaint little inn, the group was off to Bath. They arrived at the famous Roman Baths in the middle of the morning and got the guided tour before lunch. Once everyone had eaten, they were free to wander around the complex on their own. Dinner was at a fairly fancy restaurant, and all the students felt out of place because none of them had thought to bring anything other than jeans and T-shirts to wear. The city was full of wonderful, ancient buildings and a million side streets to wander. It was very late when Daniel and Blair snuck back to their hotel room. They encountered several other classmates doing the same, and everyone tried to be very quiet, not wanting to wake up everyone in the hotel. Of course, they were completely unsuccessful and ended up waking the entire floor.

The next morning, the group gathered together in the hotel lobby and discussed what they'd like to do. Some people wanted to explore Bath further, and Blair and Daniel looked guiltily at each other. They hadn't seen everything last night, but they were eager to explore new territory. Enough people wanted to do something different that Mr. Jameson decided to forget about the plans he'd made, and said that everyone could do what they liked today, as long as they were back in time to get the bus to the next city tomorrow. Cheers rang out from the students, making the lady behind the front desk shush them forcefully.

There were pamphlets in the lobby, describing the sights to be seen around the city and surrounding area. Blair took the one for Stonehenge as a souvenir. Hidden behind it was one for Farleigh Hungerford Castle, which was very close by. They hopped on a bus and were soon approaching the ruined castle, surrounded by more of Britain's lovely countryside.

The castle was incredible. They spent hours just roaming the hallways back and forth, memorizing the layout. Daniel had to keep bringing his mind back to the present because with each new room and corridor, he pictured himself making love to Blair - against the wall, bent over the ledge, in what had been the master bedroom, or on the balcony for all the world to see! This was ridiculous. He couldn't concentrate.

"Daniel?" asked Blair.

"What?" he answered.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly at his friend.

"That's ok, it's past time for dinner, and we've got to get back," said Blair.

Daniel looked at his watch. Eight in the evening. The castle had closed two hours ago!

"Shit! We're so late!" he yelled, grabbing Blair and dragging him to the front gate.

It was locked, and the guard was no where in sight. They yelled for a few minutes, but no one appeared. Sighing, they climbed the chain-link fence. Taking one last look at the castle, they began the mile-long walk to the bus stop. It should only take them twenty or thirty minutes. They shouldered their backpacks determinedly.

"I'm so hungry," moaned Blair as they finally caught sight of the stop.

"Don't talk about it, you're making me hungry too," grumbled Daniel.

"I'm tired as well!" said Blair with a chuckle.

Daniel looked at his watch and then checked the schedule posted at the bus stop.

"Oh no," he moaned.

"What? Don't tell me we'll have to wait a whole hour for the bus!" asked Blair, moving to look at the schedule as well.

"No, the last bus left at seven," said Daniel, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

"We could always walk," suggested Blair, eager for adventure.

"Blair, it's ten miles back to Bath! I'm all for exercise, but ten miles is a lot!"

"We could hitchhike," Blair answered.

"We could," agreed Daniel, "but it's really dangerous."

"Hey, we can look out for each other," said Blair, grinning encouragingly. "Live a little!"

"Oh, shut up," Daniel said, grinning and pushing his friend. "Let's start walking."

They walked for quite a way before even one car showed up going toward Bath. There were virtually no cars on the road at all. The car didn't stop for them, although they stuck their thumbs out like they were supposed to. The lady in the car didn't even look at them as she drove by.

"Well, she was on her own, so it's understandable that she's cautious," Blair grumbled to make himself feel better.

They stuck their thumbs out for the next car, and the one after that, but none of them even slowed down. They'd been walking for a couple of hours by now, and it was dark. There were no streetlights along the highway, and it was getting cool. It was a good thing they'd brought their knapsacks with them, so they could add more layers as was necessary. After the tenth car, they started to wonder if there was a different way to hitch a ride in England than there was in America.

"How much further is it?" said Blair as he looked at his watch. Ten o'clock.

"I have no idea," said Daniel, waving the castle's pamphlet. "Useless thing."

The map on the pamphlet was absolutely no help at all. It only showed major roads, and then most of those weren't marked. It was difficult to read under the light of a quarter moon, but at least the sky was clear and they could see where they were going. The forest was dark and it was making Blair jumpy.

"I don't understand," said Daniel when it was nearing midnight. "We should have crossed that other highway by now."

"Please don't tell me we're lost!" said Blair. "I'm hungry and tired and I really, really want to sleep in a bed tonight!"

"If we're lost, the best thing is to stay put," Daniel said, speaking from an awful experience.

"We can't sleep out in the open, or on the side of the road."

"I know that, we'll have to find a place to set up camp."

"Camp? We don't have food, or a tent, and you're the only one with a sleeping bag!"

"Now, aren't you glad I brought it?"

"Not really. You'll get to wake up nice and warm and dry, and I'll have to sleep on the cold, wet ground, and wake up covered with dew."

They'd started walking back into the forest, looking for a place to set up camp. They had to walk carefully because of the uneven ground, and they hoped fervently that they wouldn't get arrested for trespassing, or something equally stupid.

"Actually, I was going to spread it out so we could share," said Daniel quietly.

"Oh, well thanks," said Blair, feeling awkward.

Daniel kicked himself mentally. He'd seen the expression on Blair's face. He shouldn't have suggested they sleep next to each other. He should have given Blair his sleeping bag. But a part of him wanted to see Blair squirm, and he knew he'd enjoy sleeping so close to the younger man.

"Hey wow," said Blair as they stumbled into a low, crumbling wall.

Looking around the clearing, they could make out what looked like the foundation of a house. A very old house. It might even be Roman! Walking further into the clearing, Daniel and Blair were awe-struck by their discovery. It wasn't spectacular, but it looked like no one had been here for a long, long time.

"This looks like a good place for us to camp, too," said Daniel, putting down his backpack.

"All right," said Blair, his voice reverent.

Daniel found a dusty, dry spot and cleared it of large pebbles and rocks. He unstrapped his sleeping bag from his backpack, unrolled and unzipped it, and spread it out. Blair gulped nervously. Then he remembered that Daniel was perfectly sober, and so was he. Nothing would happen.

"I'll be back in a second," mumbled Daniel, and he headed off into the bushes.

Blair realised he needed to do the same. His stomach growled as he waited for Daniel to come back, then he took a moment to visit with mother nature as well. If only they'd thought to bring food with them! But they'd assumed that they'd be back around dinnertime. Instead, they'd lost track of time, and now they were lost in the middle of nowhere.

Daniel took out an extra sweater from his backpack. It would probably get a little chilly overnight, but it shouldn't get really cold. Taking off his glasses and putting them in the front pocket on his knapsack, he rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. He left his shoes on, to keep his toes warm, and he lay on his back, staring through the open circle of trees to look at the starry night sky. The constellations twinkled down at him and he named them in his mind, then started with the names other cultures had given them.

Blair had come out from the forest and had lain down next to him. Daniel concentrated on naming the stars, to keep his mind off Blair's shivering body. He must be cold. He was only wearing shorts, after all.

"Why don't you change into something warmer?" asked Daniel.

"I c-c-could," said Blair through chattering teeth, making Daniel chuckle.

Daniel watched out of the corner of his eye as Blair stood up and unbuckled his belt. He held his breath as the shorts were unzipped and slipped off, exposing his muscular thighs. Blair's shirt came down just enough to cover the top of his ass, but Daniel could see the rounded bottom and the bulge in the front of his briefs. Unfortunately, Blair covered it up quickly, his skin rising in goose bumps from the cool air. He also threw on his University logo sweater, then he lay down again, shoulder touching Daniel's on the narrow blanket.

"Well this is cozy," said Daniel after a while.

"Very," answered Blair.

They were silent again, and Blair glanced over at Daniel. The moonlight shone gently on his smooth skin and glimmered in his hair. Daniel's angular profile was outlined against the dark forest that surrounded them and Blair's eyes fell on his lips as he remembered the kiss that had nearly destroyed their friendship. He wanted to kiss those lips again. Blair looked quickly away, worried that Daniel would feel his stare.

Daniel opened his eyes again and tried to relax. He could do this. He could get through the night without touching Blair. Glancing at his now sleeping friend, he drank in the sight of Blair, bathed in moonlight. His heart fluttered and his breathing quickened. He could do this. He had to. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Waking up with a start, Daniel realised he could barely move. His left side was being pinned down. It was still dark, and he had no idea what time it was. Looking down, he saw that it was Blair, holding onto him for warmth. It was cooler than he'd expected it to be. Blair trembled and Daniel's heart twisted. He put his arms around his friend, pulling the edges of the sleeping bag over them as best he could. He kissed Blair's face gently and went back to sleep.

The next day a farmer pointed them in the right direction. When they got back at noon, they received a sound rebuke from Mr. Jameson about not telling anyone where they'd been. If they'd at least told someone where they were going, the police might have known where to look. As it was, they hadn't been gone twenty-four hours, so they weren't officially missing.

"You two need a leash," grumbled the professor when he'd finished yelling at them.

Daniel and Blair tried to hide their grins, then they made a beeline for the restaurant. They were absolutely famished! They devoured everything on their plates, then ordered seconds and even thirds. After their hunger was sated, they sat back in their chairs and sighed, rubbing sore muscles.

"I'm going to have a shower," said Daniel, standing up.

"Good idea," sighed Blair.

"GHAA!" yelled Daniel when he finally had his turn in the shower. "Blair! Why is the water freezing cold?!"

"Sorry Daniel," Blair called through the bathroom door. Oops. He should have run warm water afterwards.

Daniel was quick, but he was still surprised when he stepped out of the bathroom to find Blair lounging on his bed, still only covered with his towel. The dark hair on his chest glistened damply and Daniel tried to not peek under the towel.

"Uh, Blair, why aren't you dressed yet?" asked Daniel uncertainly.

"You know what I've just remembered?" asked Blair, not answering Daniel's question.

"What?"

Blair smiled mischievously and sat up, not holding the towel down. It slipped and exposed the top of his pubic hairs. His legs separated further, widening the intriguing shadow underneath the towel.

"Cold showers actually increase sexual desire," Blair said as he stepped off the bed, letting his towel fall off completely.

Daniel's jaw dropped and he looked at Blair, naked and walking toward him across the small room. His glance darted down and he saw that Blair was obviously very aroused. He backed up and had to stop when he reached the wall. Blair had had a cold shower on purpose? Why?

He never got to ask. Blair pushed him against the wall with his body and covered Daniel's mouth with his own. Daniel moaned both protest and pleasure. What on earth was Blair doing? Blair's lips were merciless, seeming to consume him as they explored Daniel's mouth. Daniel still held onto his towel with one hand, but he let the other arm go around Blair's waist, pulling him in closer.

Encouraged, Blair reached up and grabbed a handful of Daniel's wet hair. Gently, he pulled, tilting Daniel's head back as he kissed his way to Daniel's throat. His lips felt the vibrations against Daniel's windpipe as his friend moaned again then shivered as Blair nibbled his Adam's Apple. Blair pulled harder and stopped kissing. Instead, he inhaled Daniel's scent, the musk making him even harder. With tiny kisses, he made his way to Daniel's ear.

"It's true then," he murmured.

"What's true?" whispered Daniel.

"You *do* want me," answered Blair, licking his friend's earlobe. "I saw you watch me undress. I felt you kiss me last night. And a million other little things too, Daniel. You want me."

Daniel's only response was a whimper. He let go of his towel, which stayed up because Blair's body was holding it in place, and he wrapped his other arm around Blair's broad back. The smaller man shifted and the towel fell, letting hard skin press together. They both gasped as their erections touched, sending tendrils of pleasure through their bodies. Daniel seemed to freeze, so Blair ground their hips together, pushing them against the wall even harder than before.

"Why? When did you... " Daniel managed to gasp as Blair's mouth left trails of kisses along his bare shoulders.

"You ask too many questions," growled Blair.

"Point taken," whispered Daniel, and he pushed Blair back onto the bed.

Crawling on top of his surprised friend, Daniel made his way slowly up Blair's tense body. He exhaled along his friend's damp skin, not touching anything, teasing. When he was over Blair's chest, face to face, he finally looked into Blair's beautiful eyes. They were dark with need; pupils dilated hugely, the bright blue rims seeming to shine with an inner light. Daniel licked his lips and he looked down at Blair's full, luscious mouth.

"Damn you Daniel," Blair whispered. "You make me wait seven months and now you're making me wait even longer."

"You... ?" Daniel's eyes grew wide with confusion. "Oh shit," he breathed, realising what Blair was telling him.

Blair grinned and pulled Daniel's face to his. He kissed him tenderly, aware that Daniel was still absorbing this information. The kiss seemed to shake Daniel out of his confusion, and he responded eagerly, deepening the kiss and running his hands over Blair's skin. He licked his friend's lips and Blair's mouth opened, letting Daniel explore it with his tongue. Their bodies moved together and electric blue eyes met, encouraging the other.

They spurred each other on, taking delight in discovering what made the other gasp with pleasure. The tangle of bodies grew tighter and tighter as mutual need played itself out, the tentative touches of new lovers getting more and more confident. Their erections rubbed together but neither touched them, content to take it relatively slowly. Daniel ran his hands through Blair's dark, curled hair and smiled, feeling so incredibly free.

Rolling them onto their sides, Daniel's hand went to Blair's butt, running over the roundness lightly and gently raking Blair's hip with his finger nails. Blair moaned, the sound muffled against Daniel's shoulder as he kissed it. He wanted to grab Daniel's shaft, but he somehow sensed that Daniel was baiting him, seeing how long he could last without that intimate contact. Daniel was such a tease!

If Daniel wanted to tease, then Daniel would get teased right back then. Growling, Blair rolled on top, pushing his friend down into the bed and holding his shoulders down. With quick kisses, Blair soon had Daniel moaning quietly and clinging to him. Blair grinned and moved down to kneel between Daniel's legs. His friend opened his legs obediently, making room for Blair and then looked at him expectantly through his long, dark lashes. His face was flushed and his lips were swollen from the kisses. Blair's stomach fluttered at the sight, and he put his hand gently on Daniel's groin.

The reaction was immediate. Daniel arched up into Blair's hand and he shuddered, making Blair's erection jump in response. He curled his fingers around the hard shaft and started to very slowly jerk Daniel off. As soon as Daniel moved his hips, Blair stopped, then started again when Daniel stopped moving. Daniel started to whimper after a while, but Blair was merciless in his slow movements. Nothing would convince him to release Daniel from this spell.

"Blair, please," hissed Daniel, trying to gain some relief from his "torture."

"Please what?" asked Blair innocently.

"I don't know... " moaned Daniel. "Speed up... anything... You'll kill me!"

"We can't have that," murmured Blair, squeezing just a bit harder.

"Don't!" Daniel gasped, clutching at the sheets on the bed, then he cried out as he felt Blair's lips on the tip of his penis. "Yesss... " he whispered fiercely as ever so slowly, he was engulfed in his lover's hot mouth.

Blair had never done this before. All he knew was how good it felt when he had this done to him. The taste of another man's semen excited him and he savoured the tiny amount of precum on Daniel's tip. A circumcised penis was also a novelty to Blair and he examined it closely before swallowing it again. He played with Daniel's balls and ran his fingers through the tightly curled pubic hair as he languidly pleasured his friend.

"Blair, get your ass over here," growled Daniel.

His lover's tone of voice sent thrills down Blair's spine. He started to crawl up next to Daniel, but his friend stopped him and pointed at his erection.

"Just that," Daniel said, grinning. "*You* can stay down *there*." He grabbed Blair and turned him roughly around.

Blair grinned as he fell sideways onto the bed. The two new lovers turned toward each other and gazed down between their bodies to lock eyes for a moment. Blair nuzzled Daniel's stiff groin, holding his friend around the hips to pull him closer. Daniel examined his lover's cock, exploring with his long fingers and his mouth. He'd only ever seen a circumcised penis once before, when he'd been involved with another man. It still fascinated him.

Blair had no idea what to do with a cock. Well, he had some idea, but he'd never done it before! What were you supposed to do with a foreskin? Time to find out. The tip was poking out and Blair licked the precum off of it, swirling his tongue over the silky skin. The smell of soap filled his nostrils and he inhaled deeply, smelling Daniel's scent through the odour of the soap. Blair pushed his hips forward, impatient to receive what he was giving so eagerly. Taking the hint, Daniel grabbed the rock-hard shaft in his hand and took his lover into his mouth, fitting as much as he could into his mouth all at once.

Blair bucked against him, sucking harder. Daniel's tongue ran over the tip, making his lover tremble. He grew more excited, making his foreskin pull tighter and reveal more of the tip. Using his thumb and forefinger, Blair pulled the skin back, exposing the head completely. He pushed it into his mouth, scraping it with his teeth, and was rewarded by Daniel's cry of pleasure. Then he sucked it in all the way; keeping the foreskin back as best he could, and nearly fit the whole shaft down his throat.

"Blair, Blair, you're gonna make me cum!" gasped Daniel, lost in the pleasure of the moment.

The younger man pushed his hips forward, reminding Daniel that he still had a job to do. They were soon working in unison, building themselves toward a release that had a long time coming. With a muffled shout, Blair came first, sucking desperately on his lover as his body trembled with the force of the orgasm. His fingers dug into Daniel's flesh, sure to leave marks as he pulled him as close as he could.

Daniel felt Blair stiffen and prepared himself, taking a breath so he could swallow without choking. When his lover was finished, he lay back and let him continue to suck while Daniel ran his fingers slowly over Blair's lower half. Did Blair know what to expect? He should warn him.

"Blair, I'm gonna cum," Daniel said between gasps.

"Good," murmured his friend.

"I don't want you to choke," he said, feeling the beginnings of orgasm. "You don't have to..."

The rest of his sentence was cut off as he came. Blair made a surprised grunt, as he tasted the tangy fluid pouring into his throat. It was very sticky and there was a lot of it. He had to take several breaths through his nose before he could swallow it all, blinking tears from his eyes. He had choked, just a little. He licked the last of the sticky stuff off his friend, then lay back, gasping.

"That was so..." he began.

"Different from doing it with a woman?" asked Daniel.

"Yeah," murmured Blair, smiling. "I liked it."

"Good!" exclaimed Daniel.

"We can do it again then," Blair said as he crawled up next to Daniel and snuggled next to him, nuzzling his neck.

"Mr Jackson! Mr Sandburg!" shouted Mr Jameson through the hotel room door. "You've had more than enough time to recover from your ordeal. The rest of the class has been kept waiting long enough! Get out here now, or we'll go without you!"

"We could stay here forever," whispered Daniel into his lover's hair.

"We haven't paid for tonight! We can't stay," chuckled Blair, getting up. "We're coming Mr Jameson! We'll be down in a minute!"

July 1, 1990

"I'm so jet-lagged," moaned Daniel as he shuffled out of his room, sneezing again.

"You'll get over it," said Blair, sounding far too chipper for Daniel's liking. "How on earth did you travel the world with those allergies?"

"I suffered," Daniel said with a sniff.

"Is there anything I can do to ease your suffering?" asked Blair, approaching Daniel to wrap comforting arms around him.

"This helps," he sighed, leaning into his lover and gently stroking his hair.

"I hope you get better soon, I've got plans for you," said Blair mischievously.

"Really? Do they involve whatever it is that you bought in London?" Daniel asked, starting to kiss Blair's neck and ear.

"Perhaps," answered Blair enigmatically.

The Fourth of July celebrations were sure to be very loud this year. Blair and Daniel were going to a friend's place out in the country for a cookout. Apparently it was their parent's cottage, but it wasn't too far from a medium-sized town where there were sure to be fireworks! It just wasn't the Fourth of July without fireworks and barbeque. Blair had heard that at least fifty people were going to be there, and there was sure to be beer flowing freely.

"You're not bringing that, are you?" demanded Daniel when he saw Blair take the tongue out of the fridge.

"Why not? You don't have to eat any," he said innocently.

"I don't think Dave will let you use his barbeque to cook it," Daniel said as he wrinkled his nose and sniffed.

"Then I'll cook it the old-fashioned way, if I have to," said Blair, determined to have his tongue and eat it too.

Fortunately, Dave thought it was just regular beef. Daniel was about to clarify the situation, but Blair elbowed him in the ribs, grinning at Dave and whispering to Daniel that he'd kiss it better later on. Daniel took a deep gulp of his drink to hide the reaction that comment threatened to get out of him. He hated not being able to touch Blair in public!

All that day, Blair kept tossing teasing looks in Daniel's direction, making it more and more difficult for Daniel to hold back. What the older man didn't know was that Blair's teasing was a cover for his own burning desire. A little longer and neither one would care that there were fifty plus people watching them. They both spent a lot of time sitting down that afternoon.

"Daniel!" Blair caught his lover as he was walking from the bathroom and pushed him into one of the bedrooms. "Oh God, I've wanted you all day," he murmured, pushing him against the wall and covering him in deep, soul wrenching kisses.

"I know lover," Daniel gasped as he felt their twin hardness rub together. "But we can't do this here, it's too dangerous." Nevertheless, he couldn't help himself as he grabbed Blair's ass to push them together.

"Then I've got the perfect solution," whispered Blair with an evil grin. "Dave mentioned that no one really goes to the mountain. There's a cliff with a great view of the valley where the town is. It'll be a perfect place for us to... get closer to nature."

"Oh, I like the way your mind works," said Daniel, grinning at his friend and gently caressing his face with long fingers.

"And this time, I came prepared," answered Blair. "We can sleep under the stars in comfort."

"I wondered why your knapsack was so full!" laughed Daniel.

They grabbed more food and a twelve of beer, then headed toward the mountain. It was a short hike, but it was hot, so they were covered with a fine sheen of sweat by the time they found the clearing and cliff that Dave had mentioned. It was a breathtaking view, but neither man looked for long. They fell onto the grass, kissing and groping with a single-mindedness that blocked out everything else.

"Ow!" yelled Blair.

"What?" murmured Daniel as he kissed his lover.

"Rock," Blair grumbled as he pulled out the offending pebble from under his back.

"Oh, poor baby," said Daniel as he turned Blair over to kiss the sore spot.

Blair gasped as he felt Daniel's lips on one of his favourite places. His eyes shut and he relaxed as his lover kept on kissing gently along his spine. Fingers dug into the soft soil and nostrils breathed in the scent of grass deeply to keep from crying out. There would be a wicked echo from this place. Perhaps his plan wasn't quite as foolproof as he'd thought!

As the sun set, the two lovers slowly lost more and more clothes. They'd set up what would best be described as a pick-nick and were lying on the blanket, glad to have this freedom. They fed each other and slowly drank the beer. As the sun sank below the horizon, they had eyes only for each other, gazing the man lying opposite themselves in the golden light. It was nearly surreal, and their beer-clouded minds threw them off-balance from the emotions and sensations.

"'Nother beer?" asked Blair in a slightly slurred voice as he finished his fourth.

"Yes," said Daniel softly and took the one his lover offered.

Instead of putting it to his lips, Daniel poured it onto Blair's body. The younger man cried out in surprise, then realised that it was actually very pleasurable. Daniel leaned down and lapped up the beer running in rivulets over Blair's skin. His lover could do nothing but lie back and enjoy. Daniel took a sip of beer and then sucked Blair's erection into his mouth, swirling the beer over it and swallowing after a moment, tasting the sticky precum at the end. He sipped more beer and repeated the process, then started to stroke Blair with his hand, moving easily, as the skin was very slick and wet.

"Daniel?" breathed Blair.

"Yes?"

"What does it feel like to have someone... inside you?" he asked shyly.

"I don't know," answered Daniel, smiling gently at his lover. "We never made it that far."

"Your other male lover and you? Oh," he murmured, sighing. "Well... I don't know how to... I mean, I want to but... And I know *how* to, it's just that..." He trailed off, unable to explain.

"I know that one finger feels great," said Daniel as he lay down next to Blair, still fondling him.

"Would it hurt if it were, well, *you* inside me, and not just your finger?" Blair asked softly.

"Not if I were to stretch you properly, and if we used lubricant," Daniel whispered in Blair's ear as he kissed it.

"Oh God, Daniel... I can feel myself throbbing for you," he whispered back. "It's like I know I want it, and I don't even know what 'it' feels like!"

"Do you want me to show you?" asked Daniel; flutters of anticipation making him feel giddy.

"Yes! Fuck me Daniel!" Blair hissed and he grabbed his lover and kissed him fiercely, his beer-slicked body sliding over Daniel's.

"Well, when you put it that way..." laughed Daniel. "Here, roll onto your stomach."

He pushed Blair gently and soon had him stretched out on the blanket, resting his head on his folded arms and smiling at him shyly. Taking the beer bottle, now halfway empty, he poured more onto his lover's back and rubbed it over his lover's skin to relax him. The beer was a surprisingly good lubricant and Daniel grinned as he got a wicked idea.

He knelt between Blair's legs, spreading them gently, and leaned down to kiss the cleft of his ass. Blair jumped in surprise and arched his back, instinctively wanting more. Daniel pulled gently, exposing the small hole and he rubbed his thumbs around it, letting Blair get used to the sensation. Then, he leaned down and kissed the tiny opening, flicking his tongue over it quickly, making Blair tremble.

Slowly, Daniel rubbed the muscles, relaxing them. After a little while, he gently poked the tip of one thumb in, moving it to stretch his lover carefully. He would need the lubricant now. Daniel reached for the beer bottle, but not before Blair saw. The younger man opened his mouth to protest just as Daniel poured a little over the opening and watched it run down over his balls and drip onto the blanket. He leaned down and licked it up, then poured more out.

He stuck his tongue in next, then pushed in deeper with his thumb now that it was lubricated with the beer. Blair was moaning softly. Daniel poured some beer onto himself as lubricant, then ever-so-slowly, pushed the neck of the bottle into Blair.

The beer still in the bottle seeped out slowly, lubricating Blair from the inside. The younger man cried out softly as he felt the bottle stretch him. It felt so huge! So long and so wide! But he knew that it was really quite small, especially compared to Daniel. His fists grabbed the edges of the blanket and he tried to relax, soothed by Daniel's low voice. Gulping for air, he slowly let his body submit to his lover's ministrations and then he knew he wanted more.

Daniel watched his lover slowly relax and give in. He smiled to himself and stroked himself gently for a moment. Then, he pulled out the bottle and put his hand on Blair's hip, pulling him onto his back. Blair's eyes were breathtakingly gorgeous right now. Dark lashes framed bright blue and he looked like he would agree to *anything* at this point. His face was flushed with need and he licked his lips as he rolled onto his back, looking at Daniel questioningly.

"I want to see your face when you cum," explained Daniel in a husky voice, running his hands over Blair's stomach.

Blair could only nod as he reached for Daniel longingly. Smiling softly, Daniel positioned himself and so-slowly guided himself into his lover. Blair clenched his eyes shut and grabbed Daniel, gulping for air and trying to relax. He felt Daniel's lips kissing his face and neck and then suddenly, he was in all the way. His body was so full and he relished the exquisite sensation of being stretched completely for the first time. Then Daniel moved.

"Oh God!"

They were the last words spoken for a long time. The two lovers clung to each other and were soon covered with a layer of sweat mingled with beer. The stars came out one by one, changing the light from gold to silver and reflecting off the two lovers in an entirely new way. They were bathed in the light as they moved, slowly learning the rhythm, trying to keep from crying out.

Blair felt Daniel's pubic hairs tickling him, stimulating him even more. His erection was trapped between them but he felt helpless to so much as move to hold it. He was completely under Daniel's spell. Another thrust pushed him higher, and he felt like he would explode. Daniel's face was screwed up in concentration and pleasure and he gently touched his cheek, smiling as Daniel leaned into the caress.

Suddenly, Blair's world exploded with pleasure. He hadn't even felt it coming. Pulling Daniel in for a fierce kiss, Blair felt his body convulse as his orgasm overwhelmed his senses. It was so different from cumming the way he was used to: just stimulation of his cock. Daniel had collapsed on top of him and he felt his ejaculate between their bodies, making their skin even slipperier that it had been before.

They kissed tenderly, in awe of this new experience. Daniel was still trembling. He lay down and nuzzled Blair's neck, inhaling deeply, and then kissed him slowly. Blair squeezed himself around Daniel and felt him slip a little, softening. His lover chuckled and pulled out.

Daniel was content to relax, but Blair had other ideas. Rolling on top, Blair caressed his lover with his hands while kissing his lips intensely. His tongue demanded entry and received it, plunging inside and exploring eagerly. Their passion inflamed anew, the two were soon entwined again, stroking and fondling as they felt their bodies respond.

It took only seconds for both men to be fully erect again. Their bodies twisted and entwined, hands stroked and caressed and lips kissed and sucked. Daniel relented and let Blair take control, enjoying the aggressiveness in his young friend. Blair made it obvious that he wanted a turn to be inside Daniel as he gently began to probe the area between Daniel's legs.

Daniel felt Blair move away after a moment and would have protested, but he saw his friend take out a small tube from his knapsack. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Do you really think I would have told you to stop?" Blair murmured, referring to the beer bottle.

Daniel just grinned and then gasped as he felt Blair's slick finger enter him and start to stretch him. The younger man nuzzled his lover's groin as he moved his finger, feeling more aroused than he could remember being in a long time.

The next thrust as he added a finger made Daniel arch his back and squirm, trying to angle himself as the digits entered him. He gasped as an exquisite pain shot through his body, reaching up his spine and down into his toes. Blair felt his finger bump against what felt like a gland. That must be what had done it. He turned his fingers and rubbed it carefully. Daniel couldn't control himself as the pleasure radiated outwards and he trembled, unable to stop his body from moving. Blair watched as his seemed to nearly convulse and then he moved away and off of Blair's finger.

"I can't help it," gasped Daniel, lying at the edge of the blanket and panting. "God, it feels so good Blair... but I can't stay still!"

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Blair with an evil grin. "Now I can show you what I got in London."

Reaching for his knapsack, Blair pulled out a small plastic bag. Daniel watched as the object inside was pulled out. First a loop of leather, then a long strip, then a... collar? Blair had bought a leash! Daniel started to blush furiously.

The younger man pounced on his stunned lover, pinning him to the ground and kissing him. Daniel's mind reeled from the passion of that kiss and when they broke apart in time to breathe, he found the collar fastened securely around his neck. Blair kissed his way to Daniel's neck and then licked the skin just under the edge of the band of leather. Then, he rolled onto his back and tugged at the leash, pulling Daniel down toward his groin.

Only too happy to oblige, Daniel took the now-familiar member into his mouth. He felt his lover's body relax as his erection grew harder, but the hand holding the leash didn't slacken its grip at all. Another tug brought his head up and he could see that Blair was handing him the lube. He squirted it out and smoothed the cold stuff over his lover's erection, enjoying how easily his hand slid over it now.

Blair sat up and then came up on his knees, bringing Daniel with him. He pulled on the leash to move Daniel close enough for another kiss, the tip of his erection rubbing wetly on his lover's smooth stomach. Then Daniel felt Blair turning him gently around and pushing him between the shoulder blades once he was facing away. He lowered himself to his hands and knees, waiting to feel his lover's touch.

Squirting more lubricant onto his hand, Blair touched Daniel softly. He kept a firm grip on the leash, resting his hand on Daniel's back and winding the leather around his fist. With his free hand, he pushed his thumb into Daniel. He slackened the leash and put his other thumb in, stretching him gently. Then, holding his lover open, he pushed his cock inside.

It was so tight and hot! Blair's world shrank to the size of the blanket and he wound more of the leash into his fist, pulling on it as he pushed forward. His free hand was on Daniel's hip, the fingers digging into the soft skin as he pulled Daniel toward him with each thrust. Daniel was moaning and Blair was soon growling his pleasure as well.

He started to thrust faster and faster, pushing into his lover harder and harder, not caring now if their cries echoed the length of the valley. Daniel felt Blair hit 'that' place again and stars exploded behind his eyes as he cried out in ecstasy. Blair leaned down and kissed Daniel's back as he impaled him, reaching around to grab the rock hard shaft underneath. Daniel clenched around him. Blair squeezed reflexively.

They came, screaming each other's name as the first of the fireworks went off down in the valley. The sound thundered and reverberated, and they could feel it in their bones. As the waves of orgasm shook them, the fireworks exploded one after the other, seeming to release as they did.

They collapsed in a gasping heap, Blair still giving little thrusts as he rode out the last of his orgasm. Then they rolled so that they could hold each other and watch the rest of the fireworks, feeling very safe, satisfied and content. Blair dropped the leash and just caressed Daniel's face gently in the moonlight, glad that all was right in the world.

April 23, 1991

"Dammit Blair!" said Daniel as he blinked tears from his eyes, sniffing and trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I know baby, I'm so sorry," Blair whispered as he hugged his lover. "But you know I can't pass this up! It's literally a once-in-a-lifetime deal!"

"Yeah, I know that, but it really doesn't make it any easier. I just wish you'd have had more warning or something." Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and hugged harder, breathing his lover's scent in for what could well be the last time.

"Me too," murmured Blair, and then he pulled away, aware that the people in the airport were assholes and that he couldn't kiss his lover goodbye.

"Write to me," whispered Daniel, his eyes tearing up again.

"Every day, you know I will," answered Blair.

"Don't get malaria or anything."

"I won't! I've been inoculated, remember?"

"Yeah, but I can't help worrying. This is Brazil! There're... fierce, jungle creatures," said Daniel, dropping his voice as memories flooded back. "You still have those leopard-spot briefs?" he asked, trying to grin and lighten the mood.

"I'm wearing them now," Blair said with a whisper and a giggle. "Hey, that's me," he said, turning sombre again as his flight was announced.

"God," whispered Daniel. It was all he could say. All the rest had already been said, and most of it had been screamed. "This has been the best year of my life, Blair."

"Mine too," Blair murmured as he hugged Daniel again, unable to keep himself from touching his lover. "I think I'll always love you," he whispered, then turned away, picked up his suitcase, and walked through the gate to customs.

Daniel was completely stunned. A lump rose in his throat and he was sure it would never go away. What a great time for Blair to finally tell him. He frowned and took a deep breath, then left the airport without a backward glance.