The Firefighter and the Marine was previously published in December of 2018 as a 1500-word count short story, part of the Men In Uniform anthology from Wayward Ink Publishing.
It is currently under revision, changing it from a narrative to a POV story and being expanded into a full-length novel.
All that being said, here is the original The Fire Fighter and the Marine. I hope you like it.
**********
6:34
a.m.
The
bright overhead lights came on, simultaneously waking and blinding Kenny.
A
series of tones followed.
“Oh,
shit!” Kenny said as he jumped out of bed and searched for his clothes.
The
911 dispatcher’s voice came over the radio, informing the station that there
was a structure fire and providing the address. Please, God, don’t let anyone
get hurt or die. Kenny had been doing this a long time, but he still prayed
every time he went out.
Jumping
into their turnout gear, he and his brother and sister firefighters pulled the
trucks out of the bay and headed to the fire. A four-story apartment building
was almost fully engulfed in flames; everyone rushed to grab scout packs and
hoses, charge pumpers, and get the ladder truck into position. Kenny looked
quickly for the battalion chief, but didn’t see him yet. Since the captain was
at the hospital with his wife, he took command of the fire scene.
“Carl!
Ladder truck. Get the ladder into position at the fourth-floor fire escape on
the left side of the building and get anyone up there out.”
Carl
walked away, grumbling under his breath.
“What
did you say?” Kenny asked.
“I
ain’t takin’ orders from no faggot. When the battalion chief arrives, I’ll do
whatever he says.”
Kenny
wasn’t having any of that. Getting up in Carl’s face, he poked his finger into
Carl’s chest. “I’m the lieutenant and at this moment the ranking firefighter
here. You’re the firefighter. You will do
what I tell you right this fucking minute! You are currently facing charges
of insubordination. Do you want gross negligence and dereliction of duty added?
Get your ass over to the fucking ladder truck and get up there now!”
He
spoke into his radio. “Aidan, get an inch-and-a-half in through the front and
do your best to keep the fire from coming down to the first floor. Timmy, you
and Bill are on search-and-rescue detail. Tony, Jill, inch-and-a-halves on the
second and third floors. Go!”
Everyone
scrambled to do what they were told, but then Kenny looked over at the ladder
truck and noted that the bucket hadn’t been raised and the stabilizer arms hadn’t
been lowered into position. He stormed over. “Sam, you’re certified on ladder-truck
operations, aren’t you?” Sam nodded. “Great. Get up to the fourth floor and
rescue anyone up there. There’s a possibility that survivors from the second and
third floor may have made their way up there. Go!”
Turning
to brief the battalion chief as he arrived, Kenny was glad to hear the ladder
truck’s stabilizer arms lowering into position. “I have inch-and-a-halves on
the ground floor, second, and third floors, and two guys on S&R. The second
and third floors are completely engulfed. I’m hoping that anyone on those
floors made it to either the first or the fourth floors. I have the ladder
truck heading up to the fourth floor.”
“Excellent
work. I want you to head up the ladder and assist in the rescue efforts.”
Without waiting for a response, the chief turned and started calling for
additional help from other departments.
Before
Kenny could start walking toward the ladder truck, he saw an unconscious man
leaning out of a first-floor window. Grabbing an ax and a blanket, Kenny ran
into the building and up the stairs, searching the smoke-filled hallways to
find the right apartment. Breaking down the door, he rushed to the man, and
threw the blanket over him as he used a fireman’s carry to get him out of the
building. By the time he got the man outside Kenny was coughing hard, soot
coming out of his mouth with every cough.
A
pair of paramedics grabbed the man Kenny rescued, taking him to one ambulance;
another pair grabbed Kenny and took him to another, where he was given a bottle
of water and put on oxygen.
Thirty-seven
people were rescued from the inferno, and it appeared all the residents were
accounted for and none were seriously injured, just minor smoke inhalation.
Realizing that it was only a matter of minutes before the building collapsed,
the firefighters pulled back and waited, hosing down the sides of the
surrounding buildings to prevent them from catching fire. Once the walls caved
in with a roar, the firefighters jumped back in to fight the blaze until it was
extinguished.
While
they were poking through the ashes, finding and extinguishing embers, the
battalion chief descended on the ambulance where Kenny was sitting on the
bumper, no longer coughing. “Whitfield!”
he bellowed, making Kenny cringe. “What the hell were you thinking, rushing
into a burning building without your air tank and mask?”
“My
air tank was empty. It had been filled two days ago, so I didn’t think to check
it, which I should have. Our reserve tank was already in use, and I needed to
get that man out of there quickly. The rescue teams were in the far back corner
of the building and wouldn’t have reached him in time. I did what I had to do.
How is he?”
“He’s
alive. Wait a minute. You only have one in reserve?”
“Yeah;
the higher-ups keep cutting them out of our budget. Captain Bartlett has been
fighting that battle for a couple of years now.”
“I’ll
make sure you get more of them. However, that does not justify the stunt you
pulled. You’re one of the most dedicated—and decorated—firefighters in the
county, so I know you know better. It was inexcusable. You could have died! You
should have called to your team inside or grabbed another firefighter’s air
tank. You’ve put me in a difficult position. You were put in temporary command
while Captain Bartlett’s wife is having the baby. What in hell am I supposed to
do now?”
Kenny
hung his head as he considered what the chief had said. Man, I fucked up big time! What the hell was I thinking? The chief’s
right. I could have grabbed someone else’s air tank.
“Policy
and procedures require that you be suspended until an investigation can be
held. I’m also going to have your air tank examined.”
“I’m
really sorry Chief. I acted on instinct. My only thought was to get that man
out before the building came down.”
“What
if you took in too much smoke and had to be rescued yourself? What kind of
example are you setting for the rookies? What about the next person who needs
rescuing and you’re not there to rescue them? You’re a damn good firefighter
and an excellent leader. You have a spotless record. Are you willing to throw
all that hard work away?”
“No,
sir.”
“Attention
members of Station 21. Lieutenant Whitfield has been taken to the hospital to
be checked for smoke-inhalation injuries. I am placing firefighter Aidan Montrose
in temporary command until I can get someone in to cover for Captain Bartlett.
You will all obey his instructions. Battalion Chief Thomas out.”
“Thank
you, sir.”
“You’re
welcome. Now get your crew back to the station house and cleaned up. I’ll have
someone over there sometime this afternoon.”
“Yes
sir!”
“The
man who was brought in right before me; how’s he doing?”
The
physician smiled. “We’re going to keep him here for a couple of days, but he’ll
be fine.”
“Thanks,
Doc.”
The
doctor smiled and left.
About
forty-five minutes later, a nurse came in. “We’re taking you upstairs. Do you
have anything of value that you would like put in the hospital’s safe?”
“No,
thanks. All I have is my wallet with about ten dollars in it.”
“Okay,”
she responded as an orderly came in. “Here we go.” They wheeled him to an
elevator, and within a couple of minutes he was lying in bed in a regular room with
a drape pulled around what he presumed was another bed. A cough from behind the
curtain confirmed his assumption.
“Hey,”
Kenny called out, “how ya doin’?”
Kenny
heard the linens rustle as the man in the next bed turned or shifted. “Hi, I’m
doin’ better. How ‘bout you?”
“Okay.
Name’s Kenny.”
“My
name’s Steve. What’re you here for?”
“Minor
smoke inhalation. I’m a firefighter. I rescued a man without my mask and air
tank. You?”
There
was a moment’s silence. Then, “Before you got here, my brother came in and told
me I was rescued from my apartment building, which was on fire. My kitchen
ceiling caved in and before I could get out my apartment filled with smoke. It
was so thick I couldn’t find the door. I had to feel my way around the living-room
wall, but I don’t remember ever reaching the door.”
“Mind
if I open the curtain?”
“Go
ahead.”
Kenny
managed to reach far enough to slide the curtain that separated the two beds
back. Rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand, he took in his
brown-haired, hazel-eyed roommate. “Where’s your apartment building?”
“4517
Martin Circle,” Steve replied.
“Would
your apartment by any chance be on the first floor, next to the building
entrance?”
Steve’s
eyes widened. “Yeah; why?”
“Would
you believe I’m the guy who got you out of there?”
“No
shit?”
“No
shit.”
“Oh,
man, I owe you my life.”
“Nah;
I was just doing my job. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Steve
turned so he could see Kenny better. “How long have you been a firefighter?”
“Uh,
about ten years.”
“What
made you decide to become a firefighter?”
Kenny
sighed before he began. “When I was a kid, I was home sick from school when
there was a fire in the chemistry lab. Several of my friends died before the
fire trucks could get there. I decided that day I wanted to be a firefighter. I
guess it was one of those ‘honoring their memory’ types of thing.” He’d told
the story enough times over the years that it should be routine, but it still
weighed on his heart to think of his friends who’d never had a chance to grow
up.
“As
soon as I was old enough I applied and was accepted to the academy. It was
tough. I worked my ass off, but I made it through. I more than once thought
about quitting, but then I’d remember the friends I lost and decided I wasn’t
going to give up. The guys at the academy rode my ass hard. I thought they were
being dickheads, but they were just trying to make me give it everything I got.”
“You
must really like it if you’ve stuck it out for ten years.”
Their
conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the dinner trays. Each man ate
in relative silence, with the occasional comment about the quality of the food.
After
they finished eating, Steve said, “Being a firefighter, you must have made a
difference in a lot of people’s lives. That’s something to be proud of.”
“I
don’t know about proud, but yeah, it feels good,” Kenny said.
“It
should. You protect people—their lives, and their property. I feel that way
being a Marine.”
“First,
let me thank you for your service,” Kenny said. Steve nodded. “Why did you join
the Marines?”
Steve
shrugged. “In a way, there was never any question about it. I’m
fifth-generation Marine. My brother is a former Marine. It seems to run in the
family.”
“How
long have you been in?”
“Seven
years.”
“Have
you seen any overseas action?”
“Some.”
Steve’s sharp intake of breath and clipped answer told Kenny he didn’t want to
talk about it.
Switching
tracks, Kenny asked, “What kind of things do you like to do when you’re off duty?”
“Well,
I like to go swimming as often as I can; the same with hiking and camping. I’m
not much for video games, but I love to play board, dice, and card games.”
“I
love to swim. I’ve never been camping, though. I’m a big reader.”
“Really,
what kind of books do you like to read?”
“Whatever
catches my eye. My favorite genre is science fiction.” Especially gay scifi. He wasn’t sure he should bring up his
sexuality, though. It was one thing to be out with people he knew, but a Marine
he’d just met… was an unknown equation. “I like to go to movies a lot. My favorite
is Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“I’m
into natural-disaster movies. I love to see people of all types banding
together to help each other out. Kinda like what you do every day.”
“Other
than Titanic, I don’t think I’ve seen
any of those. Can you give me any suggestions?”
“Sure.
Let me get something to write on.” Steve hit his call button and asked for a
piece of paper and a pen. When the patient-care technician brought them, Steve wrote
down several titles and handed the paper to Kenny.
“Thanks.
I’ll have to check these out.”
“You’re
welcome. Listen, I’m really tired so I’m going to hit the sheets, okay?”
Kenny
snickered. “Uh, I hate to tell you this, but you’ve already hit the sheets.”
“Thank
you, Captain Obvious,” Steve shot back. Both men chuckled. “See you in the
morning.”
“You’re
welcome, Lieutenant Oblivious.” He replied with a snicker. “Sleep well, Steve.”
It didn’t take long for both men to start snoring.
The
following day, as Kenny was being discharged, he went to shake Steve’s hand. “It
was good to meet you, Steve, and I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”
Steve
gripped his hand and pulled Kenny down into a tight hug. With eyes full of
tears, he said, “I wouldn’t be okay if it wasn’t for you. Thank you.”
Surprising
himself, Kenny thought, Wow, it feels
really good to be held in his arms. He knew he was in trouble. He had a bad
habit of falling hard and fast—too fast sometimes. “It was my pleasure. Be
well.”
*****
Two
weeks after he was suspended, Kenny was called into Captain Bartlett’s office. “Have
a seat, Lieutenant Whitfield. As you know, the fire at 4517 Martin Circle has
been investigated and was found to be caused by faulty electrical wiring in the
basement. The man you rescued, Steve Martinson, has sent us a letter thanking
us for his rescue and saving his life, mentioning you specifically. He also
sent one to battalion headquarters.
“Looking
into why your air tank emptied after two days without being used revealed that
a cracked O-ring caused a slow leak. The crack was only visible under a
microscope. In that respect, you did us a favor. We’ve had all the air tanks
inspected and two others were found to have the same flaw. Headquarters sent a complaint
to the manufacturer, who provided new, white O-rings instead of black that will
make any cracks easier to see.
“Microscopic
inspection of the O-rings was not a part of the normal inspection process. It
is now mandatory. We are also getting four more scout packs per the chief.
However, that does not absolve you of violating practically every fire-safety
rule in the book. Two questions; first, why didn’t you radio the first-floor
S&R team and let them know about the victim, and second, why didn’t you
grab another firefighter’s scout pack before running into the building to rescue
Martinson?”
“Captain,
according to the building manager, there were twenty apartments on each floor,
with kind of a maze of hallways. The S&R team was in the far back corner of
the building and the victim’s apartment was in the front by the building
entrance. There’s no way they could have gotten to him in time. Because the
smoke, both inside and outside the building, was so thick, everyone was using
their scout packs, even the spare. My only thought was to get that man out.”
“Well,
fortunately it all worked out. The chief has lifted your suspension and
reinstated you. Your bravery is commendable. However, your foolhardiness is not.
You are a lieutenant at this station and you have the responsibility of setting
an example for others to follow. What kind of example were you setting for the
rookies by your actions?”
Kenny
examined the floor for a moment before looking his captain in the eyes. “Not a
very good one, I guess. I’m guessing that I’m going to be demoted.”
“Under
most circumstances, you would be. Although you’re an excellent firefighter and
leader, you made a mistake that day. A big
one. However, you saved that man’s life. Outside of you having to spend the
night in the hospital, no one was injured, and this incident helped uncover a
flaw with the scout packs, not to mention convincing the brass to get us more.
“These
all worked in your favor. But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, you
will be suspended indefinitely without pay pending a formal inquiry. Got it?”
“Got
it. Thank you, Captain.”
“You’re
welcome. I want you to think about what you did and the consequences it could have had, not what it did have. You’re free to resume your
duties. By the way, I think you might want to read this.” He handed Kenny a
letter.
To
the members of the Carlton Fire Department Station 21;
Please
accept my sincerest gratitude for saving my life. I owe my life to Lieutenant
Kenny Whitfield and the rest of his crew. I will never be able to repay you,
but know that you will always be in my heart and prayers.
Nothing
I can say can properly express my appreciation for what you all have done for
me, so I will simply say thank you.
Lance Corporal Steven Martinson
United States Marine
Corps
Kenny
read over the letter a couple of times before handing it back to the captain. “That’s
cool. I got to know him a little in the hospital—they put us in the same room,
what are the odds? He’s a nice guy.”
“Yes,
well…” The captain cleared his throat, sounding somewhat uncomfortable. “One
more thing,” he said.
“Yes,
sir?”
“I
understand Manning was insubordinate and abusive while you were in command of
the scene. You should know I’ve suspended him pending an investigation of his
behavior, and if I have anything to say about it he won’t be working at this
station again.”
Kenny’s
eyes widened. “Sir…” Everybody at the station knew the captain didn’t like gay
men, though he kept quiet about it—unlike Manning.
“We’re
a team, Lieutenant. Personal likes and dislikes are irrelevant. If we can’t
count on one another, we can’t do our jobs.”
“Of
course, sir.”
“Very
well.” The captain nodded, looking relieved the conversation was ending. “Get
back to work.”
*****
Steve spent a
while thinking about how to properly thank Kenny for his bravery—not to mention
thinking about how hot Kenny was, with his warm brown eyes and jet-black hair.
He went back and forth on whether asking him to dinner would sound too much
like a date. I don’t want
him to think I’m hitting on him, especially if he’s straight. But I guess it
can’t hurt to try. He drove to the
firehouse, only a short distance from his new apartment. When he arrived he saw
all the firetrucks in the garage, some being polished. He walked up to the
closest firefighter.
“Excuse
me. I was hoping to see Lieutenant Whitfield. Is he here?”
“Yeah;
come with me and I’ll take you to him. My name’s Felicity.” She held out her
hand.
“The
name’s Steve,” he replied as he shook her hand.
Felicity
took him into a comfortable lounge and yelled, “Kenny, there’s someone here to see you.”
“I’ll be right there,” Kenny shouted
back. Walking into the room a moment later, he said, “Hey, Steve, nice to see
you again. What brings you here?”
“I
came by to see if I could take you to lunch or dinner to thank you for saving
my life.”
“You’ve
already thanked me, like, a gazillion times. You don’t have to keep thanking
me. I’m just glad you’re okay. That was a real nice letter you sent us, by the
way. Thank you.”
“Kenny,
you saved my life. How can I not be grateful?”
Kenny
reached out and put his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I appreciate the gratitude.
I get it. You don’t have to keep expressing it,” he said softly.
Damn. This isn’t going
well. “Would you allow me this one last
gesture?”
Kenny
gave him a smile that made him weak in the knees. “Sure, as long as it’s
nothing extravagant. Pizza or Mexican would be fine. When would you like to go
out?”
Shit! I wasn’t sure
he’d accept, so I didn’t think about when and where to go. Fuck!
While
he was still thinking, Kenny rescued him. That was getting to be a trend. “If
you’re not busy, why don’t we go tonight? I know this Italian restaurant that
serves the best pizza around.”
“Yeah,
tonight’s good,” Steve said with relief. “What time?”
“I
get off at five-thirty, so why don’t you meet me here around six? That will
give me time to get cleaned up.”
“That’s
fine with me. I’ll see you then.” YES!
He didn’t walk out of the firehouse; he floated.
Noting
the time, he rushed home to get ready. Officially it wasn’t a date, but he was
going to dress the part. He showered, shaved, brushed, and flossed. What to wear? He searched through his
closet for an appropriate outfit before settling on a cobalt-blue polo shirt
and his tightest pair of black jeans. After fussing with his hair and applying
some cologne, he pronounced himself ready and returned to the firehouse five
minutes early.
Knocking
on the door frame of the lounge, he was met by Kenny, fresh from a shower,
wearing a red polo shirt with his firefighter’s badge over the left breast and
a pair of khaki cargo shorts. “Hey; ready to head out?”
“Yeah;
if it’s all right for me to leave my car here, I thought we could walk. It’s a
gorgeous night, and the restaurants are only two blocks away.”
“Sure,
sounds good to me. You can park in the back parking lot,” Kenny replied, pointing
the way.
Over
the course of a prolonged dinner, the two men had a great time getting to know
each other better, sharing stories about their jobs, families, and current
events. They laughed at each other’s jokes and discovered they had a lot in
common.
With
the pizza demolished and only a piece of crust left on the table, Kenny excused
himself to go to the men’s room. While he was gone, Steve started fiddling with
his napkin, wondering if he should bring up his sexuality. As much as I’d like to find out if he’s gay, it’s probably not a good
idea. Not yet, anyhow.
When
Kenny returned, Steve asked him if he wanted to order dessert. He wasn’t ready
for the night to end.
Patting
his stomach, Kenny replied, “I’m stuffed to the gills. But I don’t mind if you
want to get something. They have great cannoli here.”
“Nah;
I don’t think I could eat another bite. Let me pay the bill and then we’ll blow
this popsicle stand.”
Kenny
laughed at the old-fashioned expression. As they stepped out of the restaurant,
he asked, “Wanna catch a movie? There are some good ones playing at the mall.”
Steve
was caught off guard by the question. Maybe
this is a date after all? He wasn’t about to argue, though. “Sure. Let’s go
back and get my car.”
As
they walked back to the firehouse, Steve reached out without thinking and took
Kenny’s hand in his. Kenny jerked his hand away. “Oh, God, Kenny, I’m so sorry.
Please don’t be mad,” Steve pleaded. What
the fuck did I do? Oh, shit. I’m going to get my ass kicked again. You think I’d learn after the gay bashing
I got from that street gang back home before I enlisted. That put me in the
hospital for almost a week.
Kenny
smiled. “It’s okay. You just startled me; that’s all. I didn’t expect it. Seriously,
it’s okay. I’m gay. I really like you, and ever since the hospital I’ve been
thinking how cool it would be to date. Does that sound good?” he asked,
grinning.
“Oh,
my God; yes!” Steve exclaimed,
throwing himself into Kenny’s arms.
“Are
you out?” Kenny asked. “If you are, I’d like to introduce you to my friends at
the station.”
Steve
looked at him in surprise. Wow. He sure
works fast! But again, he wasn’t complaining. “The only things in my closet
are my clothes. I came out as soon as DADT was repealed. Some of my fellow
Marines didn’t like it, but for the most part everyone was cool about it.”
“That’s
great. I’ll introduce you around, then.”
“Are
you serious? Won’t that cause problems for you?” Steve had to know.
“Not
at all. I’ll only introduce you to the people I know for a fact will be cool
with us being together. To my knowledge the only homophobic prick at the
station was Manning, and he got kicked out. Nobody liked him, anyway. He was
over the top with his bigotry, and nobody wanted him on their shift. Oh, before
I forget, are you allergic to dogs?”
“No.
I love dogs.”
“Great.
I have a nine-month-old pug puppy. He has the fastest tongue around.”
Steve
snickered. “Awesome! When can I get my face washed?”
“How
’bout dinner at my place tomorrow night? I’m off tomorrow.”
“I
have to work at the Marine Recruiting Station till five.”
“Then
how about six, Lance Corporal Martinson?” Steve’s insides warmed when he heard
his rank and last name. Kenny had remembered.
“Perfect.”
They paused to exchange phone numbers before ambling down the street toward the
firehouse, holding hands.
As
they passed an alley near the station, Manning appeared from the shadows, a
baseball bat in hand and several other tough-looking men flanking him. “Well,
well, well. What do we have here?” Manning asked, slapping his palm with the
bat.
“Looks
like we have a couple of faggots,” one of the thugs replied.
“I
wonder what we should do about such trash littering our streets.” Manning
taunted.
“I
think we should take out the trash,” another man said.
Kenny
looked around, taking in the situation, and shrugged. Manning, clearly angry at
this nonchalant response, moved to attack. Before Steve could take action, Kenny
pushed him out of the way as Manning charged. It was over quickly. In just a
few seconds Steve looked around and saw Manning and his companions lying in the
street, groaning.
The
police showed up a few minutes later, having been alerted by a passerby. After
answering questions and filling out statements, Steve looked at Kenny in awe. “I’ve
never seen anyone move so fast.”
Kenny
chuckled as they continued back to the station. “I’ve studied mixed martial
arts for years. This is the first time I’ve used my training outside the sparring
ring—and hopefully the last.”
“I’d
like to spar with you. It’d be fun and I bet I’d learn a lot. I’m pretty good
with hand-to-hand combat, but there’s no way I could move as fast as you did.”
“Yeah,
we can do that,” Kenny agreed. “It’ll be fun. I’m sure we each have moves we
can show the other.”
“No
doubt.”
“Okay,
here we are. Before we go in, do you mind if I introduce you to everyone as my
boyfriend? I’m sorry. I should have asked you first.”
“No
worries. But don’t you think it’s a little early for you to be calling me your
boyfriend? I mean, we just decided to start dating.”
Kenny
looked thoughtful. “If it will make you feel more comfortable, I’ll introduce
you as my friend.”
“Okay.
It’s not that I don’t want to be with you. I just think it’s a little too early
in the relationship, if that’s what this is.”
“Do
you want it to be?”, Kenny asked.
“Kenny,
I like you. I like you a lot. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up and
then not have it work between us.”
“It
sounds like you’ve been down this road before.”
“Too
many times to count.”
“Okay,
so you’re gun-shy. I get it. We can take things at your pace. If you ever want
to talk about what’s happened with your other relationships, I’m here to
listen.”
“Thanks,
Kenny. That means a lot to me.”
“Okay,
let’s go meet the gang.” He opened the door and ushered Steve into the lounge. “Hey,
guys.”
“Hey,
Lieutenant,” one of the firefighters responded.
“What
have I told you jerkwads about that?”
“Oh,
bite me.”
“Bend
over and tell me where to start.”
“Not
even in your dreams, Lieutenant.”
All
the other firefighters in the room started snickering; pretty much knowing what
was coming next, having seen it numerous times. “Perhaps not,” Kenny
deadpanned, “but definitely in your
wildest pud-pulling fantasies.” The entire room, with the exception of Steve,
broke up into gales of laughter. Steve just stood there, not knowing what to
make of the conversation.
Jimmy
shook his head. “Am I ever going to win a verbal battle with you?”
“Nope;
let’s face it, Jimmy, when it comes to a battle of wits, you’re unarmed.” More
laughter was heard. Kenny motioned Steve over. Putting his arm around Steve’s
shoulders, he announced, “Hey, everyone. I’d like to introduce you to my
friend, Steve. Steve, the gang.”
Everyone
got up, shook Steve’s hand, and told him how glad they were to meet him.
Noticing the look one of the female firefighters, Tina, was giving him, he
started to get nervous. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Aren’t you the guy Kenny
rescued from that apartment building a couple of weeks ago?”
“Yeah,”
he responded.
She
walked up and hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re okay, and welcome to the family.”
Embarrassed,
he responded with, “I’m only okay because of Kenny. He saved my life. I wouldn’t
be here if it wasn’t for him.”
“He’s
something, isn’t he? He got reamed a new asshole by the chief for that, but if
I know him, he’ll do it again and again if necessary.”
“What?”
Steve turned to Kenny. “I didn’t know you got in trouble…”
Kenny
shook his head. “It’s okay. It actually turned out to be a good thing. Because
of the fire we discovered a flaw in the inspection requirements for the air
tanks that led to new testing and inspection procedures. That will make sure
nobody’s air tank will run out of air without being used.”
“Well,”
Jimmy said, winking at a couple of other firefighters who quickly left the
room, “I guess a ‘welcome to the family’ ceremony is called for.”
A
few seconds later, Steve was grabbed by a couple of the biggest guys there and
carried out into the back parking lot. He struggled, but didn’t want to fight
back too hard—these were Kenny’s co-workers, after all.
Outside
the firefighters set him down and backed away. He looked at Kenny in confusion.
Kenny looked apologetic, but didn’t say anything. Suddenly Steve was doused
with ice-cold water. “Welcome to Station
21,” everyone yelled; everyone except Kenny, who had disappeared.
“Why
would they do that to me, though? I’m not a new firefighter.”
“They
probably wanted to ‘thank’ you and welcome you because of the letter you sent to
the station. The captain makes sure letters like that are shared with
everyone.”
“Oh,”
was the only thing Steve could think to say.
“We’re
a family, one that looks out for each other and their families, and that now
includes you. Here’s a towel and some clothes. We’re close enough in size that
they should fit you okay.
“The
shower room’s through that door. It’s a communal shower, so if you like I’ll
stand guard at the door and not let anyone in until you’re through.” Kenny pointed.
“There are hooks for the clothes.”
“What
do I do with my wet clothes?”
“Throw
them into this bag and we’ll run them through the dryer when you’re done.” Kenny
rummaged through a locker and pulled out some shampoo and shower gel. “I hope
you don’t mind smelling like me.”
“Thanks.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a communal shower. I don’t mind you
seeing me naked, but I’m not so sure about the others,” Steve said.
“You’ll
be fine.”
Steve
walked through the door and popped his head out a few seconds later. “There’s a
bench in here. Keep me company?”
“Sure,”
Kenny said, taking a seat as the water turned on. “Tell me more about your life
as a Marine. Were you ever deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan?” The silence that
ensued gave him his answer. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” he
said after a moment. “But if you do, I’m here to listen.”
Another
short pause. Kenny imagined Steve was mulling things over in his mind. “It’s
not that I don’t want to tell you
about it. I’m a little afraid of your reaction and I definitely don’t want to
talk about it here.”
“Like
I said, whenever you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here to listen. Whatever demons
you’re wrestling with, we’ll deal with them together.”
Kenny
heard the shower shut off and a few seconds later a naked Steve walked out,
holding the towel in front of him. Kenny started to stand up, saying, “I’ll
just wait outside while you get dressed.”
“No,
stay. You’re not the first guy to see me naked,” Steve told him as he dropped
the towel and reached for the underwear and pants Kenny had given him. Kenny
noticed a painful-looking scar on his leg, but didn’t say anything about it. He
figured it was one of the things Steve didn’t want to talk about yet.
Steve
shot him a shy smile. “Would you like to go back to my place and watch a movie?”
“Yeah;
sounds good to me.”
“It’s
the same with firefighters, so I can kinda relate, but I’m sure it’s less
intense. We don’t fight fires every day, but you guys probably get shot at
every day.”
“At
first, things weren’t as bad as I expected them to be. It was all pretty
routine. There were a few minor skirmishes, but nothing serious. One day we
were out on patrol. Things were pretty quiet even though intelligence was
saying it was a hot spot.”
“What
an oxymoron, military intelligence,” Kenny cut in.
“I know, right?” Steve said, snickering. “Anyway,
I decided to scout ahead on foot. I was about a half-mile ahead when the
vehicle hit an IED, killing everyone inside.” He paused for a moment. “I was
hit with shrapnel, one piece of which hamstrung me. I was flown out of Kandahar
to a naval vessel where they operated on my leg.”
“I
thought I saw a scar, but I didn’t want to ask...”
Steve
grimaced. “They sent me to Walter
Reed hospital in DC for therapy so I could walk again. I can’t really run
anymore, so they offered me a choice, medical discharge or recruiting job.”
Another pause. Hanging his head, he whispered, “I should have seen the IED in
the road. If I had, they wouldn’t have hit it and everyone would still be
alive.”
Seeing
how distraught Steve was, Kenny sat close to him and gathered him up in his
arms, using the pad of his thumb to brush away his tears. “That must have been
awful. I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like for you. From what I’ve
read, though, some IEDs are practically impossible to spot. It wouldn’t
surprise me if this was one of them.”
Steve
shook his head. “If I had been more vigilant, they’d still be alive.”
“You
don’t know that for sure.”
Steve
raised haunted eyes to Kenny. “Tell me one thing I do know for sure.”
“Know
for sure that I care about you and what happens to you.”
“Why?
You’ve barely gotten to know me.”
“Since
when is knowing someone a prerequisite for caring about them? Besides, I want
to get to know you better than I already do. I have since we were in the
hospital.”
“I
guess it isn’t. I really like you. Even though we were in the hospital, we had
a pretty good time.”
“Yeah,
and that’s just the beginning of the good times. How about we start the movie?”
Steve
reached over and grabbed the remote to start the movie. Sensing that he still
needed the comfort of physical contact, Kenny tightened his hold on him when he
started to move away and whispered in his ear, “No, stay. I like holding you.” Steve
smiled in response and settled back into Kenny’s side.
The
following four months saw Kenny and Steve growing closer, and falling in love
with each other. By mutual agreement, though, they were taking the physical
side of things very slowly. They’d both rushed into sex before and been sorry
afterwards.
Steve
grabbed his ringing cell phone and smiled as he saw Kenny’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Kenny, what’s up?”
Kenny
smiled at the sound of Steve’s voice, even over a cell connection. “Do you have
to work this weekend?”
“No.
Being that it’s Memorial Day weekend, the office is closed Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday.”
“Cool.
How’d you like to do something special with me?”
Steve
snorted. “Do you really need to ask?”
“Yeah,
Steve, ’cause I’m not sure you’ve been to anything like this before.”
“What
do you have in mind?”
“How’d
you like to go to a powwow with me?”
“A
what?”
“Powwow.
You know, like Native American celebrations?”
Steve
was a little puzzled. “I’m not Native American.”
“Doesn’t
matter. Anyone and everyone is welcome.”
“Where
is it?”
“A
park about ten miles from here.”
“Sure,”
Steve said.
“Great.
I’ll pick you up Friday around five. Wear comfortable clothes. It might be hot
there.”
“Okay.
See you Friday. Love you.”
“Love
you, too!”
Felicity
and Donna, one of the paramedics, approached Kenny. “Hey,” Felicity began, “can
we talk a minute?”
“Sure,
what’s up?” Kenny said.
“You
know we all care about you, right?”
Here we go. I was
wondering what was taking them so long. “Uh-huh,”
Kenny replied.
Felicity
turned to Donna for help. “We just want to make sure you don’t get hurt. How do
you know Steve’s love for you comes from his heart and not his gratitude for
saving his life?”
“I
appreciate you looking out for me, but I assure you Steve’s love for me is not
out of gratitude.”
“Are
you absolutely, one-hundred-percent sure of that?” Felicity pressed.
“Yep;
we talked about it. It’s all good.”
“Great.
Like I said, we don’t want you to get hurt. It’s happened too many times.”
“It
was only twice,” Kenny replied.
“And
that’s two times too many!”
“Thanks
for looking out for me. I love you guys.” He gently hugged each of the women.
“We
love you, too, and only want what’s best for you.”
“I
know, and I appreciate it. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“What
the…” Steve said, staring at Kenny. “Holy shit! You look fantastic, like,
really authentic.”
“It
is authentic. One hundred percent Native American regalia. I’m Cherokee.”
“No
shit?”
“No
shit.”
“Well,
that explains your skin, eye, and hair-color combination. Just out of curiosity,
why are you dressed like that? It’s got to be hot.”
“Actually,
it isn’t. It’s more comfortable than my regular clothes. Ready for an
adventure?”
“Uh,
yeah, I guess.”
“Don’t
worry. You’ll be accepted with open arms.” They got into Kenny’s car and drove
the ten miles to the park. Along the way Kenny told Steve about the various
vendors that would be there selling jewelry, clothing, dream catchers, and
other items, as well as the various food items that would be available. Those
weren’t the most important parts of the powwow, of course, but he wanted Steve
to experience the rest for himself rather than have Kenny influence his
experience.
“You
think so? Well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Set up your chair and have a seat.
I’ll be right back.”
Steve
watched as Kenny approached the opening to the circle. A woman waved a feather
at him, going up and down his body, first his front, and then his back. Kenny
entered the circle and stood completely still. Steve heard an announcer mention
something about a warrior dance, and then the drummers started drumming.
He
stared slack-jawed and transfixed as Kenny moved around the circle in an
amazing, complex dance. After the dance, when Kenny returned, Steve could only
sit and stare up at him.
“Baby,
what’s wrong. Are you all right?”
Steve
shook his head as if to bring his senses back on line. In a whisper he said, “That
was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. It was so complex.”
Kenny’s
grin reached his eyes. “That’s nothing. I could teach it to you in about five
minutes. It’s not as complicated as it looks. You want to see complicated, wait
until they do the crow dance.” Steve could only look at him in awe.
“You
want to get something to eat or drink? Maybe check out some of the vendors?”
“In
a few. I’d like to watch the dancers for a bit.”
“Sure.”
The announcer said something else, and Kenny grabbed Steve’s hand to pull him
up. “Come on, you’re joining us. This is an inter-tribal dance where everyone
is welcome, Native American or not.”
Steve
resisted. “I don’t know how to dance like you do.”
“This
one’s easy. You just slowly put one foot in front of the other. See how they’re
doing it?”
Steve
glanced at the dancers in the circle. It looked easy enough. “I’m gonna make a
fool of myself if I do that.”
“No,
you won’t. Even if you do, nobody cares. They only care that you’re dancing.
Come on.”
“Okay,”
Steve relented, and allowed Kenny to pull him into the circle. He soon realized
he was enjoying himself immensely, and joined in every inter-tribal dance, his
confidence growing each time.
After
a number of dances, his stomach started to complain about being ignored. “I
need to get something to eat, and then I’d like to look around, if you don’t
mind.”
“Sure.”
The two men sat and ate delicious tacos, followed by fry bread, and then
started wandering around the vendor’s stalls. Steve couldn’t believe the wide
variety of items for sale. Tears formed in his eyes when Kenny placed a beaded
necklace around his neck.
“I’ll
be right back.” Kenny disappeared for a moment, returning with a paper bag.
“What’s
that?”
“You’ll
find out when we get back to your place.”
Kenny
danced a complicated dance, wowing Steve, and then they danced a couple more inter-tribal
dances before heading back to Steve’s apartment. Once inside, Steve collapsed
into a chair. “Aren’t you tired?”
“No.
Powwows invigorate me. I feel so at home there. Speaking of home, do you have
any pushpins?”
“I
think so.” He rummaged through a drawer and came up with a couple that he
presented to Kenny.
“Thanks.
I just need one. Come with me for a sec.” He led Steve into the bedroom, where
he proceeded to the head of the bed. Looking up toward the ceiling, he raised
the bag in his hands as high as he could reach for a few seconds then lowered
his arms. He removed the contents of the bag. Steve gasped as he saw Kenny
holding the most beautiful dreamcatcher he’d ever seen.
After
Kenny hung the dreamcatcher over the head of the bed, he stood back and checked
it over, being very meticulous when hanging dreamcatchers, sun catchers, and
medicine wheels. “I wrote a poem a long
time ago that I recite every time I hang a dreamcatcher. It goes like this…Place
this dreamcatcher above your bed… all your bad dreams it will shed… only good
dreams will come instead… as you rest and lay your head.”
Overcome
with emotion, Steve could only stand and stare at the most incredible gift he’d
ever been given. They sat for a while in the living room and talked about what Steve
had experienced that afternoon and what it was like for Kenny to be Cherokee. Steve
hung on every word.
Finally
the time came for Kenny to go home, but not before being given a wonderful,
love-filled kiss.
The
longer the kiss lasted, the more passionate it got, and soon it was a duel of
the tongues. Kenny pressed his hand against the stiff bulge in Steve’s jeans and
started rubbing his own rock-hard cock against it until Steve was moaning with
pleasure. After a few moments of this, Steve pushed Kenny away. Breathless, he
said, “Any more of that and I’m going to explode.”
Kenny
raised his eyebrows and looked at Steve, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Huh. Well, something should be done about that.”
“What?”
Steve asked, not sure where Kenny was headed. As it turned out he was heading
south. Kenny slowly slid down his body until he reached his playground. He
opened his mouth and slowly moved up and down Steve’s cock.
“Mmm.
That feels so good.” He groaned. Oh. My.
God!
“I
guarantee you it doesn’t feel as good as it’s about to.”
Steve
looked down at Kenny, hoping he wasn’t wrong about what he thought was going to
happen. He smiled as Kenny opened his jeans and pulled them and his underwear
down, freeing his dripping cock.
Kenny
lapped up the precum like he had been stranded in a desert with no water for
weeks. “Delicious!” he said with a grin. “Great appetizer, but I’m ready for
the main course.” Steve covered his mouth with his hand to keep giggling at
what Kenny just said. Kenny swallowed Steve down to the root, working his
throat muscles around the mushroom head, driving Steve almost to the point of
delirium.
Steve
slowly lay down on the bed, taking Kenny with him. He twisted around; tugging
Kenny’s jeans open until he could get his mouth around Kenny’s cock. They
quickly established a rhythm of bobbing, licking, and caressing that brought
them both to the edge of the precipice and shoved them over.
Sated,
it took a few minutes for them to catch their breaths, stolen by their intense
orgasms, they licked each other clean. Kenny turned around so they could look
at each other, smiling tender smiles before gently kissing each other. A few
moments later Kenny rolled off the bed with a sigh and straightened his clothing.
“As
much as I would like to stay, I need to get home. I need to rest up and get
ready for dancing tomorrow. You should, too.” They hugged tightly and kissed
until Kenny broke it off before it got passionate again.
“Thank
you so much for today. I had such a great time. I look forward to tomorrow.”
Steve told him
“I’ll
see you tomorrow, baby.”
Laying
in bed after Kenny left, Steve thought about how happy he was since the fire
which consumed everything he owned. I
lost everything in that fire, but if that’s what it took to bring him into my
life then it was worth it. The sex was awesome, but I can’t wait to actually
make love to him, I love him so much! Good night, Kenny. Sleep well.
Brushing away the tears that intense emotions sometimes bring, he fell into a
deep, restful sleep.
Steve
opened the door the next morning and his eyes widened in surprise. The regalia
Kenny was wearing was far more beautiful than any he’d seen before. He was
wearing a colorful shirt with leggings. An apron decorated with wolves hung
down his front. He had bands made of colorful yarn around both arms and both
knees. “You look unbelievable. Is that a real knife at your side?”
“Thanks,
and yes, it’s a Bowie knife.” He handed it to Steve.
“Wow!
This sucker’s heavy.”
“Careful.
It’s extremely sharp.” Steve handled the knife with respect, turning it over in
his hands before giving it back to Kenny. “Shall we go? There’s always a
special opening ceremony on Memorial Day.”
“Lead
on, my love. Lead on.”
When
they arrived at the powwow Steve noticed how crowded the meadow was, much more so
than the prior two days. “Memorial Day really brings out the crowd, huh?”
“You’ll
see why when the opening ceremonies start. There’s a portion of the ceremony
that I’d like to have you participate in. After the placing of the flags they
will call for all veterans to come into the circle for a special dance. Come
into the circle and they’ll tell you what to do.”
“But
I’m not a vet,” Steve argued.
“You
have a purple heart, don’t you?”
“Yeah,”
Steve said, not sure where this was going.
“How
do you get a purple heart?”
“By
being injured in combat.”
“There
you go. You served—and were injured—in a war. Here,” turning in a circle, Kenny
pointed to everything around the meadow, “that’s all that matters. You are a
vet as far as everyone here is concerned.”
“Don’t
you have to be Native American?”
“Nope;
just a vet. Okay, I have to go get the Cherokee Nation flag. I’ll be placing it
in one of the holders around the circle. And before I forget…” He reached out
and pulled Steve into his arms. “Thank you for your service and the sacrifice
you made to help protect this country.” He kissed him gently, and then rushed
off to get his flag.
All
of the flag bearers entered and walked slowly around the circle before coming
to a stop in front of the tent that held the singers and drummers. After a few
words of welcome from the master of ceremonies, the flag bearers once again
walked around the circle, stopping at their assigned positions to place their
flags.
I need to ask Kenny
why the dancers only go clockwise around the circle.
Steve put the thought aside as the next part of the dance began and the
veterans began to make their way into the circle.
Once
all of the veterans were inside, they started a kind of snake dance where the
first veteran in line turned to the second one, shook his or her hand, and
proceeded down the line. Each veteran followed suit, and then, when they were
back in the same positions as when they started, they moved around the circle,
this time being greeted by the flag bearers.
By
the time Steve left the circle his face was wet with tears. He fell into
Kenny’s arms, crying hard. Several of the dancers came up and placed their hands
on his shoulders and back, showing him love and support, which made him cry
that much harder. Once he was able to pull himself together, he said, “I’ve
never been anywhere where I’ve felt so much love and acceptance.”
“Same
here. It’s pretty awesome.”
They
spent the rest of the day hanging out and dancing. They were so high from the
experiences that it was a bit of a letdown when the powwow ended and they had
to leave. They were both exhausted, so Kenny dropped Steve off at his apartment
and, after a prolonged kiss, went home.
As
Steve got ready for bed, he couldn’t stop smiling. What an incredible weekend. What an incredible man. I’ve never felt so
free and accepted. Nobody cared that I’m not Native American. I was welcomed
into their circle. I would love to spend the rest of my life getting to know
him and his culture. I’m amazed and happy that he selected me to fall in love
with. There were so many beautiful men at the powwow—he could have had any of
them, but he picked me.
With
that in mind, he felt ready to take the next step—and he wanted to do it in
style. He asked Steve to come over
for a date the next Saturday night, and spent the afternoon preparing lasagna,
garlic bread, and tossed salad with his mother’s homemade dressing.
While
dinner was cooking he shaved and showered. After toweling off, he sat on the
bed for several minutes trying to decide what to wear. He settled on his
tightest jeans, going commando, and a T-shirt that said I’m going to bottom you so hard. He laughed at what he imagined
Steve’s expression would be and then donned a sweatshirt to hide the T-shirt
until just the right time. After combing, brushing, and applying cologne, he
declared himself ready.
Just
as dinner had finished cooking, the doorbell rang. Right on time. Steve, my love, you have no idea how lucky you are going
to get tonight. He opened the door to admit Steve, pulling him into a
prolonged, tight hug. “You smell good. You feel so good in my arms,” he
whispered.
Separating
with a light brushing of the lips, Kenny said, “I hope you’re hungry. Dinner is
ready.”
Steve
handed him a bottle of wine. “I brought this as my contribution to the evening.
God, he gets hotter and hotter every time
I see him. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to hold out. I
really, really love him!
“Thanks,
baby. This should go great with the meal. Why don’t you have a seat at the
table while I dish everything up.”
Steve
couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the table: tablecloth, fine china, cloth
napkins, and cinnamon-scented candles everywhere. Damn. This is going to be a long
night. The scent of cinnamon always got him going. “It’s beautiful in here.
You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“It
was no trouble at all.” Kenny went into the kitchen and returned with a huge
bowl of salad. “Have a seat and dig in,” he said. While they were chatting and chowing
down on their salads, Kenny stretched and said, “You know, it’s getting warm in
here. I think I’m going to take this sweatshirt off.” He pulled it over his
head and Steve almost choked on a piece of cucumber. “What’s so funny?” Kenny
asked.
With
herculean effort, Steve finally got his laughter under control. Wiping tears
from his eyes, he managed to get out, “Your T-shirt. It’s hilarious.”
Kenny
grinned. “Time for the main course.”
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a basket of
wonderful-smelling garlic bread and two plates piled high with lasagna. Steve
practically yanked the plate out of Kenny’s hands. “Hungry, are we?”
“I
haven’t had lasagna in a long time. This smells awesome!”
Dinner
progressed as they talked about the powwow and their week.
“Do
you have to work tomorrow?” Kenny asked.
“No,
the recruiting office is closed on weekends. You?”
“Nah.
I just started my off-rotation, so we can stay up late and watch a couple of
movies before you have to leave. Or,” he waggled his eyebrows, “you can stay
over.”
Okay, he’s got
something up his sleeve besides his arm. First the romantic mood in the dining
room, the T-shirt, and now this. “Yeah, sure.
Let me help with the cleanup. What’s the movie lineup?” he said as he started
gathering up plates.
Picking
up the rest of the dishes, Kenny replied, “I thought we’d start out with Divergent and then follow up with Insurgent.”
“Cool.
I wasn’t able to catch Insurgent when
it was in the theaters. I heard it was an awesome movie. What’s Divergent? I hadn’t heard of that one.”
“Insurgent was an incredible movie. It’s
the stand-alone sequel to Divergent.”
“Stand-alone
sequel?” Steve asked as he finished loading the dishwasher with the dishes
Kenny was rinsing off.
“A
stand-alone sequel is what I call a sequel to a movie that you don’t need to
see in order to understand what’s happening in the sequel. It makes it that
much better if you do see the first movie, though.”
They
snuggled on the couch, wine glasses in hand, as they watched Divergent. “That was a great movie. I
really liked it,” Steve said.
“I’m
glad. It’s one of my favorites, right up there with Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar.”
In
a low, raspy voice, Steve replied, “I am Groot.” Kenny laughed so hard he
almost pissed his pants.
“Ready
for dessert before we watch the other movie?”
“Sure.”
Kenny went into the kitchen and came back with two bowls, handing one to Steve.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“If
you’re thinking it’s dirt cake, you’d be right.”
“AWESOME! I love dirt cake,” Steve
exclaimed.
“Well,
dig in. It’s not going to eat itself.” With dessert in hand, the two men
settled in to watch the second movie.
“Wow!
That was just as good, if not better than the first one. But, you know, I’m
glad I didn’t see it in the theater.” Steve turned to look at Kenny and,
cupping Kenny’s chin with his hand, gently turned his head so they were looking
at each other. “I’m glad I waited to enjoy it with you.”
Kenny
smiled. “Speaking of things we’ve waited to enjoy… I’d like to talk with you
about something serious. I’m so crazy about you I can’t think about anything
but you. I want you to make love to me tonight.”
Steve
tried not to stumble over his words. “I feel the same way, Kenny, but are you
sure this is what you want?” Steve hoped that the evening would end with the
two of them in bed, but a little voice in his head told him that he was taking
a big risk. Moving too fast could damage, if not destroy, their relationship.
“Yes,
I’m sure. I love you so much. You’re my entire world.”
With
no reason to hold back any longer, Steve leaned in and captured Kenny’s lips
between his, softly at first, and then with increasing passion. His tongue came
out and swiped the crease between Kenny’s lips—or started to. Before he got
more than halfway, Kenny’s mouth opened and he sucked Steve’s tongue inside.
Kenny
sucked hard on Steve’s tongue for a few minutes before moving on to explore Steve’s
mouth, at the same time allowing Steve to explore his. After a couple of
minutes, Steve broke the kiss and started nibbling on Kenny’s earlobe. Their
mutual arousal was becoming more evident by the minute. At last they broke
apart, sucking much-needed oxygen into their lungs.
Moving
to the bedroom, Steve started removing his clothes, but Kenny stopped him. “No,
I want to do it.” As he worked Steve’s already-unbuttoned shirt off his
shoulders, Kenny kissed a line from the right shoulder to the left; then kissed
a trail down to Steve’s pecs, taking the shirt along with him. He started teasing
first one hard nub and then the other, licking and sucking each one, making Steve
moan.
Having
removed Steve’s shirt, Kenny started kissing his way down to the first ridge of
muscle that comprised Steve’s firm six-pack. Running his tongue along the
grooves of Steve’s abs elicited louder moans. Continuing his journey south,
Kenny paused to give Steve’s bellybutton some attention, and then followed his
treasure trail down to his crotch.
“Hm.
Seems like I hit a barrier of some kind. Well, barriers are meant to be broken.”
Gripping Steve’s ass, Kenny used his teeth to undo Steve’s belt, unbutton his
jeans, and pull the zipper down.
“It
seems like you’ve done this before,” Steve observed, earning a sly wink.
Kenny
resumed his duties, slowly removing Steve’s jeans. He paused for a moment, eyes
widening, and mouthed Steve’s enormous erection through his tight boxer-briefs
before divesting Steve of the briefs and letting his erection bounce free.
Steve groaned when Kenny began lapping at the juices flowing from the tip. “Mmm,”
Kenny murmured. “You taste just as good as you did the other night. Yum!” Taking
the stiff rod in hand, he licked the head clean. “I can’t wait to get this
inside me!”
“Hold
on there, cowboy. My turn.” Steve pulled Kenny into an embrace and pulled his T-shirt
loose so he could run his hands up and down Kenny’s back. His hands moved lower
and lower, until they rested on Kenny’s ass. His middle finger followed the
seam down and between Kenny’s ass cheeks.
He
pulled off Kenny’s T-shirt and hugged him tight. At last, skin-on-skin contact. I’ve needed this so badly. Then Steve
resumed his explorations, practically duplicating Kenny’s. He nearly laughed
with surprised joy when he discovered Kenny wasn’t wearing any underwear.
Once
Steve got Kenny’s jeans off, Kenny pushed Steve down on the bed and removed the
last obstacle in their path, Steve’s briefs. Then he started mouthing his way
up the inside of one leg, across the sensitive skin beneath the sac, and then
back down the other leg.
On
the return journey, he stopped in the middle to nibble on the sensitive skin of
Steve’s ball sac before sucking first one and then the other orb into his
mouth, until Steve couldn’t contain wild moans of pleasure.
And
then Kenny really turned up the heat. Licking his way up the shaft, Kenny
pulled the head of Steve’s cock into his mouth to coax more love juices out and
then licked them off, gently tonguing the slit. Opening his throat, he swallowed
Steve all the way down to the root. Steve hissed when he felt his cock
swallowed completely. No one had ever been able to deep-throat his huge cock
until now.
Steve
was delirious from surfing the waves of pleasure as Kenny bobbed up and down,
each time swallowing him completely. After a while, Kenny pulled off, wrapped
his hand around the shaft and started jacking it. Steve was so far gone he
never felt the condom being rolled down his cock and lube applied. His eyes
flew open in surprise when he realized he was completely inside Kenny, who
started to buck up and down slowly, eyes closed and head thrown back.
What
little part of Steve’s mind remained able to think told him, I’ve fucked a lot of guys before, but it
never felt anything like this. He’s so tight and hot, I wish I could stay inside
him forever. He coated Kenny’s dick with lube and jacked him, closing his
eyes and enjoying the dual sensations.
His
eyes flew open a moment later when Kenny suddenly pulled off him. Before he
could ask what was wrong, Kenny rolled onto his back, lifting his legs in
invitation. Steve quickly knelt between his legs, applied more lube, and sank
deeply into him, alternating slow, deep thrusts with quick, short jabs.
Kenny
started running his hand up and down his length, twisting and squeezing. As the
pressure built, he stroked himself faster and faster.
Sensing
Kenny was getting close, Steve changed the angle of his thrusting to make sure
that as much of his cock rubbed across Kenny’s prostate as possible. The new sensation
drove Kenny past the point of no return. “STEVEEEE!”
he yelled, as he came so hard that volley after volley of cum soaked a path
from the wall, down the headboard, and all the way to his bellybutton, where
the last of his release pooled.
As
Kenny’s muscles quivered around Steve’s cock, Steve started feeling a tingling
in his toes. His thrusting became erratic as the tingling rose up his legs into
his nutsack, which pulled up tight and released a flood of cum,.
Steve
collapsed onto Kenny, both men trying to recover from their intense orgasms. It
took quite a while, but Steve finally softened and slipped out of Kenny’s
beautiful body. He went into the bathroom to give the condom a burial at sea,
and while he was taking a long-overdue piss he heard the shower turn on.
“After
you, my love.” Kenny smiled and held the shower curtain open. They both climbed
in and took turns gently washing each other, too exhausted for anything else
other than getting out and toweling themselves dry. As Steve was looking for
his clothes, Kenny sat on the bed and asked, “Stay with me tonight?”
He
lifted the covers to make sure Steve knew what he meant, and Steve was more
than willing. Kenny snuggled up to him, with his head on Steve’s shoulder and
one arm across his abdomen. “Thank you. Tonight was perfect.”
“Only
because it was you. Goodnight, Kenny.”
“Goodnight,
Steve.” Kenny squirmed a little before settling down, but soon was snoring
softly—with Steve not far behind.
“This
is a huge step. Are you sure about this?” She paused, not wanting to ask the
question. “Does he understand that you could die in the line of duty anytime?”
Tina asked.
“So
could he. Just because he’s no longer a combat Marine, it doesn’t mean he’s
safe. I’m willing to risk it. Having been with him for seven months is a pretty
good indication that he’s willing to risk it as well. I’ve never been with
anyone like him before. He makes me feel so alive, and he’s that half of me that
has been missing all these years.”
Tina
hugged him. “Then I wish you two all the happiness in the world.”
“Hey,
come on, my turn,” Jimmy said, and snatched Kenny up into a hug as soon as Tina
let him go. “If he hurts you he’ll have to answer to me, and he won’t like it.”
“Thanks,
guys. Your support means a lot to us.”
“He’s
a great guy. I don’t think you could have done better,” Jimmy said.
“I
totally agree.”
“Hey,
Sherry,” he replied to the receptionist. “Is he here?”
“From
the expression on your face and the rose in your hand, he’d better be.” she
commented. He should be in his office, or maybe the break room. I know he’s
here somewhere.”
“Thanks.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed down the hall toward Steve’s
office.
“Hey, Kenny. Steve’s
in his office.”
“Thanks,
George,” Kenny said to the Navy recruiter. “How are you and your family?”
“We’re
doing good, thanks for asking. I don’t think I need to ask how you and Steve
are doing. It’s written all over your face.” Kenny blushed, waved, and continued
heading toward Steve’s office, thinking, . It’s
great that so many of the other recruiters are so supportive of Steve and me.
And that prick of an Army recruiter can go pound sand.
“Is
that for me?” Steve asked, indicating the rose and standing to greet Kenny with
a hug and a kiss.
“Yep.
Listen, can you take a lunch break?”
“Sure.
Let me get my hat and we can head out.” The sight of Steve in his uniform
always made Kenny’s insides warm.
After
getting a couple of subs, they went and sat at a picnic table in a nearby park.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“I
wanted to talk with you about something,” Kenny began, nervously. “We’ve been
together for a little over seven months now, and it’s been the best time of my
life, thanks to you.” He paused, not knowing how to say what he wanted to say. “I
want us to move in together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
This... this just feels so right. I know we both work dangerous jobs, me in particular,
and there might be a time when one of us doesn’t come home, but...”
Steve
pressed his finger to Kenny’s lips, silencing him. “Shh. Don’t even think that
way. We’re both pros at what we do, and nothing bad is going to happen to us.
We won’t let it.” He spoke with such conviction that it settled Kenny’s nerves.
“Before I answer, there’s one condition that must be met.”
“What’s
that?”
“That
I move into your place instead of you moving into that shoebox I call an
apartment.”
“Then
your answer is yes?”
“Of
course.”
Kenny
practically pounced on Steve in his joy, the food all but forgotten. “When can
you move in?” he asked after kissing Steve so hard and so long they both almost
suffered oxygen deprivation.
“My
lease is up the end of next month, so that gives us plenty of time to get
everything settled.”
“By
everything you mean...” Kenny prompted.
“I
mean what furniture, dishes, appliances, et cetera we’ll be keeping and what we’ll
be selling or giving away.”
“Well,
I’ve already given the biggest thing I own away.”
“What’s
that?” Steve asked.
“My
heart.”
Steve
hugged him again. “That’s the most precious gift I’ve ever received.”
~The
end
