“We can’t do this, Chris,” Zach sighs, picking forlornly at his bagel.
Chris shuts his eyes for a moment and pinches the bridge of his nose. He’d hoped to avoid this conversation, perhaps through some kind of conveniently-placed black hole that would drop him off a week from Thursday when all of this is settled and he and Zach are fucking regularly, like they should be. It’s this transition that he’s not good at, compounded by the fact that they’re co-workers and Zach’s… well, whatever Zach’s thing is.
“We can do this,” he tries. “We’re two consenting adults who are attracted to each other. The timing’s… maybe a little weird, but we’re both mature enough to deal with that.”
“Okay, fine, I can’t do this,” Zach says, his eyes still fixed on his plate.
“Why not?”
“Fuck, Chris, you know. I’m a mess. You saw me last night.”
“Yeah, I did,” Chris says, fighting back the urge to grab Zach by the chin and make him look Chris in the eye. After their mutual little show the previous evening, they’d watched a movie pressed shoulder to shoulder and fallen asleep on the couch. Upon waking, Chris had let his hand slide slowly up Zach’s thigh, fully intending to relieve a still-sleeping Zach of his morning erection… only to be unceremoniously dumped off the couch as Zach awoke flailing. “Look, Zach, obviously there are issues—”
“My issues,” Zach says forcefully. “Haven’t you wondered why no one’s ever seen me come before? I’m never with anyone long enough for them to even notice. And I’m guessing you’re not just asking for the occasional jerk-off session.”
“Just to be clear, is that the problem?”
“Of course it’s the fucking problem.”
“Yeah, but, I mean, it’s not that we’re co-workers or friends or that you aren’t attracted to me.”
“What, a lifetime of sexual dysfunction isn’t enough for you?”
“We did okay last night,” Chris says softly.
“Last night wasn’t a date or a relationship. Last night was a… a masturbatory anomaly, nothing else.”
Maybe that should sting, but Chris knows Zach well enough to know when he’s lying to himself. “Hey, that was a big deal for you, I know that. Don’t pretend like it wasn’t.”
When Zach finally does meet Chris’ eyes, he looks so vulnerable it’s as though he’s been ripped open. “I don’t know if I can give you more than that.”
“Here’s the thing,” Chris says, reaching across the table to place his hand over Zach’s. “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked you for more. So I’m asking.”
“Chris, no.”
Chris slides to the floor and goes to kneel by Zach’s chair.
Zach turns to him, face twisted with anguish. “I can’t.”
Chris sets his hands lightly on Zach’s thighs. “Please, baby.”
Once again, the pet name makes him shiver. “What do you want from me?”
“To touch you. To make you feel good. To see your beautiful face every time you come.” Zach doesn’t turn away, so Chris begins to rub his thumbs against the muscles in Zach’s legs. “And to take you out, so we don’t have to eat half-stale bagels because that’s all I’ve got in the fridge. To be the first one you call when you see a ridiculous spelling mistake on a store sign. To be the last thing you think of before you fall asleep.”
Zach’s mouth quirks up in a small smile. “You’ve got most of those things already.”
“It’s a good start. And if having more takes time, then it takes time,” Chris agrees. “But there’s something else I want right now.”
“What?”
“I want to suck your cock until you can’t help but say my name when you come.”
Zach reaches out for Chris with a slightly trembling hand and allows Chris to lavish it with kisses and soft, playful bites. When Zach’s other hand comes down to unzip his jeans, Chris knows they’re well on their way to something more.
Your Turn, the day after, PG-13
Chris shuts his eyes for a moment and pinches the bridge of his nose. He’d hoped to avoid this conversation, perhaps through some kind of conveniently-placed black hole that would drop him off a week from Thursday when all of this is settled and he and Zach are fucking regularly, like they should be. It’s this transition that he’s not good at, compounded by the fact that they’re co-workers and Zach’s… well, whatever Zach’s thing is.
“We can do this,” he tries. “We’re two consenting adults who are attracted to each other. The timing’s… maybe a little weird, but we’re both mature enough to deal with that.”
“Okay, fine, I can’t do this,” Zach says, his eyes still fixed on his plate.
“Why not?”
“Fuck, Chris, you know. I’m a mess. You saw me last night.”
“Yeah, I did,” Chris says, fighting back the urge to grab Zach by the chin and make him look Chris in the eye. After their mutual little show the previous evening, they’d watched a movie pressed shoulder to shoulder and fallen asleep on the couch. Upon waking, Chris had let his hand slide slowly up Zach’s thigh, fully intending to relieve a still-sleeping Zach of his morning erection… only to be unceremoniously dumped off the couch as Zach awoke flailing. “Look, Zach, obviously there are issues—”
“My issues,” Zach says forcefully. “Haven’t you wondered why no one’s ever seen me come before? I’m never with anyone long enough for them to even notice. And I’m guessing you’re not just asking for the occasional jerk-off session.”
“Just to be clear, is that the problem?”
“Of course it’s the fucking problem.”
“Yeah, but, I mean, it’s not that we’re co-workers or friends or that you aren’t attracted to me.”
“What, a lifetime of sexual dysfunction isn’t enough for you?”
“We did okay last night,” Chris says softly.
“Last night wasn’t a date or a relationship. Last night was a… a masturbatory anomaly, nothing else.”
Maybe that should sting, but Chris knows Zach well enough to know when he’s lying to himself. “Hey, that was a big deal for you, I know that. Don’t pretend like it wasn’t.”
When Zach finally does meet Chris’ eyes, he looks so vulnerable it’s as though he’s been ripped open. “I don’t know if I can give you more than that.”
“Here’s the thing,” Chris says, reaching across the table to place his hand over Zach’s. “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked you for more. So I’m asking.”
“Chris, no.”
Chris slides to the floor and goes to kneel by Zach’s chair.
Zach turns to him, face twisted with anguish. “I can’t.”
Chris sets his hands lightly on Zach’s thighs. “Please, baby.”
Once again, the pet name makes him shiver. “What do you want from me?”
“To touch you. To make you feel good. To see your beautiful face every time you come.” Zach doesn’t turn away, so Chris begins to rub his thumbs against the muscles in Zach’s legs. “And to take you out, so we don’t have to eat half-stale bagels because that’s all I’ve got in the fridge. To be the first one you call when you see a ridiculous spelling mistake on a store sign. To be the last thing you think of before you fall asleep.”
Zach’s mouth quirks up in a small smile. “You’ve got most of those things already.”
“It’s a good start. And if having more takes time, then it takes time,” Chris agrees. “But there’s something else I want right now.”
“What?”
“I want to suck your cock until you can’t help but say my name when you come.”
Zach reaches out for Chris with a slightly trembling hand and allows Chris to lavish it with kisses and soft, playful bites. When Zach’s other hand comes down to unzip his jeans, Chris knows they’re well on their way to something more.