Part Thirteen

‘…I dreamed I saw the bombers…’

‘How can I not?’ Daniel replied simply, lowering his eyes, unwilling to see the pain that filled Darren’s.

‘Quite easily.’ Darren got up from the chair and came over to sit beside Daniel.

‘Doze, please don’t make it any harder than it already is.’

‘Daniel, don’t do this, I beg of you. Please?’

‘Darren.’ Daniel made to pull him down to him but Darren resisted. ‘You hate me don’t you?’ he asked sadly, throwing back the covers and getting up. ‘I’m so sorry that I don’t live up to your expectations.’

‘Daniel,’ Darren clambered off the bed and grabbed Daniel’s hands in his. ‘I don’t hate you. I could never hate you, I just thought…Oh Daniel what am I going to so without you. You mean everything to me.’

‘Write?’ Daniel suggested, half laughing in an effort to lighten the mood. He had known that Darren wouldn’t take too kindly to his decision and truth be told if pressed on the subject he didn’t know entirely why he had decided to do but something deep inside him told him that it was the right thing to do. He wasn’t like Darren, he couldn’t just ignore it and embark on a life of running. He couldn’t go to Canada like Josh, he would go to Vietnam and fight and hopefully he would come home again.

Looking deep into Darren’s eyes he whispered. ‘Hold me, just hold me Darren.’

Willingly Darren obliged and for a long time they just stood there, the morning sun making it’s way through the drawn curtains, casting it’s soft glow on the room and the figures embracing, clinging to each other like drowning men to a lifeboat.

Silently Darren snaked a hand down between them, started massaging Daniel through his pyjamas, Daniel groaning quietly when his body responded, moving his head to lay it on Darren’s shoulder.

Wordlessly Darren took him by the hand and led him back to the bed.

‘Will you let me do something for you my love?’

Daniel nodded and let himself be laid down, let Darren remove his thin cotton clothing, let him part his legs, closed his eyes and let him kiss his way down his chest, lower and lower. It was only when he felt Darren’s lips on his cock that he came to his senses, opened his eyes and pushed his head gently aside.

‘You don’t have to.’

‘I want to.’ Darren rose up and sweetly kissed him. Daniel drowning in his embrace.

Slowly Darren worked his way back down, tender kisses to every part of his body, his stomach, his inner thighs and finally once more to the sensitive tip of his arousal.

‘Please?’ he whispered, his body on fire but strangely relaxed by Darren’s ministrations.

In reply Darren flicked out his tongue and delicately licked his way up the length of his shaft. Daniel whimpered as he felt Darren’s hot mouth on him. No-one had ever done this to him before and the sensation blew him away.

Darren was being gentle but pretty soon Daniel was finding himself bucking up, encouraging him to take him deeper, to consume him, to become part of him.

Darren's hands were firm on his hips, holding him down. 'Slowly my love, slowly.'

Daniel nodded, forcing himself to calm down, to remain passive and let Darren work his magic.

And what a magic it was.

Alternating between licking and sucking Darren let Daniel's cock glide in and out of his mouth. His warm, moist, welcoming mouth.

Glancing down Daniel thought that he had never seen anything so erotic in his whole life. At one point Darren took him so deep that his face was pushed into Daniel's pubic area, the feeling of Darren's cheeks against his coarse hair arousing Daniel further than he had believed was possible.

Reaching for the hands that still held his hips Daniel entwined his fingers with Darren's own, squeezing, stroking, playing, gripping harder as he felt his whole body tense and then with a small shudder relax. Smiling he brought their joined hands upwards, Darren coming with them.

'Thank you.' He whispered, his hands releasing Darren's so that he could cradle his face and bring it down for a kiss.

'You're welcome.' Darren smoothed back a stray lock of Daniel's hair.

Daniel was unsure what to say next, unwilling to break the protective spell that Darren had woven around them. Here, in each others arms, they were safe, nothing could intrude. No bigotry, no hatred and definitely no war.

Eventually it was Darren who spoke first.

'Much as I hate to say it we really should get moving or we are going to be late meeting the others.' There was a big peace march going on today and true to form Darren was determined to be present. He hesitated and looked cautiously up at Dan's eyes. 'Are you still coming with me?'

Daniel nodded. 'Yes, if you still want me to, if you don't mind being seen out with a hypocrite.' He cringed as he saw the hurt come flooding back into Darren's face.

'You're not a hypocrite,' Darren told him softly, his fingers tracing over Daniel's lips, 'you just need to do what you feel is right.'

'Your friends aren't going to see it like that and I'm surprised that you do.'

Darren gently lowered his lips to Daniel's murmuring against them, 'All I see is you, and much as I don't want you to go I also know that I can't stop you. The only one who can make that decision is you.'

Daniel shifted his head a little, for the moment more interested in Darren's change of heart than allowing him to kiss him. 'You've changed your tune.'

'I still think you're wrong but if your mind is made up then I don't want to spend what precious time we have left arguing with you,' he titled his head and smiled, 'now are you going to let me kiss you or not?'