It was the afternoon sun cascading through the bedroom window that stirred Andy to
consciousness. He yawned and tried to turn over, only to find himself wrapped in a
lover's embrace. A faint smile crossed his lips as Andy slowly freed himself. Finally, he
rolled over and gazed at the person beside him.
Terry slept soundly. His face was serene; free of the pensiveness that habitually occupied
his features. His hair had come loose and was spread over the pillow in a mass of golden
tendrils. Andy reached over to brush away a lock that had fallen across his cheek.
Terry's lids fluttered briefly before opening to a pair of crystal blue eyes. He shifted
slightly and smiled.
"Hey there."
"Hey yourself." Andy sat up and stretched a bit. He noted the stiffness in his lower back
with mild amusement. "Bully," he muttered.
"What?"
"Hungry?"
Terry narrowed his eyes. "For what?" he asked impishly.
"Food, you jerk." Andy reached behind him, picking up a pair of briefs that had been
hastily tossed aside. He slipped into these under the sheets before standing up.
Stretching away the last of his stiffness, Andy walked over to a chair and grabbed a robe
and a towel hanging on the back. He turned and tossed the towel to Terry, who caught it
easily.
"You know where the shower is, right? Help yourself to whatever's in there. I'll go see
what's in the kitchen."
Terry sat up, arms above his head, yawning. "You cook?"
Andy nodded, "If you ever tasted Mai's cuisine, you'd cook too." He put the robe on and
headed for the door, grinning as Terry chuckled behind him.
In the living room, Andy noticed the papers on the floor. He considered picking them up,
but decided against it and went into the kitchen. He just didn't want to have to think
about that right now. He carefully checked the kitchen cabinets before making up his
mind. Gathering everything together, he set himself to the task at hand.
Terry took his time in the shower. The steaming hot water washed over him, rinsing
away the morning's exertions. He couldn't help smiling as his mind returned to their
shared intimacy hours before.
*I didn't think he could be so…responsive.* Terry grabbed a bottle of shampoo and
began washing his hair, mentally revisiting the last twenty-four hours. *He seems okay
for the moment. I guess the question now is where do we stand with each other.* Terry
rinsed off and stepped out of the shower, groping for a towel. He cursed softly until his
fingers found the desired object. *One thing's for sure, we're going to have to deal with
this 'family' problem.* Terry dried off his hair. Looking around he spied a terry cloth
bathrobe on the door. He put it on, tying it securely. With one last shake of his hair,
Terry left the bathroom in search of Andy.
He found Andy in the kitchen, dicing what appeared to have been an onion. He was so
engrossed in the job that he didn't hear Terry sneak up behind him.
"I think it's dead."
"AAAHHH!" Andy spun around, instantly changing his grip on the knife. Terry jumped
back, narrowly avoiding a nasty cut. It took Andy a second to realize who had
interrupted on him. He immediately dropped the knife, and glowered at Terry.
"Don't EVER sneak up on me like that! Especially when I've got a potential weapon in
my hand. I could have hurt you, you idiot!" Andy was seething, more at his lack of
control than at the disruption itself.
Terry grinned, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "At least your reflexes are still
good."
Andy glared at him a few moments. He picked up the knife and went to the sink to wash
it off. Terry's humor was lost on him. He went back to the cutting board, attempting to
ignore Terry. It didn't work.
He felt Terry's arms sliding round his waist. Andy stopped chopping when he felt a small
kiss to the back of his neck. He sighed as his anger melted away. Terry's breath was
warm alongside his ear.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't know you were so involved with killing
that onion." Terry couldn't hide some of the humor in his voice.
"It's not funny. What if I had hurt you?"
"Then it would mean I need to go back to training." Terry decided to change the subject.
"What are you making?"
"I was making spaghetti, until I was rudely interrupted."
"Need any help?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Why don't you get dress."
"Funny, clothing seemed optional a few hours ago." Terry jumped back again, this time
avoiding a deliberate swipe. "All right, I get the picture." Terry smiled, beating a hasty
retreat.
Andy finished chopping the vegetables and mixed them in the sauce. Since the pasta and
sauce would take a few minutes to cook, he decided a break was in order. He went into
the living, his gaze resting on the papers in the middle of the floor. He steeled himself
before bending down to pick them up. Andy placed the papers on the table, making sure
to avoid reading any of them. He still didn't want to think about what the papers meant.
"You're going to have to deal with it eventually, you know."
Andy looked up and saw Terry standing over him, eyes full of compassion. Taking a
shaky breath, Andy closed his own eyes momentarily. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"I know I'll have to deal with it sooner or later. I just rather it be later." Andy opened his
eyes, pain emanating from his heart. "These papers say everything we know is a lie.
That's a lot to cope with, and I don't have the energy to face it right now. I will deal with
it, just not right now, okay?"
Terry watched him as he spoke. Without warning, he grabbed Andy by the arm and
pulled him close, hugging him tightly. Andy struggled with himself, trying to keep the
rising sobs at bay. Losing the battle, he sagged against Terry, too weary to notice the
tears falling down his face. Terry held him until some of the grief passed. Guiding him
to a nearby chair, Terry sat him down as Andy tried to collect himself. He waited until
Andy was calm before speaking.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed it. It's just…I was afraid you'd try and pretend none
of it happened, or it was just a mistake. I thought you'd try and go back to the way things
were, but I don't want that, not now. I just found you Andy. I don't want to lose you
again. "
Andy looked at him, confusion clear on his face. "What are you trying to say?"
Terry sighed. He got up and started pacing, searching for the words he needed. He
stopped directly in front of Andy. Kneeling down, he held Andy's chin, forcing him to
look directly into Terry's eyes. Terry chose his words carefully, saying a silent prayer
before he spoke.
"I know you're worried about this 'family' problem and that's why you're so upset, right?"
Andy nodded, still confused. "Well, considering what happened between us, it's safe to
say that the problem goes a lot deeper than who's related to who." Terry stopped, hoping
he made more sense to Andy than he did to himself. "We have to talk about it, all of it.
Especially you and me."
Andy was still in the dark. "You and me?"
"Yes. Andy, I…I have feelings for you. I've had them for awhile but I never did anything
about them because I thought we were brothers." He paused and glanced at the papers.
"But now we know that we're not brothers, and I know you feel the same way I do."
Andy looked at him as understanding finally came to him. He thought about what Terry
had said and his face went crimson. "Is it that obvious?"
Terry frowned, "I was there too, you know. As I recall, you yelled at me about not
running away when you felt the same way I felt." He held Andy's chin firmly as a distant
hunger crept into his eyes. "I also remember what we did after that. I can still see you
reaching out to me. I can still hear you moaning and crying beneath me. I can still feel
you, throbbing around me as I entered you." Terry's voice fell to a whisper, each word
dripping with passion and lust. "You told me how much you wanted me, needed me.
You yelled, begging me to take you, pleading with me to let you come. And when you
did, you screamed, you body shaking as I buried myself inside you. You were afraid that I
would stop, yet terrified if I didn't. I still have the bruises were you grabbed me, too
scared to let go. You whispered that no one had ever made you feel like that, and you
asked me to stay. This is the memory I have Andy, am I wrong?" Terry leaned forward,
his lips were less than an inch away from Andy's. "Tell me Andy, that is what
happened isn't it?"
Andy shivered at the intensity reflected in Terry's eyes. Fear and hope grew as he felt
himself drawn into the depths of Terry's passionate desires. He opened his mouth to
speak, but found he couldn't form the words. His senses went haywire as he felt the heat
radiating between them. Andy closed his eyes, trying once more to give voice to the
answer Terry waited for. This time he succeeded, though the words were barely audible.
"Yes, that's what happened."
A strange tension filled the room. Both were silent as they attempted to reign in their
incredibly powerful emotions. After a few minutes, Terry continued.
"Andy, I don't want to push you, but I have to know. There's too much at stake to try and
deal with it later. Everything else can wait, but I have to know this right now." Terry's
eyes hardened, becoming unreadable. "Andy, since we are not brothers, what are we
now?"
Andy's breath caught. He wanted to run, hide, scream, whatever. He didn't want to face
anything that made him admit how he felt. He wasn't a coward; he has gone up against
some of the most deadly fighters without blinking. He fought Terry, who had beaten a
god, and not backed down. Andy wasn't afraid of fighting.
*Then what are you afraid of?* Andy yelled inside his mind. *How many times have
you dreamed of telling him how you felt? You say you're not a coward, prove it! Tell
him how you feel! You have your chance, what are you afraid of?*
Andy swallowed hard. A battled raged within him. He searched inside himself for some
inner sign. He went through all his memories, all his emotions. He probed his soul,
looking for some guidance, some clue to help him. Finally, his mind stopped at a
commercial from a year back.
*Just do it.*
Andy finally decided. He couldn't tell him what they were, but he would tell him how he
felt.
*I only pray it's enough.* Squaring his shoulders, Andy looked Terry in the eye and said
three words.
"I love you."
Terry let go of Andy's chin. His hand reached out, cupping the back of Andy's neck.
Pulling him closer, Terry kissed him, his tongue parting Andy's lips. Andy didn't resist as
he felt Terry pour him soul into the kiss. Love, passion, desire, and lust merged and
formed, exploding across their senses. They clung to each other, never wanting to let the
other go…
…until the phone rang.
They broke the embrace, quickly returning to reality. Without a word, Terry went to
answer the phone as Andy went back into the kitchen. He listened carefully as Terry
began to speak.
"Hello?"
"Hi Terry, its Mai."
"You're calling to check on Andy I take it."
"Is he all right? Has he woken up yet?"
"Not yet. You know how upset he was."
"Will he be all right? Maybe I should come over."
Terry's mind went into overdrive. "That's not a good idea. No telling what he'll be like
when he wakes up. What if he goes off in a blind rage? If you come over and something
happened to you, he'd never forgive himself. Knowing Andy, he'd probably do something
stupid. Do you want to take that chance?"
"I can take care of myself Terry."
"I know that Mai. But can Andy handle it?"
Pause. "You'll call me when he wakes up, right?"
*Thank god she bought it.* Terry sighed, "Of course I will, Mai. I told you I would."
"Okay. Take care of him Terry. I'll talk to you later." Mai hung up.
Andy stood in the kitchen doorway. "Was that Mai?"
"Yeah. She threatened to come over, but I managed to talk her out of it."
Andy shrugged, changing the subject. "The spaghetti's almost ready, but I don't have any
garlic bread. Could you go to the store and get some?"
"No problem." Terry grabbed his hat, heading for the door. He stopped, turning to look
at Andy. "Don't worry Andy. We'll work through this. Trust me."
"I've always trusted you. That will never change."
Terry flash a dazzling smile, then ran out the door. Andy went back into the kitchen. He
tried to concentrate on the food, but his mind kept wandering, coming back again and
again to the new problem before them.