#mcyorke

Tom’s eyes opened and glanced around the room. The bright sunlight seeping in through the windows hurt his head, and he wished desperately that he could have slept longer. Maybe if he rolled over, he would be able to fall back asleep.

He had just settled in to a comfortable position when he heard a rustle from the other side of the bed. An arm flung itself across his body. He sat bolt upright in a panic. Lying next to him was a sleeping Hal, a look of contentment serenely displayed on his face. Tom had the desperate urge to reach out and stroke his cheek, to feel the warm skin there, to touch something so vulnerable. 

He quickly shook his head at such a ludicrous thought and pulled back the covers. The vampire did not stir as Tom disentangled himself and got out of bed, sneaking out of the room and back to his own. 

The events of the previous night came flooding back to Tom’s mind. They had gone out for a pint, and one pint had turned into two, then five, then a round of tequila shots at the bar. He supposed there had been more alcohol involved at some point, but he couldn’t quite remember. The last thing he recalled was stumbling back to Honolulu Heights with his arm around Hal’s shoulder for support. And then somehow they had ended up in bed together. 

He imagined that they hadn’t done anything beyond just going to sleep. Tom had pretty much blacked out as soon as he left the bar; he couldn’t fathom that he would have been coherent enough to…

Tom shook the thought away angrily. Why would he think such things? Why would he think that he and Hal were anything more than friends? And why did he have this tiny voice in the back of his head telling him he was disappointed that he’d been too drunk to appreciate sleeping next to Hal?

He got ready for work, took several aspirin, and left the house with the hope that the cafe would take his mind off things.

The vampire didn’t come in for work that day. He hoped that Tom would understand. He was simply too hungover, too…embarrassed, he supposed. 

He had woken up in an empty bed, just like always, but he knew from the crinkled sheets that someone else had been beside him. And he knew that it had been the werewolf. Hal cursed himself silently, wondering how he could have ever been so stupid. He blamed it on all the alcohol, swearing he would never drink again. He knew it was a lie, but he told himself he wouldn’t anyway. 

Instead of going in to the cafe, he went down to the beach and sat on an outcropping of rocks for quite some time, trying to collect his thoughts. What had happened last night? What on earth would move him to invite Tom into his bed? He felt disgusted, confused.

He had been trying to hold back his feeling for Tom for several months now. The werewolf was the most remarkable person he’d ever met, one of the greatest friends he would ever have. Hal was astounded that someone like Tom could even exist, let alone that he would get the chance to meet him. It had taken five hundred years to find someone like him.

Yet even realizing this made Hal feel sick. Dogs and blood-suckers were sworn enemies, born and raised to hate each other. Loving Tom went against everything Hal had ever been taught. 

He slowly stripped down to his boxers and waded into the freezing water. He felt the need to wash away everything that had happened last night. He wanted to rid himself of the dirty feeling that was crawling on his skin. Loving a dog, despicable.

The vampire could just imagine what the other Old Ones would say. They would probably take Tom away, make an example of him, mock Hal and kill them both. He knew now that he had been beyond stupid for letting his drunkenness take over.

Still, he felt a little flutter in his chest, almost like a heartbeat because he had finally admitted to himself that he loved Tom. He had never been able to own up to it fully until now. Not until he had woken up realizing that Tom had slept beside him, and that he didn’t want to wake up any other way again. 

Now that he had admitted it, he could keep that feeling and sit with it for a while, acknowledge that it was there, and then hopefully move on. It wouldn’t be some secret that he was trying to keep from himself, he wouldn’t have to keep making up excuses as to why his stomach dropped when their hands brushed on accident or when Tom walked by in nothing but a towel after a shower. He could be brave now and say it to himself. And then he could let it go.

He got out of the water, shivering, still feeling a bit dirty. He sat down in the sand until he dried off, then put his clothes back on and walked back to the house. Tom wouldn’t be back for another few hours, and by then, Hal would be holed up in his room for the night.

He went straight to his room and removed all his clothes except his boxers, grabbing a fresh towel from the linen closet and heading down the hall to the bathroom. 

He opened the door to find the shower running and the room full of steam. Tom was standing in the shower, his back to him. The werewolf jumped as Hal startled him, turning to face him and desperately trying to cover himself with his hands. 

Hal couldn’t stop staring. He wanted to stop, desperately, every neuron in his brain was screaming at him to stop raking his eyes over Tom’s body. But he was losing his self control, his dominoes were starting to fall all at once. 

“Wh-what are you doing here so early?”

“I threw up on the floor,” Tom said. “Decided I’d close up early.”

Hal nodded, his throat going dry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alrigh’.” He seemed unfazed to have Hal staring at him like this.

“Oh…okay. Uh, sorry then.” Hal turned and pulled the door closed behind him in a panic. He was halfway back to his room before he turned around. 

Every molecule of resolve had left him now, and he couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to. He didn’t want to. He marched back to the bathroom and burst in. Tom was surprised again, probably even more startled by the hungry look in Hal’s eyes. 

Hal didn’t waste time, he didn’t take off his boxers before stepping in the shower. He knew that doing so would only frighten Tom, and it would create enough time for either of them to back out of it and say no. So Hal got into the shower, boxers and all, and pressed Tom against the cold tile of the wall.

The vampire caught Tom’s lower lip between his and kissed him hard. His hands wound around the werewolf’s neck to bring him closer. Hal was rough, nipping at the younger man’s lip and pressing his hips against him, eliciting a small whimper of approval. 

Tom pulled back, resting his forehead against Hal’s. His hands were still covering himself, shy and embarrassed. “Hal,” he breathed. The vampire couldn’t tell if it was a plea for more or if he was scared.

Hal slowly brought his lips back to Tom’s, kissing him gently this time, just once. When he pulled back, he searched the boy’s eyes for an answer. Was this okay? Did I do something wrong? Should we keep going or stop?

Tom’s heart was pounding, Hal could hear it. The werewolf inhaled sharply and then was suddenly shoving him backwards, pinning him against the glass wall of the shower. Tom kissed him hungrily, roughly, water streaming into their open mouths as his tongue explored the inside of Hal’s mouth. His hand moved from where he’d been covering himself to pin Hal’s left arm above his head while snaking the other around the man’s waist.

Their heart rates increased exponentially, both of their breathing coming out in short huffs with the occasional small grunt or growl. Tom’s erection was digging into Hal’s hip. He kissed along the werewolf’s tight jaw, trailing down his neck, snaking kisses along his collarbone. Tom released the hand pinned above his head and Hal moved it to the small of his back, then lower, feeling how the warm flesh there filled his hand.

Neither of them were sure they were ready to make the first move, or exactly how far they would go. Tom’s fingers played with the waistband of Hal’s boxers but hadn’t yet dipped below. He took Hal’s chin in his hand and brought their lips together once again.

The vampire felt strange to be caught between Tom and the wall, to be so vulnerable, to be in a somewhat submissive position. But it felt right; he had already given up control just coming in here, he might as well do it thoroughly. He let Tom do whatever he wanted, letting his tongue run along his teeth and his nails to run down the flesh of his back. When Tom wrapped his fingers up in his hair and gave it a sharp pull, Hal’s knees buckled and he knew it had to be now.

He wanted Tom desperately. He pulled down his boxers and tossed them to the floor of the shower. The werewolf slowed his kissing as if he might protest and Hal felt his heart sink a bit. He knew he had gone too far, he had scared Tom off. 

Tom kissed him cautiously, his left hand gliding along his waist, over his hip. Hal felt a set of long fingers glide once over the length of his erection, disappearing momentarily before coming back stronger and giving it a hard tug.

He thought he was going to lose his mind. He thought a million things at once- that this was wrong, that this was everything he wanted, that he wasn’t going to last long. He pushed Tom back against the opposite wall so that he was the one in control again. He greedily nipped at the skin of his neck as he wrapped his fingers along Tom’s length and began pumping slowly. 

Tom pulled at Hal’s hair again, his breath hot and strained against Hal’s ear. They started stroking each other in rhythm, cautiously at first since neither of them really knew what they were doing. But they listened to each other’s moans, reacting accordingly. 

Soon, Tom was breathlessly whispering, “Faster, don’t stop. Please,” in Hal’s ear, his breath hoarse and desperate. Hal obliged him, pumping faster as Tom’s breathing hitched. He could feel himself getting close too.

Tom’s fingers dug into Hal’s hip so hard that it made him cry out. But Tom was too busy moaning loudly, his head thrown back. He came hard, his hips bucking as he practically collapsed against Hal’s shoulder in a mess of pants and groans. 

He tried to collect himself quickly so that he could finish Hal. He kissed him deeply, his tongue swiping against the vampire’s before pulling back slightly to bite down on his lower lip. Hal groaned loudly as Tom continued to stroke him. “So close,” he panted. 

Tom quickened his pace, pulling harder and faster until Hal reached his climax, shouting the werewolf’s name and swearing loudly.