All characters are 18+, and this is a work of fiction.
Brief summary: After over a decade of friendship, Gabe and Benji moved in together, and they quickly realized there was more there to explore… And maybe it was there all along. Now the boys need to tell Benji’s family.
——————
To my dismay, Benji seemed to retreat into himself over the next few weeks. The hottest, haziest days of summer were starting to set in, and I noticed he hadn’t watched any basketball. From work, I knew that the NBA finals had happened, but Benji barely even turned the TV on at home. I even invited him to come watch a game at Coral’s, but he declined, saying he was eager to just get home.
He was still fairly talkative, still goofy and funny, and he even retained much of his newfound romantic nature. But he stopped walking around nude, and the sex, while still great when it happened, had all but stopped, and Benji was going to bed earlier and earlier. And yet, every time I would up in the middle of the night and roll over, he was already awake, just staring at the ceiling through the darkness.
I tried not to worry too much, but I noticed he was eating less, too. But every time I tried to say something, he’d deflect or make a joke, suddenly all smiles. This was how Benji acted when he was upset, and I figured it had something to do with his apprehensions about coming out to his family.
I didn’t want to press it, but this was my best friend, my roommate, my romantic and sexual partner. So one day, about two weeks after I came out to my parents, I sat Benji down after he had barely picked at his dinner.
“Benj,” I said, sitting cross-legged on his futon, facing him, “I’m worried about you, dude. You’re hardly eating or sleeping, and apart from work, it feels like you’re just a zombie. What’s going on?”
He just took a deep breath through his nose, a sullen expression tattooed on his face.
“I don’t know, dude,” he finally said. His voice was almost a whisper, like he was trying to fight through something just to speak.
“Does it have to do with telling your parents?” Bluntness typically served our deep conversations well, and if my favorite person was going to be in pain like this, I needed to know the truth instead of just speculating.
“Of course it does, Gabe. I’m fucking terrified, and every time I think about calling my parents or driving over there, I just chicken out. I’m being a bitch about all of this, I know, but fuck, man.” He buried his face in his hands. “Did you know my mom still texts me every Sunday asking if I’m coming to church? Every Sunday.”
Again, I felt like something inside me was breaking as I watched the love of my life hurting because of something neither of us could control.
“And what’s worse,” he mumbled through his fingers, “is the fact that maybe we could’ve been together sooner if I hadn’t been so afraid.”
“What do you mean, Benj?”
“Oh, come on, Gabe… You’re telling me you never felt anything before we moved in here?” He finally looked up at me again as though he were begging on his knees.
I thought for a moment. “I guess I probably did, but I was scared, too. I don’t know… I didn’t let myself feel that kind of thing.”
“And maybe if I’d just fucking kissed you like I wanted to, you would’ve realized. That’s all I’m saying. And I hate that this beautiful love that I feel inside is seen as morally reprehensible by the same people my parents sit with at church.” He grabbed my hands. “Gabe, what if they hurt me? Like, I’ve kind of accepted that they might disown me. But like, what if it gets scary?”
I wanted to say that would never happen. I wanted to say that his parents would be nothing but loving and supportive and accepting. But I didn’t know that for sure. They always treated me well, and I know what people said about me growing up. And while I had to go to church with them on Sundays if I stayed over on a Saturday night, I never felt as though they pushed their beliefs.
“Benj, let’s be realistic,” I said softly. “Neither of your parents will hurt you. Your mother is too passive, and your dad never regained his strength after his heart surgery. I know that’s blunt to say, but it’s true. Even if they threaten you, they won’t lay a hand on you. If they do, I’ll be there in 30 seconds breaking down the door.”
“I know that’s a stupid thing to worry about,” he muttered.
“It isn’t, unfortunately. It’s a reality for a lot of people. But I’m confident in saying that your folks wouldn’t do anything like that. But let’s say they do ‘disown’ you. I understand that that’s… devastating.” I swallowed hard. ‘Devastating’ didn’t even begin to cover it. “But I need you to remember that family is more than blood. You’ll always have me. You’ll always have my family. And I know Leesh is in your corner.”
I heard his breath catch a bit, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“But why can’t my parents just love me like they’re supposed to?” A tear fell from one eye, and he pulled his hands from mine to wipe it away.
He’s going to kill himself with worry, I realized. He just needs to do it.
“They do love you. You don’t know that they’re going to freak out or anything. I know why you’re worried about that, and I get it. I really do, Benji, but you’re making yourself sick the longer you put this off.” I tried not to be too blunt when I said it. And perhaps I was being selfish and wanting my own anxiety eased.
“I know that, dude. That’s the thing. It’s like I’m frozen…”
—
Suddenly I flashed back to a time when I was on vacation with Benji’s family. We were at an outdoor water park, and it was crowded beyond belief, and Leesh was ‘over it,’ so we were about to leave. Benji and I had begged and begged to go down the big water slide just once, and his family eventually gave in.
So Benji and I climbed what felt like a dozen flights of stairs, dripping wet with the runoff from other patrons excitedly ascending before us. Once we got to the top, Benji insisted I go first. There was still a line, and there was a blue slide that dipped straight down at what appeared to be a 90-degree angle. The neon orange slide next to it had a small dip at first, followed by a similarly steep drop-off. Benji and I got in the line for the orange one, and it was soon my turn.
I remembered looking down, spitting his family, seeing how small they looked. Looking back at Benji, I had grinned, saying, “See ya down there!”
Knowing his family was waiting for us, I zoomed right down the slide—it felt like my back had been run over a cheese grater, but that was probably due to the sunburn that later developed—and I walked over to greet them, staring up at the top of the slides. Squinting from the sun, I could see Benji, thin as a rail, standing at the top, hands on the bar waiting to go.
But the slide was clear. I could tell the lifeguard on duty was encouraging him, but Benji remained unmoving.
“Ugh,” Leesh had lamented. “That little twerp is afraid of heights, isn’t he?”
“He didn’t seem to be,” was my reply.
“Sometimes, I think that boy just needs a little push,” his dad said, a towel slung over both shoulders. He wore a red visor and big sunglasses. “Not necessarily a literal shove, but some encouragement. He gets in his head a lot, doesn’t he?”
In that moment, I had been surprised by his dad’s thoughtfulness.
“Well, he better get down here one way or another,” groaned Leesh, stomping her flip-flop-clad foot on the ground.
“I know what to do,” I said. And without a second thought, I had charged back up the seemingly endless stairs as fast as I could, huffing with exhaustion by the time I reached the top. It was much colder this time, and the wind had seemed to pick up since I’d gone down.
Benji was standing to the side of the line, and I could hear the lifeguard saying kindly but firmly, “Look, kid. Either you go down the slide, or you have to walk back down the stairs. We can’t have you standing up here.”
I recalled walking up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder.
“You okay, dude?”
He turned to look at me, his face even paler than normal. “I don’t know. It’s like I’m frozen.” Even at tender age of thirteen, I could tell Benji was deeply afraid, even choking back tears.
“I swear it wasn’t bad!” I had smiled, trying my best to both console and encourage him. The line had dwindled, and the lifeguard looked at us over his sunglasses.
“I can’t do it. I’ll just walk down the stairs,” an embarrassed Benji groaned.
But I had grabbed his arm. I knew he could be brave.
“Let’s go together. You go down one, and I’ll go down the other at the same time. Then we’re both down, and it’s over with.” I stared right into his eyes. “Look, if I can do it twice, you can do it once, right?”
Benji nodded and swallowed hard, turning to the lifeguard. “Which one is scarier?” He had asked, trying to eradicate the meekness from his voice.
“I don’t know, kid,” replied the unimpressed college student. “The orange one isn’t scary at first, but the drop-off really gets you. The blue one is, like, all at once, so there’s less anticipation. Whichever is scarier for ya.”
“I can’t do the anticipation,” Benji shuddered. So he stepped up and stood in the ankle-deep water at the top of the blue slide.
I followed him, lining up at the top of the orange.
“Promise we go together?” I had stared at him, wide-eyed, knowing if he didn’t do it then, he never would.
“I promise.”
And then, I had counted us down from five. And by the time I got to zero, I heard Benji’s voice screaming as he went down the slide. I grinned and flung myself down, feeling the rhythmic drumming of the slide on my back as water sprayed into my eyes.
—
“Gabe?” Benji squeezed my hands, pulling me from the vivid flashback.
“Sorry, I was just thinking… What if-“ I stopped myself, unsure if I was even brave enough to do what I planned in my head.
“What, dude?” The tone of his voice was almost defeated.
“What if I came out to your parents first? They’re like my second parents, right? So we can gauge their reaction and soften the blow if you decide you want to.” I nearly clamped my own mouth shut.
Am I overstepping? I worried. We’d talked about potentially doing just that a few times, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it might just be the right thing to do.
“I don’t know, Gabe. Even if you do, what if I can’t?” He stared to wring his hands together.
“I mean…” I debated saying the next part aloud, but I decided to just go for it and see if he’d remember. “If I can do it twice, you can do it once, right?”
He squinted his eyes, lost in thought, and I watched the moment everything clicked. Benji gasped.
“You know, you’re right,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I’m just gonna have to get it over with. But when?”
“That’s the thing. It’s going to have to be soon. If we keep putting it off, you’re going to implode, dude.” I studied his face; his mind was clearly spinning.
“When’s your next day off?” He was off the following day. Meanwhile, the restaurant hadn’t been closed on a Sunday in weeks, thanks to the summer brunch advertisements.
But then I remembered that Elise had been asking for some extra shifts.
“Hold on,” I said to Benji as I stood up to grab my phone. I typed up a quick message to Elise, practically begging her to trade her Tuesday shift for my Sunday.
The late-evening sun was starting to fade away outside as I awaited a reply. Hypothetically, I could certainly go, after work, to the Wilkes household. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d shown up unannounced to that house.
I sat back down next to Benji and explained my plan. Elise was usually pretty good about trading, even if it was last-minute like this.
“I really appreciate you,” he said. I could tell he was still panicking.
“I’ll do anything for you, Benj. We’re in this together. Always have been.”
Suddenly my phone buzzed in my hand, and I flinched. Benji flinched, too. We looked into each other’s eyes before I looked down at my phone.
Sure honey! Might just take Danny to the park on tuesday now
I sighed with relief, which was quickly replaced by a fresh panic.
“I’m off tomorrow,” I said to Benji.
He took a deep breath, his cheeks filling as he exhaled a big puff of air.
“Let’s just do it tomorrow, then. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” He grabbed my hands, and his felt quite cold.
“Yes. Just like the slides at Roarin’ Falls. I don’t mind doing it again if it helps you. You’re braver than you think, dude.”
He leaned forward climbing up into his knees and falling into me. His lips found mine as though they were a flame in the dark.
“I need a distraction,” he growled, tugging my shirt over my head.
“I can give you that,” I huffed as I yanked off his shirt, too. “You can fuck me if you want.”
We slid off our pants and underwear, and he climbed on top of me, laying me flat on my back. His blonde locks fell around my face as he came down to kiss me once more. I could feel his meaty cock hardening as blood rushed to my own.
“Can I eat it first?” His request came with a hit blast of air.
“Please,” I begged. I’d showered after work, so I had no concerns.
Instead of flipping me over, Benji used his strong arms to push my leash back, over my head, lifting my ass off the futon. I grabbed my ankles, and Benji dove in with his tongue. I involuntarily yelped in pleasure at the feeling of his warmth in me.
As though he were climbing a mountain, he kept readjusting his grip with his feet and pushing forward, repeatedly lifting me up.
Oh, he really wants this. At that point, it had been at least two days since we’d been intimate together.
He slobbered on my fuzzy hole, swirling his strong tongue around my ring in big circles. He was practically moaning, coating me in saliva. And then I felt one of his fingers slip in, wiggling around, stretching the muscle in every direction. But he didn’t stop his tongue, licking around the finger, sliding in past it.
“Oh, Benjamin,” I groaned as I felt my body relax. Suddenly another finger slid in from the other side, and I felt him pulling my hole apart in opposite directions. And then his tongue slid inside me as deep as it could possibly go. “Jesus!” I hissed.
He kept working at my hole, using fingers and his tongue like tools to unlock me. The more he did, the more I relaxed. Before long, I felt myself growing desperate for his thick cock inside me. I wanted him to fuck his anxieties and fears away.
“Finger yourself until I get back,” he said in a low voice as he got up to grab the lube and a towel.
So I slid two fingers in my mouth and plunged them inside myself. There was much less resistance than there normally was, indicating Benji had done a good job warming me up for his immense girth. Finally he came back, walking up behind my head as I searched for my own prostate.
His cock seemed to eclipse my face as he stood over me, looking at my body. He took a step back, bent down, and kissed me.
“I love you, Gabriel. I love you with every part of me.”
“And I love you. Now come put that thick part of you in the tight part of me.”
Benji quickly walked over and got back on the futon, crawling forward on his knees. I watched, still with my fingers inside myself, as he slathered lube all over his cock. He squirted some more around the head, and then he indicated for me to pull my fingers out. He immediately slid three slender, lubed fingers into me, and I focused all my energy on staying relaxed.
After what felt like a few minutes, I felt his weight shift forward on the futon, and his fingers started to slide out. But the pressure was replaced by the feeling of his big mushroom head as it tried to enter me. I looked into his eyes as he stared down at the cock about to disappear inside me. My knees were up in the air, but as I exhaled one more time, I felt my muscle relax, and he began to slide in.
I winced, overwhelmed at first by the stretch. Benji sensed me tense up, and I looked up to see his concerned face.
“I’m okay,” I assured him. “Just need a sec.”
So he started slowly stroking my dick, a long string of precum oozing from the tip immediately. His eyes were locked on mine, and I lowered my legs, wrapping them around his hips so my heels met his butt.
“Go ahead,” I whispered.
He moved his hand from m dick to my hips, almost pulling me toward him. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, shuddering as I felt his thickness pushing on my prostate. And then, like that, he was all the way in.
“Is that okay, babe?” He was biting his lip as if overcome by pleasure. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m probably gonna bust quick. I haven’t even rubbed one out in a couple days.”
“Good,” I replied. “I really love feeling you cum inside me.”
“Are you trying to make to happen now?” He cracked a smile.
“Maybe…” I teased. “If you need to cum, just cum. I want you to feel good.”
“I want you to feel good, too, man.” His eyebrows furrowed for a moment.
“Your hot load feels good.” I grabbed his wrist. “That’s what I’m telling you.”
So Benji leaned forward to kiss me, sliding his hands under me like a hug. Our chests were pressed together, and my cock was pinned against me until he pulled his hips back.
And then, he whispered, “I love you.” And his cock plunged back into me.
He wasted no time and started to rock his hips quickly, the friction of his body sliding nicely against my precum-covered cock. It didn’t take long for Benji to start moaning, directly into my ear. After weeks of quiet, sad, morose Benji, I was happy to hear him enjoying something—especially when that something was my ass.
If I weren’t so turned on and desperate to feel him cum in me, it may have hurt. He was slamming that girthy cock of his into me over and over again, his voice starting to shudder as he groaned.
I managed to slide a hand between us to grab, at the very least, the head of my cock.
“Fuck, I’m close,” he grunted. And then a second later, he was nearly howling, “Oh, shit, I’m cumming! Agh!!”
I closed my eyes and focused on how everything felt. Almost as strong as the weight of Benji on top of me was the sensation of his beer can cock twitching as he erupted into me. His load was hot, too, as rope after rope sprayed my walls. His moans didn’t stop, either, breathy and happy as he struggled to catch his breath.
I rubbed my hands up and down his back as his dick started to soften. He pushed himself up so we were face-to-face, and then he kissed me again. It was soft, gentle and tender at first, but then one of his hands met mine on my cock. He grabbed it from me, stroking me with ferocity. Meanwhile, he slid his tongue into my mouth, and we made out.
It didn’t take too long for me to reach the edge, since I hadn’t jerked off in those few days, either. I managed to pull away from his kiss enough to warn him, “Mmm, I’m—!”
My jaw fell open as I started shooting hit ropes of nut onto myself. Some seemed to land on Benji, whose soft cock was still inside me. My eyes squeezed shut as involuntary whimpers and moans accompanied the remaining dribbles of cum that Benji milked from me.
He sat up and slid out of me, and I could feel some of his nut slide out, too, onto the towel beneath me. Benji lovingly wiped me up before tossing the towel to the hamper across the room. I stood up and stretched my arms and legs, and before I could even say anything, he wrapped his arms around me from the futon, his face squishing against my chest.
“That was so good, dude,” he breathed. I began to run my fingers through his hair.
“Let me know if you ever need another distraction,” I said with a grin. He looked up at me and laughed.
“We’ll see how I feel tomorrow morning,” he said. “I might need a distraction every five minutes.”
“I can do that.”
We moved over to my bed, Benji settling in as my little spoon. We didn’t even bother with a movie or TV show, and we just cuddled in the dark.
Tomorrow’s a big day, I thought to myself, holding him even tighter. I really hoped he’d be able to get some good rest, and to my delight, I soon heard him softly snoring.
So I closed my eyes, there on that final night before everything was out in the open.