More Than Just Friends

by Max Hudson

  Chapter Four

  Stefan was pretty sure he'd have never gone dancing if not for Lance. It was too loud, too social. His mother already wanted to know who his date was from the very second he’d said he would go to a Valentine’s Day dance. She seemed a little disappointed it was only a friendly date. Of course she would be. She was still hung up on getting him to settle down and be a bit more normal. If anything, it just made him more reluctant to do so. She didn't seem to see that. Even him going to a club event at all made her excited and made him feel nauseous with preemptive social anxiety.

  But there was very little that Stefan would not do for Lance. There was just this special something Lance had. As he walked out and down the street, wearing a red t-shirt to keep with the theme, he actually felt excited about something that would normally only terrify and confuse him.

  Lance was waiting, leaning against the park gates in a pink shirt with hearts on it, smart black trousers complete with a light brown belt, and some shiny brown leather shoes. He was so immersed in his book that he didn't notice Stefan walking up. Up close the outfit looked a little mismatched, but in an artsy way, and Stefan smiled as he noticed that Lance was wearing little cupid wings as well.

  "Hey, you look pretty good," Stefan said.

  Lance looked up from his book, blushing as he saw Stefan. "Oh, if I'd known you wouldn't dress up, I would have gone a bit more subtle."

  "Not at all, you look good," Stefan insisted.

  "Want to borrow the wings?" Lance asked.

  "No, I'm not a dress up guy. Don't worry, it's not your fault I didn't want to get all done up," Stefan insisted again.

  "I feel a bit overdressed, I'm going to take them off," he said, slipping out of them and putting them in his bag with the book.

  "Still looks good," Stefan said as they began to walk to the book club dance.

  Although everyone had showed up, plus a few people had brought partners or friends from outside Book Club, it wasn't too crowded. The dance instructor and Carla had clearly arrived early to move all the tables to the back, set out some themed drinks and snacks, and stack the chairs. A few people were already dancing casually, most were talking and drinking and laughing together, but when the instructor called attention, everyone paired up and Stefan felt his stomach tie itself in knots.

  He knew he was going to mess this up somehow. He wished he was at the back of the room where nobody would see him. He hoped it would all be over soon.

  Then, as he took his first steps, he actually felt pretty good. It wasn't as hard as he had believed. The dance instructor wasn't too confusing, and Stefan found himself actually learning some of the moves. This was a first for Stefan in dance. He usually just fell over. Lance seemed to know the steps and, even when Stefan double-stepped or moved in the wrong direction, Lance adjusted with a smile and carried on. When Stefan did well, Lance would grin or even hum along to the tune. Nobody was falling over. Nobody was staring. It was good.

  Dancing with Lance was so much more than just fun. It was strengthening, empowering. It was like his fears and doubts were melting away as he learned a new skill with his best friend. It didn't feel as though there was anyone else in the room. Stefan wondered why guys didn't do this more often.

  "You're following really well," Lance said with that supportive grin.

  Stefan nodded a little. "It isn't too hard."

  "It's way more complicated at first. You're doing great, seriously. Better than I did when I first started," Lance said. "You seem to be liking it too. I'm really glad you came. Are you?"

  Stefan found himself getting lost in Lance's hazel eyes, noticing the little flecks of gold and green in them for the first time. "Yeah, I am."

  Lance grinned again. "Well, maybe you should join the dance club with me. It's for all levels, so don't worry about catching up. We just practice and have fun. I bet you'd love it."

  "I'm doing okay, aren't I?" he asked, smiling proudly. "I never thought I'd have the coordination for this stuff. Or maybe you're helping."

  Lance flushed a little. "Maybe I am? I guess I'm used to dancing. I dunno, I think you just had a hidden talent all along. It's just the right day for you to discover it, that's all."

  "Nah, I'm a terrible dancer; it's all you," Stefan said.

  Stefan wasn't sure what had prompted him to say this, but he couldn't exactly take it back now that he had said it. He just hoped Lance had not heard it, or not read anything into it. If there was anything to read. Lance looked up into Stefan's eyes and Stefan felt his mind turn to mush. He had not felt this before. He wasn't even sure what it was. It was like every single thought he had been experiencing was wiped from his mind. All that was left was Lance's beautiful face. Those warm hazel eyes gazing up into Stefan's brown ones. The way his naturally-curly hair bounced with each step.

  Stefan could see Lance's lips moving like he was talking, but it felt like his brain was running out of processor space. There was not enough CPU to handle sounds. He briefly felt embarrassed that he was not able to function normally, but then he just smiled. It felt good to be dancing with Lance. Maybe he could just focus on feeling good.

  Then he didn't.

  Somehow, they fell out of sync and Stefan felt himself stumble as he tried to catch up with Lance. He let go of Lance's hand, but that made matters worse. It was like the floor was pulling him down and there was nothing he could do but accept it.

  As Stefan slipped, Lance reached to grab him and was pulled down as well. Stefan felt a pain shooting up his ankle. He landed on his hip, and Lance on top of him, both of them nearly taking down the couple next to them before the room stopped briefly.

  At least the spell was broken. Stefan could hear and feel again. Albeit the sounds were people checking in on them and the feeling was pain. It was embarrassing. Not being in an awkward haze any more was much less embarrassing, and he felt he could handle the trade-off. Once Lance was off him, Stefan quickly made it to his feet. His ankle still hurt. The class was still paused as they checked themselves over. Stefan tried to take a step but it was quite sore.

  "Are you okay?" Lance asked, looking over Stefan's slight limp. "Want to sit down? Just for a moment, to make sure it's not broken or anything."

  Stefan would normally refuse. He felt uncomfortable enough with so many people stopping dancing to check in on them. So, he just nodded and awkwardly limped to the chairs at the side of the room, where Lance unstacked one and offered it to Stefan before unstacking one for himself.

  As the rest of the club resumed their dance lesson, Stefan breathed a sigh of relief at not being the center of attention any more.

  "Could it be broken?" Lance asked apprehensively. "Does it feel better now that you're sitting down? I didn't see how you fell. I mean, I did, but not your feet."

  "Thanks for letting me sit a bit," Stefan said. "I think it's okay. Not broken definitely. Just a little bit pulled or twisted or something."

  Lance nodded. "That's good. Sorry I'm such a bother. I was talking way too much. I bet it was distracting. I just..."

  "It wasn't you, it was me," Stefan said flatly. "I tripped."

  "You wouldn't have tripped if I hadn't been distracting you," Lance replied.

  Stefan hesitated. He didn't want to admit what had been going on. He didn't want to tell Lance how beautiful he had looked, smiling and dancing, having fun. "I was lost in thought," Stefan replied. "Want to carry on dancing?"

  "Do you think you can? I mean, if you're sure that you can do it, it's no trouble for me," Lance replied slightly warily.

  Stefan stood up, doing his very best to not make it obvious that he was still sore. After all, it wasn't something to worry Lance with. He held his hand out. "Yeah, let's go."

  Getting back to dancing just felt better. Not physically, but seeing Lance having such a good time was beautiful. Stefan pulled Lance closer to his body. It felt so much nicer to be dancing with Lance. It was different. The pain was still there, but it was like a veil of warmth envelope
d them both. Stefan could deal with a little more pain for the sake of that closeness.

  The music stopped all too soon. Had so much time passed already? Stefan didn't want it to stop yet. He wanted to dance all night, but he felt too uncomfortable to ask for it. Besides, his body was catching up with him.

  Stefan felt his ankle grow even more sore with every step. He didn't want to let Lance down. He'd broken and sprained his ankle before. This was just a twist. Something that would go down with some aspirin, an ice pack, and a bit of rest. So, he continued maintaining a brave face as everyone had a last glass of wine before they went their separate ways for the night. Walking toward the park, Stefan was glad he had come. Even if he was sore and frustrated now, it had been a strangely magical experience.

  Stopping at the park gate, he was struck by how absolutely beautiful Lance looked under the glowing amber lights. "Thanks for dancing with me," Stefan said.

  "Thank you," Lance said, embracing Stefan. "I'm so glad we got to enjoy tonight together. It means the world to me."

  Stefan wrapped his arms around Lance too. They were used to hugging one another. It felt different today. It felt like something deep inside both of them was fundamentally different, in a good way. Stefan understood his giddiness, his confusion, how handsome he was finding Lance. This must be what it was like to have a crush.

  Stefan had not felt anything like that before. It was odd. It seemed to be exactly what people talked about when they mentioned having feelings for someone. He had feelings for Lance!

  Chapter Five

  Lance had not planned on this happening. He had invited Stefan back to rest his ankle rather than drive home. Now they were lying in bed, arms wrapped around one another, a certain very familiar tension rising. Lance knew what was going to happen. It had never happened before with another man, but it felt right. This was the time when it would happen. Still, his heart was beating so fast it almost hurt.

  Looking into Stefan's brown eyes, Lance felt on edge in a way he had not felt before. He ran his hand over Stefan's chest, feeling how hard and firm it was under the t-shirt, feeling the beat of Stefan's heart, almost fast enough to match his own. Lance smiled.

  Stefan leaned in and pressed his lips to Lance's. Lance felt his breath taken away by the gentleness and passion of Stefan's touch. It felt like pure love condensed into one sweet kiss. Lance pressed back harder, not sure if he wanted to ruin the near-innocence of the kiss with his tongue. It was just too beautiful not to enjoy. He sighed and ran his fingers over Stefan's hair, feeling how soft it was despite being so short. Soft and spiky at once. Stefan sighed and put his hand on the back of Lance's head, tangling his fingers in the long, loose curls.

  Lance pulled back gently, Stefan's hand not releasing his hair entirely. Stefan's expression was somewhere between shock and embarrassment. "I'm sorry," Stefan whispered.

  Lance shook his head. "I- I liked it."

  Stefan's cheeks only grew redder and redder. "Yeah? Want to, you know, do more?"

  Lance's breath hitched. Yes. He did.

  "I mean, if you don't it's okay, I don't mean to—”

  "I want to," Lance insisted, wrapping his arms around Stefan's neck. "I don't know why but if you want to do this, I want to do it too."

  Lance could feel Stefan's breathing speeding up, saw Stefan's pupils dilate. From the heat on his own face and the way his own breath was accelerating, Lance knew he was probably looking just as awkward and excited as Stefan was. But one of them had to act.

  "Can I take your shirt off?" Lance asked, his words nearly catching in his throat.

  Stefan nodded. "Yeah."

  It was terrifying in a way Lance was not prepared for. Every move felt like he was walking on eggshells. The last thing he wanted was to insult or hurt his best friend. He didn't want to turn back now, either. He needed Stefan. He needed to do this. They needed to do this.

  Lance took the bottom of Stefan's shirt and began to lift it, Stefan raising his arms a little so Lance could move the shirt more easily. It was kind of sweet, kind of innocent. For some reason, Lance had assumed Stefan would be more masculine, more assertive. He wasn't. He was nervous and sweet. It was beautiful.

  As they both sat shirtless on the bed, Lance was in awe of Stefan's body. He was nearly hairless, somewhere right in between strong and skinny and chubby, like the human archetype. Stefan seemed to also be drinking in the picture of Lance shirtless, a slightly giddy smile on his lips. Almost as one, they both began removing their pants and underwear until they were sitting on the bed naked.

  "You like what you see?" Lance asked. He wasn't sure where that came from. He hadn't an ounce of confidence in his whole body, but somehow, sentences like those just burst forth from him before he even had a chance to think about it. Lance felt like an idiot every time.

  Stefan gulped. "Yeah," he said breathlessly.

  "I do too," Lance replied, moving back in to kiss Stefan again. He still felt like an idiot, but if Stefan was all right with this, then maybe it was fine to be a bit of an idiot.

  Lance hadn't been to bed with a man before. But Stefan wasn't "a man". Stefan was...Stefan. He was different. He was just too beautiful, too perfect, inside and out. Looking back, Lance realized he had always loved Stefan. He had just never considered the possibility of a relationship. He'd just taken it for granted that they both had to be straight, and would not have a chance with one another.

  Lance had never been with a man before. He had not really felt this attracted to another man before. He didn't really know what the fuck he was doing, how it would work. All he knew was that he wanted to do it. He'd work out how to do it along the way. That was always the fun part, after all.

  He wondered if, for Stefan, this was a first time too or if Stefan was actually gay. It would explain the lack of girlfriends. It would explain a lot. For a moment, Lance wondered how long Stefan had been interested. Perhaps only just now, when the opportunity arose? Perhaps since the first day they met? Perhaps Stefan had been waiting years for this day to arrive.

  As they stripped out of their pants and boxers, there was a slight tension in the air. They had been friends so long. All of a sudden there was something new and scary and neither of them seemed to have much of a clue what they were doing.

  Without looking at Stefan's naked body, Lance dropped to his knees by the side of the bed and moved in between Stefan's legs. So far it was a familiar thing, but he had to look. He had to understand what he was doing. However nervous and excited he was, however awestruck and full of performance anxiety. Looking up, Stefan still seemed just as nervous. His face was flushed, as was his smooth and naked chest. His legs were a bit hairier than his chest and arms, but the hair was fine and nearly invisible. As he leaned over a little, looking down at Lance, Stefan's belly folded into four or five very small rolls. It was adorable.

  Lance drew a deep breath and looked between Stefan's legs.

  He had not seen another cock up close like this before. It was impressive. Not fully erect yet, not much bigger than his own, but somehow just magnificent. The thickness of it. The slightly visible blue vein. Lance had been worried he would chicken out at this point. But he didn't want to. It came as a total surprise to him, but he liked this. He liked kneeling between Stefan's legs, taking in the view. Lance lifted his hand up and wrapped his fingers gently around Stefan's cock. Stefan gasped and tensed up. "Shush," Lance said. "Just relax, let me do the work."

  Lance stroked Stefan gently, moving in, bracing himself to taste Stefan's cock. He wasn't sure what it would be like, but something compelled him to carry on. Taking Stefan into his mouth, Lance was surprised to find the taste not unpleasant. He was pretty sure nobody's genitals tasted of strawberries and cream, but he had expected something less exciting. This was unbelievably arousing. Swirling his tongue round the tip of Stefan's cock, Lance leaned in, taking it in deeper, seeing how much of Stefan he could fit into his mouth. It felt amazing against Lance's tongue and throat. It was a bit of a
challenge not to gag as it brushed the start of his throat, but it was part of the experience.

  Stefan's hands were on the back of Lance's head, and for a moment Lance froze, wondering if he'd be pushed down, but Stefan just stroked Lance's hair gently, encouraging him to carry on. Knowing he wouldn't be able to take Stefan in whole, Lance wrapped his hand around the base of Stefan's cock and gently massaged whatever flesh wouldn't fit between his lips, squeezing and pumping firmly.

  Lance wasn't sure how this worked. He knew what he liked, but was he normal? Did all guys like this? Stefan was making some nice sounds, but maybe he was faking. Did guys fake? All he could do was keep going, keep trying to get those sweet sounds out of Stefan's mouth, and see if he could get Stefan to cum. At least then it would be obvious Lance had done a good job.

  Bobbing up and down, Lance relished the throb of Stefan's now rock-hard cock, every gasp, every twitch of Stefan's fingers against Lance's scalp. Stefan seemed to be resisting the urge to push Lance's head down. Lance was impressed by Stefan's restraint, and appreciated it as well.

  Almost without warning, Stefan's fingers tightened in Lance's hair, his cock began to pulse, and Lance felt his mouth filling with Stefan's hot seed. It was a bit too much of a surprise for Lance, and he found it spilling out the sides of his mouth, but he held himself there, licking gently at the tip of Stefan's cock until Stefan's hands relaxed. As Lance released Stefan's cock, Stefan fell back on the bed, eyes glazed over, panting, exhausted. Lance knelt up, leaning his arms on the side of the bed, watching Stefan slowly catch his breath and recover control of his mental faculties.