Heart's Home

by E. Davies

  Hunter rubbed his chin as he settled back, his sleeve sliding down a little to reveal a large, golden electronic watch. “I'll ask them.”

  “You'd better, because if it's just us four again, it's gonna take forever to do the floor,” Kate commented.

  “Thanks for the optimism,” Logan told her, then greeted the others.

  Once the main meeting business had been dealt with, Logan told the entire group about his progress before hesitating. “And the main problem... well, most of you already saw me complain about it online... I think the zoning committee's out to get me. No, I know they are.”

  “They called to tell me there will be an inspection tomorrow morning,” Hunter supplied.

  Juan clapped his hands together. “So, we need to come up with a few strategies in case they try to shut you down. We can do that. I'll get a petition ready and contact Sarah about it, get her to prepare to pass it around?”

  “I don't know,” Logan demurred. “We'll wait until we see if there's a decision meeting. They might decide on the spot.”

  “We can prepare pickets. Or pitchforks...”

  “Let's not antagonize them yet,” Kate broke in. “Let them decide. If they say they'll take time to decide, and then get us involved.”

  Hunter looked blown away by the level of detail in their planning as they hashed out strategies for dealing with the committee if they came back with a negative answer and tried to make Logan tear the place down. Maybe he'd never been involved in ground-level activism before, but he was getting a quick education now.

  “I... don't think it'll be that much of a problem,” Hunter spoke up.

  Kate snorted. “I'm glad you're an optimist,” she told him. “We've never been successful in getting permission from this council before for one, and there have been attempts in the 1990s and the 2000s. This is the fourth try. The last one was fully built and they still made him rip it down. He ended up moving to England, he was so upset.”

  “You lost a natural building expert, then,” Hunter frowned.

  “We absolutely did.”

  “I'll mention that if it comes to it. We don't want our skilled workers leaving.”

  Kate paused and even Logan glanced over. “Where...?” Logan asked. “When are you talking to them?”

  “Oh, I can call a few people I know. I need to anyway, to see what's going around about it.” Hunter looked troubled. “I used to know several people involved with that branch, through my...” he glanced at Logan before finishing, “ex.”

  Not Charlie, surely. Fuck. He keeps popping up everywhere. Logan nodded slightly. “If it'll make a difference.”

  “I'll work on it,” Hunter promised. “Maybe I'll know the inspector. They can make the decision on the spot...”

  “Yeah, we know that much. We've been fighting them for years,” Pete spoke up, sounding a little annoyed.

  “I don't mean to imply you didn't know. I just... didn't know what you knew,” Hunter said, raising a hand and deferring to him.

  “Okay. Well, I think we're solid on that, then,” Juan concluded. “And everyone knows when and where the building party is this weekend? Next week's the workshop Logan's leading, so see if you can get people to sign up for that. Also, we could use a few hands on Sunday for weeding work at the community garden.”

  Aw, shit. With not enough hours in the day to build, Logan had been neglecting his usual role in the garden. He started to speak up, but was interrupted by Juan.

  “No, you can't volunteer. You've got a home to build yourself,” Juan insisted to murmurs of agreement. “You do enough for the garden year after year. Take a break.”

  Logan grimaced, but nodded. “Okay.”

  “Everyone take a brochure and pass it along to someone you know who might be interested in helping out with the garden,” Juan told them while Kate passed them out. “I'm sure you all know how much we need volunteers.”

  Hunter took one and pocketed it.

  “And if you know any kids, pressgang them into service,” Juan cheerily said.

  Logan laughed. “Juan, you can't – you can't say that,” he spoke up, though everyone else laughed, too.

  “Voluntell them.”

  “I hate that word,” Kate muttered.

  “Bribe them. We have strawberries and sugar snap peas,” Juan called out over the chuckles, then nodded. “That's it from me.”

  Logan closed the meeting, then leaned back in his chair for a moment and rubbed his face.

  “You look like you need a drink,” Pete commented, still hanging out with Kate, Logan, Juan, and Hunter for a minute while the others filed out again.

  “Jesus, I'd kill for one.”

  “We're taking you out tonight, then,” Pete told Logan. “No ifs, ands, or buts. Hunter, you in?”

  Hunter seemed surprised to be asked, but he warmly smiled and nodded. “I'd love to be in. Where are you going?”

  “Any preferences?” Pete asked Logan, who shrugged. “Somewhere quiet... oh, the sketchy new place.”

  “Mm, yeah, they have great craft beer,” Kate agreed. “Sketchy place it is.”

  “I'm... not sure I know the place,” Hunter chuckled. Logan was positive he didn't but was trying to play it cool.

  Logan said, “I'll direct you. Did you drive?”

  Hunter shook his head. “I took the bus.” A good few seconds of silence passed before he added, “What?” He was laughing silently. “Look at your faces. I wanted to see what it was like.”

  “Was this your first time?” Logan stared at him.

  “Did it hurt?” Juan murmured and Kate cracked up.

  Hunter smirked but didn't take that comment up. “I only got lost once, and yes, it was my first time.”

  “Wow.” Logan gazed at Hunter, wondering now whether he was trying to show him that he could be environmentally friendly. Or maybe he'd just wanted to drink afterwards – but he could easily take a taxi.

  “Okay, so someone else had better direct me on the bus unless we're walking or carpooling,” Hunter told them. He had the air of someone who had never done this sort of thing before but was eager to learn, like a city kid on his first camping trip. Jesus, he was spoiled, but he was at least overcoming that now.

  “We're walking. It's three streets away,” Kate told him, smirking. “Wow. I can't believe it.”

  “I bet we see the car parked around the corner,” Logan cheekily added and Hunter's laugh echoed throughout the room as he stood up.

  “Come on, lead me to the alcohol and stop making fun of me,” Hunter told them, but he winked at Logan. When the others went first, he leaned in to murmur, “And you'll pay for that later.”

  Logan shivered. “I hope so,” he murmured back before the surprising feeling of a warm hand catching and squeezing his own.

  He was giddy as he and Hunter caught up with the others, chatting all the way to the pub. Despite looking out of place and uncertain how it all worked as they ordered a few pitchers of beer to share and some snacks, Hunter was determined to try blending in with Logan's friends.

  For his part, Logan felt warm and fuzzy the whole night through, thinking of the zoning inspection or the construction only now and then. He was more focused on the way Hunter chatted with his friends and bonded over bad TV shows – apparently, billionaires watched daytime TV too.

  He was falling for Hunter, hard, even though he didn't know if he could continue to live near him or build near him. If he couldn't, he was going to have to move back into the city if he could even afford to keep living there; his budget wouldn't stretch much further now that all his income and savings were going into the house.

  “Hey, I'm taking a taxi back,” Pete finally told him, snapping him out of his momentary worry. “Split it?” They lived just two streets apart.

  “Sure.” Logan's gaze fell on Hunter for a moment and he told him, “I'll see you tomorrow? Unless you're done for the night, too?”

  Hunter rose to his feet. “I'm done, too.”

  �
�Oooh,” Juan smirked and Logan rolled his eyes.

  “Mature,” Logan retorted.

  Juan winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

  “Come on,” Logan told Hunter. “See you all this weekend.”

  Pete walked out with Logan and Hunter, glancing between them as they flagged down a taxi to get back to their apartments. Of course, now that they were out on the curb, Logan was thinking about his apartment and how... well... how shabby it was compared to the beautiful, spacious home that Hunter lived in. He hoped he wouldn't think less of him after seeing it. Plus, he hadn't even done the dishes since he'd last been there--

  “302nd and King, please,” Pete told the cab driver and they settled back for a quiet drive. Logan sat in the middle with Hunter on one side and his friend on the other. “They're going to 304th after that.”

  They were quiet for the drive, everyone reveling in the slightly drunken and happy feeling of a good night out and taking in the sights of the city.

  When they got there, the cab driver dropped Pete off and Pete handed over some cash to Logan, then waved. “Have a good night.”

  “You too,” Hunter bade politely. Once they were left alone, Logan didn't scoot over to the other seat, remaining in the middle seat next to Hunter. He felt Hunter quietly take his hand again in the darkness of the backseat.

  They only dropped hands again once they arrived and Logan had to pay. After he settled up, he glanced at his apartment building. It was a shabby red stone building with small balconies.

  “Well, it's not lovely like your place,” Logan spoke up after leading him to the intercom and punching in his password to let them into the building. Even the lobby was small and dirty, and he tried to lead Hunter quickly up to his apartment so he didn't linger too long. The place was nicer inside.

  “But you live there, so it is,” Hunter answered as Logan let them in.

  Logan smiled despite himself. “Oh, you're a smooth talker, all right.”

  “I'm famous for my smooth tongue,” Hunter purred into Logan's ear, and Logan stumbled to unlock, open, and close the door as soon as possible. Sure enough, Hunter's lips caressed his jaw and his hand rose to run up Logan's side.

  Hunter kissed Logan all the way to the bedroom door, their shoes not even off. He burst through the door with him, shoving him down onto the bed within moments and straddling him.

  Logan moaned loudly, trying to reach down to yank off his shoes. Hunter permitted it, but also furiously worked the rest of Logan's clothing off until Logan was naked on the bed with scarcely an idea of how it happened.

  Then, time slowed to a normal pace again as Logan watched Hunter take his turn stripping. His partner's shirt came undone and revealed that same sculpted, handsome torso he'd already witnessed once. Hunter loosened his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them, then slid his trousers off but left his underwear on for now, his package already bulging against the tight elastic material.

  “Fuck,” Logan breathed out appreciatively and earned a wink from Hunter.

  “I will.”

  “Mmmph, I hope so.”

  “But first, I promised you something.” Hunter shifted until he sat on the edge of the bed. “Kneel over my lap, Logan.”

  Logan stared for a moment. There was only one thing that meant, but Hunter couldn't possibly--

  “Now.” The tone sent a shiver through him and Logan instantly obeyed, his cock getting hard at the implied sexual promise alone. He draped himself over Hunter's lap, making sure he was just right so that he could grind against his thigh, then folded his arms under his head on the bed to make sure he couldn't easily twist and roll off the edge.

  “Good boy,” Hunter purred. “Now, that impudent tongue earlier earned you a punishment, didn't it?”

  Logan nodded, squeezing his eyes shut in anticipation.

  “Answer me,” Hunter commanded, his tone low. “Out loud.”

  “Yes. Yes, sir,” Logan quickly corrected himself, licking his lips. It made him burn with heat to use the word to address Hunter in this sexual moment.

  Hunter hummed his satisfaction with the answer. “Now, what should I do with such a bad man who's already naked over my lap, hm?”

  Logan steeled himself not to grind against Hunter, since he was certain he wasn't allowed to get that kind of pleasure yet. “I... I don't know. Whatever you want to do.”

  “Very good.” Out of the blue, Hunter raised a hand and brought the palm down against Logan's backside. The slap was gentle but open-palmed so it made an audible cracking sound but didn't sting too hard.

  Logan still flinched from surprise, a quick sound escaping his throat before he cleared it.

  “Did you like that?”

  Logan nodded, still keeping his eyes shut. He was rewarded with a slap on the other cheek, then on the first again. Hunter obviously knew exactly what he was doing, the light stinging sensations building on each other until his ass felt hot. He knew it had to be red, and it stung moments later. Oh! Oh, there we go.

  “You must be feeling it now. Tell me what you're thinking.”

  “Oh, fuck, I just... can't wait for you to fuck me, sir,” Logan admitted. He was desperate for that cock already.

  “Such language.”

  Slap, the noise rang out across the room and it stung so much that Logan involuntarily teared up, but he was harder than he remembered being in so long. God, he wanted that punishment for as long as he could get it, but he was growing more and more impatient for it to be over so Hunter would just hurry up and fuck him.

  “Some day, I'll tie you up--”

  Crack!

  Logan gasped. “Nngh!”

  “And take my time, spanking every inch of that ass...”

  Smack!

  “Haaah!” Logan moaned.

  “Until you're begging for my cock...”

  Logan couldn't help himself now: his cock ached so much for attention that he scooted a little further across Hunter's lap until the tip of his erection was trapped between his stomach and Hunter's clothed leg, then ground hard against it. He would have reached down to stroke it if he'd thought he'd be allowed to.

  “Oh, I definitely didn't tell you to do that,” Hunter chuckled. He reached out to rub a hand across Logan's sore, red ass, then teased his opening with a finger until Logan flinched and squirmed, moaning his begging protest.

  The younger man found himself rolled over onto his back, lying on Hunter's body.

  Hunter lay down on the bed beneath him, grinding up against that sore ass. Hunter's bulge was more than welcome, even if he wanted to feel his cock instead. Logan wasn't sure he'd been fucked from below like this before, but he wasn't protesting as Hunter's arm wrapped around him to keep him in place, his hand rising up to tweak a nipple while his other hand reached down to jerk his cock a few times. If he'd had more energy, he could have sat up to ride him in reverse cowboy, but no way could he sit up with his thighs trembling this hard.

  Hot waves of pleasure crashed through him, followed immediately by the cool of denial as Hunter's hand slipped away again. “Ahhh, nngh, come on,” he begged. When those hot fingers pinched his nipple and twisted slightly, Logan bucked up towards the ceiling and gasped, his mind blanking for a second with pain and pleasure before he realized what he was supposed to say. “Come on, please, sir...”

  “You learn fast,” Hunter whispered. “Get me lube.”

  Fortunately, Hunter's hands rose to steady him as he sat up above him. His muscles still felt tense and shuddery with pleasure after that incredible spanking he'd just gotten.

  As soon as Logan grabbed lube, Hunter hummed for a moment, then patted his thigh. “Kneel for me.”

  “Which way?”

  “We're doing it doggy-style,” Hunter drawled and Logan grinned, rolling onto his hands and knees and shifting until he supported himself. “Good boy. So obedient to my every whim...”

  “Yes, sir,” Logan said brightly and smirked.

  Hunter smacked his ass again, but this was more of
a playful smack across both cheeks just to keep him off-guard. “So cheeky!” Then, he lubed up his fingers and ran them up and down the crack, teasing his way back and forth over the opening without sliding in.

  It took just a minute of this kind of attention before Logan was twitching and unconsciously trying to push himself back onto those fingers when they slipped by. One or two passes later, it worked and Hunter let Logan fuck himself for the first few moments, drawing his hips forwards and then back again.

  Then, he took over and drew his fingers in and out, lubing him up while giving him that extra-special prostate stimulation that finally made Logan whimper and clutch the sheets with the sheer intensity of his desire.

  “God,” Hunter whispered. “You get so needy for my cock.”

  “I do need it,” Logan groaned back promptly. “You tease me for so long I don't know up from down, and please, please, I'm ready for you to follow through, sir...”

  Hunter knelt straight up behind him and Logan heard the snapping of his waistband, so he snuck a peek back across his shoulder. Hunter had drawn his underwear down, and that thick cock was now condom-clad and angled straight towards him. The manhood looked hard, flushed, and already about to slide into him.

  “Mmm,” Logan moaned, his entrance twitching again with desire. He tried to relax and moments later, he felt that tip pushing its way in. It always felt a little forced at first, but the burn faded into pleasure as Hunter stuffed him with his whole length, a bit at a time. He fucking loved being filled by him, yielding to his every impulse and command and finally to his cock itself.

  When Hunter was seated fully inside, he drew his hips out and slammed back in, using the full advantage of this angle, position, and weight to drive it home over and over again.

  Logan's arms weakened and he pressed his hands firmly into the bed, locking his elbows and bending his neck, gazing underneath him to that great view. He kept moaning and whimpering with each thrust, not holding back on the noises.

  Hunter kept thrusting into him just as hard and sped up, small grunts and groans of pleasure escaping at each push. The bed was a lot more squeaky than Hunter's was, since it creaked and groaned now with this much force.