Between Friends Excerpt

by Sean Michael

Moving sucked big hairy rocks.

Sammy frowned and winced as a bunch of hairy, overgrown hooligans carried boxes from their apartment toward the van. "Those vases are worth a fortune, guys! A fortune!" He was beginning to get shrill; he knew it, but he still wasn't sure they should buy a house. A real house. In like a neighborhood and stuff.

What if everyone hated them?

What if things broke?

What if the 'net connections were horked and he couldn't work?

What if...

"God damn it! Don't bang that mirror around!"

Peter came around a corner, one eyebrow climbing up into his hairline. "Samuel. I think perhaps you should leave the movers to their job and come with me."

"They're not being careful, love. Those are our things. Some of them are incredibly fragile. What if things break? What would I tell my clients? My artists?"

"I could fire them. I'm sure it would only take you... a week, maybe two, to do it yourself." One of Peter's hands landed on his back, rubbing.

"We could just stay here..." His head fell forward, the pressure exactly what he needed.

"No, we couldn't." Peter's fingers dug in harder. "We're vacating these premises and moving into the house we bought together. And you're going to like it."

"Are you sure?" It was a huge, rambling old thing and the light was beautiful and it was up on a hill and... it was different.

Peter's breath slid over his ear. "I'm sure. Once you see the renovations I made on the big room in the north corner of the second floor, you're not going to want to live anywhere else."

"Oh." Sammy shuddered, eyes closing a second. "Tell me?"

"Only if you come with me." Peter's arm went around his shoulders, leading him out of the way of the movers.

He followed, Peter -- solid and warm beside him -- leading him. Guiding him. Peter took him out to their little balcony and leaned against the rail, tugging him to stand between long legs.

"It's navy blue so at night the walls will disappear, and the floors are carpeted the same dark color in a thick pile." Sammy reached out, fingers sliding over Peter's face, loving the stubble, the way it caught his fingers. Peter smiled, nuzzled against his hand. "There's built in cupboards to hold our toys and a huge bed -- I made the head and footboards myself, complete with custom made restraints."

"Oh, Peter. Really? Like a whole room to play?" A room to get into his head space and relax and just be Peter's.

"A whole room just for us, with everything we could possibly need. It even has a little fridge with bottled water and sodas, some snacks."

"That seems so decadent. So... indulgent." They'd been making due with a section of the walk-in closet, with their own bed.

He was held in place by a piercing look from green eyes. "You deserve the indulgence, the decadence."

Sammy caught himself shaking his head, disagreeing instinctively, without even thinking about it.

Peter slapped his ass, fingers stinging through his trousers. "Stop that."

"Ow!" Damn it. He... damn. Almost six years they'd been together and he still shuddered at that sting.

"No denigrating yourself, Samuel. I will not have it."

"I..." He blushed dark, eyes flashing over to see if anyone was watching. "Yes, Peter."

"Eyes on me." He was given another slap. "This move has you really rattled, doesn't it?"

He met Peter's eyes, staring into that bright green as he nodded. "What if this is a mistake? What if we're supposed to stay here? What if they hate us in the 'burbs? What if..."

Peter's mouth crashed down onto his, stopping the flow of words as their teeth hit and clicked.

Oh.

Sammy held on, the world tilting beneath his feet as Peter stole his breath, his sense. Peter bent him back, deepening the kiss, promising him the world. It might have gone on forever except for the throat clearing.

He blinked, but he didn't tense up. Peter had him. It was cool. He was cool.

He was.

Peter gentled the kiss and then ended it, bringing him back up to leaning against his lover. "Jason. How nice to see you."

Jason -- one of their oldest friends, in fact the man had been responsible really, for a certain Halloween nightmare gone right -- stood in the doorway, cheeks slightly pink. "I think you'd be happier to see me if I'd showed up a little later." Blue eyes twinkled at them. "And I'm going to have to suggest this as a tension reliever the next time Harry and I move."

"You're not allowed to move!" He grinned at Jase, one hand reaching out. Harry and Jason were one reason they were heading out to the boondocks. They lived within walking distance of the new house -- Harry had left a good job as a homicide detective to work for the sheriff's department out of the city.

Jason chuckled, taking his hand and squeezing it before coming in to hug and kiss them both. "No moving -- that works for me. I just hate it." Jason shivered dramatically and nodded back toward the house. "And where did you get the movers from? There's not a stud in the bunch."

"It's Peter's fault. He wouldn't let me do it on my own." Sammy pouted dramatically, eyes rolling as Harry's booming laugh sounded, the muscle-bound cop rounding the corner.

"Queen it up, Sammy. How's it going, boyos?"

Jase's face lit up, just as it always did whenever he saw Harry. They'd been together forever, and still Jase felt like that for Harry. It gave a man hope.

"They're hiding," Jase said, arm sliding around Harry's waist.

"Staying out of the way," corrected Peter, shaking hands with Harry.

"Freaking out quietly," Sammy added, leaning back against Peter.

Harry chuckled, nodded. "You've been in this little apartment a while. Laffy there needed a place to muck about in."

"Muck about." Peter laughed and shook his head. "I'm hiring a gardener; there will be no muck."

"Don't sell the gardening short, Laf. It's very rewarding. I've got a mini maze planned out, you know."

He did know; Harry had joked that Jase wanted to buy the place they backed on to, tear down the house, and build a full-sized version.

"I don't know... I'll have to get my clients used to a new address and..." He brokered art for designers, for collectors. It was a great job, but it required being in the city and traveling and he just...

Harry chuckled. "He's like a balky horse, Laffy."

"I am not!"

"Okay," Harry was laughing at him, brown eyes dancing. "A queeny, balky horse."

"A racehorse, legs all trembly, flanks quivering, trusting only the hand of his master." Peter's words slid over his nerves like a balm.

Jase popped Harry in the arm. "If Sam's queeny, then so am I."

Harry snorted. "If the foo shits, baby."

They all cracked up, their laughter ringing out.

Another head popped out the door. "We're finishing up. I need this signed and the address confirmed." A piece of paper was thrust out toward Jase, closest to the door.

Peter grabbed it and signed it without comment before passing it back.

"You got someone at this place to let us in?"

Peter nodded. "We'll meet you there."

Oh. Oh, man. They were going to. Oh. Wow. He met Peter's eyes, trembling. "This is the right thing to do, right?"

Peter pressed their lips together in a kiss. "Trust me."

"Aww... aren't they sweet, Harry."

That eyebrow of Peter's went up again.  "We are not sweet."

"Adorable." Harry was an ass. "Our sweet little sugarbritches buddies."

Peter snorted. "Come on. You promised to give us a lift, and we should go." Their car had been sideswiped when it was parked on the street. Another reason to move.

"We did. And we've got the number for the pizza guy on speed dial." Harry nodded to him, smile gentling. "Do you want to sleep at our place, Sammy? Avoid the boxes?"

"No. No, Peter and I can get the bed set up. We'll be fine." Wigged out, not crazy.

Jase smiled and patted Harry's belly. "Harry's right, though, if you change your mind. I never feel settled until the last box is unpacked."

Peter straightened , arm going around his shoulders as they headed back in. The apartment was empty, the floors needing a sweep, but they had a service coming in tomorrow to take care of that. There really was nothing else to do here.

"It... It's so empty..." He'd never been so happy as he'd been here. Never. He'd fallen in love with Peter in this place.

"It's only a place, Samuel." Peter gave him a squeeze though, his lover understanding without him having to say anything.

Jase gave him a hug. "We'll give you a moment. Meet us at the car."

Harry nodded, arm sliding around Jason's waist as they headed out. "Right behind you, baby," murmured Harry.

Peter turned Sammy so he was looking up into those green eyes again. "It is just a place, Samuel. The heart and soul of it, what made it a home, that's moving with us, is already gone."

"I know. I know, it's just. This was where we became us, you know?"

"Samuel. We won't stop being us just because we move. The place isn't who we are." His cheeks were stroked, his eyebrows traced, lips rubbed.

"No one calls me Samuel." That had been the first thing he'd ever said to Peter. The first thing that had made those green eyes look at him like he was someone special.

Peter's nostrils flared, his eyes heating. "That's because they don't know you."

He moaned, just like he had so many nights ago. "No one pays attention anymore."

"I do." Peter closed his eyes and took a breath, smiling gently. "You're wearing a lavender shirt with embroidery around the sleeves. A pair of lawn trousers in a light beige. Matching socks and leather loafers. There's a ring on your middle right finger, and your wallet is one of those frou-frou numbers you tuck under your arm." It was exactly what he'd been wearing the night they met.

"Peter." He reached up, hands framing the beloved face. "Love."

Peter's eyes opened, smiled down at him. "Yes, Samuel. So much love. And that is moving to the new house with us. Come on. This place isn't ours anymore."

Nodding, he went up on tip-toe and took a soft kiss. "Let's go home, Peter."

© 2007 Sean Michael

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