When it Rains

Part 2


I wasn't really sure why I returned, but when I saw the sky cloud over - right when they said it would - I couldn't help but remember the promise I'd made to the man with the green eyes. I hadn't re-imprinted him since we'd met a week prior, during the rain, in the bathhouse. Since we'd made love. So I made my way there, glancing up at the sky with a soft smile as the first drops started to patter against my hat.

I'd just taken off my coat in the change room when I heard his voice behind me, low and smooth, like cream. "Hello, stranger."

I turned quickly, feeling a rush of excitement, my heart jumping into my throat. "You came," I blurted, watching him with wide eyes, and he gave a little smile.

"Well, it is raining." The dark haired man hesitated, watching me. "Would you like to maybe go for coffee or something?"

I felt my cheeks heat up, and tried to tell myself very firmly that it would be a very bad idea to agree. "Yes," I replied anyway, and slipped back into my coat, following him back out into the rain.

He had an umbrella, and he pressed close to me, holding it over us both. "You know," he mused, "this is only the second time I've been here. I never had much luck with bars, so my friend suggested I try this." He was silent for a moment, then looked over at me. "I found you."

I gave a very soft laugh, and shook my head. "How very unlucky -- for you."

"I don't think so," he replied, watching me with a little smile, the kind of expression that made my heart ache.

"I can't...." I started, and swallowed against the longing. "I cannot be in a relationship. I am -- truly sorry...."

He gave his head a little shake. "Of course not. You're just coming for coffee, right?"

I hesitated, then nodded slowly, and he transferred the umbrella to his other hand, slipping his arm around my waist. I let him, leaning into him just a little with a soft sigh. There was a coffee shop on the corner, and soon I was inside, seated across a small table from him with my hands wrapped around a steaming cup of chai, which was pleasantly warm with my damp clothes.

He watched me, taking an experimental sip of his coffee, then setting it back down on the table and blowing on it to cool. "So... do I get to know your name this time?"

I lowered my head, looking down at the tea. "I am not sure that is -- a good idea...."

He gave a little shrug. "Well, I'm Peter Brekkin. Just let me know if you change your mind. Might be easier than trying to attract your attention with 'hey you'."

I gave a soft sigh, moving to cup my hands around his on the cup, feeling more and more like this was a mistake. Not him, of course. I could hardly bring myself to look at him, to see those earnest green eyes without wanting him. But I knew things would only get worse if I gave in. "Peter. I am truly -- sorry. If I let you believe that this -- is something more than it is...."

"Look," he said softly, "I'll be frank with you. I like you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, my friends all think I'm a lost cause. I just... I needed to see you again. That's all."

"Why?" I whispered, anguished. "I am the last person that you -- should want. Trust me."

"But I do." He freed his hand from mine, reaching out to trace my lips slowly with his thumb, eyes darkening a little. "It's a lot of things. Your lips... the way it felt to kiss you... and just... something about the way you look at me...." He sighed softly, voice lowering. "I know this isn't some fling for you. I can feel it. I just... wish I knew why you were so afraid."

It was true. As much as I'd tried to hold myself back, I'd latched onto his kindness, his affection like a man drowning. I pulled back and took a sip of my tea to try and hide my emotion. "Unfortunately, it seems that -- when you have lived in fear as long -- as I have, it is all that you -- can feel, anymore."

He watched me sorrowfully, silent for a long moment, holding the coffee to his lips without really drinking. "My father's the chief of police," he said finally, softly. "If there's anything I can do to protect you... I hope you'll allow me to."

I looked up at him sharply, still amazed by the care he was showing toward me. "You seem to be willing -- to go through so much trouble -- for me."

"It isn't trouble when you care about someone," he replied softly. "Maybe it's silly of me. Or maybe if you let someone take care of you, you find out that it's not such a bad thing after all."

"If it were up to me," I said with a sigh, "I would... I would let you do anything -- you wished. Have every part of me." I closed my eyes, knowing I'd been too open, that letting my emotion speak for me would only make things worse.

He sipped his coffee, watching me, and I avoided his gaze. "I don't suppose that anything I say or do can convince you to leave whatever situation you're in."

I gave a little shake of my head, anguished. "Believe me, Peter. If there was a way -- I would."

"There's always a way."

I gave a soft, choked laugh, shaking my head again. "Not this time."

He finished his coffee, reaching across the table to touch my hand, almost tentative. "Then come home with me, just for now. It's not far. At least until the rain stops."

I felt a soft rush of desire despite myself, and twined my fingers with his, managing the slightest nod. "Please."


I will shamefully admit that I didn't get much of a sense of the dark haired man's apartment. I was too focused on him, on the mouth that claimed mine as soon as we were through the door, needy and demanding, pulling my hat away to tangle strong fingers in my hair. I registered it being put aside on a hat stand, and then I was being tugged unresisting through the apartment and into his bedroom, letting him push off my jacket and coat, working at the buttons of his shirt. I managed to get it undone and off his shoulders as he was still working at my vest and shirt, stroking hands hungrily over his bare chest and back as I pressed closer, balancing almost on my tiptoes to kiss him harder, as if I could keep him with me if only our kisses were intense enough. My heart was pounding frantically in my chest, matching the tempo of the rain on the roof outside, and I moaned breathlessly into his mouth as he backed up against the wall, hips rocking against mine, the heat of his skin pushing away the damp from outside.

I managed to catch his fingers as they took hold of the bottom of my undershirt, tugging them away firmly with a little shake of my head.

"But...."

"Just kiss me," I breathed, releasing his fingers to reach for his belt, tugging it undone, letting my fingers tease him through his pants as I did. Tugging his slacks and shorts off and getting the same treatment, and before long I was under him on the bed amidst crisp white sheets, nude apart from the thin ribbed cotton of my undershirt, his hands stroking and rubbing along my chest through it. Our legs tangled together without restraint, hips rocking, grinding to a soundtrack of our gasps and moans of pleasure, and the tempest of the rain outside.

He pulled back just a little, leaning on his forearms and looking down at me, green eyes moving over my face as his breath came in soft pants. Then he carefully tugged my glasses off, setting them on the table beside the bed, leaning down to trail soft kisses over my forehead, then my eyelids, mapping my face slowly with trembling kisses.

I kept my eyes closed, feeling almost overwhelmed by the gentle care of his kisses, breath coming in soft gasps through parted lips. I tangled one hand in his dark curls, bringing his mouth back to mine. "Peter..."

"So beautiful," he murmured softly, mouth dropping to kiss hungrily along my jaw, below my scarred and battered ear. "So damn beautiful...."

I choked back a sob despite myself, perhaps because I wished so much that his words were true, perhaps because I couldn't handle the absolute kindness by which he said them, like he actually believed them. "Don't," I whispered with a shudder, kissing his hair. "Please...."

"Shhh," he breathed, kissing my throat, kissing down my chest through the thin cotton of my undershirt, and then his fingers were curled firm around the base of my erection. He ran his tongue slowly up the length of me before his lips parted over the head of my cock, sucking at me gently, working his tongue against me slowly as he took me in his mouth.

"God - !" A shock of sensation shot up my spine as his lips closed around me, the slick heat and pull of his mouth more amazing than I could have imagined. My hips arched tense under him before I could stop myself, but he seemed to appreciate that very much, groaning around me, eyes closed in pleasure. I let my fingers ghost trembling over his hair, not being able to bring myself to look away, to stop watching him pleasure me, but then his hand slipped down between my thighs, fingers stroking, teasing my ass, and I couldn't help but press against them, remembering how intense it had been to have him inside me, craving that again. "Please...."

He pulled back just long enough to reach for something beside the bed, and then his mouth was on my cock again, fingers slick as they pressed carefully inside me, pumping, relaxing me, making me gasp and shudder under him. "Oh, please - !"

"Shhh," he murmured again, pulling away and moving back to kiss me, letting me taste him, taste the salty sweetness of my skin on his mouth. Then he was tugging my legs up, elbows under my knees, and I only had a moment to wonder about the position before he was pressing my knees almost to my chest, gasping against my mouth as he began to rock into me.

"Oh god -!" My fingers clenched in his hair, body shuddering at the exquisite invasion, craving more, arching up against him as much as I could as my body adjusted to him. I couldn't move like I could last time, almost entirely pinned to the bed under him, but that was almost better, being pressed back into the pillows, helpless to the force of his thrusts. His mouth tore at mine breathlessly, swallowing my cries, rocking harder into me, my erection rubbing almost torturously against his stomach as we rocked together. "God, Peter..." god, why was I gasping his name? But I couldn't stop myself, couldn't keep myself from wanting him, wanting this.

"My sweet lover," he whispered in reply, and I felt a wash of emotion rush through me, catching his mouth desperately, bucking up into him as much as I could, fingers tight in his hair.

"Please more," I whimpered, shivering against him from more than just the pleasure of it, crying out helplessly against his mouth as he responded, bucking harder into me with a throaty groan. I let my head fall back against the pillows, eyes shut tight as if it could protect me from how overwhelming it all was. His lips pressed to my neck, leaving breathless kisses on my skin as he drove wave after wave of pleasure through me, our bodies coming together so perfectly, leaving me raw and shuddering from the depth of sensation. I was gasping his name again, not caring how vulnerable it made me, not thinking about darkness and torture and the Strangers, just him - his kindness and sweet kisses, the way it felt to be one with him like this, bodies arching together desperately, as if passion could keep us from ever being parted.

"Oh god, Peter - !" His lips were on mine, just brushing, trembling over me as he gasped for air, stealing my breath as my pleasure grew, hot and uncontrollable, surging, craving completion. He thrust just a little harder, hands clenched tight on the sheets he moved, crying out, forehead pressed to mine.

"Come for me, lover," he gasped, and I couldn't help but comply, arching tense around him as he drove deep into me, shuddering around him and crying out helplessly against his mouth, arms tight around him. Choking back tears from the rush of emotion, from the satisfaction of feeling his climax follow mine, feeling him spend himself hot and deep inside me, the overwhelming bliss of the pleasure and elation that shuddered through every nerve in my body.

He held to me silently for a long moment, pressing a trembling kiss to my hair, catching his breath in soft gasps. Then he eased away from me carefully, hissing softly as I whimpered from the movement against hypersensitive nerves, curling up around me and kissing the tears that had escaped to wind their way down my cheeks. I turned my face into his kisses, keeping my eyes closed, stroking trembling fingers through his hair. "I do not want -- to leave you," I whispered, and he pressed his lips to mine gently, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly to him.

"It will rain for a while longer, lover," he murmured, a little sleepily. "Stay with me."

It would, and I couldn't bring myself to leave those arms, not yet. Not after what we'd shared. I curled into him and nestled my face against his chest, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply, letting the scent of him overwhelm and comfort me. Pretending I was safe. "It's Daniel." I murmured softly, finally. "Daniel Schreber."

I heard a little pleased sound, his arms tightening around me, just a little. His lips pressed gently to my hair. "I'll take care of you, Daniel. I promise."

I let myself pretend that he could, let myself relax, let the sleep that was threatening slowly take me. "Thank you," I whispered softly, and drifted off, wrapped tight in his arms.

~~~~~~~