Fame

Fame

Fame

Chapter 4
"We've Only Just Begun (Carpenters), Part I"

The night seemed to pass quickly for both of them, though.  By eight, Joey was awoken by Danny and Jen sneaking out of the house for what was supposed to be a day-long date.  He found himself still holding onto Ian, who was lightly snoring.  Even thought he wanted to stay there and enjoy the moment, he had to get out of bed shortly after waking up.  He pulled himself out of the bed and, before leaving the room, he put a warm pillow behind Ian, so that he wouldn't be disturbed by Joey's absence.  Stealthily, he went downstairs and eventually found the kitchen.  He opened the fridge, but found nothing to eat or drink except for some beers and canned soda.  He looked in the freezer only to find a partially eaten pint of ice cream that had been there since January, when Ian was last in the house.  In the pantry, he found instant grits, some instant oatmeal, tea, coffee, and a few bags of rice.  There were some canned veggies that his housekeeper had left in there.  Wanting to be nice and attempt to repay Ian for his hospitality, Joey filled the electric kettle and set out two bowls and two packs of instant oatmeal.  He also pulled two of the pouches of coffee from their package and two mugs.  He fished around for a minute until he found a tray to set everything on as he carried them upstairs.  It was a sweet gesture, really.

By the time he got back upstairs, Ian was stirring.  He'd rolled over and clutched onto the pillow that Joey had been using.  With a smile on his face, Joey set the tray onto the table beside the bed just before he sat down on the side of the bed next to Ian.  Gently, he placed his hand on Ian's shoulder, causing him to turn back over and look at him with sleepy eyes for a moment.

"Morning," Ian said as he stretched and began to come completely from the land of slumber.

"Good morning," Joey said with a wink.

"Did we do it last night or something, and I just don't remember?" Ian joked.

"Nope.  You were a perfect gentleman," Joey said.

"What about you?" Ian fired back, with a big smile and a wink.

"I could be described the same way," he responded.  "So you have absolutely nothing to eat in your kitchen."

"I'm sorry about that.  I can run to the store in a few minutes and get you something if you like."

"No worries," Joey commented as he turned to the bowls and handed one to Ian.  "I found some instant oatmeal that I fixed for us, along with some coffee," he explained.

"Wow," Ian said as he sat up on the bed to take the bowl of oatmeal.  "This is the first time anyone has ever fixed me breakfast in bed before," Ian managed to say just before he took the first bite.

"Well, this is the first time that I've ever MADE anyone breakfast in bed before, so I guess that makes us even."

"I could so kiss you right now," Ian said as he shoveled the oats into his mouth.

"And I wouldn't refuse," Joey commented as he took his own bowl and moved more comfortably onto the bed.  "This is just my way of saying thank you for a wonderful evening."

"I didn't do much but ditch you at the bar to play."

"No.  You didn't ditch me.  What you did last night was, like, musically orgasmic.  I've never heard anyone perform live the way you do.  You have such passion and energy," Joey commented.

"I wish you could write reviews for me!" Ian said as the two of them both smiled.  "So you did have fun?  You're not just telling me that?" Ian asked.

"Yeah.  I wouldn't tell you that I'd had fun if I didn't actually have fun," Joey answered as he reached over and took a sip of his coffee.

"Cool," Ian said as he polished off the bowl of oatmeal.  "I'm sorry for eating like a pig.  I tend to do this after I've been drinking."

"It's fine, papito," Joey said.

"So are you going to be around Montevallo any next week?" Ian asked as he sipped the coffee that Joey had fixed him.

"I can be," Joey answered.

"Well.  I was going to ask if you wanted to go out on a real date or something," Ian answered.

"That would be awesome," Joey said.  "Cause for the first time in a long time, I'd be going out with a hot guy."

"Shit!  We should take you an ophthalmologist or something," Ian responded to Joey's flirting.

"I'll make you a deal," Joey started, "I'll go out on a date with you if, and only if, you promise not to make any more comments for the rest of the time I'm here."

Ian smiled.  "Give me three strikes?"

"One strike," Joey negotiated.

"OK.  One strike," Ian agreed as they both smiled.

"So what is there to do in this town?" Joey asked.

"To be honest, I haven't been able to just go and do anything in Nashville in so long.  The last time I was here was at the first of the year, and I was only here for a few days, then it was off on tour again.  Which it seems the world knows how that ended," Ian said.

"It's cool, though.  You got another chance to do the right thing," Joey advised.

"Perhaps so.  Who knows how this turn at things will end up?" Ian said.

"Right," Joey said as he set his bowl onto the table.

The two of them talked for a little while longer about random things.  It was almost noon before they found themselves climbing off the bed for something other than the odd bathroom trip.  Still in the clothes they'd warn to bed the night before, they finally made their way to the living room, where they both lounged until well after two.  The only time they got off the couch was to get the pizza that they'd ordered and the sodas that came along with it.

When Danny and Jen returned to the house around six, Joey and Ian were still there, in their pajamas, watching TV.

"Looks like y'all had a good day," Jen commented as they walked into the living room.

"We did!" Joey answered.  "This has been the most relaxing day I've had in a very long time."

"Good!"

"So," Danny chimed in, "y'all do it?"

"DANNY!" Jen scolded.

"What?" Danny said as Ian and Joey laughed, quite heartily.

"No.  We sat here and ate like pigs the whole time!" Ian commented.

"Yeah.  And it was the best I'd ever had!" Joey added to laughter from Ian.

Danny laughed as well, but more out of embarrassment over the whole situation.  Ian noticed this and joked with Danny about how he'd never blushed like that before!  "So y'all want to go to dinner?" Danny asked, changing the subject.  Ian looked at Joey, who appeared to not care what was going on.

"Why don't you and Jen go out to dinner or something?  Y'all don't need to be hanging around us all weekend or anything," Ian commented.

"I agree.  Y'all go have fun.  Just be home by midnight!" Joey said.

"Hell.  If we go somewhere, we might not be home by then," Ian said.

"True.  Y'all have fun!" Joey said.

"K...bye!" Danny said as he and Jen walked back out the door, leaving bags of things they'd bought that day at the front door.  As they'd done earlier in the day, they took the Audi that Ian was willing to allow Jen to use.

"So what do you want to do tonight?"

"We could go get a dinner and then a movie or something," Joey answered in response to Ian's question.

"That sounds good," Ian said.  "What movie did you have in mind?"

Joey smiled.  "Promise you won't think me overly dorky," he said as he looked at Ian, "but I could really use a dose of Star Trek right now."

"Original cast or Next Generation?" Ian asked.

Joey smiled again, more lively and more vibrantly.  "Next Generation, definitely."

Ian stood from the sofa and walked to a large cabinet on one side of the room.  He opened it up and looked.  "That's weird," he commented to himself, but in a voice loud enough for Joey to hear.  He walked to what seemed like a blank space in the wall.  After a carefully placed hand on what looked like the chair rail, a door opened.

"Whoa!" Joey said as he stood.  "What's that?  A panic room or something?" he asked inquisitively.

Ian smiled.  "It's my studio."

"Can I see?" Joey responded like a child who'd just discovered something new.

"Of course," Ian answered.  "It's soundproof, too."

Joey grinned evilly.  "So those loud orgasms wouldn't be heard by anyone outside?"

"Right," Ian winked.  As Joey entered the room, Ian shuffled through another cabinet just inside the door.

Joey looked through the glass at the soundproof booth.  There was a microphone set up next to a piano.  It was a real piano, unlike the keyboard he'd seen Ian play the night before.  Ian was cussing about not being able to find his movies, but Joey was caught up by the moment, by being in that room.

"Shit," Ian commented.  "I'm sorry.  I used to have all of the movies on DVD, but I can't seem to find them."

"It's OK," Joey said, turning to look at Ian.  "You know.  You really seem like such an awesome guy."

"I'm really not.  The only thing I have going for me is a HUGE penis," Ian joked with Joey.  "So you want to see something cool?"

"Sure," Joey said as Ian directed him to his computer.  He opened up a folder on the desktop and double clicked one of the icons there.  It was the sound of a piano, being played by Ian himself.  Ian then came in with vocals.  The song was brilliantly played and brilliantly sung in Portuguese.  It was one of those songs that could touch a person's heart, even if he didn't understand the language that it was being sun in.  It was raw and unedited; it was Ian's creative process in its purist form.  Joey closed his eyes as he listened to the song.  When it ended, it was left with silence.  Ian didn't start another song immediately.

"So what'd you think?" Ian asked.

"It was beautiful."

"Thanks.  It was a song I recorded for this next album, but I'm not sure it will ever come to the light of day," Ian commented.  "It's one of my favorite songs."

"Well.  You should make sure it's on your next CD."

"You know.  I think you'll be good for my ego in the long run," Ian commented.

"Who knows?" Joey asked as the two smiled.  Just then, Ian began dragging files into the program that he used to burn CDs.  In just a second, he inserted a blank CD in the drive and let it do its thing.  "What are you making?"

"I'm making you a CD," Ian said.

"Oh?  Of what?"

"Songs that have never been released before," Ian said.  "They're songs that I've written and recorded but never done anything with. You just have to make two promises."

"What's that?"

"Number 1...you won't tell anybody where you got it.  Number 2...you have to promise not to listen to it when you're around me."

Joey smiled.  "Done...and done."

"So what would you like for dinner?"

"Asian?" Joey suggested.

"There is a Thai restaurant in Brentwood.  I don't know the name of it, though," Ian said.  "The last time I was there, I was high."

"Ah!" Joey said.

"So let's go get showered, and I can drive us there."

"K.  Just tell me where to go and get dressed."

"Any of the bathrooms on second floor.  You can use my shower, if you want.  You can use the shower in my gym, which is also on the third floor.  Just be careful of that one.  I'm not sure when it was cleaned last.  My housekeeper would never go in there."

"Can't be any worse than the one at my gym!" Joey joked.  "OK.  I'm gonna use yours."

"Alright.  I'll stay down here and finish your CD," Ian commented with a smile on his face.

"Cool," Joey said as he walked out of the room, leaving the door open.  Ian heard the front door open after a second, closing a moment later after Joey returned to the house.  The sound of Joey's footsteps soon faded into memory as he climbed to the second and third floor of the home.  Ian looked at the file names on some of the songs.  He remembered recording every single one of them; he remembered each of their tunes, their lyrics, and, most importantly the emotions behind each of them.  There were love songs; there were break-up songs; there were songs planned as duets.  All of them were songs with which Ian felt a deep, personal connection.  Ian wished that they could have gone onto one of his CDs in the past, but the label wielded a great amount of control over what was released under his name.

When the CD was finished, Ian put it into a blank case and took it with him out of the studio.  He set it on the end table, next to the soda bottle he'd been drinking from earlier.  As he walked upstairs, he thought about the house itself.  He'd fallen in love with it when he first bought simply because of the staircase, and the fact that he could host his entire family, including his grandmother, aunts, and a few of his cousins.  He'd always wanted to have a large family Christmas party there, but it had never happened because of various things that were going on in his life.

He returned to the third floor after a second to hear the water still flowing in the bathroom.  He straightened the bed from their night there.  It might have seemed odd, but he took one of the pillows that Joey used the night before and smelled it.  There was a defined, masculine aroma seemingly emanating from it.  It was one of those smells that spoke volumes about the lifestyle this man in his shower led.

Just a second later, the water stopped.  Ian gently set the pillow back onto the bed and smiled.  Just as he was making sure it was perfectly placed on the bed, Joey walked out of the bathroom from the closet.  He was wearing a pair of tight boxer briefs that served only as a cover.  They left little to Ian's imagination.

"Good shower?" Ian asked.

"Man.  That was amazing!" Joey said as he ran the towel through his hair to completely dry it.

"Cool.  I'm gonna jump in myself," Ian said as he walked past Joey.

"Alright.  See you in a second," Joey said as he searched through his bags for clothes to wear.  He pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt that, like his underwear, left little to the imagination as it tightly clung to the body he'd worked hard to develop.

When Ian emerged from the shower into the closet, he dressed himself in a pair of casual slacks with a button-down shirt that he found that still fit him and didn't make him look bad.  He arranged his hair before walking out of the closet to find Joey sitting quietly on the edge of the bed.  In the time that Ian had been in the shower, Joey had dressed, cleaned up the mess left by his clothes, and taken the dishes down to the kitchen.  He told Ian that it took him a while to find the dishwasher, since it the outside was designed to match the cabinetry in of the kitchen.  Ian grabbed his wallet and keys after Joey explained all of that and the two walked out of the house.  Ian locked the front door before going back through the kitchen to the garage.  The pair climbed into the SUV and headed away from Ian's house quickly.

As they drove, Joey looked around at some of the other houses.  They were all as ornate and grand as Ian's, but he imagined that they were not as interesting as Ian's house had been, with its studio and lights set on timers and motion detectors.  Did all of them have a shower like Ian's bathroom had?  Were all of them owned by people who seemed as cool as Ian himself was?  Ian spent the time wondering why a guy as nice as Joey seemed to be would want to hang out with Ian.

Before either of them realized it, they were pulling up to a small restaurant whose exterior was designed to look like a Thai palace or something.  Ian carefully pulled into a space, and the two climbed out to walk toward the front door.

"Hello," the host said with a smile as they walked in.  "Two?"

"Yes," Ian answered as she grabbed two menus and directed them toward the back of the restaurant, to a booth with red leather seats.  It seemed to be incased on both sides by panels, with a window on the wall.  The lady pulled the shade on the window and took a box of long matches from the back of the table.  In one fluid movement, she lit the match, holding the burning end toward a lamp that hung from the ceiling of the little enclave where the booth was located.  After putting out the match and placing the box back in its location, she smiled at the two of them and pulled free two parts of a curtain that finished the creation of the ambiance.

 "Interesting," Joey commented.  Ian smiled.

"And believe it or not, the food is actually really good, too," the latter commented, having been there on several occasions.

"Welcome to Chez Bangkok," the waiter said as he pulled back the curtain.  "My name is..." he started before stopping dead in his tracks at who he saw sitting there, in a booth in his section.  "Hi," he said, taking out his pad and pen.  "What can I get you two to drink?" the guy asked.

"I'd like water," Joey said, looking at Ian.
"Alright.  And you, Ian?" the guy said, looking directly at him.

"I'll have a water as well.  Can we also have some hot tea?"

"Certainly," the guy said.  "I'll have those right out."  He walked off, closing the curtain back as he walked away.

"So I take it you know him?" Joey asked.

"Yes.  His name is Liam.  He's the guy that got me hooked," Ian said.

"Oh!" Joey stated.  "I hope he doesn't try to give you any shit tonight," Joey commented, giving Ian a very strong look.

"I don't think he will," Ian said as he began to fiddle with the napkin and silverware.  He already knew what he wanted from the menu, so for him there was no question.  Joey had been looking at the menu when Liam came up to the table, but hadn't decided what sounded good to his palate.  He couldn't help but watch Ian, though, after the man's departure.  It seemed as though Ian had gone from quite care free to almost anxious.  It was as if he expected something to happen.  "So have you decided on what you're having yet?" Ian asked.  In his voice, the worry that Joey had observed a moment before was there, confirming Joey's suspicions.

"I think I'll have the Chicken Pad Thai," Joey said.

"It's very good," Ian said.

"Ian.  We don't have to stay if you don't want to?" Joey commented, gently placing his hand across the table to put atop Ian's.

Ian smiled.  "I appreciate that, Joey," he said as he looked up into Joey's eyes.  
"I'll be fine.  It's just that, seeing him is a little weird for me.  I mean, I haven't seen him in almost a year.  The last time I did see him, we were getting high.  Then we did things that I'm not proud of," Ian continued.  "I will be fine, though, and the evening will be a resounding success!"  He tried to instill confidence in Joey by smiling in his direction, but Joey wasn't completely satisfied.  He reached toward his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.  From the leather thing, he pulled out a ten-dollar bill and placed it on the table.

He smiled at Ian.  "Come on.  I've changed my mind about what I want to eat."

"OK," Ian looked at him confused.

"I'll explain in a second," Joey said as he pulled back the curtain.  Ian slid out of the booth and stood just outside, followed by Joey, who blew out the flame in the little lamp hanging from atop the alcove.  Once more, Joey smiled at Ian.  It was very calming and protective.  It said more than what mere words could have.

A moment later, the two were walking toward the door.  Liam, upon returning to the table, found the money and noticed the light was off.  Leaving the tray sitting on the table, he took the money and walked toward the door.  Just outside, he noticed that Joey and Ian were walking toward the black SUV that he and Ian had done things of a sexual nature in, in the past.

"Ian!" he called, getting the attention of the two men moving away from the restaurant.  Ian stopped; Joey moved a step closer to the truck.  Liam jogged out into the parking lot toward them.  "Ian," he said again when he got up to them, "you don't have to leave."

"Joey decided that he wanted something other than Asian food tonight.  That's why we're leaving."

"OH!  Well.  Since I didn't have a chance to talk to you this evening, would it be cool if I called you later?"

Ian looked away.  "Um... Liam.  I don't think that would be a good idea.  Because of you, I almost lost my life.  I don't want to put myself in that situation again.  So let's just say our goodbyes here and be done with one another."

"I see," Liam said, somberly.  "Alright.  If that's how you want it," he said.

"Yeah.  It'll be best for both of us," Ian announced, looking him in the eye for the first time since realizing that Liam was to be their waiter.

Liam began backing away from them.  "Alright.  Just remember this night.  I was trying to be nice to you, and you ended up being the bitch," he said as he pointed a threatening finger at Ian.  Joey stepped up behind Ian and began flexing his muscular chest and arms.  "You just remember that," Liam said before turning away from them and walking back into the restaurant.

Ian took a deep breath as the two of them waited on Liam to go back into the restaurant.  Joey put his hand on Ian's shoulders, squeezing them and massaging Ian's tense muscles.  "You OK?" Joey asked after a second.

"Yeah," Ian said.  "Yeah.  I'm fine," Ian said as he fidgeted with his keys for a second.  He stepped away from Joey and walked to the driver's side of the car.  Joey climbed into the passenger seat as well.  Ian started the car, but he sat there for a second.  Neither of them said anything, as the whole situation felt as though a moment of silence were needed.  Ian turned to Joey after a second, who was looking down toward the floor of the car.  What would have possessed this man before him to give up something he wanted for a person that he barely knew?  What would have convinced him to do something so kind for a man who felt he wasn't worth the attention that this man seemed to be giving him?  As Joey sat there, wondering what was next, Ian took his right hand and placed it behind Joey's head.  He moved closer to Joey as the passenger turned to face Ian.  In a moment that seemed to last much longer than it actually was, Ian kissed him, passionately.  It was the only way he could think of to thank Joey for being the man that his mother had raised him to be.

Ian disconnected and sat back down in his seat comfortably.  There was another moment of silence between them.  "What was that for?" Joey asked, not complaining at all.

"I just wanted to kiss you," Ian said, looking into his eyes.  The rich brown orbs told Joey more than Ian's words themselves had.

"Well.  It was the best kiss I've had in a long time!" Joey said with a grin on his face.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Ian said as he put the car in drive and pulled out of the space.  "So where would you like to go for dinner?"

"I saw a cool sandwich shop on the way here.  We can go there, get a bite, and then decide later what we're going to do later."

"Sounds good," Ian said as he pulled back onto the road and headed in the direction Joey mentioned.  They pulled up at the place after only a few seconds and walked inside.  The atmosphere was completely different.  The place was bright; the people there were sitting at round tables, in full view of everyone else that was in the place.  They walked up to the counter and each ordered a sandwich.  At the register, they paid for everything and ordered two drinks.  As they sat and ate the sandwiches, Ian explained in greater detail who Liam had been to him.  He explained that Liam had been more than just his supplier, that the two had been lovers.  He explained that there were two instances when Ian had to be tested because of Liam's confessed promiscuity.  In the end, Ian felt as though it had been good for him to say those things to Joey.  It felt good to let go of that portion of his past.  It felt good to tell Joey these things.  In Ian's twisted mind, where existed a total lack of self-confidence, he felt like he was giving Joey a chance to bow out gracefully before either of them got too attached to one another.  After the confessions, Joey smiled.  He enjoyed the fact that the two had, despite only having known each other a very short time, developed a rapport with one another.  He liked that Ian felt totally comfortable telling these things to him.  It was a good sign, in his mind.  He liked that he'd been able to defend Ian against that man that Joey hoped to never see again, especially not in a dark alley.

After dinner, the two climbed back into truck and began driving.  By the time he'd finished eating, Ian didn't want to go back to the house.  Joey decided that he wanted to see Nashville at night.  The two drove past several of the city's attractions.  They drove down `Music Row', where people in cowboy hats and boots were walking between the many bars and music houses that lined the streets.  Joey laughed when Ian almost got into a cussing match with a redneck that was jaywalking down the busy street.  Ian was cussing in Portuguese while the drunk man was cussing back in English, calling Ian a `spik,' which sparked another whole round of cussing from Ian, who stated in perfect English that he couldn't be a spik because he was from Brazil.  "Damn redneck doesn't know his asshole from a whole in the ground!" Ian commented as he pulled back into the truck.  All the while, Joey laughed loudly at Ian's rant.  "What?" Ian asked.

"Nothing.  You just sounded SOOO Southern when you said that," Joey commented.

"Ahh!!!" Ian said.  "I'll show you just how Southern I can be a little later," Ian shot back.

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Joey asked, almost as if a physical energy had developed between them.

Ian smiled.  "Take it however you need to," he commented.

Joey grinned.  "So that place looks interesting," Joey commented, pointing just outside the window at a bar with attractive men going around the corner of the building.

"That would be `The Jungle'," Ian answered.  "I used to go there to get a fix or three."

"OH!" Joey said.  "So that's an off limits place?"

"We can go there if you want," Ian said.  "You've already made enough concessions for me tonight."  There was a smile.  "By the way, thanks again for that.  It was really sweet."

"It's not a big deal.  You're a great guy, very talented, sweet, and cute..." Joey started.

"Wait.  Cute?" Ian asked in disbelief.

"Yeah... I don't cuddle with ugly guys!" Joey joked.  Ian laughed.  His hands rested on the gear shifter between them.  As a gesture of niceness, Joey put his hand on top of Ian's.  Ian turned and smiled at Joey when they stopped at a red light just a couple of blocks away.  Ian turned his hand over, just before taking off.  Their fingers seemed to interlace naturally.  It was at that moment that Ian let himself relax more than he had around this man.  Even when he was drunk, he was still somewhat reserved.  The actions of that night so far, along with the way he seemed to be so nice and sincere.  

After they left downtown Nashville, Ian drove past some other attractions of the city.  Given that it was so late, none of them were open.  Joey was still impressed, though.  He even told Ian about the history of some of the buildings along the Cumberland River; he mentioned things that even Ian didn't know about the city he'd adopted as his hometown.

As they drove back to Ian's house, Joey remembered that he'd not checked out of the hotel room.  Ian drove him by the downtown hotel and gave him a few minutes to check out and grab his things.  Within a half hour, they were back at Ian's house.  Danny and Jen had yet to return.  Joey joked about how old they were; Ian couldn't help but laugh.  The fact was, though, that Ian didn't feel that old.  He felt his age.  He felt like he could do anything now that the drugs were completely out of his system.

Inside, the two made coffee in the kitchen before going into the living room to watch a movie.  Since Joey had made so many concessions that even, Ian insisted that he choose from Ian's rather impressive movie collection.  He chose X-men 2.  "Since we can't watch Star Trek, we can watch X2," Joey commented.  "Either way, we still get to see Captain Picard!"

"True!" Ian said as Joey loaded the movie into the DVD player and returned to the couch.  In the interim, Joey flipped a switch so that the lights didn't come on every time one of the two of them moved.

The two found themselves quickly engrossed in the movie, despite the fact that both of them had seen it several times before.  At one point, Joey declared that he had to pee.  Ian paused the movie and patiently waited as Joey went to the bathroom in the hallway.  When he returned, he declared that he had washed his hand and sat in the middle of the long sofa, just to Ian's right.  A few more scenes past in the movie and Joey forced himself to yawn.  He pulled his left arm to his mouth and covered the sound with his fist.  Trying not to seem too obvious, he stretched himself a bit, lifting both arms in the air.  When they came down, his left arm landed on the back of the couch.  His arms were just long enough to touch the edge of Ian's left shoulder.  The touch sent an odd sensation through Ian's body, but wanting to feel the moment completely, Ian paused the movie, announcing that he had to pee.  He got off the sofa and walked into the same water closet that Joey had gone into a few minutes before.  Unlike Joey, though, he didn't have to pee.  He had a plan of his own, after all.  After a second, he turned on the faucet and washed his hands, drying them afterwards with the same crumpled, used towel that Joey had used.  When he returned to the living room to continue watching the movie, he found that Joey's arm had moved off the back of the couch.  Ian sat directly to his left on the couch.  When, after a second, Joey's arm didn't return to its position, Ian forced himself to yawn.  It was done in hopes that Joey would also be forced to yawn and stretch again.  Not surprisingly, it did work.  Joey yawned again, covering it with his left fist.  Yawning always caused him to feel the need to stretch, so he lifted his arms toward the ceiling once more, letting them land on Ian's shoulder.  This time, given their proximity to one another, Joey was able to open his hand and put it flatly onto Ian's shoulder.

"That's better," Ian declared as the movie was restarted.  The two of them smiled.

With Joey holding onto Ian's shoulder, they became engrossed in the movie once more.  They almost didn't realize Danny and Jen trying to sneak into the house.  It wasn't that they'd broken curfew or anything, but they weren't sure if Ian and Joey would be asleep when they walked in.  The door moved smoothly enough that it didn't make a sound as they entered.  Jen was the first to notice Joey and Ian sitting on the couch in the dark room as the movie projected onto the wall opposite them.  She made a motion for Danny to look at the two of them as they sat there, the black hair on their back of their heads facing them.  Danny smiled along with his girlfriend at the two of them.  As they moved toward the living room, though, Ian and Joey heard them walking up.

"Have fun?" Joey asked, not taking his eyes off the movie.

"Yes," Jen answered, as Ian paused the movie and the two teenagers walked in front of the couch.  "Danny took me to dinner and then to a movie," she said as she sat next to her brother, who put his other arm around her.

"What'd y'all see?" Ian asked, looking at Danny.

"We found this cool theatre this morning when we were driving around that shows old movies, so we went back there tonight and saw Casablanca," Danny answered, giving a look to Ian that said that they HAD actually watched a movie.

"Awesome," Joey answered.

"So I see y'all found a movie to enjoy," Danny said, turning to look at the paused screen for a second, just at a scene where Storm and Nightcrawler were going into the make-shift Cerebro to save Professor X.  "Have y'all seen any of it?  Or have y'all just been making out the whole time?" Danny asked, looking directly at Ian with a smile on his face.

"Your brother is an amazing kisser, but we've been watching the movie the whole time," Joey answered.

"Ahhh...I see!" Danny responded with a smile on his face.  "Well, Jen.  What do you say we let these two get back to...um...watching their movie," Danny suggested.

"Alright," Jen answered, looking directly at Danny with a grin on her face.

"Y'all have a good night," Danny said as he let Jen pass him before following her out of the living room.  "So if they haven't been making out, how does Joey know that Ian is a good kisser," Joey and Ian heard Danny ask Jen as they reached the top of the stairs.  He didn't realize that he was talking loudly enough for both of them to hear, below.  Ian just smiled as he placed his hands firmly and flatly on Joey's left leg, gently squeezing the muscle to avoid having to produce the words from his mouth.  Joey seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, though, as the gentleness in Ian's touch was enough to speak volumes.

The movie ended a few minutes later, shortly after Joey and Ian heard the single door of Danny's room closing as they went to settle in for the evening.  In that moment, they both realized something else.  They both seemed to get so into movies that they would sit through all the credits until the final chime and display of the production company's logo.  Even after turned off the DVD player and muted the speaker system so that the room was in silence while the picture still came through, the two of them sat beside one another.  Anyone looking at the sight would have smiled at the two of them.  Despite the fact that they'd only known each other a short time, they seemed completely comfortable with one another.  They seemed to have a lot in common; their taste in movies was a prime example.  The fact that they both cared passionately about their careers and futures was another.

"So are you about ready for bed?" Ian asked.

"Yeah.  I am," Joey said.  "So which room should I take?" he asked, refusing to assume to that Ian would let him sleep in the same room again.

"What's wrong with the room you slept in last night?" Ian asked with a smile on his face.

"Well.  We were drunk, so I didn't know if you'd want to shack with me again tonight..." Joey started.  He was stopped by Ian placing his index finger of Joey's mouth.  With his finger in place, Ian grabbed the remote and turned off the projector.  He stood, bending so that his finger was still before Joey's lips.  He took Joey's hand and pulled it gently, requesting that he stand.  Slowly and gently, Ian guided him out of the living room and up the stairs, past the room Danny and Jen were sharing that weekend toward the third floor of the house.  He guided Joey into the bedroom, turning on the just enough so that there was a soft glow across the room.  As he positioned Joey in front of the circular bed, he removed his finger.  Joey didn't say a word; Ian took the lower part of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.  Next, Ian undid Joey's belt and pants, letting them slip to the floor.  Joey stepped out of his shoes and then his pants.  He smiled as Ian unbuttoned his shirt and pants and let them fall to floor next to his.  The two men stood in their boxers.  

Ian put his hands on Joey's chest muscles for a second, with the intention of pushing him onto the bed.  Once his hands were there, though, he felt a heat seemingly emanating from Joey's body.  He let this tips of his fingers move over his ab muscles and around his waist to his back.  His back seemed as strong and developed as the front of his body.  Joey flexed his muscles when necessary to give Ian just a bit more digital stimulation.  As Ian reached his hands toward the top of Joey's back, the latter decided to facilitate the touching by putting his arms on Ian's shoulders.  Ian was able to wrap his hands around Joey's arms, letting his fingers move with the naturally flawless sculpting of his body.

"God.  Your body is amazing," Ian commented.

"Thank you," Joey responded sincerely.  "Yours isn't too shabby either."

"Please!  I'm a fat fuck!" Ian commented, revealing some of the self-consciousness that he'd developed after being off of the drugs.

"How much do you weigh?" Joey asked, setting Ian up for a dose of his own, self-branded medicine.

"180," Ian answered honestly.

"OK.  That's not fat," Joey said.  Ian took Joey's arms and put them on his waist.

"Feel those?"

"Yes..." Joey said.  "But it's not fat.  It's something to hold on to!"

Ian laughed loudly, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the room.  "Oh my God that was hilarious!" Ian said.  "Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course," Joey said.

"I used to have a decent body.  When I was in rehab, though, I just let myself go."

"You had other things to worry about, though.  Your life is kind of a big deal," Joey stated objectively and clearly.

"You are so nice," Ian said as he looked into Ian's eyes.

Joey's hands slipped from Ian's waist to his back, where his fingers interlaced with one another.  He pulled Ian closer into him, where their midsections were almost touching each other.  Other parts of their anatomies were pressing against one another.  "Wow.  I'm sorry.  I kinda lost my train of thought just now."  Ian smiled evilly.

"I bet you did," Ian said as he pushed himself into Joey's crotch.  It was a good thing, Ian thought, that they were almost the same height.

"So what I was going to say," Joey went on, "is that it's hard not to be nice to you.  You're cute; you're sweet; every cell in your body is more talented than I will ever hope to be."

"Shut up!  You're gonna give me a big head...and not in the good way!" Ian declared as Joey giggled and smiled.

As he stopped, his eyes caught Ian's.  Ian's caught his.  They stood there for a second, gazing into each other's worlds.  Joey pulled his left hand from Ian's back, lifting it up to the scruffy face of the almost naked man standing before him.  His placed his hand on Ian's chin.  His thumb ran along Ian's cheek.  With the motion, Ian pulled himself closer to Joey.  In a moment that seemed like an eternity, they moved close enough to one another that they could feel one another's breath.  It wasn't like it was their first kiss, but it was the first kiss that both of them had a real part in.  As their lips connected, it felt right, just as it did when Joey held him the night before.  Their lips seemed to match perfectly, as if some cosmic power had meant for this moment to happen between them.

Ian turned his head to better fit with Joey's.  As they lost track of time, they felt themselves turning and twisting, to experience new positions of their kissing.  Joey's hand that was still on Ian's back, unbeknownst to either of them, slipped just inside the waist band of Ian's boxers.  The simplicity and sensuality of that act made Ian want to kiss Joey harder, with more force and passion.  In a second, the other hand slipped down from Joey's face and joined its mate just under the waist of Ian's shorts.  Consciously, in the moment, Joey let his hands slip and cup Ian's soft butt in his hands.  He squeezed, lifting Ian a little bit from the ground.

"God that feels so good," Ian commented as they stopped their kissing long enough to take a breath.  As they began kissing again, Ian slowly moved Joey toward the bed.  As Joey slowly sat on the side of the bed, Ian bent down to match the movement, so that their kiss wouldn't be interrupted.  Using the muscular midsection that he possessed, Joey bent them down onto the bed.  Rather than continuing to bend, Ian put one knee, then the other, onto the bed.  Joey, with his legs hanging off was able to lie on his back as Ian arched his back a little.

"Ian..." Joey whispered between kisses, "do you know how bad I want you right now?"

"Probably about as much as I want you.  I mean, I'm in a position to bottom.  That's never happened before!" Ian declared.

"Virgin ass!" Joey joked as he pulled Ian's boxers down far enough to expose the naturally tanned behind to the night air of the room.  Playfully, as they started kissing again, he slapped it.  It was a gentle pat, but it sent all of kinds of signals to all parts of Ian's body, signals that Ian liked and that made him nervous at the same time.  Ian pulled off from kissing Joey and looked directly into his brown eyes, eyes that were as brown as his.

"You want to know something?" Ian asked as Joey massaged his Brazilian orbs that were definitely not in need of a butt lift.

"Sure."

"When I was in rehab, I made myself a promise."

"What was that?"

"That I wouldn't have random sex ever again."

"OK?" Joey asked.

"This is so not random!" Ian said as he lowered back onto Joey and kissed him with an almost renewed vigor.  With his lips, Ian could feel Joey smiling beneath him.  As the moment became more and more heated, Ian reached back behind him and lifted Joey's tight boxer briefs off his manhood and placing the elastic band behind a tight and almost swollen nutsack, creating a pressure in Joey's groin that made him twitch in all the right places.  Ian sat up and rested on his knees for a second.  Joey scooted onto the bed completely, partially losing his boxer briefs in the process.  The part of him that had been hard and engorged so many times before flopped onto the part of his torso where the muscular definition of his abs seemed to be the most defined.  His pubes were neatly groomed, under control.  As Ian scooted closer, Joey reached into the slit on the front of his boxers and grabbed Ian's engorged penis that had, for a while, been pushing against the fabric, making the little seagulls that adorned them seem almost larger than they actually were.  Ian moaned with both satisfaction and gratification.  The tension and energy that had been building between them all weekend was coming to a head.  There was no trepidation or fear on either of their parts.  It was right for them to be there in that moment.

"Be right back," Ian said after he reluctantly pulled off Joey and scooted off the bed.

"HURRY!" Joey said as Ian ran into the place where he kept all the supplies he felt he'd need over the next little while.  With all of them in hand, he rushed back out into the room.  In the time he'd been away, Joey had slipped off his form fitting boxer briefs and was twirling them around on his left index finger.

Ian practically threw the condom and the lube onto the bed as he rushed to get back to Joey.  He slipped off his boxers just before climbing back onto the bed.  The slightly hair texture of Joey's skin matched the light brushing of hair on his own thighs.  As the two rubbed together, Ian's cock twitched from the excitement of what was about to happen.

They started kissing anew as they both wrestled with perverted thoughts running around in their mind.  When the moment felt right, Ian stopped kissing Joey's lips, moving his defined chin, kissing along the right side of where it met with his neck.  The little hairs from where he hadn't shaved added to the sensations that Ian was feeling all around him.  He moved to his adam's apple, sucking on it for a second as Joey moaned audibly.  Ian moved to his nipples, sucking and pinching each of them.  Joey became more and more excited by the moment, especially as Ian gently rubbed himself against Joey's throbbing member.  Gently, Ian licked between each of the predominant muscles of his abs.  He kissed the muscles that Joey was flexing beneath him.

As he moved lower, Ian began to smell the musk being emitted from Joey's body.  It was fragrant and pleasant, despite that it had been a few hours since Joey showered.  With the tip of his tongue, he began to taste all the flavors of Joey's body.  Perhaps it might seem odd to some people, but to Ian, scent and taste were just as important as all the other senses when it came to sex.  Gently, he licked up and down the shaft of Joey's penis, letting the moment culminate in Ian pulling back Joey's foreskin and taking the mushroom shaped head into his mouth.  Joey's back arched, it felt so good.  He began breathing more heavily and his heart began to race a bit more as Ian worked his `magical mouth' the way it was supposed to be done.  He reached down and put his hands on either side of Ian's head, letting his fingers run through Ian's jet-black hair.

After a second, he felt like things were about to erupt.  To make sure that the moment lasted as long as it could, Joey pulled Ian's head gently until his dick popped out Ian's mouth and Ian looked at him.  "Bésame, papi," Joey said, making Ian smile.  Ian moved up and they once again locked their lips together.  It wasn't long before Joey was relaxed enough to resume their playing.  Rather than letting Ian go back down on him, though, he rolled the two of them over so that Joey was on his back.  Joey smiled at Ian; Ian seemed to know that he was about to experience something that had previously been completely foreign to him.  Joey lifted up Ian's legs, bending them at the knees and leaving them there momentarily as he reached for the condom and lube that was lying just beside them on the bed.  He set the condom aside again for the second but opened up the lube, squeezing a bit onto the tips of his index and middle fingers of his right hand.  As he closed the lube with his left hand, he rubbed the lube into his fingers with his thumb.  He reached over and set the lube with the condom once again.  Ian took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"You OK?" Joey asked, noting the momentary fear in Ian's countenance.

"A little," Ian answered honestly.

"Well.  We don't have to do this."

"I know.  I want to, though," Ian said.

"If it hurts too much, just let me know and I'll stop," Joey said.

"K..." Ian said, trying to make himself relax.  Joey started slowly, but sticking his index finger against Ian's virgin asshole.  He massaged it for a second before gently pushing the tip of his finger in to the first knuckle.  Ian had been expecting it to hurt all over his body.  Oddly, enough, though, it was pleasant to have Joey doing this.  He wondered if any other guys would have been as gentle as him as Joey was being.  One finger eventually became two, but Joey was just as gentle through the whole experience.

"You sure you want to do this?" Joey asked once more as he pulled his fingers from Ian's body.

"YES!" Ian said, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience thus far.

"OK," Joey said, opening the condom with his teeth before unrolling it onto his dick.  Fully extended, it was a bit shy of the base and tight.  Joey drizzled lube onto it and rubbed it around with his right hand.  With the excess on his hand still, he made sure that Ian's hole was ready to take him.  Joey lifted Ian's legs and placed them on his shoulders.  Taking into account that Ian had never been on this side of things, he rubbed the head of his dick against Ian's hole.  

Ian let out a hissing sound as Joey began to enter him.  He clenched his eyes shut and hoped that the pain would subside in a second.  Joey waited until signaled by Ian that everything was OK, but he didn't pull out.  Slowly, he began to push himself inside Ian, stopping every couple of seconds to give Ian a chance to recover before he went deeper into him.  Patiently, he would slowly pull back and push again until Ian was totally comfortable with the situation.  Then the speed began to pick up.  After a few minutes, the sound of fleshing almost violently coming in contact with flesh filled the room.  Ian's initial anxiety eventually became excitement as he began to get into the groove of what was going on.

For an hour, Joey and he had what Ian thought was the best sex of his life.  Joey slowed a couple of times to keep from the whole thing ended sooner than either of them wanted it to end.  Joey found himself about to slow at one point when Ian to get a look on his face.  Regardless of what anyone wanted, the forces of nature were about to force Ian beyond the breaking point.  Ian tried to keep himself quiet, but he knew that, in just a second, it would be no use.

Ian grabbed his own legs at the knee and pulled them back.  Joey was able to look deep into his eyes in those final moments of their passionate interlude.  Joey reached and placed his hands besides Ian's head.  From the side, it looked as though he were about to do a push up, only one in which his waist and hips would be doing the brunt of the work.

"FUCK ME!" Ian said with a bottom's determination as Joey's sweat dripped onto his face.

"Yes sir," Joey complied, pumping himself in Ian with such velocity that the friction created a bit of heat between them.  Joey was obviously hitting the right spot, because in a second, he was almost deafened by the sound of Ian's pleasure-filled moaning in his ear.  The sound echoed throughout the room and even reverberated through the stairwell, as they'd not realized the door was still as wide open as it had been when they entered.  As he began to orgasm, dumping his load on his chest, Joey felt his ass tightening to push the fluids from Ian's body.  After only a second, it became too much.  He pumped three more times, hard and deep, before his own orgasm began to fill the head of the condom.  Joey returned to his knees, breathing as deeply as he did just after a great cardio workout.  Ian's legs fell off his shoulders after a second as his own breathing began to return to normal.  He almost began to get hard again, though, as he watched the skin sheathing Joey's sculpted physique glisten with sweat.

Downstairs, in Danny's room, the sound of Ian's orgasm had stirred their siblings, who were sleeping, peacefully cuddled together.

"What was that?" Jen asked.

"I think that was Ian nutting," Danny answered.

"Are you that loud?" Jen jokingly continued.

"Maybe.  Maybe not.  Maybe one day, though, you'll experience it!" Danny said as Jen giggled and just before he kissed the back of her neck.

"OK.  I'm going back to sleep."

"Night," Danny said as the two of them smiled.

Back upstairs, Joey had fallen from his knees onto his back, just beside Ian.  "Holy fuck," he managed to muster as his breathing finally returned to normal and as he gazed up at the ceiling.  Turning his head to look at Ian, he continued, "So..."

"Yeah," Ian said as he smiled and looked up at the ceiling.  "That was amazing."

"You ain't lying.  I don't normally top, but I think you're changing my mind."

Ian turned and looked at Joey.  "You don't normally top?"

"Nope."

"So what changed your mind with me?"

"VIRGIN ASS!" Joey said with a smile, forcing Ian to smile as well.

"Well.  I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Ian said, turning to look at the ceiling again.

"I did," Joey said, turning to face the ceiling again himself.  "So can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know.  Can you?" Ian answered sarcastically.

Joey grinned.  "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Oh yeah!  That was...quite possibly...the single best orgasm I've ever had, and I didn't even touch myself."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Joey commented as he playfully patted Ian on the leg.  "I almost don't want to get dressed to go to sleep."

"Then don't.  I don't care.  I mean, you just nutted in my ass.  I shouldn't mind if you wanted to sleep next to me, naked," Ian said, not thinking about anything other than the incredible moment before.  He looked over to see that Joey had gone limp, but that he'd, in the rush of the moment, not taken off the condom.  He reached over and carefully took it off his dick and put the used condom in the small trash can under the oddly shaped table.  He also grabbed a towel that was sitting beside the bed and wiped himself off in the process before any of the liquid found its way to the sheets.  Being that he'd turned onto his side to throw the trash away, Joey turned onto his side as well and wrapped his arm around Ian's body.  After just a few minutes, Ian maneuvered a pillow up to where their heads were and placed it in such a way so that they could share it between them.

Long after Joey was asleep, Ian was still awake.  It was one thing to have sex, but it was something completely different to have sex with someone with whom you connected on so many levels.  When Ian was finally able to close his eyes, it was as Joey breathed peacefully onto his neck and molded himself to fit perfectly in sync with what Ian referred to as his less than perfect physique.