Another Day

Is it possible to be hungover without having been drunk first?

John wondered moments after waking up. Aside from the irritation of the July sun flooding his eyes through the window, he was also suffering from a sort of black out; he could remember having gone for a walk the previous night after Riley had left, but he could not remember where exactly he had gone or how long he had been out of the house. By the time he collapsed into his bed, he was sure it was well past midnight, but that was based solely on the aching of his feet rather than any clock. Sleep had been welcome but dreamless, and part of him wished to return to that state, but he had the vague awareness that this was the second or possibly third time he'd woken up that morning, and so he "rose" from bed, a motion more accurately described as rolling, and proceeded to make coffee.

He wondered as he scooped the grounds into the machine if caffeine was truly addictive in a medical sense. It certainly had his grip on him, although he could attribute this mostly to purely higher psychological phenomena. In any case, the smell of it percolating did not go well with the Thai food which had grown cold, uneaten, on the kitchen table. He checked it for any signs of having gone bad, but, finding none and attributing, perhaps unjustifiably, to himself the ability to eat whatever he wanted without getting sick, he put it in the refrigerator. Spicy noodles were not an ideal breakfast, even if he were hungry for anything besides caffeine, which, strangely, he found he was not. While the coffee maker worked its dark magic, he proceeded to take his morning piss and shower.

He had somehow still not worked up anything like hunger by the time he'd finished his shower, which the clock told him was already past ten, so he sat with just his coffee, checking his phone.

Did people in the past worry they were becoming slaves to the morning newspaper or something?

he wondered as he sipped the coffee. No messages from Riley; a disappointment but not a surprise. Liam had sent him some texts, though.

Hey daddy

big plans for the day off?

He replied

nothing, really

not feeling patriotic, I guess

Liam replied quickly

aww poor daddy

going to a bbq

work people, boring but networking

For some reason John chuckled at that. He couldn't blame the kid for wanting to get out of temping.

Sounds fun

he texted. He hoped that sarcasm would translate sans emoji.

sounds boring as hell

want to come?

Tempting,

John thought.

I have a whole fridge full of Thai food to eat and no networking to do, but thanks

he texted back.

Maybe I should have said yes,

he thought. He could tell a depression was coming on, with the altered sleep schedule, the lack of appetite, the general malaise. He just wasn't sure why. If he had to guess, he would have pinned it on dredging up old memories of Madison and E. He hadn't revisited those memories in a long time, so it didn't seem the likely cause; time had, he had surmised until that instant, truly healed all wounds.

Besides,

he reasoned,

the story, as poorly and incompletely told as it had been, seemed to have some kind of effect on Riley, who had shifted into a kind of wild slut mode before he'd even finished, leading to some of the best and filthiest sex he'd ever had.

He didn't know what she had found so erotic about it, resolving to ask her about it the next time they met.

Of course, he did not know when that would be; she had practically bolted out the door after what had seemed to him to be a sudden and inexplicable mood change. He wondered if her perplexing personality changes was a trans girl thing, an effect of hormones, but dismissed that as probably bigoted in some way. It was more likely just a Riley thing or, maybe a John thing, just something he perceived that wasn't really there at all. He had, after all, seemingly become overly depressed at her having to leave suddenly because of a forgotten prior engagement, a totally normal thing for a person to do and nothing that in and of itself should have bothered him in the slightest. Still, it did.

Sunlight would probably help, but he didn't feel up to it and the leftovers made for a handy excuse.

come over when you're done networking?

he added. Liam would certainly be a cure for whatever ailed him.

Liam replied

done by 1:30 latest

followed by the address for some public park where apparently the event was being held, then

going to need some dick for sure

Liam had a way of perking John right up. He texted back a thumbs up, finished his coffee, and went to put on some clothes, selecting his outfit based on how easy it would be to remove quickly.

Now I just have to kill a couple hours.

He briefly considered jerking off, but knowing how things would go with Liam, he decided it was better to conserve as much cum as possible, even if that came at the cost of cumming a little earlier the first time.

He went back downstairs and turned on the tv, flipping through his choices on streaming for a bit, but became bored with it quickly.

What did people do before constant digital stimulation? Read books, maybe,

he answered his own mental question. He looked over towards the book shelf that had grown, by this point, to be largely decorative. There was that elementary Thai language book he'd bought, gotten a couple chapters into, and then abandoned. He got up off the couch and flipped through it. The notes he'd scrawled in the margins had grown more and more infrequent as the book went on, until they disappeared entirely. A quick glance through it showed him that the "thank you" he'd given over the phone the previous night had been about the only thing he'd retained.

I'll have to start all over again,

he conceded,

if I ever get around to it again.

He finally opted for a different type of self-improvement, doing a quick workout in the junk room/exercise room. He'd set an alarm to give him plenty of time to take another shower and make the trip over to get Liam, so the workout was short on top of being ineffective because he kept thinking about licking and fucking Liam's tight little asshole instead of focusing. He showered, changed again, and drove over to the park.

It was a large park, and, with the holiday, crowded, but John was able to follow the smoke from a grill to find where a group that he supposed to be Liam's was enjoying themselves. There were kids running around, adults lounging in lawn chairs, and people eating hamburgers and hot dogs off of paper plates. He was surprised when he tried and failed to recall the last time he'd been to such an event, and more surprised to find that the smell of meat cooking on the grill actually seemed appetizing.

Feeling better already,

he supposed, scanning the crowd for Liam. He spotted the kid talking with a group of mixed genders that he took to be coworkers, and, with no desire to interrupt, having arrived earlier than planned, found an otherwise unoccupied picnic table and had a seat.

He got his phone out to send Liam an

I'm here

text but before he could even verify it was sent, someone started talking to him and he turned his attention to the source of the voice. It was a big guy, easily half a foot taller than John, had he been standing up, which he wasn't, which only emphasized the size difference. "You want a burger?" the man, sporting a friendly smile and an apron over his large pot belly said.

"Huh?" was John's first reaction, followed by "Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm not part of this, just picking someone up."

"Ah," said the guy. "Well, plenty to go around. Let me know if you change your mind."

"Actually, you know what, I will have a burger, if that's alright," John surprised himself by saying.

"Coming right up," the guy said jovially. He fetched a burger from a nearby grill and plated it on a paper plate. "Fixins over there," the guy indicated a table with a group of what looked to be harried moms wrangling kids around it, then accepted John's thanks and disappeared again to tend to another grill.

John sat eating a burger, one much better than any he'd had in a good long while, and watched Liam while trying not to look like a creep. Far from seeming bored, Liam looked relaxed, enjoying the weather and the company. John almost felt bad for dragging him away from this, knowing that all he could offer was sex and leftover thai food.

But maybe that's what he prefers,

concluded John. He wasn't sure that he himself did, at the moment, but he was happy when Liam evidently seized a lull in the conversation to look at his phone, and, judging from the way he immediately started looking around, read John's text. A wave was enough to catch the kid's attention.

"Enjoying the barbecue?" Liam asked as he reached the table where John was sitting alone with a now empty paper plate.

"I would be remiss if I didn't point out that burgers and hot dogs do not technically count as 'barbecue'. I think 'cookout' is more applicable. But, yeah, it's nice."

"Should have come earlier," Liam said. He sat down across from Jon and wiped some sweat off his brow. "You could have played kickball with us."

"If I had known 'networking' included kickball, I might have," John said.

"Too bad," said Liam. "You missed it, so you're just going to have to settle for taking me home and fucking the shit out of me."

"Quite the consolation prize," John replied. "I hate to drag you away, though. Looked like you were having fun."

Liam rolled his eyes. "I'm very good at pretending to be having a good time."

"A useful skill," John replied, "although it makes me question what you think of our dates."

"One good thing about guys," Liam said, "is that we can't fake an orgasm."

"I suppose that's true," John conceded while considering if it actually was.

"Don't worry, daddy, I like you," Liam teased. "Now are you going to take me home and fuck me or do I need to start looking for another stud who can give me a ride?"

"Your chariot awaits."

...

The drive home was not long. Liam had asked to use John's shower, as the hot summer sun had caused him to sweat quite a bit, and so John, after briefly considering joining in, had a few minutes to wait while Liam finished cleaning himself up. It occurred to John that he had never gotten around to replying to that other guy who had sent him a message on the dating app, and so, sitting on his bed, perhaps inspired by his anticipated fucking of Liam, pulled it up and checked the profile again to be sure he remembered it correctly: good looking guy, mid 20's, dark brown hair and eyes to match, name of Ethan. For some reason, a voice deep in his subconscious said

solid gay name

when he read that. He brought the message back up. It was a very generic "looking for something casual"-type of message. John was so focused on trying to come up with a clever way to ask if that meant "looking to get fucked raw on a regular basis" that he didn't, evidently, notice the shower shut off in the other room.

"Hey daddy, whatcha doin?" Liam asked from the bathroom doorway. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, but was naked from there up.

John admired the boy's slim physique momentarily before answering. "Just some casual twink hunting," he said.

"Ooh, let me see," said Liam. He came over the the edge of the bed and sat next to John, peering at the screen, which was still open to the blank reply form. "Writer's block?"

"You could say that," John answered. "These things always make me feel like a dinosaur, this type of digital dance of seduction."

Liam chuckled, "Seduction, listen to you," he said. "It's not that hard. If he's the type of guy who messaged you, which I am guessing he is since you are too lazy to find guys on your own, then he's the type of guy who is looking to get his ass eaten. No 'seduction' necessary."

"You're not wrong..."

"Here, let me show you," Liam snatched the phone from John's hands, and as John watched, brought up Ethan's profile, tapped his way through the pictures available from there, then returned to the inbox. He typed out a reply with a speed that made John very aware of how terrible he himself was with touch screens:

Hey what's up

Looking for a third for me and my boyfriend

You down?

"My boyfriend?" John asked. "Who's that?"

Liam gave him a playful look. "Boyfriend doesn't necessarily mean

boyfriend

. Just letting him know that it's another guy. Don't want to scare him off with thoughts of nasty pussy."

John laughed at this. "Fair enough, even if you are sort of hijacking my account to get yourself more dick."

Before Liam could respond, a reply came back.

Maybe. You got a pic?

"Oh ho ho," Liam said. "We have some interest, it seems." He quickly found his own profile and linked to it in a reply.

"I notice you never even asked if I would be into a threesome," John pointed out.

Liam rolled his eyes. "Am I supposed to take that seriously?"

John shrugged. Before the conversation could continue, another reply came in.

Not bad. When's good?

Liam, was now just controlling the phone on his own, so John opted to let him have it. "Let me know if and when you get it set up, or, if you haven't forgotten about the reason you came over in the first place..." He got up and went to get himself a drink.

"Sure, sure," Liam said.

John just shook his head and proceeded downstairs, where he poured himself a glass of water, downed it, and then went with something stronger, pouring himself a tumbler of whiskey. He had just taken his first sip when Liam, now with jeans on, appeared in the kitchen. "Don't get too drunk," Liam said. He had evidently taken one of John's t-shirts and was in the process of putting it on. "You're going to have to drive me home after."

"Don't worry about that," John began.

"Besides, we're going to get a drink with Ethan," Liam cut him off.

"I see," John said. "Does that mean now?"

"At your earliest convenience," Liam answered.

John put the drink down without finishing it, walked over to Liam, kissed him on the mouth, then said, "Let's go."

The pub that Liam and Ethan had evidently settled on was not far. Unfortunately parking was, as always, the highest bar to getting anywhere, so, silently cursing the U.S.'s hatred for workable public transit, John dropped Liam off so as to not keep Ethan waiting, then drove around for a few blocks before finding a spot and then making his way back.

It was pretty lively inside for a holiday. He hoped the wait staff was at least making some overtime, decided he'd be sure to leave a generous tip in any case, and found his "boyfriend" and their new acquaintance in a corner booth, the two of them having already ordered a round of beers. Even from a distance, it seemed clear that they were already getting along.

Maybe that's just Liam's special ability,

John thought as he sat down.

"John, Ethan, Ethan, John," Liam glibly introduced the two. "Glad you could finally make it, dear."

Ethan was dressed casually, a light-colored t-shirt clinging to his chest tightly enough to show off his nice physique, similar to Liam's. The two of them actually looked like a pair, nearly identical heights and weights, both clean shaven, and, aside from Liam's hair being a few shades lighter, almost the same short, slightly mussed hair.

Maybe I have a type,

John thought, a little embarrassed.

"Ah, yes, the joys of operating one's own vehicle, I'm afraid," he said to Liam. He turned to Ethan "Nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind my 'boyfriend' here worming his way into a date."

"Not at all," Ethan smiled back. "Mine is the same way."

"Your boyfriend?" John asked.

Liam answered for him. "Ethan here was just explaining while you were off playing with your gear shift. He has a very nice, very handsome boyfriend who is very out of town for a few months."

"Ah. And he's ok with you going on dates? I guess it's none of my business but I don't want to step on anyone's toes."

Ethan answered this time, "We have an understanding. Different zip codes. We call it 'conditional monogamy'. I hope that's fine with you both. If not, we can just hang out and have some drinks, too."

"'Conditional monogamy,'" John repeated, "I like that. Sounds very well thought out and rational."

"Eh," Ethan replied, "it suits our purposes, anyway. You don't stop getting horny just because your partner is out of town."

"I don't stop getting horny period," Liam interjected.

Ethan laughed. "So you two are, like, what committed but looking...?"

"Let's call it 'conditional non-monogamy'," John offered.

"You can probably tell, but John here has only recently started dating guys," Liam said.

"Ah, well, welcome to the dark side, then," Ethan said, throwing a little grin at John. "How are you liking it?"

"It's been pretty fun so far," answered John, "but also pretty much just Liam at this point, so maybe not representative of anything..."

Before he could finish his considered answer, Liam interjected, "He's still under the illusion that he's into girls."

"Oh, well, we're going to have to do something about that, I guess," Ethan smiled again. John found himself smiling right along.

"And how do you two plan on doing that?" John asked.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Finish your beer," Liam told him. John pounded it in a single swig.

...

Ethan and Liam both climbed into the back seat of John's car and he drove them back to his place, watching them in the rear view mirror whenever he could take his eyes off the road. The two had already started making out, their hands exploring each others' bodies, over the clothes for now, but John had the distinct impression that condition would not last.

By the time he had stopped the car in the driveway of his house and announced "We're here, boys, stop playing grab-ass for a minute," Liam's hands were already under Ethan's shirt.

"Yes, daddy," Liam teased, and they piled out of the car and hurried into the house. By the time John had locked the front door behind them, Ethan was already chasing Liam up to the bedroom.

John found the two on the bed, Ethan already shirtless and on top of Liam, kissing each other. He walked over and put his hand on Ethan's back, feeling the smooth skin and admiring his taut muscles. He let his hand drift downwards, resting it on Ethan's ass.

"Ooh," said Ethan, who slid off Liam and onto the floor. He got up on his knees and began feeling John up through his jeans. John pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside as he grew harder and harder from Ethan's caresses.

Liam took a spot behind Ethan, removed his own shirt, and wrapped his arms around Ethan's hairless chest, his fingers caressing as he started kissing Ethan's neck and shoulders.

Ethan undid John's fly and roughly yanked his jeans and boxers down to mid-thigh, and John's semi-hard cock flopped out. "Nice," he said, taking it in his hands and admiring it for a few seconds before looking up to John's eyes as if to ask permission. John nodded silently and Ethan took John into his mouth, tonguing the head tentatively at first, then moving on to sucking the entire head before slowly moving his lips up and down John's shaft.

Liam's hands worked nimbly, pulling Ethan's shorts down and freeing the boy's cock, which sprang to life, curving upward anxiously. Liam stroked him a few times, then stood up and removed his own pants. He stood fully naked just behind Ethan, watching him suck John's cock, then took his own cock in his hand and pushed it gently against Ethan's face.

Ethan turned his attention to Liam, leaving his left hand gently jerking John's cock while he took Liam into his mouth. His tongue twirled around Liam's cock head a few times before he began sucking it in earnest.