More Than Just Friends

“What’re you still doing here?” Danny asked as he approached Tyler’s open car window. His car was obvious, parked in the bus lane in front of the school.

“The question is, what are you still doing here?” Tyler shot back.

“You know what I’m doing here. I volunteered to help with the elementary school concert tonight. What’re you doing?”

Tyler shrugged. “Maybe I was waiting for you,” he admitted. “I mean, you’ve been so busy this week with all your goodie two shoes-ing that I haven’t seen you outside of school since not this weekend but the one before it. Is it a crime to wanna hang out?”

Danny smiled. “I missed you, too. It’s not like we didn’t talk.”

“Get in, you wanna ride home?” Tyler asked, leaning across the seat to unlock the door.

“Yeah, sure,” Danny agreed. He climbed in and they drove into the night. “Sorry. I mean, about being so busy. I had the track meet, then my great aunt died, so I had all the family stuff for that, all the old, overly perfumed ladies stinking up my house as we hosted four different grannies. I swear to god, I don’t remember meeting any of them before this week, but they all wanted to fawn over what a handsome and responsible young man I’ve become.” He scoffed. “What a joke.”

Tyler drove, listening. “You are a responsible, handsome man. You just finished volunteering at an elementary school event, and you don’t even have any siblings.”

Danny shrugged. “It was for National Honors Society. I really wish you’d joined that with me, by the way. I hate half the people in there, and I can’t make fun of them like I can with you. It’s torture.”

Tyler held up his phone. “That didn’t stop you earlier today,” he teased, showing Danny their text log making fun of Reba Winters being a bossy perfectionist and Max Fogerty for being her lap dog.

He snorted. “Fine, fine, but it’s not the same if you’re not there. I feel like I haven’t seen you since...” He trailed off, embarrassed to say it out loud. The day they’d crossed a line they couldn’t return from.

“Do you regret it?” Tyler asked quietly.

“Do I what now?” he asked, confused at his change in demeanor.

Tyler didn’t respond. He was quiet the whole time until he pulled off the road into the parking lot for a home improvement store, then parked as far away from any other cars as possible in the darkest corner of the lot.

“I haven’t seen you since that day,” Tyler said. “I know we talked and texted and I saw you at lunch at school, but I haven’t hung out with you since then. I was worried, you know, that maybe after the fact you started regretting it, and I couldn’t stand it if-”

“No, no, no, I mean it, I don’t regret anything. I mean, I was busy. I told you I’d be busy, that I had all this stuff. I had my big pre-calc test on Thursday, and if I didn’t pass it I woulda had to stay over next weekend, and we have plans already. I didn’t mean, I’m sorry if it came off that way...” he said, looking out his window, nervous and worried.

“I was worried.” Tyler admitted. “You’re my best friend, and I really wouldn’t want to live in this world without you, like if you hated me or something.”

“That sounds kinda suicidal,” he said, worried for his friend.

“No, not suicidal. I just, that’s how much you mean to me, how important you are. I thought you were avoiding me, cause of that weekend. What we did.” Tyler didn’t expound. He sat there, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard he could see the veins bulging.

“Tyler, hey, look at me?”

Tyler looked over, his face all messed up with anxiety. “Sorry. I know it’s not cool, or manly. I just worried all week last week, and then your track meet was all weekend, and the funeral, and then here it is Tuesday and I still haven’t heard from you, and I just kept thinking that you must be avoiding me, because of what we did together.”

“Twice,” Danny added. He reached over, hesitating, then closed his hand over Tyler’s right hand. Tyler looked over at him sharply, and Danny could feel he was shaking. “I wasn’t drinking. I wasn’t high. You didn’t coerce me. I wasn’t temporarily insane. I’m sorry, Tyler, I really am, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I really enjoyed what we did, and I’ve been thinking about it since.”

“I jerked off to it pretty much every night last week,” Tyler admitted.

He laughed. “Me too,” he agreed. “I, ah...” he trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. He felt like he could tell Tyler anything at all, but talking about his needs, what he wanted, what he fantasized about, that was what tied his tongue up.

“Really?” Tyler asked. “You’re not just saying that?”

Danny snorted. “When have I ever blown you off like that before?”

“This’s different,” Tyler insisted. “This changes things between us. I wouldn’t do this shit with any of our other friends, the thought is gross.”

“The intimacy,” Danny agreed, leaning closer to Tyler. “I really appreciate the intimacy we share. Like, I feel so close to you, Tyler. Sometimes I think that you can read my mind, you know what I’m gonna say before I say it. You know what I wanna do, and you know when I’m doing something dumb. This’s just one more way we take care of each other. You’re special, Tyler. I wouldn’t do this with any of our friends, either. You’re special. It doesn’t change anything, because we were already like this. We’ve just gone one step further.”

Tyler swallowed hard, then leaned back on the headrest. “Fuck. This weekend was all fucked for no reason. I was hardcore stressed out about this, Danny.”

“Next time call me. We can talk through it. I don’t want you to feel like shit because of me. I’m supposed to be the one thing in the world that you can trust will be there for you. Cause, I will.” He squeezed Tyler’s hand under his.

Tyler smiled weakly at him. “Do you mind, ah, it has been like, nine days or something...”

“Where? My folks are both home tonight, and your house is a zoo. In the car?”

Tyler exhaled loudly. “No, I’m not, not in the car. This isn’t some quickie. I dunno. Where can we go?”

Danny thought for a minute. “I don’t know, dude, but I know I wanna go, too. I’m hella frustrated. Just thinking about it already has me hard.”

Tyler chuckled. “Me too.” He sighed. “Your place is probably the safest, but, ah, you weren’t exactly quiet the last time.” He smiled a watery smile, looking for Danny to react.

“No one was home, I didn’t hafta be. Was it a turn-off?”

Tyler looked out the windshield. “Being loud is never a turn-off to me. I like to know if you’re enjoying it.”

Danny smiled, relieved. “Lucy hated the noises I made, so now I’m really self conscious. We could go to a hotel and rent a room, unless that’d be weird.” He pulled his hand back, then balled them into his lap. Would there come a time when this felt more natural between them, and not like they were both virgins on the first date?

“I can’t afford a hotel room right now,” Tyler said, biting his bottom lip.

Danny knew that Tyler’s family wasn’t well off, and with three teenage boys, they struggled to keep up sometimes. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father worked in a factory doing plastic extrusion. They both had decent jobs, but there wasn’t much left over after the bills were paid.

Tyler hated handouts, too. He’d occasionally let Danny pay for lunch, but not that often, and never for something more expensive. He’d had a job until recently, working thirty hours a week at the donut shop before school, but his parents made him quit when he got a B- in Modern American History right before Christmas break. It cost him his chance at valedictorian. That had killed his parents, but he didn’t care. Tyler was like that, awesome, yet totally humble about it in a way that made you feel completely comfortable.

“I don’t mind paying,” he offered, already knowing what Tyler’s answer would be.

“I can’t ask you to pay for that. We should split it, if anything.” Tyler sighed. “No, no hotel. Too expensive. This sucks.”

Danny nodded. “It does. Why don’t we just go back to my place, we can go down into the basement and shut the door?”

Tyler thought about this for a minute. “Does your mom have yoga tomorrow?”

“Wednesday? Yeah. Oh, and Dad said he was going to some after-hours thing for work. That’s perfect. Tomorrow, come over. Mom’s class is from six to seven, and it takes her half an hour each way.” Danny nodded, pleased they’d come up with a solution.

Still, he squirmed, he was hard now, wanted to cum now. It was hard to tell in jeans, but was Tyler hard, too? “For now, ah, did you... I could jerk you off, if you wanted something to tide you over,” he said, studying his hands in his lap.

Tyler looked at him for a second, then his hands were at his belt. Danny could smell how horny he was as soon as his dick was out. “I wanna do yours, too,” Tyler said, taking his hand and guiding it to his shaft. A breath later Tyler’s hand was pulling him out of his track pants, his touch sending a shiver down his spine.

“This angle is awkward,” he said after he tried to move and found it uncomfortable. “Hold on...” He shifted his hips so he was facing Tyler a bit more. “Better?”

“Not really. Bucket seats aren’t meant for this kinda thing. Maybe we should just get it done and call it a night. It sucks we can’t do anything till tomorrow but-”

“Backseat,” Danny commanded. He tucked himself back inside, then sprang from the car and threw himself into the back seat. Tyler watched him with a mildly confused look on his face as he pulled his cock out again, sliding his pants down his hips just a bit.

“You wanna do it in the backseat?” Tyler asked, still confused.

“Tyler, get back here and jerk me off,” Danny commanded.

The look on Tyler’s face as it bled from confusion to arousal was promising, reaffirming his erection. Tyler scrambled from the front, climbing between the bucket seats instead of getting out. He climbed into the backseat and sat next to Danny. “How do you wanna do this? Want me to get you off first?”

Danny frowned. “No, I want us to do it together. What if we, hold on,” he said, twisting to grab Tyler’s erection. “No, this isn’t gonna work either,” he realized. “Okay, hold on. I have an idea.”

Tyler shimmied out of his jeans so that he was just in his underwear. “I need to start wearing track pants all the time,” he said, staring enviously at Danny’s cock.

“I don’t know how you wear jeans all the time. It would make my junk sweat like mad. And itch, too.”

Tyler laughed as Danny shifted, locking the door behind him so it wouldn’t fall open with his weight and spill them to the ground. “Come here, get on my lap.”

Tyler nodded. “Yeah, that’ll work. Good thing I took off my jeans.”

Danny snorted as Tyler climbed onto him. A few awkward moments and some creative poses a yogi would be proud of later, Tyler straddled his lap, his weight a comfortable pressure on his thighs.

“Is this what you had in mind?” Tyler asked, reaching for Danny’s cock. It was only half hard, the creative positioning having softened him considerably. He felt Tyler squeeze it easily and blushed, embarrassed he couldn’t keep his erection.

“Sorry,” he apologized, looking to the side.

Tyler’s fingers massaged his cock, comforting him through his touch. “Why? Don’t be sorry. I went a little soft, too,” he said, taking Danny’s hand to his own cock.

“I didn’t mean to-”

Tyler put a finger over his lips. “Stop talking. Stop worrying. We finally found a good position, and now it’s time for me to get you off. Focus on me, not on anything else. You’re here with me.”

Danny nodded, his thumb tracing circles against the backside of Tyler’s manhood. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll just shut up now.”

Tyler’s smile was hot. He leaned forward, his hands cupping Danny’s package, then pressed his forehead to Danny’s. “Stop thinking so much. This feels good, right?” He squeezed Danny’s package gently.

“It does, you can do it harder. If you wanted, I mean.”

Tyler squeezed harder, nearly hard enough to make him squirm. “Like that?”

“Yes, like that. That’s perfect. I don’t think anyone ever has touched my cock as much as you have, other than me. None of my girlfriends-”

Tyler put his finger over Danny’s mouth again, then began stroking his reinvigorated shaft lazily. “Hush. Don’t talk about your exes when we’re taking care of each other. Be here, with me. Do what you want, with me. All the shit they wouldn’t do, we can do together.”

Danny sucked Tyler’s finger into his mouth and bit down on it gently before releasing it. He leaned forward, his hand on Tyler’s shaft matching Tyler’s pace on his own manhood. Their faces were close, and he slowly leaned in further, a little bit at a time, as if hypnotized by Tyler.

Maybe he was. Tyler’s face was right there, those lips, that perfect nose, right there, so close to his own. He couldn’t have said who initiated the kiss, who’s lips brushed who’s first, who was the first to lean in, because the gesture was immediately reciprocated. Or maybe it happened at the same time. It didn’t matter.

The kisses started out tentative as they both tested the waters with one another. They grew more confident, along with the stroking of their cocks. Still, it was slow and steady, even though Danny felt like his heart would beat out of his chest. This was exciting, new, fun, and he loved everything about it.

Tyler deepened the kiss, his tongue questing into Danny’s mouth, and it broke his self restraint, the small amount he’d been holding back. Danny’s free hand wrapped around Tyler’s neck, pulling him closer, pulling his face down. Tyler moaned as they kissed, his hips starting to sway as he lost himself to the act. A second later Tyler’s hand was behind his neck and they kissed one another feverishly, their hands losing pace as they moved closer and closer to orgasm.

“Gonna cum,” Tyler broke away to say. Danny caught his mouth again and kissed him, holding his neck firmly, and his cock even more firmly. Tyler twitched, then grunted just before the first hot gush spilled out onto his hand. He kept his strokes even and firm, even though he wanted to come, too, he focused on getting Tyler off first. More of Tyler’s liquid pleasure coated his hand, slipped down the shaft and between his fingers, making Tyler’s cock slippery.

It made him wonder how it would feel to have this cock inside him. The rogue thought came out of nowhere, shocking him, but also pushing him over the edge. He grunted as Tyler stroked him dry, loving the heady, carnal smell of their spunk mixing together in the confined space.

Tyler leaned in close and Danny pulled him down into another kiss that lasted long enough for him to go completely soft and Tyler’s cum to start drying on his hand.

“Tomorrow we can blow each other again,” he said, still breathing a little heavy, head resting on Tyler’s shoulder.

“That sounds awesome,” Tyler said, sounding spent, but also content. “I should probably get some paper towels, and then get you home.” The blush on his face was evident even in the dark.

------

The next day was long, long, long. He could barely focus on his school work, all he could think about was Tyler’s lips closing over the head of his cock, or the feel of Tyler’s velvety manhood sliding between his own lips. It was a good thing he didn’t have any major tests today. Maybe he and Tyler needed to do this more often, so it wouldn’t be so distracting.

It was his fault, he conceded, that they had gone so long between the first and second events. He wouldn’t let that happen again, he had no idea it had messed Tyler up so much, though he completely understood why. This secret they had was thrilling, he absolutely understood the allure of cheating now.

Tyler was his drug of choice, he realized, and he knew it sounded cheesy, but fuck it. Tyler got him high, and now he was hooked, distracted by the anticipation of his next fix. He wondered if Tyler felt the same way, was distracted in the same ways he was today. Probably. He wished they had classes together this semester, but they didn’t, they had different required classes to graduate. It was probably better he wasn’t in any of Tyler’s classes today, anyway, or he would have gone from the small fraction of focus he had now to absolutely no focus at all except for Tyler.

All the girls in this school were idiots when it came to Tyler. He gloated in his head, feeling superior over them all. Tyler wasn’t interested in girls right now. He was interested in this thing they were doing together.

It struck him that it all sounded very gay, sounded like he was in love with Tyler. The thought was shocking at first, but the memory of the passionate kisses in the car last night confirmed that he wasn’t exactly straight, either. It was confusing. Not when he was with Tyler, that part wasn’t confusing. It was this, trying to put a label on what they had, what they were to each other. He knew that what they were doing wasn’t normal, regardless of what Tyler said.

He did love Tyler, and more deeply than he’d loved any girl he’d ever been with. Did Tyler love him back? His love was founded on years of friendship and trust, and now intimacy, too. He liked how it felt to be with Tyler, liked the secrecy and intimacy, but also just liked being with Tyler. But, was he actually gay now?

Missy Steinbeck sat next to him in fourth period pre-calc, and was wearing a super short skirt and a button up blouse, her large breasts straining the fabric between buttons. He could almost always count on her for a little eye candy, and she didn’t fail him today. She didn’t have an undershirt today, so he was able to see between the buttons. The pale, creamy skin of her breasts suspended in a lacy white bra was hot, he could see just a bit of it between her cleavage, and he imagined what her giant boobs would look like without the shirt. His dick jumped in his pants and he dropped the thought, looking down at his math book to distract himself from getting a boner in class.

Not completely gay, but not completely straight, either. He wasn’t sure where that put him. He wanted to know what Tyler felt, what he thought. He glanced over at Missy again and made eye contact. She scowled and he turned away, flushing. Not completely gay. It made him feel a lot better, no matter what Tyler felt, even though he was pretty sure Tyler felt the same way he did.

He got to Tyler’s car before him after school, probably a first. It was locked, so he sat on the hood, back against the windshield and closed his eyes, enjoying the spring sunshine on his face, even if it was a bit chilly today. It was okay, as long as the wind didn’t blow.

After ten minutes the wind won out, and he slid off the car. Where was Tyler? He sent him a text, then jogged back into the building to warm up a bit. He checked his phone once he was inside, but nothing from Tyler. Danny decided to walk around, feeling uncertain. Maybe Tyler changed his mind?

He turned the corner and climbed the steps to the second floor, then headed towards his section of lockers, just for something to do. Tyler’s locker was on the same floor, just halfway down the hall from his. He walked, lost in thought, opening his locker by habit. Nothing in there that he wasn’t expecting. He sighed, checked his phone again, then shut his locker.

A girl giggled down the hall, high pitched and superficial, drawing his attention. Two people were down there, at least it sounded like it, bunched together beside the lockers. He wouldn’t even have noticed them if she hadn’t giggled. Curious, he headed that way, tiptoeing so he didn’t announce his presence. He wanted to see who had the balls to make out in the hall right after school. She giggled again at some unsaid joke, then leaned back in.

His approach made him nervous, he was spying on people’s intimate moments, but his feet continued to take him forward. When he got close enough to see her back clearly he crowded as close to the lockers as he could, then slid down the hallway sideways, as if that made him less visible. He laughed at himself in his head, afraid to make a sound.