The Darroom

Jeremy walked slowly back to his dorm, each movement of his legs reawakening the ache in his ass and reminding him of what had just happened. His feet felt distant, disconnected, as they touched the ground; the breeze tickled skin that didn't feel like his. Was this how people felt when they did drugs? Was this high even close?

He didn't know what to do with himself for the hours that stretched ahead. On Friday afternoons, his floor of Yoder Hall was a ghost town; the other guys either took off for the weekend or shacked up with their girlfriends until Sunday night. Usually, this didn't bother Jeremy, as he much preferred the quiet and solitude.

But tonight he was dying for some distraction – anything to make the time pass quicker until he could see Bryan again. Everything had happened so fast this afternoon, and now he didn't know what he should expect from his – what was Bryan? His boyfriend? His lover? His anything? All he knew was he wanted – needed – more. One taste, one touch, that's all it took. He hoped this was more than sex to Bryan. But first he had to survive the hours until the end of the first night of the yearbook's deadline weekend.

As Jeremy approached his room on the third floor, he didn't know if Stephan was going to be there at all. His roommate, a business major from St. Louis, was a nice enough guy, but he didn't seem to know what to do with a guy as quiet as Jeremy. He tried inviting him out for the first few weeks at the beginning of the year, but eventually he recognized Jeremy's desire for solitude.

So, Jeremy supposed they couldn't be called close friends, but they respected each other's privacy and separate lives. As roommates went, they knew they both got lucky.

The sound of gunfire and explosions as he entered the room told him Stephan was staying in town this weekend.

The broad-shouldered blond sprawled in his desk chair furiously working his mouse and keyboard didn't quite look like the captain of industry he was studying to be. But Jeremy knew how easily he could turn on his CEO persona when needed.

"Been out shooting again?" Stephan asked over his shoulder.

"Shooting is what I do," Jeremy answered easily. But now that word made him think of a mess he shot on a brick wall.

Stephan paused his game and took a closer look at his roommate. "You look different or something. Where have you been?"

Jeremy flushed. "Just the basement again."

Stephan stepped dramatically closer and sniffed. His eyes lit up. "You got laid!"

Jeremy's eyes widened comically. "No! No, I, I ..." He sniffed his clothes. "You can seriously smell it?"

His roommate guffawed. "No, but it's written all over your face, buddy!" He clapped Jeremy hard on the back. "Way to go!"

"Uh, thanks." That blush just wasn't going away.

"It's about time, too," Stephan said. "I've been wondering when you were finally gonna experience some college." He leaned back in his desk chair with a self-satisfied face. "So, what's her name?"

Jeremy took a deep breath. He and Stephan didn't talk much about anything, much less his sexuality. He knew he couldn't get away with a lie or vagueness – his poker face was just awful. No use hiding it. "Bryan."

Stephan cocked his head. "That's a weird name for a girl."

"Not a girl." Jeremy dropped his eyes, but forced himself to look up and face his roommate.

"So, gay then," Stephan said in a flat voice.

Jeremy's stomach clenched. "Yup."

Stephan slowly nodded. "Well, okay."

Jeremy blinked. "Okay?"

"You were expecting an ass kicking?"

"Well, it happens. Not to me, I mean. Not that anyone has had a reason to, though. I mean, nobody knows really. Not that it's a big secret or anything." Words were just not his friend. Jeremy stopped and breathed. "You're kind of the first person I've told."

"You mean you didn't tell Bryan before you fucked him?" Stephan grinned at his embarrassed roommate.

Jeremy huffed a laugh. "He guessed correctly."

"I should hope so." Stephan regarded Jeremy seriously. "I'm really the first person you've told? What about in high school?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I was kind of a loner. There wasn't really anybody to tell. Plus, I'm a chickenshit. If you hadn't noticed."

"Nah. Shyness is not chickenshittery." Stephan leaned forward in his seat. "Thanks for telling me, man."

Jeremy felt the sting of tears behind his eyes and fought to contain them. He was so grateful to Stephan – this guy who until now had been more of a polite stranger than a friend. This could have ended so badly, but instead, it felt like they could really become friends finally.

"I guess this means I can't set you up with Lauren's roommate, then," Stephan deadpanned.

Jeremy groaned. "I've been worried that you'd try to do something like that for months."

"You've been spared wingman duties." Stephan stretched and stood. "Have you eaten yet?"

Until that moment, Jeremy didn't know how ravenous he was. "Nope. Have you?"

"Was trying talk myself into it."

"Wanna grab something at the food court?" He and Stephan didn't usually share meals, but it wasn't unheard of, especially when Stephan's girlfriend wasn't around.

"Ugh, not the Union on a Friday night. Gotta celebrate the popping of your cherry! This calls for Polly's!"

Jeremy cringed but smiled.

So that's what it takes to break the ice, he thought. Getting laid.

Now they had something in common.

"I've been dying for a good pizza anyway. You can tell me about your guy," Stephan said, gathering his jacket and wallet. He stopped at the door. "But not, you know, details about, you know,

details

," he said.

Jeremy grinned. "Then you have to promise not to tell me about

girl

details," he emphasized.

"Deal."

They headed out to the best local pizza joint in town and spent the evening really talking for the first time. Jeremy described some of the characters he had met in the basement, and Stephan told him about what spring Rush was like for the fraternity he was pledging. After about eight months, they were finally bonding as roommates.

And all it took was a hot fuck in the basement.

Jeremy found it hard to believe that all this had happened in one day. Lost his virginity. Came out to his roommate. Maybe gained a great friend. Maybe gained a boyfriend. All those milestones should be spread out over time, but instead they crowded in his brain and made his skin vibrate.

It was already past one in the morning when Stephan quit his game and turned in, but Jeremy wanted to stay awake in case Bryan called. He lay back in bed and fought the urge to watch the clock.

*****

The phone's ringing startled Jeremy awake around two. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep. He hurried to reach the phone before Stephan.

"I got it, Steph," he whispered.

Stephan gave a muffled grunt and rolled over in his sleep.

"Hello?" he said quietly.

"That took for-fucking-ever. And it's only Friday, for fuck's sake." Bryan groaned dramatically on the other end.

"I'm glad you called anyway. I didn't even give you my number."

"Ah, the wonders of the student directory," Bryan said. "Were you asleep?"

"Yeah, just for a little."

"God, I need you here," Bryan growled. "I'm coming by to pick you up. You're in Yoder Hall, right?"

"I can walk. It's not far."

"No good. That would take way too long. Plus, gotta keep you safe." Jeremy could almost hear the wink over the phone.

"Okay. I'll be outside."

"I'll be there by the time you're down. Hurry."

Jeremy gathered his backpack and camera – a photographer always traveled with a camera – and scribbled a note for Stephan.

He ran as quietly as he could down the three flights of stairs and out into the perfectly still night. Bryan's blue Cavalier was the only car by the entrance, and Jeremy couldn't stop the grin from taking over his face.

"Hey," he said breathlessly as he slid into the passenger seat.

"You didn't have to run, though I appreciate the enthusiasm," Bryan said.

"Thanks for the ride." Jeremy reverted to his Polite Young Man mode when all other words failed.

"Oh, we haven't begun to ride, babe," Bryan growled. He massaged Jeremy's thigh hungrily as he sped along the winding campus drive to his nearby apartment.

His touch woke Jeremy right up. How could this man have such an effect on him? He barely knew him.

"Can I ask you something?" Jeremy said quietly.

"Of course," Bryan grinned.

He wanted to ask, 'Why me? What do you see? Do you pick up freshmen a lot? Am I one of many that you fuck?' But he chickened out. "Are you always this way?"

"What, horny? Yes. I am a human male, so yes."

Jeremy snorted slightly and looked away. "Not just that. Insatiable. I don't know how to break it to you, but I'm not that hot."

Bryan pulled to a stop in the middle of the deserted street and turned to him. "Yes. You are."

Jeremy blushed and couldn't meet his eyes. "Well you're the only one who thinks so."

Bryan continued down Seventh Street and turned into a small parking lot. "Which makes me very lucky and everyone else very stupid."

Jeremy couldn't stop a grin, then noticed that they had reached the apartment. "I thought you said it was called Sin City." Jeremy pointed to the sign at the entrance that read Cat's Corner.

Bryan smirked. "It's more of a description than a proper name. This place has a history of attracting a, well, colorful crowd. Lots of parties, lots of noise, lots of good old-fashioned R-rated fun."

"Is that what attracted you?" Jeremy teased.

"Sure didn't hurt," Bryan laughed. "It's also really cheap rent and close to Wilson Hall. Of course, the trade-off is that it's kind of skeevy."

Jeremy took in the shabby looking, poorly built boxy buildings, weedy parking lot and healthy collection of empty beer cans on the slope of grass by the entrance.

Yep. Skeevy.

"Do you have a roommate?" Jeremy asked.

"Nope. It's just a one-bedroom. I needed someplace to escape to at the end of a deadline. Too much basement is bad for your health."

"I get that," Jeremy said. "The escape thing."

They entered Bryan's clean, dark apartment. It was filled with mismatched furniture, a haphazard looking entertainment center and a huge colorful rug that was doing its best to cover up the world's ugliest carpeting. Jeremy heard the door shut and the deadbolt snick into place. He turned around and found Bryan looking him up and down.

"Of course, there are other ways to escape," Bryan said, stalking toward Jeremy. "Fun ways. Adult ways. Mind-erasing ways."

The nervous excitement tingling Jeremy's senses suddenly pooled into a sharp throb in his gut. Yeah, he wanted to escape into this beautiful, hungry man in front of him. He wanted to return to that place where all he could feel was strong arms on his body, a thick cock pulsing inside.

"God, I can't believe I haven't kissed you yet," Bryan breathed. He pulled Jeremy tight to him and captured his mouth with a strong tongue and hot lips. Jeremy tried to keep up but found himself no match for the power of Bryan's kiss. He gave up and sagged against him, letting Bryan's tongue probe into his mouth. They both pulled away to catch their breath.

"What took you so long, then?" Jeremy panted.

"I was sort of waiting on you," Bryan said. "Wanted to see if you would make a move."

Jeremy looked down. "Oh." He hadn't even thought about that. He was relying on Bryan to do all the leading.

"Hey." Bryan tipped his chin up. "I'm not upset." He kissed Jeremy softly. "I don't want to only keep taking from you, though." He leaned his forehead on Jeremy's. "What do

you

want?" he whispered.

Jeremy swallowed hard. "I don't want to screw anything up. I don't want to do this wrong."

And I want to know what you're thinking right now,

he thought.

"That's what you

don't

want. What do you want," Bryan repeated.

"You." Jeremy licked his lips. "I want to touch you. See you. Taste you. Know you."

Bryan's brown eyes dilated sharply. "Then I'm yours," he growled, tugging Jeremy into the bedroom. "Show me what you want."

Jeremy's heart raced and his hands shook as he reached out to lift the T-shirt off his lover. He ran his hands down Bryan's firm, lightly furred chest, relishing the living warmth his fingers found. This was the first man he had ever touched like this, touched beyond a handshake, touched with such intent and longing. He wanted to memorize this electric sensation, to remember the feeling of Bryan's energy traveling through his fingers and making his tongue twitch.

He ran his fingertips over Bryan's nipples, making Bryan shudder and hiss. He bent to lick the hard nubs, surprised by their heat and texture against his tongue. Bryan's breath sped up and he ran his fingers through the floppy hair at his chest level.

"Jeremy," he moaned. "More. Need more."

Jeremy gently moved Bryan's hands to his sides. "You told me to show you. This is what I want." He kissed Bryan's chest and trailed his tongue down to his navel.

He sank to his knees and looked up at Bryan. It was the same mouth-watering view that he had when he first met this man after being knocked on his butt.

And so much better.

He took in all the details. The clang and clink of the belt buckle as he nudged it open, the promising rasp of the zipper that he slowly lowered. The powerful thighs he revealed when he lowered Bryan's pants – muscled and sinewy. The hard ridge of a long, thick cock sharply outlined in gray boxer briefs.

He wanted to do everything he'd ever fantasized about, and now he could. He pulled out Bryan's cock and slowly explored it with his hands and lips and tongue. Bryan moaned low and rough above him.

"Ahh, that's it, baby, suck me." Bryan rested his hands on Jeremy's head, not forcing him but rocking along with the motion of Jeremy's bobbing.

Jeremy took the hot, slick cock as far as he could into his mouth, until the round head bumped into the entrance of his throat. He gagged and coughed at the intrusion.

"That's okay, don't force it," Bryan panted. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

Jeremy wished he knew better how to do this. For a crazy moment, he thought about asking Bryan to provide more instruction, like he did in the stairwell. The look in his eyes must have given him away because Bryan smiled softly and caressed his cheek.

"You're doing great, baby. Try putting your hand down by the base and stroking me there." Bryan guided Jeremy's mouth back to the head of his cock.

Jeremy relished the feeling of this heavy cock on his tongue, coating his mouth with pre-cum and pulsing on every stroke. It felt vibrant and alive, and he wanted to memorize it. He sucked sharply on the head and squeezed Bryan's balls.

"Argh, you're killing me, killing me," Bryan groaned. "A little harder, suck me a little harder."

He sped up, keeping up a steady rhythm and pressure, wanting to make this man come.

"Gonna shoot, oh fuck oh fuck!" Bryan tried to pull away, but Jeremy was determined to do everything that Bryan had done for him. He wanted to know what this man tasted like, wanted to drink him down.

Bryan's seed shot in long spurts into Jeremy's waiting mouth, who swallowed all he could, though some leaked out over his chin. It was unbearably hot and thick – a sharp sweetness, infused with musk. He suckled on the head, trying to draw out more. Finally, he let the spent head pop out of his mouth. He missed it immediately.

"Ahhhh, so good." Bryan swayed languidly, eyes fluttering shut, a goofy smile on his face.

Jeremy got to his feet and ran his hands possessively over Bryan's mostly nude body. He himself was still fully clothed, and his leaking cock was aching against the restraining denim.

"That was wonderful," Bryan breathed. "Thank you." He took Jeremy's lips in a gentle kiss and darted out his tongue to clean up the errant drops of cum on Jeremy's chin.

"You, my friend, are seriously overdressed," Bryan said. "I still haven't gotten to see all this skin, all those tight muscles." He squeezed Jeremy's ass in both hands. "Although I am very familiar with one muscle."

Need to get out of these clothes,

Jeremy thought frantically.

Need more.

He started to tug his shirt off, but Bryan stopped him.

"Nuh-uh. Now it's my turn," Bryan announced as he kicked off his pants and flip-flops. "I'm going to unwrap you like a present, taste you everywhere, take my time, get to know this body."

Jeremy whimpered. He had been rock hard since Bryan first kissed him in the dark living room, and it sounded like he wouldn't be feeling relief anytime soon.

Bryan peeled the soft T-shirt from Jeremy's body and ran his hands possessively over the bare skin. The jeans were next, and when they became tangled up in Jeremy's shoes, Bryan frog-marched him over to the bed and lightly shoved him back. He tugged off Jeremy's shoes and socks and tossed the rest of his clothing aside.

"My God, look at you," Bryan breathed, stepping back to take in the view. "You should never wear clothes," he decided.

If there had been any blood left over, Jeremy would have blushed. He thought he was pretty ordinary looking, and he didn't know what to do with Bryan's admiration.

"You don't have to flatter me to get me into bed, you know," he said lightly, trying to cover his embarrassment.

Bryan swooped down and hovered over him, capturing his eyes and holding them for a long moment. "You should see what I see," he said. He gripped Jeremy's upper arms in his long fingers. "See these arms, these toned, taut muscles, this strength." Hands trailed down to Jeremy's mid-section. "See this chest, this skin, so sweet." He bent down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, making Jeremy gasp at the jolt that washed over him from that one touch.

Bryan slid down the bed, trailing his tongue after him, bypassing Jeremy's cock. "See these legs. Mmmm, so strong." He squeezed Jeremy's thighs, kneading the muscles. "Runner's legs, I bet. Real muscles, not from a gym."

Again ignoring Jeremy's cock, he straddled Jeremy's hips and leaned down. "And see these eyes, so beautiful and blue. I can read everything in your mind just looking into your eyes." He kissed Jeremy deeply. "It's the first thing I noticed about you. I was ready to do anything to make sure you kept looking me in the eyes so I could look back."

Jeremy's breath caught sharply, his thick heartbeat stealing it away. He was slipping farther under this man's spell, and it scared him.

"Bryan," he moaned. "Please."

"Please what?" He brushed his lips over Jeremy's. "Tell me what you want."

"Touch me. Please." The desire was getting painful, his throbbing cock touching nothing but air.

"I've

been

touching you," Bryan teased. "Did I miss a spot?" He ghosted one hand up the length of Jeremy's body.

The need rolled through him like an electric current, making him writhe in a futile attempt to gain some relief.

"Please," he whispered.

Bryan lightly licked the head of Jeremy's cock, twirling his tongue over the tip. The soft touches were almost worse than none at all.

Without warning, Bryan engulfed his cock, taking his entire length with skill and ease. Jeremy stifled a shout, trying madly to keep from coming right then.

Bryan pulled away and resumed his teasing attention to the head. "Talk to me, Jeremy. Stop trying to hold it all in. I'll suck you as long as you talk."

Jeremy groaned low. "Then that won't take long because I'm about to shoot."

He felt a sudden pressure on the base of his cock, and the need lessened. "Ah-ah-ah," Bryan chided. "Can't have that. There's so much I want to do to you before I let you come."

Jeremy braced himself for Bryan to continue with this torment, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the older man looking up at him expectantly.