"Ohmygod I'm
so
sorry!" Tucker said, almost shouting, "I don't know why..."
Bud cut him off: "Don't be sorry. It was great."
Tucker and Bud
By RalphyNJ
[This story is fiction and includes depictions of unsafe sexual practices. Such practices would be reckless in real life, and the author cautions strongly against them.]
==========
When Tucker floated up out of sleep, he found himself sitting upright with his head resting against a meaty shoulder. A supporting arm was around his back, and a blanket was wrapped around him.
He looked up and saw his friend Bud smiling down at him.
He was on Bud's lap.
He had no idea why he was there, how he had gotten there, or even when he had fallen asleep.
Bud brushed a vagrant lock of hair from Tucker's forehead and said softly: "Hey, Tucker. You gave me quite a scare. How are you feeling?"
Now that Tucker thought about it, he was feeling very cozy. However he said only: "Hi, Bud. Pretty sleepy."
Tucker and Bud had been friends since high school. The friendship had mystified their classmates, because Tucker was a handsome jock and although Bud was equally good-looking and athletic, he was widely rumored to be gay. In that school, straight-gay friendship was an alien concept. In fact anyone who was even suspected of
being
gay did not have an easy time of it.
Except for Bud: Refusing to deny or confirm the rumors, he parried the occasional taunt with laughter and a stinging rejoinder, and he responded to inquiries by asking why his orientation was of such great interest to his would-be interrogator. His attitude frustrated and angered some of his classmates but no one dared attack him physically, because he was bigger and stronger than any of them and knew how to use his fists when it was required.
Bud had no known relationships other than his friendship with Tucker, so all the curiosity was left unsatisfied.
Tucker wasn't put off by the rumors. On the contrary, he admired Bud: For one thing, Bud never took advantage of his size and strength to bully anyone. For another, his supreme self-confidence was never manifested as arrogance. And perhaps most important, when not forced into physical conflict he was a truly gentle person.
Following high school, Tucker and Bud had gone to the same college, where their friendship had grown closer. After obtaining their degrees, they pursued separate careers, which limited their contact during the week, but the friendship remained solid and they spent almost every Saturday together. The question of Bud's orientation remained unresolved in Tucker's mind, but that did not lessen the fondness he had developed for his friend. And now, drowsily looking up into Bud's smiling face as Bud held him, Tucker was feeling not just fondness but affection.
Nonetheless, he was perplexed. "Uh ... Bud? What am I doing here?"
"I'd say offhand" Bud replied, "that you're just waking up."
"No I mean ... how did I get here?"
"Don't you remember? I guess you're still half asleep. Your car is in the shop so I drove you."
"Yeah, I know all that. I mean ...
here
."
"Oh. On my lap."
"Yeah."
"I carried you from the guest room" Bud told him, and grinned as he added: "You know, you're heavier than you look."
"Carried me from the guest room? What happened? How did I get
there
? The last thing I remember is we were sitting and talking."
"That's right, we were, and you didn't say anything about not feeling well but all at once you got a funny look on your face and you keeled over. I couldn't rouse you; you were out cold. I panicked and called a friend who's a physician. I told him you had passed out and were unresponsive. I asked if I should put you in the car and rush you to the emergency room or if it would be better to wait for an ambulance. He got me calmed down and told me how to check your vital signs. Based on those he said you weren't in any immediate danger. Then he walked me through an examination so he could decide what should be done next."
As Bud was talking, Tucker became aware that he could feel the fabric of the blanket on his skin.
Everywhere
on his skin. He was naked. "Who undressed me?" he asked. "The doctor?"
"No" Bud said. "The doctor wasn't here. I told you, he guided me by phone.
I
undressed you to do the exam."
Bud did not notice the emerging color on Tucker's face as he continued: "He had me look you over for bug bites or anything else that might have injected a toxin and made you pass out. He was very thorough; he even told me to look between your toes. After that he had me take your temperature and listen to your heart and lungs."
By now, Tucker's face was quite pink.
Bud finally noticed. "Hey, no need to be embarrassed" he chided. "We both have the same equipment."
That didn't help. Tucker's face became almost red, and suddenly Bud understood the fundamental cause of his unease: "Oh, the high school rumors. Are you afraid I might have done unspeakable things to you while you were unconscious?"
Tucker didn't reply, but his silence gave the answer.
"Oh Tucker, I would have thought you knew me better than that. You're the last person in the world that I would take advantage of, in that way or
any
way. My activities were confined strictly to collecting medical information. I gathered the data the doctor asked for, and that's all."
Tucker's blush began to subside.
Bud went on: "When I told my friend I didn't see any bites or scratches but you had a fever, he said you've got a virus that's been going around. He told me that ordinarily his advice is just to let it run its course, but in view of the fact that it knocked you out it should be treated. He called my local pharmacy and they delivered some things I need to give you. He said you should be fine in about a week if you get enough rest."
Tucker was baffled: "I've got a virus? I don't
feel
sick."
"You have a fever of almost a hundred and three, aren't you hot?"