Picture Perfect Ch. 02

"Hey! Blondie!" one of them yelled. "Does the carpet match the drapes?"

The guy's friends groaned and then laughed. I glanced at Aleksi, who made a point of ignoring them.

"Hey! I asked you a question, faggot!"

"Fucking queer!" one of the others chimed in. He made a loud kissing noise. "Come over here and blow me! You look like my sister!"

More groans, more laughter. They continued to trail us, shouting comments. They were still drinking, and getting more aggressive. I clenched my jaw tightly. Best thing was just to ignore assholes like that--right? I increased my pace, hoping Aleksi would too.

"Please leave me alone," Aleksi finally piped up.

The trio roared with laughter at this--they parroted him mockingly, imitating his accent. I glanced back again--Aleksi's perfect mask of tranquility was beginning to crack. I had never seen him lose confidence, or look angry or upset in the slightest, and it was happening now. It started to coax up a fire in me. Couldn't they see how beautiful he was? Why would they want to hurt him? Then one of the guys flung a mostly-empty beer can at him, hitting him squarely in the back of the head. He stopped, his shopping bag slipping from his hand. That was when I snapped.

"Oh, HELL NO!" I roared, whirling around and charging a few paces toward them. "What the fuck is your problem? BACK THE FUCK OFF, you punk-ass shit-spewing inbred motherfuckers!"

They scattered slightly, perhaps expecting a fight--I was bigger than them, but still, I knew I couldn't take all three if it came to that. Clearly they were all talk, and no action. I figured throwing a beer can had been the most violence they were prepared for. They shouted a few more profanities, but they seemed to be keeping a bit of a distance now, so I turned back to Aleksi, who had knelt down to pick up his dropped bag. I bent down to see if he was all right. Noticing this, one of the three guys shouted one more taunt at me.

"What are you, some kinda queer too?"

I looked up at him with a challenging glare. Somewhere along the line, something in me had changed--something big had shifted. "Yeah," I replied clearly, straightening. "Maybe I am some kinda queer--and you can just fucking DEAL WITH IT!"

All three of them looked at me incredulously. I didn't fit their mental conception of what a 'queer' was supposed to be. I helped Aleksi to stand and immediately gripped the back of his neck, pulling him close and kissing him, hard, on the mouth. His lips were warm, supple, and deliciously receptive. The guys offered more immature commentary, but at the moment my full attention was on Aleksi and the look of pure adoration he was giving me. Kissing him, right at that moment, had felt like the most perfect thing I had ever done.

By the time I was able to look away from his hypnotic blue eyes, the guys had left. I smiled. Aleksi reached into his bag for his lens, checking it for damage.

"Is it okay?" I asked.

He gave a hesitant nod. "I think so."

I swallowed hard. "Are...youokay?"

Aleksi met my eyes again and gave a grateful smile. "Yes, Jason. I'm fine." He huffed a small sigh. "That was nothing new."

My brow furrowed. "Really? Shit like that has happened before? Like... more than once?"

He licked his lips and looked down. "Not so uncommon. You'd be surprised."

I swallowed again. I always knew there were assholes like that, but I had no idea how aggressive they could be, and how much they got away with.

"Let's go home," I said. I took his hand and held it firmly, all the way back to the parking garage. Maybe people stared at us--if they did, I actually didn't give a fuck. Not a single one.

We both remained silent as I drove. I was having to re-evaluate a lot of things in light of the evening's events. I glanced at Aleksi now and then. He was staring placidly at his lap and playing with his new scarf again, winding his fingers around it continuously. Finally he wrapped it delicately around his neck and then lifted his hair out from beneath it. The next time I looked at him he was gazing out the window, slowly combing his fingers through his hair. I wanted to reach out and stroke it as well, but my truck was a standard transmission and I needed to shift.

I parked in front of the house, and we walked up to the front door together. I grabbed my mail from its box and we went inside, lingering a moment in the communal foyer.

"Thanks for driving," Aleksi said, idly stroking his scarf. "And for everything else. I'm glad you came. You were my hero today."

I smiled weakly. As far as I was concerned, all I'd done was be a human being for once.

"Well..." he continued. "See you again, yes?"

I frowned. Was he really wanting the night to end here? I had pictured it ending in Aleksi's bed. I sure as hell wanted it to at this point. It occurred to me that he might still be going by what I'd said earlier--that our last interlude had been a crazy rebound mistake. Hadn't my kiss overturned all of that? Perhaps not. He might have thought I was simply defending him against bullies, and that was as far as it went.

"Um... I think... well..." I stammered. I'd failed to decide what I was going to say before I started talking, and kicked myself inwardly. "Aleksi. I..."

"I'm glad to have you as my neighbour, Jason," he interrupted gently. He smiled and touched my cheek briefly. "And you've proved a good friend as well. I appreciate you."

A good friend--was he pushing me away?

I had to be in his apartment. I had to be in that airy loft, surrounded by his art and photos. I had to get that magic back, that dizzying sense of the surreal that had facilitated our last encounter. Maybe I could try to recreate the experience.

"Did you have plans for the rest of the evening?" I blurted. "I could murder another one of those beers. If you have any."

He cocked his head and took a deep breath. "Oh. Yes--I do have a few. I suppose we could have a drink or two." He turned to head up the stairs and beckoned me to follow.

I hurried after him, suddenly short of breath. I had a good view of his incredible behind as I trailed him up the stairs. I wanted my hands on it. Hell, I wanted to bury my face in it.

He unlocked and let us in, and took off his sandals. I kicked off my clunky work boots and entered the suite after him. He lifted a slender arm to gesture toward the fridge. "Help yourself."

I watched him drop his bags on the kitchen table, and then he disappeared into the bathroom. Resigned to giving him a few minutes, I opened the fridge and took out a bottle of that incredible microbrew he'd introduced me to. I rummaged through his drawers until I found a bottle opener and popped the cap off. I inhaled the scent and sipped eagerly. I sat down at his table, drinking, waiting. I ran my hands over the dark cherrywood. I gazed at the photos on the walls. Magic--it was taking over again. Already I was hardening, just from being here. I liked this place. I wanted to be here all the time. I didn't want to have to ever go back to regular life.

I waited a while for Aleksi to finish in the bathroom. What was taking him so long? I got impatient and went over to listen at the door. There was nothing at first, and then I thought I heard a few heavy breaths, and small hiccup. On a whim I turned the handle and pushed the door open. Aleksi was perched on the edge of the bathtub, doubled over and crying. It was shocking to see him like this. The first night we'd spent together, he had seemed like the most together, the most self-assured person in the world. I quickly sat next to him, straddling the edge of the tub and grabbing hold of his thin frame, pulling him firmly against me. He wrapped his arms around his head and sobbed bitterly.

"Talk to me," I whispered, trying to lower his arms so I could see him. "Talk to me."

He stalwartly kept his head down as he sniffled and trembled in my arms. "I... I don't know why... people have to be so... mean," he blubbered, still trying to cover his face.

I took in a deep breath and let it out shakily, rubbing his back in small circles. "Me neither," I sighed. I pressed my cheek to the top of his head, and then kissed it. "Hey--listen. There will always be assholes. Honestly, I feel sorry for them--small minds, yunno. Small, sad lives. They have to tear down others to feel better... because they probably hate themselves. They're ugly inside, and they probably can't stand being near you... because you're so beautiful, inside and out."

He sniffled again, and started to calm. "If you think so... you should not look at me right now. I'm an ugly crier."

I chuckled and squeezed him tighter against my chest. "I doubt that. C'mere--seriously. Look at me. Right now."

He finally lowered his arms and raised his head, peeking up at me hesitantly through the screen of his hair. I brushed his hair aside and gazed at him. His pale blue eyes were gleaming and rimmed with red. His snowy eyelashes were matted with moisture, his pale cheeks damp with tears.

"You're actually incredibly pretty right now," I said. "I wish I were a photographer."

Two fresh tears overflowed, streaming down his cheeks. I leaned down and caught them with my lips. He sighed sweetly. I tried to kiss his mouth, but he straightened suddenly, escaping my embrace and moving to the sink. He splashed cold water over his face, and grabbed a fluffy towel to dry himself off. I watched him curiously. Why wouldn't he want a kiss all of a sudden?

"Seriously... are you okay?" I pressed, standing up straight. "You're usually so... I mean, it surprised me that you'd let them get to you like that. You love yourself--you're totally okay with who you are."

He nodded, looking at me in the mirror. "Yes. Well... it's a lot easier to be okay with who I am in the safety of my own home. There are always confused straight boys who don't known how to justify a man being... the way I am." We met eyes in the mirror. He was talking about me, of course.

"Most of the time, I deal," he continued. "But every once in a while, it just is too much. As much as I can accept myself... the world does not want to accept. It hurts me."

This dug into my chest like a rusty knife. I had been certain he'd been completely at ease with my backpedaling earlier on, my denial of my attraction. But he had also seemed unaffected at the taunts of the bullies, when clearly what he wanted to do was sit down and bawl his eyes out. He was so fragile, and so strong at the same time.

"The world... the world is a goddamn idiot," I said breathlessly. "The world has a hard time figuring out what it wants... and never expected to fall for you. It has--hard."

He turned around to face me directly. His icy eyes were still moist, and searched me carefully. He was different than he'd been when we hooked up--he was still maddeningly gorgeous, but he wasn't being flirtatious or seductive. Instead he was guarded. "It's my fault," he whispered. "I know I... invite it. Sexual attention. I knew you were vulnerable. I should have kept my distance."

I shook my head quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong. Listen--what happened between us was... perfect. Best sex I've ever had. All week I couldn't stop thinking about you. All evening I could hardly keep my eyes off you. Aleksi... I want you."

"I want you too, baby," he whispered, taking one step forward and placing a hand on my chest. "But I don't want to be another rebound mistake."

I shook my head again. "No--forget that bullshit. I was a stupid boy, and I got scared. But kissing you today was... the end of my denial."

The hand on my chest slid up to cup my cheek. Aleksi smiled. "So you were not just... proving a point?"

"I was proving a point. But not only for... them. I was proving to you... that I could get past my hangups... and I was proving to myself that I could be... well, at least half as much of a man as you are. You are so goddamn brave, you know that?" I pressed my cheek into his soft, cool hand.

"Oh... doll," he sighed, now stroking me with both hands. "Just when I think you are the sweetest... you get ten times sweeter." He wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me--it was long, deep, juicy, and hot. I groaned with the intensity of feeling it aroused and slid my tongue eagerly against his. He pressed his whole body against mine, and I started digging my hands up under his tank top, needing to feel him with clothing out of the way. He broke off the kiss to let me remove his top.

"Bed?" I suggested urgently as he pressed his erection against my thigh. I looked down at him lustfully--those tight leggings left little to the imagination at this point.

"Mmm... wait," he sighed, running his fingers fussily through his blond tresses. "I should wash my hair first. I think I got beer in it."

I buried my nose in his hair and inhaled. "Little bit," I confirmed, "but it doesn't bother me."

"Please?" he pouted, raking his fingers up and down my back. "I want to be all fresh for you." A little smirk appeared. "You can help me...?"

I glanced back at the shower and grinned. "I could stand to shower off too--still all gross from work."

Aleksi turned on the water to warm up and turned to me excitedly, pulling off my shirt and unbuttoning my grubby, torn jeans. "Mmm, let's get clean before we get dirty, yes?"

He lowered himself to his knees to slide down my pants along with my boxers, which temporarily caught on my erection and then caused it to spring up eagerly in front of his face. He stared at it for a few moments before flicking his hungry eyes up to mine.

"I like this view," he whispered.

I grinned as I stepped out of my clothes completely, and he helped me off with my socks. When he stood up I gripped his hips, slid my hands down inside his bottoms, and grabbed at his bare ass cheeks. He pressed back against my hands playfully, and I responded by pulling him tighter against me, humping him soundly a few times. Finally I slid my hands down all the way, removing the remainder of his clothes. He touched the tip of his cock against mine; a glistening strand of precum connected them briefly after he pulled away. He shivered a little.

"Okay, hot stuff--into the tub with you," I urged.

I stepped in after him, and we cuddled together under the warm, soothing stream, massaging each other all over. He picked up a shampoo bottle and squeezed a generous amount into my palm. I couldn't identify the scent of it, but it excited me at once--I must have subconsciously picked up the scent during our last encounter and formed a pleasant association. At his request, I worked it through his hair, starting at his scalp and then working gradually down to the ends, twisting his locks in rich, lathered ropes. I dug my fingers into his scalp, massaging him, even scratching a little, and he purred and sighed as he pressed against the movement of my fingers. I'd never taken the time to wash a girl's hair before, and was finding this experience very intimate. He gripped my waist tightly as I worked his scalp, trusting himself to my hands.

After rinsing out the shampoo, he squeezed a blob of conditioner into my hand, and I started working it through. He whispered a few instructions, and handed me a big plastic comb. While he shut his eyes and smiled blissfully, I carefully combed the conditioner from his scalp all the way to the ends, now and then coaxing a few tangles loose.

"Let me know if I'm being too rough," I said.

His dreamy smile widened. "You're doing fine, Jason. Very gentle. It's so nice--very soothing."

When I finished combing the conditioner through his hair, he grabbed the shampoo and started lathering me up. Very quickly I understood all of the pleased noises he had been making--Aleksi's loving fingers massaging through my hair were comforting as well as stimulating, sending waves of warmth from my scalp radiating down through my extremities. It also helped that his erection was bumping and sliding against mine now and then.

Once he'd washed and rinsed my hair, I helped him rinse out his conditioner, leaving it especially smooth and silky. Next he grabbed one of those puffy things and some body wash and started scrubbing me, working up a thick, bubbly lather. I couldn't resist returning the favour and wrenched the puff from his hand before too long. We took turns. With us both naked, wet, and thoroughly soaped up, it was impossible not to rub up against each other as much as possible while we got clean. Twisting, writhing, groping, and grinding, we worked ourselves into a slippery frenzy, devouring each other's mouths like starved animals. Gradually the soap rinsed away.

Abruptly Aleksi grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, pressing my front against the tiled wall. I struggled to catch my breath and keep my thoughts straight. I had an idea of what he might want to do with me in a position like this, and I wasn't ready for it, despite my raging arousal.

"Wait... wait," I panted. "I... I can't!"

"Shhh," he soothed, hugging me from behind, with his chin on my shoulder. His cock was pressed against my ass, but he wasn't prodding. He whispered against my ear: "I won't do anything you're not ready for. I won't do anything sudden, or anything that will hurt you. Do you trust me, Jason?"

My breathing was shaky from mixed arousal and anxiety. I had no idea what he had in mind now, but I had only one answer: "Yes. Yes--I trust you."

He tugged gently on my earlobe with his teeth, and then sucked on it. My hard-on twitched. His mouth moved to the back of my neck, kissing, licking, and gently sucking. Gradually he worked his way down my spine, tasting every inch, until he was kneeling directly behind me. My hands tightened into claws against the tile. His tongue began to slip down into my cleft. I gasped and tensed up, but did not protest. His hands slid over my clenched cheeks and affectionately massaged my glutes while his tongue continued to work teasingly at the very top of my ass crack. He paused to pepper my rear with several noisy kisses before returning to the cleft, his tongue slipping down further now. I inhaled sharply again as he moved perilously close to my asshole. I shut my eyes, breathed deeply, and pressed my forehead against the tile, allowing myself to surrender control.

My spine straightened as his tongue targeted my hole, sliding in small, slow circles around it. The sensation sent a pleasant shudder through me, though I was acutely aware of my liberal body hair and, though we had just spent a good long time getting each other clean, a sense of my own dirtiness was preventing me from fully allowing myself this experience. I knew what rimming was, and I knew that many people enjoyed it, but I couldn't get past the hangup that the anus was the filthiest part of the body, and someone's mouth was on mine. I wanted to tell him he didn't have to do this. My paranoia suggested to me that he was doing it just to pleasure me, and was silently disgusted by it. I couldn't abide that. I had never been the kind of guy to get off on something purely for the filth.

Just as I was opening my mouth and taking a breath to tell him that it was nice, but he didn't have to do such disgusting things, he let out an indulgent moan, as if he were enjoying a rich dessert. One of his hands left my butt, and when I twisted my upper body around, craning my neck to get a look at him, I discovered he was beginning to stroke himself as he swirled his tongue around my back entrance, now and then sliding his tongue lower and pressing his nose into me. He was really getting off on it--my asshole. Hair and all.

Relaxing a little more now in the assurance he was doing something that pleased him, I pressed my ass out a bit, pushing more tightly against him while granting myself clearance to start stroking my own painfully swollen cock. I could feel my ring gradually unclenching, and his probing tongue felt it as well.