Then As It Was, Then Again It Will Be

As sunlight flooded into the bedroom, Booker yawned sleepily before throwing back the covers and climbing out of bed.  He pulled back the curtains and looked out to see what promised to be a beautiful day.  Leaving Tom asleep, he showered and dressed before returning to the bedroom.  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached out to stroke Hanson’s cheek.  Tom’s nose crinkled as he tried to move away but Dennis persisted until Hanson’s eyes finally opened.

“Wake up sleepy head, we’ve got a big day ahead of us,” Booker said, keeping his voice light.

“I’m t-tired,” Hanson muttered sleepily in an attempt to prolong the inevitable.

But Booker was having none of it.  In a jovial voice he said, “C’mon, get up.  The chair’s in the shower and by the time you’ve finished I’ll have bacon and eggs on the table.”

With a grunt, Tom sat up, his face sullen as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  “Don’t t-treat me l-like a child D-Dennis,” he replied irritably.  “You s-sound like m-my m-mother.”

Great, Booker thought, as he stood up and left the room.  In the space of one minute, I’ve managed to piss him off AND bring up thoughts of his mother.

He knew Tom’s behavior was due to the nerves he felt about their upcoming day but it still saddened him.  All he wanted was for Tom to realize that the outside world was not always a big scary place and that together they could have an amazing time.  He had thought long and hard about where to take Hanson on their first outing.  He did not want to overwhelm him too much so he had decided that a tour of his office and apartment would be just the thing.  If Tom coped okay maybe they could walk down to the esplanade and have lunch.  

Hanson emerged from the shower in a better mood and they chatted about the previous night’s baseball game that Tom had missed.  Booker was careful not to rush things, so when they had finished eating he took the time to wash up and make their bed.  Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already past ten.  He grabbed a couple of baseball caps that were hanging on a hook and placing one on his own head, he walked back out to the living room.  “Here,” he said as a placed a Yankees cap on Hanson’s head.  “It’s pretty sunny out.”

Tom nodded but remained silent.  Booker could see how tense his body was but he was not going to back down.  “C’mon, let’s get going.”

They left the apartment and walked the short distance to where Booker had parked.  Tom appeared to breathe a sigh of relief once they were safely inside Booker’s car.  Dennis refrained from asking Tom if he was okay, he did not want to make what they were doing seem like a big deal.  He wanted Hanson to see that it was all perfectly normal and that there was nothing to be afraid of.  They drove in silence as Tom stared out of the window at the passing scenery.   Pulling into his allocated parking space, Booker shut off the engine but Tom seemed reluctant to leave the confines of the car.  Dennis remained patient but as the minutes ticked by and Tom showed no sign of moving, Booker reluctantly decided that he needed to intervene.  “Don’t you want to see where I work?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Hanson replied nervously, his hand rubbing furiously at his top lip.  “It’s j-just…” his voice trailed off without revealing his fears.

Dennis leaned over and cupped Tom’s face in his hand.  “I’ll never let anything happen to you,” he said softly as his thumb caressed the faint scar on Tom’s cheek.

“You c-can’t protect m-me forever,” Hanson muttered stubbornly.

Booker sighed.  “No I can’t, but whatever happens I’ll always be here for you.  Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Feeling selfish, Tom gave what he hoped was a convincing smile.  “Of c-course it d-does.  I’m j-just feeling n-nervous; I’ll be f-fine.”

Pulling Tom close, Booker gave him a long, slow, comforting kiss.  Breaking away, he smiled.  “Ready?”

Hanson nodded.  Leaning heavily on his cane, he climbed out of the car and waited for Dennis to walk around to his side.  Taking his hand, they walked together into the building.  Dennis could feel Tom’s fingers squeezing his own in a tight grasp as they walked down the brightly lit corridor.    Booker led the way, stopping at a door with the words D. BOOKER P.I. stenciled on the glass.

“C-classy,” Tom said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

“I thought so,” Booker replied sardonically, a smile on his face.  Unlocking the door, he stepped back and allowed Tom to walk through.

Booker’s office was typically masculine, decked out in leather and brass.  His window overlooked a large park that was currently teeming with mothers and their children.  Hanson stared silently out of the window and Dennis wondered what he was thinking.  He hoped it was not about the park that he had been dumped in after the rape.  However, Tom’s face remained unreadable so Booker decided not to ask.

“It’s n-nice,” Tom finally said as he turned away from the scene outside.  “You’ve d-done well.”

Smiling, Booker took Tom’s hand.  “Maybe someday you can come and work with me, you know, as partners.”

“M-maybe,” Tom replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.  Upon seeing Booker’s dejected expression, he continued hurriedly, his voice becoming cheeky.  “Or m-maybe I’d p-prefer to be a k-kept man.”

Booker laughed.  “Dream on lover boy,” he said.

With the tension broken, Tom’s body relaxed.  He took his time exploring Dennis’ office, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride at all that his boyfriend had achieved in such a relatively short space of time.  Moving across the room, he placed his hands on Booker’s hips and leaning in, he kissed him deeply.  “I’m s-so p-proud of you,” he murmured lovingly.

Dennis gently pushed Hanson away.  “Keep that up and I’ll throw you over my desk and have my wicked way with you,” he said with a laugh.

“P-promise?” Hanson asked provocatively, his voice low with desire.

Closing his eyes, Dennis imagined flinging Tom down and taking him there and then on top of his desk.  His cock swelled at the imagery and he quickly pushed the thought away.  Today was about Tom taking his first steps back into the world and not about satisfying his own sexual desires.  With a frustrated sigh, he admonished Tom in a teasing tone.  “Stop it, or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Smiling broadly, Tom walked towards the door.  “C’mon, I w-want to s-see where you l-live.”

Booker’s heart swelled, so far, so good he thought to himself as he locked his office door.  

Tom chatted away happily during the short journey to Booker’s apartment.  When Booker unlocked the door, Tom’s eyes opened wide.  “Wow!” he exclaimed in awe.  “W-what a view!”  His fear of the world began to melt away as he enthusiastically surveyed the panorama from Dennis’ seventh floor balcony.  The North Pacific Ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see, its color a magnificent shade of blue as rays of sunlight danced on the white capped waves.  The esplanade below was a busy hive of activity.  Teenagers skated along the wide footpaths as adults sipped lattes in the trendy cafés that lined the tree-lined street.  Tom’s eyes sparkled as he took in the frenzied activity below him.   

Booker moved beside him and draped his arm around Tom’s shoulder.  “Pretty cool huh?” he commented.

“Awesome,” Hanson replied happily, his eyes sparkling in delight.   “Sh-show me the rest of the apartment.”

Dennis was instantly aware that Tom’s stutter had become less pronounced.  Smiling, he led Hanson from room to room, finishing up in the luxuriously decorated bedroom.  As they sat on the king sized bed, Booker wanted nothing more than to rip off all of Tom’s clothing and spend the next hour or so fondling and sucking at his beautiful body.  Instead, he stood up and offered his hand.  “So, how ‘bout we go down and get some lunch?”

He expected Tom to baulk at the idea but was pleasantly surprised when Hanson replied, “Sure.”

As they left the apartment hand in hand, Booker’s mind was happily planning all the exciting activities he and Tom would now be able to enjoy.  Little did he know that in only a few short minutes, Hanson’s world was once again destined to fall apart.