It's Still Just Us: (Sequel to It's Just Us)

by R. Phoenix

  Now he was done with exams, but we both still worked, and he was looking for a new job, too. He had his work at the shelter, but he wanted to find something where he could use the degree he’d worked so hard to get. I wanted that too, even though it would mean not having much time with him. At least at the shelter, he didn’t have to go in until after ten and he only worked part time, and we had time to spend with each other. But with him working a nine-to-five and me working in the evenings, things would get interesting.

  That had been the way it was with Nic, too, and we’d managed. It had taken us a while to find some kind of rhythm, but it was doable. For now, though, Micah was focused on trying to get to the point where we’d be able to start getting our lives in order.

  And technically, I should’ve been focused on grading papers from my class and getting my notes in order for my lectures instead of daydreaming about my boyfriend.

  But one activity was far more pleasant than the other, especially since he was currently at home. I didn’t want to bother him while he was sitting in the living room sending out applications, but I only had two more hours until I had to leave. Forcing my mind to focus on work when he was right out there was far too hard.

  As was something else.

  I got up, adjusting my cock in my pants at the idea of distracting him for a little bit before I had to leave for work.

  I joined Micah in the living room, where Snowflake was lying on the floor, foot tapping as he chased imaginary squirrels in his dreams. On the couch was Creamsicle, whose eyes opened when I started to approach. He eyed me warily, and I kept my distance for a moment. It didn’t hurt, because then I could watch Micah.

  He was lost in his own little world, with his laptop on his knees. I took a moment to stare at him, taking in his beauty. He was just as stunning now as he’d been when we’d met for the first time — if not more beautiful, simply because he’d gotten so much more confident with who he was.

  "How’s it going?" I asked quietly.

  Micah's eyes met mine. "Not that well. Unpaid internship… How do they think I can survive on nothing?" He sighed and I ignored the blur of orange as I sat down next to him and pulled him against my shoulder.

  "Nothing else?"

  He shook his head. "No. I got two offers, and both are unpaid. That's it. They want experience if you apply, but there’s nothing to apply for to get you experience. Economy sucks." He sighed again. "I can't work there full time and make some money at the shelter. And my parents are done paying for my tuition. I can’t keep relying on them forever so I guess I'll have to… no idea. Look some more?”

  "You don't need to earn money, baby." I kissed his head. "I thought it was kind of clear that I'm able to support both of us, and that I'd cover all the expenses we have."

  Hadn’t that been clear from the beginning? He'd paid some money for food, which I'd allowed, since he told me it was from his parents. I knew he didn't want to live off me, but after they stopped paying and he apparently needed to do some kind of internship, it was a foregone conclusion.

  "But you… you can't do that." Micah stared at me with huge eyes.

  "I can, and I will. Pick the company you want to work for and get a date when you can start. It's as easy as that."

  "Why are you doing that?" he asked, still in disbelief.

  I thought about the ring I'd hidden in the bedroom, but this was not the right time.

  "Because I love you? Because you're my partner and if the roles were reversed, you would do the same? And because I'll always take care of you, in any way you let me." I kissed his head.

  "I… Thanks." He paused. "I don't really know what to say, but I appreciate the offer. I really do." He smiled at me, this time with much less tension in his shoulders. "I'm kind of… speechless. I never expected that."

  I should have said something sooner, then. "I'm sorry I didn't make this clear from the beginning. You wouldn't have had all those worries then."

  "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known." Now a tiny smile played on his lips. "This takes off so much pressure, I can't believe it. You have no idea how much I love you, Daddy. And not because you effectively became my Sugar Daddy two minutes ago."

  I laughed, but then I bent down to kiss him. "I'm not sure if I qualify as a Sugar Daddy, because I sure as hell am not that rich, but hey, if it works for you…" I trailed off, waggling my eyebrows.

  Micah's mood had already lifted, and with that comment, he laughed out loud. "Well… we can certainly play that one day. But for now…" He paused, got up and straddled my lap. "I need you, Daddy."

  My cock immediately jerked and I grabbed his hips to hold him close. "I think that can be arranged, baby boy." With those words, I pulled his head to me and kissed him deeply.

  Micah got the internship he wanted, and while his first week seemed to go well, it was stressful for him. He was absolutely dead tired when he got home, and by the time I got from work, he was already asleep. I couldn't do anything but hold him tight and breathe in his scent. He needed to get up earlier than me, and while I tried to have breakfast with him, I lacked a couple of hours of sleep when I did that.

  That basically left us with the weekend to spend time together and play, but he needed to check in at the shelter, since I could see how much he missed the work there.

  My only hope was that it'd get better with time, since this was just… not satisfying. Not at all. I saw it in his eyes, in his posture. I once caught him standing in the nursery, looking at the changing table, with a look of longing in his eyes.

  But, as much as I wracked my brain, I found only two solutions: him giving up his internship or me teaching different classes. Or at least reducing the hours. In his current position, he couldn't do that, and in mine… I could, but then we might have a slight money problem. So that wouldn’t work either.

  For now, I'd have to stand to the side and wait and see what happened. There was nothing else I could do, as much as I hated it. Whenever we were both at home and not too tired, I tried to give Micah the time as a little he needed, but I could tell it simply wasn't enough for him. And for me as well.

  I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the empty kitchen. What should I do? And who could I talk to about it? I wanted to call Rick, chat with him, but I wasn't sure he was the right one for it. He was a good friend, but in this case, Sean might be the better one to ask.

  I pulled up my phone, looking for his number. Usually, I went through Rick if we wanted to meet up, but this wasn't for a playdate. This was about a relationship.

  Sean answered after the second ring, his voice serious and completely different from usual. “This is Sean.”

  "Hi, it's Carter. Do you have a moment for me?"

  Sean paused, I heard a few murmured words, then silence. After a door closed, he was back on the line. "Okay, shoot. I'm pretty sure this is not something I want to discuss with you while I'm in an office with six other people."

  "Not really, but I can also call back at another time, if that's better?" I asked.

  "No, it's okay. We were going to take a break anyway. We're stuck on the current project and have been going in circles for the last 30 minutes, so your call came perfectly timed." It was so unreal to hear Sean talking like this. I usually saw him when he was deep in little space.

  I told him the whole thing, and when I finished, he was silent for several moments.

  "I see the problem."

  "Yeah. I wanted to know how you and Rick are handling that." I paused.

  "Well, first, by talking. Yeah, you know me, and I'm not always that serious, but talking is the most important thing. And then, try to find times. Schedules. Dates. Whatever, just a time where it's the two of you. If it’s too hard to do it spontaneously, set times for it."

  I played with my empty coffee mug. How could I find the time if we never were at home at the same time? Or awake, for that matter?

  "I'm not sure how to do that, actually. We don't even have the time to talk, you know?"
r />   Sean paused, then he answered, "That’s definitely a problem, yes. But then I have no real answer for you, if I'm honest. Just make sure he knows you love him. There's nothing you can do until things calm down a bit, and I think you'll just have to wait until it gets better."

  I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn't see it. "Thank you.” I wasn't sure what I’d hoped for, but I’d kind of known there was no easy solution for our problem. Aside from waiting, I could do nothing.

  Micah's internship would end soon, then we'd figure out how to go on. Maybe I could get the chance to switch to teaching during the day, but right now I couldn't see how. The adults I taught needed night classes.

  "Thank you, Sean."

  "No problem. Let me know if you need anything, Rick and I will be happy to help."

  "Thank you." I meant it. They were great friends, having supported me through a lot of things, but they weren’t miracle workers.

  As I hung up the phone, I was lost in thought. What should I do now?

  I still was absolutely lost about my issues with Micah. We couldn't find a solution without one of us giving up something important and potentially irreplaceable. I’d never really figured out whether Micah was passionate about IT or if he liked it or if he was just doing it, but I also wouldn't ask him to stop unless he said he hated it. He didn’t look good, tired and overworked, but he insisted it was all perfectly fine.

  It was a lie, even though I suspected he didn’t even know that himself.

  I stared at the sink. I was supposed to clean our kitchen, but I couldn't think about anything else but my relationship with Micah.

  Here I'd hoped to make it more permanent, to ask him to marry me, and now we were further apart than we’d ever been before.

  No, it wasn't that bad, not in terms of fighting, of not getting along or anything else. It was just the issue of never having time with each other.

  That messed with our relationship enough.

  I just had no idea what to do.

  I could talk to him, see where he was in all of this. But I wasn't sure if it’d help anything.

  I couldn't ask him to give up his job, and, well, I couldn’t give up mine either.

  As I stared at the mug with my now cold coffee, I still hadn't gotten anywhere near a solution. But I knew things couldn't stay this way. We would drift apart, and he was too important to me to ever let that happen.

  He was the light of my life, the love of my life. I never thought I’d find that again. And I’d never let him go, no matter what I’d have to do to keep him.

  I already lost my parents over some stupid thing, over their inability to live with my life choices.

  I would not let my love life be destroyed by a job. Definitely not.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Micah

  “I have something to show you.” I fidgeted with my laptop before finally setting it down in front of Carter and opening it up on the living room table.

  He looked curiously at me. For once, there wasn’t a smile on his face, which was odd. But then, he’d been in a strange mood for the last few days. I never seemed to get around to ask him what exactly was up, but I figured he’d talk to me once the time was right for him.

  My head was mostly at work anyway, so he maybe didn’t want to bother me with something that was probably related to his own job.

  “Okay.”

  I bit my bottom lip, unsure of how good of an idea this actually was. I wanted to help, but I could very well end up making things worse. When I’d done it, it had felt right. Now I doubted my decision, not sure I even should get in between him and his parents.

  But now I couldn’t back out, since I’d already said something. “I wrote this,” I said slowly, pulling up the Word document I’d written the letter in. “For… for your parents.”

  It had been hard to find the time, but it had been important enough for me to sneak in between work assignments. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, not since the text with Finn. It had made me all too aware of just how much the situation with Carter’s parents had to be hurting him.

  I watched Carter’s reaction anxiously, unsure of how he was going to take the words.

  He went still. “Micah…”

  “I know,” I interrupted him. “I know I didn’t have to do anything, and I know that they’ll come around when they’re ready, but it’s just not fair. You care a lot about them, even if you don’t always see eye to eye. So I was hoping I could help a little. We don’t have to send it.”

  I pulled out the chair so Carter could sit down, then I slid into his lap. He wrapped an arm around me then pulled the laptop a little closer. I bit my lip, barely able to breathe as he started reading the words on the screen.

  I know we didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but I hope you’ll have it in your hearts to at least read this.

  I want you to know first and foremost that your son has never, and would never, hurt me or anyone else. He’s the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met in my life, and he’s been nothing but good to me.

  I won’t apologize for what you saw. It was completely disrespectful and rude to walk into your son’s house without even letting him know you were coming. His private life isn’t your business, especially when he isn’t hurting anyone. I’m sad you didn’t trust him enough to assume the best of him, but I understand having a knee jerk reaction. Before I met him, I didn’t know about age play either. I, too, wondered if it was about pedophilia.

  It’s not. Not at all.

  One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t hold my ground when you assumed the worst of the man I love more than anything. I think about it all the time, how I should’ve stepped up more instead of freezing up. But I was afraid, and I think I was a little ashamed, too. It was all so new to me.

  But it’s not new now. Ever since I met your son, my life has gotten better. He’s shown me I can be who I really am. What that means… I’m sorry, but that isn’t your business either. Just know that it means the world to me. He means the world to me, and I would do anything for him.

  You may not agree with his lifestyle, or his kinks, or whatever you’d like to call them, but you’re making a really big mistake if you shut him out of your life because of it.

  He isn’t hurting anyone. Everything is consensual. I am an adult.

  His life in the bedroom is private, and that’s how it should be.

  I hate that he lost you because of something that should’ve been private between us. He’s still the same man you raised, and he’s a truly great man. I hope that you can eventually see that he’s entitled to his secrets while remembering that he has someone who loves him very dearly.

  He shouldn’t have to exchange his love for me for his love for you.

  I’m not fortunate enough to have parents who want to be in my life, and it breaks my heart that I’m part of the reason he doesn’t have you right now. I hope that one day you’ll open your eyes and see he’s still the same man you raised, just with certain interests in the bedroom that not everyone understands.

  I’m not writing this because he asked me to. I’m writing this because I sincerely hope you’ll be able to reconcile with the son who misses you and wants you in his life.

  All I want is for him to be happy.

  I hope you want the same.

  I held my breath as he read it, anxiety building and building as I waited to see what he thought. I’d been a little stern, oddly, a little more abrupt than I usually was — but it was nothing compared to what I wanted to scream at them. I wanted to tell them how stupid they were to throw away a son like Carter because of a misunderstanding, but… I could only hope I’d put it in a way they could make sense of.

  My eyes stayed fixed on Carter’s face as my heart raced, and I braced myself for his response.

  But then he pulled me close and kissed my head. "Thank you, baby. I really appreciate it." He paused again and his voice sounded strange as he continued. "I really apprec
iate it. I'm just… I'm just not sure we should send it."

  I looked up at him, my heart pounding. "Why?" He surely wanted his parents back in his life, right? He was such a good man. He didn't deserve the way they’d treated him.

  "I'm just afraid they won't ever understand, and I'd hate for you to get hurt because they either react badly or not at all. You already have one set of parents who don't want to be part of your life, and if they also decide it…"

  “They pretty much already have,” I said softly. “Just by choosing to exclude you from their lives, they’ve rejected me too. I don’t… I don’t want that for you, Daddy. I want you to have your family.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “We can try. I can’t promise anything, but we can send it from my email address. That way if they send a negative response, you don’t have to see it.”

  I couldn’t help but be relieved at that. I’d stand at Carter’s side in an instant, and I wouldn’t flee like I’d done before. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be a part of anything cruel. “I… It’s really up to you,” I said slowly. “You’re the one who might have to see a nasty reply. I don’t know if that’s fair to you.”

  It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I realized it me then. I didn’t want Carter to get hurt by it.

  “I can deal with it, baby.” He wrapped his other arm around me and squeezed me.

  “It’s still unfair, isn’t it?” I worried at my bottom lip.

  “Let that be my problem, baby. You already wrote a letter to them.” He smiled at me, but it didn't really reach his eyes.

  “Are you sure?” I still wasn’t convinced it was the best idea, since seeing my Daddy getting hurt was even worse than getting hurt myself. Of course, it would be better if neither of us got hurt.

  “I’m sure, baby.” He kissed my head. “Send it over to my email. I’ll copy and paste it, then send it off from mine, okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Thank you, Daddy.”