by C. S. Poe
I’m coming! So derry! Be tree soon!
What?
I skidded and nearly slipped to a stop outside the subway stairs. What, what? Why was Walter confused—oh dammit!
So sorry! Be true soon!
Oh my God. I just couldn’t with technology sometimes.
THERE. BE THERe SoON!
No need to yell. ;)
I groaned, gave up, and flew down the stairs. I swiped through the turnstile, ran down another flight of stairs, and caught the downtown train just as the doors closed. Out of breath, I sat in the nearest open seat and took out my laptop again. The ride wasn’t more than fifteen minutes, but I was desperately trying to complete the dating game. I wanted to give it to Walter tonight, before he got swept away in the madness of GamerOn, and I most likely wouldn’t see him for the next three days.
I could have gotten off the D at 34th Street and only walked a few blocks to Retro, but the Christmas market was set up at 42nd Street-Bryant Park. It was always a beautiful, colorful sight to behold. When I actually did venture out of my house at this time of year, I usually found an excuse to go by the area and walk through it. So I was sort of on autopilot when I got off at 42nd. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to enjoy the prettiness, but maybe in my immediate future there’d be a certain guy who’d like nothing more than to grab a hot chocolate and walk through the gorgeous, overpriced market with me.
That put a smile on my face all the way to Retro.
But it died the minute I opened the door and saw a huge crowd of young guys and girls, packed around the bar, talking over one another, with Walter in the midst of it all.
He had only made one Twitter post all week about the meetup tonight. Walter was so sure only a few fans would come out. He was too humble for his own good. Walter didn’t realize how easy it was to fall in lo—to fall for someone like himself.
I was so out of my element.
In a bar.
Fuck. I never came to bars.
And around people so much more knowledgeable of the gaming community. What would they call me—a newbie? A newbie trying to fit in with the cool kids. In here, I was just another fanboy looking to impress and enjoy Walter’s company.
I almost walked out.
I turned around and opened the door and everything.
But the weight of my laptop bag reminded me why I’d gathered the courage to come here to begin with.
Walter.
WalterWalterWalter.
Okay. I’d wait for the crowd to disperse a bit. I went to the opposite end of the bar, empty compared to the vicious, slobbering fans on the other side of the room. I sat down and one of the bartenders came over. I gave the specialty menu a glance, but the funky game drinks weren’t really appealing after seeing all of Walter’s fans with their Mario Margaritas and Duck Hunt Daquiris. I wanted comfort.
“Can you make an Old Fashioned?” I asked, pushing the menu away.
The bartender nodded. “Sure thing.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. I glanced back at the party, but I couldn’t even see Walter anymore. I hoped he wasn’t drowning in the bodies.
The bartender set the glass down in front of me a moment later, and I sipped quietly.
“Waldere is here tonight. Do you know him?” the bartender asked.
“Yup.”
“He’s a funny guy. Really nice too. He bought the first round for his group over there.”
“He’s really sweet,” I agreed.
“I don’t think it’s a private party. You can probably go say hi,” the bartender said.
I gave him a weak smile after taking another sip of my drink. “Maybe I will.”
But I didn’t move, not even after my Old Fashioned was Gone Fashioned. The bartender offered me another, but I declined, paid my bill, and stood. The party didn’t look to be winding down at all, and at this rate, I’d never get a chance to speak with Walter. I was standing in the middle of the bar, trying to work out what to do, when I heard my name.
“Ed!”
Rather, I heard the voice of the only guy who called me Ed.
I looked up, and Walter was standing just outside the throng, an Old Fashioned in one hand. A smile broke out across his face—a sweet balm to soothe away my worries. And that smoldering coal of passion and courage in my chest burst to life like crackling logs on a fireplace. I suddenly felt warm and loved.
“Walter.”
He set his glass down on a nearby table and came right to me. Walter was taller, a bit more broad shouldered, and absolutely perfect as he wrapped his arms around me. I slid my own around him and dug my fingers into his back.
“I’m so happy to see you,” he said.
I laughed, a sort of desperate attempt to keep myself from crying. “Same.”
“I was getting worried when you didn’t show up.” Walter rubbed my back.
I slowly pulled away and looked up at him. “I… was here.” I nodded toward the deserted section of the bar.
Walter turned to the area and then back to me. “Why didn’t you come say hello?” He shook his head. “Never mind. Don’t worry about it.” He took my chin.
“W-wait, not here. Remember?”
Walter’s expression betrayed the slightest frown before he smiled widely and gently let go of me. “I’ll grab my coat.”
“No, no, that’s not fair to your other fans. They want to see you as much as I do.”
“As much as you?”
“Well… no, I want to see you the most.”
He laughed.
I cracked a smile. “Still. Don’t bail on them.”
Walter reached down and briefly—too briefly—squeezed my hand. His strength and heat lingered, even after he let go. “I’ll start to wrap the evening up. Tell them I’m jet-lagged. Do you know where the Sunset Lounge & Hotel is?”
“Uh, I think so. The Times Square one?”
“Yeah, that’s where I’m staying,” Walter continued. “If you’d like to wait for me at the bar, I’ll be there within the hour.”
I WAS at Walter Chase’s hotel.
Holy double freaking crap.
While I waited for him to return from Retro, I finished both the dating sim and another Old Fashioned. I was pleasantly buzzed and feeling confident in the way only liquor could provide while I struggled to keep a connection with the lobby’s free Wi-Fi long enough to upload the game so Walter could download and play it.
It wasn’t working very well.
But that was okay.
I was at Walter Chase’s hotel.
And I got another drink!
Cheers to the Wi-Fi!
I reminded myself, 2.5 Old Fashioneds in, that I was a lightweight.
“Oops,” I murmured, setting the glass aside. I gave up with the internet and shut the laptop. I tucked it into my bag when a strong hand touched my shoulder. I turned around quickly. “Walter!”
Walter’s face was flushed, probably from a combination of liquor and the freezing-cold night. “I got you these, but I didn’t have a chance to give them to you at Retro.” He produced a bouquet from behind his back.
I slowly accepted the flowers. “You got me roses?”
He grinned and nodded. “That’s right.”
“How’d you know I’d want roses?”
“The same way I knew you were a gay scholar.”
“Mindreading?”
Walter laughed. “How many drinks have you had?”
“Two and a half.” I looked at the glass again. “Two and three-fourths,” I amended.
“Your Twitter profile, Ed.”
“Oh right, that hot mess.” I held up the bouquet and smelled the beautiful fragrance. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Walter stepped closer and put a cold hand on my too-warm cheek. He leaned down and pressed his chilly lips to my own. They were full and soft. His stubble scratched against my skin as we kissed, and every single atom inside me screamed for more, more, more!
I didn’t have to say
a word. It’s like Walter knew and wanted—needed—the same thing. He paid for my drink, took my hand, and led the way to the lobby elevators. He kissed me again as we rode up to the fourth floor, but harder, more urgent, more passionately. By the time he fished his keycard out of his pocket and we tumbled into the room, I had never needed to be naked and intimate with another man so badly in my entire life.
I set my flowers on the desk, dropped my bag to the floor, and then Walter was tearing my coat off. “It’s got buttons! Hang on!” I laughed.
We fumbled with each other’s jackets while kissing, never breaking the seal of our lips. Even a fraction of a moment apart seemed like forever. I shoved Walter’s heavy coat off his shoulders and grabbed blindly at his T-shirt. I yanked it up, touched the hot skin of his belly, and enjoyed the way his muscles contracted under my fingers.
“You look really nice,” Walter murmured against my lips.
“I do?”
“Hmm.” He slid my tie off with a quick, effortless move.
“Not like I’m going to a funeral?”
Walter laughed against my mouth and kissed me one more time. He tasted like bourbon and a Christmas miracle. “You look sophisticated.” He began unbuttoning my shirt. “But I bet everything underneath is better.”
I licked my lips and reached for Walter’s jeans.
“You want that?” he asked, stepping closer.
I might have been a sheet or two to the wind, but yeah. I wanted it. I wanted all of it. Over and over, until I was in a coma. And even more than that, I needed Walter to feel the same thing I felt all over. To have his entire body tingle and vibrate like he was coming loose at the seams.
I shoved him back against the wall and kissed him again as I unzipped his jeans. Walter made a surprised sound in the back of his throat, which promptly turned into a moan that went straight to my balls. I tugged down his pants and underwear, then broke the kiss to look at the treasure I’d let free.
Hello, gorgeous.
“You never told me what service you preferred,” I said.
“I’m flexible.” Walter reached around to put his hands on my ass, pulling me close against him. “You?” His voice was turning into a bedroom voice: deep, raspy, a bit breathless.
I gasped when he kneaded my cheeks. “I… I….”
Walter tilted his head down and began kissing my neck.
My brain totally short-circuited. I grunted in response.
I felt his lips curve into a smile against my skin. “Can I make love to you?” he whispered.
“Yes.” There was no other answer.
We fell onto the bed after losing our clothes to every corner of the room.
“Wait,” I said suddenly, staring up at Walter. “I didn’t bring—er—”
“I did.” He got back up, his naked body absolutely stunning in the gentle light of the room. His cock strained upward and made my mouth water. Walter returned from his suitcase with a travel-size bottle of lube and a condom.
“Thought you’d get lucky?” I asked.
“They’re for no one but you, honey. Raise your leg up.”
“Do you want the light off?” I countered, pointing toward the lamp.
Walter made a face and shook his head. “No. I want to be able to see you.”
He explored my body, and cool, slick fingers distracted me from what I thought would be awkward sex at best if the light was kept on. But instead of worrying obsessively, I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting myself just be and enjoy the attention Walter was giving. He gently guided me onto my side, and after several moments of “I’m going to come from just fingers” level of consideration, his slippery cock was pressed against me.
Walter wrapped an arm around my chest and held on firmly. “Shh….”
It took me a second to realize he was shushing me because I was making enough noise for the neighbors down the hall to hear.
“Wait for me,” he said, a touch of amusement in his tone.
I gasped and gripped Walter’s hand tight. The fullness I felt was more than physical. It was spiritual. Emotional. I had been crushing hard on this guy for the better part of a year, and now he was no longer Waldere.
He was Walter. And being here with him, like this, it was better than I could have ever imagined.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” Walter panted in my ear, punctuating every word with a thrust. “I’ll do anything to keep you.”
My heart swelled. “Walter!”
“Feel good?”
“Yes! God! Don’t stop!” I reached my hand back, grabbing at anything—everything. His thigh, hip, head, holding him tighter still against me. His dick hit just the right angle, was just the right speed, and I was left hoarse from screaming. Cum splashed my stomach, the mattress, and Walter reached down to swipe the head of my cock with his thumb.
I shuddered, totally spent as Walter collected a bit of semen. I craned my head back to look at him just as he stuck his thumb in his mouth to suck it clean.
“Oh fuck,” he groaned. He gripped my body with renewed fervor and slammed in hard. Walter gasped and went rigid as he came in my ass, which sent another shock of pleasure through me. After what I assumed was the same near-blackout moment I’d had, Walter gently kissed the back of my neck. He swore under his breath and rolled away long enough to toss the used condom in the trash before curling up behind me again.
“You okay?” he asked, wrapping his arm over my chest.
“Best I’ve ever been.”
“Me too.” Walter stroked my chest for a few moments. “Ed?”
“Hmm?”
“Could you say the opening lines of Beowulf?”
“Uhm, okay. ‘So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by—’”
“No, in Old English,” Walter interjected.
I looked over my shoulder. “Really?”
He just smiled.
I shifted onto my back and took a breath before beginning to recite the epic poem that was so deeply ingrained in memory the words had likely carved themselves onto my bones. “Hwæt wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon, hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.”
Walter stared at me as I spoke, completely enraptured. “How long could you keep going?” he eventually asked.
“A while,” I admitted.
“That’s amazing.” He stroked my chest again.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I don’t usually meet guys who think so.”
“Usually,” he echoed before giving me a wink.
I got up afterward and excused myself to the bathroom to clean up before the mess of drying sex made for a wholly unpleasant experience. When I poked my head back into the room, Walter had turned the lamp off and opened the curtains wide, the room aglow with the spectacular colors of Times Square. He looked up from the bed, a tablet in his hand. He patted the mattress and I joined him again.
“Why’d you open the curtains?” I asked as I got comfortable in his arms.
“It’s snowing.”
“So?”
“I live in LA,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a novelty.”
I chuckled. “You’re really funny. And cute.”
Walter curled one hand into my hair. “Pick a movie. I loaded up on Christmas flicks.”
I reached out and rolled my index finger across the tablet screen. “You have Miracle on 34th Street.”
“I’m a sucker for the classics.”
I scrolled some more and stopped. “The most classic Christmas movie of all time.”
“You are so perfect for me,” Walter said as he started Die Hard.
I was sidetracked now and then as the movie played. Snow drifted and danced among the lights of Midtown, lit up as sparkly as a Christmas tree. And lying in the dark, nestled in a cocoon of warm blankets and naked skin, it was all unbelievably romantic. I felt that holiday cheer that’s always so difficult to explain with words—experienced true holiday joy, really. I didn’t want to give Walter up for anything.
Please, please let him accept my gift.
I was nearly asleep, floating in the haze of unconsciousness, when Walter touched my cheek.
“…Think I love you, Ed,” he whispered.
“Hm-hm,” I sleepily agreed.
I WOKE up the next morning with a surprisingly clear head, a tongue that felt like it was wearing a coat, and a contently aching body. I yawned and snuggled back into Walter’s hold, slowly drifting off again….
Think I love you, Ed.
Holy shit. I jackknifed up and froze when Walter shifted under the blankets. His comment from the night before was now repeating in my mind like a broken record.
Love you, love you, love you.
Had it been drunk talk?
Or… real?
I turned to stare at him. His face was smooth and calm as he slept. Walter shifted onto his stomach and hugged a pillow under his head, biceps flexing slightly.
I smiled. He’d sounded pretty damn sincere when he whispered it. And I was… okay with that. Really okay. In fact, I was pretty certain Walter was going to like my gift at this point.
Speaking of…. I climbed out of bed with the intention of finding out if the Wi-Fi in the room was strong enough for file uploading. I opened my computer on the desk beside the roses, found a key envelope that had the Wi-Fi password written on it, and connected.
Success!
Once I had the game transferring, where it’d automatically email Walter a notification to download, I started getting dressed. The air had a crispness to it not even central heat could quite dissipate, and if I stood around naked for much longer, my balls were going to try to crawl inside of me. I had shimmied into my jeans and was buttoning my shirt when my phone dinged from… somewhere.
My heart did that initial leap of “Walter’s texting me!” But I had to shake my head and suppress a laugh because Walter was naked in the bed right behind me, and that was far, far better than a simple text. I found my phone inside my shoe and pressed the home button. Just an email notification from the German pharmaceutical company I was translating for.
