| Where You Least Expect It |
| Harry Nelson practically threw himself down onto his sofa. His wrist ached from the force with which he�d slammed the door behind him. The powerful wave of anger which had overcome him outside was ebbing, leaving behind an equally powerful ache. For just a moment before he turned, he had seen the terrible shock and disappointment register on Lee�s handsome face. For some reason which eluded him, he found himself fighting back choking sobs. What the hell was happening to him? Eventually, he calmed somewhat, exhausted by the emotional outburst. Despite the growing ache in his groin, he managed to fall asleep for a little while. He woke up a couple of hours later, glanced at the clock on the wall to see it was almost dinnertime. But he wasn�t hungry. At least not for food. Now there was only one ache to deal with. He thought again of Lee, and how efficiently he�d handled that ache. Oh, god, what had he done earlier? Harry remembered his words, couldn�t believe he�d said them. He also still couldn�t quite believe what they had done, last night and earlier today. It scared him, but that was no reason to threaten Lee�s career! Lee was a good officer and a good friend. He was suddenly overwhelmed by regret and fear. And the more he thought about Lee, the more the ache in his groin grew. He reached down, trying to open his pants, relieve the pressure himself, and was again hindered by his bandaged wrists. He sat up suddenly, reaching for the phone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lee was half asleep on the couch when the phone rang, startling him. He wondered who would be calling him today. �Hello?� �Lee? I�m sorry. I don�t know what came over me this afternoon. Please, Lee, can you come over? I � I need your help � you know �� �Admiral?� Nelson was the last person he expected to hear. �Lee, please, I�m begging you.� Crane was beginning to feel like he had whiplash. Just two hours ago Nelson had denounced him as a pervert. �Sir, I think you made your feelings quite clear earlier.� He didn�t want to open himself up to that hurt again � �Lee, no, please. I � I was wrong. I�m so sorry �� // Is he crying? // Lee wasn�t sure, but he was sure that there was a whole lot of pain in that voice, both physical and emotional. In the end, Lee realized that if his career was over, there was nothing left to lose; helping again now couldn�t make it worse than it already was. If nothing else, at least he could do this for his friend. As he drove up to the beach house, Lee sighed and willed himself to keep his feelings out of it; this was purely medicinal. He tapped on the door and pushed it open, knowing he�d find it unlocked. �Admiral?� Nelson was sprawled on the couch, an expression of utter torment on his face. �Lee. Thank god. With these damned wrists I can�t even �� he gestured at the source of his frustration, his belt buckle. Lee felt a surge of compassion for this man, his friend. He was certain now that he could see traces of earlier tears. He hurried over to the Admiral�s side and gently took care of the immediate problem, opening buckle and fly, gently freeing the swollen organ trapped inside. Nelson let out a gasp at the relief. �Sir, could you sit up? This would be easier �� �Yes � of course �� He levered himself up as best he could not using his wrists. Lee helped, completely removing the Admiral�s pants and underwear in the process, then bent to the task at hand. Beneath him, Nelson thrashed, groaning and grunting, desperate for his release. Which thankfully came quickly this time. Lee wondered if he hadn�t had any relief since their meeting this morning. At least the bromide was providing some relief, although apparently not enough. When it was over, Nelson sagged back into the corner of the couch, exhausted. Lee crawled up off the floor, unsure what to do. Should he leave now before the Admiral had a chance to regret what they�d done again? Indecision held him in place. A few minutes later, Nelson stirred. �Lee?� Nelson�s voice was somewhat breathless. �Could you do me a favor?� �Of course, sir.� �My meds � on the kitchen counter. If I take it now it will last longer �� Lee hurried into the kitchen, returning with the medicine and a glass of water. The Admiral took it gratefully. �Is there anything else you need, sir? If not, I�ll be going.� All the thoughts from this afternoon returned to Harry as he looked up at his young friend. �No, Lee � please stay. We � we need to talk.� Crane looked away, not wanting to stare at the half-naked body. �All right �� Nelson managed a wry laugh. �Would you do me another favor, Lee? Get my bathrobe �?� Crane managed a small smile. �Of course.� When he returned, he found the Admiral trying to dig his cigarettes and lighter out of the pocket of his abandoned pants. // Why is it smokers always need one after sex? // Crane helped him get the uniform shirt off over his bandaged wrists, then wrapped the robe around him before they both sat back down on the couch. Nelson sat back and managed to get a cigarette lit. Exhaling the first drag, he gazed at the man at the other end of the couch. A certain calmness had returned to his demeanor, but he was obviously uncomfortable. �Lee, I�m sorry about earlier. I was � unnecessarily rude �� �No, sir. No apology necessary. By the standards of the Navy I am a pervert. I � I shouldn�t be �� �Nonsense!� Nelson cut him off. �You�re the best damned sub driver I know, Lee. Please, don�t worry about your career. No one in the Navy will hear about this from me.� Lee felt a two-ton weight lift from his shoulders. �Thank you, sir. I � appreciate that.� Seeing the young man�s relief touched something deep in Harry�s soul. �No, Lee, I should be thanking you. You risked your career to help me, and I threw it in your face. It�s no excuse, but I think these hormone surges are affection my emotions as well as my libido. I�m not used to dealing with either one �� He looked up into Lee�s eyes, hoping he would understand. Some truly hateful things had been said. Lee could see Nelson�s regret. He remembered enough biology to understand the basics, and his sister�s monthly mood swings had taught him from an early age just how volatile hormonal emotions could be. He wanted to trust his friend, but he was still leery of that next mood swing � �Sir, I�m willing to put it aside if you are.� Nelson found a small smile. �Thank you, Lee. I won�t say I don�t have mixed feelings about the whole thing right now, but I also know I�m not thinking very clearly some times. And that scares me more than anything �� The Admiral�s mind was his most potent weapon, most powerful tool. To not have complete control � yes, that would scare anybody, especially somebody like Nelson. He could see the fear in the soft blue eyes. Compassion filled his heart and he leaned forward to place a supportive hand on his friend�s arm. �I understand.� He was grateful that Nelson didn�t flinch away from his touch as their eyes met briefly. �But you seem to be relatively normal now?� Nelson nodded as the scientist in him finally analyzed the situation. �I think perhaps the endorphins released with orgasm neutralize the excess hormones. Maybe I�ve been going about this all wrong �� �Sir?� Nelson found himself blushing; this was not a subject he was comfortable discussing. �Er, well, ever since you brought me back, I�ve been trying to suppress the sexual urges. I�m not used to dealing with such things, and especially not with your particular solution �� �I�m sorry sir, it just seemed the only way while we were at sea �� �It�s ok, Lee. I understand. And you were right. It�s only after � release � that I can think coherently. By suppressing my � desires, I�ve been letting the hormones accumulate. Everything just snowballs.� Lee saw where this was going. �So if you didn�t wait until you couldn�t stand it anymore, it wouldn�t get so overwhelming? You need to �clear the air� more often?� �Exactly.� It was Lee�s turn for a long appraising glance. �Surely you have some women friends who would be willing to help now?� Nelson gave a bark of a laugh. �You think so? Lee, I�m a career officer, and a scientist. My work is my life. I never had time for a social life �� �Oh �� Lee heard the regret in his voice, of all the years lost. He suddenly realized that he really couldn't remember the Admiral ever going on a date. He'd always simply assumed the great man was absorbed by his work, too busy to be bothered by personal entanglements. It had never occurred to him that Nelson might be lonely. But that was exactly what he heard in his voice now. �I�m sure someone from the Institute would be happy to volunteer, sir. Or perhaps a, uh, �professional� companion.� Nelson shuddered. �Lee, I have to admit, I�m still not entirely sure how I feel about this. This morning when I first realized what we had done, I was shocked, both that you would offer and that I would � accept. I reacted badly, and I am very sorry for that. But I really have nowhere else to turn right now. I�d be even more uncomfortable with an unfamiliar woman than with you. I � I trust you. I have no right to ask this after what I said this afternoon. But will you stay and help me? At least until I get my hands back?� Lee looked at him, realizing how hard it was for a man like Nelson to make a request like that. He�d seen a vulnerability in his friend today that he�d never imagined was there. It would be hard, but he could keep his feelings out of it, keep the situation �medicinal.� �Only if you promise to let me �help� before you get lost in one of those mood swings.� Nelson laughed. �Promise.� �Then yes.� Again their eyes met, acknowledging their long friendship, the level of trust between them. Nelson broke the connection, deeply grateful that he hadn�t lost the only real friend he had. �Thank you. Um, have you had dinner?� �Actually no, I wasn�t feeling very hungry �� Nelson nodded, acknowledging his responsibility for that state. �Then why don�t you head back to your place and pick up a few things including dinner on the way back? I�ll call Marcelino�s.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After dinner they moved out to the porch to enjoy the beautiful evening. They sat in the beach chairs and watched the sunset. As the sky began to darken, they talked. �Lee? Can I ask you a personal question?� Crane smiled. He�d been expecting this. �Of course.� �When � how did you know �� �That I prefer men?� Nelson nodded. Lee took a deep breath. �Even back in high school, I didn�t date much. At the time I saw all the typical excuses; I was too tall, too skinny, too brainy. More interested in books than girls, and they were happy to let the books have me. I was hell-bent on getting into the Academy, figured I didn�t have time for that stuff anyway, and if I was going to be a career Navy officer, well, family didn�t fit very well with that. Figured if I never tried it, I wouldn�t miss it.� Nelson chuckled. �Anyway, my sophomore year, Chip decided that I needed to loosen up a bit. So for my birthday, a bunch of the guys hired a professional to show me the ropes. So there I was, 19 years old with this gorgeous blond hooker, and I couldn�t even get it up. I was mortified. Spent the rest of the night crying on Chip�s shoulder �� That got a raised eyebrow. �I knew you two had known each other a long time but I didn�t realize you were that � close.� �Um, don�t get the wrong idea, sir. He�s as straight as they come. We got past that a long time ago �� �Ah.� Nelson had to admit he was relieved. �But he was the one who helped me figure it out. He�s very good at pointing out the obvious � if girls didn�t do it for me, what about men? He wasn�t volunteering, mind you, but he cared enough about me to make me consider the possibility. It scared the shit out of me just to consider it. But over the next couple of weeks, my mind just kept coming back to the idea. I started paying attention to people around me in the locker room, thinking about possibilities, and I quickly realized he was right.� He stopped, taking a long drink of his coffee, and looking up at the stars that had started to appear. �Of course, knowing how the Navy feels about such things, I was too scared to do anything for a long time. Finally, Graduation night, after I got rid of my parents, I drove down to DC, to a bar I�d heard about. You can imagine my surprise when I ran into Commander Nichols there; he�d been one of my teachers at the Academy. He told me that every year, right after graduation, one or two young men like me turned up there, and he�d made a point of being there to catch them. Not to punish us; but to teach us how to handle this life if it really was what we needed. I figure he saved my career, if not my life, at least a dozen times already.� �You really had no choice, did you?� �No sir. It took me a long time to work it all out, but I finally accepted myself for who and what I am. I won�t say it�s been easy, always having to hide, and lord knows I�ve been envious of Chip�s busy social life. But it�s my life, and I�m proud of what I�ve accomplished.� The burning tip of Nelson�s cigarette was all that was visible now in the growing darkness. �You should be, Lee. You�ve had an exemplary career, and I have no cause for complaint in your handling of our crew. I really never had a clue.� He chuckled softly. �Sir?� �Oh, I was just thinking about a conversation I had a couple of months ago with Jiggs.� �Admiral Starke?� �Yes. I really don�t know how the subject came up, but he was ranting about some officer who had been caught with a male prostitute. Swore up and down that there was no place for that sort of thing in the military. No way a man like that could possibly be trusted with command. God I wish I could tell him about this!� The chuckle became a full fledged laugh. �Sir!� Lee was almost panicked. �Oh, don�t worry, I won�t. I would never do that to you. But damn, it would be fun to throw this in his face.� Crane pictured the uptight man�s reaction, and joined in the laughter. �That would almost be worth it, sir!� They sat quietly for a while, listening to the sounds of the night. �Lee? If I�m not being too nosy, could I ask � is there somebody �?� A soft sigh preceded the answer. �What did you say earlier about being too busy for such things? I guess I�ve used my career to push sex aside as much as possible. I have a few � friends, I guess, here in Santa Barbara and a few back in DC that I occasionally connect with, but nobody special.� Nelson was quiet for a moment. �Lee, don�t make the mistake I did. I don�t think I realized until we talked earlier just how alone I am. Look at me. Fifty-two years old, I�ve achieved all any man could ask in one lifetime in my work, and now when I�m forced to take time away from work, I have nobody to share it with. Except you, thank god.� Lee heard the catch in his voice and realized that the hormones were starting to affect him again. Hormones or no, there was pain in that voice. Lee got up and came to kneel by the Admiral�s chair. �I�m here, Harry. You�re not alone.� He gently touched the Admiral�s arm, then felt Nelson�s hand over his. �Thank you, Lee.� �It�s all right, sir. If I may, I think things are starting to build up again?� Nelson took a deep breath. �You�re right.� Lee allowed his thumb to gently rub back and forth over the Admiral�s arm, a gentle caress. �Perhaps we should nip it in the bud this time? Then you can take your meds and get some sleep.� �Yes, you�re right.� Lee wasn�t quite sure how to proceed. Up till now, the Admiral had been mentally elsewhere by the time Lee got to him. This would be very different; Harry would be a conscious, willing participant. That made him very nervous. �So. Um, would you like to go inside? Or we could do this right here; I don�t think anybody will be crashing your private beach.� Nelson was feeling rather nervous himself. It surprised him how much he wanted this. Not just the physical release, either. When Lee had so gently touched his arm, he had felt something unexpected. It was as if something buried deep inside him had reawakened. The need to touch and be touched. It wasn�t entirely sexual; more wanting the reassurance that he truly was not alone. And yet there was a definite sexual aspect to it. He knew what Lee was about to do and he wanted it, and that scared him. And excited him. And the hormones were amplifying all of it. He finally realized Lee had asked him a question. �Here, if it�s not too uncomfortable for you. It�s such a nice evening �� // and nice and dark to hide in. // Lee smiled softly. It was rather romantic out here under the stars � // don�t GO there! Medicinal, right? // Even so, he wanted to make it as good as possible for Harry. �Here is fine. Just let me �� He got up and grabbed the cushion from his chair and tossed it down to kneel on. �There, that�s better.� His hand tentatively reached out and pushed aside Nelson�s robe. He�d helped the Admiral put on a pair of boxers before dinner; now he gently caressed him through the thin cotton. Harry whimpered as Lee first touched him, a soft sound deep in his throat. �Sir?� The hand stopped, but did not go away. At the first contact, he felt himself tensing up, felt the fear interfering. He forced it aside. �It�s all right, Lee. That feels good � keep going. Please �� Crane�s hand resumed its gentle stroking. He forced himself to relax, allowed himself to experience the pleasure. There was no denying that this felt very good. In the darkness he couldn�t really see what was happening, but just knowing that it was Lee touching him like this added to the experience. A soft voice whispered in the night. �Harry? Can we get rid of the shorts?� �Go ahead.� Nelson�s hips lifted as Lee drew the boxers off. He heard a soft rustle as Lee repositioned himself between his legs. Questing fingers found him hard and dripping, gently spreading the liquid around. His entire body trembled as the soft warm mouth engulfed him and Lee�s arms wrapped around his hips, holding him close. Lee put everything he had into that blow job, making it as long and sweet as he could. His hands didn�t stray far, but kept caressing Harry�s hips and back. He wasn�t sure when, but at some point he felt Harry�s hands sliding into his hair. The bandages kept him from getting a good grip, but what mattered was that Harry had knowingly initiated the contact. Lee felt as if his heart would explode with joy. He kept going, sometimes teasing lightly with the tip of his tongue, others using the whole flat surface to swirl around. That particular maneuver always got a long groan of pleasure. Harry�s breathing had become quick and shallow. At long last, he picked up the pace as Harry began thrusting back at him, starting to demand his release. �OH, Lee!� The Admiral cried out as the climax shook him, flooding Lee�s mouth with the sweetest ambrosia. The only thing sweeter was the sound of his name being called in that moment of passion. He made to sit up, but Nelson�s hands held him, not wanting to let go. He sighed and gently pillowed his head on Harry�s thigh. �Harry? Are you all right?� �Mmmm. Did you say something about bed?� Lee laughed softly. �Well, if you�ll let me get up, I�ll get your meds and we can get you tucked in.� Nelson realized he was still holding on, and found he was reluctant to let go. He forced his hands away. Lee stood up and helped a mostly limp Harry up from the chair. They�d have to find the shorts in the morning. �Go on back to bed, sir. I�ll bring the meds in a minute.� Lee stopped in the kitchen to get a glass of water and retrieve the bottle and vial. Nelson was tugging rather futilely at the bedclothes. Hospital corners did not mix well with sprained wrists. Lee put the meds down. �Here, take these, I�ll get that.� He got the blankets turned down as the Admiral took his medicine. �OK, now into bed with you.� Nelson slipped off his robe and realized he was still naked. He started to reach for a clean pair of shorts. �Uh uh, none of that. Save me the hassle of getting them off in the morning when I doubt you�ll be so cooperative �� That got the desired laugh. �Oh, all right �� He crawled into the bed. Lee gently drew the covers over him, then reached for the light. In the dark, he allowed his hand to gently brush back Nelson�s hair. �Good night, Harry.� ��Night. Thanks �� Lee got up and retired to the guest bedroom for the night. Continue on to Chapter 4 Send me some feedback Back to Voyage home Back to Home Page Disclaimer: These characters belong to their original creators; I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Chapter 3 |