Mistaken Identity

The walk along the beach, in the bright moonlight, had been peaceful and exhilerating. Michael spent most of the walk looking up at the moonlight than he did watching where he was going. He stayed at least a few steps infront of Nick, who strolled casually behind him, and took deep breaths at the salty ocean air. Both hadn't said much of anything since they began but Nick had wanted to say so much to the other man that he didn't know where to start.

Nick watched as Michael jumped and stretched and danced as he walked. He smiled at the silhouette of his young love having fun like Michael used to do on their nightly walks. With his hands in the pockets of his loose white khakis, Nick paused and breathed in, letting the cold waves of the black ocean race up the shore and touch his bare ankles before racing back to the ocean to do it again. He closed his eyes and took another breath in as he remembered their first walk along the beach, years prior.

"This is great!" Michael had stopped five steps infront of Nick and turned around to look at his companion. He smiled widely and spread his arms out, feeling the slight cool breeze brush against his skin. Neither one wore shoes so the sand squished between their toes, which made Michael laugh along the way.

Smiling, Nick took a daring few steps forward and gently kissed the young man without thinking. When he pulled away, remembering the backstory, he apologised and averted his eyes but not before he caught Michael's tongue dart out to run along Michael's top lip in memory. "I'm glad you are enjoying yourself." He smiled again and looked up as Michael came at him, this time kissing him back, with passion. His left hand reached up to caress the back of Michael's head, feeling the silk of the brown hair between his fingers. They kissed deeper and he let his eyes slide closed, thinking this was the Michael he remembered.

Michael had no idea what he was getting into. As he let himself be laid down along the dry beach, their kiss resumed. He could feel hands on him, like warm mittens in the snow. Nick's left hand propped the older man above the younger as the right gingerly strolled across the taut, soft skin of Michael's stomach. Michael stared up at the starry sky and blinked several times as Nick moved his kisses downward on his body. Panic was beginning to creep slowly in. "Nick-? Uh, Nick--?" Numbly, his hands nudged Nick's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Nick looked up from kissing Michael's navel.

A chill ran through him. "I'm kinda cold. Can we go back now?"

Dejected, Nick removed himself from atop of Michael and nodded solemnly. "Of course." Offering a sombre smile, he helped Michael up and led the way back to the house. He was trying to be patient and remembered that it might not be the Michael he came to love but, it was becoming hard to define when Michael would come out with something that he used to do or like and then recoil again. Checking his watch as they made it to the back porch, he spoke softly. "It's time for your medication." Nick slid the glass door open and let the younger man go in first before closing it after he entered behind him.

"Right." Uneasily, Michael unfastened his jeans and slid them down, exposing his bare bottom as he bent over the glass table and waited.

Nick fought back his emotions at the sight of Michael's readiness and remembered the pills he had found in Mich-- Richard's suitcase. "On second thought, love, Henry gave me some pills for you to take. Being that you don't like the shots." Tearing his eyes away from the firm and ready bottom, Nick walked over to his briefcase and removed the bottle. Covering the name with his hand, he opened the top and dumped out a small white pill into his free hand. When he looked up from closing the bottle and slipping it into his pants pocket, Michael had still been in the same position with his pants around his ankles. "You can take this orally, love." A slight smile adorned his face as the other man gave him a quizzical look.

Slightly embarrassed, Michael stood up and turned to receive the pill, not bothering with his jeans that now pooled at his knees.

Nick handed the pill to him and then went to get a glass of water for Michael to swallow the pill with. When he came back and handed Michael the glass of water, his eyes wandered down to the still exposed and now shyly erect manhood Michael wasn't even bothering to hide. Clearing his throat as he looked back up to meet Michael's eyes, he blushed and turned away as Michael had been watching him through the bottom of the glass as he drank the water. He sighed, frustrated, and went to busy himself with his work that he had brought home from his office before turning in for the night.

~~~

Michael had been thinking about the scene in the kitchen, even after Nick walked away and Michael righted his jeans. The look in Nick's eyes when they met his was more undefinable sadness than lust. Michael could tell the other man wanted him but wasn't willing to be rejected again after Nick tried to start something on the beach.

The house was dark and quiet as Michael lay staring up at the ceiling. The coolness of the sheet beneath him, covering the scratchy sofa cushions, felt nice and warm knit blanket kept him warm from the slight breeze the ceiling fan gave off. He just couldn't sleep. Rolling onto his left side and staring out the curtained window, he sighed and rolled back onto his back. Finally, he couldn't take the silence of the den anymore and decided to get up and see if Nick was still awake for a possible talk or game of cards.

Tip-toeing up the stairs and turning to face Nick's bedroom, he found the door closed and the light off. Silently, he crept up to the door and listened, turning his left ear to the door. As Michael listened harder, he heard soft panting and grunting in soft, rhythmic breaths. Squatting down and leaning back against the wall, he listened through the crack where the door met the frame. A chill passed through him as he was only wearing the boxers and T-shirt Nick had given him to sleep in.

Nick was masterbating but trying to be quiet. His naked body was bathed in night pastels as he lay above the covers on his bed. On his back, in the middle of the bed, his right hand stroked his erection and his eyes slid closed as he pictured several scenarios with his Michael he had loved years prior. Soft gasps as he stroked himself harder, holding onto the memory of the feel of Michael's body. When he came, he wept quietly into his pillow as he rolled onto his right side.

Still squatting outside the door with his arms wrapped about him, Michael heard everything. His breath caught as he heard the sob-filled whisper of his name. A shiver passed through him as Nick cleared his throat and moved from the bed to the bathroom to clean up. Michael took to opportunity to walk back downstairs and sit on the sofa, in the livingroom and turn on the small television. No matter what program he watched, he couldn't get the sounds of Nick's personal interlude out of his head. Turning the channel to watch an advertisement of an omlet maker, Michael had an idea that he wasn't sure if he should put into actions.

As he watched the half hour advert, he decided to make breakfast for Nick in the morning. Granted the spaghetti incident was still fresh in his mind, Michael thought he would try it anyway, only not an omlet as he had no idea if Nick liked them or not. He thought more on the idea before getting up and walking to the dark kitchen to turn on a light and look in the cupboards for something to fix. "It looks like cereal will have to do. Maybe some toast, too. I think I remember how to make coffee and we have juice." Breathing out as he stood in the middle of the kitchen staring into the pantry, adjacent to the refrigerator and facing the beach, Michael closed the door and bit his lower lip in thought. "That'll have to do, I guess."

Michael yawned and looked at the clock on the stove, 12:30. He yawned again and turned off the kitchen light as he went back in to watch television. Grabbing his blanket and pillow from the other room, Michael curled up on the small sofa and tried to stay awake through an old black and white film but eventually drifted off within and hour of turning the channel. He didn't realise how tired he was until he yawned three times in his sleep and had barely switched positions during the night.

His dreams gave way to strange disembodied voices and a pier with a scarcely populated beach in the background. Something hit him from behind and at least a dozen hands were on him doing things to him. Angry voices rang in his ears one minute and the next they had been replaced by a softer, more worried than angry voice. The sweet, female voice replaced the harsh male voices and Michael had made no move to wake up as the strange dream continued.

The morning came quickly and with the angle that he lay in, the sun hit him bright and early at 6:30. A yawn and a stretch as he sat up and stared at the test pattern on the television from not turning it off before he fell asleep. He then stood up and crept upstairs to make sure Nick's door was still closed and he was still asleep, inside. "Good." A soft whisper. He had stopped halfway up the stairs when he was able to fully see the closed door before turning around and going back down to the kitchen. He started with making the coffee and after pushing the button to start brewing, he then went back into the livingroom and folded his blanket. Opening the front door to check for a paper, he smiled at the luck of Nick being predictable.

As the coffee was nearing the end of brewing, Michael gathered two bowls and the cereal from the cupboards before opening the refrigerator and removing the milk and orange juice. "Glasses," he whispered as he set down the bottle on the table. "And cups." Searching for the juice glasses and pouring the coffee into two mugs that hung from a wooden stand by the coffeepot, he turned around to see Nick, fully dressed in his casual khaki clothes, standing in the doorway of the livingroom.

"Good morning."

A nervous smile adorned Michael's face as he replied with equal nervousness. "Uh,... morning." With the glasses in one hand and one mug in the other, Michael tried to figure out how he was going to carry two full mugs and two empty glass back to the table by himself. He was a bit relieved when Nick came forward and offered to help him with the coffees.

Nick picked up the coffee mugs and followed Michael back to the table, stepping carefully with the full cups. "How did you sleep?" Setting the mugs down at each placing and sitting down in his designated chair, he glanced up to watch as Michael poured the cereal into both bowls and then the milk and juice.

"Okay. How about you?" Michael smiled as he finished pouring the cereal, milk and juice and sat down in his chair. He wasn't expecting Nick to confess just how exactly the night went for him but, he was genuinely concerned for the discreetly heartbroken man. Raising a spoonful of cereal to his lips, he caught Nick looking at him and smiling.

"Good." Nick watched Michael chew the mouthful of cereal and sighed in subtle content before opening the paper to the Business Section and reading the front page. They ate in silence until he looked up from his third page and noticed Michael reading the Sports Section. "What should we do today? Another walk along the beach? Or, take a drive up the coast? What do you feel like doing?" He was secretly hoping for something that only the two of them would be doing but he could tell that Michael was getting restless in the house and needed some other people interaction.

Michael put the section down and thought about what to do as he chewed his last bite of cereal. "A drive sounds good. I don't think I've ever been to California before so, if I have then maybe the drive would bring something back." He smiled and noted how nick brought his coffee mug to his lips as he took a cautioned sip of the hot liquid. For a moment, he almost wanted to kiss the lips that the coffee had delicately moistened. He wondered why.

Smiling back, Nick thought it was a very good idea and agreed. "Alright. I have to make some calls to a few clients, this morning, but was can go after that. Okay?"

Michael nodded and drank his juice quickly before gathering his empty bowl and juice glass and taking them to the sink to wash them. He returned to his seat to finish his coffee and the Sports Section when he calmly felt Nick's eyes on him. He tried to pretend that he didn't notice but the weight of the stare was making him blush.

With a deep breath and one last sip of his cooling coffee, Nick set down his paper and checked his watch. "Time for--" he paused as Michael had joined him word for word with his sentence.

"Medicine."

Standing up, Nick excused himself from the table to go back upstairs and retrieve the bottle of pills. He was unaware that Michael had followed him but not too close behind and stopped in the doorway of Nick's bedroom. When Nick turned around, he was taken off guard as he wasn't expecting Michael to be standing there, watching him. "What's the matter?"

The bottle sat on the end of the dresser, closest to the door, over the drawer that housed the sexual toys and jelly. The drawer had been open an inch and a half, just enough to expose the open top to the KY jelly sqeeze bottle that Nick had forgotten to clse when he replaced the bottle the night before. Michael's eyes caught sight of the top as Nick scooped up the bottle of pills on the dressertop.

"Michael?" Nick was genuinely worried that Michael had not said anything but froze when he saw that the drawer was open. Opening the bottle and picking up a white pill with his thumb and forefinger, he held it up to catch Michael's sight away from the drawer. "Are you alright?"

Shaking himself back to the conversation, Michael looked up to see Nick holding the pill at mouth level. Taking a swallow and leaning closer to take the pill, he decided to use his mouth instead of his hand. Gingerly, he sucked on Nick's fingers as he removed the pill from them and dryly chewed it and swallowed it before again sucking on Nick's two fingers and then slowly shifting to the rest of them.

Nick swallowed hard as he watched Michael. He wasn't sure how to approach the situation. "Mich-- Michael, I don't want to start something--" He was cut off as Michael switched from Nick's fingers to easing closer to kiss his mouth. The kiss started nervously but he could feel Michael easing into it as the kiss deepened. Nick placed his hands on Michael's hips and lightly pushed the thin shirt material up to rubs his thumbs against the taut skin underneath. His mind was screaming at him to stop before Michael pulled away again but his heart was telling him to just go slowly and let Michael lead, for now.

When the kiss ended, Nick closed his eyes and tipped his head back in silent prayer that this wouldn't end badly for either of them. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Michael completely away from him, again. He was a little surprised when Michael held hand upto Michael's newly grown erection. Opening his eyes to see Michael staring back at him with a small smile, Nick swallowed and smiled back.

"I think I'm ready now." It came out as a whisper but Nick seemed to hear it loud and clear. At first, Michael wasn't sure what he was doing but the vibe that he was getting from Nick wasn't saying anything bad. And from what he had heard the night prior, didn't tell him that Nick had wanted nothing more than just sex from him but that Nick truely cared for the real Michael and that it broken his heart when Michael didn't recognise him at all.

A slight shiver as Nick nodded softly. "Are you sure?"

Michael took a breath and then kissed the other man again, more passionately than before. "Yes."

"I don't want to scare you, again."

Michael stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor as he went over to sit down on the end of the bed. Waving Nick over to him and watching the other man pause at the open drawer and remove the KY and a condom before joining Michael on the bed. By this time, he knew the pill was taking effect and decided to go with it, if that was what it would take to let him remember who he really was and why Nick was convinced he was Michael's fiance.

Nick set the bottle and condom down on the floor and then knelt between Michael's legs and unfastened Michael's jeans. Removing the hardened length from the confining denim and giving the younger man a quick smile, Nick wrapped one arm around Michael's waist while his free hand held the base of the erection as he started to lightly lick and suck on the head. He heard a deep gasp and felt Michael's whole body quake with anticipation. Nick continued sucking and rolling his tongue up and down the shaft until warm fluid coated his tongue. Michael's hands were in his hair, urging him to keep going eventhough Nick had no intention of stopping.

Tossing his head back as he couldn't stop himself from coming, Michael was panting when he finally looked down at Nick and smiled in pleasurable numbness. Reclining and taking Nick's hand to pull him up onto the bed was a big step that Michael had to calm himself down and remind himself that Nick would stop if he said "no." But, given the state Nick had been in and the strange attraction to him, Michael reasoned with himself to let it happen and see where it led. As Nick undressed with him watching, Michael admitted to himself that he was a bit nervous even as Nick had started slowly undressing him while kissing every inch of fresh bare skin.

As Nick put the condom on and squirt the jelly into Michael's tight channel, both men paused to search each other's eyes for any signs of stopping but found none. The initial push in was enough to make Nick come right then but he held off as he started a soft and slow rhythm with the younger man. Both had gasped but Nick took the time to watch what he was doing to Michael and how Michael was responding. As he increased his speed to a fraction of degree, Nick found the part of the old Michael come alive in the new one. Nice and slow to the very end as Nick stroked Michael's returning erection with his free hand and both gasped outloud as they came in unison.

Panting and sweating, Michael reached up to pull Nick's mouth near and kissed him, letting Nick know how good he felt as they lay together on the bed above the covers. "Maybe we should just lounge for today."

A smile and wink as Nick nodded and kissed Michael's left temple as he removed himself and sunk down to rest beside him.


Continued.