Elder '02: Offering Comfort

Buck Wilmington considered himself to be a connoisseur of beauty. Oh he might not know much about paintings, sculpture, and the things that traditionally defined beauty, but he was an expert on the human form. Almost anyone who’d ever met him was aware of his appreciation of the female version.

Buck loved women. The way they looked, the way they smelled, and the softness of their skin. He delighted in flirting with them, wanting every woman he met to know he thought she was worth spending time with, worthy of getting attention even if she wasn’t on the cover of a magazine. To him, every woman was beautiful in her own way.

For all the attention he paid to women, they weren’t the only members of the human race he found attractive. Only a select few knew he harbored a similar passion for men. Buck learned early on that it wasn’t socially acceptable to indulge that interest. So he didn’t flirt shamelessly with men, expound on their attributes, or tell stories about his encounters. Although he wanted to.

Most people didn’t think Buck was capable of being faithful to any one person. They referenced the number of names in his little black book and the number of different women he went out with as proof of his lack of fidelity. But that was not the case. The majority of the women he went out with regarded him as a friend not as a lover. So there was no romantic involvement, no intimate relationship to betray. It was about mutual temporary enjoyment, not test driving for a life-long companion. And the relationships he had with his male lovers had been a secret kept for so long almost no one knew just how faithful and committed he was capable of being.

Well, one man knew. One man knew about his appreciation for what made a man beautiful, and for his ability to maintain an exclusive relationship. Ezra Standish knew it first hand, up close and personal.

Buck had been attracted to the man since the day they’d met. Those jade green eyes that harbored both humor and secrets in equal measure drew him in like a moth to a flame. Ezra’s dimpled smile, when it appeared, seemed to invite him to play. And Buck wanted more than anything to see more of that smile.

The undercover agent wasn’t tall, but there was no doubt he was well formed. He was compact, and refined, his body was an amazing balance of masculine power, and near feminine grace. The warm, smooth as honey southern accent had sent shivers up Buck’s spine when he’d first heard Ezra speak. Buck was enchanted by Ezra’s hands. The same hands that made shuffling a deck of cards seem like an exotic display of magic could also handle a gun with deadly accuracy.

Even more engaging than his looks was Ezra’s intelligence. Buck was fascinated by the fact the man could speak fluently in a number of languages. His vocabulary was impressive, and Buck had never met anyone who could wield words with the same natural ease and dexterity that Ezra did.

Buck smiled thinking about Ezra. Beautiful was not a term one generally applied to men, but there was no other word that fit. It was the whole package that had made him want to be more than just friends, that made him willing to risk pursing a romantic relationship with a male coworker.

They’d been a couple for several months. And those were easily the best months of Buck’s life. They’d learned a lot about each other in that time. It was that knowledge and insight he drew on to track down his wayward lover.

Buck knew he’d find Ezra at the gym in the basement of the federal building. The man worked out most nights, after the work day was over. But whenever things got a bit more tense or stressful than usual, Ezra would do more than just workout to stay fit. He’d push himself long and hard to exercise his anger, and frustration, giving it free rein in a forum where no one would get hurt, where he wouldn’t say or do something he’d have cause to regret later. Sometimes working himself to complete exhaustion in the process.

Buck wished Chris would do the same thing. Maybe then he’d be less apt to snap at people or lash out. Maybe he wouldn’t have so much energy to rant and rave if he went a few rounds with the heavy bag the way Ezra did. Buck smirked thinking Chris sure wouldn’t have as much to apologize or feel guilty about if the only thing he went off on was replaceable. Since Ezra started working in Denver almost two years ago, they’d had to replace the speed bag, the heavy bag and the cross-trainer, but Buck thought it was money well spent.

Today hadn’t been a good day, so Buck expected to find Ezra pummeling something. He entered the gym, head cocked listening for the sound of gloved fists solidly hitting a padded something. The only sound that reached his ears was one of running water.

A quick scan of the gym showed the place was empty. Buck nodded. This time of night Ezra was usually the only one here. He preferred not to work out without an audience. It was the reason he used the gym in the basement and not one that would likely have better, newer and more extensive equipment. Ezra said people had a tendency to stare, and it made him uncomfortable, self-conscious. A feeling Buck easily understood.

He didn’t doubt that people would stare; Ezra was just so damn easy on the eyes. Not to mention the fact that the man’s bouts when angered or frustrated tended to be a bit more intense than most people engaged in. Buck could appreciate how uncomfortable being ogled by lusty eyes, or stared at in astonishment would make his lover. The man didn’t object to being the center of attention when it came to the job, but in his off hours, Ezra was an intensely private person who would prefer to be unnoticed and unremarked upon.

A quick scan of the locker room confirmed that the only people present were him and Ezra. Ezra was in the shower. His work out had evidently not run as long as Buck expected, but judging by the lack of steam he hadn’t been in the shower for long. The tall mid-westerner smiled as he locked the door. Ezra might need some help washing his back, and there was no reason for anyone to interrupt their private party.

He striped out of his clothes and padded on bare feet to the shower. The shower reminded Buck of the one he’d had in high school. Just a big tiled room with numerous shower heads, but no real individual stalls.

He grinned at seeing Ezra standing in the far corner. The man had tuned on four of the heads, angling them so they all pointed at him. Ezra had his hands braced against the walls, his head hanging slightly, letting the force of water hit his shoulders. Buck new it probably helped to keep him from feeling the effects of those marathon workouts the day after.

He took a moment to just appreciate the sight before him. Buck took in the flushed skin caused by the heat of the water. Hair normally so well coiffed was now messy from Ezra’s work out and being thoroughly soaked by water. Buck’s fingers itched and wished he’d been the one to mess up Ezra’s hair. He loved giving it the chance to curl wildly the way it was wont to. Well-defined muscles were accentuated by the cascading water, making Buck wonder for a moment if Ezra hadn’t been sculpted by water.

It amazed him that other people assumed Ezra was soft under the fancy suits he liked to wear to the office. Did they really think those fine fabrics, and well-tailored clothes would hang that well on someone who wasn’t as solid as his lover? The suits didn’t make Ezra look good…Ezra made them look good.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence, not wanting to unduly startle Ezra. The smaller man raised his head to look over his shoulder. His expression was blandly neutral, a polite façade, until he realized who it was that had intruded on his solitude. Buck felt butterflies in his stomach at the way Ezra smiled when he saw it was him. Dear God, no one but no one had ever looked at him with such open pleasure, such honest joy at just seeing him.

“Hello.” The greeting, while so simple, was just as warm and welcoming as the smile had been. Ezra might have an extensive vocabulary, but never let it be said that the man didn’t know when and how to be succinct when the need for it arose.

“You need someone to wash your back?” Buck waggled his eyebrows, grinning broadly.

Ezra gave him a sly glance that was a blatant and seductive invitation. “If you would like to, I would be most grateful for the assistance. It is a decidedly difficult spot to reach.”

“That it is.” Buck chuckled as he stepped into the shower room, and headed for Ezra. He shook his head slightly. If he would like to? Like he’d ever even considered refusing.

“Can I wash your hair too?” Buck teased, knowing full well just how much Ezra liked having his hair washed.

Ezra laughed lightly. “Please do.” He had already been reaching for the shampoo bottle when Buck asked.

Buck took the bottle, and squeezed out enough to do the job. He put the bottle in one of the little shelves designed to hold such things before he rubbed his hands together in preparation for lathering Ezra’s hair. He massaged gently, using his fingertips to cover Ezra’s scalp thoroughly, moving from forehead to the nape of his neck. He delighted in the soft moan his ministrations drew from his lover. Hands still covered in white lather Buck lowered them to work on Ezra’s neck, easing the knots he found there.

Ezra sighed and ducked his head slightly, letting the water rinse out the shampoo, his hand reaching to offer Buck a bar of soap. Buck enjoyed watching the lather follow the contours of Ezra’s body before he took proffered bar. He gave it an appreciative sniff. He didn’t know what the fragrance was; he only knew it was Ezra’s favorite.

He’d wanted to get more for Ezra as a gift but he didn’t know what it was. He’d searched Ezra’s bathroom once looking for a wrapped bar hoping to be able to find out without having to ask. He hadn’t found one. He’d even gotten a lady friend to go with him to various stores hoping to be able to track it down. So far no luck. He wasn’t giving up yet though.

Buck lathered his hands again. “Turn around.” He commanded softly. He’d get to washing Ezra’s back in a bit.

Ezra complied. Buck went to work his lover’s chest, shoulders and arms. He massaged away knots, soothing sore muscles, enjoying the feel of silky smooth skin under his hands. He even took time to focus on Ezra’s hands. He prided himself on knowing how to make his lover feel good. In addition to having his hair washed, Ezra’s second favorite things was having attention paid to his hands. Not for the first time did Buck marvel at the beauty of those elegant fingers. His own hands were longer and broader than Ezra’s, but they didn’t dwarf them.

Satisfied he’d lavished enough attention on fingers, hands and arms, he went back to Ezra’s torso. He was always careful of the scars he encountered. Oh he knew the hurt had long since healed, but he still kept his touch gentle, mentally unable to simply get passed the connection that the scares were proof of damage that had been done once. He bent his head to place a soft kiss to each scare his fingers ghosted over.

Ezra arched his back and tipped his head back when Buck focused his attention on Ezra’s nipples. While his hands were busy, Buck nibbled on Ezra’s neck, seeking and finding that spot that always made Ezra shiver. The smaller man claimed it was just because Buck’s mustache tickled, but Buck knew better. He felt himself harden in response to that little shimmy that always followed the shiver.

With a fluid grace that most would not expect of him, Buck sank to his knees. He continued to wash and massage overworked muscles as he went, paying special attention to Ezra’s quads and calves. Ideally this would be done lying down, but Buck was willing to work around that for now.

Ezra had braced his arms against the walls, balanced in the corner, still under the direct spray of shower heads. He was making little mewling noises of pleasure that could just be heard above the sound of falling water. The undercover agent was never loud, but he was definitely a vocal lover.

Buck rose to his feet, having deliberately ignored Ezra’s cock and balls. Heavy lidded green eyes opened to look up at him. “I think you missed a spot.” Ezra’s normally smooth voice was rough with passion.

“You want me to help work out that stiffness?” Buck smiled wickedly, winking slowly.

“Please.” The word was one long sigh and Buck’s cock twitched in response. Just seeing Ezra naked had been enough to get him going. It was icing on the cake to be able to touch, and hear his lover’s soft sighs of satisfaction.

Green eyes all but glowed as they met his. “It seems you have some stiffness of your own that needs attention. Perhaps we could help each other.”

Buck grinned. He loved that Ezra enjoyed playing during sex just as much as he did. “I love the way you think.”

Ezra chuckled and stretched up to kiss him. The kiss started out soft, like Ezra was asking for permission. Buck readily granted it, sucking Ezra’s tongue into his mouth, delighting in the taste of the man. Just like Ezra’s soap, he couldn’t quite identify the flavor, but he wasn’t willing to give up trying.

Hands roamed freely over each other before settling down to the pressing urgency of weeping erections needing attention. To Buck it was like the time Ezra took it upon himself to teach him to dance. They moved together, but he wasn’t sure who was leading and who was following. It didn’t matter just as long as they stayed together.

Hip thrusts matched stroking hands. Desperate kissed were exchanged. Panting breaths lent a sense of rising intensity. Moans, sighs, and they called each others names in heated whispers. The spray of water ambiguously added friction and eased it at the same time. Soapy fingers teased and tantalized, sliding easily.

Buck could feel tremors starting that signaled his coming orgasm. He ruthlessly held it back, not wanting to get there before Ezra. He knew his lover was close, very close. The body that had been pliant, relaxed under hands just a few moments ago was so tight, Ezra was almost vibrating.

Buck found that spot on Ezra’s neck again, and sucked hard enough to leave a mark. He didn’t worry that anyone would see it knowing the spot was low enough to be covered by a shirt collar. Ezra in turn triggered Buck’s own personal erogenous zone on his right hip by pressing the thumb of his free hand into it and making a steady circle. They came together in an explosive release.

They leaned against each other, trying to recover their breath. Buck sighed, and pulled Ezra to him in a fierce hug. “You feel better, now?” He asked quietly as he rubbed his cheek against Ezra’s wet hair. Buck knew he felt might good right at the moment.

“Much.” Ezra’s muffled voice came from where he rested placidly against Buck’s chest. The taller man knew that at this moment he was likely the only thing keeping Ezra on his feet.

“Think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?” Sometimes Ezra’s workout wouldn’t be enough to help him relax. His body would be exhausted but his mind would still be working, not letting the smaller man sleep. Buck knew he needed the rest and wanted to make sure he got it.

Ezra nodded, sighing softly. “I’ll sleep like a baby.”

“Good.” Buck placed a kiss in Ezra’s hair, satisfied. “Let me wash your back like I promised. Then we can get dressed and go home.”

Ezra laughed, and hugged Buck tightly before letting go, swaying slightly on his feet. “Thank you.” It was a heartfelt statement of gratitude encompassing far more than just their recent activity.

Buck placed a light kiss on the tip of Ezra’s nose. “My pleasure.”

It didn’t take long to clean up the evidence of their love making. Buck kept an eye on Ezra as they dried off and got dressed. The smaller man was moving slowly, almost languid. That was good. No indication of abused and sore muscles.

All he had to do now was make sure the man ate something. Sometime Ezra would simply go to bed without eating, too tired or out of sorts to bother with it. Buck didn’t like the idea of his lover not taking care of himself. His own stomach rumbled reminding him that Ezra wasn’t the only one who hadn’t eaten recently.

Ezra smiled at him, dimples appearing and a glint of gold catching the florescent light. “I believe we may be in need of a meal.”

Buck nodded from where he was putting on his shoes, glad that Ezra wanted to eat. “We can pick up something on the way.”

“Excellent.” Ezra leaned over and kissed is cheek. It was a simple display of affection. The undercover agent waved a hand toward the door. “After you, Mr. Wilmington?”

“Let’s go together.” Buck gave his lover a cheeky grin, and patted his ass as they walked in step toward the door. Yep. Definitely the best few months of his life and, they just kept getting better.