Tibur was acting sheepish when Tristan arrived for work at the supermarket. He wondered if this was how Millie had felt all those times he'd ignored her; and what on earth was going on in his mind that he felt the need to keep his distance. As far as he could recall they'd been as drunk as each other the night before.

"I met my mother-in-law today" Tristan announced, determined to ignite his interest.

"You did?!" asked Tibur, forgetting his shame, "What was she like? You must have met her before though, right?!"

"First time" he admitted, "Verdict's still out on what she thinks of me..."

"I'm sure you'll win her over" said Tibur, picking up a box and carrying it to the opposite side of the store to resume the awkward silence between them.

Tristan followed him.

"I thought you would have learned your lesson after Millie" he said, "Why are you being weird?"

Tibur sank to the floor and rested his head in hands.

"You're not mad at me?" he asked Tristan.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Tristan replied, "You didn't make a pass at my husband last night... Did you?!"

"What?! No! Of course not! I mean... because I decided to give Michael another chance... aren't you mad about it?"

Tibur's large unblinking eyes were filled with genuine concern.

"Not mad" said Tristan, "So long as you keep your hands off Caleb, you're welcome to any other man on the planet. Choose as you wish."

"But he's an idiot..." said Tibur.

"Are you just finding that out now?" asked Tristan, "I'm fairly certain you know what you're getting yourself into. I'm the last person to judge you for the decisions you make."

Tibur rested his chin in his hand, pulling a piece of tape from the floor with the other.

"You're 'Mr Happily-Married'" said Tibur, "Of course you can judge those with no clue how to navigate relationships. I don't know what I'm doing with Michael, but I just can't seem to shake my feelings for him... I was worried you'd think I was desperate."

Tristan burst out laughing.

"Hey idiot" he said, taking a page out of Tibur and Millie's book, "I am the last person to talk. Let me paint you a picture, and maybe you'll stop being so hard on yourself."

Tristan moved Tibur a little out of the way and sat on the floor beside him.

"I used to spend a lot of time on my own... Everywhere I went I'd see couples, families... They'd be shopping, eating, just living their everyday lives. Have you ever found yourself walking around alone and hoping someone would just take hold of your hand and ask you to join them? Like they were trying to find you in the crowd... you weren't really alone, you were just lost. That hope that a stranger would come and claim you as their own."

"If someone tried to grab my hand I'd punch them" said Tibur, "Well, unless it was a kid or they needed my help..."

"I'd dream about it happening for real" said Tristan, "That I'd be strolling along and a stranger would take my hand. That someone would adopt me..."

"Before you met Caleb though, right?" asked Tibur.

"Right" said Tristan, "but what if I told you, that was how we met? That my dream became reality..? Would you think any less of us?"

Tristan wasn't making sense.

"You mean he just walked up to one day and said 'Hey! You're mine now!'? Why do I feel like I'm getting deja vu..?"

"I'm just saying" said Tristan, "There's more than one way to love in this world. People are weird... try not to judge your feelings too harshly."

Millie returned from her delivery to find the two T's sitting on the floor.

"What did I miss..?" she asked, scared there were yet more secrets being kept between them.

"Tristan's a weirdo with a fetish for anonymous encounters, and I'm in a shame spiral for taking Michael back" Tibur announced.

"Oh" she said, thankful for the honesty, "Is that all? Then in the spirit of sharing, I just got my period."

As the three walked over to take their break in the office, Tibur took hold of Millie's hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing" said Tibur, "Just curious..."

When the day wound down, Caleb came to collect Tristan, Millie headed off to the library to return some books, and Tibur went to the factory to start his second job for the day. It didn't go a long way to paying off his debt, but it was casual enough that he could clock in almost any time and there'd be an open spot for him.

His fingers were covered in papercuts by the time he got finished, having found it was faster to assemble a box with his bare hands. His body sweaty, and his hands covered in band-aids, he planned to go home and shower before visiting Michael. That was the plan at least, until he missed his bus and got back later than he thought he would.

It was already after nine; by the time he got thoroughly cleaned up it would be closer to ten, and it's not like he could drop Michael a message to let him know he was going to be late. Rather than leave him waiting, Tibur went as he was. Sweat and all. It's not like things would go that far anyway.

Having slept for most of the day, Michael was bouncing off the walls when Tibur finally rang his doorbell. Expecting his boyfriend to arrive on time and dressed to impress, he was surprised to find him late and disheveled; but no less excited to see him.

"How was work?" asked Michael, pulling him inside and kissing him before Tibur had time to react.

"Fine" he replied, wiping his lips, "But I didn't have time to go home and change. I've come as I am... if you still had your phone I could have arranged to meet you later."

"Then it's good I don't" said Michael, "It means I got to see you sooner. Besides, it's not like you to text me... I know it costs you money every time you do. Come and sit down, I may not have much here, but at least there's somewhere to sit now."

Aside from the pull-out couch, the only things in the apartment were groceries, and the case that Michael had taken with him when they went to see the temples. The contents of which had yet to be used...

"Was the bedroom that bad?" asked Tibur, nosing around to see the fire damage. "All this work to fix things, and the door to your patio's still broken..."

Michael's arms snaked around Tibur's shoulders.

"I haven't showered yet" he said, shaking him off.

"Do you want to?" asked Michael, "The bathroom's fine... and there's all new towels, I bought them yesterday along with the couch."

With the warm air still pouring in through the hole in the door, Tibur felt even stickier. A shower would be nice... but all too dangerous.

"I can just go home..." he said.

"But I've waited so long already... Tibur... can't you please stay here?"

The sulking limpet was stuck to his back.

"Fine" he relented, "Do you have something I can change into at least..?"

Michael's laundry had been freshly delivered, a singlet and shorts handed over from the top of the pile.

Don't overthink it, thought Tibur, it's hot, you're just taking a shower to cool down... nothing's going to happen tonight.

To that end, Tibur didn't bother to take the extra care he'd deemed necessary on the day they traveled north. He lathered, rinsed, and slipped into the clothes that Michael had given him, puffing out his chest in determination, and refusing to let things get out of control.

The man that stepped out into the living room had a profound effect on Michael. Confident, manly... his sculpted shoulders highlighted by the sleeveless shirt, he couldn't help but see Tibur in a whole new light. He looked sexy as fuck.

"Move over" said Tibur, making sure there was enough space between them that Michael wouldn't hear the frantic beating of his heart.

"You finished late today..." noted Michael, "Have they changed the hours at the supermarket?"

"No..." said Tibur, "I picked up a little extra work. I still plan on paying for the door, you know? I haven't forgotten about it."

"Okay" said Michael simply.

"No opposition?" asked Tibur, surprised he accepted his offer so easily.

"Whatever you want to do I'm okay with" said Michael, his foot sneaking across the couch cushions and landing by Tibur's thigh "We're together, right? I should listen more to what you want."

Tibur turned to face him, his elbow on the back of the couch as he leaned his cheek lazily on his hand.

"You've changed your tune" he said, "I thought you didn't want to label things... at least not without knowing how compatible we are."

"That can come later..." said Michael, "I don't want to risk losing you. I think I'd regret it too much if I woke up and couldn't speak to you again."

"Without your phone that may well be the case" said Tibur, "What were you thinking when you threw it away?"

"That when it comes to you, I don't want any distractions."

Michael took his chance and leaned in.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, his eyes already on Tibur's lips.

Tibur nodded. "But you stop when I say so..."

Hungrily kissing him, his fingers running through Tibur's hair, it wasn't long before Michael got excited.

"Can we take things further..?" he asked as he kissed his neck.

Tibur's resolve was crumbling.

"Just stop when I say so..."

Michael's wandering hands found their way into Tibur's shorts, stroking his own, burgeoning excitement. His fingertips trailing further south, he uttered those telltale words;

"Open your legs..."

Tibur's eyes opened instead.

"Okay" he said, "you can stop now."

Michael sat painfully on the couch, heeding Tibur's word and suffering the consequences. 

"Was it too much..?" he asked him.

"The second I heard those words, I was waiting for your phone to ring" Tibur confessed, "I'm not sure when I'll be ready. It may take a while until we can do everything you want to do."

Michael put a hand on Tibur's thigh.

"It doesn't have to be that way" he said.

"Michael... I'm not saying I don't want you, I do... I'm just not comfortable leaving myself... open... like that. Can you understand?"

Michael understood, but it didn't change anything as far as he was concerned.

"When you're ready then" he said, "But until then, Tibur... I'm ready."

Tibur felt like his words weren't getting through.

"I know!" he said, "But it still doesn't mean I'm going to let you fuck me!"

Michael took a breath and held Tibur's hand in his own.

"So fuck me, Tibur" he said, "I want you to fuck me."

The breath near left his body, and all the blood rushed to his groin. As though his actions were not his own, he pinned Michael down on the couch.

"Are you sure?" he asked him.

Michael had waited long enough. One way or another he was popping Tibur's cherry.

"Just stop if I ask you to" he said with a smile, pulling Tibur down into a passionate kiss.

His hands worked quickly, loosening his pants and wriggling his legs free as Tibur laid above him. The suitcase by the couch was thrown open, as Michael searched blindly, his hand feeling for the bottle of lubricant he'd long since practised with.

"Give me your hand" he told him.

Tiburs fingers were still covered with papercuts, he held his fingers up for Michael to inspect.

"I'm not sure if I can..." he said.

Michael pooled the gel into his own hand instead.

"Don't worry" he said, impatient to begin, "I can help you."

Tibur had never been more turned on than when he saw his boyfriend spread his muscled legs and finger his tight, virgin asshole... he knew he was blushing, it was almost too obscene to watch and yet he couldn't look away.

Fuck.

"It's... important... to... ugh fuck.... Tibur... can you pour... a little more..?"

Tibur clumsily squirted some gel on Michael's fingers... dripping messily across his thighs as he inserted them faster.

"What was I saying..?" asked Michael, "Oh... it's important to use enough... especially the first time... there are condoms in the suitcase..."

His boyfriend motioned to Tibur's erection and the gold packets poking out of the case. Tibur had never worn one before. In his daze he reached for one, tearing at the packet and worrying he'd torn the contents with it.

"Let me get another one..." he said, Michael's reddened face and fast-working fingers spurring him on to do what little he could in return.

The packet opened, Tibur faced the next hurdle; figuring out which way it rolled.

"This one looks good" said Michael, folding down Tibur's injured fingers until only the ring on his right hand was left up.

He pushed it inside himself; letting Tibur experience the heat of his tight and undulating walls for the first time. With his own hands free, he rolled the condom onto Tibur's cock, the freckle obscured by it's readied position. 

"Kiss me" said Michael, sending reinforcements to counteract the awkward movements of Tibur's finger; "Like this..."

The speed at which Michael prepared them both was testament to his years of experience, and yet this was something of a first time for him as well. 

He gently turned onto his side. "Lie behind me" he said, "I've heard it's easier this way..."

Tibur was like a deer in headlights; they were moving so much faster than he could have imagined; Michael's wanton face staring up at him... he could only follow his lead, sliding his body into position as he kissed whatever parts of Michael he could reach.

"Just take it slowly" said Michael, reminding himself to breathe in the process, "If it doesn't work out this time there's always the next... I trust you."

It seemed impossible at first, that even his own decently proportioned equipment would be able to fit; but with a little more gel and a good deal of patience, Tibur entered his boyfriend, and entered the realm of manhood. Michael was dissatisfied with his cautious approach, rocking his hips as though to guide him.

"Michael don't" said Tibur, "It feels too good..."

"Idiot" said Michael, gritting his teeth as he continued to move, "It's supposed to feel good."

Michael's practise had paid off, managing to reach the edge of something wonderful as his own erection returned. The pinnacle proved insurmountable however, as Tibur could take no more of the rhythmic bucking.

"Michael!" he cried, convulsing as he gripped the powerful body beneath him as it raced to meet him at the finish line.

"Tibur..." Michael found his lover's hand, wrapping it around his shaft and urging him to continue what he started. 

Not to be outdone, Tibur's wrist worked without mercy, his tongue on Michael's neck as he came in his hand; the sting of the papercuts proving his worth.

"Okay..." said Michael, catching his breath, "You can stop now..."