Shane’s lips pressed against his neck, spreading hot breath across Zach’s skin. It nearly wiped away the firm, confident touch of the teacher pulling his body up against him.

Gentle kisses traced a path down over his chest, exploring Zach’s body with tender patience. Zach heard his heart pounding in his ears several times in between the caresses of lips, each pause seeming to grow longer and longer until Zach was begging for the torture to stop. He needed Shane’s mouth on him, needed to feel his hands gripping him. He needed Shane more than he could bear.

Shane’s lips turned, retracing their steps upwards until their lips met. Zach melted into the kiss, arms wrapping around the teacher to hold him close so it would never end.

It didn’t. The moment stretched on and on, warping all sense of time. Until, suddenly, it wasn’t Shane’s tongue he was sucking on, but something so much more satisfying.

Then the dream was slipping away like sand between his fingers. His mind tried to hold on, but his body wasn’t cooperating, ripped from sleep by an alarm blaring nearby.

Zach groaned and rolled over to smack at his phone’s screen until he hit the right place to turn the alarm off. There was a pang of discomfort from his groin, and he shifted to relieve the badly angled pressure his thigh was putting upon his erection.

Christ, he could barely remember the dream, but he was still practically quivering with arousal, and his erection wasn’t going anywhere. He exhaled slowly, his eyes closing. Afterimages of Shane’s smiling face while he worshipped Zach’s body flickered through his mind persistently.

He couldn’t help himself. His hand slid under the sheets to grip his hard cock, focusing on that last thread of the dream before it could slip away. He whimpered, head rolling back against pillows while he stroked himself.

When was the last time he’d been this hard? His fingers gripped tighter than they would usually—would Shane touch him like that? Would he be confident, assertive over his body? Or would he be gentle? Shane seemed the curious, experimental sort. Maybe he would do it all, trying everything until he found just the right way to make Zach writhe with pleasure.

He brushed his free hand across his chest, pretending it was Shane’s. His fingertips flicked and rubbed over a nipple before continuing upwards, dancing across his lips.

What would kissing Shane really feel like?

What would sucking his cock feel like?

He groaned and a few long fingers pushed past his lips, his mouth clamping around them. He imagined them fuller, smoother, rubbing along his tongue as he bobbed his head over them. They may be a poor substitute for the man’s cock, but he could remember it vividly from his dream. Could he work Shane to climax like this? Would he be able to taste Shane’s cum against his tongue? Even the idle thought spurred the man into rampant action with his stand-in while his palm pumped his own manhood.

It didn’t take long for him to finish, hips bucking upwards as warm cum spilled over his fingers. He stopped sucking the fingers in his mouth so he could pant for breath, letting his body fall limp against the sheets. Small little aftershocks hit him with each pulse of his shaft, stirred by his thundering heart. It was only then his mind started to clear, and what he had just done truly struck him.

What the hell was he doing?

He looked down at the mess on his hand and stomach, then groaned frustratedly.

He hadn’t even had the nerve to tell Shane he really did like him, and already he was having sex dreams? Fantasizing about him while jacking off? He wasn’t even sure if Shane was still interested or not. He might have started to move on, once Zach let him know nothing was going to happen.

Or maybe Shane was fantasizing about him, too…

The thought made him blush and feel hot all over, and he pressed his face into his pillow to hide his shame from the world.

But he didn’t have the time to lay around in bed having dirty daydreams about Shane. Today was going to be busy as hell. He’d managed to convince the newspaper to let him write the article, so it was full steam ahead. Today he planned on running around town to all of the publicly LGBT friendly businesses to get signatures for a petition and to convince people to send in emails or call the Board of Education to voice their disapproval. He had several spots to go to, but the most useful would be the LGBT center and the town’s local gay bar Phoenix, both of which had fairly recently opened. A lot of people in the community came through there, so he figured they were his best options for gaining support.

With a determined grunt he rolled out of bed and set about getting showered and dressed, doing his best not to get too distracted thinking about how Shane’s dick might taste.

So far, today had been a huge success.

He’d spent quite a while at the LGBT center, talking to pretty much everyone that worked there, and those coming and going. Unsurprisingly, everyone was outraged to hear how the students at the high school were being treated, and were eager to help. He had printed out a stack full of copies that listed the Board members’ names and email addresses, the phone number for the Board of Education, as well as the link to the online petition. The woman working the desk at the center ended up asking to keep half of them so she could pass them out to others coming in, and said she would encourage people to share the petition link on social media. He even got a couple of statements from workers there, claiming their support and disapproval. He wasn’t sure if he could fit them into the article or not, but he figured having more material than he might need wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Grind had been another stop. He knew Doris loved to gossip, and in a small town that sort of tool was a godsend. She’d know who to chat up about this and who not to. The sassy woman seemed delighted to put her skills to use, and to “stick it to those ignorant assholes.”

Now he only had to stop by Phoenix. He’d left the bar for last, knowing it wasn’t going to be open in the morning. But by the time he’d finished up elsewhere and stopped somewhere to grab an early dinner, he figured by then it should be open.

The newly rebuilt bar was beautiful. It was a gem of the town, a place almost everyone in the community had come to shed some sweat for. Zach was no good at that sort of thing really, but Grayson had spent quite a lot of his free time here helping with the construction, so he had come by to offer moral support and an extra set of hands. The bar had been one of the few sources of joy Zach had had in his life since his failed engagement as well. While he had never come looking to hook up with anyone, it had been nice to have somewhere to go to have a drink and unwind while surrounded by familiar, friendly faces. People who didn’t judge him, and always offered support. Every time he saw the fiery phoenix mural spread out along the wall behind the bar, emblazoned with the words “Love is Love,” it made him smile and feel a bit more at ease.

It was still early in the evening when he stepped inside, so he wasn’t surprised to find the place pretty much empty. Kris was behind the bar, looking like he was still getting set up for the night. He looked up at the sound of the door opening, and flashed a surprised smile.

“Hey sweetie!” called the bar owner. “You’re looking like a tall glass of something fruity today, Zach. You come by to get the fun started early?”

Zach chuckled. “I always have fun around you, Kris.” He winked before sliding onto the barstool.

Zach loved Kris’ flirty banter and bubbly sweetness, though he knew the flirting didn’t mean anything. Sure, if he was single, Zach would’ve been happy to flirt more seriously. But Kris was very happily taken, and while he couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of the love he’d found, it was nice to be able to talk to someone who was so unapologetically femme. It made him feel more comfortable with himself, as he doubted anyone would call him very masculine once they got to know him. Kris sometimes made him wish he had the confidence to fully embrace that side of himself. Though while his height often made shirts too short for him, he doubted he’d ever look as good in a crop top as Kris did.

“I’m actually here on business, though I wouldn’t mind a nonalcoholic cocktail while we talk,” he continued, pulling his bag onto his lap. “If you’ve got a minute?”

“Sure, got a bit before we get busy,” Kris looked at him curiously while he snatched up a glass, beginning to mix up a drink with fruit and soda. “You working on a story?”

“Yeah. It’s about some discrimination going on in Hidden Creek High School.” Zach huffed softly in frustration. “There are these two students who have recently come out. A girl named Millie Hale as lesbian, and an agender kid named Jesse Vela as bi. I’ve spoken to the students and one of their teachers, and there’s a lot of bullying going on that the school is ignoring. On top of that, they’re not being allowed to go to the Winter Formal together as a couple, and they’re trying to force Jesse into presenting as a gender they’re not comfortable with. Constantly misgendering them as a girl, forcing heteronormative dress codes, all that.”

Kris’ bubbly mood had steadily darkened as he listened, and was now sliding over the booze-free drink with a frown. “That’s awful. Those poor kids.”

“Yeah, so…” He nodded gratefully for the drink, then pulled one of the papers out of his bag with the information listed. “I’m writing an article to raise awareness about it, with support from the students. Got a petition going as well. I was kind of hoping you’d be willing to show your support. Share it around on social media, mention it to people who come in. I mean, I know—it’s a bar, so you can’t bring down the mood or anything, but… maybe talk it up to friends and staff, at least?”

Kris scoffed. “It’s a place for fun, but it’s also a place for people to come together. This is a safe space, and if I have to stir up some trouble to make other places safe, then I’ll do it.” He rested a hip against the bar and sighed. “I remember how hard it was being in high school here. Would have thought it’d get better rather than worse.”

“You’d think,” Zach agreed, picking up the glass to sip from. It was sweet and fizzy, refreshing after running around all day. “But I guess as the community grows, there are gonna be people who step up to try to mess with things. Sounds like the superintendent is that sort of ignorant jerk.”

“Ugh, never can get rid of them. But yes, honey, don’t you worry one bit. I’ll sign the petition and share it around to everyone I can. Even give them a call to politely voice my concern.” The end was said far too sweetly to be sincere, but Zach trusted Kris not to go too vulgar with his protesting.

Zach smiled. “I appreciate it, Kris. We need all the help we can get.”

“Actually…” Kris tapped his chin, then turned to lean over and peer through the serving hatch. “Harrison, can you come here a moment?”

“Sure. One sec,” came a reply from the kitchen before a thin dark-haired man came in through a door. He looked far too young to be inside a bar, but Zach recognized him as the cook, a young trans man Kris had taken under his wing after the old bar had burnt down. “What’s up?”

“Do you know a Millie Hale or Jesse Vela?” Kris asked.

Harrison’s eyes glazed a moment as he thought, before blinking in recognition. “Uh, yeah. I think I remember them—they’re in high school, right?” When Kris nodded, he continued. “Yeah, they were like freshmen when I was still in school, so I don’t know them well or anything. Why?”

Zach retold the story to Harrison, who seemed even more visibly upset than Kris. Splotches of angry color rose to his cheeks.

“That’s… that’s bullshit,” Harrison muttered. “But I can’t say I’m surprised. There’s a reason I didn’t come out until after high school…”

Zach gave him a sympathetic look, then pulled out a second piece of paper to offer over. “Well, if you’d like to help, they and I would really appreciate it. We’re gathering as much support as we can, and we’re hoping with enough pressure they will change their policies and be willing to offer more support for their LGBT students.”

Harrison’s fists unclenched so he could take the paper, nodding firmly. “Trust me, there’s nothing I’d love more than to make things better for kids in this town. It’s… not easy,” his voice grew softer, more sheepish. “Not that you two don’t know that, I mean.”

“You have different experiences than me and Zach do, even if we all grew up here,” Kris said with a shrug, then reached out to squeeze Harrison’s arm comfortingly.

Harrison gave a small smile, then looked to Zach. “If I give you my phone number and email, do you think you could give it to Jesse? I just thought… maybe I could give them some advice. Or just, you know, have someone there who gets it.”

Kris’ eyes shimmered with pride as he looked upon the young cook.

“Of course.” Zach smiled. “Text it to me, and I’ll make sure they get it. Jesse is in the school choir, and they have a concert Friday night at the park I had planned on going to. I can make sure to give it to them then.”

Harrison nodded, smiling gratefully. “Thanks.” He pulled out his phone so they could exchange numbers, and a few minutes later Zach had a text message containing Harrison’s contact information.

“I gotta go finish prepping for tonight, but… thanks, Zach. This is really cool, what you’re doing for them,” Harrison said, pocketing the paper and phone.

“I appreciate that, but I can’t take all of the glory. It’s mostly been one of their teachers organizing all of this. Not sure if he was teaching when you were still there… Shane Howard?”

Harrison brightened. “Oh yeah. I know Mr. H. He started my senior year. He’s a great teacher. Was always super nice and funny.”

“Yeah… he is…” Zach agreed dreamily.

Both of the men eyed him, then simultaneously grinned. He tried to look nonchalant after their reactions, but he was pretty sure the heat rising to his cheeks was betraying just how he felt about Shane.

“Ha. Good luck,” Harrison said before saying his goodbyes and slipping back into the kitchen.

Zach doubted he was still talking about the article now.

He grabbed his drink to slurp down so he didn’t have to speak right away, or face Kris while he was smirking at him so playfully. Once he’d downed most of it he slid the glass closer and stood, clearing his throat.

“Anyway, thanks a bunch, Kris. I’ll get out of your hair.”

“No worries, honey bun,” Kris said in a sing-song tone. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help, okay?”

“Will do.” He bobbed his head. “See you, hun.”

He waved at the door before slipping out, trying to ignore the butterflies battering about in his stomach at the thought of Shane.