Mason’s back cracked so loudly the sound echoed throughout the empty garage. He’d just stood up from his desk to close the big metal doors to the outside world. His last job, a standard oil change, had finished at seven thirty, and he’d spent the last half hour catching up on paperwork.

If Rhys wasn’t waiting for him upstairs with dinner, he’d push through for another hour or two to get all of the day’s paperwork finished.

But he knew deep down he could fit it in between customers tomorrow. Wednesdays were always that little bit slower than any other day. Most of his customers were stuck on ‘hump-day’ and didn’t have the energy to get their cars looked at. They were more likely to grab a pizza from Rocket than come in to get their cars checked.

Mason slammed the metal door shut, sighing as he locked them up. In twelve hours’ time, he’d be back down here, servicing more cars. He knew he should be thankful for the work, but it was hard when that was all he was doing.

And stuck at work all day, when would he get the chance to talk to Rhys about his crush?

Mason had spent half the day thinking it through. He still didn’t know how he felt about Rhys, only that he made his stomach squirm. In the Marines, they often talked about the ladies. Mason had joined in, retelling some of his saucier encounters in life. That meant he was straight, right?

By the way Rhys made him feel, he wasn’t so sure.

As he made his way over to the stairs at the end of the garage, he reminded himself he’d at least organized interviews for the apprenticeship tomorrow afternoon. Three students would be coming by. If none of them was a good fit, he’d start the hunt for a proper certified mechanic.

Maybe one of them could give him the time to talk to Rhys. If he could even figure out what to say.

When Mason unlocked the door to his apartment, he was surprised to find only Socket in the kitchen. She cocked her head at him as he entered. Rhys has texted earlier to say he’d fed her, but he was nowhere to be seen.

That afternoon Rhys had come back from town in a taxi, with several bags from different shops. He’d explained most of it was gifts for his family, but Mason couldn’t see shopping bags anywhere. What he did notice was that the big cushions from his couch were missing.

Socket meowed at Mason as she stood up. He saw that she’d been sitting on a pad of paper. He scratched behind her ears as he picked up the note.

The Roof

Mason cocked his eyebrow at the note. Rhys was on the roof? Mason only went up there once or twice a month, just to check for damage or anything out of place. Had Rhys taken the cushions up there?

He grabbed a light jacket, throwing it over his mucky work clothes, heading through his utility closet.

He opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, noticing light pouring in from the sides of the top door. Had Rhys bought lights for the roof? Mason chuckled. If he stayed any longer, he might redesign every square inch of the building.

Mason jogged up the concrete stairs, noticing an extension cord running up with him. He opened the top door, gasping as he took in his surroundings.

Rhys had indeed hung white Christmas lights from the tops of the door unit to the TV antenna and the venting unit. A bright V-shape hanging above them, illuminating the roof. Rhys had also laid down blankets on top of the sofa cushions, a small table covered in a white cloth between them.

Mason’s eyes widened in wonder. It reminded him of the lights in Moore Wood, but just for the two of them.

Their own little slice of beauty.

Rhys popped a bottle of champagne, pouring it into a plastic wine flute as Mason took in the vista.

Mason cocked an eyebrow. His shy friend was becoming bolder by the day. It was great to see him coming out of his shell.

“You really do make everything around you better,” Mason told him, closing the door to his apartment behind him. He noted Rhys had moved the key to their side of the door so there was no chance they would get trapped up here.

“It’s amazing what you can do with some fairy lights and some blankets,” Rhys said as Mason sat down on the cushion opposite him. “This ‘table’ is actually the old casing for an air vent. Found it on the street near Grind.”

The spread in front of them looked amazing. Cuts of premium cold meats, olives, lots of little cheeses, cocktail sausages, little slices of quiche. Rhys even had plastic cutlery and plates. It felt like they’d been transported to a different world.

“This looks amazing. What gave you the idea?” Mason asked as Rhys handed him a plastic flute filled with sparkling wine.

“On our first night, we got to know each other really well. I thought we could do something similar — a ‘getting to know you’ event.” Rhys picked up a plate, grabbing some cherry tomatoes. Mason reached out, only to see his hands still had smudges of engine grease on them.

“Back in a sec.” Mason was about to stand up when Rhys motioned to a packet of wet wipes at the end of the table. Mason took one, cleaning his hands in an instant. But now he was stuck with a dirty wet wipe.

“Here.” Rhys held up an empty grocery bag, Mason discarding of the wet wipe with ease. Rhys really had thought of everything. “Dig in.”

They spent the next hour or so eating and talking. Rhys asked a lot of questions about Mason growing up in Hidden Creek. In turn, Rhys talked a lot about growing up in Salt Lake City. The subject somehow shifted to Rhys and when a girl first tried to kiss him.

“…it was only a year later I realized I wasn’t into girls,” Rhys concluded his story.

“What tipped you off?” Mason asked, resting his chin on his hands, fully enveloped in the story.

“Chris Evans. In Captain America,” Rhys replied. Mason had missed a lot of films when he was deployed, but he knew he was one of the Avengers. “That shot where they open the test chamber, and he comes out all panting and glistening and muscular.” Rhys fanned himself with an empty plastic plate, and Mason couldn’t help but chuckle at the adorable pantomime.

Rhys put the plate down, smiling up at Mason.

“I guess it must be different for straight guys?” Rhys asked. “Did you have an ‘oh, I like women’ moment? Or was it just something you always knew?”

Mason lifted his head from his chin.

He hadn’t forgotten Rhys’s drunken rant from last night. Was he asking him about his sexuality again?

What was Mason’s sexuality?

“Err, honestly, it’s not something I’ve thought about,” Mason answered truthfully. Rhys knew a lot about the LGBTQ+ community. Maybe he could help him. “My prom date at high school, she had been big on the romance. I just thought that’s how it was. Woman are into romance, men just drift along with them. Gosh, I can’t even remember her name now.”

Mason leaned back, resting his hands on the blanket behind him.

“I’ve just always assumed I was attracted to women because what other option could there be?” Mason looked over at Rhys. He was listening to every word Mason said with great intent.

Again, Mason noticed how gorgeous Rhys’s face was. But that was normal, right? It was 2018. Men could think other men were good looking. It didn’t mean anything.

Except Rhys did mean a lot to Mason. He’d come into his life and made it a million times better.

“So, what options are there for Mason O’Neil now?” Rhys asked. Mason sighed, looking up at the lights above them. As he did, Rhys moved around the makeshift table, sitting next to Mason.

Mason shivered, but not from the cold. His body was excited to have Rhys nearer to him. His closeness a comfort.

The squirm in his stomach changed, turning into a gentle hum of anxiety.

“What do you want?” Rhys was looking deep into Mason’s eyes. Mason breathed in deep. It had been years since anyone had asked him that, if ever.

Did he want to move away from Rhys?

No.

Would he rather a pretty woman was sitting next to him?

No.

Did he want to lean in closer?

He did just that, Rhys’s eyes widening as they were mere inches apart.

“I think… I think I want you.”

Rhys bit his lip as he looked up into Mason’s eyes. Why had it taken Mason this long to realize this?

Why wasn’t he more surprised? For some reason being with Rhys just felt natural.

“Oh, only if you… this doesn’t change our sofa agreement.” Mason said, leaning back a bit. “I don’t wanna take advantage of—”

He felt Rhys’s hands gently cup his face. So much softer than his own, used to holding either a wrench or a weapon, the occasional ice-cold beer.

“I want you too,” Rhys told him.

They were so close Mason could feel Rhys’s warm breath on his chin.

Mason leaned down, their lips grazing one another.

“Rhys,” Mason whimpered.

Their lips crashed together as they kissed. Mason slid his fingers through Rhys’s thick black hair.

Within seconds, they had collapsed onto the blanketed ground, Mason pulling Rhys in close, their legs coiling as their tongues and lips melded together.

Rhys pulled away, suddenly gasping, his warm body next to Mason’s. “If this moves too fast, let me know.”

“This is great,” Mason replied breathlessly. He leaned in for another kiss, but Rhys leaned back slightly. “What’s wrong?” Mason stopped himself before his hunger for Rhys took over.

“You… erm…” Rhys looked at Mason nervously. They were so close Mason could see the fairy lights above reflected in his eyes.

“You can tell me anything,” Mason told him. “Even if…” He hoped it wasn’t the case, but what if Rhys was uncomfortable. He didn’t want to pressure him into something he didn’t want to do, even if Mason was desperate for his touch.

“You’re… excited,” Rhys finally said.

“Well, yeah, first time kissing a man!” Mason almost gasped after saying it out loud. He had just kissed a man, and it was one of the greatest kisses of his life. All the other times before, at high school or on leave, he’d felt like he was playing a part. He wasn’t playing at anything here.

“What I mean is…” Rhys sighed, looking down at Mason’s stomach.

Mason followed his gaze, realizing he was looking lower than his stomach. And Mason’s hard cock was forming a tent, poking into Rhys.

“Oh!” Mason looked back at Rhys sheepishly. “That… erm…”

“Looks magnificent,” Rhys exclaimed, his hand drifting down from Mason’s shoulders. He paused, half a foot away from the tent, looking into Mason’s eyes. “If I do anything you don’t like, you say. Okay?” Rhys asked him.

“Please touch me,” Mason begged. “I wanna know what you feel like.”

Rhys carried on, palming Mason’s cock, surrounded by three thick layers of fabric. Underwear. Jeans. Coverall.

Mason yanked his jacket off, pulled his coverall off his shoulders, and rolled it down to his ankles, leaving his work boots on. Rhys rubbed his hard cock through the fabric, Mason’s dick painfully pressing against his jeans. It needed to be released soon.

Mason reached down to his jeans, but Rhys snatched his hands away.

“I wanna unwrap you,” he said to Mason, staring up at him. “If you’re okay with that?”

“Heck yeah,” Mason replied with a grin. He’d never been told he was this desirable before.

Rhys rubbed Mason’s cock hard before sliding his fingers away, using both hands to undo the top button of Mason’s jeans.

He then slowly unzipped his jeans, pausing at the point where the end of Mason’s cock pressed against the tough jean’s fabric.

“Now, are you double, triple sure?” Rhys asked with a wicked grin.

“Stop toying with me and start playing with me,” Mason pleaded, biting his bottom lip as Rhys pulled his zipper open in one fluid motion.

Mason’s white boxers were already wet, a small puddle of fabric translucent, the tip of his member already visible.

Rhys ripped down his white underwear, Mason’s cock springing out into the night air. Mason almost shivered, but his cock leapt up somewhat, a surge of blood keeping it warm in the crisp night air.

“Whoa,” Rhys admired, slowly reaching his hand toward Mason’s cock.

His warm hand wrapped around Mason, protecting his member from the elements. His thumb rubbed the tip, collecting a small pool of precum, which he rubbed all across his rock-hard cock.

“Man, you’re good at this!” Mason gasped as he leaned back, glancing up at the fairy lights above them.

“Yeah, you like that?” Rhys rubbed faster, Mason’s cock almost painfully hard. He needed release soon.

“Don’t you dare stop!” Mason pleaded. Rhys lay down next to him, nuzzling into his neck as he beat his cock faster and faster. He used his free hand to lift up Mason’s shirt, exposing his stomach to the night air. He had a feeling it was about to get a lot warmer.

“Mason,” Rhys gasped as Mason grabbed a tuft of Rhys’s hair.

“Rhys!” he bellowed, his whole body contorting as he came. Hot white cum spurted out in three bouts, landing on his stomach, naturally pooling between his ab muscles.

Rhys chuckled as Mason struggled to form a sentence. He’d had a couple hand jobs in the past, but they’d always stopped jerking after he came. Rhys kept on going, gently, for a solid minute until Mason’s member began to soften in his hand. The aftercare felt almost as good as the climax itself.

“I…” Mason swallowed hard, thoughts fluttering back into his mind, wiped clean by the all-consuming orgasm Rhys had just given him. “I didn’t know you could carry on… after,” Mason confessed as Rhys grabbed the wet wipes from the makeshift table.

“I want to show you more tonight,” Rhys affirmed as he pulled out a wet wipe and sensually wiped the cum from Mason’s stomach. “If you want.”

“I want.” Mason leaned down to Rhys, hungry for his cock.

“It’s your first time!” Rhys exclaimed, gently lifting Mason’s head to face him. “Let’s take it slow,” Rhys finally settled on.

“First?” Mason asked with a grin on his face, pulling his jeans up to protect his now soft cock from the slightly chilly night air. “I like that. Implies seconds. And thirds.” He leaned over to Rhys, kissing him passionately.

He couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to see this. The way Rhys had smiled at him on the freeway. The fact he’d offered a stranger to stay on his couch for eleven days.

Mason had the hots for Rhys.

It was time to show him.

He rolled on top of Rhys, straddling his body.

“Yikes!” Rhys exclaimed, chuckling as he looked up at Mason.

“Can I touch your butt?” Mason asked. “I just want to hold it. No funny business yet.”

“Definitely.”

Mason moved his hands down Rhys’s back, looking down to see if Rhys was also hard. He took Rhys’s cock with one hand, his other latching on to one of Rhys’s ass cheeks. He grabbed tight, feeling his butt in his hand.

“If you have any pointers, let me know,” Mason told him as he slowly began to rub Rhys’s cock.

“Needs… wet,” Rhys gasped through his pleasured grunts.

Mason tried to replicate Rhys’s move, rubbing a pool of precum onto his thumb. That just made his thumb slightly wet. He’d always used lube or lotion when he jacked himself off, and he was getting used to Rhys’s slightly smaller size.

“You can use spit, don’t worry. Man, that hand feels good!” Rhys looked down at his ass, Mason still grabbing on tight.

Maybe he hadn’t mastered the hand job right away, but he felt his chest swell with pride, knowing Rhys was enjoying his hand placement.

He leaned down, spitting into his free hand before rubbing it all over Rhys’s ever-stiffening cock.

“Just like a car engine, need some lube to get it going,” Mason said aloud as he began to rub Rhys faster and faster.

“Oh God, it’s been a while… I…” Rhys could barely form a sentence. He soon began to flail under Mason.

Mason pulled his hand away from Rhys’s ass, swiftly grabbing a wet wipe from the packet on the table. He laid it under Rhys’s member just in time, a thick pool of cum already seeping out.

Rhys gasped as he began to shoot out, his load almost twice as big as Mason’s. How long had he gone without a release?

Rhys breathed in deep as Mason wrapped up the heavy wipe and threw it away. Rhys pulled up his jeans before snuggling in closer with Mason.

“Hey,” Mason said with a grin, Rhys’s eyes still closed in the throes of postcoital ecstasy.

“Hey.” Rhys snapped opened his eyes, looking deep into Mason’s. “How you feeling?”

“Great,” Mason admitted. “This is all different for me but… great.”

Rhys grinned up at him with that gorgeous smile. Mason could feel his heart melting.

“I have a bed,” Mason suggested. “We could go there. The bed, I mean.”

“And see what happens?” Rhys enthusiastically replied.

“Absolutely.” Mason paused, leaning in again as they kissed passionately. It seemed like they were in sync once more.

Eventually they broke apart, Mason excitedly chasing Rhys down the stairs, giddy at what they’d just done on a blanket, excited about what could happen on a king-sized bed.