About Better Late Than Never

by Misa Izanaki
27 pages / 5500 words
Ebook zipped file contains - html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub

Leon and Ian are best friends. Of course, Leon would like to be more than just friends but he’s afraid to tell Ian, in case his friend isn’t interested or worse yet, doesn’t want to be friends anymore. All that changes when Leon finds himself sharing a hotel room with Ian during a gaming convention.

Originally appeared in Taste Test: Gamers

Sample

Damn, that bed did look inviting. Maybe he should have taken Ian up on his offer to stay the night. Driving home was looking less and less appetizing. Leon’s back was killing him and sitting in the car for half an hour was not going to help. Lying down for a little while might, though, and he was sure Ian wouldn’t mind, well, pretty sure.

Leon flopped face first onto the bed and stretched out. It was really comfy, and it felt so good to be doing something besides hunching over a table. He didn’t mean to doze off, but getting up early after a long night of touch-up painting was starting to get to him. Leon just didn’t notice until his body hit that mattress.

Okay, he wasn’t asleep… just kind of hanging in that groggy, mid-dozing state where everything’s sort of fuzzy around the edges. Leon’s brain told him that he should get up before Ian got out of the bathroom. Too bad the rest of him didn’t care if Ian found him sprawled across the bed like a lazy cat. The rest of him just wanted a few more minutes of dozing.

Warm fingers trailed over Leon’s back, petting him. Oh, that felt good. Leon arched a little, rubbing against those amazing fingers. It had been a while since anyone touched him like that and he didn’t realize how much he missed it until now.

“You’re just like my cat.” Ian slid his hand under Leon’s shirt, petting him a little more. “Just bigger and without all the fur.”

Oh crap. Well, that woke him up. Leon glanced up to see Ian sitting on the edge of the bed, still rubbing his back. He blinked and blushed. “H-hey, Ian…” Okay, awkward, more so because of the raging hard on straining in his jeans.

“Hey,” Ian smiled at him, warm and gentle. “You look tired.”

“J-just a little. It’s my back more than anything else.” Leon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Ian was touching him and it wasn’t a friendly nudge or pat on the back either. Ian was petting him, like a lover would, like Peter used to. Leon shook that last thought from his head. He was reading too much into that touch. He and Ian were.