Suns (LGBT - Sci-fi - Romance)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 

Stefan stood there in the poorly lit street, rubbing the tense spot between his eyes with one hand. 

What had he done? He hadn't intended to kiss Nick. The kiss had started purely as a means of giving the finger to Viktor. He had never kissed a man before in his life, had never wanted to, tonight was the first time and ... he hadn't wanted to stop. He wanted to keep kissing Nick, he wanted to slide his hands inside his shirt, feel that smooth skin, that heat. He wanted to see if he could recapture that completely unexpected rush of lust when Nick's tongue stroked his. He wanted to take him somewhere private where they could be alone, where he could start the whole kiss again, enjoy every new sensation as he explored it. Take things even further. 

Nick had said he wasn't his type. If he'd thought about his reaction at all, which he hadn't, he would have expected him to be pissed off. Instead, he realised he had hurt him, badly. He would be lucky if Nick ever spoke to him again. 

And Nick wasn't the only man he had hurt tonight. He needed to go after Viktor, (though he wasn't at all certain if he could ever call him 'Dad' again), and have a serious talk, man to man, no lies, no games. See if they could salvage anything from their broken relationship. Despite what he'd learnt today, he couldn't throw away twenty four years of the only family he could remember, just like that. 

He had to apologise to them both but he was pretty sure that neither man wanted to see him again tonight. 

XXX 

It must be well after midnight. Stefan slumped to the floor, exhausted and feeling very sorry for himself. He didn't think he had the energy to get up and go anywhere else. He didn't know why he'd come here, he should have known the man on the other side of the door would refuse to see him.  

He put his head in his hands, for the first time in years he felt like crying. God he was pathetic. A grown man sitting in the corridor, wiping his eyes. He had to pull himself together, get a grip, man up and all those other bracing clichés. He- 

The quiet swish of the door opening beside him broke into his incoherent thoughts. A voice said rather crossly, "What on Earth are you doing down there? Do you know what time it is?" 

Stefan looked blearily at his wristcom. Damn thing was all blurry. 

"You're drunk!" the voice continued with resignation. There was a sigh. "I suppose you'll have to come in then. You can't stay there all night." 

A strong arm slid under his shoulders and helped him stand with surprising gentleness. "You can sleep on the couch. Come on." 

Stefan took advantage of their closeness to attempt a clumsy kiss.  

"Oh god, you are in a muddle aren't you?" the other man fended him off, more gently that he deserved. "You've had enough shocks today to last a lifetime. The last thing you need is something else to regret in the morning." 

He guided him to the couch. "Do you need the bathroom first?"  

Stefan nodded then put a hand to his spinning head. Big mistake. He stumbled into the bathroom and threw up. God when was the last time he had done that to himself, got so drunk he got sick? He couldn't remember, he was usually so careful to stay in control. He managed to wash his face and felt marginally better. By the time he came out, his impromptu host was standing there with a large glass of water and a pain killer. 

"Here you go, just take this while I set the couch up for you." He disappeared into the bedroom and came out with a pillow and a blanket, then helped Stefan take his shoes off. "That'll do. I think it's best if you keep your uniform on, considering! You can pop it in the refresher tomorrow."