What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter 8: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

January 19, 2016 - Birmingham, Michigan - Ian's Home

The months of the off season dragged on once Daniel was finally healthy enough to resume working out and he took off to Nicaragua. He may have been surfing in paradise, listening to Jack Johnson and taking photos but he was still spending most of his days in a daydream about baseball.

The radio silence that the early off-season had not lasted, from the time Ian had left Tennessee he was texting Daniel almost daily and calling a couple times a week. They didn't talk all the time, which was fine with Daniel. They never spoke of anything of much importance though. So when Ian had asked him to head up a day early for the winter caravan to spend some extra time together, Daniel had agreed without a second thought.

He did think it was a bit strange that Ian had told him to come stay at his place in Birmingham, but he didn't protest. It had been three months since the last time he saw him, and he was ready to see the other man again. Hell late at night when he was in bed, he even found his mind drifting off to some of the nights they'd shared together up until that point. So on that cold January day, Daniel climbed out of his ride share and texted Ian.

I'm here.

Daniel picked up his duffle bag he was traveling with, tossing it over his shoulder as he walked up the long driveway to the large brick house in front of him. The chilly Michigan winter wind whipped around him snow blowing around and flakes catching in his beard, melting on the lenses of his glasses obscuring them. The heavy woolen coat he wore braced some of the chill, but he was glad that he mostly didn't have to come to Detroit in the winter.

Come on in then? What are you waiting for?

Daniel knocked on the door and it was just moments before Ian was opening the door letting him in.

"You didn't need to knock. I just told you to come in," Ian chuckled and reached to take Daniel's bag from him.

"I've never even been here. It's weird not to." He slid the bag off his shoulder and watched as Ian set it down in the hallway reaching for his coat which Daniel slipped out of obligingly. Ian didn't stop grinning and Daniel blushed under his full beard. Ian set the jacket down on the chair in the foyer and reached for the hip pulling the taller man close to him he leaned in and kissed him, gently at first but with an increasing need. Daniel's hands slid around Ian's shoulders a hand wrapping around the back of his neck and stroking the soft skin there.

When their kiss broke Daniel grinned right back at Ian his eyes locking on the elder mans. Ian fumbled a moment before sliding his fingers down Daniel's and squeezing his hand. "I have been dreaming of doing that for fucking months, I'm glad you came."

Truth be told, so had Daniel. It had been more than three months since the two had seen each other. Although their infrequent, meaningless talk had been just frequent enough for for Daniel to get comfortable speaking to Ian about almost anything, they were just far enough apart to leave him aching to hear from Ian. Yet Daniel had found some of his confidence.

"Well I was hoping to come, but not quite yet," Murmured Daniel who had leaned in to gentle whisper it into Ian's ear. Part of it was just how horny he was, the other was that he didn't want to get into the confusion, the discussion of why he was there in Ian's home.

"Well then, I wouldn't want to disappoint you. " Ian grinned. "Shoes off." He pointed at Daniel's hiking boots watching him as he unlaced them. Daniel did it slowly, carefully, his eyes looking up at Ian who stood there barefoot in nothing more than jeans and a t-shirt.