Tenderness

*I promised that if you waited, good things would happen! ^_^

And here they are!

Ladies and germs, I present, Tenderness 04!

All characters are 18+*

--------AARON--------

I wished that that day could never end. We kept kissing each other, and it was amazing. The first kiss, the one I had given him when I was sobbing my eyes out at the end of our first date, that had been amazing. Now, it was just a series of little ones, where we never even opened our mouths. It was like we were testing each other, or something.

All I know, is that when I left his house at eight to get to work, we shared a long kiss that was earth-shattering. His tongue was in my mouth, mine was in his. Our eyes were closed and it was hard telling where I ended and where he began. When the kiss broke we were both flustered and his eyes were shining and we were both panting, but he was a perfect gentleman.

When I was driving home to change, I wondered if he had jerked off when I left. We were spending so much time together, but we hadn't done anything but kiss. I wasn't ready to do anything but kiss.

I was so worried after that. Was he perfectly understanding as he seemed? Or was he frustrated that I wouldn't 'put out?' The more I thought about it, the more the second seemed true. I had friends, lesbian and gay, where sex on the first date was very common. Even among the most stable and steady-going of my friends, the third date was the mutual agreement to have sex of some kind.

That night at the bar, I felt guiltier and guiltier. I started to feel like shit. I felt worthless. I felt conniving, and greedy, and selfish. I listened to a woman named Jenny complain that her sweet new partner wasn't licking her pussy even after four dates. I suddenly felt sick, and rushed to the bathroom.

I looked at my pale sick face in the mirror. I needed Daniel. Would I have to just grit my teeth and bear it for him to stay with me? I knew I wouldn't be able to make love with him, I was still torn up down there, and I needed to have a follow-up with my doctor to make sure there were no complications with the disease I had picked up...

But I didn't want to have sex! Not yet, that would ruin everything! He would realize how panicky I got, and how afraid I was. As soon as he knew how afraid I was of having any kind of sex, he would leave!

Tears were starting to flow down my face, when my phone buzzed. I was so shocked that I gave a startled little hiccup and stopped crying. I checked my phone, sure it had to be my dad, but hoping it was Daniel.

The screen said VOICEMAIL FROM DANIEL, so I listened to his message, biting my lip nervously.

"Hey, Aaron! Sorry about calling you at work, but I totally forgot to ask you... Call me back when you get this message, but, since you had a day off this Saturday, I was wondering if I could maybe take you to meet my parents. They are really friendly and understanding, and they've been begging me to bring my new boyfriend home! They're kinda embarrassing, but I bet they are just gonna love you! Call me back, bye!"

His voice was soothing, even as a grainy machine-recording. I couldn't stop the smile on my face. I was getting nervous, of course I was! I always got stupid and obsessive about little things, and big things too. I just panicked. I let out a shaky laugh and kissed my phone. "Thanks Daniel." I whispered, before wiping my eyes and getting back to work.

---

Me and my Dad tried again on Friday. He was in Minneapolis for the rest of the week. He had come down to check on me, but he was also visiting some relatives that he hadn't seen in a few months. No one in my family had been able to accept me, none of them even tried. Maybe Mom would have.

We went to a Twins game in the new Target Stadium. I was kind of clueless when it came to sports, but I loved going to sports with Dad because it was the one time that he ever truly relaxed around me. He was so preoccupied by the game that he joked and laughed and he gave me bear hugs when we won home runs. He became a different person when he was at sports games.

What can I say? There was a baseball game and a bunch of men ran around on a field chasing a little white ball while my father treated me like his son. I had a good time, but I still didn't pay that much attention to the game. I'm not even sure who won...

--------DANIEL--------

I had been nervous before around Aaron. If we had been just hanging out alone, I'm sure that I might have been less nervous. But he was coming to meet my family now! I wasn't afraid of them being mean to him, I was worried about them overwhelming him. I hoped he would like them.

My mother was an accountant for the city zoning board, and my father owned an Italian restaurant downtown. They lived in the second floor, and I had grown up with the smell of garlic and tomato and basil.

I had wanted to have a romantic dinner with Aaron in the restaurant, but my mother had changed it around, so now we were having a family dinner up in their flat with not only my parents, but my sister, and my brother Marcus and his fiance Diane.

I was picking him up. I drove my Honda up to his apartment at about seven twenty and instantly felt a little flutter in my chest as he stood up. He had been sitting on the concrete steps in the warm afternoon, waiting for me to come.

He stood up, and he looked unbelievable. He was wearing tight dark blue jeans and a shirt of a shiny dark grey. His hair was in a tight ponytail and he was wearing sparkly earrings. That much I could see from far away, but as he got closer and closer I saw more and more.

Maybe this is strange, but for me, the sexiest part of the human body that wasn't overtly sexual was the neck. Aaron had shyly told me on Wednesday that he really liked my forearms, so maybe everyone likes a certain part of the body. For me, it has always been the neck. His throat was very slender and shapely, I could see the way the V of the muscles in his neck moved.

He was really glamming it up tonight, sparkly earrings, bangles on his wrists, a couple of rings on his hands, and a pretty choker necklace. He liked wearing jewelry, that was another thing he had told me. I loved that choker, it was a black ribbon that went around his throat, and it had a tiny bell as the pendant. I could hear the softest little jingle when he opened the car door to scoot in. His eyes were beautiful, pale brown and open. He was looking at me nervously, judging my reaction. His eyes were lined very lightly with dark eyeliner.

I couldn't resist him, coming in my car so cute. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He giggled. "Hi Daniel, I felt kinda silly waiting out there like that. If anyone had seen me, they might have suspected that I was gay!" He did the last bit in a joking voice and I laughed with him, not before I snuck a kiss on the sweet spot just under his ear.

Wednesday had been highly informative for the both of us. We had been snuggling and kissing, and I had found out that he had a sensitive little zone right under his ear. Feel for it, right under the earlobe where the corner of the jawbone meets the neck. One little kiss right there was enough to get a surprised little moan and a deep blush.

I chuckled at him while he was bright red and looking so flustered and cute. He leaned forward and kissed me right on the lips.

"Ow!" I was more surprised then hurt when he nipped my lower lip, hard.

"You deserve it!" He said loftily. "For making me blush."

I laughed so hard I was turning red. "Alright! Alright! We're even... Let's drive off to my dad's restaurant before we start cat-fighting."

---

"Did I overdress?"

"No Aaron, you look beautiful." Usually telling him he looked beautiful made him flush and smile shyly, but today he was really worried.

"I wore all my stuff, and it looked pretty back in the mirror but now I'm going to meet your family! Your dad probably has connections to the mafia..."

I snorted, surprised into laughter by that one. He gave me a strained smile, but despite his attempt at humor, he really was very nervous. He was trying not to obsess, but he was very fidgety.

He nervously played with the bangles on his wrist. "Are you sure they're gonna be okay with me? You said that they were really nice, but..."

I reassured him, and tried to keep the conversation going, but he kept answering me tersely, in one or two syllables. He was scared. It took me almost until the end of our car ride to realize how scared of meeting my parents.

I pulled the car over into a parking lot for a convenience store. It took him a second to realize that we had stopped. I turned the car light on, and in the slightly yellowish light of my car, he looked very pale.

"Aaron? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Of course he wasn't okay, but I needed to ask him, I needed him to tell me.

He took a deep shaky breath, and I got a powerful sense of deja vu. I remembered the first time he had been in my car. How could I forget? He had been bleeding and crying and terrified. Now he was scared, and getting ready to cry.

"I know I'm being stupid." He whispered, not looking at me. "I know how... how weird I'm being." His voice had a tearful edge to it, but he was trying very hard not to start crying. "I f-feel like I'm a fucking piece of glass or something. I always feel like I'm about to break. I'm sorry Daniel..."

I leaned over, and it was awkward and a little uncomfortable because of the armrests between us, but I carefully put my arms around his shoulders, careful to go slow, in case he didn't want a hug.

He snuggled into my embrace and I held his head against my chest as he let out a few shaky sobs. It wasn't like our first date, where he had been moaning and shivering with feeling. This time it was just a few hiccups.

I kissed the top of his head and I could smell the shampoo he was using, something light and fruity and delicious-smelling. "My family is going to love you Aaron. They got used to having two gay kids a long time ago. They didn't like my last boyfriend, but he was an asshole."

I nudged him so we were looking each other in the eyes. "You're not an asshole, are you?"

His eyeliner was a little smeared. He giggled, and I could feel his slender shoulders relaxing a little. I dug around in the glove compartment for some tissues, and wiped his eyes a little. He let out a trembly laugh.

"You take such good care of me... I should hire you..."

I kissed his cheek, tasting a tear. "I love taking care of you Aaron. Just one more swipe... and... there! You look beautiful. Doesn't look like you were crying at all."

I kissed him on the nose, and he smiled shyly. "Thank you Daniel."

--------AARON--------

I hated breaking down like that, but I seriously felt sick. I felt a little better when Daniel was holding me, but now, pulling to the parking lot of his father's restaurant, I was starting to feel queasy again. He saw me putting one hand on my stomach, and he gave me a reassuring smile. I felt a little better, but even Daniel, the one amazing thing in my life, couldn't make me feel too much better.

He looked amazing tonight. He was wearing a leather jacket that was well-worn and black, it creaked pleasantly and it smelled good. Under it he was wearing a dark blue button-down shirt that was unbuttoned a little to show a little skin. He was wearing matching copper bracelets and chain necklace that looked fantastic on him.

We got out and started walking towards the restaurant. I wanted to make a little idle conversation, because my stomach felt loose and sick and sloshy.

"This area seems really familiar, aren't we close to your house?"

He chuckled. "You're right, I'm such a mamma's boy that I ended up living about three blocks away from my parent's house."

He surprised me by holding my hand. That just wasn't something that gay couples could really do in public, unless they were in the theater district, which held nine of Minneapolis's gay bars. It was something that was very risky, but he knew I needed some comfort.

My hand was cold and clammy, but his was big and warm. I squeezed it, and felt some of the sickness alleviate. "It's okay Aaron, they're going to love you."

How could he know that? Why was I panicking so much about this? Was I so terrified that he would leave me if his parents didn't like me?

I released his hand when we stepped inside the glass doors, and it's a good thing I did, because the moment we came in, another man ran up and tackled Daniel in a bear hug.

"Danny! It's been too fuckin' long bro!"

I was laughing, and the sick feeling in my stomach was almost forgotten, because the look on Daniel's face was just priceless. A mix of embarrassment and brotherly love and annoyance.

They wrestled playfully for a second and then Daniel backed away and introduced us. "Marc? This is my new boyfriend Aaron, Aaron? This is my doofus younger brother, Marcus."

Marcus was an almost eerie look-alike of Daniel. He was a little paler, taking more to the Italian side of the family, but the facial features were very similar. He had slightly tilted eyes, whereas Daniel had large ever-so-slightly downturned Italian eyes. Marcus was also a little thinner and shorter by about an inch.

The next thing I knew, he was tackling me in a bear hug. His body was hard and bony compared to Daniel. He squeezed a shocked laugh out of me and backed away, grinning hugely.

"Good to finally meet you little brother, Danny's told us so much I feel like I know you already!" I looked over at Daniel and he just shrugged and blushed. "Come meet Di and the parents, you'll love them!"

And with that, we were being swept through a small wooden door and up a narrow flight of steps into the flat above the restaurant.

---

In no time at all, we were sitting at a wooden table covered by a red table cloth. The air was hot and full of the smell of chicken parmesan. Diane, Marc's fiance, and Daniel's mother were bringing out dish after dish of food. The two women were polar opposites, but they got along well, joking and laughing.

Daniel's mother was so small, almost petite. Alexandra was very curvy and she had these bright black sparkling eyes that were identical to Marc's eyes. Her hair was cropped short and she was wearing a skirt and a red top and some small gold jewelry.

Diane was tall and slim, with ivory pale skin and blue eyes. The only thing they had in common was their dark hair. Diane was also pregnant, only six months, but the bump looked huge because she was so slender.

When I had come in, I had been greeted by all of them. Daniel's mother had swooped in and given me a fierce hug while saying "Welcome Aaron, so happy to finally meet you!" Diane had laughed and greeted me with a friendly hug. Even Daniel's father, a thicker balding bespectacled version of Marcus pulled me into a gruff one-armed embrace. How had I ever been afraid of meeting these people?

In a whirlwind of hellos and handshakes and laughter we were sitting at the table. I watched a mound of fluffy mashed potatoes running with butter get placed in front of my nose, and the platter of grilled chicken breasts covered in melted cheese. There was a pot of noodles swimming in a garlicky cream sauce and a plate of spiced asparagus. Diane was bringing a huge bowl of mixed fruit to the table, and in the kitchen I could spy a pie and some sort of spice cake.

"How are we going to eat all of this?" I blurted out, unable to tear my eyes away from all of the delicious food. My naive comment drew a bout of easy laughter.

"It keeps sweetheart, but there are never many leftovers in this family! Do you want some wine? Or would you prefer some water..." Alexandra was pouring wine into Marc's glass, looking at me and spilling a drop on the tablecloth.

"Woah mom, watch it! Try the wine Aaron, trust me on this. Even people who hate wine love the Arceiro family wine. We make it ourselves."

I blushed, they were all looking at me. "Um, I don't drink a lot, but I'll have a glass please."

Daniel was sitting next to me and I loved the feeling when he put his hand on my shoulder. "I'll make sure to cut him off if he gets rowdy!" He teased gently, and I loved it. I loved the way he talked to me, around me. I loved the way he treated me, like a prince.

Annabel walked in from the doorway. According to Daniel, she was the reason he had been at the Purple Rain in the first place. I would always be in her debt for that. She took after her mother a lot, darker skinned then Daniel, with striking slanted eyes. Her hair however, was a dark bronzy color and her eyes were dark green. She was gorgeous.

She smiled shyly at me, and then another girl, pale and thin with maroon hair and a pierced septum followed her in. She introduced Rose to her family and I was glad that the attention was off of me. Daniel's family was amazing, but there was only so much attention I could take.

--------DANIEL-------

Aaron had been so afraid. I don't think it even seemed possible to him, that a family could be accepting of a gay child. Now he was sitting, quietly taking seconds, and even thirds! Where on earth was he putting it? He always complimented my mother and sister-in-law on the food, but other than that, he stayed very quiet. He was so shy, but he was smiling. He was having fun, he just didn't want to talk.

Rose, Annabel's new girlfriend was a bit of a blabbermouth, so Aaron was safe. I had been agonizing over what stupid or insensitive questions my family might ask. Especially if Marcus drank a little too much wine, which he always seemed to do.

Hell, I was drinking too much wine. The glass seemed to never get empty, and it never really did. We filled each others glasses when they got low, without talking, without even really breaking conversation. Aaron's cheeks were getting a little flushed and he giggled a lot while stuffing food into his hollow leg.

It seemed deliciously funny to me. He was getting so amused, laughing breathlessly. My family seemed to like him. They would treat him well no matter what, but I think they truly liked him. I mean, my other two boyfriends really weren't that much to compare.

My first boyfriend was another boy at my college. He had been a lanky boy with tattoos sleeving his arms. He could suck me all day long, but he was a rude asshole who always got drunk and started insulting people. He was paranoid and always thought I was trying to insult him. He never answered my phone calls, and laughed at me when I insisted on wearing condoms, or wore a helmet on my bike, or wouldn't smoke pot at parties. We had been on and off for nearly four years before I finally said we were through.

Number two had been Isaac. I had loved Isaac, and he had broken my heart. He had been a wonderful blonde man a few years older then me. We had been living together for two years, and dating for nearly three. A week before my 27th birthday, I found him in the apartment with another man. They hadn't been having sex, I might have gone insane if they had been. But they were soul-kissing on my couch.

I hadn't even kissed another man for just over a year. I put my arm around Aaron's shoulders, and he giggled and snuggled into me.

"You smell nice..." He burst into tipsy laughter at that.

I snorted and hugged him tight to me in a headlock. "Oh yeah? Well you smell like wine, how much have you had to drink?"

He laughed helplessly, covering his mouth. Tears were running down his cheeks. The rest of my family laughed too. With the exception of Diane, they were all as drunk, or more drunk then we were.

"I am officially cutting us both off, we gotta get home tonight."

Everyone was so drunk they thought that I was hilarious.

---

I cut us off both a little too late. I didn't feel safe driving, and Aaron was a little worse then I was. I offered to buy a cab, but Aaron looked so guilty.