Archive of Our Own

"...Every single training session is torture, Bartosch. I've been thinking about dropping him as a client on some excuse... I just can't do it anymore. Just him looking me in the eye is killing me! But on top of that, he looks fucking great in his fucking training outfits... Am I going crazy?"

Their bags landed on the floor in the hallway before they continued to the kitchen. Without a word, Bartosch poured Henry a glass of ice-cold water and shoved it into his hand.

"Cool yourself down, okay? This is getting comical, Henry..." He poured for himself too and took a sip, then continued. "Just ask him out. You don't have to overthink it."

"Of course I do!" blurted Henry, and before he'd even started his drink, he'd set his glass down on the kitchen counter so he could spread his hands. "He's nice to me, but he's so... professional, you know? And let's not forget that this is a work relationship. I shouldn't even be thinking about hitting on him! I'm such an idiot..."

"That you surely are." Bartosch chuckled at that. "I get that you can't handle a famous supermodel, but he's still just another person like you or me. And besides, he's definitely into you."

Henry shook his head vehemently and folded his arms. "Definitely not. I'm telling you, he's not showing anything towards me!"

"Well, you are blind. I swear I saw him staring at you the other day when you were explaining one of the machines to him."

"...What? Really???"

"Uh-huh." Bartosch emptied the glass and put it in the sink. "And he always stops damn close to you when you guys talk. He gets all up in your aura."

Henry seemed to consider what he'd heard for a moment, but then picked up right where he'd left off. "No, definitely not. You've got it wrong..."

"He specifically chose you based on your instagram..."

"...but that doesn't mean anything! Ah, Bartosch, you don't understand." Henry sighed dramatically.

"We are in complete agreement on that." Bartosch just nodded and started towards the couch, the other immediately following him. Henry threw himself down, and Bartosch sat down beside him. "Are we going to continue that show, or are you not finished yet?"

"Okay, I'm done... Don't hurt me like that." The brunette puffed, resting his head on Bartosch's shoulder.

"It's my favourite hobby..." Bartosch grinned at Henry, then turned on the TV and started to look for what they wanted to watch.

Soon, they were snuggled up together, staring at the screen, waist-deep under a blanket, in silence. Henry seemed to be caught up in the show, at last... Bartosch was getting a bit fed up with him, if he wanted to be honest. It had been going on for weeks... Hans Capon this, Hans Capon that. All this fool could talk about was the model guy, who was really beautiful and a bit of a Greek statue, but he could still be asked out for a bloody coffee. Of course, Henry was just insufferable, constantly complaining to Bartosch about it. Which would have been fine, but it was driving the black haired man mad already. He knew very well how a huge crush worked, but still, Henry hadn't made a move for weeks, using stupider and stupider arguments to justify it. Who wouldn't lose their mind over that?

"...Oh my God. I didn't tell you. I've been getting his underwear modeling ad on YouTube 24/7! And it can't be skipped!!! I have to watch it all the way through every single time! Okay, he's sexy as hell, but I can't stand it!"

Bartosch slowly closed his eyes, paused the show, took a deep breath and turned to Henry. He was afraid he was going to hit him in the head with the remote control, but he was able to hold it together. "Henry, I swear to you, if you don't stop it right now, there will be no sex today. You're bringing my libido down with every single sentence you say."

This had a noticeable effect on the other. In just a few seconds, Bartosch could feel Henry's fingers sliding down his thigh and then between his legs under the blanket.

"You're so weird. One minute you're daydreaming about your sweetheart and the next you're already on me- Oh..." Those damn fingers quickly found their way under his clothes and didn't wait. It didn't take long for Bartosch to forget how upset Henry had just made him, his mind was going into a completely different place already with Henry’s fingers sliding into him...

There was a lot that could be said about Henry, but not that he was inattentive in bed. He was always good to have sex with because he was caring and talented. Even now, he was kissing Bartosch in a way that he didn't know his own world... But it still vaguely occurred to Bartosch that he, too, should be doing something, so he reached into Henry's pants to treat his member. It wasn't an easy task with the other's fingers constantly sliding the deepest inside him, and not sparing him elsewhere, either. And the kissing… God, the kissing! But it was still possible to manage the coordination.

After a few blissful minutes and a loud finish, they were lying on the couch in each other's arms, completely forgetting about the TV show. Bartosch was still panting a little, finding it hard to escape the heated sensations, but he was able to distract himself by kissing Henry's neck. The other man was smiling and enjoying the attention, but Henry couldn't resist and positioned himself so that their faces were lined up and he could kiss Bartosch on the mouth, who didn't mind it a bit. One of Henry's hands rested on the other's cheek, one fingertip stroking his beard as their lips played wetly. After a while, he moved down to leave a few kisses on Bartosch's neck. His blue eyes opened slightly, he saw the black haired guy's skin tremble under his touch... But that wasn't all he noticed. One... no, two purple spots on the thin skin, and he was surprised, for he was sure that he hadn't left these marks...

"...Oh."

"W-What?" Bartosh was a little taken aback by the sudden change when Henry stopped what he was doing and spoke. Needing a moment or two to come back to reality, Bartosch finally looked at the other. "What is it...?"

"I didn't know you weren't just hooking up with me..." the brunette said, running a finger over the suck marks and finally raising his gaze to Bartosch, who couldn't quite figure out what exactly was going through Henry's mind. But his face was strange, that was for sure.

"Should I announce it or what?" laughed Bartosch quietly, a little embarrassed, but he maintained eye contact.

"No, of course not..." Henry looked away, the expression on his face growing even stranger.

"That's what I thought." Bartosch rolled his eyes playfully, even smiled, then propped himself up on his elbows. But he couldn't help touching the spots himself...

"...Do I know him, though?"

At this Bartosch snorted and shook his head in disbelief, but the smile still remained on his lips. "Why do you care so much? It doesn't matter."

"Sure, whatever, but I'm curious..." Henry pouted and looked again at the other, who laughed at the sight in amusement.

"'Give me a break, Henry..." Bartosch giggled, but averted his eyes and blushed faintly. His fingers slipped from his neck into his loose black hair and he automatically began to stroke a lock. "I won't tell you."

"But why?" Henry's face slowly turned into a scowl, clearly showing that he didn't like the set-up. "I would tell you..."

"Oh, I know that. You can't talk about anything else anyway." Bartosch teased a little, unable to help it, but his dark brown eyes twinkled playfully.

"...Suck my dick...!"

"You know what? I'd love to. At least you'll leave me alone in the meantime."

…

The gym was starting to get empty. It was half an hour until closing time, and Hans was doing his last run on the treadmill. Not far behind him sat Henry, who was on his phone waiting for him - only his eyes were more on Hans, especially his butt. Little did he know that the blond could see it all perfectly, as everything was reflected crystal clearly on the large window pane facing Hans. 

After a few minutes, Hans stopped the machine and jumped off it with a big stretch, then turned to Henry to walk over to him. Henry immediately hopped up and welcomed him, slightly embarrassed but grinning. "I'm done! So that's it for today?" asked Hans with a sweet smile as he stepped up to the other man, their arms almost touching, they were so close.

"Yes, yes... You did good again today. How did you feel?" Henry inquired, a faint blush beginning to spread across his cheeks. 

Hans lifted his arms, folding them back to stretch his triceps - or rather, to give Henry a little treat. His tank top didn't hide anything from sight... Hans tilted his head a little and finally answered. "I really enjoyed it, I'm a little bummed it's over..." he said, his eyes squinting ever so slightly and his smile only growing more confident. "I was your last client today, wasn't I? Are you going home?"

Henry found it hard to recover from the sight, not realising how shamelessly he was staring at Hans' muscles. The question made no sense - of course Hans was the last one, since they were about to close... But it hadn't occurred to him at the moment. "Y-Yeah. I'll talk to a few colleagues and then I'll go..."

"Hm. Me too, you were my last date for the day." The blond grinned, finally lowering his arms to his sides. 

"Well, have a good rest, Hans. See you the day after tomorrow." Henry just smiled awkwardly at the man, who took another step towards him.

"I look forward to it. Bye, Henry..." As he started to walk, he ran his palm barely across the back of Henry's waist, who flinched and didn't dare turn around. Hans must have done it out of politeness... Or not? Or...? Henry’s brain was spinning at full speed already.

Having no better idea, and knowing that Bartosch had finished his last pilates class too and was probably packing, Henry headed that way. He just couldn't keep all the stuff about today with Hans to himself, he had to talk about what had happened... Not that anything really happened! Hans was just being so nice... again. 

It just escaped Henry's notice that the blond man hadn't behaved like that with anyone else.

Soon he arrived at the pilates room, its door left slightly open, and saw that the lights were still on inside. But he heard no sounds, so he didn't bother to knock, and with a simple gesture he pushed the door in and entered, thinking Bartosch was really just getting ready to go home.

But that was not what he saw, not even a hint of it.

The black haired one was busy, but not with packing. Another man was pressed close to him, kissing his neck... One hand disappeared under Bartosch's loose cropped shirt, the other was in his trousers, gripping his bottom. And as Henry looked closer... That short blond hair... Oh, fuck.

Erik.

Henry stood there with his feet rooted to the ground, and he only saw Bartosch notice him when he finally glanced away from the blond guy’s figure. He looked surprised, but it disappeared from his face almost immediately, and ignoring Henry completely, he turned Erik away so that Henry could only see the taller man's back and Erik wouldn't accidentally spot him. He could still see Bartosch kissing him, and then he was already hidden...

Henry left as quickly as he arrived, slamming the door loudly behind him - not accidentally. He’d only spent about 15 seconds in there, and that was just about enough time to get him fully worked up.

Erik, of all people?! That bastard?! Henry just didn't want to believe it... And he wished he hadn't seen them on each other, oh dear god... 

He knew it was none of his business, of course he knew... But he couldn't take it neutrally, if it was Erik who was with Bartosch... 

He already knew he couldn't let it go without saying something, in fact, a very stupid idea suddenly occurred to him. He hurriedly packed his things and without bothering to shower, went out into the lobby to wait for Bartosch. He just hoped he'd be alone when he left and wouldn't go home with Erik... Watching that happen, with Henry unable to do anything to stop it would have been a disaster in itself. 

He had been sitting on one of the sofas for almost twenty minutes when he saw Erik appear, thankfully alone. He didn't look around, simply left the building and vanished into the darkness outside. Henry was relieved, because he could talk to Bartosch this way... He hadn't considered that he should have been rather afraid of that.

The black haired man was soon there too, and he went straight for the exit. Henry waited no longer, followed him, and grabbed him by the arm as he caught up with him. "...Bartosch!"

The other spun backwards, almost frightened. "...Jesus, Henry?! What the hell??" He blurted out, and quickly took out his earphones. His face wasn't looking too bright...

"I just wanted to talk-" Henry began, but Bartosch immediately interrupted.

"You're out of your mind! What do you want to talk about? That you slammed the damn door like a child?" 

"...Come on! Obviously I got angry! Erik?! Really, Bartosch?!" Henry was already starting to speak louder, matching the other's irritation.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you, you idiot. I knew this would happen! But I don't owe you any explanations because it's none of your concern!" To emphasize his point, Bartosch stepped close to Henry and poked him forcefully in the chest.

Henry snorted angrily. "Of course, of course! After all, you're only screwing my arch-nemesis behind my back...!"

At this, Bartosch laughed, with a mockery in his voice. "Seriously, really, like a 6th-grader. Henry, can you hear yourself? Your arch-nemesis ? You only hate each other because your personalities don't match at all! There's no basis for any of it…” He just shook his head, fed up with this bullshit.

The other knew deep down that Bartosch was right, but to admit it? Never.

"What do you even like about him? He's a jerk!"

"You have no idea what he's like, Henry. You never got to know him, you never wanted to. Neither did he. You two can shake hands on that, you're both the same kind of morons... But that's none of my business, and it's not my problem. Just leave me the fuck out of your childish dick measuring contest." Bartosch said coldly. "And anyway, why do you care so much? If you put half as much effort into getting Hans, you'd be together already!"

Somehow Henry hadn't expected that. He was about to hit back at the Erik thing, and then... Fuck, Bartosch just knew what to say to make Henry lose his tongue immediately. "That- That... But you know how..." he faltered uncomfortably.

"Yeah. I know exactly how pathetic you are, Henry Smith." Bartosch turned on his heel after a piercing look and left Henry.

…

The next two days were not very bright. Bartosch spent a lot of time pondering the whole Henry affair, unable to figure out what the other's real problem was. But the longer he dwelled on the subject, the less sense it made, and it was really starting to bother him. He couldn't even understand why Henry kept seeing him if he was so into Hans... Shouldn't he be concentrating on Hans? To make it into something more? Instead, Henry focused on who Bartosch was sleeping with. He couldn't have thought of anything more stupid, even if he wanted to...

Bartosch had finished his classes for the day, which had fortunately distracted him somewhat, but as soon as he left the room he wanted to bang his head against the door to drive away the annoying thoughts. He could only hope that a shower would help clear his mind a little, but he didn't see much chance of success, honestly.

He entered the men's staff-only changing room and headed for his locker. There was no one else in there but him. Again, his work was finished just before closing time, but he didn't mind that so much now. He would just be annoyed by other people... Of course, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, the door opened and someone came into the room. How wonderful. He didn't even look, just squeezed out a hello and took off his shirt. 

"Bartosch? I thought you already went home."

At this voice, the black haired man immediately snapped out of his thoughts. Oh. Well, that's a different story... "Erik!" he greeted, his face lighting up as he saw the other man, who was heading for him. "No, I just about finished..." he just smiled, and as Erik reached him, his hand had already found that strong arm, Bartosch couldn't resist it.

"I was hoping we'd run into each other..." the blond returned the smile, and at Bartosch's touch he moved as close to him as possible, one arm already wrapped around the other's naked waist. It was all it took for the two of them, their lips eagerly pursed together, clearly conveying the longing for each other that was finally fading.

"I was... about to take a shower..." Bartosch murmured in between kisses, but for the moment he wouldn't have broken contact with Erik for the world.

"Sounds good..." the other replied in kind, feeling his shirt wrinkle up and up, before finally coming off and ending up on the floor.

"It wouldn't hurt you, either..." Bartosch grinned faintly at him, and with a sudden idea he stepped back. He quickly got rid of the rest of his clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist and reached into his locker one last time. Erik stared at him, and when he saw a condom dangling between Bartosch's fingers as he closed his locker, his eyes widened in excitement. The other guy spectacularly inserted the small package between the towel and his own stomach, and after a mischievous little wink, headed for the showers. It didn't take Erik more than a few seconds to undress as well and follow him.

One of the stall doors was left open a few inches, clearly pointing the way. Erik quickly slipped through it, and after closing and locking it, turned around, and the sight that greeted him couldn't have been better.

Bartosch was standing in front of him, his back against the wall of the stall, the towel already gone... Erik looked at him with sparkling eyes, not even trying to hide how much he liked what he saw. Bartosch was shorter than him, smaller in build but strong. He didn't need to lift huge weights to build up his muscles; the daily pilates had done its trick... Erik was almost certain he wouldn't stand a chance against Bartosch if they were to test who could send the other man to the ground first. Erik was stronger, bigger, especially in his upper body and arms, showing off the art of weightlifting he was teaching. But it wouldn't have mattered, because Bartosch was fast, agile, and Erik knew he had a killer punch, having seen him practice kickboxing a few times. 

"I'm glad you like me, but I'm getting a little cold..." said Bartosch, shaking Erik out of his thoughts. The blond quickly shifted, setting aside his own towel and in an instant was smushed against the other, their naked bodies pressing together. The other looked up at him, biting his lip, feeling Erik's hard cock press against his stomach. "You're quickly getting in the mood..."

"You look dangerously good, it's just a natural reaction..." he breathed as he placed a few soft kisses on Bartosch's neck. But he wanted to know if the man was feeling the same way, so he ran one hand from Bartosch's shoulder, down his chest, across his stomach and down between his legs. He responded to his discovery with a small grin, his fingers immediately detecting moisture. "I get the feeling you want something badly too..."

Bartosch sighed in pleasure and wrapped his arms tightly around Erik's neck, his hands running through the short blond locks. "Mhm... I don't know what you're waiting for..." He bit gently into the other's ear.

"Me? Just prepare the scene, and don't worry, you'll get it." He chuckled softly, and to spur him on, he began to gently massage Bartosch's hard-on, causing him to moan louder.

Hasty, the black-nailed hands finally unwrapped the condom and rolled it on Erik's member, who kept his promise: with effortless ease, he picked up Bartosch, who instinctively wrapped his legs around Erik. Big, strong hands held Bartosch by the buttocks, his back still pressed against the tiles. Bartosch, before he lost all his senses, quickly turned on the shower, so that at least it would help to muffle their voices a little. The jet of water poured down behind Erik's back, only a few drops landing on them, causing them no trouble.

They had no idea that there was someone in the stall next to them. Not just anyone... Henry was soaping himself up when the other two darted into the other stall to his right, and almost immediately recognised the two voices. He froze, his brain trying to get him to leave them there, but for some reason he was unable to move. He just listened as the situation escalated rather quickly, and soon the events began to unfold at full volume, barely a few feet away from him. And how terribly jealous he was...

"Ah, Erik, that's it, yes... Harder, please...!"

Each moan drove a nail into Henry's ego.

"Bartosch... You feel so good... Oh, god..."

Why did he need Erik? What's so good about him?! 

"Mhh... Your cock... fits into me so well..." 

Bartosch never said that to Henry... He never even talked during sex!

"I've missed being inside of you so much... Fuck..."

Unfortunately, the water was useless; it didn't suppress any of their sounds. They talked so much, praising and teasing each other so filthily, that Henry was beginning to feel sick. Soon all he could hear were their moans, but they weren't holding those back either, as if they were not even trying to be quiet. This is a public shower, damn it! And he was too embarrassed to leave, he didn't want them to know that someone had heard them... And if they happened to notice him, it would have been total annihilation. So Henry just waited, covered in shower gel and shivering, hoping that his suffering would soon be over.

After the act was done, he had to still endure them helping each other shower, laughing like a couple in love. He kept hearing them kissing, fearing he might have to survive a second round, but thankfully he was spared. Erik and Bartosch finally got out of their stall and soon left the room. Only then did Henry allow himself to start the shower again, and slowly he washed himself down, wondering what he had done to deserve to be the victim of this. Of course, he blamed his own stupidity too, as he could have left immediately, but he was completely frozen... 

And what was the most annoying thing about it all? His erection.

…

Bartosch and Erik were already walking down the street, chatting cheerfully. It was getting dark, the lights and shop windows and restaurants illuminated their path as they walked away from the gym. It was getting quite chilly in the evenings, and as Bartosch zipped up his jacket to keep warm, Erik, without question, put his arm around Bartosch’s shoulders and pulled him close as they walked. It was just a little thoughtfulness on his part, nothing special, yet Bartosch blushed as if they hadn't just had sex in a gym shower... He couldn't see it, but Erik's face was similarly flushed.

A slight silence fell between them, but neither of them felt embarrassed. They were just enjoying each other's presence, and the city grew quieter around them as they cut through a larger park. Erik still had his arm around Bartosch, and he was happy to snuggle into his side. Then, before long, the blond broke the silence.

"Bartosch, um... I've been thinking a lot about us lately... about you..." he began quietly, a little uncertain. The black haired man looked up at him slowly, not even noticing that they were no longer walking. "I don't know about you, but I... I'd like to try something... more serious with you." 

Bartosch blinked, his lips parted in surprise, and suddenly he couldn't speak. Erik's words flashed through his mind, over and over again. 

The blond, seeing the other's shock, became even more flustered and kept talking, but tried to keep his gaze on those beautiful dark eyes. "It's nice to be with you... And I enjoy this impulsive thing we have going on, but... It has developed into a little more in me."

Slowly, but surely, the other man overcame his initial surprise and let his emotions out onto his face. First Bartosch blushed, then looked away, and reached carefully forward to take Erik's left hand, caressing his palm with his thumb. "Seriously?" That was all he asked, but the smile was already hiding at the corners of his mouth. Seeing this, Erik smiled too and took a step forward.

"Seriously. You've become important to me, Bartosch..." the blond admitted, and to mirror his emotions in action, he reached up to Bartosch's face and gently brushed a longer black strand of hair behind his silver pierced ear. 

Bartosch's eyes twinkled in response, and his blood rushed even more to his face. His reaction was not only to what Erik said, but to what he did... No one had ever tucked his hair behind his ear before. He didn't even know he wished for it, but at the moment, that little gesture meant more than anything to him. In return, he squeezed Erik's hand and then just pulled him into his embrace, burying his face into his strong chest.

Bartosch hadn't expected things to get serious with Erik; somehow it had never crossed his mind. He liked him a lot, he enjoyed spending time with him, but for some reason he didn't dare to play around with the idea of that possibility. But now that Erik had dared to do something he'd never dreamed of doing, he suddenly wanted nothing more in the whole world. 

Those big arms held him close and they stood there, silent, perhaps for minutes. Erik rested his chin on the top of Bartosch's head, occasionally kissing into his hair, and just smiled. The other did too, only his face remained hidden, but before long he finally looked up and kissed Erik's chin, and then his lips. 

"Let's try it..." said Bartosch and nodded, and the blond almost picked him up into the air in his delight.

…

After walking up the stairs, Bartosch knocked on a door, which was opened by a grinning Thomas. They hadn't seen each other in weeks, so this was a meeting they had both really, really missed. Bartosch immediately stepped in to give his best friend a full-on hug. "Just what I needed..." He declared with a laugh.

Thomas closed the door behind him and hugged Bartosh back. "Of course. I was beginning to give up on you..." he chuckled.

"It was only three weeks! Okay, that's exactly three weeks more than it should be..."

"I'm glad you can admit it. Come on, the pizza's getting cold." Thomas let him go, and Bartosch, having heard that particular word, was already in the living room. " Thank you Thomas, you're the best, I'm forever in your debt."

"If you'd made it yourself, maybe." Bartosch grinned and opened the boxes, meanwhile the other took a seat next to him. "But thank you." Bartosch glanced gratefully at the brown haired guy and took a slice, then sat back and snuggled to Thomas to begin eating.

For a while they didn't speak, just munched on their pizzas, becoming more and more comfortable with themselves by the minute. It really had been a long three weeks, Bartosch had been working too often in the afternoons, and only now had they been able to arrange to meet up. But they finally did, and they were both grateful for it, just enjoying being with each other.

"So what about you, captain ?" Finally, Bartosch began the questioning, emphasizing the last word deliberately. He loved to tease Thomas with it, it was a never-ending joke. Of course, the other rolled his eyes at that, but he had nothing else to say about it.

"Just the usual. It's so easy to rip off the rich nowadays, they'll pay any money to see the city from the river..." he said, wiping his beard a little after finishing his slice of pizza.

"I think you're the biggest scam artist in town. Congratulations." Bartosch had a good laugh and poked his friend in the side. "Have you taken any celebrities out lately?"

"Hm... I don't think so... Wait... Sure I have! You know, that blond model dude who's got his stupid commercials out everywhere lately! I fooled him mercilessly-" Thomas laughed at the memory, but saw Bartosch's face and fell silent before he could have finished his story. "...what?"

Bartosch didn't need more, he fell on Thomas' lap and burst out laughing. He simply refused to believe the world was so small. "That's amazing...!!!" He even shed a tear. And his friend just looked at him, not understanding what was so funny. "Really??? Hans Capon? Fucking hell!"

"Yeah, and I charged him like double, he didn’t even care.” Thomas explained. “Bartosch, are you feeling okay? Shall I call an ambulance...?" Thomas looked down at him oddly, but smiled.

"Oh, you don't understand..." he finally stopped with great difficulty, and clearing his throat began to enlighten Thomas. "So you know, there's Henry, who I was seeing for a while. He's also a trainer at the gym, and you have one guess who's been going to him for a month or so."

"...Hans Capon...?"

"Bingo! Fuck, everyone's everywhere." Bartosch just shook his head as he looked up at the other.

"Well, that's fucking great." Thomas snorted out a quiet laugh, though he honestly found Bartosch's sudden burst of laughter funnier than the strange coincidence itself. "...but wait. Henry. You just used past tense with him... Did something happen?" 

Bartosch groaned painfully at hearing this and climbed off Thomas to sit next to him again, taking another slice of pizza to stuff into himself. "'He's a stupid prick, that's what happened."

"Yeah...? Last time I saw you, you said he was funny and cool..."

"Well, that was before he got jealous because I got another option... Just because he knows him personally and he hates the guy. But he's got a crush on Capon, by the way! Before I had a fight with him, he was all Henry could talk about." he explained, irritated, and to take the edge off, he kept eating his pizza.

"...oh. He really does sound like a stupid prick." Thomas agreed, nodding.

"Right?? And I thought we were friends or something..."

"I mean, making friends with sex isn't that easy..."

"Ah, don't you start that. He has no feelings for me, he's just too lame to hit on Hans and he feels like he's losing me to his rival... Or something. It's stupid." Bartosch just sighed and looked at Thomas, a little disheartened.

"Well, if that's really the case, you should just cut out the extras with him... It's not worth the headache. And anyway, you said you had this new someone, what's he like?"

Now Thomas was getting to the point. The irritation was gone from Bartosch's expression, and after a small sigh, he bit his lip. The other smiled at this.

"Okay, I guess he's not just an option ..." Thomas stated playfully.

"No, very much not..." Bartosch dropped again, resting his head on Thomas' thighs, his eyes gleaming upwards dreamily. "Erik. He's a colleague of mine, he teaches weightlifting..."

"And where are you at with this Erik?"

"We discussed a few days ago that we both really want more than an adventure... So yeah. We might have a date or something soon..."

"Sounds good, Bartosch, I'm happy for you. I've been waiting for you to find someone permanent-worthy." Thomas chuckled, then turned his gaze a little more serious. "But he knows about you, doesn't he...?"

Now it was Bartosch's turn to roll his eyes. "Obviously. We've slept with each other quite a few times... But when I told him, he said he suspected because he'd seen me wearing the blue-pink-white wrist band. So it's totally fine, relax." He smiled gently and squeezed Thomas' hand appreciatively. They weren't best friends for nothing; Thomas had been there for him for a long time and he was the first person Bartosch had ever come out to. They'd been through a lot together, and Thomas had punched more than one face to protect him - that is, before Bartosch had started training. After that he could look after himself... But Thomas's protective role remained, to a certain extent, and Bartosch always found security in that, just as he did now. He loved him very much, perhaps more than anyone else.

"Good, then. Introduce him sometime, I'm curious."

"You don't even have to ask, you'll be the first." Bartosch winked at him.

…

Of course, the stupid prick in question didn't take long to get in touch with Bartosch. Henry wrote to ask if Bartosch wanted to meet, and Bartosch almost refused immediately at first, but then he thought about it and saw sense in the possibility. If nothing else, at least he'd put an end to the mess with Henry, and maybe it was better to discuss it in person than otherwise... He was a bit nervous because Henry had invited him over and he was sure Henry would want to have sex with him, but he'd just say no and that would be that. If that freaked Henry out, so be it, Bartosch wasn't going to play his games... So he agreed to it, and a day later he was on Henry's doorstep, and the guy stepped aside to let him in.

"Hello, Bartosch..." Henry greeted him and took Bartosch’s jacket. Of course, the mood was awfully strange, since the last time they had spoken they had parted with a fight, and at the moment neither was sure of the other's viewpoint.

"Hi, Henry." Bartosch let him pull the jacket off him and hang it up, then looked at him expectantly, perhaps a little impatiently. He did not smile, his face remained quite expressionless.

Henry walked slowly into the living room, Bartosch following a few paces behind. "I'm glad you came over. The other day didn't end so... well." He said, taking a seat in the middle of the couch. The black haired one could see from this what the game was about to come to, but for the moment he didn't react and sat down next to him.

"Well, it really did not. I was hoping you wouldn't let it go." he replied, his posture straight and measured. He didn't want to give a stray, accidental signal to the other... 

"Of course I wouldn't..." and he was already moving closer to Bartosch, but the man was still holding his ground.

"Then? What's your plan?" he asked. He saw Henry's hand move in the air to his face to touch it, but before it could reach him, Bartosch caught him by the forearm. "...no, Henry. Before you do anything else, the answer is no ."

Henry's face changed instantly, and instead of looking hopeful, he looked at Bartosch as if he'd been hurt. "But why?"

The other sighed in annoyance and let Henry go. "You know very well why ."

Sheer envy and disappointment were already shining unveiled from Henry. It hadn't ended the way he'd planned... "Of course. Erik's cock must be so much better..." he grumbled, glancing angrily at the other, whose mouth dropped open.

"...What is your problem?!"

"You heard me!" Henry folded his arms stubbornly in front of himself.

"Well, you know what? Not just his cock." Bartosch retorted, getting very, very upset with this idiot and no longer caring if he hurt him in any way. And he probably succeeded, for Henry was frozen for a moment.

"Are you starting to fall for him? Aww... I had no idea your expectations were so low." Henry countered, having found his voice again, and it was getting more mocking.

"What if I was, huh? I still don't understand what you have to do with my love life, Henry. We were just friends with benefits, nothing more, and the past tense is really final." Bartosch pressed his lips together in anger and was already up from the couch, unable to remain seated from the heat of his fury. Henry followed suit, both burning a hole in each other's gaze as they stood facing one another, the air almost being cut with the tension.

"If you are so serious about him, why are you even here? What did you think I wanted? To apologize because of that dickhead?!" 

That really hit home for Bartosch. He'd been upset, but now he was also sad. Against his will, tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes as he stared back at Henry in disbelief. "You know what? Yes. I thought you were my friend and maybe I meant something to you beyond sex, but I guess I was wrong." He said, very quietly compared to earlier. "And I will admit it; I think I really do love Erik... And if you can't accept that and just throw me away, then fuck you, Henry."

Then Bartosch turned away, because suddenly a few tears were streaming down his cheeks and he didn't want Henry to see them. He was ready to leave, and for him, that was the end of it. He was already on his way out, but he had not even left the living room when he felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Bartosch, wait-" 

"No, I'm not gonna fucking wait, Henry!" He snapped, unable to hold in all the pent-up frustration Henry was causing him. He turned back around with a big heave and stared at the other with teary, pain-filled eyes. "I've had enough of you! You want to control me when you have absolutely no right! You can hate Erik, I don't care, but if you have no reason to, you can't hold me accountable for liking him! And it's even more pointless, because there's Hans, who's totally into you, but you're so blind and inferiority-complexed that you don't even want to see it! Instead, you terrorize me with your stupidity, and all because of that you want me to fall in love with you, because you want to feel better! Am I right?! But then you'd reject me for Hans... You'd just get a confirmation for your ego that someone still loves you. That's what you want, isn't it? It would be worth breaking someone just to keep your ego from getting hurt, wouldn't it, Henry? Although you've already achieved part of that. You've already hurt me... You incompetent, pathetic asshole. Go to hell."

With that, Bartosch turned around and walked out the front door, completely forgetting about his jacket. He was on the street when he realised he was feeling cold, but just thinking about going back there made him cry again. Wiping his tears and shivering a little, he walked home, regretting a hundred times already that he had accepted this stupid invitation. 

He didn't know what he was thinking... 

...

As on the second Saturday of every month, Henry had dinner with Samuel and his husband, John. They'd been doing this for years, not wanting to unintentionally grow apart, since Sam was Henry’s brother - even if not by blood. And John always accompanied them, something Henry didn't usually mind; he liked the man in general, though if he accidentally drank a little too much he could be annoying. Sometimes he was too good a friend with wine, but that was John's only flaw, and they tolerated it.

Especially today, Henry would have forgiven John for anything, because he cooked so deliciously that Henry licked all ten fingers afterwards, and there was even dessert. He was beginning to think they were celebrating something and he'd forgotten.

When Sam cut the cheesecake, John decided to start torturing Henry, even though he was not even drunk. "Has something happened between you and that model boy since last month?" he asked, genuinely curious. Henry just snorted and took a big bite of the cake instead, so he wouldn't have to answer yet.

"Oh, John, come on... If there was something, he would have just told us." Sam laughed softly and gave his husband a slice as well.

"Sammy, you don't get it. Come on, Henry!" John leaned up on the table, not looking at his own plate, much more interested in Henry's story. 

"'Really, there was nothing... I'm just suffering because of him. And he's already paid for the next month with me..." he muttered in despair as he chewed on his second bite, head tilted into his palm. 

"I can't believe it! Do you really think you don't have a chance?"

"Well… I've had Bartosch say he likes me, but..." 

"...Oh yeah, what about Bartosch?" interjected Sam, already munching away. Henry looked at his older brother as if he'd been punched in the face.

"Are you starting it too, Sam?" Henry just sighed wearily and put down his fork. He was losing his appetite...

"Oh... Something happened there. We're listening, Henry." John turned his full attention to the young man, unmoved by Sam's elbow going hard into his side. 

"I fucked up, that's what happened..." In fact, he was so upset he couldn't even look up. He was angry with himself and sad because he only realised that Bartosch really mattered to him as a friend when he had ripped the guy away from himself.

"Henry..." Sam, seeing how his little brother was hurting, sat over next to him instead and brushed his palm over his shoulder. "What happened? What did you do...?"

Henry buried his face in his hands for a few moments, then lifted his head and sighed again. "I just... Nothing would work out with Hans because I'm stupid. I got jealous because Bartosch was hooking up with someone I hate and I was being a dick to him about it. I really hurt him, so... He's totally pissed off at me and he probably hates me at the moment."

He just quickly told them about everything and stared at the table. He hadn't listed it all out loud like that before, and it hit him a little bit in the head now, knowing that he had really messed it all up.

His sibling and John looked at him as if they had seen a ghost. Sam slowly pulled his hand away from him, folding it in his lap with the other, and his husband just leaned further forward over the table.

"Henry. But you were friends, weren't you? Okay, with benefits, but... friends." John was the first of the two of them to speak. Henry nodded.

"Yeah. But Hans got on my nerves, or rather, I was too lame to make a move on him... And I think I took that out on Bartosch." he muttered softly, his voice full of regret and shame.

"You really are a certified moron." Sam said after a long silence, and with a straight face, he looked at Henry, who lifted his head and stared at him in shock.

"...Sammy! There's no need for that!" John tried to stop Samuel from being ruthless with his brother, but in truth he knew it wouldn't work anyway. Once Sam got a whiff of injustice, there was no turning back.

"Oh, of course there is." Sam said, leaning closer to Henry. "You seriously had the nerve to screw up a friendship because you willingly friend-zoned yourself?"

"Well..." Henry suddenly couldn't even gasp, he just opened and closed his mouth. He could never have wished for a better brother than Samuel, but at times like this he was quite scary - especially when he was justified in what he said.

"Well? Well yes ? Oh my God, Henry. Those two things shouldn't even be connected!" snapped Sam, already quite angry.

"I know..." groaned the younger one, looking away, before his brother grabbed his face and turned it back towards him.

"Just tell me you've at least apologised to him..." 

Henry shook his head slowly. Sam snorted nervously and released him, turning away from him. "...You didn't hear what he said to me, Sam! I completely painted myself into a corner…"

"Oh, really? I don't give a shit. You're not gonna get away with it, buddy, you can bet on that. If you've hurt someone, that's the very least you can do, even if they won't forgive you." Those icy blue eyes looked into his again, not accepting any resistance. Henry swallowed hard and nodded slowly. "In person."

His little brother no longer dared to argue, and nodded again, resigned to the fate he had forged for himself.

John just watched all this, not daring to speak, and wondered a little at his husband's methods - but in the end he had to agree with him.

…

Bartosch needed some time after his last encounter with Henry. He was so hurt by that idiot, he couldn't even put it into words... He was so upset, he couldn't think of anything else for days. Luckily, the weekend came and he didn't have to see him at work right away... Thomas was able to help him a little, even coming over to Bartosch's for a while to distract him with fried chicken and their favourite film, but unfortunately that didn't last forever. Monday came and he had to go to work; his pilates classes couldn't wait for him to be in a better mood. He avoided Henry in the building like a bad ghost. If he had to pass him, he would keep his head down and not look at him, trying to shut him out. At the moment, he had no idea how he was going to cope here, with him and Henry being practically colleagues and having to meet almost every day…

What made the whole situation worse was that this stress was preventing him from engaging with Erik. They ran into each other several times in the gym, but Bartosch couldn't pay attention to him the way he really wanted... This made him feel very bad, especially after what they had discussed. Of course, he didn't ignore the blond, they made out a few times, but nothing more happened, and they didn't continue that particular conversation. Erik asked him once if Bartosch would like to go out with him one evening after work, but he refused without a second thought, on account of being tired. Only two minutes later he regretted it and would have liked to yell his own head off, but unfortunately that was impossible.

Fortunately, however, he was less depressed with each passing day about what had happened with Henry, and he was more worried about Erik now than that fool. He knew it was his turn to make a move, after a week of semi-avoiding him... He was so worried about it that he couldn't wait until the next day to meet him in the gym. He just wrote him a simple, straightforward message and hoped he hadn't kept Erik waiting too long.

Come on a date with me tomorrow afternoon.  

That was all he wrote, nothing more, nothing less. He stared at the screen of his phone for minutes, not daring to leave it, just in case Erik replied... Soon the word Seen appeared under his message, and then almost immediately the little text bubble too, indicating that the other was typing. Bartosch had already forgotten to blink.

Gladly. I'll bring a blanket, we can go to the park :))) 

Bartosch's heart started to pound as he read the answer and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He had already written back to say what snacks he would be bringing.

But fate was not kind to them. The next day they arrived at the place they had agreed on, with beautiful scorching sunshine all around, and just wearing a light sweater was enough. However, after 5 minutes of sitting on the plaid blanket, out of nowhere a huge rain came down and they were soaked to the skin in two seconds. They hastily gathered their things and ducked under a small wooden pavilion with two benches and a table - luckily no one else was sheltering here, only the two of them.

"Well, that was... quick." Bartosch concluded, staring out into the pouring rain as water streamed down from his hair. Both of them were soaked, especially their tops, and Erik had already taken off his shirt and thin jacket and stood half-naked next to the other. 

"Don't think this is the end of our day." The blond smiled, then stepped over to Bartosch to peel off his wet layers too. "We shouldn't catch a cold..." The other nodded at that, holding up his arms to help. Erik set the clothes aside to dry next to his own, then reached into his bag and pulled out a second blanket. "I thought I'd bring another, in case we felt cold or something..."

Bartosch was a little touched by the other's thoughtfulness. He hadn't even realized and they were already sitting on one of the benches, Erik's arm around him, the dry blanket wrapped around them... He automatically snuggled against the strong chest, letting the other man take him completely into his embrace.

A silent game developed between them as they listened to the rain. If one of them caressed the other somewhere, the other would kiss the initiator in the same place. At first it was just innocent, affectionate touches under the blanket, nothing more. Erik stroked Bartosch's neck, and Bartosch kissed Erik softly on his neck. Bartosch trailed his fingers under the blond's chest, and Erik leaned down and softly kissed along one of his scars. They continued in this pattern until Erik used his thumb to nuzzle Bartosch's upper lip, and of course the black haired man immediately kissed him on the mouth.

It didn't take long for Bartosch to end up in Erik's lap and they were making out all over each other. They were no longer cold at all. In fact, Bartosch's blood was really starting to burn for the other. He didn't even think about it, and when he broke the kiss, he smoothed his palm over Erik's lap, looking almost pleadingly into those warm brown eyes. And the blond hadn't forgotten their game.

The next moment Bartosch was lying on his back on the bench, after Erik had spread the blanket under him, and he himself was sitting in a riding position, practically between Bartosch's legs, which were dangling to the ground. Erik unbuttoned the other's jeans and pulled them down to do the same with his underpants, and before he could begin, he licked his lips and looked all over Bartosch. The man stretched out before him like an offered meal, waiting for Erik to devour him... His wet black hair clung to his forehead, his dark eyes shone yearningly at him, and he breathed in excitement. The happy trail starting from his belly button led to where he wanted Erik the most right now, his erection unmistakable. 

Bartosch was impatient. His black-nailed fingers reached up invitingly for Erik, who rested his cheek in the palm of the other's hand and let Bartosch guide him close. Then he stopped tormenting him, and finally took his core between his lips, and Bartosch, as if fulfilled, moaned loudly, fully trusting the curtain of rain that stretched around them. Just let it last for a few more minutes...

He had one hand in Erik's hair and the other he could barely do anything with. He was overcome by a feeling so powerful that he could only sigh and whimper obscenely. Bartosch’s hips couldn't stay in one place either, swaying upwards reflexively to give himself more pleasure. He got that, but not in the way he expected.

Erik, while pleasuring him with his mouth, found another way to drive the other man crazy. Bartosch suddenly felt pressure from below, then a finger slipped easily into his cunt. He didn't expect it at all and gasped for air, but then could only almost cry out as a second finger followed the first, and Erik, while sucking, began fingering Bartosch, who was now really seeing stars. He didn't think it could get any better than that, but then those fingers curled up inside him, making him give out sounds he didn't know he was capable of... 

Things didn't last long after that, too much was happening, Erik wasn't sparing him one bit, and Bartosch was coming with such force that even his legs were lifting up and wrapping tightly around the other's neck. He just shuddered and moaned, long and loud, experiencing the sensation with his whole body. His skin felt so hot, like he was being burned, sweating all over. He put one hand in his hair and just gasped, trying to get back down to earth, but it wasn't easy...

Erik, meanwhile, was smiling like he was drunk. And in a way, he was drunk on Bartosch... He couldn't take his eyes off him, he was just so beautiful when he was so wasted. He'd completely forgotten about the problem swelling in his own trousers, the person lying in front of him now took his mind off every possible thing.

He waited for Bartosch to regain consciousness, the black eyes finally opening and immediately settling on him. They locked gazes for a few moments, then Bartosch smiled and laughed softly. "You never told me you knew how to do that..."

The blond laughed at that and just shrugged. "Wasn't it better as a surprise...?"

"Yeah... You're right..." Bartosch sat up slowly and blushed as he looked at the other man, who returned his expression in kind. He would have liked to kiss Erik again, but he was still so overwhelmed with all the feelings that it would have been just too much. So he took Erik's hands gently in his own to make sure they were still in contact, and exhaled with a smile.

The rain still refused to stop, and soon they were sitting curled up under the blanket again. Bartosch was finally beginning to see clearly at last, the lustful fog lifted from his mind, and he remembered the things he had wanted to talk to Erik about. Only after such an experience, he found it a little difficult to put his thoughts into words...

"Erik..." said the black haired man cautiously, intertwining their fingers under the blanket. "I'm serious about this whole thing with you too. I know I was acting weird last week, but... I wasn't feeling well. It sounds stupid, but that's how it really was. I needed to calm down so I could treat you the way you deserve." Bartosch rested his head on the other’s shoulder and closed his eyes, tracing circles on Erik's hand with his thumb. This little confession came out easier than he thought, and he didn't feel weird about it. He was just being honest.

The other man didn't know how to react at first. He was very happy to hear Bartosch say that he really wanted to be with him, but Erik also began to worry a little, since he had said that he wasn't feeling well. Finally, he spoke about the latter. "...What happened? I could sense that something wasn't right... You can tell me." He said, and gave him a gentle kiss on his semi-dry hair.

Bartosch hesitated a little. Was he really going to bring up Henry, right now...? But he had no choice. "Henry," he sighed softly. "I told him I was done messing around with him... That I have you now." Here he squeezed Erik's hand. "He totally freaked out on me, talked to me like a piece of trash because he hates you, and he projected his own romantic struggles onto me... Then I told him to go to hell, and I haven't spoken to him since."

He didn't get an answer at first. Erik let go of his hand, but only so he could wrap both arms around him, which Bartosch really appreciated, and he hugged him back right away, burying his face between Erik's neck and shoulder. "I'm sorry." the blond started. "Now I feel like hitting him a little, but I don't think it would do any good..." This made Bartosch chuckle softly. 

"Please don't. I'm so tired of you two bickering." 

"I don't know how it would go, but... I can try to act neutral around him. I'm not sure if it would have any effect on him, but if it did, and he could make peace with you, then... it would be worth it, or something."

Bartosch could hardly believe what he was hearing. Erik seriously... would stop this rivalry, for him? He pulled back a little so he could look into those brown eyes, and his face showed a hint of shock. He didn't even know what to say. "Erik..." he muttered, just staring at him.

"If you were friends, and he's too stupid to work it out himself... I can do that much. The whole beef is really pointless anyway... So it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you feel good." Erik explained, then smiled faintly at the other, who finally opened his mouth to speak.

Bartosch was so stunned by the blond's care and attention, and still buzzing from what they had been doing, that he couldn't hold back what he was thinking and feeling. 

"I... I told him last time that I love you, Erik. He mocked me for falling for you, and I blurted it out..." This detail slipped out of Bartosch as if it were oil on his tongue. "But I think it's true. I fell in love with you." Of course, he blushed so red that even a crab would have been impressed, but he didn't take back a single word. 

Erik hadn't expected a declaration of love on their first date, or rather, he hadn't even dared to think about such a thing. And yet it happened, Bartosch said he loved him... Now it was his turn to stare as if he had been hit. At first he couldn't speak, but his hands moved up to rest on either side of the other's face. 

"Bartosch..." he said quietly, then, unfortunately or not, he continued. "There are a few things you should know about me before we say things like that. Like... For example, I've never been in a real relationship because of things that happened when I was a child..." Erik just said what first came to mind and what he considered most important. He was a little panicked...

This snapped the other out of his own panic, and he touched the big hands on his face. "It's okay. I didn't have much more either, just one, actually... And you said you wanted to take things seriously with me. That's enough for me, Erik. If you're sure too."

The blond nodded and couldn't quite suppress the happy smile tugging at his lips. "I'm sure."

The black haired man smiled too when he heard this, but he didn't speak yet, waiting for the other to say something. Something important...

"And... I think I love you too, Bartosch."

…

Henry woke up the other day with a sense of mission he had never felt before. He had been struggling lately with what to do and what not to do, but he came to the conclusion that he could no longer put this off.

The truth was that he still hadn't tried to apologize to Bartosch, and it was starting to eat him up. He wanted so badly to regain his trust and be friends again, like before he ruined everything... But somehow he felt there was an obstacle stopping him, and he finally realized what it was.

Before he could try to make amends with Bartosch, he had to clear up the Hans anomaly, because that was what started everything. It was perfectly clear that he still had a huge crush on the guy, but he had to know if there was any chance of it becoming something more... So he decided not to wait any longer, not to beat around the bush, not to leave it up to chance: today he would ask Hans if he wanted to go out with him. If yes, then he would scream into his pillow later, because he still found it hard to believe that this could happen... If he got a negative answer, he would cry a little and they would probably go their separate ways. But whichever happened, the end result would be the same: the path back to Bartosch's friendship. Maybe. Honestly, he didn't dare to hope for that anymore either, because he had screwed up so badly...

He had training with Hans in the morning, which was good in a way because at least he could get it over with early, but on the other hand, it was already getting on his nerves. He arrived at the gym looking like he hadn't slept a wink, completely out of it, even trying to open the wrong locker twice in the changing room.

It'll be fine, Henry. You can do it, you'll figure it out. After all, he's just a supermodel with hundreds of thousands of followers, nothing special...

Okay, that didn't really help, so he stopped trying to motivate himself. He just had to wait for the workout to end, then ask him. It was that simple.

Of course, the situation was far from that simple. Hans was dressed even sexier than usual today, which in itself was deadly intimidating. He was wearing a tight red tank top that fit his figure and muscles perfectly, paired with rather tight and short pants. Henry didn't dare even glance at that butt, fearing he might get an erection.

He tried to appear calm, but as the minutes passed, this proved increasingly difficult. He kept looking away, stammering, not knowing what to do with himself. Hans, on the other hand, was his usual perfect self, charmingly kind to Henry, and when he laughed, the other man thought his knees were going weak. Today, everything he felt for Hans burned ten times hotter, and it was probably showing on his face...

When the blond finished his last exercise and approached Henry, he spoke up with concern. "Henry, you've been a little strange today. Are you okay?" He tilted his head, as he often did when asking a question, but now his eyebrows were arching upward, revealing his worry for his trainer. On top of that, as if that weren't enough, he even placed his palm on Henry's arm to support him... The brown haired man blushed redder than he ever had before..

"I-I-I..." 

"I'll get you a cold Coke from the vending machine, you might be low on sugar!" Hans said, and he was already on his way, leaving Henry there in a state of complete shock. He didn't move until the other man returned, and already opening the bottle, continued talking to him. "Sometimes it happens to me too- Oh, damn, it ran out a little..." 

The soda dripped down his long fingers, and the man immediately raised his hand to his mouth to lick as much of it off as he could with his tongue. He lingered a little too long on this activity, carefully cleaning each finger, and Henry didn't take his eyes off him for a second. As that pink tongue licked his skin and his lips closed around each finger one by one... Henry was completely lost. By the time he came to his senses, his cock stood hard in his pants, and unfortunately, it was terribly noticeable.

But on top of that, Henry was also incredibly clumsy, because when Hans finally looked him in the eye, the other man looked away to his erect member, which the blond followed with his gaze down quite easily. And his reaction? A knowing little smile.

"Hmm. It seems that it wasn't your sugar after all..." he said, closing the bottle. Henry couldn't utter a single word, he simply turned into a stone statue... At least that's how he felt.

Hans put the bottle down on the ground and leaned dangerously close to Henry's problem, but then straightened up again. The smile was still on his lips, his deep blue eyes twinkling mischievously at his instructor. "You just have to ask, Henry..."

And Henry, close to complete mental shutdown, was only able to nod slightly, and Hans' smile turned into a grin. "...What? I didn't hear you..."

The brown haired man swallowed hard, and overcoming the lump in his throat he mumbled the magic word. "Please... Hans..."

"...oh, Hans, for fuck's sake, please...!" 

They found a safe little spot in one of the gym's bathrooms, and the blond model was just practicing the mouth and tongue techniques he had demonstrated on his fingers, but this time on Henry's cock in one of the toilet stalls. Henry was leaning back against the wall, though his shaking legs were barely supporting his weight, and Hans was kneeling in front of him, pleasing him. 

Henry didn't know how it had happened, but maybe he didn't even want to know... He was just trying to comprehend the current situation, namely that Hans Capon was sucking him off... He was doing it so well, and Henry was trying to hold back his moans, but he couldn't really manage it. He couldn't control his hands either, he grabbed that perfect blond hair so hard, completely messing it up - he had always wanted to run his fingers through it, and now...

"H-Hans, I'm gonna... I'm about to..." he tried to warn the other man, but Hans just worked on him even harder, and Henry came shortly after, right down Hans' throat, who took it with playful ease. Panting, he let the other's member slip out of his mouth, then wiped his lips with the back of his hand and got up. A faint smile spread across his lips as he stepped toward Henry, so close that their chests pressed together.

The brown haired man's blue eyes looked back at him hazily, still a little lost in the moment... Hans stroked his cheek and placed his soft lips on Henry's, who returned the kiss, trembling slightly. "If you invite me for a cocktail, I'll forgive you for keeping me waiting for over a month." The blond chuckled, then brought their lips together again.

…

About a month and two weeks had passed since Henry and Bartosch had parted ways so ugly, and right this moment Bartosch was making coffee while waiting for the aforementioned idiot. Henry had written a few days ago that he wanted to talk about what had happened... And he promised in advance that he wouldn't be a jerk. Bartosch toyed with the idea of just blocking him, but that was just his hurt feelings talking. He had been waiting for this for so long... If he hadn't wanted to make up with the guy, he wouldn't have cared that Erik was trying to be nicer to him. He didn't know if that was the reason why the other guy had finally contacted him, but he dared to hope that Henry had at least noticed the change, because Erik had really stopped picking on him. Henry had stopped too, but Bartosch assumed that was because he had told the dumbass to go to hell. Well, he would find out now.

A few knocks on the door. Bartosch walked over with a heavy sigh, and prepared for anything, opened the door. Henry was standing there, smiling shyly, holding...

"...my jacket. I completely forgot that I left it at your place." Bartosch muttered suddenly, forgetting to say hello. This startled Henry, who nodded with a slight delay.

"Yes. I brought it back." he said, handing the black piece of clothing to him. 

"Thank you..." Bartosch hugged the coat in his arms, then suddenly came to his senses and invited Henry in. "Oh, come in. Let's not stand out here." With that, he stepped aside, and Henry came in. He closed the door behind him, then hung his jacket on the hook. "I made you some coffee. With lots of milk, just the way you like it." The black haired man headed for the kitchen, and Henry followed him, sitting down at the table inside.

Bartosch automatically expected Henry to want to talk on the couch, but he was pleasantly surprised when he turned around with the coffee mug in his hand and found the man sitting at the table. "...here you go." He set the drink down in front of him, then took a seat across from him with his own.

"Thanks..." Henry smiled and took a sip of coffee. "And also for... meeting with me. I would have understood if you had said no..."

"I can still send you away at any time, so choose your words carefully." Bartosch replied, his eyes fixed on the contents of his mug.

"I know... Okay, listen. Let's get this cleared up." Henry took a deep breath before he began. "I screwed up big time with you. I hurt you so much, I was such a moron. I meddled in something that was none of my business. And yes, it was all because I was stupid, in love with someone I thought was out of my reach, so I got all worked up about it. And... it backfired on you." He looked away for a moment, biting his lower lip. "Bartosch... You can't imagine how sorry I am about the whole thing..." he finally finished, clutching his mug between his hands.

The other just listened, still staring at his drink. He didn't look up at Henry once while he was talking, and he still didn't move. He was thinking, debating. Only the twitching furrow in his brow gave away that his silence was not accidental.

"I... I don't know what else to say. I was an asshole, insensitive, disrespectful. I didn't appreciate you or our friendship... But when you finally told me everything and left... I got really scared." Henry's voice trailed off, and his eyes seemed to tear up. Bartosch still didn't look at him, but he finally said something.

"Me too." he said a little weakly, then pressed his lips together. Henry kept looking at him and saw that the other man's eyes were slowly filling with tears.

"You too...?"

Bartosch covered his face. He didn't want to get emotional so easily, but damn it, Henry's statement affected him anyway. He had wanted to hear those words from him all this time... And finally, here they were, sincere and heartfelt. He couldn't help it, those damn tears started falling. "Yes..." he replied with difficulty. "Because... it seemed like I really meant nothing to you... and that was so scary..." he sniffed, his voice breaking repeatedly as he spoke, unable to prevent it, no matter how hard he tried to pull himself together.

Seeing and hearing this, Henry couldn't react any other way; tears streamed down his face, and before he knew what he was doing, he had moved over to sit next to Bartosch and pulled him into his arms. "I'm so sorry... I know it seemed that way, but it's not true. I was so afraid of losing you because of my own mistake... and what we had." Henry was now crying actively, and to his delight, Bartosch did not push him away, but leaned in close. "I swear I'll never do anything like that again. Please, let us try again... You're important to me. My head is clear now, seriously... I miss you."

Those last words pushed Bartosch over that invisible line, and he embraced Henry, tighter than ever before. The other man breathed a sigh of relief, and a tiny, hopeful smile appeared on his tear-stained face.

"I miss you too... The Henry I can gossip with about the gym, bake with, watch stupid TV shows with..." Bartosch whispered, burying his face in his neck. "...drink beer with, go to kickbox practice with... stuff like that..." 

Henry became emotional again, and it was very difficult for him not to sob, but somehow he managed. "I'm here, Bartosch. And I won't screw up again, okay?" 

"Okay..." 

Hearing this, the brown haired guy cried a little more, but slowly calmed down and realized that he had done it... He had won back his friend, whom he had almost lost completely. And he knew exactly how to convince him fully, if he hadn't succeeded so far.

He waited a few minutes for Bartosch to get himself together, gently stroking his back. Then, when he thought it might be time to say something, he asked "So... what about you and Erik...?"

Bartosch raised his head and looked at the other man with wide eyes, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. "...What?" That was all he could manage in his current state.

"Well... I've seen you two holding hands around the gym lately, and stuff... So I guess you guys are together now." Henry said quietly, trying to play innocent.

"Are you really asking me about Erik...?"

"Yes. Okay, fine, on purpose, but I'm really interested... Especially in your part." Henry murmured. "And he hasn't been giving me any crap lately, so... I'm not that mad at him."

Bartosch had to smile faintly at this. What Erik was doing really worked... Or rather, what he wasn't doing.

"What a twist." The black haired guy replied slowly, letting go of Henry and sitting back down in his chair. "Yes, we've been together for a few weeks now... I'm very happy with him. Maybe I've never felt so comfortable with anyone before..." Bartosch said, studying Henry's face. Maybe he was looking for signs of jealousy, but... he saw nothing. He was beginning to believe that he really had his friend back.

"That's great. I never would have thought he could be like this, but... If he makes you feel this way, then he can't be that bad." The other man shrugged briefly, his smile unflinching as he spoke. Bartosch just rolled his eyes, of course Henry couldn't resist a little teasing, but it wouldn't bother him anymore.

"In fact, he is quite charming." Bartosch grinned for the first time, then thought for a moment and asked something similar. "And what’s up with you and Hans? Have you made any progress in that regard?"  

Upon hearing the question, Henry straightened up proudly. "Imagine, for a start he gave me a blowjob in a restroom after one of our training sessions!"