Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel) - Chapter 20
Title: Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel)
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Twenty
Rating: R
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 5697
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
That night as David slept, Pierre laid in bed staring up at the dark ceiling completely awake. Images of what had happened continued to flash through his mind, and though he hadn’t been there and he hadn’t witnessed any of it David’s retelling of it had been horribly descriptive enough - paired with the injuries that told much of the story on their own - that he felt as if he could see it in his mind. The sounds of David’s frantic screaming and crying through the phone haunted him and he could hear what it must have sounded like for him to be screaming for Hunter to stop, the sound muffled by the other boy’s mouth as David fought against his attacker to get away. It chilled him through his bones and made him shake with a deep fury that he’d never known before.
Slowly Pierre sat up in bed, watching as David’s arm slid off of his chest and back down to the mattress by his own side. He looked over at him, seeing how peaceful he looked and feeling even more sick. How could Hunter hurt him like this? How could he hear his screams and feel anger at the noise? How could he claim that he loved David but do something so perverse and heinous to him? He couldn’t put himself in that mindset no matter how hard he tried. It didn’t matter if Hunter had been drunk or on drugs. There was no explaining or excusing what he had done, and more than anything Pierre wanted to look into his face and make it clear that he would never get away with touching David again.
He looked over to David’s nightstand, seeing his phone sitting there charging, and a deep burning desire took over his body. Quietly he pulled David’s phone off the charger and climbed out of the bed, walking a few feet over to the desk and sitting down at the chair. He unlocked the phone and went to David’s messages, finding the thread with Hunter’s name. He didn’t want to read their texts and he didn’t scroll up, not feeling threatened by the other boy in the slightest and not worried that they had said anything inappropriate despite the things David had told him that he had kept a secret. Instead he stared at the keyboard, his body wanting desperately to type out a message to Hunter pretending to be David and asking to meet. He stared at it, fighting against himself, reminding himself of the way David had so desperately pleaded with him not to confront Hunter. He wanted to respect his wishes and he knew that he was right, but how was he supposed to just sit back after what Hunter had done and do nothing?
He turned in the chair and looked over at David, moving his hand up to cover his mouth as he stared over at the dark figure of his sleeping boyfriend. What would David do if he did text Hunter? How would he react if he found out that Pierre had lured him somewhere and beat the shit out of him? His heart was racing as fast as his mind as he contemplated it, having Hunter meet him somewhere quiet and dark in the middle of the night, surprising the other boy by being the one to show up instead of David, pushing him down and hitting him over and over, not able to stop. He could see it in his mind, he could feel it in his hands, the way he would just continue to punch, never stopping, beating Hunter’s face with his fists until he became unrecognizable, until he stopped moving, until he stopped breathing. He swallowed hard and couldn’t take his eyes off of David as he saw it, hitting him until there was no life left inside of him and he died. It scared him how sure he was that he would kill Hunter if he saw him, and how okay he felt about that fact. If he could get away with it, he thought he would kill him in a heartbeat.
It was with a deep shaky breath that he shook his head at himself and looked back at the phone, backing out to the main screen before locking it again. If he killed Hunter, David would be safe but his life with him would be over. What would he do, try to hide his body? Try to go on living his life as if he had never done it? Ignore the news stories about the missing boy from Juneau? Constantly look over his shoulder, terrified that his body would turn up some day? And then if it did and an investigation started, would he be able to hide that it had been him? Would he really be able to live with himself knowing that he had killed someone? As much as he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he confronted Hunter, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it if he killed him and both his and David’s lives would be ruined.
He saw his life with David and the future they had planned and then he suddenly saw it taken away. He saw himself going to prison for murder, he saw David alone and depressed. He saw the images he had once longed for - in their own house doing chores together, walking a dog through the neighborhood, teaching a son how to play hockey or throw a football - and then he suddenly saw them all vanish, unattainable because of his inability to control himself, because of the hatred he felt for Hunter over the horrible things he had done to David. He knew if he didn’t listen to David and went after Hunter against his wishes he would hurt Davd beyond repair. No matter how much he wanted to seek vengeance, no matter how much he wanted to hurt Hunter for how he had hurt David, he knew he couldn’t allow himself to do it. He was too angry, too hurt, too devastated; he would ruin everything in a matter of minutes and their lives would never be the same again.
He grabbed David’s phone and walked back to the bed, plugging it in before laying back down and pulling the smaller boy back against his chest. The act of grabbing and moving him triggered a response in David and suddenly he bolted up in bed, pushing against Pierre with a scream, Pierre’s large figure in the darkness morphing into Hunter and causing him to panic. Pierre’s eyes widened and he tried to reach out to calm him, his voice loud as he yelled, “David, it’s me! It’s me!” but David began to hit him and press his body into the wall, crying and screaming frantically.
Pierre turned and clicked on the light on David’s nightstand, illuminating both of them in an instant before he turned back to the other boy with a worried expression. “David, it’s me,” he said again, this time more gently.
David sat with his back pressed against the wall for a moment, his eyes wide, his face streaked with tears, his arms out in front of him in self defense. Slowly his mind began to come back to reality and he saw Pierre clearly in front of him, realizing it was truly him and that Hunter was nowhere in sight. He relaxed off the wall but pulled his knees up and buried his face in them, allowing wild sobs to burst from his chest as his entire body shook. Pierre put his hands gently on the sides of David’s head and leaned down, his eyes closing as he placed the softest kiss he could muster on the top of his head. “It’s okay,” he whispered, feeling the urge to cry again sneaking up on him but pushing it down. “It’s okay, he’s not gonna hurt you again.”
Eventually he got David calmed down enough to lay back down and go to sleep, but the urge to end Hunter’s life continued to rage through him and it took him a long time to fall asleep. He just continued to remind himself of what he would lose, of the future he would throw away, of how much it would hurt David. He repeated these thoughts to himself, allowed them to steel his resolve to stay away because no matter how much he wanted to do it to hurt Hunter, he knew the person it would hurt most would be David.
The next couple of days were quiet and uncomfortable for both David and Pierre. They didn’t leave David’s house and instead spent all day inside, cuddling and watching TV and movies, and though this had been fairly normal for them at one point there was a certain fragile sadness to them that neither of them could escape. Pierre was also plagued by this restless anger that he didn’t know what to do with, feeling crazy for sitting there and doing nothing in response to David being attacked. He wanted to be doing something about it, to call the police or to handle Hunter himself, but David was adamant that the police wouldn’t be able to do anything and he knew it was for the best that he never come face to face with Hunter after what he had done. Still, it made him feel like he was losing his mind.
Pierre was also afraid to touch David suddenly or to kiss him, terrified that it would bring back memories of what Hunter had done to him. Though he had been at David’s house for three days, he hadn’t kissed David even one time, telling himself to allow David to initiate that contact. He worried that the fact that the other boy hadn’t reached out for that type of affection was an indication that he wasn’t ready for it and didn’t want to make him relive that traumatic night if he could avoid it. He could already see how much he was suffering, and every night so far David had woken up in the middle of the night screaming and had gotten scared of Pierre, thinking he was Hunter in his bed. Suddenly Pierre found himself not knowing how to be around David or how to make him feel better and it killed him.
David felt dirty and tainted. He felt like his lips wore a mask of Hunter’s kiss that he couldn’t rub off no matter how many times he washed himself and it made him feel sick. He felt like he could still taste his alcohol soaked tongue in his mouth and the idea of kissing Pierre felt wrong somehow, like he would taint him with his forced infidelity. No matter how much he knew it wasn’t his fault and that he hadn’t done anything wrong, he still felt guilty that someone else’s lips had been against his, and that someone else’s tongue had been in his mouth. The longer he waited for Pierre to kiss him the more he felt that the older boy must have thought the same thing, that Pierre didn’t want to kiss him when someone else had defiled his lips. Did his boyfriend feel gross about it? Had Hunter ruined him for the other boy forever? Before he knew it, his insecurities and his sense of shame had spiraled out of control.
As they sat on the couch that night, curled up in a blanket with Pierre’s arms securely around David and holding him close, David continued to find himself glancing up at the other boy’s face. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously as he watched him, wondering what he was thinking and why he hadn’t tried to kiss him yet and if he suddenly felt disgusted by him like his paranoid mind was telling him. Every time Pierre realized he was being looked at he turned his face and looked down, though he noticed each time this happened that David looked quickly away, his cheeks turning pink and his face sad. After what must have been the sixth or seventh time of this happening, his curiosity got the best of him and he found himself asking.
“What’s up?” he asked, his voice much softer than usual in his fear of scaring the other boy.
David just shook his head and kept his eyes on the TV as he replied, “Nothing.”
“You keep staring at me and looking away as soon as I look back,” Pierre pointed out. “It seems like something’s on your mind.” David just continued to shake his head and didn’t answer, and for the time being Pierre decided to let it go. He couldn’t imagine what David was feeling after what he had gone through or the thoughts that must have been running through his mind. As much as he wanted to know, he also didn’t want to push David into anything he wasn’t ready for so he allowed it to pass and they continued the night in silence.
As the night wore on, however, David’s glances at him had become more frequent and more obvious and he was really starting to wonder what he was thinking about. As they moved into David’s bedroom that night to go to sleep and he pulled off his shirt he looked over and saw again that the other boy had been staring at him and looked away quickly. The way he stood with his shoulders curled in and his arms wrapped around his torso told Pierre that something was definitely wrong and he lost his ability to keep it to himself anymore. He walked over to David, his hands very gently grabbing onto his upper arms and pulling his attention back to him. He saw the way David’s eyes focused on his lips for several seconds before flicking up to his eyes, looking up at him sadly. “Seriously, just talk to me about whatever it is you’re feeling,” he said quietly.
David’s head turned down and he shrunk into himself, hating how he felt about himself, and hating even more that he didn’t know if Pierre was having the same feelings about him. “Do you…” he started, but he felt his insecurity overwhelm him and he shook his head.
“David,” Pierre breathed, and as delicately as he could he moved a hand up under his jaw and lifted. David responded to his touch and looked back up, his eyes teary with a combination of shame and embarrassment. “I’ve never experienced anything like what you went through. I have no idea what you’re thinking or feeling and I don’t know what I should say or shouldn’t say. I need you to tell me what’s going on and what you need. I don’t know how to help you.” Pierre leaned his head down a little, trying to bring his face down to David’s a little closer, wanting him to understand how helpless he felt.
“Do you not want to kiss me because he did?” David whispered, his eyes big and sad as he voiced this fear.
Whatever Pierre could have anticipated David might say, it wouldn’t have ever been that. “No, why would you think that?” he asked quickly, sadness and confusion pouring from him.
“You haven’t kissed me at all and I…” David looked down again, feeling weak for how much he had been crying and hating the tears in his eyes. “I feel so… dirty… and gross…” he whispered, beginning to shake at the admission.
“David,” Pierre breathed again. He closed his eyes and pulled the other boy forward, holding him tenderly and shaking his head. “You’re not dirty or gross and believe me, I’ve wanted to kiss you plenty of times the past few days… I was just scared it might freak you out after what happened. I don’t want to do anything that’s gonna make you relive what he did to you.”
At this, David pulled out of Pierre’s arms and looked up at him again, and without waiting he snaked his arms up Pierre’s torso, around his neck, and lifted himself to kiss the other boy timidly. Pierre’s eyes fell closed and he brushed his thumb gently across David’s cheek as he kissed him back, a strange mixture of sadness and deep love making his heart squeeze uncomfortably.
The feel of Pierre’s lips against his made that undeniable urge to cry swell inside of David’s chest and he pulled back, hiding his face in the older boy’s neck and hugging him tightly as he lost that battle against himself. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his grip around Pierre’s neck growing stronger as the guilt of the situation he’d gotten himself into overwhelmed him.
Pierre’s arms tightened around David’s middle and his fingers pressed into his back, his face scrunching in pain as he shook his head against the top of the younger boy’s. “You have to stop blaming yourself, this isn’t your fault,” he told him firmly.
No matter how many times Pierre had said these words to him over the past few days, David couldn’t get that feeling of guilt under control. He just couldn’t stop telling himself that if he had been smarter, if he had refused to accept Hunter back into his life, if he had never allowed himself to be alone with the other boy, if he had stayed in the library and found help instead of running to his car, that Hunter would have never attacked him. All of his thoughts were telling him that he had walked himself right into what had happened and that he should have known better; he wondered if he would ever be able to feel any differently.
That night as they laid next to each other in his dark room, the desire to have Hunter completely wiped clean from his body came over him and David found himself on top of Pierre, kissing him with an entirely new kind of desperate need. Pierre responded to his kiss in a way that he couldn’t control, unable to stop himself from reciprocating every touch the other boy placed on him. The logical part of his mind told him they should move slowly, that being together in this way could have negative repercussions for David, but he couldn’t deny his boyfriend’s need, completely helpless to it. Before he could get a hold of himself and see clearly through his desire-clouded eyes, they were already finished and laying naked in each other’s arms, sweating and breathing hard. The haze that fell over him every time David touched him in this way slowly began to drain from him and he found himself worried and ridden with guilt, afraid of what the other boy was thinking and feeling.
For all of Pierre’s worry, however, David felt a warmth spreading through him for the first time in days and he clung to Pierre’s chest, feeling almost whole again. He nuzzled against the other boy’s skin, a kind of security and happiness settling over him that he had started to fear he would never be able to feel again. That night as he drifted to sleep it was without restless terror gnawing at the back of his mind and for the first time in days he truly slept, not once waking up during the night or dreaming of Hunter.
Things began to return to some semblance of normal over the next few days and more and more David found himself smiling and acting more relaxed. Slowly he found himself more playful, flirting with Pierre, reaching out more for physical intimacy. Pierre watched as his boyfriend began to return to himself, enjoying the way the light was returning to his eyes and his demeanor was becoming more full of life again. It comforted him each morning that he woke up and realized that David was still peacefully asleep and that he hadn’t woken up screaming and hitting him at all the night previously. The way David had gotten so scared of him those previous nights and had tried to fight him off was like a knife in the chest, though he couldn’t help but recognize how ineffective the other boy’s efforts were. He was certain that David had truly fought off Hunter that night with everything he had, but he also realized why it hadn’t had any effect on him whatsoever; David had no idea how to defend himself or fight.
“Come here,” Pierre told him one afternoon as he stood and moved to the middle of the living room. David gave him a quizzical look and stood without question, following after him and standing in front of him. Pierre took a small step back and looked into David’s eyes with determination. “I want you to punch me,” he said, giving no context for why.
A look of wild confusion and disbelief splashed across David’s features and he shook his head a little. “What?”
Pierre just nodded, not breaking eye contact. “Just try. Anywhere you want, just try to punch me,” he reiterated firmly.
“Pierre, I’m not gonna hit you,” David responded, looking even more uncertain now.
Pierre gave a crooked smile, unable to stop himself as he said, “No you’re not, but I still want you to try.”
David scoffed a little at that, oddly offended at Pierre’s certainty that he wouldn’t be able to land a hit on him. “Why are you trying to get me to hit you?” he asked skeptically.
“Look, I’ve got another week until I’m going back to Anchorage. If I’m leaving you here alone with that monster, I want to know you can at least defend yourself if he tries something with you again,” Pierre told him seriously, the smile falling from his lips entirely. The uncertain expression dropped from David’s face and he felt humbled, knowing without having to acknowledge it that he was physically useless as he currently was. He nodded, fixing Pierre with a sad look and chewing on the inside of his bottom lip a little. “So, try to punch me,” Pierre continued seriously.
David nodded again and held up his fists, feeling silly and uncertain in himself. The first time he had ever hit anyone in his life had been Ezra less than a week previously and he had only slapped him. He realized suddenly that he had no idea how to position his body or how he should even hold his arms and his hands. It was with hesitation and a hard swallow that he swung his right fist at Pierre’s chest. Too late it registered that Pierre made no movement to stop him and he pulled back at the last second, his fist making weak contact with the taller boy, panic rising in him instantly.
“I thought you were gonna stop me!” he exclaimed, flushing in discomfort as he pulled his fist back to his chest.
Pierre smiled a little though he tried to hide it, not wanting to make David feel insecure but knowing that there was nothing David could do to him that was going to hurt. “Just hit me, I want to see how hard you can actually hit and I knew you’d never put your full effort into it if I said I wasn’t gonna stop you,” he explained gently.
“Pierre, I don’t want to hit you!” David told him a little hysterically.
Pierre sighed and stepped forward, placing his hands on David’s head and leaning down to bring himself face to face with him. He smiled sadly as he stared into David’s eyes. “You can’t hurt me, I promise you,” he said, his voice soft but firm. David still shook his head, the idea of trying to actually hit his boyfriend feeling morally repugnant. Pierre sighed again and stepped back, instead holding his hands up in front of him. “Okay fine, punch my hands. I promise you’re not gonna hurt me. You’re more likely to hurt yourself, honestly.”
At this David scoffed a little again, feeling offended though he realistically knew it was true. He focused his eyes and glared a little, bringing his fists up with a nod. Again Pierre was visited by the strongest urge to smile, thinking David looked like a puffed up kitten trying to act tougher than he was but he tried to keep his face serious. This time David didn’t pull back as he punched Pierre’s hand though it still felt wrong and he knew he hadn’t used the full force he could have.
Pierre waited for David to pull his fist back to himself again before reaching forward and adjusting the way he was balling up his hand. He then moved his hands to David’s shoulders and twisted him slightly, helping him adjust his stance so he wasn’t facing him straight on but was instead turned to the side with a leg behind him. He grabbed David’s arms and pulled forward, showing the other boy how much to bend his arms and where to hold his fists in front of himself. Then he nodded and said, “Try again,” as he held his hands up in front of himself again.
David blinked a little and looked down at the way he was standing before focusing again on the hands in front of him, choosing one and sending a punch forward into it. This time he felt like his movement was easier and smoother and Pierre’s hand actually moved back a little at the connection though he could still feel a lack of power in himself and wondered if he would be able to hit Hunter harder if he needed to.
“That’s a little better,” Pierre told him, though he moved to stand by David’s side and got into his own stance. “Watch my feet, and the way I move when I punch,” he said, and he sent his fists forward into the air in front of him a few times, his body rocking forward, his foot pushing him through and providing power to his arm and fist. “You can’t just stand still and hit, you have to use your whole body to give yourself more power,” he explained, continuing to demonstrate.
David watched him with his eyes widened a little, thinking that he would never want to be on the receiving end of that punch. He tried to mimic Pierre’s movement, tried to let his legs and his body move with him though he couldn’t help the way he felt silly and like he would never be able to actually inflict injury on anyone even if he tried. Still, he knew it was important to try so he continued, suddenly being transported back to those months he had spent training and learning to play hockey with Pierre the year previously. Just as he had been then, he found himself impressed with the other boy’s physical prowess and intimidated by him in a way he didn’t want to admit.
Pierre turned to watch David for a minute, reaching over here and there to put his hands on his torso to help with his movement, to help show the other boy what it was supposed to feel like physically to move the right way. When he was satisfied that David was moving the right way he stood in front of him again and held his hands up, giving a nod. David felt nervous and swallowed hard but nodded back and though he felt strangely like a child he brought his attention back to Pierre’s hand and punched into it, satisfied immediately at the way that it felt more productive than it had before and that the other boy’s hand moved further back in response.
Pierre smiled and nodded a few times, glad to see that David was improving and that he was taking this lesson seriously. He loved the look of determination in the other boy’s eyes whenever something was important to him, recognizing that same fire David had shown in their hockey training the year previously. “I want you to try to punch through my hand. Don’t stop yourself at your target, imagine going through it,” he explained before holding his hands up again.
David nodded and took his instruction, doing exactly as Pierre said as he threw another punch forward. He could tell by the way Pierre smiled at him that he was happy with the improvement and he smiled a little himself, no matter how odd the situation felt. Pierre then showed him how to follow his right punch with one from his left fist, a movement that felt entirely foreign and unnatural to him as a strictly right-handed person. Pierre just stood next to him again and continued to demonstrate a quick right-left, one-two, over and over. David again mimicked his movement, watching him carefully and trying to move exactly as he was.
Pierre watched and again reached over to adjust his movements here and there before moving back in front of him with his hands raised. “Right punch in my right hand, left punch in my left hand, criss cross so it’s more natural,” he instructed simply, and again with a nod they continued. David’s mind continued to repeat the thought, One, two. One, two. One, two, to himself, his eyes focusing on Pierre’s hands until he saw nothing else. Over and over he hit, feeling zoned in and determined. Without meaning to, he began to see Hunter and that drove him forward, allowing him to put more power behind his punches as anger and hatred swelled inside of him.
Pierre saw the change in David’s eyes, he saw the way he squinted slightly in a glare, he saw the way he stopped thinking so much and just moved, and he knew that he was lost in this exercise. When David threw another punch his way, Pierre moved his hands up and out of the way without warning and allowed David’s right-left punches to hit him squarely in the stomach. To his surprise his body reacted and he leaned forward a little, his breath actually catching in his throat and his stomach clenching inward, and miraculously it actually stung a little. Though it wouldn’t be enough to knock Hunter out, it was a marked improvement and he could tell that David had learned the lesson.
David saw Pierre’s hands move too late and it wasn’t until after his mind completed the mantra one, two that he realized what had happened. His eyes widened and he snapped his hands back, moving them quickly to cover his mouth and nose in shock and horror. He saw the way Pierre’s body reacted to the hit and immediately he had tears in his eyes despite the way his boyfriend was smiling at him and looked pleased. “Why did you do that?!” he asked incredulously through his hands.
“I wanted to see how hard you can actually hit,” Pierre told him simply before reaching forward and pulling the other boy’s hands from his face. David glared at him with tears in his eyes but allowed his hands to be moved, feeling frustrated at the way the taller boy was smiling down at him. “Don’t be mad at me,” Pierre requested gently. “You didn’t hurt me, but that was so much better.”
“I’m so mad at you!” David retorted hotly. “You just made me actually hit you!”
“Look, if I can’t hit Hunter, I have to make sure you can,” Pierre told him, not releasing his hold on David’s hands. He felt reassured slightly by the fact that David didn’t pull away from him no matter how angry he looked.
David just continued to glare up at him, though it quickly turned into more of a defiant and frustrated pout than anything else. “Don’t do that again,” he said, hating that he thought he sounded a little bit like a child.
Pierre smiled and nodded. “Okay, I promise I won’t,” he said softly. David’s glare grew even more juvenile and stubborn and Pierre couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips at that. Still, he pushed past it and said, “If you hit him like that under the jaw or in the nose, you’ll actually hurt him and it should be enough to stun him so you can get away.” When David just continued to glare, Pierre reached forward and wrapped his arms low under David’s butt, lifting and bringing him up so that the younger boy’s face was a little higher than his own and just a couple of inches away. David blushed and his glare faltered, completely disarmed by the charming smile on Pierre’s face and the way his deep brown eyes were glimmering at him. “Forgive me?” he asked sweetly.
David nodded and without having any control of himself his arms wrapped around Pierre’s neck. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to Pierre’s, smiling in spite of himself. Pierre walked them over to the couch and gently lowered David down, coming down on top of him and holding himself up with his hands on either side of the other boy’s body. David moved his hands down Pierre’s arms slowly, stopping and grasping onto his upper arms, the feel of his strong muscles under his fingers bringing warmth to his body. He felt as Pierre’s muscles seemed to twitch and get harder and bigger under his hands and a wide smile cracked on his face. “Are you flexing?” he teased flirtatiously.
Pierre smirked a little and raised his eyebrows, flexing his arms again against David’s hands. “You like it?” he asked coyly. David bit his bottom lip and smiled, giving a nod with twinkling eyes. Without further hesitation they met in a kiss and were lost to each other, caught up in the fire between them that somehow or another hadn’t been extinguished by the horrible thing that had happened to David just days prior. They surrendered themselves entirely to their passion, allowing it to heal their pain bit by bit and at least for that moment, everything felt right again.
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Twenty
Rating: R
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 5697
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
That night as David slept, Pierre laid in bed staring up at the dark ceiling completely awake. Images of what had happened continued to flash through his mind, and though he hadn’t been there and he hadn’t witnessed any of it David’s retelling of it had been horribly descriptive enough - paired with the injuries that told much of the story on their own - that he felt as if he could see it in his mind. The sounds of David’s frantic screaming and crying through the phone haunted him and he could hear what it must have sounded like for him to be screaming for Hunter to stop, the sound muffled by the other boy’s mouth as David fought against his attacker to get away. It chilled him through his bones and made him shake with a deep fury that he’d never known before.
Slowly Pierre sat up in bed, watching as David’s arm slid off of his chest and back down to the mattress by his own side. He looked over at him, seeing how peaceful he looked and feeling even more sick. How could Hunter hurt him like this? How could he hear his screams and feel anger at the noise? How could he claim that he loved David but do something so perverse and heinous to him? He couldn’t put himself in that mindset no matter how hard he tried. It didn’t matter if Hunter had been drunk or on drugs. There was no explaining or excusing what he had done, and more than anything Pierre wanted to look into his face and make it clear that he would never get away with touching David again.
He looked over to David’s nightstand, seeing his phone sitting there charging, and a deep burning desire took over his body. Quietly he pulled David’s phone off the charger and climbed out of the bed, walking a few feet over to the desk and sitting down at the chair. He unlocked the phone and went to David’s messages, finding the thread with Hunter’s name. He didn’t want to read their texts and he didn’t scroll up, not feeling threatened by the other boy in the slightest and not worried that they had said anything inappropriate despite the things David had told him that he had kept a secret. Instead he stared at the keyboard, his body wanting desperately to type out a message to Hunter pretending to be David and asking to meet. He stared at it, fighting against himself, reminding himself of the way David had so desperately pleaded with him not to confront Hunter. He wanted to respect his wishes and he knew that he was right, but how was he supposed to just sit back after what Hunter had done and do nothing?
He turned in the chair and looked over at David, moving his hand up to cover his mouth as he stared over at the dark figure of his sleeping boyfriend. What would David do if he did text Hunter? How would he react if he found out that Pierre had lured him somewhere and beat the shit out of him? His heart was racing as fast as his mind as he contemplated it, having Hunter meet him somewhere quiet and dark in the middle of the night, surprising the other boy by being the one to show up instead of David, pushing him down and hitting him over and over, not able to stop. He could see it in his mind, he could feel it in his hands, the way he would just continue to punch, never stopping, beating Hunter’s face with his fists until he became unrecognizable, until he stopped moving, until he stopped breathing. He swallowed hard and couldn’t take his eyes off of David as he saw it, hitting him until there was no life left inside of him and he died. It scared him how sure he was that he would kill Hunter if he saw him, and how okay he felt about that fact. If he could get away with it, he thought he would kill him in a heartbeat.
It was with a deep shaky breath that he shook his head at himself and looked back at the phone, backing out to the main screen before locking it again. If he killed Hunter, David would be safe but his life with him would be over. What would he do, try to hide his body? Try to go on living his life as if he had never done it? Ignore the news stories about the missing boy from Juneau? Constantly look over his shoulder, terrified that his body would turn up some day? And then if it did and an investigation started, would he be able to hide that it had been him? Would he really be able to live with himself knowing that he had killed someone? As much as he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he confronted Hunter, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it if he killed him and both his and David’s lives would be ruined.
He saw his life with David and the future they had planned and then he suddenly saw it taken away. He saw himself going to prison for murder, he saw David alone and depressed. He saw the images he had once longed for - in their own house doing chores together, walking a dog through the neighborhood, teaching a son how to play hockey or throw a football - and then he suddenly saw them all vanish, unattainable because of his inability to control himself, because of the hatred he felt for Hunter over the horrible things he had done to David. He knew if he didn’t listen to David and went after Hunter against his wishes he would hurt Davd beyond repair. No matter how much he wanted to seek vengeance, no matter how much he wanted to hurt Hunter for how he had hurt David, he knew he couldn’t allow himself to do it. He was too angry, too hurt, too devastated; he would ruin everything in a matter of minutes and their lives would never be the same again.
He grabbed David’s phone and walked back to the bed, plugging it in before laying back down and pulling the smaller boy back against his chest. The act of grabbing and moving him triggered a response in David and suddenly he bolted up in bed, pushing against Pierre with a scream, Pierre’s large figure in the darkness morphing into Hunter and causing him to panic. Pierre’s eyes widened and he tried to reach out to calm him, his voice loud as he yelled, “David, it’s me! It’s me!” but David began to hit him and press his body into the wall, crying and screaming frantically.
Pierre turned and clicked on the light on David’s nightstand, illuminating both of them in an instant before he turned back to the other boy with a worried expression. “David, it’s me,” he said again, this time more gently.
David sat with his back pressed against the wall for a moment, his eyes wide, his face streaked with tears, his arms out in front of him in self defense. Slowly his mind began to come back to reality and he saw Pierre clearly in front of him, realizing it was truly him and that Hunter was nowhere in sight. He relaxed off the wall but pulled his knees up and buried his face in them, allowing wild sobs to burst from his chest as his entire body shook. Pierre put his hands gently on the sides of David’s head and leaned down, his eyes closing as he placed the softest kiss he could muster on the top of his head. “It’s okay,” he whispered, feeling the urge to cry again sneaking up on him but pushing it down. “It’s okay, he’s not gonna hurt you again.”
Eventually he got David calmed down enough to lay back down and go to sleep, but the urge to end Hunter’s life continued to rage through him and it took him a long time to fall asleep. He just continued to remind himself of what he would lose, of the future he would throw away, of how much it would hurt David. He repeated these thoughts to himself, allowed them to steel his resolve to stay away because no matter how much he wanted to do it to hurt Hunter, he knew the person it would hurt most would be David.
The next couple of days were quiet and uncomfortable for both David and Pierre. They didn’t leave David’s house and instead spent all day inside, cuddling and watching TV and movies, and though this had been fairly normal for them at one point there was a certain fragile sadness to them that neither of them could escape. Pierre was also plagued by this restless anger that he didn’t know what to do with, feeling crazy for sitting there and doing nothing in response to David being attacked. He wanted to be doing something about it, to call the police or to handle Hunter himself, but David was adamant that the police wouldn’t be able to do anything and he knew it was for the best that he never come face to face with Hunter after what he had done. Still, it made him feel like he was losing his mind.
Pierre was also afraid to touch David suddenly or to kiss him, terrified that it would bring back memories of what Hunter had done to him. Though he had been at David’s house for three days, he hadn’t kissed David even one time, telling himself to allow David to initiate that contact. He worried that the fact that the other boy hadn’t reached out for that type of affection was an indication that he wasn’t ready for it and didn’t want to make him relive that traumatic night if he could avoid it. He could already see how much he was suffering, and every night so far David had woken up in the middle of the night screaming and had gotten scared of Pierre, thinking he was Hunter in his bed. Suddenly Pierre found himself not knowing how to be around David or how to make him feel better and it killed him.
David felt dirty and tainted. He felt like his lips wore a mask of Hunter’s kiss that he couldn’t rub off no matter how many times he washed himself and it made him feel sick. He felt like he could still taste his alcohol soaked tongue in his mouth and the idea of kissing Pierre felt wrong somehow, like he would taint him with his forced infidelity. No matter how much he knew it wasn’t his fault and that he hadn’t done anything wrong, he still felt guilty that someone else’s lips had been against his, and that someone else’s tongue had been in his mouth. The longer he waited for Pierre to kiss him the more he felt that the older boy must have thought the same thing, that Pierre didn’t want to kiss him when someone else had defiled his lips. Did his boyfriend feel gross about it? Had Hunter ruined him for the other boy forever? Before he knew it, his insecurities and his sense of shame had spiraled out of control.
As they sat on the couch that night, curled up in a blanket with Pierre’s arms securely around David and holding him close, David continued to find himself glancing up at the other boy’s face. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously as he watched him, wondering what he was thinking and why he hadn’t tried to kiss him yet and if he suddenly felt disgusted by him like his paranoid mind was telling him. Every time Pierre realized he was being looked at he turned his face and looked down, though he noticed each time this happened that David looked quickly away, his cheeks turning pink and his face sad. After what must have been the sixth or seventh time of this happening, his curiosity got the best of him and he found himself asking.
“What’s up?” he asked, his voice much softer than usual in his fear of scaring the other boy.
David just shook his head and kept his eyes on the TV as he replied, “Nothing.”
“You keep staring at me and looking away as soon as I look back,” Pierre pointed out. “It seems like something’s on your mind.” David just continued to shake his head and didn’t answer, and for the time being Pierre decided to let it go. He couldn’t imagine what David was feeling after what he had gone through or the thoughts that must have been running through his mind. As much as he wanted to know, he also didn’t want to push David into anything he wasn’t ready for so he allowed it to pass and they continued the night in silence.
As the night wore on, however, David’s glances at him had become more frequent and more obvious and he was really starting to wonder what he was thinking about. As they moved into David’s bedroom that night to go to sleep and he pulled off his shirt he looked over and saw again that the other boy had been staring at him and looked away quickly. The way he stood with his shoulders curled in and his arms wrapped around his torso told Pierre that something was definitely wrong and he lost his ability to keep it to himself anymore. He walked over to David, his hands very gently grabbing onto his upper arms and pulling his attention back to him. He saw the way David’s eyes focused on his lips for several seconds before flicking up to his eyes, looking up at him sadly. “Seriously, just talk to me about whatever it is you’re feeling,” he said quietly.
David’s head turned down and he shrunk into himself, hating how he felt about himself, and hating even more that he didn’t know if Pierre was having the same feelings about him. “Do you…” he started, but he felt his insecurity overwhelm him and he shook his head.
“David,” Pierre breathed, and as delicately as he could he moved a hand up under his jaw and lifted. David responded to his touch and looked back up, his eyes teary with a combination of shame and embarrassment. “I’ve never experienced anything like what you went through. I have no idea what you’re thinking or feeling and I don’t know what I should say or shouldn’t say. I need you to tell me what’s going on and what you need. I don’t know how to help you.” Pierre leaned his head down a little, trying to bring his face down to David’s a little closer, wanting him to understand how helpless he felt.
“Do you not want to kiss me because he did?” David whispered, his eyes big and sad as he voiced this fear.
Whatever Pierre could have anticipated David might say, it wouldn’t have ever been that. “No, why would you think that?” he asked quickly, sadness and confusion pouring from him.
“You haven’t kissed me at all and I…” David looked down again, feeling weak for how much he had been crying and hating the tears in his eyes. “I feel so… dirty… and gross…” he whispered, beginning to shake at the admission.
“David,” Pierre breathed again. He closed his eyes and pulled the other boy forward, holding him tenderly and shaking his head. “You’re not dirty or gross and believe me, I’ve wanted to kiss you plenty of times the past few days… I was just scared it might freak you out after what happened. I don’t want to do anything that’s gonna make you relive what he did to you.”
At this, David pulled out of Pierre’s arms and looked up at him again, and without waiting he snaked his arms up Pierre’s torso, around his neck, and lifted himself to kiss the other boy timidly. Pierre’s eyes fell closed and he brushed his thumb gently across David’s cheek as he kissed him back, a strange mixture of sadness and deep love making his heart squeeze uncomfortably.
The feel of Pierre’s lips against his made that undeniable urge to cry swell inside of David’s chest and he pulled back, hiding his face in the older boy’s neck and hugging him tightly as he lost that battle against himself. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his grip around Pierre’s neck growing stronger as the guilt of the situation he’d gotten himself into overwhelmed him.
Pierre’s arms tightened around David’s middle and his fingers pressed into his back, his face scrunching in pain as he shook his head against the top of the younger boy’s. “You have to stop blaming yourself, this isn’t your fault,” he told him firmly.
No matter how many times Pierre had said these words to him over the past few days, David couldn’t get that feeling of guilt under control. He just couldn’t stop telling himself that if he had been smarter, if he had refused to accept Hunter back into his life, if he had never allowed himself to be alone with the other boy, if he had stayed in the library and found help instead of running to his car, that Hunter would have never attacked him. All of his thoughts were telling him that he had walked himself right into what had happened and that he should have known better; he wondered if he would ever be able to feel any differently.
That night as they laid next to each other in his dark room, the desire to have Hunter completely wiped clean from his body came over him and David found himself on top of Pierre, kissing him with an entirely new kind of desperate need. Pierre responded to his kiss in a way that he couldn’t control, unable to stop himself from reciprocating every touch the other boy placed on him. The logical part of his mind told him they should move slowly, that being together in this way could have negative repercussions for David, but he couldn’t deny his boyfriend’s need, completely helpless to it. Before he could get a hold of himself and see clearly through his desire-clouded eyes, they were already finished and laying naked in each other’s arms, sweating and breathing hard. The haze that fell over him every time David touched him in this way slowly began to drain from him and he found himself worried and ridden with guilt, afraid of what the other boy was thinking and feeling.
For all of Pierre’s worry, however, David felt a warmth spreading through him for the first time in days and he clung to Pierre’s chest, feeling almost whole again. He nuzzled against the other boy’s skin, a kind of security and happiness settling over him that he had started to fear he would never be able to feel again. That night as he drifted to sleep it was without restless terror gnawing at the back of his mind and for the first time in days he truly slept, not once waking up during the night or dreaming of Hunter.
Things began to return to some semblance of normal over the next few days and more and more David found himself smiling and acting more relaxed. Slowly he found himself more playful, flirting with Pierre, reaching out more for physical intimacy. Pierre watched as his boyfriend began to return to himself, enjoying the way the light was returning to his eyes and his demeanor was becoming more full of life again. It comforted him each morning that he woke up and realized that David was still peacefully asleep and that he hadn’t woken up screaming and hitting him at all the night previously. The way David had gotten so scared of him those previous nights and had tried to fight him off was like a knife in the chest, though he couldn’t help but recognize how ineffective the other boy’s efforts were. He was certain that David had truly fought off Hunter that night with everything he had, but he also realized why it hadn’t had any effect on him whatsoever; David had no idea how to defend himself or fight.
“Come here,” Pierre told him one afternoon as he stood and moved to the middle of the living room. David gave him a quizzical look and stood without question, following after him and standing in front of him. Pierre took a small step back and looked into David’s eyes with determination. “I want you to punch me,” he said, giving no context for why.
A look of wild confusion and disbelief splashed across David’s features and he shook his head a little. “What?”
Pierre just nodded, not breaking eye contact. “Just try. Anywhere you want, just try to punch me,” he reiterated firmly.
“Pierre, I’m not gonna hit you,” David responded, looking even more uncertain now.
Pierre gave a crooked smile, unable to stop himself as he said, “No you’re not, but I still want you to try.”
David scoffed a little at that, oddly offended at Pierre’s certainty that he wouldn’t be able to land a hit on him. “Why are you trying to get me to hit you?” he asked skeptically.
“Look, I’ve got another week until I’m going back to Anchorage. If I’m leaving you here alone with that monster, I want to know you can at least defend yourself if he tries something with you again,” Pierre told him seriously, the smile falling from his lips entirely. The uncertain expression dropped from David’s face and he felt humbled, knowing without having to acknowledge it that he was physically useless as he currently was. He nodded, fixing Pierre with a sad look and chewing on the inside of his bottom lip a little. “So, try to punch me,” Pierre continued seriously.
David nodded again and held up his fists, feeling silly and uncertain in himself. The first time he had ever hit anyone in his life had been Ezra less than a week previously and he had only slapped him. He realized suddenly that he had no idea how to position his body or how he should even hold his arms and his hands. It was with hesitation and a hard swallow that he swung his right fist at Pierre’s chest. Too late it registered that Pierre made no movement to stop him and he pulled back at the last second, his fist making weak contact with the taller boy, panic rising in him instantly.
“I thought you were gonna stop me!” he exclaimed, flushing in discomfort as he pulled his fist back to his chest.
Pierre smiled a little though he tried to hide it, not wanting to make David feel insecure but knowing that there was nothing David could do to him that was going to hurt. “Just hit me, I want to see how hard you can actually hit and I knew you’d never put your full effort into it if I said I wasn’t gonna stop you,” he explained gently.
“Pierre, I don’t want to hit you!” David told him a little hysterically.
Pierre sighed and stepped forward, placing his hands on David’s head and leaning down to bring himself face to face with him. He smiled sadly as he stared into David’s eyes. “You can’t hurt me, I promise you,” he said, his voice soft but firm. David still shook his head, the idea of trying to actually hit his boyfriend feeling morally repugnant. Pierre sighed again and stepped back, instead holding his hands up in front of him. “Okay fine, punch my hands. I promise you’re not gonna hurt me. You’re more likely to hurt yourself, honestly.”
At this David scoffed a little again, feeling offended though he realistically knew it was true. He focused his eyes and glared a little, bringing his fists up with a nod. Again Pierre was visited by the strongest urge to smile, thinking David looked like a puffed up kitten trying to act tougher than he was but he tried to keep his face serious. This time David didn’t pull back as he punched Pierre’s hand though it still felt wrong and he knew he hadn’t used the full force he could have.
Pierre waited for David to pull his fist back to himself again before reaching forward and adjusting the way he was balling up his hand. He then moved his hands to David’s shoulders and twisted him slightly, helping him adjust his stance so he wasn’t facing him straight on but was instead turned to the side with a leg behind him. He grabbed David’s arms and pulled forward, showing the other boy how much to bend his arms and where to hold his fists in front of himself. Then he nodded and said, “Try again,” as he held his hands up in front of himself again.
David blinked a little and looked down at the way he was standing before focusing again on the hands in front of him, choosing one and sending a punch forward into it. This time he felt like his movement was easier and smoother and Pierre’s hand actually moved back a little at the connection though he could still feel a lack of power in himself and wondered if he would be able to hit Hunter harder if he needed to.
“That’s a little better,” Pierre told him, though he moved to stand by David’s side and got into his own stance. “Watch my feet, and the way I move when I punch,” he said, and he sent his fists forward into the air in front of him a few times, his body rocking forward, his foot pushing him through and providing power to his arm and fist. “You can’t just stand still and hit, you have to use your whole body to give yourself more power,” he explained, continuing to demonstrate.
David watched him with his eyes widened a little, thinking that he would never want to be on the receiving end of that punch. He tried to mimic Pierre’s movement, tried to let his legs and his body move with him though he couldn’t help the way he felt silly and like he would never be able to actually inflict injury on anyone even if he tried. Still, he knew it was important to try so he continued, suddenly being transported back to those months he had spent training and learning to play hockey with Pierre the year previously. Just as he had been then, he found himself impressed with the other boy’s physical prowess and intimidated by him in a way he didn’t want to admit.
Pierre turned to watch David for a minute, reaching over here and there to put his hands on his torso to help with his movement, to help show the other boy what it was supposed to feel like physically to move the right way. When he was satisfied that David was moving the right way he stood in front of him again and held his hands up, giving a nod. David felt nervous and swallowed hard but nodded back and though he felt strangely like a child he brought his attention back to Pierre’s hand and punched into it, satisfied immediately at the way that it felt more productive than it had before and that the other boy’s hand moved further back in response.
Pierre smiled and nodded a few times, glad to see that David was improving and that he was taking this lesson seriously. He loved the look of determination in the other boy’s eyes whenever something was important to him, recognizing that same fire David had shown in their hockey training the year previously. “I want you to try to punch through my hand. Don’t stop yourself at your target, imagine going through it,” he explained before holding his hands up again.
David nodded and took his instruction, doing exactly as Pierre said as he threw another punch forward. He could tell by the way Pierre smiled at him that he was happy with the improvement and he smiled a little himself, no matter how odd the situation felt. Pierre then showed him how to follow his right punch with one from his left fist, a movement that felt entirely foreign and unnatural to him as a strictly right-handed person. Pierre just stood next to him again and continued to demonstrate a quick right-left, one-two, over and over. David again mimicked his movement, watching him carefully and trying to move exactly as he was.
Pierre watched and again reached over to adjust his movements here and there before moving back in front of him with his hands raised. “Right punch in my right hand, left punch in my left hand, criss cross so it’s more natural,” he instructed simply, and again with a nod they continued. David’s mind continued to repeat the thought, One, two. One, two. One, two, to himself, his eyes focusing on Pierre’s hands until he saw nothing else. Over and over he hit, feeling zoned in and determined. Without meaning to, he began to see Hunter and that drove him forward, allowing him to put more power behind his punches as anger and hatred swelled inside of him.
Pierre saw the change in David’s eyes, he saw the way he squinted slightly in a glare, he saw the way he stopped thinking so much and just moved, and he knew that he was lost in this exercise. When David threw another punch his way, Pierre moved his hands up and out of the way without warning and allowed David’s right-left punches to hit him squarely in the stomach. To his surprise his body reacted and he leaned forward a little, his breath actually catching in his throat and his stomach clenching inward, and miraculously it actually stung a little. Though it wouldn’t be enough to knock Hunter out, it was a marked improvement and he could tell that David had learned the lesson.
David saw Pierre’s hands move too late and it wasn’t until after his mind completed the mantra one, two that he realized what had happened. His eyes widened and he snapped his hands back, moving them quickly to cover his mouth and nose in shock and horror. He saw the way Pierre’s body reacted to the hit and immediately he had tears in his eyes despite the way his boyfriend was smiling at him and looked pleased. “Why did you do that?!” he asked incredulously through his hands.
“I wanted to see how hard you can actually hit,” Pierre told him simply before reaching forward and pulling the other boy’s hands from his face. David glared at him with tears in his eyes but allowed his hands to be moved, feeling frustrated at the way the taller boy was smiling down at him. “Don’t be mad at me,” Pierre requested gently. “You didn’t hurt me, but that was so much better.”
“I’m so mad at you!” David retorted hotly. “You just made me actually hit you!”
“Look, if I can’t hit Hunter, I have to make sure you can,” Pierre told him, not releasing his hold on David’s hands. He felt reassured slightly by the fact that David didn’t pull away from him no matter how angry he looked.
David just continued to glare up at him, though it quickly turned into more of a defiant and frustrated pout than anything else. “Don’t do that again,” he said, hating that he thought he sounded a little bit like a child.
Pierre smiled and nodded. “Okay, I promise I won’t,” he said softly. David’s glare grew even more juvenile and stubborn and Pierre couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips at that. Still, he pushed past it and said, “If you hit him like that under the jaw or in the nose, you’ll actually hurt him and it should be enough to stun him so you can get away.” When David just continued to glare, Pierre reached forward and wrapped his arms low under David’s butt, lifting and bringing him up so that the younger boy’s face was a little higher than his own and just a couple of inches away. David blushed and his glare faltered, completely disarmed by the charming smile on Pierre’s face and the way his deep brown eyes were glimmering at him. “Forgive me?” he asked sweetly.
David nodded and without having any control of himself his arms wrapped around Pierre’s neck. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to Pierre’s, smiling in spite of himself. Pierre walked them over to the couch and gently lowered David down, coming down on top of him and holding himself up with his hands on either side of the other boy’s body. David moved his hands down Pierre’s arms slowly, stopping and grasping onto his upper arms, the feel of his strong muscles under his fingers bringing warmth to his body. He felt as Pierre’s muscles seemed to twitch and get harder and bigger under his hands and a wide smile cracked on his face. “Are you flexing?” he teased flirtatiously.
Pierre smirked a little and raised his eyebrows, flexing his arms again against David’s hands. “You like it?” he asked coyly. David bit his bottom lip and smiled, giving a nod with twinkling eyes. Without further hesitation they met in a kiss and were lost to each other, caught up in the fire between them that somehow or another hadn’t been extinguished by the horrible thing that had happened to David just days prior. They surrendered themselves entirely to their passion, allowing it to heal their pain bit by bit and at least for that moment, everything felt right again.