Chris passed Lance on his way into the room, Lance ambling out with a smile on his face. Joey had sounded like he was in bad shape on the phone, but maybe Lance had managed to cheer him up a little. He could only hope.

"Hey Joey," he said, finding him spread across on the couch and watching a Three's Company rerun. "What's up? You okay?"

Joey looked up at him and smiled. "I'm good," he said, languidly pulling himself up to slouch against the arm of the couch, patting the now-empty spot next to him. "Thanks for coming."

"What's on your mind, Joe Blow?" asked Chris as he wiggled into the small space.

Joey sighed and looked almost nervous as he turned his face to look at him. "This is kind of embarrassing," he said, "but you're my best friend and I trust you so I'm just gonna come out with it ... "

"Come out with what?" asked Chris, more curious now than concerned, laying a comforting hand on Joey's calf.

"Okay, here's the thing," said Joey, squirming almost prettily. "I've kinda been ... learning stuff about myself recently ... " Chris chuckled and Joey grinned. "Okay, I know, get on with it. See … I know you've been with guys before. And I've never been with a guy. And ... I'd like to ... "

Chris stared for a moment, then swallowed thickly. "You'd like to ... ask questions, maybe? Like to ask for advice about where to start?"

"I'd like you to be my first," said Joey.

Chris stared at him again, incredulous. And suddenly very turned on. "Me? You want me to be your first? Why me?"

Joey leaned over and braced himself with both arms, trapping Chris against the opposite arm of the couch. "Because you're Chris, and I trust you, and I know you'll make it good for me. It doesn't have to mean anything, other than that you're my friend and you're willing to do this for me. Are you willing to do this for me?"

At that point his mouth was hovering just over Chris's; it was hardly an effort at all to lean up and kiss him slickly with tongue and lips and teeth. After that a verbal answer would have been superfluous. Chris reached for Joey, but not as quickly or as smoothly as Joey reached for him, curling a hand around his arm and urging him off the couch, toward the bed.

Fast mover, Joey, but that wasn't news to Chris.

His clothes were stripped off quickly but not desperately, with an efficiency born of experience and need. Joey hands were sure on his buttons and on his zipper and on everything underneath until it was piled in a tidy heap on the floor. He expected to be batted away when he reached for Joey's rumpled clothing, but Joey gave him an easy smile and sat back so that Chris could take care of him, sliding clothing down muscular arms and legs until it was heaped with his own.

Joey was warm and hard and pulsing with life everywhere Chris touched. He ran his hand wherever he saw bare skin, which was everywhere. Joey's mouth found his collarbone, then his ear, then when Chris was flat on his back Joey found his lips again, kissing like it was the first, last and only time they ever would. And maybe it was.

Chris wasn't even sure how they were going to do it, who was going to be on who, in who, wrapped around who, until Joey rolled them over and spread his legs. He closed his eyes and felt a shiver go through him at the sight of Joey so hot, so aroused, so willing. Joey'd been ready for this, lubricant and condoms lined up shamelessly on the bedside table, and in the moment before he was distracted by Joey's body again Chris thought maybe he should remind him that this didn't have to be all about efficiency.

They still needed to say nothing as Chris tongued his way down Joey's prone body, finding secret dips and curves and places that made Joey quiver. His hands tried to be everywhere at once, restless, wanting to make this brief moment memorable. Joey's hands were more leisurely, stroking the bits of Chris that he could reach, idly tracing the muscles of his arms and the contours of his face.

Joey knew enough not to clutch at Chris's hair as he began to suck him, well versed in the ways of blowjobs, obviously. His hips rocked upwards, exposing himself for whatever Chris was going to do to him next. Not that Chris felt in control of the situation at all. He slid his lips away, strings of saliva still connecting them for long moments afterward, and sucked a finger into his mouth to make it slick and smooth.

Joey was easy to enter, relaxed and poised and not resisting him at all. Chris gasped at the way he slid right in yet was still held tightly by the strong muscles. He groped for the lubricant, feeling clumsy in the face of Joey's surprising grace, and spread it over himself quickly. He resisted the strong urge to continue stroking himself until he came all over Joey's stomach.

A second finger entered Joey as easily as the first, and Joey moaned and arched back and looked so absolutely wanton that Chris needed to be inside him. Immediately.

About thirty seconds later he was, holding Joey's hip up with one hand and his knee up with the other, sliding oh, so slowly inside him. Joey took it all, and his moans begged for more.

Chris wanted to say something, something about how good this was or how amazed he was or how much he thought Joey looked like a sex god but all that came out of his mouth when he opened it was a long, low groan. He slid in and out of Joey's body like it was the only thing he wanted to be doing the last few moments he was alive. When his eyes met Joey's, as wide and bright as his own, he knew it was almost over. For both of them.

Joey cried out as he came, a sound that was as sharp and abrupt as the spurts that came out of him. Chris let go of his knee, Joey's leg falling heavily against his shoulder, and ran his fingers over Joey's slick stomach as he plunged inside him one last time. He shuddered as he came, quiet breathy sounds escaping his lips.

They remained motionless, panting, staring, for far longer than they needed to before Chris finally let go and slid out of him with only a momentary wince. He could have spoken now, but found he had nothing to say.

The phone rang, shattering the silence between them, and after a few more moments Joey rolled over and answered. Chris got off the bed as Joey spoke in hushed tones to whoever was on the other end, finding a tissue and making a half-assed job of cleaning himself. It seemed like the least urgent thing in the world, to get the traces of Joey off of him.

"They're looking for you downstairs," said Joey, his voice rough and sounding regretful. "Something about a meeting you're supposed to be at?"

"I forgot," murmured Chris, the urgency of that eluding him, too. But there was no getting out of it. He bent over, muscles stiff from so recent use, and handed Joey his clothes. He slipped his own on, hating that he had to hide his body so soon after the were through, hating that he couldn't crawl back onto the bed and just hold Joey and ask him if it had been everything he was hoping.

Joey put his own clothes on and pulled the covers tight on the bed so it looked almost as though they'd never been there. But Chris still knew, and would never forget. When Joey went over to spread himself out on the couch again, Chris realized he had to say good-bye.

"I'll come by later, Joey," he said, straightening his shirt and his hair and trying not to look so freshly fucked. "I promise. This won't take long."

"Thanks, Chris," he said with a sated smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Chris passed JC on his way out of the room, ambling out with a smile on his face. JC looked concerned as he stepped inside so Chris gave him a goofy smile; Joey was fine now, there was no reason to worry. He was pretty sure he'd managed to make his first time a good one.