Opposites Attract

(Keith)
How many days are in a month again? How many days have passed?

This is torture.

Okay, so you must be just as confused as I am. I gave Dallan the 'one-month' rule: no sex for a month. We haven't done it yet, or really gotten past making out, but even that's been cut off. And you wanna know the weird part?

I didn't say no making out.

Nope, Dallan is cutting me off!

How did this even happen? He's supposed to hate the waiting, not me! Not that I want either of us to suffer, I just don't understand this!

He won't kiss me for more than a few seconds. He's cut off all suggestive comments. He isn't sleeping over anymore (we made that a rule too, but I didn't expect him to follow it so well). In fact, the most we've done is hold hands.

I haven't had sex in... well it's been way too long for me to even remember, and he's used to sleeping around religiously, so how the hell have the roles been reversed? And even though he's not being intimate with me, he's still driving me crazy. On Monday, he came over to hang out and he just so happened to spill soda on his shirt so he had to change out of it, take a shower, and put on one of my button-ups because all my regular t-shirts were in the laundry. So I was forced to watch him peel off a tight-fitting shirt, revealing his muscles. Then I had to follow him to the bathroom to show him where the guest towels were, and he had no problem with taking off the rest of his clothes while I was still in the room. After staring at him for a while, I left the bathroom, only to have him call me back seconds after he got in the shower to tell me I was out of soap, so got some from the cabinet under the sink and handed it to him, giving me a great view of his torso dripping wet. He just smiled, oblivious to how turned on he was making me, and went back to showering.

And that was just on Monday! This whole week it's been tight clothes, bending over, and him positioned so that the sun shines on him just right and makes him look like an Adonis. But he's not even trying to seduce me!!! He said it himself: "I'm serious about this, Keith. I don't want to screw this up, so if abstinence is what it takes to be with you, then I'll go three months at the most. I can't go much longer than that without at least getting to 3rd base."

It's only been a week, and already I'm painfully aware of what sex-withdrawal is doing to me. I'm tempted to end it right now, just throw him on top of the kitchen counter, rip off his clothes, and ravish him. But instead, I sit at the counter with my head hanging over my cup of coffee.

He takes out the carton of orange juice and pours himself a glass - he really doesn't like coffee. He calls it 'grown-up juice'. There's no conversation today because it's been the same every day: he comes over in the morning, we have breakfast or just drink, we talk about my job and his job search and whatever was on the news lately, then it's quiet until I leave for work and he goes back home or off to whatever it is he does all day.

The sun is shining through the kitchen window, hitting his face just right. His tan skin glows and his eyes gleam. His hair fell on his forehead. He didn't notice me staring at him at all. I shook my head. This is just like the old Cory situation, I told myself. Just focus on something to keep your mind busy and you won't have any inappropriate thoughts.

"How's Sean?" Okay, probably not the best subject, but at least my brain is occupied now.
He looked up at me and set his cup down. "Great, actually. His therapist said he's made a big improvement, and once his treatment is over in a few weeks, he should be ready to come back home."
"That's great. But, what are you gonna do?"
"About what?" He sipped his juice.
"Well, you guys didn't exactly leave off on the best terms. And you still have the matter of your dad to deal with. Isn't his trial date coming up soon?"
He put his cup down and sighed. "I haven't talked to Sean about the trial yet. I've been trying to find the right time but no time seems right."
"You should tell him soon so that he has time to prepare for it all. He hasn't seen his dad since that night which sent him to the hospital. Do you really think Sean's ready to handle all of this so soon after getting out of the institution?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But I don't want my dad to sit around in prison waiting for his freedom. I want him to realize how wrong he is, and the only way to do that is put the evidence and disapproving looks right in his face. I... I'll always love my dad because he's family, but sometimes when I think about him, I just want to beat the shit out of him." He banged a fist on the table.
"You know that won't solve anything. More violence is the last thing your family needs. What you need to do is relax and focus on helping your dad. Punishing him isn't going to teach him a lesson. I'm not saying you should forgive him right now, but sending him away to jail for who knows how long isn't going to resolve the issues you have with your dad. Didn't you tell me you wanted to fix your family for Sean's sake?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But still, I think I should get custody of Sean until dad gets sorted out. And I think Sean should keep going to therapy after he leaves the institute. After all that's happened to him, I know I'm not gonna be able to help him with his problems even if he was willing to talk to me about them."

I nodded. He smiled at me, then got up and hugged me from behind with his arms wrapped around my shoulders. He kissed me on the neck and talked to me, his mouth still a small distance away from my neck so his warm breath fanned my skin.

"You have been so helpful and understanding, Keith. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but one day I'm gonna pay you back for being so nice."
I cleared my throat, feeling my body heat up. "It's nothing, Dallan. My job is to listen and educate and I'm used to doing that anyway." I brought my coffee mug to my mouth.
"Yeah, but you're just so amazing with me and Sean. It's like you're part of the family. I'd love to see you raise your own kids."
I choked and coughed on my coffee, spitting it out over the counter. I felt his muscled body leave mine and move to my side to stare at me.
"Keith, are you okay? I wasn't being serious or anything, it was just a thought."
"I don't want kids." I said suddenly, surprising myself because I didn't even know I felt that way.
He stared at me incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You spend all day with kids - teenagers even! Then you come home and deal with me - the biggest child you know? How can you not want kids when they're your whole life?"
"Maybe it's because they're my whole life. I never get time to myself. My whole life I've been taking care of people, telling them what to do and fixing their problems. I just want to be able to say I won't have to spend my life being a parent to other people."
He smiled. "I understand. That's why I've been trying to hard to act more mature. I know you get annoyed with me when I act like such a kid."
"Don't worry about that, I'm attracted to kids anyway." I blinked. "Wait, that came out wrong. I'm drawn to kids. That still sounds weird."
He raised an eyebrow at me, amused. "Are you attracted to your students?"
I started choking again even though I hadn't drank from my mug yet. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a full on grin. "HA! I TOLD SEAN I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE ATTRACTED TO TEENS!"
"Please don't say that out loud. And I'm not attracted to them... anymore. Ugh, I might as well be honest with you. I used to have a crush on one of my students, and when I was in college, I kinda had an affair with the teacher I was studying under. It didn't end well. I broke up his marriage and I had to get transferred to another class and work even harder to graduate."
He snorted and looked at me, then exploded with laughter. "No fucking way. You were in an affair?"
"Shut up."
"I just can't picture you being 'naughty' with anyone!"

That pissed me off.

I glared at him while he laughed loudly. "Oh yeah? Don't think I can do it?"
His laughter calmed down. "No way. I mean, no offense Keith, but you are just way too uptight to do that. I think if you ever got close to sex, you would literally explode from built up emotions. Your body just can't take that much excitement."

That's it. I've had enough of Mr. Sex God. I'm a teacher, so I'm gonna teach him a thing or two.

I got up and pressed my body close to him. He still looked amused. I reached my arms around him to grab his ass, pulling him closer to me. He didn't hesitate to kiss me, but when he started to break the kiss, I made it deeper and squeezed his ass. He bit down on my lip, a shocked look in his eyes. I backed him up against the counter and took his shirt off of him. His breathing was already heavy as I started kissing down his defined chest, stopping just above his pants line. I heard a slight groan catch in his throat, and I grinned devilishly. I know Dallan is used to being the dominant one, but he's never dealt with me.

I stood up and looked him right in the eyes as I unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down to his knees. Then I pressed myself against him, reached my hand behind his back, picked up my coffee mug and took a sip.

"You suck for that." He breathed out.
I smiled and shrugged. "I'm surprised you were so turned on by that. I really didn't do anything to you yet."
"Yeah, I know." He looked away. "I was just playing along for your sake."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?"
"Yeah, do you really think I'd be turned on by that? It doesn't even count as foreplay."
"Fine then." I headed through the doorway. "Then you wont mind if we turn the one month to two."
I heard him mutter 'Fuck' under his breath before I walked away.

I'm gonna regret making the wait even longer, but at least I gained something from this experience: confidence. I was always so afraid that I wouldn't be able to please Dallan sexually because he's had more experience than half the people in the entire state, but now that I know I can satisfy him even a little bit, I'm less nervous about actually doing it with him.

Still extremely nervous, but waiting anxiously.

***(Dallan)

WTF? Since when is it that easy to get me off? It usually takes a long time for me to get a hard-on because I've gotten so used to all of it and after a while, some sex just seems the same as the last.

Yeah, I'm definitely a man-whore, but that's not what we're focusing on right now.

I was doing really good. So far, I hadn't felt the urge to sleep with Keith this week, and I honestly thought I would last the month, two months no problem. But now he's got me feeling this way, and I can't stop fantasizing.

Crap. I'm in trouble now.

***END OF TWO MONTHS***

Two frickin' months. Add that onto the dry spell I had after my break-up with Tony, and I'm not even sure when the last time I had sex was.

But even with the ban lifted, I'm still not relieved.

Keith and I have barely done anything sexual together. So how do we even approach this? I have a feeling he only did this whole no-sex thing not just to test me, but to poke fun at me. It's obvious that I'm used to having sex, so he must have thought I'd want to do it with him too. Don't get me wrong, that is definitely on my list of things to do, but that's not why I asked him out. I really like Keith, and I'm even sort of afraid that I'll ruin this whole relationship if I go back to acting like my lazy, sex-crazed self.

I started wringing my hands as Keith walked into the kitchen. Why did I even sleep over last night? I knew this would be an awkward morning. How do you have the awkwardness of your one night stand walking into your kitchen when you didn't even go as far as to kiss them goodnight?

He casually walked over to the cabinet and took out his mug to pour himself a cup of coffee that I had already brewed for him. I watched his back move around the kitchen during his daily routine as if I was just staring at him through a window. Finally I spoke up.

"Let's not have sex."
He stopped abruptly and turned to look at me, surprised. "What?"
"If it's gonna be this awkward before we even do anything let's just not do it at all."
He laughed and came to my side. "I want to have sex with you. But just because the two months are over doesn't mean we have to do it right now. I only gave you the rule to see if you could even handle waiting that long. I wanted to make sure that you weren't just trying to use me. And since you pretty much offered not to have sex at all, I think I can trust you." He smirked.
"So, we don't have to do anything?"
"Of course not. It's not like I'm gonna force you to do anything, Dallan. We're adults, we can have a simple relationship if that's what you want."

I jumped up and grabbed his arm. He only had enough time to set down his coffee mug on the counter before I dragged him upstairs.

***

"I can't believe that just happened." Keith sighed.
I rolled over and looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"I've never done it with a guy before."
"Oh. Is this too weird for you now?"
"No not at all - I'm just really sore."
I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing.
"Shut up." He said.
I let out a bark of laughter. "Sorry, babe."
"Whatever." He slowly sat up, grunted, and walked to the bathroom.

I laid in his bed. Right about now, I'd be putting my hands behind my head and smiling smugly while I waited for my partner to relax before I tried convincing them to go for another round. But instead, I laid there completely content. I didn't need to do anything else. I didn't even focus on how I felt, instead I worried about how he felt and if he was happy. None of my other partners made me pay much attention to them, and when I was with Tony he was the one who made me feel good. Keith's made me experience so many different things, and I'm loving my time with him just as much as I love him.

I picked up my cell phone off the floor as it rang.

"Hello?"
"Is this Mr... Dallan McLean?"
"Yeah that's me. Who is this?"
"This is Sean's therapist from Murphy's Institute - we've met before."
"Oh yes, Richard, hey. How's Sean doing?"
"Great actually. He's progressed well and has learned new ways to handle his frustration. He's warmed up to many of the people here and he's even become quite popular. I would love to have you come in for Sean's last session. You can see how well he's improved, and then I'll want to talk to you about how to handle him after he leaves here."
"Of course, when is his session?"
"Wednesday at 3 p.m. He'll be leaving on Thursday."
"Alright, I'll come. Thank you."

We said goodbye as Keith came back in the room with a frown and a towel around his waist.

"The stupid shower's broken."
"Broken? I can take a look at it."
"Thanks." he said, sitting down. "Who was that?"
"Sean's therapist. He wants me to come to Sean's last therapy session before I pick him up on Thursday."
"He's out this week then? That's great."
"Yeah."
He sensed my lack of enthusiasm. "What's wrong?"
"Well, Sean and I still aren't that close. And last time the last time we talked to each other before he went into the institute, he pretty much told me that he hated me. I don't think I can handle living alone with him. This whole situation is just too stressful, and I know he didn't really mean it - he did apologize - but I can't help but feel like he has a right to hate me. When mom died in the accident, I was sleeping over at a friend's house because I didn't want to go on another stupid family trip. When dad went crazy and beat up Sean..." I broke off. Tears were pressing against the back of my eyes and my throat felt raw.

Keith crawled over and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Don't blame yourself. You can't help what happened in the past. Maybe you weren't meant to be in those situations with Sean so that you could be the one to help him out."
"Do you... do you think so?"
"Think about it: both of your parents are M.I.A., but you've always come back when Sean needed you. Plus, with Sean and Cory having relationship problems and me not being able to do anything but share my house with you McLeans, Sean's needed you more than ever. And here you are, giving up your party life to get a job and a home for him and giving him the parenting that he's never really gotten. I know you feel like he got dealt some really crappy cards in life, but at least he still has one stable thing in his life: you. You can't break down if he takes his anger out on you."
I laughed. "Why didn't you just become a therapist or something?"
"Cause I hate having to think all the time. At least when you're a teacher, you have your lesson all planned out."
I laughed again and pushed him onto the bed. I gave him a soft peck but he wanted more, so I happily obliged. One thing led to another, and we wound up panting again, having had sex a second time today.
"Is this gonna happen every time we're bed together? Because if so, you can't sleep over anymore."
"You say that like it's a bad thing, Keith."
"It is. I have work in the morning, and I can't show up tired and wearing the same clothes and reeking of sex and sweat."
"Why not? My favorite teacher in high school did. Man, she was hot."
He rolled his eyes. "I am the jealous type just so you know."
"Sorry, babe. I have wandering eyes but not a wandering heart, so you don't have to worry."
Again he rolled his eyes but still he smiled.

But honestly, I don't think he has to worry about me looking anywhere else.

***

Today was Sean's last therapy session. Keith told me to dress up a little. I didn't see the point in that, but I still walked into the room wearing khakis and a white button-up shirt. Sean raised an eyebrow at me but I just sat down and tried to ignore how uncomfortable I felt. I shook Richard's hand and he smiled at both of us.

"So, Sean, is there anything you would like to tell your brother before we get started?"
He nodded and turned to me. "First of all, I can't believe you wore that. Have you ever dressed like this before?" He laughed.
"Shut up. I dressed up for my prom and high school graduation."
He laughed still. "Okay, second, don't get mad, but I did talk about you during therapy. We were supposed to share, so Richard might talk about that."
"Alright."
"And... third?" He looked at me.
"Yeah?" Then he hugged me, surprising me. I blinked and hugged him back, a little thrown off by this. We haven't hugged since mom died.
"Thanks for being there for me." He said.
I was speechless, so I just nodded.

Richard smiled. "Okay, well let's get started, shall we? Sean has made excellent progress. To be honest, I don't think he ever had problems handling his anger - he didn't take his anger out on anyone else and he told me that he openly talked about a lot of his problems to his friends, but the problem is that he kept the bulk of it bottled up. Keeping pain like that all bottled up is never healthy, as we know it can result in the type of outburst that got Sean sent here." He looked at Sean, who looked down sheepishly. "Sean has been learning new ways to express his emotions. He's told me that he's used to being the tough guy, and thought that meant he couldn't give in to his emotions."
"But now I know that's stupid. I don't have to hide my weaknesses to seem strong." He chimed in.
"Exactly. Based on all that he's dealt with in the past, I would recommend that Sean still see a therapist."
"But I thought you said I was fine now." Sean said.
"Well you've definitely improved. Now you won't have to feel violent when angry, but just because we've talked and found methods to help you doesn't mean that the problems go away. We've only given you a few months of therapy for years of problems."
"So I'm gonna have to go see a therapist for the rest of my life?"
"Of course not. You can stop whenever you wish. I just think that maybe you need somebody that you can talk to about anything. Cory's been helping you out a lot, but there were some things that you couldn't tell him about despite the fact that you two were close, like your feelings for him and how your father treated you. It would be best if you had someone who wouldn't make you feel judged."
Sean nodded. "I understand. That would be great."
"But just because you'll have a therapist doesn't mean you should stop sharing with your friends. They really care about you and I know they would hate to see anything bad happen to you again."
"I know. They'll love me whether I feel weak or strong or whatever. I've got a support system."
"And remember, you can still call me if you really need me."
Sean smiled.
"And now Dallan, Sean wrote a letter in his diary that he would like to read to you."
"Ugh, can you not call it a diary? How about a journal instead - that's more masculine. He does this just to mess with me." Sean grumbled while pulling out a journal and turned to a page. "Okay.

Dear Dallan,

It's been a long time since we've actually talked to each other. You come to visit me every week, but it's always just 'Hey, Ace, how are you holdin' up?' We haven't had a serious conversation in years. I don't blame you for that cause I know I haven't really been open to talking to you, especially after the whole Dad incident. But I think it's time I told you what I really think of you.

When you left for college, I was proud of you. I knew you spent a lot of your time messing around and doing stuff that you always told me I shouldn't do, but I also knew that you had talent athletically and academically if you actually tried harder. It wasn't until a few months after you left that I found out you and dad got in a fight. Dad was growing more and more pissed every day but I didn't pay attention to it until he started picking on me. I always told myself that he didn't like me as much as he loved you, but I never started believing it until you left. I felt abandoned, and I've been mad about that. But still, I was proud of you.

I was proud because you stood up to dad, and when he refused to accept you, you just left. You wouldn't let him bring you down. And I was proud that you had to courage to come out to him. When I came out, I pretty much got the same reaction from him that you did, but I didn't stand up to him. I just couldn't. And for that, I felt like I could never be as strong as you were.

You may do some stupid stuff sometimes, and you're not the best at acting your age, but when you care about someone, you're willing to stop everything to make them happy. When you said that you were moving back home, I didn't believe that you were willing to give up your lifestyle. But now here you are, paying rent for your apartment, giving up the only bedroom for me, worked two jobs that you hated, and now planning to go back to college to become a coach or a teacher of all things. I don't think I've ever been more proud of you than I am now.

I love you, and I promise that I'll start telling you that more often.

You're baby brother, Sean a.k.a. Ace."

Sean closed the book. "Okay, before you start making fun of me, I was in therapy and Richard told me to be completely honest-"

I hugged him tight and let the tears finally fall.

My brother was proud of me. I'd heard mom and dad and my coaches say the same thing all the time, but none of those had the same impact. My brother was proud of me.

"Alright, geez, let go of me. You're suffocating me!"
"I love you, Sean."
"Alright alright I get it! Now let go!" He pried out of my arms. "If I knew you were gonna be so emotional, I wouldn't have read the damn thing." He said with a grin on his face.

Richard was smiling too. He handed me a journal that was similar to Sean's but a different color. "I think the best way for you two to start off would be to use these therapy journals. Sometimes it's easier to write out how you feel. Try to write an entry a week, even if it's just a sentence. You two can get together and share, or keep it to yourself. It's just a way to say how you feel."

He gave me some other tips before we shook hands again, Sean gave him a hug, and then we left to go to the parking lot.

"By the way, Sean, I have a surprise for you in the backseat."
"What is it?"
"Go to the car and find out."

I pressed the remote to unlock the doors and he opened the back door.

"Hi, Sean."

Sean froze when Cory emerged from the backseat.

Well, I did say I had a surprise for him.