Geeks - 14. Sweet Aftermath

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: SWEET AFTERMATH

Mikeal walked around downtown with Adam as the afternoon lengthened into evening, looking at the lights that lit up the street lamps and storefront windows. The chill winter air stung Mikeal's exposed cheeks and nose. He huddled deep into the warmth of his coat. With a hot tea in one hand and Adam's mittened palm in the other, the evening would have been enjoyable any other time. Adam wasn’t pushing him to talk, which Mikeal appreciated. He was still trying to sort out what Jamison had told him. He knew it was foolish, but deep down he had hoped that it really was some kind of sick joke; that Hyacinth was lying to him, or that she had jumped to an incorrect conclusion.

He idly squeezed Adam’s hand, enjoying the warm strength underneath the layer of cotton. Adam glanced over at him, strands of his long hair peeking out underneath the brim of the fedora he donned. Seeing the affection and concern in the eyes staring back at him seemed to loosen Mikeal’s tongue.

“So, I’m really adopted,” Mikeal said. “My dad confirmed it.”

“So what do you think about it?” Adam asked.

Mikeal chewed his lip as he mulled it over. “Well, I was kind of disappointed. Part of me didn’t want to believe it was true. And then he confirmed it. And then another part of me thought that if it was true, then there would be this huge, dramatic, crazy reason behind it. And there wasn’t. It was just like, my dad really wanted a son and my mom was not good at having babies. Her body gave up after the two and since she couldn’t birth him a son, she just went out and adopted one, like picking up a gallon of milk at the store or something.” Mikeal shook his head. “I guess that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

“You feel like she only adopted you because your dad wanted a son?” Adam asked. “Not because she loved you?”

Mikeal shrugged, glad that Adam had been able to vocalize the fears that he had been afraid to give voice to. “Kinda, yeah.”

“But you know she loves you now, right?”

Mikeal shrugged. “I don’t know. I wonder now if she might have loved me more if I was biological. She didn’t even want to tell me that I was adopted. That story I told you about my grandfather marrying a Japanese wife wasn’t true either. She just kept lying to me.” Mikeal shook his head. “It’s like she just wanted to keep pretending that I was really hers.”

“You are really hers,” Adam pointed out. “Baby, do you mind if I play Devil’s Advocate here for a minute?”

“Sure.”

“Looking at this from your mother’s point of view, I can kind of see where she's coming from. She might think that telling you that you were adopted would upset you. Or she might have been afraid that you would want to seek out your biological family. Or she might have thought that if you knew you were adopted, you would think they wouldn’t love you as much.”

Mikeal felt his cheeks flame when he realized that was almost exactly what he said.

“Or vice versa.”

“Still,” Mikeal said, feeling the need to defend himself. “How would you like it if someone kept such a big secret from you? I mean, what if there is something in my biological family’s history that is genetically predisposed in me? Like schizophrenia?”

“Mikeal, you are not schizophrenic. Wouldn’t that have manifested by now?”

“That’s not the point. Even if you don’t look at my medical history, it’s a big deal and I had every right to know and to be angry.”

“You did have a right to know and to be angry,” Adam agreed. “I am sure that if I was adopted, I would be feeling the same right now. But how is this going to help your current situation?”

Mikeal chewed on his lip a little bit. “My mom wants me home for Christmas. And I don’t know if I can handle it. I can’t just stop being angry and confused and betrayed.”

“Maybe that is why your Mom wants you home though,” Adam said. “Do you really think she is going to want you home for Christmas so she can ignore it and pretend everything is fine?”

“No, I think she wants me home so she can do damage control and relieve her guilt is what I think,” Mikeal retorted.

“That might be part of it,” Adam agreed. “Can you so accurately predict your mom’s thought processes?”

“Whose side are you on anyway?” Mikeal snapped back, abruptly breaking the hold that Adam’s hand had with his own.

Adam simply grabbed it back and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss against the cold flesh. “I’m on no one’s side. Just playing Devil’s Advocate, like I said. I think there is a lot more going on between you and your mother than there is going on between you and your father, and yes, I think it is important for the two of you to talk it out. But if you think Christmas is too soon, then that's fine. You can stay with me for as long as you want or need.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Mikeal said. “I’m not ready to go home and pretend that I’m okay. But at the same time, I don’t really want to miss Christmas with my family either.”

Adam looked thoughtful. He saw that they had walked the perimeter of the town and were approaching the coffee shop again. His car was parked on the side of the street, dusted with a light sheen of frost. He leaned back against it and pulled Mikeal towards him, resting his hands on the other boy’s slender hips. “How about this,” he finally said. “Stay with me through Christmas Eve. Spend Christmas morning with me. Then, if you are feeling up to it, we can go see your family later that afternoon. We could leave around lunchtime. You could stay there the rest of your break if you wanted, or I could bring you back with me when I return that evening. That way, your options are open. You can relieve your Mom’s worry and if things aren’t good for you while you are there, you have an instant escape route. Options are open, so there's no pressure.”

Mikeal mulled this over. It was a good plan, a kind of compromise between him and his parents, and he was a bit embarrassed that he didn’t figure it out himself. He took a few more moments before answering, enjoying the slight pressure of Adam’s hands on his hips and resisting the urge to rock forward, to press his groin into the warm opening between Adam’s thighs and mold his body against his. It had been too long without physical contact and now that his mind and emotions were finally calming down, his physical desire was rising. He settled for a step forward and pressed his face into Adam’s hair, pressing a light kiss on the small slip of skin between his hairline and the warm line of his scarf.

Adam chuckled and turned his head, searching for Mikeal’s mouth with his own. His fedora had been knocked askew and he raked a hand back through his hair, dislodging it completely, before wrapping his arm around Mikeal’s waist, drawing him closer.

“So is that a yes?” he asked as Mikeal drew away. Mikeal’s lips were shiny from where he had been kissing Adam and Adam resisted the urge to run his tongue along the pink flesh.

“Sounds good,” Mikeal agreed, resting his forehead against Adam’s. The space between them felt like a loaded, tangible thing, something he wanted to step into so he could be engulfed by Adam. Their public surroundings were the only thing that stopped him. “So what did you think of my dad?”

Adam chuckled. “He seems nice enough, if a little formal. He obviously loves you. I can’t remember the last time I got interrogated like that.”

“He does that for all the boys who want to date his children. Lily and Hyacinth’s boyfriends used to get the same treatment, from what I remember, even after high school. Of course, later on the boyfriends were usually in the study with a brandy for the third degree. I can vaguely remember when Hyacinth was in college and would have to bring her boyfriends in.”

“Did he do that with any of your girlfriends?” Adam teased.

Mikeal shrugged and stepped back, instantly disengaging. “I didn’t date much in high school, and if I did, it was mostly girls that Mom set me up with.” Mikeal looked embarrassed. “Besides, you don’t have to worry too much about girls getting boys in trouble, it was mostly the other way around.”

Adam grinned. “So I'm supposed to get you in trouble, eh?” His arm reclaimed Mikeal’s waist and drew him back in. Mikeal didn’t resist, just smiled and kissed him again.

* * *

Adam drove them back home, feeling thoughtful. Jamison had questioned him pretty thoroughly and Adam was fairly comfortable with how their first meeting went. It was obvious to him that Mikeal’s father would rather see his son with a law or medical student, or maybe a future CEO, but Adam felt he had passed muster in all other aspects. All that was left was Mikeal’s mother, and from what he had gathered, the relationship between her and Mikeal had just gone from mildly complicated to big fucking cock-up.

After they arrived, he helped his mother fix dinner while Mikeal took a shower. Adam felt another long slow pull of arousal when he saw Mikeal emerge from the steamy bathroom with his skin still pink and his lush curls damp and clinging to his face.

He smiled shyly when he joined the rest of the family for dinner, which was a noisy disorganized affair as usual. The smaller children sat at one end of a long table, with the older children next and the adults near the head. Mikeal was quiet, although he patiently answered the questions that the younger children pelted him with as well as the more subtle inquiries by his parents and tolerated Emily’s blatant flirting. Afterward, when the children were getting ready for bed, and Mikeal was nodding off in front of the television, Adam ushered him back to the bedroom, where they undressed and got into bed. Mikeal spent a long time staring up at the dark ceiling before he rolled onto his side. “I think I’m going to do it,” he announced.

“Do what?”

“Go home for Christmas the way that you suggested. I don’t think I will stay, but I really do want to see my family, especially Lily, since she is away so often. And maybe it would be a good time to settle things with my mom. And besides, I want her to meet you too. And I don’t want it to be at the New Year’s gala, with all the noise and guests and such.”

“A gala?” Adam repeated. He could recall Mikeal inviting him to some kind of party at New Year’s but he was expecting a small get together. “What do you mean a gala?”

“My father reserves a ballroom in a hotel and invites all the people from his firm and their families, and my mother brings all of her society friends and my sisters come with their families and guests. It’s a big party to thank everyone for the work they did the previous year. They do it on New Year’s so it wouldn’t interfere with anyone’s Christmas plans. They usually have a good turn out.”

“What kind of dress code?” Adam asked warily.

“Black tie.”

Adam sighed. “Guess I better rent a tux.”

Mikeal smiled at him. “You are coming, right?” His tone was teasing but his eyes shone with uncertainty.

“Of course, love.” Adam kissed him again. They lay together for a long time as the night continued to darken around them and although Mikeal didn’t say anything, Adam could tell he wasn’t asleep. Adam tried gently to tease him out of his brooding mood before it could settle in too deep, but when that failed, Adam decided to bend his parents no sex ordinance a little bit to help Mikeal relax and sleep.

He cuddled into Mikeal, enjoying holding him in his arms and the soft warmth against his own body. He searched for Mikeal’s lips in the dark, kissing him slowly and deeply, loving the erotic sensation of his tongue moving against his mouth in total darkness.

Adam ran his hands up his chest, feeling the familiar planes and curves of his lover’s body, before gently rolling on top of him, letting his mouth slide away so his hungry lips could taste Mikeal’s neck, shoulder, chest. His hand found Mikeal’s underwear and pressed against the erection forming there. Mikeal moaned softly, almost a whimper. Adam worked the material away, then lightly ran his fingers over the hard length of him, making Mikeal shiver and moan again. Adam closed his hand around him, squeezing gently and feeling the gentle undulation of Mikeal’s hips against his hand in return. Adam let his hand explore, mapping out his boyfriend’s cock through touch alone. He smiled when he felt the first traces of slick precome on his fingertips.

He pressed his lips back over Mikeal’s when he started having trouble muffling his groans, softening and tempering the sounds of his pleasure, even as his hand continued to work, stroking him, fondling him. Mikeal finally arched, making a strangled sound of pleasure as his orgasm exploded from him, muscles trembling.

Adam kissed him again, gently as Mikeal sank down against the mattress afterwards, panting. Adam pressed another kiss against his temple, before grabbing a few tissues to help clean him up.

Mikeal returned to his embrace as soon as Adam lay down again and Adam smiled at the familiarity of their routine. It almost felt like being back at college, this post sex cuddling. Best of all, Mikeal was limp and relaxed next to him, the fines lines of tension that had been tightening his body earlier melting away. And a few minutes later, he could feel Mikeal’s breathing even out and deepen. Adam tucked the top of Mikeal’s head underneath his chin and joined him.

* * *     

The holiday quickly approached and Mikeal couldn’t help but enjoy the happy anticipation that practically rolled off of Adam’s siblings. On Christmas Eve, after the overexcited children were put to bed, Mikeal and Adam closed themselves up in Adam’s room, sipping champagne as they exchanged gifts.

Adam looked nervous as he gave his gift to Mikeal. Mikeal opened the first one, and found a pair of metal collar stays. He smiled and lifted them out of the box, read the inscription, then laughed and turned to kiss Adam. One was inscribed, “Do…or do not”. The other read, “There is no try”.

“I love them,” Mikeal said.

“Well, when you are going into those important job interviews after law school, you’ll need to make sure your collar stays in place,” Adam said. He gave Mikeal another box, which contained a Star Wars book. “Julie said you didn’t have this one.”

Mikeal smiled and flipped through the pages, already looking forward to reading it. “She’s right, I don’t.” He put them down and turned to Adam, wrapping his arms around his neck and giving him a long slow kiss that made Adam desperately long for 20 minutes of complete privacy.

Mikeal, blushing a little, handed Adam a box that was wrapped in green paper and festooned with bright red ribbons and a sprig of holly, which held a gray cashmere scarf tucked inside and a pair of tickets to a production of Phantom of the Opera a night shortly after returning back to school.

“I already called the cafe and arranged for you have the night off,” Mikeal informed him before Adam tackled him in a happy excited hug, making Mikeal laugh and kiss him back. “I have something else for you too.” He pulled out a large backpack and handed it to Adam. The pack itself was well made and looked expensive, but when he opened it at Mikeal’s instruction, he found it held a entire array of implements for a picnic, from eating utensils, to wineglasses, and even a picnic blanket rolled up in one of the outside pockets.

“I saw it and remembered our first 'official' date,” Mikeal said. “I hope we can do that again when the weather improves. Maybe even fly a kite. And I won’t run away afterwards.”

Adam chuckled. “I hope not. Although I’m still willing to chase you.”

Mikeal’s grin was wickedly playful. “And what will you do with me, once you catch me?”

Oh God, did Adam want to show him. Instead he playfully shoved Mikeal down on his back, pinning him. “I will besiege your sexy body with every single sexual depravity I can think of, until you are too exhausted to run away ever again. And then I will love you and love you and love you some more.”

Mikeal swallowed hard. “And if I don’t run?”

“I’ll do it all anyway.”

Mikeal’s arms came around his neck, drawing him down and Adam decided that it couldn’t hurt to bend the rules…one more time.