15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Floyd

One morning in September, Floyd left Ollie's house early to find some breakfast for the two of them—something easy for Ollie to cook before they went to work together. Moving through the company store, Floyd started humming a tune to himself, happy that everything had been so much better over the past weeks. Ollie and he were so much more open with each other now. Honesty had made their relationship stronger than ever.

While placing eggs into his basket, Floyd felt a hand come to rest atop his shoulder.

"Morning, Floyd," Roy said.

Even though Roy's tone was friendly, there was an edge to it. He was narrowing his eyes like he was waiting to scrutinize Floyd's response, too.

"Morning, Roy," Floyd said, trying not to let on that Roy was making him uncomfortable. "How're the wife and kids?"

"Fine. How's your wife?"

"Uh, not bad," Floyd said. Obviously, there was more to Roy's comment than was being said. Floyd hoped he could change the subject. "Do you always shop so early?"

"Sometimes." Roy crossed his arms over his chest before looking around the store, maybe confirming that it was empty except for the two of them and Charlie, who was behind the register. In a whispered voice, he said, "I seen you sleeping over at Oliver's house a few times these past weeks."

Floyd's blood ran cold, fear starting to prickle his skin.

"Naw, we like to play cards late sometimes, is all."

Pursing his lips, Roy hummed like he was thinking that over, and then he clicked his tongue and said, "You know, our homes, them walls ain't as thick as you might think." Floyd swallowed thickly, shame and fear closing around his throat. "Ain't a problem for me, Floyd, so long as you keep it private. Other people, they might not take too kindly to that sort of relationship. I like you, and I like Oliver, too, so I'm taking the time to warn you. You two best be more careful. You never know who might be watching. Or listening."

Roy turned and left, not even waiting for a response. Little colorful spots began obscuring Floyd's vision, his heart beating so ferociously that he could hear the blood whooshing past his eardrums. He finished shopping as fast as he could.

When he arrived back at Ollie's house, Ollie was sipping a mug of coffee at the breakfast table.

"I hope you're ready for my mediocre eggs. Assuming you found some," Ollie said cheerfully as Floyd kicked off his boots. When Floyd looked up, the two of them locked eyes, and Ollie's face fell. "Something's wrong."

"Yeah," Floyd admitted, setting the poke on the floor before pulling out a chair. "Roy knows about us."

"I'm sorry—what?"

"I seen him at the company store this morning. He, uh, must have heard something." Floyd cleared his throat. "Something interesting."

Oliver's hands flew to cover his mouth.

"Oh my God," he said, the words muffled by his palms.

Floyd reached over to pull them away.

"Roy won't say nothing. But we need to be more careful."

"God, I wish we could be ourselves here. Or, hell, anywhere."

"Me, too," Floyd said, a heaviness in his heart.

Ollie slid a mug of coffee across the table to Floyd. As Floyd moved to sip it, Ollie took the eggs from the poke and brought them over to the stove. One by one, he took them out of the pickling lime and rinsed them in some water.

While Ollie cooked, Floyd read over the newspaper. Still not a peep about the whole battle that had taken place over at Blair Mountain. Seemed like the coal companies in the region were trying to keep the news from reaching the miners, which was kind of silly since the miners had lost the battle, but, well, the coal companies probably were concerned about their image.

Funny how certain images were so important to keep.

"Hey, Ollie?"

"Just a second," Ollie said before cursing under his breath. "Well, so much for over easy. Scrambled it is."

Smiling, Floyd shook his head. Jeez, he couldn't have loved Ollie more in that moment if he had tried.

"Take your time."

A couple of minutes later, Ollie came back to the table with two plates of eggs.

"I'm sorry about my faux pas with the yolks. They're kind of half-scrambled, half-overcooked now."

"Ah, they look tasty enough," Floyd said, which wasn't really true, but eggs were eggs. He started prodding them with his fork, though his stomach was still too sour from his encounter with Roy to eat. "Gosh, I wish people were more accepting."

"Sweetheart, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Rather than bursting out whatever it was he wanted to ask, Ollie started chewing on his bottom lip, which was pretty unlike him. Floyd could tell how nervous he was. Hoping to provide some kind of reassurance, Floyd reached for Ollie's hand, lacing their fingers together.

Seconds ticked by on the clock, and then Ollie said, "Well, it looks like there's no chance of UMWA taking hold here in Logan County or maybe even in West Virginia now that the whole horrible fight happened, and sweetheart, I want something better for us. I like mining together. Really. I love working with you. I love the challenge of mining. I love the way your butt looks when you're shoveling coal." Floyd couldn't help but let out a little snort at that. "But I want a better life for us, especially now that I know that we need to be more careful not to let on about what we are to each other. I mean, will you even be able to stay over anymore?"

"I..." Floyd's words caught in his throat. Truthfully, he had no idea whether they'd be able to spend as much time together now, especially not overnights. "I can't say."

"Our community here, everyone has been very nice to me, but it's so small, and people here, they probably won't ever accept us. And now, it feels like everyone is watching us." Ollie's voice shook a little when he was saying this, which hurt Floyd's heart. "I'll stay here forever if that's what you want, but... would you ever want to start a new life somewhere else? With me? And Effie and Jo, too, of course. I know you said you never wanted to leave the coal industry, though, so I completely understand if—"

Floyd found himself answering without the slightest bit of hesitation, wanting nothing more than to be with Ollie and to relieve him of the sadness he was feeling. "Yeah, Ollie, I'd like that."

"Really?" Ollie's eyes started tearing. "Well, where? I think I have enough money to take us wherever you want within reason. Oh my God, I still can't believe it. Really?"

"Yeah, really. I can't stand the thought of not spending nights with you no more. I want a better life for us, too." He pushed his chair out and tugged on Ollie's hand, coaxing him to come closer, and as soon as Ollie stood, Floyd pulled him onto his lap. "But I won't take your money."

"Ugh, sweetheart, please stop being stubborn about money."

"Well, I suppose I could let you help a little, but I been responsible for Effie and Jo for forever. I been the one to take care of them all these years."

"Which is why you should allow me to help. I want to take care of you. And that wonderful family of yours. Effie is such a treasure to let us be together. I owe her everything—more wealth than I could ever even dream of cobbling together."

"I'll think on it."

"Stubborn as a mule," Ollie said with a sigh. "Alright, yes, please think about it."

Floyd looked up at Ollie, who bent down to nuzzle their noses together, and then Floyd rested his head against Ollie's chest, letting his thoughts wander as Ollie stroked his hair.

"Are you scared of starting over?" Ollie asked.

"Yeah, a little," Floyd said. He took a slow breath in and out through his nose, trying to calm his hammering heart. "It's hard not knowing our future. Like whether we'll find a place where we can be together. Or whether we can make a new home for the four of us."

"It's like our path forward is completely unknowable. Like we're inside of a rickety coal elevator, heading for the bottom of the mine." Ollie cupped Floyd's chin and lifted it, forcing Floyd to meet his eyes. "But maybe that's fine for us, sweetheart. We're coal miners. We make our own light." Ollie smiled sweetly. "We'll make it through."

"I hope so," Floyd said, smiling back at him and feeling some of his fear fade. "I feel like I can make it if I have you with me, Ollie."

"You'll have me forever."

Floyd pulled Ollie in for a kiss. Ollie'd have him forever, too.

***

One hour later, Floyd left for home. He and Ollie thought that they ought to skip work so that Floyd could talk to Effie about everything. Floyd had come up with an idea for where they all could move to, but Effie would need to agree to it. If Effie wanted to stay in Rock Creek, then they would stay, even if it meant that he and Ollie would have to live without seeing each other as much.

By the time Floyd reached the house, Jo had already left for school. Effie was up on a step stool reorganizing one of the cupboards. When she heard him come in, she looked over her shoulder, one of her eyebrows raised inquisitively.

"Why're you back here so early? Did you forget some of your work supplies?"

"Nah, me and Ollie ain't working today. I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh." Effie climbed off the stool. "What is it?"

"Let's sit for this," Floyd said, heading to the couch. "Ain't nothing bad. Don't worry."

"Alright."

After sitting beside him, Effie smoothed out her dress. Floyd took one of her hands.

"I want you to know that our family comes first. Always."

"Floyd, you're scaring me a little."

"But I need to tell you that I feel a forever kind of way about Ollie. It's why I been spending so much time with him, staying over and such, but I need to be more present for you and Jo, too. So, now I'm trying to work out how I can both be with Ollie and make sure you never feel like you're raising Jo all by yourself."

"I never feel that way."

"I know, but I feel that way. I hate that I sometimes can't make it back before she heads off to school. I hate that I'm not here for her when she wakes up in the night."

"You're here for supper and evenings and weekends."

"I want more. In a whole bunch of ways, I want more. I want to find me a safer job. I want to be able to spend nights with Ollie without prying eyes."

"Prying eyes? What're you talking about?"

"Roy seems to know 'bout us," Floyd admitted, which elicited a small gasp from Effie. "He said he wouldn't tell no one, but he warned me that I ought to be more careful."

"Oh, Lord."

"So, I been thinking, what if we move somewhere else?"

"Won't we have the prying eyes problem wherever we live?"

"Yeah, we will, but maybe not as bad if we have some real land." Effie narrowed her eyes, probably trying to work out what he was suggesting. "What would you say to me taking up farming? I know enough from when I helped out my folks. Even when I worked as a breaker boy and such, I still spent plenty of weekends helping my pop."

"I . . . I mean, I . . ."

"I know it'd be a change, but I thought maybe we'd like having the space. If we move somewhere new, no one needs to know that Ollie and me are what we are. Maybe we can tell people we're related. Or maybe we won't say nothing, and no one will even ask."

"So, you want Oliver to live with us?"

"We can buy a big house. Bigger than this one."

"How are we supposed to afford all this?"

"Ollie can. Not that I'm happy 'bout taking his money, but it's probably the only way. He has enough for a few acres of land. Heck, he has enough that even leaner years shouldn't be a problem for us." Floyd's eyes flitted over to the bookcase. "I can find me some money, too. Enough for a few pieces of farm equipment, maybe, or a couple of horses or mules. Think of it, Effie, we can farm oats like both our families used to, maybe raise some chickens, plant a few fruit trees. We could be so happy living like that. I know we could."

"So, you and Ollie'd run a whole farm?"

"We could try. You know, they even have them self-propelled harvesters now. I remember my folks wanting one before we left so they wouldn't need so many horses or farmhands," Floyd said. "I know our farm couldn't be too big if it was only me and Ollie, but we would run it fine."

"When'd you start thinking about this?"

"Only this morning. But years ago, me and Matt had talked about running our own farm. I'd be... well... I'd be living out our future this way. Used to be that I thought Matt would be mad at me if I ever left the coal industry without him, but now, I reckon maybe he's happy to see me happy. I like to think that he's up there in heaven feeling proud of me for finding someone as nice as Ollie. And for continuing to take care of you and Jo, too."

Floyd squeezed Effie's hand as he waited for her response.

"What would we tell Josephine? Would we tell her about you and Ollie?"

"I reckon we'd have to." Floyd ran his free hand over his face. "Golly, that's a scary thought. Do you think she'll hate me?"

"She'd never hate you. Ever."

"We'd have to tell her not to tell no one. Do you think she could keep a secret like this?"

"I'm not sure. Hopefully she can. For everyone's sakes." Effie blew out a forceful sigh, shaking her head. "Floyd, this plan of yours, you're making it sound simple, but it ain't without risk."

"I know. But I want to try." Floyd stared into Effie's uncertain baby blues. "Just like them miners over in the other counties have been fighting for a better life, I'm ready to fight for my better life, too. I have to hope we'll have more luck than they had. I know we could lose a lot. But, Effie, I really, really want to try."

Effie thought for a minute before blowing out a breath. "Alright, Floyd Bennett, I reckon we can live on a farm."

Floyd's face broke into the biggest smile. Gosh, he was so happy. Smiling back, Effie pulled him in for a hug.

"Well, that means I only have one more thing I need to do today." Floyd pulled back and walked over to the bookcase. He took out Matt's coin-collecting book. "I suspect it'll mean that you'll need to find a couple more nails, though."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

Effie was still smiling so big, her entire face lit up with what looked to be excitement. It made him happy to see it.

"Because I might not be back for supper. I'm heading to Charleston."

***

Standing on the front porch of Betty Astor's home, Floyd took a moment to compose his thoughts. Golly, was he lucky to have been blessed with such a sharp memory. Without even meaning to, he had remembered the name of Betty Astor's street, coupled with her house number. All it had taken was seeing these things written out on that envelope he'd found on Ollie's kitchen counter. At the time, he hadn't known how much he'd soon need them.

Now, even though Floyd had no way of knowing whether Ollie's relative might be willing to purchase Matt's coin collection, he still had to hope that he could convince her to buy it from him. Floyd felt certain that Betty could eventually sell the coins herself and make a profit. Floyd, though, couldn't very well afford the time it would take to find individual buyers his own self. He simply couldn't be frittering money away on newspaper advertisements. He had no time to seek out the various coin collectors in West Virginia who might be interested in purchasing one or two of Matt's coins. He was ready for his future to start now .

After one more long exhale, Floyd knocked. Moments later, someone who he assumed was Ollie's Aunt Betty answered.

"Hi. Are you Ms. Astor?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm a friend of Ollie's."

One of her eyebrows ticked up ever-so-slightly. "Are you Floyd?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, yes, ma'am. I wasn't aware that Ollie already told you 'bout me."

"How can I help you?"

"I have a proposition of sorts."

"Oh?" she remarked, sounding intrigued.

Floyd nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Hm. Come in."

As Floyd followed her through her house, he had to fight to keep his hands from shaking. Something about her made him real nervous. Aside from Ollie and the Donohues, Floyd hadn't really spent much time with people who had a lot of money. Seeing the way Ollie's Aunt Betty carried herself and the large home she lived in was making him feel small. He wondered how silly he'd seem to her offering Matt's coin-collecting book. It looked like she could afford plum near anything she wanted. What need would she have for the bit of extra money could make from these little old coins?

Aunt Betty led him to a room filled with books. Floyd had never seen so many in one place before. He reckoned there was probably more knowledge on only one of the shelves than he had stored up in his entire brain.

They took a seat next to one another on a soft green couch.

Floyd cleared his throat and said, "I came here to see if you would be interested in purchasing this here coin-collecting book. I know you probably ain't a coin collector, but I need the money faster than I could make selling each of these my own self. I thought that maybe you could take your time finding some buyers here in Charleston or even elsewhere in West Virginia. You ought to be able to make some sort of profit that way."

"And for what purpose do you need the money?"

"I'm trying to buy a farm for my family, ma'am."

Wordlessly, Aunt Betty held out her hand—a silent request to look through Matt's book. Floyd hesitated for a few seconds before handing it over. When the book left his possession, it felt a little like he had lost a piece of himself. It took some effort not to let it show. Holding his breath, Floyd watched her flip through the pages.

After looking at a couple, she asked, "Are you and Oliver happy together?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Floyd felt heat blooming on his cheeks. "What?"

"If you're worried about me being scandalized by two men having a romantic relationship, you can rest assured that I am not." Floyd hesitated before eventually managing a nod in response, and then Aunt Betty continued on. "So, I will ask you one more time: Are you and Oliver happy together?"

"Yes. Very."

"Then why on earth would you want to leave Rock Creek? Won't Oliver miss you?"

"He's coming with me. I want us to buy a farm together."

She hummed. "Mostly with his money, I assume."

Floyd's face was still burning, though now it was from shame. "Yeah. Mostly."

"And you said you have a family?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm married to my best friend Effie. We have a little girl named Josephine." Floyd reached up to scratch his head. "I know how strange this must sound, but Effie and me are only friends. She knows about Ollie. In fact, she likes him. I talked to her about everything before coming here. She ain't got a problem with me and Ollie running a farm together."

"Why not continue to live in Rock Creek, though?"

"Well, I want something better for us. All of us. Me and Ollie can't really be together in such a small community. Everyone's homes are close together, and everybody knows everybody's business. It's not like me and Ollie can pretend that we're related neither. Everyone knows we only met earlier this year. Somebody in town came to me recently and, well, it seems like me and Ollie were probably being a bit too obvious about, uh, about what we are to each other." Floyd bounced his leg as he tried to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "I want the two of us to be together. I can't keep spending every workday pretending that he's not... that he's not what he is to me. I can't keep pretending I'm not in love with him. I want to live life more honestly than that. And I reckon having some land to ourselves—some small acreage and our own farmhouse—could help."

Something he said must have struck a chord with her. All of a sudden, she was smiling warmly, the harsh lines of her face seeming to soften, and before Floyd could even utter another word, she reached over to pat his knee.

"I, too, value honesty, but people like us often cannot live our lives honestly, can we?"

Floyd shook his head, not entirely understanding what she meant. Aunt Betty patted his knee twice more and stood. When she left the room without explanation, taking the coin-collecting book with her, Floyd started twiddling his thumbs, wondering if he had somehow ruined everything.

Minutes later, Aunt Betty returned with a handsome woman by her side. Aunt Betty's companion was shorter than she was, with mousy brown hair, cut to her chin, and big brown eyes.

"Floyd, this is my friend, Mary," Aunt Betty said.

Floyd's eyes flew wide. "Oh!" He scrambled to his feet and held out his hand. Mary shook it, and Floyd looked over at Oliver's Aunt Betty before sputtering the first words that popped into his head. "You're like me."

Aunt Betty laughed. "Yes, that's one way to put it."

"Sorry, I've never met a woman who was..." He shook his head, still shocked and bewildered by this. "Does Ollie know?"

"Yes, he knows," she confirmed with a nod. "Mary here is Frederick Donohue's sister. I'm sure you've heard this by now, but Frederick was a friend of our family's." Floyd's mouth hung open as she continued on. "Frederick was the one who helped Mary and I start our life together here."

"Fred Donohue?!"

Floyd had a hard time believing that Frederick effing Donohue, as Ollie would have called him, had been so charitable.

"Yes," Aunt Betty said with a shrug, chuckling. "Surprising, I know. Frederick certainly has his flaws." She looked over at Mary again, her eyes suddenly filled with a whole lot of tenderness. It made Floyd happy to see that such a stern-looking woman had a lot of care inside her, only it was reserved for special people, like the woman she loved. After a moment, she looked back at Floyd. "When Oliver first showed up here, I was worried that he may have turned out like his father. For the entirety of his short visit, I was nervous that Mary would come home from the shops and I'd have to think of how to explain who this woman was. Mary and I are very careful about who we tell. When Oliver visited a second time, I had Mary hide away upstairs, and then, once Oliver let it slip that he was in love with a man, I introduced them."

"Ollie never told me."

"I'm sure he felt like it wasn't his place. Floyd, I liked what you said about living life honestly. Or, as honestly as people like us can in this world. I'm very glad that Oliver found someone like you—someone who seems to have integrity, someone who seems to be loyal to his family, someone who is honest. Henry, Oliver's father, is very much your opposite. I was pleased to learn that, even though Oliver is Henry's son, he seems to have matured into a kind, if not somewhat eccentric, person. In his case, the apple seems to have fallen fairly far from its tree."

"Rolled all the way to West Virginia," Floyd said with a nod, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a small smirk.

Aunt Betty hummed. "Indeed." She held up the coin book. "Shall we talk numbers?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'd like that."

As soon as they reached the couch, Floyd asked if he could see the book one last time. Heart heavy, he flipped through the pages, stopping when he reached the page with the illegible tin-colored coin. When his eyes flitted over to Matt's favorite one—the Flying Eagle penny—he said a silent farewell. I need to move forward now. Don't worry, though, Ollie'll never let me forget you. Not that I would have on my own. But his promise helps. I still love you, Matty. I always will. Eyes brimming with tears, Floyd inhaled a quivering breath and removed the Ollie coin from its pouch.

***

Hours later, when it was completely dark outside, Floyd hopped off the train and started through town. From up the road, Floyd could see Ollie's house, the little oil lamp on his porch shining like a beacon of hope. Seeing the way it twinkled—the lone light in the darkness—Floyd thought about what Ollie had told him about them making their own light. It really was true, wasn't it?

When Floyd reached the edge of Ollie's property, Ollie flung open the door.

"I have half a mind to pummel you for being so late. I was worried," Ollie said, sounding more relieved than mad. "Effie said you went to Charleston for some reason?"

"Yup," Floyd said, coming up the stairs. "I got a surprise for you."

"It's not a hat, is it?" Ollie asked as Floyd walked around him. "I kind of hope it is."

"Nope. Ain't a hat. It's better, I think." Floyd opened his wallet and took out the check. He handed it to Ollie, whose mouth immediately fell open. "I reckon we can buy ourselves a farm now. Not that this is enough for everything or, well, even most of everything, but I couldn't let you be the sole provider."

"I . . . what . . ."

Watching Ollie stumble over his words had Floyd beaming with pride. He couldn't help but puff out his chest a little.

"I sold Matt's coin-collecting book to your Aunt Betty."

Ollie shook his head. "What?"

"Don't worry, I kept the most important one."

Floyd reached into his pocket and took out the Ollie coin. With a flick of his thumb, he sent it sailing over to Ollie, who only barely managed to catch it. Slowly, Ollie turned it over in his hands, which then immediately started to tremble.

"Sweetheart..." Ollie's eyes were tearing up, which was making Floyd want to cry, too.

"I couldn't sell the Ollie coin," Floyd said, not even caring that a couple of tears were starting to escape. He hadn't never cried so much in his whole life as he had over the last weeks.

"Because it's trash," Ollie choked out, his cheeks becoming wet from tears.

Floyd came over and wrapped his arms around Ollie, pulling him close.

"Nah, it's the most valuable one, silly." He kissed the side of Ollie's head. "And our future is more important to me than all the rest of them old coins."

Ollie started sobbing, squeezing Floyd in return. Floyd let him cry for a while before pulling back to find Ollie's face with his hand.

"Are you ready to be a farmer with me, city boy?"

Ollie sniffled. "If you'll have me. I know nothing about farming, Floyd. Not one Goddamn thing. But I'll learn. I'll try to be a proper farmer. For you."

"No need to be a proper one, Ollie. Regular is fine."

With a soft chuckle, Ollie hooked a hand behind Floyd's head and pulled him in for a kiss. As their lips moved together, Ollie scrambled to place the check and the coin onto the table behind him, and then Floyd hoisted him up into the air.

As soon as they reached the bed, Floyd sat on the mattress, setting Ollie on top of him. They resumed their kissing, and soon, both of them fell backward. Floyd scooted up toward the headboard. With Ollie rolling his hips, they continued kissing each other, staying in it for so long that Floyd's lips started to feel sore. Unable to keep waiting, Floyd reached for the top button of Ollie's shirt, but then Ollie broke their kiss, his eyes suddenly uncertain.

"Sweetheart, what if we try something new?"

"Sure," Floyd said, already knowing exactly what Ollie was fixing to ask.

"Can I . . . uhm . . ."

Floyd interrupted. "Do you want to fuck me, Ollie?" he asked with a wolfish smile.

"Oh my God!" Ollie exclaimed, eyes wide with shock, a hint of a smile underneath his very fake astonishment. "I've ruined you."

"Not yet, you haven't. I thought that's what you were proposing, though—to ruin me."

Ollie threw his head back and laughed for a few seconds before stopping to look back at Floyd with a very hungry smile.

"You're fucking right that's what I'm proposing."

Before Floyd could respond to that, Ollie was kissing him again, more intensely than before, and then Ollie moved to strip off his own clothes. Floyd could have sworn he heard Ollie snap a few buttons off his shirt in the process. Meanwhile, Floyd worked to remove his own clothing. Once they were naked, Ollie ran off to the kitchen and soon returned with a bottle of oil.

"I'm no expert, but I've been experimenting on my own here and there, and I think we'll need this."

Floyd snorted. "I know. I've experimented plenty myself."

"Jesus, sweetheart, I think that's the most arousing thing I've ever heard you say." Ollie pointed to the bed. "Lie back."

As soon as Floyd was comfortable, Ollie climbed on top of him. He started kissing Floyd's neck, slowly making his way lower. When he reached Floyd's outer thigh, instead of moving up to kiss his rock-hard cock, Ollie took a pause.

"I want to try something," he said.

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Can I lick you . . . lower?"

"Lower?"

"Right."

"Where—" Floyd started to say, but he cut himself off the moment he felt one of Ollie's fingers tap his hole. "Oh!" Suddenly, his head started to swim from nervousness. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, uhm, is that too strange?"

"No, but . . ."

"I promise I'll stop if you hate it."

"I ain't worried that I'll hate it, I'm worried that you'll hate it. I mean, it's..."

"I know I won't hate it," Ollie said. "I've been thinking about it when I pleasure myself. I mean, Floyd, your butt is very sweet."

" That part is sweet?"

"Well, alright, maybe sweet isn't the perfect word. Adorable? Nah, not that either, maybe. But..." Ollie started lifting Floyd's legs. "Can we try it?"

"Uh, yeah," Floyd said, his heart thundering from unease. "Sure."

As Floyd pulled his legs up toward his chest, his body started burning from embarrassment, his previously hard cock becoming soft.

"Ollie..." Floyd swallowed hard, preparing to tell Ollie they'd better try some other time, but then Ollie looked up at him with the biggest, most hopeful eyes.

"Alright, so, this part is kind of adorable," he said.

Floyd tried to shove Ollie backward with his heel. "Stop."

"I'm being serious, sweetheart! I think you must have the most adorable butt hole in the entire world."

Floyd laughed a little. "Ollie! What in the heck kind of comment is that?"

"Can I please kiss you now?"

Floyd supposed he ought to let Ollie try, especially if he was strange enough to think his pucker was sweet or adorable or something.

"Yeah. Go on."

As soon as Ollie's tongue brushed his opening, Floyd let out a sigh, one that was sort of mixed with a moan. Because, wow, the firm-yet-wet feeling of Ollie's tongue felt so unexpectedly nice. Ollie's hands came to rest on the underside of Floyd's thighs as he buried his face closer, prodding Floyd's hole with his tongue more intensely, nearly pushing it inside. Floyd's cock began to stiffen.

"Oh..." Lost in his pleasure, Floyd couldn't think of one stinkin' thing to say.

Ollie paused. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah," Floyd breathed, still barely able to speak.

As soon as Ollie went back to licking him, Floyd shifted his hips, his throbbing cock now begging for release. He moved to touch himself, but Ollie's hand shot out to stop him.

"Just try to enjoy this, sweetheart," Ollie said. "Don't make yourself come yet."

"Uh-huh," Floyd managed, still in awe of how much he really was enjoying himself.

Gosh, how could Ollie's tongue feel so nice?

Suddenly, Ollie's fingers were on his opening, urging him open a little, and then he flicked his tongue over the hole once more, the sensation sending a little wave of pleasure rippling through Floyd's body and making him shudder.

"Oh, God, Ollie," Floyd moaned. "How?"

How could this possibly feel so incredible?

Ollie chuckled to himself and continued to move his tongue. When he eventually stopped, Floyd let out a pathetic little whine.

Ollie said, "I'm sorry, but I think I might not be able to resist the urge to fuck the mattress much longer if I keep licking you." He picked up the bottle of oil from the mattress. "Can I try one of my fingers instead?"

Still in a bit of a daze, Floyd nodded.

Ollie poured some oil on his hand. Floyd stopped breathing the moment Ollie started pressing his finger inside. Ollie's finger hadn't even made it past the middle knuckle before Floyd cried out, the breath he'd been holding rushing out of him in one big whoosh .

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Ollie asked.

Floyd shook his head. Soon, Ollie's whole finger was inside. And Floyd was ready to tell him how incredible it felt when Ollie crooked his finger a little, finding that perfect spot that could make Floyd see stars. Floyd let out a hungry moan instead.

Ollie continued to move his finger. Each tiny motion was enough to make Floyd's muscles tense and shiver.

"God, Ollie, I..." Floyd clenched his fists. "I'll come."

"Should I stop?"

"Y-yeah," Floyd stammered, though part of him wanted Ollie to keep going. "I want you inside me now."

"Hold on," Ollie said. "One more finger, maybe. I'm nervous I'll hurt you otherwise."

Once Ollie's second finger was inside, Floyd squeezed his eyes shut. Because he knew that if Ollie moved too fast, he'd never last more than a second or two.

"Slow," Floyd begged. "Gentle."

Gingerly, Ollie moved his fingers a couple of times—in and out—and then, when Floyd was teetering on the edge, he retracted them. Floyd let out a long breath. Ollie took a while to slick himself with oil, which was maybe intentional so that Floyd could take the time to calm himself a little, and then walked forward on his knees. Floyd lifted his legs to rest them on Ollie's shoulders.

Ollie pressed his cock against Floyd's hole.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Ollie asked.

"Very ready."

When Ollie started to push himself inside, Floyd's heart began fluttering, fear suddenly twisting in his stomach. He wasn't even sure why he was feeling nervous about this type of intimacy. He knew Ollie would never hurt him. Not intentionally. But within seconds, the fear had become so intense that Floyd had started to feel a little lightheaded.

"Sweetheart, I think you're forgetting to breathe."

"Oh." Floyd took a few breaths. Sure enough, they helped. "Yeah, I'll... I'll remember that."

"Keep breathing," Ollie instructed, pushing forward more.

Once the head of Ollie's cock slipped inside, Floyd's hand shot out to clutch Ollie's forearm, causing Ollie to pause.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not much, but some. Uhm, maybe you can wait a bit." Floyd couldn't help but feel a bit bad for making Ollie stop. He'd been so sweet to pleasure Floyd with his tongue and fingers before this. "I'm sorry if this ain't what you thought it would be."

"What do you mean? It's perfect."

"Yeah? Even though I can't even let you move yet?"

"We're learning together, sweetheart. I'm so happy that we're even trying this."

"Me, too." Floyd reached up to stroke Ollie's cheek.

Ollie snatched Floyd's hand and kissed it. Floyd tried to concentrate on relaxing, and the kindness in Ollie's eyes helped him not feel so bad about how much time was passing. Eventually, once Floyd felt more comfortable, Ollie shifted his hips forward, pushing the rest of his member inside. Thankfully, there was no pain, only fullness.

Floyd nodded encouragingly. "It ain't hurting no more. Go ahead."

When Ollie started to rock his hips, Floyd finally relaxed. Because holy heck, it felt incredible. Even with Ollie's soft movements, Floyd started losing himself in their love, every one of Ollie's light thrusts bringing a new wave of pleasure, each rippling throughout his body and making his head swim.

"Does it feel nice?" Ollie asked sweetly, his forehead etched with concern.

"Better than nice," Floyd said. "I love it."

"Yeah?"

"You can try harder if you want."

With Ollie's next thrust, Floyd sucked in a breath, his hands twisting the sheets. Ollie must have been encouraged by that because he kept up with the harder and faster pace. Floyd closed his eyes and let the world fall away until the only thing that existed was the beautiful feeling of fullness.

Minutes later, while Floyd was still lost in his bliss, Ollie clutched tight to Floyd's shoulder and pushed forward more forcefully, and his thrust caused a sudden surge of pleasure to streak through Floyd's body like lightning. Enlivened by the sensation, a ragged moan tumbled forth from his lips. Ollie's hand came to rest on his cheek.

"Shhh, you're being too loud," Ollie scolded, though there was a levity in his voice.

"I know, I know," Floyd breathed, still barely keeping it together. "But, Ollie, I'm so close."

"Really?" Ollie asked, pausing for a moment. "But you're not even touching yourself."

Immediately reeling from the lack of movement, Floyd placed his hands on Ollie's hips. Without even thinking, he tried to urge Ollie to move again.

"Please," he said, a pleading edge to his voice. "More."

"God, I've never seen you like this," Ollie said, that teasing hitch in his tone that Floyd knew all too well. "Is it really that—"

"Ollie, please ," Floyd begged, still pathetically trying to move Ollie's hips.

"Alright, sheesh," Ollie chuckled, punctuating that "sheesh" with a rough thrust that coaxed forth another one of Floyd's moans. He knew Ollie was fixing to scold him, even before the next "Sweetheart, shhh!"

But somehow, Floyd couldn't bring himself to care. Ollie continued to fuck him, and Floyd continued to moan, pressure and pleasure mixing and building, causing his cock to throb. For a moment, Floyd considered touching himself, but he couldn't even fathom focusing on something other than these current sensations, every one more intense than every other he had experienced in his life.

Ollie's next forceful thrust sent Floyd over the edge.

"Oh, God, Ollie," Floyd cried out, his cock starting to pulse. "Oh, fuck."

His cock was still pulsing when Ollie let out a moan. Floyd opened his eyes to see Ollie's face contorted with pleasure, his eyes squeezed shut, blond hair a mess.

"I'm coming, too," Ollie rasped, holding tight to Floyd's thighs.

Feeling Ollie empty himself inside him, Floyd let out a long breath and murmured, "Dang, Ollie, that feels so nice, you coming inside me like that."

Ollie seemed a bit lost for a few seconds, recovering from his pleasure with a faraway look in his eye, before he said, "Yeah? Good. Because I... wow, yeah, we need to keep doing that."

Chuckling, Floyd scrambled to find Ollie's hand.

"I love you," Floyd said, squeezing it, thinking 'bout how wonderful everything was. Especially Ollie. "You're perfect."

"I'm really not."

"You really are. You're perfect, silly—the perfect man for me."

"I love you." Ollie's smile broadened. "Even though that new nickname you came up with is completely terrible. I love you so much, sweetheart."

He was looking at Floyd with such wonderment, it sent Floyd's heart a-flutter. Afterward, Ollie snuggled up on top of him, resting his head atop Floyd's chest. Floyd stroked his soft yellow hair and spent the whole next hour wide awake, excited for their future.