1. Skye

Skyelar Mckenzie walked in the front door of his condo and set his messenger bag on the chair next to him. His keys went in the small square basket on the table next to the door, before he kicked his shoes off, and ran his fingers through his blond waves. His feet were aching from standing all day in those stupid dress shoes, and his low back was complaining, too. At twenty eight he was still fairly young, but some days he felt closer to forty.

Stretching his back, he heard it pop, then rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He'd gotten home a little later than usual today. The teachers meeting (that should have been an email) had taken much longer than necessary, he'd gotten a flat tire on the way home, and he was most definitely not looking forward to the stack of papers he still had to grade. When he glanced at the clock on the wall it read half past six, but his body told him that it was so much later.

God, he was getting old. He could remember ten years ago, staying up until two in the morning and still making it to his ten am classes, partying night after night. How the hell had he been able to do that? Now he was ready for bed by ten most nights. Midnight if he was being really wild.

His roommate wasn't home yet. His keys weren't in the basket next to Skye's, nor were his shoes by the door. His car wasn't in the driveway either, which was odd because River was always home by six thirty. Skye decided he would give it a few more minutes and then text his friend.

River was pretty much Skye's polar opposite, but despite their vast differences, they'd been best friends and roommates since their freshman year of college.

River considered exercising a hobby and loved to go running, biking, and rock climbing. He enjoyed eating vegetables, which Skye still couldn't understand. He could spend hours outside, relaxing, reading, or scrolling through his phone, soaking up the sun, whereas Skye had discovered his allergy to bugs and dirt a long time ago. It was definitely a thing. He was positive.

River also enjoyed decorating, so Skye had let him take over in that department when they'd moved in together five years ago. He hadn't a clue about such things. If left up to him, the walls of their condo would still be barren. But River had made it a home, with the art on the walls, throw pillows, blankets, and little knick-knacks on the side tables and shelves, along with photos of the two of them and their families scattered about.

Skye smiled as he walked into his bedroom and slipped off his tie. He stripped off his dress clothes and changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt as his mind wandered back to that first meeting with River all those years ago.

Skye was expecting the tall, dark-haired guy, whom he was assuming was his roommate, to introduce himself when he entered the dorm room and started making noise as he unpacked. But the young man just kept pulling things out of his suitcase and setting them aside on his bed, or carrying them to the closet. It took Skye a second to realize that he had earbuds in and probably couldn't hear him, so he made his way over to where his roommate was setting some folded clothes in the dresser it looked like they would be sharing, and tapped his shoulder.

The young man practically jumped out of his skin, his clothes falling to the floor, eyes wide with alarm. And if Skye wasn't mistaken, he actually looked a bit panicked.

"Woah, hey," Skye said, when the other boy reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, pressing what Skye assumed was the pause button on whatever he was listening to. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. "I just wanted to introduce myself." Skye held his hand out for the boy to shake, but the boy just blinked and stared, his face having gone slightly pale. He didn't take Skye's hand, just knelt down to pick his clothes up off the floor. Since Skye was the one who made him drop them, and because he wasn't an asshole, he crouched down to help.

The young man took the T-shirts and jeans Skye handed him, and Skye saw the blush that crept up his roommate's face as he set a couple of pairs of underwear in his arms as well. His eyes met Skye's behind black framed glasses, and they were such a vibrant shade of blue that Skye couldn't help but get lost in them for a moment. This boy was gorgeous. Thick hair that was so dark it was almost black, a slender but toned frame, with the perfect amount of bicep peaking out under the sleeve of his black, form fitting T-shirt, thick full lips and high cheekbones. And God, if those glasses didn't just add to his sex appeal. Once they stood, Skye noticed that his roommate was maybe an inch or two shorter than his own six feet.

"Sorry I scared you," Skye said, as the young man pushed his glasses up on his nose with one finger and then continued laying his clothes in the dresser drawer. "I'm Skye."

The boy glanced at him. "River." The word was so quiet, Skye almost missed it. River seemed more tense and on edge than anyone Skye had ever met. He smiled at the other boy, trying to help him relax, but when he moved closer to clap River on the shoulder, River flinched, and Skye lowered his hand.

"You all right?" The poor guy seemed terrified. But if there was one thing Skye was good at, it was relating to people and getting them to come out of their shells, and he was determined to do it with River, too.

"Need some help unpacking?" he asked. "Maybe if we both work on it, it will go faster. I can help with your things and then you can help me get the rest of my shit out of my car. Is this everything of yours?"

River nodded, looking a little flustered but still not speaking. "You okay with me touching your stuff?" The boy hesitated, but then nodded again.

"What do you say you take the first three dresser drawers, and I'll take the bottom three?" Another nod. Skye didn't give a shit about what closet or bed he had, and River had already started putting his things in the closet near the window at the back of the room, so Skye would take the one at the front of the room.

Skye moved towards River's bed to get some more of his clothes, and saw a large leather bound book with the words ‘Holy Bible' inscribed on the front in silver letters. It looked worn and well used. He'd never been a religious person himself. Never wanted to have anything to do with it honestly, after hearing his entire life that who he was as a person was a sin, and that he was going to hell for liking men. Any kind of religion that taught you to hate people or to hide who you are, couldn't be a good one. But when he looked over at River, the other boy didn"t strike him as the kind of person who would hate anyone, or be unkind to anyone.

"You religious?" Skye asked, holding up the Bible. River nodded again. "Not gonna be a problem that I'm gay, is it?" To Skye's surprise River actually gave a small smile, then shook his head. "Good, cause that isn't changing no matter what this book says."

River stepped towards him cautiously and extracted the Bible from his hands, setting it on his desk next to his laptop. Then he nodded to the suitcase filled with clothes, toiletries, more books, and other random stuff as if to tell Skye to get a move on already.

Skye smiled and handed him things, and they worked on unpacking together. Skye didn't say anything for a while and the dark haired boy actually seemed to relax around him a little more. "You have family here?" Skye asked eventually.

River nodded.

"Where are they?" Skye looked around the small room like he might have somehow missed them.

"It's just my aunt," River murmured, his voice soft, but deeper than Skye had anticipated. "She's talking something over with the registrar."

"Hey, you do talk." Skye grinned at him. "Not so bad, is it?" River gave a soft smile, his cheeks flushed, and Skye counted that as a win. He promised himself that he would get one of River's genuine smiles, or even a laugh out of him before too long.

"My mom wanted to come but she had to stay home with my brother. He wasn't feeling well. And she was super busy with work. My parents started a beer company a ways back and things get pretty crazy sometimes." Skye didn't know why he was telling River his life story but he'd never been comfortable in silence for too long and he thought maybe it would help his roommate loosen up a little. He seemed so tightly wound, like he was sure something was going to jump out at him any minute.

River looked, for a moment, like he wanted to ask Skye something, but then decided against it and went back to unpacking.

"Mind if we play some music?" Skye asked after another minute. They'd gotten all the things in the dresser and River was moving to setting things up in his closet as Skye did the same. "We can listen to whatever you were listening to when I came in here."

River flushed again. Skye noticed that he did that a lot. "I don't think you would like it," the boy said softly.

"Oh, why not?"

"It's worship music." Skye cringed, but managed to get a laugh out, and he noticed that River smiled a little.

"Yeah, maybe not," Skye agreed, and the other boy's smile widened. God, he looked good when he smiled, an adorable dimple on his left cheek, his eyes lighting up behind his glasses. And the fact that he wasn't trying to shove anything about his religion or his faith down Skye's throat was kind of awesome. He would not handle that well.

"You okay with my stuff?" Skye asked, taking out his phone and scrolling. "We can do my chill section." Skye grinned at his roommate and winked, and the other boy's cheeks flushed yet again. Fuck, why was that so adorable?

River shrugged, his lips pursed like there was something he wanted to say again but wasn"t sure if he should.

Just as Skye was about to press the play button he heard, "I'm sorry."

His gaze lifted to meet his roommate's. He blinked. "For what?"

"For all the Christians who ever hurt you and made you feel bad about who you are." The other boy glanced down and shuffled his feet, hands in his pockets. His sapphire eyes met Skye's again. They were warm and sincere when he said, "There's nothing wrong with you. I…uh, I just want you to know that."

Fuck. Skye was not crying. He absolutely refused to cry in front of some guy he'd just met. But he was stunned. River's words were more life-giving and liberating than he could have imagined. And yes, damn it, there were definitely tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.

He'd never had someone apologize for mistreating him for his sexuality before, especially when they hadn't personally been the one to do the harm. And while he'd been out for a while, it hadn"t all been sunshine and rainbows. His mom and brother had accepted him right away. Coming out to them had been the hardest thing he had ever done. Skye had known he was gay since his freshman year of high school, but it had taken him another year before finally gathering the courage to tell them, and he'd cried like a baby when he had.

But they hadn't batted an eyelash. They'd just hugged him and told him they loved him, and wanted him to be himself. When Skye had asked his mom what she thought his dad would have said, she'd just smiled and said, "He would have said he loves you and that he's proud of you." It had gone better than Skye could have imagined, and he'd wished he'd told them sooner to keep from carrying all that guilt, fear, and shame for so long.

It had given him the courage to come out to a group of friends at school, all guys. Unfortunately when they found out, they hadn't had the same positive reaction. They hadn't called him names, or harassed him, but they had ignored him, and made it very clear he wasn't welcome in their company anymore. Which may have actually been worse. He'd been afraid to come out to anyone for a long time after that. It had taken meeting the right people, forming new friendships, and the love and support of his family to realize that who he was was nothing to be ashamed of. He had been very open about his sexuality since, and refused to hide who he was or let others make him feel like shit for who he was attracted to.

"Uh, thank you," he said. "So, uh, you, you really don't mind?" River frowned and it made Skye laugh. "Sorry, I just, I'm not sure what to make of the Christian guy telling me I'm not going to hell for liking dick."

River's face flushed and Skye realized that maybe he wasn't used to such crass language. Well, for Skye it wasn"t crass, but he had no idea how sheltered his roommate might be. Had he ever even had sex? Seen a woman naked? Was he a virgin? He was too fucking gorgeous to have never been laid, that was for damn sure. If he had any interest in Skye at all he would not say no to fucking his roommate senseless.

"Maybe that not all Christians are assholes," River replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Skye smirked, pretty damn proud of himself for actually getting his roommate fired up over something enough to talk, and show some sass.

He shrugged. "All the Christians I've ever heard open their mouths are."

River narrowed his eyes. "Except me."

Skye couldn't help it when his lips quirked into a small smile. "Except you."

"So, if I'm bringing anyone back to the room for a good time I'll just put a sock on the door or something. You cool with that?" They both moved around again as they continued to unpack. Skye's unpacking was a bit more haphazard, while River had things neatly organized and stacked perfectly. Skye had a feeling being roommates with River was going to be an adjustment for both of them, but found himself not minding.

River shrugged. "As long as it's not every night."

Skye laughed. "Same goes for you. I don't want to walk in and see tits bouncing and hear those girly moans." River coughed and Skye grinned. Virgin or not, River was definitely a bit shy when it came to sex.

River shook his head, seeming to shrink back into himself. His voice had gone soft again when he said, "That won't be a problem."

"Why not? Don't like girls?" Skye winked at his roommate again, that adorable flush back in an instant as River cleared his throat.

"No, I…" he cleared it again and ran his long, slender fingers through those thick, dark strands. "I like girls, I just…I'm not…" Jesus, he was flustered.

"You're a virgin?" River"s face paled as he swallowed again, then rubbed his palms on his jeans, letting out a deep breath, and Skye wondered if he had overstepped. He hadn't meant to make his roommate uncomfortable. Shit. "Hey, it's not a problem. I'm not gonna judge you for being a virgin any more than you are judging me for being gay, okay?"

Those blue eyes met his again, darker this time, like the depths of the ocean. Skye's heart sank when he saw the pain behind them. "Can we not talk about this, please?"

Now it was Skye's turn to flush. "Sure, yeah. I'm sorry." Was River embarrassed or ashamed about being a virgin?

"You said you had more stuff to carry in?" River asked, and Skye was thankful for the change of subject. He nodded and grabbed his keys, River close behind him as they made their way to the parking lot.

Skye couldn't help noticing the way River's eyes lit up when he saw Skye's car.

"Oh, wow." His roommate's smile was genuine as he stared. God, that was a sexy smile. Full, and bright, and absolutely beautiful. It suited him and Skye knew right then and there that he wanted to see more of it.

"She's a 1969 Newport," Skye said proudly. "She used to be my dad's, but my mom kept her maintained after he died and I got her after I got my license."

River's eyes met his. "You lost your dad?"

Skye nodded. "It was a long time ago. I was four and I barely remember him."

"I'm sorry," River said, and Skye could tell he meant it, in a way that maybe even suggested that he knew what it was like to lose a parent. And then Skye remembered that River had come here with his aunt.

His chest tightened, emotions washing over him that he hadn"t felt in a long time. He'd always missed his dad, wondered what his life would have been like if Jacob Mckenzie were still around, and had always wanted to make his father proud even after he'd been gone for years. "Thank you."

River turned back to the car, his smile back, but not quite as wide. "She's beautiful," he murmured, running his fingers gently over the hood. Skye smiled, filled with pride once again.

"You have a car?" he asked. River shook his head.

"We drove my aunt's station wagon here, but she's taking it back with her when she leaves."

"So you won't have a car on campus?"

"Nah, but it's okay. I'll have my bike, and I don't mind walking. It's good exercise."

Skye couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth next. "You're welcome to borrow her, if you need to get somewhere, church or whatever."

River's eyes widened as their gazes met. "Are you sure?" He seemed stunned, and honestly Skye was pretty fucking stunned himself, but yeah, he was sure.

He shrugged. Normally he wouldn't let another soul drive his car, but for some reason he didn't have a problem with lending it to River. There was just something about him that Skye trusted, and letting River get behind the wheel of his baby, that didn't bother him at all.

River gave Skye that breathtaking smile again. "Thanks."

Hey, what's your ETA? Skye texted as he walked out of his bedroom. Are you coming home for dinner?

He couldn't help but smile at how ridiculously domestic it sounded. But honestly, that's what living with River was like. They'd developed a comfortable routine over the years. Skye enjoyed cooking and did pretty much all of it. River hated cooking, so he did the cleanup afterwards instead. Skye took care of the maintenance on the condo and both of their cars because he was good at it, and River knew shit all about cars. He took care of the dishwasher, the vacuuming, mopping, dusting, etc. and both men did their own laundry, and cleaned their own bathrooms, because River had informed Skye, when they first moved in, that he was not going anywhere near Skye's bathroom without a hazmat suit. Skye, for his part, thought River was being a bit dramatic with that particular statement. His bathroom really wasn't that bad, it just wasn't pristine, like River's.

All in all though, it was a pretty sweet arrangement, and the best part was that Skye was living with his best friend.

River had come out of his shell some in the past several years that Skye had known him. He was still shy and reserved around strangers and didn't enjoy big crowds, but he was much more relaxed and at ease around Skye than he had been when they first met. When it was just him and River, or if they were hanging out with their friends Nick and Jenna, Skye got to see the real River; the River with the contagious laughter and a smile that lit up the room. The fun, sarcastic River that liked to joke and make people laugh. The tender, sweet River who was the first to comfort someone who was hurting. River didn't trust easily but he loved fiercely, and if you were fortunate enough to make it into his small group of friends, you would have a loyal, faithful, amazing friend in return.

Depends, River texted back a moment later. What are you making? Smile emoji

Haven't decided yet, Skye replied. Depends on if you'll be here.

I think I'm gonna go out with my coworkers when I get off, actually. They've been inviting me for a while and I feel bad that I haven't taken them up on it yet.

Where are you going?

Jake's.

Jake's was the local hangout. They would go there at least twice a month with Nick and Jenna, who they had met in college. Even though River never drank due to the antidepressants he was on that didn't mix well with alcohol, he still enjoyed the atmosphere, the food, and the people. Enjoy yourself. And don't do anything I wouldn't do. winky face emoji. I'll see you later.

Since River wasn't coming home for dinner, Skye decided to keep it simple. He cooked a hot dog on the stove and grabbed some greasy potato chips that he knew he wouldn't be able to eat with his roommate there, without getting a lecture.

He took a seat on the couch in front of the television, turned Star Trek Voyager on, on Netflix, and pulled the lever on the side of the couch to recline the seat.

Their mismatched furniture was certainly nothing to brag about, but it worked for them. Mostly garage sale finds and a few odds and ends from Ikea, along with one or two pieces of furniture that River had made himself, like the bookshelf that stood in the corner, and the two end tables that sat on either side of the sofa.

With River's carpentry skills, Skye had always wondered why he hadn"t started his own business. His work was beautiful and Skye knew he could make a decent living with his talent.

But River had said that he wanted to help people, so he'd chosen physical therapy as a vocation instead, and Skye had to admit, he did seem to enjoy his work, and he was good at it. He'd spent an extra three years in school after undergrad to get his degree in PT, so he'd certainly wanted it badly enough, and he'd worked as a physical therapist in town for the past two years. Skye couldn't be more proud of him.

He enjoyed his work, too, though if you had ever told him when he was younger that he'd be teaching middle school history in a small town in rural Indiana he would have laughed in your face. Yet, here he was. And yes, the students were a handful sometimes, but despite how exhausting teaching was, it was just as rewarding, and he felt like he was making a difference in his students' lives, however small. And if any of them were struggling like he had been at that age, whether with their sexuality or something else, Skye hoped to be a source of support and encouragement for them.

It was rough at that age, making friends, figuring out who you were, wanting so badly to fit in and belong. He still wouldn"t say all these years later that even he had it completely figured out, but he'd become more comfortable with his sexuality, partly because of River. River had accepted and befriended him without question and that had made his college years much easier than his high school ones, having a roommate who was so supportive. Still, none of Skye"s students had ever known he was gay in the four years he'd had his job. Not because Skye was ashamed of who he was, but because it had never really come up. It was still just a close circle of coworkers who knew, plus Jenna, Nick, and River, and Skye's mom and younger brother.

Thinking of his brother made Skye think of his girlfriend and how they would probably be engaged soon. He was incredibly happy for them both but also a tad bit jealous if he was being honest. Jaden was twenty-four and would be starting a family soon and Skye was twenty-eight and still waiting for Mr. Right to come along.

He'd hooked up with plenty of guys over the years, dated a few times, but nothing that lasted. He wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't ready for a real relationship, or if none of those guys had been the one.

He finished his meal and set his plate aside on the end table. A sigh escaped him as he thought of all the papers he still had to grade before the evening was over. He really should just stop assigning homework. Grabbing the bag off of the chair he'd thrown it on earlier, he dragged it back over to the couch, plopping himself down once again. Pulling out the papers on the American Revolution, he groaned when he saw the very first one. "Seriously, guys, how hard is it to write your name on the top?"

After the process of elimination and doing his best to try and place the student's handwriting, he wrote Chris on the top himself, with a question mark next to it.

He wasn't sure how long he worked on grading papers, but after getting up once to use the bathroom and another time to get a quick snack and try to clear his head a little with an episode of Queer Eye, he noticed that his shoulder was starting to ache, as was his upper back.

He graded a few more papers, but when the pain grew worse he put his things down and started to rotate his arm and shoulder back and forth, wincing at the tightness in his traps. "That's not normal."

"What's not normal?" A deep voice said, and Skye turned to see River tossing his keys into the basket by the door just as he had done earlier, then sliding off his shoes and leaving them on the mat. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just sore, I guess." Skye winced and rubbed his shoulder. "You're home already, huh?"

"It's nine-thirty." River gestured to the clock.

"Huh. Guess I was grading papers longer than I thought." He continued rubbing at his shoulder, trying to ease the tension, and grimacing as he did.

"Do you want me to rub it?" River asked. When Skye gave him a smirk, River just rolled his eyes. "Your shoulder, Skye."

Skye chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be awesome."

River slid his jacket off and tossed it on a chair, putting those glorious biceps on display. Skye was not drooling. He wasn't. Yes, he was still insanely attracted to his best friend. River knew it, too. Skye hadn't exactly been subtle over the years about how gorgeous he thought River was. He may have innocently flirted with him on occasion, and River may have caught Skye checking him out a time or two. Maybe.

"Get on the floor then. And take your shirt off."

"Ooh, I like it when you get bossy," Skye teased. He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it aside as River made his way over to him. Then he pushed the leg rest of the couch in and slid onto the floor.

"Oh brother," River mumbled, sitting himself down on the couch behind Skye and gently starting to massage his upper back and shoulders. "Are you hard up or something?"

"Not particularly," Skye said with a laugh.

"Really?" River asked, and Skye could hear him smiling. "‘Cause you're sounding pretty horny to me. How long has it been since you got laid?"

Skye chuckled. "Too damn long, honestly." It had been months, in fact, since Skye had seen any action, but he wasn't really interested in finding any, either, and the why part of that was bugging him, so he tried not to think about it too hard. Normally on a Friday night he"d be at a bar or a club, finding a guy to bring home or to go home with, but lately he'd found himself preferring to spend his evenings alone with River, and having sex with a random guy just didn't appeal to him like it used to.

"Well, maybe you should fix that soon so you can stop hitting on me," River teased. He started digging his thumb into the knot next to Skye's shoulder.

"Ow, ow, ow," Skye repeated, tensing up and leaning forward to get away from the torture.

"Man, you're tight," River said as Skye winced. "Relax, Skye, or it won't help. Try to breathe through it. You've got a nasty trigger point here."

"Riv, can you take off the ring?" Skye asked.

"Oh, sorry." His hands left Skye's back and Skye found that he missed the touch immediately, but a second later they were there again, ring gone, resting on the coffee table now. The ring River had worn for the last twelve years. The one that told him to "Rise." It reminded River that he was tougher than any battle he faced. That no matter what life threw at him, he could and would rise above it.

Skye did his best to relax his shoulders and closed his eyes. Moments later he felt the knot start to loosen. He let out a deep breath and hung his head as River's expert hands moved further up his traps. God, it felt good. River's hands were strong and warm, and soft, and they were practically putting Skye to sleep.

"God, River, you have magic hands," he murmured as he felt them on both sides of his upper back now, and the base of his neck, releasing tension he hadn"t even realized he'd been carrying.

"I take it you're feeling better, then?"

Skye nodded, but just barely. He was really starting to doze off now.

"I think we need to get you to bed." River's hands left Skye's back once again, and the other man stood. He reached down and grabbed Skye's arm, pulling him to his feet. Skye didn't even care that he was tenting in his pants from the massage. He'd received his share of massages from River over the years and knew it was normal. He wobbled a little bit but River kept him steady as he walked Skye to his room and tucked him into bed.

"Thanks, Riv," Skye mumbled into his pillow, almost incoherently as River turned off the bedside lamp.

"Goodnight, Skye," River said, and left the room, closing the door behind him.