4. Quinn #2
Quinn didn’t know the whole story behind the Full Moon Diner, only that it had been an area fixture for decades with stick-to-the-ribs homestyle food and house-made desserts.
“Welcome to the Full Moon Diner,” Quinn said when they entered. “A true local institution. Open early, open late, but not quite all night. Perfect for hungry hunters and partiers coming off a binge.”
Dan took a deep breath. “Smells wonderful. I didn’t really take time to eat much yesterday.”
A server guided them to a booth with vinyl seats and a laminate tabletop. The menu spanned dozens of favorites.
“I’ve never had a bad meal here,” Quinn said. “You should be able to find something that scratches your itch.”
Quinn ordered Maxine’s Meatloaf, one of the diner’s specialties, and mashed potatoes. Dan got pancakes and bacon.
“Might as well start the day over again.” Dan forked a bite of fluffy pancake into his mouth and made a satisfied moan. “How was your afternoon?”
“I recruited the squirrels to help find a dragon and some missing people,” Quinn replied in a tone that suggested that was a perfectly normal way to spend the day.
Dan nearly choked on his pancake. “You did what?”
Quinn grinned. “I thought that might get your attention, but it’s all true.” As Dan finished his dinner, Quinn recounted his conversation with Madden, the idea to leverage the squirrels for information, and his frustration over both the missing hikers and the dragon story.
“That’s quite a tale.” Dan licked his lips to catch the last of the syrup, which riveted Quinn’s attention on his tongue and mouth.
“What do you want to do now?” Quinn asked as Dan stifled a yawn.
“Honestly? Let’s go back to my room, curl up in bed, and watch a movie on TV,” Dan replied. “Can you stay over?”
“I’d love to,” Quinn answered.
Dan reached across the table and gave Quinn’s hand a quick squeeze. “Good.”
They were quiet on the way back, and it didn’t take much to realize that Dan was still more exhausted than he was trying to let on.
“If you need the extra sleep, we can do this another night,” Quinn offered. The idea of spending the evening tangled up together made him happy, but he realized that Dan was probably still worn out from the danger he had escaped as well as the long drive from Dover.
Dan shook his head. “I can’t promise I’ll be the most sparkling company, but I don’t want to lose one more thing to those damn hunters. And I know this sounds crazy but being with you calms Wally and me. I need that.”
“Your company is more than enough for me,” Quinn promised. “But I’ll have to head home fairly early in the morning.”
“That’s perfectly okay,” Dan told him. “I’ll probably just go back to sleep.”
When they got to the room, Dan tossed the remote to Quinn. “Go ahead and pick something lively. I’m probably not up to following a complicated plot, but explosions are always good.”
He rummaged in a plastic bag on the dresser. “I have two cans of soda and a bag of chips from the drive. Take your pick.”
They each chose a soda and settled on the bed, sitting close enough that their shoulders and knees bumped. Quinn flipped through channels, and they settled on an action movie both had seen before, but that delivered fairly mindless adventure.
“I was awake enough to call the post office in Dover and get them to hold my mail,” Dan volunteered as the movie started. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the post office here to get a PO box. That’ll make it harder for someone to track me.”
“I’m sorry that you have to think like that.” Quinn pressed in closer to Dan, enjoying the warmth of their contact. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
“Thanks. That means a lot,” Dan said. “I really wanted to get back to you and Fox Hollow. It’s what kept me going on the drive. One more thing I wasn’t going to let those bastards take away from me.”
Quinn admired Dan’s grit, even when he must have been terrified by the threat. “You’re here now. And when you have to go back to finish the move, I’ll go with you. You don’t have to go alone.”
They finished their drinks and set the cans on the nightstand. Dan leaned against Quinn, resting his head on Quinn’s shoulder. “Is this okay?”
“Better than okay,” Quinn said. “What do you want?”
“What I want? Everything. What I’m up to tonight? Low-key making out. Sorry to disappoint.”
Quinn pressed a kiss to the side of Dan’s head. “Not disappointed at all. We’re together. That makes it a good evening.”
He let Dan take the lead, not wanting to make his partner feel pushed. Dan ran his hand over Quinn’s shirt and down to his belt. He lingered to cup Quinn’s crotch and then slid down his inner thigh. Despite clothing, Quinn’s cock took notice.
“You like that?” Dan’s voice was low and rough.
“Uh-huh.” Quinn turned slightly so he had equal access to Dan’s body, slowly exploring. He gently tweaked a nipple and felt it harden. Beneath the shirt, Dan’s firm belly quivered at Quinn’s touch. When he stroked gently over Dan’s already stiff cock, his partner let out a low moan.
“Feels so good,” Dan murmured. “I’ve been thinking about doing this practically since we met.”
“Oh yeah?” Quinn asked. “Me too. There’s no hurry. We’ll get to everything eventually.”
They lay tangled together on the bed, the movie forgotten as they explored each other’s bodies. Quinn took his time, trying to discover what Dan liked and gently guiding his partner to his own hot spots as they kissed.
“It’s been a while,” Dan confessed. “Not gonna last long, even just with this.”
“It’s not a competition,” Quinn assured him with a chuckle, stroking Dan’s hard cock through his jeans. “Let me make you feel good and relax. We’ll have time for everything else later.”
It only took a few more touches before both of them came in their jeans like teenagers. Quinn leaned in to kiss Dan on the lips. “That was awesome,” he murmured. “And we’re just getting started.”
He pulled some tissues from the bedside box, handed them to Dan, and used a few more himself to clean up. Quinn could tell that Dan was hardly awake. The orgasm seemed to have relaxed him past the last of his caffeine-boosted energy.
“Get ready for bed,” Quinn urged. “I’ll just strip to my skivvies and turn off the TV.”
Dan groggily complied, returning a few minutes later in his underwear, smelling of toothpaste. Quinn went to relieve himself, using a bit of toothpaste on one finger to freshen his breath in lieu of a toothbrush.
When he came back, Dan had turned down the blankets. “Left or right?”
The thoughtfulness of the gesture despite Dan’s exhaustion made Quinn smile. “I don’t care. Pick your favorite.”
Dan slid under the covers on the left, and Quinn crawled in on the opposite side.
“Thanks for understanding,” Dan murmured. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“Nothing to make up,” Quinn assured him. “You had a rough couple of days. I’m just glad you’re here. We’ll figure the rest out.”
“Good night.” Dan turned on his side facing away from Quinn, who debated whether that was an invitation to spoon and decided to take the risk.
He inched close enough that their bodies were barely touching, his chest to Dan’s back, nearly their full lengths. Dan sighed and settled against him, validating Quinn’s hunch.
“You’re safe. Go to sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Quinn’s heart beat a little faster at the promise. Dan already made him feel more than he had for any of his previous boyfriends, and they had only gotten started.
It’s early days, but I’m certain he’s it for me. I think he feels the same. We just have to live long enough to make it happen, Quinn thought as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Before his alarm went off, Quinn roused from dreams to feel a hand gently stroking him through his briefs.
“Good morning,” Dan said with a sleepy smile. “I wanted to wake you up in a good mood.”
“You’re definitely on the right track,” Quinn replied in a sleep-rough voice. Dan’s hard prick pressed against Quinn’s thigh. Quinn reached between them and pulled their underwear down far enough to be able to take them both in hand.
Dan let out a pornographic moan, and Quinn guessed it wouldn’t be long until both of them tipped over the edge.
Afterward, sleepy and sated, they lay tangled up together for a few moments.
“I don’t have much experience,” Dan blurted, avoiding Quinn’s gaze.
“What do you mean?” Quinn asked.
“This. Sex. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities back around Dover. No one I could really trust. Some hand jobs and blow jobs, but I’ve never gone, you know, all the way.”
Quinn stifled a chuckle at Dan’s choice of terms, but he understood the weight of the confession. “That’s okay. We don’t have to do that soon or at all. Some people love it. Others never do. We get to make our own rules,” Quinn assured him.
“Really?” For being close to Quinn’s age, Dan looked young and unsure in the moment.
“Not what you’d assume from videos and porn, but everyone goes at their own speed,” Quinn said. “We’ll get there or we won’t. We just have to satisfy ourselves.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you.” Dan still wasn’t meeting his eyes, so Quinn tipped his chin up.
“You won’t. We’ll figure out what’s right for us, and that can change, or not, over time,” Quinn said.
“You’re okay with that?”
Quinn kissed him, long and slow. “Better than okay. Now, I need to get to work, so let’s shower before we stick together.
” His daemon whisperer side picked up on just how exhausted and worried Dan was, even after their showers.
He didn’t need to be able to read minds to sense the energy shift from their last time together.
Quinn tried to send positive vibes in return and hoped that Dan could sense his support.
“Is that you?” Dan asked, still foggy with sleep.