Chapter 14
Fourteen
“Elio’s here and he wants to see you!” Luna had warned Milo, signaling that the end was nigh. “Want me to kick his butt?”
“Yes, but you’d better not. The dads will have to ground you to avoid an international incident and it’s not Eli’s fault. I’m the one who misread things and went too far.”
“What things?” she asked but Milo groaned as he pulled a pillow over his face.
“I. Don’t. Know.” He hugged the pillow and screamed, letting out the awful pressure in his head and his chest. It felt better, having a thick, soft barrier between him and the rest of the world. “I never want to feel like this about anyone ever again.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to fight him?”
Milo grunted and shook his head under the pillow. “Thanks for offering, though. I’ll be okay. Promise.”
She kissed the pillow and gave it a pat before leaving Milo to face Elio on his own.
Which was probably for the best. Luna would be ashamed if she saw the way Milo had crumpled like a wimp in the elevator earlier.
There was a tap at the door, warning Milo that it was time for round two and that his humiliation wasn’t complete.
“Come in,” he called and squeezed his eyes shut, listening as the door opened and the sound of heavy boots plodded around the room and to the bed. “Is it okay if I keep the pillow? I feel safer under here,” he asked in a muffled whimper.
There was a sigh as the mattress dipped next to him.
Milo was so glad he had consented to upgrading to a king-sized bed two years earlier.
He hadn’t wanted to let go of sleepovers with his cousin, Jack, and Luna, but Milo wouldn’t have survived if he had to face Elio while laying on his old bunk bed.
It was the kind that had a full-sized mattress on the bottom bunk but Milo would have felt like even more of a child.
“Of course, whatever makes you the most comfortable,” Elio said with an even heavier sigh.
“It’s not your fault,” Milo said before Elio could explain that there had been a misunderstanding. “You said we were friends and I could call you Eli and I went way overboard. I’ve never had a crush on anyone before and I never will again.”
“Please don’t say that,” Elio said, his tone gentle and apologetic. “I said things in the lift that I shouldn’t have, that I didn’t mean. I’ve never had a crush on anyone before either and I panicked.”
Thank goodness Milo had the pillow, his face was probably bright red and he was dumbfounded. A crush? On me? “You panicked?” he finally replied.
“I’ve waited years for you to finish your PhDs and work someplace where I could join you. I had finally let you in on my secret plan and I was blowing it! You were the missing piece, just like I had predicted, but I regress and turn into a bumbling Neanderthal when you touch me.”
That didn’t make sense and Milo had so many questions.
The pillow was tossed aside and he sat up.
“What are you talking about? You’re fine!
Why did you wait for me and why would you think I was the missing piece?
” It had been flattering to know that Elio thought of Milo as an equal and had so much faith in his abilities, but why?
They barely knew each other before Elio came to Starlight.
“I couldn’t have made that much of an impression in Austria.
It definitely wasn’t my dancing,” he mused out loud and Elio laughed.
“No. You’re a terrible dancer! But you were only eighteen and your idea about spaghettifying stars and accretion discs made me take a closer look at how particles stretch when sucked into a black hole and how measuring the rate of spaghettification could teach us about time inside a black hole.”
“I remember most of that…” Milo said, shaking his head slowly. “I thought you ran away because I acted like an idiot. It was the first time I’d ever tried alcohol and my first waltz.”
“See?” Elio grinned back at Milo. “Not your best night but you still managed to blow my mind. I ‘ran away’ so I could write out the epiphany you had handed me before I forgot any of it. How often do you have an encounter like that with a fellow scientist?” he asked but didn’t wait for Milo to answer.
“Never! It never happened to me until we met at Schonbühel and it never happened again until we shared a lift and had that chat about my paper on the Hubble tension crisis and gaseous astrophysicists.”
“That is pretty rare,” Milo confirmed and swallowed a snort when he remembered Elio’s fart joke.
“Why is it the end of the world if you get distracted? I think you’re supposed to be when you have a crush on someone,” he said, suddenly fascinated by the stitching on his quilt.
Fin had made it from old flannels and it had appliquéd denim and corduroy planets on it.
“I should be better than my brothers!” Elio complained with a petulant scowl, then winced and lowered his voice. “I feel like I’m choosing you over them when I’m distracted.”
Milo’s head drew back and he frowned. “Them?” he asked and Elio answered with a sad smile.
“My parents and my brothers. I can’t tell my brothers because they’d think I had cracked, but I’m doing it for them too, so we can all be together again.”
“Oh, no!” Milo shook his head. “I would never want you to choose and I don’t think you have to. Crushes don’t last forever, right?”
“This one feels like it could,” Elio said with feigned seriousness, leaning towards Milo conspiratorially.
“You didn’t laugh or run away when you saw what I was working on and that’s when I knew I was in trouble.
I wanted to burn the world down for you when you said you’d help me and it had nothing to do with solving time and finding my parents. ”
“Really?” Milo said hesitantly and squeezed an eye shut. “Because I thought about running and I wanted to. But that was when I realized I cared about you more than my reputation or the rest of the world.”
“Milo?”
“Yes?” he asked, his heart pounding faster when he found Elio staring at his lips again.
“I’d like to kiss you—for ‘real’ this time—if that’s alright.”
Milo nodded, unable to speak or breathe as Elio tipped back his chin and their lips brushed.
But instead of pressing or pecking, Elio’s tongue slid between Milo’s lips and swirled.
There was a delighted growl as Elio angled his head and took the kiss deeper, winding his arms around Milo as they fell back on the bed.
His tongue tangled with Milo’s, seeking and starving as his hands gripped and kneaded possessively.
The bedroom door burst open and they froze, dazed and disoriented when Luna charged in with a badminton racket. “I’m here, Milo!”
“Sorry!” Riley shouted as he grabbed the wrist with the racket and spun her. “Won’t happen again!” he promised and pulled the door closed behind him.
“I think they were kissing!” they heard Luna exclaim, launching Elio into a fit of laughter.
“Sorry about that. She can be a bit overprotective,” Milo said but Elio shook his head quickly.
“No! She’s perfect,” he wheezed as he wiped his eyes. “I was cursed with three brothers but I would want a little sister just like Luna. Want to trade?”
Milo shook his head, grinning up at Elio. “Not for anything in the universe. She’s pretty awesome.”
“Your family is pretty awesome,” Elio corrected. “It’s one of the first things I noticed about you before you dazzled me with your intellect. You’re very loyal to your family and your sister and you’re deeply loved. That makes more sense to me and matters more than how a person looks or dresses.”
“You don’t think I’m weird because I still live at home and don’t want to move out?” Milo asked cautiously. “The Mean Guys make fun of me for living with my parents.”
Elio’s brow hitched. “The Mean Guys?”
“Brad, Bryan, Chad, Josh, Kyle, and Tyler. That’s what I call them.”
“It fits.” Elio nodded. “I like it but they’re just jealous because their parents probably don’t like them and wouldn’t want them around. Your family is real and supports you in every way, whereas theirs are most likely broken and dysfunctional. Don’t listen to the Mean Guys.”
“I won’t,” Milo said and pulled Elio closer, hungry for another kiss. “You’re way cooler than they are and you don’t think I’m a loser.”
“The very opposite and that gives me an idea,” Elio murmured and smiled as he stared over Milo’s shoulder.
“What kind of idea?” Milo asked, not liking the mischievous glow in Elio’s eyes when they met his.
“Don’t worry. Where were we?” Elio’s thumb dragged along Milo’s lower lip, wiping away his concerns.
“You were going to kiss me?” he guessed.
“I was,” Elio agreed and this time, he sucked on Milo’s lower lip before moving to the corner of his jaw and his earlobe. “I’ll get tested tomorrow,” he whispered and blew.
“Okay… Wow!” Milo gasped when Elio nibbled his neck and goosebumps spilled down his body.
Elio’s lips followed, leaving kisses, licks, and more goosebumps as he shifted lower and helped Milo out of his khakis, boxers, and socks.
He worshipped Milo’s tattoo and his thighs before parting them and kissing along the cleft of his ass.
“May I taste you here?” he whispered as he parted Milo’s cheeks and caressed his hole.
“My bu—?” Milo started but bit his knuckle, not wanting to sound like a nerd and a virgin, even though he was very much both of those things.
There was no need to remind Elio and ruin the moment, though.
“Okay,” he said weakly, then let out a loud “Oh!” when Elio’s tongue washed over his hole and it was sucked.
A rush of heat and pleasure spilled into Milo’s core and his cock pulsed as it grew hard and heavy. “Oh, Elio!”
He touched himself, giving his shaft a desperate squeeze and a tug to relieve the throbbing pressure. There was a deep rumble of approval from Elio as he watched from between Milo’s thighs. “That’s it, stroke your cock for me.”
“Stroke my—?” Milo blinked down at him, lost but anxious to follow.
Elio bit into Milo’s thigh, smothering a laugh. It turned into a storm of scratchy giggles because it tickled and caused Milo to jump and twist away. “Oida! You’ve never…jerked off?”
“No! I told you, I—”
“Shhh!” Elio sucked and flicked at Milo’s hole with his tongue, crooning softly. “I can teach you.”
More warmth spread through Milo and he felt a new, gnawing ache at the thought of Elio guiding him. “Teach me!” He nodded but almost screamed when Elio sucked harder and his hand wrapped around Milo’s and tightened, showing him how to ‘stroke’ his cock.
“It’s about friction and repetitive, back and forth linear motion,” Elio breathed against Milo’s flesh, making him flinch and shiver. “I like a firmer grip but increase the pace and pressure to increase the friction as desired.”
“Okay!” Milo nodded quickly, squeezing his erection and pulling up and down as Elio had described. “That makes sense…” he said, then bit back a moan as a wave of flickering warmth rolled down his limbs and the throbbing in his core intensified. “It’s happening again!”
“Good. Keep going.”
Elio licked higher under Milo’s sac before delicately lapping at his balls.
He kissed Milo’s fingers out of the way, then replaced them with his lips.
They were tight as they slid up and down Milo’s shaft as he sucked and it was as if Elio had turned them into gas.
Milo was no longer solid, but made of glowing light as he spun towards another supernova.
“Oh, Eli! I’m…!” Milo didn’t know how to describe the frenzied strobing of his nerves and the bright flashes of pleasure that had synced with the slamming of his heart.
“Eli, I’m…” His head thrashed on the bed, his body shaking as the pressure and pleasure overwhelmed him.
“Please!” He grabbed Elio’s head and the duvet, arching off the bed when he shattered and heat exploded from his core.
Elio’s head bounced as he sucked, claiming every drop of Milo’s release until he was lightheaded and twitching.
“Okay!” Milo laughed and reached for Elio’s shoulders.
“Spectacular,” Elio rumbled as he crawled to Milo’s lips. They tasted salty and there was a bitter tartness that Milo didn’t find unpleasant when they kissed.
“I really liked doing that to you last night,” Milo confided and there was a strained chuckle as Elio guided his hand lower, between them.
Elio’s jeans were already unzipped and the fly spread open. His cock was free, a shiny thread dripping from the head as it strained toward Milo. “I liked it too much. I felt like I was having a meltdown.”
“I’m glad it’s not just me,” Milo said with a secret grin, pleased that he could have that kind of effect on Elio.
And Milo could feel Elio’s cock getting hotter and harder and pulsating in time with their hearts.
He was fascinated as he wiggled lower for a closer look.
Everything had happened so quickly last time, Milo wasn’t able to investigate or explore before Elio launched him into space.
But thanks to Elio’s demonstration the night before and moments earlier, Milo had a much better idea of what was expected.
He covered Elio’s sac and shaft with long, greedy licks, enjoying the different tastes and textures and the various swears and whimpers.
Elio was panting Milo’s name by the time he sucked on the head and was rewarded with tangy bursts of pre-cum and more swears.
But Elio’s whispers took on a frantic edge when Milo tried to swallow the entire length.
“Fuck! Milo, you’re about to make me come so hard!
” he warned but Milo had never heard anything more wonderful in his life.
He was about to make Elio von Hessen come and Milo barely knew what that meant!
But Milo knew what he wanted so he sucked harder and used his hands to push Elio over the edge.
“Milo!” Elio choked out, his fingers twisted in Milo’s hair as his mouth was flooded with cum.
“Mmm!” Milo swallowed as fast as he could and this time, he didn’t lose a drop.
“Fuck, you’re a fast learner. Come here!”
They kissed and cuddled until Milo’s eyes grew heavy and they realized it was after midnight.
Elio quietly dressed and snuck out, leaving Milo with a dreamy, sated smile on his face.
He had expected heartbreak and humiliation, but Milo had a new question to ponder as he drifted off to sleep: did he finally have his first boyfriend?