Summary: A fun-filled weekend in the Pacific Northwest.
Rating: NC-17
Archive Date: 23 February 2006
Notes: Spoilers for episode 215. Loose connection to my story "Totems", although it's not necessary to read it first. Also, all places mentioned in the story really exist, except for the dance club.
Ben and Michael sat next to each other in their seats, talking quietly. They were on an airplane, heading for Seattle, a city neither of them had ever visited. Michael had been asked to come speak about Rage at a comic book convention that was being held that weekend, so Ben took the opportunity to hook up with an old friend from college who was now teaching at the University of Washington. His friend had mentioned in a recent e-mail that the University was considering creating a Gay Studies department, so he wanted to talk to Ben about his department at Carnegie Mellon.
Just then the pilot came on the intercom and said, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I just wanted to let you know that we are nearing our final destination of Seattle, Washington, so you'll want to be prepared for landing soon. You're all in luck today, as everyone will have a magnificent view out your window as we cross over the Cascade Mountain range, since it's such a beautiful, cloudless day today. Those of you on the right side of the plane will see Mt. Baker in the distance, and those of you on the left side of the plane will see Mt. Rainier. And just as we pass Mt. Rainier, you should be able to catch a glimpse of Mt. St. Helens, and the crater that's been growing ever since the eruption in May of 1980."
Michael had the window seat on the left side of the plane, with Ben next to him in the aisle, so they both leaned over to look out the window. As Mt. Rainier came into view, they were both struck by the awesome sight of this majestic mountain peak. As promised, they did see Mt. St. Helens as well, amazed at how much of the mountain had been blown away in the eruption, and how quickly it seemed to be regrowing. Since they were both living on the Eastern side of the country when the eruption happened, they heard little sound bites about the event, but this was the first time they saw the actual mountain.
"I heard that the eruption caused huge mudslides that took out entire houses," Ben said, "and that the ash fell down into huge snow-like drifts."
"My mom told me that some people in the area started using the ash to create works of art," Michael replied. "I think she even has a Christmas ornament somewhere in the house made of Mt. St. Helens ash."
After the plane landed, Ben and Michael collected their bags from baggage claim, and then hopped on the shuttle bus that would take them to their hotel in downtown Seattle. When they got to their room, they were excited to see that their room faced west, and was high enough to see past Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympics Mountain range. "It'll be strange to see water when the sun goes down, here on the west coast" Ben commented.
Even though the clock only read 7:00, they were both exhausted and famished. The flight took six hours, and their bodies were still on Eastern Time, so neither one was going was going to last very long. They each took quick showers, then found something to eat at a little restaurant near the hotel, and then collapsed into bed, snuggled up tight together. Each man was thrilled by the prospect of making love in this new city, but neither had the energy to actually initiate anything. They barely got out "I love you" before both were fast asleep, the room full of red and orange light from the spectacular sunset coloring the western sky.
Friday morning dawned clear and bright, promising another beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest. All Ben and Michael had ever heard about Seattle was that it rained all the time, so it was nice to see that it wasn't true. The weather forecasts for the weekend showed no rain at all, with moderate temperatures and lots of sunshine, which would make their visit even more special.
They showered, dressed for the day, and then headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Michael's speech was scheduled for 10:00 that morning, for which he was very grateful. His talk was very early in the convention, when all of the attendees would at their peak of excitement. He knew from experience that as the convention wore on, attendance at a speech would drop off dramatically. Ben had set up a meting with his friend at the same time, so that hopefully they would finish at about the same time. They made plans to meet at a teriyaki restaurant at 1:00 for lunch, and then make plans for the rest of the day.
"The speech went amazingly well!" Michael gushed. "The kids that were there were so excited to hear about Rage, and Zephyr, and had just a ton of questions. I told them about how the idea came up, how I talked Justin into doing the art, about the 'Brian episode', and they just soaked it up. They even made some suggestions about future story lines that were really good! I have to make sure I give them credit when I use one of the stories."
"Baby, that's great," Ben replied. "My meeting went really well also. My buddy Greg was really excited to hear about the Gay Studies department, and the classes I've been teaching. We created an outline for a possible department here, and he's going to turn it into a presentation to give to the faculty board. I just wish I could be here when that happens."
"Maybe you can be," said Michael. "Let's find out when it will happen, then see if we can't make it work." Ben just beamed.
"In the meantime," Michael said, "let's see what this city has to offer!"
The two of them finished up their lunches, and then headed into the heart of the city. One of the biggest landmarks in the city of Seattle has to be the Pike Place Market, so that's where they headed first. They were amazed at the vastness of it, and all of the wonderful smells coming from every booth and stand. There were fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, along with local artisans displaying their wares. They checked out all of the merchandise, stopping periodically to buy small gifts for one of the guys, Debbie, or Gus and J.R. They watched the famous fish-mongers throw their fish around like they had seen on TV, and then headed down to the lower levels to see all of the other shops in the market.
They finally emerged several hours later, their hands full of shopping bags, which they carried back to the hotel room. "We should have bought another bag to carry home all of these new purchases," Ben said, only half-joking.
The desk clerk had suggested that they try out Wild Ginger for dinner, so that's where they headed next. The restaurant was known for its Asian cuisine, and all of the dishes were made for sharing. One of their specialties was one of Ben's favorites, Chicken Satay, so he was thrilled. There were several other meat and vegetable dishes that interested both of them, so they ordered an assortment and waited patiently for them to be delivered.
While they waited, the waiter came by to fill up their water glasses, and chat with them for a few minutes. He asked if they were visiting Seattle from another city, and Ben said, "Yes. We're here for the weekend from Pittsburgh."
"Pittsburgh, huh?" said the waiter. "I went there a couple of years ago with a friend of mine. What do you two do there?"
Ben said, "I teach at Carnegie Mellon, and Michael owns a comic book store on Liberty Avenue." Ben put just a small amount of emphasis on the words "Liberty Avenue" to see if it got a reaction from the waiter. He was pleased to see that it worked.
"We spent some time on Liberty Avenue," he said. "Any place special that you like to go there?"
Ben replied, "We've been known to go to Babylon every once in a while. Can you recommend a place around here where we could go dancing this weekend?"
The waiter smiled knowingly, and said, "In Pioneer Square there's a club called 'The Underground' that you might want to check out." He secretly hoped that they would show up sometime this weekend; the blond guy was hot, and the smaller man was pretty attractive as well. He was sure if they started dancing together it would be an amazing show to watch.
Ben thanked him for the suggestion, just as the food started to arrive. The waiter said "Enjoy" as he walked off. Ben and Michael dug into the food, ravenous from their shopping expedition that afternoon. Everything was wonderful, with just the right amount of spice for each of them.
They got back to the hotel room just as the sun started to set. Both men moved across the room to stand in front of the window to admire the changing colors of the Seattle sky, the multiple colors playing across their faces. Ben stood behind Michael, his arms wrapped around his lover's body. "Beautiful," Michael whispered.
"Yes," Ben breathed back into Michael's ear, "you are." Ben slowly turned Michael around so that they were facing one another. He was completely taken in by the way the colors of the sunset played across Michael's face, bringing out the gold flecks in his eyes. Ben leaned in and kissed Michael lightly on his full red lips, tracing his tongue along them until Michael opened his mouth and invited him in. The kiss deepened, tongues darting back and forth, teasing and sampling, until they had to come up for air. Bright blue eyes locked with chocolate brown eyes, sending silent messages back and forth, a feat only capable when the two people involved are truly and deeply in love, and had weathered all of the storms that these two had faced.
Slowly, each man reached out to the buttons on the other man's shirt, and started to unbutton them. They took turns kissing exposed skin as it came into view. Once the shirts were gone, Ben took Michael into his arms in a tight embrace, loving the feel of skin on skin. Michael tilted his head up for a kiss, which Ben happily obliged. Pants and underwear were the next to go, until they both stood naked, each admiring the body in front of him. Ben reached out to trace the soft definition of Michael's compact body, while Michael drank in the sight of Ben's golden muscular and oh-so-masculine frame.
Without a word, they made their way to the bed, Michael on his back with Ben covering him from head to toe. Their mouths found each other in a soft kiss that quickly became all-consuming. Ben finally pulled back, his blue eyes deepening with passion. He slowly moved down Michael's body so that he could pay some much needed attention to his left nipple. He kissed and tongued it, occasionally scraping his teeth across the nub. After what seemed like eons, he switched his attention to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. Continuing to move down, Ben placed small kisses along the lines of Michael's abs, trailing his tongue down the line of soft hair that led to his ultimate destination.
Ben took Michael's cock into his mouth, savoring every inch. With his tongue he played with the head, and then ran it up and down the sides of the hard shaft. He cupped Michael's balls and played with them at the same time, causing Michael to writhe with passion. Ben held Michael's hips to slow his reaction a little bit, and then let his cock fall out of his mouth. He then began to place soft kisses and occasional nips on Michael's inner thigh, working his way down to his toes, then back up the other leg. He recaptured Michael's mouth in another searing kiss, while at the same time reaching into the nightstand for a condom and lube that he had stashed there while they unpacked.
Michael rolled the condom onto Ben's dick while Ben squirted some of the lube on his fingers. He reached down to Michael's ass to gently push one finger inside. Michael rocked forward, trying to take as much as possible. Ben added a second finger, rotating his hand to make sure that Michael was ready for him. When he heard Michael moan, "Please," Ben knew that he was ready. He placed his cock at the opening and slowly pushed his way inside. Michael's body welcomed him as it always did, not requiring much time to adjust to the fullness. Ben began to make long, slow thrusts, enjoying every second of this wondrous passion. Even with the gentle nature of this lovemaking session, both men came rather quickly, albeit quietly.
Ben held onto the condom as he pulled out, threw it away and grabbed a towel so that they could clean up. They then pulled back the covers and buried themselves underneath the sheets, cuddling close and whispering "I love you" before falling asleep.
Saturday afternoon they decided to make a trip to Woodland Park Zoo. They'd heard it was one of the best in the country, so they thought they'd see for themselves. As they entered the main gate, they consulted their map and determined that they'd head to the left to circle through the exhibits. First stop was the petting zoo, and they got a kick out of watching the kids petting the various animals. Then it was on to the gorilla enclosures. The older gorillas were basking in the sunshine, while the younger ones were racing around, dragging branches and climbing trees with youthful exuberance. As they continued on, they saw a sign marked "Northern Trail", and saw that it contained both Elk and Otters, their Totems, so of course they followed the path in the direction.
As they rounded the corner, they came upon a clearing where several of the elk were wandering around, enjoying the sun and nibbling on the grass. As Michael watched them moved about with purposeful grace, he was more certain than ever that this was a good choice for the man standing next to him.
Further down the path they came to the pool area. On one side were a couple of grizzly bears, taking half-hearted attempts to catch one of the fish that were swimming nearby, but mostly content to laze in the sun. On the other side, two otters were swimming back and forth, hopping up onto the rocks and then back into the water again. All of a sudden, one of them stopped and seemed to look Michael right in the eyes, as if to say, "Yes, you're one of us," before continuing his playtime. Michael looked up at Ben, and the two men shared a knowing smile and a brief hug before moving on to the next exhibit.
Ben and Michael checked out the rest of the zoo, and were astounded to see how long they had actually been there. They agreed that this was a wonderful zoo, and deceptively large. Since their plans called for checking out the recommended dance club that night, they needed to get some food and take a quick nap, so it was back to the hotel.
When they got to The Underground club that evening, they were surprised at how different it was from Babylon. There didn't seem to be the same amount of drug use, nor did there seem to be a back room, but the guys were just as hot, and the dancing was just as frenzied. Ben and Michael headed first to the bar to get a drink and to soak in the atmosphere. They noticed a familiar face at the other end of the bar, and saw that it was their waiter from the restaurant the previous night. He raised his glass in a silent toast, and they responded in a similar fashion.
"Hey, Brown Eyes, you wanna dance?" Ben whispered in Michael's ear.
"Always with you," Michael replied, "especially if you decide to take off your shirt," he added with a suggestive grin.
"Done."
Ben pulled off his shirt as they headed for the dance floor, tucking it into the waistband of his snug jeans. They started dancing, letting the rhythm of the music move their bodies. Michael turned his body to press his back into Ben's chest, snaking his arm back around his neck. Ben responded by running his hands over Michael's chest, abs and hips, then he did something somewhat unexpected. Grabbing the hem of Michael's shirt, he pulled it over his head so that the two of them were dancing bare-chested. Michael looked at Ben, surprised at this turn of events, but only saw lust in his blue eyes.
"I want everyone here to get a good look at you," Ben explained, murmuring into Michael's ear, "then be insanely jealous when I pull you out of here so that I can make mad, passionate love to you when we get back to the hotel. In fact, we might want to leave right now, because I just might not make it back to the hotel," he growled.
"I'm ready whenever you are."
They hailed a cab, and climbed into the back seat, barely able to keep their hands off each other. The cabbie glanced at them in the rear-view mirror, and just shook his head and smiled.
Once they got back to the hotel, clothes started flying. Tonight wasn't going to be a repeat of the previous night's subdued lovemaking. Tonight was going to be hot, steamy, sweaty sex, and lots of it. Ben grabbed a condom, sheathed himself, then put Michael's legs up on to his shoulders and positioned himself at Michael's hole. He went slowly, since they skipped the preparation, but he was pretty sure Michael could handle it. A brief nod from Michael and Ben slammed into him, and then began thrusting for all he was worth. Moans and grunts filled the room as they both gave in to the ecstasy.
Ben suddenly pulled out, then motioned Michael to roll over, and then re-entered him from behind. This position gave him more access to Michael's body, including his neglected cock. He took it into his hand, pumping it in time with his thrusts. Michael's muscles tightened as he climaxed, which prompted Ben to come right afterward.
They fell in a heap on the bed, exhausted but exhilarated. Once their bodies started to relax, Ben pulled out, allowing Michael to turn and face him. "I have to say I'd give Seattle two thumbs up," Michael said, smiling weakly.
"Agreed," said Ben.
Another few minutes went by, then Michael grabbed another condom and said, "Ready for round two? I'm driving this timeÉ"
They woke up late Sunday morning, knowing that they needed to pack and get underway, since they had a long flight back to Pittsburgh. They decided they had time for one last 'tourist-y' activity, and treated themselves to brunch in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. It was another glorious Seattle day, allowing them to see all of the mountains and lakes that surround the city.
They got to the airport with just enough time to check their bags and board the flight, full of wonderful memories of Seattle, looking forward to the next time they would come to visit.End of "A Trip to Seattle" by Kirsten (eli_ollie@yahoo.com)