Rating: R

The first thing that intruded into Blair's subconscious was a smell, not an altogether pleasant smell, one that made his nose twitch. It was also vaguely familiar. He opened sleep-gritty, bleary eyes long enough to notice a pair of feet in front of his face.

He swallowed and wiped his tongue around his dry mouth, trying to moisten it with saliva. Sleep tried to reclaim him and his eyes closed again, but the word 'feet' kept on rattling around inside his brain, and finally he cranked open his eyes and tried to get his brain working. He was in a bed, with the covers over his head and the feet were still there. No dream then. There was enough filtered light for him to see a pair of male feet; two large ones with clean, well-kept toenails. He blinked, lifted up the covers to look along the feet and up two muscular, not overly hairy legs.

Yep, male feet, male legs, and -- he lifted the covers a bit more -- a very fine package; nicely hung balls, and a half-hard cock. One of the legs moved to block his view and he frowned, disappointed at the cover-up. He let the covers fall back. So he was in another man's bed. He hadn't done that in a while. Pity he couldn't remember how he'd gotten there or whose bed it was.

"So, you're awake."

Blair froze, suddenly wide-eyed and wide awake.

Blair took a quick look at the sheets. Yellow sheets. Jim's yellow sheets. Jim's bed. He was... he moved his hand down to his thighs. Yeap, no underpants, he was naked. He and Jim naked in Jim's bed. What the hell...?

"You want to tell me what last night was all about?"

Last night? He went alone to a party. A good deal of alcohol was consumed. He got home and... "I was drunk?" he suggested as he only had the vaguest memory of the previous night.

"No shit, Sherlock!"

Funny Jim didn't sound that angry.

Jim's voice, muffled from the covers over Blair's head, continued. "You were drunk and horny, so you shed your clothes as you came upstairs and climbed into bed with me, saying I deserved the 'Sandburg Special'."

Shit! He had a sudden memory flash of his clothes flying about as he climbed some stairs... and singing? "You didn't throw me out of bed." I'm still alive, so what gives?

"I think that had something to do with you telling me that if you got vertical, you'd throw up over me and the bed."

"Oh... right." His heart sank.

"Then you said I deserved the 'Deluxe Special'."

Blair groaned. He'd spent years perfecting that. A blow job to beat all others and then a fuck guaranteed to blow the guy's other head off. "That doesn't get offered to many guys."

Jim was silent.

I said that out loud, didn't I? Please, God, kill me now. He'd just have to brazen it out. "So... you didn't like it?"

"I wouldn't know. You promptly fell asleep just after you got down to my feet."

Blair's heart started beating again. "So... no harm, no foul?"

"You know, I think I'd prefer to talk to your face rather than your feet," Jim said, dryly. "Which would mean you getting your head out from under the bedclothes," he added, as Blair didn't move straight away.

Blair reluctantly shifted and folded himself around until finally, and with a deep, steadying breath, he pushed his head from under the covers to face his friend.

Jim's head was resting on his bent arm upon the pillow. He had some serious 'bed-head' going on, his eyes were open but sleep-muzzy. The red tip of his tongue flicked across his lips leaving a wet sheen to them. He looked, to Blair, totally adorable and fuckable with half his face in shadow from the skylight. The look went straight to Blair's cock.

"Hi, Jim." His voice came out husky and he cleared his throat. He tried to grin. "So, we can just put this... whatever down to me being drunk, right, and forget all about it? Nothing happened so we can move on, yes?" he pleaded. Please say yes, I don't want to lose you or our friendship.

"Sure, Chief. Whatever you want." Jim sighed and closed his eyes. "We've both got a free day in front of us. Why don't you go and use the shower first?" Jim turned his back to Blair.

Blair felt his heart drop. He sat up, watching the back of Jim's head. "Jim, you are okay with this, aren't you?"

"I said I was, didn't I?" Jim's voice sounded strained.

"I'd just feel better if you looked at me when you said it."

"I'd have felt better if my roomie didn't have to get blind drunk before he felt able to jump my bones, but we can't have everything." The words were said so quietly Blair might not have caught them if he hadn't been listening so intently.

He felt a surge of anger sear through his body. "Very funny, Jim. So I guess this will be all around the station by Tuesday."

Jim sighed again and turned around, looking at Blair with an intensity that scared him into thinking that maybe Jim was sending him a subtle message. He found his perception of who he thought Jim Ellison was, suddenly being blown away.

"No fucking way! No way do you like guys!" The silence that followed was unnerving and filled with significance. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, more softly.

Jim threw the question back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Blair began to see the funny side of their conversation about the same time as the corner of Jim's mouth began to twitch.

"It never came up!" They both laughed out loud, breaking the tension.

Jim was the first to speak as he sat up in bed. "Actually it did, quite often. I just suppressed it around you," he said ruefully.

Blair's eyes widened. "You too? I have to tell you, man, cold showers don't work!"

Jim sniggered and wiped his hand over his face. "Tell me about it!"

"I can't believe you kept that hidden from me."

"I thought you'd run a mile if I told you, or just pat me on the head like some pet and tell me you don't swing that way, but that you were flattered. And that would have killed me inside."

"I thought you'd chuck me out if I told you, that I'd lose my best friend." Blair found he couldn't look away from Jim's face. "Jim, I have to ask you, man, do you find me even remotely attractive?"

"God, Chief, you have to ask that? You really think you threatening to throw up would have stopped me hauling your ass out if I didn't want you here?"

Blair smiled. "That did sound the sort of thing the Jim I've come to love would do."

Jim returned the smile.

"So, Kemosabi, what do we do now?" Blair asked.

"Well," Jim dragged his eyes away to study his hands resting on the sheets. "You could show me this deluxe special you bragged about."

Blair was shaking his head. "Nope. That's just for guys I meet more than once, when I'm feeling horny." He caught the fleeting hurt look that Jim quickly locked away. "With you, I'd rather do something I've never had before -- with anyone."

Jim seemed to be holding his breath.