Title: Tangerine Dream

Author/pseudonym: Caroline Crane

Fandom: Big Wolf on Campus

Paring: Tommy/Merton

Rating: NC17

Status: new

Series: Sequel to "Lemon Lime"

Archive: yes to list archives

Disclaimers: Nope, not mine. I'm not making any money doing anything right now so....

Notes: I know I was a big tease to leave the ending of "Lemon Lime" the way I did so I wrote this short follow-up piece. I intended it to be more irreverent humor but the boys got all sappy and romantic (not to mention needy) on me. They're cute that way so I couldn't say no.

Summary: Sappy PWP and declarations of undying love. Ain't it sweet.

Warnings: first time awkwardness warning, nothing too graphic though 'cause I don't write graphic very often

Tangerine Dream

by Caroline Crane

"Tangerine Spice?" Tommy raised one eyebrow as he read the label on the bottle Merton handed him. "So this is why you always smell like oranges."

Merton grinned and slid back down on the mattress next to Tommy, reaching over and pulling the bottle out of the other boy’s hands. "Hey, keeping my skin this silky smooth is a lot of work. Besides, I like this stuff. It smells nice but not too girlie."

"I never thought you smelled girlie," Tommy said, turning on his side and leaning over Merton to capture his lips in a slow kiss. The lotion was momentarily forgotten as Merton parted his lips under Tommy’s, automatically reaching out to pull the other boy closer. "In fact," Tommy murmured against Merton’s jaw when he finally broke the kiss, "I like the way you smell." Each word was punctuated with a soft kiss along Merton’s jaw, ending just below his ear.

"That’s because right now I smell like you," Merton whispered, his voice breathy as his fingers found their way to Tommy's hair.

Tommy pulled back and grinned, reaching for the bottle of lotion that Merton had dropped on the mattress. "True, but I like the way you smell even when you’re not covered in me. But that doesn’t explain what we’re supposed to do with this." He held up the bottle and waved it in front of Merton, his lips twitching into a grin as he watched Merton’s eyes glaze over.

"You said you wanted lube," Merton finally answered, his stomach flipping with anticipation and more than a little fear. "It’s either that or conditioner, and I figured lotion would be a lot less messy. I don’t have any actual lube, I mean I wasn’t really expecting to need it."

"Good point," Tommy said, looking back down at the bottle long enough to flip the cap open. He squeezed a little of the lotion on his fingers and reached between them, wrapping his hand around Merton’s erection and stroking slowly. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Merton groaned and forced his eyes open again, sucking in a sharp breath when he met Tommy’s gaze and saw the uncertainty there. He wasn’t even sure what Tommy had in mind, let alone whether or not he wanted to go through with it. He had a pretty good idea judging from the fact that Tommy had asked for lube, but thinking about it and doing it were two different things entirely. He knew in theory what was supposed to happen, he’d read plenty of fanfic and even a stumbled onto a couple web sites that offered technical answers to most of his questions. The actual mechanics of making it happen, though, that he wasn’t sure about.

"Depends," he gasped, struggling for enough control over his brain to think while Tommy’s hand was still moving. "What…exactly…what did you…"

Tommy grinned and leaned forward again, brushing his lips against Merton’s. He smiled when Merton leaned into him, thrusting into his hand as he tried to deepen the kiss. Tommy released his grip, ignoring Merton’s frustrated moan as he reached for the lotion again and squeezed a little more onto his fingers. "This," he whispered against Merton’s lips as he reached between Merton’s legs again, his hand travelling lower this time.

Merton gasped as Tommy found his mark, his body tensing for a moment as slick fingers brushed across the entrance to his body. A moment later Tommy’s mouth was moving against his again, though, and he managed to relax enough to focus on the waves of pleasure coursing through him. "Oh God," he murmured, vaguely registering the sound of his own voice as Tommy continued to tease him. "Tommy…"

He wasn’t even sure what he needed, but somehow Tommy knew what he was asking for. He tensed around the invading finger, his eyes wide as he struggled to adjust to the new sensation.

"Merton? You okay?"

"Yeah, just…just give me a minute," he managed to choke out, closing his eyes as he focused on his breathing and slowly relaxed. He remembered reading something about how amazing this would feel once he got used to the initial weirdness, and the fact that it was Tommy made him want to at least try it. Besides, he had to get his first time over with at some point, it might as well be with someone he trusted. "Okay, you can move I think."

"We don’t have to do this, you know," Tommy said, his voice low and soothing as he studied Merton’s face for any sign that he was in pain. "I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to."

Merton grinned in spite of the weirdness of the situation, doing his best not to focus on what they must look like. "That’s sweet, Tommy. A little cliché, but sweet. I want to, I’m just not sure how exactly."

Tommy grinned and pressed their lips together again as he slowly began to stretch Merton’s opening. Merton kissed him back desperately, focusing on the feeling of Tommy’s mouth moving against his and the weight of Tommy’s chest pressing him into the mattress to distract him from the discomfort. He couldn’t decide if it hurt or if it was just the thought of what they were about to do making him tense, but as he began to relax and adjust to the sensation he started to see what the appeal was. It still felt a little weird, but it was starting to feel almost good too. He wanted to ask for more, but he wasn’t really sure how so instead of saying the words he pulled his legs toward his chest.

When he felt Merton moving under him Tommy pulled back, afraid for a moment that he’d hurt him. As soon as he looked down and saw the other boy, though, he let out a tortured groan and reached for the lotion again. It took him a few seconds to open the bottle with only one hand, but he finally got the cap off and squeezed more lotion onto his fingers. Slowly he slid another finger in to join the first, watching Merton’s face the entire time. "Okay?" he asked, leaning forward and crooking his fingers in the process.

Merton’s eyes flew open wide and he gasped, his whole body convulsing suddenly. "What…what was that?"

"What?" Tommy asked, starting to ease his fingers free. "God, did I hurt you?"

"N-no," Merton stammered, closing his eyes and shaking his head back and forth against the mattress. "No, you didn’t…do that again."

For a moment Tommy just stared down at him, confusion marring his features as he tried to figure out what he’d done. It only took a few seconds for realization to dawn on him, and he plunged back in and crooked his fingers again. He felt his fingertip brush across soft flesh just as Merton gasped and shivered again, so he brushed the spot again and grinned when a low moan escaped Merton’s throat.

"Jesus, Tommy," Merton gasped, his muscles clenching involuntarily on Tommy’s fingers. "More."

Tommy was more than happy to oblige, his own erection was reaching the point of being painful but he was so fascinated by watching Merton that he almost didn’t mind. It was amazing to see the effect he was having on his best friend, he’d read some about the semantics of having sex with another guy but actually seeing it was completely different. He pushed himself up so he was kneeling between the other boy’s legs, sliding a third finger in to join the others as he watched Merton hiss and grit his teeth. The body under him tensed as the pain returned, and Tommy reached out instinctively and stroked his chest soothingly. It was weird to be kneeling over his best friend, petting his chest and struggling for patience while he adjusted to having Tommy’s fingers inside him, but there was no way he’d trade it for anything.

He’d never wanted anything this much, making out with Stacy and Lori had been okay but neither of them ever made his chest ache the way Merton did. Neither of them had ever gotten him so distracted that he couldn’t focus on anything else, and he’d never really wanted to do this with them. Suddenly it seemed like the most natural thing in the world that he and Merton were together, and he couldn’t remember why he’d been so scared to just tell his best friend how he felt about him. He pulled his fingers away, ignoring the whimper of loss that escaped Merton’s throat as he reached for the discarded lotion and quickly coated his erection.

He took hold of Merton’s knees and pushed them toward his chest and as far apart as they would go, leaning forward and lining himself up with the entrance to his best friend’s body. Merton moaned and thrust down in a vain attempt to draw Tommy inside of him, but Tommy placed one hand on his hip and held him still against the mattress as he brushed their lips together. "I love you," he whispered just before he finally slid into the other boy, stopping when just the tip was past the tight ring of muscles.

Merton had a split second to register Tommy’s words before he tensed, gritting his teeth against the pain of suddenly being filled with something that felt a lot thicker than three fingers. He’d thought that was hard to get used to, but this…Tommy hadn’t seemed that huge when they were on the couch, but now Merton felt like he was being split in half and Tommy wasn’t even moving yet. It took him a few seconds to remember to breathe, and a few more to remember what Tommy had said before the flash of pain hit him. As he focused on the sound of the words I love you he forgot to be tense and suddenly Tommy was sliding deeper, and Merton was sure it was taking every ounce of self-control he had to be patient. It still hurt but he could remember that wave of intense pleasure when Tommy’s fingers had found that magic spot, and he angled his hips just a little to try to find it again.

"Oh God," Tommy gasped as he found himself surrounded by velvet heat. Then Merton moved his hips a little and Tommy knew he’d never last beyond a few thrusts. There was no way he could, it was the most intense feeling he’d ever experienced and the sheer pleasure of being engulfed in such tight heat sent blinding waves of pleasure through his entire body. Slowly he pulled out, hesitating long enough to look down at Merton before he slid back in again. This time Merton’s hips thrust up to meet him, and as he buried himself as deep as he could a sharp gasp escaped Merton’s throat.

A stream of unintelligible words spilled out of Merton’s mouth as Tommy hit the spot he’d been looking for, all the pain of being stretched wide open masked by a jolt of pure pleasure. He thrust up harder as Tommy thrust down, moaning as Tommy found his mark again. "Oh my god," he groaned, not sure if he was actually forming words but beyond caring, "do that…again."

Tommy groaned and leaned forward, sliding one hand behind Merton’s neck to lift his mouth up to meet Tommy’s lips in a demanding kiss. As their tongues slid together he thrust hard again, gasping against Merton’s mouth as tight muscles clamped down on him. His hand left the back of Merton’s neck to reach between them, grasping his friend’s cock and stroking in time to their thrusts. When he hit Merton’s prostate again his friend gasped and tensed, tearing his mouth away from Tommy’s as he came.

Tommy thrust one more time, his head dropping down to rest against Merton’s shoulder as he groaned his own release. They stayed that way for what felt like forever, Tommy panting for breath and Merton’s hands stroking lazy circles on the other boy’s back. "Tommy?" Merton finally said, frowning as he listened to Tommy’s breathing begin to even out.

"Yeah?" Tommy murmured, his voice heavy already. Merton rolled his eyes and stopped stroking the other boy’s back, moving his hands to Tommy’s sides.

"Off," Merton said, pushing at his friend’s hips in an effort to get Tommy’s solid frame off him. "Your dead weight is crushing me, if you fall asleep on me I’ll suffocate."

A low chuckle was Tommy’s only response, but he slid off the smaller boy, sliding out of him in the process. The sense of loss brought him closer to consciousness and he opened his eyes to look down at Merton. "Sorry."

"It’s okay, I’m pretty sure by tomorrow morning I’ll be sorry I stopped you from suffocating me. Those girls on the internet don’t know what the hell they’re talking about."

"What?" Tommy asked, his forehead furrowed as he tried to decide what Merton was babbling about now. "What girls? The ones from your magic sites?"

"No," Merton answered. "The girls that write slash fic."

"Girls write that stuff?" Tommy yawned and closed his eyes again, snuggling a little closer to Merton and draping one arm over his chest.

Merton smiled and let himself be drawn into the warmth of his friend’s embrace, almost managing not to wince at the sudden movement. "Yeah, most slash writers are girls. Go figure."

"So what are they wrong about?" Tommy asked as he laid his head on the other boy’s shoulder and turned his face into the soft skin beneath Merton’s ear.

"Pain," Merton answered, turning his face instinctively toward Tommy. He nuzzled the soft hair with his cheek and smiled as he realized it was still a little damp from the storm outside. "They always make it sound so romantic and downplay how much it hurts."

Tommy’s chest tightened and he breathed in deeply, warming Merton’s neck and sending a shiver down his spine as he exhaled. Part of him felt guilty that he’d pushed something on his best friend that hurt him in any way, but he couldn’t ignore the awe he felt that Merton wanted to do that with him even though it was uncomfortable. "Does it hurt a lot?" he whispered, his lips moving against the sensitive skin at the junction of Merton’s neck and shoulder.

"No," Merton answered quickly, shifting to his side and forcing Tommy to look at him. "I mean it’s weird and it hurt but after awhile you don’t care anymore. And when you hit that one spot…that was amazing."

A small grin turned up the corners of Tommy’s mouth as he wrapped his arms more tightly around the other boy and brushed their lips together again. "Well I was thinking, you know, next time…maybe we could try switching places."

"What, you mean like…oh." Merton’s eyes lit up as the real meaning behind Tommy’s words sank in. At first he’d thought Tommy was talking about the position, it had never even dawned on him that Tommy might want to bottom at some point. He’d always just assumed that if Tommy ever had sex with a guy that he wouldn’t even consider anything but topping. "You really want to?"

"Yeah, Merton, of course. I love you."

Merton smiled back at him, any residual discomfort he’d been feeling forgotten as he focused on the fact that Tommy loved him. Never in his wildest dreams had he even hoped to hear those words from his best friend, and even though Tommy had already said it once he knew he’d never get used to hearing it. "I love you too, Tommy."

He thought it would sound weird to say it out loud after hiding it for so long, but the look on Tommy’s face when he said the words made it worth taking the risk. It didn’t really feel that weird to say it, and if Tommy got that look on his face every time he did he’d say it thirty times a day. Hell, he’d get it tattooed on his forehead if it would make Tommy smile that way whenever they were together.

Tommy sighed happily and buried his face in Merton’s neck again, inhaling the soft scent of citrus as his breathing began to even out again. "So does this mean you’ll go to the prom with me?"

Merton chuckled softly and reached up to run his fingers through Tommy’s hair, smiling at the contented purr the simple action evoked from his best friend’s throat. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the idea that Tommy was his, or feel like he had the right to just touch him whenever he wanted to. He figured plenty of practice would help him get used to it, though, and he grinned to himself at the thought of all the things they still hadn’t tried.

"Merton?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, remembering Tommy was still awake and waiting for an answer only when he heard the trepidation in the other boy’s voice.

"Are you gonna answer the question?"

"Oh, sorry." A fresh wave of anxiety flooded Merton at the thought of walking into the prom with Tommy, but that was still over a month away and he had the feeling the news of their couplehood would be old by then. He didn’t want to just come right out and ask Tommy if it was okay to touch him at school, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pretend they were still just friends after this. "Sure, Tommy, if it means that much to you I’ll go."

"Well don’t sound so enthused," Tommy grumbled against his neck.

Merton smiled contentedly and turned his head to plant an awkward kiss on Tommy’s cheek. "Hey, I’m not the one whose popularity dictates that he attend all the major school events. Also I don’t dance. So the prom isn’t that important to my emotional development, but if you want to go I won’t complain."

Tommy laughed against his skin, sending tiny jolts of warm heat down his neck and straight to his groin. "Why is it that even when you’re not complaining it sounds like complaining?"

"Natural talent?" Merton joked, closing his eyes again as he finally relaxed and let himself start to drift off.

"Yeah, something like that." Tommy’s eyes opened as he lifted his head and looked down at the other boy, awe mingled with disbelief as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he really was tangled up with Merton in his bed and not just having an incredibly vivid dream. His dreams had never been citrus-scented before, though, so he knew it had to be real even if he still couldn’t quite believe it. He reached out with tentative fingers and traced the outline of Merton’s jaw, smiling at the soft sigh that escaped the other boy’s throat. "You know nobody’s gonna be that surprised to see us at prom together anyway, even if I could manage to keep my hands off you in public until then, which I’m pretty sure is impossible."

Merton smiled more brightly and opened his eyes again, not even minding that Tommy had just pulled him back from the edge of sleep. "Good, because I’m not sure I could do that whole pretending to be just friends thing either. Wait a second, why wouldn’t anyone be surprised?"

"Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never heard any of the rumors about us."

"There are rumors about us?" On some level Merton knew he should be bothered by that idea, but he found himself ridiculously pleased at the idea that their classmates assumed they had some sort of secret romance. "Why am I always the last one to know these things?"

"Because for a smart guy you’re not really that observant," Tommy answered, smirking as Merton tried and failed to look annoyed by the statement. "I know you don’t care what the kids at school think but if you listened to them talk every once in awhile you might pick up some valuable information. As far as everyone at school’s concerned we’ve been sleeping together since the beginning of the year."

Merton frowned thoughtfully as he realized how much time they’d wasted. Not that he considered the past few months of friendship with Tommy a waste, in a way it was better that they’d been friends before they got involved on a romantic level. At least this way he knew that Tommy genuinely liked having him around, and he could believe him when he said ‘I love you’. "Wow, all this time I’ve been having an affair with the most popular guy in school and I didn’t even know it," he said, smirking up at his best friend.

"Yeah, well, you’re usually the last one to see what’s right in front of you," Tommy murmured, leaning forward to press their lips together again. When they finally parted for air he sighed contentedly and settled back down on Merton’s shoulder, closing his eyes and pulling him close again. "If it makes you feel any better it was worth the wait."

The End