Title: Through your eyes

Author: Sweetcheecks

Rated: PG13

Archive: HercFic

Disclaimer: They belong to the Greeks, I'm just borrowing them for a quick fling.


Through your eyes
by Sweetcheecks

Iolaus sat back on the bench, head resting against the wall of the cabin and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin. A noise to his right made his head snap in that direction, his hand on his sword.

"Hiya Herc," he called, relaxing his grip.

"Hello Iolaus," The demigod responded, putting down a pair of freshly killed rabbits. "You okay, buddy? Is there something you need?" Hercules crouched down next to Iolaus and regarded his beautiful friend. 'Stop thinking like that!' he reprimanded himself.

"No, I'm fine, thanks Herc. I just didn't expect you back so soon." Iolaus leaned back against the wall and stared at a point somewhere in front of him.

"I got us a couple of rabbits for dinner. I think these had a deathwish. They practically jumped in my lap." Hercules joked.

"Probably felt sorry for you." Iolaus countered with a grin. "Only two? What are *you* going to eat?"

Hercules snorted at that. "Well, I never pretended to be the hunter you are, oh mighty one. You're just gonna have to play nice and share with your old friend."

Now it was Iolaus turn to snort. "Hey, a little less of the old, if you don't mind. I *am* older than you, though you'd never be able to tell." He grinned wildly and Hercules rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to prepare these inside. Why don't you stay out here a while longer, enjoy the last of the sun. I'll call you when dinner is ready." Hercules waited until Iolaus nodded, then stepped inside the cabin. Working quickly to prepare the animals he caught, his mind drifted to his friend outside. It had been a week now since that fateful fight in Xaros.

He and Iolaus had been called there by the citizens to help fight a group of bandits who had been terrorizing the area for some weeks. It was nothing that the two of them hadn't faced before, and soon the bandits were defeated. But at some point near the end of the fight, one of the bad guys hit Iolaus over the head with a club, leaving the hunter unconscious. Hercules carried his friend to the local healer and watched as the man fussed over his friend. He had stepped outside for a while to talk to some of the city's noblemen, who were fully intent on thanking him profusely. The next thing he remembered was Iolaus' scream. He ran inside and found his friend on the floor, pressed against a wall. He looked at the healer who seemed very pale all of a sudden, and then back at his friend.

"Iolaus?" he croaked.

Iolaus' head shot up, his face twisted in fear.

"Herc!" he yelled, "Herc, help me...I can't see! I...I can't see!"

~*~*~*~

Hercules shivered as he remembered the events of that day. Remembering the helplessness he felt, the anger at Iolaus' misfortune, and Iolaus' fear. The healer ran several tests on his friend, linking the sudden blindness directly to the blow on the head Iolaus had received. He was fairly confident that the condition was temporary, that Iolaus had a very good chance of regaining his eyesight in time. How much time, he didn't know. It could be a few days, or a few weeks…The citizens gladly provided Herc and Iolaus with a place to stay until the hunter recovered from his injury. So here they were, a week later. Hercules tried to see to all of his friends needs the best he could, and made sure the hunter took it easy. Iolaus had actually surprised him by accepting his predicament so easily after the first initial shock. He clung to the healer's words that this was only temporary with a devotion, trying very hard to remain his own outgoing self despite his new limitations. Hercules shook his head.

"Iolaus," he muttered, "your strength never ceases to amaze me."

Outside, Iolaus still sat in the sun. He closed his eyes, no point in keeping them open anyway. He was scared, very scared. He was trying really hard to be positive, not only for himself, but for Hercules. He knew how much his friend worried about him, he didn't want to make this any harder on him. He already did so much for him as it was. He knew that the healer had told them that there was a very good chance that this was only temporary, but what if he was wrong? What was he going to do with the rest of his life if he remained blind? He had never heard of blind hunters or warriors, and working at the forge would no longer be an option. He had decided for himself that he would give it another couple of weeks, and if nothing had changed by then, he'd leave. He hadn't exactly figured out yet how he was going to do that, or where he would go, he only knew that he couldn't stay with Hercules. Not under these circumstances. He wasn't any good to anyone like this, especially not Hercules. How was he supposed to help his friend if he couldn't see what he was doing? No, his mind was made up. Just a few more weeks and then….

"Iolaus, dinner's ready." Hercules' call interrupted his thoughts and Iolaus was glad for it. He slowly got to his feet and held his arm out to his friend. "Lead me to the feast, Herc."

Hercules watched his friend as Iolaus demolished the meal in no time flat, chattering away like he didn't have a care in the world. When Iolaus was finished, he cleared away the dishes and settled his friend comfortably on the bed. He stood back and watched Iolaus slowly start to undress himself. In the beginning he had tried to help the hunter, but had stopped when Iolaus nearly bit his head off. Seeing all that glorious flesh revealed to him inch by inch, Hercules felt a now familiar tingling starting in his groin. He'd been having a hard time in the last couple of months trying to hide his attraction to the blond, the fact that they were now forced to sleep together in one bed didn't make things any easier. He turned around and started wiping down the table vigorously when Iolaus removed his trousers to then slip naked under the covers, leaning back against the headboard. He started counting very slowly in an effort to keep his breathing under control.

"Herc?" The soft voice surprised him and he spun around to face his friend. "Aren't you coming to bed?"

"Yeah, sure." Hercules replied quickly, tossing the rag back down on the table. Iolaus smiled happily in his direction. Herc undressed quickly, trying very hard to convince himself that Iolaus wasn't really looking *at* him. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop the flush of heat that traveled up his body at the thought. Once naked, he made a move towards the bed, only to turn around again, heading for the fireplace. He stoked the fire again, making sure the entire room was nice and toasty. He then crawled up the bed and sat down on top of the covers, facing his friend. Iolaus pursed his lips.

"I'm guessing here that you're not sleepy yet," the blond observed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Not really," Herc replied, brushing the hair out of his face. "How about a game of cards...oh, um no, no, I guess not...." 'Now *that* was really brilliant, Hercules, just great!'

Iolaus laughed. "I don't think I'd be much of a challenge to you. How about we just talk for a while?"

"Talking is good, I can do talking," Hercules sputtered, then remained silent.

"Uh, Herc...helloooo...are you still there?" Iolaus waved a hand in front of him, brushing it against Hercules' shoulder.

Hercules had to stop himself from moaning as Iolaus' touch burned his flesh. "Yeah, yeah, still here. What do you want to talk about?" He hoped he sounded normal enough.

Iolaus withdrew his hand and settled himself more comfortable under the sheets. He seemed to give the question a lot of thought, then broke out into a wide smile. "Why don't you surprise me, Herc? Tell me something amazing."

'Oh great.' Hercules thought. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find the right words. 'Oh well, I might never get a better chance than this. Now or never.' He cleared his throat and began.

"Iolaus, have you ever been with a man?" Hercules held his breath as he watched his friend.

Iolaus frowned. "What do you mean, Herc?"

Hercules shifted a little on the large bed. "What I mean is, have you ever made love to another man?"

Iolaus' eyes grew wide. "No." He finally answered.

"Have you ever thought about it?" Iolaus shook his head in denial. "Not ever?"

Iolaus blushed slightly. "Well, yeah…maybe, when I was a lot younger. Why, have you? Been with a man I mean." Iolaus asked.

Hercules took a deep breath. "As a matter of fact, I have." He didn't have to wait long for Iolaus' reaction.

"You what?! When? Who with? Where was I when all this was happening? Oh man, I can't believe you never told me about this! We're supposed to be best friends, how can you keep something like that from me?" Iolaus was yelling, his face flushed, and his arms waving all over the place.

"Iolaus, if you'll just calm down, I'll tell you everything you want to know, okay? *Okay*?" Hercules soothed. He watched as Iolaus settled back down again, a stubborn look to he face.

"All right Hercules, but you'd better come up with a damn good reason for not telling me about this sooner," Iolaus muttered darkly.

"You did say that I should surprise you, Iolaus," Hercules sighed. He wondered where to begin.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"First of all, I want you to know that I haven't been with another man in a long time...years in fact." Hercules tried to get a bit more comfortable on the bed without getting too close to Iolaus. "I guess I've always been attracted to men but I've never really done much about it.

"Why not?" Iolaus asked, scooting a bit closer to his friend.

"Some people can be less than understanding about these things. Frankly, I could live without the added hassle, and then, what with me being the son of Zeus and all.…" Hercules trailed off, waving his hand in the air for emphasis.

"But you have been with men," Iolaus ventured. "Anyone I know?"

"No, I've only been with one man," Hercules corrected, "Jason." He watched in amusement as Iolaus' jaw dropped at the revelation. "Close your mouth Iolaus, that's not an attractive look on you." Iolaus quickly complied, scowling in his friends direction.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Iolaus?" Hercules was starting to get nervous at his friends continued silence.

Iolaus shrugged. "What do you want me to say? I don't know why it surprised me, the two of you have always been very close. I guess it explains the way you and him were always disappearing together."

Was there a note of accusation in Iolaus' tone? Hercules dismissed the thought. "We didn't always...."

"Yeah you did," Iolaus interrupted. "You two always did stuff together, and you made it pretty clear that I wasn't wanted."

"Iolaus, I'm sorry if we gave you that impression, it wasn't intentional. I guess we were pretty wrapped up in each other at the time, but...I really didn't see much of you that summer, maybe that's one of the reasons I spent so much time with Jason." Hercules watched his friend carefully.

"When exactly was this, Herc?" Iolaus' voice was soft and again he scooted closer to the demigod.

"The summer of my fifteenth birthday. You were always busy chasing different girls, I think you even ended up dating three of them at the same time! I was so thrilled that Jason even wanted to spend time with me, he was kind of my idol at the time. I wanted to grow up just like him. We really hit it off, despite the age difference, and one thing led to another. Neither of us had planned it...one day it just sort of happened. Jason was very experienced and he taught me what it was like to make love to a man."

Iolaus chuckled. "I think I really formed a fascination with girls back then." He sobered a bit. "I'm sorry if I neglected you. What happened between you and Jason?"

"It didn't last long, my fault. I made a big mistake. One time when we were, um, *together*, I kinda called out the wrong name." Hercules flushed at the memory.

"Ouch, that must have hurt."

"I was so embarrassed. Jason was pretty good about the whole thing. Said he always figured my mind was on someone else. We couldn't continue under those circumstances, so we decided to just remain very good friends. And we always have." Hercules knew that he would always be grateful to Jason for that.

"Didn't you love him?" Iolaus questioned.

"I think it was more a case of hero worship. I did love him as a friend, but I don't think I was ever in love with him. There's a big difference."

"Oh. Umm, Herc? Whose name did you say when you were......you know?"

Hercules took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Yours." He took a deep breath, and, for one moment, the world stood still.

Hercules reached out again and closed Iolaus' mouth with a finger. "I've told you about that," he spoke softly.

"You said my name? Why? I mean...Herc, I don't get it." Iolaus reached out a hand towards his friend and Hercules gently took it between his own.

"Iolaus believe me, before that incident with Jason, I had no idea myself how I felt about you. Jason said I was in some sort of denial, that I didn't want to face my true feelings. We talked about you a lot that day, and I only realized then how much I loved you." Hercules looked down at the small hand he was caressing and waited.

"But you never said anything. Why not? Herc, I've...If I'd have known, I..." Iolaus trailed off.

"What would you have done, Iolaus?" Herc cut in softly. "I was absolutely convinced that you would never be interested in a man, in *me*, that way. And I think the rejection would have broken my heart. And, more importantly, I didn't want to risk losing your friendship. So I stayed quiet, loved you from afar and cherished your friendship. It got better over time and then I met Deinaeira. I really loved her and the kids, and, for the first time in a long time, I was truly happy." Herc paused a moment as the memories of his family flooded him. Iolaus squeezed his hand and Herc continued. "But after they were gone, everything changed again. You and me were together again like before, and that felt really good. And, somewhere along the line, my old feelings for you surfaced again, only stronger than before."

"You should have told me." Iolaus said softly. "Maybe I would have said no, I don't know, but at least I would have been able to make the choice for myself. We've always been best friends, Herc, you should have trusted me with this."

"I know Iolaus, and I'm sorry. But I was only a kid back then, I was confused and I was scared. I wasn't thinking very straight at the time."

"When have you ever?" Iolaus chuckled, then sobered. "Why are you telling me this now, Herc?"

Hercules used a free hand to smooth an errant curl behind Iolaus' ear and let his fingers slide softly down Iolaus' cheek. He felt the blond shiver slightly under his touch.

"What happened to you this time, it could have been a lot worse. You could have been killed - again. Before anything happens again, I need you to know how much you're loved, how much *I* love you. That will *never* change Iolaus, you will *always* be loved." He held Iolaus' cheek for a moment longer and then dropped his hand.

Iolaus felt his eyes well up and blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling. Instead he gripped Hercules' hand harder and tried to regain some control over his emotions. "I don't know what to say...."

"That's okay buddy," Herc soothed, "I don't expect you to feel the same. I just hope that this won't change anything between us. I'd hate to lose your friendship."

"Like that's ever going to happen." Iolaus grumbled playfully. "Wow, I still can't get my head around this. Gods, I wish you would have told me this before, we wasted so much time. This has never happened to me, you know." Iolaus babbled. "I've been in love and in lust before, I've had my fair share of women, but no one's ever really loved me, part from my mother. No one has ever stayed around long enough...except you. It's all I ever wanted, someone to love me, all of me."

Iolaus crawled from under the covers and made his way closer to his friend. Hercules was frantically trying to concentrate on the hunter's face and not his beautiful naked body, which was now very, very, close to his.

"Herc," Iolaus whispered, "I wanna know what it feels like to really be loved. Show me. Teach me the way Jason taught you. Love me Herc...please?"

Hercules felt his heart constrict under Iolaus' soft plea and cupped the hunter's face gently between his hands. He bent his head close to Iolaus' ear and softly whispered, "Thank you." He pulled back a bit, gently brushing Iolaus' lips with his own. He mumbled another thank you against the lush lips before kissing them soundly, pouring all the love he felt into that one, first kiss.

Iolaus leaned into the kiss, the mouth under his hot and demanding. He moaned into that mouth, digging his hands into Hercules' shoulders.

Hercules' world exploded the moment he stroked his tongue over the hot velvet that was Iolaus' tongue. He wanted to taste Iolaus forever, to never leave the sweetness of that mouth. Reluctantly he pulled away. Iolaus' face looked flushed, his eyes slightly glazed with passion. Unconsciously, the tip of his tongue slipped out to trace his lips. Hercules groaned at the sight.

"Wow," Iolaus muttered, "that was some kiss."

Hercules grinned smugly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. You were quite something yourself. Gods Iolaus, you're beautiful." He gently laid the hunter down on the bed and lowered his body to rest across that of Iolaus, who immediately slipped his arms around the demigod. Hercules reveled in the feel of the man lying under him. He reverently trailed one hand from Iolaus' cheek down to his thigh and back up again. Hercules was enthralled by the soft skin beneath his touch, though it didn't stop him from seeing the small frown on Iolaus' face.

"Iolaus, are you all right? Am I going to fast for you?" The last thing on earth he wanted to do was to scare his friend.

Iolaus gave him a half smile and raised his hand to touch Hercules' face. "No Herc, I'm fine. It's just...I just wish I could see you right now, I wish I could see the way you're looking at me. Sounds silly, huh?"

Hercules grasped the small hand that cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to it. "No my love, that's not silly at all. You wanna know how I'm looking at you now? Remember the way I used to look at Deianeira?" Iolaus nodded and smiled, remembering the love in Hercules' eyes everytime he looked at his wife, and was elated that Herc would look at him the same way. Hercules bent down and nuzzled Iolaus' neck, dragging his tongue slowly up to an ear, whispering, "That doesn't even come close to the way I'm looking at you now," and sucked the little lobe into his mouth. Iolaus gasped and shivered in Herc's arms, his fingers digging deeper into Hercules' back. Hercules released the sensitive piece of flesh and started peppering his beloved's face with small kisses, eliciting more sounds of delight from the hunter. He kissed Iolaus' lips again, slowly and lovingly, until they both needed to come up for air.

"You taste good." Hercules murmured, sliding down Iolaus' body, leaving a wet trail with his lips and tongue. He found a rosy nipple and swept his tongue lovingly across it. Iolaus moaned at the sensation, squeezing his eyes shut. Hercules bit down gently on the little nub, soothing the sting with his tongue. He soon repeated the same gestures on its twin, until both nipples were hard and throbbing. Iolaus writhed under him, arching into Hercules' mouth. Hercules shifted lower again, nibbling along the hunter's ribs, sucking at the flesh surrounding his navel before dipping his tongue inside. Iolaus started giggling loudly and tried to wriggle away.

"Herc, please stop, that tickles...Heeerrcc, ohhh...."

All giggling stopped the moment Hercules' tongue touched Iolaus' straining cock. Iolaus' hands made a desperate lunge for Hercules' head, trying to intensify the contact. But Hercules backed off, and pried Iolaus' hands away from the deathgrip they had on his ears. Smiling, he tucked them at the hunter's sides. Iolaus, taking the hint, curled his fists in the underlying sheets, and raised his hips slightly.

"Herc, please....." he pleaded in a small voice.

"I'm here, Iolaus," Hercules whispered reassuringly, "I'm gonna make you feel so good." He nipped at the inside of Iolaus' thigh, nuzzling the fold between thigh and groin and breathed in the musky scent of his lover's arousal. Hercules grasped the weeping erection, licking gently across the swollen crown, gathering up the beads of precum pooling there. The taste exploded across his tongue and he closed his eyes to savor it better. He felt Iolaus tremble and moan beneath him and intensified his actions. He kissed his way up and down the hard cock, licking along the throbbing vein, and generally turned Iolaus' brain to mush. His other hand cupped the hunter's balls and he kneaded them gently.

"Oh....Herc...I need...ooohhhh."

Hercules engulfed the weeping cock in one fluid motion, sucking gently. Iolaus bucked fiercely, but Hercules held his hips down, setting his own pace. He sucked slowly, scraping his teeth over the sensitive head, and stroking his tongue over the sensitive glands underneath. Iolaus was moaning continuously now, trying desperately to bury himself deeper into that exquisite wet heat. Hercules took a deep breath, opened wide, and, without warning, swallowed the hunter whole. Iolaus cried out when his cock bumped against the back of Hercules' throat, and his hands resumed their earlier deathgrip. Iolaus was shaking with excitement and Hercules knew he was close. When he felt Iolaus' balls tighten against his body, he eased back, leaving only the tip in his mouth. He sucked hard and swept his tongue over the head once, twice and that was all it took. Iolaus screamed his name and came in long hard spurts. Hercules felt the hot creamy fluid fill his mouth and drank eagerly of his lover's gift. Iolaus fell back on the bed, totally exhausted. He was faintly aware of the fact that his lover was licking him clean and came willingly when Hercules rolled them both over, so that he ended up laying sprawled over Hercules' chest. Hercules tightened his grip around him, and Iolaus burrowed deeper into the warmth of his lover's arms.

"Iolaus?" No answer. Hercules brushed the hunter's hair back and tried again. "Iolaus, are you okay?"

"Mmm Herc, I think you broke it." Hercules laughed out loud, while Iolaus chuckled softly against his chest. "Seriously Herc, that was amazing. Remind me to send a thank you note to Jason." They lay contented in each other's arms for long moments, Hercules running his hand down Iolaus' smooth back and over his soft ass cheeks. Iolaus made small contented noises in the back of his throat, and blindly sought out one of Herc's nipples. He licked the small nub tentatively at first, but after hearing Hercules' moan of pleasure, sucked the entire nipple into his mouth. Hercules arched into that wonderful mouth and cupped the back of his love's head, keeping him in place. His other hand stroked Iolaus' ass possessively, his fingers straying into the shadowy cleft between the cheeks. Meanwhile, Iolaus shifted his attention to Herc's other nipple. He suckled at the swollen nub before biting down on it. Hercules gasped and Iolaus backed off quickly.

"I'm sorry, Herc. Too much?"

"Gods no Iolaus, that just felt so good," Hercules answered hoarsely. Iolaus gave a blinding smile and settled himself more comfortably over the demigod's large body. Balancing on one arm, he reached out his hand, tracing his fingers gently across his lover's features, a concentrated look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Herc asked softly.

Iolaus leaned in closer and whispered, "I'm seeing you, Herc." Hercules tried to swallow the lump in his throat when Iolaus' face brightened. "And Gods Herc, you are beautiful!" They both smiled at that, Iolaus outlining Herc's lips with his fingers. He slowly lowered his head and they kissed each other gently, conveying the love they felt for each other. One of Hercules' hands twined itself in the hunter's golden locks, deepening the kiss, while the other resumed wandering over Iolaus' smooth back and ass. He stroked softly between the creamy cheeks, his fingers ghosting over the small opening to his lover's body. They broke the kiss, Iolaus planting small kisses along Hercules' neck, as his hands mapped out new territory. Hercules brought his hand back up and sucked his fingers, wetting them thoroughly. He returned to the soft globes, seeking out the small puckered opening. He rubbed across it slowly, and then gently slipped the tip of one finger inside. Iolaus stiffened at the unknown intrusion.

"Herc?"

"Sshh, it's okay love. I'm not going to hurt you. It's just that I want you so bad. But if this isn't what you want, Iolaus, I'll stop." 'Please don't make me stop.' He pleaded to himself. Iolaus was thoughtful for a moment, then relaxed.

"No, I want you to, I wanna feel all of you, Herc. Just...go slow, 'kay?"

Hercules breathed a sigh of relief and tenderly kissed Iolaus' lips. His finger traced the small opening, occasionally dipping just inside. Iolaus relaxed further in his lover's arms, losing himself in Hercules' sweet kisses. Slowly, Herc slipped his finger completely inside. Iolaus pulled away, tensing his muscles slightly. Hercules gently moved his finger in and out, careful not to hurt his lover. Iolaus dropped his head on his lover's chest and breathed deeply, slowly relaxing further into the intimate caress. He started sucking at Hercules' neck again, nipping along the soft flesh there. Hercules added another finger, loosening the tiny hole further. When he scraped a nail over Iolaus' prostate, the hunter nearly arched off the bed.

"Ohwowohwowohwow Herc, please do that again. Oh gods, do that again." He sobbed.

"Your wish is my command." Herc added a third finger, stretching Iolaus further, stroking his fingers continually over the tiny hidden gland. Iolaus started moving back against the hand, fucking himself on the fingers invading his body. The movement caused his renewed erection to slide across Hercules' hard cock again and again. Both men groaned at the feeling and Herc knew he couldn't take much more of this sweet torture. He removed his fingers and rolled them both around, stilling Iolaus' protests with a breathtaking kiss. He slid down the smooth body, licking and kissing every bit of tempting flesh in sight and ended with a long, leisurely suck of Iolaus' cock. Hercules then kneeled between Iolaus' legs and shifted the hunter so that his legs came to rest over his shoulders. He smoothed his hands down the firm thighs and over his lover's quivering belly. He regarded his old friend turned lover, spread out so openly before him, and was astounded again by the love he felt for this man.

"Are you ready, love?" At Iolaus' nod, Hercules positioned himself at Iolaus' entrance and slowly began to push inside. Hercules groaned as his cock was swallowed by the tightest passage he had ever known. Iolaus made a small distressed sound and Hercules stopped moving.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Iolaus hastened to explain, "just give me a minute." Hercules continued soothing his trembling lover with soft strokes until Iolaus started pushing back against him. Hercules slid further in until his cock was buried to the hilt in Iolaus' beautiful ass. He began moving inside him, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Iolaus grabbed the headboard of the bed for leverage and began to arch back against every stroke into his body. He clamped his muscles down around the thick cock inside him and was rewarded with a low moan from the demigod. Hercules was close, but he wanted Iolaus to cum before him. He began thrusting harder and faster into the hunter's willing body, angling his strokes so that his cock hit Iolaus' prostate on every return. He grasped Iolaus' rigid cock in his hand and started pumping it in time with his thrusts. Iolaus was writhing and pleading underneath him, rocking his body back against Hercules'.

"Oohhh Gods, harder....Herc, harder...yeah like that, oh like that...don't stop, please don't stop... I'm gonna...ooohhh, I'm gonna cum, Heeerrrcc!!!"

Iolaus' body convulsed, his body contracting as he shot his load onto his and Hercules' chests. Hercules continued thrusting into Iolaus as his body tightened around him, milking his orgasm. Hercules came in long, hard spurts into Iolaus' quivering body. When it was over, both men were panting and shaking, Hercules still buried deep within his lover's body. He carefully slid free and rolled them both over, settling the hunter once again on top of him. He reached out for a blanket and covered them both up. Iolaus immediately snuggled deeper into the warmth, and made small contented noises.

"Thank you, Herc, that was incredible. I...I love you," Iolaus mumbled against his chest. Hercules felt his heart soar and pressed his love closer to his body.

"I love you too Iolaus, so much. I need you, don't ever leave me." Hercules closed his eyes and fell asleep listening to the soft breathing of his love.

Iolaus lay still in the dark, safely enfolded in his lover's arms and contemplated the evenings events. So many changes in such a short time. Hercules loved him and he loved Hercules. Herc had made love to him, touched him in ways no one had ever done before. He said he needed him. The son of Zeus needing *him* ....his blindness didn't seem to make one bit of difference. How could he leave Herc now, knowing that despite his handicap, he was so utterly and completely loved? He couldn't. He didn't know what the future had in store for him, whether he would ever see again, but he did know whatever happened, he wouldn't be alone. Herc would be there with him, loving him, and that was all he needed to survive. Iolaus sighed happily, closed his eyes and dreamt of his beautiful lover.


THE END.