"It was less than a minute, but it felt...it felt like an eternity."

Goosebumps broke out on his skin as Mat watched CC drop a black plastic trash bag into the trunk of his car. You know who puts black trash bags in their trunk in deserted parking lots? Serial killers. Not that Morrisonville was full of serial killers. They hadn't had a single homicide in decades, let alone a string of related murders. The shiny bags CC lifted didn't appear all that heavy though, and CC... well, he'd never been the violent type. Even back in school, when he was targeted by bullies he hadn't fought back. Imagining him dismembering bodies was ridiculous.

Maybe so, but he's definitely hiding something.

Aren't we all? Mat had certainly kept a part of himself secret for a long time. Underneath the scents of evening... someone's BBQ charcoal, car exhaust, and the general floral odor of the surrounding greenery, lurked that familiar marshmallow scent he'd come to associate with CC. It made him relax and vanquished the serial killer images to the realm of dark humor.

"No. No. I'm good. I...uh."

Leaning further out his car window, Mat waited, curious to see what excuse CC would offer. He couldn't think of anything at all himself to explain why CC would say he was following him, then not show up, but be in a church yard hefting bags of garbage into his trunk.

Even in the darkness, he could see that CC's face was deep red, his embarrassment clear. "Mat, if there's anyway you can forget this..." His voice trailed off and his head ducked. Even the pretty blond spikes of his hair seemed flattened. Misery rolled off him in almost palpable waves.

It was concern that had driven Mat to get in his car and drive around looking for CC when he hadn't knocked on Mat's door after half an hour. And now that same concern made him feel guilty, as though he'd done something wrong. Curiosity wasn't enough reason to cause such emotion. Mat tamped it down and nodded. "No problem. So, are you still coming over? Superheroes await." He held his breath, waiting for CC's response. It was less than a minute, but it felt like eternity.

CC glanced up, face full of relief. His eyes shone in the evening twilight. "If you still want me to." His voice sounded scratchy, as though he'd been fighting off tears, and Mat resolved right then, that if those black trash bags were full of dead body parts, he'd ignore it. He'd do anything to keep CC from crying, and not just because tears made him uncomfortable. He wanted CC happy, preferably in his arms.

"Oh, I absolutely do." He opened his car door and started to get out to help CC.

"Acgh!" CC bounced, slammed his car trunk and darted forward. "What are you doing?"

Blinking Mat froze. "I was going to get out and help you. My mom always... " He paused. Dating rules were dating rules right? A gentleman offered his help, held open doors, saw to his date's comfort. Whether that date was male or female was irrelevant, right? "I'm sorry. I was a boy scout. Still am, I guess." Holding up his hands, he subsided in his seat.

CC relaxed a bit. "It's ok. I'm done now. I'll follow you to your place."

Mat nodded, then tugged his door shut again. He watched in his mirror as CC patted the trunk of his car then went around to the driver's door. When he opened the door a few small white blobs fell to the ground. Mat's lips twitched. CC really loved his marshmallows, didn't he?

He waited until CC's engine came to life and his headlights flicked on, then reversed out of the parking lot and onto the empty street. This church really was isolated at night.

It took all of five minutes to get to Mat's house, but he kept one eye on CC in his rear view mirror, just in case the man decided to take another unscheduled detour. Mat didn't even know why this meant so much to him... or what this really was even. Why CC seemed so all important... why he couldn't get through a day without thinking of him... or a night without getting hard envisioning those pretty lips and the fine, fuckable ass.

It was an obsession, and unlike the time he'd been obsessed with baseball cards, or the time he'd been enthralled by Pokeman, or Glenda Herman's boobs... he didn't even want to break free of this. He wanted more of it. More smiles, more laughter, more shy, hot glances thrown his way under thick lashes.

He wanted to touch, taste, revel in everything that was Collin Crane, roll in it until he reeked of the soft, powdery cologne whose scent grew stronger when Collin blushed.

And tonight... he had high hopes that he could put the boy scout on ice. Putting on his best smile, Mat got out of his car and approached CC. He reached for the door handle and wasn't surprised when CC beat him to it, pushing it open and climbing out of the car.

Bemused, Mat stooped and scooped up the three puffy white squares that fell to the ground at the same moment. "You and your marshmallows, CC." He held out a hand, which CC accepted.

"Sorry. Uh... I can take those if you want."

Mat shook his head. "No problem, I got it. Are you ready to watch some men in tights?"

CC's face cleared, his smile brightened. "What have you got?"

Mat chuckled. "I've got them all. What haven't you seen? Or what would you like to see again? Captain America? The Avengers? Iron Man?"

"The Winter Soldier?" CC ducked his head, as though making the suggestion embarrassed him. "I haven't seen that one."

"Sure. Should we start with Captain America and watch them back to back?" He'd managed to steer CC to the door of his tiny little bungalow. It was his pride and joy, Unlocking it, he pushed the door open and gestured for CC to precede him into the foyer. Foyer was a bit of an exageration fo rthe three foot wide short hallway, but it did hold a wall mounted coatrack and a small table with a ceramic bowl to catch his keys. Which he tossed into the bowl immediately. Neither of them wore a jacket, so he pointed to the left. "Livins room's over there, bathroom at the end of the hall. Go on and make yourself comfortable. I've got snacks in the kitchen, so I'll be right there."

He paused. "Would you like soda or beer?"

"I'll have a soda, I guess. I'm not much of a drinker." CC flushed on those words, as though not drinking were somehow something to be ashamed of.

"Two sodas it is," Mat darted into the kitchen, letting the door close behind him. His heart was racing, his blood pumping just from the scent and the innocent hand holding. He needed to calm himself down before he went out there and sat beside CC on that cozy couch his mother had helped him pick out.

To give himself something to focus on other than the heat that had flared between them at that touch, he prepared a tray with a bowl of chips and another of minimarshmallows. He'd picked them up at the store on impulse when the scent of the sweet treats reminded him of CC. Now he was glad he had them on hand. It felt good to be able to offer CC something he knew he'd enjoy.

Adding two ice cold cans of soda to the tray, Mat decided he was as ready as he'd ever be.

***

The sofa was deep and comfortable, so much so that CC found his eyes drifting shut as he relaxed into it even though it was only eight. He liked Mat's house, what he'd seen of it. It was one of those tiny little things, probably less square footage than CC and his mom's apartment. The living room was dominated by the sofa and a large screen television. One huge window looked out on the yard, and several green plants brougth the outdoors in. An overstuffed bookcase and a mirror took up the remaining wall. The whole room was beige and pale blue, both masculine and homey. From the directions Mat had given him, the rest of the house was an eat-in kitchen next to the bathroom and a single bedroom next to the living room he sat in.

Imagining Mat's bedroom made his fingertips tingle, so CC sat upright abruptly and glanced around the room again. The bookcase... Grabbing fo rthe distraction, he leaned forward as far as he could to read the titles. The Sandman. Batman: Gotham Reunited. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Silent Prey. Longmire. Riders of the Purple Sage. Apparently Mat's tastes in reading material leant in the same direction as his taste in movies. CC couldn't help smiling. Cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, good guys versus bad, Mat seemed to like the whole gamut of crime fiction. As long as it had pictures. CC shook his head a little at that. Didn't most people outgrow comic books at some point? Did you?

"Find anything you'd like to read? You're welcome to borrow any you'd like."

His head jerked toward the voice. Mat stood in the doorway carrying a tray of soda and a couple of bowls. The cop was broad shouldered and sexy with his muscular build, but what CC found most appealing, what made his heart sing and his cock throb, was the sweet smile and the wide blue eyes with their sparkle of humor and genuine caring.

Mat's deep, husky voice set CC's heart to racing and his fingertips to tingling. "No." He whispered, more ot his errant fingers and their imminent explosion than to the offer to loan the comics.

The tray Mat held clattered onto the broad coffee table, and CC's eyes followed it, widening as he realized one of th ebowls held... "Marshmallows?"

Mat beamed. "I know how much you like them, and since I had them on hand..."

"How kind of you." CC forced the words out, but his mouth felt dry and full of ashes. He'd nearly forgotten, hadn't he? After the stupid church parking lot, he'd still been sitting here fantasizing about sharing this cozy little house with Mat. He'd forgotten all about marshamallows. Nowhere in a place this size to hide fluffy little white sugar pillows... Shaking of the thougths, he pasted on a smile and spoke through stiff lips. "This is a great house."

Mat looked pleased by the compliment. "It's small, and old, but I like it a lot." H emoved around the table and sat on the opposite side of the sofa. "I bougth it right after I got hired at the police station. It seemed like the adult thing to do, moving out of my parents' place and all."

Ouch. That stung. "I like living with my mom." CC focused on the televsion. "Me helping with the bills lets her relax a little, and she's actually good company."

"I didn't mean anything negative by it, CC. Plenty of people still live at home. I'm sorry."

"Plus living at home means I don't have to take out loans to pay for my school." CC ignored the apology. Picturing himself as some sort of geek who had no option but to live at home with his mom wasn't very pleasant, It might be true, neither of them could really afford to live on their own, not with tuition bills and the high cost of living, but CC liked to think that given the choice between living alone or with a stranger for a roommate, he'd still have chosen his mom. It had been the two of them against the world for as long as he could remember.

Acknowledging that he just might be that geek who'd never move out was creepy. It made him want to shove past Mat and bolt for the door, if he were honest. But he had tonight, one opportunity to be with Mat Giraud, a man he'd lusted after forever, and he wasn't going to let a little thing like honesty get in the way of making the most of that chance.

"CC? I really am sorry. I didn't know you lived with your mom, and I wasn't being judgmental, okay?"

"Fine," CC leaned back, lifted his feet onto the cushion next to himself, and glanced from the television to Mat. "So, Captain America?" He reached for one of the sodas. Mat picked up a controller and pressed buttons until the tv came to life and an FBI warning flashed on its blue background. CC held the can for a long moment, letting the icy metal cool the heat that pooled in his palms, soothe the tingle from his fingers. It didn't help the gathering tightness in his belly or the eager pulse of his blood, but given that there was no hiding where he intended to end this night, at least, not from himself, those things were inevitable, and to be savored. Foreplay.

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