Before Sunrise

Disclaimer: Not mine, not true, all made up!

Part 5:

“Thank you,” Sean chuckled, filling the silence between David and him.

“For what?” David lifted the Styrofoam cup of coffee to his lips. They had picked it up on their way back from the Louvre.

Sean opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again and instead scratched his chin. “For asking me to come with you, I guess,” he finally replied and David frowned because suddenly Sean wasn’t looking happy at all.

“Are you alright?” he asked, worried.

“Yeah, I…” Sean cleared his throat. “I just realised that I haven’t been this happy and relaxed for a long time.” He shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed although he didn’t know why.

A grin spread on David’s lips. “I want to hug you, may I?” he wanted to know and before Sean could reply he found himself in a full-bodied Aussie-hug. “I like you, Sean,” Dave said, muffled by Sean’s shoulder. “And I don’t want to see you sad ever again.” He squeezed the other man tight once more and let him go again.

“Wow…” Sean breathed, a little shaky after being so close to David. “Thank you. Just hearing that made me feel so much better.” He grabbed Dave’s hand. “Eiffel Tower?” he asked, starting to pull the other man into the direction of Paris’ biggest tourist-magnet.


~*~


“Stairs.” Dave’s voice was sounding flat and not very enthusiastic.

“Yes, stairs.” Sean was grinning and for a moment he reminded David of a hungry shark. “Everybody can go up with the elevator, but like this you can tell people back home that you have actually *climbed* the Eiffel Tower.

Dave could only stare at Sean’s hands gesturing wildly.

“And…” Sean added triumphantly. “…and you can do something for your health.”

“My health?” Dave coughed, his eyes almost bulging out in horror. “I’ll probably die of a heart-attack after the first set of stairs and you call that healthy?!”

Sean rolled his eyes. “Come on, Daisy! You’re a young man!” And before Dave could protest the older man had started jogging up the stairs.


~*~


In the end it was Sean whose breath was wheezing when they reached the second platform. “I must be getting old,” he admitted, bending over to rest the palms of his hands on his knees and catch some breath. David, the bastard, was standing next to him, grinning and showing no sign of breathlessness.

“Sorry, Sean… I was working as a postman before I came to Europe. You know after jogging up all those stairs to deliver the mail I’m much fitter than I admit.” Dave was chuckling softly, leaning against the wall that separated them from the staircase.

“You don’t look like a postman.” Sean gave Dave a lopsided grin and straightened his back to walk closer to the railing, drinking in the view. “Isn’t this gorgeous, Dave? Dave?” Sean turned around when he noticed that Dave hadn’t come with him, but was still standing with his back pressed against the wall. “Daisy, aren’t you coming?”

“I’m fine!” Dave called, waving happily. “I can see everything from where I am standing.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, it’s so much better over here!” Sean was frowning and he took a closer look at the other man, only now noticing the slightly green tint to the other man’s skin. “Oh, David!” he groaned, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Dave’s shoulder. The other man was shaking slightly. “You should’ve told me you’re afraid of heights!”

“I’m not!” Dave insisted, his claim crumbling quickly when Sean pulled up one eyebrow and looked at him severely. “Okay, I am. But I’m alright as long as I can stand here in the back.”

“I wouldn’t have taken you here if I’d known that,” Sean said softly.

“Bullshit!” Dave exclaimed. “It’s not your fault, Sean, I’m a big boy, I could’ve told you!” He looked down at his feet. “And it’s not the height that scares me, it’s the thought of falling…” Dave admitted in a low voice so the other people on the platform couldn’t hear him.

“Falling?” Sean grinned and looked at the railing that seemed to be very safe.

“Yes,” David nodded. “Falling is the thing that scares me the most. I fear walking over bridges just cause there’s the slightest possibility of something sweeping me off my feet and throwing me over the balustrade. Sean, stop laughing!” He stomped his foot on the ground and freed himself from the older man’s embrace.

“Sorry!” Sean was giggling in a very unmanly way. “But this is just too cute!”

Dave pulled up one eyebrow, shivering a little. “Well, to me it’s very real…”

Sean pressed his lips together and stepped a little closer so that he could put his hand on the other man’s arm. “I know.”

Dave smiled at the Brit. “Well, Sean, now that you’ve seen me at my most vulnerable, I think it’s only fair that you tell me what you fear most.”

Dave could practically see Sean slipping away from him. The older man turned pale and he trembled slightly as if he was seeing something really bad with his mind’s eye. He shuddered violently, coming back to Dave. “Death,” Sean simply said in a hoarse voice. “I’m terribly afraid of dying.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sean!” Dave exclaimed, biting his lower lip. “Your gran just died, right? I didn’t want to make you think of it…”

Sean had to smile at seeing Dave’s anxious face. “It’s okay,” he said and then squeezed Dave’s shoulder reassuringly, pulling Dave towards the stairs. “Let’s go down.”

“No, wait a sec!”

Surprised, Sean stopped. “Yes?”

“I want to remember this,” Dave explained, producing a small camera from his pocket. He looked around on the platform and then jumped a Japanese tourist who almost dropped his sunglasses when the tall Aussie approached him so suddenly. “Hey, mate! Would you take a picture of us?” Dave asked, pressing the camera into the hands of the Japanese man.

The man nodded and Dave walked back to Sean, grasping his hand firmly. “Can you take me a little closer to the railing?” he asked, taking a deep breath. “I’ll close my eyes until we are there…”

Sean motioned for the Japanese tourist to follow them and lead Dave to a place about a metre away from the railing. “We’re there.”

Dave nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He opened his eyes, careful not to look over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around Sean’s waist. Other people on the platform would’ve thought that he was posing for a picture, but Sean could feel the fingers digging into his side for support.

“Okay, mate!” Dave called, signalling to the tourist that they were ready for the picture: They smiled, the camera flashed and the Japanese tourist handed it back to Dave.

The Aussie put the camera back into his pocket and started walking to the stairs with wobbly legs.


~*~


“I’m proud of you,” Sean said when they had reached the ground again. David had very soon regained his normal healthy skin colour.

Dave grinned. “Oh, it wasn’t that hard. I thought that with your additional weight it would be close to impossible to just stumble over the railing…” He jumped back a few steps as Sean was trying to hit him playfully.

“And I thought you trusted me!” Sean exclaimed, breathless with laughter, finally getting hold of Dave and tickling him mercilessly.

“Help! Help!” Dave half giggled and half shrieked, trying to fight off Sean’s fingers. They chased each other in the shade of the Eiffel Tower until Sean got hold of Dave’s arm and stumbled, pulling both of them to the ground.

Dave was half lying on top of Sean, close enough to the other man to feel his breath brushing over his lips.

Neither of them moved for a while until Dave released a moan, lowering his head until their lips were almost touching. Sean’s eyes were dark with desire and his breath was hitching in his throat. He wanted to kiss Dave so badly that it was scaring him.

“Are you alright?”

Distracted, Sean turned his head to the side and Dave’s lips met his ear. An elderly lady and her dog were staring down at the two men lying on top of each other.

“Yes,” Sean hurried to reply and sat up a little, accidentally pushing Dave to the ground.

Shaking her head, the woman walked away and Sean buried his head in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said to Dave who was rubbing his hand, sore from the fall. He took the hand into his, kissing each knuckle. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I panicked.”

“It’s okay,” David breathed, leaning his head against the other man’s shoulder.

“No, it’s not!” Sean exclaimed, his voice suddenly heavy with emotions. He was shivering slightly when he continued to speak. “It’s confession time, I guess…” Sean took a deep breath. “My gran didn’t die, I lied.”

Dave looked up at him, confused. “But you said…”

“I didn’t make all of it up.” Sean hurried to explain, raking his fingers through blond strands. “I did attend to a funeral, it just wasn’t my gran who died, but Vi…my lover,” Sean almost whispered the last words, unable to utter Viggo’s name.

“I’m so sorry…” Dave pulled Sean to his chest, just holding him for a while.

Sean nodded, enjoying the comfort of the other man’s presence and slowly relaxed again. “How can it be that I want to kiss you so badly? He’s not even been buried for two days.”

“We don’t have to do it,” Dave said in a low voice, brushing his lips over Sean’s forehead in a chaste kiss. “Come, get up. It’s already dark and you surely do not want to sit on the ground for the rest of the night.”


~*~


“A childhood memory,” Sean suggested, picking up their game of questioning each other. They were sitting huddled together on the stairs that lead down to the Seine-river.

Dave pulled his eyebrows together in thought, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. It was already late September, but the nights were still fairly warm. “Got one!” he announced after thinking for a while. “It’s not a very good one, though,” he warned, turning his head as for a moment he preferred to face the river and not Sean.

“I was alone in my grandma’s kitchen while everybody else was upstairs. My gran always used to keep cookies in a big jar on a high shelf.” He laughed softly. “I got hungry and so I climbed on a chair, trying to reach the jar. Next thing I remember is that there were shards of broken china all over the floor and everybody had come back to the kitchen, their eyes filled with something resembling hate so much that I wanted to run away.”

Sean placed a hand on Dave’s knee, squeezing it firmly. “You were only a kid…”

Dave shook his head. “Not for them. I had shattered the last of my old grandmother’s good porcelain while she was lying upstairs in her bed, dying.” Dave scratched his nose and continued to speak. “I think, I offered a nervous laugh or something just to fill the silence surrounding me and knelt down to pick up the broken pieces, but my own mother pushed me away angrily to do’t herself. There was no helping it – I was already the black sheep of the family back then.” Dave shrugged a little helplessly, not really knowing himself why he had wanted to share this with Sean who was almost a stranger to him.

Sean frowned, resting his hand on David’s forearm. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have thought. You seem so…”

“Careless? Happy?” Dave asked, shrugging.

“Yes,” Sean nodded.

Dave forced a smile on his lips, knowing what impression he made on most people. “I guess this is just my way of dealing with things. I left home when I was 15, never went back.”

“They didn’t deserve you,” Sean said firmly, wanting to erase the shadows from David’s face.

Dave laughed, surprised. “Your turn,” he reminded Sean, wanting to change the subject. “Hope you’ve got a nicer story to tell.”

Sean nodded. “Actually, I do. It’s mostly positive things I remember about being a kid. You know, endless summers filled with laughter and joy. There was always some new adventure...” He sighed. “My ma, she loved books. When I was younger she used to read to me in the evenings, passing on her love for literature to me.” Sean laughed softly. “And she always prepared a cup of tea and some cookies for me before we sat down to read. I still do that, I still need tea and cookies with a good book.”

Dave smiled dreamily. “You have a nice voice, Sean,” he finally said. “I could listen to you all night long.” Sean opened his mouth to protest. “Really!” Dave continued. “You should make audio books out of your kitsch novels, I’d buy them!”

“Maybe one day when I write a real book,” Sean replied, laughter in his eyes. “Those romance novels aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.” He stretched his arms to both sides, almost hitting Dave on his head. “Sorry… Maybe we should continue to walk. Sitting makes me a little sleepy.”


~*~


“Tell me a secret.”

Dave smiled sweetly before answering. “It’s my birthday – sorta.”

Sean grinned, arching one eyebrow. “How can it sorta be your birthday? It’s either your birthday or it’s not your birthday…” He liked the way the street lights were reflected in David’s eyes.

Dave shrugged, looking at his watch. It was just past midnight. “Well, it’s September 21st, so I guess it *is* my birthday.”

Sean stopped dead in his tracks, looking around. “Wait a moment!” he finally called over his shoulder, jogging to a small bar on the side of the road. A few minutes later he came back with a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a handful of peanuts, singing Happy Birthday. “They didn’t have any cake,” he explained as Dave pointed out the peanuts with a smirk grazing his lips.

Dave kissed Sean on the cheek. “This is by far the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me,” he whispered while Sean popped open the bottle.

Sean jumped back with a yelp when the cold liquid bubbled out of the bottle and almost hit his black leather shoes. He filled a glass both for him and Dave and then put the bottle of champagne to the ground, resting it against his ankle. Sean lifted his glass. “To a beautiful night and to the beautiful person I am allowed to spend it with.”

Blushing slightly, Dave brought the glass to his lips, drinking some of the champagne. He stole a few peanuts out of Sean’s hand. “Thank you,” he mumbled, his eyes travelling down to look at his feet.

After eating the remaining peanuts, Sean brought his free hand to Dave’s face, lifting his chin so that the other man was forced to look at him. “There’s something else I want to give you,” Sean whispered, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Dave’s lips. “Happy Birthday,” he said when they parted again, smiling nervously.

Dave moaned at the loss of Sean’s lips against his, wide eyes focusing on Sean. “But I thought you…”

“Forget it,” Sean growled, shutting Dave up with another kiss that now lasted longer. His free hand fisted Dave’s shirt and pulled him closer. He needed this, he had to feel alive and if it was just for this one night. Sean wouldn’t let his fears spoil this any longer.

Hungrily Dave’s tongue darted out to trace the full curve of Sean’s lips and he nearly jumped out of his skin with joy when Sean opened his mouth and let him in. They continued kissing until the sound of breaking glass made them jump apart.

“Fuck!” Dave exclaimed and raked his hands through his messed up hair, taking in the soft buzz of arousal that was coursing through his veins. Kissing Sean was much better than what he had thought it would be like. Quickly he leant down and picked up the bottle of champagne that miraculously was still standing next to Sean’s feet and drank big gulps straight from the bottle since he had dropped his glass. He lowered the bottle and accusingly waved his index-finger at Sean. “You will have to stop this tongue-thing of yours, Bean, or I will not be able to stop kissing you ever!”

Sean chuckled at the Aussie’s outburst and took the bottle from the other man, drinking some more champagne himself before answering. “And you think that I want you to stop now that I’ve tasted you?” He smiled almost innocently before slamming Dave against the nearest streetlight. Their mouths met in another hungry kiss, Sean nibbling gently on Dave’s lower lip, sucking at the soft flesh.

Breathing heavily Sean pulled back, resting his head against Dave’s shoulder for a while, just holding the other man pressed tightly to his own body. It was feeling too good to be true.

“Sean?” Pleading eyes looked down at the Brit.

“Yeah?”

Dave’s hand grabbed Sean’s upper arm, pulling the older man towards the darkness of the park surrounding them. “Let’s move this somewhere more private…”


~*~


“Look! A bat!” Dave pointed up into the black sky. They were lying on the damp grass, holding each other’s hands firmly. “I used to be afraid of them when I was a kid. But then bats are a lot bigger where I come from.” He turned his head to look at the man next to him.

“Sean?”

“Mmmh?”

“I don’t care how stupid this is, but I want you.”

Sean’s eyes widened in question. “You mean…?”

Dave rolled to his side so that he was facing Sean. He squeezed the other man’s hand. “We only have a few more hours left. We won’t see each other again after this night and I know that I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t at least ask.” Dave swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. “Sean, would you make love to me?” His voice was sounding small and insecure. For a moment he panicked when Sean didn’t immediately answer. “We don’t have to…” he hurried to say.

Sean brought his index-finger to Dave’s lips to silence the Aussie and pulled Dave on top of him, kissing him gently. “Yes.” He pushed his hips against Dave’s to let him feel the hardness in his pants.

“God,” Dave moaned. “For a moment I thought you’d say no.”


~*~


A needy whimper broke from Dave’s lips when Sean started to move inside of him and his fingers fisted the grass beneath them. Sean was leaning down over Dave’s back, his hot breath ghosting over Dave’s collar. As much as he would have loved to feel the other man’s skin against his, but it was autumn after all and not warm enough for a naked roll around in the park.

Sean was really trying to take this slow, but with the small sounds Dave made deep in his throat and the way the other man’s muscles clenched around Sean’s cock it was hard not to just set a hard rhythm and give the other man the fucking of his life.

“So good, Sean…” Dave moaned, arching his back to meet the other man’s thrust. He was purring like a little kitten.

Sean let his fingers slip under Dave’s shirt, stroking the other one’s flat stomach and hardened nipples blindly. Dave’s surprised gasp made him ram his hips hard against Dave’s in sudden need. “Sorry, I don’t think I can be gentle now, I need this…” Sean groaned, accentuating each word with another hard thrust.

Dave yelped, pushing back against his lover. “Fine by me. Wanna feel you, wanna still be able to feel you when I am sitting in the plane home.” He bit his lower lip, welcoming the sweet pleasure-pain of the new rhythm Sean had set. Dave was so close he could almost taste his orgasm.

Sean’s hand finally found David’s aching erection and he was now stroking the younger man in time with his movements that were becoming more and more erratic with each moment passing by. He bit down on his lip hard when he heard Dave shout out his release and buried himself deep into the other man one last time, pumping his seed into Dave’s willing body.

With a deep groan Sean slumped down heavily on the ground after pulling his pants back up, immediately finding himself with an armful of Dave. They did not speak, they just exchanged sloppy kisses until sleep claimed them.


~*~


“Dave? Dave!”

“Mmh?” The Aussie blinked sleepily, the sun was already rising.

“When’s your flight?” Sean asked, gently stroking strawberry-blond hair.

“Um…” Dave pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch. “Shit, I have to be at the airport in two hours.” His eyes focused on Sean and he felt a painful pang in his stomach. “I didn’t want to fall asleep,” he said regretfully. “Now I feel as if somebody had stolen something precious from me.”

Sean nodded. “Well, it just happened.” He tried to smile, but failed. “We still have those two hours…”

Slowly Dave sat up, feeling a little embarrassed now at daylight and after sobering up a little. He stretched, his muscles sore from their lovemaking and from sleeping a night on the cold ground in the park. Sean was still lying on the grass and Dave reached out to tug at his sleeve. “Do you…do you have time to come to the airport with me and wait for my flight?” he asked.

Finally Sean’s face lit up. “Aye.” He lifted one arm to brush his fingers over Dave’s stubbly cheek.

Dave relaxed visibly. “We should get going then. After all, my luggage is still at the train station.” He stood up, pulling Sean with him by his arm.

“Daisy?”

The Aussie felt a hard male body pressing against his. Sean smiled and leant in to press a gentle kiss to Dave’s lips. “Thank you for last night. I needed it.”


~*~


“Breakfast.” Sean placed two mugs of overprized coffee and some sandwiches on the table in front of Dave, sitting down on a free chair. They still had some time before Dave had to check in and so they decided to grab something to eat at the airport-café. Sean grasped Dave’s hand. The Aussie was becoming more and more quiet with every minute passing by. “A penny for your thoughts…”

“I want the time to stop so that my flight won’t leave and I can stay with you forever in this moment,” Dave confessed, his ears burning with embarrassment.

A smile crinkled around Sean’s eyes and he squeezed David’s hand. “I wish that was possible…”

They finished their sandwiches and drinks in silence, neither of the men knowing what to say to make the other one feel better.

Dave looked at his watch and flinched. “I really have to go now if I want to make the flight.”

Sean stood up with him, firmly holding onto Dave’s hand as they were walking to the check-in counter.

Dave let his bag drop to the ground and nervously buried his free hand in the pocket of his jeans. “I guess this is goodbye…” he breathed, his voice sounding small and roughened up by emotions.

Sean simply nodded, not wanting to make it any more difficult for Dave by asking the other man to stay. That was the one thing he really wanted to do.

Their bodies first met in a stiff impersonal hug, but then Dave had enough of it and crashed their mouths together in a kiss that was saying everything they couldn’t express in words. “Goodbye,” Dave whispered as their lips parted, forcing himself to pull away from Sean as long as he was physically able to do it. He stumbled back a few steps, grabbed his bag and vanished inside of a large group of people waiting for their turn to check in.

Dave didn’t want Sean to see the tears that were forming in his eyes.


~*~


“Goodbye…” Sean knew that Dave couldn’t hear him anymore. Hell, he couldn’t even make out the man in the crowd in front of him. A painful lump had formed in his throat and his feet were feeling impossibly heavy when he turned around to walk out of the airport building.

Outside he leant back heavily against a wall, frantically searching his pockets for his cigarettes and a lighter. He cursed angrily when little flame after flame died and tossed the unlit cigarette to the ground, stomping on it so hard that his ankle was burning with pain. Tears were shooting to his eyes and he wiped them away roughly with the sleeve of his jacket, noticing that there was still some grass on it from the night spent in the park. Carefully he gathered it in his hands like a precious gift.

Dave had managed to reawaken something in him in just one night that Sean had thought he had lost when Viggo died. Hope. Joy. Love…

A pained whimper escaped his lips and Sean didn’t care what the other people in front of the building thought. Yes, as stupid as it was, but he had fallen in love with the tall Aussie and his warm smile. Sean pulled up his sleeve to look at his watch. The Aussie who was already sitting in a plane back to Sydney by now. Sean let his head fall back, looking up at the sky when a plane started nearby and flew over his head. Goodbye, David. Sean waved.

Straightening his back Sean walked towards an unoccupied taxi and opened the door when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Think there’s enough room to fit me into that taxi as well?” a male voice asked, evidently smiling.

Suddenly Sean’s heart was beating heavily and he turned around so quickly he was feeling dizzy for a moment. “Dave, but…”

The Aussie put his index-finger to Sean’s lips to silence him. He grinned. “I decided that planes are far too dangerous. Instead I’m going to take the ferry.”

Sean looked at him, not understanding. “But there is no ferry going to Australia.”

Dave snickered. “I’m coming with you, stupid. That is if you don’t mind.” For a moment he was looking insecure. His plan had felt so brilliant till now, but what if Sean didn’t want him to come?

But he didn’t need to fear as Sean’s heart was overflowing with joy. He fiercely pulled the Aussie into his arms and kissed him urgently. “Do you want it spelled out more clearly?” he asked in a low growl, holding Dave pressed tightly against his body in a silent claim.

Dave’s eyes were twinkling. “I hear those cabins on the ferry are awfully small…” he murmured, sucking on Sean’s lower lip teasingly.

Sean’s grin only broadened. “You bet, Daisy.” He laughed happily and pulled the other man into the taxi behind him, planning to never let Dave walk away from him again.

The End.


Please comment! And a big thank you to everybody who was encouraging me to continue writing this. *hugs and kisses* You know who you are.