On Thursday, December 21st, 1989, Ion Nicolae Dooku had his forty-first birthday in Germany. As promised, Marcus Lauer came by the hotel at three PM, dressed in his usual glam rock attire under a leather jacket and scarf. That was not unusual, but as they walked, Dooku picked up the scent of cologne - a sort of woodsy, clean smell with herbal notes and a touch of smoky spice. Dooku liked it, but did not remark on it.
They went first to the Berlin Zoological Garden. Dooku and Marcus both had mixed feelings about animals in captivity, which they discussed, but nonetheless were enchanted by Fatou the gorilla. After the zoo, Marcus took him to the Berlin Musical Instrument Museum, which was both a surprise and not surprising, considering who was taking him. There were flutes owned by Frederick the Great, as well as Stradivarius violins, Ben Franklin's glass harmonica, and after 6 PM on Thursdays the Mighty Wurlitzer organ was played publicly, which they were in time for. Dooku found the richness of the history of the pieces fascinating, and was especially glad to have someone accompanying him who seemed to know so much about not just how to play music, but its history.
They fit so very well together.
All the walking around - though they had also taken public transportation - worked up an appetite. Once they got to Marcus's flat, Dooku was happy to put his feet up for awhile, and Marcus put on the record player while he cooked in the kitchen; it amused Dooku to go from the museum, to Marcus playing KISS on vinyl.
Dinner was lamb and herbed roasted potatoes and wilted greens, all done to perfection. There was wine. Then, Marcus produced a cake from the fridge - German chocolate.
"You... baked that for me?"
Marcus nodded solemnly. He turned off the lights, stuck a single candle in the cake, lit it, sat next to Dooku on the couch, put an arm around him, and sang
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück,
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück,
Zum Geburtstag alles Gute,
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück.
Dooku felt flustered and choked up all at once. The zoo was nice - guilty, but nice - and the museum was a lot of fun, and dinner was lovely, and now this. He not only wasn't alone for his birthday, but these were all displays of warmth, caring, human connection.
"Go on, make a wish," Marcus said.
"I... I don't..."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
Dooku closed his eyes. He thought about Marcus kissing him, which he desperately wanted to happen, and immediately pushed that thought out of his mind. It came right back.
I guess that's a wish.
He blew out the candle.
They had cake, which was the best cake Dooku had ever had, and then Marcus got out his keyboard. He played for the next two hours, both original compositions - both happy and sad, but nothing as sad as what he'd played the other night - and a few covers of songs by others, at request. He closed with "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.
Marcus made tea, and Dooku asked, "Why don't you have an album out?"
"I don't want to be famous. I don't mind performing here and there. I would mind very much living in the public eye. I like having a simple, quiet life."
"Fair enough. But it seems a goddamn shame the entire world can't hear your voice, your compositions."
Marcus smiled. "Danke."
"Bitte."
"Besides, a lot of what I've written... it's very personal. Not for sharing."
"But you shared it with me."
"You cried."
"Yes, you keep bringing that up. I find it hard to believe more people haven't."
"I don't. The world has grown cold." Marcus looked away, and then their eyes met. "You still have your heart."
They were sitting next to each other still - far away, so close. Dooku's mouth was dry, his pulse racing. If he made an ass of himself he didn't have much to lose, he'd be leaving after the new year. He had to speak the truth, or forever hold his peace. "I don't have it."
Marcus gave him a look, and before he could argue, Dooku blurted out, "You have my heart, Marcus." He swallowed hard, his eyes blurring. "I didn't want to let anyone in, but here you are -"
"Ach, Scheiße." Marcus took Dooku's face in his hands and kissed him hard.
It was Dooku's first kiss. He didn't know how to kiss, but his body followed Marcus's lead, lips parting, tongues meeting, swirling, and he melted into the sweetness of it, tenderness and ferocity all at once. Dooku's cock stirred, already aching for release. But right now, he wanted to keep kissing Marcus. Kissing and kissing and kissing, drowning in passion, lust and longing and life, that feeling that he'd found a kindred spirit, even a soulmate. They were in a wounded city in wintertime, and fire called to fire.
They pulled apart, breathing hard. Marcus was looking at him with pupils blown wide, wonder and awe in his eyes.
Then Marcus kissed him again. And again. Dooku moaned as he was pushed back against the couch, laying on his back, Marcus leaning over him, feeling how Marcus was just as hard as he was. Dooku's arms went around him, kissing him back hungrily, wanting this more than he'd ever wanted anything. He moaned again as Marcus started kissing his neck, and again when Marcus palmed the hard bulge in his trousers, rubbing gently.
"Marcus," Dooku rasped.
Marcus raised his eyebrows, eyes meeting Dooku's before kissing his neck again. His grey eyes were like molten diamonds now, glittering in the dim light of the flat, the lamp in the kitchen shining gold.
Then Marcus claimed his mouth again. "Nicolae." Their tongues danced some more, then Marcus was trailing kisses along his jaw, licking, nuzzling Dooku's beard. Skritching him like a cat, making him smile a little before letting out a louder moan as Marcus was kissing his neck again, nibbling, licking, the palm on his hardness pressing more firmly, insistently. "Nicolae, I want to make love to you."
"I want that too." Dooku took the hand that had been rubbing his erection, and kissed the scarred palm. "But, Marcus. You should know."
Marcus inhaled sharply.
Dooku could feel the note of concern, that Marcus was probably worried he was going to admit to being HIV-positive, and that wasn't it at all. "I'm still a virgin."
"You're." Marcus sat up, blinking with surprise.
Dooku felt a sudden panic, like that was the worst possible thing he could admit to, fearing that he'd turned Marcus off in some way.
Marcus laughed a little. "You? Really?" Then he put his hands on Dooku reassuringly. "Oh no, please don't think I'm laughing at you, like I'm making fun of you. God, I'm terrible at this. It's..." Marcus shook his head. "You. How? You're incredibly sexy..."
Dooku's face burned. "I'm incredibly reserved. And awkward." His voice lowered. "And scared."
Marcus sighed, and nodded. "All three of those things, I relate to. It's been a very long time for me."
"How long are we talking about?" Dooku was curious, then. "How old are you, even?"
A gentle laugh. "Old enough." When Dooku pressed, Marcus said, "Thirty-six."
That somehow didn't feel like the correct answer, though it looked about right, but Dooku wasn't going to press it, and there was probably nothing to press.
"As far as how long... long."
"Months? Years?"
"Years."
"Before the AIDS crisis?"
A pause, and then a nod.
So not since the seventies at least. Dooku couldn't believe it. "Now it's my turn to say, you're incredibly sexy..."
"It seems we're in a similar boat." Marcus stroked Dooku's cheek, and looked into his eyes. "Full disclosure, I went out and bought condoms for tonight intending to seduce you, because I would understand if you didn't take what I say at face value and still thought we'd need them."
"You..." Dooku had been afraid Marcus hadn't returned his feelings, and was floored by the admission. "You were planning on..."
"Yes."
"You've been thinking about..."
"All day." Marcus blushed and looked down. "I had to relieve myself earlier, thinking about you."
Now it was Dooku's turn to kiss him. They sat on the couch, kissing, necking, petting like a couple horny teenagers, finally both rubbing the bulge in each other's trousers, until Marcus took his hand from there and began unbuttoning Dooku's shirt, kissing each inch of exposed flesh, tongue in his chest hair like he was grooming him. The shirt peeled back to expose a nipple, and Marcus's tongue lashing his nipple, pebbling it, was too much.
"This couch folds out?" Dooku husked.
"Ja. I've never had sex on it, but I imagine it should support us."
Dooku got up, and watched as Marcus took the pillows off the couch and unfolded it into a bed. He went to the hall closet and brought out sheets, blankets, pillows. Dooku helped him make the bed. Marcus noticed Dooku's hands were shaking.
"Nervous?"
"Yes." Dooku nodded, feeling it was better to be honest.
"If you're having second thoughts -"
"It's not that. It's just... this is a lot, considering I've never..."
They sat on the freshly made bed. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Marcus told him. "If you're not ready to go all the way, we can do other things." He leaned in and kissed Dooku. "I really want to taste you."
That got him going, like a magic button had been hit inside his brain. Dooku stood up, pulled his shirt off, let it drop to the floor, not caring it wasn't neat. He quickly undid his belt, worked off his trousers, his briefs. Marcus was also quietly undressing.
They stood there naked before the bed, looking at each other for a moment. Dooku's short dark hair and neatly trimmed beard were just starting to show touches of silver. He worked out a few times a week normally, and ran, and it paid off with a trim figure, lean and well-defined. He had a thick pelt of dark chest hair, hairy arms and legs, a full bush. His cock was long, thick, slightly upcurved, uncut, prominent veins, flushed pink and already slick with precum. Despite Marcus's long, glorious mane, the rest of him was nearly hairless, save the luxurious dark hair framing his cock, also generous, close to the same size as Dooku in length and thickness. Though Marcus was smooth-skinned - and his skin flawless, except for some faint scarring on his right shoulder and left thigh, which Dooku wondered about - he was no twink, with the hard, muscular body of a warrior, and Dooku liked what he saw. He liked it even more when Marcus came close to him, feeling their naked bodies together, hard cocks sliding against each other, rubbing together as they kissed, hands roaming, exploring.
They climbed onto the bed together and looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then Dooku, feeling bolder, kissed Marcus hard. He groaned into the kiss as he felt Marcus's fingers play through his chest hair, and moaned as Marcus started kissing his neck again, licking, nibbling, down to a shoulder. He cried out when Marcus licked and suckled his nipples, rolling one between a thumb and forefinger, pinching, pulling, as he feasted on the other. Every now and again he'd take licks at Dooku's chest hair, rub his nose in it, and at last he was kissing and licking the entire torso, making his chest hair glisten from the attention of his tongue. Dooku found himself arching, pulling Marcus's hair a little. "You... you like that?" Dooku asked, when Marcus glanced at him and he could see the heat in his eyes.
"Yes." Marcus nibbled on him. "My wolf."
Marcus didn't stop there, wanting to lick the hair on Dooku's arms and thighs, tease him by licking the pubic bush, nuzzling it, breathing in his scent. Then he kissed up to Dooku's washboard stomach, and Dooku couldn't stop moaning, so sensitive there, even more sensitive at the touch of Marcus's fingers playing over him. Marcus kissed back down one hip, to kiss and lick and nibble a thigh, kissing behind the knee, electrifying him.
At last, Marcus took him into his mouth. Unlike the blowjob he'd received exactly twenty years ago, this was heaven. Dooku was almost self-conscious at the way he was moaning, crying out, Marcus's mouth making him feel things he never dreamed possible. When he got close, Marcus teased him by letting the cock slip from his mouth, just licking it, laughing a little at Dooku's frustrated noises. "I love it when you make that face." Marcus took his hand and kissed it before taking a few more licks at the head of Dooku's cock. "Like you want to murder me."
"You're a horrible tease."
"It's been a long time since I've done this for anyone. I want to enjoy myself." Marcus gave a little smile. "I want to enjoy you." Then he took just the head of Dooku's cock between his lips, working his tongue as he sucked, and his bad hand cupped Dooku's balls, rubbed them gently.
He was kept on that edge for what felt like an eternity, but was in reality just a few minutes. He trembled, quivered, gasping for breath as Marcus brought him closer and closer, drowning in sensation, burning in sensation, like tidal waves of flame. Nothing had ever felt so good, and he badly needed release, but he never wanted these moments to end, the sweet magic of what Marcus was doing with his mouth...
...and that feeling of being taken care of. Cared for. Made love to. Loved.
"Marcus, I can't hold back -"
"Mmmhmm. Mmmmm."
"Marcus." A shuddery gasp. "Oh god." His toes started to curl, as his climax overtook him, pulling him under, melting him. "Oh god. Ohgod."
"Mmmmmmmmmmmm."
He could only gasp now, pant as he throbbed and throbbed and throbbed, relief, shock, awe, joy. This was what he had been missing.
He cried out as Marcus's tongue licked him clean, giving him aftershocks, and then Marcus came up to kiss him, and he moaned into the kiss as he tasted himself on Marcus, surprised at the salty-savory-sweetness.
"You're delicious," Marcus said, and kissed him again.
Dooku could feel Marcus's hard-on rubbing against his thigh. He wanted to take care of Marcus, make him feel as good as Marcus had made him feel. He rolled Marcus onto his back, and proceeded to lick and suckle Marcus's nipples, peaking them, his own cock springing back to life, throbbing as Marcus moaned, shuddered.
He kissed his way down, tracing the definition in Marcus's stomach with his tongue, and then Marcus grabbed his head. "Please," he whispered, urgent. "I need -"
Dooku gave a reluctant little sigh; he could enjoy Marcus's beautiful body another time. He lowered his head between Marcus's thighs. There was a lot, and he looked at it hesitantly before his lips wrapped around the head.
He tried to get as much of it into his mouth as he could and his gag reflex kicked in, so he pulled out some of it. He was shy at first, never having done this before, not entirely sure of what he was doing, but he remembered Marcus's example, and what felt good to his own cock. Soon he was sucking enthusiastically, enough where he could get more of it in his mouth, and Marcus was moaning louder and louder, arching to him, fingers stroking his hair, his beard.
He eventually had enough confidence to edge Marcus the way he'd been edged, taking the cock out to lick, reveling in the way Marcus groaned, cried out. He paid special attention to the slit, savoring the precum. He took just the head back into his mouth, focusing on it, swirling his tongue as he sucked, one hand rubbing, stroking the shaft, the other playing with Marcus's balls.
And then Marcus ground out, "Nicolae." His eyes looked feverish, almost mad. "Nicolae, I -"
That was all the warning he could give, screaming as he emptied into Dooku's mouth. He tasted wonderful, and the sight and sound of Marcus climaxing - the taste of him, the knowledge that Marcus's seed was in his mouth - made Dooku's cock throb again, aching for another release.
They kissed deeply, Marcus's arms wrapped around him.
"I did OK?" Dooku asked, feeling shy again.
"You did... so much better than OK. I can't believe that was your first time, wow."
Dooku blushed, and Marcus gave him a sweet little kiss.
They held each other for a few minutes, Dooku resting against Marcus's chest, listening to his heartbeat as Marcus pet his beard, with Dooku's cock continuing to twinge, wanting more attention. When Marcus pulled his face back up for another kiss, Dooku gasped as Marcus took them both into his fist, hard cocks rubbing together enclosed in delicious tightness. Dooku's hand covered Marcus's, his free hand playing with Marcus's hair, fingers wandering down the smooth bare skin, playing with a nipple. Eventually their hips were rolling together, trembling and gasping together as they got closer.
"I want us to come at the same time," Marcus husked between kisses.
The thought of cock spraying cock with seed was so erotic that it almost set Dooku off right then. He kissed Marcus hard, rolling his hips a little faster; Marcus stroked them harder, and Marcus's free hand was caressing him now, his own nipples being rubbed, plucked.
"I want you." Dooku nibbled Marcus's neck, glancing up to watch Marcus's face as they got closer. So beautiful...
"I want you." Marcus kissed him hungrily, fingers walking up to stroke Dooku's cheek, his whiskers. "I want this." The fingers traced down his throat, to his heart.
Dooku's free hand clasped over the hand on his heart, and they kissed again. Then Dooku whispered, "Yes," before claiming another kiss.
That one word, and its promise, sent them both over the edge, crying out, and again as they watched their cocks erupting, coming on each other, so much that they didn't just coat each other's cocks but also made a mess over their stomachs and thighs. "Oh, fuck." Dooku shuddered, biting Marcus's shoulder as the pleasure surged, deep and high and bright.
The second orgasm, a full-body release, undid him so thoroughly that he found himself drifting off. In the middle of the night he woke, needing to use the bathroom, and when he climbed back into the bed Marcus pulled him close, holding him tightly, legs braiding together. He woke up in the morning still in Marcus's arms, his own hands on Marcus's hips, and when Marcus felt him stirring he rained kisses over Dooku's face, making him smile and blush, feeling aflutter, before kissing him hard.
The radiator was hissing, and Dooku saw snowflakes out the window. Winter was here, but right now he was so very warm. They hadn't just made love last night, but they'd actually slept together, Dooku had been able to fall asleep even though he was in a strange place, and felt rested. Like he was somewhere he belonged.
"What do you want to do today?" Marcus asked.
"You."
Marcus laughed, and kissed him deeply, their hard cocks rubbing together again.