Sean had seen them many times. Whenever he was on his way back from the nursing school, through the park, he saw them there. They were usually killing time, making fun of all the people happen to pass by, like they had not a single worry in the world. Baggy clothes, spiky hair, and way too much attitude.

He hated guys like those. They were just a bunch of punks, trying to act and look cool, when they were good for nothing. He hated passing by them. They always made fun of his glasses, or his clothes, or his hair. Or worse, although they could not really guess that, and they were just obnoxious and rude.

“Dude, what a sexy chick!”

“What chick? Don’t you see it’s a sissy?”

“Hey, sissy boy!”

“Where are you going, four eyes?”

“Are you taking it up the ass?”

“Do you spit or swallow?”

Luckily, they were never doing anything else but spewing all that crap. He’d tried going around the park, but in several days, it had proved too tedious, especially when he wanted nothing more but to hit the bed and grab a bite after school, not necessarily in that order. He’d decided he was not going to be intimidated by some idiots.

There was another reason why he didn’t take the longer road, but he was not so keen on admitting it. Among those punks, there was one guy who really had Sean’s imagination fired up. Sean had noticed him from the first day. Those corn rows did not look bad on him at all. His hair had to be pretty long, to have it styled like that, and still have long rows going down mid back. He could have been Latino, as he had dark skin, but Sean wasn’t sure. His features looked more Native American, but again, he could not tell. He kept the sides shaved, and that gave him a pretty bad ass look.

The problem was the guy looked like the exact embodiment of Sean’s most erotic fantasies. He had really beautiful dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and well defined, arched lips. He wore baggy clothes, too, like the rest, most of the time, so he had no clear idea about the guy’s body. Yet, he could bet the youngster’s body was lean and hard, covered by perfect olive skin and...

He shook his head. From the moment he’d realized he was gay, he’d sworn that he would not fall for the wrong kind of guy. Of course, because his mom had made him promise that, but also because he knew she was right about it.

He was now in nursing school, and he had to keep his head on books, not boys. He hadn’t done anything yet, with anyone, and he already had visions of himself rocking in a wooden chair, surrounded by cats of various sizes, without ever doing anything with anyone all his life. That made Ann, his best friend, give him a casual slap once in a while, to wake him up to reality. ‘Casual’ was what the energetic brunette called her heavy punches that were almost always throwing him off the bench, whenever she wanted to empower him, as she used to say.

“Really, Sean, you’re the cutest guy I know,” she insisted. “You’re tall, blond, you have the sweetest blue eyes I’ve ever seen, but you’re single. The problem is you don’t go anywhere you could meet guys. I don’t know, like clubs or something.”

“No, no, no,” he gestured frantically. “I don’t have the guts to go there.”

“Why? Have you ever spoken to another gay guy, at least?”

“N-no. Ann, it’s not like they’re walking with a sign on their heads telling the world they’re gay!”

“Ugh,” she said, frustrated. “Are you sure you’re even gay? You’re not just saying it? Because, if you lie to me, I will strangle you bare-handed! You know I had the hots for you from day one!”

That was how most of their conversations went. He could still not believe he’d let her convince him to go to the drugstore and buy condoms and lube. The saleswoman had looked at him, a bit surprised, then she had snickered and blushed. He’d taken the items home and thrown them deep in the back of a drawer. At least, he would not have to deal with Ann’s bickering on that particular subject anymore.

He’d realized he was gay during seventh grade. His math teacher was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life, and he’d dreamed about the man until the school had ended.

It was a good thing his mom was open-minded about everything. When confused and a bit scared he’d told her about his crash and the fact that he didn’t really like girls, not in that way, anyway, she had comforted him. She’d always made him feel ok with himself, and this had been just another matter to openly discuss with her.

But his mom could not help him with his shyness. Neither could Ann. In high school, he had feared the others’ ridicule if he were to give even the slightest clue about his sexual orientation, but, now, that he was no longer a kid, he should have started going out and trying to meet someone. Only that each and every time, he had found an excuse to avoid doing exactly that. He could not even muster the courage to create a profile on a dating site, and that pretty much summed up how terrified he really was with the prospect of talking to someone with the same sexual preferences.

He could not even say what he was scared of. He loved staring at naked guys’ pictures, he jerked off to them, and he was dreaming about meeting them in real life. Maybe it was because he wanted the first time to be special; he wanted butterflies in his stomach and everything to happen out of the blue, and ... yeap, his mother was right. He had read way too many fairytales for his own good.

Compared to what was happening in his imagination, the idea to go to a club and hook up with some guy for casual sex seemed quite horrendous. He could not imagine walking into a place like that and find Prince Charming who wanted more than just sex. He knew where that was going, and he didn’t really want it.

The fact that he was still a virgin could also be off putting for most guys, he thought.

“Really, where do you get all these ideas from, Sean?” Ann chided him. “And trust me, first time does not have to be special that badly. My third boyfriend was actually the first to make me see stars and butterflies and everything you say. You know, your first time might not be perfect, even if you try your best.”

“I don’t want it to be perfect,” he said, blushing.

“Yes, you do.”

“Alright,” he admitted. “I want it to be at least pretty perfect. Is that so wrong?”

Ann slammed her head against the desk. “No, Sean, it’s not. But you won’t stay this cute forever, honey.”

“What the hell? We’re barely 20!”

“Yeah ... and sooner than you think, you’ll have wrinkles and urinary incontinence and you’ll forget where you left your teeth...” she said theatrically.

“Wow, my whole life flashed before my eyes...” he said ironically, while opening his book. At least he could concentrate on learning and stop listening to her altogether. A certain wooden chair and a certain bunch of fluffy cats came to mind, though.

Only that for a few weeks, he had more trouble concentrating than usual. Daydreaming was a flaw of his, but with the guy from the park on his mind, it was beginning to get worrisome. Sean had noticed how his dream guy never was among those to taunt him. He was laughing with the others, and one time – Sean remembered that moment in very vivid details – he had stared directly at Sean, and smiled.

That was the sexiest grin Sean had ever seen. And it had been directed at him. He had no idea what it meant ... but it had been directed to him. It was all that mattered. Of course, after staring back into the guy’s black eyes, he had almost run away, afraid something bad would happen. But right then, that moment, when they had looked at each other, the noise around had faded away, and Sean could no longer hear the others, even though they had been pretty loud, like usual.

And after that, the short exchange of glances had happened again. And again. And again. That was why Sean could not take the long road to school. Those glances were keeping his imagination well fueled ... and he could already count many orgasms built on the fantasies stemmed by the brunette’s hot stare following him for the few seconds needed for Sean to pass by the rowdy pack.

Now it was late and quite cold, as he was walking back home, through the park. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of the guy he liked, so he could go to sleep hoping for some nice dreams. From afar, he noticed how the two benches where the rambunctious gang usually sat were empty. His heart sank a little. Maybe they chose another park where they could harass the passersby and he was probably never going to see his dream guy again.

Now that there was no one to taunt him, he chose to pass closely by the place where he’d last seen the boy. He was about to move along when something made him stop. From a nearby bush, a large patch of white drew his eye. He got closer, feeling an unpleasant sensation in the pit of his stomach.

When he pushed the branches to the side, he almost jumped. There was someone there, with his face down, unmoving, dressed in a white jumpsuit.

“Oh, no,” he exclaimed, and the form on the ground moved.

He knelt next to the man, touching him.

“Can you hear me?” he squeezed the man’s shoulder a little.

“Oh, fuck,” came the muffled words. “Leave me alone, I’m just resting.”

“Really, out here, on the ground, at this hour?”

When the guy turned to look at him, Sean felt his jaw becoming slack. The handsome face he knew so well was marred by a few cuts and bruises. Even in the faint street light, he could see the situation was not good at all.

“Are you hurt?”

Now that was a stupid question. “I’m going to call an ambulance,” he scooped up his phone, ready to dial.

His phone was almost torn away from his hands. “No ambulance,” the guy said shortly, then groaned, touching his ribs.

“What do you mean ‘no ambulance’? You are hurt,” Sean said with determination and pried his phone away from the guy’s hand.

Even in his situation, the other boy moved faster than him. “Alright,” he said, a bit put off, “who should I call then? Where do you live?”

“None of your business,” the guy said sharply. “Just go away. I just need to rest a little, that’s all.”

“Are you stupid?” Sean argued. “Give me the phone.”

“Only if you promise you won’t call an ambulance. There’s nothing broken.”

“What are you? A doctor?”

“Promise, or I’ll eat your phone.”

Sean didn’t know whether to laugh or slap the guy.

“Alright, I promise,” he eventually said and the phone was returned to him. “What can I do for you, then?”

“Nothing, go home or something.”

“No,” Sean replied, seeing the guy ready to get back to his so called resting position, and trying to ignore the blond boy. “I cannot leave you here, like this! Let me call one of your friends, at least!”

“Don’t you think I would have called them already? Beat it! Why are you still here?” the guy tried to act tough, but Sean could tell he was in pain.

“I found you. I am responsible for you. Try to get up. I’ll help you walk.”

“Walk where?” the other asked, looking at Sean suspiciously.

“Since you don’t want to go to the hospital or tell me where you live, I’ll take you to my house. It’s not much, but I can see to your wounds and make sure nothing is broken.”

“You’re a doctor or something?”

“No, just a nurse in training,” he answered without even thinking.

The laugh that followed made him grind his teeth.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I thought only girls could be nurses.”

Sean had a mind to leave the obnoxious sexy boy there, on the ground, but it was too late and too dark and too cold to do that.

“Come on up. Don’t give me lip.”

With a groan, the boy eventually pushed himself up and Sean caught him right away. He was right to be worried. The guy had difficulties walking on his own.

Sean had no idea how they’d made it up the stairs. But at least the brunet was trying to help and not be too much of a burden. He was glad for the dim lit corridor. The guy’s body, leaning against his, felt warm and it was making him hot, as well. He could not remember ever being so close to another guy. He was basically keeping in other in his arms.

The small studio on the second floor was not much, but it was home. Sean had made sure to make it as comfortable as possible and he was glad to have a place to call his own. He hurriedly helped his unexpected patient to sit on the small bed he had in the bedroom.

He convinced the guy to take off his shirt so he could see all the damage. Luckily, the boy had been right; there was nothing broken, from what he could glean by touching the lean torso everywhere. He really hoped his red cheeks did not give him away; that would have been way too awkward. The least he could do was to pretend him being flustered was caused by having to carry the other two flights of stairs without a break.

Sean tried to focus on caring for his patient. He’d been right; the guy had perfect olive skin stretched over taut, sinewy muscles. As he touched the bruised areas on the back and ribs, he could feel the muscles dancing under the skin.

He went to take some disinfectant and medicine to treat his patient. When he returned, he almost dropped everything to the floor. The guy stood on his bed, completely naked. He was pretty sure his cheeks were now on fire, as he could not help a quick, nervous look at the other boy’s penis. It was not difficult, either, since the guy’s organ was quite large, resting on a pair of hairless balls that made Sean’s mouth water in a split second. Apparently, the brunet was perfectly waxed everywhere.

“I believe this is what you should look into,” the guy woke him up from his shock, showing him a long, nasty cut, along his right thigh, up to his side. “Sorry about this. I don’t wear underwear. But I guess, being a nurse and all, you see naked guys all the time.”

“I am not a nurse yet. I’m just going to nursing school,” Sean murmured. He hurried to see to the guy’s injury.

He had to give it to the guy. He made no sound while Sean cleaned the cut. Luckily, it was not deep enough to require stitching, so he used the band-aids he had to cover it entirely.

“Thanks,” the guy eventually said, letting himself relax on Sean’s fluffy pillows.

“It’s nothing,” the blond responded and helped him lay down, covering him with a blanket.

“I’m Max, by the way,” the patient spoke, while slowly closing his eyes.

“I’m Sean,” the nurse in training replied. “I will bring you something for the pain. Do you want something to eat?”

“Nah, just get me that pill, and I will rest a little.”

When Sean came back with the pill, Max was already snoring softly.

The blond let the pill and the glass of water on the nightstand and went to the kitchen to grab a bite. He had the guy he had dreamed of for the past two weeks naked, in his bed. Only that it was nothing like in his dreams.

Who could have beaten him up like that? Sean wondered. It was a good thing that Max had not been hurt badly. But the pants were kind of ruined, and the jumpsuit was dirty. He just took everything to the washing machine. Since he doubted his clothes could fit the guy, he just decided to save what could still be saved.

He was lucky to have a little sofa to sleep on. No matter how tempting sounded to sneak under the covers with Max, he could not risk shocking the guy like that. So he dozed off in front of the TV, thinking of how hot the brunet’s skin must have felt against the cool sheets on his bed.

The next morning, he was glad to find the guy’s clothes completely dry. He took some thread and a needle and proceeded to repair the torn fabric. At least, that way, Max could wear them until he got home.

Loud bangs on the door startled him. Who could be on Saturday morning, so early?

“What on earth are you doing? Are you trying to take down my door? And it’s Saturday, Ann!” he complained, while opening the door for his friend.

Ann passed by him and went straight for the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Sean saw the door to the bedroom open and Max’s naked chiseled torso in full display. Good thing he hadn’t been woken up by Ann’s entrance. Oh, no, he had to get the door, before his friend saw anything.

He went quickly for it, when he heard Ann squealing in delight. It was too late.

“Oh, no, you brought someone home. Oh my gosh, Sean, I can’t believe you found yourself a guy.”

“It’s not what you think, Ann,” he closed the door eventually and started pushing her towards the exit. “Now would you please leave?”

“Of course, of course, I bet you now want some morning sex,” she winked at him. “But later,” she whispered, “tell me everything.”

“I told you,” he whispered back. “Nothing happened.”

“A sexy naked guy is in your bed. What kind of fool do you think I am?” she stared at him, looking perfectly affronted.

“Out,” Sean continued to push her.

“Alright, alright, but you do know you owe me,” she pointed a finger at him, but eventually made her exit, after he nodded desperately.

He closed the door behind her friend, and was about to go to the kitchen, trying to make no sound whatsoever, when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“So, you’re gay?”

Like a deer in the headlights, he turned and stared at Max who was looking at him, his arms crossed across his chest and the blanket rolled around his waist, covering him down to his ankles.