Summer has meant a lot of things in Greg’s life. When he was a kid it meant running around the streets of San Francisco and going on trips with his parents. When he was in college it meant three months spent with his grandparents because he’d finally grown too ‘weird’ for his parents to handle. In graduate school it meant internships and building up his resume. After he moved to Vegas it just meant that he spent way too much money on air conditioning and didn’t leave the house by choice until after the sun was down.

He still wasn’t sure how Nick managed to talk him into cashing in an entire week of vacation time. There might have been fantastic sex involved, or at least really good head. He was notorious to agreeing to things during sex and then later regretting it, a trick Nick used to his advantage on more than one occasion. He didn’t even want to know how Nick got Grissom to give them both the week off, but he suspected there was bribery involved there as well, thankfully not of the sexual kind, or possibly begging.

Regardless, Greg had found himself on an airplane to Texas that morning with Nick reminding him for the twentieth time that morning that Nick’s parents were expecting them and that they were looking forward to finally meeting Greg. He knew Nick’s parents knew about their relationship, but that didn’t make him feel any less like he was about to walk onto the set of Deliverance.

The entire trip was too surreal.

Greg always thought he’d never change for anyone, but he found himself fidgeting on the drive from the airport, trying to stifle the urge to smooth down his hair and half-wishing he owned a suit. But he left his hair the way it is because he knew Nick liked his hair as is and any attempt to change it would just make Nick tease him the rest of the trip. Not that Nick hadn’t been teasing him already. Greg had downed three cups of coffee before they’d even left the house this morning and he was bouncier than a seven year-old on a pogo stick.

His nerves only got worse when Nick pulled up in front of a huge ranch house. There were already a good dozen cars parked in haphazard fashion in front of the house. The lawn reminded him of a less posh version of some of the mansions back in Vegas, but those places had nothing on the Stokes’ in terms of real estate. There was a barn behind the house, and more land stretching on past that. He recognized corn and horses but other than that the whole farm-ranch setup was beyond him.

He trailed behind Nick like a flitting shadow, and he was half tempted to duck behind Nick as the door opened.

“Welcome home!” Greg was included in the greeting and he found himself pulled into a hug by a widely smiling Mrs. Stokes just as soon as she was done squeezing the life out of her son. Mr. Stokes was smiling too, and he clapped Greg on the shoulder before reaching out to take some of their luggage.

Stepping across the threshold was like stepping into a war zone. There were people everywhere, laughing, smiling, joking, and he could see where Nick got his personality from. It was like he was surrounded by a herd of happy puppies. Everywhere he went someone was hugging him or kissing his cheek or shaking his hand. He lost track of the names after meeting the second sister and her kids in the living room.

Somewhere along the way their luggage had disappeared. He assumed Nick would know where to find it since Greg was going to need a map just to find the bathroom tonight.

Among the varied groups of siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and more than one set of grandparents, not one of them seemed at all put off by the fact that Nick had brought home a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend. Then he met Nick’s sister Joanne and her ‘life partner’ Sheila, and someone mentioned that Nick’s cousin Bobby would be showing up later with his boyfriend, and it made a bit more sense.

Almost an hour later Greg found himself on the surprisingly vacant back porch, sitting on a white wooden swing with a can of Dr. Pepper in one hand and Nick’s hand in the other. Out in the yard yet more relatives were gathered, mostly the young ones but there were a few men Nick’s age or older, engaged in a somewhat vicious and complicated looking game of dodgeball that involved at least seven balls.

“Having fun yet?”

The look Greg gave his boyfriend was somewhere between a glare and a grin. “You Stokes’ really need to invest in name tags to spare us poor outsiders.”

“Aww,” Nick pouted at him playfully, “but that would ruin half the fun.”

Greg let his head fall on Nick’s shoulder, moving closer whenever Nick released his hand to wind his arm around Greg’s shoulder. “I’m never going to remember them all.” It was far too hot to be snuggled like this, but after the massive crowd he’d just been shoved through Greg needed the contact.

He could feel Nick’s chuckle reverberating against his cheek. “You’ll get it. We’re here for a week so you’ll have plenty of time.”

A thought crossed Greg’s mind and he groaned into Nick’s shirt. “Don’t tell me they’re all here for the entire week.”

“It’s a family tradition.”

That just made Greg groan louder. “If it’s this bad now I don’t even want to think about Thanksgiving or Christmas.”

“Don’t worry. We’re going to your parents for Christmas so at least you don’t have to deal with this lot and trying to sort out who gets what present.”

The thought alone made Greg shudder.

“But,” Nick continued, a wide, content smile plastered across his face, “just wait till they hand out the sparklers tonight. Sometimes I think the kids put on a better show than the actual fireworks.”

Greg could just imagine this group running around with burning sticks. He was definitely staying on the porch and well away from anything flaming.

“Thanks for coming with me.” The sincerity in Nick’s voice made him look up and he blushed slightly at how intently Nick was looking at him. It really meant something to Nick to have Greg here with all his family.

“I’m glad to be here.” And despite all the chaos and too many names and nervousness, he was actually really glad he’d let Nick talking him into coming.

Nick hugged him tightly as he leaned down to kiss Greg’s forehead. “Happy Fourth of July.”

“Get out!”

Diana and Berkley stepped aside as one, avoiding the flying coffee cups coming out of the office Dee and Ryo shared. The dishware was followed quickly by Dee, the black-haired officer hastily closing the door behind him.

“Aww, trouble in paradise?”

Dee’s eyes lit up as soon as he noticed Diana, and he quickly propelled her away from the office. “Perfect timing, oh wonderful and beautiful lady.”

Diana’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she followed Dee without complaint. Her day had been fairly boring so far, and she was more likely to find out about the latest arguement from Dee than Ryo if the latter was in a tiff.

The break room was empty when Dee maneuvered the two of them inside, shutting the door behind them. Diana poured herself a cup of coffee and took a seat, a smile playing across her face as she waited for Dee to speak.

“I need your help,” Dee started, grinning like his charm could affect her mood.

“No shit, Sherlock. You’re not nice unless you want something.”

His smile didn’t fade as he knelt next to her. “Of course I’m nice. Why wouldn’t I be nice to such a charming and attractive woman?”

This was just pathetic. Diana rolled her eyes, shoving Dee back with the toe of her heels. “Just get on with it, Laytner.”

Dee’s smile fell a bit and he picked himself up to sit at the break room table. “Ryo thinks I’m insensitive.”

“You are.”

The stricken look on Dee’s face was more than worth the harsh retort.

“You have to help me,” Dee pleaded. “He’s been mad at me for days.”

Ryo really must have been upset to stay pissed at Dee for days. That or Dee was over-exaggerating. “What’d you do?”

“All I did was say a few things about wanting to have sex and he flipped out on me. It’s been a month! Damn Bikky… he’s always around.”

Diana rolled her eyes. No doubt ‘a few things’ meant Dee had been pestering Ryo non-stop for days. Normally she’d laugh at the situation and let Dee blunder his way out of it, but she was feeling sympathetic right now. It was no fun being ignored by the person you liked.

Idly, she twisted the ring on her left hand, spinning the small diamond around her ring finger.

“Look, why don’t Berkie and I take Bikky and Carol out this weekend? We’ll take ‘em around the city and get them out of Ryo’s hair.” And maybe having the kids around would make Berkley think about what they were missing.

Dee’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “I looooooooooooove you.”

Diana stopped Dee with a finger before he could hug her. “Now, wait a second, horn-dog. You’re forgetting that Ryo’s mad at you. So, if you want to get anywhere with him, you need to step things up a notch.”

Dee feel back in his chair with a look of confusion on his face.

“Here’s what we do.” Diana lowered her voice as she leaned across the table and outlined her plan.

*****

The doorbell rang and Ryo sighed in relief. He was more than happy to be able to hand off the pair of over-exuberant teens to Diana.

With a smile on his face, he let Diana in. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re taking the kids.”

“Our pleasure,” Diana smiled, hugging him loosely before stepping into the apartment.

“Bikky! Carol!”

The teens were barreling into the living room as soon as Ryo called, almost knocking Ryo over in their haste.

Diana smiled, ruffling Bikky’s hair as he passed. She’d make a great mother, Ryo thought, though he doubted kids were in her future anytime soon. The image of miniature Berkley’s popped into his head and he stifled a grimace.

“Something wrong?”

Ryo shook his head quickly, dispelling the images from his mind. “No, no. Just remembered something funny, that’s all.”

Diana gave him a disbelieving look but didn’t say anything about it. “Come on, kids, it’s off to Aunty Diana’s for you.”

Bikky and Carol cheered, racing down the hallway with their bags in hand. Ryo smiled as they ran off, feeling more than a little relieved to finally be alone in the house. “Thank you again for watching them this weekend.”

“No problem.” A wicked grin stretched across Diana’s face as she left. “Have fun.”

Ryo only had a few minutes to wonder what Diana was talking about before the doorbell rang again. He opened to the door, expecting to find Bikky returning for something he’d forgotten, but instead he looked straight into a bouquet of roses. He blinked in surprise, awkwardly taking the flowers as they were handed to him. Dee stood behind the bouquet, for once not dressed in his usual haphazard manner but wearing a nice shirt and slacks like he was planning to go out.

Ryo scoured his mind, trying to remember if they’d set up a date that he’d forgotten about but he knew that wasn’t the case. He’d barely spoken to Dee this past week, let alone made any plans. His eyes narrowed as he put Dee’s arrival together with Diana’s offer to take Bikky and Carol around the city.

“You planned this.”

Dee shrugged, holding up a bottle and a bag of take-out containers. “I thought you could use a weekend to relax.”

There had to be an ulterior motive behind this. Dee had a one track mind, and he only thought about one thing – sex. The fact that he was being all nice and sweet was either a ploy to have sex or something Diana had worked out with him. Ryo guessed it was a little of both.

He was tempted to slam the door in Dee’s face but then the smell of food wafted over to him and his stomach growled. He couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t had to cook for himself. Stepping aside, Ryo let Dee into his apartment.

Dee beamed at him as he moved past, setting up a dinner for two on Ryo’s kitchen table. Ryo dropped into a chair, smiling as Dee poured him a glass of wine. To his surprise, the take-out wasn’t cheap Chinese like they normally had. Dee didn’t give him a chance to look at the containers, but he had a feeling it was from a high-class restaurant.

Ryo smiled, a bit of his previous anger at Dee disappearing. Dee placed a plate in front of him with some cheese and chicken pasta dish and Ryo had to marvel at how cutely nervous Dee looked. Obviously Dee knew he’d messed up. He wouldn’t be trying this hard otherwise.

It was nice. He missed going out to dinner, or even just having a quiet night alone. That was impossible now with Bikky and Dee. Bikky was insistent on making sure Ryo and Dee weren’t left alone. He probably wouldn’t have gone with Diana if he hadn’t known Ryo was mad at Dee, or he would have insisted that Ryo come along. It reminded him of what his parents would have been like, if they’d lived long enough to meet Dee.

“Is it good?”

Ryo nodded, picking carefully at his food. “Yes. Thank you.” For once Dee wasn’t rushing through his meal, his attention more focused on making sure Ryo was enjoying it than on his own food.

Dee smiled back, a shy grin slipping across the normally brazen man’s face, and Ryo remembered why he loved Dee. He knew Dee was never going to understand all the sensitive stuff that Ryo wanted, sometimes, but it was enough that he’d try.

“You’re forgiven, by the way.” Ryo kept his voice low and even, like he was talking about the weather or a show on TV.

Dee just stared, his mouth hanging open wide enough that his chin was about to hit his plate. Ryo couldn’t help but laugh, not with how surprised Dee looked. He’d probably expected to have to beg, that he’d have to jump through a thousand hoops before Ryo forgave him. Another day, Ryo might have, but he was just glad to finally be alone that he didn’t feel like arguing.

“You sure?” Dee still sounded nervous, like he thought Ryo was just going to take it all back.

He didn’t. Smiling, he let his fingers lace with Dee’s across the table. “Yeah.”

Dee’s face twisted as he swallowed a statement. Ryo knew what he was going to say. After all, this was Dee. That was part of the reason why he loved Dee.

Setting his fork on his empty plate, he sipped his wine until Dee finished eating. With a smile, he tugged on Dee’s hand and stood. “Come on.”

It was almost disappointing when Dee didn’t automatically grab on to him, but that just showed how much Dee was worried about their last few arguments. He lead Dee by the hand into his bedroom, smiling mischievously at the look of hope in Dee’s eyes. He turned at the side of the bed and held his arms out for Dee.

“Well?”

One word was all it took for Dee to pounce. Ryo laughed as they bounced on the mattress, and that only heightened Dee’s playfulness. Dexterous fingers crawled under his shirt to tickle up his sides and he was writhing in laughter. Somewhere between breathless laughter and being kissed breathless his clothes slipped off, landing in a pile on the floor next to Dee’s. His legs opened and Dee was there, kissing every piece of skin he could reach while his hand…

“Ah!” Ryo’s back arched off the bed as Dee’s fingers slipped inside of him. He’d missed this. It had been far too long but Bikky…. Bikky wasn’t here.

Dee grabbed his legs, lifting him up until his ankles crossed over Dee’s back.

“You ready, baby?”

The look in Dee’s eyes made him melt and he nodded. Dee grabbed him tight and pushed, sliding home in one thrust. Ryo gasped, digging his fingernails hard into Dee’s back as his lover moved.

“I love you.” Dee was whispering in his ear but it was hard to concentrate on the words while Dee was moving inside of him. Their bodies rocked together, hard and fast, and Ryo knew he was going to have bruises in the morning. He didn’t care. The soreness would be worth it and he had an entire weekend to stay in bed, hopefully with Dee beside him. Or on top of him. Or inside him.

Ryo gasped, squeezing his legs tight around Dee as he bit Ryo in the shoulder. “Say it.”

“What?” Ryo’s brows drew together even as he moaned, confusion and pleasure warring across his face. Did he miss something? He didn’t remember Dee asking him anything but…

Dee shifted, bringing Ryo’s legs up higher so that he could push deeper inside. This was… this…

“Say it.” One of Dee’s hands grabbed him, holding tight around his cock and he moaned. He was close, so close. All he needed was for Dee to move his hand, to push in harder, to touch him. “Say that you love me.”

Oh. “I love you.”

Then Dee was kissing him, his hand jerking rough up and down Ryo’s erection and he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Ryo came with a shout and Dee came with him, Ryo’s body wrapped tight around Dee’s like he was never going to let go. He wasn’t. At least not until the morning.

“Thanks.” Dee kissed him even as his hips slowed.

Ryo smiled, running his hand slowly down the side of Dee’s face. “Thank Diana.”

Dee didn’t try to deny, he just nodded, beaming back at Ryo with his own stupidly happy grin. “Don’t worry. I will.”

Music from the celebration blared outside of his tent, the sound barely dulled by the thin flaps of fabric. He had no doubt that the festivities would continue until the sun rose, with more people trickling in from the Lakeside Clan as the evening wore on. Such was the way of his people – eager in both love and hate. A new wave of cheers rose outside and Yuni smiled. The lovebirds had finally returned, judging from the catcalls of a few boisterous males.

They were a fine pair, Yuuen and Emba. Strong in body and heart, and well matched. They were balanced. His son couldn’t have found a more suitable mate, and in a way he’d seen this happening right from the start. It was inevitable, as inevitable as his unwanted attraction to the Lakeside Clan’s chief.

Yuni glanced across the tent to where Selem was lounging, a pipe much like Yuni’s own in hand. Selem’s eyes never strayed far from Yuni, but he was used to that. Ever since the day Selem had rescued him from that pit trap, Selem had always been watching him. The other chief smiled and Yuni found himself smiling back easily.

“I’m glad our paths finally crossed again.” Years, maybe even months before, he wouldn’t have been able to say it. The pain of leaving Selem, of being betrayed by Selem, had stayed with him, hiding in the back of his heart. As he grew older, he had learned to see things as they were instead of the way his heart panted them, but that didn’t stop him from aching inside. That had faded some after Yuuli was born, and then Yuuen had come along and stolen the pain away with the brightness of his smile.

“Thank our sons.” Selem’s voice was heavy with wistfulness, and Yuni knew he must be thinking the same. As much as leaving Selem had hurt Yuni, he knew it had hurt Selem the same. “They had the courage to do what we could not.”

He didn’t know how long he’d been waiting for Selem to say that, to point out the failings in their own hearts that had kept them apart, but Yuni found he could only smile through the brief twang of pain Selem’s words had cause.

It hurt less than he’d imagined it would.

A thought struck him and he chuckled, thinking back to earlier that night when Selem’s daughter had sat next to Yuuli. They had still been sitting next to the fire together when the two chiefs had retreated to Yuni’s tent.

Selem raised an eyebrow, silently asking Yuni to share.

“We’re tied, you and I, so tightly even our blood calls to each other. First Emba and Yuuen and soon, I imagine, your daughter and my oldest son.”

Selem laughed loudly at that. “And then our clans truly will be tied. Our separate clans will be no more.”

A wistful smile crossed Yuni’s face at the thought, but he was careful to keep his words further divorced from the notion of having Selem always by his side. “Do you think you could stand that, ruling with me?”

“In a way, that would be our own marriage.” Selem reached across the tent to run his hand down Yuni’s face.

It had been years since Selem had last touched him like this and Yuni couldn’t help but close his eyes. This was more than he’d ever hoped for since leaving the cave as a child, thoughts of his clan forcing him away from Selem. Fabric shifted and then there were lips pressing against Yuni’s asking to be let inside. He opened his mouth and it was like they were children again.

Selem pressed him down onto the fur rug and he forgot that they were both clan chiefs. It had been so long, and while he didn’t regret marrying his wife, he had missed this. Selem was…. Selem. Bold and exploring, his hands were already working their way beneath Yuni’s clothes. Even with his wife, it had been nothing like being with Selem. Selem was all hard lines where his wife had been soft curves. There was strength in Selem’s touch, a domineering force that Yuni longed for.

He pushed Selem back enough that he could breathe again, gasping in large gulps of air. The sudden distance didn’t deter Selem, he just smiled and latched his mouth onto Yuni’s collarbone. Yuni gasped, his hips rocking up into Selem’s.

Selem still remembered how to make his blood boil.

“Do you want to?” The words where whispered soft into Yuni’s neck and he had to bite back a groan.

Yuni smacked Selem on the side of his head. “Do you really need to ask that?”

The way Selem smiled made Yuni roll his eyes. He should have known Selem was teasing him. Selem loved to tease him, loved to make Yuni react and loose his temper. It’d been so long, he’d forgotten how well Selem knew him.

Selem spit into his palm with a smile before settling in between Yuni’s legs. He reached down and grabbed Yuni’s erection, sliding his slick fingers over Yuni.

“Selem.” He’d missed this. Women just weren’t the same.

“You can touch me too, you know.” Selem was grinning down at him and Yuni punched him again.

Then they were kissing and he forgot why he was annoyed at Selem. He slid his arm between them to mirror the way Selem was touching him. While age had improved his temperament, it did nothing for his hormones. Within minutes he was writhing against Selem, trying to get Selem to move his hand faster. He sped up his own pace, pumping his hand rapidly over Selem’s cock but Selem’s hand didn’t change from its slow glide. It was maddening, and he tried to tell Selem that but Selem wouldn’t let their mouths pull apart.

Release snuck up on him like a cat in the brush. He was too busy trying to goad Selem to realize how close he was. Selem squeezed his hand around the base of Yuni’s erection, dragging his hand upwards and Yuni couldn’t stand it anymore. He shouted into Selem’s mouth as he came. Liquid spilled into his own hand and he let his body still.

He sank into the rug as Selem pulled away. For a long moment they just looked at each other. A smile graced Selem’s lips but his eyes were distant, roving over Yuni’s face like he didn’t believe they were here. Yuni knew he was frowning, though there was no real anger to it. He was just…. he wasn’t sure what he was feeling. He was more relaxed than he’d been in years, and it felt like a giant weight had lifted off his shoulders.

There was no more rivalry between their two clans. For the first time, they would be working together, sharing in their harvests and hunting. He didn’t have to worry about his clan going hungry, not with Emba and Selem.

“I’m glad we’re together again,” he whispered, his voice low to keep the words just between them, something special that only they shared.

“Me too,” Selem whispered back, brushing his lips over Yuni’s forehead in a tender kiss. “Me too.”