The two weeks at home before their next lockdown had been almost brutal. Deep inside, Aaron beat himself up over the basic adultery he had committed back in that hotel room in Middle-of-Nowhere, Kentucky. But his own conscience wasn't the only demon in his head. Something had attached itself to him, eating away at his daydreams and commandeering his nightmares. His wife felt it. They argued over their shared nightmares; people she had never seen or met before haunted her. She told him to get rid of whatever followed him home, but he didn't know how. Jacking off didn't do the same thing that being with Zak and Nick had done, no matter where or when he did it. He tried ignoring them, telling them to go away, getting a priest to bless him and their home. Nothing was working. Desperate, Aaron placed a phone call that he wasn't sure he wanted to make. "Hey Aaron." He could hear the smile in Nick's voice.

"Hey, Nick. How's it going?" Aaron said, sitting down in a chair in his home office. His wife had just left for work and he knew that this phone call was a now or never situation. If he didn't call Nick now, he would probably never grow the balls to do it again.

"Good. Just sitting here, working out some schedules for the next couple of lockdowns. You doing ok?"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before saying, "No… not really, bro. These nightmares… I can't get rid of them. How do you sleep?"

Nick paused on the other end of the line, his own hesitation apparent. Clearing his throat, he responded, "The same way we showed you back in Wilder."

"Every night?!" He tried to keep the surprised squeak out of his voice, but failed.
Nick laughed. The sound of it over the phone was almost calming. "No. We usually meet up once, sometimes twice a week."

Aaron narrowed his eyes. He still wasn't sure about Zak and this whole situation. "Are you serious? You and Zak… a few times a week?"

He could hear the shrug on the other end of the phone. "It works. It's the only thing that works. I tried everything else- a house blessing, exorcism, sage, sweetgrass. Nothing helps like the few hours we spend together."

Aaron sighed loudly and regretted the words he needed to say. "I need help, bro. My wife… they're starting to bother her too. I just can't let this get into my marriage. I can't have these things in my home. It's destroying me."

The line was silent for a moment before Nick cleared his throat. "Do you want me to come over?"

Wincing, Aaron's words came out small and nearly frightened. "Yeah… do you have time?"

"Always, man, always. Give me like an hour."

Aaron sat in his living room, contemplating what was going to happen. Maybe just being close to Nick would help. But they were close to each other on a near daily basis now and that seemed to have no effect. Looking around at the house he shared with his wife, he could feel the darkness lurking. He could feel it waiting for him to let his guard down, let it rule him and his home. There was no way he was going to let it do that. His wife was his world and he had to protect her. Aaron frowned, looking down at his hands trembling on his knees. But how could he go through with this? In the house that he shared with his wife! He invited another man over to… He shook his head. He invited Nick over to help him chase the demons away. That was it. Simple.

A crisp knock interrupted the thoughts running through his mind. He could tell Nick nevermind, but the man had already driven over here. Grunting, Aaron stood up and went to open the door. Nick stood there, hands in his pockets, a small smirk on his lips. "Hey."

Silently, Aaron let him in the door. This was so awkward he didn't even want to acknowledge why he called him. A heavy scent filled the air as Nick walked by him into the house and through to the living room. Did he put on cologne? "You ok, Aaron?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. It's weird that I called you here. No, it's weird why I called you here. I'm not… This isn't right."

Nick shrugged. "I know. It's not right, but it works. I don't know why, but it does."

Nervously, he ran his hand over the back of his neck, subconsciously cracking his fingers. "I guess we should then just… uh… You know. How do we… should I have lit candles?"

Nick laughed, reaching his hand out. "No, it's not like that, man. You don't have to woo me."

Aaron took his hand uncertainly. Nick interlaced their fingers, pulling him in closer. "It's ok. I won't bite unless you want me to."

Aaron chuckled softly as Nick moved in, hesitating only slightly before placing a light kiss on his lips. "What if I don't… you know. What if I can't get it up?"

Nick laughed quietly. "I'm sure that won't be a problem. Couch? Spare bedroom?"
"Spare bedroom…"

Nick led the way to the back of the house, pulling Aaron by his hand. Closing the door behind them, leaving them in darkness, Aaron felt the reality of the situation he put himself in slowly sink in. Clearing his throat he asked, "Should I turn on a light?"

"If that makes you more comfortable," Nick answered, letting go of his hand.

Flipping the light switch, he turned around to see Nick shirtless and laying down on the bed. Aaron breathed deeply. "So this is actually going to happen."

"Well not until you get over here."

Aaron pulled his shirt over his head and made his way over to the bed, laying down next to Nick. "Ok, I'm here."

Nick laughed, turning on his side, facing the older man. "Calm down, man. Look at me."

Aaron breathed deeply, looking over at Nick as he leaned in, lips grazing his own again. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling. Soft lips pressing against his own, moving slightly, gently probing his own to move with them. Slowly, he relented, allowing himself to go along with the kiss, parting his lips slightly. Nick deepened the kiss, wrapping his hand around the back of his head as his tongue swiped gently, nipping at his bottom lip. A soft groan escaped his lips as Aaron felt Nick move above him, straddling his waist. "Nick…," he whispered into the kiss, panic alarms going off in his head as his body tensed.

Nick's hands ran down the soft chest, through his chest hair. "Shhh, close your eyes and just feel."

Aaron closed his eyes, trying to ignore his fight or flight response. Soft kisses fluttered over his beard and down his neck as hands massaged along his sides and over to his arms trying to relieve some of the tension. Wet warmth engulfed his nipple; Aaron's eyes shot open, his back arching slightly off the bed as the unmistakable feeling of a tongue flicked over the hardening bud. "Fuck, Nick," he grunted as the younger man moved over to the other side, repeating his torture until the buds were peaked and reddened to his satisfaction.

Nick smiled as he raised himself up on his elbows over Aaron's body, slowly grinding his hips down. "I told you I didn't think you'd have a problem getting it up." All he received was a grunt in return as he began working on the button and zipper of his jeans, stepping off the bed to quickly rid both of them of the rest of their clothing.

Aaron's mind screamed as Nick climbed back over his body, both men fully naked now. Hands still caressed over his skin; light touches igniting his senses. His brain, though, would still not shut off, screaming out to him that this was wrong, so wrong, and that he needed to walk out now. This was his best friend and business partner. But the invading voices in his mind still whispered at the periphery, waiting to be let in. He could feel their presence in the house around them but for some reason they would not enter this room when he and Nick were together like this. Maybe the ghosts respected their privacy? No, he suspected it was something much different than that but he didn't have an answer. Instead, as Nick's body settled against his, he let his lips fall slack as he was kissed. Closing his eyes, he let himself fall, feeling those voices quiet as Nick's tongue begged entrance.

Slowly, Aaron rolled his hips up, rubbing his cock along the side of the one above his. Nick grunted into their kiss, bracing himself on his hands on either side of the body beneath him. "Fuck, Aaron, are you sure? I can just give you a handjob if you…," Nick started.

Aaron shook his head, wrapping his arms around Nick's back, bringing his body down on top of his own. "Does this keep them away longer?"

Nick bit his lip and shrugged. "We never really experimented with time."

Aaron rolled his hips again, enjoying the fluttering of the pretty eyelashes above him. Quickly, he rolled them over, pinning Nick down onto the mattress and reaching over to the nightstand drawer. Nick smiled as he saw the small tube of hotel lotion that he pulled out. "Who knew a collection of those would come in handy?"

Aaron smirked as he squirted some on his hand, stroking his own cock to ease the friction. With only a slight hesitation, he took Nick's cock in his hand, stroking it slowly, gently spreading the rest of the lotion. "It's not going to fall off or bite you, man. It's ok," Nick grinned from beneath him.

Aaron smiled but avoided eye contact. "I know… I just never had another man's cock in my hand before. Not exactly something I thought I'd ever do." The image of Nick and Zak together like this flashed through Aaron's mind causing his motion to stop, twitching dick still in hand. "How long have you and Zak been um…"

Nick shook his head. "No, we're not talking about him right now. Running his hands down Aaron's chest, he gave a quick tug to his cock before knocking his hand away from his own. Wrapping his arms around Aaron's torso, he pulled him down on top of him, hot skin against hot skin. Slowly, he rolled his hips up against the older man, the lotion making the movement easier.

"Fuck…," Aaron groaned. "But what about Zak? Aren't you guys…"

Nick cut him off with a kiss. "We're not dating, Aaron. You and I aren't dating. This is just something to chase away the things that follow us. Now shut up and move.""

"Does he know you're here?"

Quickly, Nick rolled them, putting Aaron on his back and grinding down hard against his hips, sliding cock next to cock. "Yes he does, now shut the fuck up. You didn't have a problem with Zak and I when you called me here."

Aaron grunted his response as Nick starting moving, pumping his cock against the hip of the man beneath him. Clinging onto the gyrating hips, he moaned into a pale shoulder as he synced his own movements with Nick's. The friction between their bodies lit their skin on fire; hands moved over the distinctly male muscles fanning the flames. Aaron closed his eyes, trying to picture his wife, or any woman for that matter, but each grunt or slap of Nick's balls against his own shook that image out of his head. A swivel of the hips above him sent a pleasure wave over his body as his hands roamed south, grasping the ass as it moved against him. "Fuck," he grunted.

Nick reached down, kissing along Aaron's neck and up to his lips before sitting up, straddling Aaron's hips. Taking both cocks in his hand, he stroked them furiously, one hand firmly planted on his chest. "Close," he moaned.

Aaron nodded in agreement, eyes transfixed on Nick's hand and the feeling of cock against cock. Experimentally, he rolled his hips up, feeling his cock slide through Nick's grasp, the pad of his thumb rough against the head. A few more pumps and Aaron's body tensed, releasing onto Nick's hand and his own stomach. Nick opened his hand, letting the spent cock fall. A warm hand wrapped around the base of his cock, batting his own hand away. Closing his eyes, he let Aaron take over. A tight grip and quick flick of the wrist later, hot white streaks splayed over Aaron's lower abdomen, joining his own cum.

Resting on his hands above Aaron, Nick tried to regain his breath, looking down at the mess they made and smirking. "Feel better?" he asked.

Aaron sat for a moment, trying to get a sense of his house and the voices in his head but all was quiet. Everything that had been bothering him had left. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," Nick said, climbing off the bed and grabbing his boxers before heading towards the bathroom. He came back with some toilet paper to wipe off Aaron's stomach before getting fully dressed.

Aaron tossed the toilet paper in the garbage and grabbed his own clothes. "So Zak knew you were coming over here to do this?"

Nick nodded as he opened the bedroom door. "Yeah, I called him on my way over. I thought he should know that you were starting to have problems. Does that bother you?"

Aaron shook his head as they left the bedroom. "No… just something doesn't seem right, Nick."

"The whole thing is fucked up, Aaron," Nick answered, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "So we have things that follow us home. We knew that would happen, but what we didn't know is how they would affect our families."

Aaron nodded. "Right. I didn't think in a million years this would affect my wife and she'd be having the same nightmares I'm having."

"Exactly."

"So uh… how exactly did you and Zak stumble upon this temporary cure?"

Nick shrugged as he finished his water. "We're not gay, man."

Aaron motioned towards the bedroom they just exited. "I don't think I have a right to judge even if you were."

"We were scared after that one investigation at that red haired lady's house and laid in bed that night together, just because we were so scared. And we could feel the spirits surrounding us. We just clung together. We didn't know what was going to happen. Then after each investigation when we were out on the road, we'd just start sleeping in the same bed. After Goldfield, you weren't there… but dude that shit… That was when it started… He kissed me and we could feel them stop. The farther we went sexually, the farther back the spirits would go, and leave us alone."

Aaron ran his fingers over his beard, looking thoughtfully at his friend. "Think spirits are homophobic?"

Nick chuckled. "I don't know what they are, but I know sex with my wife doesn't work the same way as it does with Zak and now you."

"Maybe it's that connection we have. I dunno, bro. It works but, no offense, I don't like it. I don't like the feeling that I'm cheating on my wife."

Nick agreed, "But we're not exactly cheating. We aren't in love. I don't want to leave my wife and run away with you. It just works so that we can actually keep our families."

"Yeah, but bro… Zak doesn't have a wife that lives with him. Who are his spirits bothering?"

Nick shrugged. "You know he has a million women go through there. Maybe they're scaring off his potential one night stands."

Aaron wondered if that was true or if there was something deeper, possibly a little bit more sinister, behind Zak's intentions. Why would he just randomly kiss Nick? Then again, why would Nick kiss back?

Hours later, Aaron's wife returned. Helping her inside with the groceries, Aaron gloated a little that he had run off the spirits while she was out. Kissing him on the cheek she asked him how. He just shrugged his response, saying he invited Nick over to help him out. No reason to lie about everything. She smiled, "Well maybe we'll have to have Nick over more often then if he can help you get rid of these spirits so effectively."

Aaron grinned and nodded. Yeah… maybe, but he wanted to talk with Zak more first and finish that conversation he started back in Wilder.