In the morning, James got up at 9am, which was early enough for his usual standards at this time of year. And normally, especially in situations like this when his bed wasn't lonely, he would only want to snuggle into the warm sheets and his warm companion, sheltering himself away from that morning chill. But today there was work to be done, and he got out of bed and headed for the shower immediately. He washed the sweat from his body and his hair, feeling refreshed and a little more awake from the feel of the hot water dripping down his body in dozens of little waterfalls. When he was finished, he dried his hair in the bathroom and his body, wrapping the towel around his waist and picking up his boxers, leaving the room and going back into his bedroom. Shay was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. He smiled in greeting when he saw him. "Morning, Jamie!" he said, hopping out of bed. "Did you sleep well?"

James nodded. "Did you? Oh, wait . . ." His ears reddened. "It doesn't make a difference for you. So, um, when did you wake up?"

"When you did," Shay replied breezily, walking over to where James stood by the laundry hamper, having just tossed his boxers into it. The little blond placed his hands flat against James' chest, the brunet swallowing nervously as he did. "You see, since you kissed me and became my boyfriend, I can sense things like your body temperature and your heartbeat. When you sleep, your heart slows down. I can put myself to sleep as I please, and when I picked up that your heartbeat had sped up, because you'd woken up, I woke up too."

"Wow," James said, whistling. "The wonder of technology these days." His hands habitually found their way to Shay's hips. "Today, we're going to go shopping and get some clothes for you to wear. Then I'll invite my friends Carlos and Logan over in the afternoon, so they can meet you."

"Do you think they'll like me?"

"Oh, of course! I see no reason why they wouldn't," James replied honestly. Especially given that it was their idea he buy Shay in the first place. "Don't worry about that. Now, I can probably find some pants for you, you can wear a belt with them and roll the ends up if they're too big. Sit on the bed and I'll find them for you."

Shay did as he asked, and James opened the closet to find the smallest pair of jeans he owned. He found a dark-washed grey pair and turned around, seeing that Shay had put on the Superman t-shirt again and was watching him with a cute and eager smile. He realised that Lovers didn't sweat, or bleed, or do any of those human things. He could wear the same clothes ten days in a row, so long as they were kept clean. Wouldn't that be convenient . . . "Here, wear these." He gave the jeans to Shay, then got a belt from his top drawer and gave that to him too. As Shay hopped into the jeans with ease, James put on a new pair of boxers and put on his favourite black jeans and a white t-shirt. He pulled on a pair of socks and his sneakers. Then he stopped, remembering Shay needed shoes too. "What can I give you to wear?"

"How about some boots?" Shay suggested. "I can stuff socks in the toes if they're too big."

"Oh, good idea!" James praised, grinning and pecking Shay on the lips. He found his black winter boots and a pair of thick woolly socks. Shay slipped the socks onto his small, elfin feet as James stuffed another sock into each boot. Shay put on his boots and laced them up, standing up and grinning, spinning around. "I love wearing your clothes," he beamed, swinging James' hand in his, back and forth.

"I like it too," James told him. "But we need to get you some that actually fit right. You'll be more comfortable and you'll look a lot better."

James grabbed a jacket for himself and for Shay; he zipped his up to the top, and Shay copied him. Then James took his hand, grabbed his wallet, car keys and phone, and headed out to the car. Once they set off from the large house, James handed his phone over to Shay. "Find me Carlos' number and dial it, will you?"

"Sure!" Shay worked the phone with ease and handed it over to James, who held it to his ear and gripped the steering wheel with his free hand, eyes firmly on the road.

"Hi, James!" the cheery voice greeted from the other end of the phone. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you and Logan were interested in calling over this afternoon," James replied, glancing over at Shay for a moment, who was looking out the window, surveying the city streets and smiling in awe. "We can hang out for a while, and I want you to meet someone."

"What?! Who?!" Carlos demanded, voice getting louder at each syllable. "Tell me!"

"He's my boyfriend, that's all I'm telling you!" James retorted, unable to help smirking to himself. "You'll see when you come over. At about one o'clock, yeah? See you then!" And he hung up before a very confused Carlos could say another word or ask another question.

Shay giggled as James tossed his phone onto the dashboard and kept driving, looking for a suitable place to park. "They'll probably be looking forward to their visit," he teased, sitting back again comfortably in his seat. "So, are you going to park somewhere?"

"Yeah, along here," James answered, pulling into a decently sized parking space. He turned the engine off and picked up his phone, opening the passenger door and getting out. "Come on!"

Shay hopped out of the car and shut the door, James locking the car and putting the keys safely in his jacket pocket a second after, zipping it in securely. "So, what kind of clothes are you going to buy me?" Shay asked in excitement, taking his hand as they headed off down the sidewalk. They passed many people, who smiled or nodded at them, some beaming or blushing when Shay gave them a bright and friendly grin, squeezing closer to James every time that he did. Probably the cutest sight they'd seen all morning.

"Well, I'm gonna get you some underwear," James said, listing the necessary items off as he thought of them. "Maybe two pairs of shoes, a couple of pairs of jeans, pyjamas if you want them, some shirts and t-shirts, a sweater too, a jacket, maybe a scarf or hat. I can buy you lighter clothes once we hit spring and it starts to warm up again, but that won't be for another few months so we don't have to worry about that yet." And he suddenly realised that he was basically saying he would be keeping Shay for at least the year. A year was a long time. But as he thought about it, it was unlikely there'd be any reason for him to want to get rid of such a sweet . . . er . . . person. Boyfriend.

"Sounds good!" Shay cheered. "I can't wait!"

James led Shay along the street towards all the shops where he would normally buy new clothes. They weren't cheap, but he didn't spend all his money on clothes either. He'd always found it unwise; he may have had more money than he knew what to do with but the last thing he wanted was to lose it over something that he could buy at the same quality for half the price. He bought Shay's winter jacket in Diesel, proud of the admiring looks the stick thin and glamorous employees gave him as he tried it on, looking in the mirror and examining it from every angle. "Do you like it, Jamie?" he asked. If he'd noticed the both jealous and envious glances some of the employees tossed at James, he didn't act like it.

James grinned, hugging him from behind and kissing his cheek, glancing in the mirror at how their bodies fit together. "It looks perfect."

They continued their shopping all morning, darting back and forth from store to store. They bought button shirts, polo t-shirts, some graphic tees, two pairs of skinny jeans and some sweats, a black zip up sweater and a trapper hat. Shay adored it, squealing and putting it on his head immediately. He wore it all around town, chattering about how it kept his ears warm and toasty and it was just so soft and comfy and he loved James for buying it for hm. He felt so overwhelmed by the compliments and the fuss that was being made over him. He'd never been worshipped so much, like this. Never been worshipped at all, of course. He wasn't sure if he loved it, or if it was just too much for him and he wanted to break free.

They got home at noon, walking in through the door laden with shopping bags dangling off their arms and from their hands. They carried them all upstairs, and James cleared out what little he had in the two bottom drawers of his dresser, giving room for Shay to fold his clothes and put them in there. He took Shay's sneakers and boots and lined them up by the far wall, next to where he kept all of his shoes. The sight of those small, dainty shoes next to his was cute to see. He hung Shay's sweater up in the closet with his, along with his jacket. They unpacked and folded up the clothes together, putting underwear together and t-shirts together, and so on. "There!" James said, smiling and straightening up. He dangled all of the empty bags on his arms, tucking the receipts into the little notebook on top of his dresser where he always kept them. "You can change into whatever you want," James told him. "I'm gonna get rid of these bags, and make myself a sandwich. I haven't eaten all day, so . . ."

"Got it, captain!" Shay replied, winking. "Will I just put your clothes back where you got them?" He tugged at the Superman shirt.

"Yeah, do. Thanks." He kissed Shay quickly and then made his way downstairs. He flattened each of the shopping bags in turn and stuffed them all into the recycling bin. He then went and made a sandwich, eating it at the counter with a glass of water. He hadn't realised how hungry he was, and hadn't known how much early morning clothes shopping could take out of him. Given that he'd never been even mildly tempted to go and do it.

Shay suddenly walked into the kitchen, announcing his arrival with a little twirl and a, "Well?"

James looked up. Shay was dressed in the pale blue skinny jeans they'd bought and a navy t-shirt with a tiger emblazoned on the front. His feet were still bare, and James knew that if he were human, his feet would be freezing on the kitchen tiles. But he wasn't, and he was perfectly fine. "You look great," he told him. "A lot better now that the clothes actually fit you properly."

Shay giggled. "Thank you."

James finished his sandwich, and he and Shay sat and talked while he counted down until Logan and Carlos' arrival, staring up at the clock. When he heard the loud obnoxious repetitive ringing of the doorbell, which they only did to annoy him, he smiled and jumped up, hurrying off down the hallway. He had to stop and take a deep breath to compose himself, before opening the door.

"James!" Carlos greeted, grinning. "Hiya!" The two stood side by side, both wrapped up in their warm clothes.

"Hi, guys!" James greeted, smiling wide and stepping back from the door. Logan and Carlos walked in, unzipping their jackets and letting out long whooshed breaths from their red noses and chapped mouths.

"It's freezing outside!" Logan told James breathlessly, hanging up his jacket and rubbing his pink hands together. "I'm surprised there's no snow . . . I think it's more of a dry cold."

"That's the worst," James replied with a sympathetic nod. "Want some coffee or something to warm yourselves up?"

"That'd be great!" Carlos said, smiling eagerly and hanging his coat up too, unwinding his scarf from around his neck and hanging that up too. He took Logan's hand in his, cheeks flushing a little more than they already were as he grinned at James and said, "Our anniversary dinner on Tuesday night was amazing. We went to our favourite restaurant; you know, Somerlyn?"

"Oh yeah! Haven't been there in forever. I miss those amazing breaded mushrooms they make." James turned around to face the rest of the house. He took a deep breath, and called out to where his boyfriend was hidden away in one of the many rooms. "Shay!" As soon as the name left his lips, his knees began to shake a little. What if Carlos and Logan didn't like him, or if they had done it all as a joke and didn't believe he'd really do it? Still, it wasn't like those gift cards were cheap, so that'd be a waste of money . . . They didn't have money to throw away like he did.

"Hi Jamie!" Shay greeted in a cheery voice, prancing down the stairs with a wide smile, only to jump into his arms and kiss him, giggling happily when James wrapped his arms around him. James then turned to look at Carlos and Logan, who were eyeing Shay like they were trying to figure something out. Carlos' brow was furrowed slightly as his eyes wandered over Shay's pretty pale face and lithe body.

"Well," Logan said at last, folding his arms and smirking. "Who's this cutie?"

Carlos promptly elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs, catching Shay by surprise and smiling sweetly at him. "I mean," Logan wheezed slightly, hand gripping his side. "Who's . . . *cough* who's the blond one? Who happens to be a cutie I am in no way interested in . . ."

"That's more like it!' Carlos cheered, patting Logan on the back.

James rested his arm comfortably around Shay's slim waist as the smaller man (or not man, but frankly it was easier to think of it as making out with a man rather than a hunk of metal) stood beside him. "Guys, this is Shay. He's my boyfriend."

Instantly Logan frowned slightly tilting his head in confusion. "Is he from the . . .?"

"The ACC? Oh, yeah," James replied, trying to keep his tone carefree but suddenly coming to the harsh realisation that his knees were still trembling. "He arrived last night."

"Ooh, last night." Carlos smirked along with Logan, winking at James as his smile widened into a catlike grin. "So, did you . . .?"

"No!"

"Unfortunately," Shay added, sighing mournfully and pouting as he snuggled against James' side. James squeaked, cheeks turning bright red as Logan roared with laughter at the expression on his face.

"Y-yes, well," James stuttered, clearing his throat nervously. "All in good time. Now, do you go want that coffee?"

"Sure!" Carlos replied, heading off towards the kitchen. James, Logan and Shay followed, Logan sitting beside him on the stools by the kitchen counter. James headed over to the coffee machine, opening the cupboard next to it and taking out three mugs. Shay didn't need to drink any; and honestly, he'd seen too many comedic scenes involving caffeine in too many films to be comfortable giving any to a robot. As he switched the machine on, he glanced to his left when he suddenly realised that Shay was standing beside him. He was looking up at James with wide and eager eyes, a small smile on his shell pink lips.

"Shay," James said at last, smiling at him and gently brushing his thumb over the blond's cheek. "Why don't you go over and sit with Carlos and Logan?"

Shay frowned. "Don't you want me over here with you?"

"I'll be over there with you guys in just a minute," James promised. "As soon as I finish making his coffee for the Carlos and Logan, okay?"

Shay shrugged, nodding. "Okay then." He walked over to where Carlos and Logan sat and perched on the stool beside them, arms folded on the counter as he watched them both. As James retrieved the carton of milk from the fridge and added a drop or two to Carlos', the way he liked it, he suddenly heard Shay say to his friends, "Neither of you are going to steal my boyfriend, are you?"

Logan spluttered, in surprise, eyes widening. "N-no!"

"The thing is, Shay," Carlos said quickly, resting a comforting hand on Logan's arm. He smiled at Shay in the friendliest and most comfortable at he could manage. "Logan is my boyfriend. We've been together for two years."

"Ohh." Shay bit his lip. "I'm sorry, was I rude?"

"No no!" Carlos replied hastily, smiling wider. "We just, we weren't expecting that . . ."

"Do you think I'll be James' boyfriend for two years?" Shay asked eagerly.

"Maybe," was all Carlos managed to reply, looking away again. When he caught James' eyes, however, he just gave him a wink and a cheery smile, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Which it wasn't . . . right?

He shook himself out of that insecurity and brought Carlos' cup of coffee over, before going back to the machine and making Logan's and his own. When he walked over and sat with them, serving Logan his drink and placing his own down on the counter, Shay immediately looped his arm around James', nuzzling against his neck and leaving little fluttering kisses against it. James picked up his coffee with his shaky free hand and managed to take a slow sip and place the cup back on the counter without dropping it. Out of the corner of his eye, he was Logan and Carlos watching them, both smirking. He knew they would tease him about this in the weeks, months, and even years to come. What were best friends for, after all?

The four of them sat in the kitchen for the afternoon. James talked to Carlos and Logan, Shay listened and added in his own comment every now and then; often something that embarrassed James and caused Carlos and Logan to crack up laughing. Then Shay would either laugh too and give James a cute little peck on the cheek or mouth, or he'd pout, fearing he'd done something wrong until James reassured him that it was perfectly fine. He was used to getting mortified within relationships, after all. Practically his role, in the universe in the whole grand scheme of things and all. What a fulfilling purpose . . .

Every now and then he felt Shay's hand on his crotch and remembered what he had promised for today, and every time he prayed and prayed that the other guys wouldn't notice, or that he wouldn't get an awkward boner at the mental image of Shay's beautiful body lying completely bare under him, the most gorgeous and arousing sounds escaping for that pretty mouth. Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about this right now. Considering that last night it had been a terrifying ordeal for him to even consider having sex with Shay. He had a suspicion, although it wasn't completely clear what the fear stemmed from, that it had something to do with the fact that even though Shay looked and spoke and acted like a human, he wasn't one. He was admittedly worried about how that would turn out. But on the other hand, he knew that in reality it was unlikely to damage or harm Shay in any way, or harm him. What good was buying a boyfriend or girlfriend if you couldn't even have sex with them without the fear of electrocution? He had nothing to worry about.

But the next time Shay's hand landed on his clothed dick he still felt that unsettling terror in his stomach, cheeks flushing. And he kind of wanted Carlos and Logan to leave so he could stop worrying about it. Finally, they decided they would.

"This has been fun," Logan announced, getting off his stool and pushing it back under the counter. Carlos did the same thing. "Thanks for the coffee, James. And Shay," Logan shook Shay's hand, the blond smiling shyly as he did. "It was very nice to meet you. I'm sure you're going to make James very happy."

"I already am, I hope," Shay replied, looking flustered as he held James' hand and looked up into his eyes. "My Jamie is everything to me."

"Aww," Carlos cooed at them. "So adorable! Anyway, Shay, I'm gonna call you Ken-doll from now on."

"Is that offensive?" Shay asked slowly, eyes narrowing and hand tightening slightly on James'. That iron grip caught him off guard every time. It was like a little fluffy lamb suddenly growing eight scaly tentacles and large devil horns in the space of a millisecond. Weird analogy, but the closest he could come to describing it.

But then there was, of course, that standard comparison; a wolf in a cute, innocent sheep's clothing. He needed to stop thinking about this.

"No, it's not!" Carlos laughed, not put off in the slightest by Shay's change in personality and attitude. "It's just because you're from the ACC, and you're pretty and blond. Ken dolls? Kendoll?"

"Okay," Shay said slowly, smiling again. "I'll get used to that."

"Great!" Carlos stepped forward and gave James a quick hug, more fleeting than normal. James had a feeling it was to do with how close Shay was standing to him. Logan hugged him too, and then the two walked out to the front door. "Call us if you want to hang out!" Carlos called as he opened the door. "Like a double date or whatever! You'll like that, Kendoll!"

As soon as the door closing was heard in the kitchen, Shay leaped forward and wrapped his arms around James' neck, smashing their lips together. "You think a double date would be fun?" James asked breathlessly when Shay pulled back for a second. Though he only pulled back to pepper little kisses along the brunet's neck, tugging the neckline of his shirt.

"I do," Shay replied, hands tugging at the hem of James' shirt and pulling it up over his head before he could be stopped. "But right now, I want to be right here. With you, Jamie." Then he was throwing off his own shirt, arms tight and hands locked in James' hair as he leaped up into his arms, legs looping around his waist. James quickly caught him to stop him from falling, blushing when he realised his hands were on Shay's pert ass. He just shrugged and squeezed it roughly, the blond gasping and dragging a hand down his bare back. "Jamie," he moaned. "Upstairs, now."

While he still had his little bit of reluctance and fear at what was going to happen, James came to realise it was inevitable. Not that he was being forced into it, but sooner or later he knew he would give in anyway. It might as well be sooner rather than later; he hadn't gotten laid since Dak dumped him and Shay was hot, and very very willing. James carried him up the stairs, moaning softly as Shay's hands alternated from on his chest and abs around to grab at his back, up to tug on his hair between passionate kisses. At one point James stumbled against a wall in his aroused daze. Shay let out a delighted giggle, dropping his legs down from around James' waist. "Careful, Jamie. Don't hurt your head." He took James' hand and they walked down the hallway. He opened the door to his room and hurried inside, pushing James down onto the bed, his strength causing his breath to catch in his chest again.

Shay leaned down and unbuttoned James' jeans, dragging them down his thighs. James watched him apprehensively as the blond tugged his jeans off at his ankles, before slowly moving his hands up James' legs again to tug on his boxers and pull them down too. James sat up a little and leaned on his elbows, watching Shay continue stripping off. His body was absolutely flawless. As he slid his jeans down slowly, swaying his hips a little as he did, his hand slid down to wrap around his stiffening dick before he'd even realised it. Shay gripped his boxer briefs and tugged them down in an instant, letting them slip down his legs and kicking them off. James' staring at Shay's naked body was momentarily diverted as he watched them fly across the room.

Then Shay was on top of him, kissing him, and he forgot about that.

Of course, he'd seen Shay naked the day before, but it was nothing compared to this. Shay's hands were sliding all over him, his small fingers wrapped around his cock and stroking it while his other hand tugged on his hair, lips splayed over his chest as he kissed and licked and sucked on every inch of skin he could reach. James moaned and shivered everywhere that Shay touched him. He could feel the blond's erection prodding at his thigh, and when he reached down to take hold of it, it felt fairly real. He wondered what the orgasm would be like. Hmm . . .

"Have you got any condoms?" Shay asked suddenly. "We need to use one."

"Oh, right. Yeah." James pointed towards the bedside locker. Shay grinned, reaching over and sliding it open. Fumbling around and taking out a condom from the box, he ripped the wrapper off and rolled the latex barrier onto James' dick, making sure it was on right before shutting the drawer again, satisfied. James watched the whole procedure with fascinated eyes. It was weird, having someone else to do that for him. But he liked it. "You don't need lube?"

No, no," Shay replied briefly, shaking his head and giggling a little. "It's be a nightmare to wash myself with lube and cum in me, know what I mean? It's gross."

"Oh . . ." James blushed.

"You just lie back," Shay whispered in a seductive tone, smirking as he sat back, straightening up and scooting forward a little. He raised himself up on his knees, leaning forward so his hands pressed finely against James' pecs and his ass was hovering just above the tip of James' cock. "I'll take care of everything."

Then Shay was sliding down and letting out one of the sexiest sounds he'd ever heard and god, James could get used to this. Shay's head was hanging back in pleasure, hair falling over his face as he straightened up again and began to bounce on James' lap, moaning each time he sank down fully and took James' cock completely inside of him. James grinned up at him, trying to close his mouth in between the little pleasures grunts and moans he couldn't help letting out. No such luck. Shay was bouncing faster and harder, his cheeks were flushed and his hair was tossed around and the sounds he was making could rival any porn star James had ever heard. Not that he'd heard many . . .

"Jamie, you're so big," Shay screamed, hips quivering and moving so fast that at times they were just a blur. He was so tight and hot, clenching around James' dick so perfectly. He had no idea how much time had passed, or how Shay wasn't getting tired, or how lucky he was to get laid for the first time in months and for it to end up like this. Last time he would feel nervous over anything sexual. He hoped. He'd never had sex like this.

"Sh-ay," James choked out. His hands shook, jerking up from where he'd been clinging to the bed covers, to his stomach, until he pushed them up to grip Shay's hips. "S-slow down, I'm gonna come . . ."

Shay nodded but his speed barely faltered, bouncing and swaying his hips as his hands slid down James' chest, scratching slightly at the skin. James gasped, moaning shakily and trembling from head to toe as he came hard, filling the condom up and panting. His mind clouded, his body hot and shaky and his vision slightly blurry (because at some point during their intense kisses, Shay had taken his glasses off and he hadn't noticed), all he could think was that that was the best sex he'd ever had.

James then noticed, as Shay's body collapsed on top of him, his dick had completely softened, while James' was still dying down a little. He hadn't really come at all; he'd just acted it out, in a way. He must've been programmed to 'finish' the same time as James did. Maybe to do with those heartbeat and body temperature sensors, or something. Ahh, science and technology perfectly combined.

Shay rolled off him immediately, lying back on the bed with a contented smile. "So, Jamie," he said, looking up at him with a satisfied expression. "Did you enjoy that?"

James looked over at him, chest still heaving slightly, cheeks flushed. "It was amazing," he told him honestly. "I don't even get why I was so nervous. It was dumb, really."

"Well," Shay chirped, sitting up. "Now that you know how amazing it is, we can have sex all the time!" The way he just chirped it sounded like he was inviting him to go play on the swings in the backyard together. James just gave a tired smile and nodded. "Let me clean up for you," Shay continued, peeling the used condom off James' dick and skipping off into the bathroom, no limp whatsoever in his step. Figured. It was more of a spring than anything. Shay came back with some tissues, wiping the remaining droplets of semen off James' dick, before throwing them away and lying back down, snuggling into his arms. James wrapped the blond up in his arms, finding comfort, funnily enough, in that feeling of giving comfort.

"Jamie," Shay said softly, looking up at him with those large and eager bottle green eyes. "We're going to be happy together, right?"

James kissed his head. "Of course we are. As long as we both care for each other." He couldn't bring himself to say 'love'. Although this was nothing like he'd ever experienced, it had only been one day. But Shay seemed happy and curled up against his chest, sighing in content.

After all, what could go wrong?