Jason saw the caller ID on his vibrating phone and immediately smiled. "Hey," he said when he answered it.

"I'm going to be late," Calvin growled.

"What's wrong?"

"Some assholes jumped me and tackled me to the ground which, thanks to some freak water issue, was a huge mud slick. I'm absolutely caked in it. I have to go home, wash this stuff, and take a shower."

"Just come here. I can handle the laundry while you shower. And this way you won't have to guard the machines."

There was a pause while Calvin considered this. "Okay. I'll be there in a minute."

Jason went to the linen closet and set out a fresh towel. He was generally very neat, yet he still checked the shower to make sure there wasn't anything gross hiding anywhere.

Though Calvin's first visit to the apartment was only a week ago, Jason wasn't at all surprised when his door just opened and his boyfriend walked in. Except for when he came over to apologize, Calvin had long since given up such formalities as knocking.

"People suck," Calvin muttered as he kicked off his shoes. "This is why I only hung out with a tiger for years."

"I hate that they do this to you."

Calvin simply shrugged.

Jason helped peel off the mud-drenched jacket and hoodie so Calvin wouldn't accidentally splatter the walls. He tossed them directly into the washer while Calvin stepped out of his jeans.

"There's a towel in the bathroom, so you go ahead. I got this."

"Thanks."

Calvin headed down the hallway in his t-shirts and boxers while Jason set up the washer. Then he sat down at his desk to get some more grading out of the way. He wanted to free up as much time as possible this weekend so he could spend more of it with Calvin.

A short while later, Jason heard the shower turn off and he realized Calvin would need something to change into until his clothes were done. He went into his bedroom and found a pair of pajama bottoms that should fit. Out in the hallway, Jason knocked on the bathroom door.

"I have some clothes you can borrow," he announced.

"Thanks," Calvin answered, and then he whipped the door open.

"Ho, hey, hi," Jason stuttered.

Standing before him was his boyfriend with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Calvin's skin was still damp and the result was a very nice sheen that served to accentuate the various contours on his body. Heaven help him, Jason was dating a slender Greek god. Despite Calvin's tight shirts, Jason hadn't been prepared for this.

"What?" Calvin took the pants from Jason and set them on the edge of the sink.

"Nothing. I've just – I mean, you've just never had your shirt off before."

"Wait, you like this?" Calvin asked with a confused look on his face.

"Um, yeah," he answered, amazed that there was any doubt.

Calvin smiled wickedly and moved closer. He hesitantly tugged at the bottom of Jason's sweatshirt and eventually whispered, "Care to join me?"

Jason gripped the hem and held it in place. "Uh, no. Not yet." Or ever, he thought as he stepped away.

His boyfriend cocked his head to one side to question him. "Why not?"

"I'm not … I mean, I don't … I can't," Jason mumbled. While he was by no means fat, he had none of the definition that was on display in front of him. Plus his proportions were all off. His arms were scrawny, his chest was non-existent, and his torso was short, stocky, and square.

"I don't get it. You're usually so confident," Calvin pointed out.

"About my brain, definitely. About my personality, sure. About my body? No way." He was still staring at Calvin's abs.

Calvin reached out and flipped the switches for the bathroom and hall light.

"What are you doing?"

"You're not ready for me to see you. So now I can't."

In the darkness, Calvin closed the gap between them again and their mouths found each other. Jason placed his hands on Calvin's moist chest where he could still feel the heat from the shower. Fingers invaded his sweatshirt and then found their way under his t-shirt, grazing his skin.

"I think you feel nice," Calvin whispered. The calloused digits fanned out and explored more of the unseen canvas.

Jason's hands glided over Calvin's exposed, yet invisible, body. "When do you have time to work out?"

"I don't."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" Jason grumbled.

"You forget. I've wrestled a tiger since I was five. Plus I either run from or fight bullies all the time. Besides, I guarantee I don't look half as good as you think I do. You're biased, just like I'll be."

Calvin's wandering hands caused Jason's clothes to lift enough that their stomachs touched. It was a new sensation, and Jason wanted more. Feeling bolder, he pushed away slightly and removed the two articles. Then he launched himself back into Calvin's arms, twining his own around Calvin's neck. The pressure of their embrace felt as good as their skin lightly sliding against each other when they shifted positions.

Suddenly, Calvin jumped away and yelped, "Oh shit!"

"What?"

There was some rustling around and then Calvin answered, "My towel fell off."

The lights came back on and Jason sheepishly removed his hand from the switch. His lower lip protruded slightly when he saw that Calvin was covered up again.

"What changed your mind?" Calvin asked knowingly.

"I'm quickly realizing that the positives of being able to see you vastly outweigh the negatives of you being able to see me."

"There aren't any negatives from where I'm standing."

Jason rolled his eyes and nodded toward the bathroom. "Go get dressed and we'll make dinner."

"Make dinner?" Calvin whined.

"Trust me, it'll be fun."

Calvin stomped into the other room to change his clothes. Jason picked his off the ground and redressed. By the time he changed the laundry over, Calvin was out.

"Why can't we just order something? I hate cooking."

"What do you hate about it?"

"You have to get all the measurements just right, and keep track of all the ingredients and the order you put them in."

"Ahhh, that's if you're following a recipe, not when you're mad scientists, making it up as you go."

Calvin's eyes shined wildly. "Mad scientists?"

"Come along, Doctor."

Jason had already set out various ingredients which he knew would go well together and didn't require exact ratios. Little scraps of paper labeled the ground turkey as "Rat brains," the olives as "Alligator eyeballs," the marinara sauce as "Pureed donkey lips," and the dried linguini as "Freeze dried tape worms." Jason smiled as Calvin gleefully took in the other ingredients as well as some bottles of food coloring.

"This is excellent!"

"Let's get cooking, then."

The two boys alternately cheered and made grossed out faces, depending on the result of their latest action. By the end of the "experiments," the kitchen was a disaster, but they delightfully served their concoction.

Dinner conversation was punctuated with comments such as "Augh! I just ate an eyeball!" and "I think one tapeworm is eating the other."

Afterwards, they turned on the TV so Jason could introduce Calvin to Doctor Who.

Since the night Calvin slept on the couch, staying over had been a bit of a delicate subject. Calvin would always announce he had to go back to his place before Jason could invite him to stay. He'd ask if Calvin was sure, and the answer was always yes. Jason didn't want to push, either to make him stay or give an explanation, so he opted for patience.

However, this time, Calvin hadn't made his move to leave yet. So while they were watching TV, Jason asked, "Will you stay tonight?"

Calvin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Where exactly would I sleep?"

"With me, preferably."

He nodded his head, like that was the answer he expected. "But does that mean we'd…." Calvin's voice trailed off and he looked at Jason suggestively.

"No, I wouldn't expect us to make that leap."

Calvin visibly relaxed. "Okay. Then yeah, I will."

"Good."