Warnings: some strong language, sexual content, brief mentions of homophobia

Roy rolled his eyes at the whispers from Johnny and Chet that stopped as soon as he entered the dorm where they were cleaning. He assumed the topic of conversation (or gossip, more accurately) was Mike and Marco, as it had been since Mike's injury six weeks ago. Johnny had Roy for a forced listening ear while they were in the squad, someone to bounce cockamamie theories off of, but he and Chet together became the worst gossips in history. They're worse than women. I've never seen two people get so worked up over something so ridiculous. Come to think of it, Roy had been rolling his eyes a lot lately.

Unfortunately, they both cornered him in the parking lot following a shift, crowding him at his car.

"Come on, Roy, you musta noticed it, too," Chet said, "I mean, they've always had that weird thing where they don't actually speak to communicate, but it's super weird now, ever since they moved in together."

"And that was pretty weird, too," Johnny piped up, "I mean, it made sense to save money, but- well- just there's-there's gotta be… more."

"You hafta see it, too."

Roy thought carefully before he spoke. Certainly he'd noticed. He was neither blind nor stupid, after all. If anything, he'd noticed from the very beginning, saw the smiles and the closeness and the intimacy between them, but he'd tried to pass it off to himself as a close friendship. He'd seen such friendships before. In a field such as theirs, such camaraderie was not uncommon. Firemen saw a lot of heavy things, and for the most part, civilians just didn't understand. They could listen and feel sad and provide comfort, but that wasn't the same as knowing. Having close friends to confide in made things much easier.

He did get the strange feeling (and had for a while) that Mike and Marco were simply more than close friends. The realization hit him when Mike went down six weeks ago. Marco panicked, and that was unusual. Marco was a veteran of the fire department, had worked at multiple stations with multiple apparatus, had seen plenty of horrible things. He did not panic. He was damn near crying, he was so worked up. Marco looked like he'd been put through the ringer, and that was when Roy knew for sure. He knew for a fact there was something more than friendship there between his two shiftmates, knew how well they fit together, could practically see the evidence laid out before him like a map. He was a little surprised to note he felt nothing but happiness for them.

"Look, why don't you guys give it a rest?" Roy told them, "All your guys' gossiping does is get you all worked up. You got overactive imaginations, you always do, and they're always gettin' you into trouble, not to mention that neither of you can keep your mouths shut about anything."

"Roy, I mighta been born at night, but it sure as hell wasn't last night," Chet responded, "I've seen some shit, and I've definitely seen two people in love, and I'm tellin' ya, they're in love!"

This had been Chet's pet theory from the start. Johnny mentioned it disparagingly in the squad more than once ("But they hardly talk! Wouldn't they talk to each other if they were in love?") but it seemed he was swayed to Chet's side now. Two pairs of curious and expectant eyes looked at Roy, waiting for a reply. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I told you. Give it a rest," Roy said, turning over the engine in his car.

That meant the conversation was over, and Roy was leaving. He backed out and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Johnny and Chet to argue once more.

xXxXx

"Do you really think they're in love, Chet?" Johnny asked in a low voice at the diner, "I mean, they hardly talk to each other, let alone anybody else. They just sit there an-and know things together. Don't people in love talk to each other?"

Johnny's expression was bordering on comically confused, but for once Chet was too occupied to make a joke about it. People tended to think Chet was stupid, and he had yet to figure out why. Maybe it was the round face, the mass of curly hair, the big blue eyes, the pranks, the way his mouth sometimes worked faster than his brain, how he couldn't sit still for too long… but Chet was far from stupid. He could read the material for the engineer's exam and understand it front to back and back to front. Put him in any piece of heavy equipment, and he could figure out how to operate it in no time flat. Even if his mouth didn't always say what he intended, he usually knew the right thing to say to calm down a victim on scene. No, Chet Kelly was not stupid.

He knew people, too, had to know people in order to set up the perfect prank, to know when to back off, when to lay off entirely. Chet knew people, and he knew Mike Stoker and Marco Lopez were in love. I've known it from almost day one, even if no one else has. It was clear that Mike and Marco got along better than anyone else (except maybe Johnny and Roy), clear they would be close from the start. Chet knew he was fairly difficult to get along with, Johnny too, so it made sense for Mike to not want to spend too much time talking to them, but Mike just showed a clear preference for Marco's company right from the start… and it was the same with Marco toward Mike.

"I dunno, Johnny," Chet replied quietly, "I mean, I guess if two people are meant for each other, maybe-… maybe they just already kinda know stuff. Maybe they don't hafta talk to each other."

"You really think-? You really think they're meant for each other? Think they're soulmates?"

Chet's voice was serious, "Yeah. Yeah, I really do think that, Johnny."

Hell, I dunno know how everyone else has been so blind. Chet supposed maybe the others were a little… off-put thinking their fellow firemen might be involved in an intimate relationship with each other, but he had no qualms. Over in Vietnam, things sometimes happened between guys. War was terrifying and frightening and lonely, and sometimes a guy needed comfort from someone who understood. Guys got lonely and scared and drunk and horny, and things just happened. Fact of life. Firefighting was a lot like war sometimes. There was really no way of knowing if the next shift would be the last, whether due to crippling injury or death. Firemen understood each other better than anyone else, so really, it only made sense for two of them to end up together. Chet was a pretty liberal guy as far as that was concerned. He couldn't care less who fell in love with who or had sex with who as long as they were happy and no one was being hurt. Is it so unnatural to want to love and be loved in return? He couldn't understand the hate.

"And-? And are you okay with it, Chet? With them bein'- y'know?" Johnny asked.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Chet shrugged, "They're firemen, too, same as us, no matter what. They're still my friends, my brothers. So what if they're gay and in love with each other? They're not hurtin' anyone. As long as they do their job, what they do in the bedroom is none of my business. See, Johnny, I knew a guy over in 'Nam, maybe the best soldier there. This cat was precise, knew his shit, was a sharpshooter, everything. He saved plenty of lives, and everyone liked him. Then-… then one day he got a letter sayin' he was shippin' home 'cause he'd been given a general discharge, just 'cause he was gay.

"I remember, I was with him when he opened the letter, and I think I mighta been even madder than him. I mean, here's a guy with experience, who wanted to be there, who was good at his job, an-and they just fuckin' kicked him out like-… like he was a traitor or something. They were out there draftin' guys who were stupid and green and useless when there were guys like Danny, who were smart and had experience and were the best at their jobs but weren't wanted just because they fell in love with other guys, and I thought-… I've just always thought that was really unfair."

Johnny's brown eyes were soft, his brows knit in contemplation. Chet belatedly thought he should make a crack about Johnny thinking too hard, but the timing wasn't right. He didn't know Johnny's opinions on homosexuals, only knew the paramedic grew up on a ranch in Oklahoma, a rural, Conservative area with Conservative views, but maybe living in LA had changed some of his opinions. That's not to say I'm some kind of angel when it comes to shitty opinions, but I'm tryin' to get better. Mouth just works faster than my brain sometimes.

"Well… I guess… I guess I never thought of it like that before," Johnny spoke up after a moment, "I just always thought of stuff like that in terms of myself… of me feelin' uncomfortable, like they were lookin' at me for- well, you know. What you were sayin'… well, that makes sense. People used to think black people and brown people and red people weren't allowed to do this kinda work, weren't fit to be around white people. Maybe… maybe that's how wrong we are about gay people, thinkin' they're unfit to be around straight people."

Chet simply hummed in agreement. I couldn't be happier for Mike and Marco, 'cause they seem really in love. True love doesn't happen every day, after all.

xXxXx

Something warm and fluffy nuzzled against Mike's face, making him snuffle and roll over, still half-asleep. The fluffy thing chirped and nuzzled at him again, more insistently this time, and Mike finally opened his eyes. Sunlight seeped in through the blinds, capturing the little motes of dust floating in the air. A pair of vivid yellow eyes stared at him from a round, black face. The big cat chirped again, pawing at Mike's arm.

"Aw, c'mon, Tito…" he mumbled, "Go 'way… I know Marco fed ya already…"

Tito instead laid down right beside him, purring contentedly, the sound bringing a smile to Mike's face. A loud, high-pitched meow sounded from elsewhere in the apartment. God, Rosa's so mouthy… they're both pretty mouthy, actually, I'm lucky Tito's quiet right now. Mike had quickly grown accustomed to living with the two large cats. Marco doted on them constantly, lavished them with attention, and the cats clearly loved him in return.

"I rescued them from a fire about six months before I came to 51s," Marco had explained, "I was at 127s. They were the only ones that made it, or at least the only ones I found. They lived with Cari and Maristela for a few months until they could be on their own while I was on shift, but I've always been their favorite. I think they like you almost as much, though. You're nice and quiet and gentle with them."

Mike scratched between the two pointed ears, and Tito's purring increased in volume. The smells of cooking breakfast wafted in through the open door of his bedroom. He and Marco hadn't quite progressed beyond some heavy kissing and light petting, some cuddling on the couch, and Mike could honestly say he was content. He was more than happy to be close to Marco, however, it was also true that he desired more. He still dreamed of those brown hands roaming over his body, touching and caressing and stroking every part of him. More than once, Mike woke covered in sweat with a hand down his pants, the front of his shorts damp and sticky. He hoped Marco didn't hear if he'd cried out during any such dreams… though part of him hoped Marco did.

Breakfast became too enticing after a minute or so, and Mike finally sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He pulled on a t-shirt, chuckling at the series of chirps from Tito. Mike told him, "Okay, okay, just hold your horses, man," before carefully picking him up and letting him climb up onto his shoulder. Marco laughed at seeing the black cat riding on Mike's shoulder, purring loudly.

"Smells good," Mike commented, "What's cookin', Marco?"

"Let's see, I've got eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes with onions and peppers… and a little chili, just for good measure," Marco replied, smirking, "I thought it would wake you up."

"Well, someone else helped you out there. I had a furry alarm clock today."

"That's every day for me. Rosa comes in first, demanding breakfast and Tito follows. They're a little easier to wake up to than your average alarm clock, though."

Mike looked down as Rose rubbed against his leg, the fluffy orange cat purring as loudly as her brother. (Marco told him he suspected both cats were at least part Maine Coon, a breed of cat known for being particularly sizeable and fluffy.) Mike had always really been a dog person himself. He had one when he was a kid, and they had Boot living at the station. Now, living with Marco and his two cats, he could see the attraction to having cats. Tito leapt down off Mike's shoulder, hitting the floor with a loud thump and swatting playfully at Rosa, who started chasing him. The two firemen laughed. Little terrors, that's what they are… but they're pretty darn cute. Mike stepped close behind Marco, chest pressed to his back, chin resting on his shoulder. Marco leaned back into the touch, still working on the bacon and sausage.

"Wanna get out and go somewhere today?" Mike asked.

"Sure. Any ideas?"

"I was thinkin' maybe we could hit the beach."

"Yeah, I'd like to hit the beach."

Oh, this was about the best idea I've ever had. Mike was sure he could sit there all day and just watch Marco, immensely thankful for the mirrored sunglasses ensuring he could look all he wanted with no one knowing. He could look at the fine musculature, clearly there but not too well defined. He could look at the beautiful brown skin that took on a bronze hue in the sunlight. He could look at the black hair slicked back with saltwater and the wet skin speckled with sand and the well muscled chest bare to the sun and that perfect ass in those swim trunks. He licked his lips.

"Hey, Mike! Why don't you come swimmin'? Feels great!"

Mike smiled. Lookin' at you feels pretty damn good, too. He took off his sunglasses and jogged toward the surf.

xXxXx

Coming here was a great idea. Sure, Marco had seen Mike practically naked plenty of times. It was unavoidable, really, working in close quarters, now living together. There were times at the station when, after a hard run, the shift would slump in and just strip off their filthy uniforms there in the locker room, too tired to care. It was different now. Marco looked before out of simple, ordinary curiosity. Everyone did, naturally curious as to what other people looked like. Now, though, he looked at Mike with decided interest.

He watched the long, lean body jogging toward him, watched the muscular limbs and torso, watched the brown hair shift in the seabreeze. God, he's so beautiful. He was looking a little sunburnt, his face and shoulders and chest slightly pink. A look of near bliss came over Mike's face when he splashed into the water, clearly enjoying the feel of the cool water on his hot skin. Heat flooded into Marco's groin as he wondered what else Mike might enjoy feeling on his skin.

They spent almost the whole day there on the beach, leaving at about dinnertime for a nearby diner before heading home.

"Ouch… oh, I never learn, Marco…"

He didn't have the worst sunburn Marco had ever seen, but it was up there, a bright, angry red the same color as the engine. The color spread over his face, shoulders, back of his neck, his back and his chest, fading in intensity as it went down his torso.

"Well, just take a nice, cool shower to take some of the heat off, and then I think I saw some aloe lotion we could put on there to make it feel a little better, too," Marco told him.

Thirty minutes later, they were in the living room, seated on the couch in just their shorts, with Mike's back to Marco. Mike hissed at the first touch of the cool lotion on his burnt skin, his body tensing slightly, but he quickly relaxed into Marco's ministrations. Marco gently massaged the aloe into the muscular back and shoulders. A quiet moan slipped from Mike's lips, and Marco could feel it vibrate through his back. His cock began to show some interest.

"Here, turn around… lemme get your chest, too… C'mere…"

Mike groaned low in his throat, the sound going right to Marco's groin. He gently caressed the sunburnt chest, starting up near the collarbones.

"Remember when I was trapped in that warehouse?" Marco asked softly.

Mike hummed an affirmative, so Marco continued, "When I woke up in the hospital room, I was so out of it… I thought I was dead. I thought I was dead… and I thought you were an angel… an angel come to take me to Heaven. Mi hermoso ángel… my beautiful angel… that's what I call you sometimes, in my head… mi ángel…

His hands slipped lower down Mike's chest, rubbing gently along the sternum, carefully avoiding his nipples for the moment. Another low groan rumbled through his chest, barely audible but clearly felt in Marco's fingertips. The rumbling went straight to Marco's already hard cock. He ghosted his fingers down over the soft flesh of Mike's belly, leaning in to capture his lips. Big hands came to rest on his flanks, rough fingers caressing along his ribs. Marco's blood was running hot, perhaps from being out in the sun or the sea air or having spent all day with a half-naked Mike.

He licked hungrily into Mike's mouth, wanting desperately to have everything Mike would give him. His mouth was warm and wet and perfect. Their tongues slid together hotly, licking, exploring. They took turns nipping at each other's lips, soothing little bites with gentle tongues. Marco trailed his lips away from Mike's, kissing along his jaw and down the column of his throat, pulling quiet whimpers from Mike. He imagined the other man's face, could see the blue eyes heavy-lidded and dark with arousal, and the image made his cock twitch with interest. Mike gasped when he sucked at his pulse point.

Marco's lips worked their way to Mike's chest, soaking up the heat that rolled off his skin. He was careful not to use his teeth on the sunburnt flesh, careful not to hurt his lover, careful to make him feel good.

"Want you to feel so good, mi ángel," Marco murmured against his chest, flicking his tongue against a pink nipple.

Mike sucked in a sharp gasp, telling him breathlessly, "Well, it's working. I feel- oh!"

Marco covered the nipple with his mouth, sucking gently, grazing the sensitive nub with his teeth, laving it with his tongue. Mike's hips jerked forward, and one of his hands left Marco's ribs to reach for his hard on. Marco intercepted the big hand, twining their fingers, and the action pulled a whimper from Mike.

"We'll get there, querido, but not just yet," he whispered, kissing his way to the other nipple.

"Make it quick," Mike breathed, "Want- fuck- want you to touch me, babe…"

"Oh, I will… just wanna make you feel so good first… wanna take it nice and slow."

"It's not nice to torture me like this, y'know."

"Really? I thought I was being very nice…"

He carefully pushed Mike back onto the couch, covering his body with his own, skillfully keeping their groins apart. Strong hands grabbed his ass and squeezed hard, trying to pull him down. Marco wanted to lower his hips, wanted to rut against Mike like they were horny teenagers, but he held back. No, I'm gonna make him wait for the best part. He deserves to feel good. He returned his lips to Mike's left nipple, licking and nipping and sucking, making Mike all but writhe and moan beneath him. He worked his way down the taut abdomen, dipping his tongue into the belly button, kissing to the hem of Mike's boxers, lavishing each hipbone with attention. Fingers gripped Marco's hair, pulling slightly.

Mike's cock strained against the front of his shorts, a damp spot visible where the head was. Marco skipped over it for the time being, bringing his lips to the inside of Mike's knee, kissing up his thigh.

"What do you want, querido?" he asked huskily, sitting back on his knees.

"Want you… want you so bad…"

"What do you want me to do? Mike, tell me what you want from me."

"Wan-want you to touch me," he panted, his sunburn aggravated by a flush creeping up his chest, blue eyes lidded and dark, "Please, babe, I want you to fuckin' touch me… want your hand on my cock… want your mouth, too, babe… fuck… want all of you…"

That was it. Marco surged forward, capturing Mike's lips once more, pressing their groins together. Mike gasped against Marco's mouth, rolling his hips. Electricity shot up Marco's spine. His hand dove between their bodies to palm the hard cock through Mike's shorts. His hips rolled again, and a low whine escaped his lips, his head falling back to allow Marco access to his throat. After a few moments he pulled away, sitting back once more. He pulled Mike's shorts down, freeing his erection. It was a nice cock, on the bigger end but not enormous, flushed and thick, the base nestled in a thatch of dark brown hair.

Marco leaned down, experimentally licking a stripe up the underside. Mike cried out, his hips jerking up, and Marco repeated the action a few more times before putting his lips around the head, tasting precome. It was salty and musky but not unpleasant. Mike was shaking, his chest heaving, the muscles of his belly shivering. Marco leaned back, wrapping his hand around the thick cock, feeling its weight and heat and smoothness.

"You're so beautiful, Mike," Marco whispered, stroking slowly and deliberately, "Muy, muy hermoso… love seein' you like this… so hot and hard and fuckin' beautiful… and just for me… solo para mi…"

"Y-yes… only for you, babe," he panted, hands gripping harshly at the couch.

"C'mon, querido, wanna see your face when you cum… wanna see you cum for me, babe…"

It didn't take long. Mike's eyes squeezed shut, and his back arched up off the couch. His mouth dropped open, releasing a series of whining, erotic moans, his cock pulsing in Marco's hand. Cum splattered his chest in thick, white spurts, contrasting sharply with his red sunburn. He rolled his hips jerkily. Beautiful… so fuckin' beautiful… He stroked Mike gently, helping him ride out his orgasm. Mike grinned lazily up at him.

"Looks to me like it's your turn, babe…"

Mike pushed himself into a sitting position, kissing Marco tenderly, slipping a hand down the front of his shorts. Marco moaned low in his throat as Mike stroked him. He lay back, pulling Mike with him. Mike used lips and teeth and tongue to trail a path of fire down Marco's body. His hips rolled up into Mike's grip, and he moaned as the man sucked at each nipple, taking his sweet time with each one, as he slowly dragged his tongue over his chest and abdomen.

"My turn… my turn to make you feel so good," Mike murmured, punctuating his words with kisses to the line of skin right above Marco's groin, "So good… as good as I felt just now…"

"Ye-yeah, mi ángel," Marco panted, "You make me feel s-so good… so fuckin' good…"

Marco gasped at the first touch of Mike's lips to his aching cock. He kissed it from base to head, using his teeth sparingly but perfectly, leaving Marco gasping and moaning. Pleasure rolled out from low in his belly, radiating up his spine and out to his limbs and into his cock.

"I'm- fuck! Mike-!"

"I know. I can see you're close… go on, cum for me, babe… cum for me…"

His orgasm built to its head, built until he could hardly take it anymore. It rocked through his core. Heat pulsed through his cock, hot cum splashing over his abdomen, his hips rolling through the pleasure. He groaned low and loud, light sparking up his spine and bursting behind his lids. He let out a whimper as Mike gave his oversensitive flesh a long, slow stroke. There was still drying cum on Mike's stomach. Marco was very nearly hard again when Mike leaned down and licked a stripe up Marco's stomach, lapping up some of the cum, before meeting Marco's mouth once more. He moaned at the taste of himself in the other man's mouth.

Marco brought his hands up to Mike's face, gently brushing some brown strands out of his face, joyous at seeing warmth and adoration in the blue eyes.

"Mi querido," he murmured, "Mi hermoso ángel… eres tan hermoso y perfecto… y eres todas minas…"

"Did I fry your brain, Marco?" Mike chuckled, "Rewire it to Spanish only?"

"Not quite… but close. I just think everything sounds sexier en español."

"I think you might be right, babe."

"Hmm… maybe I'll have to teach you some, then."

"Yeah, maybe you will."

Mike turned his head, pressing his lips to Marco's palm, and leaned in to capture Marco's lips in a soft, languid kiss.

"Y'know," Mike whispered after a moment, "I think we showered for nothin' earlier."

"Guess we'll just hafta shower again… better conserve water and go together this time."

Mike smiled and laughed, kissing him again.

"You always have such good ideas, Marco."