A few obstacles stood between Mitch and Nate when it came to opportunities for intimacy, namely that neither of them had their own space. Sharing a room with Jodie as well as her disapproval of Mitch fraternizing at the school (he’d figure out how to address this at some point), along with Nate still living with his parents, meant semi-frequent trips to the closest Motel 6.

They passed the threshold of having gone on a few dates to actively dating, while engaged in the balancing act of keeping their blossoming courtship on the down low and doling out casual affection. Though hand holding or swapping spit in front of everyone were strictly off limits, the flirting remained more or less the same. Sometimes Mitch went out of his way to stroll by when Nate would be in the middle of instructing a class, lightly grazing a fingertip up his spine, then keep walking. And Nate made a constant effort to be near Mitch during team meetings, even when he was the only one leading them. They sparred together more often, sneaking in a bit of playful tickling or sometimes braving a kiss in the hollow of one’s necks during a pin attempt. And if they hadn’t arrived at the school together, they left as a unit.

Although outside of the school’s walls, discretion varied. Since Nate had to get up at some ungodly hour to open the bakery, sometimes it was easier for one of them to park behind the school and fool around back there.

On one of those nights, Mitch was halfway through giving a really spirited blowjob; his body stretched across the center console while Nate sat in the driver’s seat, key in the ignition but the engine not yet turned over. The original plan involved hitting up a diner after a grueling training session, but Mitch was too keyed up after being manhandled for the last hour and he went for the fly of Nate’s jeans once they got to his car.

Partway through, Nate cussed up a storm and his hips bucked, which Mitch took to mean that he was close. Naturally he redoubled his efforts, until Nate finally figured out how to speak and choked out, “Someone’s coming.”

Mitch wanted to retort with “Is it you?“, but with a mouth full of cock he couldn’t really say anything at all. He processed the warning a second later and sat up straight while Nate hurried to adjust himself. The someone in question was Maya, also parked out back.

“You kids having fun?” she shouted.

Mitch rolled down his foggy window as she approached, and with a grin he exclaimed, “Loads!”. Though he didn’t turn to look over at Nate, he could feel the nuclear levels of heat that radiated from the poor man’s face.

On another night as Mitch got ready to take off, Jodie dropped a comment about how he and Nate were hanging out “a lot” recently. Mitch coolly responded that he was allowed to have other friends, and prayed that he came across as detached enough so that she’d get off of his back. The fact that she brought it up at all unnerved him, because with Jodie it was often impossible to tell if she was just being obnoxious or hinting at an observation.

Besides, Nate wasn’t yet a boyfriend, although the idea crossed Mitch’s thoughts a few times. After all, he liked Nate a bunch, though in a way different from Calvin or Toby or other flings he’d had in the past. Nate was gentle -almost timid- as if Mitch were delicate songbird cradled in a pair of meaty hands. “You can go harder,” Mitch often found himself breathlessly coaxing, but the trepidation remained nevertheless.

Some things were much too early to form any sort of opinion on or become invested in, but they tugged at Mitch’s peripheral vision. With Christmas right around the corner, he began to wonder if he’d be extended an invitation to go to Nate’s, which snowballed into worrying about his personality and his past, what questions might be asked of him, and how he’d inevitably botch it all. He always had a tough time winning over parents, as if they could see right through him and all of the faults that he tried so hard to keep buried.

But after a bit of artful prying, Nate admitted that he hadn’t yet come out to his family. There would be no meeting the parents event for the holidays. Mitch wasn’t entirely concerned, since they’d yet to determine if they were even going steady. It was fine, even if Mitch had sold himself on the idea that Nate would more likely than not be the guy he could safely spend the rest of his days with. The man may be a little awkward, but he treated Mitch like he was royalty, lavished him with affection when away from prying eyes at the school, and his dick game was sufficient. What more could one need from a partner?

So Mitch played it cool, and continued to look forward to his little holiday staycation with Estrella.