WANNABES
"Wannabes" are scenes that originally were written for "Sucker" but were deleted or rewritten along the way, shown here in their original form.
Since
these scenes are not part of "Sucker" and were in fact deliberately removed from
"Sucker," please do not take any of the plot points or expressed opinions as
actual "Sucker" canon. Whatever the guys say or think here in these scenes
is irrelevant to the overall "Sucker" plot.
"Sucker" (copyright 2002-2006 by Matthew Haldeman-Time) is rated NC-17 for
graphic male-male sex. The young men who comprise the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC,
and O-Town are their own people. The author has not met anyone here described,
nor does the author mean to suggest that these people act this way in real life.
This writing is a work of fiction. I make no money from this venture.
3.) Howie, Erik ("Sucker" 60)
The morning after, version two.
Sex…touching…chocolate… Dinner…Howie…
Ugh, was he hung over? Hammering headache, nausea, vaguely undead feeling, yeah, he was hung over. Erik cracked open one eye, then the other, gradually remembering-
Oh. Oh, wait, no, oh, shit, had - - he - - oh, shit! He had - - Howie - - oh, oh god, oh-
“Erik-Michael?” Howie’s voice was sleepy with concern, and Howie’s hand-
Oh, god, “I think I’m going to-” Erik ran for the bathroom.
Erik was still in the bathroom.
The retching had stopped.
Calmly, patiently, Howie ran his fingers through his hair, restoring order. Pulling on a robe but not bothering to tie it shut, he tapped gently at the bathroom door, easing it open. “Erik-Michael?”
Naked, Erik sat on the floor on a towel he’d folded under himself. When he saw Howie, he looked away, avoiding Howie’s eyes.
“Are you all right?” Crouching down beside him, Howie ran an affectionate, concerned hand over his head. “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay.” Erik’s voice was low; his color was off. “I think I drank too much.”
Howie made an understanding noise, very gently stroking his hair. “Can I get you anything?”
“I took aspirin and some water. I’m fine.”
“Okay.” Howie kissed his temple. “Why don’t you come back to bed? It’ll be more comfortable.”
“No,” Erik said. “I should go.”
“All right.” Howie rubbed his thumb over the corner of Erik’s eyebrow. “Thank you for last night.”
Erik wouldn’t look at him.
Howie stroked Erik’s cheek. “Your skin’s so soft,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Last night meant so much to me, Erik-Michael,” he said, continuing his earlier comment. “It was very special. I’ve really needed to connect with JC again. Dinner was magical for me, and you were just perfect. And after dinner…”
“I should go,” Erik said, and made a move to rise.
“Wait,” Howie said, not letting him get up. “I just wanted to thank you. I know that it wasn’t easy for you, but you let me take what I needed, and that was so important to me. I tried to hold back, and I did my best not to push for too much. It was hard not to… Not to take things further, but… I respect you, Erik-Michael, and I respect your boundaries. Thank you for trusting me.”
At that, Erik made eye contact, confused, surprised.
“Thank you for giving me such a special experience.” Howie caressed his neck. “You did something beautiful for me last night, and I hope that someday I can do the same for you.”
“You don’t have to - - I don’t expect anything back,” Erik said, flustered. “I did it for you, I just wanted to give you what you wanted.”
“It was amazing,” Howie said softly. “You were amazing.”
“Me?” Erik asked. “You were - - you had chocolate, strawberries, and champagne. You had candles and rose petals.”
Howie
smiled. “You don’t do those things for your lovers?”
Erik snorted, then winced as his headache rebelled.
Howie kissed his forehead. “I don’t do that for everyone I’m with. But JC… I’d do anything for him.”
“He is special,” Erik admitted.
“JC deserves the best. The very best, of everything. When you have someone that special in your life, you do everything you can to show how much you care.”
Erik’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Maybe someday I’ll have someone I can do things for like that.”
“Just make sure that she appreciates you,” Howie said. “You’re very special, Erik-Michael.” His hand rubbed warmly over Erik’s thigh. “You should be with someone who’s going to treat you right.”
“I’m a great catch,” Erik agreed. “I’m in a band, I had my own TV show, I fuck guys…”
Howie laughed, hand squeezing gently. “You’re a great catch because of who you are, not because of who you’ve been with. You know how much I love JC and you know how much I miss him and you know how important to me my connection to him is, and last night, you gave him back to me in the best way you could.”
“You’re going to have the real thing,” Erik said. “Today’s the first day in our plan of attack, and by the end, he’ll be with you again.”
“Thank you,” Howie said. “Thank you for helping me. Thank you for last night.”
“It was…intense,” Erik said. “I had a good time.”
“You tasted…” Howie’s smile reminded Erik of last night’s seductive thrills. “Delicious.”
Blushing, Erik grinned. “You tasted pretty damned good, yourself.”
With a laugh, Howie said, “I meant the chocolate.”
Erik’s grin widened. “I didn’t.”