Do you love me   von Aqua111
               (Tandrak thinks about his relationship with Hale)
================================================================================
                                  Kapitel 1: 
                                  -----------


Standing there by the window
Smiling at me I know that he cares
In my mind I’m beside him
Fingers stroking his hair

Tandrak stood at the window and watched the falling rain. He almost felt pity
for the teams who had to play or had a training session during that time.
Fortunately Darigan’s training was finished before the rain started but Hale
and his Krawk Island team were still somewhere out there. Being team captain had
one major advantage: You didn’t have to share room with someone; Tandrak could
come and go whenever he wanted as long as his teammates didn’t miss him and no
one noticed that a Darigan was entering a Krawk Island room suspiciously often.
He sighed. This was the fourth year they secretly met each other, spent nights
with each other. At the beginning it was just the thrill of a secret little
affair, but now…? Four years was an awful long time for a “little affair”.
Whenever a cup ended and he had to go back to the Citadel he started missing
Hale so badly it hurt, he always was looking forward to the training camps and
the next cup, shortly said, the times he could see him again. This feeling that
slowly had started to grow so long ago was speaking of love. But did Hale feel
the same? Or was Tandrak just some nice bed activity?

If he only had a watch. Hale said that he just wanted his training to last for
an hour. Tandrak didn’t know how long he had been staring at the rain
anymore.

Not tonight, not tomorrow
Want you now to be here by my side
All my questions you answer
When you’re there with your arms opened wide

No, this one question he didn’t answer so far. Mostly because it still
wasn’t asked. The Darigan Gelert could already have asked him so many times
but he didn’t. He wanted but he always drew back. What if the answer was no?
What if the other one really just needed him for some time of passion?

The door behind him opened and closed again.
“I’m back, if ye haven’t already noticed.”
The smell of rain and wet fur had entered with him.
Tandrak slowly turned around and tried to get his focus back into reality.
“Oh, so how was your training?”
“Uhm, yeah … Not too bad, I guess, but shiver me timbers, I wouldn’t be
surprised if winner’s curse strikes us this year.” He threw his gloves on
the bed then took off his wet shirt. “Ye’re looking not too happy, Shaye.
Something bothering ye?”
Tandrak started staring out of the window again although he didn’t really look
at the rain anymore.
“Well … I was just thinking … about our next matches…”
Hello, cowardice, my old friend. Well, at least it was half true. The standings
were bothering him as well.
“Still mad at that we beat yer Darigans a couple of days ago?”
“It’s not just about the Krawks. Kreludor was a loss as well. And only draws
against the Zombies and the Mummies.”
“What about yer little win between?”
Tandrak laughed. “Moltara? Oh please. We would have beaten them with two
broken arms.”
“Don’t be too upset. They all were powerhouses or former champions. Losses
and draws against them are nothing to be ashamed of.” Hale stepped closer and
hugged the other one from behind. The Gelert could smell the slight hint of
sweat although most of it already had been washed away. “It’s just a little
streak of bad luck that will soon be over again. I bet yer next match is pure
win and after that ye’ll win again. Yer curse from last two years will be
over.”

It felt so wrong being so close to Hale and doing nothing but talking about
Yooyuball.

The Bori placed a kiss at Tandrak’s neck and whispered in his ear, “Tired of
talking about sports, taking a shower. Wanna come as well?”
Now that sounded more like it.
“Sure, I’ll follow in a minute.”
Tandrak had a chilly feeling at his back when Hale let go off him and went away.
Was it really just because his back was now wet too?

He closed his eyes, listened to the raindrops against the window and sighed
again. Maybe next time, maybe on another day, but he wanted to ask him for sure.
He couldn’t hide his feelings forever and do as if there was nothing else he
wanted to do with Hale than having sex.

We can make every night last forever
Holding hands, beating hearts together
You’re more precious than life to me, Hale

I love you. Do you love me? Two sentences, but they were harder to say than
reaching a win against Lost Desert and Kreludor the same time would have been.
With broken arms and legs. But Tandrak made a promise to himself. By the end of
this cup he would have said them. He grabbed one of Hale’s towels, threw it
over his shoulder and left for the showers.


~~~***~~~

Songtext is taken from "Tiara" by Eric Carr and slightly changed so it would fit
into the story.

Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)