Prince of Tabar

It felt strange to be marking the anniversary of his sister's and his own birthday so far away from home. For the first time since his father had found him and brought him home, he wasn't able to visit Danika's shrine and talk with her as he usually did. Cody wasn't there to wake him up with the smell of her traditional delicious cooked breakfast. He worried how his father would handle his absence, would his withdrawal from the world be worse, easing that pain with even more opium.

Instead, Danny was in his freshman year of college, and so far he had been enjoying the freedom -- although that was a relative term with the army of bodyguards surrounding him in a house close to campus that Hsu had rented because of the ease their security measures could be installed. His classes were good, and he was doing well in them, but even better than that was that he was able to stretch his wings socially, and that he really liked and already where the best parties tended to be. He had made several casual friends, and one of them had been vetted thoroughly through MacDonald's system so that Danny could have company, and a roommate.

"Are you going to class today?" Benjamin Phillips had been informed by Lars Jespersen, who was currently Daniel's senior bodyguard, that for personal reasons his birthday was pretty much a non-event.

Dan shook his head. He was sitting quietly in the kitchen while he wondered how he would get through the day. He and his roommate had become firm friends in the short, few months they had known each other, and were getting closer although not yet lovers. Not that Danny had any objections. He had been sheltered but sex had always been a very open matter at the Ranch, and in these months away his crush on Cody had, while not faded, been distracted. It was Ben, who came from a wealthy but very straight-laced family. He had loosened up a bit, but Danny was not going to push it. Thoughts of sex, however, were far from his mind today. "It'd be a waste of my time and the professors' today. Just feeling a bit homesick."

Ben sat next to him. Although he didn't know the history, it was clear that something must have happened to mark Dan's birthday as a tragic anniversary. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder, leaning his head in. "I'm not going to pry. I promised Lars I wouldn't, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm a great listener. I'm sure your dad'll call and you guys can talk, make you feel better." Ben had yet to learn about the often contentious relationship between father and son, although this day or all days would be the one where there would not be a fight.

He shrugged. He really wasn't sure if Hsu would call or take his call, especially if this anniversary wasn't hitting him as hard as it was Danny. "I don't know. He's not in a good mood right now. Cody'll probably call, though."

It was stunning to Ben that a father who was so protective of his son to surround him with a dozen or more bodyguards would not want to speak to him on his birthday, but he sensed that voicing his curiosity would not get him far. He did know how much Danny thought of Cody, usually he couldn't help smiling whenever he spoke about her. "Yeah, I bet that she will."

"Ben? Stay home today. Keep me company." Danny had managed to cover his phobia on being alone so far. If he wasn't surrounded by friends, there was always the men guarding him to keep that fear at bay. Today he needed a bit more, a real friend to keep him company as he longed for his sister. "Please. I really don't feel like being on my own."

Ben laughed. "Your own, with this lot?" He gestured towards the security man sitting unobtrusively in the next room. "You can get skip class, but some of us have to attend lectures."

"You know what I mean! And you can skip one class." He let his eyes do the pleading. "I'll have one of the guys sit in for you, tape the lecture.... Just for today, Ben. I just need someone around. A friend around."

"You rich boys think you can do anything. Having a bodyguard tape a lecture!" He was chuckling, imagining one of these hard mercenaries sitting in on a lecture on Strategic Financial Management. "Alright, but you owe me!"

For the first time that day, Danny shot him a smile, albeit a small one.

***

Later that evening, they were both just quietly talking, sharing a beer each. Danny had just told Ben about the first time he had seen, really seen, Cody in a bikini and how it had been his sexual awakening, and also more than a little discomforting to realize your father's lover and the woman he regarded as something between a mother and a sister was an incredibly hot and sexy woman. And from that moment, he told Ben, he had been in love. Ben described his first sexual exploits in high school with girls that his social-climbing family would never have approved of, and that he'd only gone with them for the shock and scandal and not because he had felt anything for them.

Ben looked into those sad hazel eyes. "You doing better than this morning?"

"Not really. It's just a tough day, but I'm glad you hung around. It's been good to have someone around I can talk to. It's helped, really it has." He smiled softly at him. Grateful to have him there and more than comfortable with him. Even so, it surprised him when Ben dipped his head and came in for a kiss. Surprised, yes, but Danny welcomed the advance."

"Er...yeah...you don't mind, do you? I've, er, been wanting to do that for a while." Ben pulled back, suddenly unsure in his forwardness. Danny was very open sexually but he may not feel the same, and today may not be the best day to show how he'd been feeling.

Danny shook his head. "No. I've been wanting you to do that for a while as well." Sex hadn't been on his mind, and maybe this would lead there tonight or maybe it wouldn't, but he longed for physical contact. The intimacy of a kiss and the comfort of arms around him. He leaned in and met Ben's lips again. This time the kiss lasted much longer.