Voice in the Silence

Steven stands in the lounge, casually leaning his back against the wall. It’s impossible to tear his eyes away from Dave, and he devours him with his gaze. “What?” Dave turns around. “Nothing,” Steven smirks. “Nothing?” Dave looks surprised and steps closer. “You’re not even going to comment on my performance? You saw it.” “I did,” the guy nods with a sly smile. “I couldn’t stop staring at your ass. Your costume choice turned out to be more than successful. Too bad you changed.” An hour ago, a new solo challenge for the dancers comes to an end. They have to improvise to music that blends several styles. For many contestants it proves to be a difficult task, but Dave professionally demonstrates confidence on stage and an ability to feel the music. That’s exactly what Steven likes so much about him—Dave is capable of a lot and never doubts his actions. “I want to take those stupid pants off you,” Steven admits. “I think I’m ready to say screw my hang-ups. I want more. I want you.” He says the last part barely above a whisper and takes the guy’s hand. Dave looks into his eyes and realizes he can’t hold himself back anymore. Steven, with his emotional swings, drives him crazy sometimes. One moment he crawls into his bed and hugs him tightly, breathing into his neck; the next he flinches away the second Dave touches his face. “Come to my place,” Dave says and gently pulls Steven along. The guy follows without resistance, and the moment the hotel room door slams shut behind them, he is the first to throw himself at Dave, kissing him hungrily. No more innocent, tender pecks—it’s time to leave old wounds behind and allow himself to trust someone who won’t hurt him. He wants to ravage Dave’s lips until they turn blue, but he has to pull away to tug his T-shirt off. Dave immediately moves on to Steven’s shirt, but his fingers stubbornly refuse to cooperate. “You might as well wrap yourself in ropes,” Dave grumbles under his breath. Steven tries to help, but only makes it worse. The shirt is nearly tearing at the seams. “Just don’t rip it,” Steven pleads. “It goes really well with my beige sandals.” Dave sighs, slips his hands underneath, and carefully pulls the shirt over Steven’s head. His palm returns to Steven’s body and slides downward. The guy lets out a hoarse moan and… grabs Dave by… presses into Dave’s neck… he tightens… feels how… Dave wraps his arms around…  

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“Damn it!” Alena swore, clutching her head and deleting the last sentence. She had been postponing the main characters’ sex scene for as long as possible, blaming it on Steven’s past trauma. But it was time for them to get closer—and Sanya had demanded ‘a passionate, man-on-man scene.’ Alena would have happily read it herself. The only problem was… who could actually write it? Alena tried to imagine them finally shedding their clothes, with Dave gently guiding Steven onto the bed and looming over him. The image was perfect—better than any porn. But she couldn’t put it into words. She tried putting herself in Dave’s shoes and started writing what she would do to Steven, when suddenly she stopped with a startled gasp. Somehow, the boy now had a perky, feminine chest, and Dave’s hand was nowhere near his cock. “No! This is impossible!” Alena yelled, jumping off the couch. Iriska lazily lifted her head and shot her owner a disapproving look. Lately, Alena had completely lost track: glued to her laptop, forgetting to feed her on time. Sometimes drastic measures were necessary to remind her who was in charge. “I can’t write without knowing what it feels like!” The whole book project was, of course, wonderful, but Alena wasn’t about to do something unnatural just for it. She needed help—from someone who actually knew what they were doing. @sasha_moonrise, 20:57: So, where’s the update? @sasha_moonrise, 21:12: Are you ignoring me? 😠 I’m waiting. @sasha_moonrise, 21:16: Just say you haven’t written anything 😤 @alena_synthesis online @sasha_moonrise, 21:18: Finally 🙏 Is there an update? @alena_synthesis, 21:18: Only if you ask nicely. @sasha_moonrise, 21:18: Oh, come on. I’m hooked on your fanfic. I can’t react normally. @alena_synthesis, 21:19: It’s not finished yet. @sasha_moonrise, 21:19: Send me what you have. @alena_synthesis, 21:20: 📄 Chapter 5 @sasha_moonrise, 21:20: Yay! 🎉 Running to read it. @sasha_moonrise, 21:26: Wait. I don’t get it. Where’s the rest??? @alena_synthesis, 21:27: 😔Not yet. And I don’t know if there will be. @sasha_moonrise, 21:27: 😱What does that even mean? @alena_synthesis, 21:27: I’ve been trying to write for two hours, but nothing’s coming out 😢 Apparently, my limit is… mushy stuff. @sasha_moonrise, 21:28: Not this! I’ve been waiting a week for them to get it on. Want me to enlighten you on how guys do it? @alena_synthesis, 21:28: Don’t. I’ve watched more gay porn than you have. But watching and writing are completely different things. All those movements, feelings, sounds, words… @sasha_moonrise, 21:28: I can give you a perfect tip—read other people’s fanfics. The more, the better. @alena_synthesis, 21:28: I don’t want to get distracted from my own. Although… Probably nothing will come up on its own. @sasha_moonrise, 21:28: 👍 Alena followed her friend’s advice and, after finishing the chat, immediately started looking for the necessary works. She spent a week reading other people’s fanfics, and some of them truly inspired her. Yet the cursor kept blinking in the same spot. “Hmm… I wonder if I could write about girls,” she murmured, thoughtfully scratching the top of her head. Finding no answer, she set the laptop aside again. The method Sanya suggested hadn’t worked. Maybe it was time to try something else. The next day, she met her friend at Sasha’s favorite café. Sasha’s parents were home—Alena didn’t want to make things awkward—so she suggested hanging out at the place across the street. After discussing the latest events at Alena’s work and in Sanya’s personal life, her friend attacked her with enthusiastic praise for the fanfic. Alena could only shake her head in disappointment. “Why are you upset again?” Sashka asked. “If it doesn’t work out now, it will later. Skip this scene for now. I promise I won’t complain about its temporary absence. Just keep writing. Your romantic scenes are delightful. I read them and believe all of it really happened between them.” “I can’t skip it,” Alena sighed. “I really tried, but I don’t see the point of continuing until the chapter is fully written. Maybe you could help me?” Sanya looked at her, puzzled. “You know what’s happening with the guys,” Alena explained. “And what needs to be done with them. Maybe you could try writing the scene for me?” Her friend burst out laughing. “Me? Write a scene? You’re pushing it.” Sanya kept laughing for a while, and Alena patiently waited for her to calm down. “Of course, I appreciate your faith in my abilities, and I know what to do with the guys,” Sasha finally said. “But you remember my eternal Cs in Russian and Literature? What kind of writer am I?” “I thought the same about myself,” her friend replied. “And look at what it turned into. You read my work and even praise it. Maybe give it a try?” Sashka shook her head. “That’s not for me. By the way, why don’t you look for a co-author who actually knows how to write, and ideally already has their own works?” Alena thought about it. The idea of bringing someone else into her writing hadn’t occurred to her before. Especially since it was about Steven and Dave. She needed someone who knew them well and loved them. “Post on Ficbook that you’re looking for a co-author. Someone will respond.” Alena didn’t share her doubts and decided to mull over the suggestion. “I think that’s a smart idea,” she nodded. “I’ll go home and give it a try.” On the way back, she thought about how practical the idea was. It seemed enough to find someone who could write explicit scenes, but she wanted an author who understood the characters. Then the perfect solution suddenly came to her. She got home, quickly took off her outerwear, ignored Iriska, and collapsed onto the couch. She opened the Merge channel on Telegram and quickly typed in the chat. @alena_synthesis, 19:48: Hey guys! I’m writing a Daven fic, but I’ve hit a few bumps. I’m looking for a co-author who, unlike me, has experience with guys, and who is just as obsessed with this pairing and wants to help develop their story. If you want to work with me—DM me 💛 With trembling fingers, Alena hit ‘send’ and continued staring at the screen. Suddenly, there was a loud crash in the hallway. She jumped up, tossing the phone aside. Iriska was at the door, flicking her tail in annoyance. Her jacket and scarf, which Alena had left on the pouf, were scattered on the floor. So was the shoebox that had been sitting on the shelf above the coat rack. “What does this mean?” she muttered, hands on her hips. The cat meowed indignantly, showing not a shred of guilt, and sauntered off toward the kitchen. “All right then,” Alena exhaled. “I’ll feed you.” She only returned to the living room after putting her things away and feeding picky Iriska. A new message from someone called tatiana_ember was waiting in the notifications panel. Before opening it, Alena tapped on the profile picture. A girl with curly red hair, barely reaching her shoulders, smiled at her. She was posing in front of majestic mountains. “Interesting,” a thought flashed through her mind. Finally, Alena opened the chat. @tatiana_ember, 20:03: Hi! My name’s Tanya. I’m messaging about your post in the group. Is it still relevant? Alena stared at the message in astonishment. She hadn’t expected such a quick reply. Honestly, she hadn’t even thought anyone would write to her at all. @alena_synthesis, 20:07: Hey! I’m Alena. Yes, of course. Do you write fanfics? @tatiana_ember, 20:07: Never tried, but at work I often write posts. So that’s all my writing experience 😂 But I thought my experience with guys might help. What do you think? 😏 @alena_synthesis, 20:08: Let’s give it a try. Do you know a lot about Dave and Steven? @tatiana_ember, 20:08: You could say that. I haven’t taken my eyes off them for two years. What did you think of the anniversary episode? @alena_synthesis, 20:08: I screamed across the whole house 😱 And that’s when the idea to write a fanfic was born. @tatiana_ember, 20:08: So what’s the problem? @alena_synthesis, 20:08: They have their first explicit scene. I have the picture in my head—but I have no idea how to describe it 🤦‍♀️ @tatiana_ember, 20:08: I think I can handle that. But I need to read what you’ve got, otherwise it’ll turn into a mess. @alena_synthesis, 20:09: Sure, of course. It’s pretty rough so far, so don’t judge too harshly. @tatiana_ember, 20:09: Don’t worry about that. Send it 😉 Though I won’t be able to read it right away. I’m at work, we have a launch. I’m writing social media posts, already the fifth in a row… my brain is fried 😵‍💫 I’ll go through everything and read your scene, promise. @alena_synthesis, 20:09: Okay, okay, work then. I’ll wait 🐈 @alena_synthesis, 20:09: 📄 Book Alena hit the ‘send’ button, and almost immediately a wave of anxiety washed over her. Had she done the right thing? She didn’t know Tanya, yet for some reason she had trusted her right away. The girl could have leaked her work to someone, and who knew what that might lead to. But Alena felt that Tanya wouldn’t do that. At most, she’d laugh at the silly text. In the morning, Alena noticed an unread message from Tanya on her phone. @tatiana_ember, 02:55: I read your work, and I have to say—it’s amazing 🤩 While reading, Dave and Steven were right there in front of my eyes. It’s so emotional that I actually believed in the feelings between them ✨ I really liked how you approached that scene. I think I can help you. What exactly do you want to see there? @tatiana_ember was online at 02:59 Alena clutched her phone and started typing. @alena_synthesis, 07:31: Thanks for reading! I’m glad you liked it 😊 I don’t have a specific picture in my head. I’d be happy if you could show me how you see it yourself 😉 @tatiana_ember Online @tatiana_ember, 07:31: Okay, but I’ll need some time. It’s still crazy busy at work, yesterday I didn’t even manage to finish everything 😓 Plus I’m not sure I’ll write the scene quickly. Alena re-read the message in surprise. Tanya hadn’t finished her work tasks, yet she had read the whole book. And judging by the Telegram timestamp, she went to bed immediately after finishing it and writing down her impressions. @alena_synthesis, 07:32: Of course! I’ll be happy anytime 🐾 Alena tore her gaze from the phone and looked at Iriska lying nearby. In that moment, it felt as if, in some unclear way, she was just one step away from her life changing significantly. She tried to dismiss the thought as nonsense, but the feeling wouldn’t leave her.