Author: Athea (athea@netexpress.net)
Series: Kung Fu, the legend continues
Rating: Kermit/Peter, chapter 8
Date: 4 July 1999
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Plumber Kermit
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I sat back on my heels and contemplated the mess of pipes under the new double cabinet. With a little sigh, I started in on making all the connections fit together. While I worked, the memory of the last few weeks flashed through my mind. We'd looked at the loft, fallen in love with it and bought it the next day. My ill-gotten gains in the Swiss bank account had come in handy. Our new home was a little bare on the amenities but it had the important things.

Like Peter and I. Under one roof. Somehow, in my middle age, I'd found a home and someone to share it with. We'd moved in the furniture we both agreed on and bought a new bed. But our initial desire for a king sized had fallen by the wayside and we'd gotten a queen instead. I was way too used to having him right by my side to risk loosing contact in a too big bed.

We'd let both of our apartments and Caine was putting us up until the bare necessities were in. All we had was a large open space for the time being with no inner walls. The loft had wiring and plumbing roughed in but no sinks, lights or bathrooms were present. We'd taken Kinkaid into our confidence and he'd gotten us a deal on the bathroom fixtures from his Uncle Al so we were slowly but surely installing them. I was doing the plumbing while Peter played electrician.

But at the moment, he was on a stakeout and had been for two days. We talked when we could but it didn't fill the need to see him or feel his hug. I'd gotten a lot done this weekend and Caine had even lent a hand when it came time to lift the countertop and sinks into place. I'd insisted on two since I know how the kid is in the morning.

Using the pipe wrench to tighten down the connection, I concentrated on making sure it wouldn't leak the first time we turned on the water. The shower stall was already in but the bathtub wasn't hooked up yet to the water supply. They'd delivered the hot water heater on Friday and I was rather looking forward to a long shower once I finished installing the drains and traps on both sinks.

The sound of a closing door broke my attention and I called out to the Shaolin who'd said he would stop by later. "Hey, Caine, could you turn on the water to the sinks?"

Footsteps echoed oddly within the small-enclosed space but then the gurgle of rushing water resounded through the pipes and I watched from flat on my back while my connections held. A little condensation was all, no drips and no leaks. While I was congratulating myself, a pair of legs appeared through the open door of the cabinet.

Not Caine's legs, at least not the elder Caine. Then I heard the voice that haunted my dreams. "Kermit, you have no idea how tempting you look, all sprawled out under there. Especially to a starving man."

Then he was straddling my legs and working on the button and zipper that held my jeans together. I decided not to protest when I caught a glimpse of his intent look. He was looking at me like a hungry tiger might eye his first steak of the night. It didn't seem to matter that I was grimy and sweaty. He was pulling off my jeans and going down on my half hard cock in a matter of moments.

I remembered to put down the wrench before I hurt either of us. Then my fingers were carding through his hair while he sucked me to complete hardness. "Peter." There I'd managed to say his name even though my brains were heading south at the speed of light.

Or should I say the speed of suction? Damn, but he was good at this. I had no stamina after two deprived days without him and my hips pumped up three times before I lost it. He licked up the drops of semen like I was his favorite flavor before kissing my stomach and sitting back on his heels.

"Hi, honey. I'm home." He said sheepishly while pulling me out from under the cabinet and helping me sit up. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to attack you but you looked so good all laid out for me."

"Well, all I can say is thank goodness it wasn't your father. Damn." I turned around, reaching up to turn off the open faucets before we wasted any more water. "What do you think?"

"I think you've been working very hard and need a break. They look good." His gaze roamed over the sinks and most importantly the toilet. The working toilet. So, we didn't have any walls up yet. It just meant we couldn't have visitors. Not that that was a bad thing.

"I was thinking we might put the bed up tonight and sleep over here. Everything but the tub is connected. And we could make all the noise we want." I pulled him in close and ran my hands down his back to that tight ass that I'd been dreaming of every night.

"What a good idea." He copied my gesture but of course, I was naked so it felt even better. "I think I'm overdressed for this party."

"The shower works and so does the hot water heater. How about we test them out now?" I was already unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off the broad shoulders. Leaning in, I inhaled him like a bouquet of flowers and licked the salty sweet skin at the base of his throat.

"Oh, yeah-h-h-h." He arched back exposing his throat to me. I tasted him slowly, savoring the taste and smell of him after being deprived of both for so long. "But maybe we should put the bed together first, then shower."

I pulled back and sighed, meeting those beautiful eyes of his. "Good thinking. These floors are hard on my aging back."

His eyes went sultry while his hand came up to caress my cheek. "I'll give you a massage after our shower."

I turned my head to kiss his palm. "It's a deal."

It took us almost half an hour to put the bed together. I'd always wanted a four-poster and Caine had found this one for us in an antique store on the other side of town. Peter didn't care one way or the other and he'd watched indulgently while his father and I went over the hundred-year-old wood with a fine toothed comb. It was structurally sound and the dark oak posts were a good six inches thick at the base. They rose above the bed to a height of about seven feet.

The headboard was carved in a riotous garden of flowers with trailing vines and leaves ascending the pillars at each corner. Luckily all the pieces were labeled and numbered so we got it together with a minimum of swearing. The queen-sized mattress and springs barely fit but someone in the last twenty years had modified the base to take the bigger size.

We'd gone shopping for new sheets together and discovered that our tastes were thankfully similar. The 500 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets were a dark green and expensive as hell but worth it in the silky feel. I had gotten a new firm pillow but Peter preferred a softer brand so the head was going to be a little lopsided but at the moment, I didn't care. I was tired and craved a hot shower and about ten hours of oblivion.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't sleep well without him. But then he admits to feeling the same way. A knock on the door brought his head up from where he was tucking in the top sheet. "It's Pop. I'll get it."

Nodding, I went to the wooden cedar chest to get the flannel cover from his old bed. I had nothing but good memories of it and it matched the sheets pretty well. The murmur of voices came to my ears and I finished up so I could see what was happening. But just as I neared the door, Peter closed it behind him with a soft goodnight. He had to use his foot because his hands were full of boxes and a basket.

"Dinner. Pop said he understands we're christening the loft tonight. He suggested the zinfandel." Peter was barely keeping his chuckle inside.

I took two of the boxes from him, inhaling the subtle aromas of beef and broccoli. "I love the way your father reads our minds." I was only half joking. Sometimes I wonder just how bonded the two of them are or if its just part of the whole Shaolin thing. And if Peter was going to start reading my mind any time soon.

"I already can." He grinned at me and carried the rest of the bundles to the dining room table from my apartment while I watched open-mouthed.

Damn. I really was losing my inscrutability. Or he was getting better at reading my expressions. Chuckling under my breath, I followed him and laid the boxes on the hot pad in the center of the table. Finding the box that served as our temporary wine cellar, I pulled out a white zinfandel about four years old that should go quite well with the beef.

By the time I'd found the corkscrew and opened the bottle, he had the dishes in place and two chairs pulled up on opposite sides of the table. I poured us each a glass of wine while Peter turned on the jazz station for some mood music. We sat down to our first real meal in our new home.

Home. What an unbelievable concept for an ex-mercenary, ex-shadow dweller. I listened to him tell about the stakeout and the mind numbing boredom of his partner's conversation. He told it with a smile but I could see the toll it had taken on him. His patience quotient was much greater now that he'd begun meditating more often but he was still young enough to get restless when he didn't have an outlet for his energy.

And since I was his preferred outlet ... I found myself grinning at him while his own smile grew brighter.

"I know what you're thinking, Kermit."

"Yes, you do, Peter. I think I have a solution to that . . . energy problem you're having. And there's something we haven't ever done before." I couldn't suppress a surge of complete lust at my desire.

He flushed and finished his wine. "Can't wait."

I smiled at his bravery. "Well, first we need to wash the dishes in the bathroom since those are the only two sinks that work at the moment. Then, we need to clean up."

"It's a plan." His eyes were starting to go sultry on me and I could feel the echoing loft begin to heat up. We gathered up the debris of dinner and I found the dish soap in another box while he carried the stacked dishes to our new sinks.

Soon everything was washed, dried and stacked on the table while I thought about what I was going to ask him.

"I love you, Kermit. Just ask me." Peter had returned while I was watching the soapy suds disappear down the drain. Sliding his arms around me, he feathered a kiss on the tip of my ear and gently traced the rim with the tip of his tongue.

"Shower first. We're both grimy now. And you need to wash away the stakeout." I kissed him and pulled him towards the new corner shower. The big new shower that fit so neatly into the wall studs without any sheet rock.

He laughed and followed me, unzipping my jeans for the second time that day while I reached in and turned on the water. Sending up a quick prayer that the hot water heater had had time to reach full temp, I attacked his jeans with a sudden urge to see him naked. It had been way too long.

The water was hot and so was my lover. We soaped each other with tender hands, relearning all the trigger points and searching for new ones. We were totally clean when the hot water ran out and we dashed out of the shower, laughing at the shock of cold. Dripping on our newly sanded and polyurethane pine floor, we toweled off hastily and mopped up the drips with our semi-wet towels before throwing them in the hamper.

"Now, what was it you wanted us to do that we've never done before?" Peter quirked an eyebrow at me and I suddenly felt shy.

"Dance with me?" Was it too mushy? Did I sound too needy?

His eyes began to sparkle. "I thought you'd never ask."

The radio was playing something rhythmic with lots of sax and a drum beat that kept everything in time. Leading me to the Chinese rug by the bed, Peter put both hands on my hips while I linked mine behind his head. Holding each other, we swayed to the music while our eyes held silent agreement of just how right this felt. He pulled me a little closer and our groins matched with a gentle friction, that for the moment tantalized rather than enflamed.

I found the pulse in his throat drawing me in even closer while I breathed on the tender spot and caressed it with a gentle kiss. He hummed appreciatively and nuzzled my temple with his soft lips. We moved to the music slowly, our feet gliding across the silky weave of the ancient carpet.

"Love you, Kermit." The murmur in my ear melted me with the intense emotions it evoked.

Pulling back just far enough to look into his eyes, I shook my head in wonder. "I love you too, Peter. How did I get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one." He drew me back and rested his cheek against mine. "With you, I've found the still center that Pop always told me I'd find one day. It's like your love opened me up and let me see myself for the first time."

Moving my head a fraction, I touched my lips to his. Just a touch. A reaffirmation of life and love. "All of you is beautiful, Peter. Inside and out."

"So are you, Kermit." He smiled at my automatic denial. "No, it's true. You shine like a beacon for me, dazzling in your light. With you there, I'm not afraid of what I'll find inside my shadowy corners."

"My shadows are numerous, love. You may not like what you will find if you shine into the dark places inside of me."

"No." He was serene in his knowledge. "Someday you'll see what I see when I look at you. Strength, endurance, courage. Take a chance with me."

I chuckled through the lump in my throat. "Thought we already took our chance when we fell in love?"

"Another chance." His eyes glowed and I could tell that whatever he was going to ask, I was going to say yes. "Let's invite our friends over and christen the place with a party."

I could tell he'd thought about it, the hope in his eyes was plain to see. Thinking about the crew at the precinct, I weighed the risks against his need to share our happiness with the people he was close to. Oh hell, the people *we* were close to. Somehow, along the way, I'd become part of a team again and I was curious about what they'd say once it became clear that Peter and I were now a couple.

"All right. But not just now." I pressed my groin into his and watched his eyes light up and then darken in the space of a heartbeat.

"Oh yeah!" He waltzed us over to the bed and tipped me back onto the comforter, following me down and covering me with his body.

We made love slowly, christening the bed with long hours of tender touches and burning need. I slipped inside of him easily and held myself up on shaking arms to watch the wanton look on his face, his breath coming in great gasps and his hands clutching my shoulders. The passion built in intensity until it was too much to bear and I released into his depths with a cry of almost pain.

He followed me in silence, his eyes rolling back in his head and his entire body going limp beneath me. His seed spilled against our overheated skin and I found myself relaxing into a boneless sprawl onto his chest. We were going to be glued together if we didn't get up soon but at the moment I couldn't find the energy to care. Or to move.

Tomorrow ... tomorrow ...

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End part 8