Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

discussing his and Harlan's relationship with Danny. There had been a time when they'd shared everything, but that seemed like a lifetime ago, even if Danny did look just as he had the last time Nathan had seen him. No matter how close they had been once, things were different now. They were different.
    Danny took a seat on the couch beside him, and bumped his head lightly against Nathan's like he used to do when they were kids. "Yeah, I heard your meat's got some pretty good bank."
    Nathan shrugged. He was hardly about to discuss Harlan's finances. "It's not something I've asked him about. I just know his parents were old money and he was an only child. They passed away when the Influenza hit. He was pretty broken up about it. They were good folks." Unlike Nathan's boozehound parents, but he wasn't about to get into that either. Besides, Danny knew full well what Nathan's home-life had been like, considering how many times he had ended up on Danny's doorstep sporting bruises or a bloodied nose.
    "So how far did you run when he asked you to shack up with him?" Danny asked with a knowing grin.
    Glad for the distraction, Nathan shook his head and chuckled at the memory. "I got as far as the end of the block before he caught up with me. It took him half an hour just to walk me back here and another forty-five minutes to get me through the door. I think he thought if he could get me inside, I wouldn't be able to escape. He caught me climbing out the window twice."
    Danny laughed and Nathan couldn't help his dopey grin. He still couldn't believe Danny was here, in the flesh. For a moment, sitting together with him, it was like they were kids again. Old memories started to come back like a trickling stream, particularly of the times when Nathan had been at his most troubled, and Danny had been there, holding his hand every step of the way.
    "You have no idea how much I missed you," Nathan said, remembering how alone he had felt after Danny had disappeared without a word, how broken he'd been.
    When Nathan had been recruited to the M.T.C, Danny had promised to follow, unwilling to let anyone or anything come between them, not even a war. Somehow, Danny had ended up part of the 33 rd Infantry Division getting shipped off to Hamel in Northern France to fight alongside the Australians. Nathan had been devastated, but not nearly as devastated as when Danny's letters stopped arriving. It had been downhill from there, until he'd met Harlan.
    "You really missed me?" Danny asked, sounding surprised.
    Nathan jumped to his feet and threw his hands up in frustration. "What do you mean, 'did I really miss you'? For crying out loud, Danny, you just vanished without a trace! You don't know how long I spent trying to find you, or what I went through when I didn't."
    "It wasn't my intention to get shot and end up in some godforsaken hospital for months on end. I was fighting for my life, Nate, and after I recovered physically, I was still a goddamn mess in here." Danny tapped the side of his head and with a resigned sigh, stood and pulled Nathan into his arms. "You have to know I never wanted be away from you." He ran a soothing hand up and down Nathan's back as he held him close. "Why do you think I came back to New York, huh?"
    Nathan pulled away and met Danny's gaze. "You came because of me? I don't know what to say."
    "Say you forgive me and you'll let me make up for lost time." Danny took Nathan's hand in his, bringing Nathan's pulse to flutter. It was strange, having his old life with Danny occupying the same space as his new life with Harlan. There was so much he wanted to discuss with Danny. Like where he had gone after he'd recovered, and why he had chosen Chicago. When had he joined the Treasury Department and the Prohibition Unit, and why had he waited until now to come back to New York? "Nate, please."
    With a small nod, Nathan figured that forgiving Danny was at least a start. "I forgive you." Even if he hadn't wanted to forgive Danny, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep himself from doing so. "I'm happy you're here."
    "I'm relieved to hear you say that, Nate. The moment I saw you, I just wanted to—"
    It was only when Nathan heard himself gasp that he realized Danny was kissing him, and it threw him completely for a loop. Suddenly, he was fourteen again, lying with Danny under the big oak tree, hidden from the world by a thicket of bushes.
    Nathan's breath quickened as Danny's hand slid under his now un-tucked shirt. A