episode 5

It didn't look like a house. It looked like a hotel.

"That's all you?" Steve said, gaping.

Danny just smiled. The Mercedes-Benz convertible coasted to a stop alongside imposing wooden doors. Steve half-expected servants to burst out and open the car door for him. While he stared up at the three stories of gray stone towering above, Danny transferred into his chair on the driver's side of the car. Steve heard his own door open, and he looked down to see Danny sitting there, grabbing his chair out of the backseat.

"Welcome to my humble dwelling," Danny said, mock-elegantly, attaching the wheels to Steve's chair. "Your chair, sir."

"Thanks," Steve said, transferring into his chair. "Your house is awesome."

"You haven't even seen the inside yet," Danny said. "Come on."

They wheeled up to the large doors, which Danny opened with a magnetic key card. Steve noticed that there were no stairs in front of the house. He followed Danny in. The hardwood floor almost gleamed, and Steve hesitated to blemish it.

"Are you sure it's okay to wheel on this?" Steve said.

Danny turned and looked at him. "It's wood because I'm in a chair. Besides, it gets cleaned once a week."

"Oh."

Steve followed Danny through one high-ceilinged hall after another, admiring the old and expensive-looking paintings on the wall. He noticed how little furniture there was. In fact, he hadn't seen a single chair.

They reached the kitchen, with industrial stainless steel everywhere, low counters and sinks. Danny opened the wide fridge.

"Let's see... orange, tomato, and grapefruit juice, Guinness, some sáke..."

"Just bottled water is fine," Steve said.

"That sounds good. Spring or distilled?"

"Um... whatever you're having."

Danny tossed him a bottle. Steve opened it and took a long sip. "Your parents live here too, right?"

"Yeah, but they're away on a business trip. Anyway, the whole first floor is mine. They live upstairs."

"That's why there aren't any chairs," Steve said. "But don't you ever have, um, stand-up friends over?"

Danny laughed. "I've never heard anyone say that before! 'Stand-up' friends? Like they're cardboard cutouts!"

"What do you want me to say, able-bodied? That's so old," Steve said.

"Whatever," Danny said. "There are a few sofas, like in the TV room. I don't invite people over much. I guess... they aren't 'special' enough." This time Steve laughed with him.

"What do your parents do, anyway?"

"They're both corporate lawyers," Danny said. "They're away on business a lot, and that's fine by me."

Steve took a sip of water and thought about his own parents. He was already living apart from them when he was hurt. Just as he couldn't know what it was like for Danny to go through high school in a chair, he couldn't know what it was like to live at home in a chair either.

"Let me show you my favorite part of this place," Danny said, breaking into his thoughts. He wheeled quickly out of the room. Steve hurriedly dropped his water bottle on the nearest counter and followed.

When he caught up, Danny was opening a door that led outside. Steve followed him out and down a ramp. He looked along the neatly swept asphalt path ahead and saw a tall chain-link enclosure with a green covering. A tennis court?

"Do you play tennis?" Steve asked.

"No, it's something my parents do. I was never any good, chair or not," Danny said. He wheeled along the path with Steve close behind. "That's not where we're going."

The path led partway around the tennis court. As he wheeled around the corner, Steve suddenly saw a building looming in front of him, almost as tall as the house, like a box with no windows. He stopped and stared.

"Well, come on in," Danny said, pulling open half of a set of heavy double doors. They were almost like the doors at the Aquatic Center. Could it be a pool? It was too dark to see.

Steve bumped his rear wheels cautiously over the threshold into the darkness, and they squeaked as he came to a stop. There was no chlorine smell. The lights came on.

It was a basketball court. Half of one, anyway. Indoors! There was about six feet of space all around the half court. What had it cost?

"I hope you play," Danny said, wheeling over to a ball rack with three rows of basketballs. He picked up a ball and bounce-passed it to Steve, who dropped it and had to chase after it.

"Not since rehab," Steve said, wheeling over with the ball in his lap. "I just can't believe this place!"

"This is my passion, other than swimming," Danny said, grinning. He grabbed the ball out of Steve's lap and locked gazes with him, his eyes fiery. "Let's go one-on-one."

Steve watched Danny sprint for the basket, roll under it, and put up a reverse hook. It bounced off the glass and in.

"Come on!" Danny yelled.

Steve decided to go for it. He wheeled onto the court, picked up the loose ball near the free-throw line, and put up the shot before Danny could get to him. It hit the glass, went off the front of the rim, and dropped in.

"Oops, I guess I'm a lot stronger than I was in rehab," Steve said, smiling.

"I won't count my first basket, so it's one-zero," Danny said. He picked up the ball and passed it to Steve, hard. "Your ball. Bet you're too chicken to drive at me."

Steve snorted. "Be careful what you ask for." He charged.

Danny quickly built a 6-3 lead with his long-armed defense and great outside shot, but Steve managed a couple of lucky hooks and climbed back to 6-5. Now for the tie. He drove straight at Danny, surprising him, but Danny managed to cut off his path. Steve was looking up at the basket when their chairs collided, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Danny said, wheeling over and looking at him with concern.

Steve tried to speak, but he had the wind knocked out of him, so he just nodded and tried to smile.

"Oh man, sorry about that," Danny said. He got out of his chair onto the ground next to Steve, who caught his breath and said, "It's okay, I'm not hurt."

He rolled onto his back, and there was Danny, staring into his eyes intently. "Steve," Danny said, and kissed him.

Steve wondered whether it was possible to be floored by something when he was already lying on the floor. He kissed Danny back, wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, then rolled him over so he was on top. His kisses traveled up Danny's neck and around his face. His arms stroked his sculpted chest while Danny's hands caressed his hair and shoulders.

Then Steve pulled away and said, "Um, at least it's not asphalt, but is there somewhere more comfortable..."

Danny blinked and said, "Sure, yeah, sure. In the house."

Steve started to disentangle himself and used his hand to pick up his leg. The leg moved. His leg moved! Steve dropped it in shock.

"Uh, that's my leg, Steve," Danny said.

Steve stared at the leg as it kicked out, jerking, the foot bumping against the floor.

"Right, this doesn't happen to you, huh?" Danny said, grabbing his spasming leg and bending it gently, quieting it.

"No, no, it doesn't," Steve said, staring at the leg. He had almost thought...

"The first time it happened to me, a few weeks after my accident, I thought my legs were coming back," Danny said, shifting his butt towards his chair.

"Yeah," Steve said, shivering. It was exactly what he had thought, just now.

"I think it'd be easier to be like you, legs never moving at all," Danny said. He lifted himself into his chair. "It's not bad for me, but it still feels like my legs are fighting me when it happens."

Steve pulled his chair closer. "I don't know. I think it's good to be reminded that they're still alive, just sleeping."

Danny was silent for a long while. He watched Steve get into his chair, then smiled at him and said, "I knew you liked me."

Steve smiled and followed him back to the house. Danny wheeled past the kitchen and through two more halls, stopping in front of an open door. "After you," he said.

Steve wheeled into the room. He had expected it to be huge, and it didn't disappoint. The light from the setting sun streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows. Before he could look around, though, Danny grabbed his shoulder and gave him a push towards the bed. It was huge too. Danny pulled up next to it and yanked off the cream-colored sheets. He transferred onto the bed and looked at Steve, who was still in his chair at the foot of the bed. "What's up?" Danny said.

I'm not, Steve thought. He was almost in a panic. He hadn't thought about this. What were they going to do, exactly? "Danny... you know, I... I can't... can't get an erection." He looked down at the part of him that, well, wasn't up.

Danny looked at him. He leaned forward, crossed his arms in front of him, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and slowly, slowly, pulled it over his head, revealing his rippling, sculpted abs and pecs. He tossed the shirt aside. "I don't care about any of that. My pants are still on. Do you like what you can see now?"

Steve nodded slowly. He felt the warmth building in his chest, that feeling he was beginning to recognize as arousal. Danny's upper body was awesome. But wait, if his legs had spasms, then what about... "But what about your dick?" he blurted out, before he could stop himself.

"What does it matter if I can't feel it?" Danny said, quietly. "Here, go ahead." He hooked his thumbs in his waistband and pulled down his sweat pants, revealing white Calvin Klein briefs. He reached into the flap, pulled out his dick, and left it there. Steve couldn't believe this was happening, but he was curious, so he wheeled around the bed, leaned over, and looked at it. Danny's dick lay there, limp, uncircumcised.

"Go on," Danny said, motioning with his hand.

Reluctant but fascinated, Steve reached out, closed his hand around Danny's dick, and started stroking. It grew, and grew, and it was huge, of course, but almost as quickly as it grew it shrank again. Steve pulled his hand away.

"I didn't feel anything," Danny said, tucking his dick back into his briefs and pulling his sweat pants back up. "Did you?"

"No," Steve said, "but mine doesn't even do that."

"Listen!" Danny said. "You've got to forget about your dick. Just like your legs don't do anything for you, your dick doesn't either. So ignore it."

"But... but what else can I do?" Steve asked.

"You know how horny a teenager gets. How do you think I've played with myself for the last seven years?" Danny stared at him. "You mean you've never played with your nipples?"

Steve didn't know what to say. "I..."

"You're a nipple virgin! Come on, get over here."

Steve slowly shifted his butt onto the bed, pulled his legs up next to Danny's, then felt Danny grab his shirt and pull it up playfully.

"Hurry up!" Danny said, grinning. Steve lifted his arms and let Danny pull his shirt all the way off, then suddenly found Danny's tongue in his mouth. They fell back on the bed together. Some time later, Danny disengaged his mouth and leaned on his left elbow, looking down at Steve's face and chest.

"Your nipples have more nerve endings per square inch than any other part of your body," Danny said. "Who cares about your dick when you can have sex in stereo?"

He reached out with his right index finger and ran it in a slow circle on Steve's chest, keeping his finger about two inches from his left nipple. Steve felt an electric tingling in his chest, and he gasped a little. Danny spiraled his finger in towards the nipple, moving it faster little by little, the tingling growing in Steve's chest, until he reached the nipple... and just flicked it gently.

"Oh!" Steve felt like lightning had struck him. He looked at Danny. "Why'd you stop?"

Danny just grinned and leaned in towards Steve's right nipple. He opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and flicked the nipple with the tip. This time Steve gasped and actually jumped a little, his shoulders spasming. He raised his head and saw that both of his nipples were erect.

"See? It's like having two dicks," Danny said. He opened his mouth again, leaned in, and Steve tensed with anticipation. At the moment Danny's tongue touched his right nipple, his finger touched his left nipple. Danny moved both his finger and his tongue, flicking each nipple alternately, more and more frequently, and Steve felt the warmth growing in his chest, his breath quickening, and Danny started moving his finger and tongue in circles, increasing the pressure on the firm, swollen nipples, faster and faster, harder and harder, until finally...

Steve arched his back, breathed in a deep, ragged breath, and felt the warmth strike every part of his body he could feel, from just above his hips to the top of his head to the tips of his fingers. He lay there, eyes closed, while his breathing returned to normal. He opened his eyes and looked up.

Danny was grinning widely at him. "First time you've had an orgasm in... how long?"

"More than two years," Steve said. He smiled. "That was awesome." He leaned his head on his right elbow so he was face-to-face with Danny, and kissed him briefly on the lips.

Then he reached out and pushed Danny down to the bed. "It's your turn."