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Last Swim	By : jai Category: Individual Celebrities > Athlete/Sports Misc Views: 8134 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people written about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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June 4, 2007 Ann Arbor, MI

Ian sat back in the chair and braced himself for Charles’ reaction. He and Michael had spent the last hour and a half talking about what had been going on the last few months while Charles sat silently and took notes.

After three minutes, not that Ian was keeping track, Charles put his notepad aside and raised his head. He stared at them for a moment and then spoke.

“You’ve done most of the work here yourselves. You’ve acknowledged the problems, you’ve talked about some of the things within each of you that caused the problems and you’re both working together now to address them. I’m going to suggest something you’re both probably dreading.”

Ian groaned, “Journals.”

“Yes and I want to see you on an individual basis before you leave for Maryland. I’ve got an hour free on Wednesday at ten and another on Thursday at three. Who wants which one?”

“I’ll take the Wednesday if Michael doesn’t mind. I’ve got an exam Thursday.”

“Wednesday is fine with me.” Michael watched Charles for a minute. “Um, can we talk about sex for a minute?”

Charles pushed his glasses up and looked at Michael. “What’s on your mind?”

“Ian and I both thought that we shouldn’t rush to resume our sex life because things haven’t been good in that area either. But how long should we wait?”

“How have things been this past weekend?”

Ian looked at Michael and smiled. “We’ve been cuddling at night, holding hands more.”

“That’s good. What about your sex drives? Although you haven’t had much sex with each other, have you been masturbating more the last couple of months?”

“I guess it’s been about the same for me. Maybe a little more but not by much.” Ian said casually with a shrug before turning to look at Michael.

Michael felt the familiar flush spread over his cheeks, “Um, I haven’t really been masturbating much.”

“How much is usual for you? I’m not trying to embarrass you, Michael but I have a hunch about something so if you would answer, I’d appreciate it.”

“A couple of times a week.” Michael mumbled his answer and stared out the window.

“What about before you and Ian got together?”

Michael chewed on his lip and steeled himself. “I did it more after we started talking but not so much before then. I sort of had these phases where I needed to and then times I wasn’t interested at all.”

“All right. I know that was difficult for you-”

“Yeah and I know I’m weird.”

“Why does that make you weird? There’s no set am tha that’s normal. Some men masturbate more than others, some men blink more than others. What I was going to say is that your sex drive may be affected by how attractive you feel.”

Michael squirmed and admitted, “I haven’t felt very attractive lately.”

“I think that’s your answer regarding when you should resume that part of your relationship. I’m sorry that I brought this up in front of Ian but I think he needed to hear that.” Charles said gently.

Michael snuck a peek at Ian who had an incredibly sad look on his face. “I did that to you, didn’t I?”

“I- I don’t know.” Michael said.

“Hey, don’t go there guys.” Charles interjected.

“No it’s okay. I did need to know that.” Ian took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “I thought your lack of interest was another sign that you were going to leave; I didn’t realize it was part of a cycle.”

“I think we’ve done enough for today. You’ve both got a lot to think over and write about in your journals. As for the issue of sex, I think you’ll know when you’re ready. Every couple has rough patches and this is just one of yours. The fact that you’re sitting here is a sign that you’ll get through this.”

&&

They walked to the car in silence and Michael got behind the wheel. He started the car and pulled out, thinking over what Charles had said.

“Do you want me to drop you off?”

“I have a couple of hours before class; we can go back to the house and I can drive back so you won’t have to come pick me up.”

“I’ve got a lesson with Nancy at one so I can pick you up if you’d like. We haven’t been to Zingerman’s yet; we could pick up a couple of sandwiches and sit in the park.”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

Michael took a right at the next intersection and headed for Detroit Street. Neither spoke on the drive over, it wasn’t a comfortable silence but it wasn’t nerve racking either. Michael parked and they walked up the block to the deli. They’d been meaning to try the place but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Michael instantly regretted the delay when he walked in and spotted the sky-high sandwiches and the aroma washed over him.

“Aw man. How did I miss this place?”

“I don’t know but they’ve got smoked salmon.” Ian said as he eyed the menu board.

Michael’s eyes widened. “Oh. I’m not going to be able to choose. Rueben, BLT. There are too many choices.” Michael stepped away from the door so he wouldn’t block the exit and tried not salivate too noticeably.

“Well, why don’t we come back and pick up dinner from here if we like our lunches? That way it won’t be such a rough decision.”

“That’s an excellent idea. I’ll have to call Brenda and let her know that we’re picking up dinner but does everyone else like deli?”

“What’s not to like? At the very least, mum and Christina would have one of the salads. Oh, they’ve got a website, so they can each pick what they’d like. I’ll call Christina or David and they can bring it up.”

“Okay. What are you thinking about getting?”

“I think I’m going to have the Bagel over Tokyo. What about you?”

“Fribourg’s Feast. Do you want coleslaw or potato salad?”

“I’m going to try the Sesame Noodle salad and applesauce.” Ian said. “What park do you want to go to?”

Michael stepped up and got in line. “West Park has the best picnic area and I think we’re going to need tables.”

&&

Ian sat down and pulled out the water bottles, napkins and plastic forks while Michael unloaded the sandwiches and sides. They occupied themselves with eating for a while and as Ian was scrapping the last of his applesauce out of the container, Michael picked up a napkin and started folding it.

“Bob took the news well.”

Ian shrugged and sighed. “We’ve been so unproductive lately, I think he was relieved.”

“It’ll get better.”

“I hope so. I’ve just caused such a mess.”

Michael reached across the table and put his hand on Ian’s. “It wasn’t just you. I started off talking to Nancy about how I could help you; then I got really resentful that I was doing something nice for you and you were grumpy all the time. Then it changed into something that I enjoyed doing for myself so I was guilty for feeling resentful and wash, rinse repeat.”

“I guess we both have our patterns, don’t we?”

“Yeah we do but the key is not making the same mistake over and over. Ian, do you realize that we’ve never really talked about our future in concrete terms until Friday? We’ve talked about where we might end up living but never about what either of us was going to be doing.”

“You know, you’re right. We talked about everything else under the sun, why not that?”

“I guess we were both more focused on swimming a few years ago. Most people our age are just starting a career; you’re looking at the end of one and the beginning of another.”

“I suppose. I’ve even stopped looking forward to Beijing; it feels like something I just need to get through.”

Michael got up and stuffed the rest of the trash into a nearby garbage can before sitting down next to Ian. “I don’t know how to address that. I guess because I still want to compete through 2012, I’m looking at next summer as the mid-point in my career. I might know how you feel in five years, but right now I can’t really imagine it.”

Ian ran that through his mind and nodded. “We’ve always been at different places career-wise but we’ve always both been swimmers. That’s going to change.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Somewhat but I’m more excited by the possibilities. I’m still not sure where I want to end up career-wise but I would like to continue my education. I don’t really have to worry about money, not with the investments I’ve made. I may just end up a professional student.” Ian said with a little grin.

“Oh, yes. You’ll be such a slacker.” Michael nudged Ian with his shoulder and grinned. “What time does your class end?”

“Three.”

“Then how about you drop me off? I’ll be at the clinic until three thirty.”

Ian nodded and then couldn’t resist. “What do you do there?”

“No, actually I started by looking into massage therapy. You love getting massages and they help with your headaches then I found out they wanted ten grand and two years at the Massage Therapy school. So I asked around and found Nancy. She’s got an MT certificate but she’s also a physical therapist; she agreed to give me massage lessons only if I promised not to set myself up into business.”

Michael smiled and nudged Ian again. “I quickly found out that I didn’t like touching anyone’s bare skin but yours but it was interesting. So physical therapy seemed like a good alternative; Nancy lets me observe her sessions and I’m sort of a cheerleader. It’s really great when we go to the children’s hospital once a month.”

“We’ve both had things going on in our lives that we haven’t been talking about with each other.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk to each other this weekend,” Michael said.

Ian shook his head and grimaced. “God, I can’t believe we agreed to do this.”

“Come on, it’s going to be fun; your family will get a chance to see the country. Don’t forget that we’re picking up the RV at seven on Thursday.”

&&

Ian carried his parents’ suitcases into bedroom of the RV and still wondered how he’d gotten talked into driving with his family and Michael from Ann Arbor to Baltimore. The trip out was going to be straight driving but they planned to take their time coming back and visit several tourist attractions. Ian had to admit that if he had to make the drive, doing it in an RV was much better than all of them jammed together in the SUV.

“I think that’s the rest of it. Chris, do you need help with the baby’s seat?”

Chris shook her head and snapped the last buckle. “That’s it. Is everything loaded?”

“David’s coming with the last two bags now. Let me get mum and dad and see where Michael went off to.”

“Oh, he’s talking to Brenda in the kitchen.”

Ian nodded and went down the two stairs, moving aside for David and his parents who all grinned happily, pleased to be starting on a great adventure. Ian couldn’t help grinning back and felt his spirits lift. It had been a rough couple of days as he finished his classes and maybe he and Michael would have more time to spend with each other on this trip.

Michael walked out of the door just as Ian reached to open it. “Hey, baby. Are we ready to go?”

“Yes, everything’s loaded. Did Brenda kick you out?”

“She was tempted I’m sure.” Michael smiled. “Let’s hit the road.”

&&

Looking back, Ian saw Iona sleeping in her seat while Chris and his mum played cards at the dinette and his father and David watched a DVD.

“It was really nice of Joanna’s brother to rent us his vehicle.”

“It was. I can’t believe how plush this thing is.” Michael said as he drove. “And it’s really easy to drive.”

They sat for several minutes and Ian couldn’t stand it anymore. “Do you still want to switch off driving outside of Cleveland?”

“Ian, you don’t have to make small talk.”

“I don’t know what else to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. We’re going to be okay, we just need some time.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re stubborn, I’m obstinate and we aren’t about to let a good thing go.”

&&

“Guys are we eating in here or will we be stopping for lunch?” David asked, leaning over Ian’s seat carefully to avoid wake his brother-in-law.

“There’s food in the fridge but we do need to stop for gas. I’ll stop at the next exit and we’ll see what restaurants there are. Where did Ken and Margaret go?”

“They’re napping back in the bedroom. It’s that a funny thing to say under these circumstances. Where are we by the way?”

“Halfway between Youngstown, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We’re about ten miles from the next exit so you might want to wake everyone up in a couple of minutes.”

“Okay.”

David disappeared from Michael’s periphery vision and Ian began to stir.

“Did you say something about stopping?”

“Yeah, we’re stopping for gas and lunch. I promise that we won’t eat at McDonalds.”

“I appreciate that. How are you doing with the driving? I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“I’m doing fine and its okay. The only thing you missed was lots of road.”

“Did I hear David right? Mum and dad are napping?”

“Yeah, we did get an early start so I don’t blame them. Do you mind taking over the driving for a while?”

“No, of course not.”

^^

After lunch and refilling, Ian got behind the wheel and started driving. Michael was napping with Iona and Christina in the back as Margaret and David stretched out in the recliners. Ken took over copilot duties and was enjoying watching the scenery pass.

After forty miles, Ken turned to look at him.

“So, you’re feeling pretty rotten right now aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time your mother left me?”

“What?”

“Oh, it was only for a week. Maggie was five months pregnant with your sister and I was terrified underneath trying to be happy. Not that I wasn’t happy but I didn’t feel like I was ready and I certainly didn’t want to share that with your mum. So I was spending time down at the pub, working too much. Maggie took it for a couple of months and then packed up one day while I was out.

“It woke me right up it did. I crawled over to your grandmother’s house and begged Maggie to come back. She had your grandfather throw me out. I went back the next day and she slammed the door in my face. After five days I finally told her how scared I was; she told me she was scared too and running away from it wasn’t the answer.

“She forgave me for being a rock headed idiot and moved back home that very day. No matter how many fights we’ve had since, she’s never brought it up because when your mother forgives you, you stay forgiven forever.

“You might be asking yourself what that has to do with your current situation but after knowing your Michael for the last few years, I’ve realized he’s a lot like your mum. If he says he’s forgiven you, he means it. The only person beating you up over this is you.”

“Okay, as I try not to dwell on mom’s and Michael’s similarities; you’re telling me I need to forgive myself?” Ian asked.

“Yes, because you’re a lot like me. You and I are harder on ourselves than anyone else could be. I didn’t really forgive myself for being a jackass until after your sister was born; that was a long four months of me walking around like a whipping boy and I know your mother was tempted to take a pan upside my head more than once.” Ken swiveled his seat back and forth for a moment.

“You and Michael have a much better set of crockery than your mum and I had back then. And Michael’s a patient man but he’s not a saint. Think about that for a while.” Ken patted Ian on the shoulder as he got up and joined his wife and son-in-law to watch the next movie.

&&

By the time Ian paid the toll, exited off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and turned into the first gas station he’d had a couple of hours to think about the situation. He didn’t try to make excuses for his behavior but he also stopped trying to blame himself for everything.

“Ian? Where are we?”

Ian glanced back and saw Michael walking from the bedroom. “Breezewood. We need gas and I need to use the bathroom and stretch my legs.”

“God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to drive that whole leg, you should have asked someone to wake me up.”

“You needed your sleep, love and I didn’t mind; I gave me a chance to think.” Ian saw Michael’s face light up and found himself wrapped in Michael’s arms. “What’s this for?”

Michael pulled back and gave Ian a peek on the lips. “You called me ‘love.’ You haven’t called me that in a long time.” Michael kissed him again with a little more enthusiasm, much to the amusement of Ian’s family, and then pulled away. “I’ll go pump the gas.”

Michael strode off the RV with a bounce in his step as Ian stood for a moment.

“Look mum. Ian’s speechless; I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.” Christina said with a smirk.

Margaret shuffled and merely said, “Don’t pick on your brother.” She glanced up and smiled at Ian in approval before dealing.

“Uh, I guess I’ll get the trash together and visit the bathroom.” Ian said, still bemused.
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