Herbert had firmly decided that this would be the day he told Dan about his true feelings for him. And he had chosen this exact moment to be the very time he would do so. The thought that Meg Halsey would be over at any moment was only a slight hindrance to his plan, or so he kept telling himself. She's going to screw everything up, she always does, his inner voice told him. She's the only one Dan has eyes for. Herbert grimaced slightly as he made his way up the basement stairs. I've noticed that, he responded. It may hurt my chances, but I'm still going to tell him. I have to tell him, as it will be a great way to get all this weight off of my chest. Besides, I don't have the time to just sit and think about this, she will be here sooner rather than later. He opened the basement door and traversed down the hall until he entered the living room. He saw Dan sitting on the couch, immersed in homework. Herbert looked over his roommate's shoulder to take a peek at his answers. "Oh no, that is all wrong," he said.

"West," Dan said, looking up in acknowledgement. "I don't suppose you could help me with this." He scooted over slightly to make room for Herbert. "What should I do to fix this?"

"Well..." Herbert explained every single thing that Dan had done wrong without having to take a breath. "I truly hope you got that down."

Dan scribbled down madly what Herbert was telling him. "Yeah, I did. Thanks." He placed his book and other scholastic supplies on the table.

"Think nothing of it." He twisted around to face Dan. "I have something that I'd like to discuss with you. Something...personal."

"Go ahead."

"I don't quite know how to phrase this...I...I...have...feelings for you. Very strong feelings."

"And by that you mean?"

"I think I, this is going to sound incredibly foolish..." Herbert gulped nervously, Come on, Herbie, spit it out already, his inner voice ordered. "I love you, Dan. And not like a brother."

"You can't be serious!" Dan exclaimed.

Herbert turned away, clearly embarrassed and flustered. "See, I told you it would sound foolish. I should not have brought it up in the first place. I'll go back to the basement now so you can be alone with Ms. Halsey when she arrives." He stood up to leave the room, but felt himself get pulled back down onto the couch. He turned his head and saw Dan holding his arm. That feels really good, he told himself. If only he hadn't just rejected me. "Please let me go, I'm having enough of a hard time right now as it is."

"Whoa, whoa, Herbert, you have this all wrong," Dan said. "I just meant that I'm surprised that you would say that first."

"First?" Herbert asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that if you hadn't admitted that first, I would have told you eventually."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah."

"But what about you and Meg?"

"Don't you understand what I just told you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"I'm pretty confident I could handle both of you at practically the same time."

"What if she finds out?"

"I promise that she will not find out."

"You have to prove to me that you will not let her find out."

Dan came so close to Herbert that their bodies were touching in all the right places, leading to a lot of squirming and blushing on Herbert's part. Dan whipped off his glasses and smiled sensually at Herbert. He gripped Herbert's shoulders and kissed him. This just happened to be Herbert's first kiss, years later than expected, and not with the gender such a kiss was normally associated. Herbert didn't mind, as he was sharing it with the person he loved. As soon as he was finished, he slid off of Herbert and grabbed his friend's hand. "How's that for a promise that she won't find out? You and I can do that as much as we want when it's just the two of us."

"I like the sound of that," Herbert said, unnaturally giddy. "By the way, thank you for my first kiss." He pulled Dan back on top of him and smiled. "Shall we do that again?" He made sure that he was actually flat on his back on the couch before they started anything.

"Yes, and you're very welcome," Dan began kissing Herbert again. He felt Herbert's lips slip open beneath his own and took that as an opportunity to insert his tongue into Herbert's mouth. He actually reciprocated, he thought to himself in awe. I can't believe he did, but I'm so glad. He intertwined his legs with Herbert's so there wouldn't be much room for struggle. His hands gravitated to Herbert's chest where they loosened his tie and began to remove his shirt.

I can't believe I reciprocated that kiss, Herbert told himself. Of course, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't? His inner voice chuckled deviously. You're pretty quick in using that b word, buddy. You two have barely started your relationship, and here you are, about to jump each other's bones. It would be such a pity if Meg walked in on this. Herbert gasped inwardly. Don't even mention her, I'm trying to enjoy this. Besides, Dan pretty much admitted that he would be my boyfriend, albeit not in public, therefore the word is being used properly. He felt Dan's lips press against his skin in a kiss and arched his back from the sheer pleasure of it. He also let out an extremely contented moan. That. Felt. So. Good. I want him to do that again. "Dan, that felt good, could you do that again?"

"Sure." His lips clamped onto Herbert's neck and gave it a kiss that couldn't be compared to any one that he had ever given before. He felt his right knee come within inches of Herbert's groin as a result of Herbert's reaction to the kiss. "You really liked that, didn't you?" Herbert nodded as Dan continued unbuttoning his shirt. He had gotten halfway down the shirt when the doorbell rang. Both Dan and Herbert bolted upright at the signal of Meg's arrival.

Herbert rebuttoned his shirt and grabbed his tie. "Thank you for all of that," he said, planting a quick kiss on Dan's cheek as made his way back to the basement. He opened the front door for Meg. "He's all yours." He walked past and headed right for the basement door.

The one thing that puzzled Meg about Herbert was how upbeat he was. She ignored it for the moment and walked into the living room.