The Kingswood Complication - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Friday 26 August 2022

“Oh, to be young and in love!” Fiona Davies said wistfully as she peered round into the back seat of the car.

Her son, Danny, was seated behind her, while closely beside him was Chris Smith. The two boys were sound asleep, holding hands serenely as they snoozed in the back of the parker car.

“I’m quite happy being old and in love, thank you very much!” Phillip Davies replied with a chuckle, leaning over to deliver his wife a brief peck on the cheek as she giggled at the comment. Reaching back to the two boys sitting behind them, Phillip patted his son’s leg heavily as he said, “Wake up, lads. We’re here!”

Danny’s eyes flickered open as he looked round to get his bearings. Chris had fallen asleep somewhere around Luton and Danny had drifted off soon after, so they had managed to miss the best part of 2 hours of the journey. Having only flown back to the UK from their second family holiday of the Summer break the previous day, the two boys were exhausted. “Wha…” Danny mumbled as he looked round and realised they were in the guest car park back at Kingswood. “We’re back!” he exclaimed, the excitement momentarily outweighing the slight trepidation this year’s return brought with it. He grabbed Chris and shook slightly, knowing his boyfriend was notoriously hard to wake. “Chris, we’re back!” he said loudly.

Chris let out a moan and nuzzled against Danny as he said sleepily, “Just a bit longer!”

Phillip and Fiona both laughed at the boy as they watched Danny continue trying to wake him. “I’ll start unloading,” Phillip said as he opened the door. As Danny’s father got out, he slammed the door a little harder than he needed to and smirked as he saw Chris jump.

“What?!” Chris yelped. He looked round at their surroundings and said urgently, “We’re back! Why didn’t you tell me!?”

Danny shook his head at Chris then looked to his mum and asked, “Any chance you can just leave HIM here and take ME back?”

“Sorry honey,” Fiona said with a smile. “Come on. Let’s give your dad a hand!” she suggested before getting out too.

“You ready for this?” Chris asked the moment the door was closed and they were alone.

Danny glanced out, looking across the grounds to the school’s main buildings. He let out a sigh and said, “Honestly… I’m really not sure!”

“Hey, it’s all gonna be okay,” Chris said reassuringly, tightening his grip slightly on the hand he hadn’t let go of since waking.

“I know,” Danny replied, though mostly for Chris’ benefit than his own. “And you’re sure you’re okay keeping… US a secret?” he asked cautiously. “At least for a little while, til we can… ya know… talk to people?”

“Hey, you’re the brains of this operation,” Chris said as he shrugged and gave a cheesy grin, “I’m just the looks, humour, talent, personality…”

“Humility!” Danny interrupted with a chuckle.

“Yeah, that too,” Chris agreed happily. “But seriously, if you think it’s best to keep it quiet, then that’s what you’ll do. You know I always trust you to do the right thing!” He leaned in to hug his boyfriend.

Danny held Chris as he felt a strange churning in his stomach. Chris’ choice of words had not been ideal. ‘Doing the right thing’ was exactly what Danny was worried about. It seemed like Year 9 had been nothing but a series of bad choices for him. Sure, so far nobody else seemed to see it that way, but it felt like only a matter of time until everyone else in his life caught on and realised Danny’s idea of ‘the right thing’ usually just made everything worse.

As Chris went to pull out of the hug, he felt Danny grip tighter.

“Just a bit longer,” Danny whispered. “Please!”

Chris didn’t reply, he just held him.

A few minutes later, the two boys were out of the car with the luggage piled behind it, ready for the Kingswood staff to lug it all into their dorm.

“Ugh, I knew this peace was too good to last!” a pleasantly familiar voice called out.

They all turned to see Mr Levi Trent approaching. The Kingswood School For Boys’ Home Building (or just Home as most called it) had three residential floors, each home to a ‘Floor Master’, a teacher from the school responsible for overseeing day-to-day life for the boys living there. For Chris and Danny’s first three years at the school, living on the first floor, Mr Trent had been their Floor Master. More than that though, he was also in a relationship with Chris’ eldest brother, Blane. While most of the boys hadn’t see Mr Trent since going home at the premature end of last term, Chris and Danny had spent one of their holidays with Levi and the rest of Chris’ family. That didn’t make the reunion any less welcome.

Mr Trent was almost knocked off his feet as the two boys charged at him, hugging him excitedly.

“Kinda need to breathe here, fellas,” Mr Trent said as he pried the two boys off him. As they pulled away, the young teacher looked to Danny’s parents, smiled and said, “Fiona, Phil, nice to see you again!”

“You too,” Fiona replied cheerfully.

“Hell of a welcome. I don’t think I EVER liked any of my teachers THAT much!” Phillip said with a hearty laugh.

“Ahh, that’s cos you never came to Kingswood!” Mr Trent said proudly. He looked to the two boys and said, “I reckon you guys are old enough to find your own way by now.” He turned to look back at Danny’s parents and said, “If you wanna say your goodbyes, I have some admin stuff to sort out while I have you two here!”

Several hugs and kisses later (with Chris insisting on getting just as much attention as Danny), the two boys headed off across the school grounds.

“This feels so weird,” Danny said, shaking his head. Usually, any return to Kingswood would start with a walk up to the Home Building to get settled into their dorm. That was not the case this time. An explosion and fire at the end of the previous school year had badly damaged the building which remained under repair. The two boys now headed for the Guest Building instead, a building filled with guest accommodation for visitors during events and celebrations.

Chris nodded his agreement as he understood the sentiment, but explained optimistically, “Blane says we’ll probably be back in there in just a week or two, so this is only temporary!” It was a small comfort, but both boys still felt a heavy wave of sadness as they headed away from their usual home.

They chatted quietly as they made their way through the building, glad when they eventually heard voices coming from the dorms assigned to Year 10 as it made the mostly-empty building just a little less creepy. Making their way into the dorm they had been assigned, they were happy to another member of their dorm already back.

“David!” Chris called out happily, holding his arms out excitedly to their younger dormmate.

“Hiiii!” David squealed happily as he saw the other two boys walk in. He happily ran into Chris’ arms, giving him a brief hug before pulling away to do the same for Danny.

“Yes, I was hoping you’d go back to blue!” Danny said as he pulled out of the hug, mussing David’s re-dyed hair.

David shrugged as he raised his hand to tidy his hair. “I nearly went with red again, but blue matches my winter wardrobe WAY better!” David said casually.

Danny and Chris exchanged glances for a moment.

David tutted and huffed as he said, “Fine, go ahead, take the piss!”

“Nah,” Danny said, shaking his head. “Unlike us, you actually put effort into your appearance. We’re not shaming you for that!”

“Pffft,” Chris scoffed. “Don’t put in any effort? Y’know, he still kept up his daily gym routine even while we were on holiday!”

Danny’s face suddenly lit up as he declared, “Yes! I finally get a full gym and pool again now we’re back!” He had missed the full range of facilities he was used to using daily and had spent the Summer making the best of whatever was available in its place.

“Oh yeah! The holidays. I wanna hear all about them! I can’t believe you got TWO!” David said as he jumped onto the bunk he had obviously already claimed.

“Oh,” Chris pouted as he looked round. Back in their old dorm, two pairs of bunk beds had been always pushed together side-by-side, turning the bottom bunks into a double which he shared with Danny. The much smaller temporary room they were staying in for now didn’t really have space for an arrangement like that.

“S’okay,” Danny said, putting an arm around Chris as he realised the cause of his boyfriend’s concern, “We’ll take them,” he said, pointed to the bunk above David and the one next to it. “We’ll figure something out!”

“Okay,” Chris sighed before tossing his bag up to claim one. He promptly jumped onto David’s bunk, taking a seat beside him. “Get comfortable, it’s a long story. I call it… Chris and Danny’s Super Sexy Summer!”

Danny rolled his eyes and smirked as claimed his own bunk then joined the other two to listen in on the doubtlessly over-dramatized tale.

*****

“So how long exactly do I have you all to myself?” Jazz asked, smiling serenely.

Rob chuckled at the question. Jazz, one of his two boyfriends, had come out to meet him on arrival and walk him over to the Guest Building. As soon as they were inside and away from potentially prying eyes, they had started making out. It wasn’t that Rob was hiding his relationship for his parents. Quite the opposite actually, he had eagerly introduced Jazz to his parents, he was just never overly comfortable with overtly public displays of affection.

The kissing had lasted several minutes before they eventually parted to speak, still happily holding onto each other. “Well the Year sevens will be here tomorrow and the rest arrive over the few days after that. Year elevens don’t arrive until Wednesday, so no Luke til then!”

“Except he’s not a year eleven anymore, dickwad, he’s a twelve!” Jazz said with a playful grin.

“Ugh, I feel so old!” Rob moaned, letting his head drop onto Jazz’s shoulder.

Jazz chuckled and said, “Well hurry up and give me more kisses before you retire, old man!”

“Gladly,” Rob said with a huge smile before kissing him again. As they parted once more, he thought for a moment and added, “So if Luke’s a year twelve now that means we won’t see him until Tuesday instead. Wow, four days of just us. How… awful!”

“Yusss!” Jazz said in celebration. “Always knew I was your favourite!”

Rob tutted and rolled his eyes. “You know we don’t do favourites. I love you both just like you both love me… and each other!”

“I know, I know,” Jazz said with a slight shrug. He was still getting used to being part of a throuple. Though he had been very involved with Rob and Luke throughout his first year at Kingswood, he had not officially joined their relationship until June, meaning it had only been three months, two of which had been spent apart over the summer. “Well tell me I’m at least your favourite year ten boyfriend!” Jazz requested with a grin.

Rob tried and failed to suppress a smirk as he shook his head. “Fine, I guess you are,” he admitted as they finally started walking towards the dorms.

“Cool. I’m probably Luke’s favourite year ten boyfriend too,” Jazz said confidently. As he saw Rob looking scandalised, he said, “Sorry, just kidding. Save the crazy jealousy!”

“Hey, that’s behind me,” Rob insisted. “I’m leaving that shit in year nine. New year, new me!”

Jazz snorted with laughter. He stopped for a moment to look at Rob apologetically and said, “Sorry, not laughing at the sentiment. Personal growth, yay for you and all that shit but… new year, new me? What’s fucking next? Live, laugh, love!”

Rob shuddered at the comment as they resumed walking and said, “Ugh, good point. I think I’ve spent too much time with my mum!”

Jazz laughed as he nodded his understanding. “I get it. For some reason I got stuck with my mum and my aunties and my six million female cousins!” Jazz joked, having spent most of the summer visiting family. “But don’t worry. One night in this place and you’ll forget women even exist!”

As they got to the door to Rob’s dorm, they stopped dead as they saw Chris bending over, showing his exposed arse to Danny and David.

“It’s not what it looks like!” David blurted out.

“It’s exactly what it looks like!” Chris added with a smirk as he pulled his sweatpants back up. “But that’s as much as we’re telling you. Now gimme a hug!”

“Oh, NOW it really feels like I’m back!” Rob laughed as he felt Chris hug him.

As David and Chris started chatting to Jazz, Rob headed for Danny who had hung back a little, smiling sweetly. “Hey you,” Rob said, smiling back just as strongly.

“Come here,” Danny said, stepping forward to pull Rob into a hug. “I’ve really missed you!” he whispered as they held each other.

“Aww, I’ve missed you too,” Rob replied softly.

While Danny shared a special and unique bond with every member of his dorm (and a few boys from outside it), he and Rob seemed to share a particularly special connection. Both seen as leaders in their respective sports as well as off the pitch, they often shared responsibility for looking after the others around them. In a way, the dad and… other dad of the dorm.

“Can we get some time later?” Danny requested as they both let go. “I’ve got SO much to catch you up on!”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Rob chuckled. Danny’s almost-two-year relationship had ended shortly before the summer break, on top of a whole bunch of other excessively angsty teen drama. Even without tales of what he and Chris had gotten up to over the summer, they would have a lot to talk about. “We’ll catch up later. For now, let’s go save Jazz from Chris!” he said, gesturing to his boyfriend who remained trapped in an overly-enthusiastic hug.

*****

“You boys okay back there?” Carl Jones asked, looking briefly in his mirror at the two boys in the back seat. “You’ve been… unusually quiet!”

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Nicky replied to his father with a gentle nod. He slid his hand across the seat between himself and Mikey and took the other boy’s hand, squeezing gently. “Right?” he prompted.

“Yeah,” Mikey agreed quietly, “We’re good!” He had been distractedly staring out the window as they neared the school but turned now to give Nicky a meek smile.

<<He knows you’re lying!>>

“I get it,” Carl nodded, “Never fun going back to school after the summer break. And I imagine the accident shook you up a bit too!”

“The explosion!” Nicky corrected his father. As he saw the man frown slightly, he explained, “Sorry, it’s a thing we have. ‘The Accident’ is what we call the thing in year eight with Danny and Chris. We decided to call the thing at the end of last term ‘The Explosion’ just so we can be clear what horrific incident we’re talking about!”

“Oh!” Carl replied, unsure whether to be amused or worried.

“Just to add,” Mikey joined in, “We call Josh’s suicide thing ‘The Incident’. We like to be clear!”

<<You just mentioned suicide. He’ll be calling a doctor on you next!>>

Silence lingered heavily for a few moments before Carl began to laugh, the two boys quickly joining in. Although they went quiet for the few minutes remaining of the journey, the mood seemed at least a little lighter by the time they arrived.

After a brief but affectionate goodbye, the boys left Carl speaking with Mr Trent as they headed over to their temporary dorm.

“You doing okay?” Nicky asked, reaching over to stroke Mikey’s back gently.

“I keep telling you, I’m fine!” Mikey insisted.

<<Liar liar pants on fire. No, don’t do that, pants are fun! Don’t set them on fire!>>

Nicky sighed a little as he pulled his hand back. It had been a frustrating summer for him. He had spent the past eighteen months finally processing the issues he had been left with after the death of his twin brother, Matthew. While he would always miss his sibling, he no longer felt weighed down and controlled by the loss as he had for the such a long time. In many ways, it should have been his best summer for years, being both mentally unburdened and able to spend most of the break with his best friend, but life never seemed to be quite that simple.

Shortly before the summer break, Mikey had voiced something that Nicky had long suspected – that something was wrong with him. Mikey had always been a strange one, having started Year 7 with an imaginary friend and a lot of attitude, but he had grown over the years. Yet Mikey’s quirkiness still remained, at least that was what Nicky assumed it was. Talking to himself at times, occasional bouts of narrating what was going on around him, unpredictable mood swings and even occasional (usually justified) moments of violence. Mikey was complex and, even as his closest friend, Nicky was still figuring him out.

Following Mikey’s comment that something was wrong, Nicky had spent the summer trying to get more information out of him, but the stubborn boy had not been forthcoming. It appeared his admission of a problem had been a momentarily slip and the defences had gone back up around it, stronger than ever. Mikey had spent most of the summer quiet, clingy and physically affectionate, while suppressing every attempt Nicky made at getting to its cause.

Nicky certainly had other things on his mind too - his recent concerns that Danny was being bullied, starting GCSEs, becoming a mentor – but as always, Mikey remained top of his list of concerns. As they reached the dorm, neither of them had said another word, though the mood was instantly lifted by the excitable greetings from the rest of the boys already inside.

Having already given Nicky a hug and a playful kiss on the cheek, Chris was about to turn and offer a hug to Mikey when he felt the shorter boy grab him unprovoked. He usually had to force Mikey into anything affectionate, so it was with pleasant surprise he said softly, “Hi,” as he nuzzled his cheek gently against Mikey’s fiery-ginger hair.

Mikey just sighed contentedly as he remained silent, holding on tightly.

After a good thirty seconds, Chris pulled back slightly to look down at Mikey without fully letting go. “You okay there, bud?” he asked, beginning to get worried.

“Hmm, just glad to be back,” Mikey replied, eyes still closed tightly as he remained clamped to Chris.

<<This is nice. Chris is nice. We like Chris!>>

Chris chuckled a little but glanced over to Nicky who pouted with a slight shrug in return. While their three-way relationship was now little more than a long-distant memory, their time together had given the trio a strong bond that even a messy break-up hadn’t diminished. Knowing there was more going on than there appeared, but also that now wasn’t the time for it, he planted a gentle kiss on Mikey’s forehead. “Wanna hear about my summer?” he asked softly.

Mikey finally pulled back, nodding. “Wait,” he said suddenly, “How much sex was involved? Am I gonna need tissues?”

<<Bet he had even more sex than you did. What a slut!>>

“Oh my god, Mikey. That is SO inappropriate,” Chris scowled for a moment before bursting into laughter as he added, “But yes, almost certainly!”

*****

“Alright, slugger!” Josh called out across the car park as he saw Mark getting out of a car.

Mark cringed at the playful comment. Before ‘The Explosion’ shut the school year down early in June, Mark had been suspended for fighting. After a couple of years in an abusive relationship at his previous school, and months of cyber-bullying from his ex while at Kingswood, Mark finally stood up to the petty thug. Unfortunately, allowing his pent-up rage to get the better of him, he took what started as self-defence and crossed the line into straight-up assault. It was only the history and mitigating circumstances that stopped the suspension from being a full-on expulsion.

The man who had also got out of the car gave the boy a disapproving look, then another in Josh’s general direction.

“Hi Josh,” Mark called back a little awkwardly, eager to move the conversation on.

“Catch ya later,” Josh said casually to Jack, his guardian, getting a quick goodbye in return. He hurried over to Mark, grinning dopily. “Hey, great to have you back!” he said happily. He looked to the man lifting suitcases out of the car and said, “This must be your dad!”

The man scoffed as he shook his head. “Oh please! Mr Reid has MUCH better things to do than waste his time driving here!”

Seeing Mark look visibly upset at the comment, Josh snapped, “Wow, a lot of attitude for a taxi driver!”

“I am Mr Reid’s personal assistant!” the man snaped back at the petulant teen.

“Josh, don’t,” Mark whispered, shaking his head.

Placing down the last of the luggage, the man headed back for the car door and called out, “I’ll see you in July… unless you manage to get yourself suspended again before that!”

“Wow, you really know how to put the ASS in ASS-istant, don’t you!” Josh growled angrily.

“Leave it, he’s not worth it!” Mark said, grabbing Josh’s shoulder to pull him back as the car started up and backed out of the parking space.

“Jesus, what a cunt!” Josh stated bluntly.

“You get used to it,” Mark sighed with a dismissive shrug.

“You shouldn’t have to!” Josh said, his brow furrowing heavily.

Mark smiled at the other boy’s anger on his behalf. “Hey, chill,” he said softly, placing a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “You already saved me once, no need to do it again. You can put the cape away!”

Josh blushed a little as he said humbly, “I wouldn’t… really say I SAVED you!”

“Oh you did,” Mark said, nodding as he let the arm slide around the smaller boy’s shoulders as they headed for Mr Trent who was chatting with Jack. “When you… did what you did,” he started, referring to a moment back in Year 8 when Josh had offered Mark help in handling some bullying, “It was the first time I felt like someone actually gave a crap about me. That thought got me through some tough times. So yeah, if I say you saved me… you saved me. Deal with it!”

“Yes sir,” Josh chuckled, as he felt the taller boy squeeze him. “Ugh, I’m so glad to be back!”

“Yeah, me too,” Mark replied, then glanced over at the Home Building. “Wow,” he said as he shook his head.

“Fuck, I forgot this’d be your first time seeing it!” Josh said sympathetically. He could still remember that awful night, after The Explosion, standing and watching flames billowing out of the shattered windows of their home.

“Yeah, it’s horrible!” Mark sighed as he looked at the building. He had heard about the damage and even seen it briefly on video calls he made to his dormmates before they were sent home in June, but seeing the building in person made it seem so much more real… and heartbreaking.

Repair work was nearing completion, with all of the shattered windows replaced, but the final stage which would include external cleaning to remove the smoke and fire damage had not yet started, leaving the building visibly scarred.

“But we’re all okay, and that’s what really matters,” Josh said just as they reached the two adults.

“Now that’s a good attitude,” Mr Trent said positively as he caught the tail-end of their conversation. “Buildings can be rebuilt, people can’t!”

“And it’s been rebuilt before. A couple of times actually,” Josh explained. “This version was built about a hundred and twenty years ago, but there were other buildings there long before that!”

All three looked at Josh, surprised by his knowledge.

Josh shrugged. “What? Rob loves buildings and stuff, never shuts up about it. Some of it was bound to sink in eventually!” he said with a proud grin.

“Ugh, proud teacher moment,” Mr Trent said with a huge grin, getting a smirk from Jack. “You guys head over to your dorm, you’re actually the last ones back. I’ll come get you all shortly.”

“Yes sir,” the two boys said in unison.

“Bye Jack,” Josh said cheerily as Mark offered a polite nod of his own. “Last ones back,” Josh mused as they walked. “That means Chris is already here…”

“Wow, you really ARE smart,” Mark said a little sarcastically.

Josh huffed as he shook his head and started, “I just meant…”

“I know what you meant,” Mark interrupted, “And it’s fine!” Towards the end of the previous year, Chris and Mark had started dating, though Mark had ended the relationship the morning after The Explosion. The two had not spoken since.

“Okay, but I just wanna know if things are gonna get violent as I know you’ve kinda got a thing for punching ex boyfriends,” Josh teased. As he got a disapproving growl from the bigger boy, he grinned and added, “I’ve not fought anyone all summer and I may need to stretch first!”

“Now I’m thinking that if things DO get violent, I might just use you as a human shield,” Mark said as his eyes narrowed. “But seriously, it’ll be fine… and don’t stir!”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Josh said as they neared the door to their dorm. The moment he set foot inside, he called out, “Hey Chris, your ex-boyfriend’s back!”

“You absolute fucker!” Mark grumbled as he followed Josh inside, the conversations stopped dead at the sudden proclamation as all eyes fell on him.

“Hey, you may need to clarify which ex-boyfriend,” Rob called out. “That describes, like… half the dorm now!”

“Heyyyy!” Chris whined at the entire interaction. He pointed to Josh and said, “Welcome back you shit-stirring little fucker!” He pointed to Rob and said, “Not half, it’s actually three eighths!” He turned back to Mark who had approached the group cautiously and continued, “And you…well, just hi to you, you didn’t say anything wrong!”

Mark laughed as Josh and Rob greeted each other excitedly, already back in sync with the insulting. “Hi,” Mark said, looking round at the whole group. “Can we… talk?” he asked Chris cautiously.

“You literally just walked in. You don’t wanna take a minute?” Chris asked softly.

“I really don’t!” Mark insisted. “And definitely away from this rabble!” he added, though his disapproving stare lingered mostly on Josh, who was already working his way around the group, greeting them, oblivious to Mark’s annoyance.

Chris shot Danny a nervous glance and got a slight smile in return before following Mark out of the dorm. “So, did you… have a good summer?” he asked cautiously. He was unsure why he was the one feeling nervous. Mark had dumped HIM.

“No!” Mark said bluntly as they walked along the hallway. “You know how I feel about being back at home, so putting up with that shit for two months was an absolute fucking nightmare, but that’s old news and obviously not what I wanted to talk about!” As they reached the door, they wandered out, not going anywhere in particular, just walking.

Chris sighed a little. He felt bad for his lack of contact over the summer. He knew better than anyone else in the dorm how unpleasant Mark’s home life was. He frowned slightly as he started, “Look, if things are gonna be awkward between us…”

“They’re not!” Mark insisted. “I mean… I don’t want them to be, but… I know it’s not completely up to me!” He paused to look at Chris who just nodded silently. “When I started here last year, you guys had all this… annoying bullshit going on from year eight and it really wasn’t fun. I don’t wanna be the cause of any of that sorta stuff for that for this year, and I also don’t wanna mess things up with one of the few friends I actually have here!”

“You have loads of friends,” Chris insisted. Just getting a dismissive shrug back, he huffed slightly and continued, “But I don’t want it to be weird either. I’m sorry about the way things went with us!”

“You’re sorry? I dumped YOU!” Mark exclaimed in surprise.

“Well, yeah, I guess,” Chris said, seeing the flaw in the apology.

Mark stopped walking and turned to face Chris. “Look, you were my first real friend here and I care about you a lot and yeah, maybe I more than just like you a bit, but… as soon as we got together I could see I was never gonna be your first choice. I loved our time together, but ending it was the right thing to do for ME because after all the stuff with Greg…”

“You deserve to be someone’s first choice!” Chris interjected. He got a slow but thoughtful nod back from Mark. “You’re right. You do. You’re amazing and I love you and I still wanna be your friend. So, maybe I was just… your rebound guy!”

“No!” Mark insisted, then frowned thoughtfully and said, “Well… yes, actually. I guess you kinda were. Does that make me a horrible person?”

“Aww, no, that doesn’t make you a horrible person,” Chris said, reaching up to stroke his cheek delicately for a moment before he grinned and said, “Your terrible personality and awful sense of humour makes you a horrible person, but not that!”

Mark’s jaw dropped slightly as he tried to hold back a laugh. “Oh, you absolute dick!” he said with a reluctant smirk before the two of them started laughing. As it died down he asked slyly, “Come on then. What’s your plan? I dumped you cos I thought you and Danny belonged together, so… how you gonna make it happen?”

Chris looked away for a second then back to Mark, pouting slightly.

“Did it…” Mark started, eyes widening, “Did it ALREADY happen?”

“Mayyyybe,” Chris said coyly.

“Oh my god!” Mark squealed. “Oh my god, seriously? You two are together?” he asked, almost bouncing with excitement.

“Yes, but… shh!” Chris hushed him, looking round the empty school grounds. “Keep it quiet. Danny doesn’t wanna make it public knowledge yet!”

“Wait, so who actually knows?” Mark asked curiously.

Chris thought for a moment and said, “Well outside of our families and each other, I guess… just you!”

“Aww, I feel so special!” Mark said giddily.

“Well you should. We ARE friends after all!” Chris said, elbowing Mark gently in the ribs.

Mark grabbed Chris in a tight hug and said, “We are. And I’m glad. This feels kinda weird to say to a friend, but… I love you, Chris!”

Chris chuckled at the open affection, not something he had experienced from Mark before. “I don’t blame you,” he replied playfully with a broad grin, “I’m very loveable!”

*****

The thirty-one Year 10 boys had congregated in the Guest Building’s dining hall, having been invited for a quick meeting before dinner was served. When Mr Trent walked in to address them, he was not alone, and the boys had rightfully assumed the teenager beside the teacher was the reason for the meeting.

“Wow, he’s cute,” Chris whispered to nobody in particular.

“You think every guy’s cute,” Danny replied with a snigger, “But yeah, he’s not bad!” As it got a slight snigger from the rest of his dorm, he frowned a little and turned to David. “You okay?” he asked cautiously.

“Aww, yeah,” David said with a sweet smile and gentle nod. “Nice of you to check, but I’m good!” he reassured both Danny and the others around them who had similar concerns they had been slower in voicing.

The boy with Mr Trent was almost certainly the newest member of dorm 1.10 (or whatever dorm numbers they moved into once they got back into the Home Building). David had befriended and then started dating a dorm 1.10 boy called Ewan, who came out shortly after as transgender, switching her name to Rose. Though the school had been happy to make adjustments to allow Rose to continue at Kingswood, she had ultimately chosen to leave and attend a different school, her life now following a new path. Although David had subsequently started another relationship, the loss of Rose was still a tough memory.

“Rose says hi, by the way,” David said happily, having spoken to her just the previous day as they had remained in close contact as friends.

“Tell her we say hi back next time you speak,” Danny said, giving David a supportive nudge.

“Okay, quiet down you lot,” Mr Trent called out, waiting a moment as the boys dropped into silence. “Now I know it’s dangerous to get between you lot and food, but before we grab dinner, an introduction is in order!” As he gestured to his side the new boy stepped forward. “Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Grayson Stone, who will be joining year ten.”

“Hi Grayson!” “Hey Grayson!” “Grayson, hi!” many of the boys called out cheerfully.

As the greetings quietened, Nicky called out, “Didn’t quite catch the name. Sharon, was it?”

As the rest of the year laughed, Grayson glanced Nicky’s way for a moment, looking rather stern before a smile spread across his face. “If that sticks, I’m killing you!” he said, getting more laughs. He looked to Mr Trent and asked, “Killing’s okay, right?”

“Frowned upon,” Mr Trent replied with a shrug.

Grayson chuckled then looked to the cheerful group and said, “So yeah, I’m Grayson, but I prefer Gray… and that’s Gray with an A. Ever write it with an E and you’ll be joining tallboy over there on my hitlist!”

“Ha, tallboy,” Josh cackled. As the others frowned at him, he frowned back and said, “Cos he’s really tall. Did you not get it?” It just received bemused eye rolls.

“Anyway, I’m sure you’ll all make Gray feel very welcome,” Mr Trent ignored the chatter.

“Especially Danny. A new victim!” Adrian taunted.

Nicky looked round anxiously at the mention of Danny’s name but didn’t say anything as Danny just smirked and shrugged.

“And just to get a few more brief things out of the way as we still have a few minutes until we go for dinner,” Mr Trent went on, “Apologies for the temporary accommodation. As you know, work has been going on over the summer to repair damage to the Home Building, which was focused mainly on the ground and first floors. However, as work was being done, the school decided to go ahead with refurbishments that were planned for the upper two floors at the same time, which is what has caused the delays. Focus was on the first floor, to ensure the new students could settle straight into their proper dormitories, which meant unfortunately a slight wait for years ten to thirteen!”

“So we’ve got brand new dorms?” Harley Edwards asked excitedly.

“Indeed,” Mr Trent said with a huge grin. “And I believe you’ll be quite happy with the changes we’ve made, but that brings us on to my next point. The upper two floors remain an active construction site. That means NO students allowed under any circumstances. No sneaking a peek!”

“D’you mean at the building or the builders?” Chris asked cheekily, getting a wave of titters and giggles.

“Both!” Mr Trent said, eyes narrowing slightly. “Now, speaking of new arrivals, the year sevens are due to start arriving tomorrow morning and as always, it is year ten’s responsibility to oversee their arrivals, show them the dorms and then provide tours of the school grounds to help with orientation. This is an important activity, as you will be providing the first impression of Kingswood to these new students and their parents, so we want it go smoothly. This evening, after dinner, you will all get together to arrange duties and make your plans. Might I suggest you collectively consider someone to take the lead on this.”

“David!” Benjamin Hill called out, getting an immediate wave of agreement.

“Yeah, totally,” Danny said, nodding his approval, with more agreement from around him.

“What? But… what?” David stuttered.

“Mate, it’s organising and stuff. It couldn’t BE more you!” Chris insisted. More agreements.

“Well… that was easier than usual!” Mr Trent said, smiling at David’s look of confused shock but quiet delight. “And with that… go eat, you pack of vultures!” There was a sudden stampede for the temporary dining hall.

*****

Dinner was a wonderfully lively affair, with the boys chatting eagerly about summer activities, what the new dorms would be like, what their new Year 7 proteges were like and a whole range of other excitable subjects. Gray seemed to fit in almost instantly, catching on quickly to the group’s penchant for expressing affection through good-natured teasing.

After dinner, the boys headed off to make their plans for the following day and soon discovered they had made completely the right call for their elected leader. As soon as they started, David had split the boys into groups to start planning three key areas – traffic control, luggage/dorm allocation duties and guided tours. After allowing the three groups to make their own plans, David stepped in to fine tune and problem solve any potential issues and soon enough, they had everything in place for what would hopefully be a good arrival day.

Leaving David to discuss the plans with Mr Trent, who would be Floor Master to the new arrivals and on hand in case of any issues, the rest of Year 10 began to disperse to enjoy their first evening back at school with their friends.

Having spent the first three years at the school in 8-person dorms, moving into Year 10 meant a change to 4-person rooms instead (Mr Trent had confirmed this was still the case with the new refurbishment). Inevitably, this meant the old groups of 8 still tended to congregate together, so the other seven boys from Gray’s dorm had sequestered him away to get him properly settled in with them.

Danny had intended to find Rob so they could catch up as suggested earlier, but as he looked into the lounge where many of the boys had gathered, his eye was caught by someone else… or rather, two someones. Cautiously, he approached a couple sitting together, close enough to be visibly intimate, but not quite cuddling. “Hey guys,” Danny said softly.

“Hey,” Adrian and Kyle said in unintended unison, then looked at each other and giggled.

Danny smiled and started, “So I was gonna ask how things are, but…” He paused, gesturing to their obvious intimacy, “Kinda seems good!”

Adrian and Kyle looked at each other again thoughtfully, smiled sweetly then looked back to Danny, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah we are,” Kyle said happily.

To say the relationship was complicated was an understatement, not just with each other, but with Danny too. Kyle had developed feelings for both Chris and Danny in Year 7 and ended up dating Chris, who he dumped after finding out he was cheating… with Danny, though Danny hadn’t been complicit in the cheating. Adrian had developed an attraction to Danny, but was turned down for a date and while his attraction remained and Danny started seeing someone else, the two became physically intimate, exploring a mutual love of sexual roleplay, which eventually came to involve Kyle too. Kyle and Adrian had ended up dating, but broke up thanks to Kyle’s insecurity over Adrian and Danny’s closeness. They had only reunited after The Explosion when a scare over Adrian’s whereabouts had acted as a wake-up call to the two boys about their genuine feelings for each other. So yeah… complicated was a good description!

“I was… not sure how things were gonna go,” Danny said cautiously, gesturing to a seat beside the sofa the couple were sat on. As they nodded, he sat down.

“Yeah, honestly… neither were we!” Adrian said with a pensive nod.

“We talked a LOT over the summer,” Kyle added.

“A LOT!” Adrian emphasised with a smirk.

“Turns out I… can be kinda… clingy and insecure,” Kyle admitted shyly.

“What, you? No. Never!” Danny said sarcastically with a smirk, getting a laugh from Adrian that earned him a playful punch to the arm from Kyle.

“Shut up, slutface,” Kyle sniggered.

“Ha. Slutface!” Adrian laughed at the insult, but dropped the smile as he looked back to Danny and added, “And I tend to… not share what I’m actually thinking and just… make myself angry!”

Danny raised an eyebrow, ready to comment again, but a stern finger pointed his way from Adrian stifled it, though he did still smirk.

“So yeah, we’re a pair of messy bitches, but…” Adrian glanced round at Kyle and smiled again, “But he’s my messy bitch!”

“And he’s mine!” Kyle said proudly, taking Adrian’s hand in his own.

“Aww, you guys are too cute,” Danny said happily. “I’m sorry if… I ever played any part in coming between you!”

“Nuh-uh,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “You two are…” he paused and sighed slightly, “Well, I know you’re close but I don’t wanna be the kind of boyfriend who stops Adey being close to other people so… do it! Be close! I’m okay with it cos I know we’re good.” He stood up from his seat. “I’ll let you two catch up,” he offered cheerfully.

Danny stood too and started, “You don’t need to…”

“I want to!” Kyle said with a sweet smile.

Danny stared for a moment, then reached out to pull Kyle into a hug. “You’re a good friend,” he whispered softly, “And a great boyfriend!”

“Thanks,” Kyle said happily as he let go. Giving Adrian a quick wave, he headed off to go find his dormmates.

“Just us then!” Adrian said happily.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Danny said as he sat down in the spot Kyle had just vacated next to Adrian.

“So come on, let’s hear about Chris and Danny’s Super Sexy Summer!” Adrian said eagerly.

“Oh my god, that name CANNOT be catching on, it’s so stupid,” Danny laughed, getting a snigger in return. He looked at Adrian for a moment. “But y’know what, tell me about YOUR summer! I feel like all I do is talk about me!”

“Well yeah, that’s cos your summer is actually exciting. Mine was mostly talking with Kyle and working with my mum and dad,” Adrian said dismissively. “Normal, boring stuff!”

“Y’know what,” Danny said wistfully as he leaned against Adrian, pulling one of the other boy’s arms around himself, “Sometimes normal and boring is exactly what you need. Tell me everything!”

*****

Mr Trent chuckled as he stood in the doorway. “Why is it you guys are the ONLY dorm who are always in bed when I come round to check on you?” he asked, shaking his head.

“Cos half of us are sleeping together and desperate to get each other into bed and the other half are too well-behaved to NOT be in bed already!” Chris immediately replied, grinning broadly at his future brother-in-law.

Mr Trent laughed aloud as Chris earned a range of groans and tuts from the rest of the dorm, a few quiet squabbles breaking out over who he meant for each part of the comment. The teacher let out a hearty sigh as he stood there letting them chatter for a few moments. “So you might not have realised this,” he started cautiously. He was about to have a conversation he had just been through three times in the other dorms, but this one was by far the hardest. “But this’ll be my last night checking in on you!” he explained wistfully.

There was a mix of shocked moans and unhappy whimpers from the boys.

“Tomorrow I’ll be back in the Home Building with the year sevens and you’ll have your new Floor Master looking after you all!” Mr Trent explained.

“Can’t you swap?” Mikey asked, suddenly sitting up, looking quite distressed. “Like… you move up to the second floor with us or something!”

<<There he goes. Another one, happy to be away from you!>>

Mr Trent gave a meek smile. “I’m afraid not,” he answered with a slow headshake.

“But… it won’t be the same without you, sir!” David said wistfully.

“That’s very sweet of you to say, David,” Mr Trent replied, genuinely touched, “And I very much feel the same. Your year were my first batch of year sevens and seeing you moving up, well… mostly it makes me feel very old, but it also makes me very, very proud!”

The boys sat staring back silently, a couple of them looking a little teary. They had been so caught up in getting back to school and preparing for the new year that they hadn’t even considered this imminent loss.

“You boys between you have been through more than your fair share of difficulties, but seeing the way you always handle yourselves, the way you look out for each other and the way you learn and grow,” Mr Trent started, pausing a second as he choked up a little, “It’s why I do what I do, and as much as I’ll miss seeing so much of you all, it makes me so happy to see the young men you’ve become.”

The boys remained silent. Danny and Chris, who were currently squeezed together into a single bed, were holding onto each other tightly, sniffling a little.

“Sir, umm…” Rob said, pausing to clear his throat and compose himself. “You’re right, we’re awesome!” he said, pausing again though this time for a chuckle from the others. “But the awesome people we are, as much as we get that from each other, we also get that from you!” Another pause for some eager agreements. “And all I can say now is that this new bunch of year sevens, having us as their mentors and you looking after them… they’re gonna so freaking lucky! I hope you can be to them what you’ve been to us!”

“Dammit,” Mr Trent muttered as he felt a tear in his eye. He reached up to wipe it away. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this!” he laughed awkwardly. As he heard a mix of giggles and sniffles, he held his arms open. “Anyone for a hug?” he asked, looking mainly at Chris, who he already knew would eagerly accept. It was only a very small surprise when he saw all eight boys approach him. Within moments, he was completely surrounded by hugging limbs. “It’s been an absolute privilege, lads,” he said softly as they began to let go.

The boys returned to their bunks, Chris and Danny still sharing, but this time Mikey climbed in with Nicky instead of returning to his own. After a final goodnight, Mr Trent shut off the light and headed out, closing the door behind him.

Silence hung heavily in the dark room for several seconds, but was eventually broken by Josh who said reflectively, “I was SO not ready for that!”

“I know right,” Mark agreed. “I don’t do emotions and I only had him for a year, but it even got ME right in the feels!”

“I’m sure we’ll be just as happy with Mr Ford,” Rob explained. “Luke said he was great last year!”

“Except it won’t be him!” David stated bluntly. As the others looked his direction, their eyes still adjusting to the dark, he went on, “I was planning my clubs and stuff early…”

“Shocker!” Josh joked, getting sniggers from the rest.

“You’re as funny as you are hung!” David said back pointedly.

“Oh! Fucking savage!” Rob cackled as the other laughed.

“Yeah, ouch,” Josh said, smirking too. “True, but still… ouch!”

“Sorry,” David said, not really sounding very sorry, “But I noticed Mr Ford is down for leading Creative Writing this year, which means he’s not being a Floor Master anymore!”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, glad to give himself something to think about other than not being under his favourite teacher’s care anymore, “Levi told me they’ve made a few changes. He’s not actually teaching drama this year, he’s JUST Floor Master!”

“Who’s Levi?” Josh asked curiously.

“Levi… Trent!” Danny said incredulously. As he just got silence back. “The man who was just here talking to us!”

“Mr Trent’s first name is Levi?!” Josh exclaimed in surprise.

“Yeah, forgive Josh, he always thought all the teachers’ first names actually were ‘mister’. He’s not a bright boy!” Rob joked.

“Oh, you’re as funny as you are hung!” Josh said, teasing Rob while playfully mocking David.

“Boo, get your own jokes!” Chris heckled.

“And I’m plenty hung, thank you!” Rob said with a frown. “Well, at least, like… middle of the pack!”

There was a moment of silence, followed by a slight gasp from Chris.

“No!” Nicky called out instantly.

“What?” David asked, curious to know what he had missed.

“Chris wants to measure!” Nicky said, shaking his head a little.

“Oh, like you know me SO well!” Chris said flatly.

“Fine, what were you gonna suggest?” Nicky asked bluntly.

Chris paused a moment, grinned and said, “Okay, that’s what I was gonna suggest. Like I said, you know me SO well!”

“And the answer’s still no!” Nicky said bluntly.

“Oh, I think someone’s scared he may have lost the top spot!” Mark said confidently, prompting a bunch of gasps and oohs.

“Yeah, I’m not quite THAT easily manipulated. I’m not Chris!” Nicky replied with a slight smirk.

“Hey!” Chris whined. As he got an amused snigger from Danny, he sighed and grumbled, “You really do know me so well!” He suddenly perked up a little as he added, “But for an insult like that, you owe me this!”

“Oy, you know he’s…” Mikey suddenly jumped to Nicky’s defence, but stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head slightly.

<<What are you doing? Nicky hates dick talk! Shut him up. Shout at him! Call him a nerf herder!>>

“It’s okay,” Nicky said softly, discretely stroking Mikey’s arm before he addressed the others and said, “I think he was gonna say I’m a bit sensitive about… y’know… body stuff.”

“Oh, sorry,” Chris apologised sheepishly.

“But I’m moving past it,” Nicky said, smiling proudly. “And if Mr Second Place over there really wants to be reminded why he’ll never take the gold, then Chris… grab a fucking ruler!”

“Yussss!” Chris hissed, almost launching Danny out of the bunk in his haste to comply.

“This is kinda immature,” Rob said, shaking his head as he climbed down from his own bunk, sitting down next to Josh on his. He gave a wry grin as he added, “But I’m still kinda curious. Guessing we’re going with… umm… hard?”

“Yeah, unless you wanna wait for this to go down!” Chris said, turning back to face the group as a couple of phones were used to illuminate the group, his underwear very visibly tented.

“I might need a minute to catch up,” Josh said a little shyly.

“Hey, you don’t have to join in,” Danny offered reassuringly, conscious of Josh’s previous reluctance with matters of a sexual nature.

“I…” Josh started, looking a little timid before a grin spread over his face and he glanced over at Nicky and said, “I guess I’m moving past it too!”

“Oh my god, look at us, we’re growing!” Nicky joked, returning Josh’s smile.

“Yeah, that’s kinda the point,” Chris said, brandishing the ruler. It got a few laughs as everyone else moved into position. “May as well get me out the way first as I’m ready!” he said, unashamedly yanking down his boxers. He kicked them Mikey’s way with a wink, knowing the other boy had a particular fetish for other people’s underwear. He was quite pleased to finally see a smile on Mikey’s face as he caught them.

<<It’s so nice that your friends don’t care what a freak you are!>>

“Measure along the top, not the bottom,” Rob requested. “And it’s only to the end of the head. I don’t want you uncut guys cheating with your flappy foreskins!”

“Agreed!” David said from the bunk beside Rob, reaching over with a hand to say, “High five for circumcise!”

“Weird, but okay!” Rob laughed at the almost-rhyme, returning the gesture.

“Yeah, I think I know how to measure a dick!” Chris scoffed as he reached down to his erection.

“So do I. Just get Rob to stand next to a tape measure!” Josh joked, snorting with laughter at his own comment as a few of the others chuckled too. “Y’know… cos he’s a dick!” he clarified unnecessarily.

“Yay, I’ve grown!” Chris said happily as he looked down at the ruler.

“Uhh yeah, it’s called an erection,” Nicky teased.

Chris looked at him and laughed, but quickly dropped to a straight face and said, “Funny, but no! I’m fifteen centimetres!”

“Fine, let’s get this out of the way,” Rob said as he climbed off the bed, his hand still down his pyjama bottoms.

“Hey, if we know I’m fifteen, why don’t I just use this to measure you!” Chris said, waggling his straining dick ahead of himself.

“You just want a sword fight, don’t you!” Rob said, shaking his head, but shrugged and pulled the front of the bottoms down. He immediately thrust forward, slapping at Chris’ dick with his own, both boys swinging back and forth to make them collide repeatedly, giggling as they did it.

<<I wanna know how big Nicky is now. Make them hurry up!>>

“Ugh, get on with it,” Mikey said as he stood up and moved closer, obviously keen to take his turn too.

“No fun,” Chris complained, then grabbed Rob’s dick and held it against his own. While his own pubes had been shaved over the summer and were only just starting to grow back, Rob had a full bush at the base of his rigid prick, the coarse hairs tickling the head of Chris’ cock as he rested it on top. “Huh, you’re exactly one Chris long!” he joked.

“Oh, so that’s the same as three Joshes!” Rob said, turning to grin wickedly at his best friend. Josh flipped him off in return.

“Here,” Mikey said, stepping in to repeat the gesture and measure himself against Chris. “Same here!” he said with a casual shrug as he returned to sit back on his bunk beside Nicky, putting his dick away again.

<<Wow, you’re so average. Well done for not being the freak FOR ONCE!>>

“We can’t ALL be the same size!” Chris complained.

“We’re not!” Nicky and Mark said in unison before laughing at the synchronicity.

“Yeah, we’re really not,” David muttered as he looked round at Josh with a bemused smile.

Josh leaned over and raised his hand as he said, “High five for small size? That rhymes, right?”

David laughed as he returned the gesture. “Come on, let’s go,” he said as he climbed off his bunk and offered his hand back to pull Josh up too. “But I’d rather be measured in centimetres and not Chrises. That’s not an internationally recognised unit of measurement!”

“Ugh, it’s like having James back in the dorm,” Josh said as he shook his head. As he saw David pout dramatically, he grinned back and added, “Never said that was a bad thing!” It turned David’s pout into a smile.

“Come on then, who’s first?” Chris asked, kneeling down. Josh stepped forward and shoved his boxers down to his knees. “Okay, this one is…” he started, holding the slender erection down to hold the ruler against it, “Eleven centimetres… barely!” As Josh remained silent, Chris reached over to David who exposed himself more cautiously. “And this one’s… twelve!”

“Wait, am I…the smallest in here?” Josh asked, sounding quite dejected.

The others remained awkwardly silent. David looked round at the three yet to be measured and said, “Yeah, I reckon you are, but you’re really not looking at the bright side here!”

“What’s that?” Josh asked hopefully.

“I’m not the smallest!” David said with a grin. As Josh looked thoroughly scandalised, David smirked and said, “I never said it was a bright side for you!” It earned raucous laughter that the group quickly stifled for fear of being overheard.

“Come on then, junior section’s done. Time for the big boys!” Chris said, flashing his very best ‘not sorry’ grin to Josh and David who took a seat either side of Rob on Josh’s bunk.

Nicky and Mark stood facing each other, both visibly hard with their hands down inside their shorts, but neither stepping forward, a big-dick stand-off.

“Ugh, I’ll go then!” Danny said, shucking his shorts as he jumped up. Being naked in front of half the school felt like it was almost a daily occurrence for Danny, so just exposing himself to his friends was really no big deal.

“Wow, check out those white bits!” Rob teased as they all watched Danny step forward.

Danny blushed. It was something he had been aware of over the summer as his tan had developed. The range of swimwear he had worn over the summer had ranged from full-size swim shorts to the skimpiest of thongs (and occasionally none at all!), which had resulted in a lack of a clearly-defined tan line and instead left him with skin that gradually faded from a golden tan over most of his body, to his usual pale white on his smooth-shaven pubis and part of his butt.

“I know right,” Chris said oblivious to Danny’s embarrassment. “We match!” he said as he threw an arm around Danny, showing their butts off to the rest of the dorm. “But enough of that, let’s get this measured!” he said, turning Danny face others. As he knelt back down, he took Danny’s dick and gave it a few strokes. “Just gotta make sure he’s… fully up!” he said with a dirty snigger.

“It’s Danny. He’s always up!” David said, prompting laughs from the two boys at his side.

Nicky briefly broke his gaze from Mark to frown at the comment, still cautious of anything aimed Danny’s way.

“Well, we have a new first place… for now at least!” Chris said a little proudly as he finished measuring Danny. “Eighteen centimetres!”

“Wait, seriously?” Danny asked happily.

“Yeah, seriously? He’s not that big!” Rob insisted.

“Expert on Danny’s dick now, are you?” Josh teased.

Rather than blushing at the comment, Rob turned to Josh, raised a finger to his lips and said, “Shhh, people who’ve hit puberty are talking!” Without waiting to see the anger on his best friend’s face, he turned back to Chris and Danny and said, “I wanna check that!”

“Just sounds like an excuse to play with Danny’s dick to me!” Chris said as he stepped back. It was a little strange to think about the fact that someone playing with Danny would now be someone playing with HIS boyfriend, but they had discussed this. With their lives, their school, their friends and their own proclivities, total monogamy would simply not work. In fact, as Chris stepped back and offered Rob the ruler, he felt his own dick throbbing at the sight of Danny being touched by someone else.

“Happy now?” Danny asked as he stared down at Rob who had re-measured.

“Not as happy as you,” Rob smirked, giving the dick a playful squeeze. As he stood, he said softly, “Can’t believe you’re that much bigger than me, ya bitch!”

Danny leaned forward and whispered, “We can compare properly soon!” He gave the other boy a cheeky wink and grin and got a happy chuckle in return before they both headed back to their bunks.

“Well that just leaves the main event!” Chris said, taking a position between the remaining two. “Who’s first?”

“Mark should be first,” Nicky said graciously, then gave a wry grin as he added, “It’s the only time he will be!”

“I’d say something bitchy back,” Mark said as he gave his dick a final squeeze, “But I don’t REALLY think I’ve got ya beat!” As he got an amused grin from Nicky, he glanced at Chris and said, “But you… get a load of this!” He pulled his dick out and slapped his thick cock down into the palm of his other hand.

“Feck!” Chris exclaimed, eyeing the sizeable tool hungrily.

“Quit drooling and get measuring. Some of us need sleep!” David prompted as they all watched Chris’ delight.

“Jeebus, it’s thick,” Chris said as he took hold of it.

Mark squirmed slightly at the touch. As he looked round, he saw the stare he was getting from Danny. For a moment he had worried it was jealousy or resentment, but soon realised it was something a lot more supportive – concern. Mark had been exceptionally weary of being touched, after his first experiences in a relationship had been less than loving. It was something Danny wasn’t just aware of, he had actively worked to try and remedy it too. Mark gave a gentle nod and got a discrete thumbs-up back.

“And that’ll be… twenty-two centimetres!” Chris exclaimed. He glanced up at Mark as he heard whispering from the others. “When exactly do you start your porn career?” he asked jokingly.

“Who says I haven’t already?” Mark replied confidently, but immediately shuddered, blushed and said, “I… actually haven’t. Being recorded kinda freaks me out!”

“Hey, me too!” Nicky said. “Now, if we’re all done, we should get to bed!” Turning to head back to his bunk.

“Yeah, I don’t think so!” Chris yelped, jumping after Nicky. He yanked the shorts down, pulling them all the way to Nicky’s ankles.

“Bastard,” Nicky said disapprovingly as he looked down at a grinning Chris.

“Shit, you got hairy!” Chris exclaimed.

Nicky blushed but took a moment to compose himself. Not that long ago, such a public comment about his body, especially paired with actual exposure, would have left him literally running scared. While his flight instinct was still there, nagging away in the back of his mind, he was able to calm it enough to stand confidently before his friends. “Well… I mainly used to shave for the diving. Well, that and being embarrassingly and pathetically terrified of being seen as different,” he said, pausing to smirk to let the others know it was okay to laugh too. “But…” he paused again, grinning Josh’s way as he volleyed back his own comment with, “I’m moving past it!”

“Wait, does that mean… you’ve stopped shaving all over?” Danny asked, suddenly sitting bolt upright, gulping slightly. While most of his friends either liked guys smoother, or had no particular preference, Danny had discovered a particular love of body hair. The previous year, shortly before he was due to be shaved, Nicky had allowed Danny to ‘enjoy’ the small patch of hair the over-developed boy had sprouted on his chest.

“Yeah,” Nicky said with a knowing smirk. “It does!”

Danny stared, panting slightly. “Please,” he said shakily, not even needing to voice the rest of the request.

Nicky sighed and nodded. As anxious as he felt about exposing himself further, he wanted to please Danny, impress his friends and continue his own mental growth, all of which spurred him on to pull his t-shirt off over his head.

“Fuck!” Chris repeated as he stared at the now-naked Nicky.

He was already a stand-out amongst the dorm (and all of Year 10) for his height, now standing just shy of two metres, but fully exposed the soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old was truly impressive. Being painfully slim, he looked very slightly gangly, but mostly he just looked well-toned from his years of diving. The body hair Danny had been so eager to see was exceptionally prominent, with dark hair starting at his ankles and continuing up to fade out around his thighs. His forearms bore a light dusting of dark hair. His pits, exposed as he removed the t-shirt, bore patches that were not bushy yet, but likely would be after fully re-growing, the same for his pubes. His chest stood out the most though, with its barely-there pectorals dusted in a fine coating of short dark hair and a trail that vanished slightly before reaching his navel, only to reappear and thicken again as it ran down into his bush.

“You are SO fucking hot!” Danny exclaimed shakily, almost oblivious to the potential embarrassment of his obvious attraction in front of his friends.

Nicky blushed, though in a good way for a change. While others in the dorm were staring at his obviously-impressive endowment, he could feel a lot of them (Danny in particular) looking at the rest of his body in clear admiration. It was the first time being seen naked actually made Nicky feel confident rather than self-conscious and it felt… wonderful. “Thanks,” he said coyly.

“If you’re starring in porn,” Chris said, glancing to Mark before looking back to Nicky, “Then we’ve found the co-star! Here, let me check this!” He reached out to take hold of Nicky’s dick. He held up the ruler and gasped, “Holy crap, he’s literally two Chrises!”

The others quickly gathered closer, huddling round to look as Chris cupped the enormous cock in one hand, leaving the 30 centimetre ruler resting on top of it.

“Fuck!” “Holy crap!” “Fucking mental!” the boys exclaimed in delighted shock. Nicky had always been well-endowed but had never allowed the enormous prick to be measured. Finally having a figure, it made the monstrous appendage even more impressive.

“I seriously freaking hope it’s done growing!” Nicky said, excited by his friends’ enjoyment, though his self-consciousness began to kick in a little. Such a sizeable penis was a wonderful thing… in theory. In practice, it meant always being somewhat of a spectacle.

“So… we’re all jerking off, right?” Rob asked as he remained huddled around with the others. The question was met with immediate agreement as the rest of them pulled out their assorted-size dicks and began stroking.

The collective arousal was almost intoxicating, yet the shared intimacy was every bit as exciting. After spending the summer alone or in pairs, it had been easy to forget how it felt being amongst the group, but as all eight stood playing with themselves, it was a wonderful reminder of exactly why they were so glad to be back.

“Can I… see what that’s like?” Josh asked nervously, looking at Nicky.

“Sure, so long as I can too,” Nicky replied, looking to Josh’s diminutive dick. As Josh nodded, Nicky moved round to stand beside him and the two began jerking each other off instead of themselves.

“How does it feel?” Danny asked, excited to see the two exploring.

“Weird!” Josh and Nicky said together, then giggled.

“But good!” Nicky added, getting a happy nod of agreement from Josh.

Seeing the two exchanging dicks, Mark gently elbowed David. As the smaller boy looked up at him, he nodded down at his own meaty tool. As David nodded silently but emphatically, they copied what the other two had done.

“Ah, this takes me back!” Mark said as he felt the slim cock between his fingers.

“I may need both hands,” David said with a chuckle, his small hand looking even smaller on Mark’s thick erection.

“Holy fuck!” Danny moaned as he watched the others playing with each other. Before he could think about trying anything himself, he began to shoot. “Ah crap,” he gasped, feeling a little premature. He felt a little better a few moments later as Mikey silently ejaculated too.

“Jesus,” Chris exclaimed, seeing the other two boys cum. It was enough to push his excitement far enough to join them in ejaculatory bliss.

Watching as the four boys playing with each other gave slight, subtle instructions on pleasuring them the way they liked, Rob was fourth to spurt his load. The two pairs came next, with Nicky slightly before Josh, followed by Mark and finally David, who gave Mark a polite smile before nudging the hand away to finish himself with a few eager strokes.

Panting, naked and covered in an assortment of cum, the boys stood in stunned but comfortable silence.

“I am SO happy to be back!” Mark exclaimed joyfully, triggering a wave of laughs and agreements. “Now about clean up…”

“I’m on it!” Danny declared. “Who can I lick?” he asked, looking round at the spunk dripping off his dormmates.

Several minutes and a lot of licking later, the boys had re-dressed and returned to their bunks, though this time Mikey returned to his own bed, leaving Danny and Chris as the only two paired up.

While there was quiet chatting for a while, it soon died down as they began to get sleepy.

“Tomorrow’s gonna be SO weird,” Rob exclaimed.

“I know, right,” Nicky agreed. “How are you bunch of messed up weirdos supposed to mentor new kids?”

“I still feel like a new kid!” David pouted slightly.

“I literally AM the new kid!” Mark added with a laugh.

“Ah, don’t forget Gray, that’s him now! You’re old news!” Nicky teased.

“Shut it, tallboy,” Mark teased back.

“Ha, it’s funny cos he’s tall!” Josh giggled.

“Okay, shut up and sleep! We gotta make tomorrow the best first day ever!” David said, his mind already back to his plans for tomorrow.

“Yes sir!” several of the boys chorused mockingly.

After a quick good night, they finally settled down to sleep. With the others slowly drifting off, Chris nuzzled his nose playfully against Danny’s cheek. In response, he turned his head a little allowing them to briefly and discretely kiss.

“I told Mark about us,” Chris whispered. “He promised not to tell anyone. I hope that’s okay!”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Danny whispered back, “I told Adey! How did Mark take it?”

“SO well. I think he was just so scared of losing us as friends that he didn’t wanna risk making an issue of it,” Chris said, feeling a little guilty.

Danny let out a gentle sigh.

“What’s up?” Chris asked gently.

Couple of weeks and we’ll be over in our new dorms,” Danny explained, “Which means splitting us up!”

“Yeah, that kinda sucks, but yay for personal space,” Chris replied positively.

“I suppose,” Danny chuckled, “It’s just… I always kinda assumed it’d be me, you, Nicky and Mikey, but now I’m not sure.” As Chris gave a curious grunt, Danny went on, “I know Mark’s really settled in now, and I suppose he kinda gets on well with David, but… I dunno, it feels kinda like we should share with him, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Chris agreed, frowning as he thought about it. “But maybe now’s not the time to figure it out. Like David said, big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, his mind wandering onto his new protégé. He leaned forward to gently kiss Chris again and whispered almost inaudibly, “I love you!”

Chris grinned, gave one more kiss and replied, “Ditto!”