Tales from Kingswood - Chapter 7 (Patreon)
Content
Friday 06 September 2019
Mr Warren, the school's art teacher, led the drama club. Although Mr Trent was the drama teacher, being first floor Master meant he was not able to lead any of the extracurriculars so Mr Warren had gladly taken on the role. In class, he was strict, stuck to the curriculum and was substantially less fun. In drama club though, amongst the boys that, in his words, 'Actually give a crap about the dramatic arts' he was somewhat more relaxed and easygoing, friendly even. So much so that he had the boys call him Ruby, short for Rubeus, instead of the more formal 'Mr Warren' they were required to use in class.
“Well, I think everyone's here who's gonna be,” Ruby said, flinging the door shut with a flourish. He was, as you would expect, a somewhat flamboyant fellow, fond of wearing shawls, capes and pretty much any garment that could swoosh dramatically as he moved. His hair was a golden brown, hanging freely to almost his shoulders in waves, while his piercing blue eyes, highlighted by just a hint of eyeliner, were accented by a different pair of glasses almost every day, most of which the boys insisted just contained plain glass and were for appearances only. The man was fond of using them as a prop, removing them to emphasise his gestures or gently nibbling on an ear piece when looking deep in thought. “Tonight we're going to do a little exercise all about antici...” he paused, staring at the boys gathered before him.
Chris and Danny looked at each other, slightly confused but smiling.
“...pation!” Ruby finished. He looked round the boys and saw mostly blank expressions. “Rocky Horror!” the man said in absolute exasperation. He looked to one of the older students. “Jacob, take a note. Add the Rocky Horror Picture Show to the school's movie night list!”
The boy just laughed. Nobody was designated to take notes for the man, it was just his comedic way of giving himself a mental reminder.
“Anyway, you uncultured swine, anticipation is a vital tool in theatre. It keeps the audience riveted, it builds their desire for the things they know, or suspect, are coming,” Ruby explained. “It can heighten emotions and really draw your viewers into the emotion of the scene. So I want you all to pair up please!” He waited a few moments as the boys paired up, most grabbing the boy next to them, but the few stragglers having to find each other. “Okay, well if you grab your tablets and navigate to the digital library, you will find a section marked for the drama club. There is a shelf of short scripts titled 'Anticipation'. I want each pair to grab a script, choose your parts and then plan your scene. I want a proper performance here, fellows, anyone just giving a half-arsed show and just standing there speaking will be flogged!”
The boys were already rushing to look through the scripts.
“And if you see one you want, check it out quickly as there is only one copy of each. A man can only sit through so many versions of Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader without going quite loopy!” Ruby added, though by this point the boys were barely paying attention.
Danny and Chris had, inevitably, paired up for the exercise. This was the first drama club session where the activity had involved acting a proper scene and both were keen to see what the other could do. Doing it together just made it all the more exciting. They were both excitedly scrolling through, calling out suggestions to each other. They could hear other pairs excitedly declaring what they had chosen, including one pair who had found the Luke vs Vader scene, resulting in a frustrated sigh from Ruby.
“Ugh, I didn't need this,” Danny complained. “I know all I need to know about anticipation!”
Chris sniggered. His best friend had not yet been able to share details of what had happened earlier in the evening with Joseph at the gym and showers. As much as Danny had told him so far was that he had been promised an orgasm, and then denied it at the last minute and would now have to wait another week for one.
“Well let's do something difficult then. It'll be good to keep your mind off of you know what!” Chris said with a grin. “It sounds like everyone's going with movie scenes or action or whatever. But I have a different idea!”
Danny frowned. “I guess that makes sense... what ya thinking?”
“How 'about ol' Willy S?” Chris said, his eyes lighting up. As Danny looked on in confusion, he sighed, somewhat reminiscently of Ruby, and added, “William Shakespeare!”
“I don't really know any of that!” Danny said, looking worried. He knew Chris was an avid reader and a fan of Shakespeare, but he knew very little about it all so far. “Isn't that all, like.... doths and foresooths and stuff like that?”
Chris shrugged. “It's a bit wordy, but we want a challenge, remember. If you're afraid, we can pick something easier!” He grinned broadly. His attempt to manipulate was unashamedly unsubtle.
Danny shook his head, knowing he couldn't be allowing himself to be influenced like that, but Chris was just too hard to say no to. “Fine, pick a scene then!” he conceded.
Ruby had announced he would be remaining at his desk, keen to be, in his words, 'surprised and enthralled' by their creative choices, but remained available should they need any advice. Danny and Chris had hidden themselves away in a corner, to ensure nobody knew what they were doing, but also because Danny was more than a little nervous about Chris' choice.
They only had 45 minutes prep time, as it would take a while for each pair to perform their scene, even if they were only short ones. With 40 minutes down, the boys had finally memorised their lines. It had taken longer than expected, partly due to its complexity, but also because Chris had to keep explaining to Danny what the lines actually meant to ensure he could understand the emotion behind it to help him perform it properly.
The prep time soon flew by. “We haven't even planned our staging and stuff,” Danny said, slightly worried at the sight of other pairs who were already jumping round and doing full rehearsals, seemingly performance-ready.
“Relax,” Chris assured him. “It's not an action scene so it's not like we need.... that!” he said, pointing to one of the Year 10 boys who had just leapt at his partner. “Just follow my lead, talk to the audience as much as to me, and remember the lines. And it's not just what you say, it's what you feel too. The characters need to really come alive. This scene is... important!”
Danny smiled. One thing that had become clear during their brief rehearsal was that Chris really cared about this scene. He seemed to know it inside out. “I'll do my best,” Danny reassured him.
“I know you will. You'll be great!” Chris said reassuringly.
“And... how about the end? Are we going really going to...” Danny stopped short of actually saying what he was thinking.
“Hey, it's in the script! Plus it's only acting, right?” Chris said with a smile. “Come on, let's run the lines one more time!” Danny sighed nervously and nodded.
A few minutes later, Ruby had called time on their preparation and had them all gather in front of the stage. He pointed to the Year 10 boys. “You two first, let's get it out of the way!”
The two boys got up excitedly.
“Introduce yourselves and your scene,” Ruby instructed, clearly weary.
“Okay, I'm Richard and he's Jeremy and we're doing a scene from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!” one of the boys said happily, ignoring the eye roll from Ruby. “I'll be playing the part of Luke Skywalker!”
“And I'm playing Darth Vader,” Jeremy added with a smile.
“Very well, when I call action, you will begin. When I declare 'scene', it will be over,” Ruby explained. “Annnd action!”
The two boys held up the poles they were using as lightsabers, fighting each other and adding their own 'whoosh' sound effects as they fought.
As Vader forced Luke back, he declared, “You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did!”
The lightsaber duel resumed with Luke getting in a few hits but ultimately being pushed back, Richard, who was playing him, precariously hanging over the edge of the stage. With a swipe from Vader, Luke's saber went flying off the stage as Richard pulled his hand into his sleeve to make it look like Luke's hand had been cut off.
As Vader stood over him he pointed his lightsaber at the crouching boy. “There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you!” He paused, and while it fit thematically, it looked quite clear the boy was thinking hard about his lines. “Luke, you do not know your importance. You have only just begin to... discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training.” He paused again.
“With our combined strength...” Richard whispered.
“With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.”
“I'll never join you!” Luke yelled back, seemingly substituting volume for emotion.
Vader backed off a little, lowering his saber. “If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father!”
“He told me enough!” Luke said, cradling his severed stump. “It was you who killed him!”
“No!” Vader declared, ready to deliver the famed next line.
“And scene!” Ruby called out.
There was uproar from the crowd, while the two boys on stage just stared open-mouthed, scandalised.
Grinning and gesturing for quiet, Ruby stood up. “And that frustration you are feeling now, gentlemen, is the result of anticipation! Learn to build that, and you learn to engage your audience!” Some of the students actually booed the teacher, while others were amused by the lesson. All of them, however, understood now what he had tried to explain to them. “A round of applause for Richard and Jeremy!”
“Thank you, thank you!” Richard said, taking a bow and getting a laugh as he made his hand reappear.
“Spoiler alert, Vader's his dad!” Jeremy added as they moved back down to their seats.
“Now, who do I want next?” Ruby asked, taking off his glasses and nibbling on them thoughtfully.
Danny actually looked relieved. “I didn't need another lesson in frustration,” he said with a slight snigger, then added, “But I guess we know where he'll end ours then!”
“Well that's no fun,” Chris pouted.
The session went on, with scenes played out from a range of movies and a few books. While a lot of them were known to the crowd, meaning the moment of anticipation was easily seen coming, some of the scenes chosen were slightly more obscure, leading the boys to eagerly question what happened next, proving the lesson truly was effective in letting the boys see the way an audience's emotions could be manipulated to engage them.
It was nearly the end and the two 1.01 boys were the only pair yet to perform. Danny kept hoping they might run out of time, his nerves growing with each passing performance. Alas, it was not to be.
“You two,” Ruby finally called out, pointing to them. “Final performance of the night. Make it a good one!”
The two boys headed up to the stage, Chris waving to the crowd as if they were his adoring public, much to their amusement. Danny, meanwhile, looked ready to throw up.
“Chris, I don't think I can do this!” Danny said, shaking. He already felt like he'd been on show once that evening in the gym. Having all eyes on him again just brought it all back harshly.
Chris turned his back to the crowd, looked Danny in the eye and said, “Remember the lines, feel the emotion and just try to relax. I know you can do this! You're fucking awesome!”
Danny smiled and nodded back.
By now they knew how to begin, so Chris turned back, smiled and called out. “I'm Chris, my scene partner is Danny and we are performing a scene from William Shakespeare's... Romeo and Juliet!”
Beginning to get a bit restless from so much sitting around, the boys had been muttering amongst themselves and fidgeting, but Chris' declaration brought about a sudden hush.
“The immortal bard,” Ruby said, sitting forward in his seat with a surprised smile. “This should certainly be interesting! Well, by all means.... action!”
The two boys moved to face each other, side on to the crowd, but turned slightly so they could still be seen. Chris gave another quick smile and nod to Danny who took a deep breath and smiled back. He could do this, Chris was always right and he said he could do this.
“If I profane with my unworthiest hand,” Chris began, gesturing his hand towards Danny's before gently taking hold of it. “This holy shrine — the gentle sin is this — My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch... with a tender kiss.”
Danny glanced at the crowd. While some of them looked as confused by the words as he had felt at first, they were all staring intently. Ruby's lesson was certainly working, he could sense the anticipation coming from them in waves. He gulped and began his lines. “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,” he said softly. “Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.”
Chris reached up with his other hand, brushing the back of his fingers down over the side of Danny's face, ensuring he did the side that would not conceal his Juliet from the audience. “Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?”
Danny was amazed. While he felt he was doing okay, Chris was mesmerising. He wasn't just saying these words, he knew them, he was Romeo in both word and deed. Trembling again, but more from the same anticipation the crowd was feeling than his own nerves, he exclaimed, “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.”
“O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do,” Chris said, raising Danny's hand. “They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”
Danny knew they were only moments away as he delivered his final line. “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.”
Chris dropped Danny's hand, then moved closer, their bodies almost touching. “Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.”
They both froze, ready for Ruby to yell 'scene' but it never came. A shifty glance sideways and all they could see was the whole crowd, Ruby included, transfixed. With a quick smile, Chris slowly leaned in. Danny's eyes closed as he subconsciously licked his lips. Their noses met, each tilting their head to the right and taking a slight breath in....
“And scene!” Ruby called out, the two boys' lips barely a centimetre apart.
Chris and Danny froze, their eyes opening as the crowd burst into applause and cheers.
“Oh my God, kiss him!” one of the boys shouted out, getting a cheer.
The tension suddenly melted away as Chris and Danny both burst into laughter, leaning against each other in a mixture of relief and frustration. Holding each other for a second, they turned towards the crowd and took a bow.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is acting!” Ruby called out proudly. “And on that note, we're done for the night. Excellent work everyone and I will see you all on Sunday.”
While some of the boys were eager to leave, rushing out as soon as Ruby said they were done, others lingered round to discuss the performances. As Danny and Chris made their way back to their bags, just about every boy they passed congratulated them for their performance.
“No idea what ya said, but ya made it sound good!” one of the older boys said, slapping them on the back.
“Oh my God, I can't believe we did that!” Chris said giddily. “Thank you so much. I've wanted to play out that scene since the first time I read it!” He threw his arms around Danny, hugging him tightly. As he went to pull away, he felt Danny holding tightly onto him. “Hey, you okay?”
“I just need a second,” Danny said shakily, the events of the evening suddenly catching up with him.
“Take as many as you need!” Chris said, glad to be able to repay the comfort Danny had shown to him since they had become friends.
*****
“Quiet, here they come!” someone inside the dorm said, lacking any subtlety.
As Chris and Danny entered, they paused, looking confused. Mikey was down on one knee on the floor beside the nearest bunks, while Josh was on top, on James' bunk, looking down at him.
“Romeo, Romeo! Where... you at, Romeo?” Josh asked, frowning a little as he struggled to remember what he had been told to say.
“That's not the line!” Mikey said, standing up on frowning at the other boy.
“First, it's 'wherefore art thou' and second, screw you all!” Chris said with a snigger.
Danny let out a frustrated sigh. “How does word travel this fast?” he asked Chris unhappily. Although he had calmed down a little thanks to his friend, he was still mentally and physically exhausted.
Josh jumped down from the bunk and landed beside Mikey. “Dick told me!” he announced. As the other two looked confused, he clarified, “Sorry, Richard, my mentor, but I call him Dick, which he hates, cos his last name's Payne!”
“Dick Payne!” Chris said, laughing as he shut the door. “His parents never gave him a chance, did they?”
Danny found the name amusing, but still just looked confused.
“Luke Skywalker!” Chris said, knowing Danny would remember the boy who had been in the first scene of the evening.
“Oh, him. Yeah,” Danny said with a nod. “Dick certainly sounds about right!”
Mikey shoved Josh back towards the sofas where the other boys had already gathered, teasing him for getting the hastily-prepared line wrong, while Chris and Danny followed a short way behind.
“Did you really make out on stage in front of everyone?” Rob asked as the others approached.
Danny rolled his eyes. “No, we didn't even kiss!” he said, shaking his head. “Why, is that what he was saying?”
“No, but we just kind of assumed,” Josh said with a grin, jumping onto the seat beside his best friend.
David jumped up from where he was sitting and sat down beside James instead, leaving a sofa free for Danny and Chris to sit together, getting a grateful fist bump from Chris as he did it.
While the other boys asked a few more questions and made a couple of other jokes, the conversation quickly moved on. Chris had put an arm around Danny as the two sat down, the smaller boy leaning against him and listening quietly to the conversation going on around him.
After a few minutes, Chris pulled out his phone and looked at it, then frowned and whispered to Danny, “Hey, how do you know Brian?”
Danny had almost nodded off as he sat there peacefully, but his eyes suddenly shot open at the mention of the name. “What? Why?” he asked, sitting up.
Chris held his phone in front of Danny who read the latest message from Chris' mentor. [Tell your bf I said Hey small fry!]
Danny had never been so infuriated by a single sentence as he was right then. Furiously he snatched Chris' phone and typed back, [I'M NOT HIS BF AND THE NAME IS DANNY!]
Almost instantly, Brian replied, [Oh hey poodle, how's it going?]
While the others hadn't noticed the simmering rage, Chris leaned over to look at the phone and whispered, “Are you okay?”
[FUCK OFF!] Danny typed back, then shoved the phone back into Chris' hand and stood up. “I'm going to lay down!” he said, trying not to let his fury show to the others. Fortunately, they all seemed too engrossed in conversation to really pay him any attention. He headed over to his bunk, climbed up and flopped face-first into his pillow.
A few seconds later, he heard a buzz from beside him. He considered ignoring it, but reluctantly reached out to grab it, lifting his head enough to look at it with one eye. It was a message from Chris. [U OK?]
[I'm fine!] Danny lied.
[Want me 2 cum join u?] Chris asked kindly.
Danny thought about it for a moment. Cuddling with Chris always made him happy, but considering everything that had happened, he just wanted to be alone. [No, but thanks x] he replied.
He put the phone down and buried his face again, but a few moments later, lifted his head again and looked at the device. He sighed, knowing he shouldn't do what he was about to, but he grabbed it. He found Brian in the app and clicked on 'Message'. He stared at the keyboard for a few seconds, considering just sending the older boy a string of profanities, but decided it wasn't worth the stress and put the phone down again. Seconds later it was back in his hand once more as he typed out, [What's your problem?]
[Too much personality, according to my mum :)] Brian replied.
Danny wasn't sure what annoyed him more, the refusal to call him by his actual name, or the fact he actually found half the things Brian said annoyingly charming. [Why wont u leave me alone?] he demanded.
[*scrolls up, sees Sparky started the conversation* Seems more like U wont leave ME alone!] Brian sent back.
[It's Danny!] the frustrated boy sent in response.
[…. that started this conversation!] Brian replied, followed by a line of laughing emojis.
[You're so annoying!] Danny typed angrily.
[Then why you still talking to me?] Brian asked.
Danny wanted to punch the older boy, more than he had ever wanted to punch anyone in his life. [Fine. Bye!] he sent, deciding that was the end of it.
[Okay, chat soon Tiger!] Brian sent back.
[Stop that!] Danny ordered.
[That was quick. Welcome back!] Brian teased.
Danny was close to throwing his phone against the wall. [Leave me alone!]
[But u keep messaging me and it's rude not to reply!] Brian explained.
[Fine. Won't reply again after this. C ya!] Danny said conclusively. As much as he wanted that to be the end of it, he couldn't help watching the screen as he saw notification Brian was typing.
[If you're not replying, you won't be able to complain if I call you big guy again then!:D] Brian replied, now not even pretending he wasn't just outright taunting the boy.
[OMG fuck off!] Danny typed. He didn't want to reply, but couldn't let it go.
[Ur cute when ur angry!] Brian sent in reply.
Danny paused. It managed to be both sweet and condescending at the same time. [Yeah well ur never cute!] he responded, knowing how weak a retort it was as soon as he hit send.
[You don't think this is cute?] Brian replied, immediately followed by a selfie of himself, clearly laying on his bunk. It was hard to tell whether the pose was candid or staged, but he just looked effortlessly cute, a hand running through his messy hair, a perfect row of teeth showing as he grinned and just the slightest hint of bare chest and armpit showing at the bottom.
[I don't need to see that!] Danny insisted, though he found himself clicking on the picture to enlarge it while Brian typed a reply.
[Need? No! Want? I think so!] Brian replied confidently.
[Ur as a smart as u r cute!] Danny said back harshly.
[Hehe, thanks!] Brian replied.
[Wasn't a compliment!!!!] Danny insisted.
[Still taking it as one, thanks again babycakes!] Brian answered.
[Use my real name or I end this right now!] Danny demanded.
[Okay, I understand...] Brian replied, the screen showing he was immediately typing another message.
Danny was happy to have finally gotten the older boy to back down. It felt like a victory.
[Nighty night Sweet Cheeks!] Brian sent, then immediately went offline.
Danny's rage suddenly returned. If he replied, he would be going back on his own threat, but if he left it, it was like saying Brian was right. Neither option was good, so he just locked his phone and tossed it back onto the shelf, somehow feeling even more annoyed than when it started.
“You okay up there?” Rob called out, hearing the clatter of the phone on the shelf.
Danny sat up and sighed. “I'm fine. I'm coming back down!” The others carried on talking while Danny made his way back to the group. He re-took his seat beside Chris who grabbed him in a quick hug.
“You're just in time,” Chris said excitedly. “We were just gonna play a game!”
Danny shrugged. “Count me out. I'm too tired,” he said, moodily lounging back in his seat.
“Oh you're gonna want to play this!” Josh said confidently, grinning at Danny. “I said I'd like to get Alex alone for one minute to get him back for that stuff he started with me in the Dining Hall.”
“But then I asked what he'd actually do,” Rob jumped in.
“And things kinda went on from there and we ended up talking about what you'd do to someone if they had no idea you had done it,” Josh continued.
“As I said that the act of being observed actually changes behaviour. It's a science thing!” James said, smugly.
“So we decided to try it,” Rob finished. “Chris kindly volunteered to be the guinea pig. He's gonna be blindfolded the whole time and we're each gonna get one minute to do whatever we want to him!”
Danny sat up, sufficiently intrigued to break him out of his lingering mood. “But we'll still see what each other does, so it's not like nobody knows, only Chris!”
“Oh Danny-boy, we already thought of that. Thankfully, our resident smarty has a solution!” Chris said, nudging David across the arm of the sofa.
“Well I figured we each draw a number from one to seven, but only we get to see what it is. Then we all blindfold ourselves too and then we take it in turns from one to seven to have out minute. When its our turn, we take off our blindfold, do what we want, then put it back on,” David explained his solution.
“And we can do anything we want to him?” Danny asked, now grinning as broadly as Josh had.
“Well, don't kill him or anything, but yeah, whatever we want!” Josh said excitedly. “And when we're done, you're not allowed to tell anyone your number!”
“Oh I'm so in!” Danny said. “Let's get started!”
A few minutes later, all eight boys had gotten hold of something to blindfold themselves with. Meanwhile, David had written the numbers on scarps of paper then went round offering one to everyone except Chris. They had all gathered on one side of the room, with their 'volunteer' on the other. David had pointed out that if they just stayed seated where they were, everyone would know who had got up just from the sound and movement, so they stood in a small group and would shuffle round every turn so the person who removed their blindfold wouldn't be able to figure out who had gone next.
“Okay,” Josh said. “From now, nobody except Chris talks. You announce which number goes next, they take their turn, they come back, you tell us to shuffle, then call the next person. Got it?” Everyone nodded. “Right, blindfolds on.”
They all did as instructed and then immediately started shuffling around each other to make sure they couldn't tell who went first.
“Okay, number one!” Chris called out.
Chris stood in nervous excitement as he heard the first boy approach. Immediately, he felt hands on his chest, undoing the buttons on his shirt and seconds later it was pushed down off of his shoulders. He wondered if that may be as far as the first boy went, but the fingertips on his stomach soon told him otherwise. He felt his belt being undone, then his trousers and in one motion, they were yanked down along with his underwear. As the mystery boy grabbed his leg, Chris knew what was being asked and raised one foot at a time to allow the clothing to be removed completely, along with his socks.
With half his time still to go, number one just started running his hands over Chris' body, just his chest and stomach, staying away from the immediately hard cock. As he stopped and walked away, Chris waited for a few seconds then announced, “Okay, shuffle!” and after the sounds of movements and giggles as the boys bumped into each other, added, “Number two, you're up!”
In a way, Chris was already regretting volunteering for the position. He was already trying to figure out who number one had been and he knew that by the end, he would either have figured them all out, or just be annoyingly stumped. The part he did like, however, was that thanks to number one, he would now be seen naked (and probably still hard) by the entire rest of the dorm. While he wasn't exactly shy about being seen while getting changed, being so overtly on display and sort-of against his will just made it all the more exciting.
Number two approached and wasted absolutely no time in grabbing his cock. The entire minute was spent being stroked. While it felt nice, he was thankfully nowhere near orgasm by the end, mainly because the boy stroking him really wasn't doing it the way he enjoyed. Once the minute was up and number two was back in the crowd, Chris called for another shuffle and then summoned number three.
If number two had been abrupt, number three was outright forceful, grabbing Chris by the shoulders and pushing him down onto his knees. As he felt a hand on his jaw, opening his mouth, he immediately figured out who number three was. A cock, and quite a large one too, suddenly popped into his mouth. Nicky was the only other boy in the dorm who was unlocked so it was definitely him.
Although not necessarily instructed to, Chris immediately began to suck eagerly, raising one hand to grab the other boy's hip, the other stroking the base of the cock as he could only manage the head and an inch of shaft. It was quite enjoyable, and if he'd had a spare hand he certainly would have been stroking himself as the same time, his cock straining upwards in desperation.
As Nicky pulled out and returned to the group, Chris climbed back onto his feet, giving himself a quick stroke as he called for the boys to shuffle, then announced, “Number four, let's 'ave ya!”
One thing that was already becoming clear, was that being unobserved clearly lowered, or even outright removed, the inhibitions of the boys in the dorm. The lack of repercussions, the absence of guilt or shame, it seemed to free them to just follow their fantasies. That pattern continued as number four approached and, conversely to the boy before him, dropped to his knees, grabbed Chris' hips and plunged the naked boy's cock deep into his own mouth.
“Oh fuck!” Chris moaned out happily as he felt the warm mouth slide down his shaft and the tongue slide around the head. Unlike the stroking done by number two, this boy seemed to know what he was doing and by the time he pulled away, Chris felt like he was just moments away from cumming. He cursed himself for not doing it sooner, curious to know whether the eager cock-sucker might also be a cum-guzzler!
Taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he eventually called out, “Okay... move around... and number five, you're up!” Although he had calmed a little from the enthusiastic sucking, he suspected that if the next boy intended to pleasure him in any way, he would almost certainly blow his load.
As number five got near, he knelt down too and Chris excitedly prepared himself for another suck. Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting in his balls. “Ow!” he yelped, jumping away slightly. Whoever number five was, he had flicked Chris in the balls and had not been delicate about it. Knowing the rule was that he just had to stand there and take it, he clenched his fists and waited, feeling another flick moments later, this time to the head of his rigid cock.
“Mnnh!” Chris grunted mutely as he felt it, followed moments later by another to his balls. He let out a series of whimpers as the flicking continued for the full minute. As the sinister number five walked away, Chris couldn't help noticing that despite the pain.... or maybe because of it... he remained rigidly aroused.
“Okay, shuffle!” Chris said, taking a few deep breaths to recover and trying to think who would have done that. His first thought was Mikey, but he stopped himself over-thinking as he still had two to go. Now realising that what was coming had the possibility to be either pleasure or pain, he nervously called out, “Number six!”
While all five of the others so far had been fairly surprising, number six had been the most far from what he had expected. The boy approached Chris and stood in front of him. As Chris waited, several seconds passed and no contact was made and he wondered if the other boy simply didn't want to do anything, but then he felt the body against his own, a cheek pressing against his shoulder as arms raised up to hold him.
Smiling, Chris raised his arms too and hugged the other boy back, resting his cheek on the top of the mystery boy's head and breathing on his scent. They stood in their embrace for the remainder of the time and possibly just a few seconds longer before number six reluctantly pulled away and returned to the group.
“Okay, last up, number seven!” Chris announced after making them move round once again.
The final boy dashed round behind Chris, wrapped his arms around him and then lowered a hand onto his cock, stroking rapidly.
Chris had never been jerked off in that position before but immediately fell in love with it. The hug from behind, the hand exploring his body and the other on his cock, it was just heavenly. While the hug with number six hadn't been the most arousing minute, Chris was still very much turned on from the previous boys and a few seconds from the end of number seven's turn, he let out a low moan as his cock erupted.
A few heavy spurts shot from his cock, flinging wildly in front of him as number seven continued his rapid wanking, only coming to a stop at the end of his time. As he walked away, he gave Chris a playful swat on the behind.
“Okay, let seven get back, one more shuffle and then blindfolds off!” Chris announced breathlessly.
The boys complied for the final time and, as one, removed their blindfolds and looked round. All seven blushed a little as they saw Chris standing there naked, his softening cock still showing the final drops of spunk.
“Well, that was certainly interesting!” Chris said with a wicked grin as he pulled on his boxers and flopped back down onto the sofa. The other boys resumed their previous positions too.
“So what happened?” Josh asked excitedly. As much as he knew was that somebody had stripped Chris, though he had no idea who or when, and that he had made the other boy cum, but he wasn't letting on to anyone.
Chris looked round and grinned. “Ya know what, I think it's best if I don't give specifics. But I think it's safe to say you all had fun and that if we play any... erm... naughty games in the future, you'll all be up for it!”
The comment just triggered waves of speculation from the boys as they all tried to figure out what had happened and who had done what, though none of them were sharing what they had actually done, so not a single actual fact passed between them.
“Who made ya go ow?” Josh asked.
“He doesn't know. That's the point!” Danny said with a grin.
“Well we know it wasn't Josh, then!” Mikey said, getting a fleeting, suspicious glance from Chris.
“Or we do we? That could be a bluff!” David offered.
Rob sniggered. “You think he's smart enough to do that?” he asked.
“Fair point!” David grinned back.
“Hey!” Josh complained. “I mean... it's a fair point, but still.... low blow...”
“Don't worry, I still love ya even if you ARE an idiot!” Rob said, giving the boy a reassuring nudge.
“Aww....” Josh said, grinning dopily for a second before he frowned and repeated, “Hey!”
“You're trying to figure out who was who, aren't you?” Danny asked with a grin as he watched the boy beside him observing the rest of the group.
“Maybe,” Chris said with a gentle nod, then looked straight at Danny and said, “But mostly I'm just glad to see you smiling again.”
Danny nodded back, his smile remaining though his expression clearly changed a little. The whole game had distracted him from his unpleasant day, but Chris' comment, while good-intentioned, had just brought it all back.
The boys had continued speculating about who had done what to Chris as they got ready for bed, Josh and Rob discussing it all the way down to the shower room and back, while James and David had discussed it, managing to somehow still speak while brushing their teeth, much to the amusement of the other boys in the bathroom at the time.
Chris was just returning to the dorm as Mikey was leaving, the two boys colliding face-first right outside the door. Chris grabbed Mikey to steady himself as they recoiled, both laughing and apologising at the same time before Chris stepped aside to let the other boy pass. It was only as Mikey scurried past that something struck Chris. It was subtle, but he picked up a scent. Not a single particular smell, but a subtle combination that triggered a memory. He looked round, but Mikey was already gone. Marvelling at his own olfactory ingenuity, Chris headed back in and climbed up to his bunk.
“How ya doing?” Chris asked as he lay on his bunk, reaching out towards Danny.
Danny reached out and gently grabbed the other boy's hand, smiling weakly. “I'm so freakin tired,” he said, letting out a yawn as if to emphasise it.
“I should probably stick to my bunk tonight then. Let you get a full night's sleep for once!” Chris offered softly.
Danny nodded. “That'd be good, thanks. You're the best!”
“Yeah,” Chris said with a confident grin. “I really am!”
“Opinions can change!” Danny said with a bemused head-shake. He flashed one more grin at his friend as he let go of his hand, then rolled over and got comfortable. He was asleep before the rest of the dorm were even in their bunks.
While the discussions did go a while after lights-out, the boys were considerate of the boy already asleep and kept the noise to a minimum, which inevitably meant it didn't last long. For once, barely a word was spoken after Mr Trent's second check of the evening.
Chris was struggling to get to sleep. While he knew letting Danny get some decent rest was the right thing to do, it had left the Irish lad feeling exceptionally isolated. He was only just starting to get over how much he missed his brothers, thanks to the close comfort Danny offered, but laying there alone felt like a total relapse. Several times he turned over or re-positioned himself, hoping that getting comfortable might help him drift off. After multiple attempts, he was still awake and then suddenly heard a low vibration from beside him.
Laying on his back, he grabbed his phone and held it up to see the notification. It said it was a chat message... from Mikey. [Stop moving round! Ur making the whole bunk wobble!]
“Sorry!” Chris whispered back softly and put down his phone. He lay there, barely daring to move, but still unable to sleep. Then the idea struck him. He sat up and quietly climbed down the ladder, hearing a loud huff from the boy on the bunk below. “Hey Mikey,” he whispered as he crouched beside his bed.
“Go away!” Mikey said, moodily, not opening his eyes.
“Okay then,” Chris said, ready to try another tactic. “Hey number six!”
Mikey's eyes shot open and he looked at Chris, scowling. “Were you looking?” he demanded in an angry whisper.
“Nope, just figured it out and you just confirmed it too!” Chris said with a smug smile.
“Fine, so now you run and tell your boyfriend and all the others and have a good laugh at my expense!” Mikey snarled, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head the opposite way from Chris.
The older boy said nothing, but grabbed the covers, lifted them and started to climb in.
“What are you doing?” Mikey demanded. “Go away!”
Chris ignored the demand and lay down, slipping an arm beneath Mikey's neck, looping his other one over the other boy so they connected, then pulled him into a reluctant hug. “I'm not telling anyone anything!” Chris whispered reassuringly.
Mikey said nothing back, but he began to relax, letting his arms drop and shifting slightly to rest against Chris, reaching up with one hand to gently hold his arm. The two lay silently for a few minutes, basking in the tender moment.
“Won't your boyfriend get jealous?” Mikey asked with a gentle snigger after a few minutes.
“He's not my boyfriend,” Chris started. “And no, he wanted sleep tonight!”
“Wait, what?” Mikey asked, pulling away just a little.
“What?” Chris asked, unsure of the problem.
Mikey sat up and looked down at the boy laying beside him. “You're only down here because Danny said no?” he asked. “I'm just your... what... back-up choice?”
“No!” Chris insisted, sitting up beside him. “The... the game... and... and...”
“No, forget it. Piss off!” Mikey said, shoving Chris away. “I'm not gonna be your... your back-up buddy! I'm sick of being the second choice. If I'm not your first choice, then I'm no choice at all!”
“Mikey, it's not like that!” Chris tried to explain, but he was being shoved out of the bed and had no choice but to stand for fear of falling out onto the floor.
“Go bother someone else, you clingy twat! Good night!” Mikey said coldly, the lay down, rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.
Chris wanted to stay, to explain, but by now he knew that when Mikey got like this, he would refuse to listen to anything, so he considered climbing back up to his bunk. It was supposed to be nice. Mikey clearly wanted the physical affection Chris so readily gave the others, but didn't seem to want anyone to know. That's what the gesture was meant to be. How had it gone so spectacularly wrong?
He felt like he was about to cry as he looked up at his empty bunk. He looked up at Danny's instead as he walked round to the end of the beds, but told himself he wasn't allowed to inflict his own problems on Danny after the day he had been through. He considered climbing in with one of the others, but worried they would make so much fuss it would just wake Danny too. Instead, he headed for the door, not loving the idea of being out there alone, but feeling it was the only choice left.
As he pulled the door closed behind him, the building felt eerily quiet and the air felt slightly cold against his body as he had remained clad in just his boxers that he slept in. The hallways were lit only with low-level emergency lighting during the night. He glanced to the corner of the corridor that led to the bathroom and considered just locking himself away in a cubicle, but it was hardly the most appealing room to sit in. Instead he looked the other way and walked silently along to the door to the Common Room.
As he opened it silently and stepped inside, he heard a noise and froze. As he took a second to listen, he realised it was crying he could hear. As much as he felt close to tears himself, his protective streak kicked in and as he let the door close behind him, he whispered, “Is someone there?”
There was a quiet gasp and the crying stopped, but nobody spoke. The room was lit similarly to the hallway, so Chris could see the room but nowhere near as clearly as in full daylight.
Chris squinted and looked round. “Hey, are you okay?” he said, feeling like he was shouting in the spookily quiet room despite his intentionally low volume. He listened again but nobody replied, then he heard a sniff from the sofas near the TV.
“I know someone's there. It's okay, I'm not meant to be in here either!” Chris called out, assuming the other boy was maybe staying silent for fear of getting in trouble. Still no response, but as he walked across, he spotted a body laying on one of the sofas. “There you are. Are you okay?” he asked softly.
The mystery boy sat up, wiping his cheeks but attempting to do it subtly. He cleared his throat gently and said, “I'm fine!”
“Good,” Chris said, smiling sincerely as he nodded. “Can I...” he started, gesturing to the seat beside the boy he now recognised. When he got a nod in response, he stepped round and sat down. “Kyle, right?”
Kyle nodded again. Kyle Scott was one of the occupants of dorm 1.04. Aside from the activities they did in the first few days, he was not someone Chris had ever spoken to directly. They shared a few classes, but Chris was always sat with one of the other 1.01 boys. Kyle seemed nice enough, a little on the quiet side, but considering most of the 1.04 boys seemed to spend most of their time arguing it was more like he just kept his head down to avoid trouble.
He was a fairly sullen-looking boy, with full lips and a slight remnant of puppy fat round his cheeks. His eyes were a greenish-blue, though in that moment, they were puffy and wet from the crying. His hair teetered somewhere between golden brown and dark blonde.
“You know, it's okay to... not be fine,” Chris offered, trying hard to find a subtle way of saying he knew Kyle wasn't okay without just accusing him of crying and potentially embarrassing him.
Kyle just stared back for a few moments.
“Like, I'm not fine. I'm not scared to say that,” Chris said honestly. “I erm... I actually came in here cos I was probably gonna cry.”
“About what?” Kyle asked, looking sad as he reached out and touched Chris' arm in concern, but quickly pulled it back.
Chris grinned. “How about I tell you mine if you tell me yours!” he offered.
Kyle lowered his eyes and let out a gentle sigh.
“It's okay, it's just us here!” Chris reassured him, then looked round and said, “At least I think so!”
Kyle chuckled and nodded.
“So what's up?” Chris asked, tilting his head slightly.
“You're...” Kyle started, then sniffed. “You're gonna think it sounds stupid!” he said, shaking his head.
“If it's making you sad, it's not stupid!” Chris said, telling himself the same thing.
Kyle sighed softly. “I'm homesick!” he said, almost spitting the words. “Like some... stupid little kid or something. I'm nearly twelve and I'm sitting here in my pyjamas crying to a stranger because I can't handle being away from home!”
Chris grinned.
“See!” Kyle snapped angrily. “I told you you'd think it was stupid!”
Chris shook his head and waved his hands. “No, no I don't. I'm smiling because... that's.... me too!”
“Really?” Kyle asked, his expression softening.
“Sort of,” Chris said. “The only difference is, I'm sitting here in my underwear, not pyjamas!”
The two boys laughed together for a few moments.
“But really, I mean it. I've been... struggling,” Chris explained. “I've got... great friends and someone who normally helps me out when I feel like this...”
“Your boyfriend, Danny!” Kyle said.
Chris felt momentarily annoyed, but it was clear from Kyle's expression he was just stating a fact, not trying to be funny or insulting.
“He's... erm... he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends!” Chris explained.
“Oh, sorry, I'd just heard... doesn't matter I guess,” Kyle said awkwardly.
“Well I guess, what I'm saying is... it's not just you!” Chris said, reaching across and gently stroked the other boy's arm.
The two boys sat there for the best part of an hour. Kyle started off talking about who he was missing, then Chris had shared details about all of his brothers and sisters back home. After that, conversation had moved onto general life at Kingswood. It sounded like things were tough in 1.04, the boys seemingly alternating between blazing arguments and angrily ignoring each other.
When Kyle mentioned that he tried to hide away from the fighting by staying on his bunk and reading, it had started Chris reeling off all of his favourite books and authors. Kyle had mostly just sat and listened, but occasionally a book came up that he knew and they discussed them eagerly.
The conversation only came to an end as Chris yawned heavily and almost nodded off.
“I should probably get to bed. Don't wanna imagine what the punishment is for getting caught out of bed after hours!” Chris said with a grin, remembering Josh's punishment the previous Sunday. While he still felt bad for his friend, when he thought about it now, he tended to find himself getting more than a little aroused. He quickly cleared his mind before it happened again.
“Maybe they'd make you hang out in here in just your underwear. That'd be SO embarrassing!” Kyle said with a wry grin.
Chris looked down at himself and chuckled. “Fair point.” He stood up and pulled his boxers down. “Not as embarrassing as this!” he said with a cheeky grin.
“You're not locked!” Kyle said, amazed more at the lack of chastity device than by the sudden nudity,
“Nope! All grown up!” Chris boasted, wiggling his hips to make his cock jiggle playfully, but immediately blushed. Despite being able to cum, he actually hadn't grown that much down there yet, so he added, “Well not quite, but enough!”
“Cool!” Kyle said, eyes fixed on the naked boy's penis until he forced himself to look away. “Me too!”
“Proof or it didn't happen!” Chris said, then bit his lip, excited to see another unlocked boy.
“You.... you wanna see it?” Kyle asked, blushing, glancing round at the door like even a hint of revealing himself would result in the entire school suddenly barging in.
Chris just nodded silently.
Kyle stood, still looking at the door every couple of seconds. Nervously, he grabbed the front of his pyjama bottoms and pulled them down, just far enough to reveal his cock. It was virtually the same size as Chris', although his had no sign of hair yet. Glancing at the door once more, he quickly covered up again.
“Cool,” Chris said, feeling his own cock swell and not feeling even remotely ashamed of the obvious growth. He reached down and pulled up his boxers. “But I'm getting to bed,” he said, moving round towards the door. He looked back and smiled. “We should... we should pick this up another time... if you want!”
Kyle followed Chris to the door and asked, “”D'you mean... talking and all that or... other... stuff?”
Chris looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not both?”
“Cool!” Kyle said with a grin.
As soon as they opened the door, they both went silent, not wanting risk alerting any teacher who may be lurking nearby. They walked along and reached 1.01 first. Chris looked at the other boy and smiled, then mouthed the words, “Good night!”
“Night,” Kyle mouthed back, then out of nowhere, leaned forward and pecked Chris gently on the cheek. He pulled back, looking terrified.
Chris looked surprised for just a second, then grinned at Kyle before turning to go back into the dorm. Quietly he climbed back onto his bunk, being careful not to shake it too much and annoy Mikey more than he already had. He lay there for a few moments, thinking about what had just happened.
He was shaken from his thoughts by movement from beside him as Danny sat up and climbed over the gap between their bunks.
“Hey,” Chris said as he felt Danny wrapping around him. “I thought you wanted sleep!”
“I'd rather know you're okay,” Danny said croakily.
Chris gave his friend a tight squeeze and whispered back, “You're the best!”
“Damn right!” Danny said with a gentle giggle as he nuzzled his cheek against Chris' shoulder.