Tales from Kingswood - Chapter 10 (Patreon)
Content
Wednesday 18 September 2019
Music Club had let out early, only an hour into their usual 4 til 6 slot. Nicky had run straight off to the Sports Complex to join Mikey for the last hour of Basketball, leaving Chris heading back to the Home Building alone. He knew the only other boy from the dorm with no clubs scheduled was Danny and was looking forward to being alone with him.
Over the last couple of weeks, the occasional moments they had alone, or at least not actively doing things with the rest of the dorm, Chris had been giving his best friend what he called a 'Musical education'. In reality, it was just the two of them sitting together, usually cuddling, while Chris played playlists of older or more obscure music that he liked or wanted to try out.
He rushed back into the dorm, expecting to find Danny there, but all he found was an empty room. More than a little disappointed, he headed out to try and find the other boy. It didn't take long. His next stop was the Common Room and as soon as he walked in he spotted Danny, but he wasn't alone. He was sat with Kyle, both boys laughing hysterically at something on the TV. For a brief moment, he considered joining them, but hesitated.
The last time, the only time really, that he had spent any time with Kyle, the two boys had bonded over their mutual homesickness. When both boys realised they were two of the few unlocked Year 7 boys they had also playfully shown each other their dicks, which had been fun, but the encounter had ended with the dorm 1.04 boy kissing him. It was just a peck on the cheek, but Chris had spent many hours thinking about it, what it could have meant, where it could lead. Even if he understood his own feelings, and Kyle's, enough to face him again, he certainly had no desire to do it in front of Danny. He told his best friend everything... usually, but for some reason he had kept his late night rendezvous with Kyle to himself.
Not wanting to be spotted and pushed into an unwanted conversation, he left the room and sighed as he leaned over the balustrade, looking down at the foyer, feeling exceptionally alone. It was not a feeling he liked, in fact he spent pretty much every night in someone else's bed just to avoid it. Quickly glancing up, he figured he would go and see if his mentor, Brian, was available.
Most of the Year 7 boys had bonded fast and strong with their mentors, likely encouraged by the chastity devices for which the older boys held keys. Danny's mentor, Joseph, had certainly used it as an opportunity to get close to his protege and Chris knew others in the dorm who often had similarly sexual encounters with their mentors. Chris, being 'fortunate' enough to not be locked had missed out on that aspect of things with Brian. The two were very much still friends, but never seemed to develop the closeness others did. Still, Brian was better than nothing, Chris figured.
A quick walk up the stairs and along the second floor landing and he reached the door to dorm 2.02, slightly ajar. “Hello?” he enquired as he slowly pushed the door open.
“Oh, hey Chris!” Joseph said, turning in his chair away from the desk he was working at as the boy cautiously looked into the room.
“Oh... hi Joseph,” Chris said, visibly disappointed that Danny's mentor was the only person in the room.
“Wow, did you come here just to make me feel unwanted?” Joseph asked, smirking a little. “Is this a new service you're offering?”
“Sorry,” Chris said with an awkward giggle. “I was looking for Brian!”
“Ah, sorry mate. He's at football,” Joseph explained.
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Chris said, annoyed at himself for having forgotten.
“You okay?” Joseph asked, standing up from his seat and taking a few steps towards the Year 7 boy.
Chris shrugged casually. “Yeah, just... erm... I dunno, looking for someone to hang out with!”
Joseph laughed. “Well that's a twist!” he said, shaking his head. When he saw Chris frown in slight confusion, he elaborated, “Most guys round here would jump at the chance for some alone time!” He winked knowingly.
Chris smirked, catching on right away. It wasn't something that had even crossed his mind.
“But I guess you don't exactly need alone time to do that, do you?” Joseph asked, still grinning. A few days earlier, when he had been giving Danny a punishment for misbehaving, Chris had openly sat and masturbated whole watching it happen.
Chris blushed a little as he smiled. “I guess not!”
The two boys stood awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure where to take the conversation from there.
“If you haven't got anyone else, you're welcome to hang out here for a bit,” Joseph offered, gesturing to the two sofas just beyond the desk he had been sat at moments earlier.
“You sure?” Chris asked, but as he was already heading down to where Joseph had gestured it was clearly not a sincere question.
Joseph headed back to his desk, saved the document he was working on and closed the laptop, then flopped down onto the sofa opposite the younger boy. Without much else by way of conversation started, he asked, “So you... err... enjoyed the show on Saturday then?”
“Oh God, yeah!” Chris said, grinning without even a hint of shame. “It was so hot seeing Danny get all embarrassed. Seriously, when he stood up with that boner.... damn!”
“Yeah, that was... only partly unsuspected!” Joseph said, then realised he was probably sharing things he shouldn't. Chris and Danny were exceptionally close, confusingly close to most people, but that didn't release Joseph from the mentor/mentee pact of confidentiality.
“Really? So... is Danny... into that stuff?” Chris asked eagerly, excited by the prospect of his best frind sharing his own developing interest in humiliation.
Rather than spouting the rules about what he wasn't allowed to share, Joseph decided to take a different tack. “It sounds like you're into that stuff!” he said, raising an eyebrow.
Chris shrugged coyly, trying to hold back a grin. “Maybe a bit.”
“Has Danny told you about... anything else?” Joseph asked, not wanting to reveal anything that Danny may have been choosing to keep to himself.
“You mean the gym!” Chris said, sitting up eagerly. “Hell yeah! That sounded SO freakin' hot!”
Joseph smirked at the obvious bulge Chris was sporting. This kid was truly shameless. “I won't ask what Danny said about it, that's between you guys,” Joseph said, despite a desperate desire to know what the two boys may have talked about. “But it was, erm, definitely fun!”
“Are you gonna make him do it again?” Chris asked, sounding almost hopeful. He virtually fell out of his seat as he leaned forward expectantly, his breathing getting faster.
“Come on now, you know I can't tell you anything. You know the rules. Mentor/mentee confidentiality and all that. How would you like it if Brian told Danny stuff about you?” Joseph asked.
Chris looked thoroughly deflated, except his cock. He exhaled heavily and nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. Although that's never happening. They hate each other!”
Joseph grinned. He completely understood why Chris would say that, but he had his own opinion of the exact nature of Brian and Danny's relationship. Now wasn't the time for that though. “Fair enough. Well I can't say what I'm going to do... but you could always tell me what you'd like to imagine me doing!”
Chris' eyes widened and he took a shaky gasped breath in. Joseph wasn't saying it directly, but it seemed he was potentially open to the younger boy's ideas. What he said now could actually happen! “Well erm... rather than a long t-shirt, maybe he could... I dunno... just be in a... like... really small pair of shorts. And... and maybe... they could... erm... tear easily and get ripped in a few places and eventually be, like, ripped off entirely!” Chris actually trembled as he spoke, the image clearly running through his mind as his bulge throbbed.
Joseph grinned broadly. Whether from the younger boy's blindingly obvious arousal over the idea, or the thought of putting Danny through it, or maybe a mix of both, he felt his own cock twitch along with Chris'. “Well that's... certainly an interesting idea. And what happens after they're ripped off?”
Chris thought for a moment, then suggested, “Well he should just carry on the workout, without reacting at all. Like, it should be like it's completely normal to him, like he doesn't care who sees him!”
Joseph sat back, raised his eyebrows and nodded for Chris to continue.
“And then maybe he could be on a machine, but... but you grab him and... and tie him to it,” Chris went on, his hand dropping to his crotch for a moment, then pulled away as he let out an overly-pleasured mew. “And then everyone else gathers round and they're... they're all, like, pointing and laughing and.... and looking at him and his naughty bits and... that might turn him on, so he'd... maybe get hard. Then he has to just sit there while everyone gets to touch him and he just... he has hands all over him. And he's just laying there, turned on and blushing but... secretly loving every second and... the more they touch him and laugh at him, unnnh... the more... turned on he gets and... and then... Ugh!”
Joseph watched on in amused astonishment as Chris doubled-over, clearly cumming in his pants.
Chris kept glancing up at Joseph, but had to look away, the embarrassment of the untouched orgasm actually prolonging it in a cycle of humiliation and arousal. By the time it stopped, he straightened back up, breathing heavily, then gulped.
“Chris, did you just cum in your pants?” Joseph asked, barely keeping a straight face. He knew the answer and he knew that Chris knew that he did too, but asking it, making him say it, was just the final drop of humiliation they could squeeze out of the moment.
“Yeah,” Chris said, cheeks blazing crimson as he took rapid shallow breaths. “Please... don't tell Brian. Or Danny!”
“Well Brian would just laugh and Danny would probably pop a boner in his little chastity belt!” Joseph said, sniggering as he heard a slight grunt from Chris. “But okay, that stays between us!”
The two boys sat silently for several moments, Chris feeling too awkward to say anything as he came down from his orgasm and Joseph using the awkward silence to tease him even more. Joseph glanced at the time on his phone. “Still half an hour til the clubs let out and dinner's up. You wanna sit in your spunk til then, or you wanna go clean up?” he asked with a snigger.
“Would it be... weird if I... liked... erm... feeling a bit.... dirty?” Chris asked, not knowing where the words were coming from and amazed he was even finding the nerve to say them.
“Oh yeah, totally freaky!” Joseph said with a nod. As Chris looked a little distraught, he quickly added, “But freaky is what we like round here and personally.... I think it's hot!”
Chris beamed at the comment, almost bouncing in his seat.
“Now, Danny tells me you're a cuddler and as it so happens... so am I!” Joseph confessed. “So why don't you hop on over here and join me, ya little freak!”
“Yay!” Chris said, immediately doing as instructed and virtually jumping on top of Joseph, feeling the wetness in his pants as he moved.
*****
“Hey,” Rob said, forcing himself to sound casual as Josh strolled into the dorm. Over the last few days he had been continuing to fight his urge to follow Josh and protect him from any further torment by his older brothers, but it was certainly a challenge.
With half the dorm at Swimming, Mikey playing tennis and Nicky having yet another 'meeting' with his mentor, Rob had expected to spend the evening alone with his best friend, but Josh had disappeared right after dinner. He had occupied himself with some reading he wanted to get done, but his attention had remained split between the book and watching out for Josh.
“Hi,” Josh said flatly as he walked in, looking round the dorm. He sighed softly and said, “I was kinda hoping Chris'd be back already!”
“Why?” Rob asked, putting down his tablet and shifting himself more upright from the half-laying position he had been in. “What's up?”
Josh sighed softly again and said, “Nothing. I just... I dunno... a hug'd be nice I suppose!”
“Hey!” Rob said, sounding almost offended. “Chris may be Mr Huggsy McTouchalot, but he's not the only option. C'mere!”
Josh gave a weak lop-sided smile as he headed across the dorm. “Erm... do we...” he mused cautiously. “Do we do that?”
Rob shrugged, smiled sincerely and held out his arms. “We do now I guess!”
Josh's smile grew broader as he hopped onto the sofa and let Rob put his arms around him. He held the other boy back, nuzzling his cheek against Rob's chest and let out another sigh, this time slightly more contented.
After holding Josh for a few seconds, Rob asked quietly, “You wanna tell me what's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Josh replied, unconvincingly. “Sometimes you just need a hug!”
Rob frowned, unseen by Josh. It was so blindingly obvious something was wrong, but Josh could be stubborn when he didn't want to share and trying to force it was only likely to push the other boy away. Rob forced himself to sound upbeat as he gave Josh a gentle squeeze and said, “See, this isn't weird, is it?”
“Not at all. Who needs Chris!” Josh said with a hint of a chuckle.
“Yup, although no offense, Chris does give the best cuddles!” Rob said with a nod. Twice now he had been awoken by the affectionate Irish boy climbing into bed with him, and while being woken by anyone was never pleasant, having the other boy nestled up to him certainly made it nicer.
Josh didn't reply, he just lay there enjoying the quiet closeness with his best mate.
After a few minutes, Rob smiled and said softly, “You do know if we do this in front of the others, Mikey and James'll definitely take the piss and after the hard time we give Danny about him and Chris, you just know he'll have stuff to say too!” He chuckled as he thought about it.
“Mmm-huh,” Josh mumbled, clearly not listening.
Rob let out a gentle sigh. He was finding it increasingly hard not to probe. “Why won't you tell me what's wrong?” he asked pleadingly.
“I'm fine!” Josh insisted weakly.
“I'm not gonna keep asking, cos I know you'll just get pissed off at me. But look at me please!” Rob instructed.
Josh raised his head from his best friend's chest and looked him in the eye, with more than a little hesitation.
Rob smiled. “I need you to know, you can always talk to me,” He saw Josh open his mouth to answer back, presumably intending to say he had nothing to talk about. “But... you're always welcome to not talk to me too. Whatever you need, even if it's just a cuddle like this, I've got your back! Always!”
Josh held back what he was going to say and smiled, eyes slightly watery. “I'm so glad you were late and got stuck with the bunk next to mine!” He said, thinking back to their first day in the dorm. He dropped his head onto Rob's chest again.
“Yeah, me too,” Rob said, raising a hand and placing it on Josh's back. He was no closer to finding out what was going on with his best mate, but at least now the other boy knew he wasn't alone and that felt like enough for now.
*****
“Oh God, why won't this end?” Chris whined quietly to Danny. The two boys were stood leaning on the wall, with a couple of other Year 7 swimmers stood around too, four of their team-mates currently swimming a time trial in the pool.
“I know. Sorry you're having such a HARD time!” Danny said, deliberately emphasising the word as he smirked at the semi-hard bulge Chris had been concealing in his speedo for most of the evening.
“I don't know what's happened in your life to make you think you're funny, but I've got bad news for you!” Chris replied pointedly.
“Yeah, go guys!” Danny called out, cheering the other boys on to make it seem like they were paying attention to what was happening. He smirked again and said, “Looks like Chris has some STIFF competition!”
Chris glared at his grinning friend. His orgasm in Joseph's dorm earlier in the night had, if anything, made him more horny rather than relieving it. It had been almost entirely spontaneous, with very little actual pleasure. Throughout the evening, his cock seemed to be determined to embarrass him, especially whenever Mr Beecham was around.
Mr Beecham was the swimming coach in the evenings and Maths teacher during the daytime. Like most of the teachers who took both a school subject and an extra-curricular activity, he was a very different man in each of the settings. In class, he was cheerful and always bringing out new ways to make the classes fun and engaging. At Swim Team, though, he was verging on tyrannical, although in the best possible way. Every practice, the boys found themselves pushed exceptionally hard to get better. Improving their form and techniques, striving for better lap times, branching out into styles they had shied away from. It was often tough on the boys, but exceptionally rewarding.
Chris, along with a fair few other boys, also enjoyed Mr Beecham for other reasons – he was hot (for an adult anyway). He was just shy of thirty and very clearly had a swimmer's build. In class he wore the usual shirt and trousers most of the faculty chose to wear, though the shirt was impeccably tailored, showing off a narrow waist, broad chest and strong back, while his arms were clearly well muscled as they bulged against the material. He sported an impressive tan, which perfectly paired up with his sun-bleached golden blonde hair, while his jaw was always sporting a perfectly-trimmed dark blonde stubble. For Swim team, the shirt and trousers were gone and he wore a track suit, often sporting rock band t-shirts beneath.
“Hnnnh!” Chris grunted as the teacher leaned over to talk to one of the boys who had just finished swimming, showing off his bubble butt in the track suit.
Danny sniggered, barely managing to avoid drawing attention from the other boys. “I can't believe you've got a crush on a teacher!”
“It's not a crush!” Chris hissed adamantly. “I just think he's hot. Are you saying you'd say no if he offered?”
“Offered what?” Danny asked, a little confused.
“I dunno. Anything!” Chris said, trying to look away as his cock swelled a little more. As Danny looked back at him, clearly amused by his frustration, he requested, “Could we just talk about something else?”
Danny chuckled, but nodded. He knew when he had taken Chris' teasing far enough.”Oh!” he said suddenly. “I know what I meant to ask you. You know Kyle, from one-oh-four, don't you?”
Chris blushed a little and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Erm... yeah, I guess,” he said casually.
“Did something... happen between you?” Danny asked, eye narrowing slightly as he saw his friend's expression.
“Why, what did he say?” Chris asked evasively. He was beginning to feel increasingly awkward as he thought about what the two boys may have been speaking about earlier. On the positive side, it was finally distracting him from sexual thoughts and allowing his erection to subside.
“Nothing. He just... I dunno, we were hanging out earlier and I suggested he come hang out with both of us some time cos he's really nice and I thought you'd get on, but he seemed... I dunno. I can't think what it was, he just seemed weird,” Danny explained, then frowned a little as he looked at Chris who was shuffling awkwardly. “A bit like you are now!” he added accusingly.
Chris just shrugged, relieved that Danny didn't seem to know about what had happened. “I dunno. Maybe he's just shy or something. Or maybe he just doesn't like me,” he offered nonchalantly.
“Yeah, maybe...” Danny said, remaining suspicious but not wanting to push further.
As the end of the session drew near, Mr Beecham addressed the boys. “Okay lads, good job tonight. Remember the pool is open before school starts in the morning as well all day Sundays for when you want to get in a little extra practice. I'll see you all in class tomorrow.” The boys began heading for the locker room when the teacher called out, “Chris, could you stay behind a moment?”
Chris immediately turned a bright shade of red and gulped as Danny grinned at him.
“Ooh, alone time with Mr B. Have fun!” Danny teased before walking off with the others.
“Erm... yes Sir?” Chris asked as he nervously approached the older man. The swelling down below had only just managed to go down, thanks to the awkward conversation about Kyle, but he could already feel a stirring once again, if only from the teasing taunt Danny had dished out before leaving.
“Do you enjoy swimming?” Mr Beecham asked flatly.
Chris frowned a little. “It'd be a bit daft to join Swimming Club if I didn't!” he said with a slight smirk, then blushed, realising he may have been a little too cheeky.
The teacher chuckled. “That's a fair point. Though what I meant was, are you interested in taking up swimming competitively? Is it something you're passionate about?”
“Oh,” Chris said, a little taken aback by the question. He had always enjoyed swimming and had been doing it as long as he could remember, but it had always just been a bit of fun, good exercise and, usually, a handy excuse to hang out with his mates. As he had begin to discover himself sexually, the idea of being around other near-naked boys also had significant appeal, but that was as much as he had considered it. “I hadn't really thought about it,” he answered honestly.
“Well I'd like you to take some time and give it some thought. I've been keeping my eye on you and you are an exceptionally good swimmer,” Mr Beecham explained.
Chris blushed heavily at the idea of being watched by the man. His cock twitched once again. “Erm... err... th... thanks!” he stuttered shyly.
The teacher smiled, trying to put the visibly nervous boy at ease. He reached out and placed a hand on Chris' shoulder. “You're welcome. What I'm saying is I think that with some guidance and extra coaching, you could be a real competitor. It's too early to know for certain, but I'm thinking maybe even Olympic-level ability!”
“Fuck off!” Chris said in absolute amazement, then realised what he'd said and looked terrified. “I'm sorry, S... Sir... that... it just slipped out! I'm... I'm really sorry, Sir!”
“Relax,” the teacher said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “A bit of bad language never hurt anyone. But I'm serious. If this is something you're passionate about, you've got a lot of potential.”
The relief about not being in trouble washed over Chris, but was immediately followed by a wave of something else as he felt the man's fingers against his bare skin. His cock had begun to swell and it seemed nothing was going to stop it. Almost as if he were powerless to resist, Chris found himself looking down at the now-obvious bulge, then up at the teacher.
“But you really need to get that thing under control too!” Mr Beecham said, glancing down long enough to make the boy know what he was talking about, but not so long as to feel he was checking him out.
“Oh God!” Chris muttered. Being hard in front of a teacher was bad enough, but for him to not only be aware of it, but actually talking about it too was just mortifying.
“Half the time, it's a miracle you don't end up swimming in circles with a rudder like that!” the teacher said, very clearly teasing now.
“Oh God,” Chris whimpered again, raising his hands to cover his face.
The man actually laughed aloud and shook his head. He grabbed Chris' hands and gently pulled them down. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease. You're far from the only boy to pop a boner in here! Seriously, you wait until more of your team-mates are out of their devices. They'll all be as bad as you!”
“Can you... help with it?” Chris asked awkwardly, then realised his poor wording had made it sound like something else entirely. His eyes widened as the teacher raised his eyebrows curiously. “Oh God, no, I didn't mean... erm... I meant... how do you keep it under control. That was all. I wasn't asking you to... to help with... you know! It was just... when you get a boner, how do you... oh crap, I don't mean... I shouldn't talk about your... erm... oh God!”
“Okay, take a breath!” Mr Beecham said with a grin as he placed a hand on each of Chris' arms. “We should pick this up another day. Take some time to think, you know where to find me if you have any questions!” he said, then turned and headed towards the exit. “Questions about swimming,” he called back, “Not about my penis!”
“Fuck!” Chris muttered to himself as he shook his head and turned to walk towards the locker room.
“Wow, that was embarrassing!” Danny said, peering round the corner from the doorway.
“You were listening?” Chris asked furiously, cheeks blazing red.
“To you asking Mr B to wank you off! No, didn't hear a thing!” Danny said sarcastically with a smirk.
“That's not what I said!” Chris snapped as he continued towards Danny. “And if you tell anyone about this...”
“You'll what? Withhold cuddles?” Danny asked with a bemused chuckle.
“Why do you like torturing me so much?” Chris asked, pouting.
“I think the real question is, why do you always get a boner when I do?” Danny asked, stepping closer and giving the obvious bulge a playful flick.
“Ow!” Chris yelled, jumping back slightly. “That's not 'cos of you, that's from...” Chris trailed off.
“From you flirting with a teacher?” Danny suggested, barely holding back a laugh.
“I wasn't...” Chris started to argue, but then stopped himself and took a disgruntled deep breath. “Look, whatever. Either way, I can't walk into the locker room like this!” He gestured to his tenting speedo.
Danny gulped unintentionally, eyes widening. “So does that mean you're gonna.... you know!”
“Maybe, “ Chris replied with a grin. “Or... you could help...”
“H... help... h... how?” Danny stuttered, suddenly the nervous one of the two.
Chris shrugged a little. “However you want!” He reached down and pulled his swimwear down to his ankles then stepped out of it, his cock standing to attention, his body still peppered with little droplets of water, the sparse hairs at the base of his cock darkened by the wetness.
Danny let out a little whimper, making his friend giggle, but then stepped forward and grinned. “Turn around. I've got an idea!”
“Okay!” Chris said eagerly, turning to face the pool.
“Ah Chris,” Danny said, lowering his voice. “I think you've got a lot of potential!”
“Danny, what are you doing?” the other boy asked with a snigger and a head shake.
Danny placed a hand on Chris' shoulder and, in the lower voice, replied, “I'm not Danny. I'm... Mr Beecham!”
“Oh, of course, yes Sir!” Chris said, catching on and playing along with a playful giggle.
Danny moved a little closer, letting his arms reach around his friend, one hand sliding round onto his chest, gently grazing a stiff nipple, the other grabbing his cock. “I'd like to give you some one-on-one coaching, Chris. How does that sound?”
“Ugh,” Chris grunted as he felt his friend's hands caressing him, his cock being stroked rapidly. “Sounds... sounds good, Sir!” He leaned back, feeling wet, smooth skin on skin as their bodies slid against each other.
“And maybe we could swim together,” Danny said, continuing his impression as he stroked Chris' cock. “Would you like to see me in a speedo, Chris?”
“Oh God, yes Sir!” Chris grunted, pressing against body at his back.
Danny's own cock was as hard as the chastity device would allow as his hands slid across the silky expanse of Chris' torso. It felt so good to have a cock in his hand, even if it wasn't his own and the pleasured moans and whimpers from Chris only served to heighten the excitement. “Cum for me!” he said in a low growl.
“Ah, yes Mr Beecham. I'm cumming. I'm cumming!” Chris gasped excitedly, grabbing one of Danny's hands with his own as his cock throbbed and shot a few small spurts of spunk, splashing down into the water below. “Oh, fuck!” Chris moaned as he leaned back against Danny breathlessly.
“Come on lads, not in the pool. That stuff really clogs the filters!” Mr Beecham called out from a door at the far end of the pool.
Both boys looked round in absolute horror at having been caught. Chris quickly grabbed his speedo and started pulling it on, but caught his foot in it and staggered, falling to the ground while Danny just froze.
“S... Sir. It's not.... we were... how long were you....” Chris stuttered.
“Relax lads, I never saw a thing!” Mr Beecham said, grinning and giving the boys a wink. “Now go get showered!”
Both boys just nodded.
“Oh, and Danny,” the teacher called out, stopping both boys in their tracks. “Your impression of me needs a LOT of work!” He gave another wink and headed out the door.
“Oh. My. Fucking. God!” Danny said in absolute horror at what had happened, before they both burst into absolute hysterics.
*****
James and David were ready to head back to the Home Building well before Chris and Danny, so decided to wait outside for them. The walk back wasn't far, but it was nice to do together.
“I think you'd enjoy it!” David said, picking up a conversation the two friends had been through several times. “D&D's the best!”
“It's just pretend storytelling!” James said dismissively as they headed out of the building.
“With dice!” David said, grinning.
“Okay, pretend storytelling with dice!” James said, “I just don't see the point!”
“The story IS the point!” David insisted as they headed along towards a bench a little further down the path. “It's about making a story happen together and interacting with each other and... well it's just fun!”
“Meh, just seems like a waste of time to me!” James said, sticking to his usual point of view.
“Yeah, but...” David started, then paused. “Hey, listen!”
“To what?” James asked. “I can't hear anything!”
“Neither can I if you don't shush!” David said pointedly.
“Whatever!” James whispered, but then went quiet.
As they stopped speaking, they could just make out a familiar voice – Mikey. He sounded annoyed, but that seemed to be his default setting most of the time.
“Who's he arguing with?” James asked softly.
“I dunno. I'm gonna go check he's okay!” David said, leaving his bag on the bench with James. He made his way to the corner of the building, Mikey's voice getting clearer the closer he got.
“Why shouldn't I believe them?” Mikey demanded.
As David stepped around the corner, Mikey jumped a little. “Jesus, David. You scared the crap outta me!” he snapped, half-angry, half-amused.
“Are you... okay?” David asked, stepping aside, trying to see who else was there, but he appeared to be alone.
“Well I nearly had a heart attack!” Mikey said, dramatically grabbing his chest.
“No, I mean... you were... I thought I heard you talking to someone!” David said, mildly confused.
Mikey looked round. “Oh sure, yeah,” he said sarcastically. He raised an arm in the air, as if placing it around the shoulder of some invisible person. “This is Brad. Hey Brad, say hello to David!”
“But you were...” David went to reply, the frowned. “I heard you...”
“David, you been drinking the pool water? You're losing it!” Mikey said with a derisive snigger. “Well whatever, I gotta get back. Catch ya later, you little lunatic!”
“Yeah... yeah, bye,” David said, a little embarrassed over the mistake. He headed back round to re-join James.
“Well?” the other boy asked as David returned.
David just shrugged. “He's fine,” was all he said before Chris and Danny emerged from the building.
“Geez, took ya time!” James said, shaking his head at their two room-mates as he stood to walk back with them. Chris and Danny just sniggered quietly to each other.
*****
Rob and Josh were vaguely aware of people entering the room, but they had fallen asleep together laying on the sofa and not moved since. They hovered somewhere between sleep and consciousness until they heard a yell of, “Yay, cuddle party!”
The voice was undeniably Chris, but it was soon followed by the over-affectionate boy diving on top of them both as the others laughed or made silly comments in their general direction.
“Ugh, get off!” Rob grunted, now with half of Josh's body weight on top of him and most of Chris'.
“No chance. Two of you to cuddle at once, how often do I get this chance?” Chris said, happily holding Josh tightly so he couldn't roll away, while Rob remained pinned beneath them both.
“What time is it?” Josh asked with a yawn, seemingly quite happy to be sandwiched between the other two boys.
“It's cuddle time!” Chris replied with a grin, then nuzzled his head against Josh's. “But if you mean regular person time, it's like quarter to nine!”
Over at the other end of the dorm, Nicky walked in, saying a quick hello to James and Mikey who were both heading out to the bathroom.
“What's going on down there?” Nicky asked with a bemused smirk as he nodded towards the pile-up on the sofa.
“Just... Chris being Chris!” Danny said with a chuckle.
“Hey, erm... guys,” David said timidly, moving over to the door and closing it slightly. “Have you... erm... do you guys... talk to yourself?”
Danny shrugged. “Sometimes I guess,” he said casually. “Ya know, you do something wrong and you're like, 'way to go dickhead' or something like that!”
“I do, but only because it's the only way to get any decent conversation round here!” Nicky said with a wry smile.
David looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Why, bud. What's up? Worried you're going cray-cray?” Danny asked, giving David a playful nudge.
“No!” David insisted. “I just...” he glanced round at the door. “It's nothing I guess.” He sighed softly and headed out, toothbrush in hand.
“Well that was... random!” Nicky said, shaking his head.
“Yeah,” Danny said, looking over at the struggle still going on at the sofas. “I guess I should go save Josh and Rob!”
“I'll help. You distract Chris with... I dunno, whatever it is you use to lure him into your bed and I'll sneak them out to safety!” Nicky said, following.
“I don't lure!” Danny said pointedly.
Nicky sniggered, having gotten exactly the reaction he wanted from the other boy, an angry but amused glare.
“You know what, let's do it the way Chris'd do it himself!” Danny suggested, getting an immediate nod of understanding from Nicky.
The two boys jumped over the back of the sofa, grabbing Chris as they rolled over him and fell heavily to the floor on the other side, leaving Rob and Josh free.
“Go! Save yourselves. It's too late for us!” Danny called out dramatically, making all of the others laugh as Josh climbed free then reached a hand out to help Rob up.
“Hmm,” Chris said, looking to Danny on one side and Nicky on the other. “I'm okay with this!” He happily grabbed onto the others, resting his head on Nicky's shoulder as his hand tightly gripped onto Danny.
Danny gently rubbed Chris' hand, but then pulled away. “I'll doubtlessly be on Chris duty tonight, so he can be your problem til then!” he said with a grin.
“I'm okay with this!” Nicky copied Chris' words, getting a giggle from the boy at his side.
Danny headed off down the dorm to get ready for bed, leaving the two boys alone on the floor, mostly-concealed from the rest of the room.
“Hey, what did you do?” Nicky asked, seeing a bruise on Chris' arm and stroking it gently.
Chris looked at it and shrugged a little, then remembered, “Oh, I fell over earlier putting a speedo on in a hurry!” He blushed a little, knowing how much more there was to the story but not wanting to let on. He leaned towards Nicky and sniffed as he caught a distinct scent. “You smell like sex!” he whispered with a chuckle. “Had a good night, have ya?”
Nicky raised his free arm to his nose and sniffed, then asked, “How d'you do that?”
“It's a gift!” Chris said, opening his eyes and looking up at Nicky. “So was it just you and William tonight, or did you get a bit of Jonathan action in there too?”
“Just me and Will,” Nicky said dreamily. “And it was SO good!”
“I'm really glad it's going well for you guys. I saw you outside together after lunch today. You're so cute together!” Chris said sincerely.
Nicky sighed. “I guess so!”
“You.... not sure?” Chris asked, propping himself up on one elbow, looking mildly concerned.
“Oh, no, nothing like that. He's amazing, we're amazing, I... really like him,” Nicky said, blushing a little. He wasn't used to being so open with anyone, but since Chris had offered to be his confidante a few days earlier, he figured he should share as freely as he could manage. “It's just... I don't know why we still have to keep it a secret. I mean, half the school is coupled up and it's not like boy-on-boy romance is out of the ordinary here, so... what is it?”
Chris shrugged. “I don't really know him, but is he maybe just... very private? Maybe he just thinks it's nobody else's business!”
“I think maybe he's embarrassed, because he's nearly fifteen and I'm only twelve!” Nicky said sadly.
“It's not that big a difference really!” Chris said, thinking about it. “Maybe... wait. You're twelve? As in, not nearly, but actually twelve?”
Nicky looked annoyed at himself for slipping up. He sighed and said, “Yeah, my birthday was Monday, but... please don't make a big deal of it, okay?”
“But it IS a big deal. Oh, and none of us remembered. We suck!” Chris said, looking close to tears, feeling like a terrible friend.
“It's NOT a big deal,” Nicky insisted. “And none of you remembered because I never told any of you when it was! And that was intentional! I don't... I don't like birthdays!”
“Fine,” Chris said, not wanting to upset the other boy by forcing the matter. “Well... happy birthday for Monday anyway!” He leaned in and kissed the other boy on the lips, remaining there for several seconds.
As they parted, Nicky chuckled. “Okay, I suppose as presents go, that wasn't bad! But even a Chris-kiss ain't enough to make me like birthdays!”
The two boys laughed and continued talking, moving onto Chris' birthday which was fast approaching, all while remaining unaware of the prying eyes that had seen the whole encounter.