Tales from Kingswood - Chapter 40 (Patreon)

Friday 17 July 2020

"School's out for summer
School's out forever
School's been blown to pieces."

Kingswood had not been blown to pieces, thankfully. A few eardrums were at risk of ending up in that state based on the volume of the performance, but the school remained standing. ‘School’s Out’ by Alice Cooper was released in April of 1972 and since then had featured in about half of the Kingswood end-of-year music competitions. It was one of many songs that seemed to crop up repeatedly in the show, to the point that the teachers at the school ran a betting pool on if and when it would show up.

Mr Cunningham, one of the school’s geography teachers and head of the football club, was ecstatic to hear it as he had taken a longshot by betting on not just ‘School’s Out’, but also ‘What I Go to School For’ by Busted showing up, another staple of the competition since the early 2000s.

The performance of ‘What I Go To School For’ by the Year 11 band, front by Brandon ‘Bran’ Porter, had been somewhat mediocre compared to some of the other bands. Yet it had still managed to elicit an uproarious reaction from the crowd thanks to Bran’s not-so-subtle lyrical change.

The original lyrics should have been:

“That's what I go to school for
Even though it is a real bore
Girlfriends I've had plenty
None like Miss Mackenzie!”

But what Bran sang went:

“That's what I go to school for
Even though it is a real bore
Boyfriends I would ditch ‘em
When I see Mister Beecham!”

The students had been in hilarious uproar over the change, especially as Bran’s crush on the man was one of the worst-kept secrets in the school. The teachers sat around him had given him a good ribbing over the playful musical flirtation, though that was all they thought it was. Only a handful of students knew the truth about Bran and Mr Beecham’s brief fling earlier in the year.

Backstage, Chris greeted Bran as he left the stage with his band. “You know he’s going to kill you, don’t you!” he said with a snigger. He was one of the chosen few who was aware of the student and teacher’s brief fling back in the half-term break of the first term.

“I do,” Bran grinned back at the younger boy. “But it was worth it to see the look on his face! When are you and your mate on?”

“After intermission,” Chris started, nodding to the act currently on stage, “We’re second up!”

“You doing okay? Nerves alright?” Bran asked, casually draping an arm around the younger boy. Considering how they had bonded back during their half-term break together, they had barely seen each other since. It was one of the mysteries of Kingswood, how you could go weeks or months at a time without ever bumping into someone who literally lived in the same building.

Despite that, the casualness between them came back with the simple comfort of old friends. The bond they built in that week was strong, bound by the oft-repeated oath of ‘what happens at half-term, stays at half-term’, although thanks to Bran’s performance that should probably be updated to ‘what happens at half-term, stays at half-term… unless you can fit it into the lyrics of a song to tease a teacher’.

Chris puffed out his cheeks, exhaling slowly as he nodded. He had been so confident on the run-up to today, largely to help build up Nicky, but hearing how good the acts in the first half were had shaken him a little. The amazing reception all of the acts received from the excitable crowd certainly made it easier though. “I’m okay,” he said with a nod, then cocked his head over towards Nicky and said, “It’s him I’m worried about!”

“Yeeeeah,” Bran said wearily as he looked at the other Year 7 boy. “I’ve done this competition a few times now and, I don’t mean to scare you, but I’ve seen runners before… and they all look JUST like that right before take off!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered!” Chris said with a confident grin. After bidding Bran a brief ‘goodbye and good luck’ with Mr Beecham, he headed over to place a supportive arm around Nicky. “You doing okay, mate?” he asked softly.

Nicky shook his head. “I… I feel like I’m gonna throw up. I kinda feel like maybe I already did. I might do it on stage, or… or almost do it on stage but then… then choke on it and, like, die. I might die on stage. That’s a thing that happens you know! I’ve heard people talk about… about dying on stage!” he rambled nervously.

“Yeah, I don’t think they mean literally!” Chris said with a snigger. “They just mean, like, doing really badly and everyone booing and stuff like that!”

Nicky stared Chris, wide-eyed and horrified.

“Not that that’s gonna happen to us,” Chris quickly backtracked. “We’re good, mate! We’ve got this!” Chris insisted.

“No. Nope,” Nicky said, shaking his head again as he held his stomach. “Shouldn’t have had breakfast… or lunch... or any food this side of June. It’s gonna come up. Oh, god, I feel like it is already. Am I… am I throwing up right now?” Nicky asked, panicking.

“Only words!” Chris chuckled. “Daft git!” he said, grabbing his friend in a hug.

“I don’t think I can do this!” Nicky whimpered into Chris’ neck. “I mean… it’s just us… and a couple of guitars. Some of these bands have been… like… proper bands with drums and everything. And the staging too! They had a freaking smoke machine!” He pulled back and nodded slightly to emphasise the point. “We don’t have a smoke machine, we don’t have… any machines!”

“Okay, stop being a crazy bitch for two seconds and come here,” Chris said, guiding the other boy to the edge of the stage.

“Yeah, great, a fucking massive crowd!” Nicky exclaimed. “That’s REALLY gonna help!” he added sarcastically.

“Look,” Chris said, pointing to the row where the other dorm 1.01 boys were sat. “You start to think you can’t do it, just think of them!”

“How does that help?” Nicky asked, frowning. “Thinking of more people who can take the piss when I choke on my own vomit on stage?”

“David!” Chris exclaimed bluntly. “He was scared to even leave his room at one point, yet here he is, out and about, and even ready to actually go home tomorrow,” he explained. “And Josh. All the shit he’s been through this year… fuck, the shit he’s been through his whole freaking life and he’s still going. Then Danny. Think about him finding Josh up on that roof. Imagine how scared he musta been, but he pushed thought it and Josh is still with us today because of it!”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Nicky said. “They’re all awesome, fair enough. But that’s them, not me!”

“You didn’t let me get to the best one,” Chris said with a grin. “Mikey,” he said, pointing to the boy who was currently poking James in the ribs to make him squirm. “He believed in you enough to look after him that he let an imaginary friend he’d had his whole life go. That was brave of him, but it says just as much about you. Mate, you’re freaking amazing. Start believing it!”

“Stop making sense,” Nicky groaned. “It’s making chickening out SO much harder!” he added with a bemused head shake.

“Look, if you REALLY don’t wanna do it, then… that’s fine, I’ll understand but… I hope you do because…” Chris paused, exhaling and looking a little tearful. “I know Danny’s my best mate and Mikey’s yours, but you… you… mean a lot to me, mate, and I… wanna show the world how awesome you are!”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “You absolute bitch!” he complained, shaking his head. As Chris looked at him, a little confused he grinned and said, “No way I can chicken out after that, can I?”

“That was the plan,” Chris said, suddenly bursting into a cheesy grin. “But if you’re really struggling this much, I did… make a back-up plan that might make things a bit easier for you… if you trust me!”

“Mate,” Nicky said, grabbing Chris’ shoulder. “Of course I don’t… but do it anyway!” he joked.

*****

Just as intermission started, Mikey ran off, pursued by James who he had been annoying all the way through the first half. David had followed, expecting he might have to intervene, followed by Danny who knew David’s attempts to intervene usually ended up in Mikey and James teasing David instead. Thankfully, much like Chris, he had been granted permission to wear clothes again, his punishment officially over.

Rob and Josh remained in their seats casually chatting about the first half when they each felt a hand on their shoulder. “What up, fellas!” Alex said cheerfully, his head appearing between their own from behind.

“Heyyy,” Josh said cheerfully, giving the older boy a playful peck on the cheek.

Alex giggled at the gesture as he gently nudged his head against Josh’s.

“Hi Alex,” Rob said with a polite smile. Rob still felt a little weird whenever he saw Alex. He had spent half of Year 7 absolutely loathing him, convinced he was a heartless bully out to make Josh miserable. He had eventually learned the opposite to be true, that Alex was one of the few people able to help Josh. Since then, Rob and Alex had spent a lot of time together, especially after Alex admitted to being a little lonely, as his years under the influence of Josh’s twisted older brothers had left him isolated from his peers.

“You two want some privacy?” Rob asked, gesturing down the row as if to leave.

“Actually… it’s you I’m after!” Alex said, moving his hand from Josh’s shoulder and onto Rob’s so he was now holding both. “Can we…” he nodded down the row, “Go talk for a sec?”

Rob frowned but nodded. “Sure,” he said, standing up. He looked back at Josh and asked, “Will you be okay?”

“No, I’ll drop dead if I’m left on my own for too long!” Josh said with a grin. Nearly 5 months on from the truth coming out and Rob still worried about him. Josh liked it, though he never had any intention of actually telling that to Rob!

“Yeah, I wish!” Rob replied, eyes narrowing as he shook his head. He turned to walk away and Josh stuck his foot out. Rob tripped and staggered, flailing along to the end of the row, but managed to right himself without falling over.

“Smooth!” Alex sniggered as Rob stared back at a laughing Josh.

Rob just blushed as he turned to face Alex.

“So, I know it’s, like, the last day of the year so it seems a weird time to ask but… I didn’t wanna leave it til after the Summer break,” Alex said, looking a little hesitant.

“Ask… what?” Rob said, not sure whether he needed to feel as nervous as Alex looked.

“Erm… w… well… ya see… erm,” Alex stuttered.

Rob just stared. Alex was not a stutterer! Not usually.

Alex squirmed a little and said, “We’ve been… hanging out a lot and you seem like a really nice guy and I was wondering if… maybe… after the Summer… you might be interested in maybe… possibly… going out with me?” Alex asked, almost incoherently.

“Out where?” Rob asked, completely missing the point.

Alex’s cheeks burned red. “No, like… erm… dating…” he frowned and shook his head, staring at the ground. “Forget it, sorry, it’s… stupid!”

“Me?” Rob asked, eyes wide. “Date you?”

“Yeah, like I said, forget it. I knew you wouldn’t want to. Sorry,” Alex said timidly.

“Sorry, no, that’s not what I meant, I was just wondering… why would YOU want to date ME? That’s why I’m surprised!” Rob chuckled. “I mean… I’m not fit like most of the others,” he said, looking down at the slight bulge of his stomach.

Alex looked back at the younger boy for a moment and said, “You’re kind, you’re smart, you’re an amazing friend, you’re funny, you’re cute!” Alex said bluntly, not even having to think about it. “They’re just five of the reasons I’d want to date you. I’d list some more but I’m aiming for sweet, not creepy!”

“You can list more, I don’t mind!” Rob said with a chuckle.

“You’re a cheeky little bugger, that’s number six!” Alex added happily.

Rob smiled back, then his face dropped a little. “Oh, erm… Josh!” he said quietly, glancing round at the boy sat alone. “I know you and him weren’t, like, proper boyfriends, but you’re still my mate’s ex and… there are rules, right? Bros before hoes… or something!”

“Oh, I’m a ho, am I?” Alex asked, sucking his teeth and looking annoyed for a moment before he sniggered. “I get what ya mean, but don’t worry. I already cleared it with Josh. In his words, ‘you deserve each other’, which is either really sweet… or really mean… I’m not sure which yet!”

Rob chuckled. “He knew about this? Bastard never said a word to me!” he said, glancing round again. “You’d think a best mate’d give a guy a heads-up!”

“So… is this a yes?” Alex asked, frowning a little.

“It’s a maybe,” Rob said. He held out his hand and instructed, “Gimme your phone!”. As Alex handed it over, Rob typed in his number and said, “Now we can chat over the Summer and… perhaps by then you can convince me to say yes!”

“Oh, you’re gonna make me work for it!” Alex said, nodding and actually looking a little impressed.

Rob nodded as he started back towards Josh, then paused and looked back at Alex. “Spoiler alert. I won’t take much convincing! Speak soon!”

“See ya!” Alex said, a massive grin spread across his face.

Rob dropped back into his seat, staring ahead at the stage. He kept a straight face as he spotted Josh slowly turning to stare at him expectantly. “Didn’t feel like giving em any warning then?” he asked, barely concealing his smile.

“Not all secrets are bad!” Josh chuckled. “I’m guessing it was a yes!”

Rob shrugged. “Not exactly… but it’s gonna be!” After a few moments of silence between them, he added a quiet, “Thanks Josh!”

Josh just smiled and tilted his head to the side, resting it on Rob’s shoulder.

They would have been happy to stay like that for the whole show but a moment later Rob’s phone vibrated. He thought it might be Alex, but as he pulled it out, he nudged Josh back up and said, “Gotta go. Code Pink!”

They were both on their feet within seconds.

*****

“That’s it!” Chris said encouragingly as he pushed Nicky along. “Left foot, right foot, left foot again. It’s like you’ve done this before!”

“You’re not helping!” Nicky grumbled, his confidence melting away with every step.

“You boys ready?” Mr Yaeger asked, visibly concerned at the sight of the boy being forced towards the stage.

Nicky made a noise that, had it been recorded, could have been entered in the National Sound Archive as ‘boy on verge of soiling self’.

“Yes Sir, we’re all good. Thanks for allowing the last-minute changes!” Chris said gratefully.

“What changes?” Nicky asked, a little confused, looking from Chris to the teacher and back again.

“Who am I to mess with the creative process?” Mr Yaeger sniggered, always keen to let the boys express their creativity. They learned as much from their mistakes as they did from their successes after all. Not that he thought any of this was going to be a mistake.

“Chris. What changes?” Nicky demanded.

“I told you, it’ll help!” Chris insisted. “Do you trust me?”

Nicky inhaled, considering a sarcastic response, as was his default, but nodded as he exhaled. “I may regret it but… yeah. I guess I do!”

“Great, then on with the show!” Chris said, just as they were called to the stage by the host, Mr Warren.

The two boys ran out… well Chris ran out, Nicky sauntered tentatively… as the crowd cheered happily. The two boys took their places at the microphone stands, making sure they had their guitars comfortably in position. Nicky hadn’t taken his eyes off of the floor yet, unable to even look at the crowd.

Chris leaned into his microphone and said, “Bear with us one moment, folks. In a slight change to the advertised line-up, we’re being joined by some special guests!”

“What? Who?” Nicky asked as he saw movement behind him. He saw Mikey first, grinning and waving as he walked onto the stage. Nicky looked into the crowd and saw the row the 1.01 boys had been sat in was now half empty. The others quickly filed onto stage behind Mikey.

“What are you guys doing?” Nicky asked as he looked back at them all.

“Think about your song choice and then tell me you didn’t see this coming!” Danny sniggered.

Nicky frowned for a moment, then smiled as he caught on.

“Thanks guys,” Chris said happily, taking a step back from his microphone to talk to their six backing singers. “Just jump in on the chorus like we practiced, okay!” He got a nervous but happy nod back from them. He stepped to the microphone again. “Okay, thanks everyone, we’re ready!” he said, getting polite applause.

Chris hit the first note and Nicky immediately joined in playing. They had deliberately planned the structure to have Chris start with the singing, another way to help ease Nicky in slowly.

“What would you think if I sang out tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me you ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key!”

As the chorus kicked in and the chorus behind them joined in, Nicky glanced back and realised the screen at the back of stage was playing a slideshow of the pictures he had taken throughout the year, the ones usually displayed in their dorm on the digital frame they had bought on Chris’ birthday.

“Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
I get high with a little help from my friends
I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends!”

“What do I do when my love is away?” Chris sang.

“Does it worry you to be alone?” Nicky sang back, much to Chris’ relief.

“And how do I feel by the end of the day?” Chris went on.

“Are you sad because you’re on your own?” Nicky finished the verse.

The other boys burst into another chorus before Nicky jumped back in.

“Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love
And could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love!” Nicky sang, with Chris grinning at his side, delighted to see the nerves beaten.

The song continued with the backing singers jumping in on every chorus, the slideshow continuing at their backs.

Chris and Nicky finished the song and the crowd went wild. The eight boys suddenly gathered together in a group hug before waving their way off the stage as the applause continued.

*****

Brian wandered through the party tent, then grinned as he spotted Danny. “Wow, Ringo, being on stage with your clothes on,” he said as he approached the boy. “Didn’t think I’d see that this year, but you just slipped it in at the last moment!”

Danny chuckled, confused by the nickname-du-jour but mostly just embarrassed at the unsubtle reminder of his many embarrassments. “Well, I thought I’d try something new!” he joked.

Brian reached out and took hold of the silver medal hanging around Danny’s neck, his fingers lightly grazing the boy’s chest through his shirt. “And second place too. I thought for sure you guys had in in the bag. You definitely had my vote!” Brian congratulated him.

The dorm 1.01 boys had been amazed to be called up on stage when the top was announced, considering the amazing talent that had been on show throughout the afternoon, so they had been absolutely astounded when they were awarded their second-place silver medals.

“Thanks, but it’s Chris and Nicky’s win really!” Danny said, smiling as he glanced round to see the other two talking to a couple of teachers. “They were amazing!”

“You all were!” Brian said, beaming proudly over at his young mentee. He looked back to Danny and raised a hand, letting his fingers lightly touch the boy’s chin. “And looks like your lip’s healed nicely too!” he said a little breathlessly.

“Yeah,” Danny replied, gasping gently at his touch.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Brian pulled his hand back nervously. “So… erm… did you… enjoy your first year at Kingswood?” he asked, his gaze fixed on Danny.

“It had its moments!” Danny replied, smiling a little as his hands fiddled with each other.

“Oh yeah? Any… parts in particular?” Brian asked, edging a little closer. He let his hand reach forward, a finger gently linking with Danny’s. His expression clearly hopeful.

Danny stared down at the hand holding his own and gulped again, then nodded as he slowly looked up into Brian’s eyes again. “The… the Science Lab!” he said, in barely more than a whisper.

“I was hoping you’d say that!” Brian said, grinning. “Maybe… you’d like to pay it another visit before we go home?”

“I do like Science!” Danny smiled back at him, giggling playfully.

“Awesome. Just give me, like, fifteen minutes then come over and find me, okay?” Brian requested.

“Okay,” Danny said, nervous but happy as he watched Brian run off. He stood watching the exit for a moment, willing the next quarter hour to fly. As he felt a tap on the shoulder he span on his heel and exclaimed, “Oh hey!” as he saw Adrian stood facing him.

“Hi,” Adrian said back with a dopey grin. “You guys were SO freaking awesome. Total fix that you didn’t win!”

Danny sniggered and said, “We’re still happy with second.”

“Make sure you keep the medal. I totally got a new roleplay idea!” Adrian said with a mischievous grin. “It involves the Olympics, some lycra and a mis-timed long jump!”

Danny snorted with laughter, shaking his head, unsure how serious Adrian was. His humour was a little obscure sometimes but so were his ideas, much to Danny’s amusement. “Sounds fun. Guessing if there’s a silver medal involved, I won’t be cumming first!”

Adrian frowned for a moment then caught on to the double entendre and laughed aloud. “You’re so funny!” he said, casually putting his hand on the other boy’s chest as he moved a little closer. “Look, I… was wondering if we could try a quick roleplay?”

“What, now?” Danny asked, grabbing at his trousers without even thinking about it. The amount of times he’d ended up naked in front of most of the school this year, it was an understandable reaction.

Adrian giggled and said, “Not one like that, just… talking!”

“Oh…kay!” Danny said, a little weary.

Adrian nodded. “So, we’re in Kingswood, it’s first day back after Summer break. You’re sat in the Common Room…”

“What am I doing in there?” Danny asked immediately.

“I dunno, erm… you’re just in there hanging out on your own!” Adrian suggested.

“Why on my own? Oh my God, did everyone else die over Summer? Am I the last one left? That’s horrible!” Danny exclaimed, clearly teasing as he struggled to keep a straight face.

“And suddenly I’m planning a roleplay where I spank you for being a wanker!” Adrian snapped playfully. “So just picture it, okay!”

Danny rolled his eyes but nodded, getting in character… presumably as himself?!

“Hey, how was your Summer?” Adrian asked, also in character as his future self.

“Terrible. Everyone died!” Danny said grumpily. One punch to the arm later and he corrected himself to, “Really nice thanks. Good to be back!”

“Yeah, it is. I missed this place and… I missed you!” Adrian said, blushing.

Danny gave a sweet smile. “Yeah, I missed you too,” he said with a gentle nod as he realised he actually would miss his new friend.

“As it’s a new year, I thought maybe we could try some new things, like… maybe you’d like to go out with me some time?” Adrian asked, looking terrified.

Danny grinned. To his own surprise, his first thought had been an emphatic yes, which came as a surprise considering his position for most of Year 7 of not wanting to date. He had to stop himself as he caught on to the fact this may not be just another fun roleplay. He frowned a little and asked, “Wait, I just… have to check this but, are you using our roleplay to practice asking a guy out or is this… you… actuall asking me out?”

Adrian’s expression changed from fear to embarrassment in an instant. “I’m guessing if you’re asking that instead of saying yes, then… it’s not a yes?” he asked awkwardly.

Danny felt a surge of sadness at the disappointment he could see in Adrian’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I… this stuff we’ve been doing, I thought… it was stuff that… that we were just doing as… ya know… friends!”

“We are!” Adrian nodded, forcing a smile. “And I hope we still can be and that I haven’t just screwed it up by asking you that!”

“We definitely can!” Danny insisted. He thought for a moment, frowning, then said “We kinda stopped being friends before cos we wanted different things. Let’s not do it again. Turns out I kinda like you!” he said with a sincere smile which turned cheeky as he added bluntly, “Just not in THAT way!”

“Ouch, right in the feels!” Adrian said, shaking his head but giving a reluctant smile. “Now I’m definitely planning that spanking roleplay!”

“Awesome!” Danny said delightedly. “I mean… oh no… please… don’t do that!” he added sarcastically.

Adrian chuckled. “You’re too cute. I gotta go, but thanks for… not making this weird. I’m leaving pretty early tomorrow so if I don’t see ya later, have a cool Summer!”

“Yeah, you too!” Danny said, grabbing him in a quick hug before letting him scurry away towards his friends.

“Well, that looked… intense!” Danny heard from behind, turning to see Chris. So much turning, he was starting to get dizzy!

Danny shrugged, unsure if he wanted to talk about it yet. Instead, he nodded at the silver medal that Chris had now shown off to pretty much everyone at the party and said “That was such a sweet idea you had, by the way!”

“Thanks, but it only worked… with a little help from my friends!” Chris said with a cheesy grin.

Danny stared back, straight-faced. “Was that supposed to be a joke?” he asked. “My lack of laughing should tell you how successful it was!”

“Screw you, I’m funny!” Chris pouted.

“Yeah, but that’s just your face!” Danny teased back.

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” Chris repeated Danny’s words back at him before they both giggled. “So… what’s the deal with you and Adrian? Did my matchmaking finally work out?”

Danny took a breath, intending to just change the subject again but he nodded and explained, “Sort of. He… pretty much asked me out!”

“Oh!” Chris said, a little surprised. “I’m guessing that didn’t go well… for him, anyway!”

“Yeah, I said no,” Danny replied, looking a little guilty. “We’re still mates and he seemed… okay… ish… but I could tell it upset him. I hate saying no to people!”

“I know, I’ve seen your sex life!” Chris sniggered, getting a playful punch to the arm from his best friend. He frowned a little as he realised, he actually didn’t know Danny’s sex life, not really. Figuring this was neither the time nor the place to address that possible crack in their friendship, he offered, “Well you’ve already told him you’re not ready for dating, so he can’t be that surprised!”

“I guess,” Danny said with a thoughtful nod. “But I… don’t think that’s why I said no!”

“Oh, got your eye on someone else, have you?” Chris joked.

Danny froze. There was a lot Danny hadn’t told Chris lately. Not just lately, actually. He had been using the school’s gloryholes for hook-ups for six months and never told Chris. He had not told Chris about his gloryhole-based hook-ups with Brian or any of their other dalliances. He hadn’t even shared full details of his new roleplay-based hobby with Adrian. He had never stopped to think about why. Sure, he could blame Chris’ own secret-keeping, but some of it had started long before any of that had come out.

This felt different though. His secrets were all sex, this was… possibly something more. Before he really had a chance to consider the implications either way, he nodded.

“Oh!” Chris said, shocked once again. “Are you…” he paused and gulped. “Going to ask them out?”

Danny wanted to abort, to take back the nod and evade the awkward question but it was too late, so he just answered, “I’m thinking… they might ask me out!”

Chris smiled. “Yeah, maybe they will!”

Danny frowned at the comment a little then slipped his phone out of his pocket to check the time. It hadn’t quite been fifteen minutes yet but being a little early had to be better than staying here. He felt like a magnet for awkward conversations and wanted to get out before he drew in anymore. “I… erm… I need to go do something. I’ll catch up with ya later, ‘kay?”

“Sure,” Chris said, giving Danny a quick hug before running off to show his silver medal to some other unsuspecting party-goer.

Danny headed out of the party tent, now situated behind the Home Building with its usual spot next to the School Building occupied by the temporary Covid accommodation. As expected with the end of year party underway, the School Building was abandoned so he was able to make it to the Science Lab unseen. He burst through the door so suddenly he made Brian jump, the older boy almost falling off of the table he was standing on.

“You scared the crap outta me!” Brian said, sniggering at his own jump. He hopped down from the table and said, “I need to tell you something!”

“Me too!” Danny said happily.

“Okay, you go first,” Brian said, looking at the boy curiously as he moved closer to the boy, running his fingers through his soft golden hair.

“So, d’you know Adrian? He’s in one-oh-three, his mentor’s Kai, so you probably know him,” Danny started. “So you remember before Christmas when I was pissed at Chris for setting me up with someone? Well we still became friends, except then we weren’t friends cos I… well, I wanted to fool around with him and stuff, but recently we kinda… reconnected and we’ve been, like, playing and stuff which has been SO much fun!”

Brian giggled as Danny rambled on about stuff that he only vaguely understood.

“Anyway, he knew I wasn’t really, like, ready to date and stuff but he thought maybe I’d changed my mind because of the stuff we’ve been doing, so we did this thing just now…” Danny paused, thinking about trying to explain their roleplay, then shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter exactly what he did, but… he kinda just asked me out!”

Brian looked like he’d been kicked in the balls but tried to hide it. “That’s… so cool,” he said awkwardly.

Danny couldn’t miss the expression. He almost considered continuing the torment for a moment, but as much as he liked teasing Brian, it was actually painful to see him looking so upset. “I said no!” he added with a smirk.

Brian looked elated and tried to play it cool, but his joy was obvious.

“So, what did you wanna tell me?” Danny asked, curious what there really was to say other than ‘bend over and lube up’.

“Well, it’s more like…” Brian paused, thinking about it. “…one thing to tell you and then… something to show you!” Brian said, blushing a little.

“Let me guess, what you wanna tell me is you want to fuck me and what you wanna show me is your dick?” Danny giggled.

Brian sniggered, shook his head and said, “Shut up and come with me!” He took the boy’s hand, shuddering slightly at the contact, and led him to the other side of the room. “Look, I know you’re a little smart-arse, but… I really need you to just… shut up and let me get this out, okay?” he requested as he sat Danny on a stool.

“Okay,” Danny chuckled, surprisingly okay with the slight insult.

Brian took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a second, took another breath and started, “I’m confident. It’s one of my things, it’s what I’m known for, but for some reason, when you’re around… I’m not!” Danny went to say something, but Brian raised a hand to silence him and he nodded. “And I’m pretty strong, ya know… in most ways... but when you’re near me I feel… weak! It’s… such a weird feeling and one that I couldn’t understand for the longest time but lately it’s kinda started to make sense to me.”

Danny gave a sweet smile and nodded gently, letting the older boy go on.

“D’you know… why I call you the things I do?” Brian asked, gulping a little.

“Because it annoys me?” Danny guessed with a wry grin.

“Honestly, that’s a fun bonus,” Brian said with a cheeky grin. “But mostly it’s…” he paused, exhaling slowly and shaking his head, “If you take the piss out of this, I might actually cry!”

“I won’t,” Danny said, taking his hand and holding it gently.

The handholding actually seemed to make him more nervous. Brian gulped again and explained, “It’s because… just… hearing your name makes me feel like my… stomach’s in my throat and like my heart is gonna pound out of my chest, so even thinking about saying your actual name… it’s impossible!”

“Brian…” Danny started, unsure what he was going to say, but unable to get any further.

“So I still can’t say it, but I… can show you this!” Brian said, visibly shaking now. He reached out and flicked on the switch for the star lights on the ceiling.

As Danny glanced up, the glow strips used to mark out the constellations had been moved and now spelled out the message, ‘I love you Danny!’ He stared at it for several moments.

“It’d be… really cool if you said something right now,” Brian said, shaking so much he was on the verge of tears.

Danny turned to face him and looked to be in a fairly similar state. He smiled as he remembered something his dad had said to him many months earlier. ‘When you know, you know’. And Danny knew! “I love you too!” he said happily, the words almost catching in his throat.

Brian raised a hand to the boy’s cheek and leaned in, their lips meeting. It was not their first kiss, but it felt like it was. When they had kissed before it had been lust, borne from the heat of passion. This was… delicate, tender, an expression of something neither boy had felt before. As they held each other, their trembling hands began to calm, but their hearts pounded faster. They parted a little, pressing their foreheads together as they grinned at each other with a mix of relief and sheer joy.

“I love you…” Brian started, but Danny silenced him before he could finish by raising a finger to his lips.

“Don’t… call me Danny!” the younger boy said with a grin. “I… really like the nicknames!”

Brian giggled and nodded, giving the boy’s finger a playful kiss before it was pulled away. “Okay,” he said, “In that case… I love you, Dumpling!”

Danny chuckled as he sat with his hands casually gripped onto Brian’s waist. “Do you… just think these up on the spot?” he asked, visibly amused.

Brian shook his head. “I have a list!” he confessed. “Annoying you takes a surprising amount of effort!”

“I’m worth it!” Danny giggled.

“You really are!” Brian agreed, then leaned in for another kiss. When they parted, Brian said quietly, “I don’t want you to think I’m just saying this stuff to get you to let me… ya know… do you…”

Danny shrugged. “I don’t,” he said with a sweet smile. “Besides, I let you fuck me when I thought this was just a hook-up! Pretty safe to say I’ll let you do whatever the hell you like now that we’re… whatever we are!”

“Yay, my own little slut. I’ve always wanted one!” Brian joked, planting a playful kiss on the tip of Danny’s nose. He leaned in to bring his lips closer to Danny’s ear and growled, “Now take your clothes off!”

Danny was on his feet in moments, the top two buttons of his shirt undone before pulling it over his head, his trousers down to his ankles. The discarded clothing caught on his shoes until he kicked them off too. He stood in just his underwear, sporting the obvious bulge of his erection. As he reached for the underwear, Brian grabbed his hand to stop him going any further.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, shaking his head as he stood back. “I mean… do you even realise just how absolutely fucking perfect you are?”

Danny blushed. He had, undeniably, been naked a lot this year and it had drawn a number of reactions, from sympathy to amusement to excitement, but this was by far the best. He swivelled playfully on one foot, biting his lip as he gave Brian his best puppy-dog eyes.

Brian pulled off his own shirt, then dropped his trousers, walking forward as he stepped out of them. “I need to warn you,” he said seriously as he let his arms slide around Danny’s sides, reaching down to playfully cup his buttocks. “If we do this. If I… start kissing you again… and fucking you… I don’t think I’m ever gonna be able to stop. You’re like a drug to me, Buster. One more hit and I’m hooked for life!”

Danny wanted to tease him for the cheesiness but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he sighed and said, “Then I must be weaker than you are, because I’m already addicted!”

Brian smiled as he leaned down, kissing the shorter boy as his hands began to roam. Strong fingers sliding over the warm silky smoothness of Danny’s body. They melted into each other, bodies pressing together, erections poking each other tantalisingly. Danny was first to reach down, tugging at Brian’s underwear until it was down far enough to drop to the floor before pushing down his own to join it. He slid his hand in between their bodies, grabbing at Brian’s meaty boner, moaning happily at its excited firmness and the wetness at its tip.

Their kiss parted for a moment. Danny stared up as Brian stared down, lost in each other for a moment until Danny whispered, “Fuck me!” Brian nodded and then they were kissing again.

Brian reached out to grab some lube, tore open the pack behind Danny’s back and squeezed it all out onto his hand then tossed the packet away. Scooping some up with his other hand, he moved it round to stroke it onto his own cock while the other lowered to Danny’s perfect little butt, slicking his hole.

“D’you need me to move?” Danny whispered as he pulled out of the kiss again.

“Nuh-uh!” Brian said, shaking his head. He let his hands lower from Danny’s butt to the back of his thighs, gently lifting him off the ground.

Danny looked amazed and elated as he realised the plan, raising his arms to loop them around Brian’s neck as he let the older boy pick him up. As he got a little higher, he felt Brian’s erection pop free from between their bodies, hovering below his arse as he wrapped his legs around the older boy. Knowing Brian’s hands were occupied holding him up, he reached down with one had to guide the head of the thick cock to his own hole.

As soon as Brian felt the head was in place, he lowered Danny slightly onto it. Although they had fucked before, that had been four weeks ago and had been Danny’s first time. While he had not asked specifically, he had a feeling it still remained his only time, so he still felt it best to be gentle.

With the dick now safely inside him, Danny raised his hand back up and held tightly onto the larger boy as he felt himself being slowly lowered and lifted, the large cock slowly easing further and further into him each time. The look on Brian’s face was one of pure excited pleasure and Danny couldn’t resist another kiss.

Brian stood holding Danny, gradually beginning to use his own movements to move opposite to the lifts and drops, thrusting his cock up as Danny lowered, pulling back down as he lifted the boy, doubling the length of each stroke to their shared delight.

“Oh god,” Danny gasped, parting from the kiss and letting his head rest on Brian’s shoulder as the pace picked up.

“Am I going too hard?” Brian asked, realising his movements had continued getting more firm with each thrust into the boy.

“No,” Danny gasped dreamily. “Perfect amount of hard!” he giggled.

Brian kissed Danny’s shoulder as he sniggered, continuing to slide in and out of him, hands gripped tightly onto his smooth and surprisingly muscular thighs. “God, I love your arse!” he gasped happily.

Danny kept his head on Brian’s shoulder, eyes closed, lost in the pleasure as he dreamily mumbled back, “And I love your… everything!”

As Brian grinned at the compliment, he nuzzled his head to the side against Danny’s, nudging him to lift it so they could kiss once again.

When Danny felt his orgasm building, brought on from the pleasurable pounding of his prostate just as much as the stimulation of his dick sliding up and down, sandwiched between their bodies, he didn’t speak, he just moaned his pleasure into Brian’s mouth. His cock spurted up thick wads of goo which only served to lubricate their bodies as the fucking continued.

Danny’s gasps grew more desperate as the slow stimulation of his cum-covered cock between them teetered back and forth over the line between exciting and too sensitive.

“I’m close,” Brian whispered as he felt his own cock’s imminent release. “Where d’you want it?”

Danny didn’t answer, he just kissed the older boy again, the clench of his buttocks telling Brian what to do.

“Oh fuck!” Brian gasped as his final few thrusts pushed him over the edge. His cock throbbed as it filled the boy with his seed, continuing to fuck him until his legs went weak. He stepped back, sitting onto a stool and keeping hold of Danny who now sat on his lap, cock slowly softening inside him.

“That was… fun!” Danny chuckled as he sat facing Brian, both of them breathless and sweaty.

“That was fun?” Brian asked with a slight smirk. “That’s your reaction? I give you the best fuck of your life and I get ‘that was fun’?”

“Who says it was the best?” Danny asked with a teasing smirk.

“Well was it?” Brian asked, smirking back.

Danny rolled his eyes and nodded. “Fine. It was the best and it WAS fun, but it was… a lot of other things too!”

“Good. All I want is for you to be happy!” Brian said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Danny grinned happily as he sighed, “I love you, Brian!”

Brian grinned back but didn’t reply. Instead, he just pointed up at the message, ‘I love you Danny’ written in the stars.

*****

Saturday 18 July 2020

When Rob awoke and realised his alarm was yet to go off, he figured he was probably first awake in the dorm but the sound of whispering off to his side soon told him otherwise. He glanced over to the sofas and saw he was actually one of the last awake. He and James were the only ones not gathered with the others. A quick glance up to his other side showed a lifeless arm hanging over the side of James’ bunk, suggesting he was still sound asleep.

As Rob sat up and climbed out of bed, the others looked round, flashing smiles his way and mouthing silent or whispered good mornings. “Did I miss something?” he whispered back as he moved round to join them.

Danny was sat on one sofa, with Josh squeezed in on one side and David on the other, an arm around each of them. Mikey was sat tightly clamped onto Nicky’s arm on another. Chris sat alone on a third sofa and raised an arm to Rob as he approached. Rob smiled at the silent invitation and sat down with Chris wrapping playfully around him.

“Nah, just… awake early,” Josh replied quietly.

“We were talking about how weird it’s gonna be getting used to waking up alone!” David explained.

“Yeah, that’s gonna take some getting used to,” Rob nodded.

“Those two won’t though,” Chris said, nodding over to Nicky and Mikey. “They’re stuck with each other all Summer!”

“Not ALL Summer!” Mikey disagreed. “I’m going home for two weeks,” he started, looking incredibly glum before he smiled and added, “THEN I get to go stay with Nicky!”

“Lucky me!” Nicky said sarcastically, then gave a playful wink as Mikey glared, kissing the top of his head.

“And I guarantee I won’t be waking up alone!” Chris said confidently.

“Yeah, watch out guys of Ireland. Chris and his chastity device are on the prowl!” Danny teased.

“Ha ha,” Chris said dryly as the others giggled. “I didn’t mean like that. I just know Aidan and Cian are gonna end up with me, like, every night. They always do when I go home now.”

“If I come and visit you, can I get Blane in my bed?” Danny joked.

“I’ll take Finn. He’s cute!” Nicky added.

“Back off bitches, nobody touches my brothers!” Chris insisted.

“Except you!” Danny said, nodding.

“That’s right!” Chris immediately agreed, getting a lot of sniggers in return. He scowled and insisted, “I didn’t mean like that, ya pervs!” It got an even louder laugh.

“UGH!” James grunted from across the room. “Who’s being loud?”

“Yay, he’s awake, we can stop whispering!” Josh called out, deliberately loudly.

“Come join us,” Chris called out.

“Or… sleep!” James said back grumpily.

“You can sleep at home. It’s our last morning together!” Chris insisted. “So either you come to us or we ALL come to you!”

“Fine!” James grumbled, climbing down from his bunk.

“Room for one more!” Chris offered with a grin as he got close.

“Or here!” Nicky offered.

Danny looked at the two boys already squeezed in with him and said, “You could try here, but you’ll need to lubricate first!”

As James rolled his eyes at them all and flopped down onto the empty fourth sofa, Chris called out, “Oooh, can I lube up and try squeezing into you… I mean… with you!” The boys all burst into giggles.

“Oh yeah, they’re JUST friends!” Mikey said with a snigger.

“So how are you and Nicky doing?” Chris asked back slyly, getting an even bigger laugh as Mikey blushed.

“Actually, serious question!” Rob said, glancing round to the boy at his side and then round at the others. “And I need an honest answer. Are you and Danny secretly boyfriends?”

“No!” they both answered at once.

“And you two?” Rob asked, looking at Nicky and Mikey.

Another unified, “No!”

As Josh laughed antagonistically, he pointed at Rob who looked thoroughly disappointed.

“Did we… miss something?” Danny asked, a little confused.

Rob grinned. “We… were making bets over which of you would end up together by the end of the year!”

“Seriously?” Danny asked, looking halfway between offended and amused.

Rob nodded.

“You two are the worst!” Chris said, shaking his head.

“Four!” James suddenly stated. As the other looked at him he shrugged and said, “Me and David were in on it too. Just cos we couldn’t do the sex stuff doesn’t mean we couldn’t get at least some enjoyment out of it!” he explained, grinning wickedly.

“So who bet on who?” Nicky asked.

“I had my money on Chris and Danny since pretty much day one!” James explained.

Rob nodded and said, “Yeah, I took a longshot on Nicky and Mikey from pretty early on. I tell ya, I got pretty confident when you two started…” he gestured to the way they were sat together, “Whatever this is! David was the most wrong. He was so sure you’d all get together!”

“All… together?” Danny asked, glancing round at Nicky and Mikey then Chris, blushing a little.

“No, not ALL together!” David corrected. “You and Chris together and them two together!” he said, pointing to Chris and Danny, then Mikey and Nicky.

“Oh, right,” Chris said, “Cos… all four us… I mean, that’s a… a real long shot!” He giggled nervously.

“I mean, not really. Dorm one-eleven!” Josh commented, referring to the dorm that had come out a few weeks earlier with the secret-but-not-really-a-secret revelation they were in an 8-way relationship. The comment got a few titters of agreement.

“Wait, so you bet on NONE of us getting together?” Danny asked, looking at Josh. “Wow!” he added, feigning hurt.

Josh chuckled and said, “No, it’s not like that. It was more… I know you’re all friends, ya know, total besties and that ain’t changing. I just figured that was a pretty safe bet!”

“If you weren’t making money from our singleness, I’d say that’s kinda sweet!” Nicky chuckled.

“Oh, I didn’t make any money, I just don’t have to do the forfeit!” Josh declared. “And before you ask, no, I can’t tell you what it is. The winner gets the Summer to decide, and the losers’ll do it when we’re back in Year 8!”

“At least there’s one thing to look forward to then!” Danny said, holding back a grin. He knew he already had one huge thing to look forward to, though he was yet to share the news of his new relationship with Brian with anyone else. He and Brian had decided they would talk over the Summer and decide how everything was going to work and not to tell anyone until they had talked about it properly themselves.

“There’s loads to look forward to!” David declared.

“Maybe for you, mate, but we don’t all get quite as excited as you about a new class timetable!” Josh teased.

“I didn’t mean that!” David said from the other side of Danny, “But now you mention it… yay, new timetable!” The others all laughed at his genuine excitement. “I meant more like… we won’t be the youngest in the school anymore!”

There was another wave of agreeable comments to the point he made.

“And then there’s the secrets!” Danny added. Getting a confused look, he said, “Remember we keep getting told there’s stuff here we’re ‘too young’ to know about!” His mind wandered to the school’s gloryholes, a ‘secret’ he had been let in in prematurely and wondered what others may lurk around the corner. “Maybe we’ll FINALLY get told a bit more!”

“I bet it’s all sex stuff!” James said, rolling his eyes.

“Great!” most of the others replied, giggling at the synchronicity.

“And maybe the rest of you’ll get unlocked!” Chris added, then frowned a little, squirming against his own ‘temporary’ chastity as he added, “We’ve already had fun with just a few of us unlocked. I’m already imagining how truth or dare’s gonna go when we can all get our dicks out!”

“Eww!” “Hot!” “Pervert!” the boys shouted their mixed responses back at him.

“And just think, a whole new year to make a whole new load of terrible decisions!” Nicky offered, referring mainly to his own ill-advised relationship but striking a few nerves elsewhere in the group.

Chris sighed at the comment, glancing over at Danny.

“Yeah, and bad decisions lead to good punishments!” Josh said with a nod. “I was first to get one this year. Maybe we need to take a new bet over who’ll be first next year!”

“Nah, it’ll be Danny!” James said bluntly. He had intended it completely seriously, but smiled as everyone laughed, seemingly in agreement.

The laughter was cut off by all of their alarms going off at once, signalling what would have been their time to wake up.

“Come on guys,” Chris said, jumping to his feet. “Think of it like our Last Supper!”

“But it’s breakfast!” David said, frowning.

“And there were twelve of them, not eight!” James added.

“Plus, they’re fictional!” David said with a snigger. Religion was one of the many things he and James agreed on.

“Well, who says we’re not fictional too?” Mikey asked with an insightful eyebrow raise as he headed over towards his wardrobe.

“Pretty sure we’re not!” James said, shaking his head.

“How d’you know? We might just be… characters in some story!” Mikey suggested.

“Yeah, you’re nuts!” James sniggered.

Mikey shrugged as he grabbed his towel. As Nicky looked at him, worried momentarily about his reaction to being called nuts, he said quietly, “Just something Snuffles told me once!”

“Who’s Snuffles?” David asked curiously.

Mikey smiled fondly, sighing as he replied, “Just an old friend!”

*****

By late morning, most of the students had departed, many disappearing as soon as breakfast was over. The 1.01 boys had headed home one after the other, Rob first, living the closest to the school with James shortly after, then David, who had required a lot of support and patience to be encouraged into his Dads’ car, the thought of leaving school grounds for the first time since February triggering a severe attack of his agoraphobia. Nicky had been next and was bid a very tearful goodbye by Mikey who hated the thought of the two weeks they would have to spend apart before reuniting for the remainder of the Summer.

Josh had left right after Nicky, meeting up with his new guardian Jack, as well as Ellis and Jensen, his two new adopted brothers. Though the three boys were treated as wards of the school, they didn’t remain there during the breaks, instead returning with Jack to his home. Josh had been adorably excited about the idea. While he had been through occasional moments of sadness over missing his mother, they had been few and far between compared to the prospect of his first Summer break without living in fear of his big brothers. It had led to another tearful goodbye with Danny before he finally left.

“Ugh, tough day!” Chris said with a heavy exhalation as he flomped back down into a sofa in the dorm. It was still a little while until Danny was due to leave and there wasn’t really much else to do.

“Mmm-huh,” Mikey agreed with a nod.

“Miss him already, don’t ya?” Danny asked as he sat down beside Mikey.

“Mmm-huh,” Mikey repeated, clearly holding back tears.

“Ah mate, it’s okay, you’ll be back with him in no time!” Danny said, putting an arm around Mikey.

Chris never liked to miss out on physical affection and quickly launched himself off of his own sofa to join the other two.

“It’s not just him,” Mikey said quietly, blushing a little.

“Aww, we’re gonna miss you too!” Chris said, holding him tightly from one side.

“We really are!” Danny said, hugging from the other side.

Mikey smiled but reached up to wipe a tear away. “This is your fault, ya dicks!” he said almost angrily. “I was normal when I got here and you’ve made me… well… like this!” He gestured to himself.

“Sorry for turning you into an actual human being!” Chris sniggered.

“Yeah, if you don’t like it, we can spend Year 8 turning you back into an angry little lump of attitude!” Danny sniggered.

“Oh my god, I forgot that!” Chris sniggered.

“Forgot what?” Mikey asked, a little confused.

“Back in, like, the first week, we were just getting to know you all and that’s totally how I described you!” Chris said, bursting into laughter.

“An angry little lump of attitude?” Mikey asked, looking furious. Both of the other boys looked suddenly nervous until Mikey smirked and said, “Sounds fair. I mean, I thought worse about you!”

“You mean Snuffles did!” Danny sniggered.

“Nah, he liked you both. It was me that didn’t!” Mikey smirked.

“Rude!” Danny said, shaking his head. “Speaking of rude, can you believe those guys BET on us getting together?”

“I know right. Maybe we should bet on them now!” Mikey suggested.

“Nah, I reckon David’s got a bit of a crush on James, but they’ll all just be mates. Plus, I heard a rumour about Rob and Alex!” Danny grinned.

“I didn’t mean bet on them getting together!” Mikey said, never really bothered about the gossip. “We should bet on who gets unlocked next, or last… or both!”

“Oooh, I like that!” Chris said excitedly. “With proper bad forfeits for the losers!”

Danny shook his head. While he felt a slight twinge in his cock at the mention of the word ‘forfeits’, Chris wasn’t even pretending he didn’t love the idea. “We should let Nicky in on it too!” he suggested. “I tell ya what, Mikey, you mention it to him when you see him and message us, we can take the Summer to decide who we’re betting on!”

“Awesome!” Mikey said happily. He grinned as he glanced at Danny’s crotch. “Wow, you REALLY like the idea!”

“Kinda,” Danny blushed at his reluctant arousal.

“I do too, but…” Chris started, tapping on the front of his chastity belt. “This kinda hides it!”

Mikey sat up and gave the other two a wide-eyed grin. “We’ve got time before Danny leaves. One more for the road?”

Danny was on Mikey in a heartbeat, kissing him passionately. It felt so different from his kisses the previous night with Brian. This was fun, but that was clearly all it was. The kissing pushed Mikey down onto his back, resting against Chris who just watched on excitedly.

When Danny finally pulled away, Chris grinned down at Mikey and said, “My turn!” He leaned in and kissed the boy gently, playfully.

As soon as Mikey’s lips were released the second time, he jumped to his feet and declared, “Kissing’s fun but my dick needs a good sucking!” He quickly began to undress.

Behind him, Chris and Danny stared at each other for a moment. A sudden realisation hit them both at once. In all the times the three of them and Nicky had played together, they had done a lot of things. Sucked each other, wanked, licked nipples, fingered buttholes, touched pretty much every inch of each other. There had been kisses too, usually with Nicky, the keenest kisser amongst them, but also with Mikey who seemed to enjoy it almost as much, but one kiss had never happened… Chris and Danny!

They had been through a lot during Year 7, inseparable friends most of the time, not even speaking at others. They slept together more nights than they slept apart. They had made each other cum more times than they could remember, but still… no kiss!

The moment between them seemed to stretch out forever, eyes locked… until Mikey jumped back down between them and said, “I don’t care who, but one of you’s gonna suck! Get to it, fellas!”

“After you,” Danny gestured to the naked boy’s crotch, grinning at Chris.

“Oh no, kind Sir. After you, I insist!” Chris giggled back.

“I couldn’t possibly!” Danny replied.

“Oh but you must!” Chris retorted, smirking.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll choose!” Mikey huffed, grabbing Danny’s head and shoving it down into his crotch. “You suck that. Chris, suck Danny!”

“Yes Sir!” Chris said as he watched his friend take Mikey’s dick into his mouth.

Chris slid off the sofa and onto the floor, shuffling along to pull out Danny’s erection. He glanced up at his face, letting out a gentle sigh before doing as Mikey had instructed.

With time running short and the possibility of Mr Trent popping in at any moment to check on the last few boys to leave, the sucking was both eager and voracious. It was already moving on quite fast, but a playful move from Chris brought both of the other boys to a very sudden climax as he slipped a hand between each of their legs and fingered their holes at the same time. He allowed the finger to slip inside Mikey a little, knowing he was experienced, but just circled Danny’s hole, working under the false assumption it was unviolated.

In one writhing, moaning mass of bodies and limbs, Mikey shot his final load into Danny’s mouth while Danny did the same to Chris. With spunk swallowed, all three boys relaxed for a moment, cuddling together in their tangle before Danny moved, hearing his phone beep.

“My ride’s nearly here!” Danny declared as he looked at the message.

A few moments later, Chris and Danny were headed down to the front door. Mikey had said his goodbye in the dorm and insisted he didn’t need another one with, in his words, ‘my stupid emotions on display for the whole fucking school to see’. Danny couldn’t help smiling at the comment as it was probably the most Mikey thing the other boy had ever said!

As Danny’s parents pulled up in their car, Chris let out a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, I agree!” Danny chuckled at the sound. He stood facing Chris and took hold of both hands. “You’re gonna have a great summer!” he insisted. “Aisling’s gonna get out of hospital and join the rest of you at home and you’re just… gonna love every second!”

Chris smiled at the image and nodded. “Yeah, I probably am!” he agreed. The smile dropped a little as he added, “Won’t stop me missing you, though!”

Danny shrugged. “I guess I’m a hard act to follow, aren’t I?” he joked, as it was easier than feeling what he felt.

Chris chuckled as he nodded before tears formed in his eyes. “How do I wake up every day with you not there?”

Danny felt himself getting tearful too and joked, “You could just sleep all summer!”

Chris laughed and leaned in to hug the other boy. “I love you!” he whispered.

Danny sighed as he hugged him back. “Love you too!” he replied softly.

After hugging for several more seconds, they pulled apart a short way, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Bye Chris,” Danny said as he stepped back, hands sliding down his arms until a hand grabbed onto Chris’.

“Bye Danny,” Chris sniffed, his arm stretching out as he pulled further away. Their hands parted and they both sighed as Danny turned, picked up his bag and headed to his parents.

A minute or two later, Chris was waving them off.

“Not easy, is it?” Chris heard from behind him. He turned to see Danny’s mentor Joseph standing there.

“I thought you’d left!” Chris declared, surprised to see the older boy.

“Parents caught in traffic,” Joseph said with a shrug. “Due any time now! Hard to say goodbye, isn’t it! Even if it’s only for six weeks!” He had watched the exchange between the two but didn’t dare approach sooner. He had said his goodbye to Danny the previous night and had always been keen not to be an overbearing mentor like some of his peers.

“I think I made the wrong decision!” Chris said, looking quite shaky.

Joseph moved closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Mate, looking at the year you’ve had, you’re gonna need to narrow that down for me!” he said with a slight headshake.

Chris smiled for just a moment before sighing, “Dating Kyle!” Chris said. “I feel… shitty saying it, cos I love Kyle and he’s a good friend, but… I think dating him was the wrong decision!”

Joseph nodded slowly. “So… what would have been the right decision?” he asked curiously.

Chris glanced round at the driveway. Danny was gone. “Doesn’t matter,” he said with a hearty sigh. “I think I missed my chance!”

THE END... of book one :)

The boys will return soon in The Kingswood Eight starting January 2022