The Kingswood Eight - Chapter 26 (Patreon)
Content
Sunday 14 March 2021
It was the second weekend of the Southern Counties Inter-School Partnership Scheme’s (SCIPS) football and rugby tournaments and it had been the Kingswood teams’ first away game. For the Year 8 teams, it had been their first time visiting Witherington Grammar School and it had been a fairly enlightening experience.
The matches had gone well on the whole. With four of their six football teams having won their first matches against Fothergill, they had followed up with a similar result against Witherington. The Year 8 team had only managed a draw, though with their win against Fothergill, things were looking good to progress to Round Two of the tournament.
The rugby teams had also performed well, following up their five wins against Fothergill with four against Witherington. Rob had been on a high ever since his team’s win that afternoon, as their second victory pretty much guaranteed they would also progress in the competition.
While the energy on the various coaches had been high on the way to Witherington on Friday and the students’ spirits had been high throughout the weekend thanks to the wins as well as the enjoyable atmosphere at the hosting school, things had finally quietened down for the journey home. It was a three-hour drive and by the end of the first hour, it seemed the weekend had caught up with the majority of the students who were either fast asleep, or just talking quietly to avoid waking their friends.
On the coach filled with Year 8 and 10 teams, the unspoken rule of coaches had been adhered to and the first boys on had commandeered the back row. In this case, Mikey and Josh had managed to slip on first, securing the back half of the coach for Year 8, relegating the older boys to the front half. The rest of the back row had been filled up by Danny, Rob and Kyle.
While the chatter had been energetic and excitable for a little while, Kyle had been first to drift off to sleep, nestling against Danny, who soon found himself surrounded as Mikey eventually passed out on his other side. Beside them, Rob had drifted off and eventually Josh had lost the fight with unconsciousness, slumped against him and breathing heavily.
As a slight bump in the road shook Rob awake, he looked round to see Danny still wide awake, one arm around Kyle, the other holding Mikey, gently stroking his organgey-ginger hair.
“Hey,” Rob whispered, reaching out his free hand to tap Danny’s arm. “You doing okay?”
“Mmmyeah,” Danny said, nodding a little. Having been back at the school for three weeks, and still less than four months into his recovery, Danny was doing better than expected but those close to him still knew he had a long way to go.
“I’m glad they let you come,” Rob said softly. “I know you can’t play yet, but you’re still part of the football team!”
“Yeah, I just wanna get back on the pitch,” Danny nodded. “Or in the pool… without it being physiotherapy, anyway!” He paused for a moment, frowned mostly at himself and said, “But complaining achieves nothing. I’ll get there soon enough!”
“If anyone can, it’s you!” Rob said supportively.
“Anyway, how are you?” Danny asked quietly.
“Two wins out of two. I’m freakin’ awesome!” Rob grinned.
Danny chuckled. “Yeah, you and the team were great,” he nodded, “But I meant… you. Back before I… well… just… before, you had a few issues!”
“Oh… yeah!” Rob nodded. It felt like a lifetime ago now. “Yeah, things are… good!”
“I heard you broke up with Alex!” Danny said, the comment coming out more bluntly than it had sounded in his head.
Rob chuckled. “Yeah, yeah I did. Or… he broke up with me… erm… I think we kinda broke up with each other.” He shrugged a little, but heard Josh moan a little as it nudged him, so he held still.
“You seem okay with it,” Danny said, looking at the other boy curiously “Which is good. Is that… something to do with… erm…” he paused, leaning over a little to glance down the central walkway of the coach. “Someone down there?” he finished.
Rob rolled his eyes as he smirked and shook his head. “Back for such a short time and already up in everyone’s business,” he sniggered.
“That’s not a no,” Danny said wryly.
Rob blushed a little as he thought about Luke and said, “No… no it’s not.”
Danny’s eyes narrowed a little as he saw the pensive expression on Rob’s face. “So what’s up?” he asked.
“Well… when I was with Alex, I got a feeling that… me and Luke stayed JUST friends because I was with Alex, but now I’m not with him anymore and… I dunno… things haven’t… happened! We’re still just friends” Rob explained.
“Well, what does he say about it?” Danny asked softly.
“I don’t know, we… haven’t really seen each other since then!” Rob answered.
“Hmm, so you know how you felt before I went off, about kinda slipping away from…” Danny started, nodding over at Josh rather than saying the name. “And the solution to it was to actually talk to him about it. And then how you felt about the other guys,” he went on, not wanting to say specifics out loud in case of prying ears. “And the solution was to talk to them about it?”
“Yeah?” Rob said with a frown.
Danny stared back for a moment. “Do you REALLY not see where I’m going with this?” he asked with a grin.
Rob shook his head. He knew Danny was right, he just needed to talk to Luke. He rolled his eye and asked, “Have I told you how glad I am to have you back?”
“No. No you haven’t!” Danny smirked.
“Yeah, there’s a reason for that,” Rob said flatly before bursting into another smile. “Kidding, of course. Looking after this lot alone is way harder than you make it look!”
“It looks like you did a pretty good job,” Danny smiled. “Maybe I’ll take a break more often!”
“Nuh-uh!” Rob said, shaking his head. “You are NEVER leaving again!” he insisted. As he looked away, he blushed a little, gave the other boy’s arm a gentle squeeze and added, “I hope!”
*****
“You SO know David thinks we’re going to have sex!” Chris said as he walked along beside James.
“Mmm-huh,” James hummed, not really listening.
“Nicky too, although he’s probably more bothered about the fact he’s not seeing it than it actually happening,” Chris went on.
“Mmm-huh,” James repeated.
“Personally I don’t mind either way. I mean, it’s been a pretty quiet weekend, but Mikey’s back soon and I bet he’ll be all over me and Nicky!” Chris continued to muse.
“Mmm-huh,” James hummed once more.
“Not that I’d say no. I mean, you’re pretty cute, especially when you smile!” Chris said. When he didn’t even get a verbal nod, he went on, “And it’s weird knowing David’s probably been with more of the dorm than I have, so I guess this’ll even the score!”
James huffed and shook his head. “We’re NOT going for sex!” he said firmly. “I need you to… to help me with something but it’s serious and now I’m thinking I should have asked Nicky!”
“Hey, I can do serious!” Chris said, forcing on a stern expression. “Knuckle down, pay attention, pay your taxes. Grrr!”
James stopped, looking at Chris with his mouth open, trying to speak but worried he would say something too mean. “You’re so weird,” he eventually said as they headed into the study room. He gestured for Chris to sit, then took a seat too and began, “Look, I… I have a meeting soon and I thought I was okay with it but now I’m starting to get a bit nervous and I wanted someone to be there to… to… hold my hand… proverbially!
“Hey, I’ll hold it any way you like!” Chris said. He got a slight scowl and said, “I wasn’t trying to be funny. I just mean… if you need me to just be near, I will be, but if you ACTUALLY wanna hold it…” he offered his hand.
“Oh, okay. Erm… well… thank you then!” James nodded.
“So, what’s this meeting for? I’d ask if you’re in trouble but… you’re you, so… obviously not!” Chris grinned.
James thought for a moment. It had been a couple of weeks since Mr Trent told James that he was considering recommending he be skipped forward to Year 11, rather than going into Year 9 in September. Since then, James had been through a range of other tests and examinations to determine his readiness for such a move. In all of that time, he had not told anyone else about it. It had been his plan to keep it to himself until he had a definitive answer on whether it was even happening, but that was proving harder than he expected. He sat and explained to Chris how it had all come about and what the possible outcome of tonight’s meeting was.
Chris stared, jaw slightly agape, remaining silent for several seconds after James finished talking. “You… you… might be leaving us?” he asked, looking a little tearful.
“No!” James said firmly, pointing to Chris’ face. “Don’t… do that. I can’t… handle when people do that! Or… or emotions and that sorta stuff!” As Chris’ lip quivered, James sighed and said, “I knew I should have asked Nicky!”
“Why didn’t you ask David?” Chris frowned.
“You and I barely know each other and you’re getting all… worked up. Imagine how David would have taken it!” James scoffed.
Chris suddenly teared up again. “Aww, poor David! He’s gonna be gutted!”
“You’re really not helping!” James growled.
Chris sniffed and nodded. “Okay. Okay,” he nodded again. “Okay okay okay, I got this!” he told himself.
“Do you need someone to come and hold YOUR hand?” James asked pointedly, clearly getting exasperated.
“Ugh, sorry, you’re right. This isn’t about me or David. One sec!” he requested, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, clearing his head as he focused on what he was there to do. As he opened his eyes and smiled. “Okay, well first… congratulations. This is not only huge, but also an amazing opportunity! And at the same time, I can get why it’s a bit scary for you. So…” he held out his hand again. When James just frowned at it again, he shook the hand emphatically until James reluctantly took hold of it. “I’m gonna hold your hand, be there for you and do whatever you need! Okay?”
“Thanks Chris,” James said quietly.
Silence filled the room for a few moments before Chris asked, “So the sex is after, right?”
James tutted and rolled his eyes but couldn’t resist a slight hint of a smile.
*****
Rob had finally succumbed to the relaxing motion of the bus and nodded off back to sleep again, leaning against Josh as they quietly snored together. As he felt a sudden smack to the balls, he awoke with a yelp, which in turn woke the rest of the back row with a series of secondary yelps, all immediately followed by a bunch of laughs from the few rows ahead as the boys returned to consciousness.
“Ya bastard!” Rob moaned, grabbing his crotch. He found himself looking up at Isaac, the Year 10 rugby captain who was stood in the aisle, grinning happily at the abrupt wake-up call.
Josh, Mikey, Danny and Kyle looked equally annoyed, though thankfully their balls had remained untouched.
“Sorry, did I wake ya?” Isaac asked with a chuckle.
Rob felt a sudden sense of unease, particularly as the boys from the next few rows of seats were turned round and perched up on their seats, watching.
“So, Rob, your team won another victory, you know what that means, right?” Isaac asked, very clearly referring to the agreement the rugby captains had made to reward their teams with some kind of task or forfeit for each win in the tournament.
“It means my team are amazing players, lovely people and don’t want anything bad to happen to their kind and kind and dedicated captain?” Rob asked hopefully.
“Ha, you wish!” Isaac sniggered. “It’s forfeit time!”
Rob sighed as he heard giggles from behind Isaac. “And let me guess, you just happen to have helped them think of something?”
“Of course. You know I’m always happy to help!” Isaac smirked. “But don’t worry, no obstacle courses this time!” he said, referring to the team’s first win that had resulted in a naked run on the school’s obstacle course.
“Just get on with it!” Rob said, rolling his eyes.
“Okay, well all you have to do is go to each member of the team and say, ‘Thank you for doing such a good job, enjoy your reward!’” Isaac explained.
“Ugh, boring,” Josh grumbled.
Rob shot Josh an angry glare then looked back to Isaac and asked, “What’s the catch?”
“Oh, well after you’ve said that, they each get one minute to ‘enjoy’ their reward,” Isaac grinned.
“You mean me?” Rob clarified.
“Yup. Oh, and… you’ll leave your clothes on your seat!” Isaac said, pointing to where Rob was sat with barely contained glee.
“And there it is. You really are a bastard!” Rob complained as the other boys all giggled.
“Thanks,” Isaac said unashamedly. “Now get to it. I’ve let the lads know to keep the noise down. Mr Cunningham tends to leave us alone, but make too much commotion and he MIGHT come back to investigate!”
“Anyone else thinking they joined the wrong team?” Kyle asked Danny and Mikey, getting a chuckle in return.
“I know. Maybe we should try this for the football team,” Mikey sniggered.
“Enjoy your reward, lads!” Isaac said to the boys as he passed, heading back to the other Year 10s at the front of the bus, many of whom were watching back to see the forfeit play out.
“You really gonna do this?” Danny asked curiously. For once, it made a change for it not to be himself being subjected to such public embarrassment. While he felt a slight sense of relief (and more than a little excitement at seeing his friend do it) he did feel a slight pang of jealousy. It was such a bizarre feeling to dread public humiliation, but crave it at the same time, like being pulled in two directions at once.
Rob shrugged and said, “Kinda have to. captain’s honour and all that!” The others watched as he quickly pulled off his jeans, kicking them off, then slipped down his underwear too. It felt strange to feel the material of the coach seat beneath his bare butt, but not entirely unpleasant. He hesitated a moment as he reached for the bottom of his t-shirt. While he was gradually getting used to being seen by the rest of the rugby team, there were boys from the football team here too, plus the Year 10s further down the coach and, of course, the ever-present opportunity of other drivers passing by, though thankfully most cars were too low down to get a decent view into the coach.
“Woo, naked boy!” Mikey cheered quietly as Rob pulled off his t-shirt and placed it on the pile of the floor.
Rob leaned slightly to the side, looking down the aisle. Needless to say, just about every pair of seats had at least one boy leaning out and looking back. With a low growl, he stepped out and immediately ducked into the seats in front of where he had been sat before.
The two boys sat there pulled their legs in so he could stand in the middle, facing them both. It was JC and Jeff from dorm 1.08, both members of the rugby team.
“Thank you for doing a good job, enjoy your reward!” Rob said flatly.
“You go first,” JC muttered shyly.
“No, you!” Jeff insisted.
“I said it first!” JC replied.
Rob frowned a little. Had these been boys from his dorm, he had absolutely no doubt their hands or mouths would be all over him by now, yet these two seemed more than a little hesitant. For just a moment, his self-doubt burst into overdrive, telling himself his slight chubbiness had put them off, leaving them too disgusted to even want to touch him, but it quickly faded as he realised the truth… they simply didn’t know what to do.
Rob’s dorm, 1.01 as it had been at the time, had gained somewhat of a reputation back in Year 7 for being exceptionally close, whereas dorm 1.04, as JC and Jeff had started in, took a lot longer to get used to each other, the room feeling more like a warzone at times. That was why Kyle, from the same dorm as these two boys, had ended up befriending Danny, Chris and eventually the rest of the dorm, he simply didn’t have anyone in his own room to bond with.
It had never occurred to Rob before that exact moment that the lack of connection in the early days had likely carried over into their sexual interactions now. The casual affection and sexuality that seemed to flow so easily amongst his own dorm had felt so natural that it had never even crossed his mind that others in the school didn’t have it too!
“Your time’s running out,” Rob prompted them. “But you can touch or do whatever you like!” On one hand, being fondled, touched and generally molested by a dozen other boys was not the most appealing thought, but he kept thinking of Travis, the Year 13 captain. Back when they had endured their first victory-forfeit, the older captain had told him these tasks were beneficial for the team, good to build their camaraderie and, sceptical as he had been, Rob had certainly begun to notice it. Humiliating as his current task was, it was also an opportunity. “Or you scared to touch your captain?” Rob teased.
“I’m not scared of anything!” JC scowled. He reached out and squeezed Rob’s nipple.
Of all the spots he could start with, it had to be a nipple! Rob let out a shuddery moan at the feeling of his most sensitive area being grabbed. The moan caused a giggle in the two boys, as well as those around them, most of whom were unashamedly watching.
Seeing JC get started, Jeff grinned and joined in, grabbing the other nipple. Another moan.
“Oh my god!” JC said, deliberately loud enough for the boys around to hear. “He’s getting a boner!”
“Touch it!” Jeff urged his friend.
“No, you!” JC replied immediately.
“God, just one of you pussies grab my dick!” Rob taunted them, wiggling his hips slightly to make his dick flap.
The boys around them laughed, prompting them both to try and grab it at once before breaking into a brief fight of slapping each other’s hands away. One particularly enthusiastic swing caught Rob in the balls, not hard, but enough to make him grunt and get more laughter.
Embarrassing as it was to be stood there naked with his team watching him, the more he heard them enjoying themselves, the less self-conscious he felt. Sure, he was their entertainment and much of the amusement was coming at his expense, but none of it was hurtful or mean. While he knew he would never enjoy humiliation in the way Chris and Danny seemed to, it was at least nice to know he could get through it. With potentially five more years as rugby captain, it felt almost inevitable that this would not be his last time in such a position.
Once JC and Jeff’s time was up, though nobody was really timing accurately, Rob scampered across the aisle to the next two, Ryan and William from dorm 1.06, though only William was actually on the rugby team. Rob was curious to see their approach. While JC and Jeff came from a dorm that had gotten off to a difficult start, Ryan and William’s dorm had been much more amicable. Certainly not as close as Rob’s, but they had at least been friends from the start of Year 7.
“Take your minute,” Ryan insisted to the boy sat beside him, turning to stare out the window. “I don’t need to see… whatever you’re doing!”
William looked nervous, glancing round at the many spectators, then nervously up at Rob.
“Whatever it is you’re thinking about doing, may as well just do it before time runs out!” Rob encouraged him. Seeing William look round again, Rob said, “These guys’ll be cool about it, right?”
There was a chorus of unconvincing agreements.
William took a deep breath, then grabbed Rob, span him around and pulled him onto his lap. He immediately wrapped his arms around the team captain, nuzzling his face into the naked boy’s neck.
Realising the shy boy just wanted a cuddle, the boys around them chorused a mostly-teasing, “Awwwww!”
“Ah, shut up. It’s sweet!” Rob said back, gripping tightly onto William’s hands as they clasped over his chest. Once time felt like it was up, Rob leaned to the side, smiled back at William and kissed him playfully on the cheek before jumping up.
Rob continued down the coach, working his way through the team, many of whom grew increasingly comfortable in their touching. With the excitement of the many touches balancing out well against the nervousness and embarrassment, Rob managed to stay fairly aroused but with thankfully little prospect of cumming. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t WANT to cum, it was more that he worried what post-orgasmic torture they may inflict on him after.
There was a fairly big laugh when, halfway through an eager handjob, Rob declared to the two boys playing with him, “Wait, you two aren’t even on the rugby team!”
“No,” one of the boys replied, “But we’re good team players and happy to help you celebrate!”
The answer even made Rob laugh, so he just stood there and let them finish their time. As he neared the end of the Year 8s, the older boys ahead of them started watching more closely, seemingly enjoying the spectacle just as much as Rob’s team had. By that point, Rob had grown pretty confident in his nudity, almost verging on unbothered… right up until he saw a familiar face, grinning at him.
Luke was staring straight at him as he stood there being touched up by a boy from dorm 1.07. Luke had seen him naked, and done things with him, on multiple occasions so he shouldn’t have been a source of nervousness, and yet… he felt a strange churning in his stomach. His cheeks began burning red as he looked away, occasionally glancing back and finding the older boy staring at him still.
Looking away again, Rob stared out the window and suddenly found himself staring at a lorry driver who appeared to be matching their speed perfectly. He was grinning broadly and very clearly alternating between watching the road and watching Rob.
“We got a spectator!” Isaac suddenly declared, popping up. “Who thinks Rob needs to finish with a show?” There was a cheer from the Year 8s. “The masses have spoken, Rob. Let’s show this guy what you’ve got!”
If seeing Luke had worn away a little of Rob’s confidence, being seen by the total stranger had stripped it away completely. He let out a slight whimper as nervousness gripped him, but he didn’t fight back as he was manoeuvred into place by the window.
“Get stroking, mate!” Isaac said with a huge grin.
Rob couldn’t back down now, as much as he wanted to. One consolation was that the driver was at least unable to record him, so this was a one-time show. He grasped his dick and began pumping away, thankful that the past twenty minutes had at least warmed him up a little, otherwise he might have been there embarrassingly long.
Rob looked everywhere he could to avoid making eye contact with the driver but didn’t need to look to know he was still being observed. By now, most of the coach were on their feet, trying to get a view of the show.
After a minute of stroking, Rob began to get a horrible feeling that his nerves were going to prevent him finishing off, but a solution very quickly presented itself. He felt a body behind him, hands reaching round to grasp at his sensitive nipples, while gentle lips made contact with his neck. “Luke,” he whispered, knowing the touch instantly. “Mmmm,” he moaned contentedly.
“Come on, bud. Shoot for us!” Luke whispered.
“Okay,” Rob gasped, already on the brink. Leaning heavily back against the older boy, he let out a low groan and spurted his load over the window.
The lorry driver swerved, jack-knifed, and killed them all instantly! Okay, it didn’t, but Rob had a horrible vision of exactly that as he slipped back into post-orgasmic reality. What had actually happened was the driver had pulled on ahead the moment the show was over, most of the boys speculating he didn’t want to be on show himself as he knocked one out over what he’d just seen.
Panting heavily, Rob heard the bus burst into cheers, followed moments later by Mr Cunningham calling for quiet.
“Best get back to your seat,” Luke whispered. He gave Rob a quick kiss, getting a couple of oohs from the spectators, then moved back to his own seat.
Rob stumbled into the aisle, then staggered back along the bus, receiving several butt-slaps as he passed the other boys.
“I can’t believe you just jerked off in front of a stranger!” Josh sniggered as Rob sat down, composing himself for a moment before starting to dress.
“Oh sure,” Kyle said casually. “Fifty or so classmates is nothing, but that one stranger makes it weird!” he said sarcastically.
Rob chuckled, but it did bring back to mind his observations of the boys from the other dorms. “Kyle,” he said curiously as he pulled on his t-shirt. “Are we weird?”
“Erm,” Kyle grinned. “Without any extra info on what you mean I’m leaning towards yes!” he sniggered.
“No, I mean… with, like… sex stuff!” Rob explained.
Kyle frowned and said, “Still needing a bit more, mate!”
“Never mind,” Rob said, shaking his head, not wanting to get too detailed with all the other boys around. “Another time!”
*****
Chris sat quietly beside James throughout most of the meeting. Despite his apparent nerves before, James seemed to be holding himself quite well. Chris definitely noticed a slight change in the boy when his dad and step-mum appeared on the video call. His posture, already exceptional seemed to straighten even further. His tone, already sounding substantially more formal than most of his peers became even more-so.
The adults had talked their way through all the results of the tests and examinations James had endured over the last couple of weeks. Chris was amazed. Just one exam and he likely would have been a mess, never doing particularly well at them, but James had endured an entire battery of them, on top of school and extracurriculars, without anyone in the dorm being any the wiser. The more he heard, the more he understood exactly why the teachers considered him so exceptional.
Mr Trent neared the end of his explanation and set out his proposal quite succinctly. “Based on the scores and grades James has achieved, I feel he is almost ready to proceed directly to Year 12. However, there are some areas where this is not quite the case and further to this, completion of GCSE examinations are required prior to entry into A-Levels. As such, I believe my initial assessment that he could progress directly to Year 11 is correct. Should he wish to do so, he will select his GCSE classes this year, then join Year 11 in September. Some extra coaching will be provided to ensure readiness in all areas, but at this time I see no reason he shouldn’t be able to complete the examinations with excellent grades across the board.”
Mr Taylor, James’ dad, smiled proudly. Despite the formal approach James took to the man, Chris couldn’t help noticing he was much more relaxed and casual than James was himself. “That’s amazing!” the man said happily. “I’ve always known James was smart, but not to this level!”
Mr Trent smiled back and nodded, then said softly, “There is… one more thing!”
James glanced at Chris, still not needing the hand yet, but happy to know it was there as he looked back to the teacher.
“As I said before, some subjects James is already at a Year 12 level. Based on the rate at which he is learning and his obvious aptitude for absorbing new information, I would recommend we give further consideration to skipping James forward once again after he completes Year 11, directly to Year 13!”
“Wait, I could be finished at Kingswood in just two years?” James asked, wide-eyed.
“Indeed,” Mr Trent nodded. “Though as with all of this, it would only happen with yours and your parents’ agreement!”
“We’ve already talked it through with James in great detail,” James’ step-mum joined in. “And James has our full support for whatever he chooses.”
“Wow, so you’re saying it’s really all up to James. No pressure then!” Chris finally spoke up.
Mr Trent gave Chris a slightly disapproving look for the tone. “Of course, we understand it’s a lot to handle,” he nodded. “And thank you for your concern, Chris!”
Chris smiled shyly, unsure if he should have spoken up or not, but the brief smile on James’ face told him he appreciated speaking up on his behalf.
“We’re not asking for a decision right away,” Mr Trent said to James. “But if we are to take the necessary steps, as well as securing the vacant spot in Year 11 for you, we really need an answer by the beginning of next term. That gives you five weeks to think it over. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always come to me. Dr Arkwright has also been advised and remains available should you require any assistance from a mental health perspective.”
“Thank you, sir,” James said politely.
“Now, do any of you have any questions?” Mr Trent asked.
“We have a few around the financial side of things,” Mr Taylor said. “But we can cover that privately.”
“James, anything?” Mr Trent asked.
“Not right now, sir. I’m happy to leave you to talk,” James replied. He looked to his parents on the camera and said, “I’m due for our usual Monday call tomorrow. We can talk then!”
“Okay,” Mr Taylor said. “And James, whatever you decide, we’re very proud of you!”
“Thank you,” James blushed.
As the two boys left the meeting, they wandered quietly down the hall. Chris had so much to say, but he knew it was best to give James some space so he remained silent… at least for as long as he could before he said, “Ho… ly… crap!”
“Yeah,” James said, looking a little shell-shocked.
“Mate, you might be done with A-Levels before you even turn sixteen! That’s freakin’ mental!” Chris exclaimed.
“Yeah,” James repeated.
“You could be finished Uni while I’m still at Kingswood! Wait, how long is University?” Chris asked, frowning thoughtfully as they neared the entrance foyer.
James clutched at his chest with one hand and Chris with the other, panting heavily as he declared, “I think I’m having a heart attack!”
Chris looked at James in a sudden panic, but calmed instantly as he said, “Okay, sit down.” He helped James onto a bench and said softly, “And take deep breaths!”
“I don’t… need… deep breaths,” James panted. “I need… an ambulance!” he demanded, looking round frantically.
“James, look at me!” Chris said firmly, the smaller boy immediately doing as he was told. “Deep breaths. Come on. In…” James complied. “And out!” Chris went on, breathing with him. “That’s it. In… out… yeah, you’ve got it. And again. Here, take my hands,” he said, not really giving James a choice as he grabbed the boy’s trembling hands. “Okay, yeah. In. Squeeze my hands, feel my hands. Out. And listen to the wind outside. In again. Okay, feeling a bit better?”
James looked at him and nodded, still focusing on his breathing, but slowly returning to a normal colour, his hands no longer shaking. “That was… I dunno. What WAS that?”
“That, mate, was a full-on panic attack!” Chris said, releasing one of James’ hands but keeping hold of the other as he took a seat beside him on the bench.
“It… felt like…” James started but was unable to finish.
“Oh, it feels like dying. And it sucks!” Chris said bluntly. “But breathing and… that other stuff, they call them ‘grounding techniques’… they can normally take care of it!”
James nodded, then looked at Chris curiously, the question obvious without being spoken.
“After… the accident… with Danny. I had a lot of them for a while!” Chris explained.
“You… never showed it!” James said softly.
“I couldn’t!” Chris said honestly. “Sorry,” he added quietly. “This is about you. How are you doing?”
“It can be about us both,” James said, shuffling a little closer.
“Aww, don’t start making me like you right when you might be leaving!” Chris said, putting his arm around James. He got a quiet giggle in return. “You’re SO much smarter than I realised!” Chris said in genuine admiration.
“And you’re WAY better at being serious than I realised,” James sniggered back, leaning against him. “Thank you!”
*****
“Ah, home, sweet homo!” Rob declared as he stepped off the coach, looking over at Home Building.
“Ha, now THAT should be the school motto!” Danny chuckled.
“And speaking of sweet homos!” Mikey grinned as he spotted Chris and Nicky emerging from the building.
It had only been two nights, but being used to spending every day and night together, it was an enthusiastic reunion for the boys. While Chris made a big fuss over Danny at first, he made a very conscious effort to give Mikey just as much attention following his recent comments about obsessing over Danny. The boys all headed back inside, chattering excitedly. Once they were all back in the dorm, the four boys who had been away began regaling the others with details of their matches as well as what Witherington Grammar School was like.
“So when are the next matches?” David asked, not overly keen on the sports but keen to show an interest in something his friends were so excited about.
“Two weeks!” Rob explained. “Home games again though, against the Crestwood School for Boys!”
“Wood and boys? Chris’ll be happy!” Mikey sniggered.
Chris smirked and nodded. “I’d disagree but… yeah!” He got a laugh from the others.
“Lotta pressure on the football team,” Rob went on. “They’ve had a win and a draw. They lose to Crestwood without scoring and they’re out of the tournament! Us guys have nothing to worry about though, we’ve got two wins and so have Crestwood, so no matter what happens we’re both through to round two!”
“Ah, guessing you’re hoping for a loss then!” Mikey said, grinning wickedly.
“Why would he WANT to lose?” James asked, confused.
“Cos every time the rugby team wins a match, he has to do a forfeit for them,” Mikey explained. “Oh, sorry, a ‘reward’, that’s what they call it.”
“Thanks for that!” Rob grumbled. Details of his forfeit on the way home hadn’t been shared yet, but Mikey quickly explained everything that the other four has missed.
“Rob!” Chris said sternly when he had heard the full story, holding the other boy’s shoulders. “I say this as your friend and classmate… I’m willing to take over as captain of the rugby team!”
As the others all laughed, Rob just shook his head, grinning. “You are SUCH a freak!”
Danny sat quietly watching the whole thing. He had already felt bad for the fact that the football team was a man down, especially as he knew he was much better in goal than Adrian who was filling in for him. Now he also found himself once again wishing he was able to get back to doing things like Rob’s forfeit. Things had been going so well before the accident. He had Joseph giving him dares, Brian pushing him into embarrassing situations and even Blane starting to consider using humiliation in their morning gym sessions. Now he had none of it.
As Danny got up, the others already chattering away about what forfeit Rob might end up with next, Chris ran round to him and asked, “You okay?”
“I’m fine!” Danny said, though it came out a little more sharply than he had intended. “I’m just… gonna lie down. It’s been a busy weekend.”
“Want company?” Chris offered.
Yes, Danny wanted company. He wanted to be cuddled up in a naked pile with Chris, Mikey and Nicky like they used to, or he wanted to be pinned down on Brian’s bed while the older boy fucked him senseless! But alas, the company he wanted and the company he could manage were still very different things. He glanced over to the sofas and said softly, “I’m good. Go keep Mikey company. He’s missed you!”
“Okay,” Chris smiled. He glanced at the clock and said, “Not long til lights out anyway. Guess I can cuddle ya then!”
Danny smiled and nodded back, then turned to lay on his bunk. Within moments of his head hitting the pillow, he was sound asleep. Barely half an hour later, he was gently shaken awake by Chris.
“Hey, Danny, it’s nearly bedtime!” Chris said softly.
Danny blinked a few times and mumbled, “Did you wake me up just to tell me to go to sleep?”
Chris smirked and shook his head. “I just thought you might wanna actually get ready for bed or get into it properly!”
“Fine, I’ll let you off,” Danny smiled, grabbing Chris’ hand as he helped him up.
Further down the dorm, Nicky was just grabbing his toothbrush when Josh stood at his side. “Hey,” Nicky said quietly. “Glad to be home?”
Josh nodded as he smiled. “Witherington school seems pretty cool and the guys were nice, but yeah, always good to get back here!” he replied cheerfully. “How are you? Any more trouble with… you-know-who?”
“Shhh,” Nicky hushed the other boy. Josh remained the only other person who knew about Nicky’s troubles with the boys of dorm 1.01. “But no, actually. Things have… kinda died down. I’m thinking they maybe got bored and moved on!”
Josh smirked. “Yeah, that’s probably it,” he said with poorly concealed glee.
“Wait, you didn’t… do anything, did you?” Nicky asked. It would certainly explain why Angel and his friends had backed off all of a sudden.
“Would I really do something like that?” Josh asked, grinning.
“That’s… not an answer!” Nicky said nervously.
“I guess we’ll never know!” Josh said mysteriously, backing away as he chuckled.
Nicky just frowned over at him, shaking his head.
James sat up on his bunk, watching things down below. His time with Chris earlier in the evening had given him a lot to think about, both with regard to his own future and to the boys he was potentially leaving. He had always dismissed the other boys in the dorm as a little beneath him, only really seeing David as his intellectual equal and maybe Rob to a certain extent too, but the rest all seemed… silly. So caught up in their sexual shenanigans and dating dramas, they just seemed unworthy of his time.
That attitude was slowly beginning to change. Partly due to the revelations about his own past and how they had unknowingly shaped the way he thought about studying, but also because he finally felt he was starting to get to know the others. Chris had been a bit of a random choice for support that evening, but James figured things might get emotional and that Chris knew emotions. He had ended up being the perfect choice in the end, proving surprisingly helpful and supportive.
Then there was Josh. By his own admission, the dimmest boy in the dorm, James felt like they were just natural opposites. Yet the previous week, James had shared with him something he had not really told anyone else before and the two had bonded, past trauma apparently a surprisingly good way of connecting with someone. Since then, they hadn’t really spent time together, but they still felt… closer.
Distracted by his musings on his dormmates, James hadn’t notice David walk round until he stepped up the ladder and popped his head up. “Okay if I come up?” he asked cheerfully.
“Sure,” James said, pulling his legs back to sit cross-legged.
David climbed up and sat facing him, unusually close. In a low tone he said, “I’m going to go for a shower before bed!”
James frowned a little, smirked and said, “I… appreciate the update!”
“Erm… actually… I thought… you might…” David started, glancing round to make sure nobody was listening. “I thought you might want to have a shower too!” As James remained looking confused, David blushed a little and said, “I know… you’ve got all that stuff you’re dealing with so you may not… be interested anymore… and I know you’re not using the chastity device and I don’t hold your key, but…”
“Oh!” James exclaimed, finally catching on to what the other boy was actually asking. “What happened to your whole… sucking every dick in the dorm thing?”
David shrugged. That had all been a test of his own skills to see if he was the cause of James’ aversion to being sucked, but with the mystery solved David had left such promiscuity behind. “Turns out I… prefer just being with someone I like!” he said a little shyly.
James smiled sweetly. “I’ll come with you and, erm… we can see what happens. I might not want to do anything!”
“That’s okay,” David nodded.
“But I… might want to do things,” James added a little awkwardly.
David chuckled and the two quickly climbed down, stripped off and hurried out of the dorm, towels wrapped around them, David with his up at chest level as usual, James’ slung low around his waist. As they got into the shower room and slipped into a cubicle together, David turned on the shower then hung his towel on the door.
As David began to shower, James standing back to give him space, David said softly, “I was thinking about that time we tried kissing.”
“Oh yeah?” James asked, holding back a smile.
“Yeah. It was fun. I wondered if you maybe wanted to do it some more?” David asked hopefully, avoiding eye contact.
“Sure,” James replied. He pulled his towel off and hung it on the door with David’s then moved closer to him.
“You don’t have to though,” David said nervously. “If… if it makes you feel… weird or anything!”
“I know,” James nodded. He reached out and took hold of David’s shoulders, pulling him out from under the spray as he leaned in to kiss him. Their lips met, holding for a few seconds, seemingly testing it out. They both quickly relaxed into it, the tension melting away as lips began to open.
The kiss broke after several more seconds, but the two boys wrapped themselves around each other, David’s cheek resting against James’ shoulder as his hands casually roamed the other boy’s torso. “I wish I looked like you!” he said wistfully.
“Nuh-uh,” James immediately disagreed. “I’m probably gonna be skinny all my life but you’re gonna change. You’re really gonna grow into your looks, I can tell!”
“Maybe,” David sighed. “But til then I get to be the boy with boobs!” he pouted, grasping at the chubbiness of his own chest.
“I didn’t think that bothered you,” James said, frowning with concern for his friend.
“It didn’t… when most of us were barely started. Now everyone else is, like, developing ‘down there’ and… and changing everywhere else and I’m still… just me!” David said sadly.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I happen to like ‘just you’,” James replied, then leaned in and kissed him again.
David giggled and said, “Thanks.” He suddenly added a quick “Oh!” as he looked down. “You really DO like me!” he chuckled, seeing James’ erection.
James looked down for a moment, contemplating what to say next. “Would you… like to suck it?” he asked nervously.
“Oh, are you… I mean… what about… are you sure?” David stuttered. It had been their previous attempts at oral sex that had helped lead James to the revelation of his past abuse. Since that had all been discovered, the two hadn’t tried anything else.
James nodded sternly. “I don’t want some horrible person I barely even remember to ruin something that’s supposed to be fun!” he insisted. “If bad memories are what made it feel bad then… let’s make some good memories instead!”
David smiled and nodded. “That sounds like a really good idea,” he said happily. “But… it’s okay to tell me to stop if you need to, okay?” James nodded, so he slowly dropped to his knees, letting his hands slide down his friend’s wet, slender torso.
David gently massaged the area around James’ cock, occasionally allowing his fingers to stroke the rigid tool or tease his hairless balls.
“It’s okay,” James reassured him, sensing the hesitation.
David leaned in. By now, he had sucked his fair share of dicks. Some good experiences, some pretty average, but this was the first one he really wanted to be good. He poked out his tongue and gave a tentative lick of the head. As he glanced up, James was staring down at him, not smiling, but not looking disturbed as he had done during previous attempts.
David gave it a few more licks, letting his tongue slide from head to base down one side, over the top and then back down the other side. He heard a gentle moan from above then stopped as he held out his tongue, letting James’ cock rest upon it. Giving one more glance up, he got a nod so he closed his lips around it. As he began to suck on it, sliding back and forth a few inches as he let his tongue tease the head, he felt hands on his shoulders. Worried at first it was a request to stop, he soon realised they were just holding him, nothing more.
“How does it feel?” David asked as he pulled the small erection from between his lips.
“Nice!” James answered sincerely. “A bit… weird, but… mostly nice! Keep going if you like!”
“Gladly!” David said with a grin as he got back to work.
The sucking continued for a few more minutes until James tapped the other boy on the shoulder. Seeing him look up with the dick still in his mouth, James had to chuckle, but said, “We’re running out of time and I don’t know if I’ll finish from that!”
David immediately stood and asked, “Want me to… finish you this way?” He took hold of James’ boner and began stroking rapidly.
“Ah, yeah, that’s good,” James giggled. “Ugh, I’m getting close. Could we… be kissing when I cum?” he requested.
David happily complied, grabbing his friend in a passionate kiss as his hand pumped him over the finish line, making him spurt his load onto the floor between them.
As they parted, James breathing slightly heavily, they looked at each other happily.
“You sucked my dick!” James said in delighted surprise.
“And you let me!” David grinned back, proud of his best friend’s progress.
*****
When Danny awoke, it took a moment to realise where he was. Glancing to his side he mumbled, “Sir?”
Mr Fitzsimmons, Danny’s English teacher as well as Master of the second floor was sat at his side, looking at him, having nudged him awake.
Danny looked around. He was sat on the floor at the top of the stairs on the second-floor walkway, his back against the wall. “You’re… erm… probably wondering what I’m doing here!” Danny said meekly.
“Thought crossed my mind!” the teacher replied, one eyebrow raised. He had come out to do his final check of the floor before turning in for the night and had been more than a little surprised to find the Year 8 boy sitting there asleep on the landing.
Danny knew he was probably in trouble for being out of bed after lights-out anyway and felt a bit too out of it to form a coherent lie anyway, so he figured he would go with honesty. “I was coming up to see someone, sir, but stairs are hard, like… really, really hard now… and I just needed a quick break when I got to the top so I sat down and… must have nodded off!”
“You know we have a lift for people who can’t use the stairs!” Mr Fitzsimmons started.
“Ah!” Danny quickly interjected. “But I’m not people who can’t, I’m… person… who can but just gets worn out!”
“Your use of grammar makes me so proud to be your English teacher!” the man said, shaking his head, “Also… that’s usually a good attitude to have!”
“It’s the one I needed, sir. Without it I’d still be in a hospital bed!” Danny said bluntly.
The words hit hard. Everyone at the school, especially the faculty, knew how badly hurt the boy had been but to hear him talking about it was a very different feeling. “Well right now you should really be in your OWN bed!”
“Yes sir, sorry,” Danny apologised.
“I’m guessing the ‘someone’ you were coming to see is down in dorm two-ten, right?” Mr Fitzsimmons asked, nodding down the hallway towards Brian’s dorm.
“Oh, you… erm… you know about that?” Danny asked shyly.
The teacher chuckled. “Danny, just because we give you a lot of space and freedom here, don’t think that means we don’t know what’s going on!” he explained.
“Yes sir,” Danny smiled.
“Although in this case, he just straight-up told me, so it didn’t take much figuring out,” Mr Fitzsimmons said with a shrug. As Danny looked at him curiously, he added, “To be fair, he was telling everyone. I thought he was already a pretty cheerful young man, but when he started dating you, he was virtually bouncing off the walls!”
“Really?” Danny grinned. Brian usually liked to play it so cool, so it was both surprising and sweet to hear him so overtly showing his feelings.
“Oh yeah,” Mr Fitzsimmons nodded. “And when you got hurt, he was… not good! Which is why I’m so glad you’re back!”
“I’m not though,” Danny mumbled.
“Sorry?” the teacher asked.
“Nothing, sorry sir, never mind,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“It’s okay, Danny. You can tell me!” the man encouraged him.
Danny let out a gentle sigh and said, “I can’t… DO anything. I mean, I’m sitting here cos I got beaten by some stairs! I miss being able to play with my friends and I miss being in goal and I miss playing around in the pool at swimming club and… all the stuff that made me… ME! Like, I’m back here, but I may as well not be. Why even be here if I can’t be myself?”
The man took a deep breath, nodding as he thought about it. “All those things, they’re what you do, not who you are. From what I hear, you’ll be back to them eventually, so that’s just a matter of time. But I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit, Danny!” Mr Fitzsimmons said with a sincere smile. “You said you got beaten by some stairs? Well you’re up here, and they’re down there. Looks to me like YOU beat THEM.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Danny said, nodding a little.
“As for you being YOU, well… you snuck out of your dorm, knowing it was against the rules and you climbed these stairs, knowing how hard it’d be and you did all of it just to… what, spend some time with someone you care about? THAT’S who you are, Danny, and no injury’s gonna change that!” the teacher finished.
Danny smiled a little tearfully as he said, “Thank you, sir. That… means a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s get you back to bed!” the man said, standing up before reaching down to help Danny to his feet.
As Danny went for the stairs, Mr Fitzsimmons pulled him in a different direction, towards dorm 2.10. “Sir?” Danny enquired.
“Well it… wouldn’t be fair to make you take on those stairs again, would it?” the teacher said with a smile.
Danny nodded as they slowly headed down the hall. “Sir, I… never apologised to you.”
“What for?” he asked, a little lost.
“Well a… a couple of times now I’ve… done things in your class that I… shouldn’t have. And I didn’t want you to think it was because I… like… disrespect you or anything!” Danny explained.
The man smirked as he helped the boy along the corridor. “Danny, I’ve been a teacher at Kingswood for most of my adult life. Do you really think a boy playing with himself in my class is the worst thing I’ve seen?”
Danny chuckled and replied, “I guess not!”
“Here we go,” Mr Fitzsimmons said as they got to the door of dorm 2.10. “You good from here?”
“Yes sir, thank you. Like… really, thank you!” Danny beamed.
“You’re welcome… but don’t let it happen again! This is your ONE free pass!” the teacher whispered as he opened the door and walked away.
Danny quietly closed the door behind him, then made his way over to Brian’s bed.
As Danny was climbing in beside the older boy, Brian woke up and whispered, “Hey you! You okay?”
“No!” Danny replied honestly, then thought about what Mr Fitzsimmons had said added softly, “But I will be!”