Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 17:07:53 -0700 (PDT) From: crispin emrys Subject: Crispin-and-Zephyr/Part-1-Crispin/Chapter-9-revised These fictional stories are the product of my imagination. However, nothing happens in a vacuum. Like most fiction, it is based on real people I have met, places and events I have seen. The Prologue and Chapters 1-13 appeared on Nifty this winter. They have been extensively revised (especially Prologue and Chapter 13) and Chapter 13 has been completed. I will post two per week then continue with Chapter 14. It may be against the law to read where you are because of its content or your age. Or you may feel uncomfortable reading it because of the belief systems you have accepted. Follow the dictates of your heart. If you do read this series, I hope you enjoy it. When this five part story is completed, it will have told the tale of one boy and one man and how their intimate relationship and love for each other led to the creation of a modern day legion of boy knights. These knights errant became young champions of human and social rights and defenders of the weak and the downtrodden. These Boy Knights of the Green Republic reveal the true meaning, purpose and power of boyhood. You may be aware of the etymology of the word knight, that it is derived from the Old English cniht, meaning page boy, or servant, or simply boy. Knighthood, as in the Old English cnihthad, had the meaning of adolescence, that most intriguing period between childhood and manhood. In this sense every boy is a knight, and in my estimation a potential knight errant. Copyright 2007 Crispin Emrys. All Rights Reserved. This series may be displayed on any website so long as no money is charged for access and attribution is retained. Just ask permission first. Thanks. This project is dedicated to Guy Davenport, a gentle genius and unsurpassed writer of short stories who died in 2005, to every Crispin and Zephyr in this or any other world, and to you the reader that you may be encouraged by it. I am Crispin Emrys at crispinemrys@yahoo.com. Please feel free to contact me. I always enjoy hearing from readers. Index for Part I ^Ö Crispin -- What has happened so far: February 1999 Chap 1 -- Robbie 1 Chap 2 -- Robbie 2 Chap 3 -- Call to Crispin from Gwen Powell-Jones Chap 4 -- Crispin agrees to visit March 1999 Chap 5 -- Plane Boy ^Ö Cody Clarke Chap 6 -- Crispin stays with Gwen, visits various schools and takes the job Chap 7 -- Cris and Cody 1 Chap 8 -- Cris and Cody 2 Because of the large cast of characters, I thought it would be helpful to the reader to have a list. Ages are for March, 1999. Crispin Emrys Wydham Chipper Sutherland Anna (Annie) Rothko Aleksey Rothko (Alex, Alyosha, Alyoshka) -- 13 Mikhail/Michael Rothko (Misha, Mishka) [1983-1996] Robbie -- 15 Summer -- Robbie's mother -- 32 Tanner [1984-1998] Adam -- Tanner's brother -- 10 Gwendolyn Powell-Jones Cullen "Cully" Powell -- 23 Major Theresa (Terri) Clarke -- 35 Jonathan Cody Clarke -- 11 Uncle Billy Clarke -- 33 Paul - Uncle Billy's partner -- 22 Crispin and Zephyr Part 1 - Crispin Chapter 9 -- Revised March 1999 Boulder, Colorado "Well, hello," smiled Gwen. "I am so pleased to finally meet you, Cody. Cris has told me so much about you. And I must say, he has not exaggerated one iota." Cody stood in the foyer and held out his hand, which Gwen took in both of hers. "Thank you," said the boy in a quiet voice. "I am pleased to meet you, too," Cody added sweetly and grinned his wonderful smile. "There is no doubt about it, Cody," Gwen offered. "You are every bit the lovely lad Cris said you were," she went on in her best Welsh accent. Cody blushed and lowered his head slightly. Gwen simply engulfed the boy in her arms and hugged him warmly, then with both her hands on his shoulders, leaned him back to arms length saying, "I am so sorry, but I did not intend to embarrass you Cody. You will find me a wee bit honest sometimes, but basically I'm harmless," she added with a smile. Gwen released Cody. "However, what I was saying is true." She paused, looked Cody directly with caring eyes and continued in a kind voice. "Cody, I am so very happy that you have come for a visit and that I have the chance to get to know you. Cris could not stop talking about you all week. All of it good I should add." This made Cody smile broadly. "I feel I practically know you already. So I want you to feel welcome to visit here anytime. Any friend of Cris's is a equally a friend of mine." Gwen's warmth and honesty did the trick and Cody grinned and said in his very agreeable treble voice, "Thank you for letting me come." Gwen again hugged Cody in a grandmotherly way, released him, looked over to Cris and smiled. "Well, boys, time for tea and supper? I am sure you must be absolutely famished hiking about in the mountains like you have." It was now early evening and considering the hiking they had done and the appetite they had worked up, they both nodded vociferously. "That would be neat," Cody said enthusiastically, "we're starving. Right, Cris?" he asked looking over to Cris. Cris smiled at Cody and slowly nodded his head. "Indeed we are sweetheart. Gwen, lead the way. We're going to give you a hand." "Actually I was thinking that maybe you boys ought to take a shower and get settled in. I presume you are be my house guest this evening, Cody?" Cody looked over to Cris who gave him a subtle nod, so Cody in turn nodded to Gwen. "Yes, if that's OK." "I would love for you to stay, Cody," Gwen said. Cody smiled broadly. "Cris, get Cody settled in and come back in half an hour or forty five minutes. Remember, its OK to take your time but don't get too sidetracked," she added with a wink. Cris smiled at this statement, looked downward and shook his head. Then he said to Cody, "OK, big guy, follow me," and headed down the hallway to the guest wing. They walked into the guest bedroom Cris was using. "Wow, this is so cool, Crissy," announced Cody as he ran to the windows and looked out toward the back. The sight was impressive as the last rays of sunshine illuminated the prairie reflecting its orange glow off the remaining patches of snow and bathing the tops of the massive Cottonwoods growing down along the creek bed. "Gwen has good taste. Alright, this is my room and now lets find yours." Cody did not move to follow Cris. "But, Cris," Cody implored, "I thought we would be staying in here together." Cris realized how delicate this issue was and responded to Cody by hugging him and then gently leading him by the hand over to the couch that faced the windows. Cris sat down in the middle and parked the boy so that he was facing him in a standing position between his legs. He placed his hands on the boy's slender hips, resting them just above the protrusion of his very pert boyish ass. "Tell me what you were thinking, my special friend." Cody began to blush slightly and spoke slowly. "Well, if we are special friends, I just thought we could be in here together. Um.... Well,...." Cris could see that Cody was having a difficult time sharing his thoughts and feelings. The boy's body was silhouetted by the light outside and took on a shadowy cast. Cris continued to look into his eyes, which now had a rich yellow shading in the indirect bedroom lighting. He gently rubbed the boys waist and sides. "It's OK, Cody. Tell me what you were thinking, honey. You know that we have to be honest with each other if we are going to be such good friends. And please don't be embarrassed. You know that I love you and accept you no matter what." Cody, looked into Cris's eyes, took a deep breath and began haltingly, "Well, I, ah, thought that, um, that maybe we could sleep in the same bed and, well, ah, you know, maybe do some things together like special friends do, friends who really like each other a lot I mean." Cody finished the last part with rapid fire abruptness, fearful that he might swallow the words before he could get them out of his mouth. By this time his eyes has started to tear. Cris was deeply moved by Cody's honest admission and his willingness to be so vulnerable before him. He smiled warmly and pulled Cody into his own body turning his head so that it comfortably rested on the boy's taught stomach and chest. "I think you are talking about things like sex, baby. Am I right?" At this he released the boy's body and returned it to the previous position, his hands again holding the boy's narrow waist. Cody nodded his head and with a crestfallen expression, lowered his head and looked down at his own feet. Cris felt an incredible love for this sweet and open boy and an overwhelming desire to protect him from anything that would even try to hurt him. There was certainly no doubt in his mind that Cody knew exactly what he wanted, even if he could not put it into words. However, Cris did not think that either of them were prepared for this level of physical relationship, at least not yet. For one thing Cris was not sure just what Cody knew about such things, although he had no reason to doubt Uncle Billys' tutorial skills, or whether or not he understood that behind the physical act of sex was the expression of love and the reciprocal commitments that this entailed. Cris knew that this tender boy had shared something very close to his heart and had left himself unprotected emotionally before his special friend once again. Cris was keenly aware that his own response had to be handled very deftly, not only so that Cody would not feel hurt right now, but in such a way that their relationship over time would not suffer, so it would have the opportunity to grow and develop naturally. With his hands tightly holding onto Cody's narrow waist, he lifted the boy and settled him onto his lap, so that he was directly facing Cris almost at eye level. Cody assisted by telescoping his legs. He ended up with his bottom in Cris's crotch and his legs resting on the couch on either side of Cris.. He kissed the boy's cheek and hugged him forcefully. Then he leaned him back by the shoulders and, keeping his hands there, began to speak. "Cody, what you have said is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I want you to know that I love you more than I can even put into words right now. Do you believe that?" Cody nodded his head, his eyes glued on Cris. Cris went on, "But, being a wee bit older and the more experienced member of this twosome, I want to share what I like to think may be a little wisdom. I don't want anything to happen that might harm either of us or our special friendship. So, " and here Cris paused for dramatic effect and emphasis, "I am going to suggest that we should move in the direction you suggest, only do so slowly. So I want to talk about this in a very grown up way and be really honest with you. Will that be OK?" Cody nodded again, but said nothing, eyes still transfixed. "I don't want our relationship to be over before it really begins. And I know that you don't either. I love you too much for that. I don't want to lose you because we rush things." Cris grew silent for a few moments as he collected his thoughts, then began again. "I am a lot older than you Cody, which means I have discovered a lot of things the hard way. But as a result I have also learned a few things, important things about life and love. I want to share some of them with you. Will it be OK to do that right now?" Again, Cody nodded, saying nothing, but not moving his eyes as they looked intensely into Cris's. Cris could literally feel their heat within his own. Cris now moved his hands so that they were clasped behind Cody's back, waist high, and continued in very tender tone. "A relationship between two people who like each other takes time and effort to build. This helps it to grow and develop in a healthy manner. It may begin with a physical attraction, and by the way I find you incredibly attractive, Cody. In fact you are very, very sexy." Cris paused to let this soak in before continuing. "But a relationship has lots of different dimensions in addition to the physical: for example emotional and psychic." Seeing Cody was not sure what this meant, he added, " which means that sometimes we know what the other one is thinking or feeling with out them saying it. It is like a spiritual bond. Sometimes sex just gets in the way of all of this." At this Cody jerked his shoulders a bit intending to say something, but Cris kept his arms around him and gently calmed him down again so that he could finish what he had begun. "Shhh. Just give me a few more minutes, Cody, and then you can have your say. OK?" Cody nodded his head and leaned back again onto Cris's hands again. "I am not saying that our relationship should not or will not be physical, which includes those things you were thinking about, and probably more you don't know about just yet. But you must realize that sex, really what I would prefer to call love making, should grow out of a strong relationship, not the other way around. Any special relationship has to be much more than sex. We sure seem to be moving in that direction, I mean toward a strong relationship, but I don't think we are there just yet. We have gone quite a distance in just a week's time." Cris smiled. "To be perfectly honest, it is very hard for me to keep my hands off of you in a sexual way because you are such a very beautiful and sexy boy. On the other hand it is probably just as hard for you because boys tend to want to do sexual things when they are your age. It is just part of growing up and going through puberty." Cris paused at this point and brought his hands around and tenderly rubbed Cody's boyish chest and then his thighs. "Are you with me so far, baby?" "Yes," Cody squeaked nodding his head. "All that I am asking is that at this point we work together to control our physical relationship so that the emotional and spiritual parts of our relationship can have the opportunity to grow along side it, too." After this Cris paused and said nothing. Finally, Cody quietly asked, "What does that mean, then? For us I mean?" "Well, I think it means we can continue to hug and kiss and snuggle, but that anything involving sexual body parts has to be off limits for the time being. No rubbing and touching of penises to be utterly frank, as much as I might enjoy doing so." Cris would feel Cody jump slightly at this comment, which caused Cris to smile warmly at this cute boy. Cody was still for some time. He was still looking intently at Cris with his wonderful green eyes. Then, in a very hushed voice, but one that was clearly audible because the room was so quiet, he said, "I think I see what you are saying, Cris. I'm sorry I said what I did. I guess I am just a stupid kid and I don't really know about a lot of things yet." Cody hugged the boy forcefully and kissed his nose and then his lips lightly. Smiling, he responded, "Cody, you are wise beyond your years. There is nothing to be sorry about. What I like about you is that you are just who you are. You said nothing to be ashamed of. In fact you were very brave to bring up the issue at all. I have to hand it to you, kid, you are one sharp and adorable cookie." When Cris finished talking it grew quiet again. Cody looked at him with doleful copper eyes now wet with tears. "Cody, tell me what you are thinking, baby." Cody sniffed and wiped one hand across his eyes and nose in order to remove some of the wetness. "I think I understand what you are saying," he said slowly. "You do like me and want me but that we have to just let things happen for a while and then maybe we can do the things I was talking about." Cris, with tears now forming in his own eyes, pulled Cody toward him and kissed the lovely boy on each of his eyes and then on his soft, warm lips. It was a deep and meaningful kiss that expressed his love and concern for the boy. Cody responded by giving himself to Cris completely, throwing his arms around the man and burying his face in his neck. Cris wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tightly. They continued in this embrace for many minutes. Finally, when it was pretty clear that Cody had regained his composure, he released the boy and leaned him back by his shoulders so that he could look into his eyes. They were still red, but he was not crying. "God, Cody, I love you so much. I hope I have not hurt you by reacting like I have or saying what I did," Cris said with real concern in his tone. Cody shook his head and smiled wanly. "I know you love me, Crissy," he said in a broken voice. "I trust you. And I love you back." Cris regarded the boy for a moment, then slowly pulled him toward his lips. Neither took their eyes off of the other's as they moved closer together. As soon as their lips merged, they both felt an unbelievable release of tension. They continued kissing and gently Cris pressed his tongue into Cody's mouth, who obliged by sucking on it. Both of them were now clearly aroused, although it was Cris's erection that made the greatest impression by pressing up against the boy's bottom. Cody began to wiggle his butt just enough to let Cris know that he not only knew what was there, but that he liked the feel of it. With deniability clearly not an option, Cris decided to take the offensive by being forthright. Breaking their long and passionate kiss, Cris commented in an almost offhanded manner, "Cody, it seems that you have had a very strong effect on me." Cody could not help but laugh and looking directly at his own crotch, added, "Well, Cris, I think I'm in a similar situation." "In that case I think we had better hit the showers. Maybe the cold water can help reduce the swelling. Anyway, Gwen will be wondering what is going on. Will that be OK?" Cody nodded and smiled. "OK, lover boy. Your room is right next door, down the hall. We passed it coming in here. It has its own bathroom equipped with a very nice shower. Check it out and if there aren't towels in it, come on back and I will get you squared away." As Cody turned to leave, Cris added, "I have something you can wear when you get back, too. That way you won't have to wear what you have hiked in all day." Cody smiled his typically warm smile, nodded and headed off to the room he was going to be using to shower, while Cris did the same in his guest room. By the time Cris had finished changing clothes, Cody returned wrapped in a massive white bath towel. Cris thought he looked awfully seductive and beautiful bare chested and said so, which resulted in a Cody smile followed by a boy bear hug. Cris could tell that their talk, in which they had discussed the elephant that had been hanging around them all this time, had both cleared the air and set them on a new and deeper course. Cris offered Cody one of his tee shirts, and Cody smiled warmly, then dropped the towel in one swift movement revealing a lovely boy with a handsome physique and well formed boy tool. Cris looked at this and smiled and nodded his head. "Nice," he said. Clearly, Cody did not want for there to be any secrets between them. Cris was pleased with this. And Cody was obviously pleased with the compliment. Cris helped Cody into the beige tee shirt, enjoying this although Cody certainly did not need any assistance. The boy looked absolutely luscious in it with the hem reaching almost to mid thigh, just covering his slightly jutting ass, but exposing most of his beautiful legs. His tanned body and blond hair were both accentuated by the light but complimentary color of the shirt. Cris placed his arm around Cody's shoulder and pulled him into his side so Cody placed his free arm around Cris's waist. In this manner they walked into the kitchen as Gwen was putting the finishing touches on supper. There was delicious food: cream of tomato soup, hero sandwiches, and ice cream with very moist home made oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Cody had seconds on the soup and even went for some hot chocolate after the dessert. By now it was well past nine, and given the exertions of the day, both physical and emotional, Cody was starting to nod a bit. So, Cris walked him into his room, found a toothbrush for him to use, and helped him get ready for bed by pulling down the covers. Cody climbed into bed and Cris tucked him in and kissed him full on the lips saying, "Good night, my sweet prince. If you get up before me, come and wake me up." Then Cris reached over and brushed Cody's hair across his forehead so that he could get a better look at his lovely face. "Pleasant dreams." "Crissy?" "What sweetheart?" "Cris, my legs are really sore from all that hiking we did. Do you think you could rub them?" Cris laughed lightly and answered, "Cody that is a request few, least of all me, would refuse." He proceeded to pull back Cody's covers and sat next to him on the bed. "OK. Lets start with the feet and ankles." Cris put one of the boy's feet into his lap and began by gently manipulating first the foot and then ankle, gently but forcefully using his thumbs and fingers to massage the muscles and when convenient crack some of the bones, just as one would a knuckle. Cris heartily enjoyed rubbing and massaging the muscles and tendons on each of Cody's small feet. Next he moved up to the lower legs gently massaging Cody's gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, well developed on this boy due to his involvement in soccer Cris assumed. Next he worked on the area around the knees. It was the knees that seemed to need the most succor and Cris patiently massaged every part possible, but with extra gentleness. Finally, after helping Cody to raise his night shirt so that his thighs were more accessible he began on the upper legs. Raising his night shirt also uncovered Cody's nicely shaped uncircumcised penis, so in order not to get sidetracked, Cris took as much of the fabric of the tee shirt as he could gather and bunched it over this area. However, as Cris gently massaged Cody's firm and trim thighs, the boy's wiggling movements in response to the gentle kneading exposed his mouse once again. Cody seemed not to mind at all, but rather seemed to relish letting Cris see it. For his own part Cris found it a challenge not to stare at Cody's boyhood as he worked on the upper legs, now using more hand pressure since the muscles were larger and more developed, again the fruit of soccer. To say Cris delighted in moving his hands all over Cody's lovely legs would have been a gross understatement. But it was also evident that Cody was enjoying the rub down just as much if not more, at least if judged solely by the stiffness of his erection, not to mention the sounds he emitted that ranged from guttural sighs to sweet mewings. When Cris knew he reached the point that if he continued one minute longer he would take Cody's exposed spike into his hand and maybe his mouth, he chose to stop, much to the boy's obvious and vocal disappointment. Cris reminded Cody of the rules of engagement. Cody smiled, and Cris threw the covers back over the boy and leaning over to kiss him on the forehead. But as he leaned down Cody reached up with his arms and threw them around Cris's neck, pulling him down so that he could kiss him on the lips. It was a kiss that spoke volumes to Crispin. At length he released Cris, smiled brightly saying, "Night, Crissy. Thanks for being my friend. I love you." "And I love you back, Tiger," Cris said as he ruffled Cody's hair. Cris turned off the light and headed out the door and back to the kitchen. Gwen was putting things away when he arrived. "Well, Cris, I must say you can sure pick them. Cody is a delightful, sensitive, caring, intelligent, and extremely pretty boy. I fully approve of your choice," she said. Cris nodded his head in complete agreement. "How about a night cap?" Gwen suggested. Cris laughed, "That I could use," and they headed into the living room, where he poured out two double scotches, neat of course, and handed one to Gwen. They chatted for some time. Cris remembered to ask about living options in Boulder. Gwen said she might had an idea and would find out tomorrow and let him know. She inquired about his plans for his last day. "I think I will run Cody home in the morning after rush hour is over. I was hoping to do a bit of house hunting in the afternoon. And now I have to begin making some pretty complicated decisions about clients, my home, packing, moving, things like that. So, I guess I will just be list making for a while trying to come up with some good working plans." It wasn't long before Cris headed off to bed, the rest of his whiskey in hand. He spent some time unwinding by reading from a complete Rimbaud collection of poetry which he had found on a shelf in Gwen's office. His French was very rusty, not having much recourse to use it in many years. He read some of the poems out loud, stumbling over words and generally breaking the flow of the poems. The translations offered by the book were not bad. Concentrating on Rimbaud helped him to get his mind off everything else and feeling pretty relaxed he began to grow sleepy. After checking on Cody, who was sleeping peacefully, and brushing his teeth, he slipped between the sheets and turned off the light. He was asleep in no time. Later that night, or maybe early in the morning, he could not tell for sure, but long before it was light, Cris was awakened by a noise. The flush of a toilet and the closing of a door. He lay still just enjoying the quiet of the night as he waited for sleep to come over him again. After some minutes he sensed rather than heard someone in the room. He raised himself up on elbows so he could see. There in the starlight was a shadow about the height of a boy standing by his bed. "Cody, is that you sweetheart?" "I couldn't get back to sleep, Cris, and I was getting really cold." He paused. "You said that if I woke up first I should come in here," Cody added in an authoritative tone of voice. Cris laughed. "Well, I was thinking that it would be later in the morning, but no matter. Would you like to climb into bed with me?" Cris said as he pulled back the bedding and slide to the far side of the bed in order to give the boy access, knowing what his answer would be. Without verbal reply Cody slide in and moved across the king sized bed until their legs and torsos were touching. Cris lowered the covers again. "Gee, Cody," Cris said flinching slightly, "you are like an ice cube." Cris, who had been laying on his back, moved onto his right side and placing his arm over Cody, who was not wearing a stitch, pulled him into his own warm body so that they were spooned together. Cody let out a deep sigh of contentment and soon drifted off to sleep. Cris, laying in bed with this very wonderful boy, replayed some of their experiences together, enjoying them the second time as much as the first. Then it was morning.