Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 21:44:07 -0600 From: Rhaven Subject: Love Of Grace Chapter Three This story contains strong language and sexual content between boy/boy and boy/man. http://www.rhavensreply.com/home/rhavensreply.com Love of Grace By RHAVEN2002 CHAPTER THREE "It's okay right? I thought. maybe I could stay here tonight. with all the problems at home." Andel looked into Kat's sad eyes and shook his head in submission. "You're sure it's all right?" Andel asked. "Yep, Calvin thought it was a good idea actually." Andel shook his head again. "All right, you can spend the night." "Whoopee!" Shouted Kat. He almost gave Andel a hug, but stopped himself. He knew it would just make the man uncomfortable. "Let's see if I can salvage this meal." Andel laughed. Lunch was excellent, despite the fact; the main course had ended up on the floor. Kat was able to get Andel to talk a little more about his artwork. It made Kat feel good, knowing that the man was starting to trust him more. As Andel cleaned up the meal, Kat kept watch on the swimming pool. It was still raining, but the pool looked very inviting. It wasn't that cold outside, in fact Kat was a little warm, although all he was wearing was Andel's t-shirt. Kat looked over to Andel; the man was busy washing dishes. If Andel was anything like Calvin, he wouldn't leave the kitchen until every dish, every glass and every spoon was spotless. Kat carefully opened the back door. The rain wasn't coming down as hard as it once was, in fact it looked like the clouds were beginning to weaken. Kat looked back at the house and then to the pool. He quickly pulled off the t-shirt and put on the dry table. Kat giggled as his nudity. Being nude had never been a big deal to Kat, but being nude in someone else's backyard was a new experience for him. He liked it. With a half skip and an awkward jump into the air, Kat splashed in the pool. The water was colder than he thought, but that wasn't going to stop his fun. He looked around to see if anyone had spotted him. The fence that surrounded the backyard was tall and strong. The fence was an excellent guardian of this most wonderful secret. Kat got in several laps before Andel arrived outside. It had finally stopped raining and faint rays of the sun where peeking through the dark clouds. "Kat, what are you doing?" Andel stood at the edge of the pool, his hands on his hips and a frown painting his face. Kat swam to the edge of the pool and grinned, ignorant to the man's anger. "Come on in, it's great!" "Kat, there's not a lot of rules in my house; swimming without supervision is the most important one. It's dangerous to swim alone Kat." Kat held on the edge and frowned. "I'm sorry Andel, I just couldn't resist the powerful force of the pool." "The powerful force of .My.pool?" Andel tried not to smile, but lost the battle. "You are so full of it Kat." He laughed. "Come in Andel." Begged Kat. Andel shook his head and sat down in one of the chairs. "You go ahead and have fun Kat. I'll just sit here and." Andel got a foolish grin on his face. "I'll sit here and watch." "Where's the fun in that, look the sun's coming out. It's getting warmer" Kat pointed up at the sky as if verifying his statement. "Just for a few minutes, come on. It's no fun swimming by my self." Kat begged again. Andel sighed. "Hang on; you stay at the edge until I return all right?" "Okay!" Kat said cheerfully. He didn't know where the man was going or what he went into the house for, but it didn't matter Andel was going to swim with him and that's all that mattered. Andel returned moments later wearing a baggy bathing suit and carrying two large beach towels. Kat tried his best not to laugh at the man's swimsuit, but it looked like a deranged beach ball that had exploded all over Andel's trunks. "This is crazy." Andel said as he stepped into the pool. Before he could get half way into the pool, Kat attacked. At first Andel was very hesitant in joining in, throwing up his arms to protect himself from the mad splashing Kat was delivering. However, after a few minutes of continuous splash attacks, Andel finally accepted the challenge. The sun did come out, as if in celebration of the fun Kat and Andel were having. The warm rays gave both of them renewed energy. Kat would dive at Andel, only to have the man shy away from touching him. Nevertheless, Kat was persistent, until at last Andel took hold of him and tossed him into the air. Kat would imagine he was flying as he fell back into the water. This was his favorite game and apparently, Andel enjoyed it. In the end, Andel was comfortable enough to carry Kat on his back, the boy's arms wrapped protectively around Andel's neck as he swam laps around the pool. "Okay rest time!" Kat finally surrendered first. "I'm worn out." "You are so out of shape." Laughed Andel as he followed the boy out of the pool. Kat frowned at the comment and looked down at his body. "No I'm not." Kat protested, as he tried to squeeze out any fat from his stomach. "Okay, you're not." Andel apologized with a grin and handed Kat a towel. "That was a hoot! I haven't had so much fun in ages." Andel admitted as he fell into his lounge chair. Kat smiled, he wrapped the huge towel around him and before Andel could argue, sat down in the man's lap. "It was fun wasn't it?" Kat relaxed back into the man and let the sun warm him. "I had a great time. Aren't you glad I'm . I'm impulsive?" Kat sighed happily, as Andel wrapped his arms around him. "Impulsive, unpredictable, full of life and the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on." Andel whispered. Kat closed his eyes feeling the warm sun above him and concentrating on the gentle movement of Andel's chest. The rhythmic motion of Andel' s breathing almost put Kat to sleep. Kat forced himself to open his eyes, not wanting to waste a moment of this day in slumber. He stared up at the now cloudless sky; the sun was vanishing towards the west, but had left behind its heat and humidity. Kat threw off the towel and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Are you hot?" he asked Andel. "I'll get up if you're hot." "No I'm fine, very comfortable." Andel whispered again. Kat smiled and rested back. Andel brought his right hand onto Kat's chest and his left hand played Kats unruly bangs. "I am constantly amazed by all the colors in the sky." Andel said. "As the sun begins to set, it seems to draw with it, the very life of nature." Kat looked up at the sky, to the east, it was becoming dark. He could see what Andel was talking about; the sky was just the sky. "Do you see how the night is consuming the colors? In the sun's departure, its last celebration of the day. Orange, red, purple and even a hint of green." Andel explained. Kat looked again and did see the rainbow of colors, how had he never noticed this before? It was beautiful; it was the very life of nature in the sky. "Wow." Kat whispered. Andel laughed and gave Kat a gentle squeeze. "Come on, let's head indoors." They got up; Kat wrapped the towel around him again. The towel was big enough to cover his entire body, he felt like some kind of royalty as he walked into the house, his imaginary robe, draping along behind him. "You're clothes are dry now." Andel said smiling. "Oh, okay." Kat said disappointed, he was enjoying the towel. Andel handed him his nicely folded shirt and shorts, they still held the warmth of the drier. "Put them on if you want. I'm going to change out of this swimsuit. Go ahead and turn on the TV. I'll be right back." Andel left, and Kat looked at the folded clothes. He tossed them to the floor, he'd put them on later, when Andel made him. Right now, he was going to enjoy the towel. Kat pretended to fly over to the couch and dived in. The towel flowed behind him like Superman's cape. Kat laughed at his foolishness, he knew he was being childish, but didn't care. Swimming with Andel had awakened something in him, he felt . Kat sat up on the couch and pulled the towel around him. He just realized he felt human again. How long had he been pretending? Had he been unhappy all this time? On the other hand, maybe this was a new kind of happiness he was feeling. Kat clicked on the huge TV and found the SciFi channel. He was enjoying Farscape when Andel finally returned. "How does popcorn sound?" Andel asked as he bypassed the couch and headed for the kitchen. "Sure that's cool with me. Can I have a Sprite too?" Kat yelled towards the kitchen. Andel finally arrived carrying a bowl of popcorn and two Sprites. He sat down next to Kat and handed him his drink. "You going to wear that towel all night?" He asked with a smirk. "Maybe." Kat replied with a laugh. "Can we watch something really scary?" "Really scary, huh? How about." Andel walked over to his movie collection and started thumbing through them. "How about 'The Wicked Wendigo'? That one scared the crap out of me when I was a kid." "Okay." Kat said hesitantly, but tried to put on a brave face. He wanted scary, but he wasn't sure he should have said 'really scary'. As the movie began, Kat pulled the towel around him tighter. It was the best security he had against the monsters in the movie. There were several moments in the movie, that Kat had to depend on his towel to protect him, he had it pulled over his head and was able at a seconds notice; cover his eyes of the horror on the screen. The only problem was he could still hear the hairy beast growl. Andel had been right, the movie was truly scary, but Kat loved every moment of it. "Great movie!" Kat exclaimed as it ended. "Wow, that monster was something! Did you see where it ripped that man's head off or when it broke down that wall to grab that soldier? That was really cool." "Yeah I saw that." Andel snickered. "Didn't scare you too much did it?" "Who me? No, it wasn't that scary." Kat lied. "That Wendigo looked fake. Didn't you think he looked fake?" "I think I saw a zipper down his back." Andel reassured. "Why don't we watch something . a little more relaxing?" Kat didn't argue. He was glad when Andel switched the TV to Nickelodeon. Spongebob Squarepants was just what he needed to erase his fears. By the time the Cheers came on Nickelodeon, Kat was barely conscious. It had been a roller coaster of a day and he was exhausted. "Time for bed I think." Andel said softly. "Come on Kat, I'm going to let you have my bed for tonight. I'll sleep here on the couch." Kat wanted to protest, he didn't want to take Andel's bed. In addition, he really wasn't sure he wanted to be alone in a strange room. However, Kat let Andel lead him down the hallway and into the bed. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything, okay?" Andel said pulling the sheets over Kat. "Goodnight." "Goodnight, Andel." Kat said and leaned up and kissed the man before he had a chance to dodge the affection. It didn't take long for Kat to fall into a deep sleep. Dark images invaded his dreams. He dreamed that a hairy monster was killing his family and friends. All he could do was stand there and watch. The dream turned darker as he realized the monster was him. Kat rolled over and expected to find Demi lying across him, but with a shock remembered, he was at Andel's house. He heard water running and sat up. Kat rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stumbled to the bathroom, where he could see a light under the door. Kat walked into the bathroom to see Andel taking a shower. He staggered over to the toilet and relieved himself. He had no idea what time it was, but figured it was at least morning. He stood by the shower and waited for Andel to come out. "How long are you going to be in there?" Kat finally asked, pulling the shower curtain to the side. He had been waiting for several minutes and really needed the shower to wake him up. "Holy shit!" Andel screamed. "You scared me, Kat!" Andel tried to cover his nudity, but seeing that the boy was unconcerned and still half-asleep gave up the hopeless act. "I'm sorry Kat, did I wake you?" Andel quickly washed the rest of the shampoo out of his hair. "That's okay, I don't like sleeping too late anyway." Kat rubbed at his eyes again. "Did you sleep well?" Andel asked as he grabbed the soap and began to lather up his chest. Kat nodded and sighed, the man was going to take all day to bath. "Move over." Kat insisted and stepped into the shower. "Hey now! Wait a minute!" Andel protested, but Kat ignored him. "Oh don't be such a baby, my brother and I take baths together all the time." Andel stepped to the back of the shower shaking his head. "You're a grump in the mornings aren't you?" Andel finally said, letting the boy snatch the soap from him. "No I'm not a grump." Kat said angrily, and dropped the soap. "Damn it, stupid soap." "Oh no, you are definitely not grumpy." Andel smirked. "Impulsive, unpredictable and the grumpy in the mornings." "I had a bad nightmare last night." Kat confessed. "It was the movie wasn't it. I shouldn't have let you watch that thing. It was stupid of me." Andel apologized. "It's not your fault and I don't think it was really about the movie." Kat leaned against the shower wall and sighed. "I can't remember the dream now, but it made me feel. bad." Andel brushed his wet hair out of his eyes and inhaled deeply. He picked up the soap and started to lather up Kat's back. The boy didn't objection. "Dreams are a crazy thing." Andel began. "It's our subconscious trying to tell us something. Something we are afraid to give voice too." Kat lifted up his arm so that Andel could soap up his side. "I hate nightmares." Kat said softly and turned to face Andel. "Do the dreams mean that there is some kind of monster hidden inside me?" Andel smiled, looking at this beautiful boy. "No, you don't have a monster inside you." He playfully poked Kat in the stomach. "I think you worry about how others may see you. But there is definitely no 'monster' inside this wonderful body." Kat lowered his head and stared blankly at his feet. "I'm not sure." Andel knelt down, lifting Kat's head with his hand, so they could see eye to eye. "Kat, if you dreamed you were a monster last night all that means is you're afraid of how your brother and friend think of you. And trust me; they could never see you that way." Andel stood up and grabbed the shampoo. He began to massage Kat's hair until it lathered up. "You know in the short time I've known you, you have managed to break down the cage I have built around me." "What do you mean?" Kat asked wiping the shampoo away from his eyes. "The reason I have my own swimming pool is because I could never go to a public pool. I couldn't stand being seen half naked by other people." Kat reached up and grabbed Andel's hand. "I hate to tell you this, but you're fully naked now." The boy laughed. "Um. yes I am and may I add so are you." They both laughed together. "But don't you see, that is your power over me." Andel continued. "You make me feel. you make me feel normal. I don't care that I'm naked, I don't care that you're naked and that it's okay for me to touch you." Kat laughed again. "Of course you can touch me, what's wrong in that?" Andel moved Kat into the spray of the shower and worked the shampoo out of the boy's hair. "It was a problem for me. I . I was afraid to touch you. I was afraid of being touched by you. Hell, I was even afraid to tell you I was afraid to touch you." Kat shook his head and looked up at the man. Slowly he reached out and ran his hand down the man's chest, to his arm until they were holding hands. "You make me happy." Kat finally said. "I didn't know I was unhappy, until I met you." Andel knelt down again and grabbed hold of Kat. They held each other for a very long time. "That has got to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Andel managed to say. "Come on now, we can't spend all day in the shower." "But I'm hardly wet yet." Kat grinned. "Sweetheart, you've been wet every five seconds I've known you. I think we've had enough wetness for a while." Andel laughed and carried Kat out of the shower without further protest and gently set him down, grabbing a towel to dry him. "What sounds good for breakfast?" Andel asked once Kat was completely dry. Kat thought for a moment as he and Andel comb their hair in unison, like twins that were not twins, gazing into the mirror. "Eggs would be cool." He finally said. "Then eggs we shall have. Get dressed and I'll start the breakfast." Kat found his shorts and shirt and slipped them on, he was about to join Andel in kitchen when the phone rang. Kat waited in the living room as Andel answered the phone. "It's for you Kat." Andel said holding out the phone for the boy. "It' s your brother." He whispered as Kat took the phone. "Hello?" Kat said weakly, the nightmare from last night still playing in his head. "Oh, okay. Be there after breakfast okay?" Kat hung up the phone and stood next to Andel, watching the man scrabble the eggs. "Calvin wants me to come home after breakfast." Kat said looking shyly at his hands. "Good, that will give you guys a chance to talk." Andel said smiling. "Go have a seat at the table, breakfast is almost finished." Andel joined Kat at the table with a plate full of scrabbled eggs and bacon. He heaped a large serving of the eggs on Kat's plate, but stopped when he noticed the sad look on Kat's face. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Andel asked as he reached out to take hold of the boy's hand. "I don't want to leave you here alone." Andel smiled and patted Kat's hand. "That is very sweet of you Kat. But I want you to make things right with your brother and friend. You can't hide here forever and I promise you, I'll be fine. And you will come back right?" "Of course I'll come back!" Kat said looking shocked. "Then there's nothing to worry about right?" Andel added. Kat nodded slowly, still looking unsure. "Come over here." Andel motioned for Kat. The boy walked over to the man slowly, his head down and dragging his feet. Andel pulled Kat close to him and kissed the boy on the forehead. "You are the sweetest person I have ever known. If it was possible I would never let you out of my sight again." Kat began to smile at that comment. "That wouldn't be fair to you, sweetheart. You have family you love and friends you love and I know they love and would miss you too." "But." Kat started but couldn't find the words to express himself. Andel sighed and leaned forward and kissed Kat on the lips. "I want you to work out the problems with your brother and friend. Spend today with them and then." Andel paused as Kat started to stroke Andel's cheek. "And then, you and I can truly enjoy our newly found friendship." Kat forced himself to smile; he took Andel's face in his hands, feeling the softness of his skin and the tickling stubble of his unshaven chin. Kat kissed Andel's chin, letting the stubble tingle across his lips. Kat continued kissing Andel's face, exploring every detail with his lips and tongue. Finally, to Kat's pleasure, Andel with a sensual moan, reached out and slipped his hands under Kat's shirt. Kat pulled up Andel's shirt and ran his hands over the man's chest as he continued kiss him. "Okay, okay." Andel chuckled. "Breakfast is getting cold." Kat grinned pressing himself closer to Andel, giving him one last kiss. "You are so impulsive." Kat giggled and returned to his seat. After they had finished breakfast, it was hard for Kat to leave. He truly loved this man and couldn't think of spending any time away from him. They stood together at the door for several minutes holding each other before Kat could manage the strength to leave. Andel stood outside until Kat made it to his own house and with a passionate wave goodbye, he was gone. Kat had the urge to run back, to see Andel again, but knew that the man would just send him home again. Andel was right; he did need to talk with his brother and Demi. He couldn't avoid it forever. Kat entered his house, and yelled; "I'm home!" He was surprised to see both Calvin and Demi rushing towards him. "Kat!" Screamed Demi as he hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." "How you doing Kat?" Calvin asked timidly. Kat smiled and hugged his friend back. "I'm fine. I just want to say. I'm sorry for the way I reacted before." "Really I didn't lie to you. I came over yesterday and saw your note. Calvin had no idea I was going to show up." Demi swallowed unable to look his friend in the eyes. "Really Demi, it's cool. I just freaked and I shouldn't have." Calvin was next to hug his brother, it was nice to be held by him. "You are a marvel, Kat. So you're okay with Demi and I .. Um .. Seeing each other?" "Sure I think it's wonderful. You and Demi have each other and I have Andel." "Do what?" Calvin stuttered.