Disclaimer:
The following story is about the development of a fully consensual and loving relationship between a man and a pre-adolescent boy. At some point through the story's progression, there will be a graphic display of sexual acts between the man and the boy meant to show the natural progression and development of an intimate and caring relationship. If the topic of man/boy sex offends you, or if this material is illegal in your place or residence, or if you are under legal age, please leave now.
Any similarities between the characters in this story and any persons living and/or dead is purely a coincidence.
This story is protected under the nifty archives license agreement, and the author (me!) releases the right for nifty and nifty alone to post it on the internet. Please do not post this story anywhere else without my consent or knowledge.
Dear Reader,
Ah, I am finally getting to the stuff that I have been waiting SO long to write. I really hope that you enjoy reading this, because I most definitely enjoyed writing it. Well, enough of that, I wont keep you waiting any longer. Please enjoy this next installment of The Power of Music, and let me know what you think or it at thelittlepianistjosh@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Josh Chambers
1
Steven drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, trying his best not to burn a hole though the front door of Josh's apartment with his eyes. He had told Elizabeth that he would be there at 12:30 sharp, and she agreed that Josh would be ready. Though he knew that the trip from his house to Josh's would only take 5 minutes, he had still left the house 15 minutes early. Now, at the door, he didn't want to seem pushy by arriving too early. Steven checked his watch again. He only had a few more minutes to wait anyways.
Just thinking about the upcoming events caused Steven to start jittering. When he had heard Josh's mother agree to let him take the boy to the Nutcracker Ballet, he almost wanted to hug her as tight as Josh had. He was actually going to get to take a boy to the Nutcracker. The chance to take a boy, any boy, to a live classical music performance... it seemed like only in his dreams could such a thing happen. And now not only was he going to take a boy, but a boy that had a true appreciation for classical music. Just thinking about how excited Josh was about going at his party and how much he talked about it during their last few lessons was enough to make his blood rush.
Finally, the hands on his watch pointed to the right time, and Steven straightened out his jacket and got out of the car. When he knocked on the door, the response was a long time in coming. Whether he had wanted to or not, he clearly heard Elizabeth talking to Josh on the other side. Actually... it sounded more like yelling.
"I don't care what you like Josh, you're going to wear it. I won't let you leave your room until you have it on straight." Elizabeth announced loudly enough for probably half the apartment complex to overhear. Only a moment later, the door swung open.
"Oh, hi Steven. Josh will be ready in a moment, he's just putting on his tie. Would you like to step in?"
Still a little wary due to her heated tone only a few moments earlier, Steven hesitated. "That's quite alright. I don't mind waiting here."
"Suit yourself," she said, turning to head back to Josh's door.
After a few more minutes passed, and several curt protests and rebuttals between Josh and his mother, Josh stepped out of his room. What Steven saw was enough to make his breath catch in his throat. Fully dressed in a dark blue sports coat and pants, with a white shirt and a tie decorated with Tasmanian devils, Steven was sure he had never before seen anything as cute as the boy standing before him. Still, as cute as he was, he could tell how uncomfortable the boy was by the way he kept rolling his shoulders and twitching his legs.
"You two have a good time now." Elizabeth said, escorting Josh out of the apartment. "Make sure to have him back before eight," she said curtly to Steven, then turned to Josh. "You have your cell phone right?"
Josh nodded, patting his side pocket.
"If there are any problems, make sure to call me immediately, either of you. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am" and "Yes mom" almost left Steven and Josh's throat at the exact same time. Then with a sigh of relief on both their parts, Josh and Steven turned toward Steven's car.
Once they were in and safely away, Steven looked over at Josh. "Tasmanian devils, that's a really nice touch."
"Yeah, my mom let me pick it out a few years ago. I hardly ever wear it now because we aren't supposed to with the robes," Josh explained, still fidgeting with the knot.
"Even though I think it looks really cute on you, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to." Steven said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"What?" Josh asked, completely uncomprehending.
"It's alright Josh. I know ties are uncomfortable, and you don't have to wear it if you don't want to. You can take your jacket off too, it's not that cold out at all."
Josh looked at Steven for a few moments like he had spoken words of heresy, but then he smiled broadly, and ripped his tie off and squirmed out of his jacket. Steven helped Josh lay both of the unwanted pieces of clothing in the back.
"I'll bet that's a lot more comfortable, isn't it?" Steven asked in hushed, mischievous voice.
"Yeah," Josh said, returning the look knowingly.
"My parents made me dress up a lot too, and I always hated it. I think every boy hates it." Steven laughed.
"I know I sure do," Josh agreed.
The trip continued peacefully, for the most part. Steven turned the radio on to his favorite classical station, and Josh smiled when he heard the song that was playing, Debussy's Serenade for the Doll from the Children's Corner suite.
Though it had taken a while, Steven was finally getting comfortable around Josh again. He still knew that he couldn't ever fully forgive himself for what had now happened over a month ago at the swimming pool. But when Josh began unexpectedly grabbing for his attention when he tried to withdraw, he realized that he was hurting him more by ignoring him than lavishing all the attention on him that he had before. Even if some of that attention had been... inappropriate. Now, he was resigned to do his best to put aside those feelings, and help Josh do the best he could with his music, and in school.
Cutting himself off from his thoughts temporarily, Steven did battle with the traffic to position himself to get off the highway at the next exit. The performing arts center was now only a few minutes away. Once they were on the off ramp heading into downtown, he breathed out a little sigh and looked back at Josh.
Josh was still looking out the window, almost dreamily, staring at all the tall buildings as if he was seeing them for the first time. Sometimes it simply amazed Steven how Josh always seemed so captivated by everything around him. The look of wonder in his eyes made him seem so alive. And that life, that energy, always somehow seemed to seep into him.
With only a few more turns, they were in view of the performing arts center. The complex had an entire street to itself, just for pedestrians. The street was also covered in a large arching glass dome, linking the parking garage to the concert halls and auditoriums. When the structure came into full view, Josh plastered himself to the window.
"Oh wow, is that where we're going?"
"Yup, the performance is in the Buell Theatre, which is kind of hard to see from here," Steven remarked. That didn't stop Josh from looking however.
When Steven came to a stop, Josh's eyes were still glued to all the buildings, the restaurants, and the signs. Letting Josh revel a little longer, Steven eased the car forward a little and waved a valet over. Eventually, Steven had to give Josh a nudge to get his attention. "Okay kiddo, time to get out."
"Aren't we going to park?" But almost before Josh could finish his sentence, the valet had already opened the passenger door, and was opening Steven's.
"Already taken care of," Steven said, handing the keys to the valet.
Seeing that Josh was going into a complete sensory overload, Steven made to steady him and let him more slowly take everything in. "This is so completely cool!" was all Josh could say.
"I take it that you have never been here then?" Steven asked, leading Josh slowly up a walkway to the main plaza.
"No way. We've only been downtown once, and that was when... well, it was a long time ago, like when I was six," Josh said, only slowing down momentarily.
Clearly seeing that there was a painful memory involved, Steven did not pursue the subject further. Instead he urged the boy on faster, passing by several theatre entrances, bustling with incoming attendees.
"The Buell is the next one over there, see it? It has the Nutcracker sign above it." Steen said, squatting a little bit next to Josh, pointing out the sign.
Josh gave Steven a big smile and nodded. "Yup."
"What are we waiting for then? Last one to the door is a diminished minor!" Steven and Josh giggled a bit before springing into action.
With a much longer leg span, Steven easily made it to the door before Josh. When Josh caught up only a moment later, Steven held the door for him. Josh held himself up at the entrance and put on a mock frowning face.
"Well, I may be a diminished minor, but at least I'm not a demented major!" Josh teased.
"Get in there you little squirt," Steven said, giving Josh a little shove.
The mezzanine of theatre was every bit as impressive as the plaza outside, and once again Josh looked around in wonder. A giant chandelier hung in the center of the mezzanine, giving the room a cozy yellow glow. There were people all around, most talking amongst themselves, some buying drinks far off to the right, and others slowly making their way to the various different entrances to the theatre.
"So where are we sitting? Do we have to go up the stairs?" Josh asked, looking up at the procession of people huffing up the large staircase.
"Nope. We have tickets on the lower level."
"Really?" Josh asked, his eyes immediately searching all the ground floor entrances.
"Do you want anything to drink before we head in?"
Josh took one look at the line up to the bar and shook his head. "No, I'm fine, thank you."
Steven nodded. "Okay. You ready to go in then?"
"Yeah!"
Without further hesitation, Steven led Josh over to the foremost theatre entrance. The usher at the door stepped out and extended his hand. "Tickets?"
"I have them right here," Steven said, pulling an envelope out of his inner jacket pocket.
"You're in the sixth row, center isle to your right. Enjoy the performance," the man said after inspecting the tickets.
"Sixth row?" Josh asked in a hushed voice once they began their decent to the front of the theatre.
Steven gave Josh a wide smile. "I wanted to make sure you got the maximum amount of enjoyment for your first viewing of the Nutcracker. I hope that's ok with you?"
"Okay? Oh WOW, this is going to be so COOL!" As if unable to contain his excitement any longer, Josh grabbed at Steven's arm and pulled him more quickly toward their seats.
When they finally sat down, Josh could barely stay in his seat. For several minutes, he twisted and turned, taking in the entirety of the well decorated theatre. Though Steven had been here many times, with a very animated Josh sitting beside him, all the surroundings seemed new to him as well. The thick deep red curtains draped over the polished wood of the stage, with the orchestra pit directly below it, and the walls, inlayed with fancy silver-gold lining and its box seating jutting out the sides. He could see how all of it could easily captivate Josh, because he himself was captivated by it, and had always been ever since his parents took him to the theatre for the first time. Sucked into the atmosphere almost as much as Josh was, Steven was almost caught off guard when the lights of the stage began to go dark and the music of the overture began.
The curtains opened up into a beautiful Christmas Eve scene at the Stahlbaum house, a grand house with a large tree glinting in the light with a myriad array of beautiful decorations and shiny baubles. Steven almost sucked in his breath when all the children, including Clara and Fritz came out to dance, welcoming the guests to the party. As the party began and the room filled with guests and the infamous Drosselmeyer arrived, the music continued to swell, and merriment spread throughout the entire room.
Almost having to pull himself away from his own growing rapture in the unfolding scene, Steven looked down at Josh. Like he was moments before, Josh's eyes were wide and his entire small frame was perched forward in his seat. More than that, his whole expression seemed to change with the mood of the music. Observing Josh for that short period, Steven began to realize that Josh felt the music just as strongly as he did.
On the stage, Drosselmeyer had gathered Fritz, Clara and all the rest of the children around him. Though his gifts to Fritz and the rest of the children are quite nice, none of them compare with the beautiful nutcracker the Clara receives. Quickly, all the children become enthralled with Clara's gift, Fritz most of all. Soon, Fritz grows jealous, and grabs the doll from Clara's hands and smashes it on the ground. Clara sinks to the ground, unbelieving that her beautiful gift is ruined. Fortunately, Drosselmeyer is quick to the scene, and quickly repairs the nutcracker with a handkerchief he magically drew from the air.
As the evening grew late, and the guests depart, the Stahlbaum family retires for the evening. A few moments later, after everyone has cleared the stage, Clara sneaks back to the tree to check on her beloved nutcracker. Once she is sure all is right, she falls asleep with the nutcracker in her arms. Then, in seemingly no time at all, the clock strikes midnight. Slowly things begin to happen. The children's toys awake with life and the stage fills with an army of mice, lead by a fierce looking mouse king. Then with a loud snap that caused both Steven and Josh to jolt almost completely out of their seats, the battle between the Mouse King and the nutcracker's army of toys began. Soon the mouse king has the nutcracker cornered and battles with him one-on-one. The nutcracker is no match for the Mouse King, and he and his army are captured by the mice. Clara, watching all of this disbelief, decides she must take action when she sees her beloved nutcracker being carried away. Ripping her slipper off her foot, she throws it with all her might straight at the Mouse King's head. The great Mouse King drops to the floor and the mice now have no choice but to carry their lifeless leader's body away.
When the scene came to a close and the music slowed, both Steven and Josh let out an audible sigh. Steven looked over at Josh again, and this time Josh looked back up at Steven. There was something in that look.... A look that said, "Are you feeling the same thing I am feeling? Is your heart beating as fast as mine?" and of course there was also, "Wasn't that just the coolest thing ever?" written all across his face.
Their shared glance did not last long, as their attention was drawn back to the final scene of the act. When the nutcracker had fallen, Clara gathered him into her arms and gave him a kiss. With that kiss, the nutcracker turns into a real live prince. Only moments later, the nutcracker prince whisks Clara away, drawing her into the mystic pine forest, dancing her round and round. On they go through the enchanted forest until they are upon large and beautiful dancing snowflakes. Their graceful dance begins to quicken, growing with excitement as the first act reaches its apex. Then, with a final spin, Clara and the nutcracker prince settle into a perfectly balanced stance, with the prince's arm supporting Clara's arcing back. It is then, with Clara's hands gracefully held wide into the air that the drapes close around them, and their beautiful lad of wonders is obscured from view.
When the lights came back on, it was a while before Steven and Josh could even speak. Finally, Steven turned to Josh. "So, what did you think? Did you like the first act?"
Before Josh even spoke, he could tell what the answer was going to be just by the look on his face. "Like it? It was AWESOME! That was SO cool! I've only heard a few of the nutcracker songs, and I didn't know any of those songs in act one, but it was still really beautiful." Josh said the last part a little more quietly.
"It was really beautiful. Tchaikovsky has a way of telling you a story with just the music alone. And the ballet fits the music perfectly." Steven smiled broadly at Josh. "But you haven't heard anything yet, wait until act two. That's where all the famous music is, and there is nothing like listening to a live orchestra while watching a beautifully choreographed ballet."
"So when does the next part start?" Josh asked. Steven could tell that the boy was already very eager for the show to continue.
"We have about fifteen minutes. You want anything to drink?" Steven asked.
"Sure!"
When Steven moved to get out of his seat, Josh sprang up right along with him. "You want to come with me?"
Josh looked down at his feet bashfully. "Yes."
"That's okay. Let's get you something." Steven said in a reassuring tone.
Luckily, the line at the bar wasn't nearly as crowded this time, and Steven was able to walk right up and order. With the customary thirst of an eleven year old, Josh slurped eagerly at the soda when it was in his hands. Josh must have been more than a little thirsty, because by the time they were back to their seats, the drink was gone. They had gotten to their seats just in time as well, for the room began to darken again, and slowly the curtains were drawn back.
The scene that greets them is every bit as beautiful as the pine forest was, but now the nutcracker prince has whisked Clara away to The Land of Sweets. Not far in their journey, they are greeted by the sugar plumb fairy, and after the Prince speaks of the battle and Clara's daring, they are rewarded by a celebration of dances.
"Hey, I know that song!" Josh said excitedly when the Spanish dancers started appearing on stage, weaving an intricate series of movements.
Steven smiled in response. "That's the Spanish dance. I like the dance, but I think you will like the Russian dance better."
Now that the orchestra was playing music Josh knew, Steven could see that he was even more enthralled with it. The slow and graceful Arabian dance came next, and Josh watched with a seriousness uncharacteristic for an eleven year old. Josh seemed mesmerized by the dancer's slow rippling-like motions across the stage. Then, like the sudden change of the music, Josh's expression turned gleeful.
"Hey! It's the mushroom dance from fantasia!" Josh exclaimed, almost a bit too loudly.
Steven almost laughed aloud. "Yeah, I guess your right!"
Then almost as soon as the Chinese dance ended, the Russian dance began. "This one is the Russian dance," Steven explained.
"Yeah, I like this one too," Josh smiled.
One after another the dances continued, Josh getting so into it that his head began to bob a little, especially for the mother goose dance. Seeing Josh so animated, Steven again found himself thinking back to the first time he saw the Nutcracker. When he had seen the dances for the first time, he remembered being completely amazed by them. He almost wanted to say that he knew exactly how Josh was feeling. For Steven, the wonder of this music, experienced live for the first time, had almost been too much for him. Then the Waltz of the Flowers began, that slow, beautiful, immensely graceful melody. Coupled with the fluid motions of Clara and the prince, the piece was ranked up there with one of the most breathtaking melodies Steven had ever heard.
Steven was almost so wrapped up in the incredible music himself that at first he didn't notice, but when he glanced back a second time, his breath caught in his throat. Tears glistened in Josh's eyes as his head swayed to the perfect rhythm of the waltz. Seeing his brow furrowed and his eyes fluttering open and closed, If there had been any doubt in Steven's mind that Josh did not feel the same way about music he did, it disappeared in that instant.
Like Josh was now, Steven had cried during the Waltz of the Flowers. Even though his parents were with him, Steven had cried, almost as soon as the main theme of the song had started, and the emotions flooding though him only amplified as the minor and major melody lines mingled into the waltz Steven loved so much.
Now, it was abundantly clear that Josh was feeling the music in the exact same way. In that moment, it was almost like Steven and Josh were one in the same person. Steven let himself go, and began to cry to the music as well, letting himself feel it every bit as strongly as Josh was. It was as if they had both let their souls out to bask in the wondrous music. Though their tears had begun to dry as the Pas de Deux crescendoed into the dance of the Sugar Plumb Fairy and then the coda, they had let themselves sink into the music so deeply that they felt every note.
There were no more words exchanged between them now, only knowing glances from time to time, as if they each knew how the other was being affected. As the final waltz wound to a close, Steven felt an incredible urge to reach out and hold Josh's hand. Seeing Josh sitting there beside him, feeling everything every bit as strongly as he did, he almost thought it would be okay, that somehow Josh would understand.
But he didn't. When the Apotheosis ended, Steven was once again grounded back into reality. It took him several minutes from him to recover from the high the music had given him, and he saw that Josh was still in a daze as well. Finally, Steven was able to act.
"I take it that you liked it, huh?" Steven asked, standing and picking up their coats.
Though it took Josh a few seconds to respond, when he did, his face took on the most heart warming smile. "It was... incredible! I've never seen or heard anything like it. Thank you SO much for taking me Steven. I REALLY liked it!"
Completely to Steven's surprise, Josh popped out of his seat and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Steven's hands were shaking as he laid them on Josh's shoulders and hugged the boy back.
"You're welcome Josh. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Steven replied softly.
Though the hug probably didn't last that long, to Steven it felt like Josh would never let go, and Steven found himself helpless to end it. Soon though, Josh did pull back, and put on that adorable smile, the smile that warmed Steven's very soul.
By the time they exited the theater out to the plaza, despite the chill outside, Steven felt warm and fuzzy all over. Here was a boy standing right beside him that shared his loves, his passion, and his deep feelings for music. Before today, he could only hope to meet a boy like that, or any other person for that matter. And now here he was, standing before him, as real as real could get. Steven felt like he was on top of the world.
Unable to contain his energy any longer, Steven grabbed Josh's wrist. "Let's go get some ice cream, what do you say?"
Like any other eleven year old would, the boy smiled widely at the mention of ice cream.
2
"So what'll it be, kiddo? I for one prefer the triple-decker hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top, how does that sound?" Steven asked, directing Josh's sights to the picture of the creamy delight.
Steven almost wanted to laugh out loud when he saw the look Josh gave him. "I can't eat all that! It looks huge!"
Steven chuckled at Josh's response. "No, you silly. We can share it, okay?"
Josh looked at the picture of the ice cream skeptically. "My mom never takes me out for ice cream."
"All the more reason to get it then, don't you think?" Steven gave Josh a wink and a nudge.
Slowly, Josh's skeptical look began to melt into something a little more mischievous. "Alright."
It only took a few moments for the people behind the counter to scoop out the vanilla, add the fudge and the sprinkles, then the cherry on top as the finishing touch. With a little wink to Josh, Steven walked over to the counter and picked it up, grabbed a couple spoons, then led them over to a cozy corner of the parlor.
"Help yourself," Steven said, waiting for Josh to take the first bite before digging in.
Whether they wanted to or not, Steven's eyes stayed locked on Josh as they ate, and though Josh's eyes stayed on the ice cream most of the time, when he did glance up they both exchanged quick smiles. Eventually, the entire Sunday dwindled down to the last few sprinkles, and the cherry. Carefully, Steven scooped the cherry into his spoon, and then extended it toward Josh.
"Would you like the cherry?" Steven asked softly.
Josh looked ponderously at the cherry for a little bit, then shook his head. "That's alright, you can have it," Josh said, gently pushing Steven's spoon away with his own.
Steven took the cherry back and stared at it, then looked at Josh. It was as though Josh was waiting patiently, almost expectantly for Steven to eat it. Then, as if from somewhere deep inside him, the need to give the cherry to Josh overpowered him.
Steven shook his head, then offered the cherry back to Josh. "I'd really like you to have it Josh. Okay?"
Josh looked at the cherry, then directly into Steven's eyes. This time, he didn't argue. He took the cherry carefully with this spoon, then grabbed the stem and plucked the cherry from it into his mouth, giving Steven a warm, almost mischievous smile.
When Josh took the cherry, and ate it, that same something that prompted him to give back the cherry stirred to life. Watching Josh happily chew and smile sent shivers down his spine and butterflies whirring in his stomach. Knowing that he had made Josh happy made him feel... as if he could fly.
When Josh had finished, Steven, barely able to control the racing of his heart, stood up and shouted to the clerks behind the counter.
"A bowl of your best cherries for the boy please!"