Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2020 20:25:51 +0000 From: J. Forrester Subject: A Series Embarrassing Events - chapter fourteen DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction that contains graphic sexual content. It is purely for entertainment so please enjoy safely and legally. Resemblances to real people, places and events is unintentional (but would be really cool). A Series of Embarrassing Events Chapter Fourteen: A Christmas, Carl FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2020 "I only tell people I can trust. I only tell my friends this thing because... because I don't like to talk about it or even think about it most of the time." "What is it?" "It's about my mum... You know she's not around?" "Yea, I know it's just your dad and brother." "Well, there's a reason she isn't around. She's in prison." "What did she do?" "She killed a man." "My mum and dad met at school. Actually, I'm pretty sure she's the only girl dad has ever dated. They were both eighteen when they started university in September 1998; dad to study medicine and mum planned to study nursing but she got pregnant with Daniel so she dropped out. She started again after Dan was born and graduated the same year as my dad started as a junior doctor. Anyway, by the following July, Dan turned five years old and she was five months pregnant with me. I came along in October 2004 and that was our happy family. A few years later, my dad was in his fifth year of surgical training which was how he met a patient called Lisa. Dad recognised her because he'd been friends with her brother Brian in high school. Lisa told my dad that Brian had been in an accident and was quadriplegic. So, dad started visiting his old friend. Mum had gotten controlling and suspicious but dad didn't tell her because he thought she would harass him into not visiting anymore. Mum started stalking my dad and saw him in the house with another woman and then absent from view for an hour before leaving the house. She thought he was having an affair and was furious. A few weeks later, mum stole medications from the ward she was working on. She knew my dad was at work and went to Lisa's house... to kill her. Mum let herself in, the door wasn't locked, but she couldn't find Lisa downstairs so she headed up. In the last room she found Brian who recognised her because dad had shown him pictures but she was in a rage, demanding to know who he was and why my dad had been to the house so often and if dad was fucking Lisa. Brian tried to calm her down and explained what was really going on but he couldn't move. She didn't believe him and if she was still going to kill Lisa, she'd have to kill him too or he'd tell. She injected him with 100 units of Novorapid. It's a very potent form of insulin. Most people use doses in single digits so that much was enough to put him in a coma within a few minutes but there was a noise downstairs and Brian shouted for help. What my mum hadn't done was check the garden. Lisa was only outside hanging up washing. Lisa ran upstairs and was attacked but she managed to overpower my mum who ran away and Lisa stayed to watch her brother die. She didn't know what had happened or how to help and by the time an ambulance arrived, Brian was dead. Lisa recognised my mum too and she was arrested the same day. My dad had collapsed at work and his blood tests showed mum had been sneaking him does of potassium to try and give him attack. In autumn 2008, my mum went on trial for murder, attempted murder and assault. She was found guilty as hell and locked up under a whole-life order, though she's preparing her third appeal. A few months later, when I was four and a half years old, we moved to Five Dukes. I've only seen her a handful of times since; it used to be a few times every year but... I don't make excuses for her. She wasn't sorry. She thought my dad was unfaithful so she plotted to kill him and a woman she didn't know and she wasn't sorry that she got it wrong. She killed a man and she wasn't sorry. So, I chose not to be around her anymore." Ronan didn't know how to process what he'd just been told. He had listened in silence - even the invisible voice listened without being pass remarkable - and Noah took his time, laying out the story with practiced ease - Noah must have told Toby, Mateo and Samir at one time or another. More than anyone, Ronan understood how important it was to unburden oneself of a secret; he could see it had drained Noah but also freed him. <> "Noah, I'm not sure what I should say here," Ronan told his friend. <> "Thank you," Noah replied. "For what?" Ronan wondered. "For not saying she was crazy or... I dunno... people think they need to say something. Thanks for not doing that," Noah replied. "I'm not really in a position to call anyone crazy," Ronan assured him. <> "She wasn't crazy. My mum... she was jealous and controlling and angry. She killed a man and tried to kill my dad," Noah said bitterly. Ronan understood that what bothered Noah was the assumption that someone might make excuses for what his mother did; excuses where there are none to find. "What she did was wicked, Noah. But you're not, you're really sweet," Ronan replied. <> "Thanks, Ronan," Noah replied quietly; "I don't like telling my friends that story but I've got better at it over the years. I told Toby when we were ten and we became friends with Mateo and Samir when we were twelve but I only told them after we'd been mates for a few years." "It takes time to trust people," Ronan observed. The voice did some observing of its own: <> "I still think about it and practice saying it sometimes but mostly just because I'm trying to sort through it. Does that make sense?" Noah asked. "I just... I guess I don't want to be the son of a murderer. Sometimes I hope I'll think about it some new way and it won't be so terrible anymore." "You're not the son of a murderer," Ronan assured his friend; "You're Noah, the shameless nudist." Noah chuckled past the seriousness of what he had just revealed and was released it hadn't changed the way Ronan thought about him. "People do bad things, Noah. People say and do terrible things, but most of us try not to," Ronan replied. <> Ronan looked at the time and apologised, he wasn't sure if he had planned to stay the night but the burst of honesty from Noah had taken the wind out of Ronan's sails and he needed time to think. "I think I should head home," Ronan said. "You can stay if you want," Noah said sheepishly. "I'm happy we're friends. I have something..." Ronan hesitated; "I know that secrets aren't like exchanging gifts where you give one so I give one but I have something I want to say." <> "But not tonight?" Noah asked. <> "No. Not tonight," Ronan agreed. <> "Not tonight," Ronan repeated snappishly and the voice fell silent. Ronan surprised Noah by grabbing him into a hug. It was warm and safe and nice; Noah relaxed into it and was relieved his friend had accepted him despite the skeleton in his closet. Yet a part of him wondered what was in Ronan's cupboard. What was his skeleton? SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER 2020 Noah slept soundly until 9AM and awoke warm in his bed. He was naked, of course, and stretched, kicking his covers until his body was exposed. Noah liked looking at his naked body in the morning; he was skinny and fair-skinned, lightly lacquered with sweat and his pubes were still embarrassingly short. More embarrassingly short than his normal pubes had been before he'd shaved them all off. Noah stretched his arms behind him, sneaking a peek at his stubbly armpits and admiring them. When his mind drifted to Ronan, Noah's head hit the pillow and he closed his eyes. Noah had told his secret without agonising over it - it had felt good to simply make the decision and go with it but the fear he usually felt before the event, now settled after it. What if Ronan didn't want to be his friend anymore? Ronan had seemed understanding yet he also left right after the revelation and he couldn't help but feel a little bit rejected. Noah reached over to check the time (just after 9AM) on his phone and read a message from Ronan at the same time. Ronan: [Hi. Hope you're ok after taking confession last night?] Noah: [Thanks for checking up on me :) Yea I'm fine. Are you ok?] Noah: [With my confession and whatever you did/ didn't want to tell me?] Ronan: [Yes to both. We'll talk sometime. I gotta shower and have an emergency wank now. Lol.] Noah laughed – he didn't know what an emergency wank was but it brought a smile to his face. Noah: [I'll be thinking about you ;) lol.] Lying naked atop his bed, Noah playfully slid his hand towards his flaccid penis and gave it an experimental squeeze. He was about to take thing farther when he heard a thud - initially he thought it came from downstairs and assumed a hung-over Daniel or Jamie had bumped into something. However, the sound hadn't come from the hall or the next room or downstairs; Noah's hearing re-orientated and he realised it came from his window. Noah swung his legs out of bed, sitting up (still bare naked) just in time to see someone looking in his bedroom window. The someone grinned at him and waved and Noah might have put a pillow over his penis if the watcher hadn't already seen it - several times in fact. It was Scott McCraig, the window cleaner - to date Scott had seen Noah's dick at four times that he could think of: 1) when Noah was practicing his nudism at home and he'd given Scott the cleaning money. 2) when Noah had been naughty, spanked by his big brother while naked in the living room and then flashed the entire McCraig family. Shortly after that Scott had watched and recorded him wanking in his bedroom. Maybe that should be counted as two separate times? 4) when Noah had borrowed clothes from Ronan who is two sizes bigger and his shorts fell down in the park and they showed each other their dicks in the park. 5) yesterday when Noah had again answered the door naked. That was particularly humiliating because the cold had shrunk his dick to the size of a button. Ok, that was five times, not four... 6) right now. Noah got off his bed, his dick a little longer but only at half-mast. Noah gave Scott an eye-full and it was exciting to flash the street below - if Scott wasn't in the way someone might have seen him. Scott had watched Noah with anticipation while dutifully cleaning the window and when he was done, Noah turned the handle and pulled the window open - it swung inward. "Morning Noah, I thought I was about to catch you at something," Scott said. "You nearly did," Noah admitted. "You look nice," Scott said. "It's cold out," Noah commented of a draft that blew in from the December morning; "I'm glad I'm not outside or this thing would shrink." Noah gave his willy an experimental tug and Scott gulped at the sight. "Since I'm here, you could just give me the cleaning money now?" Scott suggested. Noah was quite content with the excuse for Scott to get a closer look at him naked - again. "I'll see you downstairs," Noah promised. Leaving his room with no clothes or towel or anything on his feet or any possible way of covering up in a hurry was a lot of fun. Noah delighted in being stark naked and enjoyed the thought of being caught - he listened at Daniel and Jamie's bedroom doors respectively and heard drunken snores. He and Scott could be all alone together, Noah thought. At the bottom of the stairs there was a gentle knock at the front door - good thing Scott didn't ring the bell; it might have woken one of the slumbering lads upstairs. Noah unlocked the door and pulled it wide open, courageously exposing himself. It wasn't Scott at the door. The boy at the door shared Scott's handsome jaw, but his had stubble; his eyes and hair were darker than Scott's but he shared the family dimples. Rob McCraig was nineteen and he looked at Noah with obvious surprise. Noah's cock was pretty big for a boy his little brother's age. "Fuck, do you ever wear clothes?" Rob asked. Finally reacting to Noah's nudity and semi-arousal, he covered his eyes. Two and a half months ago, Noah had flashed the entire McCraig family – it was a day that was prominent in Noah's mind and evidently Rob hadn't forgot either. Rob peeked through his fingers and Noah saw curiosity in the older teen. Behind Rob, Scott materialised. "Hi Noah, we're here for the cleaning money?" Scott said casually. "You knew he was butt naked, didn't you?" accused Rob. "Not just his butt," Scott said. Noah still hadn't covered his half-hard penis which was treated with open interest by the two brothers - this might have been because any normal person would have covered themselves by now. It might also have been because both brothers were curious about other boys dicks. "Why don't you come in for a minute and I'll get the money," Noah offered. He turned and treated both boys to a view of his petite ass. Money for papers and window cleaning and the like was either kept by the front door or the mantel piece in the sitting room. When Noah found none by the door, he ventured towards the sitting room. Halfway there, Noah spotted his schoolbag which he had abandoned in the hall after school yesterday. Dan would normally have tripped over it by now and cursed him. Noah should it somewhere sensible; thus, Noah bent over to pick it up – his tight cheeks pointing towards the brothers, his bare back bending and his balls sagging between his hairless thighs. Noah grinned over his shoulder as he lifted his schoolbag and entered the sitting room with it, placing it on the sofa. Noah normally avoided the sitting room when he was naked – it felt like a goldfish bowl with floor to ceiling windows on two walls. Noah looked at himself, imagining what an unwanted voyeur would see if they looked in – a skinny, naked and barefoot boy with a four-inch floppy penis and sagging balls. Frankly, Noah wished he knew more boys like himself so he could be the voyeur. Noah grabbed coins from the mantel and returned to the brothers who were now in the hall with the front door closed. They stopped muttering to each other and turned to look at Noah's penis. The rest of him too obviously, but when there is a penis openly displayed it's hard not to look at it. Very hard, if you know what I mean? "Do you really walk around your house like that?" Rob asked. "Yea," Noah replied casually. "Naked?" Rob emphasised. Noah nodded. "Do you ever get a boner?" Scott asked excitedly. Rob looked embarrassed but he didn't stop looking at Noah's exposed body. Scott had already seen Noah unashamedly aroused but Noah seemed quite able to control himself – his dick was still not fully erect despite the (admittedly non-physical) attention it was getting. "Sometimes," Noah replied. "Wouldn't you be embarrassed being naked and hard in front of people?" Scott asked. Noah's experience with the EMARP had proven he was quite agreeable to both. He answered the actual question by grabbing his dick and stroking it until it filled, expanded and finally became a full-blown erection. Noah looked at both brothers while jerking his cock and when he let go, he put his hands on his ass and his cock bobbed and waved at them. "Wow," Scott said. "This is the weirdest day of my life," Rob contributed. "Do you want to come shopping with us later?" Scott asked suddenly. "What? No! Whatever your thinking, un-think it," Rob warned – he could read his little brothers mind. "I'm thinking we should surprise Carl for his birthday," Scott said. "No, Scott. No. Absolutely not..." Rob answered; "No!" So of course, Noah agreed to go shopping with Scott and Rob McCraig – a task that would involve him somehow surprising a boy called Carl. Carl was Rob's best friend - he had recently broken up with a boy and he was working on his nineteen birthday at a store in the city's shopping centre. Five Dukes county was named for four large "duke" towns which surrounded the city Dukesbridge (which only became a city as part of the millennium celebrations). Central Five was the shopping centre in Dukesbridge which had every kind of store imaginable. Retail, fast food, travel agents, health and beauty, more retail, restaurants and even a cinema were all under one roof. It was spread across four floors and on the fourth floor, adjacent to the pick 'n' mix and cinema entrance was a shop called Gear and Bloke. Gear and Bloke was colloquially referred to as G&B; partly because of the initials (G&B), partly because they had a store in each of the four countries of Great Britain (G&B) and rumour had it the name deliberately sounded like Queer as Folk (Gear and Bloke). Whatever the case, G&B was very popular with the gays. Rob collected Noah (now fully dressed) and drove himself, Scott and Noah into the city; his earlier reticence was forgotten and he seemed positively excited. It was a little bit disconcerting - what the hell were the brothers planning for him? Because Christmas was around the corner, the car park was chock-a-block but they found a space eventually. Whatever Scott and Rob had in mind, it involved going to the fourth floor and entering G&B which was busier than Noah had ever seen it. Instinctively, Noah looked for people he knew but saw no-one. Most of the current clientele were older teens and young twenties. "Let's go to the fitting room," suggested Scott the moment they entered G&B. "But we haven't..." Noah started to say, "picked anything to try on yet," but Scott was already pushing through the crowd. They hadn't even looked at anything yet but Noah had resigned himself to playing along. He didn't even know what he was playing along with but he was going to do it anyway because he was young, horny and a little bit stupid. Perhaps improprietous was a better word than stupid? Noah suspected his upcoming malady had something to do with Scott's earlier question: "Would you be embarrassed being naked and hard in front of people?" G&B was so busy, it was not what he'd had in mind when the ambiguous words "in front of people" had been used but Noah was very adaptable. "I'll take you jacket if you want," Scott suggested while they waited for a fitting cubicle to become available. Rob meanwhile had left supposedly to find something in the store. "Why are we waiting for the fitting room when we don't have anything to fit me into?" asked Noah. "Rob will find you something, maybe," Scott said ambiguously. "We want to surprise you," he added. With Scott holding his jacket (and scarf), Noah was dressed in a shirt, jeans and trainers with socks; underneath, Noah was wearing a vest and small boys briefs. The fitting area was in the back corner of the store and consisted of a vestibule with four cubicles. The vestibule had a rack of clothes people had tried on but not purchased and had been too lazy to put back; staff on the shop floor were routinely restocking those items where they belonged. The vestibule was lined with mirrors, had a few chairs that were occupied by friends of people in the cubicles trying on clothes - the lads ready to give their verdict on jumpers and shirt and whatever else might be tried on. Each of the four cubicles were slightly bigger than a toilet stall. A cubicle became vacant and the boy who had occupied it exited with two friends and several items. "Just go into the cubicle and strip to your underwear," Scott said, pushing Noah forward. It was very noisy and no-one seemed to notice that Noah and Scott had nothing to try on. "Wait a minute and then open up to ask where Rob is," Scott told him. It dawned on Noah that Scott intended to expose him to anyone in the vestibule of the fitting area - at the moment there were eight boys waiting for friends (who occupied the other three cubicles) plus Scott and the harassed-looking retail worker. That made at least a baker's dozen (twelve of them strangers) were going to see his undies. Noah locked himself in a recently vacated cubicle and began to undress; shoes and socks off, shirt unbuttoned and hung up and then the jeans came off his velvety legs. His legs looked silky in the artificial lights and long because of the briefs that hugged his groin. His smallish bare feet on the rough carpet were a thrilling reminder of his near nudity. Noah looked at himself in the mirrors to see what he looked like – boys briefs and a vest made Noah look boyish but quite sexy. Because there had been no real discussion or preamble, Noah realised that how far he went was really up to him. What was Scott expecting – vest and underpants? Noah put his hands behind his head, exposing his peach fuzz pits framed by the curve of the vest that partially exposed his ribs. But what if... Noah pulled off the vest too and hung it up. Now his nipples and smooth bare chest were fully revealed too. Noah knew that as soon as he opened the door into the vestibule, he'd be exposed in his pathetic little briefs to the boys he didn't know. Most of the customers Noah had seen were between the age of eighteen and twenty-five. A few were as old as thirty and a few as young as fifteen. Noah was even more excited now and as he contemplated the notion of up to a dozen strangers seeing him in his undies, he concluded that there might be even more boys there now and boys passing the fitting area could look in and see him... Noah pulled the door open. Standing in his briefs with his bare chest and bare feet, Noah knew he cut a small and boyish figure. It took (what felt like) several seconds for someone to notice him but as soon as one lad did, the attention of all was called. "Oh. My. Twink." "Have you lost your mummy and daddy?" "I wouldn't mind finding him in lost property." Noah was actually quite flattered by the attention - unsolicited comments can be intimidating and undesired but Noah had coveted them with his sudden appearance barely dressed and boldly displayed. Noah hovered in the threshold of his cubicle, ready to dart back in if he had to but at the moment it was fun to be exposed to the small crowd. The youngest in the group was fifteen, next to him was a seventeen-year-old that looked like his bother. Half of the boys were sixteen or seventeen and the remaining lads were under twenty-one. "Hey, little brother, he looks like you," said the sixteen-year-old. "Fuck you. I don't look like that," the cute fifteen-year-old boy said. While Scott stood amused by the unfolding debacle, Noah realised Rob was still missing. The cacophony of comments settled down but had roused the interest of another three boys who peered into the fitting area and clogged up its entrance. In addition, the boys in the other cubicles had emerged to see what the fuss was all about. It all took less than half a minute after which Noah had to finally explain to fifteen boys why he was standing around in his underpants. "I was looking for my friend, he was meant to be bringing me a..." Noah remembered he didn't know what (if anything) Rob was off getting for him; "...a jumper." "I brought you your kilt," announced Rob who had to push though the bottleneck entrance. "Right, that's what I meant," Noah said. A kilt? As in the traditional Scottish dress? No pun intended. "Whit are ye wearin' a kilt fur?" asked a cute nineteen-year-old with an attempt at a Scottish accent. "Um... Hogmanay?" Noah suggested. In Scots, Hogmanay means the New Year's Eve celebrations for the incoming year. "You don't sound very sure," muttered someone. "Why? Are you Scottish?" asked another. "In the name of the wee man, leave him alone," interjected Scott. Noah was grateful because he had so far underwhelmed in his excuses. "I got you the hat you wanted," Rob said as he handed Scott a woolly hat. "Great, I'll go try it on," replied Scott. Scott darted into Noah's cubicle, gently pushing him aside, and then pulling the door closed. Noah was contemplating why Scott needed a changing room to try on a hat when he realised where he was standing - he was now in the vestibule of the fitting are in just his briefs. "There's no point in waiting for Scott, who knows how long he'll be," said Rob. A few people tittered - knowing how irrational is was that Scott needed any time in a cubicle to try on a woolly hat. "Just try the kilt on here," added Rob. Noah pouted and snatched the kilt from Rob - he didn't want the fifteen strangers to think he was a total pushover. This kilt was not of the traditional variety that involved insight or even skill to don properly; it was a faux kilt with an elasticised waistband... just like a skirt. Noah pulled it on and realised something was amiss - he peeked at the size label and discovered that Rob had brought a medium. "Real Scotsman doesn't wear underwear under their kilt," said one of the voyeurs. "Scotsboy, you mean," added another. "They're right, you should take your pants off," said Rob. There was laughter at the use of the juvenile word pants - it made Noah feel pathetic. In turn, this made him feel a little aroused - three and a half inches of arousal. Noah put his hand up the kilt, lifting the bottom to expose more of his hairless thigh, and pulled one side of his briefs down; he repeated the action on the other side so they briefs were yanked to mid-thigh and then he pulled and wriggled until the briefs were around his ankles. "Well, step out of them," said a lad with barely contained excitement. Noah stepped out of his briefs and everyone knew Noah was now naked except for the kilt and they also noticed how he was holding it up. Noah glanced towards the entrance of to the fitting room - a few people were craning their necks to see inside, gigging at what they could see, but access to the vestibule where he stood was blocked by multiple boys. Noah counted twenty pairs of eyes now gazing at him – some with a better view than others. Noah knew it wouldn't be long before frustration at lack of access to the fitting room would rouse staff and with the staff, an end to his misadventure. "This kilt is too big," said Noah - playing his part. "I'm sure it's fine," assured Rob. "I'm an extra small and this thing is medium," bemoaned Noah. "It looks fine," Rob said innocently. "If I let go, it'll fall down," Noah said to more giggles. Listening for the inevitable moment, Scott reopened the cubicle to see the big reveal. He grinned at Noah and eye contact communicated final ascent to what was about to happen next. "Let's be sure," said Scott; "Let go and we'll see what happens." Noah let go and the kilt fell to his ankles in a flash - his very short haired pubes and stubbly testicles and semi-hard penis emerged in an instant and more than twenty pairs of eyes stared in amazement. Noah's penis was nothing remarkable - it was three-ish inches long and hung slightly to the left. What was remarkable was that he was displaying it in public and showing it to strangers. Noah's fuzzy balls were dangling between his legs, brushing against his hairless thigh as he tilted his legs awkwardly in embarrassment at being exposed. Noah knew G&B had a big gay clientele which made it all the more flattering that the boys seemed so interested. No-one laughed but Noah could see amusement in their eyes and amazed jaws dropped. Noah hoped no-one took any pictures, though the boys must have been tempted. Noah didn't recognise any of the boys but what if one of them recognised him; from around town or a rival school or his first EMARP? How Noah wished this was a role-playing event rather than reality, though it barely felt real. It was too insane to be real. "What the fuck?" came the very reasonable question from a staff member who had pushed past the boys blocking access to the fitting area. The disruption to those three boys meant another six or seven could now see Noah who finally covered himself to the soundtrack of Scott closing the door to his cubicle and ending his access to his clothes again. "Hi Carl," said Rob. Carl was Rob's friend - the birthday boy they'd mentioned that morning. "You!" Carl said - pointing accusingly at Rob. "Me?" Rob replied innocently. "Where are your clothes?" Carl asked Noah. It was a reasonable question with an easy answer and yet... "I don't know. I got undressed to try this on and then I wanted my friends opinion," Noah gestured vaguely to the boys lounging around the vestibule; "Then I realised it was too big then it fell down and now I think someone ran off with my clothes while I was trying this on." "Someone ran off with your clothes?" Carl asked sceptically with a glance toward the cubicles. Noah stepped forward, stepping out of the kilt, recalling attention on his nudity and bare feet and taking him a pace away from the kilt he wasn't going to buy. "Yea, I think it was a prank by my friends," Noah continued. "They'll come back. Do you have somewhere private I could wait?" Carl eyed Noah suspiciously - there was something funny going on and Rob was in on it. Rob and Scott's presence were suspicious so Carl sensed the teenager was their doing but fuck the boy was hot. Carl was nineteen and Noah wasn't his type but holy moly the little guy was cute. Keen to avoid getting the blame for this or prolonging the ridiculous scenario, Carl relented and played along. "I'll take you to the staff area, it's..." Carl looked over his shoulder and into the main store. He couldn't take the naked boy into the store... could he? Immediately to the left as one left the fitting area was a door marked STAFF ONLY so it was not far but even so, Noah would be exposed - totally naked - on shop floor. On the other hand, if they waited around any longer everyone in the store would know about the naked boy anyway and they'd have to sell tickets so... "Just hurry up," said Carl. Carl nearly bowled over the boys clogging up access again but he entered his code for the STAFF ONLY door and waited for Noah to emerge from the fitting area. Noah pushed through the small but growing crowd of disbelieving homosexuals. Plenty of people near the fitting area suddenly spotted Noah (still covering his genitals) and their final sight of him was a glimpse of the perfect little mounds of his ass as he stepped into the staff area. Rob followed and unsurprisingly so did Scott - whose backpack looked a tad heavier than earlier - the exact weight of Noah's clothes was now inside. Carl led the three boys down a corridor and into a storeroom. "What the hell are you doing?" Carl asked Noah. Not waiting for Noah to answer, he turned to question his friend with rather more intensity. "What the hell are you doing?" Carl asked Rob. "Well, it's a funny story..." Scott said with a giggle. "You can shush," Carl interrupted. "Surprise. Happy birthday," declared Rob who hugged his friend. "This is your birthday present to me?" Car asked. Rob and Scott grinned and nodded furiously - clearly very pleased with themselves. "You got me a naked..." Carl looked at Noah and blanched; "Please tell me you are at least sixteen?" Now Noah nodded. "Thank fuck. You got me a naked sixteen-year-old boy for my birthday?" Carl asked Rob. "Yea. Carl, this is Noah. Noah, this is Carl," said Rob. "Hi, nice to meet you," Noah responded. Automatically, Noah offered a hand to shake and discovered: 1) One hand was ill-positioned to hold his penis which was trying to escape by growing to four inches. 2) His penis-y hand was now in the hand of a stranger. Carl too had acted automatically and he was already holding Noah's hand when he realised that he was shaking a hand that seconds earlier was in contact with the boy's genitals. "So, do you want us to leave you alone to..." Scott said excitedly. "To what?" asked Carl; "What do you imagine I'm going to do with a random naked boy I've never met?" "I can think of a few things," Scott jested. "Then you do it," Carl said; "He's not..." Carl was looking at Noah's now exposed dick, Noah having given up any pretence of modestly. "He's not what?" asked Rob who was starting to accept he had misjudged the gesture. "He's kind of twinky. I mean, you're cute..." Carl assured Noah; "But I just broke up with someone and you're not my type." Noah didn't take it personally. "Well who the hell is your type?" Rob asked exasperatedly. "You are, you fucking knob," Carl replied. Noah and Scott and then Rob all looked surprised. Noah didn't know any of the boys very well but he sensed the change of atmosphere synonymous with a plot twist. Rob looked taken aback and Scott looked positively delighted. "Me?" Rob double checked. "Surprise," Carl replied sheepishly. "Did you just call me a knob?" Rob double checked. "No-one is surprised about that," assured Scott. "I'm your type?" said Rob. "Oh, for fucksake, Rob!" exclaimed Carl; "Yes. You. I fancy you. You are my type. That's why I broke up with Steven. Do you want to talk about it or pretend I never said it?" "Oh... We should definitely talk about it," Rob confirmed - which was not what Scott or Carl had expected. At the start of the day, even though the day started with him being exposed to the brothers, Noah would have said Rob was straight. Noah should know better than to assume or guess. The fact that Scott and Carl were similarly flummoxed was reassuring that Noah's senses weren't that misaligned. "Hold on, the gay thing is my thing," said Scott with a chuckle. "Well you might have to share your gay credentials," Rob replied. "Are you gay now?" Carl - unsure if he was being led on. "I don't know. Maybe a little," Rob admitted. "I'm thinking about it." In truth Rob had thought about boys from time to time. He thought it was harmless adolescent interest that he never acted on and that he'd grow out of. He had ignored his curiosity and questioning even more when Scott made his sexuality clear. Rob had never anticipated that his best friend would blurt out sexual interest in him; nor did he expect his own interest would be piqued. Were his affections for Carl bourn of friendship or romantic desire? "It's kind of ironic," reflected Scott. "We got Noah as a present for Carl's birthday and Rob is the one who walks away with a present." "A Christmas, Carl," Noah said. "Well punned," Scott replied with a long look at the naked teen. "That was the worst," said Rob. "No, it was funny," Carl agreed. Scott's gaze kept drifting downward - in the excitement of his big brother's sexual awakening, it was easy to forget Noah was still bare naked. "I need to go back to work and he needs to get dressed," Carl said of Noah. "I'll stay here and make sure he does that," offered Scott. Rob and Carl exchanged looks - they knew quite nicely what Scott was sticking around for. "Ok. Don't get caught," Carl warned. Carl pulled the door open and stepped out into the corridor with Rob right behind him and nearly walked into someone. Carl's eyes widened as his boss stood right in front of him less than an arm's length from the threshold of the door. One pace forward and he'd see Noah – nude and almost hairless and barefoot. "Hi boss," said Carl. "Did I hear something about nudity in the fitting room?" demanded his boss. "I dunno," shrugged Carl innocently. "Did a naked kid come through here?" the boss asked. Carl looked behind him, viewing the length of the corridor and not daring to look back into the storeroom - the door was still opened and couldn't be closed without drawing attention. "I don't see anyone," observed Carl facetiously. His boss groaned then asked; "And who the hell is this?" "This is my friend Rob. He was just here to bring me..." Carl started to say. "Don't care. He shouldn't be here. Also, get back to work," his boss interrupted. It was a good thing he did because Carl wasn't sure what he was going to say. Carl's boss spun on his heel and stormed away back towards the store. Carl looked into the storeroom, caught one last look of Noah and then did as he was told. "I'll text you later?" Carl said to Rob as they headed back to the shop. Still inside the storeroom, Scott cut off the reply by closing the door so he was alone with Noah. "You're gay, right?" asked Noah. "What gave me away?" Scott chuckled. "I dunno. You might just be curious? Or bisexual?" Noah suggested. "I'm more like tri-sexual. I try to be sexual as often as I can," Scott said through laughter. Noah laughed too and then put his hands on Scott's face and their lips touched. Scott hadn't kissed many boys and Noah was a very nice-looking boy. The total fucking nudity helped too. Noah's hands moved so his arms wrapped around Scott's back and Scott's hands touched Noah's bare skin. There was bare skin everywhere he touched and Noah was warm and silky; Scott's penis grew hard and then harder and he pushed his groin towards Noah's. He grabbed Noah's bare ass and pulled to towards him at the same time as he thrust his hips forward so they were grinding together. Noah was only half-hard but his stubby penis grew thicker and longer with the rubbing and was soon leaking slimy streaks on the front of Scott's jeans. Noah broke the frantic kissing and surveyed the lad he barely knew. Noah liked kissing boys - Philippe, Toby, Matty, Ronan and now Scott; he also liked touching dicks. Noah had seen Scott's dick in the park but never seen him naked and more than anything he wanted to get Scott hard. He wondered if either were possibilities right now. "I'll suck your dick if you want," offered Noah. "How about I suck you..." Scott counter-offered; "As a thank you for being such a good sport in the fitting room." "I really want to see your dick," Noah confessed; "Just a peek?" Scott looked nervous but then nodded. Noah delighted as Scott let him pull the button and then the zipper of his jeans and pulled them open; he pulled the waistband of Scott's underwear down so they hooked under his balls and Scott's dick flopped out. It wasn't quite fully hard but Noah made short work of that. In the park a few weeks ago, Noah had seen Scott with five inches of turgid cock. He hadn't known if it was hard or not and they had been interrupted. Now Scott indulged in masturbation with less reticence - it grew to the five and a half inches and was hot and hard in Noah's hand. It was a very nice dick. Noah admired the dick poking out of Scott's jeans, the wiry hairy pubes above it and the cum-heavy balls below. He was about to drop to his knees when Scott pulled back and tucked the aching cock away. "We won't have much time," Scott said worriedly "Let's take care of you." Scott might be right – they could be interrupted at any moment and the longer they lingered, the more risk of being caught. Still, Noah wanted to be a cock-sucker - he wasn't going to get to gobble Scott's dick. Noah hadn't realised how much he craved cock until now. The consolation was rather a good though: 1) he was bare naked in an inappropriate place. 2) if he was caught it would be humiliating and his exposure so far had already been mortifying. 3) he was trusting that Scott had his clothes and that he'd give them back. 4) he was about to get his cock sucked by a fully clothed boy while he was (see items 1-3). Scott zipped up his jeans and got on his knees. Scott began by pulling on Noah's cock - sliding his hand back and forth and watching pre-cum ooze like he couldn't believe. Scott put out his tongue to catch some of the snotty discharge and then he kissed the top of Noah's cock. Noah gasped with pleasure and looked down at the boy on his knees. For visual help, Noah put his hands behind his head and displayed the pathetically sparse hair in his pits. Scott licked his lips at the sight and then wrapped them over the head of Noah's cock and slurped. His mouth gradually took in more and more cock and he was a little jealous that it was bigger than his own. Noah's cock tasted so good! Scott was relishing the taste as it leaked so much precum it dribbled from his mouth. Scott released the cock from his mouth to swallow and breath and stroked it again. Saliva and precum juices made the hot skin clammy under Scott's hand. "I want you to put your hands on my head, ok?" asked Scott. "Ok," Noah agreed happily - breathless with orgasmic anticipation. While Scott began to suck Noah's cock again, Noah's hands moved from behind his own head to Scott's. His fingers teased behind Scott's ears and only then did he push his fingers though Scott's hair to grip it tightly. Scott kept sucking and now control over stopping was over to Noah. Scott's hands moved to Noah's thighs which he found to be warm and smooth. With fervour, Scott stroked Noah's legs and on a final upward movement, he grabbed Noah's ass. Noah's grip of Scott's head grew tighter as Scott's grip on Noah's little peachy buttocks became impassioned. Tentatively, so Noah could say no if he wasn't into it, Scott inched his fingers closer to Noah's hole. "Oh yea, push it in," Noah purred. Scott kept sucking as he slid a finger into the crack of Noah's buttocks and searched for the hairless pink ring. He found it and pressed the tip of his into the sphincter – Scott had played with his own ass like this before but never done it to another boy. It felt good to feel Noah's ring pinch his finger as he probed deeper and found the squishy nugget of the prostate. It was kind of hard to concentrate on fingering and sucking Noah but one look at the beautiful boy was enough to redouble Scott's efforts. If possible, Noah's precum increased in volume until spilled from Scott's mouth and dribbled over his chin. Scott worked his finger in and out and dared to add another. "Oh fuck," Noah applauded. Noah's grip on Scott's head tightened and he couldn't stop himself pulling Scott in. Scott's nose dipped into Noah's bellybutton and Scott could see the stubbly patch above Noah's dick in perfect detail. Scott's chin felt Noah's saggy scrotum. With his free hand, Scott gripped the ripe little cherries. The sac was dry yet clammy; smooth but kind of wrinkly; almost hairless but prickly with the odd wispy hair. Scott's finger pressed down on Noah's prostate, milking it and his other hand fondled the gooseberry balls. Scott could tell Noah was about to cum, but he continued to slurp and gobble on the slimy cock until Noah couldn't take it anymore. "I'm about to cum," Noah warned; "Do you want me to stop?" Scott's hand and mouth were too busy to actually say anything but the fact his efforts did not stop and in fact redoubled told Noah everything was fine. "Oh fuck," Noah wept. Noah's cum was hot and abundant. Within seconds of the fountain starting to shoot down Scott's throat. Scott finally pulled his finger out and dropped his hand from Noah's testicles. Scott's hand found a grip on Noah's hairless and skinny ankles as he drank the seed; gulping most of it but still spilling some because it was like a fucking faucet. Scott caught some of the errant cum with his ball-fondling fingers. Noah took his hands off of Scott's head and the fellow teenager finally spat out the fat sausage of teenage prick. He panted for breath while licking his lips but still returned to glug cum from Noah's weeping penis. Between licks and kisses, Noah grabbed his dick and hit it off Scott's cheeks and wiped it over his face. Scott knelt and allowed Noah to smear a messy cock across his face. Eventually, Scott stood up, still licking his face and he brought his fingers to Noah's mouth - the fingers he'd wiped up cum with a minute ago. Noah opened his mouth and Scott pushed the cum fingers into Noah's mouth. Noah sucked Scott's fingers until they were clean. "Now what?" asked Noah. "Back to the fitting room," Scott replied. "You can't be serious?" Noah asked. "Of course not," Scott giggled. Scott turned, opened his backpack and pulled out Noah's clothes. The only thing missing was his underwear which Noah had removed in front of the crowd - someone must have taken them as a souvenir. Noah got dressed and he emerged gingerly from the storeroom with Scott. They encountered no danger getting back to the main store and were unnoticed leaving the STAFF ONLY door. Noah had been prepared for someone from the vestibule waiting to see him again, perhaps hoping for an encore. However, he'd been away getting his cock sucked for quite a while so everyone seemed to have moved on. Noah recognised no-one and no-one seemed to recognise him – at least not with his clothes on. It was only as they neared the exit to G&B that something else happened. "Hi. It's Noah, isn't it?" asked a polite voice. Noah turned to see a cute boy of Asian descent - around his own age. Noah didn't recognise the boy so he looked at Scott to see if this was part of the plans but there was a perplexed expression on Scott's face too. "Do I know you?" asked Noah. "I saw you earlier," the boy said; "In the fitting room? I couldn't believe it was you." Noah got a sense of recognition - he knew this kid. "Kyo, we knew each other in Primary School?" Kyo said. The penny dropped and Noah realised he had been full-frontal naked in front of a boy he'd known until he was ten years old. "Oh fuck. Hi Kyo," replied Noah. "It was fun seeing you again," Kyo said with a sly grin; "Is this your boyfriend?" "No," Scott answered for them both. "Just a friend," Noah added. It was nice to be able to call Scott a friend - another friend with benefits. "Cool. Anyway, I thought you might want these back," Kyo said and then reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew Noah's briefs. Noah blushed at this sight of them - so Kyo had picked them up. "Why don't you hold onto them for now," Noah said. "Well, we should catch up sometime then," Kyo suggested; "Are you on Facebook, Insta..." "Sextr." All three boys said it at the same moment. They all sniggered. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship. SUNDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2020 Matty was busy the next night but Noah charmed Ronan into coming over. Noah had been thinking about Ronan on and off – when he wasn't entering into a humiliating real-life scenario with the window cleaners – since the night they had talked about secrets. What was bothering Ronan? Noah liked Ronan but he was peculiar sometimes – distracted and awkward and distant; maybe that was the secret? Maybe he had ADHD? It didn't take much persuasion to get Ronan to come over. Ronan was a horny teen too and more than happy to see where things went with his sexy friend. Ronan hadn't been doing much anyway - just watching some old movie. <> Ronan was hoping to touch Noah's life - and more besides. Of course, Noah was naked when he answered the door. His penis was improbably flaccid - Ronan was hard the second he even thought about getting naked, how did Noah stay in control? "What are you looking at?" Noah asked casually. Ronan was just taking his jacket off and flushed at being caught looking staring like a weirdo. <> "I don't know how you stay soft all the time," Ronan decided to be honest. "I don't stay soft all the time," Noah replied with an exaggerated wink. "Why do you think I invited you over here?" Both boys chuckled. "I've never had a friend like you," Ronan admitted. Ronan was tempted to share his secret again but was put off by the sound of mockery and clapping. <> "I've never had a friend like you," Noah responded. <> There was something different and unique and fascinating about Ronan, Noah just couldn't put his finger on it. <> Ronan stifled a giggle at the voice parodying the Friends song. "Do you want to go upstairs and see me not stay soft?" Noah asked and added with a grin; "I love being a failure." "Remember," said Ronan; "No man is a failure who has friends." <> "That's sweet. A Wonderful Life, right?" Noah replied and he seemed genuinely charmed. <> "Is that what that movie was?" Ronan said almost to himself. Upstairs, Noah closed the door and looked Ronan up and down. "Remember I mentioned I'd had sex?" Noah asked. "Yea..." Ronan replied. <> "And remember I asked you to think about it? If maybe you'd like to have sex?" Noah continued. <> "Yea..." Ronan replied. Noah paused because Ronan made not other response and he was unsure if Ronan was being facetious or not. "Do you want to have sex?" Noah asked - he thought the question was obvious. Ronan recalled his fear that having sex could infect Noah with the voice as well. <> Ronan pushed hard to make the voice go away; it was annoying him and upsetting him and he wanted it to be quiet. There was something else he wanted - he wanted to have sex with Noah. "Top or bottom?" Ronan asked. Ronan felt a little silly for asking - did people talk like that? Was it a stupid question? Noah beamed in response and bound towards him. "You go on top. I'd love you to fuck me, Ronan," Noah said. Noah put his hands on the hem of Ronan's long-sleeved t-shirt and looked into his eyes; Ronan nodded and Noah lifted the shirt. Noah took in the broad and nicely developed physique, the brown skin and the pecs and the bristle of hair in the middle of his beefy chest. As the t-shirt was peeled up and over Ronan's head, he lifted his arms and the black hair of his armpits emerged. Noah loved it - Ronan was also sixteen but developing into quite the handsome man. Noah knew that Ronan's dad was from New Zealand and he couldn't help but think Ronan looked like a Maori man. Looking at Ronan's sexy body and appreciating in a way he hadn't noticed before made Noah's penis respond. It filled and expanded and Noah drew Ronan's attention to it. "See, my dick doesn't stay soft for long... not when a hot boy is around," Noah complimented. <> Ronan kissed Noah while he reached for his jeans, opening them and pulling down the zipper. "Lie on the bed," Noah told him when his lips were free. <> Ronan obeyed and Noah tugged the jeans down and off Ronan's slightly shaggy legs. Noah dispensed with socks too and then, with a final confirmatory look at Ronan, reached for the underwear. They found their way to the floor too and Ronan was finally naked. "You look so fucking hot," Noah told him. "So, do you," Ronan replied. <> Ronan was nervous - he'd been intimate with Noah before but they were about to have sex and it felt unexpected. Ronan understood it was just sex - if Noah was looking for intimacy, he wouldn't fucked around with him and Matty a few night ago. It was just sex, which Ronan had done before... <> Ronan grumbled internally - the voice had made similar comments before. That what made this time different, he realised. He'd had sex - top and bottom - at his last school with a boy who wasn't a boyfriend but the voice had always been very critical of it. This time Ronan realised the voice was excited for him to have sex - with Noah in particular or had it just changed its mind about anal sex? "Do you have protection?" Ronan asked. "I'll go get it," Noah replied. Ronan watched Noah's ass cross the room and he fantasised about how, soon, he would be inside it. <> Ronan was looking - he couldn't stop looking. "It's just sex, ok? If that's not ok, we should do X-Box instead," Noah said suddenly. <> Ronan stifled a laugh and beckoned Noah closer. He began to stroke his dick and Noah watched with excitement as Ronan got excited. Noah joined in the arousal by stroking his semi-hard penis until it became fully erect. "I want to have sex with you. I can fuck my X-Box any time," Ronan said. This time Noah laughed and he handed over the condom too. <> "Where do you want me?" Noah asked. "Why don't you bend over the bed and spread your legs?" Ronan suggested. "Oh, this isn't your first time, is it?" Noah said playfully as Ronan took charge. "No," Ronan answered. <> "Really? You've fucked, I mean, had sex before?" Noah enquired with great interest. "Remember I got chucked out of a catholic school?" Ronan reminded Noah. "For getting caught sucking a dick?" Noah recalled. "Right. Well. That wasn't the first time I'd sucked his dick. We had sex a couple of times too..." Ronan confessed. "Fucking hell. How old were you when you started doing that?" Noah asked. "Fifteen when I lost my virginity. He was seventeen," Ronan admitted. "Wow. Cool," Noah said. He bent over the bed and pulled his ass cheeks apart. "Do you stay in touch?" Noah asked as Ronan put on the condom. "No. We both got asked to leave and his parents were a little less understanding than mine," Ronan responded. Ronan was a little embarrassed about it and if there was any consolation, at least they didn't catch them in the act of sodomy. Not that Ronan gave a fuck about that crap... <> ...but it would have made things even more difficult for his mum and dad. God knew Herman, the voice inside Ronan's head, made things difficult for him. "Ronan... are you ok?" Noah asked, sensing Ronan's distraction. <> "You have a really nice cock, Noah," Ronan said. <> "Sweet talker. Put it in me when you're ready. I can't wait," Noah cajoled. Ronan's cock was about six inches long and now wrapped up so he put some lube on the end of his dick and then on his fingers which he smeared across Noah's hairless and tight asshole. Ronan got more excited as he played with the sphincter and so did Noah. Noah humped his cock into the mattress and could see his own pre-cum oozing onto the sheets. A moment later he felt Ronan press the tip of his cock against his hole and start to push. Noah's anus gradually yielded, perhaps a little easier than during his first time but it was hard to tell. What Noah could tell was that Ronan's size made a huge (no pun intended) difference to the sensations. When Jamie had fucked him, Jamie had been big - a good inch and a half bigger - but Ronan's cock was a neater size and the sensations were more pleasurable and gradual. Ronan pushed in and pulled back and then he pushed in again - he built up speed after easing in and spreading the sphincter and soon he was fucking Noah with obvious experience. Noah wondered how his dick would feel the first time he entered an ass but at this moment he was concentrating on his leaking cock and euphoric ass. Noah delighted in the sound and feel of Ronan's prickly and muscled thighs connecting with his hairless, lean legs. The feel of Ronan's balls swinging into his perineum with each thrust was unexpectedly fantastic. Noah reached for his dick and used his fingers to play with the shiny and throbbing helmet. Ronan moaned and he leaned into Noah such that Noah could feel the hair of Ronan's chest on his back and the furry scratch of Ronan's pubes on his sacrum as he pushed as deep as he could. Both boys were panting and groaning and getting closer to climax. Noah looked over his shoulder and pursed his lips; Ronan's hands found Noah's neck and then his lips touched Noah's and they kissed. It was hot, manic and charged. The kiss ended and Noah turned his head forward again. Noah loved the feeling in his cock - sensations intensified by the throbbing dick inside him and the prostate being jabbed by six inches of meat. It wasn't like getting milked by Mateo or Scott's fingers – this was something special. Noah wanted to be fucked harder. "Ronan. Fuck harder. Fuck me harder," Noah pleaded. Ronan thrust harder and deeper, putting his hands on Noah's hips so he could control Noah's movement as much as his own. "Just tell me if it hurts," Ronan told his lover. "It doesn't hurt. Oh, fuck this is amazing," Noah exalted. Ronan took the compliment well and was surprised by the absence of pass remarkable commentary from Herman, the invisible critic. "I'm about to cum, Noah," Ronan announced. "Pull out. Cum on my back, Ronan. Cum all over me," Noah asked. Ronan obeyed, pulling his cock free from Noah's ass and carefully removing the condom so he didn't shoot early. Noah was jerking his dick while Ronan started to stroke as well but Ronan came first. His spunk shot onto Noah's creamy skin, splashing up the bumps of his spine. Noah felt the splash of hot semen and giggled with delight as the mess poured down his back. A moment later he came too and Noah made sure to aim his cock so it shot over his chest and abdomen, making a thorough mess. Noah could feel Ronan playing with him from behind. Ronan wiped his sloppy cock over Noah's buttocks and upper thighs. Noah stood up and turned around to display his cum-coated chest. "I love being covered in cum. If you want to go again, you can shoot in my face," Noah promised. "That would be fun," Ronan agreed. As the boys began to cool from the sport of sex, Ronan chittered; the room wasn't cold but he felt chilled. "Come into bed with me," Noah offered. "Do you want to wipe up first?" Ronan asked. "Nah, I'll wash my sheets in the morning. Let's be messy," Noah persuaded. Noah tucked himself into Ronan, his cheek on Ronan's shoulder so he could smell the sourness of BO and the musk of old cologne. "That was a lot of fun, Ronan. Thanks for not making a big thing of it," Noah said dreamily. "I find it hard to make friends, Noah," Ronan confessed; "I'm glad you're my friend... and a bit more." "I was thinking about your secret... I wonder if it's easier to talk about if I guessed?" Noah enquired. <> "I mean, If I guessed that you wanted to tell me you like wearing women's clothes," Noah suggested; "It's easier than telling someone you like wearing women's clothes." "How dis you know?" Ronan mumbled dryly. Noah chuckled. <> "Is it about school? You're clever but... no offence, we noticed how distracted you are sometimes." It was true. Ronan found the voice – Herman – very distracting sometimes. He found it hard to focus. "I wondered if it was causing trouble with your projected grades? I might have sneaked a peek at your report card," Noah confessed. "It's true, the parents evening didn't go very well. Most of them said my grades were, quote, desperately average," Ronan admitted. "Sorry," Noah replied. Ronan cringed that Noah knew this. It wasn't even his secret but it was something he hadn't wanted to tell. "But you're amazing," Noah insisted. "I've seen you do mental maths that I couldn't do on my best day." "The teachers say I'm clever but easily distracted and I'm not applying myself," Ronan revealed but he was touched by Noah's confidence in him; "Have you ever heard an Irish mother berate you? Why aren't you applying yourself?" Ronan's imitation of an Irish mother was scarily realistic. <> "Anyway... I'm scraping passes and I'll figure something out," Ronan continued hurriedly. <> "But... That's not my secret, Noah," Ronan said. <> "Oh," Noah said disappointedly. "I thought I'd Miss Marple'd the shit out of this." Noah chuckled and the sensation reverberated through Ronan's chest, causing him to grin and snigger too. <> "I'm surprised you didn't go with Poirot," Ronan observed. "Please, like I could grow a magnificent moustache," Noah – the quintessential twink - added self-deprecatingly. "So... should I ask what did you want to tell me? Sorry," Noah added immediately. "If you don't want to say, you don't have to." <> "I mean, we had a nice night, I don't want to spoil it," Noah added. <> Ronan's mouth pulled into the picture of sadness. It was the unhappiest face Noah had ever seen so he gave Ronan a little peck on the cheek. "I'm sorry, Ronan. I was trying to help. It's not about reciprocity just because I told you about my mum..." Noah reflected – that moment felt like an awfully long time ago. "I still don't know if I'm ready to tell you. I want to but..." Ronan said and he sounded scared. Noah leaned forward with concern. "What is it? Ronan, what's wrong?" Noah pleaded. <> Herman's voice was rattling in Ronan's head - mocking him. "I know I should tell someone but I don't know if I have the strength to do it," Ronan said. Now Noah's face puled into a picture of unhappiness. "Ronan, you're scaring me," Noah said uneasily. "Please talk to me." <> "I don't need you," Ronan said quietly in response. Noah looked at Ronan with worry on his face. Worry changed to hurt and Ronan realised that Noah would think he meant him. <> "Shhh, I'm trying to think," Ronan said. <> "You can trust me, Ronan," Noah whispered. Noah leaned over and put his hand on Ronan's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked into Ronan's terrified eyes with fearful eyes of his own and waited for Ronan to reply. Noah didn't press any harder but only seconds passed, though they felt like hours. <> Ronan recalled trying to tell his parent's once and they didn't listen. They hadn't believed him. He felt drunk – detached, distant, numb. "You can tell me anything," Noah said softly. <> Ronan shrugged off Noah's hand and pulled away. Noah watched Ronan stand and could see tears in his eyes. They were tears of hurt and confusion and fear. Noah didn't understand what was happening, only that his friend was hurting. Ronan turned back before leaving. <> Ronan was almost crying as he left. His eyes were so earnest and sad, glooming with tears and lips turned down. "I'm sorry Noah, I can't tell you... He won't let me." <> I'm really touched that so many readers appreciate Ronan's character and storyline. Schizophrenia is a very complex disorder but neither Ronan nor his friends are in physical danger from the voice in his head; voices often express a level of self-preservation, hence its recent behaviour. Chapter fifteen will go online around January 15TH. However, check out my blog on Christmas day for a 2021 teaser trailer and a surprise. Many thanks to everyone who has written to me. I'm glad you're all enjoying the embarrassing events. Wishing you all long days and pleasant nights. The Nifty Archivists do an amazing job, I hope you'll donate to help them keep the site up and running: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html My stories so far: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#jforrester Chronological order: School Exhibitionism, The Symposium, The Embarrassment of Riches and Do As You're Told. Also see: Anthology. Feedback to authors is their primary compensation and motivation. Email me: niftyencomiums@gmail.com My blog: https://niftyencomiums.blogspot.com