Like Kings
By Blue C.
wi1dfire_b1ue@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Don't be stupid. This story depicts homosexual males kissing, dancing, having sex, and other activities that they find enjoyable. If that is not your thing, then really, why are you here?
Copyright 2003-5 by the author. This story is not to be posted anywhere without the author's permission.
Part 6- The morning of dreams
Drew knew he was waiting, though for what he wasn't as certain. All he knew was that he was laid out on a motel room bed, the very room and bed he'd stayed in for the soccer tournament. Just as the door to the room opened, Drew realized he was naked.
Jake entered the room , hesitant, but his eyes told Drew exactly what the freshman wanted. Drew liked being stared at as if he was something to be eaten, and coming from Jake that look was extra enticing. Drew sat up, the sheet exposing his chest, and noted the effect the motion had on Jake. Drew smiled and stood up, figuring that Jake was what he'd been waiting for. Jake seemed unable to speak, so Drew spoke instead. "Come here" he whispered, his voice loud in the silence, and reached out for Jake's hand. When Jake took it, Drew pulled him in for the kiss he'd been dreaming about since the tournament. But before the lips could meet. The door opened again.
Braden burst in the room, screaming, and making Jake jump away. Braden ran over to Jake, and proceeded to beat the freshman until blood covered his fists. Drew ran over to intervene, but Braden seemed even stronger than ever, and hit Drew hard enough to send him flying into the wall behind him. Three times he came, and three times Braden hit him back into the wall. The third time, Braden caused real damage to Drew, so much that Drew was unable to stand back up. His eyes were only half open, just enough so that he could watch as his boyfriend killed the one he loved...
Drew never woke up startled, but Friday morning , the day after Jake saw Braden and him kissing, he almost made an exception. He did jump, a little, enough so that Cory got up from his position on Drew's chest. Cory the cat of course, not Cory the person. Cory stood up, stretched, then glared at his owner for waking him up from a perfectly good doze. He made his way to Drew's pillow, rolled about on top of it until Drew moved his head away from it, then promptly fell back to sleep. Drew chuckled at the eviction, and decided that it was time to get up for the day anyways. So said his alarm clock, which was scheduled to go off in 6 minutes. Drew disabled the alarm, and got out of bed.
Twenty minutes later, Drew was showered, dressed, and thinking about his dream from the night before over a bowl of Cheerios with chopped up banana pieces mixed in. And mom says I can't cook, he thought with a snort. The diversion did not last for long, as his thoughts quickly returned to his dream. What did it mean? he wondered. Drew did not normally attach any meaning to dreams, but he'd also never had as intense a dream as he'd had that morning. So he pondered that dream as he chased the last of the banana chunks around his bowl. Worrying about his dream was less troubling than worrying about the guys that were in his dream. What am I going to say to Jake? was the thought he tried very, very hard to avoid.
Drew's mom, Melissa Valentino, walked into the dining room at about 7:30 am, dressed to kill in one of her many business suits. Melissa was a female version of Drew, darkly pretty, with a lean, firm body, hair so dark a black it was hard to look at, and makeup so skillfully applied it barely looked like it was there at all. She looked fifteen years younger than her age of 41, and was frankly better looking than most women twenty years younger. She certainly dressed better. As the VP of Solicitation at a largish real estate company, dressing razor sharp was expected of her. What her fancy title meant was that she contacted businesses all over the country and convinced them to open up a branch, or to move entirely, to Sierra County, where her company would be quite happy to help them settle into a new address at a reasonable price. Though she was very good at her job, she didn't always like it, since it often took her away from Drew. But it paid the bills, and kept her busy enough that she could justify not having a love life, which she was in no mood for after Drew's father had left her soon after their son was born.
Her busy life also meant she couldn't keep as active a presence in her son's life as her mother had in hers. To keep Drew from feeling unwanted, and to keep her blood pressure down, she kept her rules to a minimum, only demanding that Drew keep his grades up, make sure the chores were done, be home by curfew, and use protection. Other than that, Drew's life was his business and his responsibility, unless he asked for her help. Of course, sometimes that asking had to be coerced out of her son, but that was no problem for Melissa Valentino. Drew wasn't the only person in his family that knew how to manipulate people.
As soon as she entered the dining room, she knew that this could turn out to be one of those mornings. The look on his face, the fact that he'd made himself breakfast (Drew did not normally get up in time for breakfast, whatever time his alarm clock went off), and the fact that he was eating it slowly all meant one thing: Drew had something on his mind that kept him from going back to sleep. Oh god, she thought, what has he done to that dumb jock of a boyfriend now?
Drew looked up at his mother's entrance. "Hey mom." he said, smiling.
"Hello Andy." she said, grinning inwardly. Drew winced.
"Mom, I've asked you not to call me that. It's not my name." he said, irritated, but in a defeated way.
Melissa smiled. They'd had this conversation before, many times. "Son, since I named you, I think I might be the ultimate authority when it comes to your name."
"Yes, but at your age Mom, the mind starts to slip. Are you really that sure about something that happened nearly eighteen years ago?" said a smiling Drew.
"If my mind goes, your name will become whatever the hell I think it is. Is that clear young man?" said Melissa confidently.
"Yes mom."
"That's better, Drew." Drew smiled, and Melissa walked into the kitchen. As she prepared herself some food, she listed off the Drew's various chores for the weekend, as she had a business meeting to go to out of state, and would be gone till Monday. Drew just replied confirmations every once in a while, promising to do his homework and to change Cory's kitty litter. At the end, Melissa made him promise to not try and cook, to just order pizza or Chinese instead. She came out of the kitchen then, and handed Drew an envelope. "There's enough money in here for delivery for tonight and this weekend. In fact, I added a little extra, in case you wanted to invite Braden over for the weekend."
Drew's eyes widened, but then he chuckled inwardly. Most parents would not encourage their only son, and thus shot at grandchildren, to invite over his boyfriend for the weekend, thought a grateful Drew. I guess I lucked out.
"Will Braden be coming over for the weekend?" asked Melissa innocently.
Her son smiled sadly. "Probably not."
"Trouble in paradise?" inquired Melissa, leaving off "again." When Drew did not reply, she sat down next to him. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Oh, same old shi-stuff." said Drew with a wave. "He's not ready to come out. He doesn't want me to come out so nothing looks suspicious. His father's harping on him, yadda, yadda, yadda." Drew shook his head sadly, then added, "He thinks I'm cheating on him"
"That's new" noted Melissa.
"No it's not, I just never mentioned it to you before."
"Oh." said his mother. "Who are you supposed to be cheating on him with? Someone specific or just everyone you meet?"
Drew laughed a little. "Jake Dire."
Melissa thought for a moment. "The bottle blonde freshman you give rides to all the time?"
"Yeah, him."
"Are you?"
"NO!" said Drew, almost shouting.
"I was just asking Andy, there's no need to shout." Drew glared at her. "He is pretty cute, though." said Melissa.
"That he is." said Drew, his face softening.
A quiet moment passed between them. Melissa could tell that there was something else eating at her son, and she fought the urge to ask him for the rest. He`d tell her eventually. Instead, to break the seriousness she said, "Well just in case Braden does come over, there's plenty of cash for condoms or lube for when the need arises."
Drew almost choked on the last bite of cereal. Instead, he sprayed it out of his mouth, making a mess and almost making Melissa roll on the floor with laughter. She didn't, she was much to dignified for that. Instead, she patted her son on the back, and said "Clean that up before you go to school honey." She glanced at the time, and realized that whatever else was eating her son, it would have to wait. "Which should be soon. I've got to go, be good Drew." she said, exiting.
Almost out the door, she turned around. Drew was still recovering from his attempted suicide by banana chunk, and looked up at his mother with a "What next?" expression. "You know Drew, if you ever need to talk to me, I'm here. If I'm not home, just call me on my cell phone. Try not to call me out of a meeting, but if it's important, call me anyways. You're more important than money, keeping you sane enough to make it in the world is my only goal in life." She waited while Drew absorbed this tidbit before continuing. "That said, I do have some advice for you before I go. Try not to get anyone`s heart stomped on, yours included. The last time that happened, I had to buy you a cat to cheer you up, and I really don't need another bundle of fur running around this place. So be careful kid, alright?" Drew nodded, and Melissa left.
As Drew was cleaning up his mess, two thoughts occurred to him. The first was "Never, as long as I live, will I get used to that woman." The second thought was "What am I going to say to Jake?"
Jake couldn't tell what room he`d just entered, only that there was a bed in the middle of it. Drew was sleeping on that bed, though only the top of his head visible through the sheets. It didn't matter, Jake had no problem telling who it was. Jake had a feeling that Drew was the reason he'd come to this room in the first place. Drew stirred as Jake closed door behind him, the sheet slowly falling to the side to expose Drew's face. His dark brown eyes, eyes that were several shades darker than his light brown hair, fluttered open, and settled on Jake's form. His beautifully seductive lips curved into a warm, inviting smile that Jake returned, and then Drew sat up on the bed. The silken white sheet glided over his body, revealing more and more of it, and Jake gulped as he realized that Drew was nude. This realization was confirmed as Drew stood up, leaving the sheet behind him.
Jake was riveted at the sight. Drew's creamy complexion was an all over effect, and he seemed to glow in the half light of the room. There was very little hair on his body, and what there was attracted Jake's attention like bright blue dots on black canvas. Especially one thick patch just below Drew's waistline.
"Jake." said Drew, his voice just above a whisper, yet causing Jake to almost tremble with emotion. "Come here." he commanded, in that same voice, reaching out his hand to Jake at the same time. Jake had no choice but to take it. Drew pulled a little on Jake's hand, drawing the younger boy in, and meeting Jake's lips in a gentle kiss. Jake woke up before he could kiss him back.
******************
A very large object landed next to Jake on his bed, waking Jake up and scaring the crap out of him. He cried out and swung instinctively at the object. Jake's wrist was caught before he could hit anything, and then Jake could hear laughing.
"Gosh Jake, is that anyway to greet your brother in the morning?"
"Fuck-you" said Jake, opening his eyes.
Alex Dire, Jake's one and a half years older brother laughed again, and got up off Jake's bed. "Come one, Jakey, it's time for you to get up." said Alex. "Jakey" flipped him off in response. "Alright, if you want it that way, we can play this game."
Jake realized his mistake seconds after he made it. His hand, still flipping off Alex, was suddenly yanked so hard Jake almost cried out again, this time from pain. He was propelled fairly rapidly out of bed by Alex, who let go at the appropriate moment so that Jake would land on the floor. Alex stood over his brother, chuckling. "I told it was time to get out of bed. You got twenty minutes to get ready, I need to leave early today." After saying that, Alex walked out of the room.
Jake groaned on the floor, and then rolled over onto his back. His morning woody, compliments of his dream from the night before, had been crushed by his brother's action. Jake was now experiencing one of the worst pains of his life. "I will get you for that." muttered Jake.
In the shower, Jake thought about his dream. What a dream he thought, his hand wandering down as he relived some of the choicest bits from it. What a kiss that might have been. Stupid Alex. Jake chuckled to himself, then realized what he was doing. He was playing with himself while thinking about his best friend. While thinking about KISSING his best friend. Am I gay? he asked himself. He didn't answer, but his hand did fall away.
After his shower, Jake got ready for school while mulling over the events of the last 24 hours. Seeing Drew and Braden had shocked him to say the least. So Drew really was gay he thought, realizing how ludicrous his comment just before the first overnight must have been. But in a way, that realization wasn't that shocking at all. It explained a lot about Drew, including, for one, his apparent disinterest in girls. Despite his initial shock, Jake was not that bothered by the idea of Drew being gay. One of his uncles was gay, and so tolerance had been instilled in him since birth. He might not be so open minded when it came to guys he didn't know so well, but Drew was practically his brother. Besides, he pointed out to himself, after the dream I had last night, I'm not exactly in a position to throw stones over Drew's sexuality. He smiled a little at the thought, then started laughing. And Denise was worried about Drew trying to molest ME. I should be so lucky. Jake laughed some more, then started to walk out of his room.
His phone rang as he walked out, and he wondered who would call him this early in the morning. He checked the caller ID, and saw it flash Denise's number on the second number. Out of habit, he almost answered it, but then he stopped himself. I have nothing to say to her. he thought. Gay, straight, or otherwise, Denise was out of his life for good. She'd brought it on herself. Jake thought for a moment about their friendship, and the good times they'd had over the last nine years. It's all over now, he realized. He decided to let the phone ring.
At the same moment that Drew was preparing "breakfast", and Jake was being awakened too soon out of a dream, Jessie and Braden Summers were already at school. Most of Sierra's students saw school as a nagging obligation, and viewed first period as a form of torture. They stayed in bed, warm and at peace, as long as they possibly could, delaying their inevitable arrival until seconds before the first bell. However, the Summers kids woke near dawn or earlier from dreamless sleeps and came to school long before they needed to. They did not view school as an inconvenience; it was their sanctuary, one they spent every moment they could within.
"Danish?" offered Braden to his sister, chewing on one himself with his other hand. Jessie took the offered confection, and they munched together in silence. Silence was the norm when they were by themselves, especially in the morning, where on a bad day one misplaced noise could bring down upon them the wrath of their father. Mr. Summers did not restrain himself when showing his displeasure at his children, and the bad days had come in greater frequency since late summer. When the school year began, Jessie and Braden decided that they would rather just avoid mornings with their father altogether. And so they did, but they still spent most of those mornings in silence.
But today would probably not be a silent morning. Both had too much on their minds, too many worries they had to discuss with each other away from the rest of the world. It was only a matter of time before one of them cracked the sacred hush, and it wound up being Jessie.
"So have you heard anything from Drew yet?" she asked. Her brother barely managed to not glare at her.
"You know I haven't spoken to him since yesterday. I think I've left sixty or so messages on his cell since then, and he hasn't answered a damn one." Braden's frustration with his boyfriend was evident, so Jessie gave him a half hug.
"I'm sure everything will be okay. I've known Jake for years, he won't tell a soul, I'm sure of it."
Braden was unconvinced. "But even if he tells no one, that's still one extra person that knows my secret. And it isn't even someone like you, who I can trust to keep her mouth shut."
"So make him someone like me." suggested Jessie. "Absorb him into our little clutch. He practically worships the ground Drew walks on as it is, and if Jake's version of god tells him to button up..." She shrugged.
"Leaving aside the fact that the last thing I want is for Jake and Drew to spend even more time together, we don't know how badly Jake will react to Drew's sexuality. Their close friendship might even turn against us, if Jake somehow works it out that he's been `betrayed' by Drew's gayness or something like that. That alone could push him into blowing all our covers." Braden said the last with just a hint of panic, though Jessie knew there was plenty more panic to back up that hint. It was buried deep under the exoskeleton Braden had built, and Jessie knew there was no way she'd be able to dig it out to help him through it. Braden had always protected her, even when they both were little, and would never let her help him out when he needed it. It was infuriating, but that was her brother, and she'd learned less obvious ways to be helpful.
"Well, there's no sense worrying about it all right now." she said. "As far as I can see, we're going to have to rely on Drew's persuasiveness to get us all out of this."
"Why makes you say that?"
"Drew's the only one out of the three of us that is really tight with Jake. That makes him the best one to, soften the blow as it were, and keep Jake from doing something disastrous like telling someone he saw you two going at it." Braden blushed, but Jessie pretended she didn't notice. "If it turns out that Jake is totally anti-Drew, then I'll have a word with him. Though to be honest, I doubt I'll have much influence, even if I've known him since kindergarten. Maybe we can get Denise to help us out, if you wouldn't mind one more person knowing." When she saw Braden's darkening expression, she said, "Don't forget, if Jake couldn`t handle it, then Denise was probably the one he talked to first, so she probably already knows what's up."
Braden muttered under his breath, "Great. Someone else who knows." Jessie glared at him, and wanted to throw her hand into the air from frustration, or maybe just smack her pessimistic brother around for a while.
Maybe Braden realized how close to the edge he was, because he said, "Well, that's enough about my boyfriend troubles. How's yours?" Jessie glared at him again, but for a different reason. Braden giggled. "Oh, that well? How nice that you found the love of your life this young." She threw the last bit of danish at him.
Jessie growled out between gritted teeth, "It wouldn't be so bad if Cory wasn't such a complete jackass. He keeps pushing for stuff I'm not ready for, and he seems to think he's God's gift to women on top of it all."
Braden stroked his chin, and with the air of an expert said "Actually, After years of careful study, the senior class has come to the mutual conclusion that Cory does NOT in fact think he's God's gift to anyone. He just thinks he's God."
"It might have been nice of you to tell me that BEFORE I agreed to date the moron."
"I did tell you. You didn't believe me."
"Well! I didn't expect to meet one of those senior jock assholes who date little freshmen thinking that freshmen girls are easy. At least not this soon." Before meeting Cory, Jessie had convinced herself that all those stereotypes and stories were just that, stories. But Cory had proved every fucking one of them so correct it almost HAD to be conscious effort on his part. It was, but she didn't know that. Braden did, but he'd chosen not to tell her. Braden's class had concluded that Drew and Cory's little episode was best swept under the rug, and also that Cory's bed habits had as much to do with actual attraction as Sierra's Geometry class had to do with anything fun.
"You know Jessie, there is a very easy way out of your situation. And if you ask me very nicely and promise not to throw anymore baked goods at me I might just tell it to you."
Jessie couldn't resist an opening like that. She fell to her knees before him and intoned "Oh wise and glorious brother of mine! How can I save myself from Cory's cycle of idiocy."
"Dump his ass."
"Oh, was that it? I already decided to do that at lunch today."
"Why at lunch?"
Jessie grinned, evil pouring out of her smile. "So that there will be as many witnesses as possible to his downfall."
Jessie grin reminded Braden of Drew, for some reason. "Just be careful kid. Cory might act dumb, but he's pretty sharp, and he'll hold a grudge till it dies of old age, then have it stuffed and mounted."
Jessie flexed, showing of each of her lithe muscles. "You know, any threat Cory can come up with just doesn't scare me."
Braden sighed at his sister`s bravado. Some lessons have to be learned on your own, I guess. he thought. "Well, its your call sis."
"Isn't everything?"
**************************
Drew drove like a madman. Cutting corners, flying past houses, Drew's Focus was a dark blue blur between the trees. He usually drove horribly, but on stressful mornings (like this one) he was infinitely worse.
Drew look as half crazed as his driving: soft hair whipping back and forth across his face, black-brown eyes staring wide and unblinking. His foot pressed hard against the gas pedal, and his hands held the steering wheel in a death grip, his knuckles turning ever whiter. Even so, school took nearly five minutes to come into view.
Kay, thought Drew. First things first. I need to find and calm down Braden, and then see if I can head off Jake before he does something stupid. Or at least before Braden kills hi-
A figure walked out into the road.
Drew's tires screamed and scraped and just barely stopped in front of the figure. Barely breathing, Drew swept his bangs out of his eyes to reveal Jake looking just as terrified and breathless.
Once he was able to walk, Jake went up to Drew's window and said "Morning Drew. Drive much?"
"Buenos Dias Jake. Suicidal much?"
After their brush with death, the two decided to ditch first and talk. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" asked Drew.
"Of course I'm okay with it. Your sexuality is a part of you, and I like you just the way you are. Doesn't matter to me who you fuck." Well, not quite, but it almost doesn't matter to me. thought Jake.
"Really?"
"Really. I just wish I'd known sooner, so I wouldn't have said some of the bonehead things I said."
Drew smiled. "That comment you made at the motel was amusing as hell."
"Yeah, well, I think I'd still take you over either of them. You at least wouldn't rape me."
You're right Jake. It isn't rape if you agree to it.
Both boys smiled at each other, friends again, both totally unaware of the other's thoughts.
*****************************
"Where the hell were you?" yelled Cory.
Jessie had been laughing at some joke of Jake's, but her laughter faded at the sight of her boyfriend. She slowly turned to him, her eyes saying exactly what she thought of him. And what her eyes glossed over, her voice conveyed. "Right here. Why do you ask?"
"I told you to wait for me by my class."
"I know. I remembered, but I didn't give a shit." Cory's jaw dropped.
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean."
Jessie smiled wide. Her smile was as evil as the devil and twice as beautiful. "It means: Fuck off Cory, we're through."
Though Cory's mouth moved, he couldn't speak at all. "You cunt! NO-ONE-DUMPS-ME!"
Jessie barked a laugh. "You just keep on telling yourself that honey, and maybe it'll come true. But for today, all those people" she gestured at the group of watchers that had noticed the fight, "Will say that I just DID dump your sorry ass."
On cue, the bell ending lunch rang. "Look at the time. Gotta run Sweety. See ya around." She left him standing there, frozen by his shock.
Her three guy groupies flocked around her. "Don't you think that was a little harsh?" asked Drew, who was looking back over his shoulder at Cory. Jessie was still savoring her victory, and could not be talked down.
"I sure hope not. After all that I've put up with, I wanted to give him a whole lot of harsh, not just a little." Jake snorted a laugh.
"Besides Drew," said Braden, "You don't exactly have room to tell other people about not being harsh to Cory." He ran his hand along Drew's forearm as he spoke. Jake got an incredible urge to break that hand, but thankfully no one noticed. "After all, think of sophomore year."
Jessie and Jake glanced at each other, but it was obvious neither knew what Braden were talking about. Drew seemed to though.
"You know Braden, you might have a point there." Neither senior elaborated for the freshmen. Instead, they all just walked to class in silence, just soaking in their friendship.