Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2018 13:07:19 +0000 (UTC) From: WILLIAM CARROLL Subject: Zach and Danny Pt 5 Zach and Danny, Part 5 (Paradise Lost...and Found) Author's note: Episode 1 of Zach and Danny sets the context for this continuing story, both the physical and the personal. Whilst each episode is to a degree independent of the others, much context and background knowledge will be assumed moving forward and each chapter very much builds on the previous one. I encourage reading the story in sequence. * * * * * Given the parents' late night revelations and night cap(s) it was probably not surprising that it was the boys who woke first. "Ohhhh my god Zach....I'm stuck to you...literally," Danny laughed, "not to mention stuck to the bed. Ohhh fuck there's crap everywhere. Jeeesus what did you do to me last night?" he asked with a grin. "Oh yeah....that's right, you fucked the bejeezus out of me didn't you!?" "Oh my god Danny...did I hurt? Especially...at the end I just...got a bit carried away.." "Zach! If by hurting me you are referring to ramming your big fat hard cock up my virgin hole....repeatedly...ummm yes you did! If you are referring to...giving me the most earth shattering fucking amazing orgasm....handsfree!!...then yes you did that too. And if you are referring to making me feel more fucking loved than I would have imagined possible...then the answer again is...yes. Yes you did Zach." He leaned over and kissed Zach tenderly, slipping his hand behind his head, his fingers in the roots of his thick hair. "And I could not be more content..more complete. Although," and he did a bit of a wriggle and grimaced, "I'm not entirely sure that my hole agrees with me," and he smirked at Zach. "It might be a few days before we repeat that experience I think...." "It was pretty fuckin amazing Danny, wasn't it? Fuck I came three times yesterday! In the change room and twice in bed last night. Oh my god..." "You sure did. And to be specific, once down my throat and twice up my ass! Good to see that you don't let your juice go to waste Zachie." "Haha oh my fucking god...I think it's you who doesn't let my juice go to waste Danny! And anyway...who's hard now?" asked Zach grabbing hold of Danny's morning wood. "Ummm...pot calling the kettle black much?" accused Danny reciprocating. "Actually tell you what, I don't hear the olds yet do you? Maybe they had a bit too much to drink with their ancient mates last night. Why don't we go grab a shower now before breakfast? I am genuinely a mess. And I don't like to be the one to tell you Zacho but your cock, deliciously hard as always, is ummmm...how to put this nicely...distinctly....crusty..." "Haha. Well all I can say....again...is that I do believe that may be your fault Danny!" Without further discussion the boys pulled on tracksuit pants and loose tops, collected their towels and toiletries and headed towards the shower block. "Hang on, better let the olds know where we're going," said Danny. He opened the caravan door and peered in. In a loud whisper he said "Mum...Mum...we're going for a shower...seeing as how you lot haven't seen fit to greet the day." His mum sat up, shielding her eyes from the bright light coming in the door with Danny. "Bit of a late night was it? Gee...you guys might be old but you sure know how to party hey...." "Ohhhh Danny. Very witty darling. Yes...if you must know it was a rather late night. We had....much to talk about. Ok...we'll have breakfast when you get back..." "They're all out to it in there," Danny reported to Zach, "must have been a seriously good time last night." It was a couple of hundred metres to the campsite showers. The boys linked little fingers, figuring that it qualified as holding hands..but was not so obvious. Danny wanted to ask Zach about his asthma but felt a bit embarrassed about it really. He knew absolutely that Zach would not judge him for his previous lack of interest but Danny himself did. "Zach...your asthma? Tell me about it." "What? My asthma? Nothing to tell really. Why..?" "Ummm well there is something to tell my little sex fiend! You needed to go find your spare puffer last night so that you didn't peg out on me in the middle of a good fuck..." Danny was making light of it of course but Zach realised there was more to it just because of that. He looked at him as they walked and discerned a slight discomfort in Danny's gaze. "It's ok Danny," he reassured him, "it's not like it's a major drama or anything. I've always had it. Doesn't really give me any grief but I keep a puffer around just in case. It's a comfort thing more than anything else...I just hate that short of breath feeling I guess..?" "So...what makes you need it? Do you need it every day? Is there stuff I...like...need to know? I mean...like...what if you were...umm...struggling I guess..??" "Oh god no. I hardly ever need it. But weird things can trigger it...like evening when the air suddenly gets cold...or in spring when it's hayfever season. Sometimes it can be crazy things like..laughing heaps can set me off....freaky shit huh?" "I can't believe I've never really known about it. I mean...well I have known about it but...I've just never thought about it I guess. That's so awful. I'm really sorry Zach...I should have asked you about it before...ages ago!" "Danny! It's just fine ok. Really. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's just a....a thing I guess. I don't really think about it much myself..." "It's a part of you Zach. So...I want to know about it. There's nothing about you I don't want to know. And this puffer thing....show me how it works sometime ok? I wanna listen to your chest and hear it improve when you do it. Ok? That's not...weird is it?" "Haha...no Danny it's not weird. Unusual? Yes. Weird? No. Next time ok...promise." They were just about at the toilet block but quickly snatched a kiss...a kiss to seal the deal. A kiss to say...everything's ok...a kiss to say I love you. The shower block smelled of soap and hair shampoo. They were late enough that they had missed the early morning rush of parents with small children...who woke with the sun. One person was leaving as they wandered in and other than that all of the shower cubicles were free. Never one to miss an opportunity Danny ushered Zach into the end cubicle...quite a bit larger than the others and with only one other shared wall. "Danny! What..? Danny we can't...." "Of course we can. Just be quiet. I've never seen you in the shower....well...not since we were little and that was....different," he laughed. "Fuck Danny what if we get caught? Anyone could see us....well...hear us...?" "Well you will just have to shower quietly then.." "Hhhmmm and that's likely with you in here with me...." but as always...Zach's resistance was token at best. They quickly undressed and both laughed as they looked at the other's already rampant cock as tracksuit pants were pulled down. Danny turned on the shower and waited for the warm water to come through. Thankfully it was a good shower with plenty of water to wet both of them. "Hhhmmm let me help you with that," said Danny under his breath, soaping up Zach's cock and balls. "Damn but your cock did get....messy last night. Good thing I'm here to help you clean it..." "Mmmmm....yeah well you're doing a good job of that. Ahhhhmmm....yes you are...." And Zach soaped up his hands and reached down for Danny's prize. Mmmm those big balls. They felt so different to his own with just that smattering of hair. How he loved that. Just naturally the boys leaned in to kiss, standing there with the steaming water cascading onto their heads and running on down over smooth taut chests and tummies. Both boys were busy 'washing' the others cock and balls, soapy lather providing delightfully sensuous lubricant. Heads down now they watched the other work their cock. Lovingly young fingers cupped fat balls, weighing them as they hung loose in the hot water. They each traced the other's length and while Zach gently jerked the edge of Danny's cut cockhead Danny pulled Zach's foreskin forward and back. He loved how it felt between his fingers, soft and loose and he went wild over the ridge of Zach's head felt beneath the skin. "Mmmmm....yeeahhh...soo good...." the boys quietly sighed into the other's ear and whispered to each other, lustful eyes measuring each and every stroke with how much closer it brought them to climax. It was Danny who broke the silence. "Mmmmm Zach I love your foreskin...it's soooo fuckin sexy. And your cock. Damn it's big. You keep saying it's smaller than mine. Umm...excuse me? I don't think so...well...marginal if at all in length and fuck it you are definitely thicker than me. Look!" and he pushed closer so that their cocks were standing hard and upright, his sudsy hands gripping both cocks and slowly jerking them together. The feeling of Danny's cock pressed up against his own was exquisite. He could feel the underside of Danny's meat, the channel where his hot boy juice flowed, against his own. He looked down. Danny was right he supposed, their cocks were closer in length than he'd imagined. Somehow when he saw Danny's....when he felt it...when he sucked it...it just seemed quite a lot bigger? "And look Zach. See how fuckin fat your cock is. Shit no wonder it split me in two last night," he laughed. He was bending forward slightly now and was holding his own cock out straight and Zach's as well so that they were kind of head to head....showing Zach that his cock was thicker than Danny's. Zach moaned quietly under his breath. Danny's persistent fingers were doing him in. "See Zach...you're fuckin huge! Mmm...damn I love the feel of it...so hard and...arghh this skin," he said easing it forward again over the head of Zach's cock. And as he did so, as natural as slipping a hand into a glove, Zach's foreskin slid over the top of Danny's cock. Simultaneously both boys gasped. "Oh my god." "Fuck. Oh wow Danny. Umm...um..oh wow..." Zach felt the head of Danny's big cock pressed against his own. The two slits were literally kissing. There was something primal about it...something sexual in the most basic of ways and they both knew it but not how or why. Danny felt the softness of Zach's foreskin over the top of his cock head. He could feel Zach's plump head slippery against the end of his own, but it was the foreskin that almost brought him to orgasm instantly. He had no way to explain the feeling...even to place the feeling in his own mind. Both boys were kind of frozen for a few seconds, eyes cast down at their cocks...joined together in Danny's hands. And then each looked up into the other's eyes. "Oh fuck Zach. Your skin....I'm in it...." and with that he pulled a little more. Zach's generous skin eased further until it fully encased the throbbing head of Danny's cock. A hiss escaped his lips. "Ahhhh for fuck's sake.....Zaachh. Zachie Zachie your skin....oh my god..." "Shit Danny. I can feel your cock...fuck you're hard. Faarck you feel so good..." Danny pushed Zach's skin back, revealing his own cockhead, and then pulled it back over again. "Ohhhhhh faaaackkk......Dannneeee...." He was jerking them both....with Zach's foreskin. He was so hard it felt like his cock might break. He felt so fuckin horny. Zach's skin was so soft and amazing, and when he pulled it over his own cock head there was that same wonderful feeling of the ridge beneath Zach's skin. He wasn't jerking fast, just steadily. And they were just small strokes, limited by how far Zach's skin would actually stretch...really just their cock heads. But the feeling was so intensely erotic that Danny knew he was going to cum...and soon. "Oh fuck Zach....I think I'm...oh Zaachh..." Zach was hard and horny too but not nearly that far advanced. He was surprised to see that Danny was already near to the edge. But he loved that. His lover boyfriend was getting off on his own foreskin. Danny picked up the pace a little. Now he encircled Zach's foreskin with just his thumb and index finger rippling the skin across the two cocks. He could feel his cum churning. "Ohhhh....aahhmmm....mmm...oh oh...Zaa..." Zach pulled Danny's face to his own with a fierce and passionate kiss, his tongue forcing its way into Danny's mouth and with his other hand he reached down to cup Danny's balls. They felt tight but huge. A load of juice was about to be let loose. He caressed them and massaged them, the tip of his index finger reaching back to massage Danny's taint. "Oh fuck!!! Fuck fuck fuck," Danny gasped, trying but failing to be quiet. Zach felt Danny's balls spasm and a split second later a hot burst of Danny's juice spurted from his cockslit against his own. Danny kept pumping Zach's foreskin as cum pumped over Zach's cockhead and ran out over Danny's fingers. Danny's knees were shaking with the effort of his orgasm and Zach's cock, swamped with Danny's cum throbbed and suddenly Zach knew he was there too. "Danny.....oh fuck you've...I'm...Dannnee farckk....ah...ahh...ahhhhhhh..." Danny felt Zach's cock throb under his fingers. He felt his cockhead pulse beneath his foreskin and then Zach's juice shot out of his aching cock to join the mess already made by Danny. "Fffff....ooahhhhh....ummmmm.....faaarckin hell Dan...neeee...." Zach was still cumming. More boyjuice erupted from his slit. Danny now had both his hands encasing their two cocks, still slowly pumping back and forth with Zach's skin. Cum dribbled down their shafts. Cum trickled onto the shower floor. Cum oozed out between Danny's fingers. "Oh my god Danny. Farckk what just happened? Well...other than the obvious..." Both boys had been taken by surprise. The ferocity of sensation of their docked cocks was a revelation. "Geeez Zach. I dunno I...fuck it was like...like sharing your foreskin." Even the saying of it resulted in a desultory throb from his now deflating cock. "Fuck I dunno....just so..." his voice trailed off. Standing and panting the boys leaned in for a lingering kiss. Suddenly they froze. Both had heard footsteps and voices. They held each other and held their breath. It was a father with a little boy. The steps went into the adjoining area...the urinal. Thank god for that they both thought. Zach grinned. "I told you that we'd get into trouble....and we nearly did!" "Ahh Zach...but how boring life would be without me hey?" "Haha. True....true. We'd better get washed....again...and get out of here. The olds will be wondering what's happened to us." He looked at Danny with a twinkle in his eye. "But just before we do that, just give me a minute to do this." Zach dropped to his knees, the shower beating on his head and shoulders, and he took the whole of Danny's soft cock in his mouth. "Mmmmmm....mmmm...." "Oh yeah Zachie that's good." Zach looked back up at him. "I love the feeling of your cock in my mouth when it's soft. Haha...well I love it hard too....of course! But....ummm I dunno...there's something about how it feels big and full even when it's soft that....just does it for me. And anyway...it's hardly ever soft hehe....so I have to take the opportunity when it's there!" He could taste cum and wondered whose it was. "Mmmm well Zach...please consider that you have open licence to suck my cock...anytime!" More footsteps. And this time they came into the shower area. A cubicle door closed and a shower started. Fortunately it was two or three further down. The boys took the hint, quietly finishing their shower. As they started to pull clothes on Zach held up Danny's Diesel briefs. "I do believe it's your turn," he said quietly. "Mmmm...I do believe you're right," said Danny, holding them out before him to examine the assorted stains more carefully. "You don't seem to have taken very good care of them..." "Oh. Believe me Danny....I have taken excellent care of them. Every single stain is a mark of my....appreciation hehe..." Danny slipped them on. It seemed like a week since Zach had seen Danny wearing them and he looked again with admiration. Danny's big cock filled them well. His cock dressed to the left and the length and width of it could be seen clearly through the light fabric. "Mmm well....maybe our cocks are pretty similar hard Danny but...yours is definitely bigger on the flop. Just look at how you fill those out....fuckin delicious...." And copping a last quick feel he pulled on his own boxer briefs. The boys quickly dressed before exiting the stall one at a time. "Damn...I sure could use some breakfast," laughed Danny. "Fuck yeah. Feels like we just blew a whole load of calories already." "Calories....is that what you call it...?" And the boys chattered as they wandered back to the camp site. As expected the parents were all up and dressed by the time they returned and the smell of cooked breakfast wafted through the air. "Yum!" called out Danny as they approached. "'Morning boys. What got you two up so early today?" "Need I point out," retorted Danny, "that in fact it was you lot who were late in fact!?" The parents collectively rolled their eyes. "All I can say is that it's a heavy irony when the teenagers are asleep in bed while their parents are out until all hours drinking and....doing god knows what." "Oh yes Danny darling," responded his mum holding his chin in her hand and smiling at him indulgently, "we partied all night whilst no doubt you two....were lost for anything to do back here..." "Well....I wouldn't say that exactly," Danny grinned. Zach was relieved that no-one chose to take up the obvious challenge. Goodness knows what Danny might say if anyone actually asked what they had got up to last night while the parents were out. The boys wolfed down massive plates of bacon and eggs on toast in no time. "Well you are both certainly hungry! Getting up early must do you good....you should try it more often," offered Zach's mum. "Oh and by the way one of your mates from up the beach...Justin...Josh maybe was it...? He dropped past while you were showering. He says that the surf's up and the forecast is it's going to be big today. I said I was sure you would be down as soon as you'd had breakfast." "Really? Cool! Let's go Zach..." "We'll just be around here today I think," called out Zach's dad after them. "I might even come down for a swim later too..." "Sure dad," called out Zach over his shoulder. "See ya laters...." The day was hot and blustery. Zach and Danny quickly slathered on sun screen and headed to the beach in just their boardies. As soon as they reached the sand they saw that Josh had indeed been right; there was a big swell with an offshore blustery wind. This was going to be fun. Quickly scanning the surf they picked what they thought was the best break and jogged down the beach before they paused to attach their ankle straps. "Yew!! Fuckin awesome," said Danny. "Yeah," said Zach a little less enthusiastically, "pretty fuckin big..." Danny looked at him quizzically. "I dunno...just hope I'm up to it...?" "You'll be fine!! It's gonna be sick. Come on Zach..." Danny paddled out first with Zach close behind. A set came through and the boys duck dived through one after the other. It was what they called a fat swell. This coast was known for it. And it meant that the waves had a huge volume of water behind them as they broke. It could be treacherous for the novice surfer. Not that either Zach or Danny would have been considered as novice, but probably this was the first season that Zach felt he could hold his own against Danny's greater experience and strength. Once they got out the back they caught up with a number of their holiday mates. There was a real buzz in the air with the big swell. Surfing was full of unwritten but well established, and mostly respected, rules. In particular first one up has the wave....and no dropping in! Equally, a break on a holiday beach at the height of summer, generally it was accepted by most of the groms that you pretty much took turns, paddling out and kind of queuing up out the back waiting for sets to roll on through. The boys chatted as they sat on their boards waiting and lining up their run. Danny was the first to go and he smashed it. He managed a long ride almost to the beach on a beautiful wave that sat up with a clean face all the way. He loved the relative silence of the wave once you were up and had your confidence. The whoops of friends drifted away behind you and it was just you and the ocean. It was definitely a happy place for Danny. Not as happy as his Zach place he pondered but...he loved this too. He dropped back onto his board and turned around to look back for Zach. He couldn't see him at first and immediately his heart tightened. But it was just a wave obstructing his view. Zach was easy to spot generally, those long blond tresses easy to see. Unlike many blonds Zach actually stayed really fair even when his hair was wet. Danny raised his arm triumphantly and let out a long whoop. Zach grinned and waved back. Look at him he thought...so taut and wiry...so full of life and confidence. Damn his heart leaped every time he saw him. Danny started to paddle back out but he saw Zach catch the next wave and he paused, watching him. It wasn't as clean a face as Danny's wave but Zach made a good go of it and bailed out not far past where Danny waited. The boys high fived and then paddled back out together chatting excitedly, describing their waves and what they could have done better. Two hours passed like minutes as the boys completed their circuit time after time. Their level of fitness only surpassed by their enthusiasm and eagerness for more. The tide was coming in as the middle of the day approached and the number of boys diminished. Some of the sets coming through were becoming quite treacherous. "I think I'll make this my last Danny. It's time for lunch anyway...." "Yeah ok." Danny sensed Zach was feeling a little unsettled. His last wave he'd taken quite a pounding...getting dumped heavily by a wave which just went rogue. "Let's go together on this one," and Danny was up and off. The wave was big and he could feel the massive energy of it lift him forward and down towards the beach. He looked behind expecting to see Zach with him...but he was nowhere to be seen. Then he got a glimpse over the crest behind him of Zach's hair. He hadn't come. Danny rode the wave strongly. It was true, the energy had changed as the tide came in and there was an unpredictability about the sets now which was unnerving, and there was a massive cutaway developing on the sand where huge volumes of water and sand were sucked back out by the vacuum behind each wave. Danny bailed out just before his wave crumbled, flopping down onto his board and paddling the last few metres to shore. He stood up and turned around scanning the water for Zach. He was still sitting out the back...waiting for a last wave to bring him in. Undoing his ankle strap Danny waved and waited...board under his arm...watching. From the safety of the beach Danny could see the sets rolling in. The blustery wind had picked up even more and was whipping the crests off the top of the waves, flying back like a horse's mane. Zach was looking out to sea as well, trying to pick a good clean wave to get him back to shore and lunch. Danny gestured to Zach to wait for the next set. It looked cleaner...but too late...suddenly Zach was paddling for all he was worth. "No no.." Danny heard himself mutter, "not that one..." But Zach was up. The water boiled around him and Zach ducked under a crumbling crest. But he managed a nice carve and found some clear water. He was looking around trying to find clear water and then the wave ahead of him stood right up clean and green and huge. Zach leaned into it and took off like a rocket down the face of it. Danny spontaneously let out a whoop of admiration for his mate. Danny could imagine the vibration in his own feet as Zach's board sliced through the face of the wave. It was the best wave either of them had ridden all morning. Zach was flying now and Danny could literally feel the exhilaration. His mouth hung open as he watched. But then Zach, either inadvertently or certainly inadvisedly, sliced up the face of the wave and as he reached the crest the monster rose up further and then curled over the top of Zach. Danny gasped as Zach lost all traction and the wave swallowed him, curled him over in its bubbling crest and then pummelled him into its depths. Worse still Danny recognised that Zach had moved so fast and so far that he was perilously close to a rocky headland, usually exposed and obvious but with this high tide was concealed but not far beneath the surface. Momentarily he lost sight of Zach entirely and then out the back of the wave Zach's board shot straight up into the air until it reached the extent of the leg rope at which point it ricocheted back and Danny saw clearly the nose of the board collide with huge force with Zach's blond head as he rose to the surface gasping for air. "No no no no no..." Danny started running along the beach. He had lost sight of Zach again but he could see his board on the water's surface. His heart pounded and he felt sick. Metres before he reached the board there was a massive undertow which sucked the water back from the beach, a wave reared up behind it with Zach actually in it and a second later it smashed onto the beach, foam and sand....and Zach...delivered like a gift almost at Danny's feet. "Zach Zach Zach...." Zach was on his back, his body bent oddly and his face lifeless. His mouth hung open, his limbs unmoving other than by the water sucking at them and his board, still in the water tugging at his ankle as if to haul him back in. And there was blood. A lot of blood. Fuck. Danny fought the urge to panic. He felt bile rise up in his throat but a part of him knew without shadow of a doubt that he had to be calm. It was entirely possible that Zach's life may actually rely on what he did in the next several minutes. And oddly that realisation somewhere deep down delivered to him a calmness which was the direct opposite of how he actually felt. He had no idea what injuries Zach may have suffered. Anything was possible. The power of the water was simply immense. He had done CPR training at school. He knew you weren't supposed to move someone if you could not be sure they hadn't suffered a spinal injury...but he had no choice...Zach was still half in the water and with every wave there was a risk he would get swamped. "Zach. Zach....can you hear me Zach?" he spoke calmly but firmly. He looked around on the beach but no-one else was nearby. Fuck...was he dead? Danny reached down under his arms and hauled him a couple of metres up the beach away from the water. Zach's eyes were closed. His face was lifeless. And blood...where was all the blood coming from? He could see there was some coming from his head where the board must have hit it but there was no way that could explain the blood mixing with water in the shallows and the trail left behind as he pulled him onto the sand. He bent to Zach's chest. His skin felt so cold to the touch. Danny's brain unhelpfully brought back to him his suggestion just this morning that he listen to Zach's chest sometime when he was wheezy. The thought of that conversation brought tears to his eyes in an instant and he blotted it out. He pressed his ear to the centre of Zach's chest. He fought to focus, to blot out the sounds of the surf and the panic of his fear, of his own blood pounding in his head. And he felt Zach's heart...loud and strong. And he felt his chest move beneath his head. He was breathing. Danny felt an overwhelming relief rush through him. He was alive! That at least. But why did he not respond? Danny's brain was struggling to compute. It was like walking in treacle. He knew the answer and yet he didn't. And then again his brain kicked in. Zach was unconscious. Of course. That was it...whatever unconscious actually was!? He remembered his training. He checked Zach's mouth. He hated the way it hung open like that but at least he could get a clear look inside. He probed with his fingers. How could something which only a day ago had been so amazing and new and sexy be suddenly so cold and fearful. He bent down again, this time to Zach's mouth. He was definitely breathing...and breathing clearly. He didn't even seem to have swallowed water. That's right....unconscious. But what did that mean? And what was Danny supposed to do? Zach was here but not here. Danny leaned over and took Zach's cold face in both his hands. He held it gently but firmly and then he spoke to him, face to face. "Zach. Zach....wake up Zach. It's me....Danny." Nothing. Danny felt a tidal wave of panic rise up from his stomach. Fuck fuck fuck! Again he resisted the urge to just lose control, to cry and rant and rave at the world. He had to do something. He had to fix this. To fix Zach! He didn't know why really but he patted Zach's cheeks. He felt sure that in the movies they slapped people's faces, but he could no more hit Zach than fly to the moon. "Zachie....Zachie come on. Come back to me Zach. I'm here. Come on...it's Danny. Come on Zach." And then, like a child's doll, Zach's eyelids fluttered. "Zach! Zach!" and then more calmly again, "Zach....Zach you're there. It's ok. I'm here Zach..." Zach's pupils were wide and dark. He didn't look right but at least he seemed to be coming back. He blinked again, more purposefully this time it seemed. Danny smoothed his forehead and brushed the hair back from his face. And then, like someone emerging from a deep sleep...or perhaps even an anaesthetic thought Danny, Zach's eyes seemed to find their focus and he looked right at Danny finally. His eyes engaged and Danny could almost feel Zach's battered brain struggling to make sense of where he was...what was happening. "Ddannee...?" he said almost a question. "Wha..." "Zach." Danny's heart felt it might burst. It was certainly thumping hard enough. "Zach. It's ok. I'm here. We were surfing. You got dumped. You're ok...you're ok..." "Danny..? I..." Zach started to drift again. No no no no no... "Zach! Stay with me Zach. Look at me Zach. I want to see you look at me Zach." And Zach did he was bidden. His eyes lurched back to Danny's and locked on. "Danny..." he said, as if for the first time. And then as if a realisation had just sunk in, "Danny!" and the merest hint of a smile flickered across his lips. Danny held his face in his hands again. "Zach. I need you to tell me....are you in pain? Is anything hurting Zach?" "Mmmmm....?" "Zach. Look at me. Are you sore? Are you in pain?" "Ummmmm....head...." mumbled Zach. Danny felt a wave of relief. Zach was using words....and there was logic. This was good. "Ok Zach. I want you to do something for me. Can you move your head....like side to side?" Danny demonstrated. And Zach followed his lead. No problem. "What about your arms Zach? Can you lift your arms? Try this one first," and Danny lifted Zach's right arm off the sand. Zach slowly lifted it right up. Danny repeated the exercise with Zach's left arm. And then he got Zach to lift his right knee. And then his left knee. And as Zach did that Danny saw the source of the blood. He'd forgotten all about the blood in his focus on getting Zach back to life. As Zach lifted his left knee Danny gasped as he saw a long and bloody gash along Zach's calf. Oh fuck! He stifled his gasp as best he could. Danny didn't seem to have noticed. And oddly he seemed not to be in pain from the leg either. Again Danny looked up and down the beach. Where the fuck was everyone? He saw their mate Josh. He'd just paddled in as well further down the beach but he'd noticed them. Danny waved at him...beckoning him over. "Danny? Uhhhhh....Danny I feel...." Zach was going to be sick. Quickly Danny rolled him onto his side. "It's ok Zach. It's ok..." Fuck this thought Danny. I need to get help. I need to get him to help! Josh was running over to them. Danny called out to him. "He got dumped. He's not good. I need to get him back now. Quick...can you just get the fuckin ankle rope off him?" And then to Zach, the essence of calm and reassurance. "Ok Zach. You're gonna be ok. But I'm just going to lift you up ok. We need to get you some help ok? Now if anything hurts when I pick you up...just tell me. Ok?" Zach didn't speak but he nodded his head. He understood. "Here...try to put your arm around my neck. Yeah...like that. Now try and hold on but don't worry if you can't. I'm not going to drop you ok. I promise." Zach was probably only 8 - 10 kgs lighter than Danny but he may as well have weighed a feather for all that Danny noticed. He scooped him up as a parent picks up a child who is hurt. He held him close and walked fast but steadily towards the sandy track back to their camp. Only when he was close enough that he could call out without alarming Zach did he summon the parents and with a remarkably efficient summary he explained what had happened. Zach's mum was a nurse and she performed her own superficial assessment as well as wrapping his leg in a clean towel before bundling the two boys into the car for a quick drive to the local hospital. Danny's parents stood watching the car drive off, their faces creased with concern. As they turned away Josh came along the path carrying Zach and Danny's surfboards up from the beach. "Is he going to be ok?" "Well....I guess that's what they will find out at the hospital. He must have had a big knock on the head...seemed like he was out cold for a few minutes at least, but he seemed to be improving even in the few minutes he was here so....fingers crossed. Did you see what happened?" "Nah. I was out the back when he took off. Didn't see. I got the next wave but when I paddled in I could see Danny hunched over him like...and I thought...that doesn't look good...." "Well thanks....Josh is it? Thanks for bringing the boys' boards back....really appreciate it." Josh turned to go but turned back again. "You're Danny's olds...err parents yeah?" "That's right..." "He was amazing. Just saying...cool as a cucumber...knew what he was doing. I'd 've been shitting myself if he was my mate." "Well....thanks Josh! That's a lovely thing to hear. Anyway...I'm sure Danny will let you know how he's going once they get back; and thanks again for bringing back the boards." * * * * * In the car Danny had not taken his eyes off Zach. Zach's dad was driving with Danny in the front passenger seat. Zach's mum was in the back seat with him where she could keep a close eye on her precious son. Danny sat twisted around with a hand on Zach's knee for the 20 minute trip into town. Somehow he just needed that physical connection. Zach was quiet. He didn't seem to be in a lot of pain although as his body warmed up he was clearly aware of his gashed calf as well as the sore head. He definitely was improving though. He seemed kind of....sleepy thought Danny but he had said a few things and he was able to answer questions sensibly. Zach's mum certainly knew what to look for and a couple of times she looked purposefully at Danny, clearly trying to reassure him. The hospital was very small. It was a coastal holiday town with just a few thousand residents when it was not summer holiday season after all. Barry pulled the car in right next to the front door. Opening the door for Zach he went to carry him but Zach was having none of it. "I'm ok Dad. I can walk..." But he clearly couldn't. Well not unassisted at least. In a flash Danny was beside him holding him up like a drunken sailor. "It's ok. I've got you. Here we go...come on...put your arm around my neck..." Barry and Annie exchanged glances. These boys...too beautiful... How can an afternoon disappear? At a hospital! The nursing staff put Zach through immediately despite the waiting room full of patients. The bloody towel bandage did look dramatic and when Annie told them that Zach had been unconscious for several minutes no-one was going to waste even a few minutes before arranging a scan. Even so, the afternoon wore on with a series of appointments and waiting rooms. Scans, X-rays, and of course wound cleaning, wound stitching, wound dressing. The good news for everyone was that Zach steadily improved as the hours wore on. He was certainly not his sparkly self but he was clearly entirely aware of his surrounding and quite able to speak coherently and to understand all that was said around him. Mostly he seemed tired and his leg was clearly causing him considerable pain and discomfort. He had a local anaesthetic for the stitches and his mood picked up dramatically after that. Finally, late in the afternoon, they headed back to the camp. * * * * * "Oh my god look at you," said Danny's mum as Zach and his parents, with Danny in tow, emerged from the car. "What's the verdict?" Annie looked at her sister, rolling her eyes. "Well...he'll live," she smiled, "let's sit down and have a cup of tea and we'll tell you all about it." A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the outside table in the late sunshine, Zach's bandaged leg having been inspected by all the parents. "So, we didn't have to wait long at the hospital fortunately. I think the amount of blood and the query head injury put him up the queue! Anyway they gave him a thorough going over. Good news is...no broken bones. Other than that, 22 stitches on the leg wound. It was quite deep in places but no muscle damage so the doctor is confident it will heal quickly." Danny and Zach were quiet. The morning's traumatic activities were certainly cause for some reflection. Danny sat as close to Zach as possible, a protective arm around his shoulder. It was as close an intimacy as he thought he could get away with and Zach was thankful for it. Really they just wanted to be alone, holding tight, sharing their thoughts and fears without even the need for words. "So no more surfing then?" asked Danny's dad Finn. "Hhhmm...well not for a day or two that's for sure," continued Annie, "though the doctor has dressed the wound with some of that magic waterproof 'skin' stuff which he says will be ok in the water. But he needs to keep this big bandage on it at least for tonight. I told them I'm a nurse so I think that helped. I'm supposed to check it before bed and then he can take that off in the morning and provided it's not particularly swollen or inflamed he's ok to get the other one wet." "It'll be fine," muttered Zach. The first words he had spoken since returning. "The not so good news," continued Annie, "is that he has a minor concussion. They did a scan and everything so..." and she smiled at Zach and Danny, deliberately trying to be reassuring as she went on "..so I don't think he's lost any brain cells!" Cue subdued laughter from everyone and a somewhat muffled joke from Danny about Zach not having any to spare. "So...do you need to take him back for a follow up?" asked Emma. "The stitches need to come out at the end of the week. The doctor said that at Zach's age it will heal quickly so that's good. And the concussion...nothing specific to follow up unless we are concerned. I guess because the actual scan was clear. He just said that Zach needs to take it easy for a day or two and most importantly he shouldn't be left alone...especially overnight." "Well that makes sense," replied Emma, "Finn...one of us could sleep in the tent with Danny? If you think it would be best for Zach to sleep in the caravan tonight?" "No!" said Danny rather too forcefully. And then more quietly...pleading almost "I can look after him. He'll be fine with me...really." The parents exchanged glances. Danny continued. He looked crushed, "I know it was my fault. I'm sorry. Zach. I'm sooo sorry Zach. I thought you were with me..." "Danny! Danny darling...it's not your fault," said his Aunty Annie. "Danny...no-one is blaming you. It was just an accident. These things happen. None of us would think it was your fault. I'm sure Zach doesn't. And after all...it was you who was there to rescue him." "Yeah...absolutely," chipped in Barry, "Zach's going to be fine. Shit happens sometimes. We're all lucky it's all that it is...no point trying to find blame!" Danny looked close to tears but he appreciated the comments. Zach's parents were like his own parents he thought sometimes, and he hated to feel that he'd let them down. "But...I can look after him tonight. If anything doesn't seem right...I'll come and get someone..I promise." "Well it's your call," said Emma looking to Annie and Barry. "One of us can go in the tent. Well..." she smiled, "actually....Finn can go in the tent.." They all laughed. Annie was watching the boys closely. Danny looked utterly crestfallen but it was her own son her gaze settled on. He looked at her beseechingly, his eyes pleading. There was a glimmer almost of panic there at what they might say. She knew what he wanted but was it ok? The doctor had said it was only a minor concussion...the scan was clear. Oh those boys....those dear dear boys! She glanced at Barry checking he was thinking the same. She knew he was. "No I don't think anyone needs to change beds. Danny will be a great nurse I'm sure. And I think Zach will probably sleep better in his...own bed." There was a discernible ripple through all the parents at this momentary faux pas but it was unnoticed by the boys who looked as if a weight had been lifted from them. "Thanks Aunty Annie..and Uncle Barry. Honestly...he's in good hands..." Oh god could it get any funnier. Zach hadn't taken his eyes off his mum. "Thanks..." he mouthed to her. 'She knows,' he thought to himself with absolute certainty, 'she knows!' "Well actually Danny," said Finn, "your mate...Josh brought your boards up for you but he made a point of telling us how amazing you were...on the beach I mean...with Zach. He said in fact that you were....let me get this right....cool as a cucumber!" A chorus of agreement from the other parents followed. "Not only that but I believe he indicated that...he would have been shitting himself...if it had been his mate..." Everyone laughed. But Zach's mum, waiting for the laughter to die down continued more deliberately. "Danny, seriously. You were actually amazing. When I saw you coming up the path with Zach in your arms...." She paused. "Well...let's just say it's any parent's worst nightmare...and with teenage boys it's always a worry," she added, "but you had done everything right Danny. Barry and I...we are very...very grateful that you were there with him and that you...looked after him so well...." Emma had been watching Danny closely. She knew her boy. He had always been a confident and outgoing child but emotions were never far beneath the surface. She knew the signs and she could tell that as he sat there with his arm around Zach's shoulders, fiercely protective...that he was struggling. "Well...I think we could all do with a cup of tea," announced Emma. "Danny...be a love...come and help me get the tea and some biscuits." Danny did not want to leave Zach's side....ever...but he stood up and followed his mum into the caravan. As the door shut behind him she turned to face him. In the comforting arms of their mother even a grown man is reduced to a mere child. Danny was almost a foot taller than his mother but he crumpled into her outstretched arms like a toddler who has scraped a knee and believes it to be the worst pain imaginable. Emma's arms scooped him up like the boy man he was, folding his head into her neck with an ease and confidence only a mother possesses. She felt hot tears against her neck and the gulping of his throat as he fought the emotions which threatened to completely engulf him. "I thought he was dead Mum!" he gasped, "I thought he was..." He was wracked with sobs, his entire body finally releasing the emotions he'd held in all afternoon. Twice her weight almost, Emma supported him seemingly effortlessly, the strength of a mother for her son holding her strong. "I saw his board hit him. I saw him...in the wave. And then he was just...on the sand but..and he wouldn't wake up!! I thought...I thought I'd lost him Mum.." and the tears streamed down his face and he cried like a baby...no pretence, just raw emotion. In Danny's view he had stared into the abyss...a life without Zach. "Oh darling. It's alright...it's alright. There there..." stroking his hair just as she had done for sixteen years through tumbles and scrapes and disappointments, pulling his neck down to her level. "He's ok. He's going to be just fine. And what you did Danny...you were amazing! Shh...shhh...it's alright darling...it's alright..." The shuddering in his chest slowly subsided but Danny clung to his mum, needing her strength, needing her unquestioning love and support and understanding. "I love him Mum." There. It was said. "I know darling...." A pause...and a deep, shuddering breath. "No mum I mean....I love him...." "I know darling. And he loves you." It was as much a statement as a question. "You know?" "Yes darling." "What...how? Really? Does everyone know? Dad?" Emma nodded. "But...but how?" "Darling boy. We're your parents...we're not four random adults who just happened to be here you know. We know you. We love you. And anyway," and she ruffled his hair lovingly, "biting Zach's neck is not exactly subtle..." "Oh god mum. That's so embarrassing. Poor Zach I..." and his voice faltered again, "...mum...I...I thought I'd lost him....on the beach...I..." "I know darling. I know. But it's alright Danny. He's going to be just fine. You're both going to be just fine!" And he knew she meant more than just now. She held his head against her and rubbed his back in that age old gesture which said somehow that all was somehow going to be ok. "Come on. Here...dry those tears. We'd best get the tea before everyone comes looking for us." "Mum? Is it really ok? I mean...me and Zach...you know..??" "Darling boy...darling boys," she corrected herself, "I know it sounds like a cliché but...we love you...both of you...for who you are. It's quite simple really." She took his face in her hands, just the way she had done when he was little, except that now she had to bend him down to her level and she planted a kiss on each wet cheek. She quickly wiped away a tear from her own eye, "Come on you big bruiser....help me get the tea..." Afternoon tea was a welcome distraction from the day's worries. No-one specifically suggested any arrangements but naturally the afternoon activities focused around the camp. Someone brought out a pack of cards and they all sat outside in the warm evening air, just enjoying each other's company. Not buried far in the parents consciousness was the relief with which they had counted their blessing only last night after hearing of their friends struggles and challenges with children, only to find that 12 hours later one of their own had come frighteningly close to serious injury or even death. And all of this of course on top of the revelation as they returned to camp late last night that their sons, cousins and best friends pretty much from birth, were actually now...in a relationship...boyfriends! It had certainly been an eventful 24 hours and a quiet afternoon, a necessity for Zach, was just as welcome for everyone. Bit by bit Zach came good. He seemed to have found his voice and engaged in the card game willingly. Mostly, by his own admission, he just seemed very tired. His mum suggested he have a nap but Zach said he wanted to go to bed at a normal time...otherwise he wouldn't sleep properly at night. Secretly he hated the thought of settling down in the tent for a sleep without Danny beside him. Over afternoon tea Danny had described for everyone what had actually happened, as best he could tell from what he saw from the beach. Truthfully Zach's memory of it was hopelessly fuzzy. Even the ride on the wave before he got dumped, which Danny described as 'totally sick', was lost somewhere inside his brain. And as for being unconscious on the sand...he had no recollection at all. He had a vague memory of Danny's face, his eyes piercing his own...and Danny talking to him but his words not really making sense. His parents described hearing Danny calling out to them, turning around and seeing him walking up the track with Zach in his arms, cradling him like a baby. They said what an amazing job Danny had done to take care of him. Not that any of that surprised Zach, even though it did seem as if they were describing an event which had happened to someone else. Of course Danny would have looked after him. Of course Danny would have been cool in a crisis. None of that surprised him one bit. But Zach could tell, even in his befuddled state, that Danny was not in a good space. He was reserved and uncommonly quiet in the card game which would normally have been his opportunity to play the fool and have a lot of fun. Zach kept catching Danny looking at him. Not that that was unusual in itself. Danny looked at him a lot. But there was a hint of...what was it? Fear almost in his eyes? Late in the afternoon Finn asked Zach what he would like for dinner. It should be Zach's choice he said given the drama. Zach didn't need to think long. Pizza. "Good plan Zach," said his dad. "Well I tell you what, given it's been a pretty full on sort of a day, how about we have an early dinner? Probably we could all do with an early night?" "Yes good idea," agreed his mum. "How about you and Barry go into town to pick up the pizzas while I check Zach's dressing. Then we can eat as soon as you get back and all be settled for a nice early night." The boys glanced at each other. It was the first good news they'd had all afternoon. "Ok. Danny you help me clear all this away while Auntie Annie sorts Zach out." "But...." Danny started. He wanted to be with Zach. But his mum gave him one of those looks and he stopped short. "Sure...." Shortly the car headed off down the track again, Danny and his mum were ensconced in the caravan, and Zach and his mum were in the tent. Annie propped Zach up with his leg stretched out along his mattress and gently started to unwrap the big outer bandage. "Thanks Mum...for before." "What for?" "You know. For not making me sleep in the van..." "That's ok darling. It was a thoughtful suggestion from Auntie Emma but...I know you'd sooner be here with Danny. And honestly you will probably sleep better anyway. And I know he feels like it was his fault, but I trust Danny 100% to look out for you so...there you go. It's all good." She was bent over his leg so he couldn't read her face. Zach started to say something but paused. There was a silence and, as if reading something into it, she looked up at him. Zach opened his mouth to speak but again paused. His mum knew him too well. She didn't push. But neither did she fill the silence. She waited patiently, giving him space. He looked at her very directly. Her heart melted. Her little boy....her gentle, beautiful child....how close had they come today to losing him? And quietly but carefully he spoke. "You know...don't you?" She said nothing...but returned his gaze. "About Danny...about...me and Danny?" Still she said nothing. Zach's eyes welled up. "You know..." "Well precious. Since you ask....yes...I do..." "He loves me Mum!" Zach's eyes were wide and implored her to understand. "And what about you Zach? How do you feel?" Zach felt his cheeks burning and his eyes glittered with a sudden rise of emotion. "I love him Mum. I love him sooo much. Just before...the thought of not being with him tonight...oh Mum..." His eyes brimmed with tears at the very thought of his being separated from Danny even for the one night. "Is it ok Mum? Do you mind? We can't help how we feel!" "Ohhh Zach honestly...of course I don't mind." She hugged him to her. He still felt like her little boy despite his height and his deep voice and her knowledge that suddenly he was anything but a little boy really. "I brought you into this world and you have given me nothing but joy ever since. You have a beautiful soul my darling and that Danny is the luckiest boy on earth that you love him so! I've seen the way he looks at you...the way you look at each other. How could any of us not be happy for both of you?" Zach squeezed her tight and buried his head in her shoulder. He smelled just the same as the boy she'd fed and clothed and bathed all these years yet he was not a little boy anymore. He had a sweetness about him, a character which for years she worried was almost too gentle for this world. Dear boys. No wonder Danny loved him. Who would not!? "Thanks Mum! Do the others know? Dad?" "Well yes precious everyone knows. I mean...the two of you were not exactly subtle you know..." "What do you mean? Oh....the hickey," and his hand went automatically to his neck, "ummm yeah....thanks Danny," he smiled only slightly self-consciously, "I guess that was a bit of a giveaway?" "Umm yes! But not just that. You two have always been thick as thieves but....you seem to have taken that to a new level this year and....well I don't know that I've seen too many teenage boys walking along the beach hand in hand recently....ever....?" She smiled at him and ruffled those long blond locks. "It's ok Zach...really. As a matter of fact we were all talking about it just last night...but we thought we should wait for you to tell us." Zach looked at her seriously now. "Mum...it's not just...a thing...you know..? It's not just," he blushed deeply, "it's not just...mucking around. We really love each other. I think about him....all the time..." "Bless you precious. I know...we all know. Frankly....I think you are both so very lucky to have found each other. No doubt there will be some challenges ahead but you....we...will work our way through them as they arise and ultimately...love always overcomes Zach....love always overcomes..." Zach threw his arms around her and squeezed hard. "Mum thankyou...thankyou thankyou!! We're so lucky..to have each other but to have you guys! Not many parents would be cool about something like this that's for sure." "Well I fear that you are probably right about that. And what an awful statement that is about the world. We love you Zach...more than anything else in the world. And we are so very proud of the beautiful young man you're growing into. And we love Danny too for that matter...so what's not to celebrate hey?!" She gave him one of her meaningful looks and kissed him on his still soft cheek. Bless she thought, he's not even shaving and here we are talking about his boyfriend...his cousin. And it seems only yesterday he was learning to walk. "Now...dry those tears, and quickly let's have a proper look at this leg so we can all have an early night." Zach leaned back on his elbows so his mum could get a good look at the thin skin type bandage covering the length of the gash. She could see the dark stitches through the thin covering. Gently she felt along the wound, testing for any undue heat or inflammation that might suggest an infection. The doctor had pumped him full of antibiotics so everything should be good but...one thing she has learned as a nurse...never take anything for granted. She was pleased with what she could see. "How painful is it Zach?" "Ummm...not at all really. Like...it's sore when you press on it but when it's just still I can't feel it at all." "Probably still some anaesthetic running around your veins. Well, it will probably be pretty sore tomorrow I'm afraid but hopefully not too bad. If it is a problem during the night you can have some Panadol. I'll make sure Danny keeps some handy." "Thanks Mum." Even the mention of his name was enough to make Zach's heart skip a beat. Danny! Reading his thoughts his mum smiled up at him.. "Yes darling. Danny...." * * * * * The car crunched along the gravel followed by the slamming of doors and a cry of 'Pizza's here" from Finn. "Perfect timing," said Zach's mum, reaching up for a kiss on the cheek. "Come on...let's eat." The mood was positive. The day's stress seemed a long way behind them and the sight of Zach wolfing down pizza put a smile on everyone's faces. He was more quiet than usual but other than that he seemed in pretty good form. The parents all seemed to have had a load lifted from their collective shoulders and in an odd kind of way the possibility of what might have happened this morning...broken neck, paralysis, brain damage...death even, built further on their conversation and thoughts of the previous evening. They did indeed feel blessed that their boys were healthy and happy. This latest revelation, that their dear boys were in fact in a relationship, well...whilst certainly a surprise was absolutely a beautiful thing. They could all see that. Their love and care for each other, their interdependence and complementarity of personality...all of that was clear in everything they said and did every minute of every day. How could it be any other way. Admittedly it had come as a surprise. None of the parents had picked their son to be gay. Only Danny's mum had harboured even the slightest of doubts. She was surprised, she'd considered a number of times, given that Danny had hit puberty a good few years ago and given he had a number of female friends at school, that nothing had...developed with any of them. Danny was such a gregarious boy and he often had girls over at home. He was handsome and athletic, not to mention great company. She had noticed how some of them looked at him. Mothers noticed these things after all. But never had she seen Danny pay anything more than friendship to any of them. Well...now she knew why....with absolute certainty. She watched Danny now. He was sitting next to Zach, trying to look very casual and relaxed, but his eyes barely moved from Zach. He watched his every move. She could scarcely imagine Danny's horror on the beach this morning. The shock of seeing Zach motionless like that on the beach, the dread of not knowing how badly he was injured, along with the responsibility to do something. Little wonder he looked literally traumatised. The best thing they could do, she thought, would be to let the boys have some time just to themselves. She realised that they had not been together just the two of them since in fact the trauma on the beach. Just at that moment Danny glanced up and noticed his mum watching him. He looked so young and vulnerable in that moment. She felt so proud of him. His worst possible nightmare had unfolded before his very eyes and in that moment he knew it was all up to him. For all he knew, Zach might die or be paralysed dependent on what Danny did in those next critical minutes. But he had not flinched. He had swallowed down his fear, his panic and swung seamlessly into action. An experienced and mature adult could not have done a better job. She locked eyes with him and mouthed 'I love you'. He smiled back but it was not a real Danny smile. That was it she thought. Time to move. "Ok everyone, pizza was great and now I reckon we could all do with an early night. It's been a pretty full on day...and these young men in particular look as if they are totally smashed! Let's quickly clear up and get to bed." Danny realised his mum was doing it for him. He returned her look with one of appreciation. "Actually boys, we will clear up. You two hit the sack....but not before you've given us all kisses good night. It's been a helluva day. I think we could all do with that!" Perhaps significantly the boys did not even put up mock resistance. Both of them had good reason to appreciate life in general and their wonderful parents in particular. "Now Danny..." started his Auntie Annie. But before she could get any further Danny completed the sentence. "I know I know," he said, "if Zach seems in any way out of sorts....if I'm at all worried...I'll come and wake you up." He smiled at her "And I will! I promise!" And grinning at Zach, "God knows he's given me enough grief already today...I'm not handling any more of it on my own..." Zach smiled. Everyone smiled. That was a bit of the old Danny back already. "Alright. Bed! Be off with you both..." The parents watched the boys disappear into their tent. Sharing looks of both relief and wonderment they set about clearing away dinner. "Well...what a fuckin day," said Finn quietly. "24 hours more like," added Barry and they laughed quietly. * * * * * The boys were barely into the tent and they fell into each other's arms. Danny reached out and touched Zach's hair. Zach turned to kiss his hand. Silent at first...for minutes in fact. Just gentle touching, holding...just the closeness and comfort of each other. There was so much to say and yet for a long while nothing was said. Holding each other close, it was almost like it was the first time. It seemed so long they'd had to wait today for this moment that it was like learning anew the feeling of each other, the body heat of being so close, the smell, the beating hearts and wandering hands. But this was no erotic exploration. This was a reclaiming of security, a restating of stability, a celebration that they were both ok...both here...where they should be. It was Zach who broke the spell. He pulled back so that he could look at Danny directly. "Danny. You saved my life!" Danny shook his head but Zach took it between his hands and looked him in the eyes. "Yes Danny. Yes. You saved my life. Simple as that. You are so fuckin amazing. I don't remember much at all still. Fuck knows maybe I never will but Mum and Dad told me. They said that you carried me back from the beach. They said that they were just sitting around reading or something and they heard your voice....calling them...and they turned around and there you were, carrying me like a baby." Danny was silent. Still. "Thank you Danny. It sounds so dumb...so completely inadequate but...thank...you! I love you Danny. I love you....soooo much..." "I love you too Zach! I love you...I need you...I can't imagine life without you Zach. But this morning....Zach..." his voice broke. "Sshh shhh Danny it's ok it's ok....I'm here...I'm good..." But it was too late. Danny had held it all in so long. With the exception of the brief few minutes with his mum Danny had been strong, resourceful, resilient. He had pushed away into the dark recesses of his brain the image which now forced its way back....of Zach, lifeless on the beach. He relived with shocking clarity the moments of sheer panic and dark despair as he thought he had lost Zach. Danny's chest heaved, his face crumpled and the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Ohhhh Danny I'm so sorry...." They clung to each other as if their lives depended upon it. Zach felt Danny's face hot and wet against his neck. He was trying to get his words out but the emotion kept overwhelming him. "Zach I thought.....Zach.....I thought...." he simply couldn't bring himself to say it. "Danny it's ok. I'm here. And I'm fine...thanks to you...." Now Danny was cross with himself, frustrated that he literally couldn't say it. It was like naming the devil. "Zaaachh. Let me...I ...need...to say this! Zach I thought you....I thought you....were..." Still he couldn't say it. "....gone..." his voice trailed off.... "I thought you were gone Zach..." Danny was wracked with sobs. He buried his face in Zach's shoulder. Zach felt hot tears running down his neck. Danny's whole body was shaking. He realised that no words could ease Danny's pain, that there was nothing he could say, nothing he could do to erase the experience that Danny had endured on the beach in those moments when he thought that Zach was actually dead. And Zach found it all too easy to imagine his own feelings if the situation had been reversed. It seemed dramatic he knew but, he just felt that he would not want to go on living without Danny. So he held Danny to him, feeling his taut frame pressed against his own, so strong and virile and yet so completely vulnerable in this moment. They swayed gently together almost like a slow waltz to some long forgotten tune in their heads. Slowly slowly Danny's sobs ebbed away and his breathing began to feel under control. He took a deep shuddering breath and then sighed long and hard. "Ohhhh fuck Zach....just....don't ever leave me ok?! Just...just don't do that ok..?" "Never Danny! Anyway how could I...when I have my very own superhero to take care of me?" Both boys smiled, eyes taking each other in. Zach wiped Danny's tears away. He's so beautiful he thought. And somehow the inherent contradiction of that masculine lively face wet with tears was all the more entrancing. They kissed gently and then held each other close by way of closing the matter somehow. "Anyway," said Danny, "you're supposed to be in bed getting an early night's sleep. And I promised your mum I would look after you so....come on...let's do it...into bed!" he grinned. "God I love you Danny." And in a few minutes the boys were snuggled up together in Danny's bed. Danny was worried that Zach's leg would get bumped but Zach assured him it was fine, and anyway it was on the other side to Danny. Without a word they slipped into their favoured arrangement, Zach enveloped under Danny's protective arm. And quietly now and with the drama behind them with some perspective they talked quietly about all that had happened. "Oh my god," said Danny suddenly, "fuck I forgot....I told Mum!! About us I mean. I told her..." "Oh my god indeed," said Zach, "well that's a funny thing because...I told mine!" They looked at each other with a mix of shock and relief. "Well, to be accurate, I kind of accused her of knowing already," corrected Zach. "I dunno...I just knew she knew," he chuckled...and she did!" "Mum said that they all knew already," said Danny, "and that....like...they're all cool with it!" "Ummm yeah. Same! Mum said that they'd had a really freaky evening out and that they'd been talking about how lucky they were that..." and he giggled as he said it, "...that we're so normal." They both had a bit of a laugh about that but talked some more about how incredibly lucky they were to have parents who were not just relaxed about discovering their sons....were in a relationship but were actively supportive. "We should do something for them," said Danny. "You know...something to show them how much we appreciate them." "That's a brilliant idea. But what could we do..?" "I dunno. We'll think about it. There must be something...? Anyway...now is not the time. You are supposed to be going to sleep. So...no more talking." It was true. And Zach was in fact very tired. His leg was sore and so was his head. He no longer felt vaguely faint but he did feel unusually tired. But then it had been a rather big day! He snuggled closer into Danny. He felt so warm and strong. Zach's face rested against the side of Danny's chest and he could smell him. There was something amazingly unique about his smell and Zach loved knowing that no-one else in the world knew that particular essence the way he did. The boys were quiet, young hearts beating strongly, young chests rising and falling in unison. But despite the exhausting nature of the day, and despite Zach actually feeling tired, both boys lay with their eyes open, brains still processing all that had happened. Quietly...a whisper in fact, Zach turned his face to Danny's... "Danny...I'm really tired but...I'm really really horny..." "Oh my god Zach!" Danny was genuinely taken aback. "We can't do stuff...you're supposed to be going to sleep. You're supposed to be taking it easy. I promised your mum I would look after you..." he smirked, "...and I don't think that would include having sex!!" "But Danny....I can't help it. And maybe it would help me get to sleep," he pleaded. And he took Danny's hand, pulling it down under the blanket and onto his hard young cock. "Mmmmm...yeah.." he murmured thrusting his cock into Danny's hand. "Zaaachh..." complained Danny, but needless to say his resistance was weak. "Well....I don't know Zach....? Honestly...you don't seem right. You seem kind of floppy...haha well other than this bit..." "Please Danny. I am really tired but...? Actually....and umm this sounds terrible but...I don't think I can do anything really but....maybe could you just....jerk me off...?" And as he whispered the last three words he kissed the side of Danny's jaw. "Please Danny....and then I'll go to sleep. Please....??" And Zach lay back in Danny's arm, a conscious surrender to his ministrations, but his cock gently thrusting into Danny's fist. Danny was quite sure that this was not what the doctor had in mind when he said that Zach should get an early night. Nor what the doctor meant by someone needing to be with him throughout the night to keep an eye on him. But as if he could resist. He raised himself up on his side, one arm still under Zach's neck but the other free to pleasure his mate. He bent down and ever so gently kissed Zach's open lips while his fingers traced a deliciously light dance along Zach's raging hard on. He felt Zach inhale deeply and his chest rose beside him. Easing his lips from Zach's he found one pert little nipple and then the other, flicking the tip of his tongue over them before encasing them in his lips and nibbling ever so delicately on their hardening buds. "Ooohhh yeah Danny.....oh fuck yeah....you know how to turn me on...I loooove how you play with me..." Danny tossed the blanket back to give him better access and also so that he could see Zach properly. He was utterly exquisite. His lean smooth body was nothing less than perfect and his heavily bandaged leg somehow actually added to the allure. He reached behind him under his pillow and found the lube, tearing open a packet with his teeth and then squeezing a generous portion over Zach's cock. Zach felt the cool liquid and moaned with anticipation. Danny bent back to his task of teasing Zach's delicious nipples and his hand reached down between Zach's legs to play with his big balls, smooth and plump, already charged with boy cum ready to be released. "Mmmmm.....mmmm...ohhh yeah Danny....." He cupped Zach's balls in the palm of his hand and massaged them almost before raking his finger nails across the sensitive skin, sending Zach into a near frenzy of soft moans. His hips lifted up to meet Danny's attentions and Danny extended his middle finger down beneath Zach's balls, stroking his taint as he teased his balls. "Ohhhhhhhhh....faarckk yeah...." Finally Danny returned to Zach's aching cock spreading the lube along its hard shaft before wrapping his fingers around the throbbing meat, lifting it away from Zach's smooth tummy and slowly jerking its whole length. "Ohhhhhhhh my god," moaned Zach, 'ohhhh my fucking god Danny! Oh fuck...it won't take long Danny...it won't take long. Faaarcckk you turn me on sooo bad..." Danny eased on the nipple play and sat back up again. He wanted to be able to see Zach...to watch his face as he came. Damn he looked so angelic. He was utterly beautiful. "Oh Danny," Zach whispered over and over, "Oh Danny....Danny....Danny...." Zach's cock was urgent for release. His shaft was swollen and hard as rock. His fat balls were tightening in their sack and his cockhead was bulging, the slit wide with anticipation. Danny alternately jerked Zach with his fleshy foreskin and then without. He noticed though that when he caressed Zach's cockhead bare, with the loose skin pulled back, that it seemed to send Zach into almost a frenzy of passion. He moaned and his head arched back hard. Zach was breathing heavily and his hips were thrusting up into Danny's slick fist. "Uh uh Zach," he whispered, "if we're gonna do this it's gonna be slow and gentle!" As if that would make the difference! "Oh Danny yeahh....just...just...ooahhh farckk Danny...what you do....ohhh mmmmm...." Danny looked down on him. He was a fractured angel. He looked so young and perfect, his smooth skin wet with lust, his head tipped back over Danny's arm..hair tumbling around him on the pillow, his hard fat cock aching to cum, his long hairless legs and that big bandage down his calf. Zach lifted his knees up slightly and he spread his legs wider. It was an unconscious surrender to his lover. Take me...take all of me. "Zach you're so beautiful....soooo fuckin beautiful...." "Danny....oh Danny....mmmmmfff....mmmm...." "Do you wanna cum baby? Tell me you want to. Tell me what you want me to do...." "Oh Danny," he hissed, "yes yes! Please Danny I wanna cum....I need to cum. Jerk my cock Danny...play with me...you make me feel...ohhhhh fuckk Danny...please pleeaaase...." Danny picked up his tempo ever so slightly but he was determined to get Zach there with just his cock head. He could see it was super sensitive and now he started to jerk the head using just his thumb and index finger around the edge of the head, kind of flicking it up again and again. Zach responded with more moans and he drew his legs up further and spread them wide. Danny relented just briefly from his head torture to reach down to those big balls again. Damn they were big and full of cum. Whereas they had been deliciously loose in his hand a few minutes ago now they were warm and firm, tight against the base of his cock. He loved the feel of them in his palm. Zach was young and smooth pretty much all over but these balls and his cock....they were a man's. They were a veritable power source. He remembered how just last night these big balls had delivered a massive load of juice deep into his ass. He remembered the unique mix of pain and ecstasy as his young lover literally ploughed his guts. And he remembered how only a few hours ago on the beach he had held this same exquisite body in his arms, cold and clammy and seemingly lifeless. How could life toss up such contradictions in just 24 hours. And he looked down again at Zach's face. His wet lips were slightly parted and Danny could see the pink of his tongue. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were gently closed, those long lashes against his cheek. Damn he was beautiful. "Danny....please make me cum Danny....I'm so horny...." Danny smiled as he looked at his precious lover and he went back to Zach's cockhead. "Ahhhhhh yesss!" Zach sighed. "yes yes.....Danny....mmmm...." Again playing only with the head of Zach's cock Danny jerked but kind of rotated his hand at the same time. It seemed like Zach had been electrocuted. His body jerked and stiffened all over. "Ooaaahhhhh FUCK yeah Danny!! Ohhhhh fuck yeah....fuck yeah...." Danny maintained tempo and pressure. The head of Zach's cock felt enormous in his palm. And hot. It actually felt hot as he rotated and jerked it again and again. And then he felt the wetness of Zach's precum leaking prodigiously from the gaping slit. It added to the slippery mess. Zach's breathing started to get shallow. His chest heaved and his legs lifted his ass off the bed. "Oh oh. Oh Danny...Danny....oohh ummm...I'm....mmmmff....Danneee..." Danny looked down at Zach's cock. It seemed huge against his smooth pale tummy and the balls taut between his thrusting legs. His fingers flew over Zach's cockhead. Zach was very close. And he looked back at that angel face. That's what he wanted to see. Zach's breathing was fast and hard...he was panting. "Danny...." And then Zach lifted his head up a bit. He opened his eyes and of course looked directly into the besotted gaze of his lover. He gasped. His mouth opened and shut again. "Danny! Ohhhhhhhhhhhh....oh Danny. I'm.....fffff...." And as the first stream of hot boy juice shot from Zach's throbbing cock Danny bent to Zach and they kissed deeply. Danny could hear Zach's throat making satisfied noises as he came again and again but his mouth was sealed against Danny's and he sucked hungrily on Danny's tongue. Danny continued to jerk Zach's cock, the masses of ejaculate making the task deliciously slippery. Again and again he felt the hot meat pulse with the force of another load of boy cum on its journey. There was cum over Zach's stomach, his chest and a goodly amount of it in Danny's hair. Finally his shaft started to soften and a few desultory gobs of cum oozed from his slit. Danny reached down between his legs to feel those big balls, tired from their exercise, relaxing back into their silken sack. They felt big but spent, the softness returned. "Mmmmm...." said Danny, "damn that was good. Jeez you sure do spill a shitload of cum Zach." "Ooahhh faarrck....so good Danny....so good...." Zach lay quietly for a moment, his body utterly spent, his head still supported on his lover's arm. "Danny...I soo fuckin love you...." "I know. Same same huh..." and with a cummy hand he brought Zach's face back to his for a gentle lingering kiss. "And now....time for sleep!" "Well....almost time for sleep Danny...." "Zach....you promised...." "But Danny...." Zach's hand found Danny's cock, hard and eager against his stomach, "it's your turn." "No Zach. You need to go to sleep. You're too tired!" "Mmmmm....I am tired Danny...too tired to do much," and he whispered again, that deliberately naughty smile on his face, "....but...not too tired to watch. I wanna see you jerk off Danny....jerk off...and cum on me!" Danny was conflicted again....but honestly not very much so! His cock ached from the arousal of bringing Zach off by hand and, whilst he was genuine in his concern for Zach to get some proper rest, he couldn't see any harm in him just watching. And let's face it, he was so turned on that it was not going to take very long. "Zach....you're very naughty," he grinned "in sooooo many ways hehe. Damn...I love you so much. How can you be such an angel and such a devil all at the same time?" he laughed. "Mmmmm well I'm sure I don't know what you mean," said Zach quietly. He genuinely was not his normal self; still a bit 'out of it' but certainly he knew what he wanted. "Mmmm come around here...beside me. I want a really good view..." Danny shifted so he was kneeling to Zach's right kind of level with his chest. No doubt Zach had a good view! Looking up at his lover Zach marvelled at the sight. Danny's long torso stretched above him, lean and muscular and smooth. He gipped his big cock in his right hand and started jacking his shaft in long slow strokes. It was what Zach imagined to be a quintessential jerk off stroke, fist completely engulfing the shaft and strokes from head to base again and again. Danny's cock stood up strong and proud and Zach loved how his big plump balls moved as if with a life of their own, partly in response to the stroking of his shaft and partly that mysterious way that balls have of moving seemingly independently within their soft sack. Zach imagined the load of boy cum which was already churning, urgent for release. His eyes were closed as he focused on the task...literally at hand. Danny could feel his balls beginning to tighten. As expected, release was not far off. He picked up the pace slightly with his hand. Danny knew he had a big cock and he did actually get off on it himself to some degree. He loved the feeling of it in his hand, the way even his long fingers only just wrapped around its full girth when hard. And whilst he was utterly fascinated by Zach's foreskin he loved the way the head of his cock throbbed atop his tight shaft when he was fully engorged. He stroked the full length of it enjoying the power it gave him and the sense of its size. With each stroke as he reached the top his thumb flicked quickly over the head for an extra feel. "Danny...." Zach interrupted his focus. He opened his eyes and looked down at him. "Danny...put your other arm behind your head." Danny did as he was bidden though feeling ever so slightly silly. But that thought was immediately vanished as Zach spoke again. "Mmmmmm yeah Danny I love that. I wish you could see yourself. Your massive fuckin cock standing up there....your muscles...your big chest and....mmmmm and that pit....faaarckkk I love how you've got just a bit of fuzz there Danny! Mmmmm...it really turns me on Danneee....." And with that Zach raised his right arm and with his fingers gently caressed Danny's fat balls. "Ahhhhhh yeahhhhh...." moaned Danny. With the tips of his fingers he raked the back of Danny's plums and with the ball of his thumb he caressed first one and then the other. They felt massive in his fingers. So hot. So bulging with cum. "Ahh fuck Zach. Fuck fuck that feels good....." Zach's fingers trailed up a little and he wrapped them around the base of Danny's shaft. His cock seemed enormously thick and powerful. With every stroke of his cock Danny's fist bumped against Zach's hand. That felt good too. Zach was loving this. He so wanted to always be playing with Danny's body himself and yet this was super erotic as well....seeing Danny worship his own cock...getting himself off. "Zaaachheeee....I'm getting close Zachy I'm getting close....ooahhh....fff....mmm.." "Cum on my chest Danny. Cum on top of my cum. I wanna feel your hot juice on me..." Danny moaned. A kind of guttural...almost animal noise. "Oooahhhh....Zach...you're sooooo baadd..." He changed up the pace slightly now, pushing his cock down and out from his body and started to pump the shaft just as far as the bulging head. Zach's eyes were fixed on that head. The slit was wet with precum and starting to gape. "I'm....mmmm Zaaachh...." Zach knew Danny really was on the edge. The shaft of his cock was thick and hard and the vein running down it was blue and raised like a cord. The head was glistening and red with urgency. He found a puddle of cum and lube collected in his belly button and dipped his middle finger into it, smearing the slippery mix around the end of his finger. His hand went back to Danny's balls. With his thumb he pressed between the two balls, pulling back on the sack in the middle so that Danny's balls, already swollen with boy juice appeared almost indecently large stretched back tight. And with his fingers he expertly slid between Danny's tight little boy butt. His cheeks separated as if by magic and with extraordinary skill, or intuition, or both Zach's middle finger found Danny's hole. Danny looked momentarily startled. His eyes opened wide. A split second later the tip of Zach's finger penetrated his ring and he experienced the ecstasy of penetration once more. "Fuck fuck FUCK!!! Ohhhhh my god Zach....faarckkk me....." Zach pushed a little harder and the tip of his finger discovered the bulge of Danny's prostate. He didn't have any idea of the whys and wherefores of that but Danny's reaction told him that was good....that was real good! Danny cried out, his head tipped right back and as his hips swung forward in counterbalance Zach's finger naturally slid even further in...up to the hilt. "Ffffffffff.......fffaaaaaarr....." Zach hadn't taken his eyes off Danny's cock head. A small shot of precum let loose from his slit. Danny's pumping paused and his fingers gripped his cock just below the head. There was a brief stillness. Zach pushed his finger again...hard into Danny's chute and with that he yelped and the first volley of juice erupted from his aching cock. Zach watched as it arced up and over like one of those old fountains of boys pissing in a pond. With a satisfying warmth he felt Danny's cum splatter on his chest. Danny's hand was back in action now, slowly pumping shot after shot of cum from his cock. "Ohhhhhh fa fuck's sake Zach.....oooaahhhhhh...." Still more cum erupted. Zach felt load after load on his chest, his nipples and even his throat. He felt some trickling down his side. Mmmm it felt so good. Eventually Danny's loads slowed and Zach looked lovingly at the last gobbets of Danny's juice which oozed from his cock slit and trickled down over his fingers and shaft. He eased his finger from Danny's ass and slid his hand up Danny's slippery shaft, over his hand and then engulfed the still throbbing slippery head of Danny's cock. Encasing the head in his own fingers he pushed down so that Danny's hand released his cock and Zach just slowly and lovingly caressed the fat cock as it slowly subsided. Danny looked exhausted. His head hung down and he watched Zach with a sated and almost overwhelmed expression. "Mmmmm Danny I loved that. You're so sexy. It...was so sexy...watching you I mean." "Ahhhhhhhh faaaaarckkkk. Faaarckk! Zachee baby.....damn but.." he grinned, "...you have some moves." His left hand reached out and just gently stroked Zach's face...ran his fingers through Zach's long hair. "Ohhh wow....Zach. Faarck I'm done...." He let himself slump back down onto his bed, his arm automatically slipping beneath Zach's neck and pulling him to him. "Come on Zachy...it really is time for sleep..." The two boys, wet with perspiration and cum, embraced and kissed softly. They each stroked the other's face, tracing the outline of eyes, cheeks, lips before sinking back onto their pillows. "Danny...I love you so much! Oh yeah and....thanks for saving my life today by the way..." "Ahhh Zach. I love you to bits. Hmmm was about to say that's my pleasure....saving your life as you put it but....ummm actually it was anything but...a pleasure I mean. Fuck you scared me Zach. I've never felt so shit scared in all my life." For the thousandth time that day Danny's mind went back to that scene on the beach...Zach's lifeless body at the water's edge a shudder rippled through him. "Don't ever leave me Zach ok! Just...don't....ever!!" "Mmmm no risk of that Danny....no risk of that." And as he snuggled in to Danny's shoulder he felt safe and secure and loved beyond anything he could have imagined possible. His body, which to be fair had been through more than most that day, was exhausted...his mind likewise and within seconds his breathing took on the regularity of sleep. Danny felt the gentle breeze of Zach's exhalations against his chest. There was a warmth in his heart from the awareness that Zach felt safe in his arms but as he watched him in wonderment that image floated back to him unbidden yet again and he felt his eyes fill with the tears of what might have been. For Danny sleep would not come so easily this night. For Danny the safety net of a life lived so loved had today seemed gossamer thin. In one moment the all-encompassing sheer joy of their blossoming relationship had seemed swept away. And he appreciated that, whilst it was Zach who had been injured, Zach whose life had been in jeopardy, in an ironic twist it was Danny who was the more mentally scarred by the experience. Zach had been in many ways a bystander in the events which threatened him, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in and the risk of losing it all. Danny on the other hand had witnessed all, had feared the worst and had been confronted with the necessity to act. The fact that he had done so. The fact that their parents considered him a hero for his behaviour meant little to him. He had been given a glimpse of what might have been and it was a burden he would carry with him for a long time to come. Danny lay on his back, his eyes wide open as he struggled to get his thoughts in order. He needed to make some sense of this mad day where everything important to him had been lost and then found. He knew it would work out. He just wanted to lose that picture in his head. He wished there was some way, like tearing a page from a magazine or something, whereby he could banish it from his subconscious. Again he looked down at Zach, his smooth face so pure...so beautiful in the repose of deep slumber. Danny's heart ached for him. And as he lay there breathing in Zach's scent, feeling his breath against him and the gentle regular thump of his heart, Danny realised that there was no need to banish that image. What was there with him...in front of him...the Zach he loved, the Zach who was full of life and love, beauty and gentleness and generosity of spirit....that was the image that would be with him always. That other image...that other terrifying scene in his head....it was black and white not colour. It was cold and clammy not warm and soft and beautiful. It was fading...already... A fleeting smile graced Danny's lips. It was ok. Everyone was ok. Life was good. No...life was fucking amazing. He turned his face back to his lover, burying it in Zach's blond locks and breathed in deep. Yes...he could sleep.... Author's note: Well if you've got this far it could only be because you've really grown to love Zach and Danny as much as I do! I love to hear your feedback so please drop me a line at the email above. Likewise, if you want me to let you know when new chapters are published, drop me an email and I will add you to the update email list.