Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 01:00:21 +0000 From: The Nar Subject: Aaron and Cory - part 3 Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. The characters and events are products of the author's imagination. The author retains any and all rights to this story. A license has been granted exclusively to Nifty Archives. All standard disclaimers apply. If it is illegal for you to read this, don't. If you are too young to read this, don't. Otherwise, enjoy. The Nar The_nar525@hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The clean smell of freshly cut grass penetrated his nose. He raised the bat over his shoulder, it's cool, metallic surface feeling natural in his hands. His hat was pulled tight onto his head, shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun. Aaron dug his feet into the damp ground beneath him and stared at the pitcher, daring him to throw the ball. He did, and Aaron crushed it into center-left. School had been out for a week and a half, and a bunch f the neighborhood kids had gathered at the local park for an afternoon of baseball. Aaron rounded second and thought briefly of trying for third. But his team was already well in the lead and he wanted to at least give the other kids a fighting chance. Besides, neither team had a full compliment of players so it wasn't really fair to take advantage of the 2 kids trying to field the entire outfield. He settled for a double and the rousing cheers of his teammates. "Yeah! Way to go Aaron!" shouted Cory. He had been in the "on deck" circle and was now coming up to the plate. Cory watched one strike go by and swung and missed the second one. The third pitch, however, caught the end of his bat and rifled down the third baseline. The ball skipped past Tim, who was playing third base and rolled into the outfield. Aaron was running full-tilt. He knew he would make it home with plenty of room to spare, but he wanted to be there to make the call for Cory. He knew that Cory would be making his way towards home. He always did. That was Cory's baseball dream; an in-the-park-homerun. Time and again, Cory had been tagged out because he kept trying to make it all the way around the bases instead of playing smart and stopping on one of them. But now he had a chance. With this hit, he may just do it. Cory was fast. He was almost to second base by the time Ryan, the left fielder, even made it to the ball. Ryan was in Aaron and Cory's Boy Scout troop and was one of the smallest guys they knew. He also sucked as a ball player. Ryan picked up the ball and tossed it towards Tim. It seemed to roll most of the way there, spending almost no time in the air. Tim ran to the ball, picked it up and hurled it to home plate. Cory knew this would be close. He dove, headfirst and arms outstretched, towards the scratch in the dirt they were using for home plate. "You're out!" yelled Thomas, the catcher. "No way," protested Cory still sprawled on the ground. "I know I beat that throw." Cory sat up at and looked at Aaron who was standing over the plate. "Well?" Aaron looked at Thomas and said "Sorry, dude. Cory beat you. Fair and square." Tom jumped to his feet and his face went a deep red color. Everyone knew he had a short temper and hated being told he was wrong. "Fuck you! He did not. I tagged him way before he was even close to the base." "Hey," said Aaron raising his hands. "I'm only telling you what I saw." "Well, what would you know, faggot? You were probably too busy looking at your faggot friend' ass." Tom had venom in his eyes. Aaron didn't know how to respond. Cory was instantly on his feet. "What did you call him?" "I called him a faggot, faggot. And what are you . . ." Tom never got a chance to finish his sentence. Cory exploded in rage, tackling Tom to the ground. Straddling Tom's chest, his fists few as he punched Tom about the head and shoulders. Tom was putting up as much a fight as Cory too. Reaching up, he grabbed hold of Cory's shirt and swung him to the ground, exchanging their places. By this time all of the other boys had run to home plate and were dragging the two scrapping boys apart. "Let go of me!" Cory demanded of Tim, who had him by the waist. Aaron stepped in front of Cory and said "Come on, drop it. Let's go home." "No way, dude. I'm gonna kick his ass." Aaron placed his hands on Cory's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. They stared at each other for a minute. "Just drop it," said Aaron, never blinking or breaking eye contact. He felt Cory relax underneath his hands. Cory looked away from Aaron and towards Tom. He still had a murderous look in his eye, but he turned and walked off the field, Aaron close behind him. They walked in silence most of the way back to Aaron's house. Aaron could tell Cory was still pissed, but was still a bit confused about the whole incident. Reaching Aaron's house, Cory pushed open the gate to the pool area and slumped into one of the chaise lounges on the patio. Aaron walked inside and grabbed a couple of sodas. Handing one to Cory he sat in the chaise lounge next to him. "Thanks," said Cory wearily after taking a long swig. "I needed that." "You ok?" asked Aaron. "Yeah." Looking up at Aaron a bit sheepishly Cory said "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to ruin the game." "It's ok. But you did get Tom good, though. Dude, you like flipped out. I've never seen you do that before." "I know. Sorry." "What made you do it?" asked Aaron genuinely interested. The anger suddenly reappeared in Cory's eyes. "Look, I really don't want to talk about it, ok?" he scowled. "Whoa, easy there big guy," Aaron said, trying to calm his friend. "If you don't want to talk, fine. Don't talk." "Look, just forget about it, ok. Can't we just swim or something?" Aaron was a bit confused why Cory didn't want to tell him why he flipped out like he did. Usually stupid taunts like Tom's didn't affect Cory like they did today. Typically he would just fire back some witty retort and be done with it. But not today. This was the first time Aaron had ever seen Cory flip out like that, so he knew something was bothering him. He decided not to push it, knowing he would talk when he was ready. "Sure, whatever," said Aaron. "You wanna go home and change?" "Na. Whatever," was Cory's response as he peeled his sticky t-shirt over his head. Aaron watched his friend's body slowly come into view. Sitting on the chaise lounge Cory kicked off his shoes and socks. Aaron admired their perfect form and their not-yet-tanned whiteness still left over from the long winter. Standing up, Cory hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his mesh shorts. Stopping briefly he looked at Aaron. "Unless you mind," he seemed to ask, suddenly uncertain. Aaron simply shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from his friend's body. Cory turned his back to Aaron and slowly pushed his shorts and underwear to the ground. He had been wearing briefs that day because he liked a little extra support when playing sports. Now completely nude, Cory walked to the stairs and Aaron watched the water slowly rise up his body as he walked into the pool. He didn't splash, he didn't dive. Cory simply hooked his arms over the side of an inner tube and let his feet dangle straight down in the water from the middle. He just let the current of the pool take him where it wished. Cory just needed some time to think quietly, and Aaron would not disturb him. Aaron shook his head clear and stripped so he could join his friend. His clothes ended up in a pile next to Cory's. Running to the diving board he dove into the water, surfacing near his friend. He swam around for a bit, but soon found his own inner tube and joined Cory in his lazy trip around the pool. Cory didn't speak. He simply enjoyed the feeling of the water on his body. It was hot outside and the pool quickly drew the heat away from him. But he also enjoyed the scenery. He liked watching Aaron. Cory could see his naked form beneath the water and wished he could see more. Thoughts rolled over and over in his mind. Finally he could hold his silence no longer. "He called you a fag, Aaron," Cory said simply. "That's about the dirtiest word I know." Cory's eyes were intense again. "You're my best friend. I'm not gonna let him call you that. I'm not gonna let anyone call you that." Aaron was flattered. "Thanks, man." Cory looked up and gave him an embarrassed smile. "But Cory, he called you a fag too." A single tear slid down Cory's face. "I know," he whispered, lowering his gaze to the water. "I'm sorry. I can't help it," sobbed Cory. "Ever since that night you slept over, I can't stop thinking about what we did together. I can taste your lips on mine as I go to sleep at night, and I can feel your hands on my body when I wake up in the morning." Cory wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "You know I jerk off, but now every time I do it, all I can think about is you and what you did to me and what I want to do to you." Aaron was speechless. He too just looked at the water. "That's why I flipped out. I couldn't let him call you a fag. Because if you're a fag, that must mean I'm a fag too. And that scares the hell out of me." His last sentence came out almost in a whisper, as if he was afraid of saying it too loudly. If Aaron's jaw had dropped any lower it would have hit the bottom of the pool. He tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth. He must have looked either confused or shocked or both because Cory looked crestfallen. Sniffing loudly one last time he slipped out of his inner tube and slowly walked to the edge of the pool. "I can see you don't want me around any more," Cory said as he pulled himself out of the water. "I understand, I guess. It was nice being your friend." He walked over to his pile of clothes, picked them up and walked naked towards the gate of the pool area. Aaron watched his friend moving away from him. Too much had been said to quickly and his brain was having a hard time processing all of it at the same time. Aaron didn't know Cory felt the way he did. Truth be told, Aaron had spent a lot of time thinking about their last sleep over too, and was simply afraid to bring it up with Cory. He was too embarrassed to talk about it. But now Cory was on the verge of walking away from him. Aaron couldn't let that happen. "Cory, wait!" Aaron pushed the tube off him and leapt out of the pool. He painted the patio with water as his naked body ran dripping to his friend. Cory turned to see Aaron running towards him. Stopping in front of him, Aaron stared into Cory's eyes. Grabbing his head with his hands, Aaron gently leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Cory's lips. "Me too," was all he could say. "Me too." With tears welling in his eyes Cory dropped his clothes on the ground and wrapped his arms around Aaron. They kissed long and deep, with passion. Finally their lips parted and they simply held each other standing by the pool, Cory's head on Aaron's chest. "Sorry," whispered Cory. "Sorry for what?" asked Aaron. "I got some snot on you." Cory lifted his head and wiped some spit and boogers off Aaron's chest near his right nipple. Cory lifted his gaze and looked Aaron in the eyes again. "Hey, what's a little snot between friends?" "So you don't hate me?" Cory asked meekly. "Dude, why would I hate you?" Aaron asked, dumbfounded. "You said it your self. We're best friends. We may piss each other off every now and then, but we'll never hate each other." Now it was Aaron's turn to be embarrassed. "Besides, I've been thinking about what we did together too. And I was kinda hoping you'd like to do it again sometime. If you want." Aaron was suddenly very aware they were both naked and wished he had something on. Cory leaned in and gave Aaron a quick peck on the lips. "Does that answer your question?" he asked with a new gleam in his eye. "I think so," replied Aaron, now very relieved. "You know, my dad's not home right now. We could head inside for a while." "As much as I'd love to," said Cory, "I really should get home. Doug is coming home from college this afternoon, so mom's got a special dinner planned. Besides, I think I need some time to rest up after such a cathartic release." "Wow," said Aaron, impressed. "That was quite a juicy spelling word." "Hey man. School's only eleven weeks away. Gotta start studying," replied Cory, pulling his shorts on over his naked butt. "You always were a geek," teased Aaron. "Well there's a reason I do better in school than you," Cory laughed. "IM me tonight. I'll be on after 10." "OK. Later, dude." Cory started to walk out the door when Aaron grabbed him by the arm. Aaron looked him in the eyes for a moment before saying "Thanks." Cory just smiled and turned to walk across the street towards his house. Aaron closed the door and slowly walked back to the pool. He didn't really feel like swimming so he just sat on the deck with his feet in the water. This afternoon had certainly answered some of Aaron's questions, and he was very excited about what Cory had said. He had been hoping Cory would want to go inside and fool around a little before his dad got home. But he knew Cory was right. They probably shouldn't rush into anything. They had all summer. Suddenly, Aaron heard the sound of tires in the driveway. His dad was home. Not really knowing how he would react to finding his son naked in the pool, Aaron pulled on his shorts and t-shirt and walked barefoot into the house to meet his dad. "Hi dad!" "Aaron! I didn't expect to see you home." He put his briefcase on the floor and pulled his son into a hug. Aaron was almost a teenager, but he still liked getting hugs, so his dad was going to take advantage of that for as long as possible. "Wasn't Cory around?" "Yeah, but his brother's coming home from college so they're having some family-togetherness-night or something. We hung out earlier." "Sounds good," said his dad. "Hey, I was thinking about burgers on the grill tonight. Sound good?" "Hell yeah!" "Great. Let me change and then we can get cooking." Aaron's dad started up the stairs. "And you can tell me all about your day." Aaron was pretty sure that some of the details of that day would be left out of his conversation. He knew his dad wouldn't hate him or kick him out of the house or anything, but Aaron and Cory still had some more things to talk about before letting anyone else in on their new secret. Aaron surprised himself by thinking that word. Secret. He wondered if that was what this was going to turn into, a giant secret. Would he be able to tell other people? Would other people be willing to hear it? Would he and Cory ever be able to share with others what they did together? Aaron still wondered what "this" was anyway. Was he gay? Was Cory gay? Did it matter? Too many questions for a 12 year old to think about at the moment. All he wanted to think about right now was the hamburgers and chips he and his dad were going to have for dinner. Walking into the kitchen Aaron opened the freezer and pulled out 4 frozen hamburger patties. He grabbed a box of matches and headed out to the patio to light the grill. Aaron and his dad loved to grill. If they could, they would grill 365 days a year. They even kept a snow shovel out back in the winter so they could clear enough space to access it after a storm. Aaron lit a match, tossed it between the grates and turned on the gas. He waited for the WHOOSH of fire to know when it was lit. Aaron liked using matches even though the grill had one of those push buttons that did it for you. The small thrill of igniting the gas was a rush Aaron had always enjoyed. Waiting for the grill to heat up, Aaron walked back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He grabbed a can of coke for himself and a bottle of beer for his dad. He opened both and went back outside to toss the burgers on. Aaron's dad came out onto the patio to see how the burgers were coming. His suit and tie had been exchanged for a pair of khaki shorts and a golf shirt. Like his son, Aaron's dad was barefoot. "Here you go," said Aaron, handing his dad the coke. "Nice try, little man. Nice try." His dad traded bottles and ruffled his son's hair. Aaron told his dad about the game and how Cory had almost made his dream come true. "So did he make it?" asked his dad, his mouth full of burger. "I thought he did," answered Aaron. "But I guess we'll never know. Cory flipped out and started beating the crap out of Tom when they started arguing over the call." "He didn't hurt him, did he?" Aaron's dad sounded concerned. Aaron didn't know why. Everyone, including his dad, knew that Tom was a bully and probably deserved at least one good beating. "Nah. They got pulled apart pretty quickly. But he did land a few good punches." Aaron had an almost wistful look in his eyes. "Well, while I'm sure you enjoyed that you guys should be careful. Talking things out always bests resorting to fists." "Geez. You sound like an after-school special," teased Aaron. "If you're not careful I'll make you write a book report on it or something," his dad teased back. Both laughed and they continued to eat in silence, simply enjoying the company of the other. "So, are you going to make a habit of leaving small piles of socks and underwear around the house?" asked Aaron's dad somewhat nonchalantly. Aaron turned his head and saw that he had indeed forgotten to put his socks and underwear back on when his dad got home. Aaron's face went a deep red and he had a hard time swallowing his last bite of burger. "Sorry," stammered Aaron. "I, ah, kinda forgot." His dad smiled warmly. "Don't worry kiddo. I remember skinny dipping with my friends when I was your age too." ""Hey, how do you know Cory did it too?" "Well, there's definitely more water on the deck than you, alone, could have put there. And besides, I'm pretty sure you don't have three feet." Turning his head again, Aaron saw that Cory had dropped one of his socks on the way out of the gate. Damn, his dad was good. "So are you mad? Asked Aaron? "No, I'm not mad," responded his dad. "If you two want to swim naked as jay- birds, be my guest. But do me a favor." "What's that?" asked Aaron. "Watch out for Old Mrs. Conley. She likes to spy on people and the old coot would probably have a heart attack if she saw two boys splashing naked in the pool." Aaron had to laugh. It was pretty funny to think about, but it helped remind him that the backyard wasn't completely private and did present some dangers. Interestingly, however, Aaron found that to be a bit thrilling. Definitely something to talk about with Cory. Aaron's dad took a long look at his son. He was proud of his boy and knew that he had inherited his mother's good looks. He also secretly hoped that he had inherited his own charm with the ladies. But Aaron was still a bit young for that. Time would tell if Aaron would continue the family tradition of all the boys being Mr. Suave. "I know you and I have had 'the talk'," said his dad. "So I hope you understand you can come to me and talk about anything." "Anything?" asked Aaron. "Of course. Something on your mind?" Aaron hesitated for a moment and stared at the ground. "Kinda, but I don't know if you can answer it." "Try me, kiddo. I'm sometimes smarter than I look." "Ok. Well, that beer you're drinking . . . is it great tasting or less filling?" "That's it!" yelled his dad. He tossed his paper plate on the ground, and before Aaron knew what was happening, his dad had him over his shoulder and was running towards the pool. "Here we go!" said his dad "Wait!" giggled Aaron. Clothes and all, both hit the water. They surfaced quickly and were both laughing pretty hard. "You know that wasn't the type of question I had in mind," chuckled his dad. "But I suppose you can ask me about alcohol too." "Do you think you could let me try some?" Aaron asked, trying to seize on an opportunity even though he had no real desire to try any. "I suppose, but only with me," answered his dad. "I'd rather you learn to drink responsibly with me than be extra stupid when you get to college." "Great! But I still get to be extra stupid now!" shouted Aaron as he jumped on his dad and dunked him under the water. Coming to the surface Aaron's dad said "Ok. Enough horseplay. Lets dry off and clean up dinner." "Ok." Responded Aaron. While he started to pile up the dirty plates his dad went inside and got a few towels. "Just leave your wet clothes in the laundry room. I'll do a load tonight." "Sounds cool dad," said Aaron as he pulled his wet t-shirt over his head. His dad took just a moment to look at his son's pre-teen body and quickly realized that he was going to be a lady-killer. His dad smiled, shook some more water out of his hair and walked inside to change. Aaron, seeing that he was now all alone outside, quickly pulled his wet shorts off and started drying himself. He enjoyed the feeling of being naked outside but decided that the mosquitoes were not going to let him enjoy it long. Wrapping his towel around his waist Aaron picked up his wet clothes, dumped them in the laundry room and them bounded up the stairs to his room. He closed the door and turned on his computer. He was about to pull out a new pair of boxers when he paused. Aaron looked from the underwear in hand to the computer on his desk. He slowly put the boxers down and sat in front of his computer naked. Curiosity had taken hold of his mind and he decided it was now time to put the awesome power of the Internet to work. Opening his browser, Aaron typed a few interesting words into the Google search box and waited to see what it produced. Looking at the first few entries, he knew this was going to be an interesting night. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's chapter 3. I'm sorry this chapter didn't have too much "action" in it, but I felt that a few things needed to be taken care of before the story could continue. Have no fear, the next few should be as much fun to read as they will be to write. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to e-mail me and tell me what you think of the story so far. I appreciate all of your comments and every single one has been complimentary so far. (I'm hoping that's a good sign!) Anyway, please continue to write. I'll do my best to respond. However, my REAL job has been keeping me pretty busy so it may take me a while. Chapter 4 is already in the works and should be published in a week. I look forward to hearing from all of you soon. Enjoy! The_nar525@hotmail.com