THE HUNTING SEASON

By Pink Panther

Hi everybody! We're back again with a new chapter. It starts during the half term break. Even with revision to do, the boys have time on their hands. Mark and Chris visit the park and get a surprise. Back at school, Russell Bradshaw does his O-level maths exam.

Thanks for the feedback to chapter 66 which was most encouraging. More is always welcome. Please send your comments to archimedes294@hushmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Please may I also remind you the Nifty relies on readers' donations in order to keep operating as a free site. If you have not donated recently, please give as generously as you can.



CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

October 1961

Michael and Lorenzo agreed that during the half term break they'd spend two hours each day revising for the pre-Christmas exams. Previously, Michael had never bothered much about revision, but as Lorenzo needed to do it, he'd do it too. They also decided that the best time for revision would be first thing in the morning, leaving them with the rest of the day to themselves.

On Monday morning, Michael finished his revision session at twenty to eleven. After locking up the house, he took out his bike and headed to Lorenzo's. From there, they carried on to Mark's place.

"Good to see you!" Mark greeted, welcoming them inside. "Excuse the shorts; we've been running."

"They look just fine to me," Lorenzo responded, grinning.

They strolled into the lounge where Chris, also wearing running shorts, was sitting on the sofa.

"Hi!" he said, smiling at Lorenzo. "How's it been going?"

"Hard work, but it's okay. I'm getting there."

"Mike told me you'd written a story," Chris continued. "He said it was really good. Any chance Mark and I could read it?"

"Sure, if you want to," Lorenzo responded. "I don't have it here, but I can bring it tomorrow."

"Are you managing to stick to the plan?" Mark asked.

"Oh yes," Lorenzo told him. "Mike makes sure of that. It's helped a lot. I'm sort of getting used to it now."

The conversation quickly moved onto less serious matters. Although they didn't discuss girls, they could have been any group of early-teenage boys talking casually about things that interested them.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

Just after half past twelve, Michael and Lorenzo returned to Lorenzo's house for lunch. Afterwards, having completed the washing up and put everything away, they cycled to Jack's flat. As predicted, with all its residents out at work, the building was deserted. Michael unlocked the door and ushered Lorenzo inside.

Making directly for the spare bedroom, they began to undress. As soon as they were naked, they got into bed, just as they had two days earlier. Over the next twenty minutes, they reprised all their usual foreplay.

"So when are we all getting together?" Lorenzo asked.

"Friday afternoon," Michael told him. "I've asked them to get to mine for about quarter to three."

"You know what we're going to do at the end?"

"Sure! Want to try it?"

"Yeah, I've never done it before."

"Okay then," Michael agreed, passing Lorenzo the tube of K-Y. "You'd better lube me up."

Having smeared the greasy gel over his boyfriend's prong, Lorenzo knelt astride Michael's chest. As Michael held his prick upright, Lorenzo slowly sat down. He was too far forward, the thirteen-year old's penis sliding harmlessly along his crack. After shuffling back a few inches, he tried again. This time he met it perfectly. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down on it.

As soon as it was securely inside, Michael withdrew his hand, enabling Lorenzo to sit right down.

"Oh Reno!" Michael purred, wrapping his fingers around Lorenzo's cock. "That feels wonderful! Okay, you know what to do."

Lorenzo needed no second bidding, raising his hips a few inches before thrusting back down to impale himself on his boyfriend's cock. After all the troubles he'd been through, in just a few short weeks his life had become better than he would have believed possible. This was simply the icing on the cake. After just a couple of thrusts he hit the perfect rhythm, the sensations of sheer pleasure driving him almost delirious. As one minute became two, he lost control, the tingling sensations almost too much to bear.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" he gasped, his breathing suddenly harsh and irregular. "Ohhhhhh!"

As his muscles went into crazy spasms, his cock swelled and pulsed between Michael's fingers. Three jets of teen spunk arced through the air, splashing down on the thirteen-year old's face and chest, two weaker spurts landing on the younger boy's stomach.

Lorenzo's anal contractions had their inevitable effect.

"My turn now!" Michael groaned, his hands pressing down on his boyfriend's thighs.

His penis jerked violently, rope after rope of hot creamy cum flooding into Lorenzo's rectum. For several seconds, the boys remained where they were, looking at each other.

"Wow!" Michael said eventually. "You had an incredible cum! You shot loads!"

"On Friday, it'll be going into Chris's mouth," Lorenzo reminded him. "I hope he's okay with it."

"He said he is," Michael said, grinning.

After getting cleaned up, the boys returned to what they now thought of as `their' bedroom.

"What's the time?" Lorenzo asked.

"Five past three," Michael responded.

"We don't have to go yet, do we? Let's get into bed and snuggle up for a bit."

"Okay!"

Crawling under the covers, they stretched out, their arms wrapped around each other. There was no conversation; somehow it seemed unnecessary. Occasionally, a finger would stroke a cheek, the boys basking in the certainty that they had each other, and that together they could meet any challenge, however difficult it might seem.

As four o'clock approached, Michael's horniness returned. Reaching down, he ran his hand over Lorenzo's penis, finding it to be just as hard as his own.

"Do you fancy a second round before we go?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Lorenzo quipped.

Michael responded by throwing back the covers, picking up the K-Y and smearing some over his boyfriend's cock. Pulling his pillow into the middle of the bed, he covered it with a towel before lying face-down on top, his legs spread apart.

"Okay!" he ordered. "You know what I want!"

Lorenzo eagerly climbed into position, his teen prong spearing into Michael's bum.

"Oh yes!" Michael gasped. "Now fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

Lorenzo set right to it, pounding the thirteen-year old's bottom as though his life depended on it. This, he knew, was a special treat, reserved just for him. And as it only happened occasionally, Michael was wonderfully tight, the lad's warm, velvety tunnel stimulating his cock like nothing else.

"Mike!" he moaned. "I'm going to cum!"

"Yes!" Michael responded. "Do it! Give me your spunk!"

The sensation of Lorenzo's prick pulsing deep inside him was all it took. Michael's balls churned into action, three more jets of cum spurting onto the towel, a perfect end to their afternoon.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

The following morning, Michael and Lorenzo arrived at Mark's house a little after eleven. As usual, Mark showed them into the lounge.

"Is that the story?" Chris asked excitedly, indicating the exercise book that Lorenzo was carrying.

"Yes," Lorenzo replied, opening the book to the correct page and handing it over.

Immediately, Mark and Chris snuggled up on the sofa so they could read it together. Lorenzo sat in one of the armchairs. Rather than sit in the other one, Michael sat on the floor, resting his back on the arm of the chair where Lorenzo was sitting. They waited patiently for Mark and Chris to finish reading, Lorenzo gently stroking Michael's hair.

After about ten minutes, Mark looked up.

"You didn't tell us you were a genius," he said, giving Lorenzo a wry grin. "This is brilliant! I do well at English, but I couldn't write anything like this. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Definitely!" Chris agreed.

"Once I'd got started, I just had to keep reading," Mark went on. "I really felt for Theo, especially when he was in the boat, struggling to reach the island, all on his own with nobody to help him, nobody he could even talk to. I kept thinking, `Yeah, I know what that feels like.' And when he finally reaches the island, everything changes." He smiled. "That's what meeting Chris was like," he added, taking his boyfriend's hand. "Was it like that for you?"

"Yeah," Lorenzo agreed. "Mike rescued me. I was drifting. I couldn't be bothered to do anything properly. There didn't seem to be any point. Meeting Mike changed everything. You've helped too. You don't know how much it means to be able to come here and chat without having to pretend that I'm something I'm not."

"So what gave you the idea for the story?" Chris asked.

"I don't know, really," Lorenzo answered. "During the summer it just came to me. Over time, I thought about different parts of it until I pretty well knew how it went. We were back at school by then, so I just waited for an opportunity to write it."

"It must have taken ages!" Mark insisted.

"Most of one weekend," Lorenzo agreed. "Michael had to manage without seeing me on the Saturday afternoon, just to make sure I'd be able to get it finished."

"Well, it was well worth the effort," Mark responded. "I've never read anything like it."

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

It was Wednesday morning. Alex had just finished his tutorial with Bradshaw.

"So how are you and young Newton getting along?" he asked, stroking the youngster's thigh.

"Very well, thanks, sir."

"I wonder if you might like to bring him here sometime," Alex suggested. "The three of us could have some fun together."

"I don't know, sir," Bradshaw responded, sounding totally non-committal. "I'll have to ask him."

Alex was disappointed. It was not the answer he'd expected, and certainly not the one he wanted. He'd thought that Bradshaw would be enthusiastic about the idea, but that clearly wasn't the case. Did that mean he wouldn't get to play with the younger Newton's boy-parts? It was too early to say, Alex reasoned, but he realised that the signs were not promising.

For his part, Bradshaw didn't know what to think. He didn't like the idea of sharing Robbie with Mr Faulkner; he knew where it would lead. The problem was that he'd said he'd ask, and it wasn't in his nature to try to wriggle out of it. He just hoped that Robbie would make the right choice.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

On Thursday morning, when Michael and Lorenzo arrived at Mark's house, they were surprised to find the boy's mother at home.

"She's using up a couple of days' annual leave," Mark explained. "If she doesn't take it before the end of October, she'll lose it."

"So are you two having a day off?" Michael asked cryptically.

"No!" Chris said, grinning. "We'll cycle over to my place, go to the woods in Welstead Park, you know, where we went a few times. I mean, it's still plenty warm enough."

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "It's been an amazing few weeks. By this time of year, you'd have thought it'd be too cold."

"Either that or pissing down," Chris added, giving his friends a mischievous grin.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

It was Thursday afternoon before Russell had worked out how he was going to broach the subject of taking Robbie to Mr Faulkner's flat. As far as he knew, the boy was completely unaware that he was having sex with his maths tutor. He'd have to explain that first.

As Thursday was his mum's day off, they met outside Welstead Park. After locking their bikes, they strolled inside. Russell's heart was thumping, knowing that this could go badly wrong, despite all the thought he'd given it. They reached an empty bench.

"Let's sit down here for a bit," he said. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Okay," he said, once they were both seated. "You know that Mr Faulkner teaches me on my own?"

"Yeah."

"Well, afterwards, we have fun together."

"Fun? You mean sexy stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck! Do you like that?"

"Sure. I wouldn't do it if I didn't. The thing is, he's asked me if you'd like to join us."

"So Mr Faulkner knows about you and me?"

"Yeah. When Whitney arranged for us to meet, he didn't speak to me directly. He asked Mr Faulkner to give me a message."

"Oh, right! So it is Mr Faulkner's cock that you've had up your bum?"

"Yeah."

"I thought it probably was. I guess he wants to fuck me too."

"Maybe not straightaway, but eventually he will."

"I don't have to go, do I?"

"No, of course you don't have to go. It's up to you."

"Good, because I don't want to. I don't like the idea of doing it with someone . . . you know, that much older than me."

"That's exactly what I hoped you'd say," Russell said, smiling.

"You don't mind, then?"

"Not at all. When Mr Faulkner said about you coming to join us, I told him I'd ask, and I have. You don't want to do it. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it. If he mentions it again, that's what I'll tell him."

"Thanks. I don't mind if you want to do it with him, but I don't."

"So are we still okay then?"

"Yes, of course we are!" Robbie said, smiling.

"Okay. Shall we go and have some fun?"

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

Chris and Mark arrived at the park about half past two. Having locked their bikes, they sauntered towards their favoured hiding place. As the path narrowed to almost nothing, Chris took the lead. Just as he was about to enter the den, he came to an abrupt halt, extending his left arm to prevent Mark going any further. Somebody had beaten them to it.

He stood transfixed, unable to believe what he was seeing. A few yards in front of him, his brother Robbie was bending over, resting his hands on the tree-trunk, his shorts and underpants pooled around his ankles, his t-shirt pushed up into his armpits. Standing behind him was Bradshaw, the twelve-year old's hard cock thrusting rhythmically into Robbie's bum.

Chris was shocked and confused. Although he and Robbie had sucked each other off during their recent camping holiday, he had no idea that his brother even knew Bradshaw, much less that the two of them were having full-on sex. For some time, he'd suspected that Bradshaw might be getting bummed by Mr Faulkner, who taught the lad one-to-one. Did this mean that Robbie was involved in that too?

But despite the shock, Chris found himself incredibly turned on. He sensed that if he were to so much as touch his penis, he'd cum in his underpants. Suddenly, he turned away, indicating for Mark to follow him back the way they'd come.

"Did you see what they were doing?" he whispered once they were out of earshot.

"Yeah," Mark responded, clearly as alarmed as Chris was. "Fuck! I'd never have expected that! Remind me who the other kid is."

"Bradshaw."

"Yeah, right! Maths genius, star footballer and a bloody good runner, yeah? Didn't the two of you train together back in the summer?"

"Yeah. He's really strong and as tough as old boots."

"I'd never have imagined he'd like that sort of thing. They didn't see us, did they?"

"I don't think so," Chris said, sounding a little uncertain. "We were off to the side and a bit behind them. I'm pretty sure Robbie never saw us. Bradshaw could have done, but I think he was concentrating on something else."

"Yeah, well I know I would have been. So what are we going to do now?"

"We'll have to go somewhere else."

"Fancy bedding down in the bracken?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, okay"

"Right! Let's go!"

They strode purposefully to where the woods opened out onto a gentle slope covered in luxuriant green ferns. In most years, by late October they would have begun to die back, but because of the recent warm weather, they were still very much alive. Having checked to see that there was nobody watching, they forged a path through, bracken up to their armpits. Having walked around fifteen yards, they checked again before settling themselves beneath the canopy.

They were beyond horny. Shoes, socks, jeans and underpants were discarded with unfamiliar urgency. There was no foreplay, none of the sensuous lovemaking that they usually enjoyed. Mark immediately produced the tube of K-Y. Squeezing some onto his fingers, Chris applied a liberal coating to his boyfriend's rampant prong.

The job completed, Chris lay on his left side, his right leg cocked upwards. Spooned up behind, Mark thrust his man-sized prick deep into his younger friend's bottom. Once securely inside, he pushed Chris over onto his stomach. Now lying right on top, he set to work. There was nothing gentle about it. This was animal lust at its most primitive. He pounded away ferociously, images of what he'd seen happening to Robbie flashing through his brain. He wondered what it would feel like to get his cock into the eleven-year old's cute little bottom.

Although somewhat taken aback, Chris certainly wasn't complaining. With Mark's heart thumping against his back and his boyfriend's musky breath filling his nostrils, for them as a couple, this was uncharted territory, the intensity right off the scale. With his penis rubbing against the coarse bracken, he was never going to last long. Shuddering from head to toe, he ejaculated onto the ground, the sticky fluid wetting his stomach.

"Oh fuck!" Mark rasped. "Fuck! Fuck! Aaaarrrggghhhh!"

His cock jerked powerfully, volley after volley of teen spunk spurting into Chris's bum. For some time, they lay as they were, completely spent. As he began to recover, doubts began to flood into Mark's brain. He'd never fucked Chris like that before. It had always been energetic, but measured and controlled. This time he'd been completely out of control. And imagining himself fucking Robbie? Surely, he shouldn't have done that? It probably didn't matter, he reasoned. In reality, he wouldn't even consider jeopardising his relationship with Chris by doing anything so stupid. Very carefully, he withdrew, rolling off onto his side.

"Wow!" Chris said, turning to face him. "That was wild!"

"Are you okay?" Mark asked nervously.

"Well, I'm all sticky and messy," Chris said casually, "but I'll soon sort that out." He paused, studying Mark's face. "Don't look so worried," he said, smiling. "These weren't normal circumstances, were they? It was what we needed to do, me as much as you."

"Thanks," Mark acknowledged, smiling back.

Deep down, however, one doubt continued to gnaw away at him. He'd fantasised about fucking Robbie and the idea just wouldn't go away. He couldn't ever admit to that.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

It was nearly five o'clock. After spending another very enjoyable afternoon at his uncle's flat, Michael had arrived home a few minutes earlier. He was pottering around, thinking about getting things ready for his mum to cook dinner, when unexpectedly the doorbell rang. Opening the front door, he was surprised to find Chris standing there. He was looking worried.

"May I come in please?" Chris asked. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure," Michael answered. "Let's go up to my room."

"Not a problem between you and Mark, I hope?" he added, closing the bedroom door.

"No, nothing like that," Chris assured him before describing what he and Mark had seen from the entrance to their favourite hiding spot.

"I didn't know that Robbie even knew Bradshaw!" Chris concluded, sounding more than a little agitated.

Michael took a deep breath. Safe in the knowledge that the boys wouldn't rat on him, he could simply deny any knowledge of how they met. But this was Chris he was talking to, who, apart from Lorenzo, was the best friend he'd ever had. Surely, he deserved better than that?

"I have a confession to make," he said quietly.

He went on to outline what had taken place earlier in the term.

"I'm sorry," he concluded. "At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. I should have talked to you instead."

"I'm not sure that would have done any good," Chris said sadly. "I mean, I couldn't really tell him he shouldn't be doing it when he knows what Mark and I get up to." He paused. "Actually, you're not the only with a confession to make. I got really turned on, seeing them like that. If I'd even touched my dick I'd have cum in my pants. I think Mark was much the same."

"I would have been too," Michael admitted. "Don't worry about it. Did you and Mark go somewhere else?"

"Yeah, we went and hid ourselves in the bracken. I never took you there. Anyway, Mark and I were both super-horny. He fucked me stupid."

"Like I said, you shouldn't worry about it," Michael said casually. "In Mark's position I'd have done exactly the same."

"What does worry me is that if I do something, Robbie always wants to do it too. The only reason he's joined the cross-country team is that I'm in it."

"Isn't he very good then?"

"Actually, he's not bad, but that's not the point. If I hadn't been in it, he wouldn't have joined. It doesn't run the other way. He's a wizard with Meccano which I was never interested in. But because I like boys and have started having sex, he thinks he should do the same. That's not right!"

"It does sound odd," Michael temporised, "but it's hard to say."

"He didn't have to go with Bradshaw, did he?"

"No, I made it very clear that he could walk away if he wanted to. But as soon as Bradshaw appeared, I could see he was all for it. Actually, they both were. I just left them to it."

"You know Bradshaw then?"

"Yeah."

"I'm guessing that means Mr Faulkner's having sex with him?"

"Yeah. Actually, Bradshaw's been here a couple of times. He was okay with me fucking him, but apart from that, we didn't have much in common."

"I'm worried that he'll get Robbie involved with Mr Faulkner," Chris suggested.

"I don't think he'll have done that yet, but I guess he may try to."

"The thing is, Bradshaw's as hard as nails. Robbie just isn't. I'm worried he'll let Bradshaw push him into things."

"There's nothing much I can say," Michael told him. "You need to talk to Robbie. Tell him what you saw and get him to tell you if Bradshaw's trying to make him do things he doesn't want to. I can't see what else you can do. Just make sure he knows you won't tell your mum and dad."

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "There really isn't any other way, is there? I can't say I fancy it much. I guess I'll just have to get on with it."

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

By quarter to three the following afternoon, the four friends were gathered at Michael's house. As before, they each carried a seat cushion from the lounge suite up to Michael's bedroom, setting them out on the floor. They set about undressing each other, Michael with Chris, Mark with Lorenzo, different pairings from the time before. Michael and Chris had undressed each other so many times, to Michael it almost felt like they were back together. Once they were all naked, they sat at the corners of a square, each of them with his boyfriend at the opposite corner.

"Okay," Chris instructed. "Let's start off with each of us sucking the boy on our right."

The arrangement, which Chris had devised, was a masterstroke, guaranteeing that each of them was sucking, and being sucked by, someone he wouldn't normally be with. Michael began by sucking Chris, while Mark sucked him. Although Chris's cock had grown since they'd split up, to Michael it felt like a very welcome friend. He sucked it lovingly, his tongue working overtime on the small, shiny head. Meanwhile, as Mark sucked his penis, the older boy began to play with his nipples, something he'd never previously experienced. Although it caused him odd moments of pain, Michael found it very stimulating.

"Take it easy!" he warned, carefully pulling away. "You'll make me cum!"

"Sorry!" Mark said, grinning. "Chris and I have just started doing it. I think you must be more sensitive than he is."

"Okay!" Chris intervened. "Let's swap round. Start sucking the boy on your left."

They duly changed over. To Michael, having his penis in Chris's mouth felt like a small slice of heaven. As his former boyfriend also began to tweak his nipples, Michael was not surprised to find that he was far better at it than Mark was, his touch more delicate, the sensations ones of pure pleasure.

As he sucked Mark's prick, Michael reached up to play with the older lad's nipples. Suddenly, he felt Mark's dick stiffen in his mouth. He quickly let it go.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I thought you were going to cum."

"I will if you do it like that," Mark said, grinning. "You need to be gentle with them, like Chris is."

"Unfortunately, I don't have Chris's touch," Michael quipped. "Neither do you, for that matter!"

"Fair comment!" Mark agreed, still smiling.

With time on their hands, they decided to go for two more rounds, one on each side. With Chris's nipples being much smaller and paler than any of the others, Michael found playing with them to be a quite different experience. He massaged them gently, using the tips of his index fingers, Chris responding with a satisfied purr.

After one more round of sucking and fondling, it was time to bring things to a conclusion. As agreed, Michael and Lorenzo took the bed, leaving Mark and Chris snuggled up on the floor. With Lorenzo on all fours, Michael began as he always did, his tongue lapping insistently at his boyfriend's rosebud until it finally went inside. Moving on, Michael replaced his tongue with a well-lubricated digit, adding a second one when the first slid in smoothly. Finally, he gave Lorenzo a systematic finger-fuck, twisting his digits around in a corkscrew motion to loosen the fifteen-year old's anal ring.

With their preparations completed, Michael lay on his back, his head at the foot of the bed. As Lorenzo lowered himself onto Michael's cock, Mark and Chris were already in position, Chris's hands resting on the bed, Mark standing behind, his penis firmly implanted in the thirteen-year old's bottom. As Lorenzo came to rest on Michael's groin, Chris took the older boy's prick into his mouth, his lips coming to rest about an inch past the head. At the same time, Michael reached up, wrapping his fingers around Chris's joystick.

"Okay," Mark said, nodding to Lorenzo. "Let's do it!"

It was the moment that Lorenzo had been waiting for. It did not disappoint. As Mark began to fuck, he raised his hips, driving his penis deeper into Chris's mouth before sinking back down to impale himself on his boyfriend's cock. This was his concept of heaven, the best of all possible worlds, the sensations the most wonderful he'd ever experienced. Gently holding Chris's head, he moved instinctively, in, out, up, down, the intensity increasing with every thrust.

Suddenly, everything went crazy. As a kaleidoscope of colours flashed in front of him, Lorenzo's whole body was convulsed by the wildest spasms he'd ever experienced. With his cock jabbing repeatedly against Chris's palate, his spunk spurted over and over into the thirteen-year old's mouth, while at the same time, his starfish clamped tight around Michael's cock.

The other boys' orgasms followed like falling dominos, Michael and Mark both pumping their teen-spunk into their boyfriend's bum, while Chris's boy-juice splattered over Michael's stomach. After what seemed like ages they disengaged.

"That was incredible!" Lorenzo enthused. "The best ever!" He looked right into Chris's eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Mmmmm!" Chris purred, licking his lips. "You make beautiful spunk!"

"So d'you think we might do that again?" Lorenzo probed.

"Oh, I'm sure we will!" Chris assured him.

"Even better than last time," Mark said quietly to Michael, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"It was for me too," Michael responded. "The way Reno was pumping up and down on my cock; I came loads and all I had to do was lie there and let it happen!"

Having cleaned themselves up and pulled on their clothes, the boys tidied Michael's room. Finally, they returned the seat cushions to the lounge, making sure that they left everything exactly as they'd found it.

Michael allowed himself a satisfied smile. The afternoon had gone brilliantly, even better than he'd expected, and yet, in a little over an hour, his mum would return home to find not a single sign that anything untoward had taken place, let alone a full-scale boy-orgy. That, he realised, was what you could do when you had friends you could rely on.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

As the other boys made their way home, Chris doubled back to Michael's house. He rang the bell. Opening the front door, Michael looked surprised to see him.

"You didn't forget something, did you?"

"No," Chris answered, smiling. "I just wanted to tell you what happened yesterday evening. It won't take long."

"Come in!" Michael said. "Kitchen okay?"

"Yes, sure!"

They sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well?" Michael queried.

"I talked to Robbie up in our room. I told him that we'd seen him with Bradshaw so there was no point in lying about it. Then I asked him about always wanting to do what I do. He said that if I try something and like it, he thinks, maybe he should try it too, which seems fair enough. Like when I joined the cross-country team, he thought, `Well, I can run okay; when I get to Woodchurch, I'll give it a try'.

Then I asked him about the sex thing. He said that wasn't like that at all. When he realised what you and I were doing, he reckons there was no question of him wanting to try it, he knew right away that he wanted to do it too. Of course, the problem was finding a boy to do it with. Well, now he has.

I asked him about how Bradshaw treats him. He admitted that Bradshaw was quite firm with him about taking his cherry, but he reckoned that was because he was being silly and putting it off because he knew it was going to hurt. Knowing Robbie, that does sound right. Anyway, he said that they're past that stage now. He likes it and it doesn't hurt him at all. From what I saw, that was what it looked like."

"Well, that's good anyway. Did you talk to him about Mr Faulkner?"

"Yes. Funnily enough, Bradshaw had talked to him about it that afternoon. He said that Bradshaw had explained that after their tutorials, `they had fun together', meaning sex of course, and asked if he'd like to join them. Robbie said he didn't want to, which I was pleased about. To his credit, Bradshaw told him that was fine and that he wouldn't ask him again."

"Mr Faulkner is not going to like that!" Michael said, smirking. "He loves fucking the younger kids. Have you noticed the first-year class he teaches? There's hardly anyone in there that he'd be even halfway interested in."

"And he's been stopped from coaching the second-year football team."

"He reckons that was because pervy Needham realised what he was up to. Anyway, I reckon he was banking on meeting Robbie. He won't be pleased when he finds out it's not going to happen."

"From what Robbie told me, I reckon Bradshaw doesn't want to share him."

"But isn't he supposed to be Faulkner's star pupil?"

"Oh, he is," Chris confirmed. "But I trained with him in the summer. He's as hard as nails. He won't take Robbie to the flat just because Faulkner wants him to."

"Good for him!" Michael responded, wishing that sometimes he could be as tough as that.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

As Russell had spent Friday preparing for his O-level maths exams, it was Saturday afternoon when Robbie was next due to see him. As Russell's mum was at work, Robbie cycled to their house, not relishing having to explain that his brother has seen them in the woods.

Arriving at the house, he locked up his bike and knocked on the door. Moments later, Russell appeared, ushering him inside.

"There's something I need to tell you," Robbie said nervously.

"Yeah?" Russell responded. "Spit it out then!"

"Thursday afternoon, my brother was with Mark Ferris. They usually do it over at Mark's house, but his mum had taken a day off work, so they couldn't. Anyway, they decided to go into the woods. Of course, they came right to where we were. They saw us! Chris says you were in the middle of fucking me."

"Oh, shit! He didn't get mad with you, did he?"

"Oh no! He was just concerned about how it had happened. He didn't even realise that I knew you."

"Yeah, I guess that would have got him thinking."

"Well, for some reason he decided to go and talk to Mike Whitney. He told me that Mike admitted that he'd arranged for us to meet."

"That's a bit odd, considering what he said to us!"

"Yeah, but even though Chris and Mike aren't boyfriends anymore, they're still really good mates."

"Fair enough. So?"

"Chris was worried you might push me into doing stuff I didn't want to do. I told him you hadn't. I said you'd had to be firm with me about taking my cherry, but that was my fault for being silly about it. He knew I was telling the truth; he knows what I'm like."

"Good! Thanks for sticking up for me."

"Then he mentioned about you getting me to go to Mr Faulkner's flat, so I told him what had happened. He was really pleased that you didn't try to talk me into it."

Russell turned towards Robbie, his blue-grey eyes displaying a steely determination that the younger boy had never seen before.

"Like I told you, it's your choice," he said, his eyes fixed on Robbie's. "If you don't want to do it, that's fine. Faulkner's a great teacher, the best I've ever had. I owe him a lot; I know that. I have sex with him because I like it. But if he thinks I'm going to talk you into doing something you don't want to do, he'll have to think again."

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

As the prep schools were enjoying their half-term break, Alex decided that over the weekend, he'd entertain his two remaining boys one-to-one. On Saturday, it was Pennington's turn. After twenty minutes of delightful foreplay, Alex opened a drawer, took out a pair of boys' football shorts and handed them over.

"Thanks sir," Pennington said, grinning as he put them on. "We haven't done this for ages!"

Standing with his feet apart, he bent over, resting his hands on the chair by the desk. Moving in behind, Alex slid his penis up the leg of the shorts, guiding it onto the youngster's rosebud. With one well-directed thrust, he impaled the lad. After a moment's pause, he began to fuck. The results were exactly as expected. After a couple of minutes, Pennington ejaculated powerfully into the shorts, Alex following seconds later by filling the twelve-year old's bottom.

On Sunday afternoon, the visitor was Bradshaw. Following the lad's maths tutorial, they got down to some serious man-boy sex. It was thoroughly enjoyable as it invariably was, culminating in the boy lying submissively on his stomach, allowing Alex to give him a good, hard fucking.

In one respect, however, it was disappointing. Alex had hoped that Bradshaw would confirm that he had spoken to the younger Newton and tell him the outcome, but the lad never mentioned it. He could have asked, but with the boy due to sit his O-level exam in less than two weeks, this, Alex realised, was not the right time. Unless Bradshaw volunteered an answer in the meantime, he decided, he would wait until the youngster had done his exams and take up the matter then.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

On their return to school, the boys quickly settled back into the routine. Michael soon noticed that Lorenzo had developed a quiet confidence that he previously hadn't had. His boyfriend was no longer worried, no longer doubting himself. He would fail physics, chemistry and Religious Studies. That no longer concerned him. He'd put the work into his other subjects and knew he was on course to do well, much better than he ever had before.

For his part, with the pre-Christmas exams due to start in five weeks, Michael was more confident than he'd been previously. Not only had he been working well and getting good marks for his homework, having spent the half term doing some systematic revision, he was better prepared than he'd ever been. He was positively looking forward to the exams, keen to show what he could do.

The times that Michael and Lorenzo were able to spend together were simply wonderful. It was a virtuous circle. Michael was delighted to see Lorenzo so happy and confident, and this in turn raised his own self-belief.

Not once did he have to pull up his boyfriend for not doing something as well as he might. Lorenzo had developed a pride in producing his best work every time. From being regarded as a troublesome nobody, he had become someone that the other boys looked up to, even Calladine and Stainham, the two most able lads in his form.

It had been quite a transformation. Thinking about it, Michael found it hard to believe what they'd achieved in such a short space of time. Writing the story had been the turning point, but in reality, that was just part of the bigger picture. Michael was proud just to have played a part. It was, he felt certain, the best thing he'd ever done.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

November 1961

With the O-level maths exams scheduled to take place during the following week, on the first Sunday after their return to school, Bradshaw arrived at Alex's flat for his regular Sunday tutorial. They didn't actually do any maths, talking instead about the exam, time management and that sort of thing. Even that was hardly necessary. Having worked through a whole series of past papers, Bradshaw knew exactly what to expect.

At half past two, Mr Smith arrived, accompanied by Van Kerkstraat. After the boys had undressed each other and played around for a while, Alex was pleased to see his protégé give the pretty blond boy a good, hard fucking, as though he hadn't a care in the world. When, Alex wondered, would he get to see Bradshaw perform like that with the younger Newton? Was it even going to happen?

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

The first maths paper took place on the Tuesday morning. At the start of the lunch break, Bradshaw appeared in Alex's classroom.

"Well," Alex enquired. "How did you get on?"

"Very well, I think, sir. I did all the questions in section A. There wasn't anything I didn't know how to do. Then I picked my three questions from section B and did those. When I'd finished, I still had half an hour left, so I checked all my answers. I didn't find any mistakes."

"Very good!" Alex congratulated. "Come and see me again on Friday, after you've done paper 2."

"Don't you want to see me on Thursday afternoon, sir?" Bradshaw queried.

"No, I think we should give that a miss," Alex said quietly. "Go home, get ready for Friday and have an early night."

"Yes sir," Bradshaw acknowledged.

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

On Friday lunchtime, Bradshaw duly reappeared. His report on the morning's exam was almost identical to the previous one. He'd done the whole of section A, and three complete questions from section B. This time, when checking his work, he'd found one mistake, which he'd corrected. That was all.

"Right!" Alex said, smiling. "I now want you to have a week off. I don't even want you to think about maths. When you're in here with your form, make sure to bring something to read. Or if you've got homework to do, you can do that. Come and see me next Thursday, after your games lesson."

"Won't I be seeing you on Sunday, sir?"

"No," Alex insisted. "You've worked extremely hard for this. You need a break. Spend some more time with your friends. I'll see you next Thursday."

0 o 0 o 0 o 0

The following Thursday afternoon, with classes over for the day, Alex sat in his classroom waiting for Bradshaw to arrive. He'd missed seeing the lad over the weekend, but he knew it had been the right thing to do. As an additional benefit, it might have helped to dispel the notion from Bradshaw's mind that he was looking to have sex with the lad as often as he could. That, in its turn, might make him more likely to do what Alex wanted where the younger Newton boy was concerned.

At five to four, Bradshaw strolled into the room, looking freshly scrubbed after his shower. He sat down in his usual place, taking out his maths things.

"So how was your week?" Alex asked.

"It was good, sir," Bradshaw responded. "I missed seeing you on Sunday though."

"I missed you too," Alex admitted. "But you needed the break."

After issuing the lad with a copy of Dakin & Porter, Alex introduced him to the theory of quadratic functions before working through a few examples.

"Okay," Alex instructed. "Work through the rest of the exercise for homework. We'll pick up from there on Sunday."

"Are we going into the storeroom now, sir?" Bradshaw asked eagerly.

"Yes, but just before we do, there's something I want to ask you," Alex said. "D'you remember during half term, I asked you if you'd be able to bring your friend Newton with you to the flat. You said you'd ask him about it."

"I did, sir," Bradshaw said evenly. "He said he didn't want to. I'm not going to make him, sir."

"I wouldn't want you to make him," Alex countered. "But you could use your powers of persuasion."

The look of calm determination in Bradshaw's eyes told Alex more than words ever could. His protégé would do no such thing. He'd asked Newton, as he'd said he would. Newton had said no, and as far as Bradshaw was concerned, that was the end of the matter.

Alex knew immediately that this was a turning point. Initially, he'd been all in favour of the relationship between Bradshaw and first-year Newton, certain that in due time it would give him access to the younger boy. Instead, it was pulling his protégé away from him. Although he did his best not to show it, inwardly he was bitterly disappointed.