Disclaimers:
This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between the characters in this story and real people (appearances, names, etc.) are purely coincidental. This story may contain homosexual material, including love and sex, so if material like this is illegal in your region or if it discomforts you, please leave.

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Strawberry Wine

Chapter V

Date Unknown

I don't know how much time had passed, but I had slept twenty-three times. There was no way for me to tell how much time had passed each day the pink coin taught me the language. That was all I did. That was all I was allowed to do. Each time, an alien would wake me with a tray of food and the coin would levitate off the floor.

The aliens knew of human diet. Each of my once-daily meals was very nutritious. One dish was tidbits of cooked beef, carrots, potatoes, and celery but not cooked together. Another dish was bits of chicken, broccoli, onions, peas, corn, and Granny Smith apples.

At the end of each language session, I would cry myself to sleep. I would wonder if my family and Darwin were okay. I prayed that they were not captured, imprisoned, and were healthy.

Each alien, no matter how much I asked, ignored me every time I asked about other humans, let alone my family. During the first dozen times an alien brought me food, I screamed my questions. They didn't care. They just sat the grey-purple tray on my bed (of sorts) and walked right back out.

And the bed. It looked just like the grey-purple stone that the building was made of, and touching your hand to it, it was hard as a rock. But either sitting on it or lying on it, it was soft as feathers. It didn't give under any weight, it remained perfectly straight, but it felt comfortable.

When I was woken the twenty-fourth time, the alien sat the tray of food down on the bed when I sat. And it didn't walk out of the room like it and the others usually did. Instead, the alien stood like a statue in front of the wall.

After a long moment of silence, the alien said, "Neq'qir."
[Eat.]

I obeyed. I grabbed a cube of pork and popped it in my mouth. The thing about the aliens' dishes is they didn't cook food with seasoning of any kind so they were often boring.

Minutes later, I finished the pork cubes, asparagus, and celery sticks, and was full. The alien grabbed the tray off the bed, and walked back to the wall. What surprised me was the fact that the pink coin remained on the floor, it didn't levitate like it always did.

"Kaid'jut," the alien commanded and the wall dissipated.
[Follow.]

As I caught up with the female alien (as told by its feminine, soft voice), I asked, "Humung'au nawot lek'in?"
[Where are we going?]

The alien offered no response. It kept walking ahead of me. I followed obediently but walked with both my hands cupped over my pelvis, covering my penis and testicles.

We walked maybe five hundred yards of stone corridors when a wall dissipated. Inside the room were two dozen or so humans. Tears immediately prickled at my eyes, and my heart wanted to dance inside my chest. I'd never been so happy to see people in my life.

The alien pointed and commanded, "Ingit'dit."
[Line up.]

The people were completely nude, same as me, and they were lined in two perfect lines. So I stood at the back of the front line, with my hands still cupped over my pelvis.

I whispered to the woman in front of me, "Hi. My name is--"

"Nati'guk!" the alien called.
[Attention!]

Half a second later, the wall through which we came in dissipated. Five more aliens walked into the room, but the leading alien was slightly different. Its forest green splotches were slightly more elegant. And it had sparkly round stones stuck to its head in a perfect crown.

Before I knew it, the leader alien stood in front of me. Its white eyes scrutinized me, and it made my heart rate pick up in speed.

"Dut'qa il'li haudja'whot?" it asked the alien that led me.
[This one is my personal slave?]

"Ii hun'auva, Nayak," the other alien answered.
[That correct, My King.]

The leader alien- apparently the king, grabbed a lock of my wavy, greasy hair between its fingers. It then tugged on the hair below my navel, almost painfully.

"Munaq'hi qul vik'miit dunayuk," the king commanded.
[Put a medical disk on it.]

I had no idea what exactly that meant, and I was a little scared. Another alien walked up to me, and pulled a lilac purple disk out of its pocket. Before I could flinch, the alien pressed the disk to my chest and something from it pricked my skin.

I flinched then. And literally a second later, there was a burning sensation in my lungs. It felt like I was inhaling the air directly above a fire.

And then that same burning feeling prickled at the back of my eyes. Within a tenth of a second, that painfully hot feeling washed over my eyes and brain. I dropped to my knees as screams erupted from my throat. I only screamed three times, but they were so loud that my throat felt raw.

And then all pain suddenly disappeared. My whole body felt completely fine. I felt light, in fact, weightless. I quickly stood and wiped the hot tears from my face.

The woman beside me, visibly concerned and fearful, quietly asked, "You okay?"

After I inhaled a deep breath, I whispered back, "Yeah."

The king alien asked, "Hun'a dom'na havakit?" as it inspected the rest of the line in which I was.
[What will they be?]

The alien that led me in answered, "Dom'na gok'ialuk."
[They will be cooks.]

The king pointed to the other line and asked, ""Hulam'aqti?"
[Cleaners?]

"Ii hun'auva, Nayak."
[That's correct, My King.]

"Suvia'taa," the king commanded. "Tuqqi."
[Dress it. Now.]

One of the other aliens approached me with a black triangle in its hand. The alien stood at my side, and attached the triangle to my lower back, right above the cleft of my butt. A barely felt a warmth creeping around my back, up my stomach, and down my thighs.

I looked down, and saw white fabric materialize all over my nude body. It stretched down my arms, over my hands. It traveled down my calves and covered my feet. I felt it ghost over my neck. The fabric, which reminded me of a silk-nylon blend, dressed me neck to toe like a second skin.

I looked toward the other people, but the aliens were not dressing them. The people had their heads turned to stare at me.

It was then that I noticed it. I could see crisp and clear. I touched my finger to my face, and felt no eyeglasses. But my vision was astoundingly perfect! It was the crispest I'd ever, ever seen.

The king commanded, "Kaid'jut," before it turned on its heel.
[Follow.]

I followed the king, made sure to keep no more than a foot's distance between us.

After a couple of minutes of silence while walking, I tentatively asked, "Qun'ok uvam'na oyot?"
[Why did that hurt?]

The king, expectedly, ignored me. It remained walking in silence. And I followed. A wall dissipated on arrival, and inside stood six other aliens around a grey-purple stone table. But this stone was obviously different, there was an image projected on it like a three-dimensional model. It was life-like, especially because it displayed alien ships and the immobilizing red orbs flying over-

Wait.

Was that... was that the Statue of Liberty?

It was. Or, it was the stump. Only a quarter of the statue remained in its place, and rest was of it nowhere to be seen.

The rest of New York City faired no better. The hologram showed it perfectly clear. Skyscrapers were destroyed. Bridges were collapsed. Whole neighbourhoods were alight in fire. And there were no people in the image. But I assumed they were in the grey-purple stone structure that was roughly three-quarters of the size of the city. It was right smack in the middle of the city, oval in shape.

I hadn't known I was crying until I tried asking, "Mikik'gut fone buktor?"
[Is this real?]

The aliens didn't answer. They remained gazing at the hologram and speaking in hushed tones. I stared numb, and tears streamed down my cheeks.


15 July 2016

"Where are you and your friends going?" my mom asked.

While packing my duffle, I answered, "Lake Monroe. Like I told you and Dad yesterday when I asked.

"I know," my mom replied with a sigh, "but it's so far away. And what if something happens?"

"Nothing's gonna happen, Ma," I assured. "And if something does, Katie has first aid training from lifeguard training. Remember? She's literally saved lives. And the lake has cell reception anyway."

"I just don't get it," my mom stated. "You've only been friends with Darwin for, what, five days? And he's already inviting you to lake camping trips?"

"Okay," I said with a tinge of frustration, "forbid me from going then."

"Honey," my mom said softly, "you know I won't do that. Lake trips with friends can be fun and amazing. I just don't understand it, is all."

"So you've been to lakes with friends when you were my age," I commented while still packing. "And nothing happened to you. You're fine. See? Nothing's gonna happen to me out there."

"Fine. Nothing will happen out there. And you guys will be back tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I promised. "Could be afternoon. Could be evening. Just don't inflate my phone with calls and texts when you worry about when I'll be back. I'll send you a text when we've hit the road, and that'll be it."

"A text every hour after."

"Fine. You know, I would've agreed if you said every half hour. But no changing your mind now!"

My mom sighed and lamented, "Fine."

Just then, as I zipped up my duffle, the doorbell rang. And my stomach dropped. I was nervous, anxious, and-

"Well go answer the door," my mom said with a high-pitched voice. "Or have you changed your mind?"

I hadn't. I rolled my eyes and carried my duffle downstairs. My mom was right behind me, and my brother Vance had just answered the door.

"Darwin!" I called happily. "Come in. Want something to drink?"

The brunette glanced nervously at Vance before him, and answered, "No, but thanks. Curt said to meet him and Katie at her house in ten."

Darwin followed me into the kitchen, where my whole family was sitting for breakfast.

As I filled two giant water bottles from the Brita, Jason asked, "So what's going on at the lake?"

"Not much," Darwin answered with a nervous hitch to his voice. "Just hangin' out, I guess."

"Mom, Dad," I began anxiously, "Darwin actually wanted to meet you both."

"We've met," my dad replied with confusion.

My mom agreed, "Yeah, we've been to countless basket--"

"He asked me to introduce him to you guys," I pressed. "As my boyfriend."

Vance suddenly coughed up the few drops of coffee he'd just begun sipping. As he hacked, he set his mug down on the kitchen table.

Mom, Dad, and Jason stopped piling eggs, bacon, and toast onto their plates and looked at us. Each of their eyes were alight with shock.

Jason asked, "Waitwaitwaitwait, hold up, you're gay?"

My dad pointed his butter knife at both me and Darwin as he asked, "You two are dating?"

"Since when?" my mom demanded.

"Since Monday," I answered.

"And we're not gay," Darwin clarified. "We're both bi."

"Oh," Vance said, much too amused. "So if you punks break up, you can still give the folks grandchildren."

"Why can't you and Jase have kids?" I demanded.

Vance asked, "Together? Hell no."

"Yeah Vance is annoying," Jason supplied. "And I ain't gonna be a dad."

"Yeah that's incest, too," Vance stated. Like, duh.

"And men can't get pregnant," Jason went on. "Well not with our current technology, anyway."

"Oh, my god!" I cursed. "You're both idiots."

"So the folks' first grandchild will be the fruit of your loins, Baby Bro," Vance stated like that was that.

"Will you both shut up?" my mom demanded.

"Yes," I agreed. "If Darwin and I breakup, I can still marry a woman and have kids with her."

Darwin elbowed me softly and groused, "Gee, thanks for holding me in such high regard."

"And I can still have kids if Darwin keeps me around. There's artificial insemination, and maybe they'll have invented technology to grow humans with sperm without the need of an ovary in ten years."

My dad waved his hands and loudly said, "Okay, shut up, all of you!"

That got our attention. We all looked to my dad, expectant.

My mom asked, "So you were pretty deceptive of this when you asked to go on this trip. You neglected to mention that Darwin Horner- I'm sure you're a good kid, is your boyfriend."

"Well how old were you when you and Joss Belernick went camping?" I demanded defensively.

My dad tried to conceal his smile when he turned to my mom and said, "I think he's got you there, Hun."

"If it makes you feel better," I began softly, "I'm not- I don't think I wanna have sex yet. And not in a tiny nylon house."

After a beat of silence, my parents looked to each other with their lips pressed together tightly. My mom nodded her head minutely.

My sad stood from his chair and gently said, "Son, I think we should have a talk."

"What?" I asked. "Not the- no. Dad, please no."

"Just come with me," my dad softly continued.

I groaned. Of course I groaned. This was gonna be so fucking awkward. But I obediently followed my dad upstairs, and into his bedroom where he told me to sit on his bed.

I wanted to scream and cry and kick everything due to the immense and painful embarrassment. My dad had opened his bedside table and handed me a box. Durex.

"Condoms? Mom can still get preg- you guys are still having relations?"

"Son," my dad began awkwardly. "I know I gave you The Talk a couple years ago--"

"--So you don't have to give it to me again now," I pleaded. "Please."

"But you didn't have a- you weren't in a relationship then."

"I'm pretty sure my- part still works the same whether I have a boyfriend or not. So... And please don't try to talk to me about- about- about anal preparations, dad. Please. Save that for when I come back from Lake Monroe. Or when I'm thirty. Or never. How 'bout that? I'm fine with never."

My dad sighed so heavily, but responded, "Fine. The second you come back, we're having that talk. And take--"

"--Nnoooo. You just- I'll buy my own. When I'm ready. Which I don't think I'll ever be, thank you very much."

When I got back downstairs, the kitchen was empty. As was the living room. But the garage door was open, so I went there. Jason, Vance, Mom, and Darwin were standing by Darwin's dad's truck, obviously talking. Darwin's face looked blank, and his hands were inside the pockets of his shorts.

As my mom hugged me, she said, "We've packed camping gear. You're sleeping in separate tents."

"I'll ask Katie to share," I proposed.

"Alright," my mom agreed. "I love you, Sweetie."

Jason hugged me next, and said, "Have fun out there, Baby Bro."

"But not too much fun," Vance amended when he hugged me after.

Darwin kissed my cheek before he climbed into the driver's seat of his dad's truck. I waved at my family while climbing into the passenger seat.

When Darwin began driving, he asked, "So did your dad give you The Talk?"

"Oh, my god," I said with embarrassment, "shut up."

Darwin simply laughed at my expense. The asshole.

I asked, "Hey, did my brothers talk to you?"

Darwin nodded softly with his eyes glued to the road, and softly replied, "They did. They both told me that they know ways to torture without leaving evidence."

"They do not," I assured my boyfriend.

My boyfriend. That still tickled me.

Darwin asked with relief, "Oh, so they were lying when they said they're both black belts?"

"Oh, no. We all have karate training. Even my sisters are taking classes."

"Great. My boyfriend has giant, muscular brothers that terrify me."

I laughed in amusement and patted Darwin's knee. We reached the Benjamins' house, Katie and Curtis were loading the back of his S.U.V. with gear.

"Ohmygod!" Katie screamed and ran to me.

I caught Katie when she leapt into my arms. She was very much happy and excited to be going camping with her crush.

And then Katie's parents came out of the house. Their faces were straight, blank. That didn't bode well.

"Boys," Mr. Benjamin sternly greeted.

Mrs. Benjamin kissed my cheek before she said, "You and Katie will be sharing a tent. No exceptions."

"You got it, Mrs. Benjamin," I responded. "My parents said the same thing."

Mr. Benjamin said, pleased, "Good. And y'all have pocket knives?"

"I have two, Sir," Darwin promised.

"And y'll'll call if something happens?" Mrs. Benjamin pled.

"I will," I promised.

So Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin wished us well and we got into the vehicles. During ride, Darwin had me play music with the aux cord.

"So how did Curt react when you came out to him?" I asked.

Darwin shrugged as he answered, "Fine. Surprisingly fine. He said he suspected because he saw me glancing at you at school. He asked if you treat me well, and how much I like you.
"Since I don't have an older brother, I'll ask him to threaten to cause you bodily harm if you so much as sip my coffee. No person, no matter how beautiful, does not deprive me of a drop of my beloved caffeine."

I laughed unabashedly and promised, "Yeah, well your coffee is safe. Can't stand the taste."

Darwin grasped my hand and stated, "Less chances for Curt to kick your ass then."

"You just better protect me when I forget to offer to carry your books," I replied and kissed Darwin's knuckles. "I can defend myself just fine, but my jock boyfriend better prove his affection by getting at least a nice shiner."

Darwin giggled as well in response.

Two and a half hours later, we reached the lake. Darwin parked in the south car lot, and Curt parked beside us. We unloaded most of the gear about fifty feet away, all except two of the four tents.

After Darwin and I had successfully set up his tent, Curt held a six-pack of Budweiser up and called, "Who's up for a brew?"

I declined, as did Katie. Darwin, to no surprise, grabbed one. I wasn't worried, it was only one six-pack. No one was getting drunk on that.

Darwin snaked his free hand around me back and said, "I forgot that you don't drink."

I giggled, and kissed Darwin's cheek. Darwin smiled shyly in response, and then began looking for branches and twigs. Katie and I helped him while Curt remained at the fire pit chopping the too big branches.

Now that there was a huge pile of firewood, Curt asked Katie if she wanted to go for a walk. As they did, I grabbed the bottle of waterproof sunscreen and walked to the water.

"Are you sure you wanna share a tent with Katie?" Darwin asked gently before he peeled his tank off. "I was hoping we could cuddle as we fall asleep. That's it. No funny business, I promise."

"I'm not comfortable with that yet," I answered regretfully. "Sorry, Dar."

As he stepped out of his shorts, Darwin replied, "It's nothing to be sorry about. Do what makes you comfortable. We'll have more camping trips in the future.
"Want me to help you?"

I glanced down at Darwin's outstretched hand, and then handed him the sunscreen. He went behind me, and I heard an obscene amount of lotion squirt into his palm.

I assumed that Darwin do just my back, but his arms went under mine and his creamy hands flattened over my slim chest and stomach. I yelped in surprise, but gave no protest. His big, strong hands lathered my body generously, luxuriously. I closed my eyes to enjoy the attention.

I was a little self-conscious of the lack of muscles on my body, but Darwin seemed to enjoy it. As his hands explored my body, his lips pressed soft kisses to the nape of my neck. It was all causing blood to rush to my dick.

And then Darwin's hands stopped. He retracted them, but a second later I heard more lotion squirt into his palm. This time, his palms lathered my back. This one felt more like a massage. It felt fantastic on my muscles. I hung my hung down, and hummed happily.

My breathing hitched when Darwin's hands traveled south, Deep south. His fingers grazed the uppermost regions of my butt inside my boxer-briefs.

And then Darwin's hands slid over my shoulder blades, and down my arms. As he applied sun protection to my elbows, Darwin kissed my neck again.

I couldn't help but to moan softly, "Dar."

Darwin's hands slid over mine, and he laced our fingers together. I gently bent my neck, and laid my head on Darwin's shoulder.

"Enough with the porn show, guys!" Katie's amused voice called in the distance.

"Wanna help me now?" Darwin whispered huskily.

I obliged excitedly. I took the bottle of sunscreen from Darwin's hand and squirted some into mine. I stood in front of my boyfriend and kissed him. Our lips danced slowly, and our tongues mingled sensuously. All the while, my hand slid over the firm muscles of Darwin's chest and stomach. My fingers explored the warm skin and contours.

"Stop," Darwin whispered against my lips. "You're making me so hard."

"Lie down on the sand," I said and kissed Darwin's jaw. "I'll massage your back."

Darwin's soft lips stretched over my cheek in a smile. He took a couple steps forward and laid down on his stomach. I straddled the backs of his thighs, and squirted a lot of lotion onto the tanned, mole-dotted expanse of his back.

"Oooh-hoo-hoo!" Darwin laughed. "That's cold."

I'd given massages to Katie and Wendy because their muscles ached from swim meets and practices. They said that I had nimble hands, and they always got out of a massage feeling super relaxed. So I tried to make Darwin's massage ten times better. I glided the heels of my palms up and down his back slowly and firmly. I slowly stroked my thumbs side to side. My fingers plied his trapezius muscles.

During the ten minute massage, Darwin hummed and mewled. His eyes remained closed, and his face was lax, save for the lazy smile.


16 July 2016

It was just after one-thirty in the morning when I checked the time. Darwin's back was resting against my chest on one of the three logs around the fire. He was talking animatedly about a hunting trip he'd been on with his dad a few years ago, but had stopped. We just sat, and I pressed a kiss to his temple.

Katie and Curt had sat on another log. They exchanged stories about little siblings and the terrors they caused.

Darwin offered me the last bite of his burger. I took it, despite having gone cold. Darwin sipped the last of his beer. It took him over thirteen hours to nurse three beers, so he couldn't have been feeling much of a buzz, if any.

"Can we come back here?" Darwin asked quietly. "Like, when I come back from Mexico? Just the two of us?"

"Sure," I answered. "Yeah. Be awesome."

"I think I'm ready for bed," Darwin stated. "But I'm too comfy to move. Carry me to my tent?"

I giggled and said, "You just lie down right here. And pray the crows don't eat your eyes as you sleep."

Darwin hit my knee so softly, tiredly, and responded, "Mean."

Darwin rose, and gave me a lingering, longing kiss good night. He went off to the tent he'd be sharing with Curt, and I went to the other. Katie came in just as I had been zipping up my sleeping bag.

"Curt is awesome," Katie commented, and I could hear the smile on her face. "Thanks for setting us up."

"It was all Darwin."

"Well thank him for me. I'm sure you'll think of how."

I snorted and replied, "Go to sleep. Darwin said we'd walk some trails before we drive back home."

"How does Darwin make you feel?"

"Like a princess," I grouchily answered. "Go to sleep."

"Okay. But how does he make you feel?"

I propped myself up on one elbow and gave in. "He makes me feel like I'm a person. I know that sounds stupid. But before him, I just felt like... like a robot. I was going through the motions; school, lawns, shovelling snow, homework, without life, ya know?
"But Darwin makes me feel like I should be living more. Like I'm realizing now that I do have a life and I'm not just preparing for life after college.
"I know it's been just one day, but how does Curt make you feel?"

After a beat of silence, Katie answered, "I dunno. He makes me feel like not every boy is a major fuckhead. He's sweet, and funny, and listens."

To Be Continued...


By popular demand, as with many of my other stories, you guys have been asking about photos of the two main characters. As you guys have noticed, I haven't given you guys the name of the main character. That's deliberate. And neither will I provide a photo of him. But...

Darwin Horner
Darwin Horner

Hope 'Strawberry Wine' is to your liking so far. If you want to check out my other fictions, they will be listed below.

Connected

Car Radio

Do Not Go Gentle

Near Wild Heaven

The Other Half of Me Unknown

A Quick Fall

Some You Give Away

Somewhere A Clock is Ticking

Tearing Me Apart

The Trick is to Keep Breathing

You Call it Madness

You Don't Mean to Hurt Me

tyler.christopher36@yahoo.com