Care
By Li'l Ninja
nifty_little_ninja@proton.me
https://LittleNinja.world

Super serious disclaimer: The characters and events in this story are entirely fictional. Any possible resemblances to real-life people or events within this story are purely coincidental, I swear! This story contains naughty things that you might find...well... naughty. If naughty stuff offends you or it is illegal for you to read in your state, country, town, city, or whatever, then bugger off elsewhere! - Or just use a VPN or something - If not, then grab a box of tissues [for your eyes, you dirty sod!] and let's get started.

A Note From The Ninja: For a change, this whole Chapter takes part during one single day. There won't be tonnes of crazy interwoven timelines in this one. Yes, yes, I know... I can already hear your collective moans of disappointment (LOL) but we will resume that in the next chapter, don't worry.
Oh... actually, there are a few short, for want of a better word, "flashback" scenes (I really hate that term). But they're in italics and the specific date really isn't important in them. Therefore, I haven't included a date mark at the start of them.

Also, I'm trying some different formatting. Drop me an email to let me know if you prefer this new way or the usual way.

Check out the blurb and photo for this chapter @ https://littleninja.world/stories/care/chapter-8-boyfriends/

Chapter 8: Boyfriends

Saturday, 6th April 1991
"Happy birthday, Cole," Hunter and his mother, Elizabeth said happily as Cole answered the door to them. His face instantly lit up with delight at the sight of his best friend and Elizabeth. And, with a huge grin on his face, Cole opened the door wider to let them in.

"Hunter, Beth, it's so lovely to see you," greeted Cole's dad, Gordon. "You're right on time actually, Beth. I was just about to make a brew. Tea or coffee?" he asked, beaming a warm smile at Elizabeth.

"Ohh, I'd love a cuppa," Elizabeth said, returning the smile before heading through to the kitchen where Gordon was.

Cole and Hunter looked at one another knowingly and Cole made a fake throwing-up gesture, making Hunter giggle. Cole didn't quite catch the little sparkle in Hunter's eye. In fact, Cole had been missing that little sparkle for quite some time now and Hunter was beginning to wonder if Cole would ever notice it. Maybe he already had and was simply ignoring it.

"Com'on, lemme show you what I got for my birthday," said Cole, excitedly dragging his best friend upstairs to his bedroom.

**

Gordon flicked the kettle on.

"I have Cole's birthday cake in the car," said Elizabeth as she sank into Gordon's warm embrace.

"Thanks, Beth. You're the best," he replied, enjoying the woman's arms around him. Since he and his wife divorced, he had experienced little-to-no physical contact with any other females. "Your cakes are so much better than what I can get from the shop," Gordon continued, breaking the hug. "Heck, even the baker's ones aren't as good as yours."

"Oh stop, you," Elizabeth said bashfully.

"I mean it. He... Well... We all loved the cake you did him last year," he said sincerely. This caused Elizabeth to blush. She knew her baking was pretty great but she was a humble woman. Even when she baked something as simple as cookies or brownies, she got no end of compliments from whoever tried them. She had only started baking a few years back when her son was only 6 years old. She thought it would be something fun for her and Hunter to do together. Through that, she found she had somewhat of a natural talent for it.

The button on the kettle popped up with a *click* as it finished boiling, steam billowing out of the top of the spout.

"Tea then, yeah?" asked Gordon.

"Yes please," she replied. "Mil –" she was cut off.

"Milk and two sugars," Gordon said with a smirk. "Yeah, I know by now," joked Gordon with a smirk. Elizabeth smiled and cocked her head down slightly as she ran her hair behind her right ear.

**

"No way, I can't believe all the cool stuff you got," Hunter said when Cole had shown off all the great birthday presents he had got from his dad and some of his family. He was genuinely in awe at some of the gifts that Cole had received and he began to worry. He knew his gift couldn't stand up against all that.

"Yeah, some of it's pretty awesome," Cole said in that cool, slick voice that Hunter was so drawn to. "It's not as cool as hanging out with my bestest friend all day though." This caused Hunter to show his big, dimple-filled smile at Cole.

Hunter saw his best friend curiously eyeing up the gift bag he was holding with a smile on his face.

"Oh, uhh, I... I'm sorry," Hunter sputtered out, trying to shake off the trance-like state that Cole's dark eyes were sending him into.

Hunter walked up close to his best friend.

Just before holding out the gift bag containing the presents, Hunter gingerly gave the birthday boy a soft but tender peck on the lips.

"Happy birthday, Cole," he said with a huge smile. But Cole didn't take the gift bag. No, Cole simply stood there and stared at his friend. Although the two boys had known each other since they were toddlers, neither of them had ever kissed on the lips before. Cole's mum always said that boys don't kiss boys. In fact, she would sometimes even get mad at them when they went as far as to hug each other.

*

"What are you doing?" she had snapped once. "Only poofters hug like that! You don't want people to think you're both poofs, do you?"

"Wh-what's a poof, Mummy?" said a 5-year-old Cole, jumping back from his best friend's embrace. He surely didn't know what a poofter was. But he didn't want to be one if his mother said it was so bad.

"It's a gay boy; a dirty little faggot," she stated. There was a venomous tone to her words. This only confused young Cole further. His mother wasn't making any sense to him.

"But... But... I've seen you and daddy hugging loads of times before," whined the confused 5-year-old. "Doesn't that make you a f-fajjot?" Cole stammered. He loved his mother. However, recently she had started drinking a lot. She was drinking right now. In fact, red wine was sloshing over the rim of her wineglass as she accentuated her slurred syllables. He really hated this new side of his mother and it was beginning to scare him...

"Yes, but Daddy and I love each other very much," she said. Her voice was a little softer this time. Although she sounded almost like she had choked on her own words. "That's normal."

"But I love Hunter very much too, just like you and Daddy," the small boy said, taking a step closer to his best friend and gripping one of his arms around his shoulder, pulling him close. Hunter mirrored him by putting his arm around Cole. The two young boys stood side-by-side.

"No you don't!" she shouted loudly. "Only faggot little gay boys hug other boys. And my son is not a fucking faggot," she slurred, more red wine sloshing from the top of her wine glass.

"I don't care," Cole said as his voice got a little louder. There was defiance in his voice. "I love hunter. He is my friend. He is my bestest friend. He loves me too, Mummy. And If that makes us fajjots, then I don't care... Do you care, Hunter?" Cole looked to his best friend, hoping he would back him up.

And, unsurprisingly, being spurred on by Cole's strong, defiant demeanour, Hunter confidently shook his head from side to side. He even pouted and straightened his back a little.

"No son of mine will grow up to be a fucking homosexual," she said, taking a step towards the boys. There was a livid fire in her eyes.

"I don't care what you want, Mummy."

Before the small boy knew what had hit him, Cole was lying on the floor. A stinging sensation began to burn his face where his mother had just slapped him. Cole wasn't sure if the sound of his mother hitting his face with the palm of her hand was still echoing around the room or if it was simply due to the ringing in his ears. Hunter instantly rushed over to his best friend lying on the floor to check he was okay.

"What on Earth is going on down here?!" shouted Gordon. "What the hell do you think you are doing?!" he continued. He only needed a split second to at least partially understand that his drunken wife had gone too far and he knew this was becoming too much of a regular occurrence recently.

"This is all... your... fault," she hissed in Gordon's face. The pungent smell of red wine and cigarette smoke on her breath wafted into his nose, making the man nearly gag. "I'm going to bed. I'll leave you fairy boys to it, she said with a disgusted smirk on her face. "Don't suppose I'll see you upstairs tonight then?" she had stopped at the doorway and looked down her nose at her husband that was attempting to comfort the two traumatised young boys.

Gordon shot a quick side-eye glance at his wife and shook his head slightly in disgust before continuing to tend to the boys.

"Thought not," she sneered before stomping angrily upstairs and making sure that everyone in the house heard her slam the bedroom door shut.

*

Cole shifted nervously, still holding out the gift bag of presents toward his best friend.

Cole's eyes were glazed over as if he wasn't even there.

"Cole?" Hunter said in a worried tone. He was starting to hate himself. He knew he shouldn't have kissed his friend... his best friend. What was he thinking? He let his emotions... his attraction to Cole... get the better of him and he feared he had ruined everything. He feared that because of his stupidity, he was going to lose the best friend he had ever had since he was barely 2 years old.

Cole's expression turned to that of anger or frustration (Hunter couldn't quite tell) as he bought his fingers to his lips... The very lips Hunter had just kissed.

If he wasn't already sure, he was then as Cole began to scowl.

"Cole I –" Hunter said, taking a step towards his friend. But he was interrupted when Cole barged past him, knocking the gift bag out of Hunter's hand. He ran into his bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him.

*

Gordon was kneeling in front of a crying 5-year-old Cole and scared stiff 6-year-old Hunter.

"I'm so sorry, boys," he said softly. "Here, let me see your face, Cole." The boy moved his hands from his face and turned his head slightly. Gordon saw the deep red handprint on the small boy's face, a steady stream of tears running over it. He had to try hard to fight back his angry expression.

"Here, do you want me to kiss it better?" he asked. Both he and Cole knew that the magic kiss healed most minor cuts, bumps, and bruises. Cole nodded his head slightly.

"But... But M-Mummy said t-that kissing b-boys is wrong and it m-makes me a f-fajjit," Cole sniffled between sobs. "I... I don't want t-to be a f-fajjit, Daddy." It took all of Gordon's composure to not smile at his son's adorable mispronunciation of the word. His son needed him right then and risking even the slightest possibility of Cole thinking he was laughing at him was the worst possible thing he could do.

"Oh, don't listen to Mummy, Cole," Gordon said. He leaned into the boys a little and whispered, "She's just a crazy old bat." He gave a wink and moved back to his original position. Cole's jaw dropped open and he gasped at what his dad had just said. But when he heard Hunter trying to stifle giggles next to him, the 5-year-old blushed and started giggling, too.

Gordon smiled at the two young boys giggling away to themselves and he noticed that Cole had stopped crying.

"Com'on, Boys. Let's get you cleaned up and you can help me make lunch, okay?" Gordon said. Cole threw his arms around his dad.

"Thanks, Daddy," he said.

"Any time, Son," his father replied as he gestured for Hunter to join in the hug. Of course, Hunter was more than happy to do so.

***

Chase, home alone as usual, was in the shower singing along to Paradise City by Guns N' Roses that was being blasted out of a small portable stereo that was turned up full blast. Chase's version is ever so slightly different, however:

"Take me down
To the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the boys are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home"

His mop of blonde hair was soaking wet and hung down in front of his eyes. Droplets of water formed and dripped off the tips of the parts of his hair that had clumped together. The water made his hair look much darker than usual and it made him look a little older by maybe a year or so.

Chase flipped the shower off and jumped out of the cubicle. Still naked and dripping wet, he grabbed a hairbrush and continued to bop his body and sing along to the Guns N' Roses song. Occasionally, he would actually run the brush through his hair.

The boy was admiring himself in the mirror. He was a little on the skinny side due to not really eating enough. However, his legs were strong and he had the beginning of some nice chest muscles and pecks just starting to form. All a result of the sports he played. His penis was about average length for his age but was a little thicker than the boys his age he showered with after football games and P.E. class.

Chase liked to check the other boys out in the showers. In fact, it was getting caught checking out a boy, who Chase particularly liked, that had led to him being so happy and dancing around in the mirror. He had a date.

The part of Paradise City kicked in where the tempo raises and the guitars begin to shred and Chase started jumping around the bathroom like a maniac. He was banging his head up and down, causing the water from his locks to spray everywhere. He was shaking his little wet ass, hips and shoulders, causing even more water to spray in all directions. And, of course, he was now playing the hairbrush like he was rocking out Slash's guitar solo.

By the end of the song, the excited 8-year-old boy was already mostly dry. The bathroom walls, however, were a different story. He took one last look in the mirror, noticing the freckles that had started to develop on his cheeks, before running his fingers through his hair, wrapping a towel around himself, and leaving the bathroom.

Once in his bedroom, Chase finished drying himself and started to get ready for his date.

***

"C-Cole..." Hunter said as he knocked gently on the bathroom door. Tears were in his eyes. "Cole, I... I'm so sorry. Please d-don't hate me."

No reply...

"Cole... Please," he begged.

Still nothing...

He rested his forehead and both of his palms against the door and tears began to stream down his cheeks. He couldn't believe he could have been so stupid, so short-sighted. Yeah, he really fancied Cole... a lot! But, if he couldn't have Cole as a boyfriend, he would rather have him as just a friend. It was better than not having him in his life at all. After all, this was his best friend. They had grown up together. They had been through so much together. They had stuck beside each other through thick and thin. And now, Hunter thought, that was all gone. He had ruined it all by being selfish and only thinking of himself.

Hunter decided to try one last plea.

"C-can we just forget it happened please?" he said. "Please, Cole. Please!"

The silence from inside the bathroom continued.

With a big quivering sigh, Hunter took his forehead and palms off of the door. It was apparent that Cole had no intention of speaking to him. All he could do is hope that, one day, Cole may decide to forgive him and, maybe, even become friends again.

*

***

Chase knocked on the door of his date's house. Being in such a nice neighbourhood already had him feeling slightly anxious. He was a poor boy from a poor background. However, the boy he was meeting clearly had a much nicer upbringing than what he was privileged to. He was also no stranger to how some of the kids who were more well-off than his own broke-ass family treated him. This is exactly why and how Chase learned to take care of himself socially. The young blonde boy was feisty. He was also charismatic and cute and those things clearly worked in his favour, too. And Chase knew it.

But, now he was meeting someone he had a huge crush on. If Chase wanted to get somewhere with this boy then he had to try really hard to be nice and not be too defensive. However, as he looked up at the huge three-storey detached house in front of him and looked down at the solid granite steps leading to the door that he had just knocked on, Chase felt way out of his depth.

"Hello," said a cheery-looking woman who opened the door. However, she took one look at the slightly scruffy-looking boy. His uncut mop of hair, his worn-out clothes, and the cut on his cheek just below his right eye made her cheery expression drop instantly.

"Hello Mrs Johnson," Chase said in his politest voice. He held his palm out expectantly to shake her hand.

Mrs Johnson slowly moved her eyes downwards to look at the boy's expectant hand.

"Quite," she scoffed with a grimace on her face. She clearly wasn't impressed by this skinny, ragged-looking working-class boy who stood before her that was expecting to see her son.

"Chase!" Oscar shouted excitedly as he barged past his mother to give his teammate a hug. Mrs Johnson rolled her eyes and walked away.

The two boys embraced happily. It was the first time they had hugged since knowing they both wanted to hook up. That sudden realisation quickly made the two boys feel a lot more embarrassed than they usually would. They hugged all the time, after all.

"Oh... Uhhh... Uhmmm... Sorry," Oscar stuttered, breaking the hug, not wanting to force himself onto his date. A soft blush of red settling on his cheeks.

Even Chase was blushing.

"It's cool, Dickhead," Chase joked, his voice somewhat more hushed than usual.

"You smell nice," said Oscar. As soon as the words escaped his mouth he mentally slapped himself for saying something so stupid.

"Thanks," Chase said. "You smell pretty fucking great yourself."

Oscar felt a stir in his already restless briefs when he heard Chase swear. He was extremely attracted to the stark contrast between Chase's dark, dark eyes and his bright blonde hair. Not only that, but he loved Chase's baby face, his cute little button nose, and the little scar below his right eye. But, most importantly, he loved the way the boy carried himself; his demeanour, and, of course, the way he swore so casually. It always made posh-boy Oscar go totally weak at the knees.

"D-D-Do you w-wanna come in?" Oscar said, not realising how stupid the question he just asked was.

"Well, unless you wanna hang out on your fuckin' doorstep all day, then yeah, that would be kinda nice," Chase teased in a humorous but slightly seductive tone.

"Oh... Umm... Uh... Yeah... Shit - Oh my god," a totally gaga Oscar sputtered out as the dark eyes and the cheeky smile of the blonde-haired boy had him totally seduced.

"Com'on," Chase said, doing his best to show he was calm and collected in the situation as he always was. However, this time, he was far from being calm and collected.

"Where to, Oscario?" the blonde boy asked as he stepped inside before drooping a loose arm over his friend's shoulder. He couldn't be revelling in the situation more if he tried.

"M-M-My b-b-bedroom is j-just upst-st-stairs," Oscar stammered. His mouth was dry and he was on autopilot.

"Show me the way then," said Chase with a huge grin on his lips, a steady bulge continuing to grow in his underpants. He couldn't wait to be in private with him.

"Woaahhh, this is your bedroom for reals?" Chase said in wonderment as he looked around his friend's room. It was huge, separated into two distinct sections. In one section was his double bed, with a bedside cabinet on either side. Two large windows overlooked the enormous back garden along with two other doors that Chase didn't know what they were for. A TV sat on a chest of drawers facing the bed. There were four game consoles, two on either side of the TV; two Sega consoles and two Nintendo ones. Hanging from the ceiling was a replica of the solar system, the light was cleverly the sun that all the other planets hung around. On the other section of the room was a play area. A big pile of stuffed animals and teddy bears sat in one corner. On one wall was a desk that was adorned with a huge set of art supplies and a lamp. Up against the opposite wall were several toy chests and lidded tubs that Chase assumed contained even more toys. Finally, a continuous shelf ran around the wall of the entire room. On the shelf were tonnes and tonnes of models. Some were Lego models, some were Airfix models, some were Meccano, and some were K'nex.

Chase drank in the sight. He couldn't quite believe what he was looking at. Oscar smiled at all the cute expressions of shock, awe, and wonderment that flashed on Chase's face.

"You wanna p-play something," Oscar said, snapping the blonde boy out of his trance. He was feeling a little less nervous now. Chase looked over at Oscar and smiled before stepping close to him.

"Yeah, I do," said Chase, his smile getting a little bigger.

"W-w-what do you wanna p-play with?" Oscar stuttered. He was suddenly feeling very nervous again. Chase took another step closer to his date. They were face to face, barely a few inches distance between them. Chase put his hands around Oscar's waist, placed his hands on his buttocks and pulled him in close. Oscar gulped and his heart was racing.

"You," Chase said just before pressing his soft lips against Oscar's. Oscar somehow managed to tense up even more than he already was for a split second. However, when he processed how soft and warm the blonde boy's lips were he suddenly felt so, so relaxed. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips a little more as he melted into Chase's arms.

A few moments later, Chase pulled back and Oscar let out a small whimper as he slowly opened his eyes.

"That... Uhmm... That was nice," said Oscar. Chase gave a shy smile and bit his bottom lip.

"Yeah, it was fucking awesome. Wanna do it again... But properly this time?"

"Properly?" Oscar asked, not entirely sure what Chase meant. Up until now, he had only ever kissed his parents and it was never anything like what they had just done. Chase, however, had already been with a couple of boys and done a whole lot more than kissing and he was planning on teaching his new boy toy everything.

"Yeah, properly," the blonde 8-year-old said with a smile. "Shit it's easy. Just follow what I do, okay?" Oscar simply nodded.

Pulling the boy in as close as he could, Chase then planted his lips on Oscar's again. Oscar rested his own hands on Chase's butt and he thought he could feel electricity flow through his fingers. Chase's butt was the nicest thing he had ever felt. It was soft, squishy and rounded. But it also had a pert firmness to it just below the soft squishy layer. Oscar could feel his underwear starting to bulge. Just as he thought about that, he realised that his bulge was pushed right up against Chase's own bulge. A moment later he felt Chase's tongue worming his way into his mouth. He parted his lips and allowed the blonde boy's tongue to invade him. He moaned a little into Chase's mouth as the sensation of Chase's tongue running over his own felt absolutely incredible. Oscar did as Chase had told him and he started to do what Chase was doing. Oscar was a fast learner and quickly got the hang of things.

The two boys' tongues danced and wrestled with one another. Oscar was fully hard now and he could feel Chase was, too. The feeling of their bulging trousers rubbing together along with the incredible feeling of one another's asses in their hands and the sensation of their tongues playfully and lovingly rolling across each other was heavenly for both boys.

They continued going for a good ten minutes before finally coming up for some air. The two boys were gasping and panting, their lips were red and puffy. But they didn't care. They simply stood there, their bodies close, arms around one another, buttocks in hand as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Wanna go again?" Chase eventually said. Oscar nodded frantically before leaning forward and closing his eyes. "Wait. Wait," said Chase smiling. Oscar opened his eyes and leaned back again. He looked very disappointed.

"We should take our tops and trousers off," Chase said with the biggest, cheeky grin on his face. Oscar's eyes grew so wide that Chase worried his eyes might fall out of his head. "It feels fucking great," Chase added. Although he was pretty sure that Oscar didn't need any more selling.

"O... Okay," Oscar said meekly. This was all moving very fast. But there was no denying that Chase was making him feel great. He only hoped that he was making his friend feel equally as good.

The two boys perched on the end of the bed as they took their shoes off before slipping their trousers off and pulling off their tee shirts. Both boys stood up facing one another again. While getting undressed both boys' boners had mostly gone away. However, as they both stood there admiring the body of the boy stood in front of them, they very quickly started to get hard again.

Chase bit his bottom lip as he stared at the bulging plain white briefs that Oscar was wearing. He slowly reached out and placed his palm on it. Oscar gasped the biggest gasp he had ever gasped in his entire life. The feeling was electric and he felt it travel through his entire body. Chase smiled and slowly pulled his hand away. He knew exactly what Oscar had just felt. He felt the very same thing the first time another boy had touched him there.

"W-W-What was that?" Oscar asked. His heart was racing and he felt breathless.

"Feels fucking mental, doesn't it?" Chase replied. Oscar just nodded.

"C-can I..." Oscar paused. "Well... Ummm. Would. Could. Would you mind if..." Chase smiled at Oscar

"Sure, anytime you want," he said. "I am your date after all."

Oscar gingerly moved his hand towards the bulge in Chase's dark blue 'Football' briefs. He paused for a short second before placing his own hand on Chase's bulge. Chase gasped and let out a long low moan.

"Oh shit, that feels fucking amazing," Chase said, making Oscar smile proudly. "Come here." Chase pulled Oscar into him and the two boys locked lips for the third time. They both fell onto the bed as they continued their hot make-out session.

***

Cole sat in his bathroom, hugging his knees to his chest. Although, he hadn't removed his fingers from his lips where Hunter had kissed him a moment earlier. His heart was pounding a mile a minute, He was so confused.

Cole's head was a wash of emotions as he ran the experiences of when he was only a 5-year-old boy through his head. He was so entranced in reliving those moments that he didn't hear Hunter banging on the door, pleading with him to open it and telling him how sorry he was.

The boy turmoiled, the words of both of his parents battling against one another in his head. At 10 years old, he had learned to toughen up; he had learned how to control his emotions and not let them get the better of him. However, this situation was not so easy.

Cole choked back a whimper as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Com'on. Man up," he said to himself. "You're not a poofter!"

The more he thought about how much he'd enjoyed the feeling of his best friend's lips pursing up against his own, the harder it was to ignore the conflicting words of both his parents rattling around his head.

Cole could hear his best friend banging at the door and saying stuff but it was mostly drowned out by the anguish and confusion in his head. He always thought Hunter was a good-looking boy. He thought he was cute and funny, always able to make him laugh. He loved his best friend although he knew he wasn't supposed to love boys. He didn't really love boys. It was just Hunter he loved. Hunter... His best friend.

"Best friend," he mumbled to himself. "He's my best friend."

He heard another bang on the door.

"C-can we just forget it happened please?" Cole heard Hunter shout. "Please, Cole. Please!"

Cole slowly stood up and wiped away his tears. After taking in a deep breath he slowly opened the door to the bathroom.

In front of him, sitting on the bed was Hunter with his head in his hands bawling his eyes out. Cole suddenly felt so incredibly guilty. He had overreacted and he had hurt his friend because of it.

Cole walked over to Hunter and sat on the bed next to him, causing his friend to look up at him.

"Cole, I – " Hunter started but Cole cut him off.

"I don't want to," said Cole.

"W-what?" Hunter sniffled.

"I don't want to forget it happened," Cole said with a smile before pulling his best friend in for a big hug. Hunter, who was still very emotional, cried into his friend's shoulder, setting Cole off again.

"Hunt, I'm so sorry," Cole said as they both cried together.

***

Things were getting very hot and heavy in Oscar's bedroom. The two boys were now totally naked and were on their fifth round of making out. Chase was straddling Oscar, taking full control of his student and it was exactly how Oscar wanted it.

Each boy found the other boy incredibly attractive and they were both beginning to grow a closeness between them that was something completely different from the closeness they had developed being friends and teammates. The boys were expressing this newfound closeness through the way they kissed, the way they touched, and the way they looked at each other

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Both boys bolted up.

"Shit!" Chase whispered.

"It's okay. The door is locked," Oscar said.

Another knock.

"Yeah, Mum?" Oscar shouted out.

"Oscar, Honey. Lunch is ready. Wash your hands and then you two come downstairs and get some food, okay?"

"Okay, Mum," Oscar replied.

The boys listened to the sounds of footsteps going down the stairs before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

"Shit, man. I thought we were so fucking busted," Chase said, still laughing his ass off.

"Nah, it's cool. She never comes into my room anymore," Oscar said, blushing slightly.

"Any more?" Chase quizzed. The blush on Oscar's face gave away that he was hiding something.

"Oh, uhm, well..." Oscar said nervously. "It's just that it's really embarrassing."

"Oh, well now you have got to tell me," Chase said with a grin.

"Oh, com'on, Chase. Do I have to?" Oscar pleaded. Chase simply leaned over and gave the boy a short kiss before leaning back and smiling at him.

"Fineee," Oscar said, blushing. "Well, sometime, not too long ago, my mum walked in on me while I was... Uh... Well, you know. Uh..."

"Fucking your fist?" Chase said with a smirk on his face.

"Uh... yeah," Oscar replied. Although he was embarrassed confessing such a thing, he couldn't help but find Chase's euphemism kinda funny. "I don't know who was more mortified, me or my mum. She didn't stop apologising for nearly 2 days after," he chuckled. "Anyway, she got me a lock for my door and has never just walked in since. I think she's even a little hesitant to come in even if I tell her it's okay." Hearing this made Chase laugh.

"Man that sucks bad," said Chase, still laughing his ass off.

"Yeah, I know, right," Oscar said. He couldn't help laughing himself. "Come on, let's get dressed and washed up so we can go and get some food. I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too."

The boys got dressed and after that, Chase found out what was behind one of the other doors in his friend's bedroom.

"An en suite bathroom? You have a fucking en suite bathroom?" Chase said in amazement. This made Oscar feel a little uncomfortable. He knew his family was well off. But he hated being treated differently because of it. He just wanted to be treated like a normal kid, just like everyone else.

Chase saw the uncomfortable look on Oscar's face and he felt bad thinking he might have hurt his friend's feelings.

"Oscar, I'm sorry, man... Really. I didn't mean to upset you," Chase said before leaning in to give his date a soft kiss on the cheek, instantly making the boy look a lot happier.

"It's okay, Chase. I... I just don't like being treated differently, you know?" Oscar explained. Chase affirmed what he had said with a smile and a nod.

The boys got washed up and headed downstairs to get their lunch.

***

Hunter and Cole had made up and were back to being bestest friends again, laughing and joking with each other like nothing had ever happened. The two boys never really fought before. The drama that had unravelled merely half an hour earlier was the first time anything like that had ever happened.

Hunter had apologised to Cole for kissing him and Cole told him to stop talking nonsense. He then apologised himself for overreacting,

"Hey, I totally forgot again," said Hunter as he jumped up in excitement and ran to the other side of the room.

"Huh?" said Cole. He had no idea what his friend was talking about. However, when he saw Hunter turn around holding the gift bag with his birthday presents in it was obvious.

"Happy Birthday, Cole," said Hunter, holding the gift bag out. Obviously, this time he resisted the urge to kiss him. He didn't want another repeat of what had happened earlier. Cole beamed an appreciative smile at his best friend.

"Thanks, Hunt," he said appreciatively before taking the bag.

He opened the card first, laughing at the joke on the front before reading the two short but sweet messages inside. One written by Elizabeth and the other by Hunter. He thanked his friend before standing the card up next to his other birthday cards atop his chest of drawers.

Next, he turned his attention to the two presents inside the bag. One was signed by both Hunter and his mother. The other was signed by just Hunter. He decided to open the one signed by both of them first. His jaw dropped open as he ripped away the last of the wrapping paper.

"Oh... My... God..." Cole said in amazement. "A Lego Death Star! This is so, so awesome! Thanks, Hunt," he said before throwing his arms around his friend. Hunter blushed slightly as he returned the hug.

Next, Cole picked up the second present, the one signed just by Cole. With a big smile on his face, he took the time to unwrap this one. He wanted to savour the moment for as long as he could.

Cole gasped. "Hunter, I love it," he said as he held the black hoodie that sported a red logo on the front of it. He quickly threw it on. It was so incredibly soft and comfortable. It felt just like he was wearing a hug. "Thank you so, so much, Hunt. You really are the bestest friend ever," he said. And then he did something that really shocked Hunter. He planted a soft loving kiss on his lips. This wasn't a quick peck either. He really lingered on those lips for several seconds.

"Cole... I..." Hunter said. He was in total shock. After what had happened earlier, that was the very last thing he expected to happen.

"Hunter... I've... I've got something I need to tell you. But you have to promise not to be mad at me and that, no matter what, we will always be friends," Cole said. His voice was shaking.

"W-what's that? I mean... Of course, we will always be friends. But... What?" Hunter was all kinds of confused and was still stunned by the feeling of his best friend's soft lips pressed against his own only moments earlier.

Cole in a deep breath.

"Hunter," he started. He was kind of regretting opening his big mouth. But he knew there was no way of backing out of this now. He gulped and took another deep breath. "I... I think I love you."

Hunter smiled.

"Yeah, I love you, too, stupid," Hunter joked.

"No, no. I mean... I... I think I'm IN love with you," Cole looked down. He felt like he couldn't look his friend in the eyes anymore.

Hunter's jaw dropped open. Surely this had to be some sort of a joke or a trick maybe? Was this Cole's way of getting him back for earlier? He was so confused. He ran the whole scenario through his head again and then once more. His eyes didn't once leave Cole's face who was looking down at the floor with an increasingly sad expression growing on his face. He didn't know how to react. Should he tell him how he feels too? Or is it some kind of trap? His mind was moving a million miles a minute but was only coming up with more questions and zero answers. He hadn't realised how long he'd actually been silent before Cole spoke.

"You hate me now, don't you?" Cole said as a couple of tears began to run down his cheek.

"Shit... Sorry, Cole," Hunter said.

"I knew it. I knew you wouldn't like me back," Cole said, completely misinterpreting the meaning of Hunter's apology. Hunter was saying sorry for not saying anything, not because he was rejecting him.

"Cole. I didn't mean that," Hunter said, trying to keep his best friend from completely breaking apart. "Do... Do you really mean it? Like... You actually love me?"

Cole simply nodded his head ever so slightly.

The black-haired boy jumped in shock when Hunter wrapped his arms around him.

"I love you too, Cole," he whispered softly to his friend. "Like... I'm IN love with you."

"Huh?" He looked up and into Hunter's eyes. Cole couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah, I've been crushing on you for months now," Hunter explained. "At first, I thought it was just a phase. But it didn't go away. I found myself not being able to stop thinking about you... like... ever. And whenever I was around you I was getting these funny tingly feelings in my tummy. And whenever you laughed or smiled or, heck, even when you spoke, the tingly feelings would get, like, ten times worse."

"Me too," admitted Cole with a sniffle as he wiped away his tears and replaced his sad face with a smile.

"B-But... What about what happened earlier?" Hunter asked. "Why did you react like that if you... You know... Love me?" This was the one thing he still couldn't get his head around. Surely if Cole was telling the truth and really was in love with him, he would have kissed him back.

"Well... It's just all that stuff my mum used to say to us. I know it's wrong to like another boy like that," Cole explained. "And... Well... When you kissed me it felt great. It felt really great, Hunt. I was angry at myself for it feeling great because it shouldn't feel that good. I thought I could deal with the feelings I had for you. Like you, I assumed it was just a phase and that I would get over it eventually. But they didn't go away. They only got stronger... They only got stronger, Hunt."

"Yeah, but remember what your dad said about it? He told you to not listen to your mum 'coz she's a..."

"Crazy old bat," they both said in unison before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, I know," said Cole once their laughing had stopped. "It's just kinda hard, you know. She spent so long drilling it into my head. But I don't care any longer, Hunter. I love you and that's it," he said confidently.

Hunter thought for a minute before saying, "So what now?" It was now Cole's turn to think for a minute.

"Well," said Cole, turning to face his best friend directly before reaching out and grabbing one of Hunter's hands and placing it in his own. "I think we should be boyfriends."

"Really?" Hunter gasped as his eyes widened. He never expected this.

"Yeah, why not?" Cole said with a shrug and a shy smile. "I mean, we both love each other, right? So we might as well."

After a moment's thought, Hunter smiled and summoned all the courage he had to lean forward and kiss Cole for the second time that day. He hoped that, this time, it wouldn't cause him to freak out. And, much to Hunter's delight, Cole returned the kiss.

After they broke their first kiss together, both boys sat back with goofy smiles plastered all over their faces.

"Boyfriends, huh?" Hunter said, his smile growing wider. "I really like the sound of that," he proudly announced before the two boys leaned in for another kiss.

***

Chase stared at the almost alien-looking food on the plate in front of him.

"What's this?" he whispered to Oscar, trying to sound as polite as he could. He wasn't being judgemental but he had absolutely no idea what was on his plate.

"That's Chicken Cordon Bleu. That's Greek Salad with Feta Cheese. And that's flavoured couscous," Oscar explained, pointing at the different components of the meal that was on their plates. The only thing Chase had heard of was 'salad'. He didn't even know they came in different types and he certainly had never heard of a 'Greek Salad with Feta Cheese' before.

"W-What's Feta Cheese?" Chase asked. The small, oily white blocks of crumbly cheese looked nothing like any cheese he had ever seen.

"It's goat's cheese, Chase," Oscar told him, giggling slightly. He knew Chase well enough to guess what his friend's reaction was going to be.

"Fucking goat's cheese?" Chase said, confirming what Oscar thought his reaction would be to the exact word. Luckily the boys were talking in a whisper as Mrs Johnson was only on the other side of the kitchen preparing for dinner later that evening.

"Yeah, try it with one of them cherry tomatoes," Oscar said. Chase looked sceptical, but he was an adventurous boy and decided to do as his cute friend suggested.

Chase impaled half a cherry tomato on his fork along with a cube of the goat's cheese before putting it in his mouth and chewing. Oscar watched Chase's face intently, really hoping he would enjoy the food.

After a few chews, Chase's eyes widened as he smiled.

"This tastes fuc... I mean... This tastes great!" he whispered. This not only made Oscar smile but also giggle a little. He appreciated that Chase was at least trying to make an effort to not use swear words while his mum was in the same room, even though he was sure that she probably couldn't hear them.

"Told you," Oscar retorted with a smile. "Try the chicken cordon bleu. I know you'll love that. It's my favourite." Chase nodded as he cut into the mound of breadcrumbs and meat. As he did, the aroma of chicken, ham, and cheese-filled his nose, making his mouth water.

"Oh wow. This smells so good," Chase said before putting a chunk in his mouth. It tasted incredible. Oscar smiled at the content look on his friend's face.

The boy's made quick work of their lunch before they thanked Oscar's mum for the food and disappeared upstairs to continue their fun with each other.

The two boys perched on the end of Oscar's bed. Each boy held both of the other boy's hands in their own as they stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

Although Chase had been with other boys before, he had never felt the same way as he was feeling right then with Oscar. He felt like there was something more.

"Uhm... O-Oscar..." Chase said hesitantly. This worried Oscar a little. This was the first time he had ever heard Chase sound almost unsure of what he wanted to say.

"Yeah?" he replied, continuing the loving stare into Chase's deep, dark eyes. Both boys' hearts were pounding away inside their chests.

"W-Well... I was wondering if..." Chase paused. He gulped hard before taking a deep breath inwards through his nose. He was so scared about what he was going to say, but those adorable eyes and that cute little face smiling back at him convinced him he needed to continue. "Oscar... Will you b-be my boyfriend?" he blurted out as quickly as he could, not allowing him a chance to stop halfway.

"Really?" Oscar said excitedly. "You really mean it? You wanna be my boyfriend?"

"Yes, Oscar. I do," said Chase, happy to see the excited expression on his friend's face. "I really, really do. You're just so cute, and hot, and good-looking, and look great naked, and... well..." Chase blushed. "You're a really great kisser, too."

"Yes, Chase," Oscar said. "I really, really want to be your boyfriend." He launched himself at Chase and both boys fell onto the bed. Their lips instantly locked together as they started yet another make-out session.

"I can't believe it," both boys thought to themselves. "I actually have a boyfriend."

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Awhh, is Little Ninja going all soft on the story, making everything all warm and fuzzy-wuzzy? Hah... Nope! As I said, the normal brain-hurting, messed up timelines and deeply disturbing plot line will resume next week. Hue Hue. Enjoy the break while you can, fuckers! >:D
Seriously, though... I love you all. Thanks for reading my story <3 x

Don't forget to check out the website @ https://LittleNinja.world

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Hit me up @ nifty_little_ninja@proton.me

A HUGE thank you to those who have contacted me already. Your praises, comments and suggestions mean a lot to me and really make me want to engage more in this whole writing thing. Even if you've already emailed me, then I would still love to hear your comments on this chapter. I reply to everyone who drops me a line.

You can do whatever you like with my story as long as you credit me. Also, if you would drop me and email to let me know, too then that would be highly appreciated.
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Check out these other authors and stories. They have been a huge influence to me and they are highly talented writers:
Counting - Tux
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/counting/

Geeks - Paul Schroder
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/geeks/

Inspecting A Cum Pewter (Short Story) - John Candu
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/inspecting-a-cum-pewter

Timmy and the Travellers - David Clarke
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/timmy-and-the-travelers/

Nexus - David Clarke
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/sf-fantasy/nexus/
.....actually, anything by David Clarke is pretty freakin' awesome.

The Boys of East Harbor: Michael - The Brat
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/the-boys-of-east-harbor-michael/

Gingerbread Boy - Andrew Thomas
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/gingerbread-boy/

Brotherly Games - Delgrado
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/incest/brotherly-games/

Eighteen Months with Rhett - Earth Boy
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/eighteen-months-with-rhett/

Be True To Your Heart - DLDaddy
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/be-true-to-your-heart/

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Li'l Ninja x