Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2020 21:40:13 +0000 (UTC) From: Albert Collins Subject: You were there - Part 13 Disclaimer: This is a romantic love story about love between young adolescent boys. There will be some explicit sex scenes in the story but they are not the main focus of the story. So if you are looking for a story with a lot of explicit sex action, you are in the wrong place. If you like to read a sappy romantic tory with occasional kinky sex scenes, then please sit back and enjoy! Thanks again to all those who wrote with comments and feedback! I'm pretty busy at the moment with real life obligations (unfortunately one has to work!), so I had to slow down considerably with writing this story. But I'll try to continue, even if at a slower pace. Of course, as usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome! albert.c87@yahoo.com Oh, yeah, and please, donate to Nifty: donate.nifty.org ******************************************************************************* You were there -- Part 13 "W-w-what? Diego, what are you saying? ..." Luke finally stammered out. "You g-got us a star-r??!" "Yep, that's what I've been saying!" Diego confirmed, grinning widely. Luke stared back at the screen and then turned to Diego. "Okay, Diego, start explaining," he said in a strangely quiet voice. "But slowly, man, so that I can follow." "Okay, okay, I'll try," Diego replied excitedly. "Remember, under the old willow, I told you about all these telescopes looking for all these new planets?" "Yeah?" "Well, they aren't just looking for the planets now," Diego expounded. "They also looking for these supernovas. That's what happens when a really big star explodes - boom - and then it shines real bright, brighter than an entire galaxy, but only for a short time. Maybe a few years, or even a few months." Diego paused and stared at Luke. Luke was still peering at the screen and listening with an inscrutable expression on his face. "And so they really wanna catch when that happens," Diego continued, "but they got so much data they got no time to analyze it. Need human eyes to look at it. To see what might be a real supernova and what's just junk." Diego paused again but Luke still had not said anything. "So 'bout two weeks ago I found this real cool astronomy website. Called 'Supernova Hunters'", Diego carried on. "Anyone can register there. Anyone, even kids. And they teach you there how to tell real supernova images apart from the junk. And then you can start looking. So I did. I registered us as a single user, 'Luke Larsdale and Diego Torres', he-he, to get official credit, you see, in case we ever did find somethin'. And it turns out we did!" Diego stopped again and looked at Luke searchingly. Diego was beginning to freak out as Luke still remained silent. "See, Luke, I really wanted to make this a surprise ... That's why I haven't told you till now ...," Diego plodded on. "And then the official confirmation got posted this morning. That they found one. With our help. Me and you, as my inspiration, he-he ... Of course, lots of others helped too." Diego stopped and squeezed Luke's shoulder lightly, before continuing: "See here, Luke - and that is the coolest thing-- here at the bottom, in the official discovery report, it says: 'This transient - that means a supernova, like I said before - was discovered with the help of citizen science project Supernova Hunters. The candidate was identified by volunteers including Luke Larsdale and Diego Torres.' I mean, how cool is that, right?!!" Luke still stared at the computer screen wordlessly but Diego saw tears form in his eyes. "Come on, Luke, don't you like it?" Diego begged pleadingly. "I thought for sure you'd like it ... I'm sorry ... Maybe I should have told you earlier ... I really wanted to surprise you ... But we can look for more of them later, together! ... I'm sorry, Luke! I'm sorry ..." Luke slipped to the floor and buried his face in his knees, crying silently. "Oh, my god, what have I done!" Diego's mind screamed in desperation. Luke's hand pulled Diego down to the floor with him. "Stop apologizing, you moron," Luke squeezed between sobs. "I'm not mad at you." Diego felt Luke's burning lips find his and Luke's tear-streaked face press against his cheek. "Luke, what ... I don't ..." Diego spattered out in confusion. Luke stopped crying and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "Diego, babe, you are a genius, but sometimes you are such a fucking idiot," Luke said with a sniffle, smiling at Diego. "So, you do like it? ...," Diego exhaled with relief, returning a hopeful smile. Luke pulled Diego in for another soft kiss. "'Like it?!' Diego, you've got no fucking idea what you've just done for me, do you?" Luke stared back at his knees and paused. Diego stared at him in confusion. "I am a dumb hick but I'm not completely dumb, ya know," Luke continued quietly. "I know what I got in store for me." Luke paused and stared into the floor. "I'm not smart, like you. Not meant for college and a fancy job." "Come on, Luke, you're plenty sm..." Diego started saying, but Luke silently waved his arm, stopping him. "Wait, Diego, wait, let me finish," Luke spoke softly. "Like I said, I know I'm not meant for college and shit. Hoping to stay out of prison, if I'm lucky. I'm good with my hands -- that's true." Luke lifted his arms and smirked lightly. "Always figured, after I turn 18, try to get a job as a farm hand somewhere," Luke folded his arms again. "Or in some car shop. Try not to drink myself to death. Not to become a junkie. Either way, from the dirt I come and to the dirt I go. Not likely anyone would ever remember my name. And it's cool, I'm fine with that. It's okay." Luke paused and stared between his knees again. This time Diego stayed silent. He sat on the floor next to Luke and rubbed Luke's shoulder gently. "But this thing here," Luke pointed at the computer screen, "that's just something else, man. I can get killed by a fucking speeding truck tomorrow and it wouldn't matter now ... There's still a bright shining star somewhere out there, brighter than a fucking galaxy, with my name on it." Luke stopped, turned his head and looked Diego in the eyes. Awe and gratitude shone in Luke's green eyes as tears still streaked down his face. Diego reached out with his finger and gently wiped out Luke's tears. "Luke the trailer trash Larsdale," Luke continued. "A hundred years from now the scientists will be studying this star and my name, it'll still be there. Luke Larsdale. That's just ... That's like ... forever, dude ... Do you get that?" "So you do like it!" Diego asserted with a chuckle. "Yeah," Luke agreed with a sniffle, "yeah." He pulled Diego to his chest and held him tightly. The boys stayed silent for a couple of minutes. Suddenly Luke sprung up to his feet. "Okay, babe, get up, we'd better get going!" Luke declared. "Whadaya mean?" Diego asked, startled. "Come on, Diego, you don't think that after what ya just told me we are gonna sleep here tonight?!" Luke chuckled. "No way, dude, we are gonna go and watch it! Our supernova, I mean! Yeah!!" "Wait, Luke, wait ..." Diego tried to interrupt but to no avail. Luke opened his phone, dialed the number and started speaking in the phone feverishly: "Mr Frank ... Sorry I know its late ... You gotta let us go camping tonight! Me and Diego, I mean! You gotta let us go watch it! You gotta, Mr Frank!! Diego, he's got us a real new star! ... Not just any star, a fucking supernova!! ... Sorry, Mr Frank, I'm just too excited ..." Luke spoke on the phone for a couple more minutes and then handed the phone to Diego: "He wants to talk to you!" Diego explained to Frank more slowly what the story was and e-mailed him a link to their supernova discovery report. Frank agreed to let them go camping that night, but not in the forest, only as far as the daylillies field. Luke was jumping up and down while Diego and Frank were talking. "Well? ..." Luke asked, holding his breath. "We are in!" Diego confirmed. "But only to the daylillies field." "Yes!!!" Luke shouted, jumping up almost to the ceiling. "You know, Luke, it could be in the southern sky," Diego added with a sly smile. "Wha ..." "If it is in the southern sky, we would not be able to see in that direction at all," Diego pressed. "Wait, is it?..." Luke asked, turning pale. "Nah, I'm just teasing, it's in our sky, somewhere in the Ursa Major," Diego chuckled. "That's not funny, Mr Big Giant Head," Luke said pouting and elbowing Diego in the rib. "Oh, come on, Luke, it was a little funny!" Diego protested. "Anyway, we can't actually see it, not without a giant telescope. The galaxy where it's in, it's way too far. But I'll try to figure out the direction it's in ..." "Okay, okay, good, you keep figurin' it out, and meantime we need to get going!" Luke declared. "I'll get us some sleeping bags here, some flashlights, our stargazing binoculars, and we don't need nothin' else, do we!" Luke grabbed his backpack and started stuffing it frantically. Diego shook his head and slowly got his backpack. He put in a sleeping bag, a flask of water, a flashlight and looked up and Luke questioningly. Luke was grinning at him with a manic smile, putting some food in his own backpack. "Gotta get us munchies in case we get hungry!" he exclaimed. Luke put his sneakers on, grabbed his backpack and a flashlight, and pulled Diego by the hand. "Come on Diego, dude, hurry up, stars are callin'!" Luke bubbled, heading for the door. "Wait, Luke, I still have to figure out exactly where in the sky it is ...," Diego tried to stop him, but to no avail. "Use your phone. And your big Jupiter brain. That's what they are for!" Luke called from the outside. Diego picked up his backpack and a flashlight and followed Luke into the warm summer night. As they moved down the hill, Diego had a hard time keeping up with Luke, whose flashlight was dancing up ahead. Halfway through Diego gave up on trying to look up the star's position on his phone, and concentrated on following Luke and not falling down. Eventually they settled into a steady pace, and Diego was able to start taking in the sounds, sights and smells around him. Everything was familiar yet different somehow, stranger, more mysterious, slightly unreal. Luke's happy bubbly voice ahead did provide comfort and reassurance. When they reached the daylillies field by the edge of the forest, Luke finally slowed down and turned around. "Home, sweet home!" he declared triumphantly, moving the beam of his flashlight around the meadow. "Wow!" Diego exclaimed, putting down his backpack and sitting on the grass. He slowly moved his hand along the surface of the field. The grass felt cool and already slightly damp, quite different from what it was whenever they were there during the day. The air was slightly breezy but still warm. Diego turned off his flashlight and looked up at the sky. "Wow!" he uttered in awe again. "The sky ... Everything looks so clear ... It's amazing ..." Luke turned off his flashlight as well, and Diego could feel Luke's gaze following him in the dark. "That's what I've been telling you, man!" Luke exclaimed. "Here, in or near the forest, that's the only place to see the stars at night! No fucking light from the buildings or nothin' else. Hey, Diego, if we're lucky, maybe we'll even be able to see our supernova with no telescope!" Diego shook his head silently but did not argue. He was still mesmerized by the brilliant starry heavens above them. In the meantime Luke turned on his flashlight again and started unpacking. "Okay, Diego, babe, give me your sleeping bag," he called. "Sorry, what?" Diego replied, startled from his trance. "Give me your sleeping bag," Luke repeated. "I wanna zip them up together. I'll be comfier. Warmer." Luke giggled. Diego blushed in the dark, but complied and silently handed Luke his sleeping bag. Luke expertly zipped the bags together and arranged them on the grass, placing his flashlight next to him. He then got inside and called to Diego: "All right, Diego, babe, hop in!" Diego stared at Luke with hesitation. "Come on, Diego, we are just star-gazing tonight!" Luke encouraged, picking up the flashlight and pointing the beam at the sky. "Yeah, Luke, sure, sorry," Diego mumbled in embarrassment, and got into the sleeping bag next to Luke. "Here, put your backpack under your head and use it like a pillow," Luke suggested, "See!" Diego followed Luke's example and settled his head on his backpack. He felt Luke's warm hand wrap around his shoulder and it had its usual calming and soothing affect on Diego. They snuggled closer. "Ready to watch some stars?" Luke whispered? "Yeah, sure, Luke," Diego agreed. The boys quietly peered at the brilliant night sky above them. "Diego, do you think there's anyone out there? At some of those stars?" Luke asked, making a circle with his fingers and peering through it with his right eye. "I sure hope so," Diego replied pensively. "Otherwise it'd be real lonely ... Remember, it's like Jodie Foster says in that movie, 'Contact': If it's just us, it'd be an awful waste of space ..." "Yeah," Luke agreed. "Hey, maybe there's some kids out there right now, looking down, looking at us ... Looking for friends ... Wouldn't that be cool? ..." "Yeah," Diego concurred wistfully, "Star kids. Looking for friends. That'd be real cool ..." Suddenly a loud guttural moaning sound coming from the distance startled them both. "W-what was that?!!" Diego jerked and sat up with a start. Luke sat up next to him, squeezing Diego's shoulder. "Relax, dude, that was a moose!" he giggled. "A ... moose?" Diego repeated. "Yeah," Luke confirmed, with a gentle laugh. "A moose. Sounded like a cow call. But don't worry, they can't get in here -- couldn't get through the fence, see!" "Oh," Diego uttered apologetically. "Sounded almost ... like a person." "Yeah," Luke confirmed, "a moose call, sometimes it could, yeah." He paused. "It's strange, though. Not the rutting season now. Not until September - October ... Maybe a mom moose calling a calf ..." "Maybe ...," Diego agreed, "Hope they are all right ..." The boys lay back down on the sleeping bag and snuggled next to each other again. Diego rested his head on Luke's chest and inhaled his scent. Oh, it was good! He felt Luke's hand caress his ear and neck gently. A light shiver went through Diego's body and he wiggled his toes. "Whatya thinking?" Luke whispered. "How warm you always are. And how good you always smell," Diego whispered back. "He-he, you do say the nicest things," Luke chuckled, pulling Diego tighter. There was a pause as the boys quietly enjoyed their closeness. "So, what's it called? Our supernova?" Luke asked after a pause. "Well," Diego replied apologetically, "it's not a sexy or fancy name or anything. Just letters and numbers." "Okay, okay, but what is it?" Luke pressed. "SN 2015ejs," Diego finally offered. "See, 'SN', that's for 'supernova', '2015', that for what year it is now. I'm not sure what 'ejs' means. Maybe nothing. I'll have to figure it out ..." Diego trailed off. "Fuck me!!" Luke exclaimed. "Who-o-o-o-p!!" he hollered loudly. "Luke, come on," Diego admonished him with a laugh, "you'll scare the birds. And the frogs." "I know, sorry," Luke apologized. "But this is so-o-o cool! Diego, babe, if I wasn't already planning on kissing your feet, he-he, I'd totally kiss your feet!!" Luke turned to Diego. Diego could feel Luke's green eyes beaming at him happily in the dark. By now Diego's eyes have mostly adjusted to the darkness and he could see the shape of Luke's face pretty well even without a flashlight. "Okay, okay, now you gotta show me where it is, our own S.N. 2015 e.j.s.!" Luke declared, pulling out the binoculars from the backpack and handing them to Diego. "You know, Luke," Diego said with a giggle, "it wasn't easy figuring this out on this phone," Diego opened his flip phone, "in the dark, running behind you. This thing really isn't meant for browsing the web ..." "Come on, Diego, are you shitting me?" Luke pouted. "Tell me you found it and you are just messing with me again!" "Yeah, I found it!" Diego relented with another giggle. "Okay, it says here that the galaxy where it's at is in the same direction as Tania Australis. That's Mu Ursae Majoris, on the right back paw of the Great Bear. Remember, you were the one who showed me how to find it!" "Oh, yeah, back paw, right!" Luke exclaimed excitedly. He took the binoculars back from Diego, sat up, and peered into the sky. "Oh my god, Diego, I see it, I see it!" Luke shouted shortly. "I see our star!!" He reached out and squeezed Diego's hand. "Well, you can't actually see our star," Diego started explaining. "Not without a telescope. It's way too far. But ..." "Oh, shut up and don't ruin the moment!" Luke interrupted him. Diego fell silent, holding Luke's hand. "Fuck ... me ...," Luke finally said, putting down the binoculars and handing them to Diego again. "That was just ... That was completely ..." He grinned at Diego with a wide delighted smile. Diego took the binoculars and looked at the sky, eventually finding the right spot. Luke watched him silently. After a few minutes Diego put down the binoculars and found himself immediately tackled by Luke. "You did it, elf-boy, you really did it this time!" Luke laughed, rolling on top of Diego. Diego didn't try to put up a fight and surrendered quickly, spreading out his arms. Luke leaned in and chewed on Diego's lips softly, moistening them with him tongue. "I'm gonna get you for this, Mr Jr Star-Elf," Luke whispered in Diego's ear tenderly, "somehow, I'm gonna get you for this, Diego!" Luke rolled on his back, snuggling next to Diego. Diego rested his head on Luke's chest. A couple of minutes passed in silence. "Eh-eh-eh, what am I gonna do with you?" Luke finally asked with a sigh and chuckle. "Whadya mean?" Diego inquired, lifting his head. "Well ... when you first mentioned a surprise this morning," Luke expounded still chuckling, "I thought maybe you ordered some cool gadget online or something ... Or found some cool website about pottering ... or horses ..." Luke paused. "I never dreamed it involved ... messing with the nature of the universe, he-he." Luke stopped again. "And now that you have, my sweet Star-Elf, I figure I've gotta do something too ..." "Wait, Luke, what do you mean?" Diego protested. "It was a gift, you don't have to do anything, honest! But we can look for more of them, later, together!" "No, dude, I really gotta do something," Luke added quietly, caressing Diego's cheek. "I just got no idea what. And yeah, we absolutely are gonna look for more of these supernovas, together! You're gonna teach me how, Mr Jupiter Brain!" Luke stopped and stared at the sky again. "But I still gotta do something now," he continued. "See, you messed with the cosmos, and now that shit requires balancing back." Luke paused and added wistfully. "Or else the universe might really fuck us back ... Or probably just me, since I haven't got no turtle talisman for protection, he-he ... I'll just have to try to think of something ..." "Sorry, Luke. Didn't mean to upset the universe," Diego replied laying his head on Luke's chest again. "You didn't, babe. You did good. Real good. Thank you," Luke replied, lifting Diego's head and kissing him gently. Diego beamed and smiled at Luke broadly. "How did I ever manage to get such a sweet and smart boyfriend!?" Luke giggled. "Wait, we are b-boyfriends?" Diego stammered, blushing. "Oh, shut up, or I won't kiss you again!" Luke laughed. Diego grinned and leaned in for another soft kiss. The boys embraced tightly and Luke caressed Diego's hair. "Luke tastes like ... fresh raspberries?" Diego thought. "Mmm-m". He closed his eyes and melted in Luke's arms. Diego listened to the sounds of the summer night. The quiet breathing of the water. Frogs croaking in the pond. Crickets chirping in the distance. The wind gently stirring the grass on the meadow around them. But there was also something else. A new sound, furtive, barely perceptible. Almost a sound? Coming from above, from the sky, from the stars. A chorus, a rustling, a song of tiny silvery voices, singing to him, whispering to him, calling to him. No, probably it was nothing, he was imagining things. The warmth of Luke's body, the heat coming from his torso, now that was definitely real! Diego put his head back on Luke's strong chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. And yet there was still that small strange sound coming from above, something he could not quite shake. He'll figure it out later ...