NO BROKEN HEARTS
©2008 By Lone-Wolf. All rights reserved Dedicated to everyone I have ever called “FRIEND” An Important note to the Reader : This is a work of Fiction! The persons, places, events, and dialogue are entirely the product of the author’s imagination, and must be regarded as such. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and accidental. All brand names mentioned are the property of the company who manufactures them, and they are used only for clarity.
Daniel Burdette awoke to the sunlight streaming in through the window at the head of his bed. For a moment he was disoriented, but gradually the events of the preceding week surfaced in his mind. He sat up slowly and ran his hand through his medium-length, light brown hair. His hazel eyes wandered over the contents of what was now his bedroom, as he pondered how he had reached his present state.
Daniel was now nineteen years old, and had been for a week. On his birthday the State had awarded him the estate of his late parents. They had been killed in an automobile accident when he was only five years old. Since his recovery from the wreck, Daniel had been living with his Aunt and Uncle. They had treated him as though he was their own, and he loved them dearly, but he had never entirely recovered emotionally from the accident. He remained ever so slightly melancholic, even when in the best of moods.
Only he knew the other reason for his melancholy – Daniel was cursed with being a boy-lover. When he first figured out he was a homosexual, at age eleven, he had assumed he was just ‘plain old regular gay’. But as he had grown older, he found his favorite friends tended to be younger and younger boys, rather than his peers and classmates. It was then that he had gone on the internet and researched his condition; and how society in general viewed it. Hence, his melancholy arose primarily from the ever-present knowledge that he would be alone - always. Oh, he had friends, all younger than himself, of course, but none of them were really close to him. He supposed he didn’t let them get close, because he knew it would just hurt more when they outgrew him. That, and the fact that the boys liked him, but none of them actually loved him - not the way he loved them.
Daniel had sometimes wondered what he had done to deserve being orphaned at such a young age, and then to be saddled with the life-long sentence of being a boy-lover in addition.
Now that he was nineteen he had received his inheritance. The attorney had auctioned almost all the assets of the estate, with the exception of his father’s sports car, and the two-bedroom lakeside cottage.
The car was a 1972 Lancia Stratos his father had acquired with the intention of learning to drive in cross-country rallies. But Daniel’s birth had delayed that notion, so his father had just driven the car for fun on weekends. Daniel had no car of his own, so he had his attorney retain the Stratos.
The considerable proceeds from the sale of the other assets had been invested in certificates of deposit, and other low-risk bonds and so forth, and were earning about seven percent at the moment. This amounted to approximately $48,000 annually in interest income, or a budget of about $4,000 per month.
The house in which he now awoke was the lakeside cottage which his parents had acquired for summer get-aways. The car accident had occurred before the family had a chance to stay at the cottage, so it held no memories for Daniel. The small house was secluded on eighteen well-wooded acres of land, with over one hundred yards of beach on one side of the roughly rectangular lot.
Right now all Daniel wanted was a little peace and quiet. He had no long range plans, and no fiscal concerns. The interest earned on the certificates of deposit was automatically transferred to his checking account each month. The car and the real estate were paid for, and his personal possessions had been moved to the cottage from his uncle’s house four days ago.
Sometime Sunday night, or early this Monday morning, Daniel had dreamt of Beryle, one of the many boys whose gallery of images he had downloaded from various web-sites over the years. He could still clearly remember the dream, so real at the time, holding the boy in his arms, as the boy pressed his lips to Daniel’s, in a lingering, deep French kiss.... But then he had awakened to reality, and found himself alone, his life sentence.
Daniel slipped out of bed and went over to his computer desk where he sat down and wiggled the mouse to wake up the Optiplex GX-260 desktop pc. As soon as the monitor reached full brightness, he opened his Image Expert program and used the browser to locate the file which held the images of the boy he had been making love to in his dream. He clicked the slide show button, and sighed as the high-resolution images filled the screen, one after another.
Meanwhile, he fumbled his erection out of his briefs, closed his fingers around his member, and began to stroke it rhythmically, never taking his eyes off the parade of images appearing on his twenty-one-inch monitor.
When he could take it no longer, Daniel slipped a white gym sock onto his member, like a cotton condom, and brought himself to fruition, grunting softly as his eyes stayed focused on the adorable boy who had loved him in his dream.
When his lust was spent, Daniel closed the program and dropped the sock into the lower left hand drawer of the desk, where it resided when it was off duty. He slipped his softening penis back into his briefs, sighed deeply, and then stood up. He meandered into the compact kitchen, where he leisurely consumed several bowls of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. Afterwards, he rinsed the bowl, put the milk back into the fridge, and wandered back to the bedroom.
He pulled on a pair of faded blue sun-britches, a stretched tank-top, and his favorite pair of worn-out Nikes. He pocketed his check-book, wallet, and keys, and strolled down to his beach.
The house was located on a fjord-like arm of the lake, and he was able to look across a five-hundred foot wide expanse of water to the county park and beach on the opposite shore. It was the second week of summer vacation, and a fair number of people were already sunning and picnicking on the sand, playing on the playground equipment, or splashing in the water. A number of local boys used the park as a place to get together, and Daniel could see them wading and swimming in cut-off jeans, their shirts left at home or slung over the handle-bars of their abandoned BMX bikes.
The sight of the group of boys horsing around together inspired in Daniel a strong need to belong: to be a part of the gang. The fact that the oldest of the boys was four years younger than he suited him just fine. “Maybe I can make a couple new friends,” he said to himself hopefully.
Daniel turned and trotted back up to the house. He locked the door to the house, and stepped into the carport. It was co-joined with the single stall garage, and he opened its door to snag his Torker 2 BMX bike.
But then he stopped, wondering if the expensive, high-end bike might not be a hindrance if the other boys had ‘regular’ bikes. He quickly decided to drive into town and buy a cheap used bike at the local bike shop instead, and drive straight to the park from there.
He climbed into the Stratos, and nursed its cold-natured 2.4 liter Ferrari V-6 engine to life. The low-back-pressure competition exhaust blatted raucously as the engine warmed up. After a moment, Daniel clutched and accelerated down the driveway. At the end of the driveway he turned onto the asphalt road and the little car accelerated frantically as he opened the throttle! (The Dino engine developed well over 250 horsepower, and red-lined at over 7500 revolutions per minute, so the tiny, light weight car had roughly two and a half times the power it needed.)
A fast drive along the shaded county road brought him into the little town of Coleman. He turned onto the town’s main street and the car roared up the boulevard and came to a stop in front of the Bicycle Shoppe. Daniel climbed out of the car, and entered the shop.
“I need a good, used BMX bike - Pronto - and not a big brand-name, please,” he requested. The clerk looked at him curiously, and then studied his inventory.
“Sorry,” the clerk apologized. “We don’t have any used bikes that are complete right now.” Daniel scanned the rows of bikes, and had to agree. He scanned the big yellow price tags on each of the bikes, looking for the least expensive model, then stepped to the nearest rack and pulled the bicycle loose.
“I’ll take this one,” he said, pulling out his check-book and starting to write a check.
“That’s a good choice, Sir. That’s a chrome-moly frame and forks,” the clerk started, filling out a sales slip.
“Never mind that,” Daniel interrupted. “What’s the total?”
“Let’s see. Two hundred twenty-eight for the bike, twenty for dealer prep, plus tax,” the clerk muttered, calculating on his steno pad. Daniel gave up and wrote the check for three hundred dollars, and handed it to the clerk.
“That’s too much,” the clerk decided.
“Then give me one of those strap-on bike-racks for my car,” Daniel added, pointing to a folding aluminum rack that would let him carry the bike on the back of the car.
“Still too much,” the clerk decided, after handing him the rack, and adding its price to the sales receipt.
“So give the rest to the local Cub-Scout Troop, okay?” Daniel said, scooping up the sale’s receipt. The clerk started to open his mouth to ask for identification, then put Daniel’s face with the name on the check and stopped. Everyone in town had known the Burdettes. There was no doubt in his mind that the check was good.
Daniel strapped the rack to the rear clamshell of the Stratos, strapped the bike onto the rack, and wriggled back into the driver’s seat. The engine snarled to life, and Daniel piloted the car back towards the lake. He took the right-hand fork in the road, and watched for the sign indicating the park. When he saw it, he pulled to the side of the road and yanked the emergency brake. He shut off the engine, squirmed out of the cockpit, secreted his wallet and check-book under the seat, and locked the doors.
Daniel freed the new bicycle from the rack, rolled it through a wooded area, and dunked it in the lake. Then, back up by the road, he sifted several handfuls of road-dirt over the bike, trying to disguise the fact that it was new.
Satisfied, he mounted the bike and rode on down the road to the park. He cut across the grass, and paralleled the shoreline, riding slowly towards the group of boys he had seen from his side of the fjord. He stopped near the spot where they had left their bikes, and carelessly dropped his bike nearby. He left his shirt and shoes next to the bike, and waded into the water.
Daniel intentionally kept his distance from the group, looking for a chance to get a conversation started with one of the boys, so he wouldn’t seem to be intruding. He paddled around the group unobtrusively, studying them leisurely while trying to look like he wasn’t studying them at all. All of them were beautiful in their own way, he decided after looking over the boys, although the youngest one was by far the most attractive of the bunch, with a lean body, thick pure blond hair, and gorgeous blue eyes.
Daniel counted five boys, a fact which puzzled him. He knew that an odd-numbered group usually led to the dreaded “odd-man-out” situation, and he hoped that maybe he could fill the sixth position, and create an even number.
But as he watched he realized he was too late. The extra was already being shunned. Even more heartbreaking to Daniel was the fact that the victim was the youngest boy; Daniel guessed he was about eleven or twelve years old. Daniel tried to come up with a way he could get into the discussion without pissing off any of the other boys.
“Hey,” one of the older boys said to Daniel suddenly. “What kind of bike is that you got?”
“Uh - it’s a - uh - Diamond-Back,” Daniel stammered, caught unprepared.
“Hey!” the boy cheered. “A poor rich kid!”
“Now we got a poor poor kid, and a poor rich kid,” a second boy taunted the youngest boy, who had waded ashore looking miserable and dejected. Daniel’s heart was breaking at the sight of the boy’s facial expression and the lost look in his beautiful eyes.
“I’m not exactly rich,” Daniel protested, wading in close to shore, trying to get within speaking range of the youngest boy.
“And I ain’t poor!” the youngest boy yelled at his peers, seemingly unaware of the nineteen year old.
“Poor little Bandit’s got no bike,” another boy jeered, teasing the little boy.
“He’s got no shoes, neither!” jeered yet another.
“Bandit, Bandit!” they taunted. Daniel sensed a nick-name turned bad, and he tried desperately to think of a way to salvage the situation before it was too late.
“Shut up!!” the youngest boy yelled in anger, as several of the older boys followed him onto the beach.
“Come on, you guys, cut him some slack,” tried Daniel in desperation. The other boys turned and glared at him. The youngest boy finally looked at him too, but he wasn’t glaring at Daniel, at least.
“Why don’t you go find some other big rich kid and go ride your hot-shit bikes somewhere else,” the eldest boy snapped. Daniel felt hot resentment rising in his throat, in equal quantity with the pain of rejection.
“Bandit’s got nothin’, and Rich Boy’s got too much!!” one kid teased the youngest boy again.
“I told you to shut up!” repeated the youngest boy, hiding his pain behind his anger. The older boy gave the youngest boy a ‘cutesy’ look, and shot him the ‘middle-finger salute’. The youngest boy grimaced back, and told the older boy to “Sit an’ spin!”
The remark instantly infuriated the older boy, who strode over to the youngest boy and promptly punched him in the stomach. He drew back his fist, and the youngest boy doubled over in pain. Daniel’s mental anguish was at least equal to the physical pain of the youngest boy, and Daniel felt his anger take control of him.
The older boy looked like he was going to try for a second punch, but suddenly found himself spun roughly around. He started in anger, and then looked up into Daniel’s no-longer- friendly face.
“That was totally uncalled for,” Daniel snarled.
“So? What’s it to you?” the boy asked nervously, still maintaining his defiant facade.
“Well, how would you like it if someone went,” Daniel asked, punctuating the sentence by sucker-punching the boy in the stomach. The boy doubled up in pain, the wind knocked out of him. “Anybody else want to act like a jack-ass?” Daniel asked, eyeing the other three boys coldly.
“Hey, chill out, dude! We were just foolin’ around,” one boy interjected semi-apologetically.
“Yeah,” another added. “We were just about to leave anyway,” he continued, as they helped their friend to his bike.
“So haul ass,” Daniel suggested. “Or you’ll be sitting on it!” The boys mounted their bikes and rode away quickly, leaving behind the youngest boy, who did in fact have no bicycle.
Daniel watched until they were out of sight, more or less assuring the safety of the youngest boy, and then turned to the boy at his feet. The boy had thick, slightly shaggy, pure-blond hair, and luminescent blue-violet eyes, still wet with tears. Daniel stared at the boy close up for the first time, and instantly fell totally in love with him. He had never seen a boy as beautiful nor as perfect as this youngster. The rush of emotion was almost too much for Daniel, and he found he was tongue-tied, his heart aching with love for the younger boy.
“Thanks, mister,” the boy sniffed, controlling his sobs. Daniel found that his extreme attraction to this boy had put him totally out of his comfort zone, and he decided he could not risk befriending the boy.
“The name is Daniel,” he replied sharply. “If you call me ‘mister’ again I’ll probably punch you, too.” He turned and waded back into the lake, knowing he could never live with himself if he was to look at the boy’s face after his gruff response.
The boy watched him go. Finally he got up and went to look at Daniel’s bike. “It is a neat bike,” he called to Daniel tentatively. Daniel didn’t want to, but he turned and looked back.
“You like it?” Daniel asked, trying his best to sound angry. The boy nodded earnestly. “Then it’s yours. I don’t want the damn thing any more,” Daniel stated, turning and starting to swim across the fjord to his own beach.
“You mean it??” the boy called back, disbelief in his voice.
“I said it, didn’t I?” Daniel retorted, again trying to sound mean and angry, before diving under the surface of the lake and swimming on, fueled by his anguish.
He swam quickly across the fjord, without looking back again, and soon reached his own beach, exhausted. He crawled out onto the sand and laid back to rest, letting the sun warm him. He lay there a long time, his emotions settling down slowly, turning back into the old melancholy loneliness he knew only too well.
He was distracted by a soft splash from the lake in front of him. Daniel rolled over and sat up. The perfect blond boy called Bandit was a few yards off-shore, up to his neck in the lake. He looked back at Daniel hopefully. Daniel wondered why the boy had swum 167 yards across the fjord; especially after he had tried so hard to act like he was mad at the boy.
Daniel stood, slowly walked back into the water, and floated out near the boy, who seemed to be about four-foot- nine inches tall.
“Hi, Daniel,” the boy said, suddenly shy, yet obviously being careful to not say ‘mister’.
“Hi,” Daniel replied, almost hypnotized by the beauty of the boy’s violet-tinted blue eyes. Daniel realized there was no way he could continue acting angry at the boy. “Have you got a name?” he asked, not wanting to bring up the sour nick-name.
“My name’s Austin,” the boy replied. “I wanted to tell you thanks.”
“For the bike?” Daniel asked, taking the obvious route.
“For hitting Brad like that,” Austin replied. “And for the bike,” he added nervously. Daniel smiled, and Austin smiled back. When the boy smiled, Daniel felt his heart stop for a full second. When Austin smiled, he was radiant!
“You’re welcome,” Daniel said. “And don’t worry about your bike. I said it was yours, and I meant it. I never go back on my word.”
“Thanks,” Austin repeated, still acting nervous.
“So you swam all the way over here just to say thanks?” Daniel asked, trying to draw the boy out a little.
“Well, I was lonely. And I figured you must like me, or else you wouldn’t have stood up for me like that?” Austin blurted hopefully, looking a little frightened now, as if he was afraid that Daniel would send him on his way now. Daniel didn’t dare to entertain the thought that Austin might actually like him!
“How old are you?” Daniel asked, looking Austin in the eye.
“Eleven years, an’ nine months,” Austin explained. “But I’m almost twelve.” Daniel’s sub-conscious mind kept reminding him that Austin was not only perfect, he was also at that most perfect age, too!
“So how many other friends do you have that are nineteen years old?” Daniel asked slowly, trying to buy time as well as point out their age difference.
“I don’t have any other friends anymore,” Austin admitted. “And I think you’re only nineteen on the outside: on the inside you’re eleven - just like me.” Daniel pondered Austin’s insight for a moment, wondering how Austin had figured out in two minutes what the counselors had tried to figure out for eight years.
“How can you know that?” Daniel asked, truly surprised. “How can you know me better than I do?” Austin shrugged, and eyed Daniel thoughtfully.
“You do like me, don’t you?” he accused, his voice indicating that he already knew the answer. Daniel decided to start being honest with Austin - the boy deserved that much.
“Yes, Austin. I like you a lot,” Daniel admitted, nodding and smiling. “I guess that means maybe we should be friends?” Austin’s face made it clear he had been hoping Daniel would say something to that effect.
“Friends ‘till the end!” Austin grinned, his lovely blue eyes sparking happily.
“So what would you like to play?” Daniel asked.
“You know how to play underwater tag?” the boy queried impishly.
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “And you’re IT!” He dove under, and Austin followed him. Daniel was careful not to win all the time; but he managed to keep Austin very busy!
Around one o-clock Daniel’s stomach began demanding attention. “Hey, Austin. What do you say we give up tag and play a better game,” Daniel suggested.
“Like what?” Austin asked, wiping the water out of his eyes.
“Like lunch!” Daniel exclaimed. Austin’s smile faded abruptly.
“I guess I’ll just wait for you here, okay?” Austin suggested.
“Why? Aren’t you hungry?” Daniel asked, confused.
“Sure, but the hot-dogs at the park are two dollars, plus tax. And I’m sorta’ broke,” Austin explained with shame.
“How far away do you live?” Daniel asked, growing curious.
“Far enough I don’t wanna’ walk both ways, just for a sandwich,” Austin muttered, avoiding Daniel’s eyes, as if there was more to the story than he was telling. But Daniel was worried that if he pushed the boy too hard, Austin might feel unwelcome, and that was the last thing Daniel wanted right now. So he decided to drop the subject.
“No problemo,” Daniel said gently. “I was trying, in my own subtle way, to invite you to come and have lunch with me,” he explained, teasing Austin gently to relieve the tension he had somehow accidentally created.
“Where?” Austin asked, making eye contact once more, and melting Daniel’s heart all over again.
“My place,” Daniel smiled, pointing up the beach and through the trees, at his house.
“That’s YOURS?” Austin asked, his eyes dilating. “This is YOUR beach?” he added, jumping to the obvious conclusion.
“That’s what it says on the paperwork,” Daniel said, suddenly self-conscious for some reason. “Don’t you like it?” he added lamely.
“Like it?” Austin gaped. “I love it! It’s so cool that you have your own beach! An’ a cabin up in the woods!”
“Well, I think it’s too big to be a cabin,” Daniel teased.
“Uh, house, then?” Austin tried.
“Not big enough to be a house,” Daniel grinned mischievously, “How’s about Country Condo?” Austin nodded his assent, his beautiful grin widening.
“Does it have a kitchen?” the boy asked, his lovely blue eyes sparkling playfully.
“Sure does,” Daniel replied, going along with the boy.
“With a refrigerator in it?” Austin queried.
“Yup. A big beige one,” Daniel grinned.
“With food in it?” Austin continued comically.
“Lots and lots,” Daniel affirmed, trying not to laugh.
“Okay,” Austin concluded. “As long as there’s no Brussels-sprouts.”
“No Brussels-sprouts, I promise,” Daniel said with mock horror. “What kind of Monster would try to feed Brussels-sprouts to an innocent eleven-year-old?” he wondered in mock dismay. Austin could no longer contain his laughter, and began to giggle. Daniel was relieved he had managed to drive away the melancholy that had seemed to be descending upon his new friend.
Daniel grinned, and led Austin up the path to the house. Austin followed him into the small house, his eyes taking in the neat, simple furnishings. Daniel led him into the kitchen. “So, I wonder what we can find that doesn’t have Brussels sprouts in it?” Daniel said, pretending to be stumped.
“Got any Cheerio’s?” Austin queried helpfully.
“Sure, but that’s breakfast food, buddy,” Daniel informed him. “That was six hours ago,” he teased, placing a big pot on a burner of the gas stove. “I have it! Water! Can’t go wrong with water,” Daniel nodded, using a measuring cup to pour three cups of water into the pot before lighting the burner under it.
“Now maybe something for flavor,” he mused, removing a container of dried onion flakes from the spice rack. Austin furrowed his eyebrows, but made no comment, as Daniel measured out a capful of the flakes and dumped them into the warming water. “Onion soup,” he nodded, grinning at Austin. Austin gave him a facial expression that said, “you’re full of it.”
“Maybe some Lemon Pepper, too,” Daniel continued, shaking a ration of the mixture into the water with the onions. He put the canister back on the spice rack and rummaged in a nearby drawer for a moment, finally coming out with two of the “flavor packs” that come with the famous “Ramen noodle” packages. “The flavor of Pork,” he grinned, showing Austin the printing on the small foil pouches. “Got to make sure you get your daily supply of sodium,” Daniel explained, emptying the packets into the hot water. “Now it’s perfect,” he nodded.
“Looks a little watery to me,” Austin commented experimentally, as if he wasn’t sure that a beggar could be a chooser.
“Well, maybe,” Daniel agreed hesitantly, straining his acting skills. He turned around and rummaged in the freezer compartment, finally coming out with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. “Beans, peas, corn, and carrots,” he read from the label. “No LIMAs, thank god! The only thing worse than a Brussels sprout is freaking LIMA beans!!” Austin looked at him as if he was beginning to understand that Daniel was teasing him again. “You like beans, peas, corn, and carrots, eh?” Daniel asked Austin rhetorically, as he dipped the one-cup measure into the sack. Austin nodded slowly, his facial expression neutral. Daniel dumped two cups of mixed veggies into the hot water and returned the sack to the freezer compartment. “Vegetable-Onion soup,” he declared.
“It might be better with some kind of meat in it too,” Austin suggested boldly, seemingly convinced he was being led on.
“Well, I suppose that might work,” Daniel frowned, opening the fridge. “Oh, look! Bologna!” he triumphed, holding up the lunch meat.
“I don’t think so,” Austin frowned back, pursing his lips dubiously.
“Hmm,” Daniel mused, putting the bologna back. “I know! Hot dogs!” he cheered, liberating a package of frankfurters. “Tube Steak!” Daniel grinned, pulling out four dogs. Austin nodded, smiling now that he was sure Daniel was playing with him. Daniel put the rest of the dogs back into the fridge, lined up his four victims on the plastic cutting board, and attacked them with a huge butcher’s knife. Austin watched, grinning, as he rapidly reduced the dogs to a pile of tiny meat-disks. Daniel scooped up the pile and dropped them into the water with a flourish.
“Maybe a little something to give it an Italian flair?” Daniel proposed, pulling a small tin can of sliced mushrooms out of the cupboard. He showed the can label to Austin, watching for the boy’s reaction. Austin’s face indicated “no opinion”, so Daniel cranked the top off of the can with the old fashioned manual can-opener and then dumped the contents into the pot of bubbling ingredients, which were beginning to smell rather appetizing.
“If only you had some noodles to go in there it would be perfect,” Austin suggested, taking the words out of Daniel’s mouth. Daniel hid his surprise and looked dubious instead.
“Are you sure?” he teased. “Noodles?”
“Sure,” the boy insisted. “Then it would be like soup,” he explained. Daniel frowned, turned around, and pretended to search his cupboard. After a moment he “found” two packs of Ramen Noodles, presenting them to Austin for his approval. The boy nodded, smiling, so Daniel crushed the blocks of noodles while they were still inside the cellophane bags before opening them. He salvaged the flavor packets out of the pulverized noodles, then dumped the noodles into the pot with a flourish. “Too bad I don’t have one of those big, tall Chef’s hats,” he told Austin.
“And one of those aprons that says ‘kiss the cook’ on the front,” Austin teased, giggling. Daniel puckered up and made smooching noises, causing Austin to laugh out loud.
Daniel stirred the mixture in the pot, and then popped the lid onto the pot before turning the flame down to the lowest position. “Now we let it simmer for a couple minutes,” he explained. “So all the flavors can mix together and confuse one another,” he clarified, before opening a different cupboard. From this cupboard he removed two huge plastic bowls, which he lined up side by side on the counter. Next, he located a pair of forks in the silverware drawer, dropping one fork into each bowl. “This way we don’t have to come back for a second helping,” he told the boy.
“Good idea,” Austin nodded, his blue eyes breaking Daniel’s heart yet again.
“Naturally we will need something tropical to wash it down with,” Daniel went on, opening the fridge again. He snagged a two-quart pitcher of brightly colored liquid and parked it next to the bowls.
“Kool-aid?” Austin supposed, being something of an expert on the subject.
“But of course,” Daniel grinned, parroting the line from the ‘Grey Poupon’ television commercial, including the English accent. “Tropical Punch, I do believe,” he added, turning to rescue an ice tray from the freezer compartment. “One lump, or two?” he asked politely.
“Two, please,” Austin replied.
“You want them both on the same side of your head?” Daniel asked, holding the ice tray like a baseball bat. “Or maybe one on each side?”
Austin turned around and bent over, grabbing his ankles. “One on each cheek, please!” he giggled, wagging his cute bubble-butt from side to side, making Daniel groan silently with admiration.
“You better watch it, kiddo,” Daniel laughed. “Or your buns could get frost-bite!” he warned, making the boy laugh.
Daniel popped two ice cubes into each of the tall plastic glasses he liberated from the cupboard, and then added the Kool aid.
When the “Ramen Noodle Surprise” was ready, Daniel dumped half of it into each of the two bowls, doing his best to make sure the portions were equal, wanting his new friend to see that their age difference was without meaning.
Carrying the two glasses of Kool-aid, Austin followed Daniel over to the little table situated in the small “booth” Daniel’s Mother had called the “Breakfast Nook”.
“Be careful,” Daniel warned the boy. “It’s still really hot. Don’t want you to toast your tongue!” Austin grinned at Daniel’s choice of words, and Daniel felt his heart ache with the sheer beauty of the boy’s smile.
After lunch they washed the dishes, dried them, and put them away. Daniel was pleasantly surprised when Austin scooped up the dish towel and began to dry the items as fast as Daniel was washing them and moving them to the drainer. Most boys would have to be asked to do the chore, and would then complain about the injustice of being forced to do kitchen patrol. But Austin took to the task as if it was no bother at all, and kept up a light-hearted stream of chatter while they worked, further endearing himself to Daniel, who was already totally enamored with him.
Next Daniel gave Austin a “tour” of the house. This didn’t take long, as his “country condo” only had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living-room, and the compact kitchen. When they had seen all five rooms, Daniel stopped in front of one of the doors in the hall that lead from the living room to the bedrooms.
“I saved the best for last,” Daniel said, winking.
“The hall closet?” Austin joked playfully, wrinkling his nose in feigned confusion.
“Even better; the basement,” Daniel informed him grandiloquently.
“Seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all,” Austin shrugged.
“That’s what YOU think!” Daniel grinned mischievously. “In fact, I think we better blindfold you so you can’t peek on the way down,” he added, opening the hall closet from which he liberated a clean dish towel. He folded it into a blindfold as Austin watched.
“How am I going to go down a bunch of stairs if I can’t see?” Austin wondered out loud.
“Your seeing-eye dog will guide you,” Daniel explained, poking himself in the chest.
Austin eyed him quizzically for a moment, and then seemed to decide to trust him. “Okay,” the boy agreed without enthusiasm. “Don’t let me fall,” he added.
“I won’t let you get hurt, Austin,” Daniel promised, serious for a moment. “Not now, not ever. Scout’s Honor,” he elaborated, meaning it with all of his heart. He already loved Austin enough that he would do anything in his power to protect the boy from harm, be it physical, or otherwise. Austin looked at him with eyes that seemed to know Daniel was not teasing him. Austin tilted his chin up slightly, and closed his eyes, showing his trust with his actions instead of words.
Daniel gently tied the makeshift blindfold around Austin’s head, covering his eyes completely. Then he opened the basement door and flipped the light switches on. He was about to guide Austin down the stairs when he had a better idea. “I’ll just carry you down, Austin,” Daniel proposed. “It’ll be easier, faster, and safer,” he elaborated.
“Okay,” Austin shrugged. So Daniel leaned down and picked the boy up, holding him the way you might carry a six or seven year old, with his body between Austin’s legs. He guessed that the boy weighed no more than seventy-five pounds or thereabouts. Austin wrapped his legs around Daniel’s waist, and wrapped his arms around Daniel’s neck, hanging on tightly. Daniel’s pulse rate doubled at the skin-on-skin contact with his beloved boy, his face only inches from Austin’s blond mushroom-cap of hair, which was almost dry now. Daniel inhaled, savoring the sweet boy essence that was Austin’s alone.
Very carefully, Daniel descended the stairs, terribly conscious of the living weight he was holding in his arms. When he was safely on the concrete floor of the basement, he stepped over away from the stairs and stopped. “Okay, you can look now,” he told the boy.
Austin let go of Daniel’s neck and removed the blindfold from his head, blinking his eyes as they readjusted to the light. Austin’s eyes focused on the shelves which covered all four walls, and his eyes widened visibly as the boy took in the contents of the shelves. It wasn’t a basement so much as it was a radio-control modeler’s dream come true. The shelves on the North wall were filled with ground vehicles such as street cars, dirt cars, trucks, tanks, and even a hovercraft. The shelves on the East wall were loaded down with marine machines like cigarette boats, catamarans, tunnel-hulls, swamp-boats, jet-boats, and even a German World War Two submarine that was easily eight feet long. The shelves on the South wall were laden with airplanes of every size, design, and configuration imaginable; antique to modern, and everything in between. The shelves on the West wall were filled with an even more astounding array of helicopters.
“Oh, man,” Austin sighed softly. “Oh, wow, Daniel,” he added, seemingly at a loss for words, his head swiveling like a rotating beacon as he tried to take it all in at once. Daniel grinned, enjoying Austin’s reaction immensely.
“Told you I saved the best for last,” he chided the boy gently.
“You’re right. I’ve never seen a basement like THIS before!” Austin confessed, still looking around the large room rather like Alice when she first went down the rabbit hole. “Can I look around?” the boy asked.
“Of course,” Daniel replied.
“Can I touch?” Austin wondered more hesitantly.
“So long as you touch very carefully,” Daniel answered him. “Some of them are fragile, or very precise, or both,” he elaborated.
“And really expensive and hard to make,” Austin finished for him, raising one eyebrow.
“Very true,” Daniel agreed. “Although they’re not so much hard to make, as they are time-consuming to make,” he clarified.
“Down?” Austin requested gently, smiling disarmingly. Daniel blushed, remembering he was still holding the boy, his laced together fingers supporting Austin’s fanny like the seat of a swing.
“Well, okay, I guess,” Daniel teased, letting Austin down to the floor gently. Austin went over to the helicopter shelves first, standing on tip toe and craning his neck to better see the ones on the top shelf.
“The smaller three are electric powered,” Daniel explained, joining his young friend. “The other five have engines that burn methanol mixed with nitro-methane and a witch’s brew of natural and synthetic oils.”
“What kind is the black and white one, with all the guns?” Austin asked, pointing to one of the two largest choppers.
“That is Airwolf,” Daniel explained. “It’s from an old television series that ended before I was born. My Uncle has all the episodes on DVD, and I think I have seen each of them at least eight or ten times. So it’s a make-believe attack helicopter that could use an extra set of jet engines to go faster than the speed of sound. Plus it’s armored, and there’s a rocket launcher rack that comes out of its belly. And the landing gear wheels retract up inside once it’s airborne.”
“Cool!!” Austin enthused, peering in through the model’s windows to admire the interior details Daniel had painstakingly added to the cockpit. “And you made all of these all by yourself,” the boy added, not really phrasing it as a question.
“Well, yeah,” Daniel admitted. “My Uncle is not really too good with tools, or mechanical things. I had to read a lot of model magazines, and sort of teach myself as I went along,” he shrugged.
“Would you - - - ,” Austin started, then seemed to lose his nerve.
“Would I what?” Daniel pried gently, placing his hand on the boy’s bare shoulder and squeezing gently.
“Would you teach me?” Austin asked, blushing self-consciously.
“I don’t know,” Daniel started, trying to sound ‘iffy’. Austin picked up on the intonation of Daniel’s voice, and his face betrayed his disappointment. “It would mean long hours of sheer boredom, painstaking physical labor, and having to put up with me for hours on end,” Daniel went on, wondering how soon Austin would realize he was being led on. “Possibly sleep deprivation, starvation, or even gangrene,” he continued, seeing in Austin’s expression that he was on to him.
“You’re teasing me,” the boy accused finally, looking up at Daniel accusingly.
“Okay, you’re right,” chuckled Daniel. “Yes, I would be happy to teach you everything I know about radio control modeling, Austin. I can’t think of anyone I would rather have for a student!”
“But only if I sign in blood?” the boy teased back, grinning widely.
“On the dotted line,” Daniel grinned back.
“It’s a deal,” Austin beamed, breaking Daniel’s heart again with his glowing smile. Daniel stuck his hand out and made him shake on it. “What if I crash one? You gonna’ give me a whipping?” the boy asked, half in jest and half seriously.
“Forty lashes with a wet spaghetti noodle,” Daniel warned him, smiling. “Austin, if you’re going to make an omelet, you have to break some eggs! It’s not a question of IF you crash one: it’s a question of WHEN. You can’t be in this hobby and never crash a model. Even the boats and cars have mishaps. It just comes with the package, kiddo,” Daniel explained truthfully. “When we bust one up, we bring the pieces home and rebuild it. Most crashes look much worse than they really are,” he shrugged, no longer teasing.
“Okay,” Austin agreed, looking satisfied. “Thanks, Daniel.”
“No thanks required,” Daniel assured him. “Radio control is always more fun with a friend. Especially one as nice as you!” he added, watching Austin blush at the compliment.
“You’re nicer than I am,” the boy argued gently.
“Maybe. But I doubt it!” Daniel grinned, ruffling the boy’s thick soft hair. Austin seemed to fairly glow with the attention.
They spent the better part of an hour looking at all of the various models, with Austin asking questions, and Daniel answering them in great detail. When Austin was certain he had seen everything, they went back upstairs and then out into the yard.
“You ready to get wet again?” Daniel asked, nodding towards the beach.
“I am if you are!” the boy smiled happily, leading Daniel towards the beach.
“Let’s swim back across the lake, to the park,” Daniel suggested, as they walked back down to the water.
“What for?” Austin asked.
“Well, two reasons,” Daniel said. “One: you left your new bicycle over there.” Austin remembered his new bike with a start.
“And the second thing?” Austin asked.
“I left my car over there,” Daniel admitted. “Plus my shoes and shirt.”
“Is your car cool too?” Austin asked, as they waded into the water.
“You’ll just have to decide for yourself,” Daniel teased. “In fact, I’m going to make you pick it out!” They dove into the water and leisurely swam back to the park, ignoring Austin’s former friends, who had returned and were once again swimming. When they reached the beach, they sat down on the swings and rested. The other boys watched them, but kept to themselves. Finally Austin lifted up his new bike and straddled it.
“I can’t believe you just gave it to me,” Austin wondered. Daniel shrugged. “And it’s really new?” Daniel nodded, donning his shoes and stuffing one end of his shirt into his back pocket.
“Wash it off, and you’ll see,” Daniel suggested. Austin rolled the Diamond Back into the lake, stopping just short of letting the hubs go under. Daniel nodded approvingly, and Austin sluiced off the sandy dirt until the chrome finish gleamed again. The other four boys watched with jealous interest, but didn’t dare speak to him. Austin ignored them entirely, and wheeled his bike back to Daniel. “Now ride down the road a bit and see if you can find a totally cool car,” Daniel suggested, standing up. “And it isn’t in the parking lot.”
Austin mounted the pedals and rode down the road towards the spot where Daniel had left the Lancia that morning. Daniel walked along behind him, not trying to keep up. He pondered Austin as he walked, wondering what he had done to deserve such a sweet boy as his friend. His thoughts were interrupted by Austin’s return.
“There’s only one car down there,” Austin exclaimed. “But it can’t be real! Is it a kit-car?”
“Bite your tongue!” Daniel admonished him. “First you call me MISTER, and then you insult my CAR, too??” Daniel teased, pretending to be deeply insulted.
“You mean it’s for real??” Austin gaped. Daniel just grinned. “That’s really a Lancia Stratos?” Austin asked.
“It was this morning,” Daniel shrugged, grinning.
“Holy crap!” Austin exclaimed. “Think you could pick me up at school some times? The other boys would just shit if I rode off in a Stratos!!” Austin begged.
“Oh, I think maybe we could arrange that,” Daniel smiled, patting the crown of Austin’s wet head. Daniel watched the boy’s face, to see his reaction to the physical contact; Austin’s smile widened, and his eyes glowed with admiration.
They soon arrived at the car, and Daniel opened the doors to let out the heat which had built up inside the cockpit. While the cabin ventilated, Daniel strapped Austin’s bike onto the rack again. Then they clambered into the automobile’s cramped cockpit. Daniel had to show Austin how to let the widow down, since the car did not have conventional window cranks.
“You sure it’s okay to sit on the seats with wet shorts?” Austin asked nervously. “I could sit on my shirt, maybe?”
“This is a rally car,” Daniel informed him. “It’s survived a lot worse than wet britches!” He noticed that Austin looked like he wanted to say more. “What?” he asked after a moment.
“Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor?” Austin said haltingly.
“Never hurts to ask,” Daniel shrugged, hoping he would be able to grant the request.
“Think we could go down through the park to turn around? And ride by the beach? I’d love for those creeps to see us go past in THIS!” Austin begged, looking very hopeful.
“That, my friend, is an excellent idea!” Daniel agreed, grinning evilly. Austin’s face lit up with a huge smile at Daniel’s affirmation of his plan.
Daniel turned the key, and the finicky Italian engine exploded to life, its vibration coursing through their posteriors! Daniel revved the engine, popped the clutch, and the huge rear tires squealed in protest as the little car leaped into motion, squeezing them back into their seats as the small wedge-shaped car accelerated frantically! Austin just gaped.
Daniel slowed down as they entered the park proper, and idled around the loop that meandered through the park. The last stop on the park loop was the beach, and since the loop ran in a counter clockwise direction, Austin’s window faced towards the beach.
Daniel stopped the car abeam of the beach and revved the Ferrari engine noisily, watching Austin’s former friends until all four had turned to look at the source of the racket. Austin waved at them; and then showed them his middle finger! Daniel gave the car a large dose of throttle, and then released the clutch all at once. The huge P7 Pirelli tires spun rapidly, squealing in protest as they smoked! Austin’s former friends were staring in awe, Daniel noticed. Then the sticky tires found purchase on the warm asphalt, and the car launched forwards as if shot out of a cannon. He stayed on the throttle until they had rounded the bend and were out of sight of the beach, then he slowed back down to the posted speed limit, heading for the main road.
“You’re awesome!” Austin accused, grinning from ear to ear.
“Every once in a while,” Daniel agreed, shrugging, helpless to resist Austin’s glee. Daniel accelerated back toward town, the wind-draft blow-drying their hair. Daniel smiled at Austin as they rolled to a stop under the carport at Daniel’s house. He shut the car down, and set the parking brake.
“Do you have anything besides kool-aid to drink?” Austin asked shyly as they entered the house. Daniel led him to the fridge and opened the door.
“Milk, orange juice, Coke, or fake beer,” Daniel offered, glad he had overstocked on groceries. “Help yourself: my house is your house.” Austin selected a Coke - and handed it to Daniel. He accepted the can, and watched Austin get another for himself. “Thanks,” Daniel said, as they went into the living room.
“Thank you,” Austin corrected him, as Daniel found the TV remote.
“You’re welcome,” Daniel assured him as they relaxed together on the couch.
“Why do you have fake beer instead of real?” Austin asked, sounding as if he felt like maybe it was none of his business.
“Well, I like the taste of beer,” Daniel explained without preamble. “But I don’t think people need to get drunk, and alcohol will get you drunk eventually. So I just buy near beer.” Austin looked relieved, somehow, Daniel thought. He didn’t think now was the time to mention that it was a drunk driver who had killed his parents, which was the main reason he would not drink alcohol.
“I think alcohol should be against the law, like drugs are,” Austin stated agreeably. Daniel could tell that the boy had given the topic considerable thought by the way he stated his opinion, but decided he didn’t know the boy well enough yet to ask why he disliked alcohol so strongly.
“They tried that once, but it was impossible to enforce,” Daniel reminded Austin. “Just like it is pretty much impossible for the drug enforcement authorities to stop the importation of all the various illicit drugs nowadays.”
“I bet you don’t use drugs either,” Austin stated matter-of-factly.
“Only the ones my doctor prescribes when I get sick,” Daniel smiled.
Austin smiled back, looking very pleased with Daniel’s opinions on both subjects. Daniel wondered what had happened to Austin to give him such strong convictions about mind altering chemicals in general. He decided that there was more to his new friend than met the eye.
“And you don’t smoke, either,” Austin accused him, not even formatting it as a question.
“Nope. I like my lungs just the way they are,” Daniel assured him. “I only have three addictions,” he explained off-handedly. Austin frowned at him, wrinkling his adorable ski-jump of a nose as if to ask what those three vices might be. Daniel let him wonder for about five seconds before he continued. “I’m addicted to mid-engined Italian sports cars, and radio controlled models of any kind,” Daniel explained eloquently.
“That’s only two,” Austin pointed out, looking relieved. “What’s the third?”
“My best friend,” Daniel replied without elaborating.
“Do I know him?” Austin asked quizzically, looking somewhat taken aback.
“You should,” Daniel nodded. “He’s eleven years old, very smart and quick-witted, kind of slim, but not skinny, and very handsome,” Daniel went on slowly, watching Austin attempt to discern who he was speaking of. “He’s also got thick blond hair, and gorgeous blue eyes,” Daniel elaborated.
“And you think I know him?” Austin wondered, looking puzzled. “Where would I have seen him?” the boy asked, sounding a bit jealous.
“Every time you look into a mirror,” Daniel confessed, winking at Austin conspiratorially. Austin finally realized that HE was the boy Daniel was speaking of in such glowing terms. His eyes widened as he digested the new information and concluded that Daniel had just inferred that He, Austin, was Daniel’s Best Friend. His eyes glistened wetly with emotion as he regarded Daniel with this new perspective. Daniel wondered what was going through his young friend’s mind, as he was not doing too well reading his facial expressions. Then, all at once, Austin was hugging him fiercely! Daniel put his arms around Austin for the first time, and hugged him back, thrilled at the feel of Austin’s skin against his own.
“You’re my Best Friend, too, Daniel,” Austin confessed hoarsely, before releasing his death-grip on Daniel’s torso. He sat back, wiping at his moist eyes self-consciously.
“Lucky you decided to follow me over here this morning, huh?” Daniel observed. Austin nodded his agreement.
“Lucky you decided to rescue me from those creeps I used to hang around with,” Austin observed.
“I’m just glad I was there when they turned on you,” Daniel added. “Every time I think of him punching you I get mad all over again.” Austin just looked at him knowingly, and nodded. “So, what do you feel like doing the rest of this afternoon?” Daniel asked him, slurping from his cola.
“I wanted to swim some more,” Austin sighed. “But it’s starting to rain now,” he observed, tilting his head towards the front windows where fat drops of rain were beginning to splatter.
“Maybe there’s something good on television,” Daniel suggested, offering the remote to Austin.
“We can watch something later, like, before bedtime,” Austin said, refusing the remote. “But it’s the middle of the day: I’d rather DO something,” the boy clarified. “Could we work on one of your models? You said a bunch of them aren’t finished yet,” he added, looking hopeful.
“That’s a great idea,” Daniel agreed happily. “I’m glad you’re not a couch potato, Austin!” he added, pulling Austin to his feet.
“I’m glad you’re not a couch potato, Daniel!” Austin grinned, tugging him towards the basement door eagerly.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon working on a quarter scale Piper Cub Daniel was building from a kit. Austin amazed Daniel by staying on task the whole time, his attention never wavering. Daniel wondered if the boy was attentive to the project, or to him specifically.
When they grew hungry again they cooked a frozen pizza for dinner. After doing the dishes they spent over an hour playing “Doom 3” on Daniel’s computer, which both of them enjoyed.
“I suppose we should think about getting you home,” Daniel sighed, switching on the lamp beside the computer desk and stretching his stiff muscles. He turned to Austin and noticed Austin was no longer smiling.
“It’s pretty late,” Austin pointed out slowly. “Maybe I should just crash on your sofa?” the boy suggested. Daniel wondered what his new friend was thinking.
“Won’t your parents be worried?” Daniel asked conversationally.
“Nah,” Austin replied off-handedly. “It’s summer. I sleep over at friends’ houses all the time when school’s out,” the boy elaborated.
“I still think you should call them and make sure it’s okay to sleep over,” Daniel insisted, fishing for more information, sensing he wasn’t getting the whole story.
“Can’t,” Austin replied without further clarification.
“Why not?” Daniel pressed gently. Austin sighed, blushing visibly.
“The phone bill didn’t get paid for four months in a row, so the phone company cut it off,” Austin confessed with shame, diverting his eyes downwards.
“That sucks,” Daniel agreed gently. “But it’s not your fault, buddy,” he added, putting one hand on Austin’s shoulder. The boy seemed to stand straighter at Daniel’s touch. “It’s not a big deal, okay?” he reiterated, trying to minimize Austin’s discomfort. Austin nodded slowly, finally meeting Daniel’s eyes.
“You’re sure they won’t be worried if you don’t come home tonight?” Daniel asked, watching Austin’s eyes for signs of evasion.
“I’m positive,” Austin assured him, his eyes betraying his honesty to Daniel. “They aren’t expecting me home tonight, so they won’t be worried,” he assured Daniel. Daniel figured there was more to the story, but he also knew that Austin was close to the point where he would just clam up and stonewall him. So Daniel gave in to the childish side of his own nature and capitulated.
“Well, you know I trust you,” he said warmly, knowing this was actually the first time the word had been mentioned between them. “So if you say it’s okay, you’re more than welcome to spend the night, kiddo.” Austin’s smile magically reappeared on his adorable face. “But no guest of mine has to sleep on the couch,” Daniel went on, leading Austin into the hallway and down to the next room. “This was supposed to be my bedroom, but as you can see I already claimed the other one. So this one is now the official guest room,” he narrated, waving his arm around eloquently as if showing off the room to a royal guest. “Will that meet with your approval, Master Austin?”
“Sure does!” the boy grinned, as if he had never had his own room before. He bounced on the double bed twice, and then returned to Daniel’s side, beaming radiantly. “Can we watch a movie now?” he asked hopefully.
“Oh, that’s right,” Daniel smiled. “I almost forgot that you turn into a couch potato at the stroke of eight o-clock!” he teased, steering Austin into the living room. “What would you like to watch tonight, Master Austin?” Daniel asked grandiloquently, sweeping his arm across the large row of DVD movies on the shelf.
“What’s your favorite movie?” Austin asked Daniel sincerely.
“Aliens,” Daniel replied at once. “With Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn,” he elaborated. “Not to mention all the cool hardware the Colonial Marines use! Have you ever seen it?” he asked his new friend.
“Not really,” Austin explained. “I’ve seen parts of it, edited for network, but never the whole movie. One of my dumb-ass friends would always switch to some other channel after a few minutes,” Austin explained. “I’d love to see the whole thing straight through.”
“Even better,” Daniel smiled. “I have the special edition, with over seventeen minutes of restored footage the editors had cut out of the original theatrical release,” he informed Austin.
“Awesome!” agreed Austin. “Let’s watch Aliens!” he begged eagerly. Daniel plucked the DVD case off of the shelf, opened it, and fed the disk into the quality JVC brand DVD player next to the thirty-two inch flat-screen television. Then he clicked on the big Sony 5.1 Surround sound amplifier and the powered subwoofer it was connected to. “Turn out all the lights, too,” Austin urged him excitedly, taking the words right out of Daniel’s mouth.
“Good idea,” Daniel agreed, turning out lights until the television was the only source of light in the house. Austin was standing by the sofa, waiting for him, so Daniel joined him and settled down on the big comfy sofa. Austin plopped down beside him, scooted over until he was wedged up tight against him, and wriggled around until he was comfortable.
“Comfy?” Daniel asked, thrilled that Austin’s body was ‘glued’ to his.
“Pretty much,” Austin grinned.
“But now there’s no place to put my stupid arm,” Daniel protested, waving his right arm in the air, indicating that Austin’s body was blocking its descent. Austin craned his head to view the waving arm. Then he reached up with his right hand, caught Daniel’s hand, and pulled it down so that Daniel’s arm rested across Austin’s shoulders. Daniel gulped with pleasure.
“There,” Austin beamed, melting Daniel’s heart. “Perfect,” the boy added.
“Indeed!” Daniel agreed, squeezing Austin’s shoulder with his hand. Austin leaned into him, resting his lovely blond head against the junction between Daniel’s arm and torso. Daniel sent a brief prayer of thanks winging skyward as he cuddled with his new friend.
“Sssh,” Austin hushed him, as the credits ended and the action began. Daniel hugged him gently, leaning down to let his cheek brush the top of Austin’s head, softly inhaling the sweet little-boy-smell that was uniquely Austin’s, his heart doing summersaults in his ribcage as his love for Austin continued to grow by the minute.
For the next hour and forty-five minutes Daniel and Austin stayed side by side, arm in arm, on the sofa. As the movie grew more and more suspenseful, Austin pressed himself more and more tightly against Daniel. Daniel was more than happy to tighten his embrace, reassuring his new friend that he was safe and secure, even though the characters in the movie were not.
Finally the end credits rolled, and Austin leaned back so he could look up into Daniel’s face. “If the aliens had me cocooned like that, you’d come after me the same way Ripley went after Newt, wouldn’t you,” Austin accused, not phrasing it as a question.
“You know I would, Austin,” Daniel confessed without hesitation. “No matter what,” he added, hugging the boy tightly. Austin hugged him back, equally tightly.
“I knew you would,” Austin confessed, regarding Daniel with eyes filled with affection.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I am ready to get some sleep,” Daniel informed his new friend. “What say we batten down the hatches and call it a night?”
“Yeah,” Austin agreed, rising to his feet and pulling on Daniel’s hand. “I’m beat,” he elaborated, as Daniel stood up with him.
Daniel shut off the various pieces of home theater equipment first, then lead Austin into the kitchen where he poured a small glass of orange juice for each of them.
Next they went out and locked up the Stratos, getting spattered with raindrops by the gusty winds of the storm. They then reentered the house and locked up behind themselves, shutting off lights as they went. Austin followed Daniel into the ‘guest room’ and then watched as Daniel pulled sheets, a pillow, a pillowcase, and a blanket out of the closet. He parked them on the chest of drawers and unfolded a lower fitted sheet. Austin caught one corner and took it to the far corner of the mattress. Together they stretched the sheet neatly over the mattress.
Next they placed the upper sheet into position, tucking in the bottom end only. The blanket followed in similar fashion. When the blanket was in place, Daniel turned back the covers, plumped the pillow, and placed it at the head of the mattress. Austin watched everything with far more interest than one would expect from an eleven year old boy, Daniel noted.
“The covers, they meet with your approval, Monsieur?” Daniel asked with his best fake French accent, sweeping his arm as he bowed to Austin.
“Oh, yes,” Austin nodded gratefully, blushing. Daniel got the impression that possibly this was the first time anyone had ever done anything this fancy for Austin’s sleeping arrangements.
“I don’t suppose you have your Pee-Jays in your pocket,” Daniel teased gently.
“Don’t need any,” Austin shrugged, untying the drawstring of his swimming trunks. “I always sleep in my undies,” the boy continued, releasing the Velcro fly of the trunks and letting them fall to his ankles. He stepped out of the trunks, picked them up, and laid them on top of the chest of drawers. Daniel was having a hard time taking his eyes off of Austin’s well-worn briefs, and the bulge in the front of the briefs!
“Yeah?” Daniel commented distractedly, watching the boy. “I sleep in mine, too,” he explained, tearing his eyes away from Austin’s crotch. “In you go, then,” he continued, lifting the covers for Austin. Austin slipped between the sheets, and Daniel tucked him in tenderly. The look on Austin’s face made Daniel think that maybe Austin had never been tucked in before either. He wondered how this could be, but wasn’t about to ask his young friend.
Daniel gently stroked Austin’s hair into place on his forehead, as he tried to decide if he should give the kid a good-night kiss. Before he could lose his nerve, Daniel leaned down and quickly kissed Austin in the middle of his forehead. He watched Austin’s eyes for a reaction as he straightened up, and could see only deep emotion in the gorgeous blue eyes. “Good night, Austin,” said Daniel, smiling warmly as the backed to the door and switched off the light.
“Good night,” Austin replied, his voice sounding a little hoarse.
“Sleep tight,” Daniel urged the boy, his heart aching with affection for his new friend. Austin nodded, never taking his eyes off of Daniel. After another moment, Daniel backed out the door and into the hall.
Daniel went into his room and turned down the covers on his bed. He doffed his shoes and now dry swimming trunks, and climbed into bed, wearing only his briefs. He turned off the bedside lamp and relaxed, thinking while he listened to the rain pelting against the window, and the rumble of the thunder.
Daniel was roused from his thoughts by the sound of soft footsteps. The steps stopped at his door, which he had left open. “Daniel?” said Austin’s voice in a whisper. “Are you awake?”
“Possibly,” Daniel admitted softly. “Why?”
“I’m cold,” Austin complained, sounding like he didn’t mean it.
“Want another blanket?” Daniel asked gently, calling his bluff, knowing Austin couldn’t be cold with the air conditioning turned off.
“No,” Austin admitted. “I’m not cold, really. But I don’t like the storm; I don’t want to be alone,” he admitted sheepishly. “Can’t I please share with you?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Daniel tried gently, scared of what he might be tempted to do if Austin was to bed down with him wearing nothing but cotton briefs.
“Please?” Austin begged softly, desperation coloring his voice. Daniel knew that he was powerless when it came to this boy: that he couldn’t say “no” to him any more than he could arbitrarily stop breathing.
“Promise not to talk all night?” Daniel asked, glad that he had decided to sleep in his brief, and not in the nude tonight.
“I promise,” Austin replied, quickly trotting over and diving under the sheet with Daniel. He settled himself next to his friend, and there was a full minute of nothing but the sounds of the storm. Then Austin spoke up again. “You know what?” he asked.
“What?” Daniel replied.
“Today has been the happiest day in my life,” Austin stated.
Daniel thought about Austin’s statement for a moment. “To tell the truth, this has been the best day in my life since before my parents died,” Daniel admitted. Austin responded by rolling onto his right side, facing Daniel, putting his arm over Daniel’s chest, and hugging him. Daniel slid his left arm under Austin’s neck and hugged him back.
Austin responded by lifting his head, repositioning his body a little, and resting his head on Daniel’s shoulder. This allowed Daniel’s arm more freedom of movement, so he could embrace Austin more fully, which he did, his heart thumping rapidly with his love for the boy.
“Would you like a back rub?” Daniel asked softly, giving him a sample by stroking the smooth skin of Austin’s back with one finger.
“Yes, please,” Austin lisped, squeezing Daniel’s chest with his left arm, which was still hugging Daniel warmly.
So Daniel lovingly stroked his beloved boy’s back with the tips of his fingers, letting them trail ever so lightly across his skin, raising goose-bumps in their wake. He felt Austin shiver.
“Cold, still?” Daniel asked softly.
“No,” Austin said at once. “That just feels SO GOOD!!” the boy confessed. “Please don’t stop until I fall asleep,” Austin begged guiltily.
“Your wish is my command,” Daniel confessed, hoping Austin didn’t realize he was serious.
“Thank you,” Austin said emphatically.
“You are ever so welcome,” Daniel assured him gently. There was a brief silence before Austin spoke again.
“Daniel?” he said hesitantly.
“Hmm??” Daniel responded, curious as to why Austin sounded so hesitant.
“I – love you,” Austin said softly but quickly, as if he was scared how Daniel would respond. Daniel was surprised, but very happy to hear Austin’s words.
“I love you, too, Austin,” he replied at once, hugging the boy with his left arm, and pressing his left cheek against the top of Austin’s head, where he could inhale the sweet aroma that was distinctly Austin’s. He felt Austin relax noticeably at his response, the boy apparently pleased to know the feeling was mutual. Daniel was thrilled that Austin had spoken up first. He had wanted to tell the boy that he loved him, but figured it was much too soon for a statement of that magnitude. Apparently Austin didn’t think it was too soon!
“Good night, Daniel,” Austin whispered, his voice now sounding totally contented.
“Sleep tight, Austin,” Daniel replied softly, his finger-tips again pleasuring the soft skin of Austin’s back.
In less than ten minutes, Austin was sound asleep, his breathing slow and deep, his body limp against Daniel’s. When Daniel stopped stroking Austin’s back, the boy only sighed softly in his sleep. As Daniel dozed off, he wondered absently what he might have done to deserve his new friend. He wondered how he could love Austin so totally, after knowing him less than one day. Yet he knew that he loved the boy; loved him so completely that he would give his life for him. Before he could finish this line of thought, Daniel drifted off to sleep. For the first time in many years, Daniel slept through the whole night without even one of the nightmares that had haunted his sleep ever since his parents had passed away.
(end of part one. Please return next month for part two !)
(As always, your comments are welcome! storiesbylonewolf@hotmail.com