Catch Me If I Fall
by AB
Chapter 3
Role models in the sand
Andronicus was in his sea of dreams, that fuzzy place where all is good during sleep, his dreams of late had turned into nightmares but this particular one was quite pleasant, even sexual. In his dream Andronicus saw Iasonas pull his PJs off and start to suck him. As the dream progressed Andronicus could feel himself trying to fuck his new friend's mouth when he woke with a start. There he was lying on the mattress his legs spread out and Iasonas jerking him off slowly. It took a moment to filter it through his groggy mind having just woken up.
He pushed on Iasonas' hand and Iasonas back closing his legs. "What are you doing? No! Stop!" He spoke almost panicked.
"What… why? Come on already why are you so shy? You are sexy, drop down gorgeous and I want to molest your thingy." Iasonas was not angry, more surprised.
"It's just… I… I… I just don't want… wait… you think I'm gorgeous?"
Iasonas giggled, "Well yeah silly, not like it's the first time I've told you."
"Yeah… but… wait… molest my thingy? What are you? Five?" Andronicus giggled relaxing a bit.
Iasonas laughed and pushing aside Andronicus' hands he hugged him. "Stop being so afraid already! Vasilis would tell you the same thing." He whispered in Andronicus' ear grinding his own pelvis with his friend's.
"No… please… stop… "
"Why? What are you so afraid of? I just want to jerk you off, other boys would jump at the opportunity… "
"You… you will hate me, I don't know just… "
"Hate you? Why would I hate you?" Iasonas stopped what he was doing, concentrating on Andronicus' face.
"I… don't know… " Andronicus stuttered.
"I won't. Okay? I promise, there's nothing you can say or do to make me hate you. You are my friend. Now can I?"
Andronicus studied his friend's facial emotions for insincerity and finding none he nodded opening his legs.
Iasonas smiled and stroked his thighs before pressing on the tender foreskin with his thumb and index finger pulling it back. He took his time studying his friend's almost four inch boyhood, the semi-erect shaft, the purple-angry glans and the veiny bold testicles below it. Andronicus like him was completely bare down there as of yet and yet like him they both could shoot loads, even if meagre in quantity and almost crystal clear and runny in texture and viscosity.
He wrapped his palm around it and started stroking it studying the smooth stomach and navel. For some reason Andronicus' body made him feel very randy and tingly inside.
Andronicus started squirming about trying to push in on Iasonas' hand, moaning softly. He had been masturbating for almost two years now, shooting for one, and yet he could not believe how good it felt having his tube of flesh handled like this by someone else.
"Ooooohhh… shit… shit… shit… this..ugh… feels… ohhh fuck… " he kept moaning and whispering. It did not take long for him to shoot his load all over his friend's hand. His orgasm was way more intense than usual making him heave and pant as his lower body spasmed and rocked back and forth trying to fuck a non-existing cavity.
He opened his eyes to see Iasonas bringing his hand to his nose, smelling it and then with a lap of his tongue eating the cum on his palm.
"Y… you eat it?!" Andronicus asked his friend in shock to see Iasonas burst laughing.
"Well yeah why not? Have you never tasted your own cum? It tastes kinda cool."
"Well… my own yeah, but this ain't yours!"
"Oh? Would you like me to pay you some kind of tax? Maybe some tribute of some kind?" Iasonas teased him.
Andronicus smirked and launched himself at his friend tickling his ribs. It started a playful wrestle which concluded in Iasonas under Andronicus, with Andronicus' hands all over the brown-eyed boy's genitals pulling them gently.
Iasonas just closed his eyes, opened his legs for more access and moaned. Andronicus mimicked his friend's earlier movements and actions bringing him soon to orgasm.
"Go on… give it a taste." Iasonas urged him. "Won't bite you." Andronicus witched his gaze from his friend's face to his own hand a few times before he brought it to his face and licked off the droplets of boy butter from his hand.
"… not too bad." He teased in return.
"Not too bad? I taste fucking awesome!" Iasonas mocked hurt before they both burst out laughing.
"What's for breakfast? I am famished." Iasonas asked him as he stood up and got dressed.
"Dunno… usually I eat cereal with milk." Andronicus answered him as he too started putting on clothes.
They descended to the kitchen eating their breakfast like a pack of hungry lions. It made Katerina chuckle.
Iasonas gave a silent burb, "Hey this was great fun, but I have to go, chores." He rolled his eyes solidifying Andronicus' belief that this was a universal response of boys to parents or similar. "We should do this again sometime."
"Yeah, it was fun." Andronicus stated not wanting to say more in front of his mother. He walked his friend to the door and away from prying ears he continued.
"I'm thinking of going to the island off Molos want to come by later on?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea… " Iasonas' voice trailed.
"Why not? The fisherman there is really friendly and I'm sure he won't mind, I mean he's a local so he must know you."
"My mum has told me to avoid him and that island, there's bad rumours and gossip going around the island about him." Iasonas shrugged.
"I don't believe in rumours or gossip, I spent the day there yesterday and he did not try hurting me in any way. I'm going."
"Dunno… maybe you're right… but my chores are likely to take hours. See you later?" Iasonas asked in a hopeful tone.
Andronicus tried smiling, "Yeah, sure."
They bumped knuckles and Iasonas departed. In an uncharacteristic move for him Andronicus grabbed his things and left the house with a yell "I'll be with Vasilis." To his mother. He never used to lie to his mother but somehow he knew that even without the rumours she would not want him or allow him to spend time with a complete stranger, a man to boot and in a remote location.
An hour and a half later he was swimming from Molos to the island.
Midway to the island he saw the rowboat coming towards him.
He climbed on it grinning.
"If I cannot convince you not to continue coming we must find a way for you to contact me… I don't want you swimming for such a long distance." This was the most he had so far heard Romanos speak.
"Do you have a mobile?"
"No."
"Computer?
"No."
"Laptop?"
"No."
"Tablet?"
"No. Only a landline which I don't use much… I guess that one will do."
Andronicus nodded.
Romanos had rowed them back to the beach of Molos, Andronicus picked up his backpack and Romanos started rowing for the island.
"What's the number?"
"Number?"
"For the landline silly."
"Oh, I don't remember it by heart, it is on the table next to the phone."
"That's in your house."
"Obviously."
"I didn't think you'd want me in there."
"You're not going to steal from me are you?"
"What? No!"
"Not going to murder me in my sleep?"
"No! Why would I?"
Romanos chuckled, "Then I don't see a problem. If you are going to be coming over you need to be able to tell me to come pick you up, water during the winter is cold."
"Not winter now."
"You said you are staying? Not here just for the vacations?"
"Yes… ?"
"Then eventually it'll be winter."
"Thank you." Romanos was caught off guard.
"For what?"
"Not throwing me away."
"You're not an object for me to throw away."
Andronicus rolled his eyes, "you know what I mean!" He whined giggling.
Romanos chuckled, "yes, I do know what you mean."
"How come you're not married?"
"I was once."
"Oh… I'm sorry, how… did it end?"
"Badly."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you had nothing to do with it."
Andronicus wanted to ask about his son but stopped himself.
They continued the rest of the distance in silence until Romanos stopped rowing, stood up and jumped on the dock tying the rope then he pulled the boat closer so that Andronicus could disembark.
He paused for a moment as he secured the rope on the cleat on the dock and pushed the boat back.
Andronicus spent the day diving from the dock, swimming and snorkeling, lying on the pebbles to sunbathe and observing Romanos as he went about his chores and things to do. Meshing his nets, baiting his hooks and cleaning his fishing boat.
Andronicus stood up, grabbed a mop, jumped in the Caïque. "How can I help?"
Romanos looked at him and pointed at the stern of the Caïque. Andronicus nodded smiling.
"I'm going to prepare us some lunch, finish up and clean your hands. There's a hose there." Romanos told him pointing at the port bow next to the stairs leading to the bowels of the Caïque.
Andronicus nodded and returned to what he was doing. He was almost finished, the white painted wood sparkling clean when the smell of fish being grilled filled his nostrils and made his stomach grumble making him realise how hungry he was.
He tidied up leaving the mop to dry and jumped off the vessel. He run to the house and finding the toilet he cleaned his hands, coming out he saw a small table with a phone on, a small piece of cut paper lay next to it. He added the phone number on his mobile as "Romanos" and stepped out, he searched and found Romanos on the back of his house serving the grilled fish on plates. The table was under some shade provided by four wooden beams vertical on the ground and four more vertical on them with palm leaves tied on top of them, sheets that once must have been used as ship sails were secured at the top of beams by large wood screws. At hand length there were ropes secured in the wood that one could use to tie the curtains. Like this sun could be blocked off from any given point but wind was allowed to pass from the other three sides.
Andronicus sat on one of the wooden chairs and waited until Romanos had also sat. Additionally to the fish there was also a tomato, feta cheese and olive oils salad with olive oil.
Romanos served them both some white wine from a glass bottle encircled in a thatch cover.
"Uhm… that's wine… " Andronicus stated in doubt. Romanos must have made a mistake, he was a minor after all. His mother never allowed him to even go close to alcohol.
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen… "
"You're old enough, drink." Romanos stated matter-of-factly and took a bite from the fish.
Andronicus shrugged and tried a hesitant sip of the opaque white-yellow-ish liquid. It made his throat burn a tad but overall he found the taste rather agreeable.
He took a bite from the olive oil and lemon covered fish. "Oh my god that tastes incredible."
Romanos nodded smiling.
"How do you do it? Mum cooks fish sometimes but it never tastes this good."
"I sprinkle some herbs over it, encase it in aluminum foil for cooking and bury it in a sand pit above a slow coal burning fire that has been burning for a fortnight. I have one always burning, if you concentrate your gaze there," Romanos pointed at a place on the shore where the pebbles gave way to some sand, "you'll see the heat coming out from the sand, don't step on that patch of sand. The slow burning fire cooks the food just right and the pyrite sand and aluminum foil preserve all of its juices and whatnot. I cook like this all year round except from November to April, rain and winter seasons do not allow for it." Andronicus looked where Romanos was pointing and nodded. He could see the air turbulence above that patch of sand similarly to the effect of when you look above asphalt during the summer when the sun heats it up to the point of being able to boil an egg on it.
"This is great and the tomatoes just smell and taste so awesome!"
Romanos had to chuckle at the young teen's joyful enthusiasm. He could tell that something bad had happened to Andronicus, it takes one to know one and Romanos knew of sorrow. He could see it in the boy's disposition, in how he usually talked and carried himself and yet there was a spark inside Andronicus, he could see it, feel it, yearning for someone to show him the way out, to allow him to express himself, to be who he wants to be. The sorrow, the self-disgust were acting like a blanket on top of his personality choking the life out of him like weeds do to crops. If the two boys had not already met he would introduce his nephew to Andronicus, if his nephew could, momentarily, drive him out of his cocoon of sadness Andronicus would be easy pickings for his nephew's naturally cheerful and outgoing personality.
"Yes, I cultivate some of my vegetables and buy the rest from the general store in Ydra when I go there to sell my fish." He answered as he poured himself some more wine, no more for Andronicus though. One glass every so often was enough for a teen.
"Oh Mrs. Vivi is great and so insightful."
"Yes, she is great… do you want some more fish?"
"Yes, please." Andronicus beamed.
After they finished eating Andronicus helped him clean the table and carry the dirty plates to the kitchen. Andronicus offered to wash the dishes with Romanos declining.
Andronicus sat under the shade of the shade provided by the beam and palm leaves construction, resting his back on one of the beams, his legs stretched out and his hands on his lap. The sun and the breeze lullabied him to a deep sleep.
He dreamed under the shade and the sun of Vasilis, of Vasilis undressing him, of being naked together under the sun, exploring their young, firm bodies, loving each other. They were happy dreams he would not remember, he never remembered most dreams like everyone else. Then his dreams took a sad turn as he thought that Vasilis was straight, and he would never love him as he did.
Someone nudged him out of his midsummer day's dream. He yawned stretching his hands and fluttering his eyelids to get used to the light.
"You've slept for an hour." Romanos stated.
Andronicus clicked a button for the screen on his mobile to turn on and looked at the time. "It's time to go I guess… "
"Come, I'll get you back on Molos."
Andronicus did not know why but being near Romanos calmed him, even when they did not talk it did not make him feel uneasy and he sort of liked it.
He stepped off the boat and looked at the man who was fast becoming sort of a role model for him.
"Can I come tomorrow?" Romanos could see hope practically oozing from the boy's eyes.
"If I say no will it stop you from coming?"
"No."
"Then why ask?"
"'cause… " Andronicus did not want to voice it completely but he wanted, he needed the man's acceptance, that he was wanted.
Romanos chuckled and nodded his head making his face stretch from the huge grin.
The rest of the day passed without much incident except for his sister being a bitch and a conversation with Vasilis through Skype. How Vasilis had found his account was a mystery to him but he did not care. Up until that moment and for a few months now his account had been empty of contacts except for his father's who never got online anyways and his mother's which didn't count.
Minutes after he answered Vasilis' call he was flooded with requests to add people he did not know and some he knew, Iraklis, Iasonas, Fraggos and his younger brother.
"Who are all these people?" He had asked Vasilis.
"Those are the people in your year in school.
He added them and the next moment he was added to a group named "C00l p4r50n5"
The next few hours he spent chatting with his new classmates-to-be as well as many younger and older boys like Iraklis, Vasilis and Kostas deciding he liked a lot of them, exchanging contact information, learning about their interests, and places they liked to meet.
Vasilis had to go but he arranged for all of them to meet after dinner at Ydra's main square so they could all meet Andronicus up close.
That night would forever remain in Andronicus memories as one of the fondest of his childhood. The kids here were nothing like the ones he had gotten used to back in Athens. He could not be entirely sure yet but he was almost somehow sure that most of them would not mind him being gay, different. Part of him wanted to test this, part of him was unsure, afraid of the outcome. For now he remained ambivalent but the scales were tipping, the fog, blanket, whatever he could call it was fast eroding, fraying on the edges, the old him bursting to be let free.
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