Nathan B...'s Schooldays
by N Fourbois
Year 9
* * *
It just had to rain on the first day back at school to emphasise the contrast with the hot, still days of summer enjoyed by Nathan B... and Tom H.... As they climbed out of Mrs H...'s car and walked onto the station platform neither boy was to know that a couple of surprises were in store for them, one major and one so minor it hardly merited the description surprise at all. They were pleased to see their school friends again after almost two months, but Nathan's and Tom's enthusiasm was rather muted as they had more important affairs on their mind – the fresh intake at school. Although they didn't discuss such things in front of their school mates, they wanted to spot the new talent, if any; if any, because they were at first both rather disappointed. Anyway, there would be more to inspect when they arrived at school. Nathan thought it might be his lucky day as it was the anniversary of the time he had first picked Tom out of the crowd. Admittedly it had taken several weeks, if not months, before they spoke. All their friends had grown noticeably taller than they were in July, and Natt and Tom probably had too, but seeing each other in the holidays meant that they wouldn't notice it.
The great thing about the first day of the Autumn term is that everything and everyone appears so clean and new. Being in a higher form gives a psychological boost and as top of the juniors, being in Year 9 brought seniority without responsibility. It also brought restricted options in the subjects taken. Year 10 on the other hand carried with it the need to get serious about GCSEs and after that school life was largely determined by a succession of examinations. The first day of the Autumn term would always coincide with School Headless Chicken Day since even the old hands were placed in new surroundings which they had to discover for themselves. And so to the minor surprise. The main part of the school was situated on the south side of an arterial road, but it also owned buildings on the north side and one of these had been the art room. Over the summer holidays a new art centre had been completed on the main site and the old art room converted into an ordinary classroom. Although the boys did not appreciate this fact, their being given this converted classroom for their form room was a recognition of the esteem their form was held in by the staff for naturally the supervision was less and the possibilities for mischief greater.
The more significant surprise was due to unravel during the morning. It started with Tom's name being read out by the Headmaster in assembly among those he wanted to see afterwards. Both he and Nathan were separately surprised and, unable to see each other or talk about it before break, they were left to surmise and neither Nathan, nor Tom certainly, could think of any reason. Had he been reported for messing around on the train? No, because that would have been with Nathan. After assembly the School went off to house meetings – Tom wasn't there, he was queuing outside the Headmaster's study – and then it was off to form rooms for admin, book issue and all the other excitements of the beginning of a new school year. The old art room was a long room. So although Nathan was sitting among the Bs longitudinally, across the room he was sitting by the Gs, Hs and Js which made a welcome change from his usual contemporaries whose names began with D and E. He noticed an empty desk next to his, but gave it no further heed. Among the hubble bubble of exercise books being handed out he didn't hear the knock at the form room door. Suddenly the class was standing up in silence. The Deputy Head had entered. Through the throng Nathan didn't notice that he had a boy in tow and it wasn't until the form master made an announcement, introduced and welcomed a certain Thomas H... who was going to join the class and who was then shown to the empty desk next to Nathan that the penny dropped. He could hardly credit what was happening, but after the excitement had died down Tom could explain to him that the Head had rung his father and explained that in view of the change from the Australian to the English school system he was too advanced for the year he had originally been put in and in view of his work and exam results the previous term they proposed to promote him to the proper year group for his age. Nathan was overjoyed and volunteered to 'look after' Tom and help him settle in 'as they lived near one another and knew each other already'. That produced a long and deliberate throat-clearing from Phil E... sitting near to the back of the room. The house badge was now worn on the right lapel by three boys in the class, and contrary to school tradition none of them were boarders. 'Looking after' gave the boys the perfect excuse to do their homework at each other's home as Nathan helped Tom to catch up. After the excitement of the morning lunch proved to be rather an anticlimax for one reason: there was no Mike R... to chat up. In this respect, however, Nathan had come of age and was on his own.
By coincidence the dynamics of the groups that used the train had altered. Two of the travelling companions, who were now in Year 10, had because of their fathers' professions and a consequent family move become boarders. The S... family had moved to another part of the county and so Dick S... started to come in by bus. A corridor compartment held a maximum of eight passengers, horseboxes ten. All in all this led to a regrouping, not that the groups were exclusive, as Tuesdays and Wednesdays with their variable going home times showed. Nathan, encouraged by Mike R... before his departure, and Tom, who needed no encouragement from Nathan whatsoever, decided to join the Cadet Corps, which automatically meant catching the late train on Tuesdays. Wednesdays could still provide some interesting company and the boys would then learn what went on in other classes and hear more school gossip. As it was the beginning of term the predominant topic of conversation was 'Who takes you for maths? ... Oh, he's all right.' – the highest degree of praise a master would receive from a boy – 'Who takes you for whatever? ... Oh, he's a load of rubbish. We had him last year.' – a remark on the pejorative side that could mean any thing from strict, through unexciting, past boring, to the fact that he was actually rubbish as a teacher and couldn't cope. Schoolboys were fair and although they would never admit it in words of two syllables they would rather be in a disciplined class, discipline preferably leavened with humour. Fortunately having a master who couldn't cope did not apply to Nathan's and Tom's class, but it did to one Year 10 set: they had Pongo R... for English in the run-up to GCSE. Mr R... couldn't even control the junior classes he took and his reputation was well known throughout the school. All this is mentioned simply as background at present. More of Mr R... later in th e year.
Teachers would in the main just teach a class. Occasionally they would, particularly the younger ones, form a special relationship with a class. The Dead Poets' Society would be witness to that. This relationship could never be forged; it would just happened and on the rare occasions it did, teaching could break the bounds of what had to be done and lead to the most marvellous educational experiences. Such was the relationship that grew up between Nathan's class and Mr C..., their English teacher, who had also taken them in Year 8. As grammar school pupils the class was expected to read one Shakespeare play a year. In Year 7 it had been Julius Caesar, in Year 8 A Midsummer Night's Dream. They didn't know which one they would be reading this year until the following term. Mr C... had so brought Shakespeare alive and created such interest that he felt he could look to the class to help him in his production of the School play at the end of the Autumn term. Acting had been very much part of the the lessons and so he already had formed a good assessment of the pupils' ability in that sphere. School stage productions were performed on a three yearly rota: a musical or G & S operetta, a junior play and a senior play. This year was the turn of the juniors and Mr C... had selected Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. It was to Nathan's surprise that he was taken on one side at the end of an English lesson and asked by Mr C... whether he was interested in taking a leading rôle. Nathan said he would have to discuss it at home first as it involved staying on after school, and much later as the actual production approached. Meanwhile he was invited to an initial reading after lunch that day which he apparently got through with flying colours.
Like most English scholars Mr C... had ideas on how Shakespeare should be produced. His were particularly conservative and it would be in period costume and the female parts would, both of necessity and choice, be played by younger boys. These twelve to fourteen year olds were not expected to tackle The Taming of the Shrew in its entirety. He had written his own adaptation, abridged to a manageable size and with some explanatory additional material written by himself. Evidently this was a tried and tested version he had used at a previous school. After auditions with known talent in Years 8 and 9 came the critical part. To avoid the unwanted risk of a voice breaking he had to select boys for the female rôles from Year 7 where the talent was unknown and untried. Within a week the male parts were announced and to his amazement Nathan had secured that of Petruchio, the one who was to tame the shrew. Mr C... now concentrated on casting the female parts and used the male leads to help him, mainly to test for compatibility. Once the auditions began Nathan was in no doubt, even though this might have been dictated more by the heart and the trouser department than the brain, about whom he wanted to play opposite, but could he persuade Mr C...? Persuade was not perhaps the correct word for in his artful way he did his best to make everything go smoothly in the auditions with his own nominee and gave the other possibilities a difficult time. In any case it must have worked because Mr C... could see the chemistry that worked between Nathan and Jack W..., a blond boy who could bat his eyelids, had the sparkling blue eyes, the cheeky face, the lively nature and... not to be forgotten... the correctly shaped trousers. Jack became Katherine, the 'shrew'. During the first half of term there were read-throughs either during lunchtime or after school. The cast was expected to know all their li nes by heart by the end of half term and then rehearsals would begin in earnest.
By now the routine of school life had established itself. To his disappointment Nathan was still put in the position of lock on the rugby field and the game still left him cold, metaphorically and literally. However, a new games master had arrived at the school that term and naturally he brought with him new ideas, one of which gained his whole hearted approval. Traditionally the lock had always bound in the scrum by putting his inside arm round the body of his fellow lock and the outside one round the hips of his prop. The new idea was to put the outside arm through the legs of the prop and bind onto the waistband of his shorts. The logic was that it got the locks lower and into a better pushing position. Naturally there was a lot of giggling and banter when it was first taught, but the boys soon got used to it, and it did give Nathan the opportunity to have an accidental-on-purpose grope as he got into position. 'If that doesn't get me swapped to play in some other position,' he thought 'nothing will.' Tom turned out to be an accomplished rugby player who made the school team.
The first half of term was passing at a relentless pace for both boys, so much so that although they spent a lot of time in each other's company they had very few private moments together. Separately Nathan was working on his rôle as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew while Tom was attending team practices and playing rugby on Saturday afternoons. Natt tried to watch the home games that Tom played in, but often those afternoons were spent with other members of the cast in rehearsal at Mr C...'s house. Mr C... lived in a country cottage some fifteen minutes walk from school along the dreaded cross-country route. The group never exceeded four and was never less than three and after two hours of hard work of reading lines, reciting them and finally putting some of the actions together, tea would be served; and it was served by a man about Mr C...'s age, introduced as Charles, who apparently had no surname and who joined them to consume cakes and biscuits of a type whose nature changed from week to week. Charles would stay and join in the informal chatting that went on, enquiring how the practice had gone and recounting tales of when he was involved in school dramatics as a boy. On one occasion when Charles had gone out to the kitchen to make another pot of tea Jack W... asked "Sir, is Charles your butler?" Unabashed Mr C... answered that he was a friend and as the cottage was so large they shared it together. Curiosity had been cured, the answer proved satisfactory and no one thought about the arrangements any longer. Tea finished Nathan would make his way to the station and on home. Towards the end of the first half of term both Nathan and Tom were becoming tired. To make up they would both get up late on the Sunday morning. However, Bruce would still insist on his walk in the afternoon when both boys could meet and on return would go back to one house or the other and finish off any homework together that they might have outstanding.
They were looking forward to half term for although they would see a lot of each other at school they had little time just to hang and enjoy the opportunity to daydream and for that idleness so essential for adolescents. The other side of the coin was that their families had accepted their friendship simply as just that. All kids have best friends and certainly since they had come out to their parents and the initial excitement caused by that, very little had been said on the matter. Nathan could cycle across to Tom's house, both boys safe in the knowledge that his parents were at work and his big sister would probably be out with her friends, and even if she were there, she had more sense than to disturb the boys knowing that it could so easily rebound. By the bye, it was evident that Angela never did find out that her baby brother had seduced her boyfriend for they were still dating and nothing more had ever been said.
When Nathan arrived on the doorstep that Monday morning Tom was still in bed. He answered the door dressed just in shorts. Natt drank a cup of tea while Tom ate his breakfast. They were in no hurry and that they would do stuff over half term had long been pre-planned.
"I'll just get a shower," said Tom.
"No, don't do that," replied Natt. "I want to smell you as you are. It's such a turn-on."
"We can play Space Invaders or something."
"Well, I certainly intend invading your space before the morning's out." They disappeared up to Tom's room.
At half past twelve Nathan had to disappear home for lunch, but the boys were going to see each other again in the afternoon to take Bruce for a walk. It was one of those warm crystal clear days of autumn, one of the last before the frosts and cold damp cloudy days took over to herald winter. Today they took him along by the lake where they threw a ball for him to fetch, then back to Nathan's for a cup of tea and buns. In the evening Nathan settled down to learn his lines for the Shrew. And so the pattern was set for the week – a long walk for Bruce where the boys could be away from their homes and alone, just hanging together with or without sex all according to their mood with some TV or cinema fitted in. The highlight was Saturday evening when they took the bus into town, ate at Burger Star, went to the pictures to see Finding Nemo, sat in the back row holding hands or with arms round each other and at the end they were picked up by Mrs B..., spent the rest of the evening together in Natt's room until it was time for Tom to go home.
"I'm so pleased that Nathan and Tom have become such good friends," Mrs B... was telling Mrs H... when she came to pick Tom up.
"They're so good for one another and I know they're not getting into bad company. It's such a worry these days with the things you hear, especially with them both being the way they are and all that..."
"Does your mum think we're that innocent?" Nathan whispered to Tom, when they overheard, and gave him a look.
"Seems a shame to disillusion them," replied Tom.
For Nathan the rest of the term became a blur with practices and rehearsals for The Shrew, learning and relearning his lines and keeping up with schoolwork. Outside school he and Tom only saw each other on the train, but they still kept the Sabbath holy. Nathan slept in to recover from the week and just chilled out in the morning. In the afternoon Bruce would not allow him to forget his walkies and this provided the time to spend with Tom, although as the early nights drew in their time out and about was limited and late autumn is scarcely conducive to outdoor sexual activity. The boys would go back to one house or the other for tea and then part, leaving Natt time to catch up with his homework. He was usually too tired at nights even to jerk off and any thoughts in bed of cute boys quickly sent him into a dreamless sleep only interrupted by his mother's waking him in the morning with a cup of tea. Did he really want to get up and go to school? But that question was not up for discussion except on the Saturday before the week of the play.
It was his mother who came up with the suggestion on Friday evening.
"Nathan, I think if you're going to get through the next week you had better have a complete rest this weekend. I'm going to telephone the school in the morning."
"Do you really mean that, Mum?" She smiled.
"Of course, but don't think of this as a precedent. Have you got much homework to do?"
"No. The last marks order is in and the cast's been excused homework until the play's over."
"Well, you sleep in as long as you want to in the morning. Then I suggest you take the dog for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise and then just relax for the rest of the day. Chill out – that's the expression you use, isn't it?"
"Just 'chill' is what we say these days, Mum."
"You haven't arranged to see Tom, have you?"
"No, he's playing rugby in the afternoon – away match. So he'll be back late and then we'll take Bruce out as usual on Sunday."
"Now remind me. What's the programme for next week?"
"Monday we've got to run through the wedding scene. That's after school, but I don't know how long for. I'll have to ring you. Tuesday we're excused lessons all day for costume fitting and any last minute rehearsals."
"That's a bit late for costume fitting?"
"Maybe, but Mr C... doesn't seem all that worried. We've been measured and they're all ordered. Anyway, we'll be home normal time on Tuesday 'to get a rest' ha ha ha. Wednesday dress rehearsal, Thursday, Friday, Saturday the real thing, back late."
"Are you sure you're safe travelling on the train at that time of night?"
"Yeah, we'll be all right. There's two others, but can you pick me up from the station, please?"
"I will or your father. Just give us a ring from school before you leave. This is where it would be handy if you had a mobile."
"I'll cope. I don't need any fashion accessories – I'm not that insecure."
"They can be useful at times, you know. You've certainly got an attitude about them. What about food?"
"The School's feeding us. Now Thursday and Friday we don't have to be in school until eleven, and ten on Saturday. And also on the days we're going to be late home we're not to wear school uniform because they don't want us picked on if we're walking in town late."
"Anything else?"
"Just one thing. You know you're coming on Saturday? It's just that there's a little celebration afterwards for the cast, so do you mind waiting a bit?"
"I'll sort that out with the H...s. We're coming up in their people carrier so that there'll be room to bring all seven of us back together. We can go to the pub and leave Tom and Angela in the car with a lemonade and a packet of crisps."
"They'll enjoy that, Mum." Mrs B... kept a straight face.
"It won't last long, will it?"
"The school's got to be locked up at ten, so I don't think so."
Nathan went to bed early that evening with every intention to jerk off slowly and hold back the climax for as long as possible. Lying under the duvet in just his baggy boxer shorts, he summoned up the new obsession he was doing his very best to concentrate on, but despite all his good intentions within minutes he was overcome by Morpheus. Some time during the night he awoke to find his shorts and the duvet cover soaked. He switched the bedside light on thinking he had wet himself. Blinking to get used to the light, he came to realise he had just had his first wet dream. He felt cheated. He grabbed some tissues from the box his mother had diplomatically placed in the little cabinet by his bed and cleaned himself up. After he'd turned the duvet over, he put out the light and immediately fell back to sleep. It was light and ten o'clock when he woke up again. He got out of bed, opened his bedroom door and listened. No one around. Still sporting morning wood he scurried to the bathroom before his mother could come upstairs. Back in bed in he was just lying there when his mother knocked and came in with a cup of tea. She must have heard the cistern flush. When she'd gone Nathan dunked his biscuits and drank his tea. Now, at last, he really was going to have a wank. He was safe. His mother knew better than to disturb him when he was getting dressed. Thinking of the latest boy in his life he brought himself to the edge of orgasm twice before on the third attempt he could resist it no longer, lost control and he squirted himself in the face. He was licking spunk from his lips when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He quickly grabbed some tissues to clean up his face in case it was his mother coming to collect his teacup. There was a knock at the door and he quickly turned over burying in face in his pillow pretending he had fallen back to sleep. His mother picked up the cup and saucer and left.
Over an hour later Nathan showered and dressed, went downstairs, said good morning to his father who was solving the Telegraph crossword, getting a sarky good afternoon in return, went into the kitchen and flopped down at the table.
"Nathan, do you want breakfast or are you going to wait for lunch?"
"How long's lunch?"
"Half an hour."
"I won't be able to last out that long."
"Well, have a couple of biscuits to keep you going, and I mean two, and then have lunch. It won't hurt you." Nathan took two whole biscuits and a couple of broken bits from the bottom of the tin and went into the living room. He switched on the TV, Channel 5 omnibus edition of Home and Away, lay down on the settee and promptly fell asleep again. He woke up when he was called for dinner. In the afternoon he took Bruce for his delayed walk. While he was out walking he was trying to go over his lines for the play, but his mind kept going back to the Home and Away episodes he had missed. Generally he had little patience with the story lines and for someone with a retentive memory like his they just didn't add up, but the one thing the producers could do was cast boys. Naturally they were cast with adolescent girls in mind and everything in the soap was so str8, but it hadn't stopped him from admiring, better lusting over, a succession of boy characters. First it was Duncan who was a complete and utter shit that grew worse as the series went on, but he did know how to wear a pair of Levi's and there was one shot, just one, where the camera panned slowly over his bulging crotch. Of course that had to be an episode he hadn't recorded. Then Nick Smith came along. He was cute to begin with, even wore Speedos on screen, but soon passed his peak and in fact Natt thought adolescence had rendered him rather ugly before he was written out of the series. Even Robbie Hunter had his moments, but was far too str8 for Nathan's fancy. Then Henry, his younger brother, appeared – hot, hott, hottt – curly blond hair, blue eyes, a gravelly adolescent's voice, a deadpan face, but one to kill for, and a cool bod, but you never seemed to get a camera shot below his waist. Now the young widow Hayley was getting shafted by eighteen year old Kim, the headmaster's son. Normally eighteen would be outside Nathan's age range, but in this case he was pr
epared to make an exception after watching a lasting shot of him walking along the beach just in his boardies changed all that. Until then Natt thought boardies were the most sexless garments out (after baggies, that is), but what was wobbling inside Kim's, added to the bare torso, changed all that for him. God, he was jealous of Hayley, and there would be no risk of him getting pregnant, either. Nathan was brought back to reality by Bruce's barking and tugging at the lead. He had spotted a pussy.
When they arrived back home a frost was setting in for the night, but it put a glow on Nathan's cheeks and although he still felt tired, it seemed to be a healthier tiredness. However, after tea he fell asleep in the chair in front of the television again. His parents let him be and when he woke up he decided to go to bed properly, after a mug of cocoa and biscuits. He was going to use all his willpower to stay awake long enough to jerk off. He had not even nearly finished fantasising about his new love and he was not going to subject himself to another wet dream. Within minutes of shooting his load he was asleep and remained so until it was light. In December the sun didn't rise until gone eight and set before four. He went downstairs to say good morning to his parents and because he didn't want to miss his breakfast two mornings running, especially as on Sundays it was what hotels would call a 'full English' breakfast. Then he went back to bed to attend to the needs of his libido again before having a bath and emerging downstairs in a reasonably human form. Before lunch he spent a little time polishing his lines and after he took Bruce up to Tom's house and then off for his walkies. In winter it was necessarily curtailed by the light. Tom was full of his rugby game from the previous day. The U14 team was having a good season and it was their last match the following Saturday. Nathan would be able to watch Tom as it wasn't worth going home before the performance. Mr C... liked his cast there at least two hours before the performance so that he could go through a warm-up and get them into the right frame of mind to act. Also, it wasn't the changing into costume that took the time, but the queue for Mr C...'s army of helpers who put on the make-up. After the match had been talked through Nathan told Tom about his first wet dream and the latest object of his desires. Tom called him a cradle snatcher which forced Natt run after him like a youn g colt causing Bruce to join in the chase, barking as he followed.
Monday and Tuesday were great fun for Nathan. The rehearsal was more important than he could have foreseen. Mr C... explained that the cast would come to realise why he had left this bit of direction so late. Katherine, the shrew, is almost physically forced to go to the church to marry Petruchio and such is her unwillingness that her intention, when asked by the priest whether she will take Petruchio as her lawful wedded husband, is to shout at the top of her voice 'I WILL NOT!' The timing here is crucial for Petruchio has to kiss the bride to allow her to get out 'I will...', but in time to prevent her from saying 'not'. The scene would normally be difficult enough for two boys, one adolescent and one pre-adolescent, to kiss, let alone kiss in front of an audience. This had often been a difficulty when the triennial Gilbert & Sullivan opera had been produced, but when all is said and done, it was a test of acting ability, as well. Nathan felt no embarrassment whatsoever. After all, he had lost count of the number time he had kissed Tom, and before him Mike R..., although that had not been so much in their short relationship. For Jack W..., Katherine, it was steeper learning curve. Under the close scrutiny of Mr C... and the other members of the cast it was a kiss of closed lips.
Tuesday had its own points of interest. Trying on the costumes. Basically the male characters wore doublet and hose, or tights. As a principal Nathan had a change: scarlet hose to woo Katherine, golden for the wedding and light grey for their married life. Mr C... explained, tolerant and experienced enough to allow the initial tittering and giggling so that the boys could get it out of their systems, the undergarment they had to wear under their hose. It was like a jockstrap, but with a single strap at the back that fitted snugly along the crack of the backside. Because of the intimate nature of the garment the 'men' were told that while the costumes were hired, this particular item would become their property and wasn't required after the production. The cast went off to change and this was one occasion Nathan's dick decided it was going to act as it did on a normal school day – instant erection. Finally he managed to get things under control and while his doublet came well down below his waist, it did not cover everything and at first Nathan had to proceed with caution. With everything finally under control he went to be inspected by Mr C.... He just had to make sure he had no wrinkles in his tights. So far, so good. He had to admit, however, if for the time being only to himself, that he found the feeling of wearing tights rather erotic, particularly the stretched material hugging his buttocks and, when he looked in the mirror, emphasising his crevice. Suddenly he understood the legend of Narcissus. Also while gazing at himself in wonder in the mirror he caught the reflection of Phil E..., who was playing Lucentio, casting admiring glances in his direction. Their eyes met through the mirror and Phil advanced, ran his hand tenderly over Nathan's buns and gently probed his hole with his courting-finger. Nathan grew hard instantly, guarded fortunately by the dance belt he had had the foresight to try on.
"Give us a twirl, Natt." Phil spun him round by the shoulders, stopped him eying his swollen package. "I often wondered how you managed to attract them. Call it professional jealousy if you like. That's all," and he blew Nathan a kiss. All this attention Natt was receiving gave him an inner thrill. Fortunately no one else was in the room at the time, or so Nathan thought, but watching this flirting between boys two years his senior from the corner of the room, covered from neck to toe in a wedding gown was Jack W... and it didn't leave him cold, either.
Wednesday: the dress rehearsal was an abomination. Mr C... wasn't worried in himself for experience had taught him that a good dress rehearsal led to overconfidence and a bad first night, but he left the cast in no doubt that they had less than twenty-four hours to 'get their act together'. Thursday: first night nerves, of course, but they can be a help as much as anything. Nathan found that Jack had loosened up on the kiss. Perhaps he was getting used to it and it was no big deal any longer. The audience could have been more receptive, but as the boys were changing and wiping their make-up off Mr C... came into the dressing room and said that he had received some very kind remarks. Friday: a competent performance. The players were beginning to loosen up and feel at home in their rôles. Talking of loosening up, thought Nathan, Jack's mouth was open during the kiss. Saturday: first the last rugby match of the season for the Junior Colts. Nathan was loyally on the touchline, not, he had to confess, to watch the game, but to watch Tom who scored a try with the team ending up with a win. Then the last night and the one when the Headmaster came and entertained the VIPs, the one when the players were at their most relaxed and, a school tradition, when one or two words or actions were surreptitiously changed, usually in a satirical comment on school life. Nathan's change in stage direction was neither satirical nor premeditated. The wedding scene was in full swing. Petruchio had given his assertive 'I will' and Katherine was asked whether she would take Petruchio as her husband. To cue on 'I WILL...' Nathan covered Jack's lips. The timing could not have been better. As their lips met he found Jack's mouth half-opened and to his astonishment their tongues met. The inevitable happened as at the speed of light his nerves transmitted messages through his brain and onwards and locked up in those tights below a short doublet his cock unilat erally decided to show its appreciation, and while he was standing in profile to the audience illuminated by full stage lights. The curtain fell for the interval. The embrace lasted for some seconds longer than it might have done.
The applause at the end of the the final scene was rapturous with three curtain calls. After the house lights went up the Headmaster gave his traditional speech in praise and thanks to Mr C... and his troupe of actors and when he could leave the guests for a couple of minutes came backstage to congratulate the cast individually. He had particularly warm words for Nathan and Jack as the leads, despite the fact that Mr C... ardently discouraged the idea of leading players, preferring to promote the idea of teamwork. When he had moved on Mr C... commented to Jack and Nathan how particularly well the kiss had gone that night. They were relieved as they were expecting a bollocking. When the Headmaster had left, Mr C... announced to the cast that they had twenty minutes to get the greasepaint off, shower and change. Then they were to assemble in the 'green room' for their little celebration. There was a lot of chatter and banter in the dressing room and it took longer than twenty minutes before all were assembled. In the green room, helping Mr C..., was his friend Charles who since the final curtain had assiduously been arranging tables and setting out pop and nibbles. Once the cast was ready Charles made sure that everyone was provided for and at last Mr C... could ask for silence. He started to say what he had to say, wanting to thank the actors when he looked around the room and stopped.
"We are apparently missing Katherine and Petruchio. Rather like Christmas without Santa Claus." As quick as a flash Phil E... piped up and said
"I think they just went to tell their parents the wouldn't be long, sir. I'll go and hurry them up." Before Mr C... could stop him he was out of the door at the far end of the room. He ran along the corridor back past the green room and through a door that led backstage. There as he had anticipated were Nathan with Jack against the wall embracing and in the midst of a long kiss. Jack had his hand up the inside of Nathan's tee shirt while Nathan had just undone the waistband of Jack's trousers and lowered the zip. Phil coughed and the pair started.
"Come on, you two. Your presence is required in the green room. I told Mr C... you had just gone to speak to your parents."
"Oh my god," said Nathan "I didn't realise..."
"You owe me."
"Anything."
"Anything?"
"Well, nearly anything – not the combination on Katherine's chastity belt." Jack giggled.
"We'd better get a move on," said Phil "and we've got to go round the long way or they'll suspect something." As Phil brought them into the green room a great cheer went up and our two stars blushed.
"Glad you could join us," said Mr C... drily. There was another great cheer. "And Nathan, you seem to have missed some greasepaint. There's still some lipstick on your face." The cheers, clapping and whistling got even louder, interspersed with some good-natured, but rather ribald noises and comments. After Mr C... had said what he had to say it was the turn of Nathan and Jack to give a small speech on the cast's behalf, thanking Mr C... and his army of helpers. As Jack said his piece his voice was noticeably husky. At first it was put it down to voice strain, but it was to become clear that his voice had at that moment just started to break. Twenty-four hours earlier and he would have presented a strange Katherine indeed. He and Nathan were the only ones to suspect that Nathan might just have turned on the tap of his adolescent hormones.
The boys were dutifully sent off home in time for the caretaker to lock up by ten o'clock. Mr C... and Charles looked round the empty green room.
"Come on, Charles. Let's go home. We'll clear this up tomorrow. It'll save the Old Man nagging me on Monday. He'll want the scenery down straight away, but the maintenance men can do that."
"Mike, do you remember the time when we were at school and you were Katherine and I was Petruchio?"
"Why do you think I still love producing this play, Charles?" and he kissed him on the cheek. "I think we cast our Petruchio and Katherine rather well, don't you?"
Outside in the dark the December chill hit the boys as they made their way towards the school gates. Nathan and Jack walked with their arms round each other's shoulders.
"Natt?"
"Mmm?"
"You know what we were doing backstage when E... found us?"
"Mmm?"
"Could we do that again?" Nathan thought and nodded. "On Monday I've got a practice room booked in the music school after lunch. We could go in there." Nathan nodded.
"I hope they don't give us onions for lunch," he said and Jack kissed him on the cheek. Nathan's soul was skipping nine feet in the air as they parted and he made his way across to the pub car park for his lift home. He found the H...s' space wagon which was empty. They must all be inside, he thought. He gingerly opened the door and looked around. He had never been in a proper pub before, a pub restaurant, yes, but not a proper pub. He soon spotted his parents with the H... family and made his way over to them. He was immediately the centre of attention as they all said how marvellous he had been. He drank a ginger beer before they all drank up and went out to the car. Hanging back Tom said to him
"Natt, that kiss was something. How did you have the guts to do it front of the whole school?"
"That's acting, Tom," answered Natt with his hand on his hip and an exaggerated air of superiority. "It was nothing compared with what happened afterwards, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow."
"You certainly know how to keep a girl in suspense."
"I wouldn't go that far, but I certainly know how to keep a boy in suspense," and he raised his eyebrows at him with a knowing look. They were the last to get into the car. There was a jolly atmosphere during the journey home and when they arrived at the B...s' house everyone came in for cocoa and biscuits. Natt was on too much of an adrenaline high to go to bed yet, despite being exhausted. Even after the H...s left he stayed up watching television.
"You'll be washed out tomorrow, my lad," said his father. Nathan just nodded. He had been warned that he might well be on a low after all the hype of the play, but then none of them knew that he had Jack to keep him on a high. He finally got himself to bed and before eventually going sleep he tossed himself off with long slow strokes safe in the knowledge that by the end of Monday lunch break he would have conquered his latest obsession.
The following afternoon Nathan and Tom met to take Bruce for his Sunday walkies. They were hardly out of earshot of the house when Tom started on about the kiss and what Nathan had said.
"Well, there's nothing to tell you really, except what a randy little piece that Jack is and that if I had known earlier, that kissing scene would have had a lot more rehearsal."
"You know you've become a folk hero at school from the way your tights bulged in that scene?"
"Oh? You see I've only seen you and the rest of the cast since. Mr C... was very strict about that. 'It is very unprofessional for actors to be seen offstage while in their costumes.' I think in some ways it would have been the only thing that'd upset him. He was so cool about everything."
"Well, if you get ragged, you'll know why."
"Could be worse – like having that J... creature touching you up. Anyway, back to that kiss. It just... well... happened over the four nights. It became easier and easier until on the last night he just opened his mouth and our tongues met. In the interval he told me wanted to do it properly, so afterwards we quickly got changed and disappeared for a few minutes and he was so hot that... we... er... forgot the time. For some reason Phil E... knew where we were. Otherwise we could have been in a bit of sticky position." Tom nudged his friend and they both burst out giggling. "I didn't mean it like that, but come to think of it you might be right. I was just about to get my hand inside his pants."
"So are you two boyfriends now?"
"No way. He's far too young for me, but can you keep a secret?" Tom nodded. "We're going to meet after lunch tomorrow and... er, well... you know... er..."
"Finish off what you started yesterday?"
"Yeah, I think that's a fair description."
"You dirty old man."
"I'm not sure I like the word old," and they both screamed with laughter, so much so that Bruce turned round and barked at them. "I told you about me and Mike R..., didn't I?"
"Mmm," Tom nodded. "Well. it's a bit like that except now I'm Mike and Jack's me."
Monday saw the beginning of the last week of term. Lessons were interrupted with practices for the carol concert and were often filled with quizzes and similar distractions. Nathan was impatient for his after lunch liaison. Finally they were released from lunch which seemed to go on for ever and a day. He walked over to the music school in time to see Jack disappear through the door ahead of him. He caught up with him and followed him into one of the practice rooms. They said hi and Jack took a chair and jammed it under the door handle so no one could just barge in.
"I'd never thought of the music school before," said Nathan. With Mike we always went to the fives court or the Corps hut, but that was in the summer."
"Who's Mike?"
"He's left now, but we used to have fun together when I was in Year 7."
"It's good in here – soundproof and no windows."
"And it's warm." Nathan took Jack's hand and pulled him in close, staring into his eyes. He leant him against the wall and they kissed. Natt got an instant erection. He pulled Jack in tighter so that he could feel it pressing against him. There was not much difference in their height. The kissing became passionate until Nathan suddenly broke off. "Sorry, Jack, but you're going to make me come in my trousers." Jack just grinned. After drawing a deep breath Nathan said "I wanted to ask you. Why did your kissing improve each night?"
"It's easy. After the dress rehearsal I talked to my sister about it and she told me about real kissing, how much better kissing with tongues was. French kissing she called it. And I didn't really dare try it on with you at first, Natt, but you loosened up too, don't forget, and well... it worked on the last night, didn't it? I know you got a stiffy, but so did I, except that under that wedding gown there was nothing to see." The first bell rang for afternoon lessons. "See you tomorrow, Natt?" Jack looked up at him pleadingly and batted his eyelids. Nathan nodded. As they left the practice room they were greeted by a barrage of wolf whistles.
The next day their encounter went a stage further. Luckily Nathan had thought to bring a mini-pack of tissues with him. With one chair wedged under the door handle it only left one other. Nathan sat on it with Jack astride him on his lap, staring into each other's eyes as adolescents do. Since his voice had started to break Jack qualified as an adolescent. Nathan had just discovered he had the other qualifications too.
"Natt?" Jack said in a questioning tone, "does this mean that I'm your little boy or bumboy?" Nathan gave a start. He had a feeling of déjà vu. He could repeat the conversation with Mike R... from eighteen months ago word for word. Time was standing still. «'Boyfriend's a nicer word and the answer's no. I'm a free agent and I like to think we're just good friends and that we were brought together by circumstances over the past few days. I'm not the romantic or falling in love type and next week we're going to be separated for two months by the holidays and I know I won't be able to remain faithful during all that time if the right opportunity comes along. And there again you might find someone else. You don't mind, do you?' » "Natt, are you okay?" Slowly he returned to consciousness.
"Yeah, yes, I'm okay, sorry. It's just that that was exactly the same question I asked Mike who I was telling you about. Spooky, really. He was in Year 10 when I was in Year 7 and I just had a flashback, and ironically I'm going to give you the same answer." When he heard it, Jack's face looked crestfallen. Natt drew him in and gave him a kiss.
"So you haven't even got a boyfriend?"
"No, not a boyfriend, but a best friend, and we live near one another and we do do stuff together."
"Does he go to this school?" Nathan nodded. "And does he know about me?"
"After Saturday everyone knows about us."
"And he doesn't mind?"
"Of course not. Why should he? I'll tell you something, Jack. He seduced his sister's boyfriend and I didn't mind. It happens. If you're pledged to one another that's different, that's a breach of faith."
"Are you going to tell me who he is?"
"No. You'll find out without too much trouble, anyway."
"Do you find me attractive?"
Nathan nodded. "Oh, yes. You've been my main fantasy for ages now when I jerk off."
"Will you jerk me off?"
"If you want me to, but not here. We'll have to find somewhere more comfortable than this."
"But you let me wank you off here."
"That's different. I've been doing it for eighteen months. You're a beginner and I'd have to make sure it's an enjoyable experience."
"You didn't worry about that on Saturday."
"I know. I'm sorry. That was pure passion on the spur of the moment. This is premeditated."
"Let's do it out of pure passion."
"That's the point. If you plan it beforehand, it's not pure passion." Jack looked as if he understood, but didn't want to. "When did you have your first wank?"
"Over the weekend. I finished off what you started."
"Enjoy it?"
"Mmm, awesome, it nearly tore my body apart."
"It does that when you first start. It's even hotter if someone does it to you."
"Couldn't we meet over the holidays? My family are out at work all day. After our acting in the play together they'd love to meet you."
"Obviously the best time to meet them."
"What do you mean?"
"When they're out all day."
"You prat. You know what I mean."
"I'm the prat?" and he kissed Jack gently on the lips, took his red house badge off his jacket and pinned it onto the right lapel. "There you go. You're one of us now, a registered and qualified gayboy. You just need to look around and see who wears their house badge on the right." Jack kissed him back. "Come on. Time to go and I've got to get changed for games. Last rugby lesson until next September. Yeah!" They left the practice room separately after yesterday's greeting. John P... from his own form spotted him.
"Hey, Natt, I didn't know you played a musical instrument."
"I've been playing the organ. Didn't you know?" They went off to games together without John being any the wiser, puzzled because he knew there was no organ in the music school.
On the last day of term school broke up just before midday, as it normally did to allow the boarders reasonable time to travel home. Just as the School was leaving final assembly, free for almost four weeks, Jack ran up to Nathan and pressed a Christmas card into his hand.
"It's got a note inside with my address, e-mail and phone numbers inside. Don't forget. Happy Christmas, Natt."
"Merry Christmas, Jack. Have a good one," and the younger boy ran off.
"You haven't finished with him yet, have you, Natt?" asked Tom putting his arm round his mate's shoulder as they went back to their form room together to collect their belongings and walk to the station. Nathan thoughtfully shook his head and smiled at Tom.
Nathan needed the first few days of the holidays to recover from the rigours of the term. Then there were the preparations for Christmas, particularly shopping. He hadn't exactly forgotten Jack, but there again he had been banished from the forefront of his mind, temporarily at least. He sent him a Christmas card. He wanted to give him a Christmas present, and he knew what it was, but as it formed part of one of his fantasies he didn't have the guts to do it. He wrote the card and put his address, telephone number and e-mail address in with it. It showed Father Christmas being kissed under the mistletoe. He only realised the significance of what he had subconsciously chosen as he was sealing the card in the envelope. He had already written 'With love, Natt' with three kisses. 'What if his parents see it?' thought Natt. 'Tough.' It was not until after Christmas when everything went flat that Natt again became obsessed with Jack. He didn't have Tom to confide in. The H...s had decided to fly out to Australia for the duration of the holidays to look up old friends and to celebrate Christmas with a barbie on the beach and a few tinnies. And then came the telephone call.
"Nathan, it's for you," his mother called up the stairs. "It's Jack." A shudder went through his body, his heart was all of a flutter, his head in a spin.
"Coming," he tried to shout out, but it stuck in his throat and out came a croak instead. There was a thunder of hooves as he rushed down the stairs. He drew a deep breath and tried to control his voice, delaying until his mother had disappeared into the living room. "Hi, Jack... I mean hallo, Jack," he corrected himself when he realised how silly 'hijack' sounded.
"Hi, Natt. Are you okay? You sound odd."
"Yeah, fine. Just winded myself coming downstairs," he lied to cover his emotion.
"My parents are holding a big New Year's party and as they said it's for grown-ups – Christmas is for children, New Year is for adults – they said I could invite a friend over and he could stay the night and so I thought of you. Would you like to?"
"Like to? I'd love to, but I'll have to ask my parents first. I don't know what we're doing."
"Get back to me as soon as you know. I've got a super Christmas present for you."
"I'll get back, I promise. I'll ask Mum and Dad tonight. It's no use asking Mum now. She'll only say 'ask your father'. Wow, that's great."
Later that morning a jiffy bag arrived in the post for Nathan with Australian stamps on it. When he opened it he found a belated Christmas card and a well sealed packet. A little note said 'I hope you like this. It was just something you said, but don't open it in front of your parents. Hugs, Tom.' Luckily his mother had gone out shopping. He took it upstairs and carefully undid it. He burst out laughing when he saw what was inside. Another note said 'Sorry it's so late. I had to get my sister to help me buy them and there wasn't time to pack them up before going away. Hope they fit!!! Even more hugs and luv, Tom. PS. Thanks for your prezzie. We weren't allowed to open ours before leaving, so it's still at home and it will be a surprise. Luv T.' 'I doubt it,' thought Natt, 'especially after these. After all I only got him a DVD.' After the warning he unpacked 'them' carefully to discover to his delight, but also trepidation, a pair of white stretch tights. His mind straightaway went back to the school play and he lay back on his bed absent-mindedly stroking himself. As he fantasised he suddenly knew what he was going to give Jack for Christmas / New Year. He hid the packet away before his mother came home.
About ten o'clock on the morning of New Year's Eve Nathan was duly deposited at the W...s' house in the country some four miles or so the other side of P... where they went to school. It was a huge (to Nathan at least) detached house set in a large garden. Mrs W... came out to greet him and his mother, quickly followed by Jack who took him in a great big hug. They all went into the warm country style kitchen heated by the compulsory Aga range where Mrs W... made a cup of tea and where she had obviously been very busy preparing for the evening. Before Mrs B... left, Nathan took his overnight bag out of the boot of the car and made arrangements to be picked up about five the following day.
"I'm sorry, Nathan," said Mrs W... "but because of the party we've got some other guests stopping over, so I've had to put you in the granny flat. I hope you don't mind being on your own."
"No, that's okay, Mrs W...." Jack picked up the overnight bag and all three went out of the backdoor round to the granny flat at the side of the house. "Jack will show you where everything is. I must go. I've got something in the oven. See you when you've settled in."
"It's all right," said Jack when his mother had gone. "You won't be alone, and that's a promise," he continued with a nudge, a wink and a nod. "The only thing is we've got to keep the place locked up as you never know who's around." and he handed Natt a key on a large tag. Natt was amazed as he was shown round. He had a complete flat at his disposal and his imagination went wild when he saw the double bed. He took Jack in a hug. "You impetuous animal," said Jack. "There'll be plenty of time for that later. It's going to be a long night and we'll be expected to make ourselves scarce for most of it."
After Nathan had unpacked the few things he had brought with him for the night, Jack took him back to the main house and up to his room.
"Did your granny use to live in the flat?" asked Nathan.
"No, it was there when we bought the house. My granny died when I was very young. I just about remember her. My sister knew her better than I did."
"Am I going to meet your sister?"
"Don't think so. She's gone in the other direction as it were. She's spending a couple of days away at her friend's house who's got horses. She won't be back until the weekend." Jack showed him his computer and home entertainment system, his keyboard, his CD collection and DVDs, not just pop records, but classical music as well. Two things became obvious: the first which failed to impress Nathan was that the W...s must be quite wealthy; the second which did impress him was that Jack had a good brain, was sensitive and knew lots of arty and practical things without being a nerd. He could understand why he was chosen by Mr C... to take a leading rôle. He later discovered that Mrs W... was a prominent amateur dramatist in the locality and that his father owned and ran a successful business. But the whole family were terribly down-to-earth people and easy to get on with. As Natt sat in Jack's bedroom he was taken by his incredibly good-looking appearance. He was dressed all in blue, jeans and blue cotton shirt under a blue pullover. The light caught Jack's face just right, highlighting his blue eyes and tousled sandy coloured hair. From the little he had seen of his body he knew him to be wiry, sinewy even, with a flat stomach and pert little buttocks, but he knew little more. He was longing for that to change during his stay, and from what Jack had whispered to him that might well be with in the realms of possibility, but he didn't want to raise false hopes. Finally Jack said "Natt, here's your belated Christmas present." He unwrapped the carton carefully and then slid out a beautifully and tastefully framed picture. It was the official photograph of him and Jack from The Taming of the Shrew: Nathan in the full glory of doublet and hose and Jack dressed as Katherine. Jack slipped the photo out of its frame and showed him the dedication: 'With gratitude to my first leading man who showed me the
light and showed me the way.' The hidden message was not lost on Nathan.
The boys were called down to dinner. During the meal of bangers and mash Mrs W... gave them their orders. The guests would start arriving about eight, so they were really on their own from seven. She would put snacks and goodies in the kitchen of the flat and they could help themselves. Jack was quite capable of heating up anything, such as sausage rolls and mince pies, that needed heating. If they would like to put their heads round the door at the party at a quarter to twelve just to see the New Year in they could, but on the other hand, if they were tired and wanted to go to bed they could do that. It was up to them. The important thing was to have their keys with them and lock up as with a lot of people and vehicles there and the noise from the party it would be easy for burglars to call. After they'd finished lunch, Jack took Nathan off to the woods to show him the den he had built there.
The afternoon and early evening passed quickly and the two boys were soon left to their own devices. To begin with they played games and listened to music in Jack's room, but as the first guests began arriving Jack suggested they went off to the flat to get out of the way. In the sitting room they sat on the sofa together and watched TV, but they weren't really interested.
"What do you want to do, Natt?"
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"Do you know what I'd really like to do?"
"No, tell me."
"What I'd really, really like to do," said Jack slowly and deliberately in his still breaking voice, "is what we did at the end of the play when we went backstage."
"Then do you know what I'd really, really like to do," said Natt in imitation.
"No."
"I'd like first to see you completely naked and then wearing your Christmas present."
"But you haven't given me a Christmas present," he replied coquettishly.
"Oh my god, so I haven't." Nathan got up and went into the bedroom. He came back with a little packet. "I hope you don't think this is too silly."
Jack accepted it saying "I like silly presents," and gave Natt a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He flapped the gift around and said "It's not a pair of socks with matching handkerchief, is it?"
"Not exactly, but you're close." Jack carefully unwrapped it and certainly to his surprise pulled out a packet which contained a pair of white stretch tights. "I'm sorry, the idea isn't exactly original because I got exactly the same thing from Tom..."
"Is that your boyfriend?"
"Best friend," corrected Nathan. "...and so I brought mine along and I thought we might wear them together. Since The Shrew I just can't stop fantasising about them and they must have impressed Tom, too."
"Does that mean you can't stop thinking about me in them?" Jack looked up at Nathan, batted his eyelids and gave him the sweetest of smiles. He took hold of Natt's hand and led him into the bedroom. "I'm going to have my wish first and if you're very, very good you'll get your first wish automatically and I'll grant your second if you'll wear your tights as well." They embraced, then kissed. After a minute they kicked off their trainers and climbed onto the bed. They both had their wishes granted.
It was about half past ten when they woke up, both naked under the duvet together. Nathan had been so impressed by the younger boy's physique – his reddish brown nipples, nascent sixpack, flat stomach, his firm, but round little bottom. When Jack was ready, Natt seductively used his experiences with Tom to jerk his new and comparatively inexperienced friend off.
"We've got about an hour. I'm going to take a shower to get rid if this stickiness, then we've got all this grub to attack." Jack went into the kitchen and switched on the oven to warm the food. "Are you coming to shower with me? It'll save time."
"And water," Natt added facetiously.
"Did you know," said a perky little Jack "that facetious(ly) and abstemious(ly) are the only words in the English language to have all the vowels and each in the right order?"
"I do now," answered Nathan drily. After they emerged from the shower they dried each other off, put on their white tights and slipped a tee shirt over their tops. Nathan found it a bit of a tease as Jack's tee shirt came down far enough just to cover his package, but giving glimpses of that and his buttocks as he moved. Natt was walking around with a permanent half-erection. They ate their fill of goodies and drank pop. By the time they'd finished it was ten to twelve.
"If we're going across to the house, we'd better go now or we'll miss it."
"What? Dressed like this?"
"We haven't got time to change." They slipped on their trainers and dressed in tee shirts and tights dashed through the cold of the night to the house. Jack unlocked the backdoor and let Nathan in. The party was in full swing. Everyone was gathering in the subdued light of the main room for midnight and Mr W... had switched the television on. The boys were soon spotted by Jack's mother who pressed a small glass of claret into their hands.
"That's for the toast." Big Ben started to chime from the television and on the first stroke of the hour everyone in the room cheered and shouted 'happy new year', then kissed their partners and family. Jack looked round the room, shrugged his shoulders and said
"Why not, Natt?", grabbing him in a hug and giving him a huge, long-lasting French kiss. Mrs W... came across and kissed Jack, waited until they had finished their claret and said good night to the boys, shepherding them towards the kitchen. Even so Nathan was sure he felt his backside being patted by someone among the crowd. What's more he had to admit to himself he enjoyed the attention.
As soon as they had returned to the flat they went into the bedroom, stripped off their tee shirts and lay in the duvet together just with their arms round each other, staring at the ceiling.
"Jack, do your parents know you're gay?"
"Who said I'm gay?" he replied teasingly.
"I did. Didn't you hear me?" answered Natt rising to the challenge of the banter.
"I might be bi... or str8 even and just pretending to be gay."
"Come off it. Who do you think your kidding? The way you kissed me, you're not str8. And you dress up in women's clothes."
"Who told you that?"
"No one. I saw you do it, and in front of the whole school." Jack giggled at the idea of acting Katherine being interpreted as 'dressing up in women's clothes' and he snuggled up to Nathan. "And how many girls have you kissed?"
"Ooh, two definitely... maybe more."
"Yeah, your mother and your sister and perhaps some aunties.
"You've been spying on me, haven't you?"
"Moi? And how many boys, not counting your father?"
"Only one, and there's a little fellow trapped in these tights telling me to do it again." Natt rolled over so that he was on top off Jack and kissed him longingly as they slowly ground their dicks together. "It's no use," said Jack. "Much as I appreciate the gift I've got to get rid of these before I spoil them," and he broke the embrace and peeled off his tights. Nathan did the same and naked they crawled under the duvet together.
It was ten o'clock before they woke to hear a key being turned in the flat door. Nathan was about to leap out of bed when he remembered he wasn't wearing anything.
"It's all right, Natt,' said Jack softly. "Mum's cool, and anyway if we stay under the duvet she can only guess what we've been up to. If she sees us naked, she'll know."
"Morning, boys," she called out.
"We're in here, Mum."
"Did you sleep well? Oh, oh, silly question. I can see you did. What's this, Jack? A little glass of wine and you can't make it home?"
"Something like that," grinned Jack.
"I've brought a thermos flask of tea across and some biscuits. Lunch is a cold buffet. So when you're ready make your way across and help yourselves."
"Okay, Mum, thanks a lot."
"Thanks, Mrs W...," said Nathan. When Mrs W... had gone, the boys climbed out of bed and poured themselves some tea. It was lovely and warm in the flat and so they hadn't bothered to put any clothes on. "You never answered my question, Jack."
"Which one?"
"About whether your parents know you're gay."
"I don't know. We've never discussed it. If they didn't before, they will now. As I said, they're pretty cool. There were at least two gay couples at the party last night. Did you get your butt pinched? I did."
"Not pinched, but patted." Nathan knew he was in a different world.
"Come on, Natt. Let's go back to bed for another hour. I don't know when we'll get the another chance to do this... and it's not quite the same in the music school." They both burst out laughing, then went and climbed back under the duvet.
In the afternoon the W...s took all the remaining house guests for a bank holiday walk in the woods and that included Nathan and Jack. For most of the walk they either held back or ran on ahead, but they did mingle with the guests. They arrived home just as the sun was setting, then sat around the large kitchen having a cup of tea. At five Mrs B... arrived punctually to pick up Nathan who took his farewells and after giving Jack a big hug climbed into the car.
"Perhaps Jack would like to stay with us one weekend," Mrs B... said to Mrs W... before she climbed back into the car. On the journey home Nathan was peculiarly quiet. "Did you enjoy yourself?" asked Mrs B..., half expecting from his mood the answer no.
"Great," replied Natt enthusiastically, but then relapsed into his pensive mood. 'Want them or not, I have now got two beautiful boyfriends. How am I going to cope with that?', but he kept that thought to himself. He knew he had no answer to that question.
The Spring term is the blandest and least interesting of the three and Nathan steeled himself for it. It still meant starting out for school in the dark, but at least the daylight in the evenings had lengthened since the end of the previous term. There was some hope in the far distance of spring and summer. Spring was an optimistic name for the term; Winter would have been more apt. The first games lesson of the term arrived with all the inevitability of death, but this year there was something different. The class dressed in its cross-country kit was taken out onto the school field, divided into groups, then teams and had hockey sticks put in their hands. They were encouraged to push the hockey ball around at one goal or the other while the games master stood and made notes. At the ensuing PE lessons he read out their names; those who would be playing hockey and those running cross-country. Nathan, of course, was in the cross-country group. However, he didn't really mind for in the way that Winston in George Orwell's Nineteen eighty-four was learning to love Big Brother, Nathan was learning to love cross-country. Tom was in the hockey group.
The term trudged on its weary way. Natt buried himself in his work for it was his way of forgetting the complicated relationships he had to forge with two boyfriends. In principle he saw Jack during the lunch breaks when they would by and large traipse round the fields deep in those adolescent conversations that mean so much to the those conversing, but little to the outside world: their dreams and aspirations, and the difficulties they perceived of growing up. At least they both read and despite the two years difference their intellects dovetailed. The cerebral side would be punctuated by the periodic clandestine meeting in the music school when a passion of another kind could be released. Their relationship had ceased rousing any comment the previous term during rehearsals for the play and when ironically it had been purely speculative. Now that it had became reality, it was simply noted and accepted. In the evenings and at weekends Natt cultivated his relationship with Tom, always seeking reassurance that he did not mind being 'shared'. If push came to shove both Natt and Tom knew that they would stick together at the expense of Jack. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Tom knew this while Natt suspected it. Jack did come for a sleepover at Nathan's one Saturday night and although they enjoyed the social side of it Mrs B... insisted that Jack had a bed in the guest room and again irony played its part here too. Since she was rather old fashioned the idea that the two boys might be enjoying some hanky-panky did not enter her head and while a sleeping bag on the floor of Nathan's room might be the modern thing, in her view any guest had the right to the best the family could offer. Fortunately on the Sunday morning they managed a couple of hours' privacy while Mr and Mrs B... went off to church. It was after this weekend that their relationship began to lose its passion and intensity and towards the end of term during one of those profound adolescent conversation s they came to the mutual decision to downgrade their relationship to 'good friends', an agreement which they sealed with a hug. At school they would meet perhaps once a week and Nathan's conscience was finally relieved when at the beginning of the Summer term Jack returned and announced that he had a new boyfriend, one of the choirboys from his church at home who attended another school. Nathan enjoyed hearing about the way their relationship progressed while returning fully to his old ways with Tom.
Finally the Summer term came. There was always a fresh feeling about it with the light evenings (and their distractions) and the warmer weather. The boys opened up like an unfolding spring flower and there was more fun in the air. Nathan and Tom's Sunday afternoon walkies with Bruce could once again become something more than simply walks as the ground dried out and the sun lit and warmed the little hollows in the countryside where they could hide and while away an hour or two above suspicion, their attention entirely absorbed in the deep adolescent feelings they were wont to discuss and the deep adolescent feelings as their lips and tongues probed and their hands probed the length and breadth of their bodies giving and receiving various levels of physical and emotional pleasure. Bruce was a completely and utterly str8 dog as tacitly witnessed by the shape, colour and size of some of the younger canine pets to be found in the neighbourhood, but his instinct displayed a sympathy with his young gay master and his friend for he would guard over them in these treasured moments of al fresco passion and warn of the approach of any strangers who might otherwise have discovered them in delicto flagrante.
One Thursday afternoon on the return home there was excitement in the air. Something had happened or was going to happen. When the train arrived, Nathan and Tom climbed into a horsebox with five members of the E... gang. (Here it should be stated that the E... gang was not a gang, but a group of lads from school who lived in E... which was two stations along the other line from the junction at H....) They were in a different form, one 'taught', if that is the correct word, by Pongo R... who had absolutely no control over his classes. Roly B... took up the story and described how he and four others led by Rod A..., who still held that infamous school record, had sat at the back of his class that afternoon jerking off and Pongo hadn't even noticed, either that or he was so grateful that at least one part of his class was being quiet and not giving him a hard time that he ignored it. They would be folk heroes for twenty-four hours at least until something else caught the attention of the community.
Part of the school curriculum was to start a serious sex education course in the last term of Year 9. It was shared by the biology and PSE classes at a stage when it was the last term with the whole year group taking biology before the Year 10 options. In biology they were taught about the factual side of human reproduction while in PSE they learnt about personal relationships and the social implications. PSE was supposed to be an open forum where the boys could have their own input and, even if anonymously, air their own problems and ask questions. The course had reached the module that discussed birth control and to the excitement of two dozen or more pubescent fourteen year olds (tautology?) the topic for this particular lesson included fitting the condom over the banana. The usual cracks were made which the teacher had heard each year from time immemorial. Phil E... offered to model the real thing in place of a banana. (Yawn, yawn) Why were they used?
"So that B... and H... don't get pregnant," shouted out one wag. He'd be a marked man during the next break. The class was divided into groups (to save on bananas!) and Nathan was given the job of handing out a rubber to each pupil. He even managed to slip two to Tom and kept an extra one for himself. Handing out the items was a difficult enough task for Nathan. He had already taken off his jacket and the very thought of condoms made him hard and he had no way of hiding it. As he passed among the class Marcus H... pointed at his trousers and said out loud
"What's that?" Everyone turned around. Fortunately at that moment Mr P... had just gone into the prep room to fetch the bananas which gave Natt the chance to reply
"It's a stiffy and if you don't shut up, I'll take great pleasure in ramming it up your arse." This just evoked a collective 'Oooh' from the class which brought Mr P... back to find out what was going on. Mr P... gave the demonstration and then invited the class to take their bananas and slip the the condom on, pinching the teat of course and avoiding punctures from long fingernails, and afterwards taking them off and knotting them. Nathan found the feel of the latex so arousing he continued to sport wood and whispered to Tom that he would have to do something to sort himself out at break. The anonymous question that Tom and Natt put in the box for answering at the end of the lesson was
"Why do they manufacture fruit flavoured condoms?" They thought they would have Mr P... over a barrel, but almost to their disappointment he gave a straight answer to their question.
It was on the way home that Tom said to Nathan
"Hey, Natt, how much money have you got on you?"
"Only a one pound coin."
"Give it to me a minute." Natt, trusting his friend, dutifully handed it over. Tom walked into the gents' on the station, closely followed by Nathan, took a pound of his own out of his pocket and put it along with Natt's contribution into the machine by the wash basins, pushed the lever and fetched out a packet of fruit flavoured condoms. "Something for the weekend, sir?" Tom called out with a twinkle in his eye. At that moment Nathan dived for the urinals doing his best to take an unwanted piss, for Mr B..., one of the French masters, who also travelled to school by train, had just walked in. Tom quickly pocketed the goods and almost ran outside, relieved that the master hadn't seen what they were doing, but not knowing what he might have heard.
The following weekend Nathan's parents were out at a dinner and dance on Saturday evening and had arranged for him to sleep over at the H...s'. As with fruit pastilles Tom's favourite flavour was blackcurrant and Natt's, rather unusually, lime.
"Toss you for the third one," said Tom.
"Maybe," replied Natt with a yawn "but not tonight." He turned over and went to sleep.
Coming to the end of his third year at grammar school Nathan found that the summer events had become a matter of routine: school examinations followed by a mixture of end of term activities and sports practices. He and Tom took full advantage of these to go boy-spotting and if circumstances permitted, they would encourage Jack to join them. It was easier when they were watching cricket for being in different houses it was difficult for them to meet up during athletics practices. The older boys, however, had to admit how hot Jack looked in his pristine white athletics kit.
In case there were any boys in the year group who did not know that Nathan was gay, all doubt was removed on a class trip to London. In the morning they visited the Houses of Parliament. Shortly after lunch they were booked into the London Eye and finished with a special schools concert in the Festival Hall. The coach journey out of London was slow in the rush hour traffic and after a disciplined day the boys needed to let off some steam. The self-styled 'lads' had taken over the back seat of the coach and set up raiding parties to grab an unsuspecting individual, drag him to the back of the bus, strip him of his shirt and trousers and then tattoo him all over with ballpoint pen and felt-tips. Great fun for all except the victim who would later have to explain himself at home. Because he was sitting in an aisle seat near the back it was inevitable that Nathan would sooner or later be grabbed. Being of the nature he was, he had probably asked for it in the end by making himself noticed and having rather a lot to say for himself. When the abduction finally came, for several reasons he did not resist: it is more difficult to deal with a relaxed body; he did not want his clothes ripped; if he gave in it would be less fun for his tormentors; and finally he did actually like being manhandled by the meaty sportsmen in his year and it aroused him. First of all his shirt came off and as it did he sweated profusely with the magic effect that neither biro nor felt-tip could make a mark on his skin. The lads unbelted and unzipped his trousers, but whoever was doing it accidentally caught his fingers under the elastic of his underpants and both trousers and pants came down together revealing a throbbing and moist erection. Natt could do nothing to control it as a collective cry of 'uurrgh' went up and he shouted
"For God's sake don't just look at. Someone wank me off." One can't say that that had the desired effect for he would cheerfully have allowed anyone to do it, but suddenly the jocks, their bluff called, suffered from a great desertion of courage and bravado as someone said
"Urgh, no, we're not gay like you!"
"What, no one?" answered Natt as he pulled his slip and trousers up, more in disappointment than from any feeling of relief or modesty, struggling to tuck his still stiff cock away in his underpants, and put his shirt back on before going to sit back down by Tom again. It all quietened down at the back of the bus. Nathan had obviously been a party pooper. "You know, Tom, I quite enjoyed that. Pity no one took me up on my offer. I feel really horny now."
"Come and swap seats. That's it. Get your handkerchief out. Hey Sid," he called across to Simon D... who was sitting on the other side of the aisle. "Keep a look out for us." [By the way, you might have forgotten why Simon D... was called Sid. He was once foolish enough to express an opinion that Sid was rather a common name. From that day forth he was known as Sid.] At that Tom unzipped Nathan's trousers, lugged out his half-hard prick and duly started to wank him off. What both boys didn't catch on to was that while they were so involved with each other a silent audience had gathered behind them and were peering over the back of the seats. Not until Natt had shot his load, deftly caught in his handkerchief, was there a sudden round of applause which brought a member of staff down from the front of the coach to see what was going on. Nathan quickly put his bag across his lap and waited until it was safe before tidying himself up.
"No promises," said Natt to his friend, "but if we get a chance I'll sort you out on the train."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
The next day at school everyone seemed to know that Nathan had more or less confirmed he was gay, and of course by implication Tom as his best friend and by his actions, but it didn't seemed to matter. Twenty-four hours after that the incident had to a large extent been forgotten.
Term soon ended, but Nathan was to have little time to himself during the holidays. For the first week he and Tom were away at CCF camp. At least the B...s and the H...s had organised their holidays at more or less the same time, but after the B...s returned from their place in the sun, a couple of days later Nathan was off again to Switzerland finally able to fulfil a promise and spend a fortnight near Lake Geneva with Raoul and his family, and as he told Tom when he got back, that trip hadn't been without its romps either. Particularly memorable was the time they went for a two day hike in the Jura mountains. The Jura are not so steep and high as the Alps proper, but in the Alpine countries the Alpine Clubs have things highly organised with set walks, well marked paths and mountain huts which although very basic are there for all hikers to use for the night. So a party of four consisting of Nathan, Raoul, Raoul's best friend Dominique and his brother Lucien were taken by Raoul's father along with rucksacks and provisions to the starting point of their planned route. The three Swiss boys made allowances for Nathan as a Flachländer and had picked one of the shorter and easier routes. They were lucky with the weather for while the sun shone on both days it was accompanied by cool mountain breezes. At four o'clock on the first day they arrived at their planned overnight stop. This was one of the better huts for instead of having to put their sleeping bags directly onto the floor palliasses had been provided. One point to remember with these mountain huts is that you never know who you are going to share them with, but as by sunset no one else had arrived Raoul told Nathan that they could safely assume they had the place to themselves. The water supply was a mountain stream diverted into a trough, the toilet a hut outside over a hole in the ground and the lighting whatever the hikers brought with them. The boys had a torch and one camping gaz lamp between them. In the twilight they ate the packed meals prepared for them, leaving a breakfast and a light lunch for the following day. They drank the last of the juice they had brought with them. From now on they were reliant on eau naturelle and would need to fill up their drinking bottles before they left in the morning.
Once the last vestige of twilight had disappeared there was very little left to do but go to bed, and that was when the fun was to begin. During the hike it had become very clear that Raoul and Dominique were more than best friends. Nathan didn't need gaydar to realise from the way they talked, touched and looked at one another that they were very much an item. He didn't require intelligence to recall that his own relationship with Raoul was very much founded on their mutual sexuality. Would it then be a logical step too far to assume that Lucien was gay as well since he was otherwise unlikely to want to make up a foursome with three gays, particularly knowing what his brother and his boyfriend would be getting up to? He didn't have to wait long to find out. Raoul and Dominique made their sleeping arrangements clear when they zipped their two sleeping bags together and Lucien was quick to offer to do the same with Nathan and in a trice stripped down to his underwear before slipping into the sleeping bag.
In a mountain hut dawn at whatever time is the time to get up, have a nominal breakfast which in the boys' case was a hunk of brown bread and a similar hunk of Emmental cheese, washed down with mountain water. To Nathan it seemed that he hadn't slept very well. He might have been right for Lucien had kept him very well entertained in their 'double sleeping bag' and they were both still sticky from their nocturnal activities. One thing Lucien could do which he so far hadn't experienced either with Tom or Jack was having his butt stimulated. It was with some reluctance that he emerged into the cold damp of the morning to see the sun rising over the far range in the north-east. Within the hour the boys had packed up, eaten and tidied up the hut, de rigueur under the Swiss rules of social responsibility, and were on their way. It was a leisurely trek and as the sun rose higher to warm the day Natt experienced an inner feeling of peace, satisfaction and inspiration he had never known in England. Towards four o'clock the four boys arrived at their destination, the local CFF station, and sat patiently on the platform for the train which would whisk them back home.
It was on their first Sunday afternoon walk with Bruce for some weeks that Nathan related all this to Tom. They had just over a week of school holidays left before returning as 'seniors' in Year 10.
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