Artificial Sky
By Chris James
Author's Note:
In the early 1960's, travel by train in the United States was still a respectable mode of transportation. I was only twelve years of age when I made the journey from Los Angeles to Miami with my mother. At that time it took four days, but then the route was fairly direct. Since then, thanks to the damage precipitated by Hurricane Katrina, that route no longer exists.
The Sunset Limited of the Southern Pacific Railroad was a marvel of luxury travel in those days, but I was too young to appreciate it. I wrote about this trip through the eyes of a young boy with that train journey in mind. I had but ninety-six hours in the storyline to bring you the development of these characters.
This is the shortest love story I have ever written and yet one of the most satisfying, at least to me. The original story was written about ten years ago, but I have made some changes to reflect current thought. The first thing I did was purge the word 'queer', which was the favored term at that time, and replace it with 'gay.' Queer is such a hateful term in the mouth of a teenager and I felt it didn't belong here.
Chapter One
Danny followed his mother as they left the taxi stand and headed for the entrance of the train station. She pushed through the revolving doors into the building and hurried onwards. He was right behind her until he looked up and the view brought him to a sudden halt.
The echo of voices and the clatter of heels on the marble floors of the cavernous hall surrounded him, but his eyes were riveted on the ceiling above. Tall arches curved out from atop dozens of marble pillars lining the walls. To his mind they looked like long boney fingers reaching out to hold up the distant roof. But it wasn't just the vast space that held his attention; it was the work of some unknown artist.
The ceiling was painted a pale blue with white puffy clouds that seemed to drift across the plaster. A myriad of small silent birds winged their way across the artificial sky, drawing his eyes to the high windows set between the arches. How easily those birds could escape...if only they were real.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people traveled through here every day and he wondered how many of them even bothered to look up. The marvelous painted sky was the grandest thing Danny had ever seen.
"Danny...hurry up," his mother called.
"Yes, Mom."
Danny loved the idea of traveling by train and had been looking forward to this trip for weeks. They had been on a few short excursions since he was a small child, but this would be different. This would be the longest journey of his life, one that would span the entire continent.
His mother rushed along in front while Danny walked beside a baggage handler who had taken their luggage at the taxi stand. They had been in a frenzy of activity since early morning, and now she was worried that they would be late for the train.
"The train is waiting on you," the baggage man laughed. Danny smiled as he caught another glimpse of the gold tooth the man had imbedded in his smile. That tooth seemed bigger than life set in that pearly white grin.
"Your Aunt Rita will be so upset if we don't get off the train on Thursday," his mother said.
"We'll get there, Mom. These trains are always on time," Danny said.
"Yes sir, you got that right," the baggage man said. His deep ebony face lit up when he smiled and Danny just had to return that grin. It would be so cool to have a tooth like that.
They hit Gate 23 at a fast pace and saw the train platform stretching out into the distance. It was lined with a crowd of people in various groups still waiting to board the long row of cars. Danny's mother slowed down, the relief evident on her face. This train wasn't going anywhere for a while.
"You got the first sleeper car, Missus Briggs," the baggage man said.
"Thank you so much," she replied.
The man stopped by the steps to the first car and spoke with the conductor. He then hefted the three bags on the little dolly and wheeled them along down the length of the train. Danny looked around at the chaos of people and their belongings.
He inspected the large steel wheels of the train carriage and then glanced up at the side of the car. The words Southern Pacific were emblazoned in black letters across the faded yellow paint on the steel siding below the windows.
The next car was loading crates through a side door and the baggage man saw Danny watching.
"That's where you eat dinner, the dining car. And up yonder is the club car where you can have yourself a soda pop when you get thirsty," the man said. They stopped beside another car and the baggage man handed their three suitcases up to the porter and then followed him inside.
Danny glanced at the string of other cars attached beyond theirs. Baggage cars and coach seating he remembered from his previous short trips. He was glad they had a sleeping berth this time because it would be four days of misery if they didn't.
There was movement in the closest window and he saw a lady taking off her coat. From one of the coach cars down the line he saw a boy leaning out the doorway. The boy smiled and waved. Danny caught a glimpse of blond hair and red lips before the head vanished back inside.
The baggage man reappeared and climbed down the steps. Danny smiled as his mother gave the man his fee and a generous tip.
"Thank you kindly, Missus. Y' all have a safe trip now." The man laughed and shook Danny's hand. "You take care, Mr. Briggs, have a great adventure. Watch out for outlaws, you got to protect the womenfolk if the bad guys come along."
Danny laughed in reply. There was a twinkle in the man's eye and that gold tooth glinting in the sunlight...major cool. His mother climbed the stairs and Danny waved at the baggage man.
Outlaws, who did this guy think he was fooling? Maybe a few years ago he would have entertained the thought of masked men robbing the train. But he was grown now. Hell, he was almost fifteen.
The floor of their sleeping cabin was filled with luggage and Danny stood on the seat to help his mother shove the bags up on the overhead rack. Both the seat and the wall mounted unit folded down bunk bed style. He would be on top where he could get a view out the window at night. The thrill of new adventure seemed to be waiting beyond the heavy glass, but first they had a long trip across country.
By nine-thirty the train pulled slowly out of the station. Danny had already memorized the trip route. Los Angeles to Tucson, then El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and on to New Orleans, Jacksonville, Orlando...and finally Miami. Well that was it roughly. There were probably a huge number of stops in between. He had the whole schedule in his bag.
His Aunt Rita had just bought a new home in a fashionable part of Miami called Coral Gables. His Uncle Roy had passed away years before and Rita had invested their money wisely, or so his mother had always said. Danny wasn't at all surprised when his mother announced that they were moving to Florida to take care of the aging Rita.
Rita had been his mother's salvation in the years after Danny's father died. Danny hadn't really known the man considering he was only two when the plane went down over the Pacific.
The only knowledge Danny had of his father was in the stories his mother would often tell. He still had the Purple Heart and Navy Cross his father had earned in the war before Danny was even born. But his father lived on in memory, and through pictures in the family album his mother kept.
So when Rita needed his mother to return the favor they packed up, and none too soon for Danny. Long Beach wasn't the bright little beach town anymore, it was growing old and poor. The kids in his school seemed more aggressive as the influx of Mexican children sparked almost daily combat.
Not that he disliked the Mexican kids, he had friends among them. But they didn't want to fit in, they seemed to keep to themselves and they brought some bad habits across the border.
It wasn't long before the only thing Danny saw out the window were the vast acres of orange groves in the valley east of Los Angeles. He knew from the National Geographic map in his pocket that there was a big desert between California and Arizona. That would be so cool. He had never seen a desert before.
The sound of the train wheels clacking on the rails below their feet soon put Danny's mother to sleep. The conductor went down the corridor announcing the next stop to be Palm Springs, but his mother didn't stir as the train came to a stop.
She hadn't been feeling well these past few months but never told Danny why. Her frequent trips to the doctor's office had yielded a bounty of pill bottles. Although he didn't know exactly what was wrong with her it seemed there were enough pills in her purse to cure an army.
Danny got his book out of the carry on and sat down to read for a while. His mother's soft snores were interrupted only by the sounds of people passing in the corridor outside as the train resumed their journey. He knew there were about two dozen cars in this train, and the urge to go exploring came to mind.
He knew it was useless to try and read. The many distractions out in the corridor made him want to go look. Danny figured his mother would be upset if she woke and found him gone. Upset was one thing, getting punished was another. But here they were on a train, what could she possibly do to punish him?
Danny figured each sleeper car held ten cabins and that could mean twenty people. With four sleeper cars that would be eighty people, and then there was coach class. Twenty rows of seats, four across and you had another eighty people. Six coach cars made four hundred and eighty plus the eighty in sleepers and the sum total reached five hundred and sixty passengers.
There was the club car, two diners, six baggage cars and three engines. That made twenty one cars, not twenty four. Danny sat back, quite pleased with himself. He loved doing math in his head. In three days they would be in New Orleans, on the fourth they would get to Miami. A total of ninety-six hours on the train, which seemed like a very long time.
It felt important to know how many of the various things around him added up. Like the number of coins in his piggy bank which had totaled seventy eight dollars and sixty-three cents when he broke it open last weekend. So many coins that it had taken him almost an hour to count and roll them up in paper tubes for the bank. Now he carried the bills tucked away in the zippered pocket of his jacket.
The sound of laughter echoed down the corridor and Danny could hear the doors opening and closing at the end of the car. That did it; he put down the book and stood up. He would only stay out for fifteen minutes. His mother would be asleep for at least that long.
It wouldn't take much time to walk through all the cars and then turn around. He quietly slid the door open and saw there was no one in the corridor at the moment. With a last look at his mother, Danny slid the door closed and set off.
Walking in trains was funny business. The cars had a certain sway that took a while for his body to understand and counteract. Bouncing off the walls, Danny laughed as he proceeded towards the rear of their car.
The pneumatic handle hissed as the car door slid open allowing Danny into the vestibule between the cars. The undercarriage racket assaulted his ears as the hot California air whooshed up through the deck plates below his feet. Danny scurried onto the platform of the next car, barely touching the moving plate that covered the gap between the cars.
Somehow standing on that center moving plate had always scared him. It was right above the coupling joining the cars together. It was only a matter of 'what if.' What if the cars came apart? Danny could see himself falling between the cars onto the rails below as the train ran him over.
He knew it was a silly fear but he accepted it for what it was. Plain common sense said that a person shouldn't stand between the cars. He pushed another handle and the other door whooshed open. This second sleeper seemed incredibly silent, but maybe it was just in contrast to the noise he had passed through.
In the third sleeper he encountered a man in uniform. At first Danny thought it was the conductor. He was willing to tell a small lie if need be to get past the man. But upon closer inspection he saw that the uniform was Navy. Just another officer, this one a mere junior grade. His father had been a Lieutenant Commander.
"Excuse me," the guy said, "is this the way to the club car?"
"No sir, that's about two cars back," Danny replied.
"Wrong way then, thanks, kiddo," the sailor said and turned around.
It was an old joke that you couldn't give directions to a sailor unless it contained the words starboard or port. Danny smiled to himself at the thought. He waited in the corridor to give the sailor a head start. This was his expedition and he didn't want to share the time with anyone.
The fourth sleeper still had baggage in the corridor. Two young girls sat on a suitcase while their mother spoke to a man in a dark blue uniform. Uh oh, this was the real conductor. The guy looked up as Danny approached but then the woman started yelling.
"So if this room isn't available then where are my girls supposed to sleep? I paid for a stateroom, not coach seats."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, it was an oversight," the conductor said. "The room is out of order. We'll have a sleeper for you when we reach El Paso."
Danny slid by the man and just kept on walking. Whoosh and he was out of the car. He walked through a dining car and then the club car. Ahead he could see the coach seats through the window in the next door.
Whoosh and he was out on the platform where he bumped right into the face he'd seen before they boarded.
"Sorry," the blond boy said. "Oh, I saw you before, mate."
"Um yes, from the door," Danny said.
The boy had the bluest eyes he'd ever seen and they seemed to sparkle with amusement. There was a distinct accent to his English but Danny couldn't make it out. The noise out here was intense and so the silence that built up between them didn't seem to matter. They both stood beside the large glass window set in the door as the landscape began to change.
"I never saw cactus before," Danny said.
"We don't have plants like this at home," the boy said.
"Where's home?"
"Brisbane, Australia...Queensland actually," the boy said. "My name is Andrew."
"Danny, I'm Danny Briggs. You have kangaroos at home?"
Andrew laughed, "Yes, but not on the lawn. We're going to Florida, ever been there?"
"Nope, this is my first time too, it's gonna be fun," Danny replied.
"Maybe, my Uncle has a condo in South Beach. Mum says we'll get our own place soon as she gets a chance to study the market."
"I'm going to live with my Aunt Rita...just me and my mother."
"No Dad then?" Andrew asked.
"He died in a plane crash when I was small," Danny volunteered.
"Sorry, mine run off, the bastard," Andrew said. "Probably drunk with some shelia in Melbourne by now."
Whoa, the boy was saying things he didn't understand but Danny caught the drift. Andrew must have realized his mistake.
"Uh, sorry. Guess I have to speak like a right proper American now. My father ran off with some young girl, left mum and me high and dry. But she got the last laugh on him. She snagged all his coppers, um...his money."
"And you came here?"
"Oh, yeah, my mum's American. Do you want some cake?" Andrew asked.
"Cake?"
"Sure enough, it's my birthday today, the big thirteen. Mum brought a cake and she's been sharing it out all over the car. Come on then."
Andrew led him into the next car and down the aisle where a woman sat with a young girl beside her.
"Hey, Mum, got any of that cake left?" Andrew asked.
"Oh, there you are, honey. And who is this?"
"That's Danny. He would be keen to have some cake."
"It's in that box there, Andy. Help him get a piece."
Andrew's mother would have made the boys at Danny's last school go bananas, she was beautiful. He could see where Andrew's blond hair and blue eyes came from. Danny felt himself begin to blush when he noticed her breasts pushing out the front of her blouse. The fact that she had a few of the buttons undone allowed him to see a bit too much of her cleavage. Fortunately Andrew handed him a slice of cake on a napkin.
"So Danny, is it? How far are you going?" she asked.
"Miami," Danny mumbled through a mouthful of sweet chocolate cake.
"Really, and so are we," Andrew said.
"It's a big city, honey," Andrew's mother said. "We may not be close by."
"We'll be in Coral Gables," Danny said. "Somewhere to the south, I believe."
"That's good, your Uncle Ronny is in South Beach, then we'll be neighbors," she said.
"Great," Andrew said.
"Are you traveling with your parents?" Andrew's mother asked.
"Uh, my mother," Danny said. "And I best be getting back before she gets worried, she hasn't been feeling well."
"I'll walk back with you," Andrew said.
"Don't get lost, honey."
"And how could that happen, Mum? Not like I can turn any wrong corners in this train."
Danny led the way back, this time running into the conductor sitting in the dining car. The man smiled as they approached and held up a hand for them to stop.
"Do you have tickets?" The man asked. "Coach passengers aren't allowed in the sleeper section of the train."
Danny pulled out his ticket stub, glad he had remembered to bring it. The conductor glanced at it and then looked at Andrew.
"I know you have a coach seat."
"Yes sir...I was just following Danny back to his room, we're mates," Andrew said.
The man thought for a moment and then smiled once again. "It's a long trip and I suppose you boys should have time together. Just no running around, okay? Be on your best behavior and I'll allow you to visit."
"Thank you, sir," Danny replied.
"That was keen," Andrew said once they entered the vestibule of the car.
"How come you guys didn't get a sleeper?" Danny asked.
"They were all out...none available is what the ticket agent said."
"Yeah, but that stinks," Danny said. He pointed to a doorway as they passed.
"The conductor says this one is out of order and some other lady had to take coach seats."
"Maybe the toilet is all bollixed up?" Andrew said.
Danny laughed. "And exactly what does that mean?"
"Oops, there I go again...I mean the toilet is broken...sorry."
"I think your accent is cool, but you may have to explain some of the things you say," Danny said.
"Right, sorry again. I'll do that when I catch myself being too down under."
They made it back to Danny's room and he looked at his watch. He'd been gone half an hour, oops. He quietly turned the handle and looked inside. His mother was reading a magazine.
"Well there you are," she said.
"I didn't mean to worry you," Danny said.
"I'm fine, as long as you don't fall off the train where can you go?"
Danny grinned. "I made a friend." He stood aside and allowed Andrew in the room. "Mom, this is Andrew...he's back in coach."
Danny's mom smiled, "Nice to meet you, Andrew."
"Um, nice to meet you as well, Mrs...Sorry, Danny did tell me his last name but I forgot. Oh yes, Mrs. Briggs."
"Australian, I remember the lovely accent. Danny's father and I were in Melbourne many years ago."
"Yes, ma'am," Andrew said.
"They're going to Florida too. Is South Beach very far from where we'll be living?" Danny asked.
"Not far, dear. I'm sure you boys will be able to visit once we settle in." She put a hand to her head. "Sorry, I think I have a fever."
"Do they have a doctor on the train?" Danny asked.
"My mum's a registered nurse," Andrew volunteered. "Are you ill? I can go fetch her."
"Not now, I just need a rest." She reached in her purse and handed Danny some money. "Why don't you boys go up to the club car and get yourselves something to eat, I don't feel like sitting in the dining car. We'll have a proper dinner tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, Mom. But if you get sick just send the porter to find me, please."
"Yes dear, I will. It was nice meeting you, Andrew," she said.
"My pleasure, Mrs. Briggs. Hope you feel better."
"Thank you, Andrew."
The boys bought a sandwich, chips and a drink in the club car, all for about eight dollars apiece.
"That's bloody awful, it's robbery," Andrew said.
"We're what my mother would call a captive audience, we pay or starve," Danny laughed.
"Still, it's much too expensive. Thank you none the less, you didn't have to pay for me."
"Mom wanted me to buy us lunch, she gave me a twenty."
"I hope she eats," Andrew said. "My Mum says it isn't good if sick people don't eat."
"Yeah, well she skips meals a lot, I don't like it."
"I'll tell Mum when I get back, she'll set things right. Can't have you worrying yourself about it the whole trip."
Danny grinned. "That's mighty considerate of you, mate."
Andrew grinned back. "Now you got it, we'll make a proper bloke of you yet."
They bought a deck of cards and sat playing Hearts for a while, stopping now and then to look at the barren countryside. This was the desert, nothing much to look at. But the time gave Danny a chance to study his new friend and he felt Andrew's eyes appraising him as well.
A chance encounter that might turn into something special. After all, Danny didn't know any other boys his age in Florida and Andrew seemed perfect for a friendship. Their conversation became an exploration of mutual interests.
"You have any hobbies?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, I suppose you might call it that. Don't laugh at me, but I paint."
"Paint...like pictures?"
"Yes, I've been at it since I was a tyke. Mum says I should take art classes at the University when we get there."
"University?" Danny repeated. "Wow, you must be good."
"All right, I guess. But all that stuff was shipped ahead. I'll show you when we get together again. And what about you?" Andrew asked.
"Um...I like to write stories. But I've never let anyone read them before," Danny said.
"Ahh, a writer...another tortured soul."
"Tortured?"
"Yes, mate. Creativity is a product of the inner self, and it's not always easy. Or do you find it that way for yourself?"
"I worry about how well I write if that's what you mean. It's like...I worry if my words make any sense. Do I convey the meaning or am I using the right words, do they all fit together the way I intended?"
"Yup, same here."
"What do you paint, can I ask?"
"Sure, it won't be a secret for long. I started out doing animals and garden stuff when I was about six. I'd sketch a shape and then paint over it, still works that way sometimes. But last year I started doing portraits and that is really hard." Andrew laughed. "Mum says if I keep it up we'll have to change our name to Rembrandt."
"So you must be really good. I can't draw a stick figure," Danny said.
"But you don't have to. You write...it's like painting with words."
"Yes, that's exactly how I see it. But are you ever satisfied with the piece when you paint? I never feel finished."
"You have to step back and say done. It's the only way you get to move on to the next thing. I would love to paint your portrait," Andrew said. "You have beautiful eyes."
Danny felt himself blush. But he had watched the boy study his face, and now he knew why.
"Uh...why me? I'm nothing special. I mean there are lots of pretty people out there who would make great subjects."
"No...that's not what I'm after. If I do become an artist there will be too many of that type wanting a commission from me and I'll soon be sick of it. You have a nice structure in your face and the rest of you is probably just as well."
Danny laughed. "You want to see the rest of me?"
"I've done nudes. Don't tell anyone, but my Mum posed for me last year. It's in the crate with the others," Andrew said, and then he smiled. "Does the thought make you uncomfortable?"
"Of her? Oh no, she's a beauty...and it was her choice. Oh God, just don't tell my mother," Danny said.
"I meant about you. I think the male body is bloody awesome, but I've never had the opportunity to work with one nice as yours."
"You mean it? I don't know...can I think about it? Like, what would I have to do?"
"Stand still for hours, but you do get breaks." Andrew laughed. "And hopefully no distractions will get you excited. I'm not into porno."
Now Danny blushed a deep crimson. His life had been full of erections this past year. He was hopeless to stop it without....
Andrew reached across the table and laid a hand on Danny's wrist. "Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you. Bloody hell, we both have the same problem, it has a mind of its own now doesn't it?" His grin said it all.
"Right now?" Danny asked.
"Hard as a steel rod, nothing for it...well except the usual. But I pretty much guessed that option wouldn't be available until we got off the train. I am not going to use that filthy bathroom enclosure." Andrew laughed. "Just don't ask me to stand up quite yet."
Their eyes shared the moment and Danny knew right then that if Andrew asked again he would pose. Being naked in front of this boy seemed enticing...and it wouldn't be the first time he'd dealt with these feelings.
The normal explorations of boyhood with a few friends in the past had been a revelation. The urges had yet to be crystallized, but Danny knew that what he felt was different than what most boys thought, and so he'd buried those feelings deep inside. What he couldn't tell Andrew was that he had poured out those thoughts in his stories, and there were dozens and dozens in the notebooks he kept.
Around five o'clock the conductor walked through the cars announcing the next stop as Yuma. "Yuuuuuma," he said in that booming voice. "Yuuuuuma, Arizona."
"So are you going to make your mother eat something?" Andrew asked.
"No, I can't get her to do anything. Maybe if we got your Mom to say something. She'd listen to a nurse."
"Brilliant move...let's go get her," Andrew said.
Chapter Two
Alice Briggs was just about to take another of the pain killers her doctor in Long Beach had prescribed. It would only put off the inevitable, but when they got to Miami she would have the surgery. It was sad to think that Danny would be her only child in this life, but the hysterectomy would make that decision final.
She couldn't face the cost or the recovery time while they were in California. Danny needed his mother's guiding hand, especially at this time of life. Going to Rita's had been the only logical answer to the dilemma...and it would also give her the chance to deal with her son's developing problems.
She had discovered the notebooks in the box at the back of his closet only a few months before, but the reading had taken her weeks. The first pages had brought her great joy and revealed a latent talent the boy had with words. But then the thoughts on paper had revealed a dose of shocking information.
It wasn't that discovering her son was in all probability gay; it was that she felt at fault. The boy had no positive male influence in his life and she took the blame upon herself. There had been several opportunities to remarry, but the men just didn't seem right. For the boy's sake she should have taken the chance.
Rita was the only person in the family who could even understand something this complex and Alice had spent hours on the phone talking about it. There was nothing invalid about Rita's mind, but the arthritis was crippling. The invitation to move had come at her insistence.
A change of scenery, the right school, and counseling would do the boy a world of good. Having a gay son wasn't the end of the world. Alice just needed help to deal with it. She was sure Danny needed to deal with it as well.
There was a knock at the door and Alice stood slowly to keep the pain in her abdomen from making her nauseous. She opened the door and smiled.
"Danny...why did you knock?" she asked.
"I brought someone to see you, Mom. This is Mrs. Mallory, she's a nurse."
The woman behind her son beamed. "Elisabeth Mallory," she said by way of introduction. "I'm Andrew's mother." She held out her hand and Alice shook it.
"But...you're American?"
"Long story, got the time? Danny was worried about you and I was an RN for eight years in St. Louis, that's where I met Andy's father. But I suppose we need to talk. The boys tell me you haven't been eating." She turned to Andrew. "Now you run off and mind your sister until I come get you."
That was when Alice caught sight of the young girl standing shyly behind her mother. She was the cutest little thing, maybe all of four years old.
"This is Alicia," Elisabeth said.
"Hello, dear," Alice said.
"Hello," Alicia said and then ducked behind her mother.
"She's very shy with strangers," Elisabeth said.
"She looks just like you," Alice said. "Won't you come in?"
"Go on boys, we'll be along in a while," Elisabeth said.
Alicia seemed distressed and Alice caught onto that. "Maybe Alicia would like to stay with us girls. I have some dollies she can play with."
"Sure you don't mind?" Elisabeth asked. "She loves dolls."
"Well I collect them. I have a few I'm sure she's never seen," Alice said.
Andrew looked relieved since babysitting his sister wasn't a favorite chore. The boys took off and Alice shut the door.
"That was a close call," Andrew laughed when they were down the corridor. "My sister is a handful when she gets upset, and my Mum is the only thing she cares about."
Danny laughed. "My mother always wanted to have a little girl. I think that's why she keeps all those dolls. She has a suitcase full of them."
"I like your Mum, let's hope our two mums like each other. That would be brilliant and make our lives easier," Andrew said.
They walked through the corridors back towards the coach seats and came upon the door of the broken compartment where Andrew paused.
"You say this one is broken? I wonder if it's fixed yet. Shall we have a look?
"I don't suppose we're allowed in there...." Danny said, but Andrew had already tried the handle...and the door slid open.
"See, it's unlocked," Andrew said. "Just a quick look around, no one will see us."
Danny followed Andrew into the room and quickly shut the door. He didn't want any trouble with the conductor, but the room looked ordinary, nothing to see. Andrew opened the bathroom door and saw the sign.
"It's the loo...it is bollixed up as I guessed before. Oh ya, loo is the toilet."
Danny grinned. "I got that one. Maybe we should leave now."
Andrew grinned. "This is our secret hideout and no one will know we are here. Wish I had my sketch pad."
"You have the urge to draw...but what?"
"You, silly."
They were standing close, almost too close Danny remembered thinking...and then Andrew gave him a hug. "I like you, you know," the boy said, his words muffled as his face pressed into Danny's chest.
Danny moved his hands around the boy's back and pulled Andrew closer. His nose was buried in the mop of blond hair and he breathed in the scent of this beautiful creature. The reaction was immediate...he got hard as a stone.
Andrew's hands slid down Danny's back and grasped his ass, pulling them both tightly together. Danny felt a hardness much like his own pressing against his thigh. They were both aroused...it felt wonderful.
"I thought it might be like that for you as well," Andrew said. Letting go, he held Danny back at arms length. "It is...isn't it?"
Andrew was only inches shorter, and he stood on tip toe to kiss Danny's mouth. It was quick, but long enough to say all that needed to be said. Danny looked down into those sparkling eyes and smiled.
"I think I'm gay, Andrew. I just never met anyone I could say that to before. I think you're...you're beautiful."
Andrew smiled and tears formed in his eyes. "I think I'm going to like you a whole lot."
The second kiss was passionate and seemed to last forever. But then so did the third and fourth, leaving them both quite breathless.
"I want more...and not just kisses," Andrew said when they finally broke apart.
"What...here?" Danny said.
"Later on, when we have the time. We can lock the door...maybe even spend the night in here."
"That's crazy...what if we get caught?" Danny said.
"You make me crazy...I need to show you what that means," Andrew said.
"I don't know...if my mother finds out..."
Andrew nodded. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to shock you. But my Mum already knows about me, I bet your mother knows about you too. Mums have a way of understanding...at least mine does."
"Well my mother doesn't know a thing, she'd kill me," Danny said.
"I bet my Mum will tell yours that I'm gay...we'll know soon enough."
"Oh God, why would she say something like that?"
"Because she loves me, she's not ashamed of anything I do. There are no secrets between us, it's the way we are with one another," Andrew said. "My Mum will open her eyes, you'll see."
"We have to get out of here," Danny said.
"Will you come back here with me later?"
One look and Danny knew he was committed. The feelings had been there from the moment they first met, he was helpless to deny it.
"The conductor said something about El Paso. This room will probably be empty until then." Danny looked deeply in Andrew's eyes. "Just don't make my mother hate me, please. She's all I have."
Andrew smiled. "No worries, mate. I only want what's best for you...and that's me."
"God, now I have to piss like crazy...and the bathroom is busted," Danny laughed.
"Ya, back to the coach car for us. I could use a wicked pee myself."
Danny followed the boy through the cars and ducked into the first bathroom he came to. His stream was long and forceful. He sighed with relief as his bladder emptied. He flushed and leaned against the wall...what had just happened?
He'd known for years that he loved other boys...at least he had wanted to. But sexual experiences had been few and far between, and even then they were little more than adolescent groping.
Andrew had kissed him...a first ever. His head was still spinning from the sensual feeling of those lips on his. It was obvious the boy had experience in these things. It was a bit embarrassing considering the age difference, he should know more by now, he was older.
Somehow he had always been reluctant...afraid, afraid that his mother would find out. But Andrew was so aggressive about his feelings, and Danny couldn't deny that was part of the attraction. Oh God, if Andrew's mother said something...what would happen? Wouldn't his mother freak out? What if she forbid him to see Andrew?
Nothing in the life he shared with his mother had ever touched on the gay feelings he held inside. He didn't really know how she felt about the issue. But he was just beginning to understand that he didn't really know anything about it himself.
Andrew was waiting out in the corridor with a smile. "Everything come out all right?"
"About a gallon...that would be three point seven liters to you." Danny laughed, "But you better learn to think in US volumes now."
Andrew groaned, "I am not going to like school here. Maths make my head hurt."
"I just hate the idea of having to meet all the new people. I had some pretty good friends back in Long Beach."
"Any boyfriends?" Andrew asked.
"Two or three...no just kidding. I am such a novice."
They were back in the coach car by now and they took their seats. Fortunately the car was sparsely populated at the moment. Danny squirmed on the cushions.
"Damn, I couldn't sleep on these seats."
"We don't have to you know. So why is an incredible boy like you without boyfriends? Is it that difficult here?" Andrew asked.
"Where I grew up? Yeah, the attitude made it hard to even think about guys. And the ones that I could tell were gay were the ones who got beat up a lot. Some of the Mexican kids seemed to enjoy messing with gay boys. I couldn't put myself out there as a target."
"At home I saw the same, but then as an artist I seemed to attract attention from the gay ones," Andrew said.
"So you had boyfriends?"
"Naw, not really. Okay, promise to keep this under your beanie? I had a few older guys interested in me, fellow artists."
"You didn't...?" Danny gasped.
"Well...hmm, I did, but only a few times," Andrew said. "I met a gay college boy who lived at the beach last summer. I usually took my kit down there on the bus to sketch, you know, landscapes and such."
"That attracted attention I bet. It must have looked unusual having a beautiful boy like you around," Danny said.
Andrew smiled and took his hand. "You do like me...thanks, mate."
"So...what happened, I mean...how did things get started?"
"Well Jerry walked up to see what I was doing and he was impressed with my work. He invited me back to his shack to see the stuff he was about making. It was bloody amazing. I had never seen such style and coloration before. He asked about my work and I took him home to see it."
"Your mother didn't flip out?"
"Naw, she was cool with it. He had a critical eye and we ended up talking for hours, so late in fact that Mum asked him to dinner and then he spent the night. He slept in my room on the spare and once we got naked...I had my first bit of oral from him. It was incredible. Do you want to know the details?"
Danny blushed, but he nodded.
"Well, he stripped off and I told him what an amazing body he had. I couldn't help myself, I had to touch him. So I placed my hands on his chest and ran my fingers over his muscles. Well you know my willy stood right up, and then he touched me. It was like only a few weeks after I had started making sperms and his touch seemed to do the trick, I messed all over his hand."
"Did your mother know? I mean this guy was an adult, it's not legal down there either I'm sure," Danny said.
"Ah sure, but that wasn't my concern. I slept with him, he blew me twice and I had my first bit of a blow on him, that's what I told Mum over breakfast."
"Oh God, you told her? I could never talk to my mom like that."
"She asked if we had safe sex. I knew that was her main concern. I mean he had no worries about me, but he wouldn't allow himself to cum. Mum said he was a nice boy after I told her that."
"The age difference didn't bother her?"
"Well I had to learn about it from someone...I'm gay. Better him than some sod who just wants to get his nut up my bum. I chose him, she understands that."
"So he didn't...didn't do anything to your bottom?" Danny asked.
"Not then, we did that later down at his shack. He kept condoms there."
Danny was speechless, but worse, he couldn't deal with it. "I gotta pee again," he said, almost leaping out of the seat and heading to the restroom. Once inside he leaned his head against the wall.
Andrew wasn't what he thought...how could he do those things? The beauty of the boy almost seemed tragic after learning what had happened. He wanted to cry...to scream. How could the boy be so...so accepting of sex like that with an older guy? It wasn't all right in Danny's mind, it was terrible.
How could he face the boy with these feelings? Maybe he was wrong. Andrew did come from a different culture. But he was so young, too young to have had experiences like that.
Danny splashed water on his face and looked up into the tiny mirror attached to the wall. What was he feeling? Could he be jealous? The paper towel seemed rough against his skin but he welcomed the distraction.
Out there sat the most amazing boy he had ever met. Someone like that didn't come along more than once in life. He was everything Danny had ever dreamed of...God it hurt.
So he wasn't an innocent kid. Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand, Danny thought. Andrew didn't have to do any of those things, but he'd started it with that college boy just like he had begun something here.
Danny would have to forget judging Andrew's past actions if he wanted a future with the boy. They had begun something wonderful, and Danny realized it was something he wanted more than anything else in life.
The face that looked up at him when he finally returned to the seat was full of questions. "You all right, mate?"
"I...I don't know. You shocked me," Danny said, falling into his seat.
"Look...let me tell you something about me," Andrew said. "I grew up watching my parents fight. Tossed back and forth between his house and hers, it was a relief when they finally divorced. I watched my dad and his women, my mom and her friends...my life was surrounded with sexual stuff even though I never saw most of it.
"I knew what I was early on, like about six or seven, I was attracted to boys...men...the male body. My art gave me an outlet for those feelings until puberty knocked on my door. Then I had to open myself up to the possibility of my own sexuality. Jerry was a nice guy, not some perv, I asked him...no, I demanded that he have sex with me.
"I had to experience sex with a guy and he was just the poor sod I chose. I imagine you find that strange, maybe even repulsive, but it was my desire that made it happen. So don't go feeling sorry for me, I didn't lose my innocence to Jerry...that was long gone before he ever appeared in my life."
Andrew's eyes gazed at Danny and the aggression faded away leaving only a warm smile.
"And now I choose you, and there is nothing strange about that. I like you for who you are, Danny. You are kind, considerate and I might add...a great kisser. But I know you think I'm a bad boy for what I did. I can't help that, it was something I had to do."
Danny sat silently and then placed his hand on Andrew's thigh. If anything he could understand the boy's longing to find himself a place in the gay world. He'd had those feelings for a long time himself. And now beside him sat the most desirable creature he'd ever met.
"I...I'm sorry," Danny said. "I've had the feelings myself. But I just couldn't do anything like what you did. You...you did what you felt was right even though I couldn't. Maybe it's because you're braver than I am, I just don't know."
"I saw the chance and took it...that pretty much sums it up," Andrew said. "I just couldn't see myself fumbling around in a dark corner with some little wanker like myself at school. I saw the chance for some higher education and he was a good teacher."
"Then why me...why did you chose me? I don't know beans about being gay with another boy." And suddenly there were tears in Danny's eyes, and they spilled down his cheek.
"Because I didn't love Jerry. I think I'm in love with you," Andrew whispered. He leaned in close and used a finger to wipe Danny's cheek. "Don't worry about us in bed. When the time comes you'll be brilliant.
"I don't know, it's just a feeling, and I trust my feelings...don't you? I've been waiting for someone like you for a long time. Hush, you kiss like a wizard, that's a good place to start. The rest is like a wonderful painting. You let me hold the brush and we'll paint a masterpiece together, trust me."
"I never met anyone like you, ever." Danny tried a smile, but he still felt a little sad.
"I am unique, can't deny that," Andrew said, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Oops."
Danny's mother was walking down the aisle and they moved apart.
"Hello, boys..." Alice said.
"You feeling better, Mom?" Danny asked.
"Yes, I feel much better now. Andrew, your mother is just an amazing nurse, thank you so much for bringing her to me."
"My pleasure, Mrs. Briggs. And where might she be?" Andrew asked.
"She took your sister to the rest room. We'll meet her in the club car in a few minutes"
"Yes, ma'am," Andrew said.
Danny watched the two moms as they chatted across the table. Had Andrew's mom talked to his about the gay thing? He was clueless, they gave nothing away. Danny's mom did ask Andrew about his painting and what he wanted to do with his art in the future.
"I need to work on differing styles. Color and shape come easily, but the expression of texture is much more difficult. I am just learning to appreciate the way so many masters can express texture with such minimal brush strokes. Van Gogh...Monet, they seemed to do it with such ease. I need to learn that."
The boy spoke so well about his feelings and desires that Danny could tell his mother was impressed. And somehow his mother's opinion of Andrew was so vitally important. She had to like the boy because Danny knew he was falling in love. It might be their feeling to share but his mother had to approve of the choice.
Danny saw how quickly Alicia took to his mother. Mrs. Mallory seemed proud of Andrew, but her little girl seemed quite secure with her place in the family. Andrew was kind to his sister, but didn't go out of his way to please her.
Alice took a few bites of a sandwich and drank her coffee. Danny was glad to see that much.
"Danny, I have asked Elisabeth and Alicia to stay in the room with me tonight, would you mind?"
Danny was stunned, and then realized this move played right into Andrew's plans for the night.
"Um, sure Mom. I can sleep in the coach seats with Andrew."
"I know it isn't as comfortable back there...I'm sorry," she said.
"No, it's okay," Danny replied. "We'll probably stay up and talk all night long anyways."
"That's fine, just don't disturb the other passengers, you hear?"
"Yes ma'am, we won't."
He couldn't look at Andrew now. One look would give it all away. He felt like screaming with joy...how lucky could they get? But he felt Andrew give his leg a kick under the table...that was all he needed.
Andrew carried his mother's suitcase back to the sleeper compartment and set it down. The ladies retired to the room while Andrew and Danny walked back to the coach car.
"Did your mother arrange this?" Danny asked.
"Yes, I'm sure she did, but not for us. I think she wants to keep an eye on your mum's health. Seems they've become quite friendly, don't you think?"
"I hope they don't come back to check on us," Danny said.
"My Mum won't worry. This is brilliant, couldn't have worked out better. So when shall we go to our room? Hey, can you reach up there and pull down my suitcase...it's the blue one."
Danny stood on the seat and lifted the large blue case down. Andrew slid it across the seats and tripped the latches to open the lid. He pulled out a wooden box that was buried under a pile of clothing. Then he dug to the bottom and slid out a large wire bound notebook.
"What's that?" Danny asked.
"My sketchbook. Well, one of them, I have dozens."
They closed up the case and struggled to get it back up on the overhead rack. Danny sat back with a sigh. Andrew opened the wooden box, revealing pens, pencils and a cloth bag. He set the box aside after choosing a pencil, and then he opened the sketchbook.
Danny had never seen any of the boy's art, and now he was astounded as the pages were turned. Faces, bodies, flowers...all with such vivid detail and expression that it almost took his breath away. And if anything it made him realize something grand. The creator of all this beauty had chosen to love him, he wanted to cry for joy.
For his part Andrew waited for Danny to say something. People always had something to say about his work, it was expected. He looked at Danny's face as the pages were turned and he saw the emotions there.
"God...it's beautiful," Danny said. "You are so talented."
"Thank you, this is just some stuff I'm doing now. Can I sketch you?"
Danny smiled. "Do I have to take my clothes off?"
Andrew giggled. "Maybe later...I want to capture your eyes."
"Is there enough light here?"
"Yes, for what I want...let me try."
"Okay...what do I do?" Danny asked.
"Just sit there and look at me for a while."
And Danny stared at the boy as he leaned back against the window and began to draw. Andrew would raise his eyes from the page for a quick look and then glance back down to follow the progress of his hand.
The blond hair fell across his eyes, and Andrew brushed it back. That singular gesture gave Danny a thrill. Every strand of that golden hair was really fine and accented Andrew's face so well. The artist was just as perfect as his art, both were stunningly beautiful.
The boy's forehead wrinkled as he concentrated. His features seemed flawless and Danny looked for a single blemish but found none. If only he could paint, this creature would be his favorite subject. And in his mind Danny began to compose the words he would use to describe such beauty.
It took Andrew twenty minutes to complete his work, and then he looked up with a smile. "You want to see?"
He held the book against the back of the seat and Danny saw a mask of his face, but the eyes held his gaze. They were soft and warm, and yet ...mysterious. It looked so real.
"You really have such a beautiful face," Andrew said. "I love it when you look at me."
Danny gazed across the short distance. He'd never thought of himself in such terms, but he saw the truth of it in Andrew's eyes.
"When beauty needs to see in the dark...I hope it has your eyes," Danny said. "For if I had to choose one place to be...it would be in the reflection of your love."
Andrew smiled. "You made that up just now, didn't you? Brilliant, you have a gift." With that he leaned over and gave Danny a kiss.
There were other people around them and yet in that brief moment of time no one saw their passion...but it would not always be so and they both seemed to realize it rather quickly.
"Um...should we go hide ourselves?" Danny asked.
Andrew grinned, and then looked down at his lap. "A bit late for that, mate...I'm sporting wood already."
They sat for a few minutes, allowing the tide of passion to recede. "Take my box, will you?' Andrew asked. They packed up and began the walk forward towards the sleepers.
"Is this gonna be safe? Do you think the conductor checks that cabin?" Danny asked.
"Why would he?" Andrew replied. "Not like he can call out the plumber in the middle of the desert, can he? We'll be safe until El Paso no doubt...just lock the door."
They reached the sleeper car and found the corridors empty, no sign of the conductor. Danny tried the door and it slid open as before. Once inside he examined the door lock and turned the button to lock it. There was a privacy latch above and he slid that in place...now they were secure.
"See, nothing to it," Andrew said. He looked around the room and studied the window. The shade was partially open, a line cutting across the wall from the fading sunlight. He slid the shade fully open. "Gonna be dark in a bit...I'm not keen for the lighting in here."
"Oh...you mean for drawing?" Danny asked. "We could wait for tomorrow."
"Naw, I have the urge to immortalize you now. Okay, Flash...off with 'em."
"Uh...oh, you mean undress? Yeah, I guess." Danny slowly removed his shoes and shirt, laying them on the end of the seat. He unbuckled his jeans and then looked up at Andrew.
Andrew smiled. "Lets not be shy, I've seen it all before." He reached a hand out towards Danny and then hesitated, looking at the sunlight once again. "Right...I want you to lean against the wall just there as if you were gazing out the window.
Danny dropped his jeans around his ankles and stepped out of them. "Just lean against the wall and...do what?" he asked.
Andrew's eyes had never left off gazing at Danny's body...the eyes of the artist studying his subject. "Um...well look out the window at the scenery, I need to study the light a moment...and lose the briefs if you please."
Danny gazed out the window with a purpose, his hands sliding down his sides, thumbs hooking in the waistband...pushing downwards. He willed himself to focus on the desert landscape...I will not get hard, he told himself.
The briefs slid down past his knees and pooled around his ankles...he kicked them off towards the corner and stepped up towards the window. He could feel the sunlight on his skin...especially on that part which was always covered. A glow of warmth bathed his crotch, his chest, his face...and yet he was not aroused.
His eyes searched the expanse of desolation for some key, some focal point to which he might absorb the thoughts racing through his mind. Yes, he was naked in front of Andrew and he felt it a mercy that the boy had not said a word about it. No, he could not focus on the boy sitting only feet away...that was not his purpose here.
For his part, Andrew opened his sketchbook to a blank page and grabbed a pencil. This was to be the preliminary sketch, the one he always made to give him clues for the shape and scope of his next stage. Shadow and texture, proportions and space allocation, this was his immediate goal.
Never mind that he was seeing Danny's naked body for the first time...the boy was an object at the moment. This would all be hard enough to put down considering the constant sway of motion from the train, but it seemed to have a certain rhythm to the movement and he could work with that.
Danny stood with his left arm raised and his hand placed against the upper window frame, fingers splayed...the other arm dangling at his side. His face was turned to look through the glass, his body relaxed, the right leg slightly raised as his weight rested on the left. His body was bathed in the bright light of a fading sun, leaving a ghostly shadow cast on the wall behind him.
Andrews mind absorbed all this and filed it away while his hand flew across the page. The first line became a series of lines, curving...stretching to encapsulate the shape of his subject. Danny's body materialized on the page in short order, and then Andrew began refining the shape.
The curve of an elbow, the angle of the head, and the splay of fingers...it all seemed to materialize and coalesce into one structured image. Andrew now began to focus on details, and to avoid dwelling on it forever...he began with Danny's penis.
Unlike himself, Danny was circumcised. It allowed him to present the flare and veining of that precious part. The boy was in no way erect but the penis seemed to hang with weight, pressed forward by the generous sack of goodies hanging behind it. These were not sexual thoughts but artistic ones, Andrew would not allow his vision to be clouded with lustful random feelings.
He made sure of the shape presented by Danny's pubic growth, carefully noting the fine line of hairs traveling up to the indentation of his belly button. The curve of the hip, raised slightly because of the elevated leg threw the body slightly askew but that was fine. Symmetry was not to be admired; nature was not always in such beautiful balance.
No, he had simply allowed Danny to strike his own natural pose and the effect was stunning. Right...he had the shape. Andrew turned the page and began a larger scale sketch of the head. He would expand the whole piece by making sketches of different areas of the body and then in his studio he would bring them all together.
Danny's hair wasn't long...nor was it too short. He seemed to stay well groomed despite the traveling conditions. The fine brown hair swept back behind the boy's ears allowed the face to open up, and what a pleasing face it was. Body hair had always fascinated Andrew since he had little of his own.
It would still be several years before Danny needed to razor his face on a regular basis. The barest shadow of a mustache grew on his upper lip, a line of fine hair that could only be described as adolescent. It was endearing, and with that thought Andrew knew it was time for him to stop for the moment.
Once he began to see the subject on a personal level it always seemed to change the way he drew. Being objective and critical of his work, far beyond the perceptions of most viewers, Andrew knew his own limitations. His mind could not indulge both passion and artistic perception at the same time; they were both all-consuming feelings.
He didn't say anything to Danny, but the boy had stood patiently for almost half an hour by now and his body had to feel the strain. But Andrew saw in the boy's gaze that he was far away in some other state of mind. The moment seemed familiar, his mind often allowed such travel for creative reasons.
And then Danny seemed to return to the present and he turned to look. "You done...can I move?"
"Yes, I'm finished for the moment," Andrew replied.
Danny moved over and plopped down on the seat. No thought to his nakedness, it was as if he didn't realize his current state of undress.
"Wow...that was intense," Danny said.
"What were you thinking?" Andrew asked.
"I was out there...lost in the desolation and heat. It was as if I could feel the rays of the sun fading, giving way to the cool of night. We fail to see the devastation such intense radiant heat brings because no one can live out here...but what if we had to? What if all the water suddenly dried up and all the land began to look like this? Wouldn't we welcome the coming of night?"
Andrew smiled. Danny was such a literate visionary at heart, who else had thoughts like that? They were well suited for one another.
"Do you write poetry as well?" Andrew asked.
Danny grinned. "I've tried...but it seems confining, all those rules about measures and rhyme seem to choke my efforts. Did you get what you needed?"
"On paper...yes, I have my thoughts filled in. They're pieces really, I join them together later. Sketching and painting are not like taking a photograph. It doesn't just present itself as a final work right away."
"Oh...I didn't know how it worked. Should I get dressed now?"
"If you want...I'll only tear them off later," Andrew said. "But wait...let me try one thing first."
With that he leaned towards Danny a bit and stared down at the boy's crotch. The effect was astonishing, Danny's cock rose to full mast in less than ten seconds. The immediate blush on his face was endearing, and now Andrew reached out and touched that precious face.
"It's good to know I have such a strong effect on you," Andrew said. Their eyes met and locked together. Andrew leaned forward and their lips met. Danny almost jumped out of his skin when a warm hand encircled his cock...instead he groaned and shut his eyes.
Andrew stroked up and down a few times and felt the cock pulse with energy. He knew better than to keep it up, Danny would explode much too soon if he wasn't careful. He withdrew his hand and Danny groaned again. Andrew placed a palm against Danny's chest and pushed back.
"This is so unfair, you're naked and I'm..."
Danny began to tug on Andrew's belt; he wanted them both to be equal.
"Whoa, cowboy. I want to undress for you...okay?" Andrew said.
"Please," Danny replied.
Andrew stood with his back against the wall and he began to strip. Danny stared in awe as each piece of clothing fell, the seconds ticking away, pushing forth an ever increasing demand in his mind to leap on the boy. But Andrew was not to be rushed, it was his showcase.
Removing the shirt one button at a time, Andrew seemed to enjoy the tease. The ribbed straps of his undershirt revealed pale shoulders as he shrugged off the button down dress shirt and dropped it in a pile on the floor. The agony went on as the boy slowly inserted a finger under one strap and then the other, pulling outwards and allowing the undershirt to slide down to his waist.
His small pink nipples stood out and Danny felt his cock throb at the sight. Then off came the shoes and socks in a jumble of movement before Andrew once again stood up straight and unbuckled his belt. The loose fitting dress pants he wore seemed to fall of their own accord, revealing the pale blue boxer shorts underneath.
Danny had boxers too, but he had decided that the dangle of his parts on the train trip would be distracting and might keep him aroused way too much. This of course was before he met Andrew ten hours ago. Oh God, had it only been that long?
The boxers gave no clue as to what lay underneath...well there was a slight swelling...so unfair. Andrew stepped out of his pants and kicked them away. His hands circled his chest, pausing to pinch his nipples. Danny sat mesmerized at the sight.
Andrew slid his hands down, capturing his undershirt and boxers in the same move. His fingers moved downwards, under the cloth which quickly began to descend across his narrow hips. And then it all fell around his ankles revealing his precious parts. Danny felt a throb, a slight surge and he almost came with the excitement.
Danny had seen statues of pale alabaster marble in books that he'd read, statues the Greeks had sculpted to honor the male body...but this was living flesh. Andrew was so slender, so pale and yet he seemed so perfect.
It was his first glimpse of an uncircumcised penis and Danny found it thrilling...enticing. He watched as the head began to push out of the sheath as Andrew became erect. He looked back up at the boy's face and saw that smile.
"Do I pass?" Andrew asked. "Are you keen for my body?"
Danny swallowed, he was more than keen. In two steps Andrew was in his arms and Danny felt the warmth of the flesh against his. Their lips met once again and Danny lay back, pulling the boy on top.
There was no plan in mind but Danny knew that no matter what they did together it would be the best thing ever. Just the feeling of their erections pressed between them was exhilarating...he couldn't get enough of that pressure.
Danny slid his arms around Andrew and held their bodies together, the boy pressed back. Cock to cock, belly to belly they began to squirm. The feeling was unlike any other and Danny soon became lost in the feeling of their bodies rubbing together. And from out of the depths he felt a sudden overwhelming need and he gasped.
Andrew had known it was going to happen, Danny had already been so aroused it seemed like he would cum any second, and now he had. It made him smile inside and he moved faster and faster until he felt himself ready to let go.
Danny was surprised at the groan that emanated from Andrew's throat, it was almost a growl. But he felt the rush of cum added to his own before Andrew quickly collapsed on his chest.
When he had first seen the boy's cock become erect Danny had wondered if Andrew had even reached puberty. There were few hairs, and what there were seemed pale and short. Now he knew that Andrew was not some little child he should worry about...their sperm was mingled on the palette of his belly.
Andrew raised his head. "Did you like that?"
"I love you," Danny replied. "That was awesome."
Andrew giggled. "Now we've got past the introductions...we can enjoy the rest."
"Rest?" Danny laughed. "I just had the best cum of my life and you want more?"
Andrew ran his fingers across Danny's cheek. "Yes, love...there will be much, much more."
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