Breathe life into
this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me...
-
Loreena McKennit (Dante’s
Prayer)
SixteenB:
When David Met Duo:
And now there were two.
Two
boys that had his mind all in one jumbled mass of confusion.
One
light. One dark. One rich. One poor. Milliardo. Mystery boy.
Milliardo
who? That was the question. He could very well do research on the school
computers to find out who he was, but why bother? It was none of his concern.
His plans for today were to take the short cut home after school and crash for
the rest of the day. It wasn’t even lunchtime and he was ready to call it
quits. He yawned wearily and continued the lonesome walk down the school
hallway. He had a meeting with Father Chancy in the teacher’s room in ten
minutes and he was not looking forward to it at all. He took a quick and almost
absentminded glance out the window. He noticed a delivery truck in the grounds
and gave another small yawn. As he turned his head away, a flash of something
familiar had him stopping in his tracks and spinning around quickly.
The
braid. It was the boy! The boy on the stairs the other day and…
What the fuck?!
It
looked as if an older man was chasing him with a knife? What the hell
was going on here? He watched the events unfold as if in slow motion. The boy
was now running towards the west wing of the large school building. David knew
he would have to run pretty damn fast to catch up to them. Whatever was about
to happen, didn’t look good. Without giving it a second thought, he began to
run towards the lower floors. He barely gave any of the other teachers a
glance, as all he could see in his mind was the blood he had noticed on the
knife the man held.
As
he reached the right floor, a piercing scream heralded his arrival. The boy
seemed frozen against the wall as his lungs expanded with the effort of his
cry. There was a dead body on the floor from which blood now stained the marble
floor with its thick redness.
“I’ll
kill youse…” the man was saying. David could see that he was the one bleeding.
Obviously, the boy must have been the one to stab him. “Fucking pain in
the…aaaargh!”
In
his quest to reach the boy, the man had barely paid attention to the other burly
men that crept up behind him. Although he struggled fruitlessly upon contact,
he was quickly thrown to the ground and subdued. By this time several teachers
and some students had made their way towards the scene. Some screamed in fright
at the sickening sight of blood that had been spilled.
And
as for the boy, he was so overwhelmed by the experience that he promptly passed
out…in the arms of the teacher.
“Will
he be alright?”
“He
is resting now, Mr. Elroy. It would be best if you just wait for him out here,
okay?”
“Ah…okay,
sure.”
The
nurse watched him make his way towards the window with a light shake of her
head. She had never seen a teacher so concerned about someone who wasn’t even
his student. David had refused to leave the waiting room ever since the boy had
been brought in. He had fussed like a mother hen, almost driving the nurses
insane with his persistent questions. When asked if he was related to the boy
in anyway, David had looked blank and had shaken his head in denial. No, he had
never met the boy personally, just a glance.
Uh huh.
He
leaned his head against the cool glass and closed his eyes. He really couldn’t
understand it himself. Why was he so worried about this kid? It wasn’t as if he
had done anything extraordinary for him. He had just picked up a book that had
fallen down the stairs, that’s all. Right? No, it had to be more than that. The
boy could have easily taken the book and sold it to make a quick buck on the
street, but he had given it back instead. He hadn’t even asked David for money
or any sort of reward for what he had done. So, what was it about the kid? He
stared at his hands. They had lifted the boy once he had passed out. He had
felt too damn light. When was the last time he had eaten any real food?
The
sound of the door creaking open had him almost running back to the receptionist
desk. The nurse didn’t even allow him to speak, before motioning for him to go
inside. “He’s all yours now, Mr. Elroy. But please try not to aggravate him,
okay?”
Trust
me, I know all about aggravation, David thought as he began to open up the door
carefully. If his instincts were correct, he was sure that the boy would be
feeling hurt and angry right about now. He didn’t dare walk into the room too
quickly. Who knew what lay in store for him?
Sure
enough the boy was wide-awake – wide-awake and ready to kill him from the look
of things. There was a wild, almost maniacal look in those amethyst depths and
a chair was raised high above his head ready to send it flying in David’s
direction at any moment.
“Ah,
I see you are awake.” Which was the fucking understatement of
the century.
Given
the panicked look on the boy’s face, David did the only thing he could do for
now. He smiled. A smile of warmth and understanding. A smile that said that
everything was going to be alright.
Trust
me, he
pleaded with his eyes. Let me help you.
And
as he wrapped his arms around the trembling and crying boy, David knew that
their fates were already destined to be.
The
boy eyed the book warily and then lifted his eyes to stare at the smiling man
on the chair beside his bed.
“What’s
this?” he asked carefully.
“That’s
a book,” David teased with a grin before wiping it off as he noticed the
irritated look that flickered in the boy’s eyes. He cleared his throat and
tried again. “Actually, that is a book about life and death and how one can
deal with such things.”
The
boy raised a brow in skepticism and shook his head. “I have already read this
one. It’s ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens
and I highly doubt its about life and death. Sure the value of life and the
horrors of death are pointed out, but I think it’s more about freedom. The
freedom of one’s soul to fight for what he or she believes in. Fighting for your
rights could also be considered a predominant theme.”
David
nodded slowly, trying not to gape too hard at how the boy looked as he had
spoken. He was still stuck in bed, but the familiar braid had been undone and
his long hair now framed his (beautiful) face. In his mind, David saw the blond
in the very same spot and he shook his head quickly. What was it with boys and
their long hair? Was that the latest thing these days? David seemed to have
forgotten that his hair wasn’t exactly short either. But it was always in a
ponytail and he had the tendency to forget just how long it was.
And
for this kid to sound so knowledgeable, he didn’t deserve to live in the slums.
Come to think of it, David couldn’t remember ever seeing him in the school
either.
“Do
you attend any school around here?” he asked quietly. “You sound like you know
what you are saying.”
The
boy shrugged and thumbed through the pages of the book without saying anything.
David could make out the faint scars across his neck and knew without a doubt
that the boy had probably been held in a chokehold more than once. David’s
sharp eyes also caught sight of faint scars across the boy’s upper arms and
wrists. More signs of abuse. Fuck! What else had the kid gone through?
“Don’t
you go to school?”
No
answer.
David
sighed softly and slowly got to his feet. “Okay, since you don’t feel like
talking today…are you at least going to tell me your name? You know mine and I
have been coming here for the past few days to visit. So…”
“You
whine too much,” came the exasperated reply as the boy fell back against the
pillows to stare at the older man with a wary look. “If you are so desperate to
know my name, then it’s Duo, okay?”
“Duo?
As in D-u-o, Duo?”
Was
this guy for real? Duo shook his head with a low groan and closed his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s spelled that way. And could you get me a better book tomorrow?
Something a bit… funny?”
David
grinned and gave a nod. “I will do so. Oh and before I forget…”
“What?”
The
teacher lowered his voice, not really sure why he was doing so. “The trial for
your guardian is beginning tomorrow. They will need you to be a witness on the
stand.”
“Oh.”
David
watched the boy shrug carelessly and he felt his heart sink a little. He didn’t
know what kind of reaction he had been hoping for but it certainly hadn’t been
this one. Obviously, Duo didn’t want to talk anymore and even though he had
only been with the boy for just a short period of time, he could now read his
body language quite well.
“You
want me to get you something to eat, Duo? I could just go buy us some burgers.
I bet you are sick of the hospital food, right?”
When
the boy still refused to answer him, David smiled softly. “Fine. I’ll be right
back with the food.” He began to make his way out of the room only to have an
amused voice stop him in his tracks.
“You
might want to take this if you’re going to buy something, Mr. Elroy.”
David
blinked dumbly at the small wallet in the boy’s hand, before patting his
pockets quickly. No fucking way. When had he…?
Duo
opened his eyes as a smile came to his lips. It wasn’t a very pleasant one and
it didn’t quite reach his eyes either. David could see the maturity, cunning
and deviousness behind those wide amethyst depths and it sent a chill of fear
down his spine. He wasn’t dealing with any ordinary kid that was for sure. He
reached for his wallet and smiled back weakly.
“Good
one, Duo. Really, really good one.”
The
boy shrugged as if to say it was something that happened every other day. And turning
on his side, he pulled the blankets over himself and promptly dismissed the
older man without saying another word.
He’s
a fucking criminal, David thought as he paid for the fast food. Well, that shouldn’t have
really been surprising. The damn streets were filled with kids that stole on a
daily basis. But it was the way his wallet had been taken that had David
bristling. He thought that his stealth skills had been second to none during
his days as an Operative, but this was ridiculous. How could he have been
sitting right there and not notice that something was amiss? When had Duo
moved? How had he moved? When had he…?
“Oi…you’re spilling ketchup all over the place, man.”
“Eh?
Oh, sorry…” he reached for a fistful of napkins and began to wipe up the mess
quickly. Thinking of Duo and all his problems was really beginning to bug the
teacher in more ways than one. For the past five days, he had been a constant
at Duo’s side (after classes of course) and after the first day of tears and
pity, the boy had spent the next two days sleeping like a corpse. But David had
stayed anyway. He had found himself reading softly to Duo’s sleeping form,
whether the boy responded to his words or not. When Duo finally regained consciousness,
he had begun to act differently. The boy rarely smiled and when he did, it was
either with wariness or indifference. David hadn’t wanted to interrogate Duo
from the start. He wanted to establish a friendship and ease the boy’s mind.
Things weren’t looking so good right now, but David was sure he was going to
break through very soon.
There
were the books for one thing. Duo had taken to the books he always brought in
with interest. At first it had just been polite curiosity, but he had slowly
amazed David with his knowledge of the more contemporary literary works around.
Just when had Duo found the time to read books? If he could hang out with
hoodlums, then where would he find a suitable place to read? Who gave him
access to books? Of course there was the library. Duo could have spent hours
there, so that was understandable. But something still didn’t add up. And with
the upcoming trial, things could get out of hand pretty soon. He realized that
if Griffith was found guilty, Duo might end up being sent to some kind of
foster home for teens.
He
froze in mid-stride and bit his lower lip in thought. The idea of Duo living in
such pitiable conditions was something that did not sit too well with him. He
couldn’t just sit back and allow such a talented boy to be taken away from
society like that. Stealing put aside, Duo was the kind of person, if taught
properly, who could turn out to be a useful member of society.
That’s it!
He
would take Duo in and become his new guardian! It was absolutely foolproof. He
had proven that he could deal with petulant children and all he was doing was
providing shelter for a boy who wouldn’t have any. He would have to convince
the judges that he would be able to handle it though. But that would mean
getting a new apartment and buying new clothes for Duo and…
What the hell am I thinking? It’s not as if the kid
has agreed to let me take care of him! Stop daydreaming!
But
still, it couldn’t hurt to try. And with a firm nod of resolution, David
decided to take the plunge into ‘parenthood’.
Why
was this man being so nice to him? He had stolen his wallet and could do it a
million times over and yet he just kept coming back every single day to talk to
him. Was he insane? Didn’t he have anything better to do? He sighed and sipped
the ice-cold soda through the straw, carefully watching the man who was
currently reading some book called ‘Staircase to Hell’ to him. It was a pretty
damn funny book, now that Duo thought of it, but his mind was still swirling
with the events of the past twelve hours and David’s reading was the furthest
thing from his mind.
He
was still stuck in the school’s hospital, since he really had no other place to
go. He had met that scary Father Johansson guy and he had allowed Duo to stay -
on the grounds that he behaved himself. The boy had overheard conversations
between David and Johansson outside his doorway at times. It seemed like the
Father wanted to kick him out, but as usual the damn teacher would always butt
in and plead for his sake.
Duo
wanted to run away, but he was scared. The image of Griffith’s murderous
features still haunted him at night and the thought of going back to their
ramshackle basement of a home was more than he could bear. He didn’t want to
tell David any of this, but he had been tempted. Oh yes, he had been tempted on
many occasions to just spill every damn thing that had happened to him in his
life. He watched David carefully and tried to really ‘see’ him. The teacher
didn’t look like he came from the surrounding area and he was mighty young too
– about Leftie’s age. Duo took in the long black hair that was tied back in a
ponytail. He wondered why the guy even bothered because the front of his hair
looked like someone had run a lawn mower over it. It lay in sharp spikes and
unruly bangs and Duo felt the need to look for a comb and do something about
it.
He slurped and burped, earning a stern look from the teacher. He couldn’t help smiling a little. David could act like a damn baby sometimes, but there were times when he could act like a big brother and just…talk to him. He felt something constrict lock in his throat and he took a deep breath. He couldn’t start crying now. What was the point? David was just being nice to save his hide. Once this whole trial thing was over, he was going to be sent back to the basement or god forbid, the House, and then his life would be over.
Knowing
full well that Griffith was locked up in jail right now still didn’t ease the
fear in his young mind. Duo still had visions of coming in contact with the
older man and this time around, there would be nowhere to hide.
“Da…David?”
The
teacher stopped his reading, lifting his gaze in surprise at the soft call. He
felt something ache in his chest as he noticed the vulnerable expression on
Duo’s face. Gone was the hard mask that had been in place for the past few
days. Gone was the cold smile that had always held little to no emotion in its
wake. Instead a young boy of only thirteen sat in the small bed, looking even
smaller and paler than he should have. His hair was done in its customary
braid, and he was now dressed in a new pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that
David had bought for him yesterday.
“What
is it, Duo?” he asked softly. Maybe he’s about to open up to me now, the
teacher thought with faint hope. Maybe…
The
boy lowered his lashes and looked even more vulnerable - if that were possible.
And in a small voice, he asked softly, “What…what will happen to me when this
is all over? Where do you think they’ll send me?”
David
closed the book slowly and thought of a way to say the words without causing
the boy even more pain or aggravation. And sparing Duo a pitying smile, he
stared deeply into the worried amethyst depths and spoke carefully.
“I
don’t know, Duo. I honestly do not know what the judge will say. I know for a
fact that Griffith will be put in jail for a long time, he did murder someone
after all – let alone all the cases for child abuse he must have put you
through…”
“Will
they take me to the shrink house?” Duo interrupted quickly. There was a
panicked look in his eyes now. “Please don’t let them take me to the shrink
house. Anywhere but there!”
David
was stunned at the vehemence of the boy’s words and before he could open up his
mouth to say any thing else, Duo flung himself into his arms and was holding
him in an embrace so tight, he swore he would be unable to breathe.
“Duo…”
he tried to say, but Duo’s feverish words caused his thoughts to falter.
“Please…”
came the harshly whispered words. “Please don’t let them take me away, David.
Please…”
Wrapping
his arms tightly around the trembling form, David Elroy swore to protect the
young boy even if it meant giving up his life.
Surprisingly,
the trial had gone quite quickly and even though Duo had looked calm and
collected on the witness stand, no one would have guessed that it was the
presence of the handsome teacher in the audience that had helped him through it
all. Griffith had been found guilty of murder in the first degree and had been
sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance for parole. Duo had also had a
‘talk’ with the prosecuting lawyers and they had come to a reluctant decision
not to bring the possible abuse charges forward. If that had been made public,
there was no doubt that Duo would have been sent through a series of counselors
and even made to stay at the House.
And
that was something the teenager wanted to avoid at all cost.
The
paperwork for the legalization of David becoming Duo’s new guardian went by
quite quickly as well. Whether it was due to the authorities needing to reduce
the number of children on the streets or just to get rid of Duo in general,
David was more than happy that he was able to take care of the boy on his own.
What
made the small victory even sweeter was the genuine smile of gratitude that Duo
had given him after the final paper had been signed.
“So,
how does it feel to be free…sort of?” David asked around a spoonful of
chocolate sundae as he watched the way the boy’s eyes seemed to sparkle with
pleasure. They were sitting outside a local ice cream shop and were about to
head off to Duo’s old home to pick up some of his personal items. Although it
was going to be a rather daunting task for the young boy, David had sworn to be
by his side throughout the entire ordeal.
Duo
shrugged and scooped up the last drop of his sundae from the side of his glass.
“I dunno. I guess I have always been free, but I think I will be able to go
back home without worrying about Griffith, right?”
David
nodded with a wide grin. “That’s right. Griffith is in a place where he
rightfully belongs. Oops…you’ve got…” He made a flickering motion in the air
beside his nose.
Duo
blinked in confusion. “What? What is it?”
Laughing
softly at how bemused his new ward looked, David picked up his napkin and
leaned across the small table to wipe off a trail of chocolate that had somehow
ended up on Duo’s nose. The soft motions caused Duo to giggle and before long
they were both laughing out loud causing the other customers to look at them in
bewilderment.
Duo’s
laughter.
It
was wild and yet music to David’s ears. A genuine sound of pleasure. A laughter
that was free from worries and suffering. He had finally made Duo laugh and to
David…that was all that mattered.
Time
flies when you are having so much fun…
He
leaned against the wall with a light grunt and marked off the position above his
head. Pulling away quickly, he eyed the latest marking. He had gained an extra
inch in the past week.
Double cool!
Tucking
the black pen within his pocket, he quickly washed his face in the sink and
made his way out of the bathroom and into the small kitchen. He noticed the
small card on their dining room table and picking it up, he mouthed the words
written on it with a small smile spreading across his handsome features.
‘Happy
15th Birthday, kiddo. Love, David.’
He
turned the card over.
‘PS: Your present is in the fridge. Have fun.’
“I
most definitely will,” the boy said with a wide grin as he opened said fridge
to pull out the small blue box topped with a white bow. Even before opening it,
he knew what it was. They had gone shopping (more like sightseeing) along the
mainland district last weekend and Duo had stopped in front of the Chocolate
Shop with the name L’Fleur written in bright fluorescent cursive on its awning.
The variety of sinful chocolate treats had them both salivating shamelessly. It
was obvious that Duo wanted a taste of what they had to offer, but the boy had
said nothing and instead opted to move on to the next shop. David had noticed
it seemed.
He
opened the box slowly and…
“YO,
D!! HURRY UP ALREADY!”
He
growled and shouted back in irritation, “I’M COMING! KEEP IT DOWN, WILL YA?”
Muttering
at the lack of tact his friends had, Duo resumed his careful unraveling of the
treat. Thoughts of savoring its delicious taste were shattered yet again as the
loud yell from the boy beneath the window reached his ears again.
“WHAT
THE FUCK’S KEEPING YA?! WE’RE LATE, ASSHOLE!”
He
grit his teeth and stomped towards the window. Sticking his head out of it, he
flipped the motley crew of five boys and a girl, the finger before darting back
inside and closing the window with a resolute lock. Let them wait. He had a few
things to do right now. He had absolutely no intentions of sharing his
chocolate with anyone. This must have cost David a fortune and there was no way
in hell Duo was going to eat it all in one go. It was something that was to be
cherished and he would do so by taking a small piece now and then coming back
later on to take another piece. He pulled out the white paper wrappings and
stared in silent awe at the small chocolate éclair. It had the words ‘Happy
Birthday Duo’ on it and without realizing it, a single tear slid down his
cheek. He didn’t bother to wipe it away as he thought of the man behind the
gift.
David
had been more than awesome to him. The teacher had not only taken him under his
wing, but he had made sure that Duo did not want for anything…that he could
afford of course. Duo, on the other hand, never really asked for much, but
whenever he did, David was sure to find a way to get it for him. The teacher
had gotten him enrolled in St. Gabriel’s and although David never taught any of
the classes he attended, they still had a chance to talk to each other during
lunch breaks. His reading had improved greatly, thanks to the older man’s
extensive library and Shuman’s shop. Whenever he didn’t feel like hanging out
with the guys, he would spend the hours tucked away in David’s room, enjoying
the pleasures of immersing himself in other worlds.
As he tried to lift up the pastry, a small note fell from underneath it. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and picked it up to read.
‘I know it’s your birthday, Duo and I want it to be a special day for both of us as well. So, please, I only ask that you do not get into trouble, okay? Promise me that, Duo and I will have something extra special for you tonight. Love, David.’
Duo stared at the rather elegant writing on the paper for a few more seconds before crumpling it up in his hand with a light snort. Getting into any more trouble? What other trouble had he been in recently? The last time had not been his fault. Those damn kids from the South block had started the fight and Duo had only been an innocent bystander until one of them punched him for no reason at all. Had David actually expected him to sit back and do nothing?
/You
almost killed the guy, Duo! Jesus! His face was almost gone!/
/He
had it coming…/
/Fuck!
That’s not the point! I am sick of having to go to the police station every
other day to fucking bail you out! The next time you get arrested, I’m leaving
you there, got it?!/
/Sure,
sure, whatever./
He
was trying to stop. Honest. But it seemed as if trouble followed him
everywhere. He sighed and stuck a finger into the pastry. And as he slowly
pulled the lone digit out of the thick, creamy center, he idly wondered what it
would feel like to have it stuck up David’s ass. It seemed as if the teacher
was beginning to get too uptight these days. Whenever Griffith had felt
‘uptight’, Duo was always used for ‘relief’. Nothing like a good hard fuck when
things go wrong in your life, right?
He
had been living with David Elroy for two years now. David was a man who seemed
to think that everything could be solved through peaceful negotiation and
dialogue. Man, had he actually been an Operative in the military? It was a bit
hard to believe. Although, David didn’t talk about it much, Duo could tell that
the memories must have been bad for the older man. There had been nights when
the teacher’s soft cries of pain could be heard from his makeshift bed in the
living room. Duo had even spent some nights lying beside the older man, holding
his hand as he watched the pure anguish that flashed across the sweat-drenched
face each night. Of course, he would slip away as soon as David had settled
down. It wouldn’t do to let the teacher know just how much his student ‘helped’
him at night.
One
time, he had actually given David a blowjob. And the teacher had never known.
Or
had he?
David
had been having a particularly bad dream and no matter how hard the boy tried
to relieve the teacher’s pain with soothing words, nothing seemed to work.
Suddenly remembering how Griffith had liked to have his pain ‘eased’, Duo
promptly tugged down the older man’s pants and set to work. It was a duty.
Nothing more. Suck. Lick. Scrape a little. But he had to admit that David’s
taste was so much better than Griffith’s. Could a cock taste sweet? Probably.
Because that was exactly how he remembered David’s.
He
wanted to taste it again.
However,
the question remained. Had David known? The incident had happened months ago
and that was when the teacher had begun to act ‘weird’ towards him. Duo
couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but ever since that day, he began noticing
the ‘spacing out’ tendencies. There were times when David would pretend as if
he was reading a book while staring at him at the same time. It freaked Duo out
at first and when he brought it up, the teacher had laughed in an embarrassed
manner and brushed the incident aside. And then there was the case of him
taking showers. When he had first moved in, Duo had no worries about walking
naked in the small apartment. Sure, David protested the first few times, but
after a while, he thought nothing of it. But these days, just going
bare-chested was enough to get David mumbling something and telling Duo to put
a shirt on.
/But
it’s a freaking hundred degrees in here! I’ll melt!/
/Then
melt, Duo. Just put a goddamn shirt on!/
Weird
indeed.
He
leaned back in his chair and ignored the grating sounds of his friends
impatient knocking on the front door.
Was
there something wrong with him? Maybe David was getting tired of living with
him. Yeah, that had to be the reason. David was getting tired of seeing his
face again and there was no way the gutless teacher could tell the boy that.
Duo smiled coldly and rose to his feet with a determined nod. Well, if David
wanted to get rid of him, he had no intentions of leaving so quietly. And
reaching for his jacket, he slipped into it quickly, while picking up the
baseball bat that had now become his close companion.
“Third
time this week, Mr. Elroy. If you don’t keep that kid in line, I swear I ain’t
gonna listen to anymore talk of ‘he’s gonna change’ crap from you.”
David
sighed heavily as he turned over the signed papers to the sheriff. “Yes, sir. I
promise to do so.”
Smiling
weakly at the stern-faced officer, he made his way to the front lobby of the
bustling police station. He noticed Duo sitting between a heavily made-up
hooker and a guy who looked as if he had just come out of a heavy metal
concert. He looked out of place in this room, yet he made it look as if it was
his second home. He noticed that Duo already had that petulant look on his features
again and deciding not to talk too much about it, he began to walk out of the
station, knowing full well that the boy was bound to follow.
The
walk back to the apartment was a quiet one. Duo walked a few steps behind the
striding teacher with a sullen look on his face. His hands were stuck deep
within his pockets as he braced himself for the upcoming lecture. He didn’t
want to hear it, but he was sure David was still going to dish it out whether
he wanted to or not.
But
to his surprise, the teacher didn’t say a word. Once inside their small home,
David went straight into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, leaving Duo to
stand alone in the middle of the living room in confusion.
He
sat down heavily on the couch and eyed his bruised knuckles with a faint
grimace. The fight this evening had been a good one, if he did say so himself.
They had managed to break through…
“What
the…?” He sat upright as he felt the objects fall on his lap. He stared at them
mutely for several minutes before picking them up with shaking hands.
Basketball tickets. And not just any basketball tickets, but they were the ones
for the Championship game happening this weekend. These tickets were damn rare to
find! How had he…?
“David…I…”
The
teacher reached for them again and without saying a word, he slowly ripped them
into tiny pieces. Duo watched this, his mind screaming in denial. No…no, it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be!
“What
the hell are you doing?! Those are Championship tickets for Christ sakes!!”
“Not
anymore they aren’t,” David replied coldly as he flung the pieces in the boy’s
face. “You wanna get out there and act like a tough guy, huh? You like getting
into fights and breaking up other people’s stuff, don’t you? You get some kind
of freakish high when you see blood, don’t you, Duo? What the fuck are you?! I
do everything for you! Everything!
And the one day I ask you to behave yourself, you go out and screw things up!
Why?! Why do you keep doing this to me, Duo?”
The
boy refused to reply as he stared at the torn tickets on the floor. He could
hear the pain in the older man’s voice, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Why should he? After all, they were all lies.
“I’m
going out,” he finally announced tonelessly as he spun on his heels to make his
way out of the apartment. But his steps were halted as he felt David’s hand on
his arm. The grip was strong and Duo had to bite his lower lip to stop himself
from wincing in pain.
“Don’t
you dare walk out on me, Duo.”
“Let
me go, David,” he replied just as coldly as he slowly turned around, his
darkened amethyst gaze meeting the blazing blue ones of the older man. “I don’t
want to remain in a house where you just pretend to care.”
David
looked surprised by that statement. “What in the world are you talking about?”
The
boy sneered. “Suuure, Davey. Pretend like you don’t know what I am
talking about, hmm? You’ve been acting weird around me lately and don’t try to
deny it either!”
“What…”
“You keep yelling at me for no reason these days! I can’t seem to do anything right for you and…and…and you hardly look at me now!” Duo continued now getting angry with himself for allowing the tears he had been holding in all day to finally break free. He swiped at them quickly, while trying to release himself from David’s grip. “Let me go, damn it! You are obviously sick of staying with me, so why don’t you just let me get out of your life! Just let me….mmmphff!”
David
was kissing him!
He
forced his mind to register what was happening. Not once. Not once in their two
years together had David ever made an attempt to touch him sexually. The first
months and year had been a lesson in trust as Duo had expected the older man to
do the same things that
So wrong…so damn wrong.
And yet he couldn’t stop himself.
He’s
too young,
his mind screamed. But his body sung otherwise. The heat between them was
unbearable. The need to touch each other was like an addiction that they both
needed to satisfy. He had tried to tell himself for the past two years that he
had only pure thoughts for the beautiful boy. He had spent nights in shame,
staring at his semen-coated hands, knowing full well that every stroke of his
organ had his mind centered on the boy that was sleeping in the very same room.
David knew he had nightmares, but the presence of someone else lying with him
in the same bed had helped ease his troubles. He hadn’t said anything because
he had enjoyed the warmth of the boy next to him. Duo’s soothing words had
always made him better in ways that three months of intensive counseling had
failed to achieve.
And
then there was the night when he had received the most mind blowing blowjob
ever imagined. His acting skills had had to come into play on that night or he
was sure he would have driven the boy away. It was a shameful thing to admit,
but David had enjoyed every single minute of it. He had no doubt that Griffith
must have taught Duo all he knew for the boy had taken control of his swollen
organ with an expertise that would have rivaled any adult. He had come so hard
that he was sure Duo would choke and die from the force of his explosion. Spent
and satiated beyond belief, he had fallen into a dreamless and quite peaceful
sleep; one that he had not had in a long time.
But
then the awkwardness had begun. He still wasn’t sure if Duo had guessed he had
been awake all that time and he didn’t want to give anything away himself. Just
looking at the growing teen was becoming a chore in itself. Duo’s little
nuances – a casual toss of his unbraided locks, a small teasing smile, his
bare-chest dripping with water from the shower – had all but sent the teacher
into a state of perpetual hard-ons. It wasn’t Duo’s fault really. How was the
boy to know that he was such an attractive creature to behold? And David knew
that he hadn’t helped matters by acting as if he now hated Duo. But he had been
frustrated. Knowing he could only watch and fantasize without touching was a
painful experience. Knowing that the dull throb in his heart each time he saw
the boy was an emotion that had to be more than just brotherly love had
bothered him on more than one occasion. And now…
“David…”
…as
he stared into the wide dark purple eyes before him, as he took in the swollen,
moist lips that he finally had the chance to taste, David Elroy knew that he
was about to do something that would change their relationship for a long time
to come.
/Do
you love me, David?/
Hands
clasped each other’s tightly as bodies and minds gave in to a pleasure only
dreamt of.
/I
love you, Duo…always…/