Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 02:02:34 +0100
From: Ardveche <ardveche@ardveche.com>
Subject: Edcuating Alex 8

AN EXPLANATION

==============

Well, I said at the start of Chapter 7 that this one would conclude the
weekend away for Ryan's birthday, but I was wrong!  Chapter 9 will now do
that, making Chapter 10 the meet the parents episode and the final one in
the first cycle of Educating Alex.


DISCLAIMER

==========

This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is
entirely coincidental.  The author asserts all legal and moral rights
(copyright (c) 2001 - www.ardveche.com) to this work and you may not copy
it or transmit it in any way except in its entirety and with this
disclaimer. This story features descriptions of sex between adult males:

- if such material is prohibited in your jurisdiction, please DO NOT READ ON,
- if you're under the legal age to read such material, please DO NOT READ ON,
- if you don't like, or are offended by such material, please DO NOT READ ON.

Now, if everyone who is still here is meant to be here or at least aware
they shouldn't be, let's get on with it.  All comments are welcome and
gratefully received (email them to ardveche@ardveche.com).


EDUCATING ALEX VII

==================

When I returned to consciousness the following morning, well it was nearly
afternoon to be fair, I was lying in a pool of sunlight in the big bed, all
alone.  I hadn't slept so long, or so well in ages, maybe it was the clean
fresh air and the utter silence and isolation of the place?  Whatever it
was, I felt totally rested and rejuvenated, I was a year older, and
unsurprisingly I felt no different, except that a year earlier I had been
nowhere near as happy as I was now.  I heard a crash from downstairs and a
faint curse, and putting two and two together sank gratefully back into the
warm, soft bed, wriggling my toes and stretching languorously.  I was able
to relax, knowing my breakfast would be ready soon, it may be burnt or even
raw, but it would still taste good because Alex had made it for me.  The
clattering from the kitchen continued for a few minutes longer, then there
was a long period of silence, which was even more worrying.

Finally I heard a clumping of booted feet on the stairs and Alex's head
appeared followed by the rest of him.  He was dressed in jeans and T-shirt
with a black and red checked lumberjack shirt, and he'd put his hiking
boots on, unlaced, to protect his feet from the cold.  He was concentrating
on the tray he was carrying, trying not to let the things on it slide
around or topple over.  I think he actually thought he was moving
stealthily and that I would not be disturbed by his movements, hoping
perhaps to surprise me, so I decided to lie still, close my eyes and feign
sleep - I didn't want to disappoint him.  He moved around the bed, and I
felt my side dip as he sat down, heard him settle the tray on his knees and
then gently shake me.

"Huh?"  I murmured, opening my eyes and stifling a fake yawn.

"Breakfast in bed for the birthday boy."  He said smiling down at me.

"Alex, you shouldn't have!"  I said, pulling myself into a semi-upright
position.

"Yes I should, it's time I did stuff for you!"  He leaned toward me and
kissed me on the lips, before moving the tray from his lap to mine.

"Thanks."

"Happy birthday, Ryan."  He smiled broadly at me and reached out to mess up
my hair.  "Eat up, I have to go get your gift from the car."  So that's why
I wasn't allowed to see in the trunk when we arrived!

"Alex you didn't have to get me anything, this weekend has been so great
already."  I smiled at him.  "Just having you is all the gift I need."

"Shut up!"  He laughed at me and blushed a little.  "Goof.  I wanted to get
you something as well, to remember it by."

"Well, I never refused a gift yet, I'm not starting now."  I guess I could
have been a tad more gracious about it, but I was concerned that this
weekend was costing him a lot of money already, but Alex took the same view
of money as he did everything else: live for today, tomorrow will look out
for itself.

"Good.  So eat, I'll be right back!"  And so saying he bounded out the room
and clattered down the stairs, moments later I heard the door banging
against it's frame and I sighed heavily.  Sometimes just watching Alex was
exhausting, the boy just had far too much energy.  My breakfast was
markedly better than I had expected, the scrambled eggs were just the right
side of rubbery and the bacon wasn't so black as to be unidentifiable, even
the tea was passably good, though more than one cup and the tannin would
probably have done irreparable harm to my intestines.  Alex was right, I
was more the mommy type than he was!  I ate quickly, surprising myself with
how hungry I was, but Alex came thundering back upstairs before I was done,
clutching a large and shapeless package in his arms.

"You wrap that yourself?"  I asked with a grin.

"Yeah, you like?"

"Very, um, artistic."

"Yeah?"  He held it at arms length and eyed it critically.  "I call it 'The
Gift', it's my interpretation of the western cultural gestalt surrounding
the whole ethos of gift giving to commemorate events of importance."  He
grinned broadly, looking a lot like Kermit the frog.  "Hey, I sounded like
you!"

"Screw you."

"Hmm, let me think about that."  He raised one finger to his chin and
looked speculative for a few moments, and I laughed aloud at the expression
on his face.  After a moment he gave a decisive little nod.  "Well, it is
your birthday..."

"Gimme my gift!"  I changed the subject abruptly.

"Oh, okay."  He trotted obediently over, placing the package on the bed and
lifting the tray aside to place it on the floor, that accomplished he sat
down on the bed again and grinned at me.  Whether he had been joking or
not, I didn't know, but for now the subject was closed.

"What is it?"

"You asked me that before."  He sighed and shook his head sadly at me.
"And what did I say?"

"Open it and find out."  I said in unison with him.  Wasting no time I
started tearing at the heavily taped bundle, revealing a small patch of
golden fur, having made one hole it was easier to tear the whole package
open and reveal it's contents.  It was a plush toy dog, a Golden Labrador
in fact, well, having compared Alex to one in the past I had to laugh.  I
threw my arms round him, the dog squashed between us, and gave him a hug
and a big kiss.

"Thanks, Alex!  I love it."  It was so sweet.

"Well I figured once you got used to having him around, we could get a real
one."

"Maybe."  I allowed, grinning like an idiot.  "Maybe."  Ah, what the hell,
if he really wanted a dog, maybe I could stand to give it some thought.  I
held the dog up to examine it better, it was about eighteen inches high, in
a sitting position with the tip of a red felt tongue hanging out its mouth
and the most adorable brown glass eyes.

"Now you need a name for him."  He grinned at me.

"Oh, that's easy!"  I grinned evilly back at him.  "Billy!"

"Funny."  He replied in a voice that made it clear he thought it was
anything but.  And cruel though it was, I knew that was now the dog's name,
no question about it, from that point on it would be known as Billy.

"So what else do you have planned for today?"

"Only dinner.  Other than that, it's up to you."  He shrugged.  "I thought
we could maybe go for a walk, down to the lake maybe?"

"Okay, that sounds fun."  I smiled and licked my lips lustfully at him.
"Romantic even!"

"Well I gotta go do something less romantic first."  He said, rising to his
feet and smiling down at me."

"What?"

"Chop some more wood for the fire."  He bent at the waist and I reached up
to put one hand on the back of his strong neck and kiss him.  "Happy
twenty-second, Ryan."

"Thanks, so much, Alex.  This has been just great."  I murmured as I held
him.

"Hey, the man I love should expect to be treated well, like a king."  He
stood up again, disengaging my arm.  "Now get your butt out of that bed and
get dressed, Your Majesty."

"Okay already!"  I slid out the bed and shivered a little as I stripped off
and pulled a pair of jeans from the wardrobe, Alex actually had hung up the
clothes.  He watched me for a moment or two and then, with a wink, left me
to finish dressing and headed back downstairs.  When I was finished I
followed him down to the warmth of the main room, from out front I could
hear the rhythmic noise of an ax striking wood and knew he was out there
chopping wood.  I went to watch, leaning on the door frame.  His shirt was
hanging on the rail of the porch and he looked very rustic, and very sexy,
as he split logs for the fire the muscles in his arms and back working
smoothly and cleanly.  This was the way nature had designed Alex, he was
absolutely in his element out here in the back of beyond.  I found myself
wondering what he'd do after college, he wasn't destined to work in an
office, it just wasn't right, it would be like keeping a cheetah in a zoo.
He'd go crazy without the space and the opportunity to test his strength
and stretch himself.

"Now this is a pleasant sight."  I said, startling him a little as he
hadn't noticed me arriving.

"Domesticated, huh?"  He grinned picking up another log.

"Oh yeah, you chopping wood, me baking cookies?  I could get used to this."

"Yeah?"  He turned to look at me, leaning on the handle of the ax.

"Well, maybe not the baking cookies part."

"But the whole, married couple thing?"

"Yeah, why not?"  I looked at him quizzically.

"You don't think it's kinda weird?"

"What's weird?"

"You know, two guys, together like that.  Not just living together, but
like committed?  As husband and w..., well husband and husband I guess."

"I don't think it's weird at all, why should marriage be the preserve of
heterosexuals anyway?  I mean, when you think about it, what does it
actually mean?  If you see it is a ceremony, a form, for pledging love to
one another for the rest of your natural lives, then why should it be
weird?  Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I couldn't do that."

"It's more than that though isn't it?  I mean, it's like a sacrament or
something, isn't it?"

"According to some religions, yes.  But that's something that grew up in
the Middle Ages, it has more to do with rights of property than of
religious observance.  There's tax breaks and stuff for married couples and
help with raising children, it's a societal thing."

"Yeah?"  he cocked his head on one side, a pose I knew well.  This was
Alex's interest piqued, this was him listening and absorbing.  Past
experience told me he'd go away and think about what I had said, maybe do
some reading on it and come back with questions and his own thoughts a few
days later.  For now, though, I was expect to educate him.

"Yup.  The rules are different from one society to the next but a lot of it
has to do with property, about tying two families together and legitimizing
the children so they can inherit.  But you know, in some Islamic cultures
marriages can be temporary arrangements, for a certain period of time, and
in some cultures you have to marry from the same social caste, endogamy I
think it's called, and that's all about preserving the ruling elite.  So,
love doesn't have a whole lot to do with why the institution of marriage
came about."

"I think I liked the first thing you said better."

"The pledge of love?"

"Yeah."

"Too bad that's not how the law sees it, it's still pretty hard to get a
gay relationship recognized in some places, to get your partner accorded
rights as next of kin."

"Yeah.  That sucks."  Alex shrugged and swung the ax once more, splitting a
fresh log.  "But gay couples can have, like a committal ceremony?"

"Commitment ceremony, yes."  I nodded, he nodded slowly and split another
log.  "Isn't that kinda dumb, if nobody recognizes it?"

"Surely it only matters that the two people involved do?  It's not being
done for anyone else's sake."

"I guess so.  Hey, why don't we take some sandwiches and stuff to eat by
the lake?"  With that enlightened social commentary the conversation
appeared to be over.

"Sure, why not?"  Again, if past experience had taught me anything it was
how to recognize when conversations were over.  I would have liked to
pursue it, because I happen to think that commitment ceremonies can be very
moving and a good way for gay men to celebrate their relationship and love
for one another.  I attended one for a friend of mine and found the whole
thing deeply touching, oh well, never mind.  I gave a little shrug.  "Why
don't I make them while you finish up out here?"

"Okay."  He looked up again and gave me a little half-smile as I turned to
go back into the cabin and make up a little picnic for us both.  I was
nearly done with the sandwiches when he came into the cabin with a full
basket of logs and dumped it by the fire.  "All done?"  I asked, looking
over my shoulder.

"Yup. Chopped enough to last us until Sunday and a bit more so there were
some left when we leave again."  He came over to the kitchen to join me,
placing one hand on my lower back and kissing me gently on the cheek.

"Ever the Good Samaritan!"  I joked returning to my task.

"How pissed would you have been if we got up here and there was nothing to
get the fire going with?"  He laughed.

"Okay, point taken."  I turned around, letting him hold me by the waist and
kissed his lips.  "First, I'd have killed you with the poker.  Then I'd
have burnt a chair or something."

"Remind me not to get you mad."

"You need reminding?"

"Ha ha."  He kissed me again.  "You nearly done?"

"Yup."

"Cool, we can throw a blanket and the food and stuff in my backpack, okay?"

"Such a gentleman."

"Well sandwiches are pretty heavy, don't want you straining yourself."  He
flexed his right arm for me.

"Hey!"  I protested at this jibe and we laughed together.

"I want you to save your strength for later, my love."  He kissed me again,
with a little chuckle.  "I'll get the coats."  He smirked and let go of my
waist, dancing back to avoid the swat I aimed at him and bounced off to get
the coats and his backpack from upstairs.  I finished up the food and
packed it carefully in a Tupperware box I found in the kitchen.  When Alex
returned he packed everything into his backpack and helped me on with my
coat and, locking the door behind us, we set off for a walk in the woods.
We walked for a good long time, hand in hand where the path permitted,
often in single file.  As we went we talked little, Alex seemed lost in
thought once more, but when we were side by side he perked up enough to
point out various woodland plants and animals to me, and I listened with
interest as he told me about growing seasons and mating habits and the
like.  At one point it occurred to me to ask fearfully if there were any
bears in this wood and I was laughingly assured that there were not.  Had
he abandoned me then I would never have found my way back to the cabin, in
a city my sense of direction is first class, but trees all look the same to
me.

"Almost there."  He informed me after we had walked for maybe two hours, my
feet were sore and I was glad I wasn't carrying the pack, light though it
was.  For some time we had been heading steadily downhill and even I could
work out that the lake must lie at the lowest point of the valley, but I
was still surprised when we burst out of the trees onto a sloping bank and
there it was before us.

"Wow."  I said to Alex's back, he had kept on walking down the bank and I
had stopped in my tracks.  It was a wonderful sight and I cursed myself for
not bringing a camera with me.  Before me lay a broad expanse of flat,
still blue-gray water surrounded on all sides by the thick canopy of the
forest, it was like something primeval as not a creature seemed to be
stirring other than the two of us.  Overhead I saw some birds
(pterodactyls?) wheeling in the clear blue sky and I stood watching them
for some time, marveling at the feeling of openness and exposure.
Eventually I had the feeling I was being watched and dropped my eyes, Alex
was perched on an outcropping of rock near the edge of the water, his
backpack at his side and his long legs stretched out in front of him, an
amused expression on his face as he looked at me.

"Where did you go, space boy?"  He asked, a favorite question of his when I
zoned out, as I did from time to time.

"I was just..."  I looked around some more and with a sheepish grin trotted
down the bank to join him.  "I was just taking it all in, it's so
beautiful, Alex."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool."  He cast his gaze around as I scrambled up the
rocks to join him, dropping into a sitting position by his side.  He had
picked a good perch as we could see back over the forest to the distant
hills where I supposed our cabin to be and down along the length of the
lake and the forest beyond.  I let him slip an arm around me and snuggled
against him, it was a little cold out, but I banished all thoughts of
scenes from 'Deliverance' and concentrated on enjoying the warmth of his
body.

"Pretty cool?  It's stunning, Alex!"  I enthused.  "I mean I know you grew
up with this sort of stuff, but wow.  I wish I'd brought my camera."

"Count on Alex!"  He laughed, rummaging in the backpack with his free hand
and producing my camera from its depths.

"How could I not love you?"  I asked him quietly but with real sincerity
and shivered a little as his whole face lit up at my words, a flip-flopping
sensation in the pit of my stomach.

"It's be tough, I guess."  He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose.  "But
I'd have worn you down eventually."

"Yeah?  For the record, stud, you wore me down about five seconds into our
first meeting."

"That was lust."  He replied matter-of-factly, then gave a little shrug and
looked thoughtful.  "Which is understandable."

"Yup."  I agreed sagely, we'd had conversations like this before, if Alex
joked about his looks the best way to win was to agree with him, this time,
as always, he flushed when I did and looked distinctly uncomfortable.  For
such a good-looking guy he was almost painfully shy about his appearance.
"Seriously, though, it wasn't purely physical, Alex, I liked you a lot as a
person too, what little chance I had to talk to you."

"You did?"

"Yes, of course I did."  I slipped one of my arms around him also, ignoring
the pointy bit of rock that was now sticking into my back and looking him
straight in the eye.  "You're a wonderful person and it shines through."

"You didn't think I was just another dumb jock asshole?"  He asked, looking
skeptical.

"Not once I spoke to you.  You've got a sensitivity I don't normally
associate with assholes."

"Thanks, Ry, that means a lot to me, buddy."  He pulled me closer,
relieving the pain in my back and we clung to each other there on that rock
and just kissed and hugged for the longest time.  Isn't it wonderful
getting back to nature?  Like I had that first night at Kipner's I began to
think how wonderful it would be to be the last two people on earth, all
this silence and beauty ours and ours alone.  There was a splash from the
lake and I jerked away sharply, looking round me hurriedly, expecting to
see a pair of inbred, gun-toting hicks bearing down on us.

"What was that?"

"A fish jumping, Ryan, relax."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."  He pulled me back to him with a grin.  "Now concentrate
on what you were doing."  Eventually though we parted and he yanked me to
my feet and down off the rocks, then we spent a while walking along the
shore, stopping from time to time to take pictures.  Alex even got a few of
us both by holding the camera out at arms length and throwing his other arm
around me before clicking away.  They were gonna be pretty goofy shots, but
no matter as long as they were of me and him.  My stomach began to complain
after a while so we found a nice grassy spot and spread out the blanket,
settling down to eat and to relax.

"We should start walking back soon."

"Mm hm?"  I murmured, lying flat on my back beside him looking up at the
clouds, our fingers entwined.

"Yeah, you want to get back before dark, right?"

"I guess."  Right then I didn't want to do anything or go anywhere, I
wanted to stay right where I was with him beside me.

"Well, it's up to you if you want to sleep out here I'm game."

"No way."  I said hurriedly, the thought of hungry wild animals and men who
wanted me to 'squeal like a pig' came rushing back to me and converted me
immediately to the idea of getting back before dark.  "We should head
back."

"Okay, up you get."  He rolled onto his front and pushed himself to his
knees in one easy movement, grabbing my hands and yanking me into a sitting
position.  With a grunt and without using his arms at all he levered
himself upright, pulling me with him.  Have I mentioned that Alex runs and
swims and has the most phenomenally strong, long legs?  I think I might
have.

"Want me to carry the pack?"  I asked, trying to make myself useful, I mean
the blanket was still going to be in it, so it was only a few sandwiches
lighter.

"No, it's okay."  He was stuffing things back into it as he spoke and
looked over his shoulder to wink at me.  "We're saving your strength for
later, remember?"

"How could I forget."  I grinned at him and kicked his butt lightly.

The walk back, although it had intimidated me as we started out, seemed to
take a lot less time than getting there had.  Whether that was because
there was a definite and known goal this time, or whether it was because
Alex had cheered up considerably by the lake and now chatted away as we
walked about his adventures growing up.  He talked about camping out with
friends and about hiking through the woods near his home, sometimes for
days at a time.  From his stories I got a sort of Huckleberry Finn-esque
image of his childhood and spent much of the time with a dopey grin on my
face imagining him as a young boy.  He retained much of the boyish quality
even now, when he wasn't being introspective, and it was clear he had had a
wonderfully untroubled adolescence, the love of his parents and the support
of a good circle of friends.  How that differed from my own troubled
teenage years and from the strained relationship I now had with my parents.
I found myself wishing I had known the younger Alex, it might have made me
a lot more open and optimistic as a person, I had longed for the sort of
easy camaraderie he had enjoyed with his friends, longed to be normal.

"You're kinda quiet."  He stopped mid-narrative and mid-stride and I walked
into his back, stopping abruptly myself.  He turned to look at me and I
offered him a brave little smile.

"Just thinking."

"'Bout what?"  He asked, reaching out to touch my cheek.

"About how great this birthday has been, and how lucky I am to know someone
as special as Alex Hayes."

"Yeah?  He a good guy, this Alex?"  He joked lightly.

"The best friend I ever had."  I laughed back, mostly to stop the tears I
could feel forming again.  He stared right at me for the longest time,
seeming to look deep into me and I began to feel agitated, like he was
reading my thoughts, like I was totally exposed to him in that moment, my
very soul laid bare.  It scared the hell out of me that after a lifetime of
keeping my feelings to myself I was allowing this man to get so very close
to me.

"Yeah well, you don't make it easy at times but I think it's worth any
effort."  He half smiled at me, his eyes so very serious and I felt my
knees begin to give, then he visibly pulled himself together with a little
shake and a deep breath.  "Well, c'mon let's get going."  I trotted along
obediently.  Suddenly I too could see us together en years from now, like
this, this man truly loved me.  I'd heard him say it, and I'd made myself
believe it, but now I really did believe it, now it seemed real.  Something
in his face had made me shut up and not make a stupid joke, something had
made me accept his words absolutely.  I think it was around that time that
I realized everything between us was going to work out, sure we'd have our
problems but I knew that we'd always have each other too.  After that there
seemed nothing more to say so we walked the rest of the way to cabin in
silence, instinctively reaching for one another's hands when we made it to
the easier, broader paths.

"So, who wants sushi?"  He asked when we had dumped our coats and the pack
and kicked off our boots.  I felt sore all over, but in a good way, from
getting out and stretching my legs.

"Ooh!  Me!  Me!  Me!"  I danced around him.

"Settle down, soldier."  He grinned and punched my shoulder.  "There's
plenty for everyone.  Go sit, birthday boy, and throw a log on."

"Will do, sir!"  I saluted him and went to do his bidding.  I heard the
clink of glasses from the kitchen as I poked the fire inexpertly and
moments later he joined me with the sushi in one hand and the bottle of
champagne and two upside down flutes in the other.

"No chopsticks, so we're using our fingers."  He set down the bottle and
the plate and flipped the glasses round, placing them on the coffee table.
He settled down on the floor beside me and started to unwrap the foil,
opening the champagne with an explosive pop and pouring a glass each.  He
waited until I had sat up and lifted mine, before he raised his in a toast.
"To you, the birthday boy and my best guy."  My eyes misted as I raised my
glass and drank.

"And to you, for making this the best few days, hell the best few months of
my entire life."  He smiled wistfully at me and took a long drink of the
champagne.

"And let's not forget Blair."  He raised his glass in salute again.  "For
the cabin and for this meal."

"And for being a true friend."  I added before taking another drink myself.
We ate mostly in silence, savoring the delicious food, and giggling from
time to time as we fed each other, making demented slurping noises as we
pulled stray strands of food into our mouth.  Luckily very little went on
the sheepskin rug, I'm sure Blair's uncle wouldn't have appreciated that
one bit.  When we were finished we simply pushed the table aside and lay
down together on the rug to kiss and cuddle and revel in each other's warm
vitality and the flickering flames.

"D'you know what I want?"  He asked after a time, I was lying on my side
with my head resting against his chest, one of my favorite positions, his
fingers playing gently with my hair.  His voice was soft and low, and I as
much felt it as heard it.

"No."  I mumbled, my concentration mostly on the hard little nipple I had
been playing with through the thick fabric of his shirt.  "What do you
want?"

"I want you to make love to me."  He answered, pulling my head back a
little with a handful of my hair so I had to look at him.

"What do you mean?"  I asked carefully, keen to be sure that I wasn't
misinterpreting him.

"You know what I mean.  What you changed the subject from this morning."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." His gaze remained steady.

"You know this might hurt?"

"I know you'll try to make sure it doesn't."  He answered simply, his voice
soft.  "That's good enough for me."  I continued to look at him for a long
time, but he held my gaze the whole time and then finally grinned at me.
"Oh for God's sake Ryan, it's not that big a deal, you're my boyfriend, I
want you to make love to me."

"Alex..."  I started to speak, to tell him that it really WAS a big step.

"Listen, bozo, judging by the expression on your face that night either I'm
the world's greatest lover, and that's a possibility, or getting fucked
really does feel good."  He grinned broadly and I could see that his mind
was made up, he was nervous but determined to keep his tone lighthearted.
"Either way, I want to try.  If it depends entirely on the other person,
it'll be great 'cause you are, and if it doesn't it'll be even better."

"That's interesting reasoning, Alex."

"It's the best you're gonna get."  He sat up, and addressed me in a more
direct way than I can ever recall him talking about sex before.  "So, you
gonna fuck me or not?"

"I'm willing if you are, but you know I prefer being a bottom."

"I know.  And I liked being your top, but I won't know what I like best of
all until I try both, will I?"

"I guess not."  I allowed tentatively.

"Well, that's settled then, c'mon stud."  He leapt to his feet, his eager
puppy-dog grin on his face, his enthusiasm was infectious and I struggled
to my feet to join him.  "Race you to the bed!"  He yelled as he bolted for
the stairs, even if I had been warned he'd do that he'd still have got
there first.  So I stopped to put the screen in front of the fire and then
sauntered after him.  By the time I made it upstairs he was already
sprawled naked on the bed, his arousal growing, clothes strewn where he'd
dropped them.  Quite a sight!

"Hey there."  I said as I climbed up into the attic.  "Started without me?"

"Velcome to my luff nest, darlink."  He murmured, batting his eyelids at
me, in what I assume was supposed to be an impersonation of Marlene
Dietrich.

"You are such a freak."

"Strip for me, lemme see that hot twenty-two year old bod!"  He laughed,
waving a hand in my direction.  I rapidly shucked my clothes and joined him
on the bed, laying full length beside him and throwing one of my legs over
his.  I squeezed his now fully-erect shaft and felt him gasp as I slid my
tongue into his mouth.  I was instantly wrapped in a powerful embrace and
rolled onto my back, one hundred eighty-eight pounds (he weighs himself
obsessively, but it is ALL muscle) of Alex straddling me and pressing me
back into the bed as he kissed me hungrily and passionately.  I groaned
softly as he kissed me over and over, running his tongue and lips down my
throat and over my chest, heading south to my own engorged shaft.

Taking me firmly in one hand and squeezing my balls lightly with the other
Alex started to apply all he had learned about oral sex to me, lavishing
his attention on me.  He began by kissing gently and slowly and then
licking and swirling his tongue up and around my length, before taking the
head fully into his mouth and slid rapidly down a few inches.  He pulled
his head oh so slowly back up, keeping his lips tight around me as he did
and stopping with his teeth just behind the crown.  It felt great, his
mouth warm and wet and deliciously soft, his hands firm but gentle and much
more confident now than.  I felt him breathe in deeply, cold air being
drawn across the head of my cock and making me shiver and clutch at his
naked flesh then, moments later, let a whoosh of air warmed by his lungs
back out over me breathing back in almost immediately.  The contrast from
hot to cold was sensational and I gasped as I exhaled myself, the boy was
learning a few tricks all of his own.  While I was steel reeling from that
experience he slid back down and with barely a hesitation did something
he'd never done before, took me all the way into his throat.  He was only
able to hold it for a few seconds before his gag reflex took over and he
had to withdraw, but it felt great, and when he did it again he held it for
longer.

"Alex!"  I gasped as he swallowed me for a third time.

"What?"  He asked looking up, concern in his glorious brown eyes.  "Not
doing it right?"

"You're kidding, right?  That was fantastic!"

"Any tips?"  He grinned broadly at me, pleased with his achievement and
with my praise of it.  Like a dog that's fetched a stick and been patted on
the head for it, if Alex had a tail it would definitely have been wagging
then.

"You could try moving the muscles in your throat on the way down, and
wriggling your tongue a bit on the way up."  I suggested, always keen to
teach, especially if the information was going to be used to get me off.

"Yeah?"  He tipped his head on one side and pursed his lips, nodding
faintly.  "Kinda makes sense.  I was going by how much you grunted."

"Good thinking!"  I grinned my encouragement at him.  "But you won't be
able to hear me grunt in a minute."

"Why not?"

"'Cause my mouth is going to be full."  I winked at him.  "Swing that
gorgeous butt of yours up this way, Billy, and let me blow you."

"You sweet-talker!"  He laughed and shook his head at me, but obeyed.  "And
Billy's the dog, not me."

"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry."  We were now lying with our heads at one
another's crotches, legs stretched out above each other and I reached for
him at the same time as he reached for me and we both bent our heads to the
task in hand.  So to speak.  I had been well on the road to climax before
we stopped for 'Blowjobs 101', but the feelings he produced this time were
unbelievable, either I was a great teacher or he was an amazingly adept
student.  I was completely unprepared for how good it felt as he went back
down on me and I nearly choked to death on him in my surprise.  With a
series of rapid bobs up and down Alex increased my stimulation to the point
of no return and before I could warn him or even really appreciate what was
about to happen I came explosively, throwing my head back and crying out
aloud in my passion.

"So that was good was it?"  He breathed a few minutes later once we both
got our breath back and my mind stopped reeling.

"Absolutely stunning."  I gasped, my chest still heaving as he crawled up
my body and nibbled on my left nipple, which experimentation had convinced
him was more sensitive than the right.

"Good.  I like it when you lose control."  He grinned idiotically at me.
"Course, means we have to put off the second act 'til you build up some
more steam, old man."  He pinched my thigh and I yelped and jumped away
from him a little.

"Old man?"  I feigned outrage, clipping him on the back of the head.  "I
can still take care of you, you young whippersnapper."

"Is that a promise?"

"Sure it is."  I pushed his head away from my chest.  "On your back,
Hayes."  He grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively at me as he obeyed
me.

"Lube's in the bag with the sweaters."

"Planned on getting a little action did you?"

"Well, I did kinda hope to."

"Well, I hate to disappoint."  I crawled to the edge of the bed and hauled
the bag close enough to allow me to rummage through it, and sure enough
there were condoms and lube.  "Were you ever a boy scout?"  I asked with a
rueful shake of my head.

"Nope.  But I do know a thing or two about knots!"  I laughed long and loud
at that with my head thrown back, and could feel him chuckling along with
me.

"Okay, Alex, I need you to relax completely, buddy."  I gently pushed his
legs apart and knelt between them, leaning forward, placing one hand on his
chest to support myself, I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring kiss.

"I'm always relaxed with you."  He said sweetly, if untruthfully.

"Okay, stud.  I believe you, lie back and concentrate on this."  I opened
the tube of lube up and laid it on the bed where I could reach it easily.
This was the first time I had had a first-timer, preferring to be the one
on the receiving end, so I was pretty much learning too, going on what had
been done to me and what I had read.  I lowered my head, and renewed my
cock-sucking efforts, drawing him in deeply, but that was just as a
distraction.  Deftly I squirted a little of the lube onto my index finger
and warmed it between thumb and forefinger, and once I had him purring I
gently applied the lube to his asshole.  He jerked a little and gasped
slightly, maybe I hadn't warmed it up as much as I thought, or maybe it was
just the first time he had been touched like that.

"Okay?"  I asked looking up at him, he nodded but made no response as he
chewed on his lower lip, his mannerism that spoke of nervousness.  I tried
to smile reassuringly as I applied yet more lube both to him and to my
index finger, watching his face as I slid gently into him past the
resisting rings of muscle.  I could feel him trying to relax for me as I
slid my finger back out, he was very tight, and pressed lightly forward
again.  "Know what your prostate is?"

"Yeah-hhng."  He gasped a little as I rotated my finger gently, seeking the
elusive little gland, and looked up at me with his big brown eyes.

"Well, let me know how this feels."  I bowed my head again and as I
swallowed him I began to massage his prostate, from the way he spasmed I
can only assume that what I was doing was turning him on, he gave a long
low moan and his sphincter clutched convulsively at my finger and then,
much as I had hoped, he relaxed completely.  I continued to suck him
gently, moving my head slowly, enough to keep him stimulated but not enough
to get him off.  This time when I drew my finger back I used my free hand
to lube up a second and experienced little resistance as I slid both in and
gently rotated them, he made a strange keening notice, but his back arched
and both hands flapped weakly at the sheets, so I guess I was doing
something right.  I took it very slowly moving up to the third finger,
desperate not to cause him a moment's pain or discomfort, judging speed and
motion entirely on his little gasps, squeaks and whimpers as he seemed to
have lost all his language skills.

"Oh, God, Ryan!"  He finally gasped out.  "Oh.  My.  God.  Enough foreplay,
buddy, I want you now!"  Well, if there was ever anything a boy wanted to
hear, that was it.

"You sure you're ready."

"I think I'm gonna burst If you don't fuck me right now!"  He croaked, his
voice strained and a little harsh, but unquestionably sincere.  I nodded,
even though he couldn't see me and very gently withdrew my fingers and
quickly rolled a condom down my length squirting a generous amount of lube
onto myself and smoothing it around, wiping the excess off my fingers and
onto Alex's ass.

"Draw your knees up."  He quickly did so, and I shuffled further forward my
knees sliding under the arches of his legs and either side of his butt.  I
was lined up properly and ready to go, nevertheless I hesitated a moment
longer as I stroked him gently and tried to make him relax a little
further, three fingers was a lot, but he was still going to have to
accommodate more and I really didn't want to hurt him.

"Okay, try to relax, and push down hard."  I instructed as I allowed my
rubbed covered crown to press against him, again he started, but quickly
relaxed again, I could see the effort on his face as I leant over him,
bracing my arms on either side of his chest and pressed slowly forward.  I
met with the expected resistance and bent my elbows to be able to kiss his
neck and to whisper 'relax' into his ear, suddenly the head of my cock
overcame his resistance and slid inside with surprising ease.

"Christ!"  He moaned and clutched at my biceps, his fingernails pressing
hard into my skin.

"Okay?" I asked, kissing him some more.

"Yeah.  Yeah."  He finally gasped, his breathing was ragged.  I stayed as
still I could and let him relax and adjust, his eyes slid open and he took
a couple of deep breaths, slowly relaxing his grip on my arms.  He smiled,
a small strained smile.  "Okay, I'm ready."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, go on."

"How do you feel?"

"Weird."  I glanced down to see that he was losing his erection.

"You'll tell me if you want me to stop or slow down?"  He nodded sharply
and laid his head back onto the pillows, his eyes closing again, trusting
me not to do anything to hurt him.  I leaned over his chest and kissed him
lightly, swirling my tongue around his nipples, hoping to restore his
arousal before I continued.  My efforts were rewarded with a small groan
and a tightening of the grip on my right arm.  Carefully, trying to
maintain my balance I lifted my left hand from the bed and maneuvering
between our bodies, took him in my hand, I could feel the blood rapidly
returning and allowed myself the smallest of smiles as I pressed my hips
forward as slowly as I could.  He groaned again and I could feel him
working his muscles to accommodate me and, as an added bonus, adding to the
incredible stimulation I was feeling.  I continued to stroke him and kiss
him gently as I slid still further forward.

"Guess what, sexy."  I murmured a few minutes later.

"Mm?" He grunted, his eyes slowly opening, he blinked a few times and
focused on my face, his expression utterly unreadable, his breathing
labored.  "What?"  He rolled his muscles again and I was the one who had to
gasp and my right arm buckled at the elbow, causing me to collapse on his
chest.  He made a sort of choking noise that might have been a laugh and
tangled his fingers in my hair pulling me down to kiss him, our tongues
dueling.  "Too much man for you, Ry?"

"Fuck you."  I muttered, only realizing what a dumb thing it was to say
once I'd said it.

"Stop threatening me then and fuck me!"  He let out another of those
choking laughs as I pulled slowly back out as far as I could.  He moaned
softly, and I pressed forward again, reaching back to add further lube as I
did.  Soon I had begun a steady rhythm, adjusting my speed in response to
Alex's gasping and experiencing a marvelous thrill as he wrapped both legs
tightly round the back of my thighs.  We were both moaning now, and I could
feel his erection pressing against my belly as my thrusts became faster and
shallower, he had his arms clasped tightly round my back and was kissing
and sucking at my neck, occasionally biting me to stifle his groans of
pleasure.  The idea that I was able to give him so much pleasure was a
serious turn on and I could feel myself fast approaching my second climax
of the night as I pumped more and more vigorously into my boyfriend, my
breathing strained and every muscle in my body twanging.

"Oh, God, Ryan."  He suddenly cried out to my neck and his entire body
stiffened, his fingers clawing at my back and his legs tightening almost
unbearably round my thighs as wave after wave of his semen splashed against
my belly.  That was it for me, as soon as I felt him climax I knew there
was no turning back and I too came copiously, my back arching, thrusting as
far into him as I possibly could with a low guttural moan which slowly rose
in pitch as I spent myself inside him.

"Oh, Christ."  I groaned as I sagged back down against him, feeling him
slowly shrinking between us.  "Oh, God."  It took several minutes before I
got my breath back enough to roll off him slowly and carefully pulling out
as I did.  We were both bathed in sweat and Alex's body, tense enough to
crack rocks moments before was now utterly limp.  His eyes were half closed
and his chest was rising and falling rapidly still.

"Oh, man."  He finally managed.  "Well that was different."  I started to
laugh at his incredible understatement and then found I couldn't stop.
Through the tears of laughter running down my face I could see him looking
at me quizzically and then he too was laughing as we clung tightly to one
another.

"Goof."  I mumbled to his shoulder as I kissed him over and over, so happy
to be there with him.

"Let's go clean up, you really stink."  He finally said, pushing me away
and swinging his feet off the bed, he turned and yanked me to my feet and
then, effortlessly, swung me up into his arms and carried me downstairs to
the shower.  This was the second time he'd done that, and it still
surprised me that he could do it, I'm not exactly Arnie, but I'm no
lightweight standing five foot ten and weighing in at around one hundred
sixty-five pounds.  We stayed in the shower for a long time, just relaxing
and letting the tingle of the water reinvigorate us but eventually Alex
reached out and shut the water off.  He pushed my soaking hair from my face
and began to kiss me and despite the earlier exertions I began to get hard
again, suddenly I burst out laughing, I'd been thinking about Blair's note
and wondering what his uncle would say if he knew what was happening in his
cabin.

"What?"

"Just thinking about Blair and his uncle."  I managed between laughs.

"Eew.  Now that's an image I didn't need!"  Alex made a sour face.
"Blair's a hunk, but his uncle..."

"Hey!  Eyes for only one man, got it?"  I slapped his wet shoulder in mock
fury.

"Yes sir."  He laughed climbing out the shower.  I reached for a towel but
he stopped me, catching hold of my wrist.  "No point, I thought we could
try the tub?"  I had been thinking about that myself, the large tub took up
about a quarter of the bathroom and interested me greatly as it had Jacuzzi
jets built in too.  So I nodded my agreement.  "Okay, you run the water,
I'll be back in a second."

"Huh?"  I called to his retreating back as a damp and naked Alex jogged
from the bathroom.  Now why don't they do that at the Olympics?  Moments
later the cabin was filled with sound, Handel's 'Water Music' to be exact
from the stereo in the main room.  I shook my head and laughed as I turned
to the task of filling the tub.  We luxuriated in there for more than an
hour until the CD came to an end occasionally kissing, groping and
generally horsing around dunking one another and splashing water
everywhere.  So we were barely even aware of the music stopping.  But all
good things must come to an end and eventually we hauled ourselves dripping
from the tub and got dried off to return to bed.  That night we stayed
naked and lay in bed together gently stroking and caressing one another's
bodies until we drifted off to sleep.

To Be Continued...