Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:18:01 +1300
From: Robert Jamieson <boys2menstory@hotmail.com>
Subject: Boys Becoming Men Series Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Hi there, this is my first attempt at a YA fiction story
obviously targeted at a gay audience.  As it is a work of fiction, any
resemblance to any real life people or events is purely coincidental.  It
is important to note that this story will mainly and eventually be based in
a high school setting, and the first chapter is just part of the character
building process that occurs outside the eventually dominant high school
setting.

Also, this story will have strong gay themes as well as gay sex, so if you
are offended by such material, or if such material is illegal in your
country, please close this window now.

Otherwise, ENJOY!

Chapter 1

Heavy raindrops pelted the jeep's roof with an angry consistency, while the
wind howled loudly as Liam guided the jeep down a long and slippery dirt
road towards home.

A massive storm was due to hit in a few hours, but the current weather
blowing outside felt like the storm had already arrived.  Liam shuddered
inwardly imagining how bad the weather would further deteriorate once the
storm actually hit.

His home wasn't too lucky during the last one, tearing the roof apart and
bringing down a nearby tree that collapsed onto one end of the house.
Luckily none of his family was hurt, but the cleanup and re-building
afterwards was a difficult period.  But he counted his family lucky, as
many in the area had been worst off.  Matters were made worse by scavengers
who were first in when the storm moved away to steal many of their
neighborhood's belongings.

But that didn't concern him as much as the safety of his family.  He
couldn't shake the image of his mother and siblings curled up in one corner
of the kitchen helplessly while the wind roared and ripped through their
house.  It was the stuff of nightmares.

The feeling of not being able to do anything, and looking into the eyes of
his family, and knowing that their lives could possibly end if the storm
further deteriorated, was more than he could handle.  But despite his
protestations, he eventually relented to stay during the last storm since
his mother insisted with all her might that they all ride it out at home.
She didn't want to leave the house, but also couldn't bear her children
being too far away from her.

His mother wasn't the same since their father passed away.  She grew
increasingly attached to the house, floating aimlessly from one room to
another, or else spending a lot of her time fixing it up.  He knew it was
her way of keeping their dad alive since they built it together in their
younger days before they had any of them kids.  Sometimes he'd catch her in
her room silently weeping while holding on to one of their fathers well
worn jackets.  It wasn't a surprise then when their mother once again
insisted they ride out the storm at home.  Even if it put their lives in
danger.

This storm was predicted to be worse than the last, so he decided he wasn't
taking any chances and tried his best to convince his mother that it would
be best for them to listen to the authorities and temporarily vacate their
home until the worst of the storm was over.

"B-but what if a thief comes and steals our valued possessions!?" Liam's
mother cried.

He raised an eyebrow.  They didn't have anything of value housed under
their home.  And who the hell would want to go thieving around in this
weather anyhow, he wondered to himself.

But he knew it was because it always pained her to leave it.

"Don't worry mum, I'll stay behind to take care of our home and make sure
nobody steals any of our belongings.  In the meantime, hurry and pack up
you and the kids' stuff, I'll drive you to the train station.  I've spoken
to Uncle Tom, he's confirmed to pick you up.  But you better hurry or else
you'll miss the last train outta here!"

After much further convincing and reassurances that he'd be okay alone,
Liam finally managed to cart his mother and younger siblings into the car
and drove them to the packed train station.  After hasty farewells, his
family was on their way.

Lost in his myriad of thoughts, he was brought back to the present when a
lone dark figure pelted across the dirt road in the thick pouring rain.  He
slammed his foot on the break and swerved hard, and next thing he
remembered was a searing pain as his head connected with the steering
wheel, followed by warm liquid running down his head.

Then blackness.

***

Liam slowly opened his eyes.  It hurt.  His head was lying on something
warm.  Moving.  His eyes focused, and he saw dark chocolate brown eyes
peering down at him.

His eyes slowly took in the face that the eyes belonged to – a young
fellow, with deep set eyes that narrowed curiously at him, and a strong set
jaw that tensed ever so slightly upon once seeing the fast drying blood on
his shirt.  The stranger quickly ran his hand through his messy dark wet
hair and pursed his lips.  The juiciest full lips he'd ever seen on
anybody.

Heck, he thought.  Did I just think his lips were juicy?  This lad didn't
look much older than himself.  Late teens, definitely.  He realized he was
lying on the lap of this stranger in his own car.  Being driven to God
knows where.  He sat up gingerly and his head swam.

"Who the hell are you?!" Liam managed to say.

"Don't worry, I'm not a psycho killer.  Your jeep veered into the bushes
and you hit your head pretty hard on your steering wheel.  You lost a bit
of blood.  It wasn't a deep cut, but I'm more worried that you might have a
concussion," the stranger said in his surprisingly low baritone voice.
Silky smooth, Liam thought, unexpected considering how young this stranger
looked.

"Yeah, that wouldn't have happened if you didn't run in front of my damn
car outta nowhere!"

"Sorry about that, my car died on me further down the road and I had no
choice but to run to find some shelter," the stranger continued in his deep
warm and unperturbed voice.

"I didn't expect anyone to be driving around."

"What the hell are you doing out here anyway??  Are you a thief??" Liam's
voice raised an octave.  Maybe his mother was right after all.

"A thief? Why the hell would you think that? No, I'm a volunteer for the
local police department.  We've been instructed to knock on people's doors
to see if anybody needs a lift to the shelter before the storm hits.

"The sheriff specifically told me to seek out the Miller family out these
ways since it's a bit farther out than most people, and were some of the
few who refused to leave their homes during the last storm," the stranger
explained.

Liam could only manage an "Oh."

"I'm guessing you're the Miller family in question.  I rustled through your
wallet to see who you were, I hope you don't mind.  I'm Paul by the way.
And you're Liam.  Are you alright?"

Liam's head started to throb.  He ignored the introduction as well as
Paul's question.  "We best turn around, I'm supposed to stay at my place
and ride out the storm, I already made sure my family left the house –"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before the jeep abruptly came to a
halt.

An old oak tree had fallen into the path of the narrow road and there was
no way the jeep could possibly maneuver around it.  It appeared that the
strong winds had finally managed to bring the mighty oak down, an oak that
had been standing for years and had witnessed quite a few storms that had
preceded the oncoming one.

"Dammit!" Paul said slamming his palms into the steering wheel in
frustration.  "Are you KIDDING me?? Now what the hell are we supposed to
do?!" he continued agitatedly. "The storm will hit in a couple of hours,
and we need to get to shelter."

"Looks like we'll have to drive back to my place A.S.A.P." Liam offered.
"It's the closest shelter we've got, and I've got supplies to last weeks!
Plus I've already battered down what needs battering, and I've secured
anything that might go flying about."

Paul's dark brown eyes grew darker and he nodded silently, conceding that
that was probably the best option.  There was no way they could make it to
the shelter by walking from here, and considering what happened earlier, he
didn't want to risk their lives on the road in the low visibility outside.
Not to mention that hail had begun to fall outside thus making the
temperature drop even further.

Plus he didn't think it would be wise for Liam to go walking anywhere in
his state.

Liam.

Paul snuck a quick glance at his direction.  A handsome face, he thought.
Very aristocratic features; straight nose, somewhat high cheek bones, thin
upper lip in stark contrast to the more fuller lower lip, and from what he
could tell, seemingly kind light colored eyes, a shade he wasn't able to
confirm in the fast gathering darkness outside.  And his hair was a mix of
dark and light browns, the kind you wouldn't mind running your hands
through.

He felt an uncomfortable hardening in his loins, just as uncomfortable when
it happened just earlier when this stranger was lying on his lap.  He
shifted to hide the unwelcomed burgeoning in his pants.  What the hell, he
thought; why in the world would I get a hard-on in such an awkward moment?
While thinking about the lad next to him?

He quickly discounted it as a general attraction to a certain quality he
enjoyed in his women; a fragility and vulnerability that made him want to
offer them the world.  He was the only boy in a family of women, and
because his father too died at a young age, he was left with no choice but
to be the man of the house.

Unbeknown to him, the respect he had for his sisters and mother, as well as
the instinctive protectiveness that he always felt towards them, had become
a blueprint for how he would eventually treat the women he dated.  And God
knows those bloody women have used that against him.

So when he cleaned up the cut on Liam's head, and laid him on his lap while
he drove the jeep towards the shelter, he noticed how vulnerable Liam was
unconscious with blood stains on his shirt.  That brought out the
protectiveness in him, he reasoned.  And okay, he acknowledged, maybe
vulnerability turned him on a tad bit -- it's nice to be needed in some
way, in whatever dire form that situation presented itself.

He promptly brought the car about and battled the increasingly heavy
rainfall and gathering wind hurtling back down the dirt road towards Liam's
home.

***

Liam shut the door with some difficulty against the strong westerly wind
blowing directly to the front of the house.  He and Paul were soaked to the
skin but both were glad to finally be out of the wet and extreme cold and
into the much warmer and dry house.

Paul dropped his backpack to the floor and stretched, trying hard to fight
the numbing coldness that was creeping up on him.

"I've got some clothes you can change into," Liam said as he led his
unexpected guest to his room.

They slowly climbed the stairs in silence, both careful not to slip on the
trail of water that dripped from their soaking clothes.  To avoid the
building feeling of awkwardness, and because of the lack of anything to
say, Paul carefully cast his eyes around the house slowly taking everything
in.

The house had a warm airy feel, and despite the fact they were shrouded in
semi-darkness, he couldn't help but feel the welcoming vibe Liam's home
emanated.  The walls and paneling were painted in two alternating hues of
light and dark blue and the ceiling was quite high, which surprised him
since it didn't seem this high from outside.

The staircase was made from oak wood that creaked loudly beneath their feet
as they made their way up.  He noticed that some of the walls were covered
in framed photographs, many of a lone man who bore a striking resemblance
to Liam.  Definitely his father, Paul thought.  He had a strong feeling
Liam's father had passed away considering the many photographs of the man
that hung on the walls.  He suddenly felt sad.  Something in common they
have... a father who died.  He suddenly wondered how Liam's father passed.
Sensing that he was being studied carefully as they climbed the stairs, he
tried to ease the growing tension by starting a conversation.

"Nice place you've got."

"Thanks," Liam said with modesty as they made it to the top, "It's not
much, but it's home."  They were looking down a short wide hallway, and
down the end was a tall window that was boarded up from the outside.  They
could just make out the whistling wind through a small gap in the window
that wasn't boarded up properly.

Liam turned to the first room on the left and opened it.

"This is my room," he said, flicking on the light switch, suddenly feeling
a growing sense of self-consciousness.  He hurriedly picked up some of his
clothes lying on the floor.  He generally wasn't a messy person, but with
the oncoming storm, cleaning his room was the last thing on his list of
priorities considering he had to board up the house by himself, buy
supplies to last the storm, as well as a million other pressing chores.

After rustling through his drawers for a towel and some clothes, he pointed
the way to the bathroom for Paul to change.

"That's fine, I'll get changed here."

For reasons unknown to Liam, he couldn't take his eyes off Paul as he
slowly peeled away his soaking wet t-shirt. Lo and behold, before him stood
a man who for all he knew was a male model who posed in glossy magazines.
A man who probably walked the catwalks for Calvin Klein.  No, that didn't
do him justice.  This guy could pass for a Grecian God.

He was a tall lithe figure, with a well defined torso; hard pectorals that
glistened with wetness, his wide muscled arms in all its sinewy glory
moving with purpose to remove his t-shirt, thus revealing his v-shaped
chest that tapered down to his small yet washboard hard stomach.  And God,
those abs.  Those bulging abs.  This kid probably lived in the gym!

But judging from how tanned he looked, and not to mention the flash of
calloused hands, he had a strong feeling Paul worked on the farm regularly.
He also noticed a trail of hair on his stomach that thickened ever so
slightly the lower he gazed.  He could just make out the beginning of
Paul's pubic region due to the precariously low hanging jeans that clung
loosely to his hips.

Liam felt a sudden wave of lightheadedness come over him, and before he
could steady himself, he stumbled forward.  Strong arms suddenly encircled
him and held him in place, while concerned eyes peered down at him.

"Paul, are you alright?"

Before he could answer, Paul picked him up in one swift motion like a sack
of potatoes and carried him to his bed.  He became indignant.  "Oi!  Put me
down!  Put me down right now!" he protested angrily, even though he did
feel extremely weak.  He just wasn't sure whether he was weak from blood
loss and a potential concussion.

Or more worryingly, whether he turned into putty because he was in Paul's
strong arms.

A realization hit him.  He didn't really want Paul to him down.  He felt
safe for the first time in a long while.  Just as suddenly as he was picked
up, he dropped his protestation, closed his eyes, and gave in to the warmth
of Paul's naked chest and arms.  He was still wet, but it didn't bother him
one bit.  The coldness was gone, and all he felt was the warmth that was
emanating from Paul.  This close he could smell Paul's scent... something
heady and masculine, like fresh mint scented soap, mixed with a fresh
appliance of a manly deodorant, yet intermingled with another scent that
was subtle, almost evasive yet still very much noticeable... something that
was inherently Paul and oh, so overpoweringly masculine.  He took a deep
breath.

And then it was all over in a few short seconds.

"I'm so sorry, I should've checked on you properly as soon as we got in,"
Paul said with concern ignoring his previous protestation, laying him down
softly.  "Do you have a first aid kit?"

Sense rushed to his head and he belatedly pushed Paul away.

"I'm fine!" he snapped.

Why is he suddenly having these thoughts about Paul? And why did he allow
himself to be picked up, and even worse, to give in to Paul's warmth? He's
not gay, he's had plenty of girlfriends in the past!  He loves women! God
knows he's experimented and slept with more than his fair share of women
since he hit puberty.  And even if he was gay, and he's not saying he was,
but he just met this guy and has no idea who the hell he was.

Oh, what the hell am I thinking!  Of course you aren't gay! So stop this
talk now, he self chastised.

Undeterred, Paul reached out and attempted to tug Liam's t-shirt over his
head, "We need to get you out of these wet clothes."

"Whoa! Stop it right there man, I can get my own damn clothes off," Liam
said feigning annoyance, when really, he was trying his best to calm his
fast beating heart.  The thought of taking his clothes off in front of this
distractingly fine specimen of a man was sending his heart racing.

He audibly groaned.  Oh, no I didn't just think this guy is a fine specimen
of a man. What's wrong with me, he pondered agitatedly.  He definitely
must've hit his head pretty hard to be having these thoughts.

Noticing his discomfort, and assuming he was probably shy, Paul stood up
and grabbed the clothes Liam gave him.  "I'll go change in the bathroom, in
the meantime you should get out of those wet clothes."

As Paul slowly closed the door behind him, Liam fell back into bed uncaring
about how wet he was.  He was glad to be finally alone for a moment to
gather his thoughts.  It seemed he had a lot to think about.

He shivered in bed, pondering the events of the last hour.  His forehead
creased in concentration as he tried to calmly process his bizarre reaction
to this stranger Paul.  The more he thought about it, the more his unease
grew.

And just as if the cosmos sensed his mood, there was a loud thunderclap
outside followed by lightning.

Then the light in his room spluttered and died, plunging him into blessed
darkness to contend with his thoughts.

***

Author's note: Any feedback, comments, or questions, feel free to drop me a
line on boys2menstory@hotmail.com.  I'm not sure if any of you will enjoy
this story, and if such is the case, I don't want to bother continuing to
write it.  But if you do, let me know -- any form of inspiration to bring
this story together is much appreciated! Also, my editing sucks so if you
noticed any glaringly obvious mistakes, massive apologies!  Thanks!