Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 03:20:59 +0100
From: Attemptatinger <Acol@groenjord.dk>
Subject: The Cherry Trees part 3

Once again I'm back! What can I say? I'm on a roll. Anyway, another
step into the world of Tommy and Neil - hope you like it.
Don't read this if blah blah too young, blah blah illegal where you
live. And now: Hit it, maestro!

The Cherry Trees

by Attemptatinger


Chapter 8:

It seemed so out of character. Tommy's mother - doing something that
maternal? Neil mused, fazing out his mother and the incriminating pair of
shorts. Pull yourself together, Neil! You're making things worse!
"Uh.. I guess that's why they were a bit tight."
"What?" His mother shook her head. "That supposed to be funny?"
"No, listen, I had a shower at Tommy's yesterday and so did he, and I
guess there was a mix-up."
"You showered together? You never used to do that sort of thing."
If only you knew how right you are, mother, Neil thought, smiling in
spite of his situation.
"What's so funny, Neil?"
"Uhm.. mom, he's on the soccer team you know. We're used to it.
Besides, it's not like we showered together."
"Lucky you," Sarah said, taking her bowl of cereal to the living
room.
Neil ignored her. He was waiting for his mother to react.
"Hmm." She seemed confused. "I guess I'd better wash them then and
you can take them back." She gave him a funny look before leaving.
Neil could feel his heart pounding. Maybe things were getting out of
hand, maybe. Certainly, he was doing what he could to make them - he'd have to
be more careful.
He met Tommy on his way to school. Jay and Danny looked almost
catatonic when he left them standing and crossed the street to Tommy.
"Hey Neil!"
"Hey baby. Wish I could kiss you."
Tommy blushed. "Better not, hehe. Look at Danny - he looks ready to
kill you."
"Forget him." Neil smiled. "You won't believe what happened." He told
Tommy about the shorts incident. Tommy of course thought it was hilarious.
"How did you ever manage to put them on? They must be 10 sizes too
small?"
"Never mind that," Neil snickered. "What I want to know is why they
had your name in them."
"Oh, no, don't ask," Tommy said, blushing slightly. "I keep telling
her I'm too old for that."

Maybe Tommy forgot Danny like Neil told him to, but Danny didn't
forget Tommy.
"What's that I hear, Neil, my man? You suddenly this close with Tommy
the mommy?" Archie crossed his arms and glared accusingly. "You're not going
sissy on us, are you?"
Neil grabbed Archie by his collar. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Hey, take it easy! What's with you? It's just.. maybe it's
contagious." Archie almost whined.
"What is contagious?" Neil sneered.
"Being a girlie-boy, you know."
"Oh!" Neil smiled menacingly. "You know, Archie, that's just plain
stupid."
"Ah, come on! I was just kidding!" Archie smoothed out the creased
clothing round his neck. "But you've got to admit: he is a bit of a fag.."
"Who's a fag?" A voice interjected. Neil turned round; it was Jeremy.
Did he look worried? No, he never looked anything other than mildly content.
"Archie here thinks I'll turn into a screaming queen 'cause I met
Tommy McGann in the mall the other day," Neil said pleasantly.
"And this morning," Archie added accusingly.
"Oh! Well, I'm sorry Archie, I doubt very much if that'll turn Neil
into a homosexual." Jeremy said, looking at Neil, who was trying to determine
whether Jeremy stressed the word 'that' or not. Neil decided he was just getting
paranoid.
"Anyway, Tommy's cool even if you don't think so," Neil finally said.
"And I'm not happy about the way you talk about him."
"So you are friends with him. Danny's was right!"
"Hm. He had to try it once, I guess." Neil crossed his arms. "From
now on I don't want to hear any more about Tommy, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever you say," Archie mumbled. But no one had sworn in
Danny. He confronted Neil at lunch, saying much the same as Archie, and Neil was
getting angrier and angrier.
"I don't care what you say, Neil. He's a fruit!"
"Why?!"
"Come on, he looks like a girl! Right guys?" A few of them nodded.
Others wisely awaited the outcome of the confrontation.
"What, because he's pretty?"
"Well.. well, yeah!" Danny crossed his arms.
"Well in that case, you're just about as manly as you can get!"
Danny blinked. "You calling me ugly?"
"That's right. I wont take any more of this. Tommy is all right
'cause I say he is, and that's final. If you have a problem with that.." Neil
spat, indicating the door to the schoolyard where they could fight it out. It
was the final test, of course. How much was Danny prepared to risk to become the
leader of the pack?
Not this much. "Okay.. but I don't like it!" he puffed. "I still
think he's - yeah, yeah, all right."
"Good. I hope you all got the message." Neil glared at the others.
Jeremy was smiling, of course. He'd smile through a thunderstorm.
"I'm glad you put an end to that, Neil," the girl named Hannah said,
smiling. "I don't see the problem. I think he's cute."
"That's the problem," Jeremy said. Which was partly correct, because
Danny very much wanted to get to know Hannah a lot better, and he didn't welcome
any competition. (As it turns out, the competition was already there. Hannah had
a secret crush on Neil, but she was better than so many of the others at hiding
it). But it wasn't the whole truth.

"The problem is, there is only so much I can do. They've.. well,
we've had this thing about you ever since.. well, you know," Neil whispered to
Tommy later that day. They were lying in Tommy's bed. They almost always went to
Tommy's, because his mother already knew - and she'd learned to knock before
entering. Neil was holding the blond boy in his arms under the covers. He knew
they'd probably stay there until he had to leave, because it was Tommy's
favorite thing to do, just lying there. Well - maybe next to what they'd just
done! "They think you're a wimp 'cause they have to. I know." He hugged Tommy
tighter. "It used to be me. There's no justification for what we did if you're
not."
"I'm not sure I want to know them anymore," Tommy mumbled, crawling
on top of Neil to be as close as possible. "I spent so many years wanting it so
badly. Now I don't know. I'm perfectly happy just with you."
The buzzy feeling in Neil's stomach roared. Sometimes his feelings
for Tommy left him completely drained. "I'm soo lucky," he whispered, and he
knew he was. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But I've known
most of them all my life, and I do love them, you know. Even Danny, well most of
the time anyway. I'd hate to lose them."
"You don't have to."
"I'd always choose you if I had to, of course," Neil smiled, his left
hand wandering down Tommy's backside. Tommy shuddered and breathed deeply. "But
they don't know what they're missing. You'll just have to show them."
"But I'm afraid."
"Of course you are, but there's no reason. You have nothing to be
ashamed of. You're perfect."
"No," Tommy mumbled.
"Yes," Neil said with determination. "Absolutely perfect. You're like
India."
"India?" Tommy sounded puzzled.
"Yeah, the jewel of my imperial crown."
Tommy giggled. "Wouldn't that make you Queen Victoria?"
"A queen anyway," Neil laughed, not really surprised that Tommy knew
what he was rambling on about. One of the first things he'd realized was that
Tommy was more than usually bright. He often had to be to make sense of anything
Neil said! "Hey baby! What's wrong? Are you crying?"
Tommy sniffed. Not lifting his head from Neil's chest he answered:
"I'm just so happy to be here with you."
"I'm the privileged one, and I'm not forgetting it."

Chapter 9:

The next day, Friday, was the day Sarah cornered Tommy and also the
day Jeremy stunned Neil. They both wanted to know something, but Jeremy was the
more successful. He was also the one who knew the most already, of course.
"Hey Tommy!"
"Oh! Hi, Sarah."
"Listen, do you have a minute?" Sarah looked at him pleadingly with
her brown eyes, relying on them for effect. How could she know they were less
than effective?
"Uh.. I guess."
"I was just wondering - do you have a girlfriend? Neil wouldn't say."
Her voice was a bit unsteady, but not much. Sarah was never the nervous type.
"No.. no, I haven't, but.. well, I guess you could say I'm seeing
someone, I'm sorry." He smiled, not feeling too well. He quite liked Sarah, he
just didn't think he could tell her the truth. "I really have to go, I have
soccer practice; let's talk later, okay?"
"Uh.. okay."

Neil had soccer practice too, of course, and so did Jeremy. Neither
said anything, Neil because he was far away thinking about Tommy and how to
avoid getting hard in the locker room with his boy there. 'His boy'. He liked
the sound of that! Jeremy was very much in the present, though. He was trying to
decide how to ask Neil something. In the end he opted for the direct approach.
"Hey Neil?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you gay?"
Neil dropped his bag. He turned bright red while fumbling with it.
'You can't ask a guy that just outside the locker-room!' his mind said with
indignation. Belatedly he said: "Uh, no, no I'm not."
Jeremy just smiled. He'd had the answer he wanted - and expected.
Neil knew it too. He smiled - not at all as panicky as he'd expected.
"Archie is right. I have to learn how to lie."
"Damn right! That was pathetic." Jeremy laughed.
"So.. are you okay with it?"
"Sure. In my experience the only real freaks are the ones who claim
to be normal."
Neil frowned. "Anyway, how did you know?"
"Can't tell you."
"Why, is it a secret?"
"No, I really can't tell you 'cause I don't know. I just knew. Still
- explains a lot of things, like Tommy McGann."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Neil wanted to know.
But Jeremy just smiled and entered the locker-room.
"Why didn't you ask him the same?" was Tommy's only comment when Neil
told him about it.

"This is no weather for a Friday," Archie commented wryly. "It should
never rain on week-ends."
"And especially not when you're throwing a party, huh?" Hannah
laughed.
"You're having a party?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, my parents are out of town. Hey Neil!" He waved at Neil who
came out of the locker-room. "Oh. Hi, Tommy," he added like an afterthought.
"Hi, Archie," Tommy replied politely.
"Listen Neil, there's a party at my place tonight.."
"Yeah? Can I bring a friend?"
"Sure!"
"Great." He turned to Tommy. "Want to go?"
Tommy nodded - smiling a bit, but Archie held up his hand.
"No, I meant a girl."
Neil smiled, his brown eyes locking with Archie's blue. "Oh, but I'm
sure there'll be girls there, won't there, Archie my boy?"
"Well, yeah. Sure!" He smiled weakly. "I'll see you both then. A
party's not the same without you, Neil."
"You're wicked," Tommy snickered when they were out of sight. "You
shouldn't boss them around all the time."
"I didn't tell him to suck up to me," Neil protested, quite pleased
with himself. "Anyway he's right: In all modesty no party is the same without
me."
Tommy just laughed out loud until Neil punched him lightly on the
shoulder. "Stop that. It's a good thing I love you too much to get insulted,"
Neil said.
"Does that mean I can say anything?"
The older boy became serious. "Just about, I'd say. Yeah."

Neil was so absorbed with undressing Tommy he didn't hear what the
younger boy said.
"At the party. Don't leave me alone. I don't want to be there alone,"
Tommy repeated.
"Don't worry, I wont. You'll have to beat me off with a stick." He
smiled, pushing Tommy down on the bed. "Can't leave you with those ferocious
girls, can I?"
"Jealous?" Tommy asked, thrilled. "You've nothing to worry about.
Uhh!"
"What?" Neil laughed.
"Stop teasing me! Do it again! Mmmm." He dragged Neil's face close
and kissed him. "Hurry! I need you."
Neil quickly stripped. The sight of Tommy in his briefs on the bed
had him very excited already. He barely managed to lay down before Tommy rolled
on top of him, grinding into him with considerable urgency.
"Slow down, baby," Neil breathed.
"It's just soo hard," Tommy complained.
"I know, I can feel it. Auw! Haha. Come here. You don't really need
those briefs. Oh, wow!" He closed his hands round Tommy's dick. "You're
scalding!"
Tommy closed his eyes. "Mmmmm.. Hold me tighter please."
Neil draped his left arm round Tommy's slender frame and hugged him
so close they could hardly breathe, because he knew that's what Tommy liked. His
right hand found Tommy's testicles and cupped them.
Tommy knew some very right moves himself by now. He had one arm round
Neil's neck, but the other teased Neil's nipples making him squirm with delight.
They were sweating quite a lot.
Neil began manipulating Tommy's dick again, and this time he had no
intention of stopping. Tommy could only manage to lie there, but Neil still
erupted forcibly when Tommy did.
"Mmmm.. I didn't even touch you, Neil."
"I know." Neil blushed. "Getting you off is just so sexy."
Tommy smiled and closed his eyes. "I'm not complaining."
This time they didn't fall asleep, because Tommy's mother knocked on
the door. "Hey yin and yang! If you want to go to that party you need to move
it!"
"Okay, mom," Tommy said.
"Your mom's so cool."
"I know. I love her so much."
"Why does she call us that?"
"Yin and yang? 'Cause we're always so close."
"Oh. And because one's good and one's bad, right?"
"Yeah, but don't worry. She wouldn't joke about it if she couldn't
live with it." He moved to get up. "We need to shower. We're a mess, and you
stink."
"Oh yeah? I thought you liked that."
"Let me put it this way: If you don't shower we'll end up in bed
again!"
"Tempting. But it's still weird." Neil got up. "That's a joke, you
know."
Tommy smiled. "I know."
"Really? You're getting there, baby."

Archie's party was good as parties go. There was beer there - quite a
lot of it, and around twenty people. Neil enjoyed himself, and the fact that
Tommy seemed to do the same made it much better.
"You okay, baby?" Neil whispered. Tommy just nodded. His cheeks were
glowing because he'd had a few beers, but also because he hadn't laughed so much
for ages. He was talking to some of the girls, and he was the center of
attention for once. He gradually got used to it, but it took some time. Even
Archie, who'd inched closer because Rebecca Davids was there, joined the
conversation quietly and smiled to Tommy. Of course, Jay and Danny were
whispering in the corner and giving him the evil eye, but all in all things were
going well.
"Why don't you dance with me, gorgeous?"
Neil turned around. It was Archie's sister Josie. She was a couple of
years older than Neil, but he'd always liked her. "Sure, I'd love to."
She didn't say much while they were dancing. The music was slow, and
Neil felt good.
"You have great taste, Neil," she finally said. "I always knew you'd
get the best."
"Huh?"
She grinned and nodded her head in Tommy's direction. "If you didn't
want me to know, you shouldn't look so lovesick. It so cuuute how you look at
him."
Neil shook his head. "Fuck. I don't believe this. You're the second
person to figure me out today, you know that? What am I - an open book?"
"You were always an open book. That's what I like about you. But
don't worry about Archie - he wouldn't know a psychiatrist if he said "you have
to want to change" to him." She laughed. "Okay, that was lame."
"Yeah!" Neil smiled. "You're losing it."
Tommy got up to go to the bathroom. "Look! This is your chance for a
bit of rumpy pumpy," Josie said, smiling. "I know how it is to be in love."
Neil smiled gratefully and went after Tommy.
"Hey baby!" Neil closed the door to the hallway after him. He looked
around and saw no one. "Any chance of a kiss?"
Tommy smiled. "Absolutely. I feel wonderful. Will you come with me
home afterwards?"
"Sure." They kissed. "How come you always taste like oranges?"
Tommy laughed and shrugged. "Shut up. We have time for one more
kiss."
The door to the bathroom flew open with a loud whoosh. "Fuck!! I
don't believe this! What the fuck are you doing?!!"

__________________________________________________


I'm beginning to get the hang of this cliffhanger stuff, hehe. I hope
you're not too upset - I'll try not to leave you hanging too long. Anyway, as
always please let me know if you liked it and maybe what you think should happen
(not that I've taken any advice so far, but I might). You can reach me at
Acol@groenjord.dk - and I love to hear from you. Don't think your opinion
doesn't matter. It does!
Yours,
Attemptatinger