Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2011 08:43:43 -0700
From: B.E. Kelley <hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Boogeyman

This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention.
Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The
author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story.
You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.

This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage
males.  It is intended for mature audiences only.  If you find this type of
material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material;
please proceed no further.

I'm still new to writing and comments are welcome but please, be gentle.
Also, if looking for something that's just about sex you might be
disappointed.  This story explores the emotional bond between the main
characters and it takes a while for their sexual relationship to come into
play.  Please send your comments to: HailCaesar2011@hotmail.com

The Boogeyman

"Jesus Tucker, will you shut up, you're going to wake up my parents," said
Kevin.

"Well, excuse me," I said as I rubbed me knee, "that hurt!"

"Watch where you're going then," said Kevin.

"Oh brilliant, watch where I'm going," I scoffed, "its dark!"

"Well do you want to get caught, we'll be grounded for a month," said Kevin
needlessly.

"I'd rather get caught then go to this stupid party," I complained.

"Tucker you don't always have to be mommy and daddy's good little boy, you
know," said Kevin, "live a little will ya?"

I just shot him a dirty look and followed him out into the night.  My names
Tucker Sutherland and that jerk bitching at me is my boyfriend, Kevin
O'Brian.  Ok, he's really not a jerk, in fact I love him, but I don't want
to go to this party.  We're both 15, our birthdays are only a few days
apart and we've lived on the same block all our lives.  Maybe it was
inevitable that we'd get together, after all who makes a better lover than
your best friend?  As long as I can remember we've done everything
together, from taking baths together as babies to cub scouts and little
league.  People used to think we were twins, you never saw one without the
other.  We play lacrosse now and we're on the football team, we both play
wide receiver, we're in most of the same classes and generally spend more
time with each other then with anyone else.

If you ask me, Kevin is the cute one, he's 5'8" 130 pounds, he has short,
jet black hair and the most piercing green eyes ever.  I'm 5'7" 125 pounds
and my hair is blond, really blond, almost glow in the dark blond, and my
eyes are blue.  We don't work out much but we're very athletic, our parents
have always had us in sports programs so I'd say we're in pretty good
shape.  I know, we sound kind of little for the football team but its only
JV, hopefully we'll get bigger, and even if we don't, our coach likes
having smaller, faster guys, in our position.  It's worked out okay so far,
we've never been hurt.  Kevin is definitely the extravert in our
relationship, he always has been, I've always been his faithful sidekick.
When we were little he had a knack for getting into trouble, even though I
knew I should have known better, I had a knack for going along with
whatever scheme he came up with.

We were 10 the first time he kissed me, he knew you shouldn't do that with
boys and thought it would be fun to do something naughty, I knew I liked
him as more than a friend, even though I didn't really understand what sex
and being gay meant at the time.  The "kissing game," became one of our
regular activities and quickly went from pecks on the check, when we
thought we could get away with it, to full on make out sessions.  Shortly
after our 12th birthdays, we were in Kevin's room kissing and I started to
cry.  I knew I was in love with my best friend and I was sure he'd think I
was some kind of freak when I told him but I couldn't keep it in anymore.

"Tucker, what's the matter, why are you crying," Kevin asked.

Kevin is a goof, a tease and sometimes a brat but anytime he saw me get
upset his attitude would change and the real Kevin would come out, the
kind, loving and caring Kevin that I fell in love with.

"I gotta tell you something Kev but I'm scared," I whined.

"Is Corey Oliver picking on you? I'll totally kick his ass," said Kevin.

"No, I don't need you to deal with Corey, if he picks on me I'll kick his
ass myself," I smiled through my tears.

"Well what is it then, I don't like it when you cry Tucker," said Kevin.

He'd been like that even when we were babies.  Sometimes our mothers would
put us in the playpen while they talked and if I started to cry, it only
took a few seconds before Kevin was crying in sympathy. When I was 11, we
were playing out in my yard and the ball we were tossing went into the
street.  I darted after it, without looking, and was hit by a car. I spent
a week in the hospital and Kevin never left my side.  He was so determined
to watch over me that he made his mom bring his sleeping bag so he could
spend the night.

"I have to tell you something and I'm scared you won't like me anymore," I
whined.

"Oh brother, don't be stupid," said Kevin as he rolled his eyes, "I'd never
not like you; you're practically my twin brother."

"It's just that, well, when we kiss like that, well, I really like it," I
admitted.

"So, I like it to or I wouldn't do it, its' fun," said Kevin, with a
confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, but I really, really like it," I said, hoping he'd get the hint so I
wouldn't have to say what was on my mind, out loud.

"I really, really like it too," scoffed Kevin.

"Ugh, you just don't get it," I said, starting to get annoyed, "I really,
really like it because I like boys, I'm gay Kevin."

"Oh, that, so," said Kevin, with that confused look.

"What do you mean so," I asked, it was my turn to be confused.

"Duh, I know you're gay, I've always known," said Kevin.

"How the hell did you know," I challenged.

"I don't know, takes one to know one I guess," smirked Kevin.

"Wait, you mean you're..." I started.

"You know, for a smart boy you can be so dense sometimes," Kevin giggled,
"of course I am, do you think straight boys kiss their best friends like we
do?"

This was an unexpected turn of events.  I always figured the "kissing
game," was just Kevin's excuse to do something he shouldn't, to push the
envelope and see what would happen.  His confession brought me an
overwhelming sense of relief, I'd been so afraid I was going to lose the
best friend I ever had.

"Oh Kevin, I love you," I said as I grabbed him and hugged him harder than
ever before.

"I know Tucker, I love you too," said Kevin as he tenderly rubbed up and
down my back, "don't worry, we'll always be together."

And we were.  From then on our close relationship grew even closer.  We
haven't come out yet but I suspect our parents know.  Every now and then
I'll get a look from my mom when she sees us together, it's a knowing
smile, I've seen Kevin's mom do it too.  I'm not sure how much longer we'll
be able to keep this secret, we're at the age were all of our friends are
girl crazy and a lot of the boy crazy girls are boy crazy for Kevin and I.
I guess they think we're kinda cute. We can only give those excuses for so
long, eventually they'll figure out why we aren't interested in them and
I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't just tell people, at least then it
would be on our own terms.  It's a thought that's weighed heavily on my
mind lately, Kevin takes the more casual "if they don't like it, fuck em,"
approach to the situation.

"Tucker, Earth to Tucker," said Kevin, snapping me out of my happy memory
and deep thoughts.

"Huh, what?" I stuttered.

"Come on or we're going to miss the train," said Kevin.

We were sneaking out to a college party at Boston University; we live out
in the suburbs and would have to walk to the nearest T station, that's what
we call the subway here.  I was against this idea from the start.  Kevin's
older brother, Kyle, was a student at BU and in a fraternity, according to
Kevin, he'd invited us to a party.  I didn't trust it for a minute, Kyle's
a pretty good guy and has always been like a big brother to me but Kevin
and I have always had the usual big brother little brother drama with him.
I couldn't figure out why he'd invite two high school sophomores to a party
with his older friends unless it was all a joke.  I expected the address
he'd given Kevin to be an abandoned warehouse or something and figured Kyle
would call our parents as soon as we left the house, just so he could get
us in trouble.  Kevin thought I was worrying too much and even though it
was against my better judgment, I, the ever faithful sidekick, went along.

"Hey Kev, why don't we just go to a movie, if we hurry we can make it to
the 10:00pm show, I'll even let you pick," I said as we approached the T
station.

"Oh Tucker you're such a worrier, I promise, this will be fun," said Kevin
as he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

I stood there and blushed, I wasn't used to public displays of affection, I
didn't know if I ever would be.  I have ancestors who came to this country
on the Mayflower, maybe some of their puritan spirit lives inside of me.
Kevin says that my cold Episcopal heritage is the perfect match for his
irreverent Irish blood.  That always makes me smile; I do think we make a
good team.

When the train arrived, Kevin grabbed my hand and yanked me on board with
him.  I was nervous, I didn't do things like this, like Kevin said, I'm a
good boy.  He on the ether hand was bouncing in his seat excitedly, I
didn't know if he was looking forward to the party or if part of him still
just enjoyed being a naughty boy.  It didn't matter one way or the other, I
was committed now and as I looked at him I couldn't help but think, my God
he's cute.  I started to relax a little; I took his hand and smiled.

"That's more like it," smiled Kevin as he kissed me on the cheek.

If you know Boston at all you know how liberal it is, I'm not comfortable
with public displays of affection but that's only because I'm the shy type,
I wasn't worried anyone would say anything or hurt us.  I happily held my
boyfriends hand until we got to the BU/Commonwealth Avenue station.  When
we got off the train, Kevin fished the directions Kyle had given him out of
his pocket and we were on our way.

Well so far so good, we didn't show up at an abandoned warehouse, it was an
actual fraternity house with an actual party going on.  Kyle had been
hanging out on the porch with some of his friends when we walked up, as
soon as he saw us he ran towards us excitedly.

"Hey scrubs, I'm so glad you guys made it," said Kyle as he picked each of
us up in a powerful bear hug and swung us around the lawn.

"Someone's awfully happy to see us," I giggled.

Kyle's a nice guy but he's never this chipper, I think he's half smashed
already.  He just reached out and tussled my hair.

Kyle took a minute to introduce us to his buddies then told us to make
ourselves at home.  He said he didn't care if we drank just as long as we
didn't do it to the point we'd be sick.  The plan was that he'd drive us
home later tonight but I was beginning to wonder how that was going to
work, I was sure he'd already had a few drinks himself.  Oh well, I thought
to myself, you're here now, you might as well try to have a good time.

Kevin dragged me inside with him and he was like a kid in a candy store.
He found the bar as quickly as he could and grabbed two plastic cups of
beer, handing one to me.  Kevin downed his in a single gulp, I sipped mine,
I thought it tasted like shit.  He grabbed himself another drink and we
further explored the fraternity house.

My first impression was; what a dump.  I couldn't believe people lived
here, it looked like a bomb had gone off and I'm sure it would look worse
in the morning.  The furniture was old, the carpet looked like it was older
than me and everything had this unclean tinge to it.  I would say I'm not a
clean freak, I just like things in their place, Kevin would tell you that I
cry when I get a wrinkle in my shirt, the truth is probably somewhere in
the middle.  My dad speaks fondly of his fraternity days and I know he
expects me to follow in his footsteps and pledge his house when I go off to
school, I'd hate to disappoint him, maybe mom will let me take the vacuum
with me when I go.

The way he was downing beer, it didn't take long for Kevin to get tipsy
enough to ask me to dance with him.  I agreed for a few minutes and once we
hit the floor a couple of girls came up and started to dance with us.  It
made me uncomfortable but Kevin was in his element, being the center of
attention.  I know he's not into girls, like I said, he's a tease, so I
quietly slipped away and let him have his fun.  I found a couch to sit on
where I could keep an eye on my boyfriend while a couple sat on the other
end making out.  Get a room, I thought to myself as I sat quietly.
Occasionally Kevin would smile and wink at me, I gave him a smile back and
wished he'd come sit down.  He wasn't being rude, this is just how Kevin
is, I know he loves me and he's sweet and tender when we're alone, that's
enough for me to put up with things like this.

One thing I've never understood about Kevin is where his energy comes from.
I love to run, I can play an entire football game and not complain but when
I finally get tired he still has this boundless energy.  It seems like he's
been dancing with these girls for hours.  Eventually I attracted a girl of
my own, a tall brunette sat close to me on the couch.

"Hey cutie, how are you," she asked sweetly.

"Um, I'm fine," I answered shyly.

"That's good, what's your name," she smiled.

"Tucker," I answered.

"Awww, how cute, I'm Cassie," she gushed.

Jesus, what's she going to do next, pinch my cheek?

Normally I find that one word answers are a turnoff and they help me get
rid of people, I can blame it on being shy so it doesn't come off as rude.
Cassie, however, wasn't getting the hint and continued to talk to me like
some puppy she'd found.  I was starting to feel like a mongoose cornered by
a chatty cobra as she inched ever closer to me.  Before long she had her
breasts practically resting on my shoulder, one hand was resting on my knee
and with the other, she played with the hair just above my ear.  I was
blushing like a drunken Santa but she was undeterred, she said she thought
it was cute.

"I have an idea Tucker, why don't you come back to my dorm with me," said
Cassie.

"I'm only 15," I blurted out.

"That's ok cutie, I like my boys nice and fresh," said Cassie.

Wow, what a whore.  My thoughts were interrupted when she moved her hand up
my thigh and placed it on my crotch.  I have to admit, she did have a soft
touch and it should have felt good, even if she was a girl, but I was so
turned off by her personality there was no way I was going to get it up.

"Please don't do that," I whined as I picked up her hand and practically
flung it at her.

I sighed and looked at Kevin, all I could think was, can we please go home.
Cassie saw who I was looking at and it didn't take her to long to put two
and two together.

"Fucking queer," she muttered before storming off.

Oh well, at least she's gone.

I think there must be a line forming to sit on this couch because seconds
after Cassie's abrupt departure some guy took her place.

"I saw what happened," he stated, "that was harsh."

"It's ok, I wasn't into her," I answered.


"I didn't think so, you're with that boy over there, the one with the dark
hair, right," he asked, pointing at Kevin.

"Yeah," I blushed, god, was I being that obvious.

"I don't blame you for ditching that skank, he's a cutie," he smiled.

"Huh, what," I stuttered nervously.

"Relax, we're on the same team," he smiled, "and don't worry, you weren't
being obvious, I just have good gaydar."

That made me smile, this guy wasn't so bad, maybe I could at least talk to
him while Kevin was having fun, it beats having another crotch grabber sit
next to me.  He introduced himself as Charlie, I told him my name and he
went to grab us a couple of drinks, coke for me and what looked like
something stronger for himself.

"So what are you guys doing here," Charlie asked, "you don't look old
enough to drive, let alone go to college."

"We're 15," I answered as I loosened up a little.

"Wow, what, no boy scout meeting tonight so you guys just decided to crash
a frat party," Charlie teased.

"Shut up," I giggled, "We're not crashing, Kevin's brother is in the
fraternity, he invited us."

"That's cool, how come you're not having any fun," asked Charlie, "your
boyfriend looks like he's enjoying himself."

"Ah that's just how Kevin is, he's always the center of attention," I
explained.

"Looks like he's definitely getting plenty of attention," said Charlie,
gesturing at the dance floor.

I looked over and my heart sunk.  Kevin had some bimbo in his arms and he
was kissing her! I know most guys would have walked over and decked him but
I couldn't do that.  I was so hurt all I wanted to do was run away.  They
broke their kiss and Kevin saw the look on my face.

"Tucker wait," Kevin called after me as I turned on my heals and ran.

I pushed my way through the crowd, it was hard to see, I was holding back
tears but they were filling my eyes, still, I didn't want anyone to see me
cry.  I was able to ditch Kevin in the crowd, he was looking for me but I
saw him head in the wrong direction as I went out the front door.  I found
a quiet spot on the floor of the porch, hugged my knees against my chest
and let the tears flow.  A minute later, Charlie plopped down next to me
and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey Tucker are you ok," he said softly, "I know that must have been rough,
I'm sorry I said anything."

"It's not your fault," I sniffled, "he's the one that did it."

"I have an idea, why don't we go for a walk, it will help you calm down,"
said Charlie.

"I don't know, I don't really know the area," I explained.

"Don't worry, I'll stay with you," said Charlie, "Well walk for a few
blocks and then come back, I think stretching your legs will make you feel
a little better."

I didn't think a walk could cure a broken heart but it beat sitting here
feeling sorry for myself.  I took Charlie's hand and let him pull me to my
feet.  We started to walk up the street when Charlie handed me the plastic
cup in his hand.

"Here, drink this, it'll make you feel better," smiled Charlie.

"What is it," I asked suspiciously.

"It's just coke, drink up," he smiled.

I took a sip and thought it tasted funny, must be diet.

Charlie talked while we walked.  He pointed out different things in the
neighborhood, it was definitely a college area and most of the shops were
geared towards students.  Every so often he'd stop what he was talking
about and encourage me to finish my coke.  I was starting to get a little
dizzy and my mouth was getting dry so I downed the rest of my drink with a
gulp.  I handed Charlie his cup back and he just smiled at me.  I have to
admit I thought he was good looking.  He was tall, at least 6'2", had brown
hair with natural highlights, blue eyes and a friendly face, he seemed to
have a nice body too, if I was in a better mood and had Kevin been with me,
I'd have probably been checking him out very closely.  That was another
game we liked to play, sometimes Kevin and I would sit for hours at the
mall just watching the guys go by, than we'd rate them according to our
tastes and compare notes.  Oh Kevin, why did you have to kiss that slut?

"Come on upstairs," said Charlie as we stopped in front of a building.

"Where are we," I asked.

"This is my apartment," smiled Charlie, "we can hang out here a while
before we go back."

I was really starting to feel funny, dizzy, a little tired, maybe it would
be a good idea to follow him upstairs.

I don't know how I got up to his apartment; it was like I blinked and when
I opened my eyes I was laying on Charlie's bed.  He was sitting next to me,
still talking a mile a minute.  I felt confused and disoriented and when I
tried to sit up Charlie didn't even skip a beat, he just put his hand
against my chest and pushed me gently back down on the bed.  Eventually
Charlie laid down next to me, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked
down at me with that smile of his.

"You know, there was one thing that girl at the party got right," he said.

"Wassthat," I slurred.

"You really are cute," said Charlie as he leaned down and kissed me.

"Hey don't do that," I smiled.

Charlie just laughed and started to unbutton my shirt.

"Come on Charlie, stop," I said.

He didn't stop until he had my shirt open and my chest and tummy were
exposed.  His touch was gentle and he felt my pectorals then moved down and
rubbed my abs, it felt good but I didn't want him touching me like that.

"Come on Charlie, quit it," I whined.

"Quit what," he smiled as he started to tickle me.

I couldn't help but laugh, he'd found my tickle spot and was using it to
his advantage.  I giggled and writhed on his bed while he worked his
fingers like magic then he brought me back down to earth with a kiss on the
lips.

"Come on Charlie, really, don't, I can't cheat on Kevin, I don't even want
to," I said as I tried to sit up again.

Charlie just pushed me back down on his bed, he did it gently and I was
sort of glad for the rest.  The effort of trying to sit up really made my
head spin.  I couldn't figure out what this funny feeling was but my arms
felt numb, like they were asleep or something.  Charlie started to nuzzle
my neck, kissing and sucking on it, then nibbling on it, then I felt a
sharp pain as he bit me.

"Ouch Charlie," I shouted, "I think you should take be back now."

He just smiled again, than looked into my eyes.

"Oh Tucker, you know what I want to know," asked Charlie sweetly.

"What," I asked, slightly curious.

"I want to know what you taste like," said Charlie.

"Huh," I asked, confused.

Another big smile.

I was trying to process what he said, trying to figure out what he could
possibly mean by that but my head was spinning.  I was so dizzy and my body
felt so uncooperative and... All my thoughts were interrupted when I felt
Charlie's teeth puncture the soft skin of my neck as his jaw clamped down
on me.  The pain was blinding, I screamed and pounded on his chest as hard
as I could.  The more I wriggled, the more I felt his jaw clamp down and
the more pain I felt.  When he finally let go he pulled back and had blood
running down his chin, a satisfied look on his face like he'd just had the
meal of a lifetime.

I screamed when I saw the blood running down his face and I swear I could
feel it flowing out of me.  I kept screaming for help and pounding my fists
against Charlie, trying to get him off of me but he was to strong.  My
screaming must have scared him, the satisfied expression on his face turned
to one that looked like fear, as he put his hand over my mouth.

"Shhh, shhh, I'm sorry Tucker, I didn't mean to, just be quiet and I'll fix
it," said Charlie, there was definitely fear in his voice.  I didn't
believe him for a second, I bit his hadn't and resumed my screams for help.
Charlie pulled his hand back and his expression changed again, this time
from fear to anger.

"God damn it, I said shut the fuck up you little brat," shouted Charlie.

He closed his hand into a powerful fist and began to pound on my chest.
Each hit felt like I was being hit with a sledge hammer.  How the hell had
I failed to notice how strong he was before.  I couldn't get him off of me
and his fist felt like it was smashing me to bits.  I kept screaming, I
didn't know what else I could do but it only seemed to make him hit me
harder.  He wailed on me as hard as he could and when I heard a sickening
snap, I almost passed out from the pain.

The blood was draining out of my body and my chest was on fire with pain, I
was on the verge of passing out when I heard a new voice.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing," he shouted.

My eyes snapped open and I saw a guy grab Charlie's arm and wrestle him off
of me.  I was so delirious I couldn't even tell what the guy looked like
but I knew this was my chance to escape.  I felt adrenaline pumping into my
system and I ran for the door.  My legs were wobbly but I managed to get
down the stairs without falling and then out the front door.  I couldn't
run; my legs just wouldn't do it; the best I could manage was a brisk walk.
I made it about half a block and stumbled to the ground.  I could feel the
blood rushing out of my neck, my chest was burning and it was getting hard
to breathe.  Things started to get blurry and I felt darkness washing over
me.  Then there was a voice.

"Tucker, get up," the voice commanded.

"Can't I just lay here, I just want to rest, I'm so tired" I said.

"Tucker, get up now, he's coming for you," said the voice.

"I, I can't," I stuttered.

"Tucker, you must go back to Kevin, he needs you.  If you stay here, you
will die," the voice said sadly.

I didn't move.  I felt paralyzed; my body didn't want to cooperate with me.
It almost felt peaceful, like slipping into a hot bath.

"TUCKER CAMERON SUTHERLAND, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GO, NOW!" the voice
shouted.

Awfully pushy for an internal monologue, but it did the trick, my eyes shot
open and I found the strength to stand.  I couldn't move fast but every
step forward was one more away from Charlie.  My shirt was still
unbuttoned; I couldn't fasten the buttons so I pulled it tightly around me.
I held my hand tightly against the wound in my neck.  I know enough about
biology to know that he hadn't hit a major artery when he bit me or I'd be
dead already.  I also knew I had to get help right now if I was going to
survive, I could feel the blood surging through my wound and it was getting
ever harder to breathe.  I looked behind me and saw a figure in the
shadows; he seemed to be searching the yards along the street, searching
for my body.

I staggered into the front yard of Kyle's fraternity house; Kevin and Kyle
were standing on the porch, when he saw me, Kevin ran forward.

"Tucker, where did you go? I've been looking everywhere for you, I can
explain about that girl she didn't mean anything," said Kevin, in a single
breath.

He stopped abruptly when he saw my blood soaked shirt.

"Oh my god," Kevin's voice cracked, "Tucker what happened?"

I looked behind me; the figure from the shadows was gone.  I looked at
Kevin but I couldn't stand any longer and I collapsed against him.  He laid
me gently on the grass; I could see tears running down his face.

"Somebody get an ambulance," he screamed.

"I love you," I managed to moan, before everything went black.

The next time I opened my eyes they were dazzled by brilliant white light.
My first thought was shit, I'm dead, but that passed almost instantly, I
saw my mother's face hovering above me.

"Mommy," I called out.

"I'm here sweetheart, I'm right here," said mom as she held my hand.

"Oh Tucker, baby what happened to you," she sniffled.

"The Boogeyman," I whispered.

"Who," asked mom.

"The Boogeyman mommy, it was him, I know it was him," I stuttered
incoherently.

"Oh Tucker," cried mom as she squeezed my hand, "you're going to be ok,
everything's going to be alright."

"It was him mom, the Boogeyman did it.  The Boogeyman," I repeated as I
drifted back to sleep.

I haven't been afraid of the Boogeyman since I was 8 years old but that's
the only name I could apply to the face I saw when I closed my eyes.  They
must be giving me some kind of medication though, after a few seconds the
smiling face of the demon vanished and I was able to sleep peacefully.

I don't know how long I slept but the next time I opened my eyes the bright
light was gone, replaced by a softer illumination, daylight.  Once my eyes
adjusted, I discovered I wasn't alone.  I was surrounded by family, my mom
on one side, holding my hand, my dad on the other, looking grim and
concerned.  My big sister, Katie, was there, it looked like she'd been
crying.  Kevin's parents were there too, I wasn't surprised, they're like
my second family and I knew they'd be just as concerned as my own.

"What happened," I asked, god my mouth feels dry.

"You're in the hospital son," said dad, "someone, someone hurt you."

"Yes, I remember," I replied.

I remembered the attack but I didn't know the extent of my injuries.  I
learned that Charlie had ripped open a hole in my neck, just missing my
jugular, if he had hit that I would have bleed to death while lying among
those garbage cans I'd collapsed by.  To give you an idea of the damage, it
took 32 stitches to close the wound.  More serious was the damage to my
chest, the sick snapping sound I'd heard while Charlie was beating me was
my ribs breaking away from my sternum.  Almost all of the ribs on my left
side were broken and I'd suffered something the doctors called a
tension-pneumothorax.  Basically, one of my broken ribs had punctured my
lung, probably when I'd collapsed.  That explained why I'd had trouble
breathing.

When I collapsed on the front lawn of the fraternity house someone called
for an ambulance, Kyle found a friend of his who was in his third year of
medical school and it looks like he saved my life.  He was able to relieve
the pressure that was building up in my chest before I went into cardiac
shock.  There's a tube in my chest now, attached to a vacuum that's sucking
the air out of my chest cavity so that my lung can re-expand, I'm going to
be in the hospital for a few days.

For the moment the mood in the room is somber but happy.  I'm in bad shape
but everyone is trying to reassure me that I'll be ok.  My mom and dad both
hugged me, careful of my chest tube, and kissed me on the forehead.  My
sister came next and then Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian, Kevin's mom and dad.  I
wanted to see Kevin, the last thing I remember before waking up in the
hospital, is him leaning over me, tears streaming down his face as he
screamed for help.  I needed to see him; I had to let him know I was ok.
As if by magic the crowd parted and there was Kevin, standing in the corner
by himself, his face stained with tears and looking more miserable then I'd
ever seen him.

His mother saw me smile when I looked at him and she put her arm around her
son and guided him to my side.  He seemed reluctant, not because he didn't
want to see me; I just think he's scared.  Kevin doesn't scare easy but I
know he loves me and I'm sure seeing me like this hurts, I know that's how
I'd feel if our places were reversed.

He stood at my bedside and tentatively took my hand in his.  His beautiful
green eyes were blood shot and had bags under them and his lower lip began
to quiver.  I reached up and put my hand on his neck then pulled him down
so I could kiss him on the forehead.

"It's ok Kevin, I know you're scared but I'm going to be ok," I whispered.

Kevin collapsed against my shoulder and sobbed.  I put my arm around him
and held him as best I could.  It was a tender moment for us and I think we
were both a little embarrassed that it was happening in front of both of
our families.  My dad seemed to understand.

"Come on everyone, why don't we give the boys a few minutes alone," said
dad, as he held the door open for everyone else.

It took a minute for Kevin to regain his composure, the sobbing stopped but
he was still crying when he sat next to me.

"Geez baby, I'm the one in the hospital but I think you look worse," I
smiled, trying to cheer him up.

"Tucker I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, I should have never made you go
to that stupid party, I should never have kissed that stupid girl," Kevin
spluttered.

"It's not your fault Kev, you didn't make me go, if I didn't want to go I'd
have just stayed home," I said reassuringly.

"Still, I shouldn't have kissed that girl, you wouldn't have gotten upset
and stormed out and that fucker wouldn't have done this to you," cried
Kevin.

"No, you shouldn't have kissed her but I shouldn't have run off either," I
said, "but that doesn't make this your fault, neither one of us could have
known anything like this would happen."

"The only thing I'm worried about," I began apprehensively, "is, did you
like her."

"No way," said Kevin, "she kissed me and if I hadn't been drinking I'd have
probably punched her."

"You don't have to go hitting girls to prove anything to me," I laughed.

"I know, I just want you to know I mean it, I love you so much Tucker, I'll
never let anything like that happen again," said Kevin.

"Then I forgive you, now will you please stop punishing yourself," I asked.

"I'll try," said Kevin.

Kevin laid his head in my shoulder, he cried a little longer but he didn't
feel as tense as he had.  I held him against me and stroked the back of his
neck the way he likes.  When our parents came back in with a doctor, he
took his seat next to me and held my hand.

"Tucker, I need you to get some rest, I'm going to give you a mild sedative
to help you sleep," said the doctor.

"Don't worry Honey," said my mom, "we'll be here when you wake up and we'll
talk more then."

"Yeah, and I'll stay right here by your side," said Kevin.

"Oh no you don't," I said, "Aunt Lisa, will you please take Kevin home and
make him get some sleep, he looks like crap."

Kevin's mom just smiled at me, she likes being called Aunt Lisa.

"The doctors gave us some sleeping pills to help Kevin rest, I'll make sure
he takes them," said Aunt Lisa.

"Well then can I at least have a minute to say goodbye," Kevin grumped.

Our parents cleared out and the doctor gave me a shot, he said it would
take a minute or two to take effect, then Kevin and I were alone again.

"I'm gonna be here when you wake up," said Kevin, "I love you Tucker."

"I love you to baby, but please get some rest, you need your beauty sleep,"
I smiled.

"I like it when you call me that," said Kevin with a grin.

I felt Kevin kiss me one more time and then it was lights out.  While I was
enjoying my nap at the hospital; Kevin was tossing and turning in his bed
at home. I may have been the victim of this attack but it might have done
more harm to Kevin.  Kevin has always been protective of me and right now
he feels like he's failed me.  I don't blame him at all for what happened,
I love him and I'm going to have to think of some way to help him see that
this isn't his fault.

Kevin and I weren't the only ones having a tough time dealing with this
situation.  Across town, in an apartment near the university, Jake was
replaying the events of the night before in his head.

Jake's Diary I still don't know what to think about last night.  I went out
with Amy and we had a good time but she was going to her parents this
morning so we called it a night pretty early.  I was bored after she left
so I got online and was surfing the net while listening to music.  I had
the volume up pretty high but no one ever complains around here so I wasn't
too concerned about it.  When one of the songs stopped, I could hear voices
coming from next door, it sounded like my neighbor had company.  I don't
know what to make of this guy, he's lived here for 6 months and I don't
even know his name.  He keeps to himself, rarely leaves his room and hasn't
said more than two words to anyone in the building.  I don't think he's a
student, if he is he's got one weird schedule.  The next song came on,
drowning out the voices and I didn't think much more about it.  I listened
a little longer but started to get tired; when I turned off my iTunes I
heard this horrible screaming and yelling.

It scared the shit out of me, I thought about calling the cops but then
whoever was screaming started yelling for help and I sort of just reacted.
I ran out into the hall and started banging on the neighbors door but he
didn't answer, I don't know if he could hear me over the screams of whoever
was inside.  I tried the door and found it was unlocked so I went in.

The screaming got louder and I found the courage to burst into the bedroom.
I was shocked by what I saw.  There was a guy, no, a boy, laying on the bed
screaming bloody murder and my neighbor was on top of him beating the shit
out of the kid.  I yelled something at him, I don't really remember what
but he just kept hitting the kid. I grabbed his arm and wrestled him to the
ground but he was really strong, we struggled for a bit and then when he
got a hand free he hit me and knocked me on my ass.

I was a little dumbstruck for a moment and when I got up, the boy was gone
and so was my neighbor.  I didn't know where they'd gone and I'm not sure
what to do now.  I should have called the police but I'm a little scared,
after all, I came into his house and hit him first, what if he presses
charges?  I came back to my apartment and before I fell asleep I heard my
neighbor come home, it sounded like he was alone so the boy must have
gotten away.  I feel like a coward but the last thing I need is this
asshole getting me in trouble.  I'll write more when I think of what to do.
 _______________________

It's been two days since the attack now.  Yesterday, after Kevin and my
family left, I slept the rest of the day.  My parents where there when I
woke up, I ate a little dinner, god hospital food is nasty, then went back
to sleep.  Now I'm all slept out, bored even, my doctor says I'm doing
great and should be able to go home in a day or two and mom says Kevin will
be here later to keep me entertained.  He better be sleeping too, he looked
like hell yesterday and I didn't like that, I'll recover a lot faster if I
know he's doing ok.  I was thinking about Kevin when my dad walked in with
someone I hadn't seen before, he was middle aged, had hound dog eyes and
wore a rumpled suit.

"Tucker, this is Detective Sullivan from the Boston Police Department, he
needs to talk to you about what happened," said dad, "do you think you're
up to that."

I was wondering when this was going to happen.  My dad's a federal judge
and I'd listened to him often enough to know that as the victim of a crime,
the cops would want to talk to me so they could reconstruct the attack.  I
was nervous but not scared, I wanted Charlie, if that was even his real
name, to pay for what he'd done to me and I wanted to make sure he didn't
do this to some other poor guy.  Detective Sullivan had a kind and gentle
manner that betrayed his gruff appearance, I think he must be used to
working with kids or at the very least, has a family of his own.

"Tucker we've spoken to your friend Kevin and the witnesses from the
fraternity house," said the Detective, "we know that you and your friend
had an argument and you were seen leaving with someone.  We also know what
happened when you returned to the fraternity.  What I need you to do is
tell me what happened after you left and before you returned, can you do
that."

"Yes sir," I replied, "some of it is kind of fuzzy but I'll do my best."

"Good boy, why don't you start from the beginning and I'll stop you along
the way as I have questions," stated the Detective.

Fair enough I thought.

"He said his name was Charlie but I kind of think he was lying now," I
began.

"He sat down on the couch next to me and we were talking for a while when
he mentioned something about Kevin and when I looked up I saw him kissing
this girl he was dancing with," I continued.

"Is that when you ran outside," asked Detective Sullivan.

"Yeah, I was upset," I answered.

"Why," questioned the Detective.

"Because, Kevin's my..."

Uh oh, I thought to myself as I looked at my dad.  He just put his hand on
my shoulder and looked at me.  It wasn't exactly a smile but he didn't look
angry either.


"It's okay son, you're mom and I understand about you and Kevin, we can
talk about that some other time, right now I need you to tell Detective
Sullivan everything he needs to know," said dad gently.

It looks like my gut feeling was right, my parents did know about us.  Oh
well, at least they don't seem upset about it, I'll worry about that later.

"Kevin's my boyfriend, Detective, I got mad when I saw him kiss that girl
and ran off," I admitted, "Charlie followed me and talked me into going for
a walk with him, he gave me a coke to drink but it tasted funny, I think
maybe he put something in it."

"The hospital ran a toxicology report on your blood when you were brought
in, there were traces of flunitrazepam," said the Detective.

"What's that," asked dad.

"It's a date rape drug, Judge," he answered.

I know my dad pretty well and the look on his face said it all, I think
he'd tare Charlie's head off if he got his hands on him.

"Did you feel disoriented, have trouble moving, that sort of thing," asked
the Detective.

"Yes sir, I don't know how I ended up in his apartment and when we were
inside I had trouble sitting up and moving my arms," I answered.

"Yeah, that was the drug, those are the typical symptoms," he explained.

"So you were actually in his apartment," he continued.

"Yes sir," I responded.

"Would you be able to find your way back there," said Detective Sullivan.

"I don't think so, I was really sort of out of it, and when I got out of
there all I could think about was getting back to my friends, I didn't
really pay attention to the route.  All I know for sure is that it's within
6 or so blocks of the fraternity house."

"That's ok, we'll deal with that later, what happened when you were in the
apartment with him," questioned the Detective.

I told my parents and Detective Sullivan everything.  I explained how
Charlie had kissed me and I'd tried to get up, how he wouldn't let me leave
and then how he bit me.  My dad winced when I described the beating, he had
the same look on his face that Kevin had the last time I saw him, like he
thought he'd failed me.  My dad's not the over protective type, my parents
let me be pretty independent but I think he was hurt that I was hurt, if
that makes any sense.


"Well Tucker, you're a very lucky guy, not many people would have been able
to get out of a situation like that," said the Detective, "If I showed you
a picture do you think you'd recognize this guy?"

"Yes sir, I'll never forget his face," I replied.

The detective pulled a composite drawing from his breast pocket and had me
look at it.  I studied it for a long time.

"That's him," I said.

"You're sure," asked the Detective.

"Yes sir, the eyes are a little farther apart then I remember but that's
him, I'll never forget that face," I shuddered.

"Good, that's all the questions I have for now, I'll let you rest," said
Detective Sullivan, "Judge Sutherland, can I speak to you outside?"

"Wait, that's not fair," I argued, "if you have something to say I want to
hear it, I'm the one this happened to."

The detective and my parents traded a look and a nod.

"He's right detective, he deserves to know what's going on," said dad.

"Very well," said the detective, "for the past year we've been
investigating the murder of 6 boys between the ages of 14 and 20.  They all
match Tucker's description, blond, slender, athletic and each of them has
born a distinctive wound, a bite mark to the neck."

"We compared the bite marks on Tucker's neck to the bite marks on the other
victims, they're a match," said Detective Sullivan, "it's clear to us that
Tucker was about to be the next unlucky victim of a serial killer we've
been calling the Boston Boogeyman."

"Oh Jesus," said mom, speaking for the first time, "that's what Tucker
called him the first time he woke up, the Boogeyman."

"I did," I asked mom, I didn't remember that.

"Yes sweetie, you were only awake for a few minutes but you kept repeating
it, `the Boogeyman did it mommy'."

Wow, that's creepy.

"Detective, you said you've been investigating this guy for over a year, do
you have any leads," said dad.

"Actually we were close to catching him about 6 months ago," said Detective
Sullivan, "we had a tip on a possible suspect but we missed him by a couple
of days, when we searched his apartment it looked like he'd left in a
hurry, it was his land lady that gave us the description that drawing was
based on."

"Did you learn anything else about him," dad continued.

"Unfortunately no," said the detective, "he'd given his land lady a fake
name, we dusted for prints but they didn't turn up anything when we ran
them through the computer.  This is the biggest break we've had in the case
since then.  No one has ever gotten away from this guy, now when we catch
him Tucker's testimony will nail him to the wall."

"Good job kid," said the detective as he patted my leg.

My mom and dad went out into the hall with Detective Sullivan and I was
left to think about what I'd just learned. I wasn't scared before but I am
now.  I figured Charlie was just some asshole who had drugged me so he
could rape me but got out of control because he was drinking.  That was a
horrid thought in and of itself but now I knew that his intention had been
to kill me all along.  I also felt lucky, from what the detective said, I
should be dead right now, none of the other boys had survived, if that man
hadn't burst into the room when he had, I'd be a corpse right now.  I hoped
he was ok, I don't know what happened to him once I left the room.  I was
getting upset from all of these thoughts running through my mind; I started
to have trouble breathing and I could hear my heart rate monitor beeping a
little faster, I think I was having a slight panic attack.

I was about to push the bedside call button for a nurse when my mom walked
in with Kevin. I started to calm down almost immediately.  He still looked
like a mess but he at least seemed rested.  The detective was still out in
the hall so my mom left the two of us alone.  I held out my hand and Kevin
came over and took it in his.

"How are you feeling," he asked.

"Great, wanna wrestle," I joked.

"I wish you could," said Kevin in a hollow voice, "I hate seeing you like
this."

It seemed like all of that exuberant energy of Kevin's had been sucked out
of him.  He normally has trouble standing still and is always bouncing on
the balls of his feet, it's almost like an electric charge courses through
him.  Not today.  His movements were slow, his voice was softer and more
subdued and he may have slept while we'd been apart but he still had bags
under his eyes.  I thought changing the subject might help a little but he
beat me to the punch.

"That cop came over to my house and talked to me and Kyle," said Kevin,
"have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah, just before you got here," I answered.

"Good, I hope they catch this bastard soon," sniffled Kevin.  "Did you hear
about all the boys he killed," I asked.

"What," Kevin exclaimed, "you mean there are others?"

I guess he hadn't heard.  I took a minute to fill Kevin in on the details
about the Boston Boogeyman.

"Oh my God," said Kevin, "You mean he was actually trying to kill you, this
wasn't just some kind of freak accident or drunken bullshit?"

"That's what the detective said," I responded.

It was quiet for a moment, Kevin held my hand but he wouldn't look at me.

"Hey, why don't you sit down," I offered.

Kevin sat next to me and rested his head on the bed by my stomach, he was
still looking away from me.  I reached down and stroked his hair, running
my fingers from his temple and back behind his ear, I know he likes how
that feels and I hoped it would help to calm him down.

"If you died I'd kill myself," said Kevin, when he finally looked at me.

"Hey, don't ever talk like that," I admonished.

"I mean it, there's no purpose to my life without you," said Kevin, "I know
I'm always joking around and everyone thinks I'm a doofus but not when it
comes to you, I love you more than anything and I wouldn't want to go on
without you."

"Kevin, I know you're scared about what happened, I am too.  If you were
the one laying here in this bed, I'd probably feel the same way.  But I
don't ever want to hear you say you'd kill yourself.  Do you know how sad
I'd be if anything ever happened to you? I don't even want to think about
it," I explained.

It took some effort but I was able to scoot over to the far side of my bed
so that Kevin could squeeze in on his side.  He put his head down on the
undamaged side of my chest and we were quiet for a while, just enjoying the
closeness.

"My poor baby," I muttered.

Kevin looked up at me with a slight smile on his face, it was a nice
improvement.

"What," I asked.

"You did it again," said Kevin.

"Did what," I asked.

"Called me baby," said Kevin, his grin getting a little wider.

"You don't like it," I inquired.

"No I really like it, it makes me feel good when you say it, I'm just not
used to you saying it so often," said Kevin, "I could get used to it."

"Good because I'll probably say it more often now," I smiled.

"Oh yeah," said Kevin.

"Yeah, you're my baby, I love you, I don't care who knows," I answered.

"Really," said Kevin.

"Yeap, I think you're right, if someone doesn't like us being together then
fuck um," I smiled.

"Careful, your mommy hears you say that and she'll wash your mouth out,"
Kevin giggled.

"I'll just blame it on that bad influence that lives across the street," I
smiled.

"Who," said Kevin with a confused expression.

"Who do you think," I said as I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Oh, duh," said Kevin as it dawned on him that he's the person I was
talking about, "and hey, I am not a bad influence."

"No, you're not," I agreed as I leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
Fortunately he was close because it hurt to move my neck.

"Did you really mean it though, you don't care who knows about us," he
asked.

"I mean it, our parents know Kev, my dad pretty much confirmed that and it
doesn't seem like they care," I explained, "as long as our families accept
us I don't care about anyone else."

"Wow," said Kevin.

We didn't talk more about it then, my parents came back in.  Kevin tried to
get up but I held him down.  My parents smiled at us and told us we could
talk about it later. Kevin stayed with me the rest of the day and I could
tell he was feeling a little better.  I think my decision to be open and
honest about our relationship with our families made him happy.  After what
I'd been through I didn't care who knew that I loved Kevin O'Brien, if they
don't like it, well, you know.

My dad had to work the next day, he had offered to call in sick but I told
him I'd feel better if he went to work, it wasn't doing me any good just
having people sit around the hospital.  I tried to get mom to go too but
she wouldn't hear of it.  She brought Kevin to the hospital with her and
watched over us while we talked about typical 15 year old boy stuff.  She
also made sure to give us some alone time, which we both appreciated.
After four days I was released from the hospital.  I'd be out of school for
at least two weeks during which time, under strict doctor's orders, I was
to stay in bed and avoid any movement that would put pressure on my chest.
After that time I'd be allowed to return to school if the doctor thought I
was making decent progress but my movements would have to remain restricted
for at least six weeks.  Once back in class I'd also have to be careful
being among crowds, having someone accidently bump into my damaged ribs
could cause problems but the doctor said I should be fine as long as I was
careful.  I couldn't wait to get home, 4 days of hospital food was enough,
thank you very much!

While I'd been in the hospital the police had been aggressively hunting for
Charlie.  The problem was that even though I'd been able to give them a
general idea of where he lived it still takes time to search an area that
large, especially in an old city like Boston with its small side streets
and old apartment buildings all over the place.  They tried searching the
area with police dogs but that didn't do much good.  They'd taken my bloody
shirt and let the dog sniff it so he'd know what he was looking for but I
hadn't bleed out all over the ground, my cotton shirt had absorbed most of
it and there was no trail leading back to the scene of the crime.  Their
next move was to make posters with the composite sketch that I'd identified
Charlie with and plaster them around the neighborhood.  They felt confident
that if he lived in the neighborhood, someone would know him, their hope
was that the man who saved me would see the posters and call in, I hoped
for that too but I was scared that Charlie had killed him.

Jake had been walking home from class, a few days after the attack, when he
spotted one of the posters on a telephone poll.  He grabbed it and took it
with him.  Oh my god, Jake thought to himself, that has to be him, it looks
just like him.  Jesus, what if he killed that boy?  His stomach felt sick
and he knew the only way he'd ever be able to clear his conscience would be
to call the police.

The one problem with the flyers the police posted around the BU campus was
that every weirdo in Boston was calling in with some crazy story or other.
They got a few leads but the effort to sift through all the crackpot calls
was wearing thin on the officers on the Boogeyman case.  Detective Sullivan
had been on duty for nearly 18 hours when he took Jake's call.

"Homicide, Sullivan," said the detective on the third ring.

"Um hi, I'm calling about the flyers posted around my neighborhood," said
Jake nervously.

"What do you want to report," asked Detective Sullivan somewhat
dismissively.

"I, I think he's, the man in the picture that is, my neighbor," said Jake.

"Uh huh, please continue," prompted the detective.

"Well, it looks just like the guy across the hall and, well, something kind
of weird happened the other night," said Jake, his heart pounding.

"Friday night," asked Detective Sullivan as he began to take the call more
seriously.

"Yes sir," said Jake.

"Can you tell me what happened," Sullivan asked excitedly.  "I was
listening to some music in my apartment and then I heard screaming," said
Jake.

Jackpot, thought Detective Sullivan.

"Whoever was screaming sounded like they were in real trouble so I went
across the hall, long story short I went into the apartment and I found my
neighbor beating the crap out of some kid," Jake explained.

"Why didn't you call the police," Sullivan inquired.

"I, I was scared," Jake admitted, "I wasn't sure what, exactly I walked
into and I was afraid my neighbor might press charges against me for
breaking into his place or for hitting him.  I don't have any money, I
can't afford a lawyer, it looked like the kid got away so I just kept my
mouth shut, then I saw your wanted posters."

Jake filled the detective in on the rest of his story and then the police
started to mobilize.  Quickly and quietly, officers from the homicide
division set up surveillance on "Charlie's" apartment building; they
watched for a few hours but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.  Jake
explained to Detective Sullivan that he hadn't heard his neighbor leave
since the night of the attack.  Now uniformed officers began to close off a
two block radius around the building while the SWAT team moved in.

The officers banged on Charlie's door.

"Police officers, warrant, open the door."

They repeated the command twice more and when no one answered, they kicked
in the door.  Officers swept the rooms and found nothing until they entered
the bathroom where they made a gruesome discovery.  Sometime after he'd
returned to his apartment Friday night, Charlie had killed himself.  The
police found his decomposing body in the bathtub, both of his wrists cut
open, the words "I'm sorry," written in blood on the tile wall.  DNA
samples taken from under the fingernails of the murdered victims and the
bite wounds on their necks, confirmed that "Charlie" had been the Boogeyman
and that his reign of terror was over.

For the detectives investigating the case, the moment was bittersweet.
They were both pleased and frustrated by the end result, yes the murders
would stop but they would never know why they began in the first place,
thanks to Charlie's suicide.  We were just getting home from the hospital
when my dad's cell phone rang and Detective Sullivan gave him the news.  To
say I was relieved would be an understatement, I hadn't said anything to
anyone but in the back of my mind I had this fear that Charlie would find
me and finish the job he'd started.  A wave of relief washed over me and I
knew that everything would be ok.

During the next week, Jake came to visit us, we all wanted to meet him and
thank him for what he'd done.  I hugged him and held on tight, I owed him
everything.  Jake stayed and had dinner with us and we learned that he was
an orphan, his parents had been killed in a car accident when he was a boy
and he'd been in foster care from then on.  When he graduated from high
school he was accepted to BU and was working hard to pay his tuition.  My
parents are eternally grateful to Jake for what he did for me and after
hearing his story and pushing their way past his humble objections, they
made arrangements to pay the rest of his tuition for the remainder of his
college career.  In the weeks and months to come, Jake would come to think
of us like the family he'd lost, he even ended up moving into the pool
house during the summer and was a regular at our family gatherings.

I don't mean to gloss over everything that happened, I'm glad Charlie is
dead.  There won't be a trial now, I won't have to see that face smiling
its sweet, sinister smile at me and I know he can't hurt me or anyone else
ever again; he's in hell where he belongs.  This story however, isn't
really about Charlie, or what he did to me, but rather how the events
surrounding the attack affected me and Kevin.

Though I had been released from the hospital I was under strict doctor's
orders to stay in bed and rest.  After a day or two a routine had
developed, I set up camp in the living room and waited for Kevin to get
home from school, he'd bring me my homework and we'd work on things
together and then he'd spend most of the evening with me.  He watched over
me like a guardian angel and he seemed happy but in truth he hadn't fully
bounced back.  Every time he thought I wasn't looking, I'd catch Kevin with
a grime expression on his face as though he was still haunted by the events
of "that night."  I wasn't exactly sure what to do.  I for one was happier
than I could ever remember being.  When the reality of what I'd survived
set in; I felt this euphoric sense of joy.  I don't know if its permanent
or not but for now I feel a sense of fearlessness, I'm not scared of coming
out anymore and I'm not afraid to face any challenges that might come my
way, because nothing could ever be as bad as what happened to me.  If I can
survive that, I can survive anything.  I'm worried about Kevin though, I've
tried to act normal and reassure him that I'm fine but I get the sense that
he's just humoring me when he says he's okay too.  The biggest hint came a
week after I got home.

Even though I was still being medicated and my chest still hurt like hell,
my recovery was well underway and the lust I had for Kevin came back with a
vengeance.  A week after I got home, we were in my room, laying on my bad
and kissing.  I was in a t shirt and pajama bottoms, ah the joys of being
home from school, while Kevin had on jeans and a green polo shirt.  I love
when he wears that color; it brings out the vivid green in his beautiful
eyes.  Kevin is a gentle lover and he was being careful not to touch my
damaged chest, I was enjoying the feel of his lips against mine and
stroking the back of his neck, that always makes him purr.

Although we've been kissing for years, most other things we took slowly, we
progressed to hand jobs but we've only been sucking on each other for a few
months.  I was really turned on by our make out session and I wanted
Kevin's cock.  I put my hand on his chest and felt his athletic body as I
moved my hand down to his taut belly and then began trying to open his
pants.  I got his zipper down and was feeling him up through his
boxer-briefs when he surprised me.

"Tucker, stop," moaned Kevin.

I smiled at him, kissed his sweet lips and then started tugging on his
belt, until he pulled my hand away gently.

"What's the matter baby," I asked, Kevin has never been shy about sex.

"Nothing, I just think maybe it's too soon," said Kevin.

"Why wait," I asked, my lips going back to his.

"I just think we should hold off until you're better," said Kevin as he
zipped up his jeans.

"Come on Kev, I feel fine," I responded, my hand heading for his package.

"Yeah but you're not fine, you know what your doctors said, you need to
rest," Kevin argued.

"I've been resting all day," I grumped, "I miss you."

"I know but I don't think we should risk it," said Kevin as he gently, very
gently, stroked my chest.

"Fine," I said somewhat sternly.

"Are you mad," asked Kevin.

"No, I'm just disappointed, I feel good Kev and I want you," I explained.

"I just can't yet Tucker, I love you and I don't want you to get hurt
again," Kevin admitted.

I was horny and I wanted to press the issue but when I looked into his eyes
I knew I shouldn't push it.  I don't know exactly what I saw there but
something was different.  Things continued like that for the next week or
so, every time I tried to do more than kiss him, Kevin would withdraw.  He
spent the night a couple of times and after I assured him he wouldn't hurt
my ribs in his sleep, he agreed to share my bed.  On one occasion I woke up
in the middle of the night with a raging hardon.  I leaned over and smelled
Kevin, his clean boy scent was intoxicating and I began to feel his body.
I love touching Kevin, his muscles aren't big but they're firm, his skin is
smooth and his cock isn't huge but I love it and rubbed it gently when I
slipped my hand into his pajama's, then into his underwear. Kevin made the
cutest little murmurs in his sleep but the more I played with his hardening
organ, the more intense his moans became.  I thought it was because of me
tugging on his cock but then he called out in his sleep, "Don't hurt
Tucker!"  I pulled my hand out of his pants and listened as he continued to
moan and call out my name in his sleep, I almost jumped when he woke with a
scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO," cried Kevin.

He was panting and there was sweat on his brow.

"Kev, are you alright," I asked calmly as I rubbed his back.

"I'm fine," he answered curtly.

"But you were...," I began.

"I said I'm fine," stated Kevin forcefully.

He got up to wash his face and I must have drifted off while waiting for
him to come back, in the morning he was curled up on the floor with his
pillow.  Things continued like this for the next week, he continued to
spend every waking hour that he could with me and I felt passion when he
kissed me but he wouldn't let me touch him below the waist, always arguing
that we should wait until I was fully healed.  I wasn't sure what to make
of his behavior or that dream he'd had, was he having them every night?  At
first I thought it was me that was causing the problem but he never tried
to distance himself from me, in fact, if anything, he seemed to spend more
time with me, even more then we had before all this happened.

Time passed and after three weeks I was back in school.  My friends had
visited me during my convalescence but they were still glad to see me
walking through the halls.  My chest was still weak but the doctors felt it
was safe for me to be in class, they had however, arranged for me to be
allowed out of each class 5 minutes early so I could walk to my next class
without the risk of anyone jostling my injury.  Kevin was at my side like a
bodyguard, he reminded people not to hug me to tightly, asked people to get
out of the way when I did have to walk through a crowd and generally
watched me like a hawk.  I rarely escaped his vigilance; that is until one
afternoon, our geometry teacher asked him to stay behind for a moment to
ask him a question about a problem he'd gotten wrong on our most recent
test.  Kevin asked me to wait for him but it was lunch time and I was
hungry so I assured him I'd be fine then told him I'd meet him at our
regular table when he'd finished.

I ran into our friend, Jason and we headed to the cafeteria.  Jason is a
big guy, 6'1" 165lbs and he's only 15, he's going to be a giant by the time
we're seniors.  Jason is on the football team with us, where he plays
linebacker.  He's always been a good friend, sort of a gentle giant, and I
enjoyed his company as we got in the lunch line.  It wasn't Jason's fault,
he was just standing there, waiting to get his food when the girl in front
of him turned and walked right into him.  Jason jumped back when her tray
spilled all over him and inadvertently elbowed me in the chest.  I doubled
over in pain, I don't think anything was dislodged but it felt like the
wind had been knocked out of me.

"Oh shit, Tucker, I'm sorry, it was an accident," Jason apologized
profusely.

I tried to wave him off, letting him know I understood and wasn't angry. I
know it was an accident; I just couldn't catch my breath enough to express
it in words yet.

"I'm so sorry...," Jason continued, before he was interrupted with a fist
to the face.

Kevin had been coming into the cafeteria when he'd seen Jason bump into me
and something in him snapped.  Despite Jason's size advantage, Kevin had
him on the ground and was punching him relentlessly.  Jason wouldn't fight
back, he could have squashed Kevin if he wanted to but he didn't understand
why Kevin was hitting him and wasn't about to hurt a friend without reason.

"Kevin, that's enough, get off of him," I shouted as I tried to pull him
back.

Kevin was swinging like a wild man and I caught a stray fist in the nose
when I went in to grab him.  I had no idea Kevin could punch so hard as I
sat on the floor against the counter, clutching my bloody nose and holding
my chest which still ached from its accidental buffeting.  Coach Fuller,
our gym and football coach; had the duty in the lunch room that afternoon
and he ran over to break things up.

"Damn it O'Brien what the hell's the matter with you," shouted the coach as
he wrapped his arms around Kevin and pulled him off of Jason.

Kevin didn't go easily, he couldn't break free from the coach's grasp so he
tried to kick Jason and ended up being dragged from the room.  Another
teacher was trying to help Jason but despite his busted lip he insisted she
check on me first.

"Please help Tucker, I think I hurt his chest," said Jason.

See what I mean about him being a gentle giant?

The teacher fussed over me for a moment but my nose had stopped bleeding
and I'd caught my breath.  I assured her that I'd go by the nurse's office
so that she could check me out and then she let me go.  I didn't see Kevin
for the rest of the day, I knew he must have been suspended for fighting,
but I was determined to get to the bottom of this once I got home.  I don't
know what made him attack Jason like that but I couldn't put up with it,
the Kevin I know and love, doesn't beat on our buddies over accidents.

Jason was waiting for me after school and walked me home.

"How's your lip," I asked.

"It's ok," said Jason, "I didn't know you little guys could hit so hard."

"I'm sorry about what happened, I don't know what the hell he was
thinking," I apologized.

"He loves you, he thought I hurt you," said Jason, "if I thought Molly was
hurt I'd probably do the same thing to the guy I thought did it."

"But she's you're girlfriend," I stuttered.

"Are you going to tell me Kevin isn't your boyfriend," Jason smiled.

"How the hell do you know that," I asked.

"I didn't, Molly had to explain it to me and then it made sense," said
Jason.

"And you're ok with that," I asked nervously.

"Sure, I've known you guys since I moved here in 4th grade, if that's what
makes you happy then I'm happy for you," Jason explained as we got to my
house.

Well, what do you know, I thought, see I knew this coming out stuff
wouldn't be so bad, if our family and our friends were cool with it then
what else matters?

"Tell Kev I said no hard feelings, will ya," asked Jason.

I promised I would and sent Jason on his way.  I looked across the street
at Kevin's house and knew I had to go talk to him.  I let myself in, as I
always have, and ran into Kevin's mom in the kitchen.  We talked for a few
minutes; she asked if I knew what was wrong with him, I told her I didn't
but that I was going to find out.  She told me he was in his room and
hadn't come out since she'd brought him home after the principal had
called.

When I walked into Kevin's room he was staring out the window into his
backyard.

"Is Jason pissed," he sniffled.

"No, he said he understood that you didn't mean it," I replied.

"Good, I'll apologize on Monday," said Kevin.

"How about me, do I get an apology," I asked.  Kevin turned and flashed me
a quizzical look.

"You don't remember punching me," I asked.

"What," he exclaimed.

"I tried to pull you off of Jason but you were so intense, you ended up
hitting me," I informed him.

Kevin raced over to me and started gently probing my chest, looking for any
sort of dislocation in my healing ribs.

"Where did I get you, are you ok," Kevin asked concerned.

I'm fine Kevin," I replied.

"Are you sure, just let me check...," he began.

"Damn it Kevin, I'm fine, you didn't hit me in the chest, you punched me in
the face," I stated.

"I'm sorry Tucker, I didn't mean it," sniffled Kevin.

"You mean it was an accident," I asked.

"Yes, of course, I'd never..."

"Yeah well so was what happened with Jason, he didn't mean to hurt me, it
just happened and you flipped out and hit our friend," I stated forcefully,
"you haven't been the same since I got hurt and I want to know right now,
what's the matter with you?"

Kevin hung his head in shame and tears ran down his face in earnest.  Damn
it, it's not supposed to be like this, my Kevin is a bouncing ball of happy
energy, he doesn't mope around and cry.  I took him in my arms and held him
against me.

"Kevin, I want to help you but I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong,"
I said gently.

"It's all my fault," he sobbed into my shoulder.

"Oh Kevin," I sighed, "I've told you none of this is your fault.  You
didn't do anything wrong."

"I know you've said that but it doesn't change the fact that I made you go
to that party with me, I ditched you to hang out with those stupid girls
and I let that dumb bitch kiss me," he whined.

"Kevin, do you know what all of Charlie's victims had in common," I asked.

He gave me a questioning stare.  "Blond hair, blue eyes, slight build, age
14-20, do you see what I'm getting at," I asked.

"I don't understand," said Kevin.

"Nothing you or I did made this happen, Kev," I began, "he came to that
party looking for me, or someone like me.  If things hadn't gone down the
way they did he would have probably just tried some other tactic."

"But if I had been with you..." Kevin started.

"Then what?" I asked, "What could you have done, look what he did to me
Kev, do you have any idea how strong that bastard was, he'd have just hurt
you too and maybe we'd both be dead right now."

"I, I should have protected you," stuttered Kevin.

"I don't need protection Kevin, I'm not some damsel in distress, I can take
care of myself," I exclaimed.

"You, you don't need me," asked Kevin in a timid voice.

"I didn't say that," I explained, "of course I need you, I want you, you're
the only thing that I want, but I don't need you to feel responsible for me
and I don't need you blaming yourself for something beyond your control.  I
want my Kevin back. You haven't even let me touch you since I've been
home."

"It's not that I don't want to, I'm scared Tucker," whimpered Kevin.

"Baby, there's nothing to be scared of, Charlie's dead, we'll never have to
worry about him again," I comforted.

"You didn't see yourself on that lawn, or in that hospital bed, all beaten
and broken, it tore my heart out," said Kevin.

"But I'm better now, or getting there, don't you see," I asked.

"What if I hurt you, I couldn't live with that," said Kevin.

In that moment I decided it was time to take charge of the situation.  I
pushed Kevin back on his bed, gently but firmly.

"Tucker, what are you doing," asked a surprised Kevin.

I didn't answer him, I was done with talking.  I straddled him and then I
kissed him on the lips, hard.  He resisted me at first and pushed back as
if he wanted to say something but I didn't want to hear it and continued to
apply pressure to his lips, eventually he loosened up and accepted my kiss.
I pushed my tongue into his mouth and sucked his into mine, it was the most
passionate make out session we'd had since I came home, maybe ever.

When I broke away from his lips I moved in and kissed and sucked on his
neck.  I started to quickly unbutton his shirt and then feel his body, he
was still a little tense but he was slowly relaxing, he'd stopped resisting
me and rubbed my back while I kissed my way down his chest and tummy.  I
kissed around his little belly button, nibbled gently at its rim, swirled
my tongue in its depths and was rewarded with a low, soft moan.  My hands
moved to his belt buckle then the button of his jeans then the zipper as I
pulled it down.

"Tucker, wait, we really should wait until you're fully healed," moaned
Kevin.

I didn't stop; I pulled down his pants and his boxer-briefs as far as I
could get them.  I like Kevin in his undies, he's so cute in his
boxer-briefs, and normally I liked to play with his cock while he still had
them on but not today.  I wanted him badly, this was the first time I'd
seen his cute 6 incher in weeks and it was like seeing an old friend.  I
kissed around its base, gently kissed the spongy pink head then licked the
shaft up and down while Kevin moaned in ecstasy.  I took the head in my
mouth and sucked it hard while my tongue toyed with the little cum hole.  I
swallowed him down my throat and bobbed up and down on him while he bucked
his hips into my mouth.

I kicked off my shoes and pushed my jeans and underwear down then kicked
them off as well.  I pulled my mouth off of Kevin and sat up to take off my
shirt.  I looked down at his beautiful face, a smile, a genuine smile,
spreading from ear to ear.  I took in his soft and sensual body and I knew
what I wanted.  I moved into position over Kevin's throbbing cock and
gently lowered myself onto him.  This was a first for us, until now our
love making had been limited to what pleasure we could give each other with
our hands and mouths but when I looked into his face I knew there was
nothing I wanted more then to have him inside me.  I felt his head press
against my hole and continued to impale myself on the hard shaft.  My body
resisted the invasion at first but soon I was able to slide onto him.  It
was as if my opening knew that this was Kevin's cock seeking entrance and
we loved Kevin so it was ok to let him in.

It took me a while but I finally felt his pubes tickling the skin of my
butt as I came to rest against his pelvic bone.  I gave myself time to grow
accustomed to this new sensation and then began to rock softly back and
forth, riding my lover.  I smiled at Kevin, he smiled back at me and I
lowered myself against him.  I kissed his nose playfully then his lips
passionately.  I wanted every ounce of Kevin, all I could get.

He put his arms around me tightly but gently, still aware of the fact that
my ribs were damaged.  We kissed and I rode him harder and faster.  Our
tongues darted in and out of each other's mouths.  My cock rubbed between
the soft, sweaty skin of our athletic bellies, his throbbed inside of me.
We moaned into each other's mouths as we kissed, the sensations were
sending an electric charge through our bodies and then Kevin's body
stiffened and with a low guttural moan his cum fired into me.  I was so
turned on by the feelings tingling though me that I splattered his belly
with my seed.  We held each other, trying to freeze this moment in time,
the moment of our first full sexual climax.  I held him until his flaccid
cock worked its way out of me and flopped against his thigh.  I lay next to
Kevin and took his hand in mine.

"Tucker," he panted, "that was incredible."

"I know, it felt amazing," I agreed.

"What on Earth made you do that," asked Kevin.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time, I love you, and I needed to
show you, you're not going to break me," I explained.

Kevin rolled over and kissed me, the brilliant, perfect smile, back on his
impish face.

"Thank you," he smiled, "I love you too."

"Are you going to be ok now," I asked.

"Yeah, I think everything is going to be just fine," he smiled.

The End