Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 14:18:55 -0800 (PST) From: wetswimboy2000@yahoo.com Subject: Return From the High Return From the High By: Michael Smith Author's Note: Any feedback is welcome; please email me at wetswimboy2000@yahoo.com Flakes of snow rocket to the ground, swirling and blowing into the wind onto the boys faces. But this is ignored. Hats and gloves; scarves and thick winter jackets block most of it, but their faces are frozen and their jeans wet. Still they continue through the morning; throwing mounds of snow at each other and sliding down hills. They are twelve; but an older twelve. They are of the generation where books and sports have been replaced by the Internet and video games. But on days like this, in the freezing cold where the snow has no hope of ending the boys are outside, playing with each other the way boys should. A snow day, meaning a day off school, will always be taken advantage of. One of the boys, with a mess of golden straw on his head, runs home early to the promise of something better. The hood on his jacket came off his head hours ago but he was having too much fun to put it back. His hair is covered in snow and ice; his face and ears are frozen but his mouth is shaped in an excited smile. He slams the front door behind him, does not bother to remove his boots and bursts into his older brother's room. Henry sees his older brother Jack sitting at his desk. Having just woken up he is wearing boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. On top of the desk there is a Ziplock bag with a green substance inside. Jack is bent over his desk, carefully placing ground up leaves along carefully laid out Zigzags. "What are you doing?" Henry shouts, recognizing his brother's activities as something preventing them from the promised day long ski trip. "Hey!" Jack shouts angrily, seeing his brother's boots. "You've tracked snow all over the house! Mom's gonna kill you!" "Yeah? Well you were supposed to take me skiing! You're just going to sit here and get high again! I hate you!" Henry storms out of the room, banging his boots into the carpets in the bedroom-hallway-bedroom. There is the slamming of a door. Then the opening of the same door as Jack walks into his younger brother's bedroom. "Did you look at the weather kiddo or did you just drag it into the house? There's no way we're going to be able to drive anywhere." "They why'd you tell me you'd take me? And don't call me kiddo!" Henry responds. He is sitting against his bed, his knees up in the air, still fully dressed in his winter gear, his head of straw beginning to melt. "Because you woke me up early, on a snow day. I had to say something to get rid of you." "You're a jerk. Get out of my room." "Gladly, kiddo. But unfortunately, since you're acting like such a shrimp, I'm going to have to treat you like one." Jack walks firmly to his brother, grabs an ear and lifts. Henry stands up with a long "owwww". "Get out of those clothes, dry off, and clean up the mess you made. Ten minutes, got it?" "Go to hell. What are you gonna do if I don't?" "I'm not going to do anything kiddo. You can just wait and see how mom and dad feel about the mess when they get home." "Oh yeah? We'll see how they feel about you getting high all the time." "You know, half of that was for you, but I guess you don't want it ..." "What? But you never let me try it!" "Well, you're older now. Or at least I thought you were. So act your age ok? Ten minutes, my room." * The boy bursts in again, this time dry and wearing fresh clothes. Faded blue jeans, a comfortable sweater and white socks. The boys lay down on the bed, resting against the backboard. Jack presses a button on the remote and switches on some music. "You know I love you kiddo, right?" "Stop calling me that!" "Sorry. But seriously. I love you Henry. So we've gotta share this in a special way. Like brothers." "Okay, what do I do?" "First, clothes off." "What?" "Clothes off. All of them." "Why?" "Because, like I said, we're brothers. And when we share this we should be comfortable." Jack removes his shorts and shirt, revealing the hair under his arms and above his penis. Henry's body is skinny, with no hair and a small penis. But his face is red. He is embarrassed but more powerful is his desire to enter the grown up world of his older brother. But as soon as he is naked, he changes his mind. "Forget it, I don't want to do it," Henry says, pulling up his shorts. "You're right, I'm just a kid, and ..." Jack takes Henry's arm firmly into his own hand to prevent the boy from leaving. "And you're embarrassed. There's nothing to be embarrassed about okay?" He released Henry's arm, and the boy sighs and leans back. He removes his shorts, revealing his penis for a second time. "Now," Jack says, "we have to practice this first." He tells Henry to sit on his outstretched legs, while spreading his own. The boy listens. Their penises are almost touching. "Now lean forwards, and open your mouth, and put it against my open mouth." The boys' lips touch, briefly. "Yeah, just like that." Jack lights the joint, takes a drag, and then places it on his tongue. Henry leans in, their lips meet and the smoke is inhaled. There is coughing. Jack finishes the joint. The music becomes louder and Henry leans back against the bed again, lying next to his brother. They are silent for some time, allowing the waves of the music to caress their naked bodies. "I think I prefer kissing girls," Henry says after a long silence. They both laugh. "Have you kissed a girl?" Jack asks. "Yeah, twice." "Cool." And there is silence again while the brothers think about their previous crushes and kisses and without even realizing it the erections from those times return. "She ever touch your penis?" Jack asks, half jokingly. "Don't be gross," Henry replies, pulling his knees up and hugging them in an attempt to hide his arousal. "It's not gross; it feels really good." Jack takes his brother's wrist, gently pries it from his brother's leg and brings it towards him. There is an attempt to take it back, and an audible protest, but Jack holds on. Henry's hand touches Jack's penis; Jack makes his own hand do the same for Henry's. This touch immediately relaxes the boy, and Henry's legs are once again straight out in front of him. Jack begins stroking and Henry follows. They stare at each other's bodies while they pleasure each other. Henry looks with longing; wanting himself to be older, to have a body like his brother's with hair and muscle and a large penis. Jack looks at his brother and remembers his own twelve year old innocence, and what it was like to have a body that was immensely fun to discover, even though at that age, Jack too wanted to be older. And then there is wet and dry. And Henry pretends that it is his own come he feels on his hand while Jack remembers these dry orgasms. He quickly grabs a t-shirt from his floor and cleans himself and his brother's hand. They move closer together as Jack turns up the music. They lie together for the rest of the high, their bodies touching, their millions of thoughts about life and about each other swirling through the music of which they can clearly hear every sound. And Henry thanks his older brother and finally responds and telling Jack that he loves him too; that he is glad they are brothers. Jack kisses his brother's cheek, and they both savour one of the rare brotherly moments that is composed of intimacy, laughter and an un-inhibited closeness as they return from the high.