Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:42:57 -0500
From: chris james <drmeta4@gmail.com>
Subject: Artificial Sky, Chapters 1 & 2

Dear Reader: this story contains adult fiction and consensual sex between
minors, if you are under 18 or find this material offensive please leave
now.

	This is a story of two boys who meet on a train trip across America
in the 1960's. The characters are fictional, but at least one of them was
real, I'll let you decide which one. For many of us train travel in those
days was more luxurious than a seat on any aircraft, a level of service
beyond anything you might find today.

	Today's rush to live leaves out the view and the interpersonal
relationships one might find even on a fast moving train. For a boy it
seemed like a great adventure, a romantic journey on the rails towards an
uncertain future. Come back with me to that time, for the trip is but a
moment you may enjoy and then your life goes back to normal, or does it?

As always, your comments welcome.
Chris James
drmeta4@gmail.com


			   Artificial Sky (b/b)


	Chapter One

	The dim cavernous hall of the train station spread out before him
as Danny passed through the revolving doors. The echo of voices, the
clatter of heels on the marble floors all surrounded him, but his eyes were
quickly drawn to the ceiling above.

	Tall arches sat atop dozens of marble pillars, boney fingers
reaching out to hold up the distant roof. It was a vast expanse of canvas
upon which some artist had worked his magic for the generations of
passengers to admire.

	The ceiling itself was painted a pale blue, with white puffy clouds
that seemed to drift across the plaster as he walked beneath. A myriad of
small silent birds winged their way across the artificial sky, drawing his
eye to the open windows set between the arches. How easily they could
escape...if only they were real.
 
 	Hundreds of people traveled through here every day and he wondered
how many of them even bothered to look up at the wonderful sky painted
above. It seemed a shame; it was the grandest thing he had ever seen.

	 Danny loved traveling by train and had been looking forward to
this trip with his Mom. They had been many places by rail ever since he was
a small child. But this time would be different, now they would span the
entire continent.

	His mother rushed along beside him, followed by a baggage handler
who had taken their luggage at the taxi stand out front. Tickets clutched
in her hand, his mother was worried that they might be running late.

	"The train is waiting on you, don't be worrying," the baggage man
laughed. Danny smiled as he caught another glimpse of the gold tooth the
man had imbedded in his smile. The man's tooth seemed bigger than life in
that white pearly smile.
	
	"Your Aunt Rita will be livid if we don't get off that train on
Thursday," his mother said.
	
	"We'll be there on time, Mom. These trains are always on time,"
Danny said.
      
      "Yes sir, you are right about that," the baggage man said. His deep
ebony face lit up when he smiled and Danny just had to return that grin. It
would be so cool to have a tooth like that.
	
      They hit Gate 23 at a fast pace and saw the train platform was still
full of baggage stacked on carts. People were in various groups waiting to
board. Danny's mother slowed down, the relief evident on her face. This
train wasn't going anywhere for a while yet.
	
	"You in the first sleeper car up front, Missus," the baggage man
said.
 		
	"Thank you so much," she replied.
	
	The man stopped by the steps to the first car and spoke with the
conductor. He then hefted the three bags on the little dolly and wheeled
them along down the length of the train. Danny stared around at the chaos
of people and their belongings.

	He inspected the large steel wheels of the train carriage and then
glanced up at the side of the car. The words Southern Pacific were
emblazoned across the stainless steel sides below the windows.

	The next car was loading crates through a side door and the baggage
man saw Danny watching.

	"That's where you eat dinner, the dining car. And up yonder is the
club car where you can get's yourself a pop when you thirsty," the man
said. They stopped beside another car and the baggage man handed their
three suitcases up to the porter and then followed him inside.

	Danny glanced at the string of other cars attached beyond
theirs. Baggage cars and coach seating he remembered from his previous
trips. He was glad they had a sleeping car this time; it would be four days
of misery if they didn't.

	He saw a movement in the closest window, a lady taking off her
coat. And then he saw a boy leaning out the doorway of one of the coach
cars. The boy smiled and waved, Danny caught a glimpse of blonde hair and
red lips before the face vanished.
	
	The baggage man reappeared and climbed down the steps. Danny smiled
as his mother gave the man his fee and a generous tip.
	
	"Thank you kindly, Missus. You all have a safe trip now." The man
laughed and shook Danny's hand. "You take care, have a great
adventure. Watch out for outlaws, you got's to protect the womenfolk if
them bad guys come along."
     
	Danny laughed in reply and saw a twinkle in the man's eye and that
gold tooth glinting in the sunlight. His mother climbed the stairs and
Danny waved at the baggage man before he followed.

	Outlaws, who did this guy think he was fooling? Maybe a few years
ago he would have entertained the thought of masked men robbing the
train. But he was grown now, hell, he was almost fifteen.
		
	The floor of their sleeping cabin was filled with luggage and Danny
stood on the seat to help his mother shove the bags up on the overhead
rack. Both the seat and the wall mounted unit folded down bunk bed
style. He would be on top where he could get a view out the window at
night. The thrill of new adventure seemed to be waiting beyond the heavy
glass, but first they had a long trip across country.
	
	By two-thirty the train pulled slowly out of the station. Danny had
already memorized their route. Los Angeles, Tucson, then El Paso, San
Antonio, Houston, and on to New Orleans, Jacksonville, Orlando...and
finally Miami. Well that was it roughly. There were probably a huge number
of stops in between. The whole schedule was in his bag.
	
	His Aunt Rita had just bought a new home in a fashionable part of
Miami called Coral Gables. His Uncle Roy had passed years before and Rita
had invested their money wisely, or so his mother had always said. Danny
wasn't at all surprised when his mother announced that they were moving to
Florida to take care of the aging Rita.
	
	Rita had been his mother's salvation in the years after Danny's
father died. Danny hadn't really known the man considering he was only two
when his plane went down over the Pacific.
	
	His only knowledge of his father was in the stories his mother
would often tell. He still had the Purple Heart and Navy Cross his father
had earned in the war before Danny was even born. But his father lived on
in memory through pictures in the family album his mother kept.
	
	And so when Rita needed her to return the favor they packed up and
none too soon for Danny. Long Beach wasn't the bright little beach town
anymore, it was growing old and poor. The kids in his school seemed more
aggressive as the influx of Mexican children sparked almost daily combat.

	Not that he disliked the Mexican kids, he had friends among
them. But they didn't always want to fit in, they seemed to keep to
themselves and they brought some bad habits across the border.
	
	It wasn't long before the only thing Danny saw out the window was
the vast orange groves east of Los Angeles in the valley. He knew from the
National Geographic map in his pocket that there was a big desert between
California and Arizona. That would be so cool. He had never seen a desert
before.
	 
	The sound of the train wheels clacking on the rails below their
feet soon put Danny's mother to sleep even before they reached Palm
Springs. He knew that was the next stop because the conductor went down the
corridor announcing the name in a big booming voice.

	His mother hadn't been feeling well these past few months, but she
never told him anything. Her frequent trips to the doctor's office had
yielded a bounty of pill bottles. Although he didn't know exactly what was
wrong with her it seemed there were enough pills in her purse to cure an
army.
	
	Danny got his book out of the carry on and sat down to read for a
while. His mother's soft snores were interrupted only by the sounds of
people passing in the corridor outside. He knew there were about two dozen
cars in this train.
	
	Figure each sleeper car held ten cabins and that was twenty
people. With four sleepers that would be eighty, and then there was coach
class. Twenty rows of seats, four across and you had another eighty
people. Six coach cars made four hundred and eighty plus the eighty in
sleepers and you had five hundred and sixty passengers.

	There was the club car, two diners, six baggage cars and three
engines. That made twenty one cars, not twenty four. Danny sat back pleased
with himself. In three days they would be in New Orleans, on the fourth
they would get to Miami. A total of ninety-six hours on the train...gosh
that seemed like along time.

	He loved doing math in his head. It felt important to know how many
of the various things around him added up. Like the number of coins in his
piggy bank which had totaled seventy eight dollars and sixty-three cents
when he broke it open last weekend. So many coins that it had taken him
almost an hour to count and roll them up in paper tubes for the bank. Now
he carried the bills tucked away in the zippered pocket of his jacket.
	
	He knew it was useless to try and read. The many distractions out
in the corridor made him want to go look. Danny figured his mother would be
upset if she woke and found him gone. Upset was one thing, getting punished
was another. But here they were on a train, what could she possibly do to
punish him?
	
	He told himself that he would only stay out for fifteen minutes. It
would take that long to walk back through the cars and then turn
around. Ok, fifteen minutes tops. Danny looked at his watch which read
eleven-fifteen as he quietly slid open the door. There was no one in the
corridor at the moment. With a last look at his mother, Danny set off.
	
	Walking in trains was funny business. The cars had a certain sway
that took a while for his body to understand and counteract. Bouncing off
the walls, Danny laughed as he proceeded towards the rear of their car.
	
	The door hissed as it slid open allowing Danny into the vestibule
between cars. The undercarriage racket assaulted his ears as the hot
California air whooshed up through the deck plates below his feet. Danny
scurried onto the deck of the next car, barely touching the moving plate
that covered the gap between cars.
	
	Somehow the thought of standing on that center moving plate had
always scared him. It was right above the coupling joining the cars
together. It was only a matter of 'what if'. What if the cars came apart?
Danny could see himself falling between the cars onto the rails below as
the train ran him over.
	
	He knew it was a silly fear but he accepted it for what it
was. Plain common sense said that a person shouldn't stand between the
cars. He pushed another handle and the other door whooshed open. This
second sleeper seemed incredibly silent, but maybe it was just in contrast
to the noise he had crossed through.
	
	In the third sleeper he encountered a man in uniform. At first
Danny thought it was the conductor. He was willing to tell a small lie if
need be to get past the man. But upon closer inspection he saw that the
uniform was Naval. Just another officer, a mere junior grade. His father
had been a Lieutenant Commander.
	
	"Excuse me," the guy said," is this the way to the club car?"
	
	"No sir, that's about two cars behind you," Danny replied.
	
	"Wrong way then, thanks, kiddo," the sailor said and turned around.
	
	It was an old joke that you couldn't give directions to a sailor
unless it contained the words starboard or port. Danny smiled to himself at
the thought. He waited in the corridor to give the sailor a head
start. This was his private expedition and he didn't want to share the time
with anyone.
	
	The fourth sleeper still had baggage in the corridor. Two young
girls sat on a suitcase while their mother spoke to a man in a dark blue
uniform. Uh oh, this was the real conductor. The guy looked up as Danny
approached but then the woman started yelling.
	
	"So if this room isn't available, then where are my girls supposed
to sleep. I paid for a stateroom, not coach seats."
	
	"I'm sorry, Ma'am, it was an oversight," the conductor said. "The
room is out of order. We'll have a room for you when we reach El Paso."
	
	Danny slid by the man and just kept on walking. Whoosh and he was
out of the car. He walked through the dining car and then the club car,
passing the sailor standing at the bar. Ahead he could see the coach seats
through the window in the next door.
	
	Whoosh and he was out on the platform where he bumped right into
the face he'd seen before they boarded.
	
	"Sorry," the blonde boy said. "Oh, I saw you before, mate."
	
	"Um yes, from the door," Danny said.
	
	The boy had the bluest eyes he'd ever seen and they seemed to
sparkle with amusement. There was a distinct accent to his English but
Danny couldn't make it out. The noise out here was intense and so the
silence that built up between them didn't seem to matter. They both stood
beside the large glass window set in the door. Beyond the scrubby brush a
few cactus trees began to appear.
	
	"I never saw cactus before," Danny yelled.

	"We don't have plants like this at home," the boy replied.
		
	"Where's home?"
	
	"Brisbane, Australia...Queensland actually," the boy said. "My name
is Andrew."
		
	"Danny, I'm Danny Briggs. You have kangaroos at home?"
	
	Andrew laughed, "Yes, but not on the lawn. We're going to Florida,
ever been there?"
	
	"Nope this is my first time too, it's gonna be fun," Danny replied.
	
	"Maybe, my Uncle has a condo in South Beach, that sounds
enticing. Mum says we'll get our own place soon as she gets a chance to
study the market."
	
	"I'm going to live with my Aunt Rita, me and my mother."
	
	"No Dad then?" Andrew asked.
	
	"He died in a plane crash when I was small," Danny volunteered.
	
	"Mine run off, the bastard," Andrew said. "Probably drunk with some
shelia in Melbourne by now."
	
	Whoa, the boy was saying things he didn't understand but Danny
caught the drift. Andrew must have realized his mistake.
	
	"Uh, sorry, have to speak like a right proper American now. My dad
ran off with some young girl, left mum and me high and dry. But she got the
last laugh; we snagged all his coppers, um...his money."
	
	"And you came here?"
	
	"Oh, yeah, my mum's American. Do you want some cake?" Andrew asked.
	
	"Cake?"
	
	"Sure enough, it's my birthday, the big thirteen. My mum brought a
cake and she's been sharing it out all over the car. Come on then."
	
	Andrew led him into the next car and down the aisle where a woman
sat with a young girl beside her.
	
	"Hey Mum, got any of that cake left?" Andrew asked.
	
	"Oh, there you are, honey. And who is this?"
	
	"That's Danny, he would be keen to have some cake."
	
	"It's in that box there, Andy, help him get a piece."
	
	Andrew's mother would have made the boys at Danny's last school go
bananas, she was beautiful. He could see where Andrew's blonde hair and
blue eyes came from. Danny felt himself begin to blush when he noticed her
breasts pushing out the front of her blouse. The fact that she had a few of
the buttons undone allowed him to see a bit too much of her
cleavage. Fortunately Andrew handed him a slice of cake on a napkin.
	
	"So Danny, is it? How far are you going?" she asked.
	
	"Miami," Danny mumbled through a mouthful of sweet chocolate cake.
	
	"Really, and so are we," Andrew said.
	
	"It's a big city, honey," Andrew's mother said. "We may not be
close by."
	
	"We'll be in Coral Gables," Danny said. "Somewhere to the south, I
believe."
	
	"That's good, my brother Ronny is in South Beach, then we'll be
neighbors," she said.
	
	"Great," Andrew said.
	
	"Are you traveling with your parents?" Andrew's mother asked.
	
	"Uh, my mother," Danny said. "And I best be getting back before she
gets worried, she hasn't been feeling well."
	
	"I'll walk back with you," Andrew said.
	
	"Don't get lost, honey."
	
	"And how could that happen, Mum? Not like I can turn any wrong
corners in this train."
	
	Danny led the way back, this time running into the conductor
sitting in the dining car. The man smiled as they approached and held up a
hand for them to stop.

	"Do you have tickets?" The man asked. "Coach passengers aren't
allowed in the sleeper section of the train."
 
	Danny pulled out his ticket stub, glad he had remembered to bring
it. The conductor glanced at it and then looked at Andrew.

	"I know you have a coach seat."

	"Yes sir...I was just following Danny back to his room, we're
mates," Andrew said.

	The man thought for a moment and then smiled once again. "It's a
long trip; I suppose you boys should have time together. Just no running
around, ok? Be on your best behavior and I'll allow you to visit."

	"Thank you, sir," Danny replied.

	"That was keen," Andrew said once they entered the vestibule of the
car.

	"How come you guys didn't get a sleeper?" Danny asked.

	"They were all out...none available is what the ticket agent said."

	"Yeah, but that stinks," Danny said. He pointed to the doorway as
they passed.  "The conductor says this one is out of order and some other
lady had to take coach seats."

	"Maybe the loo is all bollixed up?" Andrew said.
	
	Danny laughed. "And what does that mean exactly?"

	"Oops, there I go again...I mean the toilet is broken...sorry."

	"I think your accent is cool, but you may have to explain some of
the things you say," Danny said.

	"Right, no worries mate, I'll do that when I catch myself being too
down under."

	They made it back to Danny's room and he looked at his watch. He'd
been gone half an hour, oops. He quietly turned the handle and looked
inside. His mother was reading a magazine.

	"Well there you are," she said.

	"I didn't mean to worry you," Danny said.

	"I'm fine, long as you don't fall off where can you go?"

	Danny grinned. "I made a friend." He stood aside and allowed Andrew
in the room. "Mom, this is Andrew...he's back in coach."

	Danny's mom smiled, "Nice to meet you, Andrew."

	"Um, nice to meet you as well...Mrs. Sorry, Danny did tell me his
last name but I forgot. Oh yes, Mrs. Briggs."

	"Australian, I remember the lovely accent. Danny's father and I
were in Melbourne many years ago."
	
	"Yes, ma'am," Andrew said.

	"They're going to Florida too. Is South Beach very far from where
we'll be living?" Danny asked.

	"Not far, dear. I'm sure you boys will be able to visit once we
settle in."

	Danny's mother put a hand to her head. "Sorry dear, I think I have
a fever."

	"Do they have a doctor on the train?" Danny asked.

	"My mum's a registered nurse," Andrew volunteered.  "Are you ill? I
can go fetch her."

	"Not now, I just need a rest."  She reached in her purse and handed
Danny some money. "Why don't you boys go up to the club car and get
yourselves something to eat for dinner, I don't feel like sitting in the
dining car. We'll have a proper dinner tomorrow, ok?"

	"Ok, Mom. But if you get sick just send the porter to find me,
please."

	"Yes dear, I will. It was nice meeting you Andrew," she said.

	"My pleasure, Mrs. Briggs. Hope you feel better."

	"Thank you, Andrew."

	The boys bought a sandwich, chips and a drink in the club car, all
for about eight dollars apiece.

	"That's bloody awful, it's robbery," Andrew said.

	"We're what my mother would call a captive audience, we pay or
starve," Danny laughed.

	"Still, it's much too expensive. Thank you none the less, you
didn't have to pay for me."

	"Mom wanted me to buy us dinner, she gave me a twenty."

	"I hope she eats," Andrew said. "My mum says it isn't good if sick
people don't eat."

	"Yeah, well she skips meals a lot, I don't like it."

	"Well I'll tell mum when I get back, she'll set things right. Can't
have you worrying yourself about it the whole trip."

	Danny grinned. "That's mighty considerate of you mate."

	Andrew grinned back. "Now you got it goin on, we'll make a proper
bloke of you yet."

	They bought a deck of cards and sat playing Hearts for a while,
stopping now and then to look at the barren countryside. This was the
desert, nothing much to look at. But the time gave Danny a chance to study
his new friend and he felt Andrew's eyes appraising him as well.

	A chance encounter that might turn into something special. After
all, Danny didn't know any other boys his age in Florida and Andrew seemed
right enough for a friendship. Their conversation became an exploration of
mutual interests.

	"You have any hobbies?" Danny asked.

	"Yeah, I suppose. Don't laugh, but I paint."

	"Paint...like pictures?"

	"Yes, I've been at it since I was a tyke. Mum says I should take
art classes at the University when we get there."

	"University?" Danny repeated. "Wow, you really must be good."

	"All right I guess. But all that stuff was shipped ahead. I'll show
you when we get together again. And what about you?" Andrew asked.

	"Um...I like to write stories. But I've never let anyone read them
before," Danny said.

	"Ahh a writer...another tortured soul."

	"Tortured?"

	"Yes, mate. Creativity is a product of your mind, and it's not
always easy. Or do you find it that way for yourself?"

	"I worry about how well I write if that's what you mean. It's like
wanting to know if I'm making any sense with my words. Do I convey the
meaning; am I using the right words, do they all fit together the way I
intended?"

	"Yup, same here."

	"What do you paint, can I ask?"

	"Sure, it won't be a secret for long. I started out doing animals
and garden stuff when I was about six. I'd sketch a shape and then paint
over it, still works that way sometimes. But last year I started doing
portraits and that is really hard." Andrew laughed. "Mum says if I keep it
up we'll have to change our name to Rembrandt."

	"So you must be really good. I can't draw a stick figure," Danny
said.

	"But you don't have to. You write...it's like painting with words."

	"Exactly how I see it. But are you ever satisfied with the piece
when you paint? I never feel finished."

	"You have to step back and say done. It's the only way you get to
move on to the next thing. I would love to paint your portrait," Andrew
said. "You have beautiful eyes."

	Danny felt himself blush. But he had watched the boy study his
face, and now he knew why.

	"Uh...why me? I'm nothing special. I mean there are lots of pretty
people out there who would make great subjects."

	"No...that's not what I'm after. If I do become an artist there
will be too many of that type wanting a commission from me and I'll soon be
sick of it. You have a nice structure in your face; the rest of you is
probably just as well."

	Danny laughed. "You want to see the rest of me?"

	"I've done nudes. Don't tell anyone, but my mum posed for me last
year. It's in the crate with the others," Andrew said, and then the
smile. "The thought make you uncomfortable?"

	"Of her? No, she's a beauty...and it was her choice. Oh God, just
don't tell my mother, ok?" Danny said.

	"I meant about you. I think the male body is bloody awesome, but
I've never had the opportunity to work with one nice as yours."

	  "You mean it? I don't know...can I think about it? Like, what
would I have to do?"

	"Stand still for hours, but you do get breaks." Andrew
laughed. "And hopefully no distractions will get you excited. I'm not into
porno."

	Now Danny blushed a deep crimson. His life had been full of
erections this past year. He was hopeless to stop it without...

	Andrew reached across the table and laid a hand on Danny's
wrist. "Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you. Bloody hell, we both have the
same problem, it has a mind of its own now doesn't it?" His grin said it
all.

	"Right now?" Danny asked.

	"Hard as a steel rod, nothing for it...well except the usual, but I
pretty much guessed that option wouldn't be available until we got off the
train. I am not going to use that filthy bathroom enclosure." Andrew
laughed. "Just don't ask me to stand up quite yet."

	Their eyes shared the moment and Danny knew right then that if
Andrew asked again he would pose. Being naked in front of this boy seemed
enticing...and it wouldn't be the first time he'd dealt with these
feelings.

	The normal explorations of boyhood he'd had with a few friends in
the past had been a revelation. The urges had yet to be crystallized, but
Danny knew that what he felt was different than what most boys thought, and
so he buried these feelings deep inside. What he couldn't tell Andrew was
that he had poured out the thoughts in his stories, and there were dozens
and dozens in the notebooks he kept.

	Around seven o'clock the conductor walked the cars announcing the
next stop as Yuma. "Yuuuuuma," he said in that booming voice. "Yuuuuuma,
Arizona."

	"So you are going to make your mother eat something?" Andrew asked.

	"No, I can't get her to do anything. Maybe if we got your Mom to
say something. She'd listen to a nurse."

	"Brilliant move...let's go get her," Andrew said.

	



Chapter Two


	Alice Briggs was just about to take another of the pain killers her
doctor in Long Beach had prescribed. It would only put off the inevitable,
but when they got to Miami she would have the surgery. It was sad to think
that Danny would be her only child in this life, but the operation would
make that decision final.

	She couldn't face the cost or the recovery time while they were in
California. Danny needed his mother's guiding hand, especially at this time
of life. Going to Rita's had been the only logical answer to the
dilemma. It would also give her the chance to deal with her son's
developing problems.

	She had discovered the notebooks in the box at the back of his
closet only a few months before, but the reading had taken her weeks. The
first pages had brought her great joy and revealed a latent talent the boy
had with words. But then the thoughts on paper had revealed a dose of
shocking information.

	It wasn't that discovering her son was in all probability gay; it
was that she felt at fault. The boy had no positive male influence in his
life and she took the blame upon herself. There had been several
opportunities to remarry, but the men just didn't seem right. For the boy's
sake she should have taken the chance.

	Rita was the only person in the family who could even understand
and Alice had spent hours on the phone talking about it. There was nothing
invalid about Rita's mind, but the arthritis was crippling. The invitation
to move had come at her insistence.

	A change of scenery, the right school and counseling would do the
boy a world of good. Having a gay son wasn't the end of the world, Alice
just needed help to deal with it, she was sure Danny needed to deal with it
as well.

	There was a knock at the door and Alice stood slowly to keep the
pain in her abdomen from making her nauseous. She opened the door and
smiled.

	"Danny...why did you knock?" she asked.

	"I brought someone to see you, Mom. This is Mrs. Mallory, she's a
nurse."

	The woman behind her son beamed. "Elisabeth Mallory," she said by
way of introduction. "I'm Andrew's mother." She held out her hand and Alice
shook it.

	"But...you're American?"

	"Long story, got the time? Danny was worried about you and I was an
RN for eight years in St. Louis, that's where I met Andy's father. But we
need to talk; it seems you haven't been eating." She turned to the
boys. "Now you run off and mind your sister until I come get you."

	That was when Alice caught sight of the young girl standing shyly
behind her mother. She was the cutest little thing, maybe all of six years
old.

	"This is Alicia," Elisabeth said.

	"Hello, dear," Alice said.

	"Hello," Alicia said and then ducked behind her mother.

	"She's very shy with strangers," Elisabeth said.

	"She looks just like you," Alice said. "Won't you come in?"

	"Go on boys, we'll be along in a while," Elisabeth said.

	Alicia seemed distressed and Alice caught onto that. "Maybe Alicia
would like to stay with us girls. I have some dollies she can play with."

	"Sure you don't mind?" Elisabeth asked. "She loves dolls."

	"Well I collect them. I have a few I'm sure she's never seen,"
Alice said.

	Andrew looked relieved; babysitting his sister wasn't his favorite
chore. The boys took off and Alice shut the door.

	"That was a close call," Andrew laughed when they were down the
corridor. "My sister is a handful when she gets upset, and my mum is the
only thing she cares about."

	Danny laughed. "My mother always wanted to have a little girl. I
think that's why she keeps all those dolls. She has a suitcase full of
them."

	"I like your mum, let's hope our two mums like each other, that
would be brilliant, make our lives easier," Andrew said.

	They walked through the corridors back towards the coach seats and
came upon the door of the broken compartment where Andrew paused.

	"You say this one is broken? I wonder if it's fixed yet. Shall we
have a look?

	"I don't suppose we're allowed in there..." Danny said, but Andrew
had already tried the handle...the door slid open.

	"See, it's unlocked," Andrew said. "Just a quick look around, no
one will see us."

	Reluctantly Danny followed the boy into the room; he didn't want
trouble with the conductor. But the room looked ordinary, nothing to
see. Andrew opened the bathroom door and saw the sign.

	"It's the loo...it is bollixed up as I guessed before. Oh ya, loo
is the toilet."

	Danny grinned. "I got that one. Maybe we should leave now."

	Andrew grinned. "This is our hideout now; no one will know we are
here. Wish I had my sketch pad."

	"You have the urge to draw...but what?"

	"You, silly."

	They were standing close, almost too close...and then Andrew gave
him a hug. "I like you, you know," the boy said, his words muffled as his
face pressed into Danny's chest.

	Danny moved his hands around the boy's back and pressed Andrew
closer. His nose was buried in the mop of blonde hair and he breathed in
the scent of this beautiful creature. The reaction was immediate; he got
hard as a stone.

	Andrew's hands slid down Danny's back and grasped his ass, pulling
them both tightly together. Danny felt a hardness much like his own
pressing against his thigh. They were both aroused...it felt wonderful.

	"I thought it might be like that for you as well," Andrew
said. Letting go, he held Danny back at arms length. "It is...isn't it?"

	Andrew was only inches shorter, and he stood on tip toe to kiss
Danny's mouth. It was quick, but long enough to say all that needed to be
said. Danny looked down into those sparkling eyes and smiled.

	"I think I'm gay...I just never met anyone I could say that to
before. You're...you're beautiful."

	Andrew smiled and tears formed in his eyes. "I think I'm going to
like you a whole lot."

	The second kiss was passionate and seemed to last forever. But then
so did the third and fourth, leaving them both quite breathless.

	"I want more...and not just kisses," Andrew said when they finally
broke apart.

	"What...here...now?" Danny said.

	"No, later...when we have the time. We can lock the door...maybe
even spend the night in here."

	"That's crazy...what if we get caught?"  Danny said.

	"You make me crazy...I need to show you what that means," Andrew
said.

	"I don't know...if my mother finds out..."

	"My mum already knows about me, I bet your mother knows too. They
have a way of understanding...at least mine does."

	"Well my mother doesn't know a thing, she'd kill me," Danny said.

	"I bet my mum will tell your's that I'm gay...we'll know soon
enough."

	"Oh God, why would she say something like that?"

	"Because she loves me, she's not ashamed of anything I do. There
are no secrets between us, it's the way we are with one another," Andrew
said. "My mum will open her eyes, you'll see."

	"We have to get out of here," Danny said.

	"Will you come back here with me later?"

	One look and Danny knew he was committed to this boy. The feelings
had been there from the moment they first met, he was helpless to deny it.

	"The conductor said something about El Paso. This room will
probably be empty until then." Danny looked deeply in Andrew's eyes. "Just
don't make my mother hate me, please. She's all I have."

	Andrew smiled. "No worries mate. I only want what's best for
you...and that's me."

	"God, now I have to piss like crazy...and the bathroom is busted,"
Danny laughed.

	"Ya, back to the coach car for us, mate. I could use a wicked pee
myself. Just don't play with it...I want it all later."

	Danny followed the boy through the cars and ducked into the first
bathroom he came to. His stream was long and forceful; the relief came
quickly as his bladder emptied. He flushed and leaned against the
wall...what had just happened?

	He'd known for years that he loved other boys; well at least he had
wanted to. But sexual experiences had been few and far between, and even
then they were little more than adolescent groping.

	Andrew had kissed him...a first ever. His head was still spinning
from the sensual feeling of the boy's lips on his. It was obvious he had
experience in these things. It was a bit embarrassing considering the age
difference, he should know more by now, he was older.

	But somehow he had always been reluctant...afraid, afraid that his
mother would find out. Oh God, if Andrew's mother said something...what
would happen? Wouldn't she freak out? What if she forbid him to see Andrew?

	Nothing in their lives had ever touched on the gay feelings he held
inside. He didn't know how his mother felt about the issue. But he was just
beginning to understand that he really didn't know anything about it
himself.

	Andrew was waiting out in the corridor with a smile. "Everything
come out all right?"

	"About a gallon...that would be three point seven liters to you."
Danny laughed, "But you better learn to think in US volumes now."

	Andrew groaned," I am not going to like school here. Maths make my
head hurt."

	"I just hate the idea of having to meet all the new people. I had
some pretty good friends back in Long Beach."

	"Any boyfriends?" Andrew asked.

	"Two or three...no just kidding, I am such a novice."

	They were back in the coach car by now and they took their seats,
fortunately the car was mostly empty at the moment. Danny squirmed on the
cushions.

	"Damn, I couldn't sleep on these seats."

	"We don't have to you know. So why is an incredible boy like you
without boyfriends? Is it that difficult here?" Andrew asked.

	"Where I grew up? Yeah, the attitude made it hard to even think
about guys. And the ones that I could tell were gay were the ones who got
beat up a lot. Some of the Mexican kids seemed to enjoy messing with gay
boys; I couldn't put myself out there as a target."

	"At home I saw the same, but then as an artist I seemed to attract
attention from the gay ones," Andrew said.

	"So you had boyfriends?"

	"Naw, not really. Ok, promise to keep this under your beanie? I had
a few older guys interested in me, fellow artists."

	"You didn't...?" Andrew gasped.

	"Well...hmm, I did, but only a few times," Andrew said. "I met a
gay college boy who lived at the beach last summer. I usually took my kit
down there on the bus to sketch, you know, landscapes and such."

	"That attracted attention I bet. It must have looked unusual having
a beautiful boy like you around," Danny said.

	Andrew smiled and took his hand. "You do like me...thanks, mate."

	"So...what happened, I mean...how did things get started?"

	"Well Jerry walked up to see what I was doing and he was impressed
with my work. He invited me back to his shack to see the stuff he was about
making. It was bloody amazing; I had never seen such style and coloration
before. He asked about my work and I took him home to see it."

	"Your mother didn't flip out?"

	"Naw, mate, she was cool with it. He had a critical eye and we
ended up talking for hours, so late in fact that mum asked him to dinner
and then he spent the night. He slept in my room on the spare and once we
got naked and I had my first bit of oral from him. It was incredible...you
want to know the details?"

	Danny blushed, but he nodded.

	"Well, he stripped off and I told him what an amazing body he
had. I couldn't help myself, I had to touch him. So I placed my hands on
his chest and ran my fingers over his muscles. Well you know my willy stood
right up, and then he touched me. It was like only a few weeks after I had
started making sperms and his touch seemed to do the trick, I messed all
over his hand."

	"Did your mother know? I mean this guy was an adult, it's not legal
down there either I'm sure," Danny said.

	"Ah sure, but that wasn't my concern. I slept with him, he blew me
twice and I had my first blow on him, that's what I told mum over
breakfast."

	"Oh God, you told her? I could never talk to my mom like that."

	"She just asked if we had safe sex, which was her concern. I mean
he swallowed mine but I didn't do the same for him. I was virgin, he had no
worries about me, but he wouldn't allow himself to cum in my mouth...he was
doing the right thing. Mum said he was a nice boy after I told her that."

	"The age difference didn't bother her?"

	"Well I had to learn about it from someone...I'm gay. Better him
than some sod who just wants to get his nut up my bum. I chose him, she
understands that."

	"So he didn't...didn't do anything to your bottom?" Danny asked.

	"Not then, we did that later down at his shack, he had condoms
there."

	Danny was speechless, but worse, he couldn't deal with it. "I gotta
pee again," he said, almost leaping out of the seat and heading to the
restroom. Once inside he leaned his head against the wall.

	Andrew wasn't what he thought...how could he do those things? The
beauty of the boy almost seemed tragic after learning what had happened. He
wanted to cry...to scream. How could the boy be so...so accepting of sex
like that with an older guy? It wasn't all right, it was terrible.

	How could he face the boy with these feelings? Maybe he was wrong;
Andrew did come from a different culture. But he was so young, too young to
have had experiences like that.

	Danny splashed water on his face and looked up into the tiny mirror
attached to the wall. What was he feeling? Could he be jealous? The paper
towel seemed rough against his skin but he welcomed the distraction.

	Out there sat the most amazing boy he had ever met. Someone like
that didn't come along more than once in life. He was everything Danny had
ever dreamed of...God it hurt. So he wasn't an innocent kid, maybe I am
just too stupid to understand his feelings, Danny thought. Andrew didn't
have to do any of those things, but he'd started it. Why?

	The face that looked up at him when he finally returned to the seat
was full of questions. "You all right, mate?"

	"I...I don't know. You shocked me," Danny said, falling into his
seat.

	"Look...let me tell you something about me," Andrew said. "I grew
up watching my parents fight. Tossed back and forth between his house and
hers, it was a relief when they finally divorced. I watched my dad and his
women, my mom and her friends...my life was surrounded with sexual stuff
even though I never saw most of it.

	"I knew what I was early on, like about six or seven, I was
attracted to boys...men...the male body. My art gave me an outlet for those
feelings until puberty knocked on my door. Then I had to open myself up to
the possibility of my own sexual needs. Jerry was a nice guy, not some
perv, I asked him...no, I demanded that he have sex with me.

	"I had to experience sex with a guy; he was just the poor sod I
chose. I imagine you find that strange, maybe even repulsive, but it was my
desire that made it happen. So don't go feeling sorry for me, I didn't lose
my innocence to Jerry...that was long gone before he ever appeared in my
life.

	"And now I choose you, and there is nothing strange about that. I
like you for who you are Danny. You are kind, considerate and a great
kisser. But I know you think I'm a bad boy for what I did, I can't help
that, it was something I had to do."

	Danny sat silently and then placed his hand on Andrew's thigh. If
anything he could understand the boy's longing to find himself a place in
the gay world. He'd had those feelings for a long time himself. And now
beside him sat the most desirable creature he'd ever met.

	"I...I'm sorry," Danny said. "I've had feelings about myself, it
seems like forever now. But I just couldn't do anything like what you
did. You...you did what you felt was right even though I couldn't. Maybe
it's because you're braver than I am, I just don't know."

	"I saw the chance and took it...that pretty much sums it up,"
Andrew said. "I just couldn't see myself fumbling around in a dark corner
with some little wanker like myself at school. I saw the chance for some
higher education and he was a good teacher."

	"Then why me...why did you chose me? I don't know beans about being
gay with another boy." The tears in Danny's eyes began to roll down his
cheeks.

	"Because I didn't love Jerry...I love you," Andrew said. He used a
finger to wipe Danny's cheeks. "I don't worry about you in bed, you'll be
brilliant. We'll discover one another quite well, you'll see."

	"I don't even know where to begin....you love me? But how, we've
just met..."

	"Hush, you kiss like a wizard, that's where we start. The rest is
like a wonderful painting. It comes in various shades of color and builds
to the final finish. You let me hold the brush and we'll paint a
masterpiece together, trust me."

	"I never met anyone like you, ever." Danny's face tried to smile
but he still felt sad.

	"I am unique, can't deny that," Andrew said, his eyes dancing with
mischief. "And since I have decided you are the one, my love, I'll tell you
a little secret. My cock is one hundred and twenty-seven millimeters long."

	"Oh My God, that's huge...wait a minute, how long is that in
inches?" Danny asked with a grin.

	"Haw, got you. It's like five inches or so," Andrew said. "I'm sure
yours is bigger and I intend to find out...tonight."

	"Oh you do?"

	And that was when Danny's mother walked down the aisle. He quickly
withdrew his hand from Andrew's thigh and realized he was doomed if he
stood up. Standing and turning away from her, Danny made a quick swipe down
the front of his jeans and stood his erection straight up behind his belt.

	"Hello, boys..." Alice said..

	"You feeling better, Mom?" Danny asked.

	"Yes, I feel much better now. Andrew, your mother is just an
amazing nurse, thank you so much for bringing her to me."

	"My pleasure, Mrs. Briggs. And where might she be?" Andrew asked.

	"She took your sister to the ladies room. We'll meet her in the
club car in a few minutes"

	"Yes ma'am," Andrew said.
	
	Danny watched the two moms as they chatted across the table. Had
Andrew's mom talked to his about the gay thing? He was clueless, they gave
nothing away. Danny's mom did ask Andrew about his painting and what he saw
for the future.
	
	"I need to work on differing styles. Color and shape come easily,
but expressing myself when it comes to texture and style is much more
difficult. I'm just learning to appreciate the way so many masters can
express texture with such minimal brush strokes, Van Gogh...Monet, they had
it down. I need to learn that."

	The boy spoke so well about himself. Danny could tell his mother
was impressed by what she heard. And somehow his mother's opinion of Andrew
was so vitally important. She had to like the boy as much as he did because
he knew he was falling in love. It might be their feeling to share but his
mother had to approve of the choice.

	Danny saw how quickly Alicia took to his mother. Mrs. Mallory
seemed proud of Andrew, but her little girl seemed quite secure of her
place in the family. Andrew was kind to his sister, but didn't go out of
his way to please her.

	Alice took a few bites of a sandwich and drank her coffee. Danny
was glad to see that much.

	"Danny, I have asked Elisabeth and Alicia to stay in the room with
me tonight, would you mind?"

	Danny was stunned, and then realized this move played right into
Andrew's plans for the night.

	"Um, sure Mom. I can sleep in the coach seats with Andrew."

	"I know it isn't as comfortable back there...I'm sorry," she said.

	"No, it's ok," Danny replied. "We'll probably stay up and talk all
night long anyways."

	"That's fine, just don't disturb the other passengers, you hear?"

	"Yes ma'am, we won't."

	He couldn't look at Andrew now. One look would give it all away. He
felt like screaming with joy...how lucky could they get? But he felt Andrew
give his leg a kick under the table...that was all he needed.

	Andrew carried his mother's suitcase back to the sleeper
compartment and set it down. The ladies retired to the room while Andrew
and Danny walked back to the coach car.

	"Did your mother arrange this?" Danny asked.

	"Yes, I'm sure, but not for us. I think she wants to keep an eye on
your mom's health. Seems they've become quite friendly, don't you think?"

	"I hope they don't come back to check on us," Danny said.

	"My mum won't worry. This is brilliant, couldn't have worked out
better. So when shall we go to our room? Hey, can you reach up there and
pull down my suitcase...it's the blue one."

	Danny stood on the seat and lifted the large blue case down; Andrew
slid it across the seats. He tripped the latches and opened the lid. Buried
under a pile of clothing was a wooden box which he pulled out. Then he dug
to the bottom and slid out a large wire bound notebook.

	"What's that?" Danny asked.

	"My sketchbook. Well one of them, I have dozens."

	They closed up the case and struggled to get it back up on the
overhead rack. Danny sat back with a sigh. Andrew opened the wooden box,
revealing pens, pencils and a cloth bag. He set the box aside after
choosing a pencil; then he opened the sketchbook.

	Danny had never seen any of the boy's art, and now he was astounded
as the pages were turned. Faces, bodies, flowers...all with such vivid
detail and expression, it almost took his breath away. And if anything it
made him realize something grand. The creator of all this beauty had chosen
to love him, he wanted to cry for joy.

	For his part Andrew waited for Danny to say something. People
always had something to say about his work, it was expected. He looked at
Danny's face as the pages were turned and he saw the emotions there.

	"God...it's beautiful," Danny said. "You are so talented."

	"Thank you, this is just some stuff I'm doing now. Can I sketch
you?"

	Danny smiled. "Do I have to take my clothes off?"

	Andrew giggled. "Maybe later...I want to capture your eyes."

	"Is there enough light here?"

	"Yes, for what I want...let me try."

	"Ok...what do I do?" Danny asked.

	"Just sit there and look at me for a while."

	And Danny stared at the boy as he leaned back against the window
and began to draw. Andrew would raise his eyes from the page and look then
glance back down to follow the progress of his hand.

	The blonde hair fell across his eyes, and Andrew brushed it
back. That singular gesture gave Danny a thrill, and in it he saw the true
beauty of the boy stand out. Every strand of that golden hair was really
fine and accented Andrew's face so well.

	The boy's forehead wrinkled as he concentrated. His features seemed
flawless and Danny looked for a single blemish but found none. If only he
could paint, this creature would be his favorite subject. And in his mind
Danny began to compose the words he would use to describe such beauty.

	It took the boy all of twenty minutes, and then he looked up with a
smile. "You want to see?"

	He held the book against the back of the seat and Danny saw a mask
of his face, but the eyes held his gaze. They were soft and warm, and yet
...mysterious. It was so real.

	"You really have such a beautiful face," Andrew said. "I love it
when you look at me."

	Danny gazed across the short distance. He'd never thought of
himself in such terms, but he saw the truth of it in Andrew's eyes.

	"When beauty needs to see in the dark...I hope it has your eyes,"
Danny said. "For if I had to choose one place to be...it would be in the
reflection of your love."
	
	Andrew smiled. "You made that up just now, didn't you? Brilliant,
you have a gift." With that he leaned over and gave Danny a kiss.

	There were other people around them and yet in that brief moment of
time no one saw their passion...but it would not always be so and they both
seemed to realize it rather quickly.

	"Um...should we go hide ourselves?" Danny asked.

	Andrew grinned, and then looked down at his lap. "A bit late for
that, mate...I'm sporting wood already."

	They sat for a few minutes, allowing the tide of passion to
recede. "Take my box, will ya?' Andrew asked. They packed up and began the
walk forward towards the sleepers.

	"Is this gonna be safe...you think the conductor checks that
cabin?" Danny asked.

	"Why would he?" Andrew replied. "Not like he can call out the
plumber in the middle of the desert, can he? We'll be safe until El Paso no
doubt...just lock the door."

	They reached the sleeper car and found the corridors empty, no sign
of the conductor. Danny tried the door and it slid open as before. Once
inside he examined the door lock and turned the button to lock it. There
was a privacy latch above and he slid that in place...now they were secure.

	"See, nothin to it," Andrew said. He looked around the room and
studied the window. The shade was partially open, a line cutting across the
wall from the fading sunlight. He slid the shade fully open. "Gonna be dark
in a bit...I'm not keen for the lighting in here."

	"Oh...you mean for drawing?" Danny asked. "We could wait for
tomorrow."

	"Naw, I have the urge to immortalize you now. Ok, Flash...off with
'em."

	"Uh...oh, you mean undress? Yeah, I guess." Danny slowly removed
his shoes and shirt, laying them on the end of the seat. He unbuckled his
jeans and then looked up at Andrew.

	Andrew smiled. "Lets not be shy, I've seen it all before." He
reached a hand out towards Danny and then hesitated, looking at the
sunlight once again. "Right...I want you to lean against the wall just
there as if you were gazing out the window.
 
	     Danny dropped his jeans around his ankles and stepped out of
them. "Just lean against the wall and...do what?" he asked.

	Andrew's eyes had never left off gazing at Danny's body...the eyes
of the artist studying his subject.  "Um...well look out the window at the
scenery, I need to study the light a moment...and lose the briefs if you
please."

	Danny gazed out the window with a purpose, his hands sliding down
his sides, thumbs hooking in the waistband...pushing downwards. He willed
himself to focus on the desert landscape...I will not get hard, he told
himself.

	The briefs slid down past his knees and pooled around his
ankles...he kicked them off towards the corner and stepped up towards the
window. He could feel the sunlight on his skin...especially on that part
which was always covered. A glow of warmth bathed his crotch, his chest,
his face...and yet he was not aroused.

	His eyes searched the expanse of desolation for some key, some
focal point to which he might absorb the thoughts racing through his
mind. Yes, he was naked in front of Andrew and he felt it a mercy that the
boy had not said a word about it. No, he could not focus on the boy sitting
only feet away...that was not his purpose here.

	For his part, Andrew opened his sketchbook to a blank page and
grabbed a pencil. This was to be the preliminary sketch, the one he always
made to give him clues for the shape and scope of his next stage. Shadow
and texture, proportions and space allocation, this was his immediate goal.

	Never mind that he was seeing Danny's naked body for the first
time...the boy was an object at the moment. This would all be hard enough
to put down considering the constant sway of motion from the train, but it
seemed to have a certain rhythm to the movement and he could work with
that.

	Danny stood with his left arm raised; his hand placed against the
upper window frame, fingers splayed...the other arm dangling at his
side. His face was turned to look through the glass, his body relaxed, the
right leg slightly raised as his weight rested on the left. His body was
bathed in the bright light of a fading sun, leaving a ghostly shadow cast
on the wall behind him.

	Andrews mind absorbed all this and filed it away while his hand
flew across the page. The first line became a series of lines, curving...
stretching to encapsulate the shape of his subject. Danny's body
materialized on the page in short order, and then that hand began refining
the shape.

	The curve of an elbow, the angle of the head, the splay of
fingers...it all seemed to materialize and coalesce into one structured
image. Andrew now began to focus on details and to avoid dwelling on it
forever...he began with Danny's penis.

	Unlike himself, Danny was circumcised. It allowed him to present
the flare and veining of that precious part. The boy was in no way erect
but the penis seemed to hang with weight, pressed forward by the generous
sack of goodies hanging behind it. These were not sexual thoughts but
artistic ones, Andrew would not allow his vision to be clouded with lustful
random feelings.

	He made sure of the shape presented by Danny's pubic growth,
carefully noting the fine line of hairs traveling up to the indentation of
his belly button. The curve of the hip, raised slightly because of the
elevated leg threw the body slightly askew but that was fine. Symmetry was
not to be admired; nature was not always in such beautiful balance.

	No, he had simply allowed Danny to strike his own natural pose and
the effect was stunning. Right...he had the shape. Andrew turned the page
and began a larger scale sketch of the head. He would expand the whole
piece by making sketches of different areas of the body and then in his
studio he would bring them all together.

	Danny's hair wasn't long...nor was it too short. He seemed to stay
well groomed despite the traveling conditions. The fine brown hair swept
back behind the boy's ears allowed the face to open up, and what a pleasing
face it was. Body hair had always fascinated Andrew since he had little of
his own.

	It would still be several years before Danny needed to razor his
face on a regular basis. The barest shadow of a mustache grew on his upper
lip, a line of fine hair that could only be described as adolescent. It was
endearing, and with that thought Andrew knew it was time for him to stop
for the moment.

	Once he began to see the subject on a personal level it always
seemed to change the way he drew. Being objective and critical of his work,
far beyond the perceptions of most viewers, Andrew knew his own
limitations. His mind could not indulge both passion and artistic
perception at the same time; they were both all-consuming feelings.

	He didn't say anything to Danny, but the boy had stood patiently
for almost half an hour by now; his body had to feel the strain. But Andrew
saw in the boy's gaze that he was far away in some other state of mind. The
moment seemed familiar, his mind often allowed such travel for creative
reasons.

	And then Danny's mind seemed to return to the present and he turned
to look. "You done...can I move?"

	"Yes, I'm finished for the moment," Andrew replied.

	Danny moved over and plopped down on the seat. No thought to his
nakedness, it was if he didn't realize his current state.

	"Wow...that was intense," Danny said.

	"What were you thinking?" Andrew asked.

	"I was out there...lost in the desolation and heat. It was as if I
could feel the rays of the sun fading, giving way to the cool of night. We
fail to see the devastation such intense radiant heat brings because no one
can live out here...but what if we had to? What if all the water suddenly
dried up and the land all began to look like this? Wouldn't we welcome the
coming of night?"

	Andrew smiled. Danny was such a literate visionary at heart, who
else had thoughts like that? They were well suited for one another.

	"Do you write poetry as well?" Andrew asked.

	Danny grinned. "I've tried...but it seems confining, all those
rules about measures and rhyme seem to choke my efforts. Did you get what
you needed to?"

	"On paper...yes, I have my thoughts filled in. They're pieces
really, I join them together later. Sketching and painting are not like
taking a photograph; it doesn't just present itself as a final work right
away."

	'Oh...I didn't know how it worked. Should I get dressed now?"

	"If you want...I'll only tear them off later," Andrew said. "But
wait...let me try one thing first."

	With that he leaned towards Danny a bit and stared down at the
boy's crotch. The effect was astonishing, Danny's cock rose to full mast in
less than ten seconds. The immediate blush on his face was endearing, and
now Andrew reached out and touched that precious face.

	"It's good to know I have such a strong effect on you," Andrew
said. Their eyes met and locked together. Andrew leaned forward and their
lips met. Danny almost jumped out of his skin when a warm hand encircled
his cock...instead he groaned and shut his eyes.

	Andrew stroked up and down a few times and felt the cock pulse with
energy. He knew better than to keep it up, Danny would explode much too
soon if he wasn't careful. He withdrew his hand and Danny groaned again.
Andrew placed a palm against Danny's chest and pushed back.

	"This is so unfair, you're naked and I'm..."

	Danny began to tug on Andrew's belt; he wanted them both to be
equal.

	"Whoa, cowboy. I want to undress for you...ok?" Andrew said.

	"Please," Danny replied.
	
	Andrew stood...his back against the wall...and he began to strip.
Danny stared in awe as each piece of clothing fell, the seconds ticking
away, pushing forth an ever increasing demand in his mind to leap on the
boy. But Andrew was not to be rushed, it was his showcase.

	Removing the shirt one button at a time, Andrew seemed to enjoy the
tease. The ribbed straps of his undershirt revealed pale shoulders as he
shrugged off the button down dress shirt and dropped it in a pile on the
floor. The agony went on as the boy slowly inserted a finger under one
strap and then the other, pulling outwards and allowing the undershirt to
slide down to his waist.

	His small pink nipples stood out and Danny felt his cock throb at
the sight. Then off came the shoes and socks in a jumble of movement before
Andrew once again stood up straight and unbuckled his belt. The loose
fitting dress pants he wore seemed to fall of their own accord, revealing
the pale blue boxer shorts underneath.

	Danny had boxers too, but he had decided that the dangle of his
parts on the train trip would be distracting and might keep him aroused way
too much. This of course was before he met Andrew ten hours ago. Oh God,
had it only been that long?

	The boxers gave no clue as to what lay underneath...well there was
a slight swelling...so unfair. Andrew stepped out of his pants and kicked
them away. His hands circled his chest, pausing to pinch his nipples. Danny
throbbed at the sight.

	Andrew slid his hands down, capturing his undershirt and boxers in
the same move. His fingers moved downwards, under the cloth which quickly
began to descend across his narrow hips. And then it all fell around his
ankles...his precious parts were revealed. Danny felt the throb, a surge
and almost came with the excitement.

	Danny had seen statues of pale alabaster marble in books that he'd
read, statues the Greeks had sculpted to honor the male body...but this was
living flesh. Andrew was so slender, so pale and yet he seemed so perfect.

	It was his first glimpse of an uncircumcised penis and Danny found
it thrilling...enticing. He watched as the head began to push out of the
sheath as Andrew became erect. He looked back up at the boy's face and saw
that smile.

	"Do I pass?" Andrew asked. "Are you keen for my body?"

	Danny swallowed, he was more than keen. In two steps Andrew was in
his arms and Danny felt the warmth of the flesh against his. Their lips met
once again and Danny lay back, pulling the boy on top.

	There was no plan in his mind; Danny just knew that no matter what
they did together it would be the best thing ever. Just the feeling of
their erections pressed between them was exhilarating...he couldn't get
enough of that pressure.

	Danny slid his arms around Andrew and held their bodies together,
the boy pressed back. Cock to cock, belly to belly they began to squirm.
The feeling was unlike any other and Danny soon became lost in the feeling
of their bodies rubbing together. And from out of the depths he felt a
sudden overwhelming need and he gasped.

	Andrew had known it was going to happen, Danny had already been so
aroused it seemed like he would cum any second, and now he had. It made him
smile inside and he drove his cock faster and faster in the slime between
them until he felt himself ready to let go.

	Danny was surprised at the groan that emanated from the boy's
throat, it was almost a growl. But he felt the rush of cum added to his own
when Andrew burst and then quickly collapsed on his chest.

	When he had first seen the boy's cock become erect Danny had
wondered if Andrew had even reached puberty. There were few hairs, and what
there were seemed pale and short. In comparison to his penis even the size
had seemed diminished, but he had said nothing. Now he knew, Andrew was not
some little child he should worry about...their sperm was mingled on the
palette of his belly.

	Andrew raised his head. "Did you like that?"

	"I love you," Danny replied. "That was awesome."

	Andrew giggled. "Now we've got past the introductions...we can
enjoy the rest."

	"Rest?" Danny laughed. "I just had the best cum of my life and you
want more?"

	Andrew ran his fingers across Danny's cheek. "Yes love...there will
be much, much more."