Like Kings

Like Kings

Like Kings

By Blue C.
wi1dfire_b1ue@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Don't be stupid. This story depicts homosexual males kissing, dancing, having sex, and other activities that they find enjoyable. If that is not your thing, then really, why are you here?

Copyright 2003-5 by the author. This story is not to be posted anywhere without the author's permission.

Part 8-Snake in the Garden

Jake awoke to sunlight, gently persistent sunlight streaming in through an open window. His green and yellow eyes, the ones both Denise and Drew called "cat's eyes" opened, and he found himself meeting the gaze of real cat eyes. The cat, sitting on the windowsill where it could absorb the maximum amount of sunlight, was fixing Jake with a look that was somehow very familiar to Jake. It reminded him of Drew glare number 4, the one that meant "I would kill you, but that would involve movement and you aren't worth it at this time." Unnerved, Jake asked the cat "What did I do to you?"

"You are in his usual spot, and you don`t have his permission to use it." Drew said behind Jake. The blonde turned around to look at Drew. He had propped himself up on one elbow, and was smiling down at the younger boy from his vantage. Since Jake didn't feel him move, that meant he had been in that position since before he woke up.

"Watching me while I sleep?" asked Jake. The surprised, and guilty, look on Drew's face gave Jake his answer. Not that Drew would admit the truth.

"Um, no, of course not. I was watching Cory glare at you."

"Cory?"

"My cat."

Jake looked confused. "You named your cat Cory? Why?"

Drew looked away. "We weren't always enemies. We were actually quite close until I did something stupid that pissed him off and turned him asshole. And when I realized what I'd done, I was so down that my mom bought me a cat to cheer me up. There's the cat, my replacement Cory."

Jake's mind flashed back to the previous night. "Even I could forgive him, I think." Cory had said. "What did you do to piss off Cory?"

Drew didn't bother to hide his annoyance. "I'm hungry. Did you want anything for breakfast?" He slid out of the bed and stalked off out of the room, not waiting for Jake's answer.

`Interesting reaction.' thought Jake.

True to his word (for once), Drew did not attempt to cook. He made Jake cook. "Consider this payback for all those rides I've given you," he'd said. Jake grumbled, but remembering the last time Drew had attempted to make eggs, he gave in.

"Are you going to try calling Braden today?"

"After last night? I doubt he'll speak to me until Monday. Besides, he's the one that flipped, not me."

"Why do you put up with him? He seems so, possessive. Like Denise on a bad week."

"Did you just compare my six foot, two-hundred pound boyfriend to a cheerleader?"

"Quit evading. Why are you still with Braden? Anyone one else you would have told them to go fuck themselves weeks ago. And yet you are still calling him your boyfriend."

"He's still my boyfriend until I dump him." Jake looked up from the stove, but Drew was looking out a window. "And after the way he acted, I think I am going to have to do that. I can't BELIEVE he still doesn't trust me. And if he can't trust me, I don't think I can be with him anymore."

Jake walked over and patted Drew's hand. "Come on, you knew it was going to happen sooner or later. At least, Jessie and I knew."

"Oh, I knew too. I guess I was waiting for something better to come along."

"And has it?" Jake asked, returning to the cooking eggs.

"We'll see." Drew said, ending that discussion.

But Jake wasn't quite finished. "Why did you put up with Braden for so long?"

At first, Jake didn't think Drew was going to answer at all. And for a good minute, Drew didn't say anything. But after that time, where he did not once look at Jake or anything else in the room, he began to speak. "Last July..."

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?" shouted John Summers, father to Braden and Jessie. He was a tree trunk of a man, shorter than his son, but more muscular and ten times as scary. Especially since he'd just caught Drew going down on Braden.

Both boys leaped up and away from each other. Braden was the first to sputter out "Dad I can explain."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FAGGOT DOING IN HERE?" Drew had to fight to not answer. Smart mouth comments would not help matters.

Jessie had been walking in the woods behind her house while her brother and his boyfriend had their "date." But once she heard her father's first shout she started running back to try and calm him down. She also called her mother at work, so that she could help intervene. She prayed neither would be too late.

Braden could not respond at all. His mouth worked up and down as if he was trying to speak, but failing completely. He looked helplessly at Drew, who was backing so far into the wall it looked like he was trying to become one with it. John Summers finally had enough, and started towards Drew, looking to Drew like a religious zealot about to smite the unfaithful. It occurred to Drew that the comparison was not far off. John threw a punch at Drew with all his considerable strength behind it. Drew attempted to deflect it, but John was too strong, and Drew's shoulder was suddenly a solid mass of pain. Drew screamed.

John's next punch was lined up for Drew's head, but by then Braden had recovered from his paralysis and slammed into his father. Both went down. Drew watched with growing horror as father and son fought each other. It quickly became clear that Braden was losing the fight.

Jessie burst into the room, out of breath and still holding her cell phone. She took one look around the room, tossed the phone aside, yelled at Drew to run, and leaped into the fray. Drew took her advice, and sprinted out of the house to his Neon.

That night, the nightmares began.

"So what happened to Braden?" Jake asked. By this time, he had served them both scrambled eggs with toast and Blackberry Jam. Drew's mom had gone crazy last blackberry season, and they were still working their way through the jars she'd purchased.

"He wound up breaking something in his leg, ending his football season a bit earlier than expected. His father became so overcome with remorse that his son could not play, that he decided not to kick Braden to the curb. Also, I was informed that if I ever tried to corrupt his boy again, he would use a shotgun on my shoulder instead of a fist. Which is why Braden gets so freaky about anyone finding out we're still seeing each other, he doesn't want to piss his dad off."

"I see." Jake said, "so you stay with Braden out of guilt?"

Drew looked up at Jake sharply, and then sighed. "I would say penance, but basically yeah. He gave up a lot for me, shouldn`t I make sure it was worth it?"

"Guilt is not something you should build a relationship on."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what makes you such an expert?"

Jake chose not to argue the point, instead taking a bite out of his breakfast. But then his face grew more thoughtful, as if he had another question to ask. Drew kept quiet as long as he could stand, but eventually curiosity won out and he yelled, "ALRIGHT! I'll talk! Just ask the freaking question!"

Jake wasn't sure what to make of his friend. "What question?"

"Or, just say whatever it is that you are thinking out loud. The suspense is killing me."

"What did you do to piss Cory off? I asked him last night, but he wouldn't tell me, and then you wouldn't tell me earlier." He looked Drew in the eye. "I'd like to think you trust me enough to tell me."

`Damn those cat's eyes.' thought Drew. He really didn't want to tell Jake; after all, it wasn't just his secret, but since the bottle blonde had made it an issue... "It's simple really." Drew said, though he again wouldn't look at Jake, making the younger boy wonder if Drew did this every time he told the truth against his will. "When we were sophomores, we had sex. And then the next Monday I rejected him as a friend."

"You did what?"

"I basically told him to fuck off." Jake suddenly looked horrified, and so Drew quickly tried to make the action seem justified. "You see, Cory used to be constantly hanging off me, touching me, all kinds of shit, and this was before he even knew I was gay. After a year of this, I finally gave in and gave him what he wanted."

Emotion crept into Drew's voice. `This is really bothering him' Jake realized. `Nice that something can.' Jake and Jessie had speculated that the Valentino family had something reptilian in their family tree. Now Jake wasn't so sure.

"But I couldn't bring myself to come out. Not then. Hell, even now I'm not really out, though most of my class at least knows. Of course, no one knew for sure until I blew Cory off like I did. Everyone connected the dots and figured out what must have happened. Even my mom knew something was up; she confronted me within a week and I was so heart broken that I confessed everything. At which point my mom bought me a cat." Drew smiled. "Comforting others doesn't come naturally to either of us."

The cat in question began meowing at the back door. Seeing a chance to escape, Drew left the table to let out the cat. He turned back, and said "Hey, Peroxide, Come outside with me. I want to show you something."

Jake obediently followed. Since this was his first time to Drew's house, this was also his first chance to see Drew's backyard, and whatever secrets it hid. In this case, the back yard hid "A swimming pool?"

"And it's still hot enough to use it. Thank God for extended summer weather."

"But I don't have anything to wear into the pool?"

Drew smiled as he peeled off his shirt that he had worn to bed. "Wear your underwear. That's what I'm doing." He began pulling down his shorts, and Jake gaped as Drew legs were slowly uncovered. He had never seen so much of Drew's body at once (the soccer team tended to go straight home after practice rather than shower together), and it was as perfect as he'd imagined it. As flawless as he'd been dreaming. Only a pair of briefs kept Jake from losing it completely. As it was, someone could have shot him, and he would have not noticed. Drew laughed at the attention he was receiving. "See something you like?" he asked.

"Huh?" Drew laughed again, and then climbed the steps up into the pool. After he splashed in, Jake finally recovered and began to strip as well. Once down to his boxers, he slipped into the pool, letting the coolness of the water seep into him. Drew half swam, half walked to him, and suddenly pushed Jake's head underwater. When he began to struggle for the surface, Drew splashed him. "You bastard!" Jake yelled. Drew laughed louder, so Jake splashed him back, getting water in Drew's mouth. The war was on.

The two boys fought for a while, before it became clear that Jake was winning. Drew couldn't have that, so he dunked Jake again, and grabbed his boxers away from while he was distracted. Drew tried to get away, but Jake was stronger, and managed to leap on Drew's back before he could leave the pool. They wrestled, and once again Jake had the upper hand (Drew never bothered to develop his strength, only his speed). After a long battle, he finally managed to pry his boxers from Drew's fingers. He yelled "THE WINNER!" in triumph. Drew responded by tackling him. This time, a little tired from all their horseplay, they simply leaned on one another and tried to regain their breath.

The kiss was completely spontaneous. Neither of them initiated really, it was as if the idea was more reflex than anything else. It was shy at first, but Drew upped the intensity level as soon as he realized Jake wasn't about to push him away. Jake meanwhile took the opportunity to explore Drew's body, starting high, and moving towards the slowly warming area covered by cloth.

The phone rang. The sound startled both boys back to reality, and Jake pretty forcefully pushed Drew away from him. Drew looked at him, unsure of what to say. "Go get the phone." Jake said, sounding a lot older than he had a few minutes before. Drew left wordlessly.

`What the fuck did I just do?' both thought to themselves.

Drew stomped towards the closest phone, not particularly caring that wet he was functionally naked. He was too pissed to care, both at himself for his actions, and at whoever was calling and interrupting that action. "What a kiss." he murmured. Drew's skin was alive; everywhere the blonde's hands had touched him burned, as if Jake`s fingers were composed of flames, not flesh. And right at the end, when Jake touched his... whoever was calling would pay dearly. "Hello?"

"Hey, Drew."

"Hey Jessie, what's up?"

"How did I get home last night?" Drew was confused by the question, but he wasn't nearly as worried yet as Jessie sounded.

"I drove you, with Jake's help. Why?"

"I can't remember last night at all."

"WHAT?"

"Well, I remember bits and pieces. Like, I remember going to the party with Braden, asking Jake to fetch me a drink, and then you asking Braden to dance. Everyone beyond that is just flashing lights and blurs." she paused. "Did you choke Cory last night?"

"Close enough. You don't remember anything else? Did you have anything to drink before the party?"

"No, of course not. Do I look that stupid?"

"No, but I know you." She didn't argue with that. "So you had one, two, at most three drinks last night, right?"

"I can't remember."

"I'm remembering for you. Jessie, how many people know what a Barbados is, and more importantly how you like it made?"

"Only a couple. Really just you and Braden. And Cory I suppose." She inhaled sharply.

"Yeah, I think I figured it out too. Cory's the only one that would have made that drink for you, because Jake sure as hell didn't know to order it for you. He must have put a Roofie in it."

"THAT MOTHER FUCKING..." Jessie cursed for a full minute and a half without repeating herself. Drew didn't even know if they were all in English. She eventually wound down, saying, "I have to go. By the way, Braden's pissed." She hung up without saying goodbye.

Part of Drew honestly wanted to laugh, but it scared him just how serious the situation could have been. Jessie would have done anything for anyone. And then not remember a thing the next morning. Only two things kept him from going out to introduce Cory to his knife collection: first that Jessie could get revenge on her own, and second that Jake was just outside.

But he wasn't. Jake, utterly confused, had taken the opportunity caused by the phone call to slip away unnoticed. He put on his clothes, tossed his soaked boxers in his backpack, and walked out the door. He only lived a couple miles from Drew, if you knew what roads and trails to take. Jake knew.

"How could I have been so stupid?" He asked himself over and over. Try as he might, he could not erase the feeling of Drew from his hands. He'd dreamed of that moment for weeks, months now; but was he ready to go down that path? Was he ready to really date Drew? Could he even HANDLE Drew if he got him? Jake shook his head free of worries, and concentrated on getting himself home.

He was still walking along one of the main roads when a truck pulled over right in front of him. Before he recognized the truck's bumper stickers (one of which read "Discourage Inbreeding; Ban Country Music) Cory popped his head out of the driver side window and asked "You need a lift home Jake?" Jake was going to refuse; after the night before, he didn't want to be in arm's reach of Cory if he could help it. Two things made him get in: the first was that after hearing of the history between him and Drew, he had a lot more sympathy for Cory than He'd have believed possible yesterday. The second was the realization that if Cory could catch up to him, so could Drew.

"Thanks." Jake said as he closed the door.

"No problem." replied Cory. "Anytime. It isn't that far out of my way."

"You know where I live?"

Cory gave him a puzzled look. "Of course I do. I've been over to pick-up your brother load of times. You never noticed?"

"Guess not."

Cory let the silence pass for about half a minute before speaking up. "By the way, why were you walking? I know for a fact that Drew lives within a quarter of a mile of where I picked you up. Why didn't you have him chauffeur you like always?"

Jake shrugged. "I needed to think away from Drew for a while."

"Ah." Cory said, his face a portrait of understanding. "Trouble with in paradise?"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on Jake. I saw you two last night. No one dances like that unless they want to jump the other person later." He pointed at the clock. "It's just after noon. If you two were fucking all night, you might have woken up. And now, guilt ridden, you," he pointed, "have decided that you just made a mistake and run away from your own personally snake in the garden."

"My own what?"

"Temptation Jake. I assumed you'd read the Bible at some point, but I guess it does have some big words."

"That from a dumb Jock."

Cory looked as if he'd been slapped. "You don't know a fucking thing about me Jake."

"I know some things," snapped Jake.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I know you're gay." Jake said the without thinking, and then he put his hands to his mouth, as if he too late was trying to keep the words from leaving. He looked at Cory, waiting for his reaction.

Cory reacted in the one way Jake did not anticipate: he laughed. His laugh was long, loud, and disturbing, like Drew's laugh right after Braden left the party. But where Drew's laugh had been of relief and relieving tension, Cory sounded harder, full of condensation and triumph. It was so wild Jake feared he would lose control of the truck.

Finally, the laughing stopped. "So, he admitted to our little fling. That's more than I expected out of Drew."

"Why wouldn't he?" Jake asked.

Cory ignored the question. "So Jake, you caught me; I'm gay. Now what exactly do you expect to do about it." The freshman was totally incapable of reply, so Cory twisted home the knife. "Better question: what difference do you think being gay makes in my life? I still bang drunken sluts left and right. I have friends too stupid to put two and two together and too weak to take me if they wanted. I am, as you said, a Jock, and what gender I like to look at just doesn't figure into it. I like being powerful and controlling, and I do what I need to get that control."

Cory's mouth screwed into a smile that made Jake draw back in disgust. "Though I admit, it does get boring sometimes. Straight sex I mean." Cory's hand left the gearshift and began traveling up Jake's leg. "I do crave a sometimes a little extra that girls just can't provide. But girls aren't the only option."

Not even Jake was too slow to catch that drift. He grabbed Cory's hand and removed it forcibly. "No fucking way! Don't you fucking touch me!"

"Not interested?" Cory's tone was light, but his expression was vicious. "Might want to rethink that Jake. I do have some leverage."

Against his better judgment, Jake asked, "What leverage?"

"If you don't agree to, uh, meet my needs, I spread around the fact that you and Drew are screwing around."

Jake sputtered out "But we aren't!" but it sounded feeble even to him.

"Having you been paying attention? It doesn't matter what's real and what isn't, only what everything looks like. And after last night, it looks to everyone, not just me, that you two have something going on. All it will take is my word and what everyone is already thinking will become fact before anyone bothers to check with you two. After that, as long as you and Drew remain friends, people will assume you're boyfriends.

"And before you say you don't care what everyone else thinks, check with yourself to make sure that's true. You've been in high school all of two months, and you have almost four years between here and freedom. Don't expect Drew to help you out either, he really doesn't care what anyone says about him, and when he gets tired of you, he won't care about you at all. The only one Drew will ever looks after is himself, the rest of us mere mortals don't rate. He will sell you out in a heartbeat if he needs to." Cory had a wry grin at the thought. "Probably the only thing we have in common now."

Jake didn't have a single thing to say. Cory let him stew in his silence, as it only took another minute before he pulled up in front of Jake's house anyways. As he got out, Cory said to him. "You give me your answer tomorrow. Either sleep with me `til I get tired of you, or spend the next four years in high school hell. Think about it." Jake slammed the door. Cory laughed again as he pulled away.

Jake`s brother Alex poked his head into Jake's darkened room. "Drew's on the phone for you."

Jake didn't even uncurl from his position on his bed. "Tell him I'm sick, and I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Alex looked at his brother, wondering what the hell had been with him all day. First he'd come home pissed, yelling and stomping for an hour before winding down and going to bed. He had not moved at all since then. "Jake, is everything okay." he asked.

"Not really."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever bro. But if something is eating you, let it go." He left, closing the door behind him.

`Let it go?' Jake thought, suddenly seeing a way out of his predicament. `Let Drew go. If he thinks I'm straight, he'll back off, and then so will Cory.' He gave the idea some thought, turning it inside and out in his head as he fell asleep.

Later that night, Melissa Valentino bustled in the front door of her home. "Drew, I'm home!" she called out, and he obediently came out of his room to help her. "How was your weekend?" she asked, handing him her suitcase while she kept her briefcase.

"More interesting than I thought it would be." He answered.

"Oh really? Does that mean Braden came over after all?"

Drew sighed. "No, he hasn't talked to me all weekend, ever since I danced with Peroxide at the party."

"Didn't you just tell me yesterday that there was nothing going on between you two?"

"That was yesterday." He said, smiling. Then the smiled dimmed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to break up with Braden."

"Good." Drew looked up at his mother. He expected a lot of things, but not approval. "You are way too young to be that stressed out over a relationship. Save it for your thirties, when you'll need the drama to distract from your day job." Drew chuckled.

"Do you need anything else Mom?"

"No thank you dear. Wait, why is this pan dirty?" she asked, holding up the skillet Jake had used to cook eggs on that morning.

"Jake cooked."

"Just checking. Pleasant Dreams."

"Night mom."

Drew laid out on his bed, scratching Cory (who had resumed his proper place on Drew's pillow) on top of his head. Drew was actually a lot more worried than he had let on to his mother. Especially about the fact that Jake had up and walked out earlier that day (though a call that evening had confirmed he'd gone home safely.) But Drew wasn't one to dwell on the unpleasant aspects of reality, so he was sure that everything would be sorted out in the end. `Maybe he'd like to go to Ashley's Halloween party next week. We have to chaperone Jessie anyways, to make sure she doesn't castrate Cory. Or maybe I'll hold him down for her.' He laughed softly, and settled down for the next day.

Cory was also preparing for bed, and the next day. He felt a little bad for tormenting Jake like he had, but not too much. `The important thing is that no matter what happens, Drew won't get him.' He had no intention of actually sleeping with Jake if the freshman was unwilling; Cory was not into rape (at least not with guys). But considering that Cory was actually better looking than Drew (even if Drew had a better arsenal of pheromones), if Jake was gay, he would not be long unwilling. He smiled as he thought of all the things he could show the freshman, and what they could explore together. He reached down, and let the thoughts carry him away.