Blood Sport By James
Disclaimer
If it's illegal for you to read stories about sexual/romantic situations between teenaged consenting boys then read no further. If you're offended by these types of stories, or bothered by sometimes disturbing scenes, then the same rule applies.
Please remember to donate to Nifty so that these stories can remain free to the public.
I'd like to take a moment to thank my editor K. You always do a really amazing job with your edits, corrections and other suggestions for this story. I always appreciate your help, and I'm glad to have you as editor. Thank you.
Finally, if you like this story and haven't done this already, drive my E-mail address jamesheady1985@gmail.com to their place of employment. On the way there though, spend the whole drive blasting the shrillest Opera music known to man and slam on the breaks every chance you get, causing the car's engine to give out making you late dropping them off.
Blood Sport
Chapter Three
The Gazebo
Danny
I sat there watching Josh as he looked around, then scooted a little closer to me. His bag was to his right, and I was on his left. He held the handles of his bag with his right hand as we continued sitting there, then he looked at me for a long moment.
"You're right," he said after a moment. "It definitely is quieter here. Thanks for taking me up to this place."
"You're welcome," I answered. "I'm glad that you feel better now that we're up here."
"Me too," he said. "I have Autism, and in my case, I have problems with loud noises. Crowds can sometimes get to me. It wasn't too bad as we were sitting there, but I knew that if I sat there a few more minutes, then I'd absolutely have to leave or at least go where it was more quiet. Also, bright lights really bother me as well."
"I've heard of Autism," I responded. "I've also heard about how Autistic people can sometimes have issues dealing with loud noises, and certain lights. Thanks for telling me. I'll make sure that we're not around any places that are too loud. I'll also do my best to try to keep us away from any bright lights."
"Thanks," he said. "Usually I can use noise-canceling headphones, but sometimes it's the smells of a place that can cause problems, even if the sound is muffled. So, there are just going to be times when I have to avoid certain places. Also, you mentioned making sure that you would try to keep us out of those kinds of environments. So are you wanting to spend time with me again sometime?"
"I would like that," I responded. "I know we don't know each other very well right now, but I'd really like for that to change."
"I think that would be really nice," he said.
"I'm really glad to hear that," I answered.
We sat there in silence for a moment, then I offered to show him a couple of songs from the group Therion that I had mentioned a little while ago. He agreed, then I pulled out my phone and opened up the music app.
The first song I showed him was the song Birth of Venus Illegitima. It was the second song off their album Vovin. Josh listened as the song began playing, and the operatic vocals started up.
"I really like that," he said, continuing to listen head, cocked to the side.
That was something I'd see him do a lot when really intently listening to whatever was playing, especially if he really liked it. After that one played, I showed him Therion's song Call of Dagon which was off their album Sirius B. He also really enjoyed it, and commented on how he especially liked what the orchestra was doing.
"I've always really liked that too," I replied.
After Josh agreed to hear one more from them, I pulled up their song Deggial. It was off of their album of the same name.
"The opera singers do a really good job on this song too," Josh said as he continued listening.
"I agree," I answered.
As the song got to the middle, we continued sitting there. I was surprised then, when Josh put his index finger on my arm for a brief second, then removed it as I looked down. He looked at me smiling for a moment, then looked towards his right where several trees stood.
As the song came to a close, Josh turned his head back in my direction watching me very closely and intently. I closed the app after he said that there wasn't anything else he wanted to hear, and he continued watching me for another long moment before standing.
"Do you think they have any drinks left?" he asked. "I wanted to get a Pepsi."
"We can go and see," I answered.
After we got our drinks, we returned to the Gazebo and sat in the same spots as before. Josh scooted a little closer than he had been before. He watched me for a moment, then leaned back on the bench.
"So what else do you like to do for fun?" he asked.
I told him about how I really enjoyed walking out in the woods, as well as watching different movies and shows. I also told him about how sometimes I really liked to go swimming at this one lake that was a few minutes away from our house. I finished by telling him about how I really enjoyed playing a couple of different instruments, one of which was bass guitar. I went on to tell him about how the other instrument I played was the electric guitar, but I stuck mainly to bass-playing work. Finally, I finished by adding that I sometimes helped out a few guys I knew from my school who had formed a band of sorts. Sometimes they'd get together and play down in one of the guys' basement, and Jason had started playing with them a few weeks ago. He was trying out as their rhythm guitarist.
"They do a lot of Metal and Rock," I said. "Sometimes they do the screaming kind of Metal, but mostly they stick to Metal and Rock that has mainly singing in it. Usually when they have me join them is when we're at one of their houses and the regular guy who plays bass can't show, and they still want to go through whatever songs they're doing."
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Josh replied.
"Yeah, I really enjoy helping them out when they need me," I answered. "Then as for other things I like doing, I like spending time with my friend Kelven. He's the one who's our family friend you met earlier."
"That sounds like fun also," he said.
"Yeah, he and I get along really good, and always have," I responded. "So, what about you? What else do you like doing?"
"I really enjoy hanging out in the woods like you, and also making things with clay that I have in my bedroom," he replied. "I also really love painting. I paint on construction paper some of the time, then I also paint certain rocks I find outside."
"That sounds really nice," I said.
"Thanks," he answered. "Oh, and I wanted to show you what's in my bag. I know I haven't done that yet."
"Cool, thanks," I said.
"The first thing is my stuffed dog I keep with me everywhere I go," he said.
He pulled it out, and I looked at it. It was white all over, and it had a small black spot on its back with its head being a light-brown color.
"His name is Ronny," Josh explained.
"He's really cute," I said.
"Thanks, he definitely is," Josh answered, holding him out so I could feel him.
I checked him out for a moment, then handed him back.
"Thanks," Josh said placing him back in the bag.
"You're welcome," I said.
"The next thing is this small cube-shaped toy that's made of this squishy material," he said.
He held it out and I felt it. It was a light-blue, almost a sky-blue, shaped almost like an ice cube.
"I like how that feels," I said.
"Yeah, so do I," he responded. "It's something I can squeeze a few times, like when I start getting anxiety. I have an issue with that from time to time."
"I can imagine that that's hard to deal with sometimes," I said.
"It can be," he replied. "This toy usually helps me with getting it under control. If it doesn't, or if the anxiety is too intense, then I usually end up having a meltdown."
"I've heard of Autistics having those," I answered. "What happens when you go into a meltdown?"
"I usually start crying, and I end up losing my balance with most of them," he said. "I mean that I start falling when I have some of my meltdowns. If that happens, then who ever I'm with has to hold onto me so I won't actually fall to the ground."
"What happens then?" I asked.
"I just have to work through it," he said. "Of course, the idea is to try to keep the event from happening in the first place, but sometimes that's not how it works out. They can usually happen if I don't get enough sleep, then have several things happen all at once that are unexpected, such as several people asking me questions one right after the other, or firing several pieces of information at me without a break in between. Then if someone deals with me by yelling at me, that can easily put me at risk of melting down. The other things I just mentioned could push me over the edge."
"I can imagine that that's a lot to go through when it happens," I said.
"It totally is," he answered.
He showed me the last thing in his bag, which was a weighted blanket. It was used for anxiety-control if his squeezing toy didn't help. The blanket was a forest-green color, and I told him that I loved how soft it was, and how nice the color was.
"Thanks, I'm glad you like it," he answered.
He then unzipped a pocket inside the main section of the bag, then held it open, but didn't remove the contents. I could see that they were bottles, and they looked like the dark-colored medicine bottles that cough medicine came in.
"One of the bottles is medicine for if I get a headache," he explained. "The second bottle is my seizure medication. I have a Seizure Disorder, so I always need to have that last medicine with me at all times. Usually though, I don't have a lot of seizures."
"What happens when you have a seizure?" I asked. "That is if you don't mind me asking."
"I have the usual full-blown seizures," he said. "They're the ones where one shakes and convulses on the ground. I don't know when I have them, because I lose consciousness, but I can kind of tell when one might be starting up. I usually feel nauseous for a moment. Then everything blacks out."
"That sounds scary," I said.
"It is, especially when I come out of it and have confusion for a moment," he responded. "Everything aches all over after that, and I feel so tired for a long time."
"I can imagine you would after all that," I said.
"The meds I take are in liquid form, because trying to swallow pills makes me gag," he went on. "It's basically a sensory thing. Also, for sensory issues where touch is concerned, I don't like tags in the backs of shirts. Those are really annoying. Long-sleeves are out, only short sleeved shirts. I wear my coat, so that's how I'm able to have on those kinds of shirts even when it gets cold out."
"I'm glad you're able to keep comfortable with the shirts you like," I said.
"Me too," he answered. "As far as other things with my Autism though, I can be really good at capturing details with things I paint or drawings I draw," he went on. "There are times when people have told me that my attention to detail is so good, that some of the drawings could look almost real."
"That's really interesting," I said. "I'm glad you shared all that with me, and I'm really glad that we've met. Also, you having Autism doesn't make me feel weird, nor does it bother me at all. I just wanted to let you know that."
"I really appreciate you telling me that," Josh said putting his hand on my arm for a moment then removing it just as quickly as it had been there. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I answered.
A silence settled over us, and I leaned against the back of the bench. Josh did the same, and we just sat like that. I found myself wanting to know more about him, and I was also finding that his physical looks were truly handsome, as well as extremely beautiful!
"I've been having a really good time this evening," Josh said as he scooted a little closer to me.
He was close enough now so that a paperback book could have bridged the gap. It seemed that he was starting to get even more comfortable around me. I hoped so anyway.
"I'm really glad you've been enjoying yourself tonight," I answered. "You really seemed to like the ice cream you had."
"It was really good, and I'm glad that my favorite flavor was here," he said.
"I'm glad it was as well," I responded.
"Also, it's been really fun hanging out with you," Josh said, putting a hand on my arm and leaving it there longer this time.
His hand was warm, small but also really soft.
"Thanks," I replied turning my head to look directly at him. "I've had a really good time talking with you and hanging out as well. Like we talked about a little while ago, I'd love to get together again soon. I could probably have you over to my house, or if you want to see if your mom and brother would let me come over, then that would also be good."
"I'll definitely check with them, and I think it would be really nice to visit each other again soon as well," Josh responded as he looked directly at me.
"I'll let you know what my mom says," I said.
"That sounds good," he answered.
After another moment of silence, I heard people coming our way. I recognized Josh's mom and brother, as well as Kelven's voice.
"Josh, it's time to go," Kate called out.
"I wish I could stay with you a little bit longer," Josh said, looking directly at me and putting his hand on my shoulder. I gently put my arm around his shoulders, and he rested his head against my shoulder for a moment. I was surprised by that gesture. I wasn't sure if he'd do that.
"I feel the same way," I responded.
We stood up, and went down the steps to meet up with everyone. Jason was the last to join the group. I said goodbye to Kate and Connor. By now, Connor seemed like he was much more comfortable around me, and I was glad to see that.
"Did you want to ask my mom about what we talked about?" Josh asked, stepping close to me and surprising me once more by grabbing hold of my hand.
"Josh and I talked about us visiting each other at one of the other's house sometime," I explained. "I offered to have him over to my house sometime, and he did the same about your guys' house."
"We could definitely do that," Kate answered. "Do you have anything going on this up-coming Monday afternoon? I figured you'd be in school, but I'm talking about after you get out for the day. I'd have you over this weekend, but we have to go and see my sister since she just had a baby."
"I hope the visit goes well," I said. "Congratulations on her new baby."
"Thank you," Kate answered. "We would definitely have you over were we not staying the weekend and leaving tomorrow morning."
"I understand," I said. "I'll ask my mom, but if she says yes for this up-coming Monday, would you be alright with me coming over around 6:00 P.M. I only ask, because by then I'd have homework and dinner out of the way."
"That would be nice, though I could make dinner for us all that evening," Kate said.
"Thanks, I'd really like that," I answered.
"You're welcome, and sounds good," she said. "Just let me know what your mom says, and with that in mind, I can give you my number."
I took out my phone and put her number in my contacts. Josh gave me his number as well, and after shaking Kate and Connor's hands, I turned to Josh.
He turned to me and put his arm around me in a one-arm hug. Sensing that this was all he felt comfortable with at the moment, I returned it.
"I hope you have a good night tonight," I said. "Have a safe trip tomorrow."
"Thanks," he answered,, looking closely at me. "Also, I hope you have a good night tonight as well."
I noticed the sad look in his eyes, and I could tell he didn't want to be away from me. I felt the same way.
"I appreciate that, and I'm sure I will," I said as he gently squeezed my shoulder before stepping close to his family. We waved goodbye as they walked away, leaving just Jason, Kelven and I standing there. At that point, we decided to get back home ourselves. It was now nearing 8:30 P.M., and everything was starting to wind down. I did want to go and talk with Braden for a moment to see if he needed any help. Letting Kelven and Jason know where I'd be, I went to find the pastor.
Braden was walking into the church, and I followed him. Once he saw me, we sat down in his office.
"That was a really nice turn-out tonight," he said. "You did a really good job helping out with it!"
"It really was, and thanks," I answered. "I really had a good time tonight, and I was glad to be a part of it."
"I'm really glad to hear it," he responded. "Will we see you on Sunday? I know sometimes homework gets heavy on some weekends, and I didn't want to add more to your schedule than you could handle."
"Thanks, and the homework is already done for the day," I said. "I'll be here on Sunday."
"Good," he replied. "We'll be having lunch here after services, so if you wanted to stay for that, then I'd be happy to have you."
"I'll talk to my mom and sister," I said. "I'm sure they'd love to attend the lunch afterwards."
"Good, just let me know when you find out," Braden answered as he stood.
"I'll do that," I said.
We shook hands, then I let him know that I would be headed home now. He wished me a good night, then I left to find Jason and Kelven.
0000
Josh
As the car rode along, Connor sat in the front seat looking out the window, and Kate drove along listening as the radio played. Josh sat in the back seat looking out the window from time-to-time, but his thoughts had mostly been on Danny Evans, his new friend. At least he hoped that Danny was his new friend. He really wanted it to be true. Danny Evans seemed so nice, and Josh thought about how when he sat close to Danny, how he felt really calm and relaxed. He was also really glad about how Danny didn't talk to him like he was a baby, nor did he talk as if Josh was mentally challenged.
As the car drove along the last couple of minutes to the house, Josh found his thoughts turning to how cute Danny Evans was. He really loved Danny's dark-brown hair and his deep-blue eyes. He also loved the hair on Danny's arms. He then thought of his friend's smooth face. He wondered if Danny had started shaving yet, and figured that he probably had. Danny's voice was so nice, and really calming. Josh loved it's deep and soft-spoken sound, but he also liked how Danny could speak a little louder when the crowd was around them without him yelling or anything like that.
As the car pulled into the garage, Josh found himself wishing that Danny could be there with him as they went into the house. He really missed his new friend, and he wondered if Danny was missing him at the moment. Josh continued wondering this as he followed his mom and brother into the house and as his mom closed then locked the door for the night.
0000
Danny
After saying goodbye to Kelven, I watched as he walked out of the house once he had said goodbye to my mom, sister and Jason. Closing the door, I locked it, then hugged Martha and my mom. With it being almost 9:00 P.M., Martha was ready to get into bed for the night. Mom and I said goodnight to her, then I went back with my mom into the kitchen.
Jason went into the living room after he stored his bag in the guest room, but not before grabbing a Coke from the fridge. Offering one to me, I shook my head no. I was ready to just sit down for a few minutes to see how my mom's evening went.
Once Jason was in the living room with the TV on, I sat down across from my mom.
"How did everything go tonight?" I asked.
"It was good," she answered. "Martha and I had a really nice time. How did it go at the social for you and everyone else?"
I told her about everything, then I let her know about meeting Josh Gibson. She said that she was glad that he and I had a chance to hang out tonight.
"Yeah, it was a really nice time," I went on. "We exchanged numbers, and we also talked about getting together to see each other again. His mom suggested this up-coming Monday, and I said I'd ask you about it. We talked about possibly 6:00 P.M. since I would probably have homework before then, and Kate also offered for me to stay for dinner."
"That's really nice of her," Mom said. "It's alright with me if you go and visit Josh that evening as well. Obviously, you know to be home by 9:30 P.M. since it's a school night."
"I'll remember," I said smiling, truly happy that she agreed! "I can text Josh and his mom now, letting them know that you're fine with it."
"Okay," she answered.
After I texted Kate and Josh, I moved my thumb to press the lock button on my phone as an in-coming text came through. It was a message from Kate, and Josh was copied in on it as well.
Kate: "Hi Danny, it's really good to hear from you. Thanks for checking with your mom, and so it's set. I'm glad she agreed. I hope you have a good night, and sleep well."
Danny: "Hi Kate, and Josh! Thanks, and I hope all of you sleep well tonight as well. I'm glad it's all set up too. I'll talk to you guys soon!"
Putting my phone down, I visited with my mom for a few more minutes before returning to my room to get a shower.
I shut off the water after finishing rinsing off. As I dried myself, I lifted my right arm, and in the bathroom mirror over the sink, I caught a glimpse of the long and jagged scar that ran from just below the fifth finger on my right hand. It extended from there down to the middle of my arm. It was on the outside of my arm, and it was jagged in the middle and looked like a crudely drawn lightning bolt.
I wish I could say that it was an intentionally carved symbol done a while ago in a misguided attempt to show off my love of Metal Music. It wasn't, and the event as well as those surrounding it happening were ones that I did my best not to think about. As I stared intently at the scar, I felt that hot rage coming up again! I knew who had been responsible for everything leading to the event that caused me to have that scar in the first place. Sure, I unfortunately did what led to the marking, but if everything that occurred up to that point not happened, then I felt that I wouldn't have done what I did at that time.
"Hey, you still putting on your nightly make-up?" I suddenly heard Jason call on the other side of the door. "I would like to get in there and brush my teeth at some point. Maybe even get a shower if you don't mind."
I broke out of my thoughts, and the rage was replaced with humor at Jason's words.
"Sorry Sweetie," I said in a womanly voice that sounded better in my head than it did voiced out loud. "I just wanted to look extra special for you tonight."
"Fuck you," he shot back laughing.
I laughed then opened the door. At that point, I was dressed in just my towel, and I would get into my shirt and boxers once back in my room.
"Meeeeeeooooowwwwww, that's so hot," Jason said in an exaggerated husky tone. "Come here and say hi to daddy."
"Yuck," I said laughing as he went into the restroom and got a towel out. "Starting this minute, you're to never do that again."
We both laughed when I said that.
"Oh, come on," he wined laughing. "You got all cleaned up, and you should be flattered that I could get totally crazy over that hot bod of yours even though I'm totally into the girls."
"Yeah right," I shot back stepping into my boxers once I had my shirt on. "Even if you were being serious, you wouldn't have a chance with me. Jokes aside, even if I tried being with you even for just a single night of sex, I wouldn't be able to go there. It would feel too much like I would be having sex with my own brother or something like that."
"Oh, now that's totally hot," he said in that same exaggerated tone, then laughed harder. Clearly, he was loving his own sick sense of humor.
"Christ, what's wrong with you," I shot back laughing along with him.
"You know how I am, I just have to push the envelope, and I know you let me get away with it," he said. "Seriously though, I know what you're saying. I feel the same way. You are basically the brother I've never had, and I don't want that changing, not for any reason at all."
"It won't," I said putting a hand on his arm.
"Good," he replied. "Also, thanks for letting me stay here this weekend. You guys really make me feel like family."
"You're welcome, and you basically are like another family member to us," I said.
With that, I excused myself and Jason shut the door part way then got in the shower. Walking over across the room, I sat down on the edge of my bed. Taking my phone from beside me, I unlocked it then went on Facebook. Going into the search bar, I typed in Josh's first and last name. I wondered if he was actually on any form of social media. To my surprise, I saw that the first name to come up had a picture, and it was him!
Smiling widely, I opened up his Facebook profile. It showed his profile picture in which he stood in his bedroom. He had on a dark-blue shirt with a brown and white dog on the front of the shirt. He was wearing light-blue jeans, and his face was clean-shaven like it had been tonight.
I sat there for a long moment looking at his picture. His smile was beautiful, more than I could ever say in words. His eyes had a deeply kind look, and I could have looked into them all night! What I actually did though, was move down to check out the rest of his profile.
In his About Section, I saw that he was going to a special school that specifically helped kids who were Autistic and who had other various learning disabilities. There was his date of birth which after calculating in my head put him at 14. I looked at his likes, and saw that the first one was of Night Wish. I smiled at that one. His second like was the X Files, and the third was for a restaurant called The Lightning Bolt Grill. I had heard of it, but hadn't tried it yet. I heard a while back that it had opened up just the year before, and I heard good things about the food.
Backing out of the About Section, I looked through the first few posts on Josh's timeline. The first post was of Josh standing in the back yard. According to the Date and Time stamp, it had been taken the afternoon before around 4:30 P.M. He stood beneath a large tree, and he was smiling that lovely smile! The second post was of him from two days ago. He was sitting in a restaurant with a huge plate of what looked like hot wings in front of him, and a tall glass above the plate. Looking at the caption, I read it word for word closely.
"Here at Lightning Bolt with my brother and mom again! I'm so glad we came back, and I had been wanting to return here again so bad!"
The third post was one that was less happy, and was from last Saturday. It had a caption, and though it was devoid of any profanity, I could sense the rage and anger Josh clearly had been feeling. It was from around 6:30 P.M. on that Saturday I mentioned above. I read it closely as well.
"How anyone could do this to their Autistic kid is something I won't ever understand!"
The caption ended with seven Huffing with Anger emojis, and seven Loudly Crying Face ones as well.
Opening the post, it showed a video, and the recording had been titled "This is the side of Autism You Don't See". I played the video, and it showed a kid probably around 12 years old. Off camera, a woman yelled at the kid to go into the kitchen to get ready to do their homework. The kid fell to the floor screaming and crying, but no words were said.
The woman yelled again, then told the child to quit being a little misbehaving brat. Another person came into view of the camera and grabbed the kid. When they moved the kid, that exposed their face. It was a small girl. The other person grabbed her and practically slammed her onto the bed.
"Now sit there and calm the fuck down!" the person yelled. It was a man's voice. "I'm sick of your fucking little baby fits you do all the time!"
With that the video ended, and as I backed out of it and into the post, I saw that it had about 80 Angry reactions. Josh left a comment announcing his anger again. His mom said basically the same thing, then added that Autistic Meltdowns weren't a kid just throwing a fit.
"Ableist Bastards!" read Connor's comment.
I went to the post after that, and it was captioned thus: "Calling him a doctor is like saying that The Jerry Springer Show is actual journalism!"
It was written by Josh, and I laughed out loud at that one. Opening the post, I saw that it was a picture of the disgraced former doctor named Andrew Wakefield. I had heard of him a few times over the years, and heard bits and pieces of what he had done in terms of adding to the Ableist view of Autistic kids. In the picture, he was dressed in a cream-colored suit, and there were a few people around him, all of them an assortment of men and women. From what I read, the photo was that of one of Wakefield's talks given a couple of years ago in which he denounced all vaccines of any kind.
There were a few comments from Josh, Kate and Connor voicing their anger at Wakefield and his discriminatory views of the Autistic, plus the harm done to unvaccinated kids in the name of his junk science he had been peddling for the last couple of decades.
Deciding to go to the next post, it was one that was more light-hearted. It showed Josh sitting on the porch of what appeared to be his house. This one was captioned: "Sitting here at my house with a couple of my favorite things!"
The favorite things Josh mentioned were two things. In his right hand was his stuffed dog, Ronny. The second thing in his left hand was an iPad.
I smiled at how happy he looked, then I backed out of the post. Going up to the Add Friend button, I tapped on it. Once I saw that the request had been sent, I exited out of his profile, then closed the Facebook App.
Placing my phone on the charger, I sat back down as Jason came out of the restroom, pulling a shirt over his head. He already had on his boxers, and after the shirt was on, he joined me on the edge of my bed.
We talked for a few minutes, then Jason rubbed his eyes a couple of times.
"It's time for me to get to bed," he announced, standing up.
We shared a hug, then he said goodnight to my mom before going to his room. I too said goodnight to my mom, then returned to my room for the night. I would be up for a little while longer watching stuff on my iPad, but I didn't see myself staying up too late. It really had been a long day, and a truly amazing one as well! I knew I'd also be thinking about Josh while in my room, and I found myself truly excited about our visit that up-coming Monday!
Author's Notes
Clearly there's something there between Danny and Josh. You can definitely see it on Danny's end. You'll get to see soon how Josh feels, and if he'll return Danny's feelings. Also, you can tell that Danny has things he's been through regarding the scar on the outside of his right hand. You'll all find out what that's about here at some point.
In the next chapter, Danny and Josh will be spending their Monday together, and you guys will all get to see how that goes for them. I really hope you like how it turns out. Having said all that though, I hope you're all having a good evening and doing well. I'll see everyone in Chapter Four.