Pandemic

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. No part of this story may be reprinted without permission. Copyright by Metredose, 2020, and all rights reserved. Comments and criticism welcome. Metredose@gmail.com

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Chapter 6

It was Monday afternoon and Joe gawped at the screen of his computer, furious that there had been yet another change to the guidelines for re-opening in the news, straight from the Governor's office. He had just finished a Zoom conference with his colleagues, and now, once again, for what seemed like the millionth time, things had changed. How on earth were they ever going to be prepared, to follow the right procedures and guidelines, when those procedures and guidelines were constantly being modified? Would the college where he worked as an administrator be able to hold an actual summer quarter on campus, or would it be only online courses available, and yet another hit to the college's financial stability?

Spring quarter was bad enough. Spring quarter was miserable. About halfway through it, the whispers of plague, of pandemic, had started. He and his colleagues had scrambled to meet the challenge. Mandatory overtime for custodians, constant sanitation by anyone and everyone, every night, every day, every fucking time someone touched something, anything. The endless washing of hands, the start of wearing masks and gloves, and the beginning of social distancing. It hadn't been enough. Despite his best efforts, despite everyone's best efforts, the school had had to switch right in the middle of the quarter to online classes only.

A rushed, hectic misery. Making sure each student had a proper computer, computers with enough memory to process Zoom and other necessary software in a smooth fashion. Making sure students successfully installed the new programs they would need for online courses, and then teaching the students how those programs actually worked. It was a learning experience for all. There were lots of mistakes, lots of starts and stops. Even with their best efforts, many students hadn't been up to the challenge. Whether it was anxiety over the virus or just restless indifference as the cause, it mattered little. The school was losing money, and funding would be slashed further in the future because of the shut down and the poor economy. Jobs were at stake. Lives were at stake.

But there was nothing for it but to trudge ahead and adapt, to minimize the damage as much as possible. All of these things were not normally a part of Joe's job. He was used to dealing with faculty and students face to face, and he was no genius of technology. It was a struggle to keep his head above water, and it was a struggle to remain positive, to remain hopeful. It was his new reality, and it was America's new reality.

All of this coupled with a stressful, unresolved divorce had driven Joe to the edge. Had he not had such a strong resolve, such an unshakable sense of duty and responsibility, he would never have survived. As it was, he struggled. His joy in life was minimal, except for when he thought of Cody or his kids. He hid his stress from his children, only talked about nice things when he spoke to them, but he was scared for their futures. It just seemed so unfair to young people, this new state of fear and uncertainty that had settled over the world. Would opportunity return for them, or were things irrevocably changed? Would he have a job in two months? He didn't know. He just didn't know. His heart felt low and wounded, but he set it aside. He set work aside for the day, too. No more reports until the next day. He was out of ideas and sick of making plans that were obsolete two days later. He was sick of worrying, sick of even thinking. He needed a break.

When he relaxed a bit, Joe's mind turned to Cody, to the handsome and selfish young man he'd come to love so quickly. He thought of the boy's sweet, chiseled little face, of his slim, tight body. There was a stirring in his shorts. There was always a stirring in his shorts when he thought of Cody. The kid had reactivated his sex life, reactivated his penis. And reactivated his heart, too.

It was nice to know that there were still young men like Cody. Carefree but passionate young men. Cody seemed untouched by the pandemic. It was like it didn't exist for him. If only he, Joe, could make Cody love him, if only he could reel him in and keep him by his side forever. But Cody was a restless spirit. Cody was a force of nature, and the only way to tame nature was to destroy it. Joe didn't want that. Joe just wanted some kind of commitment, some kind of security with the kid, and he doubted that it was possible.

Jared was in the way, for one thing. Joe still didn't have a grip on what was going on between those two, but they seemed close. Like brothers, as Cody had said, but that did not seem to encapsulate the totality of their relationship. Joe had experienced first hand their sexual chemistry. He had witnessed a dynamic of give and take that was not present in his own relationship with Cody.

"Something more than friends but less than a couple," was the way the blonde kid described his relationship with Cody.

Jared seemed a little less carefree than Cody, a little more stable. But they were alike in age and alike in so many other ways. Joe was uncertain of where he stood with Cody, just as he was uncertain about everything else in his life. And uncertainty meant frustration and worry. There just weren't easy ways out for any of it. His life was up in the air and there was no telling where the cards would fall when everything came down again.

Exasperated, Joe got off his duff and went to his bedroom. He stripped off the rank, semen stained sheets of his bed, the sweat stained pillow cases, and then gathered up what clothing he'd worn the previous few days, and a couple of not so fresh towels. He made a bundle out of one of the sheets and stuffed everything else into it, then headed down to the laundry room. The little old lady with the white curly hairdo was there, but she seemed intent on her own business and ignored Joe after a brief acknowledgment of his existence, then left with a tiny pile of folded clothes.

Joe loaded up a washer, dumped in the soap, inserted the quarters and rammed them into the machine when all eight were lined up in a pretty little row. On his way back upstairs, he ran into Jared. They exchanged greetings, and then Joe asked where Cody was, eliciting a shrug from Jared.

"I'm not his keeper," the blonde said.

"Oh, I just thought you would know," Joe said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Jared said. "Cody does what he wants. I have no idea where he is, and his car is gone. Guess he took off."

"Don't you think that's kind of rude?" Joe asked.

Jared shrugged again.

"That's just him," he said.

"I was wondering if I could talk with you," Joe said. "I mean up in my apartment. Or Cody's. There are some things I wanted to ask you."

"I got nothing else going on," Jared said.

He followed Joe up to his apartment, made himself comfortable on the couch when he got there. Joe suddenly felt tongue tied. He didn't know where to start. But Jared helped him out.

"You want to know about Cody," Jared said.

"Yes."

"Because you're in love with him."

A twinge of panic ran through Joe's mind. Was he really that transparent? But there was nothing for it but honesty.

"Yes," he said.

"And you want to know how to get him," Jared said. "Or you want to know if I am going to stand in your way."

"Both," Joe said.

"I have no idea how to get him other than just loving him and letting him be free. No one is going to tie him down. Like I said, he does what he wants."

"I noticed that. I just wanted to know if there was any possibility that he might commit to someone, some day."

"He is committed to people. If you're asking if he'll ever be interested in a monogamous relationship, then I guess I doubt it. At least not in the near future. But he's loyal in his own way. He never betrays a friend."

It wasn't what Joe wanted to hear. Too uncertain. Too up in the air. He didn't want to be just friends with Cody.

"And where do you stand in all this?" Joe asked.

"We're very close," Jared said. "But we're too much alike. We get along great, but we don't really inspire each other, if you know what I mean. If we were a couple, we'd be happy but we would get nowhere. And I have things I want to do. Goals. Cody is happy just to exist. He doesn't push himself."

"Is that what he needs? To be pushed?"

"Probably more like nudged. If he's aware you're pushing him he will clear out. It's frustrating. I've been pushing him to come up to Alaska with me for the summer, fishing. It's great money, and then he wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. But no."

"Fishing jobs can be unreliable, though," Joe said. "I assume you will be paid a percentage of the catch?"

"Yes," Jared said. "I have a friend from school-- actually he's a friend of both of ours-- whose father does it every summer. He owns a boat and he knows what he's doing. So I have a spot lined up and someone to teach me the ropes. And Cody would, too, if only he wasn't so stubborn."

"Why won't he go?" Joe asked.

"Because he doesn't want to. As simple as that. He was going to tech school, the automotive program, before all this shit with the virus started. He thinks he can resume during summer quarter. He's been living off financial aid. No job. No nothing. He's barely scraping by."

"What about his family?" Joe asked.

"They won't help," Jared said. "He doesn't even talk to them, as far as I know."

"But why?" Joe asked.

"Doesn't get along with his stepfather. His real dad died when he was young, and his mom got married again a couple of years before I met him. The step father's a former Marine and a real asshole. Couldn't stand that Cody wasn't totally obedient."

"I could see how someone like that would be a problem for Cody," Joe said.

"Oh, yeah. The guy was always angry. One time Cody didn't show up at school. That wasn't unusual, but it lasted a few days. I called him, but he wasn't allowed to talk on the phone. One day he shows up at my house with couple of black eyes. The step father did it."

Joe felt his heart sink. The mere thought of someone harming Cody made him sick.

"After that, he moved in with us, me and my dad," Jared said. "I don't think he's had much contact with his family since then. His mother had a baby girl, and it was like they couldn't be bothered with Cody after that."

"That is awful," Joe said. "How old was he then?"

"Fifteen, I think," Jared said.

"So you've been together ever since?" Joe said.

Jared chuckled.

"No. I mean we were sometimes, and we lived together, but Cody's got a wandering eye."

"When did you first have sex with him?" Joe asked. "Or is that too personal?"

"Oh, it happened not long after we met. I had just moved up from California to live with my dad. My mom and me weren't getting along. I didn't know anyone, felt pretty lonely. So school starts, a couple of months after I moved up. Everything is strange. All the kids know each other-- lots of cliques. I felt lost."

"Sounds tough," Joe said.

"So, fourth period, the first day, I go to class, sit down, and in walks this scrappy kid with bushy hair."

"Cody."

"Yep. He stops, looks at me for a bit, then takes the desk right in front of mine. As soon as he sits down, he turns, sparks up a conversation. Wants to know everything about me, about my life in California, where I'm living, just everything. Well, it made me feel better. At lunch I sit alone in the cafeteria, and I see him walk in again. He scans the room, sees me, walks right over. And from then on he follows me everywhere, and then I'm following him. He knows everyone. He introduces me to new people when he thinks of it. He made it so easy."

"That sounds like Cody," Joe said. "He's quite gregarious."

"Whatever than means," Jared said. "But anyway, we started hanging out all the time, skateboarding after school, just bumming around. A couple of weeks later he hints that we should have a sleepover, and it's obvious that he wants it to be at my house. So the night comes, we're in my room playing video games, it gets late but we don't notice until my dad comes up and tells us to go to bed. I guess we were kind of noisy. So I strip down to my undies, kind of embarrassed because I knew I liked guys but I didn't know if I wanted to do anything about it. Plus Cody is fucking cute! So I put on my pj's and Cody strips down but doesn't put on pj's. He's in his tighty whities and that's all."

"Not a shy one, is he?" Joe said.

"No! Not at all. So he's in his undies and just hops on the bed. Lays back with his hands laced behind his head, elbows out. And I'm sneaking looks at his body. And I'm getting a boner but I am wearing pj's and it doesn't show. But his boner DOES show. He's laying back like that, smiling, and his dick is making a tent in his undies. I mean, I could see the outline of it in the pouch."

"That sounds a lot like what he did when I first met him," Joe said.

"Well, I didn't know what to do at first. I pretended to clean up my room a bit. When I look over again, he's exactly the same. So I give up. I get on the bed. He still had a big boner and he's not moving or doing anything. So I stared at it. For a long time. Then he turns his head and looks at me, like deep into my eyes, and I know at that second that he wants what I want. I touched his tummy, ran my hand down to his dick, started petting it. He still doesn't move-- he wants me to do what I feel. No instructions. Eventually, I pull his undies down."

"I feel like a pervert listening to this," Joe said.

"But you like it," Jared said. "You're getting turned on."

Joe nodded. Jared continued.

"Well, you've seen his dick. It's nice. Beautiful shape, and so fucking hard. I touch it some more, skin on skin, then pet him again for a long time. After a while, it doesn't seem like enough. So I go down on him. I bend down and take his dick in my mouth and just kind of slurped on it. It was like two minutes until he came. I wasn't expecting it. And not so much! But that was it. After that I sucked him all the time. Two, three times a day. Sometimes in the bathroom at school, too. He was always quick to cum, quicker than it took for me to beat myself off. But he let me finish with his dick in my mouth anyway, and that made a big difference."

"When did it go further?" Joe asked.

"About a month later. One night when he was sleeping over he told me to lay on my belly. He started massaging my shoulders, and then he got on top of me, started kissing my neck and the back of my head. So I move my head around and he kisses my lips for a while, and then he starts pushing my legs apart. I knew what he wanted. I was scared, but I knew I wanted to give it up for him. So he spits and guides it in."

"Was he as rough as he is now?"

"No," Jared said. "He was gentle. But it still hurt. My butt hole was really tight. But he was quick. Back then he usually only lasted two or three minutes."

"He certainly has changed in that department," Joe said. "Sometimes I wish it was over that fast. He's just too rough."

"Yeah. I'd say he's not for the inexperienced," Jared said. "But sometimes rough is just the thing you want."

"But not always!" Joe said.

Jared chuckled, and then Joe did, too.

"So, anyway, after the first time he was like a dog," Jared said. "It's a good thing my dad was busy with his own life. He could have walked in on us any number of times. Cody would fuck me when we went to bed and when we got up in the morning, and sometimes when we got home in the afternoon. It went on for a long time, until his wandering eye struck, and then he was all about Elizabeth Newcastle. She was a straight A student, really bookish, but Cody was sprung. Followed her around everywhere, carried her books, all that shit, and in no time they were a thing."

"That must've hurt," Joe said.

"Yeah, it did. At least the first time. But then I got used to it. Cody always lost interest and came back to me after awhile. I never really knew if it was because he loved me or if it was just because we lived together and I happened to be there."

"Did he go after guys, too? Joe asked.

"Yep, both."

"And no one turned him down?"

"Well, there was Dave Taylor. That didn't turn out so well."

Jared burst into a long, deep laugh.

"Why not?" Joe said.

"Dave wasn't into it, that's all. It was funny. Dave is a big guy, he was on the varsity football team, just huge and muscular and pretty bad ass. For some reason Cody took a hankering to him. Dave was like three times his size, but it did not matter. Cody was after him. Followed him everywhere, buddied up to him, and that was fine, because Dave isn't too bright. He had no idea what was going on. I once saw Cody swoop down and gather up some field daisies during P.E. class and present them to Dave. His face turned bright, bright red. I think that was when he finally figured out what Cody wanted from him, and boy, did it make him angry. Cody didn't give up though, not until Dave knocked him on his ass."

"Wow," Joe said.

"Yeah," Jared continued. "But Cody took it in stride. He couldn't figure out what Dave's problem was, but he got over it quickly and moved on to the next one. Cody thinks everyone is fair game. It doesn't occur to him that a person might not be interested. But that's because most people are interested. I mean, he's a nice guy. Happy go lucky. Just about everyone likes him."

"Did the other students know Cody was gay?"

"No one picked on him for it," Jared said. "I think he confused them. He was with a guy one month and a girl the next. I guess everyone just accepted him for who he was. But yeah, they knew something of what was up between me and Cody. I didn't really like that until I realized that it could be a good thing."

"How so?" Joe said.

"Well, it meant that guys who might be interested in sex with me would know they stood a chance, because I had been with Cody. It opened a lot of doors for me. I mean, I got around almost as much as Cody."

"But you always went back to each other," Joe said.

"Yeah. We hung out until the summer after graduation, but then I split. My mom wanted to mend fences, so I moved back to California for a while. Got a job, saved up some money. But eventually the same old shit started up again, so I came back. Hadn't seen Cody for almost a year."

"Was he different?"

"Just the same!" Jared said. "My dad helped him get his apartment. I don't know where he got the car. Other than that, nothing has changed with him."

"Tell me again about that Dave guy," Joe said.

"Oh, you liked that part, huh?" Jared said, in a low, naughty voice.

"It made me hot and bothered. The idea of Cody going after a big football jock. He's just so fearless."

"That he is," Jared said. "Dave was a nice looking guy. Square cut jaw, strong features. Wide shoulders, big, thick legs. Oh, and a big old bubble butt. Really nice, round ass. I would bet that was what drew Cody to him, even if Cody didn't know it himself."

"Do you think Cody ever had it," Joe asked, breathlessly.

"Nah, I doubt it. But I can see the appeal of the fantasy. Cute little scrapper winning over a big, dumb muscle jock, dominating him, fucking the hell out of his big, round butt. Yeah, that's hot."

"Very!" Joe said.

He stood up. There was a big bulge in his slacks, and he made sure that Jared noticed it. The blonde kid sank to his knees, unbuckled and unzipped Joe in a flash, then pulled down his pants and shorts. In an instant, Joe was engulfed. No light, tender teasing this time, no, but the full brunt of Jared's considerable oral skills. His lips slid back and forth over Joe's rampant manhood with great dexterity. Suction and a wet, sandpapery tongue did the rest. Joe stood motionless and Jared did all the work. After a while, his cock head felt the tightness of Jared's throat. Not once, but over and over again.

It was just too much. Joe tried to relax the muscles of his groin, the muscles of his penis, but the tension only grew stronger until finally, with a great jolt, he hunched forward and his cock exploded. It was a powerful ejaculation, right into the slushy warmth of Jared's mouth, and the kid lapped up all Joe had to offer and continued lapping up the aftermaths after the main event was over.

The kid pulled his mouth away and stood up. His shorts were pooled around his ankles and he was masturbating furiously, his big cock rosy but with a tinge of purple, a tinge that indicated great need. Joe sank to the floor, pushed Jared's hand away and engulfed him with all the enthusiasm the kid had shown to him. His head bobbed, and watching the teeth was now instinctive. Joe didn't even have to think about it. The big cock worked it's way to the back of Joe's mouth, the wet, silky place at the entrance to his throat, and then it fired. Jared groaned. His hands shot down to the sides of Joe's head and held him steady, and the big penis squirted into Joe's mouth until it was dry.

They went to the bathroom and cleaned off. That's when Joe remembered his laundry. But he had one last question.

"Do you think Cody would ever suck my cock?"

It was petty. It was important.

"I don't know," Jared said.

"But he sucks yours!"

"Well, yeah, when he gets real worked up," Jared said. "That's the time to take advantage. He's not really inclined to do it otherwise. And if you want to fuck him, forget it. He's top only. Always has been."

"Okay," Joe said, in a disappointed voice.

"Look, man," Jared said. "You're just gonna have to go with it. There are no rules. There are no promises. If you love him and want to make a go at a relationship with him, you're just going to have to see where things take you. I'm not going to stand in the way. It's up to you and Cody, and I guess fate. Just go for it."

"I guess that's all I can do," Joe said.

"Yup. Go for the ride and see where it takes you. That's my advice."

"Okay," Joe said again. "Thanks. I feel a little better about it now."

"That's the spirit."

Jared gave Joe's butt a light slap of encouragement, and then he was off. Joe, lighter of heart, lighter in another area, too, went downstairs to finish his laundry.