Author's Note – This is book three of the Kingswood Saga. Check out Tales from Kingswood and The Kingswood Eight to find out what has happened previously. Thank you all for the ongoing support and feedback.
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The Kingswood Effect --------------------
Chapter 2 ---------
Sunday 29 August 2021 (cont'd)
"Do I really have to do this?" Mark asked cautiously.
Chris gave the new boy a reassuring nod in return as he said, "Yeah, but don't worry, it'll be fine!" Chris desperately hoped his lying wasn't too obvious. He had absolutely no reason to believe things would be fine.
He had been with the dorm's newest member nearly all day, which sounded like a nice thing, but Chris felt a pang of guilt as he thought about how he was just using it as a way to keep his distance from the others. Chris was still not talking to Nicky and Mike following their spectacular break-up while David was not talking to Chris because of the part he played in James' departure from the dorm. Danny and Rob, usually the first to intervene in issues within the dorm seemed to be keeping out of the whole thing. Finally there was Josh, who Chris had no major beef with, but he seemed to have very much sided with Mike, making him a default enemy.
The whole dorm had been invited to a meeting with Mr Trent, supposedly as a welcome for Mark to help him get to know his new roommates. Considering the outright frosty reception he had received so far, Mark was somewhat less than keen to attend the gathering.
"Mr Trent's really cool," Chris assured him. "Technically he's sort of my brother," he added with a slightly proud smile. As Mark looked at him curiously he explained, "He's dating my brother!" As Mark's expression turned from curiosity to concern, he added, "My GROWN UP brother! He works here too!"
"Oh, okay, that... that makes a bit more sense!" Mark nodded.
As they headed into the room Mr Trent had invited them to, they realised they were the last to arrive, but they never would have guessed it from the silence awaiting inside. Normally all it took was two members of the dorm to be together to produce enough noise to fill the building.
"Ah, welcome!" Mr Trent said happily as the final two boys arrived. "Hope Chris has been looking after you!"
"Yeah, he's been great," Mark said politely.
"Good, well grab a seat," the teacher said, gesturing to the sofas.
The seating arrangement was almost a perfect representation of current allegiances in the dorm. Josh and Mikey, or Mike as he went by now, were sat together, whispering quietly to each other while giving Mark suspicious looks. Nicky was sat further back on a large chair, alone. David was similarly isolated, though while Nicky was watching Chris keenly, David was intentionally keeping his gaze focused outside the group. Right in the middle, sat together and looking decidedly unhappy with what was going on around them were Danny and Rob.
Mark took a seat on an empty two-seater. As Chris followed, he looked over to Danny, with whom he would usually sit and just gave a meek smile before taking a seat beside Mark.
"Well now we're all here, why don't we get started," Mr Trent said cheerfully, either oblivious to the atmosphere or simply hoping to push through it. "I'm sure you've all had a chance to chat with Mark by now," he said optimistically.
As Rob, Danny and Chris nodded, the other four remained coldly silent. Mike giving a petulant shrug.
"Come on lads, that's not like you!" Mr Trent said, his brow furrowing. He had specifically chosen this particular dorm for Mark to join on the basis that they were the closest, the friendliest, the most welcoming. He had wanted a supportive environment for the new boy based on his experience at his previous school... and this was certainly not it! Hoping it was simply a case of poor timing or new-term-moodiness, he smiled and said, "Well let's start simple then. Let's have some introductions. Who wants to go first?"
Silence.
Mr Trent exhaled slowly as he shook his head. "Okay, well you seem to already know each other, but let's start with Chris then!"
Chris nodded and sat forward in his seat. "Okay, well I'm Chris Smith. I'm thirteen. I'm single!" he spat the last part, scowling a little as Nicky shrunk inwards a touch and Mike just shrugged dismissively. "I love music and reading and plants. I do swimming club as well as book club, creative writing and music. Oh yeah, and drama!"
"Yeah, can't forget the drama," Rob said quietly, getting an elbow to the ribs and reluctant smirk from Danny.
"Was that you volunteering to go next, Rob?" Mr Trent asked with an eyebrow raise.
"Bugger," Rob muttered. "Okay, well... hi Mark," he said with a smile over at the new boy as he stood up. "I'm Rob Wilson. I'm a bit a nerd, but you probably guessed that from the glasses, cos everyone knows glasses equals nerdy apparently," he said with a slight derisive smirk. "But yeah, I'm pretty good in class, but I'm even better on the rugby pitch. I was team captain last year and hopefully again this year too!"
"You got my vote!" Josh called out, smiling. As he got a gentle punch from Mike, he drooped back down, the smile dropping from his face.
"Thanks," Rob said, frowning a little at Mike's reaction. "But I also do martial arts and D&D so I can probably kick anyone's ass in fantasy OR reality!"
"Wanna test that?" Mike asked gruffly.
As Rob, Mr Trent and the rest of the group stared at the other boy, Josh started laughing and said, "He's just kidding!"
Rob's eyes narrowed at the other two for a moment. "Yeah, well... erm... I guess that's me," Rob said, sitting back down.
"Who's next?" Mr Trent asked, getting silence again. "David?" he called out, noticing the quiet boy hadn't even looked round once.
David huffed and stood up, keeping his gaze fixed elsewhere. "I'm David Brown!" he said, paused for a moment then sat back down.
"David!" Mr Trent exclaimed in surprise. David was sometimes quite shy, but he was never impolite. As the boy stared back at him and shrugged, Mr Trent shook his head and looked to the rest of the group. "Well David is... a very smart young man. He's a good student and also a good tutor. He's good at chess and a surprisingly good cook too!"
David glanced over for a moment, blushing a little at the complimentary description, but quickly turned away again.
Mr Trent let out another gentle sigh as he asked, "Danny, you wanna go?"
Danny felt nauseous as he stood. He could feel the tension all around him and he hated every moment of it, to the point where he felt like he could burst into tears at any moment. He managed to force a smile Mark's way as he said, "Hey, I'm Danny. Danny Davies." What else could he say? I talked a friend down off the roof', I was in a near-fatal accident with Chris', `I spent the last nine months fighting just to walk again'? He knew that wasn't what Mark needed to hear, or what Mr Trent would have wanted him to say but suddenly it was all he could think of.
"Danny's a football player too," Chris said, nodding to Mark.
"Oh yeah," Danny said, thankful for the prompt as Mark smiled. "Yeah, I... didn't get to play much last year but I'm looking forward to getting back into it this year." He looked a little sad for a moment but felt Rob's leg press against his own, subtly but supportively. He smiled sweetly and went on, "I like swimming and I also do drama club with Chris too! Anyway, I guess... welcome to the dorm!"
"Thanks Danny," Mr Trent said with a nod. "You three at the back?" he asked, looking over to Nicky, Mike and Josh. While David could be a little shy, in Nicky it was almost pathological, so the teacher was a little surprised when he raised his hand to volunteer.
Nicky cleared his throat and said "Yeah, erm... I'm Nicholas Jones... Nicky to my friends."
"So we all call him Nicholas!" Mike called out, getting a snigger from Josh.
Nicky looked like he'd been stabbed through the heart, his mouth flapping a little as he tried to talk, almost in tears. He just shook his head and sat back down.
"Mikey, that was mean and unnecessary!" Mr Trent said firmly. He had been working closely with Nicky for some time now and knew exactly how much the comment would have hurt him, especially while putting himself out there and speaking in front of a new person.
Chris noticed Mark sink a little deeper into his seat then glanced over at Nicky, actually looking a little sorry for his ex.
"It's Mike now, sir!" Mike said, ignoring the disapproving comment.
"Fine, then Mike, that was mean and unnecessary!" Mr Trent said firmly. "Why don't you go next!"
"Oh, gladly," Mike said, smiling as he stood. "I don't really need to introduce myself. Mark knows me just like he knows Josh. He was there last year when his boyfriend was saying Josh should have gone through with his suicide and killed himself, weren't you?"
The rest of the group stared in horror at Mike and then over to Mark.
"MICHAEL!" Mr Trent bellowed furiously.
The look of anger on Mike's face was instantly replaced with fear. Angry Mr Trent was an exceptionally rare sight, but his tone, his expression, all of it added up to a fairly terrifying package.
Looking round the whole group, humiliated and distraught, Mark jumped to his feet and dashed for the door.
"MARK, wait," Mr Trent called out, moving to follow, closely followed by Chris who closed the door behind him. As they got outside the room with no sign of Mark, the teacher looked to Chris and scowled, "A little heads-up woulda been nice!"
"What? I didn't know he was gonna do that!" Chris said defensively.
"We spent half the summer together and you didn't even think to mention issues in your dorm?" Mr Trent demanded.
"Hey!" Chris snapped harshly. "YOU'RE the one who insisted, `I'm not Mr Trent, the teacher, I'm just Levi, your brother's boyfriend' weren't you?"
Mr Trent sighed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. "Sorry, you're right, that was... this isn't YOUR fault!" he apologised as he lowered his hand and looked at Chris. "Look, I have to go and find Mark. Do you think you guys can stay in there without killing each other til I get back?"
Chris sighed and shook his head a little as he looked at the closed door. He felt as furious with Mike as Mr Trent had sounded, but at the same time he knew this wasn't all on him, it had simply been the spark in a powder keg Chris had been helping to fill. "No, you know what, I can do better than make sure we don't kill each other!" he said confidently. "We're sorting this shit out, now! Do me a favour and message when you're coming back?"
Mr Trent frowned, clearly concerned. "Are you sure?" he asked cautiously. Needless to say the evening was NOT going the way he had planned.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I got this!" Chris insisted firmly. He raised his fist and smiled.
Mr Trent smiled back and nodded, giving him a fist bump, the greeting they had come to use over the summer as hugging a teacher was, in Chris' words, `hella weird'.
Watching Mr Trent hurry off to look for Mark, Chris turned to open the door.
"... don't care what you..." Danny was in the middle of saying as the door opened, but stopped as Chris appeared.
"Is Mark okay?" Josh asked a little guiltily.
"I don't know," Chris replied sharply, glaring at Mike. "Mr Trent's off looking for him. But while he does that, we got stuff to talk about!"
All at once, most of the others tried to speak, their words lost in the mass of noise.
"SHUT UP!" Chris bellowed. As the room fell silent, Chris looked round and said, "Okay, everyone over here now!"
Danny, Rob, Josh, Mike and Nicky all approached, half of them already on their feet, the others getting up from where they had been sat. David just glanced over for a moment then looked away again.
"David," Chris said softly. "I love you and I respect whatever you're feeling about me right now, but you'll come over here and join us or I'll make you!"
Everyone else froze, staring at David expectantly. Chris was one of the most non-violent boys any of them had ever met. The most aggressive he normally got was an over-excited hug, but his tone and expression made his seriousness quite clear, almost as scary as Mr Trent had been.
David looked again, blushed a little and walked over, keeping one eye fixed on the ground, the other hidden behind the hair flopping down over his face.
"Okay, everyone sit in a circle," Chris said, dropping to the floor where he sat cross-legged. As the others reluctantly took a seat, he looked round for anything to grab and found a red marker pen. "So you know I've got a big family and that means plenty of big arguments, so I wanna try something that works in my house. There are two rules." He held up the pen and explained, "First rule, you speak only when holding the pen. Speak without it and get punched in the balls."
"Wow, your parents sound mean!" Rob said in a weak attempt at levity, then immediately covered his mouth as he realised he had spoken.
"Nuh!" Chris called out as Josh raised a hand to eagerly punch his best friend in the balls. "We haven't started yet," he halted the other boy. "And the ball punching bit is what I added, cos I know half of us would struggle to keep our mouths shut without it!" There was a reluctant giggle from half the group. "And the second rule is... we talk about ourselves only. It's not... Danny did this, or Rob did that... it's... I feel like this or... I'm upset about that. Everyone got it?"
"Ugh, this is stupid!" Mike huffed.
Chris glowered at the other boy for a moment, visibly struggling to hold himself back. Calmly, he replied, "Mikey, stupid or not, it was either this or I walk in a start punching your smug little face in! So should I put down the pen and go with that, or you gonna play nice?" His anger was somehow even more apparent from his calmness of his tone.
Mike stared back for a moment, then rolled his eyes and said, "Keep the pen!"
"Okay, well, as I have the pen I have a couple of things I want to say," Chris started, holding up the pen. He looked round the group for a few moments, composing himself. "I feel like you guys are my second family and seeing us like this is horrible... but I know a big part of why it's like this is BECAUSE of me and I want to try and fix it." He paused for a moment, looking round again, getting general nods of agreement. "But more importantly than that, we have a new member of the dorm and today is his first day in a new school. So he's in a place that's strange to him, with nobody he knows. That's where I was two years ago and it was fucking scary, but I got through it thanks to all of you. I've never really said thank you for that, so I'm saying it now, but... I also feel like we need to step up, get our shit together and do what we did for each other... for Mark!" He got more nods from the rest of the boys. "Okay, who wants this next?" he asked, holding out the pen.
Though a few of the boys moved, it was Nicky who reached out first to take it. His eyes met Chris' as their hands touched. Chris held onto the pen for a moment, then let it go.
"I... agree with Chris about wanting to... to put things right," Nicky said nervously. "And... I think if Chris gets a bit of the blame... I probably deserve the rest for things being as fucked up as they are. I did things..." he looked to Chris, "And said things..." he looked to Josh, "And assumed things," he gave a final look to Mikey, "That I'm not proud of. They hurt people I care about and I hate that I did that. Now all I want is a chance to make things right and fix the mess I made!"
The other boys stared back at Nicky as he reached into the middle of the circle and placed the pen on the ground before leaning back to his starting position. They began to exchange awkward looks, waiting to see who would go next. After a few moments, it was Josh who leaned in to grab the pen.
Josh fiddled with the pen as he looked down at it in his hands, not quite sure what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath and, without looking up, confessed, "I hurt Angel. The... kid in year seven... eight now, I guess. At first I did it cos I thought he was... hurting someone I care about," he ventured a quick, shy glance at Nicky. "But then... I started doing it cos... it felt good." He began to sniff, almost crying. He took a few breaths, trying to compose himself. Once he had himself a little more under control, he raised his head, brow furrowing in slight anger as he said, "I let my brothers avoid the punishment they definitely deserved for what they did to me, cos I thought it... it made me the bigger person or might make me feel better about it, but... as last year went on, I started to feel like I might made the wrong decision and it started to make me angry... REALLY angry, and... I don't think I always handled it in the best way!" He let out a slight shuddery moan as he stared down at the pen in his hands.
Rob leaned forward and reached out to hold Josh's hand for a moment, then pulled back holding the pen. Looking at Josh, he sighed softly and said, "I wish you'd told me about this last year!" As he handed the pen straight back to Josh, Danny nodded his obvious agreement.
"I didn't want to be a burden to you," Josh explained, then looked round the group and said, "To any of you! I saw how much my stuff messed you all up and I... didn't wanna be the cause of any more stress!"
Chris held out his hands and Josh tossed him the pen. "I think I probably speak for everyone when I say you're never a burden. This dorm works, well... it used to..." He gave a pensive smile, "Because we look after each other. That means the good days AND the bad!" Most of the others nodded their immediate agreement.
"Totally!" Danny insisted.
Chris reached out and swatted Danny in the balls. Not enough to hurt, just enough to shock as he said, "Sorry mate, rules are rules!" The rest of the group laughed as Danny made a show of rubbing his crotch although it was just to keep the others laughing. "Next?" Chris asked as he held out the pen.
Josh elbowed Mike who looked back at him and shook his head, then folded his arms and averted his gaze. Josh took the pen and as he tried to hand it to Mikey, he said softly, "I think it'd be really helpful if you could say to them what you said to me." As Mike stared back at him, looking somewhere between hurt and afraid, Josh whispered, "Please, for me!"
Mike took the pen and exhaled heavily. His hands were shaking, but they stopped as Josh reached out and grabbed them. Mike immediately looked round the rest of the group, expecting some kind of mockery or teasing for the obvious show of weakness, but all he saw was... his friends. "I... I..." he tried a couple of times, then looked to Josh, shaking his head.
Josh let his finger move to touch the pen as he said softly, "Just say what you can!"
Mike nodded. Part of him wanted to do what Josh asked, to open up completely, to tell Chris, Nicky and Danny how he felt about his relationship with them, how he felt they had tried to control and change him, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he took another shaky breath and said, "I... get angry too. I get really, really... REALLY angry and it... it makes it hard to think right, but..." he paused, sniffing as his jaw trembled. "I miss my friends!" he managed before dropping the pen and raising his hands to cover his face.
While most of the other boys looked ready to grab hold of him, Josh was already by his side, putting an arm around him.
Danny looked round at the others and reached out to take the pen. "Mikey, I... oh, sorry, Mike, I'm still getting used to that," Danny giggled awkwardly, spotting Mike peer at him between his fingers. "I know talking about this stuff is... hard for you and I just wanted to say I feel like that was really brave of you. All of this... has been really brave and... and I'm proud of you all."
There were a few nods of agreement around the group.
Nicky closed his eyes for a moment, taking in what Danny had said. Letting out a hearty sigh, he reached out to request the pen, which Danny handed to him. "Sorry, I know I've already gone so I hope this isn't against the rules," he said, looking to Chris. As he got a head shake, he nodded back and continued, "Okay, so... Danny was right, that WAS brave and... I think I need to be too!"
Chris stared at his ex-boyfriend, suspecting he knew what Nicky was about to say. As Nicky stared back for a moment, he gave a questioning eyebrow raise.
Nicky nodded back and said, "Some of you know this, but some of you don't... I... I used to have a twin brother, called Matthew, but he died a couple of years before I came to Kingswood!"
Danny, Chris and Mike, who all knew about Matthew, stared back at Nicky while Rob and Josh both gave gentle gasps. David, who had remained utterly silent and motionless until then, actually looked at him for a moment too.
"As it turns out, I... hadn't really... erm... I think Dr Arkwright referred to it as `processed my feelings' on it and I'd developed a lot of... of issues because of it. I'm not... blaming that for what I did to Chris. That blame sits totally with me, but... I've BEEN dealing with it and I've still got a long way to go, but... it's an important part of what makes me... me and... I just wanted you all to know... what I've been dealing with!" Nicky explained, maintaining a surprising level of composure.
Danny and Rob, who were sat either side of Nicky both shuffled up to him and put an arm around him.
The rules of the conversation stopped anyone from verbally stating their support for Nicky, but the looks he was getting from (most of) the others made it quite clear.
Chris glanced around the circle and settled his gaze on the only member of the group who had remained silent so far – David. He crawled over to Nicky, placed a hand on his and nodded to him with a smile before taking the pen, then said, "David... it'd be... really good to hear what you're feeling!" He held out the pen.
David looked at it, then shook his head.
Chris let out a gentle sigh as he moved back.
As Chris passed him, Danny reached out and snatched the pen. "Two years and one day!" he stated cryptically. As the others all looked confused. "That's how long it's been since our first day here!" he explained. "That means it's two years and one day since YOU became my first friend at Kingswood!" he said, pointing straight at David.
David looked round at Danny but remained silent.
"I know since then we've both done our own thing, but nothing can ever change the fact you were the first," Danny said fondly. "I don't know how you feel... mainly because you won't speak to us... but if I was in your position, if I was the one whose best friend had left the dorm, I know I'd be pretty upset too. And I get why you're pissed at Chris for knowing about it and not telling you, and I get you're hurt and... and maybe a bit lost but... you're not alone, David. Like Chris said, we're a family. You're our little bro and seeing you like this... seeing you... cut off from the people who care about you, it's breaking my heart and I just want you to be okay!"
Silence filled the room for several moments as David stared at Danny, his expression cold... until it finally cracked and his jaw quivered. He suddenly blurted out, "I hate James cos he left the dorm which sucks cos I also love James and I get why Chris didn't tell me but I'm also peed off at him for it too and I was so angry about it all and decided I didn't want friends anymore so I figured I'd just stop being friends with you all and I was gonna come back here and be all... all dark and moody and twisty but then you've all got these real, actual problems that make mine seem really stupid and now I feel really stupid for the way I've been acting and it's really embarrassing and I'm really sorry and I just realised I don't have the pen so not only am I stupid and immature but now I'm gonna get punched in the balls which probably won't hurt too much as I'm still locked in STUPID chastity but I know it won't be fun and then I'll still be alone and stupid and James will still be gone and still be embarrassed AND have sore balls too!"
As David stopped, panting to catch his breath, the others looked around at each other, then burst into hysterical laughter.
David looked distraught at the laughing until Chris called out, "Relax, we'll let you off for the pen!"
"And you're not alone, ya daft little twat!" Danny said, scurrying forward to grab David in a hug, toppling him backwards.
The rest of the boys piled on top of them, still laughing until David called out, "You're squishing me!" It just made them laugh more, but they rolled aside, spread out but still just one massive pile of bodies and stray limbs.
Gradually the boys began to separate, some of them saying quiet apologies or words of support as they finally spoke to each other.
Chris took a deep breath as he looked around the group. "Look guys, this was... fuck, it worked better than I hoped, but... it was good... for a first step. Things aren't just... better because a few of us shared our feelings, but maybe we keep things going from here. I know I have a few things to work on," he said, looking at his two ex-boyfriends.
The rest of the boys nodded or called out their agreement.
"But I think it's VITALLY important that we all agree on one EXCEPTIONALLY important matter!" Danny said sternly, causing a sudden hush. He held back a smirk in silence as the tension built before he smiled and said, "We all agree David's new haircut makes him look FUCKING hot, right?"
"Yeah!" "Totally!" "I'd do him!" the others called out, getting a shy giggle from David as he reached up to straighten out his hair.
After a few moments discussing David's new look, Chris looked down at his phone and typed out a quick message to Mr Trent, [Safe to come back!] "Guys, Mark's heading back in a minute!" he called out as he got a reply.
The mention of the name cut the quiet chatter immediately.
Chris frowned and said quietly, "Look, we can, like, talk about more of this shit later, but for now... Mikey..."
"Mike!" Mike corrected him.
"Yeah, okay, Mike. You and Josh... I get what went down with Gregory was fucking nasty, but that wasn't Mark. He didn't say it and from what I know of it, he was as much a victim of that cunt as you two were. So blaming him for that would be like blaming Josh for what his brothers did!" Chris insisted.
"But..." Mike started.
"He's right!" Josh interjected, getting a momentary stare followed by a reluctant nod in return.
"And David, he's here BECAUSE James left. James didn't leave BECAUSE of him coming, okay?" Chris asked, getting a nod of understanding from David.
"And Rob..." Chris started.
"Chill. I'm just happy having Jazz at the school. I don't care what dorm he's in!" Rob quickly said with a nod.
"Anyway, it's Danny we need to worry about having a problem with him," Mike said with a grin. As everyone looked at him, particularly Danny who looked utterly confused, he explained, "Coming in here, stealing your Chris. What a bitch!"
"I'm not..." "He didn't..." Chris and Danny both tried to say back, pausing as they spoke over each other.
"Relax, just kidding!" Mike sniggered, getting a gentle punch from Josh as he laughed, though Danny and Chris did exchange slight frowns.
Mr Trent continued wandering the school grounds. "Teacher loses student, gets fired, never works as teacher again!" he said to himself as he walked along shaking his head. "Seriously, that's tomorrow's headline, I know it!" he convinced himself, deliberating whether it might be time to initiate the formal `missing student' process. "Oh thank fuck!" he muttered as he rounded the corner of the Sports Complex to find Mark sat on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest.
Whether he heard the muttered comment or simply noticed the movement, Mark suddenly looked round at the teacher and said, "I... I'm sorry sir, I shouldn't have run, I'm sorry!" As Mr Trent neared him, he cowered away slightly.
Remorse when getting caught doing something wrong was a reaction Mr Trent was used to seeing in students, but what he saw now from the new arrival was something else... it was actual fear! He felt a wave of nausea wash over him even stronger than the one he had felt when he thought he had just lost the boy. "Hey, it's okay, no harm done," he insisted with a smile. "Mind if I... take a seat?" he asked, gesturing to the ground next to the boy.
"Erm... okay," Mark nodded, unsure what to make of the teacher's calm reaction.
Mr Trent dropped to the ground and sat leaning on the wall beside the boy. As he raised his hand slightly to reposition himself more comfortably, Mark flinched. He had heard how strict and how brutal the teachers could be at Mark's old school, King Edward VI Evans Hill School for Boys, but his interaction with their students had been minimal so far. Seeing the boy so nervous because of a teacher was truly heart-breaking. "You okay?" he asked softly.
Mark looked back at the man. It wasn't long until the boy's fourteenth birthday, but he already looked closer to sixteen, perhaps older when he wasn't in such a helpless, distraught state. His eyes were red and puffy, having clearly been crying very recently. He sniffed heavily and said weakly, "I'd say I wanna go home... if I had one!"
Mr Trent almost gasped aloud from the emotional gut punch. He took a moment to compose himself and then asked quietly, "You don't have a home?"
Mark shook his head. "My parents have a house, but..." he paused and sighed, shaking his head again. "I don't even have a room of my own. When I go there, I get the guest room."
Mr Trent nodded his understanding. He had seen the boy's record when he assisted in the selection of who would fill the two vacant spots in Year 9. Mark had been sent to his first boarding school at just seven years old. He had remained there until he was eleven when he had gone to King Edwards. "That sounds pretty tough," he said sympathetically.
"And even then, it's normally just over the summer," Mark explained. "They expect me to stay at school during half-terms and between terms." He glanced at the teacher briefly and said, "Sorry, I... don't know why I'm telling you this."
"I appreciate you telling me," Mr Trent nodded. He thought for a moment, let out a soft sigh and continued, "I don't know how any of that feels, but... it pretty much sounds like it totally fucking sucks!"
Mark's eyes widened at hearing a teacher use language like that, his brow furrowing slightly, like he literally couldn't comprehend the comment that had just passed the grown-up's lips.
"Sorry," Mr Trent smiled, glad his terminology had caused the impact he hoped. "Not appropriate language for a teacher, but... probably still true, right?"
"Right!" Mark said, actually managing a meek smile.
"And even with it sucking that much, you'd rather be there than here right now, huh?" Mr Trent asked, giving a slight head shake.
Mark looked away, his hands fiddling awkwardly as he contemplated the question. "I thought it might be good here, but, so far it..." He paused, unsure how to put it.
"Totally effing sucks?" Mr Trent offered as the boy trailed off, tempering his language a little but still getting the chuckle he hoped for as Mark nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that." he offered apologetically.
"It's not your fault," Mark sighed.
Mr Trent shrugged and said, "True... but I'm still sorry. Look, it was my choice which dorm to put you in and I... I chose that group because..." he paused, unsure how much detail to go into. "Well I had my reasons. Normally, they're the kindest, sweetest, most affectionate... weird and utterly dysfunctional group of young men I've ever met. But today is... well, let's just say it's not normal." He shook his head again, annoyed at being so blind-sided by the obvious issues with his young charges.
"Because of me?" Mark asked nervously.
"No, this isn't on you," Mr Trent insisted. "They're... dealing with some issues. Hopefully they're addressing them right now. Chris certainly looked ready for a fight!"
"I like Chris," Mark smiled. "He's the only one who's really been nice to me so far!"
"How many hugs has he inflicted on you so far? Mr Trent asked with a grin.
Mark laughed, his whole face lighting up as he did it. "Yeah, he does that a lot, doesn't he!" he said happily. "He said... you're like his brother or something! Is that... right?"
Mr Trent thought for a moment then nodded. "Almost. Blane Smith, he's a teaching assistant I doubt you've met yet, he's Chris' brother and we're... dating!"
Mark's eyes widened again as he looked the man up and down. "So you're... you... I mean, you like... erm..."
"I'm a gay man, yes!" Mr Trent nodded. "I'm assuming that's not something you came across much at King Edwards?"
Mark shook his head emphatically. "Being gay was a guaranteed way to get the crap kicked out of you. There was definitely no way a TEACHER would have EVER been gay!"
"Well we're certainly a lot more accepting here at Kingswood!" Mr Trent said proudly. He heard his phone beep and pulled it out to see a message from Chris.
[Safe to come back!] the message read.
"You think you might be okay to come back?" Mr Trent said, nodding back in the direction of the school. As Mark suddenly looked more nervous, he said, "I'm confident things'll go better this time."
Mark pursed his lips, looking thoughtful for a moment. He reached up, wiped both his cheeks and nodded as he said, "Yea, let's do it!"
"Good lad," Mr Trent said, jumping to his feet. He held a hand out to the boy, holding back a smile as he noticed no flinching, then helped him up before replying to Chris to say they were on their way.
"Quiet, here they come, everyone stay quiet!" David hissed, standing ready.
Mr Trent knocked quietly on the door and opened it, walking in with Mark right behind him.
"AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MESSING WITH ME!" David screamed out as the other two entered the room.
Mr Trent froze, looking round at the seemingly unconscious bodies strewn all around the room. "Oh my god, David, what did you do?" he asked frantically, eyes so wide they looked like they were about to bulge out of his head.
"Taught them a lesson. Don't worry, some of them MIGHT live!" David said, surprisingly menacingly.
"You... you... oh my god," Mr Trent stuttered, moving to the nearest body to check on it. As he knelt beside Chris and placed a hand on his back, the boy began to smirk.
It set off a chain reaction amongst the others, who began to giggle before bursting into full-on laughter.
"Dammit Chris, you laughed!" Danny snapped, standing up.
Mr Trent looked round, caught between relief and blind fury as the room was suddenly filled with raucous laughter. "Oh, I hate every single one of you so much!" he said, shaking his head as he stood up. He looked round to Mark, who was now smiling too and said, "Now THIS is more like normal for these guys!"
"We're sorry sir," Danny sniggered.
"We're really not!" Josh called out as they began to gather closer.
"I should give every one of you detention for that!" Mr Trent scowled, barely holding in his own laugh.
"Only David. He's the killer!" Danny said, placing an arm around the shorter boy.
"Don't mess with the Dave," David said, trying to sound cool as he cocked his head to flick his hair back. The others started laughing again immediately, but it only intensified as David grabbed his neck and went, "Ow, I flicked too hard!"
"I have... literally no idea what's happening," Mark said, shaking his head.
The group quietened as the new boy walked closer.
"Something you all wanna say?" Mr Trent asked, placing an arm around Mark who looked momentarily shocked at the gesture before giving a sweet smile.
"Yeah, we..." Danny started, but was stopped by Mike raising a hand to silence him.
"I... wanted to say sorry for what I said before," Mike said awkwardly. "It was mean and unfair and I won't do it again." As Mark went to reply, he added, "Well I'll probably be mean again, but about something else, not this!"
Mark chuckled and nodded. "I appreciate the honesty," he said with a smile.
"Mate," Chris said, putting an arm around Mark from the opposite side to Mr Trent. "We still got... sh... stuff to sort out," he said, just avoiding swearing and getting a smirk from the teacher, "But we won't let that mess with you anymore. We love Kingswood and we want you to love it too."
"I want that too," Mark said with a happy sigh.
"Ugh, now this the group I wanted you to join," Mr Trent said happily with a broad smile. "Now whadda you say we try those introductions again!"
As Danny stood outside the door to dorm 3.04 he briefly considered just walking in. After all, outside of his own dorm, its occupants were the two people he was closest to in the school – his boyfriend, Brian, and his mentor, Joseph. However, considering the argument that had broken out earlier in the day when Joseph had just walked in while Brian and Danny were mid-fuck, he decided it was safer not to.
Danny knocked and barely a second later he heard Brian call out, "See! SOME people know how to knock!" He let out a gentle moan. Things had only just settled down with his own friends. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in another argument!
"Oh my god, get the fuck over it!" Joseph yelled back at Brian before opening the door. "Oh, hey Danny," he said, seemingly oblivious to the fact the boy had heard the arguing.
Danny frowned a little as he looked from his mentor over to his boyfriend who was laying on his bed. For just a second, he considered walking away, but he was feeling a certain itch that only Brian could scratch. "Okay, I'm about to ride him til he squeals like a lil piggy!" Danny said, looking to Joseph but gesturing to Brian. "I'm honestly okay if you wanna stay and watch, but if not, best leave now!"
"Fuck's sake," Joseph scowled. "HE wants me to knock to come into my own dorm and YOU'RE straight-up kicking me out!"
Danny reached out and grabbed Joseph's arm. "Chill," he said firmly, staring his mentor in the eye for a moment. "I'm not kicking you out, I asking for a bit of privacy so I can be with my boyfriend. As for Moody McPissypants over there, don't you always try to teach me about compromise? How about you tell each other when you're doing something private, so you know whether you need to knock or not?"
Joseph looked ready to argue, his mouth open for a moment before he closed it again and glanced round at Brian. "Look what a good job I did raising him! Proud mentor moment!" he beamed.
Brian smiled and nodded. "I know right. So to make sure we're doing this right... I'm about to do something VERY private!"
Joseph rolled his eyes and nodded. "Fine, have fun!" he said as he left the dorm.
"Well handled," Brian said happily. "I'm guessing..."
"Oh god, no more talking!" Danny growled, shaking his head. "Clothes off. NOW!"
"Ooh, yes sir!" Brian sniggered.
Danny had never stripped so fast in his life. By the time Brian was naked too, Danny had lubed himself and prepared a small glob more lube in his hand, ready to apply to Brian. As he climbed onto the bed, straddling the older teen, he took hold of the thick shaft and slicked it up, all the way to the head, grinning at the pleasured grunts it caused.
"Unnh," Brian moaned as Danny lowered himself onto the raging erection. "I'd ask... what's got into you... but I know you'd just say `your dick' or something like that!" he chuckled.
"Ha, I'm funny without even speaking," Danny giggled, then lunged forward. He grabbed a handful of Brian's hair, pulling him into a kiss as he began to bounce his body up and down on the thick tool.
Lost in the younger boy's eagerness, Brian couldn't even respond, just laying there helplessly as his mouth was raided by the boy's tongue and his dick slid in and out of Danny's tight hole.
When Danny finally sat back up, he raised both hands to run them through his hair before interlocking his fingers behind his head.
Staring up at the naked boy, Brian was mesmerised. He had thought Danny was beautiful from the day they met, but he had already changed so much in the two years they had known each other. His slender frame had begun to bulk out with muscle as he worked hard at the gym through his first year, then slimmed down massively following his accident and prolonged bed-rest. Since then, his recovery, his hard work in the gym and the pool, his determination to return to peak fitness had paid off massively, the thirteen-year-old now sporting pecs that almost rivalled Brian's own and a stomach that was firm and tight, the six-pack really showing in his current position.
"Do you have... any idea..." Brian gasped, "How fucking beautiful... you are?"
Danny grinned, deliberately flexing his arms and torso for a moment as he bit his lip seductively, staring down at his boyfriend. "Funny," he said, his eye roaming the muscles, the treasure trail, the handsome, lightly-stubbled face, "I was just thinking the same thing about you!"
"You're gonna make me blow!" Brian whimpered, his hands reaching out to grab onto the bed either side of him.
"That's kinda the idea," Danny smirked, biting his lip again as he turned slightly, twisting to let his muscles really pop before finally lowering his hands. As he rested them on Brian's chest, his fingers playfully teased the tiny tuft of hair in the middle before moving opposite ways to tweak both nipples at once.
"Shit shit shit, I'm cumming... fuck... I'm cumming!" Brian moaned, his eyes rolling back a little as the orgasm ripped through him.
"Not quite `squealing like a lil piggy', but I'll take it," Danny giggled as he began to climb off and reach for his clothes. "I gotta get back to the others!"
"Ah, not so fast!" Brian yelped, sitting up and grabbing the boy on a bear hug. He leaned back onto the bed, pulling Danny with him where they lay together, making out as he came down from his post-orgasmic high.
"So this'll be your bunk," Mike said as the group walked into the dorm, gesturing to the nearest bottom bunk on the left.
Mr Trent lingered by the door for a few moments, still being cautious about the whole dynamic of the dorm, but so far the second attempt had gone smoothly. "Nicky, Got a sec?" he asked as the boy came near, gesturing out of the dorm. Nicky followed quickly and pulled the door closed behind him.
"If you don't like this bunk," Mike continued, "You could probably swap with someone I suppose! They'd probably say yes cos you're hot!" He was still going out of his way to be nice, but still managed to retain his trademark bluntness
"No, this is fine," Mark said with a smile, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"So David's gonna be your neighbour, over there!" Mike explained, pointing to the next bunk along. "Like we said before, he might be a bit bitchy sometimes but that's only cos he was totally in love with James whose spot you took."
"Mikey!" Danny snapped sharply.
"Mike!" Mike corrected him. "And what? Everyone knows!"
"Doesn't mean it's okay to just blurt it out like that!" Danny said disapprovingly.
"Everyone knows?" David asked, looking a little shocked.
"Yeah, kinda, bud. Sorry!" Chris said, patting the smaller boy on the back.
David just let out a low groan and faceplanted onto one of the sofas.
"Okay, whatever, well Nicky's above you," Mike continued explaining the dorm. "He used to be mine and Chris' boyfriend but he broke up with us cos his brother died or something so that's why we're a bit weird with him!"
"Oh, okay," Mark nodded as others around the dorm yelped their disapproval at the continuing bluntness.
"Just... let him get it out," Chris said quietly, shaking his head a little.
"That's my bunk," Mike explained. "I'm cool, but kinda whacked in the head sometimes, so, like... sorry in advance or whatever."
Mike's self-description got a snigger from the others as they realised he wasn't being bitchy, this was genuinely his attempt to help Mark fit in.
"Those two together there belong to Chris and Danny," Mike explained, pointing to the conjoined beds.
"Ugh, here we go!" Danny said, flopping onto a sofa and getting a snigger from Rob.
"They share a bed, which probably seems weird... because it is. Anyway, Chris is a bit weird with Nicky and me, cos of the whole relationship thing, but especially at Nicky cos he dumped Chris in public, on stage and it was totally humiliating!"
"Thanks mate," Chris huffed, shaking his head as he joined the others on the sofas.
"And Danny sharing a bed with Chris is kinda weird on account of the fact he got married last year to Chris' mentor," Mike went on.
"It's only a promise ring!" Danny objected, mostly just surprised that Mike didn't choose to divulge any of his many other issues.
"Then lastly up the top we've got Rob and Josh. Basically they're our back-up Chris and Danny!" Mike explained.
"Oy!" Josh whined.
Rob shrugged as he sat beside Danny. "Ya know... I'm kinda okay with that!" He got a head shake and snigger from the other boy.
"Rob's dating someone too, but that new guy you started with is, like, their third!" Mike continued.
"Third?" Mark asked, already bewildered by the barrage of information.
"Ya know, like when you have a throuple," Mike said, like it was obvious. As he got a blank stare from Mark he shook his head and said, "Like a three-person relationship... like I said I was in with Chris and Nicky!"
"Oh, I thought you meant... erm... like he dated one of you then the other," Mark said, still a little confused. "I never heard of a throuple before!"
"Blimey, what are they teaching you at King Edwards?" Mike asked disapprovingly, taking a seat on top of Josh, just to annoy him before sliding off to the empty space at his side.
"Not that!" Mark exclaimed. "I think I've got a lot to learn!" He was stood near the sofas now, the other six boys already seated. As he looked Chris' way, the friendly boy patted the seat beside him.
"You've come to the right place then!" Rob chuckled. "Kind of a shame Kinkswood's not til June!"
"The fuck is Kinkswood?" Mark asked curiously.
"The padawan has much to learn!" David sniggered.
"The what?" Mike asked with a confused frown.
David let out a groan.
"It's like a jedi's apprentice!" Mark exclaimed. "Right?" he said timidly, shrinking into his seat as the others stared at him.
As the door opened and Nicky walked in, he froze at the stony silence. "Oh god, what happened? Is it me? Should I leave?" he asked nervously.
The whole group burst into laughter at the reaction.
"Chill, mate," Rob said cheerfully. "David just found out Mark's a fellow geek!"
"Cool," Nicky chuckled. "Budge up, geeky," he said as he nudged David aside to sit beside him.
"Everything okay?" Danny asked quietly, nodding over the where Nicky had just been speaking with the teacher.
"Yeah," Nicky said a little awkwardly, "I was..." he paused, looking round the group. "Oh wait, I guess you all know. Erm, Mr T was just checking in on my progress with handling the Matthew stuff!" He looked visibly relieved to be able to state it so openly.
"That's the dead brother I mentioned!" Mike said with a solemn nod, looking at Mark.
The room feel awkwardly silent again until Nicky began to snigger and said, "I don't wanna know what I missed, do I?"
"Probably not," David said, shaking his head.
"Hey Mikey... sorry, Mike," Chris said, still struggling to change the habit. "New dorm. Isn't there something you need to do?"
Mike immediately knew what Chris meant. There wasn't much that stayed with the group from one dorm to the next, but the one item that always remained was the digital picture frame they had got back in Year 7, which Mike had seemingly inherited responsibility for. "And what makes you think I even bothered bringing it?" he asked a little petulantly.
"Cos even when you're the moodiest and bitchiest of moody bitches, you're still stupidly sentimental!" Chris answered, matching Mike's own bluntness with his own.
As the others laughed, Mike rolled his eyes but got up and headed over to his wardrobe. While the others chatted for a moment, he took it over to one of the desks that ran alongside the sofas and plugged it in. He continued fiddling for several moments before turning back to the group, looking mildly embarrassed.
It only took a moment for the others to realise why. The frame was on and already starting to cycle through the pictures, mostly taken by Nicky, that had been collected over the last two years. The difference now was that something had been stuck to the frame... the red pen they had used earlier.
As the others went to speak, Mike just said gruffly, "Shut up, all of you! It's just a pen, no big deal!"
"This place is so weird," Mark said quietly to Chris, then smiled a little and said, "But fun!"
"Hey, new dorm, new year, new member... I think we need a picture!" Nicky declared, jumping to his feet to pull out his phone. "Everyone gather round!"
They piled in as Nicky held out his arm at full length, deciding to take it as a selfie as it meant forcing the group more closely together. "Okay, everyone ready?" he asked.
"Danny's naked in that picture!" Mark declared as he glanced at the photo frame. That was the exact moment Nicky clicked the button, catching the group right on the brink of bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Hurry it up," Mr Trent instructed, waving the dawdling boys off towards their dorms. "Anyone not in bed by the time I get to your dorm gets detention!" he called as the boys traipsed on, then called a little louder, "And I mean your OWN beds!" The final comment got a giggle as the boys hurried on.
"You wouldn't give a boy detention on his very first day, would you sir?" Jazz asked with a cheeky grin as he passed the teacher.
"Hang around a bit longer and find out!" Mr Trent said, one eyebrow raised at the new boy.
"Eep!" Jazz yelped, then waved a final goodnight to Rob and disappeared into dorm 1.10.
"Same goes for you, Mark!" Mr Trent said as the other new boy approached with Chris.
"Chill," Chris said, putting his hand slightly ahead of Mark. "His bark's worse than his bite!"
"What was that, Chris?" Mr Trent demanded firmly.
"I said, Mr Trent is a wonderful human being who should be feared and respected in equal measure!" Chris yelped, running to the door to dorm 1.09. "Thanks sir, bye sir, night sir, love you sir!" he called out playfully as he disappeared inside, giggles coming from inside the dorm.
"Hold up a sec," Mr Trent said as Mark went to follow. He lowered his voice a little and asked, "Feeling a bit better now?"
Mark leaned to the side slightly to peer into the dorm, then back to look at the teacher as he nodded. "Yeah. They're... screwed up as hell and totally weird... and... I think I like them!"
As happy as Mr Trent looked, his expression was almost entirely straight-up relief. "Genuinely happy to hear that!" he said with a nod. "But... if things get messy again, do me a favour. Don't run away, just... run to me, okay?"
Mark smiled sincerely as he nodded. "I can see why they all love you so much!" he said, then blushed heavily.
Mr Trent just chuckled as he placed a hand on Mark's back to guide him into the dorm, then stepped in after him. Watching as the newest addition hurried over to climb into his bed, he looked round the rest of the dorm. "Okay you lot. Good work today..." he said, getting a few proud smiles. "...eventually!" he added, smirking as a few of the smiles cracked. "Be good! And if you can't be good... at least be quiet!" he grinned before closing the door and clicking the light off.
"Okay, so at this point, we all just quietly and obediently go to sleep!" Rob said quietly, Mark's education of how things worked still ongoing.
Silence lingered for barely more than a second before the boys all burst into laughter. "Yeah, right!" "Can you even imagine?" "Did you actually say that with a straight face?"
"What used to happen at King Edwards after lights-out?" Rob asked curiously.
"Nothing!" Mark said with a sigh. "It really wasn't worth risking the punishments if they caught you doing anything. They could be... brutal!"
"So you all just... wanked quietly and went to sleep?" Chris asked, shocked.
"W... w... no. We didn't... do THAT!" Mark exclaimed, unable to even say the word.
"Wow, that place REALLY sucks!" Mike exclaimed.
"Yeah, I can't even imagine going to sleep without a wank!" Chris said honestly.
"Oh my god, you guys just... talk about that stuff?" Mark asked, clearly amazed and embarrassed in equal measure.
Danny couldn't help smiling to himself as he remembered Chris' older brother, Finn. He had been just as surprised when Danny revealed how openly they could talk about sexual things. At the time he had been a little unsure whether Finn was just an extremely shielded individual, but seeing another boy from somewhere completely different in a similar state of disbelief was certainly adding to his theory that other schools really did suck.
"Yeah. I mean... we probably talk about it a bit more easily than some of the other dorms," Rob explained, getting a murmur of agreement. "But that's only cos half of us have been with each other or we've done things, like... as a group!"
"And in some people's case, they've just been with EVERYONE!" Chris added with a smirk. "Danny!" he said, poorly disguised as a cough.
"Hey!" Danny whined from beside him as the rest of the dorm laughed. "I haven't been with..." he started to object but had to stop and think. "Josh! I haven't been with Josh! Or Mark... that's like quarter of the dorm!"
"Well it's Mark's first day," Rob teased from above.
"And it's not over yet!" Josh added, the two boys sniggering together. "Besides, I wanked you off in the woods that one time. That counts, right?"
"What!?" half the dorm exclaimed in surprise.
"Oops, I never said that," Josh replied with a giggle.
Mark shook his head, struggling to comprehend it all. "Wait so you... you don't just TALK about sex stuff, you... you... DO IT together too and... and don't, like, hide it?"
"Well it's not like we put announcements in the school newsletter about who we've been with, but... no, we don't hide it!" Chris explained.
"So are you all... erm..." Mark started, struggling to say the word.
"Gay?" David asked.
"Mmm-huh!" Mark hummed.
There was a strange silence in the dorm. Sexuality was discussed so openly between the boys, but their own orientation was something most of them had never really been asked.
"I'm gay!" Danny stated.
"Same here," Chris agreed.
"Shocker!" Mike sniggered.
"Actually, I... think I'm bi!" Rob said a little awkwardly.
"You have a boyfriend!" Josh stated. "And suck a LOT of dick!"
"Yeah, and if we had girls at Kingswood, maybe I'd be sleeping with them, too!" Rob said back a little abruptly.
"Or trying to and failing!" Josh sniggered.
"Too early to tell, with me!" Mike called out. "But for now, I like boys!"
"One hundred percent homo," Nicky said with a grin.
That only left three boys to speak up. As the silence built, it was Josh who broke it when he said, "I... don't know yet!" he said, uncharacteristically unconfident.
"Erm, I think I might be..." David started, then paused, glancing round the dark room. "Same as Josh!" he finished awkwardly.
Mark audibly gulped, being the only one left.
Sensing the nervousness, Chris started, "Don't worry, you don't have to..."
"I'm gay!" Mark called out. He gave a little whimper and panted slightly as he added, "Wow, I've literally never said that before!"
"Guessing it wouldn't have gone down well at King Edwards?" Chris asked quietly.
"Fuck no. Saying that'd be a death sentence there!" Mark said, shaking his head.
"Well don't worry. The only pounding you'll get from it here is a good fuck!" Chris said, grinning.
"Oh my god!" "Too much!" "That's hot!" the other called out as they laughed.
"Anyway, I think it's wank time!" Rob called out. "Erm... assuming we're still doing it!"
As murmurs of agreement rippled around the room, Mark asked quietly, "Is that... what it sounds like?"
"I'd give you the long version, but I really just wanna wank!" Mike stated. "So short version. Lights go out. We wank. Keep to your own bed. No teasing, mocking and telling anyone else about it. Understand?"
As the others laughed slightly at the painfully blunt description, Mark replied, "Yeah, makes sense!"
"Oh, and it's not mandatory," Chris added. "I get it's probably a bit weird on your first day!"
"Weird? Kingswood? Never!" Mark replied with a smirk.
"Aww, baby's first sarcasm. I'm so proud!" Chris giggled.
"Oh my god, shut up and wank!" Mike huffed.
Needing no more instruction than that, silence `almost' returned to the dorm. While the speaking stopped, it was replaced by the unmistakable sound of hands moving against fabric as six of the boys began playing with themselves.
"Fuck, they're actually doing it!" Mark muttered to himself. Back at his old school, he wouldn't have ever dared to even touch himself with another boy in the same room. He barely built the nerve to do it when he had a locked door between himself and another student, yet here were these other boys, just happily masturbating in unison all around him.
Hearing the movement, the slight fapping as some of the boys grew bolder, the slow deepening breaths, it all began to get to him. Laying with his hands outside the covers, something he had gotten used to, simply to avoid accusations of touching, he felt his dick swell in his shorts.
To his left, David laid motionless, though he had rolled onto his side to face windows at the far end of the dorm. Was it to give him privacy? It was dark enough to conceal most of what he might do, but enough light crept in from the half-moon outside and the sliver of light from the hallway beneath the door to make basic shapes discernible.
As he laid and listened, he finally managed to convince himself this wasn't a prank. The other boys actually were masturbating and not just tricking him into doing it to catch him out. He let a hand slip under the covers and cautiously rest on his throbbing erection. Lifting his head, he glanced over to the conjoined bunks.
It had been strange enough just seeing two boys get into bed together but seeing the rough outline of them masturbating side-by-side was enough to eliminate the last of his nerves. He slipped his hand down inside his shorts and felt the warm, thickness of his dick as his fingers wrapped around it. He let out an involuntary shudder, part relief and part sheer joy.
Mike let out a pleasured moan as he hit the edge, causing happy chuckles from around the dorm. As wank time neared its end, many of the boys tended to get a little noisier, but it was almost always Mike who went loud first. It was like a wave of pleasure had been building behind a dam and Mike's moan was the first crack. Chris let out a low guttural moan next, followed by Rob above him and that was it – the dam broke completely.
Sometimes the boys could descend into over-dramatic, comedic, porn-style moaning, just to be silly or to try and put each other off. It would be the kind where you can't tell whether they're being pleasured or murdered. Tonight, they resisted, seemingly of the collective opinion that it might be off-putting to their new resident.
While Mark remained too nervous to make any noise, still working to control his breathing out of sheer habit, hearing the obvious near-orgasmic pleasure around him was heightening his own excitement to levels he had never dreamed of before. For him, wanking had always been a naughty secret, a disgusting habit to be done and finished without any evidence, any trace. Actually being able to enjoy himself was unexpected and exciting.
Ironically, finally having the chance to take his time was making his orgasm build quicker than usual. He let go of his dick completely, panting despite his best efforts not to, determined not to be the first to cum.
In a show of sheer coincidence, Mike chose that moment to call out, "Someone cum first. It's always me!"
The comment triggered a wave of giggles, though Josh' voice cut through it as he called, "Don't worry, I'm on it... unnnh, fuck... fuuuuck, yessss!" he called out, his covers suddenly flying back.
Mark couldn't see the other boy, but could see much of the movement while the pleasured grunts were the most erotic sound he had heard in his life... for now. What followed next pushed his excitement to new heights.
"Ugh, god, yussss," Mike hissed as he shot his load.
All around him, Mark heard the noises of orgasms – the laboured breaths, the whimpers, moans and yelps of delight, the occasional splash of spunk on skin.
"Oh god," he whimpered as his own cock erupted, untouched. He kept his lips tightly pressed together, desperate to remain quiet, the whole time expecting some kind of laugh, jeer or taunt, but all he heard was happy sighs and the movement of boys seemingly cleaning up the aftermath.
"You ever think we coulda just saved time with all that talking earlier and just... wanked off together instead?" Josh asked with a snigger.
"Fuck, imagine what Mike woulda been sticking to the frame to commemorate THAT it if we had!" Rob replied, getting a chorus of `eww's from some of the others.
The dorm erupted into quiet chatter again, voices staying low enough to avoid being heard by Mr Trent if he passed by again.
"So d'you think that was this year's thing?" Chris whispered to Danny.
"What thing?" Danny asked curiously.
"Like... our big drama. Year seven was Josh and his brothers. Last year was the accident. You reckon today was this year's one? Have we just got it out of the way really early?" Chris asked, grinning.
"I hope so," Danny said wistfully. "So are you, just, like... okay with Nicky and Mikey now?" he asked almost inaudibly.
Chris raised his head and glanced over at the motionless figure on Mark's bunk. Letting his head flop down, he rested it gently against Danny's and replied, "I think I have to be. For Mark!"
"That's... really mature!" Danny said proudly.
"What can I say? I learned from the best!" Chris said back softly with a giggle. After a few moments he frowned and asked, "You know I mean you, right?"
Danny started laughing and cuddled up to him. "Yeah, I know," he said happily as they nestled down to enjoy their first night back together.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. New chapters will post weekly, so be back same time next week for more!
If you have any questions or comments, my email is always open at matterotica@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively, I can be found on patreon where I also post my stories, along with bonus content and exclusives, at patreon.com/matterotica
If you wish to read any of my other stories, please see below for links
The Kingswood Saga ------------------
Tales from Kingswood (Book 1)– https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/tales-from-kingswood/
Half-Term at Kingswood (Book 1 bonus story) – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/half-term-at-kingswood/
The Kingswood Eight (Book 2) - https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/the-kingswood-eight/
A Very Kingswood Easter (Book 2 bonus story) - https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/a-very-kingswood-easter/
The Benny Saga (in reading order) --------------
Benny Takes Control – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/benny-takes-control/
The Dangers of Desire – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/the-dangers-of-desire/
Benny's House – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/bennys-house/
Other Series ------------
Possession – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/sf-fantasy/possession-series/
Jack Hamilton – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/jack-hamilton/
Phil's Naked Adventures – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/phils-naked-adventures/
One-shots ---------
The Art of Seduction – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/the-art-of-seduction
Jake's Exposure – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/jakes-exposure
Becoming an Internet Master – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/becoming-an-internet-master
Brian's Big Mistake – http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/brians-big-mistake
And Then It Got Worse – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/masturbation/and-then-it-got-worse
Missed Opportunity – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/missed-opportunity