Zeke and Bryan were both in Travis Naughton's creative writing class. As an assignment, the kids were supposed to update a nursery rhyme using nearly the same meter as the original only bringing the content into the 21st century.

One night when the boys were working on some possibilities, they got silly, as might be expected.

"Little Jack Muter
At his computer
Sat updating his blog.
His hands in his pants,
He took a quick chance
To work his other log!"

"I think Naughton might appreciate it, but it isn't exactly "classroom-appropriate," he laughed.

The guys took a fifteen minute break from studying. It began with massaging and kissing and ended up with lots of slurping and moaning. When it was over, both were stress-free and ready to concentrate again.

"Getting the pressure taken off of my balls and getting a high-protein snack at the same time!" Zeke grinned.

"Okay, Mr. Smart-ass, back to work!" Bryan said, affectionately smacking Zeke's bare butt.

Zeke pulled up his briefs and worked for a few minutes. Then he announced that he had an acceptable rhyme.

"Little Jack Muter
At his computer
Sat updating his blog.
He made some new links
To Egypt and Sphinx.
Now it's an ancient log."

He thought the ending was a little lame, but he didn't think the assignment warranted the time to come up with another one.

In the mean time, Bryan came up with his. He giggled as he read Zeke the first version.

"Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse had a long cock.
He tried to be quick,
But tripped on his dick.
Hickory, dickory, dock."

"Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse bought high-tech stock.
Its worth went down;
The mouse did frown.
Hickory, dickory, dock."

When their homework was finished, the boys raided the fridge for something healthy to snack on while they watched the news. They were both limiting their calorie intake so they wouldn't have to starve to make weight for the next wrestling match.

The sports section of the late news was hardly over when the two headed for bed. They climbed naked under the covers where they cuddled until sleep caught up with them.

Being the only "big boys" at Tyler Wood's party was an interesting experience, but Zeke and Bryan went with the flow. They wore the pointed party hats which Tyler had insisted on. They played the childish games that were the main entertainment. Tyler was proud to show them off to his little friends.

As the party wound down and the little boys were being picked up by their parents, Zeke and Bryan had a chance to visit with Tyler's dad for a few minutes.

"Dad tells me you want to use your board and room money to apply to a mobile home," Wes began. "He has no problem with it, but what made you decide to do it? I would think life in the dorm would be more fun."

Bryan explained that Trevor and Marc would probably not get their education if they didn't all live together. After being probed on the issue, he told Wes the reason why their friends had been thrown out. It was, after all, no secret.

"It's too bad parents can't be more understanding," he said sadly. "Sexual orientation has nothing to do with character and goodness."

As he said this, his eyes locked with those of first one guy and then the other. It was obvious that he had guessed about their relationship.

After the other guests had departed, Tyler sat between the two "big boys" and looked at all of his presents. Since the teens were invited to the family dinner, they had some quality time to play with Tyler. It was fun seeing the little guy again and seeing him happy. Evidently the kidnapping experience had been largely forgotten.

The counselor who worked with Tyler had had him draw pictures of the event. The ones of Zeke and Bryan were hung in a special place in his room. The ones with the kidnapper were tossed into the fireplace in a kind of ceremony to destroy the evil. To some, the ritual might have appeared unorthodox, but for a kid functioning on a primitive level, it was effective.

At home in bed later that night, Zeke and Bryan again discussed their desire to have kids some day. Tyler, like Zack, was special.

The TAB organization was quickly becoming a popular institution on campus. Lots of kids were showing up at the evening meetings. There were panel discussions on topics running from respecting different religions to understanding alternative life-styles. Anything a bully might use to deride another kid was fair game for discussion.

Obviously, kids didn't always see eye to eye on the issues, but there was a growing sense that they were actually listening to each other, and not prejudging. The social time with games and free pizza which always followed the serious part of the program probably did a lot to boost attendance.

Among the younger students, Will Dye was one of the most outspoken in favor of tolerance for others. He got into it in a serious way. He knew that two of the guys he could really count on were gay. He also knew their orientation didn't matter.

Sean Fowler was the guy who made the most remarkable turnaround. He had done a 180 since participating in the attack on Bryce in the fall. Bryce had graciously forgiven Sean when the latter talked to him in private (well, Aaron insisted on being present). Now Sean was doing his best to become a friend.

As Cathy Epworth sat at her desk musing over the changes, she had to be proud of what the student council had done under her influence. Of course, Carol Newman had done her share (and more) to make it run smoothly, but the student court system had been Cathy's brain-child and TAB had come from the students; mainly Zeke and Bryan.

A myriad of activities helped the colder months pass as quickly as it is possible when snow and gray skies are the norm.

Wrestling was going very well this year. One practice was marred by the fact that Zeke landed on his head and blacked out for a moment. But, there seemed to be no damage when he came to a few seconds later.

Zeke and Bryan managed to make a slightly lower weight class so they wouldn't be vying with Trevor and Marc. It wasn't that they didn't like the competition with their former rivals, but it had to do with scholarships. Zeke and Bryan were set for college funds; their friends were not. Trevor and Marc had to look outstanding in order to get the attention of university recruiters.

In their lower weight classes, Bryan and Zeke were having even more success than in the past. They had far more wins by pinning than by decision. It all looked good on their records. It was almost as if they were being rewarded for their attempts to help someone else.

The musical, "Cats" had just been released for amateur productions and the theater directors were casting parts. Zeke and Bryan encouraged Marc and Trevor to audition. Since all four were good singers, all got decent parts.

Rachel got a leading part, so Sam decided get involved with construction for the show. Any spare time he had was spent helping to build the set. Many of the younger kids who didn't get major roles decided to assist with the props as well as sing in the chorus. The experience created a lot of bonding among the members of the whole company.

With the increase in activities, there was less time to spend working. Of course, the winter months meant less traffic for the grocery store, other that the obligatory runs for milk and bread whenever a bad storm was predicted.

Bryan and Zeke cut back on their hours. Trevor and Marc were not going to, but the load of extra activities was about to kill them even though they had a lighter load of class work in their last semester of high school.

Around the time of Bryan's 18th birthday, Trevor's grandmother called home to break news that her daughter, Marcia, had died. She didn't expect Trevor to come for the memorial service, but she would see him as soon as she could clear up details and come back to Iowa.

When Rena came back, it was a relief to the boys. They had loved their time together living like newly-weds, but they didn't mind having someone to cook for them and pamper them a bit, and Rena loved doing it.

One night as the two stumbled in after a long Saturday at work, she announced that she wanted them to cut back in their hours.

"Your Aunt Marcia left her investments and life insurance to me. But she told me in private that she wanted me to use some of it for your educations. Yes, Marc, she included you after I told her about your situation. What with sharing a place with your two friends, I think we can make this work with few, if any, loans. I don't want to see either of you as dog-tired as you are tonight! Talk to the manager at the store. I'm sure there are some younger kids who will love to take up the slack."

Marc and Trevor greeted the news with tears of joy. They could usually hold their emotions in check a bit more than this, but they were as "dog-tired" as she had said.

She shooed them off to relax saying that she would clean up after their late supper. They should do as they pleased.

Mary Stillwell hosted the family party to mark Bryan's officially becoming an adult. Of course Zeke's family was invited. Bryan may have been the guest of honor, but Zach was also a center of attention.

That night as the boys were getting ready for bed, Zeke was intent on giving his lover a memorable birthday gift. He was starting the process of undressing his lover when Bryan pulled away from him.

"Zeke, we can't do this anymore until June. I don't want to be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor."

"Baby, I can't go four months without making love with you. Please, please, say you're kidding!"

Bryans face began to twitch. It was increasingly difficult to maintain his stoic appearance. Once the smile broke out around the edges of his lips, it spread rapidly across his handsome face.

Zeke's "attack" sent Bryan sprawling on the bed on his back. He was laughing so hard he couldn't defend himself as Zeke stripped him of his few remaining clothes.

His laughter turned to moans of pleasure as Zeke pushed Bryan's legs up exposing his most private region to nibble on his perineum. This was a major turn-on. Zeke's lips, teeth, and tongue were stimulating the second most sensitive place on Bryan's outer body. Zeke's mouth was tantalizingly close to "forbidden" territory. Bryan could only writhe in ecstasy while trying to catch his breath.

Zeke continued his assault by placing the sheathed, lubed vibrator toy against Bryan's rectum. Slowly, tenderly, he inserted it; adjusting its position until Bryan's expression told him he had hit "the spot."

Bryan erupted without warning, hitting Zeke's face with the first shot. Zeke's reflexes were quick enough to prevent anything more from being wasted.

Having said that, Bryan asked Zeke to lie on his back while he straddled his lover's legs. With Zeke's cock in one hand and his balls in the other, Bryan began stroking. The teasing motions soon turned into serious ones. Zeke was already pretty close from the excitement of pleasing Bryan.

Zeke's first shot hit him in the neck. Following Zeke's example, Bryan managed to get his mouth over the spewing monster in time to preserve the rest.

Whatever tenderness that might have been lost from the lack of a long foreplay was recovered in the glow of deep, sticky kisses that followed. Bryan had a happy birthday indeed.

Cosgrove High did well in the district wrestling tournament. They would send a number of kids to State. Trevor, Marc, Bryan, and Zeke were all assured scholarships. However, not everyone was going to be using them.

The match at the middle of the district match was destined to end Zeke's wrestling career. Bryan had just won his opponent with a decisive pin. Zeke was really pumped for his. He began to take down his rival when a freak accident occurred. He slipped on a spot of sweat that hadn't been cleaned up properly from the last match. Missing the mat by inches, he ended up hitting his head soundly on the floor.

He lay there stunned and unable to move. Bryan rushed to his side. He felt Zeke's neck for his pulse and found it strong. The rise and fall of Zeke's chest confirmed he was breathing.

The trainer nudged Bryan aside to perform his own assessment and came to the same conclusion. Zeke began to come out of it and tried to sit up. The trainer made him lie quietly until the ambulance came. He was taking no chances.

Bryan insisted on riding to the ER with Zeke. The medics were not going to let him, but Coach Newman stepped in.

"These two are closer than brothers. If you want to see your patient thrive, you'll allow his buddy to go along."

Newman said it with such authority that the ambulance attendants relented. Bryan hurried to the locker room to get their clothes, jackets, and valuables. Then he joined the medical team as they made their way to the hospital.

It took a while for Zeke to be seen because there was an accident with victims who were more in need of care. However, he didn't have to wait too long.

After several tests, the attending physician said that Zeke had suffered a moderate concussion.

"My advice" the doctor went on, "is that you should give up any contact sports that are likely to put you into a concussive state again. You're lucky that you aren't likely to have any lasting effects from this one. I'll give you some pills for the pain. The headache should dull down in a couple of hours, but it may not leave entirely for another 24 to 48 hours. Use good judgment and don't do anything too active during that period of time."

"Oh, just don't run, jump, dive in a pool – that sort of thing. If you have a big date tomorrow night I don't think you are restricted from everything in that regard," the doctor chuckled.

Bryan laughed. Zeke started to, but found it wasn't a good idea considering how his brain felt at the moment.

"Since you're traveling only 30 miles back to Cosgrove, I don't think the bus ride will hurt you. If possible, you should try to lie down on a seat if it's not too crowded."

"Don't worry," said Bryan. "I'll hold his head in my lap all the way back if necessary."

Dr. Madison smiled. It was nice to see guys caring for their friends. He supposed it had something to do with team spirit, but he suspected feelings between these two ran a lot deeper.

On the ride home in the bus, Bryan did cradle Zeke's head on his lap. He rolled up his letter jacket to put under Zeke's back to make a smoother surface for his lover. They talked quietly at nearly the level of a whisper.

"Well, I guess all I can do next year is to attend your matches and cheer you on."

"No, we can attend Marc and Trevor's matches to cheer them on. If you can't wrestle, I'm not going to either."

"I don't want you to give it up on account of me. I can enjoy watching you out there in your sweaty singlet."

"You can enjoy it in the privacy of our bedroom. We can both participate in that! But you love the sport far more than I do. I wouldn't have stayed with it this long if you weren't in it."

"That's so cool. All the hard workouts and starving to make weight, you did it for me?"

"Yeah, a lot of it. Oh I've enjoyed the friends we've made in the sport and the team spirit, but mostly I enjoyed it through your eyes."

Zeke was quiet for a few minutes. Bryan thought he was asleep until the lights from a passing vehicle made the interior light enough to see Zeke's tears. Seeing his boyfriend crying made Bryan's eyes tear up too. He gave Zeke's arm a squeeze of understanding. Zeke opened his eyes and smiled up at his lover.

This time it was loud enough to be heard by several guys around. Some smiled; others frowned, but no one took any real offence. They all knew it already.

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Zeke

by David Lee

Chapter 65