Beyond Salvation

by Mark Peters

Chapter 19

The following morning I collected Dallas, just as I had been doing every morning recently, and before I had even been able to back out of their driveway he said, 'So, are we going? You said last night you needed to sleep on it!'

'Going? As in, together? As a couple? In plain view of everyone?' I replied.

I know that this was what I wanted, for us to be together and to be able to just be ourselves no matter where we went, but it was still a big step. I wasn't sure some hand-holding at school counted as the two of us fully coming out as yet, despite what seemed like acceptance from those we knew and who we were closest to.

'Don't tell me you're having doubts?' he asked. 'Doesn't everybody now know that we're together? And so far nobody, other than Timmy Baker, could care less.'

'Yeah, I know, but it's still a big step. I can't tell you why I feel this way about it… I would have thought if anyone was going to have cold feet about the two of us stepping out together it might have been you, not me.'

'Yeah, I get that, and if I'd been asked this same question last week that's most likely what my reaction would have been as well… but after yesterday, and the boys all stepping up like that, it's like the old and confident me is back. You know what I mean?'

'Yeah, babe. I know exactly what you mean.'

'So… we're good then? Let's step out a bit this week and push the boundaries a little? It's time to show the world that guys like us aren't that different from anyone else, and it is guys like Timmy Baker who are the dinosaurs and the ones who should now be looking over their shoulders.'

'Sweet Jesus, I've created a monster!' I said, laughing.

'No, man, the monster was always there. Didn't you feel it yesterday?' he said, as he grabbed his crotch. 'All you've done is let him off the leash.'

I was still laughing when we pulled to a stop at school a few minutes later, once we had made our now regular detour through the McDonald's drive-through. Dallas was right, of course. Now was the time for us to step out together.

Pete and Merry were there waiting for us, but I also noticed Alex and one of his friends, Callum Jones, standing nearby, while Dallas' football mate, Kai, also happened to be walking up the driveway and stopped as we got out of the car. Everyone seemed to come our way at once. We all knew each other, at least to talk to, as there were only about seventy kids in our entire year, so I guess it was thanks to this that our rag-tag bunch of footballers, soccer players and social outcasts all seemed to be able to come together and actually talk, despite our obvious differences.

Fists were bumped and greetings shared, while some of our other classmates also shared odd expressions as they passed us by.

Was this the beginnings of some new social hierarchy within our year?

'So,' Dallas said to us all. 'An end-of-year party, huh? After the year we've had, I can hardly wait.'

He gave me a sideways glance as he said it, but I just grinned back at him.

'Hell yeah!' added Alex. 'It's going to be good to let our hair down and just be ourselves for a change.'

'Really?' Dallas said.

'Yeah. Really. It's finally time.'

Hearing Alex say that gave me some confidence, I had to admit. Maybe it wouldn't just be Dallas and me stepping out. I made a note to try and talk to Alex about it later.

'What the hell are you two going on about?' asked Merry.

'Not for me to say,' Dallas replied. 'Now, I hope everyone is intending to go? It's time that this place got shaken up a little.'

'What do you mean by that?' Kai asked.

'What do you think?' Dallas replied, as he draped an arm over my shoulder. 'Certain classmates of ours need to be sent a message… and I'm not saying that just because of me and JJ, I'm saying it because it's the right thing to do. What if there are others like us who we don't know about, either in our year or any other year at this school? Don't they deserve to be shown that they have just as much of a right to be loved as everyone else here, that their relationships are just as valid?'

'That sounds deep, man!' Kai replied with a grin.

I glanced at Alex, who was also exchanging glances with Callum right at that moment, his friend who has known that he was gay since year eight.

'Bloody hell, Dallas, since when did you become a spokesperson for the downtrodden and vilified?' asked Merry.

'When you become one of the vilified yourself, Merry, you get a different perspective.'

'Well, I'm impressed. I'll have to take back some of things I've said about you over the years.'

'Nah, it's okay… I probably deserved them at the time. Anyhow, don't we have a class to get to?' he replied, before taking my hand and attempting to drag me away.

There was a buzz in the air when we arrived for home room that morning, with talk of the party all anyone seemed to be interested in. Even Dallas and I walking into the room hand-in-hand failed to bat an eyelid. Maybe he was right about that too. Nobody could care less about us now that it was out there. The only reaction I noticed was that of Timmy Baker, whose scowl was exactly what had come to be expected.

No sooner had we taken our seats than we were confronted by Gemma Campbell, our party organiser, and whose family owned the property that would be the party venue.

'Did you guys get my email? I certainly hope the two of you will be coming on Saturday?' she asked, with hands on hips. She was blonde and shapely but wasn't really the cheerleader type… she was a little more down to earth than that.

Dallas and I grinned at each other.

'Wouldn't miss it for the world,' I said to her.

'Excellent! This is going to be so much fun! We have a pool, so bring some swimming gear,' she replied, before moving on to her next targets, Pete and Merry, then on to some of our other classmates, before eventually returning to her seat once our teacher arrived.

'Oh, this is going to be so much fun!' I quietly chirped to Dallas, while trying to sound like the ditzy blonde I most definitely was not.

'You're absolutely right!' he replied, while reaching under the desk and giving my thigh a quick squeeze. Thankfully we were sitting almost at the back of the room, but still I quickly glanced around to see if anyone might have noticed. Nobody seemed to have seen anything, they were all engaged in their own little conversations, but I did find Timmy staring at me, his lip curled up almost as if he was snarling at me.

Maybe Saturday night could be a bit of fun, especially showing off in front of Timmy? It might be like waving a red flag in front of a bull, but I made a note to chat with Dallas about that.

The rest of the morning dragged on, much like any other morning, and eventually we found ourselves gathering at lunch time near the seat out the front of the school, just as we had started doing last week. Pete and Merry joined Dallas and me, then while we were having our lunch it wasn't long before we noticed Alex and Zach heading our way, with Callum also tagging along with them this time.

'Mind if we join you guys?' Alex asked. 'We've brought a straggler as well.'

'The more the merrier,' Dallas replied, as they all dropped down onto the grass nearby.

'So, is everyone going to this party?' Merry asked us. There were nods and affirmative answers all round, but I could see Alex and Zach looking at each other rather sheepishly. Eventually Zach gave a nod to his boyfriend, which caused Alex to break out in a wide grin.

'Yeah, we'll be there,' Alex replied.

'We?' asked Pete.

Alex looked at him, and then at Merry, then replied, 'Yeah. We. As in Zack and me. As in together,' he said, before then reaching out and taking hold of Zach's hand.

This was old news to me and Dallas and Callum, and I was sure I had said something to Pete and Merry about it on the down-low recently, but it marked a major step for Alex and Zack. It meant they were finally ready to go public.

'Good for you,' Pete said.

Merry beamed at them and said, 'Congratulations, guys. I'm so happy for you both,' before turning to us and saying, 'Now I get it! All those cryptic clues… the pair of you obviously knew about this!'

'I can neither confirm nor deny any such claims,' Dallas replied.

'Asshole!' Merry shot back at him, while throwing the balled-up wrapper from her sandwich at him, which simply cracked us all up.

Studying Zack I sensed that he seemed to still be a little reserved about this, even though he had given Alex the go-ahead. I was worried about what it might mean for him if Timmy found out and decided to have another go at him, although I felt reasonably certain that this new friendship group of ours wouldn't let that happen. Things were in the process of changing around here.

Turning my attention to Callum, I realised that he was like most of the guys in our year, we knew them, but we didn't really know them. He was a red head, with hair cut stylishly and short, pale skin and freckles, but he had a decent build. Like many of us at this age, his body was still developing and changing and was considerably different now to how he had been at the start of this year. Today he was wearing grey school shorts, rather than school trousers, which showed off muscular legs with a tell-tale tinge of ginger hair. He was striking, but different to most of the other guys I knew.

I watched as he laughed with the rest of us, but he rarely took his eyes off his close friends. I could tell that he had their backs, so perhaps that was why he had joined us today… to make sure that we could be trusted with his friends. At one point he looked around us, seemingly studying us all. When he looked my way he found me already studying him. Our eyes locked and we held each other's gaze for a few seconds, then I noticed the beginnings of a smile come to his eyes, then soon to his lips. I smiled in return and he winked at me. We both knew what the other was thinking it seemed.

Moments later he got to his feet, then cocked his head sideways in a motion that asked me to follow him. I stood up and followed him over to the brick fence along the front of the school, where we both sat and then looked back at our friends.

'Well, this is a day I thought I'd never see coming,' he eventually said.

'Which part? The soccer and footy crowd running together, or Alex coming out while at school?' I asked.

'Well, both actually.'

'We aren't the bad guys,' I said. 'Dallas and I are just the same as Alex and Zack. We've got their backs, and I'm sure they've got ours also.'

'That's what Alex told me. But I guess I just needed to see it and hear it for myself.'

We watched the others in silence for a few minutes, while they laughed and carried on like old friends, which in itself seemed to be quite a feat, given that it wasn't so long ago that Merry and Dallas were at each other's throats.

'We can all be friends…' I said. 'Except for Timmy. He can't be a part of our group.'

'No. And he's the main danger, isn't he? You know about his history with Zack?'

'Yeah, Zack told me yesterday. All the more reason why we have to stick tight right now… especially after today's announcement.'

'Yeah,' he said dryly.

I looked at him for a moment as he studied his friends, and what I saw was a determination that I found comforting.

'I can see that you love them, and would do anything for them. I feel the same about my friends,' I said, which caused him to look sharply my way.

'Love can be a confusing term sometimes.'

'I meant it in the same way we love our families,' I said. 'I didn't necessarily mean in a sexual way… though I do know just how those lines can sometimes be blurred.'

'Yeah.'

'Does Alex know how you feel?'

Another sharp look came my way, but as I watched him watching me, I eventually saw his face soften.

'How the fuck could you see that?' he asked quietly.

'Must be my gaydar picking up stray vibes,' I said with a chuckle. 'What happened?'

'It was just a fling between two kids. It was me, not him… I don't see myself as being gay. Maybe bi, at a stretch… I mean, who wouldn't accept a blow job from almost any guy who was willing. But not from Alex. That would have just fucked things up between us. And it did fuck things up for a little while… but like I said, it was me, not him. I still love him though, always will, but just not that way. I care about him too much, he's my oldest and dearest friend and I will do anything for him… so if anyone tries to come between us, or now, between the two of them, they will have me to deal with.'

'That's not quite right,' I responded as I got to my feet and stood in front of him. 'They'll have all of us to deal with.'

He looked up at me and grinned, then held out a hand for me, which I gripped and then I pulled him to his feet. His body barrelled into mine and his arms went around me, taking me by surprise and hugging me.

Behind us the conversation suddenly stopped.

'Thanks, man,' he said quietly into my ear. 'Alex was right. You're okay!'

'He said the same about you,' I replied, before we turned and started back towards our friends, our arms still around each other's backs.

Dallas looked up and studied me as we approached. 'Do I have anything to worry about here?' he asked.

'No man,' said Callum. 'It's all good… he's not my type.'

Dallas was the first to start laughing, but everybody else was soon quick to join in. And I saw Alex smiling knowingly at us.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on, with us receiving a reminder during almost every lesson about the upcoming end of year exams, which were starting tomorrow for some classes. Following our last class we all met at the car and said our goodbyes, then went our separate ways.

Driving back to Dallas' place that afternoon after school had let out, he was rather quiet, but I wasn't sure why. I wasn't particularly worried, but eventually my curiosity did get the better of me and I asked if he was okay.

'Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking about something I saw today.'

'Which was?'

'Nah, it's okay. Just my head playing tricks on me. A little devil trying to whisper something in my ear.'

We drove on for a few more blocks and when I glanced across at him I found him staring out the window. Somehow I had this feeling that everything wasn't fine.

A few minutes later I pulled into the driveway and turned off the ignition, then I just sat there, my hands on the steering wheel and looking straight ahead as I tried to gather my thoughts. Dallas made no attempt to open the car door to get out, and in the end we both turned to each other.

'I lied,' he eventually said.

'I figured that much. Whatever it was, you didn't have to, though. You could have just said it out loud. No secrets, remember?'

'Okay.'

'Well?'

'You'll think it's stupid.'

'Nothing you can do or say will make me think that. You already know that.'

One corner of his mouth turned up slightly.

'Well, I… I didn't like seeing you hugging Callum,' he quickly blurted out.

'What?'

'At lunch time, when the two of you went off to talk. And then the two of you hugged… something in my guts tightened up and my head hurt.'

'You're jealous of Callum? Really?'

'Well, it's a natural reaction isn't it? I mean when you see someone you care about being that… friendly, with somebody else?'

'Yeah, I guess it can be… but you have nothing to worry about there. You can trust me on that.'

'So, what did you talk about?'

'Oh, you know… childhood flings with best buds not working out. Straight guys who love their gay friends and who will do whatever it takes to protect them. Alex. Zack. Baker. Sound familiar?'

'Yeah. Kind of.'

Reaching over and taking hold of his hand I said, 'You have no reason to be jealous, babe. Callum's a great guy and a loyal friend to those two. He said he and Alex had a brief thing once, when they were younger, but he didn't see himself as gay, so that was the end of that. Apart from that though, he still has this love for Alex, and now Zack, that is so fierce it's almost frightening. He said that if anyone hurt either of them then they would have him to deal with… but I told him that wasn't quite right.'

'Yeah? Why's that?'

'Because they would have all of us to deal with, and heaven help them if they try anything on.'

'Oohhhh… them's fighting words,' Dallas gently teased.

'Absolutely! I'd hate to be the one who stepped out of line and tried picking on either Alex or Zack… they would be in for a whole heap of grief, wouldn't they?'

'Damn straight!'

'I knew I could count on you,' I said, before quickly leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

We climbed out of the car and headed inside, grabbing a drink and then going straight to Dallas' room. It was surprising how quickly we had slipped into a routine, and when he tossed me the clothes I'd worn yesterday, before then stripping off his own clothes, I quickly followed suit.

As we stood there admiring each other in all our nakedness, each with a knowing smirk on our face as our mutual excitement began to become obvious, I couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly things had progressed between us since Salvation. There had been some awkward moments, and a few tense ones as well, but we seemed to have now settled into a routine that was satisfying our every need, while also allowing us to explore our every desire.

Each time I saw my lover naked I marveled at the god-like physique before me; the definition, the muscles, the smooth, tanned skin, nipples nestled in the centre of chiselled pecs, the beginnings of a treasure trail from his navel to where his dark pubes began. Moving lower, to a cock that always seemed to stand hard and erect, sitting above two healthy-sized balls, then to his trunk-like legs, covered with dark fur. There was not an ounce of fat anywhere on his body. I could easily see him as a gladiator in ancient Rome, but that wasn't where he belonged. Where he belonged was right here, with me, and I wasn't letting him go anywhere if I could help it.

Stepping in close to him I placed a hand on each side of his hips, to where our hard cocks were now rubbing together. With my lips I nuzzled his powerful neck, kissing upwards from his collarbone to just beneath his ear, while he moaned softly. His hands went to my hips and drew me closer still.

'It's your turn today,' he whispered into my ear. Our bodies were now rubbing together from groin to chest.

'What do you m…' I started to say, but then I realised what he was getting at. He wanted me inside him. After him fucking me yesterday it was time for him to finally have that experience for the first time. It was time for me to show him the joy of being a versatile gay male, able to both give pleasure and receive. 'Are you sure?' I asked him.

'I think so. When you finger-fucked me the other day that blew my mind. Will the real thing be better still?'

'Yeah, babe. You'll probably cum without even touching yourself… like I did yesterday when you fucked me.'

'I didn't even know that was a thing until I saw it with my own eyes.'

'C'mon then, let's get on your bed. We'll try a different kind of work out today.'

'What do I have to do?' he asked as we both sat on the edge of the bed.

'First we get warmed up and I stretch you out a little. Do you still have that tube of lube?'

He reached over to the bedside table and retrieved the same tube we had used yesterday, which he then handed to me. I didn't need it just yet, but it would be needed soon enough.

'Let's warm up with some sixty-nine action, shall we?' I suggested, as I shimmied backwards onto the bed and spun around so that when he would lie back we were ready. When both in position we took hold of each other and began playing with each other's cock, fondling them, licking them, teasing each other's balls, letting our fingers brush against the taint. He seemed to be mimicking my actions, which was fine by me, as I knew that sooner or later he would find his own rhythm, his own way of pleasing both of us.

The sounds of slurping and moaning soon filled the air as both of us got more and more into the moment. If we didn't ease up though, I was likely to bust a nut before I was ready, so I gently pushed Dallas away.

'What did I do?' he asked.

'Nothing, babe. I just don't want to blow so soon… I need to save it for you.'

With that, he smiled. 'So thoughtful of you,' he said.

'That's me. Now roll over for me. Let's get you ready.'

Dallas rolled onto his stomach and I scurried around on the bed so I was behind him, now staring at those two luscious globes of teen flesh. Placing a hand on each I kneaded them, before I spread them apart and nuzzled in between them, taking in the raw scent of him, before gingerly letting my tongue slip between my lips and touch him. Licking first along one side of his crack, then the other, I forced a moan from his lips.

Then placing a finger in my mouth to moisten it, I then start to gently probe at his tender hole, first circling around the pink flesh, then gently pushing my finger inwards, slowly applying pressure.

'Just relax,' I whispered.

When my finger found its mark and sank up to the second joint he let out another groan, while at the same time his knees began to draw up on the bed, either side of his body, which in turn lifted his bum a few inches off the bed. I knew this would help me when I was getting closer to going for gold, but I had other plans for that moment.

'You like that?' I whispered.

'Fuck yeah,' he groaned back at me over his shoulder.

It was time to up my game, so I reached for the lube and flipped the lid, then allowed a small amount to drip onto my finger even as it continued to piston in and out of him. The addition of the lube made things slide much easier, so I dared to add a second finger now, which produced yet another groan, as I worked my fingers around, changing angles, trying to stretch him as much as I could without having him feel pain.

Just a few moments later I added a third finger, pushing my fingers as deep as I could, trying to stretch him as far as I could, which elicited a deep and guttural growl.

'Faaarrrkkkk…' he said through gritted teeth. His hands were stretched out in front of him and to either side, clutching his bedspread as if it were the last thing available to hang onto to stop him from falling.

He was ready for me now.

'Babe, it's time,' I said to him, as I quickly gave my own cock a few strokes after dripping some lube over it. Within seconds I was rock-hard again and ready for action. Then leaning forward I placed the tip of my cock at the entrance to his wondrous cave.

Seeing as this was his first time, I was going to take this slow, so I just left my cock there and pushed a little, before then backing off. Push and release. Push and release. Push and release. Each time trying to go just that little bit further.

'Fuck, that feels so big!'

'It's only average, babe. So just try to relax. I'm just trying to stretch you out a bit more,' I said.

'I think it's working,' was the reply that came through gritted teeth. 'I think I can feel it going a little deeper each time.'

'That's the plan, babe.'

I gave another push and this time I felt myself pop inside him.

'Aaaarrggghhh…' he complained. 'Stop!'

Doing as he asked I stopped pushing forward. I just held myself there to start with, but after a short time, once his heavy breathing subsided a little, I just started rocking from side to side slowly, trying to keep things moving inside him, even if only very slightly.

'Oooohhhhh… that feels nice.'

I took that as a sign to keep going, so I pushed in just a little more, held it, then backed off, before then repeating this over and over, going deeper and deeper with each push. He felt so tight and so warm wrapped around my hard member.

'Oh, yeah, baby…'

'You like that, huh?'

'Fuck yeah,' he answered, just as I slowly pushed forward once more, until this time I bottomed out. I held myself there to let him get used to it, then backed off once more, until I almost popped out altogether. Then I pushed all the way back in, moving a little faster this time.

'How are you doing, babe?'

'Okay… I think.'

Once again I pulled out, but I didn't stop, I pushed back in again immediately, then out again, then in again, building up speed as I went.

'Fuck! That's feeling so good!' Dallas grunted. 'It's like every time you go in it's like you're pressing a buzzer or something. It's fucking electric!'

'That's your prostate, Dal.'

On the next outward stroke I allowed myself to pop out of him altogether and said, 'Now roll over. I want you on your back.'

'What?'

'Just roll over… and shove a pillow under your hips.'

He looked a little confused, but did as I asked, then once he was in position I hustled in close again, pushed his legs up into the air, and lined up. I was ready to push in again.

I slid in more easily this time, as I held Dallas' gaze.

'I love it this way,' I said to him. 'I love looking into a guy's eyes as I fuck him. I love seeing the expression on his face… whether it's pain or lust or whatever.'

I pulled back then pushed in again.

'What… are… you seeing in my face?' he asked.

'Pure love, baby. Pure love!'

Looking down at his cock, I could see it was oozing pre-cum. A strand reached from his navel to the end of his cock, like a silvery spiderweb, but as I pulled back out his cock rose slightly and broke the strand, leaving behind a droplet on his tanned skin.

I started to speed up my actions, as I felt the pressure starting to build within my own body. The head of his cock was smashing against his abdomen with every thrust. It almost looked enraged from the treatment it was receiving. I even thought for a moment that I saw it pulse, like it expanded and was about to blow, but then it settled back down. Nothing was settling down with me, however, as I could feel myself getting closer and closer.

Going for broke, I leaned down and kissed him. Dallas opened his mouth and allowed my tongue to invade him as our mouths ground together. Fuck this was intense. Suddenly he pulled his head away and threw it back, letting out another guttural cry as I felt him explode between us, hands-free, slicking both our chests with what felt like a bucket of cum. Our bodies were soon sliding against each other on the slick liquid. This had to be the hottest fuck I'd ever had.

As he came I felt his arse clench down tight on my cock, and as I thrust back into him, through his steel sphincter, my cock held tighter than it ever had been, that was all I needed. My balls boiled and my juices erupted inside him, shot after shot after shot coating his hot insides.

'Oh my God! I can feel that!' he gasped breathlessly.

Once I was done I collapsed on top of him, gasping for air, as I felt his arms wrap themselves around me.

'Holy fuck,' he whispered into my ear. 'I had no idea it could feel that good.'

'So… now… you do,' I replied. 'And now you're a card-carrying, versatile gay guy, who likes to give it and take it… just the kind of guy I love. And I do love you, Dallas Pearce. Always have and always will.'

'Versatile, huh? That must be part of the gay lingo, is it? Obviously I have lots to learn.'

I could only grin at him.

'And, JJ… just a reminder… I love you too!'