Kindred Spirits

Chapter 4

When Peter woke up the following morning, the first thing he noticed was the white noise coming from his TV, and the second thing was Gabriel’s tousled head still resting on his shoulder. The watchmaker’s son still appeared soundly asleep, judging from his snores. A small smile found its way to Peter’s lips at the memory of their night spent together. He knew now for sure that Gabriel and he were meant to be with each other.

Peter tried twisting his head to catch a glimpse of the alarm clock without disturbing his lover, and was somewhat shocked to see the red digits inform him it was 11:47 AM. Surely it was a Sunday, and he had no school to wake up to, but for someone usually up and about at eight, even on weekends, he had really overslept.

Though maybe it’s no wonder, he then thought, chuckling to himself. I really wore myself out last night!

Suddenly Gabriel stirred in his arms and a stifled murmur escaped him. His legs, still entwined with Peter’s, moved as well.

“God morning, sleepyhead,” Peter said good-naturedly, trailing his fingertips across Gabriel’s back. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

Upon waking up and realizing he was not in his own bed, Gabriel’s initial reaction was to panic. However, Peter’s voice combined with the scent of his skin quickly calmed him down and even brought a smile to his lips. Never would he have believed he’d experience waking up in the arms of another, and most certainly not in Peter’s. Gabriel felt like pinching himself to make sure he was not dreaming, but the sheer stupidity of such an action held him back. Besides, he was comfortable just as he was.

“Mmmm…” he murmured, lips against Peter’s smooth chest. “What time issit…?”

“It’s late,” Peter informed him. “But don’t worry. It’s Sunday.”

“Just… tell me something, okay? What happened last night… it wasn’t a dream, was it…?”

Peter could not decide if his lover was serious or not, but he still burst out laughing. “Not unless I had the exact same dream.” He cupped Gabriel’s face in his hands and tilted it up toward himself. The other’s large eyes were still somewhat hazy. To remedy that, Peter brought their lips together and slipped his tongue into Gabriel’s mouth. A surprised but far from displeased moan escaped the taller boy.

“How’s that for a wake up call?” Peter teased.

Gabriel’s cheeks immediately took on a pinkish shade of colour. The kiss had left him with a growing hard-on, and since his pelvic region was still pressed against Peter’s, it simply could not go unnoticed.

And he was right.

“It was that good? Damn…” Peter said, grinning practically from ear to ear. He reached down between them and gently grasped Gabriel’s engorged member. His new boyfriend was still blushing and looking embarrassed.

“Don’t be like that…” Peter kissed him again. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of… I was hoping for this…”

Peter had initially assumed that their night together would erase all of Gabriel’s mental blocks and improve his attitude about himself, but now he realized that it was only a step on the way. Gabriel needed time and understanding more than anything.

Peter was positively surprised when his lover began to return the kisses and even started rubbing himself against Peter’s hip. He quickly felt himself harden, as well, and guided Gabriel’s hand to feel his stiffening cock.

“Go on…” he urged. “Touch it.”

Gabriel’s touches began as tentative, inquisitive explorations, as though he was mapping every inch of Peter in his mind. It was obvious that the only cock he’d held before was his own.

“Could you… could you… fuck me again?” Gabriel suddenly asked, almost breathless.

Peter did not try to hide his astonishment. “Again? But aren’t you sore?” He moved his hand to cup Gabriel’s right buttock and gave it a slight squeeze. From personal experience, Peter knew that he should be. Hell, the day after he was fucked for the first time, he could barely even sit properly, let alone walk.

Gabriel shook his head. “No, not really. You were… very gentle. And I liked it. Could you do it again, please…?” The plea was followed by his usual meek, timid smile that Peter found nothing short of adorable. He wondered if Gabriel was even aware of the effect he had on him.

“Very well… As if anyone could say no to that face!” he joked, rolling them around and creating an instant lip-lock. While it was warm and cosy under the bedcovers, Peter could not solely rely on his tactile sense. He needed to see and therefore threw the bedcovers off them with a melodramatic gesture.

Gabriel whimpered when the relatively chilly air came in contact with his sensitive, flushed skin.

“You’ll get warmed up once we get started,” Peter promised, reaching for the bottle of lubricant. When Peter’s body moved off his, Gabriel wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to rub away the gooseflesh his skin had turned into. He cursed the article he’d once read about body hair acting as a heat-preserver. Despite the excess of it, he was always cold anyway.

Gabriel tried to keep his teeth from chattering when Peter spread his legs and pushed his knees up in order to prepare him. “Could we… do it under the covers?” he asked quietly.

“I’m afraid not. I need to see what I’m doing,” Peter replied. “And besides, I want to see you. You’re very sexy like this…” He pushed two slick fingers into Gabriel’s body, amazed at how easily his lover accepted the intrusion now. One could never have guessed he was a virgin until a few hours ago. As predicted, Gabriel soon forgot about the cold and gave in to the pleasure experienced by his body. He moaned wantonly when Peter located his prostate and began to thrust back against the digits inside him.

Peter quickly lubricated his shaft and lifted Gabriel’s legs over his shoulders before penetrating him. “Damn, you have some fine gams…” he murmured, passing his hands over the long, leanly-muscled thighs and calves. This position would offer him an excellent view of Gabriel’s body and face, and it also allowed his lover to touch himself without too much fuss or strain. Peter hoped he would not have to point that out to Gabriel.

This time he sheathed himself fully with a single thrust and started pumping into his boyfriend’s receptive body with short, quick jabs. Peter was confident that Gabriel would tell him if he got too rough, which he doubted. It was plain obvious that Gabriel loved this just as much as Peter did. It excited him even further to watch the ring of muscle around Gabriel’s opening stretch and accommodate to accept his cock. It was exactly the same shade of pink as the watchmaker’s son’s cock-head and lips.

Suddenly Peter had an idea. He withdrew completely from Gabriel, letting his feet slide down, and instead moved to spoon behind him. Silencing his lover with a kiss, he lifted Gabriel’s upper leg and re-inserted himself, this time from behind. Slowly letting go of the leg, he sought out his lover’s erect member and started to stroke it in time with his thrusts.

Gabriel desperately groped for something to hold on to; at this rate, he was going to burst any second, and this time he wanted to give Peter a heads up first. His hand found something he believed was a hip and squeezed as though his life depended on it. Perhaps for the first time ever, Gabriel was happy for his compulsive need to bite his nails. At least he wouldn’t leave Peter covered in scratch marks.

Thick spurts of come stained Peter’s furiously pumping hand and the sheets below them when Gabriel climaxed, and Peter felt the other’s internal walls squeeze his cock from all directions, trying to milk his own orgasm from him. After every part of Gabriel had gone limp, Peter flipped his lover over onto his belly and finished with three or four quick, hard, almost vicious thrusts into the pliant body below him.

“Oh God…” he panted, collapsing onto Gabriel. In the back of his lust-clouded mind, he heard the watchmaker’s son whimper. Peter quickly pulled his scattered thoughts together. “Oh God… Gabriel, did I hurt you?” he softly inquired, nuzzling the fine hairs in Gabriel’s neck.

The only reply he received was an attempted headshake. Gabriel was still too deep in his post-orgasmic euphoria to compose a coherent oral response. Peter raised himself up and lay down next to his boyfriend, brushing back the sweat-slick hair from his forehead. They both really needed a shower. Badly.

“Did you like that?”

This time Gabriel tried to nod but only ended up getting his nose buried deeper in the pillow. Peter laughed.

“So, would you like to come down and have breakfast?”

Instantly Gabriel was wide awake and alert. “No, I couldn’t… what would your parents say?”

“It’s past noon. They already had breakfast long ago. If dad came home last night, that is,” Peter said knowingly. “You never know.”

Gabriel contemplated this for a moment and then asked, “And your mom is alright with that? Him… not being faithful, I mean?”

Peter shrugged. “She’s not gonna file for a divorce, if that’s what you’re asking. I guess she values outward appearances more than fidelity. I know, we’re a dysfunctional family, aren’t we?”

“No, I didn’t mean”---

“It’s alright, I know you didn’t.” Peter pressed a quick kiss to Gabriel’s ear. “And you’re fully entitled to wonder. I would too, if I were in your shoes.”

“I’m not even wearing any shoes now,” Gabriel giggled.

“It’s a metaphor, silly!” Wrapping his arms around the taller boy, Peter pressed their sticky chests together and kissed Gabriel. He had not brushed his teeth last night after the dinner or the blowjob and was aware that his breath probably smelled horribly. Luckily Gabriel didn’t seem to mind. Nor did he seem to mind the mess they were currently in, the come-stained sheets, or Peter’s soiled hand. Now they needed a shower even more badly, but neither was bothered to care at the moment.

Peter was still exploring Gabriel’s mouth with his tongue and his body with his hands when it suddenly struck him that the door to his room had been opened. Peter’s whole body went rigid in the fraction of a second and his neck muscles hurt from the strain of whipping his head toward the intruder.

It was Nathan. His brother, still holding a hand on the doorknob, was clad immaculately in a tailored blue suit despite it being Sunday, and his eyes, already large, were wide open in shocked disbelief that would have been comic if not for the situation.

Peter met their uninvited visitor’s fixed stare and wondered if Nathan even saw him. Just as he was about to shout at his brother to get the fuck out, Nathan seemed to regain his composure at least partially, murmured an almost inaudible “excuse me” and backed out, shutting the door behind him.

Gabriel held Peter’s arms in a vice-like grip when the other tried to disengage from him. The watchmaker’s son’s face looked like a poor imitation of an ancient Greek tragedy mask with the corners of its mouth down, and it had also taken on an almost deathly pale colour. A part of Peter felt terrible for having to leave him in this state, but he also knew he simply had to go after Nathan. If he let his brother walk away now, he might never be able to have a normal conversation with him again.

“Gabriel!” Peter managed, not without effort, to pry the spasmodic fingers off himself. “Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back!”

He hastily struggled into a pair of boxers and a T-shirt before making a mad dash for the door and leaving a now sobbing Gabriel behind. The sobs, however, went unnoticed by Peter.

His older brother was already descending the stairs when Peter caught up with him. “Nathan! Would you wait?”

The expression on Nathan’s face was unreadable, but Peter could tell he was still shaken – or something else – from the way he kept his shoulders hunched.

“Peter, I…” Nathan began but let the sentence trail off.

“Nathan, we need to talk,” Peter said straightforwardly.

The older man simply nodded. “I believe you’re right,” he admitted. “So when were you gonna tell me about this, Pete?”

“What? About Gabriel?”

“So that’s his name? Well, I meant you… being into guys.”

Peter shrugged. “I didn’t realize it was something I had to advertise. You never seemed interested in the subject, anyway, and I don’t see why it’s such a big deal”---

“Peter, I’m your brother,” Nathan calmly explained, using the same tone – gentle, yet authoritative and firm – Peter knew came with being a lawyer. Their father had the habit of sounding the same way. “You’re supposed to confide in me, isn’t that right? Haven’t I always been there for you when you need someone to talk to?”

Peter had to suppress a snappy retort. It was so like Nathan to talk his way around things and make it sound as though everything always was about him. This time, however, Peter would not fall into the trap.

“It’s not about that,” he said. “And I think it’s up to me to decide who and when I wish to tell.”

“So when were you gonna tell me that you’re gay, Peter?” Nathan asked, eyes riveted on his brother’s face. Peter had not reached up to his height – and probably never would – but due to their positions on the steps of the stairs, Nathan still had to look up at his baby brother.

“I’m… not really gay. I’m bi,” Peter replied.

“Whichever…”

“Have you got a problem with it, Nathan?” Peter already suspected the true answer, even though Nathan was doing his best not to show it.

“No, of course not. It’s your life, kiddo.” Nathan raised his hands in a disarming gesture. “I’ll love you no matter what. You really shouldn’t have to ask.” To underline his words, he smiled up at his now scowling little brother. “Are you gonna tell me about him, then?”

Peter felt his defences starting to crumble. He never managed to stay angry at Nathan for long, and he cursed himself for it. “Well… His name is Gabriel… Gabriel Gray. And he’s in my class. We’ve been going out for about a week.”

“Your age?”

“Yeah, we’re both seniors.”

“Did you have sex last night?”

The blunt change of subject brought Peter’s anger back full force. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business!” he snapped, hands balling into fists.

Nathan’s unwavering calmness remained. “Just answer the question, Peter. Did you have sex?”

“Of course we had sex! What did it look like when you stomped in on us?!”

“Did you use a condom?”

“What the hell is this, Nathan?” Peter exclaimed. “I don’t”---

Now the older man grasped Peter’s arms and looked him firmly in the eye. “Yes, you do. Answer me. Did you use protection?”

“No!” Peter yelled, trying to withdraw from Nathan, who held him in place. “What the hell is this shit? Twenty questions?”

A loud, exasperated sigh escaped Nathan as he stepped up to the same level as his brother. Peter suspected that Nathan simply did not like to be looked down upon. A thick wrinkle had formed between the older man’s brows.

“Don’t tell me you had unprotected sex, Peter,” he began, his voice almost pleading. “Goddamn it, you know better than this! He might have given you anything. Anything!”

“Nathan, this is absurd!” Peter retorted. “Gabriel was a virgin before this. He couldn’t possibly have any diseases.”

“And of course you trust him? Same old Peter, always so naïve…”

“I think I know him better than you do,” Peter said from between clenched teeth. “Anyway, Nathan, I believe you owe me an apology.”

“And why is that? Because I don’t want my kid brother dying of AIDS before the age of twenty?”

“For barging into my room without knocking. I thought Ma had raised you better than that.”

“I did knock,” Nathan said dryly. “Twice. You didn’t answer, and I thought you were still asleep. I came to wake you up.”

“…oh. Well, I didn’t hear it,” Peter muttered sullenly.

“I figured you didn’t.”

“What are you doing here anyway, Nathan? You’re the last person I expect to see here on a Sunday morning.”

“Dad called me up last night to ask if I could accompany him on a dinner invitation,” Nathan explained. “He was supposed to bring mom, but she wasn’t feeling well, as you know. It got really late, and by the time we left, I’d had too much to drink to drive home. So we agreed it would be best if I spent the night here.”

“I see…” Peter said with a sigh. He wanted to blame Nathan for everything that had gone wrong today, but Peter knew that there were several things he could have done to avoid this. Like locking his bedroom door, for example.

“Peter…” Nathan’s tone now was soft, compassionate. He cupped his little brother’s face in his hands and drew Peter near. “Don’t be mad at me, okay? I’m sorry if I made you and… and your… friend embarrassed. I’m perfectly fine with it, Pete. You’re my brother, and I love you.”

“Gabriel is my boyfriend…” Peter murmured, but the hostility was gone from his voice.

“So you two are like… monogamous?”

“Yes, that’s what two people in a romantic relationship usually are, Nathan.”

“I promise I won’t make a big deal out of it, and I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to,” Nathan began. “However, you must also promise me something.”

“What’s that?”

“If… when you and Gabriel have sex again, you must use a condom.”

“But”---

“No buts,” Nathan interrupted sternly. “It’s for your own safety. You weren’t born yesterday, Pete. They must have taught you about the risks of unsafe sex at school.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if I’d been with a girl, would you?” Peter asked glumly.

“This applies no matter who you’re with,” Nathan said. “That includes girls. You’re far too young to become a father, don’t you agree?”

“I guess… But Gabriel and I…”

“This isn’t a request, Peter. Promise me.”

Peter shrugged. Supposedly Nathan had a point, and he had proved to be far more accepting than Peter could have hoped for. “Whatever, I promise.”

Nathan smiled, pulling Peter into a tight hug. “Thank you,” he said, kissing his brother’s temple. Before parting from Peter, he ruffled the boy’s unruly brown mop of hair.

“You should cut this off,” he remarked. “You look like a girl.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Just because I swing the other way doesn’t make me a girl.”

“I said it made you look like one, not that you are one,” Nathan corrected. “Anyway, I have to go now. You should go back up to your boyfriend. He’s probably wondering where you are.”

“Yeah…” Peter murmured. “Bye, Nathan. And thanks.” He placed a quick kiss on his brother’s clean-shaven cheek before turning around and running back up the stairs.

*

Gabriel had pulled the covers over his head, and after a while it got very hot and difficult to breathe, but that hardly mattered at the time. All he wanted was to disappear, preferably from the face of the earth, and although hiding under the blankets would not achieve that, at least it provided him with a false feeling of invisibility. Which was better than nothing.

When he heard the door open after what felt like an eon, Gabriel flinched and curled up further, trying to make himself as small as possible. Peter probably hated him now, as he should do. Gabriel had pretty much ruined his life and made Peter’s own brother hate him. A very vivid image of Peter’s frantic, panic-stricken face the moments before he ran after Nathan was still left on Gabriel’s retina. He figured that apologizing would change nothing now, so instead of trying, he kept sobbing pathetically.

Soft, padding footsteps could be heard when Peter approached the bed with the trembling lump hidden under the covers. He knew that Gabriel was crying from the way his body shook even before seating himself on the edge of the bed.

“Gabriel…?” Peter whispered softly, placing a hand over what he thought was a shoulder. “Baby, what’s the matter…?”

“I’m so sorry, Peter…” a choked sob came through. “I know you p-probably h-hate me n-now, so…”

“Hate you?” Peter exclaimed, shocked by the absurdity of the statement. “What makes you think that?”

“I…I… ruined everything… N-now your b-brother…”

“I’m the one who should apologize for that,” Peter said resolutely. “I forgot to lock the door. Anyway, Nathan’s cool with us. No harm done. He was just surprised, that’s all. We had a talk, and everything’s fine now.”

Gabriel’s next question was riddled with amazement with hints of disbelief. “You mean… he doesn’t hate you for it?”

Peter felt like rolling his eyes or even laughing, but a warning bell inside him went off and made him realize it probably was not the best of ideas. “Of course not! He even said he’d love me no matter what. Gabriel, did you think…?”

There was no answer, and Peter finally couldn’t resist pulling back the blankets to expose his boyfriend’s head and shoulders. As predicted, Gabriel had his face buried in the pillow, which Peter noticed was wet with tears.

“Sweetheart…” Peter leaned forward and kissed the other’s taut shoulder. “Could you look at me, please?”

It took Gabriel almost a minute to comply, and when he finally managed to meet Peter’s gaze, his eyes were too watery to offer a clear view. A pair of slender but strong arms wrapped around him, and a hand gently urged his head onto Peter’s shoulder. Gabriel slowly allowed himself to relax and his sobs died out eventually as Peter held him, stroking his hair and back.

“Maybe I should go home now…” he said with a sniffle, thinking he had caused himself and Peter enough trouble for one day. Besides, his parents were probably wondering what had become of him. God, his parents! It suddenly struck Gabriel that his folks had no idea where he was, because he hadn’t told them anything about going out. His brain fervently tried to think up a few plausible excuses to use but managed none.

“I’ll tell you what,” Peter said, holding Gabriel at arm’s length. “Let’s first take a shower together, then we’ll go down and have something to eat, and after that I’ll drive you home. Okay?”

A smile appeared on the taller boy’s tear-streaked face, and he nodded. If anything, a shower shared with Peter was enough to lighten his mood. “Sounds good…”

*

At first the idea of climbing up the fire escape to access his room through the window had seemed like a great idea – especially as Gabriel’s main objective at the moment was to avoid running into his parents – but now that he was actually in the process of doing it, it felt less than great. Not only had he slipped and almost fallen seven feet, but the steel gratings he was forced to climb were rusty and covered in four decades of filth. Gabriel made a mental note to wash his hands meticulously once he got inside.

The task of opening the window itself proved to be considerably more difficult than it looked in movies. With hands already filthy and sore from the previous exertion, Gabriel cried out when a thick splinter embedded itself in his thumb. He was ready to climb back down and use the door when it dawned on him that the window was actually open now. Momentarily forgetting about the state of his hands, he pushed it up all the way and swung one long leg over the windowsill. The other followed quickly and he was grateful that his usual clumsiness did not present itself now.

The sight the greeted Gabriel when he raised his head was sufficient to make the blood freeze in his veins. Both his parents were standing before him, his mother a step or two behind his dad. Their faces were impassive, but he could clearly feel the rage boiling just beneath that calm exterior.

He was just about to open his mouth to present them with one of his lame excuses, when his father, now shaking his head, delivered an open-palmed slap over his face. Gabriel’s head was thrown to the side, and he heard his mother gasp but without intervening.

“I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve done, and I don’t wanna know,” Mr. Gray said. “You’re grounded. For a month!”

Gabriel felt like he’d been slapped once more. “But dad, you can’t do that! I have to”---

The older man raised his hand again, but this time it stayed in the air. He would not tolerate any backtalk; that much was clear. “You wanna make it the rest of the year?!” he shouted in his son’s face, and Gabriel shrank back in fear. “You come straight home after school, and you’re staying in this room. Is that in any way unclear?”

“No…” the watchmaker’s son whispered, cheek still stinging from his father’s blow, although it was nothing compared to the suffocating pressure inside his chest. For a brief moment he knew exactly how drowning must feel like.


TBC...