Blood Rising Part Six
Title: Blood Rising (Part Six)
Author: gregoria44
Rating: 15+ for some adult themes, other parts NC-17
Word count: This part, 1,893
Summary: Getting away from it all. Or at least hiding for a bit.
A/N: Same as Part One. Thanks to rivers_bend, irya_angelus, haldoor and lots of other lovely people for encouragement, and for wanting more… All comments and concrit always welcome.
Warnings: These are teenagers and this is gay fiction. Stuff happens.
Xposted to journal.
Part One Here
Part Two Here
Part Three Here
Part Four Here
Part Five Here
Before we’d gone to bed the night before, Wayne had made noises about going back to the village so he and Mark could see the girls and say their goodbyes.
Will pointed out that we needed to get some supplies for our last evening, but sitting round after we’d cleared up breakfast, Tag announced that he couldn’t face the walk. Having had next to no sleep, I didn’t feel like a hike either. I also thought with the others gone, it would be easy enough to lose Tag and talk to Des.
Will had other plans, “I’m not going on me tod with those two lovebirds.”
He looked meaningfully at Des who shrugged his shoulders and went to find his boots.
*
It was the first time Tag and I had been alone together, but if I was wondering what to say to him, the feeling wasn’t mutual.
We were sitting out in the garden, making the most of the sunshine, and he hadn’t stopped talking since the others had left. I guessed that he found it easier to chat without Wayne having a dig every five seconds.
“Have you lot always known each other?” he asked, lighting up a smoke and passing me the packet.
“Not everyone,” I told him, taking a fag. “I’ve known Des forever, but we sort of picked up the others as we went along. Mark came from a different school when we moved to seniors. The only people who came up with him were right dickheads. Des rescued him, and they’ve been best mates ever since.”
Tag nodded, “But you and Des are still tight?”
I shot him a look, but couldn’t find any edge to the question, “Yeah, I guess.”
“You’re lucky,” he said, putting on his sunglasses and tilting his head back into the chair, “At our school it’s all about who’s got what, and what it’s worth to you. There’s this one guy, he’s a Saudi prince or summat, and everyone sucks up to him. He must realise that it’s all put on, but he still plays up to it, you know?”
I didn’t know at all, but I swallowed down the sarky retort trying to escape from my mouth. I’d warmed to Tag over the previous days and he’d turned out to be less of a knob than he’d been at the railway station. I supposed it was hard for him trying to get in with a bunch of strangers.
He carried on talking without lifting his head. “With you guys it’s all on the same level: no-one sucks up to anyone else. It’s easy.”
It wasn’t something I’d thought about. It was just the way things were. Life was shit at times, we all had family stuff going on and sometimes we needed each other. That’s all there was to it. I couldn’t imagine things being any other way.
We talked some more about school and music and girls, and the normal subjects pushed the events of the previous night to the back of my mind. The perfect weather made it hard to concentrate on problems; we had nothing to do, and all day to do it in. Tag was right; we were lucky.
*
After an hour or so, we were sitting in relaxed silence. Tag crossed his hands over his stomach and said he was going to have a siesta. Tempting as the idea sounded, I wanted to have a proper look round the farm before we had to leave again.
It was hard to imagine that the place had ever been full of tractors and noise and cows. Everywhere was clean and quiet and bloody gorgeous. I leant on a warm fence enclosing a field that had probably been grazing land. The view went on for miles, framed by woods on the left and a distant road on the right.
The heat haze had settled back on the horizon, obscuring my furthest vision, but something was moving around in the field itself.
As I concentrated on the spot of movement, a rabbit materialised in a flash of fur. I held my breath in case the noise scared it away, not having a clue how common they were in the countryside.
Several more appeared like images in one of those magic eye pictures. They’d been there all along, but my ignorant eyes had missed them until that moment.
Having never been the outdoorsy type, it came as a shock to find that I was falling for it in a big way. If someone had told me I had to stay there for the rest of all time, I’d have been happy.
“You’re the lucky ones,” I told the rabbits, instantly feeling like a right tit.
I decided to go inside before I started hugging any trees.
*
When the others came back from the village, I was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, listening to the music on someone else’s walkman and trying not to think about much.
Wayne was first into the room, and from his pissed-off expression it was clear that something had gone off. I stopped the tape and pulled out the earphones, “What?”
“Oh, nothing. We’ve had a lovely time.” He threw himself into the chair by the empty fireplace and slumped down until his chin was resting on his chest.
I tried the same question on Will as he trudged in, followed by a morose Mark.
“You’ve missed a treat,” he told me. “We’ve had crying girls, a ranting gorilla, and a very dramatic moment when Des stopped Mark from getting a pasting.”
My heart lurched, “You what?”
Des finally came through the doorway, bringing back all my doubts from earlier. He looked unhurt, but as fed-up as the others and absolutely shattered.
There were no seats left except the one next to me on the sofa. The tiny pause before he dropped onto it told me I wasn’t the only one still feeling awkward.
He moved himself to the edge and leant forward, fingers rubbing at his forehead.
“Turns out Donna wasn’t as single as Mark thought she was,” he said.
I stared at the shape of his back, trying not to remember how good he’d felt under my hands. “Meaning?”
“Meaning she already had a boyfriend.”
“And when we say boyfriend,” said Will, giving me the excuse to look away, “We mean huge, solid mound of animate muscle. He was out of town last night, and young Donna didn’t think she’d be seeing Mark again, so…”
“So she thought she’d tell me a load of lies and take me for a ride.”
Mark’s words dripped with bitterness but Wayne couldn’t resist adding, “In a manner of speaking.”
“Oh, get lost.”
A short laugh escaped from Des and the rest of us couldn’t help grinning either. Mark was a nice bloke who wandered amiably through life, but he’d walked straight into that one.
The glare he gave us could have been fatal.
Luckily for our well-being, Tag chose that moment to wander in, sunglasses in hand. “Back already?”
Wayne rolled his eyes, “Awake already? You know it’s not even two yet?”
Tag gave him a charming smile, “I’m guessing you didn’t get any then?”
“No.” Wayne must have been feeling bad, it was unusual for him to drop the clever act so quickly, “We were too busy legging it from Donna’s psycho guard-dog.”
Tag took a step further into the room and glanced over at Des. “Is he all right?”
We all turned to look. Des had sunk into an untidy pile on the sofa; his head was almost between his knees and his arms were loosely draped over the top.
“Has he gone to sleep?” Wayne asked no-one in particular, voice rising in amazement, “Oy! Des!”
He reached over to give him an experimental shove which turned out harder than intended.
There was a chorus of “Shit!” as Des collapsed forward, nearly falling onto the floor.
Everyone leapt to help catch him, then lowered him sideways onto the nearest comfortable surface which happened to be my knee. My arm instinctively curled round his shoulder, holding him safe.
He’d never gone off like that before, and it was bloody alarming, but after a swift discussion and a close inspection, we decided he was just asleep.
Tag, however, was determined to have a panic.
“What’s he doing? Is he breathing? Should we call an ambulance?”
“No,” Mark made a vague calming gesture, “He’s okay.”
Tag gawped at him, “You’re joking, right? No-one goes to sleep like that.”
In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen Mark give anyone such a filthy look as the one he gave then, “Do I look like I’m joking?”
The heat of his anger evaporated Tag’s agitation and the rest of us fell silent in sympathy.
Unused to dealing with his own rage, Mark sat down abruptly and stared at Des.
“He’s had enough, that’s all,” he said quietly.
One by one, the others cautiously settled back down, as if any sudden movement would set him off again.
Realising there were no free seats, Tag sidled over to the wall and tried to blend into it.
A brief silence followed; my nerve endings forcing me to acknowledge every point of contact between Des’ body and mine. Earlier on, I’d have given anything to be that close to him, but in front of an audience it was just uncomfortable.
His deep breaths carried warmth through my jeans and I worried about getting another inappropriate hard-on. “Right,” I started, voice as steady and as conversational as I could manage, “Anyone want to tell me what went on?”
Mark cleared his throat, gaze sliding to the floor, “Nothing… not really. I don’t know what Donna had said to her bloke, but we bumped into them at the park. He started facing up to me and I thought I’d had it, and then Des got himself between us and…” he flailed around for an explanation, “Just… stopped him.”
He looked to the others to back him up, and they nodded.
Will attempted a grin, “We were all ready for a bit of honour defending but Des calmed him right down; sort of apologising, but with loads of front. By the time he’d finished, I expected the bloke to hand Mark a cigar.”
“Then what?”
Wayne shrugged. “We came away before he changed his mind. After that little fiasco, I wasn’t too bothered about talking to Lisa.”
“If that bloke had hit Des…” Mark’s voice was small as he raised his eyes to meet mine. “It would have been all my fault.”
My scalp prickled: his words were aimed at me and they sounded like a silent apology. He knew there was something going on, I was sure of it.
The skin on my palm burnt like fire where it lay against Des’ shoulder.
As if from a million miles away, I heard Wayne telling Mark not to be so daft, and Will talking about everyone needing a beer, and there was movement and jokes and everything was sliding back towards normal. But ‘normal’ had shifted, and Mark was watching.
The room spun quietly round us until Wayne pressed a cold tin into my hand. “We’ve left the rest in the fridge; I’ll get one out for Des when he wakes up.”
*
Part Seven
Author: gregoria44
Rating: 15+ for some adult themes, other parts NC-17
Word count: This part, 1,893
Summary: Getting away from it all. Or at least hiding for a bit.
A/N: Same as Part One. Thanks to rivers_bend, irya_angelus, haldoor and lots of other lovely people for encouragement, and for wanting more… All comments and concrit always welcome.
Warnings: These are teenagers and this is gay fiction. Stuff happens.
Xposted to journal.
Part One Here
Part Two Here
Part Three Here
Part Four Here
Part Five Here
Before we’d gone to bed the night before, Wayne had made noises about going back to the village so he and Mark could see the girls and say their goodbyes.
Will pointed out that we needed to get some supplies for our last evening, but sitting round after we’d cleared up breakfast, Tag announced that he couldn’t face the walk. Having had next to no sleep, I didn’t feel like a hike either. I also thought with the others gone, it would be easy enough to lose Tag and talk to Des.
Will had other plans, “I’m not going on me tod with those two lovebirds.”
He looked meaningfully at Des who shrugged his shoulders and went to find his boots.
*
It was the first time Tag and I had been alone together, but if I was wondering what to say to him, the feeling wasn’t mutual.
We were sitting out in the garden, making the most of the sunshine, and he hadn’t stopped talking since the others had left. I guessed that he found it easier to chat without Wayne having a dig every five seconds.
“Have you lot always known each other?” he asked, lighting up a smoke and passing me the packet.
“Not everyone,” I told him, taking a fag. “I’ve known Des forever, but we sort of picked up the others as we went along. Mark came from a different school when we moved to seniors. The only people who came up with him were right dickheads. Des rescued him, and they’ve been best mates ever since.”
Tag nodded, “But you and Des are still tight?”
I shot him a look, but couldn’t find any edge to the question, “Yeah, I guess.”
“You’re lucky,” he said, putting on his sunglasses and tilting his head back into the chair, “At our school it’s all about who’s got what, and what it’s worth to you. There’s this one guy, he’s a Saudi prince or summat, and everyone sucks up to him. He must realise that it’s all put on, but he still plays up to it, you know?”
I didn’t know at all, but I swallowed down the sarky retort trying to escape from my mouth. I’d warmed to Tag over the previous days and he’d turned out to be less of a knob than he’d been at the railway station. I supposed it was hard for him trying to get in with a bunch of strangers.
He carried on talking without lifting his head. “With you guys it’s all on the same level: no-one sucks up to anyone else. It’s easy.”
It wasn’t something I’d thought about. It was just the way things were. Life was shit at times, we all had family stuff going on and sometimes we needed each other. That’s all there was to it. I couldn’t imagine things being any other way.
We talked some more about school and music and girls, and the normal subjects pushed the events of the previous night to the back of my mind. The perfect weather made it hard to concentrate on problems; we had nothing to do, and all day to do it in. Tag was right; we were lucky.
*
After an hour or so, we were sitting in relaxed silence. Tag crossed his hands over his stomach and said he was going to have a siesta. Tempting as the idea sounded, I wanted to have a proper look round the farm before we had to leave again.
It was hard to imagine that the place had ever been full of tractors and noise and cows. Everywhere was clean and quiet and bloody gorgeous. I leant on a warm fence enclosing a field that had probably been grazing land. The view went on for miles, framed by woods on the left and a distant road on the right.
The heat haze had settled back on the horizon, obscuring my furthest vision, but something was moving around in the field itself.
As I concentrated on the spot of movement, a rabbit materialised in a flash of fur. I held my breath in case the noise scared it away, not having a clue how common they were in the countryside.
Several more appeared like images in one of those magic eye pictures. They’d been there all along, but my ignorant eyes had missed them until that moment.
Having never been the outdoorsy type, it came as a shock to find that I was falling for it in a big way. If someone had told me I had to stay there for the rest of all time, I’d have been happy.
“You’re the lucky ones,” I told the rabbits, instantly feeling like a right tit.
I decided to go inside before I started hugging any trees.
*
When the others came back from the village, I was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, listening to the music on someone else’s walkman and trying not to think about much.
Wayne was first into the room, and from his pissed-off expression it was clear that something had gone off. I stopped the tape and pulled out the earphones, “What?”
“Oh, nothing. We’ve had a lovely time.” He threw himself into the chair by the empty fireplace and slumped down until his chin was resting on his chest.
I tried the same question on Will as he trudged in, followed by a morose Mark.
“You’ve missed a treat,” he told me. “We’ve had crying girls, a ranting gorilla, and a very dramatic moment when Des stopped Mark from getting a pasting.”
My heart lurched, “You what?”
Des finally came through the doorway, bringing back all my doubts from earlier. He looked unhurt, but as fed-up as the others and absolutely shattered.
There were no seats left except the one next to me on the sofa. The tiny pause before he dropped onto it told me I wasn’t the only one still feeling awkward.
He moved himself to the edge and leant forward, fingers rubbing at his forehead.
“Turns out Donna wasn’t as single as Mark thought she was,” he said.
I stared at the shape of his back, trying not to remember how good he’d felt under my hands. “Meaning?”
“Meaning she already had a boyfriend.”
“And when we say boyfriend,” said Will, giving me the excuse to look away, “We mean huge, solid mound of animate muscle. He was out of town last night, and young Donna didn’t think she’d be seeing Mark again, so…”
“So she thought she’d tell me a load of lies and take me for a ride.”
Mark’s words dripped with bitterness but Wayne couldn’t resist adding, “In a manner of speaking.”
“Oh, get lost.”
A short laugh escaped from Des and the rest of us couldn’t help grinning either. Mark was a nice bloke who wandered amiably through life, but he’d walked straight into that one.
The glare he gave us could have been fatal.
Luckily for our well-being, Tag chose that moment to wander in, sunglasses in hand. “Back already?”
Wayne rolled his eyes, “Awake already? You know it’s not even two yet?”
Tag gave him a charming smile, “I’m guessing you didn’t get any then?”
“No.” Wayne must have been feeling bad, it was unusual for him to drop the clever act so quickly, “We were too busy legging it from Donna’s psycho guard-dog.”
Tag took a step further into the room and glanced over at Des. “Is he all right?”
We all turned to look. Des had sunk into an untidy pile on the sofa; his head was almost between his knees and his arms were loosely draped over the top.
“Has he gone to sleep?” Wayne asked no-one in particular, voice rising in amazement, “Oy! Des!”
He reached over to give him an experimental shove which turned out harder than intended.
There was a chorus of “Shit!” as Des collapsed forward, nearly falling onto the floor.
Everyone leapt to help catch him, then lowered him sideways onto the nearest comfortable surface which happened to be my knee. My arm instinctively curled round his shoulder, holding him safe.
He’d never gone off like that before, and it was bloody alarming, but after a swift discussion and a close inspection, we decided he was just asleep.
Tag, however, was determined to have a panic.
“What’s he doing? Is he breathing? Should we call an ambulance?”
“No,” Mark made a vague calming gesture, “He’s okay.”
Tag gawped at him, “You’re joking, right? No-one goes to sleep like that.”
In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen Mark give anyone such a filthy look as the one he gave then, “Do I look like I’m joking?”
The heat of his anger evaporated Tag’s agitation and the rest of us fell silent in sympathy.
Unused to dealing with his own rage, Mark sat down abruptly and stared at Des.
“He’s had enough, that’s all,” he said quietly.
One by one, the others cautiously settled back down, as if any sudden movement would set him off again.
Realising there were no free seats, Tag sidled over to the wall and tried to blend into it.
A brief silence followed; my nerve endings forcing me to acknowledge every point of contact between Des’ body and mine. Earlier on, I’d have given anything to be that close to him, but in front of an audience it was just uncomfortable.
His deep breaths carried warmth through my jeans and I worried about getting another inappropriate hard-on. “Right,” I started, voice as steady and as conversational as I could manage, “Anyone want to tell me what went on?”
Mark cleared his throat, gaze sliding to the floor, “Nothing… not really. I don’t know what Donna had said to her bloke, but we bumped into them at the park. He started facing up to me and I thought I’d had it, and then Des got himself between us and…” he flailed around for an explanation, “Just… stopped him.”
He looked to the others to back him up, and they nodded.
Will attempted a grin, “We were all ready for a bit of honour defending but Des calmed him right down; sort of apologising, but with loads of front. By the time he’d finished, I expected the bloke to hand Mark a cigar.”
“Then what?”
Wayne shrugged. “We came away before he changed his mind. After that little fiasco, I wasn’t too bothered about talking to Lisa.”
“If that bloke had hit Des…” Mark’s voice was small as he raised his eyes to meet mine. “It would have been all my fault.”
My scalp prickled: his words were aimed at me and they sounded like a silent apology. He knew there was something going on, I was sure of it.
The skin on my palm burnt like fire where it lay against Des’ shoulder.
As if from a million miles away, I heard Wayne telling Mark not to be so daft, and Will talking about everyone needing a beer, and there was movement and jokes and everything was sliding back towards normal. But ‘normal’ had shifted, and Mark was watching.
The room spun quietly round us until Wayne pressed a cold tin into my hand. “We’ve left the rest in the fridge; I’ll get one out for Des when he wakes up.”
*
Part Seven