The Michael Arram stories are now beginning to appear together at: http://www.iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/arram
This story contains graphic depictions of sex between young males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your place of residence please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
XV
Try as he might, Henry found it very difficult to acclimatise back to school. First there was the celebrity. It was known that the three of them had been with Rudi in Strelzen and saw him become overnight Medwardine's most celebrated pupil. Of course, they couldn't do more than talk of the state ceremonial and the popular reaction to Rudi's appearance in the country. The more exciting stuff had to be buried. Henry got the principal attention, as David had come back sulky and moody. Even his tennis mates got fed up with him. It was not till the school tennis team beat the crap out of Harrow that he became anywhere near tolerable as a companion. Ed was off to the nets and on to the cricket field as soon as he was back and was more or less inaccessible, even to Henry, which was his major complaint against summertime.
So Henry became the only reliable source of information about King Rudolf of Ruritania who was, it seems, going to be the school's most famous pupil next year. Even the Head got Henry into his study and quite shamelessly pumped him about what was going on in Rothenia. `Seems that you were right about the boy all along, Atwood. He's certainly been good for next year's recruitment. Parental enquiries are up by 250%. If we admitted girls it would be 1000%. I heard from the countess his mother that he shall undoubtedly be returning ... apparently he likes us.'
`He does, sir. He intends finishing his A Levels here and going on to Oxford.'
`Should I make him a prefect, I wonder?'
`He might think you're sucking up, sir. And he does have a bit of a short fuse.'
The Head laughed. `Well, perhaps not. Cornish tells me that you're fluent in Rothenian.'
`Cornish exaggerates where I'm concerned, sir.'
`Have you thought of a career in the Foreign Office when you leave university, Atwood?'
`Er ... no. No I hadn't, sir.
`You should do. You seem to take kings and revolutions in your stride, and you have a facility with languages. Think about it.' Henry promised that he would.
The first fortnight he was back Henry tried to get David back into some approximation of his usual cheeriness. But David was having none of it. In the end Henry gave up. He wouldn't put up with the rudeness, and if it got much worse, he rather feared that Ed would step in and give David a forcible lesson in manners. Henry hated giving up, but talking to David just seemed to make things worse. So he doggedly pursued his A Level studies (he decided to keep up his French and take the risk of doing four subjects at A2) and just contented himself with being friendly to David when he ran into him. That stopped too, however. David came back from Rothenia apparently heterosexual, or so you might assume from his joining in with the leching after females which was part of the sixth form subculture. Henry could take no more. He started avoiding David Skipper.
And so June passed into July and at the conclusion of the second week Henry emptied the contents of his locker into a bag and prepared to vacate the premises. It was always intriguing what he found in his locker: letters from the school which he should have delivered to his parents; an essay he would have sworn he had handed in; a bar of chocolate he had forgotten and which defied even his sweet tooth in its present state. At the back he found the picture of the three of them that Bolslaw had taken in his studio on the day Rudi had rode into the Rodolferplaz. Somehow it made him feel depressed. The three boys laughing at him out of the picture seemed strangers.
Ed came home in the school minibus with Henry that last afternoon. They got off at Huntercombe with Mark Peters rather than go the whole way to Trewern. They were going to have a few post-school drinks at the village pub, the King Billy. Henry's big brother Ricky was already there, sitting at the bar, gazing with rapt attention at Helen, Mark's sister, who worked there as a barmaid during holidays.
`Mine's a lager, Henry,' he said, without shifting his gaze from Helen.
`OK Ricky, but why am I paying?'
`It's getting expensive spending the day here with Helen, Ted gets grumpy if I don't buy a drink.'
`How do you work out that I can afford it?'
`You have precisely £156.00 in your post office account, which is exactly £156.00 more than is in my account, leaving out the overdraft of course.'
`And how do you know this?'
`I looked in your account book.'
`That's private, that is.'
Yeah, spose it is.'
Henry got the drinks and gave his brother his pint with a polite suggestion that he should get a job. He went over to the window seat in the snug with Mark and Ed. As he put the drinks down Mark was saying that David Skipper had got to be a real pain in the arse the last few weeks of term.
`What happened to him in Rothenia? He came back all moody and withdrawn, and ... you ain't gonna like this you two ... but he was quite nasty about you behind your backs. Saying stuff about you -- not exactly homophobic, but sneering like. Course, there's always a few morons who'll laugh at crap like that, especially in this year's lower sixth, who're a right bunch. So what d'you know?'
Henry looked at Ed, and all he could do was shrug. There was no way they would out David, especially as now he seemed to have decided that it was an episode in his life he wanted to forget.
`What are you doing this summer, Marky?' Ed asked.
`Dad wants to take me golfing in Bermuda for a fortnight, and mum and the girls -- except Helen of course -- want to go to Florida. I know it sounds boring but I'm keen to try out golf. What about you guys?'
I'll be here in Shropshire, I think,' said Henry. In the end Dad couldn't get another exchange; he left it too late. But I may get up to London for a week with Ed, and Ed'll be down here for another week. So it'll be just about tolerable. I'd get a job, but there's nothing out here in the sticks other than the bacon factory at Wallerstone, and you've got to be eighteen and tired of life to work there.'
Ed added, `My fosterdads haven't told me what's up, if anything. They usually travel a bit in Europe, and if they do I may go along with them, or I may be packed off to some mates near Ipswich, or I may go up to Edinburgh to see my gran. It's very much up in the air is this summer.'
It began as a very tedious summer for Henry. His mother and father were working, so sometimes a whole day might go by without speaking to anyone between breakfast and dinner. Henry began to worry that he was losing the power of speech. From e-mail and text he found that Ed wasn't in a much better state. Matt was working and Andy was involved with a youth project in Peterborough. He was reduced to playing cards with the housekeeper some days. He had no friends in London to hang around with. The second week things improved for him as, observing his boredom, Matt found him a temporary job in his firm in Camden. Mostly it was just photocopying and stapling, as he told Henry, but at least he got to talk to people.
Halfway through the second week, Matt White called his Dad and said that from what he was hearing from Ed, Henry was in terminal boredom, and that he'd be happy to offer him similar work experience in his company. Henry accepted with alacrity, and took the train up to London the very next day, expecting to stay the best part of a month.
He reached Highgate just as Ed was returning from work that Wednesday and there was a joyous and sweaty reunion almost immediately, followed by dinner with Matt and Andy, and then a further reunion, involving a bath and a lot of splashed water. Henry had the best night's sleep he had had for weeks, naked, wrapped in his Ed's arms and legs. After that things moved along nicely, and at the end of the second week, Henry looked in awe at the brown envelope which was his first paypacket. It wasn't much, but he tucked it away to put in his box of life souvenirs, which included copies of the pictures that Bolslaw had taken in Strelzen and the programme for Rudi's royal investiture.
They used some of the cash to buy tickets for Ipswich and spent a weekend with Justin and Nathan. Justin was very different in the garden centre. Dressed smartly in green sweatshirt and trousers, he was cheerful, polite and knowledgeable to the customers, of whom there were quite a lot.
We're close enough to Ipswich to get the suburban trade, and of course we get the passing trade from visitors to Haddesley Hall. So we've had to expand the staff.' There were in fact three sixth formers working the tills and shelves under Nathan's tight supervision. They're easier to manage than Justin,' he said with a smile. Henry and Edward did some local sightseeing, but were just happy to spend the evenings in the cottage. Uncle Phil had modernised it for Nathan and Nathan kept it neat, with very little help from Justin, but he said he didn't mind.
The stay at the cottage was somewhat erotic, in that the sex together in Amsterdam had dismantled sexual barriers between the two couples. They lay together in the little front room the Friday night, and Justin soon lost his shorts as Nathan played with him. After that, it didn't take long for Ed to remove any obstacles to wanking off Henry and before too long Henry and he were cuddled naked together, as were the others. They did not get more active in their joint sex than foreplay, but the later climaxes in bed were all the more enjoyable for the fact that they had done it in front of another couple.
`What a pair of pervs, eh?' smirked Ed.
Maybe, but sexually gratified pervs,' Henry said. That Justin's an animal when it comes to sex. Totally up for it and totally shameless. He wants us up his bum, believe me.'
`That's one step too far, and I have Nathan's authority for stating that. He likes the relaxed atmosphere we've got going at the moment. But he has too many issues about sharing Justin, and I for one would not share you. Don't forget the reaction when you played with poor Davey. It'd be both me and Nathan tanning your hide if you tried it on with Justin ... and don't deny he attracts you, I can see it on your eyes, you randy little Henry.'
`No, no ... I wouldn't do anything like that, but he is so totally hot when he's with Nathan, I'd never imagined someone could lose themselves so completely in sex.'
Ed gave him what could only be described as an old fashioned look, which made Henry a little worried.
On the Saturday afternoon there was a surprise and very welcome visitor as Terry turned up in an impressive Jaguar. Henry whooped and leapt into his arms, as Terry laughed delightedly; he hadn't realised that Henry and Edward would be there. He refused to sleep on the couch at the cottage but put up at a local pub, saying he wanted to see them all that evening. He had been at the cottage on several weekends, Justin later said, and it seemed to do him good.
As they sat together in the lounge Terry talked Henry into joining him in a gin and tonic, despite the scoffing of the other boys. Mmm,' approved Henry, I thought it was a rule that alcohol had to taste awful. I'll have a pint of gin and tonic next please Ed.'
Terry asked after David, and frowned at the news from Medwardine. `The silly boy's gone and lost the plot. But he wouldn't be the first, I suppose.'
`How's the business going?' asked Ed
`I haven't started it officially, but the launch event's in a fortnight. You can all make it, I hope?'
`Justy's got to be there, so I shall,' said Nathan.
`It's our last weekend in London, so we'll be there,' confirmed Henry.
`Good,' I've hired the hall of the Quiverers' Company, off Cheapside. I thought I might as well push the boat out, now I'm pushing me boat out. There's a fair take up on the invitations from former clients, especially from the Roedenbeck Corporation and PeacherCorp.'
`What sort of work are you looking for Terry?'
Terry grinned, You can bet very little of it will be as exciting as what we did in June. Mostly it'll be corporate security consultancy, but I'm well known in the circles of personal security and dealing wiv the paps, so there'll be a fair bit of minding for the rich and famous. They can be primadonnas thass for sure, but I don't mind the fuss, being a pretty easygoing kind of guy, now Ramon ...' Terry went unfocussed for a space and when he came back it was with a sad little smile. It don't get easier, babes, it really don't.'
Henry, who was sitting next to him, reached out and squeezed Terry's hand. Terry pulled him over and kissed the top of his head. `Pity you're spoken for little Henry, or I know what I'd be doing.'
Ed smiled, `You can borrow him for a bit, providing you promise to return him in the condition you took him in.'
No,' said Terry, You two were meant for each other. Bless the pair of you, you don't half cheer me up you kids. All full of life and beans.'
Quiverers' Hall in the City of London is a fine Classical building, still on the same site as the first hall, built in 1334. For Terry's launch event, the garden at the back of the hall was hung with hundreds of lights, and the buffet tables were laid out on the master's terrace. It was a very fine August evening and the city traffic was muted in the shelter of the enclosed garden. A giant screen was up against the medieval brick perimeter wall that had survived the Great Fire, and it was playing a very professionally produced promo video for O'Brien Associates. Guests were arriving, and the four lads were already investigating the free bar.
They were in evening dress, and Henry had still been able to fit comfortably into the evening suit that Matt had got tailored for him for Justin's eighteenth, the previous October, which had been still hanging in Ed's wardrobe in Highgate. `Just an orange juice for me,' said Henry moderately.
Champagne for me, mate,' Justin ordered, and make that a double ... nah, juss kidding.' Justin was looking very pleased with the turn out. There were a dozen City CEOs and corporate presidents already there, with a dozen more promising to come. The catering had been on the grand scale, and would have done credit to the imperial palaces of ancient Rome. If there were no larks' tongue pasties amongst the pyramids and towers of food, it was an oversight.
More guests surged in, and Henry homed in on Matt's cousin, Katy Amphlett, who had come across by taxi from the High Court on the Strand, where she was currently defending in a major criminal trial. She was still twirling her wig absent mindedly.
`Hello Henry, dear,' she smiled. They had met at Matt's New Year's party, and she had made a sympathetic link with Henry. She gave him a little kiss and grabbed his arm. They were much of a height. They walked down into the garden.
`So did he do it?' Henry asked curiously.
`Eventually,' she smiled.
`That's fantastic. Congratulations Katy! You'll make another mismatched couple in the height department, just like me and Ed.'
Katy laughed again, `The wedding'll be next December, want to be a bridesmaid?'
`Now, now. Does Matt know?'
`I told him just after his brother popped the question. I'm going to be his sister-in-law.'
`Carl is one hell of a hunk. You have all of my envy. Shame he's not gay like his brother, or I'd be fighting you for him.'
`You'd lose, Henry. I fight dirty.'
`How are you two ever going to meet up? He's always in swimming pools here and abroad, and you're always in the High Court or the Old Bailey or somewhere.'
`We'll be imaginative. You and Edward manage it, despite the difficulties.'
`But we're never going to have babies!'
People manage ... now there's a face I've not seen for a while.' Katy stopped at the sight of a stocky and cheerful twenty something just coming down the garden steps. Alex Johnson ... you've put some weight on you.' They kissed, and Alex shook hands with Henry, whom Katy introduced as one of Matt's young proteges. `Alex was at uni with me, Matt and Andy. He's Washington editor of Reuters.'
`Was ... Katy, I'm coming back to the UK as foreign affairs editor of the Guardian, and that was an unkind cut about my weight.'
`You're half again the man you were.'
`It's Benny's cooking ... I take it you're gay, Henry, or you wouldn't be one of Matthew's ducklings? Well Benny and I are a couple. Ben's in publishing.'
`Is he coming back too?'
`Depends. He's already got transferred once to keep us a couple, I doubt his bosses will be sympathetic if we do this every couple of years. So I may lose weight as a result. Tell me Henry, how did you come to be part of the Peacher menage? Are you a friend of that odd Peacher-White lad?'
`I am as it happens and I met Justin first in Strelzen on holiday, but my boyfriend Ed -- that's him over there -- was fostered into Matt and Andy's house when his parents broke up.'
`You know Strelzen, then? I'm off there at the end of the week to coordinate a feature on Europe's latest restored monarchy ... with an English-born king what's more. When were you last there?'
`June.'
`What, at the time of the election?'
`Yes.'
`Did you see the king at all?'
`I went there with him, he's in my sixth form.'
Katy was by now having near hysterics as Alex was grappling with far more revelations than he could easily cope with.
Alex took a deep breath, `Does the entire world revolve around you then, Henry?'
Henry nodded, `Pretty much.'
`Seems like I can forget about the trip to Rothenia, I might as well stay here and interview you.'
`No comment.'
`What none?'
`Nope. I don't trust the press, and Rudi's a big mate, so I wouldn't tell you anything he hadn't cleared me to tell you.'
The reputation of the press, and what it's done to the free interchange of information,' Alex gave what seemed to be a genuine sigh. OK, you can at least tell me if he's coming back to the UK to carry on his education.'
`Yes he is ... but that's already in the public domain.'
`Fantastic. I'm gonna get me a drink.' He ambled off, and Katy hugged Henry's arm.
`Nicely done Henry, Alex is a friend but I'd never trust him either when he had his reporter's hat on. You did very well there. Look. It's the main event.'
The CEO of the Roedenbeck corporation, a friend of Terry's, tapped a glass and the large crowd of City people and journalists paused in their gabbling. He introduced himself and Terry, told a few funny stories involving embezzlements that Terry had foiled, and announced he was awarding O'Brien Associates its first major contract. There was applause and Terry gave his marketing spiel and introduced his management team. Then it was back to the drinks and food. The whole thing wrapped up around nine.
Justin and Nathan had hoped to carry on in the City pubs, but being Saturday everything was closed, so instead they got a cab to Soho, and found a heaving gay bar in Old Compton Street that Justin knew. They were crushed into a corner, but Nathan and Ed shouldered their way to the bar and got drinks. Henry cast an eye around. It was not like Club Liberation, much more grungy and -- he thought -- oppressive and suspicious. There was none of the relaxed good humour of Rothenia. This was all tense and metropolitan, and their evening dress was attracting attention. Henry wanted to go home. But Justin would have his fun, and was not to be denied. It was way past midnight before they spilled on the street, passing a man being publicly screwed by another man against a wall, their trousers round their knees, with passers by staring. It made Justin's night; it just made Henry feel ill. He would have been glad to get on the train the next morning had he not been leaving Ed behind.