Symbols. Everywhere I went, in every person around me, I could 'see' them swirling in their minds, down their necks, and if I concentrated, I could even follow them to the tips of their toes and back.

I had been back in school for three days, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my attention off my newly formed sense. Every minute I seemed to sharpen my focus, gathering even more understanding and detail of these mysterious objects that had no mass. I had never felt so intellectually invigorated before. I simply was lost in the wonder and discovery of it all.

I started relearning how the commands I had long ago mastered worked, finding the insight I had to the results didn't help me much in how that result finally came about. While sitting in class, I experimented with different forms and patterns of several basic symbols. So many seemed to do the exact same thing alone, but when put together with other symbols, they produced very different reactions.

After accidentally causing my entire fifth hour class to wet their pants instead of simply feeling thirsty... Well, let's just say Higgs heard of it and called me into his office the next morning.

Even while Higgs scolded me out for messing around with the minds of others, not working on the ton of homework I had to make up, or how I hadn't been keeping up my end of the deal concerning the extra privileges I had been receiving, my attention was focused on the fascinating streams of symbols in and around his head.

It wasn't until the streams had calmed down quite a bit before I realized he wasn't speaking any more. He sat there staring at me, a lot like I had been doing the entire time I had been sitting in front of him.

"What is it you see?" he asked, noticing I had momentarily come out of my trance.

"Symbols. Streams of them going around your head, some of them repeating, some of them not. I'm starting to even sense... I guess the nearest term would be something like color. Some streams will be all the same intensity, some of them won't. And there's so many other things about them that are just as... interesting. Like the way this one symbol always starts at the liver and circulates all over the body before it meets it's mate and vanishes. And there's this really neat thing that happens in the eyes I'm.."

"Tim," Higgs sighed. "I'll be honest with you. I share in your enthusiasm in investigating these symbols, and I know you are trying to be very careful when using your classmates as guinea pigs. But, I can not allow you to risk accidentally causing someone irreversible damage somehow. These are people's mind's you're playing with. What if you had stopped their hearts instead of releasing their bladders?"

"But.. But..." I said, finding myself unable to disagree with him there. Perhaps before I had been able to see the complexity of how my commands actually worked I might have been more confident about dealing with a mistake like that. But ever since I had started analyzing the symbols, I was finding it difficult to make anything but the simplest things work without panicking about how they seemingly were going astray.

"So what can I do?" I finally said. "I can't even eat breakfast in the morning without getting lost in the stream controlling my digestive system. And right now you have this really cool looking stream that spits into three different directions.."

"Tim!" Higgs suddenly said very loudly.

I snapped my attention back to his face, then said, "Sorry."

"You really can't help yourself, can you."

"No, I can't. I wish I could just hook up to a bunch of college people like Sarah sometimes does. She said whenever she needed to do some really intensive research, she always formed a special course and recruited the best minds on campus who had the qualifications she needed in the project. But everyone here doesn't have any experience in researching, and I'd... What?"

Higgs eyes had brightened, and now he had a somewhat pleased look on his face that meant he had the solution.

"This would be fairly hard on you, you understand. I'm not willing to help you unless you agree to make up all the work you have missed while not getting behind in your current assignments. Understand?"

"Uhm.. Yeah, loud and clear," I said, frowning.

The way he was acting meant I had lost some of his faith, and that kind of hurt. I knew I had been skimping on the homework, but after everything I had gone through the past eight months, I was feeling a bit anxious to learn everything I could about the symbols in order to hopefully better protect myself.

"Mr. Higgs?" I said before he went on. "I've never told you what happened during the summer because I... Well, I just couldn't, that's all. It's kind of hard to even think about it now. I don't want to ever have to go through something like that again, you know?" I said, looking up and into his eyes a moment.

I looked back down at the front of his desk, then took a big breath before saying, "I can't promise you anything until I've learned what I need to know about how these symbols work. I feel like my life depends on learning everything I can, and as quickly as possible. I feel so.. naked now that I can see them without understanding how they function. I can't be the only one who sees them, and just knowing that scares the shit out of me."

I looked back up at Higgs, seeing him wearing his thinking frown. I managed to glance back down at the desk before the streams of symbols whizzing about him grabbed my attention again. But even while I tried not to focus on his mind, I could feel him arguing it out with himself. I had the feeling whatever it was meant he would be putting himself on the line a little for me.

When he finally made his decision, he too took a deep breath before he asked me, "If I arranged for you to do what you need to do at Southeast State, do you think your mother will let you go?"

My eyes went wide with excitement, and I couldn't help but bellow "Southeast State?!? Oh WOW! YEAH! If she doesn't, I'll just have to... Er, beg."

Higgs explained that he had a good friend who was the chairman of the Arts and Science department at Southeast State. In fact, ever since we had started working on drawing the symbols, Higgs had been itching to let his old college buddy in on the project. But he knew better than even suggesting it to me because I had been so hesitant in letting Higgs show a few even to his wife.

It took less than an hour to get my mom's okay and make plans for Higgs and I to go down and meet his buddy that Friday. It took a lot longer to convince Higgs I needed someone else to go down and stay with me than anything else. Especially since he knew it would probably be Joey who was also just as behind in his schoolwork as I was.

But as it turned out, Joey refused.

"Why not!?!" I said a little too loudly. The two nearest guys in the weight room briefly glanced over at me before I made them suddenly have to take a big dump.

"I just can't leave now!" Joey said a bit crossly. "Shit, Tim. We just got home, and I want to spend some time with my family. Can't this wait for a while? Like maybe this summer?"

"No.. Come on, Joey. I NEED you. You know I can't do this with out you.."

"Why not? You don't need me to feel them out for you any more. You told Higgs you needed someone to act as a briefcase. You could use anyone for that."

"But.. But we're a team. You know? And you always notice things I don't catch. And what if.."

"Tim? Please don't make me choose between you and my family. You know how I feel about them. I'd do anything for you. But please don't ask me to do this. I need some space, man. I need to do something NORMAL, and.. something that isn't with you..."

He had whispered that last part with his back turned towards me. My mouth hung open realizing Joey felt just as vulnerable and scared as I did. But instead of making preparations to better arm himself, Joey wanted to slip between the cracks by returning to a normal existence. And we both knew what that meant to our friendship.

I turned around and walked straight out of the weight room in shock. All of the stress I had concerning Joey's masked hatred and rage started to come back to me and add to the discomfort in my gut. Now I had even more reason to leave. After all, if Joey needed his 'space', the best way to give it to him would to not be around.

So I was a bit down hearted after getting so excited about it all. I did need someone to go with me, so I waited outside John's and Brad's classroom until the bell rang to end third hour.

I had just started telling them about the symbols and how important they were to me when someone at the far end of the hall behind me called my name.

We were about to continue on our way after not hearing anyone repeat their call, when a thin long-haired kid dashed into view and promptly got tripped by a senior who had been waiting to do just that.

"Ouch," John said after the kid landed on his face.

I cleared the way and kept everyone from stepping on the scrawny looking guy's papers which had slid out of his folder in front of him. The senior who had tripped him had just finished rubbing it in when I got near enough to see the kid's nose was bleeding.

"Why don't you take a quick jog into the girls locker room with your underwear on your head, and don't come out until you get caught."

"Yeah, okay," the jerk said before making one last sneer at his victim.

"And just for that, piss on the coach's shoes!" I commanded.

"Tim?" a nasally impaired voice said behind me.

I turned towards him, only to find his slightly familiar face rushing towards me. I nearly fell over when he grabbed me and started giving me a huge hug.

"Hey!" I gasped, finding his skinny arms stronger than they looked.

I pulled him off me and was about to ask who the hell he was when his face twisted up in anguish and said, "Don't you remember me? It's me, Eric. From summer camp."

For the second time that day, my mouth fell open in surprise.

But it only hung open for a moment, for then it was saying, "Eric?!? Oh my God!" while I grabbed him and gave him an even bigger hug than he had given me.

Eric was crying as he continued to hug me around the chest, even after I had stopped my own hug. My empathic senses were working double time, making me want to blubber a little too, but the only thing I did do was hug him like he was my doggy I thought I had lost but had found his way home.

We both snapped out of it when the bell rang. And that was when I first noticed the other scrawny looking long-haired kid standing three feet from us looking a bit concerned.

"Hey, man. Who is this kid?" Brad asked as Eric finally let go.

"He's the one I told you about from summer camp."

"You mean, the queer?" Brad said.

"Errriiic.." the other long-haired kid whined.

"Er, sorry, queer kid," Brad said when I shot him a dirty look. "I just never met.. Uh, come on John. We better get to class. Later dudes."

"Yeah. Uhm, see ya around," John said hesitantly. He took about six paces then turned around and said, "Hey. I, uh.. Like, I'm not, but... I don't..." then turned red and said, "Yeah, later," before quickly following Brad around the corner.

"Who's your friend?" I asked Eric after they both got over their flushing fits.

"I'm James," the kid in question answered himself. Then under his breath he said, "The very late to my fourth hour James."

"Shit. I'm sorry James," Eric said with concern. "I forgot you already had three tardies."

"What teacher?" I said as I tried wiping the blood off my shirt from Eric's nose.

"Hackmyer, why?" James said, watching me closely.

"OH!" Eric said snapping around towards me again. "'Cause you're not getting a tardy, is he, Tim."

"Nope," I said mirroring Eric's grinning face. But then I noticed his nose was starting to swell and said, "Hey, let's go up to my room and take a look at your nose. It's going to have to have at least some ice put on it."

"But what about class?" James asked.

"Well, since iron-ass thinks you're sitting there falling asleep as you usually do, I don't think you have to worry about going to class."

"What did you do? Meet him before school so you could plan your joke?" James said crossly to Eric.

"No! Tim, show him you can do stuff. He still doesn't believe me."

"I have a better idea. Let's go get some ice for your nose, and if he doesn't believe you by the time we get up there, I'll suck you both off."

"Yeah, right," James said.

"All right," Eric said a little discouraged. "But I wish you hadn't said that. James is going to be so horny by the time we get up there, someone's going to have to suck him off. And since I know you won't.."

"What's the matter, Eric? Don't tell me you don't like sucking cock anymore?"

"No way," James said, handing me his shirt. "He loves it. It's just he swore he wouldn't do it until..."

"James!" Eric said as James pulled down his pants.

"What?" James said. "Oh. Sorry. But I thought you and he had done.. stuff."

"Don't mind him, James," I said folding his pants and laying them across my arm. "He's just excited. Come on. Let's get moving."

Eric stood there as James walked down the hall with me wearing only his underpants. I couldn't help but notice how thin the material was, and how visible his small semi-hard cock was.

By the time we reached the stairs, Eric had caught up and was bright eyed waiting to see what was to happen next. Since we were already on the second floor, we only had to climb one set of stairs. But even that had almost been too much for Eric to stand.

"Come on.." Eric said to me.

"What?" James asked.

"Oh, all right," I said. "James, have you ever had one of those dreams where you forgot to put any clothes on but your underwear?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I don't even have the underwear. Why?"

"CAUSE IT JUST CAME TRUE!" Eric shouted.

"What do you mean, it just came... OH SHIT!"

I swear I have never seen someone move that fast before. One moment he was standing there, then next he was behind the door of the stairs.

"Uhm, can I have my clothes back now?" James said a few moments later through the crack of the door.

"That depends. Do you believe what Eric told you about me?" I asked.

"Yeah, every word," he lied.

"Eric, he's your friend. What do you want me to make him do?"

"Uhm... Give me a sec," Eric said, frowning with thought.

"Come on, you guys. Give me my clothes back. I'm getting cold."

"I know! I want him to give me a piggy back ride! I gave him one, but he is always 'too tired' to give me one."

"Okay. That sounds fair. Come on, horsy. Time to saddle up."

"Mrrrpppphhh," James said coming out from behind the door in a gallop.

"Once around the hallway, James," Eric said excitedly as he climbed onto James's crouched over back. "Giddy-UP!"

I walked over to the door to the room as James rounded the halfway mark, then held it open until a very out of breath James carried Eric into the room and collapsed on the carpeted floor.

Eric rolled him over and laid on top of him before asking, "Now do you believe me?"

James nodded vigorously, still out of breath, especially with Eric's weight on top of him. But his breath slowed down very quickly as Eric's gazed into his eyes and slowly lowered his mouth to his.

Even though I had pretty much known they had been fooling around and stuff, it still surprised me to see them kissing passionately on the floor like that. James's arms wrapped around Eric's back and started rubbing up and down while Eric humped against him slightly, then as soon as they came up for air, James started trying to pull Eric's shirt off him.

"I thought you wanted to get your clothes on," Eric teased.

"Now all I want is you out of them," James said.

But Eric wasn't game. Or at least he wasn't while I was sitting at the table watching them with amusement.

"Aww.." James whined when Eric got up and came over to the table.

"I never though I'd see you do that," I admitted to Eric, handing him the cold pack for his nose.

"What? Kiss another guy?" Eric said surprised.

"Fuck no. I didn't think you would ever be the one to stop like that. I'm proud of you, Eric. You've gained a lot of self control."

Eric beamed from my statement, and I really was proud of him. But most of all, I was happy he was doing so well. Not only had he completely been left alone by Steven, but he also had found someone like himself to care about. And he truly wanted to do for James what he believed I had done for him. But it hadn't been easy, that's for sure.

"So how are you here and not on the other side of the state?" I began with.

"My dad. Oh, how I've wanted to tell you all this!" Eric said excitedly. "My dad was promoted and transferred over here last spring. And after you had left us alone all winter, he started to believe me about you. He still had our letters with your address on them, and we came out here to see if we could find someplace close by so I could see you.

"What happened to you anyway? I mean, I checked to see if anyone was at your house almost all summer long, and then when school started, I ran into Suzi. But she didn't know who I was, who you were, or what's his name.... or anything. And why did she dye her hair? I almost didn't recognize her."

"That's a long story, and it isn't something I like to think about too much. But I'll tell you a little. Joey and I were kidnapped, Joey was brainwashed and managed to grab Suzi, and then Suzi was brainwashed too. Suzi's made a full recovery besides the black hair, and Joey sorta too, but I don't want to talk about that. And when school started, Joey and I went to find his long lost sister, and we just got back from that."

"Oh," Eric said blankly. He hadn't expected anything like that. He thought I had gone on a world tour or something. But he brightened up when James sat down beside him at the table and gave him a little shove.

"Why do you bother asking questions?" James suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I replied.

"From what Eric said, you read minds as easy as watching TV. Why don't you just find out what you want to know without bothering to ask for it?"

"Because it's rude, for one thing. And a lot of times asking questions tells me more than what I want to know. I can read your mind, but if I want to find something out besides what you're thinking, I have to go and dig it out. It's just easier to let you do that. And stop thinking about Eric's asshole. What makes you think I'd get turned on enough by that to suck you off?"

"James!" Eric said, giving him a shove back. "You're a sicko!"

"Yeah, well, you're the one who like to talk about other people's asses," James teased. "Tim, did you know he likes to Mffph.."

"What was that James?" I said as Eric struggled to keep James's mouth covered by his hand.

"I sffg, Phew! I said he likes to hehhhee, Stop! hehhehheheh! Eric!" James cried as Eric began tickling him.

Eric continued his tickle torture until James finally said, "ALL RIGHT! I won't say a word about it!"

"That's better," Eric said with a look of victory.

James straightened himself out, mostly straightening his hair, then suddenly looked me straight in the eye with an intense look on his face and his eyes wide.

I couldn't help but laugh at the message he sent me. And when I looked over at Eric with a smile, Eric moaned, then slugged James in the shoulder and said, "Oh, I give UP!"

"Come on, Eric. It's not anything I didn't know already. Don't you remember you did that to me that day in the tent?"

"Oh yeah!" Eric brightened. "And you said not to do it again because you didn't want to get to liking it so much that you would make people do it. Or something like that."

"You can do it to me anytime you want," James said with a grin.

"I thought you were tired of it?" Eric said.

"I was, but that was last week. And I'm so horny from thinking about it, I'm getting ready to squeal."

Eric laughed at that like it was the funniest thing on earth. Neither one of them noticed I hadn't a clue of what the joke was.

Eric and I started to talk about what we've done and where we've been, and while Eric kept trying to include James, James remained quiet for the most part.

When the bell rang for the second lunch period, James asked, "Hey, would it be okay if I went to lunch now? Like I'm hungry, and it would give you time to catch up."

"I guess," I said.

James whispered something into Eric's ear that made Eric grin slightly before dodging my eyes and turning a little red. James just grinned at me, and walked out.

"You love him, don't ya," I said point blank.

"Yeah. After we moved here and I couldn't find you, James and I caught each other checking each other out in the mall. That was cool. We like knew, you know? But I didn't let anything happen until we got to know each other really good. I let myself fall in love with him before we did anything sexual. That's what you wanted me to do, wasn't it?"

I was smiling at him, and simply nodded my head.

Eric's own smile disappeared a moment later, and then he said, "Tim, why did you leave me like that?"

"Oh, Eric.." I said, seeing him tear up a little. "Come 'ere."

Without hesitating, Eric dropped the cold pack on the table and followed me to the sofa where we both sat down.

"I didn't plan on leaving you like that. But it came down to you having either me or your dad help you, and it had to be your dad. Besides, you needed someone who lived close by, not on the other side of the state. And your dad would have never believed I hadn't made you like you are if I hadn't given you up like that. I didn't want to leave you, but I didn't have much choice... I really did miss you."

"You did?" Eric said, his smile coming back a little.

"Yeah. I can't believe you're here either. It's so cool."

Eric wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly before saying, "Tim, I love you. I've waited so long to tell you that. I don't ever want to be away from you again."

I gave Eric a hug back, finding his words and emotions starting overpower my own. But then Eric looked up at me and started closing in to give me a kiss, and I suddenly got a little scared at how fast things were going.

I moved to avoid his lips, saying "Eric... I'm not really sure I want to.."

But the hurt look on his face made me bite my tongue, and as his emotional state went to hell, I made up my mind and said, "I love you too, Eric."

"Then why?" he said before choking up and looking away.

"Because... I just need... Oh, Eric. Look at me, please?"

He raised his head up blinking his tears out, and looked at me with a puppy- dog look in his eyes. My empathic abilities kicked in automatically, and in seconds I felt the strength of his feelings towards me.

When his friends at school began harassing him for being gay, Eric held on to his experience with me to help him through the emotional grief. While his dad did help him a lot, Eric's loneliness magnified his feelings for me. I had become his hero, perhaps even a super hero of sorts, and even after meeting James and adopting his hair and dress style, he was still inspired to be just like me.

I saw how my rejection had hurt him, and how dependant he was on my acceptance. So there was no question to what I had to do.

"I just wasn't ready, that's all. I wasn't expecting you to want to kiss me, and I guess I panicked," I said rubbing my right hand over his bony back.

He stayed silent as I moved closer and eased his side up to my chest, switching to rub his shoulders when he shifted his weight against me. When he finally relaxed, I wrapped my arms around him for a gentle hug, then gave him a peck on the forehead that caused him look up at me again.

This time when he approached my face, I found myself anticipating his kiss with some excitement. I knew I was letting myself get in a little deeper than I probably should, but I told myself this was Eric, and I had let him go once. I knew I couldn't let him go again.

Eric had learned his lessons well. His kiss was well controlled and unrushed, and after a few minutes of exchanging gentle dry kisses, I found myself sliding down the back of the couch as Eric's tongue brushed across my lips. I could feel his energy, his excitement, and most of all his love flowing through him, and I started feeling some of it stirring within me too.

I quite frankly was swept away by the emotions I was receiving from him. And his controlled and precise manor was so unlike the Eric I had known, I kept having to open my eyes to make sure it was still him.

Our tongues met at the entrances to each other's mouths, and once we had reintroduced them, they took turns probing the other's den. By the time we came up for air, I was on my back, my legs and feet on the couch, and realizing it was Eric's hardon in his jeans that was pressing against my bare lower stomach.

"Shit, Eric. You've grown!" I said feeling his hardon through his jeans.

"So have you!" Eric said, pressing his hardon into my hand while feeling mine with his own.

"But you must be almost as big as I am, and you're two years younger! You'll be huge!" I exclaimed, giving him a couple more squeezes before letting it go.

"I know. My dad is huge too. It sucks," he said continuing to manipulate my own hard member.

"Why?" I said a bit fast.

"'Cause I'm too big for James. God, Tim. I need to suck you so bad," he said, undoing my pants.

"Hey," I said stopping his hand pulling my zipper down. "What about James. Don't you think he would.."

"Huh? Nah. He knew I wanted to do this. He even wants me to."

"How do you know that?"

"Cause before he left, he told me wanted to taste your stuff when he kissed me, so make sure I saved him some," he said offhanded like.

"Oh," I said feeling my dick jump and struggle to get out.

Eric pulled my pants off entirely, then planted his face into my crotch and took a deep breath.

"Mmmm.. Just like I remembered," he said before carefully slipping my boxers down.

"Fuck," Eric muttered.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing. Its just... You're so.. beautiful... and big. I'm not sure if I'll find James so good after yours. Especially after you fuck me."

"Hey," I said struggling to sit up a little. "A blow job is one thing, but intercourse is another. I don't need to fuck you to love you."

"I know that, but... Well I... You see, James.. Oh, never mind," Eric said before taking the head of my dick in his mouth.

"Down boy," I said.

As my hardon shrunk in Eric's desperate mouth, I sat up and reached out to his chin. My dick flopped out of his mouth as I raised his head up level with mine, then said, "Tell me what you were going to say."

Without glancing away from my eyes he said, "James won't let me fuck him. I was sorta hoping you would let me if I let you."

Eric was searching my face for any hints of either arousal or displeasure, and I realized he was also holding his breath. I knew if I said no, he would pretend he could simply accept it, and maybe he even believed he could. If I agreed, he would only wish to do it again, and sooner or later I would have to refuse and hurt his feelings anyway.

But the fact was, I didn't want to lose the emotional support I was gaining from him. Eric had turned my day around, and I had to admit I wouldn't mind having him fuck my ass once in a while. I guess I simply have too much of my mother in me.

"I will agree on a few conditions. A, James has to agree to it."

"He will," Eric said excitedly.

"B, we work on getting James to let you do him once. It's only fair."

"You won't get any argument from me," Eric said with a glowing face.

"C, You don't try and seduce me every time you get horny. You have to control yourself, otherwise I'll do it for you. Understand?"

Eric paused a moment, then noticed my dick had hardened again.

"Yeah.... Is that it?" Eric said softly, taking my dick into his hand.

"Just one last thing," I said, pulling his slowly pumping hand off my cock. "I want to make sure you're not bigger than I think you are. Let me do the depantsing so I can see how you've grown."

Eric backed up without a word so I could sit normally on the couch. As I reached to undo his pants, Eric gasped, making me look up at him.

"Tim, I can't tell you how..."

"I know, Eric," I said, pulling his pants down to his knees. "Shit, you're hung," I said, staring at the lump in his briefs. "Well, here goes nothing."

After I pulled his underwear down, I sat there staring until Eric fearfully asked, "Well?"

"I can't get over how big you are. You're not as big around as Joey yet, but you're bigger than I am. Maybe longer too, but it's hard to tell. How big is your dad?"

"Bigger. Not as long though. He says I probably won't get that big, but I don't know... Can we... you know... Let them touch? Like last time?"

I stood up with my dick standing straight out towards him, finding the top of his head not fitting under my chin anymore. Eric's height was only just starting to catch up with mine, but I found his dick as nearly the same length as mine, and clearly thicker too. We angled our dicks to touch heads, and Eric's managed to smear it's precum on mine.

So to stay true to the memory, I wiped it off with my finger, then surprised Eric by putting it in my mouth just as he had done a year and a half before.

But that was were the sequence of events stopped following the past. To my surprise, Eric stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me again, my dick smashed between our bellies while his was slowly slipping between my legs. I felt him sob happily into my shirt, then held him close against me as he let his emotions flow out.

I was feeling things I had never truly felt for another guy before, even Joey. Any time I had done something with Joey, it had been a sharing of our closeness that went beyond the physical kind. We pleasured each other, and had fun, but it wasn't really a lustful desire to sexually join together. Whenever Joey and I had sex alone, it had always been with regret that Suzi hadn't been there. Even in the dirty sex.

But this was entirely different. Feeling his dick throbbing between my parting legs excited me in a way I hadn't been since the first time I had made love with Suzi and Joey. I felt this need to hold him, make love to him, and spend time exploring his body and soul. But most of all, I wanted to feel his cock in my ass, and later mine in his. There was an overshadowing element that made my feelings for him more sexual than sensual.

Just as I was about to tell him to fuck me, I discovered his dick had softened while he had been pouring out his joy and tears. I instantly took a hold of myself, and as my own hardon went down, I led us to the couch and laid us down on it.

"Will you promise me something?" Eric said, looking up sniffing.

"Of course. What?"

"Promise me you'll never leave me like that again. No matter what happens, don't ever leave me again."

"I promise. For now on, I'll always be here for you. Okay Eric?"

"Thank you," he said softly, laying his head on my chest again.

Eric laid on top of me like that without either of us saying another word. And when the bell rang announcing the end of the second lunch, neither of us wanted to be the first to end the moment. We were still like that when James flung the door open with a big grin.

James lost his grin immediately, realizing his plans of catching us in the act hadn't quite played out. As James closed the door gently wearing a red face, Eric moved to get up, but I held him tight against me so when James turned around, he found us just as we had been the moment he had came in.

"Uhm," James said uncertain, "do you want me to like, eat another lunch or something?"

"Please stay," Eric said before I could respond.

"Did you do it?" James said with small leering smile on his face, slipping into the chair nearest to the door.

"No," Eric said wearily. "We only hugged and kissed a little."

"Oh.." James said disappointed. "Are you?"

"Are we?" Eric repeated to me.

I kissed him gently on the lips, then said, "Oh, I don't know. Let's have a drink first."

Eric got off and sat back down on the sofa as I got up and walked over to the fridge. Just before I opened the fridge door, I felt Eric suddenly realize what I had meant by a drink.

"Wait!" Eric cried jumping up, then pausing as his attention was captured by his boyfriend's eyeing of my equipment. "Tim, maybe that's not such a great idea. I mean, maybe James shouldn't..."

"What?" James said.

"Don't worry Eric. I wasn't going to give him any. If he wants some, he'll have to earn it."

"Earn it?" James said with a hint of displeasure. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Don't you remember? The bubble gummy drink that makes you all horny and..."

"PLEASE?" James begged before standing up. "I'll do whatever you say.."

"Okay," I said grinning. "Let Eric fuck you."

"Anything but that," James said walking over to us with a frown.

"Oh, come on, James," Eric whined. "It only hurts at first, then it feels really good."

"No way. You know I can't handle paAAYYY!" he yelled before gasping and bending over with a groan of pleasure.

"See how good if feels?" I teased as I handed Eric his glass. "And that's just what it feels like to have it inside you. Fucking even feels better."

James started thrusting his butt back and forth trying to get the invisible cock to slide in and out. But since it wasn't really there, nothing he did worked, and finally he lost his balance and landed flat on his butt, my invisible dick evaporating from inside him.

"Do that again!" James said with the smile and enthusiasm of a ten year old.

"Sorry," I simply said, pointing to Eric. "He's the only one here who can make you feel that again."

"Fuck," James said, putting on his frown again before turning away from us as he got back on his feet.

Eric stepped up and put his arms around him while pressing his hardon against James's jean covered butt and putting his mouth against James's neck for a wet tonguey kiss. As Eric continued slobbering his neck, he started gently humping his butt, and I watched James's expression lighten until his eyes finally started to glaze over with his horniness.

James mouth opened slightly, and as he started to breathe deeper breaths through it, Eric's hands started to undo his jeans, not stopping his slow humping movements or sucking until he had to pause to let the pants fall down to his knees.

James stood there looking like he was in a trance, making it obvious to me Eric knew exactly what he was doing. James never moved even when Eric pulled his underpants down, but as soon as Eric's dick pressed against his ass cheeks, James snapped out of it and his eyes started filling with fear.

I got up to get the KY when Eric spit into his hand and knelt down, and saw Eric bend James over out of the side of my eyes.

"I... UHH..MMMmmmm," James sputtered out as Eric began working on James's rose.

After handing Eric the KY, I poured James a glass and said, "Here. This might just make you so horny that you don't feel the pain."

"Shit," I added when James drank it down in one gulp.

I had just taken the glass back from him when he made a very loud gasp and another groan from Eric's finger slipping into his relaxing ass.

Eric led James over to the couch and had him get on his knees so he could be more comfortable. Eric's dick was starting to drool with precum, and it was obvious by the way he was getting rougher he was starting to feel the drink's full affects.

"Oh MAN Eric. <gasp> That is really feeling UHHH! Fuck that felt good. Do it aga..UHHH! Yeah! UHHH! UHHH! UHH-ARRHHHH!!!!" James screeched when Eric put his third finger in.

"FUCK! TAKE IT OUT!" he screamed. "ERIC!" he said fighting the tears. "PPPPLease Take it OUt?"

"Okay," Eric said confidently.

"Thank.. ARGGGG FUCK! SHITEN ARHHHGGG NOOO!!" James cried when Eric shoved his dick in.

"Come on James. PUSH so I can get in all the way!" Eric exclaimed.

"FUCK no! GET it OUT ERIC!" he sobbed. "Eric... Eric, please! It hurts so bad!"

"But.. But..." Eric said, torn between his lover's cries and the lust in his blood.

"Eric, when he pushes, thrust all the way in him," I said, sitting down next to James's wiggling body.

Before James could protest, I reached down to his dick and grasped it while using my magic touch. James groaned and bucked, nearly throwing Eric off him before Eric slid into him to the hilt.

Eric bent down and started licking the back of James's neck, and as the drink started to take affect on James, I let go of his dick and grinned when he continued to groan and gasp.

Suddenly Eric gasped, then stood back up and slowly started to pull back. James was flinching from the mixture of pain and pleasure, then spotted my dick standing up next to him.

"Whoa... Sorry James. I'm not a pacifier. Down boy," I said as James struggled to get my dick into his mouth.

I ended up having to stand up and pull my shorts and pants on to keep him from sucking me. But after another minute of watching Eric gently sucking on James' neck and shoulders, pinching James' nipples, all while slowly and carefully pulling out and pushing his love rod back into James' ass, I found myself wanting someone to suck or fuck with, especial since the drink was starting to kick in.

Eric never looked... sexy before to me. He was being so gentle, so loving to James, every once in a while stopping his oral loving of James' skin to tell him he loved him or ask if it was feeling better yet. His skin was practically tan-less, his leg hair only just starting to darken, and his shoulder-length hair all seemed so innocently sexy that I knew what I was going to do.

When I kissed his bare shoulder like he was doing to James, Eric froze. I pressed myself against his back, my cock finding a nice groove in between his ass cheeks to lay against, and tenderly washed his shoulder going up to his neck. Eric's hand pulled my face up to his, and we hungrily kissed each others mouths while James started to rock back and forth on Eric's cock on his own.

James was feeling the drink's full effects by then, and as his movements became more desperate, Eric and I had to stop the kiss from the jolts.

Eric felt so... pure to my empathic senses. Just touching him brought out a feeling of goodness and nature's best intentions. He tasted clean, he smelled clean, he acted clean.. Clean of deception, corruption, and most of all, my meddling. I hadn't felt anyone feel this way to me since before Steven walked in my life.

I was exploring his smooth ribby hairless chest with my hands, kissing him as he had been James, helping Eric meet James' thrusts by going with Eric's humps. I was really getting turned on by the way Eric's body felt against me as he fucked, and pretty soon found my hand moving towards Eric's rose.

"Uhhhhh, yeah.. Please Tim... Please..." Eric gasped out as he slowed his humps so my fingers could work. "Uhhhhh... UHHHhhhhh.... UHHHHHH!"

Somehow I managed to ignore the incredible sight of the symbols whizzing around us, probably from the added effects of both the drink and my empathic senses being overwhelmed by Eric's desire.

"Eric.." James' whined. "Fuck me harder!"

"Okay Eric," I said in between my sucking kisses of his soft neck. "You ready?"

"Uhh huh.. UUUUHHHHHHHHH!"

I slid in all they way as he pushed his shitting muscles as hard as he could, and I gasped at feeling how tight he was.

"Uhhhh" I said.

"UUUUUUHHHHHHHH!" Eric agreed a bit painfully.

"Hrrrrrr!" James argued as he started going back and forth as fast as he could.

"ArrGHH!" Eric cried as the extra motion caused his ass to burn with pain.

"James! Slow the fuck down!" I yelled.

When he didn't, I overrode his control and set it for a slower speed.

"Uuhh! UhhH! UHHH! HEY!" James' said urgently.

"Shit, Tim.. It hurts almost as much as the first time..." Eric gasped out.

"UHHH!" James said urgently.

"Do you want me to make him stop all together?" I asked Eric before licking his cheek.

"Nnno.. God.. Do that again a couple of times and I'll won't feel it any more."

I did, and after a few more licks, Eric's own tongue kept coming out to touch mine on my passes near his mouth. We both never realized I had started fucking him after a few minutes, but when we did, Eric grabbed James' ass and leaned over a little.

Eric and I surprisingly got into a rhythm almost immediately and began fucking faster and faster until we lost control and had to start over again. I think we must have cum four times each before the three of us collapsed on the floor exhausted.

"Hey, can we do that every day?" James said while pulling his pants on several minute later.

"No, James," Eric said with a sigh. "We can't do it every day like that. We'd get tired of it too quick. Besides, Tim isn't like us. He likes girls better."

"Shit," I said, realizing I wouldn't be around anyway. "Uhm, Eric? I got some bad news.."

"Owe! Don't say that?" Eric said with his face twisted.

"I'm sorry Eric.. Really, I am. I'm going down with Higgs to Southeastern State Friday, and if everything goes right, I'll be going down there for a while."

"How long?" Eric said softly with his back to me.

"I don't know. A couple of months probably."

"A couple of MONTHS?" he said turning around and tearing up. "I just found you! And you promised! You promised you wouldn't leave me again!"

"Eric.." James whined. "It'll be okay.. I'll be still here with you? I'll let you fuck me any time you want.." James said comforting.

"You don't understand.. Neither of you understand! I.. I.." Eric groaned in frustration, holding his head.

"Sit down," I said gently, pulling him over to the couch by the arm.

James plopped down next to him on the other side, and once I had my jeans zipped back up, I did the same.

"What don't we understand?" I asked.

He looked at me with pleading eyes, and I had to struggle to prevent his gaze from opening an empathic connection.

"I've waited over a year to be with you. Before meeting James, the only reason I had for getting up in the morning was to hope I could find you somehow. I prayed every night, I spent over twenty dollars in pennies at wishing wells, I even told my dad I wouldn't be gay anymore if he would just let me write to you one more time.

"But now.. <sniff> I find you, and now you have to go away again? <sniff> I can't... I just can't do that again. Please don't go? Please? I'll do what ever you want, just don't leave me?"

"Oh, Eric," I said, pulling him to my chest and hugging him. "I don't want to leave you, I really don't. But... But you don't understand either. I have to go, and I don't know if I can explain why to you."

"Why not? Can't you just beam it into our heads?" James said, sounding tired.

"Beam it into your.." I said as I attempted to figure out how to do it without taking forever.

Eric let go of me and moved to hug James instead, but ended up having to get up so James could lay down halfway.

"I forgot how tired that stuff makes you feel," Eric said with a yawn.

"Whoa.. So did I," I said, realizing I was feeling pretty drowsy myself. "Why don't we just pull the bed out and take a nap. Then afterwards I'll try and explain it directly, okay?"

"Bed?" James said, looking around.

"You dork," Eric said. "You're laying on it."

"Oh.. huh?"

"Stand up James and move out of the way," I said standing up myself and tossing the cushion on my half into the corner.

James complied, then after the other cushion had followed the first, I pulled the bed out and discovered to my dismay there were no sheets.

"WOW!" James said, truly amazed. "Hey.. Do all couches do that?"

I was giving James this really weird look, but when Eric gave me a look of his own, I went to where we kept the sheets and got some out.

"..so no, they don't all have beds in them," Eric finished when I returned.

"Oh.. Man, that would have been nice that one time we were at your house watching TV all night. If your couch had a bed in it.."

"Yeah.. But we made do, didn't we. SQUEAL!"

They both broke out laughing while I finished putting the bottom sheet on, then I tossed the cover to them and told them to put it on while I got the pillows.

"Hey, Tim?" James said, stifling another yawn. Can we.. you know.."

"What?" I said, slipping the second pillow case on.

"He wants to get naked in bed," Eric said off handedly.

"Yeah," James confirmed. "And then see if anything else happens."

"I don't care about sleeping in the nude, but..." I said, yawning myself, "but I'm going to sleep. If you two want to cuddle, that's your business."

"He's not talking about cuddling, Tim," Eric said, pulling his shirt off again.

"Oh. No. Cuddling okay, but that's it."

"Oh.. You two take all the fun out of things," James said, already nude and bouncing onto the bed. "Hey, Eric. You want to cuddle with me or Tim?"

"You," Eric said, bouncing up next to him. "But first I want to kiss ya for being the best fuck a guy could have."

I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, but their kissing kept getting louder and louder until I realized it wasn't kissing any more, but sucking. One quick peek with my telepathic vision and I confirmed they had worked themselves into a 69 and were both getting ready to shoot.

I thought that they would quit after that, but the old Eric was having a come back. Not that James wasn't pleased when Eric asked James to fuck him, and I patiently waited for them to finish.

But they didn't quit even then. Eric had his turn again, then they ended up kissing again.

By the time they had worn themselves out, I was wide awake and a little horny myself. But when I found them sleeping in each others arms like a pair of teddy bears, I didn't have any problem with going to sleep after that.

The end of fifth hour's bell woke us all up, but I didn't realize anyone was getting up until the door slammed shut. Before I could open my eyes to check who had left, Eric cuddled up against me and said, "He has a test in HomEc. He has to bake a cake."

We both snickered, then I started to let myself fall back asleep.

But before I was completely asleep, Eric crawled up to my face and waited.

I open my eyes and found his closed as his slightly open mouth hovered over mine. I raised my lips to touch his, then found him coming down on top of me.

Oh, could he kiss. At first I thought he was trying to lead up to something again, and I wasn't about to do anything else that day. But Eric didn't try to do anything but make love to my lips, not even really using his tongue all that much.

I have no idea how long he slowly ate my lips with his own. All I know by the time he finally let up, I was completely limp all over.

"Tim," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on my chest. "Take us with you. If you have to leave, then take me and James with you. I can't let you go again."

"You know... That's not a bad idea," I said, stroking his long hair affectionately.

"Really?" he said looking up with bright eyes.

"Yeah. I kind of need someone to go with me. But I doubt I can take you both."

"Why?"

"Well.. Okay, just suppose we somehow talk your mom and dad into letting go with me for a month or two. At least your dad may know I don't mean you any harm. But James' mom and dad don't even know me. They're not gonna let him go with a stranger."

"That's not a problem," Eric said laying his head back down.

"What do you mean? I'm not going mess with any one's mind just to.."

"No. It just won't be a problem, that's all."

"Eric... Why?"

He sighed, then looked back up at me with a very serious and concerned face.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Suzi or what's his name."

"Joey, and I promise."

"I really mean it. You can't tell anyone, or I might lose James too."

"Hey, I promise, okay? Now tell me before I look for myself."

"James' mom died when he was just a baby. And his dad kind of.."

"What?"

"He found out James was gay a couple of weeks ago and threw him out. James sneaks into my room every night to sleep, and I sneak food for him. So you see, there's no problem. He can go."

"Shit. No wonder his underwear was so thin."

"Well, that's because he washes them every day. He won't use mine... He can go then, right?"

"We don't even know if you can go yet.. Look. Let me think about it, and I'll still have to run it by Higgs tomorrow to get his okay. He's not gonna like letting both of you out of classes. I'm not even sure he'll let one of you go."

"Can't you just.. You know.."

"NO! He's not just my principal, but my friend too. Besides, I trust his opinion sometimes more than my own. Don't worry too much though. I'm pretty sure he'll say okay. Just don't say anything to James in case it he doesn't."

"Okay... But if James can't go, then I'm not going either. I can't leave him."

"I know... You know what?"

"What?"

"James is a lucky guy to have you... And so am I," I said, kissing him on the top of his head.

Eric's only reply was to sigh happily and close his eyes to sleep.