Chapter 54

The lower sixth sat around the supper table, finishing off the last of the deserts.

Tor had finished, and was twirling his spoon between the fingers of one hand, absentmindedly drumming the table with the fingers of the other, no-one seemed to notice him doing this.

Marcus sniggered slightly at something he�d just said, and glanced across at Mara, winking as he did so, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

Mara blushed deep crimson, staring at her empty plate, trying to avoid his gaze, but a smile gracing her lips.

Tor felt the tapping of his fingers get harder, louder, and he clenched his jaw, trying to keep his temper, trying not to get angry about this.

Fergie laughed, and reaching up tugged Marcus� earlobe gently, �Me,� he mouthed softly, making the dark haired boy turn all his attention to him.

�But�� Marcus muttered softly. �Please?� he ventured.

Laughing Fergie shrugged, �Me.� He repeated, �I�d be lonely if you ran off with her.�

Finally, Tor flipped, slamming his fists on the table, he stood up, glaring at his twin. �Is that all the fuck you care about?� he asked, his accent thicker than ever.

Fergie�s eyes widened, he hadn�t seen this coming. �What?� he muttered softly.

Tor switched into Irish, and yelled something at his brother.

From the teachers table, Art stood up, he could see this was not going to end happily.

Fergie stood up walking out of the room, and the turned to look at his brother, �I�m not discussing this now,� he muttered, before walking out of the doors.

Tor stood up, following him.

�What the hell is your problem?� Fergie asked

�You,� Tor muttered, venom in his words.

Art burst through the doors, expecting to tear the twins apart, instead he simply saw Fergie walking away, hardly glancing over his shoulder as he said,

�Get over yourself, yeah?�

Over the next few days, the atmosphere was cold as ice, as the twins avoided each other, not even silent words passing between them as they�d roughly brush shoulders in the corridor, glares, scowls flashing between them.

Art grinned at the class sat in a circle, and pulled Seiji onto his lap. �Looking forward to PSHE this term?� he asked.

Ally shook his head, he was always scared in lessons taken by Art, probably because they were always terrifying.

�Well kiddies,� Art laughed, �We�ve done the Personal, we�ve done the Social�It�s all education�so I�m afraid the only thing left for us to do is Health, and that�s just teacher speak for sex.�

A few sniggers around the circle, as people imagined various teacher saying �Will you have health with me�� and such things.

�So,� Art continued, oblivious to them, �We have to study sex-ed for at least half a term.� He flicked a button on a remote control at the projector, meaning the whiteboard lit up with one 12 letter word, �Yep� he grinned, �Today we�re doing masturbation or�wanking.�

All the boys sniggered, except Ash, who joined the girls in looking demurely shocked, and blushing slightly.

�Now,� Art grinned at them all, �You are very lucky kids, because I managed to persuade Sir not to come and give a demonstration.� That remark was greeted with horrified shudders from around the room, as everyone tried to rid themselves of horrifying images of Sir with his hand in his pocket.

�However,� Art said, after giving them a moment to be mentally scarred for life, �You are rather unlucky, because,� and this time, it was Art who blushed, �Me being me, I well�� he trailed off, embarrassed, before saying with a rush, �Cause-I-don�t-know-anything-about-girls-and-sex-and-girls-bodies-and-stuff-like-that.� He finished with a relieved sigh. �So I might need some help, although the text books did describe some stuff.�

Seiji laughed softly, leaning back against Art�s shoulder, �You�re hilarious.� He muttered.

�Have you really never had sex with a girl?� Ally asked, astonished, and trying to look disgusted.

Art shrugged, �I�m gay,� he said, gesturing to the boy sat on his lap, �I don�t do girls, never have. Although,� he laughed, �Do you know what the text book said��

�What?� Seiji asked in a dull voice, sure that although Art might find some fact about girls highly interesting, most of the others would be sure to know it.

�It said that some girls can�t�.well�you know,� Art blushed very uncharacteristically, �Can�t come!�

All the guys laughed, knowing that fact full well, and finding it amusing that Art found it so amazing.

Marcus smirked slightly, and whispered something in Fergie�s ear.

Fergie raised his eyebrows, and glanced at the girl across the circle from him, before turning back to Marcus. �Really? He asked, astonished.

Marcus smirked and nodded, laughing softly to himself as Fergie turned and whispered the secret in Ash�s ear.

Not noticing, Art continued. �Right,� he beamed, �I have a question for all you blokes, because,� confusion flitted across his expression for a moment, �I�m not meant to ask the ladies this. So, boys, I ask you to raise your hand if you�ve ever jerked yourself off.�

Laughing, all the boys put their hands in the air, all the boys that is, except Tor, who sat there, smirking smugly.

Art frowned at him, �Are you seriously telling me that you�ve never wanked?�

Tor laughed, �What are twins for?� he asked smugly, making Fergie blush.

Mara, Raven, Nienna and Dee squealed in outraged, �You treat him like a slave!�

Tor turned to Fergie, who shrugged smiling slightly, and unheard words passed between them.

�Right,� Art said, in a slightly scared voice, before going on with the lesson (It�s only natural >< )

After the lesson Tor grabbed Fergie by the wrist. �Talk?� he mouthed.

Fergie nodded, �Now?�

A shrug, which they both understood to mean yes, before they wandered off to a quiet corner of the grounds, sat in the cold underneath a tree, bare of it�s leaves.

�I�m sorry,� Tor blurted out, before Fergie could get a word in edgeways.

Fergie smiled softly, reaching out to Tor, and gently grabbing his shirt, pulling him into his arms. �S�ok,� he muttered, �You don�t need to be sorry.�

�I�ve been an arse.� Tor sighed, relaxing back into his brother, �It�s just�� he trailed off, twisting around to look at Fergie, �Can I explain myself?�

Fergie nodded, �Of course.� He said with a smile.

�I, I�ve only just gotten used to not having to share you with Ruardhri, and to being shared between you and Mara, and then Marcus turns up, and first he steals Mara away from me, and now he�s stolen you.�

�Oh honey,� Fergie squeezed his arms tighter, �It�s not like that�

Tor shrugged, �You haven�t heard Mara, she doesn�t bloody shut up about him, it�s �Marcus says this� and �Marcus thinks that� drives me insane.�

�But,� Fergie said softly, �She�s still with you, which says a hell of a lot about how much she likes you, considering how you treat her.�

Tor stood up, pulling away from his brother, �The hell? Who are you to tell me how to treat my girlfriend?�

Fergie shrugged, knowing it was Tor who was in the wrong and not him. �You�re really harsh to her,� he said softly, �You don�t appreciate her enough. The only way Marcus gets her on his side is by showering her with compliments.�

Tor frowned slightly, �Really?� he sat down softly beside his brother.

Fergie nodded softly and wrapped an arm around Tor�s shoulders, pulling him close.

�I really am a bastard aren�t I?� Tor said with a laugh.

Fergie shrugged, �Probably,� he looked at Tor, and kissed him softly on the cheek, �But I�d guess it�s not your fault, considering role models and all.�

Tor froze, feeling his muscles tense up, �I don�t want to end up like him.� He said softly.

�You wont,� Fergie grinned, leaning into his brother.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Tor finally spoke the thought that was in both of their minds. �Do you think, do you think if Dad got out, he�d come looking for us.�

Fergie sighed, �I wish. He wouldn�t know where to look though, would he?�

Later that night, Fergie knelt beside Marcus� bunk, �Would you mind awfully if I spent the night with him?�

Marcus grinned, and shook his head, �It�s quite kinky really,� he laughed.

Fergie raised his eyebrows, �Somehow I don�t think it will be tonight.�

As the lights were turned out, Fergie climbed silently up the ladder, into Tor�s bed, and wrapped his arms around his twin. �I missed you you know.� He said softly.

Tor nodded, burying his face in Fergie�s shoulder. �Missed you,� he whispered.

Fergie smiled and tighten his grip on his brother, holding him close, and holding him safe.

Now boys and girls, a few people have complained about my story, saying that when we started it was running parallel to us and it no longer is. As I have nothing interesting planned for the next few weeks, let me summarise.

The coldness of winter was beginning to ebb away into spring as February got into it�s full swing. The eternal feud between the upper and lower sixth continued, with the main casualty being Ariadne�s valentines day plans.

�I�ve made a system where the boys can send the girls cards anonymously� she announced in assembly, �And visa versa�.�

Marcus put his hand up, grinning.

�Yes Marcus?� Ariadne simpered.

�What about boys sending boys anonymous cards�or wouldn�t you do that�except,� he grinned slightly, �You wouldn�t know, cause they�d be anonymous.�

All the boys in the lower sixth laughed, at which Ariadne scowled.

A few days before valentines day, Mikey snuck up on Ally in the bathroom when he was brushing his teeth. He walked up behind the blonde boy, and slipping his arms around his naked waist, kissed him softly on the cheek, before locking their eyes in the mirror. �You do me a favour?� he asked softly.

�Anything,� Ally breathed, relishing in the feel of his boyfriends skin against his.

�Valentines night, keep it free,� he muttered, �Say we think valentines is a stupid idea, and we�re having a lads night. Ok?�

Ally grinned soppily, �What are you planning.�

�Secret,� Mikey muttered, teeth gently tugging on Ally�s earlobe. �Big secret.�

Raven and Alex lay in the empty dorm, happily in each other�s arms.

�Where is everyone?� Alex asked softly.

�Having sex mostly,� Raven giggled back, snuggling into him.

Rolling his eyes, Alex pulled her into a tighter hug, �Just you and me being well behaved then?� he said with a grin.

�Hmmm,� Raven pouted slightly, big brown eyes gazing up at him, �Why?�

Alex frowned, reeling back slightly, shocked, �What do you mean?�

�Why don�t we have sex?� Raven asked bluntly.

�Well,� Alex stammered, going red, �I mean, having sex for the first time is rather a big step to take, isn�t it?�

Raven nodded, �I know,� she said sincerely, �But what if I�m ready to take that step?�

Alex blushed even darker, before muttering very quietly, �But what if I�m not?�

Valentine�s Day came, and, for the most part, the day went rather smoothly. For the upper sixth, it was Valentine�s Day that was important, the exchanging of cards, gifts, and roses. For the lower sixth it was valentine�s night.

Tor grinned at his girlfriend, as he led her by the hand up the stairs.

�Where are we going?� Mara asked softly.

Tor grinned at her again, as he unlocked the door to the empty room, leading her inside. He clicked the door shut behind them, before leaning closer and softly kissing her. �You are so beautiful,� he muttered.

Mara�s eyes widened in surprise, �Tor?� she questioned softly.

Tor blushed, and nodded, sitting down on the bed and pulling her onto his lap. �It�s me.� He affirmed, �Can I tell you something?�

Mara nodded, dumbfounded.

�You�re amazing.�

�Uh, um,� Charlie stuttered, as he sat down on the bed, Nienna in his arms, �I really like you, you know,� he stammered.

Nienna grinned, �I know,� she said softly.

�But�well,� He blushed a deep crimson, �It�s just I�ve, well,� he pulled her closer into her lap, letting his lips brush against her neck, �I�ve never really done this before.�

Nienna laughed, pushing him backwards so he landed on the soft covers, �It�s ok, I�m sure you�ll do fine.�

Matt slid his arms around Eagle�s waist, �Hey wonderful,� he said softly.

Eagle felt his heart stop, �I�m never going to get over the fact that you like me.� He grinned.

�Be my valentine,� Matt said softly.

Grinning, eagle turned around to face him, kissing him softly, �Yes please.� He muttered.

Fergie followed, trustingly, as Marcus led him up the narrow spiral staircase. �Where the hell does this lead to?� he asked.

Marcus grinned, �You know the disused bell tower, over the school?� he hinted.

�Fuck,� Fergie laughed, �How did you know how to get to it?�

Marcus shrugged, �You know me, when I can�t sleep I take to wandering around the school.�

Fergie giggled softly as they reached a door at the top of the staircase, �Wanders around in the dark, musical genius, with a penchant for dancers in flimsy nightdresses, you really are the phantom of the opera aren�t you?�

Laughing Marcus pushed the door open, leading Fergie to the top of the bell tower, where he�d made a makeshift bed of blankets.

�Blimey,� Fergie said breathlessly, staring out across the view of the school, and the bright stars in the sky, �And how many girls have you seduced up here?� he joked, his breath curling in a beautiful mist above him.

Marcus blushed slightly, �None.� He grinned at his boyfriend, �Only you.�

Grinning Fergie turned around to face him, �Can I ask a favour?� he said softly.

Marcus nodded, already knowing what Fergie was about to say.

�No sex,� Fergie whispered, slipping his arms around Marcus� waist, �Not tonight.�

Marcus nodded, leaning closer to Fergie, �You�re more important to me than that.�

Grinning, Fergie kissed him, �You�re fairly perfect Marcus, you know that?�

Marcus laughed, and shook his head, �I�m not,� he muttered shaking his head, �After what he did to me�� he repeated Fergie�s words, �I�m tainted.�

�And that,� Fergie leant closer to him, the velvet of his lips gently brushing his ear as he whispered, �Is why you�re perfect to me.�

Art lay on his bed, arms and legs splayed out around him, staring at the ceiling.

Seiji was sat in the corner of Art�s room, absentmindedly twirling a knife between his fingers, staring at his boyfriend.

Art glanced over, raising an eyebrow at Seiji, �You ok?� he asked softly.

Seiji shrugged slightly, before freezing. He looked away from Art, before silently shaking his head.

Art sat up slowly, before swinging his legs off the bed. He padded in his stockinged feet across the wooden floor and slid down the wall, folding himself up to sit beside Seiji. �Wanna talk?� he said softly.

Seiji shook his head, but leant against Art, resting his head against the shoulder of the older man.

Art wrapped his arm around Seiji, pulling him close, �What�s it about Sei?� he asked after a few moments of silence.

Seiji muttered something into Art�s shirt.

Unsure of what he�d said, Art leant away to look at Seiji. It had sounded like a hiss, and he knew Seiji was a bit weird about snakes. �What?� he questioned.

�Seth,� Seiji said simply, his eyes filling with tears. He stood up silently, pocketing the knife that had been resting idly in his fingers. �I�m going outside� he said softly, and Art� who had heard Seiji mention Seth occasionally before, knew better than to argue. He merely waited until Seiji was out of the room, before standing up and wandering over to the window.

As he gazed out of the window, over the school grounds, Art saw Seiji walk out of the boarding house, and across to the orchards. From that distance he couldn�t see clearly what his boyfriend was doing, but he knew Seiji well enough to guess, and he saw the brief glint of moonlight on the knife blade. So he stood there, gazing out the window at the love of his life, knowing in the depths of his heart that it wasn�t really him Seiji loved, but hoping in his most secret desires, that maybe some day he would.

�I love valentines day,� Toni glanced across Mikey, �It�s so much,� she paused for what she thought was sensual effect �fun.�

Unfortunately for her, Mikey had his sights set on better plans. �I�m fed up of all this lovey dovey ness,� he sighed, glancing across at Ally, �Come on Allybear, let�s get out of here.�

�I fancy getting drunk,� Ally said with a grin,

�Come on then,� Mikey laughed, struggling not to hold out a hand to Ally.

Once they were outside the dorm, Ally glanced across at Mikey, �Where are we going?� he asked.

Mikey grinned, and this time did take Ally by the hand, �Come on Bear,� he said softly, �I�ve got a surprise.�

Once they were safely outside the boarding house, Mikey reached into his pocket and took out his crumpled school tie. �Put this on,� he grinned.

Ally frowned, �Why do you want me wearing a tie?� he asked, slightly suspicious.

Laughing, Mikey lifted the tie to cover Ally�s eyes, �As a blindfold silly,� he grinned, before tying it at the back of his boyfriends head, placing a kiss on his cheek. �I�ve got a surprise for you.�

�I�m gonna trip up,� Ally laughed, grabbing onto Mike for support.

Mikey grinned, taking him by the hand, �It�s ok honey,� he laughed, �I�ll keep you safe.�

Blindfolded, Ally stumbled around the school grounds, not having a clue where he was going, not trying to keep his sense of direction, knowing Mikey would deliberately try to confuse him, just happy in the feeling of Mikey�s hand against his back, his other hand clasping one of Ally�s, and his voice in his ear.

�Ok now baby,� Mikey�s voice whispered close to his boyfriends ear, so his breath warmed him, �There�s a ladder to climb now.�

Ally instantly tensed up, �You want me to climb a ladder blindfolded?� he asked shocked, �What kind of surprise is this?�

�Shh,� Mikey whispered wrapping both arms tightly around Ally, �It�s ok, I�m here, right behind you, and I won�t let you fall. You trust me don�t you?� he placed a gentle kiss on the back of Ally�s neck.

Ally nodded quietly, and reached forward to find the rungs with his hands. Blindly he found the first rung with his foot and stepped onto it. Hesitantly, he reached a foot up to the next rung, smiling slightly as he felt Mikey step onto the first rung behind him, so close to him, holding him safe.

When they eventually reached the top of the ladder, Mikey put a hand on top of Ally�s head, �You have to duck now baby,� he whispered.

Obediently Ally ducked and let Mike push him through the small square opening in the side of the wall. Sitting down, he smiled as Mikey�s hands reached up to take the makeshift blindfold off him.

Ally stared around him, they were in the hayloft above the stables, but Mikey had transformed. Sheets had been stolen off the beds to make into a makeshift bed in the straw. He�d managed to find some beer from somewhere, and cake.

�Like it?� Mikey asked softly, eyes shining hopefully.

�Dear Lord Mike,� Ally grinned, �It�s perfect,� he crawled forward on his hands and knees and softly kissed his boyfriend on the lips. �Thank you.�

Mikey shrugged, grinning as he said, �I thought we needed a place we could be on our own without being found.�

Ally grinned back at him, nodding. ��s cold though,� he whispered.

Mikey reached forward and grabbed him, pulling him close, sliding one hand up his shirt, �I think we can find some way of keeping warm.�

Ally blushed, and twisted around to kiss Mikey, slipping his tongue between his teeth.

�Hey Ally,� Mikey mumbled, pulling away from the kiss, �Be my valentine?�