Early Discoveries

9: Not Even If I Ask Nicely?

Dec yawned, beginning to feel very weary. He stood up and started to clear the table. He filled the sink with hot water to do the dishes, Ant following his lead to help. Anne made to get up, but she was firmly told to stay where she was as the two boys worked to clear the dinner things. Dec came out with oven gloves to remove the cooking rack for cleaning. It was still radiating heat, the embers glowing red through the grey, ashed surface of the charcoal, and Dec accidentally brushed his arm against the hot upper edge of the barbecue. His yell of pain brought Ant sprinting out from the house. There was a straight burn across his forearm, angry and red against the surrounding white skin. Ant acted immediately, remembering the films on first aid that he had sat through at school, and propelled Dec into the house, holding his arm under the sink as he ran cold water over the mark. Anne went to fetch something soothing for the burn, but came back without what she was looking for and instead she had a rolled bandage in her hands.

"That's strange - have you seen the pot of Vaseline, Dec? I could have sworn there was some in the bathroom the other day."

Dec felt Ant's amused reaction through the shaking arms around him. "It's okay mam, don't bother. I don't need anything on it, honest." He gave Ant a gentle jab in the stomach with his elbow.

"You have to exclude the air from a burn. The Vaseline would have been ideal, but let me cover it with this instead, son. You don't want it to scar." Anne seemed insistent, and Dec allowed her to pat him dry and apply the bandage, which was three times bigger than was strictly necessary, Ant holding up his arm from behind.

"Thanks, mam. That feels fine. God, I'm stupid."

"No you're not, for goodness sake. Accidents like that happen when you are tired – go on, I'll finish up here. Go to bed, sweetheart."

Dec nodded. He kissed his mother goodnight and went off to get ready for bed. Ant threw a bucket of water over the still glowing barbecue and retrieved the furniture from the yard before giving Anne a one-armed hug and following Dec to their room.

"Hey, are you ready?" Ant's breathy question sent shivers down Dec's spine as he sat in the darkened room. Ant switched on the light.

"I'm ready." Dec was perched on the edge of the bed, naked except for the strip of white gauze around his arm, making it look as if somebody had made a half-hearted attempt at gift wrapping him. Ant shut the door quietly. He approached the bed, and looked down at the pale, almost frightened face in front of him. He undid the cord on his shorts and pushed the fabric over his angular hips, down his legs and over his feet, his hand held coyly in front of himself. Dec brushed Ant's hand aside and pulled him towards him, arms wrapped tightly around his hips, nuzzling into his growing erection. Ant's hands roamed over Dec's head and shoulders, rubbing lightly at skin and pulling at his hair, until he remembered that bite on his lover's neck. Pushing the sandy brown hair aside, Ant sought out the mark, and rubbed it hard with the ball of his thumb. Dec sighed, cock immediately rock hard in reaction to the pressure on his throat.

"You really like that, don't you? You like that pain..."

"I love it. That's your mark on me, proof that you own me."

"I don't own you, Declan. Nobody could own you."

"You do. Completely. Bite it some more, Ant. I don't want it to fade." Ant dropped to his knees and buried his head into Dec's neck, worrying at the bruise with his teeth. Dec tipped his head to one side, his breathing becoming laboured as he endured and enjoyed the discomfort. Ant stopped before he broke the surface of the skin, licking and sucking gently at the mark, then sitting back on his heels to admire his work.

"There. How's that?"

"Let me see it." Dec stood up and walked over to the mirror above the desk. He lifted his hair and turned his head so that he could inspect the purple blotch just high enough to be covered by his hair. "It's beautiful." He poked at it with his finger, flinching slightly then smiling with satisfaction. Ant came to look over Dec's shoulder, placing his hands on the desk top either side of his lover. "Every time I think of you, I'm going to rub it." Dec twisted round, leaning back against the desk to face Ant. "The bite, I mean..." His voice was full of innuendo, his eyes twinkling. Ant laughed softly at him. Standing as close as they were, their erections were rubbing up against each other and crying out for attention.