Don't Shout - 9. Chapter 9

Cole drove Jared home on Sunday, after lunch, after chores and riding. Jared was a fast learner, and having watch Cole skip out the stables once he was the first to grab a fork and get to work. Cole loved watching Jared work, that tight compact little body moved so neatly and every time Jared caught him looking he smiled. Cole had to fight the urge to repeat their night time activities in the empty stables. He tossed hay down from the loft, got new shavings for all the stalls and checked on all the tack. The livery owners had been by to work their horses, so the tack room was in a bit of a state, and by the time he’d got that sorted Jared had made the dinners for later and stacked them on the food bins. Cole rode Dune in bareback from the field using the dually halter as a bridle and lifted Jared up to sit in his lap. Dune snickered at them, but didn’t seem to mind, and the three went for a gentle walk around the lake.

The whole way into town Cole kept his arm around his boyfriend, god it was good to say that as often as possible, and Jared kept him entertained and distracted, tickling him with soft fingers running up the sides of his new t shirt. Cole hated to let him go. Shelby was waiting for them in the driveway, and Cole managed to resist the temptation to bump her with the truck, just a tiny bit.

‘Hey Shelby,’ Cole spoke and signed as he got out of the truck, using the shapes that Jared had shown him which made his sister’s name, “How are you?”

“Jees Cole,” Shelby gestured to his neck where the collar of his new t shirt did nothing to hide the purple red marks on his skin, “You get in a fight with a tiger or something?”

‘Mean.’ Jared signed, coming around the side of the truck, ‘Be nice to my boyfriend Shelby.’

‘Fine.’ Shelby turned to go back into the house and Cole grabbed Jared as he got all his assorted shopping bags out of the flat bed of the truck.

Jared kissed him and Cole wrapped a hand around his waist, pulling the smaller boy to him.

‘Don’t go.’

Jared smiled and touched his chin before he replied.

‘I’m not living in your truck. See you tomorrow.’

Cole sang all the way home.

*

Afterwards Cole told himself that he should have known that something would go wrong, his life was just too damn perfect. He’d spent half the afternoon texting Jared back and forth, the other half chatting to Wilton, who was happy for him, but didn’t need to know any of the details. They talked about plans for the land management course fundraiser; Wilton had four bands lined up as of Saturday, including his own. Cole was pleased with his idea. Would Jared want to go to the gig with him? Would there be any point? God if he’s a better dancer than you, you’ll never live it down. Cole smirked at himself, and went back to his chores.

Monday morning his parked the Hilux in its usual spot and rocked up indoors to find Wilton with his guitar slung over his shoulder.

“Dude!”

“Hey Wil,” Cole suddenly became aware of the worry in his friend’s eyes, “What happened?”

“You’re going to need to come with me.” Wilton gestured to him with one hand and turned towards the main common room. Cole’s first thought was that someone had been murdered, but the messy red paint spelt words around the walls.

COLE SATHIE IS FUCKING A FAGGOT

Cole felt his fist at his side and tuned out of Wilton’s desperate voice. No one, but no one got away with calling him something like that. Cole turned on one booted heel and strode back towards his truck. The sight which greeted him was less than pleasant. Jake Patterson and a bunch of the guys from the land management course were spray painting what looked to be slogans on the same thing over his truck. His fucking truck. Any hint of rational sanity Cole had remaining fled and Jake managed to get off the beginning of a sentence Cole couldn’t hear for the blood pounding in his ears before he hauled off and hit him with all the strength he had.

Cole Sathie had learnt to fight against men who were bigger and stronger than he was, so he knew not to concede any ground. All of that not kicking a man when he was down stuff was utter crap, and Cole pounded Jake with both fists even as he fell, the punishment unrelenting. When Jake stopped trying to defend himself Cole stopped and spat on the bloodied and broken shape at his feet.

“Faggot I might be,” his voice was low and tight and made both Jake, his cronies and Wilton all flinch, “But at least I’m more of a man than you are. Stupid fucker.” Cole became generally aware of the crowd that was watching him in the way that gazelle track the motions of a lion, “Fuck off the lot of you.” He turned to the three guys from his course who stood slack jawed with paint cans in their hands, “I’m going to get my boyfriend a coffee, when I get back my truck better be fucking clean or I’ll take it out of your fucking skin.” With that he stormed back off towards the cafeteria.

Jared was standing with his twin, staring at then walls of the common room while Shelby tried to drag him away. Cole walked up behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him away.

‘Missed you.’

‘Cole! What is happening? Who did this?’

“Doesn’t matter,” Cole couldn’t be bothered to find the signs to express himself, “Come get coffee with me.”

“Cole,” Cole ignored Shelby’s call, “Cole!” He stopped when realised that Jared’s hands were on his shoulders, pushing him back, “Cole you’re bleeding!”

Cole rubbed his jaw and found that his fingers came away red where he touched his lips. Funny, he hadn’t really noticed Jake get a hit in. Cole sucked on his lip, cleaned off the blood with his tongue, swallowed and grinned at his boyfriend. Jared didn’t look so happy, but he reached up to stroke his jaw with a soft skinned hand and Cole found himself kissing the short boy full on the mouth, hands twining and winding around him, into his jacket and clothes. When he pulled back Jared’s full lips were smudged with red.

“Come on.”

*

Jared sat in the curve of his boyfriend’s arm, nestled against a torso that thrummed with energy and pent up rage, and sipped at his hot chocolate. Cole’s lip had stopped bleeding, though his first sip of coffee had him swearing and shaking as the heat burnt and cauterized the new wound. Jared didn’t pay attention to the conversation that Cole, Wilton and Shelby were having, though both his twin and Cole signed for his benefit. Jared couldn’t shake what he’d read in the common room from his mind.

…fucking a faggot.

Just that part was him. The whole thing was obviously meant for Cole, to piss him off, to slight him, to out him in front of his peers. Jared had been out from pretty much the first moment he’d realised that liking boys was who he was, but it rankled in more ways than one simply to be acknowledged at the boy someone else was seeing. No, not seeing: fucking. And according to however wrote the slogan, he was a boy, he was a faggot. As though being gay defined him. It made Jared angry. But more than angry, Jared was worried. Cole had hit someone, probably more than once by the way he was flexing his knuckles, as though they were sore, without really noticing. Cole seemed to be making a habit of hitting people over him. Jared couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or not.

Snuggled against Cole, even feeling his heart thudding with anger, Jared was certain that Cole could never hurt him, would never hit him. And Jared’s blood pulsed in his ears when he thought of those words. If he’d had enough strength to have half a hope of doing any damage, he’d have probably hit someone too. His real worry was what was going to happen next. Would however had written those terrible words get kicked out? Would Cole get in trouble for fighting? Would he spend all his time looking over his shoulder in case the sight of them together offended anyone? The questions made his head spin, and Jared burrowed further into Cole’s side, feeling the work rough hand moving over his ribs, petting him, a kiss against his hair super soft.

Then Jared saw the approaching figures, adults, one from the office of the college, the other a big rough man who he could only assume had something to do with Cole’s course. Jared’s fingers fisted in the material of Cole’s shirt. He pointed.

‘Cole!’

Cole arm went tighter about him and he sat up, chest thrumming as the men approached. Jared watched, feeling Cole’s words rather than seeing them, keeping his eyes trained to read the lip patterns of the men from the college.

“Cole Sathie?”

“Yeah.”

“You need to come with us,” the suited man spoke in harsh clipped words, “We have called your house. Your father is on his way here.”

“Well then,” Cole moved a hand to stroke Jared’s spiky hair, and Jared practically purred against him, “I suppose we’d better talk about what you’re going to do about Jake Patterson and his friends. My truck better be clean.”

“You’re lucky if he doesn’t press charges you little shit,” this was the big burly man who looked like he could lift a house, “At least he had the right idea about you!”

“Now Mr Dunlop…” the suited man began.

“Oh no, you’re off this course, and out of this college if I get my way. I’m not teaching some filthy little cocksucker. Beating up Jake will get you kicked out for sure.”

Cole stood, unreeling his lanky impressive form, and Jared turned to watch him smile in a languid cock-sure way. The confidence in Cole when he was in his element. He shrugged.

“As well hanged for a sheep as a lamb,” Jared was still pondering what he meant when Cole fixed his lecturer with a neat tight blow to the sternum. He hauled Jared to his feet and kissed him like he owned him. Jared understood the implications and kissed Cole back like a drug while the lecturer coughed and spluttered and turned beetroot purple with indignant outrage. Cole grinned like a madman, winked at Jared and walked out of the cafeteria. Jared turned to find Wilton in stitches, Shelby looked aghast.

‘I picked a good one huh?’ Jared knew he was smiling like an idiot, but hell he was proud of his boyfriend.

‘If he’s that strong, no wonder he can put up with you little brother.’ Shelby got up and turned to Cole’s ex-lecturer, “Shit head.” She said accusingly and sauntered out swinging her hips. Wilton stared.

“You’re sister sure is something huh?”

Jared didn’t reply, sort of couldn’t, so he wandered outside to where Cole was sitting in the back of his truck, the tail gate down, cowboy boots dangling in the cool air.

‘Babe.’

‘You’ve been practising.’ Jared replied, ‘You hit your tutor.’

‘He was a,’ Cole didn’t know the word, so he said “Bigot” and signed the internationally recognised symbol for ‘dick head.’

‘True,’ He pulled out his tablet and wrote something for Cole.

What did that mean about sheep and lambs?

Cole grinned and heaved his boyfriend up into the bed of the truck.

It means if I’m going to get kicked out, I may as well do it properly and piss off everyone.

What if they call the police?

They won’t. Harassment of a gay pupil? The newspapers would have a field day. Still might. Cole broke their conversation to point. ‘Father.’ He signed and Jared looked up to see the head of Sathie clan pull up in a truck even bigger than Cole’s, blue and white and four feet off the ground.

William Sathie strode towards them from the Chevy Blazer with a wave. His eyes were dark with worry, his brow furrowed. Cole half hugged his bear of a father.

“What happened?” William spoke deliberately clearly, focusing on Jared, not on his son.

Cole explained in sentences as short and lacking emotion as possible. When he got to the part where his name has been scrawled on the wall Jared saw William’s fists bunch at his sides. Hot blood ran in the family. William listened to the rest with an ever increasing level of anger in his eyes. When Cole finished he practically roared.

“Kick you out? Oh hell no. Not when they’re going to let this happen to my family.”

“Dad!” Cole signed the words he knew as he spoke, it was like he was doing it automatically and Jared took the time to feel proud for that too, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need the course. I learnt everything off you anyway.”

Jared tugged on Cole’s arm.

If you go then they’ll win.

‘No they won’t,’ Cole kissed him and Jared felt himself blush, kissing his boyfriend in front of his father, ‘They can’t win. I’m stronger than they are and they know it.’ He ran out of BSL signs then, “The piece of paper is a formality no one will ever care about. I’ve already proved myself ten times over. Some of kids wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it rose up and hit them in the face.”

“They know when you hit them in the face,” Jared turned as Cole tensed to see one of Jake’s cronies, a guy from Cole’s course. As both of the Sathie men started towards him he held up both hands in a gesture of peace, “Dude please. I like my nose the way it is. I can’t believe that I trusted Jake when he said you were a pussy- sorry!” the teenager was obviously trying to make himself as small as possible, hunched over and trying not to look threatening, “I just wanted to say I’m sorry about your truck. We cleaned it off. It was a stupid thing to do.”

Jared tapped Cole’s shoulder with one hand and held out the tablet. Cole read what he has written and smirked, then turned back to the boy.

“I’ll paraphrase for my boyfriend. He’s much nicer than I am.” Cole cracked his knuckles, Jared felt the vibration through his arm, “You better be nothing but deliberately lovely to every gay kid you ever meet for the rest of your life. I hear otherwise, and I’ll fold you five ways and leave you for a cat toy. Tell the others and fuck off outta my sight.” He turned his back on the petrified retreating figure and smiled at Jared.

“Did I do good babe?”

*

The ‘meeting’ such as it ended up being, took four minutes tops. William Sathie managed not to shout and Cole kept his cool as he signed his papers, removing himself from the college’s student role. Cole called his tutor and the administration every name he could think of in his head and his father promised in a tone that brooked no argument that if they tried to blacken his son’s name in any way that local media would be the least of their problems.

Cole left college head held high and grinned at the gasps and whoops when Jared kissed him out front of the main building in a manner that wouldn’t have gotten into a fifteen-plus movie. Jared still had classes though, so it was with a slightly sad smile that Cole left his best friend and his boyfriend to continue education without him. Not quite five months shy of graduating Cole didn’t care, and roared the truck out of the car park with all the windows down and the stereo blasting good old fashioned country.

Cole and his father wasted no time in working out what Cole was going to do with his time now and by the time they reached Black Rock farm there was an advert lodged with a couple of parish magazines for the three spare livery stables and Cole had gotten a job three farms over exercising, grooming and mucking out for a team of four show shires who entered ploughing matches all over the country. Cole could see his future stretching ahead of him, and it was horse shaped and good.

*

At five o’clock Jared stood with his sister, Wilton, Dina and a gaggle of Cole’s random friends and former classmates in the truck’s now empty parking space. It had been a weird day, with classes starting late and a weird sense of unwelcome tension throughout the day. The common room had been sectioned off because of the graffiti, and the corridors and the space under the stairs that they usually occupied had been full. The roaring of the truck heralded Cole’s arrival.

He pulled up, thrumming the engine and got out of the Hilux looking every inch the dude rancher. Dust streaked his jeans, there were bits of hay on his shirt and his hair had begun to curl where it poked out from under his Stetson. From head to boots he shone with hard work and beamed when he saw Jared. The brunette didn’t care about the stares, the unhappy anger coming from the college staff who stood in the entrance to the building ‘just in case’ Cole tried something, and ran to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms tight around his waist with a happy half noise.

‘Hey babe,’ Cole signed even though his hands were tired, ‘How was your day?’

‘Lonely.’ Jared swirled one finger around in the air, ‘I missed you.’

‘And now?’ Jared asked.

Cole curled in the two middle fingers on each hand and tapped the first and last fingers with their opposing digits. Then he drew a question mark in the air.

‘Sex?’

Jared rolled his eyes, of course Cole knew that word. He grinned and kissed the man who held him tight, feeling the vibrations of Cole’s voice running through his body.

He nodded.

*

Winter wore finally and inexorably towards spring, and Cole found himself busier than ever. Two little pale grey ponies had joined them in the livery stables, on full livery, and their twin owners were paying him for riding lessons every Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon. Cole enjoyed teaching, and the twin girls with their matched horses were easy to work with, attentive and listened well. It made him remember learning himself, so many years ago, and how happy it had made him when he got it right. Dune went from being a sturdy hack horse to school master quicker than Cole did and Carla joked that teaching riding was just about the only thing Cole did better than just riding outright.

Working the shire’s three times a week paid well and Cole kept his Saturday afternoons free for BSL classes and dates with his boyfriend. Jared spent every spare minute he had with Cole, knowing how hard it was for the blond young man to come and hang out for long periods of time in town when there were things to do on the farm. Cole became second in command at Black Rock as summer began to blossom, the sheep happy with their grass munching lambs, and Cole’s dedication allowed his parents their first real holiday in nearly a decade. Jared began to revise for his exams and Cole fretted about what the future held. Jared smiled and signed that he’d only ever applied to the local Universities in Brighton anyhow. For all his literary prowess Jared wanted to be an editor, he’d spent so much of his time correcting other people anyway.

The land management gig was a flop, all the bands who were friends with Wilton pulled out after what happened to Cole, and Jared found himself with a whole new set of eager friends who were deeply into noises he couldn’t hear but totally fascinated by the shapes he drew in the air when he signed. Cole started teaching Jared to ride too, and it was as they were lying in bed after Jared successfully managed to canter Dune around the sand school that Cole decided to ask him a question that had played on his mind.

The following day would be the last day of term, the last day that Cole would ride Jared into college and pick him up. They would go for drinks with their friends. There would be cider and jokes and Cole would translate as best he could. And then he would have to take Jared back home. The only thing Cole hated about his relationship was taking his boyfriend home. Cole felt out of place in the Parker family home. He was too tall, the house was too poky, there was no space and Cole felt squeezed. And more than that, he hated to sleep without Jared wrapped around him.

Jared was lying in bed playing with his tablet computer. Something with fruit and ninja’s in it. Cole lay with his head pillowed on his curled up arm, and watched his boyfriend’s face, lit by the blue tinted glow of technology. Jared’s jaw was peppered with hard stubble, his hair fluffy and soft in contrast, the gel washed out, and Cole felt his heart punching about in his chest. He’d almost, almost, gotten used to that feeling, half like he was going to faint, half like he could run forever, whenever he was with Jared. After numerous dates and nights spent wrapped around each other like cats Cole doubted that the feeling was ever going to fade away. He traced patterns through the trail of dark hair that ran from a diamond at Jared’s sternum down his abdomen and below the sheet. Eventually he tapped gently on the muscle of Jared’s heart and began to kiss a line a line along his throat.

Jared tasted like pine and fresh apple and man, sweat from riding and working in the stables. It would be hay season soon and Cole couldn’t wait to see Jared with his shirt stripped off in the fields, gloves and jeans and boots, sweat matting his hair to his body. His cock stirred from a last half mast to full attention at the thought and Cole kissed him with greater purpose, switching to kneel and work his way down his boyfriend’s body. Jared hissed and sucked in his non-existent stomach and Cole responded by sinking his teeth into the recently defined muscles of Jared’s abs. Working outside whever they were together had given Jared muscles which had been hiding before, and while he was still bookish, thin, with a paleness that Cole was certain would never change, he was much stronger physically than he had been when they had first met.

Jared wrapped a hand in Cole’s blond waves and Cole sighed in satisfaction of a job well done as he heard the tablet hit the mattress, having distracted Jared fully from his game. Cole shifted the sheets out of the way and stared lovingly at his boyfriend’s cock, arguably his favourite part of the shorter teenager’s body, inches away from his face. From being totally experienceless, Cole had dived into learning about sex with the same enthusiasm he gave to his sign language lessons. Jared was a good teacher, and by now Cole knew just how to make his beloved wriggle and squirm and make those sharp high pitched noises and low groans which meant he was doing well.

Cole wrapped his hand around the base of Jared’s shaft and rubbed his thumb against the velvet soft skin of the underside just below the curve of the head. He kissed the very tip of Jared’s cock, felt his breath hitch in his chest and began the long slow slide of lips and tongue down towards his crotch. Jared gasped and growled, one hand tight in the back of Cole’s hair, trying to buck up towards the source of that pleasure. Cole laid a big hand, rough with callous, on his boyfriend’s abdomen and held him down against the bed. Jared gnashed his teeth and tossed his head and Cole grinned as he continued his ministrations. Jared was a tactile person and Cole hummed as he continued, knowing from experience that the vibrations of his throat combined with everything else always pushed Jared close to the edge. When the hands in his hair tightened to the point where Cole wasn’t sure if he would have any hair left he pulled back and grinned in a predatory self-satisfied manner.

He was flat on his back on the floor half a breath later, Jared nearly snarling on top of him and Cole smiled before he found his jaw open, mouth ravaged by Jared’s fire hot tongue. Cole had needed to look up what ‘versatile’ meant when it came to gay men and sex but he’d been sort of scared and sort of delighted to try out everything that Jared had done to him and more. Now they boys struggled briefly to determine which of them would top and Cole managed to win by sheer virtue of being bigger and stronger and being able to grab Jared’s arse with both hands while Jared was distracted by finding lube. Getting tested had been weird but worth it and Cole stole the lubricant from his boyfriend and pushed slick fingers into Jared’s perfect tight sheath with a sigh. Jared made a high keening noise and then settled down to panting on Cole’s ear.

Cole played with him, stretching, twisting and teasing at his opening until the hands that gripped his shoulders were shaking and sweaty. Cole rubbed the rest of the lube onto his own erection and gasped when Jared took not a second’s hesitation, plunging himself down onto his boyfriend’s throbbing cock. Cole snarled, the heat and tightness enveloping his every sense until he could barely see. Fucking Jared was exceptional and as the boy began to pull up from him he hissed, his hands wrapped around those slim hips to pull him back down. Together the pair bucked and rocked like a well-oiled machine, stroking each other to greater and greater pleasures; fingers caressing every inch of skin, Cole’s hardness pressing deep into the bundle of nerves that made Jared whine and fail to form any sort of coherent hand shapes whatsoever. They fucked with abandon, not caring for the noises they made, kissing whenever lips were close enough, moving together like two pieces of the same creation. Cole felt his orgasm go off like a depth charge, blowing part of his mind away as he thrust hard and fast into his boyfriend. Jared’s own orgasm squeezed at him as the brunette came in sticky white ropes across his chest.

Jared lay panting against him and Cole stroked his skull, eliciting an unconsciously happy noise. Finally remembering what he wanted to say to his boyfriend Cole tapped him until he sat up, coming away sticky with the remains of his orgasm. Jared made a face.

‘Babe?’

‘Yes?’

Cole pointed to his boyfriend (you), then made the shapes to two fingers moving away from each other (moving), he drew the shape of a building in the air like a child (house), and then pointed at himself (me). Finally there was a question mark in the air.

‘You want me to live with you?’ Jared clarified, his hand signs uncharacteristically slow.

‘Yes please.’ Cole nodded, smiled, and hoped that the fact that his still hard cock took that moment to nudge inside his boyfriend would work in his favour.

Jared leant down and kissed him, and he tasted amazing.

‘We’ll need to buy a bigger bed.’ Jared smiled when he signed and Cole delighted in running his down his boyfriend’s body before he answered.

‘I’ll build you a whole house babe. I love you.’

Jared made the shape of a heart with both his hands and Cole shifted inside him. They decided to start their new future by having sex, several times.