Aftertheblood - 6. Chapter 6

"That's Bahamut, my bearded dragon," Shaun explained, "Want something to drink?"

"No I'm good." Jake said as he sat on the couch and buried his head.

Shaun came back with a Pepsi for himself.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Am I gonna change at every full moon or something?"

"No, that's just a myth. You control when you change, though you can lose control under stress."

"You're a shaman, can't you just cast a spell to lift this curse or something?"

"Jake, this ain't some rerun of Charmed. There's no curse to lift. You have the soul of a wolf and shapeshifting is part of your being. Werewolves are nature's own line of defense against dark forces, or something like that. It's something you have to learn to conrtol. The other werewolves can explain better than I can, though."

"What if I don't want to be a fucking werewolf?"

"It's not something you get to choose. The same way you don't choose to be gay. If you try to hide who you are, it'll just come out on its own and be an even bigger disaster."

"I know but...wait how'd you know I'm gay?"

"Because I'm not retarded. Don't take that as an insult though. Guys who break their necks to be 'straight-acting' get on my nerves. Being straight or gay really has nothing to do with masculine or feminine. Just be you."

Jake sighed, "Tell that to people in Bedford. When my parents found out six months ago, they freaked. Took every electronic I had, made me go to mass everyday, and we got into these huge screaming matches at least once a week. I got so frustrated that I confided in who I thought was my best friend. And of course she ran her mouth. Within a week, the whole school knew and it just went to hell from there. And a couple weeks later is when I got jumped. God, I don't even know what today is."

"Thursday," Shaun answered, "I figure we can talk to the lupines this weekend."

"Thursday?! It's been TWO days already?! Fuck..."

"Jake, relax. We can't change what happened. But I can promise you that my friends can help you with your powers. And as long as you're under my roof, you don't have to feel vulnerable or persecuted or alone anymore."

They made eye contact, and for the first time, Jake got a good look at Shaun. He had a lean build, with caramel skin, short black hair, and his light brown eyes had a penetrating stare, as if Shaun could see into someone's soul (he probably could). His arms were scarred in a couple places, but a second glance showed that the scars were stylized like tattoos. Jake normally didn't go for black men, but Shaun was gorgeous, and not like any guy he had known. Could Jake possibly trust him, though?

"Oh shit, today is Thursday," Shaun said and looked at Bahamut. "I have to feed him," he went over to the lizard enclosure and got a box out from underneath. Then he asked Jake, "Are you hungry by the way? You probably haven't eaten since Tuesday."

"What's for dinner, crickets?"

Shaun laughed and said, "Help yourself to whatever's in the freezer; I'm a horrible cook."

Jake went into the kitchen and dug through Shaun's freezer, looking at the various Hot Pockets and tv dinners, and came across a frost-covered bag of boneless chicken breasts 3 days from expiring. He then got an idea and went through the rest of Shaun's cupboards.

"You know," Jake said, "I'm a pretty decent cook."

"Oh really?" Shaun replied from the living room.

"Yeah. And you've got all the ingredients for a caserole and this chicken is just going to waste anyway."

"OK, hook it up if you think it'll help you take your mind off things."

*************

"This is good," Shaun said as they ate dinner.

"Thanks, I did learn a few things from my mom when she wasn't being a Catholic psychobitch." Jake said.

"How old are you, anyway?" Shaun asked.

"Seventeen. I turn eighteen at the end of June. You?"

"Nineteen. I turn twenty in October."

"Really? And you've got a place like this?" Jake was impressed.

"I took post-secondary classes in high school," Shaun explained, "Got my Associate's from *Tri-C back in December. Now I do web design for the Free Times and they pay ok."

(*that's Cuyahoga Community College for you non-Clevelanders.)

"Cool."

"Yeah. If you wanna go to college but end up having to pay your way, Tri-C's the way to go. When you graduate, they give you a voucher for a public university if you wanna go for your Bachelor's."

"Not a bad idea. I'll probably have to do that if my parents keep being assholes. I do wanna go for geology."

Shaun laughed, "Well if all you wanna do is talk to rocks, just ask 'em. You'll be surprised what they've got to say..."

They shot the breeze for awhile, and were more hungry than they realized since they finished the entire casserole.

"That was really good, Jake," Shaun said, "Since moving here and my grandmother's passing, it's not everyday that I get to eat something that ain't ninety percent silicone."

"Were you two close?"

"She's the one who taught me magick since I was eight. She passed shortly after I graduated Tri-C."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's ok," Shaun said as he got up and gathered the dishes, "I'll go ahead put these in the dishwasher."

As Shaun rinsed off the plates, Jake walked into the kitchen and stood a ways back. He so badly wanted to touch Shaun (and then some), but didn't know how it would come across to even propose such a thing. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate his only chance at getting his life on track...wherever that track is now heading. He stood closer, still unsure of himself. A million voices were going off in his head. Most of him was afraid to make a move, yet part of him wanted it more than anything.

Shaun turned off the faucet and stood over the sink for a second, then turned around and looked at Jake. The two young men said nothing for few moments and could not look in each other's eyes. Jake quickly turned away but Shaun stopped him.

"Jake, you'll be ok," he said, trying his best to sound reassuring. They hugged tightly, which lead to a kiss, which grew more passionate until they were making out against the refrigerator; Jake could feel the stubble on Shaun's chin and upper lip, and put his arms beneath Shaun's shirt to feel more of his skin. They made their way to Shaun's bedroom and threw off each others clothes and got in bed.

Their lips stayed locked as Shaun pressed his 6'4 frame against Jake, then Shaun planted kisses on Jake's neck and made his way down to his right nipple, where he worked his tongue, sending shudders through the young man's body. Jake got on top after awhile and straddled Shaun's cock. He carressed the shaman's chest and could feel more of those tribal scar-tattoos. Must have something to do with his magick. Shaun writhed as Jake traced his fingertips down his six pack; it tickled but felt good. Then Jake went down on him. His cock was larger than what Jake was used to, but not monstrous.

Speaking of which, if this is what comes with the territory of being a "monster," Jake thought, he hoped he'd never be normal again.

************

"That wasn't your first time, was it?" Shaun asked after taking a drag off his cigarette.

"Nah, I've been hooking up with guys since I was 15," Jake replied.

"You didn't waste time, did you?"

Jake laughed a little, then felt Shaun's chest. "What do these tattoos mean?"

"Each one contains a spirit and has a specific power," Shaun explained, then pointed to one that looked like a turtle, "This one's for protection, for instance, and I use it to throw up shields."

"Didn't it hurt?"

"That's the point. You're asking the spirits to semi-permanently bind themselves to you; it's gonna take a lot to impress them."

Jake shook his head, "All this still seems so unreal. What's gonna happen tomorrow?"

Shaun took one last drag off his cigarette and put it out. "Nothing," he replied, "You need a break after this week. On Saturday we'll meet with the other werewolves."

"But...what about my parents? I'll have to go back to them at some point and go back to school too. And then that paladin guy is still out there and--"

"Jake, it'll be all right. We've dealt with the paladins before. As for your parents and school..." Shaun sighed, "I don't know. I never dealt with a situation like this before. I just know that I won't let anything happen to you."

They kissed again and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms, with their minds still racing on the uncertainty of the near future.