Like Kings Chapter 1 "Anything you Want"

Fall was just starting to settle in for the long, cold, and damp slumber of winter on the day that Jake asked to sleep with Drew. Darkness had already started to fill the trees, shadows were filling, joining, reaching far from the forest that cast them, into the motel were the boys were staying.

The shadows made everything seem dark, indistinct, as if the whole world was being looked at through a filter. Despite the darkness on the ground, the sky was still bright and glorious. The clouds still rolled along, passing overhead, oblivious to the darkening world below, like Ivory kings riding the cerulean carriage of the sky.

Jake and Drew were also like kings, secure in their positions, touchable by none. Both were on the varsity soccer team, the only team the High school gave a damn about, after the hope crushing loss of the star quarterback to injury. It was unknown how exactly he was injured, at least to Jake, and if Drew knew, he wasn't talking. The whole matter was covered in silence and lies, and murmurs of "It's a private matter"; impregnable defenses for boys their age. Jake was only a freshman, but had great potential, though he was having doubts about his placement on the Varsity team. On JV, he could have starred, or at least started. Instead, he warmed the bench, and watched on as senior Drew fumbled in their shared position, right midfielder. Every time it looked like the coach had finally had enough, Drew would do an amazing run out of nowhere, kicking and dribbling past defenders like they were standing still, running circles around the offence, snaring back his slot for another game.

Of the two, Jake was the more typical jock. Naturally a very handsome brown haired boy, he had bleached it blonde, bringing out what little darkness his skin could offer and causing Drew to dub him "Peroxide." No one else called him that, no one else was allowed. Not even his girlfriend Denise, a cheerleader, who like her boyfriend had made varsity and now wondered why. She wondered why about a lot of things, like why Jake would look up to Drew, the position stealer, and the enemy of the jock led "A group."

Drew was not a jock. His pretty looks and high GPA did not mesh with his ultra manly teammates, who seemed more concerned with comparing various bulge sizes than homework. The only reason his presence was tolerated was that Drew just happened to be able to run very fast for long periods of time, thanks to yearly doses of soccer every grade since third. The track coach tried repeatedly to interest him, but Drew first politely, then much less politely, turned the man down. Truth was, he didn't really care for his sport, or his team, but it was the least painful way to get through his PE credit. So for one season a year, he'd sell his soul to the soccer coach, who in exchange excused him from having to take an actual PE class. Sometimes it was worth it, sometimes it wasn't.

Quirky Jake was around for many of the "worth-it" times, and was more often than not the cause of them. Drew the unpopular and social misfit, enjoyed being looked up to by the muscular, blonde freshman god. Oh hell, even if he didn't look up to Drew, Drew would still find it hard not to smile at the sound of Jake's sexy laugh, or to not long for moments of laying the arms of Jake, breathing his scent through his skin. Not that Drew was unattractive himself; he had his share of followers and devotees. Just, standing next to Jake, there was no comparison.

Jake knew of his looks, and their effect on other boys looking for someone to dominate and find release in. That was why, on an overnight stay during a tournament hours away from the rural town they all called home, he picked Drew over the other two roommates to split a bed with. He simply didn't trust the other two to keep their hands to themselves. One, a senior like Drew, had acquired the nickname "Fag" within days of his arrival freshmen year, which he had been unable to shake to this day, despite a long string of ever changing girlfriends. The other, a junior who had transferred at the start of the season, was known to flirt with just anything that walked, male or female, and was too new for anyone to decide yet if he was serious or not. Neither were the kind of guys Jake would have liked to spend the night with, if given a choice. As an added bonus, Drew, despite being the least built member of the soccer team, could dominate a room with his voice and stance alone, and would be perfect protection from the "fags", in case they planned any midnight raids on his innocent young body.

Jake said all this to Drew, as they made their way to the motel room. "Drew, I HAVE to sleep with you. You are the only one in the room that I KNOW isn't a faggot, and won't try to feel me up in the middle of the night."

Drew didn't respond at first. He didn't trust himself to, with the emotions coursing through him from that one sentence. One hand, he was disappointed at the apparent orientation of Jake, not that his dreams would stop so easily. On the other, he was more than a little excited, in more ways than one, at the prospect of sharing body heat with this drop dead gorgeous boy.

Of course, he was also trying not to laugh at loud at how off base this poor misguided freshman was in discerning real fags from rumors. Not that Drew would correct him. In fact, when he was sure of this voice, he said "Sure thing Peroxide, whatever you want."

'Too bad I can't get whatever I want,' he thought to himself. 'That would include you.'

The other boys, Cory and Aaron, were fine with the bed arrangements. Cory, the senior and team captain, felt duty bound to insist everyone be in bed by ten, so that they would be well rested for their morning game. But hours later, they were still awake, trading stories and laughs in the tradition of males everywhere. Cory talked more than anyone in fact, dwelling on his favorite topic, sex. Cory seemed to have an endless supply of fantasy inducing stories, or so thought a very impressed Jake. Drew, who had heard all these stories not long after the events themselves had taken place, was less impressed, since he knew just how much fantasy was packed in for the freshman's benefit. Drew didn't call Cory on his lies though. They were good stories, even if they were 90% wishful thinking. And good stories deserved to just be told.

Aaron, the junior, apparently agreed with Drew on that point, since he took any chance he got to tell his own stories of his old town. These too were the stuff of dreams, and Jake was once again impressed to no small degree. Drew surmised to himself that if even half of what Aaron said was true, the boy would have died of sheer exhaustion before he hit high school. At one point, Cory and Aaron told one story together, telling of Cory's very recent ex, and how she got that way (cheating with Aaron, and every other guy on the planet). Even Jake got into the act, but his pathetic attempt about the one blow job he got from Denise showed he hadn't yet mastered the art of bullshit.

A fun time was being had by all, but it wasn't long before they picked up on Drew's total silence on the matter of sex. Jake was the first to notice; usually getting Drew to shut up was the problem, not speaking up. "What's the matter Drew? Don't you want to tell us a story too?"

"Oh no." said Drew. "Listening to you guys make stuff up is much more entertaining."

Jake wasn't satisfied with this answer. "Come on. Tell us. I mean, you've done stuff with a girl, right?" Cory cracked up, and Drew threw a pillow at him.

"Jake, Drew's never even been on a DATE with a girl, much less done stuff with one," said Cory.

Jake looked incredulous. "Never been on a DATE?"

"Not since I got here as a freshman," said Cory, batting away another pillow from Drew, "and not before then either, I don't think."

"Why not?" asked Jake, of Drew.

Cory regained his composure long enough to say, deadpan as hell, "The world, may never know." He then started laughing again, and Jake shouted "Let go Drew! That's my pillow!"

Disarmed, Drew slumped down and glared at Cory. 'You know damn well,' he thought at Cory, 'why I don't date girls. Or did you forget about that afternoon we spent rolling around in your bedroom sophomore year?'

Perhaps Cory did remember, since he stopped laughing under the weight of Drew's glare, and looked a little guilty. Aaron spoke up in the silence. "Hey guys, it's 2AM, and we need to get some sleep. Or else we are all going to play like shit tomorrow." When no one responded, he reached over Cory and hit the light.

Jake brooded in the darkness. How was it possible that Drew, his idol, had never even dated a girl? It made no sense to the freshman, and he passed the question back and forth in his mind until sleep over took him.

As promised, they all played like shit the next morning. Cory let four goals get past him, a new high for the goalie. Aaron, a forward, didn't manage to bring off a single play. Worst of all, Drew couldn't keep focused for anything, and played for all of ten minutes before Jake subbed him out. Jake was a little distracted himself, and just couldn't give a good performance out there. Luckily for them, the rest of the team did exceptionally, bringing off a 6-4 win. They played again that night, but they lost that game narrowly 2-3, knocking them out of the running for first. Needless to say, the team was not thrilled with that, or the occupants of Jake's motel room.

Back in the room, the silence was deafening. None of the upperclassmen were speaking to Jake or each other, as if each was a heartbeat away from tearing the other's throats out. Jake didn't even try to break the tension, he knew better. He did not need the ego-injured prima donna's taking out their frustrations on him. Maybe Jake was paying more attention to staying out of their way than was necessary, especially since he managed to trip over his own cleats. To his surprise, Drew reached out and caught him around the waist just in time.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Drew.

"Yeah." said Jake. He let Drew pull him to his feet, but didn't let go right away.

"How cute Drew," said Cory. "Is that your new boyfriend?"

"Piss off." said Drew, dropping his arm from Jake. Jake sort of missed it.

"What's the matter Drew? Can't take a little teasing?" asked Cory.

"What's the matter Cory?" asked Drew, mimicking Cory. "Can't stop a goal?"

"Hey! I made six saves today!"

"And let seven go right by you." said Drew.

"And what did you do on the field today Drew? Oh wait, you only got what, fifteen minutes on the field total?" Cory laughed. "Did you like warming the bench while your plaything got the glory today?"

"About as much as you're going to like it when a sophomore becomes starting goalie next game," said Drew. "Looks like someone's going to be back to water boy by the end of next week."

Cory's face twisted in fury. "Fuck you Drew! And fuck him too," he said, gesturing towards Jake. "No doubt you'll be getting to that eventually anyways, Faggot."

"That's enough Cory!" said Aaron. "Both of you just need to shut the hell up and go to bed!"

"Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?" asked Cory.

"Someone needs to act our age. If you don't want to be yelled at, then just grow up and quit picking fights with Drew, Captain." said Aaron with a sneer.

"Yeah guys," said Jake. Everyone swiveled to him, in shock that the freshman dared to speak. "Aaron's right. We lost today, and like it or not, it was our fault. So let's just make sure we don't screw up tomorrow’s game."

No one spoke. As the silence extended, Jake's unease grew. He was not very outspoken, but he didn't like to hear his friends fighting over something they couldn't change. One by one, his seniors nodded to Jake, conceding the point. To his relief, they once again started preparing for bed in silence.

It was a different kind of silence this time, one that didn't have that metallic edge of rage and frustration. This silence was tired, worn out, that wanted to do little else besides lay down and dream the day into memory. When Cory hit the light, Jake laid down next to Drew, who scooted in to "whisper range."

"Are you going to be ready for them tomorrow?" asked Drew.

"I guess so," whispered Jake."You will be," said Drew with emphasis. "And I'm going to be cheering you on from the sidelines."

"Likewise." said Jake. Drew grinned in response, and ruffled the freshman's hair. Jake batted his hand away, and Drew let his hand rest on top of Jake's chest. Jake didn't attempt to move it, and within moments, his eyes glazed over in sleep, a small smile on his lips.

Drew studied Jake's face in the darkness, trying to memorize every detail, from his bleached bangs to his succulent, inviting, ever smiling lips. On impulse, Drew leaned in and kissed Jake lightly on those lips, then fell back almost immediately, taking away his hand in the process. Jake was disturbed by the movement, and reached out in his sleep for Drew's hand. When he found it, he stopped moving, and settled back into full sleep.

A very confused Drew went to sleep not too long after that, wondering just how asleep his young friend had really been. It didn't even occur to him to worry about the others in the room.