Jenner & Brown
Part 1
Written by Daniel Self
Christopher stood at the tall sash window that looked down over the school grounds watching his father's car crawl out along the gravel driveway that cut through the perfect green lawns of the school. He was fourteen years old and this was his fifth year boarding. Home sickness never troubled him now, but he had never felt the regret of seeing his father go so deeply as today. The Christmas holidays, just finished, had been a time of establishing a whole new relationship between father and son after the incident at his old school that had led to his expulsion and ultimately to his first day here at Holdsworth college, a new boy, a new school, but not a new school year - settling in was going to be difficult.
He turned away from the window and the scene below of boys and schools trunks arriving and being unloaded, of embarrassed farewells and reluctant kisses on expectant mothers' cheeks, of over enthusiastic back slapping and the loud greetings of boys, separated for a month and happy to be back amongst the familiar surroundings and smells of the school corridors.
A school prefect, Christopher had already forgotten his name, had shown him and his father up to his room, but his room mate, another name already lost in the busy haze of his first hour, was expected to arrive a little late. The room around him was large and rather spartan but his room mate's posters on the walls and a few of his larger personal possessions that had been left over the holidays gave the room a comfortable feeling that Christopher liked. For a few moments he distracted his mind by speculating on what sort of a boy Jenner, the name came back to him, Edward Jenner, what sort of a boy he might be, but the posters on the wall were the same to be found in plenty of boys' rooms, and there were no books or smaller items around that might have given more specific clues.
At least there were no obvious signs that Jenner was football mad. Christopher was what his mother always described as "very bookish - unlike his father". His father was a keen sportsman and had always tried to pass on his enthusiasm to Christopher, but it had been a losing battle from the first kicks of a ball in the small garden of the first house Christopher could remember living in. Christopher's reluctance had created an invisible barrier to the forming of a mutual respect between him and his father for many years. It was why Christopher had so dreaded being collected from his old school two weeks before the end of term in response to the headmaster's angry summons. Christopher had expected, had feared, reactions that conformed to his young stereotyped images of people. He had been so wrong, and the memory of the holiday brought the feeling of loss at his father's departure back to the surface. If the feeling wasn't of homesickness, it was very close, and Christopher didn't like it. He turned to look out through the window again conscious of the pressure of tears fighting against the emotional suppression of years in school.
"Hello!"
A voice behind him brought him back to the present.
"I'm Jenner - and you must be my new room mate Brown"
Christopher reached for the hand that Jenner held out for him and shook it.
"Actually you can call me Jen if you want - everyone else round here does, although to tell the truth I'm a bit sick of it - bit of a girl's name really." Jenner continued, still firmly grasping Christopher's hand, "... or since we are sharing for at least the rest of the year, you can call me Edward... if you like. Whatever really!"
Christopher returned Jenner's smile, a smile that he thought very welcoming.
"Christopher, Christopher Brown, but Chris is fine. They used to call me CB at my old school, Brown being such a common name. Whatever's best... Edward."
Jenner stood back releasing Christopher's hand and looked at him as if appraising him. There was a moment's silence and Christopher felt a twinge of embarrassment for a moment before Jenner seemed to suddenly realise that he had looked too long and spoke again.
"Sorry - shouldn't stare," but he did for a moment more before asking Christopher if he had unpacked everything. Christopher explained that he hadn't unpacked anything yet because he didn't know where his stuff should go or which of the various drawers and cupboards in the room he should use.
"Oh that's a thought," Jenner said looking around the room like an estate agent assessing the potential of a property that lacked much potential to assess.
"I had the room to myself last term, no one wanted to share with me... only joking... just luck of the draw"
"Sorry." Christopher, who had never had a single room thought about how much Jenner might be resenting losing the privacy, and to share with a new boy just seemed to make the prospect even less palatable.
"Don't be sorry!" Jenner looked at Christopher, "I bloody hated it. Boring! Now... which chest of drawers do you want?"
Christopher relaxed. He liked Jenner. As the two boys began to unpack, he began to feel comfortable with Jenner and the room they were to share. Jenner didn't like football, in fact he "bloody hated it" and he did like music, reeling off a few familiar band names and a load more Christopher had never heard of. He loved English and he "bloody hated" Maths, although as far as Christopher could tell this had more to do with his not being very good at it than any deep seated revulsion at numbers.
Christopher finished his unpacking quickly and sat on his bed watching Jenner and listening to him as he bombarded him with information about who was who and what was what at Holdsworth, names, schedules and facts regularly interspersed with "you won't remember this but I'll tell you anyway" and "I bloody hate it".
Jenner was good looking, Christopher thought to himself. He had a soft and rather sweet face topped with a mop of almost black hair, and for someone who claimed to loathe any and every form of physical activity seemed remarkably slim and healthy looking. Christopher wondered what Jenner's body was like beneath the tidy grey and black of his uniform and about what the arrangements might be for changing and showering at Holdsworth. He thought of what had happened last term, of his friend Marcus and of Christmas with his father.
"Come on! Supper time."
Christopher started and Jenner smiled at him
"You were bloody miles away! Come on - the bell means food - and unlike everywhere else, the food here is great, unless it's liver..."
"I BLOODY HATE IT" the two boys shouted in unison and fell about laughing at their timing, happy at the easy forming of this new friendship, happy in the knowledge that sharing was going to be okay.
* * *
It was over three hours later when the boys returned to their shared room, Jenner high on the excitement of renewed acquaintance and the enjoyed responsibility of introducing Christopher to his friends, in particular to his long standing best friend Simon Shaw and to Martha, the large and greasy smelling lady who cooked and helped serve the welcome supper of eggs, beans, sausage and chips and who seemed especially fond of Jenner and who had made Christopher feel special as Jenner's friend.
"She's soft on me you know," Jenner had said as they were leaving the large oak paneled dining room. "but I love her, and she likes you - so that's alright"
Christopher was touched by Jenner's obvious devotion to Martha and thought to himself that if being Jenner's friend was a series of tests then he had just passed an important one with flying colours.
Christopher was tired. After supper there had been chapel and then some time in the junior common room with more introductions. He was thankful that he had had to talk very little, Jenner seemed able to talk endlessly on his behalf, and neither the subject of his previous school, nor his reason for leaving it had been raised. When they returned to the room, Christopher kicked off his shoes, slumped on to his bed and looked at Jenner who switched on the angle poise lamp beside his bed and then switched off the main light.
"Thanks Edward." Christopher said, "for showing me the ropes and stuff tonight"
"No problem Chris, no problem at all." He smiled looking up from untieing his shoes and pulling off his socks. He picked up a book from his bedside cupboard and lying back on his bed began to read. Christopher left his bedside lamp off enjoying the soothing calm of the reduced light and Jenner's steady breathing interrupted every minute or so by the rustle of a page being turned. Feeling private in the gloom of his side of the room, Christopher looked at Jenner again and thought how attractive he was. His knees were raised supporting his book and the light reflected from its white pages illuminated his concentrating profile. His black uniform trousers had risen slightly up his leg allowing Christopher to see his naked ankles and feet, a sight he found brought on an unwanted and uncomfortable erection. He adjusted his legs to relieve the discomfort. Jenner looked up and laid his book face down, open on his chest.
"Are you okay Chris?" The tone was of genuine concern.
"Mmmm. Just tired I think - it's been a lot to take in - today and everything."
"You sure?.... only..."
Jenner paused, wondering whether he should ask the question that had been on his mind since he had first seen Christopher that afternoon.
"...only - when I came in this afternoon, you looked, well, like you were upset. You looked like it again before supper."
Christopher felt the warmth of a single tear run down the soft skin of his face, and unsure of maintaining a hold on his emotion stayed silent.
"Sorry - shouldn't have asked . Only don't worry about me - I was the most bloody homesick person in the world when I started here. I haven't forgotten how it felt."
"Thanks Edward. It's not homesickness, not exactly, I haven't had that since I was nine."
"You been to boarding school before?" Jenner was surprised, and realised that he had actually not found out very much about his new friend at all. He felt guilty like a host who knew he had not fulfilled his duties. Keen to try to put right his negligence, he continued.
"I didn't know, assumed you had only just started. Sorry. Where were you before?"
Christopher told him the name of the school, but Jenner had not heard of it.
"So how come you finished up here?"
Christopher struggled with the thoughts running through his mind. He liked Jenner, but he wasn't ready to talk yet about what had happened with another boy. Maybe he never would be. The memory of him and and Marcus and that last night still burned with a hot and painful flame. He knew though that Jenner would not be the first to ask and that he would have to say something to people. He knew his new housemaster and the headmaster knew, his father had gone to great trouble to make sure of their reaction before he and Christopher decided on Holdsworth. Most importantly though Christopher felt that lying would be worse, that it would spoil that memories of what had been so good in his life, of him and Marcus.
"I was expelled."
"Whoa!" Jenner was taken aback. Expelled for what? Something cool but stupid like taking drugs or something bad like thieving. Christopher understood what he would be thinking, the very same thoughts that Christopher would be having.
"It was nothing bad Jenner, I mean I didn't beat anyone up or steal stuff or anything. I never did anything that I thought was bad, I mean you don't have to worry about sharing with me."
There was a desperation in Christopher's voice which was by now starting to stutter as he struggled not to cry.
"Bloody hell! Expelled! What did you do?"
Even as he asked the question Jenner regretted it. He liked Christopher and he was asking questions that were upsetting him.
"Forget it. Forget that I asked. It doesn't matter. If you don't want to talk about it, I don't either. I'm sorry, I was just curious"
But it was too late. Christopher was crying.
"Fuck to me - I'm such a twat sometimes. Chris, please don't cry. It really doesn't matter. You're my friend, and we're sharing and it's okay. Please."
Jenner got up and walked, unsure of himself, to Christopher's bed. He sat beside him and rested his hand on the crisp white cotton of Christopher's school shirt sleeve, taking a moment to take in his new friend's handsome face. Christopher had his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes shut. Jenner knew that it would not take much to start him crying too, he always seemed to start when other people did.
"You're tired, and I'm a wanker. Let's just get ready for bed and you can get some sleep and I can shut up. Please Chris, or you'll start me off too."
Christopher sat up and looked through his tears at Jenner.
"I will tell you, I promise" he sobbed. His body and mind's need for love and care overtook him and he wrapped his arms around Jenner's shoulders and hugged him to himself.
Jenner didn't know what to do. No one had hugged him except as a silly joke before. He returned the hug and then broke it off as he felt an embarrassing swelling in his trousers .
"Whenever you're ready Chris, whenever."
He stood up facing away from Christopher to hide what he felt must be the obvious bulge in his trousers and walked back to his bed where he sat down and started to undress.
"You can shower in the morning or the evening," he said, desperate to steer the conversation to more mundane matters. "I usually do it in the morning... wakes me up a bit."
He looked up and saw that Chris was already putting on his pyjamas. He noted again how handsome Christopher was, even as he stood barefoot in a baggy pair of pyjamas, he just looked good. Both boys got their sponge bags from the drawers of their bedside cabinets and together went to the door. Jenner looked into his sponge bag to check for his toothbrush.
"Oh no. My Mum's put in that spearmint toothpaste again! I bloody hate it.!" He looked almost pleadingly at Christopher, desperate to redeem himself. Christopher looked at him and smiled.
"Mine's just ordinary mint - we can share it."
Jenner was sure he had never been happier and grinned, tousling his friend's hair.
"But I bloody like you," he said, 'In fact I bloody adore you,' he thought to himself '.. and I'm not sure what I can do about that.'
* * *
Three days later and the first Friday evening of term was already upon them. For the boys who had returned for the Spring term it was already hard to remember that they had been away. Jenner had watched with pleasure and a little satisfaction as his new friend had settled in under his guidance. The issues of the first night had not been raised again, and although Jenner's curiosity was as constantly irksome as a nettle sting, he had been careful to avoid the subject other than to suggest to Christopher that if anyone asked he should just say that his father had wanted him to move to Holdsworth.
Both boys were happy in school. Christopher was in awe of the popularity that Jenner enjoyed amongst the other boys and through him had established a small circle of friends who shared his interests in books and music. He had been both excited and relieved to find that Jenner was receptive to the classical music that Christopher so enjoyed, and neither boy was happier than during the last few hours of the day working through their prep. and listening to each other's music together in their room. The two desks faced one another against the wall opposite the large window, and Jenner often found himself dreamily watching Christopher by the light of his desk lamp, growing increasingly sure that Christopher was going to be more than just another friend to him.
"I bloody hate it!"
Christopher smiled to himself and looked up at Jenner staring blankly at the book and paper in front of him.
"I mean..." he continued "... it seemed easy enough in class this morning but I'm damned if I can understand a bloody thing now."
Christopher guessed that Jenner was still struggling with the maths work that he had finished earlier.
"Do you want a hand?" He asked
"Could you? Not like cheating - I don't want you to do it for me, I just want you to show me how!"
Christopher got up from his chair and walked around the desk to stand behind Jenner, leaning over his shoulder and peering at the spider web trail of letters and numbers and crossings out that were Jenner's abortive efforts so far with quadratics.
He squatted down next to Jenner and reaching across the desk began to point Jenner along the correct path to the solution he sought, which was actually all there in Jenner's scribbles, just well hidden. Jenner looked down on Christopher's head and savoured the warm sweet boy smell. He remembered again the hug that Christopher had given him and, with a confused sense of shame, he recalled some of the thoughts he had had about Christopher.
"See!" Christopher almost made him jump. "You pretty well had it all the time really. Now you try it." Christopher stood up behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders. Jenner felt his cock harden and a wave of heat surge through his body. Concentrating on the exercise was a labour of self control, but he completed it. Christopher felt Jenner's body tense under his hands and he pulled them away hastily.
Both boys felt the tension between them.
Christopher recognised the feelings he was developing for Jenner. They were the same he had had for Marcus, feelings he had not expected to experience again so soon and feelings he was unsure that he was ready to cope with yet. He went back round to his own desk and watched Jenner closing up his books. Jenner looked up at Christopher.
"Thanks Chris." He felt he wanted to say more but felt confused and ashamed about his reaction to physical closeness with Christopher.
"Look, I have to go, I promised Shawsy I'd nip round and see him this evening. You want to come?"
Christopher smiled and excused himself. He liked Shaw very much, but sometimes he felt a little awkward. He thought maybe Shaw was put out that Jenner seemed to like him very much as well, but he could not be certain. So Jenner went alone and Christopher put his prep away in his desk, grabbed his current book, kicked of his shoes, and pulling off his socks got onto his bed. He lay there face down, his chin supported on his elbows, with his book on his pillow and his feet raised, enjoying the air moving between his toes as he moved his legs back and forth.
The book though, was poor competition to the thoughts going through his mind, of Marcus and of Jenner, and the movement of his legs was causing a gentle and pleasant sensation between his legs, and it was not long before he knew that he needed to release the tension in himself. He turned on to his back and looked at the door, wondering how long Jenner would be and if he was likely to be disturbed. Erring on the side of caution he reached inside the loose waistband of his trousers and pushing his hand under the elasticated top of his pants, fondled his balls and pressed against the root of his hard cock. The sounds of voices and steps passing by in the corridor outside were a distraction but soon he had grasped his rigid cock in a fist and began the regular motion that brought him such pleasure and relief. Wanking within his trousers, was awkward and before long his sexual longing increased as his nervousness of the sounds from outside decreased. He unclipped the waist of his trousers, and pulling down the zipper, he pushed the band of his pants under his balls. He increased the rhythm of his hand, pulling his tight foreskin up and down his swollen head and as he felt his climax arriving, hastily pulled up his shirt tails exposing his bare stomach which he spattered with his sperm and he grunted quietly as his orgasm overtook him. He scooped the majority of it that had formed a pool around the depression of his navel between two fingers and brought the semen to his mouth to swallow it. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the residue from his belly and quickly pulled his pants back up, did up his trousers and pulled his zip up. He lay back in the warm glow that even the quickest of wanks always left him with. He fell asleep, and the next thing he was aware of was Jenner returning, in his hands a CD borrowed from Shaw which he put on the stereo as he began to undress for bed.
"What have you been up to while I was gone?" he asked Christopher. Christopher felt no guilt about his wank, but it was a private thing thing and he just responded that he had read for a while and then drifted off to sleep. Jenner seemed happy enough as Christopher watched him strip discreetly, sitting on his bed and putting on his pyjamas. Christopher noticed the dark patch of damp on Jenner's underpants on his chair and wondered.
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