It seemed all too soon when the sun’s rays began to reach through the blinds and fell at the foot of the bed. It was a whole new day, and from the looks of the red-orange glowing sky outside, it was going to be a beautiful one. Old troubles were yesterday’s news, and great tidings were in store for the present dawn.

“Oh, my god, dude!” Woody said, quite shocked, “You didn’t hit on me at all tonight. Not once!”

Reed snorted, “Um, were you expecting me to hit on you?”
“I…well…I mean…you did at every sleepover in high school,” said Woody, “And now that you’re ten times more confident about yourself, I’d thought you’d be ten times more likely to entice me…”

“Well!” Reed said indignantly, “Just so you know, Mr. Woody Allen, you’re not the hottest thing on this planet. My boyfriend is! And we are in a deep, serious relationship, okay?”

Woody cringed at the name ‘Woody Allen.’ He has always had a problem with his name. With the name Sherwood, he had to obvious choices in nickname: Sherry or Woody. He chose the latter because it sounded cooler. But in middle school, he learned that not only was he named after his father’s author Sherwood Anderson, Woody also had to share his nickname and middle name with the talented but geeky director.
Luckily, only Reed, the Welling twins, and Ethan knew Woody’s middle name.

“Well, whatever the reason. I wanna thank you.” Woody sighed, “I used to have both you and my sister whom I could just talk with all night long. But then Laurie passed away, and then you came out of the closet, and we just couldn’t spend a night without some sexual stuff going on between us. But I’m so freakin’ glad you’ve fallen for someone else. I mean, I have to meet this guy and thank him for allowing us to be what we were always meant to be…best friends…”

“I’m sorry I was such a lousy friend before,” Reed said, “And I’m so grateful you never kicked me out of your life.”
“How could I…I love you, man. You’re the best! You’re the absolute bestest friend in the world.”
“I love you too!”
The two best pals came together for a warm, tight hug, patting each other on the back, and planting a light kiss on each other’s cheeks.

“Hey, you know, I think you can thank my boyfriend soon. I told him to pick me up for breakfast today.”

“Oh, wow,” thought Woody, “You’re boyfriend’s amazing. He’s driving 100 miles to pick you up for breakfast?”
“No, no,” said Reed, “He actually lives here in Ashton. He usually comes down to Southwind every weekend.”

“How long have you guys been dating?”
“Oh, two and a half months!” replied Reed, “But our relationship has built into something much more than the time seems to suggest. I am so in love with him, and although he hasn’t said it yet, I think…I know…he feels the same way about me.”

“That awesome. I can’t wait to meet him!”

The tune of “Hero” by Christinia Aguilera came on and Reed quickly jumped out of bed, “That’s him!” Snatching up his phone by the table, Reed flipped it open, “Heeyy!” The smile on his face only grew wider, and the twinkle in his eyes only sparkled brighter, “How are you?...I’m dandy….yeah…I’m here in Ashton at my best friend’s apartment…Oh, yeah sure, here’s the address again…134 West Summer Street, apartment 12….um, yeah…I think that’s the right address…” Reed looked at Woody for confirmation. Woody nodded, and Reed continued, “Yeah, it is….um…WEST…not East…yes, I’m sure…It’s right across from the Dairy Queen. Okay, great. See ya soon. I love you…Bye.”

As Reed flipped the phone closed, he started to jump up and down and started singing, “My hot boyfriend is picking me up. My hunky, gorgeous boyfriend is picking me up for breakfast. I’m gonna eat breakfast with my amazing…oh, hey, ETHAN!”

Woody immediately sat up as Ethan entered the room. His hair was disheveled, and dark bags lined under his eyes, but in spite of that, Ethan had a soft smile on his face, “Hey, Reed. Came here for the Renaissance Faire?” Reed nodded, and Ethan turned his head to Woody, “Hi, honey. You must have been scared sick…”

“I WAS!” growled Woody, “WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t answer your calls...”
“Yeah well,” Woody asked again, “Where the hell have you been?”

Ethan walked slowly to the bed and sat on the edge, “I’m sorry for the way I acted on Thursday. The situation of my family should have only been between me and my parents, and it was wrong of me to cast you into it. And to be mad at you for doing the right thing was just pathetic of me. Please, can you forgive me?”

“I will as soon as you tell me where the hell you’ve been and what the heck you’ve been doing!” said Woody.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything when we we’re alone, without company. I’ll sit you down and explain it all,” said Ethan, “But for right now, just rest assured that I’ve straightened everything out. It’s all good again. I love you. Thank you for being such a great support this last month.”

“I love you too!” Woody welled up, his voice cracking, “But don’t you ever disappear like this on me ever again. You hear?”
“I promise!”

“Ah, shucks!” Reed sniffled, “You guys are making me cry! I don’t want my boyfriend to see me blubbering.”

It was about five minutes later when the doorbell rang. And the three young men wiped the tears from their faces and made their way out into the living room. Reed, excited as he was to see his boyfriend, managed to stand back long enough to let the tallest of the boys open the door.

As the main door swung open, the screen door acted like some sort of hazy, distorted mirror, juxtaposing the likeness of the visitor and greeter. Ethan’s darker brown hair compared to the visitor’s slightly lighter brown locks. Ethan’s rectangular face compared to the visitor’s similarly shaped visage. Ethan’s thin upper lip and fuller bottom lip…as opposed to the visitor’s fuller upper lip and thin bottom lip. But it was their eyes…deep blue framed in gorgeously long lashes…that were most strikingly similar.

“Adam?” uttered Woody and Ethan simultaneously.
As Adam opened the door for himself and walked in, Reed could no longer restrain himself and went up to the tall, handsome boy and planted a big kiss on the lips. Seeing Woody and Ethan’s shocked faces, Adam flustered and pulled away from the kiss.
He cleared his throat, “Uh, come on. Let’s go have breakfast.”

“Okay!” Reed agreed easily.

“Wait a minute. Why didn’t you ever tell me it was Adam you were dating?” asked Woody.
“I know you guys had some beef with each other…the details of which I don’t know. I wasn’t sure how you’d react when you find out,” said Reed, guiltily, “So…are you alright with it…with us?”
“I…” said Woody uneasily. “Yeah…sure.”

“And how come you never told me your best friend was Woody?” asked Adam.

“Well…honestly, I…um…was trying to get over him at that time,” said Reed with a small gulp, “And I knew if I started talking about him, I’d never stop. And I really wanted the 48 hours we get to spend together every week to be only about us. So…that’s why.”

“Alrighty then!” said Adam, satisfied with the answer, “Let’s go. Unless, you guys want to join us?”
Ethan shook his head, “Uh, thanks but no. I think this would be a good time for Woody and I to talk about some important issues.”

“Kay. Cool,” said Adam, turning to Reed, “You ready?”
Reed nodded, and in no time, the two had disappeared from the apartment, leaving Woody and Ethan to reflect on the circumstances.

“Ha,” chuckled Ethan, “What are we gonna do with those two?”
“That’s not really important right now,” said Woody, his face growing more solemn, “What’s important is that you start telling me what you did these last two days.”

“Fair enough!” said Ethan as the two sat down by the couch. The older boy took in a long drag of air and slowly let it all out. He took in another big breath and just as slowly let it draw out. He stared at Woody, and took his hand. Woody gave him a look of ‘I’m waiting…’ and so Ethan told his story, “When you rejected me at the courthouse, I went driving around for a couple of hours. And that gave me the chance to realize that I shouldn’t have got you involved. And the two people I should have been dealing with were my parents. So I drove back to Southwind, and I got both of them together, in our old home, and I locked all the exits and I turned off all our phones. I just wanted to hear them explain everything, why the hell they were doing this to our perfect family. It’s a pretty extreme thing to do, but I wanted to know before I could let them go.”
“The reason I was so upset with their divorce was because everything Adam said was true! I was sure as hell scared when you mentioned that word ‘routine.’ I was freakin’ crawl out of my mind knowing that spending the rest of my life with you meant doing the same thing over and over again. But I was also too afraid of losing you. Then I took relief in knowing that I had my parents; I had them as role models. My dad was the only man of the White family I knew who got over this crazy fear that we all have. So it fucking devastated me when I learned they were getting a divorce.”

“So…in the end…” said Woody, “Did you learn anything?”
“I learned what I always knew,” sighed Ethan, “That they never loved each other. They married because she was pregnant. They pretended their relationship was growing stronger everyday, but in actuality, it was straining and waning from the moment they said ‘I do.’ They were never truly happy with each other. But that’s good; do you know why? Because…I’ve never been more happy than when I’m with you…even at the height of my phobia, knowing it was you I’m fighting for made the struggle worth it. We love each other. And that’s the difference.”

“What about this?” Woody reached for the bottle labeled mirtazapine—Ethan’s antidepressant—on the coffee table, “Do you need this any more?”
“No, I don’t feel like I need it,” said Ethan, “But the responsible thing for me to do is finish the prescription and check up on the psychiatrist and let her decide...”

Tears welled over his eyes, but for the first time since Ethan appeared this morning, Woody let open a smile, “I’m so glad you’re back!”
Taking the younger man into his arms, squeezing tight never to let go, Ethan whispered, “I’m so glad I’m home.”

Their faces came together for a tear-filled kiss which grew stronger and more passionate as the seconds ticked by. For observers, it has only been a day and a half since their lips touched, but for them, it had been twelve hundred thousand seconds of sheer agony.

Affection led them down the hall to the bedroom. Desire took away their clothes and threw them across the floor. Passion caused their bodies to tumble onto the mattress...</p>
<%PART%>
<p>Thirty minutes later…

Woody’s hands flowed with the structure of Ethan’s long, defined arms, now moving over to grasp the solid pectorals, diligently playing with the nipples. Woody’s tongue traced the valleys that lined his lover’s ribs, now moving down toward the hollow navel, licking it, then following the midline down to Ethan’s beautiful penis.

Woody grabbed the flaccid member, pulling at the soft meat, juggling at Ethan’s balls. “Third time’s the charm…I bet…” whispered Woody, putting the unerect organ in his mouth, drooling great amount of saliva over it, yanking it with teeth behind his lips.

Ethan closed his eyes and produced light moans in an attempt to encourage Woody, but to no avail. After a while, Woody released the still soft penis from his mouth and crawled back up to meet Ethan’s face.

“I guess I’m just not in the mood…” said Ethan, pulling up his boxers.
“Yeah, I understand…” said Woody, throwing a shirt on. “This happened to me when my favorite team lost the Superbowl three years ago.” Woody groaned at his failed attempt to find humor in the situation.

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!

“I bet that’s Reed,” said Woody.
Putting on the rest of their clothes, the college freshman and first-year grad student went to get the door. Surely enough, Reed Valentine was at the door, holding a big bouquet of yellow lilies…and his date, Adam, was leaning against the back railing. As Reed walked in, Adam called out to Ethan, asking him to step outside, saying he needed a favor to ask. Suspiciously and cautiously, Ethan stepped out and closed the door behind him.

“So…how was breakfast?” asked Woody.
“Quick!” chuckled Reed, “We just ordered at the Dairy Queen drive-thru and spent the rest of the time at his house…if you know what I mean.”
“Oh…” nodded Woody understandingly, “Well, at least one of us got to have fun, right?”

Reed’s eyes widened, “What, you two didn’t do anything at all in the last two hours?”
Woody shook his head and sighed.
“Oh, well. It’s no big deal. You guys had a lot going on this last month…” reasoned Reed, “I’m sure it’ll take some time to get back to the routine.”

“OH, NO! Don’t say that word.”
“What word?”
“Routine. Don’t say Routine.” said Woody, “Especially with Adam. Do not use that word in front of him.”
“Uh…why not?”

“Trust me. Just don’t use that word!” warned Woody.
“Okay…” said Reed.
Woody tried to change the subject, “So what kind of favor is Adam asking anyhow?”
“No idea,” shrugged Reed.

Momentarily, the door swung open and Ethan’s head peeped through, “Hey, you guys. I’m gonna go help Adam with some rehearsal. I may not be back until 8 or so tonight. You two have fun, okay? Bye.”

The door closed before Woody could utter a protest. “Great!” he sighed, “Why are the men of the White family always trying to leave us? Barely three hours we spent together and Ethan’s gone again. And you only get to spend 48 hours with Adam, and yet he’s using 8 of them to spend with my boyfriend.”

“So now that Adam’s gone,” said Reed in serious tone, “What do you really think of him?”

Woody gulped, “I have lots to say. But I don’t think you’ll want to hear it.”
“I can handle it. Just tell me what you think,” urged Reed.

“Alright. I think he’s a jackass. He’s a great photographer, but he’s an asshole. He’s the reason…for the longest time…I believed Ethan was going to break up with me. No matter what Ethan did, no matter how great he made me feel…I just couldn’t get Adam’s voice out of my head.”

“What did he say that was so bad?”
“He said that the men of the White family… they’re genetically ingrained to have this phobia of a routine life…And in terms of relationships, that means they’re afraid of commitment. Adam was the one who told me that playing the field was much better than trying to stay in a long-term relationship…” said Woody, “So let me ask you this? Did Adam say he wanted this to be an open relationship?”

“Yeah, we’re very open with each other. We always share what’s on our minds. We always spend our downtime after sex just talking about random stuff. We’re very open.”

“No!” Woody shook his head, “Not that kind of open. I mean, did you guys agree on being able to sleep with other people?”

“What?” Reed said, “No! We are in a serious relationship. If we were in an open relationship, wouldn’t you think I would have tried to sleep with you?”

“But what about Adam. You guys only see each other two days a week. And he’s a photographer…he meets beautiful people everyday. Are you sure he thinks you guys are exclusive?”

“Yes. I’m sure!” Reed huff, “I thought you were gonna talk about how arrogant Adam is, or how selfish he can be, or how typical of a sex-driven jock he is…but I wasn’t expecting you to question the integrity of our relationship!”

“God, you’re right,” Woody slapped a hand on his forehead, “I feel like a hypocrite…doing the same thing Adam did to me. But you’re my best friend, Reed. I really don’t want him to hurt you.”

“Well, maybe he’s changed now. Maybe he’s changed since the last time you saw him.”

Woody thought about it and then came up with this question, “Are yellow lilies your favorite flowers?”
Reed brought the bouquet up to his chest and nodded.

“Well, Adam actually came over here yesterday…with those flowers in hand…being mysterious and asking if anyone else was staying here besides me and Ethan. I didn’t understand before, but now I assumed he was looking for you...”

“I did tell him I’d arrive here yesterday, but I didn’t know what time…” said Reed. “I just told him to pick me up for breakfast this morning…”

“But obviously, he couldn’t wait for this morning. He wanted to see you earlier!” said Woody, “I mean, if you think about it, that’s pretty sweet and thoughtful.”

“Yeah, he can be really sweet,” Reed smiled, his eyes fluttering lightly, “I mean, he has an outwardly off-putting demeanor at first, but once you get to know him, he’s sincerely one of the most caring and compassionate guy I’ve ever known.”

“Okay, just for you. I will put aside my previous impressions of him to see just how caring and compassionate he really is.”

****

As they promised, the White men came back at a few minutes before eight o’clock. Both men were sweaty, their T-shirts clinging to their chest, a strong masculine scent poured from their bodies, and their arms and legs were caked with dry dirt.

“Whoa…did you guys get in a fight?” asked Woody.

The two men stared at each other and laughed.
“I guess you can say that,” nodded Ethan.

“So, are you ready?” Adam asked his boyfriend.
“Yeah. I’m all packed,” replied Reed, now turning to Woody, “I’m gonna stay over at his place tonight, okay?”
Woody nodded, “Good. Cause I would’ve kicked you out tonight anyhow.”

“Kay, thanks for the rehearsal, Ethan. See ya at 8 tomorrow morning for Part Two.”
“What? There’s another rehearsal.”

“Yeah,” said Adam, “It usually takes weeks, even months, to train, and Ethan’s picked it up just like that. But no surprise there, he excels at everything he does, doesn’t he?”

****

After a half-hour of bathing, scrubbing all the grime from his skin, shampooing the sweat and dirt from his hair, Ethan climbed out of the tub and dried off. Wrapping the linen around his waist, he walked back to the bedroom where he found his fiancé waiting for him on the bed. Woody, sexy and alluring as ever, was lying back against the headboard; his beautiful golden chest and fine arms exposed to the elements, with only a white sheet covering his legs and private part. In one slow, erotic stroke, Woody ran a hand—the hand that adorned the engagement bracelet—from the tip of his chin all the way down to his stomach, eventually sliding it under the white sheets that were quickly tenting up. With his other hand, Woody patted the bed, welcoming his lover to a wonderful night of passion.

Apparently missing all these cues, Ethan headed straight to the closet and rummaged about, looking for something comfortable to wear. Woody wrinkled his brow and asked, “What are you doing, honey? You don’t need clothes for the night’s activities.”

Ethan turned around with a sexy smirk, “I was just playing…” as he swaggered ever so slowly towards his anxiously waiting lover. He stopped by the left side of the bed where Woody met him. However long he stared Ethan’s body, however many times he had touched it, Woody was always overwhelmed by the stature of his beautiful man. The way it currently looked, felt, and smelled: fine hair flattened by moisture against his flesh; his skin glowing of the bathing salts, softened by the body lotion, scented by lavender oils. Woody grabbed the knot in the towel and skillfully unraveled it. Taking in a deep breath in preparation for the reveal, Woody let go of the towel…

Ethan’s package was as magnificent to behold as it was this morning. Nestled in a neatly trimmed bush, two golden ornaments hanging by the stalk, a beautifully cut penis crowned with a dark-pink head…it was perfect as it normally should be. But just like this morning, it was soft as it shouldn’t be at occasions like these…

Pulling Ethan down to bed, Woody was determined to address the issue the best way he knew how. Wrapped in each other’s arms and legs, the lovers made great use of the boundaries of the bed, undulating with the desire of their bodies. Their touch shocked their bodies with craze. Their kiss warped their minds with ecstasy.

Woody found himself the winner of the struggle for top position…perhaps, much more easily than he expected. Both Ethan and Woody were the competitive type, as they once played the most competitive sport in the country, and one of the best joys for Woody during foreplay was to fight for dominant position. By pure strength and stamina alone, Woody understood he could not beat Ethan. But Woody knew Ethan’s one weak spot. “I love you so much, Ethan. Let me pleasure you…” was all he needed to utter, and his partner’s muscles would turn into mush.

That night, however, Woody hadn’t had to play the love card. Five minutes into their frolic, Ethan had relinquished the top position to Woody. The younger man wasn’t about to complain for he relished every opportunity to be the one to give Ethan pleasure. Woody’s lips led his fingers down his boyfriend’s long, strappingly gorgeous frame. His eyes traced the beautiful lines of his slim but muscled pelvis. Finally, he reached the magnificent landmark of Ethan’s beautiful body.

Woody grabbed it, stroked it, waiting for it to tense under his grip. He squeezed Ethan’s nut, hoping to feel it jolt at the pressure. Oh, yes, Woody smiled as he felt Ethan’s cock expanding in his hand, seeing the dark veins dilating. The young man could barely contain his saliva as he delved down onto growing penis, hoping his mouth would further bring Woody’s cock to full alertness.

At the moment, Ethan’s sighs were soft and few in between, but Woody knew from experience that as he continued, Ethan would moan louder and longer, in junction with the increasing pleasure he experienced. And then, at the very moment of climax when all Ethan could do was howl a nonhuman cry as his hips bucked wildly, Woody would be able to savor all the succulent tangy-sweetness that Ethan had to offer.

But Woody was getting ahead of himself. He still had to get Ethan’s cock fully hard first before all the fun could begin. Woody strained his ears to listen to Ethan’s verbal cues, but Ethan’s utterance remained airy and very soft, not the low moans or light grunts Woody had been expecting.

As Woody felt Ethan’s hand on his shoulders slacken, Woody lifted his head up to see Ethan with his eyes closed. Woody knew many people, including himself, who loved to shut their eyes in order to concentrate on the pleasures he was receiving, but Woody had always known Ethan to be the type of guy who loved to watch his partner pleasure him. So why did Ethan close his eyes now? Whatever the case, Woody knew just how to make Ethan open his eyes.

Reaching his hands up Ethan’s body, Woody landed his fingers on those beautiful, hard nipples and gave them a squeeze. To Woody’s disenchantment, Ethan did not open his eyes…nor did he utter anything more than his airy sighs…nor did he twitch around in bed. In fact, Ethan showed no indication that he felt Woody’s playful twister.

It wasn’t long before Woody realized Ethan was asleep…

****

The next morning, Adam dropped off Reed at the apartment. Adam reminded that the festival began at twelve, but suggested they go at eleven to beat the traffic. “Ethan and I’ll be too busy to pick you guys up,” said Adam, “So Woody, you’ll just have to take Reed. Oh, yeah, here are your free passes.” The older boyfriends gave their respective partner a kiss and went out the door.

Woody and Reed spent one of the next three hours working out, another hour chilling and watching TV, and another hour getting ready for the Renaissance Festival. They wondered if they should wear normal clothing or dress up in a medieval world costume. They talked about the news, weather, and random things, but they stayed clear from the subject of what the others did last night with their boyfriends.

At last, they left the apartment, driving just outside the city limit, tailgating behind a long line of vehicles that were surely going to the same place. Driving through the winding rocky road, finding a place to park, standing in line, that all took an hour. It was perfect timing really, because when the gates opened, Woody and Reed had just shown their free passes and were ones of the first to enter.

It didn’t take long before the land of the 14th to 17th century was packed with people. Both young men had never been to a festival like this before. Everything they saw amazed them: the people dressed in elaborate costumes, the rides that were pushed by muscle power, the stage acts and performers that scattered about the trodden paths. Dressed in jeans and shirts, Woody and Reed were relieved to find most of the people were dressed in 21st century clothing as well.

Woody and Reed each grabbed a brochure, hoping to find a map detailing what all they could find in the great many acres that the city had dedicated to the festival. Surely enough, they found the maps and all the attractions and lists of events that were coming up. The theme of the week, as stated in the brochure, was Dante’s Inferno. On one section of the brochure, there was an interesting, long list of sins that would send people straight to hell where they would be punished for their waywardness.

“Look at this,” Reed pointed out one of the many sins, “If anyone are seen committing Violence against Nature, you will be sent immediately to the 7th circle of Hell where you’d have to walk through fire, as depicted by Dante’s Inferno.”
“So I shouldn’t go about littering this place, is that what it means?” said Woody.
“No, stupid!” said Reed, “Violence against Nature means Sodomy. We can’t be gay in the 15th century.”
“Kinda sounds like the 21st century to me,” laughed Woody. “Come on, let’s get a turkey drumstick!”

While finishing their turkey legs, Reed and Woody walked around looking for their boyfriends. After thirty minutes of unsuccessful searching, the two close friends decided to go on one of the rides. They picked the nearest one, the ‘Viking Express’ which was a ride shaped like a boat that swung like a pendulum really high on either side. Woody and Reed got on, sitting in the middle seats. Before the ride began, two young attractive, shirtless blond guys made sure everyone’s safety belt was secure.

“Wow, regular carnivals never hire hot ride-operators like them,” said Reed, ogling at the biceps and ripped abs and semi-hairy chests of the workers, “If we didn’t have boyfriends, who would you choose?”

“Neither!” yawned Woody, “Didn’t I already tell you? I’m not attracted to any guy besides Ethan.”
“I know you told me,” said Reed, “But it’s just weird. I understand that Ethan is about as perfect a man as there can be, but you can’t say Adam is not just as hot!”

“I’m not blind. I can see that Adam is one hell of a great-looking guy. But I just don’t feel anything when I look at him…or any other guy…”
“So what attracted you to Ethan? What made Ethan so special?”

“I…” Woody seemed stumped by the question, “I…well, I guess it was when Ethan helped me get those Iron Man dolls for the Welling twins…” Woody recounted the story of how Ethan was willing to be dunked in a tank full of fish bits and raw sea foods in order to help Woody out.

“So let’s suppose it was Adam who helped you get those action figures. Would you have been attracted to him?” asked Reed.
“I don’t know…maybe?!”

The thought discomforted Woody. Was the basis of Woody’s attraction to Ethan simply because of that single event? If Ethan hadn’t done what he did, would Woody have sexual thoughts about him later that night? If that event wasn’t the basis of their relationship, what was?

Woody’s head was spinning during the ride, but he wasn’t sure if it was due to the swinging boat or the troublesome thought. Before Woody realized it, the ride was over, but his head was still spinning. The two best friends walked around until they found another attraction, all the while, Woody kept going through that question in his head: why?…how?…what made Woody fall in love with Ethan?

“Shit! I should have used the bathroom before we left the house,” said Reed, “I gotta go find an outhouse!”
Woody nodded, “I’ll wait for you by the fountain.”

Reed looked over the map in the brochure and quickly headed in direction of the closest bathroom. Woody found a seat by the bench, staring at the fountain. Still troubled by the question Reed presented, Woody couldn’t sit for long in one place. Soon, he was walking around again…

“Hey, Woody. Hold up.” It was Adam’s voice. Woody turned around as the professional photographer ran up to him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Even if I say no, I think you’re gonna ask me anyway,” said Woody, “So go ahead.”
“Did you happen by any chance to tell Reed what I told you a long time ago? He seemed kind of distant last night…even while we fucking for like seven or eight hours…”

“Don’t need to know the details!” Woody said, “And yes, I told him.”
“Oh! Fuck! Why’d cha do that for? What am I gonna do now?”
“What’s the matter? Don’t you think it’s good that he knows the truth…so he doesn’t put all his hopes and feelings into you?”

Adam seemed distraught, “Yeah…I guess.”
“Okay, let me ask you this,” said Woody, “Did you guys agree on an open relationship?”

“What?” Adam’s eyes grew furious, “Why’d you ask? Who else has he been sleeping with? Tell me! Is it that fucker Leroy?”
“No, he’s not sleeping with anyone but you,” said Woody, “But what about you? You sleeping with anybody else?”

“Uh…yeah…sure. Of course, I’m sleeping with other people. That’s what I do. I sleep with…people,” Adam let out a groan, “Damn it! Okay, I’m not fucking around with anybody else. Alright? For Christ’s sakes, don’t look so surprised!”

“So…” Woody chuckled, “Are you in love with him?”

“In love with him?” Adam laughed mechanically, “What kind of question is that? I mean…if you ask me if I think he’s hot…then, fuck yeah…he’s fucking hot as hell. He’s fucking hot in bed. God, he gives the best blowjay ever. If you ask me what else I like about him…I like how incredibly passionate he is. He’s always campaigning and writing letters to organizations for things he believes in. And he…he accepts no bullshit from me. I mean, everyone calls me out on my bullshit, but the way he does it, the way he knuckles my forehead, or kick me in the shins…I fucking love it when he does it…it drives me crazy…it turns me on. But you ask me if I love him?...I don’t believe in love. I’m not the type of guy who falls in love with anyone. So…no…I don’t….I don’t love him—I don’t love Reed.” Adam took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. A sixth sense told him that the last part of his speech was heard by someone who had returned from the bathroom, “Oh shit! He’s standing right behind me isn’t he?”

Woody nodded as Adam slowly turned around to see Reed’s increasingly wet face. The young man who had spoken too much could barely let out another word before a gray-haired gentleman in a brown tunic called for him. “Damn it, Adam, go suit up already!” And just like that, the photographer fled the disastrous scene, leaving Reed to fall onto the shoulders of his best friend.

****

By now, both young men were not in the best state of mind. Both were questioning the legitimacy of their relationships. But they had free passes and they had barely explored ten percent of the sights and attractions. So the two walked around, comforting each other, and decided to stay at least for the tournament before they head home.

The tournament began at two, and Woody and Reed found a seat on the topmost row of bleachers near the middle. The tournament was always the biggest crowd-drawer, so Woody knew if they were to find Ethan, it would be here. Reed also expected to see Adam standing around, taking pictures of the event, but the photographer was nowhere to be found.

As the trumpets blared, the royal family walked down the aisle as the crowd cheered them on. Woody recognized that the gray-haired king was the gentleman who told Adam to suit up. Next to him was the lovely, voluptuous queen with a great big red hair. Behind them was the beautiful princess whose dress was light blue and whose waist was constricted in the tightest corset Woody and Reed had ever seen. Soon, the royal family took their place in the grandly built gazebo.

The King made his speech, thanked everyone for coming, and announced the purpose of this tournament was to find a handsome, strong, valiant knight for his daughter. So without further ado, he summoned forth the four knights who would be competing for princess’s heart.

Trumpets blared as the first knight came out into the battle field, riding his horse, dressed in the usual knightly chain mail and armor, carrying a green shield with the emblem of a grand oak tree. Another knight was introduced; this one had a purple shield with the emblem of an eagle.

“I don’t get it,” said Woody, reading the brochure about Dante’s Inferno, “Murder…and violence against others, in general…is actually a lesser sin than Sodomy. But it’s still a sin. How come these knights aren’t afraid of going to hell?”
Reed explained, “Because if you are a noble, rich warrior, you are bound to have a priest of your own who could pray away all your sins.”

“OH MY MOTHER OF GOD!” Woody exclaimed as the trumpet blared and another knight rode out. Dressed in shiny dark armor, his shield was black with the emblem of a rattlesnake, Ethan White charged his horse to the very center of the crowd, roaring a mighty war-cry that shocked half the people in the audience, while the other half swoon at the beauty of the man on the horse.

Woody had always considered Ethan to be his knight in shiny armor, but now, he no longer had to imagine it. Though dressed in a heavy suit that seemed to weigh down the other two knights, Ethan still looked tall and mighty on his horse. Since the face was the only part of skin that showed, the crowd would have to use their imagination to see the beautiful body underneath all that chain and metal.

“Wow, what a stallion!” a girl sitting in front of Woody and Reed exclaimed, “And the horse ain’t bad either.” As Ethan turned his horse around, he stared straight at Woody and gave a sexy wink. “Oh, shit! He just winked at me!” the girl blushed.

Woody just had to chuckle quietly to himself. So this was why Ethan was so tired last night…he had been practicing for this!

“Prince Ethaniel is the second-born to King Phillips of France,” said the announcer, “As you can see, his favorite color is black. He claims that wearing black helps him absorb all the dark energy in the world, and his beloved snake helps him conflict all his pain upon his enemies.”

“Hey, stop making me sound so evil, you old buffoon!” shouted Ethan, hamming his character up to the max.

The announcer continued, “As a small child, he has always been envious of his bigger brother Prince Aiden...”

“He always gets what he wants! He never deserves it! He’s never earned it! Never!” roared Ethan.

“At the age of ten, Prince Ethaniel has tried to murder his brother on fifteen different occasions, but has failed every time. When he was fifteen, he invited his brother out on a hunting trip for yet another evil plot of his. But the booby trap the prince had set up backfired, and he ended up at the business end of a woodcutter’s ax. Today, he still bears the scar on his chest.”

“It’s a great scar!” claimed Ethan proudly, “The ladies love to run their fingers all over it in bed.”

“Prince Ethaniel soon believed that the necklace his brother wore was protected by a charm of luck. Soon, he focused his attention on another member of the family. He invited his father out on yet another hunting trip, and poor King Phillips never made it back to the palace alive.”

“Okay, enough of you!” Ethan charged his horse up to the announcer and pulled out his sword, pretending to swing it at the announcer. The announcer grabbed his throat, gave out a cry as he fell down and the crowd gasped.

“Wow, I’ve never seen this evil side of Ethan before,” laughed Woody, “I LOVE IT!”

As the announcer was carried away on stretchers, the King stood up again to introduce the last knight: Prince Aiden. By now, both Woody and Reed knew who was to play Prince Aiden. Riding out on a white horse, his shield red, his emblem of a lion, it was none other than Adam White.

“Oh, my god. Another hot knight! Are they really brothers in real life?” the girl sitting in front of Woody and Reed wondered aloud.
“No, they’re cousins!” Both Woody and Reed informed at once.

“Tell me, Prince Aiden,” said the King, “What is the purpose of your participation in this tournament?”

Adam spoke calmly, “Your highness, I come here to win the heart of the love of my life. And to bring justice for the death of my father, the great king of France, and your once beloved Lord!”
The King nodded, “It pained me greatly when I heard the news of his passing. And I hope with your bravery and honor, Prince Aiden, that you will indeed bring justice to King Phillip and peace to the people of your land.”

After the introduction, the jousting tournament finally began. Prince Ethaniel was first set up with the knight in purple armor. Seeing Ethan carrying that long lance, Woody couldn’t help but conjure up some extremely naughty images, what it was like if a particular part of Ethan’s body was really that long. Already, Woody was starting to form a lance of his own.

Having only been trained a day, Ethan seemed to be holding the weapon a lot better than the other knight. As they put on their helmets, the two knights positioned their horses at the two ends of the fiel, facing each other. A flag went up and they charged. Both missed the first time. As they repositioned, Ethan called on the crowd and soon they were chanting, “Cheat to Win. Cheat to Win!” Surely enough, Prince Ethaniel did just that. He turned his shield to the other side and the audience could see that it was a mirror. As the flag went up again, the two knights charged again. But Ethan positioned the mirror so that the sunlight would shine through the slits of the other knight’s helmet, causing him to go blind for a moment and fall off his horse. Ethan won that round!

Now it was Prince Aiden versus the knight wearing green. They got into position. Adam pulled out a necklace…the charm of luck…and kissed it, and tuck it back under his armor. The flag was thrown. They charged their horses. Of course to prolong the tournament, both knights missed their first try. Now Adam was calling to the crowd who chanted back, “Fight for Honor. Fight for Honor.” They repositioned. Adam kissed his necklace again. The flag was up in the air again. They charged again. This time, Adam managed to jab his lance at the shield of the knight, tilting him back a little, which was enough for him to win that round.

As anyone with a brain in the audience predicted, Adam and Ethan would end up dueling each other. “A Duel to the Death!” They declared.</p>
<%PART%>
<p>There was a fifteen minute intermission as some acrobats went out and did their things, singing and dancing. There were two guys, one standing on the other’s shoulder, juggling and passing several torches to each other. Some really flexible girls in gypsy costumes were playing limbo, and the most agile girl won a prize.

Soon, it was back to business! The trumpets blared louder than ever, accompanied by low-bass strings that announced the coming doom for one of the two knights. At opposite ends of the field, the two mounted knights trotted out. At the end where the black flags hung low, the crowd chanted “Cheat to win! Cheat to win!” With a pompous look on his face, Ethan pumped his arm in the air and gave another beastly roar.

At the other end, where the red flag flew high, Adam calmly bowed to the audience as they recited, “Fight for Honor. Fight for King Phillip. Fight for Love!” He addressed the King and Queen and the Princess, “I hope the sight of bloodshed will not ruin your day or cost you many nights of sleep.”

“You are much too considerate, Prince Aidenn. I wish you luck,” the King respectfully bowed to Adam.
“HA! LUCK!” bellowed Ethan who pulled out a necklace from his chainmail, “What luck will you have without this stupid charm?” Ethan threw the charm to the ground and let his horse stomp all over it.

“How dare you! That was a gift from our father!” said Adam.
“Our father? Our father? He never gave me anything. Never!” shouted Ethan, his eyes glowing with contempt…even Woody forgot this was a character, “He was going to give you the whole kingdom! And I…what do I get? I get a scar because you refused to die!”

Without warning, Ethan kicked the horse, sending it at full speed towards his opponent. Adam quickly met him one third of the way, but their lances missed. The crowd cheered as they quickly charged again and yet again they missed. The third time, Ethan flipped his shield to the mirror side as his supporters hooted and hollered. But Adam was ready to deal with his trickery, raising the shield to block the sun, Adam thrust his lance forward and managed to knock Ethan to the ground; his black horse was smart enough to get the heck out of the arena.

Now if Ethan was wearing real armor like the type worn back in real olden times, the weight of his armor upon the impact would have surely killed him, but instead, Ethan got up and pulled the sword from the hilt. As the white horse ran up to the fallen knight, Adam jumped off and drew his sword.

Woody and Reed watched in amazement. Two of the hottest men they knew were battling to the death…fake, rehearsed death…but still, there was something erotic about it. Swords sung in the air; shields banged like earthquake. Their strong hard bodies colliding, they hurtled forward and kicked each other. Renting the air with the sounds of their manly grunts and groans as they wrestled on the ground, thrashing, punching, reaching for the swords again.

“He gave you everything!” Ethan cried, “And all I got was this!” The crowd gasped as Ethan threw away his shield, pulled off his chainmail, and tore away the rest of the cloth that covered his torso…revealing that amazing chest that Woody had been blessed to be able to touch every night. But there was something on the otherwise perfect chest that Woody had never seen before…a long wide scar that started from his upper left pectoral down to the right side of his navel. Obviously it was latex and makeup, but this imperfection on Ethan’s body only made him that much more appealing.

“WHOOOHOOO! That guy cannot get any hotter!” the girl next to Woody seemed to agree, “God, I know he’s playing a bad guy. But I want his long, hard lance deep in me.”

Instead of boiling in jealousy, Woody couldn’t help but laugh, “I’m sorry, girl. I own that lance. And I’m not sharing!”
The girl turned a wide-eyed glance at him, dropping her jaw, “Oh my god. You’re a lucky son of a bitch!”
“I guess I am!” Woody agreed.

Ethan’s chest couldn’t look more golden and brilliant in the sunlight. The sweat glistening on his skin, his muscles bulging bigger than it ever looked in the bedroom, dark veins running down his beautifully toned arms. His stance was still high and mighty, imposing, almost scary, but sure as fucking hell sexy. His chest puffed out, his abs so tight, his backed rippled like tectonic plates, his pants coming down his waist little by little, revealing more and more of his butt crack.

Ethan charged at his cousin. Adam warded him off with a kick to the attacker’s stomach. Ethan landed on the ground, his back now covered in dirt…but the grim only highlight Ethan’s tougher, meaner, sexier side. This inevitably brought back memories of Ethan enduring Kimora Gillespie’s punishing karate move…on the night of their first official date. Woody remembered just how turned on he was at that time, seeing Ethan struggle in pain, but now, if it were possible, he was even more aroused.

This time around, Adam was the one who charged. Their swords clanged about. Without a shield, the black-loving knight was losing ground; he was being pushed back into a corner of the fence. As the minutes to Ethan’s death ticked down, Woody found himself more and more restless…mostly because his huge hardon was making it hard for him to sit comfortably. But then Ethan thrust his sword at Adam. The knight in white jumped back and let out a scream.

The crowd gasped…could the bad guy actually win in this tournament? That would be the first! As Adam continued to back away, Ethan’s face glowed, his eyes turning red and evil, as he bellowed again, “I’ll finish you!”

But Adam ducked down and struck his sword low, causing Ethan to fall face forward, groaning and writhing in pain, his front chest now as dirty as his back. No longer able to stand up, Ethan quickly crawled away--apparently, Adam had severed both of his Achille’s tendons. Ethan struggled on the ground, striking his sword about in madness, but with one simple stroke, Adam caused Ethan’s sword to fly four yards to his left. The closest thing to Ethan now was the shield he had cast aside, and he slowly crawled towards it with only the strength of his arms to pull him. But before Ethan could lay a hand on the shield, Adam’s foot came down on the hand and crushed it to the dirt, causing Ethan to scream louder than ever before….which in turned caused Woody to adjust his pants again.

As Ethan sat up and brought his hands together, pleading for mercy, Adam walked around and kneeled behind his cousin, slowly bringing the sword to his throat. That beautiful, taut, muscled throat that Woody loved to kiss and suckle on. As Ethan cried pathetically, begging for his life, Woody couldn’t help but think it was the hottest, erotic, most twisted porn being played out in real life….an unbelievably hot, muscular hunk of a man reduced to a pathetic whimper as he stared down at the blade that would bring his life to an end. All too soon, Adam ran the sword across Ethan’s gorgeous neck as the black-loving knight reached out to Woody in the audience, hoping somehow he could save him. Eventually, Adam stood up and moved away from Ethan’s body…which was still writhing, the muscles of his chest still twitching, his legs still kicking, his eyes still intense…until all the movements gradually ceased. With perfectly reheased timing…when Adam picked the charmed necklace from the ground, Ethan twitched his last.

Soon, two men came out with a stretcher and placed Ethan’s body haphazardly on it…his arms and legs dangling to the side…and carried him out of the arena.
“Aww man…” said the girl sitting by Woody, “Why couldn’t they have left your boyfriend’s body out there longer?”
“Cause people would be too busy looking at his body to pay attention to what’s happening now…” Woody said.

The princess now stepped out of the gazebo and made her way down the path and into the arena. It was obvious what would happen next. The knight would get down on one knee and propose to the princess. And she would say yes. The king would call out the priest and there would be a quick nuptial celebration. And the knight would lift his bride upon the white horse and, together, they would ride out of the arena…supposedly, off to their honeymoon.

But not everything like that happened. As the beautiful princess approached Adam, he took her hand. He bowed as she curtsied. And then, he led her back to the gazebo where the King and Queen stood up. “Sweet Princess Elizabeth. You are truly the fairest lady in all the lands. But I must return you to your mother and father. I am sorry I cannot take you as my wife. I am in love with someone else…”

The crowd gasped, as the royal family looked at each other, wondering “Was this in the script?”
“Please forgive me!” Adam said as he turned towards the audience, staring straight at Reed.

“Oh my god!” flustered the girl sitting in front of Woody and Reed, “Is he looking at me…”
“I don’t think so…” Woody chuckled.

The crowd slowly cranked their heads, following Adam as he walked across the arena, to the other side of the fence, towards the bleachers. Intrigued, part of the audience began to scoot away as Adam stepped onto the bleachers, still staring deep into Reed’s eyes. Adam stretched out his right arm, and as the hand stayed suspended in the air, so were the captivated audience, wondering just exactly who Adam was looking at. And as Reed reached out to grab the hand, the audience gasped again.

A low murmur broke out in the crowd as people discussed the situation with their neighbors. Little by little, step by step, Adam led Reed back down to the arena.
“What are you doing?” Reed asked; his face red with shock and joy.

“I’m not afraid to admit it. Not anymore,” Adam shook his head, “I’ve never felt anything like this for anyone before, Reed. Everyone I date sooner or later tell me they love me, and that’s my cue to run away. But with you…when you uttered those three words, my heart just flew out of its cage. I wanted to record your voice and play it over and over again. I love you, Reed. And I’m sorry I denied it before.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” said Reed, half-laughing, half-crying, “This is really cheesy. You could have just told me privately. But I love you anyway.”
Adam wiped the tears from his boyfriend’s face as they drew together for a soft kiss.

“Hey, faggots!” yelled a guy in the audience, “Little kids are watching ya know!”
“What? They saw a man getting slit in the throat. But they can’t see two guys kissing?” yelled the girl sitting next to Woody.
“You go, sista!” Woody tried his best to sound stereotypically gay.

As the crowd began to throw popcorn and pickle at them, Adam lifted Reed onto the horse and got on himself. And soon, they were riding out of the field. Woody quickly left the bleachers and ran out of the arena. He was not patient enough to witness the aftermath of Adam’s deviation from the script.

There were only two things on Woody’s mind at the moment. SEX and ETHAN. And the combination of those two words was exactly what Woody was looking. Sex. Ethan. Sex. Ethan. Sex with Ethan. Sexing Ethan. Sex. Sex. First find Ethan, then have sex. Then have more sex with Ethan!

Woody had seen them carry Ethan’s body towards the cabin down the hill. And that was where Woody was dashing to. As he rushed in the cabin, Woody saw nobody in the main room. But he could hear the sound of running water in one of the rooms in the back. Like a bullet that found its target, Woody zipped through the air to the other side of the room, down the hall, and veered left into the steamy room. Pushing aside the shower curtain, Woody stepped in.

Drying his head with a towel, Ethan turned around and leaned back in surprise, “Sherwood…what are you doing…”
The ‘here?’ Ethan was about to say was lost in the muffle as Woody’s mouth crushed upon that of his naked boyfriend.

“That was the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Woody exclaimed, but was not exaggerating, “I don’t care if you’re not in the mood. I don’t care how tired you are. I’m gonna suck your huge cock til you blow a hot wad in my mouth!”

There was no foreplay necessarily. There was no touching needed to arouse Ethan. His dick sprung up immediately at the explicit words that sputtered from Woody’s mouth. Woody squatted down and went straight to business, engulfing the whole 9 inch thick chunk of meat, stuffing it deep down his hungry throat, milking it with his teeth behind tight lips. Woody had eventually grown to like sucking Ethan’s dick, but never had he felt so much pleasure giving oral sex before. Never had Woody wanted to blow a load of his own while giving head.

Ethan who had always known how to control his orgasm, always known how to suspend the climax, didn’t think he could last a minute with the vigorous, wet, hot number Woody was doing to his cock. Ethan who had always seemed so composed during sex, always seemed so majestically poised even as he approached his orgasm, was already having trouble standing on his shaky legs. Forced to lean back against the shower stall, trying to find a grip on the slippery surface, Ethan tried hard not to fall and impede his boyfriend from giving him the blowjob of the century.

“Oh God, Sherwood. This is too fucking goooood. I can’t…I can’t hold it. I’m gonna…I’m gonna cum…”
Just then, Woody pulled his mouth out and squeezed the tip of Ethan’s cock, making sure he couldn’t ejaculate, “Well, NO. You’re NOT!”

Ethan moaned in agony. “I…I thought you wanted me to blow a wad in your mouth!”

“Well, I did. But then I remembered about last night. You fell asleep on me, while I was trying to pleasure you!”

“Oh, shit! I did, didn’t I? I’m soooo sorry.” Ethan gasped, biting his lips and curling his toes, “But please, for Christ’s sake, Woody…let me come.”

Seeing the pain expression of Ethan’s face only reminded Woody of the recent duel that turned him on so much. Before long, Woody was shoving the hard, strained cock, dripping with precum, back down his throat. The truth was…Woody had stopped the blowjob prematurely just so he could keep Ethan’s delicious cock in his mouth longer. The man receiving the oral pleasure thought he had already went over the edge, but Woody was quickly bringing him to the second edge, an edge even steeper and more powerful than the one before.

Ethan’s moaning had always been Woody’s second favorite thing to hear uttered from Ethan’s mouth. “I love you, Sherwood,” was the number one thing Woody loved to hear. And it was that much better when those words were mixed into Ethan’s moan…

Ethan didn’t think there was enough air in the world to supply the amount he needed to express just how utterly great Woody’s mouth felt around his dick, just how wonderful Woody’s throat felt constricting around the cock, just how fantastic Woody’s lips felt at the base of his pole.

Whatever air there was left, Ethan had used them up: “OOOOOH. MY GOD. I want to feel your mouth around my cock all day…but this is just too damn great….I have too…I have too come…”

Woody pulled his mouth away and squeezed at the tip of Ethan’s cock, once again preventing him to release his orgasm!

“Oh, Fuck. What did I do this time?” Ethan cried, putting a fist in his mouth and biting down hard on it.

“You called me Woody!”
“What?”
“At the courthouse, the other day. When I turned you down, you called me Woody.”

“I’m sorry,” Ethan moaned, “I don’t know what came over me. I’m really sorry, Sherwood. Sherwood Sherwood Sherwood. Please I promise I’ll never say it again. Please, finish me off…Sherwooood, please!”

“I’m wearing your bracelet,” Woody said, “Don’t you forget that, Ethan. I accepted your proposal. I promised to marry you. And we will! Even if the state banned gay marriage tomorrow, I will still marry you one way or the other. I love you, and that’s the way it is. I love you, and nothing’s ever gonna change that.”

“I love you too, Sherwood!” moaned Ethan, “But please…for my fucking sanity…please stop squeezing my cock and let me come. Pleeaaaaassssee!!!”

Sherwood let go of the dark-red tip and swallowed the cock whole again. It didn’t take more than ten seconds to bring Ethan to a third edge. Grabbing a hold of his Woody’s dark blond hair, bellowing his orgasmic state so loud that shook the cabin, Ethan drove his big dick deep down Woody’s throat. Without further hindrance, he erupted…long and hard, filling up Woody’s mouth with the hottest, thickest spunk he had ever produced. If it was possible, Woody was enjoying the experience even more than Ethan, hungrily gulping down all that his fiancé had to give, drawing more and more juice from the depths of Ethan’s nuts.

It was several minutes later before Ethan released all he had, but when he pulled out, Ethan saw the state of his cock, “I’m still hard as rocks here!”

“Good!” Woody exclaimed, throwing off his shirt and sliding down his pants, turning his ass towards Ethan, “Fuck me!”

****

It was an hour later that Woody and Ethan emerged from the cabin. The faire was still going on, but now it was time for the two to find their friends. “Adam told me he might pull that stunt at the end. But I thought he would chicken out! I’m rather impressed.” Ethan nodded approvingly, “Maybe playing the role of a valiant, good knight helped him learn a few things.”

“I think I know where they are!” said Woody.
“Me too,” nodded Ethan.

Checking the brochure, they found that the Land of Dante’s Inferno was far off in the corner of the vast park. Passing the land of the Greeks, the lands of the Romans, the lands of the Oriental, passing the cave of dragons, the hollows of the dwarves, the forest of elves, the springs of fairies…Woody and Ethan came to an abrupt descent downhill.

“Through me you enter into the city of woes, through me you enter into eternal pain, through me you enter the population of loss. Justice move my high maker, in power divine, wisdom supreme, love primal. No things were before me not eternal; eternal I remain. ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.”

These words were inscribed in dark colors over the gate that Woody and Ethan entered. Across the Acheron to Limbo where the unbaptized, the lustful, gluttons, spenders & hoarders, the wrathful & sullen all endured their incontinent sins. Across the river Styx to the City of Dis where the heretics were punished. Finally, across the Plegethon to the Plain of Fire where the committers of violent sins suffered. This was the seventh circle, the circle where Adam and Reed must probably be.

Flaming signs marked each section of the 7th circle. They passed under the sign that read Violence “towards Others”…then “towards the Self,” then “towards God.” Each section they passed, the terrain became steeper and rockier. Soon they entered the region for souls that committed violence towards Nature.

“There they are…or at least I think…” Woody pointed in the distance, at two moving figures in the dark red fog that was getting thicker the further they walked down.
As Woody and Ethan descended further, they realized it was indeed Adam and Reed walking in a circle around a raging ball of fire.
Ethan who was walking ahead came to a sudden stop, making Woody run into his back. The taller boy pointed down at the reason he stopped: down at the pit where Adam and Reed were walking, the floor was covered with red-and-ashy-gray orbs. “Is that hot coal?” Ethan asked out loud.

“No, it’s just painted rocks,” Reed laughed. “Come on down here.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ethan and Woody walked onto the fake coals and met up with their friends, “So what happened after you guys rode out of the arena?”

“Oh, they surrounded us and took us here,” replied Reed, “We only had to stay for fifteen minutes and listen to Dante on audiobook.”
“But you guys have been here for an hour…” observed Ethan.
“Yeah, well,” laughed Adam, “I couldn’t keep my hands off of him, so they kept adding five minutes every time I kissed him.”

“You know,” said a guard in the very back, “We can’t legally keep you here…”
“Fuck! Why didn’t you say it earlier?” asked Adam.

“Cause you two are hot! And I have to stand here all day. Just wanted company. But now that my shift is over…Let’s get the fuck out of this hellhole!”
“Agreed!” Adam said.

“Come on, I know the shortcut!” announced the guard.
“Nah, I wanna finish the rest of hell. See what’s down here that’s worse a sin than sodomy,” said Reed.

“Fine, go ahead. But let me warn you, you’re not gonna like the end!” The guard tabbed the wall behind him and a secret door opened. As soon as he went through it, the entrance somehow resealed itself shut again. Adam, who would rather get out of hell as soon as possible, tried pushing at the wall but it wouldn’t budge.

“Come on, let’s go.” Reed said excitedly, continuing down the slope.

“Violent toward Art?” Woody read the next flaming sign they came upon, “Does that mean you can’t burn paintings or knock down statues?”

“No,” chuckled Ethan, “It means Usury. You can’t profit from interest.”
“Ha,” Adam snorted, “That means bank-tellers are committing a worse sin that us cocksuckers!”
“That’s Dante’s Inferno for you!” said Ethan amusedly.

The group soon passed through the eighth circle, reserved for those who committed sins of fraud. Lastly, they came to the ninth circle, known simply as the pit, the very bottom of the hill, reserved for those who committed sins of betrayal.

The group was in awe as they through the setting of the 9th circle, the frozen land. Who knew that part of hell was frozen? They admired the eerie yet homoerotic sculptures of naked men trapped in giant blocks of ice. They wondered how the production designers made the frost and icicles on the trees looked so real.

At the furthest reach of the pit, they could see the gate that marked “EXIT.” But unfortunately, it was closed and guarded by a man dressed in an elaborate demonic costume. He had huge ugly wings, big gross hooves, and the face that nightmares were made out of. He was the devil! Even without a pitchfork, the group had to agree, it was a fantastically scarey uniform.

“You may not pass into Purgatory!” said the man trying to sound as scary as he can, “Not until you face the Trial by Ordeal of Water.”
“What’s that?” Woody wondered aloud.
Reed answered, “That’s when you throw people into water and see if they sink or drown.”

“Why? What for?” Adam asked. “You do that for people you suspect are witches or sorcerers or whatnots. We’re just gay folks!”

“But you’ve passed through all the levels of Hell,” explained Lucifer, “What makes you think you haven’t been possessed by one of my dominions?”

“Alright!” sighed Woody, “So what do we have to do to get out of here?”
“That…” the devil pointed behind them.

The group turned around to stare at a circular wooden crate. It was six foot in height, and on closer inspection, the group noticed that the crate was filled to the rim with water. And above the crate, there was a plank. And to the side of the crate, there was a target painted on a panel. It was a dunk tank! Only it was made out of wood in keeping with the medieval style.

“Before any of you attempt. Understand that this part of the Inferno represents a frozen land. The water in that tank is 45 degrees Fahrenheit,” informed the Devil.

“What? That’s crazy!” Adam uttered in disbelief.
“Only one of you will have to face the Trial, and I will let you all pass this gate,” said the winged beast, “If not, you are free to walk all the way back up the hill to the land of the living…if you’d like.”

“Well, hell!” Ethan said, quickly removing his shirt and pants, until the only thing covering him was the Tigger boxer-shorts, “I’m dressed for it!”
Ethan dashed toward the small staircase that led up to the top of the tank.
“Ethan. Wait!” Woody also stripped down to reveal his Winnie-the-Pooh boxer-shorts, “Let me join you.”

Hand in hand, the two smitten lovers leisurely ascended the stair. Their eyes never parted from each other, even as they walked out onto the plank and sat down. Woody was seated at the very edge, while Ethan sat behind him, holding him, kissing him lightly on the neck, “Look at those ice cubes floating on the water. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“That time at Charlie’s Junks. I wished I was up there with you,” said Woody, “And now here’s my chance to do so. I’d never give it up again.”

“Are you two ready?” Adam hollered. The couple sitting two feet above nearly freezing water grimaced but nodded. “Okay, here it goes.” Adam threw the ball shaped like a skull at the target. Surely enough, his aim was accurate. The target pushed back and the plank pulled down, dropping the couple into the water.

Expecting the worst, Ethan and Woody held each other tight and winced. But as their bodies submerged, they soon realized the water was much warmer than they thought. In fact, it was lukewarm, and the ice chunks were made out of plastic.

Woody’s mind began to spin. He didn’t know if it was the drop into water, or the pressure of the waves pounding on his ear, or the thought that were quickly condensing in his mind. But as he came up for air, Woody had an epiphany. “I get it!” He hollered exuberantly.
“What did you get?” wondered Ethan, spewing out some water.

“I get why I love you! Why I’m attracted to you, and no other guy. It took me this long to realize it, but I get it now!”

“So, tell me,” Ethan smiled charmingly, “What is it that you get?”

“It’s not because of what you did. It’s because of who you are…or rather, of who we are! You were the All American stud who loved books just as much as football. I was the popular guy who hung out with not-so-popular kids. Only when you came into my life did I realize it was fine to be both a jock and a nerd. I knew you would understand me because we were one and the same. That’s why I’m attracted to you. You are my soul-mate! Together, we make one great pair of…of…what do we make a great pair of?”

“Cool Fools?” Ethan suggested.
“Exactly!” The two young men laughed, “We are such cool fools!”

Ethan leaned forward, pulling Woody’s face toward his. Their lips merged as if for the first time ever. Soft, gentle, warm, and tender. The water hadn’t offered anything new to their relationship. It had only reaffirmed what they already believed, that through thick and thin, through highs and lows, they would always be together.

The couple submerged once again. In their wide open eyes, they took in the beauty of their faces. In their encompassing arms, they tightly held the marvel of their bodies. Through their locked lips, they exchanged the love and life they would always share. All around, water threatened to pull them apart, but the lovers were suspended together…through the current of time, through the elements of nature, through whatever that would come their way, they would always be suspended together. In the hell that surrounded them, they found a little piece of heaven all for themselves.


***Thank you all very much for following the trials and tribulations of Ethan and Woody"s relationship. I"ve set up this chapter for perhaps a spinoff story with Adam and Reed. Would you be interested in reading about them? The more positive responses, the more likely I"ll write it. But I still can"t guarantee a spinoff. Thanks again***