Kane

I woke with a start. I'd heard a scream. Another one. Definitely Kane's voice, though too muffled to make out what he was yelling. He was being attacked! I leapt out of bed and looked round for a weapon ... where's a cricket bat when you need one? In desperation, l grabbed Michael's aftershave from his bedside table ... a shot of Jean Paul Gautier in the eyes might work! If there were more than one assailant, they'd just have to form a fucking queue ...

His bedroom door was open and l peered in ... to be met by another scream. I pushed it further open and stood back, right fist clenched, left thumb ready to spray the entire frigging bottle ...

'Nooooo, no .... !'

Kane was lying, face down on the bed, in a pool of sweat. The duvet had ended up on the floor, presumably as a result of his thrashing around. Normally, the sight of him, naked and perfect against the white sheets, would have been all too alluring but this time it was anything but! It was traumatic enough just watching! He was living the attack in his sleep!

I moved to the side of the bed and put my right hand on his left shoulder, as gently as I could. His whole back was drenched.

'Kane! Kane! Wake up! It's just a bad dream! You're ok! It's not real!!'

I spoke in as firm and reassuring a tone as l could summon up, ready to move quickly if he thought l were the attacker though. My left hand dropped 'le Mâle' and touched the bedside lamp to activate its light and reveal Kane's face all contorted and grimacing in pain!

Maybe it was the light, maybe it was my repeated entreaties for him to open his eyes but eventually he did and the thrashing around gradually ceased.

He twisted his head round to look up at me, his eyes wide in sheer terror still. The minute he recognized me and realised he was safe, he sat up and his hand shot out to grab my wrist as if to make sure l was real and not part of the dream.

It was as his breathing returned to normal that I became acutely aware that l was as naked as he! I'd always joked that the combination of my bare nipples and circumcised todger would have any self-respecting burglar flee in terror but, although sleeping naked is more hygienic, it does make accidental situations such as this more awkward! The best I could do was rest my left hand in my lap and cover my cock that way, although Kane appeared not to be even the slightest concerned that we were both starkers.

'It was my father ... l was 13 again ... he was ... '. His voice tailed off.

'It's ok. He can't hurt you anymore, Kane. He's gone. You're ok! Anyone else try to hurt you and I'll poke 'em in the eye with a shitty stick!'

'... or a biro!' I picked one off the bedside table and waved it around in a pathetic attempt to be threatening.

He laughed and leant forward to give a quick kiss on the cheek.

'You're such a silly git but thanks, eh?'

'Go shower! You're sopping wet! I'll change the sheets quickly!'

He swung his legs out of the bed and headed out of the room as I rose to my feet, back to him.

'Ben?'

'What?'

'You did lock the doors?'

'Yup. Definitely. You're safe.'

Then, in the voice a kid would use to taunt a classmate in the playground, he chanted:

'I've seen ya willy! I've seen ya willy!' all the way to the bathroom.

Less than two minutes later, his bed had a clean sheet, the duvet was changed and l was back in my bed, Mr Willy safely tucked out of sight. In his room, l'd had every intention of checking he was ok when he walked back but in my nice warm bed my eyelids decided otherwise.

The next thing I knew, the morning sunlight was poking through the blinds and Michael was back lying next to me, gently snoring. Only it wasn't Michael but Kane who was curled up next to me.

He was as beautiful asleep as awake. He lay on his right side, facing me, right arm stretched out towards me, as if looking for the person sharing the bed. Open mouth, messy hair poking in all directions, he was a picture of peaceful innocence with all trace of night terrors banished. He gave a snort and shifted position to lying on his back, his right arm now up on the pillow above his head, exposing his armpit, all masculine and inviting. His stirring had pushed the duvet down exposing his hairless chest, the left  nipple  tight and hard, the other soft and and appealing to my tongue to lick it! I wondered if, hidden just out of sight, the beginnings treasure trail would lead to a morning wood and just how he'd look if he was erect. It would be so easy ... to just lift the duvet and peek ... .

I slipped out of the bed, suddenly aware of how his vulnerability had again and again been abused. Seeing him naked with his consent was one thing but seeing him erect without his knowledge was quite another. Grabbing my sweats and tshirt of yesterday, I tip-toed out of the bedroom and, failing to find any burglars to shock into flight, l dressed in the kitchen as I made myself a coffee. My mobile had been left on the kitchen table and was on 21% so I grabbed both it and my mug and wandered next door into Michael's office to charge it. I sat down in Michael's chair and plugged the cable into my phone. As l did so, my eyes rested on a framed photo of he and l that he'd kept on his desk for years. All gone now.

To stop the tears arriving, I looked away and back at the mobile. 22%. Good. Then I remembered the photos from yesterday evening and how happy Kane had been at the idea of a pic of him with his lasagna! I scrolled through the myriad of snaps I'd taken, deleting the crappy ones (of which there were a lot), but selecting two that I thought were the best! One because you could see the dish as he cut the first portion ... and because it demonstratesd how undeniably good looking he was! The other was of his first mouthful, as it showed a mischievous glint in his eye that was utterly captivating. Within seconds, Michael's hi-tech printer was churning them out on the special photo-grade paper Michael'd reserved for sales-pitches to clients, banks and the like. I popped them into an A5 envelope and set them on his side of the table. It was at this point, Mr Gorgeous Sleepy Head materialised.

'You not cross are you? I wanted to talk a bit but you were asleep. I just didn't want to be alone. I promise l won't do it again!'

'No, I'm not cross! I understand.'

He sighed with relief, 'l can still go to Cornwall then?'

'Actually, no, I'm very cross! But, if you really want to decross me, you could make me another coffee!

He did so. Rapidly.

'You're cheap to please!'

'And make breakfast?????'

'Yeah! Push ya luck, why dontcha? Memo to Banda: learn to quit while you're ahead!'