Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist (7 page)

Ethan had his arms around Rob’s neck within a split second, and he leaned all his body weight on Robert. “Your dick is so awesome,” he uttered, still panting after his orgasm. “I want you to always feel good. Or at least not-shit.” Even though Ethan was so much smaller, he had a pleasant tightness to his body, which was compact but with tense muscle under the soft skin.

Robert groaned and pulled him up. With his hands tangling around Ethan’s waist, he dragged him on top of himself and dropped to the bed, sprawled on his back. “Say again? I didn’t hear that well,” he uttered, already smiling. His whole body was in a chaotic tingle, as if there were armies of invisible ants crawling all over him.

Ethan put a hand over his face. “Your dick is awesome,” he said with a smile in his voice.

Rob’s skin burned with pleasant heat where Ethan’s still hot cock was trapped between their bodies. He hugged Ethan closer, doing his best to calm his breathing. He didn’t want to seem too affected, even though he was. “But you won’t get your blow job now.”

“That’s fine. You didn’t seem to like doing it, which kinda makes sense.” Ethan sighed, his heartbeat slowly evening out against Rob’s chest. “So I figured I’ll just save you the trouble.”

Robert wanted to slam himself over the head. What was he supposed to do
now
? “You said ‘all bi-curious needs’, yeah?”

Ethan’s head instantly popped up. “Yes, and all discreet and everything. We can do it with a condom, ‘cause you seemed to hate the sperm. Or I could jerk off at the end so you wouldn’t have to taste it.” He was speaking quickly and rocked against Rob’s body, as if he really were a cat rubbing itself against its owner. Rob wished he could stay like this forever, with a hot guy rubbing against him, and then do each other, and then maybe cook something nice to have energy for more fucking. That would be heaven.

“If I need something, I’ll tell you. Don’t be so tense.”

In turn, Ethan tensed up even more, which was all too obvious when he was so close, but he then put his cheek on Rob’s collarbone and let out a deep breath, which seemed to relax his muscles. “Okay.”

Robert closed his eyes, absentmindedly stroking Ethan’s body up and down. Up and down. Next Wednesday couldn’t come sooner. The herby smell of Ethan’s body got even stronger now, it was like sitting by the oven while having a cake inside. Ethan’s weight was comfortable, like a heavy comforter but sweeter, but warmer and much more fragrant. Robert loved it. “What?”

“I stress over trying not to seem like I’m awkward and only end up looking more like it in the process. But you’ll tell me when you want me off, yeah?” The soft hair tickled Robert under the chin. “You’re not a couple with Kelly now, are you?”

Robert grunted. “No, I’m single.” He resisted the temptation to kiss the fluffy hair just below his mouth and closed his arms around Ethan. It could only become more perfect if they could have another go at it later tonight, but that wouldn’t happen because he needed to go home at some point. He’d get his share of proper boyfriends in college, he’d made sure his university of choice had a proper LGBT club.

“Okay. I mean, not that it matters, I just wanna know. You want any more sandwiches?” Ethan hugged him closer, and Robert couldn’t help but steal a glance at Ethan’s ass, bare and sprinkled with goose bumps.

Robert couldn’t stop the laugh that shook his chest. “Yeah, that would be nice. And maybe some coffee?” He looked at those buttocks and slowly moved his hand lower, stopping it just above the naked flesh.

“Sure.” For a moment, when Ethan rose, Robert thought he was getting a kiss, but all he got was a tickle of Ethan’s hair, his mouth getting away all-too-soon. Still, this afternoon had turned out completely different than what Rob had expected. “My parents will be back in an hour. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you as a guest, but they have an annoying tendency not to knock on doors,” Ethan said as he pulled on his pants.

Robert scrambled to a sitting position with a goofy smile. “Yeah, all right.” The last thing he wanted was to be caught in bed with Ethan. He put his cock back into his pants and zipped up. It was the sound of triumph, he could almost hear jolly music in the background of his mind. He’d officially lost his virginity. And to a hot guy with a cute butt at that. Was that butt on the table as well? He didn’t want to ask just yet.

Ethan pulled his hair up into a bun at the back of his head and put his glasses on with a smile never leaving his lips. “I’ll get you that coffee then,” he chirped. His whole silhouette looked lean and linear without the oversized sweater. A bit like a ninja, all in black and with an eye patch.

“I’ll go with you,” offered Robert, stretching on purpose to make Ethan stare at his chest. That hairdo was cute, a bit hipster-ish but really cute.

“Perfect. Going up the stairs with a tray full of hot coffee might be stretching it. I would most probably spill it, burn myself, and then slip on the sandwich,” Ethan said. He did stare, just as predicted.

“We can’t have that,” agreed Rob and offered his arm to him.

Ethan took it eagerly, and the awe Rob saw in his eye when he looked up at him was the best thing a guy could ever get after sex. He’d love to be able to tell his friends how eager his ‘girlfriend’ was to suck his dick.

Chapter 6

Robert was surprised that the conversation rolled so smoothly. They ended up staying in the kitchen and chatting over coffee. Ethan’s parents were lawyers, who worked together in one of the firms in town, and that meant he usually had a lot of time for himself. Without friends, it sounded a bit lonely, but Robert wouldn't say that out loud.

“What do you do out of school with your friends?” Ethan asked, dangling his bare feet over the floor.

Robert grinned, watching the pale face in front of him. “The usual. We go to the movies, watch TV, sometimes we have parties, and so on. It’s nothing... you know, special. Just having fun together.”

“What I don’t like about parties is that you never know whether you’re going to have fun or not.” Ethan squinted slightly and had another sip of his black coffee. He seemed too serious for his cute face.

Robert blinked, unsure what to make of it. Wasn’t the goal of organizing a party to have fun? How could it not be fun? “What do you mean?”

Ethan cocked his head to the side. “Sometimes you get yourself to go, but no one talks to you, and you just end up wishing you weren’t there. But I guess you never have this problem.” He poked Robert’s thigh with his toe.

Robert drew in a sharp breath as the sensation climbed higher up his leg, but he shook his head. Was
this
why Ethan ended up as the prey to drunk werewolves? He’d been all alone that night.

“My parents push me to go though. They claim it’s good ‘social hygiene’, and they believe in the power of connections. I think my mom’s been doing too much yoga.” Ethan smirked, looking into his coffee.

“So you don’t even like parties when it’s just you and some of your friends?”

“Come on, Rob, I don’t really have many friends. And my parents are all crazy about the idea that at our age it’s ‘school time’. So many times I’ve heard that I shouldn’t be thinking of friends or dating now. Which is a bit contradictory to the idea of social hygiene, but whatever.”

Robert frowned over his coffee, unsure what to say to that without being insulting. Ethan’s parents seemed very nice and concerned for their son’s well-being. Maybe they were too concerned though. “I guess you’re right. When are you supposed to make friends if not in high school?”

“Through head trauma, of course.” Ethan poked Rob with his toe again.

Robert swallowed hard, tightening his fingers around the cup. “I’m so sorry. I’m never gonna drink again.”

“Come on, that was a joke. I mean…”

Before Ethan could finish his thought, there was a bang of the door, and two pairs of steps. Ethan’s parents’ voices resounded in the empty living room.

“Hey, sweetie! Sorry we’re late, but we did bring dinner,” Ethan’s mom said. Rob got a glimpse of ginger as she passed the entrance to the kitchen, but then she immediately came back. “Robert! It’s so good to see you.”

He raised his hand with a smile. “I thought I’d come by to see how Ethan’s adjusting. We don’t share many classes.”

“Would you like to stay for dinner? We have lots of Chinese.” She smiled at him and gestured at Ethan, who instantly slid down from the counter. “Terry! Robert’s come round for dinner!” she yelled out into the corridor.

“Ethan’s friend?” answered Ethan’s dad, still fumbling with something by the door.

Ethan’s mom nodded at him and walked into the kitchen with hands full of packaged food. Robert felt his mouth water. As good as the sandwiches were, they were no proper dinner.

“If it’s no trouble. We kinda stopped paying attention to time.”

Ethan’s smile grew, and he started getting out the dishes, which made Rob’s blood pump a bit faster. He could already imagine all of them falling to the floor when Ethan miscalculated where the end of the table was.

“Not at all,” Ethan’s mom said. “I can never give you enough dinners for what you’ve done.”

Robert got to his feet and walked over to Ethan, ready to give him a hand. Every time he heard Ethan’s parents expressing their gratitude, he felt like the scum of the earth. He didn’t want them to know, yet on the other hand felt they deserved the truth. It was so fucked up. “It wasn’t anything special,” he muttered.

“Someone else would have yanked out that branch, but you really knew what to do.” Ethan’s Mother walked up to Robert and gave him a hug, covering him in the sweet aroma of her perfume.

“I wouldn’t have been there in the first place if you didn’t force me to socialize,” muttered Ethan, taking the plates to the living room.

“Ethan, behave,” hissed his mother, untangling herself from Rob.

Robert bit his lip and took another sip of coffee. “That’s just because my mom’s a doctor.” He peeked at Ethan, wondering if the guy was okay with him staying, but there was no answer.

“That was so fortunate. It’s nice of you to still visit after Ethan’s been out of the hospital.” Ethan’s mother took the cutlery and the bags with food, and walked out into the living room. She was always so proper looking in an elegant suit straight from work, and her bone structure made her instantly recognizable as Ethan’s mother.

“We’re friends,” uttered Rob.

“Ethan could use a friend who is actually alive.” Ethan’s dad laughed and took off his suit jacket before sitting down at the big table.

“Daaad…” Ethan moaned and rubbed his cheek under the eye patch.

“Is that about your taxidermy thing?” Rob asked, turning his head to Ethan. It was a bit freaky, but it wasn’t like Ethan wanted to stuff
him
.

Ethan’s mother filled everyone's plates with the efficiency of an army general as they talked. “Have you seen his little den of dread?” She laughed and poked Ethan with her elbow. He didn’t seem impressed.

“Yes, it’s the taxidermy thing,” Ethan said, slouching over his plate. “I didn’t think Robert would be all that interested. It’s a bit morbid.”

“A bit?” His father shook his head.

Robert hardly kept a smile at bay. “A ‘den of dread’? That sounds promising.”

Ethan’s dad shrugged and parted his disposable chopsticks. “It’s a harmless hobby.”

Ethan’s mom nodded. “I even asked Ethan to make a rat ballerina for me, but he refuses. Maybe I’ll get one for Christmas.”

“I don’t do ballerinas.” Ethan pinched the top of his nose.

“It can have a black tutu, sweetie.”

Ethan just chewed on his food, but Robert would not be discouraged. It sounded weird enough to be interesting.

“A rat ballerina? You dress up stuffed animals?”

Ethan looked up at him over the table, and Rob couldn’t work out what his expression meant. “Sometimes. I’m still experimenting. My bird skull necklaces are very popular, but I like dealing with small animals, like rats or squirrels. I also buy vintage taxidermy of bigger animals sometimes and make sculptures out of them. My biggest project this year was making a mouse house inside the neck of an old elk trophy head.”

“Isn’t that inventive.” Ethan’s dad stroked his son’s head like he were a five-year-old.

Robert raised his brows, biting the inner side of his lips. He was happy his mother didn’t treat him like a child in front of his friends. “That... sounds unusual. Is it done?”

“Mostly. There’s still finishing touches I need to do.” Ethan licked some sauce off his lips and went silent for a moment. “You wanna see it?” he managed to ask before any of his parents sneaked in a word.

Robert did the same. “Sure.”

Ethan’s dad cleared his throat, but kept a smile on his lips. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. Maybe you could show him a picture sometime.”

“No, he can see it if he wants.” Ethan frowned. “I worked so hard on it.”

“Okay, okay, but don’t be afraid to say if it makes you uncomfortable, Robert.” Ethan’s mom added to her son’s deep, long sigh.

Robert, whose mouth was at this point packed with chow mein, nodded at her. The food was delicious, crispy, well seasoned, and fresh. He supposed Ethan’s parents used a proper restaurant as their supplier. The taxidermy thing was intriguing. He knew Ethan was making jewelry but art? That was new.

The rest of the meal passed on pleasant conversation, with Ethan generally staying quiet but adding his two cents every now and then. He kept looking up at Robert though, which sent imaginary sparks of excitement toward Rob. It was as if they were having an entirely different conversation across the table. One that didn’t involve patronizing Ethan, but instead consisted of many innuendos and promises of cocksucking. All silent.

Robert was happy to be released from the table, and even as he helped to stash the dishes on the kitchen counter, his eyes kept returning to Ethan across the room. Would they do it again?

Ethan helped his mom in the kitchen, but he kept dropping things, so in the end she sent him off to show Robert his ‘den’.

“I’m not usually this clumsy,” Ethan huffed as soon as they left the dining room and walked down the corridor toward the door.

“You know, just be careful for now, yeah? You’re still adjusting to it all.” Robert cleared his throat, following him out of the house. He was tempted to touch him but it wasn’t safe with the parents around. After all, the light coming from inside the living room could be enough for them to spot any suspicious behavior.

“I’ve read that people with one eye drive cars, but I’m not allowed,” he sighed and put on a black hoodie with fur lining.

Robert rubbed his hands together. He didn’t know what he’d do without a car. It would feel like losing an arm. “Will you ever be allowed to again?”

“Not in the foreseeable future. You know, the doctors are afraid a headache might hit me when I’m on the road, so… yeah.” It sounded more like a general complaint than some attempt at guilt tripping Rob, but it still made him want to apologize.

“You know, if you needed to go somewhere, I could give you a lift.”

“You could?” Ethan looked up at him with that glint in his eye. Robert loved being tall enough to see the top of his head, it made him feel all big and hunky. Plus, Ethan’s hair was healthy, and for some reason, the pale glint of skin at the parting made him think of that herbal scent he liked so much.

“Sure, as long as you don’t ask me to take you across the country for the weekend,” chuckled Rob.

“No! No, I’d only ask you when I really need it. Like, really. I wouldn’t abuse the privilege,” Ethan said in all eagerness and grabbed Rob’s sleeve.

Robert couldn’t help but look back to make sure they weren’t watched before relaxing. “Don’t stress about it. I like going places.”

They approached one of the three garage doors, and Ethan turned back to smile at him in a way he hadn’t at the dinner table. “I might use you then.” He frowned. “I mean, in a good way, you know?”

Robert cleared his throat, remembering the repulsion he’d felt a week ago when Ethan made him go down on him. There was still a bit of anger in him about it, but excitement rose under his skin at the suggestion. “I look forward to that.”

Ethan took a deep breath and smiled even wider. It was as if Robert turned on a switch in him that no one at school, or even at his home, seemed to be able to. Ethan led him into the garage and put on the light. The car that faced them was an old black Chevy, Ethan’s car, but to the left stood a bronze sedan, and a red sports car. Normally, he would be interested in the make and model, but it all dispersed in the background when he noticed something large under a black sheet of plastic in the back behind Ethan’s car.

Robert raised an eyebrow at it, resting his hands at his hips. “Is that the moose?”

“An elk.” Ethan rushed past the Chevy and to the covered piece of art. “You ready?” he asked, grabbing one end of the sheet with his smile radiating enthusiasm.

The open expression on his sweet face made Rob pay all the more attention to what Ethan was about to unravel. Would it be horrible? The bird necklace Ethan kept wearing to school was creepy but seemed well done, so if that was anything to judge by, this could turn out interesting. He nodded.

Ethan pulled off the sheet with a few swift pulls, uncovering the massive trophy. Dyed completely black, the fur was matte, but the grand antlers shone as if dipped in tar. The fake glass eyes had a foggy quality to them, which gave the whole piece more depth. On the side of its thick neck was a small round wooden door. Like one in a hobbit house.

Robert caught himself staring while stepping forward, fascinated by the sculpture. It was so... different and drew him in like a dish he’d never had the chance to sample before. “That is... impressive,” he uttered, scooting down to look into the muzzle. He reached out to brush his fingers over the stiff hairs. “Is that hair coloring, or paint?”

Ethan scooted down next to him and adjusted his glasses. “It’s dye, and I covered the antlers with liquid latex, so they have that rubbery, slippery look. Go on, touch them.”

Robert exhaled and brushed his fingers over the antler. It had a strange texture, a bit like thick rubber gloves but smoother and finer. “It is nice,” he said and moved his hand lower, to the small door. The whole thing smelled of paint, so unlike the dull, stuffy smell he had imagined.

“Wait.” Ethan grabbed his wrist. “Are you sure you’re ready?” He asked as if it was a door to another dimension.