"Come in! There's no one inside right now."
For the first time, Noel invited his lover to visit his home. He opened the slightly creaking door.
Alexei slowly followed Noel from behind, entering his lover's house. The place was quite simple, with two bedrooms, one kitchen, and a living room of roughly the same size. In the main room, there were only a table and a wooden cabinet to put everyday items.
"Sorry if my place is messy." Noel was a little embarrassed by his somewhat untidy house.
However, Alexei didn't mind at all. "It's fine."
Noel replied with a smile. "Do you want a drink?" He walked to the kitchen, then opened the door of a small freezer no taller than an adult's waist.
"Yes, if it's not too much trouble," Alexei replied, still standing comfortably in the front room. Meanwhile, Noel was choosing two cans of his father's beer.
"It seems my father still hasn't come home from work for a few weeks," Noel informed him while carrying two cans of beer as he walked toward Alexei in the front room.
"A few weeks? That's a long time. What does your father do?" Alexei asked while accepting a can of beer offered by Noel.
Without answering directly, Noel opened the beer can. The hissing that greeted them was enough to break the silence. Meanwhile, Alexei had already taken a few sips, his taste buds immediately filled with sweetness even though bitterness dominated.
"A scientist."
One of Alexei's eyebrows rose slightly; the young man was silent for a moment upon hearing the word "scientist."
"But he never goes into detail," Noel continued, before downing the beer in the can until none was left. The young man tossed the can into the trash basket near the refrigerator beside the sink. Noel threw it like he was shooting a basketball into a hoop.
Alexei wanted to ask more, but two framed photographs with wooden frames on the table caught his attention. He focused on them, his hand reaching out to take the first photo.
It showed a picture of a small child with a man fishing. They sat by the river, facing the camera and smiling brightly.
In the second frame was a half-torn photograph. Inside was a beautiful woman holding a toddler of about three years old. The woman's face was truly beautiful, with her charming smile.
"That's my mother," Noel told him, even though Alexei hadn't asked. And that successfully shattered the young man's attention, which had been focused on the photo.
Alexei looked at Noel after putting the photo frames back. "So... your sweet face is inherited from your mother, huh?" The young man gently stroked Noel's right cheek.
Noel caught one of Alexei's hands, which had been gently caressing his cheek. Alexei briefly kissed the tip of Noel's nose. He finished the contents of the beer can he had been holding and threw the empty can into the trash, crushing it first.
Was Noel drunk from just one can of beer?
Alexei moved his face closer, staring intently at Noel to confirm something. And his guess was right; the young man seemed a little drunk.
Noel had zero tolerance for alcohol. Yet he had chosen two cans of beer to enjoy together. Alexei looked at him longer; Noel's expression became cuter the more he looked at him, in his opinion. Unable to resist his lover's behavior any longer, he playfully tickled Noel.
"Ah, stop it! That tickles, haha..." Noel squealed loudly when Alexei tickled the area around his waist and stomach.
"Your body is so sensitive, huh!" Alexei laughed, continuing his tickling assault.
"Ah, haha, stop it!"
Amidst the ticklishness, Noel tried to push away the hands that kept tickling his waist. Eventually, Noel accidentally lost his balance and fell on top of Alexei, as the young man also couldn't maintain his balance.
Suddenly, Noel's laughter stopped, replaced by silence as their mismatched eyes met. Soon after, Alexei pulled the neck of the young man on top of him to give him a kiss. At first, only their lips pressed together, but gradually it turned into an increasingly demanding gnawing from both sides, though Alexei dominated the most.
"Ah..." Noel moaned between kisses. The young man beneath him had made him forget everything, but this was still nothing.
With one movement, Alexei reversed their positions so he was on top and continued their passionate kiss. Only moans and the faint sound of their tongues could be heard, completing the room's atmosphere.
Alexei licked Noel's lips with his tongue to instruct the young man to open his mouth. Noel, not understanding, just stayed still. Feeling he wasn't getting the response he wanted, Alexei stopped his actions to look at Noel's face, who was looking back at him while blinking occasionally.
"Why aren't you opening your mouth?"
"Because you didn't tell me to open my mouth."
His lover was truly innocent. If this weren't Noel's first time, Alexei would have devoured the young man beneath him right then, but Alexei had to be patient. He had promised to protect Noel and not hurt him. Noel wasn't his sex slave. Whatever treatment he would give, Alexei would always try to use his heart and feelings.
Still not understanding, Noel opened his mouth slightly. Alexei quickly entered and intertwined his tongue with Noel's, making the young man gasp. He even tilted his head to more easily explore his lover's warm cavity. Feeling a little ticklish, Noel reflexively gripped Alexei's arms as the young man sensually stroked the roof of his mouth.
Noel moaned when he felt he was running out of oxygen.
Alexei understood and immediately released their lip lock. While Noel caught his breath, Alexei moved his kisses to his neck, giving small bites on Noel's slender neck.
The young man closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of Alexei's touches on him with his mouth slightly open and moaning softly.
Now Alexei kissed Noel's lips again; they were immersed in their lovemaking, exchanging saliva, feeling no disgust whatsoever. After a while, their kiss broke; the thread of saliva connecting them snapped due to the small distance they created. Both were panting, catching their breath. They looked at each other, throwing smiles at one another with warmth radiating from Alexei's eyes and passion within them.
Noel wrapped both arms around the young man's neck. Alexei caught Noel's jaw, continuing his kiss. This time more lustful than before. Alexei's kisses now descended to his neck, pressing his lips to the neck, licking and biting slowly, marking his ownership over the young man there.
Noel sighed softly, trembling slightly at the touch. Alexei kissed Noel's lips again, still slow and controlled. He lowered his hand and slipped it under Noel's t-shirt, then removed it.
Alexei's hands roamed all over Noel's body, touching every centimeter of that cool, soft skin, making him tremble with desire. Noel liked the way Alexei touched him; not wanting to stay still, he also touched Alexei's body on top of him, giving the same pleasure the young man gave him. Noel could feel Alexei's abdominal muscles through his fingers.
Alexei brought Noel up just to remove the t-shirt he was wearing. Now Noel's upper body was exposed. The sight made Alexei's breath catch. Unable to wait any longer, Alexei also removed his own shirt. They were both now without tops.
Noel admired his lover's six-pack abs. As a man, he had also longed for a body like that, before meeting Alexei, of course. Now something he had once wanted was possessed by the young man in front of him. Lust began to envelop them. Alexei unbuttoned Noel's trousers, then the zipper. His hands trembled. Before he could pull down his lover's pants, Noel's hands quickly grabbed his wrist.
"What's wrong?" Alexei asked.
"Do you want to have our first night on the floor?" Noel asked back, his face already flushed.
Suddenly, Alexei realized they had indeed been making out on the floor. His activity of making out with his lover had almost made Alexei forget everything.
With a smile spreading on his lips, Alexei asked, "Do you have a comfortable place?"
Noel nodded, his face burning red.
*
Loud cheers erupted from the students—especially from the girls. They were currently watching a lively basketball match in the school gymnasium. The hall was spacious, with a pinewood floor that was starting to wear out in some areas; tall windows on the eastern side let in the afternoon sunlight, creating long shadows on the court. On the creaking wooden bleachers, dozens of students sat packed together, their voices echoing under the high, resonant ceiling. Dozens of girls simultaneously screamed when a young man successfully sank the ball through the net, adding to the score. Dozens of girls shrieked his name, like fans watching their favorite band in concert—even though in Russia in 1992, the term "fangirl" wasn't yet known; all that existed were innocent shouts full of admiration.
"Terenti, you're so cool!!!"
"Terenti Gilhooley, go out with me!!!"
Those were some of the phrases shouted by several beautiful, scantily clad girls who were cheerleaders. Their uniforms—short light blue skirts and white t-shirts with the school's name—were a luxury afforded only by schools with extra funding, the result of donations from parents who were businesspeople.
Every word that came out of those girls' mouths was only met with a faint smile by the young man they called Terenti, who had been focused solely on the game. Terenti Gilhooley—tall, with brownish-blonde hair he always combed back, a strong jaw, and an athletic body that made his sports uniform fit him perfectly. His jet-black eyes narrowed whenever he was about to shoot, and his arrogant little smile only appeared when the ball successfully went through the hoop.
The noisy gymnasium made Noel very uncomfortable. He didn't like physical education classes or the girls' screaming. If it weren't for the teacher asking him to deliver a basket full of balls to the storage room, he wouldn't have come here. And as it happened, the storage room was near the gymnasium, so he had no choice but to pass by it.
A whistle blew, signaling the end of the game, and the team led by Terenti Gilhooley had won.
Terenti took a bottle of mineral water and drank. Bottled mineral water was still considered a luxury item in the early 1990s—a luxury that could only be enjoyed by students from wealthy families. Most other students just brought water from home in recycled plastic bottles that had been washed. In the midst of the crowd, his attention accidentally caught sight of a sweet-faced young man carrying a basket full of balls to put in the storage room. As soon as he finished his drink, his lips formed a smirk.
[•°]