A Dream of Darkness – Chapter 5

A Dream of Darkness – Chapter 5
By
Levi Holland

Chapter 5

Blame it on the broken sleep, or blame it on the morning grogginess, but Henry had at first forgotten about his dream from the night before. He slept through the blaring of his alarm and was barely aware of the fact that his pajamas had dried cum on the inside as he stripped them off in a hurry. Showering and brushing his teeth in time for the bus was damn near impossible, but he had somehow managed with a breathless goodbye to his mom as he sped out the front door.

The bus ride to school was pretty boring, but it was made better by the fact that Henry would soon be seeing Aleks. Stepping off the bus, he spotted Aiden first. His best friend had his book bag slung over his shoulder as he leaned against the wall, staring out at the popular kids across the courtyard with a look of longing.

“Hey, dude,” Henry called and gave Aiden a fist bump.

Aiden stared for a moment longer before turning toward Henry. His hair was messy with bedhead, and his eyes had dark bags underneath. It was clear Henry wasn’t the only one to get a bad night’s sleep. Aiden offered a meek smile.

“Monday blues or were you up all night playing games?” Henry asked.

“Something like that,” Aiden muttered. He fixed his gaze back on the popular kids as they watched videos on their phones. Asher from his reading class was with them, as confident as ever despite his ‘accident’ from the previous week, and Molly was right to his side, already on to the next guy. Asher fed her a lot of extra attention and laughed extra hard whenever she said anything remotely funny. Jake was there, too, and Henry was reminded about catching him whack it at the swimming hole.

Henry leaned over to whisper into Aiden’s ear. “You are never going to believe what I saw this weekend.”

Before Aiden could ask, Henry heard his name shouted from somewhere off to his side. He and Aiden both turned to see Aleks bounding up to them wearing dark pants and a blue jean jacket over a black t-shirt. His hair looked freshly washed and styled in the same messy way he’d seen at the swimming hole. The shaded courtyard made Alek’s pale skin stand out even more.

“Woah, this kid is like pasty white,” Aiden said before Henry smacked him lightly with the back of his hand.

“Be nice, he’s cool. You’ll like him.”

Henry waved as Aleks ran up to them. Aleks wore his backpack across both shoulders, which Henry would have normally thought made someone look dorky, but on Aleks, he thought it was cute, especially with the way the small boy stood with his hands on both hips.

“I was hoping to see you today,” Aleks said as he looked up at Henry.

“Me too,” Henry said. “This is my best friend—”

“Aiden, right?” Aleks answered to Henry’s surprise. The boy shrugged. “I’ve seen you around.”

“Sup, man?”

“Aiden, this is Aleks,” Henry said. “He’s new here. I met him down at the swimming hole over the weekend.”

It was Aiden’s turn to smack him in the shoulder.

“You asshole, you didn’t invite me!?” Aiden shot back. “It was like a million degrees out!”

Henry gave an embarrassed laugh. “Sorry about that. It was kind of last minute, and next thing I knew the whole day was gone.”

“It was awesome, too!” Aleks said. “That crazy big jump into the water is so cool!”

“Meh, that jump’s alright,” Aiden said, crossing his arms. Henry wondered if he’d hurt Aiden’s feelings somehow. He hadn’t meant to NOT invite him…it just didn’t occur to him. But maybe that was the point.

The school bell rang, and Aiden immediately ditched the courtyard without Henry. He looked after his best friend in concern until he felt a tug on his sleeve from Aleks.

“Hey, Henry,” the 6th grader said, “I know we couldn’t over the weekend, but did you want to try and do more today?”

Do more? Henry wondered as his penis tingled a bit inside his shorts.

“Oh, you mean, like after school?”

“Sure!” the boy smiled brightly. “But I mean…only if you want to.”

“No, I do,” Henry said quickly, trying to stop his fluttering heart. He needed to be reasonable. Aleks probably didn’t mean anything more than hang out. “It’s cool. We can hang at my place if you want.”

The two agreed to meet up at the woods near the swimming hole before heading back to Henry’s house. They waved goodbye after heading inside the doors. Misty Pines Middle was a two story building with a separate wing for its 6th graders, and before long, Henry was off to his homeroom class.

Later on at lunchtime, Henry grabbed lunch from the quickest line so he could have a few extra moments alone with Aiden. His friend hadn’t touched his plate of salad, and his head was buried in his hands. Henry set his tray at the table as a loud fart blasted out from a couple tables down followed by a roar of laughter from the boys there.

“Hey, Aiden?” Henry asked when he sat down. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” his friend muttered.

“It’s just, this morning you seemed a little off—”

“Henry—”

“It’s not something I did, is it?”

“I said, I’m fine, Henry!”

Henry felt like the two of them were in a bubble without air. The clamor from the cafeteria faded in the distance as he looked into Aiden’s eyes brimming with tears. His friend blinked and shook his head.

“Sorry, no, it’s not you. It’s…me. I’m sorry for losing my cool. I just can’t really talk about it right now.”

“Okay…”

Henry didn’t know what to do for his friend other than to be there for him.

“You know I’m always here if you need to talk…right?” Henry asked.

Aiden nodded but wouldn’t meet his eyes. He brushed his hand across his nose, and Henry heard the sound of sniffling. Aiden grabbed one of the napkins beside his tray and blew his nose as discreetly as someone can do such a thing.

“Thanks, Henry,” he said when he was done. “You’re a good friend.”

“You are, too. My best friend.”

By the time the rest of their table mates joined them, Aiden seemed to be a little back to his normal self, but Henry had spent enough time with Aiden to realize when something was still nagging his thoughts. His smile wasn’t quite as wide, his laugh wasn’t as full. It was like someone had poured out a piece of him over the weekend.

After the lunch with Aiden, Henry’s thoughts were clouded throughout most of his classes, and soon he found himself in the gym locker rooms without realizing most of the day had passed. Around him metal doors clanged as kids opened their lockers and put their day clothes and deodorant next to their towels. Henry managed to catch a glimpse of Asher shirtless, revealing a beautiful set of toned abs. Henry thought Asher must work out several hours a day. How else could he get a killer body like that?

“Hello? Henry?” Asher asked, waving a hand across Henry’s eyes. Henry blushed when he realized he was busted, but Asher only laughed at Henry’s expression. “You’re a funny guy, Henry.” Asher soon slipped on his gym shirt and exited to the main gym.

Darting his eyes around the locker room, Henry made sure no one had seen him eye-banging the hot preteen just moments ago. All seemed to be clear, and Henry escaped the locker room to start his laps around the gym. Henry was panting for breath by the time their mile lap had finished. Shortly after the run, Coach Lang made them all divide up into two teams to play Capture the Flag, which to Henry, only sounded like more running. At least the competitive element would take his mind from the pain shooting through his lungs.

During the game, Henry tagged out a few runners as they tried to snatch his team’s flag, including a time where he managed to tag out a larger 7th grader named Tom just before he’d gotten one of the flags safely to the other side

Ignoring Henry’s touch, Tom tried to keep going until Coach Lang blew his whistle loudly over the chaos.

“That’s you, Tom,” Coach Lang shouted, “Hustle to the other side.”

“Fucking loser,” Tom muttered under his breath before heading to the jail with the other players who’d been tagged out during the game.

Henry’s team ended up winning the first game but lost the next two, and before long, he and the other boys and girls were drenched in their gray, sweaty gym shirts. After Coach Lang’s final whistle blew, Henry made his way back inside the guys’ locker room where he could rinse the sweat from his body in the showers.

Already a few boys had towels wrapped around their waists as they moved into the connected shower area. Henry often tried to make a casual sweep of the boys as they hosed themselves down. Most just gave themselves a quick rinse before grabbing their towels, but a glimpse was all Henry ever needed in terms of eye candy. Too much candy overload would lead to the wrong kind of sugar rush.

Henry shucked his shoes, gym shorts, and underwear before quickly wrapping a towel around his waist. Someone shoved Henry hard from behind, and he slammed his shoulder into the metal door of the locker. He spun to see a very unpleasant looking Tom, nostrils flaring like a bull who’d been duped by a matador for the last time.

“Next time something like that happens, you’re gonna tell Coach that he made a mistake, you got it?”

Tom jabbed a meaty finger into Henry’s chest.

Henry tried to look brave, hoping he could fake it long enough to get out of the situation. A couple of the boys nearby traded nervous glances but didn’t intervene. Henry didn’t blame them. Tom was a bully through and through. It didn’t help that he probably snorted HGH based on his freakish size for his age.

“It’s just a game, Tom,” Henry said with his best nonchalance. “No one really cares who wins or loses.”

“What’d you say, Tucker?” Tom said, bending down so he was eye level with Henry. Puberty had made a mack truck out of Tom, and he towered over Henry both in height and bulk. Henry didn’t really consider himself to be a shrimp, but he had no doubts about how a one-on-one would go between the two of them. Coach Lang always came to monitor the lockers after class, but he hadn’t shown up yet. Henry had to hold the bully at bay until then.

He remembered a nature documentary he’d seen once about a hiker who came upon a brown bear. Even though the bear could have shredded him apart, the man stuck his arms high in the air to look more threatening and shouted above the bear’s roar to scare it off. Henry steeled himself and forced himself to stand straighter in the face of the bully. A dam broke within Henry’s mind as his resolve settled.

“I said, it’s just a game, so why don’t you just beat it and leave things be?”

This was it. Henry’s eyes squeezed shut as he prepared to get decked in the face by Tom’s meaty fist. When it didn’t come, Henry cracked an eye open to see Tom on his way to the showers.

The few boys surrounding Henry didn’t move, didn’t take a breath. Henry was pretty sure one of the boys’ jaws was open in disbelief. Tom had never been known for his patience or easy-mannered nature. Someone to his left whistled in surprise as Tom turned the knob on his shower and began rinsing off.

“Damn, Henry. That’s a big set of balls.”

“Dude, how are you not eating through a straw right now?”

“It’s like he just forgot about the whole thing. Freakin’ psycho.”

It did seem odd, Henry thought; like Tom had just taken his command at face value. Tom had been so willing to create a scene in front of the whole locker room, so why had he abandoned the fight so suddenly?

A voice whispered to him at the end of the thoughts, subtle and soft, but clear as it called to him.

Henry had broken through Tom’s mind.

In a dizzy haze, Henry remembered the voice from his dream offering him more power. What had it said, something about his desires being realized if he pushed through? So had he overpowered Tom’s mind in that moment? And more importantly, could he do it again?

Henry stared at the bully as he began scrubbing his hair beneath the hot shower water and considered what he could push Tom to do. Punch the wall and hurt his fist? Maybe, but Henry figured that might be something Tom would do on a regular pissed off day.

He let his mind relax as he willed his thoughts across the locker room.

Stop, he commanded.

It was subtle, but Tom’s body had definitely stilled beneath the water. Here goes nothing, Henry thought.

Scratch your ass, Henry commanded, and at once Tom reached a hand back to dig his fingers into his butt cheek which drew a few snickers from a few of the boys nearby.

Henry wanted to push the bully even farther, force him to do something that would be truly humiliating so he could have a taste of his own medicine, but before he could make him do something completely stupid like pretending to be a baboon around the locker room, Coach Lang finally arrived and blew his whistle.

The sharp, piercing screech broke Henry’s concentration, and he knew he only had a few minutes to rinse himself off in the shower. It hardly mattered, though. He’d made a new breakthrough in his power, and quite honestly, it was an intoxicating feeling. Henry wondered if his ability to control others’ actions was possible with anyone he came across or if it required a certain battle of wills like with Tom moments before.

He got to test his theory on the bus ride home. Henry searched out an open seat near the back until he found a spot across from a brother and sister who lived in the neighborhood adjacent to his own. Henry already knew he could use his own arousal as a fuel to raise the horniness of other people, but this was merely a test to see how well he could influence direct control on another person he didn’t have any connection with. He wasn’t even sure of their names and hadn’t had any reason to ever talk with the two before. They would be the perfect candidates.

When the bus got rolling, Henry kept his body turned so he could naturally face the two without drawing extra attention to himself. If needed, his head was tilted so he could pretend to look away at a moment’s notice.

The sister looked a bit older, possibly in 8th grade, not only because she was a good head taller than her brother, but she seemed much further along in her adolescence. Despite the sweater she wore over her body, her breasts were clearly pushing up against the front of her top. She had honey-brown hair with strands of highlights that complemented the glasses she wore. Henry figured there were definitely some other guys who would find the girl reasonably attractive, but she didn’t check any boxes for him.

Her brother, however, was cute. Not particularly stunning, but adorable in his own way with a head of low, slightly curling dark hair. His ears stuck out from his head, and he had both a tiny nose and eyes. That was the thing about attraction; sometimes it didn’t always matter that someone ranked high in the looks department. You liked what you liked, period. The kid was still young and would likely grow into some of his more awkward features as he entered puberty over the next couple years.

The two chatted back and forth, but Henry could barely hear them over the regular commotion from inside the bus. Now was a good a time as any, he figured, and he started to set his mind on the two. He wouldn’t have a whole lot of time before his stop, so anything he tried would have to be quick and relatively tame.

Henry cleared his mind and imagined a connection forming with the girl. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was supposed to feel like. With Tom, the mental link had been sudden and instinctual. He hadn’t even known he was affecting him at first. Henry continued concentrating his will, hurling parts of his consciousness across the bus aisle.

Tickle your brother, he commanded.

The younger boy suddenly squealed in laughter as his sister dug her fingers into his sides. He pressed himself into the seat to escape her moving fingers, but she persisted and followed him. It was working perfectly, Henry thought.

Stop.

Just like that, the girl ceased her tickling and sat up with a bemused look on her face that she tried to cover with a smile.

“Sorry,” she said loud enough for Henry to hear. “Don’t know what came over me.”

Kiss your brother in the ear, Henry suggested next, and after only a moment’s consideration, the girl leaned forward like she was about to whisper something, but instead pressed her lips against the boy’s inner ear. He pulled away a moment later before shoving his book bag between the two of them.

“You’re being weird, Kelsey,” he complained, rubbing the wet spot at his ear with his sleeve.

Henry decided to end things there. The beginning of a migraine was starting to creep in, but also his bus stop was only a few brief stops away. There was no reason to get too carried away. He’d have plenty of time and chances to explore things further.

When he first stepped off the bus, Henry immediately started making his way toward the back of the neighborhood where he and Aleks planned to meet up. Taking the dirt path through the forest, Henry walked along under the shade of the branches before spotting his new friend walking his direction from the far end of the tree-covered path. When Aleks spotted him, Henry saw the boy smile and sprint the rest of the way, his book bag bouncing hectically with every step.

“Dude, I thought this day would never end,” Henry said after giving Aleks a fist bump.

“I know, right? Way too boring of a day.”

“Hey, so your mom and dad cool with you coming over?”

“Oh, them? Yeah, nothing to worry about. It’s all good.”

“Cool. So you ready to go? My place isn’t too far.”

They walked side by side as they headed back through the forest together. The shade offered them both a reprieve from the hot sun. Soon, Henry started quizzing Aleks about some of his interests, like favorite superheroes and TV shows.

“I think I like Batman or Spiderman the best,” Aleks said after some consideration.

“What? But they’re like total opposites of one another!”

“So? Who’s your favorite, then?”

Tom Holland was pretty hot, Henry figured, but that didn’t really seem like the best way to explain his superhero crushes. Instead, Henry answered with Iron Man because he thought Tony Stark was the cooler, less brooding Batman.

“Hmm, okay,” Aleks said. “Favorite music artist?”

“Easy. Billie Eilish.”

They broke through the edge of the forest, and Henry’s migraine flared up again in the bright sun. He massaged his temples while they finished the last leg of the walk home. When they arrived at Henry’s house, Aleks paused to tie his shoe just off the doorstep.

“Oh, just so you know,” Henry said. “My little brother Keegan’s home, too, but he’s pretty chill so we won’t have to worry about him.”

Aleks shrugged coolly in his jean jacket. “I’m not worried. I’m sure if he’s anything like you, he’s pretty awesome.”

Henry blushed and led the way to the front door. After using his latchkey to open the front door, the noise from the TV immediately filled the air, doing nothing for his headache. He knew there was Tylenol in the cabinet he could take if the pain continued.

“Keegan! I’m home and have a friend, so I hope you’re not doing anything weird!”

Message received, Henry guessed, because immediately the TV volume blissfully dropped down and soon his brother slid around the corner in his socks across the hardwood floor. He’d already changed from his school clothes for the day and was stripped down to his usual t-shirt and shorts.

“Who’s this?” Keegan asked.

“Dude, manners. This is my friend, Aleks. He’s new here, so I figured I’d invite him over.”

“Does mom know?” Keegan asked.

“No. And it’s fine. She doesn’t need to.”

Keegan rolled his eyes and turned to face Aleks. He stuck a thumb out at Henry. “He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he’s older than me.”

“I can, and actually, I just got done telling Aleks how cool I thought you were.”

Keegan’s eyes brightened. “You said I was cool!? Have I mentioned today how great of a brother you’ve been lately?”

“Mhmm. Buh-bye, now,” Henry said, and pushed his way past Keegan.

Henry led Aleks to his bedroom and locked the door behind them despite Keegan’s attempts at barging in. He stood there awkwardly for a second while Aleks checked his room out, taking in the poster of his favorite Porsche model, some of the school trophies he’d won when he was much younger, and the picture of him and Aiden at Henry’s twelfth birthday party last year.

“So you guys are pretty close?”

“Oh, me and Aiden?” he asked. “Yeah, he’s probably my best friend. I’m sorry about the way he was acting today. He’s not normally like that.”

Aleks nodded. “Seemed like he had a lot on his mind.”

Henry couldn’t have agreed more, but it was obvious Aiden didn’t want to talk to him about it, so what was there to do? If he kept pestering his friend about what was up, he’d only manage to make him more upset, and what good was that?

“Hey, so how about we listen to some music?”

Even though Aleks had heard of Billie Eilish, it was his first time listening to more than just Bad Guy on the radio. He wasn’t impressed beyond the occasional song or two, so they switched up to other pop music, and soon they were both bopping their heads along to the music. After listening through some of Henry’s favorites, they decided to go catch something on the television and hang out together in the living room.

They found Keegan watching another episode of Teen Titans, but the boy perked up when they plopped down on the wrap-around sofa.

“You guys wanna do something outside?” Keegan asked.

Henry shook his head. “Maybe in a bit. We’re gonna hang here for a bit.”

“I love Teen Titans!” Aleks said. “Who’s your favorite?”

“Oh, Beast Boy, for sure,” Keegan answered. “You?”

“Beast Boy’s pretty great,” Aleks agreed. He shrugged off his blue jean jacket and set it on the arm of the couch, leaving the pale boy in just a black t-shirt that accentuated the tone of his pale skin even more.

Henry was partial to Robin personally, loving the way the leader flipped through the air in his green spandex uniform. For a cartoon, Henry thought Robin was pretty hot. He could only imagine what all the Titans got up to “off air” so to speak. A bunch of horny teenagers unregulated could only lead to one thing in the end. Henry started to chub up a little inside his shorts.

As discreetly as he could, he reached down to adjust himself on the couch, giving himself a gentle squeeze. He cast a glance to his side and caught Aleks watching him with a blush across his pale cheeks. The boy quickly turned his head away when he saw Henry had seen him. Aleks’s curiosity gave Henry an idea that he wanted to try out. But first, maybe it was time to tease his younger brother a bit.

Keegan had missed the brief exchange between he and Aleks, and Henry turned his focus on his brother. If Aleks wanted a show, Henry would help give him one.

“Keegan, wanna do something fun?” Henry prodded.

“This is fun,” he said. “But sure, like what?”

“I think you should show Aleks your new favorite hobby that you learned lately.”

Keegan went wide-eyed as recognition crossed his face. He finally broke eye contact from the TV.

“What do you mean?” he stammered.

“Henry?” Aleks’s voice was a little shaky, but Henry ignored him.

“You know,” Henry said, “the hobby you’ve been getting really good practice with lately.”

Keegan’s face was like a doe in the face of headlights, uncertain whether to panic and flee or stay rooted. Henry felt gutted like he was somehow betraying Keegan’s trust, but he figured his brother would enjoy the pleasure that came out of it in the end. A voice trickled like water in the back of his mind. Use it, Henry. Push.

“B-but, you said, it was private,” Keegan whispered.

“Henry,” Aleks said again, more firmly.

“It’s okay,” Henry told his brother. He directed his will toward Keegan and bridged the connection between their minds before giving Keegan the command. Make yourself cum—you’ll enjoy it.

It was like a rubber band had snapped after being taut for so long. The resistance Henry felt from Keegan melted away, and at once his brother went to work. He grabbed the edges of his shorts and underwear together before sliding them halfway down his thighs, leaving all three inches of his bare penis standing at attention. Keegan kept his attention straight down as he grabbed his erection with his thumb and index finger, immediately sliding the skin up to the head and back. One of his feet gave a little twitch.

Henry’s headache was back, throbbing as he chanced a look at Aleks. He expected his friend to have the same look of embarrassed curiosity he had shown just moments before, but Aleks refused to look at Keegan. His eyes were fixed in a chilly stare against the wall, his jaw clenching and releasing every few seconds.

“Stop this, Henry,” Aleks finally said.

Stop it? Why would he want to stop what was going on?

Already, Keegan’s breath was growing more ragged and his eyes unfocused. If he kept going a little longer, he’d have his orgasm and feel good. Maybe then, he could convince Aleks to join in, and the three of them could have an afternoon to remember.

A tear streamed down Aleks’s face as his friend stood from the couch. He gave Henry a pitying glance before striding over to the couch in front of Keegan, who acted like Aleks wasn’t even there as he masturbated on the cushions. Henry felt like he was living in a surreal head space. Maybe it was the migraine, but it was like the same fog that covered their town was now swallowing his mind.

“Keegan,” Aleks said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Keegan.”

His brother didn’t break his concentration. Aleks gave a few slow, steady breaths before stretching out a hand towards Keegan’s forehead, gently pressing his pale thumb against it. Aleks closed his eyes and exhaled. A moment later, Keegan’s eyes fluttered shut, and his hand fell away from his groin as his body went limp on the couch. His dick, which had been rock hard a second ago, immediately started to wane.

Henry was shaking and hadn’t realized when he’d crawled away to the far edge of the couch.

“W-what did you do?” he asked. “What was that? Keegan!”

Aleks pulled the throw from the top of the couch and placed it across Keegan’s lap to give him privacy. It was only then that Aleks turned back to Henry. Aleks’s eyes were like deep, blue wells stuffed with knowledge and memory and wisdom.

“I think it’s time we talk.”

End of Part 5

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
All rights reserved

Author’s Note: One chapter to go! I hope you all are enjoying the story as we head into the finale. Lots to uncover and reveal between these two boys. Stay tuned and hopefully I will do the story justice in your mind!

Please let me know if you enjoyed the chapter by writing me at LeviHolland@protonmail.com

-Levi