Part XIV - 2: Traveling Companion

Symbols. Everywhere I went, in every person around me, I could 'see' them swirling in their minds, down their necks, and if I concentrated, I could even follow them to the tips of their toes and back.

I had been back in school for three days, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my attention off my newly formed sense. Every minute I seemed to sharpen my focus, gathering even more understanding and detail of these mysterious objects that had no mass. I had never felt so intellectually invigorated before. I simply was lost in the wonder and discovery of it all.

I started relearning how the commands I had long ago mastered worked, finding the insight I had to the results didn't help me much in how that result finally came about. While sitting in class, I experimented with different forms and patterns of several basic symbols. So many seemed to do the exact same thing alone, but when put together with other symbols, they produced very different reactions.

After accidentally causing my entire fifth hour class to wet their pants instead of simply feeling thirsty... Well, let's just say Higgs heard of it and called me into his office the next morning.

Even while Higgs scolded me out for messing around with the minds of others, not working on the ton of homework I had to make up, or how I hadn't been keeping up my end of the deal concerning the extra privileges I had been receiving, my attention was focused on the fascinating streams of symbols in and around his head.

It wasn't until the streams had calmed down quite a bit before I realized he wasn't speaking any more. He sat there staring at me, a lot like I had been doing the entire time I had been sitting in front of him.

"What is it you see?" he asked, noticing I had momentarily come out of my trance.

"Symbols. Streams of them going around your head, some of them repeating, some of them not. I'm starting to even sense... I guess the nearest term would be something like color. Some streams will be all the same intensity, some of them won't. And there's so many other things about them that are just as... interesting. Like the way this one symbol always starts at the liver and circulates all over the body before it meets it's mate and vanishes. And there's this really neat thing that happens in the eyes I'm... "

"Tim," Higgs sighed. "I'll be honest with you. I share in your enthusiasm in investigating these symbols, and I know you are trying to be very careful when using your classmates as guinea pigs. But, I can not allow you to risk accidentally causing someone irreversible damage somehow. These are people's mind's you're playing with. What if you had stopped their hearts instead of releasing their bladders?"

"But... But... " I said, finding myself unable to disagree with him there. Perhaps before I had been able to see the complexity of how my commands actually worked I might have been more confident about dealing with a mistake like that. But ever since I had started analyzing the symbols, I was finding it difficult to make anything but the simplest things work without panicking about how they seemingly were going astray.

"So what can I do?" I finally said. "I can't even eat breakfast in the morning without getting lost in the stream controlling my digestive system. And right now you have this really cool looking stream that spits into three different directions... "

"Tim!" Higgs suddenly said very loudly.

I snapped my attention back to his face, then said, "Sorry."

"You really can't help yourself, can you."

"No, I can't. I wish I could just hook up to a bunch of college people like Sarah sometimes does. She said whenever she needed to do some really intensive research, she always formed a special course and recruited the best minds on campus who had the qualifications she needed in the project. But everyone here doesn't have any experience in researching, and I'd... What?"

Higgs eyes had brightened, and now he had a somewhat pleased look on his face that meant he had the solution.

"This would be fairly hard on you, you understand. I'm not willing to help you unless you agree to make up all the work you have missed while not getting behind in your current assignments. Understand?"

"Uhm... Yeah, loud and clear," I said, frowning.

The way he was acting meant I had lost some of his faith, and that kind of hurt. I knew I had been skimping on the homework, but after everything I had gone through the past eight months, I was feeling a bit anxious to learn everything I could about the symbols in order to hopefully better protect myself.

"Mr. Higgs?" I said before he went on. "I've never told you what happened during the summer because I... Well, I just couldn't, that's all. It's kind of hard to even think about it now. I don't want to ever have to go through something like that again, you know?" I said, looking up and into his eyes a moment.

I looked back down at the front of his desk, then took a big breath before saying, "I can't promise you anything until I've learned what I need to know about how these symbols work. I feel like my life depends on learning everything I can, and as quickly as possible. I feel so... naked now that I can see them without understanding how they function. I can't be the only one who sees them, and just knowing that scares the shit out of me."

I looked back up at Higgs, seeing him wearing his thinking frown. I managed to glance back down at the desk before the streams of symbols whizzing about him grabbed my attention again. But even while I tried not to focus on his mind, I could feel him arguing it out with himself. I had the feeling whatever it was meant he would be putting himself on the line a little for me.

When he finally made his decision, he too took a deep breath before he asked me, "If I arranged for you to do what you need to do at Southeast State, do you think your mother will let you go?"

My eyes went wide with excitement, and I couldn't help but bellow "Southeast State?!? Oh WOW! YEAH! If she doesn't, I'll just have to... Er, beg."

Higgs explained that he had a good friend who was the chairman of the Arts and Science department at Southeast State. In fact, ever since we had started working on drawing the symbols, Higgs had been itching to let his old college buddy in on the project. But he knew better than even suggesting it to me because I had been so hesitant in letting Higgs show a few even to his wife.

It took less than an hour to get my mom's okay and make plans for Higgs and I to go down and meet his buddy that Friday. It took a lot longer to convince Higgs I needed someone else to go down and stay with me than anything else. Especially since he knew it would probably be Joey who was also just as behind in his schoolwork as I was.

But as it turned out, Joey refused.

"Why not!?!" I said a little too loudly. The two nearest guys in the weight room briefly glanced over at me before I made them suddenly have to take a big dump.

"I just can't leave now!" Joey said a bit crossly. "Shit, Tim. We just got home, and I want to spend some time with my family. Can't this wait for a while? Like maybe this summer?"

"No... Come on, Joey. I NEED you. You know I can't do this with out you... "

"Why not? You don't need me to feel them out for you any more. You told Higgs you needed someone to act as a briefcase. You could use anyone for that."

"But... But we're a team. You know? And you always notice things I don't catch. And what if... "

"Tim? Please don't make me choose between you and my family. You know how I feel about them. I'd do anything for you. But please don't ask me to do this. I need some space, man. I need to do something NORMAL, and... something that isn't with you... "

He had whispered that last part with his back turned towards me. My mouth hung open realizing Joey felt just as vulnerable and scared as I did. But instead of making preparations to better arm himself, Joey wanted to slip between the cracks by returning to a normal existence. And we both knew what that meant to our friendship.

I turned around and walked straight out of the weight room in shock. All of the stress I had concerning Joey's masked hatred and rage started to come back to me and add to the discomfort in my gut. Now I had even more reason to leave. After all, if Joey needed his 'space', the best way to give it to him would to not be around.

So I was a bit down hearted after getting so excited about it all. I did need someone to go with me, so I waited outside John's and Brad's classroom until the bell rang to end third hour.

I had just started telling them about the symbols and how important they were to me when someone at the far end of the hall behind me called my name.

We were about to continue on our way after not hearing anyone repeat their call, when a thin long-haired kid dashed into view and promptly got tripped by a senior who had been waiting to do just that.

"Ouch," John said after the kid landed on his face.

I cleared the way and kept everyone from stepping on the scrawny looking guy's papers which had slid out of his folder in front of him. The senior who had tripped him had just finished rubbing it in when I got near enough to see the kid's nose was bleeding.

"Why don't you take a quick jog into the girls locker room with your underwear on your head, and don't come out until you get caught."

"Yeah, okay," the jerk said before making one last sneer at his victim.

"And just for that, piss on the coach's shoes!" I commanded.

"Tim?" a nasally impaired voice said behind me.

I turned towards him, only to find his slightly familiar face rushing towards me. I nearly fell over when he grabbed me and started giving me a huge hug.

"Hey!" I gasped, finding his skinny arms stronger than they looked.

I pulled him off me and was about to ask who the hell he was when his face twisted up in anguish and said, "Don't you remember me? It's me, Eric. From summer camp."

For the second time that day, my mouth fell open in surprise.

But it only hung open for a moment, for then it was saying, "Eric?!? Oh my God!" while I grabbed him and gave him an even bigger hug than he had given me.

Eric was crying as he continued to hug me around the chest, even after I had stopped my own hug. My empathic senses were working double time, making me want to blubber a little too, but the only thing I did do was hug him like he was my doggy I thought I had lost but had found his way home.

We both snapped out of it when the bell rang. And that was when I first noticed the other scrawny looking long-haired kid standing three feet from us looking a bit concerned.

"Hey, man. Who is this kid?" Brad asked as Eric finally let go.

"He's the one I told you about from summer camp."

"You mean, the queer?" Brad said.

"Errriiic... " the other long-haired kid whined.

"Er, sorry, queer kid," Brad said when I shot him a dirty look. "I just never met... Uh, come on John. We better get to class. Later dudes."

"Yeah. Uhm, see ya around," John said hesitantly. He took about six paces then turned around and said, "Hey. I, uh... Like, I'm not, but... I don't... " then turned red and said, "Yeah, later," before quickly following Brad around the corner.

"Who's your friend?" I asked Eric after they both got over their flushing fits.

"I'm James," the kid in question answered himself. Then under his breath he said, "The very late to my fourth hour James."

"Shit. I'm sorry James," Eric said with concern. "I forgot you already had three tardies."

"What teacher?" I said as I tried wiping the blood off my shirt from Eric's nose.

"Hackmyer, why?" James said, watching me closely.

"OH!" Eric said snapping around towards me again. "'Cause you're not getting a tardy, is he, Tim."

"Nope," I said mirroring Eric's grinning face. But then I noticed his nose was starting to swell and said, "Hey, let's go up to my room and take a look at your nose. It's going to have to have at least some ice put on it."

"But what about class?" James asked.

"Well, since iron-ass thinks you're sitting there falling asleep as you usually do, I don't think you have to worry about going to class."

"What did you do? Meet him before school so you could plan your joke?" James said crossly to Eric.

"No! Tim, show him you can do stuff. He still doesn't believe me."

"I have a better idea. Let's go get some ice for your nose, and if he doesn't believe you by the time we get up there, I'll suck you both off."

"Yeah, right," James said.

"All right," Eric said a little discouraged. "But I wish you hadn't said that. James is going to be so horny by the time we get up there, someone's going to have to suck him off. And since I know you won't... "

"What's the matter, Eric? Don't tell me you don't like sucking cock anymore?"

"No way," James said, handing me his shirt. "He loves it. It's just he swore he wouldn't do it until... "

"James!" Eric said as James pulled down his pants.

"What?" James said. "Oh. Sorry. But I thought you and he had done... stuff."

"Don't mind him, James," I said folding his pants and laying them across my arm. "He's just excited. Come on. Let's get moving."

Eric stood there as James walked down the hall with me wearing only his underpants. I couldn't help but notice how thin the material was, and how visible his small semi-hard cock was.

By the time we reached the stairs, Eric had caught up and was bright eyed waiting to see what was to happen next. Since we were already on the second floor, we only had to climb one set of stairs. But even that had almost been too much for Eric to stand.

"Come on... " Eric said to me.

"What?" James asked.

"Oh, all right," I said. "James, have you ever had one of those dreams where you forgot to put any clothes on but your underwear?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I don't even have the underwear. Why?"

"CAUSE IT JUST CAME TRUE!" Eric shouted.

"What do you mean, it just came... OH SHIT!"

I swear I have never seen someone move that fast before. One moment he was standing there, then next he was behind the door of the stairs.

"Uhm, can I have my clothes back now?" James said a few moments later through the crack of the door.

"That depends. Do you believe what Eric told you about me?" I asked.

"Yeah, every word," he lied.

"Eric, he's your friend. What do you want me to make him do?"

"Uhm... Give me a sec," Eric said, frowning with thought.

"Come on, you guys. Give me my clothes back. I'm getting cold."

"I know! I want him to give me a piggy back ride! I gave him one, but he is always 'too tired' to give me one."

"Okay. That sounds fair. Come on, horsy. Time to saddle up."

"Mrrrpppphhh," James said coming out from behind the door in a gallop.

"Once around the hallway, James," Eric said excitedly as he climbed onto James's crouched over back. "Giddy-UP!"

I walked over to the door to the room as James rounded the halfway mark, then held it open until a very out of breath James carried Eric into the room and collapsed on the carpeted floor.

Eric rolled him over and laid on top of him before asking, "Now do you believe me?"

James nodded vigorously, still out of breath, especially with Eric's weight on top of him. But his breath slowed down very quickly as Eric's gazed into his eyes and slowly lowered his mouth to his.

Even though I had pretty much known they had been fooling around and stuff, it still surprised me to see them kissing passionately on the floor like that. James's arms wrapped around Eric's back and started rubbing up and down while Eric humped against him slightly, then as soon as they came up for air, James started trying to pull Eric's shirt off him.

"I thought you wanted to get your clothes on," Eric teased.

"Now all I want is you out of them," James said.

But Eric wasn't game. Or at least he wasn't while I was sitting at the table watching them with amusement.

"Aww... " James whined when Eric got up and came over to the table.

"I never though I'd see you do that," I admitted to Eric, handing him the cold pack for his nose.

"What? Kiss another guy?" Eric said surprised.

"Fuck no. I didn't think you would ever be the one to stop like that. I'm proud of you, Eric. You've gained a lot of self control."

Eric beamed from my statement, and I really was proud of him. But most of all, I was happy he was doing so well. Not only had he completely been left alone by Steven, but he also had found someone like himself to care about. And he truly wanted to do for James what he believed I had done for him. But it hadn't been easy, that's for sure.

"So how are you here and not on the other side of the state?" I began with.

"My dad. Oh, how I've wanted to tell you all this!" Eric said excitedly. "My dad was promoted and transferred over here last spring. And after you had left us alone all winter, he started to believe me about you. He still had our letters with your address on them, and we came out here to see if we could find someplace close by so I could see you.

"What happened to you anyway? I mean, I checked to see if anyone was at your house almost all summer long, and then when school started, I ran into Suzi. But she didn't know who I was, who you were, or what's his name... or anything. And why did she dye her hair? I almost didn't recognize her."

"That's a long story, and it isn't something I like to think about too much. But I'll tell you a little. Joey and I were kidnapped, Joey was brainwashed and managed to grab Suzi, and then Suzi was brainwashed too. Suzi's made a full recovery besides the black hair, and Joey sorta too, but I don't want to talk about that. And when school started, Joey and I went to find his long lost sister, and we just got back from that."

"Oh," Eric said blankly. He hadn't expected anything like that. He thought I had gone on a world tour or something. But he brightened up when James sat down beside him at the table and gave him a little shove.

"Why do you bother asking questions?" James suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I replied.

"From what Eric said, you read minds as easy as watching TV. Why don't you just find out what you want to know without bothering to ask for it?"

"Because it's rude, for one thing. And a lot of times asking questions tells me more than what I want to know. I can read your mind, but if I want to find something out besides what you're thinking, I have to go and dig it out. It's just easier to let you do that. And stop thinking about Eric's asshole. What makes you think I'd get turned on enough by that to suck you off?"

"James!" Eric said, giving him a shove back. "You're a sicko!"

"Yeah, well, you're the one who like to talk about other people's asses," James teased. "Tim, did you know he likes to Mffph... "

"What was that James?" I said as Eric struggled to keep James's mouth covered by his hand.

"I sffg, Phew! I said he likes to hehhhee, Stop! hehhehheheh! Eric!" James cried as Eric began tickling him.

Eric continued his tickle torture until James finally said, "ALL RIGHT! I won't say a word about it!"

"That's better," Eric said with a look of victory.

James straightened himself out, mostly straightening his hair, then suddenly looked me straight in the eye with an intense look on his face and his eyes wide.

I couldn't help but laugh at the message he sent me. And when I looked over at Eric with a smile, Eric moaned, then slugged James in the shoulder and said, "Oh, I give UP!"

"Come on, Eric. It's not anything I didn't know already. Don't you remember you did that to me that day in the tent?"

"Oh yeah!" Eric brightened. "And you said not to do it again because you didn't want to get to liking it so much that you would make people do it. Or something like that."

"You can do it to me anytime you want," James said with a grin.

"I thought you were tired of it?" Eric said.

"I was, but that was last week. And I'm so horny from thinking about it, I'm getting ready to squeal."

Eric laughed at that like it was the funniest thing on earth. Neither one of them noticed I hadn't a clue of what the joke was.

Eric and I started to talk about what we've done and where we've been, and while Eric kept trying to include James, James remained quiet for the most part.

When the bell rang for the second lunch period, James asked, "Hey, would it be okay if I went to lunch now? Like I'm hungry, and it would give you time to catch up."

"I guess," I said.

James whispered something into Eric's ear that made Eric grin slightly before dodging my eyes and turning a little red. James just grinned at me, and walked out.

"You love him, don't ya," I said point blank.

"Yeah. After we moved here and I couldn't find you, James and I caught each other checking each other out in the mall. That was cool. We like knew, you know? But I didn't let anything happen until we got to know each other really good. I let myself fall in love with him before we did anything sexual. That's what you wanted me to do, wasn't it?"

I was smiling at him, and simply nodded my head.

Eric's own smile disappeared a moment later, and then he said, "Tim, why did you leave me like that?"

"Oh, Eric... " I said, seeing him tear up a little. "Come 'ere."

Without hesitating, Eric dropped the cold pack on the table and followed me to the sofa where we both sat down.

"I didn't plan on leaving you like that. But it came down to you having either me or your dad help you, and it had to be your dad. Besides, you needed someone who lived close by, not on the other side of the state. And your dad would have never believed I hadn't made you like you are if I hadn't given you up like that. I didn't want to leave you, but I didn't have much choice... I really did miss you."

"You did?" Eric said, his smile coming back a little.

"Yeah. I can't believe you're here either. It's so cool."

Eric wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly before saying, "Tim, I love you. I've waited so long to tell you that. I don't ever want to be away from you again."

I gave Eric a hug back, finding his words and emotions starting overpower my own. But then Eric looked up at me and started closing in to give me a kiss, and I suddenly got a little scared at how fast things were going.

I moved to avoid his lips, saying "Eric... I'm not really sure I want to... "

But the hurt look on his face made me bite my tongue, and as his emotional state went to hell, I made up my mind and said, "I love you too, Eric."

"Then why?" he said before choking up and looking away.

"Because... I just need... Oh, Eric. Look at me, please?"

He raised his head up blinking his tears out, and looked at me with a puppy- dog look in his eyes. My empathic abilities kicked in automatically, and in seconds I felt the strength of his feelings towards me.

When his friends at school began harassing him for being gay, Eric held on to his experience with me to help him through the emotional grief. While his dad did help him a lot, Eric's loneliness magnified his feelings for me. I had become his hero, perhaps even a super hero of sorts, and even after meeting James and adopting his hair and dress style, he was still inspired to be just like me.

I saw how my rejection had hurt him, and how dependant he was on my acceptance. So there was no question to what I had to do.

"I just wasn't ready, that's all. I wasn't expecting you to want to kiss me, and I guess I panicked," I said rubbing my right hand over his bony back.

He stayed silent as I moved closer and eased his side up to my chest, switching to rub his shoulders when he shifted his weight against me. When he finally relaxed, I wrapped my arms around him for a gentle hug, then gave him a peck on the forehead that caused him look up at me again.

This time when he approached my face, I found myself anticipating his kiss with some excitement. I knew I was letting myself get in a little deeper than I probably should, but I told myself this was Eric, and I had let him go once. I knew I couldn't let him go again.

Eric had learned his lessons well. His kiss was well controlled and unrushed, and after a few minutes of exchanging gentle dry kisses, I found myself sliding down the back of the couch as Eric's tongue brushed across my lips. I could feel his energy, his excitement, and most of all his love flowing through him, and I started feeling some of it stirring within me too.

I quite frankly was swept away by the emotions I was receiving from him. And his controlled and precise manor was so unlike the Eric I had known, I kept having to open my eyes to make sure it was still him.

Our tongues met at the entrances to each other's mouths, and once we had reintroduced them, they took turns probing the other's den. By the time we came up for air, I was on my back, my legs and feet on the couch, and realizing it was Eric's hardon in his jeans that was pressing against my bare lower stomach.

"Shit, Eric. You've grown!" I said feeling his hardon through his jeans.

"So have you!" Eric said, pressing his hardon into my hand while feeling mine with his own.

"But you must be almost as big as I am, and you're two years younger! You'll be huge!" I exclaimed, giving him a couple more squeezes before letting it go.

"I know. My dad is huge too. It sucks," he said continuing to manipulate my own hard member.

"Why?" I said a bit fast.

"'Cause I'm too big for James. God, Tim. I need to suck you so bad," he said, undoing my pants.

"Hey," I said stopping his hand pulling my zipper down. "What about James. Don't you think he would... "

"Huh? Nah. He knew I wanted to do this. He even wants me to."

"How do you know that?"

"Cause before he left, he told me wanted to taste your stuff when he kissed me, so make sure I saved him some," he said offhanded like.

"Oh," I said feeling my dick jump and struggle to get out.

Eric pulled my pants off entirely, then planted his face into my crotch and took a deep breath.

"Mmmm... Just like I remembered," he said before carefully slipping my boxers down.

"Fuck," Eric muttered.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing. Its just... You're so... beautiful... and big. I'm not sure if I'll find James so good after yours. Especially after you fuck me."

"Hey," I said struggling to sit up a little. "A blow job is one thing, but intercourse is another. I don't need to fuck you to love you."

"I know that, but... Well I... You see, James... Oh, never mind," Eric said before taking the head of my dick in his mouth.

"Down boy," I said.

As my hardon shrunk in Eric's desperate mouth, I sat up and reached out to his chin. My dick flopped out of his mouth as I raised his head up level with mine, then said, "Tell me what you were going to say."

Without glancing away from my eyes he said, "James won't let me fuck him. I was sorta hoping you would let me if I let you."

Eric was searching my face for any hints of either arousal or displeasure, and I realized he was also holding his breath. I knew if I said no, he would pretend he could simply accept it, and maybe he even believed he could. If I agreed, he would only wish to do it again, and sooner or later I would have to refuse and hurt his feelings anyway.

But the fact was, I didn't want to lose the emotional support I was gaining from him. Eric had turned my day around, and I had to admit I wouldn't mind having him fuck my ass once in a while. I guess I simply have too much of my mother in me.

"I will agree on a few conditions. A, James has to agree to it."

"He will," Eric said excitedly.

"B, we work on getting James to let you do him once. It's only fair."

"You won't get any argument from me," Eric said with a glowing face.

"C, You don't try and seduce me every time you get horny. You have to control yourself, otherwise I'll do it for you. Understand?"

Eric paused a moment, then noticed my dick had hardened again.

"Yeah... Is that it?" Eric said softly, taking my dick into his hand.

"Just one last thing," I said, pulling his slowly pumping hand off my cock. "I want to make sure you're not bigger than I think you are. Let me do the depantsing so I can see how you've grown."

Eric backed up without a word so I could sit normally on the couch. As I reached to undo his pants, Eric gasped, making me look up at him.

"Tim, I can't tell you how... "

"I know, Eric," I said, pulling his pants down to his knees. "Shit, you're hung," I said, staring at the lump in his briefs. "Well, here goes nothing."

After I pulled his underwear down, I sat there staring until Eric fearfully asked, "Well?"

"I can't get over how big you are. You're not as big around as Joey yet, but you're bigger than I am. Maybe longer too, but it's hard to tell. How big is your dad?"