Cody wasn’t use to staying at home all day, watching TV, eating cookies, chocolate cake and all kinds of naughty snacks, and enjoying it like some kind of party while Drake went to college doing his paid job. He patted his still taut tummy, imagining a small pouch appearing from all the junk food he was eating. The nightmare was gradually fading. Still he sometimes shivered recalling the events of what happened that day in the college basement. Bruises remained on his chest, thighs, and chin, turning yellowy-blue, and fading reddish-blue marks around his eyes were also beginning to lighten. Yet, whenever he touched them, Cody could still feel the pain given by those motherfuckers. Cody accepted this part of his life. Everything to happen that day was etched like a thunderbolt deep in his bones, and he would never forget or forgive anyone because of that. But he had to move on, and Drake kept on reminding him day and night. His soft kisses to Cody’s forehead, cuddles and attempts to make him happy, were gradually helping him to relax. He loved his poor jokes as well as his damn sexy smirks.

Cody tried his best to smile, at least with Drake, and live as normal a life as he could, but the darkness was ever-present, as a light touch without permission made him shiver, and compelled him to get to his feet and run away, though Drake held his hands and refused to let Cody move away. Drake was always there, comforting him without touching him unless Cody allowed it.

Whenever the professor was not lecturing at college, he tried to stay with Cody unless he went out to bring takeout back to eat. Cody was lucky enough to have a professor who brought him comic books. They smiled and laughed together, playing chess and card games. Drake was doing his utmost to cheer up Cody, helping him in his own way, to forget his past which he couldn’t ever do.

Drake was always cautious, looking around, peering over the balcony, and also warned the security guards that no outsiders or any unknown persons should come inside the building. He didn’t want those jocks to come in his absence and disturb Cody again, or try to attempt anything which would be offensive. Cody couldn’t defend himself and would become a victim of them again.

 

---

 

The day the professor brought Cody into his house, Drake slept on the couch in his bedroom. The couch was too small to accommodate a buff body like his, and Cody watched his legs hanging down over the arm of the couch and peeking out from under the blankets. Cody pretended to sleep but he couldn’t. The voices of the abusers were still echoing in his brain, assaulting into his ears from afar, replaying his attack over and over. No sooner had he closed his eyes than with a shudder he reopened them. He could feel their fingers running all over his skin, digging deep into his flesh. Lustful eyes staring at him, boring into his soul and destroying his sanity. He could feel them tightly gripping around his wrists and ankles, suppressing him so their leader Chad, could mount him.

Cody remained awake until the dawn lightened the inky-black sky. Tiredness, exhaustion and all his fearful thoughts were finally too much for his weary brain to keep digesting, and he fell into a restless sleep.

He awoke at around 11am and found he was alone in the bedroom with the sound of a TV coming from another room, which momentarily confused him. Cody had a blurred recollection of what happened after his professor came to his rescue. How he got to the professor’s house, or even out of the basement, was a blank. His first coherent thought was when Drake laid him on his bed and covered him with the duvet. Carefully sitting up, Cody blinked painfully trying to get his eyes to open fully, but they were almost swollen shut from the bruising punches. After a few wobbly attempts at standing, Cody walked into the hall and followed the sound of the TV.

Drake was sat there watching TV, reading the newspaper, eating toast and drinking coffee all at the same time. Hearing a slight noise from the doorway, Drake turned his head from behind the couch and smiled at Cody, who tried to reciprocate, but the pain of swollen marks and bruises over his body wouldn’t let him. Drake understood everything. He came up to Cody and walked him into the bathroom. He drew Cody a hot bath in his luxurious tub, with lots of soothing oils to help him feel refreshed. Though Drake went out of the room before Cody painfully undressed alone.

Thoughtfully, Drake left clean clothes on the bed for Cody to wear. They were a little baggy, but Cody was relieved he didn’t have to wear his stained, ruined jeans. His t-shirt was left a shredded mess on the basement floor. No doubt bedding for the rodents who made it their home. Feeling a little stronger, Cody moved along the hall to the lounge where breakfast-come-lunch was ready. Drake had made an array of different dishes, and had some medicine waiting for him. While Cody ate, Drake lifted his shirt and rubbed ointment all over his bruised and battered body, then gently inside his pants on his ass, which Cody didn’t really want him to touch. But Cody’s reluctance to allow him to help, didn’t prevent Drake from tending to his injuries properly. Cody tensed as he gently rubbed the ointment over his more intimate parts. The soothing balm helped calm his burning flesh.

Every day he missed his Max, the bastard boyfriend. His mind and heart were hooked on him. Cody wanted him there. He wanted to put his head on Max’s chest and bawl and cry as much as he could to cleanse his soul. He wanted to have the safety of his arms wrapped around his broken body. Why Max was in Cody’s heart, lodged so deep within and hurting it, Cody didn’t know. He only wondered why he wasn’t there when he was needed the most, why he hadn’t come to the rescue when those jocks were disgracing him, making him unworthy for anyone. Cody couldn’t answer. But since that first day, he had not received any messages from the math professor. It was hurtful and it hurt him worse than whatever those jocks attempted to do to him.

Joseph called Cody quite a few times a day asking whether he was alright and where he was. Joseph told him the Cosmology Professor had notified the office and submitted an application form on Cody’s behalf that he was not well, necessitating the return home citing unavoidable circumstances. Cody just agreed on whatever Drake had written in the application, saying he would return in a few days and that there was a mishap at home.

Each and every act of Professor Drake was making Cody think more about him and fall for him. Cody remembered it was him with who he met first on the campus, and had fantasized about being with him, however Max approached him first and reeled him in hook, line, and sinker.

By living with him, Cody came to realize that Drake was equally good, and in some ways much better than Max. After that first night, Professor Drake had made up the spare room for him to use.

Cody stayed locked in the closed house feeling restless, especially when Drake was teaching a class. He spent his time watching TV and eating, which was of course helping with his recovery, but he wished he could take a holiday, camping with the handsome hunk bad boy professor. Firstly he was bored and secondly, The Hunk was not approachable. He was just as much like a professor in the house itself as in the classroom, only so caring and of course sexier.

Once Cody caught Drake coming out of his gym, wearing tight fitting shorts which came down to his mid thighs, and a sleeveless deep-opening A-shirt, which revealed his entire torso from the sides. His deep muscular chest was a sight to behold. Usually he was dressed in a suit and tie. Of course, Cody enjoyed the brief sight of Drake’s body during the swimming competition, taking in the beautiful tattoos that adorned his skin from his ankles right up to his chest. Drake read it in his eyes, and since then he wore longer shorts and closer-fitting t-shirts. Cody enjoyed more than anything, admiring them clearly and from up close. Unfortunately the shorts always hid the ink covering his ass and upper thighs.

He wanted to follow that sight, see what his shorts hid. What design was inked on Drake’s ass, and even more who dared to ink Drake there. When Cody found his sinful straying gaze on his body was equally watched but didn’t offend, he hoped it would go further, but alas Drake never approached him like he wanted him to. Cody felt his body respond to the professor. He was feeling better, and except for the few cuts and bruises on his face, arms, and torso, he was feeling healthy again. Drake’s fuck-not-with-me attitude made Cody fall more for him. His lust for Drake grew deeper, and the desire to be healed by Drake’s caring attitude was profound.

The professor’s extra caring and positive attitude drew Cody towards him. Drake wanted him to stay there for ten more days, until Cody became completely well and began feeling safe enough to roam around the college with the same confidence he had before the attack.

Cody sat and looked at the clock. It was 5.15pm and time for Drake to return. He kept sitting at his place on the couch eating ice cream which Drake had bought from the nearby mall the previous night. Cody waited for him pensively, until he heard a key fighting with the lock from outside. He knew it was Drake because every day like clockwork, he struggled to unlock the door he locked to keep Cody safe inside while he went out. Most days Cody felt as though he was kidnapped in his house, and Drake held full rights over him, owned him and instructed him as he wanted, in exchange for saving his disgraced reputation.

Cody looked at his cellphone and found there not a single message in reply from Max. It was over five days, and it was never so long that they stayed out of contact without talking to each other. Cody was dying inside to see Max, or at least see any messages from him. Cody’s voice messages were also not acknowledged. Cody could see Max checked each of them, but not a single reply was sent. Cody’s anger was brewing, frothing, and he wanted to rage out. But Drake’s awesome aura kept him in check. Whenever he found Drake around, checking him out, smiling with love and caring in his eyes, Cody’s heart settled down. Whenever he felt downcast from not hearing from Max, Drake’s image popped into his head and a smile floated on his cheeks. Drake would often send him silly jokes, emojis, GIFs, meaningless questions and answers, or a sudden check on his wellbeing. Cody never felt so vulnerable and cared for. Max was fading away but the ache from losing his first love still hurt.

Cody wanted Max back in his life and as his boyfriend. ‘End this now. No more arguments.’ Cody warned his mind.

Cody loved Drake for whatever way he was taking care of him, but Cody wanted to go out. It was five days since the attack, and he had never been caged behind four walls for so long before. Drake came through the open door, and looked around for Cody. He found him on the couch, and with eyes only on each other, they both smiled. Drake’s eyes relaxed and Cody felt contentment and security wash over him, loving how Drake could rouse such feelings. Once again, he had come home laden with lots of nibbles, humorous comic books, and gaming DVDs. Drake closed the door with his foot and put everything on the table before him. Cody put his ice cream bowl down beside the couch, stood and stamped his foot on the floor. Surprised, Drake looked at him with a sly smile that reached deep into his eyes.

“I want to go outside today. I cannot stay cooped up any longer inside this house.” Cody insisted thinking Drake would agree to his wish.

Not at all happy with what Cody said, he countered, “You are still not well and I have seen those jocks are still wandering around the college. They are suspended from attending classes, yet I found them trespassing on campus. No doubt they are looking for you.” His voice was commanding, authoritative. Cody wasn’t sure why he loved it, or why his body reacted when Drake stared at him as though he would eat him whole.

That evening, Cody was ready to fight for everything he craved for, because he really wanted to go out. “I am not going alone. You can come with me. If you accompany me they won’t dare to come near me, right?” He stood his ground and stared back at Drake, who was surprised at his confidence. Cody was desperate to go out and he wanted to see some new faces, feel alive again, to breathe the fresh air.

“The guard told me they were looking for you. They are nothing but wild bulls, and I don’t want you to get into trouble again.”

“No I won’t if you can come along with me.” Cody leaped towards Drake, jumping over the couch, and holding his arms, dragged him to the door, almost pulling him outside the house.

“Can’t you hear what I said? You are not going outside yet and that’s final. No arguments.” He barked. Drake was standing next to Cody, hands still lightly touching him, which forced tears to come to his eyes,.

“I am sorry my dear, I don’t want to offend you. I just want to take care of you as much I can. I am not your parent I know, neither your boyfriend, just being a friend, and I really don’t want the same trouble to follow you again. I cannot be available to rescue you all the time.”

“That’s why I am saying I need to be strong, and I need to feel that I am stronger. That’s why I am begging you to come with me outside, so I can face the world. What happened, cannot be changed. I cannot live behind closed doors forever. This suffocates my heart, and blood, and keeps reminding me what happened out there. I am dying inside here… I want to see the new colors, smiling faces, and just want to forget what has happened. I hope you will help me to do that.” Cody hoped Drake would understand his longing and his need to do something normal for a change.

Drake stared at him for a while, and then Cody showed his gentler side.

“I’m not arguing with you Sir. I am not. I just so want to go out, and I don’t want any arguments over it, please.” Cody pleaded, knowing he asked a lot from Drake.

“Fine. Okay.” Drake surrendered, raising both hands in the air, he smiled. “As you wish. We will do as you want, let’s go out.” He looked at him smiling. “Let me go change.”

“No need. You are damn hot just like that.” Cody chuckled in his happiness. Without looking at him, he jumped up and fist pumping the air, chirping, “Just wait a second, let me change into something better.” While eating he had messed up his shirt and he definitely wasn’t going outside looking like that. He ran to the bedroom, grabbed the nearest t-shirt. It was one Drake had bought him two days before.

Cody ran back with a huge smile, then slipped on his loafers, “Ready. Let’s rock the world.”

“Okay, so where are we going? Somewhere nearby we can walk to?”

“Anywhere would be good. Just to wander around the streets window-shopping, or a nearby market or somewhere… wherever you want to take me.”

“Okay, so have you ever been to the west side of the city?”

“No. I have been around the college, all the corridors, all the floors, to the cafeteria and to a few other places close to the college.” Cody smiled showing off his nerdiness.

Drake nodded at his innocent smile and said, “Okay, let me take you to a different area of the city.”

 

---

 

Drake was silent during the drive, but Cody kept chatting happily all the way. Drake drove them in his sleek, purring Jaguar and parked it in an underground carpark. As he walked outside, Cody read, Western Suburb embossed on a big board which was illuminated with multiple lights. As they walked together, Cody found they were in a big market area, very crowded with narrow lanes, overly showy Chinese lanterns and lots of street food, multicultural cuisines, clowns on the road. Fun games, shooting the balloons, hoopla, knocking the cans down, and Cody’s favorite, hook a duck. It was going to be a great stressbuster.

Drake caught sight of Swiss peering from a window above them. Immediately, Drake tugged Cody into his tight embrace. Cody didn’t know anything except a feeling of being warm and delighted being stuck this close to Drake’s body. Drake watched how Swiss called Chad over together with some of the other jocks, to show the pair roaming on the street below. Chad flicked Drake a Fuck You sign. Drake’s mind ran in all directions, and he knew the situation would not be good.

The jocks couldn’t harm both of them if they stayed together. Still, Drake wanted Cody to be safe. He them moved through the crowds and they entered the main shopping complex. They walked into the men’s section, where Drake asked Cody to look for something for himself. Cody tried on jackets and when he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw Chad and company staring back at him. Cody turned around, and found Drake was standing between them. Drake gestured not to move, and the gang walked to the other side of the shop.

Drake kept an eye on them, waiting for an opportunity to strike. To the left of the complex was a deserted alleyway.

“How can we leave with them here?”

“You won’t have to worry about anything.” Drake mumbled, as they walked among the men’s clothing section.

Before they could finish checking out the clothing, Chad was stood there confronting them. Suddenly, Chad jumped at Cody but surprisingly, Cody hit out at Chad, knocking him down. Cody leaped over him, then stopped and waited for him to get up and be joined by the other two jocks, Swiss and Tammy. Cody punched Chad in the face, while Drake joined assisted by taking hold of Swiss. Tammy was thrust away. Cody swung with all his might at Chad, and pummeled him until he rolled up into a ball, screaming and kicking at Chad as he vented all his anger and pent up frustrations.

Drake kept Swiss trapped as Cody bashed him. Hitting his nose hard, they heard it crunch before blood poured out. Drake released him and Swiss crumpled to his knees, crying and holding his nose. Cody left him there and turned to Tammy who had stood transfixed by the alley wall. Tammy was crying and shaking, Cody punched him in the mouth drawing blood. Tammy moved to Swiss sitting on the ground still nursing his nose. Cody started to laugh, a healing laugh. He knew at that moment, he had conquered his fear of those jocks. Drake quite enjoyed seeing Cody fight with them, to relieve his stress and anxiety.

Leaving the three gang members in the alley to recover, Cody and Drake walked back to the market. Cody remained extra clingy to Drake the whole way around after their encounter with the gang. He watched as they limped away from the alley, and walked cautiously down the street. A few more of the gang joined Chad and helped the injured friends to hobble away.

Drake and Cody enjoyed different food from the stalls, and had some more fun, with Drake winning a small stuffed dog for Cody on the hoopla game. Cody was so overwhelmed, he had to wipe a tear surreptitiously away. No one had ever won a prize especially for him before, and he knew he would keep the little, garish, green dog forever. Later that evening they had a light dinner as their stomachs were fully stuffed from all the junk food.

“I cannot eat another morsel!” Cody surrendered, but Drake made him eat it all.

“You were getting weaker by the day. You need to keep your strength up.”

“I doubt it. I am gaining weight!” Cody moaned pinching his stomach.

After some time, they drove back home. It was past midnight, yet both were in high spirits after the enjoyment and excitement of the night, not feeling sleepy, perhaps because of their togetherness and blissful feelings. Cody kept touching Drake and held on to him all the way, feeding off his strength and warmth. They reached Drake’s apartment where Drake gave Cody the door key while he drove the car into the parking area.

---

 

As Cody was putting the key into the lock, his head was smashed into the door. His instincts crept in and he dropped down into a fetal position. Unbeknownst to them, the jocks had followed them home. Chad, Swiss, and Tammy had been taken to the hospital by Drowsy, and the rest wanted revenge. Before they could do anything more to him, Drake came charging to his rescue. Anger and hatred poured out of his body. Rage he hadn’t felt before erupted, causing many of the jocks to turn tail and scarper. The ones foolish enough to stay suffered his wrath. Drake might have looked like a well-dressed college professor, but he was an experienced boxer, fighting a few rounds every week to keep fit. It wasn’t long before the remaining jocks began to flee. Drake’s hands were bloodied and bruised, and one little bastard had managed to get a crafty right hook to his face, leaving a small cut on his cheek.

Drake picked up the key that lay abandoned on the ground where Cody had dropped it, and opened the door. Turning, he looked at the stricken student trying to hide his embarrassment. Brushing past Drake, Cody cried and ran into his bedroom, keeping a firm hold on his stuffed dog.

“I am fine.” Cody spoke after coming out from his room having splashing his face with cold water and changing into his comfy shorts. “I think I need to be stronger to face them.” He stared at Drake for a while, and tried to a smile. “I am fine really.” He tried to convince both himself and Drake.

He walked out onto the balcony and stretched out on one of the reclining loungers, enjoying the cool midnight breeze, sending shivers over his heated body, and calming his agitated blood. He kept staring at the full moon for some time then removed his t-shirt and threw it on the floor towards the railing. Drake came out and stood beside him, looking at him for some time, while Cody stared at the moon playing hide and seek behind the clouds.

Cody took a full glance at the man next to him for the first time since the previous day. His sexy attire diverted Cody’s mind and boiled his blood in a different sense. He smiled, licking his lips at Drake’s dark, navy-blue suit, blue, silk, dress shirt and a blue and red diagonal stripe patterned tie, along with those still shining, black shoes. Man, he was so fucking hot! Cody gulped down thick saliva of lust, letting his stare move up and down Drake’s body and minutely observing the stiffness in his loins. A sly smile came to his face.

“Are you a werewolf?” Cody whispered in a slow seductive tone.

“Nope. I am sheer human, only flesh and bones.” Drake clarified.

“Why not?” Cody smiled, “This full moon brimming behind you, and you yourself in this hot, blue suit, don’t look any less than a predator tonight.”

“Alas. I don’t have any such intentions.” Drake smiled, and went inside.

Cody kept lying there, moaning, sighing, and fantasizing about him.