The Stronger Vest (Part 15 added 6 Feb 2024)

[LukeXL]

Part 15:

Cody handed his phone to Simon. "Here's my phone, put your number in." Simon did so, and handed it back. Cody texted him a message, and Simon's phone buzzed. "There, now you have my number too. Do you have Discord on your phone?" Simon shook his head. "Download it. I'll send you an invite to the Trash Bros server. It's a group chat for me, Scott and Flex. It's the easiest way for us to keep in touch with each other."

"Thanks Cody," said Simon, searching for Discord in the app store. He clicked 'Install'.

"Okay, I'm going to get back to the workout. Let us know which gym you find, and we'll meet you there tomorrow evening." Cody gave Simon a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, and then went back into the gym.

Simon drove home in a daze. How would he earn a living now? He'd have to move to another city if he got a job at another university, but would he even get another academic job with a sexual misconduct allegation on his record?

At home he went into the kitchen to cook supper. He saw he was still wearing his smart white shirt and black trousers, so he stripped off and pulled his cargo shorts on. They were really tight on his legs now, and he had to struggle to get them over his thighs, but he didn't want to splash food on his new blue shorts either. He went back into the kitchen, barefoot and bare-chested, and opened the fridge.

He took out everything that he didn't think would last much longer and put it on the counter. He looked at the spread of ingredients. A hearty stew, he thought. I'll make a big pot and then I'll have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

He cubed some beef and put it in a large pot with a splash of olive oil to brown. Then he chopped up all the vegetables he had and added them to the pot. He added some stock and red wine, and then herbs and spices. He put the lid on the pot and turned the heat down to a simmer. He set a timer for an hour and poured himself a glass of wine. He took a sip and the doorbell rang.

It was Ken.

"Oh hey, Ken come in," said Simon. Ken stepped hesitantly into the apartment and Simon closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Simon, I ... I'm so sorry about what happened today. I can't believe that they ... I'm so sorry." He started crying. "I'm just ... I shouldn't have made that video! And the thing in The Librarian too! I fucked up, Simon, I ..." Simon put his arms around him and hugged him.

"It's not your fault, Ken! You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't make the complaints. It's not your fault." Ken sobbed into Simon's shoulder and hugged Simon. Simon held him tight. "It's okay. It'll be okay."

Ken sniffed and looked at Simon. "I'm not sure who's comforting who here," he said, and Simon laughed. Ken smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm such a mess. I'm sorry."

Simon put a hand on Ken's head and ruffled his hair. "You're not a mess," he said, looking into Ken's eyes. "You're a good guy. I'm glad you're here."

Ken's lips moved as if he was about to say something, but he didn't. Simon could feel Ken's hands on his bare back, and he felt a stirring in his groin. He looked down at Ken's lips, and then back up at his eyes. Ken's eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily. Simon leaned in and kissed him. Ken kissed him back hungrily, and moved his hands to the front of Simon's shorts and started trying to unbutton them. Simon stopped kissing Ken and looked at him. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Fuck yeah!" said Ken.

Simon pulled Ken's polo shirt off and unbuttoned his jeans. Ken kicked his shoes off and let his jeans fall down, stepping out of them so he was just wearing his socks and briefs. Simon picked him up by the waist and carried him to the bedroom, kicking his work clothes off the bed before laying Ken down on his back. He pulled each of Ken's socks off, then grabbed the waistband of his briefs, pulling them slowly down until Ken's erect cock sprang free. Simon looked at it, and then looked at Ken. "Wow," he said. "Nice!"

He tugged Ken's briefs off of his legs and took a moment to have a good look at Ken, now lying naked on his bed. He was a little shorter than Simon, but lean. For someone who hadn't worked out much, his body had some good definition. He had no hair on his chest, a neatly trimmed bush and shaved balls. His penis was surprisingly thick and long, and currently pointing straight up. But his legs ... Oh lord, his legs were gorgeous. They were long and lean, with great muscular definition, but almost entirely hairless. Simon ran his hands up and down Ken's legs. "Oh my god, your legs are amazing!" he said.

Ken laughed. "That's what years of cycling will do for you."

Simon leaned down and kissed Ken's thigh. He licked the smooth skin up and down, then the other thigh, and then, straddling Ken's legs, he moved up to Ken's penis. He kisssed it, then licked it, then took it into his mouth. Ken gasped, and Simon was amazed at how full his mouth felt. He slowly worked his mouth down the shaft, until he could feel it hitting the back of his throat. He pulled back, and then pushed down again, and again, until he was able to take the whole thing into his mouth. He buried his nose in Ken's bush and felt Ken's smooth sack against his lower lip. He released Ken's cock from his mouth and licked his balls with long, wet licks, savouring Ken's sweat and musk. He buried his face in Ken's crotch and inhaled deeply. He could feel Ken's cock twitching against his forehead. He licked Ken's smooth, hairless legs and could feel his own stiff cock being gently massaged between Ken's calves. He got an idea.

He pulled off his cargo shorts and jockstrap, then spread Ken's legs and licked him all over his taint and inner thighs. He pushed his legs together, holding them tight together with his knees. He lowered himself down, slipping his cock into the now slippery spot between Ken's legs and balls. Lying forward on top of Ken, but supporting himself on his elbows so that he didn't crush him, he started thrusting between Ken's legs. He could feel Ken's large, hard dick sandwiched between their bodies. He put his head next to Ken's and could hear his panting as he continued thrusting. "D'you like that?" he asked.

"Oh fuck," said Ken.

Simon let a bit more of his weight rest on Ken, and Ken wrapped his arms around Simon's back. "Oh god, Simon, oh god, oh god, oh god," Ken was gasping. Simon could feel his own orgasm building, and he thrust harder and faster. He could feel Ken's cock twitching against his belly, and then Ken came, shooting his load between their bodies.

Simon thrust a few more times and then came too, shooting his load between Ken's legs. He lay there for a moment, panting, and then kissed Ken on the neck. "That was amazing," he said.

"I've never come like that before," said Ken, out of breath.

Simon lifted himself up and looked at Ken. He kissed him on the lips. "I'm glad you came," he said. "I'm glad you came."

Ken smiled. "I'm glad I came too," he said, and laughed.

Simon rolled off of Ken and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. He wiped himself off, and then wiped Ken off. He threw the towel on the floor and lay down next to Ken. Ken rolled over and put his head on Simon's chest. Simon put his arm around Ken and held him close. An alarm on Simon's phone went off. Simon muted it. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Um, yeah actually."

"Gimme a moment, I'll be right back." He got up and went into the kitchen. He turned the heat off under the stew and stirred it. He tasted it. Perfect. He got two bowls out of the cupboard and filled them with stew. He noticed his glass of wine still on the counter, and poured another glass for Ken. He put the bowls, the wine and a pair of spoons on a tray and carried them back to the bedroom and put them on the bedside table. He got back into bed and handed Ken his bowl and glass. "Here you go," he said.

"Wow, that's what I call service!" said Ken. He sat up, leaned against a pillow and took a sip of wine and then a spoonful of stew. "Oh wow, this is really good!"

"Thanks! I enjoy cooking. It's got--"

"Wait, let me guess. Garlic and rosemary, obviously. Smoked paprika, gives it a nice goulashey taste. Then..." Ken took another taste and thought for a moment. "Cumin? No, not cumin. Coriander! And ... hmmm ... fennel?"

Simon laughed. "You got it! I'm impressed!"

"It's really good," said Ken, and laughed. "If you told me this morning I'd end the day sitting in bed naked with you eating stew, I'd never have believed you."

Simon laughed. "Me neither. It's been a very strange day."

"Oh yeah, I can imagine. I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, but even before that it was weird. This morning Toby showed me that he'd transliterated the writing on my vest. And it was the same words I'd heard in a dream before that."

"Toby Reese's husband?"

"Yeah, he saw my vest on Friday and took a picture, then he showed Andrew at The Librarian. You were there, remember?"

"Oooh yeah. I forgot about that. I was pretty drunk."

"Anyway, so he showed me what he'd worked out, and I told him what the words meant, and was excited and went to tell Andrew. But then when I met them at lunch they had absolutely no memory of it and thought I was crazy. And the weirdest thing was, the notes on the photo were totally scrambled. Like someone had gone and replaced it all with nonsense and scribbled over the photo."

"Weird. So what does it mean?"

"Here, let me show you." Simon got up and got the stronger vest out of his gym bag. "See here, this gold writing is a repeating message." He pointed out the letters as he spoke. "'Melo veero, kurta kurpor, myee keeka'. Which means 'Strong man, hard body, big muscles'."

Ken took the vest and looked closer at the writing. "So Toby worked out what it sounds like, but you'd already heard it in a dream?"

"Yeah, this morning. I had a dream about a giant, and he was speaking to me in this language."

"And he used these exact words?"

"Yeah, and some other ones too. 'deevo tuvo echo' and 'veero many city'. Toby worked out that deevo tuvo echo means I am your god."

"Wow. So the giant in your dream told you he was your god?"

Simon paused. "Yeah, I guess so."

"That's sooo cooool!" said Ken excitedly. "So what does the rest of it mean?"

"That's all I know now. There were some other words, but I can't remember them."

"You should write it all down! Keep a notebook next to your bed and write down everything you remember next time."

"That's a good idea."

"Do it now before you forget!"

"Alright, alright." Simon got up and went to his desk. He found a notebook and a pen and brought them back to the bed. He sat down and wrote down the words he remembered. "Vidri, that was another word. He said 'vidri veero'."

Ken looked at his notes. "You should also write down the letters from the vest. Maybe you'll learn more of them in your dreams."

"Oh, good idea!" Simon copied the letters from the vest onto the page and read over everything that he'd written. "I think that's everything I remember."

Ken stood up and started collecting his clothes.

"Hey, I'm enjoying looking at you!" said Simon.

Ken smiled. "I'm enjoying looking at you too, but I should probably get dressed and get going."

"Or..." Simon stood up and walked over to Ken, held him tight and kissed him. "You could get dressed in the morning."

"Well, when you put it like that!" Ken laughed.

***

Simon dreamed he was in a pine forest at night. He walked barefoot through the trees, his feet rustling the pine needles that covered the ground, but whichever way he walked he couldn't find his way out or a path of any kind. It got darker and darker until he couldn't see anything at all. He held his hands out in front of him to feel where the trees were, and slowly walked forward. His foot got caught in something and he fell to his hands and knees, the dry pine needles pressing against his bare hands and knees. He let out a sob. "I don't know what to do!" he shouted.

He stayed there, breathing heavily for a few moments. He could hear the pine needles crunching under his hands and the wind rustling the trees above him. And he could hear something else: A roaring sound in the distance. He cocked his head and listened closely. It sounded like waves breaking on a beach. He got up and carefully started walking towards the sound. He walked and walked, and the sound got louder and louder, until he could see the sea in front of him. He walked out of the trees and onto the beach. The moon was full and the sea was calm. He walked to the water's edge and looked out at the sea and the waves breaking in the moonlight. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned around. The god - his god - was standing there, looking down at him with a smile.

"Ne munume suna mene," said the god. "Quom soliva dusa, quve vokwis mene. Peyumi kisi?"

"I don't understand," said Simon.

The god laughed. "Geluni veero! Niniu kisi me sekolo." He sat down on the sand and patted the ground next to him. "Sed, sed," he said. Simon sat down next to him. The god pointed to his mouth. "Quid bimai meh," he said, then pointed to Simon's mouth, "bimai kisi."

"Bimai kisi?" said Simon. The god laughed and clapped his hands.

"Su, su!" said the god. "Quvo ... mene ... Simon."

"Quvo mene Simon," said Simon. "My name is Simon?"

"Da, quvo tuvo Simon. Quid quvo tuvo?"

"What is your name ... Quvo mene Simon!" said Simon, and the god laughed and nodded. "Quid quvo tuvo?"

"Meh bimai deevo mene," said the god with a smile.

Simon paused. "Call me 'my god'?"

"Da, su. Nu dirego," said the god and started drawing in the sand. He drew a Y and said "Sa." Then a capital I with two smaller lines crossing it, "Yi." Then an arrow pointing up, "Mo." Then crossed that letter with a line and added two small vertical bars on either side. "Nn," he said.

Simon looked at the letters and sounded them out. "Sayimon? Oh, it's my name! Simon!"

"Da, nu kibe kisi," said the god and erased the letters. "Kibe Simon."

Simon traced the letters in the sand as he'd seen the god do.

"Su," said the god.

"What else ... how do I write Cody?" asked Simon.

"Ne. Quam kibe Cody."

"Okay ... Quam kibe Cody?" asked Simon.

The god drew two symbols in the sand. "Ko, di."

"Huh, it looks like a penis and a body," said Simon. "That's kind of appropriate. And useful mnemonically." He looked at the god. "Quam kibe Ken, deevo mene?"

The god drew a cross in the sand, then two diagonals through it to make an asterisk with a long tail. "Ke," he said. "Nu kibe kisi Nn."

Simon drew a bar across the lower half of the asterisk, then added two vertical bars on either side. "Ken?" he asked.

"Da, su," said the god and ruffled Simon's hair. "Nu geya kisi sekolo. Ken asereda peketit."

Simon woke up and reached for the notebook next to his bed. He put his glasses on and groggily wrote down as many of the words and letters he'd just learnt as he could remember. He rolled over to show Ken, but Ken wasn't there. He heard some sounds in the kitchen and went to investigate. Ken, wearing just his briefs and polo shirt, was frying some bacon. "Good morning!" he said.

The table had been set with plates and bowls, knife, fork and spoon, and a plate piled high with toast was in the middle. "What's all this?" asked Simon.

"I thought you'd be hungry after all the exercise last night, so I cooked breakfast." Ken fetched a bowl off the table and filled it with oatmeal from a pot on the stove. "For starters, oatmeal with walnuts and maple syrup. I wasn't sure what you liked for breakfast, so I just saw what you had in the cupboards and fridge and made something up."

Simon took the bowl and sat down at the table. "Wow, you didn't have to..." He tried the oatmeal. "Oh my god, this is heaven! It's like a dessert! It tastes like that Greek thing ... what's it called ... baklava!" Ken smiled and took the bacon out of the pan. "Aren't you gonna have some?" asked Simon.

"My appetite isn't as big as yours. I'll just have bacon and eggs." He cracked some eggs into the pan. "How do you like them?"

"Sunny side up, please." Simon finished his oatmeal and took a piece of toast to snack on. He looked over at Ken as he fried the eggs. Oh my god he's cute, he thought. How did I not notice before?

Ken took the plates from the table and brought them back with two eggs on each. He put them down and sat down opposite Simon. "So, what's the plan for today?" he asked.

"I have to find a new gym. I'm not sure where to go though. I'll check out a few options. What about you?"

"Oh the usual Tuesday schedule for me. I have a meeting with my supervisor at 10, then I have to go to the library and do some research for my thesis, then I have a lecture at 2, and then I'll to go to the gym and work out. I'll probably be there until 7 or so."

"Ah yes, I remember employed life."

Ken laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in."

"It's fine." Simon took a bite of his eggs. "Mmm, these are good too. You're a good cook."

"Thanks. I enjoy cooking."

Simon finished his eggs and took another piece of toast. "Have a shower before you go. And have a look in my closet for something clean to wear, if you like. Nothing in there fits me anymore."

"Thanks, I'll do that!" Ken stood up, stripped off, and went into the bathroom to have a shower. Simon took the dirty dishes to the kitchen, then went to the bedroom and pulled his cargo shorts on. He grabbed a clean towel and put it in the bathroom for Ken. "Thanks, Simon!" he heard Ken call from the shower.

Simon went back to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He noticed there was still a lot of oatmeal in the pot. "Yes!" he said, and served himself another bowl. He took it to the table and sat down to eat it. He heard the shower turn off and saw Ken walk to the bedroom wrapped in a towel. A few minutes later he came out. "How do I look?"

He was wearing Simon's size 30 jeans, which were a little long for him and bunched up at his feet, and Simon's Comicon t-shirt with a sports jacket over it. "That was my favorite t-shirt," said Simon wistfully. "But you look great in it."

"I'll take good care of it," said Ken, smiling. He pulled his shoes on and walked over to where Simon was sitting. "I have to get going now."

Simon stood up and gave Ken a hug and a kiss. "Thanks for breakfast, and for last night. We should do it again sometime."

"Anytime! Literally. Any time," Ken laughed. "I'll see you later!" He walked out the door and Simon heard him go down the stairs. He went to the window and watched Ken get into his car and drive off. He looked around his apartment and sighed. It had never felt this empty before.

"Well, no point moping," he said to himself. "I have a new gym to find."

[Hialmar]

I look forward to the continuation, @LukeXL!

[LukeXL]

8 hours ago, Hialmar said:

I look forward to the continuation, @LukeXL!

Thanks! I got busy with work and other projects, but I've written outlines for all the chapters up to the end. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the typing soon.

[Hialmar]

1 hour ago, LukeXL said:

Thanks! I got busy with work and other projects

I perfectly understand!