{Todd}

After sleeping in the same room as Mayor Leger for months on end you start to lose yer will to live. He eats all the time and complains all the time.
Well, not so much now that the Mayor has stopped him workin' all of a sudden.

I walk out into the stables where Davy, Acorn/Deadfall & Angharrad are.

I walk past Davy and go to Angharrad.
I pull an apple out of my pocket and feed it to her slowly.
Boy colt, Todd.
She says in her Noise, I smile and put my nose against hers.
"Angharrad."
I say softly before I look over to Davy, who's just staring at me.

"What you lookin' at?"
I ask, meaner than needed.

"Nothin'"

Davy says all quick like.
I look at him for a moment and try to read his Noise.

I hear the wordsPretty,

Before he covers it up.

I ignore it.
"Come on, pigpiss."
Davy says, clearing out his throat.

"We're branding the Spackle today."

I look at him.
"Like you do on sheep?"
I ask, my Noise turning yellow in confusion.
Davy just nods and grins, getting up on his horse and riding infront of me.
I sigh and get on Angharrad and follow him.

We take the long ride out to the edge of town where the Spackle farms are.

I look at Davy for a brief moment before I sigh.

I can hear Viola in his Noise, though I'm not sure what he's saying about her.

"You keep her out of yer Noise, you hear?"

I warn him, my Noise turning red at the thought of him thinking about her.

He looks at me and reads my Noise and justs nods, covering up his thoughts.

That was strange.

We reach the Spackle farms, Davy jumping off Deadfall and I get off Angharrad and tie her next to Deadfall.

I look at Davy as we walk, trying to find out what he was thinking about Viola.

(Viola?)
(Why did you leave?)

(Why?)

(Viola?)
I am the circle the circle is me.

"I wasn't thinking about yer bitch."
Davy spits out, getting the branding tools ready, telling the Spackle to line up.

"I heard it in yer Noise."
I tell him, frowning as I pick up the set of branding tools and call the first Spackle up, I sigh as I clasp the band around their arms, doing it as tender as I can.

{Davy.}

I look at Todd and then I look back to the Spackle he's branding.

Strong, Todd.

My Noise says, I cloud it over with thoughts of the Spackle, my eyes looking at Todd then back to the Spackle he's branding.

He's so gentle with them.
How can he be? Given our history with them.

I just watch.

Then I think for a second.

I still got Todd's ma's book.

And the cloud over my Noise is lost, for a second.

But Todd picks up on it.
Like he always does.

"What did you say about my ma's book?"

He spits at me, his Noise turning red.

I stutter.
"I-I-"
"You what?"

"I was just remembering how I still have it, pigpiss."
Todd doesn't really know what to do, you can see that he's really starting not to care, well, he only seems to care about Viola, that bitch of his.

"You keep her out of yer Noise, you hear?"

Todd warns, I look at his Noise and sigh.
"I wasn't thinking about yer bitch."

I sigh and watch Todd some more.

So strong-

So handsome-

So-

(Shut up, Davy, shut up!)

Too late.

I look at Todd just staring over at me.

His Noise confused but-

But-

But happy?

"Davy I-"
Todd starts, my heart leaps in my mouth and then I look over to the door to see my pa standing there, looking at the both of us.

"Surely there is work for you two to be doing?"
Pa says, with his eyebrow raised.

He's looking at Todd, He's always looking at Todd.

Always.

But so am I.

Todd swallows his words and nods at pa.
"Yes, sir."

Todd says quickly and gets back to work.

I look at him and sigh.

What was he going to say?

What?
I watch as pa walks out and then I look at Todd.

Todd?

My Noise calls, carefully, but hopefully.

"You were going to say something."
I say, sheepishly.

I look at Todd and he looks at me.

"Davy, I-"

{Todd}

I look at Davy and sigh.

Maybe it was because I hadn't seen Viola in so long.

(Viola.)

(Why?)

Or maybe because it was true.

"Davy, I think you're handsome and strong too."

I say, his noise turning pink colour, he looks at me then looks away, I smile and look away too.

"You're my only friend, Pigpiss."

He sighs and walks a little closer to me, touching my arm.

I look at him and look over the Spackle.

"Davy."
I frown, taking his hand away from my arm.
Spackle, Davy

Davy mine?

Davy.

(Viola.)

Davy looks hurt.

"Davy."
I say again, a bit more gentle.
"The Spackle can't see that."
I sigh and step closer to him, smiling and smoothing his hair out his face before he looks down.

Never be Viola.

His Noise tells me.

I sigh at him.
"Oh, Davy."
I frown, taking a small step away from him.
"We'll talk on the ride home, ok?"
I half smile at him, and he half smiles back.

The day goes by quite quick.

Me and Davy share looks at eachother throughout the day.

I untie Angharrad and climb on top of her.

Watching as Davy gets on Deadfall.

It's all over his Noise that he wants to talk.
"Why don't I go to-"
I pause for a second.
"Where is it that you sleep?"
Davy looks at me and frowns.

Waits a moment.

"Above the stables."

He mumbles.

I smile.
"Take me there, and we'll talk."

I look at him and he nods at me and rides Deadfall faster than needed and of course, Angharrad follows.

We get off at the stables and Davy leads me up to his room after we tie the horses up. He sits on his mattress and I take a seat next to him.

{Davy.}

Here we are-

Me and Todd-

At last-

I don't know what to say and neither does he.

"I've liked you like this for a long time."

I answer the question in his Noise.

"Me too."
Todd replies.

I look at him and look down to his hands, their playing with themselves.

I reach over and take one of them, smiling at him weakly.

He smiles back.

I smile wider.

Then suddenly, he kisses me.

Todd Hewitt is kissing me-

I kiss him back-

We slowly lay back onto the mattress-

He takes my coat off and I take his off-

Then he pulls my shirt off-

I do the same for him-

He's so warm-

I pull his skin against my own, a small moan escaping my own lips.

I look at him for a second as my Noise flashes with embrassasment

"Shhh."
Todd looks at me and smiles, kissing my neck slowly.

I let him and run my fingers up his warm back-

My Noise sparking with happiness-

Then I realize he's kissing just above my pants and undoing my trousers.

{Todd}

And then I realize I'm kissing above his pants and undoing his belt.

I have no idea what to do from here.

I've seen women do it in the Noise of men in Prentisstown but is it the same if it's two men?
This is wrong-
So wrong-

I look up to Davy who looks so happy.

Happier than I've ever seen him.

So I carry on, I undo his belt and pull his trousers down, and I'm greeted by.

By-

Wow.

I stare down at it then look back at Davy who is turning red.
"Don't be embarrassed."

I smile at him before I kneel down and put my lips around him.

I start to suck.

Then I realize this is the first time anyone has ever done this to Davy.

His moans are loud.

Too loud-

"Davy."
I say, sitting up a little but his hand finds it's way to the back of my head and pushes me down to do it more-
And to my surprise-
I want too-

"Uhh Todd."
Davy moans and closes his eyes, keeping his hand on the back of my head, I carry on.

Then I hear something.

Just a hum of something small.

I force my head up and turn around-
Turning to see the Mayor, standing at Davy's door-
Watching us-
I swallow and pull Davy's pants up for him.

"Mm, what are you doing?"
Davy asks, all sleepy like, with his eyes still closed.

"Well, well, well."

The mayor booms out, staring at me and then Davy.

"Just like your pa's are you, Todd?"
He smirks at me.

"Don't you talk about them."
I frown at him, pulling my t-shirt back on.

I look at Davy who's just staring at his pa.

He looks so scared.

Oh Davy.