He even slept messily. I don't know how he managed to do it with so little stuff, but what he did have was scattered all over the room, including on my bed. He had wolfed down a huge steak, two baked potatoes, most of the bread the waiter had brought, and the, "All you can eat Salad Bar" had lived to regret its name, before he dropped his newly purchased gear around the room and then collapsed on the floor moaning about being, "Stuffed". It wasn't 5 minutes later he was snoring in a messy heap in the middle of the floor.

"Cullen, wake up."

"Huh? What? Why?"

"Get up and stow your shit. You need to get organized."

"I'll do it tomorrow, I sleep now."

"Cullen, get up and get busy. You just had a huge meal, if you go to sleep now it's just going to go to fat, now get up and get busy. After we get you squared away we are going for a walk to check out the track and training facilities."

"Are you fucking kidding me, it's got to be like, dark and shit out there Jasper!"

"Don't be scared lil Eddie, I will protect you, now get your ass up."

"Fine! I'm putting my stuff away!"

He clambered up off the floor, and began dumping his purchases out on his bed, and then stomping back and forth, cramming his new clothes into the built in dresser, and tossing his other things into the top of the closet.

"No! Cullen, if you leave them like that, they will look like shit by inspection time. Hang up the pants and shirts. Did no one ever teach you how to take care of your stuff?"

"NO! I never had to worry about any of this shit before. I usually just throw my jeans and stuff in the drawer and go from there."

Oh Jesus. He really wasn't housebroken.

"Cullen, were you a rich kid?"

'What makes you think that?"

"Well, because most poor kids know how to take care of their shit and themselves, and at least have a clue. You don't seem to have much of a clue about anything."

"We did okay."

Fuck me running, a rich kid. Just what I needed to get saddled with, some spoiled punk who was trying to prove something to himself or his daddy and when it got hard, he would probably cut and run, leaving me to clean up the mess without a second thought.

"Cullen, why don't you just go home? I mean, obviously you aren't cut out for this kind of life, it's not going to be easy and nobody is going to give you anything, it's hard, dirty work to be a cop and getting there is not just something a spoiled, rich kid can buy himself into. The director wasn't joking, if you fuck this up, they will boot both of us out and I really want this, I have wanted to be a cop my whole damn life and this is my one chance, I don't need some trust fund brat fucking it up for me, so just run along on home and tell daddy you will be a good boy and I just bet he will buy you a new life."

"No, he won't and I can't go home until I prove I am man enough to deserve to go home. I'm the family fuck up, and I need to prove to them that I can do something right for once in my life, okay? I've never really done anything but embarrass them, I didn't study what I was supposed to study in college, I don't want to go into the family business, so I have been nothing but a pain in the ass to them. I'm trying to fix that."

"Cullen, do they know you are gay?"

"Not my parents. I have an older sister who suspects, but she wouldn't tell because she's always had my back. My father just thought I was, "Soft" and a "Sissy", because I hated playing sports and going hunting. He sent me off to boarding school pretty quick when I didn't fall into line and I kept butting heads with him. Hanging out with the local, "Queer boy" got my ass shipped out pretty quick and I just decided to stay gone."

"Have you tried talking to them since you left, maybe called them and let them know how well you did with your computer stuff and all that?"

"Nah, I talked to my sis and she told me that they had pretty much just pretended I never existed."

Fuck.

"So why be a cop? Why not the military or something else? You have gone into the Navy or Air Force if you wanted to prove yourself; I hear they are easier to get along in for gay guys."

"I don't really think I would really be able to handle that kind of life, man. You have spent less than 3 days with me and you want to kill me half the time, could you imagine what those military dudes would want to do to me? I don't think I would do really well. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut."

"You are probably right. Look, Cullen, if you are serious about this I can try to help you, but if you are just trying this out on a lark, you will end up not only fucking yourself over, but me as well; do you want that on your conscience? You seem like a decent enough guy, and I don't think you would want that, would you? Are you willing to try hard and trust me to steer you right? I have lived the life that they expect you to live for the next 9 months and I know how to talk the talk and walk the walk, if you trust me, I can get you into shape and through this so that we both get what we want, but it won't be easy, you will have to work hard."

"I know how to work hard, trust me, I'm all about hard."

He winked at me and leered, the Cullen that had momentarily vanished resurfacing in full force.

"Cullen, you gotta stop that. You can't let on you are gay at all, it's just not going to help you get anywhere with this department. This isn't California, and in case you didn't notice, this academy is mostly Marines and I am willing to bet, none of the other cadets are gay. You have got to keep your personal life to yourself and not let on that you are anything other than a pussy loving, born hard, bleed khaki, born for the badge, man, do you read me?"

"But…"

"There are no, 'Buts' about it Cullen, that shit won't fly, I am telling you, I saw guys get the crap beat out of them and run out of the Corp for being gay, it just does not happen, and I can promise you, it won't get you anywhere with this academy or the department. You are going to have to pass for straight and keep your personal life to yourself."

"No dating or sex for NINE MONTHS?"

"Have you ever met Rosy Palm?"

"Oh, Come On Jasper! Surely there are places I could go and get out? I'm a young guy; you can't expect me to not get laid for nine whole months!"

"I'm just telling you Ed, if you are outed, it would be bad for you, and now that we are roommates, it will be bad for me too, you have to tone it down and just keep your private life, private."

"What about you, Jasper?"

"What do you mean, Me?"

"What have you done? Have you ever had someone, ever dated? What did you do? How have you managed?"

"I haven't had the time. When I was younger I was busy helping support my family and I didn't have time to date or even be interested, and then I joined the Marines and go sent to Iraq, so I really didn't have much time or opportunity. After I got hurt, it was the last thing on my mind."

"Jasper, are you saying you are a virgin?"

"What does that matter? I was raised to believe that a person should wait until they are married to have sex, I mean, it's not something I think you should just do with anyone."

"Oh my God! You are a VIRGIN? How old are you?"

"Cullen, it's not a big deal, I'm 26. It's not like I'm going to expire or anything."

"Holy shit! You have never been laid? At least tell me you have kissed someone?"

"Cullen! you are getting off the subject. You need to get your gear stowed and we need to be out walking some of that pudge off your gut. Now let's get this done. Come on, I'm going to show you how to fold your unders and lace your boots properly, and then you need to make that boars nest of a bed of yours."

It took a good hour, especially since he kept stopping and trying to interrogate me further about my virginity, but I finally got him to stow all his crap and then dress out into his new PT gear so we could go and walk off his dinner and acquaint him with the PT program I was designing for him.

"Oh my God! How much further are we going to walk? It's hot out here and I was already tired before we started!"

"Cullen, pretty soon I am going to have you running 5 miles a day and training like a Marine, you won't even recognize yourself at the end of this academy, and trust me, getting laid will be the last thing on your mind, now stop your whining and pick up your feet, we are headed back to the dorm, you will be able to shower and hit the rack, but expect to roll out at 0500 hours for PT and a normal breakfast before we meet with our advisor at the department to get our equipment."

"Oh fuck me! This is crazy!"

"Come on, Cullen. This was just a warm up walk. You can do this. Just find your motivation and get hard."

"Jasper, you have to quit telling me to get hard. I thought you said I was supposed to not think about sex?"

He whined the entire way back to the dorm. We had walked at a fast pace less than 2 miles, and he was sweating and puffing as if he had run and 10 mile marathon. Getting him into shape was going to be an extended effort because it was painfully obvious he had done nothing but sit around and eat and work on computers for a long time. When we went into the showers he grumbled about not needing the shampoo he had bought during our shopping excursion. I quickly handled my business, leaving him soaking under the spray and grumbling about being exhausted and sore.

He finally came wandering into the room about 20 minutes later in a better mood, and he grinned at me.

"Thanks for the motivation, I feel much better now."

"What motivation, I just took you for a walk."

"Oh no, you did much more than that. Thanks."

He gave me that beaming, perverse grin of his and climbed into his bed.

"Thanks so much, I know I will sleep great."

"Son of a bitch, Cullen don't you be perving on me you weirdo!"

"Hey Jasper, any port in a storm, dude, any port in a storm. Good night and uh…sleep tight."

His deep laugh echoed around the small room and he wrapped up in his new bedding, rolled over and was soon snoring soundly. It took me a while longer to fall asleep and I realized it was because he has caused me to start thinking. I had never let myself feel anything for anyone. I had resisted personal connections or affection, partially because I wasn't used to affection, being raised in a cold and distant family that regarded me as mearly the extra son who was supposed to work and provide as much as he could in support for the rest. Cullen was shaking up my world as much as I was shaking up his, and I wasn't quite sure if I liked it.

"

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