"What the hell is this place?"
"I'd say hell is a pretty good description for what you will be calling it in a day or two."
"So why are we here? It's just a big ass pile of sand, what are we supposed to do with it?"
"You run up and down it, Cullen, over and over again. Why don't you give it a try?"
"You are joking, right? That's stupid! What the hell good would that do anybody?"
"It builds your endurance and your cardio and its punishment for fucking up and pissing people off. I have a feeling you will be seeing a lot of this place."
"Oh fuuuuck."
"I think fucking will be the last thing on your mind after a few days of this place. Give it a try, Cullen. Run up to the top and then back down as fast as you can."
"Race me?"
"You want me to race you? Are you sure of that? I don't want to make you feel bad."
"Oh, I doubt you will make me feel bad. My legs are waay longer than those little bowlegged stubs of yours. I don't think I will have any problem showing you who the boss is, in any situation."
He leered at me again and I knew I wasn't going to cut him any damn slack, no matter how badly he cried.
"Okay, here is the deal, there is a chain link fence at the very top of the mound, you reach the top, touch the fence and then back down. First one to our water bottles is the winner. Deal?"
'Deal. But let's make it worth something…what do you want to bet I beat you?"
"I don't know, Cullen, what do you want?"
I knew before I said those words that I was going to regret them, but I had no intention of losing the race, either.
"I want you."
"Say what?"
"I want you."
"Uhh…No. Cullen, you can't have me. I'm not some piece of meat."
"AhHA! So you admit I am physically superior and will probably defeat you in this race. That's okay Jasper, you can say it. I am the superior male specimen. "
" Cullen, I will beat your ass, but I am not putting my ass on the line to do it."
"Okay, hand job then. If I beat you, then you beat mine."
"You are a sick, sick, man Cullen."
"You aren't saying no."
"Fine, because I know I am not going to lose. I'm telling you though, when I win, you wear underwear or pajamas to bed from now on."
"Fine, but you will miss my magnificent manly bits and you know it Jasper, so I will have to protect you from that loss and beat you soundly."
"You are such a freak Cullen. On your mark, Get set, GO!"
He took the lead pretty readily, but then the reality of just how deep and loose the sand was started to hit him, and he had no idea how to maneuver in the sand, whereas I had plenty of experience moving in deep sand, and I had been out running the beach for several weeks to get prepared for the PT regimen of the academy. I caught him just as he crested the top of the hill, and as he paused at the top, gasping for air and covered in sweat and sand, he glared at me as I grinned at him and lunged towards the fence and then swiftly turned and headed back down the hill.
I heard him roar behind me and the next thing I knew, I felt and meaty paw grab my shoulder and shove me down on my ass as Cullen attempted to vault past me, using me as a half-assed cane to help get him on his way down. I grabbed the back of his shirt and we tangled up, rolling down the hill, until we were almost to the bottom. Cullen ended up on top and shoved my face into the sand and bounded up, laughing manically as he lunged for the water bottles, and after kicking them both, he began dancing like a deranged chimp, hooting and pounding his chest, leering at me as if he expected me to give him his prize right there.
"You cheated."
"Oh come on Jasper! You told me that it's a win at any cost kinda world and I just did, are you being a sore loser?"
"Cullen! You cheated!"
"No I didn't. I simply used whatever means necessary to win. I beat you, and now you get to beat me."
He grinned toothily and waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, stepping towards me with sand falling off of him as I backed away.
"Are you crazy? I'm not jerking you off out here! This is a public place; anyone could come by and see. I'm going back to quarters and getting some of the sand off of me. It's getting late and you are getting your ass up at a reasonable hour for PT, so I suggest you hit the rack pretty quick."
"Oh I intend to, Jasper, I intend to. I know just the thing to put me right to sleep. Wanna give me a hand?"
"Stifle it, Cullen! I don't know what your deal is with wanting to piss me off, you must be a masochist or something, but don't drag me into your freakiness, I don't have time for it."
"Oh as much as this intrigues me, I'll bet I can help you find some time for it. I'll teach you how to become the master of time management when it comes to working in a little stress relief."
I just glared at him, grabbed up my water bottle and headed back towards the dorm, ignoring his comments as we walked along, or at least trying to. He kept peppering me with questions about my personal life and reasons for lack of experience. I had never really talked about my personal life with anyone before and I didn't expect to be talking with some kid about it just as we were beginning a difficult and mentally trying venture together, but we were going to be living in close quarters for nearly a year, and slowly I began to realize that maybe he was someone I could finally speak to about all the things that I had kept quiet and confined for my entire life.
"C'mon Jasper, really? Why? You aren't a bad looking guy. A little on the short side, and you are kinda pretty for someone who fancies himself a top, but I'll bet you would have no problem finding someone to take care of business for you, why don't you put yourself out there?"
"Like I explained before, I haven't really had the time. Now that I'm all scarred up, I don't really meet the ideal type for what most people are looking for on a good day, and now with all my jagged scars, nobody is going to want to mess with me, they all want the big, strong, athletic guys with perfect bodies and no issues, and I'm not that. Now that I'm in the academy and going into a line of work where it's just best to be as much of, "One of the guys" as I can be, I just don't think it's worth it to even try. I've lived this long alone, why change things now?"
"Sex! Duuude! Sex! Mother of God! If you think your left hand feels good, then just wait until its somebody else's hand or just even better! I could teach you things that would blow your mind. Trust me; you are gonna like losing this bet."
"Cullen, what has you so damn convinced I am gay? I am not sure what I am myself and it's a little weird that you are so convinced I am queer when I don't even know myself."
"I have perfectly tuned gaydar and yours set mine to pinging so hard when I met you that I knew before you even spoke to me."
"Whatever Cullen, I don't buy it. Just act normal will you? Please? If you keep acting weird out in public, people are going to suspect something and then we are going to have problems. You have got to act more like me and less…flamboyant or whatever and when class starts tomorrow morning, you have got to be hardcore and serious. Don't act different or be a smartass at all, because if you do, you will just make life hard for both of us."
"Hard can be good."
"Dammit Ed! You know what I mean."
"You called me Ed! Does that mean you like me? Hmmm?"
He draped himself around me, shaking sand out of his shirt down the back of my neck and rubbing it into the sweat that was stickily cooling between my shoulders.
"Not cool! Dammit! That shit gets everywhere and is almost impossible to get rid of! Make sure you shake your clothes out before you go into the room and take your damn shoes off outside and beat them against the building to get rid of all the loose sand. I don't want that crap all over the room."
He grinned at me as he stripped off his shirt at the entry to the dorm and then kicked off his shoes, "Well then Jasper, maybe we should just get naked so you can make sure we get it all off?"
"Shut up Ed, just shut the hell up, its late, we need to get cleaned up and hit the rack. Tomorrow morning comes really early and you are going to find out just what you are dealing with."
He grinned at me like he just fucked the neighbor's cat, and grabbing up his shoes and shirt, he sauntered into the dorm like he owned the place. I had hopes some of that swagger would be taken out of his step tomorrow when he got a taste of what a real PT session was all about, but I sort of doubted it, he seemed like the type who would be able to find his pervy bright side in pretty much any situation.
He behaved himself in the shower, not even making a comment about anything as we rapidly cleaned the sand off and got ready for lights out. I was jumpy as I got my uniform laid out for the start of class. He walked up behind me in the closet as I was getting my boots and I about jumped to the top shelf. That only served to make him smirk and swagger as he grabbed his boots and walked back to his bunk.
"Gee Jasper, what are you so jumpy for? Do you think I'm going to rape you or something?"
"No! Just after you grabbing me like you did this morning, I have no idea what you might have in your mind to get up to trying."
"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't go for anything nearly as obvious as cornering you in the closet and having my wicked way with you, I'll just wait until the suspense gets to you and you are ready to crack."
"Not cool, Cullen. I won't crack though. I lived for a long time in a war zone, never knowing what was coming around the bend or from the sky, and I grew up with sisters, so I don't rattle too easy."
"Yeah, but you haven't lived with me before, so you have no idea the things I might be capable of doing to you after you fall asleep."
"It's not going to work Cullen. You should know that I have been known to react violently to being touched when I am asleep, so if you like all your parts where they are, you might want to keep them to yourself."
"Oh, you sound like you are nervous Jasper, nervous about what? Do you want me to try something?"
He abruptly got up and came stalking towards me across the narrow expanse between our two bunks. I barely had time to lean back before he was looming over me, grinning down at me, his crotch practically in my face.
"As I recall, I think I won a bet? Don't you owe me something?"
"Go to sleep Cullen. If you got your rocks off tonight, you would be absolutely useless tomorrow for PT and I don't want to have to drag your ass around the field."
"But you admit you owe me, right?"
"Whatever gets you to shut up and go to bed Cullen, I'm tired and we have to be up by 0500 hours."
"SWEET! I am soo gonna love collecting on this."
Fuck