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Many of us have written themed flashes based on the same gay cruise. Here is mine.
RAINBOW ON BOARD
BY
NEPHYLIM
chakira@hotmail.co.uk
Bow was entranced. The perpetual chatter that had irritated
Thorne and Cammy in the car had been replaced by awed silence. It was simply
too much for him to process.
“There are so many windows,” he whispered, at last. “It’s so
shiny. And there are pink lights.”
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Cammy breathed, gazing up at
the cruise ship. Thorne smiled indulgently at his two boyfriends. They were so
different in many ways, and so similar in others.
“Hurry up,” Bow urged, “I want to get on the ship. I really want to get on the ship.”
“You’ve changed your tune,” Thorne said. “I thought it was
way too big and scary for you.”
Bow tilted his head and gazed up at Thorne through his
indecently long lashes. “I’ve been thinking about it,” he said, “and I have
some ideas for how you can reassure me when I get scared.”
“Y-you have?” Thorne swallowed, wondering if he’d got the
wrong idea. That look had been… hot.
“Mhm.” Bow rubbed his cheek against Thorne’s leg. “The
boat’s quite small, really. I’ll probably be able to walk most of the time. We
can stroll on the deck thingy in the moonlight, and Cammy can help. And if it
gets too hard, you can carry me back to our…. What’s it called, Cammy?”
“Cabin. Carry on. I like where this is going.”
“You can carry me back to our cabin, and we can… do all
kinds of things we’ve never done before.”
“I thought you weren’t ready to do those things.” Thorne’s
heart thudded in his chest, just thinking about… things.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I was too young. You know
that. I wasn’t allowed. I’m grown up now. Well, almost—and Luke isn’t here.” Bow
tucked his rainbow-coloured hair behind his ear and fluttered his eyelashes.
“The moment you turned eighteen, you turned into a monster.”
Bow giggled. “That’s just what I’m going to be—a monster in
the sack.”
“What did you say?” Cammy gasped, his eyes wide.
“Isn’t that right? I’ve been… uh… researching.”
“O… kay.”
Bow reached for Cammy’s hand. “I know you’ve wanted to do it
for a long time, and I’ve been a prune. But I talked to Star, and we agreed
this would be a good time to bite our cherries.”
Cammy choked, and put his hand over his mouth. “It’s prude,
Bow, not prune, and I think the words you’re looking for are ‘pop our
cherries’.”
“Don’t be silly, cherries don’t pop. Do they, Thorne?”
“What?” Thorne had been staring at Bow, but only heard half
of what he’d said. “Bow… did you say you’ve been talking to Star about sex?”
“Why not? He’s my brother. I’m not going to talk to Dad
about it. I hardly know him.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with our precious
Rainbow?” Cammy asked, stifling a giggle.
“I’m here,” Bow said cheerfully, “just the same, but less
prunish.”
“Prudish.”
“Whatever. I’m not that anymore.”
“How fast can we get to the cabin?” Cammy asked. “Let me
take the chair, I’m faster than Thorne.”
“Whoa there.” A man standing at the top of the ramp stopped
them. “You need a run-up on that side, but it’s a different story going down.
Do you want a hand with that?”
Cammy growled at him. “I may be small, but I’m strong. I can
manage.”
The man grinned at them. “I’m not suggesting you’re not
strong, but I’ve seen enough chairs go over to know that no matter how strong
you are, gangplanks are not easy to negotiate. I know all the lumps and bumps
that cause trouble.”
The man, whose name they discovered was Mark, chatted
cheerfully as he helped them manoeuvre Bow’s chair down the ramp and all the
way to the cabin. They were surprised to find their luggage had arrived before
them and had been unpacked and neatly stored.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Nothing but the best for our star guests,” Mark said,
cheerfully.
“I’m not a star,” Bow said, “Thorne is. Oh and Star, of
course, and Orbit and…Well, all of Cosmic Explosion. That’s a band, you know.
Star’s band. He’s my brother.”
“Oh, I know who Cosmic Explosion is. Everyone knows who Cosmic
Explosion is, but on this ship, everyone is a star. Right, I’d better get back.
If I stay away too long, someone’s going to fall off the ramp, and I’ll be in
trouble.”
“You won’t really get into trouble, will you?” Bow asked
anxiously. “Not for being kind to us?”
“No, I won’t get into trouble, I promise. There’s a brochure
on the table, and an interactive programme on the television, telling you
what’s going, for the whole of your stay. Once you’re settled, you might like
to take a swim in the Poseidon Pool, or relax in the spa. They’re just the
thing after a long journey.”
“Ooh, that sounds nice. Maybe later. I’m going to be… um… eating
cherries with Cammy and Thorne for a while.”
Cammy choked, and Thorne turned away so the steward wouldn’t
see the blush on his face. Appearing slightly confused, Mark left with a
cheerful farewell and promise to see them again later.
As soon as the door closed, Bow got to his feet and sidled
up to Cammy. He was much stronger on his feet now, over a year after the
shooting. He still limped, but rarely
needed the chair, except when chronic fatigue literally swept the legs from
under him. It made him seem frail, even though that was far from the truth.
Everyone
hoped he’d improve quickly in the relaxed atmosphere on the ship.
Cammy slipped his arm around Bow’s waist. “What does the
most beautiful boyfriend in the whole world want to do now?” he asked in a
husky voice.
Thorne put his arms around Bow from behind. “Yes, do tell,
beautiful boyfriend.”
Bow gave a wicked grin and showed them.
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