Saved - 1

[Rowan]

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This story is written for Muscl4life. I had promised it to him, oh, a year ago. I hope it was worth the wait.


One



Gabriel paused just outside the weight-room, listening to the clink of metal against metal, and to the soft grunts that followed. He dropped his forehead against the doorframe.

It was an hour after closing time. No one was supposed to be in there right now.

He?d left his math text in the locker room. The only way into the boys? locker room was through the weight-room. He?d deliberately waited this long to get it for just that reason. Today had been a bad day, and he didn?t know whether he was strong enough to endure a room full of jocks teasing him about his body.

God, he hated highschool. Junior high was pretty bad, but at least he could blend in with the sixth graders from time to time. Here, he was the smallest Freshman in the class, and his size called out to bullies like a siren calls to sailors.

He squeezed his eyes shut. A siren calls to sailors? No wonder he?d been getting his ass kicked every day since the first day of school. Three weeks of Hell, and now he had to step into the fire again.

Why hadn?t he glanced at the lesson when Mr. Haskins assigned it? He had a photographic memory. He could have done it without the book.

No use bewailing that now. Even <i> he </i> wasn?t smart enough to build a time machine.

He took a slow, steadying breath and cautiously looked into the room. It was only one guy, working the bench press, but the sight of him held Gabriel in place.

Tristan Payne.

If Gabriel was the smallest person in their class, then Tristan was certainly the biggest, tallest, strongest. He even put a lot of the Senior jocks to shame.

Gabriel saw him in the halls all the time, but always hid when he approached. Bigger kids intimidated him, and these days everyone was bigger.

Not that Tristan would beat the crap out of him. He seemed aggressive?he?d have to be in order to become the first Freshman ever to make the varsity football team?but he didn?t seem hostile toward the other students.

Gabriel stood on his toes, trying to get a better look. Tristan was working really hard, pumping the barbell up and down with perfect form. What was that? Two hundred fifty pounds? What fourteen year old could bench that much?

?If you?re gonna gawk at me, then you should at least come in and get a better look.?

Gabriel jumped, and his hands gripped tight to the doorframe.

Tristan racked his barbell and sat up. He was shirtless, and his smooth, brown skin glistened with sweat. ?Well, don?t just stand there.?

Too busy trembling, Gabriel couldn?t get his feet to move. He?d been caught peeping, and now he was going to pay for it.

Tristan frowned. ?Hey, I?m not goin to hurt ya. You looked at me, now I want to get a look at you. That?s fair, isn?t it??

That made sense, though it didn?t calm the fear in his body. He pried his fingers away from the doorframe, adjusted his backpack, and cautiously made his way to the center of the room.

Tristan?s dark eyebrows rose as he looked him up and down. ?Name?s Tristan Payne.?

?I-I?m??

?Gabriel Rivers. I know.?

His body started. ?You know me??

?Not really. Seen you around, though.? He swung his leg over the bench so that he no longer straddled it, and gestured for Gabriel to stand in front of him. ?Come this way.?

Gabriel shuffled to the side of the bench. He took a moment to look at Tristan?s long, coal-black hair. Right now it was tied back in a neat pony tail, but he knew that it flowed free around his shoulders during school hours.

?What?re you doin here?? Tristan sat straight, flexed the muscles in his chest and abs. ?Tryin to bulk up??

He could feel himself turning red. ?I need to get a textbook out of my gym locker. I hope it?s still there.?

Tristan grinned, revealing perfect white teeth. ?Yeah, I knew you were the book type. Why?d you wait till now to get it? Most of the school?s locked up already.?

Gabriel stared down at his shoes. ?I...?

?Thought maybe you?d catch less shit if you came through after weight-room hours?? He reached out, lightly rapped his knuckles against the underside of Gabriel?s chin. ?Is that it??

Although the touch didn?t hurt, Gabriel was forced to look up. ?Yes.?

He stood and stretched his arms over his head. ?Well, don?t worry. I don?t plan to whale on you.?

Gabriel craned his neck back, entranced by the swollen muscles rippling over his body. His broad shoulders marked the beginning of an inverted triangle that tapered down to a hard, tight waist. His chest and abdominal muscles were far too developed for a Freshman; his arms were thick with masculine power. And he was so <i> tall. </i> At least five foot ten, with long legs more than strong enough to hold the rest of him.

Tristan glanced down, looked surprised. ?Damn, you?re small. How tall are you??

He stared at the pumped chest before him. ?Four foot eight.?

?Fuck me. I think I was four-eight in fourth grade. And you?re thin, too. I bet my left pec weighs more than you.? He grabbed Gabriel?s shirt with one hand and easily lifted him to eye-level. ?Okay, a little more than my left pec, but not more than a hundred pounds.?

Gabriel?s eyes rounded as his backpack slipped from his shoulder and landed on the floor with a solid thunk. ?Eighty-seven pounds.?

He laughed. ?I could curl you all day, you know that? In fact...? He pumped Gabriel?s body up and down a few times before shaking his head. ?Thought so. Too easy.?

The fear came rushing back, and he began to shake again.

Tristan paused. ?Scared? I said I wouldn?t hurt you. Don?t you trust me?? He brought his face close, and his breath smelled faintly of peppermint. ?You ever been this close to someone as big as me before??

Trying not to panic, Gabriel clutched at his forearm. ?N-No.?

?You were starin at me pretty hard earlier.? He straightened, thrust his chest out. ?Go on, check out how a real muscle feels.?

No way that meant what he thought that meant. ?Wh-What??

His words slowed, as if he were speaking to a child. ?Put your hand... on my chest.?

It was a trap. It had to be. But Gabriel knew that disobeying would make him angry, and that there was a chance that following his order wouldn?t result in a beating. So he reached out, touched the tips of his fingers to Tristan?s pectoral muscle. It felt hot, and slick with perspiration.

?C?mon. You can do better than that.?

He pressed his palm flat against the muscle. Barely any give at all.

?How?s that feel??

Honesty seemed to be what Tristan wanted. ?Hard.?

He chuckled. ?Yeah, I?ll bet. Didn?t expect you to have callouses on your fingers, though.? He tilted his head to the side. ?Where?d those come from??

Lost in the exploration of Tristan?s taut, flawless skin, Gabriel?s answers came easier. ?I like to build things.? His hand slid to the center of Tristan?s chest, focused on the pendant resting just below his collarbone. A silver circle with delicate silver feathers dangling from the bottom, and two thin bars of silver crossing through its center. ?A Navajo medicine wheel.?

Surprise flickered over his face. ?You recognize it??

Gabriel traced the design with his forefinger. ?South to north: the physical path. East to west: path of the spirit.?

?Shit, I heard you were smart, but most people just think this is a cool necklace. They don?t know the meanings behind it.?

He lifted his gaze, looked into Tristan?s dark eyes. ?Are you Navajo??

?My father?s half, and my mother is full blood.? He lifted his right arm, showed off the silver armband that cuffed his biceps. ?She made this for me. She likes to say that the turquoise stone in the center is a piece of her heart.?

Gabriel smiled as the last of his fear slipped away. ?Your mother sounds nice.?

?Isn?t your mom nice??

?My parents are dead. I live with my aunt and uncle.? Although <i> with </i> wasn?t exactly the right word anymore.

Tristan stopped short. ?Sorry, little man. Didn?t know.?

?It?s alright. I hardly remember them.? His hands went to Tristan?s forearm again. This position was getting uncomfortable.

Tristan chuckled, tossed him in the air, and caught him around the ribs. ?Is that better??

White hot pain burned through him. Blinded by it, Gabriel kicked and punched at him, trying to get free.

?Woah! Take it easy!?

?Let me down! Let me down!?

Tristan set him on the floor, and Gabriel stumbled backward. He would have fallen if a strong hand hadn?t pressed against the small of his back.

His knees started to buckle, and he groped for something to steady him. His hands gripped something solid, and he held on for dear life as the pain eased away. When his eyes fluttered open, he saw Tristan kneeling in front of him. The ?something solid? he?d grabbed were his bare shoulders.

?What the fuck is wrong with you?? snapped Tristan.

?I-I?m fine.? He tried to back away, but Tristan?s hand was still on his back and prevented his escape.

?Like hell.? Tristan studied him a moment. ?You?re hurt, aren?t you?? He grabbed the hem of Gabriel?s shirt, pulled it up.

Gabriel struggled against him, but it was no use.

Tristan?s lips parted when he saw what was underneath the shirt. ?You?re covered in bruises. And scars.?

Ashamed, Gabriel glanced away. ?It?s nothing.?

?Nothing? Who did this to you??

He clenched his fists, determined not to say anything.

?Is your house a rough place, Gabriel??

?No.? His house was a quiet place. At least, whenever he was around.

Tristan reached up, took his chin in his thumb and forefinger, and tilted his head downward. ?Who did this to you??

Those dark eyes drew the words out of him. ?I?ve lost track.?

?Oh,? he said softly. ?You get beat on by a lot of different guys??

He nodded.

?Is there one leading the pack??

?Not really.? His breath hitched, sending tremors of pain throughout his body. ?There?s this one guy who?s hated me since the third grade.?

?A bully has been pounding you since third grade??

A soft, unexpected burst of laughter escaped him. ?No. There was a multi-district field trip that year. Third grade classes from all over the area got to go to the zoo.?

Tristan smiled. ?Yeah, I remember.?

?This guy, he was in my class and he was always causing trouble. During the trip, he cornered this tiny kid in the reptile house, started pushing him around, demanding lunch money. I jumped on his back and wrestled him to the ground. He cried. We were both dragged off to our teacher, and we had to stay by her side for the rest of the day.?

?Do you know what happened to the kid you saved??

The question surprised him. He hadn?t expected Tristan to believe he could ever win a fight. ?He was from a different district. I never saw him again.?

?And this guy you fought, he?s been holdin a grudge ever since??

?Yes. He grew. I didn?t.?

Tristan smoothed his shirt down, covering the bruises. ?What?s this guy?s name??

Gabriel shook his head.

?You?re not gonna tell me? Why the hell not??

Sadness wanted to creep in, but he held it at bay. ?Telling makes it worse. I know that much by now.?

His brow furrowed. ?You don?t think I can protect you??

Protect? Why would Tristan Payne want to protect <i> him? </i> ?We don?t even have any classes together. You can?t look out for me.?

Tristan laughed as he stood. ?You don?t understand bullies at all, then.? He crossed his arms over his chest, causing his biceps and pecs to swell even bigger. ?Okay, I?ll make a deal with you.?

He tilted his head back. ?Deal??

?Chemistry is kickin my ass, and I might get thrown off the team because of it. So you help me pass, and I?ll prove that I can look out for you just fine.?

?You... You want me to be your tutor??

?You can, right? My mom?s a doctor, but I?m too embarrassed to ask her for help. Supposed to be in the blood, ya know? That?s what?s got me in the shit I?m in now.?

The prospect of hanging out with Tristan, even in a student/teacher environment, was too tempting to resist. ?S-Sure. We can get together Wednesday after??

?Nope. We have to start tonight. I?ve got a test tomorrow, and I have to get at least a B to stay off academic probation.?

?A B? In one night??

His mouth crooked. ?Well, I?m hopin it won?t take the whole night.?

?What... What happens if I can?t teach you enough to pass??

He chuckled?warm, teasing. ?You?re smart and I?m determined. Trust me, we?ll pass.?

We. That sounded nice. ?A-Alright. Deal.?

Tristan ruffled his hair and walked toward the locker room. ?Come get your book while I take a shower.?

Dazed and a little giddy, Gabriel followed him.

Thankfully, his book was where he?d left it. He picked it up, put it in his backpack. He sat on the bench, listened as Tristan ran the shower.

Gabriel didn?t have any friends. He was caught in a bit of a Gordian knot?his mind isolated him from regular and honor students alike?and he had yet to untangle the secret of personal relationships. Tristan didn?t seem to care.

But then, Tristan didn?t really know him yet.

The water stopped, and Tristan emerged... absolutely naked.

?Hey,? he said, shaking out his hair. ?Been waitin long??

Gabriel snatched his gaze away, but not before he caught sight of Tristan?s thick, heavy penis. ?N-No.?

?You?re shy, too? Aren?t little guys supposed to have some kind of complex??

He kept his gaze fixed on the floor. ?Napoleon complex??

?Yeah, that?s it.?

?Not me.?

?Shame. You could use some self-confidence. Maybe you should get laid.?

His head shot up. ?I?m only fourteen!?

Tristan spared him a brief glance before he swept a towel over his body. ?So? I?m fourteen and I?ve had sex.?

Was he telling the truth? Or was this standard locker room talk? ?Wh-What is it like??

He paused, then pulled on a pair of gray briefs. ?You?re a virgin. I should?ve gotten that when you yelled just now.?

Gabriel set his feet on the bench and drew his knees to his chest. ?You can?t tell just by looking at me??

?No one can tell just by lookin, I don?t think.?

?But... most people think I?m in fifth or sixth grade.?

He tugged on a pair of jeans, hopped a little to work them past his thick thighs. ?Some girls like that kind of thing.?

Gabriel frowned, rested his chin atop his knees. ?Was it good your first time??

?Don?t remember the first time, to tell ya the truth.? He threw on a red shirt and buttoned it up. ?Had so much since then.?

<i> At fourteen? </i> ?That?s... That?s kinda sad, don?t you think??

Tristan tucked in his shirt and straddled the bench, facing him. ?What do you mean??

He struggled to formulate his thoughts. ?It?s a milestone. You should always remember the milestones in your life, whether they?re good or bad. Your first kiss, your first date, the first time you have sex... all of it.?

?You should talk that romantic shit to girls sometime. You?d score for sure.? He slid closer. ?What was your first kiss like??

Gabriel blushed from head to toe. He knew this because the tips of his fingers turned scarlet.

Tristan smiled. ?You?ve never been kissed? Seriously??

?It?s not that unusual, is it??

He shrugged. ?Wouldn?t know.? With smooth, cougar-like grace, Tristan rose to his feet and swung his backpack over his shoulder. ?Let?s go.?

Gabriel stood, picked up his bag with considerably more effort.

?How heavy is your bag, half-pint??

He winced. ?I?m not sure.?

?I noticed that you sorta hold yourself crooked. Is that ?cause of the backpack, or ?cause of the bullies??

?I... I don?t know that, either.?

Tristan slipped his hand under the strap and took Gabriel?s bag from his shoulder. ?Holy shit. This thing is close to fifty pounds.? He glanced down. ?That?s more than half of what you weigh.?

Self-conscious, Gabriel slipped his hands into his pockets. ?Honors classes.?

Shaking his head, Tristan swung the bag over his own. ?I?ll carry it today. Don?t want ya gettin tired out before we even get started studyin.?

?You?re carrying my books for me?? It seemed... old fashioned... intimate... <i> strange. </i>

?Quit arguin. We?re burnin daylight.?

Tristan walked off, and Gabriel had to hurry just to keep up with his long stride.

Between his aunt and uncle telling him he couldn?t go straight to college, and Eddie Bryant beating him to unconsciousness, this had been one of the worst weeks of his life.

Now, though, highschool didn?t seem so bleak.

[jsmith2300]

Rowan,

Excellent! I won't give you any trouble for starting a new story on us.

So far, I'm digging Saved. The set up is fun: smart kid tutors the muscle jock. Tristian - love the name - sounds very HOT for a fourteen year-old. Not bad. He's definitely fitting my image of the jock, and I'm already fantsizing about how much bigger he's going to get. AND he's Navajo? That's new --- Nice. As for Gabriel, well, one chapter in I can say that I already identify with him, which probably says something about my high school experience.

Looking forward to seeing more, Rowan. I hadn't realized you took requests.

Thanks!

--JSmith

[TKnTexas55]

Yep, I can certainly identifty with a small intellectual kid. Great start... don't keep us hanging too long for the next chapter

[Canus]

Like this first installment. Youre story reads like you write verry eassy (which does not have too be true, but it reads like that). Wish I could write my papers like that. Like everything belongs there. I think Tristian was the little kid at the zoo (but all grown up); time will tell. And I shall be waiting in antisapation.

[AznMusclBro]

if it's from rowan, it's always a good read.. i hope the next chapter will be out soon.. cant wait to read the whole story!! please dont make us wait long.. thanks!

[skumbum]

Yes. Cool idea.

[muscl4life]

... But what the heck - how many guys can say that THE rowan macbride wrote a story under your request ? I know i can, plus tow other great writers are also writing based on ideas i suggested and that's all that matters

The funniest thing is that all "my" three Gabriels popped in the forum at the same time, even though the request for each one was made in different times, and in each opportunity i came up with the name Gabriel simply because i'm really fascinated by it - Jeff Brown honored me with that sensual brazilian muscle boy in "The Haven", Xythan_shadow is writing his latest story "Ursa Major" under my request and the main charcter is on his way to become a young muscle bear, and now THE rowan macbride suddenly tells me he's writing "that thing i asked a looooooooooooooong time ago" - a simple idea, but like the best sotries ever wirtten - they start witha simple idea, the difference comes in the perpsective you apply to the narration, and let's be honest, not many guys can do it the way THE rowan can.

As for the newest story he gave us without finishing many others he had started, I all i'm saying is that this is the way Rowan likes to write, whenever an idea strikes him he has to write it, this is the urge that makes his stories so good, and this is a "burden" we'll have to bear - but frankly who can really be upset with a guy who just keeps writing more and more? Sure, we all have our favorite macbride's story and we hope he'll finish it eventually, but then again it's part of his charisma

Anyway, it's needless to say i'm already loving this story, especially because after this time i don't quite remember all the details I asked THE rowan to add in the story, and i'm sure he's gonna add many more as he story continues (that is, if he is going to add a new chapter, which he said that would "work out at the end") - i do have an idea of the main aspects, but i'm sure you all figured it out right at the first chapter

This Gabriel is really precious, a powerful mind inside a small fragile body - Tristan is a huge strong body but he ain't a small mind, quite the contrary he's a very brave, valuable soul - these two are just meant to be together, at least that's how i imagined, but hey - it's up to mister macbride to decide now.

Thanks again, dude, you really know how to make a fan happy. It was REALLY worth to wait - now let's see how much longer to the next (if ever) next installment.

By the way - "Saved" - for a guy who says he hates thinking on titles, you really know how to find a perfect one in each time.

Congratulations - for you and for me both - after all i'm so proud that I sound arrogant even to myself - side-effects of THE rowan's honorable dedication to my (not so ) humble (at the moment) person.

Bruno

[TheMM]

Originally Posted by Rowan

This story is written for Muscl4life. I had promised it to him, oh, a year ago. I hope it was worth the wait.

Lazy bum. Nah I'm kidding (when have I ever been serious?) this leaves a big gap in who\whom is going to grow and how he\they is going to grow. I wait for the next part now.

[Ender]

I hope you continue... I think you have a couple of really good characters to run with...

Ender

[mlbjock]

Awesome as always Rowan. I'm guessing the kid that Gabriel saved was Tristan. At least it explains his keeping track of/worry about Gabriel. Though I could be wrong.

[RowdyMike]

GRRR WOOF This is the kind of story I like...

[LaurieStrode78]

This is really good! Is there more?

[TheMM]

All in good time my dear, all in good time.

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by jsmith2300

Looking forward to seeing more, Rowan. I hadn't realized you took requests.

Thanks!

--JSmith

Ah, no. No requests. It took me over a year to get to THIS one, and I've already changed several key elements from the original idea.

Originally Posted by TKnTexas55

Yep, I can certainly identifty with a small intellectual kid. Great start... don't keep us hanging too long for the next chapter

Should be posting it sometime tonight...

Originally Posted by Canus

Like this first installment. Youre story reads like you write verry eassy (which does not have too be true, but it reads like that). Wish I could write my papers like that. Like everything belongs there.

It's not easy. Not for me, anyway. But I'm glad that it reads easy. Every writer strives for that. With the possible exception of the people who write the tax code.

Originally Posted by AznMusclBro

if it's from rowan, it's always a good read.. i hope the next chapter will be out soon.. cant wait to read the whole story!! please dont make us wait long.. thanks!

I can't wait to read the whole thing too, to tell you the truth. I had this very clear, simple plan all laid out and, well, very little has followed the blueprint.

Originally Posted by skumbum

Yes. Cool idea.

I'd have to agree.

Originally Posted by muscl4life

Thanks again, dude, you really know how to make a fan happy. It was REALLY worth to wait - now let's see how much longer to the next (if ever) next installment.

Hey now. I've never posted the first chapter of something and ran off. Even Kismeta has two...

Originally Posted by muscl4life

By the way - "Saved" - for a guy who says he hates thinking on titles, you really know how to find a perfect one in each time.

I really do hate thinking of titles. Saved would have been up two days sooner if it weren't for that little roadblock.

Originally Posted by muscl4life

Congratulations - for you and for me both - after all i'm so proud that I sound arrogant even to myself - side-effects of THE rowan's honorable dedication to my (not so ) humble (at the moment) person.

I love that you enjoyed the story, but let's not ever refer to me as THE rowan ever again, okay?

Originally Posted by TheMM

Lazy bum. Nah I'm kidding (when have I ever been serious?) this leaves a big gap in who\whom is going to grow and how he\they is going to grow. I wait for the next part now.

Yep, lazy AND forgetful. Bad combo, anyway you look at it...

Originally Posted by Ender

I hope you continue... I think you have a couple of really good characters to run with...

Justin and Gabriel definitely have personality. It should be an interesting story.

Originally Posted by mlbjock

Awesome as always Rowan. I'm guessing the kid that Gabriel saved was Tristan. At least it explains his keeping track of/worry about Gabriel. Though I could be wrong.

Could be wrong, could be right. Could be a hideously complicated web of destiny...

Originally Posted by RowdyMike

GRRR WOOF This is the kind of story I like...

Glad to hear it!

Originally Posted by LaurieStrode78

This is really good! Is there more?

There is more. Isn't life grand?

Originally Posted by TheMM

All in good time my dear, all in good time.

Okay, okay. I do jump from new idea to new idea more than I should. I'm workin on it.

Have a good weekend.

-- Rowan

[skumbum]

Such a great story.

[sl97aq]

This story idea (the small smart kid tutoring the big strong kid) is sort of like the Andrew story I have been writing, except that the small kid in my story gets weight training sessions with the big guy (Andrew) that he tutors.

[Ender]

Originally Posted by sl97aq

This story idea (the small smart kid tutoring the big strong kid) is sort of like the Andrew story I have been writing, except that the small kid in my story gets weight training sessions with the big guy (Andrew) that he tutors.

That's is a point where I personally think Rowan missed what I think could have been a great subplot line and something that would have improved the bonding between Tristan and Gabriel. The way Rowan has Tristan interact with Gabriel, to me at least, comes across as condescending and sometimes belittling. If I were Gabriel it would piss me off big time and is part of what drives Gabriel into his relationship with Azra who relates to Gabriel more as an equal. If Tristan was the help Gabriel get into working out and stop referring to him as "little buddy" and the like, Azra wouldn't get a second look from Gabriel.

But Rowan indicates he intends that Tristan and Azra are players in part of some cosmic conflict and Gabriel is at the heat of it.

I wish Rowan would comback to this story too... He shared with me several years back that he had left it because he wasn't really were to go with next.

Ender

[cmpd]

great storie
hope it will continues
thx best luck

[worshipper]

Wow! Great story. What a hero this big guy may turn out to be for little 1.