Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Untitled ❯ Day 1 Departing LA ( Chapter 1 )

Day 1 Departing LA

The sight of the massive cruise ship through the terminal's large windows makes David's stomach knot in fear. He tries hard not to think about what he will soon be facing; one hundred and twenty five days packed on a cruise ship with complete strangers and his family. He isn't sure which is worse.

“Wow. It's beautiful, isn't it?” Tessa breathes in his ear.

David turns to his fiancée and forces himself to smile. “Yes. It sure is.”

About as beautiful as a horned toad.

“David, Tessa, it's time to go,” David mother says, moving away from the check-in counter.

David picks up his backpack that sits at his feet and slings it over his shoulder. He's glad that he isn't being forced into more small talk with his fiancée. Yet. He barely even knows Tessa and yet in eight months they will be married. It isn't David's idea to be married at the tender age of eighteen; it's his parents' idea. Actually, it's more his father's idea than anything. His mother is only going along with it because she's afraid to defy her husband.

David's father is the head of Worthington Imports, a very successful family business dealing with imports from all around the world. It was started by David's grandfather, taken over by David's father after David's grandfather stepped down. Now, he was furthering the company by marrying David to the daughter of his biggest rival and once David graduates high school in May, he will go to business school and then join his father at the family business. It's all been planned out for him and he doesn't dare object.

This trip is his mother's idea. She thought it was a good idea for the two families to get to know each other before the wedding. It had taken a lot of convincing before the trip happened. David's school had to be convinced to let him miss almost three months of school. In the end, David will have to do a research project, but he would rather have to do that than sit in a stuffy classroom “learning”. Plus, he's pretty much done with all his classes anyway and is only taking stupid electives.

With a sigh, David follows his family toward the boarding area. They join the crush of people making their way up the gangway that quickly slows to a halt. David finds himself glancing over the edge at the grey, churning water below and his stomach knots in fear again. One hundred and twenty five days on a ship, barring the days spent at various ports, sometimes days a time without land in sight. Why is he doing this again? Oh yeah, to please his parents. Right.

At last, they reach the top and show a crew member dressed in a navy blue uniform their boarding passes.

“You will all be staying on Deck 10,” the crew member tells David and Tessa's parents. “The elevators are straight ahead. And welcome to the Ultimate Princess.”

“Thank you,” David's mother says, always polite.

David's breath hitches in his throat as he steps from the gangplank onto the ship. There's no turning back now. He finds himself in a long, narrow hallway. It's lavishly decorated with thick, plush navy blue carpet and expensive looking paintings on the walls. David knows he shouldn't be surprised; his parents were born into privilege so they're used to luxury. So why would they want anything less than the best on this cruise?

At the end of the hallway is a row of elevators. They join the small line in front of them. Fortunately, they don't have to wait long until they are able to board. The interior of the elevator is made entirely of paneled wood. It looks like maple or teak, though David is certainly no expert on wood. Looks expensive, though. Of course.

David's claustrophobia kicks in as soon as the polished metal doors slide closed. He tries to focus on his breathing and not on the fact that he's enclosed in a small space with complete strangers and his family. Again, he's not sure which is worse. Tessa shoots him a funny look.

“Are you all right?” she asks.

David forces himself to smile at Tessa. “I'm fine.”

He's totally not fine. He's edging closer and closer to a full on panic attack. Why can't she see that?

David has never been so relieved before in his life when the elevator doors finally slide open. He tries as hard as he can to not bolt out of the elevator. The hallway he finds himself in is almost completely identical to the one he had just left. How the hell is he going to not get lost? He'll figure it out later.

Their rooms are at the end of the hallway. David has a room to himself, though it connects to his parents' room. His father gives him the key to his room and they all agree to meet up to watch the ship launch in about an hour.

David opens the door and steps into the room. There's a sort hallway that leads to a larger sitting room. It's furnished with a comfortable looking couch and a few small armchairs. There's even a flat screen TV in the corner. It's elegantly decorated with an ocean theme (of course). David crosses the room and slides open the glass door that leads to his private balcony. He leaves the door open as he continues to explore. Off to the side is a small dining area with an oak table and matching chairs. There's a vase of flowers on the tables—daisies, which makes the room seem a little brighter. Beyond the dining area is a door that connects his room to his parents' room. Across from the dining area is another door that leads to his bedroom. David is pleasantly surprised at what he finds.

The room is open and spacious with a large double bed with an abundance of fluffy pillows and a navy blue bedspread, a large oak dresser with a small flat screen TV on top of it, an oak nightstand with an old-fashioned lamp on it, and another sliding glass door that leads out to David's private balcony. David opens the door to let the cool breeze and fresh air flow through.

David turns as there's a knock on the door. He returns to the main room and opens the door. A uniformed attendant stands in the hallway with what David recognizes as his luggage.

“Your luggage, sir,” the attendant says.

“Oh. Right.” David moves out of the way to let the man in. “Just put it in the bedroom.”

“As you wish, sir,” the attendant says.

He brings David's bags into the bedroom and leaves them piled by the dresser. David is glad to tip the man so he will leave; his subservient attitude makes him feel a bit uncomfortable.

David starts to unpack his things. He has a lot of stuff which is understandable on such a long trip. He hasn't quite finished putting his things away when there is a knock on his door. With a sigh, David goes to answer it. He really isn't looking forward to spending time with Tessa and Tessa's parents. But he's an obedient son and he'll do his duty to socialize with his fiancée and her parents even though he'd sooner shove bamboo splinters beneath his fingernails. He forces himself to smile and joins his parents, Tessa, and her parents in the hallway.

They take the elevator as high as it goes and come out into a large indoor atrium. The high ceilings are made entirely out of glass, allowing sunlight to filter through and casts rainbows on the tiled floor.

“Wow, it's beautiful!” Tessa gasps.

“Yeah,” David agrees.

They head out a pair of double doors at the end of the atrium and onto the deck. David and Tessa find a space at the crowded rail and squeeze together so their parents can fit. David finds himself staring down at the churning grey water below again and his stomach turns over. He forces himself to watch the workers getting the ship ready for departure. It's fascinating to watch and helps keep his mind off the water. Tessa loops her arm though his and he points out small, mundane things to keep her amused and it works.

David blinks as he realizes that the ship is slowly pulling away from the deck. People are shouting and cheering and the mood is generally festive, but David has a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He can't shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen on the trip, though it's probably just his nerves.

“There's a kickoff party staring in about half an hour on the other end of the ship. Shall we join the festivities?” Tessa says.

“Actually, I want to explore a bit first,” David says. “There'll be time to party later, right?”

He had briefly looked over the program that had been left on his table. There is the kickoff pool party in half an hour, but there is also a teen party later that will probably be more fun to attend. Or at least it's the lesser of two evils in David's eyes.

“Oh, what a good idea!” David's mother says brightly. “The two of you need some time to get to know each other better. That is the purpose of this trip, is it not?”

“Right,” David says. “Exactly.”

He had hoped that he would be able to explore the ship on his own, but from the way he sees Tessa's eyes are lighting up, he knows that it isn't going to happen. It takes a little more convincing before Tessa's parents let her go, but at last, they get their blessing and set off for the elevators.

“So how are we going to explore the ship?” Tessa asks.

“Easy,” David says. “The best thing to do is take the elevator down as far as we can and then slowly make our way all the way up, exploring as we go.”

“Sounds good,” Tessa says.

As it turns out, the ship has fifteen decks, numbered from bottom to top. The first four decks are inaccessible to passengers, so they start on Deck 5. There isn't much down here, just a small medical facility, a reception area, and some cheap staterooms. Deck 6 has a large, formal restaurant, a casino, a library, a nightclub, a spa, and even a movie theater. The next several decks are boring; just more staterooms. Deck 11 has a large food court at the front of the ship, an indoor pool and fitness center in the middle, and a café at the back. Deck 12 is dedicated entirely to children's activities, including an indoor pool. Deck 13 is the same for teens. There's even a teen club. Deck 14 is a large indoor shopping mall that takes up pretty much the entire deck. The final deck is the one they had started on. The deck is split in half by the atrium. The ship has yet another pool as well as a tennis court. The kickoff party is in full swing at the back of the ship. The deck is extremely crowded.

David takes Tessa's hands so they won't get separated (mainly because he feels it's his duty) and leads her toward the front of the ship. On the other side of the atrium is a small driving range. And then the rest of the deck is an observation deck. There are only a few passengers milling about here so David lets go of Tessa's hand. Tessa runs to the edge.

“David, come and see!” she says enthusiastically.

“I'm coming,” David says.

He makes his way toward his fiancée even though he'd much rather stay right where he is, far away from the edge, and more importantly, the water. He collides with something warm and soft and blinks. There is someone standing in his path and David swears they weren't there a second ago.

“Sorry,” he grunts.

“It's all right,” a soft voice says in his ear.

David raises his eyes to look at the person he has run into and is met by a pair of blue grey eyes. Eyes like the sea. He sucks in his breath. He has never seen eyes so beautiful before, nearly hidden behind impossibly long eyelashes. They belong to a boy David's age. He has delicate features that are almost sensual and hair dark as the night sky braided behind his head in a single plait. He is dressed in a pair of low-cut jeans and a white tank top that shows off his navel, the sort of outfit that would shock his parents, especially his mother. He also has earrings in his left ear from the base all the way to the tip.

“Hey,” the boy says, flashing David a smile that's all teeth.

“H…hi,” David stammers.

“Aw, don't be nervous. I don't bite.” The boy grins wickedly. “Unless of course you want me to. I'm totally open-minded about that sort of thing. ”

David can't think of any sort of response except to blush.

“David, what's going on?” Tessa finally figures out something is going on. Good Lord she isn't bright, is she? Why is he marrying her again? Oh right, his parents want him to. Duh.

“David, eh?” the boy murmurs in his ear, his breath warm on David's neck. “Nice to meet you. I'm Will.” David jumps as Will's lips brush his cheek for a light kiss. “See you around.”

Will gives him another wicked smile and saunters off, leaving David feeling very bewildered.

***

Willow rolls his eyes when Will walks back over to him.

“Must you flirt with anything that moves?” he asks.

“Only if they're really cute,” Will says.

“You know who he is, don't you?” Willow asks.

“Duh.” Will snorts. “You'd have to be living under a rock to not know the little prince of Worthington Imports.”

“Then you know he's engaged, right?” Willow asks.

“So?” Will asks.

Willow gives his twin a Look. “You're playing with fire by getting involved with him. You know that, right?”

“It's never stopped me before,” Will says.

“No, it hasn't,” Willow agrees. He rolls his eyes again. “Come on. Let's go back to the room and kill time before dinner.”

“All right,” Will agrees though he'd much rather mess with David some more.

He follows Willow back to the stateroom they will be sharing. It's clean…for now. It probably won't stay that way for long. Willow breaks out a deck of cards and they play cards to pass the time. At least, it's time to get ready for dinner. Will reluctantly changes into a dress shirt and pants and takes almost all his earrings out. He leaves one gold hoop earring in as an act of rebellion. Willow doesn't say anything when he sees the earring, but his lips tighten into a thin line. Will doesn't care that his twin disapproves. He unbraids his hair and runs a comb through it. It's a long, difficult task because his hair is so long and tangles so easily. When he's finished fighting with his hair, he braids it again. He won't wear it any other way now. He waits until Willow is finished fussing with his hair which is just like Will's only short and then they join their parents in the hallway.

Since tonight is their first night aboard the ship, they're dining in the formal restaurant on Deck 6. It's an extremely formal Italian restaurant and Will is probably way underdressed, but he doesn't really care.

They are seated at a large table with a bunch of strangers. None of them are particularly interesting until David and his family are seated at their table and David sits directly across from Will. David's eyes widen when he sees Will.

“Hello again David,” Will says pleasantly.

The woman Will assumes is David's mother looks surprised. “You already know the Mercedes' son?”

“Uh…yes,” David says. “We ran into each other on the deck earlier.”

“I see,” David's mother murmurs.

The waiter takes their drink orders and vanishes. Will has a look at the menu. All the entrées are in Italian but it gives a description of what each dish is in English. It takes a while for Will to decide what he wants. The waiter comes back and takes their orders and vanishes again. Now they have to kill time while they wait for their food to arrive. Fun. Not. Will's parents amicably chat with David's parents and with who Will assumes are David's fiancée's parents. Willow engages David's fiancée in a conversation about something-or-other, being his usual sociable self. That leaves Will and David. They regard each other in silence for a few minutes.

David is very cute. He has very handsome facial features, though serious. His eyes are pale green, his hair blonde, with just a hint of curl at the nape of his neck.

David looks like he doesn't know what to say to Will. As a member of one of the richest families in the United States, he has most certainly been exposed to social situations before. He should have the skills necessary to deal with people in social situations like this. It's pretty much a given for any affluent family. God knows that Will's parents have tried to instill manners and social graces into him, but they haven't stuck. Willow is the social one, not him. He's the rebel. And he's damn proud of it.

It's because of this rebellious streak of his that Will flirts with David throughout dinner. He keeps it subtle because not only are both their parents there, but his fiancée and her parents too, but he still makes it obvious to David that he's flirting. David's reaction is extremely adorable. He blushes and stammers like a schoolboy experiencing his first crush and looks utterly bewildered. Several times, Willow nudges Will underneath the table to remind him to behave. Will only half pays attention; he's having way too much fun to play nice.

After dinner ends, all of them rise and head out. Will hangs back and watches David and his family leave. He is pleased when he finds David lagging behind the rest of his family. Will quickens his pace in order to catch up with him.

“Hey gorgeous!” he calls out.

David turns and smiles politely when he sees Will.

“Oh. Hello Will. What can I do for you?” he says.

Will steps forward so they're extremely close. “I was just wondering if I'll see you at the party later.”

“Uh…y…yeah,” David stammers. “I'll be there.”

“Awesome! I'll see you there!” Will says brightly.

He can't help kissing David on the cheek if only to see him jump and stutter, a blush tinging his cheeks. Will chuckles softly; David is extremely adorable.

“See ya!” Will says and he walks off just like that.

“Must you do that?” Willow's annoyed voice greets Will as he rounds the corner.

“Oh fuck off,” Will mutters, walking past his twin. “I don't want to hear your lecture right now.”

“Will,” Willow's voice is low, threatening. “Back off.”

“I'm just having a bit of fun,” Will protests.

“Well he's engaged,” Willow says severely. “Getting involved with him is asking for trouble.”

“I'll keep that in mind, thanks,” Will says.

He ignores his twin as he heads back to their room to change for the party.

***

David isn't sure why he's here, at the teen party. Tessa has gone to bed early, saying she's tired and not feeling good. David isn't obligated to be social now. So why is he here? He isn't sure, but since he's already here, he might as well check things out.

The room is dimly lit and already packed with bodies. Dance music blares through the loudspeakers and people dance to it. Waiters circulate through the crowds with trays filled with tubes of liquids that glow. Shots. Fun. David grabs a lime green shot and downs it in one swallow. He's not exactly sure what he's just ingested, but damn it's strong. He coughs, his throat burning, eyes watering. There's soft laughter behind him, and he turns. A dark haired boy with Will's face is watching him with amusement from the bar. But it's not Will because his hair is short and Will's is long. He's also dressed more conservatively than Will and there are no earrings in his ear.

“You're…” David tries to remember the boy's name—they were just introduced at dinner, he should know this! Did the drink he just ingest kill his brain cells? Probably.

“Willow.” The boy sticks out his hand. “I'm the more sane twin.”

“Nice to meet you.” David shakes his hand. “Willow? That's a bit unusual, isn't it?”

Willow shrugs. “It was my grandfather's name. Well, one of them at least. Don't ask me why he was named that. Will is named after the other grandfather.” He smiles bitterly. “It's ironic, isn't it? I've got the unusual name and yet it's Will who is the wild child, not me.”

“Yeah.” David joins Willow at the bar and orders a drink that isn't glowing. “So where's Will?” He has to shout to be heard over the music.

Instead of responding, Willow points. David follows his finger. He has to sort of squint through the dimness, but at least he sees Will dancing. He moves fluidly, gracefully, with little effort at all, his eyes half closed. The song ends and Will walks over to them. He's clad in all leather now and even has on leather fingerless gloves. His hair is braided behind his head, though there are strands coming loose from it. His cheeks are flushed and his grey blue eyes are glinting. A thin layer of sweat covers his skin.

“Hello gorgeous,” he says, grinning wickedly at David.

David responds by taking a large sip of his drink. The alcohol burns his throat, but it isn't as bad as the glowing drink. Will watches him, his eyes glinting with amusement. Then, he turns, and deftly snatches a tube of liquid off the tray of a nearby waiter and drinks the entire shot at once.

“Ah, that's the stuff,” he says, setting the empty tube on the counter next to David.

“How many of those have you had?” Willow asks.

Will shrugs. “Five, six? I'm not really counting.”

“Good God,” Willow mutters, rubbing his forehead.

“I'm fine!” Will protests.

“Yeah, you say that now,” Willow says. “Just wait until you're puking your brains out.”

“I'm not going to puke my brains out,” Will says. “I know my limit.”

“Yeah, okay. We'll see,” Willow says. “Don't come crying to me when you've got a hangover. Remember the Christmas party?”

Will looks offended. “That was NOT my fault! Uncle Bob thought it was funny to keep handing me drinks and you know you can't say no to him.”

David sits back and watches the twins with a fair bit of amusement, while sipping his drink. When his drink is empty, he orders another drink and sips at it. Will hops onto the bar stool next to David and orders a drink. They drink quietly for a while, watching the dancing. The alcohol starts making David feel great. He's glad he's come to the party.

“I'm bored,” Will says suddenly. “Come and dance with me, David.”

“Oh no. I don't dance,” David says, holding up his hands. He knocks over his drink in the process. “Whoops.”

Will giggles.

“I'll get some napkins,” Willow says in a resigned voice. “You two go dance.” He gets up from his stool on David's other side and wanders off.

“Come on,” Will says, holding out his hand. “Let's go dance.”

“I can't dance,” David says firmly.

Will pouts adorably. It's hard to resist him. At last, David sighs softly.

“All right,” he relents. “Let's go.”

Will beams brightly and pulls David to his feet. They make their way out onto the dance floor. David stands there awkwardly for a minute or two.

“Come on David. You've gotta dance,” Will says.

“I don't know how!” David protests.

“Just move your body to the music,” Will says. “It's easy.”

He starts dancing. David sighs and starts moving at random, not really sure what he's doing.

“Yeah, that's it. There you go!” Will says breathlessly. “No one's watching you, no one's judging you. Just relax and have fun!”

David tries to do as Will says. After a few minutes of awkward fumbling, David gets the hang of it. He's never done anything like this before; his parents would never approve of such a wild party. He's always been expected to be proper and perfect, get good grades in school, and never step out of line. To be here and do this, without his parents' knowing (seriously how will they ever know he's here? The room is dark and there are so many people that he can remain almost completely anonymous), is kind of fun. He grins at Will, who grins back of him.

“Having fun?” Will has shout to be heard as another, louder song starts.

Somehow, David knows what Will is asking. “Yeah. It's a lot of fun.”

“Good,” Will says.

David finds himself transfixed by Will. For some reason, he can't look away from him. Being this close to him is intoxicating. He feels alive in Will's presence. Will is beautiful. He dances with such grace and fluidity. And there's a sensual edge to his movement though he probably isn't aware of it. David swallows hard. Will is extremely desirable right now. He crushes their lips together. Will's body stills, his blue grey eyes widening in shock. He hesitates for a moment and then brings their lips together again, his hand gently cupping David's cheek.

Somehow, they make it back to David's stateroom. David isn't really sure how it happens; everything is pretty much a blur by this point. He and Will kiss for what seems like an eternity. David can't seem to get enough of it. Clothes are shed in a hurry. David has no idea what the fuck he's doing, but Will doesn't seem to mind. Somehow, they reach the bed. It's a clumsy affair. David groans when Will's hand finds its way between his legs. He's never been touched so intimately by anyone like this before. It's totally foreign to him, but damn Will makes him feel so good.

He's extremely uncoordinated as he forces Will onto his stomach and slides inside him. It's a tight fit and Will gives a small whimper of pain, but David is too drunk to care. He starts thrusting clumsily, his hands resting on Will's hips. He's surprised when Will grabs David's hand.

“Will…what?” he says.

“Touch me,” Will says hoarsely. “Please. I want you to touch me.”

He puts David's hand on his erection. David hesitates for a moment and then wraps his hand around Will's shaft. Will lets out a low groan. David still has no idea what he's doing, but Will seems to like it. David continues thrusting while his hand strokes Will's cock. Will's moans grow louder and louder until he finally comes, his back arching, squirting all over David's hand. David thrusts a few more times and then comes. He grunts and closes his eyes, riding out his orgasm against Will's hips. When the orgasm ends, David pulls out and collapses on the bed next to Will and drifts off to sleep.