Chapter Text
John Price, you have been accepted to the University of Vermont. Inside this package you will find your admission information as a Political Science major and orientation schedule. Due to your outstanding academics, your transfer credits have given you sophomore status. In addition, UVM has awarded you a scholarship totaling 100% of your tuition and board for 8 semesters or until graduation. Congratulations, we can't wait to see you this fall!
"Oh, dear, I'm so proud!" His mother wiped the beading tears at her eyes. Her only son was going to study at a fine institution, surrounded by some of the finest people, who were not only intelligent, but more importantly kind. His classmates hadn't been the kindest to him the past year or two, not after his "friend" Jeremy spread the rumor that he liked boys. It weighed on him, that his peers disliked him for something he couldn't change. Even worse was the idea of his father finding out. Mrs. Price knew John couldn't bear to risk telling his father, and she didn't blame him.
"So, my boy, what's the verdict?" John's father walked through their kitchen to meet them at the dining table.
"I..got in. Full ride."
"Well done, kid. I knew you could do it, you just had to put the work in." Mr. Price wrapped his arms around his son, a tight bear hug that nearly took his breath away, despite being a muscular boy.
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That evening, the Price's celebrated with John's favorite dinner, a large roast teeming with buttery potatoes and soft carrots. They spent their breaths between bites dramatically imagining his life in the States.
"You'll wake with the birds singing outside your window, and if you finally learn to get out of bed at a reasonable hour, you might enjoy the delicacies that local bakers bring before your professors bless you with their infinite knowledge." His father was never one to leave out a blunt judgement of his behavior, always meaning well but missing the mark by a significant amount. John was looking forward to a lack of such comments.
"Yes dear, but in between all the studying you do, don't forget to have fun. Not too much though, you must put your studies first." His mother patted his back. She never had the opportunity to continue her studies, and she couldn't be more thrilled that her son was going to have a better life than she did.
"Noted, ma. Not too much fun. Is that like once a week then, or maybe even twice? Just so I'm clear, y'know." His devilish smirk was poorly hidden behind his spoon as he stifled a laugh with another bite of roast. She swatted his arm gently, and his father let out a gruff chuckle.
"Now, son, don't you get too distracted by all the nice lookin' American girls, ya hear? The last thing your mother and I need is a grandchild." John choked on his food a little. "I'm not being funny, son. Look, a little fun is fine, but you keep the girls at arms length. Your studies and your future are more important. You can find a nice wife and settle down once you have that degree."
Don't worry, Dad. Girls won't be a problem. I can guarantee that. The words hung on the edge of his tongue, but he just shoveled more potato in his mouth instead. Best not to say anything and risk a fight.
Their dinner continued with the same tone, talks of the lavish life he would life in America, his father sprinkling in "wisdom" that John would quickly forget. After cleaning up, it was nearly bedtime for his parents, who went to bed around 9:30 pm because, as John put it, his parents were secretly ancient.
Around 10 pm, he turned the kitchen light off and went to his room. Inside, he grabbed his little wooden desk and sat on his bed. He went onto the UVM website and began looking at some of their clubs and gym amenities. He began making a list of everything he would check out once he was there.
Mock trial club
Weightlifting club
Student Government
Weight Gym
It wasn't much, but it was something to look forward to. Something to keep his mind occupied. It was only March, and time seemed to move slowly across the ocean in his cloudy town.
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Over the following months, John started planning the layout of his dorm, finding posters, and deciding which clothes he would leave behind. He escaped the looming gazes of his classmates by hitting the gym, finding peace in the strain on his muscles. He studied the Burlington area, making note of places he would visit and things he would try once he arrived.
visit the Echo museum
learn to ski
swim in Lake Champlain
try a "creemee"
A "creemee," he learned from Instagram, was really good soft serve, and everyone recommended maple flavor. If it tasted anything like the maple syrup they had in the UK, he wouldn't like it, but he'd at least try it to find out. He would be a year behind on local info compared to his classmates, and he wanted to catch up quickly. He had found a few kids who were UVM students on insta as well. They all seemed so adventurous and well-traveled. The only place his parents had taken him to was Spain a few summers ago, but his father got sick on the trip and they spent most of it indoors. He didn't feel ready to reach out to anyone yet, not with his insta profile just being a few mediocre pictures of him that his parents took. Holding up his student government award, a meek smile plastered on his face. He hated that photo, it was the same day Jeremy told Christie and Jen about his secret. He hadn't found out until 4 days later, when he heard Jen telling another classmate. It didn't matter anymore, he was about to graduate. 3 days, and then I never have to see them again.
He went on tiktok, looking to get lost in some barely entertaining video until he was tired enough to fall asleep. He watched an edit of the Lord of the Rings movies, one of his favorite series. A couple subtle ads he scrolled past, and a cute puppy barked enthusiastically at the camera. Then, a video of a guy at the gym describing how to do a proper pull up. His shirt was off, and his thin shorts didn't hide the shadow of his crotch well. If anything the lighting made it more noticeable. His sweaty abs flexed as he pulled himself upward, his biceps straining and the veins in his arms looking like they were ready to burst. As he lowered back down to the ground, he let out a quiet grunt. John could feel the shadow at his own crotch growing at the sight. He clicked on the profile, scrolling through a few similar videos of the man who seemed to own no shirts. Within a few minutes, his phone moved to his left hand, his right sliding under the waistband of his boxers. The shirtless man was apparently named Dom, as the comments and profile confirmed. At the bottom was the search "dom and mckenna." John clicked on it and found a video of the guy with another fit man... and they were holding hands. He scrolled through few of their videos and found one where the other guy was making "Dom" a birthday present. It was incredibly sweet, and John started to feel bad about being turned on by the guy. He set down his phone, but the image of sweaty flexing muscles wouldn't go away. Not wanting to leave things in their current uncomfortable state, he closed his eyes and started imagining a more comfortable scenario. He pictured a brown-haired boy standing slightly shorter than himself, taking off his dirty clothes and stepping into a steaming shower. Once inside, the boy kneels on the tile, his faint abs flexing under the hot water. His hair mats to his scalp as the water runs over his body, trickling down every curve and muscle. The boy puts a hand on the side of John's hip, using the other to guide John's throbbing dick into his mouth... The imagination stops there as John can't imagine what a mouth would feel like there. He holds on to the sight of the boy staring up at him at his feet, wide eyes begging to make him feel good. A few more tugs and John felt his cum dribble over his hand and coat the inside of his boxers. He wiped his hand and crotch clean and tossed his boxers into his laundry bin. 3 days, and I'm out of here.
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And those 3 days passed, he graduated and walked across the stage with his head high (literally speaking, at 6'2 he was taller than most of his classmates). Summer crawled along at a barely tolerable pace. He spent his mornings working at the local cafe, slipping on spilled coffee and cleaning up messy booths after the usual mom group had their morning mimosas. He saved all of the money he made to have some spending cash in the States. He heard about the thrifting scene in Burlington and was excited to update his wardrobe.
He found Dom's page on his feed a few more times. One night, after he had gotten all sheepish when a very attractive older man ordered a coffee and John managed to spill it on the counter twice, he searched it up, caving into this desire. He scrolled through few videos of Dom and his boyfriend. One of them had the search "dom puppy," so he clicked on it, expecting to see them adopting a little furball. His search showed him many shirtless guys, mostly with dog-looking masks. The first video started to play without him clicking on it, and the the camera moved back and forth looking up at the shirtless guy, like he was humping the camera. The sound was wet and loud. John immediately closed out of tiktok, disgusted with the video and with himself, even though his airpods were in and nobody else heard it. It wasn't like he had never watched anything explicit, and that wasn't nearly as bad, but it was...weird. He had kissed girls twice, which is when he realized he wasn't bi, and hadn't done anything more. The idea of odd sexual stuff like that was totally foreign to him. The only porn he watched was one video he found when he first thought he liked guys. It was two 20 somethings fucking missionary style. Bland, but he was too paranoid about being caught to look at other videos. But this, this was interesting. Weird, yes, but intriguing, and he wasn't tired anymore. He opened a new private search and typed in "kinks." The results showed a few definitions, and the first link was to a BDSM test. He clicked on it, and started completing the quiz.
"I like to receive pain during sex/BDSM and see the results (marks/bruises, makeup, etc.) afterwards."
Holy shit, they just jump right in to the deep end.
It was not the deep end, as he would come to find out. He stopped at every question, and many new scenarios came to his mind with the possibilities he didn't know existed. At the end of the quiz, his results confirmed what he already was starting to understand. He wanted to be the dominant one, with the occasional role reversal. And he wanted control. It made sense, what with his almost neurotic organization and planning. His mind played a thousand different fantasies that night.
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Soon enough, it was August, and he was packed and ready to start the next chapter of his life. A better chapter. He barely slept that night, tossing and turning, unable to tear his mind off the wonderful ideas of America and the people he would meet. People that would accept him and respect him. UVM was known for its inclusive student body, after all.
His phone buzzed as his alarm interrupted him from a particularly intriguing dream about a sweaty jock bending down to pick up a football and his pants slid-
"John, breakfast! You don't want to be hungry on the plane!" His mother called from the kitchen, cheerful as ever.
"Yeah, coming!" He rolled out of bed, rifling through his suitcase for the outfit he picked for the flight. Dark green athletic shorts, a white t shirt, and a light brown hoodie. Not exactly a masterpiece, but it was relaxing to have it planned out.
He schlepped his bags down the stairs to the front door and practically inhaled his food and morning tea.
"Did you grab your toiletries, dear? Last I saw, they were sitting by the sink upstairs." His mother called from the living room, walking over to him and gently rubbing his shoulders.
"I'm just about to brush my teeth and then they'll go in my bags."
"Better hurry, boy. Car leaves in ten minutes, with or without you." His father held up his keys, jingling them annoyingly in John's face.
"On it." John scooped the last bit of eggs into his mouth and washed it down with the final sip of tea in his mug. I hope UVM has good tea.
He brushed his teeth and stuffed his bags into his father's little sedan, and they were off. A short hug goodbye and a pat on the back before his father took off, leaving him with his pile of bags stacked on a rolling cart. Up to the airline counter, dropping off his bags, through security, down the terminal, waiting at his gate, and finally boarding. He had convinced his father to get him a window seat, and he watched as the airport, his town, and all of the UK disappeared beneath and behind him. He was on to better things now.