WESTFORK - WHERE KINK HAPPENS An unnecessarily long, slow-burn fart fetish story that takes too long to get to the point, just like this intro.
I started writing this thing back in June, then stopped for weeks, then finished it in late August. Meet Jeff, the newest archivist in the renowed study-center known as Westfork. He's a nice guy, and gets the job done, sometimes a bit too well, so much so that he may even end up having some unexpected kinky good time because of it.
Other than the kink content, make sure to endure the obvious breaks from reality when it comes to job-related story beats and whatnot. Premise and vibes are similar to my DaveFarts series, but I wanted to experiment with something longer (cue the obvious jokes). May turn into a proper story series in the future. Most importantly, hope you enjoy! ----------------------------------------
TUESDAY
The more I walked around this place, the more it felt like I stepped back a couple of years: Westfork operated as a proper University for almost a century before being repurposed as a study center. It retained the picturesque charm of its Georgian-styled brick buildings and courtyards -though a small part of the campus is basically empty and closed due to budget cuts, and it wasnāt all as well-preserved as it may look.
Despite not being a University anymore, Westfork is still a reverenced name in academic environments, and itās nowdays a renowned study center specializing in history research and education.
For personal reasons I fell behind schedule⦠a bit, but I managed to get my B.A. History degree, because the idea of being unemployed was amazing to me. Luckily enough (and thatās an euphemism), they needed a bookworm who hates sunlight to sort through a messy bunch of uncatalogued documents and books in their archives, so I just hopped on the next plane and came here.
Itās around 6:00 PM, the warm colors of the sunset highlights the warm autumnal hues of the trees around me. The evening was cold but my jacket was enough to keep me warm. Iām starting this new job tomorrow, but first Iām supposed to meet with an old acquaintance from college, Ted, so he can show me around.Ā
Heās a bit of a⦠stickler, but he usually means well.
Usually.
Itās also hopefully an excuse to have a quick beer or coffee, which is fine to me.Ā
I sat on a bench just outside of a Cafe, parking my rolling bag in front of me (itās not much, but Iām planning to leave this weekend to fetch more stuff from home). The atmosphere is great and nostalgic, almost romantic Iād say.
Westfork is pretty lively, despite hosting merely a hundred people compared to the thousands it was originally built for. I saw some guys walking past me, some couples, all around 26 or older (so around my age), people like me who were lucky enough to end up working here at Westie, and maybe their friends/significant others from outside visiting. Iāve been told the institution doesnāt really care who visits, as long as they donāt burn the place down. Plus, weāre basically working adults here, not college students throwing parties (I know because I was one of them -especially the party part, no regrets).
āJeff Parkā I turned around and saw Ted holding a cup of coffee, while adjusting his big round glasses. āI didnāt recognize you without a microphone.ā
My parties usually involved karaoke contests.
I stood up and stepped towards him, shaking his hand.
āGood to see you too, Ted.āĀ
Ted and I are not exactly close friends, but we get along just fine. When he found out I was coming here, he surprisingly texted me to offer me a guided tour, which I gladly accepted. This also apparently was some kind of āofficialā task, as he just handed me the keys to my apartment in the campus.
We got another cup of coffee, for me this time (I paid), and he started showing me around. I tried to listen, though the taste of the coffee was⦠distracting.
āWestfork may just be a study center nowdays, but as you can see it still has that college soul going.ā he commented, looking at some guys jogging. āThat building right there, the one with the white dome, is the Presidentās office basically. The library is right next to it.ā
āI assume the library is where you guys also keep your archives?ā
āYeah -well, itās actually in the building literally behind it, we canāt see it from here though.ā
Ted kept describing the place, explaining some bits of history as well, which I found interesting, but Iām biased because of my degree. I truly enjoyed the place so far, both in aesthetics and whatnot.
I then heard a noise coming from behind, the sound of tiny wheels to be more precise, which I recognized to be a group of people skateboarding in our direction. I noticed Ted rolling his eyes in annoyance.
āHere comes the bullies.āĀ
āHere comes the what-now?ā I asked.
Indeed, two guys on their skateboards rode past us, one of them casually (and jokingly, I assumed) slapping Tedās back, clearly to annoy him. As they rode away, they gave one last amused look to my guide, before disappearing behind a brick building.
āā¦Bullies?ā I asked, rather sarcastically.
Ted's acted calm and in oddly overly-refined manners until this moment, when I could see him not just annoyed, but almost disgusted by those guysā presence.
āThatās the soul I was talking about.ā he explained. āThe rotten, immature soul of the worst college you can think of.ā
I was quite surprised by his reaction. āThey were just goofing around.ā I tried to calm him down, without success.
āThose are Bradās goons. They donāt look the part, yet they too work here for some reason.ā he said. āTheyāre basically the bullies around here, immature hogs acting like a toxic fraternity, tarnishing the already tarnished name of Westfork.ā
This was turning into a petty monologue pretty fast for my taste.
I know him, I know no oneās tarnishing anything.
āAlways bullying hard-workers like us while they fuck around on their stupid skateboards.āĀ
I decided to step in. āI see.ā I said. āAny other 90s stereotype I should be concerned about?ā
āTheyāre also homophobes.ā
Ok, ouch. āWell thatās the first actually bad thing about them, if itās true.ā
āJust stay away from them. Theyāre like a disease.ā
Ted seemed pretty sure about them; I could tell there was something else going on, but I didnāt want to get my ass involved into some Westie drama before even starting to work. Sure, some comments he made sounded very superficial (skateboarders = bad bullies? in 2025? really?), but I doubt heād call anyone a homophobe if he wasnāt sure about it -thatās a pretty bad thing to say about anyone.Ā
I didnāt 100% believe everything he said, but I was gonna keep my guard up just in case.
My angry guide and I kept chatting while walking apparently aimlessly, as he was still riled up about those⦠ābulliesā, and even implied that he and his ex girlfriend broke up because of them, though the timing seems far-fetched. Anyway, we ended the tour about 30 minutes later, stopping in front of a big brick building with many windows, clearly a residential one that once hosted students attending the courses here.
āThatās my stop. Sorry, itās been a long day for me.ā
āItās fine. Iām staying across the street, right?ā I said, pointing at what was basically this buildingās twin, on the other side of a small square.
āYep. If you need anything⦠good luck.ā
I let Ted go get some rest while I walked towards the other building. It wasnāt late, but I wasnāt planning on doing anything tonight, plus I was tired for the trip: top priority is unpack some stuff and throw them into place. Thereās this history paper Iāve been reading, focusing on the language of architecture in Middle Age Europe (creatively titled āArchitecture and Powerā), which is porn to my brain. Canāt find any info on the guy who wrote it -some dude called āL. Evansā. I just have a printed copy -hope it didnāt get too wrinkled in my roll- FUCK.
I think I skipped a few metaphorical frames of animation for how fast I turned around and started running. Neither me or Ted noticed that I left my roller back at the bench by the Cafe. Iām the King of idiots, theyāre gonna write dozens of papers about Jeff Park, the fooliest among the fools.
I rushed back as fast as I could, but it was too late: my apparently really captivating suitcase was gone. Luckily I have my wallet, ID and the apartmentās keys in my pockets, but I canāt start my job by showing up with the same clothes every day (not because of some innate fashion sense -which I have, thanks for asking, Iām talking about basic hygiene). While I stood there like the idiot I am trying to come up with a solution, I heard some people acknowledging my presence.
āIs that our guy?ā someone said.
I turned to the Cafe, noticing three guys -two of them being the skateboarders from before- having either coffee or beer sitting outside, their āboards parked by their stools under their feet, one displaying a simple drawing of a lightning.Ā
Itās those⦠ābulliesā. What I also noticed, however, was my rolling bag. Before I could say anything, one of them stood up and walked towards me, with my suitcase in tow.
āHey is this yours?ā the man said, handing me the long handle of the suitcase, as he scratched the small black stud on his left ear.
āYes⦠thanks.ā
āNo problem.ā the man simply said, before turning around and walking back to the Cafe. āYep, that was our guy.ā he then said to his friends.
I was going to step closer, maybe pay a round of drinks to thank them, then I heard something that made me remember why Ted said what he said.
āYeah he looked pretty nervous. They usually do that ya know.ā
āThey?ā I mouthed, in silence.Ā
Iām out of here.Ā
I didnāt even know that being nervous was a gay stereotype. Everyoneās nervous, in this economy! Thanks for keeping my suitcase safe, but no, Iām not getting dragged into this. And for a moment I even thought that the guy who handed me the suitcase was cute; I gotta stop being so basic.
āSlow down with the beer dude, have mercy for our noses.ā one of them said, laughing.
I pretended I didnāt hear that.
ā ā āĀ
Despite my sudden amnesia, I managed to properly unpack my stuff. The dorm-room felt quite nostalgic, though to be fair most rooms here at Westie were recently renovated into small apartments. Nothing huge, but it didnāt cost much, and so far I do like it here, so I got nothing to complain about.
I collapsed on my bed, staring at the so far empty walls, and wondered how I struggled so much with college⦠only to end up in another college⦠sort of; by now you know Westfork is not a University per se, but still, Ted wasnāt lying: the vibes are still there, the soul he mentioned still lives on, for better or for worse.Ā
Oh well.
I reached for the L. Evans paper, re-reading some parts I highlighted the other day, a paragraph introducing the concept of the lasting presence of buildings, looming like silent watchers of the History unfolding before them.Ā
āYeah⦠I wonder how much sex those walls witnessed.ā I thought, looking around me.
ā ā āĀ
WEDNESDAY
The best thing about this job, skipping the parts youād find boring at least, is that my morning commute is just a couple of minutes of walking through a beautiful campus. I woke up well-rested, had a relaxing shower, grabbed a small backpack, then went to the Cafe from yesterday to grab a cup of -you guessed it- coffee before heading to the library and its archive. I managed to exchange a few messages with some friends in the process, who for some reason always assume that I got myself into some kind of trouble (ā¦I refused to tell them about the suitcase), which they find hilarious of course.
I also got an e-mail from Westieās President, welcoming me aboard officially, hoping I enjoy my stay and implying that I should get the job done properly. He didnāt get to the āunless you want to get firedā part, but that was heavily implied anyway.
I left the Cafe⦠then came back a few seconds later because I obviously forgot my backpack by the counter, then went to my actual workplace, where Ted was waiting for me. It took me a couple of minutes to find him, because he was at the Archives already, in a building behind the library. Itās fine, Iām not even late for once, and Ted seemed almost grateful to see me.
Straight to the point, he guided me through the surprisingly bleak archives, the scaffoldings full of dusty, old, uncatalogued documents, books and manuscripts, some looking very old; it was like Christmas to me, and I honestly couldnāt wait to get started.
āItās pretty straightforward to be honest.ā Ted admitted. āYou can start from there, the stuff filed under the letter A, obviously.ā
I obeyed, even though Ted wasnāt my boss or anything.
āRemember the archival standards-ā
āYes, no worries, this is like Heaven to me.ā I reassured him, perhaps sounding more cocky than I wanted to.
Tracing back to a documentās origin or author is like a murder mystery: you have evidence to arrange, logical steps to follow, deduction, and suspects. However, sadly, you donāt always get to the smoking gun, but you do get closer than anyone else⦠which is why this paper by L. Evans is lowkey driving me crazy. It was written like⦠last year, yet I canāt find any info on the author. The Internet has failed me! Iād love to read more of his stuff, if he has written any to begin with. I donāt even know if heās still alive! Does he even exist? Maybe thatās not his real name?
Nice, itās my first day and Iām already getting distracted by my train of thoughts, still most of these documents look well-preserved and most importantly clearly signed and with a clear date: good for all of us and for the importance of long-term preservation, bad for the me who was looking for a challenge.
A few hours went by, me and Ted occasionally exchanging opinions or documents based on what we were looking for. I like being social, as my karaoke skills imply, but I do like the atmosphere of an old, dark, dusty archive with no sunlight. And Ted is like⦠really boring, a perfect teammate for me then, in this context.
More hours flew by, it was late afternoon already; I even forgot to do a lunch break. Not a fan of me forgetting things so much lately, but itās on me, I was just really into those old files this time. Iām far from being a workaholic, but I do enjoy this stuff.
āWeird.ā I said, arranging a couple of old books on the well-lit desk in front of me. āTheyāre in perfect state, theyāve been catalogued already apparently, but youāre missing one.ā I checked the side of the books. āThe third one.ā
āWell, thatās our job, isnāt it?ā Ted replied, not really listening to what I was trying to say.
āYes, but Westie does own it, itās been digitized, itās listed on your website, even.ā sometimes work is as simple as that.
āOh yeah, now I get it.ā Ted admitted. āBeyond the Horizon: A Captain's Memoirs, vol. III. I know where it is.ā
Ted seemed hesitant, and also annoyed.
āItās not urgent or anything, but we can simply place this series in the library if we have them allā¦ā this is more of my perfectionist side taking the wheel. The shipās wheel.
āI think either Brad Larrying or Tyler Landoon have it, those jerks.ā
āLet me guess, theyāre the super scary skateboarders from yesterday, right?ā I said, with a hint of sarcasm. Just a hint, really.
āHey, I told you. Theyāre not worthy of this institution, so you getting the book back from them is basically your duty.ā
I rolled my eyes behind his back. I reached for one of the tomes and put it in my backpack.
āAnd theyāre also homophob-ā
I cut him off, maybe raising my voice a bit too much at first. āI⦠Iām going to decide if thatās true, with all due respect.ā
Ted scoffed at me. āWhy would I make it up?ā
āIām⦠Iām not saying you made it up, Iām just doing my job, not jumping to conclusions.ā even though they did make a weird comment yesterday, after handing me the suitcase.
āWhatever.ā he simply said. āItās past 6:00 PM, theyāre probably hanging out at their Frat House not far from here, by the Old Birch.ā
āFrat House? Really?ā
āI mean it does feel like one you knowā¦ā he said, concerned.
āI kind of hope it does now.ā I said, amused instead.
The outside greeted me with beautiful warm autumnal colors again, like the evening before. The Sun was still setting, and people leaving work walked around the campus as if it was a lively city. But my work wasnāt done yet, Iām gonna Indiana Jones this shit if I have to.
Once I got familiar with Westforkās layout I realized that the campus wasnāt nearly as big -or fancy- as it looked -donāt get me wrong, itās a small town basically, but everything is conveniently close. And that includes the so-called āFrat Houseā mentioned by Ted, a small red brick building with a⦠quirky (and rather cheap-looking if you ask me) neoclassical faƧade, the pediment displaying a big āĪ©ā in the middle. Yep, once again, the soulās still there. Unlike the Old Birch, which is only a stump (by the looks of it, it probably got cut down mere days before I got this job -and judging by the damaged roof of the Frat House, I can probably see why).
I walked through the short front-yard and knocked on the red door in front of me, before noticing the door-bell at least. I could hear some muffled rock music coming from the inside (Whispering Ostriches, I kind of like that band), followed by some voices, probably people complaining about someone showing up at their doorstep on a Wednesday evening.
I donāt blame them.
Maybe Tedās stereotyping wasnāt so off after all, as the person who opened the door was your textbook jock-looking pri- I mean person. Tall, big, fit⦠kind of intimidating?
Before I could say anything, the guy smiled and went āYouāre the rolling bag-guy!ā.
I was famous!
āYou remembering me tells me that Westfork must be very boring.ā
He laughed and let me in. āThatās what all workplaces are.ā
āIām looking for either Brad Larrying or Tyler Landoon.ā straight to the point, more or less.
āNice to meet you -Iām Brad.ā he promptly said.
I followed him into a charming, wood-paneled living room, lots of books, maps and documents scattered around (with a couple of skateboards thrown into the mix). On a table there was also a scale model of an historical US building -it looked like the Old State House in Boston. Westforkās historical soul was mostly intact here, if you donāt count the empty chips bag.
āAnd that goblin there is Tyler.ā he said, pointing at a guy chilling on an armchair, his face partially hidden under a black hoodie, too focused on reading something on his laptop to notice a guest, yet I could tell heās the same guy who handed me the suitcase yesterday, in front of the Cafe.
I heard another voice coming from another room, followed by some noises, as if they were setting something up.
āBrad.ā another guy showed up. āThe game starts in 20 minutes. Did you check the subscription?ā
āAnd thatās Mark.ā Brad commented, visibly annoyed -clearly this wasnāt the first time Mark asked this.
Mark quickly nodded at me, acknowledging my existence, before disappearing in the other room again to, I assume, mess with the TV in anticipation of the game. Funny because there was another TV in this room, but I assume it was mostly used for gaming or other stuff.
āIf this is a bad time I can-ā
āItās fine.ā Brad cut me off. āWhenever the Lobsters play, Mark goes DEFCON 1. YOUāRE GONNA LOSE ANYWAY.āĀ
āFuck you and your Wasps!ā a muffled response from the other room. āWhatās wrong with this TV?!ā
Brad pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, sort of embarrassed by the situation. āHard to believe everyone in here is a published historian, huh?ā
Honestly, that was hilarious. This is the right mix of āacademic environmentā and āchillā for me, maybe with a bit less screaming at the TV (but that happens to me when gaming, so I get it).
āDo⦠do you mind if I help?ā I dared to ask, hearing more angry comments. āFrom what I⦠barely heard I had a similar problem with my TV last week.āĀ
āOf course. Thanks.ā Brad said, eagerly pushing me in the lionās den. āBe my guest.ā
Mark was almost punching the TV, something weāve all did but rarely works, come on. I simply tapped on his shoulder and silently asked him for the remote.
āI got the same model. Theyāre like the printers of TVs: they stop working whenever you actually need them.ā
I messed with the settings a bit, doing things in a precise order, then turned it OFF and ON again. Now it works, for some magical reason.
āWho are you again?ā Mark asked, after taking a good look at the crisp, perfect image on the screen.
āIām Jeff, Iām the new archivist. I got he-ā
āStop talking, youāll tell us everything about you tomorrow night. Beerās on us.ā he said, with a firm handshake.
āGladly.ā I simply said. āI mean I didnāt do mu-ā.
āIf you donāt wanna come, donāt. If you want, thereās only one Cafe in this husk of a University, so youāll know where to find us.ā
Tedās words echoed in my head as these guys kept being just casually⦠nice.Ā
Again, not jumping to conclusions.
I thanked Mark for the invitation and walked back to the main living room, but I slowed down once I heard a rather animated conversation between Brad and Tyler.
āThe President wonāt kick you out, Tyler. Youāre the most valid asset in our team.ā
āRead the e-mail. If it happens again, Iām out. I fucked up too many times.ā
āYou had a couple of beersā¦ā
āI was drunk, passed out, and he was the one who found me ā right in the middle of the night, in the middle of the campus, during one of his late-night jogging sessions.ā
āā¦no one got hurt?ā
āHe literally tripped over me!ā
I decided to step in, hopefully not making things too awkward or embarrassing, pretending I didnāt hear a thing.
āThe TV is fixed.ā
āAwesome dude.ā Brad said.Ā
āWhoās the IT guy?ā Tyler said, before correcting himself (and rushing to change the subject). āOh right, youāre the rolling bag-guy!ā
āMy reputation precedes me I see.ā
Tyler was too focused on reading that e-mail to notice me earlier, and given what Iāve heard, I donāt blame him. Hope things get better for him.
āLook, Brad.ā I said. āSeriously, I can come back anoth-ā
āNo no, sorry about Mark. What do you need?ā he asked.
āAlright⦠Iāve been told you guys have the third volum-ā
āBeyond the Horizon: A Captain's Memoirs.ā Tyler cut me off. āItās somewhere in my room, follow me.ā
āI thought youād returned it.ā Brad commented.
āI was going to.ā Tyler replied, almost clenching his teeth. āThen⦠something happened.ā clearly he didnāt want to address the jogging accident in front of me, understandably.
Brad mockingly clapped his hands once, as if he was so done with his friend and co-workerās shenanigans. Tyler shook his head, then resumed talking.
āLetās just be quick.ā he jokingly smiled. āYou know they can get all⦠you know.ā he then did some weird panicked gestures or something that looked like that.
āThey?ā I asked, my tone getting a bit more defensive. The two guys noticed my tonal shift, but still looked pretty relaxed. āWhat do you mean with they, exactly?ā
A few seconds of awkward -for me- silence, then all three of them said āWestie archivists.ā at the same time, even Mark from the other room.
āOf course.ā I said, realizing Iām an idiot.
āI smell Ted.ā Brad said, the other two echoing his words.
They didnāt look angry or offended, just amused. I have the feeling this is not the first time this happens, in a way or another.
āJeff, right?ā Brad spoke first. āTedās not a bad person, but heās a bit of a⦠you know⦠sort of a classist, I might say?ā he indeed said, Tyler nodding.
Iād lie if I say that Ted didnāt sometimes act⦠āweirdā, to put it charitably, but thatās why I donāt consider him a close friend. Iām glad heās been my guide here, but heās not exactly my cup of tea. Ā
āYou donāt get to nod.ā Brad turned to Tyler, trying not to laugh. āHe does have a valid reason to dislike you.ā
āIs it because of my long, flowing golden locks?ā he said, pulling his hood back, revealing a shaved head with very short dark hair.
āNo thatās becau-ā Brad turned to me. āItās nothing. They have a history. Tyler messed up, but yeah Ted was a bit too spiteful.ā
āIf we were like half of the bad things he says about us weād be in jail.ā Tyler said. āAnd also if we were homophobes weād have to kick this hot beefcake out.ā Tyler patted his bigger friendās back, who was very annoyed by him talking too much.
āIām bi.ā Brad simply said, after taking a deep breath.
āAnd the B stands for BOOOORING!ā Tyler kept making fun of him.
That jab clearly had nothing to do with Bradās sexuality, but rather him being the most serious one of the trio so far. Those guys are not homophobes in the slightest -they actually seem all super chill with each other, and with me.
As Tyler maturely kept making fun of his friend for being, ironically enough, the so-called āstraight manā, Brad just looked at me with a tired expression, reading me like an open book, fully knowing that Iām gay, hoping to find some support.
āDo you have any straight friends?ā he asked, sarcastically.
āCanāt live with them, canāt live without them.ā I simply replied, amused by this whole situation.Ā
ā ā ā
Tylerās bedroom was upstairs, a modest room, and a messy one nonetheless. Not judging, plus Iām a mess myself. Like the living room, there were documents, books and papers scattered around the floor, and another -smaller- scale model on a desk, this time of the Independence Hall from Philadelphia. I turned to the owner of all that, Tyler, this tall guy, shaved head, wearing a black hoodie, shabby grey sweatpants, and a pair of⦠random pink flip-flops.Ā
Yeah, those guys are cool, I donāt care.
I put my backpack on a surprisingly empty chair so I could take the book out and show it to him, even though he already knew what we were looking for.
āLike I told Brad, if you have to watch the game, I can come back tomorrow.ā I insisted, rummaging through my backpack.
āItās fine, we got a couple of minutes.ā Tyler stated, as he started looking. āThough a couple of seconds will do.ā
I didnāt even have the time to take the book out that he already handed me the third volume. That was fast.
āThanks.ā I said, reaching for the tome, letting my backpack fall on the floor in the process, because thatās what I do apparently.
The moment it touched the floor, the backpack belched out the book I wanted to show him, a couple of snacks, an empty water bottle, an old keychain, the country of Germany, and the L. Evans paper Iām re-reading.
āSorry. Let me grab all of this real quick.ā I said, as Tyler crouched to help.
āArchitecture and Power.ā he reached for the paper first, intrigued. āHope itās a good read.ā he snorted, as he handed it to me.
āItās a really interesting take on Middle Age Europe. Very creative, very informative, a bit verbose at times, and uses āliterallyā a bit too much.ā I explained, half serious.
āI literally told the editor but he didnāt care.ā Tyler stated.
āYeah.ā it took me a few seconds to fully realize what he said. āWhat the fuck.ā I turned to him as if I saw a ghost. āAre you L. Evans?ā
āNope. Iām Tyler Landoon Evans.ā he said, spelling his full name loud and clear. āFor SOME reason they thought my name was Landon and⦠well, you know the rest⦠or rather, you donāt. Iām basically a ghost.ā
āThis canāt be real.ā I said. āWhoād make such a stupid mistake?ā
āIt just happens. Thatās fine. I like living in the shadows.ā he chuckled.Ā
āNo no, you donāt understand. This is my job.ā I insisted. āThis is what I do. I can fix this.ā
āItās okay dude. You donāt wanna get involved into this.āĀ
Iām totally going to get involved into this.Ā
I said I was gonna Indiana Jones this shit, thatās what Iām still planning to do.
āWell, either way⦠big fan of your work.āĀ
āThanks man.ā he then gave a quick look to my black and yellow backpack. āBig fan of your Wasp bag there.ā
āDonāt tell Mark.ā I quickly replied.
Brad stepped into the room to tell us that the game was starting and even went as far as inviting me to stay, if I wanted to watch the first half of the game, but I had to be somewhere else.
āSay āhiā to Ted for us.ā Brad joked, walking me to the door.
āIāll make sure he gets the message.ā
This is why I donāt jump to conclusions.
I left the place with a heavier backpack and more info that I could ever imagine. I met the elusive author out of nowhere, in the last place a Ted would have told me to look.Ā
So far so good, but damn, Westfork is⦠weird, yet I wanna help. Just today I met people who were mislabeled: fixing Tylerās paper will be a piece of cake.
ā ā ā
THURSDAY
The moment I woke up I was greeted with good news: my flight for the weekend (Saturday afternoon) was cancelled. I got mad at first, because money⦠but itās ok, there was no rush to fill my wardrobe here, I got enough clothes and underwear to survive a full month, as long as the washing machine keeps working and Summer doesnāt decide to come back for revenge without warning.
Just like the day before, I had my morning routine, and even managed to exercise a bit, then went to the Archives after a quick cup of coffee, Ted waiting for me outside, his big round glasses looking like two headlights.
āI see you survived the encounter.ā he said, as he walked me inside. āDo they eat raw meat? Did the concept of fire reach them? Should we be the ones teaching them?ā
āCalm down, Prometheus.ā I replied. āTheyāre fine.ā
āFine?ā he seemed genuinely incredulous. āTheyāre hogs, Jeff.ā
āOkay, you can turn your 90s stereotype goggles OFF for a second. And those are pretty big goggles. I said theyāre fine.ā
āDid you get the book?ā he bluntly asked.
āItās in my backpack.ā
āGood. Iām sure youāll do a great job without my supervision.ā
I didnāt like his tone. āFirst of all, youāre not my supervisor.ā he narrowed his eyes, annoyed. āSecond, youāre leaving?ā
We reached our workstation, the dark, dusty room full of wonders to discover and cry over when we canāt find any cross-reference.
āThis archive is not really my department, so to speak. I mostly work really close to the higher-ups you know. I was tasked to literally guide you.ā
āThanks for being my guiding moonlight.ā I said, half-serious.
āNot to brag, but the President really appreciates my work. Sometimes I even get to review graduatesā papers andā¦ā
Oh come on, this canāt be going where I think itās going. Ignoring my ājumping to conclusionsā rule for a moment, I reached for Tylerās paper in my backpack and almost shoved it in Tedās face.
āDo you recognize this, by any chance?ā
Ted remained silent.
That was a rhetorical question.
āAnswer me.ā
āNo.ā
āThat was a weirdly high-pitched response from you.ā
āI donāt know who this L. Evans is.ā
āI never told you the authorās name.ā
Ted scoffed in frustration, as I pointed one of the lights to his face. Sorry Indy, looks like Iām going full Colombo for this stupid ass case instead.Ā
āYou know, until this morning I thought that an editor getting an authorās name wrong was a silly mistake⦠except that you guys donāt make mistakes like this. In fact, you correct mistakes like this⦠which means that you⦠did this on purpose.ā
āThis is literally insane.ā Ted commented, adding more smoke to the already smoking gun.
āPettiness aside, this could get you fired, man.āĀ
āNo one cares about this paper, why would anyone. Itās a piece of trash, I could write this blindfolded.āĀ
Looks like Iām not getting any actual work done for a couple of more minutes.
āWhy do you hate this guy so much?ā
āWhy do you care so much?ā Ted replied, a smirk appearing on his face. āGot a little crush on Tyler, perhaps?ā
I took a deep breath, ignoring the obvious taunt, then handed a copy of the paper to him, making sure to shove it on his chest as hard as I could without starting an actual fight.
āFix this.ā
āā« Heās never gonna love you. ā«ā he mocked me.
āIām just doing my job. Fix this. Talk to the higher-ups or whatever you do, and give Tyler the credit he deserves.ā
Tedās eyes behind his big round glasses inspected the paper, without really reading it. In fact, he almost seemed disgusted he was even holding it.
āWhatās in there for me?ā he then asked.
āI wonāt tell anyone that youāre a petty jerk.ā
āNot helping.ā Ted insisted.
āI wonāt tell anyone that youāre a classist petty jerk, is that better?ā
He slammed the paper on the desk, visibly offended by that last statement. āIām not any -ist you stupid know-it-all. I studied hard and Iām working hard, and you canāt blame me for disliking someone who GPT-ed his way up here.ā
Clearly this was escalating into an actual, animated, verbal fight, but to be honest I did want to hear Tedās side of the story⦠blind accusations aside.
āDo you have any proof that those guys GPT-ed their way up to the top?ā
āNo.ā he admitted. āBut I do have proof that Tyler flirted with my girlfriend last year.ā
This seems like a big accusation, and it would be, but thereās a small detail that Ted is omitting, and if his āattack patternā is always the same, I simply need one question to get to the truth.
āTed, did this happen before or after you two broke up?ā
Lucky for me, Ted is a bad liar, so he remained silent.
āI canāt believe it. You were doing this again. You were gaslighting me, you prick!ā
āI dislike those guys, OK?! I didnāt know it was illegal!ā
āNo one said you have to like them. Feel free to burn with hatred for the rest of your life.ā I was tired of this conversation. I reached for the paper on the desk and handed them to him again. āI just want us to do our fucking job without being petty bastards, is that clear?ā
Ted took a deep breath and regained his composure. āFine, Iāll see what I can do.ā
āThanks.ā I simply said.
āBut you take the credit. I donāt want that hog to get any close to me.ā
āOK⦠fine?ā
āLiterally fine. See you tomorrow night then, if youāre still up for it.ā he put Tylerās paper under his coat and buttoned it up. āHave a good day.ā
āYou too. And yeah, see you tomorrow.ā I said, finally getting to work for real.
And just like that, I was alone at last in that dusty old place, surrounded by more nameless History waiting to be recognized.
ā ā ā
Sunlight again, the thing I pretend to hate to act dark and mysterious. I worked a bit more than I had to, as I got lost reading an old legal document.
Another day went by, another autumnal evening greeting me as I stepped out of the Archives. Iād like to go to my apartment to rest a bit, maybe get rid of this dusty checkered shirt, but yesterday Mark invited me for a beer. Since Iām passing by anyway, Iāll check if the so-called ābulliesā are at the Cafe already.
As I got there, I looked for them from a distance, only to get ambushed from behind before I could even recognize the sound of their skateboards -Markās and Tylerās at least; Brad was right behind them, walking. Heās the biggest of the three, didnāt even need to run to keep the pace.
They greeted me as if I was an old friend and then walked together towards the Cafe, sitting on some stools by a sunset-lit table outside.Ā
āI had to convince them of course.ā Mark said, jokingly, talking about me joining them for a beer.
āYeah, because we hate gay people apparently.ā Brad added.
āNo worries, youāll learn to hate me for who I am, not because of my sexuality.ā I played along.
We ordered a round of beers and, as promised, Mark paid for them -but I decided I was gonna pay the second round, no matter what. Those are very easygoing dudes; they actually remind me of my buds back home.
We started chatting about our backgrounds and how we got into this study center, discovering surprisingly common experiences in our stories, such as having been behind schedule.
āWeāve been here since last year. This place is more in shambles than it looks, but it pays the bills.ā Brad explained.
āWell the Archives are holding up, I can tell you that.ā I said. āTheyāre a bit dusty and dark, but hey, itās the Archives. Iād be disappointed if they didnāt seem haunted.ā
āOnly thing missing in this husk of a campus is a poison swamp.ā Tyler joked.
āWeāre historical geographers by the way. Tylerās a specialised architectural historian instead.ā Brad said.
āI could tell, Iāve read his paper.ā
āYeah heās actually one of the 4 people who did.ā Tyler joked. āIncluding us of course.ā
āYouāre way too hard on yourself.ā Brad stated. āYou got skills, man.āĀ
āPull my finger and Iāll show you how skilled I am.ā he kept joking.
That earned some immature laughs from us.
I do wonder if Ted is actually gonna fix itā¦
āOnce againā¦ā Brad turned to me. āI can assure you weāre all published historians here.āĀ
Tyler pinched the small black stud glinted on his left ear -something that Iāve just noticed he does often apparently- and just stared funny at Brad in response to his sarcastic remark.
āJust Wasps acting like the smartasses they think they are.ā Mark commented.
āStill mad about yesterday I see.ā I observed.
āDonāt you dare.ā he pointed at me. āBeers are on me as promised, but I know youāre one of⦠them.ā he said, giving Tyler and Brad a disappointed glare. āThatās the only reason a gay man would every buy an ugly-ass backpack like that.ā he added, referring to my Wasp-branded bag.
I laughed⦠it is kind of ugly. āHey, we won fair and square.ā I replied, knowing very well how annoying that will sound to certain supporters.
āOhhh heās going there.ā Tyler whispered, taking a sip of his beer, noticing Mark playing along, but becoming visibly annoyed, not by me, but rather by the Lobsters getting their ass kicked the day before.
I didnāt want to get too bold so soon though.
As the evening slowly turned into a night, we ordered a second round of beers and kept chatting about our jobs and backgrounds. While Brad is very sporty (he truly is a jock), heās as of now almost completely focusing on his academic life. Mark and Tyler are kinda the same when it comes to research, but also occasionally still compete in skate contests.
āIām the best one.ā Mark bragged.
āI can totally kick your ass.ā Tyler said.
āOh you got the best tricks, huh?āĀ
āSigh Pull my finger and Iāll show you my best trick.ā Tyler said, repeating that same silly joke from before with a concerning amount of self-awareness.
āSlow down, Thunder Tyler, we have guests.ā Brad said.
āWell you gotta show us some tricks then.ā I commented. āWith the skateboard I mean.ā I quickly added.
āAre you sure?ā Tyler asked. āBecause⦠I feel a big one comingā¦ā he pulled a face, pretending to push one out, bending sideways on his stool, before his friends stopped him.
More immature laughs. āYouāre desecrating this great institution.ā Brad cried.
And here I feared that I was getting too bold.
More beers arrived, in the meantime.
āI just realizedā¦ā I said, as I took a sip. āIs it just me⦠or does this beer suck?ā
They laughed, as if they were waiting for me to finally notice it.
āWestfork is in shambles my dude.ā Mark said.Ā
āThis placeās unofficial motto is basically Count Your Blessings.ā Tyler remarked.
āYeah thatās why weāre gonna fly South for the weekend.ā Brad said.
I got curious. āHuh, where are you three going?ā
āOh no, better dead than having those idiots at my place.ā Mark said, referring to his two friends and co-workers here at the table.
āWeāre going home for the weekend.ā Brad clarified. āTylerās staying because heās got a date, for reasons no one can fathom.ā
āWestfork sucks ass but you can still find someone throwing a decent party on Fridays.ā he explained.
As he said that, his phone on the table notified a couple of messages.
āLet me guess, Grace? The archeologist?ā Mark asked.
Tyler simply snapped his fingers and nodded in response, eyes glued on his phone.
āDonāt do anything stupid.ā Brad said, with a defeated tone.
A couple of more hours and beers went by, and I ended up paying -gladly- all the rounds except the first one, much to those ābulliesāā dismay, who swore theyāll never make me pay for anything else for the next month -should we keep hanging out.
We parted ways, not before them telling me to say āHiā to Ted on their behalf. 1:00 AM, I forgot it was still Thursday, I gotta work tomorrow morning. I rushed back, well, home, exhausted, slipped into something more comfortable, before finally collapsing on my bed.
A party, huh?Ā
I guess the soul is still going strong then.
ā ā āĀ
FRIDAY
I was alone in the Archive today, closely inspecting some mislabelled books from the 1800s. Itās like the guy who worked here before me didnāt even try. Itās English, goddammit!
The otherwise silent (and peaceful) day was interrupted by my phone getting a couple of messages from Ted, reminding me that we have to attend to an aperitif tonight, at the Conference Hall. I donāt mind this kind of formal events from time to time, and even though I sort of had a fight with Ted⦠he can be⦠decent I guess⦠sometimes⦠rarely? I donāt know, Iāll figure it out.
As I wrote a few texts back, with my other hand I tried to reach for another book without looking⦠only to have it handed to me.
The scream I let out was remarkably high-pitched, not proud of it, and my racing heart almost got stuck into my own throat. It took me a few blurry seconds to recognize the tall silhouette of the man visiting my dark lair.
āWhoa. Whoa!ā Tyler laughed, understandably amused by my reaction, stretching his arms forward. āAre you ok?ā
I stared at him, his face half-hidden in the shadows, while I patted my own chest as if I wanted to make sure my heart was still there.
āNo.ā an answer that promptly made him laugh more.
āWell Jeff, if you die in front of me right now, Iāll make sure to get you the best flowers.ā he stated. āWhat the fuck did you do, man?ā he then asked, visibly excited, happy even.
I guess Ted kept the promise.
āItās nothing, really. I just talked with-ā but he cut me off.
āI already got like a dozen of emails of people praising my paper. Dude⦠this is awesome.ā
āTed did most of the work. You should thank him.ā I explained.
He snorted. āPfft, heād rather drink bleach than talk to me⦠so I guess youāre getting a double-sized thank you.ā
Well, Ted did say that he didnāt want to take any credit, so Iām not gonna insist, and by doing this Iām keeping my promise instead.
āI⦠I literally donāt know what to say, really.ā Tyler sounded extremely grateful, but also a bit confused, considering that we basically just met.
āLetās just say⦠you owe me a beer, and weāre even.āĀ
āNot Westieās disgusting piss-beer thatās for sure.ā he replied.Ā
He stared at his phone, pinching the black stud on his left ear, as he -I assume- read another e-mail regarding his paper -I could tell he was smiling despite being so dark.Ā
āWhy did you help meā¦?ā he asked, eyes still on the phone.
āOh⦠you know, just because.ā I simply said.
āPfft. Weirdo.ā he replied. I deserved that.
My heart was still racing fast⦠but not because I got startled, not anymore.Ā
āI⦠I gotta get back to work.ā I then stated. āAnd youāre not allowed to be here.ā trying to sound as polite as possible.
āOh yeah of course.ā Tyler said. āI know you archivists get all⦠ya know.ā he then proceeded to do an impression of my manly scream.
āItās like looking into a much taller mirror.ā I replied, unimpressed.
āThanks again, Jeff. Iāll see you around.ā he said, as he disappeared into the darkness of the Archive -the sound of a door opening confirming that he managed to find the exit.
Well, thatās one case closed I guess.
Back to work, back to cursing my predecessor.
ā ā āĀ
āIām surprised he came to say thanks.ā
Unsurprisingly, Ted wasnāt exactly cheering at the idea of having helped Tyler, but he was taking it much better than I expected. At least he wasnāt monologuing about him and his friends being hogs or bullies this time.
āHe was happy, if that makes you feel better. Which it wonāt, which in turn amuses me.ā
He rolled his eyes, unamused.
The aperitif went well, I got to meet some of the so-called higher ups, and some of them seemed already quite happy with how Iām handling things at the Archive -but nothing screams āpromotionā yet, itās been barely 3 days, after all.Ā
Ass-kissing aside, the night was going well, with the event ending at around 1:00 AM, which was honestly good for my social batteries.
Ted and I were taking a walk around campus, just randomly chatting about work and the people we met tonight -and the disgusting wine they served us (when it comes to beverage in Westfork, this seems to be the norm). It was very cold and dark tonight, the lamps in this part of the campus not working properly, but we could tell we were close to our residential buildings -which are in front of each other.Ā
āWell, Ted. It sure was nice hanging out with you as if you were a human being for once.ā I joked.
āDonāt get too used to it.ā he replied.
I was gonna make fun of him a bit more, but we both tripped over something.
While Ted grumbled around, slowly getting back up, I quickly extracted my phone and turned the flashlight ON, so I could properly see what (ā¦or who) made us fall.
āI guess the party went well.ā I commented, Tylerās shaved head reflecting back much of the light coming out of my phoneās flashlight.Ā
I stood up, staring down at him; he was only wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, snoring loudly, occasionally mumbling something. Yeah, heās totally drunk, full hangover.
Good thing we werenāt jogging.
āHeh!ā Ted said, gleefully enjoying Tyler being wasted. āNow this makes me feel better.ā
āCome on.ā I stated. āGive me a hand. We canāt leave him here.ā
āYes we can.ā
āNo we canāt.ā I snapped back, getting riled up, as I tried to haul him up by myself, rather unsuccessfully.
Reluctantly, but still showing some surprising glimpses of humanity, Ted gave me a hand.
āJust to be clear: Iām only doing this because I find Tyler being a waste of oxygen rather amusing.ā he said.
āHow generous.ā I replied. āWhere do we park him?ā
āWell, the city dump is not far from Westfork.ā
āTed.ā
Tyler was by now sleeping while standing, muttering something intelligible from time to time, if not communicating with a mix of sounds and belches, the idea of collaborating completely out of what-was-left of his mind.Ā
We slowly made it to the front door of Tedās building, an impressive feat considering we were basically dragging a human-sized heavy sack of potatoes.
āCanāt we just call his hog-friends?ā
āTheyāre out for the weekend.ā I explained, breathing heavily. āLet him crash at your place for tonight.ā
āAbsolutely not.ā Ted yelled, letting Tyler drop on the floor -the sudden weight almost making me fall with him.
I ignored the loud thud he made, completely unfazed, as he heavily face-planted the floor, focusing on Ted instead.
āWeāre literally in front of your house.ā I whispered in frustration -I didnāt want to draw attention to us.
āFirst you want me to like him⦠then you want me to help him⦠and now you want me to sleep with him?!ā he hissed.
āOf course, Ted. Make sure to send me pictures once youāre done, hashtag #aftersex, ok?ā I said, then slapped his chest. āStop acting like a bitch and help me drag him inside! My ass is freezing!ā
āOh Iāll drag him alright, but not into my house.ā
Ted displayed an impressive amount of strength as he hauled Tyler up on his own (before letting me help), powered by the sheer force of anger and spite alone.
Very slowly, we took the longer route, as we had to reach the other residential building across the small square, where my apartment was instead.
āThis guyās your problem, not mine.ā he muttered, as we got to the front door.
āYes yes, thanks Ted. Iāll send you some flowers.ā I hastily said, reaching for the keys in my pocket, Tylerās weight getting worse somehow.
Once we got inside, we managed to climb a couple of flight of stairs, almost doing an impression of Sisyphus, before finally getting to my apartment on the 2nd floor. Westfork being mostly empty was a blessing, since we were just the three of us messing around in the middle of the night -which, considering the situation, is a great thing. Basically, no witnesses.
We dropped Tyler rather unceremoniously on a small couch near the entrance, in what was essentially my living room with a small kitchen area in a corner. Ted called it a day.
āWell, I got my hands dirty enough for tonight.ā
He was remarkably annoying⦠but in the end he did help me all the way up here. āSure, thanks.ā
āNormally Iād say no problem, but I hate this guy, so fuck you.ā
I just casually patted his shoulder in response. āWhatever you say man.ā
āSee you tomorrow.ā Ted said, adjusting his glasses, before walking out of my apartment, closing the door behind him.
And there I was, alone, staring down at this messy, snoring guy who barely fits into this small couch, his legs hanging off the edge. I wondered whether I should wake him up to explain what the fuck was going on⦠but I was exhausted, so I too called it a day.
āWhatever.ā I scoffed, and went to my bedroom.
ā ā āĀ
SATURDAY
My alarm-clock did its job a bit too well by waking me up⦠after a couple of snoozes, at around 9:00 AM. I can handle beer, but there was something in that wine last night that made me dizzy quite fast, though those hours of sleep made me anew, and the light stomach-ache I feel could very well be related to the fact that Iām starving -Aperitif are terrible if you want to have a proper dinner.
Still lying in bed, wearing only a white t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I silenced my phone to check some messages and e-mail, though I donāt have to work neither today nor tomorrow. I was supposed to be at home for the weekend, but seeing whatās Westfork is up to on my first weekend kinda made me curious. Whether it was parties or some cultural conventions, I was up to it. Or you know, even just resting seems fine, considering Iām a lazy ass.
I kept lying in bed, relaxing while listening to the muffled chill lo-fi music coming from the living roo- why is there music coming from the living room?
It then hit me like a train: I have a guest.Ā
I wish I could blame the wine for me not remembering this, but you know I just woke up, please understand.
Tyler probably made himself at home, as I heard some noises of him probably messing around the kitchen, and indeed a faint smell of fried eggs reached my nostrils. Is he cooking breakfast?Ā
I got up, held my head in its place, then went to the other room. As I opened my bedroomās door, the music got louder and I indeed saw Tyler cooking, the pleasant smell greeting me first. Kind of like me, my temporary roommate was only wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of shorts, which I then realized those were a pair of boxer briefs sporting a peculiar star-themed pattern: his grey sweater and blue jeans were dumped on the couch he slept on.
āMorning.ā Tyler turned to me, hands still focusing on the meal.
āMorning.ā I mumbled, as my brain took his time to properly boot up.
āHope you donāt mind the music. I used your laptop by the way, checked for some e-mails.ā he casually said, pointing at small table in the middle of the room, where my laptop was.
I rushed to it, since me forgetting things is the norm lately, making sure I didnāt leave any⦠weird tab open in the last few days, but luckily there was nothing. Besides this, I didnāt mind at all, and the playlist he chose was, well, chill.
āItās fine.ā I finally said, sounding a bit more⦠alive.
As my brain finally booted up completely, I sat by the table, pushing my laptop aside.
āAre you actually cooking breakfast?ā I asked, as if Iāve been blind the whole time.
āOh yeah. Least I can do, Jeff.ā Tyler simply answered.
The guy seemed much more lively and upbeat than I expected.Ā
āHow are you⦠you know⦠doing things?ā I asked, in the most confusing way possible. Luckily, he got the point.
āMy head and stomach are a mess, thanks for asking.ā he laughed. āBut I got some more feedbacks for my paper, I donāt have time to suffer.ā
He put two plates on the table, each containing a⦠very well-made croque-monsieur. He sat on the other side of the table and started by cutting it in half, letting the scorching inside get some air.
āI mean I kind of suffered -not telling from which end- in your bathroom like 1 hour ago. Iād stay away if I was you.ā he joked.Ā
āExactly what I wanted to hear while eating breakfast, thanks.ā I played along.
We took a couple of bites of our food, enjoying the meal.
āI was a mess, wasnāt I?ā Tyler asked, with a smile that was a mix of embarrassment and pride.
āIāve seen worse.ā I said. āTed and I were walk-ā
āTed?ā Tyler replied.
āYeah, heās petty but heās not a villain.āĀ
āI did hear that you were the one insisting though.ā Tyler said.
āItās fine, donāt mention it.ā I brushed it off.
āYou heard me and Brad talking about the jogging accident, didnāt you?ā
I did, but I wasnāt eavesdropping.
āMaybe I did, maybe I didnāt.ā I tried, very clumsily, to act smooth. Tyler chuckled and shook his head in response.
āWell, either way, thank you.ā he let me have this one.Ā
āThis thingās delicious by the way.ā I said, my mouth stuffed.
Tyler laughed. āCan you tell that to Mark and Brad, please?āĀ
āIād rather not get involved.ā
āToo late bro, you dragged me to your place while I was wasted, youāre in the team now.ā he said. āAlso, I owe you a big one.āĀ
āDonāt mention it.āĀ
āNo.ā Tyler, suddenly turning somewhat a bit more serious. āYouāve known me for like 2 days and you helped me so much. I gotta do something in return.ā
āBelieve me, itās fine. Plus, this breakfast is enough already.ā I legit was really enjoying it.
āAre you really sure thereās nothing I could do for you?ā Tyler insisted.
āLook.ā I said. āNormally, Iād put here sexual joke, but I donāt wanna get too bold with someone I just met.ā I joked.
āSo, no sex? Bummer.ā he played along. āWhich is basically what happened with Grace last night by the way.ā
I admit my gossip-loving ass was dying to know what happened exactly, yet I didnāt want to be, you know, nosy.Ā
āItās none of my business.ā Iām such a fake bitch.
Tyler instead kept talking about the night before, much to my pleasure. Apparently, they were in the middle of a conversation (which he misinterpreted as reciprocal flirting), then she just casually introduced his boyfriend to him.
āOuch.ā I very deeply commented.
āNah⦠itās all my fault.ā he admitted. āI totally misinterpreted how she acted around me. Turns out sheās just a really social person.ā he took another bite of his breakfast. āSheās cool. Sheās smart. We had fun. She didnāt stop being an interesting person because of this.ā
āSheās an Archeologist if I recall correctly.āĀ
āYeah, pretty cool stuff.ā
āI guess sheād like you more if you were a fossil.ā I suggested.
Tyler chuckled. āIām no fossil, but Iām certainly History to her. I guess Iām more of your type instead.āĀ
How did I not blush to that remains a mystery to this day.
I didnāt want to ask for more details, so naturally I bluntly asked if this was the reason he got drunk, because Iām a clown. Tyler didnāt seem to mind and smiled politely.Ā
āNah, I got wasted because Iām an idiot, thatās it.āĀ
āIāve been an idiot multiple times myself, so no worries about it.ā
āYou basically saved me.ā he said, then laughed. āI will find a way to return the favour. Trust me.ā it almost sounded like a fun challenge to him.
I smiled and nodded at him. Seriously, I didnāt want anything in return, not because I have to act like some kind of Saint or anything -Iām sure lots of people would have done the same, Iām not special.
My temporary roommate finished his meal and stood up. āCoffee?ā he asked.
I was in the mood for a coffee, but I didnāt even take a shower yet. Tyler sort of read my mind.
āAnd yes, I know I seriously need a shower, thatās why Iām leaving you alone after that.ā
I just looked at him, this tall, slim guy acting like he made a blood oath to please my needs.
āA coffeeās fine. Let me put some actual clothes on.ā I said.
āSame. I need to take a quick piss first, if you excuse me.ā he replied, cautiously walking towards the bathroom, as if he was expecting my actual permission, which wasnāt needed of course.Ā
On his way he also took his clothes off the couch.
In the meantime I went back into my bedroom to prepare myself -didnāt take long. As I stepped back into the living-room/kitchen, Tyler was still in the bathroom, door closed, but I could hear him, well, taking a piss (those thin doors arenāt exactly noise-cancelingā¦). I silently waited, lo-fi chill music still softly playing, while I mindlessly browsed the web on my laptop. Then, among the various noises a man can make while using a restroom, I heard it loud and clear, despite being supposedly muffled: it was unmistakably a long, rumbly, deep-sounding fart, so loud, so distinctive, that it almost sounded like a fake stock sound youād hear in comedies, its power easily surpassing the music playing from the laptop in front of me. I couldnāt ignore it, even if I wanted to -Tyler wasnāt kidding when he implied that he almost destroyed the place.Ā
I tried to focus back on my inbox but the fart just wouldnāt stop, it was hard to not listen to. How long has it been? 15 seconds? 20 seconds? Why am I like this? But finally, after reaching a high note, it just stopped. Kinks aside, I almost bursted into laughter: that was insanely good.
A few moments later Tyler showed up in the living room, just casually glancing at me as to say that he was ready to leave whenever, as he pinched his left ear, where the small black stud is. Was he aware that I heard all of that? Or am I thinking too hard about this because I have this weird-ass kink? Letās face it: itās definitely the latter, so I just ignored it as much as he did.Ā
ā ā āĀ
Outside, Tyler and I were greeted by a pleasing, cold-ish breeze. We decided to have a coffee at the one and only Cafe this place has to offer (you love hating it!). I was surprised by how much more lively Westie was this morning: despite many people leaving for the weekend, it seemed much more crowded than the other days. We kept walking, Tyler occasionally greeting some acquaintances, and also kept chatting about what we do.
āYeah thatās how it is for me.ā the so-called ābullyā explained. āThe more I learn about the Past, the more I realize how trivial some of the shit you see today is.ā
āWe never truly changed.ā
āYes and no. Weāre the same, we also got better, yet some things are never going away, donāt they? I mean, fucked up things aside, itās all so tirin- hey dude!ā Tyler casually bump-fisted a guy passing by, then resumed talking. āI hate sounding preachy, I myself hate people when theyāre preachy, but come on, itās 2025.ā
Basically, Tyler seemed like a very open-minded guy who just doesnāt care.
āTake kinks, for example.ā he suddenly said. I got startled for a millisecond. āTheyāre super weird, but thatās part of the fun. Wouldnāt you agree?ā
The question kind of caught me off guard. āSure. To each their own I guess.āĀ
āExactly. There are tons of kinky historical figures. Even Napoleon could get kinky, so why should you care.ā
I know this is actually about History, but those things seemed a bit too⦠specific. I know Iām not the main character of the Universe, and Iām sure Iām reading too much into it, but stillā¦
We finally reached the Cafe, not as crowded despite the rest of Westie having lots of people strolling around -further proof that his place probably served piss- and sat on a couple of stools outside. After we ordered some coffee, Tyler pulled out a tobacco pouch and put it on the table.
āI like elbows for example ahah.ā he confessed, while rolling himself a cigarette. āItās super weird, not obsessed or anything, but youād agree itās not something youād normally look for in a woman.ā he admitted.
āWho am I to judge?ā I stated. No, seriously.
Tyler cackled at my response. āElbow kink, not exactly the topic youād expect a published historian to talk about, huh?ā
āItās fine, just donāt make fun of my scrawny elbows.ā I joked.
āNo worries, youāre not my type.ā he finished rolling and casually handed me the cigarette.
āThanks.ā I said, gladly accepting the offer. āHow did you know?ā
āI didnāt. I'm just trying to return the favor in small doses. Throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.ā he explained. āGood thing you accepted it -that means I donāt have to unleash any crazy backup plan for now.ā
āItās fine Tyler.ā I said, not addressing him mentioning a ābackup planā at all. āIām happy I could help, plus it was basically my job.ā
āOh so you always drag people around at night?ā
āOnly if Ted hates them.ā I joked.
āGood luck dragging 8 billions of people around then.ā
Two cup of coffees were placed in front of us -by the smell, I could tell it was going to be the worst one I had in years⦠but the company made it worth it. A fair trade I guess. Tyler seemed to think the same, about the beverage at least, judging by his facial expression after he took a scorching sip.
āI canāt believe my body ran on this shit last year -but that paper wouldnāt have written itself.āĀ
āSacrificing your stomach for the greater good. Iām sure it was worth it.ā
He took a quick puff of his cigarette before speaking, and smiled at me. āOh, it is now.ā
āAre you planning to write anything else?ā I was curious about this: I genuinely really liked his paper and take on the subject he chose.
āProbably. Iād like to delve deeper into Spainās architecture over the centuries. Itās a fascinating mix of styles. It gets weird. I like weird.āĀ
āWell, Iām hyped.ā I said. āIāll talk with Ted -might as well start warning him now.ā
Tyler chuckled in response. āI already owe you enough.āĀ
āYou donāt owe me anything.ā
We eventually had to finish our disgusting coffee, so we got done with it in one big sip, right after taking one last puff of my cigarette.
āWell, that sucked.ā I heard Tyler commenting, before he could even realize that I went inside to pay.
When I got back to the table, he almost looked mad. āAre you doing this on purpose? Do you enjoy making me mad?ā he asked, sarcastically.Ā
āItās just coffee.ā I simply said.
āBy the way.ā he said, changing the subject, as we walked away from the Cafe. āI got nothing to do today. Feel free to crash by the Old Birch later. I got beers -and not Westieās piss-flavoured ones.ā
āSure, why not.ā I accepted the invite. āIf thatās okay of course.ā
āNo, I invited you because I expected you to refuse, obviously.ā he amicably patted my shoulder then went on his way. āSee you later, Jeff.ā
I stood there for a couple of seconds, my eyes following him as he walked away, until he disappeared behind a building. Ted only said this to make fun of me, but he wasnāt wrong: Iām totally crushing on this guy, for fuckās sake. Heās as cultured as heās attractive, a deadly mix. But heās straight, so Iām gonna respect the obvious boundaries while enjoying a good beer with him later.
I went back home, to my new home, and finally took a long overdue shower, and then spent the morning reading and resting like the sloth I aspire to be. So far so good Iād say, if I had to rate this first weekend at West-
I canāt stop thinking about Tyler, dammit.
Despite my best efforts at staring at the very interesting empty ceiling above me, my mind kept being elsewhere.
How hypocrite of me, to make fun of Tedās 90s goggles, only to fall for the most basic tropes in the book: a tall, snarky, good-hearted, open-minded, bad boy-looking cultured man? Wow, my tastes are so out of this world.Ā
Heās straight, I keep repeating over and over in my mind; not because I need to stop myself from doing anything weird or stupid, but just a reminder for my heart to not get disappointed by something I already know.Ā
The guyās cool, no doubts about it, and so are his ābullyā friends. And heās also the author of this paper you really like. No need to overthink: letās hang out, you donāt have to prove anything.
Itās not like you never had a boyfriend anyway, you know how to handle those feelings. Thereās nothing wrong about having feelings anyway, so you better put some clothes on, go to the Old Birch, and have a beer with your newest pal.
Stop being weird.
But he likes weird!
Just stop being stupid then.Ā
Feelings are good, feelings make us human.
Hang out, have fun.
OK, butā¦
What if he finds out? He wonāt.
What if he suspects it? Why would he?
I just know I left a tab open the other night on my laptop, curse me for forgetting things so easily lately. Of course he found about my kink.
No he didnāt. Yes he did.
He was just being nice to the weirdo who brought him somewhere safe while he was drunk. He probably doesnāt even want me by the Old Birch, once again he was just being nice.
Or maybe he is nice because youāve been nice to him? People seem to get along when theyāre nice to each other, what a concept.
Alright, enough overthinking for today.
Iām greatly making this far more complicated than it is.
Letās have a beer.
ā ā ā
I got to Old Birch (or whatās left of the stump, at least) around 6:30 PM, a fairly decent time. But first I stopped at a bar just outside Westfork to grab a few bottles of beer (didnāt take long, and anything beats the piss they serve in here). Tyler invited me with the promise of a few beers, so the least I can do is bring some myself.
Meanwhile, a cool autumn breeze picked up. I spotted dark clouds on the horizonĀ letās hope the weather doesnāt get worse. Either way, beers in hand, I walk up to the Frat House door and knock. Same as last time, I hear muffled rock music, low volume, but still audible from outside: Screaming Eagles, I know this band. Nice one, Tyler, good taste!
And Tyler himself didnāt take long to open up, greeting me quickly with a nod and silently waving me in, like I was an old friend heād known forever.
āMake yourself at homeā he said as I followed him into the living room, the same one where Iād first met Brad and Mark.
He seemed distant, if not cold, but then I noticed he had earbuds in -maybe listening to a podcast or a phone call. He motioned toward the couch, the part not buried under papers and chip bags at least, and I sat down. I pulled the beers out of my infamous, Wasp-themed backpack and set them on a low table in front of me. Beyond it, on the floor, sat a big TV with an old PlayStation 4 running (the consoleās main menu on the screen). If he wants to play some Trekken, Iām ready to kick his ass.
āHey.ā
Tyler appeared in front of me, pulling out his earbuds and tossing them onto the couch. He absentmindedly moved some papers aside and sat down too, on the other endānot right next to me. He was wearing a dark blue sweater and jeans. No shoes, just some goofy socks with stars on them. Heās into star patterns I guess.
āYou brought beer?!ā he said, noticing after a few seconds. āMan, youāre just trying to bury me in debts with you!ā he joked.
āWell, you got me: Iām the etiquette loan shark,ā I joked.
I opened two bottles of stout (luckily I carry a little ring that doubles as a bottle opener) and of course handed him one. Tyler seemed to particularly enjoy the flavor Iād picked.
āFan of stouts?ā
āI prefer blonde light ones, but on the weekends Iām kind of a rascal.ā
Against all odds, Tyler chuckled at my cheap humor, while absentmindedly moving his earbuds from the couch to the table.
āWhat were you listening to?ā I asked, while the Screaming Eagles kept playing softly in the background.
āA podcast on architecture, obviously. Looking for ideas for my next paper.ā
āNo Spain?ā
āSƬ Spain, the podcast is in Spanish.ā
I smiled at the twist. āYou speak Spanish?ā
āUnfortunately less than Iād like. But I can tell you, without a doubt, that contrafuerte is buttress.ā
It was my turn to chuckle at something stupid.Ā
āAh yes, buttress, the most important term in the history of architecture.ā
āIām more of a boobtress guy.ā Tyler casually commented, as he took a sip of beer. āBut butts are fine too.āĀ
āAlready past your elbow phase?ā
Tyler laughed at my daring joke. āDude, kinkshaming, really? From you? Of all people?āĀ
āThat was a fair question.ā I kept going.
āIād rather answer questions about my next paper.ā he said.
That was actually very interesting: mere days ago I had no idea of wrote that paper, and now I could ask for spoilers to the author himself.
āWell, in that case, are you gonna focus on Spain as a whole or just, for example, Andalusia?ā
The so-called ābullyā took another sip of his beer, eyes glued on me, smirking and studying me as if I was a flying buttress.
āI donāt wanna bore you with the details.ā
āNo!ā I stated. āPlease, bore me to death! Make me regret I came here!ā
He laughed, but immediately kept his promise, diving straight into highly detailed discussions on the currents that influenced Iberian architecture, moving on to an analysis of the huge amount of ornamentation that defines churrigueresque buildings.
At first, as usual, I thought he was just being polite, but it didnāt take long to realize he genuinely loved talking about this stuff and was very proud of his studies. I havenāt known him long, yet I noticed his recurring gesture of scratching the small black stud on his left ear, a tic that, being a mess myself, I almost started finding endearing. Still, I didnāt indulge in interpretations -did he do it when was he nervous? happy? bored? or maybe the piercing simply itched, it happens.
Tyler overall gave me the impression of being one of those people who might seem a bit cold at first but, once they open up, theyāre hard to close. And, I want to be clear, itās a trait I really appreciate, as much as I appreciate his open mind, his chill vibes, and, of course, how cultured he is.
We continued sipping beer, commenting (sometimes jokingly) particularly divisive architectural styles, and we both agreed that yes, the neoclassical faƧade of the Frat House was nothing special.
āI thought weād bond over, like, Screaming Eagles, not⦠spires!ā Tyler remarked, noting that the Eagles playlist was still going.
I took another sip of beer, savoring the strong flavor. āNo worries, once I kick your ass in Trekken, youāll hate me like Ted hoped.ā
āDude, youāre challenging me to Trekken⦠seriously?ā
Tyler didnāt need to be told twice, and, I swear, almost like a Jedi summoning a lightsaber, a gamepad appeared in his hand.
Our cultured discussion on Iberian architecture was followed by a fast, intense, and competitive fighting game session. I donāt brag about many things, and Iām not a pro-gamer by any means, but when it comes to Trekken, Iām the master. Back in college it was my comfort food basically, a great way to vent after a long day of studying (and my roommate still hates me for how much I wiped the floor with his in-game body).Ā
That said, I have to admit, Tyler gave me a run for my money: sometimes I kicked his ass, other times he kicked mine, and we both seemed to enjoy having found a worthy opponent.
Final round of the tiebreaker, we open another beer, tension at its peak, while outside starts to rain (those clouds from before werenāt kidding). A kick, a punch, an easy block, I do my best, but the skater next to me has tricks I hadnāt expected.Ā
Iād love to say that I let him win, but no, he won, fair and square, with a combo I never learned to block even back in prime days.
āWooooo.ā Tyler jumped up, cheering -Iād never seen him that energized.Ā
āFuck!ā I simply remarked.
Bradās words came to mind: this is a place of published historians, and yet weāre very maturely insulting each other over what is essentially a toy (worth every second).
He theatrically brought a hand near his ear (not to scratch it this time), as if eavesdropping on something; just a way to call me out on what I said moments before about me owning him.
āWhat was that, Jeff? I thought you were a proā¦?ā he said, standing near the TV. āAnd yet⦠I canāt hear anything now. Nothing. What happened? Too much archive dust on your tongue?ā
Credits where its due. He was good, I accept my defeat, but not without a touch of my usual pettiness on my part. I stood up, rolling up my shirt sleeves.
āAlright, alright, Iāll let you admire my elbows, as promised.ā
Tyler smirked and silently accepted my tease this time, no response.Ā
Did I go too far? Did I hit too close to home? It wasnāt obviously my intention to embarrass him over something like this⦠Iām no pot and heās no kettle.
He just stared at me for a few seconds, his tall figure easily towering over me.Ā
āAre you familiar with glass architecture?ā he casually asked, but I could tell there was a catch in that question.
āI donāt think I amā¦ā I admitted.
Tyler stepped back to the couch and sat in his spot like before, reaching for the beer on the small table. After he took a sip, he resumed talking. I sat down again as well.
āWell you should be.ā he stated. āSince you seem to live in a glass house.ā
I pretended to have no idea where he was heading with this.
Maybe my overthinking side was onto something after allā¦
āAnd yet here you are, throwing stones as if your walls are made of concrete.ā
The beer stopped having any taste, ācause my mouth got dried up. Needless to say, Tylerās words made me very nervous. With the exception of like-minded people, no one knows about my kink, no one in my friend circle does. They all know Iām gay and Iām happy to share funny or weird stories about my experiences, and theyāre all more than willing to listen, but this kink, like many other kinks⦠itās just weird, gross, maybe hilarious to some people, but still something very personal.
The fact that a guy I just met was obviously teasing me about it was messing with my guts: I wanted to leave⦠and yet⦠Tyler didnāt look mad or weirded out, for now at least.
āWhat did you see on my laptop this morningā¦?ā I sighed, no need to pretend I donāt know what heās talking about.
The skater laughed a bit. āI only saw a few frames but I believe it was a this big, tall stud destroying someoneās face with his farts in some kind of office.ā
Yep, thatās the one. Whatās funny is that I didnāt even cum to that fart video that night (another classic porn did the trick): I simply forgot I had that other video paused in another tab.
I never trained for this kind of scenario: a friend (at least, I assume I can call him a āfriendā) just found out about my fart fetish, and he seems oddly chill about it. My heart was racing fast, I was terrified, but I didnāt feel in danger or anything like that. I turned red however, ācause the embarrassment was off the charts -something that Tyler noticed.
āHey, you can relax.ā he said. āI basically told you I donāt give a shit this morning, right before coffee.ā
āSo you were talking about me when you said something about Napoleonās being kinky.ā
āSort of. I wasnāt playing the part, I truly believe everything I said, so you can stop holding your breathe and relax.ā
āAnd yet I feel like you want me to leave.ā I had to make sure.
āTrust me: if I wanted you to leave, youād have known.ā
A few moments of silence followed, only broken by Screaming Eagles, well, screaming something about perseverance and determination⦠I donāt know this is one of their newer songs, which Iām not a big fan of to be honest.
We kept drinking a bit more, the silence leaving me alone with my thoughts: there has to be something fishy going on here. Tyler seems cool but I canāt expect a straight guy, or any guy I just met to be honest, to be just so casually chill about this.
āLook manā¦ā I said. āI donāt want any trouble.ā
Tyler looked a me, amused and puzzled. āWhatās that supposed to me-ā
I cut him off. āI can let you into the Archives, if thereās something you need for your paper. Just, please, donāt tell anyoneā¦ā
He laughed, mockingly. āWhat⦠whatās going on here⦠you think Iām blackmailing you?ā he stood up, looking confused by what I just said. āDo you think I am some kind of creep?ā
āWhat?! No!ā I immediately responded, noticing his tone getting more serious. He almost sounded offended, even. āItās just that⦠come on Tyler. No oneās that open minded.ā
He took a sip of his beer, staring down at me. āSo you think Iām like the King of open minded people simply because I didnāt kick you out of the house? Is the bar that low?ā
The so-called ābullyā seemed more puzzled than anything else.
āI do think itās really gross and weird, if that makes you feel better, ok?ā he said, but didnāt sound mean spirited. āBut hey, I like weird, weird is fun, maybe not my kind of fun all the times⦠but what do I know, Iām just the elbow guy.ā he joked.
I didnāt want my overthinking side to take the wheel, but I couldnāt stop being mildly suspicious. What if Ted⦠wasnāt right but⦠was onto something at least? No, this canāt be, Tyler has no reason to keep me guessing, he seems very direct when it comes to this stuff; then again I just met him basically, so perhaps heās actually very different. Dammit, my head is exploding, I didnāt know Iād find myself in a situation like this⦠in Westfork of all places.
āSo⦠thatās it? You just donāt care?ā I simply asked.
āAre you disappointed that I donāt?ā he laughed. āCome on Jeff, itās 2025, open your mind.ā
Something in me sparked a chain reaction that made me actually angry. I couldnāt help but thinking this guy was toying with me.Ā
āAnd you-ā I stood up and stepped in front of him, with the intention of speaking face-to-face (literally). That was the intention at least. ā-are a bit taller than I remember.ā
Tyler was unfazed. I sat back down, no need to get aggressive. I didnāt drink much, but being nervous didnāt help to focus. The so-called bully was just smiling at me being awkward I guess, and sat on the couch again, this time a bit closer to me.
āMaybe another losing session in Trekken will clear your mind.ā he teased.Ā
I took a deep breath. Ironically enough, I was the only one in that room not accepting the situation, so I stopped overthinking things and just accepted that Tyler was just teasing me like any friend would do, no ulterior motives.
āI donāt know. Iām kind of mad at you.ā I joked. āAnd Iām gonna channel that into my gaming skills.ā
We resumed playing. Admittedly, this time it was a bit more awkward for me, I was distracted, but I was still holding my ground nicely, winning even easily sometimes. We kept chatting about our studies while throwing kicks and punches, or commenting at some obviously illegal move that the other pulled off.
āBy the wayā¦ā Tyler said. āTold ya Iād find a way to return the favorā¦ā
I was too focused on the screen and Jin getting his ass kicked to properly realize what he meant by that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lean slightly forward, without stopping the game. At first I assumed he was simply doing that to focus more efficiently on the match, but the couch shaking told a different story.
Tyler was farting.
He was, without a doubt, ripping a big one.Ā
At first I didnāt even hear it, due to the Eagles and the game especially being louder. However, the sound coming out of his ass soon took the stage over, despite being muffled.
The fart was long, meat-y, manly, rumbling nicely on the couch through his loose sagging denim. Needless to say, that totally distracted me from the game, and Tyler, while still roaring from his ass, took that to his advantage to deal the final, winning blow. As the match ended, so did his farts: he then turned to me, with a mischievous smile, knowing very well what just happened.
How long did that last? I believe around 13 seconds, an impressive feat. My pants efficiently hid my boner, but it wasnāt just the fart that made me hard: it was the the whole package. I loved Tylerās chill, cocky, yet friendly attitude. He was pushing all the right buttons without even trying: I already found him attractive for many reasons, but this was basically the icing on the cake.
Itās not like I find any fart in any situation to be hot: yes I have a fart kink but itās not always āactiveā, so to speak.
I couldnāt believe what just happened, to put it simply.Ā
Not even in my wildest, gross fantasies I could imagine this happening.
āWhat the fuck.ā I muttered.
Too much noise going on in my brain, this was the only sentence I managed to produce in the span of around 30 seconds of awkward silence. Once again, Tyler was unfazed, he truly didnāt seem to care.
āYou have weird ways of returning a favor.ā I observed.Ā
āSays the fart fetishist.ā he remarked. Once again, he didnāt see mean-spirited as he may sound.
āTouchĆØā¦āĀ
We put our gamepads on the small table and opened two more beers, silently toasting to whatever the fuck was happening in that room.
āThen again⦠I told you, you donāt owe me anything, let alone this.ā
Tyler was unaffected by my words, just a guy chilling on the couch, his eyes glued on me as he had his beer. A few moments of silence, then it was his turn to speak.
āWhy did you help me?ā he bluntly asked, again.
āWhich time?ā I smiled.
He smiled back. āBoth.ā
A few hours ago I probably wouldāve just said, āBecause it was the right thing to do.ā Kind of clichĆ©, yeah, but as true now as it was then. Still, I canāt really pretend thatās the whole story, or that Iām some kind of Saint.
āI really liked your paper. Fixing screw-ups like the one you ran into is literally my job, and hey, it gave me a solid excuse to mess with Ted.ā
The skater snorted at that last remark, his beer almost shooting out of his nose.
āThe second time it was more serendipity I guess. You seem cool, you got cool ideasā¦ā Tyler was looking at me amused, fully aware that I was still omitting some details. āAnd since you already know my deep, dark, gross secret anyway, I suppose that telling you that I find you attractive is the least weird thing youāre gonna hear from me.ā
Yeah I donāt care anymore either.Ā
I donāt even feel embarrassed.
Tyler laughed. āFuck off, man.ā
āExcuse me?ā
"Now I owe Mark and Brad ten bucks each!"
Okay, now I was confused.
What game are we even playing here?
"All this mess⦠just for a bet?" I asked, my tone turning more serious.
Tyler looked caught off guard, and for a moment he got serious too, realizing he may have made me upset.
"Oh no no, thatās just me being socially ineptā¦ā he explained, then smiled at me. "But yeah, Mark and Brad thought you might like me. I didnāt. Thanks for making me lose the bet."
Iām not a fan of messing with peopleās feelings⦠but that wasnāt exactly what was happening here. It was clear this was more of a lighthearted bet, and the way Tyler reacted just now showed that the idea of making me unsettled made him just as uncomfortable.
"Donāt think badly of themā¦ā he went on. "Brad and Mark are the best bros anyone could ask for. They already adore you, by the way," he added, laughing again. "If anything, blame me: first Grace, now you⦠I guess Iām just terrible at figuring out if someoneās into me or not!"
I stared at him for a few seconds, then I couldnāt help but laugh. This guy is weird, and I know thatās bold coming from me. And sadly, I too like weird. Of course heāll never like me the way I like him, but to be honest, who cares? This has been such a rollercoaster for me so far, considering that heās aware of my kink, that I almost forgot that just being, you know, friends, was even an option.
Tyler took a long sip of his beer, fully aware that he deserved to be laughed at.
āIām glad youāre having fun.ā he said, the sarcasm so sharp it could cut through the air.
āIām sorry man. Weird is fun, you said that.ā I recalled, wiping some tears off my eyes for how much that made me laugh.
āThatās bold coming from you.ā he teased. Yep, thatās also what I thought.
āDoesnāt make it any less true.ā
He scratched his left ear one more time, then smiled. He put the beer bottle down on the table and slowly stood up.
"Well then, from one weirdo to anotherā¦ā
He just stood there, his eyes narrowing a bit. He pointed up to shush me before I could say anything. And just like that, a sudden thunderous fart echoed in the room, raw and manly just like the one before, incredibly loud and powerful. And long. As the fart kept going, his comically relieved face turned into a smirk, and then stared down at me, fully aware that the whole situation was doing numbers between my legs.Ā
After 11 seconds, silence again (even the Screaming Eagles playlist got shushād).
That was unironically one of the best farts I ever heard. It sounded⦠juicy, and given who the farter was, Iām surprised I wasnāt going crazy.
Tyler nodded at me after he was done, as if he just finished saying something very important (which was true, in a very gross way). The smell slowly reached my nose, but it wasnāt as bad as I expected.Ā
āStill convinced you have to return the favor⦠like this?ā I said.
āYouāre absolutely right.ā Tyler remarked⦠then stepped closer to me. āAfter what you did for me in the last few days, the least I could do is this.ā
With a deft movement he grabbed my head and, as he turned around, he pulled it into his denim sagging ass. He lifted his left leg a bit, and another fart erupted.
What the fuck.
Of all the things I was expecting to happen in Westfork, this wasnāt even on my spare bingo card. I donāt think this would be on anyoneās bingo card, really.
How did I end up being face-farted by this man? By the author of my favorite paper? We were talking about spires and playing Trekken, and about 1 hour later Iām getting my nostrils destroyed by one of the loudest farts I ever heard -being so close to the source certainly helps.
Tyler was a skilled farter, no doubts about this, not anymore.
He just finished ripping a huge one, and mere seconds later here he is, roaring again, this time in my face, unleashing a fart that was just as powerful (if not more) as the previous one. I didnāt even oppose to him grabbing my head like that, and just enjoyed the show.
If I took this whole āreturning the favorā thing as seriously as he did, then after this fart Iād be the one in debt. Beyond my wildest kinky dreams.
And.
It.
Was.
Still.
Going!
16 seconds perhaps?
And itās not like it lost some power or anything like that: it was a continuous loud stream of gas, with Tyler stretching his left leg more and more to ease the fart out. Despite my face being glued to that ass, I managed to take a good look at the rough denim ticking my face, and the sagging black underwear which, funnily enough, displayed the same patterns of his socks. Great fashion sense!
Now the stench was up close and personal and I take back what I said before: it was raunchy. My nostrils were burning, my eyes watering again.Ā
The tent I pitched between my legs got even sturdier.
I totally gotta update my mental bingo cards after this.
Finally, after 21 seconds (21!), the fart stopped.Ā
Tyler pushed me away from his ass and, as if nothing happened, collapsed on the other side of the couch, smiling satisfied, amused by the whole situation, eyes glued on me, waiting for my reaction.
"Am I special, or is that how you welcome all archivists?"
That earned a good laugh fromĀ him.
āCan you imagine if I said yes?ā he joked.
I didnāt need to imagine anything.
Not anymore.
ā ā ā
We briefly thought about leaving Westfork and going somewhere else for the night, but the bad weather (and a certain laziness) quickly made us change plans. The earlier rain had turned into a full-blown storm, so we opted to just chill on that couch, talking. We both had no personal plans either, so we simply decided to spend the evening together, doing nothing.
I lost count of how many beers we drank (Tyler even brought out some of his own stouts).
Regardless of any feelings on my part, there was a certain understanding between the two of us (no Iām not biased). I enjoyed Tylerās company, but Tyler himself, despite everything, seemed to genuinely enjoy mine too, even in silence.
I took a drag from the cigarette kindly offered by the bro chilling on the other side of the couch, his legs extended toward me, letting me admire the star pattern on his socks. He was rolling a cigarette for himself, the only background noise the rain outside.
And a thunder.
āWasnāt me this time.ā Tyler promptly joked, focusing on the rolling.
I coughed some smoke out because of that.
āThunder Tyler⦠a well-deserved nickname.ā I commented.
Thatās the name I heard Brad use the other day at least. I wouldnāt be surprised if that sparked from his farting skills, but Iām sure thereās more about it.
āNot the whole story.ā Tyler chuckled, lighting the fresh-made cigarette.
I adjusted my position on the couch, so I was sitting facing him now, ready to listen to his tragic backstory.
āSome years ago me and Mark were skating in a crowded park, we were just messing around, then all of the sudden I landed a trick by slamming the board hard on the asphalt, causing a loud boom that echoed for several seconds. I didnāt even do it on purpose, donāt even know how it happened, but the nickname stuck as you can tell.ā
āFascinating.ā I commented, finishing my cig.
āBut yeah, those idiots quickly found other uses for it.ā
A quick, loud toot took over the silence, around 3 seconds long. Tyler pulled a face as he ripped it, and the sound, while not being wet, wasnāt pretty either.
āFuck.ā he whispered.
āThat sounded painful.ā I said. And the smell didnāt help.
The smell of tobacco mixed with the gas lingering in the room, creating a deadly combo for my lungs.
āWestieās shitty coffee having unpredictable effects even hours later. Youād have loved hanging out with me when I was pulling all-nighters for my paper ahah.ā
He also got wasted last night, canāt ignore that either.
I took a poof of my cigarette, bewildered by how chill Tyler was being about my kink. I didnāt feel derided or anything, quite the opposite actually. Plus, he was a human fart machine, each rip being loud and proud: canāt get any better than this.
āDid you ever have any experience with your kink?āĀ
Tylerās question was oddly more serious than it sounded, but I couldnāt blame him for being curious. He likes weird, and the person on his couch has a weird kink. I was more than happy to answer.
āA couple of times, yes. Last time with my ex, pretty chill guy.ā
āSo this is literally your first time with a straight guy.ā he observed. āScandalous.āĀ
I laughed. āWhat about your kink instead?ā
āNo comment.ā he said, finishing his cigarette, smoke surrounding his face.Ā
āHey, I answered your question!ā
āNo one forced you to answer.ā he remarked.
āFair point.ā I admitted.
Tyler adjusted his position, pulling himself closer to me, repositioning his legs in the process. His left leg was now resting on the couch backseat, fully exposing sagging ass, the loose jeans almost looking like a wall of denim, dangerously close, and pointed towards me. Clearly he was going to fart again in a bit, and the fact that he did all of that so nonchalantly renewed my boner.
āBut yeah, some girls thought it was odd, nothing to write home about.ā he explained. āYour kink is much more peculiar.ā
That last sentence was followed by a loud fart exploding inches from me. I got startled, even though I was expecting it. By the sound of it, I could tell this was gonna be one of the long ones. Tylerās face was relaxed, eyes half closed, visibly pushing the gas out.
I wanted to bury my face in there as the fart erupted. I was so close to doing it, and considering that he already farted in my face anyway, he was probably expecting me to voluntarily glue my face to his ass⦠but I didnāt. As silly as it may sound, given the context, I didnāt want to cross any boundary⦠but the temptation was strong.
Heās such a hot man. Rough-looking, but extremely kind and gentle. Cultured, playful, open-minded. Hold on a second, Iām gonna put my clown make-up on for the next one: tall. As I said, the fact that heās the fart master is a welcome addition to an already wonderful package. And do I love such addition.
This one fart lasted 12 seconds, the smell completely engulfing my side of the couch. That made me cough, which Tyler found amusing, so he didnāt move, letting the stench coming out of his ass torture me a bit more.
āI guess I should say āthanksā?ā I asked.
āHow polite.ā he played along.
Another fart suddenly erupted, loud, proud, a bit more high-pitched than the previous deeper ones, and shorter, about 3 seconds.
āUnlike me.ā he snorted.
Iām gonna plant my face down there, yep, Iām gonna do it. I canāt take it anymore. That ass is way too tempting.Ā
No, I will respect boundaries, doesnāt matter how weird it gets.
Tyler seemed to read my mind however, not that he needed to given my idiotic facial expression as I stared at his ass; I felt his left leg push me down, using his foot to keep my face close to his sagging ass.
He wasnāt kidding when he said that he was gonna return the favor in small doses, ācause this time the fart was not a huge thunder, but rather a series of short, loud toots. He didnāt say a word as this happened, letting his ass do the talking apparently, and how talky it was being! That sounded more like a huge, long fart with many interruptions which, considering what Tyler is capable of, was probably exactly that.
At this point the stench reminded me of Westforkās coffee, which indeed smelt as terrible as it tasted. But the real star of the show (besides the ones on his socks and underwear) was the sound, always roaring, always thunderous, always pleasing to my ears.
Both of his feet now kept my head in its place, as I endured all the farts being fired back-to-back like a pro. My glasses dampened for how hot, both literally and figuratively, that was. Just two bros spending some quality time together, nothing to see here.
What I assumed was the final toot of that series (the 16th one if I didnāt lost count) turned out to be a more āclassicā fart, long and meat-y, lasting about 9 seconds and ending the parade.
Finally, I heard Tyler laugh a bit, his feet letting my head move again, so I sat back normally, even though there was nothing normal about this⦠and I was loving it.
Now that I could see him properly again, not just his ass, I noticed he was rolling himself another cigarette: did he face-fart me while he was doing that? I gotta say, pretty impressive multi-tasking.
And yet⦠I didnāt want him to be like my fart-dispenser. Yeah, kinky fun, but the idea of him feeling forced to do something as weird as this, not a fan of.
āAlright, even though you didnāt owe me anything, let alone this.ā
āYou mean this?āĀ
Yet another quick, short toot.Ā
Is there something in Westforkās water?
No, we just said it was the coffee.
Though Iām sure this guy got talent either way.
āAs I was saying.ā I remarked, after his ass stopped interrupting me. āI hereby declare that weāre even, ok?ā
Tyler was unfazed by my words and kept working on his cigarette.
āNo, weāre not even, not yet.ā he said, the most serious he ever looked. āUnless you want me to stop of course.ā
Please donāt let me take such decisions: I was living in a dream, a dream which I never wanted to end, but everything has to end eventually, even gross, kinky dreams.
āDonāt tease me with a good time.ā
Wait, did I say the quiet part out loud?Ā
Judging by Tylerās smirk, I guess so.
He put his cig on the small table and stood up, easily towering over me.
Didnāt say anything, and walked towards me.
Once again he reached for my head and gently planted it into his sagging ass, the smell from his previous rips greeting my nostrils as expected.
āWhy are you doing thisā¦ā I quietly asked, expecting a different answer for some reason.
āOh you know⦠just because.ā he answered. āAlso, Iām a bully I guess.ā
I felt his buttcheeks relax and mere moments later yet another loud fart began. They were getting a bit more high-pitched, but otherwise it was still deep-sounding. If this was video, I would have said that the fart sounds were clearly fake, stock-sounding, but no, they were all real, all comically loud and chainsaw-sounding. Other than hot as fuck, of course. His firm grasp on my head made the whole thing even hotter: Iām not even that into dominant guys, but Tyler walking the thin line between being a bully and a good friend was driving me crazy, a farter that could bite as loud as he barked -this sentence was probably never meant to be said, but here we are.
The fart was still going, unsurprisingly. My nose was being forcibly rubbed between his jeans and his sagging underwear, meaning that most of the time the only thing between me and this manās anus was a thin layer of starry cloth.
As he did before, he lifted his left leg up to ease the fart out, a simple movement that almost dampened the tent between my legs.
If like 3 days ago you told me that not only I was gonna find out who the author of my favorite paper was, but that this same guy was gonna also face-fart me, I would have wondered what kind of mushrooms were you on ācause you were not making any sense and also how do you know my secret fart kink, you weirdo? And now here I am, my face planted into this guyās ass as heās masterfully ripping a fart so loud, and so long, Iām surprised I didnāt go deaf yet.
Or cum on the spot.
Not only the farts were huge, but they were frequent.
Brad and Mark were probably used to him by far, and ironically enough it was me, the actual fart fetishist, that was beginning to struggle to keep up with this guyās talent.Ā
Where did he even store all this gas?
15 seconds, just a random fart from Tyler Landoon Evans, move along everyone.
And all of this because I, fundamentally speaking, did my job as an Archivist.Ā
Can I ask my boss to get paid like this? With Tyler making sure I get paid?
Am I getting too thirsty?
No words from Tyler, as he kept my head planted into his ass even after the fart was over. At this point anything could happen in my book, so I just enjoyed the moment, didnāt ask any question, nor started to overthink everything.
I felt his asscheeks relax again, and another fart erupted.
Or rather, a new series of farts, a bit more deep sounding unlike the ones before. Another casual fart parade, as if it was perfectly normal to fart like this.
And in someoneās face.
Loud, 2-4 seconds toots, all ripped back-to-back.
And yet the idea that this was once again a huge, long fart disguised as a series of rips didnāt leave my mind.
Tyler pushed me deeper into his ass with each fart ripped.
I wondered if he was ever going to run out of gas at that point.
Iāve never seen anyone IRL blasting farts like this.
My glasses almost got crushed by his powerful ass, as my nose inched even deeper between his sagging cheeks, the scent of the farts now mixed not only with smoke, but with the musky, sweaty interior of his ass.
We smoked, and yet I was high on farts.
I lost count of how many times he was farting this time.
Weāre way past 10, thatās for sure, and I forgot what clean air feels and tastes like. Didnāt miss it.
Oh, there it is again, the parade-closing longer fart.
I could tell those were getting harder to rip, and yet Tyler was pushing them out⦠just for me? Weirdo.
What a peculiar way to express gratitude.
In a twisted way, farts have been once again a great ice-breaker, regardless of any kink. I admit I was nervous before coming here, because of my attraction to Tyler⦠but as soon as he started farting I was like OK, weāre both weirdos I guess.
Couldnāt be happier.
The fart stopped after 17 seconds, followed by Tylerās sigh of relief.
He pushed me away from his ass, put his hands in his pockets and turned around to stare down at his smelly victim. As soon as his eyes met my startled expression, he laughed.
āAre we even now?ā I asked, one more time.
He smirked. āWeāll see in a bit. Iām brewing a big one.ā
āA big one?ā I asked. āSure, because those were so sma-.ā
āYou have no idea what Iām capable of.ā he cut me off, whispering.
The stench lingered all around me. Well, us.
But I was so used to it I didnāt mind anymore, kink or not.
We had an undeclared staring contest in silence, complete silence, as the storm (the one outside I mean) stopped throwing a tantrum and gave room to what looked like a calm, cold night.
āLay down.ā he then commanded. āOne final trick.ā
He was being assertive, though it was clearly part of the āshowā.
So I obeyed -or rather, played along.
The idea of him sitting full-weight on my face (which I assume is what he was planning to do) made my boner twitch dangerously: I was gonna explode.
And apparently, so was Tyler, in a different way.
I removed my glasses, putting them somewhere safer, and laid down on my back, a cue for him to step closer and just straight-up sit on my face, the view of his sagging jeans and underwear preceding complete darkness. Tyler was tall, quite slim, but still quite heavy. My face was being crushed under that smelly, warm ass, and now that I was one with his anus I almost feared for what was coming next.
āThanks for everything, Jeff. Iām gonna miss you.ā he laughed.
Yeah, this was going to be hard to endure.
And indeed it was already: the fart started loud and proud, nothing new so far (but not any less hot), but it immediately felt raunchier than the previous ones, if not a bit wet. My whole face, and probably the entire couch, was vibrating due to the sheer power of that incredible display of flatulence. Tyler adjusted his position as he farted, as if I was part of the cushion, the pitch changing accordingly as well.
My cock was reaching the event horizon: I couldnāt resist anymore.
I was gonna cum on the spot if I wasnāt careful, but feeling the fart-quake all over my body didnāt help.
10 seconds, the fart gave no signs of easing out. Instead, it got even louder and raunchier. Whatās up with Tylerās stomach. Whatās going on in his guts. This is not just coffee, this is a man with incredible skills. And like coffee it smelt by the way, rancid, rotten coffee. For a moment I feared that⦠extra stuff was coming out but nope, just a raunchy anus doing its job perfectly, only pure, putrid gas.
Surprisingly enough, after around 8 more seconds, the sound got deeper and even more vibrating. I heard Tyler grunting, though it was hard to hear anything over that blast destroying my nostrils. The thunderstorm didnāt stop: it just moved into my new broās ass to assert dominance.
I laid down there, getting a face-full.
I once again wondered how I even got there.Ā
How it was possible to fart like this.
How it was possible to be this chill and open-minded.
There was no way he did it ājust becauseā.
And yet here I am, enjoying the most incredible fart session I ever experienced.
With a chill, no-strings-attached, straight man, of all things.
But most importantly, with a friend.
A friend who was going to murder me with his farts, but still a friend sure.
Though after 30 seconds of uninterrupted gas one has to wonder if the farter was indeed trying to kill me.
I felt dizzy, and not just for the gallons of beer we chugged.
The gas was inebriating, it made me high almost.
I closed my eyes and let Tyler āreturn the favorā as long as he wished.
He didnāt have to do it, but Iām glad he did.
I almost passed out, totally losing the grasp of how long this fart was lasting. 50 seconds? 60 seconds? This is my life now, bury me under this ass, itās not like Iām going anywhere soon. My eardrums were being tested just as hard as my eyes and my nostrils, my poor, defenceless, burning nostrils.
Tyler moved a bit more, this time leaning forward, and the fart got even stronger with what was probably its last, roaring gasp. And after reaching 70 seconds in total, it stopped, silence again, a silence broken by Tyler snickering like a jerk.
The skater stood up and moved on the other side of the couch, finally letting me breathe in some fresh air⦠well, fresh air compared to that. The entire room smelt like smoke and ass anyway, but trust me it was an improvement.
I too sat back normally, and just looked at him, I didnāt even need to ask the question.
āYeah, now weāre even I guess.ā he simply said, scratching his left ear. āEven though, letās face it, it will never be enough.ā
āDude.ā I said. āI just did my job.āĀ
āWhether you like it or not, Iāll always owe you one.ā
āMy pleasure.ā poor choice of words, given my boner, but you get what I meant.
And luckily, so did Tyler.
āOkay, I hope you donāt mind but I gotta open the windows now.ā
Canāt blame him. Even I was gasping to get some fresh air.Ā
I canāt even imagine how it must feel for him: the living room was gas chamber.
āOh not at all!ā I replied. āI was gonna do the same believe me.ā
Some actual, real, fresh, cold air got inside, and I remembered what autumn felt like. The calm after the storm.
āPizza?ā Tyler casually asked, as he opened another window.
I was so focused into not letting my cock blow up that I completely forgot that, as human beings, weāre supposed to eat something for dinner. Totally lost the track of time.
āHow could you possibly want to eat after all of this? Also, your stomach is a mess!ā
āIām hungry.ā he shrugged.
āOk.ā that was enough for me. Plus, Iād never say ānoā to pizza.
āDeal. Thereās a place just outside Westie that makes very good pizza. Letās go.ā
I canāt leave the Old Birch like this. Iām rock hard and smell, well, like shit. You donāt get to smell nice after you got showered in farts by a talented man like him.
āThereās something I have to deal with first.ā
Tyler smirked, knowingly. āDown on the right.ā
I didnāt even say thanks and sprinted towards the bathroom.
He was totally aware of what I was gonna do, other than washing my face and drown in deodorant of course.
Truth to be told⦠I didnāt care.
He sure doesnāt, why should I?
The bathroom was surprisingly clean, considering how messy the rest of the house was, but I didnāt have time to properly admire the colorful tiles. I locked the door behind me, as I heard the muffled Screaming Eagles start singing again, and did what was long overdue.
I sat on the toilet, pulled my hard cock out⦠and I didnāt even need to touch it. It just exploded, believe me. It was like I was pissing cum. My eyes rolled back for the enjoyment. I felt dirty, I felt kinky. I felt good. That was an orgasm, a silent one fortunately, but holy shit, I couldnāt take it anymore I swear.Ā
That guy in the living room listening to the Eagles while waiting for me is the whole package; a fantastic, cultured stud that could bully me with his farts forever.
But no, that wasnāt going to happen.
At the end of the day, it doesnāt matter how nice he is, how kinky or weird things get: Tyler is not into me like that.
No need to overthink any of this.
The boundaries are there, and Iām gonna respect them.
A friend, however? Be my guest!
Kink or not, Iām glad I met him.
Well, them.
I splashed my face with water, the cold helping a lot to clear my head and make sense of what had just happened. I stared myself into the mirror, the image a bit blurry ācause I left my glasses into the other room, yet everything was clear, everything was good.
ā ā ā
Didnāt take us long to reach Westfork gates.Ā
It was around 10:00 PM, the post-storm humidity was cool and pleasant, and the clouds had cleared, leaving patches of starry sky. On the short walk on the wet, sometimes flooded streets, Tyler told me about the time Mark got his foot stuck in a manhole, ācause it felt relevant.
I spotted the pizzeria sign just across the street (good, that means I hadnāt forgotten my glasses at the Old Birch!), right across from one of the main entrances to our study center, perfectly visible from inside the campus.
āYou werenāt kidding. Itās really close.ā
āYeah, the locals figured out Westiesās got awful products, so they all set up shop nearby.ā
Flawless business logic.
āPizzaās on me, by the way,ā I said, picking up the pace.
Tyler smirked. āTrying to get me in your debt again?ā
I turned towards him, walking backwards.
āAnd I havenāt even told you yet: Monday at lunch break Iāll be waiting for you at the Archives.ā I added. āAll the sources you need, right at your fingertips.ā
I donāt know why I was doing this.
Maybe, unconsciously, I was matching Tylerās whole āreturning the favorā thing to the hot good time I had today. Or it was my turn to return the favor.
Or maybe -it can many things at once admittedly- this was just what a friend would do, right?
Tyler smiled at me, appreciating the gesture.
āAlright, Jeff. Iāll let you help, no strings attached.ā He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder. āBut this pizzaās on me.ā
He sped up too, passing me with ease.
Okay, now it had turned into a race⦠a very mature race.
I swear weāre all published historians here!
Not bad for my first few days on the job, huh.
And Iāll admit it, if Ted hadnāt helped me haul this huge weirdo into my apartment last night, none of this wouldāve happened.
Whoād have thought⦠I actually owe him one!
The never-ending circle of debts keeps going!
And yeah, I guess Ted was right about at least one thing: maybe itās a stereotype, maybe itās not, but despite not being a proper University anymore, the college soul of this place was still alive and kicking, from the picturesque charm of its Georgian-styled brick buildings and libraries⦠to the immature, sometimes gross shit guys can do each other.
Welcome to Westfork, I guess.
Shit, I forgot my backpack.
The End
The story includes some AI-generated slop images. They're just for show, and any similarities to real life are purely coincidental. Writing is all mine.

















