My Secret Identity

By Ryan Bartlett

Chapter 16

Six months later…

It was only a few days before Thanksgiving, and Bobby was spending the night at Spencer’s. He held the boy of his dreams close to his chest and stroked his soft brown hair while silvery moonlight illuminated his angelic face. The boys had undergone a whirlwind of changes in the months since the Robbie Matthews incident downtown, but if you asked Bobby he’d tell you they were stronger for it.

The small circle of people who know about his powers had grown. His parents and the McCoys were now privy to the secret, and while they’d been concerned at first, they understood Bobby had to continue the work he was doing and Spencer had to help. Spencer’s powers had grown by leaps and bounds, and the boys were now partners in every way possible.

Earlier that night they’d kissed and explored each other’s bodies. While they hadn’t made love yet, both knew the time was coming and savored the last days of innocence. Bobby lay awake, knowing that the night wasn’t quite over yet. He smiled down at Spencer, enthralled as ever by the beauty of the warm and gentle creature beside him. There was a chill in the air, but Bobby couldn’t resist the urge to peel back the blankets. The boys were naked from their last burst of spent sexual energy, except that Spencer kept his socks on, because his feet were always cold. Bobby didn’t care; he thought his boyfriend naked in just his socks was about the cutest thing there was.

He kissed the top of Spencer’s head and stroked his cheek, then moved his hand down the boy’s body. He stopped to rub his fingers back and forth across Spencer’s tummy, and then let his lover’s resting penis nestle into the palm of his hand.

Bobby was enraptured by Spencer’s penis. It was cute in ways he didn’t understand, and one of his favorite things to do was hold it in his hand while it was soft and innocent. It seemed strange that a five-inch tube of skin and blood could be the source of the most important relationship in his life. It wasn’t that he’d reduced his relationship with Spencer to the purely sexual; it was that the little cock symbolized everything that was boy. A few months ago the fact that he liked a boy made Bobby incredibly nervous, but now, with the benefit of hindsight, he couldn’t really see what the fuss was about. His mother saw him kiss Spencer when he rescued them from that van, and there was no reason to hide it anymore. If anything his relationship with his mom and dad since coming out was stronger than it had been before.

Bobby caressed Spencer’s limp noodle gently and thought about what a blessed life he led. He had parents who loved him, a boyfriend who cared for him so deeply you could almost read the love on his face and a team of friends who were closer to him than any brothers and sisters could ever be.

Spencer woke as his penis began to harden and wrapped his hand around Bobby’s. He’d woken like this many times and appreciated it for what it was, a romantic gesture. It wasn’t about getting off. Bobby wasn’t playing with him to make him cum. Bobby held Spencer’s penis because it was the most intimate and special place he could touch him. A place where only his hands would ever be. Bobby never explained this fact to Spencer; he didn’t have to. Spencer was just as capable of reading the love on a person’s face as Bobby was.

“Sorry I woke you,” Bobby whispered.

“Don’t be. You know I love it when you touch me there,” Spencer smiled dreamily.

“I was just lying here thinking of how lucky I am.”

“I think I’m pretty lucky too.” Spencer grinned and hugged Bobby just a little tighter.

“This is the first Thanksgiving I’ve actually got something special to be thankful for,” said Bobby.

“Really?”

“Sure. When I was a little kid I didn’t really understand, and then the years I was gone, well, we didn’t really celebrate Thanksgiving on the Wall,” Bobby explained. “But this year I got to come home to my mom and dad, and I’m in a relationship with someone I’ll love for the rest of my life. Pretty good things to be thankful for, don’t you think?”

“I see your point, but you know what Jason would say?”

“Yeah, ‘Fag!’” the boys laughed together.

The team had no problem accepting Bobby’s homosexuality, and they welcomed Spencer with open arms. That didn’t mean Jason had given up teasing his friends relentlessly.

“Crap, you shouldn’t have mentioned his name,” Bobby groaned as his iPhone rang. No one else would call him this late. It had to be a member of the team. He laughed when he looked at the caller ID and discovered it was indeed Jason calling. “Dude, I know crime never sleeps, but don’t you think it could take an occasional night off?”

“What?” Jenna replied. That made Bobby snicker. Jason had been after Jenna for months, and it looked like they were finally a couple.

“Nothing, I thought you were J. What’s up?”

Bobby listened closely and when he hung up the phone he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.

“Ugh, do we have to?” Spencer stretched and whined.

“Come on,” said Bobby. He grabbed Spencer by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. Unbeknownst to Spencer, Bobby had been waiting for that call. The only real surprise was that Jenna had made it and not Jason. Everything was in place. It was time to head out.

The boys quickly changed into their “uniforms.” The old t-shirt and cargo pants weren’t sufficient in Jenna’s mind, and now that the team was working together she’d decided the Wardens of the West needed proper apparel. Proper apparel turned out to be jeans, t-shirts, hoodie’s and sneakers. The boys, having grown up with comic books and blockbuster superhero movies, felt they needed something more dramatic. Jenna, ever the pragmatist, convinced them that dressed this way they’d blend in with the teenage population, and when they fought together they’d have a kind of continuity. She let them keep their black domino masks though. After all, it was important to protect their secret identities.

“Ready,” Spencer chirped when his mask was in place.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Bobby griped when they stepped outside and rain began to fall.

“Looks like a nice night to fly to Portland,” Spencer giggled.

For the last several months Spencer had been working with Jenna and Bobby to hone his powers, and during the course of that training a new ability had presented itself. Spencer could fly. Bobby missed the intimacy of having Spencer ride on his back, but it was a lot more convenient for them to hold hands when they took off.

It was a short trip along the Pacific coast, and when they reached Portland Spencer guided them to the address Jenna had given them with the Google Maps app on his iPhone. Jenna must have called Jeremy first, because he was waiting with her and Jason when Bobby and Spencer joined them on the roof of what looked like an abandoned church. Bobby quickly noted Jenna and Jason were holding hands. When she saw where his eyes had fallen, Jenna blushed and Jason grinned like the cat who ate the canary.

“What took you so long, boss-man?” asked Jason as he greeted Bobby and Spencer with his signature bear hug.

“You caught us in the middle of our beauty sleep,” Spencer teased.

“I told Jason to let you guys have the night off,” Jeremy laughed. “You two need all the beauty sleep you can get!”

“Ha, ha. Up yours,” Bobby retorted, then he and Spencer hugged Jeremy too.

“Can we get started?” said Jenna, stepping forward for her hug. The team always greeted each other with hugs. They’d shared so much in training and in their new roles in the present timeline that the embraces were a comfort and reminder of what they fought for.

“Yes, mom.” Bobby rolled his eyes and shot Jenna a wink.

Jenna smiled smugly and stepped to the edge of a gaping hole in the roof. She jumped down and landed gingerly in the darkness below as the boys followed her.

“What is this place?” asked Spencer as Jenna and Jason began lighting candles on what turned out to be, in fact, the altar of an abandoned church.

“Ain’t ya ever been to church before, ya heathen?” Jason laughed and Spencer shot him the finger.

Bobby smiled. Though Spencer didn’t know it yet, this was a special night, a night he’d remember for the rest of his life. As Bobby woke to the powers he’d been given and his memory ceased to be a mystery to him, he recalled several instances where he’d told Jared Crane none of them had asked for their gifts. Something had always troubled Bobby about those statements. There was something he’d been missing, and he didn’t realize what it was until he’d been reunited with the other Wardens of the West.

The last night they’d spent together on the Wall, Jared had woken them in the night. He said there was an emergency on Earth, and the Wardens were being dispatched on their latest mission. The team was extremely confident in their abilities at that point and blindly followed their training master. When they reached St. James Cathedral in London, they found the sworn brothers, the Watchers on the Wall, gathered in gleaming white robes. It was time for the team to take their oaths.

“What do we need an oath for?” Jason had asked. “You’ve spent all this time training us already.”

“We have shared our gifts with you, Jason Wallace,” said Jared, “but we cannot make the choice to use them for you. The final choice must be yours.”

It had been a simple oath, but it united them, bonded them as a team. Spencer was one of them now. He had the gifts, he was getting the training, but his acceptance wouldn’t be complete until he’d made the promises his team had made. Bobby had been planning this for weeks, or rather, was smart enough to let Jenna plan it for him.

Bobby walked up the steps towards the altar and stood alongside Jenna, Jason and Jeremy. Spencer made to follow but stopped in his tracks when Bobby raised his hand.

“Stop,” Bobby commanded. “Come no further.”

“Uh, what’s going on?” asked Spencer, confused at why he was being cast out of the tightknit group.

“Spencer McCoy, kneel before the altar,” Bobby instructed.

“I’m not gonna…” Spencer began.

“The Warden of Seattle commands you to kneel!” Jeremy’s voice boomed across the vacant expanse of the sanctuary.

Jeremy was a quiet and soft spoken guy. He loved to horse around with his teammates, but when they weren’t playing he was rather reserved. Spencer had never heard him shout before and instantly knelt as ordered.

“Do you, Spencer McCoy, pledge to be a warrior for the dignity, honor and justice of all mankind?” asked Bobby.

“Uh, what?”

“I said, do you, Spencer McCoy, pledge to be a warrior for the dignity, honor and justice of all mankind?” Bobby repeated.

Spencer thought he was joking at first but stopped himself from making a flip remark when he saw the seriousness in Bobby’s expression.

“Yes, I do,” said Spencer.

“Do you pledge to shine your light on the evil that lurks in the hearts of men, and to be a protector of the weak and the innocent?” asked Jeremy.

“I do.”

“Do you pledge to keep moving forward no matter how dark the path may become, trusting that with the help of your brothers and sisters you’ll find your way?” asked Jenna.

“I do.”

“Do you pledge to fight this day and all the days to come to be a beacon in places where hope can scarcely shine through?” asked Jason.

“I do.”

“Spencer McCoy, you have spoken these words in the presence of God and men. Have you done so of your own free will?” asked Bobby.

“I have.”

“Brothers and sisters, do the acolyte’s words ring true?” asked Bobby. “Warden Gardner?”

“Aye.”

“Warden Clinton?”

“Aye.”

“Warden Wallace?”

“Yeap,” Jason chirped. The others rolled their eyes.

“Spencer McCoy, your brothers and sisters judge your heart to be true. Stand and be recognized.”

The team clapped and cheered as Spencer stood, and then each of them hugged him. Bobby went last.

“That was kind of intense,” Spencer whispered.

“It’s official. You’re one of us now,” said Bobby. “It’s the same oath the Watchers gave us.”

“Awesome.” Spencer pecked him on the cheek.

“This calls for a celebration!” Jason declared.

“What did you have in mind?” Bobby smiled as he put his arm around Spencer’s shoulder.

“Well, we always have fun beating up scumbags.” Jason grinned.

“Boys.” Jenna rolled her eyes.

Bobby looked at the smiling faces of his teammates. When he’d set out on his own as the Boy Wonder he’d been confident in his powers, but not so much in himself. That was gone now. Shortly after the incident in Seattle he realized that no matter what happened next, his team would be at his back, and there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish together. The world was still a dangerous place. Idrid Crow was still out there, and his repatriates were popping up all over, but then so were new heroes. Bobby took great comfort knowing he wasn’t alone. He’d never be alone again.

“Last one to stop an armed robbery is a rotten egg!” Bobby shouted. He grabbed Spencer’s hand and leapt into the sky, the rest of the team shouting and cheering behind them.

THE END