DISCLAIMER:
M/M, m/m, M/m
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This story contains descriptions of explicit sexual acts of boys and men discovering their sexuality. It contains graphic scenes of sex between consenting underage boys, consenting adult males and boys with adult males (eventually). If this type of content offends you or you are under the age of 18, do not read it.
If it is illegal to read such material where you live or if you find the topic distasteful, then please stop reading now. You have been warned.
This story is the property of the author. It can be downloaded for personal reading pleasure or sending to a friend, but if you wish to re-post them at your own site, please contact the author for permission.
Copyright 2016 WSC, all rights reserved.
A copy of the story has been assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of its submission agreement. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to enderwiggin61@outlook.com
All flames will be politely ignored.
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Author's Note:
I started writing this story, never intending it to grow into what it has become. It seems to have taken on a life of its own. I hope you enjoy.
Also, if you are enjoying this story, my first story can be found here:
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/moments
When I had finally rejoined the rest of the family, I asked, "Hey did I hear someone say something about a party tonight or what!?"
That caused everyone to jump up from their seats. Tom was the first to reach me and he pulled me into another slightly less bone-crushing hug as he whispered, `I love you' in my ear, and I gratefully returned the same sentiment into his ear. We made our way to the kitchen to start getting ready for supper before the actual party. Along the short distance I accepted a hug from everyone since they hadn't had the chance to do so already. I noticed the decorations in the dining room and kitchen and said, "The decorations look great. Thanks to whoever took care of them for us."
"That would be your father and me," Rose replied.
"Well, you both did a great job. I don't think I could have done it better myself."
"We do have a little bit of practice in setting up for a party, Son," Jim answered.
"Ah, that you do, Dad. I remember the parties we always had as Lee and I were growing up. Don't know if I've ever said before, but thanks for those. They were always lots of fun."
"Well, that's what parents do, isn't it Estelle?" Bill commented.
"It sure is. Tom always had a nice party, too. Of course, since he's our only kid, he was a bit spoiled along the way."
"Okay, let's get this show on the road," I said. "Tom, why don't you take care of the hot dogs? I'll whip up the mac & cheese, Joey, Alex, will you two get the table set, please?"
"Why us, it's our birthday," Joey exclaimed.
"Yeah, we shouldn't have to do nothin'," Alex added.
"Right you are boys, my bad. Mom, Dad, would you mind setting the table?"
"Not at all, c'mon Rose, we have our assignment," Jim responded as he grabbed Rose's hand so they could take care of their task.
"What about us, Max?" Bill asked. "What can we do?"
"How would you and Estelle like to help T.J., Mike and Andy wrap their gifts to their brothers?"
"That sounds like fun," Estelle answered. "Point us in the right direction."
"Well, everything is in our bedroom except for the tape and scissors. You'll find those in my desk in the study across the hall. Whatever you do, don't go rummaging through any drawers in the bedroom. No telling what you might find there," I chuckled.
"We're on the way, Max," Estelle replied. "Come on you three, let's go," she added, holding out her hands. The five of them disappeared down the hall and just before our bedroom door closed, I heard T.J. yell, `Wow! I can't wait for my birthday!' Oops, I chuckled to myself, we forgot to hide the bikes better.
As I leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to start boiling and watching Tom roll the hotdogs on the grill, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and heard Alex ask, "Hey, Dad, you got a minute?"
I turned around to face him, leaned in closer and answered, "For you, young man, always. What's up?"
"Are you okay? Something didn't feel right when we got home and I got scared. I'm worried `bout you."
"Ya know something, Alex, sometimes, you're too perceptive for your own good. And since we always tell the truth in this house, I admit, I wasn't doing well earlier today, but Dr. Kirkland helped me and I'm feeling a little better now."
"Yeah, I could feel that, too, and I'm not scared now, but I'm still worried."
I took his hands in mine and, as I looked into his eyes, I said, "I appreciate that, son, I really do, but you don't need to worry about me. I'm going to be just fine. It'll take me a while, but I'll get there, okay?"
"Okay, dad. I'm glad to hear it. If you want or need to talk about whatever it is, I got two good ears," he smiled. "I may not able to do much to really help, but I can listen real good."
"You and your brothers help plenty just by being here. And, someday, buddy, but not today, okay? Today is your day. And Joey's, too."
"Okay, dad, just remember, we love you."
"I know that, buddy. I love you guys, too. Oops, gotta go, the water's boiling." I returned to the stove to dump four boxes of macaroni into the water and cut some small chunks of extra sharp cheddar to throw in later. Tom continued to nurse the dogs on the grill and mom and dad put the finishing touches on the table. Little did I know there was a silent conversation going on behind my back.
Alex felt the nudge in his mind and the question formed as if it was his own thought.
"What was that all about?" Joey wanted to know.
"You didn't feel it when we got home?" he answered his brother silently.
"Feel what?"
"Something was going on with dad and Dr. Kirkland, but I'm not sure what. All I could feel was it was something bad."
"How bad?"
"I'm not real sure. Best way I can think of to describe it is ugly."
"Uh-oh, that ain't good. Hang on a second ... wait, there it is, yeah, I got it now. Oh, shit, you're right, that's bad all right, really bad. How the fuck did I miss that?"
"I don't know, you must have been too focused on our grandparents being here."
"You're probably right. I always do better picking up the positive while you to get the negative. Why is that, I wonder?"
"I don't know, but I'll trade you any time. Just say the word."
"What word?"
"This ain't the time to be a smart-ass, bro'. Dad's got a problem and we need to help him."
"I know, I know. But what the hell can we do? We're just kids, damn it."
"I don't know right now, but I'll figure somethin' out."
"You always do, don't you?"
"Well, not always, but yeah, most of the time. We better stay out of trouble, too, J, at least for a while."
"Hey, don't look at me, A, I'm not the one stuck wearin' clothes `til Saturday."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Look, I told you I was sorry, but it was right there in front of me. What the fuck was I supposed to do, just ignore it?"
"Well, yeah, the only dick supposed to be in your mouth is mine."
"Yeah, like you don't wanna suck that sweet little piece of meat, yourself."
"Hey, I was talkin' `bout your mouth, not mine. Wait, was it really sweet?"
"Oh, yeah, sweet as honey. Ah, fuck, now I got a boner. I gotta go take care of it `cause it ain't gonna go away on its own."
"Yeah, me too. You go first, I'll be there in a minute."
"No more than a minute, J, or I won't wait for you."
"I'll be there, A, don't you worry."
"How long `til supper's ready, dad?" Alex asked.
"About seven or eight minutes. Why?"
"I gotta go to the bathroom."
"Well, you better hurry."
"Be as quick as I can," he grinned as he jumped off his stool and took off.
Not twenty seconds later, Joey announced, "I'm gonna make sure he doesn't flush himself," as he followed his brother.
I elbowed Tom in the ribs and whispered, "You think they're doin' what I think they're doin'?"
"Why do you even ask such a silly question, babe? Of course, they are."
"Oh, to be young and innocent, again. God knows I could sure use a mulligan."
"Hey, I'd do you right here, right now, but I don't want to give your old man a heart attack," Tom snickered.
"That'd sure do it," I laughed aloud just as mom and dad came back into the kitchen.
"What's so funny, you two?" mom asked.
"Trust me, mom, you don't want to know."
"Bet they were talkin' `bout doin' each other in the kitchen, dear," dad joked.
"I wouldn't bet against you `cause I don't like to lose, Jim," mom replied, pointing at me as I turned pink from head to toe, though all anyone could see was my head.
"Oh, shit, they really were, weren't they? I was just kidding."
"Well, of course they were. Look at your son's face. It's as pink as my panties. Besides, Jim, they're young and in love. You do remember that time, don't you?"
"Rose, honey, I might be old, but I'm not senile. Not yet, anyway. But, just as they don't want to hear about our sex lives, I'd just as soon not hear about theirs. While I've finally learned to accept some things, there's others I ain't quite ready for just yet."
"Truce! Uncle! I give! Sex is not a topic for open discussion!" I yelled.
"Oh, why not?" Bill asked as he, Estelle and the boys returned from our bedroom. "Sex is fun. Well, I always thought it was. What about you, Estelle."
"Oh my, yes, I've always enjoyed sex, too. I don't see anything wrong with a healthy and open chat."
"We like it, too, don't we, guys" T.J. exclaimed, receiving emphatic nods from Mike and Andy.
Jim stuck his finger in ears, trilling loudly, "La-la-la-la-la. I'm not hearing any of this."
"What do you mean, old man?" I asked. "You started it, and if I have to listen to it, so do you."
"Okay," dad acquiesced, "I started it, but that doesn't mean I want to hear all about it, especially from your boys."
"Well, dear, if you don't want to talk about it, you shouldn't bring it up," Rose scolded.
Alex and Joey had finally rejoined us and asked, "What'd we miss?"
"Your Papa started something and doesn't know how to stop it," Rose answered.
"Yeah? What was it?" Joey asked.
"He made some crack about the two of us having sex in the kitchen...," Tom started.
"Oh, no, you can't do it in the kitchen, dads!" Joey exclaimed, "That's against the house rules."
"Yeah, that's why I have to wear clothes right now, remember?" Alex asked.
Jim buried his face in his hands and moaned, "What have I done?"
"You opened the door, Jim," Bill answered with a wide grin, "and the rest of us just stepped right through it."
"Hey, everyone," I interrupted, "The macaroni's ready, can we sit and eat, please. And no more talking about sex. Not while we're eating, anyway."
"Does that mean we can talk about it after?" Joey asked.
"Oh, would you please just stuff a sock in it, Joey, okay?" I replied.
"Why would I do that, dad, that sounds like it'd hurt like he..., well, you know what."
"Stop it, already, please. We're going to eat, then we have to clean up and get ready for our other guests to arrive."
Fortunately, as we ate our meal, the conversation returned to safer and more suitable dinner topics such as school, presents, the weather, ice cream, our wedding, presents, our parents new house, cake, Saturday's party, presents. There were enough party clues and hints dropped by Joey and Alex during the meal that even Sherlock Holmes' idiot brother could have solved the non-mystery. I was equally fortunate my earlier revelations had been forgotten, at least for the moment. I had no doubt they would be resurface later, though.
Once everyone was done stuffing their faces, we all got busy with the cleanup of our mess. Again, Joey and Alex sat at the counter and watched the rest of us work. I'll have to remember this new rule when my birthday arrives in eight months. Once the cleanup was done, I pulled the cake out of the pantry where I'd hidden it and Joey and Alex got their first look.
"Transformers!?" Joey screamed.
"How'd you know, dads?" Alex asked.
"I didn't, just got lucky. We're glad you like it." I turned to Tom and asked, "Now, do we put on nine candles, or eighteen?"
"Hm, good question, babe. Never seen a birthday cake for twins so I don't have a clue."
"Let's do the eighteen. Then they each have nine to blow out."
"Whatever boats your float."
"Guess it's a good thing we got the bigger pack of candles today, then." I added candles to one side of the cake while Tom took care of the other side.
"Just keep in mind, though, that'll grow to thirty-six nine years from now. We'll have to have the fire department on call."
"Jim, why don't you run out to the car and grab our presents for the birthday boys?" Rose asked.
"I suppose I could do that. It'll cost ya', though."
"I'll go with you, Jim, and get ours, too," Bill added.
"Rose," Estelle started, "would you like to help me grab a few things from the bedroom?"
"Love to."
"Hey, you two," I called to their backs, "Leave the two unwrapped ones for later, please."
"We're not stupid, Son!" Rose yelled back at me.
Our timing was working out well because I heard the drive sensor announce a new arrival. When Jim and Bill returned with their arms overflowing with wrapped items, they brought Carl and Lee along with them, also carrying multiple gifts for the birthday boys. The two new arrivals were immediately surrounded by the fantastic five as they gave hugs and squealed with delight.
"We're in the kitchen," I yelled. "If you brought presents, they go to the dining room." As the boys dragged the two of them through the kitchen on the way to the dining room to drop their gifts, they snapped off a quick `hi' before disappearing through the doorway. When they'd dropped their load and returned, we traded handshakes and hugs with Carl and Lee. "Hey, you two, long time, no see. What's up?"
"Same shit, different day. How `bout you guys?" Lee answered.
"I've had better days, but I've survived it, that's what matters."
"Anything we can help with, Max?" Carl asked.
"Nope, I got a handle on it."
"Well, if you change your mind, all you gotta do is ask."
"I know, sis, and I will if I need to. Thanks."
"So, who are we missing?" Jim asked.
"We have two more who are supposed to be here, Carol and Dylan," Tom answered. "And they should show up any time now." The words had just barely escaped his lips when we heard the ding of the sensor. "Well, there's one of `em now. Joey, Alex, why don't you meet our new arrival at the door?" They returned shortly with Carol in tow.
"Hey, Carol, glad you could make it," I said as I gave her a hug.
"I told you I wouldn't miss it, didn't I?"
"It's good to see you again, Carol," Tom added as he gave her a hug also. "How are things going?"
"Couldn't be better, for you two, anyway. It looks like your adoptions are all on schedule for mid-June. I even have everything ready for Andy just in case Anna approves his. After talking to him, of course."
"That's good news, Carol, and I needed to hear that today," I commented.
"Why, what's up?" she asked.
"We'll talk about it later. I don't want what we have to tell you to interfere with tonight's festivities."
"I'm going to hold you to that, Max," she replied seriously. I nodded my understanding, fearing the worst and knowing the turmoil her office would be in once they heard what I had to tell them about the Muellers. Who knows how many kids have been through their house over the years and I shuddered to think of the damage that could have been done by them.
Our parents came back into the kitchen at that moment and Jim said, "Max, I think you're gonna need a bigger table in there."
"Yeah, that one has so many presents on it, there's no room for people to sit and eat," Bill laughed.
"Are you kidding, me?" I asked. "You can put twelve people around that thing."
"Look for yourself, honey," Rose chuckled.
I stuck my head through the door to take a quick look and pulled it back, shaking it in disbelief. "I think y'all done lost your ever-loving minds. It's just a birthday, for god's sake."
"And it's their first one with their new family," Estelle retorted. "Okay, so maybe, just maybe, we went a little overboard, but we promise to do better in the future. Besides, there' two boys celebrating today."
"Yeah, right, fat chance of that," I laughed. "By the way, moms and dads, I don't believe you've met Carol before. Let me introduce all of you to Carol Ward. Carol is helping us with the boys' adoptions. Carol, this is Tom's mom, Estelle, my mom, Rose, my dad, Jim and Tom's dad, Bill. Oh, and the funny looking guy hiding in the corner over there is Lee's husband, Carl." Carl stuck his tongue out at me in response to his introduction. In the middle of a long round of hugs, handshakes and `nice to meet you', the drive sensor dinged again. I was hoping that would be Dylan so we get this party underway.
Thirty seconds later, a familiar voice rang through the house as Dylan opened the front door and yelled, "Knock-knock, anybody home." All five boys took off at a dead run to swarm him with hugs.
"In the kitchen, Dylan," Tom yelled back. When he finally made his way to join us, Mike and Andy were wrapped around his legs, T.J. was riding on his back and Alex and Joey were wrapped around his waist. His lone free hand was carrying a gift. "Holy crap, man, how can you even walk right now?" Tom laughed.
"It ain't easy, Tom, trust me," he laughed in response.
"Good to see you again, Dylan," I said as I gave him a hug, stretching up to get my head up to his shoulders. In the middle of the hug, I whispered, "We need to talk later." I felt his head nod next to mine before we separated. "Okay, even though we just did this for Carol, Dylan, meet our parents, Jim and Rose, who you kinda met yesterday, and Bill and Estelle, Tom's parents. You know Lee and Carol, already. The other guy is Lee's husband, Carl. Everybody, this is Dylan Brock. He was Tom's sergeant in the Sherriff's department." Another flurry of handshakes ensued as Dylan made the rounds and greeted everyone.
"Okay, everybody's met everybody, so, why don't we get this party rolling? From what I've seen, it looks like we're gonna have to unwrap presents before we'll have the room to eat our cake and ice cream, so, Joey, Alex, do us a favor and lead the way."
The two led the way to the dining room and after seeing the table absolutely covered with gifts, happily skipped the last few feet to sit in two chairs at one end of the table. "WOW! If all this is just for our birthday, I can't wait for Christmas," Joey squealed.
"Where do we start, bro'?" Alex asked.
"Here," Andy said, handing them his present, "how `bout this one." The twins wasted no more words or time as they worked together to shred the wrapping paper, exposing the Sudoku books.
"Cool, Andy, these are great, thanks," Joey enthused.
"Yeah, you know we love math. We'll have lots of fun with these. Thanks, bro'," Alex added. Mike picked the next one, and it was, of course, the Nerf guns. While the twins were busy unwrapping those, I found the other three for Mike, T.J. and Andy and gave them out so they would all be opened at the same time.
After seeing what was inside, and the fact their brothers had also received one, the twins looked at each other and Alex asked, "You know what this means, don't you?"
"WAR!" Joey and Alex yelled. The other three joined in the call to war. Oh, dear gods, what have we done, I wondered.
"T.J.," I prompted, "You want to give them yours next?"
"Not yet, dad, I think we ought to save it for later."
"That's your call, but it's a good one, I think." Joey and Alex continued opening their presents receiving several board games, new clothes (thanks grandparents), a few video games, several books, a couple more movies and some CDs. Thanks and hugs were given to each person after each new gift was opened. The pile on the table had finally dwindled down to just T.J.'s gift.
When T.J. proudly handed it over to Alex and Joey, he said, "Be careful, guys, it's got glass in it." He then sat back down and watched the twins closely.
The two carefully peeled the wrapping from the frame and discovered they were looking at the back of something that was rather oddly shaped. They slowly turned it over to finally see the front and the tears started flowing from their eyes and down their cheeks. "This is beautiful, T.J.," Alex cried, "I can't wait to hang it in our new room."
Joey's mouth was moving, but it took him a moment to get his voice working again. I don't think I've ever seen that boy at a loss for words, but I guess there's a first time for everything. "Thanks, bro', this is the best present we've ever gotten." They set the frame on the table and smothered T.J. in the hug to end all hugs. After looking at it again, they carefully passed the picture frame around the table so everyone could see it and, without fail, tears were running down everyone's cheeks. When Tom and I finally got to see it, we were astounded at what T.J. had accomplished. The top picture was one of the twin's mom and dad that I'd had reprinted, below that were pictures of Joey and Alex, the next grouping was of Tom and me on the outside of T.J., Mike and Andy, and the bottom two were each set of grandparents.
After drying my eyes on my sleeve, I mumbled, "T.J., how...?"
"Piece of cake, dad. Gramma Estelle has been taking pictures since she got here. When I started to put their mom and dad's pictures in the frame, she showed me some of what she'd taken here today and I had a better idea. We went into your study, connected her phone to the network and color printer, then printed the best pictures of us. Once they'd dried for a minute, we slipped `em into the frame. Bingo, bango, bongo, one custom present for my brothers."
"This is perfect, young man." I looked to the twins and asked, "Joey, Alex, would you mind if we hung this over the fireplace instead of in your room?"
"But what about the picture you got up there now," Alex asked.
"That old thing. I'll find another place for it, this one's much more important."
"Sure, dad, we'd like that. Besides, we already have the other pictures for our room, anyway," Joey said.
"Thanks, guys. Any time you want it moved to your room, just let me know."
"Okay," Tom started, "let's get this mess cleaned up so we can have our cake and ice cream."
"Wait," Joey yelled, "we didn't see nothin' from you two."
"You didn't?" I asked innocently. "There should have been something there from us." I looked at Tom and asked with a conspiratorial wink, "Didn't you wrap that Matchbox car we got them?"
Without missing a beat, Tom answered, "Me? I thought you were wrapping it. C'mon, babe, let's get it together."
"Matchbox car? What are you talkin' `bout?" Alex protested.
"Hey, you said you wanted a car for your birthday, so that's what we got you. It's not our fault you didn't specify the size," I joked, garnering laughs from everyone but the twins.
"C'mon on, babe, let's go find it. It must still be in our room somewhere." As we turned to leave, he added, "T.J., would you get a trash bag and you guys clean up all the paper while we search? Please and thank you."
We disappeared down the hall, giggling to ourselves. True, we shouldn't be this mean on their first birthday with us, but we couldn't help it. We waited for a minute before walking the twins' two new bikes back out to the living room. I wasn't going to try to get them into the overcrowded dining room.
"Okay, boys," I yelled, "we found it. But you're gonna have to come in here to get it." They charged from the dining room, followed by everyone else. When they saw the bikes, they started dancing and jumping and whooping with joy.
"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, we got new bikes! We never had our own bikes before!" Alex yelled as they mugged us.
"I get the red one!" Joey yelled. "How did you know red was my favorite color, dads?"
I tried to answer, but nobody could hear us over the continued clamor of excited twins.
"Can we ride `em now, dads?" Alex begged.
"I'm sure you'd like to do that, but why don't we wait for tomorrow when we can go outside, okay? I'd just as soon they not get ridden in the house."
"Okay, but before school though, ple-e-e-ease!!" they whined together.
"Yeah, we can do that. And again, in the afternoon, after you get home."
"Yippee!!" they screamed.
"Who's ready for cake and ice cream?" Tom asked. After receiving affirmative responses from the assembled group, we headed back to the dining room. "Boys, why don't you help Alex and Joey move their gifts to their room so we have some room to eat?" he asked. "We should be ready for the cake when you have that done."
All five boys started loading their arms with items and making the trip to the end of the hall to drop them on the twins' bed. It took two trips to get it all, but we finally had room for everyone at the table and when the boys came back, the candles were lit and ready for Joey and Alex to extinguish. After a very off-key rendition of `Happy Birthday', it was time for their big moment. I reminded them to make a wish before they blew out the candles. After just a moment's pause, they huffed and they puffed and they damn near blew the house down.
"So, what'd you wish for?" T.J. asked.
"We didn't wish for nothin', didn't have to," Joey answered.
"Yeah, all our wishes came true when dad found us," Alex added.
With a tear forming in my eyes, again, we got busy cutting and serving the cake along with Schwan's ice cream. The group became quiet as they dug into their dessert. All that could be heard was faint hums of appreciation as people enjoyed it.
"That's a good cake, Max, where did you get it?" Lee asked.
"A little hole-in-the-wall bakery that's done some things for me before when I've had some parties out here. We get to go back there Saturday morning to pick up a bigger cake for the boys' party with their friends from school."
"Sorry I had miss that one," Carol started, "but the plans I've with my parents have been in the works for months. I just couldn't blow them off."
"No worries, Carol. I don't think any of you would want to spend an afternoon with twenty wild boys, anyway. I'm not even sure I want to, but I don't think these guys will let me out of it," I snickered.
"You got that right, dad," Alex agreed.
When everyone was finished with dessert, Alex asked, "Can we watch one of our new movies?"
"I don't see why not. It's early enough, you should be able to see the whole thing before bed time. Can you get it started, or do you need help?"
"We got it, dad, we're not little kids anymore, ya' know," Joey retorted.
"Well, hop to it, then, boys." They ran to their bedroom, returned with the movie and disappeared into the theater. I decided that since they wouldn't be able to hear us and I didn't want to keep anybody here longer than necessary, it would be a good time to tell Dylan, Carol, Lee and Carl the news about today's events and revelations. After a quick cleanup of dishes and pouring coffee for everyone, we adjourned to the living room where I lit a fire before starting the conversation.
"We're glad you all could come out for the party tonight. It means a lot to me, Tom and the boys that you'd be here to help them celebrate."
"I wouldn't have missed this for anything, Max," Carol said.
"Same with me, you guys are my friends and I'll be here for every birthday," Dylan added.
"You couldn't keep us away if you tried, Max. We're all family now," Carl concluded.
"What you four don't know is, this party almost didn't happen tonight," I continued.
Tom wrapped my hand in his and asked, "You sure you want to do this now?"
"No better time than when it's fresh in your mind, right Dad?" I received a curt nod from him and carried on, "You four late arrivals need to know something about what we've been through today. I know you're going to have questions and concerns, but please keep them to the minimum so I can get through all this before the boys' movie is over." I dove straight into telling them about our shopping trip today and what I'd almost done.
When I finished that part of the story, Lee commented, "That doesn't sound like you at all. What the hell happened?"
"I didn't get the answer to that question until much later this afternoon. After we got home, Tom put me to bed and then called Mike's foster father and our parents to come see if they could help me figure it all out."
"That would be Dr. Kirkland, right?" Carol asked.
"Exactly. I spent a couple hours talking with him and, after a bit of hypnosis, we discovered something that explains the issues I've been having with the Mueller's since I met them a couple weeks ago, for what I thought was the first time. Our parents were here this afternoon and know about this already, but I think you four need to know also. Carol and Dylan, what I'm going to tell you will create a whole bunch of work for both of you." I took a short pause to catch my breath before continuing. "Twenty-some years ago, I was repeatedly raped by Frank and Iris Mueller."
"WHAT!" Lee screamed.
Carol hung her head and moaned, "Oh, fuck."
"I'm gonna go kill those motherfuckers, right now!" Dylan vented as he stood up.
Tom stood up in front of him and ordered the taller man, "Sit down, Sarge! You ain't killin' nobody. If I can't, you can't, either." To everyone's surprise, Dylan sat back down, then Tom sat back beside me, holding my hand again.
"Would you all please calm down? As hard as it is to deal with this after all these years, I'm going to do what I have to do to keep it from happening to anybody else. Paul will be notifying the police about it since he's a mandated reporter. Dylan, you'll be hearing from him in due time, I'm sure, and you can talk to me anytime you want. Just let me know when you want to do it and where. I'll do whatever's necessary to see these people get what they deserve.
"Carol, I can't begin to imagine the impact this will have on your office. I think, at the very least, you need to find and interview every person who has ever spent a single night in their home, no matter how much time has passed. I've obviously buried this for a long time, and other victims may have done the same. They may be having problems similar to mine and not know why."
"Oh, you can be sure we'll do exactly that. It'll be a nightmare for everyone, but one we have to deal with."
"Carol," Dylan started, "we need to work on this together to avoid duplicating our efforts."
"Dylan," I interrupted, "you're going to have to do a lot more than just work with Carol, her people and the possible victims from their home. You're going to have to talk to every member of their church, also."
"Why?"
"Because it all happened at the church."
"Oh, shit, you're kidding me. Not another one?"
"I wish I were, and yes, another one. There was a secluded room in a corner of the basement they'd take me to when it was time for me `learn my lesson', as they liked to say."
"Was there anybody else involved in what they did?" Dylan asked.
"Not with me, no, but I don't know if there were other kids or other adults involved over the years. Considering the message that church spews about hate for gays, I'd be amazed if I'm their only victim." I noticed mom and dad hanging their heads in shame and Estelle had an arm wrapped around Rose's shoulder. "Mom, Dad, this is not a reflection on you in any way. I know you weren't involved and didn't know about any of this."
"I'm sorry, I think I must have missed something," Dylan interjected. "Why would they think they were?" he asked, confused look on his face.
"Think, Dylan," I said, tapping the side of my head. "This happened at church, the church I was taken to by my parents." I watched his eyes open wide in surprise as the penny dropped. "They're two of the people you'll end up talking to. I can tell you right now, though, they had nothing to do with it and knew nothing about any of it. If I'd said something, I know they would have stopped it."
"I hate to ask, Max, but I'm going to have to some time. How long did the abuse go on?" Dylan asked.
"Almost weekly for about two and a half to three years. That's the best I can remember right now. I'm sure as I think about it more I'll be able to come up with something more definite."
"Max," Lee whispered, "I'm so sorry. I shoulda said something to mom and dad."
I whipped my head in her direction and asked, "What are you talkin' about, Lee?"
"Some of the kids my age were spreading rumors about something happening to another kid about ten years before we were there. I told them they didn't know what they were talking about and they needed to shut up. If I'd told mom and dad, this wouldn't have happened to you."
"Lee, you don't know that. Just like I told mom and dad earlier, you have no blame, guilt or responsibility for what those two supposed people did. This is all on them. The worst part for me is, I now have to take back something I said earlier today. I know I asked everybody to not say anything to the boys about this, but something hit me during supper." I paused for just a moment before dropping the bombshell. "Joey and Alex lived in that house for four years."
"Oh, my God," mom moaned in anguish.
"Mom, I'm pretty sure nothing happened to them because neither one has shown any signs of being abused, no fear of being touched, no qualms about being close to others, no sleepwalking, no unexplained rages, none of the shit I used to do when it was happening to me. And as much as I'd like to keep them all in the dark about this for now, I have to talk to the twins so we can be absolutely sure."
"You want me to do that, Max?" Dylan offered.
"Thanks, Dylan, but we have very open lines of communication with all the boys. While I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hesitate to talk to you about anything, I'd rather have that conversation with them ourselves. I know they'll both want to know why we're asking and they deserve to know the truth. I don't want to put any of you in the position of lying to them in some misguided effort to protect me or my feelings. It's my story and Tom and I be the ones to deal with that. If they say anything that even remotely sounds like abuse by the Muellers, I'll let you know so you can take it from there, Dylan."
"Fair enough. I wanted to offer."
"I know and I appreciate it. But just like talking about my struggle with depression and suicide at the workshop eased my burden about those things, talking about this will help lift this one, also. Okay, now, everybody knows everything I know. Like Paul said this afternoon, please don't push me to talk about it. Maybe, in time, I'll be able to do that, but now is not that time. Until I get a handle on this shit, I can't risk losing it like I did this morning, especially around the boys.
"I know you'll all be here for me if I ask and I appreciate that, but if I ask for a little space once in a while, it's nothing personal, I just need to breathe. The only three people I will give any details right now about any of this, until I can control it, is Tom, Dylan and whatever therapist Paul recommends. I hope you can all understand that."
"Of course, we do, son," Jim responded. "Just know, if you need or want anything, you only have to ask." A round of agreement infused the entire group.
"Max," Dylan started, "I'm sorry you had to go through this then and I'm sorry you have to deal with it again now, but I promise you this, I will see these bastards rot in jail."
"That's good to hear, Dylan, and I'm going to help you do exactly that." I turned to Carol and added, "Carol, I'm hoping this revelation will not hurt our adoptions in any way. It'd just kill me if that happened."
"Don't you worry about that. I'll, of course, have to tell Anna about what's going on so she'll understand why we have to talk to all the other kids who have been placed with Muellers over the years. But I'll also let her know you'll be seeking professional help. I don't see her having a problem with continuing your adoptions of the boys. A lot of fosters and adopters seek counseling for something or other, and it doesn't change a thing."
"I'm glad to hear that. Moms, Dads, how's it going with your new house?" I asked as a way to change subjects. "Have you heard anything from John, yet?"
"Not yet, Max," Bill answered. "We're supposed to get together with him next Wednesday or Thursday to discuss what he's come up with so far."
"That's good news. We're having some guests Wednesday evening or I'd offer to let you all meet here."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Estelle responded, "we've already made arrangements with Jim and Rose to come up Wednesday morning and stay with them that night. That way, whenever John is ready, we'll be here."
"Sounds like you four have it all worked out," Tom commented. "I guess we'll stay out of it until we can take that walk and find just the right place for you."
"What have I missed?" Carol asked.
"Whoops, sorry, Carol, I guess we forgot to tell you the news. Tom and I are going to sell our parents a couple of acres out here and they're going build a house. We're hoping they'll all be living on the ranch by this fall."
"Wait, what was that!?" Lee squawked. "We knew about Bill and Estelle moving, but this is the first I've heard about our parents moving out here."
"Whoopsie," Rose giggled, "I knew we forgot to tell her something, dear."
"Guess we know what it was," Jim laughed. "Sorry, Lee, we've been pretty busy and a lot has changed in the past couple of weeks. Yes, we're going to be moving out here, also. We need to make up for lost time with Max, and we want to be closer to our grandsons."
"Hey, what about me?" Tom complained with a pitifully fake pout.
"Oh, you too, Tom," Rose giggled again.
"Wow!" Carl Exclaimed, "That's gonna be a big change for you. I didn't think you'd ever move from your house."
"Well, we didn't either, Carl, but if we were ever going to, this is the time," Jim responded.
"I can hardly keep up with all the changes happening in our families. It seems like every other day, something new happens."
"Well, join the club, sis. You should be in the middle of the game like we are, instead of sitting on the sidelines. And, we're all one family now, Lee, you have to remember that."
"I'm trying to, trust me, but y'all don't make it very easy for us to keep score out here in the tall grass." We all enjoyed a nice laugh with that comment. It actually felt good to finally laugh about something today. I hadn't realized so much time had passed since we'd sat down, but the boys had returned to join us.
"What's so funny?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, what'd we miss?" T.J. added.
"We were just laughing at your Aunt Lee for being behind the times."
"That's not nice, dad," Joey admonished me.
"Sorry, son, but we all needed a good laugh." I turned to Lee and sarcastically said, "Please forgive us for laughing at you, sis."
"Oh, would just shut up, you smart-ass?" she retorted, earning another round of laughter. "It's okay, Joey, your dad's right, I deserved that one."
"Okay, just making sure," he replied seriously.
"Which movie did you watch and did you like it?" Tom asked.
"Oh, yeah, it was great. We watched `Up' and it was hilarious," Alex answered.
"Yeah that talking dog was ... SQUIRREL!" T.J. added, and all the boys started laughing hilariously.
Seeing the perplexed look on my face, Joey explained, "Sorry, dads, you gotta see the movie to understand."
"Another night, Son, okay? Hey, it's time for you guys to hit the sack. Say goodnight to everybody and we'll be in to check on you in a few, okay?" All five made the rounds passing out hugs and saying goodnight to everyone, Joey and Alex adding another round of thanks for coming to the party and the gifts they'd received. When they'd seen everyone, the fantastic five disappeared down the hall where I heard Mike yell `squirrel' again, followed by much laughter. I looked at Tom and commented, "I think we need to watch that movie, ourselves," causing all the adults to crack up in laughter.
"You know, it's getting bit late for us, too," Jim said. "I think we'll be on our way. Bill, Estelle, you coming to our house again tonight?"
"That sounds like a grand idea," Bill answered. "I think we will."
"Yes, thanks for asking," Estelle added. "We weren't looking forward to the drive home tonight."
The others decided to take their leave, also. Tom and I followed everybody to the front door and as they retrieved their coats from the closet, I was reminded about how much these people love and care about all of us as they each hugged us and offered to help with anything at any time. As we offered our thanks for their help and understanding, they stepped outside and returned to their cars for their trips home. After they'd left, Tom and I turned down the hallway to say goodnight to our sons.
Stopping in the trio's room first, we found them rolling around on the bed, giggling senselessly at some unknown joke – unknown to us, anyway. When they finally saw us, they quickly curled up in the middle of the bed, waiting patiently for their covers to be pulled up.
"T.J., I haven't asked for a few days, but how's your chest feeling?"
"It's good, dad. It don't hurt no more unless I run too much."
"We're glad you feeling better, but you still need to be careful for several more weeks, remember."
"Yeah, I know," he grumped. "I just wanna be able to go swimming again. I miss not bein' in the pool."
"We all do, and you'll get your chance Saturday, okay?"
"Can't wait, dads."
Tom and I passed out our forehead kisses and said our goodnights and love yous before turning out the light and heading on to see the twins.
"How do you feel about giving these two a very special birthday present?" I asked Tom, wiggling my tongue.
"I love that idea, babe, and I know they will, too."
After quietly closing the bedroom door, we found the two of them with their heads buried in each other's crotches, eagerly attending to the other's needs and desires. Alex was technically still dressed, though his shorts were pulled down to mid-thigh to provide the necessary access for his brother. When we sat on the edge of the bed to wait for them, they immediately broke their lip-lock on each other's engorged pecker and waddled over to us on their knees. Joey moved to me and Alex to Tom, neither bothering to hide their spit-slickened cocklets which, after they'd stopped moving across the bed, continued to bounce lightly, dancing in sync with their heartbeats.
"Um, didn't you two do this earlier tonight?" I asked.
"So, what?" Joey asked, "That was then, this is now." I couldn't help but snicker at his impeccable logic.
"You two were so good tonight, we've decided to give you one more gift, but you have to stand up and close your eyes before you get it." Both immediately stood on the mattress, placing those glistening hard morsels directly in front of our faces and mere inches from our lips. Tom and I wasted no time wrapping our warm hands around their smooth behinds and pulling them forward, taking their offerings into our mouths and lovingly continued the tongue bath they had already started. The moans of pleasure emanating from deep inside their young bodies was music to our ears.
After a few minutes of oral stimulation, Joey's knees started to buckle and I gently laid him on the bed, never letting his prize leave the warm, wet confines of my mouth. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Tom's ministrations were having the same effect on Alex and very shortly, he was stretched out on his back next to his brother. We continued to love our boys for several more minutes before Joey arched his back, forcing as much of himself into my mouth as possible. The link between the two boys was running strong because seconds later, Alex followed suit. I soon heard a loud moan of joy from Joey as his hands found the back of my head and he forced my nose into his bare pubic mound.
"Oh my god, dad, yes, suck me harder, I'm going to come," he hissed with Alex expressing a similar sentiment to Tom. Joey's orgasm started almost immediately after his lustful utterance and I could feel his cock twitching rapidly in my mouth as I fondled his undeveloped balls. Both boys' bliss seemed to last for minutes but was more likely less than half a minute, but that didn't diminish the amount of pleasure we'd all felt. Amazingly, even after their explosive orgasms, neither lad's pecker was returning to a flaccid state. Ah, the joys of youth, forever ready and no recovery time. Both lay flat on their backs, eyes glazed over, funky grins splitting the lower half of their faces.
I looked at Tom and joked, "Uh-oh, I think we broke them."
"They may be broke, but they sure as hell ain't deflated. Looks to me like they're ready for more."
"Aren't they always?" I chuckled. We came together in a four-way hug and I whispered into their ears, "Happy birthday, boys, we love you."
"We love you, too, dads," they chorused. "Thanks for the best birthday present a guy could ask for."
"If you two want to have quick bike ride before school, you better get to sleep." They hustled into position, hugging each other in the middle of the bed. We pulled up the covers, gave them kisses and said goodnight before turning out the light and closing the door. Tom and I practically ran to our bedroom, stripping off our clothes along the way, and as soon as our door was closed, we were on the bed in each other's arms.
"I need you in me, lover," I whispered
"You sure `bout that babe."
"Positive. I need to be fucked by someone who knows what love is. And I mean now," I panted as I broke our embrace, rolled onto my back and assumed the position. To his credit, Tom didn't hesitate as he knelt between my upraised legs and slowly positioned himself. I sucked air deep in my lungs as I felt his head make the briefest contact with my tight pucker. He moved his leaking cock around to provide some lubrication and then slowly pushed inside me. Oh, my ass was on fire with pain since we hadn't taken any time to properly prepare for his phallic invasion, but it soon dissipated to a dull throb as he slowly pushed in deeper and by the time his unruly pubic hair started tickling my balls, I was in heaven.
"You okay, babe?"
"Better than ever, lover," I answered while looking into his concerned and loving eyes. I continued to watch his face as he started to slowly fuck me in the gentlest possible way. When he closed his eyes and lifted his head towards the ceiling, he found the perfect rhythm to induce shockwaves of pleasure throughout my body. His head and shaft were filling me to capacity and he somehow managed to hit my prostate on every stroke. I'd never felt so loved, so needed, in my entire life. And I had never loved or needed someone as much as Tom.
As the inevitable drew closer with each stroke, I started moaning loudly and thrashing around as Tom repeatedly impaled me. I held back as long as I possibly could as he fucked my ass, but when I knew the time had arrived, it was my turn to hiss, "Oh, god, fuck me harder, I'm gonna come." Tom was happy to oblige my demand and I felt him give one last push, burying his monster cock deep inside me. My ass then was stretched just a bit more as he exploded into me. I followed his lead and was soon flooding my belly with my own offering, clenching his cock tighter with each shot. With both of us happily sated and completely spent, Tom slowly withdrew from me and headed to the bathroom. He returned shortly with a warm washcloth and proceeded to gently wipe my torso clean.
"Think you can get up for a shower with me?" Tom asked.
"I'm not sure. You might have to carry me again," I grinned. As he leaned over to pick me up, I started laughing and added, "I can walk, bubba. It's my brain that's crippled, not my legs."
"Please don't say shit like that, babe. Your brain is not crippled. Twisted, demented, whacked, and subject to a multitude of brain farts, but it ain't crippled."
I smacked his bare ass as I followed him to the shower, asking, "Brain farts? What the hell are those?"
"Brain farts are what allow shitty ideas to escape from that part of your brain where they're supposed to stay hidden." I couldn't help but laugh at the joke. We climbed in the shower and after adjusting the water temperature, gently washed the sweat and semen off each other. By the time we were done, I felt like I'd hit a wall and was going to collapse. Tom helped my dry off and then guided me back to the bed.
As tired and worn out as I was, I sat up and said, "Okay, go ahead, I know you're dying inside, so ask your questions."
He sat up, crossed his legs and asked, "Are you sure? It's been a long damn day. I figured you'd just want to go to sleep."
"I do, but I know I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight, and I'm sure you won't either. Maybe we'll both feel better if we get some of this shit out in the open. Besides, I don't want there to be any secrets in this family. The more we all know, the better we can deal with it, together."
"You're right about that. I'm wiped, but I don't think I can sleep, not yet anyway. Instead of me asking a bunch of stupid questions, why don't you just tell me what you remember."
"Just how did I know you were gonna say that? What do you want to know?"
"Whatever you want to tell me."
"Okay, here goes. Mom and dad had been taking me to that church for as long as I can remember. I didn't really care for it, but you can't really argue with your parents about it, can you? No, you go along, just keep to the peace. It wasn't too bad early on since a lot my friends from school went to the same church and we always had fun. It wasn't until I realized I liked boys instead of girls that I began to get really uncomfortable with their message. I'd had inklings before, but was about ten or eleven, I guess, when it really took hold.
"In our church, when you turned thirteen, you moved into a new Sunday school class, which was fine with me. I'd known the Mueller's for a long time from church lunches and such and I kinda liked them. After about a month in the new class, Frank asked me to hang around for a minute. After all the other kids were gone, he said he thought I needed some `special lessons' the church had just for `kids like me'. I couldn't imagine what he was talking about, but since I'd known them for so long, I just went along with it. I also assumed my mom and dad had arranged for whatever these `lessons' were. He and Iris then led me to this little room in the corner of the basement. They said it was created just for these lessons.
"Once we got in there, they closed and locked the door. I thought it was kinda weird they'd do that, but didn't raise a stink about it, either. I knew that something wasn't quite right about this, but I wasn't really in a position to argue it with them. They were adults and I was barely a fucking teenager. I mean, I'd known these people most of my life and I trusted them, my mom and dad trusted them, who the fuck was I to argue with them. I remember thinking, `what could possibly go wrong?' If only I'd listened to myself and all the warning bells that were going off in my head.
"It was at that point, Frank told me this room was specially built, heavily insulated and soundproof. He said I could scream my fucking head off, and probably would, and not a soul outside that room would ever hear me. That's when I knew how truly screwed I was. Iris then told me get undressed and I was like no way. I mean my dick had just started to get bigger and I had a few hairs that had finally shown up. I was proud of what my body was doing, but I wasn't gonna let them see that. I told them both to fuck off. That's when Frank smacked me I the back of the head so hard, I almost blacked out. I almost wish I had. One thing that did happen is my point of view seemed to suddenly change. Instead of seeing all this shit happen to me with my own eyes, it was like I was hovering above it all, as if I was watching it happen to someone else.
"Since they could see I wasn't going to cooperate, Frank took it upon himself to strip me. He was careful to make sure he didn't rip or tear any of my clothes, but he was furious I'd disobeyed them. When I was finally naked, they were both licking their lips at what they saw. I was so embarrassed and ashamed to be standing there on full display, but there was nowhere to hide. Then, Iris came over to me and started running her hands all over my body. I was disgusted. When she reached my dick, she took it in one hand and started playing with it while she played with my balls with her other hand.
"You know a boy at that age has absolutely no control over what and when his dick does what it does. The damn thing has a mind of its own and, as sick I was at what was happening, I was hard as a rock in seconds. She looked over my shoulder at Frank and said, `see, honey, he likes a woman's touch'. Then she told him to give her the tweezers. I'm like, `what the fuck you want those for?' I found out all too soon as that fucking bitch started ripping out my pubic hairs, one at a fucking time. I'd waited thirteen years to get `em and lost `em in thirteen seconds, all eleven of `em. It happened so fast, I couldn't stop her. I got so fucking pissed off that I slapped her as hard as I could.
"That was a big fucking mistake. Frank grabbed my arm and spun me around so fast I damn near fell over. That's when I discovered he was naked, too. And hard. And disgusting. I wanted to throw up, but I never got the chance. As soon as I opened my mouth to scream, he shoved his cock into my mouth and down my throat. Let me tell you, it's fucking impossible to scream with a dick in your throat. He fucked my mouth for what seemed like forever, but it was probably only four or five minutes. When he got tired of that, he pulled his dick out of my mouth, spun me back around, bent me over a chair and rammed it in my ass. God, it hurt so fucking bad I felt like I was gonna be split in two.
"When I finally cleared enough tears out of my eyes so I could see again, I found Iris, standing in front of me and naked, also. She was even more disgusting thank Frank. She walked up to me and shoved her fucking ugly cunt in my face and told me to start licking her. When I screamed `no', Frank smacked me in the back of the head again, hard. She was so fucking wet, she was dripping on the damn floor before I licked her even once. I knew I didn't have any choice, so I started doing it. Damn, it was fucking gross. So, there I am, my ass getting reamed by Frank and the bitch Iris is forcing my face into her ugly twat.
"Apparently, I wasn't pleasing Iris enough and she complained to Frank about it. He told her to lay down on the table that was in the room. When she'd done that, he stood me up and walked me over to her while his dick was still inside me. He lined my dick up with her ugly cunt and shoved me forward with his hips, burying his cock in my ass and forcing mine into her. I could tell they'd done this before from the way they worked together. Iris took one of my hands and made me play with her sagging and sickening tits while Frank would take the other in his hand and force me to rub her clit. When Frank would pull back out of me, I'd slide out of her and then he'd shove his disgusting cock back into me, forcing me back into her. It was the most twisted, disgusting, and vile thing I could imagine.
"That went on for I don't know how long, I'd lost all track of time. He was fucking me and forcing me to fuck her, with both of them yelling I was the perverted son of the beast the whole time. Iris kept telling Frank to check my head for some fucking tattoo I had to have. And Frank was yelling for Satan to leave me, that I was a good little straight boy. Yelling that I wasn't a fucking faggot, all while he's got his cock buried in my ass. None of it made a damn bit of sense. Not then and not now.
"When Frank finally got his rocks off, he pulled his dick out of my ass, grabbed me by my hips and continued forcing me to fuck his bitch wife by pushing and pulling on me until she finally came. When she finally quit screaming to God about coming, she sat on the chair, took me in her arms and held me in her lap, all of us still naked. She stroked my hair with one hand, all lovey-like, and cooed in my ear about how I really wanted to be straight and not some sick, perverted faggot. She stroked my dick with her other hand, telling me what a pretty little cock I had and how every little girl would just love to have it inside her. Sometimes, she'd get on the floor in front of me, spread my legs wide open and suck me off, just moaning with delight. All the while she's doing that, Frank's standing in the corner, watching though his sick beady eyes, and beating his meat like tomorrow's never gonna come.
"When it looked like he was about to yank his cock right off his body for desperation of wanting to come again, he walked over and let it fly all over my face, which Iris promptly cleaned up with her tongue. When she'd be done with that, Frank got some washcloths and got them wet with warm water from a sink in the room. They wiped me down from head to toe first, making sure my pretty little cock and dripping, sore asshole were clean, then he rinsed them out and they cleaned themselves up. They got dressed first, leaving me naked and zoned out on the floor. When they were finally presentable, they worked together to make me look like I had before going into that damn room. They were really careful about getting us all redressed so nothing looked out of place.
"And during the whole clean up and getting dressed again, they reminded me these were `special lessons' and they were not to be discussed with anybody, not even my parents, reinforcing to me mom and dad knew what was going on. They stressed how important it was to keep what happened in that room between the three of us. Finally, we left the room together, their arms wrapped around my shoulders, like we were the Three Fucking Musketeers. That's when my point of view returned to my own eyes again.
"They did that shit to me for almost three fucking years and I was helpless to stop them. And when I finally was old enough where I could shoot out real come, it got even more violent and sick. It got to the point where if I didn't come four or five times while we were locked in that damn room, they'd slap and yank my dick, beat my ass, fuck me with anything they could find until they were satisfied I had nothing left to give. There were times my dick and ass were so sore I could barely walk, but I couldn't understand why since I'd blocked it out.
"I got to the point where I'd leave by mind at the steps to the basement and not pick it back up again until we went back upstairs. Finally, just before I turned 16, I told mom and dad that I was done with going to church. When they asked me why, I just told them I didn't believe in all the same crap they did and I had better ways to spend that two to three hours a week. They didn't like it much, but they also knew they weren't going to change my mind about it.
"I thought I was so happy to be watching all this sick shit from somewhere above it all and not actually be involved in it. But I was in it, I just didn't consciously realize it. Paul called it a dissociative state, where the mind takes over and blocks out the bad shit to protect your sanity. Thank the gods for that, or my brain would be crippled, unable to function. I realize now, after talking to Paul, that what those sick fuckers did to me is why I had such a hard accepting being gay. When Paul forced me to knock down that last logjam that was keeping all this shit dammed up, I felt a wave a revulsion overtake me at first, but then, that revulsion slowly morphed into relief as my life made so much more sense to me. Why I'd made the decisions I'd made, why I lived the way I did. All of it, finally, made perfect fucking sense. And maybe, just maybe, I could finally get some peace in my life, for once.
"So that's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. A penny for your thoughts, lover."
"Death is too good for those people."
"Ha, you get no arguments from me on that. Trust me, I want nothing more right now than to go in there my own damn self and blow their fucking heads off with a fucking howitzer, right after I tell them I remember and see the surprise hit them. But, Paul convinced me that would be wrong. I'm not sure how he did it, but that's where I am. So, how was your day?" I asked in a weak attempt at humor.
"Pretty fucking lousy, but compared to yours, I enjoyed a beautiful walk on the beach in the sunshine. How the hell can live with knowin' all that?"
"How can I not? I mean, really, what are my choices? Live with it or don't live. Neither choice is very appealing right now, but I'm going with that first option. What happened is long over with, nothin' I can do about it now but learn to deal with it. Integrate it into who I am. Ensure it doesn't happen to some other kid."
"I'm going to help you do that, you know."
"Damn right, you are. This windmill's just a bit too big for me to go tilting it on my own. I'm gonna need you, the boys, our parents and anybody else I can think of to knock this son-of-a-bitch over. But I'm gonna fuckin' do it, even if it's the last fuckin' thing I do."
"I know it was harder than hell for you tell me all that, but I'm glad you did. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me your deepest, darkest secrets. You're my babe and if I'm gonna help you, I need to know everything."
"Well, now you do. Can we please get some fuckin' sleep now? I'm whipped."
"You bet, come here."
With that, Tom pulled me into those big, strong arms and held me tight as we drifted off. When the alarm went off in the morning, I was still wrapped in those arms and I'd never felt safer. Tom rolled over to turn off the alarm and when he rolled back over to me, I said, "I forgot some really important last night before we fell asleep."
"What's that?"
"This." I leaned in and gave him a deeply passionate kiss and when I let him go, I leaned back and added, "I love you, big guy, now and forever and I need your strength to prop me up when I get weak and can't handle things. I can't think of anyone on this planet I'd rather share the rest of my life with."
"I love you, too, babe. And I'll be here for you until the end of time."
"Good, now let's go get the ragamuffins awake. Joey and Alex want to ride their bikes before they have to get on the bus." We climbed out of bed and after a quick visit to the bathroom, headed to the other side of the house. Tom stopped to wake the trio while I got the pleasure of waking the twins. I was surprised to find Joey and Alex sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed and wide awake. "What's up guys? Besides yourselves?"
"We're wanna go for a ride our bikes while you get breakfast ready, dad," Alex answered.
"That okay with you?" Joey asked.
"Go on, get outta here," I answered as I waved my hand towards the garage. "We'll yell when food's ready."
"Thanks dad, you're the greatest," they chorused as the flew past me. I heard the big door opening as I reversed course and met Tom in the hallway.
"How'd it go in there?" I asked.
"Oh, just flippin' dandy. Those three are harder than hell to get movin' in the morning. How `bout you?"
"Piece o' cake. They were sittin' on the bed, rarin' to go. Boy did I pick the right room," I laughed.
"Well, next week, you're back on early duty. This shit's for the birds."
"Said the eagle," I cracked.
"Careful, there, I might just might have to shit on your head as I fly over," he laughed back. We continued to the bedroom to pull some sweats on when he asked, "How ya' doin' this mornin'?"
"Not great, but not as bad as I thought I would be. Tellin' you about it last night seems to have helped. That's one of the reasons I dumped it all on ya' then. Get it all out there, don't let it build and fester."
"I'm happy to hear that, babe. I hated hearing what they did, but if it'll help us put `em away, it'll be worth it."
"Now, I just get to go over it all again with Dylan and a therapist. Fun times ahead, I'm sure."
When we entered the kitchen to fix breakfast, T.J., Mike and Andy were waiting patiently for us. "So, boys, what's for breakfast today?"
"Scrambled eggs and toast," T.J. answered.
"I didn't hear the magic words, did you Tom?"
"Nope."
"Please," Mike retorted.
"And thank you," added Andy.
"Ah, much better. Eggs and toast on the way." Tom pulled out the toaster and got that going while I took care of the eggs.
While we were performing our parently duties, T.J. asked, "Where's Joey and Alex?"
"Out ridin' their bikes," I answered. "They couldn't wait until after breakfast."
"Man, I hope we get bikes for our birthdays," Mike opined.
"Me, too," T.J. added.
"Three," Andy concluded.
"T.J., I wanted to ask you something. It seems that the twins have added you to their little mind link speed dial, but I was wondering just how far that goes."
"What do you mean, dad?"
"Yeah, what do you mean," Tom asked.
"Well, both Alex and Joey can seem to feel things from other people, also. I don't know if they can pick up actual thoughts and words or if it's just feelings they're getting. I was wondering if you can do that with others or is it just with those two?"
"Right now, it's just with them, but it'd be cool as he ... uh, all get out if I could do it with other people, too. Why'd you ask?"
"Just wondering, that's all." I turned to Andy and asked, "Would you go yell at your brothers and tell them food's on?"
"Gee, I don't know, dad. I don't think I heard the magic words." They all snickered at his witty comeback.
"Oh, forgive me," I smirked. "Please and thank you. Better?"
"Loads. Be right back." He ran down the hall and we heard him yell to his brothers that breakfast was ready and if they didn't get inside, he was going to eat theirs. Andy must have left the door to the garage open as we soon heard tires squealing as they slid across the concrete floor under heavy braking. Next, the door was slammed shut and the two velociraptors ran into the kitchen, mounted their stools and inhaled their eggs and toast.
When they're plates and mouths were empty, they chorused, "Thanks for the bikes, dads, they're great."
"Well, I got a little worried last night about you not knowing how to ride since you said you'd never had bikes before."
"We didn't, but our friends did ...," Alex started.
"... and they let us learn to ride on theirs," Joey concluded.
"Those are good friends," Tom commented.
"Yeah, they were the best. We miss `em though," Alex answered.
"They don't go to school out here?" I asked.
"Nah, they go to some private school in town," Joey replied.
"So, they didn't get invited to your party tomorrow?" I asked.
"No. We already had more kids than you said we could have with just the boys in our class," Alex said.
"Yeah, and we didn't want to push our luck," Joey concluded.
"Why don't you give me their names and I'll see what I can do. It's late notice, but I'll try to get in touch with their parents this morning."
"Really!?" Joey yelled.
"Thanks dad. They're Jesse and Jose Jackson. They live on Gander Road, right around the corner from the Mueller's," Alex offered. I involuntarily jerked at the mention of the name and the boys caught it. "Dad, you sure you're okay? You been weird since we got home yesterday."
"I told you last night, I'll be fine, I just need some time."
"For what?" Joey asked.
"I'm not ready to tell you just yet, but soon enough, okay. Just bear with me."
"Okay, if you say so," Alex replied.
"Oh, crap," Tom started, "Look at the time. Boys, coats and packs, we gotta move." They hauled ass to their rooms while Tom grabbed his coat and followed in their wake. I stayed behind to start cleaning up the breakfast mess.
When Tom returned, I asked, "Did you make it?"
"Just barely. The bus was already sittin' there when I turned the corner in the drive. I saw him start to pull away and I laid on the horn and started flashin' the lights to get his attention. He musta heard or seen me, `cause he stopped and waited for us."
"Sorry, Tom. I should have been paying better attention to the time."
"No worries, babe. At least I didn't have to drive `em all the way to the school."
"Hey, you need to sit down with a phone book and see if you can find a doctor to take out your stitches this afternoon. We're gonna be at the Koke Mill Medical Center. You might get lucky and find another doctor there to take care of it for you."
"Hey, good idea. I shoulda done that three days ago, but I kept puttin' off."
"No time like the present, big guy. Go ahead, I got this almost done with this," I said, nodding to the egg pan that was still in the sink. He finally joined me in the living room thirty minutes later with a sad look on his face. "What, no joy in Mudville?"
"Oh, there's joy, but just barely. I called every doctor in that building and the only one who could see me today was in the pediatrician's office where Andy's appointment is." I couldn't help but laugh at this bit of news. "Yeah, very funny. NOT! It's my own damn fault for putting off calling `til the last minute."
"Well, look at it this way, big guy, it saves us another stop in town today."
"You're not makin' it any better, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," and laughed again. "I've set the timer on my phone to let us know when it's time to pick up Andy. I'm gonna sit and veg `til then. That okay with you?"
"Ya' mind if I join you in that veggin'?"
"I was hoping you would." I returned to my book and Tom picked his up. We read quietly for the next couple of hours until the timer went off. As we stood to get ready to leave, I leaned in and gave the big guy another kiss.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"Just for you bein' you. And for bein' here with me."
"Good reasons, babe. You can kiss me any time you feel the urge."
"Good. Just to forewarn ya', I think I'm gonna be feelin' that urge pretty often for a while."
"Then I better start carryin' a Chapstick or somethin'. Wouldn't want the old lips dryin' out, would we?"
"I'll help you keep `em moist," I grinned.
"I may just take you up on that offer," he answered as we grabbed our coats. "Who's driving?"
"Why don't you drive, again, today. I don't want to take the chance of a, what'd you call it last night? Oh, yeah, a `brain fart' happening while I'm driving."
"No sweat, let's boogie." I led the way down the hall, be-boppin' my way to some imaginary tune. "I'm tellin' you right now, we are not dancin' together at our wedding if that's the best you got," he laughed.
"Don't you threaten me, bubba, you gotta put up with my sad dancin' for evermore."
"Oh, boy, I'm really lookin' forward to that," he laughed again.
When we got to the school, Tom waited in the car while I headed in to retrieve Andy. "Good morning, Gloria, how are you today?"
"Oh, Mr. Sanders," she replied as she looked up from her desk. "I'm doing just fine. What can I do for you today?" she asked.
"I need to pick up Andy Cox for a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I figured I should stop here first."
"Let me have the teacher's aide in his class bring him up for you." She dialed the classroom and made the request. "He'll be here in just a minute."
"Thank you, appreciate it."
"Can I tell you something, Mr. Sanders?"
"Sure."
"I really wanted to thank you for what you and your family did and said Wednesday. I'd never considered what your lives were like, but I have a much better understanding of what gay people deal with now. I've done some checking around in Springfield and found a hotline for gay youth that can use some volunteers. I start training next week."
"That's great, Gloria. I think you'll find it to be an eye-opening experience."
"Oh, you've already done that. Thanks, again. Ah, there's the young man you're looking for," she added as the office door opened. The aide gave a little wave as she backed out and returned to the class.
"Hi, Andy, you ready to go?" I asked.
"No," he grumped.
"Well, I'm sorry, but we're still going."
"Yeah, I know."
"Thanks, Gloria, have a good afternoon."
"You, too. See ya' Monday, Andy."
Andy tossed her a quick wave with one hand as he grabbed mine with the other as we headed down the hall to the exit. As we climbed in the car, Tom asked, "You all ready to roll."
"Yep," I replied.
"NO!" Andy yelled.
"Andy, I know you don't want to do this, but we need to make sure nothing serious is going on."
"I know that, but that don't mean I gotta like it."
"Fair enough," I replied.
It was a very quiet ride to town and we stopped at Uncle Ronnie's to grab a quick bite to eat before continuing to the doctor's office. When we arrived, I checked Andy in at the reception desk while Tom checked himself in, face flushed with embarrassment. After that we sat together to wait our turn. Surprisingly, Tom was called back first, much to Andy's amusement.
"Bye, pops, see ya' later," he called out with a giggle as Tom disappeared through the door and into the inner sanctum. I noticed several other parents grinning slyly and several kids suppressing their laughter. It was pretty difficult to maintain my straight face, but I somehow managed to do it.
Five minutes later, the door opened again and Andy's name was called. We stood and joined the nurse as she led us through the maze of corridors and exam rooms. What is it with medical offices not knowing what the hell a straight line is? Poor Andy looked like he'd just eaten his last meal and was being led to a firing squad. His eyes never left the floor and if I hadn't been holding onto his hand, he would have walked into several walls and people during our journey. When we finally reached the exam room, the nurse led us in and closed the door.
"Why don't you have a seat right there, Mr. Sanders?" she asked, pointing to the empty chair. "Young man, would hop up here, please?" Grudgingly, Andy did as she asked. "I just need to take your temperature and check a few other things. Then, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes, okay?"
"Whatever," he grumped again. The young lady got busy and shortly, Andy and I were left alone. As soon as the door closed behind her, Andy jumped off the exam table and climbed in my lap. "I don't want to do this. Why can't T.J. just help me?"
"Because we need to make sure there's nothing wrong with your foreskin, buddy. I'll be right here with you the whole time and you'll be just fine."
"Easy for you to say, ain't your dick gonna get looked at."
"I promise, it'll be over before you know it." At that moment, the door opened and the doctor started to come in, then hesitated to say something to another person in the hall.
When the door finally closed and Andy saw the doctor for the first time, he started violently shaking his head and yelled, "Huh-uh, this ain't happenin'!"