Chapter Eight

Blowing Off Steam

"Hello, Logan."

The casual greeting hung ominously in the clammy air. Nico nudged me with his shoulder, encouraging me to say something, evidently as uncomfortable with the quiet as I was. I attempted to discern Parker's tone—not angry or even upset, but certainly something bitter.

"Well, you wanted us to come out here today, and here we are," I said. "Want to tell us why we're out here in this creepy park with no one around?" I asked to the back of his dark hoodie. "I'm sure your house is way cozier."

"And dry," Nico added, collecting sporadic raindrops in his open palm. "And why you gotta look like something out of a scary movie? Were you trying to freak us out?" He waggled a finger at him.

Parker remained silent, holding onto the swing, motionless except for the light brushing of his shoes against the sand below. Nico and I looked at each other with an exchange of raised eyebrows.

"So, I feel like you have some kind of problem with Nico and I being, uh, more than friends," I continued. "I'm really sorry if that bothers you, but, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to your parents."

As much as I wanted to mend things with Parker, my top priority was keeping my relationship with Nico completely secret. After all, if the wrong people found out, there was little chance I'd ever be able to talk to Parker again anyway. 

The slight kicking of his legs came to a halt, but he still refused to face us. I continued, "I mean, we're cousins, dude. I'll always be there for you. I hope you'd do the same for me."

Though I couldn't see it, I could tell his head drooped. Nico wandered over to him, and I followed.

"Want a lemon candy?" he asked him, taking the tin out of his pocket. He shook it, and circled around the swing set, coming up in front of Parker. "They're really good," he said, opening up the tin. "My friend got them from this—"

Parker swiped at him, knocking the tin to the ground. Little yellow dots spilled out, mingling with the sand.

Nico jerked his hand back, processing what had just occurred. "What the fuck is your problem?" he shrieked, stepping forward and pushing Parker. He was knocked by on the swing, but regained his balance and swung forward with his legs extended, colliding with Nico and kicking him back forcefully into the sand.

The whole affair took me by complete surprise, and I could only watch, horrified at what was going on. Nico jumped to his feet with his face twisted in a disturbing mix of adrenaline and rage, and let out a wail as he charged Parker, who held out his arms to protect himself. He pushed him hard, causing Parker to fall backwards and onto the ground with a thud. I must have been in shock, because when I tried opening my mouth, I found I couldn't speak, let alone move, as my heart rate continued to accelerate.

Nico flung himself onto Parker and grabbed him by the shoulders. He slammed him against the ground twice, sending sand flying, before Parker retaliated by grabbing onto Nico's hair and pulling. Nico screamed and punched the older boy in the upper chest, who pushed Nico off of him and stood up. He grabbed Nico up by the shirt, and flung him back down into the sand.

It all happened so fast. I wanted so badly to shout at them, to do anything, but my body refused to listen. Nico's face was flattened against the sand, but he didn't try to get up. Instead, his small body trembled in defeat on the ground. Parker was breathing heavily, his hood having fallen off, and pushed the straggly hair on his forehead to the side, before turning and walking away.

I finally snapped out of my shocked state, and ran over to Nico. As I approached him, I could hear small sobs, and a fury was ignited deep within me. I turned him over, finding his face half-covered in sand, with a small reddish mark under his eye, smeared with the poor boy's tears.

"Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling over him, and went to brush the sand off his face.

"No!" he shouted, and turned away to spit some of the sand out of his mouth.

I hugged him, nuzzling my face against his cheek, and pulled him to his feet. He stumbled before finding his balance, and turned to glare angrily at Parker, who was walking away without any concern.

"Sit down. On the swing," I commanded, before marching over to Parker.

He surely heard me approaching, but didn't react. I grabbed him by the shoulder, putting a stop to his escape.

"You can't fucking do that!" I yelled at him. He pulled out from my grip, and glanced briefly in my direction. Tears were streaming down his face, but his eyes were narrowed in anger, and he sniffled once before turning away and trying to push me away. I held onto him tightly.

"He started it," he sobbed, then turned to me. "But wow, yeah, of course you're gonna take his side. I thought I was your cousin, but apparently I'm just some loser to you, who matters less than some random douchey gay kid!" His words stung, not because they were true, but because it hurt to know that was how he was feeling inside. "Why don't you guys go home and fuck in his bed before the police come to put you in prison?!"

"Parker!" I yelled, and shook him by the shoulder. "Stop! Where is this coming from? You're my family! You mean the world to me. It's not fucking cool what you just did, but god damn it, do you really think I don't care about you?"

He didn't respond, instead wiping his tears onto his sleeve.

"You're not a loser, Parker." I stared into his eyes as if to affirm my belief.

"Yeah, sure. You don't have to pretend to like me anymore, you've only ever liked August, just like everyone else. I'm just his lame little kid brother you always got stuck with. Admit it."

"I won't admit it because it's not true. Don't you remember all the times we spent together? I barely know August. I always knew you, and I always thought you were way more fun to be around than him. Dude, even Nico loved spending time with you at the water park. Why do you have such a huge issue with him?"

He started crying, and I stepped forward to pull him into a hug. Spots of dampness dotted his hoodie from the drizzling rain. He resisted for only a moment before giving in. I patted him on the back as he went limp in my arms, shaking with each sob.

"I'm so fucking dumb," he said, muffled by the hoodie.

"Come on, let's talk about it, okay?"

He sniffled, and I held out a hand to him. He glanced up as he reluctantly took it, and I walked him over to where Nico was waiting on the swings.

"Go away!" Nico cried when he saw us, and reached down to grab a fistful of sand.

"Hey, hey, relax!" I said, holding my hands up. "It's fine, Nico." I nudged Parker. "Want to apologize?"

"Sorry. I guess."

I frowned. "And what about you Nico?"

"Thanks for giving me a black eye, dick," he said bitterly, and looked at me. "Can we leave?"

Parker sighed and stepped forward. "Look, I'm really sorry about spilling your mints. I was being stupid."

They stared at each other intensely, until Nico looked down at the ground. "They're not mints," he said quietly. "And... sorry for pushing you."

"It's okay. I was kinda being a douche." 

I went over behind Nico on the swing and rubbed his shoulders, then started pushing him on the swing. Parker came over and sat down in the adjacent one. The sky rumbled with distant thunder.

"So, why have you been so angry with us?" I asked Parker. "We just want to be your friends. Where's all the hostility coming from?"

He was quiet for a long time, then looked up into the dark sky. "It's just... it's not fair. Nothing's been fair."

I positioned myself behind the two so I could be pushing them both on the swings. "What do you mean?"

"Like, how Nico's a lot younger than me but he's had a relationship and I haven't."

I raised an eyebrow. Was he jealous of Nico? Was that the source of his passive-aggressiveness towards us? "Man, it's not a race. Trust me. I was your age once, I remember the pressure to get a girlfriend."

Parker sniffled. "And, he's like, so much better looking! He gets to go to the beach and tan all day while I'm stuck at home practicing all these fucking instruments that no one in my family even pretends to appreciate because it's always, 'Maybe some day you'll grow up to be like your brother'! I'm so sick of it! Why do you guys get to have the best summer of your lives, and my parents keep me trapped in the house?! I'm so fucking pale."

I nodded, even though he wasn't looking at me. "You're right, that sucks. I'm sorry your parents put that kind of pressure on you. I shouldn't say this, but it's ironic how much your parents are pushing you to work hard when they make all their money by selling paintings they couldn't have spent more than five minutes on."

He turned to me with recognition in his eyes. "Right? That's not 'abstract art'! It's just low effort trash!"

I chuckled. "I'm glad you get it, too." A small smile snuck its way past his grim mood. "You're a cool, talented kid. You deserve better. I really should have made a better effort to hang out with you. I definitely will next time I'm around."

He was beaming. "Thanks, Logan."

"And you're not ugly," Nico offered, still focused ahead.

"Yeah, bullshit," he scoffed.

"I'm serious. You're sorta cute, I think."

"Whatever. How come you've done so much stuff already and you're only twelve? I haven't even seen anyone naked before," he admitted, while looking down at the sand.

"Hey, Parker, don't be in a rush for the kinda stuff, man," I said. "You have so much time for that shit, especially in high school."

"But I don't even know if I like girls yet!" he exclaimed, waving his arms. "Everyone at school likes a girl or has a girlfriend, but they just seem kinda weird as ever to me. And someone I know has a boyfriend! Like, how the hell did he just magically know he wanted a boyfriend?"

"I know it's confusing," I said. "But you'll know when you know. It happens at a different time for everyone. It could be tomorrow, it could be in two years. I mean, I wasn't interested in girls until I was fourteen. And I wasn't interested in Nico until just a few weeks ago."

"Hey!" Nico complained. 

"R–really?" Parker asked.

"Yeah. Don't sweat it. It's pointless to compare yourself to other people. Just focus on your own life."

The light drizzle had turned to real rain, and it was picking up.

"Great, now I have to walk home in the rain," Parker moaned. "Just my luck!" 

"I can drive you home, don't worry," I assured him.

"Shotgun!" Nico yelled, hurling himself from the swing. Parker looked at me and rolled his eyes.

The three of us sprinted across the wet grass to the parking lot. Parker held his hood up, while I lifted my shirt above my head to protect my hair. Nico skipped along the grass in his vans without a care, and made sure to be the first to the car so he could secure his front seat. Parker scooted into the back, pulling his hoodie off. Underneath, he was wearing a light-gray, long-sleeve shirt with the original PlayStation logo on it.

"Awesome shirt!" I said.

"It's a hand-me-down," he lamented, biting his tongue.

The drive started off quiet, supplemented by the low rumble of the engine and the soft pattering of rain on the car. Nico leaned against the door, watching out the window, and Parker stared at the ceiling with his hands in his lap until he got bored and looked around the seats.

"What the hell?" he squeaked in his early teenage voice, breaking the silence. "Is this a dildo?"

Nico turned around, curious, and giggled when he saw what Parker was holding. I glanced in the rear-view mirror to find Parker holding the empty massager box.

Alarmed, I reached back and held out my hand. "Give it to me," I demanded.

He ignored my request, sticking a hand into the box and feeling around. There was a crumpling sound as he pulled out the paper slip with the gift's note. His eyes widened as he read it.

"It's a gift Logan got for me because he's going back to college," Nico explained. "We can still have fun, even when he's gone."

"'Prostate massager'," Parker read on the box. "So, it like, massages your intestines? Weird."

Nico chuckled and shook his head. "Do you even know what a prostate is?"

"Shut up, I'm not gay like you," Parker snapped, turning the box over, and then reached inside again. "There's nothing in here," he said.

Nico leaned over the center console. "That's because I'm using it," he said cheekily.

"Wait, what?!" Parked stared at him in disbelief, looked at the box again, then back to Nico. "This thing's in your butt?"

"Yeah," Nico replied casually. "And on my dick."

Parker glared at him. "You're a weirdo," he said, then went back to studying the box. "It has an app?"

Nico grabbed my phone that I had unceremoniously placed in an empty cup holder. "Six, four, two, six." Parker cocked an eye at him. Nico fiddled with the phone briefly before his toy began buzzing, emitting its familiar hum, and looked back over the seat. "See?" he said, showing him the screen.

"That's so weird! It's a vibrator?" Parker asked. Nico frowned and turned it off.

"So, why are you always asking Nico about what we do together alone?" I asked, genuinely curious what intrigued him so much. Maybe simple curiosity? Or was he just comparing himself to Nico?

Parker blushed in the rear-view mirror. "I'm not."

"Yeah, you are!" Nico said, calling him out. "You asked how many blowjobs I've had like two days ago." He turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "Three times," he whispered with a smirk, and I pushed him back into his seat.

"Okay, fine," Parker said. "I just feel weird that he's had a blowjob and stuff and I haven't and I kinda wanted to know..." he trailed off. "I dunno."

"They're... nice, but you shouldn't feel like you're missing out," I told him, trying to downplay it to cheer him up.

"Are you kidding me?" Nico exclaimed, slapping his hands on his knees, and pulled himself up to face Parker. "It's literally the best feeling I've ever had. It's like eating one-hundred ice creams at the same time, except without the brain freeze." He smiled at his metaphor. "Oh, it's also not cold. Really warm, actually," he clarified.

I gave Nico a dirty glare, and saw Parker staring out the window, clasping his pant legs. "Anyone hungry?" I asked.

"Can I get a coke?" Nico asked the waiter, but mostly me.

"No. That has caffeine," I said.

"What about root beer?" 

"I... I don't know," I stammered.

"It doesn't," the waiter assured me.

"Then a root beer, please," Nico said, and smiled sweetly as the waiter wrote it down and left.

Though Parker's house wasn't far from the park, I thought it would be nice to stop at a diner on the way back. Things were going pretty well, and I wanted to capitalize on that and spend a little more time with my cousin before I left.

"Does that hurt?" I asked Nico, gesturing under my eye. He was rubbing his temples. The area just below his right eye was darkened, but only slightly.

"No," he said. "It's just the bright lights here are killing me."

"Sure? We can get an ice pack on the way to the cabin," I offered.

"I'm fine."

"Cabin?" Parker inquired, leaning forward in his booth seat. 

"We, well, decided we didn't want to drive all the way back tonight—" I started.

"It's this really awesome cabin out in the woods," Nico interrupted. "Logan says it's really fancy and stuff."

"Whoa, cool!" Parker exclaimed. "Can I see?"

"I dunno, it's not far exactly, but I don't really want to drive there, then to your house, then back. It's already getting late. We can video chat you there?" I offered.

"Can I spend the night with you guys, then?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. It's not that I didn't want Parker to go with us, but more that I was excited to have more alone time with Nico. "Um, I don't know, we kinda had these plans..."

Parker furrowed his eyebrows, looking more sad than angry. I felt awful. After he'd poured his heart out about me wanting to spend more time with Nico than him, I knew I couldn't do that to him. I also felt guilty that I even wanted to reject him initially.

"You know what, sure, I owe it to you. We'll have a nice time."

His expression quickly brightened. "Really? Yes!" he shouted. "Hell yeah! Ahhh! I'm excited!" He rubbed his palms together.

"But you'll have to make sure it's fine with your parents. I don't want them pissed at me for kidnapping you."

"Uh, but Logan, I thought we were gonna do sex stuff," Nico said, with slight disappointment in his voice. I shared his dismay, but I still felt it was the right thing to do. Still, I slid my hand over to his in our shared seat and gave it a squeeze, and he squeezed back. 

"It's fine. I won't look," Parker said, still giddy from my invitation.

The waiter came back with our drinks. After ordering some food, we got to chatting about random stuff. Parker seemed much more upbeat than earlier, happily sipping his hot tea.

"You know, Parker, it was pretty upsetting getting those texts from you," I said. "I thought you hated me, or something."

He put his hand on the back of his neck. "I know. Sorry. I just was feeling really lame for a long time." He sighed. "The only fun thing I did over the summer was go to the water park with you guys. But even then, it felt like you didn't want me around. You just wanted to be with him."

"That's not true! I loved spending time with you. At least, when you guys weren't fighting. Remember that huge slide you went down?"

He smiled, but it quickly wavered. "I've had to do two piano and two violin lessons every week. Every week! And my parents want me to be practicing between lessons. I hate it."

"If you don't like doing it, then why are you?" Nico asked, and took a gulp of root beer.

"What else would I do?" Parker replied. "My parents want me to be able to make a living right when I turn eighteen and not have to go to college. I'm not good at anything else. This is all I've ever done."

"Well, if you're doing it only for them, you're not going to be happy, especially after you're no longer living with them," I told him. "You have to want it. Do you want it?"

"I don't know. Everything's so confusing right now."

"What would you do if you didn't have to practice all the time?" Nico asked him.

"I don't know!" He buried his head in his hands. "Maybe, like, video games. I've never really played them besides at my friends' houses, and they're really fun! But my parents won't let me have games on my phone."

"Did you ever play Minecraft?" Nico asked, sitting up.

"Yeah. But I asked my dad if he'd get it for me, and he said it was a waste of time."

"If I were you, I'd punch your dad," Nico said. "Or my dad. Which would be your dad because I'm you. Wait. I'm confused," he said and rubbed his eyes.

"I could get it for you," I suggested to Parker.

"Really?" He looked at me in disbelief.

"Yeah, sure. As long as your parents never find out." He gave me a big smile. "Consider it a treaty. I'll get you the game, just promise you'll never tell anyone about Nico and me."

"Hah, deal!" he said, and stuck his hand out to shake. We shook. "Thanks, Logan. I'm sorry I've been so... weird. I've been feeling blue, since I heard that you and Nico were doing fun stuff. Like, how come he's happy, and I'm not? It felt so unfair."

"It can be hard to have overbearing parents like that," I said. "I had a friend in middle school who wasn't allowed to watch TV, or do anything really. He would always come over to my house just so he could have a little fun in his life. I was surprised his parents even let him come over."

"My friend at school had his phone taken away for a whole week at summer camp!" Nico said. "I don't know how he lived. I would have died!"

"I think you should tell your parents you don't enjoy playing instruments. Tell them, maybe, you want to try something else for a little while. Something that's more you."

"But what is more me? If I'm not playing instruments, then I don't even know who I am! What I like... I don't even know who I like!"

"You've only just become a teenager. You have so much time to figure it all out. Nico's just a lucky kid to have figured out things so early in his life. It's definitely unusual."

Nico was chugging some root beer, and set his glass down. "Yep, I love dick," he said, and we all shared a laugh.

We shared stories while waiting for the food to come. Parker detailed his private school experience with us, while Nico told the story of the time his History teacher tripped on a backpack and fell over.

The waiter came with our food. Since Nico and I had recently eaten, we only got sides: a small salad for myself, and sauteed vegetables for him. When the waiter set down Parker's chocolate chip pancakes, Nico's eyes fixated on them and his mouth dropped open.

"I wish I was hungry enough to steal your pancakes," Nico told him.

Parker stuck his tongue out and grabbed a piece of bacon from his plate, waving it in front of Nico. "Doesn't this smell amazing?" He stabbed it in his face, and Nico swatted it away.

"Quit it!" Nico cried. Parker continued to taunt him with the bacon, and I couldn't resist chuckling at his expense. Nico reached into his shorts, then stuck his fingers across the table into Parker's face. "How do deez nuts smell?"

Parker yelped and dove down in the seat, giggling. "Gross!"

Nico laughed and dove under the table as well to continue his assault. I looked around, privately hoping we weren't making too much of a scene.

It had mostly stopped raining when we got to the diner, but as we were leaving, we found ourselves caught in another downpour, and rushed to the car. The drive to the cabin was only twenty minutes, but before we started it, I had Parker make sure coming along with us was fine with his parents.

"Dad?" he asked on the phone. "Yeah, hey. I'm fine. Logan and Nico are staying around here in this awesome cabin tonight and I was wondering if I could spend the night with them?" Pause. "He's the kid who went with mom and I to Raging Rivers." Pause. "I'm with them right now, they picked me up and we had dinner." Pause. "Please dad, I haven't gone to a sleepover in like two years!" Pause. "We can get that on the way!"

I made a motion of taking the phone from him, and he understood. 

"Logan wants to talk to you, okay?" he said, and handed the phone to me.

I explained the situation to his dad, and promised I could handle getting him a toothbrush from a store. With my assurance, he finally agreed, and I gave the phone back to Parker.

Staying true to my word, I took us to the nearest supermarket to pick up a toothbrush for Parker. Inside, the bright fluorescent lighting was an uncomfortable adjustment from the darkness of the evening. I let Parker pick out a travel-size toothbrush, and we made our way to the checkout. Nico disappeared from my sight, then reappeared with a new tin of the lemon candies he had earlier; same brand and all. He looked up at me with pleading eyes, and I gave him a small nod.

"Jeez Logan, you must be making craploads of money at the toy store!" Parker said.

"What do you mean?" I said, setting the two incredibly inexpensive items on the conveyor belt.

"Well, you got us both dinner, a place to stay tonight, you said you'd get me Minecraft, and now you're buying us this stuff, too!"

The male cashier looked up at me with what I felt was suspicion. "Well of course, anything for my cousin!" I said, taking sneaky glances at the cashier. "Besides, I've just been living at home, so I got to save up a lot over the summer."

"Logan said he turned down a super good job offer from his brother," Nico informed him.

Parker's eyes went wide. "You talked to Charlie?"

"Yeah, on the phone."

"And he offered you a job?"

I noticed the cashier tapping his fingers, waiting for me to pay for our stuff, and quickly did so. "Sort of, he just said he could get me a job once I got out of college. But I have the toy store, so why bother?"

We got back to the car and began the short drive to the cabin. Within five minutes, we'd turned off the main road, and were headed down a long, dirt path surrounded by endless trees and a distinct lack of any lights. I was using my phone to navigate us, and hoped there would be enough service to get us all the way.

"Are there animals out here?" Nico asked, staring out the window.

"Are there animals here, in the forest?" I repeated, and he nodded. "Yeah, there are animals."

"Like, what kinds?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Um, all of 'em."

"All the animals?"

"Yeah."

"Like, elephants?"

I regarded him with bewilderment. "Yeah, sure."

A light snoring arose from the backseat, and I glanced back to find Parker snoozing with his head tilted against the door. I pointed him out to Nico who snickered in response. He must have been exhausted after their fight, and then his big pancake dinner.

Nico crawled over onto my seat, sprawling himself across the entire front of the car, bending his legs.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Were you not wearing a seatbelt?"

"I wanna try something... just 'cause I don't know if we'll get another chance," he whispered.

I looked back, and confirmed that Parker was definitely out. Nico reached over to my fly and unzipped it.

"Seriously?" I said, pushing his hand away. "No, Nico, we're almost to the cabin."

"Then let's do it all the way there. I want to! Come on, I want to!" he whispered in his seductive, raspy voice.

I relented. "Fine. Just, easy, alright?"

He grinned, and reached into my fly, taking out my floppy but rapidly hardening dick.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

"Don't worry, my mouth is super warm." He licked his lips.

We shouldn't be doing this, I thought, but almost powerlessly allowed him to continue. He slid his tongue along the side of my shaft, then popped the whole head into his mouth. I stifled a moan. It was very warm in his mouth, he was right about that. Parker's soft snoring continued, and so I slipped a hand into Nico’s golden hair, stroking the back of his head.

He sat up to readjust, and flicked his hair off of his forehead before diving back into my lap, suckling on my cock. I looked down and saw him peering up at me, possibly gauging his performance. He looked so cute and eager to please, yet so dirty with his lips wrapped happily around me. Bobbing up and down, a quiet moan slipped out of him as he got more into what he was doing.

He slid a hand towards the cupholder, grabbing onto my phone as he shifted his eyes to it. I knew what he wanted, and the thought was so hot that my penis throbbed in the cozy confines of his mouth. Not many seconds later, the quiet, constant buzzing of his toy rumbled to life, adding another track on top of the car's lively hum, the rain, Parker's snoring, and Nico's irregular slurping. His eyelids fluttered, and his suction increased.

I felt overwhelmed, and gripped the steering wheel with both hands, trying to stay focused on the long, straight road ahead, lit only by the headlights. He was humping his midsection now, grinding against whatever was below him in pursuit of increased stimulation, continuing to bob up and down on my dick. While we continued down the dark road, I slowed the car's speed just a little to focus more attention on Nico's fantastic blowjob.

Ultimately, it proved to be too distracting. Not even a minute later, there was a loud thud, and the car jolted, causing Nico to unintentionally bite down. I cried out as the sharp pain hit, and threw my hands off the steering wheel to shove him away. There was another thud, and the car veered to the left. Quickly, I grabbed the wheel and spun it to the right, unfortunately overcorrecting and sending the car barrelling off the right side of the road.

Parker awoke with a confused, fearful holler, adding to the chaos. Terrified, I slammed my foot on the break as hard as I could. The car slowed, but not enough to avoid the large tree ahead. My eyes slammed shut as I helplessly braced for impact, and there was a sharp bang as the car hit the tree. 

It was like time froze, completely quiet, and I cautiously opened my eyes. The airbags had not deployed, and I turned to see Nico clutching his seatbelt, his expression a mix of confusion and fear. I looked at the windshield, seemingly undamaged by the collision. The front of the car was pressed up against the tree.

"Everyone okay?" I asked. Nico was tucked into the corner, shivering, but Parker gave an affirmative answer.

I shoved my dick back into my pants and shoved the door open, stepping out into the rain to inspect the damage. The hood and bumper were dented, and some of the silver paint was chipped off, but overall, the condition was not too bad. I walked around, checking to see if there was any more damage.

"What the fuck?" Parker's voice came from inside the car. He opened the door and stepped out. "You hit a tree?"

"Go back in the car, Parker."

He reluctantly shuffled back inside as I circled the car, finding no further damage. I must have hit the brakes just in time to avoid any real destruction. Wiping the sweat and rain from my forehead, I walked over to the passenger side door and saw Nico curled up inside. I opened the door, and found him lightly sobbing, clutching his head in his hands.

"You alright?" I asked, holding a hand out, worried.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, throwing his arms around me. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay," I said, patting his back. "That's why I said we shouldn't do that."

"Do what?" Parker asked, leaning forward.

"I know, I'm so sorry," Nico sniffled. "I'll listen better from now on. Is the car okay?"

"Do what?"

"The car's... fine," I said to Nico.

"Should we call the cops?" Parker asked.

"No. We're okay. The car's okay. It's no big deal." I delicately peeled Nico off of me, and he fell back into the passenger seat.

"What happened?" Parker asked.

"We hit a tree, okay Parker?" I snapped. He and Nico looked at each other, and I closed Nico's door to give myself space.

Truthfully, I was a little annoyed with myself, and embarrassed. I knew I shouldn't have been furious with Nico, for I was just as responsible as he was. Even if I was reluctant, I still let him pressure me. The evening had been a complete rollercoaster of emotions, and I just wanted to get us to the cabin so we could enjoy the rest of the night.

I got back into the car, which was still on, and put it in reverse. Holding my breath, I pressed down on the gas, and the car backed up without issue. I let out a sigh of relief, and backed us onto the road. Parker was nervously inspecting the tree we hit, while Nico had taken my phone to turn off his toy. Back in drive, I resumed our trek through the forest.

After a few minutes of silent driving, Nico asked, "Can I put on music?"

"Alright," I said.

Parker grabbed and leaned over Nico's seat. "It has to be good music though. If you play Ariana Grande, I'm going to rip your face off."

Nico smiled. "I can play whatever I want 'cause I'm up front." Parker gracefully swiped my phone from Nico and retreated. "Hey!"

"Looks like I'm the DJ tonight," Parker said smugly, and gave Nico's seat a weak kick.

Nico unbuckled his seatbelt, but froze when I gave him a serious glare, and buckled himself back in. "Sorry," he said, then turned to Parker. "Can I have the phone back please? You don't even know the code."

"Six, four, two, six," Parker said mockingly, accompanied by the click of the phone unlocking.

"It looks so warm!" Nico said as we got out of the car.

He was right. The cabin's welcoming, warm glow was drawing us in like moths to a flame. It sat in a large clearing, with nothing else around but scattered trees, dirt, and pine needles. The cool air smelled clean, tinged with a lovely pine scent. I was eager to get inside and see what the rental had to offer us, and we shuffled onto the small wooden patio that reminded me of Nico's house.

The door had a keypad, and I inputted the code I had received from the owner. It unlocked, and I opened the door wide for the boys who scrambled in front of me with curious looks on their faces.

"Dude!" Parker exclaimed, looking around frantically. "How much did this cost?"

"It wasn't so bad for one night," I said, following them into the large, open living area, with cedar flooring and a roaring cobblestone fireplace in front of the large, comfy-looking sectional sofa that was decorated with exotic, expensive-looking fur blankets. Beside it was a long wooden dining table, lit from above by hanging globe lights.

Nico wandered into the kitchen area, pretty standard and modern. "Awww, we should have brought food to cook!"

"You're still thinking about food?" I asked him, holding my stomach and gagging, and he giggled.

"Yep, those pancakes made me hungry. Even if the chocolate chips were probably milk chocolate," he said, making a disgusted face.

"They were sooo good," Parker said, clasping his hands together in remembrance.

I checked the fridge to find it empty, unsurprisingly. When I came back into the main room, the two were huddled around a hunting rifle mounted on the wall beside the sofa.

"Is it real, you think?" Nico asked Parker in a soft whisper.

"It's gotta be! Why else would they put it up like that?" he replied.

"Maybe it's fake and for decoration?" Nico asked. "That's kinda dangerous if it's real."

"Maybe you're dumb. Logan!" Parker said, whirling around.

"Huh?"

"Can we go hunting with the gun?" He grinned mischievously. 

"You're evil!" Nico gasped.

I looked at the gun mounted on the wall and shook my head. "No, Parker."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"For... a myriad of reasons. There's plenty to do here, and we're not going hunting with a gun we are definitely not allowed or have the training to use."

"What is there to do, then?" he asked, plopping himself on the sofa.

"Catch!" Nico shouted.

Parker sat up, startled, and barely caught the football Nico threw at him, almost stumbling off the sofa. Nico peered over at me, seeking approval. I didn't want to be a bummer, so nodded at him, granting permission.

"Just don't break anything," I said to them.

Parker got up from the sofa and threw the ball back to Nico, who grabbed at it, knocking it upwards, then managed to catch it on the way down. "We won't!" Parker said.

I smiled, then was promptly hit in the head by the ball, which fell to the floor and rolled underneath the sofa.

"Oops," Nico said, wincing, and I rolled my eyes at them as Nico crawled under to retrieve it.

I walked around the cabin and discovered a ladder that led to a dusty attic, and another hallway which contained a large bathroom, as well as the bedroom. There was a terrace out in the back, complete with two carved wooden chairs that overlooked the sprawling four-acre backyard. If Parker wasn't with us, I was certain we would have spent some romantic time laying out there. There was also an outdoor covering that loomed over a foosball table. I was certain the boys would be interested in that. A loud, metal clang came from inside.

"Logan, we knocked over something," Nico said timidly as I closed the sliding glass door.

"We?" Parker shouted. "You threw it!"

There was an old-school kettle that was on the ground, with the lid lying near it. Fortunately, it didn't look like it had anything to spill.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "There's a foosball table outside, if you guys are interested."

Parker grinned. "Oh, hell yeah!" He pumped a fist in the air.

"What's that?" Nico asked me while we watched Parker dash outside.

My phone rang in my pocket. "A game. You'll like it. C'mon, I'll be out in a second," I said, ushering him out the door, then retreated back into the living area and fished out my phone to discover my brother calling.

"Hey, Charlie," I said.

"Logan! Happy Friday!"

"Happy Friday to you too. What's up?"

"Have some news. Talked with some of the higher-ups at work, and they'd be happy to hire you on my recommendation."

"I haven't exactly said yes."

"I know, but I wanted you to know that it's a yes if you're a yes. Have you thought any more about it?"

"Yeah. I don't know, Charlie. I think I have a destiny. And it's here."

"Come on, Logan. All it takes is a year of some special schooling. Not even. And then you're set with a great job and all these benefits, and most importantly, stability. In a place that's not going to be underwater in a few years." I laughed. "Why do you want Mom to be dictating your life?" he went on. "You can make your own decisions now. You can be free."

"Very dramatic."

"You know I'm right."

"Listen, I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm going to have to pass. At least for now. You probably don't want to hear it, but I'm happy working at the toy store."

"Suit yourself. Again, it's an open offer."

I heard Parker cheering outside. "I have to go," I said. "I'll talk to you again soon, though."

"Alright. Bye, then."

"See ya."

I hung up, and made my way outside to the terrace. They both turned when they heard the sliding glass door open.

"Logan!" Parker exclaimed with a grin. "I'm kicking his butt! Guess what the score is?"

"It's not fair," Nico said, shoulders slumped. "I've never played this before."

"Aren't you guys cold out here?" I asked them.

"I come from the land of snow," Nico said. "If anything, it's too hot!"

"How about I play Parker? Since we're both kinda experienced." I took Nico's place at the table.

"Alright. I'll be ref!" Nico said excitedly.

"You don't need a ref for this," Parker said to him, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you do. And for that outburst, Logan gets a point. One to zero! I don't want to hear another peep out of you," Nico said with an authoritative tone.

Parker pushed one of the rods on the foosball table so it jabbed into Nico's belly.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"Get back inside before I beat you up."

"You couldn't take me. I'd kick your nuts so hard you'd fly into space."

"I'd kick you in the nuts but you probably don't have any. You're too scrawny and girlish. You've probably never been in a fight in your life," Parker said, flexing his arms with a triumphant smile.

"Have too!"

"Alright, let's just start this," I said, interrupting their spat as I placed the ball in the hole.

We played a couple rounds, and Parker turned out to be an awfully competent opponent. We were both getting pretty into it, complete with friendly banter, when the rain started back up. When I started to get goosebumps on my arms, I decided it was time to head back inside.

"Let's go in, it's getting cold," I said to them both.

"You're just saying that because you're losing," Parker accused, eyes focused on the game.

"Fine, you win this one," I said, letting go of the poles. "I surrender."

Back inside, Parker was eager to find more stuff for us to do, and found a deck of cards under the coffee table. When he proposed it to us, Nico was already lying on his back on the sofa, preoccupied with his phone.

"Really?" Parker said, hovering over him. "Bored of us already?"

"Let's play Minecraft!" Nico said, pulling his socks off with his unoccupied hand. "Logan's gonna get it for you!"

"Oh yeah," he said, remembering my promise.

So, I purchased the game on his phone, and we all settled into the sofa. Nico explained how to play together, and soon enough we were preoccupied, building and surviving as a group. Parker was huddled into a ball with his knees up one on end of the sofa, while I sat with my feet up on the coffee table. Nico remained laying down along the length of the sofa, resting his head on my stomach. It was very comfortable, especially with the warm fire going only a few feet away.

Every once in a while I would spot Parker peeking over at us, averting his eyes back to his screen when he noticed me looking. Nico was completely absorbed in the game, rattling off directions without even looking up. It wasn't until he started absentmindedly poking his feet against Parker's shirt that something finally pulled Parker out of his concentration.

"Quit touching me!" Parker whined, pulling himself closer to the edge of the sofa.

Nico looked up, and grinned evilly when he realized he'd discovered a new way to annoy Parker. He started jabbing at him again with his toes, this time with purpose.

"Fuck off!" Parker shouted. Nico set his phone down and lifted his feet, putting them closer to Parker's face. "Gross!" he said, and swatted at Nico's legs, producing a slapping sound. "Logan!" he complained.

Nico was laughing, and continued kicking at him. I was useless to help Parker, absorbed in the sight of Nico's smooth thighs that had become visible as his kicking naturally slid the shorts up his legs. Parker got sick of Nico's taunting, and got up to pick Nico up and throw him onto the soft sofa. Nico let out a high-pitched laugh, and Parker cracked a smile as well.

"Now you're gonna get it!" Parker insisted, picking up a sofa cushion and smacking a cowering Nico on the back. I got up from the sofa, distancing myself from the combat. They play-wrestled on the sofa, and I welcomed the disruption as I was actually dying to take a piss.

"Bathroom," I said to the tangle of limbs as I set my phone down and headed away.

"Ahhh! Your robot leg hit my ribs!" I heard Nico squeal as I entered the hallway.

I stepped up to the toilet and breathed a sigh of relief, emptying my bladder while shrieks continued to emanate from the other room. While washing my hands, I looked in the mirror and spotted a panel near the shower on the wall. Upon further investigation, I found it was for a steam shower, something I had only seen before on the internet, and smiled in surprise. That was never mentioned on the AirBNB page.

Back in the main room, an exhausted Nico was straddling Parker, who was tucked into a corner of the sofa. They were panting, and Nico was reaching for Parker's face.

"Give it!" cried Nico. Parker just laughed at him, holding something over his head.

I ignored their struggle and asked, "Hey, did you guys see there's a steam shower? I don't think I even read about—"

"Gah! Logan!" Nico shouted. "He turned on my toy and won't give me back your phone!"

"He was making the funniest faces!" Parker said to me, giggling. "Now get off, it's vibrating on my chest!" He wriggled underneath Nico, but could not push the boy off of him.

"What happened to me being scrawny?" Nico asked, reaching again for my phone.

"Come on, Nico," I said, taking him by the arm and pulling him off, then held out my hand to Parker who reluctantly placed my phone in it.

"Thank you!" Nico said to me, exasperated. I shut off the toy, and Nico breathed a sigh of relief.

Parker giggled as laid down on the sofa. "It's like a shock collar. You can use it when he's being bad!" He turned to me. "You underestimate how much power that gives you!"

"I think the point is to use it when he wants to be bad," I said.

Nico collapsed on the other side of the sofa. "You're lucky I didn't cum like earlier. It would have gone all over you."

Parker closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Bleh! Bleh bleh bleh, you're sick!"

"No, you're sick!" Nico retorted, tossing a pillow at him.

Parker deflected it and sat up. "Wait. You said there was a steam shower?" he asked me.

"What's that?" Nico said, propping himself up.

"So uncultured," Parker said to me, frowning. "I call dibs!"

"No way, I'm going first!" Nico quickly got up from the sofa and started towards the bathroom.

Parker stuck his hand out, blocking him. "You don't even know what it is, so you won't even know how it works."

"Tell him I get to go first," Nico said to me, and attempted to push past Parker, who held firmly.

I sighed. "You guys can work it out. Rock paper scissors or something."

They glared at each other. "Fine," said Nico, growling.

"On scissors, or go?" Parker asked to no one in particular.

"Go," Nico replied. The two faced each other in the center of the room, fists resting on palms.

"Rock, paper, scissors, go!" they chanted. Parker went with scissors, while Nico went with paper.

"Ha!" Parker beamed, and started towards the bathroom.

Nico stood in place, pouting his lips. "Lame! We can go in together, right?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

"But it would be fun to go with Parker too. And it would save water. Or electricity, or steam, or whatever."

"Why you wanna shower with me, weirdo?" Parker asked. He was still standing in the doorway to the hall.

"We should all go in together!" Nico suggested, and looked up at me. "Right, Logan?"

"Um, I don't think so. I'm not sure Parker wants that," I said, looking over at him.

"I dunno," he said in a quieter tone than usual. "Like, I guess maybe if you guys want to, I don't care."

I was reluctant. "It's a steam shower, Nico. That means it's private, like a regular shower."

"So?" Nico said. "We've taken a shower together before!"

Parker remained in the same spot, looking around the room, pretending to be preoccupied while we talked it over. Nico cupped his hands and mouthed to me, "Please."

Parker and I looked at each other. "Well, what do you think?" I asked him.

He hesitated for a moment. "Whatever," he answered, and cleared his throat, looking away again.

"Okay, let's go then," I said warily, escorting Nico forward.

The bathroom was similar to the rest of the cabin, with wooden walls that seemed to glow in the dim, warm lighting. Immediately to the left of the door was the toilet and sink, and the shower was essentially a big glass cube tucked into the back right-hand corner. Parker investigated the steam shower panel while Nico gave me a reassuring smile.

I was the first to undress, stripping down to my boxer briefs, and setting the heap of clothing onto the bathroom vanity. Nico decided it was an appropriate time to pee, pulling down the front of his shorts and standing over the toilet as Parker pretended not to notice, working to turn on the steam.

"What's it looking like?" I asked, walking up to him and feeling immediately self-conscious about my state of undress. He showed me the simple controls and turned on the power. A steady stream of steam began pouring out of a small circular vent inside the shower.

Parker went over to Nico, who had just flushed the toilet. "Scooch," he said, bumping Nico away with his hip, then lowered the toilet lid and sat down and began removing his shoes.

Nico was staring unashamedly in fascination at his prosthetic foot, and noticed me watching him. "It's like those fake guys at the mall, you know, when you're buying clothes," he explained to me.

Parker raised his foot and gave Nico a friendly kick. "Shut up, Ni-co-las."

"That's not my name!"

Parker pulled down his jeans. His thighs were ivory white like I remembered from the water park. He had no tan line at all, only pale skin as far as I could see. His oversaturated blue boxer briefs fit snugly to his body, much the way mine did.

Nico sat down on a small rug to lift his shirt over his head. Of course I had to watch, and quickly I felt an erection coming, and decided to hop into the shower to avoid any weirdness. It was like walking into another world; the steam had mostly filled up the cube, and after stepping inside it became hard to see much at all.

I heard Nico yelp, and pushed my head close to the glass to see what was going on. Parker had taken off his leg, and swung it at Nico who ducked out of the way. I chuckled, and went to sit down on the long bench at the back of the shower.

"You can take it off?" Nico exclaimed, astonished. I could barely hear them through the sound of the emitting steam, plus the heavy reverb of the glass shower.

"You're so dumb," Parker responded.

"It's really cool!"

"No, it's stupid. I hate it."

"What, why?" I asked, my voice thick with reverb. "You loved that thing when you got it!"

"Yeah, it's sweet, it's like Iron Man!" Nico said, noting the red and gold color scheme.

"Because it's weird."

"It's not weird. It's cool. It's unique."

I smiled to myself. Wonderful Nico. Parker's reply never came, and I hoped he was taking in Nico's comment. At least until I heard Parker start laughing.

"You're still bald! And tiny!" he giggled.

I peered through the fog to find Parker shirtless, and Nico lying naked on the rug, just then remembering he didn't have underwear. His hooded penis dangled limply as he tugged his shorts the rest of the way down his legs, and flung them at Parker.

"Shut up!" he said. "It's actually kind of big for my age."

Like Nico, Parker was pretty skinny with no sign of lingering baby fat, but lacked even the minor amount of muscle tone that Nico possessed. He stepped over Nico on the rug, and came into the shower, sitting down next to me on the bench.

"Ahhh," he sighed, leaning back against the wall. "This is sick!"

The door opened again and Nico stepped in. It was hard to make out his form through the thick steam, but the completely tan silhouette confirmed he decided to join us naked. Parker shifted uncomfortably when Nico decided to sit on the ground in front of him and stare at his missing limb.

"Why don't you go somewhere else," Parker said, slowly pushing Nico away with his other foot, who crawled back forwards on his hands

"It looks like you have a knee, and that's it," Nico said, and reached his hand out. "Can I feel it?"

Parker pulled away and tilted his head. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because it looks cool!"

Parker considered his request. "Fine. Whatever."

Nico promptly got on his knees in front of Parker and began feeling the stump with both hands. "Whoa, it's weird, but cool." He tapped it, making a soft slapping sound. "What does it feel like for you?"

Parker pulled his stump away and adjusted his sitting position. "Like you're touching it, dumbass."

His response sent Nico cackling, falling backwards onto his butt and holding his belly as he laughed. Parker eyed him, and his gaze shifted down.

"What's wrong with your dick?" Parker asked him, then looked away.

Nico looked down between his legs. "Oh, this is part of the toy," he explained, lifting the limp noodle to expose the small black bullet that was strapped on.

"No... like, the end. It's all... weird looking," Parker said, picking at his fingernails.

"My foreskin?" Nico asked. He fondled the loose bit of skin at the end of his penis while Parker watched with disguised fascination. "Mom said it's stupid that most parents want to get rid of it, but I think it looks kinda cool without it, too."

He loosened the band on the bullet and slipped it off his shaft, disrobing his dick in front of us. We were all sweating now, and I had a feeling it was because of more than the heat. A bead of sweat (or maybe just water) trickled down Nico's chest. Carefully, he used three fingers to slide down the skin of his penis, uncovering the sensitive purple tip that was normally partially covered.

Parker had given up trying to act disinterested, and was now nakedly staring at Nico's penis, completely captivated by its wonders. "Wow, it's purple," he muttered, voice shaky.

Nico's body was once again taking effect on me, and I felt my cock getting hard inside my underwear. Uncomfortable with what was going on, I turned my body away from the boys. I was supposed to be more responsible than this. Before I could bring myself to tell Nico to cut it out, he slid his foreskin back into place, then laid down on his back on the shower floor with his head by my feet. I breathed a sigh of relief.

We enjoyed the refreshing steam in silence for a while. Nico hummed to himself on the ground, and I could feel his hair occasionally brushing up against my feet and legs. I knew we were all thinking about what just occurred, and Parker looked lost in thought, staring blankly to the side.

"This is great," I said, interrupting the silence. "Just what I needed after this long day."

"I didn't think it would be this hot," Parker said, wiping the moisture from his face. "It's like a hot tub, but without water."

"It feels so good," Nico murmured. "I'm sweating. Or is it the steam? I can't even see anything."

"I can see you have a boner," Parker teased, motivating me to look down. Nico's moistened erection pointed straight towards his head, hovering barely over his stomach.

"Yep, but I always have a boner," he said, sitting up. "I can see you have a boner." He pointed at it with a sly grin.

"I don't!" Parker retorted, but twisted his body away.

"Uh huh, you do. I saw it. We all have boners, you can't hide it."

My erection was pressing up against my boxer briefs, creating a huge lump. I had accepted it, and was just hoping no one would notice through the steam.

"Well, it just does that randomly," Parker said.

Nico didn't press the issue further, and we sunk back into more silence until Nico rolled over onto his stomach. The base of his toy was on clear display, jutting out of his crack.

"Damn!" Parker said. "That thing's really all the way in your ass?"

Nico turned his head so he was facing us. "Yep," he said with a proud smirk. "It's rubbing against my prostate."

Parker cocked an eyebrow. "Does that hurt?"

"Nope, it feels really good," Nico replied, tapping it twice.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. That's why I have a boner right now. Have you never felt your prostate before?"

"I thought that was a doctor thing."

"Well, apparently you're dumb, so—"

A loud slap echoed through the shower when Parker interrupted him by smacking his foot against Nico's buttcheek.

"Ah!" Nico moaned, then giggled. "That feels funny!"

Parker smacked him again, but this time his moan was unmistakably sexual. He put his hands on the ground to support himself and thrust against the floor.

"Whoa," he said, letting out a loud breath. "The floor's really slippery." He thrust again, cheeks flushing crimson. "That feels really good."

"Nico..." I warned, but his humping persisted.

As he rubbed against the floor, his soft breaths rose steadily in volume. I found I could do little but watch, and Parker was just as mesmerized as I was. Nico humped the floor for about a minute before flipping over onto his back. His little boner was pink from being rubbed, and throbbing, coated in a sheen of moisture. His hands delicately hovered around it, desperate to touch himself, face contorted in desperation. He looked and saw Parker and I staring at him.

"Can't help it... gotta do it... everything's so hot and slippery," he said, and looked back down at his pounding erection. He gripped it with several fingers and started masturbating, far past the point of being able to contain his urgency. The tip slipped in and out of exposure, and an erotic moan escaped him, delighted to finally submit to his urges.

My cock was pulsing in my underwear at the sight of something so erotic, of Nico shamelessly giving into his desires. Even Parker was having quite the reaction, no longer trying to hide his boner but instead rubbing it through his underwear.

Nico drew his feet in, lifting his knees slightly. His hand was a blur, the only sound in the shower was his breathing and the lewd slapping of his hand against his skin. He brought his other hand up to tease his nipple, and that proved too much stimulation for one boy.

"Uh!" he cried, speeding up. "Uh, uhhh!" Nico gritted his teeth, arched his hips, and slammed his eyes shut. The boy on the floor became a geyser, spewing a couple hot spurts of liquid straight up into the air in an arc that landed back down on his writhing body. His hairless legs quivered and toes flexed, opening and closing with each emission.

Parker's eyes were wide in disbelief at what he was witnessing. I could relate; it was always extremely impressive just how much semen Nico could shoot out. For Nico, it barely seemed out of the ordinary to be doing this with an audience. When he finally finished, he sat up, smacked his lips twice, and smiled meekly.

I wasn't sure what to say after all that, so just said, "That looked... relieving."

"It was," he assured me, and stood up, causing beads of cum to dribble down his belly. Parker scooted over when he moved to sit between us.

He laid back on the bench, crossing his legs and enjoying the steam. Our thighs were touching, and he used his finger to collect the splotchy, clear squirts of liquid from his chest and shoulders. He licked it clean, then went back to searching his belly for any lingering droplets. 

Parker watched with a horrified expression. "Eugh!" he gagged. "That's nasty."

Nico finished gathering another sticky pool, and offered him his finger. "Want some?"

"You're disgusting," Parker said, making a point of scooting to the furthest side of the bench. 

"Logan?" Nico swiveled to me, holding out his glossy index finger.

"Um, sure," I said, and took his hand. I licked up his finger, enjoying his sweetness, and then sucked on it to ensure I got all of it. Then feeling bold (and horny), I got up and crouched by him and licked the rest of the semen off his body to a happy, surprised giggle. Parker just stared at us like we were freaks.

Sitting back down, I caught a glimpse of Parker staring at him, covering his crotch with both hands. "Does the foreskin feel weird?" he asked Nico.

"What do you mean?" Nico replied.

"Like, when you're peeing, or, like, when you did that."

"I don't know. It feels normal to me."

"Oh." Parker pushed his elbows together in his lap. "Mine's not like that. It's, um, normal."

Nico chuckled and got up. "Wanna feel it?"

Parker's face crumpled. "What, yours?"

Nico nodded and offered him a reassuring smile. "Yeah!"

Parker looked between Nico and I. "You won't tell anyone?"

"No, why would I?" Nico replied.

"I won't say anything to anyone," I assured him. "Why would I?"

He looked down at Nico's dick, which was boned up again even after cumming just a minute before. Slowly, he reached out a finger, extending his arm away from his body like he was about to touch something nasty on a dare. When his finger made contact with Nico's shaft, he pushed it forward, bending his penis to the side.

Nico stood with his hands on his hips, looking proud. Parker pulled his hand away, and Nico's stiff erection wiggled before settling back into place. Confident it wasn't going to bite him, Parker gripped the foreskin of Nico's tip tenderly between two fingers.

"It's squishy," he observed, and rubbed the skin together between his fingers. He peeled it down a little, and ran a finger over the tip. Nico uttered a tiny squeak, and he pulled his hand away again. "There's still stuff on it!"

It was stupidly hot watching them doing this. Parker inspected his hand before wiping it away on his underwear. Then, he reached over and carefully gripped his shaft, causing Nico to moan. "How come you're such a perv?"

"'Cause it feels really good! So why wouldn't I be?"

Parker thought about that, looking up. "But it's bad..."

"I think if you're playing around as friends, and nobody's forcing anything, then it's not that big a deal," I said.

"I guess," he said, rubbing his leg.

"Don't you want to cum, too?" Nico asked.

"Uhhh," Parker said, blushing.

"You know what, I do," I said. "Screw it. Is that okay, Parker?"

He hesitated. "Whatever. Sure."

Feeling confident, I reached down and lifted my hips to slip off my boxer-briefs. It was pretty much soaking at that point, and when I threw it to the other side of the shower, it landed with a plop. My large, hard boner jutted straight up towards the ceiling. Parker's eyes widened. Nico leaned over to me and licked his lips before grabbing my dick and stroking it.

Parker shuddered. "Alright," he said. He pulled off his underwear, tossing it over to the same spot as mine. Nico slowed his stroking to take a peek.

Parker's boner was about the same size as Nico's, but the major differences between the two were that his was circumcised, had a slight curve to the right, and was a little bit thicker. Like mine and Nico's, it glistened with the moisture of the steam. Behind it rested a patch of dark, wispy pubes that stood out against his fair skin. He started covering himself, but took a breath and pulled his arms to his sides.

Nico smiled at him. "Awesome!" He held out his hand for a high five, and Parker sheepishly gave him one. "Can I touch it?"

"Um, I guess so. Perv."

Nico immediately reached out and clasped his erection, and started tugging on it. Parker pulled his hips away, and slapped Nico's hand. "Chill!"

"You said it was fine!" Nico frowned sadly.

"I mean... it's fine. You can keep doing it."

Instead, Nico combed his fingers along his pubes. "Wow! Cool," he said.

Parker smirked at his fascination. "And! Look!" He lifted his arms up, revealing the tiniest amount of hairs under them.

Nico didn't care about that, though, and proceeded to grope his balls, then turned to do the same to mine. Parker groaned. "Feel good?" Nico asked him.

"Shut up," he replied, and closed his eyes.

Nico jerked us off, settling into a nice rhythm. The sound of Nico's wrist slapped against our pelvises filled the echoey shower. He grinned at me.

"This is awesome!" he said as we smiled at each other. "Let's kiss."

I lowered my head to his and our lips met. He opened his mouth and I slipped my tongue in, holding his cheek in one hand. Wanting to include him in the jerking, I used my free hand to start masturbating his wildly slick penis, soliciting a moan.

Parker complained when Nico's stroking slowed down during our kiss. We broke it off, and all three of us leaned back as Nico jerked us and I jerked him. Nico was right, everything really was hot and slippery.

Parker's breathing was first to pick up. His left leg shifted inward, and his foot slipped against the slick floor. He grunted, and slammed his eyes shut for a second. "Fuck, oh!" He placed his arms on Nico's and tugged on it, encouraging him to go faster. Nico immediately recognized his state, and picked up the pace.

He grunted loudly, and leaned way forward on the bench. With one final grunt, he closed his eyes and his penis throbbed, firing a big, creamy spurt forward. He then leaned back and lifted his hips while Nico held his pulsating boner down. Two much smaller ropes shot out, one falling onto the floor and the other trickling onto Nico's hand.

Nico's penis swelled with excitement, and only a few moments later, it was his turn. He took his hand off my dick and sucked in through his teeth, then threw his head back and jammed his eyes closed. A single, weak spurt squirted out, and the rest dribbled down onto my fingers.

Seeing both boys go off did it for me, and I used my hand that was covered in Nico's juices to finish myself. I pumped out several jets of cum that audibly splattered against the shower floor. When I opened my eyes, Parker was watching me and quickly got up and fetched his underwear from the other side of the shower. He wrung it out, then turned like he wanted to say something, but didn't, and left the shower.

Nico scooted over so we were touching. "Wow!" he said.

"That was crazy," I said, putting an arm around him and pulling him into me.

"It was! So awesome. The steam shower was cool, too," he said, grinning. "I feel totally refreshed." He looked out into the bathroom, but Parker was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"He's probably a little embarrassed since I doubt he's never done anything like that before."

Nico nodded in understanding. We took another few minutes to ourselves in the steam shower, sitting back and relaxing. I watched Nico poking his toes into all the cum on the ground, and made a face at him. He smiled.

We came out of the bathroom wrapped in towels. Nico went straight to the kitchen sink and started drinking straight out of it, while I looked around for Parker. There was a light on in the backyard, so I went out to the terrace where Parker was sitting in one of the chairs, and shut the door behind me. He did not react to my presence, staring off into the distance. I became worried he was feeling regretful about what occurred in the shower.

"Hey," I said cautiously. As I approached him, I saw he had fully dressed back into his jeans and shirt.

"Hi."

His voice gave me the impression he was unconcerned, but I wanted to make sure he was okay. "How did you like the steam shower?"

"Um, it was great. I feel like new."

"It was pretty fun, right?"

He took a shaky breath and turned to face me. "You guys seriously won't tell anyone?"

"No way, man. Why would we tell anyone? We're your buds. We were just blowing off steam, that's what guys do. It'll stay between us forever."

He smiled. "Yeah, it was fun. Thanks."

With that out of the way, I was satisfied, and started back inside. Before closing the door, I peeked out again. "Hey, cards?"

He leapt up from the chair. "Yeah!" he shouted.

"Ha!" Parker said, flicking Nico on the nose. "I'll be taking that!" he said, pulling Nico and I's rather large pile of poker chips towards him.

Nico groaned loudly and threw his cards down on the dining table. "This is so dumb! Why am I even playing with you if you're a master and I've never played before?" He leaned back in his chair, his nipples sticking out. I had him put his boxers back on after he started prancing around the cabin naked, explaining that maybe Parker didn't want to see him like that.

I dropped my hand on the table as well and yawned. "I think I'm ready for bed. It's been a long day. Well, evening," I said to them.

"Awww!" Nico moaned. "But this is only our second game!" 

"What happened to the game being dumb?" I asked, getting up from the table.

"Oh yeah. This sucks."

"More chips for me," Parker smirked, leaning over the table and dragging the rest of mine into his pile.

"You're garbage," Nico said to him, and got up as well, hurrying over to my side. "We're leaving." He wrapped his arms around me.

"Losers," he replied, taking Nico's chips as well.

I turned to him, rotating the clinging Nico with me. "So, there's only one bed, but the sofa is pretty comfortable. And you get to use that awesome blanket," I said, motioning to the fuzzy blanket on it.

"He's not sleeping with us?" Nico asked me, pouting his lips.

"Well, I don't think he would want to. I mean, it's a queen bed," I said, rubbing his shoulder with my hand. 

Nico reached out to him. "Pleeease Parker, come sleep with us!"

Parker and I looked at each other for a moment before I shrugged. "But, if you want to," I said, "we wouldn't mind having you."

"Whatever," he sighed, getting up. "But if he steals the sheets from me in the middle of the night, I'm booting him to the floor!" he said, pointing at Nico who grinned in response.

The three of us headed to the bathroom to brush our teeth and get ready for bed. Nico thought Parker gargling water at the sink was the funniest thing ever, and proceeded to get slapped on the back of the head.

The bedroom was small, making the bed look massive in comparison. Draped across the bed was a rather heavy fur duvet. I wondered if Nico had a beef with fur products, but my question was answered when he collapsed into the center of the bed on his stomach and let out a groan.

"It's so comfortable!" he moaned, rubbing his body against it.

Parker sat down on the edge and rolled his eyes at Nico as he pulled off his prosthetic. I stripped down to my boxer briefs for bed, while Parker opted to keep his pants on but remove his shirt. Nico climbed under the covers without giving undressing any thought.

It was a tight fit at first, and after Parker complained about Nico touching him, Nico snuggled up tight against me. Though there was nothing better than feeling Nico's warm body against mine, it was getting pretty toasty under the covers, so I had to pull the duvet down on our side.

I was nearly asleep when Nico started chatting up Parker about Minecraft, which evolved into a whispery conversation for the following half hour or so. I gave up trying to fall asleep and instead rested my eyes, happy they were getting along. Their chat eventually reached a lull and things went quiet.

At least, until I heard a faint sniffle from the other side of the bed. I thought nothing of it until I heard a muffled sob, and sat up in the darkness.

"Parker?" I whispered.

At first he didn't respond, but then said, "Yeah?" His voice was choked up, and he was trying to disguise it.

"You okay?"

He began crying softly, burying his head in his pillow.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, incredibly concerned.

"I'm just such a fucking idiot!" he sputtered.

Nico must have fallen asleep, but that outburst woke him up, and reached over to comfort Parker. "What? Why?" he asked.

"You guys were so nice to me today, even after I was so horrible to you! I'm sorry about being an asshole! I probably ruined your summers. I didn't mean to! I don't know why this is happening to me."

"Parker, you mean the world to me," I said. "I know you've got some pain inside you, and I want you to know I'll be there for you. And Nico will, too."

"So you forgive me?"

"Yeah, of course," I said.

He sniffled. "Thank you," he whispered, and several minutes later we were all sound asleep.

I woke up to a warm, wet sensation on my back, and instinctively touched it with my hand. My eyes flickered open as I made contact with the sticky spot. I turned to find Nico on his back, examining his dick with his shorts pulled down.

"Did you just cum on me?" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Sorry," he said without looking up. "I had a really cool dream."

"Where's Parker?"

"I dunno."

I left Nico in bed and stopped by the bathroom to wash my face and wipe up his cum, then went out to the main room and discovered Parker snoozing on the sofa. Relieved, but also confused, I returned to the bedroom and spent some time snuggling with Nico.

After that, we woke up Parker, who explained that he'd left the bed after Nico kept rolling onto him during the night. The morning was dewy, with orange beams of sunlight shining through the trees. The rain had long passed, and left behind a happy, humid landscape, so the three of us spent the rest of the morning throwing the football around in the backyard.

Later, we gathered our stuff from inside, and reluctantly got in the car. I had grown to really like the cabin, and I was going to miss it. Parker placed his hand on the window, watching as the cabin disappeared into the distance.

At Parker's house, we all said our goodbyes, and I stopped inside to deliver him to his parents. The drive home was pleasant, but there was a discernible sadness in the air. It was our final day together.

I dropped off Nico, and Grace reminded me about joining them for dinner later in the evening. I spent the rest of the drive home thinking about Parker. I hoped he was able to work things out, whether that meant abandoning his musical future or not. It seemed like the weight he carried had lifted a little over the course of the evening.

Dad's car was in the driveway when I reached the house. I thought it was unusual for them to be back from visiting my grandparents so soon; this was a trip they often made, and would normally return late Sunday night. I parked and headed inside.

"Logan!" Mom called, coming out of her room with folded arms. "Where in the world have you been?"

Her angry tone took me by surprise. "I was out. What's the big deal?"

She scoffed and motioned to a pile of worn and wrinkly boxes in the living room. I recoiled, remembering her request to me to bring them inside.

"I told you to bring those inside, and you didn't even bother coming home. They were out in the rain all night. I needed you to do one thing, Logan! One thing!"

"Chill! It was an accident," I said. "I forgot."

"Don't tell me to chill. Where were you?"

"I was with some friends. Stayed at their place. I forgot, alright?"

"All this stuff could have been ruined!" she said, walking over to the boxes and placing her hands on a large one. "There's a Peloton in here. Do you have any idea how expensive this stuff is? It could have been stolen!"

"Yeah, but it wasn't. It's all here."

"I'll be lucky if the rain hasn't destroyed it all! Wh—" she started, but paused when something outside the window caught her attention. "My goodness!" She put her hands over her mouth that had dropped open. "What happened to the car?" My dad went over to the window with her to examine it.

"I know, I know, I was going to tell you. But it's not as bad as it looks! Seriously, I don't think—"

"You're on drugs!" she exclaimed, as if reaching an epiphany. "Just like what happened with your brother! Oh my God!"

"I'm not on drugs, mom," I said as she leaned onto my dad's shoulder and wept, then shot me a fierce glare.

"We got a review that said our store was being run by an incompetent kid who could barely work the cash register! And another said he came to buy a birthday present for his daughter, but my store was closed without notice!"

"Okay, that first one, wasn't me. I can explain."

She rubbed her eyes with one hand. "No. I don't want to hear it. You are not responsible enough to run my store. I paid you all summer, I bought you a plane ticket home, and this is what I get in return," she said, pointing to the car. "I don't want you working there anymore."

"Mom, that's completely unfair! It's my last year of college, I'm depending on this!"

"No, Logan. I let you work so I could be certain you'd run the store properly," she said, and sighed. "I'm not certain. Maybe some day, but you're absolutely not ready now."

No toy store job meant no Nico. Clearwater wasn't exactly known for its job market; my dad was never able to find a job after losing his, and so spent the last ten years without one.

Then it occurred to me that I wouldn't just be losing Nico. Nico would be losing me. The one thing that I wasn't supposed to let happen. I started to panic, feeling my life falling apart around me.

"Mom, listen, please! I had to get Wesley to run the store for a couple hours. It was urgent. It wasn't anything to worry about, okay? And I had to close early yesterday because I was—"

"I don't care, Logan. I can't have my store getting reviews like this, and I don't want to come home to find my car all wrecked. Your priorities are clearly not straight. Charlie wasn't ready either, but he never wanted another chance. When I retire you're welcome to take over, but I don't want you working at the store as long as I'm involved. I'm sorry, but you need to take accountability for this. That store was my mother's livelihood, and my grandmother's legacy. It's part of our family."

"For your information, I was visiting your nephew yesterday, who's been feeling sad. I wanted to cheer him up. Sounds like his mom's been up his ass about the kind of person he's allowed to be. Guess I can see how you two are related." She narrowed her eyes. "You know what? I'm leaving," I said, heading out the door.

"You are not taking my car," she said firmly.

"Fine, I'll fucking walk then. God!" I shouted as I slammed the screen door.

Waves crashed at my feet, and seagulls coasted overhead. I crouched by the shoreline and picked up a cockle shell that was partially buried in the sand, slipping it between my fingers.

How did things go so wrong, so fast? I finally felt like everything was perfect after mending things with Parker, and then this happened. How could I face Nico and tell him that I probably wasn't coming back? The news would crush him, maybe more so than when I had left him last time. But it wasn't just him I would be disappointing—Grace would be furious with me, too.

Everything I'd done to disappoint my mom was brought on by my intentions to please Nico. I recalled the days when Mom had forbidden my brother from working at the store. He resented her for it, and she stood firm in her decision to this day.

Why was I even letting her dictate my life like that? I was beginning to understand my brother's frustrations. After she forbade him from working at the store, he became dead set on creating his own life and career. Maybe I was destined to do the same. After all, Charlie did provide me the opportunity.

I still didn't know how I would break the news to Grace and Nico at dinner. I could be forthright about it and ruin the whole night, or keep it to myself until the night was over, and struggle through while holding the pain inside. Completely dejected, I tossed the shell into the ocean, and it sunk out of view forever.

"Logan?" a woman's voice called out. I turned to find Grace jogging over to me from behind. 

"Oh, hey," I said, wiping away a single tear from my cheek.

She looked at me and frowned, then gave me a hug. "Don't you dare cry. Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

I forced a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought Nico. That tan doesn't sustain itself." She sat down and patted the sand, prompting me to do the same. "So, is it about him?"

I shook my head. "Kind of. I don't know. I'm just stressed about... stuff."

She made herself comfortable in the sand, propping herself up with her elbows. I was sure I'd seen Nico in the same exact position before. "Like, what kind of stuff?"

I sighed. "My mom's really mad at me. I kinda screwed up things for her at the store, and she doesn't want me working there anymore. I don't really know what to do now, I mean, that's always been the thing I was going to do. It was the only constant in my life."

"Well, nothing is constant," she said, and laughed. "It's always fleeting. Anything and everything can change on a dime, so live in the moment. That's what I've always done. Treat change as an opportunity." She put a hand on top of mine, and we looked into each other's eyes.

"It's just so... scary. I don't feel like I'm cut out to be an adult. In a lot of ways, I still feel like a kid."

"You'll be okay, alright? Trust me. Being an adult might look scary, and maybe you feel unprepared. But you figure it out, just like the rest of us. Take charge, and go hard. You might surprise yourself."

I smiled. "Thanks, Grace. Well, my brother did offer me a pretty great-sounding job, but it's out by my school."

"So take it!"

"What about you guys? What about Nico? I'd still come to visit sometimes, but I'd feel terrible leaving him again. I really care about him."

"We'll be fine, Logan. I just want to see you happy. So does he."

"But if you stop replying to my texts, I'll come over there and knock your teeth out!" Nico's soprano voice brought a smile to my face. I turned around to find him in his classic red swimsuit with streaks of white sunscreen smeared haphazardly on his face. He sat down beside me, and I put my arms around both of them.

As we all gazed at the vast blue ocean before us, I thought about how different my life was merely two weeks ago. It felt so distant, like a far off memory. Although Nico had introduced a certain degree of unpredictability into my life, I was starting to think I preferred living that way. It made me feel more alive.