Chapter Nine

The Water's Always Warmer

Nico waved to me from way far out in the water, lying atop his surfboard. I waved back and gave a thumbs-up. Grace let out a half-enthusiastic "Woo!" from her beach chair. He spotted a big wave, readied himself, and caught it effortlessly.

"Look at him go!" I said to Grace, feeling proud for him.

She turned and smirked. "Yep, he's a natural. At least, after I spent a year teaching him how to balance on the damn thing."

I laughed. "I always felt like the beach was his natural habitat."

She shook her head. "He's adaptive. You should have seen him shred black diamonds on a snowboard. I couldn't keep up with him, I had to tell him, 'No Nico, I can't follow you. I'm going to go down this green trail, and I need you to meet me at the lift, okay?'"

We watched Nico catch another big wave, ride it all the way to shore, and stumble onto the sand, where he cheered and jumped up and down to get the overflowing adrenaline out.

"Oh my God, did you see that last one?" he shouted, crashing our relaxed party.

"Nice one, Nico!" I replied, and we bumped fists. He dropped his surfboard in the sand next to Grace and fell onto his knees. The seashell necklace that he wore to the water park dangled over the sand.

"I thought I was going to fall, did you see? But then I looked and you were watching me, so I felt strong!" he said, then blushed and looked away. "Sorry, that sounded dumb."

"Not dumb. C'mere."

I held my arms out and he jumped into them, his dripping body soaking my shirt, but I didn't mind one bit. He put his head on my shoulder, the wetness of his hair causing me to shiver. I held him for a few moments before he turned his head to Grace.

"Mom, can we eat soon? I'm starving! I feel like I could eat the vegan version of a horse."

"Yeah, kiddo. You want to hit the trucks, Logan?"

"Eugh, for the horse thing?" I scrunched my nose and she laughed. "Yeah, totally. Oh, but, I don't have my wallet..." She glared at me like I was stupid.

After bringing everything to their car, we went over and Grace got us falafels from their favorite food truck, then back to the car and onward to their house. I'd never ridden in Grace's hybrid truck, and it was a pretty cool car. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Foo Fighters come on when she started the car, and Nico—who decided to join me in the backseat—smirked.

We talked about this and that on the way back to their house, and Nico rested his head on my shoulder as the world passed us by, and I put my arm around him. Grace smiled when she peered back to find us innocently expressing our love.

At their house, Nico cuddled up with me on the sofa, putting a blanket over us. I wanted to take my shirt off as well for extra intimacy, and eventually did. Grace brought over a board game, and set it on the coffee table. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, playing board games and talking. Nico and I were closely spooned, but Grace treated it like it was the most normal thing in the world. There was something so perfect about spending time together like that; I wished the evening would never end.

Grace mentioned that she bought the board game from the toy store, back before Nico and I were "dating", which felt like a lifetime ago. Before long, the sun had set, and my stomach audibly growled near Nico's head which had him cracking up until his started grumbling too.

"Mom, I think it's time for dinner!" he said, getting up from the sofa and stretching his arms, yawning.

"Nico wanted to do tonight's dinner in your honor," she said to me. "So, he planned the whole thing out." 

"I got candles!" he exclaimed, pulling several out from a small closet under the stairs, and proceeded to place them around the dining table.

"So, salad duty?" she asked Nico, and he nodded.

"Yep!"

"I'll help," I said, making my way over to the kitchen.

"We got this, Logan, just sit back," she said.

"C'mon, we're supposed to spend tonight together!"

Nico grabbed some items from the fridge, closing it with his butt. "Help me with the salad, then."

We started putting together a salad with a weird-looking almond butter dressing, while Grace prepared the mushroom stroganoff. Nico kept looking over at her, repeatedly cracking a little grin until he finally opened his mouth.

"Hey mom, need help stroganoff the mushroom?"

"Mushroom's all yours," she grinned, and turned to wink at me. "He said your penis reminds him of a mushroom," she explained, as I surely turned red. "That's why he thought this would be perfect for your dinner."

"Um, oh. Great," I replied, unsure how to respond to that.

"Well, it does. 'Cause it's like, a long, thin stalk," Nico said, gesturing with his hands, "and then at the end, you've got that classic mushroom shape!"

"I'd really love to talk about, I dunno, literally anything else," I said to them, sending them both into fits of laughter. I was never going to get used to how crazily open they were with each other.

"If you're feeling up to it, you can shoot the dressing all over his face this time," she laughed.

"Grace!" I shouted, flushing red with embarrassment. 

"Relax, we're just teasing you. Lighten up," she said, swatting a hand at me. "Nico, I don't need any help with this. If you're done with the salad, you guys can take it to the table and start eating, I'll be done with this soon."

I took a deep breath, then went back to helping Nico. Thankfully, they seemed to be done with the teasing. I brought the big bowl of salad and some plates to the table while Nico lit the candles, and we sat next to each other. He placed a bare foot across my leg, lovingly nuzzling against me.

"This looks great, we really kicked ass with the salad," I said, heaping some onto both our plates.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded, "I love cooking with you. Thanks for helping me!"

We picked at the salad for a few minutes before Grace brought over the stroganoff, which looked incredible, and smelled even better. I was starting to really look forward to their vegan meals, maybe mostly because they were both great cooks. We ate, drank, talked, and laughed. I began to realize the strange mother and son felt more like family than my own.

"You'll definitely be back for Thanksgiving, then?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, guess so, if I even want to see my mom then. Maybe I can just crash here, I know you guys would want me around," I laughed, and took another sip of cider.

"Well, of course you'd be more than welcome to," she assured me.

"So you're not gonna work at the toy store anymore?" Nico asked.

"Doesn't look like it," I said, and he frowned. "It's fine, though, I guess. Wasn't really my dream anyways."

"What is your dream, then?"

"I don't want a lot. Just a simple life, some job that isn't too boring. Able to see my friends, maybe have a family and a dog."

"You want to start a family without me?" he pouted.

"Well," I started, then laughed. "Maybe when you're eighteen we can start one."

He grinned, and busied himself with his food.

"Alright, Logan," Grace said, "it's your last night here. What do you wanna do? Let's make it happen," she said, rubbing her palms together.

"To be honest, I'm pretty happy to just spend it here with you guys doing whatever. Better than anything else I can think of."

"Psh. Well that's boring," she said, and I laughed.

"Let's do a bonfire!" Nico suggested. "Down at the beach!"

"They don't let people do that anymore," I reminded him. The city was unhappy when a tree caught fire several years prior.

"Oh yeah."

"How about in the backyard?" Grace asked him. "I think we still have enough supplies." They both looked at me.

"Perfect!" I said. A bonfire was the perfect thing to tie the lovely, cozy night together.

Grace stood up, scraping the chair against the ground. "Great!" she said, grabbing her plate. "You guys finish eating, I'll get everything set up." She rushed into the kitchen, then upstairs, seeming a little too excited.

My favorite thing about campfires is the smell. There's something so nostalgic about it, and when you pair that smokey spice with the tasty aroma of vegan s'mores, it only gets better.

Nico hunched over his metal prong, trying to slide the marshmallow perfectly between the graham crackers. His tongue was stuck out, and Grace and I watched him with fascination as he put more focus into creating the perfect s'more than into anything else he'd ever done. After getting it smooshed together, he topped it with a small square of dark chocolate.

"Woohoo!" he said, looking at his flawless creation. Then he crunched down on it, destroying it in an instant. His mouth snapped open and he took rapid breaths. "It's fucking hot!"

Grace elbowed my side. "Gonna miss that one?"

"A lot," I admitted, flipping the marshmallow I was roasting, watching the boy fanning his tongue.

"Don't worry," Nico said, and swallowed. "I'll miss you too. We can miss each other together."

"I wish I could stay longer. Class isn't even starting for another week and a half, but I have this damn plane ticket."

"I anticipate we'll be video chatting a lot," Grace said.

"Every day!" Nico shouted, pointing a finger at me.

"You have to give him a break every once in a while," she told him.

"We'll find a good rhythm," I said, smiling, and she gave me a warm smile in return.

"Welp, it's bedtime for me," she said, getting up from her plastic chair.

"Grace," I said, checking my phone, "it's like seven o'clock!" 

She chuckled. "Ah, you know, these old bones," she said with an exaggerated stretch.

"But you didn't finish your s'more!" Nico said, pointing to the dessert sitting on a little foldable table, to which she just shrugged. "Can I have it?"

"Yeah," she smirked, picking it up, and after removing the top graham cracker, pushed it into his face where it stuck to him.

"Ah!" he squeaked and ripped it off. A smear of melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow streaked across his cheek.

She snorted with laughter and headed inside, waving to me and shutting the door behind her. Nico looked over at me, and I giggled at the mess on his cheek.

"Don't laugh!" he said. "I need a napkin."

"Allow me," I said, getting up and walking over to where he was sitting. I stuck out my tongue and gave him a big, slow lick, all the way up his face, and clicked my tongue with delight.

He giggled and took the s'more, and pressed it against his right nipple, staring at me suggestively.

"Well, alright then," I said, and got to work. After licking up the mess, I swirled my tongue around his nipple, and he shivered. 

"I'm horny," he whispered, smiling as I looked into his eyes. I used my hand to feel the protrusion in his board shorts.

"Feels big and hard," I said.

"Yep, it is. Really big, right?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "And maybe once we're in your room, we can make it bigger. And then less big," I said, and he smirked. 

"Maybe I'll cum on your face tonight, remember, like the salad?" he suggested excitedly.

"I do love the taste of your cum."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's delicious. I could drink it all day." I leaned down and kissed him on the head, stroking the delicate skin on the back of his neck.

He smiled. "I really like yours, too."

"Don't remember if I told you before, but I love that necklace," I said, fingering the string. "Reminds me of the beach. And it's got an authentic, homemade look to it."

"Oh. Well, it is."

"You made it?"

"Actually... I made it for you. Two summers ago, just before you left." He looked at the ground. "I found the shell at the beach. Mom helped me turn it into a necklace. I wanted to give it to you, but when I went to the store, you were gone. And you didn't come back."

"Oh man, I'm still really sorry about that, Nico."

"But then you did come back! But now you're leaving again..."

I pulled my chair closer to his, and sat down, facing him, and took his wrists in my hands, rubbing them with my thumbs. "I'll never be more sorry about anything in my life," I said, staring deep into his eyes.

"I want you to take it this time." He pulled the necklace over his head and held it out in front of him. I took a look at it up close. It was a similar-looking nautilus shell to the one he gave before, the one placed on the counter at the toy store. I smiled as he gently placed it over my head.

"It looks good on you!"

"Thanks, Nico. This is the perfect gift, because it'll always make me think of you."

"Actually, um, I have another gift for you," he said, and I raised an eyebrow. "One sec."

He got up and sprinted inside, leaving me alone by the bonfire. I watched the flickering flames, and tiny whirling embers that fizzled out as quickly as they appeared in a constant, endless loop. 

Nothing is constant, Grace's words rang in my head. It's always fleeting.

The sliding of the glass door pulled me from my thoughts, and I snapped my head to see Nico approaching with his guitar.

"So, I should really warn you, but this is kinda stupid, and I dunno if you'll like it," he said, taking his seat.

"I'd only think it's stupid if you're trying to give me your guitar."

"It's, um, a song. That I learned. And I wanted it to be something you'd like, so I hope, um, that you like it."

He sat down in his chair, still shirtless, and placed the guitar in his lap. He cleared his throat, and his eyes looked up into mine briefly before going back down to the guitar. He started strumming, and it was only a few seconds before I recognized the melody, genuinely impressed and surprised at his choice of Everlong by the Foo Fighters.

Hello, I've waited here for youEverlong

He was singing—something I'd not really heard before! He'd lowered the pitch of his boyish voice to sing the lyrics. I sat there in amazement, wanting to comment on his voice but staying quiet to allow him to do his thing.

Tonight, I throw myself intoAnd out of the redOut of his head, he sang

Come down, and waste away with meDown with meSlow, how you wanted it to beI'm over my headOut of his head, he sang

I appreciated his minor alterations, and leaned back—at least as far as I could in the little plastic chair—so I could fully enjoy his serenade that had begun to pick up in its passion.

And I wonderWhen I sing along with youIf everything could ever feel this real foreverIf anything could ever be this good againThe only thing I'll ever ask of youYou've got to promise not to stop when I say whenHe sang

The song fell into an instrumental interlude. His eyes cautiously and slowly slid up to meet mine, and when he saw me smiling, he cracked a big smile before looking away.

Breathe out, so I can breathe you inHold you inAnd now I know you've always beenOut of your head, out of my head I sang

And I wonderWhen I sing along with you

We made eye contact, and I placed a hand gently on his knee. He closed his eyes as he poured his soul into his grand finale, his voice erupting into a raspy howl.

If everything could ever feel this real foreverIf anything could ever be this good againThe only thing I'll ever ask of youYou've got to promise not to stop when I say whenHe sang

I could tell the lyrics were a genuine reflection of his feelings. A tear slid down his cheek, and he cut the song short to throw himself into my arms and cry, cry for our unavoidable separation less than a day away.

We quietly entered through the patio door, the sound of our feet echoing through the house to break the homely silence. We patiently walked through the living room, by Grace lying on the sofa, listening to something on her phone with her headphones in. She waved to us as we walked by, wearing a knowing smirk. I smiled sheepishly while we both headed up the stairs, hand in hand. We all knew what lay ahead.

Nico's bedroom was dark, but he kept the lights off when we entered, and leapt onto the bed where he quickly ripped off his shorts, leaving him in a simple pair of red boxers. The moon beautifully lit the form of the skinny boy, whose paltry underwear failed spectacularly in hiding the bump that lay beneath. 

"Eager?" I teased with a smile.

"Um, yeah?" he said, as I watched him. "Look how hard I am!"

He pulled down the boxers and his excited penis popped out. Like his body, I spent a moment drinking in the color and the shape.

"I'm gonna miss this so much," I said, getting hard from the sight.

"Me too," he said, and beckoned with his fingers. "Come cuddle!"

I struggled out of my shorts, and he pulled me into bed with him, rolling on top of me and sitting on my midsection, his balls lying atop my boxer briefs. Then, he fell forward onto me in an embrace, his head on my collarbone, relaxed. With a finger, he began to draw tiny circles on my skin while I stroked his back.

"There's no way you can stay?" he asked quietly.

"I want to. But I can't."

He lifted his head and smiled a somber smile. "Even if I dare you to?"

"You made me feel whole in only a month," I said, giving him a matching smile. "Who knows what longer could do for me? I wish it were possible." He put his head back down, but not before I saw small tears forming in his eyes. I lifted his face with my palm, gently caressing his cheek, and looked him in the eyes. "I think you're the best thing that ever happened to me. You've made me so happy. I owe so much to you."

His smile returned, this time a bit more cheerful. "Really?"

"Yeah." I held him against me, feeling his penis press against me until it began to soften slightly.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too. Hey," I whispered, brushing the hair from his eyes. "Since I can't do that dare, how about a truth?"

His smile warped into a more playful one, and his eyes lit up. "Will you miss me when you're gone?"

I pushed him off and rolled on top of him, and he stared up at me. "Hey, don't waste the question!" I said.

He leaned up and kissed my lips, and I lowered my head and kissed him passionately while he threw his arms around my back. I felt his hard dick pressed against my belly until he broke our kiss and relaxed below me.

"Truth me," he whispered, and I had to think for a second. The last time we played the game popped into my head.

"Alright. I've wanted to know... what really is your favorite color? I know it's not red."

He pursed his lips. "How d'you know that?"

I gave him a quick peck. "Just a feeling."

He looked at me inquisitively. "Hm, fine. Well, it was green. But, after spending so much time with red as my favorite, maybe it's not so bad after all."

We kissed again, slipping into a longer make-out session, with him trying to grind himself against my body. I lifted myself a little so that it was harder for him to do so; I wanted this night to last a while. After we stopped kissing, he reached into my underwear, slipping his fingers into my pubic hairs.

"So, truth or dare?" he asked with a smirk.

I chuckled. "How about a dare?"

His face twisted in thought, but only for a second. "Hm, got one, but I don't think you're gonna like it."

"What, you want me to lick the carpet or something? Bring it on!"

He scrunched his face up. "Bleh, no way!" His expression softened. "Okay. Alright. I dare you... to have sex with me."

I laughed and kissed up his neck. "Wow, getting real wild tonight, huh?"

He stared blankly at me, then crawled back so he was sitting up against the headboard, a serious look in his eyes. "Um, I'm serious. I mean, in my butt."

"Oh," I said as the realization dawned on me. "You don't want to, I dunno, sixty-nine or something?"

"Please," he begged. "It's our last chance."

"Well, I dunno if that's true..."

"Come on! I memorized that whole song for you!"

I smiled, knowing his gift was more than a siren song. "You really want to?"

"I'd love nothing more," he said, smiling back with green, twinkling eyes.

I looked down at his fragile, underdeveloped body that still managed to ooze intense sexual energy, to find a finger buried in his butthole. Though he was small, there was no question he could take it.

"Alright, you win," I said, getting up from the bed. In one solid motion, I pushed my underwear down to my feet. My erection wiggled and pointed straight at him, and he licked his lips and spread his legs.

"I love how hard your dick looks!" he commented as I ducked under the bed and pulled out the wooden box, fishing out the lube that he kept in it. I stared at the bottle, the reality of what was about to happen finally setting in.

"I think it's going to hurt, Nico. I don't know if we should—"

"Even if you impale me and I die instantly, I'll have died happy!"

I laughed. "Alright, well, I'll start slow."

"If you go slow, I'll kill you!"

He pulled his legs up with his arms, presenting his butt to me, the perfect little pink hole looking awfully inviting. I squeezed some of the lube onto my index finger.

"You're gonna have to let me stretch you out a little. I know that thing's really tight," I said, sliding a finger over it. I still couldn't believe what was about to happen, and my penis throbbed in nervous anticipation.

"My ass is starving for your big, hot dick, Logan! Come on!" he demanded, spreading open his butthole.

I almost laughed at his urgency, but quickly got to work preparing him, sliding my finger inside the warm tunnel. Like I remembered, there was minimal resistance, and he groaned when my finger bottomed out. 

"Finger fuck me, please," he requested, and I gladly did after switching to my middle finger. His penis lay undisturbed, but trembled with each graze against his prostate. "Unh, that's so good!"

After I advanced to two fingers and got his dick nice and leaky, he snatched the bottle of lube and dumped some into his hand, then got on his knees and began vigorously applying it to my cock. He slid his hands all over, putting a lot of attention into kneading my glans with his thumbs. He gathered some of the precum from the tip, and lay back to rub the slippery mixture around his impatient opening as I watched from a horny fog.

"Oh, wow!" he moaned. "Look how good you're making me feel, and you haven't even started fucking my ass yet, 'cause you're just standing there watching!" he said with a hint of annoyance.

I smiled. "Alright, alright! Relax. I'm just, well, a little nervous."

He spread his ass open again with both hands. "Well, I'm not, so c'mon, c'mon!"

One deep breath later, I moved forward on the bed, and he scooted down to meet me, putting his head on a pillow and spreading his spindly legs.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I said, lining my dick up against his slippery hole. He just grinned and grabbed the bottoms of his thighs, bending his legs. It didn't look like I would be able to fit it inside such a tight opening, but I pushed my hips forward, and after a brief duration of resistance, the head popped inside.

"Unh!" he groaned, squeezing his eyes closed. "Fuck!"

"Shit, did that hurt?" I asked, looking at him in concern. 

"More!" he grimaced.

Slowly, I pushed in, watching my dick steadily bury inside of him. His eyes were still closed, but a grin spread across his lips. It was so soft and warm inside his butt, and as I slipped deeper inside of him I felt a growing sense of euphoria, and a deep sense of connection with him. His body gripped me tightly, seeming to pull myself further and further in, entangling us in perfect harmony, and I had to replace his hands with my own on his thighs to have a better grip. Soon, I had gone as far as I could go. My pubes pushed up against his smooth cheeks as I tried to push the last few centimeters inside. I realized I was holding my breath, and let it out.

"How's that?" I asked between breaths.

He opened his eyes. "Good! It feels good. I wanna see," he said, tugging his penis and balls to the side with one hand so he could see me buried inside of him. "Awesome," he smiled.

"So, you're ready?"

He let go of his genitals, which fell back into place. "Yep, give it to me!"

My cock was tightly gripped by his body, and I saw him give another small wince. "I think I should wait, I—"

"Fuck me, please Logan!" he interrupted.

I slid a ways out, then plunged back down the tunnel. The feeling was indescribable, it felt like every nerve on my penis was being pleasured at once. I thrust into him again, and a third time with a little more force. 

"Uh, uhh, uhhh!" he moaned, his noodly legs and dangling feet stiffening at the peak of each thrust.

I wanted to be gentle, and I tried my best to be, but his erotic moans mixed with the extreme pleasure overpowered my mind. I tightly gripped his thighs as I plowed into him, creating a rhythmic slapping sound as our bodies continuously collided. It was as if I had no control of myself—the only thing that mattered was pushing in and out, each thrust generating an intense, otherworldly pleasure that Nico seemed to receive as well.

His lips were parted, and as he opened his eyes, I could see the pleasure overtaking him as his eyes shook with each thrust, his hard penis quivering every time I grazed the tiny bump inside of him. I let go of one of his thighs to grab onto the trembling pole, using my fingers to stroke him rapidly. A gob of sticky precum spilled out, flowing down my thumb and dripping onto his belly. He grabbed a fistful of sheets and moaned, opening his mouth further and grimacing.

"Oh man, ohhh, oh fuck, oh fuck me Logan! Unh!" he cried. Even if Grace could hear us, which she probably could've, I was powerless to quiet him down; powerless to stop myself from pumping him full of as much pleasure as I could.

After several minutes of passionate fucking, I pulled out too far and slipped out of him, and we both let out disappointed gasps. It was only then I felt a drop of sweat roll down my face, and I saw he was just as sweaty as I was, breathing heavily. I lined myself up against his hole, rubbing the head against his puckered ring, and nearly exploded, but caught myself and separated from him. He lifted his head and started questioningly at me.

"Put it back in!" he demanded. "Holy shit!" He fell back on the pillow, draping a hand over his forehead and sucking in air. "I think I'm gonna cum soon," he mumbled.

"Me too," I breathed. "That's why, I wanted to, take a break, for a second."

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me! I seriously cannot believe you never wanted to do this before!"

"You're right, I was wrong. Nothing feels as good as being inside you."

"I love you," he whispered, reaching his hand out for me to take.

I took it, feeling the softness of his palm in my fingers. "Love you more."

"Let's do it!"

I grabbed his knees, and lifted him to reposition his body slightly, before aiming my penis towards his ass and pushing back inside. It was a much smoother entry, so smooth that I slid in without any resistance and accidentally stabbed into his prostate.

"Ahhh!" he cried as his trembling penis squirted out a couple more drops of clear precum.

I quickly looked at his face for any sign of pain, but found only bliss. "Sorry," I said.

"Keep doing that!" he yelled. I pulled back and pushed in hard, and he squealed in delight. "Yes!"

We found our rhythm again, but this time I lifted up his ass a little for a slightly better angle on his prostate. It seemed to have worked as his eyes rolled back and his body relaxed.

"Nico," I whispered. His eyes flickered halfway open, and his gaze slowly lifted to my smiling face. "Truth or dare?"

He cracked a grin as a bead of sweat trickled his face, and opened his mouth to reply, but only sexy, excited moans came out. "Dare!" he finally gasped.

I thrust inside him, mashing into his prostate once more, and looked down at his rigid penis, twitching and dripping fluid that dribbled down his shaft and pooled near his pubis. "Dare you to cum," I said between heavy breaths.

I think it took him a few moments to process what I'd said, but when he did his eyes drifted closed, and his eyebrows scrunched up like he was trying hard to focus. His lips twitched, and he spread his arms out on the bed, relaxing his body, giving himself to me. I kept pounding him, ramping up speed, when suddenly his eyes shot open.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" he repeated with burning intensity. "Uhhh!"

He pushed his hips upward, arching his body upward until he stopped and his orgasm crashed down with the force of a tidal wave. I could feel his entire body tighten around my penis as hot, clear cum spilled explosively out of him—the floodgates of nirvana being breached. I heard and saw it splatter against his chest, his neck, and even his face.

His warm tunnel convulsed around my cock, milking it and triggering my own orgasm. I buried myself deep inside him and unloaded my cum, squirting what felt like my entire being into his body. Through blurry vision, I saw the last few ropes eject from his dick onto his buckling waist until he lay still on the bed, motionless except for occasional twitches. I was still ejaculating into him, heaving and grunting when he gracefully lifted his tired hand, and used it to caress my cheek. Once I had finished and regained some control, I leaned forward and kissed him. He grabbed my back and drew me in, kissing me hard as he slipped his tongue into my mouth until we broke it for air.

"That... you... holy crap," he gasped. "You cummed in me! That was so hot!"

"Yeah," I responded, completely exhausted, and collapsed next to him on the bed, rolling onto my back. He reached an arm across and hugged me, pressing his sticky chest into my side.

"I love you," he said, snuggling into me. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber where nothing else mattered besides the beautiful, present moment with my most genuine love, my best friend, the boy who taught me what it meant to truly live.

The next morning, Grace dropped me off in front of my house. The mood in the car was gloomy, and I couldn't help but feel bad.

"Call me when you want us to take you to the airport," she said.

"Thanks, Grace," I replied. "I will."

"Bye," Nico said, and she sped off while he waved from the back window.

I wasn't looking forward to facing my mom, so I entered quietly and snuck into my room, grabbing my suitcase from the closet and moving it to the bed. As I packed my things, I reflected on my loss of the toy store, and began to feel unsure about the future. Things would be changing fast, and I wasn't sure if I could keep up without Nico. Dejectedly, I texted my brother about the job at the airport, thankful that the option even existed.

Me: Charlie, I think I might be interested in that job you mentioned. Can we meet up and discuss sometime? I'm headed back to school today.

I returned to packing, and as I knelt on the bed, I felt something in my shorts pushing against my thigh, and reached into the pocket to find Nico's necklace. I stared at the gift he had meant to give me two years prior. How awful it felt to be letting him down again, to not have worked to ensure a future with him. Being two states away, it was unlikely that I'd be seeing him often, and even when I did, it wouldn't be for very long periods. I packed the necklace away between some clothing, crushed by our inevitable fate that hung over me like a dark cloud.

I called Grace to tell her I was ready to go, and about fifteen minutes later, she was outside on the street. I slipped out the front door, my parents nowhere to be seen, and hopped into her car, where she and Nico waited with melancholic smiles—my true family. Nico must have decided it was an occasion to dress up for, wearing a maroon long-sleeve corduroy shirt over his jeans.

The car ride was a lot more painful than I was expecting. Though not much was said, we all knew what my departure meant, that this was the end of the beautiful summer we'd spent together, and the energy was reflective of that painful conclusion. Nico sat in the back with me again, and we held hands as the world flew by outside the car.

Grace pulled up to the sidewalk at the airport departures and helped me grab my suitcase from the trunk, then pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, and as if she knew how I was feeling, followed up with, "We'll be okay."

I rolled my suitcase over to the sidewalk where Nico stood, waiting, looking at the ground.

"It didn't feel like you were really leaving until now," he said without looking up. I walked straight up to him and hugged him, lifting him up. "At least this time we can stay in touch?"

"Of course, Nico. And I'll be back, you can count on that," I said, and set him back down, and took a step back to admire the boy I had fallen in love with. Golden combed hair, eyes like shining emeralds, dressed up in a nice shirt yet still wearing a pair of shorts. I'd miss everything about him.

"It's been a great summer with you, Logan. We'll see your ass on Thanksgiving, right?" Grace said, coming up behind me.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Maybe you can tofurkey with us if you don't have plans."

I smiled. "Sounds gross. Let's make it happen," I replied, and she laughed. My eyes drifted back to Nico.

"Any last words, chap?" she said to him, clasping a hand on his shoulder.

"Um... yeah. Aloha," he said with a wave.

"Aloha?" I repeated with a confused grin.

"Yep. It means 'goodbye'."

"I thought it meant 'hello'," I said, crossing my arms.

He grinned. "Maybe try learning something with that big head of yours!" he shouted, then opened the passenger seat door before turning his head. "Wait! One more hug." He ran up and embraced me around the waist, holding me tightly, and I hugged back, patting his back and ruffling his hair. "I wanna kiss you but everyone's around," he mumbled into my shirt.

I chuckled. "Me too. We should have planned a makeout session earlier. Alright, you gotta let me go or I'll miss the plane."

He made no effort to move. "It's my master plan," he mumbled.

I laughed and peeled him off of me. "Goodbye, Nico. I'll miss you so much."

Within an instant, his smile vanished and he started sobbing. He turned away and shuffled into the truck, slamming the door closed behind him. I looked over at Grace who was frowning, and we made eye contact.

"Bye, Grace. Thanks for being the accepting person you are," I said.

"Later, kid," she waved, and hopped in the car. I watched them go, feeling more alone than I ever had, and dragged my back through the sliding doors.

I leaned back in my seat, trying to get comfortable. The flight was pretty full, and more people were still shuffling through the aisle to get to their seats. I took a look at my phone, checking my message to Charlie that was still without a response, wishing he would get back to me so I could relax.

My mom had spammed with texts, demanding to know where I was, but I just ignored her. I was pretty angry with her; she was the reason I wouldn't be spending my life back in Clearwater, with Nico. The fact that I wouldn't be able to see him for a long time was finally settling in as I stared vacantly at the seat in front of me. After an entire month where he was basically my whole life, I wasn't sure how I would be able to adjust to a reality without him being there.

Has it really only been a month since we started dating? I thought to myself. My phone buzzed, and I eagerly grabbed it from my pocket to check the message.

Parker: I told my parents

Wait, what? He told his parents about Nico and I? I reread the dumbfounding message a couple times to make sure I was reading it right. Why? Why now? I was more confused than angry, and tapped out a reply.

Me: What???

Just when I'd thought we'd made it through the entire summer without anyone catching onto us, now I'd have two furious parents with information that could basically end my entire life. And yet I was on a plane, the least convenient place to start panicking. I buried my head in my hands. When the woman next to me asked if I was alright, I knew I had to calm down, at least externally.

After steadying my breathing, I looked back at my phone, to my dismay finding the same real message still on the screen. An announcement of our departure came over the PA system, and I reluctantly switched my phone into airplane mode.

I tried to distract myself by spending the flight thinking about everything that took place over the summer with Nico. The day he came into the store with his "fake" wound. Our nature hike, where we had our first little disagreement and makeup. The water park, when Parker found out about our relationship. The amazing weekend we spent alone at his house. The pier, the toy, the cabin. All these new memories that were, up until that moment, the happiest days of my life. Maybe this is what I deserve for being that happy, I thought.

When the plane landed, I anxiously switched my phone off of airplane mode, expecting the worst. To my surprise, I was met with a flurry of messages.

Parker: They agreed that I shouldn't play instruments if I don't want to

Parker: It's not that I hate them, but it was all I ever did

Parker: Now I just need to find something I like doing

Oh fuck, I thought, exhaling, thank God. So he didn't tell his parents about us. And why did I think he would have, anyways? The tension between us was over. I was happy for him, that he was able to move past the thing that was troubling him so much. I gathered myself, and sent a message back.

Me: Good for you, man. Nice catching up with you this summer. Let's do it again some time!

He never had to know that his message nearly sent me into a meltdown. Onto the next message, which was from Nico.

Nico: I love you and I miss you! 😭😭😭

Nico: Text me

Me: Text 😏

The next message was from Grace.

Grace: Have a great senior year, champ. We already miss having you around.

The last message was from Charlie, and before looking, I crossed my fingers that his offer was still available.

Charlie: Totally. Discuss over lunch soon?

Relief washed over me. Everything was going to be okay.

Me: Yeah! Don't have a car, think you could meet out by me?

Charlie: I can, how's this weekend?

Me: Perfect!

My roommate picked me up from the airport, and we drove back to the dorms. As I set foot in my empty bedroom, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of loneliness. I lay down on my bed and fell asleep in the early evening, feeling like I was everywhere but home.

Seven Months Later

My phone vibrated on the nightstand, stirring me from my sleep. I tried ignoring it and going back to sleep, but it vibrated again, so I grabbed it and opened my groggy eyes to see what was up, squinting at the bright light in the otherwise absolute darkness of my dorm bedroom.

Nico: Hey

Nico: Are you still up?

I grinned, knowing the reason for his message as my eyes drifted to the clock which read 1:01 am, an hour ahead of his timezone.

Me: Yeah! Happy birthday, Nico!

Nico: Thanks!

Nico: I have the toy in 😏

Nico: Can we dooo it?

Me: I'd be honored!

The phone vibrated with an incoming video call, and I got up to first grab my headphones from my desk, as I didn't want any Nico audio bleeding through the paper-thin walls for my roommate to hear. It'd been seven months of our long distance relationship, and we were able to successfully keep our relationship a secret from everyone. After putting them in and taking a second to rub my tired eyes, I accepted the call.

His excited smile was the first thing I saw, along with the top of his shirtless chest. He was on his bed with the lights on, with a pair of his own headphones in.

"Hi," he said, then frowned. "You look like you just woke up."

"Happy birthday!" I said softly, and cleared my throat.

He smiled. "I'm thirteen! Can you believe it?" he squeaked in his still boyishly high-pitched voice. Slowly but surely, he was growing up, and I was watching it happen.

"I can't, but you're officially a teenager!"

"I know! This'll be my first time cumming as a thirteen-year-old. I bet it's going to feel extra good!" he said with an eager grin.

"I hope so," I replied.

He tilted the phone, trailing the camera down his naked torso before it settled on his naked crotch. Hard as always, his ever-growing five inches obstructed the view of the trace amount of the dark, silky pubic hairs he had sprouted, but if I squinted my eyes I could still make out a few poking off to the side. 

He took the phone and placed it against the headboard of his bed, then crawled backwards, sitting up on his knees so I could see all of him. In addition to his new pubes and bigger penis, he also had a new style of tanline—one in the shape of a speedo, that separated the creamy skin of his groin from the rest of his also longer, lankier body that seemed to only grow upward, like a flower.

I minimized the video into the corner and opened the app for the toy, and he turned to flash his ass, which was erotically plugged with our favorite toy—the strangely-shaped black object that gave him so much ecstasy through his prostate.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," I told him as I remotely switched it on. It heard it come to life, settling into a steady buzz, and his erection twitched in response.

He grinned as he pushed his hips forward and moaned sexily, his eyes drifting to the phone to gauge my reaction. His penis was the focus of both our interests. Due to his growth, the tip poked a little further out of the foreskin, but was still lovingly contained in it. He stroked his dick, pulling the skin back enough so I could see the majority of the purplish head, then let go and let it slide naturally back into place.

I was too tired to masturbate, but tilted the camera down to show him my erection pushing against my boxer-briefs. That had a measurable effect on him as he groaned and pushed out a droplet of precum that slowly slid down his shaft. I pulled down the waistband to show it to him, hardened by the amazing show he was giving.

"Oh yeah," he said. "That's hot."

"You like that?" I teased. "How's this?" I slid the power of the toy up a quarter, and he responded with a boyish grunt, leaning his head back so I could no longer see it.

Slowly, I cranked it up until it was at about half-power, then adjusted the vibration pattern to the one I knew he preferred most. He moaned and grabbed his dick, flogging on it a few times, using his thumb to rub some of his slippery precum over the sensitive tip before letting go. I turned over in my bed, enjoying the show, and pushed the slider all the way to the max before returning the video chat to full screen. That would force him to cum; it always made him cum.

Expectedly, it wasn't long before his leg muscles tensed and his knees shook, then his body locked up. Without even putting a hand near his dick, his nuts convulsed, and he started shooting out a bunch of cum onto the bed.

"Mmhhh, unfff!" He moaned and writhed as his penis spurted out what ended up being about eight powerful jets of creamy white fluid, still a little watery, but undeniably the semen of a newly minted teenager.

"Fuck!" he groaned, and squeezed the end of his dick to milk out the last few drops that he carelessly let drip onto the sheets. "That was sooo great! You know just how to push my button. My boy button," he said with a wink.

"Anything for you, my love," I said.

He grinned, and pulled down his foreskin, inspecting his overstimulated tip. "So was that my super special birthday present?"

"No way. I have it, but I'll give it to you when I see you next."

"Can't you just show me now? It'll still be a surprise, just... earlier."

I smiled and looked over at the vegan cookbook on my desk, wrapped up in mossy green wrapping paper with a little bow. "You gotta be patient."

"Urgh. Fine." His boner had started to shrink, dangling in the air at half-mast. "By the way, my mom got me the best gift ever."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. But it's a surprise also."

"A surprise... for me or for you?"

"For you! I already know what it is," he said, clasping his hands together.

"Huh. Mysterious. So when do I find out what it is?" 

"Oh, real soon," he smirked.

"Right, cool," I said, and yawned. "Alright, I've got to go back to sleep. I have class in the morning."

"So you were asleep!" he exclaimed, pointing at the camera.

"Yeah, well, I have my priorities."

"And I come above sleep?"

"You cum everywhere, regardless."

He looked down at the streaks of sperm he'd blasted all over the sheets and grinned. "Fine. Get your precious sleep. I have birthday cookies to eat," he announced.

"Go to bed, it's late. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

He looked around distractedly. "Wanna know something?"

I let out a tired sigh. "What?"

"I like to cum on my cookies. It's sort of like frosting. Even though I just cummed, I'm gonna try to do it again. But anyways, I was thinking, maybe next time I see you, I can make cookies for you and cum on them. If you want."

"Goodnight, birthday boy," I said, and ended the call.

I looked around the lecture hall filled with students typing away on laptops, and checked the time on my own laptop.

1:01 pm. Another hour of this crap, I thought.

I went back to looking at flights online, trying to find the best date and price to go back to Clearwater. It'd been seven whole months since I'd been back there, and both Nico and I were dying to see each other. Video chat sex was fun, but our first fuck created a hunger that just couldn't be satiated.

Thanksgiving was a bust; my mom was furious for ignoring her the day I left, so Thanksgiving with my brother's family was the obvious choice. Christmas followed, and school kept me busy the rest of the time. Nico was very fortunately very understanding about the whole thing, but still did frequently ask when I was coming to see him.

I felt my phone vibrate in my backpack that rested against my leg, and fished it out.

Grace: Are you in class today?

Me: Yeah, I'm in class right now

I thought she might have wanted to call me or something, but I didn't hear from her again, at least for a good thirty minutes.

Grace: Come out to visitor parking

I nearly gasped when I saw the message, then reread it to make sure it was real. She's here? I thought. I looked around before quietly packing my things and slipping out of the classroom, running down the hall. Nico's here! I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I barged out the double doors onto campus and followed the long brick path that eventually let out at the visitor parking lot.

The day was pleasant, with warm sunlight that was slowly melting the remnants of the most recent snowstorm. Large cedar trees shaded me as I trudged along, my heavy backpack being the only thing keeping me from a full-blown sprint.

I finally arrived at the secluded little visitor parking lot and scanned it for any signs of the Florakis family, but became worried when I couldn't immediately spot them. Surely Grace wouldn't tell me to come out here for no reason? I walked past the second row of cars, and there they were, down at the other side of the lot. My heart fluttered.

Grace leaned against the hood of her truck in a heavy coat, listening to Nico yammer about something beside her, who was dressed in shorts even with the patches of snow scattered around. He noticed me and his eyes widened as he stopped talking, and Grace noticed and turned as well.

They both waved wildly as Nico sprinted over and leapt into my arms, and I was just barely able to keep my balance and not topple over. His skinny frame felt so good to hold; the months we'd been apart had felt like a lifetime.

"Aloha!" he said, and I smiled, remembering the last few moments we spent together in person.

Grace approached us, and we exchanged humored glances before she came over to hug me, squashing Nico between us. "How's my Logan?"

"I've been alright," I said.

"Ack!" he cried, feigning a struggle to breathe. "Let me out!"

We all laughed as Grace stepped back, and he took a deep, exaggerated breath.

"So you guys drove here?" I exclaimed, motioning to her truck. "You're crazy!"

"Road trip!" Nico replied, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"It wasn't bad, only eight hours. Though I've played far more twenty questions than I can stomach," she said, eyeing Nico, who grinned back. "We stayed the night at this wonderful hotel."

"They had a pool!" Nico said excitedly. "And a minifridge!"

"I'm surprised you were allowed to leave the state, after all that went down with Lucas."

"Shut up," he said, and blushed as he playfully shoved me.

"Well, I'd love to, y'know, come out with you guys, but I'm in the middle of class. But I'll be done in a few hours..."

"Screw class," Grace said, taking me by the arm. "You're comin' with us, and you have no say in it!"

"Seriously? Where are we going?"

"It's the surprise!" Nico said, grabbing my other arm, and they led me to their car.

"Oh yeah, 'the surprise'. I thought you coming here was 'the surprise'?" I asked as he opened the rear door.

"There's a lot of surprises, okay?" he said, and handed me a strip of black cloth, which I dangled in front of me. "Here, put this on."

"Wha–what is this?"

"It's for the surprise!" he said, rolling his eyes.

I looked at it again and realized it was supposed to be a blindfold. "I see, so you're legitimately kidnapping me. This better not be a game of What's In My Mouth," I mumbled.

He cracked a smile as he punched me softly on the shoulder. "Just do it!"

After securing the blindfold, we got in the car and drove off. We held hands, at least until Nico got bored and relocated onto my lap and strapped the seatbelt over the both of us. His head came up much further than it used to with his new height. Grace and I caught up while he wriggled around in my lap, allegedly looking around while attempting a scavenger hunt from a list on his phone. After a half an hour of driving, I started to realize this wasn't going to be a quick trip.

"Alright, seriously guys, where are we going? I can't go back to Clearwater today—it's only Tuesday, I've got classes."

Grace laughed. "No classes where we're going. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"Grace, that's not fair, I need to know. How long is this gonna be?"

"Relax, Logan, we'll have you back in your bed by tonight."

Nico shifted on my lap. "And don't worry, you'll have me for the whole drive!" he said, giving me a surprise peck on the lips.

"My eye itches," I mumbled, rubbing the cloth. He sensually slipped a finger under my blindfold to help me scratch it.

Grace's door opened, and I realized we must be at our mystery destination.

"Whoa!" Nico exclaimed, rushing out of the car, leaving me alone in the back.

"Wait!" I called out, but they were gone. I pulled off the blindfold and got out of the car to find that we were in a pretty normal-looking residential neighborhood. Confused, I looked around, and spotted the street sign, reading Sunflower Ave—a name unfamiliar to me. Grace and Nico were walking up a driveway of a large home, and I sprinted over to catch up with them.

"Ta-da!" Grace said, holding her arms open towards the house.

"Grace... where are we?" I asked. "Whose house is this?"

Nico laughed, and took his mom's hand as they walked towards the opened front door. As I followed them, I finally saw it—the big red sign sitting in the grass of the front yard: Open House. It hit me that they were probably looking to move here. But where? Where were we? This was nowhere close to my college. The two bounded inside as I followed from a distance.

I entered into an incredibly open foyer with a large, empty space on my left, and an empty room on my right. Straight ahead led to several more open rooms, and stairs that led to an upstairs hallway with a banister that overlooked the entryway. Grace and Nico were at the bottom of the stairs, looking around in awe. As I approached them, Grace wandered off into another room as Nico turned to me.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him. "Are you guys moving here?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah! We're gonna move here this summer!"

"Wh-where are we?"

"My mom was looking at this house online. Just look at this place! It's sorta like our house now, just better. C'mon, I'll show you!" he said.

He took my hand and led me into the large room Grace went into. There was a fireplace between two large windows that looked out into the backyard. To our right was the kitchen, where Grace was with another woman who I decided must have been the realtor.

"We'll put our big-ass TV up here!" Nico said, patting the top of the fireplace. "And look," he said, turning me around, "you can see upstairs from here! Isn't that super cool?" I looked up to see the same hallway that also overlooked the entryway peering down at us.

"Yeah, it's great. So, like, it's for sure? You're really moving here?"

"Well, probably. C'mon, you gotta see the kitchen!"

He pulled me into the kitchen where Grace was chatting with the woman.

"Hey, guys," Grace said, "this is Sophia, she's the realtor for this place."

We introduced ourselves, and as we were talking, Nico could hardly sit still and started walking around again.

"Look at this!" he said, walking alongside the island, and Sophia laughed at his enthusiasm. "It's so roomy. And look how many cabinets there are!" He opened a sliding wooden door on the wall, and looked inside. "Oh my God, mom! This is a pantry!" Grace chuckled as he pulled me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Upstairs, I was pulled into the first small room on the left, barren apart from a closet and a window that overlooked the backyard. Nico walked over to it, peering out at the big tree that came up past the roof, shading the entire yard.

"Wow! Logan!" he called out, and I wandered over. "Look at the squirrels!" he said, pointing to the tree.

Grace appeared, smirking at us as she leaned against the doorway, arms folded.

"Mom! I want this room!"

"There's a bigger bedroom down the hall," she told him. "That one has its own bathroom."

Nico grinned at me. "Ohhh, we have to pick that one, then!"

"I'm not gonna pick your room, dude. It's up to you."

"But it'll be our room!"

I made a dumbfounded expression as I tried to process what he meant. "Huh?"

Grace came and put a hand on my shoulder. "Logan, if you're up for it, we'd like you to live with us. I know that's a big decision, but what do you think?"

"What?!" I shouted.

"Yep!" Nico said. "We'd be, like, a family! And you could sorta be like my dad. Except, um, you'd have sex with me a lot."

I checked that the realtor hadn't followed us up the stairs, then turned to Grace. "I... don't really know what to say."

"Say yes!" Nico squeaked.

"I mean, it sounds amazing! But, where the hell are we?"

"We're in Liberty Hills, Logan. About fifteen minutes from the airport, where you'll be working. Right?"

Holy shit. This is for real. I looked back out the window, seeing a plane take off in the far distance.

"Come on, Logan! Do you wanna?" Nico asked, pulling on my arm. "We'd live together! It'd be so perfect!" 

I smiled and put my hand on his head, stroking his hair. Nico was right, it was so perfect. I couldn't even think of a good reason not to.

"I mean—" I started, but Nico ran out of the room, his footsteps disappearing down the hall. 

Grace took me into a hug from behind. "We would really love to live with you, but only if it's what you really want. Don't let us force you into this."

I smiled. "Thanks, Grace. You guys are really special to me. But I don't know how I'd repay you for something like this."

"Easy!" she said, smirking. "You live here for free, you make me and my son happy. Don't forget, you're special to us, too."

I laughed. "I mean, yeah. Yeah! Let's do it!"

"We'll make a great family together. You'll be the older brother, though—not the dad," she clarified.

I walked down the hallway, running my hand along the wooden banister until I reached another small hallway with a bathroom across from a closet, and the bedroom Nico was in.

"So, this would be our bedroom, and we could sleep together every night," I said, walking into the room.

Nico smiled and came over to me. "And this is our bathroom, we can take showers together!" he said and grinned mischievously.

I looked out the window and frowned. "Nico, there's no beach here. It gets cold in the winter. It's nothing like Clearwater. Do you really, actually want to move here?" I knew how much he loved the beach at Clearwater, and the summer weather that never ended. It was hard to believe he would be willing to give it up.

He just laughed and took me by the wrist. "You haven't even seen the best part yet!" he said, taking me downstairs, through the kitchen and into the backyard. Out on the patio, we looked over the yard, complete with swimming pool and jacuzzi, and I chuckled.

"Would you really give up the ocean for a pool?" I asked, genuinely curious if he considered it to be a proper substitute.

He thought for a moment. "I'm not giving it up for a pool. I'm giving it up for you. And it's the easiest decision of my entire life."

I smiled, surprise tears welling up in my eyes, and wrapped my arms across his neck from behind. He giggled and nuzzled into me.

"So?" he pressed. "Wanna do it?"

I put my head on his shoulder, smelling the flowery smell of his shampoo. The seashell necklace I'd worn every day for seven months pressed into his back as I pulled him into me.

"I'd love nothing more."

End