Jason and Shaun Chapter 32

If you don't agree with guys being in love with guys, then you need to find someplace else to spend time.

Okay, these characters are not meant to resemble any living or dead persons.

I make no apology to anyone who is offended by anything in this story.

Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at

Hnstskr4@aol.com

Jason and Shaun

Chapter 32

Eric and Steve's Visit

Summer vacation has barely just started, and Eric has a great idea. He gets on the phone and calls Steve to see what he thinks of his idea.

"Hey Babe, what would you think about going to see Jason and Shaun?"

The guys have not seen Jason and Shaun for a few months. It would be great to spend some time with the guys.

"Do you want to go see Jason and Shaun? Heck yes, I want to see them. How exactly are we going to do that?"

Steve knows that he can't afford to fly out to see the guys, and he's pretty sure that Eric can't afford to fly out either.

"We can get the money, no problems, man. Maybe between the two of us, we can gather up the money. We should speak with Jason and Shaun first to see if it's okay for us to visit?"

Eric says to Steve because Sarah might give them some of the music for the trip.

"Which one of us is going to make the phone call?"

Steve asks Eric.

"Why don't you come over and we can make the call together, or I can come over to your place, and we can make the call there?"

There is silence on the phone for a few seconds before Steve replies.

"My mom is going out, and you know how she is about you being over when no one else is home. I think I had better come over to your place. I can come over right away if you want?"

He is just waiting for Eric's response before hanging up and heading over to Eric's.

"Yeah, I think I had better stay home if I want you to keep your head. Yes, let's hang up, and I'll see you when you get here."

They end their calls, and Steve immediately heads out for Eric's house. Steve keeps his word, and in no time, he arrives at Eric's house. Eric gets Steve into the house, and then the guys sit on the couch. Eric gets out his phone and calls Jason's phone first. Sometimes, calling the guys can be hit or miss depending on their work schedules, but they get to talk to someone this time. Jason answers the phone.

"Hey Eric, what's going on, dude?"

Jason is happy to get a call from one of his adopted little brothers.

"Well, since we are finally graduated, and on vacation between high school and college, we sat down, talked about plans for our summer, and we sort of came up with going out west to visit Shaun and you, but we didn't just want to show up at the house unannounced."

Jason is immediately thinking about what they could do while the guys are there visiting them.

"Yeah, that would be amazing. Would it be just Steve and you coming?"

Jason knows they can put the guys up, but anyone coming with them might push it a bit.

"Yeah, it would be just Steve and me."

Shaun enters the house from working in the yard, and Jason smiles.

"Hey Babe, say hi to Eric and Steve."

Shaun goes from tired to excited, and he promptly sits down next to his hubby.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

In unison, the guys say "Hi!" to Shaun.

"Well, we thought that we might come out to see you guys. Hope it's okay?"

Shaun looks at Jason and shrugs his shoulders.

"When were you thinking of flying out?"

Jason asks, hoping their trip won't conflict too much with their work schedules.

"As soon as we can get the money together and we can buy the tickets, we'll let you know when we buy the tickets, and we'll go from there."

Jason's and Shaun's hearts sank because they don't know how much planning they need to do or what their schedules will be because neither Jason nor Shaun has been around long enough to have any vacation time, and their bosses aren't about to let them have time off to show the boys around their fair city.

"Eric, Steve, we aren't able to take time off of work for your visit. There is a good chance that you will have the house to yourselves at some point during your visit. We will do our best to see that you have fun, but the visit will be what it is; I'm sorry, guys."

Shaun tells the guys he wants them to know what they have to put up with on their visit to Salt Lake City.

"We can deal with that, and it's all good."

Eric said their adopted older brothers.

"Eric, Steve, we need to go. Let us know when the tickets are bought and when your flights are., okay?"

Eric doesn't want to end the phone call because he doesn't want to say goodbye to them just yet, but he knows that their schedules are bonkers.

"Good night, guys!"

Steve and Eric say together. As the call is ended, Sarah walks into the room. She overheard part of the conversation from the dining room and knew they were making some plans with Jason and Shaun.

"Okay, so what is going on, and how much is it going to cost me?"

She isn't against them seeing Jason and Shaun; she is more concerned about emptying their bank accounts over this trip. She wants her brother to have some money for college.

"We are thinking about going to see Jason and Shaun in Utah?"

Eric tells his sister, who stops what she is doing and gets her laptop to look up and compare ticket prices.

"Okay, so we'll say that you're doing round trip tickets. You'll fly out on the 8^th and then fly home on the 12^th."

Once all the information is entered, she clicks to pay for it. Eric's and Steve's mouths drop. They expected to pay for the trip all on their own.

"Okay, guys, here is the deal; I need $205 from both of you. Mark and I will cover the rest of it."

The guys are happy.

"When do we leave?"

Steve asks, so he knows when he has to pack.

"You leave tomorrow morning so, you had better pack. Steve, you need to go home and pack, and then come back home. Once packed, Eric and Steve meet again once Steve is packed about two hours later. Once they are back at Eric's house, they call to confirm their arrival in Salt Lake City at 10:26 am. They luck out because Jason and Shaun are to pick them up. Early the next morning, Mark, Eric, and Steve get up and head out to the airport, leaving Sarah and the baby to rest at home. Eric and Steve feel a little nervous, but they manage to find their way to their plane.

***

When they land in Salt Lake City, the guys navigate the airport, and when they can, they text Jason and Shaun. It's Jason who responds to the text. Shaun and Jason meet them at the door to the airport, and they get them loaded up into the car, and off they go to the house. Eric and Steve both fall asleep in the car. When they arrive at the home, Shaun wakes the guys up and helps them get into the house. When they get into the house, the first thing that happens is the cats have discovered the visitors. It's obvious the cats remember who Eric and Steve are, and they greet them warmly.

"Do you want me to take you guys to the guest bedroom?"

Eric looks up to Shaun from the couch where he's sitting.

"Please!"

Eric is thinking of taking a long nap, and Steve is thinking of the same thing. Shaun leads the guys to their bedroom. Eric and Steve spend a few minutes setting up their room, and then it's time for a nap. Jason was going to have Shaun set up the couch to be used as a bed, but after texting with Mark, it was decided that it would be all right for the guys to share a bed.

***

After their nap, Eric and Steve head downstairs in time to have lunch. Lunch is pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, and peach cobbler. After their lunch, the guys make a list of things they need to buy from the store.

"Before we head out to the store, I want to know what you want to see and do while you're visiting our little city."

Shaun tells the guys, hoping they'll want to do some fun things. Eric has never been to Salt Lake City, but he knows what he would like to see, and hopefully, some of it will impress Steve a bit. He also hopes that Shaun won't mind visiting some of the church sites. Eric just wants his boyfriend to understand a little bit more about his background.

"I would like to see some of the church's sites, like the LDS history museum, Temple Square, the Natural History Museum, Little Cottonwood Canyon, maybe a bit of downtown window shopping, the zoo, and I heard there is an amusement park."

Shaun and Jason listen to the places that Eric told them that he would like to visit, hoping that they have to do all those things.

"Steve, are there any places that you want to see?"

Steve thinks for a second and then gives his answer.

"I wouldn't mind seeing all the things that Eric mentioned, and I would love to see the Great Salt Lake."

Jason writes that down as a possible place to visit. They have plenty of things to do, and the list is made. Shaun grabs the list and tells the guys to grab their wallets. The first thing they need to do is to go shopping for some basic supplies. There were a few things that Eric and Steve couldn't bring on the plane or things they might need during their visit. After all the items were bought and dropped off at the house, the guys get ready to see sites. They decided to see some areas that are close to downtown. The first place they visit are those around Temple Square.

***

They visit sites around Temple Square include the Visitors' Center, the Memorial Building, and the LDS History Museum. Shaun acts as the tour guide for the crew. Eric was happy to see his boyfriend taking in the sites from the church. There were many questions from Steve and the pauses as they went through the different locations. For Eric, this is his first time seeing these sites, and it's fascinating to visit these places. For Shaun and Eric, the LDS History Museum proves very interesting. Eric has always loved the history of the early church. Still, a lot of it is wasted on Steve, but Eric is right about one thing. It is helping Steve understand a bit more about his boyfriend's background.

"Shaun, I want to hold Eric's hand in here, but somehow it feels so wrong to do it here."

Steve tells Shaun how he is feeling right now.

"I get it, Steve. It can be a little weird to hold hands around here, but I recommend not worrying about it. You might get a few ugly stares, but if you feel like you want to hold hands, then hold hands, but if you don't want too that is also okay."

Jason tells the guys. Usually, Jason and Shaun wouldn't go to these places, but this is worth it. Eric and Steve decide not to hold hands. After the museum and the Visitor centers, they choose to walk around Temple Square and other areas. Steve has enjoyed looking around the area and talking in the cityscape. He has been enjoying the plantings in and around the square. It may not seem like it, but several hours have passed, and everyone is ready to head home.

***

When they get home, Jason gets busy grilling outside. Dinner is Italian sausage, grilled corn, grilled peaches, and freshly squeezed orange juice. While they are waiting for food, Shaun wonders what the guys thought of the places they've visited today.

"What did you guys think of the places that we visited today?"

Shaun asks the guys wanting to hear their thoughts about them.

"I loved it. The museum had interesting items in it. I also loved seeing the landscape around the different LDS sites.

Steve tells the groups.

"I loved the History museum. It was fascinating to me since I was brought up in the church, and being able to see some of the items in the museum was pretty cool."

Eric gave his answer to Shaun's question. Eric has one regret from the time that they spent out in the city. He wanted to hold hands with his boyfriend, and he let fear get in the way. Steve wasn't the only one apparently who felt weird about holding hands while out and about. He won't miss the opportunity to do that again on their next outing. He wants to relax and just enjoy this trip. For a while, the guys are left alone just to relax and chill. Shaun disappeared to help set the table with Jason. It feels good to have Eric and Steve around them. It's been quite a few weeks and months since they have seen each other. This visit is going to be good for both couples. They have a lot to discuss with each other. The guys get called to dinner. After dinner, the guys sit around the table and talk to each other.

"So what is going on, guys? What's new in your lives?"

Jason asks his friends.

"Right now, we are just relaxing and looking forward to the future."

Steve says as he looks at Jason, and then he looks at Shaun.

"Do you have any other things going on?"

Shaun asks Eric and Steve.

"Right now, no, but things will be changing in a few months when we start college."

Eric answers this one.

"Okay, so for tomorrow, Jason has to work, so you'll be hanging out with me. We could hit up Little Cottonwood Canyon, and then around Jason's lunchtime, we have lunch at the zoo, and then visit the zoo."

Eric and Steve nod their heads, and they can't wait to spend the day exploring. Shaun wishes that Jason could be with them tomorrow. They know that the guys are going to have fun tomorrow. Eric wants to know what's going on with the guys.

"Guys, you asked us what is going on with us, but we never asked you what is new with you?"

Are they going to be positive, or are they honest? Shaun decides, as always, that honesty is the best way to go.

"We do have our dream jobs, but we miss Indiana. Shaun knew what the culture was like here in Utah, and he tried his best to prepare me for it, but I felt a little lost at times. I miss my old job, Mr. Bowman, and the animals that I worked with at it. Maybe, these animals need time to get accustomed to me, but yeah, I miss it. What about Shaun?"

Jason speaks up and then passes the torch to Shaun.

"I'm with Jason on this one. I wish I could have stayed in Indiana, but it just didn't end up that way. Even if I had found a place in Indiana or Illinois, I would have followed my hubby here to Utah. We just can't afford to live off of Jason's salary. Yeah, there isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss Indiana."

Shaun answers Eric's questions. The guys are enjoying their visit. Jason needs to get ready for work tomorrow. He needs to get the food taken care of from dinner tonight, and he also needs to get his lunch packed. He wants to relax tonight with Shaun by his side since they've been around the guys for a good part of the day. Shaun retires to the living room, while Eric and Steve retire to the guest bedroom.

***

In the guest bedroom, Eric and Steve get out their phones to call home before it gets too late. Eric calls Sarah.

"Hey Eric, I take it you arrived okay?"

The last thing Eric wants to do is worry his sister.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you that we made it to Utah in one piece. Sorry for not calling when we first arrived."

Eric feels terrible for not calling sooner.

"Eric, you need to stop. You're fine. Thanks for calling, and enjoy your trip."

Eric smiles at his sister's words.

"Thanks, Sis!"

She wants to know what they've been doing so far. Yeah, Sarah is kind of nosy.

"What have you seen anything or just stayed at the house?"

Eric is kind of excited to tell her about the trip so far.

"We saw the Church History Museum, walked through Temple Square, and then walked around the area that surrounds Temple Square."

She wonders if the visits to these sites were for Eric or Steve's benefit. Either way, the guys are pretty happy with everything that happened today.

"Sounds like a good time, so what are Steve and you doing now?"

Sarah asks her brother.

"We are sitting here in the guest bedroom relaxing and taking turns calling our family to let them know that we are okay."

Eric answers his sister, who is planning to end the call so that Steve can call his mom, who has already contacted Eric's sister, hoping that she had heard from her.

"Mark wants to go to bed, so I'm going to let you go."

Eric wants to stay and talk, but he isn't going to upset Mark.

"Night, Sarah!"

With those words, Eric lets his sister go. He ends the call and then cuddles up against Steve. At this point, Steve calls his mom.

"Steven, I expected you to call me much earlier. Are you okay?"

His mom, as already mentioned, has been worried and even tried to call Steve's phone a couple of times and texted him. He had his cellphone muted while out in public, so he didn't offend anyone.

"I'm fine, Mom. I was calling to let you know that I'm at Jason's and Shaun's house. I'm okay. I just wanted to touch base with you."

She is glad that he called.

"Bye Steve, I need to go shopping so I'll talk to you later."

Steve's mother works late and has to get all her errands done in the evening as much as possible or on her days off like everyone else.

"Bye, Mom!"

Steve ends the call. The guys are cuddling together, and soon they are sleeping.

***

Jason wants to make sure that the guys have a good breakfast, but at the same time, it needs to be quick and straightforward. He gets himself up, showers, and then packs his lunch. He immediately gets to work on making breakfast. It's not fancy, but it's something that he does for Shaun some mornings. In a flash, he makes up oatmeal then sits down to eat his breakfast. Shaun walks out of the bedroom with his robe on and sits down for breakfast. It just feels right, and it's an excellent way to start the morning. After Shaun gets up, the visitors get themselves out of bed, freshen up, and then they join hosts in the kitchen.

"Good morning. Are you guys ready to eat?"

Like every young man, Eric was already stuffing food in his mouth when Shaun asked the question. Eric gives Jason and Shaun a big thumbs up. When his mouth is empty, Eric complements Jason's cooking.

"Dang, this stuff is good. I have not had oatmeal in a while."

Eric says, and it's apparent that he's enjoying his oatmeal. Steve speaks up next.

"Yeah, Jason, this stuff is excellent."

Jason's glad that Eric and Steve like the oatmeal.

"Thanks, guys; I'm glad that you liked it."

Jason gives Shaun a sad face as he cleans up his spot at the table. When he returns to the table, he approaches his husband, and they exchange a kiss that could melt lead. Shaun blushes a bit, but he's still thankful for the kiss.

"I'll see you at lunch, Babe! Bye guys, enjoy your day."

Jason grabs his lunch box, his keys, his keys, and then he goes out the door, and in a few minutes, he takes off for work. Shaun always feels a little sad when Jason goes off to work. After all the trips, Shaun will sit down to work on an article and look over his work email. He got the okay to work from home once a week but has to work at least 7 hours, although he can adjust the time as he sees fit.

***

After cleaning up breakfast, the guys grab their stuff and head out to go hiking. They head out for Cottonwood Canyon. Eric and Steve are beside themselves, neither one of them has ever seen mountains in real life, so they are taking things in and enjoying the views as they head towards the Canyon. When they arrive at the trailhead, Eric can't wait to get out and see what lays ahead of them. Along the way, Eric and Shaun take pictures as they hike. Eric plans on using his for another project. It takes them a while to reach the end of the trail. The guys get to a point on the hike, where they need to turn around and then head back to the car. Now you might be wondering about the car that Shaun is driving since they only brought one car to Utah. It's a car that Shaun's dad decided to loan his son, so he didn't have to worry about taking the train. They love the smell of the mountains. Maybe, it's the smell of the trees; whatever it is, they love it. It's so different from the smell of the air back at home in Indiana. Utah has at least that going for it. The hike was nothing like the hikes in Indiana as far as the boys are concerned. It's time to head back to the car so that they can get to the zoo in time for lunch.

***

The trio makes their way to the zoo, and when they arrive at the zoo, they pay for the entrance, and then Shaun texts Jason. Jason texts back to meet him by the Rainforest Exhibit. There is a café there that serves delicious food. Everyone heads towards the café and the exhibit. They haven't even begun looking at exhibits, and already Steve and Eric are excited about the zoo. They finally arrive at the café.

"You may want to order your food."

Eric tells Shaun, Eric, and Steve. Shaun orders a couple of slices of pizza; sausage pizza, Eric orders a quarter-pound hamburger with the works on it, and Steve orders fried shrimp and fries. It doesn't take long for the food to come out. While they are waiting, the guys sit around and talk.

"How was the hike?"

Jason asks to see what the guys thought about the trail. The guys are happy with the hike.

"Are you kidding, Jason? That was an amazing hike; it's one of my favorite hikes so far. The mountains were amazing."

Eric tells Jason.

"We felt the same way about them when we first hiked the trail. The whole place smelled incredible."

Jason says.

"I agree with you guys."

Steve says.

"Jason, what exhibits should we see during our visit today?"

Jason takes the zoo map from Eric's hands. He circles a few exhibits that allow them to see a wide variety of animals.

"The Aquarium, The Rainforest, South America, North America, Asia, Africa, Polar Regions, The Predator buildings, the Island Exhibit, and check out the Australian exhibit too."

Jason made sure to point out each exhibit to the guys. He didn't point out what they might see or what parts of the display should not to be missed. Eric is excited, as is Steve, to get started with the zoo.

"Have our guests been behaving?"

Jason asks his husband as he teases Eric and Steve.

"I don't know; they kept eyeing this shirtless Mormon guy on the trail."

Shaun tells his boyfriend with a smirk. Jason eyes Eric, Steve, and his husband.

"Wait, you all saw a hot guy and came back with no pictures?"

That is when Eric surprises Jason by pulling out his cellphone. He digs through his photo gallery. He finds this photo that shows off the guy's back and the guy's butt. He offers his phone to Jason. Jason smirks at him.

"I was just joking, and you guys did see a hot guy on the trail."

The guys enjoy their time together, but Jason finds that he needs to get back to work. Jason doesn't kiss his hubby; instead, they exchange a hug and say goodbye. Jason also exchanges hugs with their guests. The guys throw their trash away in the garbage, and then they recycle what they can do before moving on and seeing the zoo.

***

They start their zoo visit with the Rainforest exhibit. This exhibit is home to tons of animals, and each exhibit is so cool. In the South American section, their favorite exhibits are the Amazon river, which features fish from the Amazon and other rivers that make up the Amazon rainforest. There is also a large Green Anaconda. They also really liked the Red-Bellied Piranha. In the Canopy section of the exhibit, they see a magnificent Harpy Eagle couple. In the African rainforest section, they spent fifteen minutes watching the gorillas. In the Asian area, they watched the clouded leopards and the orangutans. As they continue their journey through the zoo, they take in all kinds of critters. At the end of the zoo visit, Eric and Steve fell in with the RainForest Exhibit. It could easily be its own zoo in itself, but we are getting away from the story.

***

The crew gets back to the house; everyone is hungry, including Shaun. Shaun decides to order. They talk back and forth for a couple of minutes, and then they decide on pizza. He orders three pizzas, one cheese, one sausage, one pepperoni, and two orders of breadsticks. Eric and Steve are left to themselves while Shaun gets started on his work. Twenty minutes later, the pizzas are delivered, and Eric and Steve love the delivery guy. After, Shaun puts the pizza into the refrigerator for Jason, along with breadsticks and the salad. Shaun goes back to work while Eric and Steve hang out with Sasha and Nyx, the cats. Around 6:00 pm Jason walks into the house, the first thing he does is gather up new clothes, showers, and then Shaun warms up his husband's dinner, and then Shaun and Jason excuse themselves into the dining room, where Jason eats, and Shaun sits back and talks with his husband about his day at work. While they are talking, Eric and Steve have moved upstairs to the guest bedroom. Jason is enjoying his dinner and his husband's company.

"Babe, how was your day?"

Shaun asks Jason, and then he pauses and waits for a reply.

"It was okay. I think I am getting a handle on things. I found out our female yellow anaconda gave birth today, which is pretty cool. I didn't get to see the little snakes, but that is okay. I did get to interact with our littlest orangutan today. She reached her hand out to me for a snack during training. Talk about amazing!"

Jason ended his response and then took a few bites of salad. Shaun thought about how he would have received texts showing all the babies back in Indiana and how Mr. Bowman would have done a lower admission rate so that the public could see the babies. It would have been his assistance's job to decide which ones would be kept and which ones would be sent to their sister organization. Knowing Jason, he was on cloud nine when that young orangutan reached out to him. Shaun wouldn't have been surprised if Jason didn't have a happy tear on his face when that happened.

"Have you been getting work done?"

Jason asks his husband, knowing that there might be more distractions than usual with the guys here.

"Yeah, I locked myself in the bedroom with the door closed. I've been plugging away."

Jason smiles, knowing that Shaun is good at working from home. He was always able to block out the world and study when in college. He would sit in his bedroom and pour over the books, and then when he was done, he would seek out food and company.

"You know, having Eric and Shaun here makes me realize just how much I want to be home. Do you think we'll stay here in Utah for any great period of time? It's great being close to your family, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. It's great being able to get in the car and see your family any time we want to instead of having them come in on a plane just to see us."

Shaun has been feeling that too.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Sandy asked me the same thing you asked me, and I told her that it depends on how long you can stand being here. Now that we're here, I see all kinds of jobs in my field, but I won't leave you just for my happiness. I married you, and I am sticking with you, babe. Yeah, it's sweet being this close to my niece and nephew, not to mention being close to my parents and siblings. But now, we are away from your parents. I guess it's just going to be like this for a while."

Shaun responds to Jason's questions, and it's nothing new but a couple of those sentences sort of hit hard. Tomorrow the guys are going to the Great Salt Lake, so Jason gets busy setting things up for tomorrow after dinner. He grabs his bird book, binoculars, and camera and then sets about preparing lunches. He sticks the lunches in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, Shaun is still busy working. Jason is kind of curious to see what the guys thought about the zoo.

***

Jason knocks on the guest bedroom door. The guys aren't sleeping yet; they are watching a movie. Eric pauses the movie while Steve opens the door.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Jason asks, not wanting to disrupt any cuddle sessions or the like.

"We were just watching a movie. What's up?"

Eric says to one of their hosts. Steve returns to the bed while Jason sits down in the computer chair.

"I was just wondering what you thought of the zoo?"

Instantly, Eric's and Steve's faces light up.

"Shaun made sure to take to every exhibit that you mentioned, and it was amazing to see some of the exhibits. We talked on the way back home, but a couple of exhibits in the Aquaruim hit us. The Rivers exhibit was stunning. We loved the Amazon Flooded Forest; this was our first time seeing Amazon River Dolphins. We also loved the touch tank. The Rainforest was pretty cool too. Our favorites were the Jaguars, the river, and the gems in the South American section; in African Exhibit, it had to be the Gorillas; in the Asian exhibit, we fell in love with the Bengal tigers, the Clouded leopards, and the Orangutans. All of the exhibits in it were amazing. For me, the Australian house was pretty cool. Seeing the Saltwater crocodiles from above and below was super cool. Course, the parrot flyway was amazing too. I love being able to interact with the animals on some level."

Eric responds to Jason. It made him feel good to hear what Eric thought.

"What about you, Steve, any favorites?"

Steve thought for a second, and then he went into his favorite exhibits.

"Eric and I like pretty much the same things, but I had a liked a few things that Eric didn't mention. IN the Australian house, I loved the Venomous Critters section. The venomous snakes were breathtaking. In that same vein, seeing the king cobra and Reticulated python in the Asian section of the rainforest was amazing. In the Aquarium, I loved the River Giants exhibit. I also really loved the flooded forest. It was cool seeing the species in that tank. I think seeing the pacu was intense. Also loved the butterflies in the Central American section."

Jason agrees with Steve; the king cobra exhibit is stunning with its tree trunks, understory, and even in some of its plantings.

"I was hoping you guys would get a taste of what the zoo has to offer, and maybe at some point, you can come back and spend a day exploring the zoo. I have heard it can take two days to do the zoo justice."

The guys got that feeling from the little bit of time that they spent in the zoo. Jason doesn't want to ruin the rest of their day, so he lets them go.

"I will talk to you later, guys."

Jason walks out of the room and returns to his babe. Eric and Steve have no idea what they are doing tomorrow.

***

Eric and Steve are sitting back in the bed, and they are talking while cuddling.

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

Eric asks Steve, hoping that he has knows what they are doing tomorrow. Steve looks at him and shrugs his shoulders.

"Should I go ask Jason or Shaun?"

Steve thinks for a second. Should they bother their adopted brothers to find out? Is the answer yes? Steve gets up out of bed and heads out to find the guys. He finds Shaun sitting on the couch along with Jason.

"Sorry for interrupting; Eric was wondering what we are doing tomorrow. I think he's trying to plan out his outfit."

The last sentence to come out of Steve's mouth makes the guys laugh a little. They look at each other and smile.

"We are going out to the Great Salt Lake, so more hiking."

Jason answers his friend's question. Eric will like that trip. It will give him a chance to take in more of the scenery that makes Utah a neat place to visit.

"Cool, I will go upstairs and let Eric know. Thanks!"

Steve turns around and heads to the guest bedroom. When he enters the room, Eric looks at him with a questioning look.

"What did they say?"

Eric asks, hoping for an incredible day out with his boyfriend and their friends.

"We are going out to the Great Salt Lake. Jason said that we are going hiking there too."

The guys decide to look at the internet and see what the Great Salt Lake is all about. It is all good. Since they'll be going hiking, they decide that it might be a good idea to retire early.

***

The morning has come, and today, Jason is making breakfast again. Today, he is making French toast with berries and powdered sugar. He also makes some maple syrup. He also fries up some breakfast sausage. This time for a drink, he is doing apple juice from a bottle. When everyone gets up around the same time, so they eat breakfast together. Jason is off from work today, so he gets to enjoy the trip with everyone else. They are visiting Antelope Island today, an hour and 57 minutes away from Salt Lake City. The park doesn't open till around 10:00 am. They will leave around 8:30 am and hope that they get there in enough time to enjoy themselves.

"Guys, there are a couple of trails around the park, and we can do several hikes to see different parts of the park if you want, or we can do one trail and be done. What do you want to do?"

The guys think for a second, and they make their decision.

"Why don't we try to hike all the trails? I mean, we are going to be there, right?"

Steve doesn't know a thing about the park or the trails, but he does give his voice. Eric agrees to hike all the trails. Even Shaun wants to do it too. They decided to do almost hike all the trails. They pack up their stuff and head out for the lake. They decide to the Buffalo point trail first. It's only a mile, and there is no shade on this hike. You get to see the lake and the beach. They enjoy the lake, and the brine flies not so much. The next trail they decide to do is the Frary Peak Trail. It's a little over 6.9, and it is a little tricky. After this trail, the guys head back to the car and have lunch. The guys have been taking pictures left and right. It's amazing. After lunch, they hike some more of the trails and do lots of photos, and take time to watch the buffalo. Along the way, Jason has quite a few birds on his life list. I am not sure how many times Eric or Steve stood in awe over the views or the animals. Eric is super excited. He saw a place on one of the trails that would be a perfect place to propose, and that twisted his heartstrings. When the guys grow tired, they head back to the car and head for home. The whole way home, the guys are talking about the trails, the scenery, and of course, the animals.

***

At home, Jason and Shaun decide that tin-foil dinners are the way to go. They cut up some potatoes, carrots, celery, and some of the fresh green beans. They prepare the hamburger patties, then add the salt pepper and plop them into the oven. While they are cooking, the guys talk about tomorrow.

"Okay, guys, I have to be honest. We were going to go to the amusement park tomorrow before we found out you guys were coming, so unless you object to going, you are invited to come with us. Honestly, we get discounts through our jobs, and I actually picked up two more tickets when we found out you guys were coming, so yeah, you are coming."

Eric and Steve love rides, so that this trip will be great. When they get to the park, the guys split up and enjoy the park. The boys plan on hitting the roller coasters first and then hitting the other rides. Having ridden many rides, they meet up with Jason and Shaun for lunch in the park, and then the guys decide to ride the train. A couple of things on the train ride upset Steve. The guys enjoy the rides, but they choose to the ferris wheel together romantically. They want to end their day on a high note. On the way home, the guys discuss what they liked and what they didn't like at the park. They also talked about how it compares with the park in Illinois. When they arrive at home, everyone is hungry, so Jason decides to cook fish because it's fast. Shaun does fries, and the drink is pink lemonade. At the end of the day, we find ourselves in Shaun and Jason's bedroom.

***

We are in Jason's and Shaun's bedroom, where the guys are sitting up in bed doing some reading. The guys take a chance to unwind before going to sleep.

"Shaun, do you want kids here in Utah or Indiana?"

The question catches Shaun a little off guard. Jason isn't sure what place would be better for kids. Here in Utah, they have the advantage of being around family. In Indiana, they have friends who act like family and support from them.

"I have not given the location much thought. I suppose Indiana because that is where are want to be in the first place. So I will go for Indiana."

Jason smiles and hugs his babe. At this point, it is time for bed because tomorrow will be another day.

***

On the final day, Shaun has to go to work, as does his husband. Eric and Steve knew that there might be a day that the guys might have to work during the visit. This situation is where Eric and Steve find themselves at this point. They have this day to sit back and relax. The guys spent the day out in the yard, and they explored the neighborhood. They even had lunch by themselves. Eric made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. When Shaun comes home, they sit around and talk.

"Shaun, do you think you and Jason will ever return to Indiana?"

Eric asks, hoping that they'll return to Indiana. Steve won't admit to it, but he's been suffering from their absence as well.

"Eric, I can only say that we want to return to Indiana. I would like to return to Indiana, and I know Jason wants to return to Indiana as well.

Shaun wonders if things are okay with him. He truly worries about his friend. How is Steve doing? Have they had any problems?

"Eric, are you okay? I mean, are you happy? How are you, Steve?"

Steve looks at his friend, as does Eric. They take a moment to think about the question.

"I've been good. We've come to rely on each other and our families. Yeah, I've been pretty happy."

Shaun is having a hard time reading between the lines. He truly misses his younger brothers.

"I feel a little lost sometimes, but as Eric said, we've come to rely on each other for support."

Steve's voice echos Eric's words. When Jason gets home, they decide to come up with something nice to have for dinner. Jason decides to go with a taco bar. He put everyone to work doing something for the dinner. In the end, no one went to bed hungry. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

***

Shaun and Jason wake up and make a simple breakfast of fresh fruit. As soon as Eric and Steve get packed, they print out their tickets and head out for the airport. Eric and Steve are holding hands and kissing each other's hands.

"Eric, when you get back to your house, I want you to call us. We just want to know that you are okay."

When they get to the airport, Eric and Steve head inside the airport.

They kiss each other briefly once they are inside the airport.

"Babe, can you imagine if we were dating each other at their age?"

Shaun asks Jason hoping for an excellent discussion to come out of it.

"I think we would have made it. I don't think we would let anything stop us. I'm not sure what would have happened, though. After all, you were born in Indiana, and I was born in Utah."

Shaun isn't sure what would have happened if they had been born in one state or the other. Shaun reflects on their friend's departure.

"Jason, I asked the guys how they were doing, and they both said that they were fine but, their voices had something inside of them. I think they didn't want us to worry them."

Jason didn't want to think about what might be going on back in Indiana. Is it something that Sarah or Mark would tell them what's up with Eric and Steve? Now, they wait for the phone call. Several hours later, the call does come.

"Eric, how are you?"

Shaun answers the phone. Jason had to go to work.

"I am feeling a bit tired, but I'm glad that I caught you. I'm good. Steve is good too."

Shaun doesn't want to keep him. He just wants to know that the guys are okay.

"Eric, I'm going to let you out so I can get some errands ran."

Eric understands the need for Shaun to get the errands done.

"Bye Eric, be good! Call us if you need us."

Shaun and Jason have tried hard to make themselves accessible to the boys because everyone needs someone they can talk too. They've been that for Eric and Steve ever since they moved next door, and they refuse to let distance change that.

***

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