Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:21:34 -0400
From: Derek Ross <48deekross@gmail.com>
Subject: Buck - Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This story involves a relationship between two males under
the age of 18. By the end of the story, both will have reached 18 years of
age. If you are offended or prefer not to read material in which persons
are not yet 18, please read no further. I intend to harm/offend no one. If
you like the story or wish to contact the author, please email
48deekross@gmail.com. I'll take any constructive criticism. Thanks for
Reading!


------


"Hey, movie just got over. Headed home now."


"Just got home. What's up?"


"Leeeeeeeeee, text me back. I'm bored."


"Is everything okay?"


"I guess I'll just talk to you later."


The missed call had apparently come in between texts 3 and 4. I couldn't
help but smile, thinking about how he must've racked his brain as to why I
wasn't texting back. It was cute, in a way, to see him squirming a bit.


I can't deny that I've been in the same place before, or that it sucks
completely. One night, very early in the rekindling of our relationship, I
had been texting with Buck. We had been texting for a while, when out of
nowhere he just stopped replying. I struggled with deciding whether or not
to send another text.


"If he's not responding, that means he doesn't want to talk right?"
"What's the harm in sending another message? It's just a way to keep the
conversation going."  "Will it seem desperate? Will he be turned off by
it?"


All these thoughts plagued me, to the point that I put my phone clear on
the opposite side of the room. I made up my mind that it didn't matter if
he replied.


He did, of course, after some time. He had been caught up doing something
with his parents, so he couldn't sit on his phone and text me. Simple
explanation that rendered all my worrying useless.


It seemed the same thing had happened with Buck. Instead of avoiding
multiple messages, though, he had sent several, trying to get my
attention. I personally thought it was kind of cute.


I responded promptly, hoping to alleviate some of his stress. I told him
that I had fallen asleep without meaning to and had slept like a log all
night. It was about 8, so, since he was probably still asleep, I didn't
expect an immediate reply.


I got up to piss, shower, and put some new clothes on. When I was dressed,
I headed downstairs to get some breakfast. My family were all there
already. My mom was busy cooking, my dad and brother busy eating.


"Wow, you guys are all up early!" I said as I walked in.


"Or maybe you're just up late." My dad winked at me as I sat down at the
table. For whatever reason, my family had always been early risers,
including myself. 8 was considered sleeping in for me.


"Here, eat up hun." My mom sat a plate down in front of me. "After we're
all done, we'll head out."


She was referring to grocery shopping. Every so often, my family would
travel to the next town over to do big grocery shopping. There wasn't a
place in our small town that could really be useful for what mom needed to
do, so we went to the one of the bigger stores in the neighboring
county. For as long as I can remember, it had been a family affair. We
would all go and help out. Once we were older and competent, my brother and
I were given lists of things to go find for my mom. Dad was also given a
list, but his was usually shorter (he would get sidetracked so easily).


The car ride was uneventful. My brother, 3 years my junior, kept everyone
entertained. Jackson had always been a goofy kid, and it worked in his
favor. We got along for the most part, about as well as brothers can, I
suppose.


Buck texted me back when we were about halfway to the grocery store.


"Haha, yeah that's what I figured. Sorry I blew your phone up."


I told him it was okay.


"Guess I kind of freaked out. I was worried you didn't want to talk to me."


"Of course I do! Who else is gonna send me dick pics? ;)"


"Oh, so that's all I'm good for? Wooooooow, I thought I meant more than
that."


"Nope, that's all I like you for."


"Well, hopefully you can have the real thing before long. When are we
hanging out again?"


He was as anxious about it as I was.


"I guess it will have to be this upcoming weekend."


" :("


"I know. I want it to be before that too."


We texted a little more, lamenting over how long of a week it was going to
be. When we pulled into the store parking lot, I told him I had to go.


After about 20 minutes of running this way and that way with my buggy, I
finally had everything on my list. I headed back to the cold section of the
store, where I knew my mom would be. I finally found her at the end of one
of the freezer aisles.


"Hey, I think I'm about finis--"


Before I could finish my sentence, someone grabbed me from behind. The
strong arms wrapped around me in a headlock, and I immediately freaked
out. I struggled, but I couldn't get away.


A very familiar laugh finally rang in my ears as the arms let me go. I spun
around quickly and found myself staring right at Buck. My brain went into
overdrive. Where the hell did he come from?


I couldn't get any words out, but, apparently, my mother was not similarly
affected.


"Buck Turner. Lord boy, it's been so long. How are you?" He stepped toward
her and wrapped her in a hug, the lop-sided grin never leaving his face.


"Doing just fine! Here helping my mama with shopping."


I was still flabbergasted at him being there, but there was something in
the way he talked to my mom with such ease. Some might call him a used-car
salesman. I just think of it as charming.


Eventually, mom headed off to round up my dad and brother, and I was left
alone with Buck.


"Where the hell did you come from?" I said as soon as she was out of
earshot.


"Well hello to you to." He grinned. I just gave him a look, so he
continued. "I really am here helping mama shop. I didn't realize you were
here until I saw you walking with your buggy. You didn't see me, so I
figured I might as well give you a little surprise."


"Well, you certainly did. I nearly shit when you grabbed me."


"I'm glad you didn't." He said with a laugh.


We walked and talked for a little while. I kept an eye on my phone; mom
said she would text me when they were ready to go to the cashier. I don't
really think Buck was doing much in the way of "helping" his mom. Since we
had been together, he had not picked one thing off the shelf. I wasn't
going to call him out on it, though; I was just happy to see him.


"So next weekend, huh?" He finally asked.


"Yeah, I don't really see how we can do anything before then." I replied
quietly, hoping he wouldn't be too upset. My mom didn't like for me to go
out and do stuff during the week. School was a big priority for her.


Buck frowned.


"I guess that'll be okay. Just feels like I haven't seen you in forever."


"We see each other all the time at school?" I tried meekly. He cut a look
at me.


"You know what I mean." He stopped walking, looked both ways, and then
grabbed at my crotch. "I haven't seen you."


We both laughed as I jerked away from his grip. If his hand had stayed down
there any longer, I was going to be sporting full wood through the
store. As much as I think he would like that, I doubt anyone else would.


When my mom finally texted me, it was a sad moment. We had to just kind of
wave a each other, rather than kiss goodbye. It wasn't anything we weren't
used to; it was the same thing at school each day. Still, that didn't make
it any better.


"Buck Turner is just the sweetest thing." Mom said as we were driving
home. "And handsome too. He finally grew into those ears of his."


I just smiled and mumbled some agreement. He was handsome. And he was a
goofball, which made me like him even more.


-------


The week went by in a blur. School was still rolling on, and we were just
trying to keep up. On Monday, it was decided that the two of us would ride
dirt on Friday night, and that I should plan to stay at Buck's. I ok'd it
with mom that night.


We texted about it all week. About how we couldn't wait to hang out. How we
couldn't wait to get our hands on each other. How horny we were. We talked
about what we were going to do. Obviously we'd make out like crazy and play
with each other's dicks, but would we take it a step further?


We agreed to just see where the night led. I, for one, was really hoping to
get a taste of him. I could sense that he felt the same way, but neither of
us, I suppose, wanted to seem too eager.


---


He rolled into my driveway at 7 on Friday. I shouted goodbye to my folks,
grabbed my backpack and ran out the door. The signature lop-sided grin met
me as I jumped into the front seat.


He threw the truck in reverse, and we were off. No sooner had we reached
the stop sign at the end of my street, though, and he was leaning over to
swallow my face.


Sure, I enjoyed it. But on my street?!


"Woah Buck," I said, laughing as I pushed him off. "Someone will see!"


"I know." He smiled at me as he leaned back across the center console. "I
just couldn't help myself. I mean, look at this." He pointed down at his
lap, where a noticeable bulge had appeared.


I just laughed and shook my head. He drove on, heading out into the country
beyond the town limits.


A couple minutes passed, and I couldn't quit looking over at his bulge. I
wanted to touch it, but I was caught up with nerves again. I finally
decided to hell with it and reached over, laying my hand right on top of
it.


Buck nearly jumped out of the truck.


"Shit fuck Lee! You scared the piss out of me!"


"Sorry! I just wanted to have a little fun."


I started rubbing the bulge as he calmed down. It was so hard underneath
the fabric of his shorts. My own cock was steadily growing harder.


We drove like that for several minutes, not really saying much. Buck
focusing on the road. Me, with my hand across the console, focusing on his
dick. I pressed firmly against it with the palm of my hand, pushing and
pulling over and over again. I made sure to pay special attention to the
head, which was outlined against the tight material of the shorts.


"You keep doing that and I'm gonna cum." Buck said laughingly.


"Maybe that's what I want." He reached down and moved my hand.


"Not yet, I've got other plans."


I raised an eyebrow.


"Oh yeah? Like what?"


"You'll see."


I tried to get him to tell me what a was talking about, but he wouldn't
budge. He wouldn't even say when I reached over and grabbed his dick. He
just laughed and moved my hand again, saying he didn't want to cum yet.


"Well can you at least kiss me or something?" I was just joking, but Buck,
apparently, was not. He pulled very abruptly into a hunting club entrance,
threw the truck in park, and grabbed me. We made out passionately for
several minutes, the only thing separating us was the console. He held me
by the back of my neck, not letting me pull away from him for even a
second. The combined feeling of that and his lips on mine was driving me
crazy. I could feel my cock practically bursting in my shorts. When we
finally parted, both breathing heavily, I looked down to see a growing wet
spot on the fabric.


He must've noticed it, too.


"Glad you enjoyed that." He said, still a little out of breath. I couldn't
muster up anything to say in response, so I just nodded. He started the
truck back up, and we were off.


The sun was getting a little low when he turned the truck into his family
farm.


"Ready for a little fun?"


"Always." I laughed. This must've been why he wanted me to wait. He wanted
to get out and screw around at the farm.


As the truck drew closer to the lake, I noticed something red on the ground
under a nearby stand of trees. Not thinking much of it, I absentmindedly
asked "what's that?"


"You'll see." When we were finally close enough, I realized it was a
blanket, laid out on the ground. There was a cooler next to it.


"You sappy son of a bitch." He just smiled at me and shrugged his
shoulders.


"Sorry I wanted to treat you right. You can walk back to town, if you
want."


I punched him in the arm.


"Not a chance."


It didn't take long before we were splayed out on the blanket, tangled up
in one another. We had each chugged a beer before we lay down, destroying
whatever little bit of nerves were left. It felt so right, lying with him
and looking up at the trees. Nothing much was said, but I felt so
comfortable. He may have been sappy, but that shit was working!


"Lee?" He asked, after a while.


"Yeah?"


"Can I kiss you?"


"I'd be upset if you didn't."


His hand found my face and turned it so that I faced him. He smiled at me
and moved in, locking our lips together. It started out sweet; it really
did! With two teenage boys, though, that couldn't last.


I ended up on top of him, grinding my crotch into his crotch as we
kissed. Frantic grunts and moans escaped both of us. His hands were on my
back, grabbing and tugging at my shirt. It was clear that we were both
eager, both ready to get our rocks off.


"Take off your shirt." He commanded. I did as I was told. "Go ahead and
take off your shorts too. You aren't gonna need them." I stood up and slid
my shorts and underwear down. My cock popped out and stood at attention.


Buck followed suit quickly. We stood for a moment and admired one
another. His thick torso ended in one of the most beautiful sights I've
ever seen: his cock.


I closed the gap between us and took him in my hand. An audible groan
escaped his lips, and I felt him jump in my hand.


"Damn, I've been waiting so long." I kissed at his neck as I began to
stroke him. His breathing was ragged, giving away how much he enjoyed me
touching him.


We were back on the ground before long, kissing and rubbing our cocks
together. He was on top of me this time, his larger weight pushing down on
me.


"I can't take it anymore, Lee." He said, severing our kiss.


"What?"


"I've got to know what you taste like." My eyes widened, but I didn't stop
him as he moved lower on my body. He stopped when his face was level with
my crotch. He used his hand to pick up my cock and the looked at me,
silently asking if it was okay. I nodded.


I'll never forget that first time that he licked my cock. His soft, wet
tongue on my head was almost too much to handle. The tingling sensation it
caused traveled all the way down my shaft and into my balls, causing my
entire body to lock up. I was his, and he could do whatever he wanted.


He licked around the head for a moment before finally taking me in his
mouth. He didn't go much lower than the head at first. He was obviously new
at it; I felt his teeth a couple times. He worked hard to get adjusted,
though, and soon he was taking more of me. I just lay back and watched,
entranced at the sight of my dick sliding in and out of this redneck's
mouth.


Pulling my cock from his lips, he looked up at me. A trail of drool rolled
down his chin. He smiled.


"How's that feel?"


"Un-fucking-believable."


"Yeah? I'm glad." He paused, and I could sense that he was willing me to
return the favor. Not that I needed much pushing.


I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him over onto his back. I crawled over
on top and kissed him hard, pulling his bottom lip into my mouth and
nibbling. I ran my hand down his body and grabbed his cock, stroking while
I sucked at his lip. I teased the head with my thumb and felt a drop of
precum ooze out, which I just used as lube to rub his head harder. He
squirmed under my touch.


I broke our kiss and moved down between his legs. There in front of me were
his beautiful dick and balls. I couldn't believe I was about to finally get
a taste of them. But before that...


I shoved my face in the crease between his balls and his leg. He jumped at
how forcibly I did it, but I had a grip on his hips so he couldn't move
far. I inhaled deeply. The scent of balls filled my nose, and I
shuttered. It was everything I'd dreamed it be and more. The smell was
slightly different from my own, but it was still great. I stayed there for
a little while longer, just breathing his scent.


Eventually I pulled my face back and looked up him. He was staring at me
wide eyed.


"You really like the way my crotch smells?" I just nodded in response. "I
didn't think you actually did, since you never said anything about the
underwear I sent home with you."


I laughed.


"Remind me to fill you in on that later."


I turned my attention back to the task at hand. To say I was nervous was a
bit of an understatement. I'd been looking forward to this moment for a
while, but, admittedly, I had no idea what was I doing.


I decided to do the only thing I could think of and mimic what I'd seen in
porn. I grabbed his cock and, starting at the bottom of his balls, licked
all the way up to his head. He let out a loud breath and threw his head
back, so I'm assuming it didn't feel terrible.


I licked around the head, doing my best to get a good taste. There was a
little hint of sweetness, but mostly it tasted pretty similar to how his
nuts smelled, which I was fine with. A little precum came out, so I licked
that away from his piss slit. I immediately realized that was where the
sweet taste had come from.


Buck seemed to be in heaven. He hadn't said a word, but his heavy breathing
told me he was enjoying it. I'm sure he absolutely loved what I did next.


I took the head in my mouth, trying my hardest to not let my teeth hit his
skin. I knew from recent experience that it wasn't the most pleasant
feeling. I tried to lick and suck as best as I could, but it was harder
than I'd imagined! Getting him in my mouth was a challenge.


After a couple minutes, I had a steady groove down. I was taking a couple
inches of him into my mouth and using my hand for the rest. I didn't hear
any complaints from him. I used my other hand to jack my own cock, excited
and turned on by having his cock in my mouth.


All too soon, it seemed, he was telling me that he was getting close.


"Stay on if... if you want to swallow but... otherwise get off." He
couldn't even finish a sentence without being a little messed up. I quickly
decided that I didn't want to wait to taste his cum. I wanted it.


I kept up what I was doing and after a few seconds, I felt his hand on my
head, holding me in place. He pushed up with his hips, but I blocked him
from going too far with my hand. It didn't seem to matter, as I suddenly
felt hot, gooey cum flooding my mouth. I'm not sure how much he shot, but
definitely enough to make me feel like I had a big loogie in my mouth.


Finally, he let go. I sat back and swallowed.


"Fuck, Lee." His heavy breathing continued. "How's it taste?"


"Not sure how to describe it." We sat for a moment, him still overcoming
his orgasm and me still jacking my dick.


"Hey Buck," I finally said, "I need to get off or I'm gonna explode."


"Yeah, of course, let me help." He reached over and took my cock. He
started beating it pretty furiously, and to no one's surprise, I didn't
last long.


"Fuck, I'm gonna cum Buck." I didn't realize it at the time, but he moved
his face under my cock as the cum began to shoot. Only after I finally came
down from my orgasm did I look down and see him, mouth wide open, splooge
coating his tongue and face. "Damn. That's a good look for you."


He laughed. "Yeah, I feel pretty. And you're right, this stuff does have a
weird taste."


"Right?"


I handed him a tshirt to wipe up with. He cleaned up, we each opened
another beer, and lay back to look up at the trees. By this time, the sun
was very close to setting, and a decent breeze was blowing. The wind on my
balls felt great, and I instantly fell in love with being naked outside.


We lay like that and talked for a long while. Eventually the mosquitos
became too much, and we got dressed and got back into the truck. Riding
around was just as nice. Listening to music too loud, driving dirt roads
too fast, and having a good ass time.


----


Later that night, we were lying in his bed. After we got back to his place,
we had a little repeat of our earlier session, this time with both of us
swallowing the other one's load. We were worn out, to say the least, and
had cuddled up in his bed.


He was big spoon. I backed my ass up to his crotch and wiggled at little,
teasing him.


"You're such a tease, fucker."


"Yeah, but only for you." He laughed and kissed the back of my neck.


"I had fun tonight."


"Me, too."


"Do you really like me?"


"I wouldn't have swallowed your cum if I didn't." He blew in my ear,
apparently annoyed at my being a smartass. "Yes, I really like you."


"Good." He shuffled a little behind me, apparently trying to get closer.


"Now go to sleep, asshole." We laughed, but eventually we did fall asleep,
just like that. Him holding me, and me cradling his arm and enjoying the
pleasure that came from being wrapped up in him.


----


Things continued like that for months. We sucked each other a whole helluva
lot. Every chance we got, practically.


It was always just that, though. We sucked each other often. We texted
about it even more. But nothing about our asses was ever mentioned. I think
we both wanted to bring it up, but neither of us knew how.


It was a nice status quo, though.


There were a few times during those months when Buck lost his confidence
and reverted to being scared. Understandable, I think. I can't say I was
the poster child for being confident in my sexuality, but I tried. I tried
hard for him. He needed to see that it was possible to be who you are
without being scared.


The subject came up fairly often. We talked about our plans for the
future. Would we tell our families? How would we tell our families? How
would they react? What about the people at school? Should we just wait
until after we graduate?


Or should we even say anything at all?


The answer to all of those questions seemed to be a resounding "avoid it at
all costs." I was fine with that. The more drama I could avoid, the
better. As long as I had Buck to myself in private, I didn't care too much
about the public. As long as, you know, he wasn't out openly flirting with
girls (Ashley Brooks is still a whore, mind you).


I've often heard the phrase "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go
awry," and I can't think of a more relevant phrase for this part of the
story.


It was mid-December. School had gotten out, but it wasn't quite time to
begin doing Christmas things with our families. Buck and I were hanging out
pretty often, whether it was at his place, my place, or some place in
between. And, obviously, sucking dick every chance we got.


We were at my place on this particular day. We sat on the floor in my room,
watching something on tv. We had been like that for a while. It was a
do-nothing kind of day, which was fine with both of us. We didn't touch
much; the door to my room was open. I always thought it would be a little
odd if I closed it, so it stayed open whenever he was over. It made it a
little more tricky to get handsy when we wanted to, but a little more fun
as well.


"I should probably get going. Mom is making dinner."


"Are you sure?" I pouted.


"Yeah," he smiled, "I'd rather face your wrath than hers if I'm late."


I leaned over to kiss him goodbye. A quick peck, nothing more. I heard his
truck start up in the driveway a minute later. Thinking nothing of it, I
went back to watching TV. I'm sure my mom would be cooking something, too,
but I had a little time.


Dinner was nothing out of the ordinary. Mom asked if Buck were staying for
dinner, but I told her he had already gone home. She didn't say anything
else about it. I really try hard to think back to that dinner and determine
if anything was wrong. For the life of me, I can't remember anyone acting
weird. I can't remember anything awkward. I can't remember any of us being
tense.


The time after dinner, however. That was tense.


I went back to my room after dinner was over and the dishes cleared. I
flopped down to watch TV again, but no sooner had I found a show I wanted
to watch, I heard "Lee! Come here for a minute, please."


My dad. It sounded like it was coming from the living room. I didn't think
much of it; I just got up and went downstairs.


I found he and my mother sitting, one on the sofa, one on the
loveseat. They both looked at me, not harshly, but with a certain,
determined stare.


"Sit down son." My dad nodded to the recliner where he normally passed out
watching tv. I began to get a little nervous, thinking my report card had
come or something. I was totally unprepared for where the conversation was
going.


"We'd like to talk to you about something that we learned today." My mom
had her hands laced together in front of her. She seemed nervous, too,
which only worried me further.


"Did my report card come?"


"What?" My dad looked up, surprised. He followed it with a soft laugh. "No,
no your report card didn't come. This isn't about that."


"Okay..."


"Lee... we don't really know how to talk to you about this." My dad seemed
nervous, too. What the fuck was going on?


"About what?"


"Your brother... Well, he was walking down the upstairs hallway today
and... well, he saw you kiss Buck." My mother looked right at me as she
said it.


I don't think I have ever felt a more terrible feeling than I did in that
moment. I've thrown up in a room full of people. I've had the runs hit me
when I was literally out for a run. Neither of those, nor anything else I
have ever experienced made me feel worse than my mother saying those words.


"I- I mean- I-" It was all I could manage to get out. My stomach bound
itself in knots, and my tongue quickly followed. Even if I could speak,
what would I say?


"Before you get mad at him, he says he didn't mean to see it." My father
looked at me with a stern expression, the nervousness I detected earlier
gone. "We believe him. He also didn't run and tell us. Your mother saw him
walking down the stairs looking like he'd seen a ghost. He wouldn't tell
her what was going on at first, but finally broke down and relayed what
he'd seen."


"We sent Jackson up to his room before we called you down. When we are done
talking, I think you should go talk to him." My mother continued to speak
softly.


We sat in silence for a few moments. It felt like an eternity to me. I
remember shaking like a leaf. I avoided eye contact at all costs. Neither
of them spoke; I think they were waiting on me to explain myself. I didn't
know how.


"We love you, Lee." My mom finally said. A few tears started to fall from
my eyes. Shame was washing over me. I felt stupid.


"I know, mom."


"We want what's best for you." I just nodded my head. I was still at a loss
for words. How could I be so stupid?


"Come here." I looked up and my mom held her arms out. As much as it shames
me to say it, I went over, and she held me as I bawled like a baby. I
couldn't look up at her, or at my dad. It was a wonder, in my mind, that
she was even trying to comfort me. I cried like that for several minutes,
my mom quietly shushing me, my dad sitting quietly.


As I dried up, my dad finally spoke.


"Tell us what's going on."


I didn't much know where to start, but I did my best.


"I guess it just boils down to this. I'm gay, and Buck is my boyfriend." I
didn't look at either one of them as I spoke.


"Do his parents know?" A sudden shot of fear ran threw me, and I nearly
jumped up from where I was sitting.


"No! They don't know, and you can't tell them! Buck doesn't want them to
know. He doesn't want anyone to know! They'd kick him out. He-"


"Calm down, son. We aren't going to tell anyone. It was just a question."
My father reached over and rubbed my leg. I breathed deeply and tried to
settle down.


"No, they don't know. We haven't told a single person."


"Probably for the best."


"Richard!" My mom exclaimed. He looked up at her, surprised.


"Well it is! The boys would be ostracized. You know how people are here."


"I know. But I don't think that gives you any right to say that."


My dad closed his eyes and pinched his nose, sighing.


"Lee, we love you. Honestly, it really doesn't matter to us if you're
gay. Or if you're straight. Or if you're just confused. We want you to be
happy." He paused and looked up at me with a soft smile. "Have I ever told
you what your mother asked me when I proposed to her?"


I shook my head.


"Well, first she cried a lot and made a big show." My mother reached over
to swat at him, and he and I both laughed. "Then, after everything died
down, she asked me `Will you love me no matter what?' Of course, I said
yes. Then she said `What about if we have kids? Will you love them no
matter what?' And again, I said yes. And she kept going, coming up with all
of these scenarios that we could get into. Asking if I would still love
her. `What if I chop all of my hair off? What if I become paralyzed? What
if I have a miscarriage? What if our child is born with Down Syndrome?' And
to all of those questions I answered yes." He paused, smiling at my mother.


"And then she said `What if we have a gay child?' It was the first time
that evening that I really had to pause and think. Would I still love my
child if they were gay? I said yes a second later, knowing that it was the
answer she was looking for. But I've got to tell you, Lee, that question
really weighed on me for a long time. Could I be okay with having a gay
child?" I looked up at mom. She was misty-eyed.


"The question never left my mind during your mom's pregnancy with you. I
was scared to death. I even thought about it when we were on the way to the
hospital. But I tell you. The moment I held you for the first time, I knew
the answer. I would always love you, no matter what. Even if you were gay."
He smiled. "And here we are."


He moved over to the love seat, and we all hugged. It was a cliche
moment. But it was nice. I was still nervous as hell, but I suppose it took
a little weight off my shoulders.


"I need to walk around a little. I still feel like I'm going to throw up."
My parents laughed and basically pushed me to my feet.


"Go walk down the block and back. Then come back inside. We aren't done
yet." My mom chided.


I did just that. By the time I got back, I still felt a little nauseated,
but overall better. So my parents knew. And they didn't care. Cool!


I walked back inside, and they were sitting in the same spot. My dad nodded
his head at the sofa, telling me to come sit down near them.


"So, how long have you and Buck been together?" My mom asked once I was
sitting.


"I guess about four months now." I replied, having to do a little quick
math in my head.


"He is a sweet kid." I just smiled and nodded.


"Have you done any research on this?" My dad asked, quickly turning the
conversation back to a more practical topic.


"What do you mean?"


"Well, have you done any reading about gay relationships? How to be safe
when the time comes?" I blushed, and my mom did as well.


"Dad, can we not? I'd really rather not." His stern look didn't crack one
bit.


"It's something we need to talk about, son. Your mother and I want you to
be happy, but we also want you to be safe."


"Yeah, but... tonight has already been emotional enough. Can't this wait a
little while?"


He looked at me, then turned to look at my mother. She nodded slightly.


"Well, I guess you're right. It has already been a long night." He stopped
to think for a moment. "How about this? We can wait to couple weeks. But,
when we do finally talk, it's going to be me, you, and Buck."


"What?!" I practically yelled.


"Yes. I'm going to make sure you boys know what you're doing."


"But dad, how will you know... I mean you're not-"


"I know enough to get you started." His look softened a bit. "Listen, Lee,
there are some other things at play here that your mother and I want to
avoid. We will talk about it later, but just trust me, okay?"


I looked between he and my mother several times. Finally, I nodded.


"And Buck?"


"Yeah," I said, not trying to hide my exasperation, "I'll make sure he's
here."


"Good. Now, go talk to your brother."


----


Jackson really didn't have a whole lot to say, which was fine by me. I
didn't want another long, drawn out, emotional conversation. He barely
looked up from his video game when I walked into his room. Something tells
me my parents were exaggerating just a tiny bit about how upset he was.


"I don't really care what you do. Just don't tell people you're gay. I
don't want them thinking I am, too."


A very middle school response, but that was fine by me. I didn't hold it
against him, either. Hell, I was just happy that he wasn't screaming
something about me being a faggot.


I left him to go and call Buck. He needed to know exactly what had
happened. This affected him almost as much as it affected me.


"Hello?"


"Hey, got a minute?"


"Yeah, what's up?"


"Uh, my parents know." There was several seconds of silence on the other
end. "Hello?"


"I'm here. What did you say?"


"My parents know."


"Know what?"


"That I took a shit today, what do you think I mean dumbass?"


"What the hell Lee?! How the hell did they find out?"


"Jackson saw me kiss you goodbye earlier."


"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." He huffed loudly. He was
frustrated. Nervous. Angry. I'm not sure which.


"Listen, it's okay."


"No the fuck it's not. No one was supposed to know."


"I know but it's-"


"It's not okay Lee! I didn't want anyone to know. And you were too careless
and left your door open like you always do. I don't fucking get why you do
that."


He was upset, I could tell. That didn't make what he said okay, though.


"So you're blaming this on me? I don't recall you pushing away from me when
I tried to kiss you goodbye. And you've never once said anything to me
about leaving my door open."


"Yeah, well it's fucking stupid. And now we're caught."


"If you would calm down for a minute and listen to me, I could explain to
you why it's fine. But if you're gonna be a big pussy about it, then fine."
I smashed the end call button and threw my phone to the floor.


"Asshole." I swore under my breath.


"Everything okay son?" It was dad, standing in my doorway. I looked at
him. I felt frustrated. I felt sad. "We heard you shouting downstairs."


"Yeah... yeah everything is fine. I think."


"Let me know if you need something." He started to walk away.


"Dad?"


"Yeah?"


"What do you do when mom is an asshole to you?"


He laughed and moved to sit down on my bed. I sat down next to him.


"Well first, I don't call her an asshole, and neither should you. Secondly,
I usually try to figure out why she is acting that way. There is always
some underlying cause. Maybe she had a bad day. Maybe I screwed up. Either
way, I don't take it to heart. I know your mama loves me. I just try to
help however I can."


"And that works?"


"Well, not always. Sometimes I can be too reactive. I hope you kids never
see us argue, but it's happened before. We've yelled. Never thrown things,
but we've yelled." He laughed. "Thank goodness, that doesn't happen too
often."


He slapped me on the back.


"Sometimes, you just have to be the bigger person." He got up and left. I
sat there for while, contemplating what he said.


Buck was scared shitless. That's why he'd been a dick to me. Did that make
it right? No. But at least I could understand it.


I picked my phone up and called him. I didn't know if he would answer, but
I could at least leave a voicemail.


He answered.


"Hello."


"Hey." Silence. "I know you didn't want anyone to know. I'm sorry that they
found out, but if you'll just listen to me for a minute, I promise it isn't
as bad as you think it is."


"Okay." He said after a moment.


I spent the next 10 minutes explaining everything that had happened that
evening. Buck never said anything, so I just kept right on talking. If he
wanted to say something, I knew he would. When I finished relaying the
story, I just waited.


"I'm sorry." Not what I expected to hear.


"What?"

"I'm sorry I was a dick earlier. It isn't your fault that your brother saw
us. I just panicked."


"Yeah, you were kind of a dick." I smiled, hoping he would catch on to the
fact that I was messing with him.


"Hey!" He laughed. "I mean you ain't wrong. I'm sorry, Lee."


"So what do you think?"


"I... I guess it's fine. Nothing we can do about it now. We just need to be
more careful."


"Yeah, I agree."


"I also really, really don't want your dad to talk to me about dicks." We
both burst out laughing, knowing full well that it was going to be the most
awkward conversation of our young lives.


----


Hi! If you've stuck around for this long, thanks! For those of you who have
been reading from the beginning, I'm sorry it takes so long for new
chapters to be released. I'm fairly busy, but I also have a hard time
making myself sit down to write.


I've done my best to make this work as realistic as possible, while still
maintaining little bits of romanticism. I myself was born and raised in the
country, so I'm drawing from real experience on several things.


If you're a fan of the work, please, shoot me an email and let me know! I
love hearing from you guys. If you have any ideas for how you want the
story to proceed, I'd love to hear those, too. I won't promise that I'll
use them, but who knows?


Until next time, buds. - Derek (48deekross@gmail.com)