It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.

Disclaimer:
This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!

All best, Jon

If you like my story, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you: seperatepiece@hotmail.com

Matt and Jon
Chapter Ten

"L'Chiam!"

Matt watched Jon’s face anxiously by the glow of the monitor as Jon read his paper. He could almost tell what part he was reading by his expression. When Jon finished, he joined Matt on the edge of the bed and gathered him in his arms.

“You never told me about that part of the conversation.” Jon said, not in an accusatory way, but merely stating the fact.

“I thought it might embarrass you.” Matt said, smoothing his boyfriend’s golden hair.

“It probably would have at the time,” Jon admitted, “but now…you have no idea what it means to me to read in black and white how much you cared about me. You were right, too. I was thinking of Rosa Parks. We’d just read about her the night before, and I wasn’t sure that the others would accept me sitting with them, but there was just no way I was going to go sit by myself again after…”

“I know, baby, I know.” Matt interrupted, not wanting to think about how lonely Jon’s life must have been. He, at least, had had his friends. “I knew what it took for you to sit with us that day. I was so proud of you.”

There was a light knocking at the door and Jon instinctively tried to break the embrace. Matt held him tighter.

“Come in.”

Ann stood in the doorway observing the two boys.

“I see you’ve read Matt’s paper.” She said quietly.

Jon nodded his head on Matt’s shoulder.

“Who’d have thought our boy had it in him?” She asked.

“I did.” Jon squeaked. His voice had changed a year ago, but it still betrayed him from time to time, especially when he was emotional.

“You’re a very special person to have brought out that side of him. I came to tell you that your mother’s on the phone. I’ll tell her you’ll call her back in a little while.” Ann said as she gently closed the door, leaving her son to savor the special moment with the one he loved.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next morning the boys were excited. Sam had invited them go along with his friend Gary and him to the tux rental shop for their fitting. Afterwards, the older boys planned to take them to lunch at Friendly’s ™. Sam was trying to spend as much time as he could with his little brother before going off to college, and Jon and Matt were very pleased to be included.

They met Gary at the shop. He was already being measured when they walked in. The shop owner greeted them.

“I thought you said on the phone there’d only be two of you.” He said, arching his bushy eyebrows at Matt and Jon.

The boys knew that there was no way the old gentleman could have possibly mistaken them for seniors, but they were still flattered by his little joke.

As he went about measuring Gary, he kept up a running patter.

“Thirty-seven years I’ve been here. I’ve seen this town change a lot since then, I can tell you. I don’t know how long I can hold out, what with the mall. A lot of my neighbors have had to pack it in. I’m only surviving because of my reputation. I’ve been here so long that I’ll bet I fitted your dads’ prom tuxes if they went to Jefferson.”

Both Sam and Gary told them that their parents had grown up elsewhere, but Matt spoke up from the sidelines.

“My dad went to Jefferson.”

“Oh,” the older man raised his eyebrows comically, “what’s your father’s name, son?”

“Bill Barker.” Matt told him, not expecting him to remember.

The old man’s face lit up. “I know your father. We’re in Lion’s Club together. I did his prom tux, AND his wedding suit.” He said with pride. “He’s a 40 regular.”

“I’ve seen the pictures. You do great work, sir.” Matt said respectfully.

“You tell your dad that you met me, and tell him that if I’m still here when you graduate, I’ll throw in the shirt and tie. On the house!”

Matt thanked him. It was Sam’s turn to be measured. The boys had to suppress a laugh when the old man went to measure his inseam. As he held the tape to Sam’s crotch, he inadvertently nudged his package, causing Sam’s eyes to bulge out of their sockets. The two young men left a deposit and shook hands with the tailor. Once they were out on the street, and a respectful distance away, the four of them couldn’t contain their laughter.

“You shoulda seen your face when the guy felt you up!” Gary joked “I thought he wanted to take you to the prom himself!”

Sam went beet red. “Hey, that’s more action than you got all year!” He shot back.

Much to Jon and Matt’s delight, the two friends continued to rib each other all the way to Friendly’s™. When they were seated, the waitress brought the menus. When she came back to take their order, Gary was impressed when Jon ordered the diet plate.

“Way to go, champ! I noticed that you’re slimming down. Pretty soon you’re going to have to fight the ladies off with a stick!”

Jon blushed and looked at his place mat. Gary had been Sam’s best friend since grade school, and was always good to Jon. During the years that Jon had no friends, they had included him on many occasions, and always made him feel better when he was down. He hated that he wasn’t being honest with him. Jon took Matt’s hand under the table and looked at him pleadingly. Matt nodded, and Sam gave them both a smile and a wink.

“Gary,” Jon began, “about the ladies…you see, Matt and I…”

Comprehension dawned on Gary’s face.

“Oops! My bad.” He laughed. “I didn’t mean to put my foot in it, so how long have you guys been together?” He said casually, taking a long pull on his milk shake. The other three at the table just stared at him. Of the people they had told, Gary was by far the most nonchalant.

“What?” Gary blurted out, looking around the table.

Jon, Matt and Sam burst out laughing. When they managed to control themselves, Sam told Gary what was so funny.

“I think these two were expecting more of a…reaction.”

Gary grinned at them. “When I get home, I’ll be sure and write you a card.”

This sent them into paroxysms of laughter, once again. When it finally quieted down at the table, Gary looked over at Jon.

“Geez, Jonny. I’ve known you for most of your life. Hell, when you were five, Sam and I used to help your mom give you your bath. You were like our mascot, you didn’t really think I’d be upset, did you? I’m just happy that you’re not moping around the house anymore. I hated that you were so bummed out all the time, especially since you were always such a happy little kid.”

Jon blinked the moisture out of his eyes. He was determined not to be a cry baby in front of the big boys.

“And besides,” Gary continued, “it’s not like I don’t know other gay people. It’s just no big deal.”

“They know about Chet. He told them himself.” Sam mentioned.

“Yeah!” Jon chimed in. “He’s going to be our bodyguard next year.”

Gary chuckled. “You couldn’t ask for a better body guard. That guy is scary!”

“Not when he’s on your side.” Matt corrected him.

On the way home, Sam pulled into the parking lot of the large chain drug store and told the boys to wait as he and Gary got out of the car.

“You guys hang out here, we’ll only be a minute.”

When Sam and Gary had slammed the door, the boys giggled.

“They must think we’re really stupid if they think we don’t know what they’re buying in there.” Matt snorted.

“Yeah,” Jon agreed, “I’m glad we don’t have to use those things!”

When Sam and Gary came back to the car, they each carried a discreet brown bag.

“All stocked up for the big night?” Jon teased as Sam edged into traffic.

“Jonny!” Sam growled, blushing furiously.

“It’s okay Sam; I’m not ready to be an uncle yet anyway!” Jon persisted.

Matt felt a little uncomfortable. “Jon, give them a break. You’re embarrassing them!”

Jon turned to Matt and said, almost pityingly, “Matt, I love you dearly, but you’re new to the ‘little brother’ thing. This is what we do!”

Sam snarled. “If you don’t knock it off, little bro, I’ll pull over and we can show Matt what BIG brothers do when their little brothers act like little brats!”

“Okay, okay! My lips are sealed!” Jon said with a devilish laugh. Sam relaxed behind the wheel. Gary turned around to look into the back seat.

“I guess it was pretty lame of us to think we could put one over on you.” He said with a nervous laugh. “We’d have picked some up for you, but they don’t come in extra small!”

“Hey!” Jon pretended to be offended. “You haven’t seen it since I was five, I’ve grown since then!”

Sam seemed satisfied that Gary had struck a blow for their side, and his jovial mood returned in full force as he impulsively swung into the lot of the miniature golf course. The boys let out a whoop as they bounded out of the little car.

They had a great time horsing around on the course. Sam and Gary were the natural athletes of the foursome, and were way ahead of the younger two. Matt managed to hold his own, with Jon bringing up the rear. No one really cared about the score. Matt would look back on this day in years to come as the day that he fully realized that he’d gone from being an only child to being a part of a big, boisterous band of brothers.

Later on when the boys were alone in Jon’s room, Matt brought up something that had been on his mind.

“Jon, do you ever think it’s weird that our parents are pretty cool about us doing stuff with each other, but Sam still feels like he has to sneak around? And your folks probably wouldn’t let Sarah sleep over, like they do with us. It’s almost like what we do isn’t as…important.”

Jon sighed. “I know what you mean, but I don’t think it’s that so much as they worry about Sam getting a girl pregnant. He’s just starting college and that would definitely suck for both of them. Not long ago, they shooed me out of the living room and had a talk with him. I listened from the top of the stairs, of course.”

“You little sneak!” Matt chuckled.

“It’s my job, remember?” Jon rolled over on the bed where the two of them had been staring at the ceiling and gave Matt a long sensuous kiss.

“I can’t think of anything more important than that.” He whispered into Matt’s ear.

“Me either, unless it’s this.” Matt whispered back as his hand found the front of Jon’s shorts and began to stroke him through the fabric. Jon flopped back on the bed.

“Mmmmmm. Don’t start anything you can’t finish. Dinner is in 15 minutes.”

“Plenty of time for an appetizer.” Matt said as he lowered Jon’s zipper and freed his erection from the confines of his underwear. “I love a challenge.”

He scooted down to Jon’s middle and hungrily went to work on his cock. For once he was determined to see how fast he could bring his lover off. His head bobbed up and down while his tongue swirled around the shaft. He played lightly with Jon’s balls through the fabric of his briefs, and in no time at all he had reduced Jon to a whimpering mess, pumping out spurt after spurt of his pent up semen in record time.

Matt straddled Jon’s body on all fours, and kissed him hard on the lips.

“Wow, you were like an animal!” Jon panted.

“Rrrrrrrrrrrrr.” Matt growled, showing his teeth. “We still have a few minutes left.” He hinted.

Jon smiled up at him as his hand went between them, groping Matt’s goodies through his pants.

“Assume the position!” Jon ordered, and Matt obligingly rolled over on his back. Jon dove into the task at hand with the same gusto that Matt had. Just as Matt’s passion was beginning to reach its peak, Shelley called up the stairs.

“Dinner!”

Since Jon’s mouth was full, Matt hollered back:

“Coming!” just as his cock erupted in Jon’s mouth. He could feel Jon’s throat contracting in smothered laughter through his penis, and began to laugh himself, realizing what he’d said. He’d never before actually laughed as he was having an orgasm, and it felt funny in a good way. When Jon was satisfied that he’d gotten all that Matt had to offer, he slid up next to him and they collapsed in a fit of giggles and kisses. As Matt started to tuck himself away, Jon stopped him.

“I almost forgot!” He said with alarm, as he leaned down and gave Matt’s dick his customary kiss before he lovingly put it away until next time.

They ran into Sam on the stair landing as they were heading down to dinner. Sam eyed them, noticing that they looked a little flushed. He sniffed the air, and a mischievous smile spread across his lips.

“Maybe I should tell mom and dad that you’ve already eaten.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows at Jon. Jon knew he was just getting even for the condom incident, and he didn’t rise to the bait.

“You’re just jealous!” He retorted as he went down the stairs two at a time. Matt shrugged at Sam.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him today. I think I’ve created a monster.”

“Nah, we used to joke around like this all the time, before he got so down in the dumps. If anything, you woke up his old self. It’s good to have him back.”

Matt was a little surprised and delighted when Jefferson High School’s star center leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks brother.”

Sam turned and went down the stairs, leaving Matt with his hand pressed to his cheek, smiling from ear to ear.

After dinner, Jon got a change of clothes and some toiletries together and the two headed off to Matt’s house. They had a sort of silent agreement with their parents that they would split their time between the two families. This was fine with the boys, as they got to spend more time together. They knew it would change once school started again, but for now, they were enjoying their Summer routine.

Ann and Bill were just finishing up the dishes when the boys strolled in the kitchen door. They each took a turn giving Ann a kiss which brought a smile to her face.

“How was your day boys? Did you have a good time with Sam and his friend?” She asked.

The boys took turns telling them all about the afternoon, even the part about the tailor accidentally poking Sam in the family jewels.

“It was fun. We ate at Friendly’s™, and played miniature golf.” Matt said, finishing the story, tactfully omitting the trip to the drug store.

“Yeah,” Jon interjected, “I was a total spaz on the course, but we had fun anyway.”

“Oh, dad,” Matt said, “the guy in the tux shop said he knows you. He told me he’d throw in the shirt and tie for free when I graduate.”

Bill chuckled. “Yeah, old Cy is quite a fixture in town. He’s a real gentleman of the old school. I’m glad you got to meet him. I hope he can hold out until your prom. Ever since the mall went in, the whole downtown is beginning to look like a ghost town.”

“Yeah, he was talking about that. It doesn’t seem fair.”

Bill sighed. “He’s known a lot of unfairness in his life, I’m afraid. His family fled Germany at the start of World War II, just before they would have been taken to the camps. Pastor Margaret invited him to give a presentation on it at the church last year. It was incredible that they survived. He was just a boy at the time, but it’s as fresh in his mind as though it happened yesterday.”

They talked around the kitchen table for awhile. Ann had taken to keeping sugar-free Jello™ in the house for when Jon was there, and she served the boys each a bowl. Eventually, the adults drifted into the living room to watch the news, and the boys made their way up to Matt’s room and turned on the t.v.

They watched for awhile until both of them were starting to nod off. They tiredly undressed and climbed into bed, snuggling comfortably against each other and drifted off into a contented sleep.

++++++++++++++++++

The week passed quickly and the day of the prom finally arrived. Graduation had been exhausting in the sweltering gym, and since there were so many in the class, there wasn’t room for more than parents to attend.

Sam went downtown to pick up his tux, and to the florist to get the corsage for Sarah. Earlier in the week, Shelley had called Sarah’s mother to ask about the dress so she could order something appropriate from the florist. Sam was a little concerned about the cost of orchids, but he wanted her to have the best. His father had sprung for the tux, so he thought he should have enough.

When he got to the florist, the corsage was ready for him. It was the most beautiful one he’d ever seen. When he went to pay, the woman at the counter told him it was already paid for. She showed him the bill and handed him a small card in an envelope. He opened it and read: “Love, your brothers, Jonny and Matt” printed in Jon’s neat handwriting. He was so overcome that he had to ask the florist to repeat what she’d just said to him.

She smiled at him. “I just said that you should keep it in the refrigerator until tonight.” She repeated, gazing dreamily at Sam and wishing she was 20 years younger. Sam thanked her, and headed toward home. On a whim, he turned in at the mall entrance and headed for Macy’s. He left with a single purchase, and resumed his journey.

When he got to the house, Shelley and the boys were just about to have lunch. She’d taken a personal day to take care of some household things that had been piling up. He put down his packages and crossed the room in two long strides. He grabbed Jon and Matt into a tight hug.

“You two are the best brothers anyone could ever have.”

Shelley was a little surprised at this outpouring of fraternal affection.

“What brought that on all of sudden?” She asked.

Sam showed her the bill and the card from the florist shop.

“We pooled some of our birthday money.” Jon told his mother. “We wanted him to have something from us tonight.”

“You boys!” She said, as she quickly turned back to the counter and busied herself with the sandwiches she’d been making with a tear forming in her eye.

After lunch, Shelley suggested that Sam take a nap. The prom lasted until two in the morning, and the local tradition was to drive out to the beach and have a camp fire, stay up all night and watch the sunrise. Sam agreed that it was a good idea, but he was so excited that he wasn’t sure if he would be able to sleep. As it turned out, he was so overloaded that he crashed for a good 3 hours.

When he woke up, he glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed. He raced down the stairs and searched frantically for his tux.

“Where’s the tux!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Jon and Matt rushed in the kitchen door when they heard him yelling.

“Sam, calm down, I put it in your closet while you were sleeping. You’ve got plenty of time before you have to pick up Sarah.” Jon assured him with a hand on his shoulder.

“But I’m supposed to pick her up early so her mom and dad can take pictures, then we’re supposed to go to Gary’s so HIS folks can take pictures, and then we have to come back here so mom and dad can take pictures and…and…”

Jon chuckled. “Relax, you’ll be ready in time. You’ve got two valets at your disposal. You go hop in the shower and we’ll lay out the suit. We’ll meet you in your room and help you get dressed.”

Sam smiled at them. “You guys are the best!” He darted up the stairs and ran the shower.

Jon and Matt went to Sam’s room and got the tux out of the garment bag. They found all the unfamiliar accessories and laid them out on the bed. Matt tried on the cummerbund.

“How do I look?” He said, turning around like a runway model.

“Like a dork with a cummerbund over his jeans and t-shirt.” Jon answered, as he arranged the studs and cufflinks on the bed.

“Hey, I think it gives me class!” Matt protested as he took off the rich silk garment and laid it on the bed with the rest of the suit.

Jon kissed him on the lips. “Sometimes less is more.” He said, giving him a wink.

They heard the blow dryer from the bathroom, and knew that Sam was almost finished. When he came in the room and slipped off his robe, Jon and Matt gasped at the sight. Sam stood there in all his glory, wearing nothing but the solitary item that he’d purchased earlier – a pair of black form fitting boxer briefs.

“Eat your hearts out, boys!” He joked as he did a few muscle poses for them. Matt pretended to faint and Jon let out a cat call.

“I never thought I’d say this about my own brother, but you are totally HOT!” Jon exclaimed. “It seems a shame to cover you up.”

Jon held out the formal shirt for Sam to slip on, and he and Matt went to work on the cufflinks and studs. When they finally figured out how they all went together, Jon handed him the black pants to put on, and Matt fastened the cummerbund around his waist. Sam managed to get the tie fastened around his neck, and Jon held out the jacket for him.

“Wow!” Jon said as he walked around Sam, examining him from all angles.

“Yeah!” Matt agreed. Sam slipped on the shiny dress shoes and opened his closet door and looked at the full length mirror. The effect was indeed stunning. For maybe the first time in his life, every strand of his golden hair fell neatly into place. The suit fit him perfectly, and he felt very proud as he gazed at his reflection.

“Let’s go show mom.” Jon suggested. They found her in the study. She took one look at Sam, and her face lit up.

“Sarah is one lucky girl!” She said as she made him turn around for her. “You clean up real nice.”

Sam looked at his watch and told them he’d better get over to Sarah’s. Before he left, he turned to Jon.

“When I bring Sarah back for pictures, no ‘little brother’ stuff. Okay?”

Jon raised his right hand. “Word of honor!” He solemnly vowed.

When Sam had gone, Shelley asked the boys if they wanted to go out to dinner. She thought they deserved a special night too. Matt and Jon were thrilled with the idea. Then Shelley had another thought.

“Matt, why don’t you call your parents and see if they want to join us? If they come over here for a cocktail first, they can see Sam in his tuxedo.”

Matt called home and extended the invitation. Ann accepted enthusiastically and added that she’d bring some nicer clothes for Matt to change into.

Dan pulled into the driveway right behind Sam and Sarah. When Sam stepped out of the car, Dan was amazed at the sight. The young man who stood before him in the driveway was right out of a magazine. Sarah joined him at his side and the two of them together were dazzling. Something about the way she took his arm gave Dan a feeling that they were going to be seeing a lot of Sarah Donnelly in the future.

“Who are you and what have you done with my son?” Dan said, patting Sam on the back. Sarah giggled and Sam blushed as they went into the house to get the camera. The Barkers arrived shortly after and when everyone had complimented the couple, Sam and Sarah started making their goodbyes.

Just as they got to the door, Sam stopped and turned back to the room.

“Wait. One more picture.” He said as he crossed the room and stood between Jon and Matt with an arm around each of them. Dan snapped the picture that was to become a favorite of all three of them for many years to come.

After Sam and Sarah had left, Dan turned to the boys and asked them where they wanted to go for their end of school celebration dinner.

“How about the new Chinese restaurant downtown?” Matt suggested, knowing there would be plenty of healthy choices for Jon. They all agreed, and the boys went upstairs to change while the adults sipped their cocktails in the living room.

The restaurant was crowded and they had to wait for 15 minutes before they were seated, but it turned out to be worth the wait. The food was excellent, and they all shared the different dishes around the table.

Bill picked up his glass and proposed a toast.

“To Jon and Matt. Two young men who’ve forged a bond based on helping one another. Long may it continue in health and good fortune.”

“Here here!” Dan affirmed, and the four parents clinked their glasses. Matt started to raise his glass, but Jon stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“It’s not polite to drink to yourself.” He whispered.

Matt smiled at his boyfriend, marveling at the fact that Jon would know this obscure bit of social etiquette. He was full of surprises, and Matt silently vowed to learn them all if it took the rest of his life.

Well, the boys are in a good place. I should tell you that I had planned to have Sam be killed by a drunk driver coming home from the beach, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought it would add some drama to the story, but Sam is an integral part of things, and I just couldn't devastate all of my characters like that, or you, gentle readers. I found a less traumatic way to add some direction to the story line, so stay tuned for chapter 11. It might take awhile, as I am swamped with work at the moment. I'm sorry for the delay, but it's unavoidable.

As always, my sincere thanks to those of you who wrote this time around. Jim, Jeff, John (yes, I'd love to hear about your Matt!), Bill (who has graciously offered to host M&J at his really cool site: http://storylover.us), Jerry (Thanks for sharing so much with me. You're a trully good friend), Paul (Keep "Sad Song of a Gay Teen" coming! It's a "must read" for those of you who haven't seen it.), James from Oklahoma (you're a really sweet guy, and I appreciate your friendship.), Tim (as always, you are an inspiration), Michael ("Nevermore!" is brilliant. I can't wait to see it posted.), Jay, Robert and Walt, PiscesGemi (you didn't sign your name, but I love ya anyway.), Bill from Texas ( I'd love to hear about your experiences sometime.), Dave W, Dustin, and Doc ( I can't wait to hear your ideas. Please remember to save!).

Neil, if you're still out there, I'd really like to hear how you're doing. If I left anyone out, it was completely unintentional. Please point out any omissions, and I'll be happy to correct it next time. You all mean a lot to me.

All the best for now, Jon