Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:43:58 -0500
From: Sean E <ekidky@hotmail.com>
Subject: Bully and The Bullied - Part III

DISCLAIMER: I won't say anything more than just the usual - if you
shouldn't be reading this, then don't.  This is a short story that involves
boys who are coming-of-age, containing things that boys get into, including
sexual situations, feelings, etc.  It is my first attempt at fiction,
having written only one other series based on my personal life's
experiences growing up, titled "Life's Road of Discoveries" (also found
here on Nifty in the Young-Friends section, posted early in 2008).  This
series has no basis in truth, whereas all characters and situations are
fictional.  Any resemblance in real life is purely coincidental.  The era
is based in the mid-1970's.

This story will spread across 9 or 10 parts of varying lengths, and I hope
that those of you who take to it and read it through will enjoy it.  As
always, any feedback is welcome (to EKidKy@hotmail.com).

I hope you like it.  :o)


The Bully and the Bullied
Part Three - Friendships and Trust
----------------------------------

Between the Thanksgiving and Christmas break, schools begin to take on a
different atmosphere throughout the early weeks of December.  While some
kids scramble doing their school work with the end of the semester in
sight, the overall mood is considerably light, probably because of the
holiday break nearing.  It was the winding down of this period, the tests,
finals and other events, that led up to the weekend where Michael invited
his friend over yet again, only this time the "hug" had become a sealing
thread into their relationship.  It was this short space of time where they
began to truly define what their friendship would mean to the both of them.

    On the following Monday, Michael boarded the bus with anticipation;
Thomas had not called the night before, and his mother had been adamant
that they leave him alone.  Although amused by his anticipation, she
asserted that finding out the next day would be perfectly fine.  With mixed
emotions and anticipation occupying his thoughts the whole of the evening
as it did, Michael did not sleep well, tossing and turning as his mind
raced through a bevy of events and ideas, thoughts and feelings.  He wasn't
so much worried about the hug, he had already passed that off, choosing to
enjoy the closeness that had held rather than fear it had some other
implication, and even if it did, he knew he wouldn't mind it.  He LIKED
what had happened, something he could not share with anyone else, but he
had shared it with Thomas, or rather Thomas had shared it with him.  HIM!
It had made him feel good inside, not so alone as was his usual.  He had
finally dozed off somewhere in the early morning hours, sleeping lightly
until the he was awakened for school by his mother.

    He sat down in their usual seat with a yawn, and decided rather
sleepily to prop his legs up and lay back, closing his eyes to the world.
He was tired, but his mind had started racing with anticipation.  Through
closed eyes, after a time he could still feel the bus slowing down at the
driveway he knew could be none other than that of his friend.  Within
seconds he felt the familiar presence plop down beside him, and in like
manner felt the seat in front give slightly as his friend propped his knees
up and lay back.  Michael did not want to seem too anxious, so he did his
best to remain calm and wait, seeing if Thomas would say anything.  When it
did not happen, he finally lost his patience and uttered a single word.

    "So?"

    Thomas grinned, his eyes still shut.  "I'm coming - Mom said I could
spend the night."

    Michael released a sigh of relief, as well as a very quiet "Whoop!
Th-That's awesome!"  Although his voice was hushed, he did not notice that
Riddle, who had boarded and taken his now customary place in the front,
turned his head slightly - tuning into the conversation.  When nothing more
was said, he returned to his normal straight-ahead gaze, but eventually
decided to follow the other two boys lead and situate his knees up into the
seat, laying back and closing his eyes.  As he was bigger, there was a lack
of comfort compared to those who were smaller in size, but he found himself
decently able to drift off into a quiet slumber.

    For both boys the school day crawled by.  Never had it seemed a day
took so long to pass them by than ever before.  When lunch time came,
Michael was at first disappointed because Thomas had not been found to join
him, but afterwards he recalled something about being told he would be in a
party in their classroom.  He sat at their usual table, noting that the
lunchroom was not as full as it was on usual days.  As he ate in silence,
he was startled when, after some time, another kid plopped down at the
table on the opposite corner from him.  When Michael looked up, he was
startled to find that it was none other than Jeremy Riddle himself, alone
and without his usual circle of tag-along buddies.  Both simultaneously
surprised and uneasy, Michael slowly finished what was left of his lunch,
watching the other kid from the corner of his eye.  Riddle, to his credit,
mostly ignored the younger boy and ate in silence, his face masked in his
usual expressionless display.  As Michael started collecting his tray to
get up and leave, their eyes unavoidably met once, and the older kid simply
nodded in acknowledgement before returning to his food, as passive and
unresponsive as before.

    On the way home that evening, Michael told his friend about the
encounter, and how strange it had been.  He even tried bringing up the fact
that the bully had seemed so different in recent weeks, so weird and out of
norm for him as a character.  Thomas simply shrugged most of it off and
changed the subject, talking instead about the upcoming playoffs and who
had a chance to make it into the division playoffs and who didn't.  Michael
was at first annoyed because he felt Thomas was evading the subject rather
harshly, but he finally relented since he was looking forward to the
playoffs with as much anticipation as the other.

    Things went along for Michael the rest of the evening, so much so he
forgot about the conversation and the abruptness in which the other had
steered them into other subjects.  It wasn't until late in the evening,
just as he had went up to his bedroom to ready for bed and watch TV that he
received another surprise when the phone rang.  After a moment his mother
called up to him, "It's for you honey, it's Thomas."

    Anxiety suddenly hit him as he raced down the steps, a fear gripping
him in dread as he imagined all sorts of scenarios that could be the cause
for the call.  First and foremost he wondered if something was happening,
something that was going to make them cancel their plans the next day.  As
he reached the kitchen doorway, he took the receiver from his mother and
answered in a weak voice.  "Hello?"

    "Hey."

    "Hey," Michael replied, moving around the corner and into the living
room where he sat down on the sofa. "What's up?"

    "Well, ummm, I got to thinking about something while ago, and I kind of
thought I should call you."

    Puzzled, Michael relied, "Yeah? What about?"

    There was a pause before the voice came back on the other end, this
time more subdued.  "Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry about this
afternoon, I didn't mean to just, you know, ignore you and stuff.  I know
you were trying to talk to me about butt-head, and I kind of kept cutting
you off and everything..."

    Michael laughed, his eyes closing in relief.  "Forget it, it was cool
man, honest.  I wasn't trying to psych him or anything, I just... It's just
weird, that's all, how much he's changed and stuff."

    "Yeah I know, especially for someone like HIM, I know what you mean,
but..."  He paused, dropping his voice.  "It's just hard Mike, hard for me
to let go, you know?  Maybe I'm not supposed to hate people and stuff, but
I do to him anyway - I hate that creep sssooooo bad.  I mean, maybe he's
changed, maybe he hasn't, maybe I can let go someday, but right now he's
like some creepy vulture or something to me, like he's just waiting to
explode or, something... That's just it, I don't know... It's hard for me
to explain, that's all..."

    Michael dropped his voice, too.  "Yeah, I know.  It's okay, I
understand, honest."

    "I just, I don't want there to be any stuff between us like this, I
know you tried and I just couldn't do it.  It was more than just not
wanting to, it was, like, I just couldn't.  And I got to thinking tonight I
should call, you know, make sure you knew or at least understood why.
Especially since I'm coming over tomorrow, you know? I mean I didn't..."

    He didn't finish, so Michael repeated, "Thomas - It's okay, I promise,
honest!"  He was smiling for some reason, and hoped the other boy could
"See" it in his voice.

    Evidently it worked, because the tone on the other end changed
considerably lighter.  "You ready for tomorrow?"

    Michael laughed again.  "You bet!  What time do you think you'll have
to go home Wednesday?"

    "Mom said I could stay most of the day if I wanted.  She has to work
and doesn't get off till around 4:30 or so, so I could probably stay as
late as that maybe, if your Mom says it's alright, that is."

    Michael was smiling when he heard this, and was so happy at first he
didn't speak.  It took Thomas prompting him on the other end of the phone
("Hey, you still there?") before he could answer.  "Yeah, I'm here, and
that is awesome!"  He didn't know what else to say.

    Thomas giggled.  "I can't wait.  Honest."  There was a noise in the
background.  "I gotta go, Grams wants the phone.  Tomorrow - right?"

    "Yeah, see yaz!"  He was smiling as he put the phone back into the
hook.  His mother met him at the doorway then, turning the light off.
"What did he say about Wednesday?"  She looked amused at Michael's
embarrassment, and interrupted before he could reply. "No, I wasn't
listening in, but I did hear you ask him about when he would have to
leave."

    "Umm, till his Mom gets off work I think, if its' alright with you."
His eyes were almost pleading with his mother as he once again unknowingly
held his breath.  Tuesday nights and Wednesdays mornings were her long
shifts, and he knew he was taking a chance.  He had never had a friend
spend the night with him before, and not only that - to have one stay as
long as this visit was shaping up - he silently hoped and pleaded it would
all right.

    She turned back to the sink and dropped the dish towel she was holding
before turning off the light.  Coming back to the doorway, she looked him
over thoughtfully before nodding.  "As long as you two behave, I have no
problem with it."  She smiled as he hugged her long and tight, much to the
point she ended up gasping, "Okay now, you don't have to break me in two!"

    He leaned back, looking in her face.  "I love you Mom."

    Surprised, she caressed his face.  "I love you too, kiddo."
Expressions as such came few and far between from her son, so she took and
appreciated them when she could.  She watched as he broke the embrace.
"Thomas is a good kid, I like him, too, you know."  They both smiled as he
began heading back up the stairs.

    Michael went upstairs, turned off the TV and flopped down on the bed
still fully dressed, where he surprisingly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep
within minutes.  Sometime later, while passing the foot of the stairs below
Michaels mother looked up and saw a light still on.  Climbing up, she
entered his room to find him with a contented expression on his face, his
glasses lying beside him.  She reached in carefully to remove his glasses,
and then finding a fleece blanket nearby she pulled it over him before
turning out the light.  Not once did he stir in her presence, and she
silently made her way back down the stairs to bed.

    The next morning, Michael was awake and alert as the bus picked up
Thomas from his driveway.  Whereas he doubted many kids would be carrying
books this last half-day of classes, the other boarded and came up the
aisle with a gym bag.  As he sat down next to his friend, he slid the bag
underneath them and mouthed a single word at Michaels raised eyebrow:
"clothes".  Michael grinned and nodded as they made their way to school
that morning in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

    The day passed agreeably enough for most students; being the last day
before Christmas vacation, the school took a break from the usual routine
and presented instead a morning full of activities for all classes, ranging
from parties to movies or other games oriented toward the holiday season.
Even as they neared lunch time, students were getting antsy for the end of
the day to come, having been swamped by sugary treats and snacks already
throughout the morning. Many hurriedly went through the line and got little
to eat, excited anticipation knowing they would be going home in short
order.  Afterwards, each was sent back to their original homerooms for last
minute organization, and finally the announcement came over the loudspeaker
to board the buses for home.  The halls buzzed loudly, and everyone made
their way out to the parking lot.

    Michael made his way onboard as usual, grabbing a seat and anxiously
awaiting for his friend to arrive at the bus.  Before long, however, an
older husky, heavy-set kid plopped down beside him, his back drastically
leaning in as he fell, roughly shoving Michael in the process into the side
of the bus. "Ouch! Hey!" he exclaimed as his shoulder was rammed backwards
and he smarted from the sudden pain.

    "Awwwww, shut up you little shit!" was the hissed reply that came back,
followed by laughter which angered Michael. He looked up with narrowed
eyes, peering to see who the hell he was dealing with.  He didn't know this
large kid, had not seen him even on their bus before.  After righting
himself in the seat, he voiced to the other quite loudly, "What's the big
idea, dipshit? Is your ass bigger than your brain?"

    The larger kid turned, his laughter gone as he looked down into
Michaels face, getting ready to let loose with his own profanity, when a
rough hand suddenly reach in and grab his collar and pulled him to his
feet.  Michael's jaw dropped in surprise when he saw it was none other than
Jeremy Riddle himself intervening.  The bigger Riddle looked at the other
teen, one who definitely beat him in sheer weight if not size, and told him
in a voice that was as cold and deadly as the sky was cloudy outside:
"Watch who you fuck with Terrance!"

    Their eyes locked, the burly Terrance drawing his eyebrows closer as he
observed the other guardedly.  By now, several people had stopped to
observe the exchange, while the rest of the bus suddenly went silent.
Neither of the older boys broke their gaze.  Michael saw Jeremy flex his
right hand slightly, as if anticipating he was going to have to make use of
it.  Terrance growled, not backing down, but also at a loss for words, not
sure if he wanted to take the confrontation to a new level or not.  Stan,
finally catching on that was something happening in the back beyond his
field of vision, yelled back into the crowded aisle: "Get a move on, we
ain't got all day!"  Slowly the students started taking seats but not
without keeping their eyes glued to the two standing in the middle of the
bus, anticipating all hell was about to break loose yet a second time for
that year.

    Seemingly at the last moment however, Terrance obviously became aware
of where he was and what he was doing.  Although disgruntled by the
exchange, he finally grunted and moved to another seat.  Riddle relaxed and
continued moving toward the back, taking a seat two rows behind Michael's
seat before turning to stare out the window.  As far as anyone was
concerned, he was returning to his usual, emotionless self with only one
exception: he no longer was sitting at the front of the bus.

    Michael, stunned by the unexpected turn of events, only turned back to
watch for his friend.  Within minutes Thomas made his way onboard and
joined him.  He started to say something when he noted the expression by
not only his friend, but several of the people around them.  "What? Did
something just happen?"  Hurriedly several people whispered and filled him
in, and then he too looked back at Riddle in amazement, the latter
continuing to stare out the window and ignore everyone around him.

    The rest of the ride home was uneventful.  When they neared Thomas's
house, he walked up and gave Stan a note that stated he had permission to
ride home with Michael.  The man nodded, passing up the usual driveway and
moments later deposited them both at his last stop.  Michael wished him a
Merry Christmas as they exited, to which the Stan grinned and returned as
he pulled away, not without first handing each a sack of candy similar to
what he had distributed to everyone else.

    Each found a lollipop in their bags and peeled the wrapper from them,
sticking them in their mouths to enjoy as they trekked over the hill.  They
hurried down to the house to avoid the bitter cold as much as they could,
and as they entered the front door, Michael found a note left earlier by
his mother.  It seemed she had left sooner than she had planned, and was
warning him to see to the wood stove first thing and to keep it going
throughout the day so they would not get cold.  Michael was familiar with
this routine, as he had performed it many times before while alone.  Both
he and his mother had relied on wood heat to stay warm in the winter ever
since he could remember, and thus he had learned at an early age both the
dangers and care one had to take working with a wood stove.  As he finished
the note, his eyebrows shot up in surprise and pleasure: she instructed him
not to bother with supper, that when she took her break that evening she
was going to grab a pizza and bring it home for them all.  It was another
rare treat, and he knew he and Thomas both would be happy to have it.

    The first thing they both noted inside the house was how cool it had
become - not cold, but cool enough Michael figured his Mom had been gone
several hours.  He quickly opened the door to the wood stove and found the
fire had died down considerably.  Knowing what had to be done, he quickly
went out to the back porch and brought in some wood and paper rolls, which
he used to rekindle the fire and fill the stove.  Thomas stood nearby,
unsure of what to do or how to help, but curious all the same as they both
watched the fire begin to take hold, and before long they could both feel
the heat beginning to build.  Michael closed the stove up and dusted off
his jeans.  "Mission accomplished!" he exclaimed, and to his friend's
bemused look.  He pulled off his coat and hung it on a rack near the front
door.  "Put your coat here," he motioned to the other, who mimicked the
first.

    Grabbing their sacks of candy and Thomas's gym bag, both zipped up the
steps to Michaels bedroom.  It was a room Thomas had been in many times by
now, somewhat bigger than his own room, with a window on both the front and
side of the house.  Painted in a dark blue trim, it was accented with
patterned curtains and thick, shag-like carpet.  A series of floor ducts
opened into the living room below, allowing heat to rise up and warm the
room as desired.  Michael tended to like his room cool, so Thomas noted
that the other often shut off one or more of the ducts at different times
to control the temperature.

    For furniture, a single full-size bed angled out the corner of the room
farthest from the door.  It was now, as often was the case, littered with
various bean bags, pillows and stuffed animals, the latter of which was not
often found in a typical boys' room, but existed here because he knew
Michael loved having them for whatever reason.  A single entertainment
stand held a combined TV table and writing desk, and that was joined by
both a chest and a nightstand elsewhere to finish off the furnishings.
Nearest to the head of the bed was a closet, but unlike his own that
extended out into his room, this closet was recessed, its door flush with
the wall, and it opened back into a deep partition that receded into the
attic.

    The first thing Michael did was open the ducts to the floor below,
speaking to Thomas indirectly, "It'll get warm up here pretty soon."  He
kicked off his shoes into the corner by the door, and then half threw
himself onto his bed.  "We're out for two whole friggin weeks!" he
exclaimed, a grin splitting his face.

    Thomas laughed, mimicking his friend by kicking off his shoes and
jumping onto the bed with him, but not without first grabbing a pillow and
throwing it.  "Yeah, I know!"  They laughed as Michael took the hint,
grabbed another pillow and then they started a pillow fight that erupted
into a wrestling match for the second time in as many as three days.
Without fear of being overly loud or rambunctious, however, both went all
out holding nothing back, screaming at times as each pinned, tickled,
pinched and prodded the other all over the bed, on the floor and in
between.  Both were having the time of their lives, releasing pent up
energy from the buildup of anticipation and the sweets and treats they had
already been munching on throughout the day.

    During one of their interludes Michael was pinned by his friend into a
fetal position, with Thomas threatening to start a new prescription of
antics.  He could barely contain himself as he was crying out "Stop!
Stop... I gotta pee!  Yeeoooowww!! Wait..."  Laughing uncontrollably, he
had to blurt out in between the attacks, "I-I'm s-reious, I got to pee! I'm
gonna....peee.... in... my.... pants!!!... NNooo.... WWAAIIITTT!!! I
gggoottt too.... peeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!"

    Finally Thomas backed off and let his friend up, who hurriedly jumped
from the bed and headed to the bathroom.  They were lucky to have one
upstairs with them, a rarity in older houses such as this.  It seemed
Michael had just disappeared through the door when the other heard the
familiar sound of his stream hitting the bowl in the other room.  When it
continued to go on and on without seeming to stop, Thomas laughed, calling
out to him, "Damn Michael, how much you holding?" he called out, then
decided suddenly he needed to do the same.

    As he began walking from the room, the other replied.  "I'm holding
juice from breakfast, 2 sodas from the classroom party, two milks from
lunch and 2 to 3 trips to the water fountain in between all that, so yeah,
I had to pppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thank you very much!"  Thomas laughed
again, and when he reached the door to the bathroom, the other stream had
stopped.  He paused at the open doorway, as it had not been shut as he
heard the toilet flush, and by accident he had peeked inside without really
meaning to.  He caught just the barest glimpse of his friend as he put
himself away, zipping up afterwards.  At first it had made him curious, but
When Michael looked up and saw the other standing in the doorway, Thomas
turned a shade of red.  "Umm... sorry..."  Michael grinned, rinsed his
hands and walked out as his friend entered.  Giggling, he replied in a low
undertone, "Umm, don't stare too hard with that open mouth though..."

    Thomas started to blush, but when Michael punched him playfully on the
arm, they both laughed.  As he exited the room, Thomas finally walked over
to the commode and did relieved himself.  He did not see the head that
peeked around the still open doorway while he was in mid-stream, unaware he
had was being spied upon.  As he finished, Michael disappeared back to his
room waiting for his friend's return.

    They both ended up stretched out across the bed, the TV now turned on.
The room was getting warm by now, the stove in the lower level burning
nicely.  At one point Michael looked over.  "So, got anything in particular
you wanna do?"

    Thomas shrugged.  "Anything you wanna do."  He didn't really care, he
was just glad to be there.

    Michael looked at him.  "You sure?"  When the other nodded, he asked,
"Hungry any?  Want a snack?"

    "Yeah!"

    He rolled off the bed and pulled his friend up with him until.  Walking
over to one of the bigger ducts, Michael closed it about 2/3's of the way,
attempting to control how much heat came into the room.  Taking the others
hand he then pulled his friend outside to the stairs and down into the
kitchen.  Thomas was amused, but pleased - just glad to be here if nothing
else, to be away from the usual everyday life at home he had to put up
with.  Entering the kitchen, Michael immediately started rummaging through
the refrigerator.  He pulled out two sodas and, after a sudden exclamation,
some wrapped sandwiches he found already made for them with little name
tags from his mother.  "Way to go Mom!!!!"  They found some chips nearby,
then laden with their food they headed back upstairs.  Plopping again onto
the bed, they got comfortable on the bean bags next to each other and
proceeded for the next few hours to watch the afternoon cartoons and shows.

    By early evening they had already pulled out a board game and was
engrossed playing Risk, the TV still on in the background.  At one point
they suddenly heard a noise that sounded like a car approaching coming from
outside.  "Mom's home!" Michael grinned, and he and Thomas suspended their
game and hurried downstairs to greet her.  As she came through the door,
she was carrying what appeared to be a large pizza and sodas.

    Thomas took the pizza box from her, and put a single arm around her as
she closed the door, giving her a little squeeze.  Seeing his friend do
that brought a smile to Michaels face as he quickly joined from the other
side, effectively sandwiching his mother between them.  "Hi, Mom!"

    Her surprised look gave way to laughter.  "Hello boys! Now what brought
this on?"  When they both giggled and didn't reply, she just laughed again
and shook her head.  "You two know how to make a bright spot in my long
day, that's for sure," she continued as she pulled them both into a hug
before separating.  "I can't stay long though, I have to get back.  Is
everything going okay here?  Is the fire still going good?"

    When they nodded, she walked over to the stove herself to check. "Did
you two hear they're giving a chance of snow for tonight?  I think it's a
Winter Storm watch, but I'm not sure..." she told them as she reached into
the stack nearby and added more wood into the stove.

    "Really??!!" both boys chorused.

    "Yep, after midnight, they're calling for around 2 to 4 inches I
think."  She smiled, and upon inspection was pleased the wood stove was
going strong.  "Well, at least you two aren't freezing to death," she
muttered, before turning to face them, eyeing her son.  "Michael, be sure
you watch after this, okay?  Oh... I have to pull some extra hours tonight
and tomorrow so I can be off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so I probably
won't be in until around midnight, and then I'll probably have to leave
about 8:30 or so in the morning.  Will you two be alright with that?  I
don't like leaving Michael alone for so long like that, but since he has
someone keeping him company..."  Her voice trailed off, watching their
reaction.

    Michael shrugged.  "We'll be fine Mom, honest."

    "Yes mam, it's okay, we're fine," Thomas added.

    She smiled, looking at them both.  "I know you are boys."  She looked
at her watch, then down at the pizza sitting on the couch. "Let me grab a
slice or two of this and get going, before you two demolish it."  They both
grinned at her as she walked into the kitchen and retrieved a paper plate
and napkin, then extracted a couple of pizza slices and one of the sodas.
They helped her carry it out to the car, where she gave each a last hug
before shooing them back inside, admonishing them for being out in their
sock feet.  They watched from the porch landing as she turned the car
around and drove away, before running back inside and warming up by the
stove.  Afterwards they grabbed the pizza and sodas and headed back
upstairs again.

    Once again they climbed onto the bed, setting their drinks on the
nightstand and situating themselves close to each other, the pizza box
straddled between them in their laps.  Each pushed their feet under the
comforter, now bunched at the foot of the bed, and then began attacking the
pizza in unison.  At one point Thomas opened one of the cans of soda and
took a long drink, before handing it to his friend.  Michael was surprised
as he recognized the gesture, and deep inside it pleased him to have this
much camaraderie between them.  Still, he had never drank after anyone
else, even his mom - although she had finished things eating after him on
numerous occasions.  Michael looked at the other briefly, and decided he
didn't want to seem squeamish on a night like this, of all nights at all.
He hesitantly took the offered drink tentatively took a few sips.  Thomas
watched him and then laughed.  "I'm not going to poison you, you know!"

    Michael blushed, then whispered, embarrassed, "Sorry, I know you're
not."  He took another longer, more satisfying drink, and then handed the
remaining contents back to his friend.  "I- I guess, I dunno, I just never
drank after anyone before..." he offered as a weak explanation.

    Thomas giggled a little before taking another long drink himself and
finishing off the can.  Setting it down with a sound in the pizza box, he
declared, "That makes two of us then."  Michael grinned, feeling better for
some reason, and making him actually move and lean in a little closer to
the other.  Something was growing between the two, and whether Thomas
recognized it or not, Michael was beginning to feel really content and free
inside.  He was so glad to have the other there, glad of not having to be
alone.

    Eventually Thomas broke the silence.  "Did you hear Jessica this
morning on the bus?"

    "No, why?" he asked.

    Thomas giggled.  "She was telling Melanie and that other girl back
there she got her Christmas present last night."

    Michael was confused.  "Oh? Umm, okay..."

    Thomas looked at him and grinned.  "You really didn't hear them?"

    "Nope, what's the big deal, other than it not being Christmas yet?
What was it, a necklace or something goofy like that?  Did she say?"  He
half-smiled back, unsure what to make of it, but feeling he was missing
something here.

    "She got her present from Brad Bullock, I think."  He waited to see if
any recognition crossed the others face.  When it didn't, he continued.
"Umm, she and Brad, are like... you know..."

    Michael looked blank.  "Like... a couple or something? Yeah, so what?
They go kissy-kissy, or snogging, or what?"

    "Uhh huh... and more..."  When Michael still didn't react, he rolled
his eyes.  "Come on man, you've noticed how they are, they can't keep their
hands off each other!  Last night, or maybe she said Sunday night, I don't
remember, but heck... they ... did... IT!"

    Comprehension dawned on Michael's face as he realized where his friend
was heading.  "What?! Holy cow, you mean... she... they... like, did 'IT'?"
He followed with a whisper, "They fucked?"

    Thomas snickered, nodding his head.  "That's what she was telling
Melanie, and from the way she was telling it, ummm.... the details and
stuff..."  He screwed up his face at first, and then began laughing out
loud.  "They seemed to really screw, or as she put it, she lost her
'cherry', whatever that means, but yeah, they did IT!"

    Michael whistled.  "Man, I miss all the good stuff!  What did she say?"

    Thomas laughed, lowering his voice.  "Ummm, she said she took his
'fucking hard 5-inches up inside', and well, she said something about going
for a fucking wild ride.  That pretty much says to me they must have done
it, I think...  She also said he had a fat boner, with lots of hair and
stuff..."

    Michael was awestruck.  "Shit! You serious??? MMMaaaannnnnn...."

    Thomas laughed.  "You should clean out your ears you know, she told a
lot more too!"

    Good naturedly, Michael cuffed him on the arm, and then got quiet
before replying. "I can't."

    "What do you mean?"

    Michael shrugged.  "Clean out my ears, I mean, I don't hear that great
man.  I can hear enough to get by in school and stuff, but I've always had
hearing problems, it's like I only hear about 70% or so what everyone else
hears."  He said it matter of fact, but Thomas detected a trace of
embarrassment in his voice.

    "Sorry man, I didn't know..."

    He again shrugged.  "It's okay, I'm not deaf or anything."  He paused,
then turned and grinned at his friend.  "So, what else have I missed out
on?"

    Thomas thought about it.  "I dunno, Melanie wanted to know ALL the
details, and they didn't talk as loud for a little bit, but I heard her
describing little stuff here and there, I mean, really detailed stuff, you
know?  Melanie acted like she had never seen a guys dick before or
something, from what I could tell, that sort of stuff."  He scrunched his
nose for a second. "I guess you know about the stuff in the locker rooms
mostly, and I hear stuff every once in a while about Jennifer and Todd in
our math class, but.. I dunno, I sorta think they make some of that stuff
up."

    Michael nodded.  "Yeah, they're the kind that would I guess, sometimes
anyway."

    "Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did do 'it', they're just
crazy enough to, and they practically live next door to each other, you
know?"  They both giggled at the thought.  They were silent for a minute,
and then Thomas looked over at his friend.  "Mike?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Ummm, I want to show you something, but..."  He hesitated.  "I want to
show you, but it's kind of personal, and uh, well..."

    Michael's almost giggled, thinking it was going to be something
naughty, but he put the thought out of his mind; Thomas had never confided
in him anything about that stuff short of what he had told him just now,
and although he thought it was cool - as well as it gave him some new
daydream material - it just didn't fit into their friendship yet, or so he
thought.  He held his giggle back, however, his curiosity piqued. "Yeah?"

    Thomas got up, taking the pizza box and setting it aside on the desk,
then reached down into his bag nearby and withdrew an oversized
spiral-bound notebook from inside.  As he rejoined his friend, Michael
could see on the cover it was a sketchbook, unlined paper used for drawing
sketches or similar items as desired.  As Thomas returned, physically up
close once again, he held onto the book in his lap.  He looked at its
cover, not raising his eyes or offering any insight for a moment.
Eventually he broke the silence, realizing his friend was sitting patiently
and waiting.  "Umm, you remember the fight, right?"

    "Duh - I mean, yeah, I don't think I could forget that!"

    Thomas laughed.  "Yeah, I know what you mean."  He paused.  "Remember
what started it?"

    Michael had to think for a minute.  "I think you said something about
Jeremy got hold of one of your books and started going through it or
something."

    Thomas nodded, finally looking at his friend.  "Yeah, he did.  It was
this book.  It's kind of like my journal I guess, you know?  It's just a
book I do sketches and stuff in everyday, write down things I'm thinking
about or feeling, you know, just goofy stuff."  He paused.  "It's not meant
to be something I want other people to see, you know?  It's just stuff I
do..."

    Michael nodded.  "Okay, I can understand that I guess.  But what does
that have to do with, you know, now?"

    Thomas didn't reply immediately, as if he were battling some inner
decision.  Having come to a conclusion, however, he decided he wasn't going
to back down. He slowly handed the notebook over.  "I want you to see, I
really do.  There's some stuff in here, I don't know... but I think I want
you to see, I want you to understand... Some of this is g-going to be hard,
but I trust you."

    Michael was curious, but the undertone the other used was not lost on
him - this was serious, so he used care knowing what he was about to see
could be anything, or nothing, but very personal.  He took the book and
opened it, thumbing through the first few pages.  Many pages were filled
with all sorts of drawings and sketches, most of them dated as much as 2-3
years before.  The cover had held up well, he thought, and so had the pages
for the most part.  What made him gasp however as he proceeded deeper into
the book, was that some of them contained scenes and drawings very
intricately drawn - spaceships and space battles, landscapes with castles,
sometimes people or animals, cartoons or imitations of still life.  They
were fantastic!  At first he looked at them and then whistled.  "Did you do
all this??!!"

    Thomas blushed beside him.  "Mm hmm..."

    Michael continued looking through the pages.  The drawings were
exquisite, some from TV shows or movies he recognized, some were sports
oriented, mostly football - all exquisitely detailed, down to the emblems
and symbols on the uniforms.  Thomas was pleased at his friends' response.
"There's a lot of diff stuff in there, like poems, short stories, drawings
and stuff.  I mean, you know me - I'm a sci-fi geek, okay?  It's all j-just
stuff, I mean, none of it was really that bad or anything.  But some of it,
I didn't want Jeremy to find.  It was, umm... kind of personal."  He took a
deep breath then finished.  "You'll understand when you get to it."

    Michael noted the apprehension and the reference to personal yet again,
but he only nodded as he continued.  "I can understand that, especially if
it's anything he could use to make your life miserable, you know he would."

    The other nodded.  "Yeah, especially if he ever got to see the stuff
toward the back."

    His curiosity aroused, he glanced at his friend, who nodded, and then
turned his attention to thumbing toward the rear of the journal until he
reached the last few pages.  There he found more drawings yet again, but
this time he also found poems and short paragraphs here and there.  Michael
figured those were the 'feelings' he must have been referring to, so he
purposefully skipped those, trying not be invade too much privacy.  He
found some drawings of their favorite teams, and smiled at the uncanny
likeness some of them had, for Thomas had stuck their faces - into the
players.  The details were so unreal they actually looked like the two of
them played for the team!  "Man, these are fantastic!  Why didn't you ever
tell me you did this stuff?"

    Thomas just shrugged his shoulders and waited.  Michael turned a page
and suddenly paused at a poem, titled "Alone".  Thomas reached over,
placing his hand on the page to keep his friend from continuing, and
pointed to the poem with a shaky finger.  "Read it, Mike..." he whispered.

    Michael glanced at the boy beside him and whispered, "You sure? I mean,
this is your private stuff, right?"

    Thomas visibly swallowed, then nodded.  "I want you to, I want you to
understand what I had to hide, what I had to protect..."

    Michael then began reading.

        "Sometimes I am alone"
        "And I cannot wonder but why"
        "This thing, this part and piece of me"
        "That knows nothing but how to sigh"
        "It's like a part of me torn"
        "My soul feels like my life is floating by"
        "And all I feel is nothing, no one"
        "And I cannot help but question why"

        "I wonder what it's like"
        "To kiss, to feel, to hold someone, to hug"
        "To do the things girls and boys do"
        "But Without feeling so smug"
        "It only makes my sorrow worse"
        "Because I have no emotion, nothing but fear"
        "Because all I have is one soul, somebody"
        "Who I thank God is at least now really near"

        "I wonder if he knows? If he even knows I'm here"
        "If he can even feel how I wish I had someone to see"
        "This friend of mine today, won't even look at me"
        "And what it would mean to me to be able to just be me"
        "I wonder if he feels any kind of emptiness, too"
        "Something, anything that yet needs to fill a void"
        "Will he ever someday see me, make me feel real again"
        "And not some like some stupid stuffed toy"


	Michael was stunned when he finished.  Looking back up to his
friend, he saw the other carefully watching for his reaction, even a tear
starting to run down his cheek.  "You wrote this?" he asked in a low
whisper to which the other nodded.  He whistled and read it again. "This is
really cool," he continued after a moment. "I-I don't know what to say, I
mean...  This someone, is it me?"

	Thomas cleared his throat and nodded.  "Ummm... kind of, yeah."

	Michael nodded.  "If Jeremy had seen this and put that together,
shit man, you would have really been screwed."

	Again Thomas nodded.  "There is some other stuff too, but that's
the only one I ever wrote about you."  There, he had admitted it; it was
now out in the open now.

	Michael had already guessed as much, but was surprised about
something else.  "Wait a minute, y-you wrote this *before* the fight,
right?"

	Thomas was blushing.  "Yeah...  I know, it was stupid, b-but..."

	Michael shook his head.  "No, it's not stupid, but... I never knew,
I mean, I never knew you even liked me, or, or anything!"  He looked at his
friend in awe.  "Why did you never say anything to me then? Or, like talk
or ... SOMETHING!!??"

	Thomas grinned sheepishly.  "Remember what you asked me that first
day you came over to my house?  About why haven't we ever, like, done it
before?  Talked and stuff?"  Michael nodded.  "I was just scared.  Cause,
well, I dunno, I'm kinda backward, at least that is what my Gramps says.
That day of the fight, well, I needed something to keep me together, you
know?  And when you scooted over and made room, I was just praying the bus
driver would let me sit there, and then he did and that's when, well..."

	When Michael put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a
half-hug, Thomas began feeling a little more at ease. "I know Mike, I
know... I mean, even now, I wish we had like, become friends a long time
ago but, it was just hard.  I've always been shy, and you know what my home
life is like, we just don't, get mushy around people and stuff, or even
each other.  Even at church, we just go in and leave out and stuff, and
then we stay home and all - that sort of stuff."

	When he saw Michael nod, understanding at least somewhat, he
reached out and turned a few pages further in the book.  "There's more you
should see, too."  There Michael saw a landscape sprawled over both pages
facing them, showing a huge football stadium and field, again with level of
detail that made him just grin and shake his head in wonder, whispering
"Wow!"  The stadium in the background was adorned with both of their
favorite teams playing each other with fans seated in the stands.

	As Michael studied the drawing closer, he made out once again that
he and Thomas were the players, the facial features of both incredibly
detailed with their likenesses.  "This is so awesome Thomas, it's great!"
He looked down in the lower right corner and was startled to find written
in a scroll.  "Merry Christmas, Michael!"  It was signed and dated
underneath just the day before by his friend.  He looked back up into the
others face, surprised.

	Thomas grinned. "I'm sorry, I couldn't buy a Christmas present for
you, but I thought maybe, you know, if you wanted this maybe it would be
okay."  He paused. "But before I gave it to you, I kinda had to, you know,
be sure it was okay, that you understood the stuff before.  I didn't want
to like, freak you out or anything."

	Michael grinned, before he replied.  "I don't think you could ever
freak me out, bro."  With that he put the book aside before turning and
leaning in to give the other a better hug.  He felt his friend return the
embrace and sigh, relaxing in his arms.  Michael held him for a few seconds
before breaking away, pulling the book back up into his lap and continuing
to look at it some more.  "You shouldn't tear this out or anything though
Thomas, I mean, this is something you should keep.  It's - It's perfect!"

	The other shook his head.  "No, I did this for you - I want you to
have it.  Besides, I got others in there, you saw them," he explained while
showing him the pages before and after was clear of anything so that they
could be taken out as intended.  With that, he took the book and carefully
removed what Michael now recognized were perforated sheets, and then handed
them to his friend.  Michael got up and rummaged through his desk drawer to
find some tape, which he afterwards applied as he hung the picture on the
wall over his nightstand.  From a distance, it looked like it was a
professional sketch.  Looking at his friend with a new respect as he
returned to the bed, he mouthed the word "Thanks," to which the other only
smiled.

	They sat in silence for a minute, until Michael rejoined the other
and picked up the book again.  "Can I look some more?"

	Thomas nodded, so he began looking throughout other pages, finding
more poems about being alone, about feelings and other stuff.  He didn't
read many, again feeling this was invading his friends' privacy, but he
couldn't help but catch little phrases here and there.  In one section
toward the back he came across more drawings but this time made of people.
At first they were just normal characters, until he turned the page and
found one that bore another striking resemblance to the both of them.  It
was at that point Thomas put his hand down on the page, to prevent his
friend from turning any further.

	"Umm, don't, I mean... I should warn you, the next page has got
naked guys and stuff."  His voice was hesitant, almost fearful, and Michael
looked up in surprise.

	"Really?  You serious?"

	Thomas nodded.  "I just, I dunno, I just wanted to try it some, you
know?  Just see if I could do it and... and..."  He left the sentence
unfinished.

	Michael grinned.  "So, can I see? Or you really want me to stop?"

	Thomas giggled, then blushed.  "I don't care if you want to see,
just... don't get mad at me, okay? Don't wig out..."

    Michael wondered why he would say that as he turned the page, then
stopped and gapped.  The scene was a river bank or pond or something,
overhung with trees on one side.  Swinging out over the water was a boy -
it was him! - ready to drop into the water from a rope or vine.  As he was
at the apogee of the swing, he had his legs fully spread, exposing his
groin in full view, which made him blush as he saw it.  Looking up on the
back was another kid, Thomas himself as he could tell from the likeness,
watching him, getting ready to climb the tree, presumably to take his turn
swinging out over the water.

	Michael laughed.  "So, it's not just boys, it IS us, huh?"  The
other blushed, making him giggle even more.  "Ummm, I think I'm a little
bigger than that though!"  He grinned as he pointed to his groin in the
picture.  He also noticed it looked a little funny, and glancing at Thomas
standing on the bank he thought the same for him but he wasn't going to
comment on that aspect of it, not now anyway.  Thomas had to turn his face
away, but Michael could see he was grinning as well.  Leaning back, he
studied it for a moment.  "Man, if Jeremy or any of those guys saw any of
this, you would be dead within a week, I bet!"

	Thomas scoffed, turning his head back.  "Shit yeah!" he replied,
uncharacteristically.  "I mean, I didn't have this drawn when we had the
fight, but still..." He looked up at his friend. "Y-you... I mean, are you
o-okay w-with it?"

	Michael giggled.  "Other than I still think you got me wrong, I
think it's fucking fantastic! But ummm.... maybe you ought to get it out of
here in case someone does see it that shouldn't, you know?"  He
turned. "You gotta tell me something though, how the heck did you learn how
to draw all this stuff?  I mean, these things, EVERYTHING, they're really,
really good!"

	Thomas smiled.  "Mom mostly - I mean, she taught me a lot of stuff
about drawing and well, I don't know, I guess I don't have a lot to do with
some of my time, so I mostly read, and umm... yeah... this..."

	Michael nodded and then giggled, looking at himself in the picture.
"Next time your gramps says your backward, tell him to shut the hell
up... this is just, un-real!"

	Thomas face turned red.  "Umm, I didn't mean to be dirty or
anything, I just..."

	Michael laughed out loud.  "Shut up man, it's not dirty, it's cool!
I mean, at least you didn't try and give me a boner or something!"  He
thought about it for a second before adding "I might have to show you
sometime though so you can get me right."  There was a twinkle in his eye
when he said it, one that the other did not miss, as he turned an even
deeper shade of red. "Aw, c'mon man, I told you, I think it's cool, stop
blushing, I'm not mad or embarrassed by it, honest!"

    "You're really not weirded out by it any?  Promise?"

    "Nah... promise."  Michael was smiling, as he got up and went over to
his closet, opening the door and pulling something out from inside.  When
he turned around, Thomas saw it was a wrapped package, which his friend
gave him when he returned to the bed.  "This is for you, from me."

    Thomas just sat there dumbfounded.  "B-but..."

    "No buts - just open it already."

    When he removed the paper, he found inside a new Scrabble board game,
to replace one he already had that had missing letters and pieces.  For a
moment he just held the box, looking at the sealed cover, his head bowed
low, before he took a deep breath and stuttered, "I d-don't know what to
say, Mike."  It seemed that in the last few days he was making a habit of
becoming truly emotional, and it was beginning to embarrass him.

    "Do you like it? I mean, I didn't have a lot of money either, but Mom
helped me some and I picked it out knowing yours was pretty beat up and
everything..."  His voice trailed off as the other looked at him.

    Thomas at first didn't say anything, thinking instead about how weak
his gift must have seemed compared to this.  "I'm sorry, I just..."

    "You don't like it?"

    Thomas shook his head.  "No, it's great, really, I just..."  He saw the
question in his friend's face, so he sighed. "I'm just being stupid, that's
all.  These last few days is like, I dunno, I'm getting all mushy inside,
it's just not like me, you know?"  He smiled before adding, "I do wish I
could have gotten you something better though..."

    Michael laughed.  "Shut up!  What you gave me is perfect - absolutely
PERFECT!"  He playfully hit Thomas on the arm as he added, "Honest, this
wasn't that much, and Mom and I wanted to, you know?  I don't have anyone
to really buy Christmas presents for anyway except her, and well... you
know..."

    Thomas smiled and then accepted the gift, giving the other a whispered
"Thanks, Mike."  Michael whispered back "You're welcome," then continued to
thumb through the rest of the journal in his hands.  They continued to
watch TV for a little while, neither really getting into the movie that was
on, both lost in their thoughts.

    Finally Michael set the book aside and rolled over onto his back.  "Are
you getting as bored as I am?"

    Thomas started and then grinned sheepishly.  "Umm, maybe not bored, but
yeah... antsy I guess... yeah..."

    Michael laughed.  "Don't be so certain there Mr. Uncertainty!"

    Thomas laughed, then got up and tackled his friend, pushing him back
into the bean bag further and started tickling him again.  The other
immediately began squirming.  "Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!"

    "Good!" came the reply, as he started tickling harder.  The two began
to wrestle again for the second time that day, each twisting and tying the
other at times, their bodies bending and blocking, capturing the other.  It
went on for a good half-hour, the movie long forgotten, each having the
time of their lives.  At one point Michael, once again wrapped into a fetal
position and barely able to squirm out, resorted to other defenses.

    "EEwwwwww!" Thomas exclaimed, as a certain odor started reaching him.
"Did you HAVE to do that???!!!"  He lessened his grip while the other
laughed, then brought his hands out into the classic T-formation.

    "Time out for a sec, okay?"

    Thomas wrinkled his nose as if holding his breath while he replied,
"Why, what's wrong? Gonna pee your pants again?"

    "Heck no! Not this time anyway... Just, let me up a sec, okay?"

    Thomas rolled back and let go, muttering "Okay, but you still stink!".
Michael laughed as he unrolled himself and sat up.  He grabbed the bottom
of his long-sleeve pullover and peeled it up over his head, revealing a
black t-shirt underneath.  As Thomas watched, he thought it was a good
idea, because he had worked up a light sweat as well from all the activity.
As he followed suite, he peeled his shirt off in like manner, although
underneath he had no undershirt, revealing only a smooth, firm chest and
tummy.

    Michael froze midway as he gazed at the other boy, then smiled and
shrugged his shoulders before peeling his t-shirt off to match that of his
friend.  The two topless boys stood staring at each other for a moment,
grinning in the now cooler room, preparing to pick up the battle again.

    "Come and get me," taunted Michael, a goofy grin on his face as he
climbed back into the corner of the bed. "No pinching my tits though!"

    Thomas laughed, raising both eyebrows and launched himself, both boys
locking and picking up pretty much where they left off.  This time however,
both boys discovered for themselves how different it felt between them.
After a few minutes, Michael allowed himself to once again get pinned
underneath his friend.  Thomas rolled his friend up from the backside and
then paused, becoming still.  It startled him, soaking in the new feelings
he was having while holding the other.  He let his arms relax a little and
become more comfortable, but keeping his friend wrapped up.  Michael could
probably have worked himself loose, but he too was mesmerized, deciding to
enjoy the moment.

    Thomas realized after a moment neither had spoken. "Is something
wrong?" His voice was low and partially hoarse, as they had both been
crying out and giggling for so long already.

    Michael only shook his head, lying still underneath.  With a sigh,
Thomas did not want to do so, but figured he better let go, but when he
moved to separate, he felt his friend crab his arms and secure him in
place, whispering "Don't..."

    As if his heart skipped a beat the other boy was taken aback, but he
relaxed and submitted himself.  "You sure?" he asked, before seeing his
friend nod and then melting into the other. Mixed emotions ran through him
but at that moment he was happy, a calmness washing over him at holding
this kid.  He was lost in his thoughts when he barely heard his friend ask
in a hushed voice, "Do you like this as much as I do?"

    When at first Thomas didn't immediately answer, Michael stretched out
and rolled over underneath, forcing his friend to stretch out on top of
him, much like he himself had done earlier.  This time their chests
connected, as well as the other parts of their body, lying in close
proximity with the other, each radiating heat and comfort for the other to
feel.  Michael looked up into the other's face and saw there was surprise
and nervousness there, but also saw that he enjoyed it as well in more ways
than one.  When he smiled, Thomas, realizing he had yet to answer, finally
replied with his voice just above a whisper, "You know I do."  It was true,
he loved every inch of contact between them and the closeness they were
sharing.

    Michael figured this was as good a time as any if he was going to pry
into the others feelings. "Can I ask you something?"  When the other
nodded, he continued.  "What is it with you? I mean, okay, I understand
some of it now, but why are you still so afraid you're going to weird me
out or something?  I don't care about hugging you and holding and stuff
like that, you should know that by now, right?"

    Thomas returned the gaze, a mixture of emotions coursing through him,
before lowering his eyes in embarrassment.  "You're my best friend Mike, I
- " He paused, unsure at first before he plodded forward.  "I don't know
why, I just - In a way I feel close to you, you know? And... I just, like
the other day, I wanted, I mean, I needed to hold you, or at least hold
someone - but I was scared, I was afraid you would push me away or
worse..."  He stopped, blushing, his feelings being on display so raw.  He
started to roll away, but his friend wrapped his legs around him, and his
arms suddenly rose to hold him in place.

    "Hey, don't go, it's okay, honest," came the quiet reply.  When Thomas
returned his gaze, he saw the other was smiling at him with an expression
that made him relax more.  Michael released some of the pressure holding
him, but made it plain he didn't want him to go anywhere.  "Ok, I
understand that, I really do.  But why would a hug weird me out?  It's like
I'm seeing something and not understanding you or..."  As he saw his friend
starting to get nervous again, he added, whispering, "Don't be afraid, just
tell me..."

    The other stared back.  "I'm - I AM afraid Mike, I'm afraid you'll hate
me and stuff if I..."  He didn't finish.

    Michael scoffed.  "How can I hate you?  What's the worst I've seen out
of you, a naked pic of me or something?  Ok, so you drew a pic of me with a
weird looking dick, big deal, if that's it then I already told you, it's
cool." He grinned. "Heck, I figure you get horny and get boners just like
me, I just can't draw it in pictures and stuff like you can."  He paused,
then finished.  "Umm, you do get boners... right?

    The other giggled and nodded and whispered, "Yeah, like right now..."

    'Ah!' Michael thought as he grinned back, thinking it wasn't just his
imagination!  Still, he didn't want to go there right now, he wanted Thomas
to trust him, to answer him.  "Come on man, you're hiding something, I know
it...  Tell me... please?"

    Thomas looked up out the window and saw it was dark outside.  They had
cooled off now with each other, the room being cool, but each was providing
the other a certain level of warmth.  The only light came from the TV and a
lamp that was on the nightstand.  He thought about it a moment longer and
then finally looked back to the one waiting patiently beneath him.  "You
know how we are at home?  I mean - me and Mom live with Grams and Gramps
and all... and he is always telling me stuff, always annoyed or irritated
and stuff."

    Michael nodded, but wasn't totally sure where he was going. "Like...?"

    "Like - " Thomas paused again, searching for the right way to phrase
it. "Like I should be a man and do this or do that, or get out and go
hunting or fishing, things like that.  He's all the time trying to get me
to do weird stuff, 'man' stuff he calls it.  When I was growing up there,
if I ever did anything that wasn't 'manly' enough, or if I ever cried or
anything, he was always on my case, yelling or some such crap, you know?
He's always yelling about how I should be down at the pond or getting into
girls or cars, sports... At least he leaves me alone about liking football,
but heck, I don't have a body for that kind of stuff, like I would ever
play anyway, you know?  And he is always giving me some kind of crap
telling me how backward I am, that I don't live up to 'normal' standards
and shit, I guess."

	"I see a lot of families and people, TV or at church or whatever,
they aren't afraid to like, be with their brothers or sisters or stuff, you
know, be with like in hugging them or telling them they love them or
anything.  I mean, not like sissies or anything, but you know, just show
stuff, and show how much they appreciate them, things like that.  Gramps,
he tells me over and over I shouldn't show emotions or do stuff like that,
shouldn't show anyone if I'm hurt or crying or anything.  He is always
reminding me that boys are supposed to be tough and keep their feelings to
themselves, that they're not supposed to have feelings and crap, but I know
better than that. 'Take everything like a man, be a man!' - all that crap,
you know?"

    He hesitated after his mock imitation, thinking it through more before
finishing. "I guess more than anything he always telling me boys don't do
things like that are touchy feely stuff, that I should be out finding a
girl and make out or whatever.  Things he says will make me a man. And not
that its' THAT bad, but it makes me feel weird, especially when I don't
like cars or hunting or fishing and stuff."

    Michael was aghast and surprised at the revelation he was hearing.
"Wait a minute... You said this is what its been like growing up, you mean
ever since you've been there?"

    Thomas nodded.  "I'm sorry Mike, I don't mean to be, you know... I just
couldn't help it the other day, it's like something inside of me just
sprung open, just ... this..."

    Michael was confused. "B-but why?  What is he expecting out of you?  I
mean, why does he ride you so hard?  Is he afraid you're gay or something?"

    Thomas shrugged, but the hurt in his eyes was evident.  "I don't know,
he's just weird like that sometimes."

    Michael considered.  "What about your Grams, and your Mom?  What do
they have to say about it all?"

    Thomas snorted.  "Grams is, well - she does what she's told, you know,
a kind of no-questions-asked-sort of person."  He stared out the window
again.  "Mom, I don't know, I don't understand sometimes.  When I was
little, she held me and stuff, and we played, but... now all I get out of
her is things like 'did you do your homework?' and stuff.  the only thing
she does is sometimes she will sit with me on the couch or something and
draw, and show me how to draw things, but even that hasn't happened now for
a long time.  She goes to work and then she comes home and sleeps all the
time mostly... It's like she sees me but doesn't even really know I'm there
sometimes."  He turned his gaze back again.  "It's like Gramps doesn't
'like' me or something, you know?  I never do anything right for him, I'm
always being picked on no matter whether I do stuff right or not, and Grams
and Mom just let him do it.  And when I try to say anything back, I usually
just get slapped or shouted at.  I said something to Mom about it a couple
times, but she won't even listen to me, she just says 'Defend yourself',
and she slams the door on me if I say I do, but he always calls it
back-talking."

    There was a lot of hurt in Thomas's eyes, and Michael could plainly see
it.  "I'm sorry man, I really am."  It was all he could think to say.

	Thomas grimaced.  "I don't want you to be sorry, I just want to
thank you for giving me this, you know? You have no idea - "

	Michael didn't let him finish.  "Yes I do, at least, I can imagine
it.  You've live your life almost like your alienated or something, right?
I mean... Me and Mom, we're close, we hug and kid around all the time, and
what you're telling me is that you get none of that."  He whistled as he
thought about it.  "It explains a lot Thomas - it really does - things I've
wondered about sometimes, but was always afraid to ask.  It's like, I
dunno, like what you wrote in some of your stuff in that book, about being
alone, I mean really being alone."  He shook his head.  "I always thought I
was alone here, but what you just told me makes it look little compared to
what you go through."

	Thomas nodded.  "Yeah, pretty much."  He thought a moment.  "Don't
get me wrong Mike, they love me, I guess, it's just weird, and I have all
these things inside of me that are so confusing sometimes and, and..."

	Michael whispered, nodding his head again.  "Yeah, I know...
Thomas?"  The other raised his eyebrows.  "Thanks man, honest, thanks for
telling me.  I know that couldn't have been easy, I mean, I really had no
idea..."  The other only nodded, but Michael was now seeing his friend for
the first time ina whole new way, finally understanding where all this had
come from.  His heart went out to him, and he wrapped his arms around him
again and embraced, holding onto him a long time.  Just two days before,
all three of them had put up the Christmas tree, sang carols, shared hot
chocolate, played games - things that were a whole different definition of
family than what Thomas had been used to before.  The little gestures made
sense to him now, and he smiled.

	"What?" Thomas asked sheepishly.

	"I'm just glad, honest.  You know you're my best friend, right?"

    Thomas smiled and nodded, then said hesitated.  "Mike?"  When the other
nodded his head, he continued.  "You ARE my best friend, the best friend
I've ever had.  I just - I just wanted to get away, to come here..."  He
looked around.  "And tonight, I wanted to somehow get you to understand
what you and your Mom mean to me, that's all.  I didn't want to be sissy or
mushy or stuff, but I had to, I couldn't help it.  Does that make any sense
at all?"

    When he didn't continue, Michael whispered, "You're not being a sissy
bro, trust me."  He saw his friend half-smile, then he pulled himself out
and flipped the boy gently so that this time he was the one on top.
Neither was pinning the other, though Thomas nervously put his hands on the
others back, feeling the warm skin that was there.  Michael grinned,
getting a mischievous look on his face again, deciding it was time to
change the mood some, to have some fun.  "Okay, so boys don't do mushy
stuff, huh?  That's what your Gramps tells you a lot, right?"  When the
other nodded, Michael scrunched up his nose.  "Well, maybe not, but you
know something? I'm not just any boy."  When the other smiled, he
continued. "So that poem I read, it was about me then - really about me?"
The other blushed and nodded his head.  "So then you're like me, you wonder
what it's like to do stuff, too."  It was a statement, not a question.

    "Yeah... You wonder too?"

    "MM hmm," Michael replied, and then made a decision.  Whispering, he
leaned in a little closer to the other.  "You swear YOU won't weird out on
ME, right? At least not tonight?"  When the other nodded, he leaned in
closer, nervous and trembling, but very lightly, very gently kissed his
friend on the lips.  When he reared back and saw the surprise in the
other's face he grinned, whispering yet even more, "Bet you didn't know I
was gonna do that, did you?"

    Thomas grinned and slightly shook his head in awe.  When their lips had
touched, he felt something course through him, something tingly as if
magical.  He watched the other closely, who just continued to smile.  "Like
it?"

    Thomas didn't have to think about it before he answered. "Yeah..."
They stared at each other for a few seconds more, each assessing the other,
and then Michael slowly leaned in again.  This time, however, Thomas met
him half-way and they kissed again, holding their lips together.  It was
like a moment of silence enveloped them suddenly in the room as both
tentatively began feeling the other's lips, seeing what it was like.  When
they didn't separate, Thomas very cautiously parted his lips, taking more
of the other inside him, making it a more sensual kiss.

    Michael felt the change and pushed more firmly into the other, parting
his lips in like manner.  At first both of them just circled each other,
sampling the new experience and the tingle it gave each, and then very
slowly, both boys simultaneously brought their tongues to the front to
touch at the same time.  It was so surprising that at first they pulled
back.  They each felt a tingle race throughout their bodies that stirred
something even more.  Thomas looked up and saw his friends eyes were
closed, so he shut his own and pushed his tongue up yet again.  They met
again, and this time neither withdrew.

	They kissed as if enduring something by pure instinct.  Neither boy
had ever kissed anyone this before, but both had watched others - both boys
and girls in school mostly - steal kisses in the hallways between
classes. For Michael, he had always wished he had had someone to kiss, to
hold and try it – even lately with this boy, this new friend he was
growing so close to every day that passed by.  Still, he never imagined
that the `someone' would turn out to be Thomas, not like this anyway.  For
Thomas, he could feel the kiss make a connection throughout his whole body,
as if some electrical current heighten his senses.  To feel this intimacy
between them made them share a connection that, for the first time,
enveloped their warmness.  Their belly and upper torso's were naked to each
other, but at the same time providing a fire to warm each other; the tingle
that came from within could be felt from the top of their heads to the
groins, and even beyond to their toes.  It was magical as the explored each
others mouth, first one and then the other going deep as far as their
tongues would take them.  It was taboo, but because of that alone it made
it all the more special and Michael felt nothing but pure joy from the
contact.  They did not break for a long time, other than for little gasps
of air or to turn their lips a different direction.  Each had cocked their
heads at times to let the other cross his mouth with their own, letting his
tongue come inside as far as it could.  They were hungry for each other in
a sense, and little satisfaction was to be had until finally, they started
slowing down, and eventually Michael pulled back to rest his chin on the
others chest, only inches from his face.

	They grinned, catching their breath, their hearts beating faster
between them.  Thomas looked up at the other and mouthed a single,
voiceless word, "Wow!"  Michael giggled and whispered ever so quietly,
"Fuck, yeah!"  He could feel it too, feel that his friend had enjoyed it as
much as he did.  His attention turned to what was happening in his groin,
feeling his dick stretching inside and, as he did, he distinctly could make
out the pressure being exerted in a similar manner underneath him.  He
straddled his friend for a second and lifted his midsection up, glancing
down where both of them had tented jeans, something which made Thomas both
grin and blush as he saw it too.

	Michael giggled before laying back down, grinding ever so slightly.
When Thomas returned it, he knew it was nothing to be embarrassed about.
He stared into Thomas's eyes and whispered, "Now do you believe how much I
trust you?"

	Thomas stared back.  "It's never been about trust Michael..." he
whispered back but didn't finish.

	Michael shook his head.  "Yeah, it has.  You're afraid I'm going to
think you're gay or something or won't want to do things, because you were
afraid I wouldn't trust you."

	Comprehension dawned for Thomas as he realized that was exactly
what it had boiled down to, and not just for him but for the both of them.
He implicitly trusted his friend now, but until that moment had had no idea
how much of that would be returned.  He slowly nodded, smiling, visibly
relaxing between them.  He slowly lifted his head, leaning in this time and
prompting them to kiss again, but this one was much tenderer, with more
feeling.  It lasted only a moment when Michael pulled back, propping his
head again on the others chest.  "What now?" he whispered, his mischievous
look returning again.

	Thomas, amused as he raised his hands and placed them behind his
head, whispered back, "I don't know."

	Michael thought for a minute, looking down, seeing the armpits and
wondering if he really wanted to attack them again, but decided not to.  He
looked around his room for a second, then lifted himself up off the
mattress to peer at the clock on his nightstand behind his friend.  When he
saw it was only 7:00, he grinned, settling back down as before.  "We got a
long time before Mom comes home."  The other nodded, saying nothing, so he
continued.  "So, I got an idea, maybe.  Ummm... let me ask you something."
When the other nodded again, he continued.  "You dream about stuff too,
right? Maybe, like, fantasize and stuff?"  Again Thomas nodded, waiting
patiently before Michael continued.  "Umm, Have you ever like took a shower
with anyone?"

	This time Thomas moved his head from side to side, a grin coming to
him as he realized where this was going before his friend finished.  "Me
neither... Umm, want too?"

	Although he was whispering back, "D-do you?", Thomas's face and
body language did nothing to hide the fact what he wanted to do, and
Michael understood that feeling all too well.  "Why do you think I asked?
Besides..." Michael whispered even lower still.  "You gotta learn how to
get me right, you know..." His eyes indicated the direction, and he slowly
ground himself down onto his friend, all the while lifting his eyebrows a
few times.

	Thomas was thrilled as he whispered back, "Can we?"

	In answer Michael suddenly scrambled and jumped up from the bed,
pulling Thomas with him.  He crossed to one of his drawers in the nearby
chest and pulled out a t-shirt and some briefs.  Before closing it,
however, he turned to the other. "Do you, like, need anything...?"

	"Umm, yeah, I only brought some clean jeans and a shirt," he
replied, embarrassed.  Michael just grinned and pulled an extra set and
tossed them to him, shutting the drawer.  He walked over, turned off the
TV, and then took Thomas's hand.  "Let's go downstairs, where there is more
room and everything!" he whispered, pulling Thomas behind him as they
headed down the steps.

	When they reached the living room, Michael let go of the others
hand and stopped, checking quickly on the fire again.  It was starting to
die down, prompting him to add more wood before closing it up again.  Once
done, he collected his topless friend again, noting that they both had a
certain level of naughty excitement building through them, or at least it
seemed so to him.  He pulled Thomas into the bigger bathroom with him,
turning on the light switch and shutting the door behind them.  Without any
inhibition, Michael moved over to the tub and drew the loose curtain back,
turned on the water and remained there adjusting it until the temperature
was right.  Thomas stood watching him, using his feet to remove first one
sock and then the other. Eventually Michael turned back and, after placing
his glasses on the sink, stepped in front of Thomas so that both boys stood
facing each other grinning.  Both were nervous at this point, but neither
wanted to back down or away from the other.

	Michael cleared his throat.  "Now's the time to stop if you want
bro..."  Thomas just shook his head and whispered, "Let's do it!"  Michael
grinned and then reached out for the others belt and undid the buckle.  It
was obvious to Thomas what was going to happen, and he was tempted to laugh
and say 'I can take my own clothes off, you know!', but then he saw the
mischievous look in the others face, and instead just grinned as Michael
stood still waiting.  Thomas reached across and did the same to the other
boy, going an additional step of unsnapping his jeans, before standing
still again, giving the other his turn.  They were looking at each other,
not just their eyes but all over, assessing the other up close.

	Michael grinned and started working with the button on his friends'
jeans, trying to unfasten them but not having much luck.  Thomas laughed
because he knew that on this particular pair it was difficult even for him
to fasten and unfasten them.  He reached down and attempted to help, but
Michael batted his hand away at first, redoubling his efforts.  Finally, as
he was beginning to get annoyed, Thomas again reached in and pushed the
hand back gently, and started to do it himself.  He heard Michael giggle,
"Okay, you win... How the heck you ever go to the bathroom and crap with
them that tight?"

    Thomas laughed as he got them unfastened, but he dropped his hands,
whispering "Sorry."  His friend just smiled and reached in, gently
unzipping the others pants and feeling the underwear that was underneath,
as well as feeling a hard erection that was pushing out.  He stood back and
let Thomas do the same to him, who went the extra step of hooking his
thumbs on the others waistband and pushing the jeans down and off of his
hips.  Michael stepped out of them, standing before his friend with only
his briefs and socks, his own groin fully tented, but he didn't seem to
mind or be embarrassed as he reached over and did the same.  Both were now
looking at the other, grinning.  Michael reached down and grasped his
friend's hardness from the outside, making Thomas gasp, but say nothing.
Michael giggled as he stepped on one, then the other of his own feet,
pulling them out of the socks to be as evenly prepared as Thomas was.
Thomas finally reached out and hooked his fingers on the band of his
friend's briefs, which Michael followed and reached out so that they did
this last step simultaneously.  Both grinning at the other, they pulled out
and pushed down, dropping their briefs to the floor, standing naked before
each other.  Both of their erections had slapped back up to their bellies,
hard and horny as they were, fully pointing upward at the other.

    For a moment Michael looked down at Thomas, taking him in, with no
reason to be embarrassed because his friend was doing the same to him.  The
bathroom light was faint, not bright, and the shadows it cast about
revealed few details for the both of them.  Without his glasses, he could
make out only a basic outline of his friends dick, seeing a patch of pubic
hair residing at the base on top.  He reached out and touched just the tip
of his fingers through it, noticing how silky soft they were, like his.  He
couldn't help but feel the other's boner some as well, and still feeling
the awe of it all, he looked up grinning at the other.  Thomas was grinning
back, and even stepped a little closer to give Michael better access if he
wanted it.  For some reason though, Michael had a different urge just then,
so he stepped in and grasped the other in a full body hug, grinding their
groins into the other.  He leaned in and gave Thomas a quick, open-mouthed
kiss again like the one they had just shared earlier.  Thomas returned the
kiss, gasping at how good it felt to have himself pressed into the other.
Both boys could feel the electrical connection that tingled throughout
their bodies, from their toes to the end of their cocks, to the bellies and
up to their lips.  Thomas felt he could have stayed that way for hours, but
instead the other broke the kiss and backed away, taking him by the hand
and pulling him into the shower with him.

    Closing the curtain, he stepped under the shower head, wetting down his
hair and body, and then pulled his friend underneath with him.  The close
contact made their erections slap into the other at times, but neither
cared at the moment, both being simultaneously aroused and comforted at the
feelings they were experiencing.  When Michael reached for a bar of soap,
he whispered "Turn around," motioning him to turn his back to him.  He
lathered up his hand and started rubbing the others firm body, his back and
sides, starting with the shoulders and working his way down.  When he got
to his friends butt, he spoke in a soft voice over the noise of the
shower. "You want me to wash you here," his hand floating right at the
waist, "or do you want to do it?"

    Thomas shrugged his shoulders and then spread his legs a little.  When
he didn't turn around or take the soap from him, Michael lathered up again
and inserted his hands all around his friends butt and inside his crack.
It was exhilarating in a sense feeling another body beside him, doing this
willingly and openly, and Thomas moaned occasionally as he relished every
moment as well.

    Michael squatted down on his knees, looking closer at his friends
backside, seeing the perfectly round bubble-cheeks facing him back as he,
in a much gentler fashion, rub his fingers between the legs, hitting the
back of the others scrotum.  Noticing Thomas had closed his eyes and was
beginning to get a little shaky, he very rapidly rubbed down the legs in
front of him before standing up and turning his friend around.  Thomas's
eyes were still closed, so he asked him, his voice just enough to carry
over the water, "You okay?"

    Thomas only grinned and barely whispered "Fuck yeah! Don't stop..."
Michael giggled as he proceeded to rub down the other's chest and belly.
When he got to the last part, he hesitated, taking hold and wrapping his
fingers around the other's erection cautiously.  It wasn't that he was
afraid, but all kidding aside, this time he was actually enjoying it, and
he wanted to feel the heat it generated in his palm, to finally hold
another boy's dick, hold something besides his own. Thomas, on the other
hand, finally started going weak in his knees at the touch, and Michael
could feel him slipping away.  He gently pushed the other boy back against
the shower wall to steady him.  He held on as the other moaned softly, and
he could feel the erection in his hand throb.

    When he thought about it, now that he was paying attention to it in
more detail, he thought it felt different, so he lowered himself down
face-to-face with his friend's waist so he could focus better.  He wasn't
blind, but being nearsighted didn't give him the chance to see things in
detail so much unless he got closer to them.  When he looked at what he was
holding closer, he was surprised to see that Thomas was uncircumcised.
'That's why he drew me that way!' he thought, as he looked on in awe.  He
had heard of such, knew that boys usually fell into one of the two
categories, but he had never seen another boy's penis like the one he was
not only looking at, but HOLDING right now.  For that matter as he scoffed
himself, he had never seen another boys' penis PERIOD - yet alone FEEL one
in his hand!  Other than for the extra skin that covered the head almost
completely, he regarded the fact his friend was about the same size as he
was.  He marveled at how hard it felt, how it throbbed in his hand, yet how
smooth it also seemed to his touch.  He wanted to pull the skin back, but
was afraid to, not sure if that was something he should do or not.  When he
glanced up at the other's face, Thomas was looking down at him, with a
goofy grin on his face, watching him.  Thomas reached in and took hold of
Michaels', and together he helped the other pull the skin back.  Michael
was mesmerized by watching it all as the purplish head appeared from
underneath.  He grinned, saying "Cool!", which made Thomas laugh.

    "What?" he asked, amused and yet pleased that Michael seemed to take as
much interest, seemed to like him as much as he liked the other.

    Embarrassed, Michael just stood up and whispered, "You're not so diff
from when you pull it back."  The expression on the others face prompted
him to explain.  "I'm circumcised, see?  I don't have the extra skin and
stuff..."  He stepped back and pointed down to himself, taking hold and
pushing his hard erection out from his belly part of the way, where his
friend looked down and grinned.  "Yeah, cool!" was his response, which made
Michael feel better.  He slapped the soap bar into the others hand.  "Okay
- your turn."

    "Umm, is there like, anything you don't want me to do?" he asked
timidly, immediately feeling stupid afterwards.

    Michael moved himself under the water stream and closed his eyes.  "Are
you kidding?  Anything you want Thomas, anything at all."  He felt a tug on
his shoulder which made him turn around, and then he lifted his arms and
rested himself against the wall, spreading his legs a little.  There was a
brief pause, enough so he almost turned to look behind him to see what
Thomas was waiting for, but just as the thought hit him, he felt the other
start to rub him down with both hands, beginning under his arm pits and
working down his sides.

    Thomas was so exhilarated and thrilled at times he almost forgot to
breathe, as he took slow motions with both hands to actually feel his
friend completely, letting his hands glide over the various curves and
inside the many crevices of the other's body.  Like Michael, he had never
dreamed of doing anything like this, although he had secretly longed to do
something like it on more than one occasion.  In his heart, he was falling
in love with his friend, something that he knew he would have to sort out
later, but for the moment while the other seemed to be just as willing as
he was - to do all this stuff, even taboo as it might be for some - he
wasn't going to turn away from it.  As was earlier, he lathered and
caressed the others butt, slipping his fingers in the crack and across his
hole.  He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there, and he thought about
playing for a second, but then decided against it.  He finally pushed
himself down underneath and between the legs.  Like his friend, he squatted
down and rubbed down both of the others legs before he stopped and stood
up.  Leaning forward he put his arms around the other from behind,
embracing and pulling him into himself, spooning and sandwiching his
erection between them.  He sighed deeply as did his friend, who pushed back
into him and whispered "This feels good."

    "Yeah."  Thomas held him for a minute, then started to soap up the
others' chest and belly from behind, still staying close and spooning him
from behind.  Eventually Michael worked loose and turned around to face him
grinning.  Thomas blushed, "Sorry."

    "About what?"  He grinned.  "I said anything and I meant it... just -
right now... I'm starting to itch a little."  At that Thomas grinned,
relieved.  He stood back and finished the job properly, taking extra care
to examine his work.  Michael grinned at him.  "Um, you're still not
finished..."  He was pointing down to his crotch, at which Thomas blushed
but grinned as well, stepping closer and taking the others erection in his
hand.

    Like his friend, as soon as he was touched Michael shut his eyes and
moaned, his knees also getting weak.  As Thomas just stood there, grasping
him and watching the other's face, he opened his eyes and told him, "You
better hurry, I don't know if I can keep it in much longer... When I cum it
is going to be fuckin messy..."

    Thomas leaned in, whispering "Yeah? Me too..."

    They grinned at each other, and then Michael turned around and shut the
water off.  Opening the curtain, he grabbed a towel and dried his face and
head, then realized what they had both forgotten.  "Umm... hang on a min,"
he told the other as he closed the curtain again and turned the water back
on.  He found his shampoo and quickly lathered and rinsed his hair, all the
while Thomas mimicking him washing his own.  When they finally did stop,
they noticed immediately the room had turned cool, having been shut off
from the heat in the rest of the house.  Michael dried off, and then handed
the towel to his friend before opening the door a little way and peering
out into the living room.  He saw the clock, and breathed a sigh of relief
before opening the door all the way.

    Thomas, startled, stepped back.  "Uh, what are you doing?"

    Michael looked back and smiled.  "It's not quite 8:00, Mom still won't
be home for a while."

    "What? You mean we've been in here an hour??!!"

    Laughing, Michael took the towel from his friend and began drying him
off.  "Almost – yeah, I wondered why the water was getting so cold."  He
finished the job then reached and grabbed both their clothes, starting to
walk out the door naked as he pulled his glasses on.  "Come on..."

    Thomas hesitated, but reached up and turned off the light and followed
the other kid back up the stairs to his room.  There Michael closed the
door before turning around and walking up close to his friend.  When he
spoke, he had a serious look on his face.  "My turn bro... Can I ask you
something?"  When the other nodded, he continued. "Have you ever done
anything like this before? I mean, you know, right?"

    The other boy shook his head whispering, "Only in my dreams. Mike, I've
only done this only a thousand times maybe, but all in my dreams."
Although the fire below was burning well, with most of the vents closed the
room was only lukewarm, something they became painfully aware as their
bodies adjusted, not having the earlier protection of the shower to keep
them warm.  Michael thought about the response before finally smiling,
evidently satisfied, but still somewhat nervous.  He took his friend over
to the bed and pulled back the covers, climbing in and dragging Thomas with
him.  Neither got under the cover, but instead stretched out on top facing
each other.  With much more light in the bedroom than they had below, they
could each easily observe the other now with nothing hiding between them.
Michael looked his friend over closely, reaching out and gently brushing
the other's bush in his crotch.  Thomas giggled and reciprocated, and moved
his fingertips around his friends belly as well.

    At one point Michael casually asked while feeling the soft silkiness of
the others dark pubes.  "So, did you like it?"

    Thomas almost looked hurt.  "Do you have to ask?"

    The other giggled, then stared back into Thomas's eyes, searching them.
"What kind of dreams? Do you ever, like, dream stuff and get hard and, you
know?"  he dropped to a whisper.  "Hard enough to like jack off and stuff?"

    Thomas nodded, "All the time."

    "Umm, this kind of stuff?"

    "Yeah, and other stuff too."  He saw the reflection of his own thoughts
and feeling in the face of the other.

    "Like, what?  Give me an example..."

    Thomas looked at the other, wondering if he should tell him.  Deciding
he could, he whispered, "Like, sucking and fucking and stuff..."  There, he
said it, now all he had to do was wait and see how his friend felt about
it...

    Michael thought about it for a minute.  "Me too..."  He responded and
then looked seriously into Thomas's eyes one last time.  "You know I trust
you now, right? That I really, really trust you."  It was a statement, but
the question hung between them.

    Thomas smiled and nodded, scooting up a little closer as they lay next
to each other.  Without hesitating, he leaned in and kissed the other boy
yet again, and for the third time that night they spent a few minutes,
embracing and pulling into each other, legs threading or wrapping around
the other.  Both had boners that had already returned to full mast, and as
the intensity increased, so did they begin to grab each others butt and
pull, humping and grinding.  At one point Michael broke the kiss, laying
his head on the others shoulder, where he whispered into the others ear,
"God I want to cum so bbaaaaddddd...  I think I'm going to bust a nut, you
know?"

    Thomas pushed him back gently until they were separated again, making
his friend lay down on his back.  He looked into the others eyes.  "Then
don't weird out on me now, okay?"  When Michael nodded, Thomas first took
hold of his friend's raging boner and started massaging it slowly,
deliberately, loving the way it felt in his hand.  Michael closed his eyes
and gasped, causing the other to hesitate.

    "Don't stop man... it's ... it feels awesome... I'm going to do it..."

    Thomas whispered "Don't let it go yet, don't cream on me yet..."  He
continued for a moment, and then scooted down until he was face-to-face, on
top with the other's groin.  He could see his friend as being different
than himself, but at the same time thought it was cool how he could pull
the sides and was able to pump the skin up and over the head and then
naturally spring back down the sides.  He was used to having to pull his
skin all the way back to expose his slick-coated purple mound; his friend,
though, was not.  He continued the steady motion, using his other free hand
to rub up and down the side and belly.  Slowly he began moving his head
until it lay on Michaels lower belly, just inches from the rod now being
pumped for satisfaction.  "Is this okay?" he whispered.

    Instead of answering, Michael moaned and went totally limp on the bed,
thinking about how it felt so good having someone else do this to him, but
at the same time trying his best not to cum in the face of his friend.
There was a magical feel to it all, and the sheer act of being jacked off
by his friend was almost too much.  In less than a minute he felt his
insides begin to stir, and could feel himself tense.  Evidently Thomas felt
it too because he stopped, and before Michael could react, he felt
something warm and moist enclose around the head of his dick.  "Oh my
God..."  His eyes opened wide to find his friend slowly, tentatively
engulfing his almost 5-inches, all the way down until he reached the base.
So startled as he was, before Michael could bring himself to say anything,
he suddenly lost himself because in his groin, he felt a tongue start
circling the head of his cock, tasting and licking all around it.  He
groaned loudly, taking both hands instinctively grabbing the other.
"Oh... my.... fuckin... Oh ccrrraaapppp.... oh shit..." he cried out
softly, making Thomas giggle.  He did not pull away or stop though, because
he found he was enjoying it almost as much as his Michael seemed to be.

    Within seconds of giving the suckling treatment to his friend however,
Thomas felt a change begin in the body underneath him.  He could feel the
muscles twitch behind his friends' belly where his hand was now resting and
propping him up as he continued to bob up and down.  He heard the change in
breathing, felt the tenseness start to take hold all along the length of
where he had contact with.  For Michael's part, he felt something like a
pull behind his navel that tingled and connected all the way down into his
scrotum.  His nuts began to retract more firmly up to the base from where
they hung, as another feeling connected completely throughout, making him
curl his toes and rise halfway into a sitting position.  He felt himself
heave first one, then two, three blasts from the end of his cock, creating
one of the hardest orgasms he had ever had, pure pleasure putting him on
sensory overload.  All the while, he could feel he was still inside
Thomas's mouth, could still feel the tongue washing over his sensitive
head.

    He was gasping for breath, his heart pounding through his chest as his
whole groin contracted at each thrust and he felt himself emptying inside.
He finally stopped convulsing and lay in shock for a moment, coming down
from some unexplainable high.  Never once had he had an orgasm this hard,
this *connected" inside of him.  When he came to his senses and opened his
eyes, he searched for his friend and suddenly began to realize what he had
done.  Thomas was still providing him a warm, licking sensation over the
end of his erection which was now softening before he too backed away,
letting the softened member pull from his lips.  When he turned to look
into the others eyes, he saw the fear building there.  He suddenly felt
perhaps he had gone too far, but before he could back away, Michael began
blurting out, "Oh God Thomas, I'm so sorry man! I'm so sorry, I couldn't
fast enough, it just happened so fast!  I'm so sorry, I should have warned
you..."

    The panic in the others voice made Thomas sigh with relief.  "I'm not
complaining, am I?"  When the other continued to look on with awe, he
added, "What?"

    The other whispered.  "You s-swallowed... I mean... You sucked it down,
all my cream and everything??!!"

    Thomas giggled.  "Yeah... You mean you've never tasted your own cream
any?"  When the other shook his head, he shrugged his shoulders.  "It's not
so bad, once you kind of just get beyond the idea of it I guess.  I taste
and swallow my cream lots of times."

    Incredulous, Michael stared before slowly nodding.  "What's it like? I
mean, I've never done it... I just never got up the nerve to..."

    At those words Thomas took hold of his friends' erection in one hand
which was now only half deflated, cupping it and his balls gently while he
turned and stretched up, bringing their lips together and kissing the
other.  Opening his mouth wide and pushing his tongue into the others,
Michael was surprised he could taste what was left of himself inside.  He
knew it had to be him because it had a different scent and texture, and he
found that it wasn't anywhere as gross as he feared it would have been.
"MMMmmm..."  That remnant he took and could taste wasn't bad at all, having
a little bit of saltiness to it.  Thomas remained still for a minute,
turning his head slightly so that he let his friend reach in with his
tongue and get what he could.  When they finally broke, he looked at the
other.  "Well? What do you think?"

    Michael giggled.  "Not bad, really; I kind of liked it..."  He was
smiling, but still recovering.

    Thomas stretched out on his side again laying up against his friend,
letting go of the now semi-soft package and instead started caressing the
other's belly. "I knew what I was doing Mike, honest, I was okay with
it. I- I wanted to, you know? I wanted to know what you would taste like
and... and..."  He didn't finish it, but his expression reflected well how
happy he was feeling, all of which made Michael smile and gently push the
other onto his back, whispering "Your turn."

    Thomas fell to his back as he was bid, but stopped his friend as he
started to move. "You don't have to, honest. I- I c-can jack off or
s-something..."

    "Shut the fuck up!" Michael replied good-naturedly as he grinned and
leaned in to kiss him full on the lips.  He whispered "Don't you think I
want to, too?" and after a second moved down to the raging hard-on facing
him.  The kiss had ignited its hardness inside Thomas again, and as he
started giving it some attention, there was a low moan that escaped his
lips.  Michael was telling the truth: he had wanted to do this too, had
wanted to do it even before they went downstairs to the shower.  He had
lost the nerve to take it that far, though, not sure just how to even start
and see if his friend would be willing...  He took a moment to study up
close his friends' body: the perfect v-line that trailed from his ribs to
just above the crotch, the tiny hint of a happy trail descending from his
navel.  He reached to feel the soft, silky pubes that had grown into a bush
there.  "I like this," he said to no one in particular, pinching some of
them gently between his thumb and forefinger.  When he finally moved on to
the hard erection, some 4.5 to 5 inches stared at him in his face,
throbbing and waiting.  He smiled and whispered, "Get ready bro, you're in
for one heck of a ride!"

    Thomas giggled, but immediately grabbed the bed sheets and pulled
tightly when he felt lips surround the end of his dick.  Having the extra
skin still pulled up and over the protected sensitive head underneath, he
could still the hotness of the other's breath.  He tried to remain as still
as possible, watching his friend, trying to take everything in.  He felt
Michael make a few gentle sucking sounds, then tentatively touch the sides
of his cock with his tongue.  It caused him to close his eyes and let out
another low moan as he could detect the difference, the slickness that came
from it.

    It was nothing in comparison, however, when the felt his friend take
his hand and, grabbing the base of his erection, gently tug the skin back,
pulling it to the tip.  He gasped loudly, almost yelling as he felt that
same tongue find its way through the tip and inside the folds, poking
through to the bare sensitive head underneath and the slit at the end.

    Although the whole experience was new for him, Michael didn't hesitate,
as he found the taste and even the smell, which still held a musky scent
below in the crotch and pubes, intoxicating him.  He used his free hand to
reach in and help pull the other's skin back even more as he had done in
the shower, then to fondle the other's balls around and underneath.  After
reaching his target inside, and feeling the other's slit, he stop and just
lay there, holding the raging, throbbing cock inside, letting his tongue
toy back and forth.  The other was writhing by now, gasping for air and he
knew it would only be seconds before he would be letting himself go.

    At first he was a little puzzled because he could sense a sort of
liquid that was at the end, not quite like what he had tasted of himself,
neither in texture or flavor.  It wasn't bad, and he instinctively knew it
wasn't pee.  Before he could dwell on it however, as he was holding
Thomas's balls gently in his hand, he felt them tighten, and he heard his
friend gasping, "It's coming Mike, I'm gonna... explode..."  And that he
did, pushing himself deeper into his Michaels' mouth, he began releasing
himself.  Michael found out just how different it really was when first one
and then more continuous spasms emptied into his mouth. a salty creamy-like
substance that was like, but at the same time unlike his own.  His friend
seemed to rear up, crying out each time as he thrust and emptied his
orgasmic highs, each time giving up what seemed like huge amounts of cum
into his mouth.  Michael swallowed more than once, taking it while still
poking his tongue through it all, through the fold of the skin to the
exposed head underneath, licking the tip each step of the way, liking it.

    When Thomas finally stopped, it seemed the throbbing had subsided so
Michael pulled off, impressed as he grinned at the other.  "Crap man, how
much do you normally spurt? I bet I swallowed a cup full!!"  His friends
eyes were screwed tightly shut, and he lay there panting, his heart racing
and beating underneath his chest, taking huge breaths.  He finally opened
his mouth to say something, then closed it and opened it again, before
crying out "Oh shit... that was ... Oh crap, the best, the most..."

    Michael waited, but when the other didn't finish, he leaned into his
ear and whispered, "The best fucking cum you ever had?"

    "Oh yeah... Oh yeah.... oohhhh mmmaaaaaannnnnn......"  He grabbed the
others hand, squeezing it tight, holding on as if for dear life.  "Ohhh
shhiiittt mmaaannnn...  Was it that - intense - for you?"

    "Couldn't you tell?  Way better than my usual hand job!"  Michael lay
down next to him and pulled the other on his side to face him.  He leaned
in and returned the favor - a kiss, for he still had a little of his
friends' boy juice inside which Thomas found and immediately started
sucking away.  They both stopped after a moment, and then looked at each
other.  Thomas broke the silence, only by mouthing the word 'Thanks'
between them, which his friend mouthed back 'You're welcome bro.'

    Thomas looked up into his eyes.  "Why do you call me that?  That's the
second or third time you've called me bro, you know?"

    Michael smiled, and leaned in and kissed his friend again, lightly this
time, before answering.  "Because that is how I love you, you're like the
brother I never had."

    Thomas's eyes became moist.  "You know you don't have to convince me
anymore, I mean..."

    A pair of fingers found their way over his lips as his friend replied.
"I'm not. I just want you to know you can trust me, honest.  That's from my
heart."

    They paused, smiling at each other.  Thomas put both arms around his
friend.  "I do know - I really do."  It took them a both a few minutes to
sort of settle down, and as they did, staring at each other gave both a fit
of giggles.  Thomas cracked, "I can't believe what we just did!"

    The other agreed.  "I know! It's cool, but like, whoa!"  He glanced at
the clock; they still had a long time to go.  "What say we kind of break
from this for a while and play some Risk or something?"

    Thomas smiled, nodding in agreement.  Michael got up and found their
clothes, tossing the fresh briefs to his friend and then stepping into his
own.  They both put on t-shirts, and after searching around for a moment,
Michael pulled out two pair of sweats for them to each wear.  At first
Thomas thought about telling his friend he had his own, but somehow liked
the idea and found comfort in wearing the other's clothes rather than his
own.

    When they finished, Michael went back downstairs to check the wood
stove again and to bring back more soda.  As Thomas got the game from the
closet, he paused a moment, thinking about how his perfect day had come
about.  A question began to develop, and as they set the game up, he peered
curiously at the other.  "I don't want to sound mushy now, honest, not
after - that - but ummm, you think I can ask you about something?  I mean,
now?"

    Michael grinned at the remark.  "Sure!"

    "Well, I was kinda wondering, I mean, when did you first decide it was
okay for us to, you know.  Or even, like, when did you first ever get
curious about me any or...?"

    "Honest?"  Michael thought for a minute.  "The first time I came to
your house I sort of got a feeling, I guess."

    "Huh?!!!"

    The surprise made him giggle.  "That first day, you came back from
church, and we went to your bedroom.  You closed the door and then like,
changed clothes in front of me and everything.  I mean, you didn't hide or
go to the bathroom to change or ask me to wait outside or you know - that
kind of stuff.  That never happened to me before, and even though I was
kinda embarrassed at first, I was really curious I guess.  You didn't have
a lot of space in your room and stuff, remember?  Heck, I was like only a
couple of feet from you, but you stood there and you stripped almost naked
and changed clothes and stuff, right in front of me!"

    "Wow... you remember that?"  He was impressed, and it showed.

    Michael nodded.  "Yeah, I remember being surprised, because here you
were doing it, right in front of me, close and everything."

    Thomas shrugged.  "I never thought anything about it though, I mean, I
wasn't trying to like, you know... show off or anything.  I was just," he
laughed, "changing clothes!"

    Michael laughed too.  "I know, honest. It's hard to explain,
though... It's just that, it was the first time anyone ever trusted me
enough to do it, I guess, and after you did it, I thought it was cool."

    "Nobody?"

    "No one...  I've never had anyone practically strip in front of me, not
my cousins or anyone, and I dunno, I just thought it was cool.  Then a few
weeks or so later you did it again, and by that time I thought it was just
really awesome.  I mean, think about it, I had just gained a friend, a REAL
friend, and heck, you was willing to do that in front of me and everything
so close it made me feel different inside, like good-different, you know?
And I guess I was kinda starting to wonder if you were like me any, you
know, wondering what you might look like and everything, but there was no
way in heck I was going to, you know..."

    Thomas giggled.  "Yeah, I know... Well, I was almost naked I guess."

    Michael nodded.  "Yeah, almost, and some of your underwear is really
thin I think, but I mean it, I never really saw, you know.... you..."  He
reached down and cupped the others groin again, and added "This!"  He
paused before finishing.  "And I didn't really ever think I would like, see
it or anything.  I think I even had a dream that night, or maybe more, I
dunno, and ... well... It was just cool I guess."  He was slightly
blushing.  "I could see part of you and you were like me.  I wanted to
reach out and touch you even, but I was too scared."

   Thomas smiled, whispering back, "I wish you had, you know, touched me.
I wouldn't have cared."

    Michael nodded.  "When you changed clothes that second time, you
stripped all the way to just your underwear and it made me think 'Wow, you
must really trust me!' and stuff.  I almost did, but I couldn't get up the
nerve to do it."

    Thomas nodded.  "I did trust you. I mean, I really wasn't trying to do
anything or stuff, but... I just did it.  The only time I've ever change
clothes and stuff in front of other people is like in PE..."

    "Yeah, I know, but that doesn't count, I mean, it isn't the same.  We
all get those little cubicles and stuff, and the other guys just change
clothes and get out and everything, afraid someone will think their nuts or
something.  And there's not a lot of light, and you can't really, like take
the time and 'look' or else your screwed for life, you know?  Even though I
know everyone checks everyone else out sometimes, it doesn't mean..."

    Thomas nodded.  "It doesn't mean they won't make your life a living
hell, especially if you get a boner, yeah, I know."  Silence fell between
them, and then he spoke again.  "You did it for me too, you know.  You
changed clothes in front of me, too, not too long ago in here."

    Michael rolled onto his back.  "Yeah, I know.  Did you know how scared
I was that day?"  When Thomas shook his head, surprised, he continued.  "I
felt guilty, because here you were doing it for me, and I wanted you to
know I trusted you, that I could do it too.  Usually whenever you came over
here I was already changed and stuff, that's why I never did it before
then, but on that day, I was scared."

    "Why?"

    "I guess it took me a while to get up my nerve, but I sort of had to,
because I was still wearing my good clothes and everything, and there was
NO WAY I was going to go to the bathroom after all the times you had done
it for me."  He looked again at the other and grinned.  "Don't you remember
how I dropped stuff, and how I couldn't even stand up? I was shaking like a
wet dog, or at least I felt like I was!  I was so scared and nervous, I
could almost have peed my pants then!"

    Thomas was confused.  "B-but why though?  Me?  I mean, like you said,
it wasn't any different than when guys change clothes in gym, right?"  He
giggled.  "I dunno, it's just changing clothes, but yeah, I think I
understand now..."

    Michael grimaced.  "Yeah, it was just you, but I had never done it
before, so I guess it was just being weird.  I was afraid you might see my
skinny ass and laugh at me or something, tell me I was funny looking or
... worse... "

    Thomas shook his head.  "No way, I think you look great.  I think we
are kind of alike mostly, except... you know..."  He pointed to his crotch
and Michael giggled.

    "I think I kept telling myself 'Don't get a boner', we were just two
kids changing clothes, that sort of thing."  He giggled.  "That's why I was
so scared, I DID get a boner, in front of you, and I was - just
embarrassed."

    Thomas giggled.  "I remember it."  Seeing the other's face turning red
but grinning, he added "That's when I started wondering about you, you
know, getting curious..."  They both laughed.  "I think I started to get
one once when you were at my house."  He paused, looking down at
himself. "So, seriously Mike, is that when you started, like, thinking...?"

    Michael looked thoughtful.  "I think so.  I mean, I dreamed about some
stuff between us, but I never thought it would happen or anything.  You
were always so...  You hid stuff, you know?  Even though we were best
friends, I knew you were MY best friend by then, but I didn't know if I was
yours...  And then, more than that, I knew we could just be two horny teens
and everything, but I didn't know if you thought about sex and stuff
or... you know, guys or girls or whatever."  This made Thomas scoff, but he
remained silent as he continued to listen.

    "I mean, look at me Thomas, I cuss and swear and stuff, not a lot but
some anyway, and until tonight I've never heard you swear or cuss hardly
any!  And, well - even though you would change clothes in front of me, you
didn't like, really say anything or give me any hints about what you were
thinking or feeling or anything, and I know you guys take going to church
more seriously and stuff than we do and I guess..."  He realized he was
rambling, so he took a deep breath before slowing down.  "I figured my
dreams were just a bunch of fantasies, stuff like that."  He paused,
thinking hard.  "Kind of like your Gramps says, boys just don't do stuff
like this I guess, unless you're gay or something, but... I just don't see
it that way, that's all.  I'm kind of, well, I don't know."  He blushed.
"I'm kind of curious about stuff too, I guess."

    "Then today..." Thomas started, but stopped, waiting.

    "Well first of all Sunday, you hugged me, and it took me a while to
figure it out, you know, my feelings and stuff, but I got to thinking you
were probably as lonesome as I was or something.  Maybe you needed that hug
for some other reason, but when you gave it to me, it was like you gave me
something with it; you gave me a reason to feel something too, and it made
me feel a lot closer, you know?  Like us, it made me feel like we - you and
me - were a lot closer."

    Thomas whispered.  "I know - it did me too."

    Michael nodded. "I had no idea it was that bad for you at home, you and
your Gramps, but after that happened, I mean today, I dunno, I guess I just
didn't care, I knew mostly inside you wouldn't care, and then when I saw
the poem and pictures and stuff, it told me maybe what you must be feeling
some of the same stuff inside, so I figured what the heck, I trusted you
and I was going to prove it, no matter what.  I read that one line,
something about wondering what a kiss was like and stuff, and I thought 'No
way!', because that was how I feel about stuff.  I just didn't know if it
meant you wanted to kiss me, or a girl or what, but right then I didn't
really care, you know?"

    He rolled to his side, propping his head on his elbow.  "I'm sorry, I
mean, I wish I knew about what you had told me before, about what your
Gramps does and stuff.  I mean, I'm not much of a mushy kid, but heck I
would hug you anytime bro."  He saw the other smile at that.  "And that's
how I kind of see us, like brothers, close enough to share stuff without
worrying about all the gay or fag crap and stuff.  I just think of what we
did as kind of fun stuff I guess.  Still personal, still stuff that's
connected between us, you know, you and me.  Stuff I don't think I could
ever share with anyone else, not like that anyway.  It's like, sharing
something that no one else can share, with someone I know I trust, and I
know inside that you trust me, too."  He paused.  "Does that make any
sense?"

    Thomas was smiling wide.  "Oh yeah – it makes a lot of sense.  More
than you know, because that's how I feel too."  His voice was husky when he
continued.  "You know, when I wrote that poem, I did mean I wondered what
all the big deal was bout kissing girls, but it didn't mean I didn't wonder
about kissing you too.  I still wouldn't trade it for anything though
because it was so cool."

    Michael grinned.  "I know.  I kind of wondered about it after I read
it, but I figured I better not think about it too much if I was going to
try it, you know, do what I did, and besides..."  He locked eyes with the
other.  "I had to prove it to you. I had to do something that came from
inside of me to prove to you how much I really trusted you, something so
close and personal between us that you would really know."  He smiled.  "So
I kissed you.  I was scared bro, really scared, like - 'pee-in-your-pants'
scared - but I did it, and when you kissed me back, well...  I wouldn't
take it back either, honest."

    When he heard those words, Thomas got up out of the bed, moving around
the foot and back up the opposite side before climbing on top of his friend
and embracing him, hugging him tightly.  "Man, honest, I don't care if we
never do stuff again, as long as I can at least have this.  You have no
friggin idea what you and your Mom are doing for me, what you've made me
feel like these last few days, how happy I've really felt even these last
few weeks!  It is like - I'm not so alone anymore.  Like I've got somewhere
I can feel like I belong, everything!"  His voice was cracked with emotion.
"Honest, I don't want to lose this, at least not now, not now that I've got
someone like you to talk to and hang out with and everything.  You mean a
lot to me, you know?"

    Michael smiled, hugging into his shoulder and whispering back.  "Are
you kidding me?  We can do all kinds of stuff bro, as long as you want, I
don't care; I trust you, remember? Besides, you're my best friend, my
'bro'!  And just so you know, you mean just as much to me, too.  I love
you, too."

    "Thanks for calling me bro; I never thought of it before, but I'm glad
you did. Thanks for letting me just be here, too, today – tonight..."
The whisper was all Thomas could get out before he sobbed a couple of
times, clutching tight before catching himself and withdrawing his
emotions.  After a moment he realized the time for mushiness was over, and
as he drew back to peer at the other, he found a warm smile and an equal
feeling radiating from behind it.  He sniffed and wiped his eyes on the
sleeves of his shirt, and then finally giggled, his voice perking up again.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to cry."  He saw not amusement, but acceptance, so he
smiled.  "Okay, I'm done being girlish, you've made my whole fuckin day for
me."

    Michael laughed.  "Uh oh, are my fuckin bad habits rubbing off on you
now?"  They laughed together as Michael reached up, hugged his friends neck
again briefly, then pulled back.  "I done said it once - you're not being
sissy-ish, okay?  I'm just glad you talked to me and stuff, too.  Come on,
I'm going to pulverize the world tonight!"  Thomas moved back across to the
other side of the bed, the game now setup and situated between them.  They
played long into the evening, losing all track of time, each gaining ground
and then losing it.  In the game of Risk, there was never a certain outcome
to any strategy, only the strategy and luck of the dice rolls to strike
fate where it belonged.

    Before both knew it, there was a noise downstairs, and glancing at the
clock, Michael jumped up.  "Mom's home!"  They both raced downstairs to
greet her, which she laughed upon seeing them.

    "You two still up?" she asked, giving each a hug.

    "Yeah, playing Risk, and he's beating my pants off me right at the
moment," Michael replied good naturedly.  She laughed, and after some small
chatting, the boys went back upstairs to continue the game.  Within
minutes, she climbed the stairs carrying hot chocolate for both of them.
"You boys better not stay up all night, or you'll sleep through your time
tomorrow."  She was grinning as she said it, handing them their cups.

    "We won't Mom," he son replied, taking a sip of the steaming coca.  "Is
it snowing outside any yet?"

    "No, not yet. I heard someone tonight say they had postponed it until
tomorrow, the front was beginning to move a little slower.  They even
changed it to a winter storm watch now, 4 to 6 inches, depending on which
way it moves."  She sighed.  "I have to admit, it would be nice to have a
white Christmas this year."  She reached out, tossed their hair a little,
then said "Good night boys, I have to get up early in the morning.  I'll
try and make you a little breakfast before I leave and put it in the oven."

    Thomas looked up at her.  "That's okay, you don't have to do that -
we'll be fine."

    Michael nodded, laughing.  "I can fix good milk and cereal. Oh, and
toast too!"

    She laughed at that.  "Well, be sure to check the oven anyway, I might
get you a little bacon or something to go with it."

    The boys nodded and wished her good night.  A few moments after she had
left, Thomas yawned, setting his half-empty coca on the nightstand.  "You
know, if you want, I'll give in and just declare you the winner; I don't
think we're ever going to resolve this..."

    Michael laughed.  "I wondered if you were getting tired yet!  Nah, if
we quit, it should be based on who has the most, and right now you have
about, ummm... 2/3's of the board, so you can be the winner."  A quick look
at the other's smiling face decided it then, and he started putting the
various game pieces away.  As they cleared the board and packed it back up
into its box, Michael got up and put it away.  He came back to the bed and
yawning, asked "You wanna turn in, or watch TV or what...?"

    Thomas thought about it for a few seconds.  "I am kind of tired, but
I'll stay up if you want to, I mean... it's up to you..."

    Michael nodded, and then took their cups downstairs.  When he returned,
his friend had already sitting up, a look of uncertainty on his face.
"What?" Michael asked as he walked over to the bed.

    Looking around, Thomas motioned his friend closer, and said in a low
voice.  "How do you normally sleep and stuff?  I mean, I don't usually
sweats or pajamas and stuff, because Gramps... "  He paused, letting the
statement hang a moment, before he finished.  "I just usually wear a
t-shirt and my underwear."

    Michael nodded and whispered "Same here."  They tossed the bean bags
into the floor, and the Thomas lay back, stretching his feet into the air
he removed the borrow sweats from his legs while his friend dropped his to
the floor before climbing in under the covers.  After placing his glasses
on the night stand, Michael turned off the light.  They both lay stretched
under the covers looking at the ceiling.  They fidgeted a little, neither
getting comfortable or warm as they were now lying in parts of the bed that
had been exposed to the coolness of the room.

    Finally Thomas broke the silence.  "Can we maybe do one more thing? I
promise, it's not really dirty or anything."

    "Yeah? I don't care how dirty it is or not, what you got in mind?"

    The response made his friend sit up and push his pillow next to the
other boy, then scoot over so that they lay next to each other.  With a
gentle push, he got Michael to roll on his side away from him, and then
pulled him back into his chest and belly, spooning him close.  Putting his
arm around the other, he snuggled and cuddled up to the warmth that was
there, and Michael, liking the feeling and the closeness, pushed back so
that they were sharing themselves yet again.  "Almost like in the shower,
it's awesome!"  He whispered, then took his friends hand and poked it
underneath the front of his briefs, down into his groin, and leaving it
there when Thomas just cupped him.  Although he could feel Thomas' member
against his butt, like himself the other boy did not have a boner. It sort
of made him feel all the more secure and at peace.  "Man, this is so
awesome," he mumbled.

    He heard the other whisper back, "I know.  Mike?  Thanks... for
everything..."  Michael squeezed the others arms and settled in.  That was
the last exchange between them for the rest of the night.  All throughout
the night, when one moved or changed the other moved right with them,
spooning and snuggling close under the cover, sharing each other's warmth.

    More importantly though, for the first time in his life it seemed,
Thomas was at peace, feeling safe with his friend, his best friend.  They
slept soundly.


(To be continued...)

---------------------------------

Comments to: EKidKy@hotmail.com
Other series by me:
   - Lifes Road of Discoveries
     (www.Nifty.org, Gay-Young Friends section, Early 2008)
   - Terry and Sam - Short Story, Holiday Christmas Collaboration w/Ruwen
     (www.Nifty.org, Gay-No Sex section, Late 2008)