This is an original homocentric love story. If you are offended by homosexual relationships, do not read. All characters and situations are fictional and of my own creation. Any resemblance to real situations or people, living or dead, is completely coincidental. See chapter one for further warnings and copyright information.

The Graves' house wasn't much different from mine. There was a living room in the middle of a ranch style house, kitchen and dining area to the back, master bedroom, den, en suite bathroom and vanity on one side of the house, two bedrooms and the main bathroom on the other. But we had a pool and they didn't, and they had a half-basement with a toilet and shower, and we didn't.

The Graves' basement. Yuck. Not a pretty mental picture, if you get the play on words.

The basement was under part of the living room and the two bedrooms, with the stairs coming up off of the kitchen. It had been made up as kind of a family room and looked pretty nice. I learned all of that later, of course.

When we went in, Mrs. Graves was still in the kitchen cooking, but Mister Graves called her out to meet me. "Amy, this is Ethan Whiting, the boy I was telling you about."

When had he had time to talk about me to her?

Oh, right. The phone call he wanted to make. Well, and he had probably told her about Jeremy getting spanked at school, too.

"Nice to meet you, Ethan," she said with a hesitant smile, holding out her hand.

Well, it wasn't a totally unreserved welcome, but you can't blame her, can you? She'd just heard about me as the kid who'd beat her son, and might now have designs on him. I didn't. Well, not right at that exact moment, anyway. But to give her credit, Mrs. Graves did her best to put me at ease. Even insisted that I call her Amy or 'Mrs. G', instead of the whole 'Mrs. Graves' thing.

At that Mister Graves told me I should call him 'Mister G'. He didn't give me the option of calling him Tom, but explained that if I got used to that and slipped up at school, it wouldn't look good. That made sense, and since I didn't feel comfortable calling adults by their first names anyway, I settled for Mister and Mrs. G. The informality of that made me feel more welcome, anyway.

Still a really weird feeling to be staying with my school principal though, ya know? Even just overnight.

Mrs. G said supper would be ready about seven, which was about an hour later than I usually ate, but it wouldn't kill me. It was going to be meatloaf, with corn on the cob, potatoes au gratin, a salad, and chocolate cake for dessert.

Meatloaf? Oh, well. I could live with it. The rest of the meal sounded delicious, anyway.

Mister G took me to the guest room and showed me where to put my things. That was weird, too; having an overnight in a guest room instead of the room of the kid you were staying with. But given the situation, I understood. Two gay kids who were attracted to each other? For most parents that would be like their straight son having the girl he had a crush on staying over. So, yeah - the guest room.

And where was Jeremy all this time? Usually within a couple yards - a few feet, if he felt his mom or dad wouldn't jump him for it. When his dad left me to settle into the guest room, Jeremy jumped on the bed - a nice double wide - spread-eagled himself on his back, and declared, "Do me!" in a melodramatic voice.

It had the desired effect; I burst out laughing at his antics. He rolled over on his side facing me and propped his head on his hand, grinning at his success.

"Yeah, right!" I said as I laughed. "And then I get a swift ride out the door!"

Then, looking at him, I added softly and seriously, with a much smaller smile as I tried to reassure him - I wasn't doing it consciously, but that's what I was feeling. So I said, "Not that you're not tempting, you know."

Jeremy got really shy, really fast. He got off the bed, went over and closed the door quietly and then turned to me, and I saw him swallow. He didn't look at me, but he asked, "Would you... Will you - kiss me? Please?"

Now I understood why he'd got shy, and now I was feeling kinda self-conscious too. But I considered it. I wanted to, but... "Not with the door closed," I answered softly. "I don't want to get carried away, and I'm not sure I could stop if we were completely private." Yeah, it was a little sappy, but I was both horny and nervous! Sue me. Truth is, I didn't want his parents thinking we were hiding things or doing more than someone would do with the door open.

He finally looked up at me. His eyes were almost glowing with pleasure. He turned around again and opened the door, then came toward me. I took his hand and led him to a corner of the room where we'd have a little privacy, and maybe a little warning if someone did come in. Then I turned around and looked down into his eyes just before he lowered his gaze to the floor. What a contradiction he was! It had taken tremendous courage to ask me to kiss him, even knowing I was gay and interested, and now he turns totally shy, again!

Now that the moment had come, my mouth was dry. I was a nervous wreck myself, but he had asked me to kiss him, so I had to make the first move. I slowly pulled him closer, and pulled him into a close, gentle hug. His arms tentatively came up around me, and he laid his head on my chest. I stroked his hair and his back until I felt him relax, then with one finger I lifted his chin until we were again eye-locked. Now I saw trust, so I slowly lowered my head to his. His eyes closed, but mine didn't until I gently touched his lips with mine.

His lips were so soft and warm. I explored them gently; softly. I didn't really know what I was doing, never having kissed anyone like this before, but it felt so right, and Jeremy wasn't complaining.Yeah, I'd read some of the stories on the internet, but reading and doing are two different things. And from what I could see, he didn't know what he was doing, either. I was feeling really protective of him right then, and maybe a little possessive, too. He just felt so right in my arms. My Jeremy.

"My Jeremy," I murmured out loud, liking the sound of it, my lips still touching his.

I felt him pulling away a bit, and opened my eyes. He was staring at me, eyes wide.

"Wh... What?" he stuttered.

I realized that I'd said that out loud, and pulled out of his arms, but not far. "Oh, my god. I'm sorry, Jer," I apologized, whispering. One fucking day I'd known him, and I was pulling shit like this? Where the hell had it come from? Had I just ruined everything already? I just had to start daydreaming, right?

Jeremy stepped into me, wrapped his arms around me again and said, "No: just say it again."

"Jeremy, no. I... We don't even know if... How can I love you - I don't know that I... And I don't even even know if we... If we can be friends!"

"You love me?" he asked, awestruck.

"I... I don't know. It's too fast. I'm confused. I... I just want... " I was out of words. I wrapped my arms around Jeremy and squeezed him to me as tightly as my arms would let me, cheek pressed into his hair. It must have hurt, but Jeremy didn't say a word. We just stood there hugging, while tears ran down my face and into his hair.

It wasn't just him, of course. It wasn't even mostly him. It was the whole day that had overwhelmed me.

When I finally ran out of tears and let him go, he took my hand and led me over to the bed, where we sat down. He pulled my hand into both of his, in his lap.

Looking intently at our joined hands, he started talking. "Ethan... " He cleared his throat and started again. "Ethan... Monday? Monday was when I just couldn't take it any more. I just had to touch you. I've been wanting to get this close to you since about two weeks after I saw you. I thought I was in love with you." He had to stop and swallow.

His words had me scared. Did this mean that he'd changed his mind? Just when I'd become attracted to him?

He started talking again. "When you..." he blushed "...spanked me, I got really angry, but at the same time I guess I knew that - it meant you cared. You could have just beat me up, and I would have deserved it."

"No, Jer, -" I started to protest, but he just nodded his head violently, then looked me in the eyes.

"Yes! Yes, I would have!" His voice was still quiet, but vehement. "I was being a brat, like you said. When I realized it, and... and what you had done meant, I think that's... that's when I really started to... love you. But I was scared, too - scared that you wouldn't really feel the same way."

He swallowed yet again. "You... You do, don't you?" Now I could see tears glistening in his eyes.

What could I say? I couldn't just tell him what he wanted to hear, though. He was too important to me. I had to tell the truth. "I... I don't know, Jer. What I feel... I'm scared, but excited - kinda breathless... When I'm not wanting to punch you for your attitude, I want to grab you, protect you, hold you. But... I don't know. Maybe. I've never felt this before, so I don't really know. I just want to be with you."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But I think... It's all going too fast. I think maybe we should take this really slowly. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to get hurt. Is that okay?"

He nodded. He looked a little confused, but a little reassured, too. "But... I'm still your Jeremy?"

Was this important to him? "You want to be?" I asked carefully.

"If you want me to be."

Evasive little bugger. I smiled, leaned in, and kissed him on the lips again. Not a long kiss, but lingering, nevertheless. When I broke off, I said, "Okay?"

He slowly opened his eyes, smiling, and replied, "Okay."

Now I was getting a case of the nerves, again. What was I feeling? And would I feel this way if I weren't in so much trouble? I needed time to think, and being alone with Jeremy wasn't helping. "Think maybe we should go out and join your mom and dad?"

Jeremy sighed and said, "I guess."

It was a relief, but I hoped I hadn't upset him. I got up and led him by the hand out into the living room.

Mister G was sitting out there waiting for us. He looked at our joined hands, but all he said was, "Thank you for leaving the door open."

"It was Ethan's idea," Jeremy replied, with a little attitude.

Mister G only nodded, then turned on the TV to watch the news. I wondered how much, if anything, he'd heard of what Jeremy and I had said to each other. The fact that he hadn't turned on the TV until we left the room I'd be staying in said that he'd at least been trying to hear what was going on.

I sat down on the sofa, Jeremy sitting down beside me, and joined him. Jeremy put one arm around me so he could get closer, and put his head on my shoulder. I put an arm around his shoulders and snuggled him in close by my side. Having him that close was kinda comforting, but at the same time we were kinda 'testing the waters', so to speak. Seeing what our limits might be with his parents. Thankfully, that wasn't it. It still felt kinda awkward and odd, though, and not all because of Jeremy's parents. It was just... new.

When dinner was ready we went in and sat down, Jeremy on my left, Mrs. G on my right, and Mister G across from me.

Dinner was quiet, with Mrs. G occasionally looking back and forth between Jeremy and me. The air was thick with unasked questions. It was a little uncomfortable but the food was really good, so I concentrated on that. Even the meatloaf was good, and to break the silence, I decided to comment on it.

"You know, I don't usually like meatloaf, but this is a lot different from other kinds I've had. It's really good. So's everything else. You're a really good cook, Mrs. G."

"Thank you, Ethan," she replied. Then I guess she decided to take the plunge, because she took a deep breath, and said, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Well, that question in itself is a silly question, 'cause you never know if you're going to mind until the question is asked. But it was her house I was staying in, her food I was eating, and her son I was trying to get involved with, so she had every right to ask me questions. I shook my head 'no', that I didn't mind.

"I saw you come into the living room with Jeremy."

Well that wasn't a question, but I understood what she was asking. I stared at my plate, and felt Jeremy take my hand under the table. I sighed, and took out the big guns. I broke cover. I lost the kid talk.

"To be completely honest, Mrs. Graves, I'm very confused. I don't really know what I'm feeling. There are many issues at stake here. I'm still a bit too young to be on my own, for instance. I'm able to take care of myself, but money and legal issues would be problematic. And, intellectually, I know that my emotional maturity isn't on a par with my intellectual maturity: which is, I suppose, to be expected given my age and lack of life experience, but it does make things rather difficult. That aside, I am also facing a family crisis, and that's a very important part of the equation. At this point in time I have no idea whether or not I will have a home to go to, tomorrow. If not, I am quite lost for a solution to handle that. I have no legal rights of my own: no say in my disposition."

"And then there's Jeremy and me. I've known for well over a year that I'm gay, so there's no confusion about my sexuality. Your son is just over a year younger than I, and although in just a few years' time that age difference will seem negligible, at this time it is seen as quite a large gap. Right now the only thing I'm sure of is that Jeremy could be extremely important to me, and the fact that I may lose him without being able to find out, terrifies me. So much has happened, and it has all happened so very quickly: all in one week - most of it happening today, than elsewhen."

I waited for a response, but didn't get one. Finally I looked up, to find everyone just staring at me. Oh. Of course. They were in shock. Okay, maybe some humor was indicated here, to break the deadlock.

"What? Has my second head grown in again?" I joked.

Jeremy giggled, but it took Mister and Mrs. G a minute to recover.

"That was quite impressive, Ethan," Mister G said.

I shrugged, pretending I didn't know what he was talking about, and hoping he'd get the hint. "The truth is impressive?"

He smiled. "In this day and age, it can be. But I'm talking about how you-"

Okay, so it was too much to hope for.

"Mister Graves," I interrupted, "I'm sure I gave you a shock just now, but I'm also sure you'll agree with me that what is important is not so much how I expressed myself, but what I expressed. I wouldn't have been able to do so quite so well with my normal mode of speech. Shit. Um... Sorry, Mrs. Graves. Now I've got to turn it off."

"But how..." Mister G didn't even try to finish that question, but I answered it anyway.

"My IQ is about one-forty-five, but if I told everyone that and showed it off, not only wouldn't I have any friends, I wouldn't have whatever's left of my childhood; I'd be forced to 'take advantage of my potential'. No, thanks. I like being able to have fun."

"I understand, but-"

I hardened my voice as I interrupted. Damnit, why couldn't he let it go? "Mister Graves, I know the tests. I've studied them on the internet. I've put my trust in you by letting you know, but I only did so because I need your help and I want to date your son. If you betray that trust, I can manipulate those tests to show only an IQ of around a hundred and nine." I softened my tone. "Please, Mister Graves, I need people I can trust: people who can help me, when needed, until I can legally take care of myself. And I need your and Mrs. G's permission for Jeremy and me to explore where our relationship can go."

The phone rang before he could answer. I immediately broke out in a cold sweat, thinking it was my mother's call - over nothing, as it turned out. It was school business. My future wouldn't be decided quite yet.

As Mister G talked on the phone, Mrs. G took over. She reached over and put her hand over the one I'd left on the table. Jeremy still had the other one. "You've handed us quite a surprise, Ethan. But it sounds like you've thought everything out very thoroughly."

I didn't interrupt, but I didn't think so. There hadn't been enough time for that.

"I think you may be jumping the gun where your father is concerned, though. As for you and Jeremy... " She gave me a wary, appraising look. "Let's take that one day at a time, okay?"

I gave her a wry grin. "That spanking on your mind, Mrs. G?" I asked her. "I admit I got angry, but I didn't quite lose my temper. Most boys would have resorted to a fist in the face." I looked at Jeremy as I said, "Jeremy was too cute to black his eye. I think I was rather smitten the first time I took a good look at him, and I was pretty mad at him, then." I looked back at her, anticipating where her thoughts might be taking her. "It's gone beyond looks now, though." I didn't think it was just infatuation with a pretty face, but it would take time to find out for sure.

She took her hand back. "You don't even really know each other," she objected.

I nodded. "I agree. I've said the same thing myself, Mrs. G," I reminded her, giving Jeremy's hand a squeeze to reassure him. I'd been doing that periodically, whenever I felt him wanting to jump into the conversation. I didn't know him well enough to know if he'd be a help, or accidentally sink our just-launched ship. "You've heard of love at first sight? Well, this wasn't quite that fast, but I admit it's too soon to know if we can have a lasting relationship. That's why I've been asking for your and Mister G's permission and help. And I don't know if you've thought of it yet, but don't you think that Jeremy might want to have a say in this?"

It was evident she hadn't. Unfortunately, parents have a habit of thinking of their children as property, rather than as people. Cherished property perhaps, but...

My gambit paid off. She looked at Jeremy, and finally asked his opinion. "Jeremy?"

He looked at me, looked into my eyes, and then looked back to his mother. He also took a cue from what I'd been saying, bless him. "I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with Ethan, Mom, but we're going to need to spend a lot of time together to get to know each other."

A look of almost profound sadness crossed her face, but she nodded. "I always knew that someday I'd lose you to someone else, but I thought I'd have another few years, at least."

'Dirty pool, Mrs. G,' I thought.

Jeremy did the predictable and jumped from his chair, and into her arms. "You're not gonna lose me, Mom. I love you!" Then he pulled back from her a bit, and surprised me. "But guilt trips aren't going to keep me from loving Ethan," he quipped, grinning at her. He gave his very surprised mother another big hug and a kiss on the cheek, then sat back down beside me, leaning against me and laying his head on my shoulder, one arm flung across the back of my chair, still grinning mischievously at her.

Judging from the look on her face, I think she was trying to decide between getting angry or laughing at him, and what I did might swing things either way. I took a chance and laughed at Jeremy, mussing his beautiful blond hair. "You punk! Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

He looked at me, eyes widening in mock fear. "You're not going to spank me again, are you?"

I couldn't resist. As I wrestled him across my lap, I heard both Mister and Mrs. G laughing. Mister G had been watching and listening during his phone call, of course. I only swatted Jer lightly a couple of times before letting him up though, both of us laughing.

He surprised me again by sitting in my lap, facing his parents, putting his arms around my neck, and laying his head on his arm, which resulted in him almost laying on me, on his side. I looked at his parents to see how they were taking that. Surprisingly (this day was much too full of them!), they were just smiling at us. I had wrapped my arms around him instinctively when he sat on me, but now I firmed my grip a bit, letting him know I fully appreciated his action. Then something occurred to me.

"Hey, Jer?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it's fifteen months from mine, but what day is your birthday?"

"October thirteenth! Why?"

"And mine's July twenty-eighth, so it's not even quite fifteen months."

"Nope!" he said happily.

"Fifteenth birthday in just... " I looked down at his face in surprise. "...eight days?"

"Mm-hm!"

"Doesn't give me a whole lot of time to get you a birthday present, Jer."

"Already got it!" he said with a grin.

"Huh?" All right, I know it's not scintillating conversation, but I knew I hadn't got him a present. Before today we weren't even talking, and until just now I hadn't even known when his birthday was, exactly.

He raised his head up, and looked me in the eye, grinning. "You!" he chirped.

Damn. I blushed, and that reaction had both of his parents laughing. Jeremy laughed too, but made up for it by kissing me soundly on my cheek.

"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" I asked.

Jeremy just nodded his head on my shoulder, grinning happily, so I smacked his butt. He jumped, not expecting it, and bumped my nose with his head. It hurt a bit, but not badly, and we all wound up laughing over it.

All that had served to effectively take my mind off of the expected phone call. But as it happened, it didn't occur that night.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself that evening: laughing, joking, and having fun with the whole family. I didn't forget about my predicament entirely, but every time the thought raised its ugly head, I pushed it away again. I didn't want to think about it. It took me by surprise when Mister G said, "Well, looks like it's bedtime, boys. Eleven o'clock."

Which reminded me of my mother's promise. I panicked.

"But my mother was supposed to call tonight! I've gotta go make sure she's all right!" I said, getting to my feet.

Mister G took my arm, stopping me, and said, "You go get ready for bed. I'll make sure she's okay. If she is, you're worrying for nothing. If she isn't, there is nothing you could do - but I could."

"Mister G, I thought we'd established... "

"You asked for my help, Ethan. This is part of it," he said, interrupting what I admit would have been a very snotty remark.

I looked in his eyes, then gave in and nodded. He meant it.

"Good. First step is a phone call. If there's no answer, or I don't get to talk to her, then I'll go over there."

I had to admit it was a better plan of action than me running over to my place in a panic. He gave me a little shove towards the guest room to start getting ready for bed.

Mister G called my place, but I was too nervous to try to get ready for bed as he'd instructed. And if something was wrong, I'd just need to get dressed again anyway. If Mom was hurt, I wasn't about to stay here. I just paced in my room while Jeremy sat on the bed watching me, concerned, while I listened to Mister G talking to someone. When his voice stopped rushed over to the open door, waiting for him.

When Mister G appeared, he was frowning. He tried to smooth it away when he saw me waiting for him, but it didn't quite disappear. I didn't say anything. I just waited. "Well, evidently your father is still a bit upset. Your mother's fine, but she wants more time to talk to him. She'll call in the morning."

Well, I wasn't worried so much about my mom anymore, but my heart was sinking for myself, now. I nodded.

Mister G called out to his son. "Jeremy? Go to bed."

"Yes, sir," he replied, and with a last hug for me, went to his room.

"May I take a shower, sir? It's been a long day, and I'm kinda tense," I asked.

He looked a bit doubtful, but agreed. "Go ahead, Ethan, but try not to take too long, okay? It is late."

"Okay, Mister G."

"Towels are in the cupboard in the bathroom," he informed me.

"Thank you, sir."

I turned the water on hard, and made it as hot as I could stand it. I washed my hair and body thoroughly, then just let the water pound my shoulders and back for a while. Finally I turned the water off, stepped out of the shower, and reached for the towel I'd gotten out. I heard a little gasp. I blushed, knowing what I'd see when I turned around. I'm sure it was too late to save my modesty, but I grabbed the towel and held it in front of me before doing so. Sure enough, Jeremy was sitting on the bathroom counter, watching. What I hadn't counted on was that he'd only be in his underwear. He was trying to hide the way they were stretching.

"What are you doing in here, Jer?" I asked. I was remarkably calm, I thought, considering the circumstances. I was annoyed, but I didn't want to get him in trouble if I was too loud.

Have you ever seen an all-over blush? You would have seen two; mine, and Jeremy's.

"I..um... I... uh... " Jeremy stammered, eyes wide.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Well,... Um... I - sorta wanted... to see... " Yep. Jeremy was in fine form.

"You wanted to see me naked?" I asked tersely. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but his blush got even brighter.

"No... Yeah... Kinda... well, see my present unwrapped?" he gabbled out quickly, just before going strongly into shy mode.

That disarmed me. "Your present, huh?" I said softly. Then the devil in me surfaced, and I couldn't help but tease him. "But it's not your birthday yet, Jer. Wouldn't you want to unwrap it yourself?"

His head shot up, shocked confusion on his face, locking eyes with me. And when he saw I meant what I was saying, despite the teasing, he shot off that counter, out the door and down the hall, running. I laughed, but not loudly enough so he could hear me. I didn't want him to think I was laughing at him. Damn, but that stretched-out crotch looked good! Nice size, too, considering.

I dried off, put my underwear on, and went to bed to dream of my beautiful blond... boyfriend? It looked like it. The last surprise of the day, and night, was a pleasant one. That's all I dreamed of.