Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 11:12:33 -0500 From: Z McGuire Subject: That Unspoken Bond - Part 1 That Unspoken Bond - Part 1 By Zane McGuire zanemcguire@hotmail.com UPDATE: Do you want to read the archive of ALL of my hot stories and get a sneak peek at new chapters before they post on Nifty? Want to find out what new stories are in the works and make suggestions for upcoming plots? Join the Erotic Fiction of Zane McGuire group at Google by joining here: http://groups.google.com/group/zanemcguire Some people believe that there's no such thing as being "gay" or being "straight;" that it's a circumstantial thing and that, given the right situation, anyone can potentially be attracted to either the same or opposite sex. Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but I certainly had my eyes opened recently to an experience that I never, in a million years, would have expected to happen to me. My name's Seth Armstrong and this is the story of how my twin brother, Sage, talked me into doing something that I'll never forget... and hopefully, neither will you. I guess I should start with a little backstory. Sage and I are twenty-six years old, the only children of Allen and Pepper Armstrong. Dad was a career army man; he spent the bulk of our childhood in the middle east or in various army bases across the country. Suffice it to say, we were never really close. Mom, god love her, was an alcoholic. She had a good a heart, but was never terribly dependable. We were raised, for the most part, by our Nana and Pop, Dad's parents. They died about five years ago, first Nana and then a heartbroken Pop, which devastated my brother and I. Sage and I had always been more than twins; he was my best friend. Maybe it was because our parents were so fucked up, but we always came to lean on each other. However, as twins often do, we bickered and fought constantly, which was always a challenge for Pop; he wanted to install a sense of mutual admiration between us and I think as we got older we grew to understand what he meant. "Boys," he'd say to us, "there's an unspoken bond between twins." And Pop would know, he was also a twin, to our long-deceased great uncle Fred. "You'll always have someone out there who understands you, respects you, defends you. Someone who will always have your back when the chips are down. Never forget that." And we didn't. After Pop died, we'd talk about our "unspoken bond" often, especially if we found ourselves on opposite ends of an issue. Which wasn't uncommon. Sage is... very different from me. In fact, despite our identical appearance, he's pretty much my polar opposite in all other ways. I've always been more conservative and grounded; Sage is wild and free-spirited. I went to college; Sage was content to work odd jobs and be a "student of life." I had a longtime girlfriend, Molly, whereas Sage treated women like tissues to be used and discarded. His lack of respect for himself and the people around him were constant sources of irritation to me. To be fair, though, my "stick up the ass" routine was a constant source of irritation to him. He was constantly on me to loosen up, to try new things, to take chances. And, though I would NEVER admit it to him, I knew that just as he needed a bit of responsibility and focus, I needed a bit of fun in my life. One thing that Sage and I had in common was a respect for our bodies. We both enjoyed working out and keeping ourselves in fine form. For Sage, it was a way to compensate for our short stature (we were both around 5'6", give or take) and to make himself appealing to the women he pursued. For me, it was about staying healthy and active and also a necessary factor in my job as a nutritionist. After Nana and Pop passed away, Sage and I agreed that he would keep their house, since by that time I'd already purchased my own condo and, to be frank, Sage's prospects at holding down any job long enough to pay rent were unlikely. Within a year, I'd helped pay for Sage to transform Nana's old sewing room in the basement into a fully functional gym. I was over there at least three or four times a week working out. It was a win/win situation; it was convenient to my job, I could avoid gym expenses, it was a way to still feel connected to Nana and Pop and it was a great way for me to spend quality time with my brother. About six months ago, Sage and I had our biggest falling out yet when I learned that he'd lost the job I'd helped him get as a wrestling coach at the local high school after it was revealed he'd been sending inappropriate emails to one of the cheerleaders. Nothing sexual had occurred between them, and the girl was only weeks away from being eighteen, but it was still a terrible case of bad judgment. Sage had dismissed it as no big deal, whereas I was livid. Not only had he lost the best job he'd ever had, one that I had pulled a lot of strings to get for him, but he'd embarrassed me in the process. I'd lost face with a lot of folks at the school, and I vowed to never put myself out there for him like that again. We didn't speak for about three months after that. It was hell; I felt perfectly justified in my anger, but I missed my best friend. As time went by, I started to feel bad, and I was just about to reach out to him to patch things up when HE called ME. I guess that was that unspoken bond that Pop used to talk about. Sage apologized to me and agreed that he'd made a huge mistake and promised to never do anything to embarrass me again. Which brings us to the here and now. In the last few weeks, things had changed dramatically for both of us. In an effort to loosen up, I'd agreed to go with Sage to get a tattoo. While Sage had two already (one on the back of his calf and the other on his left shoulder) I'd left my body unmarked. I didn't really have any objection to body art, it just had never seemed to be... me. But after Sage spent a long evening rambling on and on about self-expression and embracing my inner warrior, I finally agreed to get a tattoo (mostly to shut him up.) I picked out an interesting looking tribal band to go around my right bicep. To my surprise, Sage told one of the other technicians that he wanted the exact same band to be placed on his right bicep. I told him he was taking the twin thing too far, but he had a sincere look on his face and he said "it's the unspoken bond, Seth. For Pop." No more words needed to be said. We walked out of that tattoo place feeling closer than ever; everytime I saw that tattoo I thought of him and how he shared the same marking and it just made me feel... complete. I can't explain it. Suffice it to say that my girlfriend, Molly, had a completely different take on the situation. She was furious. Things had been tense between us for a while now, but the tattoo was the breaking point. She hated the way it looked, she ESPECIALLY hated that Sage had the same one and she hated that I didn't talk to her about it before I'd had it done. Okay, maybe she had a point on that last one, but it was all part of that "impulse" thing that Sage was trying to bring out of me. And so it came to be that Molly and I split up. Oddly enough, I felt a sense of relief once she was gone. I didn't realize until then how much stress our fractious relationship had put on me, and I felt free. Sage, bless his heart, bit his lip, although I know he never liked Molly. Meanwhile, as I was ending one chapter in my life, my brother was beginning a new one in his. He'd worked an odd job or two here or there after the drama at the high school, but a few weeks back he'd told me that our high school pal, Drew, had gotten him some part time work at his photography studio. Sage told me that he was helping with the lighting, building sets and running errands. I had a hard time picturing my brother enjoying that kind of work; in my mind I was picturing those old Olan Mills scenes, with two surly parents, a pack of four obnoxious kids and their dog, posing in front of Bob Ross watercolors or fake farm fences. Sage chuckled and said there was some of that, sure, but most of the stuff was more professional and artsy. He didn't talk much about work, but he seemed to find his center and he was bringing home some decent money, as he started dressing a bit better and he finally got the paint job on his Silverado fixed. I also noticed that he'd stepped up his game, health-wise, and was focusing less on weight management and more on building up muscle mass. I wondered if there wasn't a lady photographer at the office that he had his eye on. One night, while we were finishing up a workout in the basement, I noticed that Sage was uncharacteristically quiet. He clearly had something on his mind. After I showered and changed, I joined him by the weight bench, where he was rubbing his lower lip thoughtfully. "Spill it," I said, sitting on a bouncy exercise ball. He grinned. "It's that obvious, huh?" "Yeah, I can always tell when you have something on your mind." "I know, I know, the unspoken bond..." "Well, yeah, but also because you do that thing with your lip." He chuckled, pulling his hand away self-consciously. "Listen, I uh... jeez, I don't even know how to start this." My smile faded away as I found myself growing concerned. "Sage. This sounds serious, bro." "It is. Well, it MIGHT be. I'm just not sure." "Well, you need to just spit it out now, or else I'm going to think the worst." He seemed to understand and took a deep breath. "It's about work. Well, about the job." "Oh no. Tell me you didn't quit or get fired." "No, no, no, nothing like that. In fact... I guess you could say I've been offered a promotion." "A promotion?" I wondered what that would entail? He had no photography skills to speak of, so what else could they have in mind for him? "I'm not following." "Okay, Seth, just bear with me here and try to unclench for a minute because I'm going to need you to have an open mind." "Aw jeez." I exhaled, bracing myself for whatever he was about to lay on me. "Here's the deal. You know that I told you that Drew's studio is doing really well and stuff?" "Right. You said they got the deal with the elementary school to do the class pictures and stuff, right?" "Right. But that's only part of what Drew does. That's the part that pays the bills and whatnot." "Okay, I am with you so far. You told me a lot of the work he does is spec work for the university and stuff. Art students, etc." "Well... yes and no. There's college students involved, for sure, but it's less art and more... um..." I waited for him to finish, but clearly he was expecting me to pick up some kind of hint. I wasn't. "More... what?" "Um... let's say erotic work." "Erotic..." Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head. "Porn. You mean porn." He grinned. "Yeah. Drew's secondary line of business is a website focusing on college students. Well, college men, anyway." I rubbed my temples. "I think I see now where this is going." "So, see, I've been helping out a lot with that stuff too. Doing office paperwork for the models, dealing with advertisers, getting some marketing stuff done. The site's really blown up and he's..." "Sage," I said holding my hand up to stop him. "Just tell me you're not saying you want to be a porn star now." He laughed. "I don't want to be a porn star now." "Oh thank god." I took a deep breath and gathered my wits. "Okay, now that I'm back down to earth, I'm cool with the open mind bit. I don't have any issue with the porn industry. God knows I've enjoyed the occasional Playboy in my day..." "Right!" Sage said, seemingly relieved that I hadn't run out the door in a fit of moral rage. "Exactly. So, um, with that in mind..." "So, what's Drew want you to do? Does he need an office manager or something? You might be good for that." "No, no, it's nothing like that." He stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Look, let me just finish..." "Okay, sorry, go ahead." "So, um... so, no, I don't want to be a porn star now. However, that's not really what Drew's site is all about. See, he does mostly pictorials and videos of college-aged guys, you know... um... pleasuring themselves." The relief I'd experienced just moments ago washed away, replaced again by a sense of dread. "So, you DO want to be a porn star? Jesus, Sage..." "No, Seth, just listen to me and stop being a Judgy McJudgerson." I chuckled slightly at his expression, but made a friendly "zipped lip" motion across my mouth. "It's not porn! It's not like I'd be... you know... fucking someone or whatever. It's just pictures... and, uh... maybe some video... of me doing stuff and, uh... you know..." he made a jerking motion with his arm. I rolled my eyes. "What kind of 'stuff'?" "You know, like... um... punching a bag... doing some stretches... taking a shower..." "Wow, maybe I'm out of touch, but porn sure has gotten boring lately. What, no 'here's your hot steaming pizza, ma'am...' scenes?" He frowned at me and crossed his arms. "I told you, it's not that kind of site." "Wait," I said, thinking back to his earlier explanation. "You said this site focuses on college men. You specified men. Is this a gay site?" He scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, uh... it's sort of geared toward gay men, yeah, but most of the models are completely straight. Some are gay, but not all." "Oh my god. So you not only want to be a porn star, you want to be a GAY porn star?" "It's not like that!" he yelled, his face growing red in frustration. "Damn it, Seth, I knew I shouldn't have told you about this. You aren't even listening." I sighed and tried to keep my voice even. "Okay, okay, fine, whatever. Why DID you tell me this? I mean, it's not like I frequent gay porn sites..." He opened his mouth to object but I corrected myself "Sorry... sites featuring straight men posing nude and masturbating for gay men that are not, absolutely not, unequivocally NOT pornographic." "Smartass." "So why, then? Why tell me at all?" "Because... well... the fact is, if I do this, and I haven't decided yet, those pictures are going to be... out there. You know. And people will see them. People who might know you. People who might judge you..." "Oh my god," I said, feeling the blood drain from my face. "I hadn't even thought of that. I mean... god, Sage, people might actually think it's ME doing it." He sighed. "Right. Now you see where I'm going with this." "Don't do it." I said flatly. "You can't. I'm sorry, I know it sucks, but we're twins and it's not just you that you have to think about. If you do this, it could ruin my career. Don't do it. You can't." He nodded, but I could tell he was disappointed. "I... I figured you'd say that. I guess I just thought... I don't know." "What? What exactly were you thinking?" "It's just... look, Seth, the thing is, we're not the same, you and me. I have a life of my own with my own goals and my own plans. I know it might not seem that way, but I do. And this job... the actual job, not the modelling thing, it's the best job I've ever had. People need me. People depend on me. And I'm making decent money. And they are coming to me and saying 'we can offer you even more' to do something that, quite honestly, I'd enjoy doing." "You would?" I was confused. "You'd... enjoy showing off for a bunch of gay guys?" "Sure," he shrugged. "You know how I am, I love attention. It's not pretty and it's probably not something I should be proud of, but I enjoy it. And the idea that someone thinks I'm sexy enough to do something like that? Hell yeah, that's flattering. The gay thing... heck, you know that doesn't bother me, we were raised..." "I know, I know," I interjected, "I didn't mean it that way, either. I'd feel the same way if it was for women or whatever." "Yeah. So, it just feels like... I'm actually doing something with my life now. And yeah, I know it's not what YOU'D do or something you'd even think of as a valid job or whatever, but it's something. And I think..." "Stop." I walked away for a minute, taking in all he was saying. "So... so you'd, what... do a little scene, jerk off on camera and that's it? They'd pay you for that?" "Dude... they'd pay me A LOT for that." "Really?" I was flabbergasted. The concept had never even come on my radar, but I found it intriguing. "I just can't imagine." "Look, Seth, if I'm being honest... I already did the shoot." "You WHAT?" "Relax, relax. Drew has been on me for weeks about doing it, but I had the same concerns you do, not the least of which was whether or not I could even... you know... perform in front of a bunch of guys. But he talked me through it, let me watch them shoot some other dude's scene and it... well it's a lot more technical than I ever expected. It's a lot less creepy, too." My face flushed in anger. "So you are telling me, what, this is a done deal? It's already out there and this whole thing... you asking for my blessing... was a waste of time? That there are people out there now watching you jerk off on a website thinking it might be ME?" "Seth. Relax. No, that's not happening." "But you said..." "I said the shoot was done. The pictures. I haven't done a video yet, there's nothing on the website. I just did the shots that would accompany a video, if and when I do the video scene." I felt my blood pressure return to normal. "This is just all too much. My brother... my straight brother... taking naked pictures for a bunch of dudes..." "Look, it's not nearly as bad as you think it is." "Really, Sage? Because it sounds pretty bad." He rubbed his shaved head with both hands and bit his lip. "Look... just... Oh what the fuck, here, look at this." He grabbed his phone from the windowsill and tapped a few times on the touch screen. He handed it to me. The screen was filled with a shot of Sage, dressed in a sharp white shirt, untucked, with blue jeans, leaning against a brick wall. A bright, toothy smile crossed his face. He looked happier and more relaxed than I'd ever seen him. "Well this is... this is actually pretty nice. A good picture of you." "Right. Now tap the screen." I did as he asked and another shot filled the screen. This time, he was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, his shirt slightly unbuttoned and his knees pulled up against him. The focal point of the picture was clearly the bulge in his jeans (which, I had to admit from a purely academic standpoint, was substantial and impressive) but it was otherwise tasteful. "This one's a bit saucier, but still not too bad." "Tap again." I looked at him. "I'm wondering if I even want to see whatever's next." "Just trust me." I took a deep breath and tapped the screen. The next shot was definitely racier; it was a profile shot done in black and white. He was shirtless, but his torso was turned slightly so you could see the muscles in his back as well as his lightly furry chest. The focal point in THIS shot was clearly his round ass, hidden from view beneath some very tight white briefs. I had to admit, this wasn't quite what I was expecting based on his description. "These are like... I mean, they're clearly meant to be provocative, but they're more like... muscle magazine pictures or something." "Right, that's what I'm saying." Without waiting for his permission, I tapped the screen again. "No, wait, don't..." he called out, but it was too late. "Whoa," I said, gazing at the screen. There was my brother, completely bare ass naked, leaning back under a shower head. Water was pouring down over his tanned body, his hands placed behind his head and his eyes closed in a seductive manner. But clearly the focal point of THIS shot was his massive, hard cock. It sprung forth from his waist majestically, fully engorged. Water was dripping from his tightly packed balls, hanging between his muscled legs. Now, let me explain something; even after all these years of working out together, Sage and I didn't make a habit of showering or changing in front of each other, so seeing my brother naked, much less with an erection, was not an everyday occurrence. I found myself mesmerized by the image; because we were twins, it was a bit like discovering someone had taken X-rated pictures of you without your permission. At once disconcerting and at the same time... feeling like 'damn I look good!' I handed the phone back to him silently. His face was beet red. "So, uh... no tan lines, huh?" It was the only thing I could think of to say at that moment. He clicked off the screen and sat the phone down on the floor. "You, uh... weren't supposed to see that one." "Yeah, well... I can see why." "Look, Seth, it's not..." "It's okay," I said, raising my hand. "Look, yeah, it was a bit of a shock, but I have to say, even that picture was well photographed. I mean, I was expecting it to be... I don't know... brightly lit and sort of cheesy." "Yeah... Drew's actually really good at what he does. I felt very comfortable." "Clearly." I shot him a look. We sat there in awkward silence for a bit before breaking out into nervous laughter. "Oh my god," I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "I can't believe I just saw that." "I can't believe you saw it, either." "It's just... it was so... you know..." "What? Huge? Amazing? AWESOME?" I cracked up. "You are a total jackass." "Still," he said, getting hold of himself, "I guess you can see why Drew thinks I'd make a good model. Us Armstrong boys are certainly blessed in the good." I blinked a few times. "I... guess... I mean, I've never really thought of it that way. I mean, Molly never complained. She never told me I was particularly... you know, endowed or whatever, but..." "Well, if I'm being totally honest, it's mostly about the lighting and the angle and... okay, I MIGHT have taken a little blue pill before." My eyes flew open in shock. "Seriously?" "Yeah. I guess it's standard practice now." "Wow. You learn something new everyday." He grinned. "So... that's that, huh? It's a no?" "Look... Sage, I don't want to take the wind out of your sails or whatever, it's just... I don't know, man... that's a lot to ask." "I know. I really do." "But it seems to be really important to you." He paused and a look of hope appeared in his eyes. I didn't quite understand it, but it was clear how much this meant to him. "It is important to me, Seth. But I... I would never do anything to cause you embarrassment. I promised you that after... well... everything at the school. And that's more important to me. So if you say no, yeah, I'll be disappointed, but I won't do it." "Wow." I stared at him for a moment, taking in the magnitude of what he was saying. Without thinking, I reached out and wrapped my arms around him. We weren't exactly touchy feely types, but we were certainly comfortable with little intimacies, so embracing him wasn't unusual. He returned my hug with power, as often happens when your emotions are running high. I slapped him softly on the back, and as I did, I had a flash of him standing in profile in that one picture, with his back muscles on full display. For a split second, I found myself curious about what the rest of those pictures were like, but I quickly dismissed the thought. As I pulled away from him, I placed my hands on the side of his face and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Look... I tell you what. I can see how important this is to you, and I can't deny how good it would be to see you have some purpose and satisfaction in your life... even if it's something I don't completely understand. So let me think about it for a bit and get back to you, okay?" He nodded, still holding my gaze. "Thanks, bro, I can't tell you how much that means." I smiled an bent his head forward, kissing him softly on his forehead. "Okay then. I better get going." Turning away I leaned down and gathered up my discarded gym clothes, sneakers, etc, tossing them into my bag. Throwing the bag over my shoulder, I gave him a slight nod goodbye and made my way out. It was definitely a lot to think about. I found myself lost in thought as I drove home. Realizing just how bizarre tonight had been, but unable to deny how happy it made Sage to consider doing this. And, I couldn't deny, it meant a lot to me that he'd even BOTHER to consider my feelings in the matter. That showed that he was growing up a bit and taking a bit more responsibility, even when it was down a path that I'd never thought of. As I sat alone in my empty apartment, I wondered what Molly would say about all this. She'd probably shriek and wail about how perverted it was and how selfish Sage was being. And I probably would have agreed with her. But now... I don't know, maybe I was loosening up a bit. Just then, I heard a strange sound coming from my gym bag. Curious, I dug around inside and, at the bottom of the bag, I found the source of the noise. It was Sage's phone. I must have tossed it in the bag by mistake, as he'd sat it down on the floor next to my shoes earlier. It was vibrating and the screen said "Me". I clicked to accept the call. "Hey," I said. He hesitated for a moment. "Hey! Seth? What... do you have my phone?" "Yeah, sorry, I must have picked it up by accident when I left." "Damn, I've been looking all over for it! I was just calling it to see if I could hear it vibrate somewhere." "No worries, I'll bring it over to you tomorrow." "Cool, thanks bro. And thanks again for listening tonight, it meant a lot to me." "Me too, Sage. Night." "Night." I clicked "END CALL" and laid back on my bed, taking in the evening's events. I thought about what he said about how flattering it would be to have people think of you as sexy, and I agreed with him. Hell, it had been so long since a woman had told me I was attractive, that I could totally understand the appeal of having people (even gay guys) drooling over you. And I couldn't help but think of those pictures of Sage and wonder if I would look as good doing the same thing; was it REALLY the lighting, the angles, the Viagra? Or was it something about Sage's cockiness and confidence, two things I never really had. I picked up his phone and clicked on the photo album. I wondered if he'd think it was a violation if I took another peek at those pictures. I figured he probably wouldn't care, after all, I was his brother, and it was just curiosity and a bit of my own ego that made me want to see what else Sage had gotten up to in that photo shoot. My heart began to beat faster, but I wasn't sure why... was it because I knew what I was about to do was an invasion of my brother's privacy? Or was it some other reason? I shook my head, deciding I was overthinking the situation. Picking up the phone, I clicked the tab that led to the photo album. Inside was a folder called "XPicsDrew." That had to be the one. Opening the folder, the screen immediately filled up with the familiar shot of Sage leaning against the wall. I quickly clicked through the first two before the shot of him in the shower with a full erection popped on to the screen. Now my heart was absolutely racing. I lay back on my bed, staring at the photo, hesitating before moving forward. If I looked at what lay beyond this picture, I was sure to be seeing my brother in some very compromising positions. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Part of me was intrigued, the other part slightly jealous... jealous of his ability to relax and do something so... edgy. But I was surprised that I didn't feel repulsed or generally grossed out. I felt my mouth go dry as my thumb hesitated above the touch screen. With just a single tap, there'd be no going back. Closing my eyes, I touched the screen. Taking a deep breath and trying to settle my nerves, I opened my eyes. It took a second for the image to register in my mind, but when it did... I gasped. I hadn't really given much thought to what kind of poses I might see next, but... well... THIS was not one I was expecting. Something else I wasn't expecting? The sudden stirring I felt in my shorts as I gazed at the picture before me... TO BE CONTINUED...