Date: 30 May 00 10:13:18
From: rimshot@planetaccess.com
Subject: Tango and Taz 1

Tango and Taz:  In the beginning

	George Randolf "Tango" Reeder dropped his shovel and picked up his
thread bare T-shirt and wiped the dirt off his chest.  The dust and grime
stood out as black smudges on his very darkly tanned skin as he swiped at
it, then tossed the shirt on the grass again.  It was nearly 7:30 pm, and
the tall muscular eighteen year old had been putting in sprinklers since
six that morning.

	He ran his hand through his hair, the normally short dark spiky
hair with platinum highlights sweat matted to his head.  He reached in the
pocket of his cargo pants, battered and torn off at the knees, and took out
a pack of cigarettes and lit one.  Ten more minutes and they would be done
for the day.

	Tanner Martin "Taz" Jones maneuvered a wheelbarrow over to where
his best friend Tango stood, dumped the fill dirt into the last bit of open
channel, then took a drag from Tango's smoke as they other pushed the dirt
around to fill the gaps.

	Tanner stood 5' 7" tall to Tango's 6'2", and had been called Taz
many times due to his similar build to the cartoon character of the same
name, having very narrow hips, powerful legs and arms, and extremely build
shoulders, washboard stomach, and a defined back from all of the hard
labor.  Tango frequently teased him about being one solid muscle that never
stopped eating.  His dirty blond hair was cut one length, hanging to his
shoulders and tucked behind his ears.

	"Go get the truck so we can put the tools away."  Tango finished
smoothing out the gravel.  "I'll tell Joey we're done."  A broad grin lit
up his face.  "Seven days early."

	"Sweet!  That'll be a big fuckin' bonus, dude!"  Taz high fived
Tango's hand.  "You can fix 'The Bitch', so we can be mobile again."

	They loaded everything up and made their way across the sprawling
development that Joey Barton Landscaping was just finishing up.  They
busted their asses every summer for the last three years working for Joey,
a mid forties balding giant of a man that had kept them well paid, and
unbeknownst to them, was planning to give them raises and their own crews
if they'd take them.  They really cared for their boss and friend, and he
watched over them like the father neither had.

	"You're done."  Joey said, walking up to the truck.  "Jesus Christ,
boys, I said I was in a hurry.  I didn't say to fuckin' kill yourselves."
He stuck his hand in the window and shook their hands.  "I'll get your
checks written tonight.  You stop and get 'em tomorrow.  The sod truck will
be here Wednesday, so you two take off 'til them, understand?  And don't
let me catch you down here helpin' Will and his crew."

	They promised, and he patted the truck door as they moved off.
Hands jammed in his pockets, Joey shook his head wistfully, proud of their
efforts.  He broke the mood and sauntered off towards the other crews,
cursing and driving them harder, wishing he had four more like those boys
of his.

	"Holy shit, man!  Friday night and we're off 'til Wednesday!"  Taz
giggled and turned up the radio, blaring Metallica into the streets.
Tanner was definitely the wild one of the two.  He took more risks, laughed
louder, and lived harder than Tango by a long ways.  He had given Tango his
nickname, helping the one time nerdy and quiet Randolf find a new identity
after he and his mother had moved here eleven years ago.

	Taz considered it to be his mission in life to ensure that Tango
was never bored, and always on the edge.  He found the women for them to
date, he thought up the dreams they shared, and he had only one love in his
life, and that was Tango.  Not in any sexual way, but in the deepest form
of bond any two people could share.  Tango was his god, and he worshiped by
keeping the adrenaline flowing.

	Tango was quiet, it's true, and reserved, although he enjoyed chaos
almost as much as Tanner did.  He just didn't like to cause it.  He much
preferred watching.  Of course, Taz would never allow that, and frequently
forced Tango into new positions and situations that challenged his
boundaries.  Taz would never know how important he was to Tango, how
grateful he was to him for rescuing him.

	They parked the truck in Tango's driveway, leaving plenty of room
for his mother to park under the awning.  In front of the truck lay the
disassembled pieces of the Bitch, Tango's 1987 Toyota 4Runner.  The
transfer case had gone out on the four-wheel drive, and they both had saved
the money to replace it.  They were inseparable, so the idea that it was
Tango's truck never entered the picture.  It was theirs, and they would fix
it together.  The new part was in, they just needed to pay for it.

	In his room, Tango pulled off his work boots and clothes and threw
them in the corner.  Taz never even gave his naked friend a second glance,
other than to poke fun of Tango's tan, which was completely absent from his
waist to his knees.  Taz's was identical.

	Tango grabbed a towel and jumped in the shower, grateful to get the
several pounds of dust off.  He stood and let the hot water beat on his
shoulders, groaning.  God it felt good.  They had really pushed to get done
today, and his muscles were bitching tonight.

	"Leave me some water, dude."  Taz called, relieving himself at the
john.

	"Sorry.  I will."  Tango finished rinsing and stepped out, leaving
the water going.  It was a ritual that they had perfected.  Taz stepped in
and slid the door shut, not spilling a drop on the rugs.  Tango combed his
hair and spiked it back up, examining the dye job in the mirror.  It was
nearly time to get it redone.

	He wandered into his room and pulled on a pair of bikini briefs,
loathing the unsupportive feel of boxers.  He had worn jockeys, but Taz had
introduced him to the over all sexiness of bikinis, and he was sold.  The
one time he'd gotten laid, the girl thought they were sexier, too.

	He heard the water stop, and he tossed a dry towel to Taz.  While
the other finished up in the john, he sat down at his small desk and turned
on the computer, a gift from his father.  One of their favorite secret past
times was checking out the babes on the net.  Taz enjoyed it a lot more
than Tango, but they both thought it beat wheel of fortune.

	"Are you on yet?"  Taz asked, putting his leg up on the bed to
finish drying.  His hair hung in his eyes, and he gave it a flip to get it
out.  "Go to that one we were on a couple of nights ago.  That teen one."

	Tango looked up the bookmark and clicked, then leaned back in the
chair and stretched.  "I wish I had the money those AVS people have."  He
mumbled as he yawned.  "Must be nice to not have to bust your ass and get
paid anyway."

	Taz pulled on a pair of bikinis and sat cross-legged on the end of
the bed.  "No shit.  There's what, three hundred million internet users?
Wouldn't take very many lookin' at porn to make some money."

	They flipped through the images, each offering comments, then
searching for another site.  Story Sites were a favorite as well, with
Tango reading aloud.  He had been a very good student, while Taz struggled
even on the basics.  The fact that he had graduated was a study in Tango's
determination.  His reading skills were not so hot, and truth be told, he
could listen to Tango's voice all night.  He liked to lay back and let the
pictures unfold in his head while Tango read to him.

	They accidentally ended up on a gay oriented page, and Taz smirked.
"They always put those misleading links in there.  That's bullshit."  The
page contained pictures of two boys about their age, posing in a series of
pictures that looked like they had done it themselves.  Definitely
amateurs.

	Tango chuckled and hit the back button.  "I've heard those gay
pages make more money than the normal ones do.  Lot's a pervs out there."

	"We ought to do a page, man.  We need to be makin' easy money."
Taz rolled onto his back.  "You know, instead of breaking our backs."

	"You find some women like these to strip," Tango tapped the screen,
"And I'll take the pictures."  He laughed and turned to Taz, sharing the
joke.  Taz wasn't laughing.  He had a weird look on his face, almost
alarmed.  "Taz, what's the matter?"

	The other didn't answer for a long pause.  "We don't need bitches."
He said quietly.

	"Huh?"

	"You said yourself that those guy sites make lots of money, right?"
He slowly looked up and met Tango's eyes.  "Let's do one of those pages."

	"Your fucking high.  I don't want to find guys to take pictures
of."  Tango shook his head.  "I don't like to look at those."

	"What about us?"

	Tango blinked, stunned.  "Huh?"

	"Dude, I'll bet not even half of those dudes are gay.  What if we
did a site for bitches?"  Taz leaned forward intently.  "I'm over eighteen,
and I don't care who looks at my ass if I get the bucks, you know?"

	"Jesus, you really are high."  Tango shook his head.  "You want to
put pictures of you naked on the net?  What if someone sees you and
recognizes you?"

	"So what?"  Taz stood up and leaned past Tango, taking the mouse
and going back to the guy site.  "Look, they're not fucking or anything,
they're just laying there.  Damn, Tango, I can do that.  I wouldn't even
sweat or nothin'".

	"Okay, I'll bite.  Whose gonna take these pictures?"  Tango knew
what was coming, and he recognized the tone in Taz's voice.  He was serious
about this.

	"You, dude.  Why not?"

	"Cuz I don't like taking pictures of guys, that's why."  Tango
rubbed his eyes.  "Besides, how do you make a web page?  I've never done
it."

	"No, but there's books on it, and your smart.  You can figure it
out."  Taz clicked on a link and brought up a server offering $$$ and free
hosting.  "Check it out, dude.  They help you built a page."

	"You're serious, aren't you?  I think you just want people to look
at your dick."  Tango said, disgustedly.  "Why not just streak through the
grocery store and be done with it?"

	"Hello, you're missing the point!  People pay money for this.  What
if I'm right, and we get some cash?  Wouldn't it be worth it?"

	"I guess.  It's not my ass out there for everyone to see."  Tango
shook his head, then clicked on the help links.  "Where do you get pictures
developed?  I think One Hour Photo in the mall would shit, maybe even call
the cops."

	"My mom has one of those computer cameras, man.  We're golden."

	"You mean a digital camera?"  Tango brought up the sign up page and
leaned forward to read it.

	"Yeah.  She's never used it.  She can't figure it out.  She gave me
that and the software for it.  It's in my closet."  Taz stood up and pulled
on a pair of board shorts and sandals.  "I'll go get it.  Be right back."

	"Wait a sec.  You wanna do this tonight?"  Tango turned to see Taz
sprint out the door and down the stairs.  "YOU'RE A PSYCHO, YOU KNOW
THAT?!"  He hollered after him.  He looked out the window to see Taz look
up at him from the front lawn and blow him a kiss, then smile devilishly.
Tango flipped him off.

	He was back in less than five minutes, pulling open a gray box and
dumping the contents on the bed.  They found some batteries in the desk
drawer, and Tango started the little camera up and figured out how to load
the software.  The tutorial was straight forward, and he turned and took a
picture of the wall, testing it.  The image came up on the screen, and he
adjusted the brightness and contrast, getting the glare out of it.  There
were several filters, and they tested those too.  A second box contained a
folding tripod.

	"So what kind of pictures do guys like if their gay?"  Tango asked,
setting the camera down on the desk.  "You figure out what sells, and I'll
build the page."  Taz nodded and sat down, flipping through pages.  Tango
stretched out on his bed and put his arms under his head, feeling a strong
sense of unreality.  The little bastard actually seemed like he was gonna
go through with it, and it felt strange.

	Why?  It's not like there is a shortage of pictures on the web.
But none of them were his best friend, either.  It was true that they had
seen each other naked for several years, and neither had shown signs of,
well, gayness or anything.  Tango hated when Taz made him think differently
about things.  He hated change.

	"Dude, look at this.  This AVS pays you a certain amount every time
some one uses that kind of password to get on your site, and you can have
more than one AVS."  Taz tapped the screen for emphasis.  "They put a
little counter at the bottom of your page that shows how many people have
been there.  We can add up how much they'll pay us!"

	"So then what?  We quit with Joey?"  Tango shook his head.  "I like
working for Joey."

	"So do I, man.  This is just extra cash.  Like to fix the truck."
Taz almost pleaded, and Tango sighed, knowing he'd lost.  Whenever Tanner
got something in his mind like this, you almost couldn't fight it.

	"Move, so I can go over that page design thing."  Tango got up and
moved to the computer.  The directions were fairly simple, and it specified
how to upload the pictures, pages, and layout.  He worked for about an
hour, setting up their page similar to the one they'd found.  Finally he
leaned back and stretched.

	"Is it done?"  Taz asked, clearly excited.

	"Yeah.  All I need are pictures now."  Tango stood up and headed
for the door.  C'mon.  I need to eat."  In the kitchen, they made
sandwiches and talked about the parts they needed tomorrow.  Tango called
his mother, who worked nights at a plasma-processing lab, and told her
goodnight.

	Taz raced up the stairs and sat at the computer, lining up in his
head what he wanted to do.  Tango stopped and leaned on the doorframe,
scratching at the waistband of his underwear.  "So what do we do, oh porn
king?" he asked, sitting on the bed and picking up the instructions to the
camera.

	Taz flipped through several pages and looked at the counters, using
the high numbers to decide how he wanted to pose.  He giggled, looking at a
guy obviously jacking off.  "Damn, dude, that's what sells.  There's like
two hundred thousand hits on his page."

	"You're shittin' me.  Now you're gonna beat off in one of them?"
Tango experienced a wave of guilt, implanted by what society thought was
normal.  Taking photos of your friend jacking off was way out of normal.
"Man, this gets crazier by the second.  It's not normal."

	"Dude, you never wear clothes except out side the house.  What's
normal?"  Taz laughed and stood up, pulling on one of Tango's form fitting
Lycra shirts.  A black one with short sleeves and a high neck.  "And when
you wear clothes, it's stuff that you can count the bumps on your nipples
through."  He adjusted the shirt and held his hands out.  "See?"

	The corner of Tango's mouth turned up in a smirk, and he stood up
and picked up the camera.  "Whatever.  The sooner you're done, the better."
He mounted the camera to the tripod and adjusted the light level, looking
at his computer to see how the final shot would look.  "'kay, Taz.  It's
your show."

	"Set that timer thing to take one every second and a half.  We can
go through them when I'm done and toss the shitty ones."  Taz grabbed a
brush from the dresser and combed his hair in the mirror on the closet
door.  Tango set the program, loaded it to the camera, then nodded,
clicking start.  All of the images would go straight to the hard drive.

	Taz smiled nervously, then turned on the radio.  Classic rock began
to play, and he swayed with the music, treating the camera lens like a
beautiful girl.  He teased and flirted with his eyes, slowly pulling the
shirt off, then running his hands over his chest and rock hard abs.

	Tango watched the files start to come in, glancing at the images as
they flashed on the screen.  His eyebrows went up, and he turned to watch
Taz, amazed at how into it he was getting.  Taz pulled the shirt off and
dropped it, letting his hands roam, and Tango found himself understanding
why girls liked Tanner.

	Taz moved his hips slowly, and pulled at the string on the board
shorts, feeling the waist loosen.  They slid down and dropped of easily,
and feeling pretty daring, he fondled his package, rubbing up and down over
his bikinis.

	Tango swallowed and turned back to the computer, his face going
red.  It embarrassed him that he had started to get aroused, and he didn't
want Taz to see.  It was to late to put shorts on over his underwear, so he
stared intently at the screen, willing his shaft to go limp.  On the
screen, Taz was taking off his bikinis, and Tango swallowed hard, trying to
think about dead babies or something.  It didn't work.

	Taz was totally into it now, playing to the audience.  Naked, he
felt himself start to rise, and he turned slightly, giving the camera a
good shot.  He heard Tango groan and smiled, licking his finger and running
it along his dick.  He stretched out on the bed and began to rub it,
moaning softly to get the facial expressions right.  It was exciting as
hell to be doing this, and it made him feel strangely free.

	Tango stood up shakily, very aware of the bulge in his bikinis.  He
turned to go to the bathroom, hoping that it would subside, but he looked
at Taz, and Taz used a finger to beckon to him.  "No way, Taz.  I don't
want to do that."  Taz pleaded with his eyes, motioning again.

	"C'mon, Tango.  Please?"  Taz tried the best injured look he had.
"It's so fucking cool.  We'll be fuckin' rich!"

	Tango hesitated, and Taz went into the moaning and rubbing again,
looking at Tango through slitted eyes.  He took a tiny step forward, unsure
of what he was doing, then stopped.  Taz reached out and took his hand,
gently pulling him into the pictures.  Without a word, he slipped down on
the bed.

	Tango's mind was going a thousand miles an hour, and he jumped when
he felt Taz's hand on his crotch.  "Relax, dude.  It's not like we haven't
jacked off together."  Taz said quietly.  He rubbed lightly, and Tango
inhaled sharply.  Taz pushed him onto his back, meeting no resistance, then
pulled off his underwear.

	Tango's heart thudded in his chest.  This wasn't supposed to
happen, this was bad.  Real bad.  Taz began to masturbate him, and he
closed his eyes and moaned, arching his back.  Without thinking about it,
he took a hold of Taz, copying the motions.  When Taz's face appeared next
to his, it seemed like the most reasonable thing in the world to kiss him.
He did.

	Taz returned the kiss, and after a second felt Tango's tongue
searching for his.  He was close to coming, and he increased the tempo on
Tango, trying to get as close together as they could.  Tango's stomach
knotted, almost casing him to roll off the bed.  He grunted loudly, then
shot the first of ten huge spurts onto Taz's chest.  He flexed hard with
each contraction, trying desperately to keep going on Taz.

	Taz closed his eyes tight and bit his lip, trying to hold back.
Lights flashed in his eyes, and he felt himself fall onto Tango as a gusher
went off in his lap, covering them both with wild shots.  He couldn't hold
himself up any longer, and collapsed on Tango's chest, breathing heavily.

	"Oh my god, that was intense!"  Tango whispered harshly, trying to
slow his heart and breathing.  He could feel the remains of their work in
his hair and all over his body.  He wiped a spot by his eye and laughed.
"Dude, I think my balls collapsed."

	Taz chuckled, then got up on all fours, leaving long sticky
stringers still attaching their torsos.  "Tango, I thought you were gonna
drown me."  He leaned off the bed and grabbed one of the bath towels from
earlier.  "I know we just ate, but I'm starved."

	"Me too."  Tango wiped himself off and handed the towel back, then
searched for his missing underwear.  As he pulled them on, he glanced at
the computer and blushed.  There he stood, adjusting the waistband.  He
suddenly remembered they had just photographed the whole thing.  Including
the kiss.  It made him feel dirty.  He reached over and clicked on the stop
button.  I don't know about this, Taz.  I don't want to put that on the
Internet."

	"Let's eat first, then talk, 'kay?"  Taz headed down the stairs and
into the kitchen.  They raided the fridge and sat at the table, not saying
a word.  Silence was unusual for these two, and the tension was higher than
they'd ever known.

	Taz watched Tango eat, an almost pained expression on his face as
his mind worked.  "Tango, what's the matter man?"  He asked at last, unable
to stand it any longer.

	"I can't believe we just had sex."  Tango mumbled quietly.  "I
don't want to be gay."

	"Tango, dude, I'm not gay, and you aren't either."  Taz looked
confused.  "We're just making some easy money.  That's all."

	Tango looked up, angry.  "Look, dip shit.  Even you should be able
to figure out that what we did was sex, and last time I checked, neither
one of us was female."

	"To be gay, don't you have to like other guys?  You know, love them
and shit?"  Taz asked around a mouthful of food.  "Sorry to disappoint you,
man, but I feel the same way I always did about you.  You're my brother, me
amigo.  I don't want to be your bitch or anything."  He watched Tango's
lips curl in a slight smile.  "Besides, chum, I thought it felt good.  I
never came like that before."

	"Me either."  Tango said, meeting Taz's eyes.  "It felt pretty
good."

	"So if I'm not attracted to you, and you're not chasing me, then it
must've just been like something that felt pretty good, right?"  Taz smiled
and looked intently into Tango's eyes.  "Dude, there's sex, and there's
making love.  I don't think we made love, do you?"

	Tango smiled almost shyly.  "No, I don't.  It just kind of weird,
you know?"

	"Ya, but when have we ever done anything normal."  Taz stuffed the
last of a huge sandwich in his mouth and chewed it, followed by milk.
"Damn, I almost feel like superman again."  He said, then belched.

	Tango laughed and finished his own, then followed Taz back up
stairs.  They sat down at the computer and started the imaging program.
"Jumpin' Jesus.  There's almost a gigabyte of pictures, Taz.  Look at
this."  He pointed to the files that the camera had recorded.  "The web
place will only take twenty five megs.  You have to narrow these down."

	Taz scooted up the computer and let Tango show him what to do.  He
began flipping through the pictures, saving the best ones and dumping most
of them.  Nearly an hour later, he watched Tango start to move them onto
the web page, and build their site.  Tango was visibly embarrassed when he
saw the pictures of them kissing and jacking each other, but he didn't say
a word as he put the site into it's final arrangement.

	At almost three in the morning, they used Netscape to maneuver
through the site, making last second changes.  Finally it was done, and
both boys were yawning hugely.  Tango stood up and stretched, lighting a
cigarette.  "I have the AVS in place, all off the links work, the email is
set up, and it's done."

	"Far out, man.  Send it."  Taz took the cigarette and took a drag,
then handed it back.

	"You best be thinkin' this over, Tanner.  Once I send it, it's
gone.  You and me may not have heartburn about what we did, but if anyone
sees this that we know?  Man, we're hung."  Tango sat down at the desk.  "I
been thinking about this the whole time we've been sitting here, and I'll
do it because I owe you a thousand times over."  He met Taz's eyes and held
them.  "But you got to remember, other people will still think it's gay."

	"No one we know would ever cruise this site.  You designed it as a
babe magnet, right?"  Taz reached over and clicked the mouse, starting the
upload.  "You're the greatest man alive, Tango."  Taz hugged him fiercely
around the neck, then ran out of the room and down the stairs to get a
couple of sodas.

	Tango clicked on the imager files, bringing up the pictures of the
two of them together.  It seemed so alien to look at, but it was just as
arousing as the first time.  Even more so.  Taz came in and sat down,
looked at the screen, and looked at Tango.

	"Kinda fun, wasn't it?"  He asked, no sarcasm in his voice.  He
handed a can to Tango, then opened his own.  As he took a sip, he
snickered, almost spewing pop on himself.

	"What?"  Tango opened his can and set it down.

	"You're gonna hit me."  Taz laughed, lifting his hands defensively
and laughing.  "I was just thinking, you're not a bad kisser."

	Tango laughed and his face turned red.  "Fuck you, you little
shit."  He watched the counter on the screen tick off the bytes sent.
After a minute, he looked side long at his friend and smiled slightly.
"You weren't so bad yourself."

	They were silent while the computer finished, neither wanting to
say how they felt.  Taz pulled the sheets back on Tango's double bed, then
went to brush his teeth.  Tango was climbing in on the side with the alarm
clock as he usually did when he came back into the room.  They glanced at
each other, uncertain, but both feeling some need they didn't understand.
Tango climbed in, breaking the moment, and reached to shut off the light.

	Taz climbed in on his side, like he had a thousand times before
when he stayed over (which was a lot), and turned towards the closet.
Everything was just like it always was, but it wasn't.  It didn't feel
wrong, but it had changed.  The problem was figuring out what 'it' was.

	Tango listened as Taz settled, and before long his breathing slowed
and deepened.  He stared at the ceiling for a long time, trying to sort out
his mind, but not having much luck.  He glanced at the clock, irritated
that it was so late, or early, and he couldn't sleep.  Taz turned over and
through his arm across Tango's chest, a not unusual occurrence.  For once,
Tango didn't push it away.  Instead, he reached out tentatively and lightly
stroked the fine blond hairs near Taz's wrist, seeing them in the light
reflected from the street light outside.

	Taz sighed and settled into the crook of Tango's arm and shoulder.
His warm breath puffed across Tango's chest, and Tango found himself
thinking of the pictures, and the feel of Taz's hand on his cock, and his
lips...


Tell me what you think of this story line.  It is partly inspired by the
story that recently was posted, Gay and Straight.  If you haven't read it,
I recommend it.  If you like this story, let me know.  If not, let me know
that as well.

Rimshot@planetaccess.com