Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for waiting patiently as I nail down the direction of my newest story during the holidays. If you do enjoy Counting Down, please read some of my other works on AO3 (TuxEdwards): Counting, Counting Down (the sequel to Counting), Not Capable of Love, Fire (Boys of Grizzly Valley on AO3), Go Bag (Boys of Grizzly Valley on AO3), and Jaded (on AO3). Please take a few minutes to drop me an email to let me know if Counting Down is for you: Foxfire3730@proton.me

 

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"The Universe is Made of Stories, Not of Atoms" -Muriel Rukeyser

 

Four-Wheeling

Beau

31 Days Left

I turn the page on my magazine as my eyes look everywhere else. We've been in this hospital waiting room for three hours. I don't even know what this magazine is about. Colt is in mom's lap as she reads him his newest book about wizards and monsters in Chicago, Illinois. He's simply enchanted with stories of magic spells and runaway werewolves. I've never been like that. I've only worried about Colt and his happiness, but now, these days, I find myself worrying about AJ.

Dad is making his routine walk down the hall to the double doors. He looks through the little window on one of the doors, then sighs and walks back. He and Mom trade quick, worrisome looks that, if you weren't watching closely, you'd miss it. Zack has been staring at his phone for the best of two hours, lost in his thoughts.

I get up and let my magazine slip from my lap onto the floor. I sit next to Zack and lean my head on his shoulder. He side-eyes me and gives me a half-smile. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"He's been in there for so long. How will we know if he's okay?"

Zack stretches his arm around me, saying, "Did you know the first time I met AJ, he was on the back of an ambulance gurney? They were wheeling him out of the house in Cut Bank, and as he rolled by on his way inside the ambulance, he dropped a teddy bear he used to take everywhere. I picked it up, and before I could hand it to mom, she was in with him, and they were on their way to the hospital. Even though I had never spoken to him, I knew he was special, and I just wanted to be around him." I lay on his lap and watched my family go through the paces of uncertainty and fear of what could happen. Zack combs his fingers through my mullet and gently plays with my ear. It's so relaxing; I could lay like this for hours.

"AJ will come through this. You'll see, he's a survivor," he adds, and I close my eyes, enjoying Zack's touch until I fall asleep.

Some commotion wakes me up, and I sit up on Zack's lap. Yawning, I look to see what's going on. Zeke has just gotten here, and dad is telling him, "...he's been out of surgery for about twenty minutes. The surgery went as expected. Once they get him in his room, we can all go see him."

I get up with Zack and rush over to Zeke, whom I hug with everything I have. He makes an `Ooph' sound and says, "Dad, I got here as quick as I could. Pop is watching The Double H, and I've got Ramirez finishing up the Bar C's chores."

Dad thanks him for the update, and he gives Zeke a hug. Zeke sits down and pulls me by the arm into one of his almost too tight brother hugs, asking, "How are you holding up?"

When I'm with Zeke, I can almost feel myself shift into `butch mode', and I've never understood why. With Zack I feel totally opposite, always wanting to snuggle and be a `little boy.' "I'm good, of course. I'm just trying to be strong for Zack." Then I whisper, "...you know how he gets."

"How do I get?" Zack asks over my shoulder, and the look on my face must have been priceless because both twins burst out laughing. Zack joins me and Zeke and puts me in a headlock. Mom gets after us for rough housing, not that it ends it. It didn't end until I got a nuggie.

"Hey, cut it out! You're going to mess up my hair!" I shouted, pushing him to no avail. It took mom protesting once more for Zack to apologize and tickle me, so I giggled and rushed back to my seat.

After two hours go by and a trip to Bear Claw Creamery, Colt is first through the hospital room door with me close behind. The room is pretty normal for a hospital room. There are four beds, with two boys and a girl. Hospital equipment litters the room with beeps, boops, and clicks. Sitting on his knees on his bed, AJ is reading a big, thick book.

"A-yay!" Colt yells and runs up to his bed.

"AJ, are you okay?" I ask right behind Colt.

"Guys," AJ says, practically leaping off his bed. If it wasn't for dad catching him and holding him in bed, he'd pull the tube thing out of his arm for sure.

"What'cha doing, A-yay?" Colt asks while AJ and I get a quick kiss.

I climb into bed with AJ and look at his big book. It was almost two inches thick and said calculus on the front cover.

"Are you doing homework?" I ask him, kind of in amazement.

He scoops up a couple loose papers, his notebook, and the book from my hands. "I got bored," he answers, rubbing his eye and yawning. He slides down on the bed and cuddles up to me. I take the large hint and slide down with him. "I'm glad to see you," he softly says.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry," AJ whispers, and I kiss him.

Colt sticks out his tongue at the sight of our kiss and wanders over to the bed next to AJ's. He watches the boy as he reads a comic book, then asks, "What's your name? How owd are you?"

"Peter, and I'm eight," answers the boy in the bed next to AJ.

"My name is Cowt. Why are you here?" My little brother rudely asks the follow-up question. Mom gets after him for his rudeness. Colt looks back at her and then apologizes to Peter.

"It's okay, I had my appendix out," Peter answers, and then adds, "I get to go home tomorrow. Want to read comics with me?"

Colt pulls up a chair and climbs into it. "Sure," he says, taking a random comic from Peter's bed.

"Hey, who wants candy?" The twins say this as they enter the room. Our mom quickly shushes them and points out that AJ is asleep. Zack comes over and gives me some M&Ms before kissing AJ's forehead. Zeke hands out candy to the rest of the kids in the room before joining mom and dad.

AJ sleeps for about an hour and wakes up to find me still holding him. He smiles and sits up to talk to everyone. After an hour or so, he's asleep again, but this time in Dad's arms. This happens over and over for the rest of the day. When visiting hours are over, the twins prepare to take Colt and me home. I wait in line for my kiss with AJ, and when I lean in to kiss him on the forehead, he opens his droopy eyes and smiles.

"Hey Beau," he softly whispers.

"Hey, AJ, I love you," I whisper back. He smiles, we kiss, and I comb my hand through his hair. "I've got to go. I'll come back as soon as I can tomorrow," I promised. He nods and gets comfortable under his bed covers.

AJ

28 Days Left

After three days stuck in that hospital, which I didn't agree to, by the way, I got home only to be grounded in my room. Well, mom didn't say that I'm grounded, but I can't leave the room and can't do anything outside or go to school for the rest of the week. Mom says I need to rest, but I feel fine. Okay, maybe I have thrown up a couple times, but that doesn't mean she can freak out.

Doctor McGovern says that everything went according to plan, and he couldn't be more pleased with how it went. Mom took a picture and showed me how small the incision is at the base of my neck. It looks less than an inch long. I've finished all my homework for the week, and it's Wednesday, and I'm already pulling my hair out with boredom.

Sitting on my balcony, I see my brothers running down the driveway, heading to the house. Little Colt is waving to me, and so I wave back. Colt always adds a smile to my face. He's changed so much in two years. When I first met him, he would barely speak, and when he did, it was so hard to understand him. Mom has done everything in her power to help him not only come out of his shell but also teach him to read and speak.

He still makes some mistakes, but he's totally understandable now. Every day he has to read a book with mom right after school, so when Beau enters the bedroom alone and flops down on the bed, I'm not surprised. I hurry over and jump on the big bed next to my boyfriend.

"Hey, do you have any homework?" I ask and steal a kiss from him.

"Nope, I did it at school," he says, sitting up and pulling me as close as he can.

Our noses touch, and the smallest whisper separate our lips. "Do... you want me to check it?" I ask in a soft voice.

Our lips come together, and I experience warm and wet bliss that I melt into. Without moving our heads, we break the kiss and just sit and enjoy each other's warmth. "No," he whispers as he exhales.

"Do you know what I want to do right now?" I ask as his hands begin to untie my pajama bottoms. He kisses me again, and I suddenly feel weak about his motivations. His hands penetrate my underwear and gradually approach to cup my bare butt cheeks. He pulls me up on my knees, giving him access to my small, quivering star. His middle finger gets closer and closer to it. My body quivers as I exhale, while his finger circles and teases it over and over. This is going to only go to one place where I'm on all fours, moaning and whimpering. I pull his hands out of my pants and bring them up to my lips. I take his middle finger and suck on it once, then kiss it, saying, "I really would rather go four-wheeling."

A little while later, we are sneaking down our stairs and leaning over the railing. Hearing mom and Colt reading in her office, Beau and I creep down the second set of stairs and out the front door, closing it as quietly as I can. Turning around, Beau is halfway to the vehicle barn. As I run to catch up, my longing for air slows down my efforts. By the time I get inside the barn, he's already got his helmet on and is handing me mine.

"Come on before mom hears us," he says as I puff on my inhaler.

I nod and climb on the back of the four-wheeler as he revs the engine. We come blasting out of the barn so fast that I almost fall off. We drive around the circle drive, passing the bunk house, the utility barn, and then the vehicle barn again. George Cooper and Greg Liby are in the circle drive, working on a tractor's engine. On our third loop, Greg hits me with his cowboy hat and yells out to us, "Go'on, get out of here!"

We laughed and headed to the Double H. Passing the house, mom is standing on the front porch and shouting at us, "AJ, be careful! No horseback riding!"

The four-wheeler rips down the gravel driveway with me holding onto Beau. Even though it's like ninety degrees outside, I can still feel the warmth coming from Beau. He reaches back and rubs my leg, and I tighten my grip around his chest as I lean my helmet on his back.

We pull into the parking lot of Mel's Diner & Quick Stop and park. Mel's is just down the driveway at the corner of our driveway and the road called FM 9. It holds some connection to Beau past (read `Go Bag' in Boys of Grizzly Valley). We hop off and leave our helmets on the handlebars before racing inside.

"Hey Mel!" We shout and run inside, right up to the candy rack.

Mel comes to the open door in the wall that separates the kitchen and the diner. "Hey boys," he says with a smile as he wipes his hands on his apron. "You guys need a sugar recharge?" He asks, laughing at his own joke.

Alice finishes with her customers at booth four and heads our way to the candy rack. She musses up Beau's hair, making us both laugh and giggle. "You two don't look like you need candy; it's bad for you anyway," she teases us.

"Hey Alice," Beau says as he points out some of his favorites through the glass cabin the candy rack sits in.

"Where is the cute little one?" Alice asks as she collects our choices.

"Colt was reading with mom, and we snuck out for some alone time." I answer her and blush when I hear what comes out of my mouth. It sounded like what my parents say when they go off horseback riding without us boys.

Beau gives me a one-arm hug to support me. Behind us, Mel asks, "You up for a snack, boys?"

"Not today, Mel. We're off to the Double H to ride the four-wheeler trails," Beau says as we pay for our candy.

We gather our purchases and shove them into our pockets as we head for the door. "Bye, Mel, Alice!"

The door chimes, and behind us we hear Mel say, "Bye boys, come again."

Beau jumps on the four-wheeler and hands me my helmet. "Is that a candy bar in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?" Beau shouts over the roar of the engine and then laughs at his own joke.

I take the candy bar out of my pocket and wave it in front of his face, shouting, "If you're lucky, I'll let you suck on it until you get the cream out." Beau begins laughing a little too hard at my joke and points over my shoulder. Looking behind me, I see the family that was in the restaurant coming out, and the mother is covering her young daughter's ears. I blush fifty shades of red, and my apology is drowned out by the rev of the four-wheeler's engine. I quickly slide my helmet on and climb behind my boyfriend just before he takes off, throwing gravel and dirt behind us.

We tear down the driveway of the Double H. Beau heads past a few parked cars and comes to a sliding stop right next to the wraparound porch. "Wow, you were going so fast," I tell him, laughing as I struggle with my helmet strap.

"Yeah, I love the straight line between our house and the Double H. Grand!"

"Grand!" I shout right after my boyfriend. Hurrying up to the front door, I can hear Beau running up the porch stairs behind me.

Grand comes up to the screen door, wiping her hands on her waist apron. She opens the door and says, "Good lord, boys, what's all this screaming about?"

"Hi Grand," I respond, and both of us boys give her a hug. I look up with my best puppy-dog eyes and ask, "Grand, may we ride our four-wheeler on the trails?"

"Oh, I don't know, boys; maybe you should go ask your Pop. He's over that way. He and the twins are putting in a new picnic area."

I hug her again, and Beau and I head back to the four-wheeler in a hurry. Beau puts his helmet on and taps the top of it to push it on a little more. I put mine on and hold on as he starts it and takes off. I wave to Grand, and she waves back with a chuckle. Beau keeps the speed down because of the speed limit signs Pop put up a very long time ago. They are all dented and dirty with dust. If he sees us going real fast, we'll have to hear the story about why he put them up so long ago, again.

We enter the empty campground and can see Pop's old dirty truck and the Double H's black and white four-wheeled gator. We speed up there and pull up next to the gator. There are five brand new picnic tables and ten or so saplings about five feet tall. Each tree has a mound of fresh dirt around the trunk. The twins are bare-chested and glistening in the California sun. They're sitting on one of the picnic tables, drinking soda, and talking to Pop.

"Hey kiddos," Pop says as we run up to them and I hop on the picnic table between the twins.

Zack takes off his ball cap and puts it on my head, backwards. It's all sweaty, but it's also Zack's hat, so it kind of feels good to have it. "AJ, what are you doing on the four-wheeler? Mom's going to be pissed," he says with a chuckle and grinds his wet hat on my head.

"Yuck!" I giggle and answer his question: "I didn't ask, but she waved at us when we left, so she must be okay with it."

"Oh, I bet she's thrilled you two snuck out of the house to ride the four-wheeler over here," Zeke says as he fakes boxes with Beau, making him laugh.

"I'm so tired of being cooped up."

Zack typed on his phone as he texted someone. "Well, that's too bad. The doctor said to keep you at home from school for three days to rest."

The air inside me exhales, and I can feel my chest deflate. I always dislike when Zack talks like an adult. No one, not even mom, can shame me like Zack. "I just wanted some fresh air," I mumble softly.

Zack and Zeke exchange looks as if a conversation goes on without the rest of us knowing, and then Zack hops off the picnic table and Zeke pats Beau on the back, saying, "Hey sport, help me collect these shovels and picks."

Beau looks back at me and hurries to help Zeke clean up the new picnic table area. "Pop, Dad needs me back at the ranch. There is a break in the fence in the east forty. AJ, you come with me; let's find you some fresh air."

I shamefully look over at Beau, who is collecting empty burlap bags, and tell him, "Sorry if I got you in trouble."

Zack and I get in the gator, and it starts sliding in reverse. We turn around. Beau tells me he loves me in sign language, and I do the same. I stay quiet till we cross the diner, and I ask over the engine noise, "Am I in trouble?"

Zack looks over to me and smiles, saying, "No more than usual." I'm not sure why, but that makes me feel a little better.

We pull up to the utility barn, and George and Greg are still working on that engine. There is a blue tarp on the ground, and it's covered in engine parts. "Come'on, kiddo, help me get my chainsaw and gas can," Zack says as he backs the gator up to the door.

I slide out of the seat to see Mom heading our way with a bag. I look back at Zack as he greets the guys working on the engine. He sees mom and tells me to hurry up.

Mom hands me the bag and says, "There is a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, sox and boots, your leather gloves, your cowboy hat, and your jacket. You can change on your way there."

"Am I going to be punished?" I timidly ask as I take the bag.

"No, but I am very disappointed in you," she says, and I can see it in her face. Somehow, that bothers me more.

Zack comes out of the barn with the chainsaw and says, "Hey, you getting that gas can?"

"I'm sorry, mom, for sneaking out," I quickly say, and I put the bag in the front seat of the gator. Hurrying into the barn, I search for a chainsaw gas can that's full of gas. I struggle with the can, and the liquid slashing around in the can makes it hard to walk, causing me to shuffle my way out of the barn. When I come out, Zack and mom are deep in conversation, and it turns to hush tones when I exit the barn.

"Don't worry, mom, he'll be fine with me," Zack says, taking the can from me. He sets it in the vehicle and tells me to hop in. We take off down the drive to the gate. I jump out and rush over to open it, and once Zack drives through, I close it, latch it, and rush back into the gator. "You best change," Zack's says.

I look in the bag and move the clothes around and tell him, "I can't; there isn't any underwear in here."

"What's wrong with the underwear you're wearing now?"

I look away so he can't see me blush. "Well, you see..."

"Classic AJ, you're not wearing underwear, are you? You had underwear on this morning; I saw it. Why did you take it off?"

I fidget with the bag as I explain, "Beau came home from school, and I jumped on the bed to... say hello..."

"Hello! Is that what your generation is calling that?" Zack laughs and tickles my stomach.

"Come on, Zack, it's embarrassing," I tell him, covering my reddening face.

"Well, if your little dick is going to be out for all to see, you best do it before we get to the fence."

I visibly sigh and put the bag on the floor. I take off my tank top and slide off my shorts, letting my hard cock snap back and slap my belly button.

"That's a sight for sore eyes," Zack says, licking his lips.

"Stop, you know we can't do anything unless Beau is with us," I remind him as I put my sox on. "He's crazy jealous of you as it is."

"That's okay; the four of us still have our `play date' Saturday while mom and dad go out with their friends," says Zack as he tries to keep the gator steady. "I'll just wait until then to taste that delicious treat," he adds with a sound effect that can only be described as enticing.

He's right, of course, and I am so looking forward to it. The four of us started about a year ago having `Boys Nights' where anything goes. We watch rated R movies, sometimes porn, eat junk food, wrestle, roughhouse, you know, `guy stuff.' Whatever we do, we always do it naked. I love the feel of the twins hands touching me all over as Beau fucks me crazy and sucking on Beau as one of the twins fucks him. We don't do them often, but when we do have a boys night, it always ends with us Colter boys getting closer.

Despite loving to run around naked, Colt is always invited but never actively participates in the fun. He either watches us, TV or plays with his toys. Once in a while, I do catch him watching us and playing with his little dinker, but he runs off when he realizes one of us seem him.

Before zipping and buttoning my pants, I tuck my four-inch hard-on into my jeans and then pull them over my bottom. The zipper scratches the underside of my little dinker, and I stand up to reposition my jeans. By the time we get to the fence, I'm all dressed and ready for ranch work.

Our land borders the Grizzly Valley Reserve on the east side. There is a big old oak tree where lightning struck shortly after we moved in. This afternoon, it fell, and its limbs trashed our fence. Dad and some cowboys that work for us are named Fin, Troy, and Shot. They call him "Shot" because he can drink whisky shots well. Zack places my hat on my head and says, "Come'on, little AJ, let's get that fresh air you were needing."

He grabs his chainsaw, and I take his gas with two hands. I shuffle my way to where everyone else dropped their cans off. I hear dad call my name over the high-pitched whine from the chainsaws, and I run into his arms. He picks me up and gives me a proper hug. There are few things I would consider good about the body of an eight-year-old I've been cursed with. The top reason is definitely being small enough for Dad to pick me up. He's shirtless and covered in sweat, but I don't care.

"AJ, why are you out of the house? You're supposed to be resting," Dad asks, patting my bottom as we watch Zack start his chainsaw and join the others.

"I'm tired of being inside. I wanted to come help you."

"Oh, you wanted to help me, huh? Well, maybe a little, but don't overdo it, or your mom will kill us both," Dad says with a chuckle, setting me down.

Dad and I begin dragging some of the cut limbs over to the other side of the fence. Fin and the guys cut up and stacked some of the wood in the ranch pickup they drove. It was hard work, and I can help to recognize the watchful eye of Zack and Dad. I take a lot of breaks, but no matter how dizzy or tight-chested I get, it's better than sitting in my room or watching TV.

I look to our north border and see the top of Prescott Estate, just over the top of the mountain. Joey Murphy, the famous singer, lives there. He's a little younger than me, but he's a huge influence. Imagine what I could accomplish if I were as brave as he is. I'm dying to meet him again and see his house, but mom and dad told me, "In all do time."