Tripod Chapter 22

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"Tripod"

Chapter - 22

I woke up the next morning and the three of us were still cuddled together. My back was up against Tyler's chest and Eddie was cuddling Tyler. We looked like three nested commas, each a font size larger than the one in front.

I turned my head to face Tyler, who stirred slowly and opened his eyes. "Hey, hot stuff," Tyler said, a hint of a smile peppering his face. He leaned in and kissed my neck. Eddie, sensing our movement, leaned in and kissed Tyler's ear.

"What are you two up to?" Eddie asked.

"Nothing...yet," Tyler replied. "I think we should be though. From what I can feel, there's plenty of morning wood all around, although I think with Jaime it's more like, 'morning tree trunk.'"

I rolled over and gave Tyler a kiss on the lips, but before I could go any further, I propped my head up as I leaned on my elbow and said, "I want to talk to you guys about something."

Eddie sat up in bed so I could see his face.

"I'm feeling something more than just 'fuck buddies' from you guys. I know we're tight, but I want to hear what's going on in your heads."

Tyler rolled over to look at Eddie, who returned the look. Eddie spoke first, "We're honestly not sure, Jaime. Tyler and I have talked about it. We both really like you. You're more than just a friend to us, but we're not quite sure what that means. Honestly, we're kinda confused, too. We love spending time with you. I mean, we love hanging out, but when we're together like this, it means something to us. It's not just fucking. There's something deeper there."

"We don't want you to not go out with other guys or even just play with other guys," Tyler said. "We're really happy that you and Brandon hooked up and that you had a great time with him. You know we're not jealous. But we also want you to know that you mean a lot to us. We're not just shitting you so that you'll mess around with us. You feel it from us too, right?"

I thought for a second before I responded, "That's why I keep coming back for more. The sex is amazing, but I honestly do love you guys. Both of you. The first time we were together, it felt awesome, but each time it gets better. I feel like you guys can't get enough of me, but not in a creepy, obsessive, 'I-need-that-huge-cock-now!' way. It's more like you're both trying so hard to show me how much you care about me. And I love watching the two of you do the same for each other."

"Let's not worry about it," Eddie said. "We don't need to put a label on it. You're definitely more than a 'friend with benefits.' And we'll leave it at that, if you're OK with it."

"You're not upset that I have a date tomorrow with that guy I met at the supermarket, Darius?"

"No," Tyler said, "Like I said, we're not jealous. I guess if you decided tomorrow that you just want to be friends and not have sex with us anymore, we'd be sad. Honestly, really sad. But you gotta do what's best for you. Now, can I fuck that cute, little ass of yours?"

"You're a master of subtlety, Ty," I said. Eddie laughed. "But Eddie gets to do me, too, right?"

Tyler leaned in and kissed me, first on the forehead, then on my eyelids, then my nose, next my ears and finally, his lips landed on mine and he pulled me in tight. Eddie cuddled up to Tyler and started kissing Tyler's neck, then his tongue ran down Tyler's back as he slipped a hand under Tyler's butt and grabbed his hard, thick cock from behind. Tyler moaned lightly, his lips never losing contact with mine. As our kisses became more passionate, Eddie slid down Tyler's back with his tongue, finally digging it deep into Tyler's hole.

Tyler pulled back and laughed, "Fuck, Eddie, no one can eat butt better than you." Then he turned to me, planted a quick kiss on my lips and grabbed my hard on. He spit into his hand and slicked up my rock-hard rod, then started to slide his hand up and down. That was just a quick starter. He leaned over to give Eddie better access to his butt hole and to flick his tongue back and forth across my purplish cock head. Now it was my turn to moan. Tyler's tongue was like a snake, slithering around my rod, searching out the sensitive spots. After a couple of minutes at the base of my cock head, in the spot where it meets the shaft, he pulled back, opened wide and went down on me, taking about half of my huge rod down his throat, while one hand continued jerking me off.

His bobbing up and down on my dick was sending little pleasure waves down my cock and into my asshole. I really wanted to get fucked. But Tyler still had plans to prime my pump some more. Each time he pulled back off my cock, he took a little bit more of it down his throat, making sure that I was slick enough to slide past his Adam's apple. Within a couple of minutes, he was nose-deep in my pubes and letting my whole 11" (28cm) experience the pleasure of his wide throat, then he'd pull back and stroke me as he sucked in a much-needed breath.

Eddie's tongue was still probing Tyler's butthole and stroking his fat shaft.

I was getting a little too close and pushed Tyler off of me. He got a slight look of disappointment on his face, "Ty, you're too fucking good at this. You're gonna make me nut and we've only just started. Eddie, get over here."

Eddie slipped his tongue out of Tyler's butt and made his way over to my side of the bed. I grabbed the lube and squirted out a big glob to get my hole nice and slick, then did the same on Tyler's wrist-thick prod.

I turned so that Eddie's cock was now pointed at my face and my butt was at Tyler's cock-level. "That's better," I smirked. "Tyler, let's make this as good as your routine on the still rings."

"That's my plan, except after I shoot my load, I think I'll spare you the double twisting dismount," Tyler laughed.

Tyler reached around behind me and wrapped his left arm around my chest. His fingers played with my left nipple as he leaned in for another kiss. "I'm gonna make you feel amazing, little dude," he said, as he slowly pushed his cock head against my eagerly-waiting pucker. I pushed out gently to let him in. He paused for a second to let me get used to him, then pushed forward slowly, a little at a time, giving me a second to relax enough to take his amazing thickness.

"You doing OK?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I really do love you guys."

"We love you, too," Eddie said, as he leaned in and kissed me.

Tyler hit bottom and I was loving it. My prostate was doing the happy dance. He slowly started to pull out, leaving just his head inside me, then he slowly shoved his whole dick back in. I reached over and grabbed Eddie's cock and pulled him toward my mouth. After managing to get Brandon's huge snake down my throat, Eddie's 8 1/2" seemed easy, go figure. As Tyler picked up speed, so did I. Eddie was running his fingers through my hair as I made love to his beautiful, uncut, black cock. Getting turned on by the musky smell of his pubes. I loved feeling his balls slap against my face as I took all of him into my throat. I decided Eddie needed a little more love, so I slicked up my finger with spit and slipped it into his butt. He sucked in a breath, but I was already back to giving him head.

On the other end of my body, Tyler was pounding away at my hole and occasionally giving my butt a playful slap. He yelled out, "Fuck yeah! Squeeze my dick with your hole! Oh, yeah, Jaime. That's it. Oh, man."

He hugged me from behind and pulled me off Eddie's cock. Then he pulled me in for a kiss and held me tight as he took a deep breath, moaned and began to unload in my butt, his strokes slowing down as the orgasm reached its peak. His lips slowly released mine, but he looked deep into my eyes and smiled. "That was amazing. You are amazing." Then he turned his head toward his boyfriend, "Eddie, you ready?"

"Hell, yeah. He's got me so fucking hot right now," Eddie said.

I did a 180 on the bed and presented my slicked-up hole to Eddie. He grabbed the lube, although, honestly, he probably didn't even need it, and slicked up his fuck pole. As Eddie slid his hard dick into my backside, Tyler flipped over on his back and opened his mouth wide so that I could face-fuck him while Eddie plowed into me. Tyler tilted his head back, grabbed the snake and slid it all the way down his throat. This boy clearly loved sucking dick and loved even more the challenge of taking a huge one all the way down.

Eddie had worked most of his dick into me at this point and had already started tickling my g-spot. Between Tyler in the front and Eddie in the rear, I was in heaven. Eddie started pumping and worked up to a pace that only a marathon runner could keep up with. Fortunately, that's exactly what he is. He drilled into me hard and deep as Tyler sucked and stroked. Even though he had only cum a few minutes before, Tyler was hard again and used his free hand to stroke his own cock.

"I'm getting close, guys," I said, after what seemed like forever stuck at a nearly unsustainable plateau of pleasure. That was the extra push that both of them needed. Eddie was a piston engine racing down the highway, the force of his cock slamming into my hole was making the cum boil in my nuts. Then Eddie screamed, "Hang on, Jaime, I'm gonna shoot...now! Ugh, ugh, ugh." Eddie blasted his jizz into me as Tyler pulled my dick from his throat and stroked me wildly, bringing me to an explosive orgasm. I shot jet after jet of thick, white cum onto his face, chest and body. The second shot even landed on Tyler's dick, giving him a little extra lube. The sight of jizz flying out of my dick was the last, little visual push that Tyler needed, as he shot a few more volleys of sperm out of his already well-used dick.

Now it was Eddie's turn to lean in and hold me. He pulled me in tight and gave me a passionate kiss. He smiled at me and asked, "You gonna make us breakfast?"

"I was gonna ask the same thing," Tyler said. "I even bought some stuff. Eggs, onions, bacon, green pepper. I think we already have some cheese and some bread."

"You guys are unbelievable. Not even thirty seconds for a cuddle? Sure, I'll make breakfast. I think we need to clean up first. Especially you, Ty. You better hurry or that cum'll harden and we're gonna have to chisel you out. I need a few minutes of alone time in the bathroom. There's like a gallon of your nut sloshing around up there. Then we could probably all use a shower. I can't stay real late this morning. My mom's coming home from her business trip and I haven't seen her for two weeks, so my dad and I are going to make a nice dinner for her."

"Got it. I'll get some coffee going. If I can find the recipe first," Ty laughed.

Within a half-hour, all three of us were freshly scrubbed and dressed, and together in the kitchen.

"I hope you've got some decent knives. I don't want to risk cutting off a finger trying to chop onions with a fucking steak knife," I said.

"Cool your jets, Mr. Head Chef. It just so happens that my dad's mom couldn't stand using the shit we had in the kitchen before either. Every time she'd come for a visit, she'd scream her head off, so she bought us a good set of kitchen knives and some pots and pans. Honestly, she's probably the only one who ever uses them," Tyler admitted.

Tyler reached into the cabinets and produced a respectable cutting board and a very nice chef's knife. Then he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a block of cheddar cheese, some onions, a green pepper and some bacon.

"Never store your onions in the fridge. They'll turn mushy and rot," I said.

"Cool off, dude, I only bought them last night. I'm sure they're still fine," Tyler said.

"Oh no! It's our first fight after our wedding night," Eddie said.

Tyler and I laughed.

"Got a frying pan and a sheet pan?" I asked.

"I know what a frying pan is, but what's a sheet pan? We don't usually cook our sheets," Tyler said sarcastically.

"It's a flat sheet of metal that you stick in the oven. It's not made for cooking on the stove. It usually has raised edges."

Tyler reached into a cabinet and pulled out a pristine sheet pan.

"Another gift from Grandma. And here's the frying pan," Tyler said.

"That should be OK," I said. "Take the bacon out of the package and put it onto the sheet pan strip by strip, but not overlapping."

"Gotcha," Tyler said.

"When you're done, put it into the oven, then turn the oven on to 350 degrees. You know how to turn on the oven?" I asked.

"Are you talking about the thing under the stove that has a door on it?" Taylor asked sarcastically. "I think I can figure it out."

"Do you have any potatoes? I'd like to make some hash browns," I said.

"Ugh, nope. Just a big bag of left-over fries. I usually just nuke `em and throw some ketchup on `em," Tyler said.

"Leftover fries are cool. Hand `em over," I said. "And I'll need another frying pan."

In a half hour, we had crisp bacon, three western omelets and a crispy potato side dish made with the leftover fries, onions, a bit of green pepper.

Eddie served the coffee, Tyler got the plates and silverware and three happy, formerly-horny, teenaged boys sat down to a hearty Saturday breakfast.

"Jaime, this is awesome. Better than the best diner. I never would have figured that these were yesterday's fries. Nuked fries usually taste like soggy cardboard. These are amazing," Eddie said.

We chowed down quickly, needing to replace the calories we'd burned up in the late night and early morning hours fucking our brains out. We all got the kitchen cleaned up, then I grabbed my backpack, ready to head out.

Eddie, Tyler and I leaned in for a group hug, then each in turn kissed me tenderly, then kissed each other.

"That was a night to remember, guys. Thanks for everything. Ricardo was fun, but he'll never be you two. This morning was amazing, just the three of us. Catch you later."

"Say 'hi' to your folks, OK?" Eddie said.

I walked out the door and headed home. Dad was sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee cup in his hand, scrolling through his phone. He looked up as I walked in the door. I leaned down and gave him a hug.

"How was your night with your friends?"

"Ricardo was fun, but I don't see him really as friend material. We don't have much in common. But hanging with Eddie and Tyler is always great. The more we hang out together, the tighter we're getting. We kinda give each other energy. It just makes me feel happy being around them."

"Did you get any sleep? Remember, we're planning something special for Mom tonight. I need your help in the kitchen."

"Yeah, Ricardo went home around midnight. Then the three of us just cuddled up and fell asleep straight away. We didn't wake up until like 8:00 this morning. Then I made everyone breakfast."

"I'm sure you're leaving out some interesting parts, but I'm happy to hear you got some sleep at any rate.

"I'm thinking about making homemade pasta tonight. Maybe ravioli with a roasted eggplant and goat cheese stuffing? What do you think?" Dad asked.

"Sounds awesome. Maybe some roasted peppers with garlic and anchovies as a starter?" I chimed in.

"Nah, the sauce for the ravioli is gonna be tomatoes and roasted peppers. Maybe just some prosciutto and melon to start?" Dad asked.

"And an arugula and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano salad?" I suggested.

"Great. What about dessert?"

"Pistachio biscotti. Perfect for dipping into espresso," I said.

"OK. Nothing super complicated. We can have it all prepped before your mom gets home around 4:00. Given where she's been filming, I'm sure she's sick of Tex-Mex and northern Mexican food. Italian's perfect. She can even get a little nap in before dinner.

As we were putting out shopping list together, Dad's cell phone chimed. He read the message to me:

Nayeli: Flight's delayed an hour. They say it's the weather in Chicago.

Dad typed out his response: Bullshit. Clear as a bell. No worries. We've got dinner in hand. Can't wait to see you. (Kissing face emoji)

We made a shopping list and headed out to the supermarket. By 3:00PM, we had pretty much everything prepped and ready. I decided it was a good chance to take a little nap. Even though I'd gotten a decent night's sleep, cumming three times in just a few hours can really take it out of you, literally.

As I climbed the stairs, my phone chimed:

Darius: Hey U. Still on for (coffee cup emoji) tomorrow? I've been looking forward to it all week

Me: You bet. CU@The Deep Steep tomorrow@3?

Darius: Wear those tight jeans you were wearing at the supermarket. OK?

Me: And U wear your wrestling singlet, OK?

Darius: ROFL. Right.

I hadn't totally forgotten about Darius. I mean, the guy is really hot and I wanted to get to know him better, but between what happened with Brandon and the night with Ricardo, Tyler and Eddie, he'd gotten pushed back down a notch.

I lied down on my bed and within a few minutes, I was dead asleep.

Two hours later, I woke up to my mom, snuggling up in bed with me.

"Hi," I said, "how was the trip."

"The production went great, but the trip home was just OK. We were delayed an hour out of El Paso, then it took forever to get my luggage, and, of course, the cab line at O'Hare was endless. But I'm here now. I missed you, hijo. You've had quite the few weeks."

"It's been crazy, that's for sure. We can talk about it over dinner. Why don't you take a little siesta yourself?" I asked.

"Great idea. I could use a shower, too."

After catching up on some chats and a little homework, I headed back downstairs to get dinner ready. Dad already had things organized.

By 7:45, we had tucked into the appetizers and we were just about to start on our pasta when the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting anyone, Jaime?" Dad asked.

"Nope, but I'll get the door."

I stood up on my tiptoes to see through the magic eye and was surprised to see Seán and Connor standing on the front porch. I opened the door and picked up on a sense of panic from the two of them as soon as I could look them in the eyes.

"What's up guys? You wanna come in?" I asked.

"Are your rents home?" Seán asked.

"Yeah, my mom just got back today. We're just having dinner," I said.

"I'm really sorry, Jaime," Connor said.

I opened the door wide to let the two of them in. Connor was carrying a backpack stuffed full. Seán, who was pale in the best of times, was white as a sheet. The two of them were shivering. I looked over to my mom and dad and said, "You remember Seán O'Hanlon from my gymnastics team and this is Connor Kim."

"Hi, Seán. Nice to meet you, Connor," Mom said. "Come in. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thanks, Ms. Fine-Cruz," said Connor.

"It's Nayeli. Is everything OK?" Mom said.

"It's OK, guys. Whatever you need to tell me, you can say in front of my folks," I said.

Connor spoke first, "I came out to my parents today. First, my mom said I was nothing but a disappointment to them. Then, my dad said I brought shame to the family and told me to get my things and never come back. He stood there, holding the door open until I had packed up my stuff. My mom was crying. She couldn't even look me in the eye when I walked out. I have nowhere to go."

Seán had started crying softly as Connor told his story. When Connor had finished, Seán said, "I haven't come out to my folks yet. I'm afraid that if I explain what happened to Connor, they'll figure out that I'm gay, too, and could throw me out too, so he can't stay at my house either."

"I don't get it," Connor said, "I've been almost a straight-A student my whole life. I've never been in trouble. First, they think I'm a failure because I want to be a vet instead of a doctor for humans, then they throw me out because I'm gay? Who would do that to their own kid? How fucked up is this? My whole fucking life is ruined now." Connor, who'd been holding back as best as he could, broke down in sobs on Seán's shoulder.

My parents looked at each other shocked, then Dad said, "Connor, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. We have a bed in the basement. Don't worry, it's more like a spare bedroom than a storage space. But give your parents some time, maybe they'll come around. This was obviously a shock to them."

"Seán, you can stay tonight, too," Mom said, "if you want to. I bet that Connor could use your support. I'm guessing that you two are more than just friends, right?"

Seán nodded. "I'll call my folks and let them know. They're pretty strict. They're probably gonna wanna know that you're home."

"No problem," Mom said. "Seán, I've met your folks at gymnastics meets. They seem really nice, although I honestly don't know them well. Are you sure that your coming out is going to be an issue for them?"

"I don't know. They're not really homophobic, but they're also super religious, so I'm not sure how they'll react. I mean it's one thing to say something nice about someone else's kid who turns out to be gay, but it's something else when it's your own kid, right?"

"Are you guys hungry? Can I make you something?" I asked.

Connor and Seán both nodded their heads.

"Connor and me have just been wandering around since like 5 o'clock. He called me after his parents threw him out. I ran over to find him. He was just sitting on a bench at a bus stop. We both just sat there in shock. It took a while for either of us to think about what to do next. We just held onto each other and cried. Then I remembered that Tyler had said that if I needed help, to get a hold of you guys. Your house was the closest, so we came here. We're so sorry to cause you so much trouble."

Mom stood up from the table and walked over to Seán and Connor. She pulled them into a hug and said, "It's OK. You guys did the right thing to come here. We'll help out any way we can. Seán, do you want to call your folks and let them know you're staying over?"

While Seán called his mom, I tried to figure out what I could make for the guys in a hurry. We had a loaf of challah sitting on the counter. I pulled some ham, eggs and Swiss cheese from the fridge and got to work on making a sort of Monte Cristo sandwich.

"Hi, Mom," Seán said. "Yes, I'm fine. I know, I just kinda ran out of the house, but I'm OK. Ya know Jaime from the gymnastics team? I'm over at his place and he's invited me to stay over, OK? No school tomorrow and his folks are here....Sure...Here's his mom."

"Hi, it's Nayeli... I'm fine, thanks. Just got home from two weeks out-of-town on business... You're right. I'm soooo glad to be home...It's no trouble at all. Jaime's invited Seán and another friend Connor to stay tonight. We've got plenty of room and the boys are certainly old enough to take care of themselves. How are you? Glad to hear it...No worries. I'm sure I'll be seeing you at a gymnastics meet soon. You, too. Take care. Do you need to speak to Seán again? Ok then, Bye."

Mom handed the phone back to Seán and said, "OK, all set. I think we can find a new toothbrush for you to use tonight, Seán, and there's shampoo, soap and towels in the bathroom downstairs, but it's only a little after 8, after you have something to eat, maybe you guys can head up to Jaime's room and play video games? Or you can hang out down here and we can all watch a movie together. Whatever you feel like doing. Connor, do you need a toothbrush?"

"No, I'm good. I packed one into my backpack." Connor paused and his upper lip started to tremble. "I don't know how to thank you for this. I would probably be sleeping on the bench at the bus stop. It's pretty cold out, tonight."

"It's no trouble, honestly," Dad said. "I still can't believe what happened to you. I thought that parents throwing their kids out for being gay or trans was over and done."

"It's not, Dad. Mr. Choi told us that something like 40% of homeless teens are LGBT. Most of them are either thrown out of their houses or are in situations that are so bad that they run away. The lucky ones get into shelters, but a lot of them wind up selling themselves just to have a place to sleep or something to eat. Some end up as addicts because their lives suck so bad."

I put the sandwiches onto plates and opened up a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips.

"Here you go, guys. It was the best I could do on such short notice," I said.

"What the hell, Jaime. No hand cut, home-made truffle fries? You're losing your touch," Dad joked.

Seán and Connor sat down at the table and I set the plates down in front of them. They'd obviously been starving. We hadn't finished our own dinner yet, so Mom, Dad and I ate alongside Seán and Connor.

Mom filled us in on some of the places she'd been during her production trip, as well as some of the challenges of filming along the border. It sounded like it had been a really tough, but rewarding experience for her.

Dad got up and made a pot of espresso and I set the plate of pistachio biscotti down on the table.

"Who wants espresso?" Dad asked.

Seán and I raised our hands.

"I'm exhausted. I don't want anything keeping me up tonight." Mom had turned to Dad with a knowing look. The corners of my mouth turned up, but Seán and Connor still looked shell shocked and didn't pick up on it.

"Hey, guys," I said, turning to Seán and Connor, "I think you need to put this awful experience out there on social. Not enough people know that kids can still get kicked out of their homes just for being gay. Let's go shoot something. We need to get it posted tonight, the sooner, the better."

"The PR machine is back in business," Dad said proudly. "You boys are in good hands here. Jaime's got a real talent for this stuff."

I ran upstairs to get my steady mount as the wheels started to turn in my brain.

Back downstairs, I grabbed the car keys and told Connor and Seán to throw on their jackets and for Connor to grab his backpack.

"Mom and Dad, Connor, Seán and me are going to shoot a quick video over at the bus stop at Green Bay and Noyes. It shouldn't take too long. I'm guessing we'll be back in an hour, tops, OK?"

"OK. It's chilly. Do you guys need heavier coats?" Mom asked.

We all shook our heads, knowing that we weren't going to be outside too long.

We got into the car for the ten-minute ride.

"Connor, you're going to have to improvise a bit, but this video needs to be short, under 30 seconds or people lose interest."

I threw out a few ideas for Connor to use. It being a Saturday night, there wasn't too much traffic and I found a place to park right near the bus stop.

Luckily, there was no one at the bus stop and the street lighting made for an appropriately depressing look. I got set up in just a couple of minutes. It took Connor about five takes to get everything down but by the fifth take, his delivery was perfect, he was freezing and he was emotionally spent. The tears were rolling down his cheeks. Not even the most heartless homophobe couldn't help but feel for the kid.

"My name is Connor Kim. Until today, for me, rebelling against my folks meant telling them that I wanted to be a vet instead of people doctor. Until today, I lived at 1451 Noyes Street in Evanston, Illinois. Until today, when I told my parents that I was gay. They threw me out of the house and told me never to come back. I spent a long time sitting on this bench, panicked, nowhere to go. Everything stuffed into this backpack. Two friends were there to help me out and I won't be sleeping here tonight. But my future isn't looking great right now, with no job and no way to pay for college. I can really use a hand."

We ran back to my place and I sent the video over to Connor's phone. He posted it to all of his social media accounts. Then I reposted the video to my accounts and texted Eddie, Tyler and everyone else I could think of to have them repost the video from Connor's account to theirs and spread the word.

"OK, guys, this is gonna take a little whiile. Let's go up to my room and play some video games, OK?"

At 11:00PM, I had Connor check his feed, over fifty likes, twenty hearts and sixty-seven cares. The comments were 95% positive, with some suggesting social service agencies that could help and others offering to put him up for free through high school. The most interesting thing that came out of the comments was scathing hatred for Connor's parents. The original video had been reposted over 100 times, meaning that everyone who reposted it was getting comments and reactions as well.

"Working like a charm," I said. "How are you guys feeling?"

"I'm just exhausted and really, really sad," Connor said. "I'm glad that so many people want to help, but I honestly can't think about anything right now. Do you mind if I just go to bed?"

I leaned down and gave Connor a hug, then gave one to Seán as well. "I'm really sorry, I got so wrapped up in doing this video, I forgot that you guys have to be fried. Let me take you down to the basement and get you set for bed."

We walked downstairs and I explained to the guys where everything was. I had grabbed a bottle of lube before leaving my bedroom and had discreetly tucked it into my pocket.

I pulled it out and handed it to Seán. "I'm not sure if you're going to be in the mood, but if you both feel like doing anything more than just cuddling, this might come in handy."

"It's been a horrible day, Jaime, I think we're just gonna get into bed and go to sleep," Connor said, "but thanks for everything. I really would have been screwed without you and your family."

I walked back up to my room and picked up my phone, surprised to see a new text message:

Tyler: Sup dude? Just off work. WTF w Connor? His parents are (poo emoji)

Me: Seán's staying over 2nite 2. Connor's a mess

Tyler: Social's lit up over him. Eddie, me and a bunch of other kids r gonna go grab a coffee and maybe some (pie emoji). Wanna come?

Me: Sounds fun, but I'm gonna stay put in case Connor or Seán need anything. Can't even imagine...

Tyler: OK. Sleep tight. (heart emoji) (hug emoji)

Me: (kissing face emoji)

I slipped into bed and tried to sleep, but sleep fought back. No position felt comfortable, as thoughts kept creeping up into my brain uninvited. I couldn't even imagine what Connor was experiencing. I also realized how good I had it with my own folks, not only not caring that I was gay, but willing to help Connor out. What more could I do to help him out? Eventually, exhaustion won out and I drifted off to sleep.

At 7 a.m., my bladder woke me up and I made a quick bathroom run. Just before climbing into bed again, I instinctively picked up my phone. There was a message from Tyler at 3:10AM:

Tyler: Check this out.

He'd sent photos of someone's front lawn covered with signs: "Koreans welcome. Homophobes no," "Child abandonment is a crime," "Hate has no place here," "Your kid's a hit, but you are (poo emoji)," "He's better off without you," "(heart emoji) your (rainbow flag emoji) kid," and "Jesus is pissed!" There were also photos showing that the entire yard had been covered in toilet paper.

Tyler: Someone's mommy and daddy gonna be surprised fo sho. LOL. Time to get some sleep. Tell Connor we (heart emoji) him and we're his new family

I had kind of expected to get a reaction from social media. After all, throwing out a smart, nice, respectful kid onto the street isn't exactly a cool thing to do.

After reading Tyler's text message, I checked out the social media feeds. Man, this had blown up big time, including some local celebrities and even a few national ones commenting. I guess I'd forgotten that Eddie's ex-girlfriend Mia has a huge following on social and Ashley has some pretty famous acquaintances though her mom. Literally thousands of reactions, nearly all of them in support of Connor, including posts with the photos of the Kim's front lawn covered in signs and toilet paper. There were a couple of comments in support of the parents, including one particularly disgusting one that said that a cancer needs to be cut out and that they had helped to save society, but those comments were met with literally hundreds of replies against them.

By now, I was too worked up to go back to sleep, so I headed down to the kitchen to make some breakfast for everyone. We'd all gone to bed pretty early, even if some of us hadn't slept too well, so I figured they'd be up pretty soon.

Walking down the stairs and toward the kitchen, I passed by the door that leads to the basement. I walked on tiptoes, not wanting to wake anyone up. I paused for a second, just wanting to hear if they were already awake. I smiled. Seán and Connor were obviously enjoying the benefits of the lube I'd left for them. Nothing like a good night's sleep to put a fresh perspective on things, right?

I continued on into the kitchen and got a full pot of coffee going. A peek into the fridge yielded some Italian sausage, red peppers, onions and mozzarella. I'd get a frittata going. Easy to make and just as good at room temperature as hot. I wasn't sure how long Connor and Seán were going to go at it...or my folks, for that matter. They hadn't seen each other for a couple of weeks, and in that time, I'd learned a lot about them, too. I mean, I had to have inherited my sex drive from someone.

By 8:00, the house was filled with the smell of breakfast. I'd also cut up some fruit and made a quick cinnamon-yogurt sauce to serve with it.

Dad was the first to come downstairs.

"Morning," I said, "How'd you sleep?"

"Your mom was sound asleep by 10:00. I wasn't far behind. She should be down in a few minutes. Thanks for getting breakfast on. Mmm. That frittata smells great." He grabbed a cup and served himself some coffee.

And as Dad had said, Mom arrived about ten minutes later, looking much more rested than she had the night before.

"I just want to say how proud I am of you, Jaime," Mom said. "You'd obviously told Connor that you'd be there for him if he needed your help. True friends last a lifetime. I'm sure he'll remember this for the rest of his life." She gave me a hug, then poured herself a cup of coffee.

Seán poked his head out of the basement door, Connor right behind him.

"We heard voices upstairs, and something smells delicious, so we headed up the stairs,"

"How are you doing, Connor?" Mom asked.

"I'm a little better this morning. I guess the shock is starting to wear off, plus, I slept really good. It was nice to have someone to cuddle up to. That helped."

Seán blushed.

"Grab some coffee. We've got an Italian sausage frittata, some fruit and toast," I said.

Everyone helped themselves and sat down to enjoy the early Sunday brunch. As I poured everyone a second cup of coffee, the doorbell rang.

"Who the hell would be ringing a doorbell at this time on a Sunday morning? Even the Jehovah's Witnesses are still asleep," Dad said. "I'll get it."

None of us paid much attention as Dad left the kitchen to answer the door. After what seemed like an unusually long time to politely blow off a third-tier political candidate or an overzealous religious missionary, Dad returned to the kitchen followed by a middle-aged Asian couple and a boy of about fourteen who looked to be their son.

All of a sudden, the kitchen went silent and the blood drained from Connor's face.

"Oh, God, are you here to kill me now? Or maybe you're just going to throw my birth certificate and passport in my face so you can get rid of the last traces of me in the house? Did you delete all of my pictures? Haven't you hurt me enough? Just go away already, please."

Connor's father replied in lightly accented English, "We're here to take you home."

"Why would I want to go home with you? So you can tell me how I've ruined your lives? How I'm a miserable excuse for a son? How I've brought dishonor to the family?"

Each sentence Connor spoke made his parents seem to shrink. His little brother was crying.

"How the hell did you even find me, anyway?"

His mother spoke in a voice almost too low to hear, "This morning, we remember about a app we put on your phone last year to track you."

"You what?" Connor screamed. "You couldn't even trust me to tell you where I was going? You had to act like spies and track me? What kind of sick people are you? You didn't even have the decency to tell me?"

"It's not like that," Connor's dad replied. "It's dangerous here. Not like in Korea. Everyone has guns here. Kids get shot in school. We just wanted to be able to find you if you couldn't tell us where you were."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Connor asked.

"Because we knew you'd think we were spying on you and you would have been upset," Mr. Kim said.

"Whatever. You're here now. You know I'm alive. Now please go. I'm tired of being your daily dose of disappointment, even though I'm a good student, have never been in trouble and have always shown you respect."

Mr. Kim averted Connor's eyes, "Yesterday, after you left, your brother got very angry. We took away his phone and sent him to his room. He said he wasn't coming out until you came home. We had to drag him out of his room this morning to come here. Then your sister called this morning from college. She said she saw a video that you had posted online and couldn't believe what we had done to you. She said that she was cutting us out of her life and that if she ever decided to have kids, that they would never know their grandparents because what we had done was so awful. She said that we were lucky to have a son like you and that we were the disappointments. Then, she hung up on us.

"This morning, when I went to take my walk, I saw all those signs in front of our house saying that we were terrible people. I passed neighbors who had always been friendly. Today most completely ignored me. Some even called me awful names.

"When I got home, I talked to your mom and told her that we had made a terrible mistake. She started to cry and said she hadn't slept all night worrying about where you were. If you were cold. If you were hungry. We didn't remember about the app on your phone until this morning.

"We came here to tell you that if anyone has brought shame to this family, it is your mother and me. This is not Korea in 1980. Even Korea today is different than it was when we were kids. We're so very sorry. Please come home."

As his father spoke, the anger slowly subsided in Connor's face. His fists unclenched and his breathing slowed. Tears began to stream down his face.

Mrs. Kim said, "You can be a animal doctor, if that's what you really want. We will be disappointed that you will never have children, but we want you to find a person who is good and kind and makes you happy,"

"Who said I'll never have kids? There's lots of ways that gay couples can have kids nowadays," Connor said. "And I've already met someone I think is special."

Seán, who'd been watching the goings-on in stunned silence with the rest of us, turned to Connor and seemed to melt.

"This is Seán. He goes to school with me. He's my boyfriend. If I go home with you, he has to be welcome to visit our house, too," Connor said.

The Kims turned to Seán. Mr. Kim extended a hand, "It's nice to meet you, Seán. Would you like to come over for dinner sometime?"

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. and Mrs. Kim. I'd love to come for dinner. And unlike Connor, I actually love kim chee." Seán smiled weakly. Even the corners of Connor's mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"Well, Connor's hate for kim chee still makes us sad, but we can live with that one," Mrs. Kim said.

"Would anyone like some coffee or tea?" Mom asked.

"No, thanks, we've caused enough trouble for you. We're sorry to interrupt your breakfast. Thank you so much for taking care of Connor. We're happy he has such good friends who would watch out for him, even when we caused him so much pain."

"Give me a couple minutes to get my stuff and we can go home," Connor said.

Connor's brother ran over and hugged him tightly. Then Seán and I did the same.

"Jaime, you'll never know how much what you and your parents did for me means to me. I will remember how kind you were for the rest of my life."

And with that, Connor turned, packed up his stuff, accepted hugs from his own family and headed out the door.

"I'm sure the little social media post you cooked up last night was the little added push that got the Kims to show up this morning," Dad said.

"I guess it worked out OK," I said.

"That was like watching the final chapter of one of my mom's telenovelas," Mom said.

I couldn't help but notice that Seán was the only one of us not smiling.

"What's up, Seán? That ended OK, right?" I asked.

"Now I have to come out to my parents, too," Seán said.

"We're here if you need anything," Dad said.

"Remember what coach Melnyk always says, 'We're brothers. We're there for each other.' We've got your back, Seán." I leaned over and gave him a hug. "Anyone want more frittata?"

Seán nodded, held out his plate, and forced himself to smile.

End -- "Tripod" -- Chapter 22