Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2018 20:41:10 -0500 From: James Heady Subject: With Love We Can be Human--Chapter 10 With Love We Can be Human By James Disclaimer This story deals with sexual and romantic situations between teenaged males. Should you be offended by such material, or if you're not of the legal age to read such materials, then please find something else to read. Please remember to donate to Nifty as it keeps these stories free to the public. Finally, I can be reached at jamesheady1985@gmail.com should anyone wish to communicate about the story or anything else. Everyone enjoy, and I hope everyone's holidays went well. With Love We Can be Human Chapter 10 Brandon It was coming up on the weekend for Torey and I to stay at the center. I was excited to see it in more depth and meet some of the other kids there. It would also be nice to spend more time with Torey and I wanted to get closer with him as my feelings were growing deeper for him as the days went by. We talked on the phone like usual when I wasn't doing my summer job and I was amassing a good amount of money from my work. I thought about this and it brought a smile to my face. I was thinking of getting Torey a gift that would express my feelings for him as a friend without making him feel pressured in to more than friendship too quickly. I figured that I would come up with something soon. 0000 Austin The friendship between Ryan and I was progressing nicely. I would stay with him in the evenings if I didn't have anything to do at the house with my family, though I made time for them a few nights and on the weekends. They were really happy that Ryan and I were friends and that I was treating him as kindly and nice as I was. His mom liked that as well and I was glad to have him in my life. The week that closed June was the one on which he had his 14TH Birthday and we all were going to be there. He was excited since he would get to meet Torey for the first time. Their paths hadn't yet crossed, but that would change the day of his Birthday Party. This would be the Friday after the weekend that Brandon went to Torey's place for the first time to actually spend the weekend. It would be on a Friday and we were all looking forward to that. I knew exactly what I was getting for him and I was doing some yard work for a few people in order that I could save up enough money to get for him what I had in mind. I was sitting in my room and admiring the gift he made for me that one weekend we were together at his house for that first weekend of knowing one another. He told me to wait until I got home to look at what he had made. When I opened it, it was a picture of him and I sitting by a stream on a cloudless sunny day with a couple of trees behind us. We had our arms around one another and were smiling and above it, it said: "Best friends for always!". I loved it and put it up where I could always see it. I thanked him for it the next day when we talked and he was happy that I enjoyed it. So it was partly with this thought in mind that I decided to get something for him as well. 0000 Ryan Ryan sat by his two trees thinking about the up-coming week on which his Birthday was soon to arrive. He was excited that he would have Austin and all his other friends around him, as well as being able to meet Torey for the first time. He figured that it would be a good day and sometimes he worried that he'd have trouble sleeping on the nights leading up to that day, but he was sleeping well so far. He continued to sit there thinking especially of Austin and how they spent weekends together and if not that when they had other plans, then they would at least spend the afternoons together on the weekdays. He loved all of their time together and he also loved when they'd spend nights together with them lying in one another's arms all night. His attraction for Austin was getting stronger and stronger. He was thinking of how to tell him about this. 0000 Austin I was sitting with Brandon on the Wednesday of the week before Ryan's Birthday. We were sitting outside of the restaurant we all ate at when we first met Torey. We were having lunch and after Brandon cleared our trash from the table, he sat back down. I was thinking of how to tell him about my feelings for Ryan. I knew he knew, but I wanted advice on how to talk to Ryan about it and thought that Brandon might have some ideas. "I'm glad we got together for lunch and thanks for inviting me to it," Brandon said as he sat back down. "You're welcome," I replied. "I did have another reason for inviting you to lunch." "I guessed that," he said. "I don't know what it is, but I can always tell when you have something on your mind." "Well, we've known each other long enough so that I've probably become easy to read," I said. "So what's going on?" he asked. I waited for a moment, then looked at him. "I think I'm in love," I answered and waited for his reaction. He smiled and gave me an understanding look. He didn't laugh or tease me which was good. I needed to know that he, or anyone understood or at least that I would be taken seriously with what I was feeling. "Is it Ryan?" he asked softly so that only I could hear him. "Yeah," I replied. "How did you guess?" "It's the way you look at him," he answered. "You always have this smile when you look at him. You also have this look in your eyes when you look at him and are speaking to him. It's a kind loving look. That's the best I can describe it." "Yeah, I guess I do," I said. "You're right though, it's Ryan that I have feelings for. He's so loving and caring towards me as well as towards everyone he has in his life and has any contact with in his life even when he meets them for the first time. I just hope he feels the same for me, and that I'm not reading too much in to his gestures of friendship he's communicated to me so far." "Oh, I'm sure he feels the same way about you," Brandon replied. "He has just as happy of a look when he looks at you as you do with him. I think you guys would make a good couple." "I hope we can be together," I said. "I just wonder if his mother would be okay with it. She hasn't gone in to huge detail, but I know she worries about him getting with a boyfriend who might use him just for sex or some equally selfish needs. I worry about that happening as well and I hope she doesn't think I'd be that kind of guy to him." "If you keep treating Ryan as good as you do, I don't think she'll worry about you hurting him and that might make her trust you more as things continue to progress with you and Ryan," Brandon responded. "I'll keep all that in mind," I answered. We finished talking, then I had to get back home to get the house cleaned up. We hugged goodbye, then I was off. 0000 Brandon I finished my drink then threw it in the trash, then headed back to my own house. I was happy to see that Austin and Ryan might be getting together as boyfriends and they definitely had my support. I hoped it all went well for them. I thought about all of this as I walked back home, as well as thinking about my own feelings for Torey and my own hopes for us to become boyfriends soon. 0000 Torey That week leading up to the weekend of Brandon coming to stay with me at the center was hot and it would be sunny one day, then rainy the next day. I enjoyed the rainy weather which made me think of Brandon and I cuddled in my bed lying in one another's arms. I loved that thought and soon it would be here. I thought of all this as I got my room cleaned up that Thursday in preparation for Brandon to come to our place the next day. After cleaning was finished, I went out in to the kitchen and saw that Todor was with Michael and they were looking over a couple of places he missed when cleaning the counters. He cleaned them, then turned to sit down at the table with something he had in a glass. I said hi to both of them and they both responded in kind. "Where's Misho?" I asked as I sat down across from Todor. "He's finishing up some work in the yard," Todor's note read when he handed it to me. "Is he about done with it?" I asked. "He'll be in a few minutes," he replied. "Cool," I responded. We talked a little more, mainly about what we would do that night if he and Misho decided to hang out with me in either their or my room before we all had to be in bed. After we talked, I heard the door to the house open and close. I turned and saw Misho walking towards his and Todor's room. He ran a towel over his face and through his hair, but I could tell that he was soaked from the heat. His shirt was sticking to him and was dark with sweat. He waved at both of us and smiled when he moved his hand in Todor's direction. Todor waved back then I heard the bedroom door close and the shower start up. I looked at Todor and he was trying to keep his face arranged in a look of neutral emotion, but he was failing badly at it. I was smiling. "You don't have to hide it," I said. "I can tell how you feel about him. He really likes you too." Todor looked at me with a look half of worry and half of hope as he wrote something on his pad. He handed it to me and I looked at it. "Yeah, we sleep in the same bed and are physically affectionate with one another, but I worry some of the time if he'd really go for someone like me. I worry that he'd get tired after a while of having to communicate with me the way we do and what if he were to just leave or make up some excuse and then leave?" "From what you've told me as we've gotten to know one another," I began. "I can understand why you feel the way you do. I really don't think he'd do that to you at all. I've watched him with you. He really does care for you and I'd even say that he's in love with you or just about there." Todor smiled and seemed to be a little more calm now. "Thanks," he answered. "You're welcome," I said. "I'm glad I could help." After Todor finished his drink which I saw was ice-tea, he waved goodbye to me, then pointed at the closed bedroom door where Misho was and I assumed was still showering. I waved back then went off to my room to read for a bit. 0000 Todor After making sure that my clothes were in the hamper and the room was still clean from when I cleaned it earlier that morning, I sat down on the bed and looked up when Misho came out of the restroom with a towel wrapped around his middle. I looked at his skin that looked smooth and felt both love and sexual need for him at the same time and not for the first time. I also thought about how nice it felt now that I was changed in to just a pair of thin running shorts that are the type with an elastic band along with a thin t-shirt. That's usually what I would where when relaxing in our room. He walked over to the dresser and after removing his towel, he got out some boxers and turned to face me. He was even more bold as he stood there all but practically wanting me to look at his naked body in general and his cock in particular. I looked at them and didn't even make a pretense of hiding my interest or that I was actually looking at all of him this time around. He smiled and our eyes met, then he put on his boxers, but not before I saw that his cock was half-hard and his balls were pulled up tight against his body. I knew how that felt. He put on a pair of shorts that were more for relaxing as well as a T-shirt made for the same and came over to where I was sitting. I felt my cock going soft, but still feeling like it could get hard again at any moment. He sat down beside me and moved close to me and I put my arm around him and gently pulled him closer and stroked his hair with my other hand for a moment. He relaxed his body and I just held him for a moment. 0000 Misho I felt Todor's arms around me making me feel safe and loved. I enjoyed when he stroked my hair a moment ago and I was falling harder and harder for him every day and I was trying to figure out how to tell him about it. I wondered if he'd think himself not deserving of a loving relationship with me or anyone and reject me on those grounds and I also worried that I might not be able to be a good boyfriend to him in the beginning or long-term down the road. I still wanted to try though. I remembered when we first began sharing his bed and how special it was when we got to that level of comfort with one another. 0000 Back in February when we had known one another for almost two months at that point, we would lay in one another's arms for a while talking before it was time for us to get to bed. That time was so special and it was a few weeks before that sometimes we'd rub one another's backs. Todor had initiated that and it was amazing to feel his warm soft hands rubbing up and down my back and shoulders. So on a Friday night at the beginning of February, we had been talking, then his bed time alarm went off. We hugged goodnight, then I stood to go back to my room. Todor was lying under the covers just in his boxers and only his head was visible. I went to the door in preparation to leave to go back to my room when he tapped once on the bed-side table. That was his way we came up with to get my attention if he needed to say something and I couldn't see him at the moment. When I heard the tap, I turned around to face him with my back to the still closed door. He looked at me, then motioned with his hand for me to come to him. I did and once at the edge of the bed, he scooted closer to the wall which the bed was pushed up against, then he held out his hand and moved it towards him. He didn't need to write down what he was communicating with his eyes and that hand gesture. "Please stay with me," it said. "You'd like me to lay with you for a little while?" I asked. He shook his head "No.", then reached for his pad and wrote for a moment. "Please stay with me all night," the note read when he handed it to me. He began writing again. "I really enjoy having you close and I sleep well, but I don't like when we have to be apart for the night." I smiled, then motioned for him to move the covers aside, then I climbed in to bed with him. It was warm in the bed with Todor. His body heat as well as the warm covers were relaxing me, but also causing my penis to awaken. I wasn't full-blown horny yet, but I knew that that was a possibility given how attracted I was to this hot boy. Once the covers were over both of us and the light shut out, I lay there silent for a few minutes. Todor was lying on his back and I wondered if he was close to falling asleep, then he turned and hesitantly put his arm around me. I smiled and nodded my head for him to keep it there and I snuggled closer to him. He stroked my hair for a moment, then pulled me closer so that our stomachs were touching. I was growing hard now and tried to think of other things, but it wasn't working. Todor was already hard and he was looking in my eyes as I awakened fully. I was still relaxed enough and as I relaxed my body, I relaxed in Todor's arms and soon my cock went soft again and Todor's did soon after. Can we sleep like this every night?" I asked closer to sleep at that point. Todor nodded his head and smiled, then lay it back down on the pillow. I was soon deeply asleep in the love of my life's arms. 0000 Remembering all of that made me feel even more relaxed and I looked up at Todor as he continued holding me in his arms. "The door's locked and we don't have to do anything for the rest of the day," I began. "How about us losing these shirts and I'll rub your back." Todor smiled and removed his shirt as if it was on fire. I laughed and he smiled back at me. I went to remove mine, but he came up to me and put his hand up to stop me. He looked questioningly at me and pointed at his right hand, then my shirt. "You want to help me off with it?" I asked smiling at him. He nodded his head and stepped closer to me as I stood. "I'd like that," I replied. He helped me off with my shirt and I took it and put it on the arm rest of the chair across from our bed, then came over to where Todor was standing and looking at me. He stepped close to me again and put his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around him and we pressed our torsos together and let out simultaneous moans of pleasure as our warm skin touched. Todor was getting hard quickly and I felt his erection growing until it was pressing against my own hardening cock. We pressed together a couple of times and held it. It was wonderful! After pulling our hips back from one another though, I motioned for my love to get on the bed and lay on his stomach. He did and I got on the bed beside him. I began rubbing his back up and down, then began massaging his shoulders. He moaned in pleasure and appreciation. I then began massaging the tightness out of his shoulders, then moved and progressed down his back. "You're really tightened up today," I said softly. He smiled as he looked back at me. "Well, as you can feel, I'm helping you with that," I went on. Todor nodded and gave me another heart-melting smile, then let his head sink back down on the pillow as I continued my massage. Todor returned the favor a few minutes later then we lay in one another's arms and were asleep a few minutes later. Brandon I watched as the car drove away after my parents helped me get my bags settled in Torey's room. I hugged them goodbye, and Torey did the same. They left and it was just the two of us for now anyway. We talked for a bit, then had lunch which was nice. Throughout that day, I got to know some of the other kids there. There was a small extremely shy boy named Ethan who looked 10 though he mentioned once opening up a little that he was 13 years old. There was also a boy named Jordan who was 14, but was bigger than I was. He was bigger and taller, though there was still a little boyishness to his voice, but some man showing through in some of the inflection as well. They were both nice, but still reserved. They seemed to like one another though and I learned as they talked to us that Jordan was helping Ethan with opening up a little more to him and to other people in general. That afternoon, Torey, Todor, Misho and I sat in Torey's room talking. We were talking about me since I was telling them a little more about myself and my family. Torey knew most of it, but I added more that he didn't know, but most of it was new for Todor and Misho. Todor seemed happy when I told them about my dad being a minister and even more so when I told him about how my dad was all inclusive and didn't just mouth the usual liberal talking points about inclusiveness. "Fucking Liberals love to talk all that shit about love and tolerance," Todor's note read. "What do you think of the liberal types like Oprah? Do you think she really cares for the impoverished and people who are oppressed?" "I think she cares," I began trying to choose my words carefully. "I think though, that her caring is for minorities in the way that one cares when hearing about animals being tortured in places like puppy mills. People say it's sad, but then they go home, turn on their TV, then forget about it." "Do you think there's any value in her ideas of thinking positive?" Torey asked and seemed to be addressing all of us. "Think positively and you'll get everything you want?" Misho said scornfully and with a spiteful sneer on his face. Within there was a smile, but it was just as wintery as the tones with which he spoke. "Sure, that can work and we all could stand to try that. Like when we're seven years old. Sorry, but I stopped believing in bullshit like that oh, probably around the time that it really set in about what a violent Bastard my father is. Positive thinking? Yeah, wish in one hand and piss, shit and vomit all over the other one and see which one gets filled up quicker." Though I agreed, I burst out laughing. I hadn't really expected that one and I loved his passion in what he was saying. "I'm glad you feel that way," I responded. "It really is bullshit," Torey added. "Worse of all though, you have people in the name of religion such as The Christian Right who misuse religion to promote the same magical thinking. We have that fucked up movement to thank for psychotic war pigs like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris." Todor made a vocal sound of disgust and mimed throwing a match at a quickly drawn picture of a stack of books with the words "Harris and Hitchens" above them. "Not in to those guys either?" I asked smiling. "We've learned about those guys, both The Christian Right and The New Atheists in our Ethics Class," Todor's note read when he held it up. "This group is nothing more than a cynically manipulated group of people who've been manipulated by four shills for Western Civilization two of whom support our murder of people in The Middle East. These people who are within The New Atheist group are ones who I can empathize with to a certain degree, but given how they've been used by people such as Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens and Dennett, the group really didn't start within the ranks of these every-day individuals themselves, but from these rich white guys. The same goes for The Christian Right, so neither one of those groups are grass-roots movements. They're no different than The Tea Party the members of which had fears and concerns some of which were legitimate and then cynically manipulated by the Koch Brothers so they could get more money and flood our political system which has shut out the voices of every-day people. It's really these three groups who are and have been in control and since there's talk of Donald Trump running for president here soon, who knows what radical hate groups this will empower. So given that these are the conditions in which we live, one can't talk of thinking positively. It's only systems of ethics built within the confines of reality that might if not prevent damage, then at least insure that things don't get worse or remain as they are." "Well said!" I said smiling. I wasn't joking either. Todor seemed to have the beginnings of being an intellectual if he continued on the track that he was on. What he said was true. Corporate interests under the guise of concerned every-day people are in control of our government by way of politicians happy to do their bidding. Insuring that this system goes off without problems, are the people at the top, Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens if one is New Atheist, Pat Robertson if one is of the Christian Right or David or Charles Koch if one is of the Tea Party get people distracted with high taxes if one is libertarian, GLBT Rights and Identity Politics if one is of the New Atheist group or of Neoliberal mindset which is what passes for progressive these days, or fears about evolution if one is of the Christian Right. Once distracted by these issues rather than the real issues such as equal distribution of wealth for everyone, good health care for all and fixing the problems brought about by institutional discrimination and Institutional Racism, these corporate people do what they need to do to run things. Add in their accusations of people such as Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky or similar voices who try to communicate these problems of which Todor spoke at this point, then these corporate forces dismiss them as conspiracy theorists who most likely have ties to Alex Jones or like-minded people. We talked a little more of this and other things, then Torey and I spent what was left of the afternoon talking among ourselves, then we had dinner. It was a really good day and by that evening, we were ready to settle in and get some rest for the evening. Once Torey and I got our showers out of the way and after talking a little more with Todor and Misho, we then said goodnight to them and then went back to Torey's room. We got in bed and after he pulled the covers up over both of us, I relaxed and took him in my arms. We smiled at one another and said goodnight, and after Torey fell asleep, I soon was asleep and dreaming of him all that night. Author's Notes I hope everyone had a nice holiday for Christmas and New Year's. I had a good break from classes, and am back now. Things are going well and I got back to working on this chapter once back on campus and back at the dorms. I hope you guys like this chapter and I'll see everyone in Chapter 11.