33 - Palm Springs Family - A Little Street Music
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This is a work of fiction, involving sensitive and controversial topics and sex, including M/M, M/m and m/m, as well as a few kinky topics along the way... If it is illegal or disturbing or there is any other reason you shouldn't read such stories, then please don't read this one. It is also a 'Coming of Age' story, and no gay boy can truly 'come of age' until he deals with his sexuality... But, sexuality isn't the only important thing in life either...
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There are two families at the heart of this story:
- Alex(35), Kevin(34), Michael(24) + Luke, Steve, Daniel and Diego
- Captain Ken(36), Jared(35), Corey(24) + Nick, Sam, Kurt, Aiden who were adopted several months earlier; Captain Ken was the pilot on the chartered plane that brought the boys back to Palm Springs. They're moving to Palm Springs, and will live next door.
- Javier(23) and Matteo(22), teachers of Spanish and tutors of other subjects, moving in with the family
The boys are listed oldest to youngest, but all are currently twelve. Luke, Nick and Steve will be the first three to turn 13... in the upcoming months.
Others will up show occasionally, but not be a major part of the story, like...
- J+J and their boys, who live behind Alex, Kevin and Michael, and
- Jorge(35), Richard(34), Chris(24) + Chad(16), José (12), Trevor(12) and their families, who are moving nearby...
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Copyright Keith.A 2022, all rights reserved. I'm reachable at OOMMpsf@tenpct.com (OOMM = "Out Of My Mind").
Several people have asked to be notified of new chapters, which I'm happy to do. -Keith
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This chapter sees the boys get out of the house... finally. And it will have long-lasting consequences, and not just for the boys. It will also mark a big change in attitude for the families.
They've spent a lot of time looking backward and looking inward, bonding with each other and finding their bearings after all that has happened to them. This will be the beginning of them looking forward and looking outward. And realizing there are bigger things than just staying home in the pool... just like the dads hoped they would... when they arrived in Palm Springs, seventeen days ago.
There's still one huge hurdle for the dads to overcome. It will be painful but necessary... at least they tell themselves that. We'll see.
AS ALWAYS, EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FICTION
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Thursday
Day 20 After Meeting The Boys
Full Moon Waning
The food part of breakfast is pretty routine... biscuits, ham or sausage, sometimes plant-based which is gaining supporters, eggs of some kind, always with salsa for some, fruit and Spanish. Today is no exception. But the 'boy parts' and the 'dad parts' are noticeable different, and everybody notices.
As the first group of dads are walking in from 'our' dads bedrooms, all of the boys are in the kitchen working on breakfast together, which they've done before, and all the brothers are being very up close and personal with each other... even more so than normal. They're also hearing constant attempts to say things in Spanish.
Alex, Kevin and Javier just kinda look at each other and walk into the kitchen, which certainly doesn't go unnoticed that they're together. They catch several of the boys in very friendly lip locks.
A bit later Ken, Jared and Matteo come in together, which the boys certainly don't miss either.
They all just stand and look at each other.
Luke looks at all of them and says, "What? It was a full moon last night! Ask Steve," which gets a big laugh, although nobody has a clue what that has to do with anything.
Michael and Corey walk in wrapped around each other just as Luke says that. The boys are standing and staring at Michael and Corey, so Michael says, "What? It was a full moon," picking up quickly on what Luke just said, although he doesn't have a clue why Luke said it.
As the boys all look at Javier and Matteo and all of the dads, and how they're paired up, Matteo can't resist and says, "What? It was a full moon. ¿Qué? Era luna llena!" and then he repeats it slower.
They all just burst out laughing... and it goes on for a while. It doesn't keep a few of them from blushing pretty good, but what the hell.
Dad Ken looks at the new kitchen helpers and asks, "What's gotten into you five this morning?"
He really meant to ask, "Why are the five of you helping Aiden, Daniel and Diego with breakfast this morning since you're never done that before?" but that's definitely not how Luke takes it.
While they're standing and debating what they're going to say, Luke blurts out proudly, "Oh nothing. We all eight had sex and slept together last night," which makes several dads almost fall over.
Several boys too. Corey and Michael do almost fall over... laughing, as much at the dads' reaction as what Luke said.
Before they can think of anything to say, Luke continues, "Dads, is there any way we can get bigger beds. We all really liked sleeping in the same bed last night, but it was really crowded. We all turned sideways so we'd have more room," which gets roars of laughter from all of the adults.
The boys, on the other hand look offended. It's not like all the adults came out of their own bedrooms, now is it... well, except for Michael and Corey. So you just know Luke's not going to let them get away with it.
Luke, with hands on his hips, says, "What? It's not like all of you didn't have sex last night... is it?" and the dads see their mistake immediately.
Luke just stands and stares them down, hands still on his hips. The dads just look at each other, knowing full well they're completely busted. So they do the only thing they can, they all bust out laughing... for a long time.
Alex takes charge in the most cowardly way possible, "You know... I'm really starved. Let's eat," which gets objections from the boys... and laughs.
This time Nick, not Luke, looks at the dads and says, "Yeah, sex does make you hungry... doesn't it?" which the adults all try their best to ignore. They just start filling their plates, trying to make a quick getaway.
The boys all laugh as the dads are running out of the kitchen as fast as possible.
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The new routine in the house is for Javier and Matteo to use Spanish as much as possible. If it's something they think the boys (and others) know, it's just slow Spanish. If not, they'll say it in English first and then in slow, clear Spanish... so every time they hear English first they know to expect Spanish next. If anybody doesn't understand or has a questions, they raise at least a finger and J+M will explain or translate.
All the boys and adults too think that Javier and Matteo are amazing at figuring out how to say some pretty complicated things... with very simple Spanish. It lets them understand more than they would have thought, especially this soon. It's also like they spend a lot of time figuring out how to use the words they cover each day in their Spanish lessons a lot thru the day.
They all go back to filling their plates and chatting with each other... and then head outside to sit down.
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As everybody is sitting and chatting during breakfast Ken mentions, "Guys, we're going to look at the house today after lunch. You guys can go with us if you'd like. You can all pick out your bedrooms, and Sam, maybe you can start seeing what kind of ideas you can come up with if you would," which gets a big smile and 'great' from Sam.
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Alex goes somewhere about 8:45AM and comes back a few minutes later. He says to Javier and Matteo, "Guys, I called David and he can see us about 10AM if that's ok."
Javier says it's fine and Matteo says, "Perfect. I have to be at work at 2PM, so that should give us enough time... shouldn't it?" and Alex says he's sure it'll be fine.
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Dad Kevin had been thinking about this for a while and finally decides to say, "Guys, every Thursday night the city blocks off Palm Canyon Drive thru town and there's a street fair, VillageFest it's called, and tonight is Thursday.
"I was thinking it might be fun... maybe walking downtown and going thru the street fair if anybody's interested. If we can find a place we can have dinner too, but with so many people downtown for VillageFest, I don't know if we'll be able to find a place. I think it starts at 7PM, but I'll check. What do you think?"
The boys think about it long enough to figure out it won't interfere with being in the pool most of the day, so they all say that'll be great. They also figure they might at least get pizza.
But just in case, they all look at each other and one of them asks, "Great. Can we have pizza?" which gets a laugh. It never hurts to be sure.
Dad Kevin, trying to look annoyed says, "Fine!" which gets a laugh.
Steve asks Matteo, "What time will you be home? Can you go with us?"
Matteo thinks a minute and says, "Normally we work till 9PM, but if it's slow I should be able to get back by about 7. I'll call and let you know Steve," which gets a smile out of Steve... that he says he'll call him directly.
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Naked Gym Time
They all eat and the boys all scatter, saying they'll be back as soon as they get their shoes on... and a towel for the gym.
This time it's a lot better. With the new weight benches and weights and dumbbells, they can have more naked brothers, big and little, working with the weights at the same time.
In fact, today the dads decide to come out and see how the new equipment is working out. They walk in the door to the shed and almost fall over laughing. Then they get hard.
As they walk in they're presented with the site of three weight benches covered by a naked brother, big or little. They also see several naked brothers using dumbbells, and a couple on the floor doing naked sit ups. It's an image that will stay with them for a while... and keep them a little hard.
And the boys have all been warned about lifting weights without somebody 'spotting' them, so for every naked brother lying on the bench, another naked somebody is standing at their head... ready to help if the weight is too heavy. A scene that looks like it's from a very hot... illegal... porn film... Doesn't help that a lot of them are sporting boners... or that the ones on the bench are staring straight up at it. Damn.
It looks like the new 'ab wheels' are popular too. Luke and Nick are both using one, side by side. And the dads admit that seeing these two, naked, side by side, stretched out with their tight pre-teen bodies... damn.
The dads are naked too, so the boys immediately start trying to get them to join them. They eventually give in, which might have been a mistake.
Luke immediately starts on dad Alex to do sit ups with him, with Luke holding his legs. Dad Alex blushes like crazy when he gets on the floor and Luke is kneeling and holding his legs, staring straight at his dick and balls and almost salivating the entire time.
They look each other in the eyes for quite a bit, both feeling things that one of them is afraid to feel, and the other one is desparate to feel.
They're both hard immediately, but try to ignore it... Luke because he's afraid his dad won't do this again if he says anything, and Alex because he's having so many conflicting thoughts at the moment, that he doesn't really trust himself to say anything.
It's all Luke can do to NOT lean forward and lick him... in several places. Damn. But he doesn't. But the sight of dad Alex's ass and pucker, sitting the way he's sitting and looking at what he's looking at, almost makes Luke cry.
So close, but so far away.
But, they all manage to get thru their 'workout', and all have a great time laughing and joking and bonding with each other, despite all the things that nobody dares to say out loud. Nobody wants to give that up... well, none of the brothers at least. The dads... are very conflicted at the moment.
It also convinces Alex that he really does need to get on with getting this shed and the garage torn down and rebuilt... the shed is way too small for this. He also has a plan for a couple other 'bonding experiences' that he thinks he can work out also.
They work out for almost two hours today, with the big brothers already dreading and looking forward to the shower more than almost anything in recent memory. Doesn't help anybody's boner.
As soon as they head back into the house, Luke starts trying to get the dads to all shower with them. The dads stand and look at each other, and glance at how hard they all are, and chicken out. They make the excuse that they won't all fit as a way to escape doing it.
The boys don't believe them for a second, and Luke looks like he's really going to cry... and the dads aren't doing all that much better. But, Luke and the boys give up and drag the older brothers off to shower, leaving the dads behind. They don't look any happier than Luke at the moment.
The older brothers don't know it, but the boys are having just as hard of a time being hard after these showers as the older brothers. None of them are happy about not being able to do anything about it either, although they've talked about how good sex is because of it... later in the evening.
They really want this to move along, but are really afraid the older brothers will never do this with them again. Nobody is happy.
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As soon as they get into the shower they kinda automatically divide up and two boys each grab a hard sweaty older brother, and Javier and Matteo are prized commodities. Most of the boys haven't had a chance to do anything with them yet. But, like last time, before they turn on the water, the boys decide to do a little pre-cleaning on an armpit... or eight, one boy per armpit. It's great when things work out that way.
Palm Springs gets its water from a large underground aquifer that runs under the entire Coachella Valley. Because of that, the water contains a lot of dissolved minerals and we have very hard water. And at the moment, the water isn't the only thing that's very hard.
The boys also decided without talking about it that if they can't finish what they start, they should at least take longer to not finish what they start. So today, all the rubbing and wetting and rubbing some more is even slower and more agonizing that normal. And they've learned their lesson about licking anything that's going to be licked before soap is applied. And lick they do...
Everybody in the shower is almost in tears by the time they turn off the water and start drying off. Damn it.
At one point all four older brothers, having their armpits licked down by a very eager boy, just stand a look at each other. They all know how much they would have loved to do this at their ages. And none of them believe they'd have the willpower to not take hold of a dick and jerk it off... or suck it off. And several would have loved to dive into any of the hot sweaty ass cracks... Hell, they still would, which isn't helping.
The older brothers all really do enjoy this time with the boys, at least as much as the boys apparently, and the opinions are leaning a lot more in the direction of encouraging the boys to actually finish what they start. It's so agonizing that they're even beginning to waver on their decision that the boys have to initiate it! Damn.
But today isn't that day... apparently.
So everybody leaves the bedroom hard and unhappy.
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NEW SHOPPING
Now that Javier and Matteo are around, they've changed up the shopping routine a bit. Today Michael is in charge of the expedition.
Before they'd plan on one big shopping trip per week, but that presents problems in trying to buy and keep fresh produce and other things around all week. So they've decided they'll do a couple small shopping trips during the week instead.
Now that they have the hybrid Volvo S60, they basically use no gasoline when they're driving around town to shop. Instead, the entire trip uses the battery to drive electrically. And since all the power to charge the car comes from their solar, they don't have to be quite so guilty about making multiple trips.
And as usual, one of their big trips each week is to Cardenas, the large Mexican grocery store. And it usually involves a few of the boys who are always eager to practice their Spanish. And they're all getting a lot more comfortable in simple conversations. They all go and have a great time... who knew shopping could be fun to a bunch of pre-teens.
If anybody wonders why we dads put such an emphasis on the boys learning Spanish, the demographics of the Coachella Valley are that about 50% of the people here speak Spanish as their native language. We believe with all our hearts that the boys will have a much fuller richer rewarding life if they can speak with and get to know that 50% of the valley by meeting them halfway, and learning a bit of their language... Spanish.
We spent enough time learning German that we both passed the German proficiency requirements to take the entrance exams to the German University System. Had we been younger, that would have been an incredible opportunity. But getting to the point we can easily converse with people in German has been a wonderful experience, and we would like nothing more than for the boys to have that same kind of experience. And although speaking German is great when we happen to be in Germany, it doesn't help at all in Palm Springs. Spanish will definitely help the boys.
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Lawyer
Javier and Matteo aren't as nervous this time. They're way more interested in getting their bastard parents completely out of their lives.
The receptionist sends them in immediately and David stands and shakes their hands.
It's all pretty routine. They give David the blank forms they had filled in with their wishes for how they want to die... not a topic for a fun day. He goes thru everything with them to be sure he has no other questions.
They also used one of the forms to do a Last Will and Testament.
It's not complicated, they basically just leave everything to each other. If they both should die together, they leave everything they have to Luke, Steve, Diego and Daniel, which of course hits Alex hard. But he doesn't want to appear ungrateful, so he doesn't try to get them to think of somebody else.
They discuss a few more things, like becoming Registered Domestic Partners, RDPs, or getting married. They really do want to get married, and almost decide that because of Alex and Kevin's help they're financially secure enough to go ahead and do it... or soon will be. But, they're still so worried that things will fall apart, that they'll get tired of them being around, so they decide they better wait.
David tells them he can have everything ready in about a week, and they set an appointment for the following week to have everything signed and notarized.
On the way home Alex hesitantly bring up what happened last night, "Guys, I hope you have no regrets about last night, and I want you to know how grateful we all are for you coming to our room. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you, and I'm sorry it wasn't...
"We all wanted the same thing, but the last thing any of us want is for you to think that's why we love you guys and want you to be here. It's not at all. But... we... I... really do love you guys. We all do," which was as much as he can get out before the tears threaten. Matteo, who's sitting in front, reaches over and rubs his back a bit.
Matteo already has a worried look, "Alex, it was probably the hardest thing we've ever done," which gets a laugh from all three.
Matteo laughs too but says, "That is NOT what I meant (another laugh)... well, I did but... We were scared to death we were wrong and you'd tell us to get out... and stay away from the boys. At this point that would hurt way more than what our parents did," and he can't continue.
Alex looks at him and smiles sadly, "Guys, I'll tell you the same thing we tell the boys... it'll never happen. We really do love you both and really do want you to be part of our lives and family... and it has nothing to do with sex. If you never want to do that again... it won't make any difference at all in how we feel about you, please believe me. When the guesthouse is free we'll help move you in if it's still something you'd like to do."
Matteo looks nervously at Javier and says, "Alex, we've been thinking about that. We don't think we want the guesthouse," which gets a panicked look from Alex.
Matteo sees it and realizes, "No... sorry... sorry... I didn't mean it like that. Would it be ok if we took one of the two empty bedrooms? We don't want to be so separate from you guys... we love interacting with the boys... uhh.. and the adults too... if you know what I mean," which gets howls of laughter, after Alex can breath again.
Alex is surprised, "Really? That would be great, if you're sure. We felt guilty about sticking you in the guesthouse, but we figured you'd want to be able to get away for privacy. We know the boys can be a little intense at times. We'd love to have you actually in the house... where you belong... but if it ends up being too much and you decide you'd rather be in the guesthouse... not a problem," which of course gets 'thank yous' from them.
Javier speaks up, "It's not too much Alex... at all. We love those boys, and you guys... all of you guys. I'm finding I can't think of anything except all you guys when you're not around. Damn, that sounds bad... doesn't it?" and everybody laughs.
Alex, channeling Luke, says, "As Luke would say, nope. Us too, honestly. And guys, there was so much going on yesterday we didn't get around to it... sorry... but Nick and Aiden's old bedroom is empty and ready, so you can move in any time," which stuns Javier and Matteo, even though it's exactly what Alex had already said would happen.
Alex thinks about it a few seconds, "And it's totally up to you guys if you want to just keep it or move to the guest house later. Also, I'm not mentioning it to the boys, so if you're sure you can... but be careful. They're not going to make it easy for you to change your mind if they find out," which gets a little laugh.
Alex adds one more thing, "And guys, what you did in your will... thank you so much. You know those boys ALL love you guys as much as anybody. That was unexpected... but if you're sure... thank you. But, we hope like hell it's never necessary," and they thank him and say they do too.
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Lunch
Since they're possibly eating downtown tonight, if they can find a place, lunch is later than usual.
Nobody had really been willing to get started about what happened last night, but you know Luke.
Luke and Steve go over and sits with Javier and Matteo and says, "So... it looks like you got to know the dads a little better during the full moon," which gets a nervous laugh but isn't exactly a question. J+M look at each other and remember what dad Kevin said about always telling the boys the truth.
Javier just asks, "Is that ok?" wanting to see what they think before he says too much.
Luke, being Luke, just says, "Yep, it's great. How was it?" which causes Matteo to spit out his water... and everybody else nearby to laugh.
Javier decides that if he has to tell the truth, he's not going to say more than he has to, "Guys, it was great spending some time with all your dads. We're both just amazed at how great all you guys are. And Luke it was wonderful... getting to know them better. I hope that's ok."
Luke thinks about it and says, "Yep, it's great... at least for all of you guys," which gets puzzled looks but nobody who hears has the balls to ask what he means.
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Next Door
As soon as lunch is over all the boys get excited about seeing the house next door, even the ones not moving, since they've never seen it, although it's bittersweet. Nobody really wants to move, and nobody really wants them to move.
Sam knows he wants to take lots of pictures and start getting ideas of what would look good. He asks his brothers to pick out their bedrooms... or bedroom... and to take lots of pictures of it, and he'll get his, Kurt and Nick's bedroom, but asks all of them to help with pictures of the other rooms in the house.
Jeff the realtor calls and confirms he'll be there at 1PM, so basically everybody goes over to the house.
This house, like the one they're in now, is an old six bedroom estate with a guest house, on a large lot. It's behind a big sliding gate too. It's kinda funny watching them go in... they almost look afraid, but it doesn't take them long to get over it.
Ken and Jared had picked out their bedroom earlier, and it's a master suite located on the other end of the house from the other four. There is also an old maid's bedroom located right off the kitchen. Corey saw that earlier and said he'd like to have that one, since he figures he'll be cooking at least some of the time, although nobody has a clue how all the meals are going to work with them living in two houses. It's a lot like Michael's room in their house, so they both feel right at home.
Everybody likes the house but they agree it looks a little outdated, but a lot of that are the paint colors and the furniture, which they joke looks like 'old people stuff'. The dads think about warning them that, "payback's a bitch," and they won't be young forever either, but decide they'd just roll their eyes and laugh anyway.
Once they figure out which end of the house is 'theirs' they don't spend much time anywhere else.
Sam, Kurt and Nick go to pick out their room. They want to be sure they end up with a room big enough for all three, just like Aiden, Daniel and Diego want to do also.
They're not sure how often they'll be able to sleep with each other. They're hoping they can take turns at each house and not have to be apart... all of the boys are in a bad mood already, wondering how this is going to work after they have to move.
They decide they like the house a lot, but not quite as much as where they are. As they're going thru, Sam mentions quite a few things he thinks would look good, and the adults are all pretty impressed with what he suggests. He's obviously spent some time thinking about it.
His dads had already said they wanted to have everything painted before they move in, and Sam thinks that would be good... he doesn't much like the wall colors. His dads asks him to think about what colors would look good.
They have a guesthouse too, which is smaller than the one at Alex and Kevin's house. It doesn't have a kitchen but a pretty nice living room and bedroom... and bath of course.
The pool is a bit smaller than where they are, so they figure they'll spend all their pool time at the other house... and so far they haven't found a margarita machine either. Nobody wants to give that up.
Their next project is to get a hole in the wall... even if it's only next door, it's too far to go out to the street and over, plus they'd have to put on clothes. Absolutely nobody wants to do that.
Ken and Jared have already talked to Alex's gardener and pool guy, with some Spanish help from Daniel and Diego, and they'll start as soon as the house is theirs.
It looks like they'll be moving in about a six to eight weeks if everything goes according to plan.
It really is bittersweet... they want to move and they hate the thought of moving both, but right now 'hate it' is winning.
Damn.
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VillageFest
The boys seem to be doing what the dads had predicted... getting a little tired of the pool every day, all day. Not that the dads would ever tell them that. And not that they'd ever admit it anyway.
Regardless of the reason, they're all pretty excited to walk downtown, even if they do have to wear clothes. They're all ready at the agreed upon time of 7PM. A few are taking water with them, but most are afraid they'll need to pee if they drink too much. SO... off they go, talking and laughing about something the whole way.
Matteo had called Steve to say he'd be home about 7:30, so Javier, Luke and Steve wait for him at the house. They didn't want him to have to walk down by himself. The driveway sensor goes off right on time. They stay inside, figuring he might want water or need to pee. He doesn't, so they just head back out together. Steve texts dad Kevin and tells them they're on their way.
They're walking along talking about everything except last night. Finally, against his better judgement, Matteo says, "Guys, judging from the kisses at breakfast it looks like you guys had some fun last night too," which almost makes Steve and Luke blush.
Luke says, "We had a great time with all our other brothers. It wasn't our first time, and it was a lot of fun. It's really nice getting to know them... like that," drifting off into sadness, thinking about never getting to know his dads like that... especially dad Alex.
Luke's mood change is noticed by Javier and Matteo, although they're afraid to ask. Steve notices too, but he knows what it's about... and doesn't have a clue what to say to help.
Steve looks a little lost in thought, but he finally says, "Guys, I'm glad you got together with our dads. We really do love both of you and we both think of you as big brothers, like Michael and Corey, so it's great that you like our dads and they like you," which gets him a side hug.
They decide to chat about different things until they reach Palm Canyon.
:: They had agreed that they'd meet the others near Blue Coyote Restaurant Blue Coyote Restaurant, where they first met Javier and where he still works... some. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Author's Note:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There can be a lot of people and booths at VillageFest, even in the early summer. They get there and the rest of the family is already there - they had been wandering around in this area waiting on them. They greet each other and start walking toward the other (south) end of town, looking at booths and things along the way... especially the people, as there are a lot of gay couples holding hands, which amazes the boys. So several boyfriend groups decide to do the same thing, off and on, which makes all the dads amazingly proud of them for being brave enough to do that. Even Aiden, Daniel and Diego decide 'screw it' and hold hands for part of the way. Kurt, Nick and Sam consider it, but decide they're not quite brave enough for all three to hold hands... and Kurt and Sam don't want to hurt Nick's feelings... so they don't either. - - - Steve spots a booth that immediately interests him. It's the "High Desert Astronomy Club" booth. They stop and talk to one of the guys there, Trace, who's very cute and they're pretty sure he's gay. Steve asks about what the group does, and Trace explains, "We hold monthly get togethers to talk about astronomy. We also do at least monthly campouts, and multiple of our members bring their telescopes for stargazing. "We hold special campouts for things like meteor showers, and an occasional comet viewing, if any are around to look at," all of which really excites Steve, and it's easy for the dads to see his excitement. Steve spends a lot of time talking to them about how it all works, asking some pretty impressive questions about various aspects of astronomy, like what kind and size of telescopes they bring, and how much they can see, how dark it is, since he's never been to the High Desert. Trace figures out quickly that he's not very familiar with the high desert, so he explains that it's exceptionally dark and that it is almost always exceptionally clear skies, since like Palm Springs, it's rarely cloudy and almost never rains. Palm Springs, in a really wet year, gets about six inches (15cm) of rain, and the high desert gets even less. According to Google™, "The sun shines in the Palm Springs, California area more than 350 days a year." Steve takes a brochure and is sure to thank Trace several times, holding his hand shake a little extra long. Trace doesn't seem to mind at all. And it certainly wasn't missed by him that Luke and Steve were holding hands when they walked up... as were Daniel, Diego and Aiden. Trace spends some time chatting with the older brothers, who he's finding very hot. And he's having some pretty vivid fantasies of what they could all do together on a hot summer night under the stars. He wouldn't mind at all. It seems like all of these guys are together, and he wouldn't mind getting to know them a lot better. Too bad the boys are so young. The dads all look at each other, and are interested in following up on the topic. They think it might make a really good family outing. And it's obviously something that Steve is very interested in. Several of the other boys expressed interest also, but the dads aren't sure whether it's because of watching stars or watching Trace, but either will work just fine. - - - As they come to the intersection with Arenas Road the PSGMC, The Palm Spring Gay Men's Chorus, is already doing a show. (link) They do that often to let people know about the group. They do it at this intersection because Arenas Road is kinda the gay retail center of Palm Springs. It's where a lot of the gay bars and other gay businesses are. All of the bars and shops in the block two blocks easts of Palm Canyon are basically gay shops or bars... and one restaurant. They stop and stand, just listening to them singing. They sing a couple songs and then they sing a song Aiden knows and likes. They're standing pretty close in front of the chorus, and Aiden is just standing and watching and starts singing along. The chorus is pretty loud, so Aiden is singing at a pretty good volume too. Kevin notices somebody standing a few feet away look over and then get a big smile. He slowly comes a bit closer and just watches and listens. The chorus finishes the song and everybody claps. The guy who had been watching walks over and introduces himself as Rick, and says he has something to do with the chorus, I didn't understand exactly what he said. He says he heard Aiden singing, which embarrasses him. He asks if he's sung before and Aiden explains quickly about the school chorus. He asks if he'd have any interest in singing with them, which makes Aiden look like he's going to faint. Daniel and Diego tell him he should. He looks at his dads, who look more pale than Aiden. True to form they just kinda shrug their shoulders, which Kevin sees. He turns to his dads and says quietly, "Guys, you need to actually say something here," which embarrassed them. They look at each other and Jared manages to ask Aiden if he wants to sing with them, and says it's up to him. He looks down at the street and says very low, "Yeah, I think I would," which makes them smile... nervously. Kevin says to Rick, the guy from the chorus, "We only found out last night that Aiden sings beautifully. He sang 'Over the Rainbow' and it was incredible," and everybody else tells him how great it was. Ken finally looks ready to say something so he kneels down beside Aiden and says, "Son, it's up to you... but we fully support you if you want to, and you have an incredible voice Aiden," which gives Aiden a big nervous smile. Rick smiles big and says they're planning on singing 'Over the Rainbow' after the next song or two and would love for him to join them if he'd like. He blushes, but manages to say he would. Rick asks his dads if he can take Aiden with him to talk to someone, and points to the person he wants to talk to and assures him they'll be in plain site the whole time. The dads nervously agree. Daniel and Diego ask if they can go with him, and Rick says, 'of course', especially since the three of them are all holding hands the entire time. All four walk over to someone who's standing with a clipboard and Rick says, "Dennis, this is Aiden. I just heard this young man sing along with our last song. He has a great voice and I asked him if he'd like to sing 'Over the Rainbow' with us... He's really good and he's sung that song with a school chorus before," which gets a big smile out of Dennis. He reaches out to shake Aiden's hand and introduces himself, "Hi Aiden, I'm Dennis, pleased to meet you. So you sung in a group before?" They shake hands and Aiden explains he used to sing in his school chorus. Dennis asks, "Have you ever sung a solo?" to which Aiden says he has several times, and 'Over the Rainbow' is one of them. Dennis asks, "Are you comfortable holding the mic and singing, or would you prefer it to be on a stand?" and Aiden says he prefers holding the mic. Dennis says, "Perfect. It's right after this song... is that ok?" and although he looks like he's going to faint, he manages to say it's fine. They all stand around waiting and listening. Daniel and Diego hug him from both sides... they figure it's a gay chorus and probably a lot of the people listening are ok with that. He glances over at his dads and smiles and kinda waves shyly. Aiden looks a little nervous... the dads on the other hand look like they're going to throw up. Kevin and Alex have their hands on Ken and Jared's shoulders. Michael looks like he's literally keeping Corey from falling over. The chorus finishes the next song and Dennis goes over and says something to the director, who turns and looks at Aiden. He leans over to the mic and says, "Everyone... we have a very special surprise for you tonight... and us too (which gets some laughs), so hang on for just a few minutes please." The person Dennis spoke to goes over and says something to the entire chorus, which causes them to all look over at Aiden, which does NOT help Aiden's nerves. He chats with the chorus a bit and comes back to Aiden and introduces himself as Phil, the Music Director, and says, "Ok Aiden. We're going to let you start as a solo and after a bit the chorus will join you as backup. How's that?" and Aiden says nervously, "Ok. I've done that before," so it's all settled. Phil takes Aiden with him and has him stand in front and turns on a mic and hands it to Aiden. He tells him to look at the piano player and nod when he's ready. He steps up to the mic and says, "Everyone, this young man is Aiden. We heard him singing along with one of our songs earlier and he has a beautiful voice. We've asked him to sing the next one with us, but this is completely unrehearsed... so be nice please (which gets a few laughs). Aiden, when you're ready," which gets some applause. The dads and Corey are all looking like they're going to need dry pants. Aiden stands for a few seconds, and of course everybody's watching and there's a bit of chatter about how young he is. He closes his eyes for a couple seconds... then looks over to the piano player and nods. He gets a big smile from the piano player, who starts... playing. It's the standard intro to the song so Aiden knows exactly when he should start. It's getting closer... closer... and then he does it. He opens his mouth and belts out the opening in a loud crystal clear beautiful voice. Everybody just completely stops talking... even moving. Aiden looks like he's mentally somewhere else entirely. He just stands and sings. At a point the chorus joins him. They're singing softer than they would if they were singing it alone. All the family looks around and people are just standing and smiling... and looking completely gobsmacked at this young 'kid' singing this song beautifully. Aiden's voice never falters, he just keeps singing... and singing. At one point, when he's not singing for a few seconds, he turns and smiles big at the chorus, who all smile back... when they can. It's hard to smile while singing. They sing the entire song and finish. Aiden lowers the mic and people start clapping and cheering. He looks more embarrassed about the applause than the singing. He waves a little at the crowd and raises the mic and thanks them... and then he turns and thanks the chorus for letting him sing with them. Phil, the music director, comes back over with a microphone and immediately shakes Aiden's hand and tells him how wonderful he sang. Then he asks him, "Aiden, you have an incredible voice... and you're a very brave young man to do that, especially unrehearsed. Can I ask how old you are," and he says, "I'm twelve," which gets a few gasps from the audience. Phil has his own mic and asks, "Aiden, our last song before our break is 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Is that a song you know?" Aiden with red eyes says, "Yes, sir. I used to sing that song to my gran... before she died," which gets a gasp from the audience... and Phil. Phil is a little taken aback, but manages to say, "Oh... I'm so sorry to hear about your gran Aiden. Would you like to sing that song with us... if it's too hard we understand." Aiden looks at his dads and Daniel and Diego and says, "I'd like that. Can I dedicate the song to my gran... and my new dads and brothers (and points to them) and especially to Daniel and Diego (and points)?" and then says in Spanish, "I love you." And of course Phil says "certainly." Phil turns and says something to the chorus without the mic. He turns back to Aiden and says, "Just nod to Larry, the piano player, when you're ready," and goes back to direct the chorus. Aiden waits for things to settle down a bit, closes his eyes for a moment, looks at the piano player and nods. He starts playing and Aiden comes in at the exact right spot and sings... and sings. At a point the chorus joins him. When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark At the end of a storm There's a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain For your dreams be tossed and blown Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone The applause goes on for quite a while. When it kinda finishes Aiden thanks everybody... and then without prompting walks over and thanks the chorus, and shakes all their hands. That honestly hits the dads and Corey more than his singing. They remember Aiden being so painfully shy that he'd hardly talk to anybody, even his brothers. Daniel and Diego decide 'screw it' and hug the crap out of him and kiss him on his cheeks... several times, which gets even more applause from the people watching. They all blush, and Aiden turns and bashfully waves at everybody and thanks them. Rick and the boys start back to the family, who are all standing there with smiles and red eyes. Fortunately Kevin had his wits about him and managed to get a video of the entire thing, which under the circumstances wasn't easy. After the chorus director thanks everybody and tells them that they'll do another performance later, the chorus takes a break, and a lot of people come by and thank Aiden for singing and tell him what a beautiful voice he has. He always thanks them and tells them he enjoyed it. Somebody asks if he's joining the chorus, and Aiden says, "Can I? I didn't even know about them until just now," which surprises them, and gets a few laughs. The family moves back a bit so they're not interfering with the chorus, who are taking a break. Almost all of them come by and tell Aiden how great he sang and ask him to consider joining them. A few hug him, which he really enjoys... he hugs back. Rick says to his dads, "Aiden that was absolutely amazing. (And then looking at the dads) I really hope you'll encourage Aiden to maybe join the chorus. He has a great voice." The dads are basket cases and can't say anything right now. Kevin looks at Aiden and asks, "Aiden, how was it. Did you enjoy it? Are you glad you did it?" to which he says it was great, and he did and he is. They stand around as a few more people make their way over and tell Aiden and his dads, once they figure out who his dads are, how great he was. Several ask if he's going to be singing with the chorus. The dads finally find enough of their voice to say, "Aiden, son, that was really incredible. (And then to the ones asking) It's totally up to Aiden, but we certainly encourage all the boys to do anything they want to do," which gets a few "I hope he does" comments from people. Rick says, "Aiden, that really was very good. Here's my card. Please think about singing with us... even if it's just a few times. And please come to the next rehearsal if you can... it's Saturday. It'll give you a better chance to see if you like it. Call me and I'll give you the time and place. And the one after that is in about two weeks, if you need more time." He also hands a card to his dads and tells them to call him anytime, and they hope he'll think about joining the chorus, and the dads thank him. All the boys come over and try to hug Aiden to death, including lots of cheek kisses. Jared finally gets it together enough to say, "Son, that really was beautiful. If you want to sing with them... we totally support you." What they don't say is that they're scared shitless about their twelve year old son joining a gay chorus... even in Palm Springs. They keep walking to the southern end of the street fair. Aiden gets recognized several times and a few people stop and tell him he has a beautiful voice. - - - They pass a booth that immediately gets Luke's attention, although he tries to not let anybody see he's interested, but Steve knows Luke will be interested as soon as he spots the booth. It's a booth selling artwork, paintings and drawing, but what really gets Luke's attention are the sculpted figures they're selling. They're various sizes, up to about 12 inches (30 cm) high, of what's obviously a man, in various poses. Some standing, and some balanced on one or two hands, like a gymnast, very muscular, not a lot of detail, just roughly sculpted and shaped male figures. They're very similar to the type of figures that Luke used to sculpt at the group home. The same figures that the lady would sell in her shop in town, although Luke only ever got $10 or so for each one from her. And Steve is convinced that what Luke did looked a lot better, with a lot more detail. He walks close enough to see the prices and is shocked. Some of the bigger ones are priced at over four hundred dollars. Luke sees that too and is shocked. They kinda look at each other with big eyes... She always said they were her best selling item and always encouraged Luke to make more of them. It's also how he earned enough money to buy his and Steve's matching rings. Seeing that Luke isn't going to say anything, Steve walks directly to the booth and picks one of the figures up. Luke knows what Steve's doing and doesn't look all that happy about it, but he follows... kinda. Steve tells the guy in the booth how nice his sculptures look, and they chat for a bit. The dads watch this, not knowing what's going on, and dad Kevin asks, "Steve, do you want one. If so, please get what you want... guys, if any of you want one..." which is exactly what Steve expected, so he has an answer ready. Steve smiles evilly at Luke and says, "I really like them... but not right now. (Turning to the guy in the booth) Are you here a lot?" The guy says that he's here almost every week, and Steve tells him he'll think about it, and that he wants to be sure which one he wants. He takes a card from the guy and asks if he can take some pictures... which the guy is happy for him to do, probably thinking he's going to eventually make another sale. Then Steve nicely asks, "Are you the artist. They're all really good... Do you sell a lot of the sculptures?" which surprises... well, everybody, that this kid would be so... bold as to just ask. The dads too. They're really not sure what's going on. But the guy behind the counter decides it's worth a sale to be nice, so he tells Steve, "I am the artist... I'm Noel. And yeah, they're pretty popular. It's kinda hard to make enough of them. A lot of tourists buy one." They chat with him a bit more about his drawings and paintings. About that time two guys come up to buy one of his sculptures, so they all thank him for his time and head further south to look at the remaining booths. Steve and Luke both spend some time looking at his drawings. They both think that Luke's drawings are better, although he hasn't done many. The ones here are a lot of basic drawings, a lot of nude men, mostly from the back to keep them 'PG' rated... Some of them are like the ones in their dads' bedroom. They're also priced well over $100 or even $200 dollars framed. Luke and Steve look at each other with pretty big eyes. The dads stare after them, wondering what's going on, but don't say anything. The other boys just kinda stand and listen and wonder what's going on with Steve. They also notice Luke doesn't look happy. Who the hell knew being dads would be so... puzzling. - - - They eventually see everything they want to see, and by this time the boys are making it clear they want to be fed. They wander back up the street and find a pizza restaurant where they're actually able to get enough indoor seats for everybody. Most people are sitting outside to watch the crowd. And the boys get their wish... multiple extra large pizzas. A couple of the boys even get a salad. Damn. The topic of conversation is mostly Aiden... at least until the pizza arrives. All the boys tell him it was really brave of him to do that and how great he sings. They all say they really like the street fair... and are amazed at the number of guys holding hands... they've never seen anything like that in their lives. Most say they want to come back. The dads all smile big at each other. Once the pizzas arrive, combos all picked by the boys, conversation can't compete with eating for a bit. They all just sit and chat like a family does... between bites of pizza. They sit and have a great time, and a few of them admit, at least to themselves, that it was a lot of fun. A few even say maybe they should get out of the pool more... but don't tell the dads. On the walk home, they take a slightly different path so the boys can at least see a few more streets. Steve gets close enough to Luke to say quietly, "Luke, please tell our dads what you want to do. Please?" which doesn't get an answer... just a sad frown. Seeing that Luke has no intention of telling their dads, Steve makes his own decision. - - - - - - - - - - Home Again The first thing everybody does is get naked. The boys are the only ones to go to their rooms to do it... the dads all just pile their clothes out of the way until they make it to their bedrooms. DADS! The next thing Kevin does is go to Steve and Corey, who are close to each other as usual. He unlocks his phone and hands it to Steve and tells them about the video. He asks them to please get it up on the big TV in the tv room using AirPlay to a Roku device, and to let everybody know when it's ready... and that he wants it to be a surprise. The dads go get glasses and come back with a couple bottles of champagne. They fill the glasses and as they start handing them out Alex asks everybody not to drink yet... he wants to propose a toast. About that time Steve comes in and asks everybody to come to the TV room for a surprise. So they each take a glass of champagne and follow Steve back. Steve takes two glasses for him and Corey. When they get there Alex starts by holding up his glass and saying, "I'd like to propose a toast to three amazing guys... Aiden, it was very brave of you to sing here for just us, but for you to sing with a gay chorus in front of lots of people... that's pretty amazing. And son, you sing absolutely beautifully and we will all do everything we can to help you continue if you want to. "And second, but not least, Matteo. When you said you'd taken piano for ten years we were impressed. But hearing you... trust us, none of us expected that. You are truly a gifted piano player Matteo, and we hope you'll continue... and Matteo, we'll help you too, in any way we can. And Javier, what you've already done with your drawings and Spanish... both of you... it's wonderful. Thank you both, more than we'll ever be able to tell you... for being a part of our lives and our families. A toast to all three of you," and raises his glass while all three look very embarrassed... None seem to mind all the hugs and kisses they get, and pretty much none of them are entirely chaste this time... which seems to be the trend. Steve just nods over to dad Kevin who says, "I have a little surprise for everybody," and of course they all want to know what it is. He just smiles and nods to Steve who starts the video. There, on the big screen, is Aiden standing in front of the PSGMC, just as they hand him the microphone. In just a couple seconds Aiden starts singing. Even with all the background noise, it's very good. And as soon as he starts to sing you can hear it get much quieter in the crowd. They all just stand and watch and listen, a few with their hands over their mouths... especially the dads and Corey. Then they have the short interview with Aiden, which doesn't help stop the red eyes, especially when he dedicates the song to his gran and dads and Daniel and Diego. Then the next song starts, and everybody's pretty much basket cases again. They just sit and stand and listen... When it finishes there's a big round of applause in the room and on tv, which makes Aiden look like he wants to crawl under the couch. After more hugs and kisses, everybody goes back to the living room and continues to chat... - - - It isn't noticed by anybody but Steve and Corey stay in the TV room. Steve knows how to use AirPlay to play something from a Mac computer or iPhone to a tv screen using Roku or AppleTV, and had done it before with his parents. He knows about Roku because his parents had one for streaming things like Netflix. He starts exploring what was on it and runs across an app called Plex, which Corey had also not heard of. He uses the remote to move to Plex and pressed the 'OK' button, which launches the app. As soon as it comes up it shows the list of 'Libraries' down the left side, along with a few thumbnail images of what had been watched last. Both of their eyes about pop out. Some of the last videos viewed are definitely porn. The library names were things like 'F' or 'S' or 'D' or 'P'... and a few others. He doesn't know what all of them are, so he chooses one. Small images from each film come up and there are hundreds of them, it's porn, representing a scene from each movie... and some of the scenes are so hot and sexy. He moves to one he really likes and presses the play button. And OMFG... this is so damn hot... it's way better than anything that Luke and him found on the internet... DAMN! Him and Corey look at each other with big ass smiles. He'd turned the volume down low so nobody could hear it in the other room. They watch for a few minutes and figure they better get back before somebody misses him. He goes back to the library list and goes down to the one named 'P'. The scenes from the movies show people having fun peeing... damn. He exits from the Roku and turns everything off. They're going to have to talk to Michael and Luke about this... and find out how they can watch them too. But before they go, him and Corey are hot as hell after seeing just a little of that. He leans over and kisses the crap out of Corey, who kisses right back. DAMN. All they can do is grope each other a bit... but now, how to hide their boners from everybody else. Damn. They finally get them down a bit and just have to take their chances trying to hide them, which of course causes Luke to loudly say, "You two look like you've been up to something. Why weren't the rest of us invited?" and if looks could kill... there would be one less brother/soulmate right now. Everybody just laughs, Michael and Luke separate enough for them to sit between them, and Steve and Corey quickly sit down to hide their boners... very close to each other, with Steve beside Luke. - - - Kevin wants to talk to Ken and Jared about what they're thinking about Aiden singing with a gay chorus. He looks at them and asks, "Guys, how do you feel about Aiden singing with them? And before you ask, I did NOT know they'd be singing. I promise. It's been a long time since we've gone to VillageFest. I remember the chorus used to do that sometimes to drum up interest and support... but I promise, I didn't even think about that," which gets a few laughs. Jared looks at him and laughs and says, "Thank you for saying that Kevin. I was wondering actually. Aiden how do you feel about it. I don't know if everybody in the group is gay or not, but people might assume that you are. Does it bother you if they do?" Aiden thinks about it and finally says, "I... don't know. I liked singing again... but... crap. I guess I did just kinda 'out' myself didn't I? Crap," which gets a big laugh. After everybody stops laughing Kevin says to him, "Aiden, if that bothers you, you don't ever have to do it again. If you ever decide you want to be so 'out' ,you'll know when. You don't have to push yourself," which gets agreement from his dads and the others. Luke looks over at Steve, who nods, and then at Aiden, "Aiden, Steve and I 'outed' ourselves at the group home... We did it while watching the movie 'Ghost' when they were playing 'Unchained Melody'... the scene with the potters wheel. It affected both of us a lot. We were sitting and holding each other and crying... it was pretty obvious we weren't just friends, so we just decided... screw it. "We turned and kissed each other in front of all the other boys and adults. That's why we were crying so much when Matteo played that song and you sang Aiden. We talked about it after and it made both of us think about losing each other," which gets a few tears and a big hug and kiss from Steve. Steve adds, "It was scary Aiden. We weren't sure what would happen. We were already scared to death of being separated. We didn't think Mr. Frank would kick us out... but we weren't sure. We figured nobody would ever adopt both of us anyway, as old as we were, even if they didn't know we were gay... and dads, that's a lot of the reason we were scared to death when we heard about you coming to maybe adopt us. "We didn't know what it would be like having you both as dads... but you were our only chance of ever being adopted together... and... dads... we were so, so scared you wouldn't... want one of us... or both of us," and then he just starts crying and Luke hugs him tight. Aiden gets up and comes over and hugs and kisses them both. He thinks about it a bit and finally says, "If you hadn't done that, Mr. Frank wouldn't have known to tell your dads about you... when they met. In a way, you coming out is how they found you... isn't it?" which causes both of them to laugh a little bit and agree that it was. They both admit that they hadn't thought about that. It also impresses the hell out of the dads that Aiden put that together as fast as he did... they didn't. Alex, Kevin and Michael are all sitting with red eyes. Dad Kevin looks at them and says, "We didn't know how he found out. It was obvious us coming was really hard on you. We're so sorry it was... but thank you for telling us that," and goes over and hugs them... all three... for a long time. After he finishes Luke wipes his eyes and adds, "Dads, I would go thru that 1000 times to end up here... I promise," which gets him a few sad chuckles and a tight hug... Aiden looks at his dads and says, "Dads... it does scare me, but I don't want to have to hide. I know that it's not always safe if people know... but I can't hide from everything my whole life. "My grandmother knew I was gay... she figured it out. She never loved me any less because of it. She told me that she had to marry my grandfather because her father made her. She told me to be careful, but to live my life the way I want to... and enjoy it..." which of course hits his dads hard. Jared finally finds his voice and says, "Aiden... all of you guys. I'm so proud of you. For us old farts... way too many of us hid our whole lives... and a lot of people had to, for their safety, or to avoid being fired from their jobs, or kicked out of the military. "Son... all of you... sons... please be careful, but we'll support all of you in any way we can... and however and whenever you want to come out... even if it's never. That goes for all you guys, not just ours. It might not always be easy for you, but Palm Springs is way better than a lot of other places. Aiden, if you want to sing with the group... then sing. We won't ever ask you not to," which gets a big hug from Aiden... Aiden's pretty sure what he wants to do, "Thank you dads and... everybody. I'll think about it. I think I know what I want to do but I want to talk to Daniel and Diego first. And thank you all again for being my family," which gets a hug out of everybody. The boys all decide they're ready for bed. After a lot of hugging all of them leave except for Luke and Steve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Damn This Is Hard Alex gets up and goes to the kitchen. He comes back with a tray of glasses with wine. He asks if somebody can get the other tray, which includes about one third of a glass for Luke and Steve. They're really surprised they get both champagne and wine, but they don't say anything... maybe dad forgot... and the champagne glasses are pretty small. Kevin wants to assure Ken and Jared, "Guys, I really didn't know they'd be singing... and it never occurred to me that that might happen," and they laugh and say they totally believe him. Alex knows this has to be hard for them, "I suspect this isn't an easy decision for you. None of us want to discourage these guys, but it's scary knowing he's going to be so public if he sings with them. I know all you boys (looking at Luke and Steve) are going to have to deal with this, and it scares the crap out of us too. I know Palm Springs is generally a very gay-friendly place, but there are always assholes around," which gets agreement but nobody knows what to say. Luke, in a moment of deep consideration, says, "Dads... like we said earlier we were scared to death when we kissed in front of everybody at the Group Home... but dads, we couldn't do it anymore. We hated it... and ourselves, for being cowards at school and having to act like we were just friends... and always worrying we were going to screw up and do something as simple as taking the other one's hand," which gets a couple nods. Steve wants to say something too, "After we came out at the Group Home, Luke ordered us both matching rings (he holds his hand up, as does Luke). It didn't take long for a few people at school to figure it out. And as soon as they did, they told everybody. "We had one other close friend at school who was gay... he ended up getting beat up by some assholes because they figured out he was gay. But dads... it was so hard to live like that, afraid that somebody would find out," which gets him a big hug from Corey and Luke, sitting on either side of him. Kevin is sitting with red eyes too and says, "Guys, we noticed the rings the first day... we didn't want to intrude by asking you about them, but thank you for telling us that." He doesn't ask, but really wonders how Luke could have gotten enough money to pay for them. Did they get paid for chores they did around the Group Home. They've never mentioned being paid. He thinks for a bit, "We know it's hard to hide guys... it kills a little bit of your soul every time you have to pretend you're not who you really are... and especially when you have to pretend that the person you love with all your heart is just a friend. "We really do understand sons. We'll support you guys... always. Just please be careful, especially when you're in a situation or place where it can be dangerous. Please," which gets a few nods of agreement. They sit around and talk for a while. The boys sip their wine slowly and just sit and enjoy their family. After a while, Corey leans over and whispers something to Steve. He blushes but asks Luke, "Luke, can I spend the night with Corey tonight? We haven't had any time with Corey and Michael for a while," which gets a big smile on Lukes face. Luke says, "As long as I don't have to sleep alone... Anybody want to volunteer? Michael? Javier and Matteo, what about you... or are you with the dads again?" which embarrasses the shit out of them. They never thought about how this was going to work, but they certainly didn't expect to be asked in front of everybody. Michael gets an evil grin on his face and says, "Steve, that's a great idea. Javier and Matteo, what do you think?" although neither of them looks like they can speak at the moment. Ken comes to the rescue, "Javier, how about bunking with us tonight if that's ok, it'll give us a chance to spend some time together. But if you guys want to be together, no problem," and after looking at Matteo who has a big smile says, "To quote Luke, Yep. Great!" which gets a laugh... even from Luke. Matteo goes over to Alex and Kevin and pulls them up by the hands and asks, "Is that ok with you guys? If not, I can sleep on the couch," which gets a great laugh, and of course they both say they'd love to and that he's never sleeping on the couch. And they give him a very hot kiss, which doesn't go unnoticed, especially by Luke... who frowns very noticably. And Alex reminds them, "Guys, it keeps being so busy... but your room is empty and waiting on you... but, for tonight, Matteo, would you please sleep with us?" which of course gets hugs and a "yes" out of him. They all kiss the people goodnight that they're not sleeping with. Although, for the first time ever Luke kisses his dads quickly on the lips... no tongue, but on the lips. Which almost shocks real piss out of them. Michael sees him do it and it's all he can do to not laugh at their reaction... but he understands that he can never ever laugh at that... ever... so he doesn't. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Steve and Corey Steve and Corey go into his and Luke's bedroom, close the door and kiss each other very passionately. Steve reaches up and strokes Corey's face gently and says, "I miss you. There's so much going on around here, we haven't had any time to be together. Don't get me wrong, I'll love Luke with all my heart as long as I live, but I miss having time with you too... like we did in LA... well, until we met Chris and Chad," which causes both of them to chuckle a little. Corey gently strokes Luke's face too and while looking directly into his deep, dark eyes says, "Me too Steve. I love Michael with all my heart too, but I really do miss the time we spent together. We really do need a big bed so we call all just sleep together," which causes Steve to both agree and laugh. Steve does say, "All eight of us did sleep together last night, and let me tell you... that bed is way too small," which gets another laugh out of both of them. They lean into each other and just kiss, with an amazing feeling between them. While kissing him, Steve runs his hand slowly down Corey's chest, playing with one nipple and then the other, which is wired directly to his dick. He knows that because as soon as he touches his nipples he feels he's being poked. Corey reaches around Steve and runs his hands down his back to his ass, slowly and gently finding his way to his ass crack. Once he does he runs all four fingers gently down the inside... and stops to touch his rosebud... not trying to enter, just touching it as lightly as he can, moving his fingers very slowly over the little starfish, which causes both of them to moan. Corey says to Steve, "I really like sex and I'm pretty sure you do too, but honestly I like this better... just us being with each other. Just enjoying how much I love you Steve. Steve kisses Corey lovingly and says, "Me too. I do love all the sex things we've done, but my favorite is this too. Just holding each other. Just being with each other. Just loving each other," which causes them to both smile sweetly at each other, as they go over to the bed and lie down together, and Steve makes sure Corey was on top. They lie together and kiss for a long time. Steve reaches over and gets some lube, which he puts on Corey's dick, squeezing just enough to let Corey know he's serious, and his own starfish, reaching in to get some lube deposited deep inside... and reaches down and positions Corey at the entrance... and guides him all the way in, looking into each other's eyes the entire time. After Corey lovingly enters him, they just lie together looking into each other's eyes, and make love... for a long time, until Corey eventually comes, which makes Steve do the same. They don't even shower, they just crawl under the cover and lie beside each other, intertwined like lovers do... and drift off very happy with their lives and families. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luke and Michael As soon as they walk in they kiss passionately. Luke looks into Michael's eyes and says basically the same thing Steve told Corey, "Michael I miss you so much. I'm glad Steve suggested this tonight. I kinda want to go back to when it was just us. I love Steve and will as long as I live, but I really miss you. I've never had so many people around me that I love... never... but I feel like we don't have any time together," and kisses him again. Michael leans forward and kisses him gently and says, "I know Luke, me too. I love everybody here, I really do. I love Corey and you so much. And I miss you... a lot. I've had more sex lately than ever in my life (chuckles), but sometimes I just want you and me to crawl into bed and just hug, and kiss... and make love to each other, even if we don't have sex. I miss that with you Luke. I don't know what to do about it either," and kisses him again. They slowly move back to the bed and lie down together. Luke rolls onto his back and pulls Michael with him. He lifts his legs and wraps them around Michael, on both sides, and just lies under him kissing him. As they kiss they both realize this is what they've been missing. It's not about what can be put in which hole at the moment. It's just about what they feel for each other. Luke reaches for the lube on the nightstand and squirts a bit on his hand. He lubes up Michael's dick and runs his fingers down his own ass, and sticks a couple fingers in to get himself lubed up. He uses his hand to guide Michael's dick to where it should be... to the entrance of his ass. Michael lifts Luke's butt a bit and angles his hips just a little so he's lined up right, and pushes so slowly forward. They both let out a moan as Michael starts to enter him... and kiss with all of those feeling that you have for somebody you love... but haven't done this with in a while. They feel like all is right in their world again. Luke moves from Michael's lips to his right ear, nuzzling his ear with his lips, and sticks his tongue in his ear a bit and runs it around... causing Michael to almost purr. Luke nibbles a bit and reaches between them to rub his nipples gently, just like Michael loves it. Tears start running out of his eyes and he has no idea why. He's so happy. He's happier than he's ever been, but it also feels sad, and he doesn't know why. They both eventually finish, and it's with just as much love as they started. They kiss and Michael eventually rolls off, worrying he's too heavy on Luke. They don't bother with a shower either, just use a washcloth to clean up a bit and brush teeth. They go back to bed and Luke looks at Michael with his eyes full of tears and asks, "Michael, why won't our dads do this with us? We're so much closer to each other than before we... did this. Why won't our dads do this? They will with you and Corey... and all the adults. It hurts Michael," and he just starts crying, which freaks the crap out of Michael. Michael just lets him cry for a while... mostly because he has no fucking idea what to say to make it better... but he knows he has to say something. It kills him to see Luke hurt like this. He's already had way too much hurt in his life. After Luke mostly stops crying, which takes several minutes, Michael says softly to him, "Luke, a lot of people think gay men want to adopt sons... just so they can have sex with them. I think it would really hurt your dads to do that Luke. They almost couldn't even try to adopt you guys... or anybody... because people would think that. I think it would be really hard... doing that with you boys. Please don't think they don't love you Luke. They'd give their lives for you... all of us would," which just makes Luke cry more. Luke eventually says, "I know... but it hurts Michael. I love them so much... we all do. But it seems like we'll never be as close to them as we are to you. It's not fair Michael. I know they'll never hurt me... or make me do anything I don't want to... but I want to do that Michael. I love them so much..." and just starts sobbing. Michael has no idea what to say. He just hugs him until he eventually cries himself out and goes to sleep. It takes Michael a lot longer to go to sleep. And they sleep as closely together as possible the entire night. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Javier, Ken and Jared After last night nobody seems in much hurry to get to sex tonight, and Javier's happy that they're not. This is much more loving than what they did last night, not that he regrets that at all... he absolutely doesn't. Javier had more fun last night with Matteo and the others than he's ever had before having sex. Neither of them had ever done anything like that, anything that 'over the top'. Not that they have any regrets... other than maybe it took so long for it to happen. It's never been so easy to have sex with really hot guys... and two 'boys'. But it feels incomplete somehow. He and Matteo have never had this kinda of sex life with anybody else... and somehow he's missing his intimate time with just Matteo... and Luke and Steve, which makes him guilty as hell. And not the over the top sex... just the lying together and cuddling and kissing. Like this. This is much more intimate than what they did earlier... but last night was certainly a lot of fun. They all get on the bed together and they all seem more reflective than horny tonight. It's not just about raw sex at the moment. They kiss... two at a time, three at a time. They look into each other's eyes and it's pretty clear they're all a little emotional. They eventually decide to call it a night and just crawl into bed and enjoy being together. During the night they had one of those amazing times that sometimes happens when you're sleeping naked with somebody you find very sexy... where you wake up and discover you're holding their dick, or they're holding yours... or something has slid up an ass. And one thing leads to another. Javier eventually did fuck Jared while Ken was fucking him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Matteo, Alex and Kevin After the others leave, Matteo, Alex and Kevin go into their bedroom and spend a while standing, hugging kissing and enjoying each other. Matteo realizes how many feelings he has for these guys... and it's complicated. He knows they're not his parents. They're not nearly old enough to be his parents, but it's kinda how he feels about them... but not, and he knows that doesn't make any sense at all. He's just kinda standing and kissing and thinking about how their lives have changed because of all of them. Most of all he just enjoys being intimate with them and not just the over-the-top sex. Kevin seems to pick up on that and asks, "Matteo, it's been a pretty emotional day. Would you be ok if we don't get too crazy tonight?" which causes him to laugh. That causes both 'dads' to give him a funny look. He panics and says, "Sorry... the reason I laughed is I was just thinking the same thing. Now I know why the boys call you 'the kid whisperer',(which gets a very surprised look from both dads). I love... this! We both totally loved what we did last night... thank you for letting us join you. But honestly I love this more... just being with each other. Kevin is still thinking about the 'kid whisperer' thing, "They call me that? I've never heard that." Which causes Matteo to panic... again, "Ohhh... sorry... I figured you knew. Several of them have said that you're amazing at talking to them and helping them figure things out. Trust me, it's nothing bad, they mean it totally as a compliment... I know they really appreciate how you talk with them about things. I thought you knew..." Alex laughs and says, "Ken always blames it on his voodoo or something," which gets a laugh. Matteo hesitates but says, "Uhhh... can I ask you something? It might be a difficult question (they both nod yes). Uhhh... please don't hate me, but Luke came right out and asked us if we enjoyed last night with you... We didn't give him any details of course... but I told him it was great spending time with you and getting to know you a lot better, and asked if that was ok... "Luke immediately looked unhappy... and just said, 'Yep, it's great... at least for you guys'. I was afraid to ask, so I didn't... but I don't know what he meant," and seeing how his question looks like it hurts both of them, he's immediately afraid he fucked up by asking. Alex kinda stumbles back and sits down hard on the bed, and looks shocked... and tears start running down his face. Matteo starts to apologize for asking, but Kevin interrupts him... He reaches up and puts his hand gently on his face and says, "Matteo, it's all right... it's something that Luke has kinda said before. He's said that he's gotten to know Michael and Corey and you guys so much... better... and more intimately... because him and Steve had sex with you. "I think he feels it's not fair for us to do that with... others... and not them. We've tried to tell them that we can't do that... we can't ever do that. It would kill both of us... damn. I had no idea it was bothering him this much. Damn it!" and they just look at each other. Matteo asks, "I'm so sorry... Guys, I really can go sleep on the couch..." But he gets interrupted by a chuckle and kiss from Kevin who adds, "You didn't do anything wrong Matteo... and you're never sleeping on the couch (which gets a few more chuckles)... and remember, your room is waiting on you too... but not tonight... please," getting a chuckle. Kevin hesitates, but eventually continues, "Actually thank you for telling us that... we needed to know. I don't have a clue what to do about it, but we needed to know... so thank you. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to ask that, and we really appreciate it. "You've read a little of how hard it was for all of them, but especially Luke... trying to figure out how Alex and I can love each other with all our hearts, and also Michael. "The boys all made their peace with that... They all saw, that day at the amusement park... what an amazing person Michael is. But then when Michael slept with Corey and those kisses between Michael and Corey at breakfast, and then us and Corey... It's been really hard for Luke, especially, to figure out how all that can be true... or why we won't do that with them too... him... and it's not easy to explain to almost thirteen year olds. Damn!" Matteo sits down beside Alex and just hugs him. Alex barely says, "Luke joked about sex with us one time... We wouldn't get naked with them at first and after those kisses at breakfast, on the way home that night he turned to us and told us he knew we'd eventually give in, and we should just get over it and get naked... which we eventually did. "But, Luke also joked one morning about him and Steve at least having sex in the same room with us, and said we'd eventually give in... and I... kinda lost my temper. I raised my voice and told him he wasn't even to joke about that... ever. Damn it!" Kevin explains, "I don't know what you know about Luke's life with his parents," to which he says he doesn't know anything. Kevin continues, "Please don't repeat this, other than to Javier if you want to... I don't like talking behind the boys' backs, but Luke's family life was horrible. His mother did drugs and alcohol most all the time... his father was a drunk and drug user... and pimped his mother out to anybody who'd pay him. He was threatening to pimp Luke out to anybody who would pay, so he could buy more drugs. He eventually killed Luke's mother... in front of him... and then the cops came and shot his father... and Luke saw the whole thing. "Luke ran away when all that happened. He was trying to live on the streets and he broke into a car... to try to find some money to eat... to survive. He was arrested and taken to some Monastery, where some fucking monk raped him with a broom handle," which makes Matteo totally lose it and just start sobbing. Matteo just sits and sobs and Alex and Kevin just hug him... eventually he's barely able to say, "Oh my god... I had no idea. He's the most amazing loving person I've ever met... Oh my god," and just starts crying again. Alex and Kevin just hug him and let him cry... which they've done a lot of too over that, along with Michael. It's a while before anybody can say anything. Something occurs to Kevin, "Alex... fuck. You remember what Michael told us... after the first time him and Corey were... together... with the boys. "Michael told us that Luke said to him 'Make love to me Michael. Love me as much as I love you'. I didn't think much of it at the time, just that he was referring to sex... but I think he really was wanting to be loved... and afraid Michael didn't love him as much as he loves Michael. Damn it. I shouldn't have ignored that," which gets more damn tears. Alex says to him, "Kevin, you couldn't have known what he meant. And Matteo, we've asked Michael and Corey to NOT tell give us details of what happens with the boys... and we asked Michael to tell the boys we told them that. We don't ever want them to think we're spying on them and trying to get details about everything they do. "Michael told us that, just like you just did, because he thought we should know... and we ask you and Javier to do the same thing... to protect their privacy. We would never do that except we know all four of you love those boys as much as we do and we know you'll never hurt them. Does that make any sense?" Matteo thinks a bit and finally says, "Yeah. It's amazing you would do that, but yeah... I get it. I'll tell Javier if you want me to," and they ask him to tell Javier. Matteo sits and eventually wipes his eyes and looks at both of them and says, "Please... please... don't hate me for saying this, but... I never had any relationship at with my father... even before they kicked me out... "When I was little I used to cry myself to sleep at night because my father wouldn't even hug me... or my brother either. It made me sure he didn't love us... and I think I was right about him... but I know damn well how much you all love these boys... "Uhhh... Maybe Luke is confusing sex with intimacy. Maybe it's more about just seeing you being physical with other guys... more than with him. Making him think you don't love him... as much... just because he can't come in here and do something as simple as... sleeping in the same bed as you sometimes... just lying with you in bed and talking to each other before he goes to sleep...... and I don't mean sex. When we... uhhh... when we're together with them, we always just lie in bed and talk... afterwards. That seems to mean a lot to them. "Maybe it's making him think you don't love him... as much as some of the others that you do that with... it sounds like his father certainly didn't give a damn about him... and almost certainly no intimacy... or even something as simple as hugging," looking to see if they're going to kill him for saying that. They both look at each other a while and Kevin eventually says, "Damn, I think you're the kid whisperer. That honestly never occurred to us Matteo. I think you're right. Luke sees us hugging and kissing you... much more intimately than him. He kissed me on the lips tonight... which kinda freaked me out honestly. Shit. Alex adds, "He kissed me on the lips too... It shocked the hell out of me, and I know he saw that... and it hurt him. I could tell. Fuck!" Kevin continues, "Matteo, I think you're right... Damn it... thank you so much. Matteo, as gay men... we've always been almost paranoid that the boys would think we're... hitting on them, I guess... if we were ever too 'touchy' with them. We've always tried to avoid being too physical with them... because of our fear over that." "I still don't have a clue what to do about it, but I think you're right Matteo. We're going to have to find a way to be more intimate with him... all of them... without sex... hopefully. Damn it," and he leans over and gives Matteo a loving... chaste kiss. After a little more discussion they all decide they'll just sleep together tonight... nobody really wants sex at this point. They get into bed and just lie there talking and absent-mindedly running their hands over Matteo's chest... and suddenly it's completely clear to both of them... it's the one thing they've been unwilling to do with the boys... just be a little more intimate, but not sexual, with them. And Matteo's right. It is intimate to just lie here and touch each other and talk. Damn it. It makes Alex think back to something, "Matteo I doubt that you even remember the day Luke asked for a second margarita." Matteo smiles and says he remembers it perfectly because he was so touched by how he sat Luke down on his lap and explained it to him... and that he wished like hell his father would have ever done something like that. Alex tears up but continues, "You know, I expected Luke to hate being asked to sit on my lap that day... but there weren't any other seats beside me. But he seemed like he loved it. "After we talked he just straddled my legs and leaned back against my chest... and just sat there... for a long time. I wrapped my arms around him and just held him against me... fuck... why didn't I realize how much he needs that... hell... honestly I do too... "I loved doing that with him so much... damn it. We were always so afraid they'd be freaked out if we got too touchy feely with them because we're gay... especially with all of us naked," and then he cries some more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sam, Kurt and Nick They all go into Sam and Kurt's bedroom and stop and all three kiss. Between last night with Aiden singing and then today, it's been emotional for them too. They don't usually undress each other, but tonight Nick is especially lost in his thoughts. He just reaches up and slowly pushes off Sam's shirt and then Kurt's. They do the same to him. They sit on the bed and take off their shoes, socks and pants... and then just go crawl in bed. It varies, but tonight Nick is in the middle. They lean over one at a time and kiss him. Sam says, "You know I never thought I'd have parents I loved again... and I didn't have any brothers or sisters. I was depressed and unhappy before our dads adopted all of us. I feel bad that we were so quiet around our dads... before. We were scared to death to tell them we were boyfriends. They didn't have any problem with us, or Aiden, Daniel and Diego... or us three either Nick. They're amazing dads," which gets agreement and a kiss from Nick. They have a brief chat about how well Aiden sings... and all decide he's got bigger balls than they do. None of them think they'd be able to stand up and sing in public like that... and especially with a gay group. Not even in very gay friendly Palm Springs. And they just hold each other and kiss occasionally, until they all go to sleep, all thinking how lucky they are. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Daniel, Diego and Aiden They go to their room, undress and crawl into bed, with Aiden in the middle. He kisses both of them and says, "Guys, I hope it was ok that I sang those songs with them. I didn't really think about it kinda outing myself. I'm sorry. I should have asked first," wondering if they were ok with him doing it. They both reach over and kiss him. Daniel says, "Aiden, in case you didn't notice we were standing there hugging and kissing you... at least on the cheek. So if you outed yourself... we did too... and I don't care," which causes them to laugh a bit. Diego says, "Aiden, I agree with what you said earlier. I know it's scary, and we were really scared when Luke and Steve kissed at the movie that night in the group home. "We were sitting right beside them, and they were both crying... we were too, but there's no way we could kiss each other like that. But, you know, nobody gave them any grief about it. There were a couple assholes at school, but after a few days even they didn't bother them too much. "And you know, Aiden, you're exactly right. They wouldn't be here if they hadn't done that. Mr. Frank wouldn't have known to tell our dads about them. And we certainly wouldn't be here either. So in a way them coming out is why we're all here. I'd never even thought about that Aiden," which makes the other two think about things for a while. Daniel strokes his face gently and says quietly, "Aiden, you've got a beautiful voice. If you want to sing... please sing. I'm sure some people from school... when we start back... will find out, but there are a lot of us, so they better not fuck with you or us," which gets a shocked expression from the other two. Daniel and Diego almost never say, 'fuck'. Diego asks softly, "Aiden, when you started singing... you closed your eyes and when you opened them and started singing... it looked like you were so far away. What were you thinking about?" Aiden immediately tears up and says, "My grandmother. Before she got sick she would always come to hear me sing at school. But after she got sick she couldn't come... so before singing... I'd just stand and close my eyes for a bit... and... imagine her sitting in the front row, like she always did. "Last night was the first time I sung anything since she died. And today, I just tried to imagine her standing in front of me... and watching me sing, always with a big smile on her face. It's how I try to remember her. I always used to sing to her... and for her," and he just starts crying... as do Daniel and Diego, who just hug him. That's how they all go to sleep... and pretty much the same when they wake up. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - :: This story is available solely because of donations made to Nifty.org :: Please keep this resource available and support nifty with a donation. Next: 34 - Palm Springs Family - Aiden Sings And Luke's Betrayed
Links to businesses are provided just to give a flavor of local color, a sense of what it's like to live in Palm Springs, and things that the families and boys find to do in Palm Springs. I have no connection to the businesses other than they're ones we enjoy visiting. They're also LGBTQ+ friendly as far as I know. One thing about Palm Springs proper is that any business that isn't gay friendly will probably not do well or last very long.