Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 18:18:29 -0700 (PDT) From: Brew Maxwell Subject: Twin Spin, Part 2, Chapter 2 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men, and anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must exit the story now. The characters have unprotected sex, as characters safely can in fiction. Reality, obviously, is another matter entirely. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive for the enjoyment of its readers. It may not be posted or distributed by any other medium without the written permission of the author. Other works by the author in the Nifty Archive include "Unusual Christmas" and the series Nick's Adventures, both in bisexual/high school; "First Mate" and "Twin Spin" in gay/incest; The Dancer and Call-Boy Journal in gay/encounters; "My First Year with Kevin" in gay/high school; and "From Slave to Houseboy" in gay/authoritarian. This story is a continuation of "Twin Spin," and you might find that some of the references make more sense if you've read the first part. E-mail comments are always welcome. Twin Spin, Part 2 Chapter 2 Brian and I hung out together that night. He wanted to fool around on his new computer that had come with his room, and I just watched TV in my room. Around ten o'clock we met downstairs in the den. "You want a drink," I asked Brian. "What are you having?" "I'm having a scotch. Do you want one, or something else?" "I'm just going to grab a coke." We got our refreshments and settled down to watch the local news. There wasn't much of interest on it, though. "I wonder what he's doing right now," Brian said. "You mean you don't know? Is twin spin failing you?" "Oh, no. It's not failing. I'd have to know where he was and who he was with. Then I could pretty much tell you what he was doing. This is too blind, though." "Will he tell you all about the date in the morning," I asked. "He might. It depends on what he does. When we both had girlfriends, we used to tell each other everything to sex each other up, and then we'd have sex ourselves. He might be willing to do that now. I just don't know." "You're very nervous, you know." "Am I?" "Yeah. You can't keep still." I lit a cigarette and threw my pack at him. He lit up, too. "Are you worried about Kevin on this date?" "Why should I be worried, man? No, I'm not worried." "Brian, don't lie. You're worried." "Well, it's just that..." "It's just that you're worried, right?" "Right." "That's called 'anxiety,' Brian, and anxiety is needless worry. Let me make you a drink, okay? A *real* drink. The caffeine in that coke is only making you worse. You need something to calm you down, not hype you up." "Okay. Thanks." "You miss Kevin, don't you," I asked as I handed him his scotch. "Yes, I do. And I miss my dad, and I miss Chuck, and sometimes I even miss my mom, even though I don't remember her." I decided to change the subject. "So when does school start for you guys?" "The day after Labor Day, and I'm pretty much scared shitless." "Why are you scared, Brian? Kevin will be there with you. Don't you guys have classes together?" "Most of them, in fact. But Kevin will be going there as a straight boy, probably with a girlfriend. I'll be going there as a gay boy." "So how is this any different? Help me, here, Brian. I don't get it." "Did I say this was rational?" I laughed, and he did, too. "No, and it's not. Hell, nobody has to know your sexual orientation. It's none of their business. Shit, date girls. You've fucked 'em before, you can fuck 'em again." "I can't date girls and fuck girls," he said. "Why?" "Because that would betray Kevin, that's why. Don't you see it?" "Jesus Christ, Brian, Chuck said this morning that you were intuitive, but this is way beyond intuition. I'm sorry, man, but I just don't fucking get it." "If I date girls, knowing I'm 100% gay, I'm saying to Brian that it's okay for him to say and act and think as though he's gay, when he's 100% straight." "Good God! I'd hate to have to face you in a debate. I do see what you mean, now. You are an incredibly subtle thinker. I'm amazed." We finished our drinks, and Brian seemed a lot calmer after his. "Dude, I'm going to bed," I said. "Want to come with me?" "Do you think he's coming home tonight?" "I couldn't tell you, Brian. He can always sleep at the Finch Building, though. I wouldn't wait up for him." "Yeah, I'm coming, Huck. Let's go." I checked Kevin's room the next morning when I got up, and he was there sound asleep. He did come home. I went downstairs, put the coffee on, got the paper, and went outside onto the patio to read it. Brian and I had made love for the second time that day the night before, and I think Brian was trying really hard to make it good for me. He succeeded, whether or not he was. After a half hour or so, Brian came out to join me. "Kevin's home," were his first words. "And good morning to you, too," I said, a bit sarcastically. He laughed. "Sorry, J. Good morning. Kevin's home." "I know. I checked his room, too." Brian just laughed. "I guess we were both a little worried about him, right," he asked. "I wasn't worried, but I am responsible for you two goofs. I felt I needed to at least pretend to earn all the money your dad's paying me." "Shit, Huck, you earn that money twice or three times over every fucking day you spend with us. You didn't think it would be this complicated, did you?" "Frankly, no, I didn't. But you two guys are the most interesting people I've ever known, and I'm willing to put up with the complications just to know you." "What a nice thing to say, man. You're all right, you know?" "Shut the fuck up," I said, and he laughed. In a few minutes, he went back inside. He came out five minutes later with a plate of ten sausage biscuits from McDonald's or Burger King or somewhere, and a fresh pot of coffee. He had it all on a tray. There were cream and sugar, which we both used, and an extra cup. He saw I noticed it. "He'll be down in a minute. I heard him farting around upstairs." In ten minutes Kevin came down. He was nude, of course, as were Brian and I, and he poured a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette before he said anything. "Morning," Kevin finally said. "And good morning to you. You're up pretty early for a late-nighter," I said. "Yeah, but my ass is fagged out," he said. "You shit," Brian said, and then he slapped him on his shoulder. "Whaaaat," Kevin said. "You fucking shit-ass," Brian said. "My dearest and only brother, why dost thou persist in striking me? Hast thou developed a hatred for thy sibling?" I was taking a sip of coffee when he said that, and I sprayed it all over the place, mostly on Kevin and Brian, because I was laughing so hard. "Thou hast turned our friend into a mewling and puking babe by thy violence against my person. Wouldst thou discontinue striking my person so?" By then, we were all laughing hard. "You fucking asshole," Brian said, through his laughter. This was the Dozens, again, of course, but it had a whole new look and feel. "I take it you got laid last night," Kevin asked. "If thou meanest, did I occupy the love-passage of my lady friend last eve, then the answer would be in the affirmative." "Kevin, how are you coming up with this stuff," Brian asked. "It's hilarious." "Thy sibling didst actually read his assignments, mon frere, whilst thou had thy head buried in thy Cliff's Notes. One can only appreciate the Bard on his own terms, which means his language, as well as his plot summaries." "I ought to beat the fucking shit out of you, asshole." "Well, if beating feces out of me is thy desire, mine asshole is the best place to begin. But I shall warn you, twin, I am equipped with two fists of my own, and I shan't allow a total rout of my asshole, to beat shit out or not." That line absolutely did us in. We were laughing so hard at that point, we couldn't have killed a mosquito. Then Brian got into it. "Didst thou have an amusing time on thine assignation?" "Oui. Certainment." "No French or Spanish," I said. "Je ne comprend pas," Kevin said. "You can really be an asshole when you want to be, can't you, Kevin? You straight guys are all alike." "Please don't hold my sexuality against me, J. I'm just trying to be entertaining and cute." He got huge tears in his eyes, and I knew I had said the wrong thing. "Oh, Kevin, baby, please don't cry," I said. "I was only teasing you." "I'm trying to please you and Brian, J, and everything I do is a fuck-up." "Oh, no, Kevin. You were cute and funny and really impressive. I'm so sorry, man. Please forgive me, Huck." I was literally on the verge of tears myself because I had hurt his feelings so. I knew he wanted to be cute and funny, and I had ruined it. I felt like shit. "J," Kevin said in a sweet, sad voice. "Gotcha last." "You fucking asshole," I screamed. "I thought you were genuinely hurt, and I wanted to say I was sorry I hurt your feelings." "J, in our family, we play a game called the Dozens. You have witnessed it countless times, and still you fell for it. Chuck fell for it yesterday, and he basically taught it to us. I'm sorry man, but I still got you last." By then, I saw the humor of the situation, and I started laughing. Kevin and Brian did, too. "You are such a fuck, Kevin. I hate you." "No, you don't. You love me, and you fucking well know it." He was right, of course. "You see, J, since our mother died, we haven't had anyone but Chuck and our dad, and now we have you. We love you, man." "And you know I love you, too, Kevin." "Well, J, if you love us," he said in the sweetest and saddest voice I knew him to possess... "What, Kevin? What can I do?" "GROW A FUCKING BRAIN!" Brian laughed so hard he literally fell out of his chair. I laughed, too, both in delight at Kevin and at my own stupidity. What a great way to start the day. After our comedy show, Kevin went swimming. He swam a great many laps, and then he did fifty chin-ups and thirty-five pull-ups on the chinning bar their dad had had set up for them right off the patio. Brian chilled during the exercise period. "What's the matter with you," Kevin asked him. "Why aren't you out there with me?" "Kevin, I don't know how to say this any way but the way I'm going to say it. I have never enjoyed doing that shit. I did it because you wanted me to and expected me to, but I don't enjoy exercise the way you do." There was a very, very long pause in the conversation. "I always suspected you didn't enjoy it. I just thought you did it because I wanted you to." "That's exactly right. That's what I just said. I did it for you." Silence. Then, "Huck, I've got to sort this out." "What's to sort out? I don't enjoy exercise the way you do. I know you genuinely enjoy it, and that's great. I don't." "You mean you don't like sports? But you were so good. Huck, how can you say that?" "I like watching sports. I *love* watching you play sports. But, no, Kevin, I don't like sports or exercise. In fact, I hate it all." "Well, why'd you do it, Huck? Jesus, Huck, you're fucking my mind." "I did it for you, Huck. But I'm not doing it any more." "What about wrestling? Aren't you going out for that?" "No, I'm not. I hate that sport worse than any other. I'm not doing it." There was a long pause. "No baseball, either?" "No baseball, Huck. You've got to be the athlete of the family." Another long pause. "You deceived me, you shit. You lied to me. You made a mockery of my ass. You pretended to enjoy working out and playing sports, and that was a lie." "No, it wasn't, Huck. I enjoyed playing all those sports because it made you and Dad and Chuck and Calvin happy that I played them. As for the sports themselves, I couldn't care less." "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," he said. "Brian, I don't know you anymore. You're not the boy I thought you were. Don't...no...please...no." "What?" "You were going to touch me, and please don't do that right now. Please don't. Plea..." Brian let Kevin cry. Damn, if there was ever a watershed summer in a guy's life, that was it for Kevin. It was as though everything he believed for the previous eighteen years was falling apart. "How can you not like sports, Brian," Kevin asked when he got himself under better control. "I told you, I love watching sports, and I especially love watching you play sports. I don't enjoy oxygen deprivation and sore muscles and knee surgery and people kicking my ass. I don't want any more of it. You should have known that, Huck." Long pause. "I did know that. I fucking did." He dissolved into tears. "And I hate myself for making you do it." "Dude, you didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do. Don't puff yourself up that much. You can't make me do anything but get hard, and you know it." "You asshole," he said, laughing. The laughter didn't last, though. "Man, why didn't you tell me a long time ago you didn't want to play sports. That would have been okay with me." "Kevin, you think you're the only one who wanted to be the other one? I wanted to be you as hard, or harder, as you wanted to be me. Even this summer, on those trips. You wanted to pump up, so I wanted to pump up because you did. I didn't give a shit except for you." "You liked what you looked like, though, didn't you?" "No. I liked what *you* looked like. Do you get my meaning, man?" "No, Brian, frankly I don't get your meaning," Kevin said. "When I look at myself, I see you, Kevin. You know what, Kevin? I used to arouse myself by looking at myself naked in the mirror because I would pretend I was looking at you. Did you ever do that? Did you ever get hard looking at yourself in a mirror because you look just like me?" "No." Kevin's voice was much softer on that word than it had been. He said it almost apologetically. After a long pause, Kevin said, "So you're not going to play with me any more?" "God, Huck, you sound like an eight-year-old who just lost his best friend," Brian said. "Have I, Brian?" "Oh, for God's sake, Kevin. Of course I'm going to play with you. But I'm not going to swim just to swim or do chin-ups and that other shit just because it feels good, because it doesn't. And I will never again play on an organized sports team, at school or anywhere else." "I'm not going to ask you to play with me. If you want to play, I'll play with you, but I won't be that selfish any more." That sounded to me like quite a break through for Kevin. "And another thing, I asked the girl I went out with last night to go out again tonight. I like her a lot, and I want to spend time with her. I hope, eventually, she'll be my girlfriend. I want you to get a boyfriend." "Yes, sir. Do I have a deadline on that, sir?" Brian's sarcasm was thick. "That was a pretty shitty thing for me to say, wasn't it," Kevin asked. "Not really. I knew what you meant," Brian said. "I know you did." They were silent for a while. "Brian, do you have any more announcements to make. 'Cause if you do, I wish you'd go ahead and say 'em. This shit is wearing me out emotionally." "No, Huck, I think that's all. I reserve the right to make more in the future, though. I just don't have any ready right now." "I'm fucking exhausted, guys. I'm going back to bed. See ya later." With that, Kevin went inside. "Well, that was quite a little scene," I said, once Kevin was gone. "I know. I handled it very badly, too. I really hurt him." "He didn't really seem all that hurt," I said. "He was, though. I realized it when he said, 'So you're not going to play with me any more?'" "Well, guys your age hardly 'play' the way little kids do," I said. "Oh, yes. Kevin does. During the school year, on those precious days we didn't have practice for some damn sport, the first thing he said when we got home was, 'You wanna play?' I've been his playmate all his life. I was every kid's wet dream--a built-in playmate who always wanted to play." "I'm going to ignore the 'wet dream' thing, Brian." He grinned, seeing the humor in his choice of words. "I really don't think you hurt him, though, getting back to what you said earlier," I said. "John, who knows him better, you or I? I hurt him, and I've got to figure out a way to make it right. Words won't do it, though." "How about a dozen roses?" "That would do it for me, and, I suspect more and more, for you. Kevin would think I'd lost my mind." "I was just teasing." "I know you were. Kevin doesn't give two farts in a windstorm for material things, so I can't buy him something. Besides, what could I buy him that he couldn't buy for himself, if he wanted it?" "I've noticed that about you guys. You guys don't have a lot of stuff. Not like I did at your age or most of my friends did." "You're right. We've always gotten what we wanted, but we genuinely haven't wanted all that much. Kevin wanted a puppy one time when we were little, so Dad got us a puppy. Notice I said 'us,' not 'him.' Anyway, he used to love to play with the puppy. He'd get a rag and let the puppy--Misty was her name--grab hold of one end, with him on the other end. He'd swing her around, and they'd have a great time. Dad and I used to watch them, and Dad would roar with laughter at them." "What happened to Misty?" "She ate something that had been poisoned. We used to take her out to play in the neighborhood, and she'd sometimes crap on people's lawns. If we saw it, we'd clean it up, but I'm sure there were lots of times we didn't see it. We figured one of our neighbors poisoned her. Kevin was devastated. He didn't talk to anybody but me for three days. Chuck and Dad were all over themselves with worry. He finally got over it, though, and he didn't want another puppy. We had a little funeral for Misty and buried her in the back yard." "Why don't you get him a puppy now," I asked. "I was just thinking about that, but he would see it as me buying him a playmate to replace me. I was actually thinking about maybe buying two horses, one for each of us. He'd fucking love that. And taking care of them and riding them would be something we could do together. Kevin loves animals, and they love him. I'm going to talk to Chuck about that." "Well, God knows, there's plenty of room around here for horses. Hell, there's even that barn out there. Do either of you know anything about taking care of horses?" "No, but I was talking to Rudy, one of the lawn men, and he has horses. He knows about them. Maybe we could even pay him a little extra to take care of ours when we couldn't do it." When Chuck showed up, Brian told him all about what had happened that morning. "Are you ashamed of yourself, Brian," Chuck asked. "You know I am, Chuck. Please don't be mad at me." "Your Chuck's not mad at you, baby. You didn't hurt his feelings on purpose, did you?" "Of course not, Mama. Do you think I would do that?" "Do you realize what you just said," Chuck asked. "Yeah, I said 'Of course not. Do you think I would do that?" "Close, but not quite, Huck." "Well, what the hell did I say," he asked, genuinely confused. "You said, and I quote, 'Of course not, *Mama*.'" Brian looked at me. "You said it, man. I heard it with both ears." "Shit, I'm sorry, Chuck. That just slipped out." "I'm not sorry. And the fact that it just slipped out makes me even happier." Then the waterworks started again. "Oh, Chuck, I'm so sorry. I fucked up so bad. I hurt my baby brother." Brian couldn't go on beyond that point. Chuck wasn't the least bit embarrassed by Brian's tears. Here was this gorgeous, muscled Olympian god, naked, crying his eyes out at the kitchen table, and Chuck wasn't fazed by it in the least. He got up and got Brian a paper towel to use for his tears and to blow his nose. When Brian had gotten himself under control, he told Chuck about his idea to buy two horses. Chuck listened, and I didn't really notice any skepticism in his face. "That's not a bad idea, Brian. You know how much he loves animals. And you're right, it would be the kind of sign Kevin needs to know you're still his best friend. I'm supposed to talk to Tom in about two hours. I'll make sure it's okay with him, but I think you've got some horse trading to do." Brian hugged Chuck. "Now go get his sorry ass up out of that bed so y'all can have some lunch. Give me a half hour, though." "Okay. Thank you, Chuck. I love you." "And I love you, too, baby. You know I do." "Yes, sir." "Now y'all get out of here and go put some clothes on. There are gay men around this place who find naked young boys very distracting." Chuck winked at us, and we laughed. Brian and I both took showers, shaved, and got dressed. Then he came into my room. "Come and help me get Kevin up, John. He's not going to want to get up." "Why don't we just let him sleep? He was up very late last night, and he had a pretty strenuous morning. If he's not at lunch, we can talk some more about the horses." "Good idea." We went down by the back staircase. "Where's Kevin," Chuck asked. "We decided to let him sleep. He was up really late, and he had a hell of a morning," I said. "That's probably the best thing. He's got a lot of dreaming to do to recharge his emotional batteries. Come on. Let's eat." We talked about the horse idea some more, and Brian told Chuck about Rudy. "Does he have any to sell," he asked. "I don't know. But I can call and ask him." "Hell, you can ask him in person. He's in the yard cutting grass." "Really? Okay, I will," Brian said. "Brian, ordinarily I wouldn't say what I'm about to say unless it was an emergency. Your dad has given me a completely free hand in raising you two, and I think he'd agree with me on this call. Hell, I know he would. You go see Rudy, and, if he has two horses you like, you buy them today and have them delivered this afternoon. Kevin needs to know you're still his best friend." "Thank you, Chuck. I was hoping that would happen," Brian said. "Now make sure you clear it with Rudy that he'll teach you how to take care of those horses and that he'll do it when y'all can't, you hear?" "Yes, sir," Brian said. Brian bolted the rest of his lunch and skipped coffee and a cigarette to go find Rudy. While he was gone, Chuck and I talked. "Well, boy, you're earning your salary, aren't you," he said. "Oh, God, Chuck, you don't even know." "*I* don't know? Fucking *I* don't know? You heard Brian call me mama. Son, that's what I've been almost their whole lives. I was about your age, too, when I first met them. You think about having those two as babies. *I* don't know? Shit." I laughed at his melodramatics. "I really guess you do know. Sorry, man." "Ain't nothing to be sorry about. But I do know." Brian came back with Rudy in tow. Yes, Rudy had two very nice horses he wanted to sell. They were both saddle broken and tame but adventurous. Perfect for two young boys like Kevin and Brian. He wanted $1,500.00 a piece for them, and Chuck said "sold" before any horse trading could even begin. "But we've got to have them here this afternoon, Rudy," Chuck said. "Yeah, I know. That ain't no problem." "What about that barn? Is it in decent shape for two horses." "It's in good shape. All we need to do it stop at a feed store and buy some feed for 'em. Y'all got saddles," Rudy asked. "No," Brian replied. "Well, I'll give you the bridle with 'em, but you need to buy you some saddles. I got a friend who makes saddles. In fact, he made the one I used to saddle-break those two. They're used to how it fits." "Don't they have to be custom made to fit each horse," I asked. "No, sir, they don't. Let me call my friend and see if he's got two y'all can buy." Rudy made a phone call while we got more and more excited about the horses. "He's got two that'll fit 'em just fine. In fact, he used those two horses as his models for 'em." "That friend of yours doesn't happen to live at your house, does he, Rudy," Chuck asked. "Well, yes, sir, he does, actually." "He's not your lover, is he, Rudy," Chuck pressed. Rudy looked down, embarrassed, worried that the whole deal was off. He blushed a deep crimson. "Rudy, everybody in this room is gay--or maybe biiiiiiiiiii-sexual," he said, looking at me. "Don't you *dare* be ashamed of having a male lover in this house, ever. You hear me?" A look of relief came over Rudy. For a minute, I thought he might hug Chuck. "Yes, *sir*, Mr. Chuck." Old Rudy grinned, showing a couple of missing teeth in prominent places. He was laughing with delight. Rudy was probably a year older than Kevin and Brian, but he had the weathered look of a young man who had worked outdoors a lot. "Which one is bi," Rudy asked. "Well, we don't know for sure, but we think John here might be," Chuck said. "He certainly knows the ins and outs with both types." Everybody laughed, including Rudy. "I'm ready to buy me some horse flesh," Brian said. We all laughed and took off, following Rudy in his pickup. The horses Rudy had for sale were beautiful. They were black females, and I could tell by the way they raised their tails and pranced about that they were spirited. They also happened to be twins, which only happens among horses in very rare circumstances. "You think you and your brother could get used to these two," Rudy asked. "Oh, hell, yeah. These animals are gorgeous, Rudy. I love them already," Brian said in response. "I know they are. I wish I could afford to keep 'em. I love these two. They're twins, and they're identical. I think twins are really special, don't you," Rudy asked. "Shit, no. They're a pain in the ass," Brian said. Rudy acted surprised, if not downright offended, by Brian's response. "He and his brother are identical twins," I said. "Is the other boy..." "Gay," Brian asked. "No, he's straight, and that's been a real problem lately." "How old are you guys," Rudy asked. "We're eighteen." "Hell, I'm only nineteen. My partner, here, is twenty-five, though. He's an old fucker." "Watch you mouth, boy, before I have to fill it up with something in front of these nice people." We all got the allusion, and we all laughed. "I've got to have these horses," Brian said. "I brought my checkbook. Will you take a check, Rudy?" "Well, I take one from y'all every week. I don't see how this would be no different." We laughed. Brian wrote out the check to Rudy. "So, what about some saddles," he asked. "I got 'em right here," Roy, the older man, said. "A thousand a piece." "How do you spell your last name, Roy," Brian asked. Roy told him, and he wrote the check for two saddles. "Should I get a driver's license number or something on this check," Roy asked Rudy. "Er, no. I know where they live. And the check is good, Roy. Trust me." I didn't notice any Carolina redneck in what he said to Roy. We made a parade down the highway. Brian and I were in my Bronco, Rudy was driving his truck with a double horse trailer on the back, and Roy was in his truck with the two huge saddles in the bed in back. We stopped along the way at a feed store and bought horse feed, and they loaded it into Roy's truck. When we got home, we unloaded horses, feed, and saddles. Rudy fed and watered the horses right away, to make them comfortable in their new home. After that was done, and the horses were put away safely, we shook hands with Rudy and Roy, and said good-bye to them. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon by the time we had that all squared away. "Let's go get Kevin," Brian said. I can't wait for him to see them." We stopped in the kitchen and got Chuck. All three of us went up to Kevin's bedroom. We very quietly opened the door, and we saw Kevin naked with a large hard-on. "Wait a minute," Brian said. "Let's don't wake him up yet until he finishes." "Finishes what," I whispered. "He's about to have an orgasm in his sleep," Brian said. "No, don't disturb that," Chuck said. "We don't have to watch, though. That's pretty private, don't you think?" Brian and I both turned to Chuck. "Oh, please," Brian said in a whisper. It didn't take more than a minute for Kevin to have what looked like a stupendous orgasm. He shot cum as far up as his chin. When he finished, he apparently woke up. He put his right hand on his cock and jerked himself off again. He came in just another few minutes. Rather suddenly, Kevin opened his eyes. I could tell the light from the window confused him. Then he saw us. "What the fuck..." "It's all right, Huck. Get cleaned up and come downstairs. But put some jeans on. We've got something to show you." In ten minutes, Kevin was in the kitchen, bare-chested, in jeans, and with his Nikes on. "What the hell is going on," he asked. "I've got a surprise for you, Huck. You can't close your eyes now, 'cause you'll bust your ass on the way out. Come on with us." Brian took Kevin's hand and led him to the barn. Right outside the barn door he said, "Okay, close your eyes." "What the fuck is going on," Kevin asked. "You'll see, Huck. Close your eyes." We opened the barn door and led him in. When we were in front of the two stalls the horses were in, Brian told him to open his eyes. The look on Kevin's face was pure joy. "Are these ours," he asked. "Yep. You take your pick of the one you want. I bought them for us this afternoon, while your sorry ass was asleep." "Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. I can't believe it. Oh, Huck, thank you so much. Oh, man." "You like," Brian asked. "I fucking love 'em, man. Oh, Jesus. You will play with me, won't you, Huck?" "Yep, I damn sure will, baby brother. I'll play with you. I'm still your best friend." I had never known stronger emotions than I did at that moment. Kevin kissed his brother long and hard. But it was a chaste kiss, the kind brothers would give one another. "Thank you so much, Brian. Oh, thank you, man. Thank you." "You're welcome, Kevin. This is to say I'm sorry." "I know. And that makes it all the more special for me. Jesus Christ, Brian, I love you. I love you, Brian." Kevin cried again. "Brian, I thought I had lost you as my playmate, but we can ride together and take care of them together." "Exactly, Kevin. You haven't lost me as a playmate. We're just going to be playing different things from now on." "Goddamn, Huck, I love your fucking ass. Do you know that? That I really love you?" "Yes, Kevin, and I hope this helps prove that I love you. I've been really tough on you in the last week. And I realize it was just a week ago that you saved my life." "Forget that shit, man. I hate it when you guys talk about that shit, Brian. I did what had to be done." "But you Saved * My * Fucking * Life. Nobody but you disputes that. And I've been tough on you ever since then." "Yeah, but I needed that, Brian. I really did. I thought I knew everything about you, man. But I didn't. And I didn't know jack-shit about myself. Now I do, thanks to you. I love you, Brian." "Kevin, let's don't talk about this in front of these starving animals. Let's feed them. Chuck and John, can y'all excuse us. We have to feed the horses," Brian said. Chuck and I left the barn and left them to feed the horses. "Yeah, they're going to fuck in the hay," Chuck said. "You think," I asked. "Yeah, and so do you," he said, as we entered the house. "Those horses just ate, and Brian knows it." I laughed and followed Chuck.