Nifty

Ricky

Jerry was so nervous he was afraid he would throw up as Mark drove him into town that Saturday. His dad had tried not to show how pleased he was that Jerry would be spending the night at Carl's, giving him and Mark some time to have some fun, but there was no hiding his cheerful mood.

"I'm really nervous dad," Jerry said ignoring his dad's chipper demeanor.

"Why? I thought you and Carl were getting along well."

"We are, but I'm gonna have to meet his folks and his little brother. He shares a room with his brother," Jerry said, hoping his dad didn't take that the wrong way.

"Well...how old is his brother? Is he older?"

"No, he's 10."

"Well, if he's like most 10 year-olds he'll be a friendly little guy."

"I guess, but then there's his folks..."

"Well, has Carl talked about his folks much?"

"Yeah, he says they do lots of stuff as a family," Jerry said, realizing that just talking things out with his dad was easing some of his concerns.

"Well, there ya go. Just relax and have fun.  I know I don't have to tell you to behave, because you always do. Just follow Carl's lead. He knows the rules and what you can get away with," Mark chuckled, "but you know if you need to talk to me, or if you can't stand it and want to come home, all you have to do is call."

"Okay, but I don't think that will happen. I'm just worrying for nothing. Thanks dad, for listening to me, and not telling me I'm being silly."

"You're welcome buddy. Our feelings are never silly, they're just...well, our feelings, good or bad, we can't always control them. But sometimes all it takes is to talk to someone else to work through them."

"Yeah, thanks dad. I do feel better. I'm gonna have fun, and who knows? Maybe Carl's brother will become my friend too."

"That's the spirit," Mark said, "we're almost there. If you'd like I'll come in and talk to his folks before I go."

"Nah, that's okay, I'm fine now," Jerry said smiling.

They pulled up in front of a modest one story home then with a pickup and an old Pontiac in a gravel drive. The yard was clear of any debris and there were several mature trees in front and back, and what looked like a flowerbed along the front of the house, though the flowers were long gone. A walk made of paving stones led up to the front porch where there was a porch swing as well as a couple of those plastic chairs that had become so popular in recent years.

When they pulled up, the front door flew open as if someone had been watching for them, which of course they had, then Carl and his brother Ricky stepped out onto the porch.

Mark waved at the two boys who waved back as Jerry grabbed his gym bag and climbed out. The boy came off the porch to greet him and Carl patted him on the shoulder while Ricky just looked on grinning.

Mark rolled down the window then, "Have fun guys, remember Jer, if you need anything just call."

"Thanks dad," Jerry said waving goodbye. One look at Carl and he'd forgotten all of his insecurities and was ready to have some fun.

"Come on in, mom is fixing dinner, meatloaf and corn on the cob."

"Sounds good," Jerry said following the two inside and looking Ricky over in the process.

Ricky might have been Carl's brother, but Jerry thought he looked nothing like his sibling. Where Carl's hair was  reddish brown and curled on the ends, Ricky's was darker and hung straight. Where Carl's eyes were green, Ricky's were dark, and accentuated by thick eyebrows and lashes that would make any girl envious. His body was trim, and he seemed to move with the grace of a cat. He still had that baby face that a lot of adolescents had, and his smile lit up the room. He was not only cute, but sexy looking, Jerry thought, then scolded himself for thinking that about the younger boy.

"Mom, dad...Jerry's here," Carl announced as he ushered him into the small dining room adjacent to the kitchen.

Carl's dad was a big man, with dark hair like Ricky's, though his was getting thin on top. He had a five o'clock shadow and a mustache which was neatly trimmed, and thick brows and long lashes like Ricky's as well.  He wasn't what you'd call a handsome man, and Jerry could see nothing in his looks that were similar to Carl's. If was obvious that Ricky and his father shared some of the same genes,  but Jerry wondered if Carl perhaps took after his mother.

However, one look at his mother ruled that out, for she was dark skinned and dark haired, with big expressive brown eyes. She looked to be a mix of Hispanic and perhaps Native American, and in her own way she was quite pretty. She was petite and had a nice figure, a stark contrast to her husband who was tall and burly. In fact, after seeing their mom, Jerry could easily see that Ricky took after her both in looks and stature. Where Carl fit into this gene pool, Jerry had no idea.

"Hello Jerry," Mrs. Black said, Carl talks about you all the time, it's nice to finally meet you," she added laughing.

"Hi," Jerry said blushing, "thanks for having me over and all..."

"You'll fit in just fine," Mr. Black chuckled, "if these two don't run you off," he said indicating his boys.

"We won't dad," Ricky said rolling his eyes as he spoke for the first time. His voice was high and sweet, and Jerry thought it sounded like the voice of an angel.

"Dinner will be ready in about a half hour, why don't you show your new friend your room?" Mrs. Black suggested.

"Come on Jerry," Carl said grabbing Jerry's arm and leading him off with Ricky hot on their heels.

The house had two bedrooms, one on each side of the hallway, with a bathroom next to Carl and Ricky's bedroom. Jerry wasn't sure what to expect, but the bedroom the brothers' shared was neat and clean, though he supposed his mom might have made them clean it up for company.

There were two twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the room and a mirrored dresser along the front wall by the door. There was a bookshelf on the other side of the door which held books, a couple of model cars and a few other items. A door that Jerry assumed was a closet was on the inside wall at the foot of one of the beds, and a double window filled most of the wall opposite the door.

"That's my bed," Carl said pointing to the one nearest the closet door, "You can put your gym bag on the dresser if you want."

"Okay, thanks," Jerry said looking around, "Uh, where will I be sleeping?" he said eying the tiny bed.

"We got that figured out," Carl said grinning, "right Ricky?"

"Yeah," Ricky said frowning, "I'm sleeping on the couch, so you can have my bed."

"Uh, thanks, but I feel bad kicking you out of your own bed," Jerry said feeling the need to protest, even if he thought it was a great idea.

"Oh, that's okay. Don't worry, I've done it before when Tony stays over," Ricky said, his smile returning.

"Oh, okay...well, thanks, that's really nice of you," Jerry said sincerely.

"You're welcome. I like you," the boy said easily, "you're nicer than Tony."

Both Jerry and Carl laughed, but neither commented about their other friend. Tony certainly had his faults, but he and Carl had been good friends for a long time, and Jerry thought he understood him a lot better since they'd become intimate.

At the table a while later, Jerry's butterflies returned as Mr. and Mrs. Black engaged him in casual conversation.

"So how do you like it here in the sticks?" Mr. Black laughed.

"Actually sir, I like it just fine, especially now that I have friends," Jerry said smiling at Carl and hoping he wasn't being too obvious.

"Yeah, friends are important," Mr. Black conceded, "Carl seems to attract em like flies," he laughed, causing Jerry to wonder what he meant by that.

"Stop it David, you're awful," his wife scolded, "you'll scare the boy off. Carl has a lot of friends, but they're all good kids."

"Except for Tony," Ricky laughed, causing his dad to laugh as well.

"Tony's just ornery, but he's okay," Mr. Black said, "I'm surprised he hasn't been over today. Did you run him off, Carl?" his dad teased.

"Nope, he and his dad went fishing at Spavinaw."

"I shoulda went with em. Nothing much to do around here," Mr. Black said.

"I bet they woulda let ya," Carl said grabbing another hot roll.

The rolls were homemade and very tasty, but Jerry was too nervous to eat more than one. He noticed both Carl and Ricky were healthy eaters, but neither had an ounce of extra fat on them.

The conversation moved to other subjects and Jerry sighed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to his plate as he listened to the family interact. He liked the way they treated each other and it was obvious they were a close family. He soon found himself relaxing even more, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of his meal.

When it came time to clean up, Ricky volunteered to help his mom, and Carl suggested that he and Jerry go outside to get some fresh air. After donning their jackets, Carl led Jerry out the back door and onto a large screened-in porch which held a washer and dryer and served as a storage area for many different items, including the boys' bikes.

From there he led Jerry out a screened door and down the steps to the backyard. There were two outbuildings, and a fenced in area about 20 foot square, that served as a vegetable garden in season. A clothesline was stretched between two large mature trees, but was placed high enough not to be a hazard to anyone running across the yard.

"Tony lives over there," he said pointing to a row of houses across an open field, "that's why we hang out so much, cause we're so close to each other."

"Cool," Jerry said, "I take it Ricky doesn't like Tony that much."

"Oh, you know, Tony can be a dick sometimes and he treats Ricky like a little kid. Ricky gets mad and Tony just laughs at him. I mean, it's not like he's mean to him or hurts him or anything."

"I like Ricky," Jerry volunteered, "he seems nice."

"He's a pretty good kid," Carl said looking serious, "he...um, he's not my real brother you know?'

"Oh, what do you mean?" Jerry said innocently.

"My real mom and dad died when I was just a baby, and The Blacks took me in then. My real mom was my dad's only sister, so he's really my uncle, only he adopted me so now he's my dad. It's kind of complicated," he laughed, "then when I was like 2, mom had Ricky, and so we sort of grew up as brothers and we don't really think about it that much."

"Wow, that was really nice of your folks to take you in. They must love you a lot."

"Yeah, like I said, we're close. Ricky's a good brother too, he never makes me feel bad cause I'm adopted and stuff."

"Yeah, I like him even more now," Jerry said smiling, "I really feel bad about taking his bed, but I'm glad we'll be sleeping in the same room."

"And the same bed," Carl said wiggling his eyebrows. As soon as everyone is asleep you can come get in my bed."

"Won't it be crowded?" Jerry chuckled.

"Not if we snuggle real close," Carl laughed.

"Yeah, cool...I can't wait," Jerry confessed, "uh, just wondering, but does Ricky know about that stuff?"

"What stuff, sex? Yeah, some...but he don't know what you and me have done, and I don't do stuff with him, if that's what you mean."

"No," Jerry said blushing, "I didn't mean that you guys did stuff...I just didn't want to get caught or anything."

"Don't worry, once Ricky is asleep a tornado couldn't wake him up," Carl laughed.

"That's good, do you ever prank him while he's asleep, like put shaving cream on his hand and tickle his nose?" Jerry laughed.

"No, but that's a great idea. I'll have to remember that. Come on, I'll show you our go-cart."

Carl led Jerry to the larger of the two out-buildings and opened a weathered door, causing the hinges to make a creaking sound. He flipped a switch to his right and a single bulb lit up the room. In the center of the floor a simple bare framed go-cart sat, it's engine partially disassembled.

"My dad's rebuilding the engine, but it'll be ready when it gets warmer. We had it running last year, but the engine gave out just before school started. I might paint it before my dad puts the engine back together."

"Wow, it's really cool," Jerry said moving closer and looking it over, "is it fast?"

"Pretty fast, me and Tony rode it uptown one time, but my dad got mad and threatened to sell it if we ever did that again," Carl laughed.

"Where else can you ride it?'

"There's a trail leading to the dike, and usually we ride it across the dike and back, or down behind the dike on the gravel. There are plenty of places to ride. Come on, it's getting kind of cold. Want to go inside and watch TV or something?" Carl said then.

"Sure, uh, do you have a Wii or anything?" Jerry asked as they headed back to the house.

"Nah, used to have a Nintendo, but it broke. Tony has one though, and I usually go over there if I want to play video games. Sorry."

"Oh, it's fine. We can do other stuff. Besides, I can play video games anytime, I'd rather just hang out with you tonight."

"Aww, thanks," Carl said blushing, "we do have lots of board games. I know that's pretty lame, but Ricky can play too...if you want."

"I love board games. Whatcha got?"

They settled on Clue, and Ricky was very pleased to be invited to play with the two older boys. He was a funny little guy, and Jerry found himself liking the boy more and more as he got to know him better.

In fact, Jerry couldn't help but stare at Carl's younger brother and think about what Carl had told him about being adopted. He knew some boys might have been jealous and gave their parents and adopted brother a hard time, but Ricky seemed kind and loving toward Carl, and that made Jerry like the boy all the more.

"What's that on your wrist?" Jerry asked having noticed a bracelet of some kind on Ricky's right wrist.

"It's a friendship bracelet, me and my friends at school make them all the time for other kids, you want one?" Ricky said holding  his arm up for Jerry to inspect.

"Oh, cool. It's really nice," Jerry said admiring the intricately woven threads of the bracelet, this one done in blue, yellow, and green.

"I can do any color you want, even rainbow," he giggled.

"Hey, Carl said looking at Jerry thoughtfully, "if you want to get matching ones...that would be cool," he said, not the least bit worried about what Ricky might think about such an idea.

"Well...sure, but what color?"

"What's your favorite color," Carl asked, having a great idea.

"Blue, yours?"

"Green, so...how about if he makes it with shades of both colors. That way it will be special, just for us?"

"Okay," Jerry said grinning, "I can pay you for them if I need to," he added turning to Ricky.

"Ah, that's okay. I already got all the embroidery thread. I have every color you can think of."

"Cool, how long does it take you to make them?"

"I can have them by Monday or Tuesday," Ricky promised, "maybe sooner if I'm not too busy."

"Perfect," Jerry said, "thanks."

"Your turn, Ricky," Carl said tossing the dice to his brother, the subject closed for now.

"Come on baby," Ricky said blowing on the dice, "give me a good number."

"Gross, you got germs on the dice," Carl chuckled.

"Six," Ricky said happily as he moved his piece to the ballroom.

The longer the boys played, the more fun they had as they joked and carried on about this and that, and Jerry found himself growing closer to both boys. They played two games, Carl winning the first, and Ricky the second, but Jerry had so much fun he really didn't mind losing.

Carl suggested they get a snack and go to his room after that, and Ricky looked at Carl expectantly, but didn't speak.

"Yes, you can come too," Carl chuckled, "if Jer don't mind."

"No, I don't mind. I'm having fun with both you guys. Thanks for inviting me."'

Carl poured them glasses of Root Beer from a two liter bottle, grabbed a bag of chips and some cookies, and they were off to the boys' room. Their parents sat side by side on the couch in the living room watching TV, and when Carl told them where they were headed Mrs. Black spoke up.

"Don't stay up past midnight," she chuckled, and "Ricky, I'll make up the couch when we get done watching this movie. Night boys."

"Thanks mom," Ricky said, "goodnight."

"Thanks again for having me over, Mr. and Mrs. Black," Jerry said, "goodnight."

"Yeah, night mom and dad," Carl said, "come on you guys. No need to stand here all night."

"Your folks are really nice," Jerry said once they were in the boys' room.

"They're pretty cool, but they can be tough sometimes too," Carl said, "right Ricky?"

"Yeah, but at least our dad doesn't whip us like Tony's dad," Jerry said making a face.

"Shut up about that," Carl warned, "it was just that one time, and he don't do that no more."

Jerry didn't comment, but he wondered if Tony's dad was the reason Tony was the way he was. If his dad hit him or was mean to him, that would explain a lot. Maybe his dad drank or something, he thought, he'd heard Mack talk about how a lot of the Native American men had problems with alcohol and how that caused problems for them and their families. He felt bad for Tony, but other than being his friend, he didn't know what he could do about his situation.

"Let's play another game," Ricky said then.

"Not Clue though," Carl said, "how about Monopoly? I always win at Monopoly."

"Your winning days are over," Jerry said grinning, "I'm the Monopoly champion of Chicago," he teased.

"Well, this ain't Chicago," Carl laughed, "and I bet you a dollar I beat ya."

"You're on," Jerry said, "but what if Brainiac here beats us both?" he said shoving Ricky gently.

"No way, he never wins," Carl laughed, "but if he does, we both owe him a dollar."

"Deal!" Jerry said as they shook on it.

They set the board up in the middle of the floor with just enough room for the boys to sit cross-legged around it. They rolled to see who would be banker and Jerry won the toss, and he passed out the start up money. As they played, they talked about school and this and that, and Jerry learned a lot more about both boys.

Ricky was a straight A student and sometimes even helped Carl with his homework. There was no doubt that he was intelligent just from talking to him, but once Jerry learned just how intelligent the boy was, he liked him even more. He'd always been a bit of a brain himself and often found himself bored with the lessons which he felt were beneath his abilities. Even in Kansas, where he'd gone to a fairly large school, there were no provisions for fast-tracking the smarter kids, and he'd been forced to endure the boring curriculum prescribed by the school district.

"Yeah, old Ricky is a brain," Carl said, "he'll probably get a scholarship when he graduates High School, and I'll probably be pumping gas at the Sinclair station," he joked.

"You're smart too," Ricky insisted, "just in different stuff. If you really tried hard I bet you could get better grades."

"What's the use? No way I'm ever going to college unless I pay for it myself."

"You could," Jerry suggested, "You could get a student loan and work part time or something, but you'd have to move somewhere with a Community College or University."

"Not much chance of that. Dad says he can probably get me on at the cement plant when I turn 18. It pays good, and the work's not that hard."

Jerry didn't like the idea of Carl settling for less than he deserved, but he didn't think this was the time or place to call him on it. After all, they'd only just met and he really didn't know him that well...yet. Maybe he'd offer to study with him and help get his grades up. He knew his friend wasn't stupid by any means, it was just a matter of Carl applying himself. Anyway, tonight was about fun, and when the subject changed to a movie Carl wanted to see, Jerry was glad to offer his opinion.

"We should go to the Allred next Saturday for the matinee. It's only like 3 bucks, and they show two movies. They're not like new releases or anything, but it's nice just seeing stuff on the big screen, and they have specials on popcorn and stuff too," Carl suggested.

"Yeah, that would be great, maybe Jordy and Seth could come too," Jerry said excitedly, "and maybe even Tony."

"Seven, eight, nine...aw shit, I just landed on Ricky's stupid hotel," Carl laughed, "but yeah, totally, the more the merrier."

"Two fitty," Ricky laughed, holding his hand out to his brother for payment, "I hope you enjoy your stay sir," he giggled.

"Oh man, I shoulda stayed at the No tell Motel, it's only 25 bucks," Carl joked.

"What's that?" Jerry said, having never heard that joke.

"Just a silly name for a cheap motel I guess. Like the kind they rent by the hour, if you know what I mean," he laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Jerry said blushing, but Ricky seemed clueless.

"Why would you rent by the hour?" Ricky said looking confused.

"Think about it bubba," Carl laughed, making a circle with his finger and sliding his index finger through it in the universal sign for fucking.

"Oh, OH!" Ricky said dissolving into laughter. He didn't seem embarrassed and didn't even blush, and Jerry wondered if he was really as innocent as he appeared.

"So, I'll ask the guys about the matinee, and you can ask Tony," Jerry said in an attempt to recover his composure.

"Tony might have a girlfriend by then," Carl said grinning, "he's been over to Lisa Mouse's house every day this last week."

"Is that really her name?" Jerry asked shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yep, some of the Injuns got weird names, like Running Bear, Flying Fox. I heard about this one girl who's name was Nelly Going to Sleep," he laughed.

"It's not nice to laugh about people's names," Ricky said, but he was grinning.

"Shut up Ricky Numbnuts," Carl said, then cracked up laughing.

"Okay Carl Buttface," Jerry said dissolving into laughter.

Jerry laughed too, and at that moment he envied the two for being brothers. He'd always wanted a brother, or even a sister, but his mom had had problems bringing him into the world and his folks didn't try again. They'd talked about adopting a few times, then his mom got sick and their lives got really crazy.

"My real name was Carl Davidson," Carl said then, "I mean that was my birth parents last name. Now I'm Carl Black."

"I like your name," Jerry said sincerely, "and I like your family."

"Even me?" Ricky said as if fishing for a compliment.

"Yeah, even you," Jerry said attacking the boy and tickling him.

"EEEE...stop, I'll pee on you," Ricky giggled.

"He will too," Carl laughed, "One time I was tickling him and he wet his shorts. At least I didn't get any on me though."

"Well, you were tickling me too hard," Ricky said pulling himself back together after Jerry let up.

"Sorry," Jerry said patting the boy's leg gently, "I was just playing with ya."

"I know, it's okay. I do need to pee though," he said jumping up and running out of the room.

When he was gone, Carl leaned in close to Jerry and laughed, "Probably went to the bathroom to adjust his boner. He got hard when you were tickling him."

"What, really?" Jerry said blushing, "I didn't know...I was just messing with him...trying to be friendly."

"Don't worry, Ricky is crazy about you," Carl giggled, "I should maybe be a little jealous, but I'll be the one sleeping with you tonight."

"He got hard, really?" Jerry said grinning, "I didn't even notice."

"I don't know how you missed it," Carl said, "shhh...here he comes."

"Did you rob me while I was gone?" Ricky teased.

"Yeah, we split up your deeds and money," Carl joked, "did everything come out okay in the bathroom?  Did you get little Ricky under control" Carl said grinning.

"Shut up, I had to pee, that's all," Ricky said blushing at last.

"If you say so," Carl said rolling his eyes, "Okay, it's Jer's turn. Roll the bones dude."

The game went on for a long time, and both Jerry and Carl took a pee break about half way through it. Despite Jerry's claim of being a Monopoly champion, it was soon obvious that Ricky was going to give him a run for his money. The kid managed to get both Boardwalk and Park Place, and was killing them with rents when they landed on his property. The final straw for Carl was when he landed on Park Place for the third time and he had to mortgage all his properties, as well as spend what little money he had left.

"I'm out," Carl said throwing down the money, "you little turkey, you got all my money. Jer, good luck beating this kid, he's a money grubber."

Jerry just laughed, but he knew Carl was right, one wrong landing and he was ruined. Fortunately, he had the green properties and collected rent from Ricky when he landed on Pacific Avenue.

"Eleven hundred dollars please..." Jerry sang, "thank you, come again."

"Come again," Carl sniggered, "so he did come earlier."

"Shut up Carl, you're disgusting," Ricky said, but he was grinning.

"Now, if I can just stay off Park Place and Boardwalk, I'll be fine," Jerry said counting his money."

"I'm gonna go get some more root beer, you guys want some?"

"Yes please," Ricky said holding up his glass for Carl.

"Yeah, about a half glass," Jerry said, "I don't want to wet the bed," he joked.

"Oh no! Is that likely to happen?" Carl asked with concern.

"No, I was joking," Jerry laughed, "I don't remember ever wetting the bed once I got potty trained."

"Oh, good...otherwise you weren't getting any more to drink," he said heading out the door.

"You like my brother a lot, don't ya?" Ricky said once Carl was gone.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool," Jerry said rolling the dice.

"Yeah, for a brother he's okay. Sometimes he ignores me, but mostly we hang out together, except when one of his other friends are over."

"Like Tony?"

"Yeah, Tony is a butthead," Ricky said grinning.

"I know, believe me I saw that side of him when we were camping, but we worked it out, and he got better."

"Why?" What happened?"

"Oh, just some stuff with Seth and Jordy, but they talked it over and Tony was okay after that."

"Oh, hmm," weird," Ricky said looking thoughtful.

Thankfully Carl returned before Ricky had a chance to interrogate Jerry any further, but that didn't mean Ricky wasn't still thinking about that mystery.

"Ah shit," Jerry said a little later as he landed on Boardwalk once again.

"Oh, it's only 2,000 dollars," Ricky giggled.

"Ugh, I give, take it all," Jerry said pushing everything Ricky's way, "You win, and I guess I owe you a dollar."

"Ah, you don't gotta pay," Ricky said feeling a little bad now.

"Hey, a bet is a bet," Jerry said digging a dollar bill out of his nylon wallet.

"Oh, well..." I'll use it when we go to the movies," Ricky said, then quickly added, "If I get to go that is."

"Well, sure why wouldn't you?" Jerry said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't know...since you guys are older and stuff..."

Jerry looked at Carl who seemed to be in deep thought, then he sighed and answered the unspoken question, "I don't care if the other guys don't. It's not like we're going bar hopping or anything," Carl added laughing.

"Cool, so...you can keep my dollar if you want," Ricky said looking at Carl sheepishly.

"Nah, here money bags," Carl said tossing a wadded up dollar bill at his brother, "I always pay my debts."

Jerry yawned then, and it was contagious.

"Time for bed guys," Carl said, "Ricky...time to go to the couch."

"I know, I know," Ricky said in a whiny voice.

"Ricky don't start..." Carl warned.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Ricky said, "don't you want me to help put up the game first?"

"We'll take care of it. Goodnight, see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah, night Ricky. Good game. You totally kicked our asses," Jerry laughed.

"Night you guys, have fun," he giggled.

"Git," Carl said roughing up his brother's shaggy hair.

Ricky was giggling as he jumped up and headed to the door, "Don't stay up too late,"  he said as he opened the door, but he was gone before Carl could think of a witty response.

"Did you bring your toothbrush?" Carl asked then.

"Yeah, it's in my gym bag along with my clean clothes."

"Uh, did you want to shower or something?"

"Nah, I showered before I came. I should be good, but I'll change into clean undies to sleep in."

"Why bother?" Carl said grinning, "we'll just get naked anyway."

"Oh, well..." Jerry said blushing, "I guess we should brush our teeth then."

After brushing their teeth and peeing one last time, they headed back to Carl's room, only to find Ricky waiting for them with several packages of embroidery thread in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Carl scolded, but he mellowed when Ricky showed him why he'd come back.

"I heard you guys go to the bathroom so I came to get these so I could get started on the bracelets. Are these colors okay?"

Both boys agreed the colors were fine, and Ricky happily went off to the living room once again, closing the door behind him.

"I really like your brother," Jerry said, then worried that might have come out wrong, "I mean, I think it's really cool that you two get along so well...and well, he's nice, and treats me like I'm his friend too."

"So, you got the hots for my little bro?" Carl teased, "He is pretty sexy."

"Nooo," Jerry said blushing, "I didn't mean that."

"I know, I'm just jerking you around," Carl laughed.

"Jerk," Jerry laughed, "Besides, he's just a kid. That would just be wrong."

"He's only two years younger," Carl said, turning down the covers on his bed and climbing in.  Then patting the spot next to him, he added, "come on, hop in."

"Okay," Jerry said excitedly, "but what if Ricky decides to come back?"

"He won't, but if he does, so what? My bro is cool. He won't rat us out."

"I'd be so embarrassed," Jerry protested lightly.

"Why? You weren't embarrassed with Seth and Jordan."

"I dunno, I guess cause I don't know your brother that well, and...cause he's only 10."

"Well, it's not a problem, so just forget about it. So...what do you want to do?"

*******************************************

In the living room, Ricky began working on the friendship bracelet, as he watched the TV with the sound turned down so his folks wouldn't know he was still up. He thought about what might be going on down the hall, and realized his 3" penis was stiff as a board. Though he and Carl had never really done anything sexual, they weren't shy about seeing each other naked or even talking about some things. For instance, masturbation.

When Ricky turned 8 and his brother was 10, he'd began to notice that in the morning Carl would have a tent in his underwear. He didn't say anything until it happened to him one morning, then he finally decided it was time to ask his big brother what was going on.

He remembered how Carl had laughed, and how he'd felt near tears until Carl settled down and calmly explained things. It all made sense to Ricky then, and he felt even closer to his older brother than he ever had. After that, there wasn't really anything he couldn't talk to Carl about, everything from girls, to the newly discovered joy of rubbing one out.

Of course, Ricky didn't know what masturbation was, he just knew that when he rubbed himself on the bed or one of his stuffed animals it felt really good. Not knowing there was a reward at the end, he'd never kept it up long enough to orgasm, but that would soon change.

Again Carl laughed, but his brother was used to the way Carl responded to his questions and just waited patiently for Carl to settle down and explain things to him.

"It's called masturbating, but us guys call it jerking off, or jacking off , or rubbing one out, or...well, there are a lot of names for it. I just call it jerking. Tony's older brother told him about it and Tony told me, and I've been doing it for a while now."

"So, it's not weird or anything?" Ricky had asked.

"Nah, but don't let mom or dad catch ya. Adults are weird about stuff like that. It's not like dad didn't do it when he was a kid, but they forget that stuff when they grow up," Carl had laughed.

"Okay," Ricky said nodding.

"So, you've never got off?"

"Got off?" Ricky said looking confused.

"Oh man, you haven't got your rocks off..." he muttered, "boy are you in for a treat."

That was the day Carl taught his younger brother how to choke the chicken, flog the dolphin, bop the baloney, and after that Ricky had found a new favorite toy, his penis.

They'd even done it together in their bedroom at night, in the dark of course, and though they knew exactly what the other was doing, they'd never actually seen each other do it. Carl had to admit, just knowing his little brother was doing it too always caused him to come  hard, especially when he finally started producing spunk at age 11. So far Ricky was still shooting dry, but that didn't stop him from spanking the monkey every chance he got.

Ricky was pulled back to the present by the sound of the neighbor's dog barking and he got up to look out the front window for intruders. He couldn't see anyone, but the dog kept barking, and he was a little nervous being all alone.

He went to the kitchen then, and peeked out the back door and made sure it was locked before returning to the living room and the task at hand. He still kept an eye on the front door as he worked, but soon the old dog fell quiet and he relaxed some.

******************************************

"Mmm," Jerry said after breaking their kiss.

"Are you as hard as me?" Carl laughed.

"Harder," Jerry giggled, "wanna get naked now?" he added, surprising even himself with his boldness.

"Yeah, here, let me..." Carl said, then quickly stripping off Jerry's boxer briefs.

Jerry giggled, "Now you," he said returning the favor.

Their hands were all over each other then, and their lips met again as they rolled together on the bed and continued to explore each other's body. Eventually they wound up with Carl on top of Jerry, who happily submitted to his advances.

Reaching down to line their wet slippery cocks up, Carl began to move,  causing their cocks to rub against each other deliciously as they continued to kiss. The electricity flowed through their bodies and their senses were heightened as they made love, and even the distant barking of the neighbor's dog went unnoticed.

Breathlessly, they headed toward orgasm, desperately writhing and squirming, eager to press every inch of flesh possible into their partner's. The room was filled with the soft moans and the smell of adolescent boys desperate for relief, but the relief wasn't long in coming, and neither were they.

Pulling away from Carl's lips, Jerry cried out, "I'm coming...ugh...oh...shit...here it comes."

Carl tried to form the words to express his own impending release, but they fell short of his lips. Instead he just moaned as he joined Jerry in sweet bliss, their hard boy sticks squirting between them as the intense orgasm took over their bodies.

"Oh, man..." Carl said after a few minutes, "that was good."

"Yeah, but we made a mess," Jerry giggled, "I hope you have a towel or something to clean up with."

"Hold on," Carl said rolling off of Jerry and dropping to the floor, then producing a towel from under the bed, he began to clean Jerry's chest and stomach.

"Thanks," Jerry said reaching for the towel, "now let me do you."

When they were reasonably clean, they settled back into bed and snuggled up, though they were far from ready to sleep.

"I feel bad that Ricky is out there on the couch when we're not even using his bed."

Carl laughed, "First you're afraid he might come in and catch us, now you want him in his bed."

"Well, we're done, so..."

"Oh no, we're not done yet. That was just the warmup bub," Carl laughed, "and next time we'll swallow the mess."

Jerry laughed, "Okay, I was hoping we could do that. I really like...um, sucking you."

"You do? Well, I like sucking you too, but I have to admit, I like everything we do."

"Me too," Jerry said, leaning in to kiss Carl on the cheek."

"I wonder if Ricky is asleep yet," Carl sighed.

"Why, you worried about him?"

"Nah, just weird not having him over there pulling his pud while I'm trying to sleep," he joked.

"He does that?" Jerry laughed, "do you ever do it too?"

"Yeah, most nights, but it's not like we do it together or anything."

"Would that be so bad?" Jerry asked, realizing he was actually getting hard just talking about it.

Carl pulled back and looked into Jerry's eyes. Even in the darkened room he could see the blush on Jerry's face, "You like him that way, don't ya?"

"What? No...pfffttt," Jerry scoffed, "but I just mean...what's the big deal if you see each other doing it? I mean you know he's doing it, and he knows you're doing it..."

"Yeah, well...don't think I haven't thought about it," Carl admitted, "but we never really talked about it before."

"He might want to see what you got," Jerry laughed, "little kids are always curious about that stuff."

"He's not so little down there," Carl laughed, "I mean, we've seen each other naked before."

"Hard?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah, you know how it is in the morning...?"

"Yeah, and...how big is it?"

"Man, you're turned on by this, aren't you?" Carl laughed.

"No, well...maybe a little. Is that okay?"

"Heck yeah, if it gets you all hot and bothered for me, that's awesome."

"So...how big?"

Carl laughed, "I don't know, maybe an inch shorter than me, and he has big nuts for a little kid."

"Oh man, I bet he starts making cum pretty soon then."

"Yeah, maybe. Why, you wanna taste it?" Carl teased.

"I think you should be the first," Jerry teased back.

"Eww...gross...that's incest," Carl laughed, "but I guess since we're only steps..."

"I bet a lot of brothers do that stuff."

"Yeah, I know Tony and his bro jerk together, but I don't think his bro would ever suck a dick. He might let Tony suck his though. He's 16, and thinks he's hot shit."

"Damn, I bet he has lots of hair and shoots a bunch, like Trevon."

"Trevon, oh yeah...the black dude. Yeah, he's more like a man than a kid now, that's for sure."

"I need to go pee, you wanna come too?"

"Sure, I better go with you, or you might go molest Ricky if I let you go alone," Carl teased.

"Very funny," Jerry said as he got up to find his underwear.

Carl slipped his underwear on as well, and together they walked out into the hall. They noticed the light was still on in the living room, and suddenly a little head peeked over the top of the couch and greeted them with a smile.

"Come on," Carl said tapping Jerry gently as he led him to the living room.

"What are you doing still up?" Carl said softly.

From behind the couch they could see that Ricky was covered up from the waist down, but that he had removed his shirt. Jerry couldn't help but admire Ricky's smooth well developed chest and flat stomach, and he wondered if he was naked beneath the comforter, or at least down to his underwear.

"Couldn't sleep," Ricky said, "but look what I got done," he said throwing back the covers to reveal he was wearing nothing but a pair of tighty whiteys that showed off his lower body nicely.

Grabbing the bracelet he'd completed from the coffee table, he handed it to Carl, beaming with pride.

"Oh bro, this is nice," Carl said, "good job, but don't let mom and dad know you stayed up to do it."

"Let me see," Jerry said, barely able to take his eyes off Ricky's beautiful body.

"You can have that one, and I'll make another one for Carl. That way you won't have to wait."

"Yeah, good idea," Carl agreed, "Here let me tie it on ya. Remember, once you put it on, it stays on."

"Is it okay to get it wet?'

"Yeah, it won't hurt it," Ricky assured him, "I've had mine on for a long time."

"Aww...this is nice," Jerry said once Carl had tied the colorful bracelet on his wrist, "thanks Ricky, uh...can I give you a hug?" he said before he could stop himself.

Carl chuckled as Ricky stood on the couch and leaned in so Jerry could hug him.

"Thanks Ricky, this is awesome," Jerry said, reluctantly pulling away. Ricky's body felt so warm and soft, and he could swear he could feel his penis pressing into his stomach as they hugged.

"You should go to sleep now," Carl said, "we just got up to pee, then we're going to sleep."

"Sure you are," Ricky teased.

"Go...to...sleep," Carl growled.

"Okay, okay," Ricky said still grinning, "goodnight you guys."

"Nite Ricky, and thanks again," Jerry said giving Ricky's cute body one last looking over.

In the bathroom, the two boys stood side by side peeing and admiring each other's junk, and before long they were starting to get hard. Jerry could still remember the warmth of Jerry's hug and the image of his perfect little body still lingered in his brain. He felt guilty for feeling that way about the younger boy, but he supposed it was no different than what he felt for Carl in some ways. The only difference was, Carl was his age and enjoyed doing stuff with him, and Ricky was just a kid.

After washing their hands, the two made their way back to the bedroom and noticed the light was now off in the living room. Jerry lifted his wrist and looked at the bracelet again and smiled as he thought that Ricky had made it especially for him. Carl yawned as he climbed into bed, then scooted over to make room for Jerry.

"We better do it now, or I'm gonna fall asleep," Carl said, "swap ends and we'll do it at the same time."

As they lay head to foot, rubbing each other's balls and ass, they slurped, and licked, and sucked at each other's boyhood with gusto. Carl thought Jerry seemed especially enthusiastic as he engulfed his cock, and he wondered if his interest in Ricky had anything to do with it.

He wasn't exactly jealous, but he was still a little unsure of where he stood with Jerry, and certainly didn't want to lose him to his younger brother. But that was silly, he decided. Jerry was just curious and horny, that was all. He had to admit that at times he thought about Ricky that way too, but he'd always thought it was wrong, and didn't want to risk hurting his little brother in any way. He loved the little runt, and if anything ever did happen between them, Ricky would have to be the one to start it.

Before long, the boys were moaning lowly, and almost without warning, Carl began to come, filling Jerry's mouth with his sweet/salty boy batter. Even as Jerry received his gift, he felt his own orgasm building in his balls, and moments later he began to feed Carl his own tasty cum.

"God that was the best blow job ever," Carl laughed after they licked each other clean and had swallowed every drop.

"I know," Jerry panted, "I feel like my balls are turned inside out now," he added laughing.

"Me too," Carl laughed, "Were you thinking about Ricky just now," he teased.

"Noo," Jerry lied, "shut up about that, okay?" he said, trying to sound mad and hoping Carl would drop the subject.

"Okay, okay, I was just teasing, let's get some sleep now, I'm bushed after that."

After slipping their underwear back on, the two snuggled up close, and before long Carl was snoring softly. Jerry however, lay there in the darkness and thought about his feelings for Carl, and his feelings for Ricky. It was all very confusing, but one thing he was sure of, just because he found Ricky interesting, maybe sexy, his feelings for Carl hadn't changed. He thought of Carl as his boyfriend, and the bracelet on his wrist was a symbol of their relationship, even if Ricky had made it.

He decided his interest in Ricky was harmless enough, and besides, it wasn't like they'd be hanging out together without Carl there. He relaxed some then, but even in sleep he still had visions of Ricky, only in his dreams Ricky was naked as the day he was born.

Unknown to the two boys, as soon as they'd closed the door to the bedroom, Ricky had quietly sneaked down the hall and put his ear to the thin hollow core door. At first he heard nothing, then Carl's familiar voice said clearly, "We better do it now, or I'm gonna fall asleep," then, "swap ends and we'll do it at the same time."

Do what? Ricky thought, puzzled as to what they might be doing, and swap ends, what did that mean? He wasn't quite as worldly as his older brother, and though he heard of blow jobs and such, he had no practical knowledge of them, nor did he know what a 69 was.

Next Ricky heard the bed springs squeaking a little, then the two moving around against the sheets, and then a sound he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was a weird noise, kind of wet, sort of like someone eating a Popsicle. He made a face as he tried to remember if they had any Popsicles in the freezer, but then he heard something that made him rethink things.

Was that moaning? He wondered, pressing his ear even harder against the door. He wished he'd thought to get a glass and put it against the door. He'd seen them do that on TV and it was supposed to make it easier to hear. 

There was more moving around, then the wet noises got louder, and he could hear a sort of smacking sound now. Ice cream? He wondered, are they eating ice cream? But that was silly, they hadn't gone to the kitchen, they'd gone straight to the bedroom after leaving him, and he'd followed them immediately.

What happened next made Ricky realize that there was more going on behind that door than eating. There was moaning now, and the slurping sounds were louder, and then...the final piece fell into place just as he heard his brother cry out softly.

They're jerking off, Ricky thought, barely able to keep from giggling. And he was content with that explanation, and if he hadn't lingered a bit longer, he would have fallen asleep that night not knowing the real truth, but what came next changed everything.

"God that was the best blow job ever," Carl laughed.

"I know," Jerry panted, "I feel like my balls are turned inside out now," he added laughing.

"Me too," Carl laughed, "Were you thinking about Ricky just now," he teased.

"Noo," Jerry lied, "shut up about that, okay?" he said trying to sound mad and hoping Carl would drop the subject.

"Okay, okay, I was just teasing, let's get some sleep now, I'm bushed after that."

Blow job? Ricky thought, his face turning bright red just hearing the words. The two were...were, giving each other blowjobs? But what was this swapping ends stuff?

He listened for a few more minutes, but it was obvious the two boys on the other side of the door had settled down and weren't about to do anything else tonight. Slowly he made his way back to the couch, and only then did he realize his penis was harder than it had ever been.

He'd suspected that Carl and Jerry might be doing stuff, but blow jobs? That was gay stuff, wasn't it? He knew for a fact that Carl and Tony had jerked off together before, for he'd seen them from his hiding place in the closet one day. He'd had to wait till they were done so he could sneak out of the room, but he'd watched them through a crack in the door, and fingered his own stiff prick as he watched their much larger ones spew forth. It wasn't the first time he'd seen his brother's cock, but it was the first time  he'd seen it that hard, and the first and only time he'd seen him actually jerk it. Even though they often did it at the same time in their room at night, they had never seen each other do it, nor did they talk much about it. Now, he realized his brother was doing a whole lot more than just jerking off, and that made him wonder, was Carl gay?

So what if he was? Ricky thought as he lay there rubbing his stiff 3 incher. He  had a friend at school that he thought might be gay, Robby Miller. He acted kind of like a girl, and he was always saying things like "blow me", and "wanna see my wiener?" to all the other boys. Some of the older boys made fun of him and called him queer and fag, but Ricky liked him. He was funny and fun to be around.

If Carl was gay it was really no big deal. In fact it might be better in some ways. There would be no yucky girls coming around, and Carl would only have guy friends over, like Jerry. He liked Jerry, and...then he thought about what else he'd overheard at the door. Did Jerry like him that way? Was that what Carl meant when he asked Jerry if he'd been thinking about him? And Jerry had sounded...what? Embarrassed, or nervous or something.

Wow, he thought as his hand moved faster on his little prick. He wondered what a blow job felt like, and he closed his eyes and pictured the two doing it to one another. Then in a moment of clarity he knew what the swapping ends had meant. They were blowing each other at the same time. That was why the noise was so loud, and why both were moaning. They were both getting that good feeling at the same time.

His hand was a blur now as he moved it along his prick and felt the tingles building in his balls. It always felt this way, but never this good, this intense, and he was breathing heavily and panting as he neared orgasm.

Jerking his underwear down to his knees, he pounded his penis harder and faster than he ever had before, all the while envisioning the scene behind his bedroom door, and wishing it was him on the receiving end of a blowjob. In his mind he pictured not Carl, but Jerry's face, and thought about what it would feel like to have his cute mouth wrapped around his little prong.

His eyes rolled back in his head as his orgasm rushed over him, and he moaned lowly as wave after wave of pleasure washed over his young body. His nuts ached a little and as always he felt the tip of his penis in hopes this was the time he'd actually produce a little spunk, as Carl had promised him he would someday.

Nope, dry again. He thought to himself, maybe next time. Maybe if I could just get a blowjob, he giggled. But who would do that? Maybe Robby, he laughed, then on second thought, he decided, maybe that wasn't a bad idea. Yeah, he'd be more friendly to Robby and see if he was really gay. Yeah, that was a plan. Meanwhile, he was completely exhausted after his intense orgasm, and almost as soon as he pulled up his underwear and covered up he was asleep.

End Chapter Thirteen

Next: Ricky learns a lesson

Other stories at Nifty by Rob Warr

Christmas Eve 1975

Girls Suck, but Boys do it Better

Hollow-Weenie

Josi

Love on the Half Pipe

Loving Jake

Personal Heaven

Pudding Cups

The Gift

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet

Viral Times

    Thanks to Mikey for  is invaluable help with editing, pics, and most of all, his encouragement and friendship. Love ya pal.