Nifty

The winds blowing through the trees made a mournful sound and the flapping of the tent kept Rusty on edge as he lay there in the sleeping bag that Jordy had loaned him. In some ways he wished he'd never met the two boys, or gone to the party, but reflecting on it, the good things far outweighed the bad. For one thing, his stomach was full for once, and he wouldn't lay shivering in the night as he had the night before. With Jordy's sleeping bag to keep him warm, he'd be able to sleep tonight, that is if his mind would ever shut down.

He wondered what his mom and dad thought, but more importantly what his little brother Warren thought. The two were very close, and he knew the kid must be worrying about him. Except for the few times one or the the other had slept over at a friend's house, they'd never spent a night apart.

Sharing a room would have put many brothers at odds, but not so with Rusty and his brother. For Rusty, Warren had become a live-in playmate when he was old enough to be fun, and over the years they'd grown ever closer, especially since Rusty had started pulling away from his other friends. The reason for that was simple, Rusty had discovered he liked boys, and the fear that one of his friends might figure him out and expose him had put him on the defensive. When his buddies would ask him to sleep over he'd always make up some excuse not to, or say they were too old for that stuff, and after a while they'd quit asking. He missed those sleepovers and that bonding with his buds, but now his fear of saying or doing the wrong thing kept him from sharing that experience .

The only one Rusty hadn't pushed away lately was his ten year old brother Warren. With the loss of many of his friends, he'd turned to his little brother for companionship and they'd grown even closer. But Warren wasn't stupid and he could see that something was going on with Rusty, and though he loved the time they spent together, he worried about his beloved brother. He had a sneaking suspicion what Rusty's problem was, that he liked boys, but he lacked the maturity or the knowledge to address the issue with his brother.

Rusty sighed, then moaned when he realized he needed to pee again. That meant leaving his warm sleeping bag and braving the wind and cold, but he knew he'd never get to sleep if he didn't empty his bladder.

Slowly unzipping the sleeping bag, he stretched a bit before forcing himself out of the warm cocoon. He'd stripped down to his  underwear this time because he'd read that sweaty clothes could make you colder. He'd kept his socks on however, and grabbed his shoes and slipped them on before he stood.

Shivering in the cold air of the tent, Rusty considered just going to the tent door, hanging his dick out the door and letting loose. The fear of it blowing back into the tent however, forced him to move a short distance away from the tent to empty his bladder.

A raccoon or perhaps a opossum, it's eyes glowing in the dark, had paused to watch Rusty, and he kept a wary eye on the intruder the whole time. Finally satisfied that the creature meant him no harm, once his bladder was emptied, he stowed his equipment and returned to the tent.

Even being out in the night air for such a short time, Rusty was chilled to the bone, his skin almost icy to the touch. He considered putting on dry clothes from this gym bag, but remembering how warm he'd been in the sleeping back earlier, he decided against it.

Once back in the sleeping bag, it didn't take long to warm up once again and he tried again to will himself to sleep. He considered jerking off, but remembering Seth's warning about not getting any jizz on Jordy's sleeping bag he chuckled to himself.

He liked Seth a lot. Not that Jordy and the others weren't nice too, but there was something about Seth that he could relate to. Maybe it was his sense of humor, or the way he took charge of any situation he found himself in. He was cute too, and only a year younger than Rusty's real age of 14. He'd told the two he was 16 to make it seem more reasonable for him to be camping alone, but he wasn't sure anyone believed his story, especially the adults.

That guy Mark, who had given him the ride, surprised him by not grilling him at that party or at least mentioning that he'd been the one to give him a ride. He wondered it he'd told Seth's dad, Mack, that was his name, because they looked like they were good friends.

He found both Mack and Mark attractive, but a little too old to get his motor running. He preferred boys within a year or two of his own age, not that he'd ever done anything with another boy since he was much younger. There was one of his friends at school, Sam, that he'd had sort of a crush on since 7th grade, but Sam was a jock and he supposed totally straight, and he'd been careful to keep his feelings hidden.

But of all the boys he knew, only one had ever fully captured his heart. His name was Nathanial, but everyone called him Nate. He was six months older than Rusty, tall and good looking, with a swimmer's body and an above average package. He knew that from his occasional glimpses of him in the showers after P.E., not that he was hung up on that particular part of a boy's anatomy, for the rest of him was just as interesting to Rusty as that appendage.

The real problem with Nate was that he didn't know just how good looking he was, or the effect he had on others. Even other boys were known to stare at Nate even when he wasn't naked, and the girls, well the girls, just went bat-shit crazy for him. Surprisingly enough, so far Nate hadn't really shown any of those girls much more than a passing interest, and Rusty had begun to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Nate liked boys too.

He realized he was hard just from thinking about Seth, and Sam, and Nate, but his erection soon wilted when his thoughts turned to the event that had led him to this moment. He chastised himself for being so stupid and getting caught, not just for his own sake, but because of the pain he'd caused his family.

He loved his father despite his being a rabid homophobe, and now he feared he'd lost him forever. His mother was a different story, but she had always been under his father's control, and though conflicted, there was little she could do. However, he worried most about his little brother Warren. What must he think? he wondered, Does he think I've abandoned him? And even worse, what has my father told him, and...will I ever be allowed to see him again? The last thought caused tears to form in Warren's eyes. Though he loved his parents and would miss them, the loss of his little brother would be the most devastating thing he could imagine.

The worst part was, he had no idea what to do about any of this. He hadn't thought things out very well when he'd made his move. Looking back, he realized going to one of his friends' house might have been a better move, but considering how he'd distanced himself from those friends, he wasn't sure he'd have found one willing to take him in, and certainly not if they knew why he needed asylum.

"I'm so stupid," he cried out, and the tears began to flow in earnest then.

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

 Suddenly Jordy awoke with a start and stared over at Seth who was snoring softly. He smiled, even drooling and snoring his boyfriend was adorable, and he couldn't resist the urge to plant a kiss on his cheek. Seth sighed and smiled in his sleep, and Jordy rolled back over and stared at the ceiling, wide awake now.

He couldn't help but wonder if Rusty was okay. Was he warm enough, comfortable enough, safe enough, and most of all, what would happen to him once he had to go back home? He sensed there was more to his story than he'd shared, but having an abusive father was so far out of his experience that he could only guess what had led up to Rusty's hasty withdrawal. Could it be possible Rusty was gay, and his dad had found out and thrown him out of the house, or perhaps physically assaulted him? He knew things like that were not uncommon, but even though he'd been reluctant to come out to his own parents, he'd never feared any retribution from his own disclosure. The most he'd feared was disappointment on his parent's part, but they'd made it clear that gay or straight they were proud of their son, and not only loved him but supported him.

What would become of Rusty tomorrow? he wondered. Would he return home, or remain in the woods, with few supplies and no one to help him? He knew his folks well enough to know that they hadn't been fooled by Rusty's story of just camping out, but he wasn't sure just how involved they would be willing to get. Sure it was one thing to feed a strange kid and make sure he had a warm sleeping bag, and a ride to his campsite, but would they be willing to follow up and make sure Rusty was really okay?

Yes, was the answer Jordy kept coming up with over and over. His folks had always been the kind of parents who treated his friends well and made them feel at home. Once, when one of his friends had a falling out with his folks, Jordy's parents had interceded on his behalf and help the family work things out. It hadn't been anything major, probably nothing like Rusty's situation, but it had impressed Jordy and his friend with how far they were willing to go to help.

Tomorrow he planned on going to Rusty's campsite before breakfast and bringing him back to get fed once more. He hoped to be able to find out more about Rusty's situation, and if necessary get his folks involved, but of course that would be the last resort, when all else had failed. Seth rolled over then, and as if sensing Jordy was awake, he snuggled into him and sighed.

"What's wrong, can't sleep?"

"Just thinking about things," Jordy whispered.

"About Rusty?" Seth said, reading Jordy's mood correctly.

"Yeah, a little. Do you think he's okay?"

"Yeah, unless Sasquatch drug him off or a raccoon ate him," Seth joked, "seriously, it's pretty safe around here, and that sleeping bag of yours will keep him  warm and toasty."

"Yeah, I hope so. Anyway, I think we should go get him for breakfast. What do you think?"

"Definitely, I'll take care of that, and you make sure your folks are in the know. I'm sure they won't mind, but we don't want any surprises."

"Yeah, they'll be fine with it. Did you see my mom's face last night? I think she was a few seconds away from suggesting Rusty spend the night," Jordy chuckled.

"Might've been a bit crowded in your bed, but I bet he would've been up for some fun," Seth joked.

"Why do you say that? Did you get the same feeling that I did, that he might like boys?"

"Yeah, not sure if we're old enough to have that gaydar stuff, but since I met you I've started to notice certain things. Like in P.E. I mean most of the guys look, we're all curious and want to see how we compare, but some guys do more than just look."

"Like who?" Jordy laughed.

"Oh, I won't mention any names, but since I already know some of them like boys, like you and Carl and Jerry, it makes it easier to compare looks."

"And you think Rusty does that kind of looking?"

"Yes, he scoped both of us out the minute we met....and, at the party he was watching every boy there, even Ricky."

"Gross, Ricky is just a kid..." Jordy said making a face.

"Yeah, whatever," Seth laughed, "a horny kid from what Carl and Jerry tell me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not my place to say, but...since we're boyfriends and don't keep secrets: apparently Ricky joins Carl and Jerry sometimes in bed, if you know what I mean," Seth chuckled.

"What, no way...can he even...? Never mind, stupid question, I was jerking off at that age, but other than Lee..."

"What were you going to say? So you and Lee did mess around?"

"A little, nothing serious, and a couple other boys I knew over the years, including...oh..." Jordy stopped in his tracks as he thought about Sammy, his next door neighbor, who had been two years older than him, and that the two had done a little messing around.

"What, what were you going to say?" Seth insisted.

"Just that I take back what I said about Ricky, I guess he's not too young, and it's no big deal."

"Hmm...well...I'll let it go for now, but someday you need to tell me all about your dirty past," Seth teased.

"Not much to tell, I bet yours is more interesting," Jordy chuckled.

"Maybe, but we def need to compare notes someday. Right now, we should get some sleep. Want me to rub your back till you fall asleep?"

"No wonder I love you so much," Jordy said smiling warmly, "you're sooo sweet to me."

"I love you too, now roll over and let me at your backside," Seth said, laughing wickedly and rubbing his hands together.

"You said rub, not rape right?" Jordy teased.

"For now," Seth said, "we need our beauty sleep. Anyway, next time you get to be on top."

"I can't wait," Jordy said, then he moaned lowly as Seth's warm strong hands began working their magic on his back and neck.

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

By eight the two boys were up and dressed, and while Jordy went off to find his folks, Seth got the ATV warmed up and ready to go. Of course the Kellys had no problem with feeding Rusty breakfast, and Mrs. Kelly enlisted Jordy's help in the kitchen once Seth was gone to pick the boy up.

Rusty heard the ATV long before he saw it, but at first he thought it might be someone else, perhaps just out riding around. Then suddenly he saw the bright red ATV coming up the path and recognized Seth right away. He stood his ground waiting for Seth to get nearer, then walked over to where he skidded to a stop.

"Hey," Rusty said giving Seth a sunny smile despite his situation.

"Hey, thought you might be hungry," he said handing Rusty the other helmet, "climb on."

"Uh, are you sure?" Rusty said looking worried.

"Of course I'm sure, come on. You'll feel better after a good breakfast."

"Okay, thanks," Rusty said accepting the helmet and slipping it on.

He adjusted the neck strap then climbed on behind Seth and hugged him, perhaps a bit tighter and more intimately than was called for, but Seth didn't mind. Sometimes a guy just needed to hug someone, and he was glad to be Rusty's someone at the moment.

Jordy met the two at the back door of the cabin as Seth pulled up and he waited for Rusty to get the helmet off before addressing him.

"Good morning Rusty. Did you sleep okay? Were you warm enough?"

"Yeah, thanks, that sleeping bag really worked great."

"Cool, I mean, warm," Jordy giggled, and the other two boys joined in.

When the laughter had subsided, Jordy led the two inside where they found Mr. Kelly sitting at the table drinking coffee. He looked up when the three entered and greeted the newcomers with a smile.

"Hello again Rusty. I see the wolves and the bears didn't get to you last night," Mr. Kelly joked.

"No sir, only saw one little critter, that's all, probably a possum. All I could see was it's eyes."

"Yeah, some of the night creatures have eyes that glow," Seth said, "it's spooky at first. Like, you don't know if your staring at a mountain lion or a possum, but you get used to it after  awhile."

"Thanks, I'll pass," Jordy said making a face.

"Hello Rusty," Mrs. Kelly said then, "I hope you're hungry, we always have a big Sunday breakfast. Jordy, why don't you show Rusty the bathroom so he can wash up, breakfast should be ready in about 15 minutes.

"Oh, sure, come on Rusty," Jordy said, automatically taking Rusty's hand , then seeing the surprised look on the boy's face and the growing redness there, he released it, "Oh, sorry...bad habit. It's this way, but you probably already know where it is...so, I'll just...shut up," Jordy said, doing some blushing of his own.

"Yeah, thanks, I remember the way. I'll be right back," Rusty said keeping his head low.

When he was gone Jordy sat down heavily in his chair and sighed, "I didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable, or whatever..."

"It's fine son," Mrs. Kelly said hugging him from behind, "some boys are just shy when it comes to that kind of thing."

"I thought it was cool," Seth observed, "his loss, I like holding hands with clam boy here," he teased, giving Jordy a gentle shove with his shoulder.

"Gee thanks, ham hands," Jordy countered.

"Ham hands," Seth snorted in laughter, "where'd you hear that?"

"Read it in a book or something," Jordy said smiling.

Rusty returned then, having washed his face and used his finger and some toothpaste to freshen his breath some. He'd considered digging around in the medicine cabinet for deodorant, but decided that was too intrusive, and settled for using some wet tissue paper to swab out his pits.

Breakfast consisted of bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy. There were also strawberry and peach preserves, and butter for the biscuits, as well as ketchup for the hash browns, although Mr. Kelly preferred gravy on his. In fact, he put gravy on everything on his plate, including the eggs. 

Rusty, seeing what Mr. Kelly had done, mimicked his actions, earning him a smile from Jordy's dad.

"That's the spirit," he chuckled, "everything tastes better with my wife's delicious gravy."

"Yuck dad, everyone knows you eat ketchup on hash browns," Jordy scolded.

"To each his own, I always say," Mr. Kelly countered.

"I like it either way," Seth confessed, "but usually I like ketchup on em."

"Whatever," Jordy said slicing a biscuit open and slathering it with butter and peach preserves, "Yum," he said taking a big bite, "I love peaches."

Seth almost choked thinking about the other kind of peaches he and Jordy both loved, the ones on their backside. "Me too, especially big juicy ones," he said grinning, almost causing Jordy to choke when he realized what Seth meant.

They shared a smile, but no one seemed to notice, except perhaps Rusty, who seemed to be tuned in to the two boys better than the adults. Even if he hadn't know the two were a couple, he'd have figured it out easily just from the way they behaved around each other. He wished he had a relationship like that, but with his dad being the way he was, there would never be any hope of that happening. That made him sad, perhaps a little angry, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Again he wondered what he would do next, where he would go, how he would survive? He knew he couldn't stay in his tent forever. If he didn't starve to death or freeze to death, eventually the authorities would find him and haul him back home.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Mr. Kelly asked, suddenly jogging Rusty out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yes...thanks. Jordy's sleeping bag really kept me warm," Rusty said nodding, "thanks for loaning it to me."

"But I guess you'll be heading back home today," Mr. Kelly said staring into Rusty's reddening face.

"I...I guess," Rusty said, realizing he had no choice but to move on now that the adults had gotten involved. Where he'd go next, he had no idea, and without Jordy's sleeping bag he didn't know if he could survive another night in the cold.

"Well, we'll worry about that later. Just enjoy your breakfast and we'll talk about it then."

"Uh, okay...thanks," Rusty said, and despite being worried about what to do next or where to go, he decided he needed to eat while he had the chance. Who knew when his next meal might be?

Jordy and Seth kept the conversation going, talking about the things that interested boys, and trying hard to keep Rusty's mind off his troubles. It seemed to be working, and for a while Rusty actually looked  happy and content.

If only my own family was this nice, and my dad was like Jordy's, Rusty thought. Sometimes he wished it was just him and his mom and little brother Warren. They got along just fine, the three of them, and the only trouble seemed to come when his dad was involved. His dad talked bad about his mom, and though he was fairly kind to Warren, Rusty had been the brunt of his verbal abuse for a long time now.

Maybe his father had sensed he was different, Rusty mused, maybe he thought if he was harder on him that he'd man up and lose his perverted interests in boys. Only Rusty didn't think his interest was perverted, it was just how he was. He was smart enough to know that it wasn't something he'd chosen, that he was just born this way, and that no amount of abuse or hurtful words could change him. It made him feel sad and lonely to think that there was no one he could share his feelings with, not even his mother, who he loved dearly.

Eventually they finished their breakfast and Rusty worried about what would  happen next. However, when Mr. Kelly didn't seem in any hurry to continue their earlier conversation, he relaxed a little.

"Jordy, why don't you boys go to your room and play some video games or something," Mrs. Kelly said, "Your father and I will clean up in here." That would give the two adults time to discuss Rusty's situation and see if they could figure out how to find out what was really going on.

"Come on," Jordy said enthusiastically, "I got a new game for my birthday and it's really cool.

Once  they were in Jordy's room, he shut the door and turned to give Rusty an appraising look. Rusty looked nervous and worried, and Jordy wondered exactly what was going on with the boy.

"So, Rusty..." Seth said, asking the question Jordy dared not ask, "what's really going on with you? You aren't just camping out, you ran away...didn't you?"

"What? No...well..." Rusty sputtered, "You can't tell anyone," he finally said, sitting down heavily in Jordy's desk chair.

"I can't promise that," Seth said honestly, "If you're in trouble and need help we'll have to tell the adults. But I promise if we do, they'll do the right thing. They're cool, really cool, and you don't have to worry about them not understanding. They're like the most understanding rents in the world, right Jordy?"

Jordy nodded his approval but didn't speak.

"But...what if they want to take me back?" Rusty sputtered.

"Why can't you go back?" Jordy wondered, "what really happened?'

"I...I'm not sure I want to talk about this, but I guess I got no choice..." Rusty said sighing, "at least I know you two will understand."

"Go on, tell us," Seth said soothingly, "I bet you'll feel much better when it's all out."

"It's my dad," Rusty said in a low steady voice, "He...he caught me looking at...well, some stuff on my tablet and he got mad. He smashed my tablet to pieces and threatened to kick me out...so I just waited till he was gone and I grabbed my tent and stuff and left. I hitched a ride out here with a guy in a white pickup and then I found out that it was Jerry's dad, Mark, and I was terrified he was going to tell someone, only I guess he never did."

"Wait, what kind of stuff were you looking at?" Seth said, almost sure he already knew, but wanting Rusty to confirm what he suspected.

"You know...porn," Rusty said blushing, "gay porn," he added, barely loud enough for them to hear.

"Oh, so you're gay," Seth said calmly, "and he threatened to throw you out if you didn't change?"

"Something like that," Rusty said breathing a sigh of relief, "so I just beat him to it. I can't change who I am, and I can't go back there. He'll make my life a living hell."

"You're not really 16, are you?" Jordy suddenly said, seeing how fragile and young looking the boy appeared all of a sudden.

Rusty shook his head, "I just said that so it wouldn't seem so weird, me being out here alone. I'm really 14, well...almost 15."

"I thought so. I never said this, but I'm sure I've seen you at school, and if you'd been 16 you'd have been in high school, not middle school."

"Yeah, I was afraid you might've seen me," Rusty confessed.

"So, what was your plan?" Seth asked point blank, "what were you going to do when your food ran out? That is if you didn't freeze to death first."

"I...I don't know," Rusty said, seconds away from tears, "I guess I didn't think things out very well. If you guys hadn't come along I might already be dead."

"Oh, I doubt that, but you can't go on like this. You need help, and I think it's time to get the adults involved. What do you say, can we go tell them what's really going on?"

"I guess I don't have any choice," Rusty sighed, "they already know something is up and they expect me to leave today."

"Yeah, I don't think you had them fooled either," Jordy said, "but they're not the kind of parents that butt in unless they need to."

"What do you think they'll do?" Rusty asked nervously.

"We don't know exactly, but it will be better than freezing your peaches off," Seth joked.

"I guess," Rusty said, managing a little smile, "I don't care so much about my dad, but I worry about my mom and little brother."

"Yeah, but you might be surprised, your dad might be worried too," Jordy offered.

"I...I don't know, we've never been close. Well, not since I was a little kid. He's changed lately, and it's like we're enemies all of a sudden."

"Hmm...well, I'm no expert there," Jordy said, "My dad is awesome, and so's Seth's."

"Yeah, I get that. My dad is nothing like that."

"Come on, the sooner we get this over with the better," Seth suggested.

"Yeah, I guess, but I'm not looking forward to this. I gotta tell ya, I'm a little afraid of what my dad will do when I get home."

"Are you scared he will...um, hurt you?" Jordy asked with concern.

"I don't know, not really I guess. I mean he's never hit me, well not since he spanked me as a kid, but he was pretty mad the other day. I've never seen him that mad before."

"Tell my mom and dad how you feel, and I promise they'll do the right thing."

"Yeah, I hope so," Rusty said nodding, though he was still worried and not at all convinced things would work out in his favor.

Even though it was Jordy's house, Seth led the way, with Rusty bringing up the rear. They found the Kellys sitting at the table drinking coffee, and when the three entered they looked up as if they were expecting them.

"Hello boys, have a seat," Mr. Kelly suggested, "would you boys like something to drink?"

The boys declined a drink, but it was a minute or two before Seth finally started the conversation.

"I guess you're probably wondering what's going on," Seth began, "it's about Rusty..."

"Shouldn't Rusty be the one doing the telling?" Mr. Kelly chuckled.

"Oh, yeah...definitely, but I just wanted you to know...that's all."

"So, Rusty...what's going on with you?" Mr. Kelly said soothingly.

Rusty took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began. For a long time he droned on in an almost emotionless voice till he came to the end, and despite the fear he'd had of bearing his deepest secret, he felt oddly relieved when he was finished.

"Oh, you poor boy," Mrs. Kelly said when Rusty fell silent, his head bowed as he hugged himself as if cold.

"I'm sorry your father reacted the way he did," Mr. Kelly said at last, "some parents just aren't as prepared for this sort of news as others," he said looking over at his wife. "Maybe he overreacted, but do you think running away was the best solution?"

"I...I just knew I couldn't stay there," Rusty stammered, "I guess I should've gone to a friend's house, or...or my grandma's."

"Your grandma? Do you think your grandma would be more understanding than your father?" Mrs. Kelly asked.

"What? Oh, yeah...granny is great. She wouldn't care. She loves me...no matter what."

"Then perhaps that's where you should be, if you feel you can't go home. But...I'd like to at least talk with your father and mother and see if we can't work something out with them first," Mr. Kelly said.

"It's no use," Rusty sighed, "he's never gonna change. He hates me for being gay, and I hate myself, but I can't change," he said as tears streamed down his face.

"Oh Rusty," Mrs. Kelly said reaching over to touch the boy, "You can't hate yourself for something you have no control over. You didn't choose this, God just made you this way, and no one has the right to make you feel bad about who you are."

"I know, but...things will never be the same now. Even my friends will hate me when they find out," he sobbed.

"Then they weren't really very good friends, were they?" Mr. Kelly offered.

"It don't matter, nothing matters anymore."

Mr. Kelly was very concerned now that Rusty was baring his soul. He knew being a teenager was traumatic enough without a complication like this one, and that Rusty was very fragile right now. Suicide among teens was rampant, and among gay teens it was even greater. Maybe Rusty wasn't suicidal yet, but he didn't want to take a chance.

"Would it be all right if I talked with your folks?" Mr. Kelly asked then.

"What good would it do? My dad hates me, and my mom will do whatever he says. The only one I got on my side is my little brother Warren, and he's just a kid and can't do nothin'."

"How old is your little brother?" Mrs. Kelly asked.

"Ten," Rusty said smiling slightly as he thought about his little brother, who he loved a lot.

"Well, talking can't hurt. Maybe if we approach your father from the standpoint of being parents of a gay child as well," Mr. Kelly said, "he'll understand things better."

"Um, you're gay," Rusty said to Jordan.

"Yeah, I thought you knew," Jordy giggled, "and so's Seth, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh, yeah...I sorta figured out you two were together, but it's different hearing it said out loud," then turning to the Kellys, he added, "So...you're okay with Jordy being...um, gay?"

"Of course," Mrs. Kelly said, "it really didn't come as much of a surprise when he told us, so it was easy to come to grips with it once the cat was out of the bag," she laughed, "it won't be the easiest life for our son, but we realize it's not his choice, that he was born that way, and we'll help him in any way we can."

"Yes, I agree," Mr. Kelly said, "in the end it makes no difference who my son loves, as long as they treat him right, and Seth here has been a good choice so far," he chuckled.

"Wow, I can't believe you're so cool with this. Wait, what about your dad?" Rusty said, addressing Seth now.

"My daddyo is totally cool with us," Seth assured him, and...so's Jerry's dad," he added, not going into detail.

"Oh, cool...that's the guy who gave me a ride here, right?"

"Yes, Mark is his name, and he's super cool too."

"So, what do we do now?" Rusty said, finally accepting his fate and ready to take the next step.

"Well, first: you need to collect your things, the tent and whatever else you have there at your campsite. One of the boys can take you on the ATV and bring you back here," then to Seth and Jordan, "you can use the trailer if you need to."

"Right," Seth said, "want me to go Jordy?"

"Yeah, I'll help you hook up the trailer, come on Rusty, it won't take a minute," Jordy said jumping up from the table.

When they were gone Mrs. Kelly looked at her husband and sighed, "Twelve years, we lived in Chicago for twelve years, and in that whole time we never came into contact with anyone who was gay," she chuckled, "and now here, a thousand miles away in a sleepy little town in Oklahoma, we seem to be blessed with more than our share."

"I wonder how many gay boys and girls in the making we knew back in Chicago. You know it's not till they reach a certain age that they begin to figure things out. Till then it's just fun and nothing serious. When crushes start and love raises it's head, that's when it really hits home."

"I suppose so, but what are the odds?" she chuckled.

"I agree, might be something in the water," Mr. Kelly chuckled, "I just hope we can convince Rusty's dad that it's not the end of the world."

"So do I dear, but if not...then we need to try to find him a safe place where he can be himself."

"Well, we'll do what we can, but there's only so much we can do. This is a family matter really, and Rusty's dad may not be very receptive to our interfering in it."

"You don't think he's violent do you?"

"No, not from what Rusty has said, but we'll need to be careful how we handle things. I don't want to back him into a corner or anything."

"Oh dear, things have certainly gotten complicated as of late," Mrs. Kelly sighed, "I just hope things work out for this boy, I worry about what he'll do if his father doesn't loosen up some."

"We'll just have to see how it goes, meanwhile, how about another cup of coffee? I could use the caffeine."

Jordy returned shortly and announced he was going to use the bathroom while Seth and Rusty were gone, and when he finished he went to his room to wait for them to return.

A half hour later Jordy heard the sound of the ATV approaching and went out back to meet them.

"Dad said to load your stuff in the SUV," Jordy said to Rusty, then to come on inside.

When Rusty appeared he was directed to sit down on the sofa just across from where Mr. Kelly sat in his recliner.

"I need your parents phone number," Mr. Kelly said simply, "I think talking to them on the phone first may be the best plan of action."

"Uh, okay...I guess. My dad has a cell phone, but not my mom, but we have a phone at the house."

"The house phone is fine. If they answer that one then we'll know they're home."

Rusty rattled off the number while Mr. Kelly punched it into his cell phone, then everyone fell quiet as they waited for someone to pick up. The phone only rang a couple times before a woman picked up and Mr. Kelly nodded at the others to let them know he'd made contact.

"Mrs. Cramer?" Mr. Kelly said, "Oh, hello. My name is Dan Kelly, and I'm calling about your son Rusty. No, no, he's fine...just a little upset, that's all. You see..." Mr. Kelly went on to explain where Rusty had been the last two days, including being discovered by Seth and Jordy, and that finally the adults had gotten involved, "I know this is technically none of our business, but we can't help but be concerned for Rusty considering his father's reaction to his...um, accidental outing. You see, my son is also gay, so I understand the situation a lot better than most men would. No, I wasn't angry or upset when I found out, in fact, my wife and I had seen signs along the way, so it wasn't really much of a shock.

"No, we didn't try to do anything about it," Mr. Kelly laughed nervously, "any more than we'd try to change the color of his hair or the way he talks. Mrs. Cramer, whether you or your husband want to believe it or not, Rusty...and my son were both born the way they were, and there is nothing wrong with them, nothing that needs fixing..."

"Way to go dad," Jordy said under his breath. It was a little weird hearing his dad talk about him and his being gay, but he was doing a good job of defending him, and proving that he stood behind him, no matter what.

"Yeah, give it to em Mr. Kelly," Seth chuckled.

"Yes, Mrs. Cramer I understand that your husband is upset, but perhaps if he sat down and talked with Rusty he'd see that he's still the same boy he was before all this happened. Being gay, or straight, or bi, or whatever does not define who a person is. There are good people and bad people of all persuasions, and from what I've seen  and heard of  your son, he's a decent and caring individual who just needs some understanding on your part."

They talked for what seemed like hours, but it was evident Mr. Kelly was no closer to convincing Rusty's mom that being gay was not the end of the world. Then finally she admitted what the real problem was: that her husband had been molested as a boy, and that since that day he'd considered all gay men to be child molesters. He saw his son as one of those evil men like the one who had raped him repeatedly over the course of several months. He'd been too ashamed and scared to tell his parents at first, and it had only ended when the man was arrested for molesting another boy. He'd heard later that the man was murdered in jail and he'd laughed when he heard the news. As far as he was concerned, all child molesters and all gays should be dead.

"But surely he must understand that not all gay men are child molesters, in fact statistically most men who abuse children are straight, many of them married. Being gay doesn't mean being attracted to children. Besides, Rusty is only a child himself. Yes, I understand. Yes, I'd be happy to talk to him, but meanwhile...what about Rusty?"

Mr. Kelly had a confused and wary look on his face as he listened to what Rusty's mom had to say next, then he lowered his head before replying. "Yes, I suppose we'd be willing to do that, but I'd need something in writing...just in case, since Rusty is still a minor. Yes, I could bring him to get some clothes and things. I'll have the document printed out and all you'll need to do is sign it. Yes, I...I understand it's only temporary till you can talk to your husband. And he'll be back Wednesday? All right, we should be there within an hour or so. Yes, goodbye," he said, then looked up, the frustration obvious on his face.

"Dan, what's going on?" Mrs. Kelly said reading her husband's look perfectly.

Mr. Kelly sighed, then he began, "Seems that Rusty's dad is out of town till Wednesday and he's ordered Rusty's mom not to let Rusty back into the house. However, she says she will talk to him when he gets back and see if she can't get him to come around. Meanwhile, she has suggested that Rusty stay with us. I know, I know, that's crazy since we're complete strangers and all, thus the reason I insisted on her signing a temporary custody form. That way if Rusty were to get sick or hurt we could get him treated, and also protect us should the law get involved."

"She, she...doesn't want me either?" Rusty said sadly.

"It's not that son," Mr. Kelly said soothingly, "I guess it's like you said, she pretty much goes along with whatever your dad says. She seemed receptive to what I had to say, but she's not the problem, your father is. Apparently he compares being gay with being a child molester, and I'm afraid that's how he sees you."

"What no, I'd never..." Rusty said growing agitated, "I only like boys my age or older..." he said, then blushed.

"I know son, you don't have to convince me. Look, I know this isn't the ideal situation, but it's better than sleeping in a tent and freezing your butt off," he said trying to lighten things up. Wednesday I plan on talking to your father myself. Meanwhile, you'll be safe here. Just give me a few minutes to print out the document I need and we'll be on our way."

While Mr. Kelly went to the office to use the computer there, Jordy and Seth took Rusty to the bedroom to talk to him privately.

"You okay man?" Seth asked laying a hand on Rusty's shoulder.

"I...I guess. Sorta seems like I don't got no choice. Even my mom don't want me," he sighed.

"Nah, it's not that. It's just your dad and all..." Jordy said, "but my mom and dad will do everything they can to convince them you're not evil and stuff. Meanwhile, you can stay with us. That will be cool, right Seth?"

"Yeah, we can take turns having you sleep over at our cabins or something. And we can all ride the bus to school together and ride the ATV when we get home."

"I just...I can't believe my mom doesn't want me..." Rusty said wiping away tears.

"Aww...don't cry," Jordy said putting his arm around the boy, "I don't think that's what she meant. She...she's just sorta caught in the middle, and I think she's afraid to go against your dad."

"Yeah, I guess," Rusty sighed, "at least I'll get to see my little brother and explain things to him."

"Yeah, hey, at least you're not stuck in that tent and worried about getting mauled by raccoons," Seth joked, trying to lighten things up.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Rusty said giving Seth a sad smile.

"Boys!" Mr. Kelly called from the hallway, "Time to go."

"Jordy, Seth, grab Rusty's stuff and take it inside. Rusty, climb in son, I want to talk to you a minute."

Rusty did as he was told, sure that Mr. Kelly was going to tell him what a pain in the ass he was, and how inconvenient all this was, but what he heard almost brought him to tears once more.

"Son, I know this is very hard for you, but I promise my wife and I will do everything we can to get you back where you belong, with your family. Even if it takes a while."

"Thank you sir," Rusty said, "but I don't think my dad will ever change. I think...I think he hates me now," he said softly, lowering his head and feeling the tears threatening once again.

"Oh, I doubt that. I think what your father hates is the idea of you being gay, not you personally. But his perception of what a gay person is, is greatly flawed due to his own experience as a boy. I assume you know about what happened to your father as a boy."

"Yes sir, my mom told me most of it, sort of as a way to warn me to stay away from strangers." Suddenly Rusty laughed, and Mr. Kelly smiled wondering what was so funny, "I was just thinking, my mom just basically gave me to a stranger. After all that bullshit about stranger danger and all, it seems like strangers are nicer than my own family."

Mr. Kelly didn't know how to reply to that, but fortunately the other two boys made a rather noisy appearance then as they climbed into the second row seats.

"All ready to go dad," Jordy said then, "can we stop for ice cream at the little drive-in?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. Just don't tell your mother," he joked.

"Aww, we could bring her a shake. She loves banana shakes. It wouldn't melt if we didn't order it till last."

"Good idea. Okay, everyone buckled up? I assume you live in town?" the last directed at Rusty.

"Yes sir, two streets before downtown."

"Fine, when we get closer you can give me directions, and son, whatever happens, remember we're on your side."

"Yes sir, thank you," Rusty said, but he doubted that even Mr. and Mrs. Kelly could ever change his dad's mind about gays.

Once in town, Rusty directed Mr. Kelly to his street and as they pulled up in front of his house, a boy who looked like a younger version of Rusty came flying out the door to meet them.

Seeing the little ball of energy headed their way, Rusty climbed out quickly and was almost bowled over as his little brother threw himself into his arms.

"Bubba," Rusty said kissing the boy on the face, head, ears, as tears of joy clouded his face.

"I'm sorry daddy is so mean. Momma says you're gonna stay with some people till daddy gets back. I don't want you to go though."

"Sorry buddy, but I have to...at least till dad gets back. They're nice people though. I want you to meet some new friends of mine," he said as Jordy and Seth approached at last.

After introductions were made, Rusty led the group inside, his little brother's hand firmly attached to his. Mrs. Cramer met them at the door and Mr. Kelly introduced himself and the two boys.

"Come on in," she said stepping aside to allow them to enter.

As soon as Rusty was in the door, he started toward his mother for a hug and was met half way.

"Are you all right son?" Mrs. Cramer said fighting back tears.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine. The Kellys have been real nice to me. This is Jordy and Seth, they're the ones who found my tent."

"Hello boys, come in, come in, sit down. Do y'all want something to drink"

"We're fine ma'am," Mr. Kelly said, "I brought the document I mentioned if you'd like to look it over. There are two copies but you need only sign one, the other one is for you to keep. Basically what it says is: that for the time being Rusty can legally reside at my house, and it gives us the right to approve medical care if he should get sick or  hurt. I know it may sound like I'm overreacting, but better safe than sorry I always say."

"I'll just take it in here where the light is better," Mrs. Cramer said rising and going to the dining area just off the small kitchen. She fished in her apron pocket for a pair of reading glasses, then sat down and looked the document over. After a couple of minutes she rose again, located an ink pen from a drawer, signed the top copy, then carried it back to Mr. Kelly, "I can't think you enough for doing this for us. I've been at wits end as to what to do, and I been praying about it, then lo and behold, out of the blue, you called."

"I can't help but wonder, Mrs. Cramer, weren't you at all worried about where Rusty was for the last two days?"

"Of course I was, I've been worried sick. I done called all his friends, even his granny, my momma, and no one had seen him. Then I noticed his tent was gone and I felt some better. I just figured he was camping down behind the dike or in one of the parks by the lake, but I never thought he'd go that far."

"I see, well...it was quite by accident that my son and his friend found him. And quite a coincidence that the man who picked him up and brought him here, was one of our renters."

"Oh, he hitchhiked there?"  his mom said looking at Rusty with concern, "what have we told you about...?"

"About strangers?" Rusty finished, "well...mom, if it wasn't for those strangers I'd be in big trouble right now, so I guess not all strangers are bad. I guess you just have to take em one at a time and figure out which ones are bad and which ones are good."

Mrs. Cramer just nodded, "Are you sure you don't want something to drink?" she said wringing her hands nervously.

"No, we're fine. Rusty, I hate to rush you, but why don't you go pack some clothes and whatever else you think you need while I talk with your mom. Boys, go help Rusty, okay?"

"You must think I'm an awful mother," Mrs. Cramer said when the boys had gone.

"No, I don't know you well enough to pass judgement on you over this one thing. Besides, it's obvious that Rusty loves you and thinks a lot of you. I guess he's just hurt because you seem to have sided with his father on this issue."

"Oh, that's not true at all. I can't say I'm happy about Rusty bringing that filth into our house, but it would've been the same if it was...you know? naked women and not men. And I'm not ignorant, I know that being gay is not something people choose. I know my son was born that way, despite what my husband might think," she sighed then, "I guess I'm old fashioned when it comes to marriage, I believe a woman should honor and obey her husband, but that doesn't mean I will let him harm my son. I just need some time to work this out with him. I think if he sees I'm not going to give up till Rusty is back home where he belongs, that he'll eventually give in."

"I certainly hope so. I guess I don't need to remind you that since Rusty is a minor, you and your husband have a legal obligation to provide for him till he is of age. Throwing a minor child onto the street could be deemed child abandonment, and could result in a fine or prison time for your husband."

"Oh, my...I hadn't thought of that. I don't expect you to pay for Rusty's care though, I'll give you money. I have some money I keep for emergencies, will a hundred dollars be enough?" she said looking distressed.

"Mrs. Cramer, I don't need your money. That's not what I was trying to say at all. I just wanted you to know how serious this matter is, and hopefully you can make your husband see that as well. For now, Rusty is our guest, but I hope that we can soon return him here, where he belongs, with his family. Your son is a rare gift, and who he loves is only a small part of who he is. Being gay does not define him any more than the color of his hair does. He's still the same boy that you loved before all this happened, and hopefully the same boy you will love going forth."

"Oh, I do love him," Mrs. Cramer said wiping away tears, "and Warren, his brother, has bout drove me crazy wanting to know where his big brother is. Those two are really close and..."

"And your husband is worried that Rusty will corrupt his little brother, right? That's what Rusty thinks, but I don't think you need to worry about that sort of thing happening. Rusty is a good boy, he just happens to be gay. If he liked girls and he had a younger sister, would your husband worry that he might molest her? I think what your husband needs is an education in what being gay means. Maybe some counseling. I'm curious, did he get any counseling for what happened to him when he was a boy?"

"No, no one ever knew till he was older and he finally told his daddy. His daddy bout went crazy and blamed him for letting it happen. It was awful, they don't speak to this day."

"No wonder your husband is so traumatized by all this. I would welcome a chance to talk with him if you think it would be advisable."

"I don't know. I'll see what he says," she sighed, "but if it's any comfort, I don't worry about Rusty and Warren being together. Rusty loves that boy as much as any father would. He dotes on the boy and watches out for him. They're closer than any two brothers I ever knew of."

The boys returned then, Rusty with a backpack, and Warren with a small cardboard box with a few items in it. 

"I guess I'm ready," Rusty said, his voice choked with emotion.

"There's no hurry. If you and Warren would like to visit for a while, we could keep your mom company."

"Is it...is it okay mom?" Rusty said hopefully.

She nodded and smiled, "Go on, but just for a little while."

The two went off to the room they shared and sat on Rusty's bed, so close they were touching. Warren leaned into his brother and inhaled his familiar scent, storing the memory for later when his brother was gone.

"I wish you didn't have to go..." the younger boy said with a sigh.

"Me too, but I gotta...for a while anyway. You'll be okay. Did you feed Lucky while I was gone?" Lucky was their dog, a stray that they'd adopted last year. They called him Lucky because their dad said he was lucky that anyone would take him in as ugly as he was. But the boys didn't think he was ugly, and he'd actually turned out to be a good dog.

"Yep, and played with him and stuff. I think he misses you too. You should go pet him before you go."

"Okay, we could do that now, wanna?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll get my coat."

While Warren was getting his coat, Rusty looked around the room he'd shared with his brother for as long as he could remember and sighed. What if  I never get to come back here? he worried, what if they send me away and I never see my little brother again? For a second he considered telling his father it was all a mistake, that he wasn't gay, and that he'd pulled up those pictures by mistake, but he knew that would never work. Not only would his dad never believe him, but he was quite sure he couldn't live with himself if he tried to deny who he really was.

"Ready?" Warren said, taking his brother's hand and snapping him out of his daydream.

"Yeah, let's go."

They paused in the living room long enough to inform the others where they were going, and Warren invited Seth and Jordy to join them and meet their dog Lucky.

The two were eager to get away from the dull talk the two adults were engaging in, and followed the two out the sliding glass door off the dining room and onto a large wooden deck. They descended three stairs to the yard, and were met by a shaggy mutt that jumped on Rusty and began licking his face.

"Hello boy," Rusty said scratching behind the dog's ears and ruffling his fur, "this is Jordy and Seth," he said to the dog in a soothing voice, then to the two boys, "it's okay, he's friendly, he don't even bark at strangers as long as one of us is around.

Jordy and Seth loved on the dog and talked to him in that voice that we humans use when it comes to animals, and Jordy thought how lucky the boys were to have their own dog. He'd wanted one forever. Of course, back in Chicago there had been a million reasons not to have one, but here in the wilds, he hoped to talk his folks into a dog, and soon.

The four sat down on the deck with Lucky at their feet, the dog occasionally getting up to check something out or to come lay his head in one of the boys' lap for some good loving.

"I want a dog sooo bad," Jordy said, "I'm gonna try to talk my folks into letting me have one this spring."

"Cool," Seth said, "maybe it can be our dog, we can both take care of it."

"Yeah, good idea, that way I'll have someone else to shovel the poop," Jordy laughed.

"Why bother? Just take him in the woods to do his business."

"Yeah, good idea, but you can help feed him and stuff..."

   Rusty listened to the two boys making plans, and for a moment he forgot his own troubles. How easy it would be if his dad accepted him like Jordy's obviously did. Why did things have to be so hard? he wondered. The worst part of all this was that he couldn't be with his little brother. He knew now what his father was really afraid of, that he'd molest his little brother and make him gay too. He knew it didn't work that way though, otherwise wouldn't his dad be gay too? After all, he was made to do really gay sexual things over and over. If that made a person gay, then his dad should be the gayest person in town.

No, it didn't work that way, and Rusty knew it. You didn't catch being gay, and no one could make you gay if you weren't, and by the same reasoning, if you were gay no one could make you straight. Warren was in no danger from Rusty, that was for sure, for Rusty would never do anything to hurt his little brother. He loved him unconditionally and worried about what his father might say or do to him to make sure he didn't turn out like his big brother. What if he made Warren's life a living hell everyday just to make sure he didn't turn out gay? It worried Rusty a lot, and he vowed that if he was allowed to return home, he would watch over his little brother even closer than he had before.

"Boys," I think we should go," Mr. Kelly called from the back door, "Jordy, Seth, come help me load Rusty's things in the SUV and we'll let these two say their goodbyes."

"Sure dad, coming," Jordy said jumping up, "hey Warren, cool meeting you. I'll...um, see ya soon, okay?"

"Okay, the younger boy said jumping up to give both Jordy and Seth a warm hug, "thanks for helping my brother," he said looking up into Jordy's face and smiling sadly.

"Oh, you're welcome dude," Jordy said, fighting back the urge to bawl like a baby.

"Yeah, dude, we'll see ya around," Seth said, sounding just as touched as Jordy.

As soon as the two were gone, Warren leaned into his older brother and buried his head in his chest, "I wish I was going with you," he said sadly, "I could take care of you."

"Aww, thanks bubber," Rusty said, struggling to keep it together for his little brother's sake, "but it will be okay. I'll be back before you know it, and we'll do something fun, like go down to the lake or the park."

"Promise?" Warren begged, "Please promise you'll come back."

"You know I will," Rusty said firmly, "dad will get over this...this thing, and everything will be fine again," he said, praying his words would make it true.

"Daddy says you're bad cause you like boys and not girls, but I don't care. I just want my brother back," Warren sobbed as he buried his face in Rusty's chest once more.

"He just doesn't understand. He just needs someone to tell him how it really is. Mr. Kelly is going to talk with him, cause...well...see, Jordy is like me, and his folks still love him and they think it's fine."

"They...they do?" Warren said pulling back and wiping at his eyes.

"Yeah, see...dad got hurt when he was a kid like us...by a man, and well...now he thinks all gay people are like that, but it's not true. He...he's worried I'll hurt you like that, but I never would. I love you bubba, and I'd never  hurt you," Rusty said, hugging his brother and kissing the top of his head, inhaling his little brother's familiar scent. It was a calm and reassuring scent, the scent of innocence, and love and family.

A few tears leaked from Rusty's eyes then, but he tried to hide them when he finally released his brother, "I gotta go now, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Here, take my phone, and I'll text you, and when it's safe I'll call ya."

"But how will you call me if I have your phone?"

"I'll use Jordy's or Seth's phone, okay? I know they'll let me. And once you have their number you can text or call me anytime, okay?"

"Oh, okay," the boy said pocketing the phone and feeling proud to be trusted with such a gift, even if only for a short time, "I'll be real careful with it, okay?"

"I know you will, come on, you can walk me to the car, but first I wanna say goodbye to momma."

"Mrs. Cramer was waiting with wet eyes just inside the door, having watched the two say their goodbyes, and she was sorely tempted to tell her husband to go to hell and let her oldest son stay. But since he had a safe place to go, where he'd be treated well and would have companionship, she decided to go through with the original plan.

"We're gonna go ma," Rusty said looking at his mom, the desire to bury his face in her bosom like he had as a small boy almost overpowering.

She must've sensed his need, for suddenly his mother pulled him into a warm firm embrace and kissed his head and face and ears.

"You behave and be careful," she said finally pulling back, "and don't you worry, we are gonna work this out...somehow. I'm not gonna have my son be an outcast in his own house, your father be damned."

Rusty was shocked. He'd never heard his mother talk about his father that way before. Oh sure, they'd sometimes had little disagreements, but usually his mom would give in or in some cases his dad saying, that sometimes you had to let the woman win. This was different though, this wasn't a disagreement over what to order for dinner our whether they needed new drapes, this was serious, and it was evident that his mother wasn't going to back down this time.

"I love you mom," Rusty said kissing her on the cheek.

"I love you too son," she said snaking an arm around him, "Call me if you want. You know I'll be here and you can talk to Warren too."

"Okay, I will...thanks mom," he said disengaging himself from his mom and putting his hand on his little brother's shoulder, "Come on bro, come say goodbye to the others."

Mrs. Cramer watched the two go out the front door, then she sat down  heavily on the couch. She dabbed at her eyes and thought about the fight that was ahead, but she was determined not to give in this time. No one, not even her husband was going to separate her from her first born, even if it meant kicking his sorry ass out and raising the two boys alone. But she hoped that it wouldn't come to that, that her husband would listen to reason, and perhaps with the Kellys' help she could convince him that being gay wasn't as bad as he believed. She wasn't looking forward to the battle ahead, but she wasn't going to give in either. If fight she must, then fight she would, and her determination would not waver.

At the Kellys' SUV,  Rusty gave his little brother one last hug and they said goodbye once again. It was hard leaving him behind, but he knew he'd be safe there with his mom, and right now he had a lot to think about and didn't need any distractions.

However, his heart nearly broke as he watched his little brother waving from the porch as they drove away, and he nearly broke down and begged Mr. Kelly to take him back. Soon the SUV was out of sight, and a sad little ten-year old boy wandered back inside and sat down beside his mother, and only then did he break down and cry.

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

Rusty was quiet and introspective on the way to the drive-in, but he seemed to come out of his funk at the mention of ice cream. He wished Warren was there though, that kid loved ice cream and could eat it everyday if anyone offered. He wasn't really in the mood for anything heavy, but he managed to eat a dip cone without making too big a mess, while the other two boys consumed sundaes. Mr. Kelly had a plain ice cream cone, and just before they left he ordered a banana shake for his wife and had them put it in a sack to help keep it from melting.

On the way to the campsite, Rusty grew quiet again, but Jordy and Seth respected his mood and didn't intrude. They knew he had a lot to think about right now and that seeing his mom and little brother again had only stirred up the feelings that were already eating away at him.

Back at the cabin, the boys helped Rusty carry his stuff inside and to Jordy's room. It would be a bit cramped, and it would certainly put a kink in his and Seth's sleepovers, but it would be worth it to help Rusty out.

"Uh, I need to use the bathroom," Rusty said blushing as he left rather quickly.

"Musta had to poop," Jordy chuckled.

"Hey, I just had a great idea," Seth said, as if reading Jordy's mind.

"Whatcha thinking peanut head?" Jordy joked.

"That's penis head to you, thank you" Seth chuckled, "and since I'm thinking with my little head...here's what I was thinking. What if we let Rusty have your room and...ta ta ta ta, you came and stayed with me...in my bed?" he said waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't know, what if it made Rusty feel even worse than he does? What if he felt like he was moving in and pushing me out or something?"

"Well, we could let him stay at my cabin and I could stay here," Seth said, not giving up on the idea.

"What's the difference?" Jordy laughed, "either way he's gonna feel like he's putting someone out."

"I just...want to be near you, that's all," Seth sighed.

"Wait, are you worried about me being alone with Rusty?" Jordy chuckled.

"Nooo," Seth said, blushing a bit, "of course not. I trust you."

"Good, cause I trust you too, and I think your original idea was the best one."

"Huh, you mean him staying at my place?"

"No, the original idea when dad said he could stay with us, that he take turns sleeping over at our cabins. Tonight he can sleep here, tomorrow at your place. Then Tuesday back here, and hopefully Wednesday night he'll be home."

"Oh, yeah...okay, that's cool," Seth agreed, "we got school anyway, so it's not like we'll be doing anything except sleeping," he added with a chuckle.

Rusty returned after a few minutes looking flushed but a bit more comfortable. He took one look at the two and wondered if they'd been talking about him while he was gone. He hated that he was putting the Kellys out like this, but most of  all: causing Jordy to have to share his room.

"Thanks again for putting up with me," he sighed, "but don't worry, even if my dad won't let me go home, I won't stay longer than Wednesday. I'll go to my grandma's if I have to."

"Hey, you can stay as long as you need to," Jordy said smiling warmly, "it's no big deal, but me and Seth were talking...and we thought it might be more fun for you if we took turns hosting you. Tonight you can sleepover with me and tomorrow night at Seth's cabin. Does that sound okay?"

"Uh, sure, whatever you guys say is fine by me. What will your dad say, Seth?"

"Oh, trust me, dad won't care. He's very cool. He'll just have to keep the noise down if Mark stays over," he giggled.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Rusty said looking at Seth with interest.

"Well, just so you know, and there won't be any surprises, see...well, my dad and Jerry's dad are like...really close...like what's the word?...friends with benefits," he giggled.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Rusty said.

"You know," Seth laughed as he made the universal sign for fucking.

"What, no way...really?" Rusty said looking shocked, "You mean, they're...um, gay?"

"Nah, I mean, they must like women cause they were both married. I just think they like each other a lot, and they're horny guys," Seth said, "but I do think they're starting to like each other more and more all the time. Who knows? They might even fall in love like me and fat butt here," Seth said, referring to Jordy.

"Fat butt?" Jordy laughed, "keep it up and you won't be getting any loving from me for a while."

"Sorry, I meant sweet cheeks," Seth said back tracking.

Rusty laughed for the first time in a long time, "You two are something else. You make me feel like there's hope for me."

"There is, all you need is to find a boy that you like, and who likes you back, and the whole world will change for you," Jordy said rubbing Seth's back affectionately, "we may joke around, but we really love each other a lot, and I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Aww...you're making me blush," Seth joked, "but he's right, we're more than just buds, we're..." he giggled then, "butt buddies now."

"Seth!!" Jordy scolded, "He don't need to hear the details."

"Wait! Have you guys...?" Rusty said looking from one to the other.

Seth looked at Jordy, who was blushing bright red now, but he nodded.

"Yeah, well...so far, I've only done it to Jordy, but I want him to do it to me next time."

"Wow, really? What was that like?" Rusty said, then quickly added, "I mean, did it hurt, was it messy, did you...um, you know?...inside?"

"Yes, awesome, yes, no, and yes," Seth giggled.

"What? Oh..." Rusty laughed, realizing Seth had answered his string of questions in a row, "I've seen videos, but I've never known anyone who actually did that stuff before. I wasn't even sure if I ever wanted to, but now that I know you guys did it, well...I guess it's more interesting."

Jordy wasn't sure he was one hundred percent cool with Rusty knowing all about his and Seth's sex life, but the way it had pulled the troubled teen out of his funk encouraged him to go on.

"It was amazing," Jordy said then, "feeling Seth inside, and our bodies pressed together. It was the best feeling in the whole world. It was...like we were one person the whole time, and I could feel what he was feeling, and when he came...I came too. It was so awesome. I can't wait to do it again."

"Next time, I get to be on bottom though," Seth reminded him.

"Maybe we can both do it next time," Jordy suggested.

"Okay, yeah...that sounds even better. Ugh, now I am sooo hard," Seth added with a groan.

"Me too," Jordy chuckled.

"Me three," Rusty said blushing.

"Damn, and we can't do anything about it right now," Seth grumbled.

"I...um, I was wondering," Rusty said as the other two boys looked at him expectantly, "do you think it would be okay if I took a shower? I sort of stink."

"Oh, is that all," Jordy chuckled, "sure, grab some clean clothes and come on. I'll get you a towel."

"Are you gonna help him shower?" Seth teased.

"No doofus, I'm gonna get him a towel and show him where everything is," Jordy said sticking out his small pink tongue.

"Eww, if that thing was in my mouth, I'd stick it out too," Seth joked.

"Yeah, well...it has been in your mouth, and you seemed to like it just fine," Jordy countered.

Once Jordy had Rusty all squared away in the bathroom, he returned to find Seth sitting on the bed scrolling through his phone. When he saw Jordy he quickly turned it off and slid it into his pocket.

"So, think he's gonna jerk it in there?" Seth laughed.

"I would if I was him," Jordy chuckled, "but he might be too nervous, this being a strange place and all."

"Well, he can always do it later in the dark after you go to sleep."

"Yeah, I guess," Jordy said sitting down beside Seth and laying a hand on his leg.

"Watch it. Don't start something you can't finish," Seth teased, "I'm already pretty horned up from our talk earlier."

"Me too, and it's kind of frustrating having Rusty here and not being able to do anything about it."

"Well...who says we can't? We could go to my place or...take another ride on the ATV to some secluded spot..."

"And leave Rusty all alone? What kind of jerks would that make us?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Seth said frowning, "well...we could take a shower together, how about that?"

"With my folks around?"

"Yeah I get it, at least not during the day, and since I'm not sleeping over it would look kind of weird I guess."

"Yeah, looks like we're stuck like Chuck till Rusty goes back home."

"No way, I can't wait that long. Look, I know we said we didn't want to mess around with other guys, but what if we all just...you know? Jerked it together. We don't have to touch him and he don't have to touch us, but we can touch each other."

"What makes you think he'd be up for that? Remember, he hasn't done anything for a while, and he's pretty messed up over this thing with his dad."

"I don't know, I guess I just figured he's a normal horny teenage boy and needs some relief. And he seemed interested in the fact that we'd gone all the way. Heck, he was practically drooling."

"But where would we do it?" Jordy said gnawing on a fingernail.

"So, you think my idea is a good one?" Seth chuckled, seeing how easily Jordy gave in.

"Well, I don't hate it," Jordy said grinning, "but we'd have to make sure Rusty understood the way it would work and all."

"Yeah, hey...what if we showed Rusty the boat house?" Seth said grinning, "we've had some luck there before. It's quiet and private, and the spooge hits the water and no one's the wiser," he added chuckling.

"Not a bad idea, but what if Rusty doesn't want to go out after he's showered?"

"Man, you're a kill joy," Seth laughed, "we could just explain the whole thing to him right now and if he doesn't want to, that's that."

"Or...we could wait till we're there and then one of us could bring up something sexy again and just see what happens," Jordy said raising an eyebrow.

"You butt-munch, you're already sold on my plan, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it's a great plan," Jordy laughed, "and I bet he'll go for it. God, I am so hard right now."

"Me too, anticipation...anticipation, it's keeping me waiting...keeping me wai..t...ing," Seth sang.

"You have a nice voice, you know that?" Jordy said sincerely, "in fact you have a great everything," he said leaning in to plant his lips on the surprised boy.

Seth got into the kiss quickly, offering his tongue, then sucking Jordy's into his mouth as they continued to swap spit. Their hands began to play about each other's body as their erections throbbed between their legs, eager for release.

"Whew, we better stop or I'm gonna blow right here in my pants," Seth said breathlessly.

"Yeah, me too. I just couldn't help myself. I've wanted to do that all day."

"Yeah, I love it when we kiss. It's almost as good as the sexy stuff, almost..." Seth chuckled.

Suddenly the door opened and Rusty walked in carrying his dirty clothes and a towel draped around his shoulders. Below he wore faded blue jeans, but his upper body was still uncovered and glistened with a few drops of moisture from his shower.

"Oh, did I interrupt anything?" Rusty said grinning.

"Yeah, two minutes later and you'd have got a real show," Seth joked as he looked Rusty over.

Jordy was doing some staring as well, and really liked what he saw. Rusty's upper body was fit and muscular with the makings of a boy six-pack and a flat tummy. His skin was totally smooth without any trace of hair, though Jordy noted he had a bit of fuzz in his pits when he raised his arms.

"That felt good. That's the first shower I've had since...Friday."

"Yeah, we know," Seth giggled while holding his nose.

"Sorry, I should have thought of it sooner," Rusty said blushing.

"He's joking," Jordy assured him, "you smelled just fine."

"Thanks, so...if you want, I could give you guys some privacy," Rusty said blushing.

"Nah, that's fine. We were wondering though, wanna go for a walk with us so we can show you around the place?" Jordy volunteered.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I could use some fresh air, let me grab a shirt and brush my hair out..."

Rusty grabbed his toothbrush, his hair brush, and a shirt and went into the bathroom, and when he returned he was fully dressed and looking quite handsome. Jordy tried  not to stare, but Rusty was a really good looking boy, and sexy as hell. If he wasn't already in love with Seth, he could definitely see himself falling for a hottie like Rusty.

They found Jordy's parents in the living room, Mrs. Kelly's empty shake cup beside her on the end table. When they entered she looked up and smiled at the three.

"Thank you boys for remembering me and bringing me the shake."

"You're welcome mom," Jordy said going over to give her a kiss on the cheek, "we're gonna go for a walk and show Rusty around, okay?"

"I think that's a great idea. Just be back by 6 for dinner. I have some stew cooking in the crock pot and I'll make some cornbread to go with it."

"Sounds good mom," Jordy said, "see ya in a while."

"Be careful son," Mr. Kelly said, "and don't harm any wildlife," he chuckled.

"Yes sir," Jordy giggled, "the flora and fauna are safe from us."

"Your folks are so...so, nice," Rusty observed once they had their jackets on and were outside.

"Yeah, for old folks they're pretty cool," Seth joked.

"They're not that old," Jordy said, "and they still do it," he giggled.

"Do it? Oh, OH," Rusty said blushing, "that IT," he added with a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you never outgrow that stuff," Seth said, encouraging the sex talk.

"Yeah, like Mark and Mack," Jordy laughed, "I bet they go at it like bulls."

"Two bulls," Seth laughed, "yeah...with bull-sized dick and balls."'

"God that's so hot," Rusty said automatically adjusting his crotch.

"Got a problem there Rusty?" Seth teased.

"You know I do," Rusty frowned.

"Well, we figured you'd take care of it in the shower."

"No...I, um...was going to, but it just felt weird being in a strange place and all."

"No problem, there are other, safer places to take care of stuff like that," Seth said grinning.

"Oh, really...like, um, where?"

"Come on, we'll show you one of those places," Seth said as he led the way to the lake.

"What's this?" Rusty said when they approached the boat house, "I mean, I know what it is, but what are we doing here? Doesn't this belong to someone?"

"Yeah, to my folks," Jordy said, "they just rent out the space inside to people with boats."

"Oh, okay," Rusty said as he followed the two up the ramp to the door.

Seth quickly opened the combination lock that had recently been installed, and led the other two inside. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, but when they did Rusty looked around with interest.

"Cool, nice boat," he said gazing at the cabin cruiser.

"Wanna see inside it?" Seth asked, and without waiting for an answer, he started that way.

"Come on," Jordy said, seeing that Rusty was a bit hesitant, "it's cool, no one will ever know. Besides, like Seth told me the first time we did this, it's our job to check things out and make sure everything is okay."

"Yeah, okay...cool," Rusty said grinning.

The tour didn't take long however, and soon they were back on the walkway that ran around three sides of the boat house. Without asking, Seth led the way to the other side of the cabin cruiser and came to a halt. Jordy recognized this as the place where he and Seth and Devon had jerked off that day in December, and he smiled.

"What are we doing?" Rusty said giving the other two boys a shy smile.

"This is one of those private places I was talking about," Seth said grinning.

"Oh, you mean...you guys..."?

"Yup, but nothing serious, just flogging the dolphin a couple times, with a friend."

"Oh," Rusty said blushing, "that's cool."

"Yeah, it was. Hey, I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. Jordy and I are both so horny we could bust, and we wanna jerk it or do something. I know you're horny too and need to get off, but here's the thing. We don't do anything with other guys except jerk off. You get what I mean?"

"Uh, yeah...I think," Rusty said blushing even redder.

"So...if you want to jerk with us, that's cool. I wouldn't mind watching you, and I know Jordy wouldn't either...and, I'm sure you'd like to see us doin' stuff too. Am I right?"

"Uh, well...if you're sure..."

"We're sure as long as you understand, it's looking only for you, and no touching."

"That's cool. I don't mind. I think it would be hot to watch you two, um..doing stuff."

"Cool, so usually we just drop our drawers and do this, but I think we should get naked this time, what do you guys think?"

"It's kind of cold, but I'm up for it if Rusty is," Jordy said excitedly.

"I'll keep you warm, it's Rusty who might get his junk frozen off."

"Nah, I'm fine," Rusty said, "it's not that cold in here."

"Okay then...shall we do it?" Seth said lustily.

"Yeah, uh...here goes," Rusty said, unzipping his hoodie and slowly peeling it off.

Seth and Jordy watched for a moment before starting to undress themselves, and eventually the three boys stood in just their underwear, the tent in them obvious signs of their excitement.

"On the count of three ladies, drop em," Seth joked, "One...two...three...ta ta!"

As the three boys dropped their last piece of clothing, their hard teenage cocks flew up like springs, Rusty's slapping his stomach with a wet smacking sound. He was bigger than the other two boys by a good inch, and bigger around as well, with balls that matched his accelerated development.

"Wow, Rusty, that's quite a weapon," Seth said, gawking in envy at the prize.

"Thanks, I got my hair when I was 11, and by 12 I was coming wet already."

"Cool, and you're uncut...like me," Seth observed, "nice."

"Yeah," Jordy said at last, it is nice, "I feel cheated since I had my skin cut off."

"Aww, you have a nice one too," Seth said soothingly, "I like it just fine the way it is."

"Thanks," Jordy said wrapping his hand around it lovingly.

"Yeah, it's nice," Rusty said eying Jordy's fit sexy body as well as his cock. Seth was a looker too, he thought, in fact, Seth was the kind of boy he could really go for if he wasn't already taken.

"So, boys...now that we've checked each other out, let's do this thing," Seth suggested, "Rusty, show us how the big boys do it and we'll join in."

Rusty blushed, but he was so turned on by the other two boys' bodies that any inhibitions he might have had about performing in front of them were soon washed away by testosterone. He grabbed his dick in the usual fashion, wrapping his entire hand around it and retracting the foreskin all the way to expose his dark red cock head and flaring piss slit.

"Wicked," Seth hissed as he grabbed his own cock and mimicked Rusty's actions.

Jordy had already begun by then, using his precum to slick up his pole as he let his  hand glide along it. If the precum did not prove sufficient lube to get the job done, there was always spit, but as of late he hadn't had to jerk off that much, since he and Seth usually got off in each other's mouth.

"Hot!" Rusty said watching the two, "you guys can...um, do other stuff if you want. I would love to see you guys...um kiss and stuff."

Without replying, the two boys came together in a full body hug and kiss, that caused Rusty's eyes to practically pop out of his head, "Oh wow...man, that's hot. Better than any porn I ever saw."

Pressing their hard dicks together, the two boys continued to kiss and caress each other's body as the heat built. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Jordy broke the kiss and lowered his head to suck and lick Seth's nipples, then lick and kiss his way down his stomach to his middle.

Looking over at Rusty who seemed to be in a trance despite the fact that his hand still pumped away at this rampant member, Jordy gave him a wink before proceeding. Grabbing Seth's cock he slid the foreskin back and began licking it all over like a kid eating an ice cream cone.

"Oh my God,"Rusty gasped, "that's so hot. God, I bet that feels sooo good."

"Ugh, Heaven," Seth moaned, "he's so good at this," he added, taking Jordy's head in his hands and gently guiding him along his swollen tool.

Rusty dared to move closer as Jordy continued, now licking Seth's sensitive nut sack and the inside of his thighs. Mesmerized by Jordy's actions, Rusty continued to work his own cock as he witnessed what had to be the most exciting and eye-opening event of his young life.

Next, Jordy grabbed Seth's cock once again, and this time instead of licking it, he plunged down on it, burying it to the hilt in his hot wet mouth.

"Oh my God!" Rusty groaned, "he took it all..."

"I told you he's good," Seth chuckled, "but so am I, you'll see."

"Do you, um...come in each other's mouth?"

"Of course, that's the best part for both of us. He tastes yummy, and he says I do too."

"Oh God, so  hot. You guys are so hot together."

"Come a little closer," Seth said waggling a finger at Rusty, "I want you to see this up close."

Rusty was so close now he could feel the heat coming off the two, and smell their sexy boy scent. Their fears of it being too cold in the boat house had soon been forgotten as their sexual arousal sent their hot blood coursing through their veins and causing them to sweat.

"So hot!" Rusty whispered once again as he stared down at the action before him.

"Yum," Jordy said coming up for air, before diving back in.

"Oh, oh...I'm close..." Seth panted then, "be sure to show Rusty your mouthful when I...oh, shit...here it comes...." he cried out then as his balls began to unload in Jordy's eager waiting mouth.

"Oh shit...shit, shit, shit...is he coming...oh my god...he is, isn't he," Rusty said staring in disbelief.

"Oh...shit...shit..." Seth cried out, "this is a big one.."

Jordy made little sounds of delight as he sucked the last of the boy nectar from Seth's balls and let it pool in his mouth. When he was finally convinced that Seth's balls were empty, he pulled away and licked the head of Seth's cock clean before turning to Rusty. Then opening his mouth widely, he showed off his tasty prize before rising to share it with Seth in a kiss.

"Oh my God are you...sharing it?" Rusty said in awe, "So hot, I've read about stuff like this, but I never knew it was real."

"It's real," Jordy said once he and Seth had finished their kiss and cum sharing.

"I can't believe you didn't come yet," Seth chuckled, after watching Jordy here give the best beejay of all time."

"I...I didn't want the feeling to end...yet," Rusty said blushing, "are you gonna...do it back now?"

"Nah, he's on his own now," Seth joked, "Of course I'm gonna do it back. I love doing it as much as having it done. It works both ways, you know? Giving and getting, it's how you know if you really like someone, and it's not just about what you can get out of it."

"That was very sweet," Jordy said touching Seth gently, "I feel the same way. I've known since the first time we messed around that it was more than just sex with us. Now, get down there and suck me off, bitch!" Jordy giggled.

"Oh, so I'm a bitch now, well this bitch is gonna give you the sucking of your life," Seth laughed.

This time as Rusty watched Seth doing an equally impressive job of pleasuring Jordy, he allowed himself to get serious about his own orgasm. Pacing himself, edging slowly toward release, he waited till the very last moment to propel himself over the edge.

When he heard Jordy cry out and saw Seth bury his face in his crotch to receive his reward, he began to stroke his cock frantically, and seconds later he exploded onto the weathered boards of the walkway.

Spurt after spurt of thick boy cream erupted from the flaring piss slid and landed on the walkway, with an almost audible thud, as his body shook with pleasure at the long anticipated release.

"Oh...oh...oh shit," he gasped as his legs went weak, feeling like rubber as he struggled to remain standing.

"Dude, you came a lot," Seth said once he'd finished swallowing most of Jordy's spunk, reserving a little to share in a kiss.

"I know, I always do," Rusty panted, "I'm wiped out guys...sorry I got it on the boards though."

"No problem, " Seth said once he'd broken the kiss he and Jordy were engaged in, "we'll scoop up some water and wash it off. I forgot to suggest you stand on the edge and spooge in the water."

Once they were dressed, Seth grabbed an empty five gallon bucket by the pile of ropes and other items near the door and cleaned up Rusty's mess. The three were spent and a bit tired after their intense orgasms, but as soon as they were outside in the fresh air, they quickly recovered.

"That was fun, thanks guys," Rusty said sincerely, "Watching you two together was really hot. I came really hard," he added blushing.

"So did I," Jordy admitted, "there's something really exciting about being watched."

"Yeah, it's like we were putting on a show or something," Seth giggled, "a live porno, just for Rusty."

"So, still want us to show you around?" Jordy said then.

"Yeah, I'd like that, so far the tour has been pretty cool," Rusty laughed.

End Chapter Seventeen

Next: Menage a what?

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 in LI for  his invaluable help with editing, pics, and most of all, his encouragement and friendship. Love ya pal. And congratulations on your engagement...woo  hoo!!!!!!