Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2017 02:00:50 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aiden  Chapter 26

Thanks for returning. Even with an unhappy moment thrown in, Aiden has
his best Christmas ever. A special, unwrapped present from his cousin
Chase is different than anything he ever experienced.

This story is copyrighted by me with all rights reserved. Copies for other
than personal use may be used only with my permission.

Please donate to the good folks at Nifty. Keep the sight up and running for
the great free stories we enjoy.

CHAPTER 26
CHRISTMAS

While Wednesday was the last day of school before winter break, as far as
Aiden was concerned the last day had been the previous Friday. Mr. Knox
worked hard to keep things interesting, but there really wasn't much that
could be done to keep a roomful of nine and ten-year-olds from climbing
the walls. As much was Aiden wanted to behave, like his classmates he
was caught up in the approach of Christmas, which was the following
Sunday.

The Winter Concert was on Tuesday and Aiden dutifully attended with his
dads. Students from both elementary schools, the middle school, and the
high school participated. One of the surprises for Aiden was Mason
Johnson. When the Lakeview Elementary chorus had its turn on stage,
Mason sang a solo part. Aiden was awestruck by how beautiful he
sounded.

Since the incident with Barry and Roger, Mason sat with Aiden and his
friends at lunch. While they all treated him well and chatted with him, they
never included him in their activities outside of the lunchroom. Although
they weren't aware of it, the main reason they shunned the little boy was
his lack of interest and lack of talent in sports. They treated him with
respect because he had stood up for Aiden after his altercation with Barry
and Roger, but they didn't see him as a person they really wanted to be
friends with.

Aiden was sitting next to Gordon at the concert. When the Lakeview chorus
was leaving the stage to make room for the middle school chorus Aiden
turned to Gordon and said, "Mason can sing really good."

"I know, I've heard him before."

"We should work harder to be his friend. He's really nice and he's pretty
brave too." Aiden thought of "The Cay" and how color and other differences
ended up not mattering to Phillip. Just because Mason can't play sports
very well doesn't mean he can't be a good friend, he thought.

"He's not good at sports and he's boring to talk to."

"So we gotta talk to him about something else than sports."

"What?"

Aiden shrugged. "I don't know—we'll think of something."

After the concert, which was held at the high school, Larry and Phil took
Aiden to the Burger Barn for some ice cream. They knew the sugar would
probably keep Aiden awake, but Wednesday was only a half-day and
nothing of importance would be happening, so they decided to give their
son a surprise treat. Aiden certainly didn't object.

That night, Aiden told his dads that Horace was ready for a new book for
them to read. He pulled his copy of "The Hobbit" off of the shelf. "He wants
this one," he said seriously.

"Hmm, a book with goblins, a dragon, the creature Gollum, not to mention a
wizard," Phil told Aiden. He looked up at the stuffed donkey. "Will Horace
be able to handle all of this?"

"Totally. Horace is the bravest donkey in the world."

"It's going to be a much different journey than `The Cay.'"

"Good," Aiden grinned.

Wednesday, after school, Larry and Aiden trimmed the Christmas tree. Phil
got off work early. Once he got dinner cooking, he helped, even though
most of the work was completed.

"That is the best Christmas tree ever," Aiden said proudly. The tree was set
up in the high-ceilinged multi-purpose room, next to one of the tall windows
on the east end of the house, where it could be seen from the highway as
well from the eastern part of the lake.

"Let's go over our schedule again," Larry said as they sat down dinner.
Phil's savory beef stew was on the table, along with a dish of salad for each
of them.

"Tomorrow we finish shopping in the morning," Aiden recited. Then in the
afternoon we wrap presents. And at night we go to the basketball game."
The Mayfield Mustangs had a non-league junior varsity/varsity double
header.

"And on Friday?" Phil asked.

"On Friday Grandpa Art and Grandma Jennifer are coming here to meet
me and we're going out to dinner at Parker's Steak House in Centralia. But
we won't open presents with them until Christmas Day when we are all at
Uncle Troy's house."

"You're doing great so far."

"Keep it up."

"They are spending the night at the Mayfield Inn and you and daddy are
going to make breakfast for all of us on Saturday morning. Then they go
home and we're going to open presents on Christmas Eve because we
have to get up early to catch the train on Christmas morning so we can go
to Uncle Troy's house on the train and open more presents. That's going to
be my first train ride. Then we spend two nights and come back on the
train. That will be my second train ride. After we get home we don't got any
plans."

"We don't have any plans," Larry corrected.

"I knew it. But I talked pretty good up until then, right?"

"Yes, you talked very WELL up until then."

Aiden picked up his soup spoon. "I talked WELL. We don't HAVE any
plans," he barked out. Then he gave his dads his signature grin. "But I have
a plan. I plan to eat my dinner cuz I'm hungry."

Larry and Phil knew a good sign that Aiden was taking criticism with good
humor instead of falling into sullen moods—at least for now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next morning Larry, Phil, and Aiden drove to the Centralia Mall to shop.
Larry had already given Aiden shopping money, telling him that much of it
was payment for the good work he did in the kitchen. His assistance in
meal preparation and help with cleanup was very much appreciated. Some
of the money was also payment for his help in straightening the house
when it was needed. Not a lot of cleaning was needed since a
housekeeper, who had a key, came in once a month to do the deep
cleaning. He also received praise for keeping his bedroom neat.

"One of the things were going to work out starting after the start of the new
year is an allowance," Phil told Aiden during the drive to Centralia.

"You mean I am going to get money all the time?" Aiden asked eagerly.

"Well, not exactly all of the time, but you will get a regular allowance each
month, provided you do certain things."

"Like what?"

"We'll work that out together after Christmas. But, I'd say keeping your
room neat and clean like you've been doing would be a good thing for you
to continually work at."

When they got to the mall, Phil and Larry had Aiden stay with them. While
Centralia was a small city and the mall not very large, the two men didn't
feel comfortable sending Aiden off on his own, yet. What they did do was
wait outside of the stores in which he chose to do his shopping.

"But, you'll know what kind of things I am going to buy when you see the
store."

"Maybe, but we won't know exactly what it is you're buying. And if you shop
in a place line Penny's, we'll know even less."

Aiden wasn't very happy about the arrangement. The way he saw it, he
would be ten in nine months, which was pretty close to being grown up.
When he saw that he wasn't going to be able to alter the arrangement, he
did the best he could, which was more an indication that he was growing up
than his chronological age.

After shopping, they had lunch at the Centerville Cafe, where Aiden scarfed
down a big burger and fries. When they got home it was time to finish
wrapping. As he always did, George, the owner, fawned all over the little
blond. Aiden didn't object to getting a free chocolate fudge sundae.

Larry and Phil had already wrapped Aiden's presents and had place all but
one under the tree. But, they still needed to wrap the family presents for
distribution the next day, Christmas Day.

With the help of Larry and Phil, Aiden also gift wrapped the presents he'd
purchased for his dads and for his cousins. Phil helped Aiden with Larry's
presents and then Larry helped Aiden with Phil's. Aiden had made all of his
purchases from a list supplied by Larry and Phil. He also purchased a
present for Gordon on a whim while he was in the sporting goods store.

"I wish I could have gotten Grandpa Art and Grandma Jennifer presents. I
know they're going to get me something," Aiden told his dads as he
wrapped Chase's present on his own.

"They instructed us not to buy them anything," Larry explained. "And I don't
argue with my mom and dad." That was a bit of an untruth, since he had his
disagreements with his parents during his adolescent years. "Besides, I
have a feeling you will be giving them a very special present."

"I will? What? I didn't buy them anything, so what can I give them?"

"Sometimes the best presents don't cost a dime."

"That doesn't make any sense," Aiden said as he slapped some cellophane
tape onto the packaging.

"Someday it will."

Aiden sensed he wasn't going to get an explanation, so he kept quiet and
finished his wrapping. The present was a book, which made it a relatively
easy gift to deal with. Still, nine-year-old boys haven't always been noted
for their capabilities in using wrapping paper, cellophane tape, ribbon, and
scissors.

He held the present up and admired it. "It don't look bad," he commented,
mostly to himself. He gave Larry a quick glance along with a sly grin and
said, "It DOESN'T look bad."

"Good job on the wrapping and the grammar. You are a talented young
man." Larry wasn't bullshitting his son—the gift wrapping job had been
neatly done.

After dinner, Phil and Larry took Aiden to the high school varsity basketball
game. While Larry and Phil normally enjoyed watching the JV basketball
game, they were pretty certain that Aiden wouldn't be able to sit through
two games.

They arrived at Mayfield High School with 4:05 showing on the game clock
of the JV game and Mayfield leading McQuade Island 45-38.
As they were walking into the gym they ran into the twins, Kevin and Kraig
Corcoran, who were there with their boyfriends Lars and Hunter.
"Hey Coaches," Kevin greeted as they all exchanged hugs. "Merry
Christmas to you. Sure was a beautiful wedding with Rich and Marty,
wasn't it?"
"Yes it was," Larry answered. "Any wedding plans in the Corcoran family?"
he asked with a big wink.
Kevin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well, maybe some day. We'll let
you know." Lars smiled broadly.
"Merry Christmas to you guys," Phil said.
"And Merry Christmas from me, too," Aiden chimed in.
Mayfield ended up winning 53-43. Aiden thoroughly enjoyed the varsity
game, especially since Nick McCall was one of the starters for Mayfield.
The Mustangs ended up with a relatively easy 71-55 win in the non-league
game. Nick was the leading scorer, scoring 16 points.
As they watched Nick come to the sideline at the end of the game, neither
Larry nor Phil could help noticing what a beautifully handsome athlete he
had become.

"Damn, he's gorgeous," Phil whispered to Larry.
"Yeah, he sure isn't little Nicky anymore, is he?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aiden's grandparents were scheduled to arrive around noon on Friday. Phil
had soup and sandwiches prepared for lunch. Aiden had asked if he had to
dress in his good clothes, but was told that his school clothes would work
just fine. He was reminded that he'd need to dress up on Christmas Day.

Aiden sat at the chair next to the front window. It was now his official
"waiting place." Larry and Phil knew an expected guest was important if
Aiden sat in the chair and looked patiently out of the window at the
highway. Aiden wondered why so many people he watched for seem to
arrive on rainy days.

A few minutes after noon, Aiden saw a car come up the highway and signal
to turn into the driveway. "They're here," he shouted as he jumped out of
his chair. "Grandma and grandpa are here?" He ran to the front door,
wanting to be the person to open it. It was open before Art and Jennifer had
reached the small porch.

What he saw was a gray-haired couple in their late sixties. They both wore
big smiles and right way Aiden knew he was going to like them. "Hi,
Grandpa and Grandma," he said with surprising shyness.

He was surprised to see tears welling from his grandmother's eyes. Even
though Art and Jennifer weren't Phil's parents, they had more to do with
raising Phil than his own parents during his teen years. As far as everyone
was concerned they had been grandparents for Troy's kids, and now they
would play the same role for Phil's son.

They had had little to do with Keegan as a boy. As they now saw it, Aiden
was now the son of Larry, who was their own son, and of Phil. That made
him their official grandson.

"Aiden, you are beautiful," Jennifer said as Aiden led his grandparents into
the house. She gave the boy a big hug. "Your grandpa and I both love you."

Aiden backed carefully away from the smothering hug. "How do you know
you love me when you just met me?" he asked.

"Trust me, Aiden. We've loved you since your father told us they had taken
you into their lives."

"Which one told you, my dad or my daddy?"

"Which is which?" Art chuckled.

"Uncle Larry is my daddy, because daddy ends in Y like Larry. And Uncle
Phil is my dad because it doesn't end in Y. Only both of them are dads now
instead of uncles."

"It makes perfect sense to me," Art said.

The afternoon was a very special one, as Aiden and his grandparents
bonded. They could tell he was a sweet and special boy and Aiden could
tell that his initial impression of his grandparents had been spot on—they
were people he could not only like, but people he could love.

The dinner at Parker's Steak House was great, as always. Peter, the
waiter, had their table. Aiden was glad that this Peter wasn't like the Peter
in Mayfield who messed up his Halloween. Peter the waiter treated him like
a king from the beginning to the end of the meal every time he was their
waiter.

"Well, we seem to have Young Master Aiden and his entire family here,"
Peter gushed. "This will be a special meal instead."

"These are my grandparents," Aiden told Peter. "My Daddy Larry is their
son."

"Oh, so Larry and Phil are your dads now are they?"

"Yep, and they're the best dads in the world and these are the best
grandparents in the world."

"I see," Peter said seriously. "I assume, then, that you're treating the all to
dinner to thank them for being so great."

"I would, but I don't have enough money."

"Well, maybe some other time then, after you strike it rich."

Aiden giggled with delight. "When I get rich, I'll even treat you."

"It would be an honor," Peter said.

During dinner, Art complimented the restaurant as well as Peter. "The food
and service here is as good as anything we have in Seattle and Tacoma."
He didn't add that the prices were better, too.

"We have a lot of cliental come down from Olympia and Tacoma," Peter
boasted. "Seattle—not so much. It's a bit far."

Dinner and the rest of the evening went by both quickly and slowly for
Aiden. It seemed like bedtime had come before he'd finished his dessert
while at the same time, Christmas hadn't gotten a second closer.

The next morning Art and Jennifer enjoyed breakfast with Aiden and his
dads. "The way you guys eat here, I'm surprised you all don't break the
scales," Jennifer said as she finished her blueberry pancakes.

"We don't eat like this all the time," Aiden informed her. "My dads say it's
important to eat healthy."

"Well, good for them. I seem to have taught them well."

Aiden was dressed in a Mayfield Mustang t-shirt and his best sweats which,
for him, was the equivalent to formal wear for breakfast. He was also on his
best behavior as he charmed his grandparents with his confident
disposition. Larry and Phil were proud of their son and how he had
behaved in front of his grandparents.

Jennifer insisted on helping with breakfast cleanup before they left for
home. They still lived in the house Larry had grown up in, but had decided
to put it on the market after the first of the year. "It was a big house for
three people," Art said. "It's almost cavernous for just the two of us." What
Aiden didn't know was that the house had originally been purchased with
two children in the family. Larry had had a little brother, Austin. When Larry
was eight, Austin, who was six, was killed by a drunk driver while walking
with friends.

It was a tragedy that had devastated the family for a long time, especially
Larry. It was a big reason that Larry could understand what Aiden was
going through with the loss of his mother. When Aiden was a little older, he
would tell him about his little brother, Austin.

Just after Art and Jennifer left, the doorbell rang. Phil got up from the
recliner to answer the door. Aiden heard voices, but couldn't make out
who the visitor was. As soon as the visitor walked into the room, Aiden's
smile lit up the room.

"It's the Donkey," Aiden said as he stood up.

"Are you wrapping something for me?" Mike the Donkey asked with a grin.
"If you are, I hope it's something edible."

"Sorry, but nothing for you."

"Well, that's what I get for hoofing it over here unannounced."

"Do you want to meet Horace?" Aiden asked.

"That was my second most important reason for coming here."

"I suppose food was the most important," Larry laughed. Mike was
notorious for his love of eating.

"Nope, seeing this good-looking young man was my most important
reason." Aiden blushed at the compliment. Mike taught middle school and
had a way of making kids, especially boys, feel at ease around him.

Aiden grabbed Mike's hand and tugged on it. "Well, come up to my room
then."  He let go of Mike and went through the entry to the room and up the
stairs, with Mike following right behind him. Aiden led him up the stairs and
into his room. Mike caught sight of the big stuffed Donkey right away.

"Yep, that's my cousin, all right," Mike gushed.

"For real?" Aiden asked.

"Just as real as the Donkey you invited into your room."

Aiden made a show of looking over Mike from head to toe. He scratched
his chin and nodded his head and announced his conclusion. "Then Horace
is your cousin alright."

Mike gingerly lifted the big stuffed Donkey off of its honored position on
Aiden's bookshelf. "Howdy, cuz," he grinned. "Good to finally meet you
after all this time." He tugged on the bill of Horace's Mariner cap. "Nice hat,
cuz—you've got good taste in baseball teams."

"I think Horace likes you," Aiden stated. "I got a question for you." As he so
often did, Aiden slid from one topic to another.

"Fire away. Who knows, it might even be a question that a donkey can
answer."

"Have you ever been in that shopping center called University Village?"

"Many times. The Dawg and I shop and eat there often. And since I know
where this is heading, I will tell you that I always park on the fourth floor of
the parking garage."

"That's the Donkey floor," Aiden grinned. "I punched all of the elevator
buttons. I liked the Aardvark best then because it was funny. But, now I like
the Donkey best because of Horace and you"

"Next time you go you should push the Donkey button twice for both of us.
Legend has it that an uncle of mine made the recording for that floor."

"You're funny. I wish you were a teacher here; I think you'd be a lot of fun
to have."

"Only if you work hard and behave. Oh, and bring me plenty of treats." Mike
saw the two pictures of Marty carefully pinned to Aiden's corkboard. "Looks
like you and Marty are buddies."

Aiden quickly corrected Mike. "We're brothers. They're going to get frames
and go up on the wall."

"I bet that will be an honored place."

Mike and Aiden sat on Aiden's bed, with Horace seated between them.
Mike told Aiden about his life, his experiences playing for Larry, and his
growing up gay in Mayfield.

"Is everybody in Mayfield gay?"

"Nope, it just seems that way sometimes. My friend Eric's dad says there is
something in the water, but I think it is more of a statistical anomaly."

"A what?"

"Total weirdness."

"Oh, okay." Aiden didn't quite understand, but he did get the idea that most
towns didn't have anywhere near the number of gays going through their
schools as Mayfield had had recently. "Did you say you go to University
Village to eat with a dog?" Mike told Aiden how his partner, Ryan, came to
be called the Dawg.

The boy and the Donkey had a nice chat, with donkeys, food, and baseball
being the main topics. When they finished and Mike carefully placed
Horace back on his perch.

Phil offered Mike some homemade Christmas cookies when he and Aiden
came downstairs, which Mike gladly accepted. He chatted with Larry and
Phil as they ate cookies. Aiden listened to their stories about the Donkey's
playing days in high school.

"So where's Ryan?" Phil asked as Mike got ready to leave.
"He's out buying Christmas presents – and probably spending us into the
poor house," Mike replied with a I've got a space here to delete
laugh. "Thanks for the cookies, guys – and Merry Christmas to you."
"Merry Christmas to you and Ryan," Larry said.
After they finished, Aiden sat at his window perch and watched the Donkey
drive away, Aiden felt as if he had made another new friend.

After dinner, they opened presents—European style on Christmas Eve.
Aiden couldn't help but notice the large object next to the tree loosely
covered with wrapping paper. It hadn't been there before dinner, but
somehow it had been snuck in. Before tearing off the paper he checked the
nametag to make sure the present was his. As soon as he saw "Aiden"
printed on it he ripped off paper and found a 26" television.

"That's for me?"

"It did have your name on it," Phil pointed out.

"Yippee." He gave the TV a second look. "But I never watch much TV."

"You won't now, either," Larry said. "There will be rules about TV use."

"I know. There's always rules about everything," he said with a mock sulk.
Then he grinned. "But these rules will be okay. Now me and my friends can
watch movies and stuff in my room if we want."

"Something along those lines. We'll talk about it later. The broadcast part
won't mean much until we get a cable outlet installed in your room. That
won't be for a couple of weeks."

"That's okay. That gives us time to figure out where to put it in the room."

Aiden received the usual clothes and underwear. He received a book store
gift certificate, which was very special for him. He thought the black frames
for Marty's pictures were perfect. And he laughed when he opened up
Horace's present. It was an infant's Seattle Mariner shirt.

"You're going to look real good in this Horace," Aiden laughed. He had
brought the stuffed Donkey downstairs to witness the Christmas Eve
proceedings.

One box had a simple card in it, telling him that he would be sailing on the
"Star Princess" to Alaska in August. He received a Visa gift card from his
Grandma Connie, Phil's mother.  It included a card saying how she hoped
to be able to meet her grandchild in the near future. He saw a big long
present that said it was from Horace. He opened it and found an Easton
aluminum baseball bat.

"Yippee, now I'll have my very own bat. This is so totally coolio." He looked
at the donkey that was sitting on the floor. "Thanks, Horace."  Then he
hugged his dad and his daddy. "Thanks for helping Horace buy the
present," he grinned.

"It looks like you're hard to fool."

"I believe in Santa Clause, but not Santa Donkey," he giggled. "But, if
Horace could buy me a present, I know he would've got me a bat."

The surprising gift was from Marty. The package was long and narrow and
when he unwrapped it he found a whiffle ball and bat.

"How come Marty gave me these? They're for little kids," he told his dads.

"They are also for baseball players young and old," Larry told him. "Whiffle
ball is a great teaching tool. I'm going to let Marty explain when he and
Rich get back from their honeymoon."

Aiden noticed that there was another present from Marty. This one was soft
and he knew it was something to wear. He unwrapped it and found a
crimson t-shirt with a Cougar on the lower part and WSU Baseball stenciled
across the chest. He quickly put it on—it was a little large, but Larry told
him he would quickly grow into it.

 Larry and Phil enjoyed their gifts as well, both from Aiden and their family
and friends.

That night Larry and Phil both tucked Aiden into bed. Aiden had announced
at dinner that he didn't want to be read to.

"It's Christmas Eve, and tomorrow is Christmas and I'm riding the train" he
explained. "I'm too excited to listen."

Larry pulled the bedcovers up to Aiden's chin and then he and Phil gave
him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Phil punctuated the tucking by
ruffling Aiden's hair.

"Thank you for the presents, daddy and dad. They were great. It was the
best Christmas Eve ever." Phil and Larry saw a sudden serious look
replace Aiden's bright smile. "It's going to be my first Christmas without my
mom," the boy said sadly.

"I know how sad that is," Larry said sincerely.

"I'm glad I got my dads to make it the best Christmas ever. But if mom was
here with us, then it would be the bestest Christmas ever."

Larry and Phil were both surprised at Aiden's mature handling of the
situation. After all, it had been only four months since his mother passed
away. Phil and Larry both gave Aiden another kiss and ruffling, telling their
son how much they loved him. Horace watched it all from his perch on the
right front corner of the bed.

After the ceiling light went off and his dads left the room, Aiden turned on
his desk lamp. He tried jerking off, but was too excited to get anything
going. All he could think about was riding a train, opening more presents,
and seeing his cousin Chase. He also thought about how much he missed
his mother. He could barely come up with thoughts of a naked Gordy,
Chase, Miles, or Muddy.  They kept flitting right out of his head and he lost
interest in masturbation. He knew that the only way he could calm down
enough to sleep was to be between the love and the warm bodies of his
dads.

Aiden climbed out of bed and put on the green and blue briefs he'd worn
that day. He picked up Horace; it wouldn't be right for him be alone on
Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. The boy and the stuffed donkey
slogged quietly down the stairs and to the bedroom door of his parents.

Larry and Phil had barely gotten into their bed when they heard a light
knock at the door. They had discussed the possibility of Aiden coming
downstairs that evening. Larry thought Aiden would want to be alone with
his anticipation, tossing and turning until he fell asleep. Phil thought their
son would come downstairs to soak up their calmness to make it easier for
him to sleep.

"If he falls asleep, then morning will come quicker," Phil reasoned. As a
result of the discussion they kept their boxers on just in case. The quiet
knock verified Phil's intuition.

"Come in, Aiden," Larry called out.

The door opened and a boy and a stuffed donkey entered the bedroom. "It
wasn't me knocking, it was Horace."

"Isn't he too soft to knock on a door?" Phil asked.

"Nope," Aiden answered as he placed Horace on Phil's nightstand. He then
hopped onto the bed, crawled over Phil, and wiggled his way under the
covers between his two dads. He then finished his answer. "Horace can
make his hoofs hard if he needs to, so he was able to knock on the door."

"I see," Phil said. "I guess he has to be careful he doesn't hurt somebody."

"He only does it if somebody makes him mad. Mike the Donkey says that
it's called hoofing. He says nobody wants to get hoofed." Aiden snuggled
up to Phil, loving the feel and warmth of his skin.

"Good night Phil Dad and Daddy Larry."

"Good night, son," came from both sides of him. He was now much calmer
than he had been in his bedroom and he quickly fell into a sleep filled with
dreams about sleighs and trains.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aiden woke up before Larry and Phil and saw no reason to hang around in
bed. He went into their bathroom to pee and then headed for the multi-
purpose room to make sure his presents were still there, carrying Horace
with him. Aiden's stirrings had awakened Larry and Phil and they were right
on his heels.

They ate breakfast. To save time and energy, breakfast was cold cereal
along with sliced pieces of fresh fruit. Aiden was pleased that nobody said
anything about him being dressed only in his underpants.

After that they showered, brushed, and dressed, they loaded gifts into the
car, and were on the road by 8:15. They arrived at the Centralia station
around 9:20. The Amtrak Cascades train Number 502 was due at 9:51. The
station still had the old wooden benches from an earlier era, beautifully
varnished and maintained. Aiden spent the half-hour wait bubbling with
emotion. He talked his dads' ears off with his excitement about the train,
about his new grandparents, about seeing Chase, and about getting more
presents.

The 502 arrived on-time and the conductor helped them with their
packages—they had checked their bags with the station agent. He then
guided them to their seats. They were riding business class and had four
seats facing each other. The train didn't have a full load so they had the
four seats to themselves. Aiden had a window seat on the water side of the
train, which would give him a great view when they traveled along Puget
Sound.

Aiden wished he could have brought Horace with him, but they were
carrying all that they could handle without toting the stuffed donkey as well.
Each of them had a three dollar off voucher in the Bistro Car and they went
there for snacks.

"Mom kept talking about taking a train trip, someday," Aiden said as they
returned to their seats. "Now I'm really on one." Over the past two days Phil
and Larry couldn't help but note that Aiden never mentioned his father,
Keegan. That omission didn't surprise them.

The train arrived at King Street Station in Seattle at 11:45, which was
fifteen minutes early. Troy and Chase were waiting for them in the station.
After the requisite hugs and fist bumps, Phil and Larry went to baggage
claim and got their travel bags. The trip to Troy's house took twenty-
minutes. By one o'clock, Aiden's second Christmas of the weekend was
underway.

Aiden received a pullover sweater and a knitted Mariner scarf from Art and
Jennifer.

Aiden gave them a card. Inside he wrote, "Thank you for being the world's
greatest grandpa and grandma. I'm sorry I don't have a present, but my
dads said to give you a card."

Jennifer gave the little nine-year-old a gigantic hug. "Aiden, we got a
present from you."

"You did? How? I never gave you one."

"Yes, you did sweetie. You gave us yourself. I can't imagine getting a more
special present than a new grandson."

Aiden glowed from the compliment. There was no doubt in his mind that
this was his greatest Christmas ever.

His Uncle Troy gave him a basketball.

"Thanks, Uncle Troy, but, I play baseball and soccer, not basketball."

"A little elf told me that the reason you don't play basketball is because
you've never played it, so you think you're no good at it. Nothing like a little
bit of practice to make you better."

"This is from me," Chase told him, handing him a gift that was obviously a
book. After Aiden unwrapped it, he found a book of illustrated basketball
drills. Chase could tell that Aiden wasn't thrilled, but he took care of that by
handing his cousin another present. Aiden tore open the soft package and
grinned when he pulled out a pair of Seahawk boxer shorts.

"Cool. My first pair of boxers." Even though he liked wearing briefs, Aiden
was pleased to have some "big boy" underwear.

To top it all off, Phil handed him an envelope which had a picture of a
backboard and rim. "A house with a boy living in it isn't a house unless it
has a rim and a backboard."

"You guys all planned this, but thanks, everybody. Now, I have three sports
to practice." He looked over at his daddy the head baseball coach. "But,
baseball is my favorite."

Aiden gave Chase "Hothead", a baseball book for boys by Cal Ripken Jr.
and Kevin Cowherd. The book looked so interesting to Aiden he planned
on getting a copy for himself with his gift card.

The rest of the day was spent talking, playing games, enjoying presents,
watching football, and savoring Christmas dinner. A little after eight in the
evening, Aiden and Chase retired to Chase's room.

"I had a really good Christmas," Aiden sighed as he dropped onto Chase's
bed. Chase flopped down next to him.

"So did I. Thanks for the book—baseball is my favorite sport. Cal Ripken is
in the Hall of Fame, so the book should be really good."

"And I get to learn about basketball," Aiden said, "so thanks for the book."

"I wanted to get you something different, but everybody wanted to get you
to try basketball. You don't have to if you don't want to, though. It's like me
and soccer. I play it because my dad likes it and it's kinda fun to play. But I
don't like it a lot."

"I'll try it," Aiden promised. "And the boxers were the coolest present."

"I can give you a special present," Chase said, his voice almost a whisper.

"Like what?" Aiden sensed a sudden change in the atmosphere of the
room. It felt like the night Chase had taught him about kissing and jerking
off.

"Did you like what we did the last time you were here?"

Aiden nodded—he liked where things were going. Chase was talking about
sex. Sex made Aiden confused, nervous, and excited at the same time. His
hand found its way to the front of his slacks and grabbed onto the piece of
flesh residing under them.

"Can I kiss you?" Chase asked.

Aiden nodded again. Chase leaned in and kissed his younger cousin on the
mouth. He could hardly wait until Aiden was older and really into sex like he
was. The nine-year-old was already so sexy looking he couldn't stand it.

"Open your mouth," Chase whispered and Aiden complied. He was will to
give whatever his older, more experienced, cousin asked for. He wasn't
surprised when Chase's tongue snaked into his mouth and did battle with
his own tongue. For the young boy it seemed inevitable that this would
happen. Aiden saw Chase as his mentor who would teach him to do
everything he had heard about or done fleetingly.

Chase released himself from Aiden's mouth. "That's called French kissing."

"It feels good," Aiden whispered. Chase saw Aiden playing with himself
through is pants. Time to step things up, he thought.

Chase kissed Aiden again. This time he pushed Aiden's hand away and
replaced it with his own. Chase was not surprised that Aiden was as hard
as he was. Once again he released his kiss and went to work opening up
Aiden's pants until the flaps were spread wide. He pulled on the tan slacks
and pulled down on them as Aiden lifted his little ass to make Chase's job
easier.

Moving away from Aiden, Chase quickly removed his own pants and then
pulled off his shirt. He was now wearing his socks and a pair of black and
red striped boxers. His rock hard three and a quarter inches were pushing
the fabric out in front of him.

Aiden pulled off his shirt in a frenzy as Chase yanked off his pants. Aiden's
white briefs were tented by his two-inch piece of boyhood. Chase returned
to keep kissing his cousin, the two almost naked boys rolling on the bed.
Aiden had never felt as sexually charged as he kissing his cousin on his
bed.

"Is that your other present?" Aiden panted as the two preteens came up for
air.

"Nope. I'm going to give it to you now."

Aiden was excited to find out what the eleven-year-old had in mind. He
knew his sex education was going to reach a new level. But, the sexual
excitement was quashed by Troy's voice coming from the end of the hall.

"Boys, Grandpa Art and Grandma Jennifer are leaving. Come down and tell
them good-bye."

"Shit," Chase said, wishing he had a dollar for the number of times he'd had
sexual trysts interrupted. He got off the bed, opened the door, and yelled,
"Coming!"

Aiden reached down for his pants which Chase had thrown on the floor.
"Fuck that," Chase said. "We're going like this,"

"In our underpants?"

"Why not? We both go in our underpants in our houses. It's Christmas, so
we won't get in bad trouble." At least, that was Chase's theory.

The boys zipped down the hall, down the stairs, and into the living room.
Aiden was nervous about what the reaction would be to their state of
undress, but Chase didn't appear worried at all. Both boys had quickly lost
their erections, much to their relief. That was more the result of Aiden not
having reached puberty and Chase being barely into it than either one of
them losing interest in things sexual.

"Boys, you could have at least put a shirt on," Chase's mother, Sue, told
them.

"Aiden, the same rules as home should apply here," Larry scolded.

"But, it's Christmas," Chase pointed out, thinking that would make a
difference.

"Consider what your grandparents must be thinking," Larry said. While Art
and Jennifer weren't really his grandparents, Chase understood from his
own friends and classmates how strange family dynamics could be. He had
also been told more than once by his father how Grandpa Art and Grandma
Jennifer had often done more parenting for him and Phil than his actual
parents had.

Before Chase could think of what to say, was surprised when Grandma
Jennifer broke out into raucous laughter.

"Mom, what's so funny?" Larry asked.

She fought to catch her breath. "Oh my, I can't believe that is my son who
just said that?" She shook with a brief round of laughter. "I mean you and
your hubby ran around in front me wearing less than those two have on."

"You mean dad and daddy went around the house naked?" Aiden asked
disbelievingly.

"Oh my, did they. So, as far as your Grandpa Art and I are concerned,
there is nothing wrong with the way you two boys are dressed. Why, you're
practically in your Sunday best," she laughed.

"Wow," was all Aiden could think to say. He knew his dads messed around
together when they were kids, but he couldn't imagine them being naked in
front of daddy Larry's parents.

Troy saw the sly look in Chase's eyes. He knew what was about to happen,
but before he could open his mouth to stop it Chase said, "Well, in that
case...," and he started tugging down his boxers.

Troy yelled, "Chase!"

"I was joking," Chase said, although his boxers were pulled down so far his
bare pubic area and the top of his ass crack were exposed. Then, he
turned around, grabbed Aiden's briefs at the hips and pulled them down to
his knees. "But, Aiden wasn't!"

Aiden squealed in his alarm as he stood in front of his grandparents, his
dads, his aunt and uncle, and his cousin Logan all but fully naked. He was
ready to get yelled at—instead, the room broke out in loud laughter. What
tension there was had been broken. In response he kicked off his briefs.

"Merry Christmas Grandpa Art and Grandma Jennifer," he said quickly.
"Good night, dads. Good night, Uncle Troy and Aunt Sue. Good night Lisa."
Sue had moved Lisa in behind her, but the seven-year-old was peeking
around the side of her mother taking in every bit of Aiden's nakedness.
Aiden then picked up his briefs and ran squealing up the stairs.

"I swear I thought he was gonna pull them right back up," Chase told
everybody as if he actually believed it. He bade everyone goodnight and
followed his cousin.

"Are we raising a pair of perverted sons?" Sue asked Art.

"I'd say you're raising a pair of rambunctious boys, even if they are a bit
more daring than some." He looked over at Phil and Larry. "Although they
have ways to go to match some, too." He could have just as easily included
Troy in that statement.

Jennifer advised the boys' parents to have a chat with the boys in the
morning about proper decorum. "But, tonight isn't the night for it. Besides, I
haven't had that good a laugh in a long time."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Chase entered the room he saw Aiden splayed on his bed, naked,
playing with his cocklet. Chase kicked off his boxers and pulled off his
socks. "Socks off, cuz, so we're totally naked."

Aiden obliged, throwing the socks on the floor. "Maybe we shouldn't do
anything in case our parents come up to yell at us," he said.

"They won't come up tonight because it's Christmas. If they yell at us,
they'll do it tomorrow."

"Then I want my Christmas present." Aiden wasn't sure he believed Chase,
but he was curious about what Chase wanted to show him, so he decided
to take the risk.

"Let's brush our teeth first," Chase said. "Not doing that will get me in more
trouble than pulling your underpants down." His statement was not all that
farfetched.

"We have to kiss first," Chase told his younger cousin when they landed on
Chase's bed after they finished brushing, flossing, and peeing.

"Do I kiss good?"

"Yeah you do. You kiss better than Steven. Steven doesn't like kissing boys
that much, but he does it.  Braeden likes doing sex, but he just started
kissing me a couple of weeks ago. But, nobody kisses like Hatcher,
though." Hatcher was Chase's best friend and his regular bed buddy.
Chase couldn't get enough of the light skinned boy with brilliant blond hair.
"You're getting close to Hatcher. I bet when you're in sixth grade you might
be the world's best kisser."

Aiden beamed at the praise he received from his older cousin. Before he
could think about it much, Chase was next to him on the bed trading
tongue. Aiden was even more turned on than he had been earlier, if that
was even possible. He knew that kissing wasn't the present Chase was
going to give him. He was eager to find out what Chase had in mind.

When Chase broke off the kiss, Aiden's mouth felt empty. His upper lip and
chin were coated with his cousin's saliva. He watched Chase intently as the
eleven-year-old kissed his body from his neck down to his bellybutton.
When Chase reached his naval he knew for certain what his cousin had in
mind, even if he was afraid to express it in case he was wrong.

But, he wasn't wrong, because Chase's lips ended up right where Aiden
thought they would. Chase started kissing his dick and the little nine-year-
old felt himself shiver with delight.

"You're kissing my dick," Aiden murmured in case Chase didn't really know
what he was doing.

Chase's reply to Aiden's obvious statement was to place his lips around the
glans of the young boy's cocklet. Aiden let out a quick little squeal, followed
by a long, low (for him) moan. In that one instant he learned why boys
wanted to get blow jobs—he had never felt anything better in his life. It was
warmer, wetter, and more intimate than jerking off, even with his dick
covered by lotion.

"Uh...uh...uh...," he uttered as his body writhed and jerked under the
guidance of his eleven-year-old cousin's mouth. While Chase had been
sucking cock for around a year and was good at it for a preteen, he and his
buddies were self-taught. He still had little things to learn that would make
Aiden, as well as his buddies, feel even better.

Chase's head bobbed up and down on Aiden's cocklet. He was able to
easily get all two inches into his mouth. He stroked Aiden's tight ball sac
with his right hand and jerked his own cock with his left as he sucked his
cousin towards a torrid climax. Aiden started lifting his ass from the bed as
he tried desperately to push his cock deeper into Chase's mouth than it
could go.

Then the moment came. Aiden shuddered, shook, quaked, and quivered as
the warmth and intensity of his dry orgasm washed across him. He led out
a long, "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck." He felt spasm after dry spasm until the
orgasm had run his course and he dropped flat on his back, spent and
satisfied.

Chase had let go of Aiden's cock as soon as he started to relax, knowing
how sensitive a cock could be after an orgasm. He got on his knees and
straddled his cousin's torso. He spit on his hand and started jerking off. He
was so close to cumming it didn't take more than thirty seconds for him to
cum. Moaning with pleasure, he shot four globs of clear cum. The first
landed in Aiden's hair, the next two on his face, and the third dribbled down
onto his chest.

"You came on me." Once again Aiden stated the obvious.

"Eat it," Chase ordered.

"What?"

Chase scooped up the cum on Aiden's chin with a finger and put the finger
to his cousin's lips. Chase hadn't steered him wrong yet when it came to
sex, so he licked off the finger. He was surprised at the taste of the eleven-
year-old's emission—it didn't taste horrid. In fact it almost tasted good.

"Well?" Chase asked.

"It was okay."

"Maybe next time you can give me a BJ if you don't mind getting my cum in
your mouth."

"I'll try it." Aiden was become very adventuresome sexually around his
cousin. He wanted to try lots of new stuff, but he also couldn't wait to have
his cock sucked once more.

The boys peed again and Aiden rinsed his face and hair. He left Chase's
cum on his chest like a badge of honor.

"That was the awesomest present," Aiden told his cousin. "I love you,
Chase." The nine-year-old was becoming more and more comfortable with
using the word "love."

"I love you, too, cuz."

The boys cuddled under the blankets. They were naked, but were warmed
by each other as much as by the flannel sheets. They dropped into a quick
sleep, unbothered by a guilty conscience. Chase had been happy to teach
his young cousin something he thought he should know, and Aiden had
been a more than willing student.

Next: Winter Wonders