This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.
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This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2023 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.
I appreciate all the emails, suggestions, offers, and support that I get and for those who haven't emailed yet and are waiting or don't feel comfortable or safe emailing let me, let me express my gratitude for reading my story and tell you a little bit about my story. I've been reading nifty for many years about two months ago I just decided to start emailing people and let them know how much I appreciate their stories. I got replies almost instantly. The responses were supportive, encouraging, and some even held spoilers. I struck up a friendship with Andrew and it grew with my confidence and now Andrew is my most trusted editor. I cannot do this without him. Other authors like Lucas and Eric Murphy offer advice and support with my stories and it means the world to me. So, take a leap email an author and tell them how you feel, did you like the story did you not like it, all opinions matter to the author. Do you have suggestions on where you think the story could go, all suggestions interest the author. So take that leap and email your favorite author, you can change his day for the better, and might even influence or change the story. Thank you to all those that were supportive to me and I can't wait to show you the rest of... Counting.
This story and my other work can be found on AO3 at the following link. Tux Edwards - Archive of Our Own
*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*
The house explodes with screaming kids and commotion as the knocking interrupts our daily reading hour. Mom came out of her office, heading to the door, as I bound off the couch and opened it. Beau puts down his book, and Colt begins jumping on the couch, waving his book around. "Okay boys, calm down," Mom says with a chuckle.
The door opens, and it's Captain Lee with a folder in his hand. He's in his police uniform, so he's here on business. Oh no... I forgot to tell her! "Come in, Captain, how can I help you?" My mom asks as she shakes his hand.
"Mom! Mom!" I interrupt her, getting in between her and Captain Lee.
"Would you like to come in and sit down? Tea, water, or lemonade?" Mom offers.
"Oh, no, thank you; I'm good."
"Mom! Mom, it's important!"
Captain Lee heads over to the couch and sits down next to Colt. Mom reaches her limit of irritation at my rudeness, scolding me, "What AJ! You're being rude."
"Mom," I say, side-eyeing Captain Lee, "um, Monday, I noticed a man following us when we were in town. I watched him up close and got some pictures. I sent those to Captain Lee. I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't want to ruin the wedding. Please don't be mad."
Mom looks at the captain and then at me, saying, "We will talk about this later."
"Well, now you know why I'm here. Take a look at these pictures," he says, handing Mom a folder. "The man your little detective saw is a private detective from New York. We believe he has connections to the men who attempted the kidnapping a month ago. See the blemish under his left eye? We believe it's the man that Jack punched that night. He's bleached his hair, so he looks differently in these pictures. Your son took pictures of what he looks like now. I can spare two officers to watch the house. I believe AJ is safe here."
"Wait, what about my party?"
"Party?"
"It's A-yay's biwfday!" Colt says with a little bounce on the couch. "We'we going to the twampoline pawk!"
"Well, I'll probably get a couple more guys, and we can come to the party, if that's okay?" Asks Captain Lee.
Mom thinks it over as she looks through the pictures and says, "I don't know, maybe we should cancel the party. It doesn't sound safe."
"Come on, Mom, we can't cancel my party! Please, please, can we still go?"
"Ma'am, with my men there, it'll be safe. I personally won't let our little future detective get out of my sight, I promise," adds Captain Lee.
Mom thinks it over and says, "Of course you're all invited. We're going to `Tommy's Trampoline Park' at three o'clock."
They talked a while, and then Captain Lee left. Mom makes us settle down and get back to our reading.
"It's my birthday! It's my birthday!"
"It's youw biwfday! It's youw biwfday!"
Colt and I sing and hop up and down around the kitchen as Mom gets her things together so we can leave. We're about to head to the trampoline park, where we're going to meet fifteen of my friends. I'm so excited, but not about that. I'm excited because my friends get to meet my new brothers.
Colt and I climb in the suburban, still singing, and Beau helps Mom pack some bags and boxes in the very back. I help Colt in his car seat, and then I latch myself in my booster seat. Mom pulls the truck out of the driveway, and Dad and the twins come from the kitchen door. They hop in the truck, and we're all heading to town.
The truck ride is a normal one; me and Colt try to outsing each other; the twins seem to be talking to Beau in the back; and Beau looks embarrassed. Tommy's Trampoline Park is a gray building with a colorful sign that says the name in huge, skinny letters. We pile out of that truck, and Colt and I take off towards the entrance. We get the doors open and watch the twins and Beau help with the boxes and a bag of presents.
Captain Lee meets us at the door in jeans and a plaid shirt. "Happy birthday, little detective," he says, giving me a short hug.
"Thanks Captain."
Dad checks us in at the counter, and us kids take off our shoes, placing them on a wire rack. Once we're ready, one of the `Tommy helpers' shows us towards the room that mom rented. It's made mostly out of glass, with three big-screen TVs, some brown tables, and benches. Mom, Dad, and the twins begin decorating the tables with blue and silver streamers and balloons. I take Beau and release a little of my excitement by kissing him with all the passion I can muster.
"What was that for?" Asks my beautiful boyfr... my friend.
Looking into those steel eyes, I smile and answer, "I'm just so happy to share this all with you."
The door to our room opens up, interrupting us. "Hey boys! Look what I got!" Harry the baker and one of his helpers, who is...
"Hey Aidan!" shouts Zack.
Sigh, they're carrying two cake boxes heading our way. I purposely didn't include Aidan among the twenty people I got to invite. Just bad luck on him being the damn baker's helper. Zack is waving his hand and looking like he's never been so happy. I'm not sure why I dislike him so much; I don't even know much about him. Heck, I don't think any of us does, but I'm sure that with him here, Zack's not going to pay any attention to me. How could Zack love someone that none of us knew? Anyway, they set the cake boxes on the table, and us boys are cheering as they take them out of the boxes.
One of them has a cowboy, drawn a little smaller, I'm guessing to mimic my size, Bull Riding. Next to it, it says, `Happy 10th Birthday, AJ' and the trim looks like a lasso. Along the bottom of the cake, it's trimmed with little rodeo buckles. The other two cakes are a small one that looks like a baseball and a bigger one that looks like a baseball player swinging a bat. It says, `Happy 1-9th Birthday Beau' and the little cake says, `Happy 1-7th Birthday Colt'.
I was going to run over to give mom and dad a hug, but Beau and Colt beat me to it. I feel a little left out until I see both of them crying. So I sit down and give them the space they need. Looking over the building, we have the north corner, the farthest area from the door. There are four `Tommy helpers' dressed in light blue shirts with neon green and black writing on them. I'm guessing one of the four doesn't work here, though. One of the guys is buff, and I do mean built. Not to mention he's got twenty years on the other workers. I'm guessing he's an undercover policeman 1. There are three other families here. One with three very young kids, two girls and one boy. They have three adults with one, and it's easy enough to see the man and woman are married, but the third one is more interested in the exits and the front door, Policeman 2.
It makes sense since one of the officers is sitting in the parking lot, and with Captain Lee sitting at my table, that makes four. "Hey AJ! Why are you sitting there?" Yells Zack, pulling my attention to him and Zeke, with Colt heading towards the trampolines. I turn to dad, and he nods as he ties a blue streamer to a bunch of balloons. I get up and head to join my brothers when I see Chet and his mom enter with his little brother.
"Hey, Chet and Diego are here!" I yell and wave my arm to get their attention. After taking off their shoes, they come running up with gift-wrapped boxes in their hands. "I'm so glad you guys came."
"Thanks for inviting us, amigo," Derrick says, giving me a hug.
"Hermano, let the birthday boy breathe," jokes his brother, Chet. He gives me a bro-handshake and a bro-hug.
Then, Cory, Brian, Alex, and Ryder check in. The parents that join them, have their I.D. and bags checked before they join my parents at the birthday tables. By the time we all get the happy birthdays and hugs out of the way, all the Lunch Table Boys will be here.
"Hey, everyone!" I yell and jump up and down, trying to get all their attention. Before I know it, Chet picks me up and puts me on his shoulders, high above everyone's heads. "Whoa!" I shout, laughing, "Thanks everyone for coming to my birthday party!" Everyone claps and cheers me on. "Today isn't just for me, though, this day we are celebrating my new brother's past birthdays also!" I pause for the cheering again. Beau and Colt suddenly get elevated to my height. Zeke and Zack hop up and down with them on their shoulders. "These are my new brothers, Beau on Zeke's shoulders and little Colt on Zack's shoulders."
"I'm not so little! We'we the same size!" Shouts Colt and then bursts out in infectious laughter from Zack's tickling. Everyone else laughs, and suddenly I'm embarrassed. I hate being this small.
"Hey everyone, let's hit the trampolines!" Yells Zeke as he sets Beau down and unleashes twenty kids heading towards the fun zone. I see the netted area and head there first. Before I enter, I look over my shoulder and see Captain Lee not too far behind me. I give him a smile, and he nods, then motions for me to join my friends.
This area is built on six trampolines, and all the walls are made of nets. There is a teenager wearing a referee shirt. I jump and hop around while the referee explains, "You have four balls in this zone. The birthday boy will be picking the teams. Each team will take a side, and the balls will be placed in the middle. The birthday boy starts with a ball. When you hear the whistle, everyone races to get a ball. If you're hit with a ball, then you're out. If your ball is caught, then you're out.
Beau, Tommy, Derrick, and I are on the blue side. Chet, Alex, Wade, and Michael are on the red side. Three balls sit on the center line. Muscles jerk trying to get a jump on the signal; faces are draped in determined looks; and anticipation of the whistle determines all of our movements. I see everyone's eyes shifting through the opposing team's, trying to guess who will move next.
Tweet!
Everyone bolts to the center to grab a ball except me. I jumped really high and launched my ball at Alex. I don't like him much anyway, to be honest, but he dodged my throw. Lucky for us, Beau got a ball and took out Alex when he recovered from his dodge. Wade gets my ball, and Michael retrieves Beau's.
Everybody is jumping as high as they can, and when the tension gets too much and the giggles turn to laughter, Chet rockets his ball at Beau, who straight up catches it, getting Chet out. Unfortunately, Wade's ball knocks Tommy out. Derrick and I get balls, and Beau goes for the last two. Wade goes for them too.
Derrick launches his ball, and Wade lets go of the two he's wrestling for with Beau and catches it. Derrick's out. Beau scrambles back and hands me a ball. The last ball balances on the center line, and none of us dare to go after it.
"Throw it, Wade!"
"You throw it, AJ!"
"It's two to one; you've got no chance. Take it like a man!" I laugh and jump around.
"Take the corners," Beau says as he's propelled high in the air towards the left corner.
I take the right corner and watch as Wade's head is on a swivel. He's laughing when he shouts, "Happy Birthday, AJ!" and throws his ball at me. Out of reaction, I twist my hips, and Wade's ball smacks me in the butt. I fall onto the trampoline and bounce like a dead body.
Beau yells, "Noooo!" all dramatic and launches his ball, striking Wade in the chest. When the bouncing is over, we're all lying next to each other, laughing and giggling.
Our group exits the dodgeball area, and the next group enters. AJ's friends are pretty cool. They have accepted me and Colt instantly, and that says something. Most of our group heads over to the climbing wall. I watch as the teenagers help us younger kids in our rope harness. This has me thinking...
"Hey AJ," I whisper to him as Chet helps latch AJ's helmet on. "Why are there only three kids here our age? You said that all the people invited were your friends. All these kids look like the twins' ages."
AJ giggles and whispers back my answer in my ear, "These are my friends. We're all in the same grade." The look on my face must have explained my thoughts, and AJ continues to giggle. He kisses me, and the teenagers around us hoop and holler. Chet even pats AJ's helmet and says something in Spanish, making AJ blush and laugh during our kiss.
"Beau, I'm in the ninth grade this year, just like my friends."
The ropes tighten, and AJ begins climbing. I wonder how it's possible that he's in the ninth grade as I stare at his tight little ass in the harness. The straps pull his cheeks apart. I pause to enjoy the sight when a guy standing next to me nudges me on the shoulder, whispering, "Looking up there sure is quite a view, huh."
I look up at him, and he smiles, pointing up towards AJ. `Did this guy just compliment my boyfrie... my friend's ass?' I think to myself. But before I can ask this perv, my rope tightens, pulling me up, and I quickly grasp the wall's handholds, climbing as fast as I can to catch up to AJ. When I get a chance to look down and find that perv, he's gone. I catch up to AJ, and once we get to the top, we're instructed to let go of the wall and hang from the rope, so we both release the wall and dangle there.
"Wow, this is really fun."
"AJ, whose grandparent is wearing the Ranger's jersey?"
He thinks it over, and then his face turns pale, asking me, "Where?" We look over the park hanging from the top of the wall, and AJ mentions, "None of my friend's grandparents are here, and none of them would wear a Ranger's jersey."
It's my turn to think it over on the way down the rope, and when we hit the floor, AJ's head is on a panic swivel. He's really starting to scare me. I take him by the shoulders and ask, "Why AJ? Why wouldn't they wear a Ranger's jersey?"
"The Rangers are from New York. The kidnappers are from New York!"
As soon as we get out of these harnesses, we run to Captain Lee, and AJ pushes me to describe the man to him. The police captain listens to my description of the man in the Rangers' jersey. His head scans the room frantically. He takes the inside of his collar and speaks into the microphone attached to it, "Older male, blonde hair, New York Rangers hockey jersey." The captain takes AJ by the shoulder and speed-walks us towards the birthday table. I rush to keep up with them, and Dad sees us coming.
Dad picks up AJ, and the Captain tells him, "Hold him till I tell you different." Then Captain Lee takes off in a hurried walk as one of the `Tommy Helpers' rushes up to him, and they talk something over.
"Dad, is it the kidnappers?" I ask a little scared as I look around for the man in the jersey.
"Beau, try and calm down, son; we're going to be okay. Stay close to me," Dad says, and I take his hand, holding it tightly. Soon, Mom shows up with Colt in her arms, and she looks confused but concerned.
Suddenly, there is a commotion over by the bathrooms. I watch as the older man I saw before comes out of the restroom, cleaning his glasses on his shirt, and three people pull guns quickly, closing the distance on him. They have him lean on the wall of the bathroom next to the door. I watch as they pat him down, and he turns back around when they don't find anything. The captain hurries to him, and they talk back and forth. Then the police captain looks our way and shakes his head.
"Looks like a false alarm, boys. We're safe," Dad says supportively. He pats my back and sits down in a chair at the table, pulling me close. He pulls AJ from his neck and wipes tears from his cheeks. "It's okay, AJ; you're safe here. Let's dry those tears."
"Dad, I'm tired of being scared," AJ whispers just loud enough for us to hear.
By the look in Jack's face, I can tell he's about to cry, but he looks away, saying, "Look, AJ, see, it's not the kidnapper. He's just someone's grandparent. Captain Lee and his men are working very hard to make sure you don't have to worry about that man. Can you try and do your best to not worry about him?"
"I can try." AJ looks around and sees the man in the jersey pick up a small boy, holding him tightly in a hug, and he visibly sighs in relief. His body relaxes, and he looks at me, smiling. "It's not him," he tells me, and I hug him. Alice kisses AJ's forehead and then surprises me by kissing mine. It is warm and a little wet, but the meaning of it is what really made me breathe easier. It makes me feel safe and loved.
Mom calls the rest of my friends over to the table for cake and ice cream. A couple of my closest friends see that I'm still shook up a little, but I try to look like I'm as okay as before. I hate how this guy is following me. I know he's out there watching me, no matter where I am. He's sleeping in his car, just waiting for the right time to try and kidnap me again. I hate how he keeps me on my toes, looking behind every corner and being wary of every dark shadow.
"Cake AJ?"
"What?"
Mom looks at me questionably and asks, "Honey, are you okay?"
"Yup," I tell her, and I see her with the cake knife in her hand. Figuring out what she must have asked, I answer, "Chocolate, please." She smiles at me and gives me a nod. Dad opens his phone and starts a music app. My friends really began to have a lot of fun, and to tell you the truth, I found myself singing along more than worrying about dark shadows.
After a couple pieces of chocolate cake, ice cream, and a gallon of soda, Dad and Mom help me open gifts by passing them to me. I got a couple PlayStation 5 games, a four-foot styrofoam airplane, a new snowboard and helmet, and some puzzle books. Pop and Grandma sent me a soccer ball and all three of us LA Galaxy soccer league jerseys. Mom FaceTimed them into the party so they could watch me open my gifts. I didn't have the heart to tell them. I don't like soccer, and I have no idea who the LA Galaxy even are.
"Thank you, Pop and Grandma; I love it. Thanks so much."
A little smile and `thank you' go a long way. Mom and Dad got Beau, Colt, and me Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets; it's awesome. I can't wait to set them up and play something, anything. I hear Beat Saber is great. There is an Ironman game on there, as well as Resident Evil 4. I'm ten now, and I can handle zombies. All of these games and more await me on VR. I'm going to sleep with it on, hehee. The twins pooled what was left of their rodeo money together and bought Beau, Colt, and me all new bikes. We had to settle for pictures of them in the living room as Dad and the twins put them together, but us boys were just as excited. Dad and Mom begin to tell all the kids to go play as they clean up. A few of the mothers that came with my friends joined in and helped my parents. Right before I take off, Beau and Colt grab my arm and pull me to the side.
"A-yay, open ouw pwesant," Colt says all giggly.
Beau hands me a present that Colt must have wrapped, judging by the appearance. "We, um, I didn't know what to get you," Beau says, unsure of himself. I've never had to come up with a good idea for a present before."
"I'm sure it's great," I tell him with a smile. I carefully opened the small box to find a Pokémon deck with a rubber band around it and three booster packs.
"I, um, made the deck myself. I hope you like it. It's the deck you liked the first day we met."
"The same first day we got in trouble for running off so we could be alone?"
Beau blushes, and a short giggle escapes his lips as he answers, "Yeah, that day."
"I got you the boostew packs," Colt says, jumping up and down, powered by cake sugar.
"I love them guys, thanks." I tell them, and I give them both a kiss on the cheek. Colt giggles and runs off to join the others. Beau gets close to me and whispers, "They're old and used cards. Maybe I should have taken your parents up on their offer to buy me a proper gift like Colt's, but this seemed like a good gift at the time. I'm sorry if you don't like the..."
"I love it, Beau. I love the deck, and the memory of when we made it is the best gift I've gotten today," I whisper back and kiss him deeply. His arms wrap around me and grip me from behind, bringing me under his control. Man, this kid can kiss.
When the kiss is over, I have trouble forming words, which makes Beau chuckle. He takes me by the hand and pulls me towards the styrofoam cube pits. It's two twenty-foot-long pits filled with styrofoam one-foot cubes. Above the pits is an obstacle course, and if you fall, you just crawl out of the styrofoam and begin the course again. The field is filled with swinging rings, nets, and swinging bars on chains. Think of the Ninja Warrior competition or something like that.
I try to get through it twice, and I'm not sure if my mind is too worked up about that grandpa with bad taste in hockey teams or if I just really suck at doing gymnastics obstacle courses. Either way, I think I'm going to sit here and watch.
The rest of the party goes off without a hitch. Me and the guys even go back to the table for fourths on the cake. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and so did my birthday party. It was great seeing my friends again, and Beau was a huge hit. All the sports jocks loved him. Maybe he'll join some team, and I'll get to see him in a skimpy sports uniform. One can hope.
The ride home is quiet. I can't really blame us; I guess we're all really tired. It didn't take long for Colt to fall asleep in his chair with Beau leaning up against it, and me in Beau's lap with his arm holding me tightly to his groin. The sun is down when Dad wakes me up, trying to peel me off of Beau's lap without waking him. He hands me off to Zack, who shushes my groggy questions and pats my back, coaxing me to fall back asleep. Laying my sleepy head on Zack's shoulder, I watch Dad reach in and pull the last boy out of the suburban, and all together we head into the house.
My last thought before Zack's soft humming puts me back asleep on the way up fifty stairs to my bedroom is, `I'm ten-years-old now. I can't believe I've made it this far.'
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I hope you are liking the last few chapters of Counting. If you have extra time, check out my other stories:
"Fire" is about a time when Zack, Zeke, and Alice share a quite time on the back porch one evening. I used to know what chapter it took place in but I've written so many, I just don't remember now. It was too short of a story to post on Nifty, but I thought it was interesting. https://archiveofourown.org/works/44356165
"Not Capable of Love" https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/not-capable-of-love/
"Jaded" https://archiveofourown.org/works/46783999
"The Universe is Made of Stories, Not of Atoms" -Muriel Rukeyser