SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2017

Reverend Williams recited Psalm 23 while the Meijers, the Parkers, the Novaks, and the Fuersts stood by Michael and Matthew at their mother's gravesite. There were a couple hundred or so onlookers, fellow East Harbor middle and high school students and their families, paying respect to Michael and all he'd been through.

Because they didn't expect much of a turnout since Megan didn't know many people in town, they skipped having a viewing, opting for only a graveside service. Even Lars underestimated the emotional outpouring from the community, particularly the school. The families of the lunch table gang, the soccer team, and many of the lacrosse players all came to the funeral. There were also teachers, school administrator, and other students that considered Michael a friend, or just wanted to be there to show support.

Michael hadn't been back to school. Everyone decided that it would be best if he just started Christmas break early and come back fresh after the new year began. But that didn't mean he didn't see his friends. Lar's house became the afterschool hangout with students coming over to do homework, check up on their younger friend, and to pass on their condolences.

No matter how well kept any secret is thought to be, it always comes out. By the end of school on Tuesday, not only did everyone know the details about Michael and Lewis' kidnapping and escape, they also knew about the murders of his mother and grandparents, and about the photos that set the entire series of events in motion the previous morning. It turned out that the FBI team missed a couple copies of the photo and the images were found and shared by students before they made their way to the principal.

Not wasting any time, the principals at both the middle and high schools had a joint assembly at the end of the day in the high school gymnasium. They wanted to have one event to address questions and set the record straight instead of allowing the students to fill in the blanks themselves.

The students were encouraged to share the things they heard so the information could be corrected or confirmed by the adults. As a result, everyone learned the truth about Michael's past abuse, his previous kidnapping and beating that almost killed him. The students learned about sex trafficking and were encouraged to tell adults about abuse of any kind.

By the last bell of that day, the students began to understand the horror of Michael's past and just how remarkable it is that he has come through it all so well. Students headed to their busses after one final word from Principal Holbrook. "Michael is going to need your love and support. We are one big Saber family. Comfort each other in times of sorrow and celebrate each other for our successes."

Many of the students took it to heart. Even after school let out for Christmas break on Thursday, Friday found students wandering in and out of Lars' house to see Michael and meet the rumored brother.

Lars watched both boys carefully. It would have been easy for Michael to fall into a deep depression, but the outpouring of love and support from all the students and adults didn't give him time to ruminate. What quiet time he had, he spent with Matthew. Much of that time they didn't even talk, or only communicated in whispers and gestures. It was clear from the affection they displayed towards each other that they had missed one another, but unlike in the past, neither boy wanted anything more than a platonic relationship. Their love and commitment to each other was more important than their physical relationship and they never wanted to jeopardize that again.

This cloudy San Diego morning, the boys watched their mother's casket as it was lowered into the ground. Michael held Matthew's hand tight and leaned into his brother's side. Matthew tried to be strong, but Lars had heard him crying in the bathroom at night after Michael was asleep. When the teen dropped yellow roses on top of the casket before it was covered in dirt, Lars could see his hand shaking and the boy's composure falter. When they got home, he'd have a talk with Matthew. Some things had been settled but he didn't think before the funeral was an appropriate time to talk about it.

When the boys turned to walk back to the car, Michael was wrapped in a huge hug from Derek McCall. Derek has been a frequent visitor during the week. Even though he was at the elementary school, Trajan had been keeping him abreast of the happenings. From the sight of Derek's red eyes when the two boys embraced, it was obvious he'd been crying as much as Michael. Lars felt Zach's hand release his as his lover walked over and pulled Matthew into a much-needed hug. The outpouring of love and support, by default, had extended to Matthew too, but the teen didn't really know anyone other than Michael. That contributed to his feelings of isolation and being lost.

No one checked the time, but Lars, Zach, Carol and the boys, including Matthew, waited in the Yukon as more adults and students took time to give their condolences, hugs and fist bumps, to Michael. The last to spend time with Michael was Lewis and his father. Those two had spoken on the phone daily since they left the hospital but hadn't seen each other. After a handshake and a brief hug from Lewis' father, Lewis gave Michael a huge bear hug and then the boys stood close together and spoke quietly to each other. Michael nodded a few times before Lewis gave him another hug before they parted ways. Michael got into the SUV. Without a word, he buckled himself in and stared out the window all the way home. 'Yes,' Michael thought. 'Lars' house really is my new home.' With that thought, Michael let out a big sigh as if he'd been holding his breath all through the service. Everyone in the truck wonder what was on his mind.

Driving back to the house, Lars thought about how he was going to handle the evening. He'd asked Lukas and Simon to see about spending the night with friends so he and Carol could spend time with Michael and Matthew that evening. The boys were reluctant at first. It took Lars a bit to understand why neither boy wanted to have an overnight with a friend. Then he realized their displeasure with the idea. Every time Lukas and Simon had an overnight, they'd gone together. If they didn't find a friend to have them both over this evening, it would be their first time sleeping apart in years. Chances were limited since many of their friends were going away for the holiday, but they did find friends to spend the night with.

When they arrived at the house, the Parkers were waiting. Simon hurried into the house to change clothes and retrieve his overnight bag to spend the night with Gavin. While they waited, Gavin followed Michael into the house and tried to comfort the boy, but Michael wanted to be left alone. He retreated to the guest bedroom, Matthew's room, and shut the door.

Lars put his arm around Gavin's shoulder. "You'll have to give him some space and remember what I told you about you and Matthew. In the meantime, have a good time tonight. We'll have everyone over on Christmas. Okay?"

Gavin nodded as Simon came out of the bedroom in sweats and an East Harbor Lacrosse hoodie, bag in hand. The boys left the house to head to Gavin's house. Lukas came out of the bedroom with his overstuffed backpack.

"Bye, dad," said Lukas, still upset from the funeral. He hugged his dad tight. "Where's Michael?"

"He wants to be left alone for now. But Matthew is in the family room. Why don't you say bye to him," suggested Lars.

Lukas set his bag by the door and jogged over to the family room. Matthew was staring blankly at some infomercial, completely unaware of what was on the screen.

"Hey bro, you okay?" asked Lukas as he dropped onto the cushion beside the older teen.

"Huh?" asked Matthew when Lukas broke his trance.

"It's all going to be all right," said Lukas as he tried to comfort his new friend. He surprised Matthew, and himself, by launching into a bear hug. "I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow."

Lukas headed back to the living room, grabbed his backpack and hugged his dad again. He really didn't want to be away from home this night, but he knew it was for the best. Besides, he was going to the Schultz' be hang out with some of his lunch table gang.

Zach snatched his keys from the table and gave Lars a hug and a passionate kiss. "I'd love to be here to support you and the boys this evening," whispered Zach.

"I know, and I want you here. But tonight, I think it just needs to be the four of us, since Carol is going to be part of the housing solution," explained Lars, more to convince himself than to placate Zach. "But I want you back here tomorrow if your family can spare you." Lars smiled when he saw the twinkle in Zach's eyes. It was a look that made his heart flutter. That was a feeling he thought he'd never feel again.

"Love you, see you tomorrow," said Zach with one final kiss.

Lars walked him to the door. "I love you too, Zach. Take care of my boy tonight."

"You know I will. We'll both be back in the morning after I drop off all the other rug rats." Zach gave Lars a smile and headed to his car where Lukas waited in the front seat thinking about what they were going to do tonight. "They" being Lukas, Zach's brother Scott, Trajan and Will.

Once Zach's car was out of sight, Lars shut the door and followed his nose to the kitchen where Carol was preparing dinner. Some neighbors and friends had brought food over to show their love and support. Tonight, Carol was warming up a delicious looking tuna casserole Mrs. Garrison from across the street brought over.

Lars went to the bedroom to retrieve Michael and knocked lightly on the door. Not hearing an answer, he knocked louder. Nothing. He gently opened the door and saw the small figure sprawled across the king size bed. Michael way lying on his stomach, clutching a pillow with his right arm. Lars thought he was asleep, but as he approached the bed, he noticed Michael's ear buds. Trying to be careful to not startle the boy, he carefully sat on the edge of the bed. Michael took the buds out and turned his head to see who was on there.

"Oh, hi," said Michael expecting to see Matthew sitting there.

"Are you doing alright?" asked Lars.

Michael looked away and nodded. Then looking back to Lars, he said, "Thank you."

Lars furrowed he brow, "For what?"

"For everything," said Michael as he pulled himself up to sit Indian style facing Lars. "I guess you really are my dad now, right?"

"Yes, I will be legally," said Lars. "But what is more important is who you hold in your heart. Often, as we get older, our families are who we choose to keep close, not necessarily the people we are connected to legally, or biologically."

"Like you and Carol?" asked Michael.

"Yes, exactly like me and Carol. She's like a sister and best friend to me and Carol and Simon are part of our family. As you probably noticed, we kind of work together like one family, even if we have two houses." Lars studied the boy's face as he explained. He knew that look. It was the look Michael had on his face when they had their sessions -- when the young man tried to sort out his past, his feelings, and make sense of the world and his place in it.

Michael rose to his knees and waddled over to Lars and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're my dad now."

"I'm proud to be able to call you my son. You are an amazing boy," replied Lars, holding his new charge tightly.

Michael broke the hug and sat back on his heels. "Why did he do it?"

Lars' brain went to work. His mind quickly made a long list of names that Michael could be wondering about, but the name that rose to the top of the list was Bruce Grant.

Michael continued, "He should be the one here. He should have been here for mom's funeral. I've only lived here three months and you've been more a dad to me than he ever was."

Reaching out, Lars placed a hand on the side of Michael's face and used his thumb to brush a tear from his cheek. "Well, I'm sure he finally realizes what he's missing. Let's get some food in our bellies. I'm sure Carol and Matthew are waiting on us."

Michael nodded and reached his arms out for Lars. The man stood, then reached down and lifted the boy into his arms. Michael wrapped his legs around his new dad's waist and held on tight with his good arm.

A quick kiss on the cheek and then Lars grunted. "You're heavier than you look!" Michael smiled and gave a little chuckle. Most 11-year-old wouldn't want to be carried, but Lars figured Michael needed to bond with him as any child needs to bond with their parents, particularly since the boy was reeling from a permanent loss of both parents. Besides, bonding was what the evening was all about.

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The casserole was as delicious as it looked. They were definitely going to have to give Mrs. Garrison a special thank you. Everyone chipped in to clear the table and put the left overs away. Tabled wiped and dishwasher started, Lars grabbed his organizer and some files from the office and the four reconvened at the kitchen table.

"Under any other circumstances, the conversations we're about to have would be pushed until after Christmas," began Lars. "But I can tell you both are uncertain about the future and I don't think you'll be able to relax and enjoy Christmas break at all. Plus, we have a short week next week. With Christmas on Monday and a lot of people taking time off or closing offices early on Friday, we need to make decisions so we can move quickly to get documents and court orders signed."

Both boys just nodded, relieved that they would finally have some answers to the many questions running around in their heads.

"After we get some decisions made, we also need to talk about next week's schedule. We have a lot going on starting the day after Christmas."

Matthew couldn't stop himself. Before they could begin, he blurted out, "I'm staying with Michael. If anyone tries to separate us again, I'll run away."

Lars smiled, "Well, I guess that answers that question." Everyone at the table laughed, cutting through the tension and seriousness of the moment. "Let's work through the stack of items I have here."

"When I was working with your mother to arrange for the care of Michael when she went to Arizona, I also made sure she made a will. She worked with my friend Stephen Cooper and unless she changed things since she returned, I'm the executor of her estate and she left everything to you, Michael. Most of her assets were in cash and investments, but she did also have the car. The will is to be read on Wednesday and that begins the process for transferring the assets to your name."

Michael nodded. "What about the house?"

"Well, the house was purchased in your name. It was part of the financial arrangement set up for your future when your parents divorced," noted Lars.

"Sell it," said Michael quickly. "I can't ever live there. I don't ever want to go back there."

"We could do that, or you could keep it as an investment," explained Lars. "Over time, the value of the house will increase, and you could sell it for more later. In the meantime, you could rent the house out and make money from the rent each month. Think about it and we'll talk more about it later. Okay?"

Michael agreed and they moved onto the next topic.

"Once your father is tried and found guilty, he will automatically lose custody of you Matthew. Stephen, my attorney, has been in contact with your family. Your father agreed that keeping you boys together was the best option and your father signed paperwork to turn custody over to me on one condition, that you agreed to it. If you do, you only need to sign here."

"Really?!" asked Matthew. "It's really that easy? I can stay with Michael?"

"Yes," explained Lars. "We'll just need to file the paperwork back in Washington County and you'll need to go before the magistrate to let him know this is what you want to do."

"YES!" Matthew reached for the paper and pen and signed his name where the green PostIt arrow pointed. Michael beamed. Lars could tell the two were scared they would be separated again. Michael and Matthew had slept together, clothed, every night since Michael came home from the hospital.

"That also brings us to your dad's assets," said Lars, moving onto the next topic as he filed the signed document. "He'd sold your family home and moved into an apartment in Portland. Working with Stephen and an estate planner, they moved some of your father's assets into a trust in case he is ever released from prison. All the rest of his assets have been transferred to you boys. Monetary assets have been placed in a trust, but his car, the instruments, and household furnishings in the apartment and in storage are yours."

Both boys nodded, their minds whirling from all the changes in their lives.

"Next on the agenda, custody arrangements," stated Lars, looking up from his notes. The boys looked at each other and then turned to the two adults sitting across from there.

Carol chimed in at this point. "When the paperwork is finalized for custody, we'll be able to get both of you issued new birth certificates with your new legal guardians listed as your parents. This helps with lots of different legal situations." The boys nodded. "Boys, I want to also be part of your lives. We'd like to both adopt you and be listed as your parents. That way, if something happened to one of us, the other would still have custody and would be able to keep you together."

"Okay," said Matthew. Michael, on the other hand, was shaking and fighting back tears. Carol came around the table and kneeled down to hug the boy. He clutched her around the neck.

"I'm not trying to replace your mother, honey. We just want to protect you boys," she said, trying to sooth the boy. She felt the head on her shoulder nod.

Rubbing his back, she asked, "Are you okay with this? If you don't want me to adopt you, that's okay, Michael. You have to want this."

"No, no," said Michael, pulling away to look at Carol. "I want it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay sweetie. I know this is a hard time for you," she said as she ran her fingers through his mussed hair.

"No, I'm sorry that I haven't been nicer to you," said Michael. He felt guilty for all the times he went to Abby Parker, Gavin's mother, for comfort, instead of Carol.

Carol pulled the boy forward and kissed his forehead. "You don't need to apologize for anything." When they finally parted, Michael wiped tears from his face.

"So, if we are all on the same page, we'll include Carol in the custody proceedings so the two of us will become your legal parents," said Lars to make sure everyone was in agreement. This time the boys were smiling and agreed to the custody arrangement.

"Umm..." started Michael with a perplexed look on his face. He always preferred doing research to discover his answers instead of asking questions. He liked the independence. But tonight, things were moving so fast, maybe too fast.

"Do you have a concern, Michael?" asked Lars.

"No," explained Michael, "I was just wondering. If you adopt us, does our name change?"

Lars hadn't considered that. "Well, it doesn't have to. But I guess you can change your last name to anything you want, if you'd like."

"I do," said Michael, fully committed to his decision.

"Okay," said Lars. He ruffled through the papers before him. "Ah, here. All we have to do is fill out this form and submit it to the judge and you can change your full name to anything you want."

"Even my first name?" asked Michael.

"Yep."

"Even Santa Claus?" laughed Michael.

"Yep," answered Lars. He smiled seeing the boy laugh. "If that's what you want. He pretended to put pen to paper.

"NO!" laughed Michael. "Not that!"

"Well, you said..." That was all Lars got out before he too was laughing along with everyone else around the table.

"I just don't want to be a Grant anymore," said Michael in a more serious tone.

"But..." Matthew felt the stab of rejection but couldn't articulate his objection.

Michael understood and turned to Matthew. "I don't want to go through life with dad's name. I don't want anything to do with him or his family."

Matthew understood where Michael was coming from. He nodded, conceding to his little brother.

Then Michael asked his brother, "Will you change your name too?"

"To what?"

"Meijer."

"Like Michael Myers from the Halloween movies?" Matthew struggled to keep a straight face.

"No. M-E-I-J... You doofus!" Michael playfully punched his brother in the arm when he realized Matthew was pulling his leg. Everyone howled laughing. The laughter brought a sense of closure to the events of the day. It allowed the boys, and adults, to move from the emotions of the lives they lost, to the emotions of their new future.

"So lil' bro, you want to have the last name Meijer?"

"Yes. Well, I mean, only if you do." He looked to his big brother to see what he wanted.

Matthew knew Michael worried about them having the same last name. Just the knowledge that he could disappoint his little brother with his next words broke his heart. At this moment, he'd do anything for his lil' bro, including change his name. "I kinda think Matthew Meijer sounds pretty good."

Michael grinned, sharing his dimples with the world. He stood and hugged his brother, "Thank you, Matthew."

"You boys realize that Lukas' real last name is 'von Mejier'. It's just in the US that usually end up putting the 'von' as a middle name and we end up getting listed simply as Meijer."

"Really? That sounds cool! I like it!" said Michael. Matthew nodded in agreement.

"Okay Michael," redirected Lars, "what will be your new full name."

"Michael Matthew von Meijer."

"I didn't know your middle name was Matthew," said Lars.

"It's not. I'm changing that, too."

Lars guessed that Michael may have shared his middle name with his father and wasn't going to press the issue. He simply wrote the name out on the legal document.

"And Matthew, how about you?"

"Matthew Taylor von Meijer."

"That's an interesting middle name," noted Lars as he wrote out the new name of his newest charge.

"That's our mother's maiden name," Matthew explained quietly.

Lars wrote the name out neatly on the page and put the legal documents back in the manila envelope and clasped it shut.

"Let's move on and discuss living arrangements. Michael," Lars started, "I'm assuming that for the time being, you'll continue to sleep with Matthew, or with Simon and Lukas. Right?"

Michael nodded.

Lars laid out the options. "Our initial thoughts were to have Michael move into the guest room next to Lukas and Matthew, you would have a bedroom over at Carol's. But once we discussed this further, we realized a couple of things. First, Lukas explained that Michael needs room for his things at his house. Carol has a large room over her garage with its own bathroom that we think would accommodate all of Michael's things. Second, when Carol is out of town, since Michael and Simon would be sleeping over here with Lukas and or you Matthew, it means we'd all be here. I'm not comfortable with anyone sleeping at the other house when Carol isn't there. Not after what's been going on."

It made sense to the boys and Matthew liked the idea of making his current room permanent. "That works for me," said Matthew. He felt at ease for the first time in days -- no, months. He felt at ease for the first time since we was separated from Michael and sent to his grandparents'.

"Good. We'll see how well that works for now. If we need to, Carol and I have agreed that we'd look for a bigger house where we'd all be together. But for now, we'll try this arrangement." Everyone was happy with that plan, but they still needed to bring Simon and Lukas up to speed and get their buy-in.

"Now to game plan for next week." Lars closed his notes and opened his planner.

"Tuesday is the day Mr. Davies goes on trial for his threat to Gavin. The trial may extend into Wednesday morning so we'll need to be prepared to be at the courthouse both days," he explained.

"Why?" asked Michael. "Don't they have enough evidence on him already?"

"Well, there's a lot of legal maneuvering going on, but if he doesn't change his plea to guilty, you are going to be called as a witness."

"Oh," said Michael, resigning himself to his fate. He hoped he'd never have to testify at another trial, but it looked like he was going to be slated for Mr. Davies' trial, the trial over his mother's murder, and the kidnapping if it came to that.

"Wednesday evening we're flying to Portland. We are going to file the paperwork and, if necessary, we'll be seeing the magistrate Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon we'll head up to Mossyrock to get the rest of Matthew's things from your grandparents house."

"Are we going to their funeral?" asked Michael. He wasn't really sure he wanted to go and see the family members that had turned their backs to him.

"They were buried last Thursday," was all Lars offered. He didn't want to tell the boys they were explicitly not invited to the event. The call Lars received was actually more of a threat in the event either boy showed up.

To prevent further questions relating to the boys' extended family, he continued. "The lease on your father's apartment and storage units are being terminated at the end of the month so we are going to spend Thursday evening and Friday sorting through things that can be donated or sold and what you want to keep. Then we'll pack everything up and spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday driving back home."

Both boys were overwhelmed by the week ahead of them. Their minds swirled with "what ifs" and "hows" but simply nodded slowly to what they heard.

Matthew asked a few questions as Michael sat silently, listening to the conversation. Questions answered, the boys went to the bedroom to hang out for a bit while Lars and Carol made some coffee and headed to the family room to relax and watch a movie.

They agreed the conversation went as well as it could have, but it was clear Michael was struggling with it all. Lars pointed out that the week starts with the Davies trial and that was a bombshell they just dropped on Michael.

"He's probably thinking about the other investigations and trials he may have to be involved in surrounding the entire sex trafficking enterprise and the kidnapping. I know he just wishes it would all go away. He's told me as much," lamented Lars. "He lost so much to get away from the abuse, but here we are over a year later and it is still a huge part of his life."

The boys joined them in the family room mid-way through the movie. Michael walked over to Lars who was sitting on the sectional with his legs stretched out along to seat pointing towards Carol who was curled up in the opposite corner with a blanket over her legs.

"Can I sit with you?" asked Michael.

"Sure, Cuddlebug," said Lars. He started to move to give Michael some room to sit next to him when Michael surprised by crawling into his lap. The boy laid his head on Lars' shoulder so he could see the TV and practically purred when Lars wrapped his arms around him. In moments, Michael drifted off to sleep.

Lars looked over to Carol and found her holding Matthew's head in her lap. They were both watching the movie as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through Matthew's hair. Lars smiled. Things were going to be okay. He never expected their little makeshift family to ever be more than himself, Carol, Simon and Lukas, but now it included Michael and Matthew. Maybe, someday soon, Zach might also be a permanent part of the household. Placing a kiss on the youngest boy's head, he gave the small body a squeeze and turned his attention back to the movie.

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Zach tried to keep his eyes open, but even the excitement and special effects of the latest movie in the Marvel Avengers series couldn't keep him awake. Even though he felt like an outsider as Carol and Lars tried to navigate the legal and emotional hurdles of the week, he still found it exhausting. All evening he'd been distracted by his curiosity about how the talk with the boys had gone, the plans for the upcoming week, and how much he'd be included in those plans. He loved Lars in a way he never thought imaginable but feared that all the drama was a distraction for Lars. He feared that Lars' commitment to the boys would occupy too much of the man's time and he would put his personal life on hold once again.

"I'm heading to bed guys," said Zach with a big yawn. "Don't tear the place up, mom and dad will be home soon." He got up, stepping over the various legs and bodies of the boys laying on the floor when he felt two arms wrap around his waist.

"Thanks, Zach," said Lukas, giving the young adult a tight hug.

Zach turned and was able to return the hug with one arm. "Thanks for what, Lukas?"

"For being there for dad this week. I could tell you felt left out, but when you aren't there, dad talks about you a lot. You're important to him and make him happy. Thank you. But I'm still not calling you 'mom'."

"You little turd," laughed Zach as he gave Lukas a little whack on his boxer brief clad bottom.

"Hey!" squealed Lukas. "Don't start something you can't finish!"

Zach blushed. "You are incorrigible." He turned and headed off to his bedroom.

Lukas turned to find three sets of eyes staring at him.

"What?" asked Lukas.

Trajan and Will answered at the same time.

"Your dad and Zach are gay?" asked Will.

Trajan asked, "Zach and your dad are dating?"

"Yes, and yes," said Lukas. Then he turned to Scott. "But you already knew that, what are you staring at?"

"You got a boner when my brother smacked your ass!" The three boys on the floor burst out laughing as Lukas blushed and tried in vain to hide his hard dick.

"Shut up," said Lukas, trying to stifle a smile.

The movie was forgotten as conversation turned to sex. They discussed how often they beat off, techniques, places they've jerked off, to use or not use a lubricant, who they thought was hot at school and how far each of them had gotten with someone.

While Lukas, and much more recently, Trajan, had become very sexually active, outside of masturbation, Scott and Will had not gotten past kissing -- Scott with Najma and Will an older cousin. Conversation quickly ended when Mr. and Mrs. Schultz returned home and checked on the boys.

Horny, each boy wondered how he was going to get to sleep that night. The four were going to crash in the family room and wished for a bit of privacy to take care of business. Getting ready for bed, Will was the last to use the bathroom and managed to rub one out quickly before joining his friends. Trajan had managed to set his sleeping back up on the far side of the room so he was in a shadow. Once Will fell to sleep, he used the shadow and his friend obstructions to block the few of Lukas and Scott. Trajan rolled over onto his stomach and pulled the front of his underwear down. The nylon of the sleeping back felt great as he humped, thinking about driving his boner into Derek's tight, hot ass. In no time at all, he blew a load on the inside of the sleeping bag and his stomach while he buried his face in his pillow to muffle any sound that might escape. He laid his t-shirt in the mess, so he wouldn't have to sleep in the wet spot then fell fast into a deep sleep.

That left two horny boys struggling to get to sleep. They both knew the other was awake and wished the other to fall to sleep so he could relieve his tension. Finally, Scott unzipped his sleeping bag and got up.

"Where are you going?" whispered Lukas, hoping whatever Scott was doing would take long enough for him to shoot his load before Scott got back.

"I'm going to sleep in my bed," replied Scott. "You wanna come?"

"Okay," said Lukas, not really sure why. He'd agreed before his brain had even registered the question.

Lukas scrambled to his feet and the two teens tiptoed up the stairs to Scott's bedroom. Following behind Scott, Lukas admired his friend's body. Other than quick changes at the rec center, Lukas hadn't really had an opportunity to check out how Scott changed since their sixth grade sleep overs. Since then, Scott had definitely matured. His chest was filling out, he was developing a six-pack, and his plain white Fruit of the Loom briefs were filled out quite nicely in the front. Lukas popped a boner as they ascended the stairs. With Scott in the lead, his ass was right in Lukas' face, and it was quite an ass.

Opening Scott's bedroom door, both boys felt the night chill. The bedroom windows were open and a gentle breeze made the curtains dance to the electricity that filled the air. Scott quietly shut and locked the bedroom door.

Lukas stood in the middle of the room and looked around in the dark a bit confused. He was turned on but trying to hide his boner from Scott. He honestly didn't come up stairs with Scott to mess around. However, now that they were here, he wanted to get off and was glad he and Simon discussed and granted each other permission to mess around at their sleep overs this night. The problem was, Lukas knew Scott wasn't gay and Scott had made no mention or gesture that he wanted to mess around. That's why Lukas was so confused about how he felt at the moment and what would happen next.

"Brrrrr! Come on..." whispered Scott. Instead of closing the windows, he jumped into bed and slipped under the comforter. Lukas quickly scrambled over to the bed and joined Scott, hoping Scott couldn't see his boxers tenting out in the front.

The sheets were cool and Lukas shivered, first from the chill, and then from Scott's touch. He felt the mattress bounce lightly as Scott moved closer. Then an arm embraced his torso and pull him in tight so his back pressed against Scott's chest.

"We'll warm up faster if we stay close together," explained Scott. Releasing Lukas for a moment, Scott grabbed the edge of the covers and pulled them down snuggly over their shoulders and under their chins. He'd never been this intimate with any of his friends, but Lukas had always been special to him.

Lukas was pleased to feel Scott's warmth behind him. He scooted back then froze. By Lukas' calculations, he just pressed his ass into Scott's crotch and Scott not only had a boner, it was now wedged firmly between his ass cheeks. To test his theory, Lukas wiggled his butt.

"Sssssss..." hissed Scott.

'Yep, Scott's horned up,' thought Lukas, smiling to himself.

Scott instinctively reached down to hold Lukas' hips in place so he could keep his cock exactly where it was. Before his hand found his friend's hip, it found his friend's boner that had escaped the fly of his boxers. The contact of Scott's hand brushing across his boner made Lukas flinch, clenching his ass.

"Oh, fuck," moaned Scott as Lukas' ass cheeks squeezed his cock even tighter. This caused Scott to press his pelvis into Lukas' ass even harder.

Lukas rolled over to face Scott and looked into his friend's face in the dimly light room. Their eyes met and Scott simply nodded his head yes.

It took a moment for Scott to realize Lukas shucked his boxers. The blond pressed his thin chest against Scott's and began licking and kissing the straight boy's neck. Scott had never been turned on like this before and was afraid he was going to blow too soon. The lips and tongue moved to his collar bone then to this breast bone. He managed to stay quiet until Lukas made a side trip to his right nipple. At that moment, being quiet was the last thing on Scott's mind. The moan came from somewhere deep inside as his body shuddered from the unfamiliar sensation.

Lukas recognized Scott's excitement and spent a bit more time working on the nipple, giving it a few nips with his teeth, before moving to the other nipple, eliciting a similar reaction from Scott.

Satisfied with his work, Lukas moved back to center of Scott's chest and kissed and licked his way down to his friend's belly button. As he Frenched Scott's belly button, Lukas lifted the front of his friend's briefs to release the rock-hard cock from its confines. Scott knew what to do. Lifting his ass, he helped Lukas push the briefs down past his ass and thighs before using his legs to work them the rest of the way past his feet. Lukas' first contact with Scott's naked cock was when it brushed against his cheek as he kissed and licked his way down from the belly button. Now completely under the covers, Lukas used his right hand to cup Scott's balls as he lowered his mouth down the length of Scott's dick.

Within seconds, Scott screeched, "oh shit" and blew is load into Lukas' mouth. Not missing a beat, Lukas swallowed and kept working on Scott's dick making sure it didn't go soft. Satisfied that Scott had recovered from the most intense orgasm of his life, and he wouldn't go soft, Lukas released the surprisingly fat cock from his mouth and spit into his hand.

Scott wasn't paying much attention to what Lukas was doing and wasn't much surprised when Lukas' hot, sweaty face hovered over his. But Lukas quickly got his full attention when he grabbed Scott's dick, lined it up with his ass, and sat on it, slowly easing it into his boy pussy.

"Ohhh. Ugh, ahhhh..." groaned Lukas. With the events of the last week, he and Simon hadn't been in the mood for sex, so Lukas was worked up and in need of release. He quickly found the perfect rhythm and position to hit his prostate and began masturbating in sync with the slamming his ass into Scott's pubic mound.

Scott watched as Lukas pleasured himself, lost in his own world. His friend quickly brought him to the brink of a second orgasm and Scott struggled to hold out as long as possible. Neither boy cared that the mattress' squeaked and their moans were audible in the next room where Zach had given up ignoring the sounds of sex from his brother's room and put his ear buds in to drowned out the noise so he could get back to sleep.

Scott finally lost the battle, eye's rolling back and closing, his shoulders lifted off the bed and he gave a grunt. With a thrust of his hips, he unloaded into Lukas' ass. Knowing he was taking his friend's load sent Lukas over the edge and he shot his load across Scott's torso, all the way to his neck.

Lukas placed his hands on either side of Scott's chest and rested while caught his breath. Then he reached under the covers to find his boxers to clean up the mess he made on Scott's chest. Satisfied with the job he'd done, Lukas lifted himself off Scott's deflating cock and laid down beside his friend.

Scott rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on his hand as he gazed at Lukas. Using his left hand, he again, pulled the covers up so they wouldn't catch a chill from the cool night air, then rested his hand on Lukas' chest. Watching the look on Lukas' face, he slid his hand to Lukas' right nipple and rubbed it gently with his thumb. He was pleased when he felt the nipple harden and a small smile spread across Lukas' face.

Getting bolder, Scott began running his hand up and down Lukas' side, from his arm pit to his hip, feeling the boy's firm body. Scooting closer, Lukas slid his arm under Scott as Scott pressed his body into Lukas. Lukas opened his eyes. Not understanding the look on Scott's face, he gave Scott a questioning look. Scott, in response, leaned in and kissed Lukas on the lips, then pulled back. Scott's hand moved from his Lukas' hip to the blonde's reawakening erection. This time, when he leaned down to kiss Lukas, he kissed the boy like he learned to kiss Najma. He opened his mouth and brushed Lukas' lips with his tongue. Lukas responded by opening his mouth giving Scott's tongue entry. As the kiss intensified, Lukas brought his right hand up to hold Scott's head in place so he couldn't break the kiss.

As if on autopilot, Scott's hand masturbated Lukas as they kissed passionately. After minutes, or hours, of kissing, the boys no longer had any sense of time, Lukas released Scott's head when he felt the boy try to pull away. Opening their eyes, they looked at each other for a moment before Scott ducked his head under the covers. He was curious and knew if he didn't do it right then, he might chicken out. With his fingers cupping Lukas' balls and his index finger and thumb at the base of Lukas' cock, Scott licked the pre-cum escaping the end of Lukas' foreskin. Finding the taste rather pleasant, Scott took the plunge, wrapping his lips around Lukas' dick and sliding down until the sparse blonde pubic hairs tickled his lips.

Lukas moaned in pleasure and surprise. Scott was a novice cocksucker, but he did know enough to watch out with his teeth and was enthusiastic about giving his friend pleasure. Lukas was once again working towards and orgasm when Scott stopped and shifted positions. Moving between Lukas' legs, Lukas bent his knees out to give Scott space. He felt Scott's tongue licking his balls and then Scott sucked one, then the other, into his mouth. His friend released his balls and then engulf his hard dick once again. Lukas spread his legs even farther to give Scott better access to his favorite body parts. Under the covers, Scott could smell Lukas' sex and his own cum. Instincts finally took over. Scott needed to rut like the dominate straight male he was.

Pulling himself up to his knees and letting the covers fall behind him, he lifted Lukas' hips and scooted forward until he could slide his meat back into the boy's ass. Lukas helped Scott find the right alignment and then threw his head back in pleasure has Scott shoved himself balls deep into his smaller friend.

Scott leaned forward and kissed Lukas again. Lukas responded by throwing his arms around Scott's neck and locking his lips to Scott's. New to this, it took a few tries for Scott to find the right position with his knees and rhythm with his hips, but soon he was plowing Lukas' ass with full force causing the boy to emit small, muffled grunts with each thrust.

Their tongues battled. Lukas moved his right hand from Scott's neck to his own dick so he could jack-off in time with Scott's thrusts. Both boys worked furiously to achieve another orgasm. This time, it was Lukas that came first. He grunted into Scott's mouth as he shot his load between their stomachs. With the first shot, Lukas' ass clamped down on Scott's dick, igniting Scott's orgasm, causing the boy to fire shot after shot into Lukas' backside.

When he came back to his senses, Scott pulled the covers back over their naked bodies and Lukas snuggled up against his friend, resting his head on Scott's shoulder. Moments later, the two eighth graders were fast asleep.

----------------------     

Brian and Abby were happy to have Simon over for the night. They were well aware of the need for Lars and Carol to have a talk with the brothers. Having Simon and Lukas out of the house for the night would give them a chance to bond with the boys and have some serious discussions about the future.

Garrett arrived home just before dinner and the five of them went out for a nice meal. They drove over to Del Mar to have dinner at Jake's. They managed to get a table overlooking the beach and enjoyed wonderful conversation and great food.

Returning back home in East Harbor, Simon and Gavin retreated to Gavin's bedroom to play video games and listen to music. They discussed lacrosse, happenings at the high school and every other topic under the sun except what had been going on in their lives with the drama surrounding Michael and his family. It was good for both boys to put those events away for a while and unwind. They eventually tired of video games and headed back downstairs to make some popcorn and grab some sodas.

After saying good nights to Gavin's parents, as well as Garrett, the boys stripped down to their boxer briefs and settled onto Gavin's double bed. With the lights turned down, they snacked and watch The Unborn on NetFlix.

As the movie neared the end, Simon was getting sleepy, but Gavin was getting restless.

"Well, it was a great idea for a movie, but it could have been better," said Simon before finishing off his Coke.

"Yeah," was all Gavin could think to say. He hadn't really paid much attention to the second half of the movie.

Without much conversation, they cleaned up their mess and crawled under the covers. The only light in the room was from a tall rice paper floor lamp in the corner of the room. Gavin rigged the lamp so it used string of LED lights that twinkled instead of a regular light bulb. He also had his stereo softly playing an iTunes playlist he created to help him fall to sleep.

Simon curled up on his side and drifted off to sleep while Gavin laid flat on his back, thinking about what had been on his mind all week. Though he'd felt like he's really found his sexuality since dating Michael and the fun he'd had in group situations with Simon, Lukas, Michael (and sometimes Trajan and Derek), he suddenly found himself feeling unsure of himself. He also realized that this night might be his best chance.

Turning onto his side, he looked at the back of Simon's head as he built up his courage. With a shaking hand, he reached out and traced the muscles in Simon's shoulders and upper back. The teen woke and rolled over to face Gavin.

Settling back down into his pillow, Simon looked at his friend and asked, "What's up?"

"I want to try bottoming. Would you be my first?" asked Gavin quietly.

Simon furrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"

Gavin took off his underwear and threw them across the room, making a bit of a show of it for Simon's sake. Then he scooted closers to Simon and kissed him on the lips. Pulling back, he checked to see if he'd crossed some line with Simon.

Simon had wondered if he and Gavin would mess around without their boyfriends around. The sexual events they had shared were never initiated between the two of them. All sexual contact between the two older boys was a byproduct of those evenings, not the main event. But Lukas has predicted it and had told Simon to enjoy himself. He and Lukas hadn't been sexually active in almost a week so it hadn't taken much for him to get him physically interested in having sex with Gavin.

Simon's response to the kiss was to take off his own boxer briefs and toss them to join Gavin's on the floor.

Gavin leaned in and kissed Simon again, more passionately and Simon returned the kiss. Each time Simon matched Gavin's level of passion and intensity, Gavin ratcheted up another notch. Soon the covers were on the floor as the boys wrestled on the bed, kissing and groping each other.

Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, Gavin flopped around and rolled onto his back and placed his heels on top of his headboard. When enough oxygen had returned to his brain, he reached over and moved Simon into position over himself so they could 69 with Gavin on the bottom. Determined, Gavin tilted his head back and worked to deepthroat his friend's large cock. Since he'd sucked Simon after the soccer team's party, he'd been dreaming of getting Simon alone so he could have that man-sized cock all to himself.

When Gavin finally managed to get Simon into his throat and his nose buried under Simon's nuts, Simon moaned with pleasure around Gavin's dick, sending a shiver up Gavin's body. Both boys became ravenous, working over each other's cocks with abandon and soon, each ate his first man-sized load of thick, white cum -- something neither Lukas or Michael could manage yet.

Simon fell to the side to catch his breath. Gavin didn't want the evening to end so soon. Turning to face Simon, he once again began a tongue battle, using his hand to help Simon regain his erection quickly. Back to full tumescence, Gavin was satisfied Simon was ready to take his anal virginity. Crawling over to the nightstand, Gavin retrieved a bottle of lube and put a large dollop on his fingers. He rubbed the lube on his pucker and then slid both fingers in to loosen himself up and prepare for Simon's entry.

"Are you sure?" asked Simon.

"Yes, I've been preparing," said Gavin, bringing back his own erection from fingering his ass. "But you are thicker than I remembered. Go slow."

Gavin handed Simon the lube and stacked the pillows. Simon moved behind Gavin, applying a large amount of lube to his fuck stick and watching Gavin settle his chest and head onto the pillows and present his ass for fucking doggie style.

The view was different than Simon had seen in the past. Both Michael and Lukas' white asses spread to reveal a hairless, light pink hole. Gavin had a line of sparse hair that stretched from his balls to his virgin hole. When Gavin spread his knees and arched his back, his crack opened to reveal a brown pucker that was shiny with lube and winking at Simon.

Simon walked on his knees into position between Gavin's feet.

"Don't pull out," sighed Gavin, "I want your load." Then he moaned when he felt the head of Simon's dick rub over his hole.

"Relax and push out when I push in," instructed Simon, in case Gavin wasn't prepared to do just that.

Gently Simon leaned forward, applying pressure to Gavin's butthole. Slowly, the hole began to open, but Simon pulled back. He repeated this a few times, resulting in Gavin's hole relaxing a bit more and allowing Simon in a fraction of an inch farther. Finally, there was a pop as Simon's head slipped inside Gavin's sphincter and Gavin exclaimed, "Oh!" Then Gavin hissed has he endured the burning sensation of his ass muscles being stretched farther than ever before.

"Hold on for a second," said Gavin, grimacing through his teeth. Simon held himself in place as he stroked Gavin's back and sides with both hands.

When the pain subsided, Gavin leaned forward and Simon waddled forward, keeping his dick wedged in Gavin's ass. Once his crown of his head rested on the headboard, Gavin then shoved himself backwards slowly, embedding Simon's cock deeper into his ass at his own pace.

"Ahhhhh..." sighed Gavin. He felt full, stretched, and it felt better than he'd ever dreamed it would. His own erection was like steel and leaked a constant stream of pre-cum onto the sheets.

Reaching up, Gavin grabbed the top of the headboard and lifted his chest off the pillows and pushed back, bottoming out on seven inches of teen cock.

"Oh, fuck," said Gavin. "I see why Michael and Lukas like this so much." He gyrated his ass, causing Simon's dick to touch different places inside him.

"You ready?" asked Simon, moving his hands to the top of Gavin's thighs to hold the boy's ass in place and give him leverage.

"Yeah," said Gavin, momentarily tensing up and giving Simon's cock an almost painful squeeze.

Simon started slowly, moving in and out in slow, short strokes. He listened to Gavin's moans and groans to determine when his friend was ready for him to go deeper and faster.

After nearly 15 minutes, Simon knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer. Simon could tell Gavin loved getting his ass pounded. He wanted to bring Gavin to climax along with his own. Reaching around with his left hand, he pulled Gavin's torso up. Gavin responded by extending his arms so his chest was at a 45 degree angle to the bed. Simon slid his left hand up to play with Gavin's left nipple while Simon's right hand moved around Gavin's hip and latched onto the erection that was swaying back and forth with each thrust. Simon frantically jacked Gavin off while continuing to fuck the boy's ass.

Gavin's body shivered with pleasure and his moaning and changed to a whine as he built to a mind-blowing orgasm.

Simon came first, blasting his load into Gavin's ass. With the third shot, Gavin reached his climax. His body shuddered. his arms nearly gave out as Simon milked stream after stream of teen cum out of his dick.

Panting, the boys stayed still, Simon buried to the hilt in Gavin's ass, as they caught their breath.

Gavin was delirious from his orgasm. When he could speak, he said what had been on his mind all week. "Oh god Simon, I love you."

"What?" said Simon, wanting to make sure he heard Gavin correctly.

Gavin leaned forward sliding Simon's deflating penis from his ass. Then he turned to face Simon. Pulling Simon into his arms, he kissed his friend again. Ending the kiss, he looked into Simon's eyes and answered Simon's question. "I said, I am in love with you."

"Dude, what?" asked Simon pulling back from Gavin's embrace. "You know I'm in love with Lukas. That's never going to change. And what about Michael? You two are still a couple, aren't you?"

"I don't know, things seem different," said Gavin.

Simon moved to his side of the bed and crawled back under the covers.

"Well, you'd better figure it out," he said facing away from Gavin. "If you don't want to be Michael's boyfriend anymore, you need to figure it out and talk to Lars and Michael. Let's get some sleep."

Gavin also crawled under the covers and turned his back to Simon. He was disappointed that Simon didn't feel the same way, but he also felt a sense that something had changed within himself. While Simon slept, Gavin laid there wide awake trying to sort out his feelings and figure out what to do.