Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 15:51:34 +0000 (UTC) From: Albert Collins Subject: You were there - Part 12 Disclaimer: This is a romantic love story about love between young adolescent boys. There will be some explicit sex scenes in the story but they are not the main focus of the story. So if you are looking for a story with a lot of explicit sex action, you are in the wrong place. If you like to read a sappy romantic tory with occasional kinky sex scenes, then please sit back and enjoy! Thanks again to all those who wrote with comments and feedback! I am switching back to plain text, at least for now, as I found HTML a bit too distracting. Of course, as usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome! albert.c87@yahoo.com Oh, yeah, and please, donate to Nifty: donate.nifty.org ******************************************************************************* You were there -- Part 12 That evening during the dinner Diego could not wipe a dreamy smile off his face as he was sitting next to Luke. Outwardly Luke seemed his usually goofy happy self. However, Diego felt Luke's hand squeezing his under the table, Luke's knee touching his, and their smiles grew wider. Not everything went unnoticed. "Diego, Luke, don't you boys look happy today!" Margie said as she was putting the food on the table. "Diego, honey, it's so nice to see you smile! You should do that more often." Margie patted Diego's head. "Mmm, yeah, thanks, Ms Margie," Diego stammered, turning red, "we did have a pretty good day going to the forest today ..." "Yeah, we sure did!" Luke came to the rescue. "Took the boat and hiked to the old willow. Cool flowers and butterflies there now! Got some fresh berries on the way back." "Well, I'm glad you boys are enjoying the summer!" Margie smiled at the boys again, gave them a friendly look and moved on. Diego exhaled and clutched Luke's hand tighter under the table. Luke turned his head and winked at Diego. The rest of the dinner passed uneventfully, although Diego did feel much more self-conscious about stealing furtive smiles at Luke. Diego finally relaxed when the boys got to their room. He plopped onto his bed and Looked at Luke, grinning sheepishly. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight," Diego uttered shaking his head. Luke grinned back and opened his arms: "Come here, Diego, babe, come here!" Diego melted into Luke's hug. "You know that you can always stay with me, right?" Luke whispered kissing Diego's forehead. Diego's body tensed slightly. "Maybe we could just ... cuddle?" Diego asked softly, lifting his head. "Sure thing!" Luke answered. "Y'know that I am a great cuddler!" They both chuckled. "Yes you are," Diego replied, "you sure are, my big lug! And I know that your intentions towards me are strictly honorable!" Diego giggled slightly again. "Oh, damn it, I wish I was bad!" Luke sighed with a laugh, hugging Diego again. "Just don't freak out if something pops out and pokes you, he-he. I'm only human, you know!" Diego looked up at Luke and blushed. Luke kissed him gently and Diego blushed even brighter. The boys changed in their PJs slowly, exchanging silent sheepish smiles. Diego turned off the ceiling light and gingerly walked towards Luke's bed, stopping a couple of steps away from it. He looked at Luke with an uncertain sweet smile and blushed again. Luke looked on with a gentle playful grin and extended his hand. "Now, about that cuddling ...," Luke said, pulling Diego on the bed with him and turning off the night light. Diego sighed and dove into the warmth of Luke's welcoming body. Diego lay on his right side and Luke settled behind him. Luke wrapped his left arm around Diego, with Diego clutching Luke's hand to his chest. Diego stretched out his body, enjoying Luke's warmth right behind him. Being together like this, now more than friends, felt so wonderful ... Diego's heart beat faster and a silent smile grew on his face. Yeah, it was good. This was good. Luke pulled him closer and Diego felt Luke chewing on his ear gently. "Lu-u-ke," Diego giggled with a whimper. "Come on ... We agreed ..." "Sorry, babe, I just had to give me a little elf-boy snack for the night," Luke breathed in Diego's ear. "It was delicious ..." Diego settled deeper into Luke, wiggled his toes and closed his eyes. Luke pulled him tighter, and Diego squeezed Luke's hand again. "Luke," Diego whispered. "Yeah?" "I can hear it," Diego continued in low whisper. "The music. I can hear it now. It does not hurt. I stay here, with you. Don't go back there. It does not hurt." "Oh, babe!" Luke breathed, turning Diego's head and kissing his cheek and the side of his mouth. "I'm so happy for you!" Diego sighed contentedly. Luke's hand rested on Diego's chest. "Hey, Diego," Luke asked quietly. "Yeah, Luke?" "What's the deal with this turtle pendant you're always wearing?" Luke's hand fiddled with the pendant. "I noticed you always have it on, even at night. What, you got a thing for turtles?" Luke chuckled gently. Diego sighed slightly and paused before answering. "Sorry, Luke, I can't tell you ... yet," Diego replied slowly. "It's a secret ... I promised ... Sorry ..." "It's okay babe," Luke answered softly. "A promise is a promise. I understand." Another pause followed. "It's kind of a talisman, see," Diego offered. "For protection ... from danger ..." "Oh," Luke replied, "a talisman." He lifted the turtle and kissed it. "In that case I'm into turtles too! Hope it does a good job and keeps you safe." Luke kissed the turtle again. Diego closed his eyes again and pressed harder against Luke. Diego felt Luke's cheek resting on his, and Luke's soft hair brushing his face. "Good night, my sweet elf-prince," Luke whispered barely audibly. "Good night, Luke," Diego whispered back. Diego sighed deeply and melted into the warmth of Luke's body behind him. He closed his eyes and with a contended smile slowly floated away to sleep. When Diego woke up in the morning, Luke was still asleep. Diego's hand was still clasping Luke's arm resting on Diego's chest. Diego could feel Luke's rhythmic breathing on his neck. And he felt warm, so warm! He could never remember waking up feeling so warm before. It'd be so nice to stay in bed, with Luke the whole day, just like this! But no. Too much has happened. He needed a moment to himself. A moment to think. A moment to be. Quietly, stealthily, careful not to wake up Luke, Diego slipped out of bed. He looked back at Luke. Luke shifted and lay on his back now. His face still looked so beautiful, so sweet, so precious, so ... Diego's heart ached. Luke's foot was covered by the bed-sheet. Diego leaned down and kissed Luke's toe lightly through the sheet. Luke mumbled something and shifted a bit in his sleep. Diego smiled and on his tippy-toes went into the bathroom. Once inside, he stopped by the sink and put his hands on its cool smooth edge. Slowly, hesitantly, Diego raised his head and peered into the mirror. Big brown eyes. Silky black hair. Long eyelashes. Lightly arches eyebrow. Delicate turned up nose. It was him. It was him! A smile formed Diego's lips and his reflection smiled back at him. His eyes watered and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. He sniffled slightly and wiped them out. "I need to get a haircut," he thought, "and I seem to have put on a bit of weight!" He looked at his reflection in the mirror, waved at it and smiled. "Okay," he thought, "okay." Diego shacked off his clothes, got into the shower and, whistling a tune, turned on the water. When Diego got out of the bathroom, still drying his hair with a towel, Luke was already up, sitting on his bed. "Looking good, elf-boy!" Luke joked. "Good morning, Luke," Diego smiled back, blushing a little. As Diego passed by Luke's bed, Luke squeezed his hand, gave him a reassuring gentle grin, and a wink. Diego held Luke's hand, caressing it lightly, and smiled back. He then moved away and settled at the computer desk. Luke shook his head a little and still smiling headed into the bathroom. Diego opened one of the astronomy websites he's been visiting daily for the last couple of weeks, and navigated to the subpage he wanted. "Bingo!" he exclaimed mentally. "Luke's gonna love this!" A small sly smile crept over Diego's lips. Diego looked back at the screen at started reading the page more carefully. In about ten minutes Luke emerged from the bathroom, wearing his sweatpants, but still bare-chested and drying off his head with a towel. Diego turned around and looked back at him. Luke stretched out and arched his back like a cat, giving Diego a full view of his taut lean muscular torso. Diego's eyes bugged out. "Oh, my god, I'll get to touch THAT!" flashed through his mind. Luke grinned and winked at Diego while pulling on a T-shirt. "Just giving you a little incentive, he-he," Luke giggled wickedly. Diego blushed bright red and shook his head, but felt his groin stir a bit. He turned back to the computer screen. "Watchya looking at over there?" Luke asked, walking up to him. "Nothin', it's a surprise, I'll show you later!" Diego replied, quickly closing the webpage. "U-u-u, a mystery! ... Okay, I love surprises!" Luke replied nuzzling Diego's neck lightly. "Is it something ... sexy?" "I'll show you tonight, I promise," Diego answered, standing up, and switching off the computer. "Come on, Luke, we don't wanna be late for breakfast." "Aww, you're no fun!" Luke mock-pouted. "All right, all right, I'll wait till tonight. And yeah, let's go, I'm starving!" The boys got dressed and headed to the clubhouse. During breakfast Diego was getting more and more exciting about the surprise he prepared for Luke later that evening. Diego sat between Toby and Luke, who was talking to Rafael. As the meal was ending, the kids were waiting for Margie to bring in the desert. Diego was dangling his feet absentmindedly and found himself lightly humming the tune "Goodnight Irene". Suddenly Toby turned to him: "Whachya doing?" "Ha?" asked Diego, perplexed. "Just now, what were ya doing?" Toby repeated. "Oh, just humming a song," Diego replied. "Come on, Diego, do it again, only louder. Sounded good," Toby asked. "Mmm, okay." Diego said. He cleared his throat and started singing to Toby, slightly louder, but still in a low voice. "Irene, good night, Irene, good night Good night, Irene, good night, Irene I'll get you in my dreams," Diego sang in a clear, sweet, sonorous voice. Suddenly the conversation around the table stopped. Everybody looked at Diego, listening, almost mesmerized. Gradually Diego started singing louder. "Stop rambling and stop gambling Quit staying out late at night Go home to your wife and your family Sit down by a fireside bright." The song ended. After a few moments of silence the boys started clapping, whooping and hollering wildly. Luke stood behind Diego's chair and gave him a tight wordless hug. "Wow, Diego, wow!" Devon shouted. "We didn't know you could sing like THAT! Why didn't you do that before?" Diego replied awkwardly: "Oh, sorry, I don't really know ... Guess I just didn't feel like doing it earlier." He quickly looked up at Luke, with his eyes glistening. "But yeah, I really love to sing. Can also play a guitar and a piano." "No way, man, that's great!" Ritchie exclaimed. "Mr Frank has a guitar somewhere in his house, and the school got a piano. You'll need to play 'em both for us!" Toby tugged Diego's hand: "Diego, please sing another song. Please!" "Yeah, Diego, sing something else for us," Devon and Danny shouted. Diego looked at Luke uncertainly, who nodded at him with a proud grin. "Okay, okay, here is another one," Diego agreed. "It's another old American folk song. It's kinda sappy, so be prepared." Everybody quieted down. After a brief pause Diego started singing again. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You'll never know dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away." Luke felt that everything stopped and the rest of the world faded away. Diego's sweet resonant voice filled the room. Luke saw that on the other side from Diego Toby put his elbows on the table and rested his head on his palms with a dreamy expression. Slowly all the other kids got up and huddled behind Diego's chair. At that moment Margie re-entered the dining room carrying a big plate of cake. "Okay, boys, here is cake!" she started saying. "Oh, my!" Margie stopped, taking in the scene in front of her. "Sshh-h!" Ritchie whispered to her, "Diego is singing!" "You'll never know dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away-y-y." Diego finished the song. This time Margie joined the hollering and the applause. As the kids were settling back down around the table, she gave Diego a warm hug and a peck on the cheek. "Diego, sweetheart, that was amazing!" Margie congratulated Diego, "I had no idea you could sing so beautifully. You should do the more often, we would all love it! And think about auditioning for the school choir when the school starts, I am sure they would be happy to have you!" "Thank you, Ms Margie, I will," replied Diego shyly. After breakfast, as the kids were milling about on the terrace, Diego's singing was the talk of the town. "Diego, I bet ya could hypnotize rats with your voice, just like Pied Piper!" Ritchie declared. "Rats, oh gross!" Devon protested. "Well, I don't ... I'm ...," Diego stammered. He was saved by Frank who came to the terrace still talking on the phone. He motioned to Luke and Diego. Frank finished talking and put the phone in his pocket. "Luke, Diego, I gotta ask you boys for a favor," he addressed them. "I know it's not your turn to do the chores but we have a bit of of a cow emergency, he-he." Frank chuckled slightly. "See, Jerry has taken Lady to pasture this morning," Frank continued. "But he's got a call from his wife that Ginny got a real bad toothache. He needs to get home and take her to a dentist. Could you boys take over the rest of his shift watching after Lady? It'll be another 3-4 hours." Jerry was one of the regular volunteers from the local community center who would often help out at Green Oaks with farm work. The boys knew that Ginny was his 11-year-old daughter, and Jerry had dropped a few hints that she would like to meet them. "Sure thing, Mr Frank," Luke replied right away, "we are always ready to help a lady in distress, right, Diego?" They both giggled. Frank looked at them bemused. "Okay, thank you, boys!" Frank declared, "I owe you one! They are at Lady's favorite pasture, you know where that is, right, Luke?" "Yep, sure thing, Mr Frank," Luke confirmed. "All righty then," Frank added with satisfaction. "You'll need to get going right away." He paused and looked at Diego and Luke appraisingly again. "Diego, son, I'm glad to see you're doing so good, glad to see you smiling much more now ...," Frank continued gently, patting Diego's shoulder. "And Margie tells me you sang an amazing song at breakfast! That's real good, that's fantastic! I'm sorry I missed it ..." Diego nodded silently and smiled back shyly. "All right boys, off you go!" Frank directed, "And thanks again for your help!" Diego and Luke waved to Frank and headed out. As they were going down the hill along the footpath, Luke in front and Diego following him, Luke turned his head back. "Hey, Diego," he called. "Yeah, Luke?" Diego answered. "Your voice, man," Luke continued, "I knew you could sing but you didn't say you could SING!" "Well ...," Diego stammered, "yeah, I always liked to sing, but until now ... I ... you know ..." He trailed off. "Yeah," Luke said, stopping, putting a hand on Diego's shoulder and squeezing it. "I'm real glad it came back to you, babe! ... And now I get to hear it!" Luke turned around and continued down the hill. "And hey, Diego, after the breakfast today," Luke called with a giggle, "I think I figured out what one of your other magical super-powers is!" "Oh, yeah?" Diego inquired. "And what is my magical super-power?? Being able to sing?" "No, it's not being able to sing. And it's not being able to sing as a freaking beautiful angel." Luke paused. "No, it is being able to sing as a freaking beautiful angel so that you can freaking stop time!" he declared. "Yeah?" "Yeah!" Luke confirmed emphatically. "And guess what? You are all mine!" Diego laughed but did not protest. They continued down the hill. In a few minutes the boys reached the water and turned right, hurrying to meet up with Jerry and Lady. Soon they came upon a wide sloping meadow covered by a multitude of motley blooming flowers. Diego spotted Jerry first, and then Lady grazing slightly behind him. As they approached, Jerry was already walking towards them. Jerry was a tall black-haired sinewy man in mid-thirties with a friendly tanned face. Diego had seen him a few times around the barn but only spoke to him briefly. "Thanks a bunch, guys, you are lifesavers!" Jerry said as he greeted the boys. "Take good care of Lady for me, okay?" "Sure thing, Jerry, we'll take care of Lady!" Luke exclaimed scratching Lady's side. "We'll make sure she grazes well today, won't we Diego?" Diego smiled and nodded silently. Luke leaned down picked a yellow dandelion, put it in his mouth and chomped it down with gusto. Jerry laughed and Diego rolled his eyes a bit. "What?" Luke asked defiantly. "I'm helping her graze!" Jerry slapped Luke on the shoulder. "Yeah, we know you're a great helper, Luke!" Jerry chuckled. "Just make sure that you leave some for her!" They all laughed. "Seriously guys, thanks for covering for me!" Jerry called running off, "And remember, you're always welcome to visit! Ginny's been asking about you, Luke!" "Thanks, Jerry!" Luke called back. "Hope Ginny's tooth is okay!" Jerry run off and quickly disappeared from view. Luke turned to Diego with a sly grin and said: "Maybe we should think about visiting Jerry ... Ginny, she' got really pretty eyes ..." "Oh," Diego said with a sigh looking down, "sure, Luke, that's be nice ..." Diego immediately found himself being tackled by Luke, with both of them rolling in the grass, and Luke laughing like a hyena. When they came to a stop, Diego was lying on his back and Luke was on top of him. Luke pushed Diego's arms behind his head and kissed him softly. He separated and looked down at Diego with a sweet grin. "Seriously, dude, it's just too easy to pull your leg!" Luke said with a laugh. "You oughta know by now that the only pretty eyes I'm interested in are there two huge brown peepers here!" Luke leaned down and kissed Diego's eyelids. Diego still lay with his eyes closed, holding Luke. "Diego, babe," Luke said gently, brushing a lock of Diego's hair from his forehead. "It's okay to kiss me now. Really, it's okay!" Diego opened his eyes and smiled at Luke. "Yeah?" Diego breathed out, reaching up and kissing Luke gently. "Yeah!" Luke kissed him back in confirmation. Luke rolled over from Diego and lay on the grass next to him, looking up. Diego closed his eyes and spent a couple of minutes thinking silently. He then raised on his elbow and looked at Luke. "Hey Luke," Diego said earnestly. "Yeah, Diego?" "That I can sing again now ... and not .. freak out ...," Diego stopped and struggled for words. "I donno how exactly but I know that you did it, Luke ... You did it ...," Diego stammered. "Thanks, Luke ... Thanks ..." Before he finished, Diego found himself in a tight embrace by Luke, who had sat down next to him. "It's all good, Diego, babe," Luke whispered, stroking Diego's hair. "It's all good." "Thank you, Luke," Diego breathed in Luke's shoulder in a muffled voice hugging Luke back. "Thanks." The boys separated and looked at each other, smiling. Diego got up and pointed towards Lady: "It's the first time I'm taking Lady grazing. Do we need to do anything?" "Nah, not much," Luke replied. "She's a smart girl and knows how to take care of herself. We just need to make sure she doesn't wander off too far. And then we take her back to the barn later." "She seems to be getting a bit fatter," Diego mused. "You noticed, eh?" Luke chucked. "Yeah, she'll be having a calf in September. It's starting to show. We'll be having lots of fresh milk after!" "You drink milk you get right from the cow?" Diego asked dubiously. "Doesn't it taste ... gross?" "Oh, my god, Diego, babe, you really are a city boy aren't you!" Luke rolled in laughter. "Milk, it doesn't just come from a supermarket carton, you know that right?" "Yeah, but ..." "No buts! Milk comes from a cow and this, my sweet young elf, here is it!" Luke pointed towards Lady nonchalantly grazing nearby. "Fresh milk tastes great, I promise you, once you get used to it!" Luke paused and continued: "Ya know what, after she has the calf, we'll definitely have you milk her!" "You want me to ... milk ... Lady?" Diego asked incredulously. "Sure thing, dude!" Luke giggled. "It'll be an e-d-u-c-a-t-i-o-n-a-l experience for a city boy like you, he-he! But don't worry, I'll help!" "O-k-kay..," Diego replied uncertainly. "Oh, man, I'm really looking forward to that!" Luke exclaimed with a laugh, giving Diego a hug. "So, what will happen with the calf," Diego asked. "Will we keep it?" "Nah, unfortunately doesn't work that way," Luke explained. "Calves, they need to be taken away like within a day after birth. Else it messes with their heads somehow ... Lots of farms want 'em, I'm sure Mr Frank already has a buyer." "Wow ... Bummer for Lady ...," Diego remarked. "Yeah," Luke agreed. He looked at Lady pensively. "She's doing pretty well here but I think she might be getting a bit lonely ...," he mused. "Like maybe she needs another cow friend?" Diego suggested. "Exactly!" Luke confirmed. "I think Mr Frank is trying to get another cow. To keep Lady company, y'know. Not that easy, as they're real expensive ... Hopefully he'll work something out ... Maybe a young heifer from another farm ..." The boys looked at Lady who was nibbling on the grass peacefully, oblivious to their discussion. Diego embraced Luke from behind, locking his arms around Luke's chest. "I love that you know all this stuff!" Diego whispered nuzzling Luke's neck. "Don't worry babe, we'll make a regular farm boy out of you soon!" Luke chuckled with a satisfied sigh. Diego stepped back and lay on the grass again, spreading his arms and closing his eyes. He took a deep breath enjoying the smells of the meadow. In a few moments he felt a shadow above his face. Diego opened his eyes and saw Luke's green eyes staring playfully back at him, upside down. Luke had crawled next to Diego and their faces were now interlocked. Luke leaned in and licked Diego's nose. "Aww," Diego giggled in mock protest. "I didn't realize Amber was here!" "I'm gonna get you for this, Mr Smarty Mouth!" Luke declared. He leaned in again and bit the tip of Diego's nose lightly. "Ou!" Diego whelped in surprise and giggled. "That's what you get for comparing me to a pooch!" Luke exclaimed and proceeded to lick Diego's face all over. Diego squirmed in laughter: "Okay, okay, mercy, mercy, you are not at all like Amber!" Luke relented and let Diego go. He lay on the grass next to Diego, both of them looking at the summer sky. "Whatya thinking?" Luke asked, gently tickling Diego's cheek with a stem of grass. "How much I love you," Diego answered quietly, "how happy I feel, being with you... So happy! ... It's weird ..." "What's so weird about being happy?" Luke inquired. "I'm happy most times. Feels right to me!" "Well, I donno ..." Diego hesitated. He paused and continued in a low voice. "I just lost my mom and dad .. and Alyssa ... Is it okay for me to feel this happy ... you know so soon after ..." His voice trailed off. "Diego, dude, look at me, please," Luke said gently, sitting up and pulling Diego up with him. Luke took Diego's hands in his and looked in Diego's eyes before continuing: "Your mom and dad and your little sis, they loved you, really loved you, right?" "Yeah," Diego agreed, his eyes growing moist, "yeah, they did." "Right. And you think they'd really want you to be miserable? Moping around?" Luke continued. "Fuck, no! No way!" Luke's green eyes blazed with conviction. "I promise they'd wanna you to be happy! And they'd be psyched if they knew you found somebody to love", Luke said squeezing Diego's hand and smiling at him. "And if they do know, I mean about us, they're real psyched, I'm sure of it!" Luke hugged Diego warmly. "Yeah," Diego exhaled hugging Luke back, "yeah!" He looked at Luke, smiling, with moist eyes, leaned in and kissed Luke gently. "Thanks, Luke," Diego added, "thanks!" Diego paused and his face clouded once again. He looked at Luke with a guilty expression and continued haltingly: "There's also this other thing ..." Diego stared in the ground. "Luke, please don't hate me ..." He lookup up at Luke again. "Diego, babe, what are you ..." Luke started saying. "Wait, Luke, wait...," Diego stopped him. "See, Luke, until you, I've never been in love before ...," Diego paused. "Never loved a boy before ... Never been ... gay before ... Never been anything really, until you ... And now ... " Diego stopped and looked down. "What the priests used to say in church ... about that ..., " he added, staring into the ground. Diego stopped again, continuing to look down and avoiding Luke's gaze. Finally Diego whispered, barely audibly: "Isn't that a ... sin? ... Doesn't god ... hate that?..." Luke's handsome face darkened, tears welled in his eyes and he swallowed hard. Luke lifted Diego's chin with his finger and peered in Diego's eyes, clouded with pain and shame. "Diego, babe, I promise you, whatever fucking shit you heard from those fucking priests about gay love being a sin, that sure as fuck didn't come from no god!" Luke declared emphatically. "It's just what some bunch of mean old geezers whose dicks don't work no more made up out of pure bitchiness, yeah!" Despite himself, Diego smiled slightly at the image. "If god really thinks that loving you is wrong," Luke continued, "I wanna see him come and tell this to my face! Because I'm gonna fucking punch his face!" Luke stomped his foot. "I thought god was a girl," Diego giggled weakly. "Yeah, well, today he's a guy," Luke declared defiantly. "I'm not punching a girl in the face!" Luke stopped and looked at Diego with a fiery stare. "But I don't believe that this god guy would want us to be apart. I don't believe that, not for a fucking moment!" Luke exclaimed. "There's nothing wrong with love, Diego, and nothin' wrong with happiness, nothing at all! Everybody deserves it, all kids do, even trailer trash losers like me! And if this god person is really out there, she certainly knows that!" "You said god was a guy," Diego chuckled again. "Well, she's back to being a girl. I think," Luke retorted. "Point is, I figure maybe you and me finding each other, falling in love, maybe that's god's way of finally doing good by us, finally doing her job! The bitch owed us, don't ya think?!" "Yeah," Diego agreed, "maybe ..." "And as for those mother fucking priests," Luke continued with disdain,"oh, man, I could tell you, those fuckers shouldn't be the ones preaching about sin." Luke spit at the ground angrily. "They should be keeping their fucking traps shut! 'Fathers' and 'brothers', my ass! Fucking bastards!! ... Fuck!!!" Luke jumped up suddenly, clutching his fists. "Luke, what ..." Diego started saying. "I don't wanna talk about this fucking shit, not now, okay!" Luke exclaimed gruffly. "Luke ... Did something happen to you? ... Did they ... do something to you? ..." Diego asked gently, slowly taking Luke's hand. "I said I don't wanna talk 'bout it now, Diego, okay!" Luke shouted jumping back and pushing Diego's hand away roughly. "Fucking fuck!!!" Diego looked up at Luke in shock. Luke's face, usually so happy and friendly, was distorted with anger, pain and shame. It looked ... almost ugly. He was breathing heavily and clutching his fists hard. Diego gently took Luke's hand in his again. Luke's hand, always so warm, felt cold and clammy, trembling, as if in fear. Diego stroked it lightly. Luke turned his head towards Diego and exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, Diego, babe, I'm real sorry," Luke said guiltily. "It's just ... I'll tell you 'bout this some other time, okay?". Luke turned away, stared into the ground and dug it with his foot. "Don't want to spoil the mood now ... " Diego pulled Luke is a warm hug, kissing Luke's cheek. "It's okay, Luke," Diego whispered, "it's okay". They separated and Luke looked at Diego with a strained smile. "Shit, look at me now!" Luke smiled wider. "Wasn't I supposed to be teaching you how to be Mr Happy?!" "Mr Happy, eh?" Diego mused. "Ah, I didn't mean nothin' dirty by it, I swear!" Luke exclaimed. They both laughed. A long silent pause followed. "Hey, Luke, look there," Diego pointed, "Lady's wandered off pretty far. Should we go get her?" "Yep, you're right," Luke agreed, "we'd better go get her back. That's what Mr Frank hired us to do, right?" "Yeah," Diego agreed with a smile as they walked towards Lady. "Hey, Diego, babe," Luke punched Diego in the shoulder lightly, "you're growing into a cowboy real nicely! Next it's throwing lasso and ridin' a bull!" "Wha ...?" Diego started protesting. "Oh, come on, Diego," Luke rolled in laughter, punching Diego's shoulder again. "I'm messing with you again!" Luke looked at Diego mischievously. "Rinding a bull is totally optional!" he giggled. This time Diego laughed with him. In a few minutes they reached Lady who was grazing quietly by the edge of the meadow, next to a row of dense bushes. The boys stopped about ten feet away. Diego looked at Luke with an embarrassed smile. "Ah, Luke," Diego asked uncertainly, "what do we do now? How do we make her ... move?" Luke looked back at him with a sly grin. "Well, Mr Donkey Whisperer," he giggled, "you tell me!" Luke stepped back. "We ... ask her?" Diego looked at Luke questioningly. Luke shrugged his shoulders, still grinning. Diego leaned down and picked a few yellow dandelions. Lady lifted her head and looked at the boys, continuing to chew the grass. Very slowly Diego approached Lady from the front, with his hand extended forward. He stopped about three feet from and leaned forward. "Here, Lady, here, take some fresh dandelions," Diego said quietly extending his palm to Lady's face. Lady's tongue swept the dandelions from Diego's hand and into her mouth, and she started chewing on them. Diego stepped back. "Well, I'll be fucked!" Luke chuckled. "Not bad, not bad at all!" Luke pulled Diego back by his arm. "That's good thinking, man," Luke said, wrapping his arm around Diego's shoulder. "She does need to get to know you, to get used to you. So that was good!" Diego looked at Luke with an uncertain smile. "Yeah, but she still hasn't moved ...," Diego remarked. "One thing at a time, Mr Jr Cowboy," Luke declared, giving Diego a quick peck on the cheek. Diego blushed slightly and, noticing this, Luke giggled. "Okay, okay," Luke started explaining, "see, a cow is not like a dog or even a horse. Doesn't like people to get close. You get too close from one direction, it moves the other way. That's how we get Lady to move. See!" Luke slowly approached Lady from the side behind the shoulders, and she started moving. Luke started walking alongside her. "And that's how you move a cow!" he declared with a triumphant grin. Diego walked around and started walking alongside Luke. He took Luke's hand in his and looked up at him. "It's so simple!" Diego said, smiling. "Yep, it is," Luke agreed. "Most good things are." Later that evening, after dinner, as the boys got to their room, Diego went straight to the computer and turned it on. "Hey Luke," he called in a few minutes, "come here, I wanna show you somethin' ..." "Yeah, Diego, what is it?" Luke said, getting up and walking towards the computer desk. "That surprise I mentioned earlier," Diego replied, "well, it's ready. Remember all those astronomy websites I've been looking at for the last couple of weeks?" "Yeah?" "Well, a confirmation came through this morning. Take a look here!" Diego pointed at the screen. "Okay, what am I looking at? Cool pictures ... International Astronomical Union ... Discovery report ...," Luke read. "'Transient Name Server' ... Transient? What's this? Sounds like something about hobos, he-he!" "No, you doofus, it's not about hobos," Diego giggled and shoved Luke in the rib lightly. "'Transient' -- means something you can only see in the sky for a short time. Like a comet ... Or a supernova!!" Diego explained excitedly. Diego paused as they both stared at the monitor. "That's what I got us here, see! Official credit, and everything! For me, and you, as my muse, he-he! For helping out to spot this one!" Diego continued. "See here, at the bottom, our names: Luke Larsdale and Diego Torres -- that's us! Plus some other names who helped too." Diego paused as they both peered at the screen. "There's lots of commercial sites where for a hundred bucks you can like name a star for someone, but those are just fake, pretend," Diego shook his head disapprovingly. "But this thing here, it's real. Real science. It's a real thing! A real supernova, Luke!!" Diego paused again looking at Luke who was still staring at the screen with a blank expression. "W-w-what? Diego, what are you saying? ..." Luke finally stammered out. "You g-got us a star-r??!"