The following fictional narrative involves sexually-explicit erotic events between men. If you shouldn't be reading this, don't.
In the world of this story, the characters don't always use condoms. In the real world, you should care enough about yourself and others to always practice safe sex.
The author retains all rights. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed without the author's consent.
Thanks as always to Tom W., my patient, hardworking editor, occasional co-author, and muse. Thanks also to Evan, Patrick, Ash, and Mickey.
timmead88@yahoo.com
Chapter 38: More Holiday Cheer
CEDRIC:
Just as the festival of lessons and carols was beginning on the Sunday night before Christmas, 2002, I looked at Tim, who was sitting beside me. St. Peter's was beautifully decorated, the magnificent organ had been playing Christmas hymns, a boy soprano had just begun singing as the procession started to come down the main aisle. And Tim was crying!
I leaned close and said softly into his ear, "You OK, sweetheart?"
He turned, looked at me, smiled, and nodded his head. I was, of course, mystified by the tears, but I'd have to wait until we got home to find out what was causing them.
The service was memorable. I'll have to say the Episcopalians really know how to do it up splashy. First came a teen-age girl carrying a cross. She was wearing a red cassock and a white cotta. (Mark had explained most of these terms to me two years ago when I occasionally went to church with him.) Then came the choir, followed by some acolytes, or torch bearers, all in the red cassocks and white cottas. Then came Max, wearing a white robe called an alb. Then another crucifer, this time a cute teen boy, in the red with white outfit, followed by Father John in a white alb. The boy soprano had sung the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City." The choir sang the rest of the verses.
There was an opening prayer, with most of the congregation on its knees. Then the basic plan was to alternate readings of appropriate Bible passages with seasonal music. The readers were people selected to represent various segments of the parish and the community. Mark was representing the university student body. He read his passage with feeling, and he looked gorgeous at the lectern in his black suit. I was so proud of him.
Mark and Lori invited the gang of us to their place afterward, where they gave us hot chocolate laced with a little peppermint schnapps. All very warming on an evening when the snow was flying. Tim and I took the occasion to remind them all that they were invited to our New Year's Eve party. I kept glancing, surreptitiously I hoped, at Tim. He didn't seem troubled, so whatever it was back at St. Peter's must not have been too important.
As we were undressing back at our place, I had to ask.
"Hey, babe?"
"Yeah, babe."
"What was with the tears at the beginning of the service this evening?"
Wearing only his dark green silk boxers, he sat on the edge of the bed. "You know, Ced, I'm not really sure. I can't remember when I last cried."
"Was something wrong?"
"No, not at all. In fact, just the opposite. I was overwhelmed with a sense of well being, of happiness. The setting was magnificent, I was there with all you guys I love, and the beauty of that boy's voice just triggered something in me."
I smiled. "You aren't getting religion, are you?"
He didn't smile back. He sat there looking puzzled. "I don't think so. It was more likely just the realization of how lucky I am and how happy I've been since you and I are together. We have a unique group of friends, too, Ced." Then he grinned. "But if I believed in God, I'd thank Her for being so good to us."
"Well, professor, that sense of joy may be the beginning of your seeing the light."
Still grinning, he said, "Don't count on it." Then he jumped me, and all discussion ceased for about forty-five minutes.
I was surprised that Tim seemed so happy. Maybe he was just putting up a front. I knew he had heard nothing from his parents about coming home for Christmas. Anyway, Angel, Dad, and Keesha seemed happy that Timmy was going to be with us for Christmas, and, of course, so was I. All my people were going to be together, and that was something I really looked forward to.
CHAZ:
After Trey and I were on the outs for so long, I was walking on eggs trying not to piss him off. Don't get me wrong, Trey isn't the kind to hold a grudge. I just didn't want to do ANYTHING to make him unhappy after what I did at Stefan's.
When he told me that Robby was going to Switzerland to ski with some school friends, I invited him to come home with me for Christmas.
He gave me that sweet, sleepy smile of his and said, "Chaz, Christmas is a family time. I don't want to intrude."
"So, Tiger, you going to Richmond to spend the holiday with Uncle Jack?" I asked, knowing very well he wasn't.
"I should, I suppose," he said. "But I don't really want to. Jack is not happy that I'm planning to go to graduate school in English. He seems to think that it's irresponsible of me to want to be a college professor. I have the Withers name and the Withers money to look after, he says. I don't want to have to spend Christmas listening to him lecture me on my responsibilities."
"So?"
"So, what?"
"Hey, Withers, you're supposed to be the smart one. So, why won't you come home and spend Christmas with me?"
He smiled again and said, "If you're sure your folks won't mind, I'd really like that, Big Guy."
We told everybody at Mark and Lori's after the service at St. Peter's that we would be leaving the next afternoon, but that we'd be back the end of the week. (After all, enough family time is enough.) Tim and Cedric said they'd be back the Sunday after Christmas, so we decided that we'd do something together as soon as we could. Mark and Lori were flying to Florida the next day to spend the entire holiday with Stan and Doug.
They told us that Stan had put his furniture in temporary storage and was living with Doug, but that Doug's house would be put on the market just after the New Year, and that they were looking for a bigger place, maybe something old that they could fix up together. They said they wanted to have lots of bedrooms for "the brotherhood."
Christmas was on Thursday that year. On the Tuesday before, Trey and I went shopping at the Kenwood Mall. They say history doesn't repeat itself, but we ran into David again. He said he was home for Christmas but would be going back by the end of the week to be with Max. Those two seemed to be really hitting it off, and that made me happy. I liked Max, and David would always be special to me, so it was great to see them together and enjoying each other.
The three of us grabbed something to eat at the food court and visited for a while. He said Dawn was seriously interested in a guy from Ohio State she'd met, and Sammy really liked his new school, especially since Matt was going there, too. We asked him if he was going to be around for Ced and Tim's party, and he said he and Max were looking forward to it. After all, as he reminded us, he and Max had met at Tim and Cedric's place. David's only problem was that, since he wasn't in college, he didn't get as much time off as the rest of us, so he had to work the first part of the week after Christmas. But he'd be free for New Year's Eve for sure.
After we finished eating, Trey and I each hugged David. As he hugged me, David said in my ear so Trey couldn't hear, "Better hang on to that guy, hot stuff. He loves you, you know."
I pushed him away so I could look down into his eyes. "Yeah, I know. But thanks for caring, David."
Now I want to tell something about the kind of guy the Tiger is. We both shopped that afternoon for gifts for my folks. He waited until he had seen what I bought them and then bought something just a little less expensive than my gifts. Trey's got money that won't quit, but he never flaunts it. If I needed or even wanted something, I know he'd give it to me without batting an eye. It's just he never rubs other people's faces in his wealth.
My aunt and uncle had gone to Nashville to be with their daughter, my cousin Wendy, and her husband and two kids, so there were just going to be the four of us at our house for Christmas. Mom asked me if we'd mind going to church with them on Christmas Eve. I looked at Trey. He smiled back and said "Why not?"
We went to the late service because it was mostly the families with little kids who went to the 7:00 service. It was nice. The choir sang some Christmas oratorio nobody had ever heard before. A couple of the elders read the familiar Bible passages about the nativity. Reverend Moore gave what was for him a brief sermon on the birth of Christ and the importance of keeping Christ in our lives. We sang some traditional Christmas songs, and then we all came home.
We had decided at supper that evening to wait and open our gifts on Christmas morning. When we got home, Mom put out a big plate of Christmas cookies, which Trey and I had with glasses of milk. Dad offered us drinks, which we refused. He had a scotch. Mom didn't have anything, but she sat at the breakfast table with us and smiled the whole time.
"Why the big smile, Mom?" I asked.
"Oh, Chaz, it's just so good to have you with us. And you, too, Trey. We're so happy you boys are both here."
Well, after that I had to hug her, and then Trey did, too.
Dad had turned the furnace down as soon as we got home. He had always insisted people sleep better in a cold house. By the time Trey and I got up to my room and got undressed, it was so chilly that we peed and brushed our teeth in a hurry and climbed into bed under a big down comforter.
"Brrrr!" Trey said, snuggling close to me.
"You southern boys just can't take our Ohio cold."
"No offense to your dad, but I manage OK at school. It's just that this house is really frigid."
Having grown up with a cold house at night, it was no big deal for me. I slid an arm under Trey's shoulders and pulled him tight up against me.
"Let's see if we can't get you warmed up." I began to rub his back with my hands, gradually working my way down.
When I began to rub his butt cheeks, he kind of growled and said, "I like the way you warm me up!"
I took the covers and pulled them to the head of the bed, so that Trey and I were complete covered. Then I put my arms back around him and squeezed him up against me.
"Ooouuufff! What are you doing? This is like being in a cave with a Neanderthal."
"OK, I'm Wham, the Neanderthal, and you're my captive slave, Bam, o puny one!"
"What can your slave do to pleasure you, master Wham?"
"Duhhh. I give you five seconds to think of something," I said in my best cave man voice. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my hard cock, pulled himself around so that his head was in the right position, and began to lick it like an ice cream cone.
"Ummm! Good Bam! Good slave!"
He licked my shaft a while longer and then began to suck on my balls. I realized I was having only half the fun I could have, so I grabbed him by his rigid cock and pulled him toward me.
He quit sucking and said, "Ouch. Go easy, there, Wham."
Soon we were doing all those good things you can do in the 69 position, all that stuff involving cock and balls and ass ring.
At one point Bam, er, Trey, took his mouth off my pucker and said, "I think we need to open the door of the cave, Wham. I'm suffocating." I laughed and threw the covers back so that my head and his feet were exposed to the open air. That seemed to suit him, for he took a deep breath and went back to eating my hole. Well, I wanted to keep a good slave happy, so I returned the favor. Later, of course, we moved to each other's cocks and licked and slurped and sucked until he shot his load into my mouth.
After swallowing, I said, "Good stuff, slave boy."
He sort of hummed and kept on sucking. Soon, I returned the favor, blasting my cum into his hot mouth. I lifted up the covers so I could see his face. He opened his mouth to show me my first Christmas gift to him, and some of it dribbled out the side of his mouth and down his chin. I quickly sat up, grabbed Trey, and pulled him up so I could lick my cum off his face. Then he kissed me, and we passed it back and forth between our mouths. Ced's told me a name for that, but I can't remember what it was. Finally we both swallowed some of it and collapsed back down on the bed.
"Brrr! It's still frigid in this room," Trey said, so I pulled the covers back up as far as our necks.
Snuggling over against me, he said, "That was wonderful. You can Wham me anytime, big boy! Oh, and Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Tiger. I love you."
He kissed me again, the taste of my jizz still in his mouth, and then said, "I love you, too, cave man."
TREY:
When I woke up, the room was full of light from the sun reflecting on the snow outside. All of Ohio had been blanketed with snow the previous Sunday night, and it was snowing again as we came home from the Christmas Eve service at the Greeley's church. The front had moved through, however, because the sun was now shining brilliantly.
I could smell coffee and bacon. "Wham" was lying on his back, snoring lightly. I slipped out of bed to go to the bathroom across the hall. I pulled on some pajamas I'd brought with me, since, after all, I was staying in someone else's house. I noticed that the room was comfortably warm. Mr. Greeley must have turned up the thermostat some time earlier, or else, more likely, he had the whole thing on a timer.
As I crossed the hall I heard the senior Greeleys talking quietly downstairs, so I went back into the room, woke Chaz with a peck on the forehead (wouldn't inflict my breath on him with a kiss on the mouth yet), and then went back to shave, shower, pee, use mouthwash, etc.
"Merry Christmas again, Tiger," Chaz said when I got back into the room. He was standing there in the boxers he'd been wearing the night before, grinning at me, still looking sleepy. I began to get a hard on, but I ignored it.
"Merry Christmas, Chaz. Your folks are up, and I smell breakfast. I'll go down and visit with them while you shower, OK?"
"Yeah, that'd be good. See you downstairs in a few."
When I got downstairs, Chaz's dad had put some Christmas music on. It was being played by a single acoustic guitar, which was nice. It was there and helped set a mood, but it wasn't intrusive. When Chaz appeared, we had a wonderful breakfast of juice, eggs, bacon, and Greater's pecan rolls.
As we ate, Chaz's dad took an envelope from the kitchen counter and handed it to Chaz.
"This came in the mail the other day, and in all the holiday excitement, we've forgotten to give it to you."
It was obviously a Christmas card. Chaz opened it and pulled out a smallish, inexpensive-looking card. Out of it fell a snapshot. Chaz looked at the card and grinned from ear to ear. Then he looked at the picture and grinned even wider. He passed them to me. It was two kids, big smiles on their faces, looking as if they were on top of the world, each with an arm around the other's shoulders. They appeared to be maybe 9th graders. One of them had flaming red hair, and that's when I realized this must be Sammy. I looked on the card, and, sure enough, it was signed, "Chaz, we love you, dude. Sammy and Matt." In another few years, Sammy was going to be as great looking as his big brother, David, I thought.
We all helped Ma Greeley clean up the kitchen so we could go into the family room.
The elder Greeleys had some presents to open from family members and friends, but they said they would get to all of that later. So the four of us exchanged gifts. A few weeks earlier Chaz's mom emailed me and asked me to list some of his favorite groups because she wanted to get him some cd's for Christmas. She must have asked him to do the same, because they gave each of us a pretty good-sized package of cd's.
They also gave Chaz a check. He grinned when he pulled it out of the card in which it was enclosed, and then he gave each of them a big hug.
Chaz and I knew what we were giving each other. In fact, we had shopped together for our gifts. We exchanged cashmere sweaters. His was ice blue, the color of his eyes, and mine was sort of a camel color. He said it was the color of a lion's coat.
After we had opened our sweaters and put them on at the insistence of his parents, he handed me a Christmas card in an envelope and gave me a sort of sheepish smile. With the card was a gift certificate from the only store I knew of in the university area that carried Armani. It was for a pair of slacks to replace the ones that were ruined.
I think he was afraid I'd be upset by the reminder. He really looked apprehensive. I gave him a big hug and thanked him. His folks looked a little puzzled until Chaz said, "It's just a gift certificate from something I know Tiger needs." They smiled and seemed satisfied with that. Certainly neither Trey nor I wanted to tell them how the original Armanis got ruined.
After we cleaned up all the bows and wrapping paper, we lolled around sipping coffee and chatting. Chaz's dad wanted to hear all about the trip we had made to Florida. They were both saddened to hear what Doug and Stan had been going through. They knew Mark and Cedric, of course, and they had encouraged Chaz to go along to support Mark's dad. Then Chaz, with great good humor, told about being in trouble with his coach about being away.
"Yeah," his dad said, `your guys probably wouldn't have lost the Pitt game if you had been playing."
"Oh, I dunno. I think Biletski did a pretty good job. I'm not sure I'd have made that much difference."
Ma Greeley wanted to know all about Cedric and Tim, Mark and Lori and what they were doing for the holidays, so we spent a while talking about all of that.
Chaz then took a moment to tell his parents how Tim's parents had reacted when he came out to them. The big guy got tears in his eyes when he gave each of them a hug and said how much it meant to him that they had accepted his being gay/bi or whatever.
Getting back to the doings of the brotherhood, we told them about Cedric and Tim's upcoming New Year's Eve party.
"Well, I hope it won't be too wild a party," Ma said.
Chaz chuckled. "Look, Ma, if you can't get a little wild on New Year's Eve, something's seriously wrong. Besides, we'll have a professor as one of our hosts, and one of the guests will be a minister. So I don't think we'll all wind up in jail or anything."
I was reminded of a recent episode involving picking Chaz up at the police station and almost choked on my coffee. He looked at me and grinned.
Dinner was mid-afternoon, and it was the typical American Christmas dinner. Ma Greeley had put out what looked like vast amounts of food, all very traditional, you know, turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, cloverleaf yeast rolls, pecan and pumpkin pie with whipped cream for either. When we all pushed back from the table groaning, it looked as if nobody had touched it, even though Chaz and I had really tucked into everything. Ma said it was good, because people might be stopping by later, and she wanted to be sure to have something to offer them.
People dropped in off and on all afternoon and evening. Cousins, aunts and uncles, old family friends, some of Chaz's high school buddies. Ma kept bringing out food, while Dad Greeley, Chaz and I took care of supplying drinks.
It has always amused me that people who have left a holiday meal mid afternoon saying they didn't think they could ever eat again can manage to come back for more in a few hours. The last of the guests left shortly before midnight. Chaz and I hugged his parents and thanked them for the gifts. I added my thanks for the wonderful food and the warm hospitality. I was mindful that these two had had to cope with learning that their only child was gay not all that long ago, and also with the idea that the man he'd been rooming with for three years was his gay partner. I told them I thought they were great people.
As they say, Chaz and I went to bed happy but tired after being "up" for so many visitors all afternoon and evening. We brushed our teeth and climbed into bed. The house hadn't cooled off yet, so obviously Greeley pere hadn't turned down the heat until his guests left.
The captive slave Bam was very tenderly fucked that night by his cave man Wham, a quiet coupling so as not to be heard by the senior Greeleys in their cave at the end of the hall.
We had promised Chaz's folks that we would stay until the Saturday morning after Christmas on Thursday. They wanted us to stay even longer, but there really wasn't much to do at their house. David had told us that he was going back to campus the day after Christmas to be with Max for the long weekend. He had to work again the first two days of the following week. But that mean he wasn't around on Boxing Day, St. Stephen's Day, to hang out with.
So, I persuaded Chaz to take me to the Cincinnati Museum of Art. He wasn't enthusiastic, but, as I told him, we might as well take advantage of what his home city had to offer. He managed to be patient with me while I spent a couple of hours enjoying what was a surprising collection. We had lunch in an area of town called Mount Adams, and went home to Indian Hill to spend the afternoon watching football with Chaz's dad.
That evening I insisted on taking them to dinner at a place I'd often heard about, The Maisonette, which is still, I believe, the only Mobil Five-Star restaurant in Ohio. The Greeleys protested that that was too expensive, but I wouldn't take no for an answer. As often as I'd been in Cincinnati, I'd never been there, and I was determined do it this time, with my hosts as my guests, so to speak.
The meal was outstanding and the service as good as any I've seen. I knew the Greeleys could afford to go to The Maisonette whenever they wanted to, but they just weren't used to spending that kind of money on a meal. I could tell that Ma was enjoying being pampered. I think if anyone was uncomfortable, it was Chaz. Even at Stefan's the server doesn't put your napkin in your lap for you, and the big guy was a little overwhelmed by having two servers at our beck and call. After his second beer, however, he began to relax, and I could tell he enjoyed The Maisonette's version of prime rib. The dessert menu looked incredibly good, but Ma insisted that we go back home and "help the Christmas desserts along," so we did.
The house was cold by the time we got to our cave that night, so Wham and Bam dived under the big duvet, where captive slave Bam gave cave man Wham a vigorous rim job followed by a long and tender fucking.
After another of Ma's great breakfasts, this time with the best cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted (from Greater's, of course), we gave and got hugs from the senior Greeleys, threw our things in Chaz's salt-covered black Tahoe, and headed up I-71 for our place.
TIM:
My Christmas in Shaker Heights with Cedric was in many ways like Trey's visit to the Greeleys. We had lots of fellowship, plenty to drink, marvelous food, good talk, and a gift exchange in which I was, once again, made to feel like one of the family. Ced and I had decided that if Vermont was going to allow same-sex civil unions, we'd consider going there and being married. That made us engaged, to all intents and purposes. So we WERE family.
Cedric also broached the possibility that the Episcopal Church seemed to be heading toward creating a rite for blessing same sex unions. He said he was willing to become an Episcopalian if I would do that. I told him I wasn't sure how I felt about that. If it would make him happy, I wanted to do it for him, but it might depend on what kind of questions from the priest I'd have to answer. He understood that and didn't mention it any more.
Keesha was having a party for a bunch of her school friends on the evening of the day after Christmas, so Ced and I arranged to meet Rodney and Francis at The Phoenix. There was a wind coming in off of Lake Erie, and with it snow. Visibility on the Shoreway was bad, and I was a little nervous. Cedric grinned at me and told me to relax. "We won't come back this way, hon. I'll go out Carnegie. You'd be surprised how much less nasty it is just that far inland. Besides, they keep the streets clear, and we've got four-wheel drive, so we can get through just about anything."
I tried to relax, and in a matter of a few minutes, we were at the gay bar where we'd met the guys the previous summer. I nearly froze my balls off getting into the place. When we had found a table, I ordered a scotch, partly because I remembered the wine from the last time we were there, and partly because I thought it might warm me up. After thinking about it a moment, Cedric ordered the same. We had barely had time to sip our whisky when the other guys appeared.
We hadn't seen them since the previous September, I think it must have been, but they looked much the same, though Rodney's fair skin was ruddy from the cold. There were hugs all around, and Rodney and I grinned at each other when Francis gave Cedric a peck on the lips. Cedric winked at Rodney and me and said, "My oh my, bro. You used to be able to give me a real kiss. What's witchu?"
So, Francis grabbed him and put a real liplock on him. When they finished, applause and whistles broke out all over the place. As we all sat down, Francis looked like the Cheshire cat. I'd swear Cedric was blushing. "I guess I asked for that, didn't I?"
"Cedric," Francis said, chuckling, "You really did. But," and he winked at me, "I think you're getting better at that. Must be all that practice you and Tim are getting."
It was my turn to blush when Cedric, keeping his face straight, said, "Francis, I think that is surely and undoubtedly true."
Even though Ced and Francis talked on the phone occasionally and exchanged emails about once a week, we had a lot to catch up on. We talked about their families and how they had celebrated Christmas. Mine was never mentioned, so I suspect that Cedric had told the others about my relation or lack thereof with my parents.
A footnote on my parents: I sent them gifts. I received neither gifts nor an acknowledgement in return. I was discovering that, no matter how many friends one has, even with a devoted partner, it's a pretty lonely feeling to be estranged from one's parents.
Ced and I wanted to know how things were going at Oberlin and what life was like there. It was certainly different from life at a huge university like ours. Sometimes I wished I had gone to a place like that to teach. But then, I always reminded myself, I wouldn't have met Cedric.
The conversation was lively and warm. Rodney and I sometimes watched and listened as the two old friends and former sex-buddies reminisced, teased each other, and generally enjoyed being together again, but Rodney, as I had already discovered, was one very intelligent individual, and underneath his shy exterior lay a delightful wit. Rodney was, I'd guess, six feet tall, taller by an inch or so than Cedric, and he was what I'd call slim. But I knew he was into martial arts and could tell last summer, when he was wearing a polo shirt, that he had a nice body. Next to Francis, however, he looked quite small. I'm going into this because Rodney had a way of quietly needling Francis, always with an affectionate look on his face, so that I knew that Francis was, despite his size and forbidding appearance, not going to dominate his smaller lover.
When it was time for a second round of drinks, Cedric looked at me. "Go ahead and have another," I said. "I've driven your car before, and I've driven in snow often enough. Just stay sober enough to navigate us back to your house. I couldn't find my way back to Shaker if my life depended on it."
He leaned over, gave me a kiss, and said, "Thanks, babe. I'll owe you."
"Oh, yes, and don't think for a minute I won't collect, either." Rodney and Francis chuckled at that. Then Francis went off with Ced to get refills. Rodney stayed with me.
"You know, Tim," he said. "Those two really have something special. It's a wonder they didn't stay together."
"I know what you mean. I think that every time I see them together. But Ced's told me, though they love each other, and he says their sex was frequent and satisfying, they both just recognized that they felt more like brothers than lovers. Incestuous brothers, as he quickly points out, but nothing more. It IS fun to see them together, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, it is now. But I admit I was a little jealous the first time I met Cedric."
"Why, if I may ask?"
"Tim, look at him. He's gorgeous."
"Tell me about it," I said. "But look, Rodney, you're a sexy guy, and Ced says Francis is incredibly happy with you. I've had thoughts like that about Cedric, too. Why would he be interested in a shrimp like me? But I've learned, finally, to relax and believe him when he says I'm his guy. And he shows me every day in beautiful ways."
"Nice, isn't it?" Rodney said, smiling faintly.
"Indeed."
Later, as we were getting ready to go, I started to tell our friends about the New Year's Eve party at our house.
"Hey, Tim," Cedric interrupted, "I forgot to tell you. I invited these guys when we first got the idea of having the party."
"Great," I said. "Can you come?"
They both smiled broadly. "Timmy," Francis said, "you can count on it!"
I did manage to drive the SUV back to Shaker. There was snow on the streets, but it had been salted and was pretty slushy. After three scotches Cedric was about as mellow as I had ever seen him, but he gave me clear directions, so even finding his house wasn't difficult.
The next day he and I shopped for cd's and books at Borders and then had salads at a deli he knew of in one of the east side malls. By that time we'd had so much holiday food a salad seemed a welcome change. In the afternoon we spent a couple of hours in the Museum of Natural History at University Circle. It was interesting, but I'd rather have made a return visit to the Museum of Art across the way. As Cedric reminded me, however, there would always be another day for that.
That evening we had hoped to take his parents to Nighttown, but they had tickets to go to a gala performance of "Die Fledermaus" at the Palace Theater downtown. Ced and I decided to go to Nighttown anyway. We were able to get reservations, though they were for a little later than we usually ate dinner. Geoff's group was already playing when we got there. At their first break, he came over and sat with us for a while. We repeated our invitation to the party, but he said he had to play there at Nighttown on New Year's Eve.
"We get a nice bonus, too, not to mention getting our name known to people who only come to a place like this on holidays. I wish I could be with you guys, though. It sounds like it will be a great party."
"What about Philip?" Cedric asked.
"He's going to be here with me. The management has recognized him as sort of my partner, and he even gets a reduced rate on the dinners. He and I will drive back to campus together whenever our gig here is finished. We're only playing until 1:00, I think. Then they have a different group coming in."
"Geoff," my lover said, "I hope you don't mind me asking, man. You must have come out to your group. Trey said you were worrying about whether to do that or not."
He smiled and stood. "Yeah. Philip sort of did it for me, being here so much. But the guys are cool. Now, it's been great to see you. I'm sure the party's going to be something special, with all those great guys you've invited. Thanks for being here tonight." He shook hands and went to the piano to be joined by his two colleagues.
We stayed, dawdling over dinner, coffee, and dessert, enjoying the music, until their last set was finished.
As we drove the short distance back to his house through streets that were now miraculously clear of snow, Cedric said, "You know, Tim, I've never envied Trey his money much, but I do right now."
"Why's that, babe?"
"Wouldn't it be cool just to say to Geoff, `here's what you would have gotten for your gig at Nighttown. All you have to do is come to our party, bring the other two guys if they'd like to come, and if you want to play a little for us that's fine, and if you want a holiday from playing, well, that's cool, too.'"
I put my hand on his thigh and squeezed. "Cedric, you are such a sweet guy. God, how I love you!"
Ced's parents hadn't gotten home yet, so we went up to his apartment over the garage.
We took off our clothes, peed, brushed our teeth, and climbed into his king-size bed.
"Timmy," Ced began, "I apologize about last night. Those whiskies really hit me. I'm afraid I neglected you, hon."
I laughed. "Yeah, babe, you were about as floppy as I've ever seen you. Even Sneaky was pretty floppy."
It was his turn to laugh. "Well, he's about to stand up like a cobra, little stud. So one of us is going to get fucked. You wanna be the fucker or the fuckee?"
"Gosh, how romantic," I said.
"Hey, we just had a romantic dinner. Now it's time to get it on, babe."
That was invitation enough, so I launched myself at him. I knocked him over on the bed with me on top. We began kissing, and I was humping his belly. That didn't last long, however, because, as I've mentioned before, when I do that Sneaky is sticking up between my legs with nothing to hump. I decided to try something. I just closed my legs, trapping Sneaky between them.
"Hey, little lion, you may have discovered something. But hold on a minute." Ced got the lube out of the night stand and lubed up both our cocks. Mine was already pretty well covered with precum, but, taking no chances, he gave it a good coating anyway. When he had finished, he pulled me back on top of him and said, "As you wuz!"
It worked. We kissed as if it had been a couple of nights since we'd done it (it had) while I humped his belly and he humped Sneaky up and down between my closed legs. He kept hitting the underside of my balls, and that only added to the excitement I was feeling. I assume that felt good to him, because he was moaning as loudly as I. It certainly felt good to me. One of the advantages of his separate apartment is that we don't have to worry about making noise. Consequently, our love-making sessions there tended to be particularly uninhibited.
What we were doing may seem strange, but it was a way that we could continue kissing and still, despite the disparity in our heights (or lengths in this case), stimulate our cocks without just jacking them with our hands. And we were stimulating them! Long before I wanted to, I shot all over his abdomen. Then I collapsed on him while we continued to kiss and he continued to pump his cock between my legs. Soon he put his head back and arched his body. I got my tongue out of his mouth because I was afraid he might bite it off, but instead he opened his mouth wide and said "aaaaahhhh!" Then I felt what seemed like a flood of his semen on my thighs. He relaxed, and we continued to kiss.
After a while, I rolled off of him and lay on my back.
"So, which one of us was the fucker and which was the fuckee?"
He giggled. "I guess we both were."
I started to comment on his logic, but then I realized that he was right.
The last thing I can remember about that night was him holding me while I sucked his nipple.
CEDRIC:
I had had a talk with my parents on the phone before Christmas. I had asked them not to put any pressure on Tim and me to go to church with them, given his beliefs (or lack thereof). They were, as always, perfectly understanding. I told them, though, that I had recently seen something that made me think he might be going through some kind of change about all that. I didn't feel free to tell them about the tears at the service at St. Peter's or about what he had said afterward, so I just told them I had some hope that Timmy's views on religion might have softened just a little.
So, the next morning, we all had breakfast together. Then Angel, Dad, and Keesha were going off to church, and Tim and I went home. Funny how we were leaving the home I grew up in, but for me at that point, home was where Tim and I lived.
On December 30, Steve called and told Cedric that he'd been invited to go to Erie to be with Rebecca for the New Year holiday. She was invited to a New Year's Eve party and wanted him to be there to go with her. He told Ced he was a little nervous about meeting Rebecca's family and hometown friends, but he wanted to be with her. Cedric wished Steve a safe trip and a good time and scratched his name off the party list.
Since Mark and Lori were still with Stan and Doug, Geoff had a gig at Nighttown and Philip was planning to be there, too, and Kent had to work at Stefan's that night, the list was as follows: in addition to the hosts, Tim and Cedric, there would be Trey, Chaz, Max, David, Rodney, and Francis. Max, who lived two doors down the street from Tim and Ced, had invited Francis and Rodney to sleep at his place after the party so they wouldn't have to drive back to Cleveland in the early hours of New Year's Day.
The guests had been told to come at 9:00 or whenever they could get there. Max and David were the first to arrive. They came a few minutes before 9:00 to see if they could be of any help. Ced showed them that the snacks were out. There were several kinds of cheese, including a large hunk of Stilton and also baked Brie, plus a variety of crackers. In a chafing dish were little meatballs that Angel had made. There was a large tray of veggies and dip. David had brought a chafing dish of hot artichoke dip.
Cedric smiled as he watched Tim give Max a peck on the lips. As he was hugging David, Ced noticed that David's breath smelled faintly of ginger and wondered why.
Tim explained that he or Cedric would fix each guest the drink of his choice but that he would be responsible for taking care of his own refills.
The next to arrive were Francis and Rodney. Max and David remembered them from the previous party at Tim and Cedric's, so hugs were exchanged all around. Rodney, who remembered that Steve was attacked during the first of the Ced/Tim parties, asked if Steve was coming. Cedric explained that Steve had recovered fully, that they saw him often, but that he was in Erie with his girlfriend.
Trey and Chaz were the last to arrive. Trey grinned and said he had had almost literally to drag Chaz away from the bowl game that was being broadcast on tv at that moment. Tim suggested that they turn on the tv with the sound down so that Chaz could keep track of the game. Chaz gave Tim a hug and kissed him on the top of the head for that.
Tim had told Trey and Chaz that they were welcome to use the guest room so they wouldn't have to drive home. None of these men was the type to get drunk for the sake of getting drunk, but knowing that they didn't have to drive allowed them to relax and enjoy the company, the food, the drink.
Time passed quickly. They talked about the bowl game that had been played that afternoon, they kept an eye on the one in progress, and they visited. Rodney and Francis were asked about their lives at Oberlin, their plans for after graduation, and the like. And the gang from the university, who saw one another all the time, never lacked for anything to talk about.
They watched the ball drop at midnight and then toasted the New Year with champagne. After that there were a few minutes when everyone hugged everyone else, with lots of back slapping. Each of the couples there also managed to share a kiss with their mates.
Then Tim cleared his throat, trying to get their attention, but to no avail, for there was too much chatter. Chaz, seeing that Tim wanted to say something, stuck two fingers in his mouth and came out with a whistle that caused all conversation to cease.
"Hey, guys, Tim wants to say something!"
"Thanks, Chaz. Would you all mind finding a seat for a moment, please?"
"Ohhh," Cedric moaned in mock consternation, "the professor's gonna make a speech."
Tim grinned at him and said, "Behave yourself. I promise to keep it short. This is a very happy occasion for all of us. People usually find something to be optimistic about as the New Year comes in. I don't want to dampen the expectation we all feel right now, but I want to take a moment to express my thanks for what has happened this past year."
Ced looked at Trey, who winked back.
So far as Tim knew, David, Francis, and Rodney didn't know about the events of the previous spring and his weekend from hell at the hands of Cedric's three best friends, and he didn't intend to tell them. So he chose his words carefully.
"I wish Mark were here. I want to thank him, Trey, and Chaz for coming into my life and for becoming such special friends, becoming my brothers. I also want to thank them because it was through them that I found Cedric, who, as I think you know, is the most important person in my life." He held up his glass to Trey, Chaz, and Ced.
"Hear, hear!" Max said, and everyone drank.
"Now, I am also grateful that this year brought my dear old friend Max Hewitt back into my life, and through Max, my new friend David Taylor." Max got up and went over and gave Tim a long hug, followed by a kiss that was a bit more than a peck on the lips. The others applauded, and it was Cedric who said, "Hear, hear!"
"Our brotherhood has expanded as the year has gone on. I am sorry Steve couldn't be here. He's a remarkable man. In the first place, how many straight guys would feel comfortable being with this group of queers all the time?" That brought some chuckles. "I'm really pleased that Steve could be with Rebecca on this special occasion. They're both wonderful people, and it's great to see them so happy together. So, let's drink to Steve and Rebecca."
"And to Mark and Lori," Chaz added.
"To Steve, Rebecca, Mark, and Lori," everyone said, raising their glasses.
"Now," Tim said, turning to look at Rodney and Francis, "last, but by no means least, it is a treat to welcome back the Oberlin branch of the brotherhood, Ced's old friend Francis and his partner--and our delightful new friend--Rodney."
"To Francis and Rodney."
"Thanks, Tim," Trey said. "You'd think this were Thanksgiving instead of New Year's, but most of us here this evening have something very special to be thankful for. Rodney and Francis, I know that you two have been together for over three years now. And you are still together. Congratulations!"
"Trey, man, it just keeps getting better and better," Francis said, putting his arm around Rodney's shoulders.
"Yeah, well, most of the time," Rodney said, grinning as he poked Francis in the ribs with his elbow.
Trey took another sip of champagne. "Tim and Cedric, Max and David, Chaz and I have all found partners to love." He walked over and took Chaz's hand and pulled him up. "And I, for one, am so damned happy. I'll never forget 2002. It's not the year when I met Chaz Greeley, not the year when we became good friends. But 2002 is the year when he and I became lovers, and that will make the year just past always special for me."
By that time all of the couples had managed to hold hands or have their arms around each other.
"Now," Trey said. "Please pick up your glasses. I want to propose one last toast, and then I'll shut up. This group is assembled here tonight because of one truly remarkable man. He is the reason for the existence of our Brotherhood. He has the patience of a saint. He loves us all. He gives us good advice, but most of the time only when we ask for it."
Chaz looked at Tim and winked.
"Gentleman, let's drink to our lion, the glue that holds us all together, Dr. Timothy Mead."
The men picked up their glasses, raised them, looked at their blushing friend, and said, "To Tim."
Still blushing, Tim said, "Guys, I'm really touched. I hope the New Year will bring each one of you good health, much happiness, and continued love. Now, back to partying!"
As the group went back to their conversation, Trey came over to Tim and said, "Can I help?"
"With what?" Tim asked.
"Aren't you about to put out sandwich makings?"
"Yeah, but I don't remember telling you that."
"You didn't," Trey said, smiling, "I just knew." His smiled became broader. "And I love Fein's corned beef."
Cedric and Tim had picked up all sorts of fixings for sandwiches at Fein's that afternoon. Motioning Ced to stay where he was, talking with Francis and Rodney about something, Trey helped Tim put it all out on the bar between the kitchen and the dining area. It didn't take much coaxing to get the guys to come and make themselves sandwiches and help themselves to potato salad and coleslaw.
As they were doing that, the phone rang. Cedric picked it up. Tim heard him say, "No, Steve's not here." Pause. "Yes, he's here. May I ask who's calling? Oh." Pause. "Oh? Sure, hang on and I'll get him." He put the receiver down on the table. "Max, the phone is for you."
When Max put down his plate and wended his way to where Ced was, Cedric asked, "Do you know a Danny Rappolo?"
"Yeah. That's Jared's friend."
"Well, Danny's on the phone, and he wants to talk to you. Seems Jared's been admitted to the hospital."
Max took the phone and chatted briefly with Danny.
"Tell Jared I'll be right there. And thanks for calling me, Danny. You hang in there!"
"What's up, Max?" Chaz asked.
"Jared was working at the ER this evening, but he was having a terrible pain in his gut, so Danny persuaded someone to check him out. They're pretty sure he's got appendicitis, and it may even be ruptured. So, I'm sorry guys, but I need to get down there. Danny hasn't been able to reach Jared's folks, who are apparently at a party somewhere, and he's pretty worried."
"I'll come, too," David said. Then he looked at Max and said, "How much have you had to drink?"
"Less than you have, so I'll drive." Then Max looked at Tim and said, "You still have a key to my place, don't you?"
When Tim nodded, Max looked at Francis and Rodney and said, "Tim will give you the key. You guys make yourselves at home over there if you're ready to turn in before David and I get back. Sorry to have to rush off, guys."
"Max," Tim said, "call us with a report when you can, OK"
"Yeah, Timmy, we'll do that." And with that, David and Max hurried away.
"Who are Danny and, what's his name, Jared?" Francis asked.
"Jared is one of the high schoolers who attacked Steve that night, and Danny's his new boyfriend," Ced answered.
"And Max is going to go help him out?" Rodney asked. "I suppose that's the Christian thing to do, but why Max?" he continued.
Tim and Cedric looked at each other. Cedric took a deep breath and said, "That's right, you guys haven't heard that story."
So Tim, Cedric, Trey, and Chaz took turns telling Rodney and Francis the story of how Jared had come to look up to Steve as a big brother, how he had come out to Steve, how he had been assigned to work in the ER ten hours a week, and how he had met his boyfriend, Dante, aka Danny, there.
"Wow!" Rodney said, "that's quite a story. Who would have thought that one of those guys who beat up on Steve would become his friend?"
"Well," Trey said, "Steve's a pretty remarkable guy. And he tells us Jared's a good kid who got led astray by some very bad company. But there's one part of this story that some of you don't know." Chaz looked at his shoes, while Tim and Cedric looked puzzled.
Trey went on to tell the story of the six tall men in black who had scared the shit out of Richie, Jeremy, and Jared in the mall parking lot. When he finished, the others were all slapping Chaz on the back or giving him high fives and generally congratulating him for what he and his basketball buddies had done.
"Chaz," Tim asked, "would you guys really have beaten those kids up?"
"I dunno, Tim. I was mad enough to stomp the little bastards at the time. But we figured that, like most bullies, they were cowards at heart and that the threat of getting beaten up would do the job. Which I guess it did."
Tim smiled at him. "Well, big guy, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. And I love you for wanting to help Steve."
"Hey, look, guys," Ced exclaimed, "Chaz is blushing! Trey, have you ever seen Chaz blush?"
Trey looked at his partner and grinned. "Well, not very often. Only occasionally when I tell him how damned cute he is."
That brought laughter from everyone but Chaz, who tried to look serious and said, "Aw, Tiger, knock it off."
TIM:
Max never called, and about 3:30 or so people began to yawn. In fact, Chaz and Trey, who had their arms around each other, seemed to be asleep on the sofa in the living room. Francis and Rodney, who had gone upstairs a while earlier, presumably to use the bathroom, had never come back down. So Cedric and I covered up Trey and Chaz with a blanket and went to our room to go to bed.
I woke up on New Year's morning about 9:30. When I got back from the bathroom, Cedric was awake, looking a little bleary-eyed. I love him when he is sleepy like that. I just want to snuggle him like a big teddy bear. I told him to get his shower, and I'd go downstairs and start breakfast.
"Aww, not even a blowjob this morning?"
"Sweetheart, we have guests. What would you think of some sex in the living room while the football's on this afternoon?" He brightened at that, and padded off to the bathroom.
I listened outside the guest room, where Francis and Rodney had wound up the previous night. I didn't hear any sound, so I went on downstairs.
Just as we had a key to Max's place, he had one to ours. I was beginning to assemble the things I'd need to make a breakfast for whole crew when I heard a key in the front door. I hurried in to meet Max and David.
Putting my finger on my lips, I motioned for them to come in.
There on the couch were the two sleepers. The blanket had fallen on the floor. Trey was sitting at one end of the sofa, his legs on the coffee table, and his head back. Chaz was lying with his head in Trey's lap and his long legs sticking beyond the armrest of the sofa. Trey had his arm across Chaz's chest.
"They don't look very comfortable, do they?" Max whispered.
"But that's so sweet," David said.
I took them on into the kitchen and handed them glasses of o.j. to sip while the coffee was dripping.
"Rodney and Francis aren't at my place," Max said.
"No, they're asleep upstairs," I replied. "What's the news about Jared?"
"He was one sick puppy," David said, "but he's going to be okay."
"Yeah," Max said, "his appendix was ruptured. They took it out early this morning. He's going to be fine, but he's going to be in the hospital a few days while they make sure none of the infection was left in his abdominal cavity."
"What about his family?" It was Cedric, who'd come downstairs looking fresh and beautiful.
"We managed to get them at home after they got back from their party. Jared's sister, Jessica, was staying overnight with some friends, but they got hold of her, too. David and I waited with Danny while Jared was in the OR. It was really sweet. Danny works in the Emergency Room, and he's seen all sorts of things, but he was worried to death about Jared. Maybe because he knows what can happen when things go wrong. Anyway, he told us he was really glad David and I were there with him."
"So, who's there now? Is there anything we can do?"
"No, Tim, thanks. We finally persuaded Danny to go home and clean up and get some rest. He says he'll be back later. Jared's parents and sister were there when we left. Jared was still out and will probably not be awake much today. He sure won't feel like visitors. I promised his parents I'd stop by later to look in on him."
"You like Jared, don't you, Max?" Ced asked.
"Yeah, Ced, I do. Steve does, too. He's rather immature compared to some high school seniors, but he's bright, good-hearted, and decent. He is still haunted by the guilt he feels over what they did to Steve, but he's coming along. Add to that the problem of coming out to his parents, and he's had some rough times psychologically and spiritually. But he's really blossomed since he met Dan, who's pretty mature for a college freshman, and he seems to worship Jared. Their getting together has been good for both of them, I think."
"Well," I said, "No doubt it's been good for both of them to have Father Max in their lives, too."
"Max," Ced asked, "do you think Jared and Danny are, uh, doing it?"
Max smiled. "They'd better not be!"
"Why?"
"Because they promised me they wouldn't until Jared turns 18 in March. After all, he's underage until then, and Dan could get in big trouble if they had sex."
"Must be tough," David said.
"Yeah. They keep talking about how eager they both are for Dan to give Jared his `birthday present.'"
I slipped my arm around Cedric's waist and chuckled. "Well, those two certainly have something to look forward to in 2003!"
[Watch for chapter 39 in about two weeks. T.M.]