Family Matters, Chapter 11
Jennifer accompanied Landon downstairs to check on the boys later in the afternoon. The door to Rory's room was open, revealing the two snuggled under the bedspread fast asleep.
"They look so young and innocent," Jennifer whispered. "It's hard to believe they'll be adults in less than two years."
"They'll be adults in a legal sense, but they'll still be boys inside and will need support from the ones they love," Landon said softly. "I'm sure you and I didn't seem grown up to our parents at that age, though we probably thought we were. I hope they have happy and comfortable lives. The world will be kinder to them than it's been to a lot of people of our generation."
"I hope you're right."
The two of them walked quietly up the stairs to the living room and talked a bit more about the boys with Michael and Marion. It was a great time to get a take on everyone's perspective. Jennifer admitted she had initially had qualms about Austin and Rory becoming fast friends so quickly. She explained that Austin had had a crush on another boy the previous year, only to have his heart broken when the boy rebuffed him and threatened to tell the whole school he was gay. Combined with the stress of worrying about his father off in the war, it had taken an emotional toll. He was only recently climbing back out of the doldrums. He had hidden it well by maintaining a lively persona in public, but she could sense his pain.
Marian told her a bit about how Rory had also suffered emotionally from having lost his father in the war and ending up with a coldhearted stepfather who had evidently been looking for an excuse to throw him out. Once he knew for sure that Rory was gay, he used that as justification for his actions.
"Rory is a loving and perceptive kid," Landon added. "You've seen how he dotes on Corbin. It's almost like it's his baby instead of ours, and Corbin returns his love. Even babies are intuitive. You can't hide your true character from them."
"They are perceptive," Jennifer agreed. "I think I should trust Corbin's judgment as well as yours."
"I truly don't believe that Rory would ever intentionally hurt Austin," Michael chimed in. "In fact, we had been concerned that it might be the other way around if things between them progressed too quickly and it turned out to be one-sided. However, after watching them interact, I think they're really good for each other. Rory needs a best bud to hang out with whether or not they become boyfriends, and their attraction is unquestionably mutual."
"You're both attached to him already, aren't you?" Jennifer observed with a smile.
"Definitely! Both Landon and I feel like he's a part of our family – like a son or baby brother and Marian is our mother figure."
"That's wonderful. Marian, I'll bet you're also relieved that Rory's living here."
"Indeed I am! I love having him around every day, and he's thriving here. I just wish I could be certain that his little brother is faring as well."
"I wish you could too," Michael said. "At least you know from talking to the social worker that there haven't been any reports of abuse. If there were, I'd be all over that like flies on a garbage truck!"
"I know you would. We can only pray that Ryan will be treated well. I'll try to send him something for Christmas, but heaven only knows if his mother will let him have it now. I fear that I won't be able to see or talk to him anytime soon."
When Rory woke from his nap, he saw that Austin was propped up smiling at him.
"Welcome back, cutie."
"Have you been awake long?"
"Nope, just enough time to study your face a bit. Did you know you have perfect features, and eyelashes that most girls would kill for?"
"Are you saying I look like a girl?"
"Nope, I'm saying you're about the cutest guy I've ever seen."
"Hmm, I'm only ABOUT the cutest guy, and not THE cutest?"
"Well, I have looked in the mirror," Austin smirked.
"I think I'm offended," Rory grinned as he tickled Austin's bellybutton.
Austin retaliated, and before long, they were wrestling around playfully. Eventually, Austin stopped resisting and Rory pinned him down. Their bodies were almost perfectly aligned and both were aware of each other's growing bulge. As they looked into one another's eyes, they felt drawn together. Was it too soon to kiss? Their lips were mere centimeters apart.
The magical moment was interrupted by the sound of someone descending the stairs. Rory sprang to his side of the bed and pulled the spread back up enough to help hide the evidence of their horniness.
"Ah, you're awake. I thought I heard laughter. Would you like a snack to tide you over until dinner?" Michael asked. "Marian has a number of goodies set out."
"Sounds good to me," Rory said, as Austin nodded.
"Okay, come up when you're ready," Michael invited as he went back upstairs.
"Do you think he thinks we were fooling around?" Austin asked.
"Well, we WERE wrestling and making noise. Did you think we were doing more than that?
"Maybe," Austin giggled as he kissed the tip of Rory's nose and jumped off the bed before Rory could react.
Rory caught up with him, and they played grab-ass on the way to the bathroom to relieve their bladders and wash up.
The experience of sharing the toilet, and taking quick glances in the process, made them bone up again. It took some adjusting and a couple of minutes of "down time" before they felt ready to face anyone else.
After their snack, the boys entertained Corbin who moved around on a blanket between them on the sofa. He was really too young to do much in the way of playing, but he smiled and cooed, giving them enough of a reward to keep them at it.
Rory put Corbin on the carpet and held his middle up so he was on his hands and knees. Corbin moved his arms and legs in an attempt to crawl. With Rory's help, he managed to move a few inches. Rory was determined that he would be crawling by Christmas, hopefully it would be sooner.
Jennifer observed the scene with a smile on her face. Although the teens looked quite different on the outside, they appeared to be a matched set in spirit. Her concern level went down several more notches. They could be great for each other, as Michael suggested, but was Austin old enough for a boyfriend, if it came to that?
Naturally, Corbin wanted to be fed about the time Marian, with Jennifer's help, had dinner warmed and on the table. Rory insisted that he could do the honors of feeding the little guy while the rest ate. Austin said he could wait too, so the boys took turns as they sat close together on the sofa with a couple of dishtowels on their laps to catch any of the rice cereal that might land there. By now, Corbin had the hang of using his tongue and lips to help with the process. Therefore, not much landed on the towels. He topped off his meal with a warm bottle which he managed to help hold.
Corbin became drowsy the minute his tummy was full, and Michael took charge so the boys could eat, getting up to check his diaper before putting him in his crib.
Jennifer insisted on cleaning up to give Marian a break, and the boys pitched in to help as soon as they finished eating.
As they waited for the sandman that night, Michael and Landon discussed their imminent move. They originally hadn't planned to deal with it before Christmas, but Aunt Mildred was eager to take possession of the condo and get it settled before going to Florida for three months right after the holidays.
The guys could begin immediately because they didn't need to wait for loan approval since they were buying on contract. They would, of course, have to wait until the streets were clear, but that shouldn't take long from the look of the weather forecast.
With the arrival of a warm front, the ice was melting rapidly by Sunday afternoon. At that point, the power had been restored to most of the city including Jennifer and Austin's apartment complex. However several downed trees near Washington High slowed progress there enough so the new term would be delayed by a day at least.
Austin and Rory asked their families if they could stay together until they went to school on Tuesday morning. Rory had no problem getting the okay, but it wasn't smooth sailing for Austin even though Rory was there for moral support when he asked his mom.
"I think we should both get out of their hair if they're going to be packing to move," Jennifer said to Austin. "I've asked Michael to take us home in a few minutes, after I've thanked our hosts again."
"But Mom, I could help them with packing, and you know the first day of school will be a down day. We could sleep through it and no one would notice."
"You'd better not! Do you understand me, Son?"
"Yup!"
"Is that the appropriate response?" Jennifer asked, trying to look stern
"Sorry, I meant to say, `yes', Mommy Dearest!"
"Have you cleared this with Rory's family?"
"Yup, um yes, ma'am," Rory grinned.
"You two will be the death of me, AND the English language!" she grinned back as the boys tore up the stairs to avoid getting a threatened swat on their butts. "Austin, you at least need to go home long enough to pick out clothes for school on Tuesday." She called after them.
Austin proved to be a great help on Monday. He searched the web and found an offer of moving boxes on Free-Cycle. Landon let the boys take his convertible to get them. Because Rory didn't have a license, Austin found himself behind the wheel. He was a bit apprehensive at first about driving an unfamiliar car, but found that it handled very much like his mother's.
When they got home, the boys reassembled the knocked-down boxes, securing them with the strong shipping tape Landon had asked them to pick up at the hardware store.
With Marian directing the operation, they began with the odds and ends of decorative and non-essential objects, using newspaper to wrap around the more fragile items. They labeled each box, indicating the room things had come from and added a brief list of the contents.
Besides taking time out for lunch, dinner, and a few breaks for snacks, the boys did manage to get a great deal of packing done. All in all, it was a good day and by evening they had accomplished more than anyone had anticipated.
When it was time to go to sleep, they stripped to their underwear and climbed into Rory's bed. They remained quiet and apart for several minutes, until Rory broke the silence.
"Are you mad at me?" he whispered.
"No, of course not!" Austin insisted.
"What is it then?"
"What do you mean?"
"We've been really close the past few days, but you seem to be avoiding me. Are you tired of me already?"
"Nope, but I don't want to push us into something we might not be ready for. I'm trying to be a polite, considerate guest."
"In that case, move over here and cuddle with me."
Austin didn't need to be coaxed further. He had assumed Rory would turn on his side facing the other edge of the bed so Austin could spoon against his back, but he didn't. Instead, they ended up face to face.
This time, as the urge hit him, Rory put his hands behind Austin's head and gently nudged until their lips met. It was a soft, tentative kiss, but it packed a wallop for both of them. Their breathing and heart rates increased greatly.
"I've never kissed a boy before," Rory admitted. "I'd like to do a lot more of that!"
"So, you want to kiss a lot of guys?" Austin kidded.
"No, I just want to kiss one guy a lot!"
Austin's smile was brighter than the pale ambient light that peeked through the curtains.
They kissed again, and felt their passion rising.
"Is this all happening too fast?" Austin asked.
"I don't know," Rory grinned, "but I suppose we need to slow down."
"I had a crush on a guy last year and he fucked me over," Austin sighed.
"Yeah, you told me. But he didn't actually fuck you did he?"
"Hell no; I'm not a slut!"
"If you had messed around like that with him, it still wouldn't make you a slut. You really cared for him at the time, right?"
"Yeah," Austin whispered.
"Was it that Tyson kid?"
"Yeah, how did you know?
"It was something you said in the counselors' office... No, it was more how you looked when his name came up. I wasn't sure about the exact emotion, but I think it might have been a look of hurt."
"Yeah," Austin signed again.
"I'm not Tyson."
"No, I know you're not. He wouldn't have been perceptive enough to have caught my look. In fact, I wasn't even aware that I was projecting any feelings."
"I care about you, Austin."
"I can feel that."
"Cool, now do you want to hold me, or may I hold you?"
"Since you asked with perfect grammar, you may hold me if you'd like to."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup!" Austin giggled.
It was only a matter of a few minutes before they were asleep.
Landon was about to go downstairs to awaken the boys when he heard the shower in the basement bathroom. Knowing at least one of them was up spared him the trip, so he started to feed Corbin instead.
With all the back and forth recommendations on the proper diet for infants, it had been difficult to decide what to do for his son. He would be eternally grateful to his mother for giving advice that went counter to what the "experts" were currently giving out.
Today, Landon was introducing pureed chicken. He'd already experienced that each new food made for yet another adventure in the diaper changing, but it had to be done. Landon wondered what colorful, stinky mess would await him later today. Perhaps Corbin would hold off until Rory was home and belie what Rory had said to Aunt Mildred about how perfect this baby was.
Rory and Austin clambered up the stairs to eat a good breakfast before they had to leave. They both looked sharp in their khakis and knit polo shirts – Austin's in slate blue and Rory's in olive. The colors matched their eyes and went well with their carefully styled hair.
"You look like a couple of young studs ready to take on the world!" Landon complimented them.
"Good!" Rory exclaimed. "That's what I'm aiming for. I've given it a lot of thought the past few days and I've decided I'm not going to disappear into the woodwork after all. This is a new school and I'm gonna make some changes in how I deal with it. The inhibited, friendless kid with long hair you picked up in the DHS office is gone! He's been replace by the new, improved me. I'm gonna look others in the eye and assume I'm as good as anyone else."
"I love that attitude!" Landon smiled. "You ARE as good as anyone else. Rory! Austin, I think some of this is your handiwork."
"I hope so. I just hope I haven't created a new guy who will have too many friends to notice me."
"That ain't never gonna happen!" Rory assured him, openly showing affection by planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Hmm... That's a double negative, so it makes a positive which means it could, and possibly will, happen."
"Nope, that's just redneck-speak, so that means it's absolutely, positively negative, despite what certain English teachers might say!"
"Yup, like my mom. Not to change the subject, but where is everyone?"
"Michael went to the office early to get caught up after our break, and Marian had to take her car in for the new tires. If she's not back in time, I'll take you guys to school since I kept the SUV. The time schedule should work out as long as you make your own breakfast. You can eat cold cereal or cook anything you like."
The boys set about cooking bacon, eggs, and toasted English muffins. They made Landon's breakfast as well, so he got to eat a hot meal right after he finished taking care of Corbin.
With the boys at school and Corbin napping, Landon went to work on a new advertizing project. He had made quite a bit of progress before Marian finally arrived.
"I'm so sorry to have dropped the ball," she said as she hung her coat in the closet. "The shop was backed up with work that was canceled during the storm and some pushy lady intimidated them into doing hers first because she's an `important executive' who couldn't be spared from her job.'" Marian imitated the woman's arrogant tone.
"She's no more important than you are, but it was no problem for me. I fed Corbin, and the boys made breakfast. Believe it or not, they did a fine job. They were up early enough to have time for all of that and for me to take several pictures of them on the first day of the new term. Here, see how handsome they look."
Marian smiled as she scrolled through the photos on Landon's phone.
"They do look great. Rory looks really happy. I can't believe how he's blossomed in such a very short time. Coming to live with you and Michael was the best thing that's happened to him in a very long time."
"I suspect it has something to do with Austin as well." Landon grinned.
"Oh, he's so young to be in love, if that's what it is," Marian sighed.
"Yes and no. There's a lot of affection that's purely puppy love at their age and doesn't always last, but some of it does. Kids used to marry in their late teens in pioneer days."
"But not to other boys."
"Does it bother you that he's gay?"
"Not really, it's just that I don't know how to deal with it. You know, like how to counsel him about sex and things. If he were dating a girl, I'd go out and buy him condoms, despite how much it would embarrass him."
"That's why you have us to take up the slack," Landon assured her with an arm around her shoulders. "We have a handle on how guys feel about other guys."
"And I'm really thankful for that."
"I'm sorry you weren't around to hear the excitement in Rory's voice. He has a great attitude about starting at a new school. He was so confident."
"I know. Like I said, he's blossoming, and if a boyfriend helps that happen, I'm happy for him. Austin is really loveable too. As strange as it might sound to some folks, I guess I'm hoping they'll stay together."
Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed this week: Walt S, Wayne, Jim W, Richard E, Barry J, Jae B, Tony W, Patrick F, Jim L, Johan D, Ott H, Bill K, Josh L, Jim M, Tom A, Bill T, Zero, Dick M, and Mendy D.
As usual, I hope I haven't left anyone off the list! Once in awhile, emails from new readers end up in the junk box and I don't see them immediately.
Here are a couple of links I thought you might like. The first is to a story that I've been reading. I have to warn you that there are gaps between postings and it may take awhile to be finished. However, the author has the reputation of completing what he begins. You'll find his writing to be worth the wait, I think.
The second might be a reality check for those guys who feel they've been "shorted." There is too much emphasis on bigger is better in our world.
Hope everyone is having a good summer, or winter, depending on where you live. Don't forget to donate if you have the means. I know, I sound like Public Radio sometimes.
David
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/college/mickey/