Family Matters, Chapter 13
"C'mere, Charlie," Rory coaxed as he sat on the kitchen floor awaiting Austin's arrival.
The little fur-ball obediently scampered over and sat on Rory's lap.
"I'm so glad you and I get to be buds. Aunt Mildred says you were her husband's dog and you really like men the best. I hope that includes boys."
By way of answering, Charlie licked Rory's cheek.
"Thanks, I take that as a yes. It's great to have someone to cuddle and to love. You know I like Austin a lot, but I won't ever forget about you. I may grow to love him in a different way, but I'll still need you in my life."
The little Shih Tzu nestled contentedly into Rory's arms until the doorbell rang; at which time he took on the role of protector of the realm, barking at the top of his lungs.
"Wow, this is way cool down here," Austin enthused, looking appreciatively around the basement level of the new house. "I think our whole apartment would fit into this space easily. When is Mildred sending for the entertainment equipment? Can we use it until she does?"
"She's leaving it for us, so we can do whatever we like."
"Do you have any DVD's?"
"There's a box of them here somewhere. Would you like to watch "The Fellowship of the Ring? I know where that one is for sure."
"Yeah, with this setup it'll be like watching it in the theater with surround sound and everything. All we're missing is popcorn."
"Never fear, there are bags of microwave popcorn upstairs in the pantry and there's a kick-ass microwave over the range. We're set!"
Rory and Austin cuddled under a blanket munching popcorn and holding hands through the movie. It wasn't particularly late when their show ended. There was no reason to go to bed yet, so they stayed together on the sofa talking.
They might get up for church in the morning, but they could sleep in if they wanted to. Christmas break had begun with the end of the day on Friday, meaning that they had quite a bit of vacation time in which to be together. They had some obligations besides family dinners; both were working a few hours as bag boys at the supermarket, and they did have a couple of swim practices.
"Are you frightened?" Austin asked, out of the blue.
"Nah, the house has a state of the art security system that I can arm in a split second, and this is a great neighborhood. Besides, we have a fierce watchdog for protection; don't we Charlie?" he giggled.
"Woof!"
"No, I'm not talking about being afraid to stay here. I mean does it ever scare you about what will happen if it gets around school that we're gay."
"Nope, I'm not really worried about that either, especially after I teased with Thad about his `pickup line.' In talking to him, I got the impression he'd have our backs if it came to that. Are you frightened?"
"Kinda. If it gets around school then Dad will find out for sure when he comes home `cause he knows lots of staff and students."
"I thought you were out to your parents."
"Just to Mom. I asked her not to tell him because I should do that face to face, and besides, I don't want him to be distracted over there and get killed. I've gotta find the balls to tell him and I don't want him to hate me either. I'm really scared sometimes," Austin swallowed.
Rory held Austin close while the latter shed a few silent tears. In the short time they'd known each other; Austin had struck him as the kind of guy who wouldn't be afraid to face anything. He always seemed to have his shit together and he usually walked with the air of someone who is confident in any situation, at least from what Rory had observed.
Seeing Austin like this didn't in any way diminish his stature in Rory's eyes. If anything, it made him more endearing because he was vulnerable and Rory would have the opportunity to "mother" him. Rory was a very nurturing type.
"Austin, I know I've only talked to your dad a few minutes by Skype once, but I got the impression that he's a really great guy who probably has the same values and opinions that your mother has. Am I pretty close in my assessment?"
"I guess, but she's probably more liberal than he is."
"Maybe, but, as Grandma says, don't borrow trouble from tomorrow. I'm sure things will work out in the long run. Let's think about something else to cheer you up. How often do you jack off a week?" Rory asked.
"Um, I usually do it about every day, but what does that have to do with anything? How many times do you do it?"
"About the same as you. My point is that if two guys gave each other a helping hand, would it be any different from masturbating by themselves? I mean, would that be considered a sexual relationship?"
"I suppose it wouldn't be a lot different; I've heard the term `fuck-buddy' and I guess that's what it means."
"Would you like to do it with me?"
"Um, I don't know. Do you think it would mess us up?"
"If I thought it would, I wouldn't have suggested it. I can tell you're hesitant and I'm not going to push you."
"Will you be mad at me if I don't?"
"Of course not! I care about you."
"Then could we crawl in bed and could you just hold me?"
"Sure."
Clad in only his boxers, Austin fell to sleep almost immediately, but Rory stayed awake worrying about his boyfriend. In fact, he wondered if they would ever come to the point of officially being boyfriends. Whatever was going to transpire, he'd have to have patience and be a true friend at the very least. Lying there in his underwear with his semi-hard cock nestled against Austin's butt wasn't completely satisfying, but it was better than nothing. He certainly didn't want to drive Austin away by being too eager to get off together. Why did relationships have to be so difficult?
He was almost asleep when he heard Charlie whine and realized his little bud probably needed to pee. So, instead of staying in his warm bed, he threw on his sweats and moseyed upstairs to let him out. Having a dog meant responsibility as well as companionship. He was also responsible enough to disarm the security system before opening the sliding door.
The boys were up early on Sunday morning and found plenty of food in the fridge for making a hearty breakfast. Austin seemed to be in good spirits as he helped with the preparation and cleanup.
Austin had even taken Charlie out earlier to pee. Charlie appeared to accept Austin as part of the regulars now, after having been rather standoffish in the beginning.
After breakfast, Austin helped Rory bring in the boxes from the garage which contained the rest of his meager possessions. Between them, they found logical places to store everything with a lot of room to spare.
At one point as they were arranging Rory's socks in a lower dresser drawer, Austin turned his face upward and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks for understanding last night. I really do like you a lot, as I said. In fact, that's part of what scares me. I don't want to lose you."
"I told you that's not gonna happen."
There was no chance, at the moment, to see where that kiss might lead because they heard Landon and Michael walking around upstairs.
"Could you guys bring in Corbin's crib from the SUV and put it up in his new room?" Landon called.
"We'll be up in a minute," Rory answered.
Austin and he lingered for another moment or two and kissed gently on the lips before going up to help.
Instead of attending church, the men and boys puttered around the house unpacking more boxes and straightening up. They stopped at noon to have lunch and feed Corbin.
When that was done, Rory and Austin put Corbin on the floor in the living room to "play" for a bit and to meet Charlie. The little pooch seemed to sense that Corbin was someone special, and treated him with deference. After a while, Corbin crawled over to where Charlie was lying. Then the two snuggled up and went to sleep. Austin took several pictures with his phone and sent them to Rory's email so he could have them to keep.
"It's almost like being with Ryan again," Rory mused.
"Who's Ryan? Do I have a rival I didn't know about?"
"He's my little brother; he was evidently conceived just before Dad went on his last tour of duty. My mother rebounded so quickly after Dad's death that he wasn't born until after she let Ralph move in. I think she was already cheating and probably Ralph believes he's the father."
"Are you sure he's your dad's kid?"
"He looks just like Dad's pictures when he was a baby. Grandma still has some.
I hate it that I can't see Ryan."
"Losing your dad and having your mom act like that must have been tough on you."
"Yeah it was. It was like my dad wasn't even cold before she was getting fucked by that asshole! Then less than five years later, she let him hit me and throw me out on the street! I hate the bitch!"
"I can't stand her either, and I've never met her!" Austin sympathized.
Now it was Austin's turn to be the strong one and bring comfort to Rory. He suggested that Rory lie down near Corbin. Austin put a sofa pillow under his head, and then he snuggled against his back. Within a very short time, they also fell asleep.
When Landon came in to see why it was so quiet, he found them all zonked out. Like Austin, he couldn't resist taking several pictures; some of just the two of them, a few of Corbin and Charlie, and more from an angle that included all of them.
When everyone was awake again, the guys took the SUV to shop for a live Christmas tree. They purchased a stand for it, a few strings of digital lights, and several boxes of ornaments. Neither of the men owned any decorations other than a few keepsakes from their childhood. At a specialty shop, they purchased two angel ornaments with the current year engraved on them. For a slight additional fee, the proprietor engraved "Rory" on one and "Corbin" on the other. These would be lasting reminders of their first Christmas as a family. Rory purchased one and had Austin's and his names engraved on it together.
By dinnertime, the tree stood near the fireplace in the family room, decorated in its splendor. Rory and Austin were proud of their accomplishments. Corbin and Charlie seemed to be fascinated by the lights.
When Marian came over on the morning of the 24th, she brought along a small suitcase with some clothes and her toiletries. She had been invited to stay for as long as she wished during the holiday period, though she didn't plan to stay past Christmas night. It would be a much cheerier way to celebrate Yuletide than in her condo all alone or in the community room with a bunch of the "inmates" as she referred to them.
With most of Christmas Day set aside for entertaining, the men thought it would be best to exchange family gifts in the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Rory and Marian wholeheartedly agreed.
The adults exchanged token gifts, but had spent most of their discretionary funds on Rory. From Landon and Michael, he received an iPhone which was tied to their "friends and family" account. The first thing he did with it was to text Austin. He was so enthralled with it that he nearly forgot to open anything else.
Michael and Landon also gave him an iPod so he could be wired for music like most of his peers. With Austin's help, they had preloaded it with a few songs that were popular with the teen crowd.
When Rory opened the small envelope from his grandmother, he got another welcome surprise. It was a gift certificate to driving school! He would soon be able to have a license. It might take a while for him to get some kind of vehicle, but it was a start. He was so excited that he immediately went over to give her a big hug.
There were a few other packages which contained clothing, and Rory was also grateful for new things to wear. He felt pretty emotional over his good fortune. He reminisced again about all the little things that had brought it about - Landon and Michael needing help with Corbin and the house, Aunt Mildred recommending his grandma, Ralph kicking him out, Landon and Grandma coming to his rescue. Again, he could almost feel his father watching over him from beyond the grave.
Michael and Landon took the whole "family" to the early Christmas Eve service at St. Stephen's. They met Jennifer and Austin in the vestibule so they could sit together.
Rory and Austin sat on the aisle and volunteered to keep Corbin amused so the adults wouldn't be distracted. When he got restless and started making noise, Rory gathered him up and took him into the cry room. Austin followed closely behind carrying the diaper bag. The small room at the back of the sanctuary had a large window facing the altar and a sound system that let parents hear, as well as watch, the service while the babies were kept from disturbing the congregation.
There was a young mother with her little girl in the room already. The girl was screaming her lungs out, making Corbin stop and take notice. He immediately began babbling to her, and before long, she stopped to "talk" back. Her mother smiled in relief. Little Lord Corbin had restored peace in his realm.
When the service ended, Austin went home with Rory, and Jennifer went home alone. She decided to go to bed early and catch up on sleep. The apartment seemed empty and cold without Austin or Ron and she had been tempted to keep her son home that night for company. However, she did what she felt was best for him. She could hardly wait until Ron was home and they could go back to their own house as a family.
At the time, it had made a good deal of sense financially to rent the house out while he was gone. Their budget would have been strained trying to keep everything up primarily on her salary. The pittance he received from the military was hardly more than "mad money" and she wouldn't have been ahead if she had quit her job to live in military housing at some base.
The biggest downside would have been tearing Austin away from his school and friends. Staying where they were was even more important now that Rory had come into Austin's life.
But what if Ron didn't come home?
Rory and Austin didn't head for Rory's room the minute they got into the house. They sat at the kitchen table enjoying cocoa and cookies. Marian had baked the goodies along with a couple of pies to have for desert after Christmas dinner. She had said that her aim was to get familiar with the new kitchen, but the men were not fooled. They knew she wanted to contribute to the meal even though they had insisted that she was to be a guest for the holidays and wasn't allowed to be in the kitchen on Christmas Day.
After spending enough time with the adults to fill their tummies and fulfill their social obligations, the boys retired to the basement. Landon bade them goodnight, saying he would take Charlie out before he went to bed. With no responsibilities, the boys could have their own little celebration.
Rory's gift to Austin was a certificate to download music, and he was surprised to receive one in return, that is, until Austin confessed that he had known ahead of time about the iPod that the men had given him.
Austin thought it was cool that Rory had given him the same thing without being aware of what he was getting.
"Can we take a shower before we go to bed?" Austin asked.
"Sure; go ahead. You know where everything is."
"I thought maybe you could wash my back."
"You know how that could end up, don't you?"
"That's what I'm counting on."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup!"
"Um fuck buddies just do it for sex, don't they?" Rory said. "I mean they don't get emotionally involved."
"I guess, but I'm not sure I can do that," Austin sighed.
"I'm not sure I can either."
Rory and Austin held each other and kissed for a few minutes before undressing in Rory's bedroom. They had been naked together in the locker room after swimming practice often, but almost always in the company of other teammates. This was their first time to study one another's body in private and they both responded as one might expect.
Embracing and kissing with their hard cocks trapped between them was an awesome feeling.
"Should we put something on to run to the bathroom?" Austin asked.
"Nope, no one is going to bother us down here tonight. I think when Landon said we could have our own celebration; he probably knew we'd do something like this. He bought me a dozen condoms and special lube."
"You're not planning to fuck me are you?" Austin's eyes got as big as saucers.
"No, I told him we didn't need anything like that, but he said I should keep them for the future so we'd be prepared if we ever decided to, um, make love in that way. He said he thinks it's better not to rush into things, but he also knows how horny teenagers can get."
Once the water warmed up, the boys got in. Spreading shower gel on their wash cloths, they proceeded to bathe every nook and cranny of the other's body. Their passion grew hotter with each touch. Eventually, they were concentrating on one particular appendage.
Austin spewed first, but Rory joined him before he was through unloading. They probably would have keeled over if they hadn't held on to each other during their climaxes.
"Since I don't like the term `fuck-buddies'," Austin said, "will you be my boyfriend?"
"YES!" Rory exclaimed. "That's the best Christmas gift I could hope for."
"Me too,"
"Hey boyfriend, wanna sleep naked like I usually do?"
"Yup!"
Author's notes: Well, a lot has happened in the US recently with the SCOTUS ruling that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional! That's a landmark decision. It's conjuring up all of the dire predictions that were used when interracial marriage was declared legal.
I'm including several links this week. One pertains to an Evangelical minister's view on the subject. His arguments may surprise you. He explains all the examples of "biblical" marriage that the right wing politicians conveniently forget when they say marriage is between one man and one woman.
The second link is a documentary about how the government persecuted gays during the Cold War and beyond.
The third is a beautiful shot of a moon rise in New Zealand. The link was sent by Walt S.
The fourth one is a HOOT! It's a news flash which was taken down rather quickly after someone figured out it was a spoof! The reporter took it for real.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-nicholas-phillips/an-evangelical-minister-explains-marriage-to-rick-santorum-dr-moore-and-mike-huckabee_b_7678856.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
https://news.yahoo.com/uniquely-nasty--the-u-s--governments-war-on-gays-191808993.html
https://vimeo.com/58385453 (sound on...!)
http://www.edgemedianetwork.com/news/international/news//179861
Thanks to those who wrote to me this week: Zero, Peter M, Ott H, Thomas A, Jim L, Mendy D, Wayne, Felipe C, Bill K, Ash T, Tony W, Rod R, Bill T, Jim W, Tom A, Bryce W, Walt S, Daniel L, Dick M, Darryl, Jon S, Ryan H, and Trish R.
BTW, if you don't hear from me quickly when you respond this week it's because I will be away with no internet connection for a week – Sunday July 05 to Sunday July 13. That means chapter 14 will also be delayed. I hope to post shortly after I get home.
Love to all,
David