Tommy and Tanner Chapter 21
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
This is not my first attempt at writing fiction. My longer stories on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male section. There are a few short stories also: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009) under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings" and "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.
I am now listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which will make it easier for you to access earlier stories. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other writers that may interest you.
My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 21
The mood at school on Friday was rather mixed. Most students had heard about Mason's death by Thursday evening, and those who hadn't were quickly brought up to speed when the principal made an announcement as soon as first hour classes began. She asked the students to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of their classmate, Mason Frey. The final few minutes of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" was played during their observance.
Tommy wondered what motivated Dr. Moore to choose that particular work. Was she aware that Barber was gay and had adapted the same melody for an Angus Dei which had been played in its entirety in memory of those who died when the Morrow Building was blown up in Oklahoma City many years ago? Tommy remembered those details from research he'd done for a paper for music appreciation last year. At the time, it hadn't meant as much to him as it did in this moment.
The whole school was as quiet as could be. A number of students brushed away tears or tried to hide them. A few wept openly. Although some of them didn't know Mason at all, the death of another kid their age brought home the reality of how fragile life is.
Of course there were those who either didn't feel anything or tried to convince their friends that they didn't. A few joked later about having to find a new guy to give them head, but even some of the recipients of his "services" felt that it was wrong to make light of the dead. One serious fight broke out in the locker room over it. The kids who witnessed it managed to calm the participants down before any of the coaches got wind of it.
Andy's mood was somber. He felt blessed that he'd been able to talk it out with his best friends on Thursday, so that he could begin to move on. Tanner had insisted that Andy was in no way to blame for Mason's untimely death, but he still felt somewhat responsible. He'd like to talk more with Peter or someone. His old worries resurfaced. What if he'd have become Mason's boyfriend instead of pushing him away? Would that have kept Mason from molesting Brendon? If that incident hadn't happened, none of the rest would have followed. Andy tried to drive the recurring thoughts out of his mind so that he could concentrate on his lessons.
On Saturday morning Tanner told Tommy that he had an errand to run on his bike and would be back in an hour or so. Tommy was curious as to why Tanner didn't invite him along, but trusted that he'd find out in due time. Still, it kind of bothered him that there was something they weren't sharing. Perhaps it was to be a surprise.
Tanner rode to Dorothy Cranston's house where he was expected because he'd phoned her on Friday.
"Ms. Cranston, I have a business proposition for you and I'll need to ask a great favor of you," he said as they sat down at her kitchen table.
"My goodness, Tanner, this sounds like a serious matter. Help yourself to some cookies and a glass of milk while you tell me all about it."
"It's possible that I'll come into a pretty large sum of money when the Sessions' estate settles with me for the wrongful death of my father. Dad has hired a good lawyer who's made progress recently. With part of what I get, I'd like to buy your house for my family. The only problem is that you'd have to wait for a while until I have the money. Could you save it for me? I have $500 that I've saved up from last Christmas and mowing and stuff. May I give you it as a deposit?" he asked, opening a large envelope.
Dorothy's eyes misted over as she looked at the boy seated across from her. He radiated love and caring. If everyone were as kind and compassionate as he, what a different world it would be. She wasn't sure how to answer him because she already had a plan in mind for disposing of her house, but she didn't want to tell him yet and ruin his moment of generosity.
"I'm in no hurry to sell my house, so it won't go on the market anytime soon. I have no heirs waiting in the wings to push me into leaving it to them. Rest assured that I'll take your proposition into consideration. If I take your $500 as earnest money, I'll give you a receipt and we'll write up a contract. Are you certain you want to make an offer without even knowing what I'll ask or how much of your settlement money it would take?"
"I trust you to name a fair price," Tanner replied. "I know you'll have other living expenses when you move, and I won't ask you to sell below fair market value. Given the selling price of houses of this size in town that have improvements like you've made, I'm guessing that it would bring around $250,000. Dad thinks I'll get a lot more than that from the estate even after the legal fees are deducted. I'd still have money left for college and getting started in life."
"You seem to have done your homework young man! I would probably list it somewhere close to that in order to have wiggle room to negotiate. In this recession, I know it won't bring that much in the end. I'd settle for $200,000 if I didn't have to pay a realtor's fees. While I draft a contract and print it off, help yourself to more milk and cookies and tell me about school. Did you know that young man who died?"
Tanner spent the better part of a half hour telling about Mason and the kids' reactions to his death. He didn't say anything about the trouble Mason had been in because there was no reason to sully his name.
Dorothy already knew a bit of the gossip going around town about Mason and noted that Tanner said nothing to reinforce it. She was again struck by the kind heart of her young guest.
"Okay, I'm dying of curiosity," Tommy said when he and Tanner were alone in their room trying to finish their essays for language arts class. "Are you gonna tell me who you went to see?"
"Don't let Mom catch you saying gonna' instead of going to, and who' when `whom' is the proper form of the word in the objective case."
"You're avoiding my question."
"Yup. I'll tell you, but only if you swear not to tell anyone else."
"What if Dad asks about it?"
"He won't even know about it until the deal comes off and then he can't stop me."
"Tanner, this sounds serious! Is it legal?"
"Well, maybe not entirely because I may be too young to sign, but I'll get him to sign for me. You know how soft he is when it comes to us kids."
"Spill!" Tommy said as he wrestled Tanner onto their bed, laying his full weight on him.
Instead of answering, Tanner kissed him on the lips and Tommy melted into him.
"You're a very naughty boy. You know how to distract me!"
"Alright, Boyfriend, I'll tell after you swear."
"I so swear and avow."
"Avow?"
"Shut up and tell me!" Tommy giggled as he tickled Tanner's ribs.
"I talked to Ms. Cranston today about buying her house with some of the money I'll get. I want to provide a place with more room for all of us when our little sister arrives. It would be good for everyone, and the deed will be in Mom's and Dad's names. It's a steal for what she's asking.
Tommy kissed Tanner deeply for several seconds. Tanner could feel warm, salty drops falling on his cheeks. It made him realize how much his plans meant to Tommy.
"Tanner, I don't know what to say. I always knew you were sweet and generous, but this is more than anyone could expect. That money is yours."
"The money is OURS. I never wanted to profit from my father's death, but I will use the money to help make others happy if I can. If you all hadn't taken me in, there's no telling what would have become of me. I'd probably have ended up in some orphanage or group home and not had any love at all. Perhaps this could be my father's way of providing for me so that I wouldn't end up like he did. Anyway, I want to give back. There will probably be more left over than I'll need for school and stuff. When we get married we'll both have jobs for a while at least. Of course, one of us might quit for a while and be the house dad when we have kids."
"Are you serious?"
"About what; the house?"
"Marriage, kids, and all."
"Yeah. I want us to have all of that. Why shouldn't we? Aren't we entitled to be as happy as straight guys?"
"Yes, Babe, we are! Uh, how close are you to finishing your essay?"
"I've done the final draft. All that's left is for you to proof it. How close are you?"
"I'm on the last paragraph of the final draft. How about taking a break?" Tommy asked, reaching his hand under Tanner's shirt.
"What did you have in mind?" Tanner asked, grinning salaciously.
"Wait and see," Tommy said, licking his lips while he went over to lock the door.
When Tommy turned back toward Tanner, he went into a kind of sexy dance, gyrating at the hips and occasionally thrusting his crotch – the old classic bump and grind move that strippers use. Tanner grinned and licked his lips in return.
Next, Tommy pulled off the T he was wearing and flung it toward Tanner, hitting him in the face. Tanner held it to his nose and sniffed in an exaggerated manner. Tommy's scent always turned him on and today was no exception.
Tommy continued by kicking off his sneakers and toeing off his socks which caused him to break the rhythm of his dance. Of course Tanner didn't care if he missed a beat or two.
Tanner figured he might as well get into the act, so he stood and pulled off his shirt while slipping out of his tennies. Then he moved in chest to chest with Tommy and worked his bulge against Tommy's. Their impromptu strip-tease turned into a dance of love that became increasingly sensuous.
Tommy broke out of their embrace by going down on his knees, undoing the buttons on the fly of Tanner's jeans in the process. As soon as Tanner stepped out of them, Tommy started sniffing his crotch. Tommy's hair tickled Tanner's loins and sent him into a fit of giggles.
What followed would be a little hard to document without a camcorder, but needless to say, both teens ended up naked, hard, and panting. Tommy continued his sex play by nibbling on Tanner's nipples. Tanner moaned his appreciation and asked Tommy if they could pause long enough to drag a kempo mat out from under their bed in order to lie in a position that would give him access to Tommy's chest at the same time. Sucking nipples while having theirs sucked proved to be a very big turn-on for both. Little time passed before they were inching lower and bathing each other's abs. From there to the main event was an even shorter interlude.
Tanner peeled back Tommy's prepuce and ran his tongue over the exposed head which was now slippery with precum. He milked the length of Tommy's hardon to harvest more of the sticky substance which he savored in his mouth.
In the meantime, Tommy was applying a similar technique to Tanner's throbbing tool. Both boys slid down a little further to taste the wrinkled ball-sacs that they now kept shaved (because neither liked getting pubes in his teeth).
Then it was on to sucking in as much "sausage" as they could without choking. Each tried to take a bit more than they had in the past, but after gagging several times, pulled back. Toward the end, they were mostly concentrating on stimulating the silky mushroom caps with their tongues – dwelling on the underside where the head meets the shaft.
Tommy began a mantra of mmm, mmm, mmm, and Tanner soon joined with a kind of uhn, uhn, uhn sound at the same tempo. Nearly simultaneously, they froze in place for a second before delivering their creamy offerings.
Tanner quickly turned around so that they could share their juices in a deep sensuous kiss. As they began to come down from their high, Tommy pulled a blanket over them and soon they fell asleep.
When the boys saw Lee and Peter together at church again, they were quite pleased. From the way the two looked at each other, it was evident that they were becoming more and more attached. After the service, Tommy and Tanner found a couple of minutes to talk with them away from the crowd.
"Smile if you got some last night!" Tanner snickered.
Peter and Lee grinned from ear to ear.
"Let me turn the question back to you," Lee said with a raised eyebrow.
It was the boys' turn to smile like simpletons.
"I convinced Lee to stay over this weekend," Peter said.
"And you were too busy to pay a call on us?" Tanner asked.
"Well, I knew you had a lot of homework since most of the language arts classes have essays due tomorrow." Peter smiled. "So I convinced him that we shouldn't distract you from your educational endeavors."
"I'll bet you distracted him," Tommy observed.
"He did," Lee responded. "I really needed him after Mason's death. It hit me pretty hard."
"It did? I had no idea you even knew him," Tanner said.
"I've been working with him since the incident with Brendon," Lee told them. "I had no idea you were the guys who caught him and turned him in. Otherwise, I would have excused myself from treating him because it might have been unethical. Anyway, we bonded very quickly and he was making a lot of progress. He knew what he'd done was wrong and wanted to be fixed inside so he'd never do it again. He wasn't an evil boy, just a messed up one."
"I'd like to talk further about what happened sometime," Tommy said. "Could we get together this afternoon for a while or do you have something pressing?"
"We could come by and pick you up around 2:00 if you want and go to my place or the park," Peter suggested. "You could invite Andy to come with us unless you'd rather not."
Tommy and Tanner looked at each other in silent communication and Tanner answered for both of them.
"It would be good for Andy if he's available. We have our essays ready for tomorrow and I'll bet he does too. Let me text him."
A few minutes later, they had their answer. Andy wanted to join them. He needed the distraction so that he wouldn't keep obsessing over Mason's death.
Lee drove Peter, Tommy, and Tanner to Andy's house to pick him up. Chris was at home and spent a few minutes talking with the men before they left.
"I'm so pleased you're willing to hang around with these guys," he said. "They need to have adults that understand what they're going through. This has been emotionally unsettling for all of us in the department as well. We hate it when kids have their lives cut short for whatever reason."
"Do you have counselors available?" Peter asked. "We have a number who are volunteering at school for the kids. Even a couple of parents have come in to talk. The police are always welcome too, unless you guys feel you're too macho."
"We have a counselor on staff and some of us have taken advantage of the opportunity," Chris told him. "I used to think I was too tough for that `Mickey Mouse' kind of thing, but not anymore. I've changed a lot in the past year."
Andy didn't say anything, but did sidle up to his dad and put an arm around his shoulder. Chris promptly returned the gesture, much to his son's delight.
After a little more discussion, the guys left.
Although the leaves were putting on their fall colors and the morning had been chilly, Sunday afternoon was pleasant and sunny when they arrived at the park. As the guys tossed around the Frisbee awhile, they got warm enough to remove their shirts and enjoy the sun's rays on their skin. It was a time of mild physical exertion, camaraderie, and relaxation.
After a bit, they sat at a picnic table to take a break. Lee brought out the snacks that he and Peter had picked up at the store on the way home from church. While they rested, their conversation turned to Mason again.
"Peter and I have been talking about teen suicide since we heard the news. He thinks we should contact your principal about having an assembly or two and possibly some workshops on preventing kids from taking that route, and I agree."
"It sounds good to me," Andy responded. "It would make me feel like Mason's life wasn't lived in vain if we could do something to keep someone else for doing it. I'm a rep on the student council this year. I'll bring it up at our next meeting which is later in the week. I think Dr. Moore would approve. The subject would fit right in with the big state-wide push to stop bullying in our schools. I'll do my homework on how we might set it up before I approach the council and her. If it's my proposal, I'll be expected to see it through."
"Excellent!" Peter and Lee exclaimed in chorus. "That's the kind of leadership it will take to expedite it," Peter said.
"Can you also tie the plight of gays in with the topic of suicide?" Tanner asked. "I'm not trying to commandeer your plan or take it over, but it is an area that affects everyone around this table."
"That would be great!" Andy enthused. "It might put me out there front and center as a gay kid, but I'm not as afraid to face that since my dad doesn't hate me for what I am. If he and Mom love me and I have you guys, all will be well with the world!"
Lee unobtrusively got the boys to talk further about their friendship with Mason and to express some of the emotions they were going through. As the afternoon progressed, they opened up bit by bit.
Andy seemed to feel more guilt over Mason's death than his two friends. He still blamed himself for Mason's attempt to use Brendon for his own sexual pleasure.
"Mason and I sorta fooled around some this past summer and I think I maybe should have let him do more like he wanted," he confessed. "If I had, he might not have done what he did to Brendon."
Lee had to bite his tongue not to reveal the facts about how Mason had been molested by his uncle, which had been told in confidence. He could not break that trust even though Mason was dead. He hoped that there would be legal action taken against Lonny soon so that Andy could find out.
"Why did you break it off with him?" Lee probed.
"I liked him, but I didn't love him. Does that make sense? I know we're too young to find true love."
"Don't tell that to Tommy and Tanner!" Lee smiled.
"Oh, sorry! I guess I should have said that I know Mason did stuff with lots of other boys and I didn't want to be another check-mark on his score card. In a way, I feel like I kinda used him to learn about stuff, because I wasn't in love with him. Do you think he was molested when he was a kid? Dad said that guys who are abused sometimes turn around and do it to other kids."
"I can't comment on Mason's situation because I'm bound not to - other than in a court of law." Lee responded. "But I can say that Chris is correct about how the cycle of abuse works. You can rest assured that Mason would have done what he did even if he'd never met you. You are not responsible."
"These guys have told me that too," Andy nodded. "I'm glad you see it the same way."
"You may be feeling a sense of guilt over your sexual relationship with Mason. Remember that all boys experiment in some way or other. You were curious and Mason wanted to be your teacher. It's not a big deal between boys of the same age. He used you for his gratification as much as you did him. It's okay."
"Thanks Lee. You really do know what boys are like inside. I feel a lot better."
"Don't forget that I'm always available at school if you ever need to talk," Peter encouraged. "Things like this take time and there's no shame in getting help."
"Yeah, I know. Even my studly dad admits that."
It began to cloud over and get chilly as the afternoon wore on, so the guys put their shirts back on and threw the Frisbee around a bit more to warm up. It was good therapy.
When it was time to take the boys home, Lee planned to make the trip in reverse, dropping Andy off first. But when they got to Andy's home, Chris insisted that everyone should stay for pizza. He had a massive batch of homemade dough rising and he was going to show off his culinary abilities. His wife, Marla, encouraged him for several reasons – she felt it made him more domestic and it also got her out of cooking.
"You must stay," she said. "My Italian grandmother taught him because she'd given up on my ever being a good cook. She claimed that he must have Florentine blood in his veins since his pizza soon rivaled hers."
"Nana was too kind," Chris blushed. "She loved any of us who were willing to learn the old family recipes."
Andy beamed with pride that his father was going to show off his cooking and that he could actually blush. He was continually learning more about his dad's emotions and he liked the humanity that he observed.
After calling home to let their parents know where they were having supper, the boys asked if they could help. Chris got them all involved, including his youngest, Tyler. His daughter, Maria pronounced that it was an all male group and she didn't want to participate. However, she did sit nearby ogling her older brother's friends.
Tyler got to tear up lettuce for the salad and also sprinkle the final layer of cheese. Other ingredients were carefully place on the pies by the three teens under the supervision of their chief chef.
Everyone declared the meal a spectacular success. The boys thought that they'd never tasted pizza to equal this and asked Chris if he'd teach them the whole process. He assured them that he'd love to. It would be something else to bridge the generation gap and bond him more with his firstborn.
Before they left, Peter, Lee, and the boys sat in the family room for a short while discussing their thoughts about a suicide prevention workshop at the high school. They let Andy take the lead since he was going to start the ball rolling. Chris was really pleased to hear the ideas and was proud of Andy. He said he would be happy to participate if there was any role he could play in it.
After thanking their hosts again, they left to for their homes. Well, Lee ended up at Peter's place.
"I should head home before it gets too late," Lee sighed. "I wish we could live closer."
"Like maybe together?" Peter asked.
"That's a definite possibility," Lee smiled.
"Stay tonight," Peter suggested. "The commute isn't that far."
"But I'll have to get up really early in order to get home and change before I go in to the office. I don't even have clean underwear."
"We're close in size; wear something of mine. I have shirts and khakis from which you may select and a drawer full of sexy undies that I'd love to see you model. I'll help with the dressing and undressing..."
Lee decided to stay.
Author's notes: I heard from quite a few of you this week. Thanks! The list includes: Anthony B, Walt S, Trish R, Bill T, Bert H, Rueben G (Zeke #97), Ott H, Rutabaga, Roger L, Lawrence and Douglas, Jim C, Blake J, Neville E. Anthony L, Jim W, Danny A, Tom A, Don R, Bill K, Paul R, Frankie, and Paul F. As always, I hope I didn't omit someone. If so, it wasn't intentional.
Thanks for the positive feedback about Mason. The responses were all accepting of the fact that this was a case of hard, cold reality which happens even in the idealist world in which Tommy and Tanner reside. It is my hope that with the passing of time, kids won't be thrown away or feel despondent enough to consider suicide as the solution to their problems.
I hope the current season is a good one for you no matter which hemisphere is your home. You may have heard about devastating floods in Iowa. It's happen hundreds of miles from where I live, but that doesn't mean that I'm not concerned for the people affected by it. Please think and pray for them, if that is your habit. Communities have been badly damaged in several states along the Missouri River and the water is expected to remain for MONTHS. Three years ago, we at least dried out within weeks, making it easier to salvage what was flooded.
David