Tommy and Tanner Chapter 26
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 26
There was no swim practice on Christmas Eve day, so Tommy, Tanner, and Andy slept in. About 10:00, Tim rapped gently on their door to see if they were awake.
"C'mon in," they called in chorus.
"Grandma's making a huge late breakfast and wants to know if you're ready to eat. I know she's got a big stack of her famous thin pancakes staying warm in the oven and there's sausage, eggs, and bacon. Oh, and applesauce and sour cream as well as three kinds of syrup. Mom and Dad said they'd wait for you about five minutes and then they're digging in."
"I think that's a real motivator!" Tanner exclaimed, climbing out of bed.
Tommy and Andy quickly followed. They cleaned up a bit in the bathroom and slipped on sweats so as not to embarrass Jeri. If truth be told, she would have had no problem seeing them in their boxers, but Andy might have felt uncomfortable.
Tuck came bounding out of his room in a T and sleep pants obviously wearing nothing under them. The other boys could see that he was maturing nicely, but didn't tease him as they all thundered down the stairs.
Andy's eyes, and his smile, widened at the sight of the platters of food. There seemed to be enough to feed the biblical 5,000 without loaves and fishes, but a lot of it found a home as four adults and five teens dug in.
"Grandma, you've outdone yourself!" Tanner said as he got up to hug Jeri after he'd finished.
She hugged him close to her in return. Her heart swelled with love for this boy who had become like a real grandson to her. She had done her best to let him know what he meant to her, especially after Tark had related how his mother had reacted to the boy.
Remembering their manners, the boys all got up to take their plates to the dishwasher. Tuck pitched in to put away the syrups, applesauce, and other things that needed to be cleared from the table. His parents were mildly surprised but very pleased.
Andy was invited to take his shower first because he would need to get home. When Andy was ready, Tark loaded his bike in the back of the van and drove him to his house while the rest of the boys got showered and dressed. Tommy and Tanner shared the master bath while Tim and Tuck took turns in the main one.
Because Dorothy and her husband had added a family room on the main floor with a master bedroom with ensuite bath above it, there were more facilities than in the usual home built in that era; still not everyone could use them when they wanted to. Tark was seriously considering turning one of the large bedroom closets into another three-quarter bath in the near future to make it even more livable for a modern family. The pipes could be run up through the old furnace chimney which had been capped when Dorothy had an energy efficient furnace put in which vented out the side of the house. He was planning to discuss it with Floyd and James when the latter came.
"When Grandpa James gets here this afternoon, do you think we should invite Tuck to sleep in our room," Tommy asked of Tanner. "I know we didn't get to christen our new bed last night with Andy here, but I also know Tuck isn't really keen about sharing his room with Grandpa."
"It's kind of you to think about him. We've become a lot closer to Tuck in the past year. This could really cement the bond. We can always mess around some other time, possibly in the shower. I'm not sure why Mom didn't plan for Grandpa to be in Tim's room and let Tim sleep on the trundle in Tucker's room, but maybe she's trying to forget last Christmas when the `Queen' was still part of the family.""
"Calling Ms. Cynthia `queen' is kinder than she deserves, unless you're being sarcastic." Tommy said. "The only regal part about her is that she was a royal pain in the ass last year. I'm glad she's not coming."
"I have to admit I'm happy about it too, and yes, I was being sarcastic. Grandpa James is cool and it will be nice to visit with him without her!" Tanner agreed.
"Did you hear that Dad's going to pick his brain about a little remodeling? Grandpa's a fine architect and engineer even though he doesn't need to practice his profession with all the inherited money he has. I think he works just to have something to do."
"Yeah, it would be nice to have another bathroom when we're all trying to get ready at once. Of course, I don't mind sharing with you," Tanner whispered as he nibbled on Tommy's earlobe.
Tuck was elated with the invitation to room with Tommy and Tanner for the next few days. He didn't dislike his grandfather, but he couldn't sleep well when the older man snored, which was a large part of the night.
"So, did you have an orgy last night?" he snickered as he moved some of his clothes into his brothers' room.
"No we didn't, but it wouldn't have been your business if we had," Tommy said.
"Sorry, I forget and put my foot in my mouth sometimes. I didn't mean to make you mad."
"I'm not mad, really. I'm sorry too, for taking it wrong. I know you have a right to tease us like we do you."
"No hard feelings, Bro," Tucker smiled. "I think it's cool that you aren't treating me like a little boy anymore - most of the time at least."
"You're okay," Tommy grinned, punching his younger brother's shoulder. "It'll be cool to have you in high school next fall."
"Yeah, you may need me to watch your back. I rule at kempo!"
Nearly as soon as the words had left his mouth, he found himself on the floor with Tommy sitting on him.
"Okay, so maybe I'm not as good as you, but I'm getting better. How did you get to be so fast?"
"Tanner and I've been practicing a lot on our own. I guess we need to include you in those sessions."
"Yeah, it would be nice," Tucker exclaimed. "Now get your lard-butt off me so I can finish getting the clothes I'm gonna need."
"Okay, but just remember our kempo sessions sometimes end up in bed."
"Eew! I'll pass on those!"
Tucker continued to bring in things he thought he'd need during his grandfather's stay. The other two teased him about planning to move in permanently, but ended up helping him.
No one was at all interested in eating at noon. They decided to hold off lunch until after James arrived. They would have a late dinner and open presents before going to the 11:00 service. It would be a late day all round.
Grandpa Torrance arrived shortly after 1:30 driving a new black Mercedes with a sunroof. The sporty sedan made him look like someone who was out to impress the ladies, and he admitted that he'd considered its effect when he was shopping for a new car.
Two meals and a lot of visiting later, everyone got dressed for church before opening their gifts to avoid a last minute rush. James set up his camera on a tripod to get a few photos of the whole family while everyone looked spiffy. He'd take a lot of casual ones later, but wanted these to take to a young artist he'd met to have them made into large pastels. Commissioning portraits by Joshua was expensive, but well worth it.
Tanner was particularly moved by the fact that James wanted to include ALL of the members of this extended clan – including him. By using the self-timing option, James was able to get into the picture too.
Because they felt that Christmas was more about giving to people who really needed things than overdoing it for people who didn't, Tark and Teri had put a $20 limit on the gifts that were purchased for the person whose name family members drew. Of course, they and the grandparents had decided to give a combined cash gift to each of the four boys to spend as they wished. James, who certainly had plenty of money, insisted that he should contribute double the amount to make up for the fact that their grandmother was out of the picture. No one argued the point. So, in addition to the gift from whoever drew their name, each boy received another $180 in a little gift bag along with a tag which said that a gift had been purchased in their name for the Angel Tree to brighten the day for a less fortunate child. All seemed to be quite happy with the arrangement.
The Christmas Eve service was beautiful as usual. It ended with everyone holding a candle and singing "Silent Night" before going out in the clear, cold night to go home to bed.
Christmas Day was overcast, but with no snow. While a brown Christmas has never been the inspiration for a hit song or a carol, it did make travel easier. Of course no one in the Torrance house had reason to go anywhere, and their additional guests lived only a few blocks away.
Lee and Peter arrived around 11:00 and Todd, Jennifer, and Brendan came fifteen minutes later. Jennifer explained that her stomach had been unsettled earlier in the morning and put them off schedule, but she was now feeling fine. She had feared it was a flu bug, but it since it cleared up so quickly, she figured it must have been something she ate.
Tark and Teri gave each other the spousal look that suggested they thought Jennifer's "illness" might be from some other cause. Teri wasn't going to ask the question, but Tark figured he might when the guys were out of earshot of the women.
When they were shooed into the family room by the ladies, Tark sidled up to Todd.
"Could Jennifer be having morning sickness?"
"Hmm, I didn't think of that. We tried for a couple of years after Brendon turned three, but to not avail. But I wonder..."
"I assume you had your share of `welcome home' loving at Thanksgiving time," Tark smirked. "Teri and I had a kind of second honeymoon when the boys were off at scout camp and you see what happened to us."
"Yeah! I heard that it wasn't supposed to happen for you either. You must be a real stud."
"I'd like to think so, but it was probably just good luck. We're finally getting our little girl!"
"Congratulations. I'm going to talk to Jenny about getting a testing kit. I hope we've had the same kind of luck."
When all three grandparents departed a couple of days later, the house seemed empty. This was accentuated by the fact that Tucker went to stay overnight with Bobby while Tommy and Tanner got invited to stay with Andy. That left Tim and his parents.
Tim took the opportunity to invite Chas and any of the guys from the football team who were available to come over for a night of video games, BS, and popcorn. Anyone who could stay over was asked to bring a sleeping bag and they'd all sack out in the family room when they got tired enough to do so. Quite a few of the players were out of town with family, but nine showed up, including Devin Mosbeck who was their place-kicker, Bart Johnson who had made the all important interception in the homecoming game, and Greg Paulson who had caught Tim's long pass and made the scoring touchdown.
The party stared off with plenty of camaraderie among the boys present. Tim had brought in two TV's in addition to the big one that was a permanent fixture in the family room. A couple of his friends had brought along their video games to hook up to them, so everyone had plenty of play time. Those who weren't in the heat of competition cheered for the ones who were.
Things went well, and everyone seemed to be having fun, until Devin trounced Bart in one of the games. Instead of taking his loss gracefully, Bart began to verbally abuse the younger boy.
"You cheated, you freaking queer." Bart yelled.
"Hey, easy guy," Tim said. "I was watching, and he beat you fair and square. Settle down and be a good sport. After you cool off, I'd like you to apologize for the name-calling."
"I never lose at that game and I won't apologize to a fuckin' pansy. He's not a real football player anyway."
"Devin's extra points have helped win several games this season. He's as important to the team as anyone else, including you and me." Tim insisted quietly. "Now either tell him you're sorry or pack up and go."
"You gonna make me?" Bart sneered.
"If I have to," Tim continued in the kind of calm, self-assured manner Tark would have used.
Bart tried to stare him down, but eventually blinked before Tim did.
"Okay, I'm goin', but I'll never apologize to a fairy. Greg, you'd better come to if you want a ride home."
"I can take you home in the morning if you want to stay, Greg," Tim offered.
"Go ahead, Bart, I'm staying," Greg said.
"Suit yourself. If you hang around with fags, you'll end up like them. That's part of their agenda, to make others be like them." Bart snarled as he finished putting on his coat and grabbed his sleeping bag.
After Bart had slammed the door behind him, the room was very quiet for a few seconds. Tim went over to Devin and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Sorry about that scene."
"Thanks for standing up for me," Devin said, looking like he was on the verge of tears. "I should have let him win like usual, I guess."
"You've been letting him win?" Greg said in surprise.
"Yeah, it's easier than crossing him. He's been taunting me all year."
"I guess none of the assemblies about bullying took on him," Tim observed.
"No, he's a bully and a homophobe," Devin sighed. "He's threatened to out me all year and I'm just fed up with it! Okay, I'm queer like he said I am. I can't stand this anymore. I'm going home."
"Don't let him ruin our evening," Greg insisted. "I don't give a shit if you're gay, purple, or whatever. You're an asset to the team and a good guy. Can anyone here honestly say that they don't like Devin because he may be different than some of the rest of us?"
The guys all shook their heads, some with more conviction than others, but all none-the-less.
"So, you're officially coming out to us?" Tim asked.
"Yeah." Devin nodded. "I may hate myself in the morning, but I'm tired of living a lie."
"Let me be the first to congratulate you on your courage," Tim said as he hugged his teammate tightly.
"Thanks!" Devin said with emotion. "I'm gonna need friends like you. I'm not big enough to defend myself against someone like Bart."
"We'll work on that," Tim assured him.
The rest of the evening was spent going back to their games and having fun. Several of the guys made it a point to play against Devin to let him know that they were okay with him. Their kindness didn't go unnoticed.
Tark came down to check on things and asked about the noise he'd heard earlier.
"It's no big deal, Mr. Torrance," Devin said. "Bart was angry that I beat him in a game."
"It's more than that, Dad," Tim said. "Bart called Devin a number of names that we don't use in this house and I asked him to leave."
"That's good, Son. That is, if you gave him a chance to apologize first."
"Several times!" Chas spoke up.
"They were all slurs about being gay," Devin told him. "But I guess they're true. I might as well level with you too before you hear it around school. I'm gay."
"So, how have the rest of these guys reacted to your news?" Tark asked the boy. "They're still here."
"They're cool," Devin smiled wanly.
"Listen up, guys," Tark called to the rest. "I'd like to think that you're all capable of keeping Devin's secret unless he gives you permission to tell the world. I think a guy's sexuality is his own business and no one else's. I'm not saying that Devin needs to hide his orientation, but he may want the opportunity to talk to his parents before they hear it from someone at the supermarket."
"Thanks, Mr. Torrance, but my family knows already. They've been frightened for my safety and advised me to stay in the closet until I'm in college, but I just couldn't stand in any longer!"
"I'm glad they know and are supporting you," Tark smiled. "You can count on everyone in my house to do the same and I sincerely hope your teammates will show the same loyalty. Am I right on that, guys?"
The boys all nodded in agreement.
"Well, is anyone hungry for pizza if I call in an order?" Tark asked.
All the guys smiled as their hands shot up like eager students in one of his social studies classes.
After the guys ate their fill, they got back to their second priority – playing video games.
Greg and Devin got into a seriously intense combat game, so much so that the rest of the guys eventually formed an audience, cheering each guy's moves.
When Devin finally defeated his "enemy," he exclaimed, "I got your ass, uh, in a non-sexual kind of way, that is."
He and Greg started giggling. There was silence in the room for a heartbeat, and then the rest of the guys broke up in laughter. By making a kind of joke about his orientation and the implications of it, he had gone a long way toward complete acceptance.
Before everyone left in the morning, Tim took Devin aside and asked him to call his parents and get permission to stay longer. He took Devin with him when he dropped Greg off at home and called Tommy's cell next.
"Are you yay-hoos about ready come home?" he asked.
"Yeah, Andy's mom is going to bring us pretty soon. Andy's coming with us for a while."
"Cool. How about Devin and I pick you up and save her the trip. We'll pass Andy's street in a few."
"Yeah, that'll be great!" Tommy responded before ending their call.
"Devin, I want you to start learning kempo with Andy and my brothers. They know more about the moves than I do and they'll be happy to show off what they can do."
"Should I tell them why I need self-defense?"
"That's up to you, but if I were in your shoes I would. I guarantee they'll understand."
"Okay, I might as well get some practice at coming out. There has to be a better way than just blurting it out like last night."
"I'm not sure about what's a good way and what's not," Tim said. "Since I'm straight I don't have to agonize over that. No one's ever asked me to admit that I'm not gay," he joked.
Devin laughed heartily. It was freeing to be able to make light of orientation differences, as he had the night before.
Andy, Tommy, and Tanner scrambled into the back seat after putting their stuff into the trunk.
"You guys know Devin, don't you?" Tim asked as Devin turned around to greet them.
"We ran track with him in the spring," Andy answered. "It's been awhile since I've seen you because our schedules are different'" he added, bumping fists with Devin.
"You've scored a bunch of points for the football team as I recall," Tanner said. "Even with Tim's great arm, some of those games would've been lost without you. Next year you'll probably be even better."
"I'm not sure I'll be on the team. Bart and I had a run-in last night and he called my lots of bad names, like fag, queer, and fairy."
"He's a hothead, don't pay attention to him." Tommy exclaimed.
"But it's true. I am gay," Devin said avoiding their gaze.
"Welcome to the club," Andy said as he put his right hand on the back of Devin's neck.
"You're gay? No way!" Devin responded. "I don't believe it."
"Way." Andy said.
"Us too," Tommy and Tanner chimed in.
"No way! Oops, I guess I've used that one already. I can't believe it; you all act straight. I thought I was the only one in the whole school, other than for Mason. This is great!"
"So have you come out to anyone else?" Tanner asked.
"I told a few members of the team last night after Bart left because I was so fed up about hiding it. I want to live free."
"None of us has come out other than to our parents and a few trusted friends," Tommy informed him. "We're not sure when to do it. We have two more years after this one."
"Me too. I was going to wait until college, but I just lost it last night. I don't think I can go back in the closet. Too many people know."
"Dad cautioned the guys that know," Tim reminded him.
"Your dad has a lot of respect from the team, but I'm afraid someone will let it slip sometime."
"You don't have to rush into telling everyone," Tim suggested. "In the meantime, you can think about how you'll respond, and we can help you to be ready in case some asshole tries to attack you."
"Are you going to take kempo?" Andy asked.
"Tim said you guys might be willing to each me some basics," Devin said.
"Cool!" Andy grinned. "We'll get you started, but I think you should join classes at Shogun's and have a real trainer. Do you think your parents would spring for it, or would they ask too many questions about why you needed it?"
"They know about me and I know they're worried about my safety. They'll worry more now that I've told other kids, so I have no doubt they'll give me the money."
By the time the five guys got back to the Torrance residence, Tuck was there too. He was really happy that they were planning to do some kempo training because he'd been neglecting his practice over the holidays. It would be good to have an even number of guys so that all would have a partner.
Devin was impressed with the uniforms the other boys had and was eager to sign up and get his own. For the time being, Tommy leant him a clean gym outfit and jock to wear. Devin got a kind of thrill from putting on another guy's jock, but managed to keep his beast from becoming too aroused.
Tuck enjoyed working out against Devin because he was further advanced than the older boy. However, Devin turned out to be a quick-study and worthy opponent. That was fine with Tuck too.
The boys all took quick showers, sharing the main bathroom if not the shower itself. They got rid of the sweat before sitting down to the big lunch Teri and Tark had prepared for them.
Knowing that Devin would be eager to have a long, private conversation with his middle brothers and Andy, Tim asked Tucker if he'd like to go to the mall to spend part of his Christmas money. Tuck was pleased to have the opportunity. They hadn't had a lot of time together recently with all the school activities and Tim's new girlfriend, Melody Stack. Melody was still out of town at her grandparents' house, so this was a perfect time for the brothers to do something together.
As soon as Tim and Tucker had left, Devin, Andy, Tommy, and Tanner went upstairs to the boys' room.
"I don't know you guys well enough to ask all the questions that I have," Devin began. "But, I've never met anyone like me before except Mason and, well, we didn't talk much because I was afraid of getting labeled if I was around him."
"I think several of us had a similar concern about Mason, but we did hang around with him some." Andy said. "I don't think any of us here would mind telling you anything we know about being gay or whatever."
"Cool," Devin continued, "I know how accepting Mr. Torrance is about orientation, but how did your dad react, Andy? He's a policeman isn't he?"
"He is and he's a pretty tough guy, but he's also a loving father. He figured me out before I got brave enough to tell him, and he let me know it didn't matter. He was afraid I might commit suicide like we thought Mason had.
Mom was cool too. I think she'd already guessed."
"Wow!" Devin exclaimed. "So, uh are any of you guys seeing anyone?"
"Tommy and I are a couple," Tanner said. "Mom and Dad are okay with it because we're not related by blood, but I suspect they'd understand even if we were."
"Cool! I've never had a boyfriend. In fact, I'm pretty naïve," Devin admitted.
"Me too," Andy said.
"Maybe we could all go to a movie together or something," Tommy suggested. "It would be fun and we'd kinda like be cover for each other because I don't think guys double-date a lot..."
"If the guys on the team out me, going to a movie with me might be hazardous to your health as well as your reputations," Devin said sadly.
"The only one on your team who'd do that is Bart and he wasn't there when you came out. Besides, that wouldn't deter me," Andy averred. "I'm getting kinda tired of hiding too."
"I think we all are," Tommy agreed. "I'll bet we're all out before we graduate. Maybe we could even start a LGBT group in case any other guys need support."
When Tim got back with Tucker, Tommy asked him if he could drive the other boys home. Tim was happy to do it because he wanted a few minutes to talk to Devin after they dropped Andy off. He knew his brothers well enough to know they'd "adopted" Devin, but he wanted to hear Devin's reaction first-hand.
Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed since last posting: Don R, Rutabaga, Walt S, Ott H, Jim C, Jim W, Bill T, Nathaniel L (#103), Roger L, Trish R, Bill K, Bert H, Danny A, Bob Z, Shaun C (#104), John McD, Tom A, Paul R, and JM (#105).
David