Jake And Trevor

At work on Monday, Jake walked into Tom's office.

"Tom, you got a minute?"

"Sure, Jake. What d'ya need?"

"I'm going to be busy on Thanksgiving, so I won't be coming by."

"Oh, really? And would this busy include a nice looking blond or rather two of them?"

"Yes. Sandy invited me to their house for Thanksgiving."

"One of many, I'm sure. Remember, I expect an invitation for the first Thanksgiving after you two get married."

"Now, why would I want my best friend at something like that? I want to enjoy Thanksgiving."

"Some friend you are. We invited you to our first Thanksgiving, so turnabout is fair play."

"Okay, but you forget something. We're not married."

"Only a matter of time."

"Yeah, right. Anyway, I am guessing that Trevor will be talking to the dynamic duo about his birthday party this Saturday. It is for families too. So you guys are invited as well. It will be at my house at about 1pm."

"Okay, we'll be there."

Meanwhile, Trevor felt that the week dragged along. At least it was a short week because of Thanksgiving on Thursday. He asked the twins and Jeremy if they wanted to go to his birthday party. At the scout meeting on Tuesday he asked some of the guys that he had made friends with if they wanted to go as well. He asked Jeremy if he would like to stay overnight. Jeremy checked with his mom and she said that it would be fine for him to spend the night. Jeremy was really looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend now.

Thanksgiving arrived, and Jake went over to Trevor's house. It was a good day, with good food and good company. By the end of the day, you would have thought that they had been together as a family for a long time. Jake and Trevor watched a football game or two after dinner, and then Jake had to say his goodbyes to them both. He received a hug and a kiss from each of them.

That evening Jake was having a real hard time trying to figure out what to give Trevor for his birthday. It wasn't until Friday that he came up with something that he thought that Trevor would like. He talked to Sandy about it and she agreed. So Jake got the present and wrapped it up in a small box. He put it away in the drawer of the desk of his office at home.

---

On Saturday, Trevor came over early to help Jake straighten up the house. They put some music on, Trevor's choice of course, since it was his birthday. The house didn't take long to clean up for the party. By the time they got to the backyard, Sandy came over and helped with the decorating and getting the food and snacks ready. Trevor raked up the leaves in the backyard, and made sure everything was just right for the party.

At about noon, Tom and his family showed up to help. Zach and Jared helped finish up with the yard cleaning. Pretty soon the guests started to arrive. There were some from school and some from the scout troop. Some of the parents did not stay for the party and just left their boys at the house. Only a few of the parents stayed for the party. Jeremy's mom came with Roger Smith, and they stayed for the party. The boys changed into their swimsuits and spend the next two or three hours in the pool; they had chicken fights, races and played a lot of Marco Polo. Some of them got out and threw the ball for Dee and played with him. He loved every minute of it. Dee didn't often get this much attention paid to him and he turned on the charm.

The adults laughed at the antics of the boys, while they enjoyed each other's company. The adults sat around eating chips and drinks. Some drank beer, some wine and others sodas or ice tea. A little before four, Jake manned the grill and started cooking. At about four, Jake made the announcement that the food was ready. You never saw a pool empty so fast. Jake held up his hands to stop the blitz.

"Get dried off first, guys, and then calmly come back to get the food."

The boys went over to where they had left their towels and got dried off, and then hurried back over.

"Okay, you folks better get up and grab some food before the horde comes back, or there might not be any left."

After everyone had a loaded plate, the boys went away from the adults, and sat on the grass around the back yard together talking. While the adults sat around at or near the table under the awning at the back of the house. Sandy turned to Roger.

"Roger. I just want to thank you for taking Trevor with you, when you took Jeremy and his mom to the game last week. He had a real good time. So thank you."

"It was my pleasure. I was glad I was able to get the tickets for us to go."

"Did you buy them?"

"No, I have a friend who has season tickets and he gave these to me, because he had business out of town and couldn't use them."

"Well, when you see him next, please thank him for me as well."

"I surely will."

"So Roger, what do you do, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all. I'm a sales manager for a tech company. We make some of the internal parts for computers, and I'm in charge of the sales staff out here on the West Coast. It involves travel from time to time when I have to make sure my staff is taking care of our customers. But it has its perks, like getting tickets to the game. The person I got them from is a friend and one of our customers."

They continued with the dinner, everyone commenting on how good it was. Jake got up after a little while, and turned to the group of boys.

"Anyone want seconds?"

Most of the boys got up and hurried over to get some more food. This caused the adults to laugh and make comments about hollow legs and boys' appetites, which caused some of the boys to blush, and several of them said something like 'Mooommm' or 'Daaaaad'.

After the food was finished and the plates were cleaned up, the cake and the presents were brought out. Trevor became the center of attention. The cake was chocolate covered with chocolate frosting with 12 candles stuck into it. Trevor closed his eyes and blew all the candles out. He smiled as his friends patted him on the back. He started to open his presents. He got some nice presents like a small Leatherman from one of his scout friends, some gift cards for REI and Best Buy, movie tickets, a Playstation game, and from his Mom a new backpack for the scout outings.

When he finished he looked around to make sure he hadn't missed any presents. He looked under the torn wrapping paper. He didn't find any more, and for a moment he got a disappointed look on his face. But the boys distracted him, and they all sat around having cake and talking about the presents. Eventually the party started to break up and one by one the boys went home. Denise and Roger left Jeremy behind when they got up to leave. Sandy saw them to the door.

"Thanks again for the game, and letting Jeremy stay the night."

"No problem. This lets Roger and I have an evening for us. We're going out to a club for some dancing."

"Well, have a great time. I'll take good care of Jeremy."

"Thanks and bye. See you tomorrow."

Tom and Terry stayed behind to help clean up. Trevor, Jeremy, Zach and Jared went across the street to play video games. During the cleaning up, Terry sidled over to Jake.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Jake looked at Terry with a raised eyebrow. She had a look that said 'Give'. Jake sighed and looked up to the heavens, asking for strength. This caused Terry to chuckle a little.

"Yes, Terry, we have gone out, and we are going to go out some more."

Terry had a triumphant grin and was almost dancing around.

"Yes! I knew it. The minute I met her, I knew she was the one for you."

"You don't know anything. I said we were going to go out and get to know each other. We might not even have a lot in common."

"Oh come off it. I saw how you and she look at each other. You guys are right for each other. I can tell."

"Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell. If you keep this up, I'll leave you to wash these dishes alone."

Terry made a motion of pulling a zipper across her mouth, but she had a look of mirth in her eyes, and she couldn't keep from smiling at him and letting out muffled giggles as they washed the dishes. Jake kept giving her the evil eye, but that almost made her burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, Jake, but I can't help it. I've known you for so long, and I have just wanted for you to find someone special, and I think Sandy is the one. And look at what you get with her, a ready-made family. Trevor's a good kid, and all you have to do is look at him and see how he looks at you. He really loves you."

"I know, I love him too. I know you have been worried about me and I thank you, but just give us some time, okay?"

"Fair enough, but don't take too long."

Jake chuckled.

"What?"

"I was laughing because that's what Trevor said last weekend."

"Smart boy. Maybe I've been going about this the wrong way. I might have to go have a talk with him, and we'll see if we can put our nefarious plan in motion."

"That's not fair. Two against one."

"Well, you know what they say, All's fair in love and war."

"Yeah I heard that."

They cleaned in silence for a few moments.

"You know, Terry. I'm real glad I have you and Tom as friends. I do care about you and I love my 'nephews'. So thanks for being my friends."

"Friends, hell, we're family. A family which I hope will be increased by two pretty soon."

"Don't start."

She laughed as Jake turned to her, giving her a hug and a kiss. They are interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Hey you, get your hands off my wife! Those lips belong to me."

"I can't help it if she wants to get a kiss from someone who actually knows how to kiss. That way she'll know what she's been missing."

Tom came up and took his wife into her arms and gave her a kiss with a dip. They laughed.

"And Terry, those lips are mine; you've obviously got your own."

After she said that, Sandy came over to Jake and gave him a nice long gentle kiss. Tom and Terry clapped. From the direction of the dining room area there were some catcalls and whistles. The boys had come back from across the street and walked in just as the kissing started. The adults looked over that way and saw the four boys all smiling at them. Right in front was Trevor with the biggest grin. He came over and hugged Jake and Sandy, which they returned.

"Okay, since you boys are here, why don't you help us clean up the rest of the stuff, so we can get it done."

Everyone pitched in and everything was cleaned up in no time. After everything was clean, Tom and Terry started to get their stuff together. The boys came over to them, with Trevor in the lead.

"Aunt Terry, Uncle Tom? Um ...could Zach and Jared spend the night with Jeremy and me?"

He gave them the puppy dog look; behind him they saw the look mirrored by the other three boys. The adults looked at the boys and smiled. Tom and Terry looked over at Sandy and she nodded.

"Aunt Terry, huh? I could get used to that. I guess it's all right."

"Yaaayyy!"

The room was filled with jumping, happy boys. The twins hugged their parents, followed by Trevor.

"Now you boys mind Sandy, and don't cause any problems, okay."

"Sure, Dad, we'll be good. Thanks."

"Sandy, are you sure you want the dynamic duo?"

"Not a problem. Anyway, if I have a problem with them, I know someone to use as a bouncer who is just a yell away."

Jake started flexing and grunting and beating his chest like Tarzan. Everyone laughed at him. Tom and Terry gave a last hug to their boys, and then hugged Jake and Sandy as well.

"Tom, I'll drop the boys off tomorrow afternoon, and I can take Jeremy home at the same time. They can come over here and swim for a while before I take them home. Unless you need them home sooner?"

"You want 'em permanently, Jake. I'll sign 'em over to you."

"Daaaaaad!"

Both boys whined at him. Terry gave Tom a smack on the back of his head.

"No, Jake, my husband, who may find himself making other sleeping arrangements tonight, and I do not mind if they stay until the afternoon. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Besides, that will mean we get to sleep in tomorrow, or maybe not exactly sleep."

Tom then gave his wife a long kiss.

"Eeewww! Dad, hello, children in the room! We'll be permanently scarred."

They laughed and everyone said goodbye. Sandy got ready to leave as well. The boys helped carry some dishes and things that she had brought over. At the door, Jake stopped Trevor with a hand on his shoulder.

"Sandy, go on ahead. I want to talk to Trevor for a moment. We'll be over in a few minutes."

She nodded with a smile and continued across the street with the other boys. Jake took Trevor to the living room and sat down with him. Trevor had a puzzled look.

"Trevor. I saw the look on your face for a moment after you opened your presents and then checked all around. You looked a little disappointed."

Understanding came to Trevo,r and he hung his head a little and blushed some.

"I ...I was kind of looking for a present from you. Not that you had to get me something, I got plenty of good presents from everybody and you gave me a party. You probably did not have time anyway. Besides you do so much for me now, that you don't need to get my anything else."

"Now what kind of a Dad would I be, if I didn't get my son a gift for his birthday?"

Trevor got a hopeful look on his face.

"I admit it was hard to think of something, but I finally did. Now it's not a big present. But it is a present that speaks of the trust I have for you, and how much I care about you. I hope you like it."

Jake took the small box out of his pocket and gave it to Trevor. Trevor took it and slowly opened it. Inside was a key with a small metal key fob thing on it, which had three buttons on it, kinda like a car alarm, and there were a couple of LED's on them. One looked red but it was not lit and one that was green, which was lit. Jake's name was engraved on it. Trevor looked at Jake with a puzzled look. Jake pointed at the device.

"That son is the key to my home. The metal thing turns the alarm system off and on. There is also a panic button that will set the alarm off if there is a problem. I want you to have this, so that you can come to my house whenever you want, any time, any day. You don't have to ask. Just come over. If I'm not here, just come on in. The only thing you can't do is come over and go swimming when I'm not here; that wouldn't be safe. I asked your mom about this and she said she didn't mind. I gave her one too. She gave me a key to your house, and I am going to get an alarm system installed over there as well. You guys will have a similar setup, only it will have your Mom's name engraved on it, so you can tell them apart. I want you to treat this house as yours. I'm also going to fix up one of the bedrooms here into one that you can use, in case your mom needs to be out of town and you need a place to stay. So I am going to ask you to help me decorate it the way that you want it. You can make it however you want it. If you want to paint it, we'll paint it. Your mom knows all about it, and she likes the idea. That way when she has to go to a conference or something somewhere, she knows you will be taken care of and she won't have to get someone to stay with you. And when I have to go out of town on business, I'll have someone who can make sure Dee is fed and watered and taken care of. What do you think, is that okay?"

Trevor's answer was to get up on Jake's lap and put his arms around Jake's neck and lay his head on his shoulder, a position that had started to become his favorite. He gave Jake a quick kiss on the cheek and they just cuddled for a while.

"Well, son, we had better get over to your house. They're going to start the movie without us, and we won't get any popcorn."

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. You're the best."

Trevor got up and Jake followed him to the door. They went outside and Jake stopped and looked at Trevor.

"Well?"

"What?"

"Why don't you test out your keys?"

"Oh."

Trevor looked down and saw a green light on it. He pushed the button that Jake showed him, and a red LED flashed once on the remote, then came on and stayed on.

"That light now shows that the alarm is set. The other button will turn off the alarm and the green light will blink, then come on and stay on, like it was when I gave it to you. The other button is the panic button. If you push it, the alarm will go off, and believe me, it is loud. So don't push that unless it is an emergency. Okay, come over here and jump on."

Jake turned around and bent down a little. Trevor put the key in his pocket and grinned as he jumped up on Jake's back. Jake straightened up and ran across the street, with Trevor hanging on tight and laughing as Jake ran around a bit instead of going straight to the front door. He went up to Trevor's house and opened the door. Sandy was just coming out of the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn. She smiled when she saw them.

"I thought you guys had gotten lost. I take it you told him."

"Yes, and he decided that it didn't suck. Or did you?"

Trevor giggled some and they went into the living room, where Jake set him down and took a seat on the couch. Sandy sat beside him. The boys all sat together in front of the TV with pillows from the bedroom and the couch. They started the DVD and watched the movie. After the movie they cleaned up the bowls, glasses and empty cans.

"Mom, can we all sleep in here tonight?"

"Don't you think you would be more comfortable in your bedroom?"

"We want to sleep all together here. In my bed we could only get two of us in it; the rest would have to sleep on the floor, and we want to sleep together."

"Okay. Why don't you get the blankets off your bed, and I'll get some others from the closet. We have that air mattress in the garage and you can use the cushions from the couch."

The boys all scurried around getting everything ready for bed. They moved tables out of the way and got the air mattress pumped up with the small electric pump that came with it. When the living room was set up the way that they wanted it, they went to brush their teeth.

"Dang. Jared and I forgot we didn't bring anything like toothbrushes."

"Don't worry about it. I have some extras that I haven't used yet. You can use them."

"Cool, thanks."

The boys finished and went into the living room. Jake said goodbye to everyone, and gave Sandy a kiss goodbye. He turned to the boys when he got to the door.

"Now remember. Behave. I don't want to have to bounce you out of here."

"We will, good night, Jake."

After Jake left, Sandy turned to the boys.

"Okay boys, don't stay up too late and keep the noise down. I'd like to get some sleep myself."

"Good night, Mom."

"Good night, Mrs. Garrity."

The boys turned on the TV with the sound down, so it was not too loud, but they could still hear it. After a while they started to get tired.

"Hey, Zach, are you guys going to sleep in your clothes? I just remembered you guys didn't bring anything with you."

"Nah. We 're going to sleep like we usually do, in our underwear."

"Oh, okay. I think I will too."

"Trevor, what about your mom. What if she comes in here and sees us."

"She won't care. She's seen me in mine before."

"I'm a little nervous, though. Only my Mom has seen me like that  ...and you. I don't care if Zach and Jared see me, but it's your mom."

"You can use your pajamas, if you want."

Jeremy was undecided for a little bit. He looked at the other boys, and then made a decision.

"Well, if you guys are going to do it, then I will too. Besides it's not as if we were naked."

The boys agreed and they started to take off their pants. All of them looked at each other in their briefs. All of the boys were in decent shape for their ages. Their muscles had started to develop in their arms, chests, stomachs and legs. The twins were twelve now, having had their birthday a few months before. Trevor of course was now twelve and Jeremy was twelve as well. The twins admired the way Trevor and Jeremy looked. They looked at each other for a moment and smiled. Then everyone got under the covers and snuggled up to each other, giggling a little bit.

"Hey, guys. Have you two ever played with yourself?"

Trevor and Jeremy gave a nervous giggle.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Yeah, Jeremy and I did, when I stayed overnight. It was way cool."

"Yeah, we know. Jared and I do it with each other all the time."

"What do you mean, with each other?"

"Well, you know ...I hold his and he holds mine and we do it together."

"Really? I never thought about doing that."

"Yeah it feels better when someone else does it."

"Trevor, you want to try?"

"O ...okay, I guess."

Jeremy and Trevor scooted closer, and started touching each other. They felt each other starting to get stiff, and they both started moaning a little.

"Oh... that feels great.

They continued to touch each other as the feeling increased.

"Jeremy, let's pull our underwear down a little. It keeps getting in the way."

"Okay."

Both boys pulled their briefs down to mid thigh and got back to work on each other.

"Ohhh, Jeremy, I can feel it, it's starting to get all tingly."

"Me too, Trev. Keep going, it feels great."

Both of the boys' voices started to rise. Zach had by now moved up behind Trevor and Jared behind Jeremy. They rubbed the two boy's shoulders as they continued.

"Trev, Jer, you need to keep your voices down a bit. You're starting to get a little loud."

The boys bit on their lower lips a little to try to keep their voices down. They still gave out little whimpers of pleasure. Pretty soon, their breathing had gotten faster and their muscles tightened up. Then suddenly they both let out a little whimper and relaxed; their breathing slowed down to normal. Zach and Jared held each of the boys from behind and hugged them. Finally they both had calmed down and they opened their eyes. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Wow, that was awesome."

"Yes, definitely."

Trevor rolled over to face Zach and Jeremy did the same with Jared.

"Can we play some more?"

Zach and Jared answered them with a smile and pushed their briefs down and they moved closer to each other. Pretty soon all of them were trying real hard to keep from making too much noise as they made each other feel good. In a few short moments, there were four whimpers of pleasure, and then the partners collapsed against each other, hugging. Once they were settled down. Zach and Jared each leaned forward and gave their partners a quick kiss on the lips. The two other boys were kind of startled, but after a moment they gave a kiss back. They laid together, briefs down and their arms around each other. After they lay like that for a little while, they pulled their briefs back up and Jared moved closer to Jeremy as Zach moved to Trevor.

"Jeremy, do you mind if I sleep next to you?"

Jeremy looked at Jared and shook his head smiling. Jeremy turned onto his side and Jared spooned up against him, he put his arm over Jeremy and hugged him to his chest. Jeremy hugged Jared's arm against his chest and smiled over at Trevor before he closed his eyes.

"Trev, can I do the same with you?"

"Sure Zach. I think I'd like that."

So Trevor rolled over and Zach spooned up against his back, hugging Trevor to him. Trevor turned his head back a little and hesitated a moment, before he gave Zach a quick kiss. They snuggled up to each other.

"Trevor. You asleep yet?"

"Not yet, why?"

"Do you think Uncle Jake and your mom are going to, you know, get married? When your mom kissed him, it looked like they really liked that."

"Yeah, I think so and I really hope so. I love Jake, he treats me like his son. Like tonight, when I finished opening my presents up, I realized that I didn't get a present from Jake and felt kind of bad about it. Remember when you guys came over here, and he kept me behind for a few minutes. That was when he gave me his present. It was a key and a remote to the alarm to his house. He said that he wanted me to come over there whenever I wanted. I really hope he and Mom get married. Then he really would be my Dad."

"Yeah, then you would practically be my cousin. Kissin' Cousins."

Zach followed that up with a kiss. Trevor smiled and they snuggled up again. They quickly fell asleep. None of them noticed Sandy quietly slipping back into her room, with a little smile on her face.

---

The next morning Trevor started to wake up when he smelled breakfast cooking. He felt warm and protected. When he opened his eyes, he felt the warm body of Zach up against his back and it made him feel good. He looked over and saw Jared was holding Jeremy the same way. They both had faint smiles on their faces. Trevor smiled at that. He then turned around, making sure he did not dislodge Zach's arm, and looked at the sleeping boy. He moved closer to him and gave him a kiss. Zach slowly opened his eyes and smiled at Trevor.

"I could stand to wake up like that anytime. Mmmmm, I smell food."

"Yeah, I think my mom is up and making breakfast."

"Wait, oh shit. Do you think your mom saw us like this? What is she going to say?"

"I don't see how she could miss seeing us. She had to go right by here to get to the kitchen. I don't think she cares, but we better get up and get dressed quickly, unless you want her to see you in your underwear. We better get the others up and get dressed quickly."

"That sounds like a good idea. Let's get them up."

Zach and Trevor got up, after they reached over to shake the other two boys gently. They woke up and realized that they were still sleeping together. They both blushed and got up. The boys quickly got their pants on, and then took turns in the bathroom. When they were all done, they headed to the kitchen, where Sandy was just putting the dishes of food on the table.

"Good morning, boys. It's about time you guys got up. I thought I was going to have to go in there and get you up."

She was smiling and all of the boys turned red.

"Morning, Mom."

"Morning, Mrs. Garrity. The food smells great."

"Well, don't let it get cold. Dig in."

The boys sat down and started eating. Before long all the plates were empty, and four full boys pushed back from the table.

"That was great, mom."

"Why don't you boys go clean up the living room and get things put away?"

The boys got all the pillows and cushions off of the floor and put the tables and other furniture back where it belonged. The boys then sat down and watched some morning cartoons. Trevor and Zach sat together and Jared and Jeremy sat together. After a couple of hours, Trevor got up.

"Who's ready to go over to Jake's?"

There is a chorus of 'Me's!'. They got up and put their shoes on.

"Mom, we're going over to Jake's now."

"Okay, boys. Have a nice time, and it was very nice to have you over."

"Bye, Mrs. Garrity."

They waited while Jeremy grabbed his backpack before the boys left the house and walked over to Jake's. They knocked on the door and Jake answered it. He smiled when he saw the boys.

"Good morning, boys. I'm getting ready to take Dee down to the park. Do you guys want to come along?"

"Yeah."

"Zach, why don't you go and grab the football out of the garage and we'll get going."

Zach ran to the garage and came back quickly with the football. Jake had Dee's leash on and they went outside.

"Trevor, if you will do the honors."

Trevor smiled and took the keychain out of his pocket and pushed the button. The remote changed to red and they left for the park. At the park they threw the football around. Dee ran around having fun with so many boys to run around with. Jake played quarterback as the boys took turns being receivers and rushing the quarterback. A lot of the time, Dee did the tackling, by chasing the boy with the ball, and jumping on him or tripping him. After an hour or two, the boys concocted a quick plan. They put it into motion at the next hike. They all turn and jumped Jake, pinning him down at the bottom of a pile of laughing boys, with a dog thrown in.

"Hey, heh, heh, stop, heh, heh, no fair."

"Yeah, ha, ha, no fair. Stop. Tickling is cheating."

The pile started jumping around more, and it quickly dissolved as boys squirmed away from Jake. The fact that Dee kept going after each boy in turn and licking them caused the boy under attack to roll away laughing. Finally all the combatants were separated and caught their breath. Even Dee seemed a little winded and was lying down by Jake.

"Okay, guys, let's go back home and get in some swimming."

"Yaaay!"

Everyone got up. Jared went after the football, while Trevor picked up the leash and snapped it on Dee. The group walked back to Jake's house, tossing the football around as they walked. As they came to a corner, Jared threw a long pass to Zach. Zach caught it and turned at the corner and stopped. He looked down the street out of sight of the others in the group. They saw him stop, and then suddenly he got a furious look on his face and he threw the football hard at something out of sight.

"Hey, leave him alone, you assholes!"

The rest of the group looked at each other in confusion. Zach started running toward them. Right behind him around the corner came four older boys about fourteen or fifteen; one of them carried the football. They slowed when they caught sight of the group. Jake moved the boys behind him. Zach joined them. The older boys paused as Jake moved up. Dee stood to Jake's side on alert, wrinkling his lips a little and showing his teeth. They looked Jake up and down, taking in his evident strength and size and Dee standing beside him.

"Dee, heel! Is there a problem, boys?"

"That little shit threw this football at us and hit Mike here in the back of the head."

Jake looked down at Zach, who was standing next to him, then back to the boys.

"Now I know my nephew pretty well, and I would like to think that he would only do something like that only with a real good reason. Zach?"

"Uncle Jake, you go around that corner and you'll see why I threw it at them. I saw those guys pushing a boy about our age around. I threw the football to distract them and it hit one of them. They stopped and then they started chasing me, so I ran back here."

Jake looked at the boys.

"Well, guys, is what he said true?"

The boys scowled, but didn't say anything right away.

"We were just messin' around with a buddy of ours. That's all."

Jake looked at the boys with some skepticism.

"Zach, why don't you and Trevor go to where you saw this other boy, and bring their 'buddy' back here?"

The older boys looked a bit nervous, but didn't say anything. Zach and Trevor ran around the corner and came back in a short time with a boy about eleven or twelve. He looked like he had been crying. In his hand he was holding a pair of glasses. As they passed the older boys, the older boys glared at them and the 'leader' said in a low, menacing voice.

"I would watch what I say, four eyes."

The boy looked up at the one who spoke and the boy looked scared. Zach and Trevor hustled him along. The older boys continued to glare at them as the three of them reached Jake. Jake could see a little cut on the side of the boy's head.

"Hi, buddy. Are you okay?"

"Y ...yes, sir. I'm okay."

"See, mister. I told you we were just foolin' around. He ain't hurt or nothing."

"Let him tell me, if you don't mind. Don't worry, buddy, you can tell me; I won't let anyone hurt you. Now are you really okay?"

The boy looked at the older boys; they glared at him and he had a look of fear and looked like he was going to start crying again.

"Don't worry about them, son. If I have to walk you home, I will. So ignore them. Just tell me the truth."

The boy took some hitching breaths and his chin quivered a little, as he continued to look from Jake to the older boys and back. Trevor put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"We're here too. Go ahead; you can tell him the truth. No one will be able to hurt you. All of us will protect you.

The boy looked at Trevor with a little smile and Trevor smiled back, giving the boy's shoulder a squeeze. The boy looked over at the boys again, and then up at Jake.

"I was just walking along on my way home, and those guys came up behind me and pushed me down. My glasses got broke. And they kept pushing me and pushing me. Then that boy threw the football at them, and they pushed me down again and started chasing him."

At that the older boys dropped the football and started running.

"We'll get you for that, four eyes. You better watch your back."

Jake looked up at the boys as they ran away. Dee stood up and growled, on alert once again. Jake turned back to the boys with him.

"Dee, heel! Okay do any of you know those guys? Do they live around here?"

"I've never seen them around here before. They must be just wandering through the neighborhood. I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen them before."

"Okay, Jeremy. Then they probably won't be around again. At least not for a while. Okay, now for our mystery guest. What's your name, bud?"

"Lucas Heath, sir."

"Well, Lucas, my name is Jake, I like that better than sir. The twins are Zachary and Jared. You heard me call him Jeremy, and the final one of the group is Trevor. Now we were on our way back home; do you live far from here?"

"No. We just moved here last week down the street."

"Well, that's right on our way home. We'll walk you home and see that you get back home okay."

"Thanks, I'd like that."

Jake gave his back a couple of pats and Dee came over, jumped up, causing him to stumble and crouch down. Dee then licked him, causing the boy to wipe his face and giggle. As the boy laughed Dee wanted to keep licking him.

"Dee, quit it, dummy, heel."

Dee moved back, allowing Lucas to get up. They started walking, and Zach picked up the football as they made their way to Lucas' house. They got to his house after a block. There was no sign of the older boys. They walked with Lucas up to the door. His mother came to the door as they approached.

"Hello. Lucas, aren't you going to intro ...Lucas, what happened to you?"

"Hi ma'am. I'm Jake MacLaren. It seems that a bunch of punk kids from out of the neighborhood pushed him around a bit and his glasses were broken, which is probably how he got the little cut on his head. We helped him out a bit and walked him home."

They shook hands.

"That is very kind of you, Mr. MacLaren; my name's Janet. Are you okay, Lucas?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

"I was glad we could help. The boys and I were on our way back home to go swimming. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to invite Lucas to go with us for an hour or two, and then when I take the twins and Jeremy home, I could drop Lucas off as well."

"Why, that is very kind of you, Mr. MacLaren. Lucas, do you think you might like to go swimming?"

"Yes, I would, Mom."

"Well, why don't you come in and wait, while I get my first aid kit. Lucas, go get your swimsuit and come back out here."

They followed her into the living room. Lucas went to his room while his mother got her first aid kit from the kitchen. Lucas came back and she led him over to the couch and had him sit down next to her while she cleaned the cut.

"There you go, Lucas, all fixed up."

"Ma'am, here is my card with my address and home phone on it, in case you need to get a hold of me or Lucas while he is there. As you can see, we are just a couple of streets over, so we're not too far away."

"Yes, thank you, and please call me Janet."

"Okay, Janet, call me Jake. I'll have Lucas back in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Sounds great and thanks for helping him out."

"Our pleasure. Okay, Lucas, let's go. Welcome to the neighborhood, by the way."

The boys walked back to Jake's. Jake kept an eye out for the punk kids, but they were nowhere to be found. They got to the house and they went inside.

"Okay, everyone who wants to go swimming, go put on your shorts and meet me out back."

Everyone separated to various rooms. Lucas changed in the bathroom. Zach and Trevor changed in one of the extra bedrooms, and Jeremy and Jared changed in the workout room. When everyone was finished, they headed out back and jumped in the pool. All the boys were swimming around, when they saw Jake come running out the back door and jumped into the pool, yelling.

"Cannonball!"

There was a big splash and a wave swamped the boys. They started a splash fight as soon as Jake surfaced and he fought back. Then the boys tried to jump Jake and he kept throwing boys left and right, as they tried to take him down. Everyone tired after awhile and just swam around or just relaxed in the pool. Jake got out and into the spa and turned the jets on. The others soon tired and joined him in the spa; all of them just relaxed in the warm water. They talked a little about sports and school.

"Lucas, you just moved here last week, right? How old are you?"

"I'm twelve."

"Cool. That means you'll be in our grade."

"Well guys, I think it's time we got out of here before we're completely pruned up, and besides I need to get you home."

There were choruses of "Awww", but they all got out and dried off. They went into the house and got changed. A few minutes later, the boys were in the Jeep and heading home. The first stop was Lucas' house.

"See ya later, Lucas.  D'you start school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay then we'll show you around tomorrow at school and introduce you to everyone."

He waved and went into his house. Jake drove next to Jeremy's. He and Jared smiled at each other when he got out of the truck. The next stop was the twins' house. When Jake drove up, they saw Tom mowing the lawn. He stopped the mower and wiped his brow. He smiled when everyone got out of the truck.

"Hey, guys. You're just in time. You can help me finish this; I've already done the backyard."

"Shoot, we should've kept swimming, and then it would be all done by the time we got back."

"Yeah, and I could have saved it all for you when you got back home too."

"Okay, Dad, we'll help."

"Zach, I'll help you guys finish up, if Jake doesn't mind waiting. Mr. Browning, we'll finish up."

"Okay, Trevor, with the three of you working on it, you should be done in no time. While you guys finish up, I'll get Jake and myself something to drink and we'll sit and supervise."

The boys got to work. Zach took over the mowing, while Jared and Trevor cleaned up the yard and raked leaves and grass clippings. Tom came back out with a couple of beers, and they sat on the porch and watched the boys work. The boys made short work of the job. Tom went back inside the house and brought out three cans of coke for the boys. They all sat down to talk and drink. Zach sat next to Trevor, with his arm around his shoulders; Jared sat on the other side of the two boys. When they finished, the twins took the empty cans inside and came back out. Jake was standing next to Trevor when the twins came back outside.

"Well, guys, I had a nice time. We'll see you at the troop meeting."

"Bye, Uncle Jake. Bye, Trev. See you tomorrow at school."

The twins both hugged Jake, then took turns hugging Trevor goodbye, first Jared, then Zach. Zach held his hug a little longer. When he stepped back, he and Trevor smiled shyly at each other. Jake and Trevor got back into the jeep and drove away.

On the drive home Trevor was kind of quiet. Jake noticed that he appeared to be thinking about something, so he didn't ask questions. He just let Trevor think. When they got home, they went into Jake's house. Trevor was still quiet when they went inside. Jake got them some drinks.

"Ja ...Dad, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, buddy. Let's go have a seat."

They went and sat down in the living room. Jake waited for Trevor to start. Trevor sat for a few minutes gathering his thoughts.

"I'm kinda confused. I have some strange feelings right now and I don't know what they mean."

"Okay. What kind of feelings?"

"Last night, you know we all slept together in the living room.

Jake nods, and then waited.

"Well ...we kind of slept close together all cuddled up. Zach and I, and Jeremy and Jared."

"Okay, I don't see any problems with that. It feels nice to cuddle up. I like it when you cuddle up with me."

"Well, that's not it. We kinda ...played around a bit too."

"What do you mean, played around?"

"Well ...we ...a kinda played with each other. You know touched each other's stuff."

"Oh, and that bothers you?"

"Well ...no, but I've heard guys at school say things about that kind of stuff. They say it's wrong to do that kind of thing with another boy. They say you're a pervert, or something."

"You're right. Some narrow-minded people do say that it is wrong. Some even say that you are evil if you do things like that, and that you are going to go to hell, even if you do it by yourself. They say some very cruel things. Sometimes people get beat up by those who think that way."

Trevor looked at Jake real nervous, and his eyes started to get tears in them.

"You don't think like that, do you?"

"No way. Most of the people who say that are religious fanatics, or they don't like anything that they don't understand, because it's different and it scares them. I don't like any of those kinds of people. Most of them are hypocrites anyway. They talk about being good Christian people, but turn around and act in the most un-Christian way. Some of them say the most hurtful things, and condone people getting hurt, if they don't think and act just like they think they should. They lie, cheat, steal and a lot of things. It's wrong, but they don't see it that way. People like that get my blood boiling. When I was a Sheriff, I've come across kids, some who were as young as you and even a few who were younger, who were victims of those kind of hate crimes. So no, I would never feel that way about someone. I try to judge a person by what he does, not just what he says."

Trevor got up on Jake's lap into his favorite position, facing him with his arms around Jake's neck and his head on his shoulder, and started to sniffle a little. Jake held him close and comforted him. Trevor finally stopped sniffling and looked at Jake.

"Thanks, Dad. I hoped you would think that way. I was kind of worried. Y'see, Zach and I played with each other and I really liked it. It felt really good. Afterward he cuddled up behind me and put his arm around me, then I kissed him, and then he kissed me back, then we got comfortable and went to sleep. Jeremy and Jared slept the same way. Zach slept all night right behind me with his arm around me. It felt real good. I loved waking up with his arm around me. I kissed him again in the morning. My mom probably saw us all sleeping like that, when she went in the kitchen to cook breakfast. I really like Zach a lot, I mean a whole lot. Does that make me weird, or a pervert?"

"No, it does not make you weird or a pervert. It is just your way of showing affection."

"But doesn't that make me a fag or something like that. Because I did that with another boy and I liked it?"

"No it does not, and don't use that word. Fag is a very mean and cruel word used by those people we talked about. Gay is the proper word or more preferred word, some say homosexual, but sometimes that isn't used in a very nice way either. However, you are at an age where you might want to experiment and feel those good feelings, and a lot of boys do this with other boys. That doesn't mean you're gay, it just means you want to feel good. It may just be a phase you're going through. In a year or so, you might feel differently. Or you might feel just that same. Either way, I would not feel any different about you. I would love you still and always. Your mother would feel the same way, I know it, because she is a good mother, who loves her son with all her heart. If she didn't, then she would have said something to you about how you were sleeping. But she didn't, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you're right. She didn't say anything at all. She was happy and smiling at breakfast."

"See. I told you. Everything is fine. Besides like I said, you might feel different in a year or so."

"Maybe, but when we said goodbye today. It felt real good when he hugged me."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Although I would be careful where you show such affection. There are enough of those people who would give you and Zach a hard time for showing that in public, whether you are gay or not."

"Okay. Thanks for talking to me about this."

"These feelings are kind of scary, huh."

"Yeah, they are kind of scary, but it's a different kind of scary. Do you think that he feels the same way?"

"I don't know; what do you think?"

"I think he feels the same way. At least I hope so."

"Well, all you can do is ask him. Even if he doesn't feel the same way, you know that he is all right with it, so it's not like you would lose him as a friend, which happens way too much. True friends stick with you no matter what, no matter if you're straight, gay, bisexual or whatever."

"I've never felt like this about someone before. I really liked Jeremy when I met him, but then I met Zach and I liked him right away. I liked Jared too, but I felt something different with Zach. He makes me feel real good whenever we are together."

"Well, that sounds like you care about him a lot, maybe even love him. Love kind of makes you feel good and tingly like that, when you are with someone you love. You make me feel like that when you're with me."

"Me too. Thanks, Dad. You made me feel a whole lot better."

"Good, I'm glad I could help, and you should talk to your mom about this too, so it's not a surprise to her. My guess, though, is that she will have no problem with it."

"I will. Can we stay like this for a little while longer?"

"As long as you wish. For now and forever."

Jake kissed Trevor on the top of his head and Trevor kissed Jake's cheek. They stayed like that, Trevor enjoyed being held by Jake, just like his dad used to do when he was younger. After a few minutes, Trevor let go and got up.

"I have some homework to get done, so I guess I better get home."

"Okay, but don't forget, I am always here for you, and so is your mom."

"I know. I feel a lot better about this."

"Good, anytime you need a lap to sit in, mine is always open.

They walked to the door and Trevor gave him a hug.

"Bye, Dad, I love you."

"I love you too, bud."

Trevor went back home. He opened the door and stopped by the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Honey."

"I'm going to go to my room and finish my homework."

"Okay."

Trevor went to his room and started to work on what was left of his homework. He easily finished what he had left before dinner. When he was done, he put it all away and came back and helped get the table set. During dinner he seemed a bit quieter than normal.

"Trevor, is everything all right?"

Trevor didn't answer right away.

"Trevor?"

"Huh, oh sorry, did you say something?"

"I just asked if you were all right."

"Oh ...yeah ...I was just thinking about something."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Maybe, but not right now. Maybe later. I just need to think about it for a bit."

They finished dinner, and Trevor helped clean everything up. He went into his room for a while. His mom went into the living room and watched some TV. A half hour later Trevor came in to the room.

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure you can."

He sat on the couch near her. He sat quietly for a little bit, with a serious look on his face. Sandy turned off the TV and waited for him to start.

"Mom, something happened this weekend. When we went to sleep last night ...Zach and I slept next to each other."

He paused and looked at her. She just looked back at him, smiling slightly."

"Okay, and ..."

"While we slept he had his arm around me, and it felt real nice."

"Good, something like that should feel nice."

"It ...it doesn't bother you that I slept with a boy's arm around me all night."

"No, why should it? Does it bother you?"

Trevor was silent for a moment with his head down. When he raised it, Sandy could see his eyes from the side, and they seemed to be shining a little bit with moisture.

"N ...no. It's just that some people say that it's wrong to feel like that about another boy."

"Feel like what? That you like Zach a lot."

"Yeah. I like Zach a lot, a whole lot. I've liked him a lot for a while now, and last night when he held me, it felt just right. When we woke up I didn't really want to get up, it felt so good."

"That's the way it should feel. When you really care about someone, it's supposed to make you feel good. Especially when they care about you too. Does Zach care about you the same way?"

"I think so. We kinda ...did something else. We ...uh ...kissed too."

"You did? That's wonderful, honey. That must mean that he likes you a lot too."

"And it doesn't bother you that I like a boy, not a girl. And that I kissed him and he kissed me."

"Should it? You haven't changed, you're still the same wonderful boy that you were a couple of days ago, and you found someone that you really like. It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl, just as long as you like them and they like you. It's great that it is also a good friend. I bet Jake said kind of the same thing, when you talked to him about it."

He looked at his mom with surprise. She just smiled at him.

"How did you know that I talked to Jake?"

"Well, you spent the day with him and the boys. Then you stayed over at Jake's for a while, when you got back with him. During dinner, you were kind of quiet and looked like you had something on your mind. So since we are talking about this, I had to assume that this is what you were thinking of during dinner. And finally, knowing how you feel about Jake, it made sense that you would talk to him about this."

"Thanks, mom. Jake said that he knew it wouldn't bother you."

"I thought you might be talking to me about this sooner or later."

"Why did you think that?"

"Well, you guys weren't as quiet as you thought you were last night."

Trevor's mouth dropped open and then he turned bright red. Sandy was having a hard time not laughing.

"Mmmoooommm!"

She moved over and hugged him.

"Honey, I don't care who you like, as long as you're happy. I'm sure that Jake cautioned you to be careful. So I'll just say he's right, be careful how you guys show what you feel for each other."

"I know. Thanks, mom. I love you. You and Jake are the best."

They spent the rest of the evening watching TV until it was bedtime. Trevor gave his mom a hug and kiss goodnight and then went to bed.