Wayne Gray

This is all very true. I chose Tad's condition carefully. I chose something that would move fast once symptoms began, for one reason to avoid the terrible toll that lingering takes on the patient and their caregivers. There's still a lot to take, and a lot to handle in his case. But it will be doable within the span of a few chapters, and it won't be a soul-crushing slog to read. There's plenty of pain already out there. My goal is to show what comes next. I hope I pulled that off. These guys have each other, luckily. I know, not everyone is so lucky. Thanks for writing, Bryan. More to come Sunday.

Yeah. We learn to do what we must. There's a breaking point, though. Chris and Nate continually push that point further and further away, and they do that by leaning on each other. As things progress, Tad is finding himself leaning too. But, they'd have it no other way. It's what people who love one another do. Thanks for reading and commenting, Tom. 🙂

Hey, I'm glad y'all are happy. That's the important bit.

Far as I know, molly is XX. But that doesn't really mean "girling" is easy for her either.

You know... everybody's story ends. That's not really what this is about - the end. It's about a young, driven man and those around him who are determined to see that he leaves a legacy. This story is about the after. Stick with me if you can. I get it if you can't... but yeah, do so if you can. Thanks for reading and commenting. There's more on Sunday.

Chris is strong physically. But... he's ill prepared to handle this sort of stress. Nate has to be the rock for both Tad and Christopher, and he steps into that role without thought or question. He just does it, because it's what his lovers need. Nate has grown up. In a short span of time, he has grown into exactly the kind of man Christopher and Tad need. Thanks for commenting, Thorn. Also, thanks for getting the editing done a bit early. 🙂

They all knew this day would come. They knew, but it doesn't mean it's easy. Tad knows these tumors move quickly. It has existed for months at least, probably longer. Now that the symptoms have begun, things are probably going to move quickly. So yes... he's definitely worried about finishing his book. Thanks for commenting. More to come on Sunday - this time Markus will show up again.

Tad smiled lovingly down at his kitty as she cried at him. Kali was agitated at all the boxes, the movement, and the fact that her whole world was getting dismantled around her. She rubbed on his legs and he picked her up. She purred against him, happy to have him in her life, a sense of constancy and calm. "It's okay, monster." Tad closed his eyes, and he loved on her with a little smile. "We're almost done. You'll be in our new home soon." It was early Saturday afternoon. Tad stood with he

Well... at least I am posting this story now. 🙂

Brace yourself.

I wanna see reviews for it. If I see anyone say "with hints of citrus" I think I'm gonna bust a gut. Though, yeah... it actually does sound interesting. I like citrus and wine, so...

Your house sounds like it is full of wisdom. And orgasms.

This shows a simple truth - that you're more interested in living the way that makes sense for you both rather than within the confines of a definition. And like @Kapucinski said above, it is an expression of your love that you're willing to bend in such a way. Leave the definitions in the dictionary. Keep on living, growing, and loving.

Thanks for writing, Jeffrey! They really are growing closer, all of them. But you're right to worry about Markus. He's in very dangerous water in his development as a fully-realized gay man. I've said it before, but... He needs help. There's more coming.

Okay, the "Haha" reaction is for that first line. 🙂 Nope. Kent and Stanley neither have any idea the other is helping the guys move. So, yeah, that'll be entertaining. Markus is definitely in need of saving. We'll have to see if anyone or anything can do the trick. Since chapter six it has been explicitly known what will happen to Tad. Even though he accepted it, and though the people around him are trying to as well, that doesn't make it easier. Yeah. Some hard times are coming for our guys. But out of struggle and pain beauty can happen, and if Tad has any say, it will.

Thanks, @BryanC. I try to stick with the erotica side of things. Pornography has its place, but frankly I prefer erotica. Mostly that's what I do. Tad's urgency is growing. He now suspects his time is truly limited, now that he has had his first symptom that he can't explain away. These tumor types can let a person linger for as long as a year and a half... but that's the drastic upper end. More likely, once symptoms begin they end lives far sooner. Chemo could have extended things, but he would have been miserable. Some people simply don't handle those treatments well, and he was one of them. He made the impossible choice... to have fewer, yet better days. Markus breaks my heart, and I'm the author. I think it's because I too recognize that terrible place. It's too easy to write it; it's too simple to recall that hollow, soulless echoing void in the chest. You scream into it and only hear yourself back. It's... it's awful. Until I left Kentucky, I had no idea I really COULD. It took getting out of the state for an extended period for me to realize that I could make a life somewhere else. Markus is in a similar situation. He has lived in Amarillo his whole life, and he knows little else. He has no concept that things could really be better for him. In short - he needs help. He needs help, but... he has nearly lost the will to look. He's beginning to believe that he doesn't deserve to feel better. That? That's an insidious place to be. Writing about this book made me want it to be real. It turned out to be a great idea for the story as an expression of Tad's drive, and of his humanity. He certainly poured himself into the pictures. I have to agree. Tad is the Red-Tailed Hawk. That's perfect. More to come on Wednesday. Though, the next time we see Markus is in a week. We'll get there.

Yeah. You're right. He is very isolated, and his loneliness is pervasive. He walls himself off a little more every day, and he's struggling with that sort of approach to life. We have to hope that someone can get through to him. Thanks for reading and commenting. There's more on Mister Markus coming, chapter fifteen.

Thanks for commenting, Chris. Yep, friends are great when you have a move. And Tad got to experience the middle of a Nate/Chris sandwich. Mmmm. Who wouldn't like that?

Yeah... I think there's something about the counterpoint of sweet along with the sad. They magnify one another. Though I definitely had fun writing that scene. 😄 Thanks, Thorn.

Kent was nervous. Nate had asked him to lunch as soon as he arrived at work, and he was very friendly and smiled when he did. They were going to head to Five Eleven again, and he simply didn't know what Nate intended. 'I'll just tell him. I'll tell him I can't do anything, or play around with him anymore,' Kent thought as the lunch hour neared. He had no idea if Nate had an open relationship with his pair of guys, but, regardless, Kent wasn't comfortable with what he considered would be chea

I'm very glad that you're pulling for Markus. I think... we all can relate to the guy in some way. He needs a lifeline. He needs an understanding friend. He needs an example of someone living life out loud, and well. Any of those could help him. You're right - Tad is a force. Not all of us will meet people like him, yet they still leave their mark, sometimes for decades. Markus's thread is still hanging on. He's alive, yet not truly living. But his story isn't over. Stay with me. We'll all get there - wherever that may be.

I love how the DiC blew up today. 😄

Yes. tim is sooooo innocent!

Yeah. Bad that someone would forget about the backdoor!

"...and I aim to misbehave." Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the starship Serenity. That's what I read in your post, @Defiance19. 😉