The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - 58. Giving Thanks

As we entered the week of Thanksgiving, I thought I had ironed out the final, and most significant, detail for our holiday gathering. The primary issue that had kept me preoccupied was making sure we had a bed for everyone who was coming. As the family continues to grow, the house feels as though it’s getting smaller, so I’d begun to fear we weren’t going to be able to find sufficient space for everyone.

To make matters worse, my younger grandchildren are all old enough that it is no longer appropriate to have them bunk in with their parents. In order to alleviate some of this problem, Megan and Kylie are going to share a room, the same as their brothers have been doing, and Lucas will stay with Joshie.

Some of the others have also come forward to assist me with this problem. Cole and Dustin have each agreed to have one of our guests stay in their spare room and Mark and his wife would be staying with his mother, Susan, while Duck and his wife would be staying with Jesse’s mother, Alice. Sally and the Shays have also offered to take in any of our overflow guests, so I think we’ve got more than enough room for everyone who is coming.

On top of everything else, we are also having an additional houseguest this year. After Ian asked to spend the weekend with us, Elliot asked Noah to stay in with him over the holiday, so Ian could use Noah’s room. Elliot thought Ian might be more comfortable if they didn’t have to share a bed, because he still isn’t convinced Ian is gay. Elliot felt it would be best if he took things gradually and then had that discussion with Ian some other time, rather than expose a potential problem. Seeing this temporary arrangement is fine with Noah, our additional guest is all set too.

Many of our visitors began to arrive on Wednesday, but a few of them didn’t show up until Thursday morning. We greeted everyone when they got here and helped each one get settled in. What I didn’t notice was that Elliot had managed to pull Ricky aside for a heart-to-heart chat.

“I want to call a truce,” he began. “Will you please promise not to pull any pranks on Noah or my friend, Ian, while he’s with us?”

Ricky feigned a look of hurt and surprise, but Elliot knew it was just an act. Seeing Ricky still hadn’t given him an answer, Elliot continued to press him for a response.

“Promise! No Pranks!” Elliot insisted.

“Do you think I’d do something so insensitive?” Ricky asked innocently, continuing his little game. Elliot frowned and spoke to him again.

“Judging from your track record, YES!” Elliot confirmed. “That’s why I’m asking you to please promise that you won’t do anything to Noah or Ian.”

“Okay, okay. You win. I’ll be good this year,” Ricky confirmed, “but you have to promise not to pull any pranks on me either.”

Ricky’s request brought a grin to Elliot’s face, as his thoughts drifted back to the pranks he’d pulled on Ricky the previous year. He’d only done that to get even with Ricky for the pranks he’d pulled on him.

“Fair enough,” Elliot agreed. “Shake on it?”

They shook hands and then went in opposite directions. I’m not sure if they completely trusted each other, but with the house being so crowded, I think we’ll all enjoy the holiday much more if their truce holds.

When the O’Haras arrived, Elliot and Noah raced out to greet them. After Elliot introduced Noah to Brandon’s parents, they enthusiastically welcomed their newest grandson to the family. The boys then carried their grandparent’s luggage to the room where they would be staying and helped get them settled in. When Patrick and Brenda came back out, Brandon and Danny greeted them and they chatted for a few minutes, before allowing the boys the opportunity to spend more time alone with their grandparents.

The rest of us spent Wednesday night and much of the next morning catching up on the various developments in each of our lives since we last saw each other. Eventually, the kids went off to spend their time doing things together and this gave the adults a chance to visit, uninterrupted. Of course, everyone wanted to see and hold Wyatt, so he got passed around nearly as much as the Thanksgiving turkey.

Frankie also received a great deal of attention, once he and his girlfriend arrived, because this was the first time most of the family had seen him since he’d been recognized for his heroic deeds. Now, they proceeded to tell him how proud they were of what he’d done and then explained that they’d received many wonderful comments from their friends and colleagues about his actions too. They then added that this made them realize how fortunate and honored they were to be related to him.

Kevin, Danny and Brandon went on to tell Frankie how the news of his accomplishment had helped their businesses as well, which I think surprised him. In order to make light of this additional information, Frankie asked if this meant they were going to give him a cut of their profits. Hearing his retort made everyone laugh, while our entrepreneurs momentarily tripped over their tongues while trying to respond to his query. It also helped Frankie to suffer through his time in the spotlight until the conversation shifted to other topics.

We sat down for our Thanksgiving dinner at 3:00 and began our meal by sharing what we were thankful for. A lot has happened over the past twelve months, so everyone had plenty to say. The various lists included items such as Noah and Wyatt’s addition to the family, the boys’ new businesses, Frankie’s extraordinary deeds and the fact he survived his injuries, as well as for everyone’s continued good health and that we were all here for another year.

There was plenty of food, so everyone was able to eat as much as they wanted and we were all stuffed by the time we left the table. I had been holding my breath and expecting some kind of prank to be pulled before now, since I didn’t know that Elliot had called a truce with Ricky, but I was glad when nothing like that happened. All in all, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.

A couple of hours after we finished eating, I summoned everyone back to the dining room to celebrate some birthdays. Since we hadn’t had a true family party for Noah, he was one of the birthday boys, along with Jake, whose birthday was the previous Friday, and Dion, whose birthday is this coming Sunday. After I announced that Noah is now 12, Jake is 45 and Dion will be turning 24, we let each of them cut their own slice of cake. When they had the size piece they wanted, we served up the rest of it and dished out the ice cream.

On Friday morning, Ian’s parents dropped him off at the house and then hurriedly left for the airport. They were flying to Florida this afternoon and then attending the football game and other festivities tomorrow, before returning home on Sunday.

As soon as he arrived, Elliot took Ian around and introduced him to the rest of the family. Even though he had warned Ian that we’d be having a lot of company, I think Ian was somewhat bewildered by how many people were staying at the house and how many more showed up before we ate. This was probably due to the fact that Ian comes from a fairly small family, so this probably felt more like a reunion to him, rather than a holiday gathering.

Since Ian already knew Jesse, Noah and Joshie from his time with us before Halloween, he felt comfortable with that group. He also quickly warmed up to Jordan, Nicky, Lucas, Megan and Kylie. With all of the kids getting along so well, Danny, Brandon and I were able to focus on spending time with the others.

Not only was Ian amazed by how many people had shown up for dinner, but he also commented about how we had to rearrange things so we’d have room for everyone to sit down to eat. He was in awe that we utilized the dining room, living room and foyer and set up tables in all three areas to accommodate the troops.

“Jeez, this is more like the annual swim team banquet than dinner with the family!” Ian exclaimed.

The rest of us could only agree with his observation. Noah probably related to Ian’s reaction the best, since this was his first holiday with us too. He had been equally awed when he saw how we set things up yesterday, but the basic difference was that Noah had entered the day with a better idea about how many people would be showing up. He was just amazed at how we made room so everyone could join us.

After dinner, the younger group entertained themselves and spent most of their time out in the rec room. They played games, listened to music and just spent their time catching up. The adults, however, either remained at the various tables to continue their discussions or retired to the family room to relax.

When it got near bedtime, Elliot explained to Ian that he would be sleeping in Noah’s room. When Ian asked where Noah would be sleeping, Elliot explained that Noah would be bunking with him. From what Jesse told me later, he said it looked as if Ian was disappointed that he wasn’t going to be staying in Elliot’s room instead. When I asked if Ian had said anything about this, Jesse said he hadn’t, but he could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t exactly happy with the arrangement. This might just mean that Ian wasn’t comfortable sleeping alone in a strange house, but it did make me wonder if more was going on here than met the eye.

We kicked off Saturday by holding our annual Currie family touch football game. At first, Ian was going to sit this out, because he didn’t particularly care for football, but Elliot wouldn’t allow him to do this. He informed Ian that he wasn’t much of a football fan either, but if he had to play then Ian did too. Elliot then added that this was just a friendly game and assured Ian that he’d have a good time, regardless of his skill level.

Elliot also explained that he’s quick on his feet and doesn’t mind putting in the effort to catch a ball thrown to him, so he’s agreed to play end for one of the teams. After hearing this, Ian offered to play lineman. He figured that position wouldn’t require him to be proficient in any particular skill set, but it would also allow him to line up next to Elliot.

Noah, on the other hand, was excited about playing. When they picked teams, he wound up being an end on the opposite team from his brother. The boys even let Joshie run the ball a couple of times and make some sizable gains, although they refused to let him score. That would just be asking too much from them today, since this was still a fairly competitive event. Come on! The winners will have bragging rights until next year and they always take great enjoyment out of rubbing salt into the wounds of the losers.

I won’t say it was a great game or that any of us played very well, but I think we all had fun. Ian even commented about how surprised he was that he’d enjoyed himself, considering it wasn’t one of his favorite pastimes. Once the game ended, he even went around and thanked the others for making it so enjoyable. I think he was referring to the number of laughs he’d had over their stumbles, falls and lousy plays, as well as the unscripted gags my troops played on each other.

One stand out moment was a particular pass play. Elliot was going for the ball, but so was Ricky, because he was playing defensive back at the time. Neither saw the other until it was too late, so they ended up crashing in a heap just as the ball reached them. As they were ending up on their butts, the ball ricocheted into the air and was caught by a very observant Noah before it hit the ground. As Noah was celebrating his catch, the other two were scurrying to pick themselves off the ground. I’m not sure which was bruised more, their pride or their backsides.

Throughout the rest of Saturday, the kids spent most of their time together and only joined the rest of us for meals. While it was still daylight out, they opted to enjoy the late fall air by taking Ian on a hike, so they could show him how much property we owned. They also took him by the tree house and Joshie was eager to tell Ian about the games they’d played up there on other occasions. Ian took it all in and told Joshie it sounded like fun and he hoped he could join them sometime, much to Joshie’s, and probably also Elliot’s, delight.

After hearing about the ravine, Ian was eager to see it and the others were only too happy to oblige, so Jesse led the way. When they reached the edge, all of the boys gathered as close to it as they dared – except of course for Elliot. This caused him to endure some light ribbing from Jesse and his cousins, but it was Ian who managed to upset him. When he noticed Elliot’s discomfort, Ian leaned over the edge and pretended to be frightened.

“It’s really high, Elliot,” Ian teased, unaware of Elliot’s condition.

“If I fell would you save me?” Ian added, as he pretended to be losing his balance.

Elliot turned away, mostly disgusted with himself. He didn’t understand how he could climb to the top of a ten-meter platform, do a handstand and then launch himself into the pool, yet he couldn’t get near the edge of this drop-off. He knew that if Ian or any of the others did fall, he wouldn’t be able to help them.

Although Elliot didn’t see what happened next, Ian appeared puzzled by Elliot’s reaction. He was also concerned, because he didn’t wish to jeopardize their budding friendship.

“Ummm, I’m sorry,” he apologized, as he moved toward Elliot.

In an attempt to defuse the situation, Jesse suggested they should start heading back and the others quickly agreed. Before they started back, Ian put his arm around Elliot’s shoulder, as a friendly gesture and to apologize for his antics. However, when Elliot glanced over and looked at Ian’s face, he thought he sensed something more hiding behind the smile he saw there.

Later, as the daylight began to fade, they came inside and played table tennis and air hockey in the rec room as they had done the previous day. Once they tired of that, they moved to the family room and competed on the Wii, listened to music and watched a DVD. Joshie also talked Elliot into playing some songs on the piano for him, starting with the Peanuts Theme.

While Ian was playing games against Jesse, Jordan and Nicky, it gave Elliot and Noah an opportunity to spend some of their time with their Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Pat. I was glad to see the boys hadn’t completely forgotten about their grandparents and found a way to set aside some time to spend with them too. It was obvious the O’Haras greatly appreciated the boys’ thoughtfulness, but they also understood that Noah and Elliot wanted to spend time with the others closer to their own age. Therefore, the O’Haras made the most of the time they had with their grandsons and then sent the boys back with the others. After that pair had gone, Brenda and Patrick spent the remainder of the day with Danny, Brandon and the rest of the grown-ups, so the boys wouldn’t feel guilty about leaving them.

That night, Ian spent most of his time hanging out in Elliot’s room, chatting with the other boys. When it came time to go to bed, Jesse told us it appeared as if Ian was reluctant to leave again, so he assumed Ian was hoping Elliot would ask if he wanted to stay with him tonight instead. To Ian’s dismay that didn’t happen and he wound up sleeping alone in Noah’s room again.

The following day, our visitors began to say their goodbyes and head home. We knew we’d be seeing a few of them again at Christmas, but this would be the last time we’d be seeing most of them this year. For that reason, many of the farewells were very emotional and difficult to make, but we all got through it in fairly good fashion.

Ian stayed with us the rest of the day, since his parents wouldn’t be back until that evening. It wasn’t a problem, since he fit in so well, but unbeknownst to us, Ian had something on his mind and was simply biding his time. After Jordan and Nicky had gone home with their parents, he asked Elliot if he could speak with him alone. Even though Elliot wasn’t sure what he wanted, he agreed and took Ian up to his room. Once they were inside, Ian made sure the door was shut first, before he began to speak.

“I’ve really had a good time with your family and want to thank you for getting your family to let me stay,” he began. “I’ve been watching you with your dads and everyone else, and well, I think I can tell you something I’ve been keeping to myself.”

Ian paused momentarily after getting that much out, but Elliot wasn’t about to interrupt him. Instead, he decided to remain quiet, because he was worried that if he said anything it might cause Ian to lose his courage to continue. Therefore, he merely waited to see what Ian had to say.

“Look, what I’m trying to tell you is… well, I’m gay,” Ian finally blurted out. “I thought it would be easy to tell you, given your family and all, but it was still hard. I’ve never told anyone else before, although I think my parents probably suspect. I just hope I can trust you to keep my secret.”

Elliot didn’t say anything for a few seconds, as he considered how he wanted to respond. Ian was growing a bit apprehensive, until Elliot stood up and hugged him.

“It was very brave of you to tell me that,” Elliot began, “and just so you know, I’m gay too.”

This revelation caused Ian’s jaw to drop and he stood gawking at Elliot for a few seconds. Finally, he regained his composure, found his tongue again and spoke.

“Seriously?” he responded, rhetorically. “I was convinced you were straight. I kept sending you signals, but I wasn’t getting anything back. I only decided to tell you because I’ve seen you with your family and thought you wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“Sorry about not catching on sooner, but I was a little dense at first,” Elliot admitted. “I’ve never flirted with anyone before and was afraid I was just seeing what I wanted to see. I didn’t want to ask if you were gay and risk offending you, so I talked it over with Jesse instead. He suggested I try flirting back and see what happened.”

“So Jesse knows too?” Ian asked.

“Yeah, I told him I thought you were checking me out after practice,” Elliot confessed. “If I hadn’t gotten such good advice from him, I never would’ve worked up the courage to start talking to you or asked you to help with the haunted house, so we wouldn’t be here now.”

“Then I’m glad you talked to him about me,” Ian agreed, and then he paused again.

“So do you think you might eventually be interested in being my boyfriend?” Ian asked, as he blushed a deep crimson. “I mean, I think you’re cute, in case you’re wondering.”

It was Elliot’s turn to blush, before he answered.

“I think you’re cute too and I would be thrilled to be your boyfriend,” he continued.

The boys sealed their new relationship with a kiss. Elliot suspected it was Ian’s first, so he wanted to make it special. First, he hugged Ian tightly and rubbed his neck soothingly, as they tilted their heads and pressed their lips together. It was a soft, sweet kiss and they held it for as long as they could. When they broke apart, they panted for breath amidst a steady stream of giggles.

“I wish you’d told me this when you first got here,” Elliot teased. “I had you sleep in Noah’s room because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself.”

“Damn, if I’d known that I would have told you at Halloween,” Ian laughed.

They kissed again and both boys were thrilled at the possibilities this new aspect of their relationship would present them. For Ian, there would be many firsts. For Elliot, he would be able to feel the deep emotional bond that develops with the one you love. Sure, Elliot had kissed other boys and done just about everything he could do with another boy’s penis, but none of that had warmed his heart the way Ian’s slightest touch did. Elliot hadn’t felt like this since he’d developed a crush on Nicky, but after Nicky rebuffed his love, he hadn’t felt it again until now. It just felt right as they kissed and convinced both of them that this was meant to be.

They were still kissing in Elliot’s room when Ian’s mother and father arrived a short time later. Since I was unsure what they might be up to, I sent Jesse upstairs to let Ian know that his parents were here. A minute later, Ian brought his things downstairs and got ready to leave. Jesse told me afterward that the boys had been giggling like a couple of schoolgirls when he’d knocked on Elliot’s door.

Before Ian and his parents left, they each thanked us for letting him stay and Ian confirmed he’d had a wonderful time. We then advised them Ian was welcome to stay with us any time and they thanked us again before they headed home. After they’d gone, the rest of us found ourselves alone for the first time in days.

It certainly didn’t take Elliot long to pull Jesse aside, so he could tell him what Ian and he had talked about. Jesse was thrilled that the two of them had finally gotten things out in the open, but was surprised by Elliot’s next bombshell.

“After he told me he was gay,” Elliot continued, “Ian asked if I wanted to be his boyfriend. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah, it’s fantastic!” Jesse agreed. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, I’m kind of excited myself,” Elliot agreed. “Ian said that he figures we’ll be able to find time to get together over the Christmas break, if we can’t do it before. He’s eager to try some things, but we both want to take it slow, you know to make it more romantic.”

“Awesome, but does this mean we won’t be messing around any more?” Jesse wondered.

“Nah, I think we can still get together from time to time,” Elliot replied. “I don’t think it’s cheating if I’m open with Ian about it and there isn’t any romantic love involved. I mean I love you, but not in that way.”

“I know and I love you too,” Jesse agreed.

“Of course if I’m open with him then it means he’ll know we’ve been having sex,” Elliot confessed. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Jesse agreed. “Ian seems trustworthy… and he’s cute, so I wouldn’t object to a little three-way action.”

“Let me get him beyond kissing and feeling each other up first, before I spring that one on him,” Elliot laughed.

“I’m glad you still want to mess around with me,” Jesse responded, with a grin. “I’d hate to have to go around with blue balls for the next few months.”

Elliot giggled at Jesse’s comment and then gave him a hug. He might have done more, but he hadn’t locked the door and realized Noah was just down the hall and could burst in at any moment. He did give Jesse’s butt a firm squeeze though and promised they could play later.

With Thanksgiving now behind us, we were now officially into the Christmas season. This means there will be lots of baking, decorating and loads of shopping to do, as well as numerous concerts and parties to attend. I decided to start with the decorating first and asked the boys to help. The first thing we needed to do was to rearrange things in the rec room, so we’d have plenty of room for the Christmas tree and still leave enough extra space for the presents.

We started this process by taking some of the larger items, such as the ping-pong and air hockey tables, down to the basement. Then, we rearranged the remaining items, before we assembled the tree. I’ve stuck with the artificial tree again, because so many family members have allergies and I didn’t want them to suffer while they were here. After I was satisfied the tree looked good and there were no large gaps between the branches, I had the boys help me string the lights and hang the ornaments.

As soon as all of this had been accomplished, Elliot suggested that we let Noah place the angel on the top of the tree this year. When Noah heard his brother say this, he was ecstatic and eagerly agreed that he’d like to do it. Since he was so short and I didn’t want to go fetch the stepladder, I simply lifted him up so he could place the angel in its special location at the very top of the tree. He was absolutely thrilled that he’d been given this particular honor and I’m glad Elliot was the one to suggest it. I think that helped make this privilege mean even more to Noah.

Once we were finished hanging the decorations, we all took a few moments to stand back and admire how lovely the tree looked. Then, the boys called everyone else back to the rec room, so they could check it out too.

Over the following couple of days, I had Danny, Brandon and Jake help me hang the outdoor lights and put up the other external decorations, such as the wreaths, our lighted nativity scene, the inflatable snowman and Santa, with his sleigh and reindeer. When we finished setting everything out, the exterior of the house looked quite festive too. I just hope the neighbors don’t complain about the excessive quantity of lights and decorations we’ve used this year. We usually don’t put so many lights on the house or decorate more than one tree, but since this is Noah and Wyatt’s first Christmas with us, we went all out to make it special for them.

Wyatt is totally fascinated by the colorful lights and Joshie enthusiastically explained to his brother what each of the decorations is. Not only are the boys excited, but Noah is also proving that Christmas is a very special time for him and he’s actually much younger at heart than his actual years. Although he may be too old to still believe in Santa, it’s clear he’s desperately attempting to cling to the magical aspect of Christmas. He knows the holiday season is a time for miracles, and although I’m sure Noah feels he’s already experienced one miracle – when Danny and Brandon came to his rescue and gave him a place to live when his mother died, I believe he’s hoping there might be more to look forward to.

Now that the decorations are in place, the next thing on the agenda is to start baking the Christmas goodies. Over the next couple of weekends, I recruited the boys to help me make several batches of Christmas cookies. Since Jesse, Elliot and Joshie had done this with me last year and had such a good time, they eagerly told Noah what a blast it had been. Once he heard this, he was excited to lend a hand with this too.

After we got started on this project, I once again noticed that a rather substantial percentage of the ingredients wound up covering the boys and never made it to the oven. My assistants, however, did prove to be very helpful in completing this activity and we got a lot accomplished, so there will be plenty of cookies to go around, both prior to and during the holiday.

Since the boys had worked so hard, I allowed them to sample some of the goodies after they came out of the oven, had time to cool and were decorated. I also permitted them to lick the excess icing off the utensils and out of the bowls before we washed them. This seemed to be reward enough for everything they’d done, but it also gave them bragging rights for when these items were eventually offered to the others.

While everyone was at work and school, I was busy checking my various lists and going to a wide variety of stores to purchase all of the things that we required. There was food to buy for the holiday meals, supplies that were needed for the assorted holiday activities and parties, plus plenty of gifts that needed to be procured. It seems as if everyone is asking me to look for specific items that they want to give to one of the others, since I have more time to do this than they do. Of course, I readily agreed to help out, but unlike Santa, I don’t have a bunch of good-natured elves to help me pull this off.

I was somehow able to accomplish a little more every day, but it was clear this process was going to take a while. With a little bit of luck, I’ll be able to get everything done before Christmas Day, because if not, there will be a lot of unhappy campers when it comes time to open the gifts.

Now that all of this is being taken care of, the next thing on the list is an assortment of holiday parties. Each of the boys will be having a party at school, Jake and their fathers will be having similar celebrations at work, I’ve been invited to a get-together with some of my former colleagues and the Shays will be throwing a party for the family.

Last, but not least on the list, are the boys’ concerts. Although Noah doesn’t play an instrument, I’ve discovered that Dion managed to talk him into joining the middle school chorus, so this means we’ll have three concerts to attend this year. Joshie will be participating in the elementary school concert, Noah in the middle school concert, under Dion’s direction, and then Elliot will take part in the high school concert, since he’s agreed to play with the orchestra and accompany the chorus again.

Those in charge of planning the district calendar always do their best to ensure these events are spread out so no two are scheduled on the same evening. They have to do this because quite a few of the parents, like our family, have children participating in activities at more than one school. Since those in charge don’t want to force these parents to have to choose which child they’ll support, they do their best to avoid these types of hassles. Even though it’s not always possible to avoid all of the scheduling conflicts, especially when it comes to the sporting events, they do pay particular attention to the special activities, such as concerts, award ceremonies and graduations. For this reason, we should easily be able to fit each of the boys’ concerts into our schedule

One day, prior to the first of these activities, Noah came home all excited. He wouldn’t tell me what was up, but he wanted to know when Elliot would be home. I told him Hayden’s mother should be picking him up within the hour and then bringing him home shortly after that, and this information seemed to suffice. After our brief discussion, I concluded that whatever had excited him had more to do with Elliot than the rest of us. It might even have something to do with his upcoming concert.

When Elliot arrived home later, he said hi to me and then took his things up to his room. Since I had forgotten about my earlier encounter with Noah, I failed to mention to Elliot that Noah wanted to see him. Hopefully, Noah will correct this oversight when he’s ready.

Once Elliot was in his room, he threw his belongings onto the bed and turned on his music. A few seconds later, the door to his room opened and Noah walked in – stark naked.

“Look, you have to see this!” Noah exclaimed, all excited.

“I’ve seen you naked before,” Elliot teased in reply. “You’re cute, but I don’t think that’s what you mean.”

“No. Look!” Noah added, and he rushed toward Elliot. “I’ve got hair.”

“You’ve got lots of hair,” Elliot joked.

“I mean I’ve got hair down here,” he stated, while pointing at his groin. “See!”

Elliot had to bend down to look, because it certainly wasn’t obvious, but there were a few scattered hairs on his pubis. None of them were very long or dark, but Noah was obviously very proud of them.

“Great! See, I told you,” Elliot replied, once he’d seen them. “You’ll have a lot more hairs soon and then other things will start to happen too.”

“Yeah, my dick will get bigger, or at least I hope it will,” Noah agreed.

“It will. You don’t have to worry about that,” Elliot confirmed.

“I know and I’m glad I have you around to tell me these things,” Noah admitted.

“You’ll be much better off when you realize your big brother is always right,” Elliot smirked.

“That’s why I asked you, because I figured if anyone would know about dicks it would be you,” Noah giggled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elliot asked, slightly nervous.

“Well, it takes one to know one, doesn’t it?” Noah teased, as he stuck out his tongue.

Elliot was both shocked and relieved. Shocked that Noah had zinged him and relieved that Noah hadn’t been alluding to something else.

“Ok, that’s it. You’re dead!” Elliot threatened, jokingly.

Hearing this caused Noah to dart from the room, so Elliot gave chase. The boys quickly made it into the hallway, where they promptly ran into Jesse. When he saw them, he reacted as if he was totally shocked by their actions.

“Dear Penthouse, I was walking to the bathroom when my nephew came running out of his brother’s bedroom, naked…” Jessed mused, as if he were composing a letter.

Both boys blushed and then Elliot sent Noah back to his room to put on some clothes.