Growing Josh - 5. Chapter 5

There are scenes of unprotected sex depicted in this story. In all cases it was between the main characters, who are in a committed, monogamous relationships and were tested. If you aren't in the same kind of relationship, then you should always protect yourself and wear a condom.

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Josh eased his eyes open until a slit of light was shimmering through them. He wasn’t sure where he was or what was going on. He felt surrounded by a heavy fog. Was he dead? Was this heaven? If it was, his parents were going to shit a brick, because Josh should be headed the other way according to them. He chuckled and in his ears it sounded like gravel being poured out of an old tin bucket. But it did serve to clear some of the haze from his mind.

“Josh?”

Josh forced open his eyes again and saw a hazy shape at the side of his bed. “Darrin?”

Josh heard happy voices in the distance. He realized his mouth was dry when he tried to moisten his tongue, and it stuck to his lips. “Thirsty.”

Almost instantly, Josh felt a spoon pressed against his lips. He eased open his mouth and felt a few kernels of ice fall inside. Josh enjoyed the sensation of the cold liquid melting like few things before. He swallowed, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat. Josh rested a few moments then the whole action was repeated again. He stared at Darrin as he gave him spoon after spoon of ice chips.

Josh woke with the room in the dim of early evening. His eyes still closed he heard a soft murmur of conversation and tried to focus on it. After a few moments, he was able to pull together the conversation he was overhearing.

“How bad are his breaks?”

“The doctor said the left leg was broken in a couple of places. They pinned it together, and his right ankle was smashed up pretty good, but they said he’d be back to one hundred percent in a few months. The arm wasn’t as bad, but It’s going to be six months of physical therapy at least. He’s going to need someone with him all the time for the next couple of months at minimum.”

“Yeah, but he might not want me around.”

“It’s been hard on him. I think your stunt about killed him.”

“I know. I fucked up, again.”

“I don’t know that he’ll ever forgive you.”

“Yeah.”

Poor bastard, he sounds like he’s in bad shape – thought Josh as he drifted back asleep.

<><><><>

“When will they let him out?” asked Trent.

“The doc thinks tomorrow. They wanted to make sure there were no lasting effects from the concussion. That section of roof hit him pretty hard.” Mitch smiled slightly. “But not so much that he hasn’t already been quizzing us about how all the animals were. He was glad to hear that they were OK.”

“I’m glad he was at least doing that, but what happens after he’s released?”

“We take him home. I’ve already made arrangements for an ambulance to bring him to the house.”

“He knows he’s going to need help?”

“Yeah, we’ve talked about it, and he’s not happy about any of it. You know how he is about his privacy. We’ll get a hospital bed to make it easier, but taking care of Josh isn’t going to be fun.” A frown settled onto Mitch’s face.

Trent chuckled, “Yeah, I don’t think he’s going to deal with a bedpan very well. He still was closing the door to take a dump when we were together.”

“Ah crap, I hadn’t even thought of that.”

“I’ll take care of him,” said Trent.

“He doesn’t trust you. He may not want you anywhere close to him.”

“He’s not going to have a choice. Darrin is still teaching, and you need to run the ranch.”

“What’s he not going to have a choice about?” came a gravelly voice from the bed.

Mitch walked beside Josh’s bed and rubbed his hand over one of the few spots that wasn’t black and blue, or covered with tubes and wires. “You’re going to need some help for awhile, Josh. We were just talking about who was going to stay with you.”

“You or Darrin?”

“No. Trent’s here and he’s willing to stay with you.”

Josh tried to lunge off the bed, but screamed in pain as he moved parts of his body that had lost a battle with a barn roof. With a groan, he settled back into the bed and tried to look around.

“Where?” said Josh.

“I’m right here, Josh.”

“Get. Out.”

“Come on, Josh. Just let me help you.”

“Get away from me! Get out! I hate you! Goddamn it! Get out!” Josh collapsed onto the bed and groaned.

Mitch ushered Trent into the hallway. He could see the warring emotions and furtive eyes on the man’s face. “Decide now, and I mean it. Either leave Josh for good, or decide it’s worth the fight. I’m going back in and will try to calm him down. But so help me god, I’ll kick your ass if you hurt him any more. He never got over you leaving.”

Trent nodded and stood without saying a word. Mitch watched him for a minute and then walked back into the room.

“Get out! I said get out!”

“Josh. It’s Mitch.”

“Oh.”

Mitch could see Josh shaking from the stress, his body having just healed enough for him to regain consciousness. But Mitch knew they had to find someone to take care of Josh; he and Darrin just couldn’t do it. He was going to need around the clock care for the next month or so, and help even afterward. As many broken bones as he had would not heal quickly, even with all the screws and pins they put into Josh. Mitch sat on the edge of the bed to talk with him.

“Josh, you know someone is going to need to take care of you. Pretty much full time for the next few months.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Mitch almost laughed, there were limits to how macho even he was willing to be. In his book, multiple broken bones meant you were out of business for a while. He vividly remembered his fall down the creek embankment, and how fortunate he had been to have Darrin to care for him. How do I explain to a broken-hearted boy that the best person to take care of him, is the person who broke his heart? Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. Mitch shook his head.

“Josh, do you want a twenty-four-seven nurse? You can’t do anything without help right now.” Mitch caught Josh’s eyes with his own and held them. “Not anything…”

Josh started to argue, and then looked around. Most of his body was either in braces, casts or was stitched and under traction. He knew he was shy, and didn’t want some strange woman, or man, helping him take care of the most personal things. He hated Trent right now. But it wasn’t like Trent hadn’t seen everything he had already. Somewhere deep inside, Josh was a little happy that Trent would be dealing with the nastiest job Josh could imagine – his bedpan.

“We’re never going to be together again. Never! I don’t even want to be friends with him. But I guess he’d be better than some stranger helping me take a crap.”

Mitch chuckled and shook his head, knowing that Josh was considering part of the unpleasant tasks Trent would be doing to be vengeance. He refocused on Josh as he turned with a hard look at Mitch.

“What’s to keep him running again? Cause this sure isn’t going to be fun for either of us. And I have no intention of being nice to him.”

“I told him if he ran again I’d hunt him down this time, and he wouldn’t like the results,” said Mitch as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Josh laid his arm across his face, covering his eyes as he let out a long breath. “Make sure you do.”

<><><><>

Trent heard the bell ringing again and gritted his teeth. He knew Josh would be mad at him, but Trent didn’t realize he really hated him. He thought it would get better, but Josh was becoming meaner, and less like the person he loved, with each passing day. Trent understood Josh was being vengeful, but he hoped it would get better at some point. As he picked up Josh’s tray, the bell started pealing again, and his name was screeched from the other room.

“I’m coming, Josh.”

Trent walked toward the room, with hesitation at first but then with renewed vigor. At least he was back at the ranch. His belief that he was somehow the cause of all the problems around him obviously wasn’t correct. Leaving had not kept this disaster from hitting the ranch and hurting his family. His mind was still running through his ill-conceived beliefs when he walked through the door, and a thrown metal bell barely missed his head.

“You know, if you kill me Mitch promised to get you the biggest, meanest nurse that he could find to take care of you – and her name will be Brunhilda!”

“Damn it! Don’t fuck with me. I hate this, I hate you, and I hate being helpless,” screamed Josh.

“You know, I love you.”

Josh froze in mid-tirade, stopped as he prepared to go into yet another infantile rant. Trent watched him pause for several long seconds and then explode in new levels of hysteria.

“No! Fuck’n No! You don’t get to say that! Never! I. Hate. You!”

Trent sat the tray down with a sigh. “No, you don’t hate me. You probably do hate what I did, and I can’t really blame you for that. But I don’t really think you hate me; otherwise Brunhilda would look good compared to me. I made a mistake, based on my life so far. I was wrong, and I don’t blame you for being angry.”

“Angry? Angry! Angry doesn't touch it! It felt like you ripped out my heart. I’m furious, I’m incendiary, I’m about to go super nova. You made me hurt worse than anyone ever before, even my crazy parents who tried to beat me to death. That’s how much you hurt me!” screeched Josh.

Trent looked down, tears starting to flow. When he looked back at Josh, they continued to run down his face. “I thought about you the whole time I was gone. I wanted to call a hundred times. I stood in front of a pay phone almost every day and wanted to call and beg you to take me back.”

“And how many guys did you fuck while you were gone? I’m sure you were on your knees again as soon as you were away from here.” Josh lashed out in his pain.

Trent paused and took a deep breath, telling himself Josh was just trying to hurt him because he was hurting.

“No one, Josh. I didn’t turn tricks. Not once.”

Josh wiped his face with his arm and seemed to calm a little. “Why not?”

“I’d saved money from here. And I was working the midnight shift at a convenience store when I found out about the tornado.”

“Why’d you come back?”

“Because I thought I was needed, because I was afraid one of you were hurt, because that damn Indian was right, this is the only place I feel right in my own skin.”

“The sheriff?”

“Yeah, he told me once that this country gets into you and then you can’t live anywhere else. I told him it was redman mumbo jumbo, but I guess he was right.”

Josh smiled for the first time Trent could remember since he’d come back. “He does have a disturbing tendency to be right doesn’t he?”

Trent wiped his face with his hand, and smiled at Josh. “So are you going to stop busting my balls?”

“Hell no! I’m fuck’n helpless, I poop in a pan, and I’m itching like crazy under these damn casts,” said Josh with a note of melodrama in his voice.

“Well since I’m the one taking care of the pan, and cleaning your butt, let’s at least try to be friends. OK?” said Trent.

“OK, we can work on friends. But I don't know if it can ever be more than that.”

“I’ll take it. If it just keeps bells from being chunked at me, it’ll be an improvement.”

“At least I’m a bad shot.”

“Well, there is that.”

<><><><>

Darrin walked onto the porch and stood beside Mitch. He looked at the concrete slabs where a little more than a month ago had been a complex of buildings and barns. Most of their equipment had been strewn over a ten-square-mile area and in pieces that were barely recognizable. The insurance would eventually replace most of it, but it would take months.

They had been fortunate that most of what had been destroyed was insured, but not everything. They were on the list with several contractors, but there was a lot of damage in the area, and it wasn't going to be repaired in a day, or even a handful of months. He rested his hand on Mitch’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be fine. Josh was the only one with serious injuries, and all of the animals got through it without a scratch. I’m glad they finally got all the debris hauled away though. Piles of our barns everywhere was kind of depressing,” said Darrin.

“Anne came by,” said Mitch without a prelude.

“Doug’s mom?”

“Yup, she’s getting out of ranching, says she’s too old. Doug doesn't want to expand. After the divorce, he hasn’t wanted to do much.”

“OK, what does that mean to us?”

“She’s offering to sell to us. We can even rent for a few years first if we want.”

“Oh. Crap,” said Darrin, shocked with the revelation.

“She’s selling the house with it,” said Mitch, as a smile tugged at his lips.

“But I like this house.”

“Not for us, for Josh and Trent.”

“Babe, I think that’s a lost cause.”

“They had a talk today. Well more like Josh screamed, and Trent worked on not being too insulted.”

“And?”

“They’re going to try to be friends. It helped when Trent told Josh that he hadn’t been working the oldest profession again.”

“I had wondered, but I figured it wasn’t my business,” said Darrin.

“Yeah, me too,” said Mitch. “But anyway, the boys could live in Anne’s house. I think Josh would especially appreciate it.”

“Why?”

Mitch looked at him with a puzzled expression for a few seconds and then understanding spread across his face. “I forgot, you’ve never been there. Her house is built into a hill, the whole house is basically a tornado shelter.”

“Oh,” said Darrin, his eyebrows shooting almost to his hairline.

<><><><>

“Come on, you need to do ten more,” said Trent.

“I don’t care! I’m tired, and I’ve done enough of the stupid exercises for one day. I’m sore already.”

“The physical therapist said if you want your full range of motion back that you needed to do these exercises. Come on Josh, just do the last few.” Trent pleaded.

He’s still here, thought Josh. That’s saying something. I know I’ve been hard to live with these last months. Even though now I can waddle into the bathroom, Trent is still sleeping on a cot in the room with me in case I need something. We’ve had a couple of arguments, but the last ones were just because I’m in such a foul mood.

“Come on. Do the last exercises and I’ll drive you to Sonic.”

“I don’t like Sonic,” said Josh sullenly.

Trent chuckled. “I know you’re lying when you tell me you don’t like Sonic. You are addicted.”

Josh stared at Trent, looking sullen before finally shaking his head and one side of his mouth flicking up. “OK, but I need onion rings, and I want to take a bath before I go and soak for about an hour.”

“Deal, they said you could take a bath now. All the incisions are healed, and your casts are off.”

“Fine, what’s the next of these god-forsaken exercises?”

Trent looked down at the paper, more to hide his smile than anything else. Josh was getting back to his old self. A cranky version, but most of that was directed at his injuries, not at Trent.

<><><><>

“How are things going at home?” asked Emma.

Darrin leaned back in his chair as she walked in his office. He looked at Emma and withheld his first, waspish, response. She had been so supportive of his family, all of his family, and he knew it was from genuine concern that she asked. But his submission for tenure was due in a little more than a month. This was the make it or break it point for Darrin’s career, and the stress was starting to get to him. He let out a long breath and calmed himself.

“As good as can be expected. Josh is still doing PT, but he’s back in his classes with Trent’s help. Mitch is making do without half the equipment we had last year, and a ranch bordering ours is going on the market. The owner wants to know if we’re interested in buying it.

And I’m having a meltdown trying to get my tenure packet together.

Otherwise things are great.”

Emma sat there for several moments, the silence building. She then started to chuckle. “So it’s pretty much normal?”

Darrin thought about his litany of problems, and realized she was right. He chuckled and shook his head. “Yes, I guess you’re right. There’s always some crisis between the four of us.”

“So Josh is being a typical guy and being bitchy when he isn’t healing instantly. Nothing new there. Men are so high-maintenance,” said Emma, “So tell me about this additional acreage.”

“It’s Anne’s, the woman who was at Mitch’s birthday party, she’s retiring from ranching, and her son has all the land he wants to deal with already. She’s moving into a trailer next to his house, so she’s selling the home place too. Mitch is thinking it could be Trent and Josh’s house instead of rebuilding the little house we had.”

“So the boys are back together?”

“Not exactly, but apparently Josh has stopped screaming how much he hates Trent.”

“Hate, love, it’s such a fine line sometimes,” said Emma with a grin.

“Well, Josh was devastated when Trent left.”

“I know, I remember. I guess I shouldn’t joke. But it sounds like their relationship is on the mend.”

“Mitch seems to think so too. I hope the two of you are right. They seemed like such a great couple, and I hope Trent is over his issues now.”

“The problems Trent has may be there his whole life. It would be a positive step if he’s at the point where he doesn’t run when things seem to be going badly.”

Darrin shook his head, his mouth puckered as if he’d just eaten something sour. “I suppose you’re right. I just hate to see them go through all the peaks and valleys of a relationship.”

“You mean like the rest of us?”

Darrin chuckled and then shrugged. “OK, OK. I give up. No relationship is perfect. Lord knows Mitch and I have had a few rough spots.”

“Everyone does, and sometimes the relationship ends because of the problems. But more times than not, working out the issue makes the relationship bond stronger.”

Darrin threw up his hands in surrender. “OK. You’re right.” Darrin cocked his eyebrow at the woman. “How about my tenure packet?”

Emma grinned at Darrin. “If you’re asking someone to proof it, I’m your Girl Friday.”

Darrin smiled back at his friend and then started showing her everything he had at this point.

<><><><>

Trent sat on the bench and ran his boots through the worn spot in the soil below him. He contemplated the whirls of powdered soil that puffed across his dark boots, trying to distract himself from the issues they were having, while he waited for Josh to get out of class. Things were better. Josh didn’t intentionally try to hurt him anymore, but Trent had hoped they would be closer to repairing their relationship. He wanted back what they had before he ran, but he knew Josh was still hurting. Everyone knew Josh had been wounded. But when was he going to get past it?

“Young man, do you mind if I sit here?”

Trent looked up to see an elderly woman with long braids standing at the other end of the bench.

“Oh. No ma’am. Please have a seat.”

“Thank you, Khee khoat.”

Trent shot her a quizzical look, to which she smiled. “Khee khoat just means you are a man. It’s Kiowa, but then you aren’t Kiowa, are you. You’re that Hiada boy my grandson has been telling me about?”

“My dad was Hiada, but I don’t know much about them. But who’s your grandson?”

“He’s the sheriff. Jimmy White Cloud is his name.”

Trent couldn’t hold in a chuckle. He felt sure that no one but this gentle woman called him Jimmy. But the next time the sheriff was hassling him, it might just be worth it to drop it on him. He looked closer at the woman, and thought maybe she was the one whose ire he didn't want. If there was such a thing as a Native American matriarch, she would be it. Her hair was divided in two thick, salt and pepper braids, and while she moved slowly, it somehow was the epitome of dignity.

As Trent looked closer, he noticed there was more to her appearance than what one would first notice. Her simple blouse was decorated with lines of beadwork, and the small purse she was carrying was a work of art. Her shoes were soft moccasins that extended to her knees and another accent of beadwork ran along the bottom of her conservative skirt. Trent wasn’t sure he could have brought it all together to describe it. But it was a fitting frame for a woman that he certainly wouldn't want to tangle with. As their eyes met, he saw she was smiling at him.

“You’ll make a great two-spirit. Even better that you have native blood too, even if it isn’t Kiowa,” she said and then chuckled. “How is Josh doing?”

Trent let out a long held breath, feeling the tension return. “He’s getting better. Just too slowly for him. He hates needing help. But he’s learning to deal with it, and they say he can start using crutches in a few weeks. He’ll be glad when that happens.”

Nanna nodded as she considered his evaluation. “And what about you two? His spirit has to heal as well as his body.”

“Yes, ma’am. It does, but… well… He won’t let me back in. He doesn't trust me.”

“Should he? Have you given him reasons to trust you again?”

“I’ve taken care of him since he’s been home, and I’ve told him over and over that I love him. I don’t know what else to do.”

“You know, the Washita Mountains were once like the Rockies.”

Trent cocked an eyebrow at the strange change in the conversation. “Yes, ma’am. I guess so.”

“But all that’s left is the granite core. Just huge rocks the size of houses if you go up Mount Scott.”

Trent nodded this time, wondering where this was going.

“You know what happened?”

“To the mountains?” asked Trent, deciding he was about to hear some of the native philosophy that Sheriff White Cloud was so fond of dispersing. “No, ma’am. What happened?”

“The wind happened! Didn’t you take geology? Nothing can stand up to a millennium of the Oklahoma wind.”

Trent chuckled and nodded. “Yes, I can see that. But…” Trent wavered, still not making the connection.

“You have to be the wind, Khee khoat. Just wear Josh down.”

Trent smiled at the old woman. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.”

He watched as she levered herself off the bench and then reached down to pat his knee. “Such a nice polite man you are. Jimmy didn’t describe you that way.”

Trent nodded in acknowledgment, realizing he’d had an entire conversation without a ‘yeah’ and with a whole lot of yes, ma’am and no ma’am’s. He guessed Josh was wearing off on him.

<><><><>

“You know, if you aren’t going to let him back in you need to be honest with Trent and cut him loose,” said Mitch with no preamble.

Josh looked up from the refrigerator; his evening snack time now sent spiraling in a direction he was tired of exploring. Darrin had given him the same talk a few days earlier. He sat the snacks on the counter and let out a sigh. But now his stomach had turned sour, and he wasn’t interested in the food. Deep down Josh knew he still had feelings for Trent. But the pain had been so overwhelming; he didn’t think he could survive it again. He didn’t trust him, but he had to admit that Trent had been there when he needed him.

“If it’s that easy, what would you do?” said Josh.

“Do you love him? Have you talked to him about why he left?”

Josh stood quietly, thinking about the question. He put both hands on the counter and sighed. “Yes, I love him. I was going to ask him to marry me. I had a ring and everything. And no, I haven’t asked what happened.”

“If you love him, don’t you owe it to him to talk about why he left?”

“Damn it, Mitch! I don’t want to be reasonable,” said Josh, half way meaning what he said.

“I know, but you can either decide to stay pissed off for the rest of your life, or give him a chance to explain.”

“OK. Fine. You and Darrin are right. I’ve been acting like a kid. I’ll talk with Trent. Now, would you mind helping me get this stuff to the table? It’s a pain in the butt to try and carry it all on crutches.”

Mitch walked over, grabbed the food Josh had pulled out and followed him. He was careful not to let Josh see the look of triumph plastered on his face.

<><><><>

“We need to talk.”

Trent looked up to see Josh standing at the doorway, leaning on his crutches and looking particularly miserable. Trent braced himself for another outburst about how horrible he was and how tired Josh was of being injured. He’d heard it all before, and would probably hear it again, but he would do it.

“Sure, Josh. What’s up?”

“Why did you leave?”

Trent froze, his emotions roiling at the thought of rehashing that episode. But he had known it was coming. At least if Josh was ever going to forgive him, it was. They had talked about the surface stuff already, Trent knew Josh was asking for the details now. He braced himself and then began.

“Well it wasn’t you; it was me. I know that’s the worst line in the world, but it’s true. You were great, life was great, I guess it was just so good that I was afraid how much it was going to hurt when it crashed around me. Because Josh, disasters always follow me.”

“Yeah, you told me all this. But why then, what made it unbearable? I thought I was giving you lots of time.”

Trent let his head drop, staring at his navel he said, “Cause I found it…”

“Found it? Found what?” Josh screwed up his face, trying to figure out what Trent was talking about.

“In your drawer, I was cleaning, everything fell out, and I found it. I swear I wasn’t digging through your stuff.”

“In my drawer?” said Josh, still trying to remember. Suddenly his eyes shot open. “The ring?”

Trent nodded, worried what Josh’s reaction would be to what could be interpreted as him digging through Josh’s personal stuff. His heart was fluttering as he watched Josh, unable to decipher the flitter of emotions that came across his face. Josh gave him a hard look.

“It was engraved. I had it engraved.”

“Yes. That’s how I knew for sure what it was.”

“It got too real for you. You knew at some point I’d already decided to ask you to marry me.”

“Yes. Scared the fuck’n hell out of me.”

Surprisingly. a soft chuckle came from Josh. “I hear the whole marriage thing has that effect on guys.” He let out a sigh. “But you don’t have to worry. That ring is long gone. It was still in our house when the tornado hit.”

Trent felt a flutter in his heart, Josh had called it ‘our house’. “I’m sorry it’s gone, Josh.”

Josh leveled a look at Trent that stopped him cold in his tracks. “I’m not getting the next one, and I won’t be asking you to marry me either.”

“Oh…I understand.”

“That’s right. This time you have to seduce me, and you will be the one down on one knee. And yes, I damn sure want you on your knee when you do it.”

Trent’s mouth fell open, a mask of disbelief on his face. Time stood still while he processed the information. After what seemed like hours he began to speak again, and as he did a huge smile broke across his face. “I got it. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything, when the time is right.”

Trent walked over the Josh and wrapped him in a warm hug for the first time since he’d returned. He felt a slight tension from Josh initially, but it lessened as the hug lingered. After a few minutes, Trent released him. He separated from Josh and then wiped a tear from his face.

“Thanks, Josh. I’m glad we’re back together.”

“Trent, I’m not gonna lie to you. We aren’t back to where we were. It’s going to take some time. But I’m willing if you are.”

“I’m here for as long as it takes,” said Trent, a victorious smile on his face.

Josh chuckled. “Anyone who is willing to wipe my ass for me, deserves a second chance.”

Trent’s smile was incandescent as he shook his head at Josh.

<><><><>

They went slowly through the house the guys were considering buying. As they moved, Trent was finding the thump of crutches on the floor a comforting sound. For both him and Josh it was the sound of reclaimed freedom. Josh stopped to study the kitchen, and Trent walked over, wrapped his arms around his hips and pulled him close.

“So, what do you think?”

Josh twisted slightly and gave Trent a peck on the cheek. “It looks great. It’s not huge, but plenty of room for us. Anne liked to cook so it’s got a nice kitchen. I know you’ll like that. And the bathroom off the master bedroom is nice sized.”

Trent chuckled and rubbed his hand over Josh’s back. “You sound like a Realtor. Just tell me you like it and I’m good.”

Josh shuddered slightly in Trent’s arms. “To be honest, the best thing is that it’s built into a hill. One tornado in a lifetime is more than enough. I’ll sleep better here than anywhere else I can think of during storm season.”

“I thought you might say that. I talked with Mitch, and he said we can buy the house from them.” Trent stopped and looked into Josh’s ice blue eyes. “If you’re OK with that.”

“You want to buy a house together?” asked Josh.

Trent chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“I do too.” Josh grinned.

“Looks like we’re going to be home owners then. We’ll need to move the goats down here I guess,” said Trent.

“Darrin said the two ranches will still be run like one, so they can go wherever we want. But there is a lot more brush down here, so we’ll probably move them. At least for a little while.”

Trent nodded, relieved that their goats were coming with them. He looked back at Josh and then leaned over and kissed him gently, cupping his hand behind Josh’s neck.

“Come on, let’s look through the rest of the house since we’re going to be moving in later this week.” The pair went through the house, planning what should be where as they went from room to room. Once they had finished, both of them were looking forward to being in their new house.

<><><><>

“Can I get a few minutes rest by saying that I’m recovering from an injury?” said Josh.

Trent laughed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Only if I can rest too.”

“Man, I hate moving.”

“Well, at least we had help. And this is the last load of boxes. You got off pretty easy with the doctor saying you couldn't lift more than ten pounds,” said Trent as he leaned against the kitchen table. He watched as Josh walked over to him, a limp very evident in spite of his obvious attempts to hide it. Once he was closer, Trent grabbed him and lifted him to sit on the table. Standing between Josh’s legs, the two of them leaned against each other. They were both sweaty and hot, but the interior of the house was cool and dim.

Trent wondered—was this it?. They had been affectionate, but he had not pressed the intimacy issue. Partly because of Josh’s concerns about him, but mostly he did not want to reinjure Josh. He would have never told him, but Trent was very happy that he was able to take care of himself again. Health care was not an area Trent ever wanted to explore as a career. His attention was snapped back when he felt Josh’s fingers stroke his stubble-covered cheek.

“You’re beautiful.”

Trent chuckled. “Ditto, lover.” He leaned in and kissed Josh softly. As their mouths separated, he pulled back, licked his lips and gave Josh a leer.

“How are the bones today?” asked Trent, a happy lilt in his voice.

Josh leaned in and flicked his tongue against the tip of Trent’s nose. “Very good, as in completely healed. But I have another bone that needs some attention, badly!”

Trent chuckled at Josh but leaned against him and groped his crotch. “Let’s see if we can’t fix that bone too.” He pulled down Josh’s zipper, let his fingers slip in the opening and touch the hard shaft trapped inside. Josh let out a low growl as Trent rubbed his fingers over the growing wet spot in his underwear.

“Better?” asked Trent with a smirk.

Josh answered with a flurry of satisfied sounds. Trent’s hands slipped under his damp T-shirt and lifted it over his head. His hands wandered over Josh’s chest, still toned and desirable in spite of the months of forced inactivity. Trent’s fingers traced through the chest hair and enjoyed the sensation. Leaning closer, Trent ran his hands over Josh’s back and let his tongue circle the brown nipple. Josh pressed against him, his breath coming in gasps. Trent felt Josh’s strong hands gripping his head, directing his efforts to where Josh wanted it most.

“I’ve missed this so much. Damn, it feels good.”

Trent released Josh’s nipple with a pop, and then leaned in for a kiss. He snagged Josh’s bottom lip and tugged on it gently with his teeth. Releasing it, he dove in and ran his tongue between Josh’s lips, tasting and sampling the flavor that was uniquely Josh’s.

Trent continued to sample Josh for several long minutes. Slowly pulling apart, both gasped for air, their cocks engorged with blood. Trent leered at Josh, and without losing eye contact, he reached inside Josh’s pants and fondled him. His body shuddered under Trent’s touch.

He stepped back, enjoying the sight of his man again writhing with passion he had created. Trent ripped his shirt off and let it fly indiscriminately. He saw Josh was watching him and decided to give him a show. Turning his backside toward Josh, he started slowly rolling his hips, showing off his bubble butt that he knew Josh liked so much. Opening the first button, he let his jeans slide down his hips, teasing Josh with a view of the top of his ass.

He spun around and thrust out his bulging crotch and grasped it with both hands, squeezing it hard as he did. Thrusting, he started lowering his zipper, his thin white underwear stretched obscenely. Trent did a bump and grind until his jeans were around his ankles, and then kicked off his boots and ripped off his pants.

Moving against Josh, he dry humped the handsome man’s leg, feeling his underwear become soaked as his cock belched out precum, the friction driving him toward his edge.

Trent moved his hips away and tugged at Josh’s clothing, dropping it in a pile beside them. An urgency encased Trent as his hands began to reacquaint themselves with Josh’s stunning body. He gripped Josh’s dick tightly in his hand and started licking it like an ice cream cone. His tongue ran quick swirls around its head, tracing and dipping into the drooling slit in its tip with each revolution. He squatted lower and sucked one of Josh’s nuts into his mouth, covering it with spit.

He felt a hand grasping his head, pulling him off. “Slow down, babe. I’m so close. I’m about to nut on your face.”

“Oh no, I have plans for that load,” said Trent. He leaned in and kissed the underside of Josh’s cock and then stood up and pressed his lips against Josh’s.

“Don't move,” whispered Trent. He sprinted for the bedroom and was back in moments with a bottle of lube. He slid onto the kitchen table, lifting his legs so Josh could watch him prepare himself. He filled his hand with the clear gel, and then rubbed it up and down his crack. Pressing against his hole with each pass, he started moaning from the sensations. His eyes fluttered shut, and his breath exhausted in a gust as he rammed two fingers inside himself. He heard Josh’s moan of appreciation and smiled to himself. It was working. Things were coming back.

Trent continued, teasing and prodding until he had three fingers buried inside. Pressing them hard and deep, he froze for a second, his body arching upward as the pleasure surged through him. He let his fingers slip out and looked at Josh.

“Fuck me, Josh. I need you inside me again.”

Josh moved closer, grabbed Trent’s thighs and pulled him to the edge. He rubbed his cock over the drenched hole, and then without warning, plunged himself inside Trent.

“Damn!” said Trent, hissing through the pain of the sudden entry. But the sting quickly evaporated and sensations of ecstasy flooded his system. Josh paused briefly and then began pounding Trent. The pleasure was overwhelming, Trent’s mind drifted into a sex-induced haze as Josh’s thick cock battered his prostate. He needed this so much; he knew he’d never last long. He had not been with anyone since he’d left. And it felt perfect, being back with Josh.

Josh’s rhythm faltered, signaling the beginning of his orgasm. Trent felt his hands lock on his thighs as, with grunt after grunt, he emptied his nuts into Trent. He could feel the pressure, the twitching, inside him. Trent locked his heels behind Josh’s ass, trying to pull him tighter.

Trent smiled in surprise when Josh began to gain speed, his cock losing none of its steel. He urged Josh on, digging his heels into his butt, feeling his already swollen prostrate taking a magical pounding. Trent again lost himself in the sensations, his body racing toward the pinnacle of his pleasure. With a final shudder and moan, cum shot from his throbbing cock.

“Damn!” screamed Trent.

Trent writhed on the table, Josh pinning him and rabbit fucking his hole while his cock shot jet after jet of translucent cum over them. Trent felt one stream land across his face just in time to see Josh’s face transformed by a second orgasm. The two of them drifted in the web of their shared climax, feeling a rejoining begin. Their scents and sacred fluids joined, and Trent knew he would need to take Josh with him to meet his father’s family, so he could introduce his husband to them.

<><><><>

Darrin struggled to shake off the cloak of sleep as he recognized the noise that had awakened him. Grabbing for the phone, he tried to calm the normal panic that accompanied late night calls. On his first attempt to push the call button, the phone had reacted like a living creature and flipped out of his hands and onto the floor.

“Damn it!”

Darrin felt Mitch struggle awake as the phone, and Darrin’s cursing filled the room. With a final lurch to grab his still buzzing phone, Darrin slid off the bed and landed on the floor.

“Fuck! Goddamn phone!”

With it firmly in his hands, he hit the button and shoved it against his ear as he scooted his bare ass across the carpet so he could lean against the bed.

“Hello!” said Darrin, his nerves and patience shot.

The dead silence did nothing to improve his mood, even as Mitch crawled across the bed and laid a hand on his shoulder in support. When the silence continued to stretch, he tried again, furious that someone was prank calling him.

“Hello? Who is this!”

A few more moments passed, and just as Darrin was about to cut the call, he heard someone clear his throat.

“Ah, yeah, hi. Darrin?”

“Yes, this is Darrin. Who is this? How did you get my number?”

“Hmmm, it’s Kevin. Kevin Boorman. I had the department directory in my phone…”

Darrin was shocked, the last of the sleep fog blasted away. He turned to Mitch whose eyebrows were knitted in concern, which shifted to surprise when Darrin mouthed the name of the caller to him. Seconds later Mitch’s face was clouded with anger, and he motioned for Darrin to hang up. Darrin knew so far as Mitch was concerned, nothing good could come of this. In many ways, Darrin agreed with Mitch, but he was also curious. He supposed it was the sign of a good researcher.

“Hello? You still there?”

Darrin’s frown deepened as he answered. “Yes, I’m still here. What do you want, Boorman?” Darrin glanced at the clock. “It’s three o’clock in the morning, what’re you doing? I don’t appreciate having more crap pulled on me.”

“No. I swear I’m not pulling anything. I… Well, I need help.”

“And you called me? Seriously? What the fuck were you thinking?”

There was a pause that stretched to an uncomfortable length, Darrin could hear breathing, but there was no conversation. He needed the time though; he really did not want to help. Kevin had caused trouble for him and Mitch ever since graduate school. That same person was asking for help now, from him. His anger was building, Kevin had no right to ask him or Mitch for help.

Darrin was about to tell him to fuck off, when he heard Kevin start to talk. “There was no one else I could trust…”

Darrin exploded. “You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve tried to get me fired every chance you get, and I’m the one you can trust?”

“Yes, you could lie about me. But you won’t. No matter what I’ve done, you’ve always been honest.”

Darrin clenched his jaw, his frustration showing. “Call one of your friends. Don’t you dare call here again. You’ve caused us enough trouble. Bye!” Darrin yanked the phone away from his ear and was about to hit disconnect.

“Wait!” Kevin screamed. The soul rending desperation in his voice chipped away a little of the ice surrounding Darrin’s heart in regards to this person.

“What!” said Darrin, a ferocious bite to his voice.

“There is no one else I can call. And I sure can’t tell anyone else what’s happened.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Well, I was robbed.”

“So? That’s not great, but your friends will understand.”

“And he stole my clothes…”

“OK…”

“While I was tied to the bed.”

Mitch, who was eavesdropping, burst out laughing. Darrin grabbed his pillow and smacked Mitch with it. Not that Darrin didn’t understand the feeling, he wanted to laugh at karma coming back to bite Kevin in the butt too. Darrin couldn’t resist the opportunity to give their enemy a little dig.

“Why were you tied to the bed?”

There was a very long pause, but this time he couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he waited patiently. With enough time, the answer Darrin had been expecting came out.

“It was a date…”

Mitch howled with laughter with that explanation, and this time Darrin didn’t quiet him. Darrin even had to chuckle softly, it was just too good. He noticed that Kevin wasn’t saying a word as if he were letting them enjoy his predicament.

“Craigslist, before you ask.”

The final admission broke the little resolve Darrin had, and he joined Mitch in the peals of laughter. They both held onto each other in their enjoyment, the phone forgotten as they relished the fall of their archenemy. As they slowed their laughter, they both shrugged at the other, knowing they wouldn't leave him in the situation. Darrin picked up the phone and smothered a final chuckle before beginning.

“OK, Kevin. Where are you?”