Fleeting Eternity - 14. Changes

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 her in the middle of the living room of his apartment. They were nearly done with the small stuff and now only the larger pieces of furniture remained. They needed a few things at the hardware store, so Nate and Christopher had run to Ace Hardware in Nate's little Civic. They had already put the furniture they could handle themselves into the back of Chris's black GMC, and Tad was supposed to drive over and meet them with the truck.

"Okay, baby. We'll be back for you after this run. That'll be fun. I know how much you love that pet carrier!" He chuckled as he put her down.

Tad grabbed the keys, locked up the apartment, and was out the door. He started the truck and soon he was on the way.

It wasn't a long drive. By now, they had done it many times, so Tad was sort of on autopilot as he traversed the road. He stopped at a light, and he waited while he thought.

Then, as sudden as a stroke of lightning, it hit him again.

His head swam with a sensation almost like vertigo, as the center of his brain responsible for his sleep cycle flipped into overdrive. "No." His voice was thick with dread. "Oh god, it's really happening." He had nearly convinced himself that his episode from earlier in the week had been a fluke, that it wasn't the glioblastoma growing, and beginning to affect his brain tissues. He blinked and struggled to stay awake. He could easily fall to sleep any second if he just stopped fighting it.

The light changed and Tad shook his head. He continued. He was so sleepy that a hollow, sick to his stomach feeling bloomed in his belly. "Fuck. I'm almost there." He forced himself to fight through the near-overpowering urge to close his eyes and let it happen.

After a few protracted minutes, he pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment building. Tad put the truck into park, turned off the engine, and he immediately slumped back, asleep behind the wheel.

He woke to the patter of rain as it began to fall on the truck. Tad blinked and sat up. He looked at the clock. "Oh, thank god. I only lost a half-hour." He opened the truck door and got out to stand beside the vehicle. "Will I even be able to finish? Will I get to hold my book?" Tad rubbed his face, worry and fear plain in his expression.

He tried hard to find a way to calm himself. 'They'll be here soon. Hold it together. Just hold it together.'

Sure enough, Nate's little red car pulled in behind the truck, only moments later. His two men got out and Tad forced a smile. "Hey, good timing." He waved at the sky. "We need to get this stuff inside before it really starts to dump on us."

Soon all of them were busy carrying items up the three flights of stairs. All the while, Tad fought back against the chilling sense of impotence and doom he felt encroaching upon his life, and the threat it posed to the time he had left with the men he loved.

∞

Christopher, Nate, and Tad were all back at Tad's old apartment. They had unloaded the truck at the new place, and now Tad was trying to catch a suddenly skittish Kali. She hated the carrier and she always had. Somehow, the little beast knew that was her destiny. So she tore around the limited space, running away from Tad as he calmly walked after her.

While Tad handled their feline, Christopher and Nate strategized. Chris looked at the huge, heavy dresser in Tad's bedroom. "I think your buddy, Kent will have to help with this one. Him and me, one on each end, then one of the rest of you helping us too. That should do it."

Nate nodded, his hands on his hips as he looked over the piece of furniture. "Kent should be here soon."

A knock on the door came, and Nate laughed. "I bet that's him."

Nate left the room and Chris heard him open the door. Greetings passed between people, but then there were laughs and conversation. He frowned, and he stepped back out into the living room.

Stanley stood there, grinning, his arm around Kent, the fellow Chris met at the dealership. Both Stanley and Kent looked surprised to see one another. Stanley laughed when he saw Chris. "I had no idea you guys invited Kent here too." He shook his head. "We didn't realize we were both recruited to help with this move."

Chris grinned and he laughed. "Oh, sorry. I just assumed you guys knew." He shook Stanley's hand and then Kent's. "Thanks, guys. Both of you, for the help."

Tad stopped chasing Kali and joined the group.

As Tad approached, Stanley locked eyes with him and extended his hand. "You've got to be Tad." The guys shook and Stanley continued. "Man, you do impressive work. We love your art. It's going to be an amazing book."

For the first time all day, Tad smiled a big, broad smile. "Thanks. I'm thrilled you guys like it." For some reason, Tad had been quiet and moody. But now, he seemed to forget his earlier somberness.

Kent also gave him effusive praise for the comic. Nate and Christopher grinned at one another as Tad graciously accepted it. Their handsome, talented man was happy, and that made them glad.

"You guys were promised some epic sandwiches, from what I was told." Tad dusted off his hands, and he headed toward the kitchen. "I saved everything in the fridge that I needed for them, so I'm getting started on that." He looked at Chris. "Bear, can you wrangle Kali? She really needs to go over to the new apartment. She's freaking out here."

Christopher nodded, and he caught a look from Stanley. The small, skinny man grinned, and he mouthed a word at Chris. "Bear?" He looked extremely pleased with himself.

Chris laughed, and he faced Stanley. "What? You don't have pet names for each other?"

Stanley and Kent suddenly flushed bright red, and they looked at one another.

Nate and Christopher both saw it and Nate guffawed. "Oh, come on. Now you've gotta tell us!"

Stanley cleared his throat and walked to the kitchen. "Tad, do you need any help?"

Kent watched him go with an expression like Stanley had left him stranded on a desert island. Nate put his arm around Kent's shoulders. "Come on, buddy. Talk to me." He squeezed his stocky friend. "You can tell Nate what Stanley calls you."

"Nope." Kent set his jaw. "I'm here to move heavy things, not reveal our bedroom habits."

"Ohhhh, it's something he calls you in the bedroom?" Nate cackled evilly as Kent grimaced at his slip.

Christopher laughed. "Okay, leave the guy alone, Nate."

There was a little more good-natured ribbing between the men while Chris set to work catching their elusive cat.

Christopher finally cornered her, and he gently picked Kali up. She wailed as he put her in the carrier. “Oh god, you’re fine, monster.” Chris had planned to leave her in the carrier while they ate their food, but she sounded so scared and miserable, he couldn’t do that to her. “I’m just gonna take her over now. I’ll be back.”

"I wanna see the new place. You mind if I tag along?" Stanley asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." Stanley and Christopher walked outside to the truck while the other three stayed back.

Stanley got into the cab, and he reached for the carrier. "Here. I'll just take her."

"Thanks." Christopher handed her over. She continued to cry. "Jeez, sorry. She hates the carrier, and riding in vehicles."

"It's okay." Stanley put his arms around the carrier on his lap, and he smiled at Christopher as he got in behind the wheel. "You guys look good together. Like you all belong." He nodded. "It's awesome."

"Thanks, Stanley. Same for you and Kent." He started the vehicle, and they began on their way down the quiet street. "I've not seen you so happy before. It's great, man."

Stanley grinned. "Yeah. It feels so, ah, so real." He took a deep breath. "I've never been so wrapped up in anybody like I am with Kent." He rubbed his hands together on the other side of the pet carrier in his lap. "He's the first guy I've ever loved. I never knew if that'd ever happen for me, but it's happening."

"Wow, that's great." Christopher grinned, and he stopped at a light, a few blocks from the apartment building. He glanced over. "I know what you mean. Tad's the first guy I've ever really been in love with."

Stanley nodded. "I can tell you love him. I can see that from both you and Nate." He eyed Christopher as the tall, broad man continued driving through the green light. "What about Nate? Do you love him?"

Christopher inhaled as he thought. "I feel something. Something powerful, and it's getting stronger." He worked his jaw as he parked in front of the apartment building. "It's different with Nate, how I feel. I don't know if it's love, but I don't think I could give him up."

Stanley smiled at him. "That's fair. It seems to work for you all."

Christopher took the carrier, and they walked up the three flights of stairs. He unlocked their new apartment, with all of its boxes and the smaller pieces of furniture scattered about, and then he opened the pet carrier. Kali jetted out and into the new space. She dashed down the hallway and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. The two guys chuckled. "Let me get some food and water for her. Just so she realizes that this is home now." Christopher found her bag of food, and he got a little bowl for her. He put it on the floor in the kitchen beside the stove, in the same place as her food in Tad's apartment.

Stanley walked around, and he looked at the view through the large windows in the living room. "Damn. This is a nice place."

Christopher joined him. "Yeah. Nate did good. It's a great apartment, and it'll be perfect for us." Then he frowned. "I worry a little, about later when Tad …" Chris caught himself, and he stopped mid-sentence.

Stanley looked at him. "What? What's the worry about Tad?"

Tad had never told them to keep his condition a secret from anyone but his parents. Yet Christopher still felt a little strange disclosing it. His face gave away some of his emotion surrounding the issue, and Tad's diagnosis. Stanley frowned worriedly, and he turned to face Chris. "Dude, what's going on? Everything okay?"

Chris sighed, and he smiled sadly. "No. Not really." He nodded to himself. "I'll tell you, but keep it to yourself, okay? It's not exactly something Tad announces from the rooftops."

"Sure. Talk to me." Stanley's expression was earnest and Christopher could see that his friend really just wanted to help.

"All right. Let's talk about it on the way back."

They locked up, and soon they were in the truck - and Christopher revealed to Stanley the darkest secret he'd ever had to carry.

∞

"Holy shit, Kent is strong." Nate wiped his brow, and he breathed heavily beside Tad and Stanley. Nate waved a hand at Christopher and Kent as the two men manhandled the brobdingnagian dresser from Tad's apartment. Only one guy could fit on each end in certain tight quarters, and the obvious choices were Kent and Christopher.

Stanley grinned. "He is really strong." Nate saw Stanley's eyes spark with his great respect for the broad and powerful young man. There was also a deep level of emotion there, and Nate couldn't help but smile at him.

After a few grunts and single syllable words to guide each other, Christopher and Kent slowly set the dresser down in what would become their master bedroom.

"Touchdown!" Nate held up his arms in a goalpost formation, and Christopher looked at him as he panted for air. Chris put his hands on his knees, and he laughed breathlessly with a shake of his head. Nate frowned. "What? That's not right?"

"You've got the right sport, at least." Kent straightened with a grimace, and he smirked at Nate. "Whew. Man, that was heavy."

"I concur with Kent!" Christopher unfolded his body and eyed Kent, then he held out a fist to the younger man. "Thanks, for being here." Kent nodded, and fist bumped him. Chris finally caught his breath. "We owe you guys. Both of you."

"Well, I like Larrupin," Stanley quipped, and Nate giggled with him. Larrupin was an excellent restaurant north of them, in the little town of Trinidad. It was possibly the best eatery in the entire county, and it had prices to match.

Tad put his hands on his hips, and he nodded. "You know, that's not a bad idea. You guys deserve a nice meal after this."

"Oh, no, I was just kidding." Stanley glanced at Kent who only smirked at him. "No, it's fine. We're happy to just help you guys."

"Well, we were already trying to figure out a way to celebrate our move." Nate shrugged. "Larrupin would be a great way to do it. And I agree - you guys deserve a treat."

"I'm on board." Chris slapped a big, meaty hand on Kent's thick back. "Without Kent here, I don't think this would have gone nearly as well." He gave an apologetic look at the three smaller men in the room. "Sorry, but you guys don't quite pack the same horsepower."

"Oh, I agree!" Tad nodded, and he pulled out his phone. "Okay, we're making a date for dinner. How about next weekend?"

With no real choice but to be treated to dinner by the three men, Kent and Stanley conferred with each other. Soon, a Saturday night out at the nicest restaurant in the county was on the books.

They had saved the dresser for last. It was now just before five PM, and they waved goodbye as Stanley and Kent left for Stanley's place in Arcata.

After the door closed behind them, Nate grinned at his men. "Man, that went well. Hurray for friends!"

Christopher laughed and nodded. "Yeah, they were a big help."

Tad only smiled a little, and he took a few steps over to the window. He stood there, his shoulders slumped. He looked out at the pretty, renovated building across the street and the slice of the sky that they could see from that spot. "God, I love this view."

There was something in his voice. It was the way longing saturated his words which made chills rise on Nate's neck. He glanced at Christopher, and the big man had noticed as well. They shared a worried look, and Nate stepped over next to Tad. "Hey." His arm went around Tad's shoulders. Christopher stood at his other side, and his hand gently rubbed Tad's back. "What's wrong?" Nate asked, and he observed Tad's face.

Tad continued to stare, his eyes slowly moving over the view. "It's here. A few days ago. It started, and it happened again today."

"No." Christopher's eyes held a mixture of disbelief and terror. "No!" He shook his head. "We need to take you to the hospital, Tad. We take you, and they do the scans, and they tell us …"

"No, Bear." Tad turned, and he put his arms around Christopher. "I know it's happening. It's showing up as intense sleepiness." He sighed as Christopher squeezed him. "I probably shouldn't drive anymore. It hits me really fast. I almost fell asleep on the drive over here earlier today."

Christopher took a sudden breath. "That day I found you, asleep on the bed."

"Yes. That was the first time."

Nate hugged them both, his arms wide. He put his head down, and the three guys stood together. Nate pushed back on the helplessness that threatened. Instead, he made himself do something constructive. "Okay, so we'll need to adjust things." His mind focused on the things they could control. "We'll just have to drive you around, Tad. You'll need to talk to your sister. We need to get you more time to work on your art."

Tad nodded. He seemed numb, and Nate knew that he was overwhelmed. He continued, "Anything you need, you ask. You hear me?"

Tad wet his lips and looked up at Nate. There was fear in his dark eyes. "I don't know if I'll finish my book, Nate." He shook his head. "I still have almost two-hundred pages to format."

"It's just formatting? Making sure stuff fits and lines up?" Nate asked, and Tad nodded. "Well, I can do that. Send your whole portfolio to me. The whole thing. I'll work on it every second I'm free at the bookstore. I'll talk to Mrs. Stewart about it. We're going to get it done."

Christopher found his voice again. "Let me ask Stanley too. He's good with computers. He might be able to help."

Tad looked at each of them. "I," he shook his head, "I don't know how to thank you, guys. You're helping to make my dream happen."

"It's our dream too," Christopher whispered. "You want it, so it's our dream too."

Nate couldn't have said it better. "Okay. Tad, do you want to go talk to your sister tonight? I mean, there are a few things she needs to know, right?" Nate had no idea if Tad had told her about their three-way relationship or not. But, at a minimum, she needed to know that he was now displaying symptoms.

Tad took a deep breath. "Yeah. We really gotta talk." He glanced at Christopher. "I've not come clean about you, Bear - that you're with Nate and me. I need to make her understand what we're doing, and that it's good for us. And I have to tell her about the tumor - that it has started."

Christopher was almost silent, and Nate worried about him and Tad both as they walked down the stairs. The redhead got behind the wheel of Chris's truck and Tad sat in the middle. Chris got in, put his arm around Tad's shoulders, and he kissed their dark-haired man gently on his neck and the side of his face as Nate drove.

It wasn't long before they pulled in front of the sprawling home Miranda shared with her fiance, David. Nate had yet to meet the fellow, though Christopher and Tad had both told him some about the man.

Nate reached for the door handle but Tad's hand gently gripped his shoulder. "Wait." Tad looked at Nate, then Christopher. Tad worked his mouth, and he shook his head. "I am so sorry that I'm putting you through this. I'm sorry." He swallowed and exhaled. "I know it's terrible, for me to need you guys. But," he blinked, and tears started, "but, ah, I do. And I'm glad you're both here."

Nate and Christopher hugged him, and they whispered gentle, sweet things to him. They finally got out. Nate wiped Tad's face, and the three men walked to Miranda's door, together.

∞

Stanley sighed as he threw his keys into the bowl beside the door, with Kent right on his heels. After they finished with moving, Stanley had followed Kent home, then Kent rode with Stanley to his house in Arcata.

They had already been fed, and a different sort of biological need was on Stanley's mind anyway. He turned and smiled at Kent. "Would you like a backrub, Sir?"

Kent gave him a lopsided smirk. "I think I might." He stepped close and pulled him in. Their groins pressed against one another, and they both reacted. Kent rubbed his face against Stanley's neck. "Does my boy want to touch me?"

Stanley loved the way that word sounded when Kent said it, and how he laid claim to Stanley with his voice. "Yes, Sir. Your boy wants that, very much."

Kent gave Stanley a lustful grin. "Good." He gripped Stanley's hand. "Come on."

Kent pulled Stanley to the bedroom, then he allowed Stanley to undress them both. Kent stood there and watched him the whole time, his green eyes never leaving Stanley's face. Once they were both naked, Kent smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well. How do you want me, boy?"

Stanley swallowed. Kent had just handed over a tiny amount of control, and they both knew it. "Uh, on, on your front, Sir."

Kent smirked and climbed on the bed. He lay down on his belly and looked over his shoulder at Stanley.

Stanley quickly got on his knees beside Kent. Then he got some massage oil in his hands. Kent relaxed and Stanley's hands began to rub his lover's back. It wasn't long before he started to slowly run them down Kent's body.

"How's that, Sir?" Stanley asked. His hands moved lightly over the muscles of Kent's ass as his lover lay on his front among the covers and pillows of the bed.

Kent swallowed, and he nodded. "It's, it's good." Stanley heard the wavering tone in his voice, and he allowed himself a little secret smile.

"You would tell me if you didn't like something, wouldn't you, Sir?" Stanley's fingers crept closer to Kent's crack, and they slid slowly alongside that dark, tempting prize.

"Mmm. Yes. Yes, I'd tell you." Kent seemed relaxed, and he lay almost completely still as Stanley steadily inched ever nearer.

"Well," he licked his lips, and his hand slipped into Kent's warm crevice. The stocky man inhaled as Stanley continued to rub his slippery fingers against Kent's virgin hole, "I can give you whatever you like, Sir." Stanley's excitement mounted, he went up on his knees, and he pressed nice and firm against Kent's sphincter.

Kent groaned, and his hands opened and closed, bunching the blanket under them. "Stanley, I've never ..."

It wasn't an outright refusal, so Stanley made his move. He lay on Kent's back, his slick, hard penis fit into the groove of Kent's ass as if it were a puzzle piece. Stanley put his face at Kent's ear, and he rubbed his cock slowly against him. "If you want it, I can give it to you, Sir." Kent's breathing quickened and Stanley smiled in his ear. He could feel Kent's will waver. "Your boy just wants to please you." Stanley was testing a few things. One, the roles they both played, and two, Kent's resolve. He pulled his hips back, positioned himself against Kent, and things went sideways.

Kent flexed his powerful body, and he rolled Stanley off of his back. Before he knew what had happened, Stanley was on his face, one arm firmly held behind his back, and Kent's hard cock pressed against his ass. Kent held him in place with one hand, and his other grabbed the lube from the nightstand. Stanley squirmed, and he was thrilled to realize that he wasn't going anywhere. "Sir! I, I was just ..."

"You were going to fuck me?" Kent growled, and he rubbed lube on himself and slapped his wet fingers against Stanley's ass. Then Stanley felt the pressure of Kent's member. "Not tonight, boy."

Kent pushed himself into Stanley. From his position, there was little Stanley could do about it, even if he had wanted to. Stanley still had the safeword, yet he didn't use it. Instead, he groaned. Stanley's Dom was doing precisely what he needed. Kent was in charge. He was in control. Stanley had the pressure of deciding taken, and tonight he let himself belong to Kent. Kent could easily damage his shoulder, the way he held Stanley down. Yet Stanley allowed it to continue. For the first time, he surrendered, completely.

He trusted.

Kent reached around Stanley's hip with his free hand, and he began to stroke him. "Come for me, boy." Kent's lips were in Stanley's ear. "Do it."

Stanley was wracked with the physicality of the moment, along with the way he felt connected with Kent. His shoulder ached from its position, but his trust in Kent was absolute. "Sir, I love you."

"Prove it, boy," Kent grunted, then he pushed forward and Stanley felt him come with a sensation of a pulse of fluid from his husky lover.

Stanley couldn't hold out, and he had lost the will to try. He felt his experience crest in a euphoric wave, and he released in a tremendous orgasm. He shook and gasped as he came, and Kent continued to stroke him until Stanley's breathing calmed and he lay on his face, panting.

Kent released his arm, and he gingerly helped Stanley move it back to a normal position. Kent rubbed Stanley's shoulder as he lay on his front. "Did I hurt you?"

Stanley grinned. "A little. But not enough to stop it."

Kent continued to rub Stanley's shoulder, knowing the joint was put under stress from their moment. A contented Stanley lay there, under the patient, caring hands of the man that he loved.