Love Truly Is Blind - 10. Another Sleepover and a Sleep-out

Saturday

It was raining, so the boys had to bypass swimming. Since it was just Stephen and Michael again, they had no problem "reading" together. Michael brought over a few braille books that Stephen's mother had found hard copies of, and they sat in Stephen's room reading together. Every so often Stephen would look up at Michael, and just watch him. They had decided on a couple non-verbal signals to use together. If one or the other wanted to kiss, Michael would tap his fingers on something, then purse his lips and look toward Stephen. Stephen would gently reach out and touch Michael's face. After a few kiss interruptions, Michael pulled back for a second.

"Stephen?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we try French kissing?"

"You mean, with open mouths?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that kind of gross? Putting your tongue in someone else's mouth, is just, I don't know."

"People everywhere do it, it can't be that bad. But if you don't want to, it's OK."

"No, I'll try."

"Cool."

They leaned in together, started kissing again, then nearly simultaneously, opened their mouths and started exploring the other's. Simple kisses were exciting, but French kissing sent signals rushing down to their groins.

Michael broke away first, "Oh, wow. I just got so hard."

"Me too. I wasn't really expecting that. I mean, when we kissed before..."

"We just got a little stiffer."

"Yeah."

Conversation ended and the kissing resumed. Soon they had unbuttoned and unzipped their pants and each had a hand inside the other's underpants. They were so focused on kissing, without realizing it was about to happen, Stephen started shooting his semen all over the insides of his underwear and on Michael's hand.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry."

"Shut up and keep doing it to me, I'm sooooo close."

Stephen resumed the kiss and moments later had Michael's semen all over his own hand. After they caught their breath, Stephen spoke.

"Wow, it just keeps getting better every time we cum together."

"I was just thinking the same thing, but, um..."

"Yeah. It's more of a mess than Thursday night."

"Do you think we're cumming more now, than the first time we did it together?"

"Definitely. Let me get the tissues. I might have to sneak into the pantry and get another box."

"Yeah. Our parents don't need to know exactly what we're doing."

"When I talked to my parents last Sunday, they said they just wanted me to be happy. I think this qualifies as happy."

"Hehe. And then some."

They cleaned up and went back to reading, but that only lasted a few minutes before they were tongue dancing again. It seemed like seconds, but was closer to an hour later, there came a knock on the door.

Stephen's dad was outside the door, "Wash up boys, almost dinner time."

"Be right there, dad."

After dinner, Leon Sr. requested the boys follow him into his office. They both wondered what was wrong.

"You look scared. Don't worry, nothing's wrong."

They both exhaled, not having realized they were holding their breath.

"So, I walked past your door a couple times this afternoon."

"Oh, no."

"It's fine, Stephen. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of how loud you would get while you're, um, having some fun together."

"Really?"

"It's not like we can hear it halfway across the house, but walking to and from the bathroom. Well, it's pretty obvious what, in general, it is you're doing."

"I'm sorry. We'll stop."

"No, I'm not saying that. Just be a little more aware of the sounds you're making. Your mom hasn't said anything about hearing anything, so maybe you guys were on a break from the festivities, when she walked past. We've accepted that you two like each other a lot, so we know you'll be doing some things. We just don't need to know when or hear any details. OK?"

"OK. So, you're alright with us, um, playing with each other?"

"Well, yes. But again, keep it quieter."

"OK. Thanks, dad."

"Thanks for letting us know we're too loud sometimes. I should probably realize it, but..."

"Your mind is occupied elsewhere, I get it. Believe me, I know. When you're with someone you like a lot, and you start getting sexual, you forget there may be other people around. I know I have to temper my outbursts when your mom and me..."

"Oh, gross. We don't want to hear about that. We get the point."

Lee laughed, "Thanks, I'm glad I didn't have to say more."

"Yeah, us too, dad."

After dinner, they were once again in Stephen's room when there was another knock on the door. Stephen opened it to see Leon standing there.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say something about bumping into you guys yesterday morning. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Leon went in and sat on Stephen's desk chair, "You'd said yesterday that I looked more scared than freaked out or surprised when I saw you coming out of the bathroom."

Stephen agreed, "Yeah, I remember saying that."

"You were right. Seeing you both with, um, erections did frighten me. Not because of you guys, but because of something else from my past."

Michael tried to be funny, "You were once chased by the big, bad, erection monster?"

It got terribly quiet, the silence lasted long enough to become uncomfortable. Stephen saw the look of horror on his brother's face.

Michael sensed the tension and apologized, "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you were trying to be funny, but that wasn't really too far from the truth."

"Oh, God. I'm really sorry, Leon."

"It's OK. You had no way of knowing. It's not like I've ever told anybody what happened except mom and dad. Well, later, lawyers, a judge, and jury."

Michael quickly put two and two together, but avoided the 'M' word, "Someone got arrested for something they did to you."

"Yeah. If we can just leave it at that, I'd appreciate it."

"We don't need to talk about it any more."

"Thanks, Steve."

"Grrrr."

"I told you, if you tell me why you hate that, I'll probably stop."

"Fine. I think it was around third grade, someone made up a one line poem using that name. 'Steve, Steve, he makes me want to heave,' was the brainchild of one of my many tormentors."

"Ah, yeah. I can understand why being called that would upset you. Stephen it is from now on."

"Thanks. You're not as big a jerk as I thought you were."

"Um, yeah, you're welcome. OK, I'll let you get back to your, ahem, reading."

"We really were reading. At least when you knocked. Hehe."

"With that, I think I'll make like a hockey player and get the puck outta here."

Michael attempted humor again, this time, somewhat more successfully, "Don't let the penalty box door hit you on the ass on your way out."

"I'll try. Nite guys."

"Goodnight, bro." "Nite, Leon."

That conversation planted a bug in Leon’s head. He remembered talking to some kind of doctor after the incident with his uncle. Maybe it was time to start that back up.

Lights out was still around eleven o'clock that night. But not because Stephen's dad had to get up early the next morning. They really wanted to go to bed to have some more hands-on time.

Sunday

The six boys gathered at Pete's house after dinner. Stephen hadn't met Oscar before, so he was a little tentative around the seventy pound Belgian Malinois. But Oscar was well-trained and soon became another new friend. He apparently sensed Stephen's lack of self-esteem and sat by him most of the evening. Although, that may also have been because Stephen was enjoying petting and scratching the dog.

While the dog was technically the Columbus Police Department's, Constable Shane Bryne was his handler and partner. The Byrnes also had a Manx cat, Fergus. Alex's lap was a favorite resting place for Fergus, although he visited all the boys over the course of the evening. Once it was time for the boys to retire into the tent, the pets went inside.

"Your dad's dog is awesome, Pete."

"Yep, he's a good dog. He apparently liked you a lot, Stephen."

"Once I got used to him nuzzling me, and realized he wasn't going to try to eat me, I was more comfortable."

Leon was curious about Fergus, never having seen a Manx before, "What breed of cat is Fergus?"

"He's a Manx."

"It's weird him not having a tail."

"Yeah, that's a characteristic of the breed. Some have very short tails, but Fergus is completely tailless."

"Why Fergus?"

"All four of our grandparents are Irish, so the pets have common Irish names, like mom and dad. And the Manx originated on the Isle of Man."

Stephen wondered, "Oscar's an Irish name?"

"It is. Irish and Norse, actually."

Jeff joined the fray, "The dog should be an Irish Setter, then."

"Well, our police department doesn't use them, so dad just got lucky he already had an Irish name."

Michael liked dogs, and knew a lot about them, he hoped to work with animals in some manner when he grew up, "Probably not common anywhere. Irish Setters aren't typically used as police dogs. They're not naturally assertive. They're generally too friendly and approachable to make them suitable for police work."

Pete was surprised, "Geez, Michael, what aren't you an expert at?"

"I like dogs, well, animals in general. So I read a lot about them."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Michael, but how can you read?"

"No worries. Two main ways, Leon. Books come in braille too, although not a large percentage of novels. Secondly, I have a reader application on my laptop, so, I guess technically I get read to, but I still get the knowledge."

"I gotta get one of those for the boring books we have to read in English class," Leon joked.

That made all the boys laugh, not to mention wholeheartedly agree. After a round of snacks, it started getting darker and Pete dusted off the ghost stories he had acquired recently to tell. One story got him into a little bit of a pickle.

Pete summarized a story he read on the internet about a haunted hotel room. As he neared the end, an expression of recognition crossed Michael's face.

After Pete finished, Michael burned him, "I read that story, too. What will you give me to not say what site it was on, Pete?"

Alex wondered, "Why should we care what site it was?"

"Pete?"

"You wouldn't."

"Gonna risk it? Extortion is so much fun."

"Oh, come on. I'll be your best friend."

"You already are."

"I, damn it. Please!!!"

"It's OK, your secret's safe with me, but I might have to let Stephen read the original."

"Oh, man. You're killing me."

"OK, OK. I won't even show Stephen."

Jeff looked like the cat that ate the canary, Pete noticed, "What are you smiling about?"

"I don't have to be quiet."

"Jeff, no!"

"Michael, remember how you had to run to the bathroom really quick a couple weeks ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Jeff, stop."

"You left your laptop open in the living room?"

"Get to the point."

"No, just stop."

"You were on that gay story site."

Pete was incensed, "You asshole!"

Jeff laughed, but everyone else looked at him like he'd just shot the Pope.

"What?"

Leon spoke up, "That was so uncool, Jeff. Not that we care if you're looking at gay stuff, Pete, but telling everyone else was just so wrong. I don't know why I agreed to do this. You're such a dickhead. I'm going home. Have a nice fucking life, Jeff. I hope they run you into the fucking ground up there in the military school."

"I'm sorry, don't go."

"Damn right, you're sorry. You're a sorry excuse for a human being."

Leon grabbed his things and left.

"Well, if Leon ain't here, I'm not babysitting alone."

"Jeff, you can't leave. Mom will make me come home too. And YOU'LL have to come back to get me, because you know she wouldn't let me walk home alone."

"I'll tell her I fell and sprained an ankle, that I can't come back."

"Then she'll come get me."

"You know what? Tough shit. I'm getting exiled in six days. I don't need to go home. I've always wanted to stay out all night. Tonight's the fucking night. You can begin your little gay party now."

Jeff grabbed his things and left as well.

Pete decided, "We don't need them anyway. Alex and me have slept out here alone before, so nobody has to leave."

"I can see if Leon will come back since Jeff left."

"OK."

Stephen called Leon, told him Jeff left and asked if he would please come back. Leon agreed and was back within a few minutes.

The usually quiet Alex spoke up, "Um, Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this mean you're gay too?"

Michael came to his rescue, "No, Alex. Just because you read things on a gay-based website, doesn't mean you're gay. Maybe he was searching for haunted house stories and that one was part of the results. It's not really a gay story, sure there's one section about gay guys, but it's a haunted hotel room story more than anything else."

"OK. I don't want to be gay. If I had a gay brother, I might be too."

"It doesn't work that way, Alex. I'm gay, Jeff isn't."

"I'm not gay either!"

"We know, Pete. I was just trying to reassure Alex."

"OK. I can't believe Jeff did that."

"Obviously, getting arrested hasn't helped straightened him out much."

"Jeff was arrested? For what? When?"

"Sorry, Pete. I shouldn't have even said that. That was no better than Jeff telling on you. Can we drop that?"

"Yeah, let's talk about something more fun, like politics."

Even Michael looked at Pete like he was crazy.

"I just meant anything would be better than talking about being gay. No offense to you two."

"We get it, right Stephen?"

"Yep. So who else thinks our President is an idiot?"

The guys all laughed, knowing they weren't going to talk politics. Like any of them even cared what the President was doing. Would any eleven or thirteen-year-old?

Monday

The remaining boys started moving around nine o'clock the next morning. After they all made a trip to the woods that backed up against the Bryne's back yard to drain their bladders, they went in for breakfast. The outdoor pee break was especially thrilling for Michael, never having pissed outdoors and needing to be concerned where it went. Stephen was just as thrilled, he took off his shorts and underpants and pissed bottomless. Being essentially naked outdoors was a new experience for him as well.

After demolishing a gaggle of frozen waffles and microwaved sausage links, the boys all went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up at Michael's that afternoon to go swimming. Michael was quickly questioned when he walked in the door.

"Where's Jeff?"

"He, um, had an argument with us and left."

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know, mom. He just said he wanted to stay out all night, and since he was being exiled in six days, five now, he was going to do it."

"He'd better not get caught being alone."

"Why?"

"Part of his plea deal. He needs to tell your father or I where he would be at all times. I doubt they would, but the cops would check if he's here, and if not, he'll go to the Regional Youth Detention Center instead of the military academy."

"He's so stupid."

"That's not nice to say about your brother."

"May not be nice, but it's sure true."

"I'd better call him."

Angie called Jeff, but no surprise to her, he didn't answer. She sent a text, but again, wasn't expecting a response. That expectation was also met.

Jeff proved his stupidity even more. After leaving the Bryne's, he headed to his friend Brodie Kosa's house. Brodie's grounding was over and he was more than happy to hang out with Jeff. Brodie grabbed his rolling papers, a bag of pot, his Pantera lighter, and two six packs of beer from the garage fridge. His dad typically had a case or more chilling out there. He and Jeff then headed to the overpass on Armour Road, which was pretty much around the corner from Brodie's house. It was a common place for kids to hang out, smoke, and drink, hopefully unsupervised. The police weren't strangers to that usage, unfortunately for Brodie and Jeff.

After polishing off three beers and a joint each, Brodie took another baggie out of his pocket.

"What are those?"

"Oxy's."

"Really? Cool. Give me one."

"One isn't nearly enough. My mom usually takes two when she's in a lot of pain. I've done three before."

"Is that a lot?"

"They're twenty milligram pills, so that's sixty. I found out they come as high as eighty, so I think three is pretty safe."

"How many you got?"

"I snagged a dozen."

"Cool, I'll do three then, too."

They each cracked open another beer and swallowed three of the pills. They were soon feeling the effects of the combination of beer, pills, and pot, and passed out.

Just after dawn, Brodie woke up to take a piss. He still had a bit of a joint left over from the night before, so he lit it up while he was pissing into the brush next to the overpass. A genius he wasn't. When the joint burned down a little lower, he tossed it into the brush and went back under the highway and passed out once more.

Thirty minutes later, they were aroused by sirens. Before they could come to their senses and vacate the premises, one of the firemen who was there to fight the brush fire noticed them. While they tried to get away, they weren't completely sober yet and were easily caught. The fire marshal and police were called. When the police showed up, much to Jeff's chagrin, one of them was Officer King. Officer King was already familiar with Jeff so he and Brodie were quickly cuffed and placed in the back seats of two patrol cars.

The cops also confiscated the remaining four beers and six OxyContin tablets.

Next Up - "If He Thought It Was Bad Before"