A Charm For All Seasons - 1. Chapter 1

Funny how quickly a decision can be made. Jesse stood up, held his arms out for Marty to come to him. Marty smiled and came immediately, and they wrapped each other in arms and pulled together.

"I love you," Jesse whispered.

"I love you, Jesse," Marty returned.

They kissed, and the more they kissed, the harder Jesse's dick got. He was aware now of a striking difference in the way this all felt - they were being observed. Here, then, was the reality of why Jesse had walked around in the woods naked with Marty, and Nate before him.

The chance that someone might see them.

Well, until now.

On one level he was a little disgusted with himself. What he and Marty had was private. Just theirs. It wasn't supposed to be put on display for others. But that it was being done so, even now, gave a thrill that made his dick so hard he thought it might just spunk on it's own, untouched.

Marty pushed his tongue into Jesse's mouth, and Jesse's arguments started to dissolve. It took too much thought to examine all these arguments, and the way his body was feeling now, no energy could be spared for thinking. Slowly, his head quieted, until it was just Marty holding him, and them kissing, and the solid feel of their bodies and their dicks pressing together. He sagged a little into Marty, just wanting the other boy, and suddenly not caring who was watching.

"Bring him here, Marty," Parker said softly.

Jesse opened his eyes, saw Parker patting her lap.

Marty turned them, and began moving Jesse that way. Jesse pulled his head back and grinned at Marty, couldn't help to feel the weirdness of it all - but also a resolve to go along and see what happened. He'd try almost anything once, he decided now.

And he did like Parker.

They arrived in front of the girl, Jesse with his back to her. He felt her hands then, on his thighs, as they slid slowly up over his shorts. Marty was kissing him almost furiously, and Jesse realized that his boyfriend was caught up in the moment, too.

Parker slid her thumbs into the waistband of Jesse's shorts, pulled them slowly down, taking his boxers with them. She got the clothing to his knees and simply let them go, and they slid the rest of the way to the floor on their own. Jesse hooked them with a couple of toes, stepped out of them, and kicked them to one side.

Marty dropped a hand, took Jesse's dick in it. At the same moment he felt Parker's hands on his butt, gently squeezing his cheeks.

Then one of Parker's hands slid off a cheek and quested between Jesse's legs, finding his nuts and closing gently around them. Jesse gasped into the kisses he was exchanging with Marty, coming up on his tiptoes at the amazing feel of being touched like that. Parker massaged his balls while Marty massaged his dick, and Jesse's taint felt like someone had taken a battery attached to two little wires and was gently shocking him there every few seconds.

Marty was sliding down his front, between his legs, kissing every bit of skin he passed. Parker's embrace held him in place until Marty settled on his knees, lifted Jesse's legs, and draped them over Parker's knees. Parker was able to let go her embrace then; he felt her doing something behind him, and then her top seemed to disappear. Jesse felt the warm and insistent press of breasts and nipples against his bare back, and gasped at the absolutely unexpected sensation.

Marty went down on Jesse's dick, and at the same time Parker kissed the hair on the back of Jesse's head, and then she pulled his head back and pushed her lips against his cheek. One of her hands went around front, sought out a nipple, which her fingers began to gently massage and squeeze.

Jesse's heart was racing now. This was beyond - way beyond - anything he had ever done.

Marty was lighting up the end of Jesse's dick, and Parker was doing her best to take care of everything else. Jesse's body felt electric - almost on fire. Sensations crashed into his mind from every quarter - stunning things that broke on his awareness like tall waves on the rocks at the beach. Jesse's feet were clenched, his toes rolled under, such was the extreme nature of what his body was feeling. It was absolutely amazing, and absolutely wonderful.

Jesse turned his head in the direction of Parker's kisses upon his cheek - and suddenly their lips were together, and her tongue was sliding between his. Jesse grinned under the semi-stupor he was feeling, and went at kissing Parker with a will. He noticed then that she had almost the same musky-sweet smell to her that Marty did - an absolutely wonderful aroma that sent his nervous system up another notch from electrified to nuclear.

Marty heard. He came up grinning, wiping a tiny bit of white from the corner of his mouth and sucking it off his fingertip. "He's a fucking awesome kisser, Park. Told ya."

"Oh," Parker said, suddenly tensing. "I took my top off. Jesse - don't turn around."

Jesse sat up and immediately turned around. "No you don't. I'm sitting naked on your lap, and you're afraid for me to see your boobs?"

She looked startled, and Jesse took in an eyeful while she considered it. But she didn't try to cover up, and looked almost shy as he examined her. Marty, too, peered around and looked.

Parker had smallish breasts, but they were beautifully formed, slightly upturned, with small nipples. Jesse had seen girls with cannonballs on their chests online, which he found slightly repulsive; but Parker's breasts were elegant and appealing.

He hitched himself around so that he was seated on one thigh, bent over, and lightly kissed a nipple. "Mmm. Nice."

The look that Parker gave him was beautifully sweet. "You're something, Jesse." But that look was followed immediately by one as devilish as any Marty had ever worn; and then Jesse felt Parker's hand close around his softening dick and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Mmm. Nice."

They grinned at each other as Marty got to his feet and put his hands on his hips. "Let go of the hardware, sis. Mine - remember?"

Parker laughed and released Jesse's junk. He slid off her lap and got to his feet, completely unconcerned now with being naked in front of Parker.

Marty gave a sigh. "That was hot as shit, Jesse." He pulled at his still hard dick. "I really need some help here."

"In front of Parker?" Jesse said, sticking his hands out like he intended to pull Marty's shorts down. Marty turned his hips and danced away.

"No!" He looked sheepish then. "I mean, no. I can wait until it's just us."

"That's a good idea," Parker said, dressed now and getting to her feet. She licked her lips, leaned towards Marty. "Can I use the purple pecker?"

Both boys looked at her.

"What?" Parker looked unabashed. "That whole thing left me horny as shit. Jesse got off - I didn't."

"It's at the fort," Marty said. "I'll run down and get it while you finish getting dressed, Jesse."

Marty turned to go; then he turned back and pointed at Parker. "Hands off while I'm gone."

Jesse and Parker both grinned at him, and then he was off.

Jesse pulled his shirt on, sat down in a chair and stuck his feet back into his flip-flops. Parker sat in the chair next to him. For a second, a strange quiet hung between them.

"Thanks, Jesse," Parker suddenly said.

"For what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. For being so – nice." She winced, realizing that that word didn't cover it.

He looked at her. "I like you, Parker. But I'm Marty's boyfriend, and I love him with all my heart. I thought this was fun, and it made me horny as shit --" he grinned "-- but we aren't going to be doing this all the time. Maybe never again, even."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. That was a lot of hormones going there. And it's just too weird to be doing anything with my brother around." She looked at him. "Jesse --"

He waited, looking at her.

She smiled. "Yeah. That's dumb. I was wishing you were older, and maybe in love with me instead of my brother."

He nodded. "I've been seeing for a while now that you're lonely, Parker. That's why I wanted you to meet Kim. I know it's not the same as having a boyfriend. I guess that'll happen, soon enough." He smiled. "I can't imagine guys not being crazy about you."

She gave him a look. But then she smiled. "I just hope the guy I finally get can kiss like you." She shook her head. "Never thought I'd envy my little brother like I do there."

"Yeah." She smiled. "You guys going with us to the mall?"

Marty looked at Jesse.

"I have to call my mom first," Jesse said. "But, yeah. That would be fun."

"We'll take some money and go in the hobby shop," Marty said. "That place is cool as shit."

Parker held up the case, smiled at Jesse again. "I'll tell mom. See you guys later."

She turned, stopped, looked back at Jesse. She smiled, came over, and bent slightly and kissed him on the lips. Then she was gone.

"What were you guys saying when I got back?" Marty asked. "She said she envied me."

Jesse smiled. "Just that you had someone that loved you." He reached out and squeezed Marty's wrist. "She's lonely, Marty."

He nodded. "Hell, I know that. Why do you think I let her do this shit with us?" He leaned closer. "I really didn't want to share you, you know."

"Is that why you ran down to the fort and ran back?"

Marty grinned. "Oh, you noticed that, huh?" He nodded. "I just didn't want Parker to put any moves on you while I was gone."

Jesse reached out, took Marty's hand, squeezed it. "Don't you trust me?"

Jesse laughed. "That Anderson bunch. Ya gotta watch 'em."

"Yes. I am." Jesse leaned forward and kissed Marty. Then he looked off at Marty's house. "Hope she's careful and doesn't hurt herself."

"What's that mean?"

Jesse smiled at Marty. "She's got the great purple pecker - remember?" He sighed. "She may fall in love with that thing, you know?"

They both laughed.

Marty's pout came back, and this time it was real. He patted the front of his shorts, which were still furiously tented. "Little help?"

Jesse stood up, looked around them. "I like this place. We should use it more often."

Marty nodded. "Now would be good."

"You two make such a nice couple," Marty said then.

Jesse kissed on up the thigh, and arrived at the little valley where the thigh met Marty's torso. There were exquisitely sensitive nerves there, Jesse knew, and he kissed that spot and licked it, while Marty's thigh muscle twitched and his body shuddered. The satisfaction Jesse felt at knowing that Marty enjoyed this was pleasing.

He stopped, looking upwards, aware of the scent of Marty's skin, and the muskier scent of his pecker, so close it rubbed against Jesse's cheek.

Marty's eyes opened at the pause, and looked down at him. Jesse grinned, and Marty grinned back.

Then Jesse was gently pushing, and Marty sat down in the chair. Jesse reached for the other boy's ankles, lifted his legs, and draped them over the arms of the chair. Marty was beautifully spread now, and Jesse went to work on what was there.

He stuck his tongue out, dabbed it against Marty's pucker, grinned at the way that Marty squeezed his eyes shut and smiled. Jesse let his tongue out some more, pushed the tip down into the center of the pucker, and rotated it slowly while Marty made small noises of appreciation. Jesse continued this for a couple of minutes before taking his tongue and swiping it upwards onto Marty's taint, which he licked and kissed quite fondly before plopping one of Marty's balls into his mouth and sucking gently on it like a tootsie pop.

Jesse closed his eyes as he worked, concentrating on being good for Marty. Everything he did he hoped would feel wonderful for the other boy; everything he did, he did because of what he felt for Marty. Jesse's own dick was hard again, and a little sore now, because it had been so active already that morning. But there was no way that Jesse could be at Marty's body the way he was and not be hard as a rock.

He could feel the slow tensing of muscles under his hand, and a gentle slide of Marty's hips towards him, knew that it was just moments before he would be tasting that so special thing that Marty shared with him. That Marty's spunk tasted like good Mexican food was a gift - Jesse knew that spunk, on the average, was far less appealing. Something about the unique chemistry of Marty's body, or the foods he ate, or the whim of the gods, caused his spunk to have something special in the way of taste - something that Jesse loved.

Marty gave a little sigh, and his hands dropped down to caress Jesse's hair. In the same moment, the warm and spicy taste of Marty's spunk started pumping into Jesse's mouth. Jesse continued what he was doing while his tongue collected the jets, until Marty gave a big sigh and settled back into the chair.

Jesse sighed himself, sucked out the last few drops of joy, rolled it all around on his tongue, and then swallowed it.

He kissed the underside of the head of Marty's dick, then came full up on his knees and leaned over the other boy, put his arms about him, and laid his cheek against Marty's belly.

"That was extra special," Marty said quietly. "I could feel it. Was there a reason?"

Jesse turned his head and looked up into Marty's sparkly blue eyes. "Does there have to be?"

Marty shook his head. "No. I guess I'd better get dressed."

Jesse laughed, kissed Marty just beneath his diaphragm. "There's time."

And then he laid his head back, and rubbed his face into the warmth of Marty's skin, closed his eyes, and smiled.

"In case we find some cool shit at the hobby store."

Jesse and Marty went up to Jesse's room and shut the door. Jesse immediately stripped and went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. He wanted to make sure he pooped before they left, so that he wouldn't have to go in one of the crummy bathrooms at the mall. Those places were dirty and creepy.

Marty came in and sat up on the sink cabinet while Jesse went.

"Never seen a guy take a dump before," he said, grinning.

"Just like everyone else does," Jesse said. He lifted a cheek and farted. "Wanna look?"

Marty cracked up, and Jesse grinned.

"I don't think I would have wanted Nate to sit in here while I crapped," Jesse said suddenly, thinking.

Marty looked at him. "Why not? He saw you naked. You guys jerked each other off, and you kissed. It's not like you weren't close."

"It was just different," Jesse said. He looked at Marty. "You've had your tongue up my butt, and your dick up my butt - you know my butt. Nate didn't."

Marty shook his head. "Can't argue with that." He nodded. "I never let Keith in the bathroom when I shit. And he even fucked my butt. I know what you mean about it being different." He laughed. "Sex is one thing - shittin' is another."

"Yeah." Jesse wiped and flushed, got up and nudged Marty aside so that he could wash his hands. He finished, dried them on a towel, and turned to go back to his bedroom - but Marty stopped him.

"Wait a second." Marty pushed the bathroom door shut so that the full-length mirror showed. He pushed Jesse over in front of it, then stood close behind him, put his arms around Jesse and hugged him. Marty laid his head against the side of Jesse's and looked at their joint reflection in the mirror.

He sighed, rubbing his fingertips gently down Jesse's middle. "Oh, Jesse. You're so beautiful. I love to see you without your clothes."

When they came up for air, Marty sighed. "Guess we should get back to my house."

He came back to Marty and extended his hands. "How do I look?"

"Good enough to kiss," Marty said, and came forward and did just that.

They went back downstairs, said bye to Jesse's mom, and hastened down the path past the fort and up to Marty's house.

When they went in through the kitchen door, Parker was seated at the table sipping a ginger ale. "Good timing. Mom'll be down in a minute." She simply smiled at Jesse, but didn't say anything.

Jesse went over and sat in the chair next to her. "How did it go?"

Parker looked briefly at Marty, who grinned, then smiled at Jesse. "Pretty good. That thing is awesome."

Jesse and Marty both laughed.

Mrs. Anderson came in then. "Hi, Jesse. How's the world treating you?"

He grinned. "Pretty good today. How are you?"

"Not bad." Marty's mom went to a cabinet and looked inside, opened another and looked in it. She did this with several more, than nodded her head. "Okay, no need to stop at the grocery store. Just the mall, then. Come on, let's get going."

They herded out to Marty's mom's white SUV and climbed inside. Parker took the shotgun seat up front, and Jesse and Marty belted in in back.

Mrs. Anderson sighed as she backed the truck out of the garage. "I hope the mall isn't too crowded today."

Jesse's and Marty's favorite place at the little shopping center was a hobby store that sold all kinds of cool stuff. They had models of every kind: cars, ships, planes, tanks, submarines - you name it. They sold model rockets and engines; and robots, and robotic and electronic parts; and all sorts of gadgets and gizmos and the plans to use them to make stuff. Jesse didn't collect stamps or coins, but you could get them there. There were cases of baseball cards and football cards and sports-related collectibles; slot cars, RC cars, and helicopters - even small drones. They sold scale model trains and every manner of accessory for them. If you made stuff - anything from leather goods to model doll houses, you could get everything you needed in the way of supplies. The place was a warehouse of every cool thing he could think of, and then some.

Every time the boys went to the mall, the first place they went into was the hobby store.

Except today.

"Aw, man," Marty said, equally disappointed. He sighed, turned and looked across the way at the clothing store that his mom and Parker had disappeared into. They'd be there an hour, minimum. No way was Marty going inside that place to wait.

"We'll just have to find something else to do," he said, turning to look at the other stores. "Electronics there. Need any stuff for your computer?"

"No," Jesse said, giving the hobby store a last, disgusted look. He looked around, but didn't see anything that immediately appealed to him. "Let's walk down to the end and see what's there."

Marty nodded, and fell into step with Jesse as he headed off. Technically, they were not supposed to go roaming on their own - but they were within the confines of the shopping center, and there was a security guard walking around here someplace, and neither boy felt any discomfort at stepping out a little bit.

They walked down the length of the shopping center, looking at signs and into windows.

"Sure sell a lot of clothes here," Jesse grumbled, looking into yet another window filled with smiling mannequins wrapped in the latest fashions.

"My dad says this place is foo-foo girlie heaven," Marty said - but then he grinned. "But only when my mom isn't around."

Jesse laughed. "Where's a hardware store when you need one?"

They reached the end of the row. The last shop was kind of dark. The large front window looked to be frosted white so that you couldn't see within. Jesse went to turn to cross to the other side for the walk back, but stopped when Marty called him.

"Jesse! Come see this!"

Jesse turned and went to stand next to Marty, who had his face against the glass of the last shop.

The frosted effect was an illusion. The window wasn't just a window, it was the front of a large display case. There was another pane of glass maybe three feet behind it, and it was the rear pane that was completely frosted white. The front pane - the outer window - was only frosted up to about neck height for the boys. By standing on tiptoe, they could see over the frosting and look down at what was displayed within.

Jesse goggled at what was there.

There were bottles of the sex lubricant like they'd bought for the great purple pecker; and, in fact, there were half a dozen dildos arrayed in a line in front of the bottles. A couple were smaller than their own purple pecker - but the rest were larger.

There were other things whose functions they could only guess at, including some items that looked so much like sex toys that they were both certain that that was what they were. A few items Jesse had seen online - pocket pussies, and a gizmo called a Fleshlight. Other things - like see-through underwear, and lacy garments in both women's and men's fashions, made them laugh.

But another object caught Marty's eye, and he pointed at it excitedly. Jesse examined the thing - a long, tapering cylinder that looked like plastic, with a rounded nose at the narrow end and what looked like a small switch on the handgrip at the other end.

"I want that," Marty said.

Jesse shrugged. "What is it?"

Marty laughed. "Jesse, it's a vibrator."

Jesse blinked. He'd read about those things online. They were used just like a dildo, except they ran on batteries, and when you turned them on they vibrated like crazy. Jesse had read that, when used in certain places, they felt absolutely wonderful.

"Marty, it's thirty-five bucks," Jesse said, pointing to the price tag next to the thing.

Marty gave him a look. "I got twenty, and you got twenty."

Jesse snorted, but then he grinned. "Okay.

Marty laughed, reached out and squeezed Jesse's arm. Jesse loved the excited look in his boyfriend's eyes, and any reservations he may have been forming simply evaporated.

Marty tapped Jesse on the shoulder and headed for the front door.

The place seemed deserted. The store might have had everything for him and her, but people didn't seem all that interested - at least at this time of the day.

Glass cases holding all sorts of interesting things stood along the walls, and lighted glass display cases crowded the center of the shop. They got all the way to the center displays before Jesse noticed a head sticking up just above a countertop - a head that was turning their way.

It was a man sitting in a chair behind the counter. Probably the store clerk. He had short black hair, gold earrings in each ear, and wore a tight black shirt that looked to be made of satin. His eyes went wide when he saw them.

Neither Jesse nor Marty moved. The man - also dressed in black satiny pants - got right up to them, still fluttering his hands, before he stopped in surprise at their disinclination to be pushed.

"Out, I said. You boys can't be in here. You have to be eighteen."

Jesse could not remember ever seeing a more unthreatening looking adult in his life. For one thing, the man was young. Jesse wasn't good at guessing adult ages, but this guy looked like he was barely out of high school. Secondly, the guy was short. Jesse was about five feet tall, and Marty was his same height. This guy couldn't have been more than four inches taller then either of them, tops.

And, the guy had a sweet face - appealing, even to Jesse. He smiled, realizing that this guy had certainly been a cute boy, once.

He and Marty apparently both absorbed the guy's harmless appearance in the same instant.

"I'm eighteen," Marty said, deadpan. "I just shaved."

Jesse sat on the urge to laugh, and nodded. "I've always had a baby face. Even my mother says so."

"You got rubber dicks in your front window," Jesse said then.

Marty looked for all the world like he was going to hoot, but then converted it, by some herculean inner effort, into a solemn nod. "Yeah. Some big dildos there. I like the vibrator, though. We came in to buy one."

The clerk's mouth opened again, and his eyes narrowed. "Are you deaf? You have to leave. You're underage. I'll get in trouble if someone sees you in here."

Marty nodded. "Okay. Sell us a vibrator, and we'll go."

The clerk simply looked at them. "Like you even know what it's for."

Jesse nodded. "Sure we do. Penetration. I want my boyfriend to put it up my butt and tickle my boy button with it."

Marty looked like he was going to cry, he was trying so hard not to laugh.

Jesse and Marty looked at each other. Marty's eyes were so full of humor that it was easy for Jesse to swoop him up and lay a big kiss on him.

Jesse and Marty both grinned. "So sell us a vibrator," Marty repeated.

The clerk blinked, and his vulnerable look disappeared. "You're underage. You have to leave."

"We have the money," Marty said.

"Yes? You have photo I.D. with your age on it?"

"We left them in the car," Jesse said. "With the beer."

The man nodded. "I am part owner. A friend and I worked quite some time to be able to open this place."

Marty smiled. "Is he your boyfriend?"

The man gave Marty a sweet look. "My life partner, yes."

"You don't look old enough," Jesse said.

The man smiled. "Really? How old would you say I am?"

Jesse and Marty looked at each other. "Eighteen," Jesse guessed.

The clerk's mouth dropped open, but he looked delighted. "Oh, you didn't really say that! Oh, you sweet little man!"

Marty made a small face, trying not to laugh. "Is that close?"

"Not by ten years." The clerk looked at them. He shook his head. "So young. You have a lot ahead of you, guys."

"Yeah," Marty agreed. "We just want the vibrator for now, though."

The clerk scratched his head. "Your parents know about you?"

"Not yet," Jesse admitted.

"Do you plan to tell them?"

Jesse nodded. "Sure. Some day."

The man looked at Marty. "What about you?"

"I'm telling my folks the day after he tells his."

The clerk laughed. "You're not even fourteen, are you? You're both too full of crap to be believed." He put his hands on his hips. "You're probably not even lovers."

Jesse smiled. "You saw me kiss him, didn't you?"

"So? Bullshit artists like you two might do anything."

"Ooh. Lower," Jesse said, rolling his eyes.

The store clerk's eyes got huge, and he immediately started fanning his hands. "Stop that! Oh! Stop that!" He rolled his eyes. "My god, I'm going to jail."

Marty pulled his hand out. "Look mister, what do we have to do to show you we're boyfriends? Do I have to suck him off right here?"

The store clerk hopped up and down, looking at the door to the shop as though he was certain that the F.B.I. was about to come crashing through it. "Shhh! Don't say that!" He turned and went back to the counter he'd been sitting behind and went around it. "Come here, you two."

Marty grinned at Jesse, and they both hastened to the counter.

"Which one did you see that you wanted?"

The boys looked inside the glass display case. Marty found a vibrator like the one in the front window and pointed it out. "That one."

The man slid back a glass panel, snatched out the vibrator, looked at a little tag attached to it. Then he thrust the device back onto it's velour pad and slid the glass panel shut. He turned, walked along the big rack of shelves behind, looking at numbers. Suddenly, he reached up and snatched down a box.

He turned back and set it in the counter. "Here. Now go." He made the fluttery motion with his hands again. "Hurry!"

Marty jammed a hand down inside his pocket and produced his twenty, and looked at Jesse.

"No," the clerk said immediately. "No money. No receipt. It's on me, guys. Take it. Go. Enjoy."

Jesse frowned. "Oh, we can't do that. We'll pay."

Jesse and Marty looked at each other, the fun suddenly disappearing.

"Aw, we can't do that," Jesse repeated. He looked at Marty. "Come on, let's go, Marty."

Marty looked wistfully at the box on the counter, nodded, turned to follow Jesse.

"Wait!"

The boys turned as one to stare at the man behind the counter. The man was frowning. "Come back here, boys."

Jesse swallowed, wondering if they were in trouble now. Shit. They'd just been kidding around. And they'd really wanted to buy the stupid thing, not steal it.

They went back to the counter. The man watched them come, his eyes hard to read.

"We're sorry," Jesse said then. "We really wanted to buy that. Not steal it."

The clerk smiled, leaned closer to Jesse. "How do you feel about this boy?" He pointed at Marty.

Jesse turned and smiled at his friend. "I love him."

Marty grinned at Jesse, his eyes sparkling.

"We have a dildo," Jesse said. "A purple one."

The clerk laughed. "So you've...uh..." His face reddened slowly.

"Used it," Jesse supplied.

"Yes. You have lubricant?"

Marty nodded. "Big bottle of the stuff. And sanitizer to clean the dildo with."

The clerk looked approving. He picked up the box with the vibrator in it, thrust it out towards Marty. "Take it. From me. A gift."

Marty looked over at Jesse. "What should I do?"

Jesse was at a loss. This whole thing had gotten really screwy. "You want to give it to us? Why?"

"You don't want it?"

Marty immediately nodded. "Yeah, we do." He looked at Jesse, nodded insistently.

"I cannot sell this to you," the clerk said. "It's illegal."

"You can't give it to us, either, then, I'll bet," Jesse said.

The clerk scratched his head again."No. Not really." He set the box back on the counter, thought a moment, then smiled. "Boys, you have to leave my store. You're underage. I cannot sell you anything. On your way out, would you mind taking this box on my counter and dropping it in the dumpster around back?"

Jesse looked at Marty. Marty grinned. "Oh. It's just some trash?"

The clerk smiled. "Yes, I believe it is."

Marty picked up the box. It was brown, with a big number on it in black letters, but otherwise blank.

The clerk came around the counter again, his hands once again waving. "Now, out you go."

This time, the boys let themselves be herded. Jesse was feeling a mixture of unease over what had happened - and pure delight that things had happened the way they had. Marty seemed just plain delighted, all smiles and bright eyes.

As they got to the front door, the clerk danced ahead and peered out through the one section of unfrosted glass. Then he turned back to face them, bending slightly and pointing a finger at them. "Always use lubricant. Never, ever force that thing in, you hear? You love each other, and you don't want to hurt each other."

Both boys nodded.

"Never push it in beyond the handle, either. Keep it clean - use that sanitizer you have between each use. Be careful, okay?"

They nodded again.

For a moment, no one said anything. Then the clerk smiled again. "Just a tip: that thing feels good in a lot of places. Not just in your...not just in back. Don't be afraid to experiment a little, as long as you're sensible."

Jesse and Marty grinned at each other.

The clerk sighed, looking at them. "You're both beautiful. I've never seen a sweeter couple. When you turn eighteen, feel free to come back." He winked. "You can pay me then." He straightened, checked outside again, then pulled the door open. "Bye guys. Have fun. And be safe, okay?"

Jesse and Marty both nodded. "Thanks, mister," Marty said.

Then they were back outside, and the door was closed, and they were walking away, and no one had seen them.

And they were the proud owners of a brand new, nine-inch vibrator with three settings of ecstasy, batteries included.

* * * * * * *

The ride home was deliciously exciting. Neither boy could long take his eyes off of the box that lay on the seat between them. Jesse's imagination was already reading the instruction manual for the thing, and placing pictures of himself and Marty in the text.

Parker, and Marty's mom, had asked what they had purchased; but both females were laden with bags of their own, and Parker was constantly pulling stuff out of hers and showing it to her mom as they drove along, and neither of them paid much attention to the box after Marty had mumbled something about it being "a thing for the fort."

Jesse watched Parker and her mother, and realized that they both shared a love for clothing. He already knew that appearance was a bigger deal for girls than it was for most guys - but what Parker and her mom shared went far beyond just an interest in looking nice. This was a girl thing, shared between them more like two girls the same age would enjoy something, and not a mother-daughter thing at all. Mrs. Anderson smiled and gushed over the stuff the same exact way that Parker did. Jesse couldn't help smiling over that.

Marty kept patting Jesse's hand when no one was looking - which was most of the time. Mrs. Anderson was concerned with the road, sparing occasional looks and smiles at Parker and whatever she was holding up at the moment; and Parker was simply wrapped up in the stuff she had in her bags.

Or so Jesse thought.

It wasn't until they turned into the driveway that the girl turned and pushed her face between the two front seats, gazed down at the box, and smiled - first at Jesse, then at Marty. "You can tell me later," she whispered.

Jesse simply laughed. Marty rolled his eyes, seeming to be less surprised than Jesse might have expected. He looked at Jesse, and they couldn't help sharing a grin.

Parker was Marty's sister, no doubt about that.

They helped carry things into the house, and then Marty retrieved from Parker the binocular case containing the great purple pecker and supplies. That only seemed to strengthen the girl's notion that the prize they had returned with from the mall was something extra special in nature.

"You going to tell me?" Parker asked, looking at them with a small smile.

"Later. I promise," Marty said, holding up his hand like he was taking an oath. Jesse simply nodded and grinned when Parker gazed his way.

She shrugged, knowing it was no use to pursue the matter at that point, and waved them off. "Go. Have fun. Just tell me later."

And then they were off down the path to the fort, Marty carrying the box like it was full of eggs, Jesse grinning ear-to-ear at his friend's excited look.

They got to the fort and went inside, closed the door, and went and sat next to each other on the cot. Marty looked at Jesse and blew a small bit of air between his lips. "That guy at the store was cool as shit."

Jesse laughed. "He was scared to death, you mean." He shook his head. "I still feel a little bad that we did that. Got the thing without paying for it."

Marty looked at the box, obviously reluctant to let anything spoil what was soon to come. He looked at Jesse. "He wanted us to have it, Jesse."

Jesse understood that. "At the end, maybe. We kinda twisted his arm, Marty."

Marty smiled, leaned over and kissed Jesse.

"What?" Jesse asked, surprised at the sudden attention.

"He knew we weren't old enough to buy it, too," Jesse pointed out.

Marty nodded. "That's why he gave it to us, Jesse. It was more important that we were the same as him than it was that we were young."

Jesse smiled. "Okay. Let's open the thing and not worry anymore about how we got it." But in the back of his mind, Jesse made a mental note: someday, when he was old enough, he would go back to that store - and make sure he had thirty-five dollars with him when he did it.

Marty pulled the end of the box open, upended it. The vibrator slid out, wrapped in plastic with tiny air bubbles in it, and with a folded white sheet of paper curved around it. A pair of AA batteries, sealed in plastic wrap, also slid out.

Jesse grinned. Here we go!

They looked briefly at the sheet of paper, but it was all basic stuff. They opened the plastic and removed the vibrator, and Jesse peeled off the plastic from around the batteries. Marty slid the handle back, inserted them, and snapped it shut. He looked at Jesse then, grinning.

Jesse took his thumb and forefinger and made a little circle and extended his hand. Marty grinned, and slid the tapered nose of the vibrator into the hole.

Marty grinned, and pushed the switch to the second notch. The hum increased, and so did the vibration. Jesse's whole hand tingled wonderfully, and he was already imagining that sensation applied to other places. He rolled his eyes, feeling his sense of excitement increase.

Marty pushed the switch all the way forward, and the vibrator growled and Jesse's hand nearly shook. He gaped at it, his imagination unable to keep up with the reality of setting three.

Marty laughed, able to feel the same sensation - albeit slightly muted - through the grip of the vibrator. He turned it off then, grinning like he had the first time he'd laid eyes on the great purple pecker. "You wanna go first?"

Jesse did, but he also felt that this was somehow Marty's big moment, so he shook his head. "I wanna use it on you, first."

Marty laughed and nodded, his eyes bright; and Jesse loved him so much that all of his doubts about what they had done earlier simply vanished.

The world would adjust, and things would even out - eventually.

They stood and undressed each other, smiling, and then Marty lay back on the cot with his legs drawn up, exposing the inviting slot between his buns where his pucker waited. Jesse opened the binocular case and got out a paper towel and the sanitizer, and wiped the tapered end of the vibrator down carefully, and then wiped his hands with the towel before dropping it onto the crate table. Then he got the the lube out, squirted a tiny amount onto his fingertip, and bent down and gently wiped it into Marty's pucker. He squirted a little more onto the finger, and this time placed the tip against Marty's pucker and gently pushed it up inside. He massaged gently for a moment, preparing the way.

Marty arched his back slightly, but grinned the whole time. "This is gonna be so cool."

Jesse nodded, smiling at Marty's anticipation, and squirt some lube onto the tapered end of the vibrator and smoothed it around until it was covered. He closed up the lube and set it on the crate table. He held up the vibrator and pointed it at Marty. "Ready?"

Marty nodded rapidly, his eyes bright. "Go for it."

Jesse lowered the vibrator, placed the tapered tip against Marty's pucker, and pushed gently.

They were good at this now, and knew how to relax. The tip started in immediately, and Marty closed his eyes and smiled. "Man, that feels great all by itself."

Jesse grinned, continuing to push, until he was sure there was a dick's length of vibrator inside his friend. Marty's eyes were on his as Jesse used his thumb to push the switch to the first position.

Jesse moved the vibrator slowly, in and out, about two inches at a stroke, and Marty gasped and Jesse could see the other boy's toes curl. Marty took a hand and wrapped his fingers around his pecker, not stroking it, just holding it.

Jesse bent forward and kissed the inside of Marty's thigh, and used his free hand to hold it against his face while he moved the vibrator with the other hand. Just the warm feel of Marty' skin against his face - and the wonderful scent of it - made Jesse equally breathless.

Oh - Jesse could already imagine where this was going to go. He withdrew the vibrator slowly, and stood it up on its end on the crate table. Marty opened his eyes and looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything when Jesse grabbed the other boy's ankles and swung him around so that he was properly on the cot. Jesse retrieved the vibrator, managed to snag the bottle of lube, too; and then got onto the cot on his knees, and pushed one of Marty's legs up and back. Then he eased the vibrator back into Marty's pucker and turned it on.

Marty gave a little gasp again and grinned. "That feels so awesome, Jesse. I can't wait until you try this."

Jesse nodded, pushed the switch up to the second position. Marty's eyes briefly crossed, and he tilted his head back, his mouth open, and laughed. His hands grabbed at the sheet and pulled, making little pleats in the fabric. Jesse increased the speed of the stroke a little, feeling Marty's thigh muscles twitch as he strained not to draw his legs together in reaction.

"Good?" Jesse asked, leaning forward a little to watch Marty's face.

"Shit, yeah!"

Jesse grinned. "Wanna try turbo for a minute?"

Marty laughed. "Go for it!"

Jesse pushed the switch to the third position. Marty gave a little shriek and started laughing, and Jesse couldn't help laughing with him. He moved the vibrator slowly in and out, while Marty squirmed and giggled.

It was all Jesse could take, watching his friend so fired up. Jesse's own body was full of longing now, and he knew what he wanted that would satisfy that. He let Marty enjoy the vibrator a few minutes more, than turned it off and carefully withdrew it.

"My butthole's numb!" Marty said, grinning. "That was bad as shit, Jesse."

Jesse grinned. "There's more - if you want it."

"Yeah?" Marty looked interested. "What'cha got in mind?"

Jesse set the vibrator on the frame of the cot where it would be out of the way. He picked up the bottle of lube, squirt some on his hand, snapped the cap down and set the bottle out of the way. He took his hand and wiped the lube all over his hard pecker, grinning at Marty as he did so.

Marty's eyebrows went up. "Ooh. I like where this is going."

Jesse nodded. He wiped his hand on his thigh, then used his hands to lift Marty's butt up, then wiggled forward until his folded legs were beneath the other boy. Jesse took his pecker in his hand and looked at Marty's pucker.

It hadn't closed all the way, and Jesse could see a little pink up inside it. He grinned, and pushed the head of his dick into the hole. "Ready?"

"Shit, yeah. Fuck me, Jesse."

Jesse thrust his hips slowly forward, and was astounded at how easily his dick slid inside Marty's butt. The vibrator had either relaxed all the muscles, or knocked them silly. He slid in all the way up to his pubes, while Marty squeezed his eyes closed and moaned. "Man, that is excellent. Go for it, Jesse."

Jesse began to stroke slowly, putting Marty's legs up on his shoulders and leaning in a little more. Marty gasped, and actually seemed to push his butt at Jesse on each inward stroke. It felt amazing.

Jesse was almost breathless now. It had been a while since he had done this, and it was so special a thing - putting his dick inside Marty - that it excited him almost to gasping. He stroked a little faster, but very carefully, not wanting to hurt Marty in any way.

Marty did not seem to be hurting. He made a little sound on each inward stroke, and Jesse was sure he was hitting Marty's button. Marty's dick was hard and straight, and when the boy made to wrap his fingers around the shaft, Jesse gently slapped his hand away.

"Save your spunk for my butt," he said, grinning.

Marty laughed, nodding. He continued to make small noises that Jesse loved to hear, and Jesse bent farther forward and looked into Marty's eyes. "Can I get kissed?"

Marty nodded, raised his head, and Jesse put a hand behind it and pulled it close enough to press his lips against Marty's. He fell into that, using his tongue to assault Marty's, which had the other boy laughing in short order. Jesse's dick was tingling, and his balls felt full and ready to go, and he knew that it wouldn't be long. His body was wound up, his middle tense, and his dick felt so good he almost couldn't believe it.

There was almost no warning; in an instant he was squirting spunk into Marty's insides, and gasping so hard that Marty pulled his head back so that Jesse could breathe.

It was a spunk for the record books. It wasn't a minute long, or even thirty seconds. But it felt like an hour. Jesse's legs felt weak, and he had trouble holding himself up, it was so intense an orgasm. When he was done pumping he gasped and dropped his forehead onto Marty's belly, feeling it rise and fall quickly in the aftermath of all that power.

Marty put a hand on the back of Jesse's head and rubbed it slowly and affectionately, a comfort that Jesse appreciated. He finally lifted his head and smiled at the other boy. "I think I might have shot one of my nuts up your butt."

Marty laughed, his eyes bright. "I wouldn't be surprised, the way you hollered when you came."

Jesse was stunned. "I hollered?"

Marty blinked at him. "You didn't know? You sounded like an Indian in one of those old western movies."

Jesse gaped. "I did not."

Marty crossed his heart with a finger and nodded. "Swear, man. You did. Every dog in the neighborhood is probably on his way here now."

Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and laughed. At the same moment, Jesse's dick, going limp, was squeezed out of Marty's butt and fell against his balls.

Jesse reared back enough to lay Marty's legs down and climbed aboard the other boy, careful to not put too much pressure on Marty's dick, which was still hard and patiently waiting for it's turn to go. "Was it good?" he asked, smiling down into Marty's eyes.

"Damn right. It was worth it just watching your face go all blank and your tongue hang out, and then hearing you yell like a crayfish got hold of your balls."

Jesse shook his head. "No, dummy. I mean, was the vibrator good up your butt?'

Marty sighed. "Are you kidding? That thing's gonna be our new best friend. Wait until you try it."

Jesse laughed, and lowered his head and kissed Marty. Marty kissed him back, and when they were done he pushed his face against Jesse's and sighed. "Every time I think we can't get better, we do."

Jesse nodded. "That was really good for me, I know that much."

"Wait until you get Buzzy up your butt," Marty said, nodding. "You ain't felt nothing until you feel that."

"Well...yeah. It's gotta have a name. We got the Great Purple Pecker, and now we got Buzzy." Marty grinned. "Buzzy, the Butt Buddy."

Jesse tossed his head back and squealed, and Marty cracked up. It took them a moment to get control of themselves; when they did, Jesse looked back at Marty and shook his head. "You're not right, you know that?"

Marty's eyes were all smiles. "What? You don't like that name?"

Jesse dropped his head, kissed Marty. "No, I like it. It's official now."

Marty nodded. "I think Buzzy has a date with your butt."

Jesse got up, took the vibrator and cleaned it with sanitizer, then handed it to Marty. "Buzzy's had a bath."

Marty sat on the edge of the cot. "Get across my knee, young man."

Jesse grinned. "Serious?"

Marty nodded, his face almost laughably stern. "You've been bad, boy. Now you have to pay."

Jesse grinned, and laid down across Marty's lap, his pecker sliding down between Marty's legs. Marty patted Jesse's butt, gave it a squeeze, "Oh, my. What have we here?"

"It's a butt,"Jesse said. "Be careful with it, because it's the only one I have." He turned his head and looked back, and grinned at Marty. "Don't do anything with it I wouldn't do."

Marty laughed. He took the lube and made his forefinger slick, and then gently pushed it up inside Jesse's butt. Jesse grinned at the feel of it, closing his eyes, and bending his head back. Marty massaged patiently, and Jesse enjoyed - for a few minutes. "Is that the best you can do?"

He heard Marty laugh. "Oh, no. I'm just getting started, young man."

Jesse was aware of Marty slicking up the vibrator, and then putting the lube down. He felt Marty's hand on his butt, and then the cool plastic tip of Buzzy against his pucker. He relaxed, smiling in anticipation, and felt Buzzy start in. Like Marty before him, it seemed easier than usual this time. The vibrator went in a good dick's length, and then Marty patted Jesse's butt. "Ready?"

"Yup."

It was like - Jesse had never felt anything like it before. It was amazingly pleasant, and relaxing, and it made his butt tingle inside and out. Marty moved the vibrator back out and then slid it back in, and as it came in Jesse felt a momentary flash of something wonderful. Buzzy had found Jesse's button. Marty settled into a regular stroke, and Jesse closed his eyes and sighed, feeling about as wonderful as he ever had. His pucker was gloriously happy, which made Jesse gloriously happy, too. The vibration traveled down Jesse's taint to his balls, and it was like the were bouncing around at super speed inside his sack.

"Ready for the next one?" Marty asked.

Jesse just nodded, too into what he was feeling for speech.

Jesse made a little noise - not a groan and not a gasp. Something in between.

Marty continued to stroke Jesse's butt with the vibrator, and Jesse continued to make little noises that were not a groan and not a gasp.

But the vibrations didn't. Jesse's middle felt numb and tingly and strange - pleasant and unpleasant, incredibly weird and unbelievably wonderful. Something large with many legs seemed to be crawling back and forth on his taint, and his balls felt like little needles were inside the sack with his nuts. Jesse clenched his teeth and breathed through them as the sensation slowly wound down, until finally he was left with a pleasant sense of numbness between his legs.

Marty rubbed a hand slowly up and down Jesse's back, knowing how he was feeling. "Stand up a minute, Jesse, before it all goes away."

Jesse got to his feet, his middle still feeling out of whack, even his thigh muscles seeming bewildered at the return to carrying a load. Marty grabbed the bottle of lube and squirted some on his fingers, and quickly lubed up his dick. He set the bottle on the floor and held his hands out to Jesse. "Sit on my lap?"

Jesse came back, slid onto the cot with his knees down on either side of Marty's thighs, and carefully sat down on Marty's dick. Marty guided it, and it started up inside Jesse's pucker without the slightest bit of resistance. Jesse sat all the way down onto Marty's lap, wrapped his arms around Marty's neck, and laid his head against Marty's. Marty immediately began moving, but Jesse only felt a sweet and numb feeling in his butt - pleasant, warm, all his.

He kissed Marty's neck below the ear, up the side of his face; pulled back and found the other boy's lips and went at them. Marty was warm and wonderful in his grasp, and the feel of Marty's dick going in and out of him was somehow restful and sweet after the attentions of Buzzy the Butt Buddy.

But slowly, the numbness subsided, and Jesse really began to feel Marty inside him. Marty was tagging Jesse's button on each inward stroke, and Jesse's dick was hard and pressed tightly between their moving bodies. Jesse was a little shocked to feel the onset of another orgasm - the build to glory - and then he was suddenly spunking off into the tight space between their bodies. It was unbelievably good, and made even better less than a minute later when Marty's panting turned into something else, and Jesse could tell by the way that his friend's body was jumping that Marty was shooting his spicy spunk into Jesse's insides.

And then it was all over. Their bodies relaxed at the same moment, and they sagged against each other, and Jesse was surprised to feel the dampness of sweat between them. He found Marty's lips again and kissed him and kissed him, until Marty finally turned his head and pressed his face into Jesse's cheek.

"I need to breathe," he said softly, and Jesse let him, gently nuzzling Marty's cheek with his own.

The sat together for an unknown length of time, until their breathing finally slowed and their senses came back. Marty sighed, looked up at Jesse. "You are so fucking awesome."

Jesse grinned. "Me? You did all the work."

Marty lay back gently, and Jesse felt Marty's now soft dick pop out of his butt. Marty turned his body, brought his legs up onto the bunk as Jesse knee-walked along with him, and then Marty lay back with his head on the pillow and Jesse simply laid forward on top of him and made himself comfortable. They kissed for awhile, and somehow that led to tickling and wrestling, and Jesse wound up on the bottom with Marty on top of him.

Marty picked up his head and smiled down at Jesse, his blue eyes sparkling with what he was feeling inside. Jesse grinned, feeling wonderful, because he could see what Marty was feeling - love. He pulled the other boy down and kissed him, and Marty pressed his face against Jesse's cheek and sighed. "I could stay here forever."

Jesse closed his eyes and nodded. His body was relaxed and he felt just wonderful after all they had done, and he just lay there, rubbing Marty's back with both of his hands and enjoying the feel of Marty's skin against his.

But then Jesse was aware of something: the light coming in from outside through the vent window - so even until now against his closed eyelids - suddenly fluttered as if a large bird had flown between him and window.

Jesse opened his eyes.

Above them, Jesse's dad had his head stuck in the vent window, and he was looking down at them on the cot. His dad's eyes were huge, staring, and Jesse simply froze up so tightly he couldn't move a muscle.

His dad blinked as their eyes met; and then he pulled his head outside and was gone. A shadow flitted against the window, and Jesse realized that his dad was leaving.

Jesse's air went out of him, and he made a noise that had no name. Marty instantly picked up his head and looked down at him. "What? Are you okay?"

Jesse looked up into Marty's eyes. "My dad just looked in the window. He saw us, Marty."

"Yeah - right." But Marty could see then the horror and the fear in Jesse's face, and his eyes widened in shock. "For real?"

Jesse nodded, feeling tears in his eyes. "He saw us, Marty," he repeated, unable to believe it. His dad had seen his son and his son's best friend laying naked together in the cot in the fort, kissing and --

Jesse let out a sob as his world seemed to crumble around him.

Marty immediately squeezed him close and laid his face against Jesse's, and kissed him so hard that it made Jesse wince. "It's okay, Jesse. I'm here."

And suddenly, that was the most important thing there was. Jesse wrapped his arms around Marty and hugged him with all his might, and clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes closed and tried like he'd never tried before - not to cry.

His dad had seen them.

"So he knows now," Marty finally said. "Big deal." But Jesse could see the same fear, only marginally smaller, in his friend's eyes. He realized then that Marty was thinking the same thing that he was: was it over?

"I gotta go talk to him," Jesse decided. "I gotta go now. Before he can do anything."

Marty didn't ask what things Jesse referred to - he knew.

He nodded, and they both got up and hurriedly dressed. "I can come with you," Marty said then.

For a second Jesse was tempted. His dad would be more careful - maybe - if Marty were there, too...but - no. This wasn't Marty's battle - not yet.

"No," he said, trying to smile. "Go home, Marty. I'll call you as soon as I can."

The look of anguish that crossed Marty's face tugged at Jesse's heart, and he went to his friend and hugged him. "It'll be okay," he offered. A weird sort of calm was settling on Jesse now. He had just looked at the worst possibilities of what might happen now, in his mind; what came next could be no worse than that.

Marty drew back, and his eyes were wet. "I can't lose you, Jesse."

"You won't," Jesse said, kissing him. "Go home. I'll call you as soon as I can."

They went outside, into the late afternoon sun, and Jesse looked around at his trees, his woods. That they might go away seemed a remote possibility now. They had been there forever, and they would always be there forever.

He hugged Marty a last time, and smiled at him. "I'll call you."

Marty nodded, and turned around and walked away. Jesse watched him a moment, then turned and headed home. He got to the curve in the path and looked back; Marty was there, watching him. Jesse smiled and waved; Marty smiled and waved back. Then they both headed for home.

Jesse came up the path into his backyard and stopped by the patio. He looked up at his house, at the window of his room, and could not imagine either going away.

He went to the door and let himself in - and froze. His mom was in the kitchen, just starting to get things out to make dinner.

She looked at him a moment, chewing her lip. "Um...in the den. Did he talk to you?"

Jesse shook his head. "Not yet. That's why I came back."

She smiled then. "Oh. Better go see him. I think he wanted to talk to you."

Jesse nodded, walked past her.

"Jesse, are you okay?"

He turned back to see her frowning. "You look tired, honey."

He tried to smile more convincingly. "No. I'm okay."

He turned and headed for the den. His father's place - his dad's version of the fort. The den was where his father worked when he worked at home, and where he sometimes relaxed when he needed a little space. A lot of the things in the den were his dad's, and the room was not one that Jesse ever used on his own, except maybe to use his dad's computer now and then.

Jesse stopped in the hallway. The door to the den was open, and Jesse could see a light on. For just a moment all of his fear came back, and he couldn't move.

How mad could his dad be? Jesse's father was not known for his temper. His dad's approach to life was a calm one, and Jesse had always liked his dad's thoughtful take on most everything. That he would yell or scream now seemed unlikely. But - he had never caught his son naked in bed kissing another boy, either.

Jesse swallowed, took a step, then another, and was at the door.

He looked inside. The light on his dad's desk was on. His dad was sitting on the brown leather sofa, just kind of staring off into space. He didn't look mad, and he didn't look scary.

He looked like dad.

Jesse gathered his energies and knocked lightly on the doorframe. His dad's gaze turned, and their eyes touched. In that split second, all of Jesse's fear came back to the fore.

His father frowned, then nodded at him. "Hi, son. Come on in."

Jesse entered the den, went to stand in front of his father. His dad looked up at him with a curious expression, almost as if he was looking at Jesse for the first time.

Jesse licked his lips, but didn't know where to start.

"Jesse." His dad reached out a hand, and Jesse automatically extended his and took it. His father pulled, and Jesse sat down next to him.

"I'm glad you came, Jesse. I was just going to go and look for you." He smiled. "I'm sorry I ran off. I was surprised. I hope that didn't scare you."

Jesse felt like he had been holding his breath for hours. It sighed out now, and he leaned over and hugged his dad, unable now to hold back all the tears.

He didn't cry - not in front of his dad. But for a second the tears welled out and ran down his face uncontrollably, and he had to use every bit of effort he had to just snort it all back in and stop.

His dad pushed him back and looked down at him, his face full of sympathy - and love. Jesse had been seeing that love from his dad for so long now that he knew its look by heart. The relief that came over him was huge - his dad had not stopped loving him.

He tried to smile, wiping at his eyes. "You're not mad?"

His dad seemed surprised, and then looked like he was thinking about it. "No. I'm not mad. Surprised? Yes. But I'm not mad."

The other question came next - the one Jesse was somehow most afraid of.

"Are you...disappointed in me?"

His dad gave a small laugh. "No. I don't think so. I'm not disappointed in you."

Jesse hugged him again, just because he had to do it. His dad squeezed him back, and the strength and surety of it made Jesse know then that somehow, things were going to be okay. He started breathing again, and felt his heart - which he now realized had been pounding in his chest - begin to slow.

His dad looked down at him. "What...what were you and Marty doing, Jesse?"

Jesse's fear tried to come back. For a moment he couldn't speak - but then his voice came back. "Kissing. Hugging."

His dad nodded. "Why?"

Jesse gulped. "I love him, dad."

His father looked puzzled. "You've known him such a short time, Jesse. Is that even possible?"

Jesse nodded. "Dad...I think I loved him the first day I met him."

He heard a sound, and looked up at the doorway. His mother was there, a dishtowel in her hands, looking at them.

Jesse felt the fear all over again as he stared at her.

But Jesse's dad simply smiled at her. "We didn't see you there, honey. Come on in and sit."

Jesse's mom nodded, and came and sat by Jesse on the other side, and immediately took his free hand. That was either a good sign, or a very bad one.

"We were just talking," Jesse's dad went on.

His mom nodded. "So I heard."

His dad sighed. "I went down to the fort to talk to the boys, and when I looked in the window, I saw Jesse and Marty laying in the cot together." He nodded. "They were kissing."

Jesse was stunned. "No, mom."

She squinted at him. "Well, you weren't doing this before you met him."

Jesse closed his eyes a moment, reopened them and looked at her. "Yes. I was. Me and Nate, mom."

She looked shocked then, and she and his dad looked at each other. "You talked Marty into this?" his mom asked.

Jesse had trouble believing she could think that. "Mom, you don't talk someone into doing this. They either want to, or they don't."

His mom blinked. "So Marty is gay? Do his parents know?"

Jesse nodded. "He's gay, mom. Like me. And they don't know."

Jesse's dad put out a hand and gently grasped his mom's wrist. She looked up at her husband for a long moment - and Jesse could see her slowly relax.

"I'm sorry, Jesse. I...I just never would have thought about this before now."

"He had flip-flops on, mom," Jesse heard himself say.

Both of his parents laughed, and Jesse smiled.

But then he had to ask: "Are you disappointed in me, mom?"

That, somehow, had always been his greatest fear. Never that his parents would stop loving him. But that they would be disappointed in him.

"Jesse."

Jesse looked over at his dad. His father was looking at him oddly now, with a little smile. "Jesse," he repeated, "we aren't disappointed. We love you just as much now as we always have. That will never stop." His dad's smile grew. "Jesse, you're the magic in our lives. You are everything in the world to us - do you understand that?"

Jesse nodded, wanting to cry again. He struggled against it, and both of his parents obviously saw it. His mom put an arm around him and hugged him, and so did his dad.

"I'm not disappointed, Jesse," his mom said quietly. "I like Marty a lot." She sat back, smiled down at him. "At least if you're going to have a boyfriend, you sure picked a good one."

Jesse laughed, relief flooding through every inch of his body. "I thought you might not let me see him anymore."

Jesse's mom looked upset. "Oh, no, honey. That wouldn't be fair or good. Marty is just as welcome here as always." She looked up at Jesse's dad. "Right?"

His dad nodded. "Sure. I like Marty, too." He smiled at Jesse. "I can't believe he's anything but good for you."

A thought came to Jesse then, and he had to ask. "Dad? Why were you at the fort?"

Jesse's dad laughed. "Oh. I forgot about that." He leaned closer, grinning." My boss wants to send me to a production meeting in California. He said he'd pay to send the whole family if I would go."

Jesse blinked. "Go way? For how long?"

"Just a week," his dad said. He looked at Jesse's mom, grinning. "We're discussing the client's product changes on a Monday, retooling their plant to institute them, and then reviewing new procedures on Friday. So I have meetings both days, but the rest of the time is free. I thought we'd make a little vacation out of it."

Jesse grinned. "That sounds fun." But then he frowned. "You came out to the fort just to tell me that?"

His dad's smile widened. "Well, I called your mom earlier and we talked about it. We realized that, if she and I did some things together, that might leave you feeling a little left out. So we thought we'd ask Marty to go along with you, if he wanted."

Jesse's breath felt short again. From nightmare to wishdream, all in one hour? It was overwhelming. He looked up at the ceiling, grinning.

Jesse's mom squeezed his hand. "Honey, there are things we'll need to talk about - about you and Marty. You need to know about how to do things, um, safely."

Jesse nodded. "Already been there, mom. I've read a lot online. I know how to be safe."

His mother laughed, looking at Jesse's dad. "That damn Internet. I forgot that you probably know more about some things than we do."

For a moment no one said anything. Then his dad sighed. "You need to talk, Jesse, you come to us. Either of us, or both of us." He smiled. "I see now that you were really afraid to come talk to me. That took a lot of courage, Jesse. I respect you for facing up to that."

"I was scared to death, dad."

His mother shook her head and squeezed has hand again. "Don't ever be afraid to talk to us, Jesse." She looked at Jesse's dad, then back to Jesse. "I do want to talk some more about this, okay?" She gave him a little smile. "It's a lot for us to get used to so quickly."

He nodded. "Okay. But if you guys can handle this, you can handle anything."

His dad poked him. "Want to call Marty and ask if wants to go with us?"

His mom nodded. "In fact, ask him if he wants to come to dinner."

Jesse gaped. "O-kay."

His mom smiled. "I want to know him better now, Jesse." She stood up. "Speaking of dinner, I'd better get back to fixing it." She waved a hand at Jesse's dad. "Matt - make him understand he's not in trouble." He smiled at Jesse. "You're not in trouble, Jesse."

His dad laughed. "You know that, right?

Jesse sighed. "If you guys say so."

His mom grinned and left the room. Jesse just looked at his dad, like he couldn't believe how this had all gone.

His dad smiled at him. "Thought you were doomed, huh?"

Jesse nodded. "I thought you would be mad. But I thought mom might flip out."

His dad sighed. "Tell you a secret, Jesse, if you promise not to tell your mom I told you."

Jesse nodded. "I promise."

His dad made a funny little face. "Your mom's brother - your Uncle Brian? He's gay."

His dad laughed, his eyes crinkling in the way that always told Jesse things were okay. "I don't know if it works like that, Jesse. But it's probably why your mom took this so well. She was the only one to stand by Brian when he came out. And that was twenty years ago, when it was a lot harder to be gay."

Jesse sighed. "Dad - you're really okay with me?"

"Yes, Jesse." His dad smiled, and reached out and mussed Jesse's hair. "Besides, nothing's set in stone. You're only thirteen yet. Still time for girls further down the line."

Jesse gave his dad a hug, and the hug he received in return told him for certain that his dad was okay.

Jesse ran to the kitchen and gave his mom a big hug, and she laughed and squeezed him back. "Did you call Marty?"

"I'm going to now." Jesse laughed, and virtually danced from the room. He ran up the steps to his room and sat on the bed, pulling out his cell and pushing the icon for Marty's number.

"What was she saying?"

"I wouldn't shit you," Jesse said, smiling "You're my favorite turd."

His head felt like it was whirling inside, so much had happened. But the biggest thing he was feeling was a loss - that little nagging fear he'd been carrying around for a while now - the fear that his parents would find out that he was gay.

It was gone. He was out.

Jesse grinned. He jumped up off the bed, ran downstairs, and went to his dad's den. His dad was standing by his desk, reading a paper. He looked up as Jesse entered, and smiled at him.

Jesse went right to him, and hugged him with all his might. "Thanks, dad." He looked up at the man. "I love you."

His dad nodded, looking maybe a little defenseless. "I love you, too, Jesse."

Jesse squeezed him again, then stepped back. "Marty said he'd come to dinner." He grinned. "And go to California with us."

His dad smiled. "That's good, Jesse. I'm glad."

Jesse nodded. "Gotta go hug mom now."

His dad laughed as he ran out. Jesse ran to the kitchen, found his mom in the pantry looking at cans. "I know there's some Lima beans in here some place."

Jesse reached past her and plucked a can off the shelf. He handed it to her, and when she took it he hugged her. "Thanks, mom. I love you."

She smiled down at him, then dropped her head and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, too, Jesse. I don't want you to worry about a thing, okay?"

He nodded. "Marty said he'd come to dinner. I'm going to go meet him at the fort."

"Okay. Come on back then. We'll be ready to eat in about fifteen minutes."

Jesse grinned, went out through the back door, crossed the patio, then ran down the path to the fort.

He slowed, almost skipped, he was feeling so good. He went around the fort - and almost collided with Marty, who was coming the other way.

They both stopped, smiling. And then they moved together, and they hugged each other with all their might.

Marty laughed. "Take all you want. I got more."

Jesse grinned, reached down and gave Marty's crotch a little squeeze. "I wish there was time for more."

Marty grinned. "Pervert."

Jesse turned, giving Marty a little tug. They started back up the path to Jesse's house.

"I learned all I know from you," Jesse said. "That make's you an even bigger pervert."

Marty waved a hand. "There's worse things to be famous for."

Jesse grinned.

"So tell me about California," Marty said. "When are we going?"

Jesse laughed. "I forgot to ask."

Marty rolled his eyes; but then he brightened. "I heard they got nude beaches in California."

Jesse sighed, but had to smile. "Is that all you ever think of?"

"I never think of beaches," Marty said, but his eyes were sparkling.

Jesse rolled his eyes, looked for a moment at the sky. "Help me out, huh?"

The sky looked back, silent.

Marty grinned, reached out and took Jesse's hand. "I sure love you, Jesse."

Jesse nodded. "I know. I love you, too, Marty."

"What's for dinner?" Marty asked, squeezing Jesse's hand.

Jesse grinned again. "I forgot to ask."

"Don't know much, do you?" Marty said, kidding.

Jesse smiled. There were all sorts of come-backs he could think of, but none seemed appropriate. He knew what was important, and he knew he had been lucky to have gotten so much of it in life.

People were important. He had parents who loved him, even when he wasn't perfect. Even when he turned out not to be as they had expected, or even wanted. You couldn't do better than that.

"We're having Lima beans, I think," he finally managed, smiling.

Marty grinned. "Well, it's a start." He looked at Jesse, his eyes full of mischief. "Wanna race?"

Jesse laughed, took off running.

Marty yelled, and took off in pursuit. "You suck!"

They got to the top of the hill and Jesse slowed, waited for Marty to catch him. "Maybe later," Jesse said, grinning.