The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 27
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
I have written several other stories. My longer ones on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010), and "Tommy and Tanner (October 21, 2012)under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male section.
My short stories include: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009), "Wyatt's Thanksgiving" (November 20, 2012)under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010), "A Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011), and "Patrick's Christmas (December 19, 2012) under "Beginnings," I have one story in the Sci Fi/Fantasy category called, "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010).
You can easily access most of my tales by going to the "Author" button in Nifty's home page and scrolling down to David Lee. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us and www.saberpeak.com.
My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.
Thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
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David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 27
Cade and Harrison took possession of their new house a couple of weeks before Easter. New isn't exactly the correct term, though the 1928 craftsman style house was new to them.
It was a soundly-built three-bedroom home with a brick exterior. It had been built with materials ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalog and had had only two previous owners. The last one had occupied it until she had to move to a nursing facility three years ago. Therefore, it had not suffered the ravages multiple occupants like renters who might have painted the woodwork to "update" it. Nearly everything was original except for the wiring and plumbing which had been redone 10 years earlier, and the workmen who had done those updates had been careful not to do anything that would change the character of the house.
They had been able to purchase it for a song for several reasons. There were a lot of houses on the market with features most people wanted. Many young families didn't want a place with only one bathroom on the second floor and a powder room on the main one. Some people were only interested in new construction. Others turned up their noses at the single-stall detached garage.
Then there was the current condition of it from being closed up, unoccupied for three years. It had a musty smell, the carpet was out of date, and the countertops were covered with a kind of linoleum substance that predated laminate or quartz surfaces by many decades.
The guys viewed all those drawbacks as challenges and were willing to put in money and labor to bring it up to something they'd love to live in. Since they didn't have anyone else to consider, they could spread the remodeling out over months – years if necessary. Cade would have a fair amount of time in the summer to work on it, and he could hire some of his swimmers to help.
What made it even more affordable was help from several different quarters. First, Cade's parents offered them a "non-repayable" loan of $20,000 like they'd given to his brother, Randy. Second was that Brock and Brent gave them an IOU for the amount of rent they'd paid the last few months to apply toward materials from home improvement stores. The last was the fact that the lady had left it to her two nieces since she had no children. One niece lived in California and was going through a divorce. The other was serving as a missionary in Africa. Neither of them wanted the place nor had the time to deal with it. Mostly, they wanted to be rid of it and all its contents.
Thus, for the price of $80,000 it was all theirs! Given the fact that they could put more than a third down and interest rates were at historical lows, the monthly payments, taxes, and insurance combined would be less than rent. On top of that, the neighborhood was a very good one only a few blocks from where they had been living.
The very first thing they did was to have a dumpster set in front of the garage as a place to throw the things that were definitely trash. They offered to hire the boys in their spare time to help sort and pitch. Some things could be donated to charity, but a number of items, like the old carpet, weren't worth trying to salvage.
Once the largest bedroom was thoroughly cleaned and freshly painted, they set up their new bed. They kept the tall chest which was crafted of sturdy oak as a place to store many of their clothes like socks, underwear, and other folded items. After a cleaning and waxing, it was beautiful. Since it was a simple, straight-line design, they chose a new headboard in a similar style to match. They would add other pieces later either from things they were salvaging or new ones when there were sales.
They christened their new bed a couple of nights before spring break began. Cade came to school a bit sleepy, but smiling.
The downstairs apartment became empty at exactly the time it was needed. Grandpa and Grandma Hart were staying a few days at Easter time, and Brock and Brent had been trying to figure out how to accommodate everyone without having people sleeping on the floor or at a motel. With Spence as their houseguest, the place was packed already.
Davy and Jon volunteered to stay in the basement during the time the grandparents were there. How many nights they would be there hinged on how plans would work out for someone else in the household.
They were thinking about moving down there permanently after the break, but weren't mentioning it until they could be reasonably certain Joe would be okay without having them sleeping next to his room. He hadn't had any nightmares lately, but it was too soon to tell if he was completely free of them.
David and Amanda arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday. They had been on the road for a couple of days because they'd decided to drive up from Florida, instead of fly, in order to open up the house at the lake early. It seemed like a good time to come before Florida turned hot and humid as it often did later in the spring.
The magic of mobile phones made it possible for Brock and Brent to time dinner for shortly after their arrival. Davy, Jon, Joe, and Spence made quick work of carrying the elder Hart's luggage up to their room (Davy's) and getting them settled with drinks and hors d'oeuvres while the men were putting the finishing touches on dinner.
Davy's grandparents were immediately taken with Spencer. He was a good conversationalist and had a charming manner. Davy kidded him that he would soon be adopted by them and they'd all be one big family.
On Easter Sunday morning, Spence was a bit out of sorts because he'd not heard from Billy yet. Brock reminded him of the time difference, saying that Billy might have decided to sleep in.
Spence really wanted to skip church to try to set up an erotic Skype session with Billy when everyone else was gone. However, he wasn't about to complain. After all, these people had taken him in when he desperately needed a place to stay. Without them, he could have been on the street. Grandpa wouldn't have let that happen for long, but still he owed these guys a lot and felt he shouldn't do anything to upset their plans. It wasn't that he was afraid they'd throw him out, but he loved this family enough to put their interests ahead of his own.
On the way to church, he received a text message from Billy saying that he'd indeed slept in and would be going to church soon with Spence's grandparents, so wouldn't be able to communicate for a few hours. Spence smiled. He had made the right choice about not staying home.
The Mason-Hart family had opted to attend the early service because it would be less packed than the 11:00 o'clock one. This would also allow the extended clan to enjoy brunch at a leisurely pace before the larger crowd hit the restaurant.
After church, Brent, Brock, Davy, Jon, and Spence all climbed into the Highlander and headed out, while Grandpa David took Joe and Mark in his van. They were to meet up with Cade and Harrison and Mark's family to eat. Spence noticed that Brock hadn't made the turn toward the restaurant, but was heading south on the interstate.
"Um, where are we going?" he asked of Davy and Jon.
"Oh, didn't you hear?" Jon asked. "We have to go to the airport to pick up my dad's Uncle Arnie. He and Jim are working, as you know, and we're in change of getting him. Lucky you! He talks nonstop and he'll be riding next to you on the way to brunch! He's fond of young guys, so he'll probably want to sit next to you."
"Jeez!" Spence exclaimed. "Why me?"
"Ah, you deserve it," Davy grinned.
After finding a place in the short term parking lot, the men and boys made their way into the terminal. The PA system was just announcing that flight 3114 from Denver had arrived at gate C-4 and passengers could be met outside of the security gate within a few minutes.
Not having any particular interest in meeting Uncle Arnie, Spence sat facing away from the gate, dividing his attention between his phone and a large-screen TV. A number of people streamed past heading for the luggage carousel and he gave them no heed.
The rest of the guys watched the incoming passengers carefully because none had actually met their guest in person. They had a pretty good idea of what he looked like from pictures and seeing him once on Skype. He wasn't quite as tall as they'd imagined, probably slightly less than six feet, but he was well built and quite attractive.
The men and boys shook hands with him silently, but warmly.
"He's here and we're ready to go," Brock announced, breaking Spence's concentration on the news report.
As he arose, Spence felt someone hug him from behind. Thinking he'd been accosted by some lecherous old guy, he gave a start and turned to find himself facing Billy.
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed as Billy wrapped him into a bear hug and planting a big kiss on his still-parted lips.
"How? When? Did you guys all know about this?"
The guys he had come with all grinned in satisfaction that they'd kept Billy's plans a complete secret.
"Yup!" Jon laughed. "Your grandpa coordinated with our dads about picking Billy up. Dave's grandpa added another person to our brunch reservations. Your mother and Eddy are coming over to the house for a few minutes this afternoon. Just about everyone's been involved."
"No wonder you were all so insistent that I go to church today. It was a good service and all, but I was hoping to communicate with my guy, um, in private while everyone was gone..."
"You can do that all night," Davy teased. Jon and I reserved the basement apartment so you guys could use it. We'll be sleeping at his house for the week."
Both Spence and Billy blushed and grinned. Although they were looking forward to a time of sexual intimacy, they were still shy about having other people allude to it.
"Um, this is my boyfriend, William Travis, but I guess you all met while I was spacing off in front of the TV."
"We did," Billy responded. "And please call me `Billy' like everyone does at home. Oh, and I'm hoping to be known as his fiancé very soon."
"We can talk more about your plans on the way." Brock said, "Right now we'd better see about your luggage so we can get to the restaurant before the crowds arrive."
Needless to say, Spence didn't mind being seated by the mythical "Uncle Arnie." The two of them were inseparable. When Billy went for another helping of prime rib, Spence accompanied him. After they were through eating, they sat holding hands under the table. Both looked radiant enough to light up the whole room.
Upon arriving at the Mason-Hart home, Davy and Jon escorted Spence and Billy to the downstairs apartment. Davy showed them the layout and the snacks in the kitchen, opening the fridge to show a variety of cold beverages, cheeses, and fruits. By the time Davy led them to the bedroom, Jon had lighted scented candles and turned back the bed covers, revealing the sexy sheets he and Davy had enjoyed on Valentine's Day.
"Now remember, Spence, your mom and bro are popping in at 4:00, so don't, um, oversleep!" Davy admonished.
"I'll make sure he's up," Billy said.
"Thanks, Uncle Arnie, Spence joked.
"Come take a shower with me. I feel kinda sweaty after traveling half the day,"
"Sure," Spence responded. "I've been sweating from sitting next to my hot lover!"
They left a trail of discarded clothes leading to the bathroom. As soon as the water was warm, they got into the roomy shower, hugging and kissing as it flowed over their hot bodies. Their hands were everywhere, spreading lather while caressing and stimulating every reachable body part.
Then they squirmed and rubbed their trapped phalluses together until they were about to explode. Sensing that Spence was nearly ready to blow, Billy sat on the small molded seat and sucked his cock to the pubes. Spence whimpered, stiffened, and shot volley after volley of warm cream.
Billy backed off in the nick of time to keep it from going directly down his throat because he wanted to enjoy its flavor. Then the two exchanged places as Spence returned the favor.
Both standing again, they kissed deeply for several seconds. Finally, they rinsed away the residue and dried off.
"I got up in the middle of the night to make my flight. I could use a real nap."
"Me too."
They returned to the bedroom, slipped between the silky sheets, and fell happily asleep cuddled together. Had it not been for the alarm Spence set in his phone, they surely would have slept until dinner time.
Upon awakening, Billy kissed his lover tenderly. From the randy looks on their faces, it was evident that they wanted a rematch. However, there wasn't time. Billy put on a completely new outfit from underwear out, while Spence decided his clothes hadn't been worn long enough to need changing. Billy sniffed his underwear for him and pronounced them fine. He got hard immediately from inhaling Spence's scent.
Once they were presentable, they made up bed again and picked up Billy's clothes. After drinking a quick glass of lemonade and brushing their teeth, Spence led the way back upstairs.
"How was the nap?" Davy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Restful and satisfying," Spence answered. "The shower was even more refreshing!"
"I'm pleased to hear that."
"Spence, you're welcome to entertain your mother and brother up here, but I thought you might want to talk in private, without a lot of strangers around," Brent said. "If you like, you can have your initial meeting in the apartment and come up to introduce them to everyone later."
"Thanks! That's a great idea. I know Mom will want to thank all of you in person, but I think it would be better to have fewer people around when she meets Billy. I'm not sure how she'll react. I know Eddy will be fine."
"Well, feel free to use the food and drinks in the fridge. That's what they're there for."
At precisely 4:00, the doorbell rang and Brock went to meet their guests. He introduced Brent and himself to Spence's mother and brother and then led them down to the apartment. From what he observed, the reunion of mother and son was a cordial and emotional one. He quietly closed the door on his way back up.
As soon as he disentangled himself from his mother and hugged his brother, Spence drew a breath and introduced his boyfriend.
"Mom and Eddy, I want you to meet Billy. He surprised me by flying in this morning."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Billy," Sonja said, offering her hand.
"Likewise, Ma'am," he smiled, taking her hand in both of his.
His warmth charmed her immediately.
Billy then did a fist-bump and ritual handshake with Eddy which surprised and thoroughly pleased the boy. Billy was making a wonderful first impression on them.
"Let's sit down," Spence said, much relieved at how things were going. "There's lemonade and iced tea made and even I'm good enough in the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee in the Keurig."
Sonja opted for a flavored coffee and Eddy for lemonade. Billy jumped up to get the plate of cookies and bowl of fruit, setting them on the coffee table along with little paper plates and napkins. It was a domestic scene which made Sonja sense that the two were headed toward becoming partners.
Spence told his family how things had been going since they'd last communicated. Sonja asked about Montana, and everyone visited without any signs of being uncomfortable.
Sonja then explained what was new in Eddy's and her lives. They had moved out and were living in a small apartment with the help of an organization that provided aid to women who needed to be away from their husbands but were on a limited income until after a divorce settlement.
Her attorney had had a freeze put on Lloyd's assets so he couldn't hide them and cheat her out of what she had coming. Everything was going well and she and Eddy felt a lot less stress in their lives, despite having fewer material possessions for the time being. Spence was very pleased.
After they'd visited about 45 minutes, Billy excused himself to go to the bedroom for something. When he returned, he got down on one knee beside the chair Spence was sitting in, but turned first to Sonja.
"With your permission, Ma'am, I'd like to ask your son to marry me."
"You don't need my permission; he's been emancipated," she replied.
"I guess that's true, but I would still like your permission, if not your blessing. I know this may be difficult for you."
"You have made my son happier than I've seen him in years. You have my permission and my blessing."
"Mine too," Eddy grinned.
"Spencer Lee Bruce, will you marry me?"
"You know I will!" Spence exclaimed as he stood and pulled Billy up to kiss him.
Billy slipped a handcrafted sterling and turquoise band on Spence's ring finger and handed another similar one for Spence to place on his. Sonja, to show her approval, stood and put her arms around both of them. Eddy got up and hugged them from the other side.
"I wish you the best," Sonja said. "I'd enjoy coming to your wedding, but I'm not sure I could afford to travel far. I suppose you can't get married in Montana anyway and California might be the closest place."
"I had been thinking of coming here for the ceremony," Billy told her. "I don't have any family who claims me and Spence has a number of friends here. I know his grandpa would make the trip. We could have a Christmas time wedding because Spence will be of age by then. We're not sure if they'd issue a license to someone under 18 even if he is emancipated."
"If it's here, I'll help arrange it if you like. If my divorce is settled by then, I might be able to help fund it."
"That's cool, Mom, but I'm sure we'll keep it fairly simple."
"It's your wedding, so you guys should have it exactly like you want it.
Well, Eddy, I think we should go soon so they can have their supper."
Before they had said their goodbyes, there was a light tapping on the door.
"Come in," Spence called.
"My dads sent me down to invite everyone up for a light meal. We have assorted breads, deli meats, cheeses, salads, and chips. It's not a hot dinner, but it looks pretty hearty to me." Davy announced.
"Look at this," Spence interrupted and held up his ring.
"Cool! Does it mean you're engaged?"
"Yup," Billy grinned, showing off his matching one.
"We really shouldn't impose," Sonja said, getting back to the subject.
"It's no imposition," Davy assured her. "Everyone will want to celebrate once they see these rings. There's enough food up there to feed an army. You have to stay!"
Sensing the sincerity of the invitation, Sonja acquiesced.
When she met everyone, she felt so much love and joy within the extended family that she could scarcely hold back her tears of happiness. It made her realize how little of this kind of emotion she had known all of her married life.
Alone in their bed that night, Spence and Billy cuddled and conversed about their good fortune.
"This is so great," Billy sighed. "I could spend the rest of my life with you in my arms. It gets better all the time. I can hardly wait until we consummate our union."
"Um, about that, I'm willing to let you fuck me whenever you want," Spence offered. "I sorta bragged that we'd done it already."
"You told them I had taken your cherry?" Billy asked.
"Uh, I wanted them to think I wasn't a virgin anymore in any sense of the word. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, but it might have gotten me into trouble at the time. I guess the doctors could have checked you for signs of trauma, but I'm not sure. Your friends probably think I'm a monster who was using you just for my own pleasure."
"Yeah, I suppose. I didn't think of that when I did it. My father eavesdropped outside my room in the rehab ward, but I said he couldn't prove anything and I wouldn't testify against you."
"No wonder he hates me," Billy shook his head.
"It wouldn't have made any difference. He's as homophobic as anyone you'll ever meet. He's not a nice person."
"So, you don't think it would help if I talked to him and explained?"
"No, I think he'd probably attack you without even hearing what you were saying."
"What about your friends?"
"I'm gonna tell them the truth."
"I glad you're gonna man-up and face your responsibilities. I know we can make it all work. I love you so much!"
Having once again declared his affection, Billy proceeded to demonstrate it physically as he kissed his way down to Spence's most sensitive region. They ended up in a position convenient to stimulating one another at the same time and soon took each other to heaven.
Spence answered the knock on the apartment door the following morning to find Davy and Jon grinning at him.
"If you want to tear yourselves away from making out, breakfast will be served in about 15 minutes." Jon told him. "Davy's dads plus Grandma Amanda are making Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and all the rest. You could probably use a hot breakfast to replenish all the calories you expended last night."
"It sounds wonderful. Let me check with my fiancé." Spence said, enjoying the new title.
"Billy, do you want to go up for breakfast?" he called.
"Sorry, I didn't hear what you said," Billy responded as he came out of the bathroom naked as the day he was born.
"Oops, I didn't know we had company," Billy blushed.
He covered his groin quickly with his hands, but not before the boys had a good look at his impressive equipment.
"We've been invited upstairs for breakfast if you want to go." Spence continued.
"That's fine with me. I hope you'll forgive me for coming out naked."
"What's to forgive?" Davy asked. "You have nothing to be ashamed of and besides we run around bare-ass at the lake as much as we can. No one here is particularly modest."
"Thanks, I'll go get dressed."
After Billy had retreated to the bedroom, Davy gave Spence a particularly cheesy grin.
"You weren't lying about Billy's assets!"
"No, I didn't exaggerate, but I did lie about other stuff, and I have to get it off my chest. Billy never fucked me like I claimed. We're both anal virgins. I wanted him to pound my ass like I said he did, but he's really a gentle guy and I'm gonna have to get him to see how much I want it before it will happen, if you know what I mean."
"So, he didn't push you into anything," Jon mused.
"No, I'm the one who did the pushing. He was very shy, so I came onto him. At first it was an attempt to make it with a handsome rugged guy, but I fell in love with him in the process. He had to smoke a little pot to let go of his inhibitions, but he's able to relax without it now.
He did teach me a few things that he learned from the Internet when he drove me home before school last summer, but I'd already heard about some of them."
"Are you telling them all the secrets I've kept bottled up so long?" Billy joked as he entered the room.
"Just enough to let them know the real you," Spence blushed.
"Billy, I'm sorry that I've misjudged you," Jon said, offering his hand. "I thought you were trying to take advantage of an impressionable teenager, but I see it might have been the other way around."
"I thought the same things about you," Davy confessed. "Please forgive me of judging without all the facts. Like Jon, I thought you were a predator. I'm glad our dads didn't know what we thought we knew."
"I'm not a pedophile and that's for sure," Billy agreed as he took the offered hands. "I did fall for Spence at first sight, but I was way too shy to do anything about it. Growing up, I was really deep in the closet. My dad would have killed me if he had known I liked boys. He probably still would if he were alive. I coped the best I could, but I was never really happy inside. Spence has changed all that and his grandpa has practically adopted me since I told him how I feel about his grandson."
"We had already changed our minds about you because we could see how happy you made Spence," Davy chimed in. "You've risen even higher in my estimation, knowing you hadn't come on like a predator."
"Billy, I'm so sorry I made you sound like a monster." Spence sniffled as he held out his arms.
"You're forgiven," Billy replied, embracing his lover. "I'm kinda flattered that you painted me as a take-charge guy who could go after what he wanted."
The two engaged in a passionate kiss, showing the boys that Billy wasn't the inhibited guy he'd evidently been in the past.
"Should we tell my dads to keep your food warm in the oven?" Davy teased.
"No!" Billy insisted. "I may be hungry for my guy, but my stomach is growling."
Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed since last posting: Jim W, Walt S, Tony W, Mendy D, Bill K, Tom A, Vern, Paul R, Wayne, Trish R, Paul F, Ott H, Bill T, Paul R, and JJ. Your encouragement helps keep me dedicated to finishing this story.
David