Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 2
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. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
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.
This is not my first attempt at writing fiction. My longer stories 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), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male section. There are a few short stories also: "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) under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings" and "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.
I am now listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which will make it easier for you to access earlier stories. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other writers that may interest you.
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.
Finally, 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.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
Tommy and Tanner 2
After breakfast, the boys got showered and dressed. Tim even let Tommy use his shower stall in the basement bathroom their dad had made. It was a rare thing to be treated like an equal by the brother who was just over two years older.
Tommy couldn't help checking out Tim's body when the latter got out of the shower. Tim was beginning to have some impressive muscle definition. He was also hung better than Tommy had remembered him being. He still saw Tim naked at times, but it had been eight years since he had curiously felt Tim's dick. Naturally it was bigger now. But then, Tommy had matured too.
"Man, you've grown," Tim complimented him. "You're almost as tall as I am. We've got to get you on the weights to put on more muscle. You could be a real chick-magnet if you worked at it."
Tommy stood up taller in response to his big brother's words. Tim was turning into an okay guy.
When the boys were assembled in the living room, Teri asked them to sit down.
"John and I need to go over to his house to pick out things for his father to be buried in. I know this is going to be a rough day for you, John, but I'll be with you for everything, and we can do this exactly the way you want it to be done."
"Can Tommy come with us?" John was quick to ask.
"I need him for a few minutes, but I'll send him over to your house when we're done." Tark answered.
Neither John nor Tommy could figure out why his dad wanted him to stay at the house, but they accepted it as necessary. Tark didn't make demands without a reason. John and Teri left a couple of minutes later.
"Okay, I'm calling a quick family meeting," Tark announced when he and his sons were alone. "We have one very important topic. Your mother and I are considering adopting John if he wants to live with us. We could take him as a foster child and the state would give us some money for doing that. However, we think it would be better for him to feel like he's part of a real family. So, we need to vote on this. I have your mother's proxy vote, but I'm not going to cast it until we discuss the implications of this adoption."
"What's a proxy?" Tuck asked.
"It means she has let me know how she feels and she has given me permission to vote for her in her absence." Tark said.
Despite the need to keep the meeting moving, Tark was never one not to explain things to his kids. He felt it made them smarter in the long run. They all appreciated the fact that he didn't talk down to them.
"What are the implications?" Tim wanted to know.
"Well, they have to do with finances and personal space. It will cost more to feed and clothe another person and you guys will have to share your house with him. At this point, we don't know if there is insurance or any money in the bank for him to inherit. The house can be sold, but I want to have as much of the proceeds as possible kept for his education. It's what his dad would want."
"So, does that mean I won't get a car when I'm 16?"
"Would that keep you from voting to adopt him?"
"No, not really; he's a good kid and he needs us," Tim replied. "I can wait. Lot's of guys don't get cars of their own right away."
"That's the answer I would expect from you, Son. You make me proud. I promised you a car and you will have one if I can make it happen."
"He can share my room," Tommy spoke up. "We always get along."
"That is what I would expect you to say too." Tark responded.
"I can try to eat less," Tucker added.
"Son, I know you want to be a part of this too, but your greatest contribution would be not to tease him until he's feeling better. I don't want you to give up eating anything!"
"Is there any more discussion or should we call for the question?" Tark continued.
All agreed they were ready to vote. When Tark asked for their decision, all hands went up to signify that they wanted to take John as their new brother if it could happen. Tommy held up both hands to emphasize his desire. Tark sent him across the street with instructions not to reveal anything to John until they could all sit back down as a family.
A few minutes later, Teri came in carrying a suit, shirt, and tie. John and Tommy followed her with some other accessories including Ralph's favorite pair of bikini underwear. It had been John's choice and Teri didn't bat an eye when he mentioned that his dad should wear them.
When they were assembled again, Tark had them sit in the small living room while he stood near John.
"While you were gone, we held a family meeting. We needed to have a frank, open discussion without you in the room. I know you're going through a lot of crap at the moment. I hope what we have decided will take some of the pressure off of your young shoulders. We have come to the unanimous decision that we want to adopt you into our family; that is, if you want us. You have three boys who are eager to welcome you as their new brother."
John couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been worrying about where he might go. Now, Tommy's father was saying he wanted John to be a member of their family. John was having a difficult time trying to maintain the "little soldier" facade. He stood up not knowing exactly what to say or do.
When Tark pulled the boy into a bear hug, all the years of holding back his emotions gave way. He sobbed out loud for the first time since his mother had become ill. Tommy jumped up to put an arm around his buddy. Then Teri embraced them both from behind. The other boys tried to get in on the family hug as well
Eventually, John's radiant smile broke through his tears.
"Oh, God, I didn't know what was going to happen to me. I thought I might end up in an orphanage like my parents did. People don't want kids my age. They just want the cute, cuddly little babies. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Your love and happiness will be payment enough," Teri assured him. "We've often thought we'd like to have four kids. Now we have our wish.
Well," she announced after the emotions settled down, "we have to go to the funeral home and make the arrangements. We need to get it out of the way so you can think of other things."
John was very sensible in the decisions he made at the funeral home. He chose to have an inexpensive coffin and a simple, grave-side service for his dad. Ralph had many friends in the community, but there was the stigma surrounding the manner of his death. John knew the truth, and he wasn't eager to face a host of well-meaning people who would try to gloss things over. The best thing to do was to grieve in private with Tommy and his family. It would be very similar to the funeral they had had for John's mother. Only, this time, he would cry - for both of his parents.
In the days following the funeral, John's emotional healing progressed as well as could be expected. Since he had finally given vent to his feelings, he seemed to be able to move on more easily. In fact, he felt better in some ways than he had in the past three years. Part of it had to do with being a member of a normal, loving family. Some came about from working with a grief counselor. But a lot had to do with becoming like Tommy's twin.
It wasn't an unbroken path to emotional wellbeing. Sometimes he felt guilty for feeling so good. At those moments he wondered if he were being disloyal to his father.
The boys had been close for years, but now they were inseparable. Neither minded sharing the double bed even though many boys their age would have. It might have made sense to put a couple of twin beds in the room, but it wasn't a very big room. Neither boy was eager for bunk beds; however Tark indicated that the social worker might pressure them into a sleeping arrangement different from the present one.
Changing rooms didn't make much sense either. Tuck had an even smaller room with a trundle bed in case of company. Tim had a bedroom large enough for his queen sized bed, but it didn't seem fair to uproot him from his private nest in the basement.
After living under the military-type rules that Ralph had imposed on the young boy, the easy-going atmosphere of the Torrance house made John feel like he had been emancipated. It felt great to hug other boys. It was good to be able to cry when you needed to. It was very comfortable sleeping with another kid and feeling the warmth of his touch when you were sad. Sharing a bed with Tommy had its benefits.
John was also losing his over-developed sense of modesty. He no longer turned his back to undress when Tommy or his brothers were around. He didn't feel embarrassed if Teri saw him in his underwear. He pissed in the same pot with Tommy often without giving it a second thought. When he was sporting a morning boner, it was no big deal.
Summer days were filled with more things than mowing lawns and trimming hedges. The boys got to go to the swimming pool pretty regularly. The Torrance boys had a family pass and Tark bought one for John. Teri made sure there was plenty of time for play to balance the work the boys did.
There was also a whole week at scout camp for the older boys. (Tucker would get to go next year.) It had all been arranged and paid for before Ralph's death, so there was no question that the boys would be going. Most of the lodging was in cabins at the main site, but there were two nights of primitive camping.
Tim shared a tent with his friend, Charles Martin (Chas). The two were best buddies although a lot of other kids couldn't figure out why. Tim was a rough and tumble type. He was out for football and wrestling in high school. He wasn't big and he wasn't a bully, but he was the kind of guy most bullies wouldn't want to take on because he looked like he could hold his own in any fair fight.
Chas was the opposite. He was intellectual to the point of appearing nerdy. His willowy build, love of chess, and his out-of-style glasses didn't do anything to make him seem cool. He was the kind of kid who almost invited being picked on.
The two of them, however, shared common interests. Despite his outward appearance, Tim was a gentle, smart kid who also had a love for chess. And, Chas was an avid follower of football. Go figure!
Tommy and John shared a tent as they usually had. Only this time, John wanted to zip their sleeping bags together. He had become used to sleeping next to Tommy and didn't want to give up that closeness. It was bad enough sleeping in bunks across from each other at the main camp.
Well, the bags were from different manufacturers and didn't fit with each other, but the boys put one under them and pulled the other over them if it got chilly enough at night. It was a comfortable arrangement. They only spread the bags out in that way in the evening after they were sure no one else was likely to be around to notice. They weren't certain how their peers would view the arrangement.
On the second night, neither boy was particularly sleepy when their leader insisted they all needed to go to bed. They talked about lots of things that are on the minds of guys their age – which girls were cute, who was stuck up, and which boys were probably jacking off every night.
The conversation got around to subject of pubic hair. Tommy bragged that he had some. John did too. Pretty soon, Tommy got his little flashlight out to show his off. It was still rather sparse, but he was proud of it because Tim had seen it and pronounced it cool. John was intrigued to be that near to someone else's dick. Having no brothers, he had never had this opportunity. It looked cute. It even smelled nice to him. He was almost reluctant to stop looking and show off his pubes.
Tommy admired John's light growth because it was about the same as his. They went on searching for hair in each other's armpits to no avail. Both were disappointed at the lack of under-arm hair. Tim had a pretty good crop and loved to wear tank tops so it could be seen. Tim was also developing an ample bush around his dick. The younger boys could hardly wait until they were as grown up as he was.
The week of scout camp passed altogether too rapidly. With crafts, camping, swimming, hiking, rope-walking, and working on merit badges, the time flew. It wasn't long before Saturday arrived and with it the family potluck meal and the ride home.
Tark had been busy while the boys were away. Besides working with Tuck to keep up the boys' lawn business, he had repainted the bedrooms and finished paneling the basement family room. Teri had made new curtains for that room and slip-covered the old sofa in a coordinating fabric. It looked like a new place.
In the room the boys shared, there was a new sleeping arrangement which consisted of a bunk-type bed that had a double bed on the bottom and a twin on the top. The boys decided they might still sleep together in the double bed part of the time, but let the social worker assume the top bunk belonged to John.
After the boys got home, some side jobs besides mowing picked up. Tark and another neighbor occasionally did roofing for people in the summer. Tim usually got to go along to help. He was becoming a responsible, capable worker. Tommy and John were included in the tear-off stages of some of the jobs if the roofs had gentle slopes and weren't too high off of the ground.
Given the income from odd jobs, family finances were looking as good as ever despite another mouth to feed. Tark was putting the modest money from the state welfare agency into a savings account in case things got tight later.
For a couple of months, Teri and Tark were John's foster parents while the social worker checked to see if any relatives existed anywhere. She came to the house unannounced to look over living conditions and was satisfied that John had his own bed to sleep in. She also ran background checks on Tark and Teri. The process didn't take long since both had been thoroughly vetted when they applied for teaching licenses.
By mid August, there was a hearing which made John theirs. The day the official papers were signed, the family celebrated the adoption by going out to the Olive Garden restaurant. Having a new son was an important occasion and everyone could order whatever they wanted - despite the fact that there would be no more welfare checks.
The celebration was particularly special because Teri's parents, Floyd and Jeri Sexton made a four hour drive to be with their new grandson. They had met him in the past when they had visited, but had not gotten to know him very well. They brought a card for him with a $50 gift certificate to Target. Since they didn't know his sizes or his taste in music, they felt it would be better for him to choose something for himself.
John received their gift with misty eyes. He had never known what it was like to have grandparents and wasn't used to this kind of generosity from adults of that age.
"You shouldn't do this for me and not your grandsons," John commented.
"You ARE our grandson now. We've given the others plenty of gifts over the years and they know we love them. But, this is your day and we want to welcome you into our family," Jeri insisted.
"Besides," Floyd said, "I'm going to pick up the tab for dinner, so no one will get left out."
When they stood up to leave the restaurant, John impulsively hugged both of his new grandparents. They were duly impressed with his manners and his affection.
Author's notes: Thanks for all the kind feedback on this new story. I heard from: Rutabaga, Peter W, Jim C, Lawrence N, Wayne, JT M, Bill T, Bob, Walt S, Harry T, Trish R, Ott H, Roger P, Paul R, Bill B, Jack H, Bill K, Jim W, Daniel Z, Mark H (David), Danny A, Bert, Canadian Dave, Chea, Oxford, Moon, Matthew S, Tim K, Tom A, Carroll, Paul F, Richard W, Jacob S (Second Chance), Ron M, Don M, Michael H, and Vann – responding to STWOM this past week.
I fear I've left someone out! I promise to be more careful about adding names to the list next time. David