Tommy and Tanner Chapter 36
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.
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.
Finally, David has a new site that is hosting a number of authors. It's at: www.saberpeak.com. My first story, "Always and Forever," is posted there.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 36
The drive back to Middleton was uneventful. The newlyweds were sleepy, but wearing contented smiles most of the time. It was too bad that they couldn't have cuddled in the back while the boys drove, but that wouldn't have been legal on learners' permits.
At one point, Lee complained that he needed a nap. Tanner smirked and decided to make a smart-ass comment.
"You're probably tired from all the R and R you guys got."
"Uh, I don't get your point. Honeymoons aren't supposed to be conducive to rest and relaxation – possibly recreation."
"No, I didn't mean rest and relaxation,' I meant rimming and reaming.' That's what I overheard Peter saying he was going to do to you."
"You heard that?" Peter exclaimed from the back seat where he and Tommy were on the verge of napping.
"Yeah, wasn't I supposed to?"
"Of course not! Your hearing must be very acute."
"I think everything about him is `uh, cute'; from his hearing to his toes and several important things between," Tommy offered, opening one eye.
Everyone had a good laugh and seemed to get their second wind. Shortly after that, Tanner pulled into a gas station to make a pit stop, and handed the driving over to Tommy who was by then wide awake.
Tommy and Tanner were eager to relate all the "G-rated" details of the wedding trip to their family after Lee and Peter dropped them off at home. They said they wanted a similar ceremony when they turned 18. They offered to share the wedding video when the grooms got it copied.
"Let's find a sunny place in the house for the tulips to sit until we can get them planted." Tommy suggested.
"We can put them out tomorrow." Tanner said. "I think they should be fine if we don't lose too much of the dirt they're in when we transfer them to the flower garden. I'll bet they'll be around for years."
The boys then went up to their room to nap, and slept until nearly dinnertime.
Wednesday, Tommy and Tanner had thought they'd be lazy and sleep in. That was a rare occurrence for them and kind of a guilty pleasure. However, the sounds of drills and an occasional electric saw jolted them out of bed at 8:30.
"What the hell?" Tanner exclaimed.
"I think it's the birth pangs of the new bathroom we've all been wanting. Sounds like labor pains to me," Tommy quipped. "Now that I'm awake I need to pee."
"If we have strangers in the house, I guess we'll have to throw on something before we drain the lizards," Tanner complained. "C'mon, let's get the day started."
Assuming that all the workers were likely to be male, the boys ambled down the hall clad only in their tented sleep shorts. One of the younger workmen happened to be kneeling on the hall floor doing something to the linen closet that was being remodeled as part of the project, so he was about eyelevel with their pronounced bulges. He tried in vain not to stare. When he knew he'd been caught looking, he blushed deeply and concentrated harder on his work.
A few minutes later, the boys emerged from the bathroom, having peed, showered, and brushed their teeth. They stopped to talk to their admirer on the way back to their room. This time they wore nothing but the bath towels wrapped around their waists. The guy nearly salivated as he assessed their bodies while explaining what he was doing.
In their conversation, they learned that his name was Hank. He was just 19 and working for his father as much as he could while going to community college part-time.
When Tommy and Tanner got back to their room to dress, they compared notes.
"Unless my gaydar is haywire, I'd say we have kin working here." Tanner grinned.
"You're right on target from what my sixth sense tells me. It was naughty of you to squat down like you did to tease Hank. If that towel had slipped any further, he'd have gotten a good show, and you'd have gotten a spanking for your behavior when we came back."
"Hmm, if I'd have known you'd reward me with a spanking, I might have dropped the towel!" Tanner snickered.
"C'mon, you incorrigible brat, let's go forage for breakfast. And don't let me catch you distracting that guy again unless I'm along."
"Aye, aye, Sir!"
"Don't sass me, boy, or you're gonna get it."
"Promises, promises," Tanner giggled.
Hank hadn't missed that the shower had run only once and that the guys were playing grab-ass as they descended the stairs. Those facts made his developing gaydar go off too. He hoped there'd be a chance to get better acquainted. Hank was deep in the closet, and not just the one he was working on in the hall.
By noon, the basic changes to the old closet were finished and one of the men was ready to begin building the new closets that would extend along the walls in each of the bedrooms that had shared the original closet. The new closet in Tim's room would be split into two sections so a sink could be installed in an alcove on the bathroom side of the wall. From his room the separation would be disguised by a paneled section that matched the doors. All this was being prefabricated back in the contractor's shop.
Next, Hank and his dad would start hanging waterproof drywall in the sink alcove and install the cement-board underlayment in preparation for the tiling.
As they had done the previous two days, Tark and Teri prepared lunch for the crew. It saved the workmen travel time as well as money. Tark felt it was the right thing to do since the bid had been lower than he expected.
Hank seemed really pleased to have Tommy and Tanner to talk with. He had enjoyed eating with Tim and Tucker the past couple of days, especially Tim. But today Tim was off at the mall with Melody and Tuck was at Bobby's. Hank felt these other boys might have a lot in common with him. He wasn't quite sure how they fit together as brothers since they seemed to be about the same size and age. Perhaps one was a cousin. Hank had a bemused look on his face as he thought of the term, "kissing cousins."
To extend his time talking to the two boys, Hank offered to give them a detailed tour of the construction site after they'd finished eating. He was rather proud of his part in the project. He would be the one laying the tiles for the floor, shower, and the lower part of the walls. He showed them the spacers that would go between the tiles to make everything align property. Tanner and Tommy were impressed by his knowledge and his sense of craftsmanship. They asked if they could watch him work as long as they stayed out of his way.
"We'd love to learn to tile in case we want to do some when we have a home of our own." Tanner said. "Come see our bed that we built over Christmas break with the help of our grandfathers."
Hank looked carefully at the furniture and was impressed by how the parts were joined and finished. He also noticed that only the top bed was unmade, making him think that his suspicions about the boys were indeed correct.
"You did a great job!" he praised their work. "I love the trundle. Who sleeps on that?"
"Our friends do when we have sleepovers," Tommy informed him with a grin. "If you're trying to figure us out, we're boyfriends and brothers by adoption. We aren't blood relatives, but we hope to get married in a couple of years."
"Uh, I wasn't trying to pry," Hank blushed.
"Don't worry about it," Tanner smiled. "We don't pretend to be straight at home and you obviously picked up on that. We're not out at school yet, but probably will be soon. We'd kinda like to make Eagle Scout before they boot us for being gay. I hope we didn't offend you."
"Uh, no, not at all. I'm really curious about what it's like to be gay and out."
"Well, like Tanner said, we're not out to many people – only the ones we trust and possibly to guys we sense are gay too." Tommy said looking Hank in the eyes.
Hank's face went pale as he realized the boys had guessed his secret – a secret that he'd only recently admitted to himself.
"Please don't say anything in front of my dad. I'm not sure how he'd take it. How did you know? Am I obvious?"
"I think you're only obvious to someone else who's like you. Tanner and I have a sixth sense and are getting better at recognizing others like us, though we've been fooled a few times. You probably have some of it since you knew we were gay."
"I wasn't sure," Hank responded. "I assumed because you slept together and showered together..."
"Ah, we should have run the shower twice. Do you think your dad picked up on it, and will he want to keep you away from us if he did?"
"Nah, he and Bob were in the closet tearing the hole in the wall for the sink alcove and making too much noise to hear anything else. You know how thick these walls are."
"Good. If you want to talk when your dad and Bob aren't around, we're available."
"Cool! I might stay past quitting time to start the tiling tonight and you can help me if you want."
"We don't want to mess up your paycheck by cutting your hours," Tanner said.
"We get paid by the job, not by the hour, so whatever you do to help would be time and money in my pocket. Perhaps I can hire you sometime as apprentices if you're good."
"Don't they often work for free to learn the trade?" Tommy asked.
"That's true in some of the trades. So is that what you'd like to do?"
"We'd do that on our own house," Tommy offered.
"Are you available if I work late tonight?"
"How late?" Tommy asked.
"We're supposed to knock off at 4:30, but if I stay until 5:30 or 6:00, I can get a good start on the fitting and really go to town on it tomorrow. You could take turns running tiles down to the garage and cutting them on the masonry saw while I measure and mark. The legwork alone will save me a bunch of time."
"Should we start now?" Tommy asked. "We don't have anything planned for this afternoon other than lying around."
"You're welcome to be gofers when we lay the underlayment and hang the little bit of drywall, but it's such a tiny room that you'll have to be careful to stay out of Dad's way. He might not be happy to have to work around you. He doesn't like to have anyone slow a job down in this economy."
"I think we'll go practice our kempo in the basement and help you later," Tommy said. "We don't want to impede progress. When you take a break, please feel free to come down. We love to show off our skills."
"Okay, see you later."
Tommy texted Andy and Devin to see if they were free to practice, and both of them were. An hour later, they were all working out in the basement when Hank came down on his break to watch.
"You guys look great!" he exclaimed. "I'll bet no one messes with you."
Tanner made the introductions, and Hank seemed to fit in well with the other two. Given their different activities and pursuits, it was unlikely that they'd see much of Hank in the future, but it was cool to make another friend. No one has too many of those.
After about 10 minutes, Hank excused himself to go back to work. He'd have loved to have stayed longer, but didn't want his father to think he was slacking off.
"I can't believe Dad is actually allowing you guys to use the tile saw. I must have been 17 before he let me touch it. He probably thinks you're older than you are." Hank grinned. "I wasn't going to tell him about letting you."
"Well, he made our dad sign a liability waiver after giving us the safety lecture," Tommy said. "After Dad told him that we used all the shop equipment in making our bed, he decided we were responsible enough."
"It's cool to get a head start on the tile tonight because if I get the shower stall done that will allow you to use it before Monday. You know the grout has to cure before it gets sealed."
"That is cool," the boys agreed.
Teri had arranged to serve dinner at 6:15 to give a bit more time for work. She also invited Hank to eat with them so he wouldn't have to go hungry waiting till he got home. She knew her own teens' appetites and assumed that his would be the same.
Hank began by setting the main tiles on the shower walls. Since they had custom built the stall, most of the tiles went up without being cut. Tommy and Tanner worked as his assistants by handing him what he needed and mixing more mortar according to his directions.
When the partial pieces were needed, Hank measured and marked them with a grease pencil and Tommy took them to the garage to cut. When he returned with those, Tanner took the next batch and did the same.
The boys were very careful in cutting so that they were right on the mark. Hank gave them lots of praise for their efforts.
Tim and Tuck came home about the same time and went up to check on the progress. They were surprised to see their middle brothers involved. In all honesty, they were a little envious.
By 6:00, the shower stall was all tiled and part of the floor in front of it was also laid. After the tools were cleaned up, the guys got washed up for dinner. Hank was the sweatiest, having not showered since morning, so they suggested he take a quick shower and borrow clothes to wear for dinner. Tim loaned him sweat pants and a T that fit pretty well, telling him to keep them until he came back again. Hank was thankful that he didn't have to change back for the drive home.
It was nearly 8:00 when Hank left, and he would have been content to stay longer, but he didn't want to wear out his welcome.
When Hank's father came back in the morning, he was very pleased to see how much had been accomplished the night before. He helped Bob put drywall on the insides of the new closets and then went back to the shop to apply another coat of varnish on the panels that would serve as doors and walls.
While Bob mudded the seams, Tommy and Tanner assisted Hank with the tiling. Things were moving along quite nicely so that the bathroom should be functional by Easter Sunday.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Tuck was busy blowing out egg shells to color for Easter. When Teri asked him what he was doing, he explained that he was making them for his little sister.
"Mom, it's her first Easter and she need to know about family traditions. Since Grandma Jeri isn't here, I'll have to do it. I found a bunch of old wire clothes hangers in the garage and I'm going to make a mobile with the eggs and hang it above her crib so she can watch them."
"That's a great idea, Tuck. So do you need any help?"
"Tim said he'd help. We found the wax pen from last year and we're going to make them fancy. Tanner and Tommy might do some if they get done upstairs. I think they must have a crush on Hank because they're with him all the time since they got back from Iowa."
"Tucker Floyd Torrance, what have we said about making remarks like that about other people?" Tim said as he came into the kitchen.
"Sorry," Tucker mumbled. "I thought I was doing better."
"You have been," Tim smiled. "I get the feeling that you're jealous because your brothers are spending more time working on the bathroom with Hank than hanging with you. You didn't tell us about your plans to color eggs until they'd already gotten involved with the project and you were gone all of yesterday when they practiced kempo. How are they supposed to read your mind? Or are you envious that they get to work like grown-up professionals? Maybe you have a crush on Hank. He IS cute."
"I'm not gay! We've already established that. I didn't even notice if he's cute or not."
"I'm not gay either, but I can appreciate a good-looking person when I see one, and don't lie. I'm sure you had to notice. Don't be defensive about your orientation. You can be all man like Dad and still be cool with people who are different."
"Do you think Hank is gay," Tuck asked. "He's cute enough to be."
"I'm not going to speculate. I'm glad to see you're admitting that he's not hard on the eyes though." Tim teased.
"Shut up and watch this bath of red dye so it doesn't boil over," Tuck grinned.
Teri had slipped out of the kitchen when Tim had taken issue with what Tuck had said. She had lingered within hearing distance, but didn't interfere. She was proud of how Tim seemed to be civilizing her youngest son and felt that she couldn't do a better job.
Tommy was cleaning up tools when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He quickly dried his hands to answer it when he saw who was calling. Tanner heard only his side of the conversation, but picked up on the gist of it.
"Hello, Tommy here. Oh hi Mr. Schultz. Cool. We'll get on it soon. Sure, I'll tell Tanner, he's right here. Yeah, you too. Thanks."
"Our project for Eagle has been approved. Now all we have to do is set up a time with Pastor Anna so we can do the painting when the rooms aren't going to be in use. How about that?"
"That's good news," Tanner agreed. "We can make it before we come out next year."
"You guys are going public?" Hank asked. "I wish I had your balls. I made Eagle last year, so I don't have to worry about that, but I'm really concerned that my dad doesn't find out until I'm on my own. I mean, it's not just help with tuition, but it's my job as well. Do you think I'm a big wuss?"
"Not at all," Tommy said, as Tanner shook his head. "You have to do what you have to do. Our parents are really supportive, so we can't judge anyone who's in a different situation."
Hank looked over the day's progress with a big smile on his face. Everything was perfect. All the grout had been applied and the tile surfaces wiped clean. He could come back on Saturday to seal the grout, attach the shower faucet, and seat the toilet. With any luck, his dad and Bob would finish up the paneled walls tomorrow. They would wrap it up ahead of schedule. He would likely get a bonus, as well as having made new acquaintances that he might keep as friends. Hank was a happy camper.
After setting up a small dehumidifier in the shower to hasten the drying, Hank left for the day.
Teri took several pix of the mobile that Tuck and Tim had made in order to send them to the grandparents. She knew that her mother would be thrilled to know that Tuck had planned the project. She was very careful not to tease him about his attitude the year before. He might still think he was too grown up to care about coloring eggs, but since he had a little sister to do it for, that made it okay. Macho boys were an interesting lot.
On Easter morning, Tommy and Tanner headed for their new bathroom to christen the shower. They wanted to get in before Tim beat them to it. Tim was up as early as his brothers, but chose to use the main bathroom across the hall. Tucker would be using that one for the most part, but didn't mind sharing with his oldest brother.
The new bathroom was long and narrow with the toilet on the end under the small window. Since the sink was in an alcove, there was enough room to pass behind the person using it to get to the toilet. On the other end, past the entry doors, was the shower which backed up to the hall closet. A panel in the back of that closet could be removed to access the water pipes that went to the shower. Everything was compact and well thought out, thanks to two grandfathers and a capable contractor.
The boys turned on the water to get it warmed up while they peed. Once in the shower, it was fun-time. They soaped each other's body and rubbed together. Hugging tightly, they ran slippery fingers into the crack of each other's butt. Pretty soon those fingers slipped into hot, expectant chutes. When that stimulation got going, it wasn't long before they really christened the shower with their homemade champagne. Both felt exhilarated and ready for the day to begin.
The service at First Presbyterian was filled with the music and pageantry which had become the custom for Easter. The place was packed despite having a second service that day.
Lee and Peter had gotten there early to reserve the usual pew where they all sat. Peter grumbled about having to stake out a place to sit because of all the Easter attendees who rarely darkened the door between then and Christmas. Lee reminded him that he should be thankful those people came at least twice a year. Some of them would drop in "guilt" offerings which would help with expenses even if they didn't come that often.
(Peter whispered in Lee's ear something about its being sad that anyone didn't cum more than that.)
The Torrance family arrived early too. It was a good thing because one large family was about to take issue with Peter and Lee for hogging too much space.
After church, Peter and Lee went to the Torrance's house for a beautiful brunch. Todd and Jennifer had just put on the finishing touches while trying to harness Brendon's excessive energy by enlisting his help. They had gone to the early service and had had just enough time to get things organized before the family and guests came home.
It was Tark who had suggested hiring Jennifer to cater their meal. He felt that Teri had been too busy with feeding the workers and dealing with various interruptions as well as tending to little Tori. He also figured that it wouldn't hurt to support Jennifer's fledgling business.
Brendon practically tackled the boys when they came through the door. Tim scooped him up into a hug and handed him off to Tommy who passed him on to Tanner. Tuck was the last to receive a hug from the little boy, but he appreciated it none-the-less.
Teri had insisted on having the Bakers join them as guests rather than eat separately like hired help. Of course they had some duties like making sure the chafing dishes were kept appropriately filled, but all in all, they did get to eat and visit.
After brunch, everyone carried their own plates, plus other items, into the kitchen to make quick work of cleanup. Then the guests got the grand tour of the new bathroom and closets. Tommy and Tanner beamed as Tark told about their part in the tiling. Peter said that he might want to hire them someday to help him in projects.
Todd told them he would be interested in having any of them work for him at the supermarket as baggers and stockers. He would have several positions open.
The boys all thanked him and said they'd consider it. Tommy and Tanner would have to figure out what to do with their mowing business if they did. Tim had been asked to be a counselor at scout camp for the summer but still hadn't committed, leaving his options open for the moment.
The boys changed their clothes to take Brendon outside to run off some of his energy while his parents had a little time to visit without him. A couple of hours later, everyone went home.
Tommy invited Andy and Devin to come over to see the completed bathroom and to work on kempo with him and the rest of the Torrance boys. Since they got Easter Monday off that year, the visit turned into a sleepover.
Author's notes: As you can see, I've changed my warning at the beginning to the chapter to add the site of David's new place to host authors. My first story, "Always and Forever," as well as some short stories are on there. Tom and David helped me with polishing up the form so it's much nicer than how it appears on Nifty.
Thanks to all who emailed this week: Rutabaga (I omitted him by mistake last time!), Anthony B, Bill T, Ott H, Jim C, Bill K, Ted B, Bert H, Walt S, Danny A, Richard W, Stef, Trish R, Tom A, Paul R, Bob Z, Robert H (#123, Shane N (#124), Chris S, and Jim W.