Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:50:18 -0800 (PST)
From: taarob <taarob@yahoo.com>
Subject: Protecting David-Alex's Story 16

This is a work of fiction.  I love getting email so if you
would like to contact me you can at taarob@yahoo.com or if
you'd like to see some other things that I've written you
can go to my web site at http://www.mygaystories.com .

From the previous chapter:
Larry walked back into the kitchen and stepping in front of
Bob wrapped his arms around Bob's waist and gave him a bone-
crunching hug while resting his chin on Bob's shoulder.  Bob
smiled and then laughed.  He said to Larry.  "You keep doing
this and people are gonna talk."

Larry turned his head on Bob's shoulder and looked at me.
"Our very own straight guy and he'll even let us see his
dick."

Bob and I both laughed and he pushed Larry away and said to
me, "This perv use to lure me into playing handball with him
just so that he could check me out in the shower after the
game."

Becky walked up and shoved her finger into her brother's
stomach making him grunt and said, "Big deal, everybody in
Denver has seen Bob's dick."

Then the doorbell gave three short blasts.


                  Protecting David-Alex's Story 16

I'm always surprised at how much I miss my dads.  Their
physical presence, literally the warmth of their arms around
me ended an ache that I had gotten so used to that I was no
longer consciously aware of it.

I mean it's not like I'm not busy enough what with school
and Larry and getting used to the whole idea of setting up
our own house.  Actually when I let myself think about it,
it can be a little terrifying.  But there's also this whole
parental approval thing happening in my head, like what if
they think that I'm a total fuckup and that I learned
nothing from my time with them.  I guess that...not
often...but every once in a while this image pops into my
head of them looking at each other and slowly shaking their
heads like they can't believe that they could have raised a
kid that could fuckup so badly.

That's never happened, just the opposite actually but I
really want them to be proud of me to respect me and, of
course to love me, so when I went to answer that doorbell
the little knot that was in my stomach was not totally
unfamiliar to me.

David, Mark and Jack Donovan are three really dynamic men.
When they're together like they were when I answered the
door it's kinda like seeing some sort of smoldering volcanic
mass erupting in my direction.

All three of them were laughing and talking and all of three
them were carrying boxes of what appeared to be beer wine
and food.  I'm always a bit staggered by the difference, at
least in my mind, between me and grown up men.  I mean I do
consider myself pretty grownup, at least when I'm alone or
with Larry but then when I'm with my dads or with Larry's
dad I like drop into little boy mode in the back of my mind.
Maybe that never goes away; maybe when you're fifty and talk
to your dad you still drop into little boy mode.

David's eyes were the first things that I latched on to.
They draw you into his face and sometimes they're so intense
that it's difficult to get beyond them but this time I
looked at his hair, which, for a change, was actually combed
instead of flying all over.  His hair is very black and his
skin fairly light and it makes for a dramatic contrast.  Out
of all three men the one, at least for me, that was capable
of being the most intimidating was David, which considering
that he was the shortest and even a lot shorter than me, is
weird.  And the funny thing is that David almost never comes
on strong, he's really a low key guy but I always have this
awareness of a powerful intellect humming like an electric
motor behind those eyes.

Just as this onslaught was peaking I felt Larry's hand on my
back and I relaxed.  David shoved a case of something into
my hands, ruffled my hair and said,

"There's some very good gin in there and later I'll teach
you how to make a decent Martini."

Meanwhile Larry's dad had transferred his case of wine to
his other arm and was pulling Larry into him for a hug.  The
look on Larry's face was priceless, a combination of bliss
and confusion.  Probably exactly like mine as Mark set his
case of beer onto the floor while he pulled me into a hug.
Damn he's strong!

Mark spoke quietly into my ear.  "You okay, Kiddo?  This
isn't gonna be too much is it?"

"We're good, Dad.  Bob and Becky have been helping and it's
all under control.  I mean I'm buying most of it already
cooked so it's not like it's a big deal."

Larry looked like he thought that he was gonna get away
until Mark's other arm grabbed him and pulled him into a
three-way hug.

Larry managed to gasp out, "Hi Mr. Chauvet."

Mark looked at him strangely and smiled.  "Would you feel
really awkward calling me Mark?  Mr. Chauvet feels way too
formal."

Larry grinned and said, "I think I can do that."

Ten minutes later Mark ,Jack and Larry were on the floor of
the living room playing with the twins while David sat in a
chair with his feet up on an ottoman.  Bob and Becky were
standing in the doorway from the kitchen watching the
romping on the living room floor.

David looked like he was half here and half somewhere else.
There was a smile on his face but also that disconnected
look that I had come to know meant that he was working on
some other problem too.  I walked over and kneeled down next
to his chair and rested my arms on the arm of the chair.

"What's up, Dad?  You look like you're only half here."

He gave me a half smile and then reached out and ran his
knuckles down my chin.

He sighed.  "Mark and I called Emma Block to wish her a
happy Thanksgiving.  She sounded bad."

"I know, she didn't sound good when I talked to her either
but then you guys talk to her a lot more than I do."

David gave me a warm kinda tired smile.  "She's crazy about
you.  Last time I was going to Washington she had me bring
pictures of you when you were little."

I laughed.  "I was a really cute little kid."

David sighed heavily. "She told me that she's leaving us her
house in Washington."

It hit me like a punch in the stomach.  "Why is she talking
like that?"  I could feel tears beginning.  "That so fucking
sucks!  I'm calling her back and getting her to drop that
shit!"

David hand gripped my arm.  "Don't!  What do you think I've
been doing?  Monty was her life, her old friends are mostly
gone.....I understand where she's coming from."

"She can't die!"  I realized as soon as I said it that I was
acting like a ten year old.

David's voice was forceful.  "Alex, she doesn't want you to
know!  And I wouldn't have told you if I thought you'd call
her about it so don't.  It would just embarrass her and
wouldn't change anything.  I just wanted you to be prepared
and now I wish I had kept my mouth shut."

I wiped my eyes and pulled myself together.

I felt like she was already dead.  I felt a deep sense of
loss.  She was almost like a grandmother to me, the only one
that I had or at least that everyone was talking to.
David's mother was dead and Mark didn't want to socialize
with his parents and didn't want me to either.  He wouldn't
even let me be alone with his dad and always stood there
with his hand on my shoulder whenever his dad was around.

I looked at David and said, "I won't say anything."  I
rubbed my forehead with my hand.  "I guess that nothing I
could say would bring Monty back."

David smiled at me reassuringly and then asked very quietly,
"Whadya think of Bob?"

This is not the kind of question that David ever asks
without a reason.  I lean forward over the arm of the chair
so that I know this is a private conversation.

I say quietly, "He's a good guy.  I mean just knowing him
for a day I feel like I've known him forever and Becky's
just as nice."

David said quietly, "He's an attorney."

"Yeah he said."

Then in a shift of gears David reached out and held my hand.
"So how are you gonna do on your grades?"

I laughed.  "I told Larry this morning you were gonna ask
that.  Should be all A's"

"And how are you doing on the money I gave you to invest?"

I smiled cause I was really fucking proud of this.  "Eleven
percent!  I talked to Jamie and Emi and they both said the
market was going nowhere so I picked up some solid stuff and
wrote covered calls.  Wasn't a whole lot of fun but it sure
worked out."

David nodded and smiled.  "Very good.  What would you have
done if the market had dropped like a rock?"

"Well the money from the calls and dividends would have
cushioned things and I took Jamie's advice and didn't buy
anything that I wouldn't be happy living with for a while."

David smiled and said, "Very good.  Now take it to the next
level."

"Whadya mean?"

"That's one of the things you gotta figure out."

I groaned.  "A test? Dad my whole life is a test!"

David squeezed my hand.  "What?  You're young and strong.
Besides it never stops."

I saw David eyes brighten and then felt warm hands digging
into my shoulders.  Mark said, "What are you guys whispering
about?"

I leaned back against him while he massaged my shoulders.
"My grades, which will be good by the way, and just other
stuff...Emma and...stuff."

I really didn't want to go through the whole thing about
Emma again because I knew that this was kinda throwing me
more than I would have thought it would.  And besides this
was supposed to be a happy day and this pity party not
withstanding we had guests who didn't even know Emma and
couldn't be expected to feel the same way that we did.

I decided to mingle for a while before we started setting
the table and wandered over to Bob scooping up a twin as I
went.  Larry grabbed the other one and followed me over to
Bob.

I held the little boy carefully and asked Bob, "So how do
you tell em apart?"

He laughed and said, "Actually I'm not sure.  I think it's
just a case of....well almost instinct.  I just know that
you're holding Ian and Larry's holding Sean.  But it
wouldn't surprise me if I was wrong.  Becky is better at it
than I am, she never makes a mistake.  I'm thinking of
numbering em with a magic marker."

Becky came over carrying a cracker with a cheese spread on
it and said to her husband, "Open."

Bob opened his mouth and his wife popped the cracker in and
smiled.  "Just like and old coal burning furnace, just gotta
keep tossing stuff in."

I smiled and Becky and Bob.  "So does Jack spoil the twins?"

Becky said, "He's not too bad.  They're a little young to
understand spoiling."

I kissed the top of Ian's head.  "Well I'm gonna spoil em.
How old do they have to be to ride bikes?"

Bob smiled and said, "You'll be outta school by then, well
almost."

I laughed.  "Well, we'll think of something.  I wish they
were old enough to drive, we could buy em cars."

Larry smiled at Becky and said, "Don't worry, I won't let
him go nuts."

I looked at Larry.  Damn he was handsome!  And the
gentleness with which he was handling Sean reminded me of
the way that he was in bed. I pushed it out of my mind.  The
last thing that I needed was help in getting hardons.

Becky was doing a beautiful job of setting up the dining
room table using table clothes, napkins and silverware that
I hadn't even realized that we had.  We had bought two high
chairs for the kids because we were hoping that this wasn't
going to be their only visit and we scrounged around and
came up with seven adult chairs for the table.  Fortunately
the table was round and we didn't have to make any decisions
about who would sit at the head of it because there was no
head.

I was helping Becky lay out the napkins and silverware and
noticed David and Bob sitting on the sofa in the living room
and talking, the twins were with them and climbing all over
both of them.  I was glad to see David and Bob talking.  I
wanted them to be friends for reasons that I really didn't
understand it just seemed important to me.

I looked into the kitchen and saw Mark, Jack and Larry all
leaning against the counter and talking happily.  Three
alpha males but if that was true what was David?  Frankly,
ignoring all relationship issues and if any potential
struggle between them was to last for more than a day my
money would be on David.  Not that that would ever happen
but what was the point of a take-charge guy if he wasn't
always right and if Larry was an Alpha male what the fuck
did that make me?

"Becky, that looks really great!  Do you guys have formal
dinners a lot?  I mean is Bob like always bringing clients
home?"

She laughed.  "He specializes in international law and he's
just starting so mostly we never see his clients."  She
smiled.  "And that's a good thing.  He works hard and when
he's home I want him home and thinking about me and the kids
not some client some place."  She sighed.  "I suppose that
at some point in the future it will be unavoidable but for
now it's quiet."

"Mmmm.  David and Mark never entertained at home either.  It
was always private and peaceful.  A lot of times they would
entertain in other cities, especially Washington."

"Did you get to travel with them or did they stick you at
home by yourself?"

"It depended on school.  But I got to go with them quite a
bit.  And there were lots of places were either David or
Mark would make a point of making sure that I saw them.  You
know, the major cities or things that they thought were
important."

"So tell me, Alex, how is it living with my brother, is he
driving you crazy yet?"

I ducked my head I guess because I was a little embarrassed
by the question.  "No, actually he's been pretty good to
live with."  I laughed.  "Even apart from the whole
relationship thing Larry is really good to study with, he
really has focus when it comes to stuff like that.  And even
just the day to day living things like keeping the place
clean, he's been really great."

"She smiled.  "Well, it's good to know that he's clean."

I laughed.  "Well, it's more than that.  He's....well
anyway."

She smiled and said, "Yeah...he is."

Suddenly Bob appeared next to me and draped his arm over my
shoulder.  "She trying to get all the juicy details of your
sex life."

I ducked my head and laughed.  "No!  I mean we were just
talking about traveling and stuff."



The dining room was separated from the living room and was
painted in two shades of taupe and frankly I really didn't
see why they went to as much trouble as they did in
decorating the place.  Now, however, with the table set with
fine china and silverware and the candles lit on the
sideboard and subtle lighting coming from recessed fixtures
in the ceiling everything seemed to gleam that was supposed
to gleam and yet people were cast in a very kind warm light.

The dinner delivered by the restaurant consisted of a 28
pound turkey with bread and sausage stuffing, mashed regular
and sweet potatoes, gravy and both pumpkin and pecan pies
and of course we supplied the other vegetables.

Becky and I got everything on platters and into bowls. David
was recruited to do the turkey carving with Mark kibitzing.
We got Jack to open a couple of bottles of wine while Bob
and Larry got the twins into their chairs.

The twins were hyper, confused and messy but they seemed to
be enjoying themselves.  They had the undivided attention of
seven adults and made the most of it.

Bob and Becky worked like a well rehearsed drill team,
encouraging bites and catching dropped food while keeping up
a steady flow of praise.  The twins starred up at the
ceiling and pointed at the lights while gripping small
chunks of turkey in tiny hands.

The table more or less divided itself into three groups the
grownup men, which were Jack, Mark and David, the non-
grownup men Larry and I and the busy, Bob and Becky and the
kids.

The first group talked about war, manufacturing, the dollar
versus the euro and lines of credit.  The second group,
Larry and I talked about how good the meal was and how happy
we were that everyone was here.  Mostly my mind wandered to
Larry's dick during that conversation.  The third group
didn't have time to talk or for that matter probably even
think, they were two busy feeding the twins.

                                              --------------
-----------------------

Finally the guys headed back to the hotel, Bob and Becky got
the twins settled in bed and Larry and I snuck off to our
bedroom and locked the door.

It had been a wonderful Thanksgiving with good food and the
best company that anyone could hope for and now, thank God,
it was over.  When the door closed behind us Larry's hands
started to massage my shoulders as I let my head fall
forward.

I muttered.  "This foreplay?"

Larry kissed the back of my neck.  "Maybe.  I thought I'd
see how you reacted to the massage."  I groaned because of
the great work his hands were doing on my shoulders.

He laughed.  "Groaning is a good sign."  I was exhausted,
more from the stress of trying to make sure that everything
worked out okay than from physical exertion.

Larry stopped massaging and pulled me back against his chest
wrapping his arms around me his chin resting on my shoulder.

He said, "You worked your butt off today."

I laughed.  "I saved a little butt for you."

"In case I got hungry later?"

I laughed again.  "Something like that."  Larry making love
to me was becoming a familiar thing still exciting but also
something that had a comforting quality to it.  I guess the
comforting part was the foreplay the kissing and touching.
His arms had become a safe place for me they were home.