Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 17:00:35 +0000 From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com> Subject: The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 38 The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 38 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). "Banana Splits" was added under "adult friendships" (September 17,1013). 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 subject line 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. Your donations to Nifty are appreciated to keep this a free site for us and for you. David (dlee169@hotmail.com) -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 38 There were several swim practices between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Coach Carstenson hadn't pushed the guys during the week leading up to Christmas because they had swum well in earlier competitions and he thought they deserved a break. Now with final meets coming up soon, he felt justified in expecting more from them and they came through. The boys actually seemed to welcome the more rigorous schedule. Down to the man, everyone on the team loved their coach so much that they would have walked across hot coals if he'd have asked them to. As a result, they continued to train hard. ---------- The New Year's Eve sleepover for the usual gang was at Davy's house this year. As long as they didn't raise too much hell (as if they would), they were allowed to have the basement apartment all to themselves for playing video games, cards, or board games as the spirit moved them, without any adults looking in on them. Davy and Jon, under Brock's supervision, had prepared a lot of healthy treats for the evening. By mutual agreement among the guys, there would be no soda this year, whether made with sugar or artificial sweetener. Cade and Vin had read them the reports about how bad the stuff was for one's wellbeing and so the boys had decided not to wait until New Year's Day to improve their habits. The party started around 8:00 when Bradon, Micah, and Mark arrived with their sleeping bags. Initially, Joe and Mark squared off against one another in a new video game Joe had received for Christmas. The other boys played Monopoly until Davy and Jon exchanged places with the younger pair. Eventually, Micah and Bradon had a turn at the video game too. They put all of their activities on pause around 10:00 to do some serious snacking while watching the New Year arrive in other parts of the world. There were recaps from various European countries, Paris being one of the most extravagant. Bradon's phone rang in the midst of a commercial, and he answered quickly. Then he motioned Mark to join him to listen to the call from his father. Phil was elated! The babies were a bit small, but evidently in perfect health. Their size had more to do with the fact they were twins, than anything else. Like Micah's little brother, they would be kept in the infant ICU for observation, but were not expected to have any health issues. "It's a good thing I drove tonight so I can take Mark, Micah, and me over to the hospital. I know we might not be able to go in like Micah did, but we can look through the windows at least." Bradon said. "If Davy drives too, he can take Joe and Jon "But that would put us out after curfew on the way home. I'd better go up and ask Dad and Papa if someone will drive all of us. I'm sure they will." Davy offered. He returned a couple of minutes later with Brock in tow, both of them smiling. "I'd really rather take you guys than to have you out on the streets tonight. I don't doubt that you'd drive safely, but there may be a few early drunks on the road. Also, the cops may be eager to pull over young drivers to check them for alcohol violations. I know you guys haven't been drinking, but they might make assumptions because of your age. Besides, like Davy said, you could be in big trouble if you got caught driving after 11:00 and I assume you'll all want to go." "You assume correctly, oh wise one," Joe giggled. "And I definitely have to be among the first to see my new brother-in-law and sister-in-law." It didn't take anyone long to throw their jeans on over their boxers or lounge pants and find their shoes and coats. Moments later, they were in the Highlander heading for the hospital. ---------- "Aren't my two little tax deductions the cutest things you've ever seen?" Phil said to Brock. "By the way, thanks for bringing my sons and the whole gang over. After I called, I realized I should have asked you to do it. I don't really like them out this late alone." "I'm pleased to bring them. I didn't like having them out there with the possible drunks either, and Brent felt he might have had too much New Year's cheer to be legal. And yes, your newest family members are cute." "Okay, Mr. Witte, which of this motley crew are the older brothers?" a good-natured nurse asked. Soon Bradon and Mark were taken off to be "decontaminated" and escorted into the isolation ward to see their brother and sister. They were allowed to pick the babies up to show them to the guys on the other side of the glass – Bradon holding Alexander and Mark holding Alexandra. A nurse wheeled Mickey down so that she could be with her husband and children for a few minutes for a family photo. This would definitely be a picture for next year's Christmas cards. ---------- The boys didn't overstay their welcome, so they were back at Davy's house before the stroke of midnight. When the magic moment arrived, everyone in the apartment kissed everyone else, beginning with their boyfriends of course. Then they went upstairs to wish the adults a Happy New Year. After the extra food was put away and the paper plates and other utensils taken care of, the boys joined their partners in their sleeping bags, or in the case of Bradon and Micah, in bed. They were beginning to sleep together more at one house or the other as the school year wore on, but still didn't have quite the same opportunities as Davy and Jon. Joe and Mark set up their zipped-together sleeping bags in the kitchen area while Jon and Davy occupied the part of the living room which was farthest away. Thus, whatever happed in the sleeping bags, stayed in the sleeping bags – quite literally for Joe and Mark who left a bit of dried DNA inside of theirs and had to launder them the next day. ---------- After breakfast, Bradon and Micah went to Micah's house, but Mark stayed. That way, neither of the Witte boys would be home alone on New Year's Day. Bradon was very pleased to be invited to spend the night with his boyfriend despite having school the following day. ---------- January 2nd found a lot of students and school personnel back to the old grind; refreshed and ready to get down to work again. It was a short week, so anyone who needed more rest would have the opportunity to get it. Having been told by their counselors that the junior year of high school was a make or break one for getting into a good college, serious students like Davy, Jon, Bradon, and Micah were feeling quite a bit of pressure. All four of them were in AP classes which were as rigorous as many college courses. Keeping up the homework and projects for those took so many hours that there wasn't really enough time for a good night's sleep when there were sports and other activities pulling at them as well. The guys would all be relieved when the swimming season was over, much as they loved the sport. They were thankful that none of their parents expected them to hold down jobs in addition to everything else. As competitive as Cade was about swimming, he understood that his sport wasn't the only thing happening in the lives of his teenage team. He had recently read a study about sleep deprivation in adolescents, and in response, began scheduling morning practice a half hour later than it had been previously. The boys responded well to the change and seemed to perform even better than they had been, probably from having the extra sleep. Even before district meets, it became apparent that Cade's boys were becoming the team to beat. Some of the other coaches were determined to drive their kids harder, and added time to their practices in order to win. Ironically, their strategy had the opposite effect. While not everyone Cade was coaching would be competing at the state level, a larger percentage than usual made the cut. His juniors had the largest numbers, and were more impressive than the seniors, possibly because he had been with them practically from the beginning of their high school experience. It looked as if the relay team of Jon, Davy, Bradon, and Nate would have a good chance of coming out top in the state. An anonymous donor gave the school money to reward the swimmers for their accomplishments by providing them all with new Speedo's. There was a stipulation that no one was to be left out whether or not they were participating at the state level. Cade was asked to let the guys vote on their choice of suit by secret ballot. Since the school colors were red and black, those were the only pictures they got to see. Styles, however, ranged from the very skimpy to models that were more modest with squared off legs. It was interesting that no one voted for the latter ones. Everyone wanted to have something that presented as little drag as possible, and truth be told, that also enhanced their endowments. Seeing that the majority of the guys were straight, it wasn't on the "gay agenda" to have the team decked out in bright red racing briefs with black vertical stripes on the 1½ inch side seams, but that was the nearly unanimous choice. When the boys donned them the first time for team photos, it took awhile for some of them to go soft enough not to have it look like a porn shoot. "God, you're hung like a horse!" Nate grinned at Davy as they were in the locker room changing after the photo session. "Come on, I'm not the only one who boned up. You were throwing wood too." "Yeah, but just not as impressive," Nate responded. "I think everyone felt, um, proud, in these new suits. I hope we all get used to them before next week so we aren't slowed down by the extra drag from our bulges." "I'm sure we will. The desire to win always curbs any sexy thoughts I have. If you can't, you might want to bring along a roll of duct tape!" "Um, s-speaking of d-drag in the water," Nate stammered, "could we get together at your house t-to shave?" "Sure," Davy answered. "Jon and I were going to invite Bradon over, but we didn't know if you'd feel comfortable..." "You mean because I'm the token straight boy on this relay team?" "Well, um..." "You can't discriminate against me because God didn't let me be gay, can you?" Nate snickered. "No, of course not!" Davy insisted. "We just didn't want to embarrass you." "Don't you remember rooming together and sleeping naked?" "Sure, but..." "No buts about it; well maybe some butts," Nate teased as he patted Davy's rear. "Hey, no hitting on him; he's mine!" Jon joked. Pretty soon they were all giggling. ---------- The pre-competition defoliating ritual was held at Davy's house after school on Thursday because it was deemed the most private and quietest location. Nate had younger siblings that he didn't want to have to explain to about why a bunch of guys were going to be shaving each other's body hair, and Bradon had two younger ones whom he didn't want to risk awakening. Since Brock and Brent would be at work, the boys felt free to use the main bathroom upstairs with the shower over the tub. If the dads happened to come home early, none of the boys would have been embarrassed anyway. They started by placing an old sheet on the floor to make cleanup easier and then stripped. Davy and Jon wanted to shave all their body hair, but had little to remove in the groin area since their habit was to shave their pubes daily with their foil type shavers. However, they did have some work to do because they'd slept late that past few days and were beginning to feel like they had a cactus growing in their underwear. As one might expect, the scene was rather sensuous but not pornographic. Micah came along for the experience even though he wouldn't be competing. Perhaps he was a little apprehensive about having Bradon be shaved by Nate, or maybe he simply wanted to join in the camaraderie. Either way, he got into it and boned up early. So did Nate for that matter. Before long, everyone was throwing wood. The guys had intended to shave their boyfriends' privates in pairs, but because there was an uneven number, Nate would have been left out. Bradon suggested that Micah, Nate, and he work as a team of three. Everyone seemed pleased with the arrangement. Nate worked on Bradon's treasure trail while Micah shaved his balls. They each worked on one of his legs. This continued with Nate being double-teamed next and then Micah. When they were finished, all three were as smooth as a baby's ass. Joe, Mark, Davy, and Jon had all finished a bit ahead of the trio and had rinsed off. They stood around enjoying the scene. "I've gotta hit the road, guys," Nate said as he quickly dressed. "Little Nate's gonna need some attention before the younger kids come home from school, and I'm guessing you guys will want to have private time too." "You can use our bathroom downstairs if you want." Davy offered. "According to my watch, the elementary schools have already dismissed." "Um, okay, I think I'll accept your kind offer. I can see myself out when I'm done." "Cool!" Davy grinned. ---------- No matter how good a team is, swimmers never seem to get the following that football players do. That didn't stop Dr. Pilchard from ordering a charter coach for the team as well as a couple of pep busses for their friends who wanted to support them. It didn't hurt that another (or possibly the same) anonymous donor gave money specifically to help defray transportation expenses. Since the competition was being held in Iowa City this year, the guys wouldn't be staying overnight and the travel time wasn't as long as it would be for teams from other parts of the state, but they really appreciated the comfort of riding in something other than a school bus. Having a bathroom onboard wasn't a bad plan either. When a bunch of teens are keyed up, they often get the urge to pee more often. The true worth of traveling in style would be even more apparent on the ride home; whether they won or lost, they would be tired. ---------- As the guys looked around the large university facility, they were amazed that it seemed to be filled nearly to capacity with spectators. In addition, many of the fans were wearing red and black. It looked like there was at least one family member there for every swimmer on the entire team. Davy nudged Jon when he found their own special cheering section. "Whoa, there's Grandma Amanda and Grandpa David! I knew our dads were all coming to see us, but I had no idea about the rest. And there's Harrison! We'd better do well!" "I can't believe they all came!" Jon agreed. "All we can do is our best, but their presence does give me an extra boost. I wish Grandma and G-Matt could be here too." Cade's swimmers won a higher percentage of events than any other team. Mark beat out everyone in the free-style. The relay squad of Davy, Jon, Bradon, and Nate even broke a state record, setting a new benchmark. They defeated their closest competitors by seconds rather than hundredths of seconds. There was no question of who had taken top honors. Pandemonium broke out after all the awards had been given. Knowing what their guys would want to do, Cade and Vin had worn swim trunks under their slacks and team sweaters. They quickly shed their outer clothes and shoes, looking very sexy in their more modest square leg shorts which coordinated with his boys' skimpier ones. Cade allowed his relay team to take him by the arms and legs and swing him back and forth in preparation to hurl him into the pool on the count of three. Vin was given his "baptism" by several of the other team members. "You'd better watch your back because I'm gonna drown all four of you!" Cade teased when he came back to the surface. "You are dead meat!" "That goes double for me!" Vin joked. All the guys were laughing hysterically, but some of the coaches from other teams looked askance. To them, it seemed disrespectful and set a dangerous precedent. The very idea! How could anyone maintain discipline if there wasn't a hard line of separation between the kids and their coaches? Cade and Vin just smiled. They hugged all of their kids as they headed to get showered and dressed. ---------- The pep bus carrying the swimmers who hadn't participated in the meet followed the charter coach to a large banquet facility attached to a motel complex on the interstate. As a surprise for the team, parents and some staff members had booked the place for the guys to eat dinner. Parents and grandparents who had come to cheer them on had been invited to join them at their own expense. All of them had chosen to accept. After they were seated, Cade greeted the crowd, "I assume that all of you parents managed to keep the secret. Guys, we are doing this in lieu of a swimming banquet in the spring. The booster club and your families have pooled their resources and the few parents who work on Saturdays have taken off from their jobs in order to honor you. You have all done an excellent job this year and I couldn't be prouder. After we finish eating, we will present you with a number of awards and honors like we always do." Then he asked Vin to pull table numbers out of a bag to determine which ones got to go through the buffet line first. He did mention that only the numbers matching tables of the guys who had just burned through a lot of calories were put into the first bag and the rest would be drawn from another one after they were in line. "Let's hope there will be a few scraps left after this horde of locusts descends on the food!" Grandpa David said just loud enough to be heard by most. "Never fear, Mr. Hart, I have another steer in a pen nearby to be butchered if necessary!" Cade called back. Everyone laughed at the repartee between the men. The caterers had not skimped, so there was plenty for everyone with food to spare. Davy and Joe didn't get much time to visit with their grandparents, but were assured they would later, as David and Amanda would be staying a few days. The boys were told there would be a family meeting on Sunday and that they should include their boyfriends since Brock had already cleared it with Phil and Todd. ---------- With full tummies and comfy seats, many of the team on the charter bus took the opportunity to catch a few Zs on the way home. Davy cuddled against Jon on one side and Bradon leaned against Jon on the other. Poor Micah rode in the pep bus with the part of the team who hadn't made it to state. He wasn't disgruntled, however, because he felt privileged to have been able to participate on such a great team. ----------- "Yes, we did appreciate being able to see our grandson and his buddies do so well in swimming, but we have another reason for being here," Grandma Amanda said as they sat around after lunch on Sunday. "Tyler is taking the breakup of his family harder than he would like to admit. He wants to leave boarding school and come to the States ahead of when Sean plans to come permanently. The problem is that we feel we may be too old to handle a young teenager at this point in life." "It's not only that Tyler fits the description of being `hormones in tennis shoes,'" David quipped, "but we think he might be totally bored around old people in Florida. I doubt he's into shuffle board." Davy and Joe looked at their dads expectantly, as did Jon and Mark, but neither Brock nor Brent made any comment. "Would Uncle Sean pay all his expenses over here?" Davy finally asked. "That's what he's planning to do. Given the cost of that school he's attending, it would save Sean money in the long run." Grandpa answered. "So, if he wouldn't be a financial burden, could we keep him?" Davy asked. "There might be a lot of things to consider," Brock said. "He's going to need a lot of emotional support as well as direction in how to fit into an American public high school." "Joe and I could help with peer counseling," Mark offered. "We like him already and it would please us to do that for him if he needs us." "The thing is that we don't really know him very well. It may take the whole family to deal with his problems." Brock commented. "You didn't know me at all when you took me in," Joe reminded them. "But Davy vouched for you, that you were a great kid," Brent said. "And you were bleeding." "Yeah, but Davy and I can both vouch for Tyler and he's Sean and Davy's own flesh and blood," Joe exclaimed. "If Grandma and Grandpa don't think he'd be happy in Florida, I think we're obligated to give him a loving home! And you know there can be deep wounds that don't bleed, outwardly at least." Brock got up from his chair to hug his second son, "Joe, you guys are saying exactly the right things. We feel the same as you do, but we wanted to hear it from you instead of it being us forcing Tyler into your lives. He's probably as good as you say he is, but just his presence may put a strain on your relationships, even if he isn't interested in any of you, um, sexually. Sorry Mom." Brock blushed. "No problem, Brock, I know teenagers have sex lives," Amanda grinned. "I was born a lot longer ago than you were." Brock blushed to a deeper shade of red. "We've already discussed all the ramifications of having him live here," Davy said, changing the subject. "But how did you guess?" Brock asked. "What's to guess? In the age of the Internet, we've been corresponding with Tyler about this since he was here. He really wants to be with us and I think it will be fine. There may be a few snags, but he's already come a long ways from being that snot-nosed little know-it-all he was last year." "I could sense that you boys were a positive influence on him." Grandpa spoke up. "Grandma and I couldn't believe the change in him when we saw him this year. I know he'll thrive here." "Well, I guess that all went a lot smoother than I'd anticipated," Brock exclaimed. "I appreciate all the love and understanding our sons and their boyfriends have shown. You all make me very proud. I do think you boys should discuss what kind of house rules you want in place when Tyler comes. We plan to explain that he will need to pull his own weight with chores and other duties around the house. It would probably be good if you guys would let him know immediately about privacy concerns you may have, especially when you're, um, entertaining your boyfriends." "We were planning to do that very thing. We don't want to hurt his feelings, but there will be some things that we won't want to include him in and I think we should encourage him to develop friends outside of the family. I have some boys in mind who are very close to his age who might really like to get to know him." Davy said. "I'm pleased, but not surprised, that you're thinking ahead," Brock smiled. "This might be a very good move for Tyler." "Getting him out of that snobbish atmosphere of the private boarding school will be a good start," Amanda speculated. "I wish we could do the same for Gabby, but I fear that her mother won't allow it." "I fear you are correct," Grandpa nodded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: Thanks to those who emailed since last posting: Luke C, Walter Sz, Roger L, Tony W, Mendy D, Bill T, Bill K, Wayne, RC, Jim W, Trish R, Paul F, Scott W, and Paul R. One of your fellow readers has posted a kind of stream of consciousness autobiography on Nifty that I think some of you may relate to. If you do, please let him know. This is the link: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/no-sex/stubborn-and-alone.html Another link, one that a reader sent to me is about the mother of Lance Bass and her reaction when Lance came out to the family: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lance-bass/the-first-thing-my-mom-di_b_4556471.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices Below is an excerpt: If you believe that being gay is a choice, then the rest of what I say will not matter. I do not know why, but even as a staunch Christian, I personally never believed that being gay was a choice. I never knew a lot of gay people, but the ones I did meet I felt compassion for because I could feel their pain of being rejected and my heart always went out to them. Even though I never did believe Lance chose to be gay, I did not accept it as quickly as my husband did. His attitude was "It is what it is." My attitude was "Yes, it is what it is but my God can perform miracles so I'm going to beg for a miracle to zap Lance and change him to straight!" And I did just that. I continued to love my son, stand beside him, and defend him, but for several years I continued to pray relentlessly for a miracle. Well, Lance is still gay. However, I did get a miracle. It is just not the miracle I prayed for. You are looking at the miracle tonight. The miracle is that I learned to have unconditional love and compassion for my son and others in the gay community.