Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:32:37 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 58

Tommy and Tanner
Chapter 58

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," "Seth's
Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, and "A
Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011) under "Beginnings."

I am 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 58

Michael and Lance were awakened on Sunday morning by the sound of the
garage door.  Michael stretched and yawned and Lance turned over to lay his
head on Michael's chest.

"Man I could sure get used to waking up like this with you cuddled up next
to me," Michael grinned.

"Me too.  What woke us up?"

"That was my family heading to Christ Church.  We're Episcopalian, in case
you didn't know.  My dad was brought up AME, but he didn't like their
attitude toward gays – at least how it was at the time.  I guess someone
tried to do an exorcism on my Uncle Malcolm and he died as a result.  It
was before I was born and I don't know the details.  You can tell that the
Episcopal Church is much more accepting, because they elevated Fr.  Gene
Robinson, an openly gay man, to the position bishop, but some congregations
have pulled out over of it."

"We're not much of anything," Lance admitted.  "My parents were brought up
Roman Catholic and went to parochial schools, but they hated it and left
the church the minute they became adults.  I've gone to Mass a few times,
but couldn't take the Eucharist because I was never baptized.  I believe
there's a God, but that's about it."

"I'll work on you then," Michael teased.  "I can't date a heathen!"

Lance took playful offence at the inference and got on top of Michael,
pinning him to the mattress.

"Oops, I'd better not rough-house while you're healing," he gulped.

"I'm not supposed to get too physical for awhile, but I don't think I'm too
fragile for some fun.  You can see I'm up for it." Michael responded
pushing his crotch up against Lance's.

"Yeah, you are!"  Lance agreed.  "But I'd better got off of you so you
don't have a relapse or something."

"No, I'm not an invalid and I'm enjoying it," Michael moaned as he wrapped
his arms around Lance's back.

The two of them remained that way for a couple of minutes before Lance
kissed Michael.

Since they'd both brushed before retiring, neither had offensive breath and
soon they were kissing open-mouthed and tongue-wrestling.

"I suppose we can't do this all day," Lance said as the came up for air.

"We have a couple of hours." Michael told him.  "Would you like to take a
shower?"

"I guess it would be a good idea, but I don't want to get up."

"Okay, you win.  We'll shower later." Michael announced as he ran his hands
under the waistband of Lance's briefs and caressed his firm buns.

They went back to kissing and petting until both boys thought they'd burst.
Michael spread his legs so that Lance was between them and their crotches
were pressed tightly together.  After a few minutes, he got braver, pulling
Lance's underwear down and guiding his dripping erection through the fly of
his own sleep shorts.  Once their cocks were trapped between them, he
cupped Lances' butt cheeks and pulled them forward, creating a slight
rocking motion.  Lance soon began to thrust in the same rhythm.  It took
him only a few minutes to reach a mind-blowing climax.  The feeling of his
hot cum pulsing all over their stiffies caused Michael to blow his load
too.  They lay there gently moving their softening dicks between them for a
couple more minutes as they came back down to earth.

"I think I just found out what heaven's like," Lance giggled in the
afterglow.

"Me too!  I'm speechless!"

"Well, you don't have to SAY anything, as you told me yesterday."

"I guess we really do need a shower now.  We'd better get cleaned up now
and air the room out so we have time to eat before my folks get home."
Michael advised.

Fortunately they didn't get much jizz on the sheets, but Michael's shorts
were sodden with cum.  He stripped them off carefully and Lance cleaned him
up enough with his underwear so he didn't drip all over the carpet on the
way to the bathroom.

When they got into the shower together, they couldn't keep their hands off
of each other.  They used the excuse of soaping off the jizz to explore
each other's body again.  Of course they both got formidable hardons in the
process and ended up mutually masturbating.

"There shouldn't be any fluid on my brain now because you've drained me
completely," Michael teased.  "I'll loan you some sweats and we can go
right down to eat.  I'm starved!"

----------

By the time Michael's family returned from church, the boys had cleaned up
the kitchen after themselves, had made the bed, and aired out the room.
They were propped up on Michael's bed holding hands and watching a movie
when Damon came into the bedroom.  He grinned at the sight.

"Don't tell me you were good little boys and didn't do more than holding
hands."

"We are good boys," Michael protested, with a big smile on his face.

"Was he really good?" Damon asked Lance.

"He's the best!"  Lance grinned in return.

"Have you boys no shame?" Damon teased.

"What's to be ashamed of?" Michael asked.  "We're two guys who care about
each other and we don't give a rat's ass what the rest of the world
thinks!"

"I love you, Bros," Damon said as he dapped fists with both.  "You guys
have the right attitude.  I was just yanking your chains.

Anyway, Mom sent me to tell you that lunch is in 10 minutes, uh, better
make that five now."

----------

Tommy, Tanner, and Tucker were messing around in the garage on Sunday
afternoon cleaning their bikes before storing them for the winter.  It was
a pleasant autumn day and they were in a great mood.  As always, they
bantered back and forth good-naturedly.

Tanner volunteered to get them a snack.  Tommy said he'd help, leaving Tuck
who still had a couple of things to do.

As the boys were crossing the yard, a red sports car came to a screeching
halt and Jordan jumped out brandishing a gun.

"Prepare to meet your maker, Tanner," he snarled.  "You're a dead man."

"No!" Tommy shouted as he stepped in front of Tanner.

"Have it your way, Tommy.  You can die together from the same bullet.
Wouldn't that be fuckin' romantic?  It would save resources too."

"Go left," Tanner whispered.

As Jordan was about to fire the weapon, Tommy dived one direction and
Tanner the other.  Jordan tried to keep the gun trained on Tanner, but had
difficulty because Tanner was on a zigzag course.  Hearing the ruckus,
Tucker ran from the service door to intervene, but Jordan pulled the
trigger a split second before he got there.  There was a deafening sound as
the ancient pistol exploded in his hand just before Tuck's right foot
shattered several ribs that were still in the process of healing.  Jordan
slumped to the ground.  He was definitely out of commission.

Tark was out of the house in a flash to make sure his boys were safe.
After he was positive that Jordan wasn't going to be a threat to anyone, he
hugged his sons and they hugged him and each other.  No one tried to hide
their tears and the boys were visibly shaking.

"I'm afraid you may be going into shock," Tark told them.  "You remember
from scouts what you're supposed to do, don't you?  Please get in the house
and lie down with your feet slightly elevated and ask Mom to cover you with
a blanket.  I'll be in as soon as I see if I can do anything for Jordan."

The boys lay down closely together on the family room floor with Tuck in
the middle while Teri went upstairs to find a blanket.

"God, Tuck, you were awesome!  But you might have been killed!" Tanner said
as he put an arm around him.

"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing!" he exclaimed.  "You're my
bros!"

"I love you, my not-so-little brother," Tommy said in a trembling voice.

"Thanks, I love you guys too."

When Teri returned with a large comforter, she asked them if she should
give them some brandy or something to calm their nerves.

"As good as that sounds, Mom, it would go against our first aid training,"
Tommy answered.

"Good thing you're alert enough to know what to do," Teri said.  "I don't
want to do anything that would make it worse.

What exactly happened out there?"

The boys filled her in and appeared to be completely lucid as they
did. Teri figured that was a sign that they were going to be okay.

Tark came back into the house shaking his head.

"Is he badly hurt?" Teri asked.

"Worse than that, I think.  I couldn't find a pulse, but I'm no doctor
after all.  There may be hope."

"I'd better call 911," Teri said, reaching for the phone.

"I already did that while I was outside," Tark responded.  "Help is on the
way."

When Sgt. York and Sgt. Billings arrived, they checked Jordan for signs of
life and didn't find any either.  They quickly photographed the scene from
several angles to provide evidence.

Almost immediately, an ambulance came.  The paramedics looked grim and they
shook their heads like Tark had.  There was no apparent reason to hurry,
but they did, just in case.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Jordan had died as the result of
firing an unsafe weapon.  They were sure that his death would be ruled as
accidental.  After taking brief statements from everyone, the officers were
ready to wrap it up.

"I've called for a tow truck to pick up the boy's car.  We'll need to
impound it until the investigation is finished.  You can go back in and see
to your family, but we need to stay out here to watch the car until the
truck arrives."

Before going inside, Tark checked to make sure there were no blood stains
on the concrete.  There was a little on the lawn, so he reeled out the hose
and washed it down.  No need to have any unpleasant reminders.

----------

Tim and Melody were relaxing at the recreation center when his phone rang.
He had decided not to answer it until he saw that the call was from their
land line at home.

His brothers were all on different cordless phones so that they could share
the news together.  Tuck started by telling him that they were all okay and
not to worry as they told him what had transpired a few minutes earlier.

Tim was shocked to hear that Jordan had attempted to kill them, but was not
totally surprised that the incident resulted in his death.  Jordan had been
on a destructive path for several years.

They talked for quite awhile.  Tanner and Tommy both praised Tucker's
fearless actions and Tim also complimented him on his bravery.  Tuck, of
course, was very proud to have earned his oldest brother's accolades.

Their conversation wound down to the mundane things of life and school, and
eventually they ended their call.  Talking it out with Tim had been a kind
of catharsis.  They all felt better.

After that, they got on their cell phones to tell their friends what had
happened.  The last person they called was Michael to ask him if he'd heard
from Lance.  They wanted to offer their sympathy, but didn't want to call
him if he hadn't been informed yet.

Michael told them that Lance's parents had been to the Bryant's house to
break the news about Jordan's death and that Lance was staying with him for
the time being.  Then he handed the phone to Lance.

Tanner tried to express his condolences, but Lance cut him off.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, especially after how he tried to
kill you!  I'm sorry my brother's dead, but in a sense he died inside a
long time ago.  Part of me is actually relieved.  Mom and Dad figured he'd
come gunning for me after I crossed him when he and those guys attacked you
guys.  So, please save your expressions of mourning for someone who
deserves them."

----------

"I hated his guts, but I didn't really want to see him get killed in front
of me," Tanner said as he lay in bed with his head on Tommy's chest.

"I know, Babe, but his death may have been for the best in the long run.
He had lots of chances to change, but he just couldn't seem to.  Lance said
it's a miracle he didn't hang around to hurt their parents when he took the
money and the gun."

"I wonder how he went wrong.  His parents seem like nice, reasonable
people."

"Lance is cool too, especially since Jordan hasn't been around to influence
him as much.  Dad seems to think he's always been a decent kid, and you
know he's a good judge of people." Tommy reminded him.

"I'm really lucky that gun blew up," Tanner sighed.  "I could be dead!"

"Maybe, but you were already taking evasive action.  I don't think either
of us would have been killed, and Tuck would have stopped him before he got
off a second shot.  Anyway, I'm thankful to God that I didn't lose you,"
Tommy said softly.  "I love you more than anything or anyone."

"I love you the same."

----------

A few minutes later, Tuck rapped on their door and came in.  He needed to
talk.  They invited him to crawl into their big bed between them and he
didn't turn down the offer.

When Tark went to check on him later, and couldn't find him, he also
knocked on their door.

"Come in," Tommy called.

Tark entered and was relieved to find his youngest son, and very pleased
that his brothers were taking care of him.  He bade them all good night and
went to bed too.

All three of the boys awakened at different times during the night from bad
dreams.  Each time, someone came to the rescue with tender words of love
and soft caresses.  Still, they were more tired than usual on Monday
morning.

----------

Lance didn't sleep well either.  His emotions about his brother's death ran
the gamut.  As he had said to Tanner, Jordan didn't deserve having the boys
feel sorry for him.  Yet, Lance didn't feel as cold-hearted as he'd sounded
on the phone.  He remembered former times - better times.

Jordan had always been "different."  His dad had confided in Lance two
years ago that he thought Jordan's birth mother might have been drinking
and doing drugs while she was pregnant.  Her records had been sealed,
initially, and then they mysteriously disappeared completely.  Richard Cook
had speculated that she might have been the daughter of someone prominent
who had enough money to be able to eradicate all the evidence.  In Cook
County, anything was possible.

Even as a child, Jordan didn't seem to have the same sort of conscience
that his peers and his brother did.  If he wasn't a total sociopath, he
seemed to lean that direction.  Then after he'd gotten involved with drugs,
he'd become worse.

But Lance also remembered times when they'd had fun together.  Jordan had
been his protector when he was little and taught him a number of cool
things, including masturbating.  And, Jordan hadn't taken advantage of him
sexually when he could easily have done so.  In some ways, he'd been a
decent brother, at least in the early years.

Eventually, Lance fell asleep with Michael snuggled against his back.

----------

Neither Lance nor Michael was in school on Monday.  Michael was probably
well enough that he could have gone, but his parents didn't discourage him
from staying home because he was a good student and his progress wouldn't
suffer from missing a day here or there.  They also sensed that Lance would
need him.

The Torrance boys went as usual.  The whole family thought it would be best
to maintain their normal routine rather than to dwell on the tragedy that
had played itself out in their back yard.  There would be fewer rumors
floating around if the boys were there to squelch them at their inception.

At Michael's house, Lance and he began their day with a warm shower soon
after Michael's family had all left.  They shared it as they had before,
but this time there was no playing around.  At the end, when they dried
off, they embraced while still naked.  Both plumped up a little from the
intimate contact, but they didn't pursue their sexual desires.  Michael,
especially, felt it wasn't appropriate to do anything until Lance showed
his readiness.

Clad only in Ts and sweats, they went down to the kitchen to make
breakfast.  They had barely finished eating when Lance's cell phone rang.
It was his father calling to see if he would go to lunch with Janelle and
him around 12:30.  They wanted Lance's input concerning the arrangements
for his brother's funeral.  They left it up to him as to whether he'd like
to have Michael there too.  He told them that he and Michael would meet
them at the Olive Garden for the soup and salad special at the appointed
time.

----------

"Michael, it's kind of you to be looking after Lance right now.  I hope
this discussion isn't going to be a trying situation for you." Janelle said
after they were seated.

"No, Ma'am it will be okay.  He was there for me at the hospital and I want
to stand by him now if it's okay with you."

"We are pleased that you want to, aren't we Richard?"

"Yes, very much so.  This is a really difficult time because we all have
mixed emotions about Jordan.  I wish things could have been different," he
said, biting his lip.

Michael simply nodded and placed his hand over Richard's, giving it a
squeeze.  His gesture made Lance smile wanly.  Michael was as
tender-hearted as he'd assumed.

By the time they were halfway through their first bowl of soup, everyone
felt better as they talked about things unrelated to Jordan.  Richard
commented on how great Michael looked despite his recent injury.  Janelle
praised the team's record, and there was small talk about school in
general.  Then came the more difficult subject which could no longer be
avoided - what to do about a service.

"Your mother and I have been discussing maybe having a private remembrance
instead of a public funeral.  Given all the trouble Jordan's been in of
late, it would feel kind of like a spectacle.  Well-meaning people wouldn't
know what to say and neither would we.  We don't have a church anyway."

"I think something private would be best." Lance agreed.  "Are you thinking
of cremation?"

"We were unless you're opposed to it."

"No, that's fine with me.  Will it be soon?"

"We've called the funeral home, but can't proceed until the autopsy is
completed.  They believe the cause of death was a piece of metal from the
gun which pierced his heart and killed him instantly, but the authorities
also want a toxicology report.  That shouldn't take too long."

"Good, I want to have this over and get on with life," Lance said.  "I hope
I don't sound uncaring, because I'm really not.  It's just that I can't
have it hanging over me a long time."

"We feel the same way," Janelle agreed.  "It's all very hard and I know
we'll grieve for a while.  But, we've already been grieving over him..."

"It's true," Richard agreed.  "The past several years have been trying
ones.  Yet, I never wanted to lose Jordan and I certainly don't want to
lose you either, Lance.  That's why I'm going to say something that may be
out of line, but I've been talking to Coach Torrance about this because I
knew he'd understand since he has two sons who are out and proud..."

"Dad can't we talk about something else?"

"No, please let me finish.  I think the two of you are more than teammates
and I want you to know that I'm okay with that, really I am."

"Mom?" Lance asked, looking at his mother.

"Yes, I am too.  We know this is an awkward time to be discussing the
subject, but we're both aware of how gay teens can get depressed and
consider committing suicide.  Stress, like the death of a sibling, can
increase those feelings and we just don't want anything to happen to you!"
she ended with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh God, Mom and Dad, you don't know how much I appreciate you!  Michael's
family figured us out, maybe before we did, and they're in our corner.
This is awesome!  Thanks."

Their lunch meeting ended with several hugs out in the parking lot before
they went their separate ways.

----------

Although the private service for Jordan wasn't held until Saturday, Lance
went back to school on Tuesday.  He, like the Torrance boys, thought it was
better to get back into the routine than to sit more or less idle at home.
Not that he wouldn't have enjoyed romping in the bed with Michael, but it
didn't seem right to do so until after the funeral.

His first day back might have been awkward had it not been for his
boyfriend and others who surrounded him.  The first guys he ran into in the
morning were Tommy and Tanner.  They hugged him without reservation.

"Thanks guys.  I still feel awful about what he was intending to do to you.
I still don't know what to say."

"I can say it in one sentence," Tanner told him.  "You are not your brother
and you are not responsible for your brother's actions!"

"God, I'm glad he didn't get to carry through!" Lance exclaimed.  "You guys
are awesome!"

Andy, Devin, and several other guys dapped fists or squeezed Lance's
shoulder as well.  Before he'd reached homeroom, he knew he was loved.
Even Ava, whom he didn't know really well, gave him a hug when he arrived
there.

----------

The memorial service for Jordan was fairly short, but gave comfort to the
Cook family.  It was attended by Michael and his family as well.  Michael
had asked Father Winkler, his parish priest, if he'd be willing to
officiate.  The priest hadn't hesitated in taking on the difficult
assignment.  In so doing, he opened up a line of communication that caused
Lance's parents to ask about attending a service at Christ Church.  Lance
felt that Jordan's legacy could become something more positive than he'd
ever imagined.

----------

On Saturday night, the Cougars participated in the playoffs which turned
out to be their final game of the year.  Michael went to cheer on his team,
and especially a certain receiver.  Despite the day's events, Lance had his
head in the game, catching a very long pass and running it into the end
zone.  The offensive game was excellent, but unfortunately the team lost
because their defense simply wasn't able to hold the line as well as it had
when Michael had been a part of the team.  His drive and encouragement had
been the glue holding them together.

In reporting the scores on the sports casts, it almost sounded as if
Coolidge had taken the title.  Almost to a man, the reporters praised the
efforts of the scrappy Cougars in coming so close despite all their
problems.  Several of them mentioned that Michael had been a key defensive
player before being sidelined by an injury.  They remarked about how well
he'd performed despite his size.

Tark was also full of praise for his men when they assembled in the locker
room.  He reminded them that they had done their best and that no one could
take that away from them.  They left with their heads held high,
remembering more how far they had come that season than the fact that they
hadn't won that night.

----------

Lance took Michael home with him.  This would be the long-awaited sleepover
that he'd planned before Michael's injury.  Janelle had a snack ready for
them because she knew her son's appetite when he played an important game.
He always ate early and lightly before a game and was starved when he got
home afterwards.

The boys sat around the kitchen table with Richard and Janelle until Lance
started to yawn and they headed off to bed.

"Okay, I might be too tired to do what I want to do with you, but we'll see
after we cuddle bare-ass." Lance announced.

Immediately, the bulge in Michael's jeans expanded in anticipation.

"I'll try not to get my hopes up," Michael joked.

"Too late for that," Lance snickered as he caressed his crotch.

They undressed each other, and after about ten minutes of making out, Lance
turned his body around with his feet toward the headboard and proceeded to
prove that he wasn't as tired as he'd originally feared.

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

Author's notes: Every once in a while I seem to miss posting the name of
someone who emailed during the current week.  Sorry!  Hope I haven't this
time.  My list includes: Paul F, Rutabaga, Bill T, Paul R, Roger L, Tim K,
Danny A, Ott H, Bill K, Ken G, Jim W, Walt S, Trish R, Steffan F, Jim C,
Tom A, JTR, and Jack B.

I'm requesting thoughts and prayers for all those trying to heal from the
ravages of recent tornadoes.

>From time to time, I've mentioned services like The Trevor Project.  This
can be a lifeline for young people who are having problems dealing with
their orientation.  I've listed their phone number as well as website
below.

The Trevor Project provides life-saving and life-affirming resources
through their nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital
community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive
and positive environment for everyone. Visit The Trevor Project website or
call their lifeline at 866-488-7386.

I think you might like the plea from grandparents in favor of same-sex
marriage.  Paul R sent the link.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/03/02/WATCH_Religious_Grandparents_Speak_Out_For_Same_Sex_Marriage/

Peace and love,

David