Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 11:22:11 +0100
From: Drew Hunt <drew.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: The Ties That Bind 2

Disclaimer - The following story contains scenes of incest and
homosexuality.  If you do not like reading about such things, then a quick
press of the back button on your Internet browser may be a good move.

If you shouldn't be reading this story due to your being too young, or it
being illegal to access such things in your community, then you should
leave too.

The following story is fiction; it takes place in a fictional town in
Lancashire in the north of England.  Any resemblance to real persons or
places is purely coincidental.

This story is copyright.  It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the
terms of their submission agreement and it may not be posted to any other
website without the prior written consent of the author.

Author's note - This story is somewhat of a departure from my other story
here on Nifty Fireside Romance in the Relationships section.

As previously stated this story is incestuous in nature, with a few more
surprises along the way.  Whilst the story does contain some descriptions
of sexual activity, the overwhelming emphasis in this story is about love
and commitment.  I hope you enjoy it.

Once again a big thank you must go to my friend John for offering his
editorial assistance.

Please drop me a line at drew.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk and let me know what
you think.

Chapter 2

"Hi Scott, did you have a good study session?"

Scott had reluctantly followed Chris's urgings and joined a study group to
help him through the complex world of A-level Maths.  Maths wasn't one of
Chris's strong subjects, so he couldn't help his brother with the seemingly
incomprehensible calculations.  However, Chris remembered that many of the
lecturers at the sixth-form college held study groups after classes.
Scott, never one to put himself forward didn't want to join, as he thought
he'd have to speak during the sessions, and public speaking was something,
which he was still afraid to do.  Though even he had to admit he didn't
stutter as much as he used to.

"Yeah Chris we got through a lot of the Maths problems I was having
difficulty with."

"That's good."  Chris swallowed before he began to drop the bombshell.
"Erm Scott, would you come into the living room for a minute, I've
something I need to tell you."

"Ok-k-kay Chris."

Scott had picked up on his brother's nervousness and this in turn made him
anxious.  Was something wrong with their mother?  Had Scott inadvertently
done something wrong?  He couldn't remember doing so, but he always tried
never to disappoint his idol.  Scott trailed nervously behind his big
brother.

"Come on have a seat next to me."  Chris said patting the sofa cushion.
This alarmed Scott even more.  When Chris put an arm around him, Scott
began to panic.  "Listen Scott little brov, I've been mulling something
over in my mind for a long time now.  I've always resisted telling you
because... Oh hell, listen I'm just going to come out with it and see what
happens."  Chris focused his eyes directly into those of his brother.
Scott began to tremble.  "My baby brother I'm in love."

"Noooooo!"  Scott yelled out.  He jumped out of Chris's loose embrace and
ran into the corner of the room.

Scott thought that Chris was going to leave him and move in with a girl.
He didn't think he could cope with that.  He'd never spent a whole night
sleeping alone as far as he could remember.  He loved, no worshiped his
Chris, he just knew that he couldn't go on if his Chris left him.  He
remembered that Chris had dated a few girls, although Scott always hated it
when Chris went out with them, he drew comfort from the fact that he never
seemed to go with the same girl for more than a couple of weeks.

"No, listen to me Scott."  Chris said as he came over to his now violently
shaking younger brother.  He turned Scott around to face him. "Shit I knew
I'd mess this up.  Listen Scott it's you.  I'm in love with you."

How Chris wished he'd had a camera at that moment.  It was fascinating to
watch the various expressions flitting across Scott's face.  He saw
surprise, shock, disbelief then Chris wasn't sure, did he see desperation
there too?

"S-S-S-S-S-Say it ag-g-g-g-gain."

Chris's face softened.  Chris thought that actions would speak louder than
words.  So he cupped his brother's beautiful face in his hands and gave him
a slow, tongue filled passionate kiss on the lips.  Chris had given the odd
chaste peck to his dates before, the kiss never did much for him though; it
certainly never moved him to anything like the same extent as kissing
Scott.  Chris felt electric tingles shoot straight from his lips, do a few
circuits around his heart, then head straight for his crotch.  Chris had
never gotten hard when he'd kissed a girl.

Scott on the other hand went into immediate emotional and sensory overload.
He found it totally impossible to chart the feelings he was experiencing.
His mind just couldn't cope and it shut down.

Chris was alarmed to see his brother almost fall to the floor, Scott would
have done so if Chris hadn't put his hands under Scott's armpits and caught
him.  Chris experienced pride at having such a devastating effect on
someone, though this was mixed with concern as he'd never seen anyone faint
before, and he wondered if Scott would be all right.

It only took a couple of moments before Scott's eyes fluttered open though.
"W-W-W-What happened?"

"You fainted little brov."

"D-D-D-Did you say that you are in love with me?  Like as in boyfriends?"
Scott still didn't allow himself to believe that all his boyhood dreams
were coming true.  The thing he feared the most was waking up.  Scott had
dreamt of Chris confessing his love for him so many times in the past.
Though the location was usually somewhere quite exotic, a tropical beach
under a palm tree, on top of the Eiffel Tower, and once it was on the roof
of the Empire State Building.  Certainly not in their front room.

"Yes my beautiful brother just like as in boyfriends."

"Oh my Chris, my Chris, my Chris."  Scott hugged his brother with a
strength that neither of them thought that Scott possessed.  "If only you
knew how many times I've dreamt of this moment, though I always woke up
just before you kissed me though.  Chris would you please kiss me again?
Just so I can be sure that I'm not dreaming this time?"

"Of course I will little brov, though you'll have to let go because I need
to breathe, otherwise our love affair will be rather short lived."

Scott loosened his hold, but he wasn't prepared to let go completely.
Chris gave another equally sensual kiss to his brother's lips.  No the last
one wasn't a fluke; Chris still got the same warm tingly feelings.

Scott felt his knees go a little weak, though he did manage to cling onto
consciousness this time.

"Oh bugger."  Scott said.

Chris looked a little perplexed.  "What is it sweet one?"

Scott swooned at the endearment, should he tell Chris what had happened?
Scott only took a moment to decide that he could never lie to his Chris, so
with more than a little embarrassment he spoke.  "Erm Chris, when I
fainted, I came in my pants."

Chris got such a broad grin on his face then.  "Oh wow, I didn't think I'd
have that much of an affect on you little brov."

"Chris, my beautiful Chris, I've gone into our bathroom every night since I
was about ten years old, and wanked off, and the only subject I'd ever
wanked off to was you.  Well no, that isn't quite true, I wanked to
thoughts of Danny Wilson a couple of times too."  Scott put up his hand.
But you were always my favourite and most frequent wank off fantasy."
Scott's cheeks were really red at that admission.  He'd never spoken out
loud about masturbating before.

"Oh little brov, I feel so honoured that you did that for me."

"I can still remember the first time I actually came.  I'd shut my eyes and
I had a picture of you in your rugby kit, oh God Chris you're an absolute
stud when you wear that you know."  Scott was amazing himself at how freely
he was speaking.  "Well in my vision, you came into the changing room after
a game.  I saw in my minds eye you slowly taking off your kit, and then it
happened, I came for the first time.  I thought something had gone wrong, I
blacked out, and when I came to, I thought my heart was going to bounce out
of my chest."

"Oh I never knew you had such a uniform fetish little brov."

"No well although Policemen and firemen in dress uniform are nice, they
don't hold a candle to you when you're wearing the home kit.  The away
strip doesn't do as much for me though."

"No me neither."  Then Chris blushed; he'd also revealed something of his
own interest in men in shorts and rugby jerseys.

"Ah you too then.  Oh my God!  It's just hit me; my brother is gay too!  Oh
wow!"

"Yeah Scott I am."

Scott began to giggle. "Oh wow.  I'll be able to tease you so much now.
Just before you go onto the pitch I'll whisper in your ear about how hunky
the other team look in their kit.  You'll have difficulty walking down the
field without showing your woody."  Chris began to tickle Scott's
underarms.  This always sent Scott into a squirming uncoordinated mass of
teenage boy flesh.  "And when you start to tackle one of them.  Oh boy."
Scott got out through his gales of laughter.

"You little bugger."  Chris said redoubling his efforts.

"Oh no Chris stop it, I'll pee myself."  Chris relented because he didn't
want Scott to make a mess on the carpet.

"Look I'll have to go upstairs and change.  Will you come with me please?"

"Of course my little brov."

The two young men walked upstairs, Chris going first, but Scott still had
hold of his brother's hand.

"You'll have to let go when you start to take your clothes off you know."
Chris said.

"Yeah I know, but I was hoping that you'd take them off for me."  Scott
grinned.

"It would be a pleasure."  Chris started to undress his younger brother.
Although Scott hadn't developed the same muscular physique as Chris's
awesome frame, Scott wasn't too bad looking in the muscle department
either.  "We'll have to get you using my weights in the cellar little brov,
so we can get these really pumped up."

"Yeah I'd like that.  I never let you in the past because, well because
every time I saw you working out I'd get a boner, and I couldn't let you
see it."  Scott said in a quiet voice.

"Oh my little brave one.  I'm sorry for not telling you of my love earlier.
But I never wanted to hurt you.  Scott I never ever want to do that.  I've
known for a long time that you, well that you had strong feelings for me."

"Chris, I've worshiped you for as long as I can remember.  I've never known
a time when I didn't."  Then as Scott stood there with nothing on, he began
to shudder and he started to cry.

"What is it my sweet one?"  Chris was really concerned.  He didn't think
he'd said anything that would have caused his Scott to cry.

"Oh Chris, it's a night I'll never ever forget.  Because it was the worst
night I'd ever had."

"Please tell me."

"It was when I stole that bottle of pop from old Mrs Baker's shop."

The Baker's had closed the shop within a year of that incident.  Mr Baker
had suffered a stroke, and he needed to go into an old peoples home.  As
Mrs Baker's own health was beginning to deteriorate too, they decided to go
into the home together.  As often happens, the shock of moving at their age
was too much for them.  Mr Baker passed away within six months of entering
the home, and his wife followed him less than a month later.  Ever since
that incident Scott could never face the thought of drinking a glass of
Dandelion and Burdock.

"Yes Scott, I remember that night too.  It's the only time I can remember
you lying to me."

"Oh it was the only time Chris.  With my hand on my heart, I can promise
you that I've never ever lied to you since.  Honestly I couldn't.  I
thought I'd lost your love that day.  It was the most horrible feeling."

"Yeah, it wasn't too nice for me either."

"Chris, when you made me sleep alone that night," Scott's tears began to
fall again. "Chris when I got into my own bed alone, it was the only time
ever that I tried to stop loving you.  Chris I tried to hate you, but I
couldn't I just couldn't.  It would have been like trying to stop my heart
from beating.  I couldn't and still can't live without loving you."

Scott dissolved totally into tears then.  Chris just held the sobbing naked
boy to his chest; He gently stroked Scott's hair as the smaller youth cried
out his feelings.

Chris was stunned by his brother's words.  He knew that Scott adored and
worshiped him, but even he hadn't realised the depths of Scott's love.

"Let it out Scott, let it all out.  I promise that I'll never make you
sleep alone again.  I couldn't sleep myself that night either.  I guess it
was then that I started to realise how much I truly loved you."

"I wish you'd have told me sooner Chris.  It used to hurt me so much inside
not being able to tell you of my feelings, and when you went out with
girls.  Chris that honestly hurt the most."

"I'm sorry little one.  I'm not overly sure why I went out with them.  I'm
not sexually attracted to them, but I like women as friends.  I guess I
just wanted to show the world outside that I was straight."

"Why does it matter Chris.  I don't think I've ever met anyone who ever had
a bad word to say about you.  It always gave me such a warm glow inside if
someone stopped me in the street and said 'oh you're that nice Chris
Blake's little brother aren't you?' Even though I didn't like speaking to
strangers because of my stutter, if I was talking about you, I could always
speak without stumbling over my words."

This revelation stunned Chris again.  "Oh little brother I'm so so sorry
for delaying telling you.  I'm sorry for causing you all that pain."  Chris
cupped Scot's face in his hands and looked down into the deep wet blue
pools of his soul.  "I promise from this moment on that I'll never
intentionally hurt you ever again.  We're in it for keeps now.  That was
another reason why I delayed.  Because I knew if I told you that I loved
you, I'd have to be absolutely sure of my feelings towards you, I knew that
declaring my love would mean that it was forever."

Chris then bent forward and laid a tender kiss on Scott, their lips barely
touched, but it was just as electrifying as all the other ones had been.

"Thank you my Chris."  Scot said once the fog had cleared from his brain.

Chris decided to get naked too.  Although Scott had seen his brother
without clothes on many times before, this was the first time he'd seen him
as his lover.  Scott couldn't help gasp at how buff, how muscular and how
strong his Chris was, and he really was his Chris now.  Scott had long
wanted to reach out and run his hands all over that delicious body, he'd
only done it tentatively when he thought Chris was asleep, but now he could
do it openly and without fear of being caught.  Scott's hand trembled as he
brought it closer to Chris's chest.

"Can I touch you Chris?"  Scott asked in a quiet voice."

"Please Scott, do it."

Scott used both his hands to feel around Chris's awesome frame.  His touch
tour of male perfection made his tool go rigid, and as he was naked, Chris
had no difficulty in spotting it.  The feel of Scott's hands on his own
body had Chris aroused too.

"Can we take care of these?"  Scott asked whilst looking down at their
erections.

Chris took both of Scott's hands in his own and brought them together, and
then he lifted them up to his face and kissed them tenderly.

"Scott, this is very important.  I'm going to ask you to make a decision, a
decision that could land me in an awful lot of trouble.  Scott I could go
to jail if anyone finds out, but I'll take that risk if you want me to.
Scott, my beautiful Scot, I'm twenty, and you are Sixteen.  The law says
that you can't have gay sex with me for another two years.  What I'm asking
you to consider is do you want to proceed?  I love you and I want to do it,
but the law says I'd be committing a crime.  They would say that because of
your age, you hadn't consented to it."

"Chris, I don't give a shit about what the law says.  I love you; you love
me, that's all that matters.  I know you'd never hurt me, you just told me
so.  Chris I'm not sure I could have anal sex with you yet, although I
honestly want to do it, I'm a bit afraid, but wanking each other, sucking
each other off and all that, well I want to experience them all with you.
Is that okay?"

"It's very okay little brov."

The two young men descended to the bed together.  They explored every part
of their partner's bodies with their hands, their tongues.  In fact they
seemed to rub every part of their body against each other.

Chris lay on his back on the bed and Scott rubbed himself on top of him.
Their organs, which had been leaking generous amounts of pre-cum, were
being mashed together as Scott humped into Chris.  Scott's manhood burst
its bounds and several squirts of teen cream shot out the end of his tool.
Scott yelled out his triumph, and within a split second Chris's bellows of
joy joined him, as Chris too ejaculated his love juice.

They lay spent on the bed, Scott still atop Chris.  Both must have fallen
asleep because the next thing Chris remembered was coming too, finding a
heavy weight pressing on his chest.  It only took him a second to remember
what had happened.  Chris twisted his neck and gave a long slow kiss to his
lovers left ear.  It was the only part of Scott that Chris could reach.

The kiss woke Scott from his doze.  His eyes flickered open.  "Chris please
tell me that what we just did wasn't a dream?  You are in love with me
aren't you?"  Scott said looking into his brother's eyes.

"Oh yes little brov, I'm in love with you, that's for sure.  But I'm afraid
you'll have to let me up, I need to use the loo."

Scott giggled, and got off of Chris.  They both went into the bathroom
together, as both their bladders were rather full.

"I think we ought to shower too."  Chris said once they'd peed side by side
at the pan, another first for them.

"Yeah will you let me shower with you?  I've always wanted to wash you
again.  It's been such a long time since we both showered together." Scott
said.

"I think you were about eight years old when we stopped.  I thought then
that you would be able to manage by yourself."

"Well yes I could, though showering was never as much fun though."

"Yeah sorry."

"Oh Chris we could spend forever apologising for something one of us had
done to the other.  Can we move on and start looking forward to things in
our future instead?"

Chris bent slightly to reach his smaller brother's lips; he gave them a
brief kiss.  "Thank you little brov, I know that it would be mainly me who
was doing the apologising, but I love the idea of wiping the slate clean.
Though before we do, there is one other thing that I honestly must
apologise to you for."

"Oh?"

Chris dropped his head in shame.  "Scott, I honestly wish I hadn't spanked
you that time.  I knew you were sorry for what you had done, I think I went
a bit over the top with the punishment though."

Scott went a bit red.  "Erm Chris, I have made a promise that I won't ever
lie to you.  Well because of that rule, erm well, erm I have to tell you
something about when you spanked me."

It was Chris's turn to say "Oh?"

"Erm yeah, look I felt absolutely desolate about lying to you, about
stealing and the rest, but a part of me liked it when you spanked me."
Scott said the last in a very quiet voice.

"My little brov!"  Chris said taking Scott into his arms again.  "That was
one of the most disturbing things I ever did to you, because little one it
shamed me because I enjoyed doing it to you too."

"Wow."  Scott said.  "Look erm, I certainly don't want you to spank me on a
regular basis or anything like that, because even back then, you packed a
pretty mean punch, but well, erm, well do you think you could well kind of
do a little mild spanking now and again?"

"Oh little Scott, whatever you say.  I'm here to serve you."

"No Chris."  Scott said a little more sharply than he'd intended. "Sorry,
no what I meant was, oh heck."  Scott's redness increased.

"It's alright Scott, I think I know what you're going to say."

"You do?"

"Look let's get in the shower and once we're clean and we've dried off, I
want to talk to you about something, now don't start getting yourself
worked up, it isn't anything nasty."

Scott reached up and kissed Chris on the lips.  "Anything you say big
brov."

The two men got into the shower together and spent an age washing and
caressing one another's bodies.  Both revelled in the lack of friction,
which the soap and water gave to their touches.

Then they both dried each other.  The whole thing had taken far longer than
if they'd showered separately, but neither of them were in any hurry.

As their mother still wasn't home, they had no problem about walking across
the landing with no clothes on.

Back in Chris's room, Chris put on a pair of boxer shorts.  Scott nipped
into his own room to do the same.  Scott had always kept his clothes in his
room.  He wondered now if he could bring his stuff into Chris's making the
large bedroom 'their' room.  'Oh wow, that would be lovely' Scott thought.

Going through his drawers, Scott found a pair of boxer shorts that matched
the ones that Chris had just put on.  Even from an early age, Scott had
insisted to his mother that she buy Scott the same style of clothes as she
did for Chris.  Scott still remembered the time he'd pulled a real temper
tantrum right in the middle of Marks & Spencer because Penny had chosen
different sets of shorts for him and Chris.  Scott wasn't mollified when
she explained that they didn't have the shorts that Chris wanted in Scott's
size.  Even back then Chris showed a sparkling level of maturity, because
he took his shorts out of the shopping basket and returned with a set that
Penny could buy in Scott's size too.  'Oh,' Scott thought, 'He was even
looking after my well being back then.'

Once the boxer shorts were on Scott went back into Chris's room, and into
Chris's arms.

"Oh I don't think I'll ever get used to this."  Scott said laying a big wet
kiss on Chris's lips.

"No me neither little one."

Scott prepared to settle down in Chris's bed with him.  It was too early to
go to sleep, but as the two were about to have a talk, both seemed to want
to do it in the bed.

"Hey Chris do you remember the pillow fights we used to have?" Scott asked
as they arranged the large number of pillows that Chris had accumulated
over the years.

"Certainly do little mate.  Though we had to stop them when that one you
threw at me burst, and the feathers went everywhere.  Mum hit the roof when
the vacuum cleaner got blocked up with all the feathers."

"You sod, it was you who threw the pillow."

"Was not!"

"Was so!"

The young men began to wrestle on the bed.  Though as Chris was much
stronger than Scott, the match didn't last for long.

"Oh you could have let me win for once."  Scott mock whined.

"I couldn't do that little man, always play to win.  That's what I tell my
team."

"Yeah, but you love me, you'd have thought you'd have made an exception for
me."  Scott said fluttering his eyelashes.

"Cheeky little bugger, yeah, I'll let you win next time then."

Scott leant over and gave Chris a soppy kiss.  "Thanks."

"Now you remember what we talked about in the bathroom, you got a bit upset
when I said I was here to serve you."

"Erm yeah sorry."

"No it's alright."  Chris said giving Scott a squeeze. "Look you know I've
spent a lot of time with Larry and Eric?"

"Yeah, I often wondered what you three got up to.  Chris they're gay, erm
you haven't, oh you haven't been having sex with them have you?"  Scott
asked, getting a bit worked up.

"Calm down little one.  No I have never had sex with them, or anyone else
for that matter.  At first I think they had a bit of a thing for me, but
they grew to become more like friends."  Chris didn't want to complicate
matters by going into the complex dynamics of their relationship just then.
Chris had spoken the truth though; they never had had sex together.

"Sorry Chris, it was none of my business anyway."

"Oh sweet one it is your business.  We won't have any more secrets from
each other.  Because we're lovers now don't forget."

"Oh I can't forget that one."

"No me neither.  Well Larry, Eric and I talk about a lot of things.  I told
them some pretty personal stuff about me, and my growing feelings for you."

"And were they okay about it?  I mean incest is quite a big deal you know."

"Oh they're fine about it all.  No, look this is a bit awkward.  You know
how I'm captain of the Rugby team and everything?"

"Yeah, oh I was so proud when they made you captain."

"Thanks."  Chris leant over and gave Scott a kiss. "Well, a lot of people
like to sort of be near me, they like to well kind of defer to me.  They
think I make good decisions."

"Oh you do, the team has won far more of it's matches since you were put in
charge."  Scott gushed.

"Yeah well thanks.  Look I also like taking charge, giving orders and
having people do what I tell them to do.  It's a whole lot more complicated
than that really.  But basically it's known as the Alpha Male syndrome.
Larry thinks I'm an alpha male."

Scott paused for a little while absorbing Chris's words.  Scott had heard
the term, and on some level he'd thought Chris might be one, but he hadn't
really thought about it all that much before.  "Yeah, yeah, I guess you
are.  Oh wow, my brother, my lover, my Chris is an alpha male."

"Yeah well I'm not all that comfortable talking about it really.  It's a
bit flattering sometimes."

"Oh sorry."

"No that's alright, and it kind of brings up the type of person that you
are.  Now you tend to defer to other peoples views don't you little one?"

"Well I like to hear what they have to say."

"Yeah but it's a bit more than that.  Look if we have a discussion and we
have different points of view, you tend to end up doing what I want to do
don't you?"

"That's because I love you, and I want to please you."

"Thanks, well it's all tied up with the same thing really.  Now there is
absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Scott you have to understand what I'm
saying here.  I think you have what's called a submissive personality."

"Oh right."  Scott thought about it for a while.  "Yeah I guess I do tend
to let people walk all over me a bit too often.  I just don't like causing
a scene."

"I know you don't sweet one.  Now you remember back in the bathroom a
little while ago when I said I would serve you, now you really thought that
you would feel more comfortable in the role of serving me didn't you?"

"Yes Chris."  Scott said quietly.

"That's alright my beautiful one.  There's nothing wrong with that so long
as it doesn't get out of hand.  Now I want our relationship to be as equal
as it can be.  I know I earn money, and you don't yet, and I'm older than
you, and our personalities differ too. But our relationship can still be
equal; Scott in order for it to succeed it has to be equal.  We will put
different things into the relationship though."

"I'm not quite clear on the last point."  Scott admitted.

"Well you said that you would feel more comfortable serving me.  So I might
make more of the decisions, and you'll probably let me do it too.  But
you'll bring tenderness and caring to the relationship, you'll bring
humanity and warmth."

"But Chris, you're warm your tender and you're humane."

"Thank you little one I would like to think that I am those things, but
those are your strengths really.  I'm more fitted to the protector role,
looking out for your best interests, if we lived back in the days of cave
dwelling, I'd be the hunter-gatherer I think."

"Oh my Chris in a loin cloth.  Ooh lovely."  Scot giggled.

Chris gave Scott a light slap.  "Silly bugger."

"Ouch, no that's it, the wedding's off."  Scott said with a serious
expression on his face at being smacked.

Chris looked panicked for a few seconds, and then his face broke out into a
wide grin.  "You little bugger."  Chris said as he launched himself on top
of Scott and began to tickle him again.

"Geroff, oh geroff."  Scott protested through his laughter.

Once they had settled down again Chris remembered something Scott had said
earlier.  "Scott you mentioned that you allowed people to walk all over you
some of the time."  Chris took Scott's hands in his own and squeezed them
together.  He then looked into Scott's eyes.  "My beautiful brother, I will
try my hardest never to do that to you.  You are just too precious to me to
use you in that way.  Scott, if at any time you feel that I'm pressuring
you into doing something you must speak up."

"Oh I'm sure you won't do that to me."

"I hope I won't either, but Scott, make me that promise now please."

"Okay Chris if that's what you want, yes, I promise I'll speak up if I
think you're getting too dominant."

"Thanks sweet one.  It means a lot to me.  It also goes without saying that
if anyone else tries to trample over you; I'll be there to stop them.  Part
of my role is to protect you as much as I can.  Scott, I'd honestly lay
down my life to protect you."

"Don't you dare Chris.  I couldn't go on if anything happened to you."

"Well I'd feel the same way if anything happened to you."

"Okay, lets not talk anymore about death and dying it gives me the
willies."

"Yeah me too."  Chris said.  Though if he ever saw his Scott in danger he
knew that he couldn't stand back and do nothing.

They both heard Penny their mother come in then.

"Chris, what do we tell mum about us?"

"I think we should tell her."

"Chris are you sure?  I've never heard her say anything bad about gay
people, but you never know.  To have one son being gay might be alright,
but both, well erm that's the end of any chance of having grandkids isn't
it?"

"Yeah I guess so, but we're going to face an awful lot of opposition to our
being together as it is, so our home has to be one of our safe zones.  I
think she has to know."

"Yeah Chris your right.  Hey, we've just demonstrated our differing
personalities, and how they work together.  You made the ultimate decision,
but I was more than comfortable about going along with you."

"Yeah little mate, together we make a great partnership don't we?"

"Put it there pardner."  Scott said in his best John Wayne voice.  The two
gave each other a high five and dissolved into giggles.

Chris and Scott dressed quickly and went downstairs to see Penny.  Despite
Chris's reassuring arm across Scott's back, the latter's heart still beat
rather rapidly.

"Hello boys, been having fun?"  Penny asked as she made herself a sandwich
in the kitchen.

Scott's cheeks reddened and Chris gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah mum we honestly have."  Chris said.

"Oh that's good."

"Listen mum Scott and I have something to tell you.  I think you'd be
better off sitting down though."

Penny looked a bit surprised at the serious expression on Chris's face.
"There's nothing wrong is there?"

"Oh no, quite the opposite as far as we are concerned."  Chris gave Scott
another smile.

"Oh right."  Penny said sitting down in one of the chairs at the kitchen
table.  Scott and Chris sat opposite her.  Scott reached under the table
for Chris's hand.  Chris grasped it and gave it a squeeze.

"Listen mum for a long time now you must have seen that Scott here has had
pretty strong feelings towards me?"

"Yes it's so refreshing to see such brotherly affection."

"Well erm it's a little deeper than that, and I feel the same way about
him.  Look mum I'm just going to come out and say it.  Scott and I are gay,
and we are in love with each other."

There was quite a long silence.  Scott began to get uneasy. Then Penny
spoke up.  "It's something I've suspected for quite a while.  I'm not
surprised at all that Scott is in love with you Chris, and if I stop to
think about it, I've seen you look at him lovingly too on many an occasion.
No honestly I'm not surprised."

"Oh."  Chris said.

Scott looked a bit shocked.  " Do you mind us being together?"

"Erm, I'll have to think about that one.  I certainly don't object, after
all you two have slept together for years.  The news will take some getting
used to though.  Erm look Chris, you have quite a strong personality, you
haven't pressured Scott into this have you?"

"No, mum he hasn't" Scott said quickly.  Then he looked directly into
Chris's face and said "Mum all my dreams came true today when Chris told me
that he was in love with me."  He looked back at his mother. "I even had to
ask him to repeat himself, because I thought I was having another of my
dreams."

"Oh right I see."  Penny was a bit out of her depth.  She had considered
the possibility that her sons were in love with each other, but as she
hadn't actually had to face the issue, she hadn't worked out how to respond
emotionally to such a revelation.  "I think I'm alright with it.  You'll
just have to give me some time."

"Oh yes of course we will mum.  Look being gay is quite a stigma, and being
in love with ones own brother is doubly so.  There are precious few places
that Scott and I can demonstrate our feelings towards one another, so I
hope you don't mind if you catch us hugging or kissing."

"Erm, oh, I hadn't thought of that.  Yes, I think I'd be alright with you
two doing those things, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with you two
erm getting well any heavier."

"No mum we can understand that." Chris said.

"Oh look, I don't want to pry, but erm well gay sex, look boys I don't want
the details, but will you two promise that you'll be careful with one
another."

Scott went red again.

"Mum, I'd sooner die than hurt a hair on Scott's head.  I've made a promise
to him that I'll always protect him, and he's promised me that if I get too
dominant, he'll tell me to back off."

"Oh right thanks."  Penny didn't really want to go down that road any
further.  She wasn't a prude, but she was of the opinion that what went on
behind the bedroom door should only be talked about behind that door.  This
was mainly due to her own rather narrow upbringing.

Chris and Scott still held hands under the table; Chris brought them into
full view then.  "Mum I love Scott with all my heart, and I promise you
that I always will.  That's one of the reasons why I've left things so
late.  I knew that Scott deserved someone who loved him totally, and I had
to work out my own feelings about if I was good enough for him, or would I
just railroad him into a relationship that was, well not in his best
interests.  But after giving it many months of careful thought, I had to
tell him of my feelings."

"Yes Chris I see.  Thank you for waiting till you'd sorted out your own
emotions first, because I'd have been very angry with you if you'd promised
something to Scott, and then pulled the rug from under him if you'd changed
your mind later."

"Thanks mum, I couldn't have done that to my Scott."  Chris said as he
leant over and gave his brother a tender kiss.

Just then the back door opened and Jim, Penny's brother in law came into
the kitchen.  As Jim was a regular visitor, he enjoyed the privilege of not
having to knock before entering.  He had seen Chris kissing Scott.

"What the..." He said staring open mouthed at the scene.

The room went quiet, no one moved.  The ticking of the kitchen clock and
the slight buzzing from the florescent tube above their heads were the only
noises that could be heard in the kitchen.

"Oh hello Uncle Jim."  Chris eventually said.

Jim whirled round to face Penny.  "Are those two queer or what?"  He said
still rather shocked.

"The word is gay Uncle Jim."  Chris said evenly.  "And yes we are."

Jim covered his face with his hands.  He'd come into the kitchen, but he
hadn't shut the back door behind him.  Penny got up and closed it.  Jim
took his hands away from his face and shot Penny a hateful look.  "It's all
your bloody fault.  I knew you should have gotten re-married.  Not having a
man around the place has turned your sons into a couple of fucking
fairies."

"That's enough!"  Chris said loudly standing up and knocking his chair over
in the process.  Chris ran round the table and got hold of Jim's coat
collar and pushed the smaller man against the wall.  In a voice that
chilled the already cold room and sent shivers down the spines of everyone
present Chris said. "You, will, never, speak, to, our, mother, like, that,
ever, again.  Do you hear me?"

Jim swallowed nervously; Chris had never threatened him previously.

"I repeat, do you here me?"

All Jim could do was to nod.  Chris let him loose.  Jim ran out of the
kitchen, down the driveway and got into his car, which had been parked in
the street.  Chris closed, locked and bolted the door.

"Sorry mum."  Chris said.  "But he had no right to say those things to
you."

"Thank you son.  He shouldn't have spoken about you two like that either."

"No he shouldn't."  Chris said letting out a long held breath.  "Look I
think I want to turn in now.  Will you be alright mum?"

"Yes thank you son.  I'll be fine.  No doubt your Uncle Jim will come round
again in a few days once he's had a chance to calm down.  Though somehow I
don't think he'll ever be that accepting of you two."

"No, I never thought he'd be someone who would welcome the news."  Chris
said.  "Are you ready for bed my sweet one?"  He said to a still ghostly
white Scott.  The whole thing had rather frightened the youngest member of
the family.  He'd always shied away from conflict, but he felt an
overwhelming sense of love and pride that his Chris had stood up to their
uncle.

"Yes Chris."  He said getting up and giving him a huge hug.  "Thanks for
doing what you did."

"That's alright little one.  I promised you that no one would ever hurt
you, and by God I meant it."

The two brothers made their way up to Chris's, or rather their room.  Scott
still remained rather quiet; the scene that he had witnessed was still
playing round in his head.

"Are you sure you're alright sweetness?"  Chris asked as he cuddled his
younger brother protectively to his front as they lay in the large bed
together.

"Yes Chris, I don't like it when things get nasty, but I was so glad you
were there to protect us."

"That's what I'm here for Scott.  I'll always protect you and mum."

"Thanks.  You're a bit like a Lion looking after his pride."

"Oh I hadn't thought of it like that.  Yeah I guess I am a bit like that.
I'm sorry if I frightened you though."

"No Chris you didn't.  You did what you had to, my brave Lion."

"Thank you my little Cub."

The two soon drifted off into dreamland.  Chris dreamt of rescuing from the
very jaws of death, several distressed damsels, who had more than a passing
resemblance to his Scott.  Meanwhile his lover had visions of soaring
through the skies in the tight embrace of various caped crusaders, who
rather incongruously were kitted out in rugby jerseys shorts and boots.

Both our hero's slept soundly that night.

* * * * *

To be continued.