Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2016 06:50:29 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aiden  Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18
BECOMING DADS

Larry decided to take Aiden to school Tuesday morning. He wanted to talk
with his teacher, Mr. Knox, as well as Mrs. Finstuen, the principal.

His chat with the fourth grade teacher went well. He wanted to be sure that
Mr. Knox knew the full story behind Aiden's two-day suspension. He
thought it was appropriate that Aiden sit in on the little conference and the
teacher concurred.

They finished just as the bell allowing students into the main building and
into their classrooms rang. Larry was surprised to see Mrs. Finstuen
approaching the classroom as he opened the door to the hall.

"I heard you were here with Aiden. I'd like to speak to both of you in my
office as soon as classes start. I've already called to have the start of your
first period covered," she told Larry before he could say anything about
having to be at school.

The Lakeview principal started her meeting by apologizing to Aiden and to
Larry. While one of her character defects was to sometimes make a hasty
judgement, one of her strengths was the ability to admit she was wrong and
make the proper apologies.

"Barry Bender will be expelled from Lakeview Elementary as soon as the
Superintendent can act on the request," she told them. "Next week he will
attend classes at Parkwood School, with the understanding that any repeat
of his behavior during this school year will result in his being permanently
expelled from the Mayfield School District. His parents have been very
cooperative, saying there were totally unaware of his bullying behavior."

"What about Roger?" Larry asked.

"I guess we can call what he did aiding and abetting. I have decided that it
is best that he and Barry not attend the same school for the rest of this
year. Of course, when they start middle school next year, attending the
same school cannot be avoided. He is also suspended for the rest of the
week.

"Barry will also not be allowed to play intramural sports because of his
punching you in your football game." Aiden was surprised to find out that
the principal knew about what had really happened on the football field.
"One of the many things Mason told me was what really happened on that
play." Aiden grinned as he learned there was much more to little Mason
than he thought.

The principal looked at Aiden, putting on her best principal face. "I am
requesting that you stay away from Barry and avoid contact with Roger as
much as possible. I will be requesting the same of Gordon, Miles, and
Mason. If either of those two threatens you or makes physical contact with
you, I want you to tell me or a teacher immediately."

Aiden sat passively in his chair in front of her desk, saying and indicating
nothing.

"Do you understand what Mrs. Finstuen is requesting?" Larry asked.

The boy shrugged. "I guess."

"Aiden, remember what we've been saying about showing good
judgement?"

"Yes."

"I think that would apply here. Don't try to be a hero or a tough guy. This is
serious business and could get you right back into hot water if you don't
handle it correctly. Do you understand?"

Aiden was seeing his new dad in full teacher mode. Larry was in his
element and Aiden knew it. "Yes, sir, I understand." It was the first time
he'd addressed either Larry or Phil as sir. "I will try my best to show good
judgement."

Larry then went out of teacher mode and into father mode, ruffling the nine-
year-old's hair. "That's all we can ask, son."

After Mrs. Finstuen once again apologized for being wrong regarding
Aiden's behavior, Larry left the building to head for the high school and
Aiden went to class.

Aiden sat with Gordon, Miles, Muddy, and Mason at lunch. He made sure
that the group included Mason, who was the smallest boy in the fourth
grade. All four of Mason's new friends knew that while Mason was not
physically strong, he had shown a lot of guts when he told Mrs. Finstuen
the truth about what had happened behind the gym as well as in the
football game. That was enough reason for Mason to be their friend as far
as Aiden was concerned. But he also wanted Mason to be around them at
lunch so they could provide a barrier between him and Roger when he
returned to school.

They ate their lunch quickly since the Broncos had their first tournament
football game. They would be playing the Colts, the team they weren't
scheduled to play in a practice game. The game went well for the Broncos
as they posted a 13-6 win to go 1-0 in the tournament.

After school, Aiden and Gordon walked to Gordon's house. "Mom was
subbing today," he told Aiden. "She said she'd be home about a half-hour
after us." Gordon's neighbor, Mrs. Olsen, who was retired, kept an eye on
the house and was ready for any emergency once the boys came home.

"As long as she left a snack, I don't care how late she is," Aiden said.

Gordon knew there would be two covered plates of oatmeal cookies for
them to eat, along with chocolate milk in the refrigerator. The boys made
short order of their snack and hustled down the hall to Gordy's room.

"We need to find ways to do stuff with Miles and Muddy and Mason after
school," Aiden said. Gordon agreed with his friend and said he'd talk to his
parents to see what could be done.

Gordon took off his shoes and lay back on his bed. "Nailed," he said.

"You are?" Aiden asked with surprise. "How come?"

"I dunno, I just am." Their requirement was that if somebody said the magic
word, they had to show that it was true. Gordon unbuckled, unbuttoned,
and unzipped. He pulled up his butt and yanked down his jeans and
underpants.

"You are totally hard," Aiden observed.

"Well, duh. We can't say `nailed' unless we're all hard and stuff."

"That was fun when we all showed off our boners on Saturday."

"I wish Muddy was here then," Gordon said. "He says his is big and he
even has a couple of hairs. We need to measure his wiener."

"His cock," Aiden corrected as he pulled down his pants and his white-
trimmed, gray briefs. His two inches of boyhood were pointing up proudly.
"Now, I'm nailed too."

"If my mom wasn't coming home real soon you could show me what your
cousin did." Gordon was surprised by what he said, but he had become
quite horny for a prepubescent boy.

"We need some lotion first, anyway. Chase says we can spit on it, or do it
dry like Sammy and them did, but it feels best with lotion."

"How do we get it?"

"I dunno," Aiden said, although he had a germ of an idea.  He wondered
why his friend had changed his mind about jerking off. "Are you sure you
want to try it? You said you thought it was gross."

"I've done gross things before," Gordon said.

"Like what?"

"Like picking boogers out of my nose."

"Everybody does that," Aiden said matter-of-factly. The conversation ended
when they heard Flo Lansing entering the house. They pulled up their
pants, silently wishing they could find a way to play with themselves in front
of each other.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Life wasn't as good for Barry. He was in very hot water with his father, who
was thoroughly embarrassed by his son's behavior, although in many ways
his father's indifferent parenting helped pave the path for that behavior.
Barry suffered from affluenza. In other words, his parents convinced him
that his shit didn't stink.

Peter was another person who was unhappy with Barry. Even though he
was on restriction, Barry found a way to meet with Peter at his house
Monday evening. He convinced his parents that he was going to Roger's
house to study. He grabbed his books and headed for Peter's house,
instead. Barry's mother and father were slow learners when it came to
putting the clamps on their son.

"You mean I can't do nothing with you?" Barry whined after Peter closed
the door to his bedroom. "Not even jerk you off?"

"You can't even watch me jerk off. You are such a loser. What made you
think you were going to just hit that little kid at school and get away with it?"

"I've done it before."

"Shit. Look at you. You hit the little fucker and then you go blame it on the
faggot kid whose uncle is a fucking teacher. Who do you think was going to
win that?"

"It's not my fault he followed me behind the gym," Barry muttered.

"You are so fucking stupid. You don't do shit to anybody at school. I
thought you were smart enough to figure that out."

Barry sat sulkily on Peter's bed, looking down at the floor. For Barry, this
was one more thing that was not going well on what was becoming the
shittiest time of his ten-year-old life.

"Okay, you want to suck my cock that bad, I'll let you if you do two things."

"What?"

"You kick the crap out that homo, Aiden. I mean kick it so he's totally
hurting. And then you let me pee all over you someplace outside."

"I can't beat him up. I got told what would happen to me if I touched him. I'd
end up in juvie and all kinds of shit." Barry quit listening to Peter after he
said "totally hurting" and missed Peter's demand to piss over Barry.

"Whatever. I know this—if you do both those things, in fact if you do even
one of those so you can suck me off, it proves you're a faggot just like
Aiden. But, I'll do this much. I'll let you give me one more blowjob if you do
one of those, since you didn't rat me out to that bitch, Finstuen. Now get
the fuck out of my room."

When Barry got home he was very depressed. His mood wasn't helped
when he walked through the front door. "I called Roger's mom," his mother
said. "She said you never showed up at her house."

Just when Barry thought his day couldn't get any worse, it did.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The coming of October brought routine to Aiden's life. Sports, especially
soccer, was part of that routine. The Bobcats were suddenly 6-0 and in first
place. Aiden led the team in goals. He may have even led the league in
goals, but nobody kept track of leaders in the low-key park league. He
worked hard with Gordon, Miles, Coach Bill, and his uncles to hone his
soccer skills.

The Broncos, Aiden's intramural football team, won their second
tournament game, beating the Seahawks 12-6, who had a new captain
since Barry had been expelled. The Broncos were now the only undefeated
team in the tournament.

The fallout from Aiden's suspension was minimal among the school's staff.
Many of the staff members had been impressed with Aiden's deportment
since the first day of school. "He tends to visit a bit too much with his
friends at times, but he has been easy to handle," Mr. Knox had told Mrs.
Finstuen. "He's been much different from what I expected considering what
it says in his records. Larry and Phil appear to be doing a good job with the
boy."

Mrs. Finstuen had to agree. She'd seen the two coaches in action as
parents and was impressed, even though she had resented the presence
of the lawyer.

On Tuesday, October 4, Phil received a call at work from Mrs. Patricia
Masterson, a Child Protective Services social worker who served Lewis
County. She wanted to schedule a visit the next day to inspect Aiden's
environment and see how he was progressing. Phil told her he could not
take time off the next day, but would check if Larry would be available.
Larry called the school district and asked for a half-day of family leave,
which was approved. Phil called the social worker back and said morning
would work for a visit.

When she arrived at Aiden's home the next morning, she and Larry greeted
each other like old friends. As a teacher he'd had many dealings with her
and respected the work she did.

"Beautiful place you have, Larry" she said after checking out the house,
looking at Aiden's "all-boy" room in particular. "He certainly seems to have
made the room his own—sports posters, sports paraphernalia, and
appropriate games and toys. I am really impressed by the book shelves."

"Aiden loves books and loves to read," Larry told her.  He couldn't help but
wonder if the social worker had noticed Horace in Aiden's room—if she
had, she'd said nothing about it.

"I gathered as much. I take it he's happy."

"About as happy as a nine-year-old boy whose had his life turned upside-
down can be, I suppose." He told her about Aiden's two day school
suspension.

"My understanding is that his life was quite unstable before his mother
passed."

"Trish, you can't believe the things Phil and I have slowly been learning as
the trust between Aiden and us increases." He told her a couple of stories
he was certain she hadn't heard from the Seattle office of CPS. "But, I'll
also tell you what the most significant sign of his happiness has been." He
then told her the story of Aiden wanting to call them his dads instead of his
uncles.

"That is quite a jump," Trish said. "Have you and Phil thought about
adoption?"

"Yes, we have, and I'd like to discuss that with you."

Trish said she would be happy to discuss the topic. She went over rules,
regulations, and time frames. "It will take time to get things started. The
major thing we will need to do is locate his father."

"My brother Troy will help us a lot, there; Keegan often checks in with him."

After some more discussion, Trish said she would head over to Lakeview
School to chat with Aiden and get his take on life. "I am impressed with
what you're doing here, Larry, but not at all surprised considering your work
with the youth of the Mayfield community. Aiden appears to be a lucky
boy."

The social worker's visit with Aiden confirmed what she assumed from her
inspection. He was becoming more comfortable in his new home. He had
at first hated having to move in with Larry and Phil, but now he loved them
and asked them to be his dad. He loved sports, had good friends, and was
doing well in school.

After talking with Aiden she talked with Mr. Knox and with Mrs. Finstuen.
The principal explained Aiden's suspension, saying he hopefully learned a
lesson in showing better judgement, but that he had done nothing to merit
any more "negative feedback" from the incident. Mrs. Masterson was
impressed with Aiden and his environment.

That night, Phil called Troy asking if he'd heard any news regarding their
brother, Keegan. He told Troy what he and Larry were planning about
Aiden's future and what Trish Masterson had told Larry.

"I think we need to talk face-to-face," Troy told Phil.

"Your place or ours?" Phil asked.

"Let's pick yours. Chase and I need some alone time together."

"What's he's saying," Sue Miller said loudly enough for Phil to hear, "is that
he wants a day with the big boys."

"It works both ways," Troy laughed, talking away from the phone. "You can
take Logan out to lunch." Then he returned his attention to Phil. "Is this
Saturday okay?"  he asked.

"See you in time for lunch."

"If it means some of your sandwiches, we'll be coming with giant appetites."

Phil found Larry helping Aiden with his division homework at the dining
room table. He was drilling his nephew with timed tests on his multiplication
tables. "I can't believe they don't think it's important to drill kids on their
multiplication skills. How can you divide if you can't multiply? And, of
course, I see the results of that oversight in my own classes." Larry was a
math teacher at the high school.

After Aiden finished his wheel test, Phil told them about Troy coming down
to Mayfield on Saturday in time for lunch.

"Is Chase coming?" Aiden asked eagerly.

"Well, we are serving lunch, and your cousin is almost eleven-and-a-half,"
Phil said, as if that explained everything.

"So?"

"So, that means he is nearing puberty, which means he has a bottomless
stomach. I don't know if I can make enough lunch to feed him."

"He can have mine, too," Aiden said impatiently. "So, is he coming?"

"Oh, maybe. Chase told me he misses Horace, so he'd like to come down."

"Daddy Phil, you are so lame."

"It's getting harder and harder to pull your leg."

Larry reached under the table, grabbed Aiden's thin thigh, and yanked.

"Hey!" the nine-year-old squealed.

"It seems easy enough to me," Larry said as he almost pulled his giggling
nephew off of his chair.

"Daddy Larry is almost as lame as daddy Phil." When Larry finally let him
go, Aiden asked once again if Chase was coming.

"Yes, Chase is coming," Phil said.

"Can Gordy come over on Saturday?" Aiden asked eagerly.

"If it's okay with his parents."

"Yippee!"

Later in the evening, Larry tucked his nephew into bed, pulling the bedding
over the boy's naked torso, which had become part of the nighttime routine.
While Aiden had his midriff covered, and Larry hadn't seen Aiden on the
landing announcing he was ready for bed, he knew that his nephew was
also naked under the covers.

"Read to me please, Uncle Larry." Aiden still wasn't sure how to address
Phil and Larry. Were they his uncles, or dads, or papas, or daddies, or
fathers, or a title he hadn't even thought of? As a result, he addressed by
whatever came into his mind first. It would take time for a routine to
develop.

Larry opened "The Cay" to Chapter Four. "Total darkness blotted out the
sea and it became cold and damp. Timothy took the shelter down and we
both pulled our shirts and pants back on. They were stiff from salt and felt
clammy. The wind came up, blowing fine chill spray across the raft. The
stars came out. We stayed in the middle of the raft, side by side, as it
drifted aimlessly over the sea," he read.

He got to page 41 before Aiden rolled over on his left side, his signal that
reading time was over. Some nights they read, and some nights they didn't,
but either way it was part of the evening routine.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Friday, the Packers defeated the Seahawks 13-12. That meant the
Pacers would be playing the Broncos on Tuesday for the intramural flag
football championship. If the Broncos won, they would take the title and
would play the Parkwood champion. If the Packers won, then the two
teams would play again on Wednesday in a winner-take-all game.

Aiden had a soccer game Saturday morning. He wished Chase could
watch him play, but it would mean his cousin getting up very early in the
morning. Aiden wondered if he would be willing to get up at five in the
morning to watch Chase play. He decided there was no way he would do
that and didn't blame Chase for sleeping in.

The final result of the game made Aiden happy that Chase didn't watch his
team play. The Bobcats lost 4-1 to one of the teams from Meadow Park. It
was their first loss of the season and gave them a 4-1 record. Nothing went
right for the them as they lost to a team that came into the game with a 1-3
record.

Larry, Phil, and Aiden piled into the car, along with Gordon, who was riding
out to the Miller house with them. "I can't believe we lost," Aiden wailed on
the drive home. "And it was the first game I didn't score a goal, which really
sucks."

Phil was driving, so it was Larry who turned around in his seat and glared
at his young nephew. "And just what does your not scoring a goal have to
do with anything?" he asked sharply.

"Well, I didn't."

"I don't ever want to hear you saying something like that again."

"Say something like what? What did I do?"

Larry had left his statement wide open to see if it would elicit that very
response. "Saying something like, my team lost, but the part that sucked
was me not scoring." Gordon stared out the window, cringing somewhat at
the force of Larry's voice.

For his part, Aiden could see where this conversation was going, but he
wasn't ready to give in to his uncle yet. After all, he hadn't scored and
should be able to say as much. "So, what was I supposed to say?"

"Part one was good: `I can't believe we lost.' The key word is `WE'!"

Aiden sat silently. He was now certain about what his uncle, or dad, or
whoever he was, was saying to him. Before he could say anything, Larry
made it very plain where he was coming from. "The word `I' has nothing to
do with team performance. If you're going to be on a team, then that team
always comes before you. I didn't hear you complain about not having any
assists in the game. In fact, I can only recall a couple from you all season."

There was an even longer silence as Aiden mulled over his role in the
game. He'd played much of the game in a crowd when he had the ball.
Instead of involving his teammates, he tried to get out of trouble on his
own. Instead of passing to a teammate, he took stupid shots at the goal
that the other team's defenders stole long before the goalie had to make a
play.

 Aiden broke the silence as the car pulled into the driveway. "I'm sorry,
Gordy."

Gordon turned and looked at his friend. "Sorry for what?"

"For not being a good teammate. For thinking of myself first."

"It's okay," Gordy said. "You just had a bad game."

Aiden couldn't dispute that. "I'm going to try harder to have better ones and
not be selfish."

After they all piled out of the car, Aiden walked up to Larry and gave him a
hug. "Thank you, daddy," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome. But what am I being thanked for?" Larry asked.

"For telling me to not be a selfish player and to think of my teammates." If
Aiden had been older, he might have said, "Thanks for calling me on my
bullshit."

Because the game had started at nine in the morning, there was no after
game lunch. The team mothers had provided oranges for the boys to eat
after the game. "You'd make a great team mother," Larry told Phil as they
waited for the boys after the game.

"I may just apply to be one on a future team. I know my after game snacks
would trump oranges..."

"...and be just as healthy," Larry concluded.

Phil nodded. He thought about what Coach Bill had told the kids after the
loss. The coach complimented the team on the good things they'd done in
the game, in particular their sportsmanship during and after the game.

"The only reason they won is because we had to get up so early to play,"
chubby Scott Wilson said.

"I have news for you, Scott," Coach Bill announced.

"What?"

"They had to get up even earlier than us to make the drive to Mayfield."

Phil and Larry were impressed by the coach's calm demeanor in dealing
with his young charges. They were really impressed that no one on the
team had laughed at Scott's comment. They knew some of that was
because there were a lot of good kids on the team, but they also had seen
the amount of work the soccer coach put into convincing his players to treat
their teammates with respect.

But now it was his turn to deal with a member of that team. When the boy
who was rapidly becoming his son let go of him, Larry bent down so he was
at eye level with the boy. "I have a feeling Coach Bill will be talking about
team play in the next practice," he told Aiden.

"I promise I will listen," Aiden said.

"I know you will." Larry ruffled the nine-year-old's hair and stood up. Phil
and Gordon had already retired to the house. Larry and Aiden followed
them.

"How long before we eat?" Aiden asked as he entered the house.

"We eat as soon as Uncle Troy and Chase arrive," Phil told him.

"Me and Gordy are going up to my room to play some games," Aiden
announced.

"Who?" Phil asked. Aiden knew he'd be getting grammar corrections in
Gordon's company as soon as he saw Gordon getting corrected by his
parents. Aiden was no dummy—he knew that his dads and Gordon's
parents would be talking to each other.

"Gordon and I," Aiden sighed. "Can we have some...um...May we have
some juice to drink?"

"There's lemonade in the refrigerator."

"There's always lemonade in the refrigerator," Aiden giggled as he pulled
out a pitcher and filled two plastic glasses. He replaced the pitcher,
snapped lids on each glass, which served as little boy protection, and went
upstairs with Gordon, who was carrying his soccer bag.

After the boys entered Aiden's room they didn't head for the computer.
Instead they stripped out of their soccer uniforms and gear, getting down to
their underpants. Aiden was wearing white briefs while Gordon was
wearing gray boxer briefs.

"We should take a shower," Aiden said. "We don't want to be all smelly
when Chase gets here."

Gordon nodded and stepped out of his underpants and Aiden did the same.
The two friends admired each other's nakedness and padded across the
hall to the bathroom. "We're going to take a shower," Aiden shouted before
closing the bathroom door. He didn't wait for an answer.

Aiden set the water temperature and he and Gordon stepped into the tub
and let the water flow over them. Aiden grabbed the soap and washed his
front from his chest down to his feet. He handed the soap to Gordon, who
did the same.

Aiden asked Gordon to wash his back and his friend complied. Gordon
enjoyed the feel of Aiden's smooth back as he washed down to Aiden's
waist. He hesitated when he reached Aiden's white ass.

"Go ahead and wash my butt," Aiden urged. Gordon shrugged and washed
the soft cheeks poking out from behind Aiden. He massaged Aiden's
cheeks with one hand and washed them with the other. Aiden couldn't
believe how good Gordon's ministrations felt. Gordon avoided washing the
cleft between the cheeks. For the nine-year-year old that move was just a
bit too gross.

Returning the favor Aiden treated Gordon's ass in the same fashion. He,
too, avoided reaching into the crack to wash his friend's nether regions,
and for the same reason—it seemed to be too gross.

As the boys turned off the water and set to work drying themselves, Larry
and Phil were talking downstairs. "Did you shower with a friend when you
were nine?" Phil asked his husband.

"I waited until I was ten," Larry replied.

"Things like that seem much more sexy when you're ten."

"Do tell."

By then the boys had returned to Aiden's room. Gordon dropped his towel
on the floor and bent down to pull a fresh pair of underpants out of his gym
bag. Aiden was fascinated by his friend's ass. Gordon's legs were spread
and as a result Aiden could see his pink pucker. The sight gave him an
unexpected shiver.

He remembered how much fun it had been when he and Gordon had
wrestled naked and decided it was time for an encore. He walked up
behind his friend and kneeled down. Aiden's face was virtually in his
friend's ass. He hesitated a moment, taking in what was a thrilling sight,
then wrapped his arms around his friend's legs and tackled him to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Gordon asked. But before Aiden could answer,
Gordon turned on him and was on top of him. The two naked nine-year-
olds were face to face. Aiden tried to push Gordon off, but couldn't get
enough leverage. He bent his knees and was finally able to push him over.
The two boys were now on their sides, but still face-to-face.

"Nailed!" Gordon giggled.

Aiden surprised him by reaching down and grabbing his three-inch nail.

"Hey, you're grabbing my wiener," Gordon informed him, as if he didn't
know it.

Downstairs, Larry and Phil heard the thuds of the boys' impromptu
wrestling match. "Do you think we have naked wrestling going on upstairs?"
Phil asked.

"I can guarantee it," his husband answered.

Phil walked halfway up the staircase. "Boys, quit wrestling and get dressed.
Uncle Troy and Chase will be here any minute."

"He knows we're naked," Gordon said. He did a full body blush from
embarrassment.

"So? We were caught wrestling naked before, remember?" Aiden pointed
out. Aiden stood up and opened his bedroom door. "We don't need to be
dressed to meet Chase," Aiden yelled.

"But you do to meet Uncle Troy," Phil pointed out. "Now quit messing
around and get dressed."

"I tried. We'll get naked with Chase later," Aiden said.

"And you got nailed." Gordon mimicked Aiden's actions by grabbing his
friend's hard, two-inch boy tool.

"Hey, you're grabbing my wiener," Aiden giggled. He was ready for more
wrestling, but knew if they didn't get dressed his dads might give them
some kind of restriction. He wanted all of the alone time he and Gordon
could get with Chase. Reluctantly, the two naked boys got dressed.

"What's it going to be like with those two when the hormones start to flow?"
Larry asked Phil.

"We already know the answer to that, because we did everything they can
think of doing when we hit puberty."

"That's what scares me," Larry laughed.

Next: Cousins