Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:21:44 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 9 & 10

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 9 -- Successes, Large and Small.

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

"Do you mind if I come in?" I asked Trey, after knocking on his door.  He
looked confused as to why I'd do that, but finally spoke.

"No, it's your house," he responded, nonchalantly.

"Yes, it is MY house, but this is YOUR room," I advised him.  "Around here,
we respect each other's privacy and don't invade anyone's space unless
we're invited.  Now, let's try this again.  Trey, may I come in and speak
with you?"

"Yes, please do," he answered, this time with a slight smile on his lips.
I suspect he got a kick out of our little give and take; especially since
he now realized his privacy would be honored.

"Mrs. Swarthout told me you were an orphan, but she didn't give me any of
the details," I began.  "Would you mind filling me in?  I like to know a
little about every boy and what it was like for him before he came to live
with me.  You don't have to, if you don't wish, but I would really
appreciate it."  Trey studied me for a moment after I finished speaking,
before he responded.

"Yeah, I guess so," he stated, before pausing, to collect his thoughts.  I
think he might have also used some of this time to control his emotions
before he began, as this appeared to still be quite a painful topic for
him.

"It happened one night when I was away on a school trip," he began.  "I was
told there was an huge explosion, which set fire to our house.  Everyone
who was there was killed."

"Did they ever figure out what caused it?" I asked.

"Yeah, the fire department said it was a ruptured gas line and figured the
explosion probably killed everyone in the house instantly.  The family room
was directly above the furnace room and the investigators said they
believed my mother and sister had been in there at the time.  They also
said they thought my father must have smelled gas or something and then
went down to investigate.  They think it was something he might have done
while he was down there that triggered the explosion.  It killed all of
them, my mom, dad and older sister."  His voice was beginning to crack as
he told me this, and he shed a few tears thinking back upon that night,
before fighting to regain his composure.

"When we got back home, the principal and one of the counselors met the bus
as it pulled in and then took me with them, away from everyone else.  Once
we were alone, they told me what happened to my family.  I couldn't believe
it.  They were all dead.  How could that be?  Then I thought, if I hadn't
been on that trip, I would be dead too.  There was no one left but me.  My
entire family was gone.  My mom and dad had both been only children and
their parents had already passed away, so now I had no one else.  I didn't
know what I was going to do."  He began sobbing even harder, knowing his
circumstances hadn't really changed from that night.  He still had no one
-- at least not yet.

"You have us and we would be glad to have you become a part of our family,
if you want," I offered.  "You don't have to decide about this immediately,
but just give us a chance and see how you feel about it.  Okay?"  He began
to look up at me, as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks.

"Yeah, okay," he informed me, between his sobs.  "I think it's nice what
you're doing here," he continued, once he got his emotions back under
control.  "Some of the other guys told me earlier about how they came here
and what you've done to help them, so I guess this won't be as bad as I
first thought."

"I'm glad you feel that way," I told him, which caused him to force out a
weak smile, "but I also want to give you a little warning before we go back
downstairs," I added, which caused a look of panic to replace his smile.

"It's something I forgot to tell our last addition and it almost caused a
major problem for us," I admitted.  After hearing that final sentence,
which let him know I was about to say something general and nothing
specifically about him, he began to relax again.

"The other boys like to run around the house nude after they take their
showers, while they're getting ready for bed.  Many of them even like to
sleep that way too.  You don't have to do it yourself, unless it's
something you'd like to do, but I thought you should be advised about this,
before they startled you with their exhibitionism."

"Really?  They go around without anything on?  That's great!" he responded
with a great deal of enthusiasm, before realizing what he had said and how
he had said it.  He immediately stopped short and regained his control
before he continued, this time trying to sound less enthusiastic about my
announcement.  "You don't have to worry.  I won't mind.  I've seen naked
boys in the school showers.  It's no big deal."

"I'm glad you feel that way," I countered, while trying to read between the
lines, "because you'll probably get quite an eyeful of naked boy flesh
before long."  Once again, I thought I saw a glimmer in his eyes as I
mentioned this, so I thought he might be happier here than he first
thought.

As Trey and I walked to the family room, I continued to think about his
initial joyous response to my telling him the boys liked to go nude and now
suspected Trey might be gay.  I wouldn't ask or say anything to embarrass
him at this point, but I would definitely stay alert for signs as to how he
swung.

During one of the commercials, Trey began to open up about himself.  He
told us he was thirteen, in the eighth grade and would turn fourteen in
February.  Good Lord.  This meant I would now have my fourth fourteen-year
old, as Ricky and Pat were 14 already, Cole would turn 14 next week, and
then Trey in February.  I sincerely hoped God wasn't punishing me for
something.

The boys all seemed to get along well during our initial time together, but
soon some started disappearing, as they got ready for bed.  Most of the
time, one or two would wander off when a program came on that they didn't
especially care for.  That way, they wouldn't miss anything important.

I did notice that Kevin asked Trey to join Dustin and him, after explaining
they all took showers together, as it saved time (although in reality I
don't think it really did accomplish that goal).  Watching them talk with
each other, I began to feel Kevin had an immediate attraction to Trey, but
that's when I saw the green-eyed monster flare up in Dustin again.  That's
one thing that always confused me.  Dustin claims to be straight and
insists he doesn't have a romantic interest in Kevin, yet he always seems
to get jealous if Kevin is attracted to anyone else or if someone else
seems interested in Kevin.  Go figure.

Before long, a swarm of naked boys began to filter back into the room with
me, but Trey had on a pair of shorts when he entered.  No problem.  Now I
know he is shy about things of this nature, but I think some of the other
boys were more than a little disappointed about this turn of events.  At
that point, I decided to go up to my room and slip into a pair of shorts
myself, as it was quite a warm night, and that was when I got my next
surprise.  When I entered my room, I could hear Danny and Pat in my
bathroom.  From the sounds of it, I surmised Pat was doing a little
experimentation of his own.  Since I didn't want him to know I had
overheard what was going on, I sneaked back out of my room and proceeded
downstairs.  I needn't have hurried, because it was about twenty minutes
later before Pat and Danny strolled back in to join us, with both of them
looking quite relaxed.

We watched television for about another hour before I sent the younger ones
up to their rooms.  An hour later I sent the older ones up too.  As the
last of the boys said good night to me, Danny held back.  I had a feeling
it had something to do with what happened upstairs and concluded he wanted
to talk about it.  Once we were alone, he began.

"I just thought you might want to know that Pat started asking me a bunch
of questions when we went upstairs.  They were about the kinds of things we
did with each other.  I told him what I could without going into specifics
and then I told him he could use the shower first, since I thought he was
still a bit shy about such things.  That's why I was kind of surprised when
he suggested we could take our shower together.  When I didn't answer, he
asked me if I wanted to, so I told him that would be fine with me.  While
we were in the shower, Pat asked me if I'd do certain things with him.  To
try to convince me, he also told me he'd done a few things before, so that
did kind of make it easier for me to say yes.  I thought you might like to
know what we did tonight."

"I would and I appreciate this," I told him.  "Pat's outburst and then turn
around have confused me some, so anything you tell me will help to shed a
little more light on figuring him out."

Danny went on to explain what happened, knowing this type of information
helped me understand the boys better and allowed me to help them in the
future, whenever problems arose.  He knew it was especially critical with
the new boys, whom I knew very little about, so he was very open and
willing to share his entire experience with me.  Here is what I learned.

Once they were in the shower, Pat asked Danny if he would be willing to
jack off with him.  Danny agreed and soon discovered that Pat meant to do
it TO each other.  Of course, that didn't bother Danny at all, but he let
Pat decide who was going to go first.  Pat said he was so nervous that
Danny should do him first, so Danny agreed and reached out for his
circumcised pole, which was already beginning to rise to the occasion.
Danny stroked it a few times to get him fully erect, played with his nut
sac for a short time and then he moved to Pat's right side and began to
jack him off.  He wrapped his fingers and palm around that throbbing bad
boy and slowly started his stroking rhythm.

After just a minute or so of this action, Pat was already getting weak
kneed from the contact, so Danny wrapped his arm around Pat's waist to
support him.  Danny said he was almost afraid that Pat was going to
hyperventilate from the excitement, but it didn't happen.  Instead, Danny
quicken his pace, not knowing how long Pat would be able to take this
amount of stimulation, and slid his left hand between Pat's legs so he
could pull, tug and massage his scrotum too.  It wasn't long after that
before Pat was panting and his dick spewed several streams of thick creamy
spunk against the shower wall.  Danny continued to hold him and milk the
final drops from his dick, until Pat recovered from his ejaculation and
then Pat thanked Danny for his effort.

Danny decided to wash Pat off while he recovered, before quickly showering
his own muscular frame.  By the time he'd finished, Pat finally stepped
forward, ready to return the favor.  Eagerly, Pat squeezed Danny's large
rod and explored it with his fingers, like a small child studying a new
toy.  He did this for several minutes, before he took it securely in hand
and began to pump it back and forth.  Pat's grip was tight, but his hand
was still trembling, as he continued his up and down manipulation of
Danny's hard-on.  Danny made Pat work hard to get him off and it took many
minutes before his body stiffened and ropes of boiling spunk shot from his
piss-slit and were washed down the drain.  Pat totally emptied Danny's wand
before letting go, but now that they'd shared this intimate act, he also
told Danny some of his secrets.

"I told you that I had done this before," Pat began, "but it wasn't with
another boy.  It was with my mom's boyfriend and I didn't have any choice
in the matter.  He did it to me and then made me do it to him.  I guess
that's why I got so upset that first night, when I saw all of you naked,
because I thought those things were going to start happening all over
again."  Pat stopped to gauge Danny's reaction to what he'd said, and
seeing Danny wasn't making a face or running away, Pat continued.

"Even though I enjoyed what he did to me, I hated having to do it to him,
but this was different and so much better," Pat admitted.  "I even liked
doing it to you too.  It was never this good when he made me do it to him,
so I guess it makes it better when you can choose what you want to do.
Thank you, Danny.  I'm not sure you'll ever know how much you've done to
help me get over what happened then, by doing this with me tonight."

"I've got an idea," Danny agreed, "and you'll never have to worry about
anyone forcing you to do things you don't want to do while you're here.  I
think many of the others would be willing to help you, if you asked them,
so don't ever be scared to approach them either.  If they don't want to do
something, they'll say no, but they'll never make fun of you or tell anyone
else.  We're all brothers here and we take care of each other.  We may
tease back and forth and pull some good-natured pranks, but we'd fight to
protect each other, if it came to that."

"I know.  Dad told me some of that and I've seen even more of it for
myself," Pat admitted.  "I'm so glad you guys were here and willing to let
me join your family."

"No, it's OUR family," Danny corrected him.  "The minute a guy comes
through the front door, he is part of OUR family, unless he chooses not to
be.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we want you here, if
that's what you want."

Pat started to shed a few tears at that point, but he didn't even try to
hide the fact.  When the flow of water from his eyes stopped, he looked up
at Danny and spoke.  "Nobody's ever really WANTED me before, they just
wanted something FROM me.  I can't believe you guys are all so great like
this.  I never knew there were really people out there like you.  I thought
people like this only appeared in stories."

"I think we all thought that too," Danny concurred.  "We all had bad home
lives, some worse than others, but none of them were what you could call
good.  In case you don't know about them, I'll give you a quick run down
about the others.  I know none of them will mind and would even be eager to
tell you themselves, but I'll fill you in for them.  Ricky's mother was a
drug addict and died from an overdose.  Since he never knew his dad, he
ended up here.  He was the first one Dad took in and then I came next.  My
parents threw me out of the house and disowned me after they found out I
was gay."  Realizing what he had just said, Danny thought maybe he needed
to say something more.  "I hope that doesn't bother you, after what we just
did together."

"No way!" Pat assured him, emphatically.  "How could I think less of you
after all you've done for me?  Who knows, I might even be gay too," he
added, to Danny's great surprise.  "I'm just not sure yet.  I didn't think
so before, but I really enjoyed what we just did, so who knows?"

"And you probably won't be sure for a while, so just keep an open mind and
have some fun.  Now, where was I?  Oh yes, I was telling you about us."
The boys were grinning at each other, knowing they were enjoying being with
one another, as Danny continued to enlighten Pat about his brothers.

"Dustin was bounced around between a bunch of different foster homes and
ended up living with Kevin's family.  After he got caught fooling around
with Kevin, by Kevin's father, Dustin got bounced from there and ended up
here with Dad.  After Dustin was gone, Kevin was beaten quite badly by his
dad, because of what he'd done, so that caused Kevin to run away.  The cops
picked him and he ended up here too, thanks to Aunt Sally.  She kind of
helped us all end up here with Dad."  I think that information began to
help Pat understand why the boys were all so affectionate to her, as well.

"Cole and Graham really are brothers and they've had it the worst," Danny
continued.  "Their parents ran off and left them alone and they almost
starved to death.  You should have seen them when they came here.  They
looked awful, like pictures you see in magazines of kids in Africa or Asia
who've had nothing to eat for a really long time.  They've got a bunch of
problems because of all that and have a lot of trouble with school.  Heck,
they're lucky just to be alive.

"So, you see," Danny concluded, "we've all had our share of problems and
each of us thought the same way you did, until we met Dad.  He made the
difference for all of us and there's nothing we wouldn't do to repay him.
We all try hard not to let him down, and so far we haven't.  He sometimes
says he only did this because he was lonely, but we know that's not the
whole truth.  He's just a great guy, with a big heart, and he really does
love us.  He adopted the rest of us last June and I'm sure he's gonna do
the same thing for you some time in the future, if you want him to."

"I do.  I really do," Pat agreed, nearly dancing with excitement.  "Since
I've been here, I've seen how happy everyone is and I want to be part of
this, not just an outsider living here.  I would do anything to make him my
real dad, and not just my foster dad.  I've never wanted anything more in
my whole life."

"Well, just do what's right and follow his rules, and I'm sure it will
happen sooner or later.  Trey will have the same opportunity too, along
with any other boy who comes here after you guys.  Dad can afford it now,
so the sky's the limit.  I even think he'd have taken you and Trey in, even
before he got the extra money, but having it takes a lot of the worry out
of it for him.  As far as we're concerned, you're already our brother and
he's your dad.  It just may take a while before it becomes official, but
it's gonna happen.  I just know it."

Danny finished his story and I thanked him for all the information he'd
shared with me.  I told him he was wise beyond his years and thanked him
deeply for all the kind things he'd told Pat about me.  I also advised him
I would be investigating the possibility of adoption for each boy who
wanted it, as a part of their Christmas present, like I had done for the
rest of them last year.  He just smiled at my news and told me that's what
he figured.  Now that we had finished, he gave me a kiss and a hug and then
went off to bed.

After Danny left, I sat alone in the dark and thought about everything I'd
heard for a short time, before I went to turn in myself.  Let's just hope
this means we've had another success at the Castaway Hotel.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 10 -- The Trials and Joys of Youth.

The next morning the triumvirate went in to wake up Trey, but they gave him
a break his first morning with us.  All they did was pull off his covers
and jump on the bed around him, but they didn't let up until he was fully
awake.  Pat heard the commotion and walked down the hall to peak into the
room.  Graham saw him out of the corner of his eye and turned toward him
immediately.

"We didn't do anything bad, really," he announced, with a scared expression
on his face.  "We just wanted to welcome Trey to the family."

"You're safe this time," Pat told him, as he stifled his laughter.  "They
must like you, Trey, because you got off easy.  We'll tell you at breakfast
about the things these three have done to us."

"I guess there's no need for alarm clocks with these guys around," Trey
added, as he poked playfully at the three boys on his bed.

"Only dad has an alarm clock," Pat told him, "but these three usually have
us up before the dang thing goes off.  Right, Dad?" he asked me, as I
walked out of my room to go down to the kitchen.

"Is what right?" I responded, puzzled, as I was still trying to shake the
cobwebs from my brain.

"That our little monsters get us up before your alarm clock goes off," Pat
clarified.

"Did they get Trey already?" I blurted out, shocked.  "I must have been
really tired, because I didn't even hear a thing."

"We did it nicely," Cole called out, from inside Trey's room.  "We didn't
do it loud or scare him?"

"Is that true, Trey?" I pressed, not totally convinced.

"Yeah, they weren't too bad," he admitted.  "They just pulled the sheet off
of me and danced on my bed until I got up."

"Well, I don't know if that means they like you or they're playing it safe
after what Pat did to them," I replied.

"What did you do to them, Pat?" Trey inquired, curious about my comment.

"I'll tell you at breakfast, along with everything else," Pat assured him.

Before long the house was buzzing with the sounds of boys getting ready for
school.  I went down to start breakfast and the boys collectively filled
Trey in about how lucky he was this morning.  When the others had finished
telling their tales of horror and concluded describing how Pat had paid
them back, Trey winked at the trio and said simply, "Thank you for going
easy on me," before they moved on to the next topic.

About an hour later, I was striding into my office at school, so I could
get things ready to register Trey, when a sudden concerned look came over
his face.  It suddenly dawned on me that all of us had forgotten to mention
to Trey that I would also be his principal.  After seeing my nameplate on
the door to my office, Trey froze, with his mouth hanging open.  It was
then that I concluded he'd thought I was merely accompanying him in, so I
could sign some papers to get him enrolled.  It must have come as quite a
surprise to discover I was also in charge of the place, but he kept it to
himself and didn't say a word.  Besides Trey, only Cole and Graham still
attended my school, as the others were now at the high school.

On the way home that night I heard Trey confide his shock to the others.
"Why didn't one of you tell me he was going to be my principal too?  I
almost died when I saw his name on the door."

"I guess we never thought about it," Ricky told him.  "He's just always
been there, but it didn't really make a difference for you, did it?"

"No, but I was just shocked when I found out.  I thought it meant he'd be
really hard on us, but now I think it's kind of neat.  Most of the kids at
school seem to really like him, except for the troublemakers.  I heard one
of them say he think he's a bastard, because he's so hard on them, but they
deserve it.  Some of the kids I met today also told me I was lucky I get to
live here.  The things they said made me feel really good and I kind of
felt important after that."

"Well, don't let it go to your head and don't try to take advantage of the
fact that he's your dad or you'll see the side of him that the
troublemakers see," Danny informed him.  "He always told us we'd get no
special privileges because of our relationship and that, in fact, he would
expect more from us than the other kids, because we should know better.  It
is neat, but it's also harder.  Don't forget that."

"Thanks, I won't," Trey agreed.

"And don't forget to call him Mr. Currie at school," Graham added.  "He
makes us all do that, to show the other kids that he treats us all the
same."

"Oh, okay.  I didn't know that," Trey admitted, "but that's what I did
anyway.  I guess I probably did it because I'm not really sure what to call
him yet, but I'll remember to keep doing that whenever we're in school."

That evening went pretty much as usual, except that Trey went to his room
to read after dinner, instead of coming into the family room with the rest
of us.  Later, when the boys began to prepare for bed, Kevin went to Trey's
room and asked him if he wanted to share the bathroom with him again.  Trey
readily agreed and they were in the upstairs bathroom together, when Dustin
went up to take his shower.  A few moments later, I heard some screaming
and pretty soon Kevin came down in tears.

"What's up, bud?" I asked him.

"Dustin got mad because Trey and me were in the bathroom together," he
sobbed out, with the tears streaming down his face.  "I don't know why,
because we didn't do anything.  We didn't even shower together.  We just
shared the bathroom at the same time.  I just didn't want Trey to feel left
out."

"Although I'm not sure I understand why Dustin reacts like he does," I
explained, "it seems to me he still has feelings for you."

"But he keeps talking about girls all the time," Kevin shot back, "but then
he tells me he can see I want Trey and don't care for him any more, but
that's not true.  He's the one who makes me feel like he doesn't care about
me any more."

"Have you told him this?" I asked, hoping maybe he had discussed this with
Dustin.

"Yes and that's when he got mad at me," Kevin responded.  "I told him I
thought Trey was nice and I wanted to be friends, but that I wanted to be
with him more.  When I called him Dusty, he screamed that he didn't want me
to call him that any longer.  He said he only let me call him Dusty because
I loved him, but now he can see that's not true any more, he doesn't want
me to call him that from now on."  Kevin was having a tough time holding it
together, as his chest heaved while he told me this.

"When I reminded him about how he was always talking about girls now,"
Kevin continued, "and that he was the one who stopped loving me, he got
even madder.  That's when Dusty told me that one of us would have to move
out of the room, because we just couldn't be together any longer.  What am
I going to do, Dad?"

"The first thing you need to do is give Dustin some time and space to calm
down and think this through.  You can sleep with me tonight or ask Danny if
you can sleep with him, whichever you want."

"I'll sleep with you," Kevin answered quickly.  "That way Dusty won't get
any madder.  If I sleep with Danny, he might think I'm after him too."

"Good thinking," I agreed.  "Just give it time and things will work out.
Where's Trey and how is he taking this?"

"I guess he must be in his room," Kevin answered.  "Once Dusty and I
started arguing, I think he took off and I guess I kind of forgot about him
after that."  As Kevin told me this, I began to wonder how Trey was
responding to what had happened.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kevin apologized.  "I guess I was too upset and to think
about Trey.  I hope Dusty didn't scream at him too."

"Well, I'll just go upstairs and find out for myself," I assured him.
"While I'm seeing how he's doing, I want you to stay down here with the
others."  Kevin nodded his agreement, so I headed for Trey's room.

When I arrived there, I knocked on Trey's partially closed door.  "May I
come in?" I asked.

"Sure," he answered, although he looked surprised that I was the one who
was there.

"How are you doing?  Do you want to talk about what just happened?" I
inquired, but he didn't answer right away, so I pressed on.  "Sometimes you
have to trust people and talk about things or the problems get bigger.  Why
don't you just tell me about what happened a few minutes ago?"

There was another slight hesitation on his part, but he finally opened up
to me.  "I'm not sure what happened, except I guess I kinda messed things
up for Kevin.  Dustin got mad at us, because we shared the bathroom
together, but I don't understand why."

"It's because Dustin and Kevin have feelings for each other and have had
them for a long time, although Dustin tries to deny it most of the time," I
told him.  "I believe Dustin is jealous that Kevin is being so nice to you,
but you had no way of knowing this.  You see, Dustin lived with Kevin's
family for a while and they were pretty close.  In fact, Kevin's father
threw him out after he discovered the boys had feelings for each other.  He
also battered Kevin pretty badly, because of it.  That's how they both came
to live here."

"But we weren't doing anything," Trey blurted out, as if he were also
trying to convince me.

"I know and I suspect Dustin does too," I told him.  "However, I think he's
just scared about losing Kevin and isn't thinking straight.  Give him time
and things will return to normal."

"I didn't mean to cause any problems," Trey added, trying to ease his
conscience.

"I know you didn't, and you haven't," I assured him.  "Dustin just happened
to use you as his excuse, but it could have happened at any time and with
anyone else to whom Kevin was being nice.  Don't blame yourself and don't
worry about it.  I certainly don't want you to stop being friendly with the
other boys because of this.  Like I said, give it time and it will all blow
over."

"Thanks, I do feel a little better now," Trey admitted.  "I thought it was
just me."

"And Kevin thought it was him," I explained.  "You both need to just shrug
it off and let Dustin calm down.  He'll come around.  I'd bet on it."

I left Trey and thought about going to speak to Dustin, but decided I
needed to heed my own advice and let him cool down first.  If I approached
him now, I might just end up fanning the flames of this brushfire and turn
it into a full-scale blaze.  Instead, I'd wait and speak with Dustin either
later tonight or tomorrow -- playing it by ear.

I joined the others in the family room, until we decided to call it a
night.  Kevin was already in my bed when I got there, so I merely slid
under the sheet beside him.  Almost immediately, I sensed Kevin moving
toward me, so I stretched out my left hand, slid it under his head and
wrapped it around his shoulders.  His head dove straight for my shoulder
and I could hear the muffled sounds of his sobbing.  I didn't comment about
this, since I felt he was trying to hide his tears from me, but I did pull
him into me to let him know he was loved.  I thought he had fallen asleep,
when he lurched into a sitting position.

"Oh, shit," he blurted out.

"What's the matter, Kev?" I asked, concerned.

"I left something in my room and I can't sleep without it," he informed me.

"Well, why don't you just go and get it," I suggested.

"No, I can't do that," he responded.  "If I see Dusty, we'll just start
fighting again and I don't want to argue with him any more."

"Do you want me to go get it for you?" I asked, already fairly certain
about how he was going to reply.

"Would you?" he asked, while seeming almost afraid I might say 'no.'

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't willing to go," I assured him.  "Tell me
what it is and I'll go fetch it for you."

"Okay but don't let Dusty know what it is," he confirmed, nervously.

"I promise," I countered, in an attempt to assuage his concerns.

"It a little velvet, drawstring bag in my nightstand," he told me.  "I
sleep with it under my pillow every night."

"Okay.  I'll be right back."  I strode down to Kevin and Dustin's room and
quietly opened the door.  I was moving noiselessly in the dark, thinking
Dustin was asleep, when he spoke."

"Who is it?" he challenged.

"It's only me," I offered, feeling a little guilty I hadn't knocked first.
"Kevin wanted me to get something for him."

"What?" Dustin wanted to know.

"That's not important," I told him, "but how are you doing?"

"Fine," he answered, yet I felt his response lacked a sense of sincerity.

"You don't sound fine," I challenged, hoping this might lead to a
discussion.

He didn't reply, so I continued over to the nightstand and groped around
until I found what I was after.  As I turned around and prepared to slip
out of the room, Dustin spoke again."

"I just feel betrayed," he told me, on the verge of losing it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I assured him, as I walked over and sat beside
him on the bed.  When he didn't object to my being there, I reached out my
arm and placed it on his shoulders.  "I've talked to the other two and
think you may have overreacted a little."

"I don't agree," he stated, defiantly.  "That's two nights in a row that
Kevin asked Trey to join him.  I think he's falling in love with him, Dad,
and I just can't handle that."

"Are you sure he isn't just trying to be nice to your new brother?" I
pressed.

"No.  I've seen the look on his face, whenever he's watching him," he
admitted.  "You can see it in his eyes.  It's the way he used to look at
me.  I can tell."

"Well, he might be attracted to Trey good looks," I conceded, "but I've
spoken with both boys and they have each told me there is nothing going
on..."

"Not yet, but it will," Dustin interrupted.  "You just watch."

"I'd be willing to give you the same advice.  You watch too and see if
you're not mistaken," I challenged.  "I can tell just by what he's told me
that Kevin has very deep feelings for you.  He's crushed and hurting in my
room.  He wouldn't even bunk in with Danny tonight, because he was afraid
you might misread that as well.  Besides, I think you're giving him
confusing signals."

"Why?  What do you mean?" Dustin shot back, unable to grasp my implication.

"Well, you now act as if you want to be close to him, maybe even like a
boyfriend," I began, "yet you constantly keep telling us you're straight
and hope to get close to the girls at school.  I think Kevin is confused
about what to make of all this."

"Well, I do want to have a girlfriend," he told me, half-heartedly, "but I
still have feelings for Kevin too.  I don't know.  Maybe I'm bi.  I'm just
not sure.  I don't want to be gay, because I know what other people think
of them and I hear what the guys at school say about Brandon, and sometimes
even Danny.  I don't want them talking about me like that, but then again,
I do really love Kevin and I guess that's why I acted as I did."

"Maybe you should let him know that then," I suggested.

"I'm not sure I can," he admitted, "at least not now."

"And why not?" I pressed.

"Because I think he's falling for Trey," he confessed, while seeming to be
hurting nearly as much as Kevin was over this.

"I'm not sure that's happening," he told him, "but keep your eyes open and
you might be surprised by what you see.  You might discover Kevin wants you
more than anything else."

"I will," he agreed, "but I still think you're wrong."

"Well, at least give it a fair shot," I encouraged him.  "Good night,
Dustin."

"Night, Dad."

Now that our conversation had ended, I left his room and walked back down
the hall.  Kevin was staring at the door as I entered, nervously waiting
for my return.  "What took you so long?" he pressed, as soon as I walked
through the door.

"Dustin was awake, so I talked to him for a few minutes," I admitted.

"What did he have to say?" Kevin countered, hoping I would tell him that
Dustin still had feelings for him.

"He just let me know he was hurting too, much like you are, and he's
confused," I explained.  "Give him time, Kevin, and I think this will all
blow over."  After saying that, I handed Kevin his little pouch.  He took
it from me and clutched it to his chest.  "What's in there, if you don't
mind me asking?"

"They're things that I've kept, since Dusty and I first got together," he
replied.  "It's really nothing special, but each thing means a lot to me.
There's a poem Dusty wrote for me once, a lock of his hair that I clipped
from his head one night while he was sleeping and a cheap kids ring.  He
gave it to me when we were younger and joked that it made us a couple.  I
don't even think he knows that I kept it.  I just can't sleep unless I hold
everything in my hand or put it under my pillow."

"You know, it might help if you told Dustin what you just told me," I
encouraged him.  "I think he might stop questioning your feelings for him,
if he knew how much those things meant to you."

"I can't tell Dusty about this," Kevin shot back, while looking
apprehensive.  "He'd think it was childish and that I was just being stupid
about it.  He'd say I was acting like a baby by clinging to such things,
like a child to his blanky or pacifier, and then he'd want somebody else,
someone who was more grown up and mature."

"I don't agree with you, so I hope you will reconsider about telling him,"
I replied.  "I think Dustin would feel honored and special because you
thought those reminders of him were worth keeping, but it's your call.
Let's get to sleep and you guys might look at things differently in the
morning."

Agreeing with at least that portion of my advice, Kevin cuddled up against
me, with his little treasure bag clutched in his hand.  It wasn't very long
before I heard his low, gentle snoring, which let me know he had fallen to
sleep.  I lifted my head slightly, so I could kiss his forehead, before
joining him in the land of Nod.


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