After a dip in the pool, during which time neither Drew nor Corey swam much, they dried off and went inside. In the kitchen, Lanna worried, "Are you two alright?"

Stopping, Corey grinned, "We're great, mom."

Drew explained, "We've been talking all day about jealousies and how we're going to deal with it."

"Oh," Lanna softly groaned, "now I understand why that kiss was so urgent."

"Well, it was!" Corey giggled. Going to the living room, Corey called, "Dad, can you join us?" Bill Seaver got up from the sofa and entered the kitchen. Corey returned to Drew and reached for his hand.

Drew cheerfully told his surrogate mom and dad, "We know what we have now is easy. In a month, I turn fifteen. Six months later, I've got my learner's permit and can start driving. Sooner or later, we're going to be doing way more than driving from house-to-house. That means more people and complications."

Nodding, Corey added, "I did something stupid, but you really need to trust us. Between us, we think of a lot of things. Whatever we can't figure out on our own, we have four parents to ask."

"And older brothers, and older friends," Drew finished.

Corey knowingly grinned, "Have you called the doctor?"

Bill wordlessly checked with his wife. Lanna grinned and huffed, "Yes, I have." Closing his eyes and smiling, Bill sighed. Corey and Drew helplessly sniggered. Lanna told Bill, "I had to hear it for myself. Trusting our boys isn't the issue. Fourteen years of being a mother doesn't simply end."

Bill grinned, "Did they exaggerate or lie?"

"No," Lanna smirked.

Corey rambled, "Limited exercise, more dairy in my diet, good blood pressure and test results, and three and a quarter pounds gained."

Drew offered, "Tomorrow we'd like to spend the last few days with Brian and Pete over in Agoura Hills, with Keith, Prez, Mike and Derrick. We'll be there until Thursday night or Friday morning, depending on when they decide to leave."

Bill nodded, "That's fine. Call us at night, just to touch base."

Drew smiled, "My cell phone is in Corey's room, plugged in and re-charging."

"Tonight's our alone time," Corey mischievously grinned. At what was left unsaid, Drew blushed. Bill sputtered and tried not laugh for Drew's and Lanna's sakes.

Lanna huffed, "Have some tapioca pudding for dessert."

Corey impatiently sighed. Releasing Corey's hand, Drew went to the fridge and got a fancy little dessert dish of pudding. He went right back to Corey and, with his index finger, put a dollop of pudding on his nose for Corey to lick off. Giggling his butt off at Drew's silent deviousness, Corey lapped up the pudding. He then put a dollop on his own nose for Drew.

Shaking his head and softly chuckling, Bill went to the cupboard for two wine glasses, opened the refrigerator door and then poured the wine. Bill put the bottle back in the fridge then got a spoon for the boys to eat their pudding. Drew took the spoon, but only used it to put a larger dollop of pudding on his nose. Lanna picked up a glass, took a sip and left the room to Corey's loud laughter.

Picking up the other glass of wine, Bill softly sniggered, "If you're trying to drive your mom crazy, it's working." He then left the boys to play with their food.

Alone at last, Corey giggled, "That got 'em."

Drew chortled, "There's serious time and play time. They delayed our play time with more serious stuff." He had a spoonful of pudding.

Barely controlling the volume of his voice, Corey covered his mouth and sniggered, "They'll learn or become drunks." He opened up wide and allowed Drew to shovel a spoon of pudding into his mouth.

Swallowing another spoonful of pudding, Drew hummed, "This is good. I don't think my mom ever made it." He fed Corey another spoonful.

Corey swallowed and smiled, "It's dairy so I'm not complaining about the sugars."

Proudly beaming, Drew leaned closer and whispered, "Keep it up, Cor. After mom and dad go to bed, you might be covered in pudding, from your nips to your nads."

"You would too," Corey giggled.

Swallowing another spoonful, Drew nodded, "Right here in the kitchen." He fed Corey the last spoonful then rinsed the dish and put it in the full dishwasher.

Corey hurried to the living room and asked, "Should I turn the dishwasher on?"

Lanna nodded, "There's detergent in there already. Go ahead."

Drew heard and turned the machine on before Corey returned. They went through the living room and said "good night" on their way to Corey's bedroom.

Corey closed and locked the door. He and Drew took their damp shorts and underwear off, hanging them on the back of the desk chair. Corey turned the TV on and began channel surfing. Drew softly asked, "Are we done with our discussion?"

Corey nodded, "I think so. There's not much more I can think of. Can you think of anything else?"

Drew shook his head, "It's all pending now. We'll chat with Keith and Prez then deal as things happen. If something happens we want to act on then we'll talk again."

Finding nothing else worth watching, Corey settled on ESPN Sports Center. They climbed up onto the bed, cuddled together and watched TV, occasionally commenting on Major League Baseball games of the day and the remarks made by the hosts.

When ten o'clock passed and Drew hadn't heard Corey's parents close their bedroom door, he lay on his belly between Corey's spread legs and began toying with Corey's limp penis. Neither he nor Corey said a word, but Drew had never seen anything more beautiful or remarkable than Corey's private parts. As was normal for both, getting hard meant attention would shift from dicks to any other body part. They knew every inch of each other; bruises, freckles, moles, scrapes, where new hair had sprouted, and reveled in it all. Only after erections were lost would attention return to their dicks.

Remembering the nights that Corey wanted Drew to pretend he was with Susan, Drew asked, "Wanna make believe I'm Brian or Prez?"

Slowly shaking his head, Corey said, "Nope. It's too late for that now. As much as they may like or love me, I don't think they'd spend half an hour like you just did."

"Okay," Drew grinned, "I'm just gonna play with your dick some more then."

"You're making me crazy, stud," Corey giggled.

Drew smiled, "This is something I won't ever do with anyone else," and gently tugged on Corey's foreskin. Corey whimpered. Drew reminded, "Pete's cut. Derrick isn't, but that dick ain't mine to admire." Releasing Corey's dick, Drew twirled a finger around his lover's pubes and reminded, "These are mine to play with too." He carefully felt each testicle and asked, "Both are mine, right?"

Smiling widely, Corey nodded, "All yours to examine any time."

Wiggling a finger between Corey's cheeks and teasing the outside of his anus, Drew confirmed, "Mine too?"

"That is only yours, Drew," Corey insisted.

Since Corey's dick seemed to still be chubby, Derrick traced a finger around his navel and checked, "Mine?"

Clenching his teeth, Corey softly cackled, "Yes! Stop tickling me!"

Not wanting to make his examination known to Corey's parents, Drew sniggered and pushed up into a kneeling position. Each of Corey's thighs was muscle with tight skin and absolutely no fat at all. Caressing both thighs, Drew promised, "We're gonna make these stronger, but only a little larger by running and barbell presses."

Corey nodded and asked, "What if they get too hairy?"

Drew smiled, "If they don't get hairy, we'll have to ask the doc what's up. I want them hairy, Cor. Too hairy doesn't exist unless you turn into an ape. Since your dad's not an ape, I'm pretty sure everything's gonna turn out perfectly. Does the hair on your sack bother me?" Corey shook his head. Drew checked, "The hair on your legs or arms?" Again, Corey shook his head. Crawling forward so he could whisper and not be overheard, Drew insisted, "Don't ever worry about me falling out of love with you over hair or height, Corey. It won't happen." Corey stole a kiss then nodded. Drew smiled, "Do I ever seem turned off or unenthused rimming your ass?"

Shaking his head, Corey assured, "Never. You started good and have been getting way better."

"It's because it's part of you, angel. It makes you happy so I'm very happy too. I'll help you get to where you want to be physically. When it comes to body hair, do you see too much on Derrick, Mike, Keith or Prez?"

"No," Corey softly replied. "They've got treasure trails and the start of chest hair that we don't have. It's weird that I'm looking forward to that on you, but don't want it on me."

Drew assured, "I want it on you too. Whenever you think about that kind o' stuff, forget about it." Pausing for a moment, Drew said, "You asked me what would make me angry. At the time I couldn't think of anything, but now I can say cheating on me would definitely cause a problem. We talked all day about possibilities without a problem. There's no reason either of us need to cheat, right?"

Corey nodded then asked, "Make love to me, Drew?"

Moving over to Corey's side, where he had been previously sitting, Drew lay down and promised, "Every way I can, Cor, with words and deeds. Right now, mom and dad are still awake, so let's jack off, like we used to."

Shuffling down, Corey sighed, "You're the most awesome person in the world to me."

Drew warmly smiled, "I feel the same about you too." They kissed and reached for the other's dick. Drew wondered, "When was the last time we did this?"

"A long time ago," Corey answered. "Too long, I think."

"It's as good as any other way, angel. I love the way you touch me."

"You taught me what you like. I taught you what I like." To prove the point, Corey reached down and massaged Drew's scrotum then returned to stroking his hard cock. Softly moaning, Drew stole a kiss. Also knowing what to do for his lover, Drew pulled the foreskin over Corey's cockhead then pinched it closed. Corey softly moaned then sighed. They remained on their sides, nose-to-nose, softly encouraging each other and reminding each other how good this simple act was. The best part was it was quiet. The worst part was it was messy, but even that wasn't terrible. The release still made them giggle and laugh through countless kisses. Cleanup began with their mouths and finished with the crusty bath towels from that morning's shower.

They were still near the closet when Lanna knocked on the bedroom door and reminded, "Call tomorrow night, boys."

In unison, Corey and Drew sweetly replied, "Okay, mom. Good night."

She said "good night" and then they heard the master bedroom door close.

Drew softly sniggered, "No slurred words. I wonder how much wine she's had."

Corey chuckled onto Drew's shoulder, "Enough to forget that we already promised to call." With Corey so close, Drew took him in his arms and began counting so they could sway and dance. Corey grinned, "You like dancing?"

Drew nodded, "Naked with you."

Corey smiled, "Make your dick sway." Drew stepped back and swiveled his hips enough to make his dick almost spin. Corey giggled his ass off and joined Drew in the silly moves. Before they became hysterical and kept the old folks awake, they embraced and giggled into their kiss. Corey wondered, "Are you ready for bed?"

Drew shrugged, "Let's turn off the lights and set the timer on the TV." Corey went to the television and set the timer for the maximum of three hours. Drew turned off the light and climbed onto the bed beside Corey. No sooner did he lay down, Corey crawled on top of him and stole a kiss then began grinding and humping. Drew purred, "My perfect angel."

"Is this enough for my stud?"

"This or orally; intercourse if we can be quiet, or we can save that for the morning."

Initially, they had the best of intentions. Grinding and humping led to oral sex, which led to rimming and Corey still wanted more. To be certain his beloved was quiet, they had intercourse in the missionary position too, so they could keep each other quiet. Four orgasms later, they settled down in bed and drifted off to sleep by the soft blue flickering light of Corey's TV.

Around midnight, Keith and Prez returned home from another busy night at Black Angus. Rush hurried to the door to greet his favorite humans. Once Rush was petted and praised, Keith and Prez went down the hall. There they found their friends as two couples, cuddling naked on the carpeted studio floor. All four innocently grinned. Keith teased, "We told you to wait."

Mike chuckled, "We tried to."

Brian cheekily offered, "Mike and Derrick got randy."

While Pete and Derrick roared laughing, Mike playfully argued, "Kind o' hard not to with our audience dirty dancing, slapping their cocks together!" Keith and Prez cracked up and turned around, leaving the studio doorway. They hadn't made it to the master bedroom before Rush barked, four voices laughed and shoved Keith and Prez into the room. Brian and Derrick began undressing Prez while Mike and Pete undressed Keith.

Holding his arms out, Prez chuckled, "Does this mean what I think it does?"

Unbuttoning Prez's shirt, Brian grinned, "It means we missed you."

Pete sniggered, "We saw the shower and now we get to use it."

Mike shrugged, "We did wait for you so we could all shower."

Also standing like a scarecrow while being undressed, Keith asked, "Did you dudes make love together?"

"No," Pete assured.

Brian said, "Just like at Yosemite, in plain sight of each other, but nothing more."

Locking eyes with Prez, Derrick shared, "This shower will be like others, plus two bodies; cleaning each other, getting hard, enjoying the contact."

Pete warmly smiled, "Understand that we do feel connections with all you guys. We're simply not ready to go all the way to orgasms." He sighed, "I wish I could explain why…"

"Pete?" Keith interrupted. He smiled, "It doesn't matter, dude. What you're doing says a lot."

With his shirt off, Prez lifted Brian's chin to make eye contact and assured, "The hugs and kisses at Yosemite said it all."

Derrick pushed Prez's pants and undies down to the floor. Standing again, he smiled at Brian, "That's my best bud."

Rapidly blinking, Keith teased Mike, "In the buff, except for our shoes and socks." Brian and Pete cracked up and then laughed louder when Mike shoved Keith onto the bed and Derrick pushed Prez down to the mattress. In moments, Prez and Keith were relieved of their footwear, pants and undies. All six went into the shower. Soon, the water was turned on and they were wet. Keith asked, "Since we're here like this, is it a safe assumption some kisses and hugs were shared?"

Brian, Derrick, Mike and Pete smiled and nodded. Mike grinned, "Shaun and Gil were here until ten. After they left, we started undressing, and then the evening jams began."

Derrick checked with Brian, "I'll shampoo and take care of the bubble butt?"

Brian leered, "That means I get to watch the giant redwood grow." Pete, Keith and Prez cracked up.

Mike and Derrick disjointedly sang, "Someone forgot to mention that!"

Prez reminded, "When we got your message, last Tuesday morning, bro."

Already behind Keith and shampooing his hair, Pete muttered, "Fourteen still seems like an exaggeration."

Soaping up Keith's neck and shoulders, Mike shook his head and assured, "We took it easy the next day."

Shampooing Prez, Derrick grinned, "Only five times the whole day; seven times more before Drew and Corey got here Wednesday."

Brian bathed Prez and shared, "We went to a great place for dinner tonight, Magellan." Five voices roared laughing while Brian devilishly grinned. Making matters worse, Brian pointed up at the ceiling and instructed Prez to raise his arms.

Playfully proving he could still get lost, Prez rested his arms on Brian's shoulders and asked, "Where'd ya go?"

Derrick answered, "The strip mall beyond B.K. on Roadside Drive."

Mike smiled, "Willy's Barbecue and Grill."

Keith chuckled, "Willy's, huh?"

Pete nodded, "It was great, even though Derrick got a little stressed and bent the silverware."

Prez turned his head to see Derrick. Derrick shrugged, "We were talking about Jake."

"Ah," Prez droned.

Brian asked Prez, "What is Keith thinking right now?"

"That Pete can shampoo his hair anytime," Prez quickly answered. "Pro hairstylists aren't that good."

Pete checked with Keith, "Really?"

Keith nodded and smiled, "Just the right touch, dude."

Pete smiled and blushed, "I'm sorry to say, you're done and ready to rinse."

Brian huffed and asked Keith, "What's Prez thinking now?"

Leaning his head back under the water, Keith grinned, "He's wondering if you're looking for a ticklish spot, Brian."

Brian checked with Prez. Prez nodded and shared, "I'm not ticklish, bud," and then tickled the back of Brian's neck. Cringing, Brian actually giggled and quickly moved away. Baring a toothy grin, Prez bounced his eyebrows.

Still uncertain, Pete told Keith, "Pick a number between one and twenty-five then share it privately with me and Mike." Keith grinned and nodded, then turned away from Prez. He showed Pete and Mike a number of fingers.

The three of them hadn't looked up and towards the other end of the shower before Prez chirped, "Eight." Pete's eyes opened wide.

Mike began chuckling and nodded. Keith grinned, "Go ahead, baby. Same rules and show it to Derrick and Brian."

Prez flashed all five fingers of his left hand three times. Again, Derrick and Brian hadn't looked over before Keith said, "Fifteen, our ages when we met. Right, lover?"

"Exactly," Prez warmly smiled.

Keith shared the story of the finals and how he had picked up the last few answers from Prez that day. Prez shared the story of the virtual hugs sent from Agoura Hills to Woodland Hills' Blockbuster, only a few weeks earlier. Keith smiled, "I used to think it was pretty amazing too. Then I thought about how open and ready I was for Prez to be my boyfriend, lover and life partner. We can't do it all the time, but can most of the time."

Prez shared, "Any time we're busy, I can't hear Keith. When we're thinking of each other, it's not difficult." Brian had adequately washed his front and was looking down, watching Prez's dick grow. A few seconds later, when Prez had a stiffy, he pulled Brian closer and gave him a hug and a tender kiss.

Liking what he was seeing, Derrick wrapped his arms around Prez and Brian, softly sniggering, "One Prez sandwich, comin' up."

Prez joked, "I feel a pickle between my buns." While soft chortling traveled around the shower, Pete and Mike made themselves a Keith sandwich. A few more kisses were shared. Keith and Prez reached for their bathers cocks and gave them a few strokes.

Mike warned, "Shower time is over, dudes," and then let one rip. Laughter broke loose and got louder when Brian dropped the soap. Mike laughed at Brian, "Go ahead, bend over and pick it up, I dare you!" Smirking and squinting at Mike, Brian bent his knees, picked up the bar of soap and copped another unexpected feel of Prez's goods.

Pete and Derrick turned off the water. Mike stepped out of the shower and passed out towels as everyone exited. Keith smiled, "What's amazing to me is we all fit in there and had space for at least two more."

Drying his hair, Brian suggested, "Let's get Corey and Drew to join us tomorrow."

Keith sniggered, "That thought hadn't occurred to me, since Drew's my brother."

Prez asked, "Do you think Drew would, babe?"

Keith shrugged, "I really don't know anymore. Just as important a question, would Corey?"

Derrick shared, "His first instinct would be to say no. Drew probably would encourage him though."

Mike explained, "While you were away, we gave Corey some more positive feedback, in the buff. I told him that he could stop traffic with a smile and a giggle."

Bent in half drying his legs, Keith muttered, "My brother got naked? The end of the world is nigh." Soft sniggering traveled around.

Mike nodded and grinned, "He did it for Corey's sake, bro. If it weren't for Drew, nothing much could've happened that day."

Pete offered, "They're planning on spending the next few days here with us."

Mike and Derrick paused for a moment and shared a meaningful glance.

Noticing them, Prez wondered, "What's up?"

Derrick grunted then explained, "We need to do laundry and general housekeeping in case of a motherly inspection."

Brian shrugged, "So we start some laundry tonight. Pete and I have a bunch of stuff to add." Glancing around, he asked, "What's the plan for tomorrow, besides a trip to North Hollywood?"

Mike smiled, "We could hit the beach afterward then come back here, relatively early?"

Keith reminded, "I need to get a few pair of black slacks, some white shirts and black dress shoes."

"Okay," Mike giggled, "no beach tomorrow."

Finished toweling off, Pete looked at his towel and five others then began gathering them and prompted, "Towel wash first. What else is there?"

"Clothes and sheets," Derrick smiled.

Brian nodded, "We start tonight and get as much as we can done. We'll get sheets started before we leave tomorrow."

With that, the six boys began wandering around. The remaining towels were gathered from the bathrooms and dish towels from the kitchen. Pete and Mike went out to the garage to get them in the washing machine. Prez and Derrick emptied the dishwasher and put stuff away. Deciding to make a food run, Keith and Brian slipped into shorts and T-shirts then left for Taco Bell.

Keith unlocked the 4Runner. He explained, "Black Angus is a cool job with great bucks, but we rarely get more than a snack to eat," and got in the driver's seat. Brian slid into the passenger seat and reached for the seatbelt. As he was buckling it up, Keith reached over and kissed him. He smiled, "For Prez, dude," and started the engine, explaining, "Every person that shows Prez that he's attractive makes points in my book."

Brian grinned, "You're all attractive, Keith, in heart, body and mind. If it was reasonable, I'd tell Pete, let's move now. I want what all you guys have and seem to make so easy. Even Drew and Corey make it look like being gay is easy."

Keith pulled away from the curb and Brian continued, "Last night, at Knott's Berry Farm, a fundamentalist older couple started in on us. Pete and Drew ignored it, which I completely expected. What was unexpected was Corey screaming and swearing before I could say I word." Keith began chuckling and Brian grinned, "He's as bad as I am, maybe worse. A lot of people in the line also began shouting at the woman, who was reciting anti-gay Biblical verses. Even Drew said something; he knows that the word homosexual didn't exist until the turn of the century."

"Prez and I told him," Keith smiled. "It wouldn't surprise me to learn my mom or dad said something to him too."

"The couple got ejected from the line and hopefully from the park," Brian proudly relayed.

Stopped at Kanan Road, Keith shrugged, "L.A. is jam packed with all kinds of people. No one puts up with inconsiderate jerks for very long. Being gay is easy, dude. It's other people that make it less easy by making bad assumptions; like all gay dudes are effeminate fags, like all lesbian girls are butch. I got to know four lesbians at our school. All four are pretty; one is so petite and dainty that you'd never guess she was lesbian. Out of all eight of us, Drew and Corey included, I'm not seeing one effeminate dude. Add Shaun and Gil, still nothing girly about either of them. Only the pitch of Ben's voice could cause someone to make an assumption about him. That's one out of eleven that might be perceived as something he isn't. Ben is so warm and so friendly and tries so hard sometimes. His asshole father made him feel insignificant to the point where he tried to kill himself."

"He did?" Brian gasped in shock.

Pulling the 4Runner into Taco Bell's drive-thru lane, Keith nodded, "Take notice of his wrists some time." Keith paused to place his order and asked, "Excuse me a sec, dude?" He then placed an order for twelve tacos, four chicken tacos and two burrito Supremes.

Brian sniggered, "Who's gonna eat all that?"

Inching forward, Keith grinned, "We will, easily. Prez and I can polish off the burritos and at least four of the tacos. The rest are for you, Pete, Mike and Dee."

Chuckling insanely, Brian reminded, "We had a great dinner at Willy's"

Keith paid the cashier then turned to Brian, sniggering.

Brian smiled, "Great food and a comfortable atmosphere with friendly conversation. Believe it or not, Mike and Derrick kept their shorts on all afternoon."

Passing sacks of food to Brian, Keith chuckled, "Small wonders never cease."

"Pete and I told them more about Yosemite. They told us more about you and Prez, about the fight and the repercussions of it, a little about the two men, Doug and Brian too."

Pulling out onto Kanan Road, Keith grinned, "They're pretty cool. A little eccentric sometimes, but I guess that's just life."

"How old are they?"

"In their mid-thirties; a little younger than my folks are, by three or four years," Keith answered. "We met Ben and Jessy through them. They were students of theirs." For no apparent reason, Keith began sniggering.

Brian smirked, "What?"

Keith giggled then huffed, "Mike and Derrick are at it again. They couldn't find anything on TV, so they popped in a porn tape for Pete."

Acting more worried than he truly was, Brian sighed, "We'd better hurry back."

"I'm hurryin'," Keith laughed. "You need to know, Mike has never been satisfied with a flaccid dick since he turned thirteen."

Brian chuckled, "And they were naked the last we saw."

Keith nodded, "Skinny dipping was Mike's first way of getting me and Derrick naked. They found Doug's and Brian's porn, so with no pool…"

"We just saw six hard dicks," Brian smirked.

Keith giggled, "What can I say? He's my best friend. Silly dares led to hand jobs and six months of guilt. We're as close now as we ever were, but he's still completely fascinated with dick." Stopping at the curb behind Pete's Malibu, Keith prompted, "Help me get this shade in place?" The windshield shade was up in moments and the sacks of food grabbed. Brian and Keith hurried out of the 4Runner and to the door. The moment the door was opened, they could hear giggling and Pete's laughter.

Looking around, Brian noticed four chubby dicks then looked at the television. His neck extended and he squinted, trying to make out the overexposed bodies on the video. Mike cracked up. Placing the bags of food on the table, Keith wondered, "Why in the world did you show him that shitty flick?" Widely smiling, Prez walked over and gave Keith a kiss then sadly shook his head and sat down at the table.

Shrugging, Derrick giggled, "It's unanimous; early eighties gay porn is more funny than exciting." He sat at the table across from Prez. Keith sat down beside Prez.

Brian loudly laughed, "What the fuck was that; four perspectives of the same orgasm? Did the guy cum? I couldn't see it! I only heard the moaning and grunting!" Sitting on the sofa, Pete laughed at the video and Brian's reaction, collapsing in a hysterical fit. Searching the coffee table for the correct remote, Brian stopped and turned off the video player. Flashing Mike his limp dick, Brian grumbled, "Can we see some decent gay porn that isn't just a white blur?"

Nodding and standing to go to the table, Mike giggled, "After we eat. Come on, dudes."

Sitting up, Pete sniggered, "I may never be able to watch gay porn again without recalling that foolishness." He stood, wrapped an arm around Brian and then went to the table.

Mike and Prez were already talking about Shaun and Gil visiting earlier. Mike assured, "He's getting better all the time. We even spent some time on improvisation. He played a slow blues rhythm and I explained how I was thinking during various sections. Then I played the same rhythm guitar part while Shaun got some jam time."

Prez asked, "How did that go?" and then took a bite out of his taco.

Mike hummed and shrugged until he swallowed his food then answered, "Okay. He wasn't doing anything fancy, just learning, hearing what he was playing and building off it."

Derrick offered, "He's got a very melodic style. Don't see Shaun interested in playing fast; as long as he's got himself a catchy melody to work off of, he's happy."

"That's Shaun though, isn't it?" Keith muttered.

Prez encouraged, "Tell us what you mean, babe."

Keith shrugged, "He likes to sing and play. That's what he was doing when we met him; strumming guitar and singing. He and Gil have told us that's what Shaun does at home too. On Friday nights, for the Sabbath, he plays piano and sings. In his room, he plays a little electric keyboard and sings. He's not looking to become the best musician, but he's happy with what he can do."

Derrick asked, "So we shouldn't push him?"

"As far as I've seen, you're not pushing," Keith smiled, "only encouraging. If he's interested and wants to learn, that's great for him and our band. If he's not interested, don't push it. He's happy, we're happy too."

Mike sighed, "It's me again. Prez and I are already collaborating. I'd like to see Shaun added to that."

Keith grinned, "Tell him that, bro. You and Prez are creating music. Maybe Shaun can help with lyrics?"

Checking with Derrick and Prez, Mike received nods. Mike teased Keith, "For a dude with a slow leak, sometimes you think pretty good."

"Bite me," Keith giggled.

Mike dramatically frowned, "All this time I've been trying to not bite you." Pete cracked up. With a mouth full of partially chewed taco, Brian quickly grabbed a napkin to cover his mouth and softly chuckled.

Finished eating, Pete wiped his hands with a napkin and smiled, "I'll get the wash into the dryer."

Derrick stood saying, "I'll get the next load into the wash."

Prez asked, "What's next, bro?"

Already on his way to the bedroom, Derrick answered, "Lots of colored T-shirts, undies and shorts, Prez."

Seeing four tacos remaining on the table, Keith encouraged, "Come on, dudes. There's more to eat here." Mike took one taco and Prez took another. Turning to Brian, Keith smiled, "Don't be shy."

"I'm not," Brian grinned, "I've had enough."

Returning to the room with his arms full of dirty laundry, Derrick said, "I'll have one more, but that's it for me."

Derrick walked out to the garage and Pete came back in. Keith gestured to the last remaining taco and prompted, "Pete?"

"Oh, no thanks, Keith," Pete smiled. "Sleeping on a full belly is not healthy."

Around the food in his mouth, Mike mumbled, "Who's sleeping?" and cheekily grinned.

Brian sniggered, "It's after one in the morning."

Stopping and standing behind Brian's chair, Pete grinned, "Six is definitely a crowd. We'll take the spare bedroom."

"And get the sheets dirtier," Brian joked.

Taking the final taco, Keith told Brian, "Pop that shitty video out and grab any of the Bel Ami tapes on the entertainment center. Any of them have much better video and audio." Pete and Brian went to the living room.

Moments later, Derrick came back into the room. Noticing Brian and Pete watching the start of a Bel Ami tape, Derrick cackled, "Mike!"

Prez and Keith cracked up. Still chewing, Mike pointed at Keith and mumbled, "There's the villain."

Shaking his head, Derrick sat down and smirked, "Doug and Brian will return to at least one broken bed."

Prez grinned, "We've all had our turn as first. It's your turn, bro."

Derrick hummed thoughtfully then softly asked, "Anything I want?" All three of his friends nodded. Derrick softly offered, "There's only one thing I haven't had, but I gotta admit, it scares me." Almost at once, Mike, Prez and Keith wondered what could possibly scare Derrick. He grinned, "That big dildo might split me in half."

Finished with his taco, Mike leaned closer and confided, "Nice and slow, Dee. Yeah, it takes getting used to, but it's not painful."

Keith suggested, "Lie on your back and take your time. If you'd rather be on your knees, Prez has insertion down to an art."

Blushing from the compliment, Prez began softly sniggering and pointed toward the living room. Derrick, Keith and Mike looked over and grinned. Brian was on his knees before Pete, copying new oral techniques from the video. Without saying a word, the trash was cleared from the table and thrown in the kitchen garbage can. Prez called Rush and turned off the dining area overhead light. Brian and Pete waved as their other friends filed into the master bedroom. Derrick closed the door and turned to find the other three evilly grinning.

Derrick went to Keith first, since he still had his boardies on. Tearing open the Velcro, he gave Keith a kiss then whispered, "Remember, I love you," and pushed the shorts down. Next in line was Prez, who received the same kiss and whispered message. Lastly, Mike got his cock fondled and a deeper kiss. Derrick told his lover, "Start with our dildo, Lick. When I'm ready, I'll ask for the bigger one."

Mike smiled, "Your wish is our command," then went to retrieve both dildos and the lube.

Derrick told Keith, "Find yourself a comfy spot at the headboard and spread your legs." Keith climbed up on the bed and pushed two pillows against the headboard to use as a backrest, then sat down. Derrick told Prez, "First, we're gonna make Keith crazy, bro. Show me your way of blowing him, so it's never an issue again."

Prez nodded and grinned, "Then what?"

Climbing onto the bed on all fours, Derrick answered, "Whatever me, Keith or Mike need."

"Works for me," Prez chimed.

Moments later, Derrick was straddling Keith's left leg and Prez hovered over the right leg. Mike had the dildo lubed and was preparing his boyfriend's ass. Prez softly instructed Derrick and demonstrated how he had started with Keith's cock the very first time. Tongue swirls led to only taking the head and more tongue twirls. Derrick repeated the process. Keith sighed and rested his hands on Derrick's and Prez's shoulders. What they hadn't noticed was Keith nodding at Mike. Suddenly, Prez felt his ass getting wet and looked back, smirking at Mike.

"What?" Mike chuckled, "I've got two fine asses to play with here. If you think I can ignore that, you'd better think again."

Prez grinned, "Remember Dee's the center of attention."

Throwing his head back, Mike laughed, "How could I forget? I've been looking forward to this for days." Spitting out Keith's cock, Derrick had a giggling fit. Then his brow furled as a dildo invaded his ass and he loudly moaned. Surprisingly, Prez's eyes closed and he also groaned.

Mere seconds later, Prez and Derrick had Keith's bone trapped between their open mouths. Keith purred, "That's real nice."

Watching his best friend's eyes practically spin, Mike sniggered, "I'm wondering who's gonna lose it first."

"Me," three voices replied, and Mike cracked up.

Composing himself, Mike focused on Derrick, pressing the larger of the two dildos in a little more. He shifted focus to Prez and slid the other slightly smaller dildo in a tiny bit. He was surprised that neither Prez nor Derrick had yet figured out what he had done. Prez should know the difference, and Derrick should also, Mike figured, but he remained patient, watching two open mouths pleasuring Keith's fat cock. He pushed a little into Derrick. His lover groaned again then opened his mouth wide and engulfed half of Keith at once. When Derrick released Keith's bone and rested his head on Keith's thigh, Mike pressed the other dildo further into Prez. Mike heard Prez's deep whimper then watched three-quarters of Keith's cock disappear into Prez's mouth. Pushing more dildo into Derrick before Prez released Keith, Mike widely smiled as Derrick went berserk on Keith's scrotum and pushed back, making the remaining few inches of the dildo disappear. Prez came up for air and pushed his ass backwards too. Prez and Derrick had obviously gone past the point of caring which dildo was in their ass and went wild riding the rubber phalluses, kissing each other then pleasuring Keith then trapping the shared stiffy between their mouths. This only went on for another two or three minutes before Keith began whining.

Brian and Pete had seen enough of the Bel Ami tape and turned it off to go to bed. In the quiet house, they heard Mike's evil chuckling, Keith's whines and a chorus of grunts from Derrick and Prez. They went into the spare bedroom and closed the door. Brian smiled and whispered, "Crazy in love?" Pete nodded and sniggered then stole a kiss. An unprepared Brian was lifted off the floor and put on the bed. Pete knelt down between Brian's legs to try out what he had learned from the video.

Across the hall, Keith began his warnings. Prez and Derrick didn't change a thing, rode the dildos and kept their mouths open wide, wanting Keith to blow. Unblinkingly, Mike watched a stream of semen shoot straight up a foot in the air then fall back down. Another shot, slightly less impressive and another followed. With half of their faces mostly covered in jizz, Prez and Derrick cleaned off Keith first then concentrated on cleaning each other.

His patience exhausted, Mike softly asked, "Ya ready for me, Dee?"

Derrick cheered, "Oh, hell yeah!"

Prez prompted, "Hold that bone in my ass, Mike." Dizzily, Keith watched Prez move into a kneeling position, so that the dildo was jammed up his ass. With Prez's hard cock there, Keith didn't wait for instruction. He crawled to Prez, landed a passionate kiss then squatted over his lover's lap and lowered himself down. Only lubricated by Prez's precum, it was a slow maneuver, but soon his ass was filled and he was holding on for the ride.

Derrick was happily chanting, "More, deeper, faster; oh yeah, my fuckin' wild man," with Mike trying to meet his lover's every desire.

Prez had little chance of holding back with a dildo in his ass and Keith bouncing like a bucking bronco. Of course, it also meant his cock had no chance to deflate or rest either; the dildo and Keith keeping him hard as steel. Soon, all four were again chanting "yeah" like a skipping Beatles record. Mike lost it then hurried before Derrick and finished his boyfriend off. They cuddled and watched Keith lean back on his arms, passionately grinding and riding Prez like they'd never seen before. At last, Prez groaned and stiffened. Keith whimpered and erupted a second time. Shattered, Keith looked around to make sure he could collapse without falling onto Mike or Derrick. With the coast clear, he let himself fall to the mattress. Prez lowered himself onto Keith, completely unconcerned about the dildo still half in his ass and not sliding any further out.

Holding Prez close, Keith managed to extract the toy and noticed the other dildo lying at the foot of the bed. Derrick realized what had been in his ass and smirked at Mike. "You're all growed up now, I guess," Mike chuckled.

Derrick stole a kiss and relented, "I was scared for no reason. I should've guessed you'd switch toys around."

Pulling Derrick closer and tighter, Mike offered, "I'll get one like that for us." While the four of them were softly chuckling and sharing kisses, Mike chanted, "Next!"

Exhausted from working and two phenomenal orgasms each, Prez and Keith laughed and shook their heads, sharing that they needed a breather and why. They prompted Derrick to make love to Mike. Initially, they watched and encouraged their friends, but were soon called to feed their cocks to Derrick and Mike. About two-thirty in the morning, intending to continue on another round, all four fell asleep with the night table guitar lamps on.

Corey had made it through the night without a nightmare. The sound of the front door closing as his mom left the house woke him. It was only Drew holding him close. Nothing and no one else could be more perfect. Still a little sleepy, Corey closed his eyes and imagined his life with Drew. High school dances flashed through his mind. He would help Drew with the P.A. and run the lights while Old Habits performed. Maybe, they could even go to the Homecoming Dance as a couple? Wouldn't that be fantastic? In the spring, they would go out for the baseball team. Drew could make any position on the team he wanted. It would be great if Drew played shortstop while he was the second baseman. What a pairing that would be! Corey could even envision taking over the G.S.A. in their sophomore year. Regardless of what Corey dreamed, it would all be easy and fun with Drew.

He opened his eyes and saw it was twenty after eight. Realizing his fantasies had taken almost an hour, he giggled. When Corey slightly shifted and stretched, Drew fell back. The arm that had been around Corey was now lying on Drew's stomach. Slightly lower, under the sheet was obvious morning wood. Corey had stopped himself before, but this morning he shuffled down, pulled the sheet over his head and started licking the erection that took him spiraling into heaven every time and every way they made love. Drew never stirred. Corey took only the pointed mushroom head into his mouth and let his tongue slowly travel around. Still nothing from Drew though, so Corey took him a little deeper, where he was most comfortable, but forced himself to not bob his head or hurry. Drew needed and deserved a pleasant wake-up blowjob. Drew's leg moved. The arm that had been on Drew's chest now rested on Corey's shoulder.

In his sleepy, just woke up voice, Drew softly croaked, "Awesome, Cor." Now Corey could love Drew's cock without worry of disturbing the boy he loved most in the world. Bobbing, licking and twirling his tongue around the perfect appendage, Corey enjoyed himself immensely. Drew also enjoyed it, as his soft moans and groans repeatedly proved. Drew tensed and stiffened then relaxed. He did it again and warned, "If you're gonna stop and give me some too, it better be soon." Corey only giggled and kept working his magic. Tensing and stiffening again, Drew whimpered, "Omigod!" Corey prepared himself. Drew began bucking in and out of Corey's mouth. Knowing there was no holding back, Drew chanted, "My perfect angel. It's so great. Omigod! I love you so much! Cor? Corey? COREY!" Spurt after spurt of bittersweet semen splashed into Corey's mouth and he swallowed it all, humming deliriously. When Drew's orgasmic pulses and spasms were done, Corey released Drew's bone from his mouth and tenderly licked its length.

Coming to his senses, Drew flipped the sheet away. They smiled at each other then began giggling. "Come here, you!" Drew sniggered. Corey crawled beside Drew and got a deep passionate kiss before setting down. Corey held on tight and enjoyed Drew's tongue gliding along his teeth then disappearing and reinvading his mouth. Pulling back and breaking the kiss, Drew warmly smiled, "I woke up knowing I was gonna shoot. How long were you down there?"

Corey giggled, "Long enough to enjoy every second. Don't know exactly how long." He glanced at the clock then playfully grinned, "Between ten and fifteen minutes, stud. I'll bet the first half of that you slept through."

Pulling Corey completely on top of him, Drew stole a tender kiss then prompted, "Do I get a turn?" Corey nodded and giggled. Drew directed, "Straddle my chest and feed me, angel."

Corey pushed up off of Drew. He waited until both pillows had been stuffed behind Drew's head then shuffled forward. As usual, Drew pinched the foreskin over Corey's cock, licked his fingers and then started on the enjoyable task. Drew always made sure that the head, foreskin and shaft got adequate attention, as Corey had taught him so many months earlier. It had Corey reeling in under five minutes. Drew's eyes smiled up and Corey's heart exploded. He began involuntarily thrusting his hips to and fro. Drew wiggled his fingers between Corey's cheeks. Corey could feel the right middle fingertip slip inside him and moments later, the left middle finger joined its mate. Corey knew the only reason he hadn't already collapsed was because Drew was holding him in place. He hissed, "Hell yeah, you big friggin' stud, it's gonna happen! Get ready. Omigod, Drew!" Bucking his hips one final time, Corey grunted and quaked. Drew greedily swallowed and hummed, causing Corey to tense and uncontrollably shiver. Then Drew opened his mouth wide, leaving Corey's bone lying there, just inside his mouth. Corey milked the last of his load into Drew's waiting mouth and then began giggling as Drew made a show of hungrily licking his lips and Corey's jizz coated fingertips.

Lying back down on top of Drew, Corey giggled, "Good morning!" Drew began laughing and couldn't stop, rolling back and forth on the bed, with his beloved holding on for the ride and laughing just as loudly. They eventually stopped rolling, with Drew on top of Corey and practicing his kissing techniques. Feeling hardness against his tummy, Drew paused and grinned. Corey giggled, "What a totally awesome kisser you are! My dick is too stupid to listen to my bladder though."

Drew pushed up off of Corey, hopped off the bed, like the king of the universe, and offered his partner a hand up. Corey took Drew's hand and followed his magic man to the bathroom. Without saying a word, Drew took his station behind Corey and held his dick, forcing it to point down at the bowl. It took a long minute of Corey sighing and giggling at the frustrating situation before he began to urinate. With his dick mostly hard, there were several short blasts before the flood gates opened. It seemed Corey took a long time to give Drew the nod to shake him off. The good part was that Drew's erection had completely deflated and he took his place with Corey now behind him and holding his dick. Moments later, the toilet was flushed and they brushed their teeth then went to the kitchen naked for breakfast. For the first time, Corey encouraged Drew to go out to the pool naked and not worry about helicopters or spying neighbors. According to Corey, "They would only be envious of your hot bod and jealous of me." Drew gave in and went out naked yet jumped directly into the pool. They did ten laps in the pool before getting out, drying off and going back inside to call Agoura Hills.

It was about ten-thirty when the phone rang, but no one answered. Drew left a message. "We're awake, had breakfast and a dip in the pool. We'll jump in the shower and be waiting." He hung up and grinned, "They're probably still asleep. Let's get our act together, Cor."

In Agoura Hills, Brian and Pete were awake, but were in the guest bathroom shower when Drew called, so they hadn't even heard the phone. Still in bed with their lovers, Prez and Derrick heard the phone, but weren't awake enough to think about trying to answer it. Seeing the time, they decided to wake Keith and Mike. Of course, this led to dealing with raging hormones and erections.

Mike wearily groaned, "Come on, today's our easy day. We have a few errands to run and some housework to do. Then we can chill through the night." Prez and Derrick agreed and took advantage of their sleepy lovers, starting with blowjobs and then swapping partners. It was Keith's and Mike's turns to hold hands and pray that they could hold off their orgasms. With Prez routinely taking his cock deep, Mike checked with Keith, "Have they learned their lessons very well, or what?"

"Extremely well," Keith agreed. Derrick was doing everything Prez had taught him to do, without difficulty.

Hearing those confirmations, Derrick and Prez swapped around again. They squatted over their lovers and went for a morning ride that neither Keith nor Mike expected.

Brian and Pete came out of the bathroom. They went down the hall and heard the bouncing and muttered words from the master bedroom. Once their toiletries were stowed away in gym bags, they stripped the guest bed. Pete went to the garage to get laundry going. Following close behind, Brian happened to notice the flashing message indicator on the phone. He played back Drew's message twice. The first time, he couldn't hear it all over the grand finale in the master bedroom and his own sniggering.

Brian went to the master bedroom door, knocked and loudly shared Drew's message.

Prez chuckled, "The door isn't locked, Brian."

Mike added, "We're only cuddling, dude."

Swinging open the door and finding naked couples together, Brian smiled, "How about we go get Drew and Corey while you guys get motivated?"

Keith confirmed, "You've obviously showered, but have you eaten?"

Brian nodded, "We're set guys. It sounds like Drew and Corey are too."

Cuddled with Mike, Derrick toyed with Mike's floppy dick and grinned, "Mister long cock says, today's the chill out day."

Prez cracked up and added, "Mister fat cock says, take your time."

Before Brian could reply, Mike mercilessly tickled Derrick and Keith attacked Prez. With his car keys in hand and ready to go, Pete stepped up behind Brian and saw the other four playing. Over their combined laughter, Pete loudly chuckled, "We'll be back in about twenty or thirty minutes."

Stepping out of the house and closing the door behind him, Brian helplessly laughed, "If that's insanity, fit me with a stylish white jacket."

Pete nodded and grinned, "No matter what, I'll try to remember, Bri."

They got in the car and pulled away. In his rearview mirror, Pete noticed Ben walking up the street.

A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. Derrick, Mike, Keith and Prez had only begun brushing their teeth. Thinking it was Brian and Pete at the door and they had forgotten something, Prez ran to the door and opened it. A very stunned Ben stood there drinking in Prez with his jaw almost on the ground.

Prez thought, "Crap! Why not just slap the poor guy in the face with your dick?" Standing there naked with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, Prez came to his senses and pulled Ben inside then closed the door. He held up his index finger, signaling Ben to wait, and then hurried back to the master bathroom.

Seeing a beautiful pale bubble butt jiggle away, Ben's jaw hit the floor again. He took a deep breath, sighed explosively and went to turn the television on, silently praying 'Please God, whip me up one boyfriend like all of them? I'm not picky; I just want what they have as couples.'

Prez spit out the toothpaste suds in his mouth and softly complained, "It's Ben, dammit!" Keith, Derrick and Mike grinned past their toothbrushes. Next to spit out his toothpaste suds, Mike cracked up. Derrick leered at Prez, scoping out his naked best friend from head to toe. Keith made suds ooze out of his mouth, making him look like a rabid dog ready to devour Prez whole. Prez whined then grumbled, "You guys are not helping. Think about Ben, not me!"

Wheezing, Mike staggered into the shower and turned on the water. Derrick, Keith and Prez followed. Masked by the sound of the shower, they started softly talking. Beginning to bathe his lover, Keith smiled, "When we're done in here, and you're dressed, you have to kiss him again, baby."

While Mike chortled and bathed him, Derrick nodded, "its true, Prez. Show Ben that you like him, tell him that you do and explain why it happened."

Prez frowned and griped, "He almost made me feel like a slab of meat. Anyone else might've just jumped me and started humping like mad." The bar of soap flew out of Mike's hand; hit the floor with a loud clunk and Mike howled laughing. Derrick had no way to stop Mike from making Prez crazier, so he kissed him hard to at least mute the sound.

Taking Prez in his arms, Keith shared, "You need to get used to it, baby. You're hot to me, Mike and Derrick. Brian loves his giant redwood and Pete's got a fascination with your bubble butt. Ben's now seen you too. Do what Dee suggested. It's totally cool, baby, I promise."

Prez sighed and moaned, "It was an accident. We all thought it was Brian and Pete, didn't we?"

Keith nodded and assured, "Accidents happen. Don't worry, okay?"

Prez quietly bathed Keith for a few minutes then had a thought that seemed better than only him dealing with the situation. Prez suggested, "I think we all need to reassure Ben. I can easily start it, but he'll need to hear again that we all care about him; especially Mike and you, Keith."

Mike squealed, "Why me?"

Prez smirked, "Because you were laughing the loudest. To us, it's a silly mistake worthy of laughs, but not to Ben."

Derrick nodded at Mike. Mike shrugged, "Okay, that'll work."

Prez told Keith, "He needs to feel sure that you don't hate him or feel jealous of him, babe."

Keith nodded, "Easily done, Prez."

They took the quickest shower of the last week and hurried to dry off then got into clean clothes. With Prez in the lead, they marched out to the living room.

Watching TV from the sofa, Ben meekly said, "The dog seemed to need to go, so I let him out back."

Prez smiled, "Thanks bud." He stopped in front of Ben and reached a hand out. Ben widely smiled and took Prez's hand then stood. In a flash, Prez had Ben wrapped in his arms. Prez whispered, "You're gonna make some lucky guy so happy, Ben. In some ways, I wish it could be me, but it can't because I'm already with Keith."

Ben nodded and sighed, "In a galaxy far, far, away… maybe?"

Prez nodded, "Very likely," and then tenderly kissed Ben. Stepping back, Prez reminded, "Soon, bud. A sweetheart like you can't stay alone. It's karma."

Next in line, Keith wrapped Ben in his arms and shared, "Prez is one of a kind. I got very lucky one day last year. Your lucky day is coming too; don't ever think it won't happen, dude. Keep hoping, like I did."

Realizing what was happening; Ben smiled at Keith and at each of them, softly assuring, "You four are the best friends I could ever hope for. When I started coming over here, I had no expectations at all. Don't worry about me, please? I would've spazzed out if any of you opened the door naked." He reminded Derrick, "I already have when you did that." Derrick nodded and softly chortled at the memory. Ben blushed, "If you aren't too embarrassed then I won't be either. I'll hang out today so you can see for yourselves, it's all very cool. I'll be back tonight and probably again tomorrow. The party is still set for tomorrow night, isn't it?" Getting four nodding heads in response, Ben smiled, "I'll be here too then. Even if nothing else happens, I'm not alone."

After that little speech, Ben got more hugs and kisses anyway, causing him to blush and giggle. They were just breaking up and Prez let Rush in to be fed when the front door opened. The dog barked once and hurried to greet Pete, Brian and, much more happily, Drew and Corey. Prez called for Rush to eat. Once his dog sat, Prez put the bowl down. He then went down the hall to close all the doors.

Keith asked, "Is everyone ready to jet?" Getting nods and vocal affirmations, Keith said, "North Holly-weird first then we'll hit Promenade Mall on the way back."

Drew asked, "Why there?"

"I've gotta get work clothes for Black Angus," Keith answered. "I've been wearing Prez's stuff the last four nights. It's the mall I'm most familiar with, so we can get in and out again quickly."

Curious as to what kind of response he might get, Brian grinned, "Then we get to clean this house and finish the laundry."

"WHAT?" Corey and Drew loudly squealed. Brian cracked up.

Pete sniggered, "Mike's mom might stop by for one of her inspections."

Derrick grinned, "Or maybe my mom. We just have to keep the place semi-organized and not looking like nine dizzy queens are too lazy." At the 'dizzy queens' remark, Ben broke into gales of laughter. Derrick checked with Pete, "Do you want to drive or shall I?"

Pete smiled, "I'll drive if you'll navigate?"

Derrick nodded, "Let's go." Mike led the way out of the house. Drew and Corey went with Keith and Prez to the 4Runner. Ben, Mike and Derrick got in the Malibu with Pete and Brian. Prez followed Pete's car out of the neighborhood.

Turning to look back from the front passenger seat, Keith asked, "What did you want to talk privately about?"

Drew glanced at Corey then blushed, "We'd like to know what's goin' on with you two and Mike and Derrick. It's obvious something's changed."

Corey added, "Since last week, when you got back from Yosemite, we assume something's changed because everybody French kissed Derrick that morning."

Keith glanced at Prez. Prez only shrugged and explained, "What we said that morning was the truth; any one of the four of us could have a reason to leave for a few days. The three remaining keep each other sane and happy."

Drew hummed then softly asked, "You're having sex as a group then; not just couples within sight?"

Making eye contact with his brother, Keith nodded, "Kisses, hand-jobs and blowjobs are shared. Intercourse is for only couples. We've used the dildos on them and they've used 'em on us. The facts are that Mike's my best friend; Derrick is Prez's best friend. We're attracted to each other. Admitting that and acting on it took a while and a lot of talking."

Corey explained, "We talked all day yesterday about what we thought of you four, and how we want our relationship to be."

Drew asked, "Is it unreasonable for one of us to stop something from happening if the same attraction isn't there?" Seeing Keith scowling, Drew sighed, "Take Ben, for instance. Let's say he's attracted to me and tells me so. I'm cool with considering sex, but then I tell Corey and he's not attracted to Ben that way. As far as I'm concerned, Corey's not with me, so it's over."

Prez grinned, "Is that really only an example or is it partially true?"

Drew blushed, "It's only an example. Ben's said nothing to either of us."

Corey giggled, "Knowing that intercourse isn't happening makes all the difference in the world. Also, we're talking long term friendships that became sexual."

Drew wondered, "What would happen if someone else was interested in one or the other of you two?"

Prez sputtered a brief chortle. Keith smiled at his silly lover then told Drew and Corey, "It depends. Knowing that someone would matters a lot, but actually going through with it is another story. Does anyone feel rushed; like sex is too much and too soon? If you've got the gumption to admit there's an attraction, then you also have to have nerve enough to tell the truth too."

On the 101 and passing through Woodland Hills, Prez said, "I learned from Keith that Mike and Derrick were interested last Christmas season. It took us and them talking as couples for seven months to get to where we are with Derrick and Mike." He sighed, "What I'm saying is, you two have been an intimate couple not even a month yet. It's great that you're talking about other attractions, but don't push it. It may be too soon, just like it was too soon for us, Derrick and Mike, until we were living together and the truth came out."

Keith nodded and expanded on that idea. "I love Mike. I care a lot about Derrick too. Prez is the only partner and lover I want though. Mike and Derrick are in the very same situation, knowing that they're permanent and admitting what they feel for us. It took a little more than a year. It took living together and each of us asking, 'what's it gonna be like next year, when we are living together and going to the same school?'

Drew nodded and asked Keith, "How did you and Mike get over your first failed attempt? I mean, now you're doing it again?"

Keith chuckled, "We were too young, bro. Imagine if you and Corey jacked each other off and couldn't kiss during or after. We hadn't fully come to terms with our own sexuality, but there we were, his load dripping off my hand and mine dripping off his hand. We couldn't say it was bad or wrong or that we did or didn't like it. The result was six months of saying nothing. After Mike's dad passed, we still didn't say much about it, but it was there. Earlier this month, we said what should've been said. Now nothing is hidden. Now we can do stuff together and kiss, before, during and after; as it should be."

Corey asked, "What's your situation with Derrick, Prez?"

Prez shrugged, "It was simple. I wanted to jam with Derrick and Mike. Derrick knew that bass and drums are the core of the rhythm section. We had to jam alone and he asked me over for that. Mike and Keith were at work and it wasn't sexual at all. We sounded good and got to be friends. Then he got me the job at Black Angus. Getting even closer, we realized that Keith or Mike could get jealous and made sure that never happened. Keith was my priority and Mike was Derrick's. There's nothing more that I can say really, until late May, when Derrick and I were goofin' around and wrestling. Suddenly, my good friend was close enough for me to notice that he smelled good."

Keith chuckled, "Prez was a nervous wreck about it too. A few days later, we tried some test kisses with them. The little green monster reared its ugly head and I freaked out. Suddenly, I'm a hypocrite; everything I told Prez was only words. It took us three days of hell to get over that. Now I can see Prez and Derrick differently; as two very attractive dudes that already have connections like Mike and I do. The greatest thing is, I might be with Derrick and Prez might be with Mike. Minutes later, Prez is right back beside me and we're getting boners again!" Prez, Drew and Corey evilly chuckled.

Drew told Corey, "Loving versus being in love."

"Exactly," Prez and Keith chimed.

Prez briefly glanced at Keith and received a nod. Prez said, "Last night, the four of us were together. The way we had been working it, until last night, was one was the center of attention for the other three. Without any of us intending for it to happen, each of us wound up feeling like the center of attention. Derrick and I were blowing Keith, but Mike was behind us getting us revved up with the dildos. This morning, while we were getting ready to leave, we each admitted that we felt like the center of attention."

"And how did everything eventually work out?" Keith asked Drew and Corey. Getting only giggles and shrugs in response, Keith smiled, "Since I was the one with two blowing me, I came. Derrick was ready for intercourse with Mike. Prez kept the dildo in his ass, kneeled back to give me his cock to ride and he came in me twice and I came again too. So, we wound up as couples again." He smiled at Prez and assured, "You were awesome, baby."

Prez cackled, "With a toy up my butt and you making us crazy, I didn't have a choice, did I?" Drew and Corey cracked up. Keith only faced forward and reached for Prez's hand.

Corey cheerfully told Drew, "We'll have to try squatting on a dildo and intercourse soon."

Drew nodded and warmly smiled, "We will, angel."

Since Keith and Prez had been so truthful, Corey felt like he needed to share. He told Keith and Prez that he and Drew had only learned about prostate massages the prior week. Corey and Drew were surprised that they were reaching orgasm from intercourse alone and had searched the Internet to learn what 'the magic button' was. For the remaining minutes until arriving in North Hollywood, that was the topic of conversation, using candles, cocks, dildos, and fingers as the method to accomplish the goal.

Prez parked beside Pete's Malibu and everyone got out of the cars. Keith explained to Drew and Corey that they needed to stay at a nearby McDonald's while the three older couples made separate trips into the store. Prez and Derrick were recalling how the store was laid out for Brian and Pete. They were the first to go in the store and browse around while the remaining seven went around the corner to McDonald's. They ordered drinks and fries and sat together. Ben was whispering to Mike and Derrick then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

Derrick chuckled and Mike loudly laughed at Ben; "No! You'll go in with us and pick out your own." Now that his secret was out, Ben flushed bright red. Keith evilly chuckled at Prez. Pushing his soda and fries out of the way, Prez rested his head on the table and mumbled incoherently. Smiling widely at the older five, Corey and Drew looked around for answers.

Grinning insanely, Keith shook his head and softly promised, "Later."

Drew shrugged and fed Corey another French fry. Not far away, at another booth, sat another group of four teenagers. Soon after Drew fed Corey, Keith noticed them all lean over the table and start whispering. Keith didn't hide the fact that he was suspiciously watching them. Mike soon noticed and tapped Derrick. With three of the seven looking their way, the group at the booth noticed they were being watched. Drew fed Corey another fry then glanced around at his brother and friends. Drew then looked over in the direction of the booth. Seeing the four older teenagers nod and stand, Drew prepared himself for another homophobic confrontation.

The four went over to Keith. The shortest of the group introduced himself and his friends. "I'm Aaron, this is Danny and this is Glen and Craig. We couldn't help noticing…" Aaron glanced down at Drew and Corey then smiled, "Birds of a feather flock together."

Prez's head popped off the table. Keith explosively exhaled and chuckled, "Ya had me worried there, dude."

The one introduced as Glen, with streaks of blue dye in his hair, shook his head and grinned, "No problems here. Craig's my partner. Aaron and Danny hooked up around the end of last year." Prez, Keith, Mike and Derrick noticed Glen's tongue piercing while he spoke. He wore a polo shirt and jeans that had been cut with a razor, from the thighs to below the knees, leaving frayed air conditioning. Aaron wore an olive drab Army jacket, a plain white T-shirt and camouflaged cut-offs. Craig had on a wife-beater T-shirt and sagging board shorts. Danny wore a maroon colored sport shirt, with the top buttons left undone and a pair of khaki cargo shorts.

Keith introduced Prez as his partner, then his brother, Drew and Drew's partner, Corey. Mike introduced himself and Derrick and then Ben as a free agent. Aaron grinned at Danny. Danny provocatively mooed. Aaron and Danny went over to sit near Ben, Mike and Derrick. Everyone softly chuckled as Ben turned red from the unexpected attention and uncertainly glanced around, wishing for any help he might get.

Mike wrapped an arm around Ben and explained to Aaron and Danny, "He's really shy, but a real sweetheart."

Aaron nodded at Mike then faced Ben and smiled, "The sweetheart we can easily see. What makes you shy, Ben?"

Now sweating, Ben cracked the smallest of smirks and weakly muttered, "My father."

Aaron growled, "Did he sexually abuse you?" Ben rapidly shook his head. "Thank goodness," Aaron huffed. "I had to deal with Danny's freakazoid ol' man."

Derrick softly told Aaron and Danny, "Major emotional abuse, dudes. The old man lost it when Ben admitted he's gay. Now dad's in jail for assault and attempted murder."

Danny offered his hand to Ben and shyly admitted, "My dad's in jail too, as a pedophile child abuser. If he ever gets out, it won't be as a virgin." Ben didn't know what to say to someone that had a father conceivably as bad as or worse than his own. He slid his hand closer to Danny's and let their fingertips touch. Danny smiled and asked, "It's still new, huh?"

Ben nodded and whispered, "About three weeks."

At the other end of the group, Craig and Glen were getting to know Keith, Prez, Drew and Corey better. Learning that Drew wasn't yet fifteen and Corey was fourteen, Glen chuckled, "That is so cool! Never in a zillion years did I expect that; and feeding each other in public too." Seeing Drew turn red and Corey go into a giggling fit, Glen turned to Keith and asked, "Where are you from?"

"The other end of the valley," Keith answered, "Woodland Hills."

Prez asked, "You guys live here?"

Glen nodded, "Not too far away. We'll be starting our senior year at East Valley High in September."

Craig warmly smiled at Prez, "You've got the most awesome voice, dude. Where are you from?"

"North Central Texas," Prez chuckled. "A town called Sherman, about sixty miles north of Dallas."

Glen evilly grinned at Keith, "You get to hear that all the time?"

Watching Prez turn red, Keith cracked up and nodded. Prez shook his head and teased, "Keith's the lead singer in our band. He's got the voice that gets all the attention." He patted Derrick on the back and introduced him as the drummer and gestured to Mike as the guitarist. He finished by saying, "Drew and Corey run the P.A. and lights."

Sitting back, Glen sighed, "Melodic and totally mesmerizing," earning him a playful swat from Craig.

Keith softly sniggered at Prez, "You tried to turn the tables and failed, sex-machine." The entire group cracked up at Prez's pet name.

Prez softly warned Keith, "That double-headed dildo is no longer a threat, lover."

After another round of hysterics, Glen sighed, "If only…"

Keith smirked, "If only what? That's why we're here. Two friends are already at a store around the corner for their toys."

Prez nodded, "Since we're all under age, we thought the best way to deal with it was two-at-a-time. When Brian and Pete return, Derrick, Mike and Ben will go. When they get back, Keith and I will go."

Aaron excitedly asked, "Which store exactly?"

Mike offered, "Follow us there, dude. We'll show you."

"It's just around the corner from here," Derrick prompted. He then softly chuckled, "Keith took me there on our first date." Loud laughter erupted again. Aaron and Danny curiously glanced at Derrick and Mike.

Reaching for Derrick's hand, Mike nodded and chuckled, "That same afternoon, Prez took me to Guitar Center. The bone I got there was promptly fixed, let me assure you." Hearing that, Corey laughed himself into another case of hiccups.

Brian and Pete walked in, each carrying a small brown paper sack. They stopped at the group of tables and chairs and were introduced to Aaron, Danny, Craig and Glen. Brian and Pete left their purchases with Drew and Corey then went to get drinks. Aaron and Danny followed Mike, Derrick and Ben out of McDonald's. Drew and Corey peeked into the sacks, causing Prez, Keith, Craig and Glen to softly snigger.

Glen chuckled at Corey, "You're too young."

Keith and Prez shook their heads and assured their new friends that Drew and Corey were very serious. Brian and Pete returned to the tables where Derrick and Mike had been. Corey began telling them how he met Drew and went through their entire history, including arguments, breakups, and birthdays and holidays. He admitted that he was a recovering anorexic, thanks to Drew caring enough to argue about it. "Since then," Corey proudly smiled, "we're together all the time. My parents think of Drew as a saint or my guardian angel. We're out to our families and everything's very cool."

Picking up the story from there, Drew held Corey's hand and explained, "We're spending half of each week at Corey's and the other half with my family. When school starts, we're planning on full weeks at each house. All four parents know that we're inseparable. They're setting things up for us already."

Having not heard any of this, Keith's eyes were practically spinning. He wondered, "When did this happen?"

Corey giggled, "It started weeks ago, with my mom."

Drew nodded and told Keith, "It's been over a week since mom and dad got in on it. Mom talked to Corey's mom a week ago Sunday. Their attempt to organize us hasn't really worked so far. Half the time we're in Agoura Hills, but at least our moms can plan dinners." He turned to Prez and grinned, "We'll have a new roof by the end of this week. I think the new siding is going up next week. And, I have a new bed, that doesn't have a headboard." At Drew's sly statement and Keith's and Prez's obvious bewilderment, Brian and Pete couldn't hold back another second and roared.

Turning to Brian and Pete, Keith smirked, "Don't encourage him," and then helplessly laughed at himself and the new Drew. Aaron and Danny returned alone, with a single large sack.

Prez grinned, "I'll bet I know what that is."

Aaron chuckled, "You should since we stole your idea."

Leaning over near Prez and Keith, Danny softly chortled, "Do you dudes know they only come in one length and a very thick circumference?"

Briefly whimpering, Corey quickly picked up the empty French fry box to use as a fan and began giggling again as he attempted to cool off. Laughter started with Craig, Glen, Aaron and Danny. The infection was transferred to Brian, Pete and Prez. Drew and Keith sadly shook their heads and smirked. Looking up, Corey asked Danny, "Can I see?"

"No," Drew, Keith and Prez chorused. Corey dramatically frowned, causing another round of laughter and soft 'size queen' remarks by Aaron, Danny, Craig and Glen.

Prez devilishly grinned, "Not really. It's more a case of being spoiled, right, Cor."

Rapidly nodding, Corey giggled, "Spoiled rotten, through and through. I'm gonna specialize in genealogy."

Keith's head sagged into his hands and he softly chortled, "Sex-machines. Plural."

Drew grinned at his brother and suggested, "Wanna go outside until this topic runs out of steam, bro?"

"Maybe," Keith chuckled.

Brian joked, "We're at the wrong restaurant. They don't serve whoppers here." Another eruption of loud laughter got the attention of other patrons coming in for lunch. Keith and Drew stood, but were quickly reseated by Prez and Corey.

Danny leaned over and whispered in Corey's ear. Corey nodded and smiled, "They're brothers and it runs in the family."

Drew's head sagged onto his arms on the table and he groaned, "Corey."

"What?" Corey giggled. "I'm proud of you."

Still hiding his blushing face, Drew begged, "Not here, please?"

Realizing he was enjoying the conversations a little too much and getting silly, Corey nodded and stood, prompting, "Come on, let's get some air." Drew stood and walked away with Corey. Believing that leaving their two young friends alone wasn't a safe idea, Brian and Pete followed them outside. As soon as they were out of the restaurant, Corey sincerely apologized.

Shaking his head, Drew admitted, "It's me, Cor. I'll only say so much in public, you know that. I don't know how to change or if I want to try either."

Pete asked, "Did anyone imply you have to change, Drew? Corey understands. We get it too, and here we are."

Drew sighed, "It's just public places, ya know? If we were at the house, just a bunch of gay dudes, yeah, I'd prob'ly be a little embarrassed, but not like this; in public, I can't do it. Part of me wishes I could go with the flow and let the fun happen. Now I'm sure those dudes are wondering what's goin' on."

Brian stated, "You just met those guys, Drew. Don't worry about them. If they like you, as an individual, then you'll get to see them again and they can prove they're friends."

Corey gently reminded, "Who's important? Not assholes that mock you. If those dudes are cool, they'll drop it or apologize, right?"

Hearing virtually his own words coming from Corey's mouth, Drew nodded and smiled.

Feeling like he had truly helped his boyfriend, Corey shivered. His first instinct was to hurry to Drew to give him a hug, but the sidewalk in front of Mickey Dee's in North Hollywood wasn't the place. A single joyful tear ran down Corey's cheek that he quickly wiped it away. Drew saw it though and mouthed, "Thanks, angel."

"Any and every time," Corey simply replied.

Returning from the store with sacks in their hands, Brian saw Ben, Derrick and Mike approaching. He grinned, "Mission accomplished guys?"

Mike gushed, "You dudes have gotta see what Ben got."

Derrick nodded, "It's the most unique one in the store."

Blushing fiercely, Ben grinned, "It's not that special."

The three of them stopped near Corey, Drew, Brian and Pete. Mike rolled his eyes and told Ben, "It's perfect dude. Had I known a year ago, it's exactly what I would've gotten."

Derrick explained, "It's like the Towers of Hanoi, ya know, the little donuts on a pole that kids play with? This doesn't come apart, but it's consecutively larger segments, from finger size on up." He smiled at Ben, "The perfect choice, dude, honest."

Ben giggled, "It took me forever to find it and longer to ask the sales person for it."

Mike chuckled and Derrick grinned, "Why are you dudes out here?"

Corey quickly said, "We needed some air, that's all."

Heading for the door, Mike said, "Well, its lunch time and I'm hungry."

Following Mike to the doorway, Derrick sniggered, "Thank God you didn't get that fifty dollar humongous one, dude."

Mike chuckled, "Twelve by seven is nothing more than a conversation piece, or maybe an ornament."

Brian, Pete, Corey and Drew gasped, "My God!"

Heading toward the tables where Keith, Prez, Aaron, Danny, Craig and Glen were still sitting, Mike shrugged, "Almost everything in there is between twenty and thirty bucks. Fifty is as ridiculous as the size."

Prez, Keith, Craig and Glen stood. Keith wordlessly checked his brother. Drew nodded and smiled, gesturing to Corey. Prez passed Corey twenty bucks and said, "Get lunch for Drew and yourself, Cor."

Corey nodded and smiled, "Thanks, Prez." He then told Drew, "Let's get lunch." Drew nodded and followed Corey to the line.

Ben, Derrick and Mike were showing their purchases to the others. Everyone agreed that Ben had found the perfect toy for anyone. Brian and Pete went to the line to get a little something for lunch. Prez, Keith, Craig and Glen left McDonald's and headed to the store.

As soon as Corey and Drew returned to the tables, Ben, Derrick and Mike got up to get lunch. Aaron and Danny sincerely apologized to Drew, not realizing they had gone overboard. That made points with Drew and twice as many for Corey. Drew thanked them and explained himself, saying the same things he had said outside to Corey, Brian and Pete.

Upon returning with their lunches, Brian and Pete heard Drew's explanation and paid close attention. Had either Aaron or Danny poked fun in any manner, Brian and Pete would've said something. Of course, Aaron and Danny were very understanding and even shared a little of the horror story about Danny's father. The story upset Pete more than anyone, other than Brian, could tell. Pete hurried through his lunch, causing Brian to curiously raise an eyebrow. Excusing himself, Pete went to the men's room. A few moments later, Brian also excused himself and went to find Pete.

Ben, Derrick and Mike sat down, wondering where Brian and Pete had gone. Not completely thrilled with the fish sandwich he had ordered, Corey replied, "Bathroom."

Noticing Corey only occasionally taking small bites from his fish sandwich, Drew asked, "What's the matter?"

Grimacing, Corey complained, "I don't like it."

Drew suggested, "Go get something else then, Cor. Prez gave you plenty. I'll finish that in two bites."

Corey shrugged, "There's not much I want here, other than a small salad, maybe?"

Drew reminded, "Something's better than nothing." Corey nodded and got up then went back to the line. Noticing Aaron and Danny's curious expressions, Drew shared a little about the 'conniving anorexia demon' that messed with his boyfriend.

Corey returned with his salad and added his own perspective. "Getting something else was an obvious solution, but I didn't think of it. I only thought, oh well, this sucks so I won't finish it." Shrugging, Corey dug in to his salad. Aaron and Danny complimented Corey and Drew as a couple. Brian and Pete returned, sat down, and then told Aaron and Danny some of what they had witnessed, causing Drew to blush and Corey to giggle around his salad.

Aaron and Danny struck up a conversation with Brian and Pete; learning where they were from and how they had met the Hundsers, Seavers, Mike's family and Derrick. They realized that they still had not met anyone else from Derrick's family. Mike chimed in to tell Brian and Pete that the Seiberts lived directly behind his mom's house.

Derrick shrugged, "The last two visits were from Mike's mom. Now that they've got the puppy and kitten, I completely expect my mom to stop by, either today or tomorrow."

That prompted Aaron to divulge a little history. "I've known Danny since grade school, but we didn't become friends until high school. Last summer, we started messin' around. Last Christmas, we both admitted that it wasn't just a game; we really liked each other a lot and came out. So, we're on winter break and Danny's coming over every day. We were talkin' about clearing the air with our parents. Danny wasn't ready, but said I could. I hadn't said a word, because he wasn't going to."

Danny offered, "Aaron's mom is a corporate real estate agent, leasing business spaces, so she comes and goes during the day. The day after New Year, I was there at Aaron's. It was a weekend so his mom and dad had seen me there. I went home for dinner and the pedophile was in one of his moods. He got some from me and left me bruised. I always had some excuse for the bruises and to not go all the way with Aaron, for obvious reasons. Once I cleaned up and pulled myself together, I went back over Aaron's place."

Aaron grunted and picked up the story. "So we go to my room and we're playing video games. Danny's still wearing three shirts and sweating, so I tell him to get comfortable. He takes off one shirt. He's my boyfriend, so I get silly and go to get another shirt off him. That's when I saw a bunch of marks and bruises that weren't there just a few hours earlier. He tells me what happened and had been happening for years. Well, I fuckin' meltdown and call my parents into the room. First my mom sees a lot then she leaves and my dad gets Danny to strip down to his briefs. I have never seen the fires of hell in my dad's eyes before. He yells out of the room to my mom, 'Call the police, right now,' with some colorful expletives."

"It hadn't occurred to me, probably because I was humiliated, that now I had witnesses," Danny softly explained. "The next thing I know, I'm telling the police what had been happening since I turned twelve. Aaron and his folks tell the cops that I was there, with them most of the day and without any of the marks. Back to Aaron's room we go with a police photographer. By this time, cops have been to my house and arrest my father. When Aaron and I step out of his room with the photographer, my mom is there. She never knew what was happening, at least once a month for more than four years. My dad had always made up some bullshit story and I was too ashamed to tell her. Now it's all out in the open for her and Aaron's folks too. My mom has to go with the police to make her statement. The next day, she calls a lawyer to divorce the closet case pedophile." Danny paused and muttered, "The worst part for me is, I can't. I try from time to time, but I haven't been able to allow Aaron to…"

"Have I ever forced you?" Aaron softly smiled. Danny shook his head. Aaron gently assured, "I won't ever either. So I'm bottom for you. I love it, Danny. It's truly no biggie that you can't. Thanks to these dudes, we now have a toy too."

Danny grinned, "I'm looking forward to being able to, Aaron, with the toy and with you."

Reaching for Danny's hand, Aaron promised, "It won't ever be like it was with him. It'll be fun, just like everything else."

Welled up tears from the traumatizing story and from Aaron's loving declarations flowed freely. Ben, Brian, Corey, Derrick, Drew, Mike and Pete constantly wiped away their tears and complimented Danny, for his courage, and Aaron for being a true saint and savior. Mike got up and went to the counter. He returned moments later with a pencil and paper. Jotting down the phone numbers at Agoura Hills and his mom's house, Mike encouraged, "Call us any time for any reason. There's a party tomorrow night. I'd love it if you dudes could come."

Danny thanked Mike, but balked, "We're not like you dudes. I'm seeing a shrink and getting medicated. On top of that, we self medicate, smoking pot daily and nightly."

Corey squealed, "So what? I was seeing a shrink too; one that did diddly-squat for four months. Drew did more in one weekend than that witch doctor ever did. Brian's insistence and intensity made it all happen, because he's been where I am now."

Nodding at Corey, Drew bluntly asked, "Are you high now?" Aaron and Danny nodded. Drew confirmed, "You've been high since we met?" Again, Aaron and Danny nodded and vocally confirmed it. Drew snorted, "Well if anyone has a reason, it's you dudes. And I like you." Glancing down and around the tables, Drew checked, "We all do, right?"

Everybody confirmed Drew's statement. Mike smirked, "We smoke pot too, with far less of an excuse than you dudes. That's no big deal. If you're too stoned to leave the party, you can stay the night."

Derrick smiled, "We won't take no for an answer. Please come to the party."

Prez, Keith, Craig and Glen walked into Mickey Dee's, each carrying various sized sacks. Seeing red, puffy eyes, Keith suspiciously asked, "Wassup?"

Uncharacteristically, Mike wiped his eyes and softly quivered, "Aaron and Danny are invited to the party tomorrow. I gave them our phone numbers."

"Cool," Prez sang. "Craig and Glen have our cell phone numbers. We hadn't invited them only to check with you first." Turning to Glen, Prez smiled, "You're invited. Are you coming?"

Glen chuckled and turned to Craig. Caught off guard, Craig checked with Aaron and Danny, softly muttering, "err... umm… uh."

Danny nodded. Aaron grinned, "Sure, we'll be there. Just tell us where and when."

On another piece of paper, Mike began writing out the address while Derrick gave them directions. Corey and Drew got up to peek in Keith's sack, which were their new toys anyway, so Keith chuckled and handed it to them. Once Aaron, Danny, Craig and Glen knew where they were going, Keith explained that they had another errand to run. Prez prompted them to call if they couldn't come and hoped that they all could make it. Handshakes and knuckle-knocks were passed around. Walking out of McDonald's together, the two groups said goodbye and split in two, with four walking in the opposite direction of the other nine.

Keith checked his watch and saw that it was already after two. "We were there for over two and a half hours," he loudly laughed.

Derrick shrugged, "We accomplished a hell of a lot more than just a toy run."

Drew admitted, "When I saw Keith, Mike and Derrick watching them, I thought they were more 'phobes."

Keith said, "Brian and Pete told us about what happened at Knott's Berry Farm." He tapped Corey on the shoulder and grinned, "You lost your temper, we heard."

Corey giggled his ass off. Drew and Brian chanted, "What's your problem, bitch?" All nine cracked up.

Prez shook his head and remarked, "The strange thing is, they say one in ten is gay. It seems to me that one in twenty is an extremist that might say something. That's how rare it is."

Drew nodded, "Lots of other people in the line told that lady to shut up, in one way or another." Checking with Brian and Pete, Drew said, "It seemed to me half were saying something and the other half weren't."

Brian agreed, "Pretty close to half. The silent ones were probably on the fence; not agreeing or disagreeing with either side."

"It wasn't any of their business," Pete offered. "It would've been better for the woman to take that point of view and keep her opinions to herself. What did she get for her sermons? Ejected from the line and probably the park; screwing up the day for her husband and two kids."

Prez gasped, "Her kids were there too?"

Corey nodded, "They walked away embarrassed, before security came."

"That's just dumb," Mike groused.

Derrick nodded, "We just spent two and a half hours in a public place, talkin' about all sorts of stuff, without any 'phobic remarks from anyone."

Keith chuckled, "Its North Holly-weird, where being gay is the least of anyone's worries."

Prez called, "Keith?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm thinkin' about gettin' one of them tongue piercings." Loud laughter erupted.

Keith giggled, "So I can lose it faster? There's no need to, lover. Additional stimulation is not required."

Brian chortled, "Stick to ice cream, guys," prompting another round of laughter.

Unexpectedly, Pete enthusiastically sang; "I must've dreamed a thousand dreams, been haunted by a million screams, but I can hear the marching feet. Ooh, they're moving into the street. Now did you read the news today? They say the danger's gone away, but I can see the fire's still alight, there burning into the night."

Keith joined in with Pete singing; "There's too many men, there's too many people, making too many problems, and there's not much love to go round. Just tell me why this is a land of confusion."

Prez and Mike started singing a harmonized bass line. Derrick, Brian, Ben and Corey clapped their hands every other beat and added the counterpoint harmony. Drew joined his brother and Pete singing; "Now this is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given, use them and let's start trying to make this a place worth living in. Oh yeah!"

"Ah Superman, where are you now? Seems everything's gone wrong somehow. The men of steel, and the men of power, are losing control by the hour.

"This is the time, this is the place, where we look for the future, and there's not much love to go round. Just tell me why this is a land of confusion.

"Well this is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given. Use them and let's start trying to make this a place worth living in. Oh yeah!"

Gathered in the parking lot near their cars, they finished the song, improvising harmonies and rhythms while Pete, Keith and Drew sang.

"Well I remember long ago; yes, when the sun was shining, ooh, when the stars were bright, ooh, all through the night, and the sound of your laughter, as I held you tight, so long ago. Oh, oh! Oh, oh! Oh, oh! Oh, oh!

"I won't be coming home tonight. My generation will put it right. We're not just making promises that we know we'll never keep.

"There's too many men, there's too many people, making too many problems, and there's not much love to go round. Can't you see this is a land of confusion?

"Now this is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given. Use them and let's start trying to make this a place worth living in.

"Yes, this is the world we live in, and these are the names that we're given. Stand up and let's start showing, ooh, just where our lives are going to. Oh yeah!"

Across the street from the parking lot and near the train tracks, about twenty or thirty pedestrians stopped, clapped and cheered the impromptu street performance. Giggling insanely, Mike, Derrick, Prez and Keith waved then bowed. Keith was nearest to Pete and tried to get him to bow too. Pete only laughed, stepped away and shook his head.

Pointing at the band members, Corey and Drew shouted, "Agoura Hills, end of summer concert in the park."

Mike turned to Derrick and wondered, "Why aren't we playing more Genesis?"

Shrugging, Derrick offered, "There are a bunch we could do too; Abacab, Misunderstanding, Land of Confusion, to name a few."

Unlocking the 4Runner, Prez suggested, "Tonight's jams."

Brian chuckled, "With clothes or naked?"

Mike teased, "Does it matter?"

"I suppose not," Brian grinned.

Everyone piled into the cars. Pete pulled out and Prez followed the Malibu back to Woodland Hills. In the back seat, Corey pulled toys out of the bag. He and Drew were very happy with the choices Keith had made for them; a seven-and-a-half by five and an eight by six. Then Corey checked the larger sack Prez had carried into McDonald's. In it were four dildos; one like the one Rush had destroyed; one like the Tower of Hanoi one that Ben got; one a little larger, but not as large as the nine-by-six monster; and the two-foot long double-headed dildo that was their original purpose. It had a wide circumference and Corey got silly, putting his feet up on the seat and pointing a business end at his butt. Alone in the car, Drew had no problem playing with the dildo and Corey. Keith got crazy with one dildo too, trying to fit the rubber phallus in his mouth while teasing Prez and laughing. By the time they stopped at the Promenade Mall, all four were hysterical. Virtually the same was happening in the Malibu. Mike and Derrick were giving Ben fellatio lessons and got out of the car with rubber cocks stuffed in their mouths. Emerging from the car, Ben was hiccupping from laughing too hard for too long.

The mass of nine teenage boys walked into Macy's men's department. Several of the older employees became nervous. The three younger employees converged on the group. Keith explained that he needed "black work slacks, white shirts, black socks and a pair of black shoes that won't slip on a kitchen floor. All this is for a busboy job, so it's not like anything has to be the greatest. The shirts are gonna become a greasy mess every night." Prez stayed with Keith, helping get everything as quickly as possible.

Drew and Corey went with Brian and Pete to the sportswear department. Brian and Pete wanted some "Cali T-shirts for souvenirs".

Mike and Derrick took the still hiccupping Ben to the underwear department. None of them were seriously looking for anything. Derrick and Mike were only teasing Ben more, asking him to switch from boxers to Calvin Klein tightie-whities. Little by little, Mike and Derrick got Ben to show them what clothes he might get, had he not spent most of his cash in North Hollywood. Ben didn't have bad taste at all, but he did like clothes that would only make his already large frame seem bigger. Derrick suggested, "A dude your size and build needs to steer clear of stripes. That Gatorade T-shirt has a big wide stripe on it. Stick to solids."

Mike pulled Ben over to a display of solid polo shirts, saying, "Any of these would look great on you, dude."

Pointing at a rack of plaid button down, short sleeved sport shirts, Ben asked, "What about those?"

Derrick pulled two of the shirts off the rack, one light colors and the other dark colors. He held them up to Ben and checked with Mike. "Light over dark, every time," Mike confirmed.

Ben hummed then admitted, "I would've gone with the darker of the two."

Leaning on his friend's shoulder, Derrick softly asked, "The old you wanted to disappear in the crowd?" Scowling, Ben thought about that for a few moments then reluctantly nodded.

Mike grinned, "I wear dark to memorialize my dad and because of my heavy metal preferences. You're gonna wear light colors to memorialize your father too; to stick it right in his face and say, 'I'm gay, I like other dudes, I want to look good and stand out in the crowd.' That's gonna be the new Ben Healy; acting confident and lookin' sharp."

Derrick suggested, "Why don't you ask your mom if you could go school clothes shopping with us? We'll go with Keith and Prez. We'll have you set and lookin' good."

Already done with their shopping, Keith and Prez approached, each carrying large sacks. Mike waved them over and told Derrick to hold up the shirts before Ben again. Keith and Prez pointed at the light color sports shirt, chanting, "That one." They went over to the polo shirt display. Mike held up a chocolate brown polo shirt to Ben. Then Derrick held up a tan polo shirt. Again, the lighter color was chosen. Corey, Drew, Brian and Pete joined them. An olive shirt was compared to a lighter green; black was compared to a silvery grey; navy blue to sky blue. In every case, the brighter colors were selected.

Prez told Ben, "The day I met you, you wore a plain white T-shirt. That's the last time I saw you wearing a light colored shirt."

Ben shrugged and blushed, "I was hangin' in my room with the headphones on. I didn't change shirts."

Keith grinned, "You've got dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Add dark clothes and its overload, dude. One day soon, Prez and I are going to your house with you."

"Why?" Ben wondered.

"To reorganize your clothes," Keith smiled. "The dark stuff is going to the bottom of the drawers and in the corners of the closet."

Prez squinted at Ben, "Be glad I don't run amuck and toss it all."

Giggling, Ben mooed and nodded. The group started for the exit.

Mike told Keith and Prez about Derrick's school clothes idea. They agreed to do their shopping together, with Ben, in August. Drew and Corey also wanted to come along.

Walking across the parking lot, Keith asked Prez, "Are there only our two shirts from work last night in the laundry?"

Prez nodded, "I think so, babe."

"Cool." Keith suggested, "We'll do these four plus those two shirts plus whatever white undies and socks are around."

Pete reminded, "The guest bedroom sheets are done. There's a laundry basket of clothes to be emptied too."

Derrick thought aloud, "So there's the king sized sheets and the whites still."

Prez wrapped his arms around Drew and Corey, saying, "You guys would be a big help by taking Rush over to the park. Give us twenty or thirty minutes to vacuum and mop floors."

Before Drew or Corey replied, Brian asked, "Would they be safe, Prez?"

Prez chuckled, "With Rush? I dare anyone to try anything. The hound's got protective instincts." Ducking into the 4Runner, Prez buckled up and started the engine. He glanced back in the mirror and asked, "Did you guys tell Brian about the perv, while we were camping?"

Both boys shook their heads. Drew explained, "That's just Brian being protective. He was ready to tear off limbs at Knott's; today, he came outside Mickey Dee's with Corey and me. It's just the way he is."

"With us anyway," Corey added.

Keith smiled, "No, I think that's simply Brian."

In the Malibu, Derrick and Mike shared their experiences with Rush, during the camping trip with the pervert and alone with Prez in the park. Brian found himself wishing he was there to deal with the guy that scared Drew and Corey. When they got back to the house, Brian said that he would take periodic short trips outside, just to check on them.

Rush greeted everybody upon return to the house in Agoura Hills. Drew picked up the dog's leash. Hearing his favorite steel rattling sound, Rush scampered to Drew and sat at attention.

Within an hour and a half, bathrooms were clean, carpets were vacuumed, clean laundry put away, the dishwasher was emptied, the floors had been mopped and the guestroom bed was remade. Only the king size sheets were still drying and the whites were still in the washer. About five o'clock, stomachs began rumbling around the living room, dining area and kitchen. "Shit!" Mike grumbled. "Now that everything's spotless we have to make another fucking mess!"

"Noooooooo!" Eight other voices screamed in horror, and then fell about the place laughing.

Wiping his eyes with his hands, Derrick suggested, "Barbecued chicken is quick, virtually mess free and least expensive."

Keith shouted, "I'm all for that. Almost all the tips I made over four nights is gone."

Brian and Pete hollered, "We want ice cream for dessert!"

Mike giggled, "Ice cream blowjobs for nine. Get two gallons of chocolate, Dee." Ben, Corey and Drew lost it and cracked up. Ben considered reminding them of his single status, but thought better of it. The thought of eight hot dudes licking ice cream off his privates caused him to blush and shiver.

Prez incredulously laughed, "The four of us polished off a half gallon. What's the extra gallon for?"

"Seconds!" was the unanimous answer, followed by more loud laughter and Rush barking his agreement.

Prez giggled, "Milk bones for you, hound dog."

A hysterical chorus of "bones" reverberated around the main rooms of the house.

Still laughing, Derrick tapped Prez and prompted, "Let's go, bro. We can get the shopping done fast."

Prez nodded and followed Derrick, chuckling, "Faster than bringing this entire loony lot with us."

Corey loudly giggled, "I want sprinkles on my cone!"

"And syrup!" Drew hollered.

Keith playfully added, "Bananas and whipped cream too!"

Derrick closed the door behind him before any additional silly last minute requests were made. He grinned at Prez and they both howled laughing. They got in the 4Runner and ran over to Safeway.

Mike asked Pete, "What made you start singing, dude?"

Blushing slightly, Pete shrugged, "It's just what I felt at the time," and recited, "I must've dreamed a thousand dreams, been haunted by a million screams, but I can hear the marching feet." He explained, "The thousand dreams were nothing like this vacation has been. The million screams was a leftover from hearing Danny's story. The marching feet was all of us walking. Since I started, I just kept going. Thankfully, Keith and Drew joined in. The rest was you guys. My voice alone wouldn't have gotten more than the men with the funny white suits." A barrage of moans and disagreements burst forth. Pete loudly assured, "With nine guys adding some music and hand claps, it got us noticed, and not dragged to the funny farm."

Mike went to the entertainment center on a quest for Genesis CDs. Keith got up from the living room floor and went to the kitchen then looked around the cupboards. Mike wondered, "What are you hunting for, bro?"

"Something to have with our chicken," Keith replied. "There's white rice and boxes of pasta here." Shouts for each sailed across the rooms. "Okay," Keith chuckled, "Rice and pasta." He took out the box of Minute Rice and a box of spaghetti then looked under the counter for large pots.

Finding several Genesis disks, Mike settled on 'Invisible Touch' and popped it in the player. He then hurried to the studio, returning moments later with an acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder. He sat cross legged on the living room floor and started working out the changes to Invisible Touch. Within a minute, Mike had zeroed in on the basic progression. Ben shook his head and muttered, "Amazing." Brian and Pete looked over at him and grinned. Ben blushed, "I would've spent that minute repeating the first four bars and still not had it right."

Pete said, "I didn't even know that you could play."

Ben shrugged, "Classical guitar, not like Mike though. I know two songs fairly well."

Brian encouraged, "That's still great. Keep practicing and trying."

During the time Ben, Brian and Pete were chatting, Corey whispered to Drew, "Should I ask for some sort of veggie?"

Drew nodded and took Corey's hand then led him to the kitchen where they talked to Keith and searched for some sort of vegetables. They had found cans of corn and green beans when the next song on the CD, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, began playing. Keith recognized it and began humming. At the first chorus, he loudly sang; "Cos tonight, tonight, tonight - oh, I'm gonna make it right. Tonight, tonight, tonight - oh."

Corey giggled, "Perfect!"

Keith grinned, "That's all I can really recall though."

Spinning to face Drew, Corey prompted, "You sing it next."

"I don't know it at all," Drew laughed.

Scowling for a moment, an idea entered Corey's blond head. He hurried back to the living room and found the CD case, opened it, and lo-and-behold, the lyrics were right there on the jacket. Proudly strutting back to the kitchen, Corey saw Keith and Drew holding in belly laughs. Corey smirked, "What?"

Keith giggled, "There's a little thing known as melody, the timing to sing the lyrics."

Corey triumphantly grinned, "The next song is Land Of Confusion though. Your next excuses are?"

Drew cracked up and wrapped Corey in his arms then landed a kiss. While they were still attached at the mouth, Keith offered, "Let's see what Prez and Derrick return with. If we need to open a can of veggies, we will. And Drew can sing alone this time."

Drew smirked at his big brother, "You're trying to get me in trouble with Mike."

Keith shrugged then shared, "He can't run very fast. You could outpace him without trying."

Softly counting, Corey began swaying and pulling Drew along to dance with him. They slowly moved out of the kitchen and back to the more open space near the dining area. They danced there and soon found Pete dancing with Brian a few feet away. The long second track ended and Land Of Confusion started. Corey gave Drew the CD jacket. Drew began singing. To the ears of everyone present, Drew sang at least as well as Phil Collins.

The emotion was there too, Keith silently considered. He paid close attention to Drew and could barely believe how easily Drew sang. Keith realized that he always had to feel something from the lyrics to convey that emotion. Swaying with Corey in his arms, Drew seemed to simply sing, matching note-for-note without any effort or thought at all. At the end of the song, Keith hurried to the CD changer and replayed the song. He took the CD jacket from Drew and sang alone to his friends. Still on the living room floor with the acoustic guitar, Mike played the rhythm guitar easily. Drew sang the background vocal part for his brother.

Prez and Derrick returned from their excursion to the grocery store. Keith was singing. Brian and Pete were dancing. Corey and Drew were swaying hip-to-hip. Periodically, Drew would sing the background vocals. When the song ended, Keith turned off the CD player and seriously said, "Opinions please. Prez and Derrick, you didn't hear Drew so hold your remarks."

Mike shrugged, "It's virtually the same, bro. Your tone is a little higher than Drew's, but other than that, either of you could sing it."

Pete hummed then offered, "I noticed a difference in presentation. You're more fun to watch, Keith. Drew simply stood there singing." Brian smiled and nodded, wordlessly agreeing. Keith checked with Ben and got virtually the same comment Pete gave.

Keith grinned, "That's pretty much what I was thinking before, while Drew was singing. I have to feel what I'm singing to get all the emotion I can behind it. Drew did just as good a job, without much effort, swaying with Corey." Locking eyes with Drew, Keith wondered, "How do you do that?"

Drew shrugged and giggled, "How do I know?" Corey cracked up. Drew grinned at his beloved and then shared with Keith, "Sometimes a song is predictable. I don't know how or why that is, but it is. It's like anything else, I guess. You learn step one, then two and so on, then just repeat the steps."

Ben meekly suggested, "Try the next song, dudes. Now that Prez and Derrick are back, everyone can critique it. It's a ballad, In Too Deep."

Keith checked with Drew. Drew sighed, "I'll do it, but you're all forgetting that I run the P.A. I'm perfectly happy doing that."

From the kitchen, Prez offered, "We're not looking to replace Keith. What we're doing is figuring something out for Keith's benefit."

Keith nodded, "I'm thinking that you sing easier than I do. Everybody else is saying that's not good or bad, it's just a different approach. Let's try it out, Drew?"

Drew shrugged then nodded and grinned, "You first."

Keith nodded and everyone took seats in the living room and dining room. Mike rolled nearer to the CD player and confirmed, "All set, bro?"

Keith nodded and inhaled deeply, scanning the lyrics in the CD jacket in his hand. Mike pressed play. The song In Too Deep began and soon Keith sang:

     All that time I was searching, nowhere to run to, it started me thinking,
     Wondering what I could make of my life, and who'd be waiting,
     Asking all kinds of questions, to myself, but never finding the answers,
     Crying at the top of my voice, and no one listening,
     All this time, I still remember everything you said
     There's so much you promised, how could I ever forget.

     Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this,
     You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps,
     Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this,
     You know I want to, but I'm in too deep.

     So listen, listen to me,
     Ooh you must believe me,
     I can feel your eyes go thru me,
     But I don't know why.

     Ooh I know you're going, but I can't believe
     It's the way that you're leaving,
     It's like we never knew each other at all, it may be my fault,
     I gave you too many reasons, being alone, when I didn't want to
     I thought you'd always be there, I almost believed you,
     All this time, I still remember everything you said, oh
     There's so much you promised, how could I ever forget.

     Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this,
     You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps,
     Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this,
     You know I want to, but I'm in too deep.

     So listen, listen to me,
     I can feel your eyes go thru me

Keith closed his eyes and listened during the instrumental break. His eyes reopened and he continued singing.

     It seems I've spent too long
     Only thinking about myself - oh
     Now I want to spend my life
     Just caring 'bout somebody else.

     Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this,
     You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps,
     Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this,
     You know I want to, but I'm in too deep.

     You know I love you, but I just can't take this,
     You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps,
     Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this,
     You know I want to, but I'm in too deep.

Everybody clapped, except Mike, who stopped the CD player first and then clapped.

Still clapping, Drew stood and loudly said, "Remember what I was saying about the song being predictable?" Everyone stopped clapping and nodded or vocally confirmed. Drew asked Keith, "When's the last time you heard that song, bro?"

Keith shrugged, "Gotta be months, I'm not really sure."

"But you rarely missed a lyric," Drew smiled. "The note was right, but you might have been too quick or too slow." Looking around the room, Drew grinned, "My turn, with the benefit of already hearing the song and Keith's interpretation. Remember that."

Mike asked, "Ready mini-Keith?"

Drew slouched and smirked while soft chortling traveled around the room. He took the CD jacket from Keith then nodded at Mike and prompted, "Hit it." Mike hit play. In a few moments, Drew started singing the entire song. With eight other dudes watching him, Drew concentrated on the lyrics. Where Keith tapped his thigh with his hand and swayed to the tempo, Drew just stood there. With body language, Keith exaggerated reaching for high notes. Drew simply sang. At the end of the song, more applause traveled around the room.

Sitting near Keith at the table, Prez bluntly asked, "What's the issue on your mind, babe?"

Keith shrugged, "It's not a problem of any sort, simply recognizing that Drew can sing every bit as well as me, but without the same effort. It seems easier for Drew. You know that I have to feel something from the words, Prez. Whether it's anger, or loss or love; I have to feel something." Drew had sat down on the floor with Corey. Keith asked, "When you sang Heaven's On Fire, what were you thinking, bro?"

Drew grinned and Corey fell back laughing, already knowing the answer. "That the only words not in the song are 'fuck me baby'," Drew sniggered.

While everyone fell into laughing fits, Keith grinned, "So it was just words on a page to you?"

"Pretty much," Drew nodded. "That's not the case with In Too Deep or Against All Odds. There's something being said worth singing in those songs."

"So you are feeling something?" Keith confirmed.

Drew shrugged, "A little, I guess. In Too Deep was about lovers arguing, with one not willing to go to the necessary extreme. Against All Odds seems like a breakup song, where the love affair is over and one is left yelling, take a look at me now, there's nothing left, but an empty space."

Corey rolled into an upright sitting position. He told Keith, "Here's the difference; you want to be with Prez, Mike and Derrick performing the songs. I was there in March and April, so I know it was new to you, and you were a little unsure and maybe a little reluctant too. Drew isn't performing, he's just singing, for me when I want, or if he wants to, and now for you and everybody else. Drew's as good as you are, but he isn't a performer. The little things that you do naturally, make you the band's lead singer."

Agreements began with Mike and Prez then traveled around the room. When everything seemed to have been said and rehashing began, Derrick stood then went to the kitchen. He crossed the rooms with the chicken and two bottles of barbecue sauce then stepped out back. Mike put the guitar on its stand then followed Derrick outside to lend a hand. Rush barreled out too, obviously needing to relieve himself. Brian and Pete got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen. They filled pots with water and put the pots on the stove, to get the rice and pasta started.

Ben, Drew and Corey moved to the table and sat with Prez and Keith. They were digging deeper into the meaning of song lyrics. Brian and Pete joined them and added their remarks. They went through all the songs slated for the end of summer concert. Hearing water boiling, Prez and Pete went over to the kitchen. Pete took care of the pasta and Prez dumped cups of rice into the pot, removed it from the burner and covered it. Before leaving Pete to watch over the pasta, Prez found the colander and put it in the sink. Prez returned to the table. Realizing that his mother would be home from work by now, Ben got up and called her, so she knew not to cook for him.

Mike hurried inside to find the meat thermometer for Derrick. He got side tracked by the conversation going on at the table until Derrick slid open the back door and shouted, "Today, Lick!"

Jumping where he stood, Mike giggled, "Sorry! Tangent alert! Beware tangents on the wing!" and hurried to Derrick, passing him the meat thermometer and a kiss while everyone else began chuckling again.

Pete asked, "What am I doing with this spaghetti? There's no sauce?"

Keith answered, "After you empty the pot, put half a stick of butter in the hot pot and just toss the pasta a little, Pete."

"The butter is on the inside of the fridge door, Pete," Prez added. He looked outside. Mike and Derrick were checking the chicken breasts. Pete was draining the pasta in the colander. Prez stood and said, "Let's get the tables set. Three will have to eat at the living room coffee table." Prez went to the kitchen. Ben, Brian, Corey, Drew and Keith waited on the dining room side of the counter. Prez passed plates over the counter, then silverware, glasses and paper napkins.

While Ben, Brian, Corey and Drew got the tables set, Keith gasped, "We forgot veggies for Corey." He told Prez, "In the pantry are cans of veggies, baby. Put something in the microwave real quick?"

Checking the pantry, Prez took out both the corn and the green beans. Noticing Keith grinning at him, Prez opened the cans, chuckling, "With nine of us, everyone can choose their favorite. It won't go to waste, babe." In moments, Prez had bowls of veggies spinning around inside the microwave.

Coming inside to get trays for the cooked chicken, Mike noticed the tables set and instructed, "Start serving stuff, dudes. We'll be back inside with the chickie-tits in a minute." He grabbed the serving trays Derrick had left on the counter and raced outside again. Pete and Prez came out of the kitchen with the pots of rice and spaghetti then began serving. Keith went into the kitchen and waited for the microwave to finish the veggies.

Mike came in with the first tray of chicken breasts. He put one on each of the three plates before Corey, Drew and Ben then went to the table and grinned, "There are ten titties. The first one done gets dibs on the spare."

Finished serving the spaghetti, Pete put the pot in the sink then returned to the table and sat next to Brian. He grinned, "You guys are all crazy. Chicken breasts are titties?"

Keith bounced his eyebrows and chuckled, "Gay teenagers with their minds constantly in the gutter."

While Keith was speaking, Drew leaned close to Corey and whispered, "I'll need some titties after dinner, angel."

Shifting his eyes mysteriously as Derrick walked in, Corey giggled and rapidly nodded.

Derrick smirked, "I've obviously missed something."

"Only tittie talk, Dee," Mike smiled. He put the empty tray on the counter then sat at the table.

Humming suspiciously while serving chicken breasts, Derrick grinned, "I guess there will be some after supper playtime with our new toys."

Drew quickly hollered, "Dibs on the guest bedroom!" causing Corey to break into a giggling fit and put his fork down.

Mike chuckled, "There's two that aren't interested in the spare chickie-tit."

Brian told Pete, "We're in the studio again."

"Is there a spare sheet and pillow?" Pete wondered.

Sitting down and carving into his chicken, Derrick nodded, "Several, in the hall closet, dudes; help yourselves."

Ben wisely remained silent and focused on his food. Although he was quiet, he anticipated trying out his new toy. He honestly didn't know what to expect and asked himself, would it hurt; would his dick even get hard or would it be twenty-five wasted dollars? Once he brought it home, he had to keep it hidden from his mother at all costs, that much was certain. Making matters more intense, across from Ben, Drew and Corey sat on the living room floor eating, and occasionally whispering and giggling. They weren't saying anything about Ben, but of course, Ben didn't know that. He briefly considered asking Drew and Corey if they were looking forward to playing with their toys, but couldn't pose the question. That would be something he could barely do with Derrick, Mike, Prez and Keith; most likely as a response to a question one of them had asked.

He sighed then asked, "Drew sings for you, Corey?"

Corey nodded and smiled, "It's only been a week since I learned he could sing." He giggled, "Now he uses it to have his wicked way with me."

Quickly covering his mouth with a napkin, Drew cracked up.

Ben grinned, "That wasn't a complaint, Drew."

Drew nodded and chuckled, "I know. It's weird though, having Corey, Mike and Keith, encouraging me to sing in the band. I never considered it. I'm not really interested either."

Ben nodded and offered, "When you sang Against All Odds with the band the other day, it was very good. I can easily see you and Keith singing that song, swapping verses, backing each other."

Corey agreed, "You might not be the performer Keith is, but you were mesmerizing, Drew."

"That's what I thought too," Ben smiled.

Drew blushed, "Thanks, but I really do enjoy working the P.A. That's enough for me."

Ben offered, "Gil and I could run it, if that's what's preventing you from singing one song with your brother?" The silly sexual chatter around the dining room table dwindled then ceased. Only Brian and Pete, who were sitting with their backs to the living room, didn't look over.

Looking into the dining room, Drew chuckled, "You all smoke pot! I'm not paying any attention."

Keith laughed, "Who told them we toke out?" Mike and Derrick suddenly found that finishing dinner was important and looked down. Keith groused, "Great work, dudes. Now I can really look forward to August. Which will accidently mention Bel Ami porn, and which will say we're stoners, in front of my folks?"

Corey, Drew, Brian and Pete cracked up. Mike sniggered, "It was necessary at the time. Danny and Aaron were dissin' themselves, because of past problems. Danny's takin' meds and they're both self medicating. They thought that was a reason not to come to the party."

Brian smiled, "It doesn't matter, Keith; not to Pete, me, Drew or Corey."

Drew chuckled, "I couldn't possibly think any less of you than I do already, bro." Everybody roared laughing, except Keith, who squinted at his brother. Drew giggled, "Your days as a role model ended about the third time I caught you…"

"DREW!" Keith loudly interrupted, and then helplessly cracked up. One after another, everyone, except Prez, Drew and Corey, asked Keith what he was caught doing. Hysterical, Prez pushed away from the table and turned redder than his hair. Refusing to answer, Keith looked down at his empty plate. Picking up his plate, silverware and glass, Keith stood and softly giggled, "No, ma, I didn't let them watch porn. They must've found it and watched it when we weren't around." Prez stomped his feet and howled. Keith raised the pitch of his voice and queried, "How long have you been smoking marijuana, Keith?" He lowered his voice and chuckled, "Not near long enough, I'm sorry to admit."

Smiling widely and knowing he couldn't get a response out of Keith or Prez, Pete told Derrick, "We've been here almost a week and never saw any of you toking out."

Standing and clearing the table, Derrick shrugged, "Other things take priority."

"Like music and sex," Mike chortled.

Shaking his head, Brian teased, "So the order is rock-n-roll, sex then drugs? I did not know this. Learn something new every day."

None of this helped Prez to chill out. He was sweating, turning purple and wheezing. Carrying two plates and silverware, Drew entered the kitchen, giggling at Keith, "I was surprised you let me say as much as I did. You know I'd never say anything. John doesn't even know and won't either."

With his glass and Drew's in his hands, Corey giggled, "I read Drew's journal so I know, but won't say a word. Anyway, no one would believe it." Softly sniggering, Keith loaded the dishwasher with the plates, silverware and glasses he was handed.

Overhearing Corey as he entered the kitchen, Brian asked, "Drew's got a journal?"

"I can only imagine what might be in there," Pete grinned.

Stepping out of the kitchen with Corey, Drew smiled, "Everything that happened around me for the last two years; what went on at home, when I met Corey and almost everything since."

Brian teased, "It'll be a best seller," causing another round of laughter.

Prez had given up and was on the floor playing with Rush. Ben carried his stuff to the kitchen and giggled at Prez, "Breathe in, breathe out, wax on, wax off."

All the sacks of toys were on the floor near the sectional sofa. Corey went over and knelt down to find the bag that had his and Drew's new toys. Drew joined his boyfriend. Mike asked Keith for a wash rag and towel to clean the tables. Derrick helped Keith at the dishwasher. The phone rang and Derrick answered it. It was his mother, and she would be there in ten or fifteen minutes. What had been a leisurely cleanup effort became an emergency before Derrick hung up the phone.

Prez stood and told Drew and Corey, "Put your horns on standby, guys. We have two bathrooms to spot check and clean. Just make sure the toilets still look good and the seats are down."

Brian said, "Pete and I will check the master bathroom, Prez." They went to check that the room was clean.

Nodding, Prez told Drew, "The guest bathroom is yours. I'll get the sheets for the bed." Drew and Corey went down the hall on their assigned mission.

Finishing the tables, Mike said, "I'll help you get the bed remade, Prez."

Ben asked, "Do you need anything from me, Prez?"

Glancing around, Prez smiled, "Keith and Derrick have the kitchen, so we're pretty much set, bud. Start hiding all your dark shirts."

Ben blushed, "I'll head home then and get out of the way." He found his sack with the unique dong.

Prez grinned, "Slow and easy for first timers. You have lube, I assume?"

Turning redder, Ben nodded, "I'll be back in an hour or so," and hurried out of the house before another embarrassing word was said. Prez hurried to the garage to get the sheets for the king sized bed. Since most of the work had been done earlier in the afternoon, bathroom spot checks were done in less than five minutes. Brian and Pete helped Prez and Mike get the bed made.

Sitting on the sofa, Drew and Corey were watching Seinfeld on TV. They were soon joined by Brian and Pete. Prez did some quick vacuuming. Finished in the kitchen, Derrick and Keith sat at the counter. Mike ran the Swiffer over the entryway and kitchen floors. The last things done were feeding Rush and taking the garbage out. After he was done eating, Prez let Rush out back. Everything was done and looking great, leaving eight boys innocently hanging out, watching television and waiting for only a few more minutes.

Derrick's mom knocked on the door and Derrick went to let her in, saying, "Hi, mom."

Mrs. Seibert greeted and hugged her son then went into inspection mode, carefully looking at the entryway floor. She passed the entryway and was hit with a barrage of greetings from seven other boys. Grinning at his mom's shocked expression; Derrick led her to the living room, saying, "You know Keith and Prez. Remember Keith's brother, Drew, and his boyfriend Corey?" She nodded and said hello. Derrick then introduced Brian and Pete, explaining, "They're on vacation from Portland. Mike and I met them the beginning of the month. They returned with Keith and Prez from Yosemite last week."

Brian and Pete stood to shake hands with Mrs. Seibert. Derrick's mom couldn't help suspiciously asking, "Everybody's staying here?"

Brian nodded, "Yes, ma'am. We're leaving Friday morning."

Drew added, "A new roof is being put on our house, so me and Corey will be here 'til Friday too."

Derrick smiled, "Everybody knows we're getting inspected, mom. Get out the white glove."

Mrs. Seibert grinned and grunted then said, "There are eight here so I should find everything spotless?" An out of sync chorus of affirmations flowed from the boys. Carefully looking around the living room, she slowly moved towards the dining room, and then the kitchen. Derrick and Mike followed her to the guest bedroom, the master bedroom and bathroom, and through the studio and guest bathroom. Mrs. Seibert smiled, "Perfection in every room. I'll let your mother know, Michael. Have a good night everyone." A pleasant chorus of farewells of various sorts was offered to Derrick's mom. Mike and Derrick stepped outside with her.

Beginning to lose control, Corey whimpered, "Drew?"

Drew nodded understandingly and softly smiled, "Another minute or two, angel."

Keith went over to the side of the sofa and began peeking in bags then passing them down the couch to their respective owners. He passed their sack of toys to Prez and held Derrick's and Mike's bag of goodies in his hand. Standing, Keith grinned, "Gentlemen, your mission, if you choose to accept it is to drive your partners to new levels of orgasmic pleasure. As soon as Mike and Derrick enter the house, and we're certain the parental unit is gone, we'll see you in an hour or so. We'll return to this room when our mission is complete."

"Sweaty and tuckered out," Prez chortled.

"We accept!" Corey giggled.

Brian chuckled, "There shall be no delays, beyond this one."

The front door opened and then closed. Drew and Corey were off the sofa and crossing rooms, giggling their asses off. Brian and Pete followed. Prez let Rush inside. Mike and Derrick passed the entryway wall and grinned, "She's gone and they're off!"

The guest bedroom door closed behind Drew and Corey. Corey had his clothes off before Drew turned around.

Brian and Pete got a spare sheet and pillow from the linen closet then disappeared behind the studio door. Prez, Keith, Mike and Derrick went into the master bedroom and closed the door.

In the studio, Brian and Pete thoroughly enjoyed the toys and each other. They had two orgasms each then saw their hour had well passed. Slipping into shorts, they went to the guest bathroom to clean themselves up and their toys. Then they went to the living room and flipped channels, eventually landing on a baseball game in progress.

Wearing only their boxers, Drew and Corey emerged about twenty minutes later. They couldn't help giggling at the sounds coming from the master bedroom as they walked down the hall to clean up. Returning a few minutes later with clean toys, they ducked back into the guest bedroom to put their dildos away, strip out of their boxers and into their board shorts. They went to the living room and sat on the sofa with Brian and Pete.

At the first commercial, Corey muted the TV and playfully asked them, "So, how did you dudes like your toys?"

Brian softly chuckled, "Amazing. We've gotta learn to hold back all over again."

Pete nodded and shared, "We took a lesson from you guys. One dildo is about Brian's size and the other is pretty close to my size."

Drew blushed and grinned, "This time, Corey used the one close to my size on me. Lemme just say that my angel has more staying power than I do."

Draping himself over Drew's lap, Corey giggled, "The one my size set me off fast too, stud."

Widely smiling, Drew whispered, "I love you, Cor."

The ball game came back on and the TV was sound was restored. The second pitch was a high fly ball out to deep left field. Over the sound of the roaring crowd, Brian, Pete, Corey and Drew heard Prez bellowing, "Oh yes, Keith! Oh, hell yeah! KEITH!" which was followed by Mike yelling, "Drive it home, Dee! I want you so bad!"

Covering Corey's mouth with his hand, Drew softly sniggered to Brian and Pete, "I've been hearing stuff like that for a year. Prez was louder this time though."

Brian grinned and nodded, "The four of them are unique and definitely in love. They've got Pete and me wondering if we could do what they are, even if we found the perfect best friends."

Pulling Drew's hand away, Corey smiled, "We've been talking about it too; ya know, how to deal with attractions and jealousies, in the future?"

Pete and Brian shared a meaningful glance. They both nodded. Brian carefully explained, "While we were at Yosemite, we considered trying with Keith and Prez. It felt hurried so we didn't. We did make love with the light on that night though."

Pete offered, "It was much more comfortable with you guys the other night, ya know?"

Brian nodded, "We like Keith and Prez, and Mike and Derrick a lot. Last night, after Prez and Keith got home from work, all six of us showered together. Six cocks were pointing at the ceiling, but nothing more than a little fondling happened. The attractions are there, but with you guys, it's different. There's more we have in common." Nervously biting his lip, Brian explained, "We're in close to the same place emotionally too, I think."

Drew nodded and softly offered, "I think we're realizing that too. We just aren't sure if we could do anything more than we already have. I sure as hell don't want Corey thinking I'd choose anyone else over him. It wouldn't be true."

Corey softly admitted, "Drew is the axis my world spins on. It was that way soon after we met and started getting close. It's only gotten more intense with every kiss and everything we've ever done together. The four of us had a great time at Magic Mountain, and again at Knott's, even though that bitch tried to make it a bad night, it was still awesome."

The master bedroom door opened. Mike stepped into the dining area, naked and with a shiny lubed chubby. He announced, "Shower's open, dudes," and then returned to the bedroom. Pete nodded at Brian and they stood.

Brian looked down at where Drew was still sitting with Corey's head on his lap. He prompted, "Come on, guys."

Corey whined, "Drew?"

Drew nodded at Corey and then checked with Brian and Pete; "Is it really cool? I mean…" He sighed, "Shit, I don't know what I mean."

Pete nodded, "It's a huge shower. Eight can fit easily. If you want to concentrate on each other, it's cool."

Focused on Corey, Brian assured, "We'd like you there, to see for yourselves that it really is fine, guys."

Corey squealed, "You can do this, Brian?"

Slowly nodding, Brian said, "I couldn't the beginning of the month. I'm relearning what's cool and this really is." Pete reached for Brian's hand. Together, they went toward the master bedroom.

Drew prompted, "It's your call, angel."

"I want to and I don't," Corey scowled, and then sighed, "Butterflies are flapping."

Drew grinned, "Just like the first time we showered at school after P.E. It's another first time is all it is, Cor."

Sitting up and then standing, Corey reached for Drew's hand. Standing and taking Corey's hand in his, they went to the master bedroom. The nice neat bed with clean sheets was a shambles. The shorts that Brian and Pete had been wearing were on one corner of the bed. Reaching for Corey's shorts, Drew smiled, "My sexy blond angel. I'm proud of you, Cor." A moment later, Corey was stepping out of his shorts, and then tearing open the Velcro on Drew's shorts.

They went to the master bathroom and Corey gasped, "This bathroom is huge!"

Drew slid open the shower door and grinned, "Plenty of room for two more."

Getting bathed by Pete, Brian brightly smiled, "We told you."

Drew stepped in and Corey followed, closing the door behind him. To their right were Derrick, Mike, Keith and Prez. Eight arms were everywhere and four erections proudly pointed skyward. Drew allowed Corey to get wet on the left side of the shower and muttered, "Three hundred and twelve."

Pete scowled, "Three hundred and twelve what?"

Swapping places with Corey under the shower spray, Drew grinned, "The number of times I've seen Keith's bone." Loud hysterical laughter shattered the serene shower.

"I want blood tests, DNA, fingerprints and psychological evaluations, before school starts in September," Keith playfully ranted.

"It's no use, bro," Drew chuckled. "Any question of relations disappeared about ten seconds ago, right after Corey slid past me." Six sets of eyes went to Drew's groin and then to Keith's. Corey giggled and shuffled closer to Drew. Brian gave Corey the bar of soap to bathe Drew.

"Omigod, another one," Mike grumbled.

Derrick grinned, "Virtually the same."

Brian's eyes widened and he offered, "Drew's two inches shorter and at least fifteen pounds lighter though."

Smiling widely, Pete peeked at Drew's backside and then glanced at Keith's rear end. "Damn," Pete huffed. "I can see they're clearly brothers. The difference in hairstyle is gone now. It makes even their facial features more similar."

"Genetics," Corey giggled, happily bathing Drew, pleased that he wasn't getting as much attention. "You can see Mrs. Hundser's eyes and chin, and Mrs. Hundser's nose."

Brian told Pete, "Shampoo Drew, babe." Pete nodded and grabbed the bottle off the shelf. Brian told Corey, "There's a method to my madness." Moments after Pete began his scalp massage, Drew softly groaned.

Wide-eyed and smiling, Corey incredulously squeaked, "Drew?"

"Omigod, Cor," Drew giggled.

Pete locked eyes with Corey and grinned, "Don't ever use your fingernails. Use your fingertips to knead the scalp like dough. Give me a minute to finish then I'll demonstrate for you, Corey." Corey continued bathing Drew's front until Pete dropped his arms and told Drew, "Rinse."

"Do I have to?" Drew giggled. Brian evilly sniggered and Corey cracked up. Drew stepped away from Pete and under the shower spray.

Corey moved into position before Pete and suspiciously hummed at Pete's erection. Pete grinned, "Cause and effect, Corey. Brian telling me that I do a great job is one thing, but when everyone agrees…"

Brian turned Corey around and took the soap then started bathing him. Drew stepped out from under the shower and watched Corey wither from Pete's and Brian's hands. Working his way down Corey's torso, Brian scowled and uncertainly hummed.

Drew grinned, "It's only a fold of skin, Brian. Just like us, clean the head then pull the skin back when you clean the shaft. Make sure you clean the foreskin inside and outside."

Derrick came over to that side of the shower and nodded at Drew, "Good description, dude; show Brian on me."

Drew softly squealed, "Dude?"

"What?" Derrick smirked. "If Mike starts gigglin' his ass off, that means he knows you're not just washing it." Mike cracked up and rapidly nodded.

Shrugging, Drew took the soap from Brian. Knowing that Drew was attracted to Derrick, Corey watched, but Drew wasn't facing his boyfriend and didn't notice. Creating some lather in his hands, Drew inhaled deeply and took Derrick's shaft in his hand. Drew soaped Derrick's hard shaft, pulling the skin back in the process. He washed the head, gently twisted his wrist and then pushed back down the shaft again then pulled forward again.

Derrick gasped, "Damn, dude. That only comes from practice." Soft chuckling traveled around the shower. Nodding, Drew blushed and giggled. He then passed the soap to Brian.

Keith grunted, "Prez and me never got that reaction." He asked Drew, "What's the trick, bro?"

Drew shrugged, "You're washing it, not jackin' it. Don't make a tight fist; keep it firm enough to stretch the skin back and pull it forward again, cleaning inside and outside.

Brian, Pete, Keith and Prez all saw the light and groaned, "Ah." Mike, Drew, Corey and Derrick cracked up.

Still chortling, Derrick offered, "Practice makes perfect. Are you game, Corey?"

Nodding, Corey giggled, "We both will be!"

Pete chuckled, "Rinse first, Corey." While Corey rinsed his hair, Derrick moved closer to him. Mike went closer to Derrick and Drew waited near Corey.

Brian, Pete, Keith and Prez lined up for their lesson. As soon as Corey stepped out from under the shower spray, Mike reminded, "Too tight is jackin' it; too loose and the skin won't pull back completely. A dirty foreskin gets snipped." A playful chorus of squeals and whimpers erupted from the students.

Drew grinned, "Passing or failing grades come from Corey and Derrick." Smiling widely, Corey and Derrick glanced at each other. Drew prompted, "Go for it, Brian."

Brian figured the process out easily. Since Corey and Derrick weren't his boyfriends, he wasn't familiar with the appendages. He reached his soapy right hand out to Corey's shaft, getting the feel of the circumference, so he could pull foreskin forward and back. Corey giggled, "Not bad, dude."

While Brian created a fresh lather in his hands, Derrick explained, "The issue is dick cheese buildup around the ridge under the foreskin, from sweat, piss, precum and cum. That can cause an infection and a bad scene."

Nodding understandingly, Brian said, "The main problem is we're not as familiar with you guys. Drew and Mike know the correct amount of pressure by heart." He then reached a soapy fist out and took Derrick's shaft in hand, pulling back, and then forward, twisting his hand slightly to make sure the glans ridge was cleaned. Dropping his hand, Brian locked eyes with Derrick.

Nodding, Derrick grinned, "You pass."

Passing the soap to Pete, Brian stepped away. He had watched Brian's fist closely and was fairly certain he understood the process and purpose. Pete's left hand reached for Drew's cock, causing Drew to jump slightly at the unexpected contact.

"Pete!" Brian laughed.

"Drew and Mike are being very understanding," Pete grinned, "they shouldn't feel left out." More chuckling and sniggering reverberated around the shower. He then reached for Corey, exactly as Brian had, finishing with the slight wrist twist.

Corey giggled, "Pass."

Pete lathered up again then washed Derrick's meat. Derrick smiled, "Pass." Pete fondled Mike quickly then passed the soap to Keith.

Mike sniggered, "Thank goodness there are only four of you dudes. Imagine forty, like in school locker rooms?"

Brian chuckled, "There's a vision I did not need implanted. When I pop a rod after football practice, I'm coming back, Mike." Mike roared laughing.

Drew squinted at Keith and warned, "I'm watchin' you." Corey giggled.

Keith grinned, "Now that's more like my brother. I still don't believe you're in here though."

Drew shrugged, "Of the eight dudes in here, you're the only one I've seen hard before." Prez snorted back a laugh then sucked his lips into his mouth before Keith saw his smile.

Keith quickly washed Corey. Corey nodded and giggled, unable to say anything. Keith moved over to Derrick. He performed the task well, but then kept stroking away. Derrick laughed, "That's enough."

Mike hollered, "Hey!" and pushed Keith's hand away. More chuckling and sniggering erupted.

Prez smirked, "For that, I should fondle Drew."

"No, you shouldn't, foster brother," Drew cackled.

Taking the soap from Keith, Prez shook his head and grinned, "Legally only; brothers-in-law works better, don't you think?"

Drew shrugged, "That's true, but it's not how I think or feel about you, Prez." His eyes flashed mischievously then he grinned, "Kissing lessons only, to make Keith crazier."

Keith sighed, "Just when I start to believe he's my brother, he goes and says or does something to shatter it."

Prez chuckled and nodded then quickly soaped up Corey's cock. Looking up at Prez, Corey smiled, "Excellent, as good as Drew; an A plus."

Facing Derrick and Mike, Prez lathered up then passed the soap to Drew. Both his hands reached forward, the left for Derrick and the right for Mike, proving he was ambidextrous.

Corey rinsed off then was swept into Drew's arms. Drew whispered, "It's all good?" Corey nodded then dove for Drew's mouth and a passionate kiss. Drew could feel Corey shaking and wondered why Corey went along with it if it frightened his lover.

Turning off the shower water on that side of the stall, Derrick confirmed, "Everybody's squeaky clean?"

"In body, if not in mind," Brian joked, and then stepped out of the shower. He put a towel over his shoulders then began passing towels out.

Following him out, Pete shared, "No vacation will ever match this one. I feel like I need to thank you all."

Derrick scowled and shook his head, "Thanks for being horny dudes? I don't think so, Pete, unless you want six of us thanking you, for teaching us how to shampoo each other the right way."

Mike added, "And thanks for doing laundry, and cooking, and cleaning the house too. Forget it, dude."

Pete smiled, "It won't ever be completely forgotten."

Corey whispered to Drew. Prez and Keith stepped out of the shower and took towels. Keith looked back and locked eyes with Drew. Wearing a blank expression, mainly listening and holding onto Corey, Drew nodded at Keith. The older six sensed something was going on when Drew and Corey hadn't followed them out of the shower. Unsure what it was, chatter halted and they quietly dried off.

Emerging from the shower with Corey snuggly wrapped in one arm, Drew said, "Don't worry, dudes. Corey's feeling a little freaked out. He liked what happened and we both appreciate it a lot. At the same time, he feels like he's cheated on me. Let me get him re-centered, okay?"

The other six nodded. However, Brian wasn't satisfied with only letting them leave to talk. He stepped closer and held Drew's shoulders then tenderly kissed him. He then kissed Corey before gently reminding, "You're cared for. Don't worry about a thing, okay?"

Corey nodded and forced a weak smile. Pete followed Brian's example, then Mike, Derrick and Prez. Keith went directly to Corey and hugged him. Keith told Corey and Drew, "Take your time talking it out. We're only going to the studio, so you won't be missing a thing."

Drew nodded. Brian handed Drew two towels. Taking Corey's hand, Drew led the way to the guest bedroom and closed the door. Shaking like a leaf, Corey embraced Drew and quiet tears flowed. Softly shushing his confused lover, Drew wrapped a towel over Corey's head and shoulders. There they stood, just beyond the bedroom door, for many minutes until Corey seemed to stop shaking. Without looking up, Corey mumbled into Drew's shoulder, "Why couldn't I just be happy it happened? Instead, I'm angry at myself, you and all of them too. What's wrong with me, Drew?"

"I don't know for sure," Drew sighed. "We're gonna find out soon, okay, angel?"

Corey wondered, "How?" and began shaking again.

"I'm gonna get my mom's perspective, then I'll tell you. How does that sound?"

Corey whined, "You can't tell her what we just did, Drew."

"I promise I won't," Drew assured. "My mom won't need all the details. I'll tell her enough so she understands where you're at. Then she'll tell me what to say, or maybe she'll want to talk directly to you."

Corey nodded then sighed, "Not yet, okay? Just let me hold you?"

"I'm going nowhere without you. Let's lay down on the bed. You're shaking so bad, it's scaring me." Corey nodded and they shuffled together towards the bed. Corey lay down on his back and Drew hurried on top of his beloved, knowing it would make him feel more secure. There was a knock at the front door. Drew knew it had to be Ben, but wouldn't move from Corey. He heard Keith chuckling then the door opening followed by Ben groaning through his giggles. The door closed. Keith and Ben walked past the guest bedroom door.

Corey softly called, "Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"You really don't know what's wrong?"

"I have some ideas, but like the nightmares, I might be seeing things wrong too."

"What do you think?"

Drew hummed then thought aloud, "I'm thinking of lots of things, Corey. First of all, I encouraged you to go into the shower in the first place. My intentions were good, but the results aren't."

"I'm not blaming you at all. This is my fault."

"There's no blame or fault here, Cor. What is simply is. I had no idea a group shower would turn into a foreskin washing lesson. Derrick suggested it, you went along with it and here we are. Any blame gets divided eight ways, as far as I'm concerned. Did you want me to stop it?"

The sound of Derrick's drumming, Mike's guitar and Prez's bass filtered through the walls, allowing Drew and Corey to speak louder without the fear of being overheard.

"No, I only felt bad afterward, like my stomach sank into my feet. I never asked for your permission."

"But I was standing right there. No one was going to do anything more than wash your bone, believe me. Only my goofy brother got carried away with Derrick. Just like Mike pushed Keith's hand away, I would've done the same thing to any of them."

"So you don't think anything was wrong with that?"

"Not really. It wasn't an orgy or anything. It was what it was. I'm not jealous or worried about anything, except you. I don't give a shit what any of them think about this, us together, right now, I mean. I can't count the number of times that Prez pulled Keith aside between October and January. Just like Prez needed Keith, you need me. If they can't deal with it, that's their problem, not mine or yours. I was considerate of you and all of them. Now they can be considerate of us."

Corey hummed thoughtfully then wondered, "Maybe that's part of it too. Since I feel weird, like I was cheating, maybe I just feel like I was more considerate of them than of you?"

"You weren't inconsiderate of me, Corey. After each of them touched you then you smiled at me. I felt you clearly, angel. What I felt was you telling me, this is silly."

Corey giggled, "It was!"

Drew asked, "Are you feeling a little better now, Cor?" Corey nodded. "Let's get our shorts on and my cell phone," Drew suggested. Corey nodded again and they got up off the bed, padded across the hall and put their shorts back on. Rush scampered over to them. Drew led Corey out of the room. He found Rush's leash and put the collar over the dog's head. They stepped out of the house and Drew called his mom.

Barefoot and bare-chested, Drew and Corey took Rush over to the park. Jennifer Hundser answered her kitchen phone. Drew said, "Hi mom."

Jennifer wondered, "What's wrong, Drew?"

Rolling his eyes at the mysteries of motherly intuition, Drew smirked, "How do you know anything's wrong?"

Jennifer answered, "First of all, it's relatively early. Second, Corey's mother called just a few minutes ago. You were supposed to call there and haven't. Third, I can hear it in your voice."

"I give up," Drew chuckled.

"So, what's wrong?" Jennifer repeated.

Drew explained, "I guess Corey had a panic attack. All the others were telling him and showing him that they care and really like him. The next thing I know, Corey's shaking all over and crying. I took him aside and calmed him down. Now we're walking Rush around the park across the street."

Jennifer sighed, "Remember when I showed you the definition of what anorexia is? What's the root cause?"

Drew's eyes widened and he replied, "A self-image problem."

Jennifer rambled, "Corey doesn't think highly of himself. Brian, Pete, Mike, Derrick, Keith and Preston just slammed an imaginary mirror against Corey's face. Even though I'm sure their intentions were good, too much positive reinforcement at once caused Corey to panic. Six opinions directly conflicted with Corey's own opinion. Of course he became frightened."

"So I should prevent things like that from happening?"

"Not necessarily," Jennifer answered. "Too much of a good thing is still good in the long run. Like a patient with an infection; doctors intravenously administer antibiotics and fluids to flush the toxins from the system. That can't be done with patients with weak kidneys, but you get the basic idea. In Corey's case, I would expect similar panic attacks for a multitude of reasons."

Drew softly hummed then reluctantly admitted, "Well, he had one a few weeks ago."

He pulled the phone from his ear just before his mother screeched, "Drew, over what exactly?"

Drew giggled, "He saw me cleaning up after lunch and was questioning why I was doing things a certain way. Basically, he realized he had been inconsiderate of me, you and dad, Keith and Prez, and his folks."

Jennifer sighed then forcefully explained, "Corey is not inconsiderate; he's stubborn. His consideration of other people's opinions added to his own self-image issues. Now he's getting more positive feedback and he's over-dosing on it."

Drew jumped in and explained, "There's a big difference in what Corey's being considerate of now, mom. He used to believe all sorts of lies, from kids at school that he didn't really know. They'd call him names and Corey believed it. I told him that he can't know how or why kids said that stuff. Now he's seeing and hearing better things from people he can trust."

"That's very good," Jennifer agreed. She instructed, "While I'm here on the line, tell Corey what we've been saying."

Drew smiled at Corey and repeated, "Mom says that you're not inconsiderate; you're stubborn. Your consideration of other, untrustworthy people's opinions, only added to the self-image problem. It's the way you see yourself that led to this panic attack and the other one a couple of weeks ago."

Jennifer said, "Tell him that sometimes he's seeing himself up close, the way other people see him. It's the inconsistencies that frighten him."

Drew grinned and passed the message along to Corey. When Corey nodded, Drew asked his mom, "Do you think this might affect Corey's recovery in a bad way?"

"I don't believe so," Jennifer replied. "As long as the doctor sees slow and steady progress, then we have no problems to be concerned about. I do want to know about all Corey's panic attacks in the future, Drew."

Drew assured his mom that he or Corey would let her know. He then asked, "Is there anything else?"

Jennifer answered, "No, just remember to call Corey's mother soon."

Turning around and heading back toward the house, Drew nodded and smiled, "That's the next call, right after we hang up. Thanks mom."

"You're very welcome," Jennifer pleasantly said, and added, "Corey loves you, Drew."

Drew giggled, "I know it, mom. I love him too."

They said goodbye and disconnected the call. Drew told Corey, "These panic attacks may seem bad, but as long as you keep the doctor happy, everything's cool."

Corey smirked, "They're scary; I feel like I'm flying apart from the inside out."

"I can easily imagine," Drew nodded. He paused at the edge of the park, before crossing the street and said, "It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than silly shower games for me to stop loving you, Corey. Cheating is behind someone's back, don't you think?"

Corey nodded, "When I get scared, everything lumps up. The scariest thing is losing you."

"It won't happen, angel," Drew assured. He then handed Corey his cell phone and instructed, "Call your mom. She expected a call earlier than this."

Before placing the call, Corey asked, "Should I tell her anything about what happened?"

Drew nodded, "Since my mom knows, it's a good bet she'll find out."

"But everything's fine now," Corey whined.

Drew nodded and smiled, "Tell her that first then."

Passing the phone back to Drew, Corey giggled, "You'd better call her." Drew began sniggering and was soon laughing his ass off. He dialed Corey's home number.

Bill Seaver answered, "Hello?"

Drew giggled, "Hi dad, it's Drew."

Bill said, "We were beginning to believe you had forgotten to call."

"We got side tracked," Drew sniggered.

Corey loudly giggled, "That's an understatement!"

"Where are you?" Bill asked.

Drew smiled, "Outside the house in Agoura Hills. The band's playing, so it's easier to hear out here. Everything's fine now."

After a brief pause, Bill asked, "Was it ever not fine?"

"Corey got a little scared," Drew seriously answered. "We were all talking, telling him how we all feel about him. We've talked alone and everything's fine though now."

Bill sighed, "I'm sure I understand how that might've frightened him. Let me speak with Corey please?"

"Sure, he's right here," Drew answered, and passed Corey the phone.

Rolling his eyes, Corey took the phone and cheerfully said, "Hi dad."

"Are you alright?" Bill worried.

Corey nodded, "I'm fine, dad, really. Hearing seven dudes, including Drew, telling me how much they cared about me, threw me a curve. Drew and I talked alone, and since Drew wasn't sure what more he could say to help, we called his mom. She said this won't affect my recovery; it's just the reality fighting my own self image that gets me jittery."

Bill observed, "You sound fine."

Following Drew across the street, Corey shrugged, "I am. We all know this thing isn't gonna just disappear. It's gonna take time. The best part is; I've got people I like and trust telling me the truth. It's not always easy to hear though, ya know?"

Bill agreed, "It's too true." He added, "If you need anything, all you have to do is call, day or night."

Corey assured, "I know, but everything really is cool. We're getting ready to go inside. You'll hear the band playing in a few seconds." Drew opened the door and they stepped inside. Corey loudly asked, "Ya hear it?"

"Yes, I can," Bill chuckled, "like thunder and lightning."

Corey giggled, "It sounds better than that here. We'll call tomorrow night. Tell mom not to worry, okay?"

"Right," Bill chuckled, "you know how well that'll work."

"We're just gonna listen to the band and hang out here tonight," Corey assured. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Have a good night, Corey," Bill said, "we'll chat again tomorrow night."

"Cool," Corey grinned. "Talk to ya tomorrow. Good night, dad."

"Good night, son," Bill said. He and Corey disconnected.

Corey handed Drew his phone and smirked, "Did I sound bad to you?"

Shaking his head, Drew reminded, "They're prob'ly feeling like I was, that we might've lost ya, Cor."

Corey sighed, "What's it gonna take for them to realize that I never intended it to become this way? I didn't and don't want to die, Drew."

Drew said, "I know that, angel. Parents worry. My mom knew I had something on my mind by the sound of my voice. So, we do our best to get your weight in the normal range. Then we only have to deal with the leftover lies."

Corey huffed, "They're messed up too."

The studio door opened and Pete stepped out of the room, followed by Brian and Ben. The band was playing Sign Of The Gypsy Queen. Ben closed the studio door. Swiftly approaching Drew and Corey, Pete worried, "Are you guys alright?"

Drew nodded, "We're good. After we talked, Corey and I went over to the park with Rush. While we were there, we talked to my mom and Corey's dad."

Corey hugged Pete and smiled up, saying, "Please don't think you dudes did anything wrong." He then went to Brian, hugged him and offered, "I'm really trying my best. Sometimes though…"

"If you're okay, so are we," Brian sighed, and firmly hugged Corey.

Drew smiled, "I'm surprised to see you have clothes on." Ben giggled.

Pete chuckled, "We do, Ben does and so do Keith and Prez. We were about to get some sodas."

Corey nodded, "We'll lend a hand." He waited at the dining area side of the counter with Drew and Ben while Brian and Pete got glasses and a bottle of cola. Corey asked Ben, "Do you know what happened?"

Shaking his head, Ben said, "Not really. I only know that you had to talk to Drew."

Corey asked, "You know I'm a recovering anorexic though?"

Wide-eyed, Ben softly replied, "No, I didn't."

Loading glasses with ice, Brian smiled, "I like the sound of that, Corey. Recovering is the operative word. Describing it that way makes a difference."

Cuddling with Drew, Corey giggled, "Guess where I learned it?" Drew softly chortled.

Ben asked Corey, "That's why you're so thin?" He quickly stammered, "I'm sorry, that was a dumb question." Down the hall in the studio, the band finished the song and seemed to be taking a break.

Corey grinned and nodded, "I'm six pounds healthier than I was the beginning of the month. I've still got about seven more pounds to gain to get to the lowest place I should be."

Pouring soda into glasses, Pete reminded, "What's seen matters too, Corey."

Corey nodded, "I know. I also know I've got all you dudes watching. I prob'ly don't say it or show it right, but I do know that." Returning his attention to Ben, Corey admitted, "That's why I needed to be alone with Drew for a while. A few minutes before you got here, I got a lot of encouragement and couldn't deal with it."

Thrilled that Corey was saying all this in front of Ben, Brian and Pete, Drew picked up two glasses and smiled, "I'll take these to the studio and be right back."

Grabbing another full glass, Ben said, "Let me get the door for you, Drew."

Drew could be heard thanking Ben. Corey softly asked Brian and Pete, "Don't you think Ben's a sweetheart?" Chuckling, Brian and Pete nodded. Seeing that Ben and Drew were in the studio, Corey giggled, "He's softer spoken than Drew ever was."

Pete offered, "He's had his own challenges, Corey."

"Everybody has stuff to deal with," Brian agreed.

Pete nodded, "Don't think you're so different. I know that Prez, Keith, Mike and Derrick all had their fair share of problems. Even Brian and I have had our rough times."

Seeing that Ben and Drew were returning, Corey only nodded, giggled and held his index finger to his mouth.

Drew suspiciously squinted, "What're ya doin', Cor."

"Comparing you and Ben," Corey giggled. Brian and Pete sniggered at Corey's devious reply.

Ben grinned at Corey, asking, "Didn't you tell me last week to make Drew my hero?"

Stopping at the counter, Drew chuckled, "To frustrate Derrick and Mike. It worked too."

Wrapping an arm around Drew, Corey contentedly sighed, "My hero."

Down the hall, Derrick tapped his sticks then he and Prez began playing Tank. Keith and Mike walked out of the room, closed the door and came down the hall. Keith was carrying a glass of soda, but Mike wasn't. Seeing Mike naked, Corey giggled and shook his head. Mike smirked, "If you want me to lie and exaggerate, I'll put my shorts back on."

"It's cool, Mike," Corey giggled.

Dramatically frowning, Mike sighed, "I am feeling a bit lonely, since you all have shorts on."

"That was a lie!" Keith challenged. Everybody else chuckled and laughed. Pointing at the bedroom, Keith suggested, "Put something on, bro?" Mike nodded and went to get his shorts. Moving near Drew and Corey, Keith asked, "Everything's good?"

Corey nodded and smiled, "Real good, thanks. Affection overload, but I still appreciate it."

Swallowing a mouthful of soda, Keith smiled, "Good."

Returning with his shorts in his hand, Mike patted Corey's back and grinned, "Lessons learned all around then." He leaned forward and slid into his board shorts. Keith glared at Mike and shook his head. Keith glanced at Brian and Pete and they shook their heads.

Corey wondered, "What lessons were learned, besides the obvious ones?" Drew locked eyes with Keith.

Keith offered, "We decided that whatever the problem was, we'd help however we can."

Reaching for a glass of soda, Mike confirmed, "You're here until Brian and Pete leave?" Replying affirmatively, Drew and Corey nodded. Mike explained, "You need affection and you'll get it, as long as you allow us to give it." Corey's mouth dropped open.

Drew softly asked, "What do you say, Cor?"

Wiping tears from his eyes, Corey muttered, "I don't know what to say."

"Yes or no is all we need to hear," Brian prompted.

Corey checked with Drew. Drew shrugged, "It's up to you, Cor. If you say yes then be prepared for a few days of hugs."

"And kisses," Keith added.

"And showers," Mike grinned. Corey giggled and Keith punched Mike's arm. "What?" Mike laughed. "We proved eight could fit in there."

Ben disbelievingly asked, "Eight in a tub at once?" Taking Ben's hand, Mike led him to the master bathroom. In the kitchen and dining area, everyone heard Ben over the music. "Jeez!" Then they heard Ben's laughter. Returning to the dining area, blushing and giggling, Ben explained, "Mike thinks we can fit nine, including me."

Keith grinned and shrugged, "Why not?"

Mike entered the room smirking, "He wants a boyfriend to get naked with first."

Pete smiled, "A noble intention, if I ever heard one."

Brian reminded, "We still haven't heard a yes or no answer, Corey."

Again, Corey checked with Drew. Glancing around, Drew chuckled, "Soft tender kisses only! Don't suck his face off!" Corey cracked up.

Moving away from Keith, Mike playfully complained, "You're takin' all the fun out of it."

Keith groused, "You knew you'd get hit again."

"Damn right!" Mike laughed.

Corey giggled, "With those rules, then the answer is, yes."

Realizing how brave his beloved was so soon after being very uncomfortable, Drew hugged Corey tight and passionately kissed him. That started a chain of hugs and kisses from Keith, Mike, Brian, Pete and even Ben. The music from the studio stopped rather abruptly and the door opened. Prez and Derrick came down the hall and offered Corey more affection. While Derrick was giving Corey a hug and kiss, Prez moved a dining room chair away from the table into the center of the room.

Keith called, "Prez?" Derrick stepped back from Corey then went to put shorts on.

"Yup," Prez smiled.

"Why?" Keith seriously asked. Derrick returned from the bedroom, still tying his board shorts.

Prez replied, "We only knew Ben a month and it made a difference. This time, instead of four there are eight that matter to Corey and he matters to us."

Realizing what Keith and Prez were talking about, Derrick asked Prez, "What're you expecting to happen, bro?"

Placing a hand on Ben's shoulder, Prez shrugged, "Basically strengthening, like what we did for Ben. I'm thinking it was empowering for Ben and it will be for Corey too."

Noticing Corey, Drew, Brian and Pete seemingly apprehensive or uncertain, Mike explained, "It's really nothing to worry about. What we did for Ben was combine our talents; my love-energy ball, Dee's pushing, Keith's and Prez's telepathy."

Ben nodded and offered, "It felt so good to know my problems weren't my own. I told my folks about that and that I was gay. Because of that, my dad is in jail for assault and attempted murder now. Even though things are different at home, they're still better for me and my mom without him around." He paused and told Prez, "I still feel it every time I remember what you did for me."

Drew sighed, "I don't know what any of you are talking about. Corey just had a bad scene. I really don't want another one either."

Mike went to stand near Drew and Corey at the counter. He closed his eyes and cupped his hands a few inches apart. Moments later, when he opened his eyes again, Mike prompted, "Check it out, dudes. Feel what's between my hands." Reaching a hand forward, Drew felt warmth and something like an electrical charge between Mike's cupped hands, where nothing was visible. How empty space could have texture, Drew had no idea, but there was indeed something there. Seeing Drew's wide smile, Corey checked it out for himself and gasped. Corey tried to press at it and felt resistance and the electrical charge. Derrick went to the nearby light switches, kept his hand open and several inches from the wall then turned them on, off, on and off again. Brian and Pete sniggered at the surprised expressions on Corey's and Drew's faces.

Drew smirked, "If either of you had shirts on, I'd be checking for trick wires."

Mike chuckled, "It's not magic of any sort." Derrick pulled an ice cube out of his glass, put it on the counter and pushed it around without touching it.

Keith asked Drew and Corey, "Didn't you wonder how Prez and Derrick knew to cut their jam short, come out here and give Corey hugs?"

Drew and Corey shrugged. Drew scowled, "I didn't think of it, but I am now. Neither of you heard what we were saying, but you knew exactly what to do."

Prez grinned, "I heard Keith, told Derrick and here we are."

"What do you need me to do?" Corey wondered.

Tapping the chair before him, Prez instructed, "Sit here and relax. The rest is up to us." Corey nodded and went to sit in the chair.

Ben asked, "What about us, Prez."

Prez answered, "You're Corey's friends, so all you need to do is think of Corey, and provide additional positive energy. You can either hold hands or hold the shoulders of one of the four of us. Do not doubt anything. Believe in yourselves and believe in how much Corey matters."

Keith moved beside Prez and took his lover's hand. Mike took Keith's hand. Derrick held Mike's and Prez's hands, completing the inner circle. Drew stood behind Keith and put his hands on Keith's shoulders. Similarly, Ben stood behind Prez; Brian stood behind Mike and Pete stood behind Derrick.

Drew checked, "Are you scared, Cor?"

Shaking his head, Corey assured, "Not at all."

Prez confirmed, "Everybody's ready?" Vocal affirmations traveled around the other seven surrounding Corey. Prez called, "Mike?"

Closing his eyes, Mike said, "Here we go," and imagined his energy ball growing before Corey. Derrick imagined pushing the love into Corey. Keith couldn't be sure what he was feeling, but was certain the thoughts weren't his own. In his mind, Keith saw flashes of images of Corey; one moment very small and the next moment as tall as Pete; one moment very frail and the next very strong. Corey started giggling. The images weren't swinging to extremes any longer and soon settled on the real Corey, sitting shirtless before them.

Ben, Brian and Pete were silently praying for Corey's health and rapid recovery. Drew only thought of Corey; his best friend, his boyfriend, his lover and life partner. Corey cackled, "Omigod!"

Drew grinned and thought, "If I didn't know better, I'd swear that was a stiffy alert."

Ben thought, "Yes! If there is any good left in this world, let it land in Corey's heart and mind as it did in my own heart and mind."

Prez began to feel his hands heating up. He wasn't shedding tears as he had weeks earlier for Ben, but this time he felt weak and extremely woozy. For those reasons and because Corey was still giggling, Prez opened his eyes and released Derrick and Keith. Not liking the paleness of Prez's usually red cheeks, Keith immediately took hold of Prez.

Drew went to Corey and asked, "How are you feeling, angel?"

"It was warm and tingly," Corey giggled. Blushing and giggling, Corey stood, making it obvious that he was hard as steel and took Drew in his arms. Everyone else saw Corey's condition and began sniggering.

Drew felt his lover's erection and incredulously laughed, "Corey!"

Hanging off of Keith, Prez asked, "Corey, how often do you feel dizzy?"

"Not too often," Corey smiled. Ben tapped Derrick and Mike then gestured for them to follow him over to the entryway.

Looking disbelievingly at Prez first and then Corey, Drew scowled, "When do you feel dizzy? You never told me?"

Corey shrugged, "It comes and goes, for a minute tops, every second or third day." Drew groaned.

Keith nodded and said, "Friday morning, we're taking you two to the doctor. The doctor needs to know about this, Corey."

Drew nodded, "It could be nothing or it might be serious, angel."

Corey nodded and smiled, "I feel too good to argue over it. We'll tell Doc Folsom Friday."

Pete asked Brian, "Did you feel that way too?"

Brian nodded, "It was a metabolic adjustment for me." He turned to Corey and asked, "Does it happen when you're hungry; before or after meals?"

Corey shrugged, "Nope, it's scattered around, mornings, afternoons and nights."

Glancing around, Drew asked, "Why? What does being hungry have to do with anything?"

Brian shrugged, "That's a tell-tale sign of diabetes. Tell the doctor, no matter what. Let him figure it out."

Pete hummed then suggested, "Keep track of when it happens, guys. Everything you can tell the doctor will help the diagnosis."

Drew thanked Brian and Pete then smirked at Corey, "Ya should've told me, ya know."

Corey planted a quick kiss then assured, "It's so rare and so quick that it's hardly noticeable to me. I didn't know it meant anything either."

Prez wanted his soda that he had left in the studio. Keith had Prez sit on the sofa and told him to stay there while he retrieved the glass. As soon as Keith walked away, Prez loudly asked, "Dee, what's the big secret, bro?"

Derrick returned to the living room with Mike and Ben. Smiling widely, Derrick answered, "We were talking about you, picking up on Corey's dizzy spells, and what Ben felt from us a few weeks ago."

Prez smirked, "Spit it out." Derrick and Mike turned to Ben.

With every face, except Corey's, turned to him, Ben blushed and grinned, "Well, you know how I felt after… whatever it is that you dudes do. I'm curious to know what you felt, Prez; from me and from Corey."

Prez leaned back and replied, "That's personal. Are you sure you want me saying aloud?"

Considering it for a moment or two, Ben then nodded, "No one here would be surprised. I feel safe with all of you."

Corey smiled, "Go ahead, Prez. It's cool."

Keith returned with Prez's glass of soda and handed it off. Taking a large mouthful and swallowing, Prez sighed, "From Ben, I felt self-loathing, insecurity, uncertainty and wishes that his life might've been different. From Corey, I felt inner conflict; the small boy fighting the growing man; the desire to be thin versus the hunger to get past this, to make everyone he loves happy."

Ben nodded and grinned.

"How could you know that?" Drew loudly asked. "Corey told me, not you." He checked with Corey, "Did you tell Prez?"

Shaking his head, Corey assured, "Never. I only told him that I wanted to be with you and included in your family, just like he fit in and became a brother and part of the family."

Going nearer to Drew, Keith told his brother, "I saw images of a tiny Corey shifting rapidly to a grown man; of a weak, frightened Corey becoming a strong, confident Corey. I don't know how Prez does what he does, but neither does Prez. The first time, with Ben, Prez told us that he felt like his mom was telling him to do this thing. I told Prez both times, he doesn't need to be doing this. He does it anyway though, only because he cares."

Scratching his head, Brian muttered, "If I didn't know better, I'd swear I didn't hear what I just heard. Keith, you saw pictures in your mind. Prez says he felt stuff. That makes Keith a telepath and Prez an empath. Derrick bends and pushes stuff, so that's telekinesis. Mike creates something we've all felt and know is there, but its invisible; that's transmutation or transconfiguration, I guess."

Pete asked, "Are you scared or worried, Drew?"

Drew softly answered, "No, I'm confused. Part of me is saying, this can't be, but it is anyway." Glancing around, he explained, "Can you do it again? I guess I want to feel what Corey felt, and is still feeling."

Without saying a word, Prez stood and reached for Keith's hand. Keith worried, "Are you alright baby? If you need to rest, this can wait, can't it?"

Warmly smiling at Keith's concern, Prez assured, "I'm perfectly fine, lover." Glancing around the room, Prez said, "You all need to know, I'm not doing this thing alone. I was told to try it for Ben. Without Keith, Derrick and Mike doing their bits, I don't know that anything would happen at all." He then instructed, "Have a seat, Drew."

"Can't I stay with Corey?" Drew asked, and Corey giggled. Drew grinned, "My angel's still got a stiffy." More sniggering broke loose.

Keith shrugged and checked with Prez, "We've never done two at a time."

Thoughtfully humming, Prez soon shook his head and told Drew, "One at a time. That's the way it's worked twice, so let's not chance it."

Corey stole a kiss from Drew then smiled, "It's okay," and stepped back. Drew sat down on the dining room chair.

Once again, the circle formed around Drew. Ben, Brian, Corey and Pete rested their hands on the shoulders of Prez, Mike, Derrick and Keith. Expecting nothing to happen and believing it was simply mind over matter, Drew was surprised to feel a shiver race up and down his spine. He felt the warm tingling sensation envelope his body and muttered, "Whoa!"

After only about twenty seconds, Prez heard his mom saying, "Stop now, sweetheart," and opened his eyes.

Releasing Keith's and Derrick's hands, Prez said, "That's enough."

"Why?" Drew giggled, "That's awesome."

Prez grinned, "Mom said to stop. I may not have listened to everything she ever said, but this I'll pay attention to." He turned and picked up his glass of soda then emptied it. Seeing only eight faces smiling at him, Prez laughed; "Stop that!" He went towards the kitchen, chuckling "It was never only me. I have no idea what happens or why. All that matters is that it makes people feel good. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." He opened the fridge and refilled his glass.

Drew stood and Corey went to him, asking "You felt it?"

Nodding, Drew smiled, "I didn't expect to either."

Raising his eyebrows, Derrick smirked, "Maybe that's why Prez was told to stop."

Mike wondered, "What do you mean?"

Derrick shrugged, "It had a purpose for Ben and Corey. For Drew, it was only to prove that something real happens. Maybe that's not a good enough reason."

Keith grunted then offered, "Can't fix what's not broken." Hearing his own words, Keith grinned and shouted up at the ceiling, "But he is broke!" Wide-eyed, Drew and Corey giggled. Pointing at Drew, Keith hollered at no one in particular; "That looks like my brother, but it's not, I tell you!" Loud laughter erupted while Keith continued to rant about the ways Drew had changed.


On to Chapter Twenty-Five

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