by Caldon Mull
“Nah. We could create a stink, but they done what they could.” I shrugged “You happier havin’ him back, or dragging him around tryin’ ta blame someone.”
“I… I just want him back.” Dean sighed, hugging the picture to his chest “I just want to know that everything happened the way it did, because that’s what happened. I wanted to know because, if he was livin’ the high life while mom was livin’ off handouts, I coulda done somethin’ about it.”
“Well, buddy…” I tossed three slugs of Jack into glasses and handed them out. “He did all he could, it seemed, while he could do it. I don’t think the way things went with you was anything that could’ve been helped. There’s still some cash waiting for you and Cain from some accounts he had, now that my snoop has found them, he can close up shop.”
“Andy, I…” Cain gulped the whiskey, winced “… I… Thanks.”
“Yeah.” Dean sighed, still misty-eyed. “Let’s bring pappa home, bro… Let’s get on with our lives.”
“You not gonna blame me for tellin’ ya he’s dead?” I sighed, a great weight lifted off me. “I don’ know why I do these things… but I’m kinda tired of there bein’ secrets between me an’ my friends.”
“Friends? Running Deer, we ain’t friends no more… we closer than brothers.” Dean smiled “You done something fer me… fer us… that no-one else coulda done. I… love you man, your big heart… I really do.”
“Back at ya, White Eagle…” I gulped down the lump in my throat “I mean it… I… didn’t want to hurt you, finding out he’s gone… but I couldn’t stand you never knowin’ he was a hero and he died helpin’ two oldsters he never even met before. I’m… proud… to know the sons of this man.”
“Thanks, Man…” Cain sighed and ruffled Dean’s hair, looked at me. “You… knew about me… uhhh… y’know…”
“Yeah, I figured it out pretty quick.” I shrugged, my anger with him cooling, “But this is not the time for that.”
“I… sorry Andy, I shoulda said somethin’…” Dean scuffed his feet in front of him.
“Well, I’m also pissed with that, but I’m OK with it. I don’t wanna get angry, I just wanna fix this now. ‘Kay?” I shrugged pulling Dean’s head against my collar bone, hugging him fiercely. “An if he wants a piece of my ass, next time he just need to ask me, ‘steada pretending he was you.”
“Uhhh…” Cain blushed furiously “Big Guy, I said I’d take it on the chin, I owe you that, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t want him getting into sumthin’ over his head. I hadda check you out… I… ummmm… all the stories…”
“Any of them true?” I smiled and kissed Dean’s forehead.
“Naw…” Cain grinned ruefully “You ain’t doin’ nothing up here the townsies think you doin’.”
“Well, that’s settled, kinda.” I reached for the hooch “I’ll make all the arrangements to bring Bear Paw back an’ tidy up.” I sighed “Take the photo’s with you. Mano’s back with supper soon, you wanna stay?”
“I… I think I’d better speak to him first, alone.” Cain swallowed. “‘Fess up a bit. So, thanks… but not tonight.”
“Yeah, that’s best.” I scowled at him. “He loves the kid, y’know. This’d hurt him, some.” “Yeah… I … yeah.” Cain twisted the glass between his long fingers. “Ummm… thanks Andy, yeah…”
“You a great fuck-buddy Cain, but I like to know who I’m fucking, gottit?” I ruffled Dean’s hair “‘An who I’m lovin’. I’m pretty sure Mano feels the same way, so make it right, ‘kay? Now scoot, an’ I’ll catch ya both tomorrow at the Lodge.”
The door clicked behind them and I went through to the study to make the calls. I got some tracking data in and lost a couple of hours with that, when Michel switched on the light and startled me.
“You get in your own world, y’know.” He grinned and rubbed my shoulders while I was typing. I didn’t realize they were tense until he started hitting the knots.
“Yeah. Like autistic.” I groaned as his thumbs pressed against the back of my neck. “Cappy’s over in a little while, running late.”
“Yeah, he called me.” Michel’s fingers started on my scalp. “Damn, that’s good.” I moaned with relief.
“You bottlin’ agin.” Michel leaned against my back “You said you’d stop that.”
“Yeah. I’m bad.” I breathed deeply as his fingertips rubbed my hairline at my forehead. I could feel the heat from his body all up my back. “Sleep with us both tonight?”
“Sure. Thought I was never gonna get asked.” Michel breathed deeply.
“You been part of us for a long time, just guess we been selfish.” I leaned my head forward, Michel worked my trapezoids gently.
“Things are changin’, aren’t they?” Michel kept up the pressure “Kid, goin’ fer at least a season, Cappy off for awhile, League finished for another year. Guess that could make you crazy.”
“Not crazy enough to miss a chance at your meat.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I know Bobby’s bin keen fer a time.” I whispered. Michel’s lips brushed mine and when his mouth opened for my tongue, I knew the day was going to end on just the right note.
“Hmmm...”Michel broke away after some time, “C’mon help me set up the table, I know Cappy’s got used to that Shiraz wine, I’ll break open another of the bottles in the cellar and we can do it right.
“Yeah...“ I whispered hoarsely, plucking at the seam in the front of my shorts “... you make me hard, y’know that?”
“Uh-huh...” Michel grinned impishly, smugly patting at the damp bulge in the front of his jeans “... you better believe it Big Guy, me too...”
“Well, jes’ stay sticky, you know I dig it...” I grinned, knowing he was probably going to be in hell for the next few hours, and he was going to do it for me, no matter how his balls ached through supper. Bobby was going to be in line for the hosing of his life... I chuckled.
“What?” Michel leaned through the door as I was getting up.
“Nuthin’ Jes’ thinking how much fun we gonna have.” I gripped my package with my left hand and wagged it at him suggestively.
“You such a boy sometimes... y’know that, don’cha?” Michel rolled his eyes and carried on into the sitting room.
Cappy bustled in through the front door, carrying supermarket packages, breathless. “Well I got all the stuff to give ta Lizzy to make the table decorations. Dunno who’s more excited… Meat or his woman about the big opening bash… Bess? Where you, girl?” Bess bounced off our bed in the Main bedroom and ran to him, claws scrabbling on the floorboards, tail a waving zone of destruction.
Michel and I looked up at him over our wine glasses at the dinner table and grinned at him. “I’ll take them through tomorrow early to the Lodge, if yer like.” Michel winked at me and took another sip of the Shiraz.
“Please?” Bobby screwed up his face, eyes closed as Bess proceeded to lather him with pooch-spit.
“Much appreciated, Michel, really.”
“Go wash up, we got some wine fer you and I’m hungry enough for two.” I grinned at him as he let Bess out and scampered to the bathroom to wash up, titling the floor lamp back into position where Bess’ tail had whacked it again.
“Eager? Ain’t he…?” Michel smirked as he dished up onto our plates.
“Heh!” I topped up the wine. “He’s so excited about this party and the Lodge opening, he ain’t worked it out yet.
“Well, I’m not gonna push it with him.” Michel’s forehead ghosted with a frown “I don’t wanna intrude in what you got going.”
“Hey!… I reckon you jes’ buck up and count on pushing it hard an’ often and in as many places as’ll fit.” I smirked at him and was rewarded by his frown receding “We done talked about it and it really is on our list, so relax and jes’ let it happen.”
“You have a list…?” Michel looked incredulous “… a list?…”
“What we talkin’ about, guys?” Bobby walked to the table looking s
crubbed and fresh. Under the table my cock growled at me just looking at him. Patience, I mentally whispered to it. Later. Soon.
“You guys have a list of things to do together? …A list…?” Michel handed Bobby his plate, looking aghast.
“Errrmm… yip.” Bobby blushed, then shrugged “All sorts of things we can do with each other because we can trust each other. I guess we both need an idea of boundaries with each other. I think it’s the best thing for me, about us… Well… there’s the sex. Then, there’s the list… Nope, the next best thing for me is the list… It’s the sex first.”
“Trust first, then sex, then the list…” I scooped some of the pasta sauce and sipped the wine. Michel had outdone himself.
“I don’t have a list, so its gotta be trust and then sex.” Michel gave one of his dazzling grins and proceeded to scoop his pasta. I watched Bobby looking at Michel, their normal good natured banter stalled. As soon as I saw Bobby’s pupils dilate, I added as casually as I could “I’m sure you’re on the list, Stud…” and waited for a response, scooping pasta into my mouth, following Michel’s lead and watching Bobby out the corner of my eye.
A minute later Bobby blinked, as if breaking out of a spell and mumbled hoarsely “Yeah… you on the list, Stud.” He grinned suddenly to himself and proceeded to mow his way through supper, resuming his banter with Michel. At his second glass of shiraz, I saw his man-nips starting to press against his tight vest and I knew we had game on, because Michel had had a tit- stand since shortly after dishing up. Small wet spots were spreading from them as they strained against his tee. I rubbed my bare foot over Bobby’s and he rubbed back.
When we had finished we sat around and finished a second bottle of Shiraz, cleared up and washed and stacked the plates away. Bobby had taken to placing his hand on the small of Michel’s back and soon all of us were boned.
I yawned and stretched, my dick throbbed in my shorts, desperate for escape. “Time for bed, I think… all of us.”
“Yeah, I’d love to…” Bobby was watching Michel with a smoldering intensity “Always have…”
“Me too.” Michel whispered, “Who da man?”
“We all da man, Stud… I’m in the mood for a smut fest.” I slipped my hands under their waistbands and squeezed a hard buttock on each of them. “But I’ll start off, if you like.”
“Heh! I guess that’s a ‘udaman’ then, Big Guy. At least, first off…” Michel leaned forward and licked Bobby’s collar bone slowly, the wet noise got my cock twitching.
“C’mon, you know I’ve wanted to…” Bobby sighed and pressed Michel’s mouth to his throat. “An’ I can’t wait to be packed full by you guys… before I gets inta both a’ ya’s.”
“I’m tired waiting, already…” I growled “…into my bed, both a’ ya’s… I got some aching I need to see too, and you bitches gonna do good by me.”
Later, lying in the dark, shoulder aching from where Bobby had bitten me I stared at the town lights just thinking. I couldn’t sleep, even though the two snuggled on either side of me was a constant lure to drift off. Bobby made a small sleeping sound of contentment and Michel’s arm tightened against my waist unconsciously in response. Happiness pulsed in my temples so hard I thought I would faint. I couldn’t sleep because I was feeling so full of bright white light I imagined I would fall asleep and sear them next to me.
I had called Cat and arranged for her to fly Bobby to Florida after the Homecoming at the Lodge’s roof-wetting, so all of that was done. I didn’t want him to go, but that was being selfish… and I decided that Michel’s calm acceptance of Dean’s relocation was best to emulate. Inside I was as jumpy as a three-balled tomcat.
What if he didn’t come back to me…? Nah, I thought, nothing to worry about there. What if he got all broken up when his Dad did manage to pass away? I wouldn’t be there to help him through it.
I guess that’s what was really bothering me… but I thought about it and perhaps Bobby did need to do a few things without me. I wished I could go through and hold him when he cried… but if I did, he would never be the sort of person I needed him to be. My mind skittered away from me for just awhile, sneaking a peek at sleep before coming back, determined… What did I need Bobby to be? Healthy. Secure in himself and in us… peaceful like right now, asleep next to me. Hmmmm… I thought as sleep ambushed me… Just like now, and forever…
“C’mon now, Big Guy, stop frettin’ otherwise I’ll never get done.” Mark squinted as he fiddled with my bow-tie. ”These things are slippery.”
“Hmmm, who’s idea was it for all of us to be in Tuxes?” I groaned as the tie squeezed my collar against the skin of my neck.
“Well, I’m not sure… either Cappy or Liz.” Mark sighed and undid the bow again “If’n you don’t stop fiddlin’ I’m never goin’ to get it done.”
“Crap. OK, then jes’ do it already.” I groaned and let him finish. “Hey Meat, Andy.” A voice behind me greeted.
“Hey Tank.” I turned and did a double blink “Wow.” I found myself staring. “You clean up pretty good.” The tux had settled around his giant shoulders, pinched into his waist and gave his tree-trunk thighs some proportion. His neatly combed and gelled hair offset his eyes and square jaw.
“Ah… feels uncomfortable as all crap though.” Shane blushed. “But Liz insisted we all get suited fer th’ photo’s, an’ truth be tol’ Andy, I ain’t gonna cross her, not today.”
“Lordy!” Meat sighed “An’ I wanna put up with that fer the rest of my life…” He sighed
“Ah well, it’s easier to jes’ give in.”
“Wow.” I was still staring at Shane “Wow…”
He blushed again, caught himself short, then smirked and ran his tongue over his upper lip
“Bet you wanna fuck me…” he leered.
“Uhhh…” I snapped to “You bet.” I slapped his ass in front of Mark “I’d hit that.”
“Guys!” Mark gasped “You’d be late fer the photo’s and Liz would have a fit.” He groaned. “There ain’t no time fer hot jock sex.”
“Heh!” Shane smirked “No worries there, Linda’s on the rag, so she bin swallowin’ my dick all day. I don’t think I got the juice fer a pee tonight.”
“Relax, Meat.” I chided him “I ain’t gonna do nuthin’ ter spoil th’ shoot, ‘kay.”
“You sure?” Meat shrugged, looking at me strangely “Yah look pretty… tense.”
“Relax.” I smiled tightly. “I promise. Tank, how I look?” I turned around slowly and watched his eyes glide up and down my body.
“Umm… wow.” He blinked and it was my turn to blush. “Quite… something.” He said hoarsely, clearing his throat. “Uhh… we got… um…” he waved towards the door, leaning back against the restroom wall, smoothing the front seam in his tux with his spare hand “….outside. I’ll catch up.”
“Heh!” I grinned as Meat and I headed for the door. “An’ I thought I was th’ only one ‘xcited.”
“Uh-Uh.” Shane rumbled deep in his throat, looking at me “Not jes’ you.” He smoothed the growing bulge in his pants “… gimme a few minutes, ‘kay?”
“Promise we won’t start without you.” Meat sighed, holding the door open for me. “Jes’… jes… use Kleenex, ‘kay?”
We walked out of the restroom into the main Hall. Half the town must’ve been there already, the other half on their way. I looked up to the roof and took a deep breath, admiring Michel’s work. The floor was slate, high varnished and almost glowing in the lights. The log-timber walls ran up two stories to three six foot stained glass windows high above us. The setting sun splashed the colours all over the high space in front of us, and we were awash with light. I felt my soul soaring just by standing in the room.
I knew –because of the cost- that he had only used two or three different materials, the roof and the floor were all the same slate… but you couldn’t see that from inside, because he had put a timber ceiling on the Lodge. Here and there, hidden away around corne
rs and at the bottom of some of the Hallways were beams that had been carved by Black Bear himself and some of the tribe Elders, impressive Totem Poles to support the roof.
One of the Twins, -probably Cain- had delivered the large central Totem pole with an eagle, a stag, a horse and a nightjar as the central motif. Along the bottom of the column was a wolf, included, but not central with the other totem animals. After Michel and I had torn a strip off him for impersonating Dean, he had accepted he would have to eat crow for awhile, but otherwise things were mostly smoothed out
The reception counter was ablaze with wildflowers and fruit juice and cocktails arranged in a buffet style, and Mark and I walked over and took a frosted glass from the rows that were busy being filled by a little old lady from the volunteer organization. I smiled at her and she blushed and smiled back.
“Acey…” a familiar voice called from behind me “… there you are!”
“Hi Cat.” I turned and did a double take “You look great. Really.” She kissed me on the cheek, and pirouetted in front of me, grinning proudly, all sleek black dress and shining russet hair.
“I’ve had it on for twenty minutes, and there still isn’t a rip…” she giggled “I thought I better make a good impression.”
“Ummm… yip. Meat, close your mouth. Lizzie’d kill you…” I grinned and scooped Cat’s elbow “You making just that, dear. Come and I’ll show you around. We’ve got a photo shoot in a few minutes, but I’ll introduce you as soon as that’s done.”
“Oh, Acey… this is beautiful. I can see why you registered those bungalow designs and this one. I thought you were crazy when you first made…”
“Shhhh…” I pressed my finger to her lips, “No-one is supposed to know, remember? We’ve already talked about this… years ago. It’s called ‘confidentiality’, capice?”
“Silly. Of course I remember.” Cat grinned. “You would think that sweet boy I dropped the papers off with, would care if he knew?”