“Parents suck,” Keegan said, laughing and struggling to breathe as they jogged.
Quinn shrugged. “Eh, not really. I’ve got pretty awesome dads, even if they’re being annoying while trying to get their point across.”
Thirty-five minutes later, Quinn slowed to an easy jog and let Keegan cross the finish line first. His boyfriend had stopped several times as they ran, clutching the cramps in his side. Now, he was heaving like he was going to pass out or die from exhaustion. Around them, runners who had finished the race were drinking warm beverages and huddling in silver Mylar blankets to keep warm.
“Come on,” Quinn said, wrapping an arm around Keegan’s shoulders. His boyfriend’s cheeks were pale and blue. “Let’s get you inside the cafeteria and get warmed up before you freeze to death.”
“I’m n-n-never d-d-doing this ag-g-gain,” Keegan stuttered, his teeth chattering as he shivered in the cold. “This s-s-sucks.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t know it would be this miserable for you. I’ll work on my dads tonight and do my best to make it up to you.”
“You, b-b-bet-t-ter,” Keegan answered with a half-smile.
The boys made their way through the crowd and into the high school’s cafeteria where they warmed up with hot apple cider, donuts, and other treats. In a few minutes, the color returned to Keegan’s cheeks and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, I didn’t almost kill my boyfriend today. Hopefully next year, it won’t be so damn cold, but I suspect it will be hard to get him out here again. Now, I need to think about how to get my grounding lifted.
❖
“Dad, can I please go to Keegan’s tonight? Or can he come here and hang out?” Quinn asked, sitting down on the couch opposite his fathers, who each held a glass of red wine and sat in silence, enjoying the quiet of the post-Thanksgiving dinner clean-up. He chose the straightforward approach with his dads in the hopes of regaining his freedom.
Dad raised an eyebrow and looked at him with casual interest. Daddio looked at his husband and said nothing.
“You’re still grounded,” Dad said.
“But, it’s been a week, I think I’ve learned my lesson.”
“And what is the lesson you’ve learned?”
“Don’t ever cut school again,” he replied, but it came out sounding like a question.
“Sorry, wrong answer.”
Daddio suppressed a giggle, and Dad glanced at him with somber amusement.
Quinn sighed. “Look, I told you; I felt better later in the morning. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with going to Prescott Park. It’s not like I ditched school to fool around or something stupid like that,” He struggled to maintain the believable story he concocted to protect his necessary lie. “Don’t you think I deserve a second chance?”
“I’m sorry, but a question like that is akin to leading the witness,” Dad responded.
“Oh, come on,” Quinn exclaimed, throwing himself back into the cushions of the couch with exasperation. Sometimes it sucks having an attorney for a father.
The grin on Daddio’s face grew and threatened to split his head in two.
Quinn folded his arms across his chest in frustration. “I can see your face, Daddio. You’re ready to bust a gut, so am I still grounded or not?”
Dad took sip of his wine and regarded his husband. “You were never really good with this discipline thing, you know.”
“Why are you blaming me?” Daddio asked, surprised. “I agree with Quinn on this one. You’re just pissed off because you decided to leave work and rearrange your appointments instead of calling him and that put you out, so you took it out on Quinn…who I admit, should have texted us his plans. That’s why I didn’t fight your decision to ground him.”
“You may have a point there.” Dad sighed and set his wine glass down on the coffee table. Then he sat back, folded his hands in his lap, and looked Quinn directly in the eye. “However, no more lying, young man. Don’t think we haven’t noticed you sneaking around a little bit here and there. You’re a good kid, and we don’t think anything is wrong with you…but I don’t want to be proven wrong.”
Quinn sat up with excitement. “I promise, no more lies. So, can Keegan come over?” Dad rolled his eyes and looked at Daddio.
“Hey, he’s going to be eighteen in a year-and-a-half.”
“Guys, please stop goofing around with my life!” Quinn pleaded.
“All right,” Dad said. “Your penalty is lifted. Yes, Keegan can come over.”
“Thank you!” Quinn exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. Then, he ran over to his dads and gave them each a quick kiss and a hug. “I’m sorry I hurt you, I didn’t mean it, really.” After they accepted his apology, he ran upstairs to grab his phone so he could text Keegan.
When he picked up his phone from his desk, he softly gasped when he saw a text message from Ana Maria Garcia on the screen. He unlocked his phone and read the message: Can you meet me after school on Monday?
Quinn texted back: Yes, at like four o’clock.
A moment later, his phone buzzed with her response: Good, it’s time to teach you what I know.
Finally. Quinn smiled and then switched to a message thread with Keegan and texted him the good news about his regained freedom.
❖
The doorbell rang, and Quinn jumped off the couch with excitement. “I’ve got it,” he announced. His dads nodded but didn’t move, half-asleep from the long day of preparations and their third glass of wine. He walked to the front door and opened it, unable to suppress the massive grin on his face.
“Well, hello there,” he said, greeting Keegan.
“Hi,” Keegan responded, winking at him. A big smile covered his face as well. “Where are your dads?” he whispered.
Quinn jerked his head toward the living room. “Almost asleep on the couch.”
Keegan smiled even more. “Good.” Then, he stepped inside, closed the door behind him, pressed Quinn back against the wall behind him, and kissed him deeply. The hallway lights flickered.
When Keegan pulled away, Quinn exhaled a sigh of relief. “I love it when you do that,” he whispered.
“I’m glad,” Keegan replied, bouncing his eyebrows. “Want to go upstairs?” Quinn looked toward the living room. “Uh, my dads are still awake.”
“You know they’ll figure it out, one way or the other.”
What the hell. “You’re right,” Quinn replied, thinking with his heart instead of his mind. He smiled. “Come on.” Hand-in-hand, Quinn led Keegan upstairs to his bedroom.
“How was your Thanksgiving?” Keegan asked.
Quinn looked at him funny. “It was good. The family came over and we ended up with two turkeys, way too much food, and extremely full bellies. You?”
“Went to my grandma’s house for dinner, but we had pretty much the same as you, except only one turkey.”
“Cool,” Quinn answered, completely disinterested in discussing Thanksgiving traditions with his boyfriend at the moment. He shut the door to his bedroom, turned around, and smiled wickedly at Keegan, who had pulled off his coat and hung it on Quinn’s desk chair. Then, Quinn advanced and pounced on his boyfriend, falling onto the bed with him.
“I’ve been waiting all week for this,” Keegan said.
Quinn’s eyebrow went up with interest. “You mean, you haven’t, uh, taken matters into your own hand…”
Keegan shook his head. “No, I waited, and it was super-hard. No pun intended.”
“So did I,” Quinn responded, chuckling. I can’t wait to feel you in my arms.
“Really?”
“Really!” This is going to be so much fun.
Forty-five minutes later, when the excitement and heavy breathing had subsided, Quinn pulled out some comfortable clothing from his dresser and handed Keegan a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He grabbed sleep shorts and a tank top for himself.
When Keegan had pulled on the pajama pants, he looked at his shirtless bo
dy and then looked at Quinn’s shirtless body. “Man, you really hit the gym a lot, don’t you? Your muscles are awesome; you’re really jacked.”
Quinn pulled on the sleep shorts and then flexed his arms. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”
Keegan looked back at himself. “I wish I had more muscles like you.”
Quinn walked over to Keegan and placed his hand over Keegan’s heart. “Don’t start that, babe. Don’t play the comparison game. I think you’re super hot and I love you.”
Keegan smiled, grabbed his hand, and pulled him in for a kiss. “Thanks,” he said. They pulled on their shirts and Quinn turned on the television for background noise. Then, he climbed onto the bed with Keegan and snuggled up his arms, allowing himself to be the little spoon. They watched a downtown San Francisco trolley action scene from an old Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery movie. Quinn settled into Keegan’s warm embrace, hoping his contentment would last all night.
❖
Faint, whispering voices roused Quinn from slumber.
“I texted my mom, she didn’t mind.”
“Okay. Well, if it’s okay with her. It’s okay with us.”
“Thanks, Mr. McAlester.”
“Sleep well, Keegan.”
“Good night.”
Quinn felt Keegan’s warm body move away for a moment, but he was too deep in sleep to care or react. The blanket at the foot of his bed brushed over his legs and then settled over them. Keegan snuggled back in behind Quinn, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. A moment later, all was still and Quinn fell into a deep sleep.
❖
As morning light streamed into his bedroom, Quinn gently awoke, a familiar urge beckoning him to slide his hand in his sleep shorts. A moment later, he became aware of something heavy pressing against his left side and his stomach.
What the heck?
He lifted his head and peeled open an eye, smiling when he saw the top of Keegan’s head. Keegan had snuggled up to him during the night. His left arm was draped across Quinn’s torso, and his face was squished into Quinn’s shoulder and left pectoral.
He smiled at his sleeping boyfriend and relaxed, remembering they didn’t need to get up for school or anything else.
It’ll take care of that itch later.
Then, he allowed himself to fall asleep once more.
❖
Sometime later in the morning, Quinn felt Keegan’s fingers gently caressing his chest. His lips widened to a full smile as he turned his head and looked into Keegan’s blue eyes. Quinn loved the way his boyfriend’s bedhead seemed extra cute in the morning sunlight. “Good morning, handsome.”
“Hi,” Keegan answered. “You’re really adorable when you’re sleeping.”
“That’s creepy,” Quinn said, blushing as his smiled turned into a grin.
Keegan rolled his eyes down to Quinn’s tenting sleep shorts. “I was wondering if you wanted help taking care of that?” Keegan asked.
“Yes, please,” he answered, stretching his body and resting his arms behind his head. Above the bed, Quinn saw the ceiling light—which had been off—flicker, as if someone was playing with a dimmer switch. A moment later, Keegan took hold of him and their world fell into bliss for the next twenty or so minutes.
When they had finished and wiped up, they lounged together on the bed.
“I could get used to this,” Quinn said. Is that too much, too soon?
“Mmhmm,” Keegan responded, squeezing Quinn in his arms. “Me too.”
I guess not.
The sound of pots and pans and cabinets closing in the kitchen caught Quinn’s super hearing and he listened for a moment. Awesome. Daddio’s making breakfast for us.
Then, he frowned, remembering how Keegan and his mother were sometimes at odds with his level of independence. “Are you going to get in trouble for sleeping over?” Quinn asked.
“Nope. I texted my mom and she said it was okay to stay over because it was a holiday weekend.”
“You’ve got nothing going on today? No Black Friday craziness in your family?”
“Hell no. My parents did that for a couple years but realized that unless you were in line at six o’clock on Thanksgiving evening or earlier, you wouldn’t get anything you want. What about you guys?”
“Clearly not, since we’re here.”
“Well, I’ve got something I want right here,” Keegan said, smiling as he hugged Quinn.
“Aww, babe,” Quinn said, blushing. “So, you’re in for a treat this morning. I can hear Daddio in the kitchen making breakfast. I suspect something wonderful and delicious is coming.”
“Oh yeah? Want to go check it out? I’m starving.”
“Sure, but first we need mouthwash. I’ve discovered your dragon breath is terrible in the morning.”
Keegan chuckled. “Your breath isn’t exactly cotton candy and rose petals, either.”
The boys laughed and made their way to Quinn’s bathroom to get some mouthwash. When they finished in the bathroom, they made their way downstairs to the kitchen.
Daddio, who wore slim-fit track pants and a Green Lantern T-shirt, was at the kitchen counter, engrossed in measuring out some waffle mix and setting up for an amazing late breakfast.
“Did you sleep in, too?” Quinn asked as the boys ambled into kitchen. “Coffee?” he quickly asked Keegan before Daddio answered, jerking his head to the freshly brewed coffee pot.
“Yes, please,” Keegan replied.
“Morning, boys,” Daddio said, regarding them with amusement and suspicion. Then, he answered them with a riddle. “We might have slept in or we might not have slept in.”
Quinn and Keegan looked at each other. Quinn knew exactly what his dad was hinting at. “TMI,” he responded, chuckling. Then, he set about pouring two cups of coffee.
“Did you boys sleep well?” Dad asked, coming into the kitchen from the living room. Unlike Daddio, he was freshly showered and dressed for a relaxing day at home.
“Yup,” Quinn answered, hoping the questions would end there.
“Great. Keegan, we figured since you’re here, we’d cook up a big breakfast. Are you interested?”
“Yes, thank you, please, and I am.” Keegan answered while sipping his coffee.
Quinn laughed as Dad put some soft music on the wireless sound system and then poured orange juice into four mimosa glasses, leaving extra room in two of the glasses for champagne. He handed the boys their full glasses. “Two virgin Mimosas for you two,” he said, snickering.
Then, he pulled out a resealed champagne bottle and topped off his and Daddio’s glasses. “And two regular Mimosas for the grownups.”
“You’re not mad?” Keegan asked.
Quinn felt his heart and stomach drop through his legs and squirm into his feet, desperately struggling to escape from his toes. You did not just ask my dad that question.
Daddio and Dad paused and stared at Keegan. Quinn noticed they were equally unprepared for the question.
Dad cleared his throat and answered him. “No, Keegan we’re not mad. I don’t know how your parents feel, but we made a decision long ago not to regulate our son’s sexuality or his sex life. Hopefully, we’ve taught him well so he understands what our expectations are concerning safety and protection by using condoms, but most of all, that he does his best to think about his decisions when the hormones take over. So, no, we’re not mad. Aren and I are guys and we were both sixteen many moons ago, so we know exactly what you two are going through. Getting mad and yelling at you isn’t going to stop you from expressing your sexuality with one another.”
Oh god, make it stop.
Keegan looked at Quinn with surprise. “Wow, that’s what the sex talk is like in your house?”
Quinn blushed, and his mouth fell open. “Are we really having this conversation right now?” he asked in disbelief.
Keegan chuckled.
Dad spoke next. “You have to remember that our coming outs did not go well for us like it has for you guys. My
parents were very upset and it took several years for them to accept me.”
“Mine too,” Daddio said. “Unfortunately, they caught me in bed fooling around with my best friend. My parents read us the riot act because back then in my super religious family, sex ed was about what you could and couldn’t do; what would get you into heaven or send you straight to hell. Basically, we were told we couldn’t be sexual until we were married. And fooling around with a guy? That was the sure way to hell. That said, the idea of saving yourself for someone special still has merit, so don’t think we’re suggesting you guys should adopt a carefree attitude with your sex lives…at all.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Mr. McAlester. Both of you, that is,” Keegan said.
Quinn smiled. “Me too.” I’m really lucky, even though this is the most embarrassing moment of my life, talking about me and my boyfriend’s sex life with my dads is kinda okay. But still, most kids don’t have the special and unique family I have, and there’s nothing in this world that could ever make me want to give this up.
4-2 | The First of Many
Blake
THE FAINT SOUND OF KNOCKING at the front door to Blake’s condo roused him from a dreamless sleep. He sat up, mildly surprised but aware of his surroundings. He looked around his room, expecting to find something wrong, but nothing was out of place. Someone knocked louder at the front door.
Sighing, he climbed out of bed and pulled on the pair of boxer shorts he had tossed on the floor when he went to bed. Then, he went downstairs. A third, more determined knocking echoed through the condo when he approached the door, further irritating him. He flipped the deadbolt back and opened the door.
“What?” he exclaimed, staring into the green eyes of the red-headed girl that lived in his building. She blinked, then swept her eyes over his nearly nude, muscular body.
“What do you want?” Blake asked, perturbed.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that’s all. Sheesh,” she retorted, sounding offended.
“Um, what are you talking about? Why would I not be okay?”
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