Blake's Saga V Chapter 4
Warning: This story does not contain any sex. None of the characters are based on real people, nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead people.
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Blake's Saga
Book 5 – Chapter 4
Blake's Shopping Trip with Michael
Trace's brother, Michael, plans on taking his nephew, Blake, out shopping at the mall for a day. The trip was arranged by Trace and Michael in hopes of taking Blake's mind off of his boyfriend's passing. The young man has no idea that he's going to have a day out with one of his favorite uncles. Michael heads straight for Blake's room. He knocks on the door, and Blake looks up from the bed.
"Hey Uncle Michael, what's going on?"
Michael enters the room, and he is all smiles. He's excited over the opportunity to take his nephew out with him.
"Get up, get dressed if you aren't, and let's go shopping. It's on me. If you want to go, that is?"
Blake is all about going shopping and spending time with his uncle. It's been a while since he's hung out with his uncle one on one like this.
"Heck yeah, I'm going. I just have to get up."
Blake throws the blanket off of him, exposing his briefs and the rest of his body to his uncle's eyes. Michael laughs at his nephew's state of undress.
"You could have warned me, dude."
Blake says nothing as he grabs some clothes and runs for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Blake finds Michael, who is sitting in the living room waiting for him.
"Are you ready to head out, Blake?"
Blake nods his head and then says goodbye to everyone before heading out the door to head out to the mall.
***
In the car, the guys sit and talk about life. They head out and talk about whatever is going on in their lives.
"What's going on, buddy?"
Blake has to admit that he has been feeling a little better since the death of Ben. Ben's death is a sticking point right now. It's not something he wants to talk about, though. He wants to forget about it and move on as best he can.
"I just want to get passed it. Thanks for taking me out with you and the guys."
Michael is happy to get Blake out of the house.
"You're welcome, my man."
Blake wonders what is going on in his uncle's life. He hasn't been around for a while. He wants to know what's up with his uncle.
"Uncle Michael, anything new in your life?"
Blake is curious about the life that his uncle lives. Michael has never brought anyone over the house before; he's had his brothers' relationships thrown in his face, and even Blake's relationship with Ben was thrown in his face. Blake has never seen Michael down on himself, and lately, there seems to be a glow about him.
`Is Uncle Michael hiding someone or something from me?'
"Nope! Nothing new here."
Michael tells his nephew, but Blake sees past his uncle's words. He keeps that thought to himself. He does not want to shake things up. Michael has been keeping something back from everyone in his life.
"What about you, Blake, anything or anyone new?"
Blake doesn't answer his uncle with words. His body language says it all. Blake has no one on the horizon. Michael wishes that Blake had an idea of where he is going next in life. Still, there might be some hope for both of them. Now, what exactly is Michael keeping from everyone?
***
Michael has been keeping something back not just from Blake but from everyone in his family. He wants to tell Blake that he thinks that he's brave. He wants to tell his brother how brave; he believes that Trace and Ian are for living their lives. He knows that some people in the community don't think that bisexuality is a real thing. When Trace came out, people just seemed to accept it, but he's been fearing coming out based on what he's seen around him. He has to tell someone. He's been keeping this inside for much too long. Time is ticking.
***
He doesn't want to keep things away from Blake or his family. He doesn't know when his crush will make a move or when he will finally get the nerve to ask his crush out. Once he starts dating, he wants to be free. His dream wants to be free to explore. It's the way that things should be. Things are going to be beautiful. If he can just push through it, he'll see about spilling his guts to the world and the family. Friends and family may hate on him, but he'll chance it. He'll fight it to the best of his ability.
`I just hope that Trace is okay with my secret.'
Maybe, Blake will cheer Michael on as he moves forward.
***
Blake and Michael arrive at the mall. Michael parks the car, and the guys exit the vehicle. After locking the car, the guys head towards the building. When they enter the mall, Michael sits down with Blake to discuss the rules of this little shopping trip.
"Okay, there are a couple of rules you have to follow, 1. You can only buy for yourself. 2. You may only buy two items in each store. Okay, are you ready to shop?"
Blake looks at his uncle as if he is waiting for the shoe to drop.
"Umm... are those all the rules?"
Michael pretends to check his phone for the rules.
"Umm...yeah, I'm sure."
Blake just wants to get busy shopping. Michael just wants to enjoy the day with his nephew.
"So, where are we going first?"
Blake looks at the map of the mall. His finger lands on a hip clothing store.
"Right there!"
With that, the guys head out for the first shop of the day. After walking for five minutes and people watching along the way, the guys are standing right outside the store.
***
Blake remembers what his uncle said to him, only two items. They enter the store, and Blake heads for the t-shirts. He combs through 2 dozen shirts before picking out one that he likes. He walks over to another section of t-shirts, and again he browses over quite a few t-shirts before he finally picks his second shirt.
"Are you sure those are two shirts that you want? Because you can only have two."
Blake smiles and walks towards the register to check out. Blake hands the shirts to an employee so she can ring them up. Then, his uncle slides his credit card into the slot to pay for them. Once Michael pays for the shirts, Blake puts the receipt into the bag, and together they head out to the next store. Michael didn't even complain about the cost of the shirts, which surprised him.
***
The next store sells video games, game systems, and console accessories. Blake walks in and heads straight for the section to displays the games for his game system. He spends a few minutes looking over the games.
"I can't believe that I have these, I've wanted these games, but I haven't been able to find them. So cool! Can I get them?"
Michael smiles and then walks away to find someone to open the case.
"Excuse, can you open the case? My nephew wants to get to games?"
The uncle says to the store worker.
"Sure!"
The guy seems eager to help out this patron. He follows Michael to where Blake is waiting.
"Which games did you want?"
Blake points to two games that he's been wanting for a while. He watches anxiously as the employee gets out the games that Blake wants to buy. One is a role-playing game, and the other is a simulation game that he's been eager to play. Now thanks to his uncle, he can play them.
"You have one nice uncle. Mine wouldn't buy games for me. Are you ready to pay?"
Blake nods his head, and then once again, his uncle gets out his credit card to pay for them. Once they leave the store, Michael wants to suggest something to his nephew.
***
Michael wants this shopping experience to be a day out for him and his nephew. Right now, he has an idea of what they can do next
"How about we give our legs a rest for a little bit, and people watch?"
People-watching is something that Blake loves to do. He thinks it's just as fun as shopping. They watch a stream of people walking by them. At first, no one stands out to Blake, and then a guy walks by that catches Blake's eye. He's older than Blake in his twenties, and he is hot. Blake nudges his uncle.
"I know you don't like guys, but that guy is smoking hot."
He whispers so that no one else can hear him but his uncle can hear him. If only he knew about his uncle. Maybe, they could do this together. For now, all Michael can do is just blow off the comment. Michael wants to tell Blake that the guy is pretty hot, but his crush is hotter. A little bit later, a lady in her twenties walks by, and Blake instantly looks at Michael.
"Do you think she is pretty?"
Michael can tell that she is attractive, and she is stunning. However, he is crushing on someone pretty heavily, and that someone happens to be a guy.
"Yeah, she is pretty hot."
Michael says feeling a little weird as he says it. Blake nods his head because and the guys go back to watching the people walk by. Blake comments on a couple of guys, and Michael again sort of blows it off. Oh, by the way, Blake saw some guys his age too, and he glanced at them.
Michael has to speak up, and it needs to be now. Hopefully, this doesn't ruin their shopping trip.
"What store do you want to go to next?"
Michael figures they can walk and talk at the same time.
"I want to add some more rocks to my rock collection. I can't remember the name of it, but they sell science stuff."
Michael knows the store. Ian has dragged him there a couple of times looking for stuff for his classes.
"Okay then, let's head towards it. After that, we'll have lunch."
Off they go; Blake hopes he can get a couple of new rocks from the store.
***
As Michael and Blake walk, they pass by a bench that sits pretty close to this indoor fountain. Michael stops and sits.
"Hey Blake, can you sit for a second? I have something that I need to tell you. Please don't freak out or anything, okay, because I have been keeping something inside for a while now. I know that Trace is gay, and I am fine with that. You know that already so this seems sort of silly, but I'm...I'm bi."
Blake stares at his uncle for a couple of seconds. His uncle has nothing to fear. Blake isn't about to laugh at his uncle. In fact, he pats his uncle on the back.
"Dude, it's fine. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Do my dads know?"
Michael isn't sure which question to answer first.
"No, your dads don't know. You are the only person who knows; not even Ashley knows. I guess I haven't come out sooner because I really didn't feel the need to, but I decided that I should. I am crushing pretty hard on a friend, and I don't want him to be worried about me being in the closet."
Blake sees no problem with his uncle being bi. He wants him to know that he loves him, and that will never change. He is just trying to figure out how to say it.
"Uncle Michael, you know that my dads are going to be fine with your sexuality. They love you. Collin and I love you a lot. Don't worry about coming out later than most people. You're fine."
Michael smiles at his nephew's words. It's good to know that his nephew won't reject him, and he's sure that Trace and Ian won't think anything of it. Michael's fingers are crossed mentally, hoping and praying that his nephew is right. Michael wants to hug him, but he's not sure that the mall is the best place for that. Michael gets up and heads for the store with Blake close behind him.
***
The duo makes their way to the science store. Where Blake slowly searches the displays for something he doesn't have yet. He finds a piece of labradorite and some red tourmaline.
"Uncle Michael, I have what I want. We can check out."
What happens next surprises, Blake. Michael spotted something sitting in one of the fossil displays. A rock with the impression of a fern on it. He is very much aware of what he told Blake, but this item is on him; a present for being so fabulous. He hands the fossil over to Blake. Instantly, the young man's eyes get big.,
"Thanks, Uncle Michael!"
Michael pays for the crystals and the fossil. He hands the bags over to his nephew, and then they head off towards the food court for lunch.
***
While ordering food, Blake spots a guy ordering from the spot next to them. He thinks that he recognizes him as a guy that graduated last year. He's not staring, but Michael catches on to who his nephew is looking at, and he taps his nephew on the shoulder.
"I think you need to get your eyes back in your head and place your order."
Blake blushes just a little. He nudges his uncle.
"I...I...wasn't staring."
Blake tells his uncle, who laughs. They place their orders and then get their food. The pair sit within view of the guy from back in the line. They eat their food. Blake can't resist getting a couple more glances at the guy. Michael rolls his eyes at his nephew. It's pretty evident that Blake finds the guy attractive. He's not exactly hiding that fact. If the guy had bothered to look at Blake, he might have discovered Blake's glances. It would have left Blake with red cheeks had the guy made eye contact, but that isn't going to be an issue. He got his food and left to eat it someplace else. Maybe he worked in the mall somewhere, or perhaps he did get a view of Blake's stares and decided to go somewhere that he didn't have to worry about being watched while he ate. At least now, Blake can focus on his food instead of checking out the guy's muscles. After eating, Blake takes his uncle to a book store.
***
In the bookstore, Blake takes his time searching through every section of the store. He doesn't know where he might find the perfect book or books. He decides to buy a thick mandala coloring book. He also picks up a book on identifying edible plants of the Midwest. Blake walks them up to his uncle is already holding all the other bags.
"We can check out."
Once they are paid for, Blake and Uncle Michael get ready to head out for the day. Blake isn't quite finished with the discussion from their time at the fountain.
***
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Blake is a little curious about his uncle's love interests. He knows it's none of his business, but he can't help himself from asking.
"So, are you secretly seeing anyone?"
His question catches his uncle off guard. Blake has never really shown any interest in his love life.
"Umm...nope, I'm not seeing anyone."
Blake isn't satisfied, though, with his uncle's answer. Maybe, he's tired of secrets, or perhaps it's his curious teenage mind.
"So, is there a crush in your life?"
This time, Blake has him. He can see it in Michael's eyes, a glimmer of life. There is even a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Yeah, there is most definitely a crush."
Blake's face has a curious look on it. He knew something was up with his uncle, but he couldn't put the finger on it. He has one more question for his uncle. Blake has one more probing question meant to invade his uncle's privacy.
"Is this crush someone I know?"
Michael's face says it all. You can tell that he's thinking, "Yeah, right! I'm not telling you.".
"Blake, I want to ask this person out when the time is right. I promise that someday, you'll meet them. When you do, all I ask is that you treat them with respect."
He doesn't want to take the chance of his crush running away because he found out that Michael is crushing on him. Blake will respect anyone who dates his uncle as long as this person treats his uncle well.
"Okay, Uncle Michael, it's all good. You know it's all good. I'll love anyone you bring over to the house."
Michael knows his nephew is being honest with him. Sometimes, he wonders if Blake has a mean bone in his body. They walked out to Michael's car. Michael helps get the haul into the trunk. After getting into the car, the crew heads out for Blake's house.
***
When Blake gets home, the first thing he does is find Ian to show off what he bought. He is pleased with the crystals that he got. Ian spent a few seconds looking at each crystal.
"I've never seen the red tourmaline before; that is beautiful. Cool finds."
Then Blake got out the books; he showed the edible plants book to his dad.
"Do you think we could try our hand at foraging?"
Blake has been curious about it since he saw some videos on YouTube on the subject.
"We can try it out. But we are going to take our time to identify the plants before we try them. Let's see what's growing in the yard first, okay?"
Ian believes that one of a parent's jobs is to support any worthwhile interests that their child has. Blake's interest in nature is one that he'll enjoy well into adulthood so, Ian will help him until he physically can't. Blake finishes showing off what Michael bought for him, and then Blake disappears to his room to put his stuff away.
***
Trace and Ian had already planned that Michael would take Collin out for lunch once he got back to the house with Blake. It won't be any special place, just a fast food restaurant that Collin likes. His little nephew gets chicken nuggets, French fries, BBQ sauce for his nuggets, and root beer. For part of the lunch, Uncle Michael tells his nephew some dad jokes, and Collin laughs no matter if they are funny or not. It's important to Michael to spend time with his nephews once a week or once every other week. It helps strengthen the bond between uncle and nephew. Sometimes, he does it with both Collin and Blake, and other times it's separate. When they finish their meal, Michael gives Collin's meal a chance to settle before heading out to a park to play for a little bit before heading home. Another critical thing to note about Michael's time with his nephews is that it's rare that they do the same thing twice during the month.
***
While Collin is out with Uncle Michael, Trace comes home and relaxes. His oldest son was in the backyard. Blake sits down in one of the chairs in the living room.
"How was your trip with your uncle? Did you go shopping as planned? Did you get anything good?"
Blake wants to tell him about the news that Uncle Michael gave him, but he's not about to break that trust. He'll answer his dad's questions, and when Michael is ready, he can tell his brother.
"It was fine. He let me get two items in any of the stores that we went to. He spoiled me, Dad. I got two video games which I have yet to play, by the way. I have been out with Dad checking out the wild plants in the backyard. I got a book on edible plants in the Midwest, so Dad and I went out to see what we could find in the yard. I got some red tourmaline, which Dad thought was awesome. We had lunch, chatted it up about stuff, and just had fun."
His dad was glad to hear that Blake had fun with Michael. Blake's moods have been getting better with every passing day. Ian walks into a house with one of his plant guidebooks and a small handful of plants.
***
Ian sets the book down on the dining room table along with the plants that he and Blake picked up in the backyard. He then walked into the living room and kissed his husband on the lips. Blake loves that his dads show their affection for each other around Collin and him. It's nothing he wouldn't see his mom and dad do if he were living with them. It's normal, and Blake wouldn't have it any other way. They are an excellent example for a teen like him. Blake is aware that they've had downtimes in their relationship, but he also knows that they have weekly date nights.
"How was work, Babe?"
Ian asks his husband.
"It was a quiet night, to be honest. My night was filled with mostly warnings. I did get a call on a silver alert. It ended up being the person that came up missing, and we were able to get that person to the hospital to get checked out and returned to the family. It was a great way to end my shift. It sounds like Blake had a great day?"
Ian smiles and looks at his oldest son. Hoping he would comment, but Blake is tied up in coloring in his coloring book. Ian answers his husband
"Yeah, he seemed to be pretty happy when he came into the house. I am a little envious; he has a red tourmaline that he found at the science store in the mall. I may have to go up and see what I can find."
Immediately, Trace comes up with a stop for this week's date night. It's his turn to plan out the date.
"I take it that Collin is out with my brother?"
Trace asks about their youngest. He wonders if Collin is enjoying his time with Uncle Michael. He knows the boys enjoy being with him. Michael will do whatever he thinks the boys will like. Nothing with him will be dangerous or illegal, so Ian and Trace don't have to worry about him.
"What do you want for dinner, Blake? Trace?"
It's Ian asking the question this time. It's time to start thinking about getting dinner started. Blake shrugs his shoulders.
"How about that quick chicken roast?
Trace suggests a recipe. It was a hit with his husband and the kids, so it was worth doing again. They try to add a new recipe every week. Sometimes, the recipes are bombs, but they get added to the book when they are good.
"Okay, well, I am going to make extra in case Michael wants to eat with us."
Blake likes the idea, but he gets up and heads upstairs. Ian and Trace get up and head into the kitchen. While they are cooking, Collin and Michael enter the house.
***
Trace walks into the room living room to greet his son and his brother.
"Hey Collin, what's going on, guy? Did you have fun with Uncle Michael?"
Collin seems quite happy.
"I had a blast, Dad. Uncle Michael took me to lunch, and then we went out and played at a park."
Both Collin and Uncle Michael enjoyed the trip; Trace's brother is surprised that his younger nephew isn't sleeping as much as he played. Instead, he is wide awake and ready to eat again from the looks of things.
"Daddy, is dinner done?"
The younger kid asks his dad. Ian heard what his son asked Trace, and he's a little surprised by his son's question.
"Not yet Collin, why don't you go upstairs and see what your brother is up to."
Collin listens to Trace and heads up to see his brother. He leaves Uncle Michael, Trace, and Ian. Ten minutes later, the meal is finished. Trace sends Michael upstairs to get the kids.
"Hey guys, it's time to eat."
It didn't take either boy long to get downstairs once their hands were washed. Michael is ready to walk out the door when he hears someone approaching him from behind.
"Are you hungry? You can eat with us if you want to, you know?"
Collin says. Ian had Collin give the invite because the little guy asked if he could ask him. Michael pivoted around and followed his nephew to the dining room.
"Uncle Michael is eating."
Collin said nice and loud. Everyone else sat down, and as always, Blake said the blessing on the food. Trace and Ian make it a point always to have meals together when possible. The family talks and laughs through dinner. When the meal is finished, Michael says goodnight.
***
Michael makes it out to his car, and he's joined by his car by his brother.
"Michael, everything okay?"
Trace asks his brother. I guess he felt like something was wrong. Michael looks a little surprised that his brother would think that something was amiss.
"I'm fine. Why would you think that something was wrong?"
Did Blake say something to his dad? Nah, he wouldn't do that; Blake is an honest guy. He wouldn't do his uncle wrong like that, and Michael ends those thoughts.
"Maybe, it's a form of big brother sixth sense."
Michael chuckles a bit at his brother's words. He can't believe that those words even came out of his brother's mouth.
"You have to be kidding me?"
Michael asks his brother, hoping he'll give him a clue why he thinks something is up. Trace just stared at his brother as if trying he's figuring out what wasn't being said. Opening the car door, Michael gets ready to head home, but Trace replies to his question before he gets into the car.
"Well, I suppose if everything is okay. I can let you go home."
Michael gets into his car, and then he heads for home.
***
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