Buck

Disclaimer: This story involves a relationship between two males under the age of 18. By the end of the story, both will have reached 18 years of age. If you are offended or prefer not to read material in which persons are not yet 18, please read no further. I intend to harm/offend no one. If you like the story or wish to contact the author, please email 48deekross@gmail.com. I'll take any constructive criticism. Thanks for Reading!

"Hey, movie just got over. Headed home now."

"Just got home. What's up?"

"Leeeeeeeeee, text me back. I'm bored."

"Is everything okay?"

"I guess I'll just talk to you later."

The missed call had apparently come in between texts 3 and 4. I couldn't help but smile, thinking about how he must've racked his brain as to why I wasn't texting back. It was cute, in a way, to see him squirming a bit.

I can't deny that I've been in the same place before, or that it sucks completely. One night, very early in the rekindling of our relationship, I had been texting with Buck. We had been texting for a while, when out of nowhere he just stopped replying. I struggled with deciding whether or not to send another text.

"If he's not responding, that means he doesn't want to talk right?" "What's the harm in sending another message? It's just a way to keep the conversation going." "Will it seem desperate? Will he be turned off by it?"

All these thoughts plagued me, to the point that I put my phone clear on the opposite side of the room. I made up my mind that it didn't matter if he replied.

He did, of course, after some time. He had been caught up doing something with his parents, so he couldn't sit on his phone and text me. Simple explanation that rendered all my worrying useless.

It seemed the same thing had happened with Buck. Instead of avoiding multiple messages, though, he had sent several, trying to get my attention. I personally thought it was kind of cute.

I responded promptly, hoping to alleviate some of his stress. I told him that I had fallen asleep without meaning to and had slept like a log all night. It was about 8, so, since he was probably still asleep, I didn't expect an immediate reply.

I got up to piss, shower, and put some new clothes on. When I was dressed, I headed downstairs to get some breakfast. My family were all there already. My mom was busy cooking, my dad and brother busy eating.

"Wow, you guys are all up early!" I said as I walked in.

"Or maybe you're just up late." My dad winked at me as I sat down at the table. For whatever reason, my family had always been early risers, including myself. 8 was considered sleeping in for me.

"Here, eat up hun." My mom sat a plate down in front of me. "After we're all done, we'll head out."

She was referring to grocery shopping. Every so often, my family would travel to the next town over to do big grocery shopping. There wasn't a place in our small town that could really be useful for what mom needed to do, so we went to the one of the bigger stores in the neighboring county. For as long as I can remember, it had been a family affair. We would all go and help out. Once we were older and competent, my brother and I were given lists of things to go find for my mom. Dad was also given a list, but his was usually shorter (he would get sidetracked so easily).

The car ride was uneventful. My brother, 3 years my junior, kept everyone entertained. Jackson had always been a goofy kid, and it worked in his favor. We got along for the most part, about as well as brothers can, I suppose.

Buck texted me back when we were about halfway to the grocery store.

"Haha, yeah that's what I figured. Sorry I blew your phone up."

I told him it was okay.

"Guess I kind of freaked out. I was worried you didn't want to talk to me."

"Of course I do! Who else is gonna send me dick pics? ;)"

"Oh, so that's all I'm good for? Wooooooow, I thought I meant more than that."

"Nope, that's all I like you for."

"Well, hopefully you can have the real thing before long. When are we hanging out again?"

He was as anxious about it as I was.

"I guess it will have to be this upcoming weekend."

" :("

"I know. I want it to be before that too."

We texted a little more, lamenting over how long of a week it was going to be. When we pulled into the store parking lot, I told him I had to go.

After about 20 minutes of running this way and that way with my buggy, I finally had everything on my list. I headed back to the cold section of the store, where I knew my mom would be. I finally found her at the end of one of the freezer aisles.

"Hey, I think I'm about finis--"

Before I could finish my sentence, someone grabbed me from behind. The strong arms wrapped around me in a headlock, and I immediately freaked out. I struggled, but I couldn't get away.

A very familiar laugh finally rang in my ears as the arms let me go. I spun around quickly and found myself staring right at Buck. My brain went into overdrive. Where the hell did he come from?

I couldn't get any words out, but, apparently, my mother was not similarly affected.

"Buck Turner. Lord boy, it's been so long. How are you?" He stepped toward her and wrapped her in a hug, the lop-sided grin never leaving his face.

"Doing just fine! Here helping my mama with shopping."

I was still flabbergasted at him being there, but there was something in the way he talked to my mom with such ease. Some might call him a used-car salesman. I just think of it as charming.

Eventually, mom headed off to round up my dad and brother, and I was left alone with Buck.

"Where the hell did you come from?" I said as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Well hello to you to." He grinned. I just gave him a look, so he continued. "I really am here helping mama shop. I didn't realize you were here until I saw you walking with your buggy. You didn't see me, so I figured I might as well give you a little surprise."

"Well, you certainly did. I nearly shit when you grabbed me."

"I'm glad you didn't." He said with a laugh.

We walked and talked for a little while. I kept an eye on my phone; mom said she would text me when they were ready to go to the cashier. I don't really think Buck was doing much in the way of "helping" his mom. Since we had been together, he had not picked one thing off the shelf. I wasn't going to call him out on it, though; I was just happy to see him.

"So next weekend, huh?" He finally asked.

"Yeah, I don't really see how we can do anything before then." I replied quietly, hoping he wouldn't be too upset. My mom didn't like for me to go out and do stuff during the week. School was a big priority for her.

Buck frowned.

"I guess that'll be okay. Just feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

"We see each other all the time at school?" I tried meekly. He cut a look at me.

"You know what I mean." He stopped walking, looked both ways, and then grabbed at my crotch. "I haven't seen you."

We both laughed as I jerked away from his grip. If his hand had stayed down there any longer, I was going to be sporting full wood through the store. As much as I think he would like that, I doubt anyone else would.

When my mom finally texted me, it was a sad moment. We had to just kind of wave a each other, rather than kiss goodbye. It wasn't anything we weren't used to; it was the same thing at school each day. Still, that didn't make it any better.

"Buck Turner is just the sweetest thing." Mom said as we were driving home. "And handsome too. He finally grew into those ears of his."

I just smiled and mumbled some agreement. He was handsome. And he was a goofball, which made me like him even more.

The week went by in a blur. School was still rolling on, and we were just trying to keep up. On Monday, it was decided that the two of us would ride dirt on Friday night, and that I should plan to stay at Buck's. I ok'd it with mom that night.

We texted about it all week. About how we couldn't wait to hang out. How we couldn't wait to get our hands on each other. How horny we were. We talked about what we were going to do. Obviously we'd make out like crazy and play with each other's dicks, but would we take it a step further?

We agreed to just see where the night led. I, for one, was really hoping to get a taste of him. I could sense that he felt the same way, but neither of us, I suppose, wanted to seem too eager.

He rolled into my driveway at 7 on Friday. I shouted goodbye to my folks, grabbed my backpack and ran out the door. The signature lop-sided grin met me as I jumped into the front seat.

He threw the truck in reverse, and we were off. No sooner had we reached the stop sign at the end of my street, though, and he was leaning over to swallow my face.

Sure, I enjoyed it. But on my street?!

"Woah Buck," I said, laughing as I pushed him off. "Someone will see!"

"I know." He smiled at me as he leaned back across the center console. "I just couldn't help myself. I mean, look at this." He pointed down at his lap, where a noticeable bulge had appeared.

I just laughed and shook my head. He drove on, heading out into the country beyond the town limits.

A couple minutes passed, and I couldn't quit looking over at his bulge. I wanted to touch it, but I was caught up with nerves again. I finally decided to hell with it and reached over, laying my hand right on top of it.

Buck nearly jumped out of the truck.

"Shit fuck Lee! You scared the piss out of me!"

"Sorry! I just wanted to have a little fun."

I started rubbing the bulge as he calmed down. It was so hard underneath the fabric of his shorts. My own cock was steadily growing harder.

We drove like that for several minutes, not really saying much. Buck focusing on the road. Me, with my hand across the console, focusing on his dick. I pressed firmly against it with the palm of my hand, pushing and pulling over and over again. I made sure to pay special attention to the head, which was outlined against the tight material of the shorts.

"You keep doing that and I'm gonna cum." Buck said laughingly.

"Maybe that's what I want." He reached down and moved my hand.

"Not yet, I've got other plans."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"You'll see."

I tried to get him to tell me what a was talking about, but he wouldn't budge. He wouldn't even say when I reached over and grabbed his dick. He just laughed and moved my hand again, saying he didn't want to cum yet.

"Well can you at least kiss me or something?" I was just joking, but Buck, apparently, was not. He pulled very abruptly into a hunting club entrance, threw the truck in park, and grabbed me. We made out passionately for several minutes, the only thing separating us was the console. He held me by the back of my neck, not letting me pull away from him for even a second. The combined feeling of that and his lips on mine was driving me crazy. I could feel my cock practically bursting in my shorts. When we finally parted, both breathing heavily, I looked down to see a growing wet spot on the fabric.

He must've noticed it, too.

"Glad you enjoyed that." He said, still a little out of breath. I couldn't muster up anything to say in response, so I just nodded. He started the truck back up, and we were off.

The sun was getting a little low when he turned the truck into his family farm.

"Ready for a little fun?"

"Always." I laughed. This must've been why he wanted me to wait. He wanted to get out and screw around at the farm.

As the truck drew closer to the lake, I noticed something red on the ground under a nearby stand of trees. Not thinking much of it, I absentmindedly asked "what's that?"

"You'll see." When we were finally close enough, I realized it was a blanket, laid out on the ground. There was a cooler next to it.

"You sappy son of a bitch." He just smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry I wanted to treat you right. You can walk back to town, if you want."

I punched him in the arm.

"Not a chance."

It didn't take long before we were splayed out on the blanket, tangled up in one another. We had each chugged a beer before we lay down, destroying whatever little bit of nerves were left. It felt so right, lying with him and looking up at the trees. Nothing much was said, but I felt so comfortable. He may have been sappy, but that shit was working!

"Lee?" He asked, after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"I'd be upset if you didn't."

His hand found my face and turned it so that I faced him. He smiled at me and moved in, locking our lips together. It started out sweet; it really did! With two teenage boys, though, that couldn't last.

I ended up on top of him, grinding my crotch into his crotch as we kissed. Frantic grunts and moans escaped both of us. His hands were on my back, grabbing and tugging at my shirt. It was clear that we were both eager, both ready to get our rocks off.

"Take off your shirt." He commanded. I did as I was told. "Go ahead and take off your shorts too. You aren't gonna need them." I stood up and slid my shorts and underwear down. My cock popped out and stood at attention.

Buck followed suit quickly. We stood for a moment and admired one another. His thick torso ended in one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen: his cock.

I closed the gap between us and took him in my hand. An audible groan escaped his lips, and I felt him jump in my hand.

"Damn, I've been waiting so long." I kissed at his neck as I began to stroke him. His breathing was ragged, giving away how much he enjoyed me touching him.

We were back on the ground before long, kissing and rubbing our cocks together. He was on top of me this time, his larger weight pushing down on me.

"I can't take it anymore, Lee." He said, severing our kiss.

"What?"

"I've got to know what you taste like." My eyes widened, but I didn't stop him as he moved lower on my body. He stopped when his face was level with my crotch. He used his hand to pick up my cock and the looked at me, silently asking if it was okay. I nodded.

I'll never forget that first time that he licked my cock. His soft, wet tongue on my head was almost too much to handle. The tingling sensation it caused traveled all the way down my shaft and into my balls, causing my entire body to lock up. I was his, and he could do whatever he wanted.

He licked around the head for a moment before finally taking me in his mouth. He didn't go much lower than the head at first. He was obviously new at it; I felt his teeth a couple times. He worked hard to get adjusted, though, and soon he was taking more of me. I just lay back and watched, entranced at the sight of my dick sliding in and out of this redneck's mouth.

Pulling my cock from his lips, he looked up at me. A trail of drool rolled down his chin. He smiled.

"How's that feel?"

"Un-fucking-believable."

"Yeah? I'm glad." He paused, and I could sense that he was willing me to return the favor. Not that I needed much pushing.

I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him over onto his back. I crawled over on top and kissed him hard, pulling his bottom lip into my mouth and nibbling. I ran my hand down his body and grabbed his cock, stroking while I sucked at his lip. I teased the head with my thumb and felt a drop of precum ooze out, which I just used as lube to rub his head harder. He squirmed under my touch.

I broke our kiss and moved down between his legs. There in front of me were his beautiful dick and balls. I couldn't believe I was about to finally get a taste of them. But before that...

I shoved my face in the crease between his balls and his leg. He jumped at how forcibly I did it, but I had a grip on his hips so he couldn't move far. I inhaled deeply. The scent of balls filled my nose, and I shuttered. It was everything I'd dreamed it be and more. The smell was slightly different from my own, but it was still great. I stayed there for a little while longer, just breathing his scent.

Eventually I pulled my face back and looked up him. He was staring at me wide eyed.

"You really like the way my crotch smells?" I just nodded in response. "I didn't think you actually did, since you never said anything about the underwear I sent home with you."

I laughed.

"Remind me to fill you in on that later."

I turned my attention back to the task at hand. To say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement. I'd been looking forward to this moment for a while, but, admittedly, I had no idea what was I doing.

I decided to do the only thing I could think of and mimic what I'd seen in porn. I grabbed his cock and, starting at the bottom of his balls, licked all the way up to his head. He let out a loud breath and threw his head back, so I'm assuming it didn't feel terrible.

I licked around the head, doing my best to get a good taste. There was a little hint of sweetness, but mostly it tasted pretty similar to how his nuts smelled, which I was fine with. A little precum came out, so I licked that away from his piss slit. I immediately realized that was where the sweet taste had come from.

Buck seemed to be in heaven. He hadn't said a word, but his heavy breathing told me he was enjoying it. I'm sure he absolutely loved what I did next.

I took the head in my mouth, trying my hardest to not let my teeth hit his skin. I knew from recent experience that it wasn't the most pleasant feeling. I tried to lick and suck as best as I could, but it was harder than I'd imagined! Getting him in my mouth was a challenge.

After a couple minutes, I had a steady groove down. I was taking a couple inches of him into my mouth and using my hand for the rest. I didn't hear any complaints from him. I used my other hand to jack my own cock, excited and turned on by having his cock in my mouth.

All too soon, it seemed, he was telling me that he was getting close.

"Stay on if... if you want to swallow but... otherwise get off." He couldn't even finish a sentence without being a little messed up. I quickly decided that I didn't want to wait to taste his cum. I wanted it.

I kept up what I was doing and after a few seconds, I felt his hand on my head, holding me in place. He pushed up with his hips, but I blocked him from going too far with my hand. It didn't seem to matter, as I suddenly felt hot, gooey cum flooding my mouth. I'm not sure how much he shot, but definitely enough to make me feel like I had a big loogie in my mouth.

Finally, he let go. I sat back and swallowed.

"Fuck, Lee." His heavy breathing continued. "How's it taste?"

"Not sure how to describe it." We sat for a moment, him still overcoming his orgasm and me still jacking my dick.

"Hey Buck," I finally said, "I need to get off or I'm gonna explode."

"Yeah, of course, let me help." He reached over and took my cock. He started beating it pretty furiously, and to no one's surprise, I didn't last long.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum Buck." I didn't realize it at the time, but he moved his face under my cock as the cum began to shoot. Only after I finally came down from my orgasm did I look down and see him, mouth wide open, splooge coating his tongue and face. "Damn. That's a good look for you."

He laughed. "Yeah, I feel pretty. And you're right, this stuff does have a weird taste."

"Right?"

I handed him a tshirt to wipe up with. He cleaned up, we each opened another beer, and lay back to look up at the trees. By this time, the sun was very close to setting, and a decent breeze was blowing. The wind on my balls felt great, and I instantly fell in love with being naked outside.

We lay like that and talked for a long while. Eventually the mosquitos became too much, and we got dressed and got back into the truck. Riding around was just as nice. Listening to music too loud, driving dirt roads too fast, and having a good ass time.

Later that night, we were lying in his bed. After we got back to his place, we had a little repeat of our earlier session, this time with both of us swallowing the other one's load. We were worn out, to say the least, and had cuddled up in his bed.

He was big spoon. I backed my ass up to his crotch and wiggled at little, teasing him.

"You're such a tease, fucker."

"Yeah, but only for you." He laughed and kissed the back of my neck.

"I had fun tonight."

"Me, too."

"Do you really like me?"

"I wouldn't have swallowed your cum if I didn't." He blew in my ear, apparently annoyed at my being a smartass. "Yes, I really like you."

"Good." He shuffled a little behind me, apparently trying to get closer.

"Now go to sleep, asshole." We laughed, but eventually we did fall asleep, just like that. Him holding me, and me cradling his arm and enjoying the pleasure that came from being wrapped up in him.

Things continued like that for months. We sucked each other a whole helluva lot. Every chance we got, practically.

It was always just that, though. We sucked each other often. We texted about it even more. But nothing about our asses was ever mentioned. I think we both wanted to bring it up, but neither of us knew how.

It was a nice status quo, though.

There were a few times during those months when Buck lost his confidence and reverted to being scared. Understandable, I think. I can't say I was the poster child for being confident in my sexuality, but I tried. I tried hard for him. He needed to see that it was possible to be who you are without being scared.

The subject came up fairly often. We talked about our plans for the future. Would we tell our families? How would we tell our families? How would they react? What about the people at school? Should we just wait until after we graduate?

Or should we even say anything at all?

The answer to all of those questions seemed to be a resounding "avoid it at all costs." I was fine with that. The more drama I could avoid, the better. As long as I had Buck to myself in private, I didn't care too much about the public. As long as, you know, he wasn't out openly flirting with girls (Ashley Brooks is still a whore, mind you).

I've often heard the phrase "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry," and I can't think of a more relevant phrase for this part of the story.

It was mid-December. School had gotten out, but it wasn't quite time to begin doing Christmas things with our families. Buck and I were hanging out pretty often, whether it was at his place, my place, or some place in between. And, obviously, sucking dick every chance we got.

We were at my place on this particular day. We sat on the floor in my room, watching something on tv. We had been like that for a while. It was a do-nothing kind of day, which was fine with both of us. We didn't touch much; the door to my room was open. I always thought it would be a little odd if I closed it, so it stayed open whenever he was over. It made it a little more tricky to get handsy when we wanted to, but a little more fun as well.

"I should probably get going. Mom is making dinner."

"Are you sure?" I pouted.

"Yeah," he smiled, "I'd rather face your wrath than hers if I'm late."

I leaned over to kiss him goodbye. A quick peck, nothing more. I heard his truck start up in the driveway a minute later. Thinking nothing of it, I went back to watching TV. I'm sure my mom would be cooking something, too, but I had a little time.

Dinner was nothing out of the ordinary. Mom asked if Buck were staying for dinner, but I told her he had already gone home. She didn't say anything else about it. I really try hard to think back to that dinner and determine if anything was wrong. For the life of me, I can't remember anyone acting weird. I can't remember anything awkward. I can't remember any of us being tense.

The time after dinner, however. That was tense.

I went back to my room after dinner was over and the dishes cleared. I flopped down to watch TV again, but no sooner had I found a show I wanted to watch, I heard "Lee! Come here for a minute, please."

My dad. It sounded like it was coming from the living room. I didn't think much of it; I just got up and went downstairs.

I found he and my mother sitting, one on the sofa, one on the loveseat. They both looked at me, not harshly, but with a certain, determined stare.

"Sit down son." My dad nodded to the recliner where he normally passed out watching tv. I began to get a little nervous, thinking my report card had come or something. I was totally unprepared for where the conversation was going.

"We'd like to talk to you about something that we learned today." My mom had her hands laced together in front of her. She seemed nervous, too, which only worried me further.

"Did my report card come?"

"What?" My dad looked up, surprised. He followed it with a soft laugh. "No, no your report card didn't come. This isn't about that."

"Okay..."

"Lee... we don't really know how to talk to you about this." My dad seemed nervous, too. What the fuck was going on?

"About what?"

"Your brother... Well, he was walking down the upstairs hallway today and... well, he saw you kiss Buck." My mother looked right at me as she said it.

I don't think I have ever felt a more terrible feeling than I did in that moment. I've thrown up in a room full of people. I've had the runs hit me when I was literally out for a run. Neither of those, nor anything else I have ever experienced made me feel worse than my mother saying those words.

"I- I mean- I-" It was all I could manage to get out. My stomach bound itself in knots, and my tongue quickly followed. Even if I could speak, what would I say?

"Before you get mad at him, he says he didn't mean to see it." My father looked at me with a stern expression, the nervousness I detected earlier gone. "We believe him. He also didn't run and tell us. Your mother saw him walking down the stairs looking like he'd seen a ghost. He wouldn't tell her what was going on at first, but finally broke down and relayed what he'd seen."

"We sent Jackson up to his room before we called you down. When we are done talking, I think you should go talk to him." My mother continued to speak softly.

We sat in silence for a few moments. It felt like an eternity to me. I remember shaking like a leaf. I avoided eye contact at all costs. Neither of them spoke; I think they were waiting on me to explain myself. I didn't know how.

"We love you, Lee." My mom finally said. A few tears started to fall from my eyes. Shame was washing over me. I felt stupid.

"I know, mom."

"We want what's best for you." I just nodded my head. I was still at a loss for words. How could I be so stupid?

"Come here." I looked up and my mom held her arms out. As much as it shames me to say it, I went over, and she held me as I bawled like a baby. I couldn't look up at her, or at my dad. It was a wonder, in my mind, that she was even trying to comfort me. I cried like that for several minutes, my mom quietly shushing me, my dad sitting quietly.

As I dried up, my dad finally spoke.

"Tell us what's going on."

I didn't much know where to start, but I did my best.

"I guess it just boils down to this. I'm gay, and Buck is my boyfriend." I didn't look at either one of them as I spoke.

"Do his parents know?" A sudden shot of fear ran threw me, and I nearly jumped up from where I was sitting.

"No! They don't know, and you can't tell them! Buck doesn't want them to know. He doesn't want anyone to know! They'd kick him out. He-"

"Calm down, son. We aren't going to tell anyone. It was just a question." My father reached over and rubbed my leg. I breathed deeply and tried to settle down.

"No, they don't know. We haven't told a single person."

"Probably for the best."

"Richard!" My mom exclaimed. He looked up at her, surprised.

"Well it is! The boys would be ostracized. You know how people are here."

"I know. But I don't think that gives you any right to say that."

My dad closed his eyes and pinched his nose, sighing.

"Lee, we love you. Honestly, it really doesn't matter to us if you're gay. Or if you're straight. Or if you're just confused. We want you to be happy." He paused and looked up at me with a soft smile. "Have I ever told you what your mother asked me when I proposed to her?"

I shook my head.

"Well, first she cried a lot and made a big show." My mother reached over to swat at him, and he and I both laughed. "Then, after everything died down, she asked me Will you love me no matter what?' Of course, I said yes. Then she said What about if we have kids? Will you love them no matter what?' And again, I said yes. And she kept going, coming up with all of these scenarios that we could get into. Asking if I would still love her. `What if I chop all of my hair off? What if I become paralyzed? What if I have a miscarriage? What if our child is born with Down Syndrome?' And to all of those questions I answered yes." He paused, smiling at my mother.

"And then she said `What if we have a gay child?' It was the first time that evening that I really had to pause and think. Would I still love my child if they were gay? I said yes a second later, knowing that it was the answer she was looking for. But I've got to tell you, Lee, that question really weighed on me for a long time. Could I be okay with having a gay child?" I looked up at mom. She was misty-eyed.

"The question never left my mind during your mom's pregnancy with you. I was scared to death. I even thought about it when we were on the way to the hospital. But I tell you. The moment I held you for the first time, I knew the answer. I would always love you, no matter what. Even if you were gay." He smiled. "And here we are."

He moved over to the love seat, and we all hugged. It was a cliche moment. But it was nice. I was still nervous as hell, but I suppose it took a little weight off my shoulders.

"I need to walk around a little. I still feel like I'm going to throw up." My parents laughed and basically pushed me to my feet.

"Go walk down the block and back. Then come back inside. We aren't done yet." My mom chided.

I did just that. By the time I got back, I still felt a little nauseated, but overall better. So my parents knew. And they didn't care. Cool!

I walked back inside, and they were sitting in the same spot. My dad nodded his head at the sofa, telling me to come sit down near them.

"So, how long have you and Buck been together?" My mom asked once I was sitting.

"I guess about four months now." I replied, having to do a little quick math in my head.

"He is a sweet kid." I just smiled and nodded.

"Have you done any research on this?" My dad asked, quickly turning the conversation back to a more practical topic.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you done any reading about gay relationships? How to be safe when the time comes?" I blushed, and my mom did as well.

"Dad, can we not? I'd really rather not." His stern look didn't crack one bit.

"It's something we need to talk about, son. Your mother and I want you to be happy, but we also want you to be safe."

"Yeah, but... tonight has already been emotional enough. Can't this wait a little while?"

He looked at me, then turned to look at my mother. She nodded slightly.

"Well, I guess you're right. It has already been a long night." He stopped to think for a moment. "How about this? We can wait to couple weeks. But, when we do finally talk, it's going to be me, you, and Buck."

"What?!" I practically yelled.

"Yes. I'm going to make sure you boys know what you're doing."

"But dad, how will you know... I mean you're not-"

"I know enough to get you started." His look softened a bit. "Listen, Lee, there are some other things at play here that your mother and I want to avoid. We will talk about it later, but just trust me, okay?"

I looked between he and my mother several times. Finally, I nodded.

"And Buck?"

"Yeah," I said, not trying to hide my exasperation, "I'll make sure he's here."

"Good. Now, go talk to your brother."

Jackson really didn't have a whole lot to say, which was fine by me. I didn't want another long, drawn out, emotional conversation. He barely looked up from his video game when I walked into his room. Something tells me my parents were exaggerating just a tiny bit about how upset he was.

"I don't really care what you do. Just don't tell people you're gay. I don't want them thinking I am, too."

A very middle school response, but that was fine by me. I didn't hold it against him, either. Hell, I was just happy that he wasn't screaming something about me being a faggot.

I left him to go and call Buck. He needed to know exactly what had happened. This affected him almost as much as it affected me.

"Hello?"

"Hey, got a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Uh, my parents know." There was several seconds of silence on the other end. "Hello?"

"I'm here. What did you say?"

"My parents know."

"Know what?"

"That I took a shit today, what do you think I mean dumbass?"

"What the hell Lee?! How the hell did they find out?"

"Jackson saw me kiss you goodbye earlier."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." He huffed loudly. He was frustrated. Nervous. Angry. I'm not sure which.

"Listen, it's okay."

"No the fuck it's not. No one was supposed to know."

"I know but it's-"

"It's not okay Lee! I didn't want anyone to know. And you were too careless and left your door open like you always do. I don't fucking get why you do that."

He was upset, I could tell. That didn't make what he said okay, though.

"So you're blaming this on me? I don't recall you pushing away from me when I tried to kiss you goodbye. And you've never once said anything to me about leaving my door open."

"Yeah, well it's fucking stupid. And now we're caught."

"If you would calm down for a minute and listen to me, I could explain to you why it's fine. But if you're gonna be a big pussy about it, then fine." I smashed the end call button and threw my phone to the floor.

"Asshole." I swore under my breath.

"Everything okay son?" It was dad, standing in my doorway. I looked at him. I felt frustrated. I felt sad. "We heard you shouting downstairs."

"Yeah... yeah everything is fine. I think."

"Let me know if you need something." He started to walk away.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you do when mom is an asshole to you?"

He laughed and moved to sit down on my bed. I sat down next to him.

"Well first, I don't call her an asshole, and neither should you. Secondly, I usually try to figure out why she is acting that way. There is always some underlying cause. Maybe she had a bad day. Maybe I screwed up. Either way, I don't take it to heart. I know your mama loves me. I just try to help however I can."

"And that works?"

"Well, not always. Sometimes I can be too reactive. I hope you kids never see us argue, but it's happened before. We've yelled. Never thrown things, but we've yelled." He laughed. "Thank goodness, that doesn't happen too often."

He slapped me on the back.

"Sometimes, you just have to be the bigger person." He got up and left. I sat there for while, contemplating what he said.

Buck was scared shitless. That's why he'd been a dick to me. Did that make it right? No. But at least I could understand it.

I picked my phone up and called him. I didn't know if he would answer, but I could at least leave a voicemail.

He answered.

"Hello."

"Hey." Silence. "I know you didn't want anyone to know. I'm sorry that they found out, but if you'll just listen to me for a minute, I promise it isn't as bad as you think it is."

"Okay." He said after a moment.

I spent the next 10 minutes explaining everything that had happened that evening. Buck never said anything, so I just kept right on talking. If he wanted to say something, I knew he would. When I finished relaying the story, I just waited.

"I'm sorry." Not what I expected to hear.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I was a dick earlier. It isn't your fault that your brother saw us. I just panicked."

"Yeah, you were kind of a dick." I smiled, hoping he would catch on to the fact that I was messing with him.

"Hey!" He laughed. "I mean you ain't wrong. I'm sorry, Lee."

"So what do you think?"

"I... I guess it's fine. Nothing we can do about it now. We just need to be more careful."

"Yeah, I agree."

"I also really, really don't want your dad to talk to me about dicks." We both burst out laughing, knowing full well that it was going to be the most awkward conversation of our young lives.

Hi! If you've stuck around for this long, thanks! For those of you who have been reading from the beginning, I'm sorry it takes so long for new chapters to be released. I'm fairly busy, but I also have a hard time making myself sit down to write.

I've done my best to make this work as realistic as possible, while still maintaining little bits of romanticism. I myself was born and raised in the country, so I'm drawing from real experience on several things.

If you're a fan of the work, please, shoot me an email and let me know! I love hearing from you guys. If you have any ideas for how you want the story to proceed, I'd love to hear those, too. I won't promise that I'll use them, but who knows?

Until next time, buds. - Derek (48deekross@gmail.com)