Family Instincts 6
STANDARD WARNING: This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to individuals, living or dead, is pure coincidence. Do not read this story if you are offended by man-to-man romance or sex. Do not read if you are underage according to the laws in the country, state/province, county, city/town/village or township where you live. There is sex between males. You have been warned!
Copyright 2000 by archer. Permission is granted to Nifty Archives, ASSGM, and gaywritings, to post one copy. No part may be copied, reproduced, republished, or reposted on another website without written permission from the author.
Family Instincts
By Nick Archer
Chapter 6
"Brian? Brian?"
Mr. Grove’s voice jolted him back to reality. "Huh?"
"We were discussing the possibility of a field trip to the Art Institute. What do you think?"
"Oh, yeah. Great. I like the idea." Brian sat at a table with Allegra and Diane. Mr. Groves had tables in his room instead of traditional desks. Jake sat at a table that included Pam. John and a few of his buddies sat at a table between them.
Brian’s mind had been a million miles away. He was trying not to watch Jake across the room. Jake had the ability to put things behind him quickly. "What’s done is done," he always said. But Brian’s brain was like a video recorder, always on. Sometimes, it played back scenes over and over and at inconvenient times. He found it difficult sometimes to put things behind him. He watched Pam and Jake pass notes.
Mr. Groves gave them a silent reading assignment, and sat at his desk to work on his computer.
Pam handed a piece of paper under the table to John who glanced at the name and passed it to Allegra, who then gave it to Brian.
It was a note from Pam.
Brian, what’s wrong with Jake? Pam
Brian wrote his response, and passed the note back to Allegra, who passed it to John, then to Pam.
Pam, what do you mean? Brian
Pam to John to Allegra to Brian.
He just hasn’t been himself. Last night he told me he wanted to break up, then he changed his mind.
Brian: I don’t know.
Pam: Are you getting along with him? Did you guys have a fight?
Brian: Something like that. I don’t want to talk about it. Hey, Groves is watching us. Better stop.
Brian had slept in Tommy’s room every night since Monday night. He simply couldn’t sleep in the same room with Jake. The whole thing weighed heavily on his mind, and he longed for someone to talk to. He might have even told Tommy, if he had been there. Today was Thursday, and Tommy would arrive tomorrow night to spend the weekend. That meant that Brian had to move back to his room, or sleep in the basement, or solve the situation somehow.
None of the choices were very attractive.
"Fuck me, Tim. Fuck my hole," Matt said into the pillow. Perhaps it was spring that had shifted their sex drive into a higher gear. They found themselves having sex on a Thursday night. Brian was on the computer in the basement and Jake was out playing in the neighborhood.
Still, Matt buried his face in the pillow to muffle any sounds. It simply wouldn’t do for the whole neighborhood to know what they were doing.
Tim began to perspire. Drops of sweat dripped onto Matt’s rump as he pumped his ass with vigor. He reached around Matt’s hip and clamped his hand onto Matt’s erection. He stroked Matt in rhythm with his fucking. Matt loved when he did this. Tim knew how to masturbate him to orgasm, which was a feat none of his other lovers had accomplished. Tim knew the correct amount of pressure, motion, and rhythm to get him off. But more than that, it demonstrated his desire to get Matt off as well. Tim was not a selfish lover. He wanted Matt to climax as well.
Matt was beyond all knowing except for Tim. Tim grunted with each thrust and this sound drove Matt crazy. His sphincter muscle clamped Tim’s cock and his prostate throbbed.
Finally, he could hold back no longer. "Tim, I’m cumming!"
Abruptly, Tim pulled out of his ass and left Matt’s hole throbbing. He flipped Matt onto his back so he could witness Matt’s ejaculation. This was Tim’s favorite part, Matt knew. Tim liked to see Matt ejaculate, and he liked to hold Matt’s cock when he did. His big callused hand engulfed Matt’s cock just as it released its load.
"Good boy," Tim purred. "Such a nice, big load for me."
With his left hand, Tim worked his own prick, and soon released his seed onto Matt’s balls. Then, he collapsed in a sweaty heap on his lover.
"You’re so good, Matt. I love you."
"I love you, too."
They checked the hall for any sign of the boys before scooting to the bathroom to clean up.
"Let’s go back to bed," Tim suggested.
"More, already? You animal."
Tim laughed. "No, just to cuddle."
"OK. We’d better put some clothes on, though."
Now wearing jeans and T-shirts, they lay on top of the bed. They switched on the little TV, but were uninterested in the reruns that the networks offered. Although the TV was cable-ready, the cable system in Park Forest required a separate box. So they were limited in the bedroom to channels 2 through 13 because Matt didn’t want to rent a second cable box for the bedroom.
"I forgot to tell you about what Father Grimes proposed to me on Monday," Matt said as he took Tim’s hand. He recounted how Father Grimes had offered him a position as a teacher at the new academy.
"He’s very smart, Father Grimes. And he knows talent when he sees it."
"What are you saying?"
"I think you should take it."
"Just like that?"
"Yes, quit your job tomorrow, and join the staff." Tim shook him playfully. "No, I’m just kidding. But, you should at least think about it. You are so talented with kids. It’s a shame to waste it in a bookstore."
"I’m not wasting it. I have a family. That’s more important to me."
"Is it? If it were, you would go back to teaching."
"Bullshit."
"Look, Matt. You would be home more for the kids, and not working crazy hours and every Saturday. Not to mention the commuting time. You would save at least an hour a day there."
"But what about the money? I would have to take a pay cut. And Julia had promised me the Lincoln Mall store starting this summer, which would mean a raise and less commuting."
"But you would still be working crazy hours. I make enough money even if you didn’t work. We’ll get by. We might have to buy store brands and go to McDonald’s less, but we’ll get by."
"You might not be here forever, you know."
"Is that what all this is about? You’re insecure about me?"
"Well, I..."
"Matthew, you really have got to get over this. I am here to stay. I love you and Brian and Tommy and Jake."
"Love isn’t forever."
"Perhaps not, but we do have the contract we signed, remember? I’ll still support the kids, even if we break up. I’m obligated to." He pulled him closer. "Matt, Matt, Matt. When are you going to realize that I’m the lucky one?" He kissed the man he loved.
After a long pause, Matt added, "But there’s still homework and papers to grade and report cards. I hate doing those things. Everybody thinks teaching is easy, but it’s hard work if you want to do it properly."
"And I know you, Matt, you want to do everything properly," he chuckled. "Everyone has aspects of their job they don’t like doing, no matter how much they love their job overall. I know you hate doing magazines. I’ve heard you bitch about them enough."
"I do hate doing magazines. Luckily, I have Anna, who loves them."
"Not to change the subject, but let’s go downstairs. I’m thirsty."
Still holding hands, they padded downstairs to the kitchen. Jake had not returned yet, but it was still light outside. Matt had set curfew for when the streetlights came on.
"I’m going to make some tea," Matt said as he set the water to boil. "I was thinking about taking a week off when Brian is on Spring Break. Our court date is Good Friday, and then he has the next week off from school. If I’m not mistaken, Tommy has the same week off at St. Luke’s."
"Are you going to take vacation time?"
"No, actually, I was going to take the time under the Family Medical Leave Act. It will be unpaid, but I’ll be here for the kids. Actually, under FMLA I can take up to twelve weeks."
"Really?"
"Yup. Twelve weeks for the birth or adoption of a child. If I was a pregnant woman, I could get paid short-term disability."
"Might be a good time for Tommy to come here to live full-time, don’t you think?"
Matt kissed him. "Yes, it might. So you don’t think taking a week off will put us in a bind?"
"Not at all, Matt. If I were entitled to take some time off, I would."
By now, the water was boiling. Matt poured the water into the teapot. The distinctive aroma of Constant Comment tea wafted up. It was Gloria’s favorite.
Tim wrapped his arms around Matt. "One of the things I love about you is your talent with kids. You relate to them so well."
"So do you."
"But, they don’t respect me like they do you. God gave your talents to you. And gifts are given for a reason." He kissed Matt’s forehead. "I’m not trying to push you. I just want you to think about it. And think about this – when you’re gone, do you want to be remembered as a guy who sold a lot of books for a big corporation, or do you want to be remembered as someone who touched the lives of kids and helped some of them change for the better?"
Matt raised his eyebrows and nodded his head thoughtfully. Tim had a valid point. "You’re right, Tim. I’ll think about it. What about making the family room into a fourth bedroom?"
"Why would you want to do that?"
"I have a feeling that Bill is going to keep sending us kids. And, I think some kids are just going to find us, like Jake."
Tim sipped his tea with a grin. "Just how many kids are we going to have? What is this, Cheaper By the Dozen?"
"Some of them will be foster kids only. Some will only be here for a short time while their parents get their acts together."
"Like Jake?"
Matt nodded sadly. "Like Jake."
"I love that kid," Tim said into his mug.
"I do, too. But he belongs with his father."
Tim put his mug on the counter and pulled Matt to him. "You have to mend fences with Marty before that happens. And Al has to mend fences with Jake."
Matt stared into his mug thoughtfully. "Maybe he should stay where he’s wanted and loved."
They could hear Brian’s footsteps on the basement stairs. "You guys! Come down here and look at this!"
Matt put his mug on the counter. "What did you do?"
"I was surfing the net. I found something." He took Matt’s forearm and pulled him toward the stairs.
Before they reached the computer desk, Brian spun around on his heels and stopped the two adults.
"I don’t want you to be mad at me."
"Why, Brian. What did you do? I hope you didn’t give out personal information over the Internet."
"No. It’s just that this bothers me, and I wanted to show you."
In 1994, the World Wide Web and the Internet were in their infancy. There were few parental controls and almost no Adult Verification Services in place. Actually, the big boom in the Internet was a year away, when America Online led the way in bringing the power of networking into homes. Netscape was still in formation as Mosaic and Bill Gates and company had not yet devised Microsoft Internet Explorer to compete.
However, pornographers were immediately aware of the power of this new medium.
"Please don’t be mad at me. I just found this site."
With mouths agape, Tim and Matt stared at the screen. There displayed for the whole world to see was a naked boy in various poses. Tim’s lips formed an O that he covered with his hand.
Matt felt his cheeks get hot. "Why did you want to show this to us?" There was an edge to his voice he immediately regretted. Brian had trusted him enough to show them these pictures. He had to watch his temper.
"I...I feel bad for him," Brian mumbled and he looked down at his sneakers. "He’s my age."
"Probably younger," Tim commented.
"How can you tell?" Brian asked.
"He doesn’t have any hair under his arms."
"So? What does that mean?"
"He hasn’t finished puberty, yet."
"My God," Matt mumbled as he felt his cheeks get hot.
Brian looked sincerely scared and remorseful. "I’m sorry. I just found it. I wasn’t looking for it."
"No, Brian, hon, I’m not mad at you. I’m glad you brought it to our attention. Tell me, why do you feel bad for him?" He put his hands on Brian’s shoulders and kneaded them lightly as if they were made of bread.
"Because he’s my age. He doesn’t look happy at all. The expression on his face looks like someone forced him to do it. He looks kind of scared."
"Yes, he does, doesn’t he?"
Matt sat at the desk. He used the sliding bar to scroll to the top of the page. The page was simply labeled "Dennis." He was undoubtedly a beautiful boy. He had brown hair and blue eyes with dark, thick lashes.
Tim still covered his mouth with his hand in shock. He voiced what all three were thinking; "He’s got a big dick for a kid his age."
Matt sat in the chair. "Show me how you found the page, Brian."
Brian perched on Matt’s knee and expertly manipulated the mouse. He hit the "Back" button on the browser several times until they were at the home page of the Windy City Weekly.
"This is what I was looking at. I wanted to see..."
"Brian, don’t be so defensive. You’re not in trouble. I just want to see how you found it."
He found a link that took them to a page of staff, writers, photographers and designers. Listed there were Ted Thedford, who had written the article about gay families and Barry, who had taken their picture at the wedding ceremony at Northalsted Market Days. Under Barry’s name was another link. More Photography by Barry.
"I clicked on this link because I think he’s the same guy who tried to take my picture at New Buffalo."
Matt was horrified. It was one and the same man. Brian might have ended up on the Internet had Barry succeeded in getting nude pictures of him that day behind the dune. Besides the pictures of Dennis, there were pages of very young adolescent boys.
"Look!" Brian exclaimed. "It’s Scott!"
"Oh, my God." A million thoughts ran through Matt’s head. I wonder if the publisher of Windy City Weekly knows about this. How can I prevent Brian from finding more stuff like this? Why does Dennis look so sad and scared in the pictures? Didn’t Scott say he and Barry lived in Park Forest? Are some of these boys here in town? What should I do? What can I do?
But, to his credit, Matt remained calm and collected. "First off, you cannot surf the Internet without an adult. Not until I figure out a way to restrict stuff you shouldn’t look at. I’m going to need your help, Brian. I need you to check with your friends and see if Scott and Barry do live here in town. If they do, we’ll figure out our next step. We can’t let them take advantage of any more boys. Just do some snooping and see if anyone knows about Scott."
Brian grinned. "This is going to be fun. Like being a detective."
"Only more serious. And possibly dangerous." Matt made a decision right then and there. "You’re going to get an early birthday present. I’m going to get you a cell phone."
Brian hugged Matt tightly. He had been badgering Matt for one for months. It was the fashion accessory of the junior high set.
"It’s for emergencies only. If the bill gets higher than the basic service, you pay the difference." Matt deleted the offensive page from the history and shut down the computer.
"There’s something else I need to tell you."
Dear God. What now?
"Something about Jake."
Jake returned home on time that evening. He was perspiring heavily. "I made it in time!" He said triumphantly to Matt.
"Yes, you did. Jake, we have to talk."
And they did talk. There was no shouting, and surprisingly few tears. There were accusations and counter-accusations and plenty of finger pointing. But, Brian had stood his ground and resisted Jake’s sexual overtures.
Simply and calmly, he gave Brian the choice. It had originally been his room, and he had done the right thing in resisting Jake and telling Matt. Jake and Brian could no longer sleep in the same room. Brian’s choice was to move into Tommy’s room with the bunk bed and Jake would stay alone in Brian’s former room. Or Brian could retain his room and Jake would move to the family room.
Brian chose to keep his room.
As he carried his clothes downstairs to the basement, he was secretly glad, although he would never have admitted it to anyone. Brian would no longer tempt him. He would have a room to himself. And he would have access to the computer.
"Welcome back, Mr. Rosato." It was Good Friday, April 1, 1994.
"Thank you, Your Honor." Judge Kildare looked stunning this afternoon. Matt was convinced she could be a model in BBW.
She shuffled papers silently for a moment. She spoke as if she were completing a mental checklist. "You are being represented by Mr. Duchess. All the adoption papers are in order. I see you and Mr. McGraw have completed your homework assignment." She chuckled to herself. "He is not here today?"
"No, Ma’am. Tim, I mean, Mr. McGraw couldn’t get the day off work."
"I’m sorry he couldn’t be here today. It’s a wonderful day. I see you have taken a leave of absence from your place of employment under FMLA."
"Yes, Ma’am. I’m taking three weeks. Originally I was only going to take one week. Then, I found out my company will pay me for sixty percent of my regular pay for the time off."
"Only sixty percent? Well, I guess it’s better than nothing." She sighed. "When will this country learn to give adoptive parents the rights natural parents have?" She asked rhetorically. "You and people like you provide vital services when you adopt older children, Mr. Rosato."
Matt smiled, not quite sure how to respond.
She addressed herself to Jake. "I am pleased with the reports I have gotten Jacob. Very pleased, indeed."
"Thank you."
"Any problems with Jacob, Mr. Rosato?"
Matt grinned slyly at Jake and Brian before he answered. "Nothing I can’t handle, Your Honor."
"Brian, are you ready to be adopted?"
He stood. "Yes, ma’am."
"Is it your own choice?"
"Yes, ma’am. I love Matt. He is not only a great parent; he’s a good friend. I can talk to him about anything."
"I’m pleased you appreciate his guidance, Brian. Mr. Rosato, would you introduce the other young man with you today?"
"This is Thomas Grady. He is also from St. Luke’s"
"Hello, Thomas."
Tommy hopped to his feet. He smiled his most radiant smile at her. "Hello."
"You are very lucky to have a dad like Mr. Rosato."
"I think so, too."
"You are going to live with him full-time, starting today, is that correct?"
"Yes, ma’am."
"Thomas, I want you to use the time to think about how lucky you are. I have a homework assignment for you, as well. I want you to write me a paper about what you think adoption is about and what you intend on doing once you are adopted. You can give it to your caseworker, Mary Harrison. It must be at least three pages and typewritten."
Tommy looked crestfallen. "OK."
"I’m not doing this to punish you, Thomas. I just want you to think a little."
She shuffled her papers again. "Would you approach the bench, Mr. Rosato and Brian?"
Judge Kildare grinned widely. "I love doing this. By the power...."
A woman who was sitting in the back of the room stood. She had gone unnoticed until now. She spoke clearly and plainly.
"Your Honor, I object to this adoption."
"And you are...."
"Noreen Rivers. I am Brian’s natural sister."
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. I read and respond to all email (even if it takes a few days) Just click on one of the links below. And don't forget to check out my website (Chapters are always posted there earlier than here) and my other story here on Nifty, Pocketful of Stars, in the Young Friends section.
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