Willy did have the blood tests, which were negative. I was relieved that he wasn’t infected with anything. My worry that he might be prohibited from coming to the cabin proved groundless, thank God, and his parents never mentioned anything to me when I was at his house.
As the months passed, our friendship and our love only matured. Naturally, we continued to have sex frequently. Teen boys are truly horny. But we also spent a lot of time together doing homework, playing outside, playing chess, and reading together.
In the summer we went on many Explores with my uncles. One time I asked Paul if just Willy and I could go on one. I remembered he had told me never to do it alone, his reason being that it was easy to get lost in the woods, but I told him I now knew the woods well and there was no way we would get lost. He agreed that we could go.
Willy and I made some sandwiches, packing them and some cookies in a plastic bag. We set off, Willy carrying the food and me carrying the blanket which we had begun using in the meadow. We meandered along, not wanting to get to the meadow too quickly. At one point we had a little argument over which way to go, but I prevailed. About the time Willy began to question my wisdom, we emerged into the meadow.
We spread out the blanket and sat watching the stream. The only sound was the burbling water. Even the insects were silent for once. As we sat, I told him about seeing the three deer one time. It was the only time I’d ever seen them.
We heard a sound in the woods behind us. Turning, we saw a humongous bull moose standing at the edge of the trees.
“Don’t move,” I said. I knew that moose were usually very peaceful but could be dangerous if they were frightened. We watched as the moose came out of the woods and walked past us, scarcely ten yards away. It went down and stood in the stream facing us, apparently eating plants at the edges. Occasionally it shook its head, perhaps getting water out of its ear. Each time it shook we heard a slap, slap, slap as its ears flopped back and forth.
When it finished eating, it looked at us again before turning, crossing the stream, and disappearing in the woods beyond.
As it vanished, Willy breathed, “That was awesome!”
“I never knew they were so big,” I said. We removed our sneakers, walked to the stream, and sat in it facing each other.
“This is such a great place,” said Willy. “What’s beyond the woods on the other side?”
“No idea,” I said. “I think this is the end of Paul’s land.”
“He owns all this?”
“Yup,” I said, or as people here are more likely to say, “Ayup.”
When we’d finished splashing in the water, using it to clean the sweat from our bodies, we climbed out and returned to our blanket, where we ate lunch and then lay back, enjoying the warm sun on our bare bodies.
It wasn’t long before we were touching each other. That led to kissing, hugging, and stroking, and finally to us bringing each other off. It was the first time we’d been able to do it outdoors and at the meadow, which gave the event a special thrill.
Back at the cabin we dressed for supper and enjoyed a quiet, warm, friendly evening with my uncles, before we retired to bed and once again gave pleasure to each other.
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When we were fifteen, we began our high school freshman year. As we were walking to our classes on the third day, I saw in the distance someone who I knew only too well.
“Look,” I said to Willy, and nodded my head to our left.
“Oh my God!” said Willy. “It’s the asshole who owns Bruno.”
We turned and took another route to our next class. I made some quiet inquiries and learned that his name was Derrek, that he was a senior and a bully, and that he was generally hated in the school.
We couldn’t avoid the guy forever. On our third day, we ran into him in the hallway.
He did a double take and then said, “Well, well, if it isn’t the two queers. I owe you one, and I’m planning on delivering it when you least expect it.” With that he went on to his class.
He seemed unavoidable. Maybe he was planning things that way. And each time he saw us he said, “Soon.”
If he was playing with our heads, trying to spook us, he was succeeding.
“What can we do? I asked Willy one day.
“Maybe we have to stand up to him,” replied Willy.
“But he’s bigger than both of us put together,” I pointed out.
“I know,” he said. “It could be a massacre.”
At last we encountered him one day as he was exiting the gym locker room and we were entering. The confrontation immediately gathered a number of onlookers, both seniors and freshmen.
He stopped, stared at us, and said, “Well, if it isn’t the two little queers.”
I heard a snicker behind me.
Willy decided that the time had come. “Hi there,” he said, “how’s your cock?”
Derrek swung at Willy, catching him with his fist on the cheekbone. Willy fought off the pain and moved in so that punches wouldn’t do much damage. He slapped Derrek’s face, hard.
“God,” said Willy, “you smell. I thought it was only your cock before, but now I know it’s all of you.”
Angered by the slap and the resistance, Derrek pushed Willy back ready to swing again when he was grabbed from behind by the coach, who pulled him away from Willy and dragged him into his office.
We went into the locker room and began to change. One of the boys asked, “How do you guys know him? Are you really queer?”
Willy looked at me and I said, “We’re both gay. We don’t like the term queer.” Then between the two of us we told everyone in the locker room about our encounter with Derrek and how it ended.
“Wait,” said one of the boys, “how old were you when it happened?”
“Thirteen,” answered Willy.
That afternoon, as we lay on my bed, we were both overcome with the shakes. We had stood up for ourselves, and it seemed like we’d won.
From then on, our being gay was never an issue in the school, and we gained a lot of respect from the boys in the locker room, who quickly spread the tale. By the next week, all the students were laughing at Derrek, and he withdrew from the school.
Not only had people accepted our announcement that we were gay, it had a ripple effect through the student body, and by Christmas several more kids had come out at school.
Late in the fall we had our usual lockdown drill. The more we did it, the more I thought it was ridiculous, because everyone in class wound up in one small area out of sight of any windows. What if a shooter actually got into the room? But of course, we continued to b certain that would never happen in our little town. And as luck would have it, there never was a shooter in the school during our time there.
During the holidays, Willy spent a lot of his vacation at the cabin. He even gave the uncles a bottle of wine on Christmas Day. I don’t know how he got it, and when I asked, he just grinned.
It had snowed just before Thanksgiving, but then the weather turned a little warmer and the snow melted. Willy and I went on several Explores, although it was too cold to go naked or to get in the water.
But the cabin was warm and welcoming, and we enjoyed many hours of pleasuring each other.
In May, when we turned sixteen, we had a party at the cabin. Paul said, “Guess what. The age of consent in Maine is sixteen, so now you can have sex.”
Willy and I burst out laughing. Paul and Darrell grinned, because they knew perfectly well what we’d been doing.
When we were in bed that night, I said, “Don’t you think we should tell your parents about us?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know how they’ll react. In some ways they’re pretty conservative.”
“Yeah, but you should at least tell them that you’re gay.”
“That’s the problem. What if they get upset or even throw me out?”
“They won’t, Willy, they love you.”
He thought for a moment and then asked, “Will you be with me when I do? They probably won’t react negatively if you’re there.”
I wasn’t sure I understood the logic of that, but I eventually agreed.
Monday morning, I told the uncles that I’d be going to Willy’s home after school and staying the night. That was unusual on a Monday, but they accepted it without comment.
In the afternoon, Willy and I walked to his house. Neither of his parents was home, so we snacked and waited, although I noticed that Willy ate hardly any of his sandwich.
When his parents arrived within minutes of each other, Willy told them he had something he needed to say to them. They joined us at the kitchen table and looked expectantly at him.
We sat in silence, which seemed to grow louder the longer we sat.
Three times Willy opened his mouth to speak and nothing came out. On the fourth time, he finally blurted out, “Mom, Dad, I’m gay.”
Again, silence.
I could just detect the beginnings of a smile on his mother’s face.
This is torture, I thought.
His father said quietly, “We know, Willy. We’ve known for years, and we were just waiting for you to tell us.”
“We’ve also assumed,” said his mother, “that Davey is too. It’s obvious you two are very fond of each other.”
Willy looked at me and I looked at him. I said quietly, “We love each other.”
She nodded.
Willy said, “You’re not mad at us?”
“For being who you are?” his father said. “Of course not. We love you unconditionally.”
Willy flew from his seat and hugged each of his parents. Then he hugged me. “Thank you,” he said to them. “I knew you loved me, but I’ve heard horror stories of boys coming out to their parents and being punished one way or another.”
“We would never do that,” said his mother. “The only question we have is whether you two are having sex.”
Willy looked at me, as though asking for permission to tell her. I said, “Yes, ma’am, we have been doing some things.”
She nodded and said, “Willy, you must remember that your father knows a good deal about being a boy. We assumed you were, but again we didn’t know. All I ask is that you be careful of each other, both physically and emotionally. We know this is a very volatile time for boys, with your hormones going full blast, so take care of each other.”
Willy and I were both emotionally drained. It was the hardest thing I’d had to do since my parents’ funeral, and I know it was difficult for Willy as well.
Willy’s mother prepared supper for all of us, but he and I were so exhausted that we barely ate.
After supper we went to his room, where we tried to do our homework. As was often the case, I was totally flummoxed by the math, but Willy helped me, and I got through it, although I wasn’t totally satisfied with the results.
Later, we lay in bed, snuggling. It had been a tiring afternoon, and while we both loved each other, we weren’t up for energetic sex. Instead, we did a slow, gentle sixty-nine before cuddling together and sleeping.