Alex & JJ

Happy Holidays

Early September Saturday 2:00 p.m.

“You about ready to go?” Alex hollered down the hall to JJ.

“Two minutes, I promise” JJ yelled back. “Go ahead; I’ll meet you in the car.”

Pulling out of the driveway Alex said “First stop I want to make is the warehouse place where we got the office desk. I saw a furniture section I want to check out. If we can’t find anything we like then we’ll come back into downtown.”

Walking into the warehouse, they made a bee line to the furniture section and started roaming the aisles each going a different way checking out the displays. After an hour they met up to compare notes.

“Did you find anything that caught your eye?” JJ asked.

“Nope, not really” Alex replied. “There are a lot of nice pieces here but nothing that stood out to me. Did you find anything?” he asked.

“As a matter of fact I did” JJ said. “Come with me and let me know what you think.” Heading to the far back corner, JJ stopped in front of a bedroom showcase. “If we’re going into the multiple gray tones I think this set would be really classy for a guest room.”

Alex looked and his jaw dropped looking at a dresser and chest of drawers in a dark walnut and king size padded black leather headboard framed in the  same dark walnut. “Oh my” Alex inhaled sharply. “That is absolutely gorgeous!” he exclaimed. “I love the dark wood and the black leather is classy, but my perverted brain goes to just a hint of naughty. Can we accessorize with leather chest harnesses and whips? We have the leather dildo harness?” he laughed.

“You are one sick-o dude Alex Hagen-Tillman, and I think that’s one of the many reasons why I love you” JJ laughed. “Do you really like it or are you being funny and trying not to hurt my feelings because I have bad taste.”

“Oh god no” Alex responded quickly. “You have impeccable good taste and I really do like this whole furniture set. If we can’t have these pieces, I say we order this entire bedroom set for delivery in about six weeks. I won’t buy the mattress set here though. I want to go back to where I got the extra firm pillow top like our bed. That way if we every have a really big fight and one of us ends up sleeping in the guest room, at least the bed will be the same” he joked giving JJ a jab in the ribs. “Kidding of course” Alex recovered with a kiss to JJ.

“So the next stop is with Carol for colors and what we want to do with the bathroom?” JJ asked. “Would it help to have some tile and carpet choices or would that be getting ahead of the game before talking to her?”

Alex pondered for a moment. “I think we should pick out samples of what we like for shower tile, what gray we want for the granite counter top and what we want for glass accent tiles. We ask Carol pick the carpets and paint colors that best coordinate. I’d like to go back to the tile place I used when I did the big kitchen remodel. We can do that on the way home” Alex said.

Two hours at the tile store yielded samples of slate for the shower and floor, variegated gray glass tile and a chip sample of gray granite. “I think we had an extremely productive afternoon” Alex commented. “I’m a bit tired and definitely hungry and I need to take a shower. I just feel grungy.”

Pulling into the driveway, JJ suggested “How about you hit the shower while I fix a couple BLT’s. We have potato salad and stuff left over from Ken’s party. After we eat we can either netflix or put in a movie and zonk on the couch. I’m really not in the mood for a big meal or anything heavy.”

“Score” Alex cheered with a high five. “Nothing sappy for a movie though, either a comedy funny or swashbuckler action adventure.”

Out of the shower, Alex put on a pair of black silk sleep shorts and padded into the kitchen shirtless and barefoot.

“Looks like you feel better and looking sexy as hell I might add” JJ commented. “How’s your nipple piercing doing?” he asked.

“Yup, I’m fresh as a daisy and feeling much better. The piercing is doing great” Alex replied. “In fact, I didn’t put the band-aid thing on today under my shirt and I never really felt anything so it must be doing better.”

Eating in relative silence, “I think I want to hit the shower, too” JJ finally said.

“I’ll clean up here, make some popcorn and look for a movie” Alex offered.

Popcorn in hand Alex sat on the couch surfing through netflix not finding much. JJ came and sat down on the couch wearing only his blue lounge pants. “Here” Alex offered, “lay your head on my lap and I’ll share the popcorn with you.” Complying, JJ stretched out on the couch laying on his back resting his head on Alex’s lap as Alex put the popcorn bowl on JJ’s stomach.

“See if you can find Benedict Cumberbatch Imitation Game” JJ suggested.

“Found it” Alex said clicking the play button. As the movie started he took some popcorn for himself then fed some to JJ, alternating like this through the first half of the movie until the popcorn was gone. Setting the bowl aside, Alex let his hand rest on JJ’s chest as he slowly traced his fingers thru the chest hair eventually working his way to JJ’s piercing. “Tender?” he asked as he gently fumbled with the nipple ring.

“Not at all” JJ whispered. “In fact, in feels pretty darn good. This is what I’ve been waiting for to have you fiddling with it and not hurt. How about for you?” he asked reaching his hand to Alex’s nipple.

“Not sore at all” Alex replied. “Feels quite erotic, doesn’t it?” he asked continuing to fondle JJ’s piercing.

“Mmmmmm” was the only response from JJ.

Alex moved his hand to the center of JJ’s chest gently tugging at the hair covering his pecs working his way down towards the navel and thick treasure trail spending time tweaking the hair at the navel before moving lower.

“You know what that does to me. Are you trying to start something?” JJ asked.

“Mmmmaybe” Alex smiled. “Mmmmaybe not. You tell me, is it working?”

JJ took Alex by the hand and moved it to his groin so he could feel the growing stiffness in his lounge pants.

“Oh my goodness gracious” Alex feigned surprise. “I fear my husband may be experiencing a wee bit of plumping with his dangly bits” Alex chuckled.

“Keep that up and you’ll see some plump dangly bits, mister” JJ laughed.

“How about we take these pajama pants off and see if you can make good on that threat?” Alex dared.

Without hesitation, JJ lifted his hips stripping off the pants dropping them to the floor. “Fondle away if you dare and see where it gets you” JJ grinned turning his face into Alex’s lap. “But that’s only if I get to see what’s hiding under this black silk” he said reaching for the growing bulge in front of his face. With some effort Alex raised himself off the couch and slid the silk shorts down over his butt giving JJ the opportunity to pull the front waist band down freeing his growing erection. “Oh look” JJ gasped. “I think I have found a rare specimen of a one-eyed wonder worm. I’ve heard that if you tease them enough they get angry and spit at you. Do you know if this is true?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I only know of one way to find out” Alex replied. “Tease away and see if you can irritate it enough to prove that it can and will spit.”

“Ahhh, an experiment for the helminthologist” JJ chided. “Me thinks we should take this to the laboratory where I have the necessary equipment to continue. Come with me and bring that worm with you” JJ said getting off of the couch leading Alex by the hand to the bedroom.

“Hold up” Alex said. “Helmin-whats-a-tist?” he asked.

“Helminthology” JJ answered. “You know, the study of worms.”

“Nnnnoooooo I don’t know” Alex smirked. “How in the fucking hell do you even know what that is?”

“Sophomore year, science, biology, I don’t know, I just know” JJ answered.

“You are such a nerdy but brilliant surprise sometimes” Alex mumbled.

Placing Alex in a comfortable position on the bed JJ removed the silk shorts tossing them to the floor. “Now let the ‘worm doctor’ have a closer look” JJ said. “Oh my, this is a most excellent worm. It seems to be a fully developed adult, a bit larger than most, with the protective hood. A side note of no real consequence is there is a sub-species of worm that does not have the hood, but no matter. This one seems to be rather docile. It may take some doing to anger it enough to spit, if indeed it actually can spit.”

“Just how do you intend to anger this worm?” Alex queried trying not to laugh.

“There are several different approaches I could take” JJ said. “Let us start with manual irritation. If that fails I will continue with other methods as they come to mind hoping for a positive reaction. Shall we begin?” JJ asked.

“Oh yes, please” Alex confirmed. “Anger away doctor helmi-whos-it.” Alex said.

Taking Alex’s boner in his hand, JJ began slowly jacking it with long full strokes fully covering the head of his dick with the foreskin on the up-strokes then slowly pulling the foreskin back on the down-strokes to the pubes all the while keeping eye contact checking for a reaction. After several minutes and no signs of increased ‘irritation’ JJ moved closer first kissing the balls licking and drawing them into his mouth as he continued to manipulate the erection. After several minutes and still absent of any adverse reaction, JJ licked up the length of the shaft gripping the foreskin tugging on it with his lips. Slowly he retracted the foreskin licking the head of the cock with the roughness of his tongue until the head of Alex’s dick was fully exposed. Taking the head fully into his mouth he swallowed the entire shaft until his nose nestled in the pubic bush. Gripping the balls with one hand, JJ moved his mouth up and down on the shaft kissing the head of the cock then again swallowing the entire length into the back of his throat repeatedly. “Anything?” JJ finally asked.

“You have certainly captured the worm’s attention, but in truth it actually seems to be more of a comfort than an aggravation” Alex admitted.

“Hmmm” JJ pondered. “This is a puzzlement. Maybe I should try more of an indirect passive aggressive approach” he said. “Raise your legs and hold them up” JJ instructed. Alex complied, grasping his wrists, locking his arms under his legs to better hold them up. With Alex in this new position, with his left hand JJ maintained a grip on the erect cock as he started kissing the balls. Working his way down he nuzzled and kissed the taint before continuing licking his way through the cleft between the butt cheeks until his tongue touched the puckered sphincter eliciting a subtle gasp from Alex. Pulling the butt cheeks apart, JJ licked and darted his tongue into the pucker as best he could. With the ass pucker now wet with spit, using the middle finger of his right hand JJ toyed at the sphincter rubbing and poking at it eventually putting enough pressure at the center of the pucker to push his finger past the sphincter into the inner warmth of Alex’s rectum. Inserting his finger to its full length, JJ felt the cock flex in his hand as he found the ‘P’ spot making Alex twitch with an audible grunt. “Bingo” JJ whispered to himself. “How about now, anything?”

“Uhhh yup you betcha by golly, wow. You now have the full and undivided attention of my worm” Alex confirmed.

“Now we’re getting somewhere” JJ mused. “I think we’re on to something here. Let’s ramp this up a bit” JJ said reaching for the bottle of lube on the nightstand. Putting a small drizzle of lube on the sphincter, JJ re-entered using two fingers this time. “And how about now?” JJ asked.

“Oh yea” Alex mewled. “Can we see what happens with three fingers?”

JJ again re-entered Alex this time with the three fingers working them in and out with a twisting motion. “Better?” JJ asked. “I can feel with my hand and the presence of some leakage that your worm is becoming a bit agitated.”

“For certain” Alex agreed, “but do you have anything bigger or longer that you could possible use? I think that is possibly what may be necessary to totally antagonize my worm.”

“Well yes, as a matter of fact there is something” JJ replied. “However it will require you to change positions. You will need to turn over and kneel with your head down on a pillow. Can you do that for me?” he asked. Without saying a word, Alex quickly turned himself over. Kneeling he rested his head on a pillow as requested. “Excellent” JJ said. “Now simply hold that position and when I tell you, take a deep breath and hold it.” JJ quickly lubed his dick which was rapidly growing erect in anticipation of his next move. “Okay, deep breath and hold” JJ instructed. As Alex held  his breath, JJ pulled the foreskin back while positioning the head of his dick at the puckered hole before him. With one smooth continuous thrust he effortlessly pushed through the tight sphincter entering the warm depths of Alex’s fuck hole. Leaning forward pressing the full length of his torso to Alex’s back he put a trail of kisses across his shoulders and on his neck. With a lick and a nibble on the ear lobe JJ whispered into his ear. “Okay my love, role-play is over. Now it’s time for us to have some great sex. Just so you know, when we are in bed together and I am your bottom, the way you make love to me makes my heart soar and I feel so special. This time I have the good fortune to be the top for you, the best bottom ever. I love you so much Alex Hagen-Tillman.” Staying on Alex’s back, JJ slowly pulled his cock out to the tip then slowly stroked back in giving Alex the full length of his dick. Reaching underneath, JJ’s hands caressed Alex on his chest feeling the strength of his pecs as he fell into a slow passionate rhythm long stroking his cock deep into Alex’s insides. “On my god it feels so good when I get to fuck you this way” JJ purred. “Your ass is so amazing on my cock. This is what I look forward to when I get to make love to you” JJ said nuzzling his face to Alex’s cheek. “Am I doing you right?” he asked.

“More than right” Alex whimpered. “You have no idea how good you make we feel when you take me like this. I love it when you go slow and you take the time to let me feel all of you inside of me. Good sex doesn’t always have to be a pounding. This feels so amazing. I love you.”

“I think I may be getting close. I want you to turn over. I want you on your back so I can see you face to face when I cum inside you” JJ said. Alex quickly flipped over on his back, wrapping his legs around JJ locking his ankles together on JJ’s back as he pushed his hard cock back into Alex. “Oh hell yes” JJ purred feeling Alex with his legs on his back pulling him in tighter. JJ mumbled through his kissing Alex, “I like it like this, you on your back so I can look at you when I go deep while we are fucking. O-oh” JJ said with a bit of surprise in his voice. “I think I’m in trouble here. I’m going to cum and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to hold off. Nope, gonna cum!” JJ cried out. “Oh yes, gonna cum like right now. Here it is, it’s gonna blow” JJ yelled in a gibberish scream as his climax hit full force. Ramming his dick in as deep as possible he froze in place as he shot wad after wad of his seed into Alex. Collapsing, JJ gasped for breath. “Dear god in heaven” he huffed. “See what you do to me? This is why I am so in love with you.” As his orgasm waned, JJ pulled free from the grip Alex’s hole had on his cock. Starting at the nipples, JJ kissed across the chest working his way down over the abs to his pubes stopping at the base of Alex’s  erect cock. “Now I’m going to finish you off. I’m going to suck this dick and swallow this perfect part of you over and over until I taste your cum” JJ said. Spreading his legs apart grasping Alex’s hardness JJ began his assault kissing the taint, gently gnawing at it dragging his teeth over it but not quite biting. Working his way up, JJ continued his jacking of the erection as he licked the nut sack alternately drawing them into his mouth, stretching them out until they popped free off his oral grip causing Alex to mewl softly as he gripped at the bed sheet. Dragging his tongue up the length of the erection JJ danced his tongue around the head and frenulum before taking the entire shaft into his mouth to the back of his throat until his face was buried in the bush of pubes. JJ held there for a moment then slowly withdrew to the tip. Again and again, he swallowed, held, withdrew until Alex now writhing in a sexual frenzy could no longer hold out. Unable to speak his orgasm over-took him. He was cumming. The ‘worm’ was spitting uncontrollably spewing twelve ejections of man-nectar. Unable to contain it all, JJ had to let some of the seminal prize dribble out collecting in the pubes. Sliding himself up JJ tenderly held Alex’s face as he kissed him, his tongue pushing Alex’s lips apart to share the reward of his orgasm. Lying on top, JJ could feel the beating heart of his now spent lover. In silence JJ nestled his chin and face against Alex, gently stroking his hair listening as Alex relaxed and his breathing slowed.

After what seemed like minutes of silence, Alex finally spoke. “Oh my god” was all he said rubbing his hands on JJ’s back. “Oh my god” he repeated. Raising his head, JJ looked at Alex. They kissed, tongues frantically dueling still tasting the remains of Alex’s release. “I feel we have successfully proven when properly motivated a one-eyed wonder worm will indeed spit” Alex laughed.

“You do know just how amazing and sexy you are, right?” JJ asked caressing Alex’s chest and fumbling with his nipple ring.

“So I have been told” Alex replied. “And the same should be said of you.”

“Join me in the shower” JJ suggested, getting off of the bed urging Alex to come with him. “I am quite sticky and sweaty and knowing how much of me is now inside of you, if we don’t get you cleaned up you’ll be leaking all night.”

Showered and dry, they climbed into bed laying side by side holding hands looking at each other. “I love you” Alex said breaking the silence. “I love you to infinity and beyond as Buzz Lightyear would say.”

“You’re so goofy” JJ snickered. “Spoon with me you sexy hunk of husband.” Snuggled tightly together, sleep quickly came as they drifted into the night.

Sunday 9:30 a.m.

JJ slowly woke and stealthily crawled out of bed so as not to disturb Alex. Retrieving his lounge pants from the living room floor, he headed to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast. Soon after, Alex came shuffling into the kitchen heading for the coffee pot. “Good morning, and how’s the most lovable worm doing this morning?” JJ asked with a wink and a grin.

Smiling at his joke, Alex replied, “Your most lovable worm, as you so eloquently put it, is quite well, thank you, especially after what you did to me last night.”

“You were pretty amazing, or rather we were pretty amazing” JJ praised. “Do we have plans today or am I up to my own vices?” JJ asked.

“On your own until four o’clock” Alex answered. “I called Carol and she’s coming by to talk to us about the guest room and bathroom plans.”

“Wow, not wasting any time here are we” JJ said sounding a bit surprised.

“I just want to get things moving. In my building and contract experience you add at least two or three weeks to your projected time schedule” Alex said. “Carol is totally pumped to have a side project. Evidently she’s not staying busy enough at the office.” Alex chuckled.

“Super” JJ said. “So would it be okay if I took the Beemer and ran errands today?” he asked. “Promise to be back by four.”

“No problem here” Alex said. “Anything sneaky or clandestine?” he asked.

“God no” JJ retorted. “I need to stop by my office for some research reports, I need some new clothes, pants and shirts, and I have the grocery list” he said.

“Sounds about as exciting as my day” Alex said. “I’ll be in the office filing updates on closed projects and working specs for the new bids.”

“Well then I’m outta here” JJ said putting his dishes in the sink. “I promise to be home in time to meet with Carol.” With a kiss to Alex he was out the door.

Sunday 3:30 p.m.

JJ came through the door with several department store bags. “Hey Alex” he hollered. “If you’re not busy, can you help with the groceries?” he asked.

“No need to yell. I’m right here” Alex said popping around the corner from the dining room. “And yes, I would be happy to help with the groceries. I always appreciate it when you do the shopping. You know going to the grocery store is one of my least favorite chores.”

“Yes, I am well aware of your diversion to grocery stores” JJ snickered. “So are you all organized and ready for Carol?”

“Are you mocking me?” Alex asked trying to act insulted.

“Not at all” JJ said “but I bet if I went into the dining room right now you have all of the samples from yesterday neatly laid out with a list of questions to ask and your laptop or at least a note pad at the ready to take notes on what we discuss and decisions we make.”

“You ARE making fun of me” Alex protested.

“Again, no” JJ asserted, “but I know how organized and detailed you are. You have learned that out of necessity with your contractor company. I should probably pay closer attention and learn from you so I could be better at my job” JJ said scrambling for a way to compliment Alex.

The door bell rang. “Saved by the proverbial bell” JJ laughed giving Alex a kiss and reassuring hug. Opening the door he greeted Carol. “Hi there special friend” JJ said. “We’re all set up for you at the dining room table.”

“Ooooh this looks interesting” Carol commented with some relish in her voice. “So what do we have here?”

Alex took the lead. “We are moving the office to the middle room and putting the guest bedroom up front. We’re going to do a complete overhaul on the Jack and Jill bathroom, too, so let’s start with the office space. The overall color scheme for all three rooms will be gray tones. So what is your first impression of what to do for the office?” Alex asked.

“My brain is spinning” Carol stalled. “Your office desk is a dark mahogany. If this is an office your task chairs are castered and roll. My first choice would be hardwood flooring in the same dark mahogany. Task chairs don’t roll nicely on carpet and you don’t need the cushy comfort of carpet in there anyway. If you need anything, we can put an area rug in the center of the room. As to the grays what gives great eye appeal is to have one primary wall a dark color with the other walls lighter. It tricks the eye into making the room look larger than it really is. The desk should be at the dark wall. Now for art and accessories” Carol continued. “I was at a gallery last month and saw this awesome Seattle skyline picture in black and white. It’s huge, like seven feet by three feet which would look incredible on one of the long walls. We can come up with something else later for the other wall or walls. You have the room, so think about maybe a dark leather hide-a-bed couch in there. That would give you a comfy reading spot and an extra emergency bedroom.”

“I like that” Alex thoughtfully pondered. “JJ what do you think” he asked.

Holding his hands up JJ answered “Don’t ask me. I am essentially brain dead and color blind when you’re talking design stuff. If you like it I say go for it.”

“Moving on to the bathroom” Carol segued. “This group is the bathroom choices, right?” she asked picking up the tile samples.

“Yes” Alex confirmed. “The bathroom remodel is going to be quite extensive. Plans are for a walk-in shower and a double sink vanity. We were thinking the slate for the shower and the floor with the glass tile as a backsplash against the granite counter top. What do you think? Are we nuts?” Alex asked.

“Not nuts at all” Carol encouraged. “You two are showing me some brilliant choices in color and design. For vanity, the tile backsplash should be four to six inches high and please, please keep the sinks and toilet white. Colored fixtures go out of date immediately. White is forever. As for mirrors, this would be your choice to have individual mirrors over each sink or one large mirror on that wall. I have some thoughts on the shower. What would look really classy and tie both side of the room together would be to have a glass tile band on the shower walls at eye level the same size as the backsplash. Also, you can put recessed niches in the walls. As many and anywhere you like. You always need places to put the bars of soap, the shampoo bottles, etcetera. Because you have so much dark slate, I think what walls are exposed should be a light misty gray something along the lines of London fog or like one of our Washington super foggy winter mornings. I would suggest a satin finish. Just be sure it is an enamel paint because of the steam and high moisture that happens in a bathroom. On to guest room” Carol said. “This will probably take a bit more discussion. I don’t see anything here for that room” she noticed.

“Not yet” JJ said reaching for his phone. “We have pictures of the furniture we have on order” he said searching on his phone. “Here it is. Five pieces in a really dark walnut. A chest of drawers, mirrored dresser, two nightstands and king size headboard padded with black leather.”

“Interesting” Carol said almost absent mindedly. “So is the black leather some kind of subliminal message with you guys?” she slyly asked winking at Alex.

“What is it with you two and black leather” JJ asked sounding a bit irritated.

“Easy there tiger” Carol snickered. “It’s a running stereotype joke about gay guys having a leather fetish. It’s humor there, big guy. No malice intended. It’s almost too easy to wind you up. It takes all the sport out of it” Carol giggled.

“A-ha, now I get it” JJ said to himself. “Evidently I’m not as gay as I thought. The whole leather fetish thing totally escaped my thought process.”

“Here we go” Carol warned. “Just like the office, one wall being a dark accent wall, probably the headboard wall and a lighter gray for the rest of the room. Obviously you will put carpet in here. Suggest a medium gray. Too light and it will show a dirt path. Too dark and every bit of fuzz will show up. A medium pewter-ish gray would be ideal. To keep it simple you can use the same dark and light colors for both the office and guest rooms as they are two separate areas. You won’t notice because you won’t be in the guest room a lot and visiting guests won’t be in your office. I think blue would be a classy color to compliment the walnut furniture and the grays. What about using the full range of a blue palette for accent colors here?” she asked.

“Like what you did for our wedding?” JJ asked.

“Nice save there, slick” Carol teased with a poke at JJ’s ribs. “And you telling me you are color blind when it comes to room design.” JJ blushed at Carols’ back-handed compliment. “I saw the perfect piece at the art gallery. It’s a large four by four of abstract black ravens on a royal blue background titled ‘Les Oiseaux’. It’s a copy from the French artist Georges Braque which means nothing to you but in Europe he is every bit as famous as Picasso.

“Jesus friggin christ” Alex scoffed. “First the helminthology thing from JJ and now you with this French artist guy, and you know this how?” Alex asked.

“Art history in college, I needed to pad my credit hours and art history sounded interesting” Carol answered. “JJ are you a worm guy?” she asked.

“Holy shit” Alex roared slapping the table. “There is no way on this earth that you knew what that was. Did you two set this up to make me feel stupid?”

“Hell no” Carol protested. “It was college biology, sophomore year I think.”

“Well just fuck me all to hell” Alex moaned. “I must be a total vapid moron.” Carol and JJ looked at each with a blank stare and shrugged.

“Are we done here?” Alex asked still sounding perturbed.

“I think we are” Carol replied. “I’ll get back to you a.s.a.p. with what I think would be good colors. I know you, Alex, you’ll want to get on this like yesterday, am I right?”

JJ covered his mouth to stifle a snicker and shot a high five to Carol.

“Okay, that’s it, I’ve taken enough crap from you two. Away with both of you” Alex faked his anger motioning as if to sweep them out of the room.

Closing the door behind Carol’s exit, JJ turned to Alex. “Now that was just too, too funny” he chuckled. “Who would have thought she knew what that was? Honest, hand to god, that was not a set-up at your expense” JJ pleaded. “But it was funny as all hell. It’s a rare thing to see you get tagged like that. Oh come here my little worm, let daddy give you a hug and a kiss to make it all better.”

“Fuck you!” Alex pouted accepting the hug and a kiss from JJ.

(Fast forward: True to form, Alex got started on the remodeling project right away. Jacob and Aaron got the old furniture out of the guest room. Alex pulled in two of his crew teams. One crew went to work on the office space reconfiguring the closet space to the bathroom side, laying a mahogany floor and painting the walls. As soon as that was done, Alex and JJ moved the office into that room so the crew could pull up the carpet in what would be the new guest room. Meanwhile the second crew had completely gutted the adjoining bathroom finishing the project with the new shower, granite counter and custom tile work in less than four weeks. The new carpet was installed and the furniture was delivered on schedule. Carol came in with the art pieces and additional accent accessories. The entire remodel of office, bathroom and guest room was finished in less than six weeks.

Thanks Giving was a collection of what JJ referred to as ‘holiday orphans’ They invited Carol and a plus one. They personally called Jacob, Aaron and the other six guys to see if any of the gang of eight friends were stuck in town with nowhere to go. Thanks Giving day at the Hagen-Tillman home was Carol and her date, a very nice guy she had been dating for the past few months. Out of the gang of eight it was Jacob, Aaron, Scotty, David and Adrian accepting the invite. The table was a veritable feast. JJ had taken over the kitchen roasting a seventeen pound turkey to perfection. The table was complete with mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, two types of cranberries, dinner rolls, a cheese broccoli casserole, three kinds of pie and ice cream. Leftovers went home in to-go bags with the college boys. Needless to say, nobody left hungry.)

December 18th, 9:30 a.m. (three days before Steven and Ryan arrive)

Standing in the shower, Alex was carefully shaving his scrotum and shaft of his penis before turning his attention to shave under his arms, something he would not normally do but he remembered a comment Steven had made about Ryan liking shaved arm pits. ‘Just thinking ahead, or secretly hoping’ Alex thought to himself as he rinsed off and stepped out of the shower to dry off. Putting on a clean pair of jeans and a sweat shirt he went to look for JJ. They had a lot to do today before Steven and Ryan arrived in three days.

Alex called out, “Hey JJ, where are you?”

“In the office Worm, almost done. I’ll be out in two” JJ called back.

(Ever since that night of silly role play and intense sex, Worm stuck as a nickname JJ used as a term of extreme adoration and endearment.)

“Okay, I’m here, ready willing and able” JJ announced bouncing into the kitchen. “I know we have a lot to accomplish so where do we start?” JJ asked.

“Here’s what we need to take care of today, and not necessarily in this order” Alex added. “Ornaments for the exchange, presents for each of them and finally borrow the truck from your friend Tyler and get the tree so it will have time to open up and be ready to decorate.”

“Let’s do the ornaments first” JJ suggested. “You said you knew a specialty boutique, so that should be our first stop. Then we can hit the mall and go on the hunt for their presents. You got any ideas for that?” JJ asked.

“Not a clue” Alex confessed. “Something will come to mind though, I’m sure.”

“You are kidding, right?” JJ acted astounded. “You, Mister ‘I got it all figured out’ is stumped for what to do?” he teased.

“Oh shut up” Alex barked poking a finger at JJ.

“Well I have some fantastic ideas” JJ said. “Keeping in mind it is Belize so they don’t need winter coats, but it can get chilly at night or when Steven is jetting around in Betty so I was thinking a light windbreaker type jacket. A Seahawks logo wouldn’t mean anything to them but maybe a Washington or Seattle logo. Then I thought of maybe the pajama set but I remember Steven saying he sleeps in the buff so am betting Ryan does too so the pajama thing is out. However, a pair of lounge pants like maybe the athletic warm up pants could work, being comfy and sexy, easy access if you know what I mean, but it’s not pajamas. Then I thought of maybe a shower wrap and slippers for when they get out of the shower and aren’t in a rush or don’t want to get dressed right away. What about those suggestions?” JJ asked.

“Wow, you have really thought this thru, haven’t you?” Alex said somewhat amazed. “I like any or all of those ideas. Do you think it would be too much or overkill if we did all of those?” he asked.

“So what if it is” JJ scoffed. “This is fucking Christmas, dude. It’s almost required to go overboard with this kind of shit. Besides, this is Steven we’re talking about. And I’m willing to bet my next paycheck that this Ryan guy is just as special and awesome as Steven who doesn’t strike me as someone to suffer with fools. If you don’t got the chops, Steven don’t got the time to put up with you. Bad grammar, I know, but I’m making a point here” JJ laughed. “Or, Ooooh oooooh, killer idea. We go to Castle and get them each a flesh-jack.”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Alex looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t give someone something as personal as a flesh-jack and especially not as a Christmas present. Are you serious?” Alex said in a chastising tone.

“Nnnnnnoooo” JJ said recoiling. “Well, okay maybe just a wee bit serious. Can you imagine the look on their faces as they unwrap a flesh-jack on Christmas morning? C’mon, you know that would be funny” JJ mused.

“You are a sick, sick human being, Jackson” Alex said breaking into a grin. “Hell yes it would be funny, but we’re not going to do it.”

“Okay, fine, Mr. Buzz-kill” JJ pouted as they drove to the ornament boutique.

Coming out of the boutique shop JJ took the ornaments out of the bag. “Yup, I think they will like these” he said admiring the brass image of the space needle and the brass outline of the Seattle skyline. Memory ornament” JJ said. “I know this is something I would appreciate if I were traveling for the holidays.”

“I’m glad you spotted those” Alex agreed. “I think we made a good choice. Next stop is to fight the god awful crowd at the mall. I’d almost rather take a beating than deal with that but we do what we gotta do. Tell me it will be worth it. I need that encouragement about now” Alex said.

“Hey, this is for Steven remember, and Ryan so suck it up” JJ admonished with a grin. “You know damn good and well it will be worth it so just drive” JJ said.

“Unbelievable” Alex said pulling into a parking spot within a hundred feet of the mall entrance. “The shopping gods are watching out for us today. REI sporting goods first for the warm up pants, then to Macy’s for the jackets, slippers and shower wraps” Alex suggested.

“Hey hey hey” JJ said pulling a pair of warm up pants from the rack. “We got the name brands here, Nike, Adidas, Champion, and they are on sale. I think this black Nike is sexy as hell and the red Adidas are nice, too” JJ offered. “Steven is our size, right, cuz when he took us to that fancy restaurant he wore our stuff. Do you suppose Ryan is smaller than Steven?” JJ wondered. “If we take a medium, I’m betting Ryan takes a small according to what Steven was telling us. Or do we get a medium and let him tie the draw string tighter? Or does it really matter” JJ pondered. “I mean really, seeing a hot guy in these red Adidas….. how long do you think it will take to get him out of these?”

“JJ, you’re doing that pervert stalker predator thing again” Alex laughed. “I say we get mediums for both, cuz you are probably right. They won’t stay on for very long. I want to check for windbreaker jackets while we’re here” Alex said as he strolled off. “Hey JJ” Alex called out. “Over here. I think I found something. Come look at these.”

“Whoa, I like the look” JJ commented. “Not a Seattle or Washington logo but a nice jacket all the same. What is that, REI, Columbia or North Face, N W Summit?” JJ asked.

“Don’t know and don’t care” Alex said. “These are just cool looking jackets. What do you say one hunter green and one navy blue?” Alex suggested.

“Bingo” JJ agreed. “So warm up pants, black Nike, red Adidas, and two jackets in green and navy. Score!” JJ cheered. “Let’s hit Macy’s and then get the hell outta Dodge” JJ said.

Standing in the men’s section Alex and JJ were both in a quandary looking at slippers. “Okay, slip on mule sliders or moccasins?” JJ asked.

“I don’t know” Alex said sounding confused. “I never thought about it but this is actually quite a personal preference choice to make for slippers.”

“Ya know what” JJ interjected. “I say screw the slippers. We get the shower wraps and call it good. I mean look, we got ornaments, we got jackets, we got warm up pants. That’s enough. We’re forgetting that we got those four prime seats at Benaroya for Nutcracker. I think we’re good” JJ said.

“Oh thank god, at last a voice of reason and common sense” Alex sighed. “I saw the shower wraps over on the other side, follow me. Here we are, so the choices are white, gray, or royal blue. Your thoughts?” Alex asked.

“Easy peasy” JJ said. “White and royal blue. Done, done and done now let’s pay the man and get the hell home. I’ve had my fill of shopping and crowds.”

As they got into the car Alex checked the time. “One o’clock. I’m starving. Feel like a steak?” Alex asked. “The Corral Steak House is on the way home and we have time before we need to get the truck and go to the tree lot.”

“Corral sounds perfect” JJ said. “In the mood for a massive t-bone and I can call Tyler to see if we can borrow the truck sooner rather than later.”

JJ made the phone call while Alex paid the tab. Walking to the car JJ told Alex, “Tyler said we can get the truck any time. He lives in the U. district about five minutes from our house so at least it’s convenient. I say we go now.”

“Good plan” Alex said tossing the keys to JJ. “You drive since you know where Tyler lives.” Merging into the freeway traffic Alex asked, “So what do we want for our tree? Your family tradition is the noble and the Christmas trees I had as a kid were the thick bushy douglas, so what are we going to do?”

Reaching over taking Alex’s hand in his, JJ said “Okay Worm, if you’re trying to lure me into a pissing contest I will tell you right now, it’s not going to work. I honestly don’t care enough about what our tree is to get in a snit. However, having said that, there could be a very amenable compromise to where we alternate. One year we get the bushy tree that you grew up with and the next year is a noble but bottom line for me is it will still be Christmas no matter what the friggin tree looks like. The choice of a tree is not the point of Christmas.”

“Well I guess that really puts it in perspective” Alex commented giving JJ;s hand a squeeze. “You’re right, of course. A tree is a tree so when we get to the tree place you look at nobles and I will look and bushy trees and we can decide when we see what we find, okay?” Alex asked.

“Sounds great” JJ said. “And this is our exit already so here we go.”

They quickly swapped vehicles and soon they were at the tree lot. After half an hour of searching Alex and JJ each had a tree that they liked.

“What’s your verdict on this one?” Alex asked holding up a seven foot douglas.

“Nice looking tree” JJ affirmed. “Not too tall, nice and full, would look great when decorated and fit nicely in the corner of the living room. Now, what do you think of this noble?” JJ asked holding up a six foot tree.

“Honest answer here without judgment, right?” Alex asked. JJ nodded. “To me when I look at that I see a Charlie Brown tree. It looks anemic, not what a Christmas tree should look like. Sorry hubby, but you wanted an honest answer” Alex cautiously said.

“And the honest answer is what I got” JJ said. “Thank you, and looking at your choice, I must concede that you are correct” JJ humbly acknowledged. “That will make a much nicer looking three than this. How did you put it, an anemic excuse of a Charlie Brown tree?” JJ laughed. “I think we have just established the first of many Christmas traditions as a married couple.”

“Not to be a piss-pot” Alex corrected, “this will be our second tradition. The first was because we get what we want as we need during the year, the only thing we give each other for Christmas is an ornament exchange that will commemorate something significant from that year. Over time that will be the on-going theme of our tree. A history of our lives together in ornaments.

“You are right again” JJ agreed as he loaded the tree in the truck. “We’ll drop off the tree and I will take the truck back to Tyler. You don’t need to go with for that unless you just want to.”

“Pass” Alex said. “I need go into the garage attic and find the tree stand, the boxes of tree lights and decorations so we can decide what we want to use. Then I can start wrapping the gifts for Steven and Ryan. Did you have any Christmas stuff at your folks’ place that you wanted to get?” Alex asked.

“I thought I did, but that would be a ‘no’ from my mother. She is hording anything and everything Christmas and won’t let any of it go” JJ lamented.

Alex took the shopping bags into the house as JJ unloaded the tree. “Back in fifteen” JJ hollered to Alex.

The remainder of the day was uneventful. They put the tree in the stand and left it outside to relax and let the branches fill out. After supper Alex wrapped the presents at the kitchen table with JJ’s help. They sorted the boxes checking the lights to make sure they actually lit up and culled through the boxes of ball ornaments, garlands, and a hodgepodge of miscellaneous ornaments. After four Jack and cokes each they called it a day and crawled into bed.

December 21st Steven and Ryan arrive

“What ya doing, Worm?” JJ called from the office.

“Just double checking the guest room and bathroom to make sure everything is ready for Steven and Ryan” he answered.

‘Of course you are, I would expect nothing less’ JJ smiled to himself. “It’s noon thirty now. What time do we need to be at SeaTac?” JJ asked.

“They are suppose to land at two o’clock, so if we leave around one thirty that should be about right by the time they get through baggage claim. I booked them on United because that was the most direct flight. Eight hours from Belize to Seattle with a brief stop at DFW. Not a plane change, just a stop. We can park at the cell phone lot. Steven has by cell number and will call when they are at baggage claim.”

“I know this is a dumb question” JJ said “but you have the tree decorations set out and all organized ready to go, right?”

“Yes” Alex replied stepping into the office where JJ was working. “I do indeed have the decorations organized and yes that was a dumb question, smart-ass” Alex said. “Would you make me a sandwich while I take a quick shower?” Alex asked taking his tee shirt off pulling it up over his head.

“I can do that” JJ said looking up from his computer. “Hold on” he said. “Raise your arms again.” Raising his arms, JJ stared at him with a sly grin. “You little horn-dog” JJ mused. “You shaved your pits, didn’t you?” he asked. “You shaved for Ryan in case things get interesting and fun didn’t you?” JJ asked again. “Well guess what?” he said lifting his own tee shirt showing his cleanly shaved arm pits. “So did I” causing them both to break into laughter. “Too funny” JJ said “Just too funny. You hit the shower, I’ll fix the sandwiches.”

Alex came into the kitchen sharply dressed in tan cargo pants, black polo shirt and black sneakers. “Good enough to welcome our guests?” Alex asked turning around for JJ’s approval.

“Very nice” JJ cooed. “Good enough to eat, if only we had that much time?”

“You want to shower before we go?” Alex asked. “You have enough time.”

“Nope” JJ replied. “I showered while you were busy in the living room. All I need to do is change clothes and I’ll be ready to go. Thinking my new 501s, the blue argyle v-neck sweater and chuckas, yes?” JJ queried.

“Very much yes” Alex answered. “Your butt in 501s and a v-neck showing the tufts of that manly chest hair gets me revved up.” Alex grinned.

Pulling into the cell phone parking lot, JJ parked and killed the engine. “So now we wait” he said. “Time check?”

“Two o five” Alex responded. “Steven has my number so when he calls I’ll have him go up to the less congested departure level.” No sooner than he said that, Alex’s phone rang. “It’s Steven. Here we go” he said as he answered the call. “Hey Steven” Alex spoke trying to mask his enthusiasm. “Right, just go up one level and exit at one of the United doors. We’re in a black Jeep Cherokee. We are leaving the cell phone lot now so should be out front in five. Okay, see you shortly” he said disconnecting the call. Merging into the departure lane, JJ slowed looking for the United entrance. “There he is” Alex pointed. “Oh dear god in heaven, could that be Ryan?” Alex gasped. “Ryan is in his late twenties, right? That guy looks like he could be nineteen.”

“If that’s not Ryan” JJ said, “Steven is holding hands with a total stranger.”

“That is one tight little package of fuckable hotness” Alex gushed.

“Down boy” JJ cautioned. “Do I need to put you on a leash or are you going to behave? But if that is Ryan, I am suddenly extremely envious of Steven” JJ said.

Pulling up to the curb, they both scrambled as if in a race against each other. Alex ran up to Steven giving him a bear hug. “Oh my god it is so good to see you again” Alex fawned.

JJ coming up right behind Alex also hugged Steven tightly saying “Dear god it’s good to have you here. It’s great to see you again. You are looking good.”

“Thanks guys” Steven said a bit overwhelmed with the enthusiasm. “Guys, I would like you to meet Ryan. Ryan Lewis, this is JJ and Alex.”

“It is wonderful to finally meet you” Ryan said with an awkward gesture not knowing if he should shake hands or hug. Alex solved that quandary by pulling Ryan into a welcoming hug. JJ followed suit with a gentle friendly hug.

“Good flight?” JJ asked. “Did United treat you well?”

“Yes” Ryan and Steven answered at the same time, then laughed. Steven continued, “Yes, it was a good flight. A quick thirty minute layover in Dallas and now we’re here. Ryan and I both appreciate you guys for making this possible. Thank you so much.”.

“Absolutely our pleasure” JJ countered. “Now, let’s get your bags in the car and get to the house. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Oh indeed we do” Steven commented with a tone of foreboding. “There have been a lot of significant changes for us since you were there.”

“That sounds a bit ominous” Alex commented with a raised eyebrow.

Ryan interjected, “Yes, you might think so” he said “but sometimes what looks like a dark valley of sadness and pain is actually a path to liberation” he said.

“He’s speaking in riddles” Steven said somewhat amused. “It will all make sense later when we’ve had a chance to give you the whole story. Meanwhile this is one nice ride. It has that new car smell. Who’s Cherokee is this?” he asked.

“It is new” Alex replied. “I have a BMW i8 that was mine but five months ago became ours but it’s only a two-seater. JJ had a twelve year old beater and now that he’s done with his doctorate and gainfully employed he thought it was time to upgrade. He wanted something 4x4. He’s paying for it so the final decision was his, but we think of it as ours. That’s how our marriage works.”

Pulling into the driveway JJ announced “And we are home.” Taking their luggage, they entered through the patio door. “Let’s leave your bags here for right now while we give you the quick tour” JJ suggested. “Obviously this is the kitchen and dinette. Around the corner is the living room and dining room.” Heading down the hall he continued “This side is laundry washer dryer and a powder room for guests when we entertain. Our master bedroom is here at the end of the hall.

“This is huge” Ryan said taking it all in. Poking his head into the master bathroom he gasped. “Steven, you gotta see this shower. It’s as big as the gang shower at our gym” he said a bit in awe.

Continuing the tour Alex took the lead. “This is our office space. I do all my contractor work from home here so I have no real office overhead. JJ does some work from home but most of his stuff is prioritized and can’t be taken off site from his employment. And finally the guest room for you guys. A king size bed and there is a walk in shower here in the bathroom much like the one in the master bathroom. We just finished a complete remodel here. The guest room was what is now the office and vice versa.

“You didn’t do this all for us did you?” Steven asked.

“Trick question” Alex replied. “Kinda yes kinda no. When we got married my folks were here staying in the guest room. We discovered the guest room right next to our bedroom was not the ideal arrangement. Thin walls if you get my drift” Alex said with a thumbs up. Ryan and Steven simply nodded understanding what Alex was saying. “We had been talking about swapping the two rooms anyway, and you guys coming for the holidays was the motivation we needed to get off our asses and do it so you would be the first to be in the guest room.”

 “So, let’s get your stuff and get you settled.” JJ said. “I know a long flight always leaves me tired and feeling grungy so you can take a shower and a nap if you want. Feel free to relax and do what you want. We have no agenda other than supper is at five which is seven for your body clocks.”

“Thanks guys” Steven said. “Your home is just gorgeous. After your time in Belize and getting to know you, I often wondered what your place was like in Seattle. It is as I imagined, nicely appointed upscale and classy, just like the two of you.”

“Exactly” Ryan agreed. “We thought about going high end when we did our place. It would be difficult for us to justify that kind of expense for a property that would never get the return on our investment” Ryan said.

“All righty then” Alex segued. “We’ll leave you guys to it, let you get settled and see you whenever. No agenda, no rush” Alex re-affirmed and he and JJ excused themselves closing the bedroom door behind them as they left.

“Now that was just weird” JJ pondered. “What the hell was that ‘we’ thought about, difficult for ‘us’, return on ‘our’. There’s something going on with them and I’m anxious to get the dirt and fill in the blanks, but that was just bizarre.”

“So you caught all that, too?” Alex asked. “Very odd” was all he said.

Alex busied himself with doing some laundry while JJ was in the kitchen. Alex heard the shower running so figured they were making themselves and home. When neither of them came out of the bedroom, Alex correctly assumed they had crashed for a short nap.

At four thirty, JJ was checking on the supper as Alex was setting the small table in the kitchen when Ryan came around the corner barefoot wearing a white basketball jersey top and slinky gray knit gym shorts that did nothing to hide his endowment of manhood distinctly outlined hanging down to the right. Steven was right behind him, also barefoot in a tee shirt and ragged denim cut-offs.

“The guest room and bathroom is awesome” Ryan complimented. “I feel like we’re staying in a five star hotel. We did take a hot shower and I must say the shower accessories are a nice touch” he said with a bit of a blush. “It would be super convenient to have one of those in our place.” A comment that did not go unnoticed by either Alex or JJ.

“We did take a short nap after the shower” Steven said. “I didn’t think I was all that tired from the flight but that nap sure felt good. Something sure smells good” Steven said.

“JJ’s an excellent chef” Alex praised. “He loves to cook and this is one of his favorites. We have Cornish hen, baked potato and mixed steamed veggies.”

Done eating, they banished JJ from the kitchen since he had cooked an amazing meal. Steven cleared the table. Ryan rinsed the dishes as Alex loaded the dishwasher before they moved to the living room.

JJ had started a fire in the fireplace and was sitting cross legged on the couch. Alex plopped down on the couch snuggling in beside JJ. Steven zeroed in on one of the oversize recliners. Ryan came out of the kitchen and rather than take the companion recliner, he opted to sit on Steven’s lap wrapping his arm behind his neck, leaning into him, a move that Alex and JJ thought curious.

“Catching up time” Steven announced, his hand rubbing Ryan’s upper leg. “You go first. What’s the latest from the two of you and Seattle?” he asked.

“You take this one, Worm” JJ said, “You are much better at this than I am.”

“Nothing much for me other than my contractor group is busy enough I brought on another two-man crew in order to keep up with the bids that keep coming my way. I guess the biggest news here is for JJ. He is now officially Doctor Jackson J. Hagen-Tillman having finished his PHD in bio engineering. He was immediately snatched up by a local private consortium. Last month he got a promotion with a huge salary boost when he was appointed Lead Engineer on a new government contract which is all high priority stuff. All hush hush so I don’t ask because he couldn’t tell me anything about it anyway. That’s it in a nutshell for us. What’s the buzz coming from Belize?” Alex asked.

“You remember the cantina where I waited on you when we first met, right?” Steven asked. “Well Andre’s father in Mexico City got very sick and his mother needed his help so he sold the cantina. I still work there off and on but the place is now under new ownership. It’s still a nice place. The menu hasn’t changed. The new owners didn’t mess with success. With Andre gone it was just me and Ryan. You want to take it from here?” he asked Ryan.

With a heavy sigh, Ryan took a deep breath and began. “Okay, but I will apologize now if I start to choke because some of this is hard for me. Steven is the only one I’ve had to talk to but he assures me I can share anything with you guys cuz you will understand. After your visit to Belize and Steven got his nipple pierced I was inspired so he went with me to Sam’s place and I got a piercing. I got a loop ring. Let me show you” he said removing his tank top, tossing it behind the recliner. JJ and Alex stared in awe at the definition of Ryan’s hairless chest and a rock solid six pack of abs with a treasure trail of thick dark hair starting at the navel disappearing into the waistband of the gray shorts. “Steven replaced his space needle charm with a matching ring. Show them” he said tugging Steven’s tee shirt up and over his head letting in fall behind the recliner leaving both of them now nearly naked wearing only gym shorts and cut-offs. “So that’s where the story really begins” Ryan continued. “Everything was fine until one day I had forgotten to take a shirt with me when I took a shower. I was coming out of the bathroom and my mom saw the nipple ring. She didn’t say anything but I know she saw it. Of course she told my dad who totally freaked. That pretty much clinched it that I had to come out to my parents. Mom handled it sort of okay. It was like she suspected or knew but just didn’t want to believe it as truth. Dad was a different story. There was no way he was going to have a gay son. He came after me with a belt trying to beat the crap out of me. I took off and went to Steven’s place. I had been spending most of my time over at his place anyway. I tried to go home but my dad made my mom pack up all my stuff in bags and boxes and left it all on the porch. I haven’t been back since. Steven came and we took all my stuff to his place.” Starting to choke Ryan asked Steven to finish filling in the blanks.

“Not to be rude” JJ interrupted, “We do want to know more of what happened to you, Ryan, but let’s take a short break. Worm, let’s get a pitcher of Irish eggnog.” Alex and JJ disappeared to the kitchen for a few minutes returning with four mugs filled to the brim and a pitcher of eggnog. Setting it on the coffee table, they handed Ryan and Steven each a mug before JJ and Alex returned to the couch with their mugs. “Irish eggnog” JJ said. “Be careful though because this stuff packs a punch and sneaks up on you.”

“Question” Steven interjected. “Why do you call Alex a worm?” he asked. ”It sounds so derogatory and degrading. Why do you let him call you a worm?” Steven asked Alex.

Coming to JJ’s defense Alex explained. “JJ did not call me a worm. He called me Worm. It’s a nickname. You don’t need to know, and you will never ever know how it came to be. Trust me that when JJ calls me Worm it is a compliment of high praise. A nickname that lets me know he loves me.”

“Thanks for clearing that up” Steven said. “I just couldn’t understand why you would call your husband a worm, but it all makes sense now” he said. “Okay, back to filling in the blanks” Steven said rubbing Ryan’s leg, giving him a hug and a kiss on his shoulder. “Like Ry said, he had been spending most of his time with me anyway so it was easy and just made sense for him to move in. That worked for about a month. My place was this little tiny pillbox efficiency apartment that was barely big enough for me and proved to be much too small for the two of us so we had a decision to make. Instead of buying another boat for the charter business I opted to convert part of the second floor of the dive shop into a loft apartment. We now have a bigger place. A decent size living room, a small but efficient kitchen, bar stools at the island, our bedroom and a spare bedroom. The bathroom is just a simple tub/shower bathroom, nothing like the one you have. So that’s about it. We’ve been in the loft place for about three months now and we are really quite content. It meets our need, it’s private and it’s paid for.

“So that’s what you meant in the car when you said sometimes the dark valley leads to liberation” Alex said. “Wow, it’s so sad that your parents are the way they are, but you found a way to be true to yourself and be happy. Good on ya” Alex said. “I just met you, but I’m proud of you and happy for you.”

“Here here” JJ echoed. “Alex and I sometimes forget how fortunate we are. Not to rub your nose in it, Ryan, but both of our parents came to our wedding and are so supportive. I just wish that could be the same for you, too.”

Refilling all the mugs with more spiked eggnog Alex asked, “Another interrogation question for you. Did it hurt when you got your nipple pierced?”

“You got your nipples pierced, right?” Ryan replied. “Why the fuck would you ask a question when you already know the answer? God yes it hurt. It hurt like hell. I think I would rather take a bullet in the ass than do that again.”

Alex and JJ were laughing as JJ said “Yes I remember it well yelling obscenities at Sam when he pulled the trigger and shot that spacer through my tit. But tell me now, truth only. Do you regret doing it?” JJ asked.

“Would I do it again? Hell no!” Ryan adamantly stated. “Do I regret doing it? Not in the least and I’ll tell you why. If I’ve had a really crap day and I come home all grouchy and bitchy, Steven will sit down with me and start fiddling with the ring. When he does that it has an erotic calming affect and quickly pulls me out of my foul mood. Or, if he’s feeling frisky and wants to fool around he hugs me or holds me and starts twiddling around the nipple tugging at the ring or biting it with his teeth which instantly gets me horny to where I want to fuck or get fucked. Either way it winds me up and I’m ready to go in minutes.”

“You said sometimes you come home grouchy. What do you do or where do you work?” Alex asked.

“I work for the State Department of Tourism” Ryan told them. “It’s a government job with a good paycheck and benefits but it has challenges. I have to deal with some rather stupid people who are visiting. There are basically three kinds of people in Belize. There are the tourists who we slangly call a Tory. These are the ones who come in for two weeks, wreak havoc at the hotels and bars then their gone. Then you have a Towny, people who rent a house or condo and stay for the two or three months of summer. The third group is the natives who were born in Belize, or those who came to Belize and stayed. Steven would be considered a native even though he came from the U.S. I’m a native even though I was born in Arizona. We live in Belize year round, have steady jobs so that qualifies us as native.

“We know Steven came to Belize from Louisiana, but what about you? How did you end up in Belize?” JJ asked.

“I was born in Yuma, Arizona” Ryan said. “My dad worked for a company that owns a Belize sugar cane plantation so he was gone most of the time. He would come back to Arizona every six months or so. At least that’s what my mom told me. When the company he worked for expanded and bought out one of the other plantations my dad was promoted to the corporate office so when I was two years old he moved us all from Arizona to Belize. I don’t remember anything of Arizona. All I know is Belize.”

Pouring another round of eggnog JJ said “This has all been fascinating but I think we need a fresh pitcher and it’s time to decorate the tree. We waited with the tree for you to have the fun of decorating with us.” Stepping into the kitchen JJ returned a few minutes later with a new pitcher of the Irish eggnog. “Time to do the tree” JJ announced. “But first I think Alex and I are a bit over dressed next to the two of you, looking at Steven and Ryan. What do you think, Worm, shall we excuse ourselves for a moment and change into something a wee bit more comfortable before we tackle the tree?”

“A most excellent idea” Alex agreed. “Excuse us, we will be right back.”

A few moments later Alex and JJ returned. Alex barefoot and shirtless in his ratty WSU gym shorts while JJ, also barefoot and shirtless, wore only blue knit shorts much like the gray ones Ryan was wearing.

“Let the games begin” Alex declared opening the box of lights. “Grab a string of lights and go to it” he said. And they were off, threading the lights through the branches, stopping occasionally to take a sip of eggnog. With the lights finished and another round of eggnog all around, Alex opened the box of miscellaneous ornaments and the Christmas balls which propagated a litany of ball jokes. More eggnog and more ornaments and they were finally happy with a finished project. Turning out the house lights, they let Ryan tap the button and the tree came to life. It was a surreal moment. The tree shining brightly in the corner of the living room with the only other light coming from the fireplace with its’ light reflection dancing on the ceiling.

All four of them, now quite buzzed from the eggnog, stepped back to admire the tree. JJ and Alex stood side by side, arms around each other’s waists. Out of the corner of his eye JJ watched Steven standing behind Ryan gently kissing the side of his neck and ear lobes. His left arm was around the waist, his hand rubbing Ryan’s chest and tugging the pierced nipple. His right arm was around the waist, his hand toying with the ample tuft of the treasure trail with his fingers gently pushing the front of the gray gym shorts lower and lower in small increments until his hand slipped into the shorts. It was obvious Steven had a grip on Ryan’s manhood which was responding to the attention it was getting. JJ leaned over to Alex. As they kissed JJ whispered in his ear. “I’ll be right back my love. I’m certain we are all going to need some lube.”

“I think you are correct” Alex whispered back kissing him again. “I’ll be right here waiting for you” he said. JJ scampered down the hall quickly returning with two small bottles of lube. Catching Steven’s attention, he watched as JJ set one bottle of lube on the coffee table within Steven’s reach. Returning to Alex, JJ stepped up behind him and swiftly moved his hands around his waist and into his shorts gripping the semi-erect cock waiting for his touch.

Ryan reached behind him. Unbuttoning Steven’s cutoffs, he pulled the zipper down. As the cutoffs slid to the floor, Steven casually kicked them away. Now completely naked he pushed his growing erection into Ryan. Feeling Steven’s hardness pressing into him, Ryan pulled the gray gym shorts down over his butt letting them fall to the floor. Steven began a trail of kisses down Ryan’s back, his tongue leaving a damp trail down his spine. As he came to the top cleft of Ryan’s ass he pulled the cheeks apart letting his tongue continue into the cleavage until it reached the puckered ring of Ryan’s fuck hole. Ryan let out a soft sigh feeling the tongue lick and press into his hole.

Alex and JJ turned to face each other. With their lips pressed together and tongues dueling, they each reached for the other’s shorts, tugging them down pushing them to the floor. “I want to sixty-nine” JJ whispered. “I want to suck your cock. I want you to suck my cock.” Without breaking their kiss they made their way to the couch. JJ laid down first, his back pressed into the back cushions. Alex spun around lying on his side in front of JJ taking the fully erect cock in his mouth as did JJ to Alex’s erection.

Ryan turned around lifting Steven to stand. “I want you on your back in front of the fireplace” he said. “I want to ride you until you give me your seed deep inside me.” Doing as Ryan asked, Steven lay on his back, his hard cock pointing straight up as Ryan knelt over him. JJ watched in awe as Ryan lubed the eleven inches of Steven’s erection. Squatting, he positioned Steven’s cock at his hole and with one continuous motion lowered himself taking the entire member until his balls were resting on the bush of pubes underneath him. JJ’s mind went back to their time at Howard Beach and the bungalow distinctly remembering how it felt taking those eleven inches in his ass when Steven was fucking him. He thought to himself ‘Ryan is a highly skilled and experienced bottom to be able to mount himself on an eleven inch fuck pole like that’. Alex working his mouth on JJ’s dick brought him back to the task at hand.

Looking back at Ryan riding Steven, JJ released his lip lock on Alex. “I need to get fucked” he said. “I want you to doggy me right here at the coffee table.” Pushing Alex off of the couch, JJ knelt resting his elbows on the table as Alex moved in behind him. Reaching for the bottle of lube, Alex coated his cock rubbing the excess on the puckered fuck hole in front of him. Pressing his chest to JJ’s back, he positioned the head of his dick at the waiting hole. Feeling JJ push out in anticipation, Alex pushed, easily entering past JJ’s tight pucker. “

“Ahhhhh yes” JJ softy moaned. There it is, that stud fucking dick stuffing my hole. Take me. My ass is yours” he hissed pushing back into Alex.

Alex felt a pinch and pressure on his dick as he was stroking into JJ. Leaning to his ear Alex asked, “Is someone doing their exercises?”

“I’m trying” JJ whispered in reply. “Is it working? Do you like it?” he asked.

“Let me see if I can show you how much I like it” Alex said reaching under JJ grabbing his shoulders pulling him back as he repeatedly rammed is cock deep into JJ’s hole causing him to quietly groan. “Does that answer your question?” Alex asked. JJ moaned his approval.

“Oh god yes” Steven hissed. “Fuck yourself on that cock mister. Ride that fucking pole!” he commanded. “Damn your ass feels so good on my dick.” Bottoming out, taking Steven to the root, Ryan moved his ass in a circle feeling the full length of Steven touch every bit of his insides. Slightly shifting his position, Ryan raised and lowered himself on Steven making the head of the dick glide across his prostate causing his own cock to bounce and slap onto Steven’s abs. “Fucking hell” Steven groaned. “You’re making me crazy you hot little fucker. You’re gonna make me cum.” Encouraged, Ryan increased his assault on Steven’s prick, clamping his hole tight as he rode the full length.

“Dear god you’re dick is working miracles on my hole” JJ moaned. “Oh fuck yes, there it is. Just like that, keep fucking me just like that.” Increasing his pace, Alex pounded into JJ pulling him by the hips into his thrusts. “Oh fucking hell” JJ growled. “I’m sooooo close. I’m gonna cum” he warned. “Shit, shit, shit” JJ hissed. “I’m there, I’m cumming” he yelled as his climax hit. Pushing himself up just in time, his dick erupted shooting eight long ropes of jizz across the coffee table. Seeing JJ cum, Alex couldn’t hold off any longer as his orgasm caused him to spasm ejaculating his cum into JJ. Exhausted, he dropped onto JJ’s back feeling the heat and sweat meld between them.

“God, oh god, fuuuuck I’m cumming” Steven yelled as Ryan rode his dick into ecstasy taking the ten shots of Steven’s load deep into his gut. “Bloody fucking hell, the things you can do to me with that ass of yours” Steven hissed. Raising himself up on one arm, Steven pushed Ryan onto his back as Steven’s spent cock slid free. Steven immediately leaned forward taking Ryan’s throbbing erection in his mouth swallowing it to the back of his throat. “Your turn to blow” he mumbled with a mouth full of cock. Taking Ryan’s balls in one hand, Steven sucked and stroked Ryan with the other. Within moments Ryan was breathing faster and writhing with the pleasure Steven was giving him. “You got it mister, give me that load. It’s been three days so I know you’ve got a big one stored up for me” Steven encouraged. With a tug on his nuts, Steven swallowed Ryan completely and held the dick at the back of his throat which was all Ryan could take. With a whimper, Ryan slapped his hand to the floor as he blew a massive load, more than Steven could contain as some of Ryan’s cum escaped Steven’s mouth running down the length of his cock. Steven quickly swallowed then licked the cum from Ryan’s cock and balls before crawling up to kiss him and share the taste of his load.

Alex lay on JJ’s back kissing him tenderly on the neck and shoulders as they watched Ryan and Steven entangled in an embrace, kissing and savoring the taste of the prize Ryan had given to Steven. Breaking the silence, Alex quietly said “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night” causing the other three break out in laughter.

“Merry fucking Christmas indeed” Ryan agreed as they gathered up their discarded clothes and retired to their own bedrooms.

Climbing into bed Alex mentioned Ryan’s comment about the wand in the shower. “What do you say to one more present for Ryan and Steven?” he asked. “I want to check out Castle in the morning to see if they have a shower wand. If not I’ll go online and next day ship from the place we got ours.”

“Excellent idea” JJ affirmed. “Something personal, much appreciated and not a flesh-jack” he laughed kissing Alex as they tucked into their usual spoon and quickly nodded off.