Hollow Weenie

by Rob Warr

The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. While there is no graphic sex, it is a story about love between two boys and there are some intimate moments. Mostly it's just a fun little story for Halloween and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Be sure to email me if you did.

"You don't really believe all that crap about this place being haunted and stuff do you?" Lance asked as the boys stood astride of their bikes surveying the old house.

"Of course not," Kris said shrugging, "but you gotta' admit, it looks pretty spooky."

"Yeah, I guess so. I heard some older boys saying that they made this one kid go in there and spend the night as some kind of initiation," Lance laughed, "I bet that kid shit his britches, cause some of the boys hid in the house and pretended to be ghosts and stuff."

"That's lame," Kris said, but he was glad it wasn't him who had to stay the night in a creepy old place like that.

"We should come up here Halloween night and see if those kids are doin' that again."

"What? No way, they might beat us up or make us go in there," Kris said swallowing hard.

"You scared?" Lance said elbowing his buddy.

"Tell me you wouldn't be a little scared if you were in that place in the dark all alone?"

"I guess, but I'd def go with you...as long as we had a flashlight and stuff."

"Stuff?" Kris laughed, "like what? A ghost detector and a containment unit like the Ghost Busters have?"

"That would be rad, I mean if ghosts really existed. And I think Slimer was kind of cool."

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so if you got slimed," Kris laughed, "Come on, let's head to my house. I want to get out of these school clothes and into something more comfortable."

"Yeah, these uniforms suck," Lance said pulling at his navy blue polo shirt. To finish out the uniform they both wore tan Dockers and white tennis shoes.

Uniforms had been voted in by the school board and PTA the following summer during break, and this was the first year the boys had to conform. It was hard for most of the 500 teens attending Samuel Walker Middle School, since they were at the age when they were trying to find themselves and assert their individualism, and uniforms seemed to stifle that almost to the degree of being harmful.

"I wish I had some clothes at your house," Lance grumbled as they rode on toward Kris' house.

"I can lend you some, just like always," Kris laughed, "Dude, you should just leave some stuff at my house since you practically live there these days."

"Are you complaining?" Lance asked seriously, "cause if I'm being a bother, I can stay home alone."

"Dude, don't be so sensitive. You're my best friend and I love having you over. Heck, as far as I'm concerned you could move in permanently."

"Thanks," Lance said giving his friend a warm smile.

God he is so cute when he smiles, Kris thought. If he only knew just how much I like him, well...better not think about that or I might lose my best friend.

At Kris' house they announced their arrival and found Mrs. Billings in the kitchen taking a batch of cookies out of the oven.

"Hello boys, you're just in time, fresh baked M&M cookies."

"Yummy, thanks mom," Kris said giving his mom a big hug.

Even though he was 14 he didn't think he was too old to hug his mom, or even his dad. In fact his family was very physical, and hugs and pats were common among them. It was how he was raised, and since Lance spent so much time at his house it had sort of rubbed off on him too.

"Yeah, thanks mom," Lance said giving his surrogate mom a quick hug, "You're the best."

"Well, thank you sweetie. Would you like some milk to go with your cookies, boys?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kris answered for both of them. Then after pouring them both a glass of cold milk he dug the Nestles Quik out of the cabinet and squeezed a generous dollop into his glass and passed the bottle to Lance.

"How was your day boys?"

"Fine, really good actually. How was your day mom?" Kris answered with a mouthful of cookie.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," his mom admonished him, "and my day was fine. I had lunch with your father and then went shopping, then came home and made cookies."

"Boring mom," Kris teased.

"Maybe for some women, but for me taking care of my family is an adventure and a pleasure."

"And that's why we love you so much," Kris said smiling. His mother really was a great person, and so was his dad for that matter. Even though he wasn't quite ready to come out to them, he was sure they would be supportive and loving once he did.

After finishing their snack they excused themselves to Kris' room and Kris immediately began undressing. It was no big deal for either boy to undress in front of the other, for they had been doing so since they were toddlers, and had even seen each other naked a number of times, although not recently.

Both boys had become a little shy about exposing themselves completely when puberty set in, but that didn't keep them from discussing the changes that they were going through and comparing notes.

"Here's some sweats and a tee," Kris said as he pulled the garments out of his dresser. He was clad only in his baby blue boxer briefs now and Lance couldn't help but look him over, although covertly.

"Thanks dude, you're the greatest. Will you sing at my wedding?"

"Dude, if you can find a girl desperate enough to marry you, I'll not only sing, but do a slow strip-tease," Kris laughed.

"Bro, I'm hurt that you think I'm so ugly that no girl would have me, but I wouldn't mind seeing the slow strip-tease," he joked.

"I'm just busting your balls dude, I'm sure the girls find you cute, and you're at least house broken."

"Yeah, haven't peed on the carpet in...months," Lance said cracking up.

Kris slipped on a pair of soft cotton shorts and a Harry Potter tee and sat down on his bed while he waited for his friend to change. From his vantage point he had a good view of Lance's body and took note of his bulge and his cute bubble butt. He finally had to look away, however, for fear he'd pop a boner and give himself away, but he was almost sure Lance had a little chubby going on himself.

He tried to remember the last time he'd seen Lance's junk and finally decided it had been about four or five months ago when they'd gone to the water park. They'd gone to the changing room afterwards and stripped down quickly, and Kris had been all eyes as his buddy's bod came into view.

Even now he could remember how impressed he had been with Lance's junk. His pubic hair was thicker than his own, and nestled in it was a good sized prick with a fat helmet of a head, and below it two hairless balls that were bigger than his own as well.

"Dude, close your mouth," Lance teased, "am I that hot?"

"What? Yes, no...wait...what did you say?" Kris said, pretending ignorance, "I was thinking about that house, the Hill House," he lied.

"Oh? Change your mind about going there Halloween night?"

"I don't know, maybe. We can talk about it some more. We have a whole week to decide what we wanna do. There's the carnival at school, or we could go trick-or-treating, or we could dress up and stay home and scare the little kids that come to pick up candy."

"Yeah, that would be fun," Lance laughed wickedly, "Maybe hide out front and jump out and make em' pee their pants."

"Yeah, great fun."

"So, what do you want to do now that you've checked my bod out?" Lance teased, but Kris immediately became defensive.

"Dude, why are you so hung up on yourself? Do you think everyone has the hots for you?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he had gone too far, and the crushed look on Lance's face made him wish he could take them all back.

"Not everyone," he mumbled, "Okay, no one."

"Dude, I'm sorry. That was way harsh. I shouldn't have said that. I know you were just teasing me. Come on let's play some video games. We can do our homework later."

"Sure, no prob," Lance said perking up some.

By dinnertime Lance and Kris had finished playing video games as well as doing the little bit of homework they had, and they were looking forward to one of Mrs. Billings' delicious dinners.

When the boys breezed downstairs, enticed by the fragrant smells of roast pork and potatoes, Mr. Billings was home and watching the evening news on the TV in the Family room.

"Hi dad," Kris said going over to sit by his father.

Hi Mr. Billings," Lance said taking a seat on the other side of him.

"Hello boys, what have you been up to?"

"Not much, video games and then our homework. We been trying to figure out what to do for Halloween."

"Well, you boys are teenagers now and this might be your last year to get away with trick-or-treating," he reminded them.

"Yeah, we thought of that too," Kris admitted, "but there's a cool carnival at school, or we thought it might be fun to dress up and hand out candy to the kids too."

"And scare the pee-wadding out of them?" Mr. Billings chuckled, and the grins on both boys faces said he was spot on.

"Well, not the little ones. Just the ones we know."

"I'm sure," he chuckled, "I vote for either the carnival or trick-or-treating, if I get a vote. I don't need the neighborhood up in arms and asking us to move," he teased.

"Oh dad, you worry too much," Kris said leaning into his dad and giving him a quick hug, "but bringing home a sack of candy is sweeeet too," he said drawing out the word sweet.

"Yes, your dentist loves it," Mr. Billings teased, "what about you Lance? What do you vote?"

"Anything is fine with me," Lance said easily, "As long as I'm with my man Kris," he said grinning.

"Yeah, you two make quite a team," Mr. Billings said smiling warmly.

"Boys," Mrs. Billings called then, "Dinner is served if you can tear yourselves off the couch."

The two younger boys hopped up and offered the older "boy" a hand up which he accepted, all the while laughing. In the dining room they guided Mr. Billings to his seat then took their own seats on the other side of the table.

The roast pork smelled wonderful, making the boys practically drool, and when Mrs. Billings came in carrying a pan of rolls they dived into the feast before them.

"Mom, this is so good," Kris said between bites.

"Yeah Mrs. Billings," Lance agreed, "I wish my mom could cook like this."

"Your mother is a busy lady," Mrs. Billings said soothingly. She might not agree with putting a career ahead of family, but she certainly wasn't going to voice her opinions to Lance. It was bad enough that the boy had to spend so much time with them while his folks were working. Not that she minded. No, in fact she had come to think of Lance as a second son and she knew that her husband felt the same way. And Kris, well Kris, he loved the boy like a brother, and the two of them never gave them a moment's grief, which was rare for teenage boys.

"Yeah, I guess," Lance muttered, "Thanks for letting me spend so much time here. I know I'm a pain sometimes," he added, feeling them out.

"Are you kidding son," Mr. Billings said with a smile, "we love having you here, you keep Kris in line," he added chuckling.

"You are never a pain," Mrs. Billings said tenderly, "and you are always welcome here. It's like I told your parents when we made this arrangement, we love you like a son, and we enjoy having you here."

Lance looked as if he were ready to cry, but somehow he managed to choke back his tears and speak, "Thanks, you guys are the best. Oh, man...I even like the green beans," he said quickly changing the subject, "I never liked them till I had yours."

"Thank you Lance, it's a secret passed down from generation to generation," she teased.

"Really mom?" Kris said sarcastically, "Didn't you get the recipe off the internet?"

"Well, it's someone's secret," she laughed.

The rest of the dinner conversation was light, and by the time dessert came, fudge brownies and ice cream, the boys eagerly dug in.

"Oh mom, this is so rich," Kris said, "I'm gonna get fat."

"Oh pooh, you never gain an ounce," she scoffed, "it's your father and I who need to watch out."

"I'll have you know, my waist size is still the same as it was when I was in college, 36," Mr. Billings said, "hard work and exercise keep the weight off."

"Hard work shuffling papers?" Kris teased.

"No, I do get up and move around occasionally young man," Mr. Billings said grinning, "Sometimes I actually have to go out and meet a client or view property I'm going to insure."

"Well, I just hope I can keep my girlish figure a bit longer," Mrs. Billings said, "but I guess I'll worry about that when the time comes."

"Oh dear, I'd still find you attractive even if you put on a few pounds," Mr. Billings assured her.

"More to love dad," Kris said, causing Lance to laugh and shoot ice cream out his nose, and that set Kris off and he started laughing as well.

When they had settled down they finished their dessert and then offered to help clean up.

"Just rinse your dishes and put them in the sink and your dad and I will take care of them. You boys go watch TV or whatever. I want to talk to your father about something."

"Uh oh, dad, you're in big trouble," Kris teased, "come on Lance before we get in the middle of a big fight."

"Oh please Kris, your folks never fight," Lance said rolling his eyes.

"And we never will," Mr. Billings said shaking his head, "I just say 'yes dear' and accept whatever she says," he added chuckling.

Mrs. Billings playfully cuffed him in the arm and dragged him off to the kitchen and dismissed the boys with a shake of her head.

In Kris' room the boys fell down on the bed and sighed almost as one, which caused them to giggle. They were so close that sometimes it was like they could read each others mind.

"I think your dad had a good point," Lance said finally.

"Yeah, we're still cute and small enough to get away with begging for candy this year, but who knows what next year will bring? We might shoot up to six foot and get hair all over our bodies and look like monkeys," Kris giggled.

"So...I'm thinking we go trick-or-treating, then maybe go by that old house and see if anyone is there. How does that sound?"

"I don't know dude, I guess we could, but I'm not going inside, no way."

"We'll see," Lance said mysteriously.

"No dude, we won't see. I am not going inside."

"So, what can we go as...our costumes?" Lance said, not pressing the subject of the house any longer.

"Oh, well...I don't know dude. Something simple, but cool."

"Zombies? Vampires? Puppy dogs?" Lance said, cracking up at the last suggestion.

"Mad dogs maybe," Kris said, "or wolves. Naw, it needs to be something no one else will think of."

"Well, we have a little time to figure it out. Let's watch a movie till I have to go."

"Okay, cool...Transformers?"

"Sure, even though I've seen em' all six times, I still love em'."

Not far away, on another street in the same small town, two other boys were discussing their Halloween plans. 16 year old Colby Smith, and 16 year old John Fleming, who had known each other only since the beginning of school last year, but who had soon found out that they had a lot in common. For instance, both boys loved getting into mischief, the worse the better, and bullying younger boys.

Last year they had even enlisted the help of some other boys their age to help them put a big scare in a 7th grader named Elias Williams. They had convinced the boy that if he would spend the night in the old abandoned house on Elm street that he could join their gang. Only what the kid didn't know was that the other boys were waiting inside, dressed as ghouls and ghosts, to scare the younger boy.

It had worked quite well, and when the kid came screaming out the front door the front of his pants were wet with urine, him having been so scared that he had peed himself. The older boys had laughed so hard they were in danger of a little leakage themselves, and the next day the boys had spread the news of what a chicken Elias was and the kid hadn't been the same since.

"Wanna do what we did last year?" Colby said as he gnawed on a grimy fingernail.

"Sure, but who we gonna find to torture this year? Everyone knows what we did last year, and no one is gonna fall for that crap again."

"We need fresh meat. Someone who doesn't know what happened. Maybe some kid not in middle school. Say a 6th grader maybe."

"Dude, that's dangerous. If we pick on some little kid he's liable to tell his folks and they might have us arrested."

"For what, daring the kid to go into the old house? We're not forcin' him or anything."

"I dunno', that's pretty young. What's a 6th grader? Like 10?"

"Naw, more like 11 and some almost 12. Not much younger than that kid last year."

"I don't know. Do you know a kid we can do it to?"

"Maybe, my kid brother knows some kids that might be a good candidate for a scarin'," Colby said grinning.

"Why don't we just do it to your brother then?"

"Are you kidding? The snitch would tell our folks in a heartbeat. Naw, I don't mess with him ever since he got mad at me for pantsing him in front of his friend Gene. He told my ma, and she told my old man, and I got grounded for two whole weeks, plus a whippin'."

"Sucks," John said with mock sympathy, "So what you wanna' do now?"

"Dunno, let's go down and see if my old man has any beer in the fridge. He won't miss a couple."

"What about food?" Lance said as he lay across Kris' bed as they rested after school the following day.

"Food?" Kris laughed, " dude, are you hungry again?"

"No, I mean...what if we dressed up like food."

"Like what?" Kris said giving Lance a long hard look. God he is so cute when he's thinking.

"I dunno, maybe a hotdog or a hamburger," Lance mused.

"A hot dog...yeah, a Hollow Weenie," Kris said cracking up, then rolling into Lance he began to tickle him.

Kris knew just what parts were most ticklish on his friend, and he unmercifully attacked them, and soon Lance had dissolved into giggles as he begged for Kris to stop.

"Stop...fucktard...I'm...gonna...pee on...you," he giggled.

"No you're not. You always say that, but you never do," Kris said, not letting up in the least.

"I will....this time," Lance screeched, "and your mom will have a fit when you ruin your mattress."

"Okay, okay...I'm stopping," Kris laughed, then giving his friend one last tickle he fell back, fully expecting some sort of retaliation. Instead Lance just lay there breathing hard and whimpering.

"Douche," he said at last, but there was no malice in his voice. Truth was, he liked Kris touching him, even if it was only to tickle him. In fact he had popped a boner and he was worried at first that Kris might notice, but then the strangest thing had happened. Kris had been pushing against his leg and he was pretty sure Kris had a boner too.

Of course that really didn't mean anything, he decided, after all they were 14, and going through puberty, and boners were just a way of life these days. Still it was nice to think that Kris might have been turned on by touching him, but that was silly. He was sure Kris didn't have those kind of feelings for him, even if they were closer than most friends. As for himself he was pretty sure he was gay, and worse that he was in love with his best friend, Kris, and sometimes it was just too hard to deal with.

Like when they changed in front of each other and he had to will himself not to pop a full-on boner. He never really succeeded in stopping the boning completely, but it was more of a chubby than a full-on boner if he thought the right thoughts.

"Dude, are you mad at me?" Kris asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Naw, but pay back is hell," Lance giggled.

That was better, Kris thought, anything is better than having Lance mad at me, or pouting around and giving me the silent treatment. He knew Lance meant it when he said payback was coming, but he knew it wouldn't be too severe, and hopefully it would involve some touching, just as the tickling had.

"Hollow Weenie..." Kris said thoughtfully, "you know? That's not such a bad idea, and you could go as a hamburger or fries."

"Are you serious? Dude, I was only kidding," Lance said with a chuckle.

"Why not? I bet my mom could whip something up in no time, and think about it, who else would think to go as food?"

"No one, I'm sure," Lance agreed, but he still wasn't sure he wanted to wear something as lame as a hamburger costume.

"Let's work up some sketches and see what mom thinks?" Kris suggested. Both boys were very artistic, Lance especially, and he seemed excited about the prospect of designing the costumes themselves.

They spent a half hour or so working on the sketches, and though they were very detailed, they knew Mrs. Billings might not be able to make them quite as realistic as the drawings.

"These are very good drawings boys," Mrs. Billings said as she studied them, "are you sure this is what you want?"

"If you can make them in time for Halloween," Kris said, "we want something original and unique and I think these will be perfect."

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about anyone else dressing up as a hot dog and a hamburger," Mrs. Billings laughed, "I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll give it some thought over night and let you know tomorrow if I think I can pull it off."

"That's fair, thanks mom," Kris said, speaking for them both. There was never really any doubt that his mom would come through though, she always did, and he was sure this time wouldn't be the exception.

"You gonna' have mustard on you, I guess I'll have mayo," Lance laughed, "ewwww...I just thought of something. You know what mayo looks like?" he laughed.

"What? Not your watery stuff," Kris teased. In fact he had never seen Lance's stuff, so he didn't know if it was watery or indeed like mayonnaise.

"Ha, shows what you know. Well, actually it's more like tapioca pudding," Lance laughed.

"Oh gag, you're gonna make me hurl," Kris said, pretending to gag, when truthfully the thought of Lance's boy juice made his own juices flow.

"Aww...come on, don't you want some on your hot dog?" Lance teased, then thinking about the dual meaning of that he blushed.

"Why? So I can use it to..." Kris said covering his mouth as if he'd said a bad word, "Oh My God, I can't believe I almost said that."

"Said what?" Lance said, pretending ignorance.

"Nothing, can we just change the subject?" Kris groused. This was getting way too serious and headed in the direction that he'd been trying to steer clear of for a long time.

"Do you...um, you know...?" Lance suddenly asked.

The words hung there in the air for one moment as the earth seemed to stand still, then mustering up as much dignity and courage as he could, Kris answered.

"I uh, yeah...a little. You?"

"Yeah, a little. More lately..."

"That's cool," Kris said trying not to sound too interested, when in fact there were a million questions he wanted to ask his friend.

"Do you, um...do it a lot?" Lance asked rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.

"Do what? Oh...OH, that," Kris said blushing.

"Well?"

"I dunno, not a lot, sometimes..."

"I do it every day, sometimes twice," Lance admitted.

"What? You do? Really? But you're here most of the time..."

Lance was aware of the implication, and he wasn't sure how to answer without sounding weird or freaking Kris out.

"Yeah, well...there's the bathroom..."

"OH man, in my bathroom?" Kris said, trying to sound incensed, when in fact he was so excited by this news that he could barely contain himself.

"Sorry, I use toilet paper and flush it down."

"Your business," Kris finally conceded.

"So have you ever...you know? Done it in there when I was here?"

"No," Kris answered truthfully, "I'd be too freaked out."

"Why?" Lance said rolling over to look into Kris's eyes, "it's not a big deal. All boys do it, and it's not sick or disgusting or anything...right?"

"No, my dad says it's natural and healthy," Kris said remembering 'the talk' his dad had given him when he was about 10 or 11.

"Yeah, it is," Lance agreed, then grinning he added, "and it feels so bitchin' good."

"Dude, that's the truth," Kris agreed, "even when I'm feeling down that always makes me feel good."

"Yeah, so...how come we've never...you know? Talked about this before?"

"I dunno. It's kind of embarrassing I guess, kind of personal."

"But we're best buds, we've even seen each other naked, and dude, you got one nice bod. I'm not gay, but I know a hot bod when I see one." Lance felt the need to add that disclaimer just in case Kris was offended or weirded out by his saying his bod was hot.

"Not as hot as yours," Kris blurted out, then blushed three shades of red.

"You think so?" Lance said beaming.

"Yeah, I mean...I'm not gay either, but I um...can tell if a guy is hot or not, I guess."

"Yeah, we're both pretty hot," Lance said grinning, then looking serious he sighed before going on, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Uh, sure...I guess," Kris said, wondering what was next.

"Earlier, when you were tickling me..."

Oh God, here it comes, Kris thought, he felt my boner and he's gonna call me on it.

"Did you notice...that I...um, was kind of boned up?"

Kris was completely taken off guard, and he had to let his brain catch up for a few microseconds before he replied, "Uh, naw, not really, but if you were...it's no big deal. We're teenage boys and we get boners a lot, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," Lance agreed quickly, "doesn't mean I'm in love with your fat ass or anything," he laughed.

"My ass is not fat, it's just thick and perfect," Kris said grinning, "and you're just jealous cause your ass is so flat."

"What?" No, my ass isn't flat. Is it?" he said trying to see his own ass by swiveling his head in what looked like a painful move.

"Naw, not really," Kris admitted, "it's perfect," he added under his breath.

Lance lay there a moment replaying everything they'd said over and over in his mind. Was it possible they were having some of the same feelings toward one another? If so, how could he let Kris know how he felt, and that he was cool with...with what? He then realized he had no idea what two boys who liked each other that way were supposed to do. Did boys kiss? He had kissed a girl and that was pretty nice, but would kissing a boy be as good? No, better, he decided, if that boy was a boy he really, really liked, if it was Kris.

Kris was content to just stare at Lance's cute face and his upper body, which was accentuated nicely in the tight black tee he had loaned him when they got home from school. If it was possible it seemed like Lance just got cuter every day, and it was getting harder, and harder for Kris not to lose control and out himself and reveal his feelings toward his sexy best friend.

"Hey," Lance said softly as he scooted a bit closer, so close that he could feel Kris's breath on his face.

"Yeah," Kris said even softer. Was this going to happen? He screamed in his brain, Is he going to kiss me?

Lance's eyes met his then, and what he saw there gave him hope, but also broke his heart. The look in Lance's eyes was almost pleading, and he had never seen the boy look as vulnerable as he did at that moment. Not even when he had been eight years old and his mom had forgotten him at school. He had been sitting on the curb in front of the school and Kris had sat down beside him and waited with him.

Of course his mother never came, and eventually the two boys had walked to Kris's house and called her from there. It was shortly after that that their moms had worked out the arrangement for Lance to spend time at the Billings' home.

Lance sighed and started to pull away, and Kris' heart sank. He wanted that kiss so badly, knew that it would be the greatest feeling ever, but he didn't want to risk messing up their friendship because he had misread Lance's intentions.

"It's okay?" Kris finally said, hoping that Lance understood what he was trying to say.

Lance looked confused at first, then his face brightened and the look in his eyes became more hopeful.

"Umm...I...I mean," Lance said looking away, "I just, I don't know if...you feel..."

"I do, I do," Kris jumped in quickly, "I didn't know if you did though."

"I do. I mean, if we're talking about the same thing..."

Kris laughed, "We're not making any sense are we?"

"No," Lance laughed, "can we talk about this?"

"Yeah, but was there something you wanted to do first?"

"Yeah," Lance said quickly giving Kris a peck on the lips, then pulling away and running toward the open door of the bathroom.

Kris rolled over just in time to see him close the door behind him and he sighed. "He kissed me," he said as he licked his lips, perhaps trying to taste his friend's lips there. Then he had a wicked thought and he laughed out loud.

Jumping up, he ran to the bathroom door and pounded on it, "You better not be whacking off in there," he teased.

"Shut up," Lance laughed from the other side of the door, "I had to poop for your information."

"Eww...wipe good," Kris admonished.

"I'll use your toothbrush to clean up with," Lance teased.

Good old Lance, Kris thought as he fell back down on the bed. Nothing has changed between us, and yet everything has changed. We kissed, he thought smiling, and he wants to talk about this stuff. And he's staying over this weekend, so...who knows what might happen?

"Whew, I feel better," Lance said reappearing suddenly, "do not go in there for 20 or 25 minutes," he teased.

"Oh God, close the door," Kris swooned. Actually he couldn't smell anything, but he was willing to play along.

"Naw, we need to let some fresh air in there," Lance said looking serious, "We should do our homework now."

"Oh, okay..." Kris said trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice, "I thought we were gonna' talk..."

"We will, but not now, okay?" Lance said frowning.

"Yeah, okay...whatever works for you," Kris agreed, "we'll do our homework first."

"Yeah, and then eat dinner..." Lance said, seeming to be in no hurry to talk after all.

Even after dinner they never got around to talking and Kris was confused. Had the kiss turned Lance off, or was he talking about something completely different when he said he felt the same way too? Was it possible that he'd misread Lance's intentions and was now making a fool out of himself by nagging him about the talk.

He decided right then and there that he wouldn't bring it up again, and that he would let Lance lead the way. If there was something to talk about it would have to be Lance who started that conversation.

Instead they played video games, and when it was time for Lance to go, they said their goodbyes in his room and Kris stayed behind, his heart sagging as he realized that something very important was slipping away from him. He wasn't sure how long he could hold out before he brought the subject up again, but he was hoping Lance would lead the way eventually and they could get everything out in the open.

That night as Kris lay in bed he thought about all that had happened and he bounced between being happy and hopeful, and sad and despondent. Why did Lance have to kiss him, then act like it was no big deal? Maybe it wasn't a big deal, he finally decided, maybe Lance had just been curious and he hadn't liked it as much as he'd thought he would. Maybe, maybe, maybe...Kris thought as the tears came.

But the kiss had meant something, and as Lance lay in his bed a few blocks away, he was doing some thinking of his own. He was angry at himself for wimping out and not having the balls to talk to Kris about his feelings, but things were just moving way too fast. He would never have thought in his wildest dreams that things would head in the direction they had that evening. But when he had seen the look in Kris's eyes, and seen how nervous he was, he was sure they were feeling the same kind of feelings. In fact now that he thought about it, Kris had been giving him little hints about how he felt for a while now. The way he was always concerned about his feelings, even when he was giving him shit, and the way he welcomed him into his life and never complained about him being there so much of the time. And then there was that look in his eyes. Last night wasn't the first time he had seen it, but not until last night did he understand it. It was the same look he saw in his own eyes when he looked in the mirror and thought about Kris. It was the look of longing and hopelessness for a love unrequited. But now, now...he was sure that love was shared and he should be happy and excited, but instead he was worried, worried about what it would mean, and worried that Kris might be having second thoughts.

Why hadn't he pressed him about talking about things? He wondered, Is he as unsure as I am, or was he just letting me take the lead since I sort of started it? Then gritting his teeth he made himself a promise, the next time they had a chance he would bring things up and just see where he stood. It might be painful and it might be embarrassing, but knowing was better than feeling the way he did right now.

"My mom said it's a go on the costumes," Kris said the next morning as he joined Lance on the corner where they met to walk to school together.

"Awesome," Lance said. Was it his imagination or did Kris look as tired as he felt. Maybe he hadn't slept either, he sighed, and it was probably all my fault.

As if to prove Lance right, Kris chose that moment to yawn widely.

"Yeah, she said she had most of the stuff already in her sewing room, but she'd go get whatever she needed today and work on them. She said she'd show us what she had done when we got home from school."

"Your mom is the best," Lance said, "Hey, have you thought anymore about going to that old haunted house?"

"I told you..."

"I know, but we can at least go by there...okay?"

"I guess, but I am not going in, and that's final."

"Okay, okay," Lance chuckled, then he began to make chicken sounds, "Pok, pok, pok."

"Douche, at least I'm a live chicken."

"You're not chicken, you're just...cautious," Lance said, realizing that the way to Kris' heart wasn't putting him down, "I can understand that."

"What? Why the sudden change of heart?" Kris asked suspiciously.

"Dunno, just trying to see things from your side of it."

"I appreciate that," Kris said, looking at his friend to make sure he was for real.

The day passed quickly and by the time they arrived at Kris' house that afternoon they were ready for a snack and to see what Mrs. Billings had come up with.

"Hello boys, I made you both a sandwich and there's milk or juice," Kris' mother said meeting them in the kitchen.

"Great, thanks mom," Kris said giving her a hug, "did you get to work on the costumes?"

"Yes, but there's not much to show at this point. Tomorrow I should have most of them done however."

"Can we see what you have finished?" Lance said pleadingly.

"Yes, but don't be discouraged if it doesn't look quite like you expected, they will eventually come together."

Far from being discouraged, the boys were excited about the progress she'd made, and it didn't take too much imagination to see that the finished result would be amazingly realistic.

"Oh mom, these are great," Kris said in awe, "You should have been a costume designer or something."

"Actually, I had considered a career in fashion design, then I met your father and, well...it was love at first sight."

"I'm glad you met dad, otherwise I wouldn't be here," Kris chuckled.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't have my best friend," Lance said, causing both mother and son to smile.

"Tomorrow I'll have you try them on so I can do some last minute adjustments, but they will be ready in plenty of time for Halloween."

The boys grabbed their sandwiches and a bottle of juice, and decided to go up to Kris' room to eat their snack. When they were comfortably seated, Kris on his bed, and Lance in Kris' desk chair, both boys sat in silence as they ate, each wondering pretty much the same thing, why aren't we talking about what happened last night?

"Good sandwich," Lance said, breaking the uncomfortable silence at last.

"Yeah," Kris said, not knowing what else to say.

"The costumes are gonna' be really cool," Lance said, hoping to get Kris talking.

"Yeah, but I was thinking, they might be kind of hard to walk around in."

"Well, we'll manage somehow, it's too late to change our minds, your mom has gone to a lot of trouble for us."

"I know, I'm just sayin'..."

"Want to play a game after we finish our snack?"

"Naw, let's do our homework first. I want to get that math out of the way before dinner."

"Oh, okay...that works too," Lance said, wishing he knew what to say or do to fix the mess he'd created.

It was hard for Kris to figure out exactly how he felt about all this. He was a little hurt, a little mad, and a little hopeful, as he thought about what had happened and what might come next. But first they had to talk, and it seemed like Lance was in no hurry to do that.

"I'm gonna' go take a leak," Lance said as he finished off his snack.

"TMI," Kris said grinning, "I'll grab our backpacks so we can start our homework."

"Cool, see ya' in a few," Lance said heading toward the bathroom door.

Without closing the door, Lance walked over to the toilet, unzipped his jeans, and hauled out his junk and let loose. In his room Kris could hear the stream hit the water and he couldn't help but think about the fact that Lance was holding his junk just a few feet away. It was all he could do not to make some excuse to go into the bathroom in hopes of sneaking a peek, but he knew that would be risky, especially at this point in the game.

"Whew, that's a load off my mind," Lance laughed as he came back in and grabbed his backpack.

"Sounded like a race horse going to the bathroom," Kris said grinning.

"Oh, you were listening?" Lance teased, "Should've closed the door I guess." Now why did I say that? Lance said, his smile sagging. Now he'll think I don't want him to be interested. Damn, what is wrong with me?

"You never have before," Kris said, sounding hurt, "but whatever dude."

"I was kidding man," Lance said sitting down beside his best friend and placing an arm around his shoulder as he often did, "We need to talk."

"That's what you said last night," Kris said smartly, "but so far..."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Let's start over. We need to talk, but not here, not now."

"Why not here? It's private."

"Because I'm not quite ready. Can you wait till I am?" Lance said looking stricken.

"Yeah, but I don't understand. If you're not sure, well...that's one thing, but if you are, than what's the big deal?"

"It's complicated," Lance said making a face.

"It's always complicated with you, isn't it?" Kris said, hoping he wasn't being too harsh.

Lance sighed, "My life at home is a lot different than yours and, yeah, I'm a complicated person."

"I know, but just once I wish you could just say what you mean and get it done."

"Halloween night, I promise. Can you wait that long?"

"That's almost a week away, but yeah...I can wait." Kris agreed, "but I was hoping that this weekend..."

"We can still have fun," Lance said looking serious, "just like always."

Just like always, Kris thought. Video games, bike rides, pizza and movies, but no kisses, no...well, best not to think about that.

"But not like...last night, right?"

"I...I don't know," Lance said blushing.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Nothing changes till we have our talk Halloween night."

"Yeah, thanks," Lance said, hoping Kris understood that you didn't just rush into things like this.

"Okay, homework time then," Kris said, eager to change topics.

"Okay, how about we work the problems separately, then compare our answers and see if we disagree on any?"

"Yeah, that works. You take the desk and I'll stay here."

Lance felt as if he'd been dismissed as he rose and went over to sit at the desk. He knew Kris could be moody when he didn't get his way, but he just couldn't give in this time. It had to be his way, or he was afraid it would all fall apart.

When they had finished the assignment Kris got up and walked behind Lance and peered over his shoulder as they compared answers. He could smell Lance's unique scent and feel the heat coming off of his body, and after a few minutes Kris began to get aroused. Before yesterday happened he would have been terrified to let Lance know he was popping wood over him, but today he really didn't care if he saw or not. Maybe if he did it would help speed things along.

"Number three and number sixteen. Oh, wait...three is just a signage problem. I put positive and you put negative. Let's see who's right. Both boys quickly reworked the problem and it was Lance who was correct.

"I completely messed up on sixteen too," Kris said sounding frustrated. He was usually very good at math, but he just wasn't thinking right, what with all the drama going on between him and Lance.

"No biggie," Lance said soothingly, "that's why we check each other. Now we'll both get an A."

"I'm gonna go see if dad's home yet," Kris said after having corrected the two problems.

"Oh, okay...want me to come?"

"Naw, you can get the game set up. I'll be right back."

"Okay, but I am totally going to slaughter you at this game today."

"In your dreams," Kris said rolling his eyes, but at the rate he was going today, it was possible Lance might do just that.

"Hi dad," Kris said sneaking up on his dad and putting his arms around his neck from behind the sofa.

"Well, hello son. Where's your other half?"

Other half? Kris thought, Isn't that what they call girlfriends or spouses?

Does dad think of us that way?

"Dunno, he never showed up for school today and no one seems to know what happened to him," Kris teased.

"Right! And you'd be this calm if that was true," his dad chuckled, "You'd have the Army, Navy, Air Force, FBI, and CIA out looking for him by now."

"Very funny," Kris said, but it didn't seem all that funny to him, even if it was true.

"Is something wrong son?" his dad said, having the uncanny ability to read his son like a book.

"No, not really," he sighed, "life is good," he added, repeating what he'd heard his dad say a million times.

Mr. Billings chuckled, "It is, but sometimes we don't stop to see just how good it is. We're very lucky people you know, our family and our friends, especially Lance. We have a nice home, money to spend, food to eat, and most of all we have each other, and that's the most important thing of all."

"I know dad, I still do that thing you taught me, saying one thing out loud each night that I am grateful for, and you and mom and Lance come up a lot," he chuckled. "I know I'm blessed, but I'm a teenager, and I have the right to be crazy sometimes, right?"

"Yes, you do, but if you ever need help with anything...anything at all, you know your mother and I are there for you."

"Yeah, thanks dad, that means a lot," Kris said giving his dad a big hug. His dad always knew just what to say to make him feel better, and by the time he got back to his room he was in good spirits again.

"I'm sorry I was pressuring you," Kris said after a few minutes, "I know this isn't easy for you, for either of us, so I won't say another word about it till Halloween."

"Oh, okay...thanks. That's cool. It's not that long, and I promise I won't put you off again. Halloween night we can talk about things and see what we decide."

"Cool, now...prepare to die," Kris said with a maniacal laugh.

Friday after school they hurried to Kris's house and quickly changed out of their school uniforms. They had the whole weekend to spend together and as always they were excited. Lance's folks usually picked him up around five on Sunday, so that meant they had two whole nights and most of two days to have fun.

Mrs. Billings had a snack ready for the boys when they came back downstairs, and this time they sat at the breakfast bar and ate it while the three shared their day.

"I have to run to the grocery store in a bit," Kris' mom said, "So please don't leave the house till I get back, all right?"

"Sure mom, we weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. What are you getting at the store? Can you get some of those orange cupcakes I like so much?"

"Yes, son. Anything else? Lance is there anything you want?"

"No ma'am," Lance said politely, "there's nothing special. You guys always have good things to eat."

Mrs. Billings didn't know quite how to take that. Was there a shortage of food at home, or just the kind of food teenage boys liked? She knew the Taylors fairly well and didn't think they were the kind of parents who would let their son go hungry, but then they were the kind of parents who forgot to pick up their young son from school on at least one occasion.

"Well, if you think of anything just text me dear," she said grabbing her purse and car keys, "Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, after supper I'd like for you boys to try on your costumes one last time so we can work any bugs out of them."

"Ewwww...there are bugs in my costume?" Kris teased, "I'm not wearing it if there are bugs in it."

Lance was laughing so hard he could barely remain seated on his stool at the breakfast bar, but Mrs. Billings just rolled her eyes and continued out the door.

"You should have told mom to get you those chocolate covered pretzels you like so much," Kris said when his mom was gone.

"I don't want your folks spending any more money on me than they already do. I feel like a mooch as it is."

"Dude, we love you," Kris said sincerely, realizing that the love he was feeling at that moment was far more than what he'd felt in the past, "and you are not a mooch. You're family."

"Thanks, but you know what I mean," Lance said giving his friend a weak smile, "Someday I'm gonna' pay you guys back."

"Dude, there's nothing to pay back. We want you here, and you're not a burden or anything. If you gotta' do anything, pay it forward. That's what my dad always says."

"Yeah, I will...someday I'll let some hungry teenage boy practically live with me," he said, then laughing he added, "until the cops show up and wonder what the Hell I'm doing with a teenage boy in my house."

"Dude, that's so bad," Kris laughed, "You better be married by then."

Suddenly both boys were quiet. Neither had given much thought to the implications of being gay, of liking boys. No wife, no kids, no one to pass down the family name to, and it was like someone had thrown a bucket of water on them. It was bad enough to know what kind of grief the kids at school would give them if they ever found out they were gay, not to mention the way the world treated gays, but to lose the right to have a family weighed heavily on their minds.

"Come on, I'm done," Kris said at last, "let's go out back and toss the ball around a bit."

"But mom said no leaving the house," Lance scolded, then burst out laughing.

"Funny, very funny. Thousands of out of work comedians, and I get you."

They were still throwing the football around when Mrs. Billings came to the patio door and asked the boys to come help her unload the groceries.

"Gosh mom, did you buy the place out?" Kris joked when he saw how many bags there were.

"Almost, there's maybe enough left for one small family," she teased, "You've no idea how many groceries it takes to feed a family like ours," she said, then immediately regretted her words, knowing that Lance was sensitive about eating so many meals with them.

"I could ask my folks for more allowance and help pay for the stuff I eat," Lance said after a few minutes had gone by.

"Sweetie, before you came along we threw out enough food to feed two hungry teenagers, now I've learned how to cook for four and we seldom ever have any waste. No, you don't need to pay for anything. We are doing just fine as we are."

"Thanks," Lance mumbled, but he still felt bad about being such a burden to the Billings family.

"Yessss...my orange cupcakes," Kris said changing the subject as he pulled out the box, "When we're done carrying in the groceries we can have one."

"Just one," Mrs. Billings said smiling, even though she knew there was no danger of spoiling her teenage eating machines' dinner with a few sweets, "I'm fixing smothered pork chops for dinner."

"Oh man, that's one of my favorites," Kris said enthusiastically, "with mushroom gravy?"

"Yes, and mashed potatoes and broccoli with cheese."

"I've died and gone to Heaven," Kris said, pretending to faint, "quick, oxygen...stat...get the paddles. Clear!" he went on, causing Lance to crack up once again.

Good, I've succeeded in cheering Lance up, Kris beamed. I love seeing him happy and smiling.

After dinner, the boys offered to clean up the mess while Mr. and Mrs. Billings went in to watch TV. Mrs. Billings knew it was important for Lance to feel like he was helping out, and she accepted the offer with a smile and led her husband to the family room.

"What's that all about?" Mr. Billings asked as they sat down on the couch.

"Lately Lance has been feeling like he's taking advantage of us or something, and this is his way of helping out and doing his part. I didn't have the heart to tell him he couldn't, so looks like we get some TV time together.

"Poor kid, I hope he knows that we love him like a son," Mr. Billings said as he grabbed the remote and switched on the TV.

"I don't think he doubts that, I just think he's finally starting to realize that his family life is a whole lot different than ours. He feels conflicted, I'm sure, between his loyalty to us, and his loyalty to his family."

"Well, I'm not gonna' pretend that I don't think his folks could do a better job of making time for him, but I don't feel put out in the least by him being here, and I know you and Kris feel the same way."

"We've come to love that kid like our own, and I know it's a horrible thing to say, but I'm sort of glad his folks work so much. Is that selfish?"

"No, not really. It's only natural that your mother's instinct should kick in," he chuckled.

"What about your father's instincts?" she said nudging him playfully, "you know you like having another son around as much as I do."

"Well...you know I always wanted a houseful of kids..."

"And we still could have them," his wife said nudging him again.

"Oh, are you saying we should maybe work on that instead of watching TV?" Mr. Billings said raising and eyebrow.

"Maybe later, we don't want to be too obvious."

"Okay, later...but for now, let's see what's on TV."

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, the boys grabbed a soda and some snacks for later and headed up to Kris' room. They decided to take their showers then instead of at bedtime, and Kris let Lance go first. While he waited for Lance to finish, he played with his phone and tried not to think about Lance being naked only a few feet away.

When Lance returned he was fully dressed in sleep shorts and a tee shirt, and Kris quickly grabbed up his own stuff and headed off to take his shower. After his shower Kris dressed as Lance had and joined him in his bedroom and they talked about what to do next.

Video games didn't seem appealing, so they decided to watch a movie instead, and while Kris picked out a DVD and loaded it in the player, Lance made himself at home in Kris' bed.

Leaning against the headboard, their heads propped up by pillows, the boys soon became absorbed in the movie. They both had a lot on their mind, and the movie was a welcome break for them. Sometimes they longed for the days when they were just kids, and the hardest decision they had to make was what flavor of ice cream to buy or which video game to play.

"Pause it, I gotta' go pee," Lance said sitting up.

"Me too," Kris said. He'd planned on holding it till the movie ended, but since Lance was going to go he figured he might as well go too.

"Okay, come on then grandpa," Lance laughed as he grabbed Kris' hand and pulled him up.

"Together?"

"Are you shy?" Lance joked, "It's not like I've never seen your dork before."

"Not lately," Kris muttered.

"What? Come on dude, I want to get back to the movie."

Kris wasn't sure what Lance was up to. One minute he was kissing him, the next minute acting like nothing happened, then saying he would talk to him on Halloween, now this.

In the bathroom, Lance wasted no time lowering his shorts and hauling out his penis and letting loose.

Kris tried not to stare as he stepped up and fished out his own junk, but the temptation was too great, and soon he was staring openly.

"You've grown some down there," Lance said, shaking Kris out of his funk.

"Uh, thanks, so have you."

Shaking off the last few drops, Lance stowed his junk and walked over to the sink to wash his hands while Kris finished.

That was weird, Kris thought, but totally cool. It was like it was no big deal to compare our junk. Well, maybe it isn't a big deal to him, but for me...it was great.

Back in Kris' bedroom, they resumed their positions and started the movie, and it was quiet again. However both boys were a little distracted after the little show in the toilet.

"We used to do that all the time," Lance said suddenly, "when did we stop?"

"Uh, well...I guess when we started getting hair and stuff."

"Why? I mean why is that so embarrassing for guys? Is it cause we start to think about sex and stuff at that age?"

"I guess. I don't know, I never really thought about it before. I mean it's no big deal to me, if it's not to you."

"No, it's no big deal. So, from now on...we don't have to worry about that stuff, okay? We can just let it all hang out," he added chuckling.

"Okay, deal. So wanna' sleep naked?" Kris teased.

"I do at home. Do you?" Lance asked, unfazed by Kris' suggestion.

"Uh, yeah...I do, except when you sleep over."

"Same for me, when you sleep over." Though that wasn't very often, Lance had hosted Kris a few times for a sleepover.

"It's not that I'm shy or anything," Kris said frowning, "I just didn't want to freak you out or anything."

"Same here," Lance said, then he sat quietly contemplating what to say next, "But, if you wanted to...it would be cool with me."

"Only if you did it too," Kris said blushing.

"Yeah, that's what I meant. Are you down with it?"

"Yeah, but not till we turn out the lights and go to sleep. I mean not while we're watching TV or playing games or anything," he added laughing.

"Yeah, yeah...totally. I get that."

They finished watching the movie without further incident, then decided to play video games till they were sleepy. Both were anticipating bedtime and getting naked, but neither was eager to be the first to suggest it was time.

Finally around 11, Lance said he needed to pee again and Kris hopped up to join him. This time they were less shy and actually crossed streams causing them to giggle, just like when they were kids. When they'd finished they washed their hands and brushed their teeth, then Kris led the way to his bed.

After switching off the bedside lamp Kris stood beside the bed and removed his tee shirt. Eying Lance as he began to strip off his own tee, he thought about how much he liked looking at Lance's chest and flat stomach. Suddenly he felt a stirring between his legs and prayed he wouldn't pop a full-on boner and embarrass himself.

Next he sat on the bed and snaked off his shorts, and then taking a deep breath he began tugging at his boxer briefs. From his position he couldn't see what Lance was doing, but he'd felt the bed move when Lance sat down and he imagined he was undressing as well.

Tossing his underwear on the floor beside the bed, Kris wormed his way under the covers just in time to see Lance crawling in next to him.

"That feels better," Lance sighed as he stretched out and felt the cool sheets against his body.

"Yeah, I'm glad you showered earlier, that way there won't be any skid marks," Kris teased.

"ME?" Lance said laughing, "You're the one who doesn't know how to wipe."

"No, it's you," Kris giggled, "dirty butt. You're like that bear on the Charmin commercial...poop in his fur."

"Hey, I don't have any fur. Well, not on my butt anyway."

"Let me see," Kris teased.

"Okay, turn on the light," Lance said seriously.

"I was joking dude," Kris laughed.

"I would...show ya'...I mean," Lance grumbled.

"You just want to show off your fat butt," Kris laughed.

"It's not fat, it's just right."

"I know," Kris whispered.

It was quiet then as both boys thought about where this conversation might lead. Sighing, Lance stretched out his leg and in the process his foot pressed against Kris' foot. His first instinct was to pull back, but decided to let Kris make the first move. If he felt uncomfortable with things he was sure he would move away or say something.

"This is nice," Kris said, dispelling any doubts as to whether he was uncomfortable with playing footsy.

"Yeah, nice," Lance replied with a yawn, "man, I'm so tired all of a sudden."

"Me too," Kris replied, the yawn being contagious.

"Goodnight dude," Lance said softly.

"Goodnight. Glad you're here," Kris said giving his friend a warm smile.

"If I crowd you just give me a shove."

"You won't, you never do," Kris said, wondering why Lance had said that.

"Okay, night."

Despite feeling tired, neither boy felt sleep close by. Kris could feel Lance's warm foot against his and it caused him to tingle all over. What was worse he was slowly becoming aroused, and without any underwear to contain his erection, he feared Lance would soon notice the tent in the covers.

On his side of the bed, Lance was thinking some similar thoughts, but that didn't stop him from doing what he did next. Moving a little closer he began to rub his foot under Kris' foot, slowly stroking the sole. The effect was immediate, as both boys became fully erect.

Oh God, Kris thought, I'm fully boned now and Lance has to see the tent in the sheet. Then looking over to where Lance lay he could see a similar tent and he relaxed a little. After all Lance was the one playing footsy with him, so he had to like what they were doing.

Shivering a little, but not pulling back, Kris let Lance know he liked what he was doing in the only way he knew how, by rubbing back. Before long they had both feet involved in the game of footsy and there was no mistaking what was happening.

"Your feet are nice and warm," Lance said, testing the waters to make sure Kris was really okay with what was happening.

"Yours too," Kris said softly, "and very soft. I never knew your feet were that soft."

"I...um, use lotion on them," Lance said sounding embarrassed.

"Nice, I should do that too," Kris said rolling his head to one side and staring across at his friend.

"Is this okay?" Lance finally said.

"What? Oh, yeah...totally. I mean...you kissed me the other day, so this is nothing really," Kris giggled.

"Can I...um, do something else?"

"Anything is fine," Kris blurted out, "I mean, what?"

"Can I put my arm across your chest, I'm a little cold."

"Sure, that's fine, but...but we're naked and I..."

Lance giggled, "Yeah, me too. I'll be careful not to poke you."

"Poke me? Like it's that big," Kris teased.

"Biggest one in the county," Lance said, stealing a line from Stand by Me.

"Keep on believing that," Kris laughed.

"So, can I...um, put my arm around you if I'm careful?"

"Sure, I'm a little cold myself. We can share our body heat."

"Okay, well...here goes," Lance said rolling onto his side, and while keeping his distance, draping an arm over Kris' stomach.

A warm sense of contentment washed over both boys as they shared this moment of intimacy, and for a while they just lay there enjoying the feeling. Though still erect, Kris didn't feel the sexual tension that he had earlier, and instead he just felt a warmth and happiness seeping into his skin as they lay there touching.

Lance was enjoying the soft warmth of Kris' skin beneath his arm, and he couldn't help from wondering what it would be like to press his whole body against his best friend. Of course he didn't dare do that since he was naked at the moment, not to mention erect, so he was content with what he had at the moment.

"You can come a little closer...if you want," Kris said, "I'm still kind of cold."

"Yeah, me too. Ummm...maybe I should put my undies back on."

"Naw, it's okay. Just, uh...press it between your legs or something," Kris suggested.

"Yeah, okay...I can do that."

Truthfully, Lance's erection had wilted a little due to his nervousness, and it was easy to stow his junk between his legs. Once that was done he scooted a bit closer, but was still reluctant to press all of his body against Kris, so instead he pressed just the top half against him as he snuggled in closer.

"That's nice," Kris said, "but you can press your legs against me too."

"Oh, okay...here goes," Lance said nervously as he complied.

"Your hairs tickle," Kris tittered, "press closer."

"Any closer and I'll be on top of you," Lance teased.

"Okay," Kris teased back.

"Uh, not sure I'm that cold," Lance laughed nervously.

"I was kidding," Kris said as he grabbed hold of Lance's arm and pulled it tighter around him.

"Warm now?"

"Getting there," Kris said in an almost whisper.

Lance's head was resting on Kris' shoulder now and there faces were so close they were almost touching. Turning his head suddenly, Kris' lips brushed against Lance's cheek and both boys shivered at this new sensation.

"Um, want to try that kissing thing again?" Kris said, taking the initiative this time.

"Okay," Lance said in a husky voice that trembled a little.

"Pucker up," Kris teased as he moved closer.

When their lips touched this time, both boys let out a low moan. Instead of the quick peck that Lance had initiated that night, this was a real kiss, wet and sensual, and it brought both boys back to a heightened state of arousal.

"Oh man," Kris said when they finally broke for air.

"Yeah," Lance agreed.

"So...that's kissing," Kris said softly.

"Well, there's other things you can do," Lance said licking his lips.

"Like what?"

"Uh, you know, Frenching...tongues."

"Oh, yeah...how does that work?"

"I can't exactly tell you, but I could show you."

"Okay, that's good," Kris said, hoping Lance would offer to demonstrate. He knew what tongue kissing was, but he figured if he played dumb, Lance would offer to show him, and his ruse had worked.

"Just like what we did, only when I offer my tongue you let it in your mouth, then you shove mine back with yours, got it?

"I think so, but you better show me."

This time the kiss got steamy very fast as they began to tongue wrestle and swap spit. They pressed closer, desperate for physical contact and soon Lance had one leg thrown over Kris as they continued to kiss and explore each other's upper body. They weren't quite ready to let their hands roam lower yet, but this was intense enough for both boys at this point in their relationship.

When they finally broke the kiss, Lance rolled onto his back panting and let out a deep sigh, "Oh man, that was intense."

"Yeah, it was," Kris said. He wanted so badly to ask Lance if they could have their talk now, but he had promised not to nag, and he felt compelled to keep his promise.

"You're a better kisser than Sally Howe," Lance said as he placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

"Sally Howe? You kissed Sally Howe?"

"Yeah, where do you think I learned that stuff? Remember that time at Nathan's birthday party when we played that silly closet game?"

"3 minutes in paradise, or whatever?"

"Yeah, well...remember it was me and Sally who went in that one time?"

"Oh, yeah, but that was like when you were 12 or something."

"13, remember? It was Nathan's 13th birthday party and we're all the same age."

"Oh, okay...so she kissed you?"

"Yeah, she started it, and I let her, cause it felt great, and anyway I'd never kissed a girl before."

"And now you've kissed both a boy and a girl," Kris said, "So which did you like better?'

Lance sighed, "This is gonna sound gay, but I liked kissing you a whole lot more."

"Does that make us gay?"

"Naw, I don't think so," Lance said with a tremble in his voice. Dare he admit that he was sure he was gay, and had been for as long as he could remember?

"Would it be bad if we were?" Kris wondered.

"Well, some kids might say it was. I'm not sure what our folks would say, but as far as I'm concerned I wouldn't care if you were...gay, I mean."

"Me either, I mean I wouldn't care if you were, if we were, but how would we know?"

"I'm not sure," Lance fibbed. He knew exactly why he felt he was gay and his feelings for Kris were a big part of them.

But it wasn't just his attraction to his best friend that had persuaded him that he was gay. As long as he could remember he had been more interested in boys than girls. When he was younger he had always been the first one to initiate the simple and innocent pee pee games or show and tell, and as he'd gotten older and reached puberty he finally understood what all that meant. He liked boys. It was pure and simple. Girls were okay, but they just didn't get him excited like boys did. He thought penises were much more interesting than vaginas, and tits didn't do anything for him at all. In fact he couldn't understand the attraction boys had for those saggy bags of fat, but he supposed if he'd been straight he would have understood.

"Dude, are you okay?" Kris asked, noticing Lance's thoughtful silence.

"Yeah, are you?"

"Yeah, yeah...really good actually, but...I sort of have this problem and I might need to go to the bathroom and take care of it," he said blushing.

"What? Oh, OH..." he giggled, "I sort of got that problem too."

"So what do we do about it?"

"I dunno, want to...um, you know? Do it together? We don't have to touch or anything," he added quickly, still not sure where he stood with Kris despite all they'd done so far.

"Yeah, um...that's fine. It's dark so we can't really see too much anyway. I can stay over here and you can stay over there..."

"Yeah, I'm sort of doing it now," Lance confessed.

"Me too," Kris giggled nervously, "It won't take long."

"Me either. Uh, do you have some tissue or something?"

"Hold on," Kris said fishing beneath his bed for something, then pulling out what looked like two worn hand towels, "I keep these under my bed for emergencies," he chuckled.

"Good thinking dude," Lance said accepting the towel, "perfect size, but don't you worry that your mom will notice it's kind of stiff when she washes it?"

"I wash these myself, in the shower, and dry them on the towel bar. That way she never sees them."

However, unknown to Kris, his mom knew exactly what the towels were for, and applauded his ingenuity in dealing with his teenage urges. When she had brought the subject up to her husband he had chuckled and said that he had used dirty socks as a teen, and though he suspected his mom knew why the toes were crusty, she never let on.

"Dude, you're a genius. I just use tissues, but I've always worried that my mom would wonder why I went through so many boxes of tissues," he giggled.

"Damn dude, do you do it that much?" Kris said, working his teenage meat even as he spoke.

"Yeah, I guess I do, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess all boys our age do. Oh man, I'm getting close already. Are you close?"

"Yeah, but I wish..."

"What?" Kris said, his senses heightened to the point that he imagined he could smell Lance's junk and the pre he was sure he was leaking.

"Nothing, it's too gay..."

"What?" Kris insisted, "I told you I don't care about that."

"Well, if I could just, you know? Touch you while I did it. Not with my dork or anything," he added quickly, maybe just my hand on your stomach or my foot against yours..."

"Okay, either, both...anything," Kris said breathlessly. Was this really going to happen after all the nights of frustration and dreaming of this moment? The moment when he and Lance were intimate.

"O..okay," Lance said, his voice shaky and husky with lust.

When Lance's foot found his, Kris shivered and his breathing became labored as he experienced what was almost sensory overload. Then when Lance's soft warm hand made contact with his flat stomach he gasped out loud.

"You okay," Lance asked with concern.

"Yessss...don't stop," Kris hissed, "I'm gonna blow any minute."

"Me toooooo," Lance screeched as his orgasm tore through his young inexperienced body in what was the most amazing feeling of his young life.

That was all it took to send Kris over the edge, and he barely got the towel into place when his cock erupted, squirting three thick ropes of cum into the thin towel and soaking through to his hand. He continued to wipe the cum onto new portions of the towel, and when he had his cock as clean as possible he brought his hand to his mouth and instinctively licked it clean.

"You do that too," Lance said from beside him, "I thought I was the only one."

"It's not bad..." Kris said blushing, "I really like the taste of my pre better though."

"Me too, OMG, we are so much alike."

"Yeah, was it a good one?" Kris asked, turning to look at his friend with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Yeah, the best ever. I think cause I knew you were doing it too, and...the touching, that was rad."

"Yeah, for me too. Why have we never done this before?" Kris wondered.

"I dunno, maybe we just weren't ready yet.

"Yeah, I think so, but...I think...I've wanted to do something for a long time. Like we used to do when we were just kids."

"Yeah, those were fun times. I guess when we got our hair and started shooting we figured that was kid stuff." Only in his case, Lance was afraid that Kris would reject him if he seemed too interested in gay stuff.

"So, can we do it again?"

"NOW?" Lance moaned.

"No silly, not now...I'm too tired, but some other time...when you're sleeping over?"

"Yeah, anytime you want," Lance assured him, "but for now I gotta go piss and then get some sleep."

"Yeah, me too. I'll go with you."

Again they peed side by side, and even though they had just experienced an intense orgasm a few minutes ago, they became semi-erect once they had emptied their bladders.

"Yours looks nice," Lance said blushing.

"Yours too," Kris said smiling, "maybe...maybe next time we can, you know? Touch each others."

"Oh man," Lance moaned, "I'd like that, if it's not too weird for you."

"Why do you keep worrying about that? I told you I don't think it's weird, and if it's gay I don't care."

"Okay, okay...calm down," Lance said grinning, then snaking his arm around his best friend's waist, he pulled him into a one armed hug, being careful not to let their junk touch.

"I'm calm. Come on let's get to bed."

"Wash your hands first?" Lance giggled, "I know where they've been."

"I licked them clean," Kris teased, but he washed them anyway, as did Lance.

Back in bed they lay on their backs, and as silence descended upon them once more, Lance smiled and moved his foot over and spooned Kris' soft foot. Next to him Kris sighed contentedly, and soon both boys were asleep.

Saturday night was a repeat of Friday, except this time the boys actually touched each others cock, though they didn't actually bring each other to orgasm. This was all still new to them, and as exciting as it was, they were taking it slow. The only thing that marred the Saturday night sleepover was, when in a moment of weakness, Kris tried to convince Lance to have the talk now instead of Halloween Night.

Lance became moody after that and Kris apologized and things leveled out, but Kris was still frustrated and he guessed it showed a little in the way he acted the rest of the night. However it didn't keep them from having another intense orgasm as they lay touching, and both boys slept extremely well that night.

On Sunday the boys rode their bikes to the park and played one on one basketball and did the things that teenage boys usually do, and nothing was said of what had happened to them in bed the last two nights. Though it weighed heavily on both boys' minds, they just weren't ready to discuss it in the daylight and anyway, Halloween Night they would be doing plenty of talking.

They rode back to Kris' house and had a snack before it was time for Lance to go, and even then his parents were late picking him up. Kris walked him to his dad's SUV and helped him stow his bike, then watched as Lance climbed inside. After saying hello to his folks, then goodbye to all three, Kris watched as they drove away and remained in the driveway till they were out of sight.

He knew something very important had happened, and that his and Lance's life would never be the same after this, but he still had some concerns about the way Lance was dealing with things. Was Lance trying to tell him he was gay? If so, why was he so worried even after all they'd done and what had been said? Kris didn't care if Lance was gay, he'd told him that up front, and besides, he was pretty sure he was gay too. His feelings for Lance had been slowly evolving over the years, and once they'd reached puberty he had begun to feel a physical attraction for him that was both disturbing and exciting.

He worried that there was no way Lance could feel the same way, but after the last few days and all that had happened, he now had hope that those feelings were mutual. It was still sort of scary to think about what that meant, but if the feelings were real, he figured they could work it out together, maybe even become boyfriends.

Boyfriends, he mulled that over in his mind. He knew guys with girlfriends, but besides holding hands and going to a movie or the mall, he didn't think they did anything like what he and Lance had done last night. His penis began to swell a little as he thought about holding Lance's prick in his hand. It had felt hot and silky smooth, but beneath the skin it was rock hard, like silk over steel, he decided. There had been a bubble of pre at the piss slip, and before he could control himself he had dabbed his finger in it and brought it to his lips.

Lance had watched him with surprise, then he'd pulled Kris up for a kiss and they'd shared the taste. The kiss had been sweet but sexy, and had gone on along time as they pressed their bodies together. Then suddenly Lance broke the kiss and pushed Kris onto his back and began touching him as Kris had done.

That was almost enough to make Kris blow, but Lance had stopped just in time, and after that they had jerked off together while rubbing their legs and feet together. The resulting orgasm had been thunderous, and both boys had produced a copious amount of boy seed. Again Kris licked his hand clean, and Lance soon followed his lead.

Afterwards they'd peed and washed up and piled back into bed, and before long Lance was tucked into Kris' side as he rubbed his tummy gently and sighed contentedly. They'd fallen asleep that way, and both boys thought it was the best feeling ever.

The week passed quickly, and by Wednesday the boys were eager to don their costumes and hit the neighborhood. They had purposely not told any of their other friends what they were wearing, and so as they headed out that evening they felt confident that no one knew who they were.

However, a few houses down at the Chaney house, 12 year old Brian Chaney answered the door and burst into laughter, almost dropping the candy bowl he was holding.

"Kris...oh man, I always knew you were a wiener," he laughed, "and who's your burger pal? Oh, should've known, Lance. You two never go anywhere without the other one."

"How did you know it was us?" Kris asked with disappointment.

"Are you kidding? I recognized your face dude. You can't hide that face no matter how much mustard you put on it.

The mustard was actually Tempera paint, which would wash off easily later, and Kris had hoped it would mask his identity, but to no avail.

They finally managed to get their candy and make their getaway, but not before Mrs. Chaney insisted on taking a picture of them, saying that they were the cutest thing ever.

"Oh, you boys are just the cutest thing ever," Kris mocked as they reached the sidewalk, "Geez...I thought no one would recognize us."

"Well, Brian has known us a long time, maybe no one else will recognize us."

"Yeah, I hope so, unless it makes em' give us lots of candy," Kris laughed.

They hit all the houses on the block before crossing the street and heading up to the next row of houses. Kris' neighborhood was mostly middle income families, with a few retired couples, and even a gay couple living in this block. They were two men in their thirties and they had an adopted son named Levi, who was only 6. Kris knew all this because his mom had met them at a PTA meeting, and she said they were very nice young men, and that Levi was a very sweet little boy.

Kris wondered if his mom would be as accepting of him being gay as she was the Smith/Randals, but he guessed it was too early on to worry about such things.

"Hey, isn't this where the two gay guys live?" Lance said as they neared the two story Victorian. It was a very nice and well kept house with a wrap around porch and separate garage, and their lawn was landscaped and well maintained.

"Yeah, Joe and Vince. I met them at the picnic last year. I think you were out of town that weekend."

"Are they cool. I mean do they act like guys, or are they all swishy like the guys you see on TV?"

"They act just like regular guys as far as I can see. They both played on the softball team that day, and they talked just like the other guys there. I don't think anyone would know they were gay if they didn't go around telling everyone. I guess they are proud of who they are."

"Don't they have a kid too? How does that work?" Did one of them squirt it out their butt?"

"Dude, that's gross. No silly, I guess they adopted. Gay couples can do that these days. I think it's neat myself. Especially as many orphan kids as there are that need someone to love them."

"Yeah, that's cool," Lance said. They'd reached the walk leading up to the house and Kris led the way.

Kris was just about to ring the doorbell when Vince came to the door and opened it as if he had known they were coming.

"Whoa, what's this, Joe...you gotta come see these guys," Vince chuckled, "there's fast food at our door."

That caused Kris and Lance to giggle, and for some reason they took an instant liking to Vince. Joe quickly appeared and he too was laughing.

"Guys those are about the most original costumes I have ever seen. Do we know you guys, are you from the neighborhood."

"Yes sir," Kris said, "I'm Kris Billings and that's Lance Taylor, my best friend."

"Kris, of course. We know your folks quite well, and we see you boys around the neighborhood a lot. We thought you two were brothers for the longest time, before your mother set us straight."

"Ummm...what did she say?" Kris asked nervously. Was his mom seeking advice from the resident gay guys and trying to figure out if her son was gay too?

"OH nothing bad," Vince chuckled, "just that you two were besties, and had been forever. I think that's so cool, Joe and I were like that, I mean best friends," he added quickly as if he was afraid of the implication of his words.

"Yeah, we're tight," Kris said, "Aren't you taking your son trick-or-treating?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, Joe is going to take him. Here he comes now," Vince said as the cute little boy wandered up dressed as a puppy dog.

"Aww..." Lance said before he could stop himself, "he's so cute."

"Yeah," Kris agreed, "Hi Levi. Are you a nice puppy?"

"Woof," the six year old said giggling.

"Can I pet the puppy?" Kris said giggling as well.

"Okay," the little cutie said as he came closer and offered his fur covered head to Kris.

Kris reached out and patted the little boy's head and he let out a contented sigh. "How come you're dressed like a hot dog?"

"Cause it's Halloween and everyone dresses up."

"And you're a hambooger," he said pointing at Lance, "puppies like hamboogers," he giggled.

"Oh no, don't eat me!" Lance said with mock terror.

"Okay, I won't. Daddy can we go trickatreeting now?" he said losing interest in the food boys and turning to Joe.

"Yes son, give papa a kiss and we'll go."

The little boy jumped into Vince's arms and planted a wet smooch on his cheek, then pulled away and took his daddy's hand.

"See you guys later," Joe said as he let Levi drag him out the door, "Great costumes guys. I bet you get lots of comments, and hopefully lots of candy."

Vince gave each boy two full-sized candy bars and they were on their way to the next house. By the time they had reached the last house on that side of the street, their bags were half full, and they still had the other side of the street to go.

"Let's take a detour," Vance said steering Kris in the other direction.

"You're not still wanting to go by the Hill House are you?"

"You promised, besides we need to talk, and it's quiet there."

"No way, not inside," Kris said sounding panicky.

"No, not inside, out front. We can sit on that brick wall that surrounds the property.

"O...okay, but not with our backs to that creepy place."

"Dude, are you really that scared of that place?"

"Well, let's just say I'm not anxious to find out if it's haunted or not. I'm not like those dudes in the movies who keep purposely walking into danger and stuff, I'm the dude that's like running for my life."

Lance laughed, "Dude, you crack me up sometimes."

"Glad I can help," Kris said rolling his eyes.

The Hill House was located on a cul-de-sac at the far end of the housing addition. It had been there when the builders had bought the adjoining land, and at that time was still occupied by an old woman named Lanny Hill. She was at least 80 when the construction began, and two years later when the last house was finished she was still living there. The houses were sold one by one over the next two years, and the Billings were one of the last to settle there. By that time Mrs. Hill had passed away and the house that she had once lived in began to decay until it had reached the state it was in today.

Some said that she had no living relatives to leave the house too, while others said the bank owned it and was waiting for an opportunity to unload it on some unsuspecting buyer. The property was a bit of an eyesore, and the neighborhood association had tried several times to find out who owned it and how to go about either making them fix it up or demolish it, but to date nothing had been done.

Fortunately Hill House was surrounded by a six foot brick wall with iron gates, though the lock on the gates had been broken long ago by vandals. There were stories passed along by the kids who lived in the area about ghosts appearing at the windows and eerie noises that could be heard late at night, but none of the stories were substantiated.

The house, as did it's mistress, remained a mystery to this day, and on that particular Halloween night it would become the setting for a bit of drama that the boys would soon be dragged into.

"Is that the house?" the young boy said looking at the creepy old house and shivering in his Batman Costume.

"Yeah, that's it," Colby Smith, newly turned 16 year old teen, said grinning.

"I don't know guys," the boy said, suddenly unsure if he wanted to go through with this after all.

"It's just an old house", John Fleming added, giving his cohort a knowing look.

"Yeah, we've been in there lots of times, right John?" John nodded, and Colby continued, "Anyway, all you have to do is go inside and stay for thirty minutes, then you can join our gang and be one of the big kids."

"I don't know," the eleven year old said again. It was Colby's brother who had convinced him that Colby was a cool guy and that the initiation was no big deal. He'd said that he'd gone in the house himself a few times and it was nothing scary at all, "I think I should be getting home."

"No way. I mean, it's early and...well, you promised. You're not gonna chicken out now, are you? I can't tell you how bad that would look to all your friends and classmates once they found out."

"How would they know?" The kid, Billy Williams, asked. But he already knew the answer, these guys wouldn't hesitate a moment to rat him out.

"How long did you say?"

"30 minutes," Colby said grinning lewdly, "just 30 minutes and you're in."

"Will you guys be out here waiting?"

"Yeah, we'll be timing you," John chimed in.

"Can I use my flashlight?" the kid asked fingering the small flashlight hanging on his Batman Utility belt.

"Sure, no problem. Don't want you tripping over anything or falling down a hole."

"Are there holes in the floor?" the kid asked with alarm.

"Not the last time we were in there, but who knows?" Colby offered.

"If I get hurt, you guys will come help me, right?"

"Sure Billy, we want to be your friend. We don't want you to get hurt or anything," Colby said trying to sound sincere.

"And you promise that if I do this we can be friends, and hang out, and you will protect me from those bullies that been bothering me?"

"We swear," both boys assured him.

"Okay," Billy said taking a deep breath and steeling himself for what came next.

The two older boys escorted the younger boy to the house, across the creaking porch, and to the sagging front door, and then left him there to go on alone. Cautiously the boy opened the door and shined his flashlight inside, then turned to speak to the two older boys, but they had disappeared as if into thin air.

Swallowing hard, Billy Williams stepped inside.

"It looks even spookier at night," Kris said as they approached the old house.

"Yeah, it's spooky all right, but it's just old and run down, that's why."

"I suppose. Looks like we're the only ones here."

"That's good, but we should keep a watch just in case someone else shows up."

"Why do you think someone else might show up?" Kris asked with concern.

"Dunno, just cause of what happened last year I guess."

"Oh, okay."

The boys finally reached the wall that surrounded the house, and after climbing up on the wall they sat staring at the old house in silence.

"Look!" Kris said suddenly, "I thought I saw a light in there. It was sort of moving around."

"What? No way...hey, I see it too. Suppose some kids are in there goofing around?"

"I hope it's kids, and not...you know? Ghosts and stuff."

Lance laughed, "Dude, you been watching too much TV and scary movies."

"My dad says there are a lot of unexplained things in this world, so who knows? Maybe there are ghosts, demons, and stuff."

"Well, if there are, they're apparently using a flashlight," Lance chuckled, "cause I'd recognize that light anywhere."

"Yeah, so probably kids. Maybe we should go...just in case it's some older kids. It would be pretty hard to defend ourselves in these costumes."

"You could beat them with your big weenie," Lance laughed, "and I could smother them in cheese."

"Very funny. Come on Lance, let's go."

"We can always go if we see anyone coming. Let's just stay and see what's happening. Meanwhile we can talk."

It was the talking that finally convinced Kris to hang around, but he still kept a vigilant eye on the house and grounds even as they talked.

"So, talk then. Make me glad we came here," Kris challenged.

"Okay, okay...let me think a minute. I want to get this just right, and sometimes I'm not too good at talking about my feelings."

"I think you do just fine," Kris said soothingly, "I think we sort of understand each other, even if we don't talk about stuff all the time."

"I guess, but for a while now some things have been bothering me."

"Like what?"

"That's what we're gonna talk about. Just give me a minute."

Kris turned to look at the house then, but the light was no longer visible through the window, and he didn't know whether to be relieved or worried by this new development.

"I guess..." Lance said, causing Kris to turn his way again, "I should just come right out and tell you what's been bothering me. Cause once I do I might not need to say anything else. I mean you might just push me off this wall and take off running."

"Dude, there is nothing you could say that would make me do that, you're my best friend in the whole world and I need you."

"Okay, maybe I'm being silly, or over dramatic or something," Lance conceded, "but this isn't easy to say. So...I'm just gonna come right out and say it...dude, I'm gay," he said quickly, then looking away he waited for Kris to reply.

"Okay, that's cool," Kris said calmly, "I already told you that doesn't matter to me."

"But when you said that, it was all just...hypothetical or something, now it's real."

"And you're still the same boy I've liked for ages and who means more to me than anyone in the whole world, so why would your being gay change anything?"

"I dunno, I guess I been thinking too hard about this stuff. I just didn't think it would be this easy to come out to you, but there's more."

"I was hoping so."

"Uh, well...I'm gay, and I like you that way. Is that okay?"

"Oh God yes, cause I'm pretty sure I'm gay too, and I know I feel those kinds of feelings for you, especially after this weekend."

"You do, really? Boy, what an idiot I've been. I been worrying about this stuff all this time and if I had just been honest..."

"It's okay, it's not like we've wasted too much time or anything. We can figure things out and start from right now."

"Does that mean we can be, you know? Boyfriends?"

"Well, I don't know, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"

"Huh, oh...I see. Yeah, Kris Billings, will you be my boyfriend," Lance said taking his best friend's hand and squeezing it gently.

"Yes, a million times yes," Kris said excitedly, then leaning in he gave his new boyfriend a quick peck on the lips. Realizing what he had done, Kris quickly looked around to make sure no one had witnessed the spontaneous act of affection.

"Wow, that was cool," Lance said grinning, "I guess I don't have to tell you all the other stuff after all."

"Oh no, mister. You're not getting off that easy. Spill it, tell me what had you so freaked out all this time."

"Well," Lance sighed, "I guess I've known for a while now that I liked boys, and one boy in particular. When we were younger and used to mess around I thought it was the best thing ever. Didn't you ever wonder why I was always the one who started that stuff?"

"Not really, but I was just so happy you did, that I never really thought much about it. I sort of knew we were gonna do stuff every time you slept over and I never had to ask, which was sort of cool."

"Yeah, I liked it a lot, and I couldn't wait for us to be alone so we could do that stuff. Too bad we didn't know about all the stuff we know about now though."

"We were probably too young for most of that stuff. Heck we didn't even orgasm till we were 10 or 11. Remember the first time?" Kris chuckled.

"Yeah, we were laying together and rubbing ourselves on the bed when you said you felt something weird, then you started moving faster, and grunting and stuff, and then you sort of cried out. At first I was worried, then you told me what had happened and how good it felt, and I had to do it too."

"Yeah, pretty lame huh?"

"No, for two kids our age it was pretty cool actually. Then we figured out how to do it right and things got a lot better."

"Yeah, thanks to my cousin Ronnie. He's the one who showed me how."

"I always wondered about that. Did he...you know? Touch yours."

"Naw, he just demonstrated and we did it together, but we never touched each other. I kind of wanted to, but he didn't seem interested."

"I'm glad you guys didn't, cause now I'm the first."

"Yeah, and am I the first for you? Me touching you, I mean?"

"Yep, we're not virgins anymore," he chuckled.

"Well, I'm not sure that's what that means, but I get it."

Suddenly a blood curdling scream rang out from the direction of the house, and moments later a young boy came running out the front door. He was dressed in a Batman costume, but his cowl was hanging around his shoulder and his cape was ripped and barely still attached.

"What the....?"

"Oh, man...something scared that kid good. Come on," Lance said, being careful not to snag his costume as he climbed down from the wall.

Reluctantly Kris followed his lead, and they headed toward the boy who was running as if the devil himself was chasing him.

"Whoa, slow down dude," Lance said as he stepped in front of the kid.

The kid had been looking back and hadn't noticed the two older teens, and when he spun around and came face to face with a hot dog and a hamburger he let out another ear piercing scream.

"Dude, my ears," Kris complained, "What's wrong with you? Who's chasing you?"

"There are...are...monsters and ghosts in...in...there," the kid said, his teeth chattering as if he were freezing.

"Huh, no way," Lance said frowning, "tell us what happened. Did someone dare you to go in there or something?"

"How, how did you know that," Billy asked seeming to calm down a bit, but he was still casting wary glances at the old house.

"Because it happened to a kid last year. They dared the kid to go inside and some of their friends were inside and pretended to be ghosts and stuff and scared the pee out of the kid."

The kid looked down at his own pee-stained tights and looked ready to cry, but Kris laid an arm on his shoulder and spoke gently to him. "It's okay, I'd be scared to go in there too. It's creepy. Don't worry about that, it can happen to anyone."

"Thanks," the kid said wiping a few tears from his eyes, "I'm so stupid," he wailed. "They said they wanted to be my friends and that they would protect me from those bullies that been bothering me. I should have known it was all a lie."

"It's okay, those kids are older, right? And they know how to trick kids," Lance said, "but maybe it's time for some pay back. Are you in Kris?"

"I don't know, what did you have in mind?"

"What if those bullies got a taste of their own medicine? What if we slipped inside and did some haunting of our own?"

"Lance...you know how I feel about that place..."

"Okay," Lance sighed, "I guess I can do it alone."

"No, if you gotta do it then I'm going too," Kris said, not adding that he wasn't going to lose his boyfriend the first night he had him.

"What about you kid? Uh...what's your name anyway?"

"Billy," I could help I guess, as long as you guys are there with me.

"Okay then, let's slip around back before those guys see us and figure out what we're up to."

Fortunately the two other boys were busy inside laughing their asses off and congratulating themselves on how well their plan had worked. When Billy had gone inside they had slipped around to the back of the house, put on masks, and John had grabbed a fake knife, while Colby grabbed an old broken chainsaw which he had borrowed from his father's tool shed.

They'd waited till Billy was well inside the house before jumping out, and they'd chased him through the house before he'd finally managed to find the front door and escape. They'd collapsed in a pile and were still laughing when they heard a noise from the back of the house.

"What was that?" John said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Probably the wind," Colby said guffawing a bit before sobering up.

"Huh uh, listen," John said as they heard a door slam.

"Uh, maybe he came back..."

"No way, that kid was so scared he pissed his pants. He's probably half way home by now."

"Come on, let's go see."

"Uh, maybe we should just go. Maybe that kid called the cops or something."

"No way, come on. You're not gonna' chicken out on me now are you?"

"No, course not," John mumbled. Colby always knew just how to play him to get him to do what he wanted.

"Hungry....hungry....hungry..." the words were deep and sounded like they were coming from some deranged individual, and the hair was standing up on the two older boys' head as they stood staring in the direction the sound had come from.

"What the hell....?"

"Hungry," they heard as suddenly two dark ominous shapes appeared in the hallway.

"Is that?"

"A...a...hot dog and a...a hamburger," Colby said swallowing hard.

"We neeeeed food. Eat people..." Lance said in his best Zombie voice.

"Eat people," Kris echoed, "People eat us, we eat people."

"Aghhhhhhhhh," John screamed as he left a small puddle of urine behind, his feet already moving him toward the front door.

Colby was right behind him, and though he hadn't wet himself, there might have been a little poop in his underwear when he finally made it home that night. The two ran all the way to Colby's house where they locked themselves in Colby's room and only then did they talk about what had just happened.

"It had to be some kids," Colby insisted.

"Then why were you so scared?" John smirked, "No man, I'm telling you it was for real. That's what we get for scarin' little kids. I ain't never doin' that stuff again, in fact I don't think I wanna' hang with you anymore," the boy said jumping up and heading toward the door.

"Aww..John, don't go," Colby whined, but his best and only friend was already headed out the door, "text me later?"

"Maybe," John said, and then he was gone, leaving Colby to reevaluate his life and his relationship with John. He figured John would get over it and come back around, but he figured it might be a good idea to tone things down and not get into so much mischief in the future. After all they were 16 now, and soon they'd be driving and dating and...only he really didn't want to date. Well, not a girl anyway. He liked just being with John, but he couldn't tell him that. That would sound too...too...gay, and he wasn't gay. Was he? He sighed and went in to take a shower and only then did he notice the fudge in this Froots.

Back at the old Hill House, a Hollow Weenie, a Hambooger, and Batman stood laughing their asses off as they shared the sweet taste of victory.

"You guys were awesome," Billy said, giving the two older boys a high five, "thanks, thanks a lot."

"No problemo, little man," Lance said, "and if you ever need any help with your bullies you can count on me and Kris here. I'm Lance by the way."

"I know, I seen both of you before. I live two streets over from you Lance."

"I thought you looked familiar. You live in that blue house, right?"

"Yeah," the boy said blushing.

"Well, from now on, we're buds, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," the boy said beaming.

"Hey, we never got to finish trick-or-treating, why don't you go with us Billy?" Kris suggested.

"Okay, but what about my..."

"I think it's already dry," Kris said inspecting the boy by flashlight, "here let me fix your cape."

With his cowl back in place and his cape reattached, Billy followed the two fast food boys out of the old Hill House, up the walk and out to the street.

Kris looked back at the house and wondered why he had ever been so creeped out by it. Now that he'd been inside and seen that it was just an old house, and after what had happened with the bullies, he realized just how silly he had been. He knew part of his changed attitude was due to Lance and his bravery in the face of danger. Lance who was so strong and so sure of himself, and now they were boyfriends and things just couldn't be better.

The three boys hit every house on the way back to their neighborhood, and by the time they reached Billy's house they had full bags. They'd insisted on escorting Billy home and he was so grateful, that in a moment of pure joy, he'd hugged both the boys and they'd hugged back.

"Thanks you guys," Billy said blushing, "did you really mean it when you said we were friends now?"

"Of course we did," Lance said smiling, "the three Amigos. Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, but it's at home," the boy said, wondering what Lance had in mind.

"Give me your number and I'll text ya', and when you get home you can text me back. I'll send ya' Kris' number too."

"Okay," the boy said excitedly as he rattled off his number.

"There, all done. Well, we gotta get back to Kris' house. We'll see ya' around, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," the boy said happily, then pausing at his front door, he yelled back, "boy those guys were really scared." He was giggling as he ran inside.

"Come on, I'm beat," Kris said sighing heavily. The night's events had been fun and wonderful, but they had taken a toll on his young body, and he was ready for some down time.

"Me too, glad I'm spending the night," Lance said raising an eyebrow, which on a hamburger is especially amusing, "I might show you my mayo tonight."

"Yummm...can I taste it?" Kris said lustily.

"Yeah, you can taste my meat too," Lance said bursting into laughter.

"Come on, I can't wait to get out of this hot dog suit and take a shower."

"Maybe we should shower together and save water," Lance giggled.

"I like how you think Boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, I like the sound of that," Lance said taking Kris' hand in his.

"What if someone sees..."

"I don't care," Lance said, "I love you and I don't care who knows it."

"Me too," Kris said smiling, and they walked hand in hand all the way to Kris's house, and though a few kids gave them a questioning look, no one said anything, and the world kept on turning, and no one got hurt. In fact the world was a little bit better place because two more people had found love.

The End

We support Ukraine — Мы поддерживаем Украину — Ми підтримуємо Україну

We support Ukraine — Мы поддерживаем Украину — Ми підтримуємо Україну

Iomfats.org

Hollow Weenie

by Rob Warr