Two Brothers
by Rob Warr
Chapter 3
Acceptance
Back at school on Monday, the boys got back into their daily routine, classes, lunch, recess, and finally: freedom, at least for the rest of the day. Often times the two friends rode together, their moms taking turns picking them up, but on nice days like this one they chose to walk.
They were both lucky in that they lived only a half mile or so from Edgar Beevers Elementary School, which was named after one of the local philanthropists who had donated millions to the town over the years. He'd been dead for many years now but his name lived on, with the middle school and high school also bearing his name. Of course, every generation of kids attending school there made jokes about the name, even if it wasn't spelled liked the 'beavers' they tried to sneak peeks of in classrooms and hallways.
The High School Football Team was named The Beavers, correct spelling this time, and their mascot was, you guessed it, Bucky Beaver, who was currently portrayed by a small Asian boy named Lee.
"Hey, wanna see if you can come over for a while?" Tim said. His house was first on their way, and he didn't think it would make much sense to walk all the way to Sean's house to hang out.
"Sure, I'll call mom and tell her where I'll be," Sean said digging his phone out of his backpack.
"Tell her?" Tim laughed, "Not ask her? Boy, you got some nerve."
"Shush," Sean said grinning, "Oh, hi mom. I'm going to stop in at Tim's for a little while, is that cool? Okay, I will...nah, not much, we might wind up doing it now and compare answers. Okay, love you too...see ya later."
"Well, I must say you handled that well," Tim chuckled.
"I'll have you know my mother and father love and respect me, and think my shit don't stink," Sean said, and both boys cracked up laughing.
Then suddenly Tim got serious, "You don't think they treat you different because of, well...the kidney thing, do you?"
"In some ways, I guess, but they're cool with Patrick too, or were till he became a dick-weed."
"I can totally understand why they would though, because I guess I kinda feel that way now...uh, too."
"Stop!" Sean said, doing exactly that and grabbing Tim to make him stop as well, "Do not frickin' treat me like an invalid or anything. I am still the same boy you've known forever, and I can whip your scrawny ass any day."
"Scrawny? That's harsh," Tim said grinning, "I thought it was fat?"
"Shut up, don't make me laugh when I'm trying to be serious," Sean said, just barely suppressing a grin of his own, "Your ass is not the issue here. Your ass is nice, I like snuggling up to it, but I don't want you to suddenly start treating me like glass and pampering me or anything. I'm okay, got that? I'm fine."
"Okay," Tim said looking serious again, "but I can't promise I won't look out for you like I always have, and maybe even a little more, cause I sorta...you know? Don't make me say it..."
"What?" Sean said, confused at first, then finally understanding what Tim was trying to say: he blushed and gave his best friend a warm smile, "Oh, that, well...me too."
Tim's mom greeted them as they entered and asked how there day was, then offered them some fruit and a bottle of juice as an after school snack. Though they would have preferred something more sugary, cookies for example, they both liked fruit and accepted it with thanks.
"We're going to my room," Tim said after they'd finished their snack.
"All right dear, is Sean staying for dinner?"
"No ma'am," Sean answered quickly, "I can only stay till 5:30."
"All right, dear. Well, you know you're welcome anytime."
"I know, thanks," Sean said giving her a smile.
"See, even my mom loves you," Tim laughed when they'd made it to his room.
"You don't think...nah, surely she doesn't treat me that way because of my kidney."
"Nah, why would you think that? You're a good kid, and everyone who knows you likes you, that's all."
"Thanks, I try to treat everyone the way I'd want to be treated, that's all."
"Even butt-head Patrick?" Tim laughed.
Sean sighed, "Even Patrick. After all, he's still my brother and I love him, even if I don't understand him."
For the next thirty minutes or so they worked on their homework, comparing answers, but not copying off each other. Both were good students, however, and usually came up with the same answers. When their answers differed, they would dissect the problem and find out why, and determine which answer was correct. This way both learned from the exercise.
"That's enough," Sean said at last, "we can finish the rest alone, it's mostly just reading anyway. I want to have some fun while I'm here..."
"OH! What kind of fun?" Tim said grinning.
"Not that, well...I mean that would be cool, but not with your mom right downstairs and all..."
"I could lock the door," Tim offered, "we don't have to get naked, just, you know? unzip and unbutton, or we can just...cuddle."
"Well, maybe a quick one," Sean said eying the door.
Tim jumped up and latched the door, then pulled Sean up from the bed and pushed his back against the door and dropped to his knees. In seconds he had Sean's erect cock in his warm wet mouth, and as was typical of boys their age, Sean was soon panting and thrusting and headed toward orgasm.
"Oh, you do that so good," Sean gasped, "I'm gonna come, is that okay?"
"Uh huh," Tim managed to grunt even with a mouthful of Sean's cock, and soon he felt Sean stiffen as his orgasm hit him hard, turning his legs to rubber.
Though neither boy could come wet yet, they eagerly awaited the day that would happen, and they could share one more milestone in their lives.
"Now you," Sean said recovering quickly, but this time he pushed Tim down on the bed sideways, his legs dangling over the edge. Jerking his pants down to his ankles, Sean dived into his crotch enthusiastically and swallowed Tim's stiffy in one gulp.
"Ohhhh, man..." Tim moaned, "I really needed that."
Sean could only mumble with his mouthful of boy dick, but Tim got the message loud and clear, that Sean was enjoying this as much as he was. In fact, Sean was enjoying it so much that his own cock was rock hard again as he feasted on his friends sex, inhaling his spicy boy aroma and tasting his salty/sweet skin.
Tim lasted a bit longer than Sean had, perhaps because he was more comfortable on the bed, but when he did orgasm the feeling was so intense he felt as if he might black out for a second.
"Oh man, that was epic," Tim sighed as he lay there, Sean still holding his semi-erect dick in his warm, wet mouth.
Coming up off Tim's dick," Sean smiled, "I love how you taste, I can't wait to taste your cum."
"Yeah, me either, I mean, your cum," Tim chuckled.
"But you'll taste your own too, won't you?" Sean said piling down on the bed beside Tim, who was attempting to pull his pants and underwear into place.
"Oh sure, of course. I guess all boys do that. I've heard it's kind of salty, but sometimes it can be sweet, depending on what you been eating or something."
"I bet yours is delicious," Sean said rolling onto his side and kissing Tim on the cheek.
"Hey, is that all I get?" Tim protested.
"Oh, you want more?" Sean said as he rolled on top of Tim, surprising him as he pressed his lips against his and kissed him properly.
"Yeah, that's more like it," Tim sighed when they finally broke for air.
Sean lay flat then, pressing his body into Tim's, his face buried in the other boy's neck as he made soft purring sounds, tickling Tim's skin.
Tim giggled, "That tickles. Hey, are you hard again?" he said, feeling Sean's hardness against his own semi-erect cock.
"Yeah, being around you always makes me horny," Sean giggled.
"We have time..."
"Nah, that's okay," Sean said softly, "I just wanna snuggle for a while, is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's good," Tim sighed, "this feels nice."
Suddenly there were noises in the hall and Sean rolled off Tim and sat up quickly on the bed.
Tim laughed, "Relax, it's just dad getting home. The door is locked, remember?"
"Yeah," Sean said, relaxing a little, though his heart was still beating rapidly from the sudden shock. Then checking his phone, he realized it was after 5 and that he needed to head home, "Anyway, it's time to go," he said adjusting the prominent lump in his pants then pulling his hoodie on.
"I'll walk you to the corner, okay?"
"Sure, if you want," Sean said happily.
"Leaving, Sean?" Tim's mom said from the living room.
"Yes, ma'am, thanks for having me over."
"You're welcome, dear, see you soon."
"I'm gonna walk Sean to the corner, mom, be back in a few."
"All right son, don't get lost," his mom joked.
Tim just rolled his eyes, but Sean laughed, and once outside he commented. "Your mom is funny. I really like her. Your dad is cool too."
"They're pretty cool for rents, that's for sure," Tim agreed, "almost as cool as yours."
"We're both lucky," Sean said, "now...if we could just straighten Patrick out..."
"Ha, good luck there. Once a dick-weed, always a dick-weed."
Speaking of the dick-weed, as soon as Sean entered the front door, he was confronted by Patrick, who sneered at him as he headed upstairs.
"Where's mom?" Sean said, feeling a little worried about being home alone with Patrick.
"She ran away, said she was tired of dealing with her faggot son," he sniggered.
"Oh, I didn't know you were gay?" Sean suddenly blurted out, then realizing what he'd just done, he stepped back and prepared himself for the worst.
"What did you say, you little maggot?" Patrick growled taking a step toward Sean, his fists clenched in fits of rage.
But just then the noise of the garage door going up announced the arrival of either their mother or their father, and Patrick lowered his fists and just glared at Sean. If looks could kill Sean would have expired right there in the entry way, but fortunately all Sean got out of it was cold chills going up and down his body.
"This ain't over...faggot," Patrick growled, "when you least expect it, expect it," he added through gritted teeth.
Sean sighed, "Well, that went well," he mumbled to himself.
"Oh hi, honey," his mom said as he entered the kitchen where she was putting away a sack of groceries.
"Hi mom," he said glumly, his usual sunny smile absent for once.
"What's wrong, honey?" his mom said giving him a concerned look, "did Patrick say something to you?"
"Nothing new," Sean said, not wanting to discuss what had just happened and hoping to be able to change the subject without her prying too deeply, "What's in the sack?"
"What? Oh, just a few things for dinner. How does enchilada casserole sound?"
"Awesome," Sean said, finding the smile he'd been missing earlier, "need any help?"
"No dear, I've got this. Did you do your homework at Tim's?"
"All but some reading, I might go do that now if I have time."
"Plenty of time. If you finish your reading now, maybe later you'd like to watch a movie with the rest of us, assuming Patrick wants to join us," she said frowning.
"Sounds good, that's what I'll do then," Sean said as he started to leave, then suddenly he turned and gave his mom a bright smile, "mom, thanks for being such a cool mom," then he ran over and hugged her tightly before bouncing out of the room.
Mrs. Lewis stood there a moment, her hand in midair where she was holding a package of ground beef, then she smiled, and only then did she realize she had tears in her eyes. How can I have one son who is so wonderful, so loving, so smart, so kind, and one who is just the opposite? she sighed.
Her husband arrived a short time later to find her putting the casserole into the oven, and after kissing her on the cheek, they told each other about their day. When she got to the part about Sean's hug and his thanks, she felt a little teary-eyed again.
"He's such a good kid," Paul Lewis said smiling, "they both are, really. I know, I know, lately Patrick hasn't shown it, but deep down inside I still believe he's that same wonderful kid we used to be so proud of."
"I know you're right, but it's getting harder and harder everyday to find the old Patty. Sean didn't say what, but I got the feeling Patrick said something to him before I got home, something very upsetting. There was something about the look on his face that made me worry a little. You don't think Patrick would...become physical with Sean, do you?"
"So far I have not seen anything to indicate that he has, or intends to, but I promise you this, if he ever does, his two week grounding will look like a vacation compared to the punishment he'll receive then, and I think he's smart enough to know that. Besides, despite his attitude and orneriness of late, I don't think he's a violent person."
His wife sighed, "I hope not, especially considering Sean's condition..."
"His kidney, dear? He's no more susceptible to danger than any other boy, and if you're thinking Patrick might exploit the fact that Sean only has one kidney, I can't bring myself to believe he is capable of that. You should have seen his face when I broke the news to him about Sean, he was genuinely worried, and for a moment I thought we had the old Patrick back..."
"So, talking about me again," Patrick smirked as he entered the room, having heard his name but not the gist of the conversation.
"Hello, son," Paul said trying to pull the boy into a hug, but Patrick managed to dodge his dad at the last moment, putting the dining room table between them.
Paul's heart sank and he felt very sad at that moment. Once his son had welcomed his hugs, and even an occasional kiss on the forehead, now he felt like his attempts were repulsive to his oldest son.
"So, what did I do this time?" he smirked.
"Nothing that we know of," his father said softly, "do you have a guilty conscience? Is there something we should know?"
"Ha, you trying to trick me into confessing?" Patrick laughed, "I didn't do nothing to the little brat. Whatever he told you is a lie."
"Why would you say that?" his father wondered, "First of all: Sean didn't tell us anything, and second: he seldom ever does. I don't know why he feels such loyalty to you in spite of all the cruel things you say to him, but he does. He loves you very much, we all do, we just don't understand you anymore."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you always say that," Patrick mocked, aware that he was starting to tread on dangerous ground, but once on a roll it was hard to back down, "what's to understand? I just want to be left alone...period. I don't need a stinking little faggot..."
Now he'd gone too far, and he knew it as his words were abruptly cut off by his father, who's face was red with anger now, "Do not use that word in my house, young man, and especially in reference to your brother. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, but...he is gay, you know?" Patrick just had to get the last word in.
"And that is his business," his father said, calming down some now, "but that word you used is not meant to do anything but demean and harm those who you thoughtlessly hurl it at. And, to think your brother is one of those you would attempt to do harm to is reprehensible."
Patrick wasn't exactly sure what reprehensible meant, but he got the message. In fact, he'd meant it in exactly that way, the same way he meant it when he called kids at school faggots, or queers, or the other choice words he and his friends reserved for those who were different.
"Patrick," his mother said with such steel in her voice that she commanded his immediate attention. In some ways he feared his mother's retribution more than his father's, because deep down inside he still felt a special love for her, and hated causing her such grief, "I cannot believe we are having this conversation, considering your father and I have spent much of your life trying to instill the same qualities in you that we live our own lives by. Honesty, fairness, tolerance of those who are different, a sense of fair play, and love for your fellow man, and especially for your family. You used to embrace those qualities, and now you seem to have forgotten all of them, and live by ethics that are unacceptable and despicable. No more, young man, either there is some visible change now, or you will be seeing a therapist until we do see some change."
"I'm not going to some shrink..." Patrick yelled, but he knew it was useless to protest. He could have kept his mouth shut and gotten by without this happening, but his mouth seemed to have a will of it's own these days and had taken control and ruined everything. And...he thought with genuine hate, it's all Sean's fault.
"I think you need to go to your room now and think about what's been said here," his father said forcefully, making it clear that no objection would be heard.
"Fine, I'll just starve then," Patrick said rushing off in a huff.
"We'll call you for dinner, you won't starve before then," his mother said in a tired voice.
When their oldest son was out of ear shot, Paul Lewis moved over to where his wife stood, her hands bracing herself on the kitchen counter, and took her in his arms.
"I...feel like I've lost my son," she cried softly, burying her face in her husband's strong chest.
"I know, I know. Do you really think therapy might help?"
"Either that or Military School," she teased, managing a sad laugh, "Isn't that what they always do on TV and the movies?"
"Have you looked into the therapy thing?" Paul said, giving the other alternative the lack of attention it deserved.
"Yes, it's not cheap, but our insurance will pay for most of it."
"I'm not concerned about the cost as long as it helps. I'm open to whatever you decide," Paul said sighing.
"Maybe threatening him with it will be enough to cause some changes in him, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I need to finish fixing dinner," she said wiping her eyes and resuming what she'd been doing before the drama had ensued.
"Need any help, dear?"
"Sure, you can set the table," she said giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Upstairs, Sean heard Patrick stomping up the stairs, then his bedroom door slamming. This was nothing unusual, of course, Patrick always seemed to be mad at the world and eager to take it out on anything, or anyone who got in his way. His poor door was going to fall off one of these days, Sean giggled to himself, and then he won't have anything to slam.
His reading had been interrupted by Patrick's temper tantrum and he found it hard to get his mind back into his History book. Laying it aside for a moment, he closed his eyes and before he knew what was happening, he had fallen asleep.
A soft knock on his door sometime later caused him to open his eyes, and glancing at his bedside clock he saw he'd been out for almost an hour. Sitting up, he rubbed sleep from his eyes and bid whoever had knocked to enter.
"Did you take a little nap, sport?" his dad said smiling.
"Yeah, I just laid down for a few minutes and I guess I passed out," Sean said with a goofy grin, "I was reading the assignment in my History book."
"Well, there's your problem. Hey, maybe I could borrow that book sometime when I can't sleep," his dad teased.
"Anytime, dad," Sean giggled.
"Well, dinner is ready, so I'll see you downstairs, son. I've got to go tell the tiger next door now," he teased, "and hope he doesn't attack."
"Better grab a chair and a whip," Sean teased back, and they both laughed.
Sean used the bathroom and washed up, then hurried down to the dining room, where he found Patrick and his dad seated at the table, while his mom was just pulling the casserole out of the oven.
"Oh, that smells wonderful," Mr. Lewis said sniffing the air.
"Yeah, mom, your enchilada casserole is awesome," Sean enthused.
Patrick just grunted, but he too liked this particular dish, and his stomach growled about then as if to say, 'it's time to eat'.
The dinner conversation was more subdued that night, partly because everyone seemed to be especially hungry and were shoveling in the food at a record pace, or perhaps because the drama from earlier still hung in the air. Sean noted that something was different, but he wasn't sure what and didn't want to stir up a hornets nest by asking. At least Patrick seemed subdued for the moment and that was worth something, but he was even more convinced that something had gone on earlier that he wasn't aware of.
Without any prompting from his parents, Patrick started cleaning up the mess and loading the dishwasher, however, his mom stayed close-by making sure he didn't cut any corners. Meanwhile, Mr. Lewis suggested he and Sean step outside and get some fresh air.
Sean thought that was a bit unusual, and if looks could kill, the look of jealousy Patrick gave his younger brother would have disintegrated him on the spot. Did this have something to do with Patrick? Sean wondered, was he about to learn what had gone on earlier, or was his dad just trying to spend some time with him?
Outside, Paul parked himself on the glider and patted the seat next to him. Sean sat down and they began to rock back and forth, Sean's feet barely touching the concrete patio, while his dad did most of the work.
"What's up, dad?" Sean said, not wasting any time.
His father chuckled, "Not much gets past you, does it?"
"Is it about Patrick?" Sean asked, feeling his father's question was rhetorical.
Paul Lewis sighed, "Isn't it always, lately anyway?"
Sean actually chuckled, "What's he done now?"
Now it was Paul's turn to laugh, "What hasn't he done?" he joked.
"Something happened earlier when I was in my room. I know cause Patrick came upstairs later and slammed his door. That always means something happened to pi...I mean make him mad."
Paul laughed, "You can say it, son. Piss him off, you meant, right?"
"Yeah," Sean admitted, "he's that way a lot lately."
Paul sighed again, "I know, and something has got to be done about it. Your mother has suggested therapy, and I'm torn at the moment, but in the end it may be our best course. What do you think?"
"Wow, I don't know. Have you thought about how that might affect him at school? If anyone found out it would be all over school, and you know how that would go?"
"I never thought of that. Thank you for reminding me of that. But, I don't know how anyone could find out unless he told them. It would be just like going to any doctor, it's all confidential and private."
"Yeah, I guess," Sean sighed, "but that's pretty extreme, don't you think?"
"Do you have a better suggestion?" his dad asked softly, "because frankly, we're running out of ideas."
"I think, I think his biggest problem is: me," Sean said softly, then looking away from his father, he added, "I think for some reason he's either jealous of me, or downright hates me, and my being near him is what sets him off."
"But why? If that's true, something had to have caused those feelings. No, I can't accept that he hates his own brother, his flesh and blood. Jealousy, maybe...but if so he has no reason to feel that way. We have never treated either of you differently, well...not until he began to act the way he does now. If anything we have been more unfair to you than to him. We're letting him run our lives and get away with things that we shouldn't, just to keep the peace."
"I don't know, dad. That's just how I feel. When he sees me...there's this look in his eyes, and sometimes it scares me," Sean confessed.
"He doesn't hurt you, does he?" his dad asked with concern.
"Not really, I mean...not physically. It's mostly mentally or emotionally, I guess," Sean said, not wanting to go into too much detail.
"Which can be just as devastating as physical abuse," his father reminded him, "this has got to stop," he sighed then, "maybe therapy is the answer."
"I dunno, I just wish things were like they used to be. We used to be so close, we had so much fun, and he was like the best big brother ever," Sean said sadly, "I feel like I've lost him, and that hurts...a lot."
"Your mother and I feel that way sometimes too," Paul agreed, "and I think it's about time we did something about it."
"So...you're gonna send him to a shrink?"
"A therapist," his dad corrected, "I certainly think it bears some further looking into. Thank you for your input, son, I promise we'll keep you in the loop as we move forward. After all, this affects you as much, if not more than it affects us."
"Thanks dad," Sean said, "I hope you figure it out, and I'll do anything I can to help."
"I know, son, I know. You're a good kid," his dad said pulling him into a hug and kissing the top of his head. Unlike Patrick, Sean welcomed his father's hug and snuggled against him, sighing contentedly.
"Paul," his wife said appearing at the sliding glass door a few minutes later, "there's a phone call for you on the land line, someone named Shelby..."
"Oh, I need to take that," Paul said hopping up, "sorry sport, maybe mom can take my place while I'm gone."
"I'd love to," Mrs. Lewis said settling in beside Sean and pulling him in for a hug as well, "did you and your dad have a good talk."
"Yeah, I guess," Sean said, explaining in detail what they'd discussed, including his own concerns about Patrick's rep at school if word got out he was seeing a shrink.
"I think that's a very good point, and the therapy will be a last resort. We'll try a few more things and see how it goes after his grounding is up. Meanwhile, I want you to let us know if he gets more aggressive towards you, or if he tries to physically harm you in any way, even if it seems innocent, like a shove or a headlock.
"But mom..." Sean protested, "you know I hate snitching..."
"Don't think of it that way," his mother suggested, "think of it as helping Patrick to correct his unacceptable behavior. If he doesn't feel there are consequences for his actions, he won't change them."
"I guess I see, but it will still be hard for me. I don't like seeing him in trouble," Sean sighed.
"You're a good brother, and a good son," she said bending down to kiss his hair, "I just wish Patrick knew how good a brother you are."
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