The Apprentice
by Sahypo
Chapter 40
Sharon answered the phone, and listened as the caller identified himself.
"Mrs. Jarvis? This is Doctor Steiner calling."
"Yes, Doctor, is there news about Kurt?"
"There is…I'm calling to let you know that we have reviewed Kurt's scan, and he appears to be free of any signs of a defect in the wall of his aorta. He can pursue an unlimited schedule of activity."
"Oh, that is great news, thank you so much! I will tell him right now. Thank you, Doctor."
"It's always my pleasure to deliver good news, Mrs, Jarvis. Please give Kurt my best, thanks…Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Doctor Steiner." Sharon hung the phone up and turned to head down the hall to tell the boys the news. She looked in Kurt's room, and seeing no one there, knocked on Nicky's closed door.
"Are you two up to no good in there?" she teased. Inside, the boys could almost see each other go pale in embarrassment. "Come on out here, I have something to tell you two." The boys were in their underwear again, and Nicky opened the door.
"What's up, mom?" Nicky asked.
"That was Doctor Steiner on the phone Kurt, with your results…You're clear, kid. No heart problems, and you can start PE again tomorrow."
"That's a relief, but I was pretty sure I was clear when they didn't say anything at the hospital during my scan." Kurt replied.
"That's great, Kurt!" Nicky exclaimed.
"Yeah, but PE totally sucks." Kurt groused. Sharon grinned and Nicky giggled.
"Just be glad you are strong and healthy and having to take PE is such a pain in the ass." Sharon said. "There are kids who would give anything to trade places with you, you know." She ruffed Kurt's hair and smiled at him as she admonished him. "Help me get dinner on the table, guys."
Kurt didn't exactly mope during dinner, but he didn't say much either, other than to acknowledge Jerry when he got the news about Kurt's tests and expressed his relief that the boy was free of imminent danger.
After the meal, Nicky helped clear the table and went to his room. Kurt had eaten slower and was finishing up, preoccupied with his thoughts. Sharon noticed this, and asked
"Kurt, are you okay? You have been so quiet tonight." She sat down next to him and patted his arm. "Talk to me, big guy."
Kurt smiled. "Just a lot of stuff going on at once, I guess. I mean, meeting Bertie and grandma, this whole deal with my heart, I don't know its just…." He stopped speaking and shook his head like he ran out of words. "You're right, I shouldn't have said I didn't like PE…" Kurt said calmly.
"Why? You're allowed to have an opinion on it…I probably shouldn't have said that, and sounded like I was getting on you or something." Sharon could tell that Kurt was picking around the edges and having a hard time telling her what was really going on.
"Umm, lemme guess…You are worried that Gracie and Bertie finding out about you is going to change things? Please don't. You heard Roger say that you have to consent to any change in this arrangement, okay?" Kurt nodded, but he didn't say anything or try to get up.
"What else is on your mind, baby?" Sharon asked gently.
Kurt looked down and spoke slowly. "Umm…do you think Jimmy would get mad if I changed my name…you know, like if I got adopted or something…or….?" Kurt trailed off, unable to get his thoughts out in one piece. Obviously this had been bothering him for some time.
"I think Jimmy would understand, and support whatever you decided to do…but…I can't speak for him. Do you want to go talk to him again?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah…I want to…Please."
"Go ahead and call him and see when you can go." Sharon got up and retrieved the cordless phone and fished in her organizer wallet for Jimmy's card. She put them on the table and bent over and kissed the back of Kurt's head. "I'm going to get dinner on." She said as she left Kurt to head into the kitchen.
Kurt punched the numbers into the phone, and soon the purring noises told him that the phone at the restaurant was ringing.
"Jimmy's Catfish Shack, This is Chloe, can I help you?" Chloe's voice chirped on the phone. Kurt thought she sounded like a chipmunk with a Southern accent…
"Hello?" Kurt felt foolish and shy, as if he had expected someone else to answer?
"Oh,…um, uh, Chloe?" Kurt stumbled and stammered.
"Yes"
"Um, this is Kurt…remember?"
Chloe giggled. "Hmmm, Kurt….Let me think…"
"Umm, I…." Kurt began.
"You know I'm messin' with you, Kurt…How the heck are you, I'm so happy to hear from you. I got your message."
"Oh, uh, yeah…I know…I got yours too. Cool. Um, I'm good, how are you?"
"Super…how are you?"
"Great…um, I was wondering if I could come see your dad…about something…" Kurt said.
"Just a second…don't go nowhere." Chloe said. A moment later Chloe came back on the line and asked
"Are you doing anything after school tomorrow?"
Kurt cupped the phone in his hand and asked Sharon "Is it okay if I see Jimmy tomorrow after school?" Sharon nodded and Kurt answered.
"Tomorrow afternoon is fine, Chloe."
"Good…I'll come gitcha…What time you get out of school?"
"3:45"
"What school is it"
"Central Middle."
"See you about 4-ish, Kurt? Tell your momma I says hi, and you're gonna eat with us, kay?"
"Umm, sure…Great. I'll let her know…Thanks."
"You bet, sweetie. After school at four tomorrow…Bye."
"Bye, Chloe…"
Kurt put the phone down on the table and looked at it for a moment. Sharon looked at Kurt questioningly.
"Wow" he mumbled, and Sharon chuckled.
"So… what's the plan, kiddo?"
"She'll pick me up from school, and said I'm invited to dinner with them."
"Well, I guess you have a date." Sharon teased, watching Kurt blush scarlet with intense pleasure.
"It's not…" Kurt began as Nicky slid into the kitchen on the hardwood floor in socks, clad only in boxer shorts. He stared at Kurt, wondering why the teenager was a red as a Maraschino cherry.
"Not what, Kurt?" He asked.
"Your brother has a date tomorrow." Sharon teased.
"A date? Ooooh! With Chloe, I bet!" Nicky asked, totally into keeping up the pressure on Kurt.
"It's not a date…I'm going to see Jimmy is all." Kurt said in an attempt to forestall Nicky's teasing.
"But she's going to be there" Nicky replied.
"She's picking me up from school." Kurt admitted.
"Are you staying for dinner?"
"Yeah."
"Dude, it's a date. Are you gonna take a rubber with you?" Nicky teased, a shit eating grin on his face.
"Nicky!" Sharon gasped as Nicky cracked up, and pointed at Kurt's mortified expression.
"Mom…..His…..Look at…his face….Dude, don't have…..a stroke….Oh, shit!" Nicky cackled in uncontrollable laughter as he grabbed his crotch and ran down the hallway. Sounds of a boy urinating and the hamper lid slamming emanated from the bathroom followed by A flush, footsteps, the snap of a waistband and a dresser drawer closing. When Nicky returned, he was wearing a pair of regular shorts.
"I peed myself" he admitted, as if he was proud of that.
"Serves you right, ass dork!" Kurt said with a grin as Sharon shook her head and smiled. Nicky walked over to Kurt and stood behind his chair and put his arms around Kurt's neck.
"You promise to give me a full report when you get home, big brother? All the juicy details?"
"Yes, you little perv…All the juicy stuff…If there is juicy stuff." Kurt replied.
"God, you two, I swear." Sharon mumbled rolling her eyes. Lately, she had begun to feel regret that Nicky had been an only child up to this point. Watching Nicky and Kurt growing up together was priceless, and she realized that she wouldn't have it any other way now.
Kurt endured a bit more ribbing from Jerry during dinner about his "date" tomorrow, but Nicky contained himself much to Sharon's relief. After the meal, the boys watched TV, messed around on the computer a little, and Kurt drew for an hour or so before going to bed while Nicky took a hot bath until his skin began to prune. For no particular reason, his penis was erect most of the time he was in the tub, although he didn't feel like masturbating. He lay and studied his four inch organ, watching it move very slightly with his heartbeat. He admired the symmetry of his penis. The even color, the consistent thickness and diameter of the shaft, the shape of the glans above the little roll of skin that marked his circumcision. He daydreamed about what it must be like to have a foreskin, pushing up the skin on his shaft gently to roll over the glans. At least he had enough skin to cover his erection, although it would not stay put when he released it. Some of the boys at school that he had seen looked like their penises were circumcised so tightly the skin would split open. He became bored, got out, dried off and went to bed.
Kurt and Nicky rose in the morning and got off to a normal school day, but Kurt had some trouble concentrating during the day. He was nervous about approaching Jimmy, and of course, Chloe was on his mind. He wondered if Jimmy or her mother would be driving them, and where they were going once she picked him up. Kurt had a few minutes to kill between 3:45 and when Chloe would get there. Instead of heading out to the bus stops, he went in the bathroom and studied himself in the mirror. Kurt would never think himself attractive, although he was actually very good looking, with long dark brown hair, brown eyes and a smooth face that had not yet sported peach fuzz, let alone a real whisker. He picked and preened and got every hair just right, slicked his eyebrows and adjusted his shirt collar before he went out front to wait for Chloe.
He heard Chloe long before he saw the little yellow missile racing through the parking lot in a wail of engine noise. Chloe was downshifting the mid-engine Fiat through each gear as it slowed to a halt at Kurt's feet. Kurt could look down into the car, since Chloe had taken off the removable roof panel.
"Uh, Hi…Is this yours?" Kurt asked, impressed. He had seen the little cars advertised on TV, but had never seen one in the wild.
"Yup…It's pretty much a turd, but I like it!" Chloe said with a grin.
"Cool!" Kurt replied as he reached down to the door handle on the two seater, and squeezed into the cockpit. It was surprisingly roomy once he was in the seat, and Chloe reached over and helped Kurt with the seat belt.
"What is this thing, Chloe?"
"Fiat X 1/9…Engines behind ya, like a Lamborghini or something." Chloe said with a grin. She gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek, surprising him.
"What…was that for?" he asked.
"Glad to see ya again…Ready?"
Kurt nodded, and Chloe let the clutch out and hit the gas. The little car car began to howl as the revs went past midrange and approached the yellow numbers on the tachometer before Chloe expertly shifted into second. It felt like the car was flying, and Kurt hoped nothing would suddenly appear in front of them, as he was sure that they would wind up underneath whatever they hit. Chloe seemed unconcerned as she wound the tiny four cylinder for everything it had, leaving no horses idle in this stable. Then they left the parking lot.
"Wow, this is very cool." Kurt observed.
"Very Italian, you mean. Lots of noise and feels like it's going a hundred, but it's also very Italian when it comes to getting parts and breaking down."
"Oh, really."
"Told you it was a turd…damn neared burnt the motor up when the water pump went out, then it took four weeks to get one shipped after Daddy started looking for one. It was easy to change it once I figured out how to drain the coolant."
"You work on it yourself?" Kurt asked.
"Uh-huh. Cars fascinate me…Guess that makes me weird, don't it?"
Kurt looked at her for a moment. "Not to me it doesn't" he replied. "I think it's cool as hell."
He stared at her for a long moment. She began to notice this, and looked at Kurt.
"What's wrong?"
"Can I kiss you back?" Kurt asked, feeling astonished that he actually said what he was thinking.
"Hell, no!" Chloe barked, as she checked the rear view mirror and spiked the brakes as she just made the entrance to a parking lot from about thirty miles an hour. She pulled into a spot, and Kurt was sure he had just royally fucked up. He just knew she was going to throw him out.
He almost cringed as Chloe yanked the handbrake up and turned to Kurt. "Not while I'm driving…I don't want any distractions when I do this…" she said as she reached up to touch Kurt's cheek and leaned in to kiss him slowly, passionately and without a thought about anything else. She sucked and nibbled at Kurt's lips, as he relaxed and began to return the gestures she was teaching him. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands, so he put them on the center console as Chloe continued to stroke Kurt's face with one hand and run the other hand through his hair. They began to breathe heavier as each of them got into the moment, and each other.
After a few minutes, they were brought back to reality by the sounds of giggling. Chloe and Kurt broke off the kiss and looked at a small boy standing next to Chloe's door. He and his mother had walked up to the car parked next to Chloe, and the child had taken in most of the show.
Chloe smiled at the kid and said "Hey big guy, you want a kiss too?" giving the boy a wink as his mother unlocked the car.
"Eww, gross!" the boy squealed, giggling. He must have been loving the attention, even if the offer wasn't that attractive. His mother chuckled and said
"That sure is a cute car and boyfriend you have there!" Kurt blushed and Chloe replied
"Why thanks, and I'll bet this little heartthrob will be kissing all kinds of girls in a few years!"
"I'm definitely not ready for that yet!" The mother said as they got in the car. They waved goodbye as the car started.
Chloe giggled as the other car left, and looked at Kurt. "Definitely can't do that when I'm driving, but I'll never turn that down any other time." She backed out of the space.
"Um, I never did that before…was it okay?"
"Oh, uh….Yeah…It was a lot more than okay…Wow!" Chloe replied, as Kurt felt a swelling of pride inside. "I'll let you know if I have any complaints!" she said, as she grabbed his hand between gear shifts.
It seemed like a matter of minutes later, that they pulled into the parking lot at Jimmy's. Chloe sped around the back of the building and parked the car by the rear kitchen door, which was open. It was the beginning of the afternoon commute, and things would begin to get busy from now until about seven in the evening. It was Friday night, which meant that more people would be here than on a Monday or Tuesday evening. On Saturdays it was usually wall to wall. Chloe introduced Kurt to several people in the kitchen who were preparing food at various stations as table waiters lined up at the service window to collect their orders.
Chloe excused herself and said she had to man the register and reception station at the front, and pointed Kurt to Jimmy's desk in the corner of the kitchen. It was a busy looking place, but clean and organized, so Jimmy didn't have to search Hell's half acre for whatever it was he was busy with. In a minute, Jimmy came over with a basket in each hand with shrimp, and a fish fillet sandwich on Texas toast.
"I see you made it here alive in spite of Miss Andretti's driving?" Jimmy teased. Jimmy set the baskets down on the desk, and shook Kurt's hand.
"That's a cool car she has. Hi, by the way!" Kurt said with a grin.
"Good to see you again, Kurt. You wanted to talk to me about something? Here, sit down and let's have a bite to eat."
"Oh, uh, thanks…Um, yeah, I wanted to ask you something" Kurt said, taking a bite of shrimp.
"Wow…this is good shrimp…" Kurt didn't want to seem like he was stalling, but he did swallow the bite of shrimp before he went on.
Jimmy waited patiently as Kurt considered his words.
"Jimmy…would you be mad at me or offended if I changed my name legally, say if I was adopted or something?"
Jimmy's face lit up "Are you being adopted, Kurt?...I mean, no, of course I wouldn't mind that at all…if you was, you know, getting adopted, or…something."
"Oh, no…Not right at the moment…I just wanted to know what you would think about that and stuff. I wouldn't do it if was…you know, rude." Kurt stumbled through what he wanted to say.
Jimmy grinned real big and replied "I am flattered that you would worry about this, but the name you choose to take is completely up to you, Kurt. If you want to change your name to Gentry, that's your birthright. Bobby was your daddy, after all. If you choose to be adopted by the Jarvis', and choose that name, that too is your right."
Jimmy took Kurt's hand in both of his and looked into the boy's eyes. "I am just very happy that you found your kin, Kurt, and you know where you came from. Nothin's more important than belonging somewheres."
Kurt nodded. "Thanks, Jimmy." Jimmy winked at Kurt and smiled. Kurt felt a wave of relief, now that he had gotten this over with. Jimmy would have never thought that Kurt was as deeply concerned about his reaction to changing his name would be, and was momentarily overwhelmed by Kurt's thoughtfulness.
"Better eat that sammich before it gets cold. It won't be worth a damn then." Jimmy said, breaking the tension. "Watcha drinkin?"
"Um…unsweet tea, please? It's all so good, Jimmy. I could eat shrimp all the time. And I never had a fish sandwich like this."
"It's all in the butter crust toast. I don't use hamburger buns like everywhere else." Jimmy said as he got up and walked over to the tea urn and dispensed a drink for Kurt. The tumblers were already filled with ice to save time when the servers drinks for their tables.
"This kitchen is a busy place. Do you guys run over each other sometimes?" Kurt wondered.
"It's like an anthill on a bigger scale, Kurt. The ants are always moving but they never bump into each other. Just watch and you'll figure out how it works"
Kurt watched as the waitresses moved back and forth between the dining room and the pick up window in clear paths, and the busboy had his own entry into the dishwashing station so that he didn't have to cross paths with the cooks, or the waitresses with his cart. Jimmy had laid out the kitchen so that traffic into and out of the freezer and food storage areas didn't require passing between the cooks and the fryers or ovens, and the person battering the fish was on the other side of the prep table from the fry cook, so each person in the kitchen had a personal work space that didn't require them to travel more than a step or two to perform their tasks.
"There is a whole science to things like that, Kurt…I thought about how to lay this place out long and hard when it was built. I got it mostly right." Jimmy chuckled.
"So how did you figure it all out?" Kurt asked.
"Well, the first thing I did was list all the steps it takes to make each thing we sell here. I thought about who did each step, with what, and where they did that step. Some things are the same for every dish….you start with a clean plate, and you end by putting the order up in that window for the waitress to pull her orders. So, anyways, I'm thinking about all this stuff and I run into a buddy of mine who had been working down at the shipyard in Galveston. And he sketches me a plan of the kitchen on a cruise ship….Shit, Kurt, they make 9,000 meals a day on this one boat, and the kitchen is only about as big as a Radio Shack store in the mall. It's all in the flow of work and people in and through that thing."
"You should design kitchens, Jimmy." Kurt said. "Sounds like there is a lot to it." He popped a shrimp into his mouth and watched as Jimmy surveyed his anthill. One of the cooks was looking around like he lost something, and Jimmy stood up.
"Whatcha need, Cesar?"
"The big ass pot was right here a few minutes ago, and I gotta boil some more rice." the heavyset Latino replied.
"I got it" Jimmy replied, spying the pot next to the deep sink. He went over to the sink and inspected the pot and immediately began to run hot water in the sink, to wash the pot out.
"Looks like somebody beat ya to it, Cesar!" Jimmy cracked with a grin as he scrubbed the pot.
"Oh, yeah, sorry Cesar, I boiled potatoes in it and got busy" the other, younger cook admitted.
"You're so fired, Delgado!" Cesar joked, and his whole face crinkled in a big grin. The younger man simply said, "Sure, then you would have to do all this yourself!"
Jimmy rinsed the soap suds out of the pot and set it on the counter next to Cesar, and sat back down with Kurt.
"They always like this?" Kurt asked.
"Oh, heck no…sometimes they actually get into fights over that damn pot!" Jimmy chuckled.
"So um, how long have these guys known each other?" Kurt asked.
"Cesar worked for my daddy when he was still here, and Delgado started with me when he was 14 years old, as a busboy…he's Cesar's nephew, by the way." Jimmy looked up. "Hey Delgado, you legal to drink yet?" Jimmy teased.
"Only three years ago, remember?…we all got stupid plowed that night,… man..." Delgado replied, shaking his head at the memory as he mashed the potatoes he had boiled just a few minutes ago. He didn't look much older than 17 or so.
Jimmy introduced Kurt to the crew and they talked some more for a while, and Chloe popped in every once in a while to grin at Kurt and catch orders. Sharon had figured that Chloe would be busy working, and called in to offer to take Kurt home. It was almost seven o'clock, and a school night. Chloe planted a big kiss on Kurt as he was leaving, no doubt to give him something to think about…
As they drove home, Kurt didn't say any thing at all, so Sharon broke the ice. "So how did things go with Jimmy, and um, Chloe?"
"She kissed me." He said quietly. His demeanor let her know that he hadn't experienced this before.
"First time, huh?" Kurt nodded. Sharon smiled and patted Kurt on the shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
"Jimmy said he supports whatever I decide about the name thing." Kurt continued.
"Honey, that was really thoughtful of you to ask him, and that really touched him."
"Really?"
"He said something about it while you were occupied with Miss Chloe." Sharon teased as Kurt blushed. The rest of the ride back to the house was quiet, but relaxed. Kurt slept poorly that night, many things in his head kept him awake until the early hours when he finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. All the next day, his thoughts were in turmoil, and finally when school was out, he sat next to Timmy on the bus on the way home.
"Can I get off at your house? I need to talk." Kurt said. Timmy looked over at Kurt and surveyed the dark circles under the boys' eyes and lack of vitality.
"That's probably a good idea…you look like hammered shit, dude. Did you sleep at all?"
Kurt looked down and shook his head. Timmy put an arm around him and pulled him close for a long squeeze as they rode. When the bus stopped in front of Timmy's house, Kurt looked over at Nicky and said "Nicky, I'll be up in a bit. I'm gonna talk to Timmy a while, okay?"
"Sure. I'll let mom know." Nicky replied. He knew something was chewing on Kurt, but was pretty sure it had nothing to do with him, since Kurt hadn't distanced himself from his little brother…he just wasn't the normal Kurt at the moment.
As the boys got off the bus, Kurt and Timmy stopped and turned to watch the bus move off. It made too much noise to talk for a moment anyway. Once it was down the street a ways, they began to cross the lawn and head to the door, as Timmy fished his key out of his pocket.
"I was really happy to hear that you don't have any heart problems. We were worried about you, you know." Timmy said.
"Oh, um, thanks…I um appreciate that a lot…cool" Kurt stammered. Timmy let them in, and guided Kurt to a chair at the kitchen table. He then opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a pitcher of tea, and filled two glasses with ice and set them on the table. Kurt poured both of them some tea as Timmy waited patiently for Kurt to begin. Kurt stared at his glass, and Timmy reached over and put his hand on Kurt's arm.
Kurt's face began to contort and screw up as he fought back a rush of emotion coming to the surface. He quickly lost that battle, and began to sob heavily as Timmy put both hands on Kurt's arm and waited.
"I….I fuckin'…..I fuckin' hate her so goddamned bad!… I got…..I got family and she never…..Why didn't she fuckin' tell me? Why did I have to fuckin' live like that,…Why?"
Timmy scooted into the chair next to Kurt and took him in a full embrace and let the older boy fall apart against his shoulder. Timmy didn't say anything, he just rocked Kurt and let him cry for several long minutes.
"I'm so goddamned pissed off at her I can't fuckin' see straight…you know?" Kurt squeaked out between heaving gasps.
"Yeah, I know" Timmy croaked, his own voice unsteady at the moment. "I was too, when I found out I had a dad, and brothers…I felt like a chunk of my life had been stolen."
Kurt was a complete blubbering mess, his voice a high squeak as he tried to speak.
"Why'd she make me live like that, she hated me so much…I hoped she would beat me bad enough they would have to take me away…"
"Kurt, there were times I used to wonder how long I was going to live…If I was ever gonna get out of where I was…but it happened. It happened for both of us. We got here, and we'll never go back. But not all of you is here yet, dude."
Kurt's face was buried in Timmy's neck, as Timmy continued to rock him, and rub his back.
"What do you mean, not all of me?" Kurt asked.
"She's gone, Kurt. She's never going to hurt you again, ever. But here you are, so scared and pissed off that you can't even catch your breath…That's a lot of power to give someone who will never be in your life again." Timmy rubbed his friend's back and held him
Kurt nodded, acknowledging that Timmy was right.
Timmy…I…I'm…" Kurt began to speak.
"Dude, she fucked you up…Fact of life. But you can decide to stay fucked up or not. You got to walk away from this…get to know your family, get closer to the good people in your life now. Let this shit go…you can't get the past back, Kurt".
Timmy held Kurt tighter, and Kurt cried even harder for a few minutes. For a solid five minutes, they sat in silence while Kurt rocked in Timmy's arms and Kurt's head swirled with so many emotions. Overwhelming anger at his mother for the things she had stolen from him…Time, love, his childhood. Peace and love from Nicky, Jerry and Sharon. Love, loyalty and patience from Timmy, who had never turned his back on Kurt.
Kurt suddenly realized that Timmy had the been the first person who had ever actually loved him, beginning when he had stopped that fight and promised to help Kurt. He hadn't walked away. Instead, he invested in Kurt, and now his life had been forever changed.
"I wish…" Kurt began to say, but Timmy put his finger on Kurt's lips to stop him.
"Don't do this…it won't help. I know." Timmy whispered.
Kurt began drying his eyes and looked at Timmy and nodded. There was still something in the boy's eyes, and Timmy stared at Kurt questioningly. Kurt held his silence, and Timmy continued.
"I know all about wishing for things to be different, but it's just chasing what will never be. Don't. Just let it go. Cherish what you do have. Your grandma, your aunt. Us. You have no idea what you mean to all of us, Kurt."
Just then, the back door slid open and Sean stepped in, wearing only boxers for the homework session with Timmy before supper. In his usually upbeat manner, he charged right in, before he realized what was going on
"Hey, guys!....Oh, um…sorry….So is everything…" He blundered, finally just joining the embrace before kissing Kurt on the cheek and asking
"Nothing bad happened, did it? Um, dude, you know we're your friends, and we love you. I can go if you guys want…" Kurt reached out and snagged Sean's waistband before he could turn to go.
"I rest my case?" Timmy remarked, Kurt nodded as Sean looked quizzically at Timmy, unaware of what Timmy had said the moment before Sean pulled the slider open.
"No…I don't want you to go…Timmy's right…It's time I quit this shit." Kurt said, pulling Sean to him until his ear was resting against Sean's chest as Sean stood next to Kurt as he sat in the kitchen chair.
"Dude, what the hell is going on in there?" Kurt asked, his attention diverted by the noises in Sean's belly. Timmy and Sean giggled, relieved that the tension was broken for the moment.
"We haven't had supper yet" Timmy said. Kurt let Sean go, and stood up and hugged each boy for a long moment.
"Gonna be okay?" Timmy whispered.
"Yeah…I'm good. I know what I got to do…It's hard and I'm scared I guess…"
"Got nothing to lose and your whole life to gain, dude, but…it's gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done, trust me. Isaac laid it out on the line for me the night Jack threw me out."
"What did he say that changed things for you?" Kurt wondered.
"When he told me it would kill him to watch the hate destroy someone he loves, knowing he couldn't do anything to stop that, only I could. Up to then it had all been about me, you know. I never really thought about how much he loves me until then."
It took Kurt several seconds before he realized…
"Oh, fuck…" The tears welled up in Kurt's eyes again, and he began to cry. "Now it's my turn, right?" Sean moved in to hug Kurt face to face, as Timmy stood behind Kurt and gripped his shoulders.
"Yup…It's time to choose." Timmy whispered. "None of us want to watch this eat up someone we love, Kurt."
Kurt felt as if a dam were about to break, and he needed to think. Extricating himself from the embrace of his closest friends, he made his way to the door.
"I got some thinking to do…Thanks"
With that, he left and ran up the street, tears running down his face, as he became more emotional each step of the way. Finally reaching home, he blew through the front door as if chased by the hounds of hell, right past a very surprised and startled Nicky.
"Kurt?" What the fuck? He's crying his eyes out…
Nicky got up from the couch where he had been having a snack and catching his favorite after school re-runs of Lost in Space and crept back down the hallway, stopping in front of Kurt's door, which was ajar. Kurt was laying face down on his bed, sobbing inconsolably. Nicky decided to go in, and touch Kurt. Whatever was going on, Nicky wanted Kurt to know his brother had his back. Nicky expected Kurt to reject him, but Kurt's reaction to Nicky's touch surprised the eleven year old. Instead of ignoring Nicky or rejecting his touch, Kurt snapped around and pulled Nicky onto the bed with him, hugging him as he continued to bawl.
"Kurt?" Nicky whispered, bewildered at all this emotion. Kurt would not speak, but just held Nicky close as he cried. What the hell did Timmy do to upset him like this? the little boy wondered.
After quite some time, Kurt's sobbing stopped, his breathing slowed, and Nicky realized that he had fallen asleep from pure exhaustion. The sheets were just about soaked under the pillow Kurt had wept on, and Nicky got up slowly and carefully. He began to feel some anger and a need to confront Timmy and find out what the hell was going on. He gently extricated himself from Kurt's embrace, pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, not bothering with shoes. It would be a short trip anyway.
He leaned back over Kurt, and whispered
"I'll be back in a few. Get some sleep" He could see the corner of Kurt's mouth twitch in response, so he was satisfied that his older brother heard him.
He sped down the street to Timmy's and when he rapped on the door, Sean answered. He was clad in nothing but boxers, as was Timmy only in a pair of briefs. Nicky knew the boys usually did homework in the buff, so he wasn't surprised to see his friends dressed down.
"Hey, Nicky! What's up?"
"That's what I want to know! What the hell happened, what did you guys do to him?" Nicky pushed in to the house, brushing past Sean, and focused his attention on Timmy who was getting up from the couch.
"Whoa…Nicky…It's not about us" Timmy said, closing the door behind Nicky. "This is a good thing."
"Wh…I'm…I don't understand" Nicky protested. "He was really upset."
"He's deciding to move on, you know, about his mom and everything" Sean interjected. Nicky didn't say anything, but the expression change in his eyes told his friends that he understood.
"Oh…Wow…He looked so awful… I went in and laid down with him and he just cried so hard. He didn't say nothing and now he's asleep."
"You're an awesome little brother, Nicky. He's lucky he's got you." Timmy said. "He's dealing with a lot of shit right now, but he's dealing with it instead of letting it fester. He's gonna make it, Nicky.
Sean walked over, and grabbed Nicky in a hug and belched loudly past Nicky's shoulder. "I loves ya, Nicky, but I gotsta take a dump. I just needed you to know that." Delivered in a coarse Bronx accent, it was hilarious.
"You're such a dork, dude!" Nicky said, shaking his head.
"I just can't figure out why you don't have five girlfriends, Sean!" Timmy snapped, as Nicky giggled and Sean let the boy go.
"Want some tea?" Timmy asked.
Nicky replied, "Um, sure. Love it."
"We don't put sugar in it, but you can if you like it that way."
"No, that's fine, thanks." Nicky said, as he took a chair at the kitchen table.
Nicky turned and looked toward the bathroom, to make sure that the two of them were alone. Timmy noticed, and asked.
"Is everything all right?"
"Er…yeah…Um, there was something that…um…It's kinda personal though" Nicky stammered.
Timmy poured the tea and interjected to put Nicky out of his misery.
"Nicky…Just ask. If I don't want to answer, I'll just say so, no big deal, okay? I don't have any secrets anyway." He slid the tumbler of tea across the counter, and cut a few lemon slices as Nicky began to speak.
"Remember the fishing trip, and how we peed in front of the van?" Nicky asked, and Timmy smiled, not only because of the memory of the event, but the fact that he had expected this conversation to take place some time.
"Uh-huh" Timmy nodded.
"Well, um, I know what circumcised looks like, and what a foreskin looks like, you know, from the internet and stuff." Nicky confided, not sure he wanted to let Timmy know how familiar he was with Kurt's foreskin.
"Sure" Timmy replied, dropping a lemon slice in Nicky's glass on the counter, before taking it to the table and sitting down. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, um…I'm probably way off base asking you this, but I couldn't tell if you are or not…are you?" Nicky took a drink of tea as Timmy spoke.
"Circumcised, you mean?" Timmy clarified.
Nicky nodded.
"I guess you never knew, then. It's cool. It would have come up sometime anyway. No, I'm not circumcised, but I don't have a normal foreskin like you've seen, either."
"I guess I don't get it…I thought there was only one kind."
"Most of the time, you're right...It's a sleeve that covers the whole tip. For some boys, it doesn't go all the way around the head of the penis." Timmy explained.
"Why is that?" Nicky wondered.
"It's a bit complicated, but the end of my penis didn't form like yours…It's easier to show you what I mean, if you want to see it."
"Uh…um, yeah, that would be um…cool" Nicky stammered. Of course, I want to see it, Nicky thought. I've been perving about this since the damn fishing trip! He watched like a hawk as Timmy stood, and slipped his briefs down. Nicky barely stifled a gasp as Timmy bared his manhood, easily three times the girth of Nicky's rapidly hardening organ.
"Jesus, Timmy, that's huge!" Nicky blurted, taking in the sight of thick flaccid organ. "And that's soft?"
Timmy nodded "Uh-huh"
"Damn!" Nicky muttered.
"Here's what you are asking about." Timmy lifted his tool in his left hand, and pulled up on the rumple of foreskin on top of his penis with the other. Nicky could now see the cleft glans, and the total lack of foreskin below the glans. "All the foreskin is up on top, and the pee-hole is down right here" Timmy explained, pointing out the end of the cleft, at the junction of the shaft and head of the penis.
"That's where everything comes out?" Nicky said, as he instinctively reached out to touch, but pulled his hand back as he realized that Timmy might not want to be touched.
"It's cool, you can touch it if you want to, Nicky." Timmy stood in front of Nicky, who took advantage of the invitation to check out this large and unusual organ first hand, as it were.
"How often does this…happen, Timmy?"
"Internet says three to eight boys in every thousand are born like this."
Taking the penis in his left hand, Nicky teased the foreskin back with his right index finger, and observed the smooth, moist pink tissue in the coronal groove behind Timmy's wide glans. Timmy sighed, and his penis began to stiffen from Nicky's attention. Nicky looked up at Timmy and giggled, aware of the effect he was having on the older boy. Timmy smiled back as Nicky went back to his task. He spread the lobes of Timmy's glans and looked into the cleft underneath, then ran his finger through the precum beginning to pool in the moist and sensitive urethra. Timmy gasped and stifled a groan.
"Sorry, does that hurt?" Nicky asked, almost apologetically.
"Feels awesome actually" Timmy panted. "That whole area does. It's one reason I won't ever get this fixed." Timmy said and Nicky looked up.
"Fixed? What do you mean?"
"Some guys choose to have surgery on this to make it look yours does."
"But if you don't, then what?"
"For me, nothing. It works just the same as every other boy."
"Who else knows?"
"You were the last one…Everybody does now."
He continued to fondle and rub Timmy, since Timmy wasn't indicating that Nicky should stop. By now, Timmy was just about fully erect, and his mild downward curvature was evident. Nicky was fascinated and wrapped his fingers around the shaft to gauge its size.
"It's so thick..." He murmured. Nicky's thumb was now sweeping Timmy's urethra on the underside of glans, as Nicky began to stroke his hand back and forth, drawing Timmy's sensitive foreskin flap back and forth, generating delicious sensations above and immediately behind Timmy's wide glans, and below the glans at Timmy's urethral opening. Timmy closed his eyes and began to pant, as Nicky smiled and got to work. He wasn't going to miss seeing this big cock spread its seed. He reached between Timmy's thighs with the other hand, and gently gripped his friends' scrotum. He felt the large testicle and didn't feel its mate…Nicky looked up, the question in his eyes.
"There's only one...I was born with that too."
"You really don't keep secrets, do you?" Nicky asked quietly.
Just as things were beginning to get moving, the bathroom door opened and the sounds of the toilet cycling through a flush could be heard. Sean came down the hallway, and Nicky froze, blushing with embarrassment. Timmy put his hand on Nicky's shoulder.
"Don't stop, Nicky, keep going…It's cool." Timmy begged. Nicky looked at Sean who was grinning, and resumed stimulating Timmy's penis.
"Oh Goody! A nature lesson!" Sean giggled, and kneeled on the floor next to Nicky's chair.
"Would you like some help with this problem, Nicky?" Sean asked as he ran a finger along Nicky's erection. Nicky was so horny at the moment that he didn't hesitate for a second.
Nicky let go of Timmy's testicle and unsnapped his pants with his left hand. He lifted his ass off the chair so Sean could work his pants down. Sean pulled Nicky's jeans off one ankle at a time, then massaged the hard as maple erection in Nicky's boxers, rubbing the cotton over Nicky's circumcised boyhood.
Roughly estimating Nicky's erect size as similar to his own, Sean remarked
"You're pretty big down here for an eleven year old, Nicky!" Nicky grunted "thanks" as he continued to concentrate on pleasuring Timmy, and was rewarded by three good shots of semen jetting down out of Timmy's penis, hosing down the thumb Nicky had been rubbing across Timmy's mislocated meatus. After ten contractions, Timmy's orgasm was over, and Timmy tucked his softening phallus back in his briefs, as Nicky turned his attention back to Sean's ministrations to his boyhood. Sean had teased Nicky's cock out of his boxers and fingering Nicky's four rock hard inches. After a few more minutes, Sean put his hands under Nicky's butt and motioned for the younger boy to stand up. Sean slipped the boxers down Nicky's thighs and whistled.
"Nicky, are these real?...I mean, how…?" he said, taking Nicky's scrotum in hand and feeling the boys ample testicles. Nicky giggled and jerked at Sean's touch.
"They're twice my size, dude!"
"Can you prove that?" Nicky teased, poking at the tent in Seans briefs.
"I'm pretty sure you will agree in a minute." Sean said, as he slipped his boxers off and almost five inches of young cock sprang up. Sean and Nicky were substantially the same in girth, but Sean was easily an inch longer, and circumcised a bit more tightly. His balls were on the small end of the scale, very similar to the pair on Kurt.
"I see your point, Sir.." Nicky joked, squeezing Sean's acorn. The boys began to masturbate each other, Nicky's fingers still slippery with Timmy's cum. Timmy had gone to the bathroom and returned with a bottle of lotion. Each boy nodded, and Timmy dispensed a few drops of the lubricant onto each penis, which was quickly distributed. Timmy watched as the boys passionately pleasured each other, so similar although there was a three-year age difference.
Soon, Nicky was approaching the brink of climax, and began breathing harder, and stroking Sean faster. Sean sped up his strokes in response, and was genuinely surprised when Nicky sprayed his hand and belly with his issue.
"I wasn't sure you could cum, Nicky" Sean panted, impressed. "Don't stop now, I'm really close..."
Sure enough, Sean began to buck and sway, and shot two thin squirts of boy cum during his climax. Timmy had a wet washcloth, and enjoyed himself wiping the two contestants down, as well as the table and floor. Nicky pulled his boxers and jeans back on, before he said
"I um, wasn't expecting all this, but I'm glad we did…Um, do you guys…uh, you know, mess around and stuff?"
Timmy and Sean nodded. "We're best friends…we share pretty much everything" Sean replied.
"You and Kurt…have you?" Timmy asked.
"We're brothers. We share too." Nicky admitted. "Look, thanks for helping Kurt. I'm sorry I barged in like that and stuff."
"He's your brother, Nicky and you love him. I woulda done the same thing if I thought what you thought had happened, that we had done something to him…I would be in somebody's face too." Sean replied, and Timmy nodded.
"I think I should be there when he wakes up…I'm gonna go." Nicky said, making his exit. "See you guys later on."
Once back at the house, Nicky took his jeans and shirt off, and crept back into Kurt's room, and slipped in the bed and wrapped his arms around the skinny teenager. After about twenty minutes, Sharon came home and was momentarily confused when she didn't see the boys in the kitchen or living room, and heard no sounds from the boy's rooms. She finally checked Kurt's room, and found the boys cuddling, motionless in Kurt's bed.
"Do I want to know what's going on in here?" she asked quietly. Nicky looked up at her and replied.
"Hi, Mom…I'll fill you in later…can you wake us for supper if I fall asleep?" Nicky whispered. Sharon nodded before looking at Kurt closer, and saw the matted hair and tear streaks on his face. It was obvious that he had a really bad hard cry.
"Is he all right? He isn't injured or sick, is he?"
"No mom, he's all right, but I just don't want him to wake up alone."
"You sure he's not in some sort of trouble…"
"It's not like that, no."
"Okay, I'll call you guys when dinner is ready."
An hour later, Sharon knocked on the door, and announced
"Nicky, dinner is just about ready."
"Okay" her sons voice came through the door.
"Kurt, wake up." Nicky shook Kurt gently, and gradually Kurt swam back to consciousness and realized Nicky was cuddling him.
Kurt worked some spit into his dried out mouth to allow him to speak, but it still came out as a croak.
"You were here the whole time?" he asked, blushing in embarrassment.
"Uh-huh."
"Oh, Fuck. Nicky, I um, I'm…" Kurt stammered.
"Shhhh. Shut up, Kurt…I'm your brother and you need me." Nicky said, and gave Kurt a hard squeeze.
"Aaaackk! Is that boa constrictor love or something?" Kurt snapped, and Nicky giggled.
"Something along those lines…Are you okay? Wanna talk?"
Kurt didn't say anything for a few minutes, then responded.
"I'm…done, Nicky. I'm done being afraid of her. Timmy was right…She can never touch me ever again, and I still had a fuckin' major meltdown today over this shit. I got all this great stuff in my life now, like you guys, and all our friends…Shit, Nicky, I had no friends before I lived here. I have everything now, and I have to stop living in the past…I'm done with that."
Nicky squeezed Kurt again and said "I'm proud of you, big brother, and I'm here for you. Mom called us for dinner."
"I'm gonna duck into the shower for a second before we eat, then." Kurt said, as he began rolling out of the bed, and Nicky stood up to get out of the way. "I'm sure I look like shit…" he muttered as he stripped out of his school clothes in front of Nicky.
"Like hammered shit, mostly." Nicky smirked, as Kurt's flaccid penis jiggled as he undressed. "But one part looks really good to me."
The episode with Sean and Timmy had done nothing to damp Nicky's libido. His boxers were tenting as he watched Kurt pulling socks off of his otherwise nude body, as he steadied himself on Nicky's shoulder.
"Man, you're a horny little shit!...Save that for later, kay?" Kurt winked, as he tapped his little brothers stiffy twice.
"I do have to pee too." Nicky admitted.
"What? Wait just a minute. You mean…that's not because of me? I'm totally crushed!" Kurt feigned outrage, making Nicky giggle, and Kurt soon joined in, getting a good laugh himself. Nicky stopped giggling and looked up at Kurt.
"Keep doing that, Kurt." Nicky said, looking into Kurt's eyes.
"This?" Kurt asked, as he batted Nicky's penis back and forth again with a finger.
"No…Keep laughing and making jokes and stuff…Being happy, I mean. And well, sure, you can tease my weenie whenever you like too. C'mon, we got to get out there."
The boys went to the hallway bath that they shared and Kurt started the shower while Nicky emptied his bladder. Nicky's back was to Kurt as he stood at the toilet, and Kurt found himself thinking of how this little blonde's devotion had changed his life.
"Hey, Nicky?"
Kurt could see Nicky's elbow wiggle as the boy shook the last drop from his penis.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks…you know, I really didn't want to be alone right then."
Nicky nodded, and began to bring his boxers back up, changed his mind and grunted "Fuck it! I'm coming in with you, dude." Nicky stepped in and the boys soaped each other up, and washed each other's hair in a very quick shower. They decided to save fun for later, so did not linger on tender parts more than necessary. Several minutes later, they were dressed again and walked into the dining room, where Jerry and Sharon were already seated. Kurt stood between his parents chairs and put his arms around them. In reflex, they both put an arm on Kurt's back and waited for the teenager to say what was on his mind.
"Thanks for making a place for me here…for giving me a home. I love you guys." He disengaged his double hug, and sat down to the meal.
"Kurt, uh, look, you don't have to talk about it, but when I came home today…" Sharon said.
"It's cool…Well, in the last couple days, so much stuff happened, and like, well, I talked to Jimmy, and Timmy and, you, Mom, and each of you said things to me that just kinda went together, and today, it all sorta crashed in on me. I came home and lost it I guess."
"I was worried that something awful had happened, but Nicky said you were okay, so I let it be." Sharon said. "But what was it we said?"
"Um, you telling me that I came from good people….Jimmy said that nothing was more important than belonging somewhere…Timmy told me about the night that guy threw him out of the house and what Isaac said to him afterward. I guess that tore me up the most."
"What did Isaac say to Timmy?" Nicky asked
"Basically that if Timmy couldn't let go of his anger, Isaac would have to watch a person he loved be destroyed by it…But the way Timmy said it, it was aimed at me. He was telling me the same thing…I found out who my friends are today."
"So, is he right?" Sharon asked. Kurt nodded.
"Yeah...he is, about a lot of things."
"So what happened when you came home, Sweety?"
"I let it all out so I could let it go, Mom. I'm just done with this."
All this time, Jerry had been silent and watched. Tears rimmed his eyes as he listened to this teenager who had strength that one would never guess from his appearance.
"I'm so proud of you, son…I wish I was as strong as you are, Kurt."
"It's not by choice Dad. I'm not special." Jerry knew what Kurt meant, and reflected for a moment before answering.
"I think a lot of people would fold up if they had to walk in your shoes." Jerry said quietly.
Kurt looked at Jerry, and calmly began to explain things that most people never endure.
"No…You don't do that in real life, Dad. You don't think about it like that because to you, its normal…The crazy shit was just the way it was…I'm not special, dad. The hard part is here…Now that I know what it's like to live with sane people who show me they love me…Now I can see what I didn't have…what she should have been to me…It all just came out, the hate and how pissed off I was."
"Are you still pissed off at her, honey?" Sharon asked.
"I don't know, Mom. I would like to think something happened today to put it in the past for me, but I can't promise that." Kurt replied and Sharon nodded. It was the most honest answer the boy had for the question.
Jerry responded. "I didn't stop to think that being here might be stressful in its own way."
Kurt nodded. "Dad, I guess that's good though…It's like the fishing trip…I never had a dad to show me that stuff before. That meant everything to me…"
Jerry's lower lip trembled as he nodded as if to say "You're Welcome." He did in fact have something planned with Isaac that they would spring on the boys next weekend, but for now mum was the word.
"What is the next step?" Sharon asked. "Do you want to try counseling? I work with some of the best people in the business." Sharon said.
"Do I need it?"
"Only you can decide that, honey. If it doesn't help, you don't have to go back. It won't do magic, Kurt, it can only help with things you want to change. If you want to give it a try, I will set it up."
"Ok" Kurt nodded.
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