Brian and Justin sat at the dining room table and drained the last of their third cup of coffee for the morning. Both men were exhausted. They normally would be discussing tomorrow night, New Year's Eve, but instead they had spent half the night and all of this morning discussing the surprising turn of events that they had discovered on their vacation to Vermont.

The trip back home yesterday had been largely uneventful. There was an uneasy tension between their son and Jason that the dads couldn't fail to notice. It bothered them but they both knew that now was not the time to question anyone. The boys were completely unaware that there was also a tenseness in DB and DJ because they had far too much else on their minds. The young girls were blissfully unaware of anything. They were far too excited about all the goodies they were taking home and planning on showing off to their circle of friends. Once the plane landed in Pittsburgh, the dads were more than happy to encourage the girl's stream of chatter. It kept everything else that needed to be dealt with at bay.

The only thing that surprised Brian and Justin was the abrupt way that Jason said goodbye to Gus, grabbed his little sis at the house, got in his own vehicle, and headed home. When Gidget complained, he had muttered something about not feeling too good ('it must have been something he ate') and he wanted to get home quickly. Brian and Justin couldn't help noticing how unhappy their son looked as his best friend hurried away.

JR had hit the phone before the bags had even been unpacked. Gus disappeared behind the closed doors of his room. Dinner consisted of a large everything pizza for Justin and the teens and a small veggie pizza light on the cheese for Brian from their favorite pizza parlor. Brian and Justin did their best to draw Gus into conversation about the trip but received mostly single word responses. JR made up for it with her usual exuberance. By nine, even JR began to wind down. Everyone finally went off to their own bedrooms to retire for the night.

Neither Brian or Justin had been able to decide just how they would approach Gus about his relationship with Jason. Frankly, they were a little confused. Justin was quite clear about the obvious intimacy in what he had seen between the two boys but one would never guess it from the way they acted from the moment they came downstairs at the lodge. Justin was convinced that they had argued about something, probably trivial, remembering some of the smaller disagreements he had with Brian, especially during the difficult first year that they had known each other. Brian was convinced that it was probably a case of the two boys wanting different things out of their relationship and that fact had put a strain on them. The one thing they knew was that they couldn't stay blind to what had happened. They had finally fallen asleep without solving their dilemma.

Now it was morning and the kids would be up at any time. The new year was only two days away and the only thing they had settled on was that they didn't want the new year to begin without finding out some facts on how their son really felt. The sound of JR skipping down the back stairs heading for the kitchen with her cell, obviously in full use, caused the dads to quickly table any further talk about Gus. Within minutes, JR breezed through the swinging doors of the kitchen and into the dining room. She had her cell in one hand with a plate of muffins perched on top and a large glass of orange juice in the other. She dropped the items unceremoniously to the table and rushed around to wrap her slender arms around both men in their turn, giving them each a big sloppy kiss on the top of their heads."Hey, DJ and DB. Whew! I feeeel so much better. Nothing like a good night’s sleep. Hope you're ready to hit the stores. Gotta find some reeeeally special rags to wear for the party tomorrow. Do you think Gus can take me to the mall? I wish I could go to the office party, but I KNOW...no kids allowed. You do know that I know what goes on at these office parties, right? My friend, Cinda Lee, says that her folks came home so drunk last year they couldn't even make it up the stairs to their room. She found them at the bottom of the stairs passed out. Well, that's okay cause I know the Tyler's have big plans for the party for us 'young' folks. Anyway, have either of you seen Gus yet? Geez, it's late. What in the heck is wrong with that pain in my...you know where? He's been acting funny. You'd think he'd be all excited...the trip and all, and the party coming up. Boys...who can understand 'em. Well, gotta go. I promised to call Gidge and set up hair appointments for tomorrow for both of us. See ya!"

Brian and Justin sat at the table with their mouths hanging open while the tornado dressed liked their daughter whirled out of the room. When her vapor trail was gone they turned to each other and burst out laughing.

"Did she even breathe in between there anywhere?" Justin asked.

"I don't think so, but what I want to know is how did she manage to say all that and eat and drink at the same time? That child must have the gift of osmosis," Brian replied.

"Did we ever have that kind of energy?"

"Oh, you did, Sunshine. But you put yours to much better use," Brian leered seductively.

"Not now, 'honey', we still have one more to tackle, remember?"

"Who could forget."

Just then the men heard the heavier steps of their son as he moved much slower down the back stairs. He entered the dining room a few minutes later with identical muffins and OJ in hand, but no phone.

"Hey everybody. Do you think we could ask the pest to keep it down in the morning? I've got a headache and she didn't help it any," Gus groaned, while holding his head with his elbows perched on the table.

"Didn't sleep well last night, Son?" Brian asked.

"It was okay. I guess I was still wound up from the vacation, you know?"

Both men thought about bringing up their questions now, but the sound of JR's music suddenly blaring in the background reminded them that now wasn't the time. If they could just get JR out of the house for a little while and keep Gus here then they could talk. Before they could even finish their thoughts, the answer to their prayers came bounding down the front stairs again.

"Hey fellas, guess what? I won't need your help today. Mrs. Tyler said she would take Gidge and me on a shopping trip today for the party. We're even going to help her set it up! Doesn't that sound so cool! Oh, and Mrs. Tyler wants to know if I can spend the night with them so we can start decorating in the morning. So can I?" She did a quick turn to her brother, still holding his head, and stuck out her tongue at him. "Now I won't need your help. You can take your old sour puss and crawl back into bed." Back to her dads. "It's okay if I go, right?"

Almost simultaneously, the two men chirped out an okay. They looked appreciatively at each other as the tornado flew back up the stairs to get ready for her fun day. Now all they had to do was wait. They doubted if Gus would be going anywhere as he quickly finished his breakfast and told his dads that he'd be in his room if they needed him.

***************************

JR hadn't been gone for more than fifteen minutes when Gus heard a knock on his bedroom door. He was surprised to see both of his dads standing in the doorway. They both looked so serious and if there was a problem they usually took turns in working things out with the teens. They seldom wanted to 'chat' at the same time. Actually they reminded Gus of a tag team...working together for a common goal but at different times. It flashed through the young man's mind that this time something really important must be up. He asked the men to enter. They came in and sat side by side on the bed facing Gus who sat at his computer table.

"Are we interrupting anything, Sonnyboy?" asked DB.

"Not really," came the reply. "I was just checking out some new sites." Gus had no intention of telling his dads that he was looking for some sites with info on being gay. He wasn't even sure if that was what he was. He wasn't sure of anything any more. He knew he could ask the guys about it but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk to his dad, in particular, about this thing. A minute later he no longer had to worry about whether he should bring up his concerns to the dads. They took care of that with just a few brief words.

DJ was the first to open the door. "Gus...Son, your Dad and I...well, we need to ask you something. And look, you don't have to worry about anything you tell us. We love you...you know that. We're here for you no matter what....and, well..."

"We want to know what is going on between you and Jason...personally, not just as friends," Brian interrupted. "Sorry, but you were kind of dragging it out," he said apologetically to Justin.

"Your Dad is right, Gus. Look, we...well, I saw you that last morning before we left the lodge."

"Fuck!"

Both Brian and Justin were surprised. They couldn't even count on their fingers the amount of times they had heard Gus cussing.

"It's okay, kiddo," Brian jumped in. "Look, you know we have no problem with it. I mean..."

Brian pointed to Justin and then himself. "Just look at us. I think it would be weee bit hypocritical for me to be disturbed by what happened. Right?"

Justin stepped in. "See Gus, we don't care who you want to be with as long as you're happy. It's just that we need to talk about it. Sex isn't a game. Well, at least it isn't something that should be practiced without knowing what you're doing and learning how to be as safe as possible....like your Dad and I always try to be, or always did when we needed to. Are you getting my drift, Son?"

Gus had been sitting with his head lowered saying nothing. His head suddenly popped back up. The look on his face bothered both men more than they wanted to admit.

"I get your drift, but it's not what you think. Jase and I...we're not having sex. I mean we did...well we...we ah, we fooled around but we're not having sex. It was the first time...honest!" Gus wailed. "I don't know what's going on with us. He changed, Dad. He wouldn't even look at me in the morning. I mean he seemed alright at first and I didn't want him to think badly of me so I apologized for what happened. He said it was okay, but then he asked me if I was sorry. I didn't know what to say. I was afraid if I said the wrong thing he wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. But before I could answer him, he just seemed to turn cold. I mean, he did say we were still friends, but he's different somehow."

Without warning the young teen started to cry. Brian jumped up from the bed and took the few steps needed to pull his son up and wrap his arms around him.

"Shhhh, Gus. It's okay, Son. I'm sure Jason still wants to be friends with you." Although Brian wasn't that sure.

Gus tried mightily to stop the tears. Brian held on until he felt his boy started to relax a little against him. When he was certain that Gus had calmed enough, Brian led him over to the bed and sat him down between himself and Justin.

Justin spoke first, with his arm around the taller boys back. "If this was the first time that you and Jason had ever been intimate in any way, then I have the feeling that he is as confused as you, Gus. I don't think you should jump to any conclusions about his feelings until you talk it out thoroughly with him. Trust me, miscommunication can be a killer." Justin grinned at Brian behind Gus' back.

"Justin is right, Son. You have to be fair and give Jason a chance to explain his feelings. But let me ask you, have you always had feelings for boys instead of girls?"

"NO! I mean, I don't think so. Dammit, I never thought about it. I don't know. I never had feelings like this for anyone before...male or female. Jason is the first person I've ever even wanted to...well, you know, really kiss! I've wanted to for a while now, but I didn't know how to tell him. I was afraid to. And then it just happened...when he fell off the bike...just like that. I mean, I really got the feeling he wanted to too. And then that night...I don't know. It was like something just broke free and it was like we couldn't get enough of each other." Gus' voice started to rise again. "It was like we couldn't stop ourselves...you know what I mean. And it was sooo good. I'd never felt anything like that in my life. But if you're here to give me a lecture on safe sex, don't bother. I may have lost even his friendship. I just don't know."

Gus sounded so pathetic, it broke both of the older men's hearts. Justin realized how lucky he was to have an experienced man to help him learn how to explore his feelings for men. He had been the same age as Gus was now when he'd given in to the feelings that had been plaguing him for years, but Gus obviously needed more guidance, because it was obvious that Jason was not any more experienced than their son. They realized they were going to have to tread lightly with their next words.

"Gus, you're going to have to find out where you really stand with Jason before you make any more assumptions. Do you know if his family knows anything about how he feels?" Brian asked carefully.

"Oh yeah...right! Every time I go over there for study dates or dinner we sit around and discuss our sex lives! Geez, Dad! I don't know what they know. I told you, this never happened before. We never even talked about it."

"Then that's what you need to do, Son. You need to talk about it. Since we can't be sure of what his parents know, we think it would be best if you had Jason come over here and we can all talk in private. How does that sit with you?"

Gus sounded a little more relieved. He had been terribly embarrassed when he first realized that his dads knew what he'd done but now that they knew, he began to realize how much help they could be in helping him figure out what was really going on in his head. If anyone understood his confusion it had to be these two. He'd heard enough stories about their relationship (both directly and overheard) to know that they had had to deal with a lot of issues too. He wasn't so sure about how Jason would feel about them confronting him, though.

"I need to talk to Jase first, okay? I know he respects you guys, but I don't want you to scare him off."

Justin interrupted with a suggestion. "Gus, why don't you try to get him to come over to maybe help you with getting a party gift for his folks. Or better yet, WE could ask for his help. He probably won't say no to us. Then we can try to get him to stay for lunch. You can give him a heads up while you're shopping and then, if he's willing, we can talk about all this after eating. It's perfect since we'll have privacy with your little sis gone the whole day."

Gus' brow was furrowed with the effort of weighing DJ's idea. After a couple of minutes of thought he made his decision.

"I'll call Jase and see what he says. If he's hesitant, I'll get you guys to ask. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, Son," Brian answered.

Brian and Justin decided to give Gus some privacy. They got up and started to leave. They were stopped at the door by the sound of Gus' voice.

"Dad? DJ? I just want you to know, I love you guys...and thanks for being there for me."

Brian gave his son a quirky smile and Justin walked over to give the teen a quick hug. "We love you too Gus," he told the boy.

Once the two men had left the room, Gus picked up his phone. He was still uncertain, but he trusted his dads so he dialled Jason's cell number. It was as if his friend had been waiting for his call. Jason picked up before the second ring.

"Hey Gee!" The teen sounded glad to hear from him, so Gus felt better. "What's up?"

"I...ahhh...I wanted to ask you something. DB and DJ want to get a thank you gift for your folks for the party tomorrow and they asked me if I'd pick out something. You know your folks better than me so I wondered if you'd go with me to the mall and help me choose. You know what a label queen Dad is and you've got better taste than me anyway. So...ahhh...what do you think?"

Jason only hesitated for a split second. Then he answered. "Sounds good to me, Gee. So when do you want to go?"

"I was thinking right away. The fellas said to ask you to lunch after. We won't be pestered by the shrimps. They're going to be with your Mom all day and they're spending the night at your house. So you want to come over soon?"

This time Jason answered quickly. "Will do. I'll pick you up in twenty. Okay?'

"That's a deal. See you then." Gus hung up. He sat there trying to deal with his thoughts. Jason sounded fine...not quite as spontaneous as usual, but he sounded okay. Now all he had to do was convince his friend to let DB and DJ talk to them. It was worth the risk. Gus knew that he couldn't live in limbo with his relationship with Jason forever. He had to know where they stood. He headed for the closet to find something to wear. He was certainly not a clothes horse like his dad but today was important. Gus wanted to look his best. As he rummaged through his shirts he wondered where the rest of the day was going to lead. But first things first. He'd get dressed, let the dads know where he was going and take the next steps one at a time. By the end of the day, he hoped he'd be standing on firmer ground.

To be continued....................