Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Friday, December 21, 2018

The Osprey Middle School Sixth Grade Boys Basketball team had jumped out to an easy 6-0 record to open the year. They had been so thoroughly manhandling the competition that even their second and third string options had been logging play time. On their previous game, last Tuesday, the starting five; Daniel, Chris, Harry, Jayden and Noah; had watched the whole second half from the bench, because the team had gotten out to a 35-6 lead at halftime. In a league where the average team would score 40-50 points in a game, it was an almost embarrassing half for the beleaguered visitors. Unfortunately for them, their team didn’t fare much better against Osprey’s b-team. The final score was 55-18.

Tonight’s game, though, was supposed to be their first real test. The visiting Danforth Demons were a perennial powerhouse, whereas Osprey was something of an up-and-comer. The Demons were also 6-0, and one of the teams favored to compete for the state title, currently ranked 2nd in the state. The upstart Ospreys were ranked 15th, and some people considered even that much a gift. The Danforth team was heavily favored, although even the most skeptical of sports analysts still expected Osprey Middle School to at least put up a solid fight. So far, the game was everything the hype had built it up to be. It was late in the fourth quarter, and after a back-and-forth battle, Osprey led the game 43-40. Danforth, though, refused to go away; every time Osprey sprinted out to a lead, Danforth chipped away and closed the distance again.

Jayden Robinson led the attack, dribbling with one hand, waving the other to direct his teammates like a field general.

“Yellow! Yellow!” Jayden yelled. He slashed his arm forward like a Tomahawk Chop, repeating the gesture twice.

His team set in motion. This was the signal for Tomahawk Yellow 2, a flex play that involved setting screens and passing the ball around to get an open shot on the wings. Jayden dribbled slowly, keeping the ball out of reach of the defender while he waited for his team to get in position. Chris and Noah took up position in the paint, leaving Harry and Daniel to move to the wings while he stayed at the top of the key. When the other boys got into place, Jayden drove the lane.

Jayden pushed forward, taking a step right at the defender, forcing him to make a choice. When the defender committed to a path, Jayden pivoted past him and drove toward the paint. One of Danforth’s big boys stepped forward, setting a block, so Jayden passed the ball off to Chris. Two defenders rushed toward Chris to prevent him taking an easy bucket from the paint, and so Chris kicked the ball out to the now wide-open Daniel.

Daniel glanced down only long enough to make sure his feet were behind the line, then focused on his target, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth as in his concentration. He jumped and launched the ball in a perfect arc, draining the three with nothing but net, taking the lead to 6 points.

"Good job, Diaz! Nice pass, Robinson!" Charles shouted, clapping enthusiastically in a 'let's go' rhythm.

The crowd went wild, too, but no one cheered louder than Daniel's personal cheering section.

“That’s my boy!” Esteban cheered.

“Way to go, Daniel!” Lyla yelled.

“AWOOOO!!!” Sean howled, loud enough to shake the rafters.

Daniel grinned up at the bleachers, nodding in acknowledgment at his friends, family, and fans.

“Finish hard, boys! Finish hard!” Coach Eriksen shouted from the sideline, clapping his hands together to spur his team on.

Daniel grinned, hearing the support of his friends and family as he and the other boys rushed down the court to set up their defense. They had been playing mostly a half-court press, in which the team doesn’t really apply much defensive pressure until the ball reaches half court.

The teams went back and forth. With just under one minute left, the score had closed again, with Osprey clinging to a 50-48 lead. Coach Eriksen had called a timeout, and the boys were huddled up on the sideline, discussing the strategy.

“Okay, boys. This is it. This what the game comes down to. Finish hard and let’s take home this W. We need just a few good plays, guys. Time to step it up,” Charles said heavily.

All five boys nodded solemnly. They were all sweaty, breathing heavily, but eager to close out. A team of wild horses couldn’t drag them from this game.

“Team on three. One, two, three!” Coach Eriksen counted off.

“TEAM!!!” the boys shouted in unison. Even the backups riding the bench got in on the shout.

Charles had switched them to a full-court press, applying defensive pressure the instant the ball came in, not waiting for half court.

The ball came in from the side, and Harry made his move. He lunged, intercepting the inbound pass and immediately passing forward to Jayden, who took the easy layup. The crowd went wild again as the lead stretched to 4. In such a tight game, stealing an easy 2 could make all the difference in the world.

“Pressure! Pressure! Keep it up!” Charles shouted.

Now wary, the Demons were more careful on the inbound pass, making a quick break toward their goal. Chris got down quickly, though, and when the Danforth shooter went up for the shot, he found the ball well and thoroughly blocked by Chris’s hand. Chris managed to deflect the block toward Noah, he grabbed the rebound and covered it up as the opposing team came hacking at him to force the bonus penalty shots. The one-and-one works like this; Noah would have to take a shot from the foul line. If he makes the free throw, the get a second shot. If he misses, it’s a live ball and play continues. It was a time honored strategy in tight games, and one of the reasons that Coach Eriksen hammered the importance of free throws during practices.

“You’ve got this, Noah!” Coach Eriksen shouted as the boys ambled down to the free throw line on the Osprey side of the court. His teammates clapped him on the back and muttered similar words of encouragement as Noah took a deep breath to steady himself. The situation was not ideal, with Noah being the shooter. Traditionally, Noah would be one of the guys at the baseline fighting for the rebound. Instead, Harry, being the next tallest, took his place.

Noah took a deep breath, focused on the rim and took his shot. It banked off the backboard and went in as the boys crashed the lane to fight for a rebound that never came. With the score now 53-48, everyone reset their position.

Noah took the second shot, but missed, the ball bouncing short off the rim. The rebound came forward, not off the side, and it was quickly scooped up by one of the smaller, faster Danforth players who shot down the court at full speed, hoping to take a layup in the breakaway. Daniel, Harry, and Jayden gave chase, but the Demon player was too fast, barely legging them out to take the easy bucket. Just over 30 seconds left in the game, score 53-50.

Chris took the ball to give the inbound pass. He would hit Jayden if he could, Daniel if Jayden was covered, then Harry, or Noah as a last resort. The team scrambled and it was Harry that got open. Chris launched a direct strike to Harry, hitting him clean, and Harry pushed up court. Jayden went streaking ahead, and Harry hit him mid-stride with a perfect pass to get a quick layup of their own. The boys had operates so quickly and smoothly that even though Danforth was trying to foul to force the free throws, they hadn’t made it in time. Just under 30 seconds, now, and the score at 55-50.

Danforth called time out to discuss things, and so the boys hit the sideline again, once more panting, sweating, and listening as Charles laid out the plan.

“You’re doing great, guys. Just close it out. Situational basketball, guys. Block. Steal. Burn clock. You’ve got this. I want this W as my Christmas present. Can you get it for me?” Charles asked.

The boys all beamed.

“Yes, coach!” they shouted in unison.

“Good boys. Now go get me my win,” Charles said, chuckling.

The boys smiled and laughed right back.

“On three,” Charles said, counting them off.

On three, the boys shouted “WIN!” and trotted back out on the court.

As the Danforth player threw the inbound pass, it was Chris who saw an opportunity this time. He lunged, barely getting the tip of a finger on the pass, but it was enough. With the trajectory of the ball slowed, Jayden was able to intercept the inbound pass. He didn’t drive for the basket, though. Instead he retreated to the left wing, hanging out by the three point line. The Demons gave chase, but Jayden kicked it out to Daniel. A Demon charged at Daniel, but he kicked it over to Harry. Danforth realized, too late, that they were playing keep away to drain the clock. One of the players took a vicious swat at Daniel just as he received the pass from Harry, smacking him so hard he lost his balance and went tumbling to the court. The crowd gasped and roared, demanding a flagrant call, but the referees did not oblige.

“Textbook, T, there, refs!” Coach Eriksen shouted angrily.

The referees gave him a side-eye, but paid him no more heed than they had the crowd. Charles didn’t press the issue. He was angry, but not so angry as to give the other team the gift of two free throws by drawing a technical foul of his own. Instead, he clapped his hands encouragingly in a ‘let’s go’ gesture and shouted encouragement to Daniel.

“You okay, Diaz?” Charles asked.

“I’m okay, coach,” Daniel assured him, brushing himself off.

“Just like in practice,” Charles shouted, clapping once again.

Daniel nodded, taking a deep breath as the rest of the boys from both teams lined up along the key. A technical foul for flagrant contact would have been a guaranteed two free throws and retaining possession of the ball afterward. If the refs had called it, that is. However, a regular foul would still be enough to for the 1-and-1, and so Daniel went to the free throw line, anyway. Daniel focused, his tongue peeking out as it always did when he concentrated. He tossed the ball and it swished through the net as the big boys entered the pain with purpose, blocking out the Danforth rebounders with authority.

“Good form, boys, good form! One more, Diaz!” Charles shouted.

Daniel, Chris, and Noah all nodded their head, smiling in satisfaction at the praise. Daniel looked at the scoreboard and took another steadying breath. 56-50 with less than twenty seconds left. They were in excellent position. They just needed to execute. Daniel could, of course, use his powers to cheat. He would never miss if he did, but he wouldn’t, and not for fear of getting caught. He had quickly learned that playing basketball like this, pushing his body alone without using his powers, helped him feel normal, like just one of the other guys, in a way that he so desperately craved. He wouldn’t give up that sense of normalcy for the world.

Daniel bounced the ball, held it, and stared at the rim again. He took aim, released, and sank the basket. 57-50.

“AWOOOO!” Sean howled again, pushing Daniel’s grin ever wider.

“Daniel! Daniel!” Layla and Esteban chanted in a one-two cadence.

“Pressure! Pressure!” Charles yelled as the boys rushed into position for the inbound pass.

The pass made it in, though, and despite their best efforts, the Danforth team managed to sink a three point shot. 57-53 with about twelve seconds left. Another foul would push the team into two-shot territory, forcing a guaranteed two free throws instead of one-and-one, but the Danforth coach was shouting instructions from the sideline to do it anyway.

Chris found Jayden running open off of an excellent screen set by Noah and it was off to the races. Jayden made it almost to the lane before Danforth’s speediest player chased him down and smacked him on the back for a foul.

The boys sighed, lining up to take their free throws once again. Jayden sank both free throws, nothing but net. He was probably the best shooter on the team and the absolute worst player to foul, but the Demons had no other choice. With the score 59-53, and only nine seconds left on the clock, Danforth was getting desperate. Their panic showed up on the inbound pass, the player taking a chance on a risky pass. Harry cut it off and passed instantly to Chris, who knocked down an uncontested shot for 2.

61-53 with seven seconds left. This one was over.

“Nice moves, boys!” Esteban yelled.

“AWOOO!” Sean howled again, grinning like a maniac as the boys smiles widened.

Danforth had to attempt the inbound pass again, and this time they managed to miss a three before Chris knocked the rebound to Noah, who passed it off to Daniel, who hit Jayden. Jayden, Harry, and Daniel managed to play keep away as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Jayden tossed the ball casually aside as the buzzer sounded, and the boys all lost their minds as the crowd roared. The 8-point victory represented the largest margin of defeat suffered by a Danforth team in over two decades. 

“Good work, boys. Thank you for the Christmas present,” Charles beamed.

“You’re welcome, Coach,” the boys all said, jostling each other in a celebratory huddle.

“I’m so proud of you boys. You really pulled ahead there at the end. That’s the way you finish off a game," Charles cheered.

"Thanks, Coach!" the team answered, a dozen young voices almost in sync.

"They'll have to rethink those state rankings after this one, boys," Charles gloated.

The boys all laughed cheerfully and basked in the moment of glory.

"Okay, boys, I've got to get the JV team started. I'll see you all in January. Enjoy your holiday," Charles said, clapping backs and high-fiving as many players as he could reach.

"Thanks, coach," the boys said in a chorus, once again not quite in unison.

"Hit the showers!” Charles said, clapping his hands together a single time.

The boys made their way to the locker room while the crowd continued to cheer.

The boys were gone for awhile, but they filed out of the locker room a few minutes later, all of them still damp-haired, despite the snow on the ground outside.

Charles had to stay and coach the other teams. The Junior Varsity team was on the court already and the Varsity team would play after. That meant that Chris was joining the Diaz crew for the rest of the evening. Noah’s parents had arranged to meet Esteban and the boys at Shakey’s Pizza for a post-game pizza party. Lyla, Daniel, Chris, and Noah were riding along with Esteban, leaving Jayden and Harry to ride with Sean. Afterwards, the boys were all staying over at the Diaz house for a massive slumber party to kick off the winter vacation. With school out until the new year and their final game of the year out of the way, the boys were looking forward to relaxing for the next week and a half before having to go back to the grindstone in January.

Sean and Lyla, likewise, were glad to be done with the fall semester and in no real hurry for the spring semester to arrive.

“Yo, thanks for giving us a ride, Sean,” Jayden said, smiling brightly.

“Happy to. No big deal. We’re all heading to the same place, anyway,” Sean said.

“Still, it’s cool of you,” Harry argued.

“Of course. Not a problem,” Sean said breezily.

Harry smiled, but said no more. At least to Sean. He and Jayden chatted back and forth, mostly about the game and how excited they were to have defeated Danforth.

“I can’t believe we won,” Harry said, sounding quite pleased with himself.

“I can. I just can’t believe we won by that much,” Jayden countered.

“You guys have been working your little butts off,” Sean said, glancing into the rearview mirror long enough to make brief eye contact.

“Thanks, Sean,” Harry said.

“Yeah, we really have. Coach Eriksen has been putting us through the paces,” Jayden confirmed.

“Practice pays off,” Sean said sagely.

“How about you? Don’t you run track?” Harry asked.

Sean scoffed in surprise.

“I do. How’d you know that?” Sean asked.

Harry smiled.

“Daniel talks about you a lot,” Harry said.

“So do Chris and Noah,” Jayden added.

Sean laughed.

“I like them, too. They’re good kids,” Sean said.

“So, how is track going?” Harry asked, returning to the question.

“Outdoor season is over. It went fine. Indoor season started in November and runs through February. I’m doing okay. I doubt I set any collegiate records, but I hold my own,” Sean said.

“Cool, man. Maybe we can watch you some time,” Jayden said brightly.

“I mean, yeah, I guess you guys could come if you want. You really want to watch me run?” Sean asked, perplexed.

Harry and Jayden both smiled.

“You watch and cheer at all of our games,” Harry pointed out.

“And we always see you after practice,” Jayden said.

“You almost feel like part of the team,” Harry said.

Sean looked touched at this pronouncement.

“Thanks, guys. It means a lot to hear you say that. Any friend of my brothers is a friend of mine,” Sean said.

“Thanks,” the two younger boys answered in unison.

By now, Sean was pulling into the parking lot of Shakey’s Pizza. He parked the car, turning off the engine. Jayden climbed out immediately and went to join the others, but Harry hanged back, waiting to make sure they were alone.

“Something wrong, Harry? You feeling okay?” Sean asked.

Harry smiled kindly. Sean noticed that Harry did that much more often these days.

“No, I just wanted to say thank you,” Harry said, meaningfully.

“About the ride? Like I said, it’s no big deal,” Sean said.

Harry shook his head emphatically and spoke like he was trying to impart special meaning with his tone.

“No, not about that. For the phone call,” Harry said.

Sean was genuinely confused what the hell Harry was talking about. He had no memory of making any phone calls for Harry. Sean shook his head.

“I don’t know what you mean, Harry,” Sean said.

Harry smiled, and nodded like they had just come to some sort of secret agreement, although Sean was just as confused as ever.

“Daniel denied it, too, but they played the phone call for me and my mom. I heard you. I just wanted you to know. I’m not mad. I mean, I was at first, but reporting my dad was the best thing that ever happened to me. I still love him. I miss him. But I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until I wasn’t getting hit anymore,” Harry said heavily.

Sean finally caught up with what Harry was saying. Harry seemed to think that Sean had been the one that turned his father in for child abuse. He wasn’t, and he had no idea why Harry thought he was, but he didn’t argue. 

For Harry’s part, this was a bluff. There was no phone call, the report had been made in person, but Harry didn't know that, and neither did Sean. Harry was certain that it had been Sean that made the report, because his Child Protective Services case worker had told him that the person who filed the report had a brother in his grade, and that he knew about the bruises. Harry had sneaked a look at the case worker’s notes. There was a copy of the police report filled out by an Officer Matthews. Harry saw a few words in that report that tipped him off. ‘Latino.’ ‘One eye.’ and ‘Enano.’

Daniel wasn’t the only Hispanic boy in his grade, nor even the only one with a brother, but he was the only person who he had ever heard called the nickname ‘enano.’ The one eye was confusing at first, but then he overheard Noah and Daniel telling Chris a story about seeing a one-eyed ghost that looked like Sean just before Halloween last year. Obviously, the brothers were pulling some kind of a prank on Noah, but it made the report make sense. Sean, Harry deduced, had dressed in a disguise and filed the report. No wonder they were denying it now. They wouldn’t have bothered with costumes or refusing to give their names unless they wanted to stay anonymous. But Harry was sure that he knew.

The truth, as it turns out, was much stranger than that, but there was no way for either Harry Thompson or the Sean and Daniel Diaz of this world to know anything about their dimension-traveling counterparts. As far as guesses go, Harry was closer to the truth than he had any right to be.

“I’m glad everything worked out, Harry. I have to say, you’re a pretty cool kid, too, now that I’ve gotten to know you,” Sean said.

Harry smiled ear to ear.

“Thanks, Sean. For everything,” Harry answered.

Sean gave a friendly nod and gestured toward the building.

“Sure thing, Harry. Let’s catch up with the rest of the team and have some pizza,” Sean suggested.

“Sounds good. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Harry answered.

Sean chuckled knowingly. Like the rest of his teammates, Harry packed food away like only a young athlete can. Sean was more than passingly familiar with the phenomenon.

Daniel and his guests stayed up late watching Christmas movies with Sean. The five younger boys and Sean were all cuddled together into one big, cozy pile, tucked under blankets despite the cozy fire crackling away in the fireplace just a few feet away.

Esteban had already gone to bed, and so the boys watched movie after movie as quietly as they could. They watched a couple full length unconventional Christmas movies, like Gremlins and Die Hard, with a healthy dose of shorter, but more traditional Christmas movies before, between, and after the feature films. They had watched the Trolls Holiday Special, Shrek the Halls, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol. By the time the last one finished rolling, Sean was quite tired. It was after midnight, but the boys were still going strong.

“Just one more, Sean,” Daniel begged.

“I’ve got to sleep, enano. You guys can stay up without me. Just be quiet for dad,” Sean said.

The boys all let out a disappointed whine, but Daniel quickly agreed to the compromise Sean offered.

“Okay. We will,” Daniel said.

The boys had already agreed to watch the Power Bear Christmas Special: ‘Santa Claws is Coming to Town.’ It was only about 48 minutes long. Not coincidentally, that’s is about the length of a one-hour TV block, minus space for commercials.

“Don’t stay up too late. There’s popcorn in the cabinet and leftover pizza in the fridge if you get hungry. You know how to use the microwave,” Sean said.

“Yeah,” Daniel said, chuckling.

Daniel moved in for a good night hug. Sean thought this was awfully sweet, given how risky it could be to show affection in front of your peers at this age. Sean gave Daniel a firm hug and the traditional quick kiss atop his head.

“Good night, Sean. I love you,” Daniel said.

“Good night, little bro. Love you, too,” Sean answered.

To his surprised delight, there was a line formed behind Daniel. Chris and Noah shared their own hugs and good nights and received hugs, kisses, and good nights back. Apparently not wanting to get left out, Jayden and Harry shared a good night hug with Sean, too, although they skipped the kisses and ‘I love yous.’

“Just let the fire burn itself out. You know where I am, wake me if you need me,” Sean said.

“Yeah, we will,” Daniel said, giving Sean one last wave goodbye as Sean left the room.

And with that, Sean went to bed, leaving Daniel and his friends alone.

Chapter Text

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Daniel popped the boys some popcorn and then they all watched the movie, finishing up at around one in the morning.

“So what do you guys want to do now?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of tired. Anyone else?” Noah asked.

“No way,” Jayden said.

“Not even a little bit,” Harry agreed.

Both of them gave big, sleepy yawns that suggested they were not being entirely honest about their wakefulness.

“We could watch the other Power Bear Christmas Special,” Chris suggested.

“Oh, Holiday Heroes? With Hawt Dawg Man?” Jayden asked eagerly.

“I haven’t seen that one yet,” Harry said.

“I’m sorry, guys, but there’s no way I’ll be able to stay up for the whole thing,” Noah said.

There were some groans of disappointment, but nobody gave Noah too much of a hard time.

“Maybe we can watch it in the morning?” Chris suggested.

“Well, let’s at least go to my room,” Daniel suggested.

No one seemed to have a problem with that plan, and so the five boys went to Daniel’s room. Daniel’s loft bed wasn’t nearly big enough to sleep all five of the growing tween boys, and so they had arranged sleeping bags and blankets on the floor to accommodate everyone. The boys closed the door and sat cross-legged on the sleeping bags, hoping to come up with an idea of what to do next.

They ended up passing around some comic books and quietly talking among themselves about the issues. Naturally, ass one would expect, the boys’ hormones reared their heads soon enough.

“Hey, check out the boobs on this bunny,” Jayden said, chuckling lewdly.

Jayden flashed the comic book drawing around and all of the boys giggled. Indeed, in classic comic book style, the anthropomorphic bunny had a sizable chest to go with her impossibly-thin waistline.

“Only you would pop a boner over a bunny,” Harry teased.

“It’s not just me. Besides, who said I have a boner?” Jayden challenged.

“Your shorts?” Harry teased right back.

All of the boys giggled again. The front of Jayden’s shorts were indeed tented violently outward.

“Shut up, it was already like that,” Jayden said, his chocolate-milk skin darkening in the cheeks as he blushed.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry teased.

“Boners happen, Harry. Look, I have one, too,” Noah said, coming to Jayden’s defense.

Harry laughed, but not in a mean way.

“You always have a boner, Harper,” Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Everyone laughed at that. That was pretty much true. Noah’s boner was a regular sight in the Osprey Middle School locker room. He rarely managed to change clothes or take a shower without popping wood, even if he were alone before someone walked in. The boys sometimes teased him about it, but not mercilessly.

“Yeah, so?” Noah said.

“Well, I mean, since you mentioned it,” Chris said, leaning back to show that he was pitching a tent of his own.

“Gee, am I the only one that doesn’t have a boner?” Harry asked sarcastically.

“Well, actually, yeah,” Daniel admitted, showing off his own bulge.

“Holy shit! How big is that thing?” Harry asked.

The boys had, of course, seen each other naked before while changing into and out of uniforms, or while showering after games, practice, or gym class. They knew who had hair and how much, and had seen for themselves the relative size of everyone’s penis, at least when flaccid. With an erection, though? Well, that was a different story. Neither Jayden nor Harry had seen Daniel erect before. As big as Daniel was soft, he was a grower.

“Man, I always thought you were just a show-er,” Harry said.

“That thing has got to be as big as mine,” Jayden said, giving a low, soft whistle of appreciation.

“It’s… well, yeah, it’s pretty big, I guess,” Daniel admitted.

He had never seen Jayden’s hard, so he didn’t know how the two stacked up side by side.

“You guys want to compare?” Jayden asked.

“Dude?!?” Harry said, his inflection screaming ‘WTF?’

“No homo. Just to see,” Jayden said.

The magic of the words ‘No homo’ seemed to do the trick. That and the fact that Daniel, Chris, and Noah were not exactly shy about seeing each other naked. They had all been doing way more than just looking at each other for several months, now. Almost a year, in Daniel and Chris’s case.

“Um, sure, I guess,” Daniel agreed.

“I’m in,” Chris said.

“You’ve seen mine already, so why not?” Noah added.

That left Harry as the odd man out, and no way was he going to let himself be the only one to chicken out. Peer pressure at its finest. He quickly wilted under the expectant gaze of the other four boys.

“Okay, fine. But just to compare. No homo,” Harry repeated.

“Yeah, yeah. Relax, Harry, nobody’s gonna grab your pecker,” Jayden said.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“You all wish I’d let you,” Harry stated boldly.

The comment was met with hushed laughter from the other boys. The teasing and bravado lasted another couple minutes, by which time everyone, even Harry, was visibly tenting their pants.

“I’ll go first,” Jayden said boldly.

Jayden pulled down his boxers and showed off his boner. He had a full bush of dark black hair, tight and curly. The shaft of his cock was slightly darker than the rest of his skin, but the head of it was lighter, almost pinkish purple like the palms of his hands and feet. He was circumcised, and that swollen purple head, shaped like an acorn, was pulsing rapidly with Jayden’s heartbeat. His dick, when soft, was about four and half inches, but hard it had grown to about six and a half inches, and marbled with thick veins, making it look something like a king sized Snickers bar. It was a decidedly adult cock and it looked absolutely massive on his short, thin eleven year old’s body. He was pretty far along through puberty, but not done. Both he and his junk would undoubtedly grow larger in the next few years.

“Whoa! Nice one!” Noah said appreciatively.

“You’re a grower,” Chris said, almost surprised.

“Yeah,” Jayden admitted, slowly stroking it just to keep it fully hard.

“I’ll go next,” Noah said.

Noah shucked off his own shorts and undies, proudly presenting his penis to the group. His black hairs were coming in nicely, but still soft and wispy, despite being the oldest of the group (albeit only by about a week and a half compared to the next-oldest, Harry). As he had mentioned, everyone had seen him erect before. It ended with a pronounced round mushroom head, with Noah’s long foreskin bunched thickly beneath the head. It was just about two and a half inches when soft, and almost double that when, like now, it was achingly hard. More than respectable for a twelve year old, but easily the smallest among the group. That had not been the case only four months ago, when Chris was the smallest, but Chris had grown faster than Noah in that regard, as well as his height. Noah’s cock was the same warm honey-brown as the rest of his skin; much darker than Daniel’s, but not as dark as Jayden’s.

Harry was next around the circle, but he seemed far less enthusiastic about showing off. He was a bit apprehensive.

“Come on, Harry, nobody’s going to laugh,” Noah prompted.

“Yeah, yeah. Keep your panties on,” Harry said, rolling his eyes.

“What panties? I’m naked,” Noah joked.

“He’s got you there,” Daniel teased.

“Go on, Harry. Take your panties off,” Jayden quipped.

“You guys are so gay,” Harry grumbled, but he lowered his pants and boxers just the same.

“There, you pervs! Put it in your spank bank and enjoy it,” Harry said gruffly.

Harry, unlike the others, was mostly a show-er. Flaccid, his dick was a little over five inches. That swelled out to nearly six when hard, and it ended with a surprisingly round bell-shaped head. Harry, like Jayden, was circumcised, and so the head seemed quite prominent, especially along the steep ridge along the rim. Like Jayden’s, Harry’s penis was quite thick and veiny, but with his lighter skin, the thick blue veins stuck out more to the eye. His light brown pubes had started to transition from fine and wispy to rough and curly, but it was still a mixed bag. And speaking of bags, his balls hung very low, looking large and full in his scrotum, although of course this was not news to the other boys. They did somehow look even larger and fuller than normal when Harry’s cock was standing at attention and not draped across the front of them, though.

“Oh, you’ve got nice one, Harry,” Noah said.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“Of course you would say that, Noah. You just love dicks,” Harry teased.

Noah giggled and gave a sheepish grin, but didn’t argue the point.

“No, seriously, Harry. It’s not a bad one. Nothing to be embarrassed about,” Daniel offered.

“Really?” Harry asked, his tone uncertain.

The other boys picked up on his insecurity and correctly guessed its source. Harry’s dick was markedly larger than Noah, but also noticeably shorter than Jayden’s. Since Daniel’s bulge was so pronounced, and Chris’s didn’t look much smaller, Harry was obviously worried about how he measured up.

“Yeah. Just about like mine,” Chris added.

“For real?” Harry asked. “Everyone else’s got so much bigger. Mine barely grows at all.”

“Yeah, check it out,” Chris said, lowering his own pants.

Since his growth spurts had kicked in, Chris had become noticeably larger in the dick department, and his hairs had grown in nicely. He had a full bush of tight and curlies in the same shade of orange-y blond as he had on his head. In the locker room, he showed off a solid four inches when soft. As promised, though, his boner was about six inches long when hard; perhaps a tad longer than Harry’s, but not by much. His skin was even paler, and his veins, though not as thick or plentiful, showed up even more beneath his creamy porcelain skin. Like Harry’s, Chris’s balls hung low and full. Although neither Jayden nor Harry knew this, they swung freely and slapped loudly while he was fucking a tight hole. Unlike their friends, however, Daniel and Noah knew this fact quite well.

“Oh, it is a lot like mine,” Harry noted.

Chris’s head was a little pointier, not quite as round; more like a fireman’s helmet than a bell. Also, Chris was intact, while Harry was cut, but otherwise they were quite alike. Chris was a grower, while harry was a show-er, but when hard, there was barely a difference in their lengths.

“Okay, Diaz, let’s see it,” Jayden challenged.

Chris and Noah turned, giving Daniel a knowing look. They knew that the other two boys were in for a surprise.

Daniel dropped trou, proudly showing off his goods. His bush, like Harry’s was still transitioning from wispy to curly, but it was mostly thick and full, now. His thick mushroom head was a dusky purple-pink color that contrasted nicely with his sandy skin tone. The shaft was thick and well-veined, and his foreskin nice and loose as he slowly pumped it up and down. It had grown over an inch in the last four months, since Sean’s birthday.

“Holy cow, it is as big as mine,” Jayden said, impressed.

“Yours is nice, too,” Daniel said.

“Oh, man, you two are so lucky. Look at those things,” Harry said, envy dripping from his tone.

“Yours isn’t bad, Harry. Besides, you’re still growing,” Daniel said supportively.

“Yeah, but so are you guys,” Harry countered.

“It’s not a competition,” Chris pointed out.

“True,” Jayden ceded.

“Yeah, but if it was, who would win?” Harry asked.

Everyone glanced, trying to size it up. It was hard to tell. Clearly it was a two-horse race between Daniel and Jayden. Jayden’s was a little thinner, while Daniel’s was a little thicker, although neither was abnormally so. It just made it hard to judge by just looking.

“You want to measure?” Chris suggested.

“Nah, fuck that, just hold ‘em together,” Jayden said, propping himself up on his knees and scooting over towards Daniel.

Daniel chuckled and did the same, waddling toward Jayden.

“This is so gay,” Harry protested.

“You protest too much,” Chris said, smirking.

Harry blushed ten shades of red and bit his tongue while the other boys laughed.

Daniel and Jayden faced off, leaning in toward each other. It was indeed a close call, but there was a winner. Daniel’s tip touched against Jayden’s crotch, while Jayden’s tip was maybe an eight of an inch away from reaching Daniel’s.

“Looks like Daniel,” Chris noted.

“Yeah, but not by much,” Noah said supportively.

“You’re both big,” Harry said jealously.

“Size isn’t everything,” Daniel said kindly.

“True,” Jayden agreed.

Harry suspected that they were both just being nice, but either way, he would take it. He did feel better.

“Thanks, guys,” Harry answered.

“I wish that rabbit girl was real. I would so cum all over her tits,” Jayden said, lazily stroking his cock.

“Man, I’m so horny, now,” Noah said.

All of the boys giggled. They were, too, but at least one of them was reluctant to admit it.

“Well, duh. We’re all hard and talking dirty and stuff,” Chris said.

“I mean, we could jerk off,” Daniel suggested.

“That’s so gay,” Harry protested.

“Dude, nobody said we have to do it to each other,” Chris argued.

“True,” Harry conceded.

“Besides, you’re horny, too. We can all still see your boner,” Noah argued.

Once again, a chorus of giggles broke out.

“Stop looking, perv,” Harry teased.

More giggles.

“Like, seriously, though, guys. Let’s just do it,” Jayden suggested.

Harry looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“For real?” Harry asked.

“Lots of guys fool around with other guys during puberty,” Chris argued.

“That’s true,” Daniel agreed.

“Yeah,” Noah echoed.

“Think of it as a team building exercise,” Jayden suggested.

“I don’t know, guys,” Harry said reluctantly.

“Look, dude. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Nobody will force you to participate or even watch, but it’s just jerking off,” Daniel said.

“Just jerking off?” Harry said doubtfully.

“Everyone does it,” Chris said.

“Not together,” Harry said.

“We do, me and Noah,” Chris said.

“Ha! I knew it!” Harry said, smirking.

“Dude, they’re cousins. They’re the same age. Of course they do,” Jayden said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, right. I guess I jerked off with my cousin once,” Harry admitted.

“See?” Jayden said, pouncing on the admission.

“Feels better with a friend, right?” Noah said, smirking just as hard as Harry had been.

“Well, yeah, I guess it does,” Harry admitted.

“So do you wanna?” Daniel asked.

“Well, I mean, okay, I guess,” Harry agreed.

“Circle jerk?” Jayden asked.

“Sure,” Noah agreed.

“Okay,” Daniel said, shrugging.

“I’m game,” Chris agreed.

“You guys really want to do that?” Harry asked.

“Why not? It’s just a dick. I touch mine all the time,” Daniel answered, shrugging again.

There was a quick chorus of agreement. Harry took a deep breath, shrugged right back and swallowed hard.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this,” Harry said, shaking his head.

Everyone smiled and cheered softly.

“You won’t regret this,” Noah said cheerfully.

“I regret it already,” Harry said, blushing.

“Shut up and take one for the team,” Jayden said, laughing.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“And by ‘one’ he means the dick on your right,” Daniel quipped.

Everyone chuckled at that.

“I still can’t believe this,” Harry said, blushing.

“No homo, Harry. Just bros helping bros,” Jayden said.

Whether it was the natural absurdity of the claim or the shit-eating grin on Jayden’s face, Harry didn’t know, but it was hilarious, either way. Didn’t matter. He was horny enough for some flexible morality. Welcome to the mental Olympics gold medal round. Harry Thompson is in great position to win.

Jayden reached forward, his hand hovering near Harry’s lap.

“This okay, bro?” Jayden asked.

Harry gulped and nodded. Jayden gripped Harry’s cock in his hand and started pumping slowly. Harry sighed. That felt really good.

Daniel reached over and grabbed Jayden’s pole. It felt somehow both new and familiar. It was similar in size to his own, but there was just enough difference in shape and girth that it also felt very different. Daniel knew that Jayden liked it, too, because his sigh was even louder than Harry’s.

“Feel good, Jay?” Daniel asked, just to hear the praise.

“Yeah, Danny. Feels awesome,” Jayden answered.

Chris leaned over and started in on Daniel’s cock, jerking him with practiced precision. As his longest-term partner, Chris knew exactly what it took to make Daniel happiest, and he intended to throw every trick in the book at him, only slowly, so it would last.

“Damn, Chris, that’s good,” Daniel sighed.

“Thanks, Daniel,” Chris answered.

Noah grabbed Chris’s dick and started jacking it slowly. Chris sighed as soon as he felt the warmth of Noah’s familiar hand.

“Thanks, cuz. Feels good,” Chris moaned.

“You’re welcome, bro,” Noah answered.

That left only Noah without a hot little hand around his dick.

“Don’t leave Noah hanging, dude,” Daniel chided.

“Yeah, bro. Start jacking or I stop,” Jayden warned.

“That’s okay, guys. He doesn’t have to, if he’s not comfortable,” Noah said.

Harry seemed uncertain what to make of this act of kindness on Noah’s part. He had certainly tried to mend his bullying ways, but he still sometimes teased Noah about, among other things, being gay. Harry didn’t know if Noah really was, and honestly he didn’t truly care. He just sometimes felt insecure about his own body and his own sexuality, and his upbringing had taught him that the best way to handle that was by attacking others. He realized, now, that this wasn’t a healthy response, but change was hard. He had to constantly work at being a better person, because his instincts were wrong.

“I… um, no, I’ll do it,” Harry said.

“Thanks, Harry,” Noah said sweetly.

“Yeah, yeah. Fair is fair. But no homo,” Harry added.

Harry’s tone was gruff, but his bravado couldn’t hide the note of desire hiding deep within his voice. Despite what he may want others to think, he was, at the very least, curious about experimenting with his friends, even if they were also boys.

Noah sighed as the other boy’s hand gripped his cock and started stroking him. Harry’s fist almost swallowed him whole, only the barest tip of his cock sticking out of the top. Harry automatically switched to a three-fingered grip and Noah sighed louder still.

“Yeah, Harry. No homo,” Noah agreed, as the other boy jerked him off.

Daniel, Chris, and Jayden shared a silent smirk, a raised eyebrow, and facial expression that screamed of ‘get a load of this.’ Because this was definitely homo. This couldn’t get more gay without involving mouths or assholes. Nobody said anything, though. Teasing Harry might make the fun stop, and they were all enjoying it too much to judge.

“Oh, shit, that’s nice. You’re good at this,” Jayden sighed.

Daniel gave an impish grin.

“I have lots of practice,” Daniel joked.

“Lucky boy, if all your hand jobs feel like this,” Jayden sighed.

This time it was Chris and Noah’s turn to share a knowing smirk with Daniel. Jayden had no idea.

On the other side, Harry’s cock head had attained a furious shade of red, visibly pulsing with every beat of his racing heart.

“You look like you’re about to blow,” Jayden noted.

“Mm, fuck! Yeah, gonna cum, soon,” Harry said.

“Me too,” Noah agreed.

“Don’t get any on my hand,” Harry warned roughly.

“Mm, okay. I-I’ll warn you,” Noah promised.

Daniel grunted, his hips instinctively thrusting against Chris’s hand.

“I have… a towel… under… my mattress…” Daniel groaned.

“We’ll get it after we all cum,” Chris said, not slowing down.

The boys all looked around the circle at each other, feeling astonished as the naughty truth settled in. They had seen each other’s boners, now. They were all jerking off together, touching each other. They were about to see each other cum. About to make each other cum. This was no longer a casual friendship. This was, as Jayden had so jokingly suggested, a team bonding experience that couldn’t be duplicated in any other way.

The chorus of young male moans and grunts built like a crescendo as they raced towards their climaxes. Nobody wanted to be the first to cum, but it was clear that nobody could hold out for much longer. All of the boys were leaking heavily and the wet, sloppy *slick, slick, slick* of fists pistoning on wet cocks joined the symphony of sexual sounds.

“Harry,” Noah groaned breathlessly.

“What?” Harry asked.

“G-gonna… gonna… cum,” Noah grunted helplessly.

To Noah’s surprise, Harry’s hand did not leave his cock, it kept pumping away at the same quick, steady pace it had been for the last several minutes.

“Almost… almost… ah, ah, ahhhh!” Noah whimpered as he squirted.

Even as Noah’s meager load spilled out onto Harry’s hand, Harry didn’t stop. The former bully, noted the searing heat of Noah’s fluid as it spilled onto his hand, and the euphoric, almost angelic expression that Noah got as he orgasmed. For a brief moment, a feeling of satisfaction flashed across Harry’s face, before he remembered himself and wiped it off. He would never admit it, but making another boy cum felt much better than making another boy cry. But he was afraid of the implications of that realization, and he tamped those feelings down, not yet ready to face them.

Like a chain of dominoes, the other boys went off, as if Noah cumming had given them the permission they needed to cum themselves.

“Mm, Noah,” Chris grunted as he flooded Noah’s hand with his warm, sticky load.

Noah milked Chris’s cock until he finished, and then released Chris’s cock, letting it wilt in a puddle of its own emissions.

“That’s it, Chris, that’s… mm,” Daniel sighed, finding his release.

The extreme horniness of the situation with four other guys had Daniel extremely excited. His normally sizable load was somehow still more massive as he grunted and squirted out what felt like gallons of his hot young jizz onto his best friend’s hand.

Jayden was next. Daniel gave Jayden’s cock a little twist that sent him over the edge.

“Damn, Diaz,” Jayden groaned as he spewed like a fountain.

Jayden looked with wide-eyed wonder as the thick white puddles of jizz spotted his dark skin.

“Thanks, bro,” Jayden sighed.

“Welcome, Jay,” Daniel grunted back.

At this point, only Harry was left, apparently holding back his orgasm by sheer force of will. Jayden pumped ever more aggressively now that he had no distractions.

“I should… finish myself,” Harry said.

“Why?” Jayden asked in a challenging tone.

“Too gay… to let… a guy… make me… cum,” Harry grunted, sounding almost pained in his efforts to hold off.

“Fuck that bullshit,” Jayden said, pumping with increased vigor.

“Jay… I… J-Jayden,” Harry said, sounding almost like he was begging.

“Shut up and cum, white boy,” Jayden said forcefully.

“I… oh… oh, god!” Harry grunted.

He spewed out his load, painting Jayden’s hand white with his cum. It was a feeling of both immense relief to have finally climaxed and instant shame to have done so because another boy touched him there.

“I… oh my god… I…” Harry stuttered, gasping for breath.

“You liked it. You’re welcome,” Jayden said, smirking in satisfaction.

“I… yeah. I liked it. Thanks, Jay,” Harry said, blushing at the admission.

“That was epic,” Noah sighed.

“So good,” Chris agreed.

“Now that’s a team huddle,” Daniel quipped, giggling at his own joke.

The other boys joined in.

“You realize that we’ll never be able to huddle up without laughing ever again, right?” Chris joked.

All of the boys laughed again.

“Yeah, well we won’t be able to now. Thanks, Eriksen,” Harry teased.

“So what? It’ll be our own little inside joke,” Noah said, smirking.

“Yeah,” they all agreed, their voices coming in a disorganized chorus.

“Man, we made a mess,” Chris said, looking around at all of his cum-soaked friends.

“I’ll get that towel,” Daniel said, standing up to fetch it.

The boys quickly cleaned themselves up, mopping themselves off with the towel. And then Daniel turned off the lights, and they all settled into their sleeping bags and had a nice, restful night, dreaming of things much more interesting than sugar plums and sleigh bells.

Chapter Text

Saturday, December 22, 2018

In the morning, Sean found them just as they had fallen asleep, all cozied up like a stack of caterpillars in their cocoons.

Sean let them sleep in while he and Esteban went on their morning jog together. Esteban had to go back to work, so Sean was babysitting the crew. He started up the fireplace and sketched quietly in his chair waiting on the boys to wake.

When the boys finally woke up, Sean made them all pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then they all went outside to build a snowman, even Sean. When they came back in, Sean threw another log on the fire and cuddled under the blankets to warm up with the rest of them. They watched some more Christmas shorts together until it was time for lunch. Sean made cheeseburger macaroni, which all of the boys loved. There were no leftovers, even though Sean had made extras.

After lunch, it was time to take the boys back home. No one was too particularly happy about that.

“Ah, man. Can’t they stay a little longer, Sean?” Daniel begged.

“Yeah, bro. Please?” Jayden asked.

Sean shook his head sadly.

“If it were up to me you could stay as long as you want, but your dad said no. Sorry, little dude,” Sean said.

“Oh, man,” Jayden whined. He ran his fingers through his long curly hair in frustration.

“I know, big guy. It sucks. Same deal with you two,” Sean said, turning to Noah and Harry. “Your moms said you have to come home.”

“Aaaah, maaan,” the two whined in almost perfect unison.

Everyone had a chuckle.

“Chris, your dad said you’re with us until he gets done with his Christmas shopping,” Sean said.

“Well, that’s something, at least,” Chris said.

Daniel smiled. He was having fun with the larger group, but alone time with Chris also had its advantages.

“Yeah. I wish you could all stay, sorry, guys,” Daniel said.

“It’s all good, bro,” Jayden said.

“It’s okay. I had fun,” Harry said.

“Yeah, man, it was a great weekend. First, we win our big game and then the pizza party and the ci… uh… sleepover. It was awesome,” Noah said, hoping that Sean didn’t pick up on his slip up; nearly saying ‘circle jerk,’ and only just barely catching himself.

The boys chatted excitedly between themselves as Sean drove. Harry’s house was closest, and so they dropped him off first. He climbed out of the car, collected his backpack, and waved his goodbye to the rest of the team.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Harry said.

“Of course! Thanks for coming, Harry,” Daniel said.

“Yeah. It was cool. Maybe we can do it again some time, Diaz,” Harry said awkwardly.

Daniel nodded and gave his friendliest smile. He knew why it was so awkward for Harry. After spending most of their childhood as bully and victim, being friends felt weird. But both could agree that this was better.

“I’d like that. Later, Thompson,” Daniel answered.

The others said and waved their goodbyes, too, until Harry let himself into the house. He poked his head out and gave one last wave before closing the door behind himself.

Sean pulled out, headed for Noah’s house, next. Once again the boys fell to idle chit-chat about all of the usual suspects; sports, girls, school, and superheroes; while Sean focused on driving the car.

A strikingly similar scene played out at Noah’s house. Smiles. Waves goodbye. Promises to meet again soon.

“Tell Aunt Caroline I said hi,” Chris said, waving once more.

“I will,” Noah promised.

“Take care, kiddo. We’ll see you soon,” Sean said.

Noah’s face broke into a grin.

“Yeah, can’t wait. See you, Sean. Bye, guys,” Noah said.

He gave one last wave goodbye and then vanished into the house just as Harry had at the last stop. Jayden’s house was in the opposite direction, but they got there, eventually, passing the time with more boy talk. Jayden’s neighborhood was a bit unsettling, in a weird sort of way. It was a nice enough neighborhood, being military housing through his father’s Navy career. But the box-like houses were too similar, too uniform, for an ordinary neighborhood. There were no unusual yard features, no random bay windows, no gaudy lawn decorations. Just dozens of identical housing units, each built and painted in an identical manner by the cheapest bidder on the contract. Still, at least the neighborhood, despite it being all military housing, was an actual residential neighborhood. It sure beat mo st of the alternatives, including actual on-base housing.

They arrived at Jayden’s house thanks to his clear, concise instructions. Sean paid close attention so he could navigate back out of the area without help. The streets were not long or winding, but that made them almost more confusing than what Sean was used to. He relied heavily on landmarks to navigate, and the sheer almost-suburban uniformity of the neighborhood made things difficult for him.

“Thanks, Diaz. I had a great time. You sure know how to throw a party,” Jayden said, smiling in what he obviously felt was a mysterious way.

“Bye, Jay,” Daniel said.

“See you, Jayden,” Chris said.

“Later, guys,” Jayden said, waving goodbye one last time.

He turned and marched straight up to the door without looking back. He let himself into the house with his own key and closed it behind him. Sean paused a moment to see if he would wave or poke his head out again, as the others had, but he didn’t, and so Sean pulled out and headed back towards home.

With it being just Sean, Daniel, and Chris in the car again, Sean no longer felt the need to keep quiet. He smirked, looking every bit as puckish as Daniel ever had.

“So, exactly how much fun did you five have last night?” Sean asked.

Chris and Daniel both had a deer-in-the-headlights look of utter confusion on their faces.

“How did you know?” Daniel asked.

“Because I have a nose? You all reeked of dried cum this morning,” Sean said, laughing.

Both of the younger boys blushed, but also smiled delightedly.

“Busted,” Chris said, laughing.

“So?” Sean pressed.

“Just a circle jerk,” Daniel said.

“Yeah, this time,” Chris added.

Sean chuckled.

“That does sound like a fun party. I’m sorry I missed it,” Sean said.

“Me too,” Chris said.

“So they seemed open to doing more, do you think?” Sean asked.

“Harry is curious, but embarrassed about it,” Chris noted.

“He’d look so cute on his knees for you,” Daniel said, smirking.

“Yeah, definitely,” Chris agreed.

“What about Jayden?” Sean asked.

“Oh my god, he’s down bad,” Daniel said, giggling.

“Really?” Sean asked.

“Yeah. I think he’s more of a top, but he’d nail anything that slows down long enough for him to stick it in,” Chris agreed.

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Sean said, smirking still wider.

“We’ll work on them,” Chris promised.

“Carefully,” Daniel added.

“Good boys,” Sean said, grinning.

There was a pause in the conversation as they just vibed in the horniness of it all. Then Sean broke the silence.

“So, who’s up for a little fun when we get home?” Sean asked.

Both of the younger boys giggled gleefully.

“Me! Me!” they chanted in unison.

“Just what I like to hear,” Sean said.

“Dibs on bottoming,” Daniel said.

Chris sighed. No fair that Daniel thought of dibs first.

“So, Chris, you want heads or tails?” Sean joked.

“Uh… tails,” Chris decided.

Sean nodded.

“Then that hot little mouth is all mine. I’m going to stretch your lips out and gag you on it,” Sean said.

“Aw, man, that’s hot. I’m going to pound you so hard while he does that,” Chris promised.

Daniel whimpered in anticipation.

“Do we have to wait for home?” Daniel asked.

Sean and Chris both chuckled.

“Probably better. It’s too cold to fuck in the park,” Sean said.

Daniel groaned in disappointment, but understood. Sean only smiled all the more at Daniel’s adorable little sounds. Always ready and eager to make his big brother feel good. The best little bro a guy could ask for.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Sean and Daniel had spent the bulk of the last three days making the most of their extra alone time during the holiday break, occasionally joined by Chris. Sean loved the way Chris blushed and whimpered whenever Sean told him what a good job he was doing and how he wished he could see Chris’s cute pink lips stretched around Jayden’s big black cock.

It was true enough, but mostly he said it just because Chris was so cute when he was flustered. Doubly so when he got flustered while acting as the man-in-the-middle of a Diaz brothers spitroast. Seeing Chris blush with his lips wrapped around Sean’s enormous cock while Daniel railed him hard from behind? Pure heaven. The only thing as good as that was seeing Daniel in the same position.

Currently, it was too late to enjoy such shenanigans, though. Esteban was long since home, their dinner eaten, and the first movie of their Lord of the Rings movie marathon already watched. It was bedtime on Christmas eve in the Diaz household, and Daniel was as ready as ever to repeat what he had sincerely hoped would become a Diaz family tradition.

Last year, Daniel still believed in Santa Claus. His faith had been wavering, but a magical morning changed his mind. At least for a time. He had found the receipt for the beautiful BMX bike he had gotten from ‘Santa’ while snooping around in Esteban’s desk in the dining room. His family admitted it when confronted. Daniel had been a bit upset, but not too bad. He had received a bit of peer pressure at school, anyway. Ten was pushing it on still believing in Santa. Besides, he would still get just as many presents. The only difference was that now he would be thanking the right people for them.

Daniel didn’t care about any of that this year, though. The best part of Christmas wasn’t Santa or the gifts, or the decorations or the movies or any of that stuff. It was all well and good, but the important part was spending time with family. Daniel loved watching movies and snuggling on the couch with his father and brother. But the tradition he was hoping for started after all of that. At bedtime. In Sean’s bed, not his own.

Daniel tiptoed through the space between their doors once again, his face lit up by the same blinking Christmas tree lights as it had been last year. He knocked on the door, waiting for a response. Sean was pretty sure who it was. Esteban had already said his good nights and gone to bed.

“Come in,” Sean said.

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Daniel asked, grinning.

He was not shy or bashful this year. Only eager.

“You’d better,” Sean said, grinning right back.

Daniel charged in, giggling gleefully.

“Lock the door,” Sean reminded him.

Daniel paused. The door closed itself and the lock clicked without him even needing to turn around.

“You’re crazy good at that, enano,” Sean said.

“Thanks,” Daniel answered.

Sean threw the covers back and Daniel bounded the last few feet into Sean’s bed with joy in his step. He cuddles into a warm hug as Sean threw his arms around him, spooning him.

“Merry Christmas, little wolf,” Sean said, nuzzling into Daniel’s neck.

“Merry Christmas, Sean,” Daniel answered.

“So this feels familiar,” Sean teased.

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

“I love you so much, little man,” Sean said.

Sean’s hands ran across Daniel’s body, making Daniel feel weak in the knees, his breath stolen by the butterflies in his tummy.

“I love you, too, Sean,” Daniel answered, his voice barely a whisper.

Sean’s hand found Daniel’s cock, already hard and ready for action, and rubbed it through the thin cotton pajamas.

“Someone is excited,” Sean teased.

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed breathlessly.

“We don’t need all these clothes, now do we?” Sean asked.

“No,” Daniel agreed.

Sean slipped off his boxers as Daniel shimmied out of his pajamas and undies, leaving Sean completely naked, and Daniel wearing only his the pajama top. Sean pulled Daniel back tight against him, enjoying the feel of their warm skin touching together.

“Christmas sex is the best sex,” Sean said.

Daniel giggled softly.

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed again.

Sean gyrated his hips slowly, rubbing his hardening cock along Daniel’s ass crack.

“I got you a present,” Sean whispered.

“I saw them under the tree. I got you some, too,” Daniel said.

“No, I got you a special present. One I couldn’t give you in front of dad,” Sean said.

Daniel’s grin grew wider and his eyebrows perked up in curiosity.

“What kind of present?” Daniel asked.

“It’s under the bed,” Sean said.

Daniel wiggled around and flopped his head off the edge of the bed, peering under. He giggled as he felt Sean’s hands pawing at his rump, squeezing the cheeks and pressing gently against the puckered hole.

“Hey,” Daniel scolded delightedly.

“You want me to stop?” Sean teased.

“No,” Daniel admitted, wriggling back around with the present in hand.

He examined it. It was a long, thin box wrapped in the same pretty paper as the presents under the tree. The tag said, ‘For the brother who makes all my dreams come true.’

“Aw, that’s so sweet, Sean,” Daniel said, filled with emotion at the sweet sentiment.

“Open it, cub,” Sean said.

Daniel ripped the paper off and found that it was a discreet brown box with no pictures or obvious markings. Daniel dug further still and found that it was a dildo. A big one that seemed oddly familiar in his hands.

“Whoa, nice. Thanks, Sean,” Daniel said, grinning.

“It’s mine,” Sean said.

“But I thought you gave it to me?” Daniel asked, confused.

“No, no. It is for you, Daniel. I meant the dick. The dick is mine. It was one of those ‘mold your own dildo’ kits,” Sean said, grinning.

Daniel smiled. He thought the dick looked and felt familiar.

“Awesome. I love it, Sean,” Daniel said grinning.

“I was thinking. About how we always said you wished I had two dicks so I could fuck you from both ends,” Sean said.

Daniel’s eyes lit up as he realized the implications of this gift.

“And now I can,” Daniel said, smiling greedily.

“I mean, yeah, if you want to. Kind of a selfish gift, sorry,” Sean said sheepishly.

“It’s perfect,” Daniel said, shifting around to give Sean a passionate thank you kiss.

“No, cub... You’re perfect,” Sean answered between kisses.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Daniel admitted. “Anything naughty, I mean.”

“That’s okay. I got a second one for me. I was hoping you would make one for me,” Sean said.

“You want to make a mold of mine?” Daniel asked, both surprised and pleased with the idea.

“It might come in handy,” Sean said, winking lewdly.

Daniel leaned his head against Sean’s and kissed him softly, as his hand drifted down Sean’s body and gripped the big cock he found waiting for him. He pumped it slowly and smirked at the whimpers of pleasure that slipped from Sean’s mouth. Everyone always described the bottom as the submissive one, but Daniel never felt more powerful, more in control, than when he made Sean lose his mind with the sheer pleasure of his actions.

“Want me to suck it?” Daniel asked, giving Sean’s dick a suggestive squeeze when he said the word ‘it.’

Sean had the same answer as when Daniel had asked to sleep in his bed.

“You’d better,” Sean said in a low, sultry whisper.

“Yes, sir,” Daniel teased, smiling slyly.

Daniel dipped his head low and started the foreplay. Sean loved the tender kisses, soft kitten licks, and teasing little sucks that Daniel always started with when giving head. Daniel didn’t just give head, he worshiped Sean’s cock and balls, and Sean was just so there for every euphoric second of it.

Sean turned on the dildo’s warming feature and then returned his focus to his little brother and the wonderful job the kid was doing of pleasuring him. He rubbed slow circles into Daniel’s soft, silky hair as he went down, alternating between sucking the top half of Sean’s dick and going deep and throating it to the base.

“Good boy, cub. Such a good boy,” Sean said, sighing softly.

Daniel blushed at the praise, as he always did. He blushed even harder when Sean picked him up by the hips and started ravishing his ass with hungry licks. Daniel let out a helpless, high-pitched whine around Sean’s cock as his big brother ate his ass. Sean ate it like a meal, devouring every wrinkled iota of the warm flesh with gusto.

Sean ate Daniel out for several minutes. In fact, he probably did it quite a bit longer than he needed to, but he was enjoying it. He loved the noises Daniel made when he ate the boy’s ass. It was loose enough, now. That was the whole point to start with. Sean grabbed the lube and slathered it on and into Daniel’s hole before rubbing a generous amount onto the dildo.

“All yours, cub,” Sean said, holding the massive hunk of silicone out for Daniel to take.

Daniel did so, the item raising into the air and floating towards his own ass without missing a single beat of his lips bobbing along Sean’s shaft. Sean helped line it up and Daniel did the rest, pushing in at a pace that he was comfortable with.

Daniel was in hog heaven. The warming feature wasn’t perfect, but it felt real enough. The thick, meaty girth of the dildo was so familiar. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that he was being fucked by Sean himself. He sighed in sheer joy; the feeling of Sean’s real cock stretching his mouth and the dildo of Sean’s cock stretching his hole both at once. It was everything he had ever imagined it could be. He thought of the message Sean had written him, and it occurred to him that Sean had made his dream come true, too. He would be sure to thank him when they finished up.

Just when Daniel thought that things couldn’t get any better, though, he felt Sean’s mouth nuzzling at his prick. Soon, the tight, familiar warmth of his big brother’s mouth enveloped him and he couldn’t help but thrust into it. They both moaned softly as they sixty-nined, and Daniel speared himself with the warm silicone replica of his big brother’s cock.

As far as Christmas presents go, this one was pretty damned good.

Daniel woke first in the morning, as he so often did on Christmas day. Even the loss of Santa wasn’t enough to dampen Daniel’s mood, though.

“Presents, Sean! Presents!” Daniel said, urging Sean awake by gentling rocking him with his hands.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Sean said drowsily.

Sean was still mostly in track season mode, despite the winter break, so it didn’t take much to make him stir.

Sean was about to ask if their father was up yet, but the smell of bacon frying on the stove answered that question for him.

“Merry Christmas, cub,” Sean said brightly.

Daniel returned the kind smile.

“Merry Christmas, Sean,” Daniel answered.

Sean shivered a little.

“Brr, it’s cold this morning,” Sean said.

Daniel perked right up at that.

“I’ll put another log on the fire!” Daniel said eagerly.

Sean knew that this had as much to do with Daniel’s eagerness to play with the fireplace as it was to take care of him, but he wouldn’t hold that against Daniel. His brother took care of him so often and in so many ways, he couldn’t fault the kid for the odd impulse that wasn’t completely selfless. It was still an exceedingly sweet gesture.

“Thanks, cub,” Sean said.

“Happy to,” Daniel called over his shoulder, already racing out of the room to stoke the fire.

Sean smiled as a memory came floating into his head.

“Oog! Oog! Me make fire!” Daniel’s little voice danced through Sean’s memory.

Daniel’s first camping trip. He had let Daniel help with the fire. They had both been so proud. It wasn’t all that long ago, but it felt like it was. Daniel had grown up so much since then, but he was still such a bright, amazing kid.

Sean finished his morning business in the bathroom and then sat at the table. He smiled and laughed at Daniel, who was still playfully stirring the fire with the poker.

“Are you sure one log is enough, dad?” Daniel asked, not for the first time.

Esteban chuckled.

“Okay, fine. One more,” Esteban said, shaking his head in defeat.

Daniel grinned and promptly threw one more log onto the fire. He then immediately resumed his aimless poking and stirring.

“Close that thing up and come eat breakfast,” Esteban said, his tone not carrying much bite.

“Okay, dad, I’m coming,” Daniel said.

Daniel gave one last haphazard poke at the log, and then gave up the ghost, closing up the glass doors and going to join his family at the breakfast table.

It was a nice breakfast. They chewed their bacon and eggs and sipped at their orange juice in between joyful stories and conversations about their comings and goings. Basketball, school, track, college, work. It was nice. Cozy. Comfortable. Familiar.

Cozy like the tall, green tree, with the full, green boughs laden with blinking lights, glass bulbs, bright streamers, and assorted ornaments. Comfortable like the fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. Familiar like the festively-wrapped packages stacked neatly beneath the tree. Boxes full of video games, household items, clothes, art supplies, and all the other usual suspects.

The family had changed in ways that none of them could ever have predicted. It had grown with found family and friends. Some of their relationships had shifted, grew, and become something that, though taboo, was deeper than they ever could have imagined. But the important part was that they were all still here. Together. One happy family that had not been torn apart by tragedy, as it had in some other parallel universes.

Two teenage boys, both sixteen, and yet both somehow also not, stood in the snow, watching the Diaz family through the window. Their breath painted the winter sky white one little cloud at a time as the minutes rolled by in silence. Neither of them spoke, but they, too, were thinking of luck. Things that used to be, but no longer were. Things that almost were, but then weren’t. Things that could have been, if not for sheer dumb luck. Fates decided on the flip of a coin.

The Diaz family sitting at the table had no idea about those other universes. They were simply happy for their own lives, their own world. One in which Daniel had not died of some unknown brain malady that turned out to be merely his latent telekinetic powers struggling to manifest.

They didn’t know about any of the many worlds in which Esteban had died to a cowardly cop’s bullet. Nor did they know of one where Sean died in a hail of gunfire while Daniel tried to drag him across the border into Mexico. Or one where Sean spent half his life rotting in prison for crimes he mostly didn’t do. Or one where the brothers ended up separated by miles and borders, never to see each other again, going through the motions of love until their relationship withered on the vine and eventually even faded completely.

If they had known about these worlds, they would be haunted by them, just as the two brothers who watched through the window were haunted. But they did not know. The Diaz family at the table was blissfully unaware. Sadly, the Diaz family watching through the window knew better. They had seen more than their fair share of other worlds, and lived through far too many tragedies. The scene they saw from across the street warmed their hearts as they stood, observing it. For this was the season for family. They had many families to check on, and a still larger one to get back home to.

The sixteen-year-old version of Daniel looked over at his brother. The one he thought he had lost forever. The one who had literally come back from the dead for him.

“They look happy, don’t they?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, they do. They are,” Sean answered.

“It’s cool that Chris moved in next door,” Daniel noted with a smile.

Sean returned the smile.

“Yeah, it is. I must say, that’s a twist I never expected,” Sean answered.

A strange set of circumstances it was, that led to that. Ones set in motion by yet another version of Daniel. One they called the Stray. He was from a completely different world than either of these two Daniels.

“You ready to head home?” Sean asked.

“Yeah, let’s go home,” Daniel agreed, thrusting his hands in his pockets to warm them.

Sean wrapped his arm around his little brother’s shoulders as they turned to walk back toward the little cave in the park by Daniel’s old elementary school, and the door to another world that was hidden within it.

“Merry Christmas,” Sean said.

Daniel smiled and laughed.

“It is, isn’t it?” Daniel said, as if just realizing it.