Last Chapter:

Brian forced a confident smile on his face as the cockiness returned.  "Well, I hope you brought some sunscreen with you, then, because your clothes seem to be missing.  I'd hate to see that hot little ass of yours get all red and sunburned.  You can always come back into the water with ME, though."  His eyes widened in dread, however, as Justin oddly grinned back at him, turning HIM into the uncomfortable one now. 

"That's okay," Justin told him matter-of-factly as he held up a familiar-looking pair of jeans and a pair of black sneakers.  "I found someone else's clothes conveniently hanging from that tree branch over there.  But don't worry; I'm sure you can always wear MY clothes home!"  Quickly slipping his shorter legs into the larger-sized jeans before rolling up the cuffs, Justin finally emerged from behind the tree as he slid his feet into the expensive sneakers.   He ignored the intoxicating scent of the other boy that still lingered on the shirt that was held in his hands as his face lost its smile and he told Brian with deadly calm, unable to hide the hurt and sadness evident in his voice, "Just because you let Jared fuck you doesn't mean that I'm going to let you fuck ME," before he quietly turned and walked away, leaving a speechless, older boy with his mouth agape in the water.

An ugly epiphany bloomed inside Brian as he realized exactly what Justin had meant, and his face contorted into fury.  It was time to have a little talk with Jared.

The attraction of swimming in the refreshing lake water suddenly lost its allure as Brian watched Justin hurriedly shrug into his jeans and slide his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.  Without another sound, Justin gave him one last, sad look before he turned and disappeared from sight a few seconds later, the cuffs scraping slightly against the dirt as he walked.

Brian stood there watching him go, too stunned to say or do anything.  His face was red with both embarrassment as well as rage.   Justin thought that he had let Jared top him?  That could be the only possible explanation.  How DARE he spread that type of lie about him?  He didn't bottom for ANYBODY, and he sure as hell didn't appreciate someone insinuating such.

His fury over being lied about drove Brian out of the water in record time as he pulled up short on the bank a few minutes later.  He was going to have a showdown with Jared very shortly, but first there was the issue of his missing clothes.  He walked over to the nearby hollow tree to retrieve Justin's clothing, which by now were wrinkled and encrusted with chips of wood from the decaying tree.  Turning his nose up at the sight as he held the shirt up in front of him, he gave it a wary look, wondering how in the hell he was going to get back to his aunt and uncle's farm with clothes that were not his and were obviously the wrong size.

"Shit," he muttered as he threw the shirt down on the ground and picked up Justin's jeans and held them up against his waist.  There was no fucking way he could wear these without looking like some yokel sporting a pair of denim knickers.  What choice did he have, though?  At least the blond's ample ass should give him more than enough room to shrug into them, and it was either that or saunter back to the farmhouse in his birthday suit.  That didn't particularly bother HIM, but he didn't want to be responsible for giving his Aunt Sarah a heart attack, either.

A few minutes later, he was standing there with the loose-fitting jeans on, the cuffs at least four inches too short for his long legs.  Feeling utterly ridiculous, he scooped up Justin's shoes and underwear to stuff them into the shirt and tied the flaps together before turning to walk back up the dirt trail leading away from the lake, careful not to step on anything in his bare feet and dodging more blackberry thorns along the way.  He rolled his eyes, feeling like a modern-day version of Huckleberry Finn.  All he needed now was a stick to attach the balled-up clump of clothing to, and he would definitely look the part.  He sighed in disgust over the image that was projected as he ran smack into a spider web stretched across the pathway and came up with a mouthful of the sticky substance in his face and his eyes.  "Shit!" he growled as he wiped it away and shook his hand up and down violently in an unsuccessful attempt to get rid of it.  He finally had to wipe his hand off on some leaves in order to dislodge it.  Could this get any worse?

As he came out of the clearing, he spotted a familiar blond head nearing the Taylor yard and wondered if Justin would have the same problem that he might have - trying to explain why he wasn't wearing his own clothes.  He watched as the other boy walked up to the front gate and promptly hid behind one of the front bushes near the steps.  Snickering at his juvenile antics, he then observed him stealthily creeping up the front porch and cupping his hands to one of the front windows as he peeked inside before, finally, he opened the front screen door and quickly entered the house.  Sneaky little shit, he couldn't help thinking in an oddly admirable way.  Justin, however, had it lucky - at least HIS purloined clothes were more than enough to cover him and he had his good, quality clothes; he, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of jeans that probably came from some ad straight out of the Farmer's Almanac.

At that moment, he would have liked nothing better than to march over to the Taylor house and have it out with that fucking liar Jared, but he thought it wiser to go change his clothes first.  Steeling his jaw in determination, he veered off toward the left, keeping to the edge of the woods as he carefully made his way back over to the Walker farm.  As he got closer to the property line separating his aunt and uncle's farm from the Taylor farm, he quickly ducked behind the large trunk of an oak tree as he spied his uncle walking into the barn where Checkers was housed, thanking his lucky stars that he was able to elude his uncle's scrutiny.  Blowing out a sigh of relief as his uncle disappeared inside, he held the bag of clothing by his teeth as he walked over to the fence and scaled the side of it, hoping he didn't wind up with a splinter in his foot in the process.  Hopping down and keeping a watchful eye on the barn to make sure his uncle didn't come back out, he quietly walked toward the front of the house, not paying the ground any mind until he felt a sharp, unexpected stinging sensation on the top of his left foot.

"Fuck!" he cried out as he bent his leg at the knee and picked his foot up, noticing a bee stinger protruding from the arch of his foot.  "I don't believe this!"  He winced as he pulled the stinger out, trying as best he could to ignore the acute pain shooting up his lower leg.  Hobbling along now in an effort to get out of sight from his uncle's possible detection, he managed to limp up the porch and was about to open the door to quietly enter when Solomon, the Walker's beagle, came bounding up to him and began to circle around him eagerly for attention.

"Amscray, Mutt," he muttered to the dog as he looked around warily, "go find a fox to hunt."  But his words to the dog merely served to encourage him further as Solomon began to bay excitedly at him with a loud, booming bark.

"Shhh!" he hissed.  "Are you trying to blow my cover here?"  He quickly reached for the doorknob just as he found it opening on its own.

Sarah frowned as she opened the door wider, her eyes sweeping over her nephew's tousled-looking damp hair, bare chest, and jeans that appeared to be way too short for him.  He was holding a ball of clothing in his hands and was missing his shoes.  "Brian?  What happened to you?"

Great.  Thanks, Dog, he silently berated the beagle as he stepped inside; Solomon trotted along happily at his heels and promptly scampered down the hallway toward the kitchen, no doubt in search of his food bowl or some water.  Sure enough, a few seconds later he heard the distinctive sound of water being lapped up.

"I got stung by a bee," he informed his aunt, as if that would explain how he looked. At least it seemed to temporarily divert his aunt from more probing questions, however, as she furrowed her brow and took him by the forearm.

"You poor thing," she murmured sympathetically, wisely choosing not to press her nephew further as she led him over to the couch.  "Sit down and I'll go get something to take care of it. Where did you get stung?"

Brian sat down on the edge of the worn but clean couch.  "On the top of my left foot," he told her through gritted teeth; for something relatively minor, the sting hurt like hell.

"You're not allergic, are you?" she asked worriedly as she helped Brian to put his foot up on top of the coffee table.

Brian shook his head.  "No, but it smarts like crazy."

She nodded as she took a quick look at it, noticing only some redness and perhaps a little swelling there.  "Just try to relax and I'll be right back."

Brian glanced over toward the hallway leading to the kitchen, worried that he would be busted any minute by his uncle and not wanting to deal with having to explain his strange appearance.  "Uh, no, it's okay," he hastily tried to dissuade her.  "It's not that big a deal; I'll just go upstairs and find something in the bathroom for it."

But Sarah was undaunted.  "No, you need to put some ice on it to reduce the swelling, and have the wound cleaned.  Just stay put."  For a smaller woman, Sarah could be quite commanding when she used the right tone of voice; Brian didn't know if it was because she sounded remarkably like his own mother, or she was just naturally imbued with an authoritative, calming presence, but something in her voice told him to comply as he nodded back at her.

A few minutes later, she returned with a wooden serving tray holding a plastic bag of ice, a kitchen towel, a metal dishpan containing some other items to take care of the wound, and a coffee can.  Placing the items down on the coffee table in front of her, she dipped a clean washcloth into the coffee can filled with tepid, soapy water and began to gently clean the wound.   "Are you allergic to any medicine, either?" she asked as she placed the cloth back into the water a few minutes later and used the corner of her clean apron to gently dry the infected area.

Brian was amazed with how methodical she was and by how gently she tended to him as he shook his head.  "No, not that I know of."

Sarah nodded as she reached for a small bowl that held a baggie filled with a few tablespoons of water.  "I'll get you some anti-histamine and ibuprofen for the pain, then, as soon as I'm done."  She pulled open the zippered plastic bag and poured the water into the bowl as she reached into the bin again for a small, plastic bottle of some sort.

As she continued to administer to her nephew, she couldn't miss Brian's repeated, worried glance toward the back of the house.  "He'll be gone for a while," she gently reassured him.

"Who?"  Brian asked, trying to sound ignorant.  Inside, though, his heart was beating anxiously that he would be caught any minute and he knew his aunt was well aware of who they were talking about.  It wasn't that he was scared of his uncle; he just didn't want to be put through yet another inquisition.

"Your uncle," she replied anyway, playing along with him.  "He's in the barn taking care of the animals for the night, and then he always comes and sits on the front porch with the radio afterward to listen to the Reds game.  He won't be in for at least a couple of hours yet."  She sighed softly.  "He does it every night during the summer."  Just once she wished they could do something together and actually converse with each other.  They had always done that...Before the accident.

Brian nodded, knowing it was useless to play dumb.  Who else could he be talking about around here, anyway?

Sarah unscrewed the small container's lid, placing it down on the coffee table next to the bowl of water.  Brian noticed it had holes on the top like a spice jar.  Reaching to retrieve a toothbrush, he watched as she poured the tablespoons of water into the bowl and began to sprinkle some auburn-colored powder into it to create a paste.

When Brian was finally able to read the label on the container, he turned to look at his aunt as if she had lost her mind.  "Meat tenderizer?  What's that for?  I'm not some piece of tough steak."

Sarah laughed softly as she swished the water and powder together with the clean toothbrush to help thicken it.  "You'd be amazed what sort of home remedies we use here for medicinal purposes," she explained as she applied some of the paste to the brush and slowly rubbed it over the sting.  "Out here we can't just run to the drugstore every time something happens to us.  The tenderizer has an enzyme in it that helps to break down the bee venom."  She smiled understandingly at her nephew's look of doubt.  "Don't worry - you won't smell like beef, and it'll help with the itching and the discomfort."

Brian shook his head, temporarily forgetting his other problems.  "Now I've heard of everything," he murmured as his aunt finished applying the odd concoction and returned all the items to the metal dishpan.

"Here," Sarah said quietly as she handed him the cloth-covered ice bag.  "Apply this to the sting for a little while; it will help reduce the swelling."  Brian nodded as he did as he was told.

Sarah had an opportunity to study her nephew a little more closely as he pressed the bag to the top of his foot.  There was no way that these were the same clothes that Brian had worn on the way to the lake.  "Brian, whose clothes are those?" she asked softly, no judgmental or scolding tone to her voice, merely an inquisitive one.

Brian lifted his gaze to stare into his aunt's face; it was a kindly face, similar in feature to his mother's physically, but that was where the similarity ended.  His mother always looked so cold and impassive when she talked to him as if she were just waiting for him to screw up again.  His Aunt Sarah, on the other hand, had been nothing but kind to him ever since he had come here, and he could tell she wasn't accusing him of anything,  just merely wondering what any normal person would wonder - how he left wearing one set of clothes and returned wearing another.  How in the hell was he going to explain this to his aunt, though, so she wouldn't be shocked?

He sighed softly as he met her gaze, deciding for once that maybe the honest, straightforward approach was the best.  "They...They belong to Justin."  There...At least it was out now...

Sarah frowned.  "Justin?  How in the world did you wind up with his clothes instead of yours?"

Brian fidgeted on the couch and averted his eyes downward to look at the ice bag again as he replied, "I saw him - down at the lake.  He was there when I arrived."  Sarah remained silent as her nephew explained, "He was floating on top of the lake...without his clothes on."  For a few seconds, his allowed his thoughts to stray back to that first moment when he had  first seen Justin out in the water; even now, the image of the other boy and his beauty was seared into his brain and he had to force himself to steer his thoughts away for fear his attraction to him would become obvious, even to his unsuspecting aunt.

To her credit, his aunt didn't bat an eye over that provocative statement, though; in fact, she actually grinned.  "Well, you wouldn't catch ME and Will doing that - not at our age now, anyway - but I imagine the Taylor boys would do it on their own property and away from prying eyes."  She lowered her voice to more of a conspiratorial-type whisper as she revealed to him, "Don't tell your uncle I told you this, but it's really nothing new.  Your uncle and I used to do that same thing over at that watering hole all the time when we were first married.  Nothing would cool us off more than some skinny dipping after a hard day's work on the farm, especially during the hot summer months.  This kind of weather is unusual this time of year here, though; it's normally not this hot yet."  She felt her face warm a little in embarrassment over what she had just divulged as she reached over to take the ice bag away from her nephew and place it in the bin; trying to keep her voice neutral, she added softly, "That still doesn't explain how YOU wound up with Justin's clothes."

Brian gnawed on his lower lip for a moment before he decided he could trust her not to be judgmental; at least this would be a good test of that theory anyway.  "Well...I thought it would be kind of fun to hide his clothes from him as a practical joke, so I stuffed them in the hollow of a tree when he wasn't looking.  Then when I waded into the water to surprise him, he wound up turning the tables on me."  He deliberately didn't tell her how amazingly hot Justin had looked there lying on his back totally naked or how he had unashamedly pursued him; he figured there was only so much his conservative aunt could handle at one time.

"How did he do that?" she asked, watching him intently now in rapt fascination.

"He neglected to tell me that there's a steep drop in the water in one part of the lake and he led me right over to it."

Sarah nodded with a laugh.  "Yeah, I know... over by the large grape vine."

Brian's eyes widened in surprise.  "You know about that?"

She nodded again with a smile.  "Yeah...that old oak tree has had that grape vine hanging down from it for years; we used to swing from it and drop into the lake there all the time when we went swimming.  It was a lot of fun."

Brian huffed.  "Well, someone conveniently avoided telling me about it and I wound up being pulled under into the deep part.  By the time I got back up to the surface, Justin had already swum back over to the shore and found MY clothes to wear."

Sarah chortled in amused glee.  "So he left wearing YOUR clothes and left his instead?"

Brian looked a little uncomfortable as he admitted, "Well, he didn't know where HIS were, so I guess he had no choice."  Sarah nodded in understanding as he told her, "What could I do?  I didn't think Uncle Will would appreciate me walking back here buck naked."

Sarah burst out laughing at the imagined sight.  "No, he probably wouldn't have," she told him, grinning from ear to ear.  "But it sure would have been funny to see."  She glanced over at the balled-up clothes lying on the couch.  "Well, I think it would be courteous to return Justin's clothes to him, don't you think?  It wasn't HIS fault that you hid them from him.  I think he did the only thing he could under the circumstances."

Brian contemplated that; while it would serve the little shit right to not return his clothes after what he had pulled, it WOULD accomplish one thing:  it would give him an excuse to confront Jared about the lies he had been telling his younger brother, and perhaps help elevate him to a more favorable status in Justin's eyes afterward after he explained what really happened.  He didn't stop to consider why it was so important to him that he straighten things out with the younger Taylor brother; he just knew that it was.  "I guess you're right," he told her with a nod.  "In fact, I think I'll go return them now."

She frowned.  "It'll be dark soon, Brian. It can wait until tomorrow."

"No," he shook his head, trying desperately to scramble for a good reason why it had to be right away.  "I don't want him to run the risk of getting into trouble over not having his own clothes," he told her, thinking that sounded plausible.  "And it's just a few minutes' walk.  I can even take a flashlight with me just in case I start back after dark.  And besides, I didn't bring a lot of clothes with me - I really need to get my own back, too."  He was silently proud of the story he had just concocted - if it were him even HE would buy it.

She nodded, looking into his eyes and sensing just a hint of awkwardness there and perhaps something more; there was almost a touch of anticipation in his voice.  "Justin's a wonderful boy," she told him with a smile.  "Very thoughtful and considerate, always so soft-spoken, too.  And I think he's a very handsome young man; no...beautiful, both inside and out, I would say.  He has more of a classic look than the rugged features that Jared has.  Don't you think?"  She asked politely as she gazed into his face.  She had noticed the way that Brian had been staring at Justin over the Taylor's dinner table; he might have been trying to be subtle about it, and maybe he didn't even realize how much his expression was broadcasting his innermost feelings, but she had seen it just the same.  And his reaction just now to her question only confirmed her suspicion that there was more going on here than just a juvenile sort of practical joke at Justin's expense.

"Yeah, I guess," Brian grumbled, embarrassed, as he turned his face to look out through the front window.  "If you notice those kinds of things."

Sarah quirked one side of her mouth up, knowing she had to be right.  She couldn't quite grasp how one boy could be attracted to another boy - that was about as foreign a concept to her as flying without any wings - but her nephew wasn't fooling her, not for one second.  "Well, anyway, I suppose it would be okay to go over there now if you're careful.  That is, if your foot is doing better."

Brian nodded; he had scoffed silently at his aunt's homemade attempt to make his foot feel better, but he had to admit - the sting was practically gone now and the pain was minimal.  "Yeah, it's fine.  Just a little achiness, that's all."

Sarah nodded as she rose from her place at the couch.  "Well, why don't you go upstairs and change into some of your own clothes?  I'll go hunt up that medicine and a flashlight for you in case you need it."

Brian nodded as he stood up and reached for the ball of Justin's clothing.  As he turned to go, Sarah reached out to grasp his forearm.  She hesitated saying something, but she felt she must; she was really fond of Justin.

"Brian...Whatever happens between you and Justin..." Brian opened his mouth to protest that there wasn't anything going on to even be concerned about, but his aunt placed a couple of fingers lightly over his mouth to squelch it.  "Just hear me out," she entreated earnestly before she removed them.  "Whatever happens between the two of you...just don't hurt him.  He really is a sweet boy, but he's still very young.  That's all I'm going to say.  Okay?"

Brian finally nodded silently as he turned to go, his aunt's eyes practically boring into his back as he walked up the stairs toward his bedroom.  Sarah watched him go for a few seconds, deep in thought, before she headed back to the kitchen with her supplies.

Fifteen Minutes Earlier - Taylor Farmhouse

Justin collapsed face up on his twin-sized bed and groaned as he looked up at the ceiling.  What had possessed him to be so bold around Brian?  What had come over him?  He looked down at the oversized, long shirt and the jeans he was still wearing and he couldn't believe he had actually engaged in a battle of wills with the handsome, older boy.  What in the world was he thinking?  But he couldn't help it.  Despite his deep attraction to Brian, he had been sad as well as pissed; angry that just because Brian was sexy and gorgeous - and knew it - he thought he could just waltz in that water and expect him to bend over some rock outcropping and let him ram his cock into his ass like some faithful, little eager puppy dog, and sad that his idea of perhaps having a relationship with him had been promptly squelched.  Well, he might not be overly experienced when it came to sex and he might be deeply attracted to the guy, but he still had his pride.  He had meant what he had said - he wasn't going to be anyone's consolation prize.

"More like a booby prize," he muttered to himself.  That's about how he felt at the moment - like a big, ignorant boob.

"Well, I got news for YOU, Hot Stuff.  I'm NOBODY'S easy lay," he vowed once more to himself, feeling a lot less confident than he sounded, though.  He huffed, insulted at the thought that Brian considered him such an easy and willing target.  Why couldn't he just find some sweet, thoughtful boy to have a relationship with?  Why did he have to fall for someone who was arrogant and egotistical?  Knowing how forceful a personality Brian was, he was actually surprised that someone like him would agree to bottom for his brother in the first place, although he knew Jared could be quite determined when it came to getting what he wanted.  Maybe Brian felt just out of place enough here on the farm to agree to something he might not normally do.  He sighed.  What did he really know about such things, anyway?

Thank God no one had been around when he had sneaked in through the front door; if he had had to explain to either Jared or his father, especially, what had happened, he would have died from extreme mortification, not to mention his father would have had yet another reason to be disappointed with him and he would have been subjected to all sorts of questions he didn't want to answer.

He had the distinct impression, also, that his father didn't want them to have anything to do with Brian.  He had only grudgingly agreed to let Jared show Brian the newest car he was restoring, no doubt because it was JARED who had asked him and Jared could usually do no wrong where their father was concerned.  Still, it was obvious that their father didn't find Brian the best influence and didn't trust his motives.   Well, he wouldn't have to worry about HIM where the other boy was concerned; HE had no intention of being Brian's plaything.  If he wanted to get his kicks, let him go into town and find someone else who was willing to be used like that, or let him and Jared take turns fucking each other's brains out.  He really didn't care anymore.

Nice speech, Taylor, he could hear his subconscious chiding him as he folded his arms across his chest and continued to stare up the ceiling at nothing in particular.  He could hear banging sounds coming from outside his open window and knew it had to be his father and Jared still working on their newest project.  Sitting up finally, he decided it would be best to shuck out of the other boy's clothes and shove them into the clothing hamper before anyone noticed his odd state of dress.  Rising from the bed, he pulled out some of his own clothes from the top dresser drawer, and walking down the hallway he entered the bathroom door and closed it.  He unbuttoned the jeans and began to pull them down his legs when a sudden image appeared in his mind of the boy who normally wore them kneeling in front of him as he worshipped his cock, and that just made his entire body instantly heat up in reaction.

Idiot!  Stepping out of Brian's shoes and kicking the jeans off the rest of the way in disgust, he stood there and looked at himself in the mirror.  To his eyes, he looked like he was maybe 12 years old; no wonder Brian didn't really take him seriously!  Was he going to look like some fucking kid the rest of his life?  Sighing sadly, he began to unbutton Brian's shirt and pulled it off, holding it up to his nose to inhale the intoxicating scent of the boy who normally wore it - a unique mixture of sweat and after-shave, and perhaps a touch of cigarette smoke.  It was like instant endorphins had been released as a rush of desire flooded through him.  He closed his eyes and inhaled more deeply this time, savoring the thought of him - and Brian - together in the throes of passion as he reached down and began to slowly pump his cock, pretending Brian was doing it instead.  His dick became achingly hard merely at the thought of the other boy expertly jerking him off.  "Uhhh," was the unintelligible sound that sprang from his lips at the thought.  He began to stroke his cock faster and faster now, feeling the telltale tensing of his body signaling an imminent release....so close, God, yes...

"Justin!  Are you up there?"  Jennifer furrowed her brow in worry; she hadn't seen her youngest son return from the lake and he had promised to be home within a couple of hours.  Out here, once the sun began to set darkness followed soon afterward, and despite the relative safety of their environment, she still couldn't help worrying about him.  She was hoping, therefore, that Justin had somehow come home when she was out by the honeybee hives or had entered through the front door as he occasionally did sometimes.

Justin groaned as he was jolted out of his erotic fantasy by the sound of his mother's voice.  He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, stilling his hand on his leaking cock as he answered back as best he could, "I'm in the bathroom, Mom!  I'm taking a shower!"  And needing to jerk off...

He sighed in relief that he was at least spared having to come face-to-face with his mother at the moment.  "Okay then, Honey!  I saved you a sandwich from dinner if you want to come down and get it when you're done!"

Justin exhaled a deep breath as he reached to turn on the hot water.  "Thanks, I'll be out in a little while!" he called back as he pushed the vinyl curtain aside and tested the water temperature.  Finding it adequate, he threw Brian's shirt down on the floor to join his other clothes and stepped inside the bathtub to let the water cascade down his body.  Closing his eyes, he imagined Brian with him under the spray, his body glistening from the steady stream as he rocked back and forth, in and out, the taller man's body flush with his as he fucked him and held onto his waist with his large, long-fingered hands.  God, it would feel so good!  A few more strokes of his cock and soon he was coming all over the marble wall of the enclosure.  Sagging against the side of the bathroom wall a few seconds later, he sighed.  He could resist becoming Brian Kinney's plaything, but he knew deep down it still wouldn't prevent him from wanting him or being attracted to him.  He only hoped that the next time he met him, that fact wouldn't be written all over his face.