Togetherness (Part 2)

Tony wasn’t the only early riser in his family.  Tommy was a crack of dawn person as well.  It came from growing up on the west coast.  Surf-lovers knew that the best waves were in the early hours of the day, when the sun was just touching the water and the beaches were mostly empty of tourists.  Early day surfers were often labeled “The Dawn Patrol”, and Tony and Tommy had always been a part of that group.

Years of early awakenings continued to have Tony arising at 5:30 in the morning.  The morning after his family arrived, he had only just put some water on to heat in the kitchen when he was joined by his younger brother.

“Hey Runt,” he greeted affectionately and with a voice quiet so as not to disturb those still asleep.  “How’d you sleep?”

Tommy, still in pajamas and looking a little chilly, nodded at him.  “Good.”

“Want some hot chocolate?”

The younger man smirked cutely.  “Hot chocolate?  Isn’t that a kid’s drink?”

Tony shrugged, not offended.  “Maybe.  Who cares?  I got somewhat addicted to it since moving out here.  I prefer it over coffee, but if you want coffee I can put some on.”

“I’ll try your chocolate,” Tommy decided. 

They were quiet for several minutes until Tony put the drinks on the table and popped two frozen waffles into the toaster.

“So, how come the boy toy didn’t stay the night?” Tommy questioned. 

Tony gave the younger man a glare over the rim of his mug.  “I warned you once, Runt.  Max is not a ‘boy toy’.  Push too far and you know Parker’s knee isn’t the only one you might end up over.”

Tommy had the good grace and past experience to blush.  It was true.  Their parents had never felt the need for the use of corporal punishment on their kids.  Neither was the type to get that serious about something, although they had disciplined in other ways. 

But Tony was different—more serious and having the strength to call someone to the carpet—and Tommy admitted that he’d needed a firmer hand as a teen, and even now, that his parents hadn’t been able to provide.  Tony had spanked him in the past, and both brothers knew that while Parker was the main man in Tommy’s life now, his partner wasn’t against allowing Tony to discipline his little brother on occasion if he deemed it necessary.

“Sorry,” Tommy apologized.   “But honestly Tony, are you really serious about this guy?  Are you sure you know what you need to know about him?”

Tony didn’t look particularly pleased with the line of questioning, but he treated it as things his brother honestly needed to know.

“Yes, I’m very serious about Max, and what is it exactly that you feel I don’t know about him?”

Tommy crossed his arms, looking serious if not mildly put out by his big brother.  “I’m just wondering if you’re thinking with your dick instead of your brain.  Maybe Max is sweet, but the guy has the looks to stop traffic.  No one can be as pretty as he is and not have been around the block a few times.  What do you know about his past?  How long have you been actually going out?  Has he had an AIDS test?  Have you?”

The waffles popped and Tony, his body language tense with irritation—if not downright anger, moved to get the breakfast item.  He silently put the waffles on a plate and set them and the syrup on the table where neither he nor Tommy touched them.

Tommy tried to retain his “righteous” line of questioning, but although they contained things he really wanted to know, he was getting the inkling that he’d crossed a line that hadn’t been ready to be crossed yet.

Tony was upset.  He didn’t appreciate being questioned by his younger brother like this.  He was the one who had first known Tommy was gay, just like him.  It was he who had given the sex talk and the safety talk to his little brother. 

Tommy should know him better than this.  He had always been careful about whom he’d gone to bed with, and he didn’t appreciate the implication that he wouldn’t be, and he especially didn’t like the accusations he felt were being cast onto Max.

He had every intention of calling Tommy to the carpet and putting him in his place, but as he looked into his brother’s eyes, he saw the honest concern and maybe even a hint of insecurity.  That sight brought a spark of understanding and helped dissipate some of his irritation.

Instead of sitting across from him, Tony pulled a chair around next to his brother and sat at his side.  “Do you honestly think I wouldn’t be careful, Runt?”

“Nooooo,” the younger man drug out, not looking entirely sure.

Taking it one thing at a time, Tony tried to reassure his much adored brother.  “I agree with you, Tom.  Max is gorgeous.  I’d challenge anyone not to see it, but that doesn’t mean that he’s the type of man to jump into bed with just anyone.  He’s not a natural social butterfly like you, and believe it or not, he hasn’t had that many boyfriends.  We’ve discussed our pasts.  He knows my history and I know his; and yes, while the tests were done before we even met, Max and I have both been tested since our last bed partners and we’re both clean.”

Some tension left Tommy’s face to know that.  Tony was glad to see that, but he still spoke seriously.

“Max and I haven’t been together terribly long yet.  We’ve got a lot to learn about each other, but I’m utterly serious about him.  He’s kind and honest.  He’s easy to talk to, fun to be with, challenges me on how I think, and makes me feel happy in who I am.”  He dropped a long arm across the back of Tommy’s chair.  “It’s you who convinced me that love can happen quickly, kid.  Remember what you said the day we saw Parker at that college fair?”

“That every professor should be that hot?” Tommy joked.

Tony laughed, remembering that Tommy had said that.  “Yes, but I was thinking more about what you said after you spent an hour letting him waste his time trying to convince you to go to college.”

Tommy’s eyes glowed with the memory.  “I said a guy like that would be worth settling down for.”

“And where were you exactly thirty-five days, just five weeks, later?”

Tommy laughed, the sound bouncing cheerily around the room.  “Moving in with him while you watched me load my car in horror.”

“You and Parker fell in love so quickly that I couldn’t believe it was real, but I know it was the right move for you both now, and it does appear to have worked out.”

Tommy nodded.  “Do you really feel that strongly for Max?  The way I do for Parker?”

“If you mean, does my day feel incomplete if I don’t get to see him?  Does it seem like I’m missing part of me when he’s not here?  Is he the best thing to ever happen to me?  Then yes, I feel as strongly for Max as you do for Parker.”

Tommy’s eyes narrowed, but then a gradual grin appeared on his lips.  “Congratulations, Bro!” he cheered before hugging the bigger man.

*****

“Is there a plan for the day?” Parker asked a couple hours later after everyone was awake, showered, and gathered around the table for breakfast.  It wasn’t homemade, but no one complained about the store-bought sticky buns and fresh coffee.

“I was going to put some options out for you and we can go with whatever everyone finds the most appealing,” Tony told them.

“What are your ideas, honey?” his mother asked.

“Well, there’s a really nice digiplex nearby.  If you’d like to do a movie, we could go that direction.  If you don’t mind a little drive, there’s a local place that has a bunch of exotic cats.  That would be partly indoor and partly outdoor, but it’s got lions and tigers…”

“And bears, oh my!” Tommy jumped in precociously. 

Everyone grinned.  Tony just shook his head with a smile.  “No bears, Runt, but the rest are fun to see.  We could also take a trek to the department store.  You could see where I work, meet some of my coworkers, shop a little if you wanted.”

“I like that idea!” Tori said quickly, making the family chuckle.  Everyone knew Tori loved to shop.  She wasn’t alone in that enjoyment either.  Tobias wasn’t one to spend a lot, but he could enjoy a pleasant couple hours looking at tools, furniture, and appliances.  A good book store was a safe bet for him as well. 

Tommy tended to be a bit prideful when it came to his clothing.  He wasn’t a clothes-horse, but he was conscious of quality and style when he shopped.  Tony, as a younger man, used to think Tommy was too obsessed with how he looked, but he learned from Parker that it had to do more with insecurity.  Tommy was image-conscious due to his short stature.  He didn’t want to be taken for a kid or less of a man by others who towered over him, so he tended to dress well and with confidence.  Even now, as he sat eating breakfast with only his family who were mostly in warm sweats, he had on a new-looking pair of jeans and a button-down with the collar sticking out of an attractive grey sweater.

In the end, the other options were saved for another day and the family decided to head to the department store. 

“Will Max be joining us?” Tony’s father asked as the lot of them dressed in warm coats and hats for the drive.

Tony shook his head.  “Not today, Dad.  He has some articles to work on.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Tori commented with a frown.  “He shouldn’t have to work over the holidays.”

“The newspaper doesn’t sleep, Mom,” Tony reminded.  “Max doesn’t write a daily column, but he usually has an assigned article a couple days a week.  He’s on a limited time to get those done and to the paper’s editor.  I was planning to have him join us tomorrow if he was able.”

“Why don’t you give him a call later, honey?  Maybe if he gets his writing done, he could join us for supper,” his mother suggested.

Tony nodded.  “I’ll do that.”

At the store, Tony was greeted repeatedly by coworkers.  It brought smiles to his family’s faces to see how well received and liked he was.  They continued to grin as a young man spotted him and came over to drop a friendly arm across Tony’s shoulders.

“Heya, Boss!  Come to fix the chaos of your absence?”

Tony laughed.  “Not on your life, Cam.  I think you all can hold the fort down for a week.”  Tony directed the young man’s attention to the group.  “Everyone, this is Camden.  I have to put up with him working for me during his college breaks.  Cam, these are my parents, my brother, Tommy, and his partner, Parker.  Parker, maybe you can make sense of this kid.  He’s an American Lit major at the state university and has the biggest and most complicated vocabulary I’ve ever heard.”

“Really?” Parker asked as he shook Cam’s hand. 

“Incontestably.  I defy you to procure a quadruped of some acumen who may prove himself adapt at prevailing over myself in the use of the remarkable realm of confabulation.”

Everyone got a laugh, although it was only Parker who seemed to know fully what was being said.

“A bit full of yourself, my lad?” Parker joked.

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing,” Cam quoted.

Parker nodded, willingly taking up the challenge.  “But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.”

Camden blinked in surprise, then took a step back and gave a perfect bow.  “Touche.  My respect to anyone who can quote Kierkegaard.”

Parker nodded, his arm slipping around Tommy’s waist.  “I’m impressed with your knowledge as well.  I’m a history professor in California, and Tommy and I both have a liking for the mostly unread tomes of today.  We could probably get into quite the discussion if you weren’t on duty.”

“I wish we could,” Cam said with obvious disappoint.  “There aren’t many who have read what I have…”

“Cam has a philosophy minor just for the fun of it,” Tony put in.

The young man grinned.  “What’s not fun about dissecting the thoughts behind the thoughts?  Or maybe I should just say, what’s not fun about confusing people just for the heck of it?  ‘All of our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason.  There is nothing higher than reason’.”

Parker winked at Tommy and the smaller man took the hint, his expression rascally.  “Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.”

Cam put his hands over his heart and stumbled back dramatically.  “You know Kant as well!  Be still my heart and curse the world that insists I work for a living instead of engaging my brain in the noble pursuit of intellect!”

The guy was a riot and had the lot of them laughing at his dramatics.  Tony lightly shoved the young man’s shoulder.  “Oh, you love us here, and you’ll be back in school soon enough.  Get back to the customers now, ya twit.  I’m going to introduce the family to some others.”

With a grin, Cam nodded and headed to a couple looking through a stack of dress pants.

“I didn’t understand more than three words of what went on just now,” Toby said as the group of them started to move away.  “But that was fun!”

The rest of the trip was fun as well.  Once Tony had introduced them to who he wanted, they started shopping.  Tori insisted they needed more winter clothes since she didn’t realize how necessary layering would be.  Tony willingly helped her through the store, Tommy coming along as well to check out the selection.  Parker and Toby went their own way, seeking out the tool department and pausing on occasion to see things that caught their eye.

Later they ambled through the rest of the mall, stopping for a treat at a hot pretzel stand, and wandering in a few stores.  When they started talking about dinner, Tony’s mom insisted that Tony call Max.

“See if he’ll join us, sweetheart.  Is there a restaurant he likes?  Maybe we can tempt him to come.”

Tony grinned to himself, knowing Max didn’t need additional motivation.  If he could come, Tony believed he would.  He stepped a few paces away from the group as he speed dialed Max.

“Hi,” the soft and gentle voice answered, the sweetness of the hello showing he’d seen the caller ID and knew it was Tony.

“Hi, Handsome.  How’s your day going?”

“Good…slowly…I’m bored,” he admitted. 

Tony chuckled.  “I take it your article isn’t that interesting?”

“Well, I hope I can make it interesting, but how fascinating would you find a story about landfills?”

“Not really much,” Tony admitted.  “How does a break sound to you?  Want to join us for dinner?”

“I don’t want to intrude…”

“Don’t even go there.  You’re never an intrusion.  Besides that, Mom has been begging me to call and invite you all day.”

“She has?”

“She likes you, sweetheart, and she wants to know you better.  Come join us tonight.”

“All right,” Max agreed, sounding pleased to be wanted.  “Where should I meet you?”

“How about El Sol?  Dad loves Mexican.”

“Sounds good.  Do I need to leave now?”

“Don’t rush.  Shoot for 6:30, ok?”

“I’ll be there,” Max promised. 

*****

Dinner was enjoyed by all.  A mariachi band played, partly drowning out the ability to converse too much, but providing a lot of enjoyment and laughter when Tommy was offered a maraca and got up to join the lively musicians.  He played and danced with the group for two songs, entertaining the other diners as well as his own family, before sitting back down next to Parker and getting kissed on the cheek. 

He winked at Max as he intertwined his fingers into Parker’s.  “Your turn, Max.  Go put on a hat and grab a cymbal.”

Max immediately shook his head, a mild blush staining his cheeks at the idea of being so much the center of attention.  “I’ll keep my seat,” he said softly but decisively.

Tony dropped his arm across Max’s chair, kissing his cheek as Parker had kissed Tommy’s.  “You don’t have to go anywhere,” he whispered so no one else heard.

Tony kept a hold of his hand as they walked out to the cars.  The two of them turned to Max’s vehicle, but were stopped as Tori called out to them. 

“Max, honey.  Are you leaving?  I thought you would come back to the house with us.”

Max looked uncertainly to Tony.  “Was that the plan?  I didn’t realize…”

“No,” Tony assured.  “I didn’t realize you had planned for that either, Mom.”

She put her hands on her hips.  “Well of course I expected Max to stay with us.  I had planned for us to do our Christmas together tomorrow.  No use making everyone wait to open their presents.”  She turned to Max.  “You should spend the night, honey.  Presents are meant to be opened as soon as you wake up.  Come and stay with us tonight.”

Max looked to Tony and the taller man nodded encouragingly.  “I’d love you to come with us.  Do you still have work to do?”

“I can finish it tomorrow, or bring my laptop with me tonight, but if I’m going to be at your place, Tony, I need to get some stuff from my apartment.”

Tony nodded and turned, unexpectedly tossing his keys to his dad.  The man had quick reflexes and caught them with one hand.

“Can you take the rest back, Dad?  I assume you know the way.”

Tobias grinned.  His knack for direction was well-known in his family.  The man hadn’t been lost a day in his life.

“I’ll get them home.  When should we expect the two of you?”

“An hour, give or take,” Tony told him.  “Start a pot of coffee and make yourselves at home.  My place is yours.”

Tobias nodded and directed the others to the car as Tony and Max headed to Max’s vehicle.

*****

Tony waited no longer than having the door shut behind them at Max’s apartment before wrapping strong arms around the smaller man and firmly, almost desperately, kissing him.

“You have no idea how much I missed you last night,” he said with fervency. 

“Oh, yes I do,” Max laughed.  “Because it can’t be any more than I missed you.”

Tony kissed him again, thoroughly losing himself in Max’s taste and loving the sensation of the smaller man’s arms coming around his neck as he was kissed back.

“When did you tell your dad we’d be at your place?” Max asked breathlessly.

“An hour, give or take.”

“Well, let’s give and take a little,” Max suggested with a look that Tony’s body had learned to love in recent days.

The private look turned to surprise when Tony abruptly lifted Max and started bearing him toward the bedroom.  After a moment, Max grinned, receiving a matching one from Tony as they reached his bed.   

*****

Much later that evening, Tony draped arm and leg over Max’s body.  They lay on the floor, on a bed of blankets and sleeping bags while Tony’s family slept upstairs.  Tony knew they’d have to be content with the brief interlude they’d had at Max’s apartment.  They wouldn’t risk being seen by a wandering family member in the night, but there was strong pleasure and contentment in simply holding each other in the peace of the room.

He nuzzled nose and chin in Max’s hair, smelling the familiar scent of Head and Shoulders shampoo.  “I’m glad you stayed,” he whispered.

Max did not feel prepared for the sudden awakening that came upon him.  The floor wasn’t his first choice of where to sleep, but it helped to have a pile of blankets to lie on and Tony’s body to curl against.  He’d managed to sleep fairly well with those two aids, and had still been sleeping somewhat deeply when the sound of a cheerful voice calling down the stairs disturbed his rest.

“Merry Christmas!”

He jerked awake, confused as to where he was and the thought in the back of his head that Christmas had already come and gone.  A warm pair of lips kissed his temple. 

“Sorry about that, Handsome.  Mom always has liked to wake the house for Christmas.  Can you sit up?  We probably have about sixty seconds before we’re converged upon.”

Max sat up stiffly and tried to stretch the kinks out of his back.  He yawned widely and discovered that Tony’s estimate had been very close.  In short order the sounds of feet hurrying down the stairs reached his ears.  He leaned, feeling almost alarmed, against Tony as the voices of his boyfriend’s family began talking over one another.

“Settle down now.  Settle down,” Tobias’s calm voice requested. 

Max glanced over at him, a smile tugging at his lips as he took in the red Santa hat the man wore.  It took him another moment to realize everyone had a Santa hat on, including Tony.  The bigger man grinned at him and moved his hand enough to see that an extra hat was in his grip.

“Time to join the club, Max,” Tommy announced from his spot next to Parker.

Max tried to stop it, but he still felt his cheeks warm as Tony affectionately put the hat on his head.  It only grew brighter when Tony winked at him. 

“That looks about right,” Tony’s smooth voice stated just before he gave Max a brief but thorough kiss.

“Sheesh, Max.  You’re redder than your hat!” Tommy teased.

Of course, that didn’t help the blush, but Max still managed a good-natured smile at the younger man. 

“Be nice, pest,” Tony said before glancing at his Dad.  “You’re up, Santa.”

At that, Tobias began picking up presents and passing them around to the six of them gathered.  He had a running commentary as he did so: “To Tommy from Mom.  To Parker from Tony.  To Tony from Tommy and Parker.  To Max from Toby and Tori…”

Max was a bit surprised to be receiving a gift from the couple, and even more so when a gift was offered to him from Tommy and Parker as well.  His surprise was matched by the guests when Tobias passed out gifts labeled to each of them from Max.

“Oh, how sweet of you!” Tori expressed.

Tony’s hand came up to rub gently on Max’s neck.  “You didn’t have to do that,” he said quietly.

Max offered a small smile as the others were still distracted by the passing out of gifts.  “I wanted to.”

Growing up in Max’s family, since there were so many of them, everyone opened presents at the same time, and then the group saw what everyone received. 

Tony’s family did things a bit differently.  Max watched and listened with interest as Toby returned to his seat next to his wife and looked to his sons and their partners.  His gaze remained on Max a bit longer. 

“Although some are more impatient than others,” He glanced with humor at his wife.  “We have a tradition of opening gifts one at a time, starting with the youngest.  Are you ok with that?”

Max nodded, not thinking it was necessary to ok anything with him.

Toby’s kind eyes smiled back.  “In that case, I’m afraid we’ll have to know your age so we know when it’s your turn.”

“I’ll be twenty-nine next month,” Max offered willingly.

“Which makes you second to youngest, honey,” Tori noted.  She looked to her husband.  “I guess the order will be Tommy, Max, Parker, Tony, me and you.”

Toby gave a single nod and everyone looked to Tommy.  The young man grinned and tore into his first package with gusto.  It happened to be the gift from Max.  It took him a minute to examine and play with the item before he really grasped its uniqueness. 

Max had bought him a snow globe…or a type of snow globe.  The glass ball on this one was half-filled with water, and a plastic man on a surf board floated atop the liquid.  The fun thing about the item was that you could shake it, flip it, and turn it upside down, and the little surfer always stayed atop the water.

Tommy laughed as he moved the globe every which way, trying to sink the plastic man, but not succeeding.

“This is awesome!  Thank you,” he said sincerely.

Max grinned, glad his gift was well-received, and his smile grew as Tommy let Tony get a look at the globe and the older brother seemed to have as much fun with it as the younger.

“Ok, ok!” Tori interrupted impatiently.  “You’ve got other presents, Tommy.  Hurry up!”

The family laughed.  Max was the only one unaware of how much Tori enjoyed opening her own gifts, but he caught on to her excited impatience.

Tommy finished opening his other gifts before all eyes turned to Max.  Understanding what was expected of him, Max reached for his first package, making those around him chuckle when he grinned and held it to his ear to shake gently. 

“Just open it, kid,” Tony encouraged with a smile. 

Max tore off the paper, a smile lighting his features as he saw a t-shirt that read “Surf and Turf Beach Shop.  Something for everyone by land or sea”. 

“It’s the ‘official’ shirt and logo of our store,” Tobias explained.  “Tori thought it would help you feel like a part of the family.”

“It’s wonderful,” Max expressed, feeling more overwhelmed than a simple shirt should have made him, but he greatly appreciated the sentiment behind the gift.  He completely unfolded the shirt and took a better look at it.  “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

Tori leaned over and hugged him.  “Thank you for letting me hear the happiness in my son’s voice when he speaks of you.”

Max took a deep breath, trying to contain himself and instinctively leaning against Tony as his partner wrapped a protective arm around his waist.  Tony picked up the one other gift that had Max’s name on it and gave it to the younger man, offering a distraction from the emotion of the moment.

Max took it gratefully and opened up the package from Tommy and Parker.  The sentiment of the first package was definitely dissipated as his eyes widened in shock. 

“Um…” he mumbled, his gaze looking very uncertainly toward Tony and with just a glance of embarrassment at the others in the room.

Tony opened the lid of the box on Max’s lap just a bit more, his expression unreadable.  “Tommy…” he murmured with a note of warning.

“Don’t get a stick up your butt,” the younger brother said in fun.  “It’s just packaging.  The real gift is underneath.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but rooted through the dozens of condoms that Tommy called “packaging”.  His hands touched something hard and brought it out of the box for Max to see.

“Wow,” Max exclaimed almost reverently as he took in the largest starfish he’d ever seen.

“Some buds and I go diving,” Tommy said, his eyes alight with pleasure over Max’s awe.  “I found that guy the last time we went out.  Parker and I thought you could use a bit of California on the east coast.”

“Thank you,” Max said, still staring at the starfish.  “I’ve never seen anything like this.  I can’t wait to show my nieces and nephews.  They’ll think it’s wonderful too.”

Parker and Tommy both nodded.  “We’re glad you like it, Max,” Parker said sincerely.

The six of them spent a pleasant hour watching everyone open the rest of their presents.  It really was Christmas all over.  It was such fun to see what each one received, especially Tony’s mom. 

Tori reminded Max of his own parents when it came to Christmas presents.  She had the excitement of a five-year-old, and exclaimed with such joy over each gift that the giver felt incredibly special.

When everything had been opened and the paper stuffed in a garbage bag, the family gathered in the kitchen for cups of coffee and hot oatmeal.  Talk centered around plans for the rest of the day.  Tori was quick to suggest a marathon of Christmas movies, but her idea was rather adamantly nixed.

“Really, Mom?  I’m about Christmas movied-out,” Tommy expressed.  Parker and Tobias were nodding in agreement.

“Tony, why don’t you suggest something?” Toby suggested.  “We are celebrating in your home.”

Tony swallowed a bite of oatmeal thoughtfully, pondering a few ideas.  After a moment his eyes glistened and he dropped his mouth to Max’s ear and whispered something.  The smaller man grinned, a quiet bubble of laughter going along with it.  When he nodded, Tony addressed the rest of the family.

“If it’s up to Max and me, then we’d like to take you sledding.”

“Sledding?” Tori and Tommy said simultaneously.

Tony nodded.  “It’s time for you to experience some east coast fun.  I’ve got a sled and an inflatable tube, and there’s a perfect hill about a ten minute drive from here.  What do you say?”

“I’m game!” Tommy voiced.  Parker nodded his agreement and Tony’s dad answered with a, “Me too.”

Tori, however, didn’t look thrilled.  “It’s awfully cold, dear.”

“I’ll help you with the best clothes to wear, Mom, and believe me, you’ll be hot once you realize the workout trudging through snow can give you.  I promise it will be fun.”

Max offered an encouraging nod to the woman.  “The hill Tony’s talking about is only about two blocks from my apartment, Tori.  If you get too cold or you really don’t like it, you and I can warm up there.”

That offer helped immensely and Tori nodded, her sweet smile at Max’s kindness getting bigger as she watched her son give the smaller man a brief but full kiss on the mouth.  She liked this young man.