Togetherness (Part 4)

Max stopped in sudden surprise at the noise and the sight in Tony’s townhouse as he walked in the door.  Loud noisemakers and outrageous party hats greeted him as he carried two grocery bags in.  He was grateful he didn’t drop what he carried as he jumped, although that was mostly due to Tony getting a quick grab on the bags.  Everyone laughed in enjoyment as Tony winked at him.

“Sorry to frighten you, hon, but Happy New Year!”

Max grinned at everyone.  “Thanks, but you guys sure start celebrating early!”

“The whole day is New Year’s Eve,” Tobias asserted.  “No reason why we should wait for midnight!”

Tony temporarily set the grocery bags on the floor and gave Max a little more explanation for his family’s celebrating.  “Mom and Dad’s first date was on New Year’s Eve, and Parker asked Tommy to marry him on New Year’s Eve, so it tends to be a day of celebration for us.”

“That’s great,” Max agreed, understanding the significance of the day.

“It is,” Tommy asserted, “so you better have a very special meal planned for us.”

It took a moment for Max to realize the younger man was joking, which he was only absolutely certain of when he saw Tony rolled his eyes.

“Don’t listen to the brat.  Tommy thinks getting to work on time is something to be celebrated with a steak dinner,” Tony teased.

“Well, it is rare,” Tobias put in, making his family laugh and Tommy put on a martyred expression of innocence.

“Will no one focus on my good points?” he asked, acting the part of being extremely hurt.

“I guess…if we have to…I could  point out that you work hard—when you do work, you’re the only one in the family to never forget a birthday, you’re smarter than you look, and you cut a pretty handsome figure when you ride a surfboard across the waves,” Parker said with a smile.

Tommy rolled his eyes dramatically.  “My hero…I guess, if you call that sticking up for me.”

His partner laughed and yanked Tommy over and onto his lap.  “Just kiss me, babe.”

Tommy did so willingly, leaving the two other couples in the room smiling at the scene.

Tony and Max ended up each taking a grocery bag and disappearing into the kitchen after that.  They got no further than setting the bags on the counter before Tony heeled out a chair and grabbed Max by the belt loop, pulling the smaller man until Max was forced onto his lap.  Max looked uncomfortable and automatically tried to get up.

“Tony,” he murmured with some embarrassment.

“What?” Tony asked, playing dumb.

“I’m too big for this, and someone might come in.”

“Who says you’re too big?  And who cares if others can see?  You weren’t bothered to see Tommy in Parker’s lap,” Tony debated with too much sense.

Max shrugged, still squirming but being held in place by Tony’s strong arms.  “That was sweet, but…”

“But?”

“I’ve never sat in a man’s lap before, Tony.  At least not since I was a kid.  It’s awkward.”

“It doesn’t have to be, love.  Just relax.”

Max tried, but his body was tense and as much as he loved being so physically connected to Tony, he couldn’t quite get over the feeling that he shouldn’t be sitting in a man’s lap like this.  Tony sighed mildly, but didn’t look put out with him.

“How old were you when you came out, Max?” he asked, taking the young man off-guard.

Max had to take a moment to change gears and his voice was quieter than normal when he answered.  “Twenty.”

“How’d your family take it?”

“My parents took it better than my brothers and sisters.  Mom said she and dad had suspected, so I guess they were a little prepared—although I kind of wish they would have told me what they thought.”

“Scary having to tell them?”

“I didn’t think they wouldn’t love me or anything,” Max defended.  “But I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me, or make things awkward.  I had planned to tell them when I was eighteen, but it took me two years to work up the nerve.”

“Was eighteen when you realized you preferred men to women?”

Max shook his head.  “I kinda knew when I was thirteen.  All my friends kept talking about the girls in class getting “boobs”.” 

Tony thought it was adorable the way Max flushed slightly at using that word, but he didn’t comment, and Max continued.

“I didn’t really see what the big deal was about the girls, but I had an awful crush on the junior class president that year…Kyle.”

“Hm, must be a theme for you.  I was my junior class president,” Tony informed him.

Max grinned slightly.  “Really?”

“Yeah.”  Tony didn’t mention that Max was starting to relax although he was still on his lap.  “You said your brothers and sisters took it harder?” he asked, encouraging Max to keep talking.

Max nodded.  “They hadn’t suspected anything.  They just thought I didn’t date because I was so introverted.  My sisters kept asking me about it for several weeks before I think it sunk in for them.  That wasn’t the most fun.  Since then they always try to set me up—it might have been their way to be supportive—although I think they’ll stop now,” he commented as he looked in Tony’s eyes.

Tony smiled privately at him.  “I should hope so.  What about your brothers?”

“It was hardest with them,” Max admitted, his head dropping a little.  “Kurt was angry.  He took it personally.  It might have been because we were pretty close up to that point and this was something I hadn’t shared with him and he couldn’t relate to.  At least that’s what Mom said to me, and it made sense.  Dad talked with him after a time and I think helped him understand a little better.  We get along pretty well.”

“And Billy?”

“Billy accepts it if he doesn’t have to talk about it.  He told me it was “gross” when I let the family know.”

That remark had obviously hurt and Tony felt some anger flare in him. 

“I honestly was nervous about him when I brought you to meet the family.  I’ve never introduced anyone I’ve dated to them before and I was afraid he’d make a comment or cause a problem.  But…” he continued gratefully, “It seems he’s gotten better about it.  I think marrying Jenna has helped.  I like her, and they ask me to babysit Trini enough that I believe they have some trust and respect in me.”

That made Tony feel mildly better, but he couldn’t help filing the information and thinking he’d be keeping a watchful eye and ear out whenever Billy was around.

“What about you?” Max questioned, turning the focus onto Tony.  “How’d things happen for you?”

“Pretty naturally,” Tony stated.  “I think where I grew up is a lot more familiar and at ease about sexuality than here where you did.  I feel like part of me always knew I was wired a bit different, but when I figured it out, it wasn’t a big deal.  I knew gay people—men and women.  They were customers at the store, fellow surfers, and friends of my parents the same as anyone else.  When I figured things out for myself at fourteen, I told Mom and Dad within a couple weeks.  They said that if I was happy with myself and who I was, then they were happy for me.”

“Must have been nice to hear,” Max couldn’t help saying.  “You weren’t scared to say anything at all?”

“Not really,” Tony admitted.  “Mom and Dad were never the type to get real bent out of shape about anything, even when they should have.  It makes them easy to talk to, but us kids probably got away with a lot more than we should have.”

“What about your brother and sister?”

“Tonya took her cue from my parents.  She gave me a hug, told me not to do anything stupid, and went on with her life.  Tommy was only seven at the time, so I didn’t really say anything to him.  But he saw me date guys in high school and I don’t think he thought too much on it.”

“When did he come out to the rest of you?”

“When he was fifteen.”  Tony looked a mixture of amused and exasperated at the memory.  “He came to me first, ultimately to brag that he’d slept with the hottest guy in school.  Can’t say I was real happy about that.  He was…is…my baby brother and I wasn’t quite ready for the news that he’d lost his virginity.  I was even less happy to know neither he nor the other guy used any protection.”

Max’s eyes bugged out a little and Tony nodded.  “Yeah, my face looked about like yours.  I called him a fool and asked how he could do something so dangerous.  He got mad back and said of all people I should understand.”  Tony shook his head.  “I did understand, and I told him that, but I said there was no excuse to risk his life for any guy.”

“What happened then?” Max couldn’t help asking.

“I went with him to get an HIV test, waited three agonizing days to be told it was negative, and then walloped him to kingdom come before going with him to tell our parents.”

“You ‘walloped’ him?”

“Yeah.  I knew Mom and Dad wouldn’t.  They never physically punished us growing up.  But I wanted to give him every incentive to be careful, especially when it came to this.  At twenty-two, I had already known two friends who had tested positive and I didn’t want that to happen with Tommy.”

Max nodded.  “Of course you didn’t, but I’m surprised he let you.”

“I think the incident scared him enough to know he deserved it and needed someone to be liable to.  You shouldn’t be too surprised though, Handsome.  You chose to let me spank you.”

“I know.  It just seems different.  I’d never let Kurt or Janice do that to me.”

“They’re a different type of people and the three of you are much closer in age than Tommy and I.  He could see me in an authority sense more than I think you could with Kurt or Janice.  Plus, you and Tommy are different from one another as well.  Tommy needs a stronger hand than you do I believe, but I’ll still be that accountability for you whenever it’s needed.”

Max believed that to be true, although he wasn’t looking to hurry a repeat performance of the spanking Tony had given him a couple weeks ago.  He was distracted from those thoughts as Tony slipped a hand around to the back of his neck and brought his mouth near enough to kiss.  When it ended, he gave Max a teasing look. 

“Feeling comfortable yet?  You’re still on my lap you know.”

It was said with just the right tone to make Max flush, a sight Tony always enjoyed being able to bring on. 

“I was till you said that,” Max complained.

“Well, I have a better understanding now of your reluctance, but I plan to make it my goal to make you fully comfortable one of these days,” Tony said, issuing a challenge to himself.

Max stood, giving Tony a disbelieving look.  “I need to put some things in the fridge,” he decided, changing the subject.

Tony let him, although he did follow Max about the kitchen, deliberately planting kisses and making Max laugh over intimate touches as the groceries were put away.

*****

It was a bit early to be starting dinner, so at Tori’s request, the group of them made a trip back to the department store where Tony worked for one more shopping trip before his family flew back to California the next day.

Max wasn’t much of a shopper, but it was nice to wander around the store with Tony when his partner wasn’t working.  They stopped and chatted with coworkers Max had met in recent weeks while the others shopped.  It was fun to see the dynamic Tony had with everyone.  Max was glad to see the mutual respect that everyone seemed to share.  He remembered previous jobs he’d held where everyone getting along with one another was a pipe dream.  Of course, he honestly couldn’t see how anyone couldn’t get along with Tony.

It was also nice the way Tony always had a loose grip on his hand.  The older man had been right.  Max had grown up in an area where it had been rare to see PDA between men, so it didn’t come the most naturally to him to touch as easily in public (and even sometimes in private) as Tony did.  In fact, Max honestly thought that he hadn’t seen public displays of affection much outside of hormonal teenagers; but Tony, even from the start, had been comfortable with holding his hand, putting an arm around his waist, and even giving a light kiss whether there were others around or not.  It left Max with a mix of excitement at the touch and the almost naughty feeling of being caught, and a real sense of warmth and strong love and respect for Tony to be so willing to be himself no matter who was around.  In some ways, although Max wasn’t embarrassed about his orientation, it made him more comfortable in his own skin to see how at ease Tony was.

It was why he didn’t want to pull his hand out of Tony’s as they moved about the store.  He did, however, lightly squeeze the bigger man’s fingers after awhile. 

“If we don’t want to eat terribly late, I should be starting some of the food soon.”

Tony squeezed his hand back.  “Let’s gather them up then.”

That took some doing and a little time as Tori had armfuls of items she planned to purchase when they found her. 

“Mom?  Do you really need all this stuff?” Tony had to ask.

“It’s mostly presents, honey, and look at these photo albums.  They’re better than anything I’ve seen at home and much cheaper.  I want to have one for several people, and…”

“Ok, Mom.  I get it,” Tony said with a smile. “I just hope you have room in your luggage.”

When they did get back to the apartment, Tony’s family disappeared to get their packing done for the next day’s travels while Max and Tony headed to the kitchen.

“Want to help?” Max asked with a smile.

“Do what?  Boil water?  Because that’s about all I’m good for,” Tony said with a grin.

Max, taking a bit of initiative in his touch, put his hands to Tony’s chest and lightly pressed into his body.  “Cook with me.  I promise I won’t let you mess up.”

“Oh, better be careful of promises you can’t keep!” Tony warned.

“I can keep this one.  You’ll be a professional chef by the time I’m through with you.”

Tony laughed disbelievingly.  “I have my doubts, but I’ll follow your lead, Handsome.”  He swatted Max’s butt and looked to him for his first directive.

*****

“Doth my eyes deceive me?  Tony is cooking!  There goes dinner, and the neighborhood if he’s allowed anywhere near a flame!”

It was hard not to laugh when Tommy was present.  Those were the first words he uttered as he came into the kitchen, and Max couldn’t help grinning.  Tony grinned too, but it was a bit more wicked than Max’s.  The older brother grabbed the younger and gave him a swat toward the cabinets.

“Go grab the stuff to set the table, Runt, and behave.  Max has promised that I won’t be able to mess anything up while he’s on duty.”

“So who gets swatted if you do screw up then?  Him or you?” Tommy questioned impishly.

Max couldn’t look at him at that point.  He hoped Tommy didn’t suspect that Tony had spanked him that one time, and he didn’t trust his expression not to give anything away.  Tony acted like Tommy’s question wasn’t a big deal.

“I’ll just swat you again because if I mess up, it’s probably because you distracted me, pest.”

Things were briefly quiet until the others came downstairs and also expressed shock at Tony helping Max in the kitchen.  Max found it more and more amusing.

“You’ve garnered quite a reputation for yourself,” he chuckled as he lightly poked Tony’s side.

“Just because…one time…there was a small grease fire,” Tony said pathetically.

“You caused a grease fire?!” Max asked.

Tony made eye contact with every family member in the room.  “WE caused a grease fire.  I refuse to take full blame for that incident.”

“I’ve gotta hear this,” Max insisted as he stirred something on the stove.

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” Tori insisted, but it wasn’t said too convincingly.  It was further disbelieved as Parker couldn’t hold back a surprised laugh.

“Let me tell the story, please!” he begged.

Tobias willingly motioned Parker to proceed and the older man caught Max’s gaze. 

“Tommy and I had been together for about three months and Thanksgiving was coming up.  Apparently, I’d raved a little too much about growing up with homemade meals and these great dishes my family used to have.  Tommy, bless his optimistic little heart, wanted to give me just as memorable a holiday with his family.”

“Hey, it was memorable!” Tommy interrupted.

“Oh yes, it was,” Parker laughed.  “What you may or may not know, Max, is that you have joined the original family of the “cold” meals.  We’re all Californians and don’t see the need for a hot meal every day, so the fam here pretty much lives off of fruit, salad, lunch meat sandwiches, and smoothies.  Hot food means anything microwaveable.”

“And we’re very happy with that,” Tori put in with a smile.

Parker smiled affectionately at her.  “No one’s complaining,” he agreed.  He turned back to Max.  “However, that does mean that the preparation of a hot meal isn’t a frequent attempt.”

“So what happened?” Max asked, drawn into the story’s events.

Parker cross his ankles and leaned against a counter.  “What happened was that someone—and to this day no one has come clean to take responsibility for it—walked away from a skillet with oil heating in it and the thing caught fire.”

Max’s eyes were huge.  “Was anyone hurt?  Was there a lot of damage?”

“No injuries,” Parker assured.  “But almost the entire meal was ruined and a wall got burned to a crisp before your boyfriend here had sense enough to grab a fire extinguisher and put the blaze out.”

“The only thing not ruined food-wise was the jello salad Mom made,” Tommy put in.  “And that’s just because it was in the fridge.”

“So what did you all do?” Max wanted to know.

Parker pulled Tommy closer to kiss his cheek while Tobias did the same to his wife. 

“We ate jello and smoothies for Thanksgiving and loved it,” Tobias said happily.

“And popcorn.  Don’t forget the popcorn,” Tori reminded.

“And popcorn,” Toby added.

“And you didn’t miss a full meal like your family does?” Max asked Parker.

Parker shook his head.  “I was with the love of my life and we spent the whole day laughing—after the fire was put out.  It couldn’t have been much better.”

It was a wonderful story and Max thought about it a lot as everyone else but he and Tony evacuated the kitchen.  He also thought of and enjoyed the fact that he and Tony were making their own memories.  While it didn’t have the humor and disaster of the Thanksgiving story, he and Tony found other things to smile and laugh about as they cooked together.

The meal was almost ready, and Tony was looking fairly proud of himself, when the doorbell rang. 

“Are you expecting someone?” Max asked with some surprise.

“Well….” Tony drug out, and Max recognized that look that his man had a secret up his sleeve.

A moment later he heard the familiar voices of his parents entering the townhouse.  “Tony!  What did you do?”

“Well, we talked about your parents meeting mine.  I just thought to invite them over to join us for dinner and New Year’s Eve.”

Max smiled.  “You’re too much!” he said happily as his mother entered the kitchen, Tori right at her side.

“Maxie, it smells wonderful in here!  Tori here tells me you’re teaching her Tony to cook.”

“Well, I’m trying,” Max said playfully, winking at Tony.

“He’s a wonderful teacher and we’re almost ready,” Tony put in as he hugged Judy.  “How long would you say, Max?”

“Fifteen minutes.  Mom, why don’t you and Dad get to know Tori and Toby for awhile and we’ll get everyone to the table in a bit.”

“Sounds good, dear.”  She hugged him and brought his head close to whisper in his ear.  “Is that homemade ziti I smell?”

Max grinned and whispered back.  “Yep, and your personal recipe for pineapple upside down cake.”

“Perfect,” Judy praised before returning to the living room with the rest.

*****

They spent three hours around the table.  Tori and Judy talked like best friends throughout the meal, and Don—a quieter man than the rest—was happily entertained by surf stories and family anecdotes.  He seemed to get as much amusement out of Tommy’s antics and way of expressing himself as Max did.

When the main meal was done, everyone just stayed around the table with dirty plates and cups of coffee to keep chatting.

It was after nine when they finally rose to start with clean-up.  Max and Tony were immediately shooed out of the kitchen. 

“Take advantage of someone else doing the cleaning while you can,” Parker encouraged along with the others.

His words made Max suspect something was up, especially since he thought he caught a wink from Parker to Tony.

“Is something going on?” Max questioned.

“Now why would you think that?  The family just wanted to clean-up since we cooked,” Tony said much too casually.

“Tony…”

Tony laughed at Max’s suspicion and gave in easily.  “All right, Handsome.  I’ve kind of arranged for us to disappear for the night.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our parents and Tommy and Parker are going to have their New Year’s Eve party together here.  I’ve given them free reign over the place.  I thought you and I could go back to your place and have our first New Year’s Eve together privately.”

Max began to smile in pleasure, but then paused.  “Tony, you can’t leave.  It’s your family’s last night here.  You should spend it with them.”

“First off, it was my family who came to me and rather insisted that we should have some alone time tonight.  Secondly, I have the whole morning with them tomorrow before they leave.  I’ll have my time with them, but I would like my time with you tonight.  Are you willing?”

“But, my parents…”

“Were in on things since I talked with them this morning.”

Max’s face gave way its familiar blush, but the expression that went with it wasn’t very happy.  “Tony, I appreciate the arrangements, but I don’t like to have my parents in on when you and I would be…together.”

Tony, seeing some convincing might need done, took Max’s hand and sat on the couch with him.  “Honey, we’re adults and we’re adults who love one another, just like your parents and mine.  It’s a natural part of having a relationship.  Wouldn’t your parents already believe that there are times when you and I are intimate?”

“Yeah, but to have them help plan that time…”

Tony shook his head.  “Max, I’d never discuss that with them.  They can assume what they want about tonight, but all I asked them on the phone was if they’d be bothered if you and I headed out this evening to celebrate the New Year’s with just the two of us.”

“Really?  You didn’t say anything about going back to my place or other plans?”

“No, honey, and my family doesn’t know any specifics either.  They can celebrate how they want and we can celebrate how we want.”

Max looked a bit more at ease then.  “If you’re sure no one minds us leaving, then I’m ready when you are.”

Tony smiled and stood, pulling Max up with him.  “Then let’s get ready and go.  Which, by the way, reminds me; I don’t recall seeing a hat when you got here today.”

Max shrugged.  “I forgot.”

“Oh did you?”  Tony glanced toward the kitchen to see if anyone was within view.  Deciding they were alone, he surprised Max by bending him over his hip and landing two hard swats.

Max yelped in shock and sting.  “Tony!” he hissed with embarrassment, his own eyes darting toward the kitchen as Tony let him up.  His hands automatically went back to rub a moment.

“Remember the hat, Handsome.”

Tony softened the reprimand with a kiss which Max rather half-heartedly allowed.  “It’s not a big deal,” he pouted in a whisper.

“It is to me,” Tony stated.  “If you won’t keep your head warm, I’ll make sure your butt can heat the rest of you.”

*****

An hour later the swats were long forgotten.  The two of them sat side by side on Max’s couch, the tree glowing behind them while Dick Clark’s Christmas Eve played quietly on the tv set.  It seemed boring from the outside, but it was right up Max’s alley.  Quiet one on one time with Tony to lean on made him feel happier than going out to a fancy restaurant and a big party.

“Is this what your parents did on their first date?” he asked as Tony’s hand scratched lazily on his back.

“No, Dad was a bit more creative than I’m being right now,” Tony told him.  “Since it was their first time out, he wanted to make it special.  He’d been crushing on Mom for months and he didn’t want to mess anything up.”

“So what did they do?” Max asked, intrigued.

“Well, Dad did some footwork first.  He had some preparations to make before he picked up Mom.  When he did get her, they drove to a private beach.  The owners of it were friends of my grandparents and had agreed to let them be there.  Dad had set up a small tent and a blanket was spread across the sand in front of it.  Large pieces of coral held the corners down and there was a picnic basket of finger foods he’d purchased earlier that day.”

“Wow, romantic,” Max said reverently.

“Yeah, you might be surprised but Dad has a knack for that type of thing.”

“I’m not surprised.  You do too,” Max commented with a private smile.  He got his nose playfully kissed for the words.

“Trying to butter me up, or do you want to hear the rest of the story?” Tony questioned.

“Both,” Max teased.  He jumped a little when Tony tickled him.  When he stopped squirming, Tony continued with the story.

“Dad and Mom sat on the blanket in the moonlight with the beach to themselves and talked about resolutions for the upcoming year.  In the tent, Dad had hidden a few things just in case: an extra blanket, an umbrella, and a portable radio he’d borrowed from a good friend.  When they finished eating, Dad scanned through the radio stations until finding the one with the least static and then invited my mom to dance.  That’s what they were doing when midnight came and went…slow dancing on the sand.”

“I think that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. My sisters would love it if their husbands did something like that for them.”

“What if I did something like that for you?” Tony asked.

“You already have.  You got me a Christmas tree and sent me a box of hats and survived my family…”

Tony chuckled.  “Maybe, but I haven’t danced with you.”  He reached for the remote to Max’s CD player and pressed a button.  The room filled with the sounds of Celtic strings and piano.  “Dance with me, Handsome?” Tony requested.

He offered Max his hand and the two stood.  Max had rarely danced, and always been the one to lead when he had.  Tony took quiet charge though and simply held Max against him and began to sway.

The slow movements eventually led to soft kisses and touches that slid under clothes.  They made their way slowly to the bedroom, leaving the door open for the music to reach them as they undressed fully and fell into bed together.

Later, as the apartment was completely quiet and Max slept with his head on Tony’s chest, the older man considered what the future would hold.  He wondered if it was too soon to ask Max to move in with him.

END