Maverick Cattle Company Ch. 05

"Where did all this stuff come from? I mean, you have more shit than they have at the real prom," asked Ross.

"Mostly it's loaned. Some people gave money too. The college group helped. It's been amazing. Everyone seems to be really enjoying themselves," said Josh with a smile.

"It's great, Josh. Thanks so much for inviting me. Especially after . . ."

Josh smiled a little sadly at Ross and gripped his shoulder. "That wasn't your fault. You didn't convince him to screw around with everyone with a d—Well you know."

"Yeah, but usually I get caught in the splatter when shit hits the fan though," said Ross with a lopsided grin. "I appreciate it."

Josh pushed him toward the dance floor, "Stop taking about our asshole ex. Go. Dance."

"I would but . . ."

"What?" asked Josh.

"Well I'd really like to dance with Kirk. I know he's not gay or bi or anything. But I'd like to dance with him."

"Is he here?" said Josh.

"Yeah, he came with Tiffany," he said pointing to the golden blond couple on the floor.

Josh grinned at Ross and dragged him onto the floor to the slow dancing couple. Tapping Kirk on the shoulder he waited until the baseball player turned to look at him.

"Ross would like to cut in for one dance," said Josh with a smile.

"Sure!" said Kirk, "I'll get something to drink."

"No," replied Josh with a grin, "Not with Tiff, with you!"

Kirk's mouth made a tight "o" as he looked at Ross. Then with a smile and a wink he replied, "Sure, what the hell. Just no cupping my ass!"

Ross laughed and nodded, flashing a look at Josh as he stepped in to Tiffany's spot that was a mix of 'I'll get you for this' and 'Oh my god, thank you'. Josh took Tiffany's hand to escort her off the floor. As he stepped he realized that she wasn't budging. Turning to see an undecipherable look on her face.

"Sorry, Tiff. I hope you aren't too upset. But it was kinda Ross' dream."

"Oh god no! He's welcome to Kirk for a little while. That boy could be an exchange student, he has Roman hands and Russian fingers," she said through a throaty chuckle, "No Mister, that look was for you. You don't really think you're getting out of dancing with me do you?"

Josh laughed and nodded, "No Ma'am. I'm available to dance with you anytime you'd like."

"Good, then get your little ass over here and show a girl a good time."

Josh took Tiffany's hand and soon they were gliding across the floor. Josh was having a great time and having friends like Tiffany and Kirk attend meant a lot to him.

<><><><>

Emma Ruck looked around the room feeling very pleased with herself. She knew of course that it wasn't just her work. But she felt that she had made a major contribution. She was good at organizing events, just as she had told Darrin. But what she hadn't told Darrin was the GLBT group on campus had a special spot in her heart. Not because she was gay, because she wasn't, but because she had seen herself the shift in attitude toward non-heterosexual people over the years. When she first came to college they were considered fringe pariahs, but had demanded rights and recognition and she thought things were slowly improving. She'd never understood the issue herself so it wasn't happening at the speed she would like. But to survive to be senior faculty you had to be resilient, and she was nothing if not tenacious. The combination allowed her to help when she found the opportunity.

As she looked around at the kids dancing she had to wipe a tear from her eye. Over the years she had lost a few students who couldn't reconcile who and what they were with the outside pressures. She still mourned their loss while celebrating tonight's success. As she watched the couples change and shift between sexes she had to shake her head. This was exactly as it should be. Letting people be who and what they were. They realized that dancing with someone didn't mean you wanted to sleep with them. It was just all in good fun.

Feeling very good about things she watched for several more minutes before seeing someone frantically motioning her over. She smiled to herself as she moved quickly to help, the successful field commander rallying her troops.

<><><><>

Mitch leaned against the porch column and watched as one of the college kids made his way toward him. He drained the last of the beer from the bottle he'd smuggled out of the house against Darrin's orders, and sat it beside the wall. Turning back, he realized the kid was apparently looking for him since he was coming through the yard gate to the house. Looking him over it was obvious the boy had put in a lot of time trying to make himself look good, and look older. He'd succeeded half way; he looked very good. But he also looked very young. The dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose and the short spiked blond hair didn't help. Neither did the fact that he was shorter than Mitch, and very slender. Mitch chuckled to himself at the thought of this kid trying to buy beer. He was going to be carded for a very long time to come. Mitch watched curiously as he stepped onto the porch and held out his hand.

"Evening, sir. I'm Zach Delong," said the kid.

"Evening, I'm Mitch McRichards. Is there something I can do to help you?" said Mitch as he shook hands.

"Yes, sir. There is. You are Dr. Anderson's husband, right?" said Zach.

"Yes . . ." replied Mitch, wondering where this was going.

"Yes. Well. I owe you an apology then. A huge apology."

"Why?" asked Mitch, with one eyebrow almost buried in his hairline.

"Well, sir. Well. Oh hell . . . I kissed Dr. Anderson. I was way outta line and I've already apologized to him. But I also needed to tell you how sorry I am. I still can't believe I did it. I should've came out to talk with you sooner, but frankly sir, I was just chicken shit scared to do it."

Mitch stared at Zach, a slight scowl on his face hiding the fact that inside he was laughing hysterically at himself. This was the kid that got him to shave his whole body. This guy looked 13 on a good day. Mitch had been right about one thing though; they could not possibly have looked any less alike. Zach was a typical pale blond with porcelain white skin and a few freckles. There was just no way to describe him other than cute. Finally getting his initial reaction under control he started talking,

"Zach, I accept your apology. I know sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment. But make no mistake about it, I am a very jealous man and if it happened again we'll need to settle it man to man," said Mitch.

"Yes, sir. I mean, no sir. It won't happen again sir. I can guarantee you that," stammered Zach.

Mitch held out his hand again and Zach immediately met him and they shook hands. With a small smile Mitch released Zach's hand.

"And Zach, one more thing."

"Yes, sir?"

"It's Mitch, please stop calling me sir. It makes me feel damn old!"

Zach grinned, "Yes si—. Ok, Mitch. And thanks."

Mitch sent him back to the prom with a wave of his hand. Smiling, he watched Zach move back into the barn, almost bouncing with each step. He felt a presence at his side and turned to see Darrin standing there. He smiled broadly, leaned over and kissed his husband.

"I met your lover," teased Mitch.

"Oh," said Darrin.

"For that I made myself itch like a mother fucker?" said Mitch quietly.

Darrin started laughing, losing all possibility of decorum he was soon puddled at the base of the wall laughing hysterically. When he glanced up to see Mitch looking at him with a look of disgust, itching his chest, it all started again. Eventually Darrin was gasping for air and his laughing stopped. Mitch shook his head and held out a hand, helping Darrin to his feet.

"You know, it isn't that funny," grumbled Mitch.

"Oh babe, yes it is," said Darrin with a snicker. "And thank you for not crushing the kid. He's still trying to adjust. He hasn't told very many people he's not straight. I have a feeling this prom was a huge thing for him."

"He looks like a fuck'n puppy! Who could hurt him," said Mitch with a sigh. With a chuckle he continued, "I did tell him I was a jealous man, and if it happened again we'd have to settle it man to man."

Darrin laughed softly, "Jeez, I'll probably have to meet with him in the library so he'll have witnesses."

"Might not be a bad plan," said Mitch with a laugh. "Tonight when this is over though, you're rubbing me down with lotion. This shits itching like crazy."

"Consider it done."

<><><><>

"You wanna dance?" Josh heard softly from his side. Turning he found an extremely cute college guy standing grinning like an opossum at him. Josh smiled back, enjoying the warmth being generated from the smaller man. Josh hesitated only a second before responding.

"Sure! But I think they're doing a slow dance next . . ."

"I know. That's why I asked," said the cute blond.

Smiling, Josh took his hand and they walked onto the floor with the other couples. Moving close against each other, Josh could feel the heat radiating from his partner. Tucking his head down he said, "I'm Josh by the way."

He heard, "I'm Zach. Thanks for dancing with me. I know I'm probably taking you away from your date or your friends."

"Nope, no date. Got dumped a while back. And my friends all seem to be busy with their dates," said Josh with a chuckle. As they quietly moved across the floor, Josh felt himself relax with Zach. His face was tucked against Josh in a sweet way as they danced, making Josh feel protective of him. Josh could almost feel a healing salve coating some lingering wounds from his previous relationship, which he hadn't realized were there until they were gone. He was disappointed when the song faded away. Josh thought he felt hesitancy in Zach when the older boy pulled away.

"Thanks, Josh. That was a great dance," said Zach quietly.

"It was, wasn't it," said Josh. With a pause Josh continued, "Do you have to leave? Maybe we could dance some more."

Zach's face exploded into a smile. "No, I don't have to be anywhere. I'd love to dance with you again."

Over the next few hours Josh and Zach danced again and again. There were other people scattered in for both of them, but they gravitated back to each other often. Eventually they were both exhausted, and needed to take care of a call of nature.

"Josh, man. I gotta pee, and there's a long line at the port-a-potty," said Zach in a whisper.

Without a word Josh grabbed him by the hand and tugged him along. Soon they were at the door to the guesthouse and Josh was fumbling for the hidden key. Once the door was open they surged through, giggling with the feeling they were doing something slightly bad. They raced for the bathroom, Josh practically picking Zach up as they jokingly wrestled for the toilet. Quickly out of breath, Josh signaled surrender.

"Ok, ok. I'm gonna piss myself if we keep horsing around. Come on, it's not like we haven't seen another guys dick before. We can pee together."

"Fine, just hurry. My bladder is about to explode," said Zach through clinched teeth.

Moving to opposite sides of the toilet, they quickly unzipped and aimed at white outline in the dim room. Almost immediately two strong streams started hitting the water.

"Oh yeah, that's much better," said Josh as his cock poured out the results of a night of sugary punch. Zach sighed in agreement, but was equally focused on draining his bladder. As Zach's stream thinned to a trickle, he glanced over at Josh and saw his enormous cock. Quickly turning his head back so he wouldn't seem to be staring, Zach felt his cock start to stiffen and knew it would soon be rock hard at the thought of the other boy's endowment. He quickly shoved it back into his trousers, and then looked over to see Josh shake off the last few drops of pee. He meant to just glance, but he was fixated on the length of manhood that Josh was tucking back into his pants. As it disappeared, Zach jumped as Josh cleared his throat.

"I think you're really cute, Zach," said Josh in a whisper.

Zach felt his body turn to jelly. He quietly groaned as Josh leaned toward him and kissed his lips tenderly.

"We could, relax, here for a little while. No one will miss us," said Josh with a smile.

"Yeah. Sure. That sounds amazing!" said Zach as he fought to keep from hyperventilating.

Josh led the smaller man into the bedroom. Sitting side-by-side on the mattress they quietly contemplated each other for several long moments. Josh leaned in and wrapped his arm around Zach's slender body. He could feel the older boy tremble under his touch, his breathing shallow and ragged as they started making out. Josh ran his fingers slowly over Zach's face, feeling the soft skin and almost hairless face. Leaning in, Josh kissed him softly on the tip of his nose and then let his fingers trail through Zach's spiked hair. Josh chuckled softly at the tiny blond bayonets of hair that covered Zach's head. Feeling Josh's fingers in his hair, Zach put his hands over Josh's and gave him a lopsided smile.

"Sorry, I have to gel it. Otherwise it won't do shit," admitted Zach.

Josh continued to run his fingers through Zach's hair, seemingly fascinated by it.

"No, it's cool. I like your hair," said Josh.

Josh ran his thumb along the edge of Zach's jaw, and he whimpered with pleasure at the touch. Josh leaned in and planted a soft kiss just under his ear. He heard the blond boy moan again at his touch and was surprised by how excited the older boys response made him. Focusing on covering Zach's porcelain skin with soft kisses, soon Zach had crawled onto his lap, their crotches grinding against each other as Josh tasted him.

Zach was pressed against Josh, panting hard as his desire built. He grabbed Josh's face and kissed him, driving his tongue through Josh's smooth lips. Their faces smashed against each other as they fought to bury their tongues deeper inside the others face. Zach ran his hands down Josh's back, clutching his ass cheeks as they kissed. Eventually they collapsed onto the bed with Josh climbing on top. Zach reached up and started to undo Josh's shirt. He whispered to Josh with a slight shake in his voice,

"This will be my first time. I'm not really sure what to do. God, you've got me so hard I could come like this."

Josh paused and then kissed Zach, separating from the smaller man. Josh knew if this was going to be Zach's first time he wanted it to be better than his had been. He didn't want it to be a desperate struggle in a dim, cold bedroom. He looked down to a look of panic on Zach's face.

"I'm sorry. I ruined the moment didn't I. Damn! I'm so fucking stupid sometimes," said Zach as the tears started to gather on the edges of his eyes.

Josh reached down and wiped Zach's eyes, leaning down to kiss him again. "No, Zach. You didn't do anything wrong. But I want your first time to be special. I'd like for it not to just be a quick fuck on prom night." Josh chuckled as he ran his fingers over Zach's face. He wanted this, his cock still hard as steel, but not now, and not like this.

Zach moved to get up, looking very dejected. "Yeah, ok. I guess you'll call me sometime then."

"Nah," said Josh with a smile, "I'm not good with phone calls. Why don't you come out next Friday and have dinner with us. Then we can chill and watch movies or something."

Zach's face broke into a smile, "Really? Sure! Friday would be great. I can bring some movies too. But I guess I should warn you. I'm a sci/fi geek."

Josh laughed and ran his hands over the smaller man, "I have the whole Star War's set. I think I'm a member of the same club."

<><><><>

Darrin stood shoulder to shoulder with Mitch, watching the couples drift off as the party wound down. Overall it had seemed like a success. Everyone had seemed happy, well except for the kid who got caught trying to spike the punch. By the time Doug got finished with him, he was almost in tears. But the DJ, another volunteer, was great and kept the dance music cranked. Darrin was still a little surprised at the mix of couples they'd had. And no one seemed to care who was dancing with who. Which was perfect as far as he was concerned.

"You did really good, babe."

Darrin turned to smile at his husband, "We all did good. I hope everyone had a great time. It was fantastic how everyone pitched in to help."

"Yeah," agreed Mitch, "I was kinda amazed at how many folks helped, and not just parents either. It was just a great night."

About that time they noticed Josh walking back toward the barn arm in arm with someone. As they got in the brighter light, Mitch recognized Zach and started chuckling.

"Looks like you have been dumped, old man," said Mitch as he nodded toward the pair.

"Well crap, that didn't take too long," laughed Darrin, "Just get a guy close to his age in a pair of pants that fit fine and Zach drops me like last weeks news."

The two chuckled at the change of circumstances. Both were happy that Josh and Zach had found each other. Not exactly sure what it would mean for Josh, or Zach, but they knew it had to be better than how Tony treated Josh. Darrin leaned in and kissed Mitch, laying his arm across his muscular shoulders. Reflecting on the evening, he asked Mitch,

"Did you have a prom?"

Mitch hesitated before he answered, "Sorta. But it wasn't something I'd want to do again."

"I went. Asked a girl to go with me," said Darrin with a peculiar look on his face, "Afterwards we were dragging main and I asked her if she wanted to go parking. I thought she'd tell me no, but she said sure. It scared me so bad I took her home."

Mitch chuckled and stuck his arm around Darrin's waist. "Yeah, denial ain't just a river in Egypt. Looks like this was as much our prom as anyone's."

Darrin got a look that would have made Loki proud and turned to Mitch, "You know. A lot of people lose their virginity at their prom."

Mitch barked out a laugh, "I think that ship has sailed for us a long time ago, babe."

"Oh, maybe we can recall the memories," said Darrin with a leer at Mitch. "Lets get this crap cleaned up and send everyone home."

"Sounds like a plan!" said Mitch with enthusiasm. They started toward the largely deserted barn. But as chance would have it, they saw Josh walking Zach to his car, kissing him before opening the car door.

"We're going to be seeing more of Zach aren't we," said Mitch.

"Yup! I'd say we are definitely going to be seeing more of Mr. Delong."

A short time later, after the last partyer had left, Darrin and Mitch found themselves in their bedroom. Walking over to Darrin, Mitch wrapped his arms around him and kissed him.

"So, you took her home huh?" said Mitch with a smile.

Darrin's face turned red, and his ears were almost glowing, "Yeah, I felt really bad too. But I didn't know what to do. I thought she'd turn me down and no one would know."

"Did she tell anyone?" asked Mitch.

Darrin thought for a second and his eyebrows went up, "You know. I hadn't thought about it before, but no, she didn't tell anyone."

"High school sucked," said Mitch quietly.

"Yes, you're right on that one."

"But adulthood is pretty fucking amazing," Mitch said with a smile. "What do you say we have the post prom night we wished we'd had?"

Darrin ran his hands over Mitch's muscular chest, grabbing his pecs and then nestling his face against Mitch's neck.

"You smell amazing. Damn, just your smell makes me horny as hell," said Darrin quietly. He opened Mitch's shirt and kissed the short black hairs that decorated his chest. Darrin smiled at the post-shaving stubble, glad it was coming back in because Mitch was continually complaining about how bad it itched. Darrin opened his mouth and ran his tongue slowly over his skin, tasting the faint flavor of musky dried sweat. Running his hands over Mitch's shoulders he gently pushed the shirt off his husband's body and abandoned it to the floor.