The Christmas Wish

by Jonathan Perkins

Herkimer, NY - named after Nicholas Herkimer, an American militia general during the American Revolutionary War. Population has been steadily since the 1930's. Just over an hour's drive from Albany.

Brian Rollins was looking forward to the Thanksgiving vacation from school. It would be five less days of the living hell he had to endure. His father was a writer who worked from home so Brian begged him to home school him so he wouldn't have to attend the public high school. That was not an option.

Brian wasn't bullied at school, just isolated. He was a shy and introverted boy by nature with another big problem. He was gay, not something you tell anyone in a small town, not even his father. He was hoping the big move the family made at the beginning of the summer would change things, but it only made it worse. Now he was the new kid at school with no friends.

His first day at school he kept totally to himself, trying to see if anyone would be possible friend material. Lunch in the cafeteria was his first major social faux pa. There was an empty seat at a table full of boys, talking and joking around. He walked up to the open seat and started to place his tray down.

"Sorry kid, that's spot is saved for Benny, move on," he was told.

Not wanting to start anything, he apologized and picked up his tray. The vice principle came along and told him to sit there.

"But that's saved for Benny," the boys protested.

"We don't save seats in this lunch room, first come, first serve," the VP told them.

Reluctantly Brain sat down. He had just started eating when Benny came along to claim his seat.

"Hey jerk, what the hell? That's my seat."

"Sorry, I'll move."

Brain got up to move when the VP came back.

"I told you to sit there, Benny can sit elsewhere."

"It's okay, I'm finished anyway," Brain lied. He dumped his lunch in the trash and left the lunchroom.

The next day at lunch Brian was walking between the rows of tables, looking for an open seat. A cheerleader pushed back her chair to stand up. Brian didn't see it and bumped into it, spilling his tray of food all over her.

"What the fuck, asshole?" she screamed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Brian apologized once more.

He grabbed some napkins and tried to wipe some of the mess of her clothes.

"Get you filthy hands off me, your fucking pervert!"

The VP came running over and pulled Brian away from her.

"Gail, watch your mouth or you'll be in detention again."

"Yes sir," as she left to go clean up.

"And you young man, you seem to have a knack for disturbing my lunchroom. What is your name?"

"Brian Rollins, sir."

"You're new here so you better settle down and not get on my bad side."

"Yes sir."

"Now go get yourself another lunch and try not to cause any more commotion."

Brain walked toward the serving line but once he saw the VP had turned around, Brian scooted out the door, a second day without lunch. Brian had dreaded the idea of moving to a new town but his father was determined to get away from the city and back to the country so he could do his writing peacefully. Brian's dread was now justified.

Brian's dad had seen an advertisement in the Albany newspaper for an auction of a housing development in Herkimer, a little over an hour's drive from Albany where they presently lived. The auction was accepting bids on individual lots or the whole parcel. There was one finished house, a model home, and several partial built.

Brian's dad went to the auction and purchased the model home for about half of it's appraised value. It was a gorgeous house, built with all the extras to show prospective buyers the quality of the new houses he was building. Unfortunately the economy slowed and the developer was over extended and never recovered.

There was another man at the auction who had grown up in town and was looking to move his family back. He and Brian's dad struck up a conversation and between the two of them they decided Brian's dad would buy the model home and he would buy the rest and finish building it out. He was a sales executive from New York City and was good at his job. This was an ideal opportunity for him to move back home and using his selling skills to sells the newly built houses. Brian and his dad moved to their new house in June, as soon as school was out in Albany.

Brian mopped around all summer, exploring the neighborhood but didn't find any kids his age. He didn't find many kids at all near the new home. It was a lonely summer, something he had grown used to. He had a couple of friends, well, more like acquaintances, near him before the move but no one he could actually call a friend. School was torturous so he was looking forward to vacation.

Construction on the partially build homes had begun by October. Brian would hang around watching the men work, fanaticizing that one of the rugged workmen would notice him and invite him over. His fantasy involved all kinds of naked fun, none of which he had ever experienced. Eventually they would notice him and yell at him to get away from there.

Brian's dad was a very organized person. He started asking Brain for his Christmas wish list before Thanksgiving was here. He knew he might have to order some of Brian's desires on line and didn't want to wait for the last minute. What Brain wanted for Christmas was a friend, someone he could hang out with and chum around with. But what he really wanted most was not just a friend but a boyfriend. Someone he could love and would love him back. But he knew that wasn't something his father could get for him so he just listed the usual, clothes and books.

The first day of Thanksgiving vacation a car pulled up and a man and a woman and a boy about Brian's age got out. They looked around at the houses, going inside a couple. Brian lost sight of them and returned to the book he was reading. His father being a writer, and Brian being a loner, he spent a lot of his time reading, escaping into the fantasy worlds between the covers of a book. He heard the doorbell ring and his father answer the door.

"Bob, this is a pleasant surprise," Brian's father said.

"Hi Sean. We came up to see how things were going and I wanted to stop by and introduce my wife and son. Mary, this is Sean, the man I was telling you about from the auction. And this is my son Bart."

"I'm glad you meet you. I understand we'll be neighbors when your house is finished. Brian, come down and meet the neighbors!"

Brian came downstairs and into the living room. He looked at the three people standing there and was flustered. The boy was gorgeous. Not in a model or movie star way but in a wholesome rugged cute boy next door way. A boy next door! Exactly. His Dad said they were our new neighbors.

"Brian come over here and meet Mr and Mrs. Lancaster and their son Bart. This is my son Brain."

Brian was still frozen in place staring at this new boy when Bart almost lunged at him with his hand out.

"Hi Brian, I'm Bart. Damn, I'm glad to meet you. When my dad said we were moving I didn't know if there would be any guys my age in our new neighborhood but it's great to see there is. Man, we are going to have so much fun. You can show me around he area. What grade are you in?" Bart was rambling ninety miles an hour.

It took Brian a few minutes to gather his senses.

"You must be a freshman. You look about the same age as me. A little skinnier but the same height." Bart continued.

"Bart, take a breath and give the boy a chance to answer you," his father laughed.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I talk a lot when I'm excited. So what grade are you in, anyway?"

"I'm a freshman this year," Brain finally managed to quietly say.

"A freshman? That's awesome. You can show me around school and introduce me to your friends. Oh man, this will be great. W can hang out after school and we can have sleepovers on the weekends. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Bart was coming at Brain like an out of control freight train. Bart reached down and grabbed Brian's hand, shaking it so hard Brain thought his arm might fall off. Then, to Brian's astonishment, Bart leaned in and hugged him.

"We are going to be such great friends," Bart declared.

Brian was conflicted. The idea of having a friend next door was great. But Bart comes on so strong he wasn't sure if they would b a good match. Hell, they had only met five minutes ago and already he is talking sleepovers? No, Bart might be too much to handle. It might work if he could get his hands on some tranquilizers to give him to slow him down. He wants Brian to introduce him to his friends at school? That will take all of about 3 seconds. What friends? 'Bart, meet my friend Bart'. There, introductions finished. Just one more embarrassing moment in school.

"Come on Mary, Bart, I want to go into town and find a place to stay while we're here," Sean said as he put his arm out to shake Bob's hand again.

"We have a guest room that you and Mary are welcome to stay here tonight. Bart can sleep in with Brian," Bob offered.

"Oh, no, we couldn't impose on you on such short notice," Mary said politely declining his offer.

"Nonsense. That's what good neighbors do. This way you can get a feel for the neighborhood, such that it is, just the one house." Bob laughed.

"I did notice there wasn't a lot of decent looking motels on our way into town. What do you say, Mary, should we take up Bob on his offer?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Heck yes, dad. Brian and I can get better aquatinted and have our very first sleep over. Can we please? Pretty please?" Bart jumped up and down with excitement.

His excitement was not shared by Brain. Would Bart be so overwhelming all night? When Bart had stopped talking for a few minutes, Brian was staring at him intently and began to chub up. What the hell was going to happen if they shared a bed tonight? This new friendship might come to s screeching halt before it even began. Suppose he did finally shut up and go to sleep, would Brian go to sleep and have one of his infamous wet dreams sleeping in the same bed with this hot guy? Why the fuck did his father do this to him without asking him first in private. Of course, he never asked Brain if he wanted to move here either, so no big surprise.

Bob showed them to the guestroom and suggested after they had a chance to clean up, they all go out to eat.

"We'll go to the best restaurant in town. When I was growing up here it was the Burger Hut. Best burgers and onion rings this side of the Mississippi." Sean offered.

"Still none better," Bob confirmed. "Brian, show Bart to your room and the two of you changed for supper."

"Yeah, Brian, I can't wait to see your room," Bart said as he headed for the stairs.

Bart walked into Brian's room and looked around at the sparse trappings.

"Wow, you've got a lot of books. I guess you like to read?'

"No, I use them to swap flies. The little books for mosquitoes and the big books for house flies," Brian answered sarcastically, embarrassed about the lack of anything interesting on the wall and the dumb observation that he read a lot.

"Haha, you're funny. I like you."

'Wish I could say the same' Brian thought to himself.

"Let's get changed before we get yelled at. Those burgers and onion rings sound delicious," Bart said as he dug through his bag for some clean clothes.

Brian went to his bureau to get his clothes. He turned around and Bart had stripped off all but his underwear, which he was in the process of removing. Brian froze in place, staring at Bart's naked body. Bart grabbed his cock and balls and flayed them in the air.

"Feels good to air them out. Getting kinda sweaty from sitting in the car for so long."

Brian had to concentrate no to let his mouth hang open. Not only was his body an awesome sight, but his cock was the thing that erotic fantasies are made of. Not that it was that big but it was perfect in size and shape. It was circumcised with a nice bulbous head. It might have been chubbed up a little but the way Bart was swinging it around, it certainly wasn't full on hard, something Brian was dying to see. His stomach was flat and his arms and legs nicely muscled. Bart must play sports with a body like that. A full bush around his cock and a few hairs on his chest completed the picture.

Bart let go of his cock and pulled on fresh underwear and then his clothes.

"Hey, you gonna get moving or what?" Bart asked Brian to shake him out of his stupor.

"Oh, yeah, um, I was just waiting to see what you were wearing so I'd know what to pick."

"Hell, kid, anything will look good on you. Hurry up, I've got to go take a piss."

'He gets naked in front of me, grabs his junk and then tells me anything will look good on me? Is there potential for a boyfriend here?' Brian thinks to himself as he strips down and tries to get his boner to relax.

The two boys sit in the back seat, side by side, with Mary on the other side of them. Bart has his leg firmly against Brian's leg, even though there is plenty of room to spread out.

"So Brian, do you play any sports?" Mary asks.

"No ma'am, I'm more of a book worm. I'm more into academics."

"Nothing wrong with that. Bart has played practically every sport the school had to offer"

"Yeah, Brian, I changed sports a lot to I could meet all the guys that play," Bart chipped in.

Brian cock heard that and twitched at the innuendo. 'the guys that play?'

"The biggest benefit is the girls, though. They all go crazy for a guy that plays sports. Football, basketball, baseball, track, you name it and they are on the sidelines drooling over my hot body," Bart laughed.

"Oh Bart, you are so full of yourself, just like your father," Mary responded to Bart's bragging.

"It worked for me, didn't it? I got the most beautiful girl in the whole school," Sean turned his head to the back seat and said to Mary with a wink.

'Shit!' Brian said to himself. 'I read him all wrong. This is just fucking perfect. I'm going to be thrown together with this loudmouth with a hot body and he's as straight as god damn arrow!'

Bart keep talking incessantly all threw supper, asking a million questions directed at me, then my father when I didn't answer quick enough. His mother admonished him to chew with his mouth closed but he kept on talking anyway. I swear if his mother gave him a choice to talk or chew, he'd spit his food right out on his plate so he could keep flapping his mouth.

When they returned home, Brian and Bart went up stairs to get ready for bed. Bart stripped down to his underwear. Brian was anxious to see if Bart would remove those and sleep naked.

"I usually sleep nude, but on sleepovers the rule has always been we sleep in our underwear so certain parts are touching or being touched, if you get my drift?" Bart laughed.

'Oh hell, I did read him totally wrong. Figures.' Brian said to himself.

Brian turned out the light and hoped he wouldn't have a wet dream or even worse, roll over and cuddle up to Bart. His cock was stiff and leaking at the prospect of having Bart in his bed, only inches away from him even though he knew Bart was straight and nothing would happen.

The Lancaster's left the next morning to return home for Thanksgiving. By mid December their new house was finished to the point they could move in. They wanted to make sure they could celebrate their first Christmas there. Bart was enrolled in school a week before the Christmas vacation. Brian was dreading Bart finding out that Brian had no friends at school and was quite often the butt of his classmates jokes. Brian was trying to keep his usual low profile in the hallways, telling Bart all kinds of information about the school so he would be preoccupied and not ask about his friends. At lunch the VP noticed the two of them and approached them.

"I see you have made a friend already, Mr. Lancaster."

"Brian and I live right next to one another. We're good friends," Bart replied.

"Well then, let me help you find two seat together."

Oh great, another fix up with people who don't want me to sit with them.

"Sit right here, boys," the VP said as he pointed out two vacant seats. "Boys," he said addressing the table, "This is our new student, Bart Lancaster. And of course you know Brian." He added with a look that said 'they're sitting here whether you like it or not'.

"Hey Bart, welcome to the table," one of the boys said, totally ignoring Brian.

They picked up the conversation they were having about football and which team had the best chance of winning the Superbowl. Bart jumped right in like he knew these guys for years. Typical. One of the teams that was mentioned as a contender make Brian giggle.

"What they hell are you laughing at? You wouldn't know a football if it hit you in the face," came an insult from the other end of the table.

Brian was mad and wasn't going to be called out and embarrassed in front of Bart.

"Three years ago, maybe. But losing their first string quarterback with a torn ACL and then a new offensive coordinator will keep them out of the picture for another year or two," Brian told the table.

They offered up their other favorites to win. Brian rattled off stats for the past three years on all the teams and then told them his pick.

"You're so full of shit. You don't know nothing about football."

"He's know a whole lot more than you guys do," Bart said.

"My father is a football nut and I keep track of all the stats for him to bust his balls when his teams looses, I can tell him why," Brian explained.

The boys at the table just nodded in agreement that maybe Brian did know his shit. Just then the bell ran and everyone left for their next class.

The rest of the week, Bart was getting to know more and more kids, with Brian trying to stay in the background as much as possible. He wasn't the butt of anyone's jokes anymore, but he was still nervous and would like to invisible. Hanging with Bart only frustrated him more dealing with his crush on him, something that he couldn't do anything about, and having to deal with guys he wasn't really friends with.

Bart's family celebrated their first Christmas in their new home. They invited Brian and his father over Christmas Eve for supper and drinks. As they were leaving, Brian was in the doorway out of the living room when Bart tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Brian, look up."

Brian did and saw he was standing under the mistletoe.

"You know what that means, don't you?" Bart joked as he closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

Brian had to stop and seriously consider if he should lean in and kiss him. As much as he'd like to, he didn't dare. He was pretty sure Bart was kidding. But what if he wasn't? Would he miss his golden opportunity? Brian hesitated trying to decide what to do.

"Well, I'm waiting."

Brian chickened out. He licked the back of his hand and put it up to Bart's mouth.

"Give me a wet one, fella," Brian said as his hand touched Bart's lips.

"Oh, gross, what the hell did you do?" as Bart opened his eyes and wiped his mouth.

"You're lucky you only got his hand," Sean said as all the parents laughed.

"Next time," Bart whispered with a wink.

Holy hell! Was Bart serious? Or was he just fucking around like always. Brian walked home that night with serious hardon in his pants. He said good night to his father and went right up to bed and stroked out a quick one while he was still hard. He shot his load and rolled over to go to sleep but his cock stayed hard, as all he could think about was Bart's comment. He stroked out a second load and finally fell asleep.

Each family spent a quiet Christmas day. The day after, Bart came over to see what Brian got for presents. While Brian was showing him, Bart was babbling on about what he received and how great it was celebrating in their new house. Bored, Bart suggested they go explore one of the unfinished houses.

"I don't think we should. We might get in trouble," Brian warned.

"My dad owns them so it's no big deal. Come on, put on your jacket and let's go."

They walked to the far end of the development to one of the unfinished houses. It was fully framed, roofed and closed in with the exception of the doors and windows. The doors were boarded up with plywood but the boys were able to climb in an unsecured window opening. They looked around the first floor, trying to figure out where each room would be built. Then they went up the main staircase to the second floor.

"This will be my bedroom and that will be your bedroom over there," Bart projected.

"Hey, why do you get the bigger room?" Brian objected.

"Because my dad built it that way."

"I was living in the neighborhood first so I should first choice on the bigger one," Brian teased.

"Oh, alright, we'll share the big one. How's that?"

Brian definitely wanted to share the big one, but he wasn't talking about a room.

"Come on, it's getting cold. Let's go back to my house and have some hot chocolate," Bart suggested. "This way, we can go down the back staircase."

"Those are just temporary steps and they don't look very sturdy, Maybe we should go back the way we came up."

"Don't be a chicken. Follow me."

Bart got half way down the stairs when the step he was on gave way. He went crashing through that step and then the next and so on until he was flat on his back on the first floor.

"Are you okay?" Brian yelled.

Bart had the wind knocked out of him and could only whisper.

"I think so. No, I'm not sure."

"Stay there, I'm coming right down," Brian yelled as he ran for the front staircase.

He has already taken off when Bart replied to him in his feeble voice,

"Where the fuck do you think I'm going to go?"

Then he chuckled but winced at the pain.

Brian ran to him and knelt beside him, throwing pieces of splintered wood off of him.

"I think I just got the wind knocked out of me. Do you see any blood?" Bart asked

"No, no blood but I'm not sure if anything is broken."

"Look and see if my feet are both pointed in the same direction or if I broke a leg," Bart instructed Brian.

Bart's feet had both been pointed upwards as he lay there. As he was asking Brian to check his feet, he quietly rolled his legs so his feet were pointing in opposite directions, outward from his body.

"Oh fuck, they're pointing in different directions. I think you have a broken leg, or maybe both!" Brian said in panic mode.

"Shit. Well, is this better?" as Bart rolled his legs back to both feet were pointing up again.

"You miserable fucker! If you weren't hurt already, I'd hurt you myself."

Bart started to laugh but broke into a coughing spree.

"I'm just winded. Help me up and we can get out of here."

Bart put his arm up for Brian to take a hold of. Brian was still kneeling next to him so he pulled gingerly on Bart's arm and put his other arm behind Bart's shoulder as he started to sit up. Their faces were inches apart once Bart was up. They looked into each other's eyes and remained that way for several minutes. Suddenly Bart moved closer and brought his lips to Brian's kissing him for several seconds. Brian's heart had been pounding from watching Bart's fall but now it was about to pound it's way out of Brian's chest. Bart pulled back and looked down.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Bart started to move to get up but before he could, Brian held him in place.

"I'm not sorry at all," Brian said as he smiled and lifted Bart's chin.

They smiled at each other and went back for another kiss, this one longer and more passionate.

When they broke the kiss, Bart looked at Brian.

"I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you. It's too damn cold to get naked in here so I guess we'll have to have another sleepover," Bart stated.

"This time with no rules about sleepwear," Brian declared

It was impossible, implausible, unlikely, wishful thinking, but somehow Brian's Christmas wish had come true. A friend and a boy friend, all rolled into one. Could that have been Bart's Christmas wish as well?