Emerald City Boys

 

 

Greetings and welcome back. The cruise moves on as the boys spend a day in Ketchikan, enjoying big totem poles and big loggers.

 

A special thanks to my editor-in-chief, Larry, who has been a huge help in this story by changing to roles, somewhat. He also taken over as co-author, as I’ve mentioned before. He is responsible for writing most of the scenes chiefly involving Pierce and Drake. Thanks for all of you great help along with being a fantastic friend. Oh, and a thanks for your fabulous chocolate chip cookies as well.

 

Your emails are always appreciated. 

 

Douglas

 

CHAPTER 46

CRUISE DAY 3-KETCHIKAN

 

MONDAY, AUGUST 10

 

<Bryce and Blake>

 

“Shit, the fucking thing worked,” Bryce groused as he woke up to the ringing phone. Blake emitted a loud groan in reply. Bryce yanked back the blankets, revealing his naked tween body, took a half dozen steps to the ringing phone on the counter, raised the handpiece and said, “Good morning, Mom,” before the caller could say anything.

 

“Good morning, whichever son you are,” Helen Randall said. “It’s ten minutes to six, so rise and shine.”

 

“It’s son number one if you have to know,” Bryce said.

 

“How did you know it was me making the call?”

 

“Because Dad would have let us sleep in for fifteen more minutes.”

 

“I wouldn’t count on that. Now, get your brother out of bed. Dad and I will be expecting you and Blake at six-fifteen, so get yourselves moving.”

 

“What about Gramps and Grans?”

 

“Move,” she said before hanging up the phone.

 

“Mom says we gotta get our asses outta bed, piss, shower, dress, and be at their cabin at six-fifteen.”

 

Blake threw his part of the bedding back, grumbled about slave driving mothers, and rose from the bed. “Are we showering together or splitting the shower?”

 

“Let’s squeeze in together. It will be faster.”

 

As much as they would have preferred pulling the covers over themselves and going back to sleep, they had used the lessons they had learned from the previous day’s shower and were much more efficient which made the shower quicker. They were knocking on the parents’ door at 6:17.   

 

Grandma Margaret opened the door. She gave them hearty good morning, punctuated by a quick hug. “How are the boys this morning?” Grandpa William asked.

 

Bryce: “Feeling weird because we’re on a vacation and have to get up at…”

 

Blake: “…ten minutes to six when we’re on a vacation trip.”

 

“But you’ll get to see a fun show, right?” their dad, Jeff, said.

 

“But it doesn’t start until ten-thirty,” Bryce pointed out. “First, we gotta get excited over totem poles.”

 

“We’ll need to go to breakfast and work to find a table for six, eat a good breakfast, and then go back to the cabin to take care of after breakfast hygiene, and finally be at the meeting place on the dock by seven-forty-five. I’m hoping we don’t end up wishing we’d set our alarms earlier.”

 

“EEEEEK, to setting them earlier,” Blake squeaked. “You did it just right.”

 

Five minutes later they were on their way to breakfast. When they reached the foyer, Bryce and Blake were surprised and pleased when they saw who was entering the foyer from the starboard side.

 

<Pierce and Drake>

 

Pierce and Drake had set their own alarm, which woke them at quarter to six. They traded an affectionate kiss, rose from their bed, and headed to their bathroom. As he set the shower temperature, Pierce yawned and said, “I’m so ready to see those lumberjacks in action. But first we have to see those dumb totem poles that dad thinks is good for us to see.”

 

“That will just make us twice as ready for it. You know they’re all going to be sexy hunks,” Drake grinned. “I hope they take their shirts off during the show.”

 

“You wish. We’re in Alaska, not Arizona, and if yesterday is an indication, they don’t have warm mornings here.”

 

“Maybe with us being on land instead of out at sea, it will be warm enough for them to strip off their tops. Either way I’ll have my phone ready to get pictures of them.”

 

“You do the pics and I’ll do the video.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Drake said as the two teens stepped into the shower and wrapped their arms around each other’s smooth teen bodies. “It feels so good to hold you, Pooka.”

 

“Duck, that feeling is what’s called mutual,” Pierce said. “Now, let’s wash each other and get ready to meet the two old farts for breakfast.”

 

“If I was an old fart, I’d be standing outside the shower waiting for us to come out so I could perve over a couple of hot naked teenagers.”

 

“I hope Lincoln doesn’t end up with the same dirty mind you have.”

 

“Whether he does or doesn’t won’t be up to me,” Drake said. “Besides, I think it runs in my family and when you and I hit our mid-twenties and start heading  into old fart land, my little brother will be heading into sex crazed tween land.”

 

The two teens quit chatting and went to work washing themselves and each other. They came out of the shower knowing they were sparkling. After leaving the shower, Drake looked closely in the mirror to see if he needed to shave. He decided that the peach fuzz on his cheeks and upper lip was too light to bother with.

 

“I’ll need to attack the fuzz again soon, but probably not until after we get back. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check,” Drake said.

 

Pierce was happy that his face was still totally smooth. It gave him less to worry about. He kept hoping when the time came for him to have to shave, the change happened all at once so he didn’t have to make the decisions Drake did about whether or not to shave.

 

Walker and Christian were waiting for the boys as they came out of their bedroom into the living area. “Here’s hoping we find a table that seats four.” They left their suite and headed down the passageway. When they entered the foyer from the starboard side, they saw the Randalls come through the port side entrance. “Whoa, look over there, Duck,” Pierce called out.

 

“Oh my, it’s the ginger duo right in front of us,” Drake grinned.

 

“I see the teen dance company in front of us,” Bryce said. The four boys quickly traded fist bumps. They then went through the process of introducing the adults. The adults shook hands and, like the well-bred boys they were, the boys shook the adults’ hands as well.

 

“I wonder if we can find two big tables next to each other up in the buffet so we can all get to know each other,” Walker said. “It’s pretty early so there’s a good chance we can.”

 

“That would be great. I know your two teens made quite an impression on our boys,” Jeff said. “It would be great for everybody to get to know each other better.”

 

“Dad, you can call us teens, too, you know,” Blake said.

 

“It’s not official until tomorrow.”

 

“DAAAD, it’s only a few hours away.”

 

The dinging arrival of one of the elevators ended the conversation. There were two other passengers in the elevator and one other person ready to get on. “You can catch the next one,” Walker said. “I see that it’s on Deck 6.”

 

“Pooka and I can take the stairs,” Drake said. 

 

“And we can follow them,” Bryce said. “See you up there,” he told his family.

 

The group was on Deck 10, and the Horizon Court Buffet was on Deck 14.

 

The four boys were at the landing before the elevator doors closed. When they reached the Deck 11 foyer the older boys, who were in the lead, stopped.

 

“What’s wrong, are you old men tired or something?” Bryce asked.

 

“No, we were wondering if you were,” Pierce said even though he and Drake hadn’t discussed it.

 

“We both play soccer and baseball,” Blake told them. “We can go up three more decks easy.”

 

“Two more decks,” Drake said.

 

“Three. Proof you guys are old since even your simple math is bad.”

 

“Let’s get going so we can keep the genuine old geezers happy.”

 

“Two decks, three decks, whatever,” Bryce said.

 

They hustled up to Deck 12 and went up one more deck to the Lido deck, which was on Deck 14. “Hey, who stole Deck 13?” Blake blurted out.

 

“Nobody. There is no Deck 13 on a ship,” Pierce said. “It’s considered unlucky.”

 

“How come we never noticed?”

 

“Maybe because you were on an elevator every time and you weren’t paying attention. You young guys are known to lose your concentration, you know.”

 

“Okay, we surrender,” Blake said.

 

Before Pierce or Drake could come up with a response, one of the elevators dinged and Walker, Christian, and the Randalls stepped off along with a few other passengers.

 

“What did you guys do, attach rockets to your belts?” Walker said.

 

“We jetted up the stairs and didn’t have to stop to let people on or off,” Drake said. All four boys were surprised they beat the elevator even after their pause on Deck 11.

 

The group headed through the buffet, which was filling up. They were amazed to find an empty four-seat table and an empty six-seat table near the stern end of the Court. They quickly laid claim to them. They agreed on a plan of attack that had Jeff and William sitting at the six-seat table, and Walker and Christian at the four-seat table. The four men sat so they could easily chat and get to know each other. Helen and Margaret went off on a food hunt.

 

At William’s suggestion, the boys scouted the aisles to learn what was available to eat. They were amazed at the wide variety of food to choose from. Helen and Margaret were veteran cruisers and quickly found what they wanted. They were soon back at the tables and relieved Jeff and William. 

 

Meanwhile, the boys were trying to figure out how much food they could get on their trays. Each of the four felt successful as they returned to their table with different varieties of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fresh fruit, rolls, cereal, and whatever else spoke to them.

 

Walker and Christian left the four-person table and as soon as they caught sight of the four boys and their loaded trays of food. “Are you boys sure you have enough food?” Walker asked. “It’s a long time until lunch, you know.”

 

“I think we’ll survive, dad,” Pierce said.

 

“I hope so. I don’t want to end up finding you guys gnawing on sacred totem poles because you’re starving.”

 

“Does your dad exaggerate like that?” Pierce asked the twins.

 

“All the time,” Bryce and Blake answered in unison.

 

“It sounds like you guys are going on the same tour as us. The logger show and the totem pole park,” Bryce said.

 

“Well, they say that great minds think alike, and since our parents were thinking alike, I guess it means they have great minds,” Pierce said.

 

Bryce: “And since our parents have great minds that means we have…

 

Blake: “…great minds too.”

 

“I won’t argue.” Pierce elected not to go into the fact that he was adopted. And when he gave it a moment’s thought, he figured that adopted or not adopted the saying was about thinking, not about genetics.

 

“You and Drake are really nice to us. You don’t treat us like we’re little kids,” Blake said.

 

“Hey, the two of you are going to be teenagers tomorrow. You sure aren’t little kids,” Drake said.

 

“Yeah, but you know what I mean. You guys are, like, in high school and we’re just in middle school.”

 

“But you’re going to be eighth graders, which puts you at the top of the heap.”

 

“It would be great if you could join us for our birthday dinner, tomorrow,” Bryce said.

 

“I don’t know if that will work or not, but I do know that I’ll ask my dad and Christian to see if we can do it,” Pierce said.

 

“And we’ll ask our ‘rents and grands to see what they can do.”

 

“I bet if everybody works together, we can do it,” Pierce assured the twins. The chatter died as the hungry boys decided to give the pile of food in front of them their full attention.

 

“The boys certainly got quiet in a hurry,” Grandma Margaret said.

 

“Nothing quiets an adolescent faster than being hungry with a pile of food staring them in face,” Jeff chuckled.

 

“The twins have certainly latched on to your boys,” Helen said to Walker and Christian.

 

“Well, actually, Pierce is my son, and Drake is his best friend,” Walker said.

 

“Oh, so you’re a single dad,” Margaret said.

 

“That I am. Pierce is my adopted son.”

 

“Well, I must say that you are certainly doing a nice job with the young man. He’s very polite and has treated my grandsons with respect, which doesn’t always happen between older and younger boys. And I feel the same about his friend Drake. They are classy and sophisticated young men.”

 

“Thank you, Margaret. I’ll pass on your compliments.”

 

“Please don’t make a fuss. Just tell them I was impressed by them.”

 

“I concur with my mother,” Jeff grinned. “Bryce and Blake seem to feel that way as well. They usually aren’t this relaxed around boys they don’t know.”

 

Helen wasn’t as impressed by the older teens. She couldn’t help but think that the older boys were pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes so they could take advantage of her poor, naive sons. She figured that Grandpa William felt the same way as the rest of the family, which left her outvoted 3-1. She was determined to keep a sharp eye on the two dancing teens. ‘Dancing with each other is not a normal activity for boys of that age,’ she thought.

 

As soon as everybody finished eating the two families left their tables and headed for their cabins. They agreed that the group who got to the excursion meeting location first would board the bus and try to save some nearby seats.

 

“The excursion is a sellout, so we’ll have to get there ahead of the crowd,” Jeff said.

 

After taking care of morning business, the Randalls met in Jeff and Helen’s cabin. Grandpa William brought a small suitcase from his cabin and set it on the bed. “Before we go, I have something for the boys. Don’t worry, it will be quick. I know these are a day early, but you won’t be getting most of your presents until after you get home.” He reached into the suitcase and pulled out two Canon SLR cameras by their neck straps.

 

“You boys have been having fun learning how to use mine, and now you each get a camera of your own.” He reached back into the suitcase and pulled out a 75-300 mm telephoto lens. “This is for Blake, although I expect him to share it. Bryce, you’ll get the laptop you wanted when we get back from our excursion this afternoon.” Blake was the twin who had the creative bent while Bryce leaned more to math and the solid sciences. “Happy Birthday, boys!”

 

“Wow, thanks grandpa!” Blake said.

 

“Yeah, thanks loads. You’re the most awesome grandpa ever,” Bryce said.

 

“Your mom and dad and Grandma Margaret all had a part in this,” William said. “The camera’s batteries are fully charged, and they each have a memory card installed, so you’re ready to roll. And now, we had better get ready to roll to our meeting place.”

 

The weather was clear, which didn’t guarantee it would be warm.

 

“Does everyone have a sweater?” Helen asked.

 

“Mom, the temperature is supposed to get to 72, at least that’s what they told us during yesterday’s announcements,” Bryce said.

 

“That wasn’t what I asked. I asked if everyone had a sweater.”

 

Bryce and Blake nodded in unison. They figured the fact they were each wearing a hoodie should have answered their mom’s question.

 

Things ran more smoothly for Pierce and Drake. They were each wearing a hoodie. Walker saw no need to play mother hen to the two teens who were mature and independent boys. The two had planned not to pack hoodies and buy souvenir hoodies on the ship and told Drake's mother what their intentions were. But Natalie had her own idea of what they should do. Even though she was new to the business of mothering a strong-minded teenager to say nothing of his even stronger minded boyfriend, Natalie was quickly learning the tricks of communicating motherly "wisdom". 

 

When the boys had tossed their suitcases into Walker's car they each had included a hoodie. They decided it would be better to wait for the right souvenir hoodie. "You watch, those hoodies are going to bite us in the ass even if it's at the first port--or even one of the ship's hoodies," Pierce had said. 

 

"Now what will we do if we end up going through three ports and learn the one we really wanted was in the first port? Or what if we end up buying one in the first port and then finding one we like better two ports later?" Drake said.

 

"We both know what our tastes are like and how we think. I'd say the odds are good it's going to happen. Besides, in the off chance we find two we like, maybe Natalie will helps us buy a second one.."

 

"I like how you think. After all, moms know best, especially when it comes buying clothes and being properly dressed, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to spend the extra money on what we pick. She for sure wants us to look good together.”

 

Walker interrupted the boys' thoughts, telling them it was time to head for deck five and disembark.”

 

Walker, Christian, and the boys went to Deck 5 where a gangway was set up. They got into a short line, tapped their medallions, and headed down the gangway to the pier. A member of the ship’s excursion staff stood on the pier holding up a sign that had their excursion number on large black letters. She pointed them in the right direction and told them they were on bus number 105A. There were only three buses waiting, so it would be easy to find.

 

A man standing near the bus had a sign with the same information as the sign on the pier and pointed to a man taking tickets. Before walking in front of the bus, Pierce looked back at the ship and saw the twins coming off the gangway.  

 

Walker handed four tickets to the man, who was the excursion’s tour guide, and the foursome climbed onto the bus. Pierce and Drake took a seat on the right side and toward the back of the bus, which still had a lot of empty seats. Walker and Christian sat behind them.  Pierce, who had the window seat, saw Bryce and Blake and the rest of the Randall family. He knocked on the window, but the dock area had a lot of ambient noise, and the twins apparently didn’t hear them.

 

When the twins boarded the bus and started up the aisle Drake stood up and pointed to the empty seats across the aisle. Blake acknowledged Drake with a wave and within seconds the twins were sitting in the seats across the aisle from Drake and Pierce. The Randall adults sat in the two sets of seats behind the twins.

 

“Whoa, we got lucky and got our seats together,” Blake said. 

 

“There was no luck involved,” Pierce said. “It was precise planning on our part.”

 

“As soon as we saw you going in front of the bus I knew we were going to have seats together.”

 

“And if we didn’t, well, we are all going to the same place. I have a feeling we would have survived the twenty-five-minute ride without sitting close to each other.”

 

“But this is so much more fun,” Bryce grinned.

 

As it was, they didn’t have much opportunity to talk as their tour guide, whose name was Kent, cut in as soon as the bus started up. He talked about Ketchikan history and weather. He pointed out some special sights and buildings. As they left the environs of the city, he went into what they would be seeing at the Totem Bight Historical State Park. All four boys realized along the way that the guide was making something that had sounded totally boring sound incredibly interesting.

 

When they arrived at site, they got off the bus. Once everyone was off, their guide took them on a walking tour through a hemlock grove to an old Indian campsite loaded with totem poles situated on an old Tlingit and Haida campsite. They learned that totem carving was a time-honored craft passed down through generations. Many of the totems that were badly damaged by time were restored to their original, colorful, look by native carvers. They also learned that each totem pole told a story and listened fascinated as the guide recited the story carved into the wood.

 

Drake and Pierce were also fascinated by how Blake handled his camera as he looked for different angles and settings. He changed his lenses back and forth. He was using his backpack to carry his camera and lens and wished he had a camera bag. The problem would be taken care of the next day when he opened his mother’s birthday present. Bryce, on the other hand, was more into inspecting the details of the carving, but he took pictures as well.

 

When they saw the colorful wooden lodge, Blake went wild taking exterior and interior shots. “Are you going to keep all of those pictures?” Drake asked.

 

“No way,” Blake said. “Gramps says to get the best pictures you shoot, shoot, shoot and then delete, delete, delete. I used grampa’s laptop to do that with the pictures I took with his camera of us leaving port. But I’ll use the desktop at home to do my editing.”

 

“You can also use my new laptop if you want,” Bryce said.

 

“Thanks, bro. You’re the best big twin brother there is.”

 

“Drake and I want to see the best of your pictures after the trip is over,” Pierce said.

 

“Cool. That will give us a reason to see each other again,” Blake grinned.

 

“How come you take a zillion pictures while Bryce only takes a few?” Pierce could tell the difference between the twins since they weren’t dressed alike.

 

“Well, like my grandma Margaret says, Bryce is the boss twin who likes things just so and I’m the creative twin who likes writing stories and taking pictures. Funny thing about that is I don’t draw real good while Bryce is a really good artist who likes to design things.”

 

“Hey, talking about pictures, how about before we have to go back to the bus we take a selfie with the lodge in the background,” Pierce said.

 

“Grandpa could take some pictures of us with one of our cameras.”

 

“Yeah, but we could send selfies around to all of us right away so we can see how cool we are.”

 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Bryce said.

 

They ended up taking four pictures, one with each of their phone cameras. Then they traded information and sent the pictures off. They finished just in time to follow the tour to the gift shop where snacks and drinks were available to the excursion tourists. The boys enjoyed a couple of cookies each and a cup of hot chocolate.

 

They were soon back on their bus. Everybody returned to their same seats, although the boys made a slight change. Pierce sat next to Bryce and Drake sat with Blake. The twins were pleased to get the extra attention of the older boys. In fact, they had developed raging crushes on their new friends.

 

And while Drake and Pierce didn’t have crushes on the twins, they found themselves liking the young gingers. They were smart, talented, and interesting to talk to. Drake likened them to Logan and Aiden Miller, who were pretty much the same age. Even though they were a couple of years younger, Drake enjoyed their company. He also enjoyed their sexiness, although he tried not to think of Bryce and Blake in the same terms. Pierce felt much the same way.

 

The bus returned to the harbor area of Ketchikan. The boys were excited to see their ship as the bus turned into a side street. It traveled a couple of blocks and stopped in front of the arena where the Logger Show was held.

 

Their guide told them how they would be entering the arena. “The big area of empty seats is the area reserved for us. Feel free to grab some cookies and coffee or soda on the way through the shop. The show starts in fifteen minutes so please head for your seats quickly.  The shop will be open after the show is over for your souvenir shopping pleasure. After the show you can walk around town and enjoy a fabulous local lunch at one of Ketchikan’s many fine restaurants. The ship is a ten-minute walk away. Those of you who requested transportation because of a disability can meet me at the entrance to the shop and we’ll be happy to assist you.”

 

“I wonder if those loggers have big guns,” Drake said after the boys sat between the two sets of adults.

 

“Big guns? I thought they were lumber jacks not hunters,” Blake said.

 

“Dang, boy, don’t those college boys in Bellingham teach you anything? Guns is slang for the biceps on guys who are ripped.”

 

Blake and Bryce both held out their skinny right arms and bent them at the elbow and flexed their biceps. “You mean their built like this,” Bryce said.

 

Drake squeezed Blake’s arm, and Pierce did the same to Bryce. “Yep, that’s exactly what we meant,” Pierce grinned.

 

“These seats are cushioned. This is a big plus for us old codgers,” Walker said to Pierce.

 

“I didn’t realize you were so soft,” Pierce said.

 

“I don’t see you tearing the cushioning out so you can sit on a hard seat.”

 

“I figure I will take whatever goodies I get. Only I don’t have to tell everybody how comfortable it is on my teen ass.” Pierce raised his ass and patted the cushioned seat. “Although, I gotta say that the cushioning is nice.” He sat back down and let out a satisfied sigh.

 

The chatter ended with the start of the show. The MC was full of enthusiasm and information as he introduced the loggers. Drake and Pierce gasped when they the saw that almost all of the loggers wore sleeveless shirts that showed off their arms and then some. The teens gave each other a thumbs up. They were enthralled by what they saw. Bryce and Blake thought the loggers were good looking men, but they were ready to see what the MC said they were going to do.

 

The MC told them that they would be witnessing “a no-holds-barred competition between Alaska’s frontier lumberjacks and British Columbia’s premier woodsmen.” The competition would include springboard chopping, axe throwing, buck sawing, a 50-foot tree climb, and log rolling. The MC tossed in tales of lumberjack lore along the way to the delight of the crowd. Bryce, Blake, Pierce, and Drake became completely lost in the competition, especially the log rolling as the lumberjacks tried to knock their competition off their floating log and into the pool situated at the center of the arena. They cheered for the Alaskans all the way and were pleased when they won by a close margin.

 

“The Alaskans had the best-looking bodies, so it was totally right that they should be the winners,” Drake said.

 

It was 11:30. The show was over, and lunch was next. The group had agreed to eat in town rather than on the ship. The boys agreed somewhat reluctantly—after all how could a restaurant match the pile of food available at the Horizon Court buffet. They were in good spirits, however, since they were assured that the food would be good as well as filling.

 

They walked the two blocks to The Fish House, a restaurant recommended by a friend of Walker’s. He warned Walker that the restaurant was a popular eatery and they might have to wait in line. While there did end up being a wait, it was only ten minutes      .

 

<Noon>

 

The Fish House was a busy, crowded, noisy place but that was part of its charm - as was its rustic decor and furnishings. The host, a handsome young blond who appeared to be about 19, led the group to their tables, gave them menus, and told them that Cindy would be their server. The four boys sat at the table for four while the adults took the table for six. As they seated themselves, Drake gave Pierce a look and a leer that silently said, "Damn, that host is a cutie." Pierce had seen that look many times and replied, out loud, "Yes, he is." The two of them grinned and bumped fists to confirm their secret agreement.

 

Cindy arrived at their tables and took their orders. Cindy was a thirty-something lady who conveyed a sense of humor as well as professionalism. All six adults chose the AK Sampler. Bryce chose the Salmon and Chips, Blake chose Cod, Pierce chose AK Tacos, and Drake chose the Hamburger.

 

"Hamburger??" Pierce scoffed good-naturedly. "You're sitting in one of the best, if not THE best, seafood places in the whole area and you go for a burger? Dude, where's the gourmet in you?"

 

"Hey, the burger's on the menu and that's what I want," Drake replied with a grin. "Cindy," he called to the waitress with faked helplessness and a huge twinkle in his eye, "help me defend my choice - I'm being called a non-gourmet."

 

Cindy was briefly wordless as she looked the handsome teenagers up and down but then she spoke. "The fact that your friend is eating here automatically makes him a gourmet in my book. He is obviously an educated man - a man of culture, taste, and refinement who shows confidence in his preferences."

 

Drake and Cindy bumped fists then she rushed off to take another table's orders.

 

Pierce was in hysterics. "Oh, brother!" he gasped. "So, what did you pay to have her to come up with that?" Pierce couldn't stop laughing. "Culture? Taste? Refinement? I beg your pardon!"

 

Drake joined Pierce in his laughter. "She did lay it on a little thick, didn't she?"

 

"I thought it was priceless," Margaret laughed. "That was classic."

 

As they ate, Pierce offered Drake a taste of his Tacos and Drake offered Pierce a taste of his hamburger. They both decided they had made excellent choices.

 

Walker and William had had conversations earlier in the day, mostly on the bus, regarding their professions. William's familiarity with computers and software dovetailed perfectly with Walker's knowledge of how his company used hardware and software and it gave the two men endless topics of conversation. Jeff, Christian, Margaret, and Helen talked mostly about the interesting history of the totem poles while the four boys talked mostly about the lumberjacks and the show they put on.

 

As she enjoyed her lunch, Helen found herself eavesdropping on the boys' conversations. She still had nagging concerns about the way she felt Drake and Pierce might "influence" her sons. She knew that her husband and her in-laws didn't share her concerns, but she also recalled she and her husband had recently talked about Blake and Bryce sleeping together frequently. The last thing Helen wanted to do was disturb the enjoyment of their cruise. She resolved to talk with Jeff when she could.

 

As the group was leaving the restaurant, Pierce chanced to run into Cindy. "Thanks, Cindy - I had that coming," he said with a wink.

 

"My pleasure," Cindy said with a huge smile. "Please stop in again." Cindy had worked as a waitress for many years and she'd seen it all. She couldn't help thinking to herself, 'My God, the blue eyes on that kid - those two have got to be boyfriends.'

 

<1:30pm>

 

After finishing lunch, the group returned to the ship and paused in the atrium for a discussion.

 

"Helen and I are going up to the Sky Deck to just relax and enjoy the outdoors," Jeff said to his parents. "Would you like to join us?"

 

"That sounds like a great idea," Margaret said. "I may take a book with me and do some reading until supper time."

 

"Walker, how about you and Christian?" Jeff said. "The upper deck sound good to you?"

 

"Sounds great, Jeff," Walker said. He looked at the four boys. "How about you guys? What are your plans?"

 

"I'd like to hit the Teen Center," Bryce said. "Maybe play some foosball or video games up there." Blake, Drake, and Pierce nodded their approval.

 

"Okay," Jeff said. "Let's plan to meet at the Ketchikan dining room for supper at five o'clock. I have tables    ed."

 

"Thanks, Dad," Bryce said. "We'll be there." The boys headed for the Teen Center. William, Margaret, Jeff and Helen headed for the Sky Deck.

 

"I just happened to think," Jeff said. "I need to go to the Skagway dining room and get a 5:30pm reservation for 10 for tomorrow night. We'll need a table for 6 and a table for 4 for the birthday event. I'll join you up on the Sky Deck after I take care of that."

 

"Jeff, can I go with you?" Walker asked. "I'd like you to show me what you need to do to make a reservation change like that."

 

"Sure."

 

The two men took the elevator to the Skagway dining room and worked with the maitre d' to arrange the reservation.

 

As they left the dining room, Walker noticed a small table with two chairs outside the dining room. He motioned Jeff to have a seat and said, "Jeff, can we talk for a minute?"

 

"Sure."

 

"I'd like to reach out for your thoughts and opinions," Walker said. "As you may already realize, Christian, Pierce, Drake, and I are all gay men. Drake is Pierce's boyfriend."

 

Jeff nodded and held up his right hand in a way that said, "I know where you're going. It probably won't surprise you when I tell you you're not surprising us. Especially my mom."

 

"Margaret is a wonderfully down-to-earth person," Walker said with a smile. "She said beautiful things about me and Christian and about my son and his boyfriend and I truly appreciate it. By the way, Christian and I are not lovers - we are very good friends but that's it."

 

Jeff nodded understandingly. "My mom has a knack for saying things that need to be said and for not saying things that are probably better off not said. Although there are times when she can be brutally honest."

 

"Regarding the friendship developing between the twins and my boys, I'd suggest we let them foster it and enjoy it, but we also keep an eye on it," Walker said. "For example, if Pierce and Drake were to propose inviting the twins to their cabin, I would turn thumbs down on the idea."

 

"I couldn't agree more," Jeff said. "Helen and I would feel the same way if Blake and Bryce were to suggest having Pierce and Drake to their cabin. Which, they very easily could do, even if we forbade it. We’ll need to be alert; they are horny young teens after all.”"

 

"I have a feeling Pierce and Drake would never propose the idea because they'd know how I'd feel about it," Walker said. "By the way, I don't know if Pierce and Drake have told the twins they are boyfriends."

 

Jeff shrugged. "If they have, I think the twins will keep it to themselves. About the only thing they've told us is how well Pierce and Drake dance together." Jeff smiled and shook his head. "It can be a complicated world we live in."

 

"That's for sure."

 

"You know, it's interesting," Jeff said. "My mom and my wife are both very good dancers. I hope they get to see Pierce and Drake dance together before our cruise is over. From what Blake and Bryce have said, they are really very good."

 

"No question they are very good. We'll keep you informed about any time there's a program where they'll be dancing."

 

The two men shook hands and headed to the elevator.

 

"Thanks, Walker. "I'll pass on what you've told me to Helen and my parents although I won't mention it to the twins. In the meantime, we'll let the boys' friendship keep rolling. Let's head up to the upper deck."

 

"You're welcome, Jeff. Sounds like a plan. I won't mention our conversation to Pierce or Drake either."

 

<The Teen Center>

 

Drake, Pierce, and the Randall twins arrived on Deck 15 and headed to the Teen Center.

 

"Had you ever met the two dudes that took your picture and sent it to us?" Pierce asked the twins as the four boys sat at a table.

 

"No - they were strangers to us," Blake replied. "We thought they were going on this same cruise we're on. We only talked with them for a second or two."

 

Bryce: "They told us their names were Trajan and Levi and that they were good friends of yours..."

 

Blake: "...and that you guys were great dudes and we were supposed to tell you they had told us about you."

 

Bryce: "We first noticed them because Levi had really red hair like ours..."

 

Blake: "...and they both were really cute, too."

 

"Actually, they were there to see Drake and me off," Pierce said. He grabbed his phone and pulled up a picture of Trajan and Levi that he had taken at the bon voyage party and showed it to Blake and Bryce. It showed Trajan and Levi shirtless and standing side by side in the sun. Levi's curls were glowing a beautiful red with a few golden highlights.

 

"I took this at our going away party," Pierce said. "As you already know, the dude with the red broccoli is Levi and the other guy is his boyfriend, Trajan."

 

Blake put his thumb and index finger on the screen of Pierce's phone and zoomed in on the image of Levi.

 

"Damn, Levi is so fucking hot," Blake whispered with a smile. "His broccoli is dope. How old is he?"

 

"He turned 13 at our Fourth of July party, right?" Drake asked Pierce.

 

"Yup - that was the day we spanked him and tossed him into the pool," Pierce laughed.

 

"Then, at our bon voyage party, Levi and Trajan told us they were boyfriends," Drake said. "We weren't surprised and it made all of us very happy."

 

"When we first met in the corridor last night, I think I remember you telling us that you and Drake are boyfriends, too. Am I right?" Bryce asked.

 

"Yes, you are," Pierce said without hesitation. "We've been boyfriends for almost a year." He and Drake shared a quick kiss.

 

It gave Blake and Bryce a comfortable feeling to be talking openly with Drake and Pierce about hot boys and boyfriends.

 

"You talked about a Fourth of July party and a bon voyage party and a pool," Blake said. "You guys must have some awesome parties."

 

"We do," Pierce admitted. "It all happens at my dad's house in the back yard."

 

"Which is fenced in," Drake added.

 

"Any chance you guys, um, do any skinny dipping?" Blake asked with a leer.

 

"Um, yeah, there's a chance," Drake said suggestively. The four boys grinned and bumped fists - they knew the score.

 

"Hey, speaking of Trajan and Levi, let me get a selfie of the four of us," Pierce said. "I want to send it to them so they know we've met you." The four boys crowded together and Pierce took the picture. He would send it to Trajan and Levi later.

 

Just then a young blond boy walked up to the table where the boys were sitting.

 

"Hey, Tracy," Blake greeted. "Wassup?"

 

"Me and my family went on the Ketchikan tour," Tracy replied. "We just got back to the ship."

 

"We went, too," Blake said. He motioned toward Drake and Pierce. "These are our friends from Seattle."

 

"I'm Drake - I'm 16."

 

"I'm Pierce - I'm 15." Pierce decided to forego mentioning again that he and Drake were boyfriends.

 

"I'm Tracy King," the blond said. "I'm from Bozeman, Montana. I'll be 13 on Wednesday."

 

The boys all bumped fists. Tracy pulled up a chair and sat down.

 

"You dudes turn 13 tomorrow, right?" Tracy said to the twins.

 

"For sure!" Blake and Bryce replied in unison.

 

"Janice lets me into the Teen Center even though I'm not really a teen yet," Tracy said. "Wanna play some foosball?"

 

The boys all agreed with Tracy's suggestion and ended up amusing themselves at the foosball table for the better part of an hour. Drake teamed with Blake and Pierce teamed with Bryce with Tracy joining one team or the other on a roughly alternating basis. The rules were flexible (when they existed at all) and the boys frequently roared with laughter when scoring attempts failed. Pierce and Bryce were declared the ultimate winners after scoring their tenth goal.

 

The boys then stepped out on the deck to watch the ship depart Ketchikan. Since the ship's pace was slow, they soon returned to the Teen Center to play more games.

 

"We gotta jet," Bryce said after they had spent an hour playing video games. "We're supposed to meet our 'rents at five o'clock for dinner."

 

"Good to meetcha, Tracy," Pierce and Drake said in unison.

 

The four boys headed to the dining room.

 

<5:00pm>

 

The entire group met as planned in the Ketchikan dining room and enjoyed a relaxing dinner. They knew the next day would be a busy one and they would have to be up early again. Both families were in their cabins by 9:00pm.

 

<9:00pm>

 

<Blake and Bryce's cabin>

 

Bryce and Blake watched TV for a while then brushed and flossed their teeth and snuggled into bed.

 

"I want to suck Drake's cock so bad," Blake said as he kissed his brother. "Shit, he's sixteen - I bet he's got a big, hairy one."

 

Bryce shook his head. "Yeah, but something tells me dad and mom won't let us invite him and Pierce to our cabin."

 

"Yeah, you're prolly right," Blake replied. "And they prolly wouldn't let us go to Pierce and Drake's cabin, either."

 

"And if we tried and got caught we'd for sure get put on some kind of really fucking strict restrictions," Bryce said.

 

"I wish Cayden was here," Blake said. "He'd come up with some idea."

 

"All this sex talk has got me boned up and wanting you to suck me really bad," Bryce whispered.

 

Blake could feel precum as he fondled Bryce's rock-hard penis. "I feel a sixty-nine coming on," he said with a grin.

 

It took the boys less than half a minute to get into position. Blake's mouth and tongue did their job and a few seconds later Bryce's cut four-and-a-half-incher delivered several strong spurts of his getting-thicker-every-day cum into Blake's waiting mouth and throat. Almost at the same instant, Blake's cut four-and-a-half inches landed a good-sized load in Bryce's mouth.

 

"Holy fuck, dude," Blake gasped as he wiped the cum off of his chin. "Your cum's gettin' thicker every day."

 

"You should know," Bryce whispered. "You get a mouthful almost every day." The boys high-fived and went to the bathroom to rinse their mouths.

 

"I love you, bro," Blake said as the twins snuggled back into bed and shared an affectionate kiss. "It's been an awesome day. Happy birthday-eve to you."

 

"I love you, too. Happy birthday-eve to you."

 

The twins were asleep in less than five minutes.

 

<Jeff and Helen's cabin>

 

After the twins went to their cabin, Jeff explained the conversation he had had with Walker to his wife and his parents.

 

"I'm glad Walker opened up to you and I agree with his ideas regarding the boys' friendship," Helen said.

 

"I agree, too," Margaret said. "They were really enjoying each other's company today while we were onshore."

 

"One remaining question," William said. "Are you going to tell Blake and Bryce about your talk with Walker?"

 

"No," Jeff said. "Walker said he wouldn't mention it to Pierce and Drake either. Let's all just enjoy the cruise and leave it at that."

 

The Randalls were all in agreement.

 

<The Bledsoe's cabin>

 

"Great show the lumberjacks put on today," Pierce commented.

 

"I loved the boots they were wearing," Christian said.

 

"Did you see the spikes on those damn things?" Drake asked. "Those were wicked."

 

"The better to keep you on the log, my dear," Christian replied with a smile.

 

"Cindy at the Fish House was a scream," Pierce said with a chuckle. "I deserved what she said."

 

"Cindy's a classic case of a waitress who has seen and heard it all," Christian grinned. "She had you two pegged right from the start."

 

"Well, I kinda hope so," Drake said as he put his arm around Pierce's shoulder. "We are boyfriends, after all."

 

"I got a kick outta Bryce this afternoon at the Teen Center," Pierce said. "When we first met the twins out in the corridor last night, I introduced Drake as my boyfriend. I had forgotten I said that and Bryce reminded me of it. I think he just wanted me to confirm what I said."

 

"Do you think they'll tell their 'rents?" Drake wondered.

 

"Two points," Walker said. "One: I think the twins will keep it to themselves. Two: I have a feeling the parents have already figured it out."

 

Drake shrugged. "Works for me."

 

"It's a big day for those two tomorrow," Walker said. "They're going to be teenagers."

 

"It looks like a busy day for everybody tomorrow," Pierce said. "Do we set our alarms for quarter to six again?"

 

"I think that works," Walker said. "So now, you guys get right to sleep, okay?"

 

Pierce gave Drake a passionate kiss. "Did you hear what he just said?"

 

"I did," Drake admitted, "and it sure messes up my plans. Speaking of messes..."

 

The two teens trotted into their bedroom. "Good night, dad!" they hollered in unison.                  

 

Less than fifteen minutes later, all four members of the Bledsoe family had finished their bathroom needs, drowsiness had overcome them, and they had bedded down. They were asleep in no time.

 

Next: Day 4-Cruise Day 4-Endicott Arm and Juneau