Copyright © 2021-2025 DouglasDD. All Rights Reserved.
The time has come for Pierce and Drake to board the cruise ship “Sapphire Princess” and head for The Last Frontier. The surprise sendoff by Trajan and Levi made their departure all the more special.
This chapter is cowritten by Douglas DD and Illinois Larry, who is mostly responsible for Pierce and Drake.
Thanks for reading.
CHAPTER 43
SETTING SAIL
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
<Levi and Trajan>
Levi’s alarm went off at 6:30. He had been sleeping on his belly with his right arm draped over Trajan’s bare chest.
“Fuck, who’s idea was it for us to get up early in the morning to go watch two lucky-ass teenagers get on a cruise ship?” Trajan grumbled.
Levi yawned and said, “I think we came up with the idea together.”
“I was afraid you’d say that, because it’s true.”
“Mr. Gardner said we had to be ON TIME if we wanted to ride our bikes into the cruise terminal area or the security guard won’t let us in. I figure ON TIME to him means the same as it did to Coach Vincent,” Levi said. Mr. Gardner was Levi’s neighbor who was head of security for the Magnolia Bridge cruise port. Coach Vincent had been their lacrosse coach.
“Yep. ON TIME means don’t be late and don’t be afraid to be a little early to make sure you’re not late.”
“Well, the time he set was 9:45. And unlike Coach Vincent he said for us to not be more than five minutes early. Luckily dad realized he didn’t say what we should do if we were early since we didn’t want to be late. He said we could wait at the intersection near the security checkpoint which was like a minute away. So, we’re in good shape.”
From their communications with Drake and Pierce, Trajan and Levi knew that their friends figured they would be boarding the “Sapphire Princess” sometime between ten and eleven. “But not before ten and we hope not after eleven,” Pierce had told them. “Dad says the most likely time will be a around ten-thirty, but there’s no guarantee.”
“Well, I can guarantee I’m gonna wet the bed if I don’t get up and take a piss,” Trajan said.
“I’m not as desperate as you, but a nice piss would feel good.”
“And then, after we’ve made our bladders flatter, we can hop into the shower.”
Arlene was awake and making French toast and sausage as the boys came downstairs after showering and dressing. “Good morning, sleepy heads,” Arlene said.
“Good morning, mom,” Levi said. “Thanks for cooking up breakfast.”
“Yeah, thanks for getting up early to cook us up some energy food for our bike outing,” Trajan added.
“Where’s dad?”
“Your father and I agreed that he could sleep in since he’s been getting up early for his summer seminar,” Arlene answered.
“I thought that ended yesterday.”
“The last one is Wednesday. Yesterday was the last Friday.”
“Whatever, if you want my theory, it’s that he’s sleeping in this morning, so he’ll be fresh for golf later this morning,” Levi said.
“And it’s a pleasure he has certainly earned.”
“Oh, I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing, I was just saying that’s how it is.”
“I believe you’ve hit the nail on the head.”
“Or the golf club ball on the sweet spot,” Levi grinned.
“That sounds perfect.” Trajan gave his boyfriend a quick kiss and then headed for his seat at the kitchen table.
After finishing their breakfast, the boys went upstairs and brushed their teeth and emptied their bladders since it would be a while before they had another chance. Arlene had a bag with an apple and two bottles of water for each boy. She also gave Levi money to pay for lunch. They each gave Arlene a big thanks and a kiss on the cheek and headed to the garage. They packed their bags of food and water into their saddle bags and rolled their bikes out of the garage.
From there they rode to the U. District transit center, placed their bikes on the bus’s bike rack and rode the 31 bus to Magnolia Village. From there they rode their bikes across the Magnolia Bridge to Elliot Avenue and then to the security checkpoint for the cruise.
They arrived at 9:43, which was two minutes early. Along with the regular guard checking the cars entering the port, there was a security guard waiting for the boys. He was impressed by their punctuality.
Before he followed Gary Gardner’s instructions on taking the boys to the place where they would meet their friends, he wanted to verify their identities. He gave them his best security guard glare and asked them for their names. Gary had told them the guard would be instructed to do so.
Levi answered first, giving the answer he had been told to use. “I’m Levi Hanson and I am Mr. Gardner’s neighbor.”
“I am Trajan DeLuca, and I am Levi’s best friend and lacrosse teammate.” He wanted to blurt out “boyfriend” but knew this was not the time or place to do it.
“I am Floyd Simpson, and I will be your guide. Gary must think a lot of you to go through this effort to let you into the port.”
“He’s my dad’s golfing buddy. Thanks for helping us. We didn’t think this was going to be such a big deal,” Levi said.
“It probably is because you’re unaccompanied minors coming into a somewhat restricted area.”
“I felt like I was in a spy movie having to give you the exact right information,” Trajan said.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool.”
Floyd found himself liking the two friendly boys. The fact that they played lacrosse meant something to him because he had played the sport in high school. “Nothing like a little cloak and dagger stuff to make the day complete,” he grinned. “As you know, you’ll be leaving your bikes here where they will be out of the way and we’re going to walk to the terminal.”
“Can I check my camera bag with the security guard?” Levi asked.
“Of course. He’ll give you a receipt for it.”
Levi took his beloved Canon out of his saddlebag but left his zoom telephoto lens in the camera bag, which he left with the guard. He had shown a big interest in photography and had received the camera equipment last Christmas. The guard gave him a receipt for the bag and equipment. Floyd then had the boys park their bikes in an alcove across the street from the checkpoint. They did so, dutifully locked them, and grabbed the bags with their apple and water, which were allowed according to Gary’s instructions. They followed Floyd along the sidewalk toward the “Sapphire Princess”. The boys were awestruck by the big ship as well as the “Carnival Miracle” which was berthed at the pier next to the Princess ship.
“Damn Levi, all I can say is fuck those things are huge. How many people can they carry?”
“I looked it up, and the ‘Sapphire Princess’ carries around 2600 passengers and 1100 crew members,” Levi said.
“Wow, that’s almost four thousand people. I’d get lost the minute I got on the ship. I gotta wonder how Drake and Pierce are gonna make out.” Levi had to keep from laughing at Trajan’s choice of words.
“You boys would be surprised how easy it is to navigate around one of those ships. Plus, it’s a great place to meet new people and make new friends. And before you ask, I have been on three cruises. My job includes great discounts for my family and me,” Floyd said.
They soon reached the end of the covered platform where cars, buses, taxis, shuttles, and the like loaded and unloaded passengers. At the moment most of them were loading passengers who had arrived, but as they left most of them were being replaced by vehicles dropping off passengers.
“Our friends told us they were coming by car with Pierce’s dad and his friend, and they were parking at the big parking garage,” Trajan said.
“Then they will be dropped off by a shuttle at the other end of the platforms, so you’ll be able to watch them coming down one of the two platforms or the open walkway. Keep your eyes open. They’ll be getting in line to go through the glass doors to the terminal. They have to tap their medallions, and the attendant will let them into the building if their pretty pictures pop up on her screen.”
Floyd escorted Trajan and Levi to a spot where they had a good view of the platforms and the place where he said the line would form. In fact, it was already starting to form as the early birds wanted to beat the crowd. The doors wouldn’t be opened until ten o’clock at the earliest, however.
“I’m going to help with controlling the line, which is my usual duty when a ship boards. I expect you to use this area to meet with your friends. There are restrooms to the left of the entrance. I noticed you brought water, so that won’t be a problem. That was very smart of you.”
“It was very smart of Levi’s mom,” Trajan said.
“We would have thought of it if mom hadn’t,” Levi said. Trajan nodded in agreement.
Soon all of the disembarking passengers had exited the terminal, and most had been picked up or boarded their buses. The flow of passengers was toward the terminal.
While the boys stayed at their assigned locations, they did do some walking around that area to keep their blood flowing and their minds active. Floyd noted their little strolls and had no problem with them.
They saw some younger kids boarding as well as a few teens. In their minds all too many of the teens were girls. Around 10:30 Levi saw a pair of boys who caught his attention. “Hey, Trajan, check out the two guys to the left,” Levi said.
Trajan saw two boys who looked to be twelve or thirteen and were obviously identical twins coming toward them with four adults. The boys were wearing Mariner baseball caps which didn’t hide the fact that they were redheads. “Damn, Levi, check out the hair on those twins. They’re as red as you are.”
“Those two boys look like they’re waiting for somebody,” Bryce said to Blake when he saw Levi and Trajan.
“They don’t look much older than us,” Blake said. “And look at the red hair on the kid with the broccoli cut. His hair is, like, bright red. He looks really cute.”
“Are you guys going on the cruise?” Blake asked Levi and Trajan as they passed them.
“No, but two of our best friends are. We’re here to wish them bon voyage,” Levi answered.
“I wish you were going. You look like cool guys to know,” Bryce said as the adults reached the end of the line.
“Can I get a picture of you? I think it would be great to have a picture of two fellow gingers, especially identical ones.” The twins stood side by side, took off their hats to show off their red hair, and Levi snapped two quick pictures. Trajan took some of the twins and Levi with his phone.
“Come on boys, let’s get moving. You can visit them on board the ship,” the twins’ mom said. It was obvious she hadn’t listened to what the boys said. Since the line was moving at a snail’s pace the twins didn’t head right over to join the adults.
“Our friends are Drake and Pierce,” Trajan said. “Their nicknames are Duck and Pooka. They’re really cool dudes even if they are a couple of years older than us.” He gave the twins a quick description of the two. “Tell them you met Trajan and Levi and I guarantee they’ll be your friends.”
“We’ll remember it,” Blake said. “We better catch up with our parents. Too bad you won’t be cruising with us, but we’ll remember what you told us about what they look like and those names and maybe we’ll make some new friends.” The twins left and caught up with their family who had moved maybe fifteen feet and were getting close to the entrance while they’d chatted with Levi and Trajan.
Floyd sauntered over to Levi and Trajan. “Were those twins your friends?”
“Nope. We just met them,” Levi said.
“But they’re cool dudes,” Trajan said. “We told them what our friends look like and maybe they’ll meet on the ship.”
“If you tell your friends to be on the lookout for two identical ginger twins, I have to say the chances of them meeting and getting to know each other is outstanding,” Floyd grinned.
Fifteen minutes later Trajan caught sight of their targets. “I see them,” he shouted at Levi who was standing a couple of feet from him.
“Whoa, I hear ya,” Levi said. “And I see them, too.”
Drake and Pierce were amazed by the efficiency of the boarding process. At the parking garage, getting the passengers and their luggage from their cars to the shuttles and had gone like clockwork. The shuttle ride took about ten minutes, and everything was just as efficient when their shuttle parked in slot five at the shuttle loading and unloading area.
They had put the luggage tags on their luggage at Walker’s house. So, all they had to do when it came off the shuttle was roll their suitcases a few feet out of the way and turn them over to a baggage handler, who loaded their gear on a cart which he would pull to the pier for loading onto the ship. Drake, Pierce, Walker, and Christian had their carry-ons and headed along the platform to the terminal building.
“Oh My God, Pooka!” Drake squealed. “Look at those boys over there where the line is. Are they who I think they are?”
“Must be,” Pierce responded. “Who else but Levi has a red broccoli do?”
“What are they doing here?”
“I suspect they’re here to wish us a smooth sailing and fair winds, or something like that.”
With that the boys broke away from Walker and Christian and raced toward where their friends were. Trajan and Levi, who’d just caught sight of their two friends, headed toward them. The four met with big hugs which wasn’t easy since Drake and Pierce were both wearing backpacks and Levi had his camera hanging from his neck.
Floyd watched the scene unfold and fully understood why Levi and Trajan had biked their way to the cruise port to see off their friends. The four of them were obviously close friends. Floyd thought it was the best cruise bon voyage he had seen in a long time.
“What the bleep are you dudes doing here?” Pierce asked.
“Why we’re wishing you smooth sailing and may there be wind in your sails and friends in your boat,” Levi said.
“Did you make that up?” Drake asked.
Levi shook his head. “I saw it online and thought it was perfect.”
“Me and Levi…Levi and I wanted something more than plain old ‘bon voyage’ so he went searching.” Trajan was proud that he caught his grammatical slip before saying the wrong thing in front of two high school honor students.
Levi stepped back and took pictures of Pierce and Drake. Walker had his camera out and was taking his own pictures of the gathering. Trajan snapped a few with his phone as did Drake.
“Speaking of friends, we met these ginger twins getting on board,” Levi said. “They looked around twelve or thirteen. They’re named Bryce and Blake and I don’t know which is which. We told them to be on the lookout for you guys and gave them your names.”
Levi brought up his pictures on his camera’s view screen. “Here’s what they look like, not that you could miss them on the ship.”
Drake and Pierce took a quick look at the images. “Wow, we have friends on the ship we haven’t even met yet. It looks like you made your farewell saying true,” Pierce said.
“Time to move on boys,” Walker said. “We’d like to get to the buffet before they run out of food.”
“Like that’s going to happen,” Drake said. He turned to Levi and gave him a big hug. Pierce followed Drake’s lead and hugged Trajan. Then they quickly switched boys. “Thanks for coming down here to meet us.” Walker had his camera set to video for the bon voyage hugs.
“Yeah, thanks big time,” Pierce said. “I can’t think of a more awesome sendoff.”
“I like the medallions,” Levi said after he broke his hug with Pierce. “Makes you look ready to cruise.”
Pierce and Drake headed to the line with Walker and Christian. As they stood in line, Christian asked how Trajan and Levi got to the cruise port.
“Probably their bikes or their bikes and a bus,” Pierce said. “That’s how I would do it.”
“Then how did they get past security and just stand around in the area without security moving them out?”
“Good question. I guess we’ll learn the answer to that after we get home.”
“Or after I text the question to Trajan during lunch,” Drake said.
The boys exchanged final waves when Pierce and Drake reached the door. Levi and Trajan watched as their friends tapped their medallions on the reader and disappeared into the terminal.
Floyd then came over to where Levi and Trajan were standing. “You guys truly were good friends. That was fun to watch. Well, it’s around eleven and the ship doesn’t sail until three. I assume you boys are going to head out now.”
“That’s the start of our exit plan,” Levi said.
“Oh? And how does the entire plan work?”
“We ride up the Magnolia Bridge, go to Luigi’s and have pizza for lunch and then ride to Discovery Park where we’ll watch the beautiful ‘Sapphire Princess’ sail by. I brought my camera, and Trajan has his phone, and we plan on taking lots of pictures for Pierce and Drake.” Discovery Park sat on a bluff where they could watch the ship sail out of Elliot Bay and into Puget Sound, or they could walk down to water level and look from there. Either way, the Olympic Mountains would make their background on the beautiful summer day.
“That sounds like a good plan. I’m required to walk you to your bikes and see you off even though I trust you guys totally. But, as you’ve no doubt learned, sometimes orders are orders. But thanks for brightening up my day. You boys have been fun to work with and great to know,” Floyd said as they reached the security checkpoint.
After Levi claimed his camera bag, he and Trajan unlocked their bikes, thanked Floyd for being a great host, and rode off toward the Magnolia Bridge.
<Walker/Christian/Drake/Pierce>
After entering the terminal, Walker directed the group to the green line for check in. From there they headed up to the security check.
Walker was first through the metal detector. The arrangement was similar to that used at many airports where metal things like keys, coins, wrist watches, and belt buckles are placed in a tub along with hats, brief cases, and any other carry-on items and sent along a conveyor. The traveler then simply walks through the detector. If it doesn’t beep, you’re good. If it beeps, you’re asked to step off to the side, raise your arms, and a security agent will run a handheld detector over you.
Walker, Christian, and Pierce walked through without a beep. When Drake walked through, the detector beeped. He stepped to the side and the security agent ran the detector over him. “Go ahead, sir. You’re OK,” the agent said.
“Why did I get a beep?” Drake asked Pierce as they got on the escalator leading to the gangway. “I didn’t have any metal on me.”
“He just wanted another look at that big cock of yours,” Pierce answered with a smirk.
“You’re so fulla shit,” Drake laughed as he gave his boyfriend a punch in the shoulder followed by a quick kiss.
“Seriously, dad’s told me that even if you unintentionally move your arms a tiny bit, it will sometimes mess up the test and they need to run it again,” Pierce explained.
At the end of the gangway, the group arrived on deck 7 of the ship and were greeted by staff members. Walker suggested they go immediately to their cabin on deck 10 and get unpacked. While they were in the cabin, they would also be able to view the safety video.
The foursome used one of the four elevators with glass walls and open shafts to go up to deck 10. The ship referred to them as “Panoramic Lifts” and they gave passengers a spectacular view of the decks as they traveled up and down. On the way to the cabin, Walker filled the group in on the operation of the cabin door lock.
“All four of our medallions will unlock the door,” he explained. “If we all walk up to the door at once, the door will unlock but we won’t really know whose medallion unlocked it. So I’d suggest that, as we get close to the door, we let Pierce walk 8 or 10 feet ahead of us. When the door unlocks, we’ll know it was his medallion that unlocked it.”
“How will we know it’s unlocked?” Pierce asked.
“A green light encircling the door handle will come on.”
As the group approached the cabin, they stayed back and let Pierce approach the door alone. When he got within 5 feet of the door, the green light came on.
“OK, now just pull the handle down and the door’ll open,” Walker said.
Pierce pulled the handle down and the door opened. “Awesome!” he said with typical teenage enthusiasm. “Welcome to our cabin.”
The rest of the group entered the cabin - they couldn’t help admiring the large, beautifully furnished living area and the two bedrooms in the rear.
“The bedrooms are identical,” Walker said. “You guys can choose one and it’ll be yours.”
“I wonder how soundproof the walls are,” Drake said with a wink.
“I don’t know,” Walker said, “but I’m sure you’ll test them.”
Drake and Pierce chose the bedroom on the left side, went in, faced each other, and exchanged a long, tight, loving hug.
“This is so awesome,” Drake whispered. “Thank you for inviting me along. I love you so much.” He stared into Pierce’s blue eyes as their lips met.
“Wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Pierce whispered. “I love you, too.” The lovers shared a gentle kiss.
“Holy shit, this cabin is beautiful,” Drake said. “The furnishings are unreal. I wonder what something like this cost.”
“Don’t let dad get a hint that you’re wondering that,” Pierce said quietly but seriously. “I don’t know what it cost either but trust me, he is beyond happy to do this. He loves me and he loves you and he loves seeing us together and happy. Just enjoy yourself and let him know you’re enjoying yourself and that you appreciate what he’s doing. That’s the kind of thanks he wants. It’s that simple.”
Drake nodded and kissed Pierce again. “I got it. You know, that was beyond cool that Trajan and Levi came to see us off.”
“I agree. They’re so beautiful and I’m glad they came out to us and everybody else.”
“Are you getting taller?” Drake asked with a smile. “I’m looking you straight in the eye today - I don’t think I could have done that a couple months ago.”
“It’s my growth spurt,” Pierce answered with a wink and a smile. “All boys have them. And if it’s going to continue, I need lunch. And quick.”
“I could use some lunch, too,” Drake said.
“Where are we going for lunch, Dad?” Pierce asked as the boys came out of their bedroom.
“The Horizon Court up on deck 14 - they’ve got a great buffet. Right now, let’s watch this safety video - then on the way to the buffet, we can report to our muster station.”
The TV was programmed so only the safety video would play until all four medallions had been verified as being in the cabin while the video played. The video was animated and showed them what to do when the ship’s alarm sounded and how to put on their life vests, among other helpful safety tips and lasted just over ten minutes. They had just finished watching the safety video when there was a knock at the door. Walker answered it.
“Hello. My name is Dakila,” the man at the door said. Walker could see from his name badge that Dakila hailed from the Philippines. “I will be your steward for this cruise. I wanted to thank you for choosing Princess cruises and to let you know that if there is anything I can do for you to be sure and let me know.”
“Thank you, Dakila,” Walker said. “I’m Walker. This is my friend Christian, this is my son Pierce, and this is his boyfriend, Drake. We’ll be sure to let you know if there’s anything you can do for us. We just finished watching the muster video and now we need to report to our muster station.”
Dakila pointed to the cabin door. “And you know the poster on the door shows you where your muster station is.”
“Thank you, Dakila. I appreciate your help.”
“Very good, sir,” Dakila said as he left the cabin. “Enjoy the cruise!”
A safety poster attached to the cabin door showed them that their cabin was assigned muster station A which was located in the Princess theater on deck 7. Before leaving the cabin, they verified that all four of their medallions would properly unlock and lock the cabin. They visited the muster station and, after a ride on one of the Panoramic lifts, went to the Horizon Court and got in line for the buffet.
<Trajan and Levi>
The boys stopped off in the park that was on the edge of the Magnolia Village. The time was 11:15. “That was fun,” Trajan said as he dismounted his bike and sat on a bench.
Levi sat next to Trajan. “Are you talking about seeing Pierce and Drake or riding up the Magnolia Bridge?”
“Well, one was pure fun and the other was work with some fun thrown in. I’ll let you guess which was which.”
“I don’t have to guess at all. Since Pierce and Drake are two of our best friends, I’ll put my money on them being the most fun. No way I can lose that bet,” Levi said. “But I do have to say that I am totally jealous of those two, especially after seeing that big, beautiful ship they’re going on.”
“I agree. I was ready to see if I could get a job rowing the ship or washing the dishes or fighting off whales or something. Fuck if those two aren’t going to have a kick ass time.”
“Since they don’t start sailing until three, we gotta figure out what we’re going to do now.”
“Well, we do have kind of a plan,” Trajan said. “And I think that plan should start with having lunch at Luigi’s, followed by us riding to Discovery Park and looking for a place where we can hide and make out for a while.”
“You’re so dirty minded. I think a better idea is eat lunch, then look for a good place to watch the ship sail by, and THEN look for a place to make out until it’s time to wave at their ship.”
“Like they’re going to see us waving from the ship. It’s Saturday and it’s sunny and warm and that park is going to be CROWDed.”
“We’ll figure something out,” the ever-optimistic Levi said.
“And for that we’ll need full stomachs. So, let’s head for Luigi’s and scarf down some pizza.”
“Pizza over Magnolia burgers?”
“I’m told that in Italy it’s all about family. Plus, their pizza is the best in the city.”
“That’s good enough reason for me.”
Trajan rose from the bench and hopped on his bike with Levi following right behind him.
<Walker/Christian/Drake/Pierce>
Walker and Christian both chose soup and salad with tea for lunch, Drake had mostaccioli and salad with Dr. Pepper, and Pierce had chicken nuggets with blue cheese dressing and Mountain Dew. During their lunch, Pierce had a question.
“Hey, dad, how do they work the time on the ship? Do we stay on Pacific Daylight Time the whole trip?”
Walker shook his head. “No, it’s not that simple. At 2:00am tomorrow, all the ship’s clocks will drop back by one hour and then that will be the time we’ll go by for the rest of the cruise. As we continue to sail, at some point your phone clocks will drop back by one hour, too. It all has to do with what waters we’re in and what GPS signals are received. There are some really interesting anomalies when it comes to measuring Alaska time because the territory is so wide.”
Drake took hold of Pierce’s hand. “I’ll let Pooka worry about the anolamies,” he said with a wink and a big smile. “I’ll just let the ship’s clocks tell me what time it is.” Drake had intentionally mispronounced the word “anomalies” just to hassle his boyfriend.
Pierce knew Drake was hassling him but he played along. He put on his best you’ll-have-to-be-patient-with-my-dork-boyfriend expression. “It’s ANOMALIES, not ANOLAMIES,” he said with mock seriousness and a big smile. “You’re such a doofus.”
“I know - and you love every minute of it.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“This is going to be such a beautiful event that I’m not going to care what time it is.”
Drake got nods of approval from everyone at the table.
As the group finished their lunches, Walker suggested visiting the dessert buffet. “They have all kinds of goodies there including soft serve ice cream,” he said.
Walker and Christian both chose a bowl of butter pecan ice cream, Pierce chose a piece of chocolate cheesecake, and Drake chose a bowl of vanilla soft serve.
“Can I try a little bite of your cheesecake?” Drake asked Pierce as they returned to their table and sat down.
“You sure can,” Pierce said with a big smile. He cut off a small bite of cheesecake with his fork and offered it to Drake who accepted it with open-mouthed pleasure. Drake scooped up a small spoonful of his soft serve and offered it to Pierce. The boyfriends-feeding-each-other routine caused Walker to roll his eyes a bit, but he knew the boys were enjoying themselves and that was the most important thing.
“This ice cream is delicious,” Christian remarked to Walker.
“No doubt about that.”
Drake’s phone chimed - it was a text from Trajan. “I sent Trajan a text a while ago asking how he and Levi managed to get into the secure area to see us off,” Drake said. “He just replied that it was thanks to a friend of the family but it’s a long story and they’ll tell us all about it later.”
Just then, one of the buffet attendants came by their table. “May I take your dishes?” she asked.
“Feel free,” Walker replied. The attendant gathered up the plates, silverware, and glasses, placing them on a tray. She wished them a nice day and took the tray to her station.
“By the way, do you know what one plate said to the other?” Christian asked.
Walker shook his head. “Nope - you gotta tell me.”
“Dinner’s on me.”
Walker chuckled. Pierce rolled his eyes with a here-we-go-with-the-riddles-again look on his face.
“What do you call a cow that won’t give milk?” Walker asked.
“I give,” Christian said with a huge smile.
“A milk dud.”
“Do you know how much pirates pay for corn?” Drake asked.
Christian shook his head.
“A buccaneer.”
Drake’s answer tickled Christian’s funny bone and he roared with laughter. “That’s a good one!”
“Well, I think that’s enough of the riddles for one day,” Walker said although he couldn’t help laughing at Drake’s answer.
“Let’s go down to the Piazza on deck 5 and walk around the boat a little,” Christian suggested. The group got up and walked toward the elevator.
“I’ve always heard that the correct word is ‘ship’,” Pierce said.
“That’s what I’ve always heard, too,” Drake said with a my-boyfriend-always-knows-best look on his face. “Although I actually don’t care what we call it,” he thought to himself.
“Now hold on a minute,” Walker said. “I’ve seen all kinds of advertising signs and promotional material around here calling it a ‘boat’.”
“Yeah,” Christian agreed. “And besides, I’m betting that the TV show wouldn’t have been nearly as popular if they’d called it ‘The Love Ship’.”
The door opened and the group entered the elevator. “Maybe we could just call it a ‘vessel’,” Drake said. The rest of their conversation was lost as the elevator door closed and they descended to deck 5.
<Trajan and Levi>
Tony and Marco were at the worktable doing their usual odd jobs when Trajan and Levi came in. The restaurant was busy, and they had to wait inside the entrance to be seated. Marne, who was working as a waitress, saw them come in and walked over to greet them.
“Good afternoon, boys,” Marne said. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Hi Aunt Marne,” Trajan responded. “What are you doing working on a Saturday?”
“Well, your Uncle Luigi is here working, your cousins are working to make some spending money, I have no shopping to do, none of my women’s groups are meeting, and Luigi thinks this will be a busy Saturday, especially since a couple youth soccer games are scheduled at the athletic field. One of them should be ending soon. Anyway, put that all together and here I am helping Andrew and Nancy on the floor. All that said, I have a nice table just for my favorite nephew and his boyfriend over in the corner.”
Trajan knew which table she was talking about and led Levi to it. Marne followed with two menus that she knew the boys wouldn’t need. “Cokes for you both?” she asked.
Trajan nodded but Levi said he’d rather have a lemonade. Marne headed for the counter to get the drinks.
“Your Aunt seems to love long answers,” Levi said.
“Ya think?” Trajan chuckled.
“But she’s still cool, right? I mean I love the way she called me your boyfriend.”
“Totally cool. She’s the best aunt a boy could ask for. And, speaking of relatives, do you mind if I ask Tony and Marco to have their lunch with us?”
“Like you said, it’s all about family, and this place seems to be officially crawling with DeLucas.”
Trajan went over to the worktable where Tony and Marco were folding napkins. “Have you guys had lunch yet?” he asked.
“Not yet, but we were thinking about asking mom if we could take a lunch break,” Tony answered.
“How about eating with me and Levi.”
“Serious?”
“Totally.”
“Cool. I vote yes and Marco does too.”
“I do?” Marco asked.
“Yes, you do,” Tony and Trajan answered together.
“Well, it looks like my vote is yes, but it would have been yes anyway.”
“We just need to finish the napkins we started folding and then we’ll be there,” Tony said.
Marne knew why Trajan had gone to the table and walked over after Trajan left for his own table. “Yes, you may take your lunch break and eat with Trajan and Levi,” she told her sons. She returned to the counter and put in their order since she already knew what they wanted. Tony and Marco finished their napkins and sauntered over to where Trajan and Levi were sitting.
“Wow, this is awesome. I’m gonna get to know you two guys better today,” Levi grinned.
“Hey, you can’t do any better than getting to know the DeLucas,” Tony said.
“Oh, I know, I know,” Levi grinned as he grabbed Trajan’s hand, causing Tony to blush when he realized the hidden meaning of what he had just said.
But Levi did get to know his boyfriend’s cousins better and they got to know him. Tony asked Levi what it was like having a boyfriend and Levi asked Tony what it was like having a girlfriend. Marco mentioned that maybe he and Justin could be real boyfriends someday like Trajan and Levi were. Then the subject went to soccer when the boys from one of the teams that had played in the park entered the restaurant and headed for the banquet room. Tony and Marco each played soccer and were happy to talk about it. The topic then changed to lacrosse which Tony had a lot of questions about. During all of this, Tony and Marco didn’t notice that Trajan and Levi spent half the time holding hands under the table.
After they finished lunch, Levi told Marne he was going to pay for his and Trajan’s lunch. Marne told him lunch was on the house, for which he thanked Marne profusely.
Trajan checked the time. It was just after one o’clock. “We better get going. We need to find a spot to get set up to watch the ship leave.”
“There you go, one more reason to go to Luigi’s—family can get free meals,” Trajan said as he and Levi unlocked their bikes.
“I thought you said we’d be getting a discount,” Levi said.
“Well, we did in a way, only it was a humongous one.”
“Well, discount or not, I love you, Trajan.”
“I gotta say I feel the same about you.”
<Walker/Christian/Drake/Pierce>
As they strolled along the deck, they came upon a five-piece combo. The group was playing standards like “Begin The Beguine”, “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”, “All Of Me”, “It’s The Talk Of The Town”, “My Blue Heaven” and others. The easy swinging rhythm of the combo’s arrangements had several couples dancing. The music was irresistible to Drake and Pierce and they also began to dance. It was the first time Christian had seen the boys dance to these kinds of songs and the grace and effortlessness of their movements amazed him.
“Those kids are beautiful,” he said. “I’ve never seen two teenage boys dance together like that. I saw them dance to pop music at the Magnolia Madness party but the way they dance to standards and fox trots makes me jealous as hell.”
The combo finished their program with a beautiful arrangement of “Stardust” which brought the dancers closer together. Drake and Pierce unashamedly danced in each other’s arms with their lips briefly touching a couple of times. When the song ended, they received an uproarious round of applause from the combo, the other dancers, and several spectators. Walker gave his son a tight hug.
“You guys sure showed them how,” he said.
“Stardust” was in one of the musical plays we put on at school,” Pierce explained. “It’s one of Miss Rutledge’s favorites and during that number, she encouraged all of us to dance closely.” Dana Rutledge had been the founder of the Swing Dance Club at Pierce’s school and was instrumental in getting the kids interested in dancing to older music.
“I’m still trying to figure out which one of you guys leads when you dance,” Christian said.
“Good question,” Drake said with a grin. “I don’t think we know. It seems like we both lead. Sort of like reading each other’s mind.”
As the group was getting ready to move on, one of the members of the combo, a handsome black man probably in his early thirties, came up to Drake and Pierce and shook their hands. “You dudes are beautiful,” he said. “And just so you know, I wish my husband and I could dance like you guys.”
“Thanks,” Drake and Pierce said in unison. “It’s all about practice,” Pierce added with a smile.
<Trajan and Levi>
The boys had scoped out a route to the park on their phones and were following it. Their goal was to set up at Miracle Beach by the lighthouse that was at West Point. It didn’t take them long to find it once they reached the park. They agreed that it was the perfect spot. Levi switched lenses on his camera and was ready to shoot with his 300mm zoom telephoto lens. He loved having the Olympic Mountains in the background.
“I think I’m gonna get some great shots of that ship,” Levi said.
“I think you will too. This is a great spot, the weather is perfect, and the mountains are out. Who could ask for more,” Trajan said.
“We have just over an hour to wait,” Levi said.
The beach wasn’t nearly as crowded as they thought it would be, so they had time to find a secluded spot to try getting a few kisses and gropes in before the “Sapphire Princess” was due to pass them. They rode their bikes up a hill and dismounted when they came to a trail. They walked their bikes along the narrow dirt trail until they felt they were far enough from the road not to be seen.
They dismounted and looked at each other. “God, I can’t believe how beautiful you are,” Trajan said gently.
Levi blushed and laid his bike down on the ground. He stepped up to Trajan and gave him a long, deep kiss. He reached down and felt his boyfriend’s turgid cock through his shorts. “I’d love to take these shorts off and suck you dry,” he rasped.
Trajan ran his fingers through Levi’s red curls. “Levi…”
“…I know, I know, it’s not a good idea. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting it.” Levi unzipped his shorts, pulled them down to his knees along with his red boxer shorts, and displayed his own hard cock. “I just wanted you to know what you’re in for tonight.” He then pulled everything back into place and zipped up. He and Trajan then shared another long, deep, wet kiss.
“You are becoming one wild boyfriend,” Trajan said. “We better get back to the lighthouse before we end up naked and fucking on the trail.”
“It was a nice way to kill a few minutes.”
“Anything I do with you is nice, lover boy.” Saying the word “nice” made Trajan wonder how he became nice all of a sudden. He gave Levi a look of pure love and knew it was the beautiful redhead standing in front of him who showed him how to be nice and how to work at being the best boyfriend he could be.
As long as they were in a secluded spot the two teens pissed in the trees and then walked their bikes back to the road and rode them to Miracle Beach. They spent some time looking for the best spot for Levi to get his pictures. The main thing he was looking for was the best view of the Olympics. He wanted them to stretch from one side of the picture he was framing to the other.
He took some pictures of the lighthouse with the mountains in the background. He then led Trajan to a spot between the lighthouse and water. As much as he would have loved to have had the lighthouse and the ship in the same picture, he didn’t want the ship to be blocked by the lighthouse.
“I suppose I could take a picture of both and then run around the lighthouse to get the cruise ship pictures. But I don’t know if I’d have time to get set up for the ship pictures. And I will have to change lenses for sure.”
“Dude, this is a cruise ship and not a speedboat. You should have plenty of time and since there’s hardly anybody on the beach you should be able to work around the peeps who are here,” Trajan said. “And I’ll hold the lens you’re not using which should help you change them quickly.”
“You got it nailed. It will be a great help.”
(<Walker/Christian/Drake/Pierce>
“We need to head up to the Sky Deck,” Walker said as he checked his watch. “We sail in less than an hour and there’ll be hundreds of people up there for the Set Sail party.”
The group headed for the elevator and in less than five minutes they were up on the Sky Deck.
“Which way do we go from here, Dad?” Pierce asked as they exited the elevator.
“You’ll want to be on the starboard side and toward the bow of the ship to best see Trajan and Levi. That’s this way.” Walker pointed ahead and the boys followed his directions.
“Did you say you brought some binoculars?” Christian asked Walker.
“Yes, I did.” Walker snapped his fingers at his own forgetfulness. “Damn, I left them in the cabin.”
“No sweat,” Christian replied. “I’ll run down and get them. The boys will need them to see Trajan and Levi.”
“Thanks - that’d be great. They’re in my backpack.”
“Be right back.”
At 2:45pm, the captain made a ship-wide announcement that they would be sailing at 3:00pm. At precisely 3:00pm, three short blasts from the ship’s horn signaled they were setting sail. A few moments later, Drake and Pierce, standing at the railing of the Sky Deck, sensed that the ship was moving.
“I think we’re moving, Pooka!” Drake exclaimed as he grabbed Pierce’s hand. The teen was incredibly excited not only to be going on a cruise but to have Pierce with him.
“We sure are,” Pierce said. He gave his boyfriend a quick kiss and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text Trajan and Levi that we’re on our way and to keep watching for us.”
The ship slowly made its way west into Elliot Bay then swung north. Gradually the West Point lighthouse came into view and as it did, Drake studied the passing shore with the binoculars. The ship was slowly picking up speed.
“We’re getting close,” Drake said after about five minutes.
Pierce pulled out his phone and tapped Trajan’s number.
<Trajan and Levi>)
A couple of minutes after three they heard three blasts of a ship’s horn and Levi set up for his first picture which would have the ship and the lighthouse. He was facing mostly south with a light turn to the southeast. The only question was if the blowing horn was from the “Sapphire Princess” or the Carnival ship that was also leaving from Pier 91.
That question was answered from two sources. One was from the ship’s horn blowing the “Love Boat” theme and the other was from their friends. “I just got a text from Pierce,” Trajan said. “He says they’re backing out of the dock and playing the ‘Love Boat’ theme.”
The “Sapphire Princess” came into view and Levi fired away on his camera, changing the focal length and focus as he shot. He popped his 50 mm lens off and attached his 300 mm, which he would keep on for the rest of the shoot. He stepped to the spot he had scouted and was bringing the ship into focus when he heard Trajan’s phone ring.
<Trajan and Levi/Drake and Pierce>
Trajan saw that it was Pierce calling. “Hey, dude!” he shouted into the phone. “We see you out there! Levi is taking pictures of you with his telephoto lens!”
“We see you, too!” Pierce hollered into his phone. “We’re waving at you. Drake has binoculars on you and says he can see you clearly! Where are you standing?”
“We’re standing on Utah Street near Miracle Beach!” Trajan replied. “I’ll put Levi on.”
Levi let go of his camera, which bounced against his torso, and took the phone from Trajan. Trajan began waving at the ship.
“Hey, Pooka!” Levi hollered. “You’re looking good up there. I got some great pics of you with my telephoto.”
“Beautiful,” Pierce replied. “I’ll put the Duck on.” Drake gave the binoculars to Pierce and took the phone.
“Hey, Red!” Drake shouted into the phone. “I can see that red broccoli from here!”
“Thanks, Duck!!”
The ship was quickly passing Miracle Beach and the boys knew it was time to end their conversation.
“Thanks for coming to see us,” Drake said. He held the phone so both he and Pierce could talk into it. “We love you guys! Have a safe trip home!”
Levi and Trajan spoke together into the phone. “We love you, too! Have a great time!”
The ship was rapidly moving north and Levi was now getting some shots of the ship’s stern. Picture taking time was over. He placed his lens cap over his lens and sent a final text to Pierce.
‘thnx 4 the great waves
mite b the best waves of ur trip
hope u get a good look at the wildlife’
<Trajan and Levi>
Levi put his camera into his camera bag and slid that into his saddlebag. He and Trajan hopped on their bikes and headed back to Magnolia Village. They loaded their bikes on the bus 31 bike rack, rode the bus to the U District, unloaded their bikes and were soon at Levi’s house.
Arlene was in the kitchen preparing dinner. The boys each gave her a hug and a precis of the day’s adventure, leaving out Levi pulling down his pants and undies. The boys went into the living room and flopped on the couch. They held hands tightly, exchanged a kiss and a couple of crotch grabs, and agreed this had been their best day together since they became boyfriends.
<Walker/Christian/Drake/Pierce>
Pierce and Drake lingered for a while leaning on the railing of the Sky Deck. The crowd that had been present for the Set Sail party was rapidly thinning out.
“That was so great of those guys to ride up to the beach and wave to us,” Pierce said. “They are so beautiful.”
“Totally agree,” Drake said. “And knowing Levi, I’m betting he got some beautiful pictures of the ship. He’s great at visualizing and composing picture content before he actually shoots the picture.”
“Some of them might be suitable for framing.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit.”
Walker and Christian had been chatting with some of the other passengers. They came over and stood with the boys.
“What should we do now?” Pierce asked.
“Christian and I want to go down to deck 6 and check out the casino,” Walker said. “I don’t think it’s open now but we want to get the lay of the land.”
“We want to go check out the Teen Center,” Pierce replied. “It’s on deck 15.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Walker said. “Let’s figure on meeting back at the cabin at four-thirty to get ready for our five o’clock dinner reservation.”
“You got a deal,” Drake said.
Next: Cruise Day 1-Settling In