Once again I was spot on about being embarrassed again. David and Robin had way too much fun picking on me as they helped me pick new underwear. I was just going to get a package of boxer briefs and be done with it. Oh no, my fashionistas had to point out the silk bikinis, and the thongs. To be fair, though, for every slinky skimpy pair of undies they showed me to turn my whole head red as I blushed, they also teased me with some of the ugliest Grandfather's boxers made out of Grandmother's old curtains that they could find.
I finally got something each of us had picked out. For me, I got the package of the boxer briefs I had started out to get in the first place. Robin talked me into three pair of the silk bikinis after he agreed to get three pair of them as well. Robin and I both blushed all the way to our toes, but we let David convince us to get one pair each of a silk thong. I have to admit the silk did feel really nice... on my hand. Keep your minds out of naughty places. It's illegal to try on underwear in a store, even if you are with the store owner's grandson and heir.
Just as we were ready to head back to the housewares section to find our Daia and Baka, Grampa found us. "Elijah, I got a favor to ask of you, son," he said very quietly as he looked around to see who could hear him. Once he decided it was safe to speak since it was just the four of us, he spoke again. He was still shy and nervous though. "I understand your family runs some kind of festival or show, Robin."
"Yes, sir, Mom and Dad own and manage The Fantasy Faire," Robin confirmed. "It's mostly medieval stuff but with a little bit of fantasy thrown in. Dad and Mom are the king and queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania. I'm Robin Goodfellow."
"That sounds wicked cool," David gushed excitedly. "I would so love to see that."
"So would I, and that's why I need the favor, Lijah," Grampa told me. "Miss Lily was bragging on what a great costumer you are. Do you think you could help me come up with an outfit to wear to show up at that faire and knock Miss Lily's socks off?"
"We can totally hook you up, Grampa, as long as we're not around when those socks come off," Robin announced happily at first but ended with a wrinkled nose and tightly shut eyes. "Some things a kid is not meant to see even as a mental image."
"How long you think it will take to get the stuff?"
"Well, that depends," I told him. "If you want me to make you a costume, it could take a while. A couple of months for a really good one, especially since I'm just learning to sew now thanks to Baka. I can design the outfits, but I've never had the chance to actually make them before."
"I have an idea," Robin blurted. "Order a costume online, but don't get a really good one. That way you impress Baka with wanting to be a part of the faire, but you also get her motivated to help Frodo here make you a great costume."
"Good looking and smart, too. My grandson sure knows how to pick him a winner," Grampa said as he hugged us both. "I have an idea how to do it too. I'll ask your folks if you two boys can stay over at my place tonight to help clean up after the fish fry, and you can teach this old dog how to use that computer for something besides playing solitaire and poker."
"Sounds like you guys will have a great time tonight," David said with a smile.
"You know, we could get the cleanup done a lot faster with three boys to help you, Grampa," I said with a sneaky grin.
"You probably right," Grampa agreed. "I don't know that Mr. Levin will agree, but ain't no harm asking."
"My grandson hasn't looked so happy since before he met that schmuck, may he ruin the carpet on my jet on his way home," Mr. Levin said as he walked up to us. "Of course I agree, on two conditions. One, these boys start calling me Zeyde Izzy. If you can have a Grampa Olly, why shouldn't you have a Grampa Izzy, too? You, my friend, can just call me Izzy," he told Grampa. "Now, Olly, my friend, why don't we go see how close to kosher we can get those fish of yours? Boys, we'll see you at the party."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we just gain another boy for the day?" Daia asked us as she walked up to us smiling.
"I hope that's all right, ma'am," David said a little nervously.
"Only if you stop calling me, ma'am," Daia teased. "It's Aunt Elsa to you, understand? You can call my mother-in-law ma'am."
"No, he can't," Baka snorted beside her. "He'll call me Baka like a good boy, won't you, chav?"
"Yes, Baka," David smiled happily.
"Now boys, let's head back home and relax a little bit and help Elijah put away his new things before the party," Daia told us as she grabbed some of the bags. Baka was about to get some as well, but the three boys snatched them all up before she could.
"Such good grandsons I have," she smiled. "All three of you."
I don't think any of us in the car expected David to say much about the house. We all thought with him being from such a wealthy family the house wouldn't be very impressive to him. We were wrong.
"This is beautiful," he gasped as we turned into the driveway. "Could you please stop the car, please? Would you mind if I take a picture of your house? I like to draw and paint in my spare time and I would love to paint this."
"Boys, if we are late for your party because you let him and Marshall sneak off to the studio, there will be no baklava for either of you," Baka threatened, but she was grinning when she said it, so we figured we were pretty safe, maybe... hopefully.
"What studio?" David asked as he actually got out of the car to take more pictures with his cell phone. Ok, maybe we were in a little trouble. David got back in the car and explained why he liked the house so much. "I've always dreamed of living in a real house. I mean Granddad's penthouse is really nice, but it's a pain in the a.... neck to have to walk two blocks to a park to find grass and trees."
It took several trips to unload all the stuff from the car. Two bags went to Daia's and Dad's room. One bag went with Baka to her little cottage out behind the main house. It was on one side of the backyard and Dad's studio was on the other side. Tania's swing set castle was in between them. We had to practically drag David back into the house and we all assured him he was welcome to come back and visit anytime and could spend time in Dad's studio with him then. I lost track of how many bags of stuff we hauled to my room, but after David went in the first time, Robin and I were on our own for the rest of the unloading trips. David was stuck in one spot staring at the mural.
"This is gorgeous," he whispered in awe. "It's not quite my style, but I love it. It goes so well with the bed, too. Oh, if you had blue carpet, it would look like water under and around the boat bed."
"That's a cool idea," Robin agreed. "We should tell Mom and Dad."
"Oh, no, I couldn't ask for something like that," I denied. "That's way too much money to spend on me."
"Frodo, don't you get it, yet?" Robin asked as he hugged me tightly. "There is no such thing as too much money to spend on you. You are worth the entire world to me, the whole galaxy. You are the entire universe to me, and nothing is too good for you."
"Wow, I hope someday I hear somebody saying that kind of stuff to me," David said. He then started sniffling and was soon crying. "I thought that asshole was my true love. He was my first kiss. Hell, he was my first everything."
"Everything?" Robin asked. I elbowed him and he apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. It's way too personal, and way too much information."
"It's ok," David said as he sat on my bed and wiped his face with his hands. "This is kind of why I wanted to spend more time with you guys. I wanted to talk to you about... well, being gay, doing stuff, everything."
"David, you are really cute and I swear I really do like you, but...." Robin started.
"You dork, I didn't mean I was hitting on you," David snorted. "I heard what you told jerkface at the store. I know you two are together and I would never do anything that would mess that up for you guys."
"Thanks, David," I told him sincerely. "Robin and I haven't been together that long. Part of that time I was in the psych ward for three days."
"The psych ward?" David gasped. "Sorry. Now it's my turn to apologize. You guys don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
"It's ok," I said honestly. "I think talking about it is good for me." I proceeded to tell him our whole story from me deciding to go into the woods that day, right up until we met him in the store.
"Wow, you have been through some heavy shit.... sorry... stuff," David blurted. "I'm so glad Robin was there to stop you from doing something stupid, though," he added as he grabbed me and hugged me. "Don't kill me, but I gotta say I wish I could have seen Robin in that fairy outfit. I bet you look great in your costume, too, Elijah. I just have one question, though. Robin, why do you keep calling him Frodo?"
"Well, you heard the story," Robin admitted with a blush. "His name is Elijah, and I found him in the woods."
"Dude, that is so lame," David laughed.
"So lame it's cute," I corrected and gave Robin a kiss on the cheek so he would know I love the nickname he gave me.
"You guys are so cute it's sickening," David teased us both. "So.... umm... what all have you guys done together? It's ok if you don't want to tell me. I know it's really personal. It's just that the jerk was always telling me what we should be doing because we were dating and I wasn't sure about it all."
"All we've done is kiss and cuddle some," Robin told him.
"Well, we've seen each other naked when we change clothes or walk in on each other in the bathroom, but we haven't.... I mean there hasn't been any...."
"You haven't had sex?" David blurted. "I knew he was lying to me. That... that... momzer."
"Momzer?" Robin questioned. "Mark is trans?"
"No, no," David corrected. "Momzer is one of my granddad's words for a lying, sneaky, double-crossing, back-stabbing son of a...."
"You can stop the description right there, David," Daia said as she walked into my room. "Just what is going on in here that you boys are using that sort of language?"
"Please don't be mad at Robin and Frodo, ma'am," David said quickly. "We were talking about... well, about being gay and having a boyfriend. They were telling me what they have and haven't done yet, and it made me realize that the guy I was dating up until today lied to me when he said that we had to have sex if we were going to be boyfriends."
"Oh, honey," Daia murmured as she rushed over and hugged David. "That son of a bitch. If he weren't already on a plane...."
"MOM!"
"I'm an adult, I'm allowed to say it," Daia said and stuck her tongue out at Robin. I cracked up. David and I both just fell to the floor laughing. Daia and Robin soon joined us. Once we were all settled down from our laughter, Daia announced. "I came in here to tell you that it's time to leave for the party. You boys are still dressed for shopping, though. David, what sizes do you wear? Maybe one of the boys has some play clothes you can borrow. Hurry up and get changed so we can hit the road," she added as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
"Dude, did your mom just say the words play clothes?" David whispered before he started giggling again.
"What are we five years old again?" Robin protested.
"Maybe she meant some other play clothes," David suggested as he wiggled his eyebrows. "You got any leather pants and harnesses?"
"Well, of course, I do," Robin said flatly. David nearly choked and his eyes bugged out.
"I thought you guys hadn't done anything yet," he blurted.
"They're part of a warrior costume I wear for the faire," Robin told him, still not getting what David had been hinting at, but neither was I until David explained further.
"It's called bondage gear," he whispered, while keeping an eye on the door. "You know the kinky sex stuff like whips and cuffs and stuff."
"OH MY GOD!" I squeaked and did my impersonation of a stop light turning red.
"Yeah, ummm, don't let the grownups, especially my grandfather know that I know about that stuff, right?" David begged.
"Not a word," I vowed.
"We say anything about that and we'll be in trouble for knowing about it now too," Robin pointed out.