***

Gilbert Tanner stood in the bookstore at the local mall, numbly running his fingers along the edge of the shelf. His face was nearly red enough to hide his freckles after the night he'd spent sobbing.

It had been about a week since his mom broke up with Jerry, but it felt like ten times longer since he had seen him last. His teeth hurt from clenching. His knuckles had scrapes from where he had punched the wall. Jerry was the one guy his mom had dated who made Gil feel like he was wanted. He felt like there was a promise of Jerry being the one to stick around; then, it was all over.

Gil pulled his windbreaker around him. It wasn't cold in the store, Gil just couldn't get warm. He was wearing a blue, long-sleeve shirt, an old argyle sweater of black, gray, and brown, his green windbreaker, and a pair of jeans that were looking baggier on him than usual. Gil had dropped nearly five pounds, smack in the middle of a growth spurt where he seemed to feel like he couldn't eat enough, and he was losing weight. The clothes were hand-me-downs, which was part of why they didn't quite fit him – some older cousin had outgrown them.

The one thing Gil was wearing that was entirely his own, other than his boxer shorts, was a hat Jerry had bought for him. A simple, plain, black with a red trim ball cap. Jerry had put it on him and fitted it to his head before snatching the tag off and flipping it right across the scanner. Gil ran his fingers across the brim. He kept playing the scene over in his mind – a moment of comfort, followed by a feeling of emptiness. Jerry is telling him it looked 'sporting' on him. Jerry took a selfie of the two of them on that trip and made it his banner on social media for the next few weeks, captioning it 'my favorite little redhead.'

Snapping back to reality, Gil noticed he had somehow wandered from the comic books over to cookbooks. He wasn't quite sure how he got here or how long he'd been wandering back and forth. He also hadn't noticed the attention he picked up from someone in particular. Someone who recognized the hat he was wearing and was standing behind him, crouched to eye level, and was now tapping him on the shoulder. Gil turned and saw him. His lightly tanned skin, short and trimmed beard, jet black hair and brown eyes. Totally on reflex, Gil's entire body sprang forward and latched onto the man for dear life.

"Jerry!" Gil practically screamed.

Jerry was bowled back, not having expected quite such an enthusiastic response. He steadied himself and hugged the excited eleven-year-old boy. Cradling him in his arms as his entire body shook, practically vibrating. As Jerry held him, he could make out the signs of soft whimpering among the heavy breathing.

"I think you missed me," Jerry said, trying to comfort him. His hand is rubbing up and down Gil's back. Jerry could feel how tightly Gil was holding onto him. Even if he weren't supporting the boy, Gil wouldn't drop an inch he was holding on like a vice. Jerry let another minute slip by before asking, "Are you okay, buddy?"

Gil nodded. His cheek rubbing on Jerry's shoulder. His body was slowly relaxing as he calmed down. One week was all it had been, but it had drained him. Gil sat up in Jerry's hands, turned to face him, and gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled for the first time since Jerry was kicked out.

Jerry looked slightly worried. Holding Gil in his arms, he could feel that he'd gotten lighter. The feel of his body, the look in his eyes. Something had to be wrong. "Are you sure you're okay? You been sleeping okay?"

Gil's eyes glanced up and down and to the side as he tried to put the words together. "I just missed you is all."

"That I can tell!" Jerry laughed a little, trying to diffuse some of the tension. Then he lowered his volume. "But you look like you've been," he paused, "upset." Jerry returned the peck on Gil's cheek and held him close. "Is everything going alright at school?"

"It's not school." Gil's eyes narrowed slightly as they began to glisten. His nostrils flared, and the red of his cheeks deepened a shade. "It's her!" His voice cracked as he nearly spits the word out of his mouth.

Jerry looked around as he lightly bobbed Gil in his arms. "Okay, well, we can go someplace and talk. My car's just outside. How about we get you something to eat, and we can go talk there, huh?"

Gil's face lit up like a floodlight. Another, longer kiss on the cheek, this one a bit closer to the corner of Jerry's mouth, allowing him to torque his lips enough to reciprocate. Jerry patted Gil on the back and carried him out of the book store. The food court seemed most natural, and at eleven, it wouldn't be too hard to find something fried he wouldn't eat. Jerry put Gil back down on his own two feet, but Gil stayed cleaved to Jerry's side as they walked, refusing Jerry the chance to disappear.

At the 'Burgers, Burgers, Burgers' place, Jerry ordered them both a couple of western barbeque burgers with onion rings, roast beef, and cheese sauce. He added fries and a couple of milkshakes. He didn't want to press Gil if he'd been eating enough, he figured that would come with whatever they'd talk about next, but he could probably get food in the kid while he had him now. As they waited, Gil remained glued to Jerry's side.

Gil missed everything about him. Things he'd never thought it was possible to lose. His cologne mixed with the leather of his black jacket. The feel of his arms around him, either or. Or just the way that Jerry would lovingly touch him. A pat, a rub. A kiss. Shared moments of watching TV in their underwear on a Saturday morning. All the secrets. The dirty jokes. He could fucking swear around Jerry so long as he used the words correctly. He could ask any questions. He loved it. He loved Jerry.

"Forty-nine!" The number was called for their order.

Jerry took the bag and walked Gil out to the garage across the street where he was parked. He couldn't help but notice the change in him in just the past few minutes. Gil looked like he'd just woken up from a long-needed nap. Opening the bag of fast food made his eyes glow. He looked at it the way a pirate looks at his treasure. It was easy ordering food for him because of how much alike they were. They loved all the same foods. It was easier to take Gil out than it had been his mother. Between the two of them, he could use a dartboard and a phone book, and Gil would be happy. The complete opposite of his mother.

Gil opened one of the cheese cups and dipped his burger in it.

"That's for your fries, you nut." Jerry laughed, taking a bite of his own.

"It's better this way!" Gil's mouth could practically unhinge as he engulfed the burger.

He moaned loudly as he ate. For someone so skinny, he certainly loved his food. Sauce, oil, and juices dripped down his chin into the bag. He was careful not to make a mess. His second-hand clothes could burn right off his body, and he wouldn't care, but this was Jerry's Ford. He'd helped him change the oil in it before. Was allowed to pump the gas. Even rotated the tires. The all-leather interior was probably Gil's favorite part. It was just like Jerry's jacket.

Sitting in the back seat, he was close enough to the wheel well, and the heat vent that, if angled just right, it could feel like sitting on Jerry's lap. The hot air from the vent is running down his neck like his breath. The vibration of the wheel turning rapidly, making the seat vibrate. If there had been any way for him to be alone in the back seat of the car while all of that was going, he'd have been able to finish the job.

Gil wiped his chin between alternating from burger to fries to shake. Jerry was watching him. First out of worry that he was having a hard time then that he might choke. He gave him some time to get most of the way through the meal, which wasn't long at the rate he was moving.

"So, how have you been doing?" It was a strangely loaded question. It was never the empty rhetoric of that small talk. Gil knew that Jerry never meant to ask it in passing.

"I'm," Gil stalled, "just glad you're back."

"Back?"

"I mean, I know you're not back-back, but, like, we can still hang out and do stuff like this, right?"

Jerry tried to find the words. He cared for Gil deeply. He still thought about him constantly. Clearly, Gil had taken the breakup hardest of all. "I don't want to make promises I can't keep, Gil. I love you like crazy. But I'm not dating your mom anymore. And I can't imagine any other guy she might end up dating would want me around."

"Well, I don't want them around!" Gil's face was stern.

He was eleven and was, therefore, more often than not, an afterthought. He was expected to go with whatever happened around him. His thoughts and needs always seemed to come, not second or even third, but last. Dead last. Always.

"I know. And that sucks. I don't want to tell you that she might find some other guy who's not a dick…"

"Because she won't."

"But that's the hand we're dealt."

Gil's pace slowed. The burger and shake were gone. The onion rings were down to crumbs. A few fries were left at the bottom of the bag, but he felt less like fighting for them. Jerry pulled Gil in and hugged him.

"I fucking hate it." Gil stifled a whimper. His hands gripped into Jerry's leather jacket.

Jerry stroked Gil's hair. His fingers were moving from Gil's temple down his jawline. The barest of peach fuzz just coming in. As he turned his face down to say something more, Gil lifted himself and kissed Jerry on the mouth.

Jerry tried to pull back reflexively, but Gil was insistent. Pushing forward, Gil was nearly on top of Jerry in the driver's seat, his little fists holding fast to the jacket's lapels. Gil pushed out his tongue, darting it into Jerry's mouth. His hot, forceful breath through his stubby, little nose. He continued to climb over Jerry, straddling him. Jerry's hands moved side to side in confusion. He was struggling to process just what was happening at that moment. Then his hands rested on Gil's waist. At first, at least he thought, to push Gil back into the passenger seat, but they just sat there, holding him gently.

Gil's hand moved from the jacket to the back of Jerry's head, his fingers gliding through Jerry's short hair before pressing them together. Then, very much to the jerry's surprise, Gil's other hand jerked down and found the seat release, causing them both to fall back. Jerry grunted as the seat came to a sudden stop, and felt his stomach tighten as Gil began to grind against him.

Jerry was at a loss. He had been without, even well before the breakup, and now here he was, with an enthusiastically eager eleven-year-old kissing and dry humping him. He was more than strong enough to put an end to it, but he found himself unable or unwilling to do so.

The longer it went on, the harder it was to want to stop it. Jerry moved his tongue forward slightly, and it was enough that Gil pulled it into his mouth with surprisingly powerful suction. This small gesture was taken for all it was worth as Gil began to grind harder. His hips are rising and falling as he works himself up and down.

Jerry's hands, instead of pushing him away, moved to guide Gil's frantic motions.

Gil's moans caused Jerry's already hardening cock to rise. He tented enough that Gil could find his target and adjusted himself. He was focusing his movements right over Jerry's cock. The arhythmic grinding of Gil's pelvis caused Jerry to push back. He felt himself giving in. His hand is moving up under Gil's shirt, feeling his lithe, smooth body. His slender frame. The fabric bunched as his hand continued rising. Gil cooed softly before breaking their kiss and sitting up, the top of his head pressing against the ceiling as he rolled his windbreaker back off his shoulders, then yanked his sweater off over his head. He was looming over Jerry, his hands on the man's chest. His flat chest and stomach were peeking out from under his top. Jerry's hand moved up Gil's side. Holding him. Looking at him. Drinking him in.

Feeling Jerry's cock throbbing between his legs, Gil moaned softly. He then smiled as an idea struck him.

Almost as he'd fallen through a hole, Gil dropped to his knees between Jerry's legs. Crammed between the pedals, the steering wheel, and the seat, Gil began groping for something under the seat. Jerry felt the seat slide back as Gil found the seat release and gave himself more room. His face between Jerry's legs, his fingers already pulling down his fly, Gil's impish grin widened as he observed his own hand disrobing Jerry.

Jerry took hold of Gil's hand, stopping him, holding him gently. This had gone too far. Gil leaned his head to the side and kissed Jerry's knuckles. Then rested his face on the side of Jerry's leg. His other hand moved up and down Jerry's thigh as he just stared up into Jerry's dark brown eyes.

Jerry felt his cock throbbing with Gil lightly tugging at the zipper. Each tooth unhooking sounded like a hammer on the roof of the car in Jerry's ears. Each one a roadblock being removed. Gil's hand slipped from Jerry's grasp as his fly reached the bottom, and Gil was tugging his pants and boxers down.

There it was, Jerry's cock. Gil put his face against it and kissed the side of the shaft. Jerry moaned loudly, his legs curling in around Gil. His heels were rubbing against Gil's bottom.

Jerry could see his cock against Gil's face. It was perverted, but he couldn't find anything even remotely like 'no' in his vocabulary at that moment. His heart pounded as Gil's light pink tongue swiped up the side. Then his little hand grasping near the base, the other cupping his balls.

Gil rose up enough to bring his lips to the tip and pulled Jerry's cockhead into his mouth. He hooked Jerry's cock under his lip, letting it pull out a little as he licked it more. His baby blue eyes are looking up at Jerry, watching him, feeling his body pulsating. Jerry felt the beginnings of trickling land on the boy's tongue. And he swallowed it.

Gil bobbed his head as he sucked and kept one hand working the shaft. He was drooling over Jerry's cock. Then Jerry could hear it. Realized that he only felt one hand as the sound of another zipper going down, followed by Gil's rustling and repositioning, meant that Gil had just taken off his own pants.

Jerry looked down again to see Gil crawling back up, now wearing only his button-down and a pair of socks. His five-inch pecker thin and hard, one hand still on Jerry's cock as he worked the shaft up and down. Finding footing on the edge of the seat between the door and Jerry's leg. Then, shifting forward, he crouched over Jerry's body and leaned in to kiss him.

Jerry had nothing left. No will to resist. No thoughts of how wrong this must be. His slobber covered cock was being pressed against the boy's backdoor, and all he could think was how much he loved the boy. Gil winced as he sat back on Jerry's cock. He breathed deep then pushed again. An adjustment to his angle and he felt it press on. Jerry moaned even louder. His hands are on Gil's cheeks. Squeezing them tightly, Gil slowly slid down on Jerry's cock. One hand on Jerry's chest and the other holding onto the handrail over the door. Jerry watched as Gil's own cock bounced and twitched. Gil got to the base and rested, feeling Jerry's full, hard cock inside of him. His grip on the handrail flexing as he felt his butt tighten around it.

Gil pulled himself up using the rail then eased back down. Jerry just held onto Gil's waist to help his balance. As Gil adjusted, he began to move faster. He had to use every muscle in his body to move in the tight space.

Jerry felt his cock throbbing inside Gil's hole. It wasn't enough to help him; he felt his own need burning. Jerry tightened his grip on Gil's waist as he slid down a little and gave his hips more room to move. Gil's eyes widened as he heard and felt the slap of Jerry's pelvis hitting his backside. Gasping and moaning as Jerry's cock pistoned up into him, Gil arched his back as Jerry fucked him. His chest jutting out as his already tight tummy sucked in.

Jerry reached up and grabbed Gil's arm, pulling him in and then rolling the two of them over so that he was on top of Gil. He kissed Gil on the lips and smiled and began driving into Gil's asshole. Gil held on tight as he felt the hot leather against his back. The bristles of Jerry's short beard scratching against the side of his face and sending shivers down his spine. Gil clenched his jaw as he felt Jerry pull back and plunge in, making his toes curl. Jerry kept up his pace. Then leaned back and moved Gil's legs over each of his shoulders.

He and Gil locked eyes. Jerry's hands were on Gil's shin and hips. Gil with one hand on his cock and the other digging into the leather seat. Both panting. Gil's fist pounding faster as Jerry's strokes became shorter. Gil's eyes spun around as he felt it. Jerry's cock was spasming inside of him, firing one blast after another. Gil's own spunk painted his chest, and the side of his face as his mouth fell open, and his breathing shallowed. It was all over in an instant. Jerry slumped over Gil and laid on him; the two wrapped together.

After several minutes, Jerry looked up to see Gil was still floating somewhere a million miles away. The dreamy look in his eyes was cute; his whole body was still limp. Jerry reached up and gently rocked Gil's chest to bring him back down to Earth.

"I think it's about time I get you home, buddy." Jerry saw the instant flecks of change in Gil's eyes. The sadness. Jerry took his hand. "Hey, we'll," another pause to choose his words very carefully, "hang out again soon. The mall's a big place. Not too far from where you live. Or from where I live, for that matter." Gil smiled.

"You promise?" Gil rubbed his feet against Jerry's legs. He didn't want a brush off. He trusted Jerry. Nothing short of an answer would do.

"Yeah, I promise. We'll hang out soon. I'm free on weekends. We can figure something out." Jerry wasn't entirely sure of what he was saying, but he wanted to keep Gil happy.

The two moved around and put their clothes back on. Jerry detangled Gil's jeans from the brake pedal and tossed them at him. Gil failed to mention that his underwear hadn't been with them and slid his jeans back on being very careful to make sure nothing but the zipper was in its path. Jerry pulled over just past the bus stop at the end of Gil's street to let him out. Gil took another kiss before letting Jerry leave. Then, with his ball cap and windbreaker, he walked up the road to his place.

Gil took his time walking up the street and into his house. The place didn't feel as cold as it did before. He trudged upstairs and walked into his room. Collapsing on his bed, he felt different. The bed felt a little smaller. He couldn't quite pin down why, but it just did.

Shucking off the extra layers, Gil was down to just his boxers and the button down again. The feeling of the hot leather against his skin was still fresh in his mind. Gil just smiled. He was going to be seeing Jerry this weekend, after all. He was back, and things would be better than ever. This time, Gil was the one dating Jerry.

The End