"This almost feels like cheating," Max said as his character chop down another tree. "Like one tree is worth like five on the normal setting."

"Yeah, but we can always turn it down later. Unless you want me to do it now?" Taylor answered, sitting next to Max on his own laptop.

"Maybe," Max replied, not sure if that would be fair or not. He wanted to attack other people's bases, but he didn't want to be unfair about it.

Just then the doorbell rang, and before Max could even get up from his chair, the door to the kitchen burst open and Jackson ran towards the front door. Jackson opened the door as Max watched him lean against it and tried to sound casual even as he was trying to catch his breath. Ramona walked into the room then, much more slowly than Jackson. Max watched as the respective girlfriends and boyfriends all greeted each other.

Max could feel himself starting to smile. He was in on their little secret, and only Jackson knew that he know. He wondered what the party was going to be like though. Jackson had not given him an answer and Max was beginning to suspect that maybe even Jackson didn't know what to expect. Well, at least Jackson knew what to expect when it came to making out thanks to him. Maybe they could do it again sometime, Max thought.

His eyes wandered over to Ramona and Lola. It was weird thinking that they were going to be doing that stuff. He couldn't make the connection. Then he looked over at Popko. Maybe because he had practice with Jax and it was easier to picture him making out. Not that Max would want to practice with him. Over the last year, Popko had become rather mean to him, at least a little more irritated by him. He briefly wondered if Popko had been one of the boys Jackson had done sword fighting with.

"Max! You're going to die!"

Turning back to the screen, Max saw that his health was almost gone thanks to a Raptor trying to eat him. He started to fight back, but he was too late though, and his character died. Taylor let out a sigh as Max smiled embarrassedly. "I wasn't too far from the base."

"Yeah, wait a minute, I'll come with you. In case you get distracted again."

As Max's character respawned back at base, his brother and everyone else was getting ready to leave. He spared one last look over at them and felt a little jealous. He kind of wished he was going with them even if he would have been the odd man out. He smiled briefly picturing Jackson and himself showing the others how to do it. That thought unexpectedly made him start to become hard, and he pushed it away not wanting that at the moment.

Between the two of them, it was easy to kill the Raptor, and the two of them started collecting wood together. It was the boring part of the game, but the two of them talked about base design as they work. Between the game and the conversation suddenly his Mom spoke up behind them, startling him. "What?"

"Dinner is almost ready, and I want you to take a break from that game, you have been at it for nearly three hours."

Max was about to open his mouth to say they hadn't been, but then remembered his brother said they were going to be meeting up around 6 and they had just left.

"It's only been two and a half," Taylor said.

"Close enough and again your food is ready. So hurry up before it gets cold."

"Okay, Mom. Just let us get to a safe spot. We're right near our base."

That seemed acceptable to her because she said alright and walked away. Once they were dpme, they both logged off and went into the kitchen. They talked about the game for a bit, but Max noticed that Taylor was moving his food around, but not eating it. "Do you not like it?"

"It's fine; my dad's just a better cook."

"I'll try harder to meet your standards next time," DJ said from where she was still cleaning up the kitchen.

"Well, it's alright I'll eat it," Taylor said. "It's just not as good."

Max glanced over at his mom and then back at his friend. "Don't be rude, Taylor. My mom's a good cook."

"Alright. It's just not what I'm used to I guess. I normally don't eat over at friend's houses."

"I wonder why," DJ muttered in a low enough tongue that Max could barely hear it. He decided to change the subject. "How many sleepovers have you been too?"

"This is my second. The first was Michael, you know, for his birthday."

Max remember that birthday party, although he had not been included in the sleepover part. "Yeah, how was that?"

"It was fun. I asked my dad if I could have one when it was my birthday, but he said he didn't feel comfortable with it. He prefers I only have one friend over at a time."

"Oh, sorry," Max said. His mom never put limitations on his friends like that.

Taylor shrugged his shoulders obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"Your birthday's coming up Max. Would you like to have a slumber party?" His mom asks rejoining the conversation.

"That would be awesome," Max said turning in his chair and shooting his mom a grin.

"Speaking of awesome things," DJ said in her mom voice, "Between your brother preparing for his date and you play that game, Cosmos hasn't had much attention today. I'm sure he would love if the two of you played with him."
Max couldn't disagree with his mother. After dinner, just the sound of going through Cosmos's toy box was enough to bring Max's furry friend running. They toss the ball back and forth, Cosmos running between the two of them and when that became boring, they switch to another game. Max showed Taylor how to throw the ball, so it would roll around the ground bouncing off things so. Cosmos could chase after it. They took turns rolling the ball.

"What is it like having a big brother?" Taylor asked.

Max thought for a moment. "It's mostly good. he is kind of like a friend who lives with you."

"That sounds nice."

"Jackson is a pretty good brother though."

"How so?"

"Well he doesn't really pick on me, and you know usually makes time for me. He's been a little more distant now, but he's always there when I need him." If not always when I want him, Max added to himself.

"So do you like, do stuff together?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, we do."

"Do you talk to him about stuff?"

Something in Taylor tone made Max hesitant from answering. "Like what?"

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know."

They were silent for two throws before Max ventured a question. "If you're asking... If you're asking do I ask him things I wouldn't ask my mom then yeah."

"I was."

"If you want, you could tell me the question, and then I would ask him and then tell you his answer."

"Thanks," Tyler answered his voice low. "You're a good friend."

"So are you, even if you're rude sometimes," Max answered.

"No, I'm not!"

"You were rude to my mom. You said her cooking wasn't good."

"I just said my dad was better." Tyler countered.

"Same, was rude the way you said it."

Max was ready for an argument, but as the silent second stretched on Taylor just nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be."

"You should tell her that."

"I will."

Max smiled at his little victory. He was glad Taylor was his friend, but that didn't mean they didn't have a friendly rivalry and this was one argument he knew he had one.

"You know there's another good thing about having a big brother. He can tell you about things you didn't know about."

"Like that thing in the bathroom?" Taylor said cautiously looking behind himself.

"Yeah, but he told me about something else last night, a game he and his friends used to play called sword fighting, you want to try?"

Tyler's smile was his answer.

After about 30 more throws Cosmos stop chasing the ball and just wanted his belly rubbed. The two boys gave him a good 5 minute of solid petting. Only then did they go inside and head up to the bedroom. Max closed the door behind them and started to explain. "Okay, my brother told me that he and his friends would get their things hard and rub them together."

Taylor didn't have a particularly convinced look on his face. "Wouldn't that hurt? I mean I've accidentally hit myself down there."

"Yeah, me too, but we're not smacking them together just rubbing them. Do you want to give it a try?" Max ask.

"Alright," Tyler said looking around. "Where should we do this?"

They moved over to Max's bed, and before getting on it, both undid their pants and pulled them down a bit. Climbing onto the bed, they both
sat on their knees about an arm's length away from each other. Max start rooting around trying to get himself hard. Taylor soon followed, and like last time they had done it together, it seemed to happen fast. Max sat up on his knees and lowered his underwear down revealing his private area. Taylor followed his example, and slowly they move closer together. Their hands holding onto the base of their little rods.

Max's stomach was doing flip flops with excitement, and when they touch, it felt like an electric shock had gone through his body. Both boys
pulled back briefly, giggling to themselves. They moved back in closer and this time when they touch they both seemed more prepared. They stayed in contact for a moment, their glands in contact with each other. Tyler was the first move sliding the tip of his e*** over Max's. Max followed his example moving the other way, slowly they started to move back and forth.

As they gain confidence, they became more involved. Max figured out that his tip was more sensitive than the part below it, so he tried to use that to his advantage rubbing it against Tyler's tip. The other white was smaller but countered his strategy by pulling his thing up swords which would cause Max's tip to rub against his body. The game was done mostly in silence with a little giggle here and there. As Max started to feel the feeling build up, he tried to use his height to his advantage, raising himself up on his knees. Taylor moved his hips forward his e*** sliding between Max's legs and right along his soft sack. The new feeling pushes Max over the edge, he fell backward on the bed grabbing hold of himself. The feeling washed over Max like a warm wave extending from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

"I guess I won," Tyler said looking down at him.

Max smile from ear-to-ear. "I don't mind losing with this."

Taylor looked down at himself still hard and then without warning he leaped on top of Max. Max felt his friends thing pressing against his leg. As Taylor's hips move back and forth on him Max let out a laugh and tried to fend his friend off. They wrestled back and forth for a bit, but he was at a disadvantage already on his back and even as he felt himself start to get hard Taylor went stiff, and Max knew what he was feeling. Holding on to his friend's arms, Max waited until the blank look passed over Taylor's face. When his friend's eyes refocused on him, they both smiled at each other.

"I like this game, "Taylor said.

"I'm almost ready for round two," Max said glancing down between them. He was already getting hard again, or at least he felt like he was, but there was something about Taylor's private, his eye kept going back to them. "What do you think, two out of three?"

Taylor laughed, and for a moment the two just stared at each other. The euphoria of their climax slowly melted away, but neither of them moved. Max laid they're starting up at his friend his pants around his knees and for a second he thought Taylor was coming closer to him.

The knock at the door shattered the silence. Taylor jumped off of him so fast that he nearly fell off the bed. Max quickly pulled up his pants and made sure his friend had done the same before he said, "Come in."

DJ open the door just wide enough to let her head stick in. "Boys, I was going to take Cosmos for a walk and maybe swing by the ice cream stand. Would you like to join me?"

"Sure," Max said not consulted his friend.

DJ gave the both of them a look. "Were you two wrestling?"

This time Max did look over at Taylor, and they simultaneously answer.

"Not really." Max said.

"No," Taylor said.

His mom gave both of them their best mom look. When neither of them cracked, she decided to let it go. "Alright, just don't hurt yourselves and
let's get going."

As Max's mom started to pull her head back, Taylor spoke up. "Mrs. Fuller."

"Yes, Taylor?"

Taylor was silence long enough that Max gave him a look. Then his friends seem to find his courage. "Mrs. Fuller, I'm sorry for being rude at dinner. I didn't mean to say you weren't good at cook. It's just not what I am used too."

When DJ smiled at Taylor Max knew it wasn't one of her fake ones his friend usually received from her. "Thank you for that Taylor and don't worry Max's a bit of a picky eater, so I understand."

"I am not!" Max objected.

"Yeah," his Mom countered, "what ice cream do you want?"

"A vegan-friendly vanilla ice cream with a gluten-free sugar ice cream cone," Max answered.