Swallowing by moremojo
The cancer that had seized his throat and ravaged the delicate tissues of his mouth had rendered the eating of solid food impossible for Ennis del Mar, so that, apart from occasional doles of apple sauce and quaffs of always welcome water, the aging cowboy derived most of his nutrition from a stomach tube, the purchase and maintenance of which was generously provided by Junior and Kurt, with whom he now lived; Ennis never thought that a stay of a few months would turn into two years, after his eviction from the ranch, though, along with all the other hard knocks it had been his lot to endure, he accepted this with calm, equanimity, and not a little gratitude...thus was he settled in his thoughts at home while Kurt and Junior were away at work.
Ennis had always been a man of simple tastes, had never asked for or expected much, but even with his spartan heritage he never realized how much he could miss the wholesome taste of a good can of beans or the tough texture of a good strip of jerky, and yet the sensation he missed most of all, the one he knew would be even more impossible to reclaim, was that of those soft, yielding lips that could always awaken his heart to its own inner recesses, would remind him that he was alive and to be glad of it; his thoughts of Jack, of his absence, were further inflected with the regret of all that Ennis never did for his lover, wouldn't do at the time because it seemed unmanly, such as reciprocating Jack's loving gesture of taking his manhood deep into his mouth and letting the hot jets of passion come in there, even to the point of drinking them down...how Ennis now wished that he had had the courage to taste that secret part of Jack's being, and to imbibe his manly essence.
With his mind thus engaged, his throat hurting like hell and his abdomen sore from the tube's repeated insertions, Ennis noticed a flutter in his heart that gave him pause, made him sit up to take notice that something big was happening, that maybe his time had at long last come, so much so that he imagined...or could it really be...his beautiful blue boy, no longer blue for being completely naked, approach him to take gentle hold of his head, guiding that weary mass onto his waiting manhood (longer and stiffer than Ennis could remember), sliding dream into flesh, fulfilling a once-abandoned hope as, at the very moment Ennis's heart was giving out, the now hale throat received its benediction of hot, everlasting love.
It Really is Alright by Littlewing 1957
Ennis made his way home from the grocer’s with his head hanging down. He was paid, but business at the ranch was poor, and his check was short by about $200.00. Ennis wasn’t sure if Steve could get away with stiffing him like that, but he had other urgent matters to consider. His child support check was due to Alma in a few days, and he didn’t know how he could manage to pay her and his rent with his funds short by $200.00. He could barley afford the few groceries that he picked up just moments ago.
And Jack wasn’t sure about the trip next month. His postcard arrived days before, announcing a conflict with the dates; something about a conference in New York that he needed to attend. Now this! Ennis opened his trailer door with a heavy heart, and put away his groceries. He heated a TV dinner and sat down to eat and read the mail. Bills, more bills and a few pieces of junk mail. His bad luck was holding up. But wait - a letter from Alma - the last thing he noticed! Ennis was nervous as he opened his ex-wife’s letter. It read:
Ennis, I got to thinking, and never mind sending the support check this month. I spoke to Monroe about it, and he said that you can skip this month’s payment. Business is so good that he’s thinking about opening another store. He told me that we can get along without the money this month. But I expect you to send me a check next month, right on time. Take care of yourself, Ennis, and I’ll see you next month on the 7th.
Ennis Del Mar couldn’t believe his eyes. He tried to fight back the tears, but they somehow managed to fall. And buried beneath one of the pieces of junk mail was hiding a plain postcard. Ennis’ hand shook as he gently turned the card over and read:
Friend, I got good news! The conference in New York is cancelled, and to tell you the truth, I thought about it and told Lureen that I wasn’t going anyway. I’m sorry for the confusion Cowboy. If you have me and are still speaking to me I want to meet up next month as planned. Let me know.
The tears fell in earnest! Ennis pressed the postcard against his forehead and wiped at his wet cheeks. He couldn’t image another month without Jack! He rose from his small table and searched around for a postcard. As he wrote Jack a very enthusiastic reply, Ennis remembered a few words from the Good Book that his mom often quoted:
"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me."
Ennis thought that sometimes, just once in awhile, the world really is a decent place….
Jack loves a Rainy Night by Littlewing 1957
The clouds overhead were billowy and blue gray, and threatened rain. Ennis and Jack hurried to put out the fire, and moved the things they didn’t want getting wet into the tent.
Ennis unpacked the bedroll and smoothed it out. They would make love that night accompanied by the music of nature. The smell of rain was in the air. It wouldn’t be long now.
Jack pulled Ennis close as drops of rain pelted the tent. He lifted his lover’s hand to his chest and caressed the long fingers. Jack listened to the rain drops fall outside the tent and smiled. Just like the earth needed rain, Jack had to have his Ennis Del Mar. He pulled Ennis down on top of him and settled in for the delights to come.
The Rhythm of the Rain by Toycoon
The empty beer cans collected on the window sill that he sat beside. Ennis took a long draw off the lit Viceroy cigarette then swung his hand over the ashtray and flicked the ash in it's general vicinity.
Outside the kitchen window, raindrops began to fall on the glass, one by one until the rhythm became constant then Ennis' mind began to wander to the time he and Jack were caught in the middle of an unexpected summer shower; Ennis could picture Jack's hair matted down over his forehead, the water droplets glistening on his ripe lips, his blue shirt soaked and clinging to his defined chest.
Ennis shifted his position on the kitchen chair to adjust his stirring groin. His foreskin sliding over his glands felt comfortable, familiar so his hand unconsciously moved to his crotch to alleviate the pressure.
Jack in the City by garycottle
Where ever he went he felt eyes on him. If he was walking along the pavement people watched him. When he was down at the paint store people watched him. When he was shooting pool they watched. They always watched, and always with admiration, and usually with desire, too. This put a kind of cocky strut in his step. He knew his momma wouldn’t approve of his conceited swagger, but he couldn’t break himself of the habit.
He loved to go dancing at the club because all eyes were really on him then. Rather than furtive glances, people stopped what they were doing and stared. As he climbed down the steps his anticipation began to rise, and when the doorman let him pass there was a stirring in his pants as he caught sight of a sea of men. Many were shirtless, most of them were young, nearly all were in great shape. They crowd moved like a single organism in syncopation with the music. And he was a star here. This was where he belonged.
Several greeted him with pats on the back, and couple were bold enough to kiss his cheek. But his eyes soon fell on one old-timer sitting alone at a table by the door. The old guy looked back at him, but he was not dazzled by what he saw. The man’s expression spoke of a deep weariness and a longing for something other than the young, smalltime disco idol standing in front of him.
“Name’s Jack,” he said, as he brazenly turned the chair on the opposite side of the table backwards, swung his leg over, and sat down. “You sure you’re in the right place?”
“I am very sure,” the old-timer said with self-satisfaction. “I’ve been coming to this dump since the 20's.”
“The 20's?” Jack said, and then whistled.
The man’s old eyes took on a nostalgic glint as he said, “It was a speakeasy back then. And the music was jazz. ...this place must have been raided a hundred times in the past fifty years. All that’s changed now.”
Just then their conversation was interrupted by an aloof, blond waiter with an athletic lanky build. Jack studied him as he ordered a beer and the old man gave specific instructions on how to make a dry martini. Jack kept studying the waiter as he walked away.
“Well, I know who I’m going home with tonight,” Jack said with bravado.
“Don’t count on it, cowboy,” said the old man in a slightly mocking tone. “Ennis claims he’s straight. He only works here for the tips.”
Jack’s smile broadened and he said with confidence, “He won’t be too straight after I’m done with him.”
Just then Jack felt a hand on his shoulder.
“We’re home,” someone said.
He looked over and saw Lureen behind the wheel of their Caddy. “How’d you like the movie?” she asked.
“It was okay,” he said in a sleepy, noncommittal voice.
“I’m going to get you a white suite like the guy wore during the dance competition. Didn’t you love the way the floor lit up? That was pretty,” she proclaimed in her Texas twang.
