initiation Novella, draft 1, ch 27, part 2 (Patreon)

Thomas looked at all the white among the trees the car drove by on the small road.

Winter in his grandfather’s part of the country was different from what Thomas experienced in Minneapolis. The city wasn’t the worst when it came to pollution by any margin, but within hours of falling, the fresh snow turned gray-brown by the streets and even the further sidewalks got splashed by dirty slush the cars sent flying.

Out here, among the wilds of Montana, days after the last snowfall, the snow banks formed by the wind and bushes look so white they could blind someone.

The car was quiet.

Nearly sixteen hours on the road was enough to drain anyone, even Thomas, who’d napped, still felt lethargic. They’d taken turns driving, except for Roland, who wasn’t trusted in winter conditions, no matter what his freshly minted license claimed.

There had been two pit stops.

Both the result of his mother’s inability to keep her hands off her husband. Judith, who’d been driving, had said to just go for it. In a rare case of brotherly unity, Roland and Thomas had adamantly opposed the idea.

Now they were in the last stretch, South of Bozeman, with the sun only a few hours above the horizon making the snow glitter where its light make it through the leafless tree and conifers. The road had turned progressively smaller, and the house rarer until it felt that there was no one but them in the world.

The entrance to his grandfather’s property was marked by an open gate with a large sign over it reading Hertz. It reminded Thomas of of those he’d seen in the old westerns his grandfather liked to watch. But as far as Thomas knew, Grandpa Magnus had never gotten within ten feet of a quad cow, much less Texas.

The ranch-style house came into view, surrounded by a smattering of pines, firs, and aspens, growing thicker as they joined with the national park the property abutted.

An older rat waited on the porch, wearing boots, jeans, a heavy jacket, and holding a steaming cut. “Glad you could make it,” he yelled, his breath steaming as much as the cup as they exited the car.

Thomas cursed as the dry cold cut right through his winter jacket and jeans. When had it turned his cold?

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world, Dad,” Erik hollered back as he exited the driver’s side.

Roland was heading toward the house, suitcase already in hand, by the time Thomas reach the open hatch, and was well inside by the time he has his own suitcase untangled from the compressed mess.

Nadia hugged her father-in-law. “How have you been Magnus? Do you have one of your girlfriends over this time?”

Thomas used the distraction his mother provided to sneak inside and avoid the bone-crushing hug.

“Nah,” Magnus replied playfully. “I’m taking a break from them over the holidays.” Thomas’s mother laughed and her comments were lost as Thomas headed as far from the cold as he could.

The living room was large, with a fieldstone fireplace on the left wall, with wood stacked next to it. The kitchen was on the right, up three steps and through an archway, and on the opposite side of the door, letting cold into the house, was the dining table, large enough to accommodate the entire Hertz family.

Between the fireplace and dinning table was the hall leading to the guest bedrooms. In the kitchen, stairs lead to the second story over that half of the house and his grandfather had his bedroom there, along with his office and a guest bedroom reserved for when a girlfriend visited and she needed a break for him.

Roland was in the first of the bedrooms, so Thomas took the third and hoped Judith would take the one between them, forcing their parents to take the guest bedroom upstairs. He wasn’t interested in listening to his parents having sex. With Magnus not having a girlfriend over, it was possible he could go the entire vacation without hearing any rutting.

He snorted. Was that what he was down to referring to it as; some animalistic act? Maybe all the stocking-up before the trip wasn’t going to be of any help after all. At least he could depend on his hand for the duration.

He returned to the living room to find his parents with Magnus, each with a cup of steaming coco in hand.

“How’s university?” his grandfather asked, then grinned. “I hear you joined Sigma Theta Gamma. Having fun yet?”

Thomas’s ear burned. “Does everyone know about their reputation?” He accepted the offered cup, then submitted to the hug.

To both their surprise, Thomas didn’t break under the pressure this time. Magnus looked at him as he stepped back. Thomas kept forgetting he’d bulked when he mainly had his behemoth of frat brothers to compare himself to.

“Every major university has a chapter house, so anyone who’s attended has heard of them,” the old rat replied as he unzipped Thomas’s jacket and pulled it open, tilting an ear at the stretched shirt. “Back in the twentieth century, they were basically sanctuaries for any guy who wasn’t exactly straight. I can’t imagine the kind of money the families that form the frat had to lay down to be allowed to exist, considering how small-minded they were back then.”

“Thomas has managed to maintain good grades,” Eric said, “despite the distractions the men there have to be creating.”

Nadia elbowed her husband. “Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing. He’s just living up to the example we’ve been setting.” She grinned at her son. “Don’t slow down.”

Thomas’s ears burned so much he expected the smoke detector to go off as he stared into his cup so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone.

“Roland,” Magnus said as Thomas caught his brother entering the living room. “How is your football carrier?”

“I made MVP for the last three games. Coach says that if we continue like this, we’re sure to make the playoffs.”

“Roland’s a sure bet for the NFL,” their father said proudly.

“And what about romance?” Magnus asked. “If you’re the star player, you must have attracted the attention of a girl or three. Or maybe that of one of your fellow player,” he added with a wink.

Roland shook his head and hunched in, and their grandfather moved his attention to Judith who, unlike Thomas and Roland, was more than happy to regal him with all the boys she’d been involved with.

If the Royer’s side of his family was obsessed with sex, the Hertz seemed to obsess about part their children’s lives, having a specific idea of what was best. With his father, it was academic, while their grandfather considered the sex-life to be of utmost importance.

Needless to say, Magnus approved of Nadia.

Thomas was glad that, being gay, he wouldn’t have to find out who form his own over-parenting would take. He exchange a glance with Roland and both silently agreed to fade into the background and let the rest of the family talk.