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Jerron was rather confused when he woke up, and for a second couldn't figure out why he wasn't in his own bed. But the shivering anole laying on top of him brought more important things to mind...he wrapped his arms tight around his adopted brother Trell, soothing the reptile's anxious response down to something more manageable. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah...just...forgot, when I woke up."

"Same. I guess it wouldn't bug me the way it bugs you, though. You're okay, don't worry."

"I know...thanks."

Jerron had gotten pretty good at this sort of stuff, at least as far as Trell told him. It certainly wasn't what he imagined when he learned he was getting an adopted brother...just a month before he turned nineteen, his parents had taken in Trell, a victim of abusive adults who needed a place to go where he could recover and try to have a more normal life. Jerron had sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a brother, but he definitely wouldn't have imagined what he'd actually gotten out of the experience - needing to learn all sorts of ways of adapting to the fact that his new sibling was about a quarter his size despite only being a couple months younger, figuring out how to work around his serious emotional troubles from his abusive upbringing, and getting surprised by the anole's sudden wish to have sex with him less than two weeks in. It was that last of these that cemented how vital Jerron was going to be in helping Trell recover, the lizard was just that much more comfortable with broaching these things with him than their parents.

It had been a bit over eight months since then, and the two had only gotten closer. Trell had gotten closer to all of them, really, but even more so with Jerron than anyone else. His brother was the only one who truly knew the full extent of the abuse that Trell had endured, and the only one Trell felt comfortable with being an outlet for his warped urges. Jerron was like a giant fluffy comfort blanket to him, and being held by him had a clear pacifying effect on even his worst panic attacks - not a complete cure but something that brought them from intolerable to endurable.

Jerron wasn't the only one helping with that by this point - aside from the parents, he was also getting regular therapy sessions. Although, Trell had precious little trust for being alone with people he didn't know...even now, he would still only go to the sessions if Jerron was with him. It was a bit of a weird situation for Jerron and the doctor, but Trell was more willing to open up if he was sitting in Jerron's lap, being held by the gryphon, and that was what he needed in order to work through the many, many issues his tormented youth had inflicted on him. It was certainly something that was going to take a long time to work through, but there were signs of progress.

It was all clearly having a benefit on the anole, in many ways. He looked much healthier physically than he had when they'd first taken him in - he'd even grown a couple inches, and with his body being properly nourished he'd taken on a less frail look. Of course, it didn't look like much next to Jerron, who was a typically beefy gryphon, and the disparity would always be pretty stark - he was doomed to be short and slight, owing both to his phenotype and the noxious injections he'd been given to try to shape him as the twisted men who abused him wanted - but it was better than what had been, and helped him to feel like he was actually leaving that past behind a little. Mentally, he'd improved a good deal - he still had panic attacks, heavy anxiety around strangers, and a general nervousness towards life in general, but he could hold a basic conversation with the people he knew and was comfortable with, and there was much more of a life in his eyes and his voice than the nearly blank, hollow thing that had been taken in by the family.

All of it really gave Jerron a warm feeling - being able to provide that sort of help to someone who clearly needed it, and being someone they could trust and feel comfortable with, had a pretty deep meaning to him. Seeing Trell's progress was just so satisfying, showing him that he was having a real positive impact on his new brother's life. Though, there was one way only the two of them knew about...of all the things he could have imagined about having a brother, he never would have expected having a clandestine sexual relationship with them, one where the little guy called all the shots at that. Trell's history involved plenty of sexual abuse, and Jerron had become his safety outlet, someone he could trust and help him reclaim a sense of his personal autonomy; in deference to this, Jerron never asked Trell for it, only agreed when Trell requested it, to ensure he didn't come across as wanting to push Trell into anything he didn't want.

That definitely wasn't happening right now, though. Jerron remembered where they were - the beach vacation home his family had rented. It was a two-week excursion out to the south, a resort town that was quiet, peaceful, and quite warm - the temperatures were feather-ruffling and fur-matting, giving Jerron just a hint of envy for Trell's scales. It was something that was meant to be part getaway and part bonding experience, a chance for the family to spend some time in a different setting and enjoy life together. It was the first time they'd gone on any sort of vacation since Trell had become part of the family, and the anole was certainly nervous about it; he'd done decently enough so far, but he'd been more clingy to Jerron than he'd been in recent months, and he hadn't even hesitated to ask to sleep with his brother that first night.

"We oughta get up...I think it's kinda late." Jerron was right, as he looked over at the clock on the end table to see that it was past 11.

"Okay...I think I'm fine." Trell was calmer, so Jerron relinquished his hold on the anole and they got out of bed, the gryphon gently setting his brother onto his feet on the floor. Neither one wearing anything, though there had been no hanky-panky between them, not with their parents this close by. It was something they only did at times where they had definite privacy, neither one expecting that it would be received well if the parents knew about it, regardless of their being of legal age. So no need for clean-up or anything of that sort, just getting dressed (in the most basic sense - neither of them put on anything more than shorts) and heading out to the main room.

"Oh, hey, you sleepyheads are up, are you?" A mature male gryphon cracked as he noticed the two coming into view. Their father, Patrice, an easygoing and laid-back individual who liked to crack the traditional 'dad jokes' that made Jerron groan regularly. "Thought we might have to set off a firecracker to get you two in gear, and I'm pretty sure that would cost us our deposit."

"You said we didn't have anything important to do," remarked Jerron. "If you wanted us up, you shoulda had something planned that made us get up."

"Bah, haven't you heard the phrase 'the early bird gets the worm?'"

"Yeah, but like hell I'm gonna get up for worms. Give me actual meat, maybe I'll set my alarm."

"I'd prefer if you set it anyway, Jerron, you know it's harder to get up early if you're used to getting up late." Their mother, Sylvia, joined in the conversation as she stepped in the front door. "I know we're on vacation but I would like to be able to do things in the morning if we have to."

"Right, yeah, okay, we'll be up earlier tomorrow morning." Jerron rolled his eyes, but he knew his mother had a point. Next to him, Trell remained silent...it felt like earlier times, where he would just go along with Jerron and let the gryphon speak for him. More recently he'd been more willing to talk for himself, but there was definitely an air of discomfort in him right now, Jerron had gotten a good sense of it. Maybe he hadn't fully gotten over the episode from that morning...

"Good to hear. Anyway, there's a whole lot we could do here, but I think I'd like to go see the town, wander around a bit. It's a beautiful place and very walkable, from what I hear, so we could find a nice place to park and then go see what there is to see, and make note of some places to spend more time at later on!"

"I hear there's quite a few antique shops around here, those would be pretty nice," chimed in Patrice.

"Oh, lord, you two and your antiques," groaned Jerron. "You go to those every single time we go someplace new. Haven't we spent enough time invoking memories of your childhood already?"

"Watch your beak, buster," fired back Patrice playfully. "One day you'll learn to appreciate the beauty of history and design."

"I can appreciate it from a computer. Surely there's gotta be more interesting places to go to."

"We'll just have to look around and see," said Sylvia. "We can make a day of it, maybe find lunch somewhere out there and then come back for dinner. It'll be a nice easy way to get into vacation mode, right?"

"A...all day?" Trell whimpered, and Jerron looked down at him in concern. He was shaking again, his eyes twitching...this didn't seem good to him. "I...that's...I don't..."

"Trell? You doin all right there, buddy?" Both parents noticed quickly as well, looking at the anole with concerned expressions.

"I...I can't. I c-c-can't. I can't do that. Please..."

Sylvia tried to step up closer. "Trell? It's okay, sweetie, we're all gonna be right with you, you're not gonna have any trouble with anyone-"

"N-no! It's...I..." Jerron hadn't seen Trell shaking this badly in a long time. He sounded truly terrified...he knew what he had to do. He stepped up to Trell, sweeping the anole up into his arms and lifting him against his chest; he could feel those fingers clutching white-tight on his fur, another sign of how badly he was affected. "I think Trell and I should stay back for today, Mom."

Sylvia looked slightly wounded. "Jerron...I...I'm sorry, I...I wanted this to..."

"It's okay, Mom." Jerron gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault. I think he's just kinda overwhelmed by everything. You and Dad go explore town, I'll help him calm down and we'll do stuff together later, okay?"

"Oh...are you gonna be all right staying back like this?"

The younger gryphon rolled his eyes. "Maaa...come on, we're nineteen, we're not little kids. We'll be fine, and we're not gonna shrivel up just because we're on vacation and Mom and Dad aren't escorting us everywhere. Besides, we're here for two weeks, I'm sure I'll get more than my fill of town before too long, and I wanna make sure he's in a good state to enjoy it too, you know?"

"...Well, all right. I suppose..."

"Maybe some time for just the two of us wouldn't be such a bad thing," said Patrice, putting his hand on Sylvia's shoulder. "We can do all the scoping out ourselves, and maybe it'll be all right if we get some of those things done where where they start giving us the 'kill me now' looks."

"I guess you've got a point. All right. You two don't do anything crazy while we're gone, then." Sylvia seemed mollified but still not entirely happy, and Jerron understood why - she was quite sensitive to Trell's issues and always felt bad whenever she felt like she'd gone too far without realizing it. Trell never blamed her for it, and neither did Jerron - even Trell didn't really have a good sense of what he could and couldn't handle, and it seemed like it could change day by day. Trell helped out more by giving her a very tight hug before she left, which certainly seemed to brighten her up before they headed out - a good thing in Jerron's eyes, he didn't want her dwelling on it too much while she was supposed to be out enjoying herself.

Once they were alone, Jerron took Trell back into his arms and took him to the couch, helping to relieve the last of the shakes from the anole's body. "How're you feeling?"

Trell sighed. "Sucky. Better, but sucky."

"Haven't had an episode like that in a long time. It's because it's all so unfamiliar to you, right?"

"Y-yeah, kind of. I...think it's more just...unfamiliar people. Too many strangers out there, and I feel...I d-don't trust them much. Unfamiliar people only ever saw me for one thing before..."

"Yeah, I know. And it's hard to get that out of your head, isn't it?"

Trell nodded. "It's...harder, too, when...when I dreamed about it last night..."

"Oh, jeez...no wonder you were out of sorts this morning. How bad was it?"

"It...it wasn't as bad as...as some of them have been. It didn't, uhm, cling to me...you know, like...like a full-on nightmare. But it was...not nice, either. Not a good dream. And...I just...I couldn't shake the bad feelings, especially waking up somewhere strange. I don't want to have them, I want to...to be okay..."

"I know, I know..." Jerron hugged the anole tight, rubbing his back gently with his comparatively huge hand. "You're doing a lot better than you were when you first came in, but it's going to be a fight for a long time. You remember what the doctor said, treating PTSD is like treating cancer...you're gonna have good days and bad days before it's all done, if it ever is."

"I know. I...just have to try to deal with it...but it feels stupid, not even feeling comfortable enough to just...go outside and at least try to be a normal person. I want that, I want to feel okay around people, not scared of them constantly..."

"Well, maybe we can ease you into it a little bit? Like, head outside, but not into town, where there's lots of people, but maybe just walk out on the beach where there aren't many. And I'll be right beside you and make sure you aren't in any danger or anything."

Trell hesitated. "I...well...m-maybe. But...I want to, um...relax a bit, first. Maybe it'll be easier if I do...help to get the bad thoughts out of my head..."

It sounded like a good idea to Jerron, though he didn't realize the undertone of that until he felt the anole's tail start to brush up against the outside of his shorts, making a very forward advance that got him all tingly down below. "Oh, uh, you want, er, 'that' kind of relaxation?"

"Please? You're so good at it...and I feel so much calmer after something like this." Trell was raising up a bit in Jerron's arms, almost like he was trying to push Jerron into his seat, his size not remotely sufficient to do so but the image having a bit of an effect on Jerron anyway. "And I can make you feel good, too, just like you make me feel good all the time...besides, how many other chances are we gonna get to do this while we're out here?"

Not many, that was for sure, not with their parents in such close proximity...Jerron didn't feel like it would be right to refuse Trell that. "All right...but we'll have to be careful not to make too much mess, we're gonna have to clean up afterwards and that'll cut into our outing time."

"True...I'll try to keep as much of it in me as I can." Trell's eyes lidded a bit as he smiled at Jerron, clinging to the gryphon with his arms as his legs came up, toes hooking into the band of Jerron's shorts and tugging at them. Jerron lifted himself up, letting Trell pull them partway down and expose his swelling sheath; once they were down enough, he kicked them the rest of the way off, sitting back down and letting that teasing tail toy with his sheath while Trell worked off his own shorts. He never disrobed Trell, it was much more comfortable for the anole to have control over the pace of things, and he always wanted to make sure this stuff was as comfortable as possible for him.

Finally, Trell got his own shorts off and tossed them off next to Jerron's; his thin twins were already out and leaking, beating Jerron to the punch as usual, the gryphon only half-hard. Whether because of whatever they'd done to him or just a natural part of his life, Trell was a horny little bugger - he got aroused quite often and when he did he could go from zero to sixty very quickly. The main downside was that it wasn't always easy for him to settle down when he didn't actively take care of it, and it wasn't always convenient to do so. A challenge he just had to deal with, and did so without too much trouble most of the time, he definitely wasn't chomping at the bit to constantly screw around or jerk himself, he still wasn't perfectly comfortable with himself and had an aversion to displays of sexuality with just about anyone outside of Jerron; the discomfort of having boners was much lower than the discomfort of even thinking about touching or rubbing himself in a non-private context. But there was many a public restroom where he'd hidden away to take care of things when it was opportune, and even if someone else came in, he'd gotten VERY good at being quiet - even Jerron could never tell whether he was doing something in there or not.

As he spread himself out, Jerron felt Trell almost flop down on him, wrapping his arms around Jerron as much as he could and holding him tight as he humped against him, that tail giving him some extra attention as it teased and tickled his sheath, ball sack, and cock here and there. He could feel the wetness of Trell's leakage in his stomach fur...definitely a potential mess, but Trell didn't shoot that much, so probably not as big an issue as his own load. And then there was another little bit of action as Trell began to nip and nibble at Jerron's collarbone, the short fangs not getting through his fur but he could feel the pinches and they made him moan a little bit. That was a fairly new thing for Trell, and Jerron was surprised at just how much of a rise it got out of him. The anole certainly had gotten a bit more adventurous with him over the months as his comfort level rose, trying out different things and finding some that he rather enjoyed...Jerron was hardly going to discourage that, it helped give Trell more of a feeling of control over things, which was definitely to his benefit.

That mouth seemed eager to move on after a little bit, though, as he pulled away and rubbed his rear against Jerron's full erection, a soft gasp and moan escaping him. "I can never get over how big you are..."

"You seem to be just fine with it every time you play with it," cracked Jerron.

"Oh, never said I wasn't fine with it...it just still catches me by surprise. But a good surprise." Trell clambered around, rotating himself on Jerron, keeping in good contact with that fur as much as possible, something Jerron knew Trell liked the feel of. Soon he was ass over tea kettle, his head facing that thick gryphon tool while his own loins were up against that beak. Even as careful as he could be, Jerron was never quite confident enough to try a blowjob with Trell, but his tongue was usually enough to do the trick - Trell was sensitive enough for that, and his tongue was a bit on the rougher side anyway. So he was gentle and careful as he started to lick, giving just as much attention to the lizard's sensitive slit as to his leaking lengths - he knew how much Trell got out of that spot as well.

Trell, of course, was not just going to stick to using his own tongue against that thick gryphon tool. Instead he opened wide and slowly pushed down around it, getting a good bit in right away with his all-too-experienced maw. His tongue darted out here and there, lashing against that staff of musky flesh as he worked himself slowly deeper. The angle was helpful here, being upside down like this made it easier for him to get Jerron's tool inside, even if the blood was rushing to his head a bit. He could also secure himself, as he chose to now, hooking his legs around the back of Jerron's head and neck, keeping him in control of his movements. He let out quiet, muffled moans as the pleasure of Jerron's tongue mixed with the comforting and enticing scent of gryphon; already he was feeling a good bit more relaxed, the tension ebbing away from every part of him.

Deeper he went on Jerron, shifting a little more with that secure grip on his gryphon as he pushed more of that barbed shaft in his throat, pulling up here and there to give his flesh a bit of raking from the sharp protrusions. Jerron, for his part, kept himself as still as he could, making sure he didn't push anything beyond Trell's ability to handle - Trell could handle his size just fine but the barbs had a definite point where they went from enjoyable to unpleasant and Trell knew that point better than Jerron himself did. He did step up the work on Trell's cocks and slit, though, murring and sighing as he felt his length get engulfed all the way to the base. It always seemed like he was doing so little comparatively, but Trell had assured him that as sensitive as he was, he didn't need a whole lot of extra intensity to get a lot out of it. And given how responsive he could be to just some lightly stimulating touches sometimes, Jerron had no reason to disbelieve that.

Still, that didn't mean he didn't have any tricks. They just didn't have to be complicated...dragging his tongue along the tip of one cock and then the other got some squirts of pre out of Trell, which he eagerly lapped up, enjoying the light, almost dainty flavor. He also was able to push his tongue flat into the lizard's slit, working it back and forth and letting the rougher surface really work up the pleasure for Trell. He knew he was hitting the mark by how much Trell was squirming and mewling, though he could barely hear the sounds with how blocked off the lizard's mouth was. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep it up for as long as he hoped, as he felt something smack into the side of his head and dislodge him. "Ack! Trell, your tail!"

With a loud slurping sound, the anole hurriedly pulled off of Jerron, almost losing has balance - thankfully, his legs and Jerron's hands kept him steady enough. "Ah! Sorry, Jerron!"

"It's okay, I'm fine. Just, uh, got a little caught off-guard there." It wasn't the first time they'd had a mishap with that tail, Trell didn't have great control of it in the throes of bliss, and he was very averse to having it grabbed so Jerron wouldn't dare do that to resolve the problem. It wasn't that much of a danger, but it could be disruptive if it got in the wrong spot, as it had then. "I just don't wanna do something that frightens you...especially when you've got a lot of teeth near my dick."

"Y-yeah, that would be a problem...but it's all right..." Trell disengaged his legs from the gryphon and scrambled back right side up, his face bearing a flush and a shy smile. "I know a good way to keep it out of the way."

"If it's what I think you're thinking of, it definitely won't be doing anything where it can get in the way."

"Oh? What do you think I'm thinking of?"

"Judging by the way you're rubbing your butt against my dick, I'm thinking you're thinking of them getting to be very cozy with each other."

Trell poked Jerron's beak playfully. "You don't know that. Maybe I'm talking about baking cupcakes."

Jerron snrked. "You think your tail's not gonna in the way for that? Seems like it could knock things off of counters with the greatest of ease."

"Nah, I'm not tall enough for it to get up to the counters. Mmm, that does sound good..." Trell rubbed more against that staff, teasing Jerron with a little bit of pressure before slipping down, like he was going to stuff it into him as any moment. "I like the idea of some baking now. I'm sure you've got something nice and tasty ready to stick into my oven."

"Heh, you bet I do. It even makes its own frosting." It was all very silly, but Jerron never minded indulging the silliness when it came to Trell. Stuff like this helped set the lizard at ease...he'd had so many rough, stressful experiences with sex in the past, and sometimes being a little bit goofy helped lighten things up in his head more, and put some distance between the present desires and the more unpleasant memories. And whatever made it easier for Trell was the right thing to do as far as Jerron was concerned. "You want some help with this, or..."

"I got it...mmnh, at least until your knot..." Trell rose up again, shifting back just a touch to line the tip of Jerron's dick up with his tailhole, and then letting his legs drop a bit, taking a generous portion of that cock into him. He let out a gasp, and then a long moan that meshed with Jerron's as he felt his body stretch around that staff and those barbs scratch against him - just a little, but they became a lot more prominent when Trell rose up to pull out a bit. He didn't pull back for long, using the extra height to sink down deeper. One more of those and he was sitting on top of the knot, panting a bit and rubbing his stomach where there was a definite stiffness. "Ah...I...don't think...I tell you enough...how much I appreciate this...you making it feel, ah, truly good...not just my body responding, but my head and heart being happy about it, too..."

"I'm just happy I can help you out like that, bud." It was a mildly awkward response, but about all Jerron could really say - he was glad to be a source of positivity for Trell, something that could help him get past some of his issues. There were times when it still felt weird, it was never entirely out of his head that he was dealing with someone who'd been victimized for close to a decade like this, and he sometimes got nervous about whether he was really helping things, or if he was taking advantage of a vulnerability...but, that was why he didn't initiate, he only responded to what Trell wanted. He could make sure he only did things that were good for Trell if Trell was the one calling the shots. He'd gotten pretty good at it, too, he could stay fairly passive pretty much the entire time, at least until Trell gave him the go-ahead to act a little more, which usually came when it was time to finish things up. For now, all he was doing was giving Trell a means to help push himself up so that he could ride the gryphon as he pleased...sure, his cock was being milked hard and the desire to unload was only going to get even harder to handle, but Trell's feelings mattered more.

Now re-familiarized with that presence inside him, Trell began a slightly unsteady rhythm of pushing himself up and pulling his ass partway off of Jerron's cock, before letting his body relax and sink back down on it. The sitting position presented a few challenges with his motions, but it also gave him better hand-holds so that his legs didn't have to do all the work, making it a little bit less taxing to ride this way. His fingers dug into the fur on Jerron's sides as he pushed, pulled, rose, dropped, grunted, moaned, and shot vigorous if fairly small gluts of precum onto Jerron's abdomen. His ass was feeling the heat and wetness of the gryphon's preseed as well, helping to slacken the ride and make it a little smoother, though only so much - those barbs stood out no matter how wet it was, especially with how tight the lizard's tailhole was. But it felt really good, his hypersensitive prostate was getting a very good massage and the warmth of Jerron's flesh felt like it was heating him up from the inside out. "Ah...so good..."

Jerron couldn't have agreed more with that assessment. Trell just felt so damn good around him, wrapped tight around such sensitive flesh, kneading and squeezing it in all the right ways. Maybe it helped him control himself that it was so good however Trell chose to do it, he never felt like he was wanting for anything more. He crooned and moaned as he slouched a bit in the chair, letting the anole lift and drop as he pleased, doing little more than jetting the occasional splash of precum into him, some of which dribbled down his shaft to muss up his crotch fur. At least that would be easy to clean, the less he had to do afterwards the better.

Trell kept going as long as he could, but he knew he only had so long before his legs would start to get rubbery. Fortunately, he was getting nice and close by that point, leaking as much as he ever had onto his brother, and he was pretty sure Jerron was as well, that cock was starting to throb a bit in his rear and he'd gotten to know what that meant. He gave a few efforts to slam himself down on that knot, but he simply lacked the strength to get it inside him...one of these days, he wanted to get it inside all by himself. But today was not that day, he needed to save at least a little energy for the rest of the day. "Jerron...ah...please, I need your knot..."

Jerron straightened up at that, knowing he was being called into action. He took hold of Trell's body, the anole's legs splaying and going lift as he took them out of action. It took just a couple of humps this time before Trell started going off, squirting his load onto Jerron's fur, the thin white streaks mixing with his own pre in some spots; he could feel things getting quite wet here and there through his fur. Still, he didn't let that distract him, and during a moment that Trell was more relaxed, he managed to pull the anole down and pop that knot inside. That was all it took for him, the two letting out mixed cries of bliss as Jerron went off and Trell shot a little harder briefly, finally joined together as intimately as they could be.

In an instant, Trell pitched forward, Jerron's arms surrounding him as they rode out their climaxes together. There was nothing better than almost melting into that warm fur as the waves of bliss rolled through him. It didn't last long...it never lasted quite long enough, he wished he could keep it up a little bit longer, but at least he got the comfort and relaxation of that pleasant fur against his body in the afterglow, while he waited for Jerron's load to finish shooting inside him. There was so much of it, always so much, it made him feel like he was going to fill to bursting. He never really worried that he would - he'd been pushed beyond these limits before, and he'd always been able to handle it - but it was definitely something that was going to linger in him for a while, literally and figuratively. And he liked that, because it was Jerron's, because he wanted it...

He could have just laid there for a long time, but Jerron wasn't so keen on staying steady, and all too soon his stood up with Trell against him, still knotted. "Mmph...we'd probably better get this to the bathroom. It'll be easier to keep things from getting too messy if I'm still blocking you off by the time we get to a convenient drain."

"Awww...okay."

"Heh, I know, you could spend forever like this. Too bad we don't have forever. But we'll get another chance."

Trell nodded against the gryphon's body. "I guess I'll just have to look forward to that, then."

---

One quick wash-up, emptying out, and clean-up later, the two were walking along the beach outside their vacation house. Trell's hand was clinging to Jerron's, and he definitely looked nervous, but he wasn't in panic mode, which Jerron took as a minor victory. Jerron was dressed only in a swimsuit, he doubted he'd go in the water but it was quick and easy to don; Trell was more fully clothed, as he expected, he didn't like people looking too much at his body unless it was his family.

"How're you doing, buddy?"

"I'm...I'm fine, I guess. It's still a bit intimidating, but I'm not feeling like I was before. I think you're right, less people makes it feel a little less, uh, threatening." The beach certainly wasn't empty, but people were scattered fairly sparsely across the sand, mostly doing their own thing. That probably helped as well, Trell could see that they weren't focused on him, and it helped him process that they weren't going to be threats to him. "And it does feel good to be out by the water...it's cooler, it's pretty nice. Sand's a bit hot, though."

"Sand's always a little bit tough on the tootsies when it's nice enough out to be walking on it. You get used to it after a bit, though. Not as bad as blacktop...that's why they're always making painted paths, it doesn't get as burning hot."

"At least there's lots more grass to walk on..."

"Yeah, at least when you don't have to cross the road. And even when there's sidewalk that's usually not that bad, it's lighter-colored. And at least you have a convenient mount when you want some relief from walking on anything."

Trell blushed a bit. "I know you didn't mean it that way, but I can't help but think..."

"Ah, yeah, maybe that wasn't the, uh, neatest word choice there, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do...um, Jerron? Thanks...a lot, for earlier. Not just, uh, that, but also being there when I was, uh...kinda freaking."

Jerron looked down at Trell and smiled warmly. "You're welcome, bud, and I'll do it anytime you need. You're going through a lot, Trell, I know it's gotten better but it's gonna take a while before it's down enough that you'll feel like it's gone. And I'll do whatever I can to help you whenever I can help, I promise it."

Trell gave a little nod, swallowing hard. "I really appreciate that...I, uh...I think I'd like to try going with Mom and Dad into town tomorrow. I'm still...not really totally comfortable, but I don't think it'll be like this morning. Especially if I don't have any more dreams."

"That'll definitely help. We'll plan on it. I'm sure Mom and Dad'll have figured out some places that won't bore us to death. Or they'll have figured out the worst ones and cart us around to them."

That got a giggle out of Trell. "I dunno, I'm okay with boring. It's easier on me, I think."

"Oh, you don't even know how boring REAL boring can be, I tell you..." Still, if all Trell wanted to do was stick by their folks, Jerron knew he'd do that without a doubt. It was nothing compared to what his brother had been through, after all, and giving him whatever he needed to put that into the fog of his past was the best thing he could do for Trell. Whatever it took, he'd do it for Trell, without regret...and, sometimes, even truly enjoying it along the way.