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Bond of Brothers ~ Part 1

Steady, soaking rain fell throughout the evening across the small coastal town of Stillwater Cove, muffling the world with its monotonous hiss and turning everything grey as dusk fell behind a dense blanket of cloud. For two boys living in a rustic little wooden house right on the beach, this weather was the very definition of boredom. Every single evening, the twin deer boys would run and play in the sandhills and down on the beach itself - weather permitting of course. When the heavens closed in like this, it could seem like there was little to do besides sit inside the wide bifold windows at the back of their house and watch the sheeting walls of grey lash the tumultuous ocean.

Their names were Dieter and Kristian, and they were ten years old. Although Dieter always loudly proclaimed he was the elder - by twelve minutes. The boys were maternal twins, virtually identical, a feature they continually exploited at school, swapping classes and making as much mischief as they possibly could for their guardians. They could even fool their own parents at times.

"Boys? Aren't you two bored out of your minds just staring out the window?" their father, Bruno, gave a lopsided smile as he peered over at his sons around the glowing screen of his laptop.

"Nah, we're f-"

"Dude! Yeah dad, we're SO bored..." Kristian interrupted his brother with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

Bruno laughed and set his laptop aside, the giant thirty-four year old stag standing and stretching his enormous frame to the large, exposed rafters eight feet above, a wall of rippling muscle and twitching sinew.

"Hmmmmm..." he rumbled, seeming to consider for a moment. "You boys wanna put a movie on upstairs maybe? I'll make you some popcorn."

Two sets of ears perked, and the twins were bounding up the stairs to the mezzanine living space above in a flash. Movies and TV was one aspect of their young lives Bruno and his wife Lydia regulated tightly, preferring to see the fawns frolicking on the beach or through the woods, instead of stuck in front of a screen. This was a rare occasion, then, and the stag liked to make it special for them however he could. As he listened to the argument going on upstairs over what to watch, he crashed about in the kitchen setting pots on stovetops and clattering bowls as he prepared popcorn and cocoa for the boys. The stag's thoughts were placid and calm as he munched on a few pieces of popcorn, setting it and two mugs of cocoa on a tray, before climbing the narrow stairs with it, carefully ducking his enormous antlers under the gnarled wooden rafter.

"Right, what've you chosen, lads?"

"Aeon Flux!" Dieter and Kristian chorused.

Bruno grinned broadly, "Good choice. Nothing to do with all the skin-tight leather outfits though, huh?"

"Nah, it's just an awesome movie," Dieter grinned.

Bruno chuckled and nodded as he flicked the DVD player on and set the movie up. "Alright lads, I'll be downstairs. Got some work to catch up on."

Dieter and Kristian watched as their father clumped down the stairs again with a sigh. He was a hard working guy, a master carpenter, and although the house in which they resided was almost entirely the product of Bruno's own two hands, he had turned his skills to a more artisanal form of work these days, using reclaimed and storm-felled timber to create furniture and fittings of amazing beauty and personality. It was physically easier work than building entire houses or refitting interiors, but the demand for his work was high enough that he could sustain his small family with the income he generated from furniture alone. He often brought the administrative side of his business home at night, and it was somewhere between hilarious and tragic to see him tapping away with such delicacy at the tiny laptop perched on his enormous knees.

The boys settled into the giant beanbag chair arranged before the TV, quickly becoming lost in the movie as they devoured the popcorn and cocoa their father had made. Subconsciously, after a short while, the twins ended up leaning against each other. They were inseparable, and always had been. Even at ten years of age the twins shared a bed, as well as most clothing, with barely ever an argument or disagreement, something Bruno had always found unimaginably endearing - although of late Lydia's opinions on the topic were less than agreeable. Several times, at their mother's discretion, the twins had attempted to move into separate beds but it had always resulted in one twin or the other sleepwalking into the bed of the other, and when they tried separate rooms, neither of them slept a wink. So by the time the twins were nine, Bruno and Lydia had sort of come to terms with their sons' sleeping arrangement. What was going to happen when they grew up a little more and...discovered themselves, was anyone's guess.

With the comfortable familiarity born of habit, Dieter lifted his left arm and Kristian pressed close against his brother, both boys' eyes stuck to the flickering images on the TV as they snuggled in together. At some point or another Kristian's right hand made its way down his shorts, the slightly younger twin absently scratching himself and just leaving his hand where it was. This was a recent development for him, something he often did as he was drifting off to sleep at night. It felt...comforting somehow. He'd forgotten, however, that his right arm was also pressed tightly against his brother, who could now feel every movement he made.

"Uh...Kris? What're you doing?"

"Shh...movie..."

"Dude, why's your hand down there?"

"What? Oh! I...I dunno. It just... I dunno. Feels nice I guess."

"Oh..." Dieter just shrugged and went right back to the movie with a sigh. Such was the relationship the twins shared; there was no cajoling or name-calling or any sense of discomfort.

For his part, the simple act of having his attention drawn to his hand's position had made Kristian rub and fondle himself more consciously, and now it had made his penis go stiff. He squirmed a little against his brother and tweaked the tip of it between thumb and forefinger, enjoying the sensation.

Dieter's attention was drawn briefly from the closing scenes of the movie to his brother's movements, and with a slight shrug he copied the action, shoving his right paw down his shorts and scratching himself. A few minutes passed before Dieter realised Kristian wasn't just scratching his nuts, and the older twin glanced into his brother's lap to see what was going on. Kristian caught the glance, and then noticed Dieter's hand in his shorts as well. He chuckled and elbowed his brother in the ribs.

"Is yours stiff too?" Kristian blurted - although quietly.

Dieter went bright pink and nodded. "Yeah... Kinda tickles when you rub it, doesn't it?"

"Yep... 'specially when you kinda do this to the tip..." Kristian demonstrated by gently tweaking his brother's elbow between two fingers and thumb.

"Hmm... yeah it does, huh? Tickles and sorta...almost itches as well at the same time. S'weird. Good though."

The boys dozed lightly, their hands still down their shorts as the end credits rolled and Bruno climbed the stairs as quietly as he possibly could, raising an eyebrow at what he saw. Gently he roused the dozing twins with a massive hand on a shoulder of each, and propelled them both through the bathroom and into their bedroom, making sure they'd both been to the toilet and brushed their teeth, giving each of his sons a tight hug and an affectionate kiss on the forehead before descending once more to finish the last of his work - which very rapidly degenerated into "not-work," since Lydia was out of town and had been for a few days now.

He shifted in the massive armchair he occupied, the stag deeply ashamed of himself as he caught his thoughts wandering to his sons sharing a bed as they sleepily played with themselves. Shaking his enormously-antlered head, Bruno tapped in the web address of an erotic literature site he'd discovered recently and began reading, unbuttoning and unzipping his fly and wrenching free the swelling, fleshy rod whose size his antlers hinted at. He huffed and rubbed himself to erection, the enormous buck's tightly circumcised penis throbbing to almost nine inches, deepening to dusky pink and beginning to shine in the dim light as his skin pulled taut over the raging erectile tissue within. With a deep rumble Bruno rubbed his huge, callused hand over his bare glans, giving an involuntary grind upwards into his grip at the sensation, once again - as he had many times already - giving thanks for his decision not to circumcise his boys. It didn't bother him personally, being cut, but he'd always wished he hadn't been, so had made that decision vicariously for his offspring.

With a soft grunt, he put the laptop on his knees and reached beneath his chair, locating a jar of coconut oil he'd left there the other day for this very purpose - along with a large towel. Dipping two thick, hoof-tipped fingers into the oil, he melted it between his palms, enjoying the slickness against his leathery skin, before spreading it along the achingly rigid length of his penis, enjoying the sight of his proud, rock-hard member glistening in the warm incandescent light. Reading slowly and scrolling with his dry hand, Bruno masturbated with slow, hard, deliberate strokes. The down side to being cervine was the built-in prey-species tendency to be very, very quick when mating. And that translated across to masturbation as well. If he needed to, once aroused, Bruno could bring himself to orgasm without lubricant in little over a minute. With lubricant, he was edging in seconds. And he loved it. The first orgasm was always the best and most powerful. Bruno savoured it, rubbing and massaging and edging through his glistening, oily grip for a good five minutes, before bracing against his armchair and firmly polishing his glans with his palm, rubbing the head of his enormous penis with a tight grip. He didn't see where the first spurt went, his eyes clenched shut in pleasure. He heard the wet splat as it hit...something, but only managed to catch the remaining ten or so thick, powerful jets on his upper body. No matter, he'd find that first spurt when he cleaned up later.

He toweled himself reasonably dry and grunted, the big stag's penis still staring him right in the face, as hard as ever. Looked like it was gonna be a good night.

Bruno masturbated twice more before finally packing away his oil and tossing the towel in the laundry hamper, dripping wet with his virility. He never did find that first spurt. Once again he reminded himself to always keep his hand over the end of it the first time round.

*****

A tiny, fluffy wren settled on the windowsill outside Dieter and Kristian's bedroom, singing her high, warbling song to welcome the morning. Over and over again. Very, very loudly.

Dieter groaned and rubbed his eyes, the young buck slowly drifting to wakefulness and smacking his lips noisily. Shifting slightly he felt a weight against his left side and turned to see his brother, still fast asleep, snuggled tightly against him, Dieter's left leg sandwiched firmly between Kristian's. Wearing only their underwear as they typically slept, the feeling of velvety soft fur on fur was pleasant, and warm in the chilly morning air. Dieter's eyes drifted closed again, after glancing at the clock and seeing he still had half an hour to sleep before getting up for school. Almost unnoticed, his shorts twitched and rose, pitching a little tent beneath the blankets against his brother's thigh.

A few minutes passed, and Kristian began to surface, wriggling slightly and pressing closer against Dieter, who was once again asleep flat on his back, snoring quietly. As he shifted his leg a little, Kristian felt the fabric of his brother's underwear against his soft fur, and his eyes snapped open silently as he felt something else. His brother's thingie was stiff, he was sure of it. The thought made his own lurch into life, and he gently ground his little tent against Dieter's hip. It was a subconscious movement, but it felt nice, so he did it again. The feeling made his breath catch in his throat. It was just like when he tickled the end of it in his shorts, only much stronger. He blushed brightly, shifting his thigh slightly and feeling his brother's erection twitch slightly against his touch. It felt nice, and Kristian was just wriggling his hand down to squeeze and tickle himself when with a sharp click the boys' alarm went off, the dull drone of morning radio cutting through the relative silence of the room with startling sharpness.

Dieter snorted awake and sat bolt-upright in bed, then slowly relaxed and reached across to switch the alarm off, looking down at his brother and seeing him already awake.

"Mornin, bro," muttered Kristian, rolling onto his back and stretching his gangly arms and legs.

"Mornin! Don't go back to sleep, c'mon, time to get up!" Dieter poked and prodded his brother in the ribs, wriggling out from under the covers and kneeling on the bed, pestering Kristian until he gave in and swung his hooved legs out onto the floor.

Both boys stood up, stretching and yawning and blinking sleepily. Dieter suddenly giggled, and Kristian turned to see his brother staring straight at his underwear.

"Haha...you too, huh Kris?"

The elder twin set his hands on his buttocks and jutted his hips forward, making the tent in his white boxers all the more obvious. Kristian chuckled and looked down obligingly, giving his brother a wink and nodding.

"Yup! When you were asleep still I felt yours against my leg and it made mine stand up too. This is happening more often isn't it?"

Dieter considered this, and nodded. "Yeah. Just the last few months. Or maybe we've only started noticing it recently? I'm pretty sure mine's getting bigger..."

"Pff, as if! Bet mine's still bigger than yours," Kristian smirked and jutted his own hips forward, flicking the tip of his twitching penis through the fabric.

At that moment the boys heard heavy hoofsteps on the wooden floorboards in the hallway and both turned just as Bruno swung the door gently open, the big stag ducking his antlers under the low lintel and peering in. He was already dressed for work and smelled freshly-showered, which was more than could be said for his overalls, which reeked of sawdust and machine oil. He blinked and the words he was about to utter died on his lips as he saw his sons standing there with such obvious erections.

"Uhhh... I'll get breakfast," he muttered, backing out quickly and clomping down the stairs, blushing profusely.

Dieter and Kristian's eyes met and they both went bright red, groaning in unison at what their father had just seen. Nonetheless, the embarrassment was much easier for the boys to shake off than it was for their father, and within a couple of minutes the twins were dressed in utterly identical pants and button-up shirts and were bounding downstairs for breakfast.

Bruno grinned broadly at his sons from within the small, rustic kitchen, motioning to the two glasses of juice already set out for them, before turning his back to serve up the scrambled eggs and toast he was cooking for the three of them.

"Righto! Eat up, you two, you got a lot of growing still to do..." the stag ruffled both his sons' hair and smirked, winking at Dieter as the realisation of what his father meant made him blush.

After breakfast Bruno walked his sons outside and unchained their bicycles from the front porch, checking tyres and lights before sending them on their way to school with a wave. Thankfully it'd rained itself out the previous night, and the heavy grey clouds were receding to the east, the little seaside town bathed in bright sunshine.

This was the best kind of sunshine, right after a heavy rain, Bruno mused as he stood outside sipping his morning coffee. Everything was brighter, more saturated. Fresher. The trees and flowers washed clean of dust and glistening in the golden light. The stag stretched his arms out wide and smiled, giving a friendly wave to the skunk next door as she poked her head out to wave her hulking teenage son off to school.

Bruno scoffed the remainder of his breakfast quickly and skimmed through the newspaper before heading out the front door himself, barely five minutes behind his sons. He unchained his own transport from the front porch; a beaten and well-used bakfiets cargo trike; two wheels at the front, supporting a cargo crate, one wheel at the back. Unloaded, it was light and easy to ride, and Bruno hummed quietly to himself as he set off in the opposite direction to his sons, heading to his workshop on the low ridge of hills surrounding Stillwater Cove, in the old artisan district. It was a small early-industrial warehouse, which the stag shared with several other small businesses; a brewer, a coffee roaster and a metalworker. Often the four owners worked together, supplying each other and supporting each other's businesses. Bruno adored this relationship. It didn't generate a monumental income, sure, and most of his clients were hundreds of miles away, but he certainly wasn't about to give it up for anything. And it was enough to be comfortable. He unlocked and hauled open the small barn-door to his workshop, leaving the ancient wooden entranceway wide open to admit the fresh air, and looked around, surveying the mess of half-finished projects, tools, wood shavings and breathing in the rich scents of his craft. It was going to be a good day. A very good day.

*****

"Hey Kris..." Dieter waved as his brother trotted out of the front door of the school, looking downcast. It was 4.30, a full hour after final bell.

"Hey bro. Sorry. Got detention AGAIN."

Dieter laughed softly and shook his head. "What for this time?"

"Ahh just the usual. I didn't do my reading homework for English last night again. That old 'yote is brutal."

"Oh yeah. I didn't do the reading either. Guess I'm just better at hiding it!"

Kristian rolled his eyes and unchained his bicycle from the rack, the twins pedaling their near-identical single-speed cruisers slowly back to the beach. As they arrived home and locked their bikes up to the front porch, Dieter pulled out his front door key, on a string around his neck, and let them both inside the empty, silent house. The boys looked at each other and grinned, both thinking the same. It was a warm afternoon and they had a good three hours of light left. The ocean beckoned.

Both boys rushed upstairs and tore off their clothes, unmindful of their nudity as they tugged on their speedos. They'd seen each other naked a million times anyway - one of the conditions of being inseparable brothers. They bolted back down the stairs, tails flicking to balance their flying steps as they launched themselves out the back door, Dieter pausing for a second to lock it behind them before following his brother down into the rolling sandhills, the golden orb of the sun still hanging high in the sky, the smooth, still water glittering like an ocean of jewels. The beach ran dead straight for over a mile in either direction, before gently curving around on itself to form a sheltered bay, with a tall bluff at the northern end blocking the prevailing north-westerly currents and keeping the waters within the bay calm.

Tiny hooves dug into the sand, making the boys run awkwardly and laugh, falling over repeatedly and ending up with sand all through their fine fur before they got anywhere near the water. As the tiny rippling waves kissed their ankles, Kristian roughly pushed his brother forward, sending Dieter crashing with an enormous splash into the shallow water. Dieter yelped as the cool water enveloped him suddenly and immediately splashed Kristian right in the face, making the younger twin recoil and close his eyes, giving Dieter the perfect opportunity to grab his brother's arm and pull him headlong into the water alongside him.

Laughing and coughing, both boys surfaced and floated on their backs in the shallow water, hooves trailing in the soft sand, all thoughts of school fleeing their minds as they immersed themselves in the simple joys of being kids, swimming further out into deeper water and cajoling in the shallow waves.

"Ah crap!" Dieter suddenly said.

"What?"

"Know what I forgot?"

"No?"

"I forgot to pee before we left home."

Kristian laughed. "Me too! We can hold it though, right? I don't wanna go all the way back in just for that..."

"Aaaah, I dunno bro, I need to go pretty bad!" Dieter squirmed a bit in the water.

Kristian suddenly grinned toothily and advanced on his brother, swimming through the clear water with just his eyes and ears visible. Dieter feigned shock and paddled backwards.

"I'm gonna peeeee on you!" Kristian taunted, jabbing Dieter in the ribs and making him laugh and squirm.

"Noo! Don't you dare, you shit!"

"Hahah! Callin' names now?! Still gonna pee on you! Ahhh I can't hold it!"

Kristian collapsed into fits of giggling as he grappled with his brother, his bladder painfully full, the youngster genuinely struggling to hold it in - as was Dieter, although he was somewhat distracted trying to get away.

It was no use. Kristian snapped his arms like a vise around his brother's waist and hauled him close, pressing his body flush against Dieter's and giving a massively exaggerated sigh of relief as he released his bladder, feeling his hot urine immediately rushing out into his speedo, the warmth immediately caressing Dieter's tummy as he thrashed and flailed and struggled to get away.

"Ahh! You rotten little shit! Aaaaahh gross! No stoppit! Stop stop stop! Aaahaah!!" Dieter's flailing paws instinctively pressed against his brother's speedo, squeezing him tightly through the fabric to try and stem the flow, pinching the tip closed between thumb and forefinger - to no avail.

Kristian grinned and released his grip on his brother, his bladder emptied into the ocean between him and his twin. The boys stayed close though, and Dieter went bright red.

"What's up, dude?" Kristian asked, a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

"That...kinda felt nice. All warm and stuff."

"I know right?! You should pee too, now. Also...uh...you're still holding my dick."

Dieter squeaked and his jaw dropped, yanking his hand back and looking at his brother in shock. "You enjoyed it, didn't you?!"

"...Maybe..."

"Gah. Well whatever. Imma pee on YOU now!"

Dieter grinned and lunged forward, copying his brother's exact tactic and pressing himself tightly against Kristian's body. Kristian managed to twist around and gave a high-pitched squeak as he felt Dieter release his own flow - right against his butt.

"DUDE! You're peeing on my ass! What the hell?"

"Hahahaha...payback's a bitch!"

Kristian squirmed and struggled and laughed and finally gave in and let himself enjoy the warm sensation, flicking his tail a little.

Both boys relaxed slowly, panting a little from their exertions and floating in the water again, swimming a few lazy circuits to dissipate the warm patches.

"Why've we never peed in the ocean before?" Dieter ventured.

"What, you mean you haven't?"

"DUDE! Really?"

"Every time we swim!" Kristian grinned again and adjusted his speedo, flapping the waistband a bit to wash out the last of his urine.

Dieter rolled his eyes and watched, feeling a familiar tightness in his speedo and floating a little higher in the water, looking down to watch his bulging speedo break the surface. Kristian turned and looked down, and absent-mindedly slipped a hand down to fondle himself.

"Betcha mine's bigger when we're stiff!" Dieter smirked.

"Pff...as if. Can't believe Dad saw that this morning."

"He seemed cool with it though."

"Yeah. Haha...mine's standing up now too!" Kristian jutted his own hips up out of the water, tweaking the tip of his tent as it twitched in the cool evening air.

"Wanna compare?"

Kristian just grinned and yanked the front of his speedo down, his stiff, uncircumcised erection bouncing free, twitching slightly. Dieter looked closely and chuckled a bit.

"Looks exactly like mine!"

"Well we ARE twins, you doofus! Come on, fair's fair, get yours out!" Kristian tugged his speedo down to his ankles and floated in the water.

Dieter rolled his eyes, floating high in the water as he copied his brother's action. The boys stared closely at each other's exposed, erect penises, silently, until Dieter moved into shallower water. Kristian followed, awkwardly tugging his speedo off and walking into the shallows naked, the twins standing with their bits just visible above the surface of the water.

"My balls have shrunk," Dieter moaned.

"Mine too! Must be the water."

They stood facing each other, blushing profusely, their penises throbbing and twitching of their own accord barely an inch apart. Just standing there staring. Both of them were three and a half inches in length, smooth and slender erections covered in overhanging foreskin, the end of which was puckered and slightly wrinkled. Both had a slight upward curve.

"Dude. This is awesome," Dieter muttered.

"I know right? We're EXACTLY the same!"

'Apart from that spot..." Dieter grinned, pointing to a tiny birthmark on the side of his brother's shaft.

"Okay okay, we're ALMOST exactly the same!"

*****

Back up at the house, Bruno stood on the back porch, leaning on the balustrade sipping a steaming mug of tea and watching his boys play in the shallows. He could see perfectly clearly what they were up to, and it made him deeply uncomfortable that watching it gave him a semi. Idly he rubbed and adjusted himself, then slowly strolled down onto the soft sand, making sure Dieter and Kristian saw him in time to cover themselves. Kristian suddenly fell over with a huge splash. Bruno blushed brightly as he watched his son awkwardly tug his speedo on and sit cross-legged in the shallows beside his twin.

"Evening, lads! How was school?" Bruno gave a cheery smile and stood a few feet back from the tide-line, one hand in his pocket.

"Kris got detention again!" Dieter blurted with a grin.

"Shut uuuup I did not!"

"You did too! You were an hour late after school!"

"Alright alright!" Bruno laughed, "Kris, what did you do?!"

"Didn't do my reading..." Kristian muttered.

"Righto, well come back up to the house lads, it's gonna go dark soon. Come and watch the sunset with me and we'll go through your reading after dinner, ok?"

Both boys sprang up out of the shallows and raced forward, one hugging their father on each side. As they got back up to the house, Bruno helped them both rinse the sand off their legs and handed them both a huge fluffy towel, pulling the wide wooden bench on the back porch forward so all three of them could sit with their hooves on the balustrade, watching the sun sink slowly into the sea. Bruno sat between his sons, an arm behind each of them. He'd poured lemonade for them both, and the chatter was idle and playful as the three boys bathed in the late evening sunshine, Dieter and Kristian's fur going fluffy as they dried out.

The chatter subsided as the sun's golden-orange disc kissed the horizon, and slowly elongated and warped as it sank, the sky lighting up in a blaze of colour, celebrating the glory of the day. Bruno hugged his sons a little closer and smiled peacefully, this being something of a ritual for the trio when their mother was out of town. And even when she was around, sometimes. The silence held until the last hint of the sun winked out of sight with unexpected suddenness, leaving the three bucks blinking softly.

"Wow," Bruno broke the silence. "What a sunset!"

"Yeah, that was amazing..." Kristian murmured, pressing close against his father.

Dieter just nodded. Bruno gently ruffled the twins' hair and stood up, stretching and turning to face them. "So, dinner?"

Dieter looked at his brother and blushed, hugging his knees to his chest. Bruno looked back and forth between his boys. "What? What's up?"

Kristian snorted with laughter.

"Ohh," Bruno blushed darkly, glancing at Kristian's tented speedo. "I get it. You're both sportin' wood again?"

Both boys nodded slightly and squirmed. Bruno coughed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well uh... it's okay, ya know. And uh... you don't have to be embarrassed or hide it around me. Happens to me just as often and I'd rather we didn't all scoot around all private and shy about it. We're dudes... wood happens."

With that, Bruno stepped inside, clattering noisily about in the kitchen as he prepared dinner. Holy shit, did I just say that to them? What am I thinking? How are they gonna take it? I'm their dad for fuck's sake!

A few moments later his answer arrived as Dieter and Kristian both strolled inside, bold as brass, Dieter still quite obviously erect, although Kristian had subsided. Bruno smiled warmly and tried not to stare, focusing instead on sealing the pasties he'd been preparing using cooked vegetables from the previous evening, arranging them on a tray and sliding them into the oven.

"Right! They'll take about half an hour to cook up - why don't you two head upstairs and shower while you wait? Save you doin' it later."

"You go first!" Kristian nudged his brother.

Dieter nodded quietly and headed upstairs, holding himself with one hand as he ascended. If Bruno was one thing, it was brutally honest and open. Now his sons were coming of age he was opening up to them in ways he'd always wished his father had with him.

"Kris? Was that...stuff I said before, was that too much?"

Kristian considered a moment, then shrugged, "Nah, I don't think so. Wood happens! And it...it happens to us a lot suddenly. Like...heaps."

Bruno nodded thoughtfully and absently toyed with his left antler.

"You boys are growing up fast. You'll start growing your first set of these soon. That's when the fun really starts," he said cryptically.

"Will they get bigger?"

"Oh yeah. Yeah, they sure will."

Kristian and Bruno grinned broadly at each other.

By the time the pasties had cooked, both boys had showered and were dressed in fresh boxer shorts, still without shirts in the warm evening air. Bruno had left the bifold doors wide open to admit the breeze, and the gentle, rhythmic ticking of the ceiling fan lulled the household into a still, peaceful sense of serenity, the last vestiges of natural light giving way to the dim incandescent glow of the rustic old interior lights. After dinner, Bruno kept his promise and went through Kristian's reading with him, as well as a bit of math homework, which Dieter also paid attention to since he had a test on it the following day. Bruno was a good teacher. Patient, calm and very much on the kids' level in every aspect. They hung on his every word, and truly learned from him. Bruno's heart swelled as he finally sent the boys upstairs to bed at exactly nine o'clock.

This was all he had ever wished for in life. He truly believed himself to be the happiest man alive, and it was with intense pride that ten minutes later he padded silently upstairs and planted a kiss on each of his sons' foreheads before slowly and silently closing their bedroom door, and slipping into the bathroom opposite to shower the day's dust from his body.

****