Chapter 18

Peter offered to take Timmy shopping. Saturday's bright sunshine had fled by Sunday, and Timmy wanted to lay in some supplies before being laid up by his surgery. Peter's little Datsun, junky as it was, would be a godsend in avoiding the heavy rain coming down.

It was with pride that Timmy loaded his shopping basket and checked out. The money had worked out after all. Timmy was really good at surviving one way or another. With Danny's little pretend prostitution hustle bringing in cash two days ago, he would have enough funds to pay Will the rent and cover his missed work. He figured it was by sheer luck that Chris hadn't done more damage to him, but here he was, alive and ok. He'd recover from the marks, the soreness, and the lingering bruises. Most importantly, Peter was hovering around him solicitously. Peter might turn out to be the biggest coup of all.

Amazingly, Will took to Peter immediately. When Timmy brought Peter up to the apartment and introduced him to Will, the two men started talking at first sight. Turns out that they knew of each other, even if they hadn't connected before. When Will rebuked Timmy for not telephoning him the night before to let him know Timmy was away for the evening, Peter stood up for Timmy and Will backed down without complaint. Will even expressed sympathy when Timmy and Will explained the oversight was due to the assault. They only gave Will an abbreviated version of the event, however, not mentioning who had beat Timmy, or the extent of the injuries, but Will was appropriately consoling. Timmy felt gratitude again that there were very few marks on his face, because he was able to play down the rape as more low key than the horror it had really been.

Later, when Peter had asked to use the bathroom and gone off to the facilities, Will told Timmy that Peter was a good man, and he was pleased to see Timmy with him. Timmy's jaw dropped open.

When Peter came back into the room and sat down, Will asked, "So, when are you going to give Timmy a haircut?" Peter was a hair dresser by trade.

Peter chuckled. "Any time," he said, "and for free."

Timmy defensively shot out, "I don't want a haircut, man! I like my hair just the way it is."

Peter stood up, and reaching down, pulled Timmy up by the hand to stand beside him. "Hmmm," Peter intoned as he walked around Timmy inspecting his hair. "What do you like about it?" he asked.

"I like it long. I don't want to look square," Timmy whined. "Besides, my hair grows really slow, and it took me a long time to get it this long."

"I think it's growing faster than you realize. It's breaking off before it gets any where." Peter thoughtfully studied Timmy, rubbing his bearded chin with his fingers. Timmy realized this was a trademark gesture for Peter. "It's up to you, but I could cut it in such a way that it would still look long, but be much healthier," Peter offered.

"Oh, yeah?" Timmy asked suspiciously. "How would you do that?"

"I could give you a long shag cut. That would soften the look around your face, and it'd get rid of all the split ends, too."

Timmy snorted. Yeah, that's what all the rock stars were doing now. He guessed it looked alright.

"I dunno," he temporized.

"I could layer it just a little, see if you like it," invited Peter. "It would sure look nice on you. Then if you didn't like it, we could leave it alone and not cut it again." He smiled at Timmy, waiting for him to agree.

Timmy felt his resolve slipping. He had a hard time saying no to what others wanted. "Wellllll," he stalled. "I ... guess..."

Will made a noise of delight, seeing in his mind that Timmy was taking a step toward respectability.

Peter seized the moment. "My work station is at the Snip 'N Curl just around the corner next to the Catalog Outlet. We won't even get wet walking there. Let's go now," Peter tugged at Timmy's hand.

"Erp, now?" countered Timmy, balking.

"Yup, come on," Peter walked off, pulling Timmy along. Will laughed, and shut the door behind them as they left the apartment.

Forty five minutes later, Timmy was dazzled by the results. He looked at the young man in the mirror Peter held up for him, and blushed at how beautiful he was. He didn't feel he was looking at himself, there was no recognition. There was no way he could look so good. He looked up at Peter with his mouth open in awe.

Peter gave a good guffaw of pleased laughter. "Like it, do you?" he crowed.

"Oh, man, wow," Timmy faltered. Peter laughed louder. Then his face melted, and he leaned toward Timmy.

"Would you like to come and stay with me tonight?" he asked nervously in a squeaky voice.

Timmy blushed, and was momentarily speechless. Peter was afraid of asking him to stay the night? Oh my, this took some getting used to.

"I'd like that," he replied hesitantly, gazing downward. Then he looked up at Peter, and gently touched Peter's face. Peter's eyes grew large and glistened. Timmy felt himself falling, falling.

"Ahem," Peter coughed, clearing his throat. He turned away for a moment. "Ah," he began, "Er, you better go tell Will so he doesn't worry."

Timmy jumped right up. "Ok, I'll be right back," he said, running quickly out the door. Practically before a count of twenty, he was back.

Peter and Timmy did not have sex that night. They lay together, kissed, cuddled, and then kissed some more. Peter made some quick thing for dinner, and they ate it without tasting it, and drank wine in candlelight. A couple of times, Peter mentioned his age, but Timmy was quick to reassure Peter it didn't matter. They didn't say the word 'love' out loud, but both thought it. All evening the passion and emotion swirled about them, but they did not have sex, they never touched each other's genitals. Peter was afraid that he, an older man, would injure the young boy, and he held back in indecision. Nevertheless, they were breathless for one another.

Peter adjusted his schedule so he could take Timmy to the hospital in the morning for his tonsillectomy.

"Well, young man. I thought I told you to take care of yourself in preparation for surgery," Dr. Lathan berated Timmy, who was lying on a stretcher. He had just finished examining Timmy prior to the orderlies wheeling Timmy to the operating theater. The bruises covering Timmy left no doubt that he had been through some kind of trauma.