The Christmas Suit 2017

Jacob Lambert-11

Mitch Harkness-11

Bradley Lambert-14

Austin Franklin-7

---

"Do you think Santa can find Destiny?" Jacob Lambert asked his big brother.

"Isn't eleven a bit old to be asking about Santa?" fourteen-year-old Bradley replied.

"Not if you want Christmas presents way out here."

The boys had migrated with their parents to Destiny, a planet many light years from Earth. Combining the three months in hyperspace with the six months on Destiny meant they had been away from Earth, the only home they knew, for over nine months.  Eventually he would  return to Earth to attend a preparatory school, but for now  was a student with his brother at the Destiny School, which had 104 students in all grades. It would have had 105 students except Austin Franklin was too sick to attend school.

"You know, for a kid who thinks he's the coolest dude in the intermediate class, you can be a real dork sometimes," Bradley told his brother.

Jacob flipped Bradley the middle finger of his right hand, a universal symbol that has meant the same thing for centuries. "I'm gonna go see what Mitch is doing and get away from you."

Mitch Harkness was also eleven. He and Jacob had become inseparable as friends since Jacob arrived at Destiny. Mitch had lived at the colony since he was eight. Mitch was pleased to see Jacob coming up the walk to his prefab house. All of the houses on Destiny were prefab houses, with the owners doing their best to give them some individuality. After exchanging greetings and hugs, the boys sat in Mitch's room playing games, flipping through the new magazines that had arrived on the last supply ship, and engaging in idle chatter. They were such good friends they didn't even have to talk in order to feel comfortable with each other's company.

"Do you believe in Santa?" Jacob asked his friend.

"What kind of a stupid question is that? Nobody believes in Santa, especially out here. Even if he was real, how the fuck is he gonna fly his sleigh through space? The reindeer would die in the vacuum," he giggled.

"Yeah, you're right. I believed in him when I was a little kid, then I didn't, and now, I kind of miss all of the Christmas stuff. You know like getting your picture taken with Santa, writing him letters, seeing the mangers and the lights, all of that kind of shit." Christmas was less than a month away, if one went by the Earth calendar, which Destiny did as much as possible.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. There isn't even anybody to put coal in your stockings." He flipped a page in his magazine. "Hey, check out this rocket." Mitch had been flipping through a magazine on racing rockets. "It demolished the Earth to Mars record for fastest time."

"I wonder if any vids of it came?" Jacob asked.

"I dunno," Mitch said as he closed the magazine. "Damn, it's really too bad about that Austin kid."

"Is he the one who's sick?"

"Yeah, seven years old and he's got space leukemia. They think he's only going to live for a couple of more months." Space leukemia was an extremely rare form of cancer that had been unheard of until man left the solar system. It was theorized that the disease was contracted in hyperspace. It had an over eighty percent fatality rate.

Jacob recalled the young boy who had been with him on the starship during the journey to Destiny. He remembered him as being a cute little six-year-old with a quick and ready smile, and a gap in the front of his mouth waiting for two new teeth to arrive. His parents and Austin's parents had become friends during the trip.

"Wanna get naked?" Mitch asked. Mitch was a bit more mature physically and sexually than Jacob and was usually the one who suggested taking their clothes off because he was the one who was usually horny. Sometimes Jacob was willing, and sometimes he simply wasn't in the mood.

When they were naked, the two friends would check each other out as if they'd never seen each other naked before. Usually, they went about doing what they'd been doing before, only without clothes on. Sometimes they'd get little erections and compare them, keeping track of length and circumference.

"Nah," Jacob replied to his friend. "I'm not in the mood. I was thinking about that kid, Austin. We had fun playing and wrestling and shit like that, but we weren't ever really friends. I mean he's like four years younger than me. He's just a stupid little kid."

"But he was the only other boy on your starship, right? And you were lucky because there was nobody my age on my starship except two girls. Although, Lisa didn't mind wrestling a little bit as long as you watched what you touched," Mitch grinned.

"Well, except for a couple of babies, Austin was the only one I could play with. But, I'm glad we couldn't become friends. I wouldn't want to have a friend who was dying. That would, like, make you feel shitty all the time."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It would be depressing."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jacob woke up Sunday morning feeling crappy. As much as he knew there was no Santa and had known that fact since he was six, it helped him some to think that Santa might, in fact, be real. Even though he had made a great friend in Mitch, he was used to having a lot of boys his age around him and being in the center of athletics and social happenings. Including him and Mitch, there were only four boys in what would have been sixth grade in his school on Earth.

"Good morning son, you're looking great this morning," his dad said as Jacob came out into the living area, wearing only a pair of saggy pajama bottoms. His thick auburn hair was sticking straight up and his pajamas were drooping so low that most of the vee leading into his bare groin could be seen from the front and the top of his crack from the back.

"What's good about it?"

"It will look better when you have breakfast," Jacob's mother said cheerily.

"It would look even better if we were off of this crappy planet."

"Jacob, that is no longer a matter of discussion," his dad told him sternly.

Jacob grumbled and sat down at the table. His mother placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him. He started eating immediately, not because it would make him feel any better, at least not in his mind, but because he was eleven and entering a growth spurt that required a lot of fuel.

"Honey, I'd love it if you could go with me to the Franklin's after we all get cleaned up," Mrs. Lambert told Jacob.

"Who are the Franklins?" Jacob snarled, hoping his mother would get the idea that he didn't give a shit who the Franklins were.

"You know, Lenny and Ida. We met them on the 'Columbia.'" The "Columbia" was the starship that brought them to Destiny from Earth.

"Oh, yeah, them." Jacob now knew who she was talking about and adjusted his tone of voice to indicate that now that he knew who they were: he still didn't give a shit. Then something struck him.

"Don't they have a little kid?"

"Yes, Austin. I know you remember him. You two seemed to get along so well."

"He's the kid who's supposed to be dying of cancer."

"Now, Jacob, he is not dying of anything. He's just very sick."

Jacob was getting tired of his mother's sugar sweet tone of voice. "That's not what I heard. Everybody says he's dying. He hasn't been to school since we started in September."

"His mother says he's very lonely. He has no visitors. He knows you, Jacob, and I think he would love to see you. I think it would make him feel happy."

"I don't want to see nobody who's dying, so I don't want to go."

"Jake, life isn't always about you," his father interjected. "Your mother and I have been trying to teach you that sometimes you have to think of others."

"Who cares if I think about him? I mean he's just a little kid—he's only seven or something, and he's gonna be dead really soon. So, why should I care?"

"Jacob, you're going with your mother." Jacob's father only called him Jacob when he was unhappy with his behavior. "End of story."

"Whatever." Jacob left in a huff, dropping his pajama pants as he entered the hallway of the prefab. He went into the bathroom, started up the shower, and grumbled to himself about how fucked up his parents could make his life.

After showering he brushed his teeth, grabbed his pajamas off of the floor of the hall, went into his room and put on the grungiest clothes he could find. He was determined do everything he could to let his parents know about how unhappy he was about this visit.

Jacob walked with his mother to the Franklin's house, intentionally staying a few steps behind her to make it more difficult for her to talk to him. That didn't stop her from trying, however.

"Jacob, this behavior is not like you. You are usually such a nice boy. Everybody tells me what a nice polite boy you are. And you were so sweet to Austin on the trip here to Destiny."

Jacob kept shuffling behind his mother, saying nothing. While he felt badly about acting like an asshole, sometimes a guy simply had to stand up for himself. Requiring him to visit a little boy he barely knew who was dying was just wrong and he was determined to make his parents, especially his mother, understand it.

When they arrived at the Franklin house only Mrs. Franklin and Austin were home. Even though it was Sunday, Mr. Franklin was at work. He often found work to be more tolerable than the depressing atmosphere of his house. He loved his son, but the long days of watching him die were wearing him down.

Mrs. Franklin greeted Jacob and Heather Lambert warmly. "It is so nice of you to come with your mother and keep Austin company. He is so lonely and will love seeing somebody his age."

I'm not his age, Jacob said to himself, I'm five years older than he is and I'm only here because I have to be here. But, he kept his mouth shut, because while he might have been in a dark mood, deep down he really was a good kid.

Swallowing his pride, he followed Mrs. Franklin into Austin's bedroom. The first thing he noticed was that the room was dreadfully warm. The second thing he noticed was Austin, who was propped up on a hospital bed that dominated the little bedroom. The boy who was lying on the bed was much different than the boy he had played with on the "Columbia". While the gap in his top gum was filling in, the rest of him seemed to have disappeared. The little seven-year-old was skin and bones, his face colorless, and his skull barren. In a word he looked terrible. Jacob's first reaction was to turn and run away.

"Hello, Austin," Mrs. Franklin said in her sweetest voice. Austin didn't react to her.

"Austin, this is Jacob," Austin's mother said. "You remember him from our trip on the "Columbia" don't you?" Austin didn't react to her either. Mrs. Franklin's sweet voice was just as phony and annoying as his mother's. Jacob wanted to scream at both of them and tell them to get real.

Before Jacob could say anything, the two mothers left the room, letting the boys know that the time was theirs.

"Hi, Austin," Jacob said shyly. He wasn't sure what to say. He decided less was better since Austin had yet to react to anything. After a couple of minutes of silence Jacob decided to try again. "Do you remember me? We played games and stuff and you kept trying to beat me in wrestling."

Austin surprised Jacob by raising his right hand and pointing at him. "Santa Claus," he croaked.

"Santa Claus?" Jacob asked in a confused voice.

"Is Santa going to come?" Austin fought for breath and then went on. "Momma says Santa isn't coming. He don't live here." Austin wiped away a tear.

"He might come," Jacob said without conviction. The conversation was reminding him of what he and Mitch had talked about the day before.

"Are you Santa?" The little boy wiped away a tear.

"No, I'm not Santa."

"Is Santa coming?" Austin sniffled.

Jacob thought about his anger at the cloying tone of voice of the two mothers as they skirted around what was really going on. He could see that Austin was more than "very sick". He could see that there didn't seem to be very much left of the lively, laughing little boy he had wrestled with on the starship.

He tried to think of an answer for Austin, but nothing happened as his mental wheels spun around. Finally, he simply said, "Santa might come if you really, really want him to come."

Austin opened his hand and held it out toward Jacob. Jacob knew that Austin wanted him to take it, but he was afraid to let him. What if cancer was like cooties and he could end up catching it and end up looking like Austin?

"You be cool, Austin, I gotta go." As he turned and quietly left the room, Austin closed his eyes and sighed.

"Finished already?" Mrs. Franklin asked.

"He fell asleep," Jacob lied. On the walk home, Jacob walked next to his mother, but he still didn't say anything outside of grunts and yes and no answers in response to his mother's questions. Even his young adolescent mind could tell that he was in a completely different mood than he had been in on the walk to Austin's house. 

One thing Jacob did that night was to find out more information on space leukemia. The two things Jacob learned for sure was that Austin most likely had no more than a few months to live without a miracle intervening. He also learned that the chances of his catching space leukemia by touching the patient was zero, although it was recommended that gloves be worn because of the possibility of contracting secondary infections.

The next day at school, Jacob told Mitch about his visit. Mitch asked him if he was going to see Austin again. Jacob answered no," It's like too depressing and made me feel totally sad. Austin was a cool little boy on the 'Columbia' but he is nothing now."

And yet, when he got home from school he took a pair of gloves his mother used for cleaning and left the house. Mrs. Franklin let him into her house after Jacob rang the doorbell.

"To be honest, I did not think I would see you here again," Austin's mother told him after greeting him at the door. As much as her statement hurt he appreciated it more than the syrupy crap he'd had to listen to the day before,

"Can I see Austin?"

"Just for a little. He gets tired easy. Yesterday was perfect even if your mother thought it was kind of short."

Jacob let himself into Austin's room. Austin looked as if he was asleep. "Hi Austin, it's me, Jacob, and I'm back," Jacob said quietly. He felt surprisingly pleased when the little boy's eyes fluttered open.

"Santa Claus," Austin muttered softly as if Santa had stepped into the room.

"Christmas is three weeks away. Keep believing he will come." Jacob knew that he was setting Austin up for a big fall, but he didn't know what else to do.

Once again Austin opened his right hand and held it out. Jacob slipped on a thin plastic glove and placed his hand on Austin's. The young boy wrapped his fingers around Jacob's larger hand and gave it a trembling squeeze. When Jacob saw the weak smile on the little boy's thin face he felt a couple of tears drop down his cheek. He gently opened Austin's fingers, pulled his hand away, and left the room, wiping his eyes as he walked out.

Mrs. Franklin noticed the tear stained face and the glove. "Be strong, Jacob. Let Austin see you be strong. And right now he has nothing else making him sick—you'll be fine touching him without gloves. His dad and I do—we keep close track of all of this."

After school the next day, Jacob checked out a picture book titled "Santa's Space Reindeer" from the school library. A high school student scanned the book out without comment, figuring it was for a little brother or sister.

"You're really going there again?" Mitch asked as he and Jacob walked home from school. Mitch lived around the corner and three houses away from Jacob.

"You should come with me."

"Then I'll be just like you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You suddenly quit laughing and being fun. You haven't tried to grab my balls since Saturday." Jacob stopped, turned, and groped Mitch's cock through his shorts, which got both boys laughing.

"Happy?" Jacob asked.

Mitch answered by groping Jacob, Jacob returned that grope, and the boys were at the corner where they split. "Now you can come with me," Jacob said.

"Maybe another time."

This time when Jacob entered Austin's room, he sat in a chair next to his little friend. Austin gave Jacob a weak smile and held out his hand.

"I asked mommy if Santa was coming and she said not this time." Jacob wondered how Austin's mother could lie about some things, like how sick Austin was, but wouldn't lie to Austin about Santa. But then, maybe she was doing the right thing, he thought, because Austin would soon be learning that Santa really wasn't coming.

Jacob placed his hand in Austin's and read to him, making sure he could see the pictures. He finished as the space reindeers pulled Santa's sleigh to a planet where they had never been before and all of the children enjoyed a special Christmas.

"Maybe Santa's space reindeers will come here for the first time this year."

"Santa," Austin whispered as he let go of Jacob's hand and fell asleep.

"You have been a wonderful friend to Austin the last few days," Mrs. Franklin smiled. "I've seen a smile from him for the first time in so long. Thank you so much."

Jacob felt embarrassed by the praise. In his mind, the only reason he was coming was because he felt less shitty helping Austin than he did by being an asshole.

"Austin will be in the hospital the next two or three days getting his chemo treatments. I think he will be strong enough to see you again on Sunday."

Jacob thanked her for letting him know and left. When he returned the book the next day, the school librarian saw him bring it back. "I didn't know you had a younger sibling," she said in a condescending voice.

"I don't. It was for a friend who is sick."

"Oh," she said. "Austin Franklin?" Jacob nodded. "You're a good boy, Jacob Lambert."

The next day after school Jacob lay naked on his brother's bed. "Do you think Santa is real?" he asked his brother who was sitting at his desk doing his homework.

"I thought we had this conversation a few days ago," Bradley replied.

"I know. But Austin keeps asking me if Santa is coming. Sometimes he thinks I'm Santa."

"You need to gain a little bit of weight first, bro," Bradley laughed.

"And grow a big white beard," Jacob added.

"And put some clothes on."

"I like being naked on your bed."

"Fine, but I'm not doing it right now, so there will be nothing to watch. You can put that wooden pole of yours away."

Jacob grunted in disappointment and started out of his brother's room. He stopped, turned to his brother and said, "Austin's mom and dad tell him there is no Santa so he won't be disappointed."

"The truth hurts, but they're right."

When Jacob returned home from school on Friday, he was surprised to see his mother home instead of at work. He could see that she'd been crying and that scared him. Mrs. Lambert patted the couch and asked her son to sit next to her.

"I talked to Austin's mother at lunch. The doctors gave Austin his drug treatment, but they said if nothing changes, it would be the last treatment."

"Does that mean he's cured?" Jacob asked hopefully thinking that his mother's tears were because she was happy.

Jacob's mother put her arm around him. "No, sadly it means he only has a month to live at the most." She broke out crying. "He won't live long enough for his next treatment. This will be his last Christmas...," she sobbed hard, "…if he even lives that long."

Jacob buried his head into his mother's bosom and soaked her blouse with tears. "I told you I shouldn't have gone to see him. I told you he was going to die." He started pounding on her. "I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you," he sobbed wildly.

The next morning Mitch came by Jacob's house. Jacob's father told Mitch that Jacob was depressed and was still in his bed. He told Mitch why and said that Jacob needed him to be a really good friend.

"I was right not going there. I'm so glad that I didn't go there."

Paul said nothing. In spite of the effect on his son, he was proud of him from reaching outside of himself and giving to somebody else. "Jake's mom said she will have a brunch cooked up for you guys at the cafeteria.

Jacob's mother worked at the Distribution Services Center on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. The Center was the central storage and distribution site for the materials that arrived on the supply ships that came from Earth to Destiny every three to four months.

Mitch went up to Jacob's room. He found Jacob to be awake but with his blankets pulled over his head. His pajama pants were on the floor a few feet away from the bed. "Hey, get up lazy bones!" Mitch yelled.

"Go away, fucker," Jacob mumbled into his pillow as he jerked the covers up even more.

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself and get up."

"Asshole."

Mitch plopped down on the bed. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not. He might not even live until Christmas and there's nothing I can do about it."

"What, you thought you could save his life or something?" Mitch gave his friend a look that said, get real dude. Realizing that Jacob couldn't see him because he was buried under his blankets, Mitch ripped the blankets off of him, roughly turned him over, stared into his face, and said, "Get real, dude, you did more than anybody because you were his friend. I know I didn't do that and I know Bradley didn't do that and I know nobody did it. You were awesome with him—you're the best friend a guy can have."

"I wasn't gonna be his friend because it would make me all sad and shit and that's what it did."

Mitch didn't know what else to say so he changed the subject. "Your dad said that we can get brunch from your mom at the center."

"I'm not hungry," Jacob grumbled.

"Fuck, Jake, either get your ass out of bed and quit feeling sorry for yourself or I'm gonna drag you out of bed and then kick the shit out of you."

"Don't call me Jake. Only my dad calls me Jake." Jacob rolled wordlessly out of bed.

"Did you go to bed naked so you could jerk off?"

"You are so fucking stupid. Why would I want to jerk off when I feel so shitty? I was hot, so I took off my pajamas and that's all you gotta know. Now, I'm gonna shower and I'll go eat with you, but I will still feel shitty, so there."

Jacob stomped out of the room as Mitch admired the slender naked body of his friend. Mitch's body was starting to fill out some, while Jacob's was still the immature body of a little boy. Mitch sat on Jacob's bed while Jacob showered thinking about how up and down his usually easy-going friend had been since he got involved with the little Austin kid. 

"Feeling any better?" Mitch asked when Jacob returned.

"I'm hungry, so I guess that's better." Mitch now got the full-frontal view, one he'd always liked. He and Jacob had been naked together quite a few times in the last few months. During the last couple of months, they had experimented with masturbation together and were pleased with the results. 

Jacob dressed in a t-shirt, boxers, and shorts, slipped on ankle socks and a pair of trainers and the boys went to the living area. "We're going to go see Mom for food," Jacob announced to his dad.

"Are you feeling better?" Paul Lambert asked his son.

"Maybe when I eat I'll be okay."

"Give me a hug."

Jacob stiffened. These days he was reluctant to hug his parents during the best of times, and this certainly wasn't the best of times. But something deep inside of him said he needed that hug so he relented and gave his father a hard, heart-felt hug. "I love you, Dad," the boy whispered, wondering where that came from.

"I love you, too, Son."

Feeling a smidge better, Jacob left with Mitch for the Center. They arrived after a twenty-minute walk having said very little during their trek. Jacob's mother was at her desk when they entered the office she shared with Mrs. Larkin. Jacob didn't care much for Mrs. Larkin. He saw her as an old biddy who talked too much and who was always sticking her nose into everybody's business. Even worse, in Jacob's mind, she was totally weird.

"Hey Mom," Jacob said.

Heather Lambert looked up and smiled. "Hello, Son. I'm happy to see you here ready to eat. And hello to you, too, Mitch."

"Hello, Jacob," Mrs. Larkin said as she entered the office.

"Hi," Jacob said without enthusiasm. "What's that?" Jacob pointed over to Mrs. Larkin's desk.

"That's an elf costume," Mrs. Larkin replied as she walked into the room. "I made it for the Cosmic Women's Club white elephant sale." She looked over at Jacob's mother. "Heather, don't you think Jacob would look cute dressed as an elf on Christmas? I think that elf suit will fit him perfectly—you should make a bid on it at our meeting."

"Maaaawm, don't even think about it!" Jacob almost shrieked. Jacob's mom looked at Ruth Larkin and shrugged while at the same time Mitch tried hard not to break out laughing.

They were interrupted by a tractor pulling a container trailer going by the building. "There goes the first load," Mrs. Larkin said. "I hope we can eventually do something with that stuff."

"Jacob, you and Mitch go down to the cafeteria," Jacob's mom said, "Gordon will make up unlimited pancakes and bacon for you as well as a bottomless pitcher of orange juice."

The boys didn't have to be told twice; they zipped out of the office and raced each other to the cafeteria, where they were greeted by Gordon Miller, the chief cook. "I hope you boys brought an appetite," he called out from the kitchen as the boys sat at a table.

"We're beyond starving," Mitch said.

"How come you're being so nice to us?" Jacob asked.

"Because I love working with Jacob's mother and I know what great boys you are being. You're all about the spirit of Christmas."

Gordon's comment went right over Jacob's head, but Mitch knew what he was talking about. "You're talking about Jacob, not me—I haven't done nothing."

"Then it's about time you started, boy," Gordon said. "I know you both know what's available; all you gotta do is tell me how much you want."

The boys were soon chowing down. Mitch was starting his second stack of three pancakes when they heard the tractor again. It was pulling another container trailer, moving it up a gravel trail off the paved path. As the back wheels came by they left the road as the shoulder gave way under the unaccustomed weight of the load. The trailer and container rocked back and forth causing the weight to shift which increased the motion. Finally, gravity took over and the entire load tipped over, breaking the container open and strewing boxes and furniture across the rocky ground.

"Whoa," Jacob said, "that was awesome." The boys abandoned their breakfast and ran out into the courtyard and then out into the surrounding field that made up part of the complex. When Gordon saw them take off, leaving their food behind, all he could do was smile and mutter, "Boys…," to himself.

Jacob saw his mom, who was managing the Center for the day, and ran over to her. "What happened, Mom?"

"Looks like a good old-fashioned accident," Mrs. Larkin said. "This container and the one you saw earlier, belong to the Snyder family. They came to Destiny just before we did, decided they didn't like it, and returned to Earth. They took two containers of personal property back to Earth on the "Columbia" and were supposed to request these containers when they settled back in. The request has not arrived yet and we needed the room in the warehouse for the next incoming shipment from Earth."

Jacob wished his mother had answered instead of Mrs. Dipshit. She could have done it using half the words. By the time Mrs. Larkin had finished her lengthy explanation, Jacob had lost track of his mother in the chaos.

He and Mitch walked among the boxes and debris. "Hey, Jacob, check out this box," Mitch said. He pointed to a green plasticore box labeled "Christmas." The top of the box had been torn open. Curiosity drove the boys to see what the box contained. Mitch found a little two-foot Christmas tree with white lights on top and pulled it out. "This is sweet," Mitch said. Jacob moved a couple of blankets out of the way and saw something made of red cloth. He pulled it loose from a blanket and draped it over the side of the box.

"Check this out," Jacob told Mitch. "It's a Santa suit."

Mitch looked deeper into the box and pulled out something soft and white. "It even comes with a Santa beard," he giggled. "I guess Santa is real right here on Destiny." He saw a look of glee come over Jacob's face, a look that wiped away the sullenness that he'd been carrying on his visage all morning. "What's up with you, Lambert?"

"You're a genius," Jacob replied. 

"Huh?"

 "Don't you get it? It's Santa Claus. Who wants to see Santa Claus in the worst way?"

"Well, you've been asking about him."

"No, I mean who wants to see him so bad it hurts?"

"If you mean Austin, it doesn't matter because he's gonna be dead real soon. And besides, every time you see him you get all messed up, so forget it. It's not like he's gonna remember it,"

"So what? When he sees Santa come into the bedroom, he's gonna be the happiest person on this stupid planet and what's wrong with that? So he dies the next day, but the day he sees Santa bring him something is going to be…to be….shit, we gotta do it Mitch. I gotta find my mom."

When Jacob finally found his mother and was able to get her attention he told her his idea as quickly as he could. Heather Lambert gave part of her attention, but when she saw how enthusiastic her son had suddenly become, she gave him all of her attention.

"Well, Mom, what do you think?"

"I think that with the damage to the contents of the box, we should probably check to make sure everything works. Santa suits, Christmas trees, you name it. You get a plan together for the test and I will approve of it." Jacob correctly understood his mother to say, if the Snyders can't take the time to ask for the rest of their household goods, somebody should try to make good use of them.

"That Santa suit is too big for you to wear," Mitch pointed out to Jacob.

"You're bigger than I am," Jacob said.

"No way I'm getting involved in this. I don't want to be a basket case like you."

Jacob looked out at the rocky hills beyond the field, obviously thinking serious thoughts. "I know who will be perfect in this."

"Your dad?"

"No, I don't want this about adults. I want it to be about us doing the right thing for Christmas."

"Count me out."

Jacob wasn't about to let Mitch off the hook this time, but before he got Mitch involved he needed a Santa to make his plan work. "Bradley," was all Jacob had to say.

"Brilliant," was Mitch's reaction.

"Now I need to get me into the room."

"Ohhh, Heather, don't you think Jacob would make a cute elf?" Mitch smirked.

"Like I said, you're a genius."

Mitch was surprised at Jacob's lack of hesitation; his friend was obviously on a roll. "You're going to wear that elf costume?"

"Yep, and I'm gonna ask you if she can make another one like really fast."

"No, no, it ain't gonna happen. Jacob Lambert, you're crazy."

"Thanks for saying you're going to help."

"Like I said, you're crazy."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

"No, I absolutely won't do it!" Bradley squawked.

"You just go 'Merry Christmas, ho ho ho,' and give him his present out of your bag," Jacob told his big brother firmly.

"You don't even have a present for him yet."

"I will have tomorrow."

"He's gonna die in a few days. Everybody says he won't even live until Christmas."

"He'll still be alivel on Thursday—I just know it."

"Thursday, isn't Christmas yet."

"So? We'll just tell Austin that it is."

"You've got this all figured out, don't you?"

"If you promise me one of your 'special' favors, I'll do it."

"You're gonna do it because you want to do something special for a boy who wants to be happy before he dies. He wants to see Santa like you can't believe and he's gonna see him and you're gonna be it. I do 'special' favors for you anyway, when *I* want to, so don't be an asshole and be Santa instead."

"When did this version of Jacob Lambert happen?"

"When I found out how to make Austin Franklin really, truly happy. Dad keeps saying that we have to give back because of the good things we've got."

"How many good things do we have here on Destiny?" Brad asked. "It's not like what we had on Earth."

Jacob's answer revealed, as nothing else could, how much he had changed over the last couple of weeks from the self-centered preteen he had been. "We have one huge, gigantic, humungous good thing right here on Destiny no matter how much we hate it."

"What's that, bro?" Jacob's big brother asked with the kind of smirk only a young teen can produce.

"None of us is supposed to die before Christmas," Jacob answered in a soft voice tinged with emotion and a serious maturity that belied his years. 

Bradley dropped down onto his bed and stared at the white wall across the room. He looked at the pictures on the wall—pictures taken of him and of his team when they won the thirteen-and-under city tournament in the Denver Park League. He placed his chin on his hands and said quietly but with conviction, "I guess I better ask Mom for some of her pillows. After all, Santa Claus is kinda fat."

Jacob sat next to his brother and wrapped his arms around him in an emotional hug. "Thanks, bro. I knew you'd do it. You're the best bro ever."

While squeezing his little brother, Bradley Lambert tilted his head back and shouted at the top of his voice, "Merry Christmas, HO HO HO!"

The next day, Jacob and Mitch went to the town's general store after school. Jacob had money he'd taken from his meager savings. Added to it were contributions from his parents, Mitch, Bradley, Mrs. Larkin, and Gordon the cook.  

"I have no clue what to get," Jacob moaned as he and Mitch made their way to the toy section.

"Hey, there's a starship model that can hang from the ceiling," Mitch pointed out. "I'd love to have something like that. I bet Austin would really like it."

"Yeah, it looks cool, but it would be too far away. I want him to have something he can touch." Jacob took a closer look at the model. "Dang, it's a model of the 'Columbia'. I wouldn't mind having that for Christmas."

"I'm gonna ask…um…Santa for it," Mitch said as he looked over the replica admiringly.

They were walking up the next aisle when Mitch said, "Hey, check this out." He picked up a big Teddy bear and hugged it with a grin. "He can sure touch this thing. I mean it's big and nice and soft…"

"…and cute and cuddly," Jacob added. He hugged his friend and the stuffed bear simultaneously. "I think that's perfect. You pick good, Mitch."

"Well, I sure wouldn't want a Teddy bear like that. I mean if I wanted one it would have to be a lot smaller."

"I got rid of my stuffed animals before we left Earth. And, yeah, I'd want one smaller. But, dang, I mean Austin can cuddle to that and hug it and everything any time he needs to. Let's buy it."

Mitch and Jacob managed to get it to Jacob's house without being confronted by anyone for carrying a big Teddy bear around. Even if they had been stopped by any kids they'd just say it was a present they were buying for somebody.

The next day, Mrs. Lambert asked for her sons to be excused from school at lunch time and Mitch got permission from his mother, who was very supportive of the project. Anything that kept Mitch from being a big pain in the ass was something to support as far as she was concerned.

Mrs. Lambert took the day off of work and had lunch prepared for the three boys. After the boys ate they went upstairs to change. Mrs. Lambert helped Bradley into his Santa suit while Jacob and Mitch had little difficulty putting on their elf suits. Jacob's opinion of Mrs. Larkin went up considerably when she slapped together a second elf suit in less than two days, not to mention the donation she gave towards Austin's present.

Once the boys were dressed, Jacob's mother called for a van from the Distribution Center to take her and the boys to the Franklin home. When Mrs. Franklin saw them pile out of the van she almost lost it right there. She simply couldn't believe how far the group of boys had gone to help her son even though he wouldn't be able to enjoy the memories for very long. She had no doubt that the boy she owed the most to was Jacob Lambert, who was the obvious leader of the group as well as the one who had truly connected with Austin. She had seen Austin's face try to break into a smile every time he saw Jacob.

Jacob had come over to visit Austin the last three days while things were being put into place for the early Christmas celebration. He sat by Austin's bed every day after school, holding the seven-year-old's hand while he read to him and talked to him. Austin always received a gentle hug each time Jacob arrived and each time he left.

"Are you ready, Santa?" Jacob asked his big brother as the three boys, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, and Mrs. Lambert stood in the living area. Jacob's mother was pleased to see that Austin's father was present since he had been giving the impression he wanted to keep his distance from his son and his health problems. Paul Lambert wanted to be there, but he had to deal with an emergency situation at work.

Bradley patted his ample tummy. "The reindeer have landed," he grinned through his fake beard. "Let's go celebrate an early day of Christmas."

Austin was half asleep on his hospital bed and was jolted wide awake when the two elves entered his bedroom. He recognized Jacob right away, but not Mitch since he wasn't very familiar with him. He could see that Jacob was holding a two-foot Christmas tree. Jacob could see the little boy break into a little bit of a smile.

Then Austin heard the jingle of bells and a young teen in a bright red suit with white trim entered the room. He was ringing the bells with his right hand while holding a bag that was draped over his left shoulder with his left hand. "Merry Christmas, HO HO HO!" Bradley called out in the loudest, deepest voice he could muster.

"Santa, Santa, Santa, Mom, Dad it's Santa Claus and he is here and…and he is real, really really real!" That was as much energy as Austin had expended at one time in weeks. He was simultaneously casting a smile that threatened to break his pallid face, crying tears of happiness, and fighting to keep saying, "Santa, Santa, Santa."

Heather Lambert and the Franklins were standing at the door crying. Two one-time hard core preteens standing in elf suits were crying. The teenage Santa wasn't crying, but he was close.

As rehearsed, Jacob placed the two-foot tree on the wooden chair next to the bed, giving Austin a perfect view of it. Santa pulled the bag off of his shoulder and set it down on the floor. He opened it and took out the large Teddy bear. Austin's eyes lit up like they'd been given a jolt of electricity.

"Big Bear," he said hoarsely. "Big Bear." The teen Santa gently set the bear on the bed next to Austin, who grabbed it tightly and then kissed its furry head. He then let go and held out his arms for Santa, who leaned in to give the frail little boy an awkward hug.

"I love you Santa. I love you and I love Big Bear. Merry Christmas." Austin took a deep breath and hissed out, "Ho…ho…ho."

This time Bradley couldn't stop the tears, and the young teen who had been so determined to maintain an emotional distance from the early Christmas celebration slowly backed away from Austin as he became racked with sobs. It wouldn't do Austin any good to see Santa crying, Bradley thought.

Austin looked over to his beloved Jacob and held up his arms. Jacob wiped his eyes with his elf sleeve and came over to Austin's bed. He gave the little boy a loving hug.  Austin had gone from a nuisance to a little friend he loved with all of his heart.

"I love Santa," Austin whispered. "I love Jacob elf. I love Big Bear. I love Merry Christ…" He closed his eyes and became limp in Jacob's grasp. As the tear rained down his cheeks, Jacob lowered the skeleton of a boy to the bed.

Jacob looked down at the sweet little boy who had just enjoyed what may have been the happiest day of his short life and saw a look of peace and contentment replace the look of pain that the boy had been fighting every minute of every day. Jacob knew what had happened to the boy who had just been in his arms. He turned and ran out of the room, shrieking with a deep agony of his own.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jacob and Mitch were lying side-by-side on Mitch's bed. Both of the thirteen-year-olds were naked. Mitch was still the more mature of the two, with a long thick cock, a dense patch of pubic hair topping it, and low, hanging balls. Jacob still had the body and genitals of a prepubescent boy. His body was completely hairless, without a hint of any in his pubic area. His cock was small and his ball sac still tight. But, he didn't care. Mitch accepted him as he was and that was good enough for Jacob. Right now Mitch's cock was flaccid and Jacob's was still hard.

"Thanks, Jake," Mitch purred. "That felt really good."

"I'm always happy to help," Jacob said. Mitch was pretty certain that Jacob was gay, which didn't bother him. He knew he wasn't himself. As much as he enjoyed messing around with Jacob he had a girlfriend he had feelings for.

"Have you decided yet?" Mitch asked Jacob.

"Nope. The first two times were easy, but this one is hard."

"Well, you've got two more weeks."

"Yeah, I know, but…," Jacob was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door.

"Well, speak of the devil," Mitch laughed.

"Come on in," Jacob called out.

The door opened and a beautiful blond boy walked in. He had thick and wavy hair, barely tamed on the otherwise perfect head of the nine-year-old entering the room. He wore a green and white "Destiny's Destiny" t-shirt that read "Destiny's Best Destiny" in black letter and brown shorts. "Hi," he said, flashing the brilliant smile that Jacob never got tired of. "You guys are naked."

"You really figure these things out quick," Mitch kidded.

"That's because whenever I come here you guys seem to be naked. I don't see why I have to knock since you never put clothes on anyway."

"You know the answer to that," Jacob said.

"Yeah, you might be messing around. And since Jacob has a boner and Mitch doesn't I bet I know who did what."

Mitch looked over at Jacob and grinned. "Austin, the great detective, strikes again."

"You guys make it too easy," Austin said.

"So, come sit on the bed with us," Mitch said.

Austin pulled off his t-shirt, but nothing else. He squeezed onto the bed between the two teens who were his best friends in the world. Mitch and Jacob knew that getting Austin to remove even that much clothing was a great triumph.

When Austin had been near death from space leukemia, he had often gone to the small Destiny Hospital for chemo treatments. Many things had to go right for nine-year-old Austin Franklin to now be lying on a bed with two naked teen-age boys. One of those things was that he was not the first person on Destiny to have the disease. The first person to be inflicted by it was a twenty-two-year-old girl who died from the deadly disease, a fact that was kept from Austin during his own illness.

The way in which this benefited Austin was that the needed medication was immediately available to the doctors on Destiny. Even though they almost lost the young boy, the early treatment was a huge factor in the long run.

The other thing that went right in Austin's life was the existence, fortitude, and love of Jacob Lambert. The doctors had all but given up on Austin's ability to recover since he had, without question, lost his will to fight. But Jacob's almost daily presence and friendship started to give Austin something to fight for, even though the doctors finally proclaimed that Austin was too far gone to recover.

The big change came after Austin's early Christmas. After Jacob had run out of Austin's bedroom screaming hysterically, Austin's parents could see from his monitor that he was still alive. They called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital. The little boy was barely alive.  Even though Austin seemed to fade away, the hospital staff continued to monitor him. Gradually they started seeing improvement. They soon noted that the cancer was in remission. Two of the nurses declared that something miraculous was at work.

Austin's recovery was slow, and at one point he spent over a week in the hospital. But, his charts showed an overall recovery in progress. During all of this, Jacob and Big Bear never left Austin's side. Another factor was they had enough medication to last while an order was sent to Earth on a supply ship and then shipped back, which was a process that took almost six months. In the intervening time the medication had been improved. The new medication helped shrink the attacking cancer cells in Austin's bloodstream.

When September arrived, Austin was still undergoing treatment, but it was felt he was strong enough to attend school on a part-time basis. Even though he was eight and had been home schooled for the last six months, he was placed in the second grade level. That didn't last long, however. Austin was a bright boy and with Jacob pushing him and helping him, Austin worked hard at improving his skills.

Before they all knew it, the first Christmas since the emotionally charged early Christmas day of the year before had arrived. This time they celebrated Christmas on Christmas Day.

The boys decided to set up the same little tree in Austin's bedroom. Of course, Big Bear would be on the bed. Bradley agreed to reprise his Santa Claus. Austin's recovery since the previous Christmas had a profound effect on Brad's life view. And, of course, Jacob and Mitch would be Santa's elves, although Mrs. Larkin had to sew a new elf suit for Mitch since he had outgrown the one he'd worn the year before.

Mitch and Jacob knew what the group's present would be. Back in May they put the model of the "Columbia" on layaway until they had the money for it.

This time on Christmas, Austin knew who Santa really was right away. This time he wasn't sleeping in a hospital bed. But there were also some negatives to deal with. Even though Austin's cancer had gone into remission, it hadn't been wiped out. For all of his optimism of the past year, Austin was getting tired of his monthly treatments and their side effects. He simply wanted to be healthy just like all of his friends were. He was wearing down.

But the boys had one more present for Austin. It was decided that Jacob would present it because he and Austin were so close as friends. It was something they had learned about two days earlier from Austin's mother.

"I think it would be so wonderful if you gave him the news," she told the boys. While she didn't suggest it herself, she was relieved when Jacob was picked to present the present—after all, who else could it be?

And so, after Austin showed genuine pleasure after the teen Santa pulled the "Columbia" model out of his sack, Bradley reached into the bag and pulled out a white envelope, which he handed to Jacob.

"What's in there?" Austin asked.

"We did plan on telling you," Mitch answered.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just want to know."

Jacob opened the envelope and pulled out a typewritten note. He read it aloud and for the second time Austin learned that if nothing changed he had received his last treatment. Only this time, it wasn't because things had become so dire the doctors had given up on him. This time it was because he was now cancer free. He was clean. It was gone. Except for simple tests every couple of months, he would no longer have to sit in the hospital being undressed and then poked and prodded and filled with powerful poisons.

"Clean," Austin laughed. It was a laugh filled with genuine happiness. It was a laugh that told the fates that a little preteen boy had won—that he planned on being around for a long time. It was a laugh that brought tears of unbridled joy to everyone in the room.

Austin hugged Jacob harder than he'd ever hugged anyone. He knew he had to let go so they could all go into the living area for a family and friends Christmas, but it was difficult. Eight-year-old Austin loved the twelve-year-old in his arms with complete and unconditional love. Deep inside his young soul, Austin Franklin knew that he was incomplete without Jacob Lambert in his life.

That evening, Jacob walked home with his brother and his parents, carrying a scale model of the "Columbia" with him. People had talked to people and the Franklins had learned how much Jacob wanted the replica. They special ordered one in May just after they learned what Jacob had planned. With the usual turnaround having the "Columbia" model arrive on Destiny before Christmas would be iffy. The Franklins and Lamberts planned to give Jacob a chit if the model didn't arrive in time.

It made it to Destiny a week before Christmas. Two days after Christmas, Austin and Jacob each had a scale model of the "Columbia", the place where they had met, hanging from the ceiling in their bedrooms.

And now, with Christmas just a few days away, Austin was a robust nine-year-old snuggled between two naked thirteen-year-old-boys whom he loved more than anybody in the world outside of his parents. In the case of Jacob Lambert, it might be loved even more than his parents.

Austin wasn't going to join in the nudity, however. During his hospital visits he was undressed before being poked and prodded with needles stuck into him. His body was skinny and white and ugly and sick and he hated looking at it. Even when he wore a hospital gown it felt like he was naked. As a result, Austin had an aversion to nudity. Even when he showered or bathed,  he insisted on wearing a t-shirt and underpants or swimming trunks. When he changed clothes he would wrap a blanket around himself to avoid being naked. His parents sent him to one of the few psychologists on Destiny, but she met with little success.

Jacob and Mitch both tried to find ways to convince Austin it was okay to be nude. They didn't do it for sexual reasons (although they both were curious what the beautiful little boy would look like in the nude), but because they felt that to be healthy, Austin had to overcome his fear. Getting Austin to take off his clothes had become a crusade for them.

Getting Austin to bare his chest was seen as a great triumph by the teens. Jacob would slowly lift Austin's t-shirt when his younger friend came to his house to visit. Over the period of a couple of months he had the shirt lifted up to Austin's nipples. One day in late September, Austin moved Jacob's hand away from his shirt and then lifted it up himself—not only up to his nipples but all the way off.

"Holy guacamole, Austin, that is awesome," Jacob gushed. "And, wow, you are so beautiful." Jacob's masturbation fantasy that night was of Austin taking off his shirt and revealing his healthy young torso. A week later, Austin took his shirt off with Mitch in the room. Progress was being made.

However, Austin had refused to let Jacob even open the button on his shorts or pants until two weeks ago. Until then, he would shake in panic and the thought of Jacob and Mitch even seeing his underpants, let alone his naked body, continued to frighten him.

So, Austin lying shirtless on Jacob's bed was a small miracle. Jacob reached over and unbuttoned the younger boy's shorts. He could feel Austin tense up. Jacob started to pull down on the zipper. He wasn't surprised when Austin slapped his hand away and mewled, "No, no," and shook with fright as the memories of needles IVs and the stays in the hospital flowed into his head. As always, Jacob stopped. To his credit, Austin didn't button his jeans.

After a half-hour of talking and touching and just enjoying the warmth of his older friends, Austin said he wanted to go home. Mitch rose out of the bed and let the boy get out of bed. Austin put on his t-shirt.

"Only three days left until Christmas," Austin reminded his teen friends. "And somebody better tell Santa," he said seriously. As Austin walked out the door, Jacob could tell he was uptight. He could see how brave Austin had been to take off his shirt and lie next to them. He knew Austin didn't have a problem with them being naked, it was being naked himself that was the hang-up.

"What are we going to get him for Christmas this year?" Mitch asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"I dunno. I want it to be special, but there's not really much you can get in the stores here."

"We did okay the first two times. And that reminds me, I probably should see if Mrs. Larkin has the Santa suit ready."

Bradley would not be playing Santa this Christmas. Jacob's brother had been sent off on the "Carl Sagan" just after Christmas the year before. Brad would be heading to Earth to prepare for two years at the Horace Mann Preparatory Academy in order to prepare for college.

"It seems all I do is prepare for stuff," Brad told Jacob during their tearful good-bye that was punctuated by other emissions from the two loving brothers.

Mitch had shot up the last year. A few alterations to the Santa suit would be made by Mrs. Larking and he would be Austin's Santa. It would be Austin's first completely healthy Christmas since his family moved to Destiny.

"I got it!" Jacob yelled out. "We're gonna give him a new suit."

"A Santa suit?"

"No silly, a birthday suit."

Mitch and Jacob showed up at the Franklin house just after one on Christmas afternoon, accompanied by Jacob's parents. Mitch's mother would join them later and they all would be staying for Christmas dinner.

This time Christmas was calm and relaxed compared to the emotions of the previous two years. This Santa visit was more about fulfilling a tradition than an urgent visit to help a sick little boy.

In the manner of fulfilling the tradition, Austin was in his bed waiting for Santa's visit. Mitch's "Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho," came out as "Merry Christmas, ho, squeak, ho, grunt, ho," in his breaking pubescent voice. Austin didn't care; his friends had come to see him on Christmas morning. Austin's parents smiled at the scene, took some pictures, and left the boys alone. Jacob had told them that Austin's present was something they wanted to give him privately and they would see it later. At least, I hope that's how it goes, he thought.

The little tree was set up on Austin's chair and Big Bear was on Austin's bed; tradition was being upheld. "Okay, Austin, you need to get out of bed and stand in the middle of the room so I can give you your present," Jacob said.

"Why can't I get it in bed like before?" Austin asked.

"Because it won't work right."

"And isn't Santa supposed to give me my present?"

Mitch reached into his present bag and pulled out a fistful of air, which he handed to Jacob. "There, I gave Jacob your present to he can give it to you."

"I don't see anything. What is it?"

"A suit," Jacob informed him.

"I don't see a suit. All I see is air."

"It's a birthday suit."

"A birthday suit? What's that? Plus, it's Christmas, so shouldn't I get a Christmas suit?"

"Santa is going to show us what a birthday suit is," Jacob told Austin.

"He's got a Santa suit on," a confused Austin said.

Mitch proceeded to pull the top of his Santa suit off, messing up his beard slightly. He then pulled off his pants and his boxer shorts. He was now a naked Santa. The adults had promised not to bother the boys at whatever they had planned—they trusted them not to hurt Austin. In fact, they trusted the boys so much they were certain that whatever they had planned could only help him.

"Now I'm wearing my birthday suit instead of my Santa suit."

"I don't get it. Is your birthday on Christmas?" Jacob and Mitch weren't prepared for Austin not knowing what a birthday suit was.

"Nope, but it was what I was wearing when I was born, so that makes it my birthday suit."

"Okay, I get it now. I think my parents have talked about it, but I don't remember for sure what it was about. I can't believe I didn't know what it was." Suddenly Austin tensed up. "Wait, you're going to give me a birthday suit? How? You gotta take off my clothes to do that, and you can't because it's Christmas and it will hurt."

"Do you trust me, Austin?" Jacob asked softly.

"More than anybody in the whole world."

"Then trust me this won't hurt. Trust me that it will beautiful because you are beautiful."

"I am?"

Jacob nodded. "Didn't I tell you how beautiful you were when I was taking off your shirt?"

"No. I mean, yes you did. But I mean, no, I'm ugly."

"I'm going to strip down to my t-shirt and underpants, okay?"

Austin nodded that it was okay and Jacob quickly stripped off his elf suit.

"Let me take off your shirt," Jacob whispered as he knelt before the friend he loved as much as life itself. He lifted up the hem of Austin's t-shirt, telling him, as always, how beautiful he was. Jacob was glad they had gone this far already—it would make things easier.

This time Jacob did more than talk. He gently rubbed the soft skin of Austin's gorgeous abdomen. "What are you do…oh, it feels nice." Jacob could feel Austin relax slightly.

Jacob raised the shirt above Austin's nipples. He rubbed Austin's nipples, one with each hand. He had learned from Bradly how sensitive the nipples were to touch. Austin released more tension as the delightful feelings generated by Jacob's hand flowed through him.

"Raise your arms." Jacob's voice, which was still the high-pitched voice of a preadolescent, was still quiet and soothing. Austin obeyed and Jacob pulled off the shirt and tossed it on the bed.

Jacob looked at the beauty in front of him. "You are so beautiful."

"You always say that," Austin said.

"Only because it's true." Jacob placed his hands around the waistband of Austin's pajama bottoms, which were black with silver stars. He slowly pulled them down, revealing the light blue boxer shorts underneath them. He could feel Austin tense up again, but he kept tugging until he had the pajamas below the hemline of the underpants. For the first time, he could see the outline of Austin's package.

He stopped tugging and went back to rubbing Austin's torso. He rubbed around his bellybutton, around his chest—he rubbed the boy's smooth back. Austin's skin felt so smooth and soft and warm. It was the most incredible thing Jacob had ever touched.

"You feel so wonderful," Jacob whispered. Austin could feel the love in Jacob's fingers as the tension once again seeped out of him.

Without knowing it was happening, Austin stepped out of his pajamas and was now down to just the baby blue boxer shorts. Jacob placed his hands on each side of Austin's hips and gave the boxer shorts a slight tug. Jacob didn't know why, but he was rock hard. It wasn't like he wanted to do sex stuff with Austin, because he didn't—at least not then. And yet, he had never felt so sexually charged. He was so focused on Austin he didn't even notice Mitch, who was now sitting on the bed with an erection of his own.

Jacob pulled on the boxers and Austin tensed. Jacob rubbed Austin's belly and pulled some more, revealing almost all of Austin's bare pubic region. He pulled again and stopped when Austin moaned. Jacob was ready for Austin to slap his hand away, but nothing happened.

"You're beautiful Austin," Jacob whispered. "Your body is beautiful. You're beautiful outside and inside. I love you so much, Austin. I totally love you."

And as had happened so often between Jacob and Austin during Austin's recovery, key words changed everything. Austin heard Jacob tell him that he loved him. For Austin it wasn't just words, because he could feel that love in Jacob's fingers as they rubbed him and touched him and revealed more of his gorgeous preteen body.

The moment came for the big move. Jacob was now the one who was tensed up. He knew that what happened next would make or break his plan to give Austin his new suit for Christmas. Jacob knew that the next tug could make or break Christmas and even his friendship with the boy standing in front of him.

Jacob rolled the waistband a bit and pulled down the underpants with such gentleness that Austin couldn't even feel them move. Jacob waited for Austin to panic and scream and slap his hand away. Instead Austin seemed to relax more. Jacob looked up at Austin's face and saw that he had his eyes closed. Without his underpants Austin's erect little penis was right in front of Jacob, uncovered and open to view.

Jacob was both surprised and fascinated by the erection. He felt himself swoon. He wanted to place it in his mouth and have inside of himself, but he knew that this wasn't the time for that. Instead he pulled the boxer shorts below Austin's smooth little ball sac. Down the underpants went, lower and lower and Austin did nothing to stop them and they were soon at Austin's ankles.

"You're fucking beautiful. You're the most beautiful thing on Destiny. I love you Austin—no matter what, I love you and will always love you. Everything about you is beautiful, inside and out."

It wouldn't have been long ago that Mitch would have laughed at his friend's mush chatter. But on this Christmas Day he thought it was beautiful, loving, and even sexy.

Jacob rubbed the smooth skin of Austin's pubic area. He moved his fingers gently down his rock hard little erection and under the marble-sized testicles in his smooth little scrotum.

"It feels really good," Austin whispered. "I love you Jacob."

Jacob moved back from Austin and looked over his now naked body. "I can't believe how beautiful you are. Open your eyes and look at yourself, because you are beautiful and naked and free."

Austin opened his eyes and looked down at himself. The fact that he had an erection didn't seem to concern him. "Free," he whispered. "Free. Now, I get to make you free." He shocked both Mitch and Jacob with his statement.

Jacob stood up and Austin got down on his knees. He pulled off Jacob's shirt, rubbing him the way he had been rubbed. Next he tugged down Jacob's boxers and rubbed his fingers along Jacob's erection. Jacob had to gently remove Austin's hand or he was going to blow his load over him. At that moment there was no doubt that the day wasn't far off when he would be naked on the bed in that bedroom enjoying sex with the boy kneeling in front of him. But this wasn't that day.

"Didn't you like that?" Austin asked with concern.

"I loved it, but if you kept going I was going to cum."

"You mean make semen?"

"Exactly."

"I want to see it."

"You will," Jacob said honestly. "But not this time. Not today."

Austin nodded, understanding that things had to happen slowly. "This isn't my birthday suit," Austin told the two friends.

"Yes it is," Mitch said. "It has to be, because you're naked and you were born naked."

"No. You have your birthday suit on and Jacob has his birthday suit on, but I don't. My birthday suit is ugly and I hate it and I never want to see it again."

"But…," Jacob started to protest.

"Jacob said my suit is beautiful." Austin looked down upon his naked body. He liked every part of what he saw, even his quivering erection. "So, this is something really different. This is my Christmas Suit, and I think it's beautiful, too." Mitch and Jacob found themselves wiping away tears. Austin seemed to have that effect on them.

"So let's go show off your Christmas suit then," Jacob grinned.

"How? Here? Where?"

"Follow me."

Two sets of parents were talking about their boys in the living area, enjoying coffee and the view out of the front window of the dark landscape beyond when a naked boy ran past them and out of the front door.

"That's Jacob!" Heather Lambert gasped as she brought her hand to her face.

Before anybody else could say anything, Mitch raced past. "What is going…," but Mr. Franklin was interrupted by his son flying by, stark naked. "Austin? No, Austin won't get naked. He won't even shower naked. What the hell?"

The adults looked at each other in shock as Jacob ran past the front window, his erection now down to a semi. Behind him came Mitch, wearing nothing but a crooked white beard and white hair sitting askew on his head, his erection having gone flaccid. Finally came Austin, shrieking a high-pitched scream, his face full of happiness and joy, his little penis still rock hard.

"What the hell happened in that bedroom?" Austin's father finally managed to squawk out. Suddenly the adults realized the boys were running around the house and were on their way past the window again.

This time Austin ran by first, shrieking his head off as the two teens ran right behind his bare ass. When Austin ran by the next time the adults waited for Jacob and Mitch, who hadn't gained any ground on the smaller boy. They were shrieking just as loudly as Austin. They noticed that Mitch's Santa beard had either fallen off or been taken off.

When Austin ran by the next time he was shouting, "I'm free! I'm free! I'm free!"

"What will the neighbors think?" Mrs. Franklin asked of no one in particular. After one more lap around the house, the boys noisily entered the living room. They were laughing and breathing hard.

They stopped and grinned at the parents (Mitch's mother hadn't come to the house yet).

"Mom, look at me, I'm naked and now I can take showers and do everything like normal people."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you in your birthday suit," Austin's dad said. He and his wife were both trying to figure out what kind of magic wand Jacob and Mitch had used to get their son to not only take off his clothes, but to like it.

"It's not my birthday suit," Austin said officiously. "It's my Christmas suit. Santa and his elf," he pointed to Jacob and Mitch. "They have their birthday suits on."

"I guess we just don't know what to make of this, Austin," Mrs. Franklin said. She definitely didn't know what to make of her sweet little boy for not only being naked but sporting an erection to boot.

Austin got very serious. "I know what to make of it." He gestured for Jacob to come over. The parents got their next surprise when Austin reached out and held Jacob's hand.  "I know that I am beautiful in my brand new Christmas suit. I know that I am free because I am having Christmas with no cancer and with no clothes. I am free for the rest of my life."

Jacob was as surprised as anybody that Austin had grabbed his hand. He knew it was a special Christmas from Austin. But it wasn't as special as the next thing that happened.

Austin looked directly into the eyes of the bigger boy standing next to him.

"I love you, Jacob."

Jacob saw the tears in Austin's eyes. "I love you, Austin." While the words were very much the same, the four-year difference in ages also made them somewhat different.

Jacob looked into the bright blue eyes of Austin Franklin—eyes that had changed so much from the dull gray eyes of two Christmases ago. He let his own tears fall as Austin stepped up just a bit and kissed him on the lips. The chaste kiss was their first kiss in front of their parents. It wouldn't be their last.

"Well," Heather Lambert uttered. "Isn't this something. Merry Christmas, everyone."

"Merry Christmas," came the echoed return from everyone in the room.

"Now, how about all of you naked elves go get some clothes on," Mrs. Franklin said.

The three boys, knowing they had pushed their nakedness as far as they could, skipped off to Austin's room.

"I would say we just had another Christmas miracle occur," Jacob's father said.

"Strange as it may sound, you are correct," Austin's father concurred. "And a naked miracle at that."

"Since he recovered from his cancer even professional help couldn't get Austin to be naked even to take a shower," Austin's mother said. "And then your boy, Jacob, shows up on Christmas with an invisible Christmas present and suddenly my little boy is running around the house naked as the day he's born, shouting about how he's free."

"You saw it yourselves," Jacob's mother said. "There is a special connection between those two boys, especially for ones so young. Whatever that connection is. it gave your boy the will to live and changed my boy from a selfish little tween into a loving and caring teen."

"I would say the miracle of that first Christmas would be life," Mrs. Franklin said. "Somehow that connection gave a boy on the edge of death the gift of life. And the second one was hope. Austin was healthy and yet not healthy. I know how discouraged he was, but he was given the gift of hope."

"And today's miracle?" Jacob's father asked.

"Austin said it himself," Mr. Franklin told them. "It was the gift of freedom from the horrors of those years he fought so hard to be well again."

"Yes, to all three," Mitch said. He had quietly re-entered the living area. "Jacob wouldn't quit on Austin, and the fucker, he wouldn't quit on me either. I could never go back to being a total asshole again." By now the parents were used to Mitch's coarseness. In this case they couldn't disagree.

"Where are the other two?" Mrs. Franklin asked.

"They'll be right here."

The kiss in Austin's bedroom was long and sweet and loving. The boys didn't know about tongue or anything out of the ordinary. They did know that lying face-to-face on Austin's bed with their lips together was the best thing they had ever done with each other. The teen and the preteen knew they wanted to do this for the rest of their lives.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Austin woke up in an almost empty bed. He moved Big Bear aside, pulled back the covers, and walked out into the living room of the apartment, not bothering to cover his nakedness. Nudity was the rule of the household. He saw his husband sitting next to the Christmas tree holding their six-month old adopted son, Billy, as he gave the baby his morning feeding.

"Merry Christmas, love," Austin Lambert said.

"As always, even when you're right out of bed you look good in your Christmas suit. Merry Christmas, my sweetness," Jacob Lambert grinned. As his husband walked toward him, his package spectacularly matured, Jacob couldn't help recalling ever so briefly the moment 15 years ago when he had first wanted to take Austin into his mouth; or the time not long after that when he actually did so.

"I never get tired of seeing you in your birthday suit."

"And now we get to admire Billy in his diaper suit," Jacob laughed.

The two men exchanged a kiss. Austin sat in the chair across from Jacob and their son. "Billy will have a new life soon," Austin said.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I am looking forward to returning to Destiny." Jacob had just completed his PhD studies in hydrology, a field much needed on Destiny. Austin had just earned his Masters in electrical engineering. Both of them had been promised jobs on Destiny and would be leaving Earth in two months.

"It will be nice to see Mitch again." Mitch was a heavy equipment operator, working on construction sites. With the constant influx of immigrants coming to Destiny, he was never wanting for work. Mitch was married and had a fourteen-month-old son named Steven.

"We'll be on the 'Columbia', where we first met. I doubt that when six-year-old me and ten-year-old you wrestled on the deck of the ship that we ever imagined we'd be wrestling in bed from the time we were nine and thirteen until we were adults."

"If we had imagined it, the thought would have probably scared the living shit out of us," Jacob laughed. "But, I admit to getting hard a couple of times during those early matches."

"Unlike the matches we had a few years later when you were hard before we even started."

"And stayed that way until you enticed the desired results out of me, when you became the planet's horniest ten-year-old."

"When I turned twelve you were helpless, putty in my hands. "It's great that our brother will be with us on this voyage," Austin grinned. Lieutenant Commander Bradley Lambert was the second officer on the "Columbia". His wife, Alicia, served as second in command in the purser's office which dealt with customer service. They had four-year-old twins, Robert and Mia, who were kept busy in the ship's daycare when their parents were at work.

"Remember our first kisses?"

"How can I ever forget? The first one wasn't much, but it sent a message to everybody in our families. But that second one—that sealed the deal between us."

"Let me hold the little cutie for a while." Austin took the baby from Jacob and sat back down. "Remember how Mitch overheard our parents talking about Christmas miracles?"

""Yes, I do. Yeah and when our parents found out we knew about that conversation that they probably discuss it with us."

"They thought you were a big-time miracle worker."

"Nah. You and I were an awesome team."

"They were right, though, about those miracles. The first one was life. I hurt so much I all but quit. I was a little boy who didn't have the energy to go on. And then you and your Santa and elves showed up with a big bear and I felt the love and wanted more of it."

Jacob nodded. "The second Miracle wasn't quite as big, but you did need hope. It was like you were on the verge of being rid of the cancer and couldn't get there."

"Yeah, but every day that model of the 'Columbia' was hanging from my ceiling. It reminded me about where and how we met and wrestled and how two years later you were still there for me. Plus, you had a similar model hanging from your ceiling which made me feel even more connected to your love. And then I was cured; the cancer was gone."

"Those models are still hanging from the ceilings."

"Just like Big Bear is still important in our lives." Austin looked down at the bundle on his lap. "Just like he will be in Billy's life. And then there was the third miracle. No matter how goofy I got, or how mad I got about you trying to help me with my fears, you stuck by me."

"I loved you, even if I didn't fully understand. I just knew my life wasn't complete without you and I wanted you to be happy."

"So what did you do? You gave me an invisible present that ended up being my Christmas suit. And as I streaked around my house in that awesome suit I knew I was free forever. I also knew then that I had a love for you that I couldn't do without, which was sealed by that second kiss."

"But the parents left one miracle out of the mix," Jacob said.

"Yep." Austin knew the miracle Jacob was talking about. "That word was part of all three miracle Christmases."

"Love," Jacob whispered reverently.

"The greatest miracle of all."

Jacob walked over to Austin's chair. He kissed baby Billy's forehead and then gave his husband a long kiss on the lips. "May that miracle of love be with the three of us forever," Jacob said softly.

"It will be. It's locked in our hearts and someday it will be locked in Billy's heart as well."

"Merry Christmas, my dear sweet love," Jacob said.

"Merry Christmas, my dear sweet love. May each Christmas have its own special miracle of love for all of us."

THE END