eighborly
“Who do you think the new neighbors will be?” The teenage girl asked, looking out the window of the living room as the moving crew was handling a leather chair, taking it out of the house and moving it to their truck. It was the third trip they’d made so far today, and now it was mid-afternoon.
“Maybe a family. It never made sense for that old fag to live in that big house alone.” Leo piped up, not looking up from his phone.
His sister gasped. “You can’t say that Leo!!!! That’s a bad word!”
“What are you, ten?” Leo asked. “Grow up, Amanda, they’re just words.”
“I’m fifteen and you can’t say that!! Would you say that to dad??” Amanda yelled back.
“Not to his face.” Leo smirked. “And I’m an adult, I can do what I want.”
It was true that Leo was an adult. He was back home after a particularly bad term at college where his grades slipped enough to get him in trouble. In theory, it could be hard to blame him. His dad had come out as gay and divorced his mom very suddenly. While his mother had come to terms with it rather quickly, having had suspicions for ages, Leo took it personally and condemned his father for it. And that manifested with low focus at school: more eating, more partying, a lot more smoking weed, and a lot less going to class and doing homework.
“Can not! I’m going to tell mom!” Amanda said, getting up and running out of the room.
God, his sister could act like such a child sometimes. The neighbor couldn’t hear him, anyway, and even if he could he was a man. He should be able to roll with the punches. Leo got up and looked out the window at the movers. The old man next door wasn’t even there.
Maybe that was a good thing, though. Leo had no hard feelings towards the old man for being gay, hell, he himself had gay friends. Gay friends who could take a joke, unlike his SJW sister. Teens were so annoying. Anyway, it was more that there was just.. something about the old man that was unsettling. He creeped Leo out, even if he couldn’t describe it. The way he’d just sit on his porch and watch whoever was outside. It sent a shudder down Leo’s spine just thinking about it.
He rolled back to the sofa and laid down facing the ceiling, continuing to tap through his social media feeds. Summer was boring here. He missed being at the college and partying it up, but unfortunately that was exactly what had him put on probation in the first place. He didn’t hate his mom, but living with her was annoying when it involved losing his friends and his freedom.
His boredom was short lived, for better or worse, when he heard his mother’s loudest and angriest voice from the hallway: “LEO, WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT THE NEIGHBOR?”
He sighed, sitting up straight while he waited a few moments for her to come in. It wasn’t long before she was standing in the doorway, her face red with anger, and Amanda standing behind her with a shit-eating grin.
“Did you call that poor old man a slur? Amanda tells me you’re acting very disrespectfully.” She said, trying to keep her cool.
“I mean, yeah. Not like I know him beyond his weird behavior. Why does he deserve my respect any-”
“LEO.” His mother said, raising her voice, “I will not allow you to say such awful things about gay people in this house. If you want to be a terrible bigot child, you can do so when you get your life together and find your own place to spew that filth. What do you think your father would say.”
“I’m not a child, mom!” Leo exclaimed, getting angry himself, “And I don’t care! Dad used you and abandoned us! Maybe he wouldn’t care, anyway. Not like he did about any of us!”
“Leo, you know that is not true.” His mother said, sternly. “Your father had to figure himself out. And to hear his own son saying such horrible things about him would break his heart.”
“Oh, but it’s okay for him to break ours. Got it.” Leo replied, snarkily, without missing a beat.
“LEO.”
“What.” He replied, putting up a challenge. “Dad would be sad, whatever. Good for him. I won’t say it then. Doesn’t change how I think about that old creep next door.”
“Leo! You don’t even know that man. How can you say such horrible things?”
“He’s creepy!”
“Hank is a nice man, Leo. Have you ever interacted with him?”
“He stares at me sometimes.” Leo replied. “Fucking weirdo. You can’t convince me otherwise.”
Leo’s mother’s face got red at the sheer defiance her son was putting up. “Don’t challenge me, Leo. You need to learn a lesson about being neighborly. You’re going to get up and march outside and help him move his belongings.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Are you serious!? He already has professionals. They won’t let me help. What do you expect me to say, anyway?”
“The professionals move the things into the truck. I’m sure there are things inside the house. You can say what you want, but I won’t allow no for an answer.”
Leo averted his gaze. He would just go over and strike up some small talk, then leave. He could tell his mom that he offered. The old man was leaving soon anyway, it wasn’t like they’d have the chance to talk and his mom could ask.
His mother was one step ahead, though. “And if you don’t help, I’ll be charging you rent at the end of the month.”
“What!? You know I can’t afford that!” Leo exclaimed, “I’m in a tough spot as it is! That isn’t fair!”
“Amanda told me that you said that you’re an adult, and can do what you want. If you’re an adult, you can pay rent.”
It was Leo’s turn to get flustered. That little brat. “Fine. I’ll go help. It’s just for today, anyway.” He got up, and put his phone in his pocket. His mother moved out of the doorway as Leo walked by, avoiding eye contact.
He stewed and sulked as he went to the front door of the house, kicking a pair of shoes on from the rack. He sighed, and opened the door. He couldn’t go over all pissy, or he’d never hear the end of it from his mom. She’d probably be watching from the window too, while Amanda had a hay day over it. Why was his family so shit? He blamed his father. None of this would’ve happened if he would’ve just manned up and stayed.
He considered plastering a fake smile on for just a moment, but Leo decided that taking a neutral stance would be better. As long as he didn’t seem too huffy, he wouldn’t be in any more trouble than he already was. He stepped outside and walked to the end of his driveway, looping around the fence in between his and his neighbor’s house.
As he walked up the driveway, the movers paid him no mind as they hefted a bookshelf into their truck. There were only a couple guys, and the truck was fairly small, Leo noted. No wonder it was taking them so many trips. How much stuff could one guy own? He guessed he was about to find out.
His neighbor was sitting on the porch, watching the movers almost hawkishly. He noticed Leo approaching though, and shifted his gaze to the young adult, who waved when they made eye contact. Leo approached the porch, and stood at the bottom of the steps while the neighbor spoke up.
“Well, hello there, Leo. It’s so nice to see the neighbor boy over for a visit.” His voice was a bit slow, a bit shaky, but there was a gentle kindness in his timbre.
Leo didn’t like being referred to as the ‘neighbor boy’. It was infantilizing and gave off the exat type of creepy vibes he hated so much, but he was here to be sociable. Well. He was here to avoid paying his mother rent, but that didn’t matter. In this moment, the two were one and the same. “Um, hi.” He said, pausing awkwardly as he tried to remember the old man’s name but couldn’t. His mother had said it, right? “Today’s your last day here, right?”
“Yes, we’ve been finding this place just a bit too big now, so we’re downsizing. It’s easier to take care of a smaller place in old age, you know.”
“Well, I don’t really know, but it um..” Leo said, before trailing off. He definitely did not want to insult the man to his face and confirm ‘yeah, you’re totally old and it’s obvious!’.
The old man chuckled and grinned, “Heheheh.., well, it happens to everyone at one rate or another. Old age is a blessing, young Leonard.”
“It’s Leo. It’s not short for anything. On my birth certificate and all.” Leo responded, a bit sternly. This was going over great, he sarcastically thought.
“My apologies, young Leo, then. What brings you over here to spend your time with an old man today? Just saying hello?”
“Um, no. I actually wanted to know if you needed any help moving, or putting things in boxes, or uh..”
“Well, I have a moving crew here already. Perhaps you’re already losing your eyesight, ohoho!” The laugh seemed almost sinister, but Leo did his best to convince himself this was just his neighbor’s weird old man mannerisms.
“Yeah, I did. I just uh..”
“Did Carol send you over?”
Leo gulped. Busted. “I mean, uh.. Yeah. She thought you could use the help.”
“Mmm. Well. It’s appreciated.” He responded, pauses between his words. “I don’t particularly need assistance, but it is lovely to have company on my last day here. Still, I have the feeling that Carol won’t be too happy if I just send you back, no?”
“…I’m sorry,” Leo said, covering his ass in case this man could read minds, “I don’t think my mom’s intent was to annoy you-”
“Oh, no no no! Not at all! Heheheh!” The old man laughed, smiling again. “I very much need some company in my life. Would you like to tour my house with me? One last time?”
Perfect, Leo thought. Inside the house his nosy mom and sister couldn’t watch from the window, and he could tell them he was helping. Besides, the old man was happy to have him over, so he was doing something at least. “Sure, you can tell me about it too.”
Leo let his neighbor get up and walk through the door, as he followed suit. There was some dust on the floor from the moving crew, so they kept their shoes on. The old man dismissed the entryway and a den filled with filled cardboard boxes, as they walked to the back of the main floor into an open kitchen. Leo marveled at how big it was.
“I didn’t know you cooked a lot.” Leo said, looking at how many shelves and cupboards there were, with tons of room for counter space. The fridge and stove looked new, and were pulled forward a little bit from the wall, ready to be loaded up into the truck.
“Oh, no, I don’t cook a lot. Do you really think I could be a chef?” Hank asked.
“What do you mean?” Leo asked, turning to face the old man. “What else would you do with a kitchen like this?”
“Well, cook, of course. But not me,” He replied. “You know they say you should never trust a skinny chef. And look at me, no meat on these bones.”
Leo looked at his neighbor. It was true. It was the first time he’d really taken a good look at him, moreso than just recognizing him as a gross, weird old man. Which he still was, but Leo noticed how just how tall and skinny he was. Not that Leo wasn’t, but the old man would fit in a picture dictionary under the word “lanky”.
“They always said to me, ‘Hank, you have to let your husband feed you more!’ But as much as I ate and ate, the weight never stuck!”
Leo was grateful that Hank volunteered his name, as he reached down to unbuckle his belt a notch. He felt a bit weird in the room, looking at just how skinny Hank was. It was almost making him feel self-conscious in comparison. “What do you like to eat?” He asked, curious.
“Oh, I love big meals, despite how I look. One of my favorites though is a big steak and potato dinner, with hearty vegetables..” Hank replied, describing something that Leo could almost taste.
Leo’s stomach gurgled, as he felt a pressure in his gut. He could practically taste the food that Hank was describing, as his belly started to grow larger and rounder, his belt undoing and redoing itself as his waist expanded. “I love to cook big steak dinners,” Leo said, thinking about it. He wasn’t much of a cook, admittedly, but if there was one thing he could do, he knew it was a big juicy steak, even if he couldn’t remember actually doing it.
“I know. I’ve always loved your cooking.” Hank replied.
Leo beamed at the odd comment as his growth stopped, his belt simply sitting around his waist at the loosest setting, merely an accessory now. “Why thank you,” He said, patting his belly. “I’ve always aspired to be a chef, and a trustworthy one at that!” He laughed, a big guffaw coming out of his mouth.
“Well yes, you should never trust a skinny chef, but you’re doing fine in that department!” Hank exclaimed.
Leo frowned. Did Hank just call him fat? He looked down at himself, and for just a moment gasped as he saw the big ball gut inconsistent with the rest of his body. He wasn’t obese, per se, but it was sticking out quite a bit. Wasn’t he skinny? He didn’t know why he expected he would be, though, thinking about all the fine cooking he did.. and fine dining he did. He imagined himself making extravagant dinners for his parents and sister, but less often now that it was just him, his mother, and Amanda.
He shook his head. That didn’t make sense. He was some stoner, and his diet was largely Subway and munchies from when he was on campus. He could put away a lot of munchies, though. He looked over at Hank, who almost seemed to be examining him.
“What are you, um.. looking at?” He asked, but Hank merely smiled. Leo was finding himself offput by Hank’s demeanor again. He could leave soon, he told himself.
Hank averted his gaze, “Apologies, young Leo. You simply remind me of someone I know very dearly. He should be arriving later. I did not mean to offput you at all.”
Leo blinked. “Oh, uh, sorry. I just feel kinda weird and all.” He said. It was true, because of Hank’s behavior, but he didn’t want to go and blame the lonely old man for anything. He’d never hear the end of it from his mom.
“It sounds like you need to relax. Tell me, Leo, do you smoke?” Hank asked.
Now he was talking. Who knew the old man next door was a stoner? “I do!” Leo exclaimed, a little too excitedly. Hank kind of stared at him response, probably off put by his enthusiasm. “I mean, it’s a good way to relieve stress.”
Hank chuckled, “Ohohoho. I understand where you’re coming from, young Leo. I personally find it relaxing too, but I’m more of the type to truly savor and enjoy a good pipe rather than to take a quick break to relieve stress. Not that I acquire much of that in my old age.”
“That’d be nice.” Leo muttered. A stress-free life, he thought. He wondered what that would look like. Nothing like he had now with his dysfunctional family all torn apart.
“Come with me, Leo. I’ll show you my smoke room.” Hank said, as he started pacing down a hallway connected to the kitchen. Leo followed Hank, before he stopped and slid open a sliding door. “It’s a double-doored room. Hold on, the humidor is to the side.”
Leo followed Hank into the spacious smoke room, but let the old man walk to the other door on the wall, where he briefly stepped into a small room and looked around. Leo tried to get a look. He could make out shelves, almost like those of a shoe store, slightly tilted down as if to hold and display something. Hank looked melancholic, but only for a moment, as he pulled down two boxes and returned to the main room.
“My apologies, Leo.” Hank said, as he set the boxes down on the windowsill facing the road. It was a nice view, Leo briefly noted. “I will miss my little humidor. I don’t expect that whomever moves in will be keeping this room as it is.”
That made Leo sad, for some reason. He felt it on a primal level, a small pang going through his heart. “It must be important to you.”
Hank simply smiled, “Well, leave it to an old man to get all sentimental over twenty square feet. It’s not like I won’t continue smoking at my new place, but having a room was nice.” Hank rummaged through the boxes, and fidgeted briefly with something that Leo couldn’t see, until he whipped out a large tobacco pipe, already filled.
Leo’s eyes went wide as Hank handed it to him. He had never smoked a tobacco pipe before, but he had to admit he was curious now that one was being very literally placed in his grip. And it would be rude to turn the man down. “Are you sure, Hank?” he asked.
“Absolutely. It would be my pleasure to enjoy one last pipe in my house, before it’s no longer so.” Hank smiled, taking his own pipe and putting it in his mouth before striking a match and lighting the tobacco aflame. He carefully hit the lit match to Leo, who did the same.
Leo quickly blew out the match before putting his lips to the bit of the pipe and taking a deep breath in. His pupils dilated as he relished in the experience, puffing smoke out the side of his mouth. Curiously though, neither the smoke from his mouth nor the pipe bowl wafted through the room and dissipated like Hank’s did. The smoke seemed to be clouding around Leo’s lower face, and as he continued to smoke it got thicker and started pushing into his skin ever so slightly.
Leo removed the pipe for a moment and took a deep breath. “Incredible!” He exclaimed, before taking a moment to cough. “I can see why you have this hobby, Hank.” He said, cordially, his voice deeper and raspier than before.
Hank merely nodded, taking another deep breath of his pipe before exhaling. “Thank you, I’m proud of the collection. I look forward to setting up a humidor in the new place, even if it isn’t walk in. I’m proud of my pipe and cigar collection.”
“You’re not supposed to keep pipes in a humidor though, correct?” Leo asked. That felt instinctually.. wrong. Like he knew that, somehow, pulled from the dark recesses of his mind. The cloud of smoke around his face was starting to puff up around his peripheral vision under his eyes.
“No, most certainly not. These boxes simply missed the first pass of going into cardboard. The humidity control has been off for several days.” Hank said. Leo nodded, as knowledge of cigar and pipe smoking flooded his brain with each breath of tobacco. For all intents and purposes, he was a lifelong smoker now.
Leo tried to reach up again to remove the pipe from his mouth, but his hand felt weird reaching up and touching the thick smoke. It was almost like it was attached to his face, he felt. He tried to swat his hand around, but was only getting additional resistance as the smoke began to take root on his skin, becoming solid as the wisps of smoke settled onto his face as the individual hairs of a thick, curly white beard.
Leo barely noticed as his hand swats turned to a different motion, the rigid motions of his fingers trying to blow away smoke switching to fluid motions of a man running his fingers through his own beard, stroking it. The smoky silhouette of a beard around his face started to dissipate as his real facial hair blossomed, a long white and gray beard and a prominent Hungarian handlebar mustache exhibited on his face.
Leo removed the pipe from his mouth as Hank looked on at him, smiling sweetly. Leo exhaled some smoke, which dissipated this time, looking over at Hank. His eyebrows, thicker and whiter than before, furrowed, weirded out that Hank was looking at him all creepy. “I believe I’m finished now.” He said, his voice still deep and raspy after the smoke.
“Perhaps with the pipe, you are.” Hank replied.
“What?” Leo replied, confused.
Hank laughed, “Hahaha, you haven’t seen all of my old house yet.” He said, taking the pipe from Leo and ensuring that there was nothing left that could cause a fire, before putting it back in a box. “Come, let us go upstairs. Can you take these boxes and put them by the front door when we pass it? They have to be moved.”
“Um, sure..” Leo responded. Leave it to weird old Hank to start acting weird again minutes after actually seeming like a cool dude. He was almost duped. He picked up the boxes by the windowsill, adjusting his stance as he struggled to carry it normally due to the additional belly he’d gained in the kitchen. He didn’t realize it, but he looked quite comical right now, with his youthful face and haircut coupled with his big white beard, mustache, and eyebrows, and his middle-heavy gut with young legs and a skinny chest. He looked like a man who never skipped gut day, and always skipped everything else.
And that made it hard to carry the boxes. As he followed Hank through the hall, back through the kitchen and to the entrance, he cautiously avoided stumbling as he tried to keep his balance at first. The first steps were difficult, but as he walked, his gait started to change as his spine stretched taller, and his chest began to fill out with soft fat, his shoulders widening and his pecs becoming a little rounded – not enough to be full-on moobs, but enough to be noticeable with no shirt on.
He bent down at the bottom of the staircase to place the boxes down, and felt a brief crack in his kneecaps as a jolt of pain ripped through his body. Standing up straight, he made a loud grunting noise as his legs grew thick and bulky like the rest of him. “Urgh, that felt awful.”
“Ohoho, wait until you get to be my age!” Hank laughed. Again, it felt like there was something sinister in the way he said it, but Leo convinced himself he was going crazy.
The two men went up the steps, slowly as to not bother his knees, Hank said. Leo didn’t mind. He wasn’t going to say it out loud, but he was thankful that he could go slow too and go easier on his knees after his body didn’t like him bending over a moment ago.
“My new place isn’t going to have any stairs, just the one floor. These stairs are getting a bit hard, so I looked specifically for bungalows.” Hank explained as the two men got to the top of the staircase.
Leo was a little out of breath. “That will be really nice.” He said, thinking about it.
Hank chuckled, “Do you plan on coming with me?”
Leo quickly shook his head, “What? No!” He exclaimed.
Hank laughed even harder, “Oh, to be so easily flustered.”
Leo’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment. Hank was picking on him. Still, he thought about going back home after this and taking the staircase to his room. It wasn’t far, but it seemed like quite a walk to even go next door, and then to climb stairs? For Leo, it was a lot, even if he did it every day. He blinked as he realized that didn’t make sense, but didn’t get a chance to process it as Hank gestured to a large room.
“This used to be the bedroom,” he said, as Leo walked in ahead of him. “Most of the things have been packed away, as you can see there is no bed and hardly any furnishings, but I haven’t had everything put away yet. The movers have been terribly inefficient.”
“They’ve been putting stuff away for you too, right? And they only have the small van.” Leo said. The first part was a guess, but the empty cardboard boxes by the closet were indicative, and it was unlikely Hank had the stamina to do it all himself.
“Mhm.” Hank affirmed, “I cannot particularly blame them, it’s just a lot to do for me alone, so it has been slow.”
Leo felt bad. “Well, I can help.” He said, walking over to the closet and opening it as if he’d done so a thousand times before, not even thinking to ask first. “Here,” He instructed, “If you take the hangers and put them somewhere I can fold the clothing and then drop it into the box.”
Hank nodded and thanked Leo as Leo started taking the clothing out of the closet, removing the hangers and giving them Hank, before folding them and dropping them down. He didn’t want to bend down and hurt his knees again, but the drop wasn’t too low, so they stayed folded. He noted the clothing was very old-mannish as he went through the outfits, but he had to admit they didn’t look too bad.
He made quick work of it as the box filled up. Hank made a comment, “It looks like the box is filled to the top, even if I push down on it.”
Leo hummed, “You shouldn’t be so hard on your knees, Hank.” He said, turning to the closet. “There are only a few items left, but I don’t think they would fit you. They’re much larger than the clothing that I put away.”
Hank weaseled his way to the closet and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe those are mine, Leo.” He said.
Leo was confused. “If not yours, who’s are they?” He pulled out the pair of pants, but quickly dropped the hanger that they were on as it made a noise on the floor. Hank jumped back as Leo bent down to pick them up, his knees be damned, but he gasped as a critical event happened that was unmistakable.
The sound of ripping denim broke through the air as Leo’s jeans split right open on the back.
He picked up the khaki pants on the hanger as quickly as he could and repositioned himself with his underwear hidden, his body facing outward from a wall. “Oh no.. Oh no..” he mumbled. There was a dull throb in his knees, but it was completely unimportant right now.
Hank’s face was bright red. “You know, Leo. Those might be your size. You can wear them, it’s okay. I’ll um.. leave the room.” The old man said, as Leo nodded. Hank quickly exited the room, leaving Leo standing there with a big hole over the ass of his jeans, embarrassed.
He wasted no time in kicking off his boots and taking the jeans off. He first pulled the belt off the loops, and then shimmied them down his legs. He hadn’t noticed before that they’d been so tight. No wonder they had split. He put the khakis on, and they felt so much more comfortable than those damned jeans. The belt went around the loops easily, and it honestly looked nice, he noticed as he looked in the closet mirror.
Well, the bottom half of his outfit looked nice. His t-shirt had seen better days, being stretched thin too. He looked into the closet, seeing garments on the hangers. Surely Hank wouldn’t mind if he changed into them, he thought. It wouldn’t be long before his t-shirt ripped too. He wondered how he had gotten dressed like this today and not noticed.
It took some effort to take the shirt off, but he eventually succeeded. He looked at himself in the mirror, and something seemed a little off. He couldn’t place what it was though, as he examined his reflection. Maybe the room simply looked dark, and he wasn’t used to it without a lamp in here? He wasn’t sure. His big beard hung down his face and was juxtaposed with his completely hairless belly. That looked weird, he thought, but some men just didn’t grow much body hair.
Leo pulled one of the two hangers out of the closet, grabbing the button up shirt and undoing the buttons so he could put it on. It was a fairly simple one, blue and gray plaid with long sleeves. It wasn’t like anything he would wear, but as he put on the large garment he looked in the mirror and grinned, rescinding the thought. He needed to dress like this more often. He looked back into the closet, seeing the lone clothing item remaining.
There was no reason to leave a single article behind, he figured, as he removed the teal stitched vest from the hanger and pulled it over his body. The fabric felt wonderful and fit perfectly on his large frame. He walked up to the mirror closer, making sure everything was symmetrical. He reached into the “v” of his shirt, and pulled out some white chest hairs, fluffing them up a little. He looked like a real gentleman, wise and rotund. As he gave his ample stomach a pat, he wondered if Hank would give him a belly rub later. Leo didn’t even notice that his facial features and haircut still looked youthful, completely absorbed in his good looks.
He put his boots back on, not noticing the higher quality and additional wear to them, and opened the door. “Well, that is that. Everything is finally put into boxes.” He said to Hank.
Hank smiled, “Thank you, Leo. You look wonderful, by the way. That style very much suits you.”
Leo blushed, for once not creeped out by Hank’s behavior. “Why thank you Hank.” He said, “I’m glad a man like you thinks so. Now I ought to head home back to my mother and sister before the moving people take the rest of your belongings home.”
“Oh, not quite so soon.” Hank replied, “We’re almost done with the house tour.”
“The house tour?” Leo asked, “But I already have seen everything.”
“We haven’t packed away the toiletries yet. Only the bathroom is left.” Hank replied.
“Oh, I suppose I can assist you with that. I know what the bathroom looks like though.” Leo replied. His brain was a bit scrambled as he processed everything.
“That’s okay, Leonard. Come on, let’s go.” Hank said, leading the other man to the room adjacent.
Leo wanted to correct Hank, but there was something that sounded right about Leonard. It was more.. sophisticated. He followed suit, a little dazed at the ongoings. Why was Hank trying to show him his bathroom? He stepped in though, and saw a few things still scattered on the countertop, with a half full toiletry bag next to it. He looked inside and saw things like beard oil and a nice beard brush.
“Why do you have such things?” Leo asked Hank, “You don’t have a beard.”
“They aren’t mine, Leonard. You can’t be forgetting things in your old age now.”
Leo blinked as he looked in the mirror, as Hank stood behind him. Leo was taller, but he could still see as Hank grabbed a silver comb on the counter and reached up, starting to go through Leo’s locks. It felt nice, to have Hank go through his hair, but as Leo looked in the mirror, he noticed that his hair was starting to turn silver, then white, as it thinned out and started to disappear from his scalp. It what simultaneously felt like forever and mere seconds, Leo’s hair was gone – only a white ring around the back of his head, connected to his enormous beard, remaining.
“You look so handsome, Leonard.” Hank said, as he pushed his body forward into Leo. He felt Hank’s hands wrap around him, and Hank’s crotch push into his big ass. Leo wanted to shout, but he felt Hank’s hands reach under his shirt and start rubbing his warm, hairy belly. Leo felt a mixture of arousal and fear as his cock started to chub up. He realized that, without even looking, he knew that it would surrounded by thick white pubic hair, that Hank thought was so sexy.
“Hank.. what am.. I..” he muttered, his voice cracking again. “L-let go.” He said, trying to shuffle to the side, which was hard with a large erection. “Let go!” He repeated after an unsuccessful motion, more forcefully this time.
Hank complied as Leo escaped his grasp and quickly moved away to the other side of the room. “What are you doing to me, you freak?” He asked, his voice shifting back and forth between his old pitch and his new, raspy deep smoker’s voice.
“Whatever do you mean, Leonard?” Hank asked, as he swiftly picked something up from the counter that Leo couldn’t see, and began walking towards the heftier man.
“Don’t play dumb. I wasn’t.. like this. When I came here.” Leo said.
“What were you like then?”
“I was uh..” Leo muttered, trying to recall. “Well, I smoked a lot, and I had uh.. hair.”
“You have lots of hair, you handsome man.” Hank said, taking another slow step forward.
Leo blushed, before shaking his head. He couldn’t accept compliments from the weird old man. No way. Never. “On my head!” He exclaimed, taking a step back. He realized there was only the wall behind him. “And I wasn’t old!”
“You’re not that old Leonard, only 68!” Hank exclaimed.
Leo gasped. He didn’t know why he gasped. He knew his age. But that wasn’t his real age.. Or at least he didn’t think it was. Hank was.. doing something. “And I wasn’t a faggot!” He exclaimed.
Hank stopped dead in his tracks, his slow approach coming to a halt. For the first time over the course of Leo’s visit, his facial expression went angry. “Don’t you dare say that, Leonard. Sexuality is a matter of pride, not a matter of shame. There’s nothing wrong with being a so-called ‘faggot’, like the way you say it.”
Leo gulped as Hank resumed his approach, seemingly angrier. He was afraid of the man approaching him moreso than ever now. “And that’s a thing you’re going to learn, Leonard. That being gay is something to be celebrated. Not something to be hidden, or put away.”
Hank’s words were seeping into Leo’s brain, as his vision started to go blurry, the affirmations of pride and acceptance from the angry Hank literally clouding his vision. He felt shame, at first. Shame in how he had acted, towards Hank, towards his father, towards.. lots of people. And about himself. But the shame quickly disappeared as he realized – what was there to be shameful of?
What he didn’t know was that the poor vision wasn’t just because of Hank’s words overpowering his conscious, but that his body was finally finishing the aging process as his skin grew older, and wrinkles appeared on his face. His far vision was losing it’s sharpness, but as Hank approached, he could make him out holding his glasses.
“Here Leonard, I have your glasses.” Hank said, seemingly calm again.
Leonard nodded, and started to put his hand out before rapidly pulling it back. “No!” He exclaimed, almost yelling at Hank. “Even if I’m old and gay and okay with that, you did this to me! I have to get out of here!”
“You’re not going anywhere, my handsome man.” Hank said, pulling Leo’s body into a hug. For Leo, it was like his body wouldn’t respond, as he felt warm and fuzzy despite his brain’s protests. Hank’s belly rub just felt so good.
“Let me go! I don’t want to be your fuckin’..” Leo continued protesting, but as Hank lowered the pair of spectacles onto his aging face, Leo’s brain short circuited as he slurred the word “huzzzz….”
“Here Leonard, you should put your wedding ring on.” Hank said, as he dug into Leonard’s pocket, giving his husband’s cock a brief tug through the khakis, before pulling out a ring and putting it on Leonard’s finger. It matched the one Hank was wearing exactly, and symbolized their long-standing relationship.
As Leonard’s mind finally came to, he bent down and gave his shorter lover a big kiss through his bushy beard. “I can’t believe this is our last day here.” He said, his voice raspy and gravelly.
“I know,” Hank replied. “We have so many memories here, but I’m assured that our new house will house so many more, even if they aren’t as ‘magical’, ohoho.” He laughed.
Leonard didn’t get the joke, but sometimes that was just Hank’s sense of humor. He pulled his husband in for a hug. Losing the old house would be sad, but the future was bright now that Hank was retiring.
–
Hank and Leonard stood at the end of their driveway smoking their pipes, looking at the empty house that they had called home for years. The last of the moving vans had left just minutes ago, and now they were waiting on Hank’s younger brother to come pick them up.
“Time sure does fly.” Leonard said after taking a deep puff of his pipe and exhaling. “I feel like this house is still brand new to me.”
“Hard to believe it’s been over thirty years.” Hank affirmed, putting his arm around his husband’s waist.
“Ah, I’m glad I haven’t missed you!” The men heard all of a sudden, as footsteps approached. They turned around, seeing the woman next door, Carol. “I have baked goods for you two, for being such great neighbors. Amanda wanted to say goodbye as well, but she went to a friends house, so she wrote you a note.”
Leonard took the note as a wave of nostalgia hit him all of a sudden. He didn’t know why, but something felt.. very personal about it, in a heartfelt way. Like he was missing something. He opened the paper in his big mitts and saw a lovely drawing of himself and Hank holding hands. ‘Thank you for being great neighbors and role models’ it read.
“That’s adorable. You’ve got a good kid.” Leonard said.
Carol sighed. “Yeah. Amanda is a wonderful daughter. I’m glad she had such good gay role models in her life for a time. I think it made things more understanding with Carlos being uh.. you know.”
“Of course. That’s hard on any child.” Hank spoke, delicately “But I’m glad we were able to help her come to terms with it.”
“Is Amanda an only child?” Leonard asked, out of the blue. He could’ve swore the neighbors had two kids, but he wasn’t sure if that was true.
“She is, at least right now. I’d like to have more, but it’s hard being a single mom and dating. Even with Carlos picking up the slack, people don’t like to commit sometimes. I thought you knew she was an only child, from when you babysat her?” Carol replied.
“Senior moment.” Leonard laughed. “It’s been a long and emotional day for us.”
Hank nodded, “He’s getting very old, you know.”
Leonard ribbed his husband, “I’m the younger one. Don’t forget that.” He said to Carol.
A beeping cut through their conversation as a car rolled by, Hank’s brother waving to the elderly gay couple.
“Well, we have to cut this short. I can’t leave Dale waiting forever.” Hank replied.
“Make sure to write us, it’s been great having you as neighbors.” Carol said.
“Most certainly.” Leonard affirmed, as they went their separate ways. He and Hank hobbled into the car, where Hank and his brother in the front seat chatted about the excitement of the new day. Leonard, for his part, was being a bit more reflective. He couldn’t believe it had been over thirty years. It didn’t feel like it at all. But it was finally time to move on from that town – he and his husband had a new chapter in their life to start.