Thanks to all those who have given me support over the last couple weeks too: Derek, Luke, Joshy, AJ, Craigory, Jim, Joey, Chad, Shippy, Kyle, and everybody else.. you all know who you are : ) I've got soooo much feedback from people asking me to keep up with writing this series and saying they didn't want it to end, so I'm picking it up again while still writing my Nastradia story, After the Dance, as well as starting out on another story that should be out maybe around the end of September!

And to a certain two lovebirds who just got together a few months ago..... Hehe congrats you two!!!

Enjoy,
                Eric J. Case

Chapter 19

            Well now that we were both champions, me having earned all my respect back from the league, my team, and myself. I was supposed to attend university for one more year and so I could play another season if I wanted to but I decided against it. Should I go for the draft? Nope, I had no intention of leaving East Valley. My knee had held up through it's hits but one thing I learned from watching the ends of so many other people's careers was never press your luck. We had ended on a positive note, winning the championship for the forth straight year, two of which I had lead the team, one I had gone half way, and one I had missed all together, but all in all I had a great career. I figured it was probably time to move on.. off the field and leave something that I loved behind because it wasn't what lay on my path of life.

            I wasn't the only person leaving something behind though.. Mark was also moving on - to the next level; he was now that he was too old for our team. At the end of every season comes the off-season and it would be my "job" to find a replacement for my young Marcus on the football field. A near impossible task? Oh yes, very near impossible.

            "So Myles, have you decided on who's stepping up to take over Mark's spot next year?" Aaron asked me one morning in January.

            "I've gone over our returning roster, and I've looked at the names coming up, but I don't know. No one grabs my attention as a replacement that will play at the same level.."

            "Well you don't need a superstar Myles," Aaron chuckled. "Just someone to fill a position, besides after working with you for awhile you will have them playing well. What about Elliot or Greg?"

            Greg would be my first choice if he weren't so darn quiet. Stevie was too small, and the only other player returning who I thought might be able to pull it off was Elliot. Now I know I can control myself, but I didn't need a player coming on to play and 'starting up'! "Well Elliot is... a possibility, but I'd like to possibly look at the new players coming in as rookies." I stammered.

            "Well you'll be the new defensive coordinator for this season since Coach Robinson (the defensive coordinator from the previous year) is moving up with his son. You'll have Marx back, and Stevens will be back to handle the offense. We've also got three new coaches coming in with their kids, one guy has coached high school and thinks he knows his stuff, so you may bump heads with him on occasion, but you are the D.C. so don't take any of his shit." Aaron said giving me a wink.

            "Yes coach," I replied with my amusement showing through in my tone.

            "Captains are your department, so whoever you choose is up to you, but I would recommend Elliot as the new defensive captain. He has more years experience than anyone else on the team, and he will be a leader if you ask him to." Aaron continued calmly. I knew he was right.. Elliot was the best choice for who could and should step up to fill the HC slot.

            I attended the coaches meeting at the field house and met the new coaches and we discussed the returning players, and where our weaknesses and strengths would be. Our offense would stay rock-solid since nearly every position was filled by a returning player, but the defense had lost 5 starters out of 11. I had a tough job ahead of me, and I needed a captain who would be dependable... "Have you decided on your head captain yet Myles?" Aaron asked.

            "Yeah.. uh.." I said shuffling through my papers reading the players list one last time. "Elliot, I think will make a great captain.." Aaron agreed and so did the other coaches so the matter was settled.

            When I got back to the house after the meeting was finished Mark came running down the stairs to greet me with a big hug since we hadn't seen one another that day since early in the morning when he had left for school. Mark had grown since the previous year and was now taking on that young teen look rather than the boyish look. He was still the most gorgeous human being alive to me and a smile from him was enough to light up my day. He threw his arms around me holding me tight with his head turned to the side so that his ear rested on my chest. "I missed you today," he said pulling back to smile at me with those blue eyes I loved so much glinting at me. "How was the coaches meeting?"

            "It was pretty good I guess. We've got 5 defensive starters returning this year and I've gotta train a new captain, although I know no one will be able to take your place on OR off the field." I said smiling and winked at him. The fact that the new captain was Elliot didn't need to come up and I hoped I'd be able to worry about it later but that wasn't the way it was gonna work.

            "Who did you pick?" he asked smiling. "Greg? Landon? Who? Tell me!" He was all excited reverting from his newer 'cool attitude' to the boyish innocence I find so cute.

            I tried to make light of it, but I already knew he would react a certain way to it. Over the last year I've gotten to know Mark better than anyone else in this world, and one thing I've learned about him is although he tries hard not to be, Mark get's Jealous about certain things. "Elliot's going to be stepping up to HDC this year."

            "Why Elliot?" he asked his face changing from boyhood excitement, to an almost fearful look.

            "What do you mean?" I asked trying to downplay the situation.

            "Why is Elliot the captain?" he asked a little irritated at my avoiding ths subject.

            "He's the player most capable of replacing you," I said, and as the words left my mouth I realized how they could be misconstrued, and saw the sour look on Mark's face. "No not replace you like that," I said smiling at him. "You know you're the only one for me Mark."

            He half smiled back, although I could tell it was forced. "Yeah I guess..." he trailed off looking past me as his dad entered the room. "Hey dad," he said as he turned to go back upstairs. I called after him saying I'd be up in a couple minutes and we could talk. "Yeah whatever," he said flatly.

            "Trouble?" Aaron asked.

            "I don't know.." I said still a little hurt by the way Mark had acted.

            "Listen... Myles. There's something you should know about Elliot," he began.

            "Oh I know about Elliot." I said cutting him off slightly. I didn't want to talk about it, or him.

            "No, I think there's a little more than you know about." Aaron said quietly as he came up behind me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "You see.. Mark and Elliot.. well.." he paused. "They had a kind of a thing a couple of months before you came out to coach with us." My eyebrows raised slightly as what he was saying sunk in. Mark and Elliot had had a relationship. "They ended it saying they didn't enjoy it.. Mark told his mother you see.. anyway. When you came out to coach and Mark started spending all of his time with you, Elliot told him he'd take you away or something to that effect. It was before you two became.. well involved," Aaron said smiling out of the corner of his mouth looking at the floor a few yards away. He turned his eyes back to me. "Just talk to him Myles, he'll be fine."

            I nodded smiling slightly. One of those 'yeah you're right' smiles. "Thanks Aaron." He gave me a fatherly smile. I turned and headed for the stairs and climbed the big staircase with it's newly varnished wood floor.

            When I got upstairs and went to the room Mark and I usually shared and went inside, Mark was nowhere to be found. The door between our room, and 'his room' was shut. I don't think the door had been closed once since we'd all moved in together. I decided to let things wait for a few minutes and went to take a shower. I needed to cool down and have a few minutes alone to think. Once I had showered I toweled off and wrapped my bath towel around my waist and went and knocked on the door to Mark's room. "Go away," came a quiet voice from the room on the other side. I knocked again, "I SAID go AWAY!" Mark yelled. I knocked again. "Are you stupid?" he said. I could his voice cracking as he neared giggles now so I knocked again. I heard him laughing as his footsteps neared the door and he turned it's handle and swung it open. I could see he'd been crying by his red puffy eyes and my heart instantly broke.

            "Can we talk Mark?" I asked softly. He nodded "yeah I guess" and let me follow him into his room. We sat down together on the bed, Mark to my right. I could see he was near tears already. "Come here," I said softly wrapping an arm around his shoulder pulling him close as he started crying and rested his head against my chest. "What's wrong baby?" I asked quietly kissing the top of his head.

            "I don't wanna lose you Myles!" he said now quieting down a little.

            "Why would you lose me? Who would you lose me to?" I asked rubbing his back gently.

            "Elliot.." came his dejected reply.

            "Why would you lose me to Elliot Mark?" I asked softly resting my chin on top of his head.

            "Well now that he's the HDC, you'll spend your time with him the same as you did me, and then he'll steal you away from me." He said tearing up again.

            I chuckled slightly. "Marcus.. Why would I leave YOU for ELLIOT?" I asked him and he pulled back to look at my now smiling face. "You're the most beautiful creature alive. You make my life complete. So what if Elliot's a cute kid? That's all he'll ever be is just another cute kid. You are Marcus.. MY Marcus, and I love you very much!" He smiled at this and held me close. "All the time I spent with you was because I loved you, not because you were the captain, or the coach's son, or for any reason other than I loved being around you. From the first time we talked on the phone and you put on the professional sounding voice.." I felt him giggle. "I've known you all my life and no one can ever replace you!"

            Mark pulled back a question forming on his face. "You've known me all your life?"

            "Of course Mark! My life didn't begin until I met you, and without you my life has no meaning." Tears welled in his eyes and he leaned forward to press his red lips to mine. I kissed him deeply and with as much passion as I could then broke our kiss for a moment. "I love you Marcus Davis, and no one, and I mean no one.. will ever take my love for you away."

            He smiled and moved from where he was now half on me, half off, to laying on his back on the bed smiling at me as I looked over my shoulder at him. He was wearing nothing but shorts and his beautifully tanned fourteen year old body was gorgeous. His strong neck and shoulders, his firm chest. His arms were beginning to firm up more so than they were before, and his six-pack was even more defined. I smiled down to my lover, my soul mate, as he bit his bottom lip and looked downwards. I knew what that meant as he smiled sweetly and said those words. "Myles.. will you make love to me?"

            I answered by leaning back and rolling to my side so that I was laying on my side next to mark and I wrapped my left arm gently over him and kissed his neck. He arched his head backwards moaning. "Oh God Myles I love you so much!"

            I slowly licked my way to the other side of his neck and up to his ear to nibble the lobe gently and whispered into his ear. "I love you too Mark." I gently kissed and sucked on his neck inching my way slowly down to his collarbones. They sat just above his firm pecks and I outlined his collarbones with my tongue and lips gently. When I reached the middle again, I kissed the nape of his neck and slowly slid down to the base of his pecks and moved to kiss each of his nickel-sized nipples, teasing them to attention. Then without another word I got up and walked out of the room and back into "our room". Mark looked at me questioningly as I stood up. Then he got up and followed me, his raging hard-on visible through his shorts

            "Where are you goin' Myles?" Mark asked.

            "Where am I going?" I repeated in a comical tone. "Last time we made love in that room you bit me!"

            Mark burst out laughing. "I said I was sorry at the time! And it's your fault for being so good.."

            "Yeah well my nipple hurt for a couple weeks after that," I said watching him giggle hysterically recalling that day he'd nearly taken my left nipple off in his mouth. I held my hand back to him smiling. "Coming?"

            "Not yet," he giggled and took my hand.