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            The Guardian

Installment 32

 

by Erastes
Copyright 2015 by Erastes
Chapter 63 - Making the Team

We slipped into November and it started with Tyler and Dylan trying out for the basketball team.  Since we had been busy over Halloween weekend and the boys had been focused on getting the costumes ready for the parade and trick-or-treating, the older pair had completely forgotten to worry about the tryouts.  In fact, Tyler was just about ready to leave the house on Monday morning when he finally remembered about it and had to race upstairs so he could throw the items he would need into his gym bag.  He then raced back downstairs and bolted out the front door just in time to catch his bus.  Later, I heard Dylan fared slightly worse, because he had to call home and ask his mother to bring his things to the school for him, so he wouldn't miss the first day of tryouts. 

Luckily, I hadn't forgotten this was going to happen, so I'd asked Brenda Riordan if she would watch Marcus and Ethan until I got home.  I explained there might be nights when Marcus wouldn't be there as well, especially if he got involved in the intramural basketball league.  She said that would be fine, so at least I was set on this end.  My job would be another matter, since I knew there might be times when I would need to leave work early again so I could attend one of Tyler's away games.  I wouldn't be going to all of them, but I wanted to watch as many as possible. 

I'd also arranged with Cherie that we would alternate picking the boys up from their practices, including when Justin and Marcus started playing too.  Their practice weren't something we could show up and watch, like we had with the baseball practices, so doing this would prevent both of us from sitting around while waiting for them to finish up.  She was pleased with the idea and so was I, but I had also volunteered to pick the boys up the first night.  I was waiting out front when the pair came staggering out of the building. 

"That was really rough," Tyler wheezed as he crawled into the front seat.  "The coach made us run a lot today, so he could see who was in shape and wouldn't get tired out easily during a game." 

"I didn't expect to do that much running right away and it took a lot out of me," Dylan piped up from the backseat. 

"So how do you think you did?" I followed, somewhat curious. 

"I think we did ok for the first day, but we didn't scrimmage or nothin' like that," Tyler informed me.  "We mostly ran lay-up, passing and shooting drills, so we did good at those.  I think Coach Jackson was impressed at how well we could dribble and shot lay-ups with our left hand too, just like you said." 

"Yeah, there were only a couple of other guys that could do it too, so I think it moved us up a little higher on the coach's list," Dylan added.  "He even told the other guys that they would have to learn how to do it and get as good as we were, so I'm glad you made us do it first." 

Since they felt good about how the first day went, I was pleased.  After I dropped Dylan off at his place, I drove home and sent Tyler over to get his brothers while I started dinner.  They came back a few minutes later, with each one greeting me as he walked through the door. 

"I checked today and me and Justin won't be starting basketball for two more weeks," Marcus announced.  "It will only take place on Tuesday and Thursday though.  Our P.E. teacher told us we'll practice every Tuesday and then have a game on Thursday, but we won't have any games until after Thanksgiving." 

"So your P.E. teacher is going to do all of this?" I asked, since I didn't understand how this would work. 

"No, some of the basketball players from the high school are going to come down to coach us and some other players will be the refs for our games," Marcus replied.  "Mr. Penoyer is only going to be there to make sure there are no problems and to help the older boys if they need it." 

"Oh, ok," I mumbled, since that made sense.  It was also nice that the older boys were going to be helping the younger ones out.  They probably had time to do this, since their practices most likely weren't held until later in the day, because the gym was used for many things, both for the boys and the girls.  "Just make sure you tell all of this to Mrs. Riordan too, so she knows what to expect." 

"Ok, I'll do that tomorrow," Marcus agreed. 

"Ethan, I want you to remind your brother if he forgets," I added and Ethan smiled.  He liked that I gave him this responsibility. 

The rest of the evening went pretty much as usual, as the boys went off to finished whatever homework they had after we ate. 

The following night Cherie picked the boys up after practice and dropped Tyler off at the house.  I noticed he didn't look quite as tired this time, so I asked him how things went. 

"We ran a lot of the same stuff as yesterday, but we didn't do so much running first," he explained.  "We also ran some offensive and defensive drills, but then Coach Jackson had us play some two-on-two against each other, so he could see how we did.  He told us who was going to be in each group, so me and Dylan never got to play together." 

"But how do you think you did?" I pressed, since he hadn't told me that. 

"We did good," he answered.  "There are about 30 boys trying out and the coach said he'll probably only keep 12, so me and Dylan are still kind of worried about making the team." 

"Just do your best, and if those other boys at Dylan's party were correct, then you should make the team," I offered, trying to give him a little moral support. 

The rest of the week went basically the same, with me quizzing Tyler each night about how he had done at the tryouts.  Both he and Dylan felt they were doing well, but they were still nervous wrecks about making the team.  They still didn't know if they'd made it or not when Dylan and Justin showed up on Friday to spend the weekend with us.  If they were this stressed out now, how the hell were they going to react if they got cut? 

After seeing how they were moping about, I told them there was no sense in worrying about things they had no control over.  I also reminded them that they had done their best, so now they would have to live with the coach's choices.  They had a practice tomorrow morning and the coach promised that he would have the list of who made the team posted before they finished their showers, so they should know whether or not they made the team by tomorrow afternoon.

In order to keep them from thinking about this, I decided to take them to the diner to eat, because it would give me a chance to talk to Ann and it would help to distract them too.  She was very chatty this evening, because their business was kind of slow when we got there, and she asked the boys how they were and what things they were working on now. 

"You know, I saw y'all at the Halloween parade," she announced, which surprised us because none of us had seen her there.  "My sister called and told me y'all were going to be in it, so I talked my boss into letting me go for a little while so I could see ya in your costumes." 

"But why didn't you come talk to us then?" Marcus pressed, before anyone else could say something.

"Because I was only taking a break, so I had to hurry back here to finish work," she explained.  "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stick around and chat with y'all afterward."    

"That's ok, Auntie Ann," Andrew assured her, with the others quickly chiming in their agreement. 

"Yeah, it was really nice of you to do that just so you could see us in our costumes," Justin added. 

"Well I like to keep track of what my nephews are up to," she stated, which brought a big smile to each of their faces. 

By the time we left there, Dylan and Tyler had calmed down slightly, thanks to Ann helping to take their minds away from their worries.  When we got home, we decided to watch a college football game next, since the high school's regular season had ended and the playoffs wouldn't start until the following week.  The boys all seemed fine with the idea, plus it gave the older pair something else to focus on. 

During halftime, I took the younger boys upstairs to shower and had them get dressed in their PJs before coming downstairs again.  This way I could hurry them off to bed when the game ended and then turn my attention to the older pair. 

Andrew, Ethan and Marcus fell asleep before the game ended, so Dylan and Tyler carried the younger boys upstairs for me, while I carried Marcus. 

"I bet you're glad I didn't fall asleep too," Justin joked, as he followed us upstairs. 

"It wouldn't have been too bad," I replied.  "I would have just had to come back downstairs so I could carry you up to bed too."  Justin smiled at me and his expression seemed to say that he knew I'd take care of him too. 

Once they were tucked in bed and I had kissed them goodnight, I went with Dylan and Tyler, so we could shower together next.  While we were doing that, they began asking each other what they'd do and how they'd work it out if one of them made the team and the other one didn't, so I decided to put a quick end to this discussion. 

"You're almost clones of each other, and that includes skill-wise at basketball too, so I don't see that happening," I told them with the utmost sincerity.  "What you might want to start thinking about instead is what you're going to want to do once we get in bed." 

That was all it took to get their minds focused on more pressing matters, as they began tossing suggestions back and forth with each other.  It wasn't so much about WHAT we were going to do, but more about who was going to do what to whom instead.  They eventually agreed that this time they wanted me to rim and suck them both off, while they negotiated who was going to do which to me.  It didn't take very long to settle those issues, but it was all they could think about as we finished washing each other.  As soon as we'd dried off and brushed our teeth, they practically sprinted to the bed, since they were so eager to get started. 

It had been agreed upon that I would do Tyler first this time, so he quickly got into position with his knees drawn back to his chest.  He had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face as I got ready to rim him and he let out a loud moan when my tongue made contact with the area.  He seemed to be whimpering and moaning the entire time I was working on him, and it didn't stop when I moved up to suck him off afterward.  Even though it had only been a week since we'd last done this, he seemed to need it more tonight, which might have been due to his mental state and being worried about making the team. 

As soon as I moved away from Tyler, I allowed him to enjoy his post-orgasmic buzz and Dylan immediately got into position for me to do it to him next.  He quickly pulled his knees back to his chest as well, because even though we had done this doggy style on occasion, both boys still seemed to prefer it this way best.  I had no problems doing it this way either, since I could watch their faces and appreciate their reactions as I was working on them. 

Dylan seemed to need this just as much as Tyler had and most likely for the same reasons.  He was, however, slightly more active in assisting my efforts than Tyler had been, even more than was usual for him, although he had never been a passive participant in anything we'd done together.  He was usually pretty vocal too, but tonight he seemed to be cooing instead and he sounded like a flock of contented pigeons after I'd dived into his back door.  He always seemed to enjoy this activity the best and it had obviously become his favorite thing to do, although he still liked to get sucked off too.  I did that for him next, but there was just something about him being rimmed or rimming someone else that he seemed to appreciate more than most. 

As soon as he'd cum in my mouth, I got up to get a drink.  Even with his tasty offering, my mouth was very dry from having serviced both of them.  By the time I got back to the bed, Dylan was coming down from his post-climactic haze and hurriedly scrambled to his knees so he would be ready to rim me next.  He had me get on my back and pull my knees to my chest too, and then he attacked me like a starving raptor.  He didn't use his teeth or claws, but he used his tongue effectively instead, as he carried out the other side of the activity that he enjoyed so much. 

While Dylan was doing that, Tyler began to nibble on my ears and neck, before he moved to my mouth and we started to make out in earnest.  Tyler had always been a very good kisser and I could always feel his passion and joy when we did this.  I have always wondered if he kissed Dylan and others the same way or if these particular actions were reserved only for me. 

When Dylan finished up, the boys switched places so Tyler could suck me off.  Dylan decided to work on my nipples while Tyler did this, rather than kiss me, and he ran his tongue over the first one, before he nipped at it briefly with his teeth and then he started to suck on it.  After doing that for a while, he moved over and repeated the process on the other nipple next, but he stopped working on me after I had my orgasm.  The boys then snuggled against my side and we fell asleep, as content as cows after being milked. 

We all woke up in a good mood in the morning too and started our day out cheerfully.  After breakfast, I took Dylan and Tyler to their practice, but since I couldn't go in to watch them, I merely returned home with the other boys.  As soon as we got back, I asked the younger group what they wanted to do today and Andrew and Ethan quickly told me they had planned to watch cartoons in the family room.  Justin and Marcus informed me that they preferred to go outside and practice basketball instead, since they wanted to be ready when the intramural program started. 

Justin and Dylan had brought their new basketballs with them this time and Justin was anxious to use his.  I agreed to do this with them, since they'd both been very vocal when announcing their choice.  I just had to keep an eye on the time so I wouldn't be late picking up their brothers.  I was a little surprised at how competitive Justin and Marcus were getting, since they wouldn't have to tryout to make a team.  All of the boys signing up for the intramural league would merely be split up into teams, so they'd all be on one, but these two were obviously more concerned about becoming starters and possibly even having their team declared the champs.  I made a mental note to discuss this with them later so they didn't get too carried away, but for now we would just focus on their skills. 

Both of them were definitely getting better and I praised each one on how much they had improved.  They smiled at me when I did this, because they were pleased that I noticed and thought it was worth mentioning, but it also made them work even harder at whatever we did next.  They certainly weren't slouches when it came to athletics and Marcus reminded me that his father had also been very competitive when it came to similar activities. 

As I thought back to my days with Matt, I remembered that he'd been extremely competitive at everything he did.  It wasn't just with sports either and sometimes it irritated his other friends when he would turn everything into a competition.  Any game, even a simple board or card game, became a war of sorts, in which he was determined to become the victor.  I thought I'd mention this to Marcus and Tyler sometime too, although maybe this wasn't the best time to do it. 

After we took a break from working on basketball, I went to pick up their brothers.  I couldn't help but notice that they were both beaming as the came through the doors of the school, so I saw it as a good sign.  As soon as they noticed me, they sprinted over to the car, jumped inside and immediately began to speak. 

"We both made the team," they announced in unison, nearly bursting with joy at the same time. 

"All of the guys that were at my party and had played last year made the team too," Dylan added without hesitation.  "We're gonna have a really good team." 

"Congratulations!" I offered simply.

"This is what we both wanted and we're sooo happy right now," Tyler added.  Their faces were nearly splitting in two because of the huge grins that was plastered across them. 

"That's great and I'm really pleased for you," I told them.  "How were the guys that got cut holding up?" 

"Some of them kinda of knew they would be cut, but some of the others took it pretty hard," Tyler answered.  "I felt really bad for them, because I knew I would have felt that way too.  Most of them took off really quick when they didn't find their names on the list, because I think they didn't want cry in front of everyone else." 

"It's never easy to get cut, so I understand how they probably felt, but I'm glad you boys made the team," I confirmed.  "Your hard work and dedication has definitely paid off." 

"But it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been helping us," Dylan observed as we started out for home.  "Coach Jackson told us he was surprised at how good we were, since we'd never played on a team before, but he told me and Tyler that we would need to learn the team offense and defense now.  They are the same ones the other boys used last year, so those guys pretty much know what they are doing, so me and Tyler will have to catch up." 

"You are both smart and should be able to catch on what the team is doing quite quickly," I offered while looking each one in the eye.  "If you work as hard there as you did with me, then I have no doubt you'll catch up to the others with that too." 

My answer seemed to please them, so they were in a fairly good mood when we got to the house.  Justin and Marcus were still working on their basketball skills when we pulled up, but they stopped what they were doing and came over to see how their brothers had made out.  After Dylan and Tyler explained it to them, Justin and Marcus congratulated their brothers in return. 

"Dylan, before you do anything else," I suggested as we went inside, "why don't you call your mom and dad so you can tell them the good news too." 

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he agreed, and then he went off to make the call. 

When he finished doing that, the older boys came to get me so we could watch a college football game together.  When we got to the family room, Ethan and Andrew were still watching one of their shows, but the football game had already started too.  I had to act as referee for a couple of minutes, since the other four were urging me to switch the channel over to the football game, but Ethan and Andrew wanted to finish watching their show first. 

Since this was creating a problem, I pulled the four oldest boys aside and explained that it wouldn't be fair to the younger pair to make them miss the end of the show they had been watching.  After thinking about it briefly, those four finally agreed with me, so they went to the kitchen to get a drink while we waited for the program to end.  It would only be another fifteen minutes before that happened and I told them the first quarter probably wouldn't even be over by then. 

UGA was playing a night game, so they wouldn't be on until after dinner, but there were plenty of other games that interested us before then.  All six boys were eager to do this now, so we got comfortable on and around the sofa as we watched the action on the screen.  During the commercials, the boys started quizzing me about when the college basketball season would be starting.  I quickly explained that it would probably be getting underway the following weekend, but league play and most of the better games wouldn't happen until after the first of the year.  They were ok with that, but they also made sure I understood that they wanted to watch some of the early games too. 

Once the football game ended, we watched another one, but some of the boys left to do other things instead.  I started dinner at halftime and then fed the boys after that game ended.  Then, I took the youngest group upstairs to take their showers before the UGA game started.  I knew they'd be too excited to do this later, plus it would be getting late, so I wanted them ready for bed before that happened. 

We were all back in the family room again before the game got underway and it turned out to be a really exciting contest against Auburn.  UGA played fantastic in the second half and pulled the game out in the final quarter for the win.  I didn't have to worry about anyone falling asleep this time, but it didn't have anything to do with whether or not they were tired.  The noise from the cheering and jumping around was more than enough to keep the younger boys awake, even if they had started to drift off at various times.  When the game ended, I took the four little ones upstairs, tucked them in and kissed each one goodnight.  I think a couple of them were asleep before I'd even shut the bedroom door. 

Dylan and Tyler were waiting for me again and the late hour wasn't about to deter them from having a little fun after we'd finished washing each other.  They wanted a repeat of what we had done the previous night, so I went along with their request.  I was actually glad that the younger boys had been so tired, because Dylan and Tyler were very vocal tonight, more than usual, but I was convinced the younger ones would sleep through whatever commotion these two were making. 

Once we were all sexually sated, they cuddled against me and quickly drifted off to sleep.  I did the same thing a few moments later, because I was nearly as tired as they were.  I was looking forward to tomorrow too, since I no longer had to worry about Dylan and Tyler fretting about whether they would make the basketball team.  I was grateful for that, but I was also excited about spending more time with all of them. 

On Sunday, the four older boys wanted to practice basketball again before the Falcons' game, so Ethan and Andrew agreed to stay inside and watch the Disney channel.  I worked with the boys until game time and then we went inside and prepared to watch the Falcons play. 

The team didn't do very well today and they wound up losing the game.  It was kind of a downer for us, but since it was time to take the boys home it helped us to overcome our mild funk.  Cherie came out to speak with me when I dropped Justin and Dylan off and made an announcement. 

"I've been chatting with Sally and we decided it would be a good idea if all of our families celebrated Thanksgiving together this year," she advised me.  "The only one with any relatives nearby is Sally and we decided we could invite Ann to join us too, since we all know her.  What do you think of the idea?" 

"I think it's a wonderful idea, because I wasn't sure what I was going to do yet," I replied.  "I've never cooked a turkey before, so I was going to ask your advice about that anyway, so this would be great.  Just tell me what you want me to do." 

"We talked about that too and Sally and I agreed that since you have done so much for our families already and have spent so much on our sons that we'll buy the food and fix everything," she explained.  "We just want to know if you'll let us use your house to do this, since you have the most room.  Don and I have a banquet table we can bring over and set up for the kids in your living room, while the rest of us eat in the dining room.  What do you think?" 

"I have no problem with that," I concurred, "but don't you have to start the turkey early?" 

"Yes, you do, but Sally and I will come over Wednesday night to get everything ready and then I'll come over while it's still dark out the following morning to start the turkey," she confirmed. 

"In that case, remind me to give you an extra house key so I don't need to get up to let you in," I quipped in return and Cherie began to laugh. 

"Yes, I suppose that would probably work out best," she agreed. 

"What about the boys?  Whose weekend would that be?" I asked, since I wasn't sure. 

"It's our weekend, so we'll take the boys Friday and Saturday night," she confessed, "but would you mind if I asked you for another favor?" 

"Sure.  What would that be?" I wondered, mildly confused. 

"Since Sally and I will have so much to do to get dinner ready for the next day, we were wondering if the boys could stay with you Wednesday and Thursday nights?" she announced.  "That way we won't have to worry about them while we're preparing the food and we won't have to drag them home later, since they'll probably be stuffed and tired.  Don can take care of himself, so that won't be a problem either.  You can bring all of the boys over to our house Friday afternoon and then we'll keep them until Sunday." 

"That sounds like a plan to me, so as Captain Picard would say, 'Make it so, Number One'." I teased in response.  

"Who is that?" she shot back, unfamiliar with the reference. 

"I take it you weren't a big Star Trek fan then," I stated, while studying her face.  "Well I was and that was a reference to one of the Captain's favorite sayings." 

"Oh, ok, so I guess we'll have Thanksgiving together then," she added, while watching me to make sure I agreed. 

"Yes, and I'll tell Sally what we've agreed to when I drop Andrew off in a few minutes," I advised her, so she wouldn't do it too. 

"That's great and this should be fun," she beamed.  "I always enjoyed being part of big family meals and we're all like family anyway, so this should work out fine.  I have no doubt that the boys will like this arrangement as well." 

"I'll second that motion," I agreed, before I took off.  The only one who had heard any of this was Andrew, but I was sure we'd have a chance to fill the other boys in before he had a chance to do it. 

I spent a few minutes chatting with Sally when I got to her place and she was happy everything was working out.  I told her to make sure Ann joined us too, because I didn't want to think of her being left out or all alone.  Sally assured me that would never happen, because they spent all of the holidays together and this one would be better than most. 

When I got home, I explained to the boys what I'd just agreed to and they were all thrilled.  They especially liked the idea of their friends staying with us Wednesday and Thursday, but they'd also be with them over the weekend too, but at the Cochrans' house. 

"It will probably be a really good meal too," Tyler threw in, once he knew what was happening. 

"Are you implying that my meals aren't good?" I challenged, while giving him a confused glare.

"No, but I'm sure Aunt Cherie, Aunt Sally and even Auntie Ann will make a bunch of different stuff than what we usually have," he answered, and I had to agree he was correct.  Besides, I was glad they were so excited about doing this as well. 

"I hope the stuffing tastes like Mommy's stuffing," Ethan added, as I glanced at him and noticed the sad expression that had suddenly appeared on his face.  "That was my favorite thing, next to the turkey."

"And I hope somebody makes the butternut squash casserole that Mommy used to fix for us at Thanksgiving ," Marcus quickly chimed in, as his expression took on the same sad and reflective look that was currently on his younger brother's face.  "I really liked that a lot." 

"I just hope someone makes a sweet potato pie," Tyler offered, and I noticed that his eyes were beginning to water a little as he spoke.  "Most people like pumpkin pie better, but I liked the sweet potato pie that Mom made the best.  It won't be the same if we don't have that." 

In just the past couple of minutes, the feeling in the room had completely changed and made a 180-degree turn.  Where there had once been smiles and a spirit of light-hearted joking, it was now replaced by a sense of loss and a collection of tears that were slowly making their way down the cheeks of my young wards.  Not only that, but it seemed as if all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, which now made it difficult for any of us to breathe.  I was suddenly left to figure out how to stem the tide of this sudden depressive mood that had so quickly overcome them and what I could do to improve their outlook again. 

"I'm sure there will be some differences, but I'll look around to see if I can find the recipes your mother used to prepare those items for you," I stated, as I gradually pulled all three to me and embraced them in a group hug.  "I'll do my best to try to make those things for you, just the way your mother did, but I'm sure they won't be quite the same.  Just remember that we can never replace your mom and dad, so you'll have to keep the good memories you have of them in your minds and hearts, but I know your parents would still want you to be happy, even if they aren't here any longer."

This seemed to help a little, but we still spent the rest of the day together, since none of the boys seemed willing to go very far away from me.  I couldn't move without first taking a moment to make sure I didn't step on or jostle anyone when I moved, or even worse yet, to leave someone behind when we started doing something new.  They clung to me nearly as securely as skin-tight clothing, but I understood why they were doing it and tried my best to provide the love and support they currently needed. 

After our showers, I even suggested that they could all sleep with me that night, since I felt it might eliminate the chance of them having bad dreams.  If it still happened, at least they'd be close by and I could get to them quickly, so the nasty visions wouldn't last very long.  In the end, Ethan and Marcus slept next to me and Tyler cuddled up against Ethan, but he also reached an arm across Ethan's body so he could touch me too. 

We somehow managed to make it through the night with only some mild restlessness and an occasional moan or incoherent mumble, but none of the boys ever woke up.  That made me wonder how they might have handled things if I hadn't allowed them to sleep with me.  Maybe it was better if we never found that out. 

Although each one still appeared slightly down when I first woke them, they all got up and got ready for school without any complaints.  Even after I'd seen them off on their buses, I couldn't help but wonder how they would handle the rest of the day.  I continued to think about each of them all day long, but I never received a call from either school, so hopefully they had all been distracted from their previous concerns.  I was still somewhat anxious to get home after work so I could be with them again, but I took my time on the drive and didn't rush, since I felt it would be best not to risk an accident.

When I arrived at the house that evening, I went next door and brought the younger pair back with me.  They both seemed fine so I didn't say anything, because I was worried it would only rekindle the problem, and started fixing dinner instead.  Both boys seemed fine and had apparently put their other concerns behind them, which left me amazed by their resilience.  I was still in the kitchen when Tyler came bursting in later. 

"It was a great practice and the coach had me and Dylan learn both the guard spots on offense!" he shouted even before he said hello, so he had obviously forgotten about the previous night as well.  "Coach Jackson says we'll get our uniforms soon, because we have a couple of games before Thanksgiving.  I'm really excited!" 

After saying this, Tyler began jumping around and dancing in joy.  His brothers laughed at the way he was acting, but it didn't faze Tyler though.  He was in too good of a mood to let anyone spoil this for him. 

The rest of the week went smoothly too, since none of them had anything to worry about other than his schoolwork.  Before we knew it, it was Friday night and the boys were spending the weekend with the Cochrans'.  I was glad that Don had decided to take the boys to the football team's playoff game, because he also invited me.  I was thrilled that I'd get to spend a little more time with the boys, but our team wound up losing the game.  The loss ended their season too and all of the boys were a little bummed out about it.  It didn't take them long to get over that feeling though, because they decided they were more than ready to move on to basketball season instead.  Sometimes short attention spans are a good thing. 

 

 

            The Guardian

by Erastes
Copyright 2015 by Erastes
Chapter 64 - Another Sport's Season

The boys spent Saturday and most of Sunday at the Cochrans' house and didn't arrive home until just before dinnertime.  They apologized for being late, but said they were caught up in the NFL game they were watching with Uncle Don on TV and didn't want to leave until it was over.  I told them that was fine and I'd been busy as well, so we didn't discuss it further. 

After we ate, I made sure the boys had their homework done and had everything they would need to take with them in the morning.  Tyler would have practice and I reminded him that I would be picking him up after practice. 

"And I should have my uniform by the time you get there," Tyler informed me and I could see the excitement on his face.  "I'll try it on for you when we get home, so you can tell me how it looks.  We have our first game on Friday and I want to make sure I look good in it."

"I'm sure you'll look fine, but I promise to give you my honest opinion," I responded and he seemed satisfied with my answer.

After I'd showered with Ethan and Marcus and put them to bed, Tyler came in to shower with me next.  He seemed to be an unbridled mass of nerves again, although I wasn't quite sure why, except that he was thinking ahead to his first game.  Since I could see he was so wound up, I made a decision. 

"If you want, I'll let you sleep with me tonight," I offered and he smiled in return. 

"And you'll do something with me too?" he asked, looking at me with a hopeful expression. 

"Maybe something quick," I conceded.  "Remember, we'll be getting up early." 

"I know, so we'll sixty-nine," Tyler countered and I nodded my head in agreement. 

We did that quickly and both of us got our rocks off before going to sleep.  Then, we enjoyed a very relaxing slumber. 

Tyler and I both got up when the alarm went off in the morning and then I sent him over to wake up his brothers, while I went downstairs to fix breakfast.  I told him to make sure they were all dressed and had everything they'd need for school, because I didn't want to be racing around looking for things when their bus came.  He said he'd do that and I headed to the kitchen. 

The boys came downstairs ready for the day to begin, so I fed them quickly, as I gulped down something with them.  I asked Tyler if he had everything he'd need for practice, just to be sure, and he said he did.  After I kissed them goodbye and told them to have a good day, I sent them out to get on their buses and I took off for work. 

The day was pretty uneventful and I was soon heading home.  I went home first to pick up the younger boys from the Riordans' house and we spent some time at home first, before I had them get in the Outback and we set out to pick up Dylan and Tyler.  We had to wait about fifteen minutes before they came out, but they jogged directly for us and hopped inside. 

"We got our uniforms today," Dylan announced, as soon as he was inside. 

"Yes, Tyler told me you were going to get them," I confirmed. 

"I got number 21 and Tyler is 22," Dylan added.  "I wish I could go home with you so I could show you how I look in it." 

"I plan on coming to your game on Friday, so I'll see you in it then," I offered, since I knew I had to get the boys home and fed. 

"Yeah, ok," Dylan conceded shortly before we arrived at his house and he got out.  "Thanks for the ride and I'll see you again on Wednesday." 

"Ok and have a good night," I told him, since I'd be picking them up on Wednesday too. 

"You know me and Justin start basketball this week too," Marcus chimed in, once Dylan was gone.  "We'll be practicing on Tuesday and Thursday." 

"I remember, but Aunt Cherie will be picking you boys up this week, since those are her days," I informed him, so he'd know what was happening.  "My only question is, how is this going to work, since you'll be using the same gym the older boys use too." 

"When we have a game or practice, the other boys practice at the elementary school," Marcus answered.  "It's not a big deal though, because that gym is just as nice as the middle school gym."

"Yes, I remember it was a nice facility too," I agreed. 

"But we'll only practice there for now, because we don't got no games until after Thanksgiving," Marcus added. 

"You don't HAVE ANY games," I repeated, correcting his poor grammar.  Up until now, I hadn't been correcting the boys when they misspoke, but I thought it was time I started to make up for that oversight.  "And yes, I remembered that too and it will allow you to have four practices before your first game," I added to let him know that I had been listening and remembered what he'd told me earlier as well. 

"Yeah, I think this week is so they can see who's good and who's not so good and then they'll pick our teams," Marcus informed us.  "Then the next two practices will be with our team, before we play our first game." 

"That should work out well then," I agreed, earning me a smile. 

When we got home, I began fixing dinner while the boys started their homework.  Before long, Tyler came into the kitchen wearing his basketball uniform. 

"How do I look?" he wanted to know, so I inspected his get up.  The shorts were baggier than what I'd worn, but that seemed to be the style now, and the shirt was a little big on him too, but he still looked good. 

"You look like you're ready to go in the game," I answered.  It brought a smile to his face, but I could also tell something was bothering him. 

"Do you think it needs to be altered?" he followed, giving me a questioning look. 

"That's a question you should ask your coach," I countered.  "That's school property and I wouldn't want to do anything to it without permission first.  Besides, it may be a little big on you now, but I'm sure it won't hinder your game." 

"Ok, if you say so," he replied, before he went upstairs to take it off again. 

The rest of the night and the next few days went basically as usual, with the boys going to school, and then those involved in basketball having their practices and coming home to take care of any homework afterward.  After his first practice on Tuesday, Marcus had a lot to tell me during dinner. 

"Me and Justin had talked it over and decided we were going to shower after practice," he announced.  "We were the only ones doing it and a bunch of the other boys were staring at us at first.  Then one of the older coaches yelled out so everyone else could hear." 

"Hey, we've got a couple of cool little dudes here," the older boy said.  "They aren't worried about others seeing them without anything on and are brave enough to shower after working out.  That's very smart of you.  A lot of guys are dumb and go right outside after getting all sweaty and then they cool down too quickly and wind up getting sick.  Then they wonder why it happened.  Me and the other coaches are proud of you.  We all take showers after practices and games too, so good job!"

"I think most of the other guys will start taking showers now too, since he said that," Marcus added.  "Some of them came over and talked to us while we were drying off and said they didn't think about bringing a towel, but they would next time."  I could see he was thrilled about that possibility.  In fact, after he got home on Thursday, he announced that more than half of the guys showered this time, especially the ones that had come to his and Justin's birthday parties. 

Before I knew it, it was Friday and I hurried home to pick up Ethan and Marcus, so we could all go to Dylan and Tyler's game.  We spotted Cherie and Justin almost immediately, so we went over to sit with them. 

We watched the team warm up and commented on how they looked and then we compared them with their opponents.  The two teams looked to be pretty evenly matched, although the other team had one boy that seemed a head taller than anyone on our team.  At that age it might not be such a big advantage though, because it was possible his coordination hadn't caught up to his growth spurt yet, so he might not be that big of a threat. 

When the game started, Dylan and Tyler were sitting on the bench.  It wasn't that surprising, seeing eight of the twelve boys on the team had played the previous year too, so they were already familiar with the offensive and defensive schemes.  Tyler came in the game first and Dylan got in a short time later, but they both saw action in the first half.  I thought they both played fairly well, although neither scored, but they made a couple of assists and collected some rebounds, but they each had a steal too.  Overall, I was impressed with how the team played, even though they were down 2 points at the half. 

Don had showed up just before the first half ended, since he wasn't able to leave work early.  He came over and sat with the rest of us and we filled him in on what he'd missed.  By the time we finished doing that, the teams were back out warming up for the second half. 

Coach Jackson started the same players in the second half, but the defense seemed to be playing better.  Obviously the coach had noticed something about the other team's offense and had made some slight changes, which seemed to be working well.  Dylan and Tyler both saw action in the second half too, beside getting in the scorebook.  Dylan intercepted a pass and then drove and scored on a layup, but he also scored a couple of free-throws after that, while Tyler made a couple of jumpshots.  In the end, our team won by four points and I'd been really impressed by the play of the boys that I'd met at Dylan's birthday party. 

"Great game!" Marcus and Justin shouted when their brothers walked over to speak with us. 

"Thanks.  We did all right," Tyler stated in response. 

"The entire team played well and we were just glad we got to play in both halves," Dylan added. 

"Do we have time to take a shower?" Tyler wanted to know next. 

"Sure.  Go ahead," I advised them.  "You're all spending the weekend with us, so it's not a problem." 

Cherie had Justin follow her out to the car so he could grab the things he and Dylan would need for later and we put everything in the Outback.  Shortly after we'd finished doing that, Dylan and Tyler came out, changed and ready to get going. 

We left the school and headed directly over to pick up Andrew next, before going to the diner.  Ann greeted us as we walked in and seated us in a booth. 

"How are y'all tonight?" she asked the boys as she was pouring the water. 

"We're great!" Dylan answered quickly.  "Me and Tyler made the school basketball team and we had our first game after school." 

"And did y'all win?" Ann followed with a smile. 

"Yep, by 4 points," Tyler chipped in.  "We didn't start, but we got to play in the game."

"Good for both of y'all," Ann responded.  "I have no doubt that y'all will be good players." 

"And me and Justin start next week," Marcus added, not wishing to be left out.  Ann smiled at them and nodded her head in approval. 

After we placed our orders, the boys turned their attention to me.  "The J.V. and Varsity teams have a game tonight at the high school, so could we go watch them play?" 

"Is that what the rest of you boys want to do?" I asked, looking around the table. 

"I've never been to a basketball game before," Andrew told us, as he looked at me slightly confused. 

"It will be fun and you'll get to learn about basketball so you'll be even better than we are, when you're as old as us," Justin told him, trying to help. 

"Yeah, we're too little to play now, but we'll prolly want to do it when we're older," Ethan added, looking over at his buddy.  "I watched Tyler and Dylan play today and it was fun." 

"Ok, I want to go too then," Andrew agreed. 

"And you may be too small to play on a team, but I'll look and see if I can find a couple of basketballs that are more your size and you can use them to practice at home too," I offered, bringing a grin to each of their faces. 

"Yeah, we'd like that," Ethan told me, after getting a nod of agreement from Andrew. 

The conversation ended at that point because our meals arrived and the boys were too busy stuffing their faces with food.  Once we finished our meals, we said goodbye to Ann and headed over to the high school.  When we got to the gym, Dylan and Tyler wanted us to sit at the very top of the bleachers, because they said they would be able to study the offense better from there. 

"All of the school teams use the same offense against a man-to-man defense and that is all our league allows us to use," Tyler explained.  "We want to see how the J.V. and Varsity teams run the offense too, because we hope it will help us to understand it better."  I had no problem with that, so we all trudged up to the very top row. 

During the game, I tried to point out some things to Tyler and Dylan about both the offensive and defensive play.  I could tell Marcus and Justin were also listening in on our discussion, but neither one ever said anything.  They were just trying to absorb as much as possible about what I was saying. 

The J.V. team won their game, but the Varsity lost.  It was a close game though and they could have won, but their shooting was a little off.  It could have just been first game jitters in front of the home crowd, because they didn't look that bad.  It was just that their shooting was a hair off.  With a few breaks the outcome could have been very different. 

When we got back to the house, we immediately began the shower cycle.  Although it didn't completely surprise me, Andrew and Marcus showed up to shower together first, and then I washed Ethan and Justin.  I guess the boys had talked this over earlier and it's what they agreed to do.  They told me they wanted to sleep with those same partners too and I had no problem with that either, so that's the way I tucked them in. 

When I got back to my room, Tyler and Dylan were waiting for me.  They had devilish grins on their faces, so it made me wonder what they were going to hit me with tonight. 

"Do you give out rewards for playing well and winning games?" Tyler asked, with Dylan grinning and waiting for my answer. 

"Does that mean I have to suck off your whole team?" I shot back to see how they were going to react.  They both burst out laughing. 

"No, we mean us," Tyler clarified, once he stopped giggling. 

"The other guys would probably enjoy it too, so do you want me to tell them to come over here after practice tomorrow," Dylan chipped in while still giggling. 

"Geez, do you think I can handle ten more teen dicks that hardly ever go soft?" I joked in return.  "The two of you are wearing me out as it is, so adding that many more would probably kill me."  The boys started laughing again. 

"Ok, we'll keep you to ourselves," Tyler offered, "as long as you do a good job.  Otherwise, we'll have to bring the other guys over too so you can get more practice." 

"Oh come on!  You've never complained before," I pointed out, challenging his claim. 

"We just didn't want to hurt your feelings before and admit you weren't very good," Dylan added, trying to stifle more laughter. 

"In that case, no rewards tonight," I announced while feigning a pout.  "If I'm that bad, then I just won't do it any more."  That got both boys looking at me and wondering if I meant what I'd just said. 

"You know we were only foolin' with ya, dontcha?" Dylan countered, suddenly worried that they'd gone too far. 

"Were you really or did you just find the courage to tell me the truth for a change," I retaliated, still making them think they'd hurt my feelings. 

"Really, Uncle Blake.  You do a great job and that's why we like doing stuff with you.  We were just joking, so please don't stop doing this with us," Tyler pleaded, since he was actually worried that I wouldn't do anything with them again. 

"Hey, I knew you were only pulling my chain, but I was willing to let you go without doing anything tonight, just to teach you a lesson," I added, making them squirm even more. 

"Let's just forget any of that happened and we can go into the shower so you can wash us," Dylan suggested, hoping that would end the problem.  "We still like doing stuff with you, so we hope you will do it after we get cleaned up."  He and Tyler then began fluttering their eyelashes and giving me those looks that usually made me go along with whatever they wanted. 

I didn't say anything after that.  I just tilted my head toward the master bath to let them know I agreed it was time to shower.  As I was washing each of them, they kept asking if I knew that they had only been joking.  Even though I assured them I had, they still didn't act as if they totally believed me.  Even when we were done, they followed me out to the bedroom still not sure if they should get in my bed or whether they should head across the hall to Tyler's room.  Finally, I decided to take them off the hook. 

"So what do you want to do now?" I asked.  They both sighed in relief at my comment and slowly their faces lit up. 

"Whatever you want to do is fine with us," Dylan answered.  He didn't care what we did, as long as I wasn't going to shut them out completely. 

Since I knew how much they enjoyed it, I rimmed each one before sucking him off.  They both kept telling me how good it felt and how much they were enjoying it, so I'd know they hadn't meant what they'd said earlier.  I just gave them my best effort and did everything I could to make this as pleasurable for them as possible.  When I was done servicing them, they teamed up to take care of me next and then we all cuddled together and fell asleep. 

Saturday morning, after I'd fed everyone, I left Dylan and Tyler to watch the other boys while I ran an errand.  Ethan and Andrew were watching cartoons when I left, while the other four were outside practicing their basketball skills.  They had to stop temporarily as I pulled the car out of the garage, but I saw them start up again as soon as I'd backed into the street. 

After stopping at a few different places, I finally found a store with some decent basketballs that were a little over half the size of a normal basketball.  After making sure I could dribble them like a regular basketball, I bought two of them and took them with me.  When I got home, I gave them to Ethan and Andrew and told them they could use those to practice with for the time being, if they wanted to learn how to play basketball too.  After they thanked me, I went out and found a magic marker so I could write their name on their ball. 

As soon as we'd finished lunch, we spent the rest of Saturday switching between football and basketball games on television.  The boys still enjoyed watching football, but they wanted to see some of the basketball games too.  While we were watching one of those, the boys kept pointing out to me when they saw one of the players doing something that I'd taught them.  I thought it was good that they were picking up on those things and it was good reinforcement to make sure they continued doing it too. 

When shower time rolled around, Andrew said he wanted to do it with Justin tonight.  Since they wanted to sleep together too, Ethan told them they could use his bed and he'd sleep with Marcus.  They were showering together too, so it only seemed to make sense for them to do it that way. 

Once they were all in bed, I ended up doing a repeat of the previous night with Dylan and Tyler.  They were happy with this as well, as long as I was still doing this with them.  I think they were still a little concerned that I might turn them down. 

Sunday morning, Ethan and Andrew wanted me to show them a few things they could practice for basketball, so I worked with them on dribbling.  I wasn't as picky with them as I was with the older boys, but just worked with them on using their fingertips and not letting the ball bounce to high.  I let them look at what they were doing for the time being and didn't demand they keep their heads up, since they were just learning.  I also told them about how to use the backboard to score baskets and then let them just practice shooting with the smaller balls.  They really seemed to like doing this, so I left them on their own for a while and went inside. 

Later, I went out to work with the older boys too, but I got a kick out of watching Dylan and Tyler helping their brothers and giving them pointers.  The younger pair acted a little annoyed at first and thought their brothers were starting to act too self-important, but that ended when I kept telling them the same thing afterward.  Eventually, they both realized their brothers knew what they were talking about and only trying to help, so they started listening to them too. 

The boys eventually opted to take a break and we went inside to watch the Falcons' game.  The conversation during the game was primarily about basketball though, even though they kept one eye on the action on the TV screen. 

When the game ended, I had Dylan, Justin and Andrew get their things together and I took them home.  Andrew thanked me for his basketball when I dropped him off and told me he'd had a good time.  Sally just shook her head again, after she'd noticed I'd bought something else for Andrew, but I explained that it wasn't very expensive and I'd got Ethan one too.  I also told her this way those two could get involved with basketball, along with the older boys. 

Justin and Dylan thanked me too and I told them I'd see them during the week, since I'd be picking the younger pair up from their practice on Tuesday and taking them over to Dylan and Tyler's game.  They seemed happy about that and I reminded Don and Cherie about it too.  Cherie then reminded me this was Thanksgiving week, so she'd be seeing us on Wednesday when she dropped all the boys off at my place after their practices ended.  She also reminded me that she and Sally would be returning later to get things started for the Thanksgiving meal.  That had really slipped up on us quickly. 

Monday night I had the boys help me clean up the house and start getting the place ready after dinner.  They dusted and vacuumed, both downstairs and up in their bedrooms, while I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms really well.  We were all pretty tired by bedtime and only had a few things left to do the following evening. 

Tuesday after work, I went home to get Ethan first and then drove over to pick up Cherie too, before heading over to the school to get Marcus and Justin.  Then I took all of them to see Tyler and Dylan play, because it was an away game. 

"We had our first practice with our teams tonight," Marcus told me as I was driving to the other school.  "Me and Justin are on different teams, so we gotta play against each other." 

"Yeah, that sucks.  I wanted us to be on the same team," Justin chipped in. 

"Well you won't get better unless you play against better players, so this will be good for you," I replied.  "You're both getting pretty good, so this will help you get even better when you have to play against one another."  They sat quietly thinking this over, as I pulled in and parked the Outback. 

By the time we got inside, the teams were just getting ready to start the second quarter.  Dylan and Tyler noticed us entering the gym and moving toward the bleachers, so they smiled at us in recognition.  Then, the boys, Cherie and I took our seats and watched the game.  Dylan wasn't in game when we first got there, although Tyler was, but Dylan went in a minute later and joined Tyler in the backcourt. 

They played much better this time and did a good job taking charge of the game.  They kept alternating bringing the ball upcourt and did a good job getting the offense started and using their teammates to score points.  They also scored, but their primary job was setting things up and playing good defense.  They were constantly harassing the other team's guards and caused them to turn the ball over a few times as well.  Then I'd hear Coach Jackson shouting out compliments and cheering them on whenever this happened.  They ended up beating the other team by a dozen points and they stopped to chat with us briefly, before going to take their showers. 

"You guys looked really good out there," Justin told them, totally impressed with what he saw. 

"Thanks," Tyler and Dylan both answered. 

"I know you probably have to ride back with the team, so we'll meet you at the school," I told them.  "Great game!"  They both smiled in response as they headed off to catch up with the others. 

We had to wait a while for the bus to get back, so Cherie and I discussed some more of the details concerning Thanksgiving, while the boys chatted with each other in the back.  When Tyler and Dylan finally showed up, they joined us and I took Cherie and her boys home.  It was a shame that Don hadn't been able to get away to watch Dylan play this time, since he and Tyler had both done well. 

Before I left the Cochrans' house, I called the Chinese place and ordered take out for us, since I didn't think I had time to fix something before the boys turned into cannibals and started gnawing on my body.  On the way over to pick it up, Marcus had something he wanted to tell me. 

"I didn't want to say this in front of Aunt Cherie, but there were only a couple of boys that didn't take showers when we got done today.  It was great having everyone naked and going in and out of the showers.  Me and Justin took lockers close to the shower so we could see all of them."  I had to chuckle at that comment. 

Once we'd picked up our order, we took it home and dug in.  While we were eating the boys wanted to ask me questions about having Thanksgiving together with everyone else.  They were anxious to have everyone stay over tomorrow night too, but they wondered if they'd have to do things differently later, since Aunt Cherie and Aunt Sally were going to be there getting the meal started. 

"Nah, I don't think they'll come upstairs, so I think we'll be safe," I answered.  "Just don't go wandering too close to the top of the stairs without anything on though."  They laughed nervously at my warning. 

"So you'll still be able to shower with us?" Marcus wanted to know. 

"Yeah, I'll just tell Aunt Sally and Aunt Cherie that I'm going upstairs to supervise and make sure things don't get out of control," I answered.  "I don't see any problem doing that." 

"But they'll be able to tell you showered too, because your hair will be all wet," Tyler pointed out. 

"I'll just tell them I decided to clean up too, so I don't think they'll think anything about it."

"Ok, we just wanted to make sure," Tyler stated.  They all looked relieved as I shooed them to their bedrooms and tucked them in.

 

 

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I wish to extend my thanks to Donny for editing these chapters for me and offering his suggestions. 

 

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to:  ErastesTouch@aol.com  - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail. 

 

My other stories:

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/different-points-of-view/

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/a-throw-away-kid/

                                                

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Although the boys in these stories sometimes have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using taking appropriate precautions before engaging in sex.