Rugby Training: A Hard Lesson - Part 4

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It was perhaps 10 minutes later that Malcolm's teammates began coming out of the changing rooms. Tim, the winger, was the first. He looked puzzled by what he saw. `What are you doing, Malcolm?', he asked. Malcolm didn't react -- he knew what his instructions were and they actually made this situation easier. How exactly would he have answered in any case? Eventually, Tim just walked off looking confused. Then came Mark and David. Mark took one look at Malcolm and said `Don't do that again' without even slowing down. Other teammates reacted similarly. It was clear that they saw his decision to hesitate as unacceptable. It was only when James came out that someone sympathised. Standing in front of him, James said, `You know, when I met you for the first time at the welcome event, I saw a hell of a lot of potential in you. I mean, you are a great player. There's no denying that. Look, I can understand that this is hard, but it is for the best. Coach Briar will take care of you. Just trust him. If it makes it any easier, I know because he helped me too. See you next semester'. And with that, he walked off.

Before Malcolm had time to think, Coach Briar came out of the changing rooms. He walked straight up to Malcolm. `Stand up, turn around and enter my office'. Malcolm complied, keeping his hands behind his back. Entering the office, Coach Briar closed the door and switched the lock. `Sit down on that chair', he said. Malcolm sat. Coach Briar sat down in his office chair and wheeled himself over to where Malcolm was sitting. Again, getting close to his face, he began to explain what was going to happen.

`This is quite simple. You have allowed your fear to get the better of you, and we cannot allow that to happen again. Therefore, I am going to train you to overcome that fear. This will not be quick, nor will it be pleasant, however I want you to know that everything that is happening is for your own good, and therefore -- as you know -- for the good of the team. Now, I want you to know that you are certainly not the only person on the team who has had extra training of this kind. Everyone is different and some people need more assistance than others. Likewise, those who need less assistance in this area can easily need assistance in others. There is no judgement here. However, it still needs to be done. Something you may also be unaware of is that this training also forms part of the buddy program. It is known by the experienced guys that, should their apprentice buddy need extra training of this kind, that they are duty bound to assist. Of course, in your case, your partner is Luke, who is also himself a newbie this year. However, while you were kneeling outside, I spoke to him and he has agreed to assist. He therefore knows that you are here, he knows what the process involves, how long it takes and his responsibilities within it. I would like you to know that he has willingly agreed to take part. Likewise, I should remind you, you have willingly agreed to take part in this. I left you outside the tunnel and you had the chance to walk away, yet you decided to kneel in front of my office. For what it is worth, I shall accept that as consent. However, should at any point during this process, you not wish to continue, you may do so by saying the word `penguin'. I repeat that this is an entirely voluntary process, however I promise you that you will come out of it on the other side with the ability to never hesitate on the rugby field. For that, Malcolm, I give you my word. On my part, it is very likely that I will enjoy making things unpleasant for you and thus not be unwilling to increase the intensity or to subject you to tougher situations. So, I will ask you one more time. Do you wish to continue?'

Malcolm still didn't know where this was going. He was scared. But then, James had been through it, and he didn't doubt Coach Briar's insistence that he had a get-out option. Moreover, Luke would apparently be somehow involved. Surely he wouldn't let things go too far. So, after thinking for 10 seconds or so, Malcolm agreed. `Yes'.

With that, Coach Briar stood up and started giving commands. `Stand up and take your kit off except your socks. What shoe size are you?'. `11', Malcolm replied. `Okay, put these on', said Coach Briar. He had walked over and opened a cupboard which Malcolm could now see contained several pairs of army-style black leather combat boots just like those his teammates were wearing when Malcolm first saw them at the welcome-day stand. He placed a size 11 pair down in front of where Malcolm was undressing. Coach Briar watched him put on the boots and tie up the laces. Then, he walked over to where his full-sized fridge was located and grabbed it on both sides, moving it towards the middle of the room. It was only then that Malcolm noticed the half-height door built into the wall behind it. Coach Briar opened the door and motioned for Malcolm to enter. Malcolm was now worried, but after Coach Briar motioned a second time, he reluctantly entered.

On the other side, it was hard to see at first. A dark room, to which his eyes took several seconds to adjust. All the surfaces were black. Walking over to a wall, Malcolm noticed that they were padded. `What is this?', he asked. As he said it, he noticed the difference. The padding deadened his voice -- `it is quite possible that you wouldn't hear much from outside in the office', he thought to himself. Coach Briar shut the door and turned on a very small lamp which produced just enough light to see what was going on. Coach Briar took Malcolm by the upper arms and moved him backwards until he was standing between two solid vertical wooden beams, each of which had multiple holes drilled through them. Coach Briar took out a box from a shelving unit which contained multiple lengths of rope. Grabbing a rope, Coach Briar began to tie them to Malcolm's limbs. Starting with his wrists, then his ankles, followed by his lower legs, thighs (`Good to see that these have grown', commented Coach Briar as he tied each one up), waist, neck, lower arm and upper arm. Although covered in rope, Malcolm was at this point still fully able to move as the ropes weren't attached to anything. However, things didn't remain this way for long. Coach Briar began connecting the other ends of the rope to the wooden beams either side of him. At this point, Malcolm felt like a lost sheep. Whatever was happening was clearly going in a sexual direction -- and he couldn't possibly claim to have never dreamt of what it would be like to have sex with Coach Briar, even less so when it came to Luke. But how was this going to assist with his hesitation? That is now what scared him. To be honest, if this uncertainty were removed, he would likely find this scenario extremely horny. But, as things currently stood, that was unlikely.

After 5 minutes or so, all the ropes had been connected to the wooden beams, yet Malcolm was still able to move quite freely. Okay, he couldn't exactly walk away, but they certainly weren't taut. It was then that Coach Briar spoke for the first time since entering the room. He walked around behind Malcolm and put his arms around him, hugging him from behind. Like a rocket, Malcolm's evenly weighted balance of horny and scared tipped immediately into horny and resulted in a rock-solid erection. Something Coach Briar was very aware of. `Good', he said. `Now, there are a few things that you should know. The first is that these wooden beams on either side of you are not just beams, but are instead designed to give me the ability to do lots of different things to you with relative ease. From your perspective, what it means is that I can control the position of your body in multiple ways. For example, I can do this'. At this point, Coach Briar reached over to his right-hand side and pulled a metal lever. All of the ropes attached to Malcolm's body were tightened to the point where Malcolm was no longer able to move a millimetre. Although Malcolm had seen this coming -- why else would you tie ropes to somebody? -- the high level of tension in the ropes and his complete inability to move took him by surprise. `I'll give you a moment to get used to that', said Coach Briar. `Of course, there is lots more that I can do besides that. I certainly don't intend on giving everything away, but if I give you two examples, that should suffice.' To this, Coach Briar walked to the left-hand beam and pulled up a lever much lower down. The ropes holding Malcolm's left thigh, lower leg and foot were all immediately raised by 30 cm, leaving Malcolm's entire left side suspended off the ground. Walking round to the right-hand side, Coach Briar did the same thing, leaving Malcolm fully suspended. `That's the first example', said Coach Briar calmly, `and now for the second'. With that, he pulled out a latch, resulting in a heavy thud and suddenly, Malcolm was doing a summersault. Flung backwards, he had been turned 180 degrees vertically and was now upside down. Crouching down in front of him, Coach Briar got close to his face. `I think you'll agree that this gives me quite a lot of control. We'll be using this a lot.'. He then stood back up and brought Malcolm back the right way, though didn't lower his legs. He walked round to the front and started stroking Malcolm's body as he continued to speak.

`Other things to explain -- you will do what I say. Some of things I will ask you to do will be hard. You may well find some of them unpleasant. But this doesn't matter. You do them. You don't think about doing it, you don't wonder whether you want to or not, you don't think about the morality or otherwise of what I have asked you to do. You just do it. The intention of what I am doing is not to cause you damage. I do not want or intend in any way to harm you, let alone break you. I would have a short-lived career as a rugby coach if I were to damage my best players. No, I want to make you stronger. And I will. I will teach you to look at a scary or unpleasant or undesired situation straight in the eye and not flinch. You will learn to accept it and take it. Over time, you will learn that this is always the best option. It may not be the best option for you, but it is the best option for the team. And, as already discussed, that is your priority'.

`The next thing to explain. You are not the first person in this room, nor are you likely to be the last. Please do not get the impression that I have built this room just for you. Other members of your team have been here and they have all profited from it. They were just as nervous as you at first, but they relaxed, as you are now also doing, and then they accepted their task. As you will also no doubt do.'

At this point, Malcolm suddenly remembered what James had said to him in the corridor. `James has been here', he said. `Yes, he has,' replied Coach Briar, 'and you have no doubt noticed how skilled he is at putting the needs of the many in front of the needs of the individual. However -- if my calculations are correct, and I think they are -- then you will likely have an advantage over him. You must understand that this process is not -- regardless of what it may look like -- a sexual one. I have no sexual intentions. My intentions lie purely in the aims already outlined.' Coach Briar always said this, but it was obviously a lie, and he suspected that Malcolm -- unlike the other guys, especially James it would seem -- might just figure this out. Wanting to test the water, he added, `However, it is my belief that you may hold gay or at least bisexual tendencies. As I say, this could well be to your advantage.'

Malcolm didn't know what to say. How would that make this process easier for him exactly? On the other hand, his erection just got a boost and his whole penis was throbbing.

`Moreover, I think you rather like Luke. Well, I can confirm that you will get to know Luke very well in the course of this process. Luke has confirmed that he is happy for you to enjoy your time with him on a sexual level, to the extent that may or may not be possible for you.'

At that point, Coach Briar reached down to Malcolm's penis and began slowly stroking it. `Strangely, by this point, even those who clearly hold no gay or bisexual tendencies often have an erection. It's interesting to see'.

With that, Coach Briar opened the half-sized door and left, closing it behind him. Malcolm tried to look around to get an idea of what to expect, but it was too dark. He couldn't see anything. He just had to hang there with his huge erection which was now starting to drip pre-cum.

After a few minutes, he heard footsteps. Coach Briar walked back through the half-sized door and flicked a light switch, providing more light in the room. He was followed by Luke who was still in his rugby kit and clearly hadn't made any attempt to wash off the effects of the game from his body, though he had put on a pair of army boots, like the ones Coach Briar had given Malcolm. Maybe Coach Briar had told him not to shower. Malcolm smiled at him, but Luke did not respond. He positioned himself a metre in front of Malcolm, legs apart, hands behind his back and stared Malcolm directly in the eyes. It was only at this close range that Malcolm noticed that he hadn't shaved, thus producing a dense network of blond stubble on his face. Coach Briar closed the door behind him.

`So, here are the ground rules. I am your Master. That applies not only to you Malcolm, but also to you Luke. Do you understand?'. Malcolm went to say `Yes' but was taken aback by the speed, volume and intensity with which Luke shouted `Yes Sir'. He was clearly serious. `Do you also understand that when I request something, this is to be acted upon without question or hesitation?' Again, Luke answered as if he were an army cadet. The sensation of seeing and hearing someone agree to such loyalty while they are staring you in the eyes gave Malcolm a strange sensation. He didn't recognise it at first, but after a while, he realised that he liked it. A lot.

`Luke, you have requested 60 seconds to speak with Malcolm directly and I have agreed. When I give the word, you may do so and I shan't intervene. However, once the 60 seconds are up, you are to speak only when given permission. Is that understood?' Again, Luke's agreement sent shockwaves through Malcolm's penis. `You may begin... now'. Without changing his expression or posture, Luke began speaking.

`Luke -- as you no doubt understand from Coach Briar, what happened today cannot be allowed to happen again.' His voice was very different to what Malcolm was expecting. Gone was the friendliness and jovial lilt, replaced instead by the voice of a leader. It left those who heard him in no doubt as to the hierarchy of the situation. `I have been your training buddy since the beginning of term and you have been a great player. You have come to training, given all your energy, been to the gym and grown your body to be able to make a high-quality prop. However, none of that matters if you are not willing to overcome your fears and accept what fate deals you. As such, I have agreed to assist Coach Briar in this process. I do this because I want to see you win, to see us win. I want to be on that pitch with you and know that you will be at my side. From what I understand, and from what I know about you, it is very unlikely that you will enjoy this process. On my part, I do not know whether I will enjoy it. On the one hand, the things I am asked to do may cause you pain, they may disgust you, they may be extremely difficult for you to handle. However, on the other hand, there will be a part of me that will enjoy it regardless because it is for your benefit. On that basis, I have agreed to follow Coach Briar's commands unquestioningly. I want you to think about that while it is happening. I expect you to work with me to complete the tasks. It will make you stronger.'

Coach Briar was impressed. He knew that Luke held a personal interest in wanting to turn Malcolm into the guy he wanted him to be, but the detached, cool-headed, almost sadistic matter-of-factness about the way he made that clear to Malcolm was intoxicating even to Coach Briar.

And it was clear that Malcolm felt the same way. Any fear that was previously in him had vanished. Hearing Luke -- Luke! -- say these things gave him the headspace, as it always had, to take on the worst. For all of his better judgement, he wanted the process to start. Staring into Luke's eyes, the words come out of him without him even needing to think. `Sir, I submit to you fully. Make me a better player. Do what is needed to prevent what happened today from happening again. I want it and accept it willingly'.

Coach Briar couldn't have been happier, though he didn't show it. `Then it will begin, boy'.

With that, Coach Briar bent down and removed his trainers and sweat pants, revealing a bulging black jockstrap. All the while, Luke didn't flinch, just staring straight ahead into Malcolm's eyes. Malcolm watched as Coach Briar walked over to a cupboard and removed a pair of rugby shorts and army boots. He pulled the rugby shorts on over his socks, up his thick legs and up to his waist. Then, he put on his boots, bending down on one knee then the other, tightening the laces from the bottom up so that -- by the time he was finished -- the boots were solidly strapped to his feet. Afterwards, he stood back up, bent over and pulled his rugby socks up over his thick hairy calves to just below his knees, turning the top three or four inches of them back down to create a thick rim over which his dark leg hair peeled out like a thousand tiny claws. Standing back up straight, he repositioned his shorts, knotted the tie-string into a bow, pulled his rugby top down to cover his waistband, raised his left then his right knee up out to the side to ensure everything remained in place and reached back into the cupboard. Pulling out what looked like two skiing masks, he walked over and put one in Luke's hand. Without being told what to do, Luke put it on his head such that it was positioned over his hair while maintaining eye contact with Malcolm. His finger pressed a button on the side and a small purple LED light illuminated at the top. Coach Briar came over and placed a small black sticker over the LED to stop it being visible. He did the same with his own. Placing the mask in the same position as Luke had his, Coach Briar walked over to the door and placed his finger on the light switch. `Luke, are you ready?', he asked. A second passed and then his answer came loud and clear: `Yes Sir'. With that, Luke pulled his mask over his eyes. Coach Briar did the same. Looking at Malcolm through his mask, Coach Briar said, `I wish you the best of luck, boy. We'll see each other again in 4 days', and then flicked the light switch.

The room was pitch black. Malcolm knew he was now on his own.