Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2023 00:46:29 +0000 From: Dod Kelevra Subject: Football Boys and Chosen Family Chapter 3 Disclaimer: The following is a story of a homosexual nature and is sexually suggestive, if not explicit. Please do not read if you are a minor or if it is illegal where you live to do so. Use protection and get vaccinated. Remember to think smart to play smart. Help the Nifty Archive continue to provide a home for erotic fiction. Consider donating by going to http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html. Thank you. Football Boys and Chosen Family Chapter 3: Boys Night I followed Blake with the towel from the couch over my shoulder. I was a bit confused when he turned into my room, but my confusion was soon cast aside as I was pushed onto my bed. Blake locked his lips with mine as he crawled over me. He dragged me while kissing me until our heads were on the pillows, our naked bodies in contact from lips to toes. Blake's massive arms cradled my head as he continued to roll me around the bed, forcing his tongue into my mouth and kissing me with a primal passion. I kissed back, matching his intensity but not his skill. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but the same primal urge I followed in choosing Blake's cock over air was entirely in control of my actions. "How the fuck did I get so lucky to be assigned you as my son," Blake asked me, looking into my eyes as he cradled my head. This fucking guy was smoother than silk. "I don't know. I don't know how I won the foster lottery either." I said, almost tripping over my words. "Such a sweet boy," Blake said, maneuvering my arms above my head before diving into my pits. "Aww fuck" I groaned as he lapped at the thin fuzz that was starting to come in. Jesus Christ, no wonder Coach B loved this so much. Blake's armpit was hovering over my face. Fuck it. "God damn, son," Blake yelled as I dove up into his pit, lapping at the light brown hair soaked in musk. Fuck... why was I so scared of this. Blake and I buried our faces in each other's pits, grunting and groaning while our cocks mashed together and coated themselves in pre. "Such a good fucking boy," Blake said, face covered in spit and... I looked closer. That couldn't be right; why would Blake be crying? "You ok, Blake?" I asked, pulling my face from his pit. "I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to follow family traditions, that I wouldn't be able to be a dad when the time came, that I wouldn't be able to do any of this. But there you are. You make me proud every single day with how much you embrace the challenge of making this new life for yourself. I'm so lucky to be a part of it. You may not be my flesh and blood, but you are and always will be my first son." He said, wrapping his arms around me and putting his head in the crook of my neck. "Pops, Blake, you are everything I wished I had in a dad," I wanted to say more, but I couldn't. My throat suddenly was full of rocks, and my chest, already carrying Blakes's impressive musculature, felt like 5 tons was just added to it. "Can you try it? To call me dad?" Blake asked me. I wanted to--every fiber of my being wanted to. But I couldn't breathe; my chest was caving in under the weight. All I could think of was screaming at my dad to stop hitting... "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no," Blake said as he felt me start to lock up, "I've got you, buddy. I'm here. It's me, not him." He held me like that as the wave crashed and tears poured out of my eyes. "I'm so sorry. Oh god, Justin, I'm so sorry. I've got you." He kept whispering to me. I felt so safe in his arms. I knew my actual dad couldn't hurt me. But still, I couldn't bring myself to call Blake dad. That word meant something different to me. The feelings I had for Blake and the feelings I had for the word Dad were polar opposites. Blake deserved better than that name.    I wanted to tell him, but my throat was still full of rocks. "It's ok; it's not your fault," I finally managed to croak out. Blake just held me tighter. "I don't know why, but I can't. You deserve a better name than what I called him. What I can promise you is that I'll work on it. "And I won't ever press you to again, son," he said with tears still in his eyes. I reached up and wiped the tear from his eye. This stud, this savior, this absolute unit. My stud of a foster dad. I pulled his head back in for a kiss. His entire body melted into mine as we kissed. Knowing my feelings and fears were shared by this stud of a man did something to me. I couldn't tell if it was confidence, security, belonging, or something I couldn't put a name on, but it felt like home. That's the only way I could describe it. I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be for the first time. My kiss with Blake intensified as he sat up, pushing my legs apart with his knees. Our faces were soaked with each other's tears as we rode the waves of our emotions. Blake pulled away and just stared at me for a second. "My fucking little stud, son," he said before kissing and lightly biting my neck. I could only groan in approval. He grabbed my hands and forced them above my head as he worked down from my neck down the centerline of my chest, kissing and licking as he went. He went down my stomach to where my bush was just starting to come in, my throbbing boner along his cheek as he licked around the base of my cock. "Fuck Blake," I whimpered, still holding my hands above my head. He looked up at me, still holding my hands where he put them. "Such a good fucking boy," he said, grabbing my leaking bone, "good boys get rewards, don't they?" I just whimpered and writhed under his touch. "Yeah, they fuckin' do. Fuckin' stud son with a stud cock." He said, stroking my bone and rubbing his other hand up and down my chest and stomach. He occasionally rubbed across my nipples, sending an electric charge through my body. My brain quickly lost the ability to string thoughts together from the overwhelming onslaught of new feelings. All I could do was groan and whimper under his touch. Blake moved down again, pushing his legs between mine and putting his face right up to my begging cock. I could feel his hot breath as I continued to pump pre out of my meat and into his slowly stroking fist. "Son, you want me to show you how I suck cock?" I could only whimper and nod, my eyes begging him. He got an evil grin as he moved his face between my legs. I thought I was ready, but I was utterly unprepared for the feeling as Blake's tongue slipped around the backside of my balls. "Fuck..." I panted, unable to form thoughts more complex than that as Blake licked and sucked around my still hairless balls. `Keep them hands up there," Blake said, letting my balls pop free of his mouth. I put my hands back behind my head and groaned as Blake ran his tongue from my balls up to the leaking head of my hog. He swirled his tongue, picking up as much pre as possible. When my entire upper body was wracked with waves of pleasure from this, he drove my cock all the way to the root into his mouth and throat. My brain's ability to form words left as I groaned in response. Blake expertly worked my cock, making me writhe with pleasure. His tongue alternated between working my head and shaft while he drove his mouth up and down my eager cock. He weaved his arms under my thighs and held me tightly in place while he fucked his own throat with my cock. This beautiful man who had offered me a chance at a normal future was putting his all into getting me off. My brain focused entirely on the feelings Blake was giving me through my cock. I could feel it building, the tingling in my toes as my nuts tightened. My breathing became even more ragged. Blake noticed and sped up his manipulation of my meat. I was panting, feeling like a knot was forming at the base of my cock. He pulled off for just a second. "Feed me, son," he told me before diving back onto my begging bone. It was all I needed to hear. I could feel my cockhead spread as I shot into Blake's hungry mouth. I could almost feel the base of my cock vibrate as each pulse spewed into his hungry gullet. He swallowed hard and fast to keep up with the volume of cum I was unloading. He held my legs tight to stop my body from moving too much while I twitched and shook from my orgasm. Blake kept sucking my cock, getting the last of the remaining cum out until the head got too sensitive, and I pulled his head off. "Damn, son, just damn." "Sorry to push your head like that; it was just..." "Too much?" "Yeah" "You got an impressive load, son," he told me, moving his head back next to mine. He reached his arm around my chest and held me. I basked in my afterglow with Blake at my side, slowly playing with my nipples. "How you feeling, sport," he asked me when my breathing had returned to normal. "Honestly?" "Yeah, son, honestly." "Like I want your cock in my throat again." "Really?" He asked me excitedly. "Yeah, really" "You make me so proud, son." He kissed me quickly and dragged my shoulders to the bed's edge so my head hung back. I looked up at his rapidly inflating cock, rock-hard body, and smiling face looking back at me. "You sure, son?" He asked, stroking his now hard cock. I saw a bead of pre form at the tip and felt my cock, just emptied, start to rise. "Yeah, I'm sure." "Ok son, don't forget to tap when you need to breathe." He drove his cock forward as soon as he finished talking. This new angle made getting it into my throat even easier. I felt my dick instantly get rock hard and reached down to stroke it. Blake batted my hands away. "That's mine, son," he said before taking it back into his mouth. Blake slowly thrust his hips, moving his fat meat in and out of my throat while working my meat with his mouth. I reached to feel his muscled ass as it pushed Blake's meat further into my gullet. He pulled off my meat long enough to tell me, "If you want to be my son for real, get ready to swallow." I could feel my dick get harder as the words sank into my brain. My sucking became even more eager as Blake started to slam fuck my throat. The assault his balls were leading on my nose lessened as they tightened up, and his cock got wider in my throat. He didn't pull off my cock as he came, shooting his seed down my throat while grunting around my cock. I gulped it down desperately, his load feeding a deep need in my soul. "Fuck such a good son. So god damn proud of my cocksucking kid," he grunted, pulling off my meat. That set me off. The second my cock touched his lips again, I shot my load down Blake's throat. He greedily gulped my seed down with the same deep hunger he had the first time. He continued to lick and suck the last of my seed out until my legs kicked, and he pulled off my cock and pulled his out of my mouth. He stared down at my spit and cum covered face with a mix of excitement and pride. "You like being my cocksucking kid, son?" "Fuck yes," I said, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Good. So fuckin proud of having a cocksucking son." He laid back down across the bed, and I crawled and put my face on his chest while he stroked my hair. We lay there basking in our second afterglows of the night. "We stink," he told me, "let's shower before Maria gets here." "Can we lay here just a little longer?" I asked. "Like cuddling with yer old man?" "More than anything," I answered. "More than my cock in your throat?" "Almost more than anything," I corrected. That got a laugh out of Blake. "Come on; it's almost 10. We are lucky she hasn't gotten home yet." "Ugh, fine," I said with as much disaffected teenage attitude as I could muster. Blake put a towel over my shoulders and followed me to the hall bathroom. I started the water, and as I was sliding my towel back onto the rack, I looked at Blake, smiling like an idiot at me. "What?" I asked him "Just so damn proud of how far you've come and how much you came," he said with a boyish smile. "You are so full of it" I shook my head. "I mean, you tried to drown me. Twice" he said, holding out his fingers. "This is why you wanted a son so bad, so that you could torture me with your dad jokes. The family traditions are just a bonus," I said, shaking my head. "I mean, kinda," he said with that stupid grin, "water's hot if you wanna step inside." All I could do was chuckle and shake my head. This fucking doofus. How could he be the big strong Blake who helped save me from the system and be this goofy guy making bad jokes? I stepped under the water as Blake followed behind me. "Turn around, sport," he told me. He had worked some body wash into a lather in his big hands. I looked confused as to what he was planning on. "You ok if I wash ya sport? Gotta make sure my little piggy vark gets clean." He said with that stupid grin. Even after having this man's cock down my throat, the idea of him rubbing me all over sent chills down my spine. "We don't..." "No, please, just tell me what to do," I cut him off. "Just turn around, sport," he said with a smile as he worked the lather into my shoulders. I faced the shower head as he slowly worked the suds down my back. The warmth and steam of the shower relaxed me, so I closed my eyes. His thumbs worked into the muscles in my back, making me groan and push back against his hands. "Seems like little piggy vark likes getting clean too," he said as he started to rub a soapy hand across my chest, pulling him back into him. I could only groan in return as his soapy hands continued to work into my body until my soapy back was making full contact with his body. "You feeling ok, son?" He asked me, holding me in his arms as the warm water cascaded over us. "Yeah," I said. After a second of silence, my brain let me open up more, "A little nervous if I'm honest." "Why sport?" "I'm not nervous about being touched by you." "And that makes you nervous?" "It sounds stupid." "Hey sport, you are trying to navigate a ton of conflicting emotions. I'm always here for you, as much or as little as you need," he finished by kissing the top of my head. I wanted to say it so god damned bad, but the feeling in my chest when I tried wouldn't let me. All I could do was let the tears flow while Blake held me. "Let it out, sport; I got you. I got you, son." He whispered as the water washed the soap and tears down the drain. Once Blake felt me no longer crying in his arms, he turned me around. "Feeling any better, son?" "A ton," I answered honestly. "Well then, get out so I can finish showering while there's still hot water, ya goofball," he told me, pulling the shower curtain back. I stepped out and dried off, enjoying the scene of Blake washing off quickly before the water heater ran cold or Maria got home. When I was too dry to keep getting away with staring, I hung up my towel and went to my room to throw on some shorts. After taking another quick look at Blake in the shower, I started to clean up the living room and kitchen from our little adventure. "I was gonna get that in the morning, sport," he said with his towel wrapped around his waist. "Well, now you don't have to. Give you some extra time to lay in bed since I took so much outta you tonight," I said with a wink. "God, you are such a little stud when you are confident," he told me, grinning. "Thanks, I'm trying," I said, rinsing the plates and bowl and loading them into the dishwasher. "It shows. I'm so fucking proud of you, son." I turned off the sink and hugged him. Me initiating a hug like this said more than my words ever could. He hugged me back until we heard the garage door open. I tossed Blake his running shorts, and he quickly walked to his and Maria's bedroom to hang his towel in their bathroom. I was wiping down the countertops when Maria put her purse on the kitchen table. "How much of a mess did you boys make for you to be cleaning?" "I promise I hid all the evidence," I said, giving her a light hug. She stared at me with a mix of surprise and joy. Blake walked out and hugged his wife while I finished wiping down the kitchen and getting them ready for the morning. "Hugs?" She asked Blake in a hushed tone "He's trying," Blake said, also failing to whisper. "Hard to tell he's the same kid." "Amazing what support and love can do." "You realize you aren't being as quiet as you think," I finally said when I was done cleaning and had filled the coffee maker. Maria and Blake just smiled at me. "All right, well, I'll see you in the morning. Wanna get an early start on my last day of freedom before football starts." I told the grinning doofuses. "See you in the morning, sport," Blake said with a wink as Maria gave me another hug, one I enthusiastically returned. My bed was a mess, but I didn't care. It smelled like Blake and me. That wonderful aroma meant just one thing; I was home. Sunlight was streaming into my room as I opened my eyes. The smell of fresh coffee and Blake's sweat filled my nose. Last night wasn't a dream. I could hear Blake and Maria in the kitchen, so I threw on some running shorts to say good morning before they left for work. "Morning, sleepyhead," Maria said, pulling out a mug for coffee. "Morning. You aren't going to give me the lecture about coffee?" I asked her when she put the mug in front of the coffee maker. "One cup. I think I can let one cup slide," she said with a smile. "What you got planned for the day, sport?" Blake asked me before taking a bite of his toast. "Well, there's a few things left on that chore list. Plus, I want to organize the gear we got last night," I told him as I doctored up my coffee, finishing the pot. "You know you didn't have to do everything on that list," Maria said. "I know. I want to. You have been so good to me; I want to help out where I can." I told her honestly. "Well, don't think you have to do it. I don't want you to burn yourself out thinking you need to do everything to stay with us, ok?" She said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I'll try to remember that," I said with a smile. "Ok, I'm off. You have my number if you need to call. Leave a note if you went for a run so I'm not nervous if you aren't here when I get home." She said as she grabbed her purse and walked to the garage. Blake waited until the garage door was closed before getting that devilish grin saying, "Morning, sport." "Morning," I answered with a matching grin. "How's yer bed smell, sport?" "So damn good." "Mmm, good boy. Wanna get another sniff of `em," he said, standing up. His shirt was untucked, and he undid his pants to tuck it in. I could see he was hard in his briefs underneath. Almost as if driven by another force, I got on my knees and breathed in the smell of his crotch. "Coach B might pick you up a little later for a small team meet-up at Coach Estes's place. Remember you don't gotta do anything you don't want to do, ok. None of us want to hurt you." He said, rubbing my head as I huffed his nuts. I stayed there with my nose nestled in his balls for a few minutes before he told me, "Ok son, I really need to get going." I grudgingly got off my knees so he could tuck in his shirt, my boner making an obscene tent in my shorts. He stared at it for a second before getting another evil grin. "Come on, sport, got a gift for ya today," he said, leading me to his room. He grabbed the cum and sweat soaked jockstrap from last night and put it to my face. "Think maybe this will help you take care of that tent, son?" He asked me. I could only nod with my ability to think clouded by lust. "Atta boy. Now go get chores done and take care of that, ok son?" I nodded as he pushed me back to my bedroom. The smell of this man shorted out my thought process and made me a drooly mess. I was getting addicted. "Don't forget to eat sport. See you tonight," he said, fully dressed and looking dapper as he stopped by my room on the way to the garage. Right. Food. I put his jockstrap in my pillowcase and headed to the kitchen to make myself some cereal and try and get my brain working on a plan for the day. I washed all the dishes from breakfast, vacuumed all the carpet in the hallway and bedrooms, and swept then mopped all the wood floors in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. I even finished all those towels that Blake and I got dirty the night before. The chore list was finished. I was about to pull my gear bag into the house from the garage when there was a knock at the front door. "What's up, Coach B," I said, seeing his bear of a frame standing in the doorway. "Blake said you guys got your gear last night; Coach Estes was wondering if you wanted to get some extra practice in at his place?" "Hell yeah! Let me leave a note for Maria so she doesn't lose it if I'm not here when she gets home." "Good boy," he said as I turned to the kitchen, heart pounding. He stood there on the tile of the entryway while I wrote my note, letting Maria know where I was. I grabbed my key and threw on a shirt before grabbing my gear bag from the garage and meeting Coach B in the entryway again. "All set?" "Yessir," I answered nervously. "Nervous?" he asked me as I locked the front door. "Yeah. I mean, I want to fit in and stuff, but I'm nervous that I won't be here for long," I answered honestly as we walked to his lifted red jeep with the doors off. "Well, as long as you are here, you are one of us. No reason to be nervous, kid. You are gonna do great." Coach B told me while helping me put my gear bag in the back. He started the jeep, and old punk rock blared out of the speakers before he could drop the volume. "Sorry about that; having the doors off reminds me of being a teenager." "No problem, rock out if you have to." He blasted his so-called "east bay punk" the whole drive to Coach Estes's house. After about 10 minutes, we pulled up to an unimposing house that would be hard to pick out in the subdivisions on this side of town. A few cars and trucks parked on the street like us; it was clear there were a fair number of other guys here. "You're gonna be fine," Coach B said, helping me grab my bag. "You sure?" "Just be yourself." He said, leading the way to Coach Estes's front door. Coach B walked right in, and I followed like a lost puppy. A few men stood in the front room, but I could see some guys my age in the backyard. I wasn't sure what to do and stood awkwardly when Coach Estes walked in wearing loose shorts and a wife beater. "Put yer shit out back with the rest of 'em, ya straggler," he said while handing Coach B a drink. "Yes, sir," I said, trying to swallow my nerves as I made my way out back. I put my bag along the line of others on his patio and looked at the other guys in the yard. My eyes locked on the guy throwing the football to the rest of them. His muscular arms were accentuated by the farmer's tan halfway down his biceps. His cut-off t-shirt showed his armpits with the first wisps of hair. His shorts showed off his decently muscled butt and legs, just starting to grow hair. All of that, combined with a commanding presence, had me enthralled. "Hey bro, you ok?" He asked me "Sorry, what?" I answered. "Tried to invite you to throw the ball around." "Sorry, was somewhere else for a minute," I answered as I jogged to them. "All good man; what's yer name?" The stud asked me. "Justin," I answered, hoping that's where it ended. "Cool, I'm Alex; this is Jerod, Ahmad, Cliff, and Mickey." "Sweet, good to meet you guys," I said as we all shook hands "You know how to catch?" Alex asked me with that grin that made me melt. "Let's see," I said with a shitstarting grin. We started playing some heads up, where Alex threw the ball to us, and we all tried to catch it, pushing each other out of position and generally being guys. It became clear that a few of the other guy's height advantages would be an issue. But when I did get the ball, they saw I would run like a motherfucker with it. This was about how much football I knew. "Hey boys, why don't y'all pad up before you hurt yerselves without even making it to practice," Coach Estes called out in his thick drawl to us after I took a rather hard tackle. The guys got up off me, and I lay on the grass for a few seconds, enjoying the sunshine. I closed my eyes and lay on the grass, catching my breath. Someone walked up to me, blocking the sun from my face. "You ok, Justin?" Alex asked me. "Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me," I answered, opening one eye to look at his gorgeous face. "Come on, let's get into our gear," he said, extending his hand to me to pull me up. I followed Alex as he made his way to the deck where our gear bags were stacked. We grabbed our bags and followed the other guys into the house. "Justin is the straggler again; what are we gonna do with you?" Coach jokingly asked. "Sorry, coach," I said, nervousness returning. "Try not to make it a habit," he said with a wink, "now, the 6 of you all got your gear yesterday. Because of that, and your parents are my friends, we could save some time and do your gear check now. Plus, it will give you some time to get to know each other and us to get to know you. I know we have a few football virgins who never played on a team before signed up, so I expect you to help each other out, understood?" "Yes, coach," the other guys said in unison. "That include you, Justin?" "Yes, coach." "Remember what I said about not making it a habit. Now open up your gear bags, and let's get started." We spent the next 30 minutes doing precisely what Blake and I did at the store last night, completing a checklist and ensuring we had all the gear we needed. Coach Estes's living room looked like a bomb of football players had gone off, with our equipment covering every available surface. I kept glancing at Alex and quickly looked away when he caught my eye. He was so damn hot. I started to notice him sneaking glances at me as well. Wait, no way this stud finds me hot. "Good job, boys!" Coach said, breaking Alex and me out of our little game, "Let's get you geared up. Pay attention, cuz we will rely on you Monday to help everyone get into gear, ok? Pair up! Coach B and I will help you boys with what you don't know." Alex was by my side immediately asking me, "Wanna help me gear up?" "Absolutely," I said eagerly. "Sweet," he said as he took his shirt off, showing off his sexy body to me, "wanna toss me my cup?" Immediately my mind went to helping him take it off after a game. I felt my blood moving as I grabbed the cup off his gear stack. It was already worn in, unlike mine. "Problem?" "No, just yours seems used." "Yeah, I used this one last year for football and baseball. Still fits, so why mess with it?" "Nice," I said, fighting the urge to put it over my face as I had with Blake's jock. He pulled his shorts off, showing his chubbed-up cock, and winked at me while I handed him his cup. I pulled my clothes off while he worked his strap up his legs and pushed his rapidly expanding meat into the rigid pouch. "Yer turn," he said, handing me my cup. I smiled and bent over, slowly pulling the strap up like he had, trying to work whatever I had. "Fuckin nice," he muttered as the waistband reached underneath my almost rigid cock. I beamed with pride as I adjusted my dick into the cup and tried to get it sitting somewhat normally. I looked down the line to see I wasn't the only one struggling with my cup. "It's almost like we got a campsite forming with all these tents," Coach B joked to Estes. "Right as rain. This is a good time to remind you boys that those boners and tents are natural, they are normal, and based on their sizes, ain't nothing to be ashamed of. Let's get your pads on and do some fundamentals before you boys start playing with 'em," Estes said. "Ready for this?" Alex asked me, picking up my shoulder pads. "Hell yeah, just tell me what to do, bro," I answered excitedly Alex walked me through the rest of the suit-up process with skill. He told me about his history of playing football and how it was one of the few times he could clear his head and focus. "I hope it does the same for me," I said. "It will, that first time on the field with a full set of bleachers cheering for you. Nothing makes you want to be better." He said, almost melodically, while he tied my pants shut. He grinned at me when he was done, almost sizing me up. "Running back?" He asked me. "No idea; I'm the football team virgin," I answered him quickly. "You got the build for a running back. Im gonna need you as the ace up my sleeve," he told me, grabbing his pads. I took his shoulder pads from him and put them on him. He looked surprised for a second but let me do it. I laced him into his pads, letting my hands rest on his solid body while I did so. He kept shooting me grins, almost like he was blushing. I stopped letting my fingers linger as I knew I'd been caught. I tried to move quickly when he grabbed my newly unsteady hand. "No need to rush, bro," he said with a wink. My hands were more steady, lacing his pants, but I tried to avoid his gaze. Whatever confidence I had evaporated, and I was awkward again. "Ok boys, you almost look properly put together. Let's get out back and start trying some plays out. Justin, we are gonna put you through a few positions; see where you land." "He's gonna end up a running back," Alex said under his breath. "What was that second string?" Coach Estes said, moving quickly into Alex's face. "I said he's gonna end up a running back, Sir," Alex responded forcefully. "Only if he's good; the last thing we need is you two making eyes at each other all game instead of focusing." Alex started to sputter a defense, but Coach cut him off. "Out back, on the double boys." Even I knew what that meant. I turned and jogged out the back door with the other guys, with Coach Estes and B following me. The rest of the afternoon was drills. A few passing drills, running drills, everything he wanted to do to see how we would settle onto his future team. Coach B and Estes gave us pointers, and my confidence slowly returned. I could do this. "Come on, hustle up, Evans," Estes yelled, and it was like someone dumped cold water on me. I couldn't do this. I could barely breathe. "Yo Justin, you ok?" Alex said, running to my side. "No," I said, looking at him with teary eyes. I could see the coaches talking while the other guys just looked confused. "Sit. Now." I heard Alex say, but it was like it was 100 miles away. Fingers came into my facemask, and I was dragged to the deck's steps. Alex undid my chin strap and pulled off my helmet before forcing a water bottle in front of me. "Drink, then tell me what's up." He said forcefully. I drank the cold water as the other guys formed around us. The coaches stayed back but still within earshot. They almost wanted to see how I would deal with this. "So umm..." I hesitated. I just met these guys. "Hey Justin, you're family here. Tell them what's up," Coach B encouraged. "OK. So, I'm here on a long-term foster. I don't know how long I'm going to be staying. The last few weeks have been the happiest I've been, but I know when my mom gets her shit together, I'm moving back in with her. I've been distracting myself from that fact, but when Coach called me by my last name, it just kinda hit. I don't know why." "Nah, we are gotta make her move out here. You ain't leaving," Jerod said. "Man, I wish. I love it out here," I answered honestly. "Feeling better?" Alex asked me. "Yeah," I answered, finishing the last of the water. "Good. You don't get to leave mid-season. Football is a religion around here, so saddle up man. We got you till playoffs." He said, taking my empty bottle and crushing it. "Oh, we're making it to playoffs now, Parker?" Coach asked Alex. "Yessir. Gotta make a good showing out of the gate." "Atta boy. Huddle up; I want to run a few more plays." And that was the last of it. Coach didn't call me by my last name but did the other guys. Felt a little strange, but I didn't worry about it. We kept doing drills as a few of the guys' dads who weren't already here showed up, making themselves at home on Coach's deck. Blake stepped out of the kitchen with a beer in hand, quickly shooting the shit with the other dads. We ran a few more drills before Coach had us huddle back up around him. "Y'all did real good today. Next few weeks are going to be tough, but if the rest of the team improves as fast as you guys, we have a real shot. Get back inside and get outta all this gear". It felt good; I couldn't lie. I knew I had things to work on, but I could do it. "Don't leave my house a disaster!" He yelled from the deck as we started stripping off our uniforms and pads. I stole more glances of Alex as we both got back into our shorts. I decided to play with my newfound confidence as I threw my shirt over my shoulder and stepped back to talk with Blake, winking at Alex. "There's my boy! How'd ya like it?" Blake asked as I walked up to him. "Learned a lot; I got a long way to go to being good, but I'll get there," I answered, locking eyes with Alex as he walked out. "So you ready to be my running back, Justin no last name?" Alex asked me as he walked up to us. "Just tell me what to do. Once I have the ball, it's run like hell to the end zone. Beyond that, I don't know what I'm doing," I answered Alex as Blake put his hands on my shoulders. "We all gotta start somewhere," another dad said, putting his hands on Alex's shoulders, "hell, Alex's first season was a shitshow." "Dad" Alex yelled at his father, clearly embarrassed by the story., "Ahh, son, I don't mean nothing bad by it. It happened; you got better. Nothing to be ashamed of." "You aren't the one who threw five interceptions in one game," Alex said dejectedly. "That was also three years ago, kiddo. You improved," "Thank you, Sir," I interjected before he could embarrass Alex further, "I'm ready to learn what I can." "Atta boy," Blake said over me. Alex mouthed thank you to me, and I just winked back as our dads talked about nothing in particular. I saw Alex checking me out a few times, but his gaze always darted away when we locked eyes. I watched Alex and the other guys and how they interacted with their dads. It's what I wish I could have with mine. Blake tightened his grip on my shoulders as he felt me start to lock up, reminding me he was there. "You good sport?" He whispered to me. I just nodded and whispered back, "Probably need to piss." "Inside, down the hall on the left." He told me as he let go of my shoulders. I quickly made my way to the bathroom and closed and locked the door before the sobs hit me. This is what I wanted, wasn't it? I ate three square a day; I had foster parents that went to bat for me, and coaches teaching me. I had the foundations to be a normal kid. Why couldn't I get out of my own way? I wanted to run, scream, and hide from the world that suddenly cared for me. "Hey Justin, you good?" Alex asked through the door. "Yeah man, out in a sec," I turned on the faucet and washed my face to wash away the tears' appearance. I still felt my face flushed when I reached for the door handle. Was I ready to face them? Could I hide what I was, a scared foster kid among generations of jock royalty? "Coach wants to talk with us as a team. Don't want you to be the straggler again, bro," he said after waiting a minute. Bro. He was already looking out for me like family was supposed to. I opened the door to his expectant face. "Plus, I gotta piss like a racehorse," he said, pushing past me while pulling out his cock. "Oh, I see; I was just stopping you from pissing," I joked "I mean, I piss outside more than the dog does; this just has me checkin in on you too," he said with a wink, "You ok, bro? You looked like you saw a ghost out there." "Just my brain being mean," I answered. He shook the last of his piss off the end of his cock and tucked it back in his shorts. "You ready?" "Yeah. I think so," I answered. "You go out first; that way I'm the last one," he said, pushing me out of the bathroom with a wink. I chuckled to myself as I walked out to the kitchen area. These guys were putting a lot of effort into me without any guarantee that I would be around long enough for it to pay off. "Justin, you know where Alex is?" Coach Estes asked me as I got to the group of guys. "Taking a piss; he should be right behind me." Mickey put his arm around me while we shot the shit and waited for Alex to come out. When he came out, he also put his arm around me, locking me between himself and Mickey. Coach Estes stood in front of us, sizing us up before starting, "I'm proud of you boys. I mean that. You started to form the seed of a team today. Hopefully Monday, with more time, more people, and more instruction, you guys will really start putting roots into it. You also saw that you have some teammates that will need you. Being a team isn't just on the field. I also want you guys to be there for each other when you are off the field. Understood?" "Yes, coach," we all answered in unison. "Good boys. Now go hang out with your dads for a bit. I have a ton of stuff to get ready for next week, so don't stay too late." The sun was setting, and the cicadas were beginning to sing. Coach B handed me a Coke on my way outside to hang with Blake, Alex, and Mr. Parker. Blake and Mr. Parker told old stories of playing football in college with Coach B and Estes, keeping us entertained until we realized it was just us left out on the porch. Coach Estes came out in only his gym shorts and cracked a beer, the gravity of his presence essentially shutting down the stories. "I know you want him as your running back, Alex, but I need a guarantee before I make that happen." Coach told Alex. "Yes, sir?" Alex asked. "I need you both to be focused. No flirting on my field." "I don't know what you..." I tried to interject "Cut the horseshit, Justin. The two of you were giving each other googly eyes all practice. If you play close like this, you play focused, understood? Save that flirting shit for off the field or in the locker room." He said with a wink. "Yes, sir," I said, nervous about being caught but feeling somewhat supported that the biggest concern was that it was a game distraction. "Alex?" Coach asked. "Yes, Sir. I'll try not to focus on Justin's ass," he said, grinning at me "A tall order, son, but one I think you can manage," Coach said, taking a swig of beer. Me. They were commenting on my body as being distracting. Of all the people on the team, me? I was thoroughly confused when Blake pulled my back into his chest, calming me a bit. Alex put his hand on my leg as we talked about class and homework loads, how the team was all about good academics and results, and how late and missing assignments were unacceptable. Things felt normal. They felt like I was home. Things were calm. For however long I was with Blake and Maria, for however long I was on the Aardvarks, for however long I went to Paul Lorence High School, I was home.