Fic: The Lonely End of the Rink, Part 6.2
Part 6.1
As he’d hoped, Esca was waiting for him at his truck when he’d finally emerged, having dropped the tailgate, he was sitting on it, cross-legged, headphones plugged in as usual. He looked up as Marcus approached, smiling at him in a way that never ceased to get Marcus’ blood pounding.
“There you are!” he called, pulling his headphones out and shoving them into his pocket. “I was beginning to wonder.” He scooted forward until his legs were dangling from the tailgate, then spread them when Marcus stepped between, having tossed his bag in already.
“Here I am,” Marcus replied, pressing himself against Esca, wrapping him in a hug.
“You were amazing tonight,” Esca said, his hands rubbing over Marcus’ back before sliding down and squeezing his ass.
“Yeah?” Marcus asked, feeling like a kid at Christmas. The game had been a good one, despite the loss and now here he was, a smiling Esca in his arms. Life could not get better.
“Yeah. Any scout would be a fool not to recommend you for the draft.” Esca scooted forward a bit more, wrapping his legs around Marcus’ thighs, effectively trapping him, which did not bother Marcus as he had no intentions of escape.
Marcus leaned in and kissed him, opening his mouth wide as Esca sought entrance, memorizing him all over again, the way Esca tasted, the licorice he’d eaten during the game and the gum he’d likely been chewing before. He pressed harder, pushing Esca back so that he stayed upright only because of his arms and legs wrapped around Marcus’ shoulders and thighs.
The position put Marcus’ hips in the cradle of Esca’s thighs, where their erections could rub, entrapped by clothing but ardent nonetheless. Esca ended the kiss, gasping for breath, but Marcus’ didn’t stop kissing him, his lips following the line of his jaw to his neck. He got even harder when Esca’s hands untucked his shirt and slid into his jeans, teasing him with cold fingers on the heated skin of his lower back.
“We should really take this inside,” Esca whispered into his ear, gasping when Marcus sucked harder in response.
“And yet,” he said, between sucks and licks. “I can’t seem to let you go.”
“Marcus, a little discretion,” someone said, and Marcus pulled back, the motion pulling Esca’s hands out of his pants.
“Ow,” Esca hissed, sitting up and rubbing his knuckles where they had been scraped by Marcus’ jeans.
“Sorry,” Marcus said, taking Esca’s hand and rubbing the knuckles, then tangling their fingers. “Sorry Coach,” he continued, freezing when he saw that Coach Guern was not alone.
“Marcus, this is Elliot Williamson, from the Canucks,” Guern said, giving Marcus a stern look that was in no way necessary. He was frozen in shock for a moment, until Esca closed the tailgate with a muted bang.
“Mr. Williamson, I’m very pleased to meet you,” Marcus said, extending a hand which Williamson took. He had a firm handshake, which Marcus returned, hoping his palms weren’t too sweaty.
“It’s good to meet you as well, Mr. Aquila,” Williamson said. “And your...friend?” He tilted his head to Esca, who had been leaning on the truck just behind Marcus. He took a step forward to shake Williamson’s hand as well, as Marcus introduced him.
“Esca MacCunoval, my boyfriend,” Marcus said, proud that his voice hadn’t wavered at all, despite the circumstances. The fact was, this man could make or break his chances with the Canucks, or any other team, depending on what he chose to report.
“The name sounds familiar, do you play as well?” Williamson asked Esca.
“No, I’m a figure skater,” Esca replied, and Marcus could see the pride and defiance in the tilt of his jaw.
“Esca just won the World Championships in Los Angeles,” Marcus provided, giving Esca’s hand another squeeze.
“Is that right?” Williamson said, impressed. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir,” Esca said, giving him a slight smile.
“Well, Marcus, I must say this is rather a surprise,” Williamson said, giving Marcus an appraising look. “Shall I take this encounter to mean that you are...” he trailed off, but Marcus had become accustomed to that. Not many had been able to believe his sexuality, not at first.
“I’m gay, if that’s what you’re asking,” Marcus said.
“Yes, indeed,” Williamson said, looking troubled. “It creates a bit of an obstacle,” he began, but Guern cut him off.
“Mr. Williamson, I seem to recall you mentioning not too long ago that Marcus was one of the most purely talented players you’d ever seen,” he said. “I understand your hesitation, homosexuality is not exactly encouraged in sport, especially hockey.”
“To say the least,” Williamson agreed.
“However, times are changing, and it won’t be long until it reaches the NHL, which I’m sure you know. You have a great opportunity here,” Guern said. “Marcus is an exceptional player, talented, hard working, determined to a fault. He will play in the NHL, make no mistake. The question is, will he play for Vancouver? Or for a team that is willing to be a little more open minded in order to gain his skills?”
Williamson nodded, still staring thoughtfully at Marcus, who was feeling more nervous every second. This was the first hurdle, impressing the scout and gaining a good recommendation from him, and being caught in such a compromising position made it all very real.
“On the other hand, if Vancouver was the first to embrace a player like Marcus, not only would they be making history, they’d go a long way toward a more modern image, and that certainly can’t hurt them,” Guern pointed out.
“You’ve brought up some very good points,” Williamson said. “For my part, personally, I think it’s about time an NHL player stood up for himself. I know of several closeted players, including a good friend of mine, although you didn’t hear it from me.”
Marcus nodded, his hope rising steadily, though Williamson wasn’t done yet.
“However,” he continued. “The final decision is not up to me. Nothing I’ve seen here will change my recommendation, though perhaps keeping things under wraps would help?”
Marcus’ heart sank, but he couldn’t take steps back now that he’d come so far. “I’m sorry sir, but that won’t be possible. I made the decision to come out knowing full well what it might mean for my career, and I can’t change that now, nor do I want to. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”
“I understand,” Williamson said. “And I hope it works out for you.” He shook Marcus’ hand firmly and gestured to Guern to follow, turning and heading away.
“That was...hopeful,” Esca said, moving closer and wrapping an arm around Marcus’ waist. Marcus lifted his arm and wrapped it around Esca’s shoulders, looking down at him with a soft smile.
“It could have gone worse,” Marcus agreed, putting aside all his worries when he met Esca’s eyes, suddenly remembering what they’d been doing before they were interrupted. “Now, where were we?”
**
Saturday morning Marcus woke up eager to get to the arena, knowing that he’d get a chance to see Esca as usual. Marcus had tried to convince Esca to stay with him the previous night, but Esca had refrained, citing his Nan’s insistence that he spend the weekend at home.
“But you’ve been home every night this week,” Marcus had protested, but Esca had held firm.
“Yeah, but you’ve dropped me off after dinner every night, or later,” Esca said. “And she’s been complaining that she hasn’t seen enough of me.”
“Ugh,” Marcus said, shaking his head in exasperation. “She won’t even see you tonight, and you’ll be at the rink early.”
“Not as early as you,” Esca pointed out. “And she’s usually up before me, the tea is always ready when I get up and we sit and have a chat before I leave.”
“Oh,” Marcus said, deflating. “Well, I guess if she insists.”
“She’ll appreciate your sacrifice,” Esca drawled and Marcus just had to laugh, and kiss him again.
Marcus didn’t waste much time getting ready that morning, packing a smaller duffel bag with his skates, gloves, pucks and pylons and some extra tape. Then he grabbed a couple sticks and was out the door.
He warmed up as usual, gradually lengthening his strides to stretch his muscles, building speed and loosening up. Then he set some pucks in random places in the neutral zone, choosing a corner of the net to aim at and retreating to the other end. He built speed again before nabbing a puck and following it’s trajectory towards the net, working his way through various angles, shooting one puck and turning behind the net to fetch the next.
He finished up rather quickly, only missing his chosen target a handful of times, and missing the net only once.
After that he laid some pylons out, using the whole arena, and dropped a few pucks into the mix as well, trying not to pay attention to where they were placed, building some speed once more and then taking every puck through the full series of pylons before dumping it in the net, again in his chosen spot, and going back for another, the random spacing of the pucks changed up his route through the pylons, keeping him on his toes.
He’d gathered the pucks out of the net and was beginning to grab the pylons when he heard the scratch of another set of skates on the ice.
He looked up, knowing it was Esca, but thrilled to see him nonetheless. “Hi,” he called, smiling and skating over, grabbing Esca around the waist and twirling him around.
“Hey,” Esca said, clinging to Marcus’ arms until they’d stopped, then giving him a shove. “This isn’t pairs skating,” he said, and Marcus laughed.
“I don’t know, we make quite a pair,” Marcus said, pulling Esca in closer and kissing him soundly.
“We do,” Esca said when they broke apart. “But I have work to do, so let go.” He pushed Marcus back more forcefully this time, sliding backwards and immediately building speed with alternating crossovers.
“Come back here, I wasn’t done with you,” Marcus called, skating forward, trying to anticipate in which direction Esca was going to go.
“Why don’t you catch me then, hockey boy,” Esca said back, smirking in amusement. The chased each other around for a few minutes, until they were panting with laughter and exertion and Marcus finally got close enough that he could herd Esca with his stick, chopping around on the ice to keep Esca from gaining another long stride as he closed in.
“Cheater,” Esca said as Marcus approached, reaching out again to pull him in. “No fair you have a club to do your dirty work.” Marcus laughed.
“All’s fair in love and hockey,” Marcus said with a smirk, dropping his stick and gloves in order to get a better grip on Esca, who struggled, pulling back just enough to over-compensate, sending them both to the ice in a tangle of limbs.
Their laughter echoed through the arena as they grappled for dominance, covering themselves in ice crystals, until Esca emerged the victor, pinning Marcus’ bare hands to the ice with a shout of victory.
“Ha,” he said, grinning, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks flushed. “Take that, hockey boy.”
“I’ll take you anytime,” Marcus said, the mood intensifying, their gaze deepening, until Marcus had to thrust his hips up into Esca’s ass to alleviate the pressure.
“My hands are cold,” he said softly, and Esca let them go, trailing his hands down Marcus’ arms to his chest, sitting back as Marcus sat up and wrapped his arms around Esca’s waist. They snogged for a few long moments, not long enough for Marcus, but then his ass was getting very cold.
“I could do this all day,” Esca said, pulling back and cupping Marcus’ head in his hands. “But I really should get warming up. I haven’t skated all week.”
“Yeah, I should get going,” Marcus said reluctantly as Esca used his shoulders to lever himself up into a standing position, then reached down to help Marcus up. “Will probably need a change before I pick you up for breakfast.”
“Might be a good idea,” Esca said, leaning up for one more kiss before helping Marcus gather the pylons.
“Thanks,” Marcus said, remembering the first time they’d had the same exchange, how much he’d wanted Esca even then, and how far they’d come since then. He grabbed Esca by the wrist and tugged him in, kissing him passionately, remembering the feelings that Esca had sparked in him when they were new, feeling an immense sense of relief to know that they were reciprocated. He felt safe with Esca in a way he could never have imagined before, perhaps it was odd to feel that way so young, but Marcus didn’t care. He’d always been a bit beyond his years, and he supposed this was just another side of that.
“See you soon, hockey boy,” Esca said, rubbing a finger over Marcus’ lip where he had bitten it red, making Marcus shiver at the sensation.
“I’ll be waiting,” Marcus said, squeezing Esca’s ass for good measure. Esca laughed and pushed away, calling, “get out of here now, you’re distracting me,” as he skated away.
“Fine, fine,” Marcus said, picking up his stick and gloves and heading for the locker room with one more glance in Esca’s direction.
**
Marcus was just packing up his duffel when someone entered the locker room, surprising him as the arena was usually empty at that time in the morning.
“Esca?” he called and then was shocked to see Elliot Williamson standing there, an inscrutable smile on his face.
“Mr. Williamson,” Marcus said, standing up to take his hand, glad that he’d washed his only moments before.
“Mr. Aquila,” he said, shaking Marcus’ hand. “I prefer Elliot, if that’s alright. May I call you Marcus?”
“By all means,” Marcus said. “Would you like to sit?” he asked, gesturing at the bench.
“I’d prefer to go up into the arena, if you don’t mind.” Elliot said.
“Not at all,” Marcus said, picking up his duffel and motioning for Elliot to lead the way. They walked in silence, climbing that back stairs so as not to attract Esca’s attention. When they come out into the bleachers, Marcus watched Esca twirl out of a spin for a moment before taking a seat next to Elliot in the top row.
“What brings you out so early?” Marcus asked, nervously wiping his hands on his pants.
“You,” Elliot said simply, pinning Marcus with a shrewd gaze. “Coach Guern told me that you are in the habit of practicing solo as well as with the team, and I thought that perhaps I should see how you go about it. It was quite impressive actually, your methods are quite sound, and it’s encouraging to see a young player so dedicated as to rise early every Saturday just to get in more ice time.”
“My uncle says I would be on the ice all day, if I could,” Marcus said. ‘And I reckon he’s right. I never seem to get enough ice time. I’m fortunate to have the means to secure it, though.”
“Indeed,” Elliot replied. “It’s credit to you that you are so dedicated to your game.”
Marcus wondered where he was going, but Elliot seemed happy to sit in silence for a while, and both of them watched as Esca performed a sequence of footwork before stopping and turning a corner, repeating the same moves on the way back down the ice.
“He’s an exceptional skater,” Elliot said, breaking the silence. “I took the liberty of watching some videos on YouTube and I was quite stunned.”
“He’s going to win gold in the Olympics next year, I know it,” Marcus declared proudly, his eyes tracking Esca’s progress up the ice.
“How long have the two of you been together?”
“Since February,” Marcus replied. “Though we met last summer, on the ice.”
“And I understand the relationship is rather serious,” Elliot queried, and Marcus’ heart began to sink, but he steeled his determination.
“Very,” Marcus said, turning to face Elliot, who was watching him closely. “He means everything to me. I finally understand why my father acted the way he did, because I might do the same thing if I were in his shoes.”
Elliot’s brows rose in surprise at that statement, but Marcus pushed on.
“I would give up hockey for him, if it came to that,” Marcus said, his voice unwavering although his stomach was churning. “In fact, I know I might have, coming out the way I did. But I’d do it again.”
“Some would think that such a statement is cause to doubt your dedication,” Elliot stated.
“Well, they’d be wrong,” Marcus replied, hoping he wasn’t coming across too harshly. “Hockey has been my world, all my life. I was dedicated to it and my uncle was dedicated to me, so he gave me every opportunity he could, and I am so grateful to him. I love this game. So much it almost hurts sometimes, you know?” Marcus stopped for breath, not quite knowing what he was getting at.
“But then Esca came into my life and he turned it upside down. I’ve always known I was different, always known on some level that I’m gay, but I fought it so hard. So hard that I almost screwed things up with him, beyond repair.” Marcus turned back to the rink, watching Esca hungrily.
“But he made me realize that by hiding myself and pretending to be what I’m not, I would be miserable. I can’t live that way, following someone else’s rules, missing out on the love of my life in order to be what other people think I should be.”
He paused, hoping and praying that he wasn’t screwing up his own chances at a draft pick. “Do you know what I mean?” he asked, turning to face Elliot again. “I don’t know how well I’m explaining it.”
“Very well, actually,” Elliot said. “You are surprisingly eloquent for a boy your age, it’s rather refreshing. Many of the most talented players are dull as spoons, but not you.”
“Thank you,” Marcus said, resisting the urge to wring his hands.
“I have to tell you that, should you go in the draft or make it to the NHL by other means, that it will be difficult for you. In fact, it may prove to be too much.”
“I understand that,” Marcus said. “I knew what was at stake by coming out, but I judged the risk to be an acceptable one, given the repercussions of remaining closeted.”
“Well, as I said last night, I am not the one who makes the decisions, I am simply the scout. But I can tell you, despite what I saw last night, which I have of course relayed to the appropriate people, the Canucks remain very interested in you as a prospect for the draft,” Elliot said.
Marcus’ heart stopped beating for a moment, he was sure, and then took up a pounding pace that left him breathless. “You...really?” he said, stunned.
“Really,” Elliot replied. “Talent like yours does not come around every year, and coupled with your work ethic and dedication to the game, it makes a very attractive package, even considering your sexuality.”
“Wow,” Marcus breathed, still trying to wrap his head around what Elliot had told him.
“Those involved are not ready to make a decision just yet, but I wanted to reassure you that there is nothing I have seen or heard from you that will hamper your chances in any way. Your situation is not without special considerations, but I would be sure to attend the draft in Montreal in a suit and tie, if I were you,” Elliot said, standing up suddenly and reaching for Marcus’ hand.
“Mr. Williamson, Elliot,” Marcus corrected when the man gave him a look. “Thank you very much for coming out to see me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“It has been quite an enlightening visit,” Elliot agreed. “But I must be off, I’m sure my wife would like to see me home before the day is over. I hope to see you again, Marcus Aquila.”
“Thank you, sir,” Marcus said as Elliot walked away, watching him disappear into the shadows to the back stairwell before sinking back into his seat, knees weak, though with excitement or relief, he didn’t know.
**
The week before prom saw Cottia in a constant state of agitated excitement, and woe befall the person who questioned her enthusiasm. She spent more time with her groups of girlfriends, conspicuous in the absence of Ang Reed from their circle, who had indeed taken up with Charlie. She had become the worst offender regarding the harassment of Marcus and Esca, no doubt her new boyfriend was encouraging her on that score. Charlie had been keeping very quiet on the subject, due to his healthy and very justified wariness of them both.
“She’s not worth my time,” Cottia said when Marcus pressed, and would say no more, although Marcus was certain that she felt more than she was showing. She and Luke seemed to be deepening their friendship however, and Marcus felt much happier because of it.
Finally, not a moment too soon in Marcus’ estimation, prom day rolled around and Marcus found that he was actually looking forward to it. Part of it was because of the fact that the end of the year was creeping ever closer, and with it, the draft, but another part was because Esca had promised that he’d be spending the night with Marcus when it was over.
He was more excited about that than anything.
Dinner started at seven, so Marcus left just after six to ensure that he and Esca could get there in plenty of time. If they weren’t, he was sure Cottia would have something to say. Esca’s Nan wanted pictures as well, so that would take some time. Cottia also insisted on pictures, making Marcus wonder if prom wasn’t just some big excuse for a photo op.
He straightened out his suit while in the elevator to the apartment Esca shared with his Nan, hoping that Esca would like it. It was his very best, one he rarely wore but Uncle had insisted he buy for special occasions, complete with waistcoat and the new tie he’d bought, a red tartan that, according to Stephan, really made the look ‘pop’. Whatever that meant.
Marcus thought it looked pretty good anyway, and he couldn’t wait to see what Esca would look like. Elsa answered the door when Marcus knocked, shooing him in after brushing imaginary lint off his shoulders, declaring that he looked very fine.
“Is Esca ready?” Marcus asked, suddenly nervous, though why, he couldn’t fathom.
“Just playing with his hair, dear, he’ll be right out,” she replied, gesturing him into the living room where he declined a seat and shuffled nervously from foot to foot until he forced himself to look around, studying the pictures on the mantle-piece thoroughly, even though he’d seen them before.
“There you are,” Esca said from behind him, and Marcus spun quickly, eager for the sight of him. He was not disappointed. Esca looked amazing. He’d chosen a black pinstripe suit that fit him superbly and the tie he’d bought was a slate grey, which Marcus knew matched his eyes.
And there Marcus’ thought processes stopped, for framing Esca’s grey eyes was a thick line of black, clearly defining the edges and making his eyes look bigger and more intense than Marcus had ever seen them. Marcus tore his eyes away for a second, noticing that Esca’s hair was combed neatly to one side, rising in a subtle wave, softening his features in a way that left Marcus breathless.
The combination of the whole look was stunning, and Marcus was speechless, staring wide eyed at the young man in front of him, barely able to believe his luck, that Esca was his.
“Well, don’t you look fabulous,” Esca said, padding over to Marcus in his socks. “That tie looks amazing on you, and the waistcoat...wow.” He stopped in front of Marcus and ran his fingers over Marcus’ tie and over his chest. Marcus was unable to do anything but stare.
“Marcus? What’s wrong?” Esca’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do I look okay?”
Marcus swallowed, trying to come up with something to say besides, ‘screw the prom, let’s go to bed.’
“No, you look,” he stopped, looking Esca up and down again. “Amazing. Gorgeous. Spectacular.”
Esca grinned, looking just a little smug. “Tell me what you really think,” he said, quirking a brow.
“Smoking hot,” Marcus added. “Do we have to go to prom?”
Esca threw back his head and laughed, and it did nothing to help Marcus’ thought processes. “So you like it then?” he asked, taking a step back and turning from side to side, so Marcus could see all of him.
“Yeah,” Marcus said, stopping himself from saying, ’I’d like to see it off you,’ when he remembered that Elsa was in the room. “Especially the eyes.”
Esca looked up at him, his face intense, eyes filling with heat, corresponding directly to the heat rushing to Marcus’ groin. “It’s a special occasion after all,” he said, pulling Marcus down for a quick kiss.
“You’re dressed for the occasion as well, I never would have thought you’d own a waistcoat,” Esca said, running his hands over the fabric in question.
“Oh, yeah,” Marcus said, snapping his mind back to the present and not what he hoped they’d be doing in the very near future. “Uncle bought it for me last year and insisted I wear it. I’m lucky it still fits. You don’t think it looks too...stuffy?”
Esca chuckled, shaking his head. “Not at all,” he replied, his hands smoothing the material at Marcus’ waist. “Very grown up. Makes you look older.”
“It is a very flattering suit, Marcus,” Elsa said, moving toward them with a camera in hand. “And while I don’t fancy the eyeliner, you do look rather stunning, Esca.” She kissed him on the cheek and then positioned them for pictures. Marcus smiled widely in all of them, with Esca pressed warm against him.
**
By the time Cottia was done taking pictures, Marcus’ smile was much less enthusiastic. He was very grateful that everyone was called inside the restaurant where their prom was being held, and directed to the dining room for their meal. Marcus thought the idea of a catered prom was a good one, keeping everyone in one building, he could see the decorated ballroom through the open doors as they made their way in for dinner.
“So, how long do we have to stay now?” Esca asked Marcus when they were done and the music was starting in the next room.
“Only as long as it takes Cottia to forget about us,” Marcus said with a grimace. “It could be a while.” The dinner had been excellent, and it was interesting to see everyone in their finery, the girls decked out in colorful dresses, the boys in suits or tuxes. Everyone was in a celebratory mood, taking the chance to relax before they began to study in earnest for their upcoming final exams, which was part of the reason for having the prom in late April or, in their case, early in May.
“I wonder if Luke will be able to help us out there?” Esca asked, leaning closer and whispering into Marcus’ ear. “I really want to get you out of that suit and into bed.”
Marcus’ breath caught as Esca spoke the words that mirrored his earlier thoughts exactly. “I’ve been thinking that since I laid eyes on you,” Marcus said, turning to give Esca a kiss that spoke of all his intentions. Esca pulled back just when things were getting interesting, making Marcus groan in dismay.
“Come dance with me, hockey boy,” he said, standing up and tugging Marcus’ arm to make him follow. “We can’t stay in here all night.”
“If you insist,” Marcus said, taking Esca’s hand and letting himself be led into the darkened ballroom to join their classmates.
**
It was almost two hours later when it got a bit ugly. Marcus and Esca had joined Luke, Cottia and a few others on the dance floor, moving in groups or couples depending on the songs. They had quickly abandoned their suit jackets, although Esca had insisted that Marcus leave the waistcoat on, the fire in his eyes assuring Marcus’ compliance.
It was during a ballad, just another love song that Marcus would forget he’d ever heard after that night, when Charlie had caught sight of Luke and Cottia together and had decided to make a scene.
“What the fuck are you doing, Cottia?” he asked, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of Luke’s embrace. Marcus had been pleased to see them kissing, hoping that they would be happy with each other, especially since he cared about them both. It didn’t hurt that he thought they were perfect for each other.
“Let go of me, Charlie,” Cottia snapped, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “What’s your problem, anyway?”
“Oh I dunno, I was just a little surprised to look over and see my sister acting like a slut with this loser,” Charlie said with an ugly sneer.
Marcus took a step forward, but Esca stopped him as Luke took a step forward into Charlie’s personal space.
“I don’t care what you think of me, Henderson,” he said, glaring dangerously at Charlie. “But you’d better watch what you say about Cottia, or I’ll have to kick your ass.”
“As if you could,” Charlie said with a laugh.
“If Esca, a guy who is half your weight and several inches shorter, could do it, I’m sure you wouldn’t present much of a challenge for me,” Luke said, but Cottia pushed him aside before they could get any further.
“Charlie, you are acting like a complete idiot,” she said, glaring up at her much taller brother with flashing eyes. “I’m allowed to kiss my boyfriend at the prom, thank you very much.”
“Boyfriend?” Charlie exclaimed. “You’re not seriously telling me you’re dating him, are you? Are you going to turn him gay now too?” The crowd that had gathered to watch gasped and ‘oohed’ at that, and Esca had to hold Marcus back again, as Cottia did to Luke.
“You seem rather obsessed with people being gay, Charlie,” Cottia said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t more to it than just you being an asshole.”
“What do you mean by that?” Charlie said, his forehead creasing in consternation.
“I mean you talk an awful lot about who is or isn’t gay,” Cottia said sweetly. “Is there something you’d like to tell us? Or do you need your girlfriend to do all your dirty work these days, since you had your ass handed to you by not one but two oh so prissy gay boys.”
“Leave her out of this,” Charlie said, ignoring everything else she said.
“Why should I?” Cottia said. “Since you’ve been using her as a tool to continue harassing Marcus and Esca, she’s clearly involved.”
“You’re just jealous I have a real man who isn’t afraid to speak out against something so...disgusting,” Ang piped up from behind Charlie, making Cottia laugh.
“A real man? You have got to be kidding me,” Cottia said, still chuckling. “I’ve lived with him all my life sweetheart, and let me tell you, you couldn’t find a boy further from being a man this side of puberty.”
The crowd laughed at that and Marcus felt a surge of admiration for Cottia. Yes, she would be good for Luke, and she deserved a guy as great as he was.
“Fuck you,” Charlie snarled, but Cottia only laughed harder.
“Good comeback little brother,” she said, highly amused. She stepped closer to Charlie and reached a hand up to grasp his ear, tugging him down so she could whisper in his ear. Marcus couldn’t hear what they were saying as the music was still blaring from strategically placed speakers, but he could see Charlie paling as she spoke, before pulling back and hissing, “you wouldn’t dare!”
“You’d better believe I would,” Cottia said seriously, giving Charlie a look that, from his reaction, must have been inherited from their mother. “Now go play with your ego somewhere else, I’m busy.” She turned back to Luke, who promptly took her in his arms, shooting Charlie a smug look over her shoulder.
Marcus thought for a moment Charlie was going to hang on and do something stupid, but Ang tugged him away, sneering at Cottia and Luke, who were once again dancing close.
**
They all retreated to the dining room after that dance, for a drink and a laugh.
“The look on his face!” Esca was saying gleefully, laughing despite Cottia’s blush. “It was priceless. You are my hero,” he added, raising his glass in salute.
“Hear, hear,” Marcus said. “It was truly lovely to see him taken down a few notches. What did you whisper in his ear?” Marcus asked.
“Oh, I told him that if he didn’t back off I would tell everyone about the dirty magazines under his mattress. The one filled with pictures of naked boys,” she said, grinning mischievously.
“He doesn’t!” Esca exclaimed, shocked. Cottia laughed and shook her head.
“No, it’s all girly magazines, but who do you think everyone would believe? Me, or the homophobic asshole?”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Luke commented, and Cottia smiled at him.
“I doubt you could,” she said sweetly, lifting her face for a kiss, which Luke gladly gave her.
“You two are so sweet together that I just have to get out of here,” Esca declared, downing the rest of his drink and standing, taking Marcus’ hand in his. “Have a good rest of the evening folks. I know we will.”
Marcus flushed at that, but he could not bring himself to deny it, standing up instead and shrugging on his jacket.
“You’re leaving so soon?” Cottia said with a pout.
“Yep,” Marcus confirmed. “As lovely as this has been, especially the part where you tore Charlie a new one, we have things we’d rather be doing right now.”
“Okay, okay, we don’t want to hear about it,” Cottia said, standing up to kiss them both on the cheek while Luke shook their hands. “Have a great evening boys.”
“See you Monday,” Esca called out as he and Marcus made good their escape.
**
They hadn’t wasted any time in getting back to Marcus’ house, and they hadn’t stopped for more than a few kisses, knowing that Marcus’ uncle would want to see them before they went to bed, as he also wanted pictures, and Marcus had promised that they wouldn’t be too late.
It was just before 11pm when they arrived, Marcus calling out to his uncle when they entered.
“In here,” Uncle called from the TV room, although he came out to meet them before they’d had a chance to get halfway down the hallway.
“Well, don’t the two of you look wonderful,” Uncle declared, delighted. “And not very rumpled at all, Stephan owes me a twenty.”
“What?” Marcus asked, while Esca laughed.
“Oh, he bet me you’d be quite disheveled when you arrived home, but I assured him that you were patient enough to do the rumpling after you got here.”
“Uncle, you did not just make a bet with Stephan about my love life,” Marcus begged, hiding his face in his hands.
“I think he did,” Esca said, still very amused. “And he won, so cheer up, lets get these pictures done and then I’ll get you sufficiently rumpled.”
“Oh god, someone shoot me,” Marcus said, his voice muffled by his hands.
“Now, now, don’t be so dramatic,” Uncle said, putting a hand on Marcus shoulder and steering him toward the rarely used living room. “Although Esca, I must say the eyeliner is very dramatic on you, well done.”
“Thanks,” Esca said brightly, and Marcus cursed his uncle for bringing it to his attention once more, the fact that Esca looked more like sex than ever. He’d been trying to ignore it the whole evening, but hadn’t been having much success.
“What do you think of Marcus’ suit? Quite sharp, isn’t it?” Uncle asked, and Marcus rolled his eyes.
“It really is,” Esca replied, eying Marcus up and down with this kohl lined eyes, making Marcus shiver with want. “He told me you insisted he wear it. Thank you.”
Uncle laughed. “You’re very welcome. The fact is, Marcus wears the suit and tie all the time, so I thought he should have something a little more distinctive. Although I fear this suit won’t be around for much longer. He’s filling out far too much in the shoulder area.”
“All that hockey must be good for something,” Esca said with a smirk, his eyes sliding over Marcus’ shoulders in admiration.
“If you two are done, can we get these pictures taken?” Marcus said, probably sounding more annoyed that he was.
“Oh Marcus, it’s not the end of the world,” Uncle said, patting his arm. “We can always buy you a new suit.” Esca laughed but, at the look on Marcus’ face, stifled it.
“Sorry,” he said apologetically, though Uncle grinned widely.
“Pictures, then,” Uncle said, and they arranged themselves appropriately. Marcus was very grateful that Uncle was much less camera happy than Elsa or Cottia, taking only two pictures and declaring them perfect.
“Excellent, thank you boys,” Uncle said, turning off his camera. “And now I am off to bed. I will see the two of you in the morning.”
“Good night Uncle,” Marcus said.
“Good night,” Esca echoed, and Uncle gave them a wave before heading up to his bedroom.
Silence fell for a moment, while Marcus looked at Esca, for the first time that night, he let the longing and desire flow through him unhindered, now that they were finally alone. The dark lines of kohl matched his suit, and both served to bring out the grey, his eyes and his tie...it was a striking look, but all Marcus wanted then was to remove it, piece by piece until Esca was laid bare, his only adornment the black around his eyes.
“Let’s go upstairs,” Marcus said, his voice feeling scratchy, his eyes holding Esca’s.
“Yeah,” Esca agreed, taking a few steps back toward the foyer. “I’ve been wanting to get you out of that suit all night.”
“I know the feeling,” Marcus said, following him as if tethered. They kicked off their shoes, Esca grabbing the bag he’d tucked into Marcus’ truck earlier that evening. They went upstairs without a word, though the tension was thick between them. It didn’t seem to matter how often they came together, it was always just as exhilarating as the time before.
When they got to Marcus’ room and the door was closed behind them, only then did they reach out for each other, hands sliding possessively over each other as their mouths came together in a desperate, needy kiss.
“You look so amazing,” Marcus whispered, diving in for another kiss before continuing. “I’ve been half hard since I saw you, and you knew it, didn’t you?”
Esca laughed breathlessly as Marcus’ lips attacked his jaw, sucking harshly on his earlobe before retaking his lips.
“I thought you might like it,” Esca said as Marcus pushed his jacket off, sliding his hands down Esca’s arms to ensure its removal, immediately fumbling with Esca’s tie, as soon as the jacket fell to the floor.
“I did, you great tease,” Marcus said, gasping when Esca pulled their bodies close, his hands stilling as their erections rubbed for the fist time that night.
“What about you?” Esca said, pushing Marcus’ jacket off as well, dragging his hands down Marcus’ back, cupping his ass and squeezing while Marcus shrugged off the jacket, his hands returning to Esca’s tie, pulling it loose at last and flinging it to the floor with the rest.
“What about me?” Marcus asked, making quick work of the Esca’s shirt buttons. “There’s no possible way I could have looked as amazing and sexy as you do tonight.”
“No, you’re wrong,” Esca said, tugging at Marcus’ belt, pulling it through the belt loops with a whoosh. “You clearly have never seen your arse in these trousers.” He reached around and squeezed in emphasis, licking a path up Marcus’ jaw, capturing his lips in another wet, messy kiss.
“And the waistcoat,” Esca said, panting when they had come up for air, though Marcus’ lips had already dropped to suck at the skin that Esca’s shirt had fallen open to reveal. “I will be eternally grateful to your uncle for making you wear it. It looks amazing on you. We are so buying you another when you outgrow this one,” he insisted, undoing the buttons awkwardly as Marcus sucked a love bite onto his collarbone. “Your uncle is right, you’re filling out quite a bit, I’ve noticed you’re bigger now than when we met.”
“Oh yeah?” Marcus asked, only paying half attention, pulling Esca’s shirt from the waistband of his slacks and setting to work on the belt.
“Mmm, yes,” Esca said. “And I thought you couldn’t get any sexier than you were that day.”
Marcus lifted his head, meeting Esca’s eyes. “You really wanted me then? I couldn’t tell, you were so...prickly.”
Esca chuckled softly. “I’ve always been prickly,” he said. “Mum used to call me a bad tempered hedgehog when I was angry.”
“It suits you,” Marcus said, grinning when Esca scowled at him. “But I like it.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me,” Esca said, pushing Marcus back so that he could remove the waistcoat. “And you were cheerful and friendly and I was a bit overwhelmed. Wanting you was the first positive thing I’d felt since...” he trailed off, his mood darkening.
“I’m glad,” Marcus said, cupping Esca’s face and kissing him gently. “And I realize that I never...I wanted to apologize.” Esca furrowed his brow in confusion, so Marcus continued.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass to you, that I treated you so badly,” he said quietly. “It was all so messed up in my head, I didn’t even know what to think. I’d had a plan, it was all figured out and then you were there and suddenly everything shifted and I--”
“Shh,” Esca said, pressing a finger to Marcus’ lips. “It’s alright, I understand now.”
“That still doesn’t make it okay,” Marcus said with a wry smile.
“I know. But I forgive you, and that does,” Esca replied, rubbing Marcus’ bottom lip with the finger. “And anyway, you’re mine now, and that’s what counts, alright?”
“Alright,” Marcus said, closing his eyes and pressing their heads together, happy to just be with Esca in that moment. Happy that he hadn’t screwed it up beyond repair.
“Good,” Esca said. “Now let’s get you out of this gorgeous suit and into bed.”
“Good idea,” Marcus agreed, and they began pulling each other’s clothes off in earnest, Marcus’ tie and shirt becoming the first casualties of their eagerness, then Esca shrugged off his shirt as Marcus shucked his trousers, and everything beneath. Marcus looked up from pulling his socks off to see Esca on the edge of his bed, pulling his trousers and socks off, his naked ass visible under his flailing legs and the fabric. And Marcus could not resist the sight.
He was at the bed the next minute, pulling the clothes from Esca’s hands and pressing him back to the bed, his legs draped over Marcus’ arms, his eyes wide with surprise. Marcus thought he’d never seen anything as enticing as Esca spread out beneath him, his wide, lined eyes staring up at Marcus.
“You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Marcus said, leaning closer to Esca so that their groins rubbed, close enough so that they could kiss, open mouthed and messy. Esca grasped his hair, tugging the way he liked, but Marcus ignored the direction for once, sliding his lips down Esca’s neck and chest, sucking one of his nipples into hardness, loving the way Esca moaned when he sucked harder.
“Marcus,” Esca said, and when Marcus looked up at him, his heart skipped at the sight, Esca’s eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, rimmed in kohl, his lips parted on a gasp. “Are you going to fuck me?”
“Was thinking about it,” Marcus said with a smirk, grinding his erection into Esca’s.
“Well hurry up, then,” Esca said, pushing back, sliding his legs further up Marcus’ arms until they were resting on his shoulders.
Marcus slid down his body, tasting the skin all the way down and then giving Esca’s cock a quick suck before pushing off the bed and heading for the bedside table.
“Oh, wait a sec,” Esca said, getting off the bed and rummaging in his bag. Marcus sat on the bed and admired the view of Esca’s buttocks and thighs framing his lightly furred balls. When Esca stood and turned around, Marcus felt a moment of disappointment before taking in the front view, complete with an erection that bobbed as Esca made his way back to the bed.
“Here,” he said, handing Marcus a piece of paper and then sitting beside him on the bed.
“What’s this?” Marcus asked, unfolding and looking in confusion at what seemed to be a lab report from a local doctor’s office.
“Just some tests I had done a few weeks ago,” Esca said. Marcus read the paper over a few times, the information it contained sinking in more each time.
“You got tested? I don’t understand,” Marcus said, looking up at Esca in confusion.
“Oh Marcus, you are so very passionate that sometimes I forget you’re practically an innocent,” Esca said, running his fingers through Marcus’ hair.
“I think you did away with my innocence a while back,” Marcus said with a laugh. He looked back at the paper again, looking worried. “Did you think you were sick? That you had..something?”
Esca smiled. “No, in fact I was sure I didn’t, but I wanted to be certain,” he said, grabbing the paper from Marcus’ hand and tossing it to the ground. “And I wanted to feel you, without anything in between us.” He laid back on the bed, spreading his legs and beckoning for Marcus to lay between them, which he promptly did.
“You did this so we wouldn’t have to use condoms,” Marcus said, a smile beginning to spread across his face.
“Mmhmm,” Esca said, lifting his legs to wrap around Marcus’ waist. “I mean, you were virtually untouched before I got my filthy hands on you. And now that I have you, I don’t intend to let you go.”
“Good, because I am not going anywhere,” Marcus replied, pressing their bodies together from chest to groin. “But I just bought a new pack,” he said with a laugh, making Esca laugh too.
“We can use them if you want to,” Esca said, still grinning.
“No, no, I’m fine without,” Marcus said, kissing the smile off his face. “More than fine.”
“Good,” Esca said, shifting his hips against Marcus’ and pulling him down for another kiss. It soon turned heavy, hot and passionate, their erections grinding against each other as their movements gained urgency. Marcus pulled back a bit, grabbing hold of Esca’s legs and pulling them back up to rest on his shoulders, shifting his position so that his cock was sliding back and forth through the crack of Esca’s ass.
“It’s a very good thing for me that you are so flexible,” Marcus said, his lips still pressed against Esca’s.
“It’s good for me too, but you’re still going to need lube,” Esca replied, scratching his fingernails lightly down Marcus’ neck, eliciting a gasp.
“I know,” Marcus said, but he made no attempt to retrieve it. Esca ran his nails over Marcus’ chest now, and Marcus gasped again, his muscles twitching under Esca’s hands.
“You like that?” Esca said, scratching him again.
“Just a little, uh, yeah,” Marcus said, his chest heaving, the sensations adding up far too quickly, topped off by the sight of Esca, his hair now mussed by Marcus’ fingers, and those eyes, Marcus was going to have fantasies about this night for a very long time.
“Interesting,” Esca said, but he stopped, pushing on Marcus’ chest instead, with his arms and legs. “Now get off me and get the lube, before you come all over me and not in me.”
“Nguh,” Marcus said, his brain picturing both of those variables, finally moving when Esca pinched his nipple.
“Ow!” he exclaimed, sitting up and rubbing at his chest. “That hurt.”
“No nipple pinching, got it,” Esca said. “But it got your attention. Get the lube, hockey boy.”
“Patience,” Marcus said, but he leaned over and pulling up the drawer, bypassing the stack of condoms with a tremor of anticipation. He flipped open the lube immediately and squirted some on his fingers as Esca lifted his legs once more, giving Marcus access. He started with two fingers, knowing by now that, as it hadn’t been long since the last time they’d done this, that Esca would be well able to take it. When Esca topped him it still took a fair amount of prep, but it was worth every second.
Soon he was squeezing more lube onto his fingers, this time using it on his cock, spreading it from tip to base, stroking gently, his eyes fixed on Esca’s loosened hole, watching avidly as it fluttered when Esca clenched or flexed.
“Are you gonna fuck me, or are you just gonna bust a nut staring at me?” Esca said, his voice conveying his impatience. “I’ve been hard for ages Marcus, come on!”
“Sorry,” Marcus said, moving into position, his cheeks heating. “It’s just that you’re so...and I’m--”
“Yes, yes, I know I’m unbearably sexy and you can’t take your eyes off me, but your eyes aren’t the part I’m interested in right now,” Esca said, and Marcus thought of what his Mum used to call him. He could practically see the quills standing up as Esca got more impatient. He smiled widely, love for Esca and his prickly, compelling personality filling him up.
Once he was ready, he pushed, not stopping until he was all the way in, all gentleness faded in the face of urgency, but Esca was not complaining. To the contrary. And it was a good thing, as the bare clench of Esca’s hole around Marcus’ cock was exquisite and excruciating. He had never felt anything so amazing, so intimate, no more barriers separating them, physically or emotionally.
“Yes, Marcus, finally,” Esca said, panting, his fingernails no longer scratching, but clenched into Marcus’ shoulders instead. “Now move,” he demanded.
“So bossy,” Marcus muttered, but he did it anyway, pulling back and thrusting in, setting a fast, hard pace immediately, knowing that both of them were reaching the edge swiftly.
“You love it,” Esca panted, his breath leaving him in a whoosh with every thrust. “Harder,” he said, shifting his hips until he found the spot that made him gasp and wail.
“Yeah,” Marcus said, but the orgasm coiling in his belly overwhelmed his brain function, so he let it take over, thrusting harder and faster than he ever had, watching in awe as Esca reached down and began tugging at his cock, in time with Marcus’ thrusts.
“Yeah, that’s, Marcus...” Esca gasped out, his face going slack and his hole tight around Marcus’ cock as he painted his belly with thick stripes of come. “Ahh,” he groaned as Marcus shuddered above him, his own orgasm being milked out of him by Esca’s grasping hole.
“Ahh, I...Esca,” Marcus stuttered, feeling the space around his cock filling with hot, sticky fluid as he spent himself inside Esca.
“Fuck, yeah,” Esca said, his head lolling back as he held his softening cock loosely, his other hand sliding from Marcus’ shoulder to lie on the bed beside him.
Marcus’ hung his head in exhaustion, his arms trembling from the strain of remaining upright, but he didn’t want to move just yet, didn’t want his cock to slip from Esca’s body, putting distance between them once more, however slight. Finally he had to move, pulling out regretfully and slumping bonelessly onto the bed beside Esca with a huff.
“That was amazing,” Esca said between breaths. shifting to his side and tangling his legs with Marcus’. “Let’s do it again,” he said with a bright smile.
“Hell yes,” Marcus said,smiling back. “But this time, you’re on top.”
Part 7
As he’d hoped, Esca was waiting for him at his truck when he’d finally emerged, having dropped the tailgate, he was sitting on it, cross-legged, headphones plugged in as usual. He looked up as Marcus approached, smiling at him in a way that never ceased to get Marcus’ blood pounding.
“There you are!” he called, pulling his headphones out and shoving them into his pocket. “I was beginning to wonder.” He scooted forward until his legs were dangling from the tailgate, then spread them when Marcus stepped between, having tossed his bag in already.
“Here I am,” Marcus replied, pressing himself against Esca, wrapping him in a hug.
“You were amazing tonight,” Esca said, his hands rubbing over Marcus’ back before sliding down and squeezing his ass.
“Yeah?” Marcus asked, feeling like a kid at Christmas. The game had been a good one, despite the loss and now here he was, a smiling Esca in his arms. Life could not get better.
“Yeah. Any scout would be a fool not to recommend you for the draft.” Esca scooted forward a bit more, wrapping his legs around Marcus’ thighs, effectively trapping him, which did not bother Marcus as he had no intentions of escape.
Marcus leaned in and kissed him, opening his mouth wide as Esca sought entrance, memorizing him all over again, the way Esca tasted, the licorice he’d eaten during the game and the gum he’d likely been chewing before. He pressed harder, pushing Esca back so that he stayed upright only because of his arms and legs wrapped around Marcus’ shoulders and thighs.
The position put Marcus’ hips in the cradle of Esca’s thighs, where their erections could rub, entrapped by clothing but ardent nonetheless. Esca ended the kiss, gasping for breath, but Marcus’ didn’t stop kissing him, his lips following the line of his jaw to his neck. He got even harder when Esca’s hands untucked his shirt and slid into his jeans, teasing him with cold fingers on the heated skin of his lower back.
“We should really take this inside,” Esca whispered into his ear, gasping when Marcus sucked harder in response.
“And yet,” he said, between sucks and licks. “I can’t seem to let you go.”
“Marcus, a little discretion,” someone said, and Marcus pulled back, the motion pulling Esca’s hands out of his pants.
“Ow,” Esca hissed, sitting up and rubbing his knuckles where they had been scraped by Marcus’ jeans.
“Sorry,” Marcus said, taking Esca’s hand and rubbing the knuckles, then tangling their fingers. “Sorry Coach,” he continued, freezing when he saw that Coach Guern was not alone.
“Marcus, this is Elliot Williamson, from the Canucks,” Guern said, giving Marcus a stern look that was in no way necessary. He was frozen in shock for a moment, until Esca closed the tailgate with a muted bang.
“Mr. Williamson, I’m very pleased to meet you,” Marcus said, extending a hand which Williamson took. He had a firm handshake, which Marcus returned, hoping his palms weren’t too sweaty.
“It’s good to meet you as well, Mr. Aquila,” Williamson said. “And your...friend?” He tilted his head to Esca, who had been leaning on the truck just behind Marcus. He took a step forward to shake Williamson’s hand as well, as Marcus introduced him.
“Esca MacCunoval, my boyfriend,” Marcus said, proud that his voice hadn’t wavered at all, despite the circumstances. The fact was, this man could make or break his chances with the Canucks, or any other team, depending on what he chose to report.
“The name sounds familiar, do you play as well?” Williamson asked Esca.
“No, I’m a figure skater,” Esca replied, and Marcus could see the pride and defiance in the tilt of his jaw.
“Esca just won the World Championships in Los Angeles,” Marcus provided, giving Esca’s hand another squeeze.
“Is that right?” Williamson said, impressed. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir,” Esca said, giving him a slight smile.
“Well, Marcus, I must say this is rather a surprise,” Williamson said, giving Marcus an appraising look. “Shall I take this encounter to mean that you are...” he trailed off, but Marcus had become accustomed to that. Not many had been able to believe his sexuality, not at first.
“I’m gay, if that’s what you’re asking,” Marcus said.
“Yes, indeed,” Williamson said, looking troubled. “It creates a bit of an obstacle,” he began, but Guern cut him off.
“Mr. Williamson, I seem to recall you mentioning not too long ago that Marcus was one of the most purely talented players you’d ever seen,” he said. “I understand your hesitation, homosexuality is not exactly encouraged in sport, especially hockey.”
“To say the least,” Williamson agreed.
“However, times are changing, and it won’t be long until it reaches the NHL, which I’m sure you know. You have a great opportunity here,” Guern said. “Marcus is an exceptional player, talented, hard working, determined to a fault. He will play in the NHL, make no mistake. The question is, will he play for Vancouver? Or for a team that is willing to be a little more open minded in order to gain his skills?”
Williamson nodded, still staring thoughtfully at Marcus, who was feeling more nervous every second. This was the first hurdle, impressing the scout and gaining a good recommendation from him, and being caught in such a compromising position made it all very real.
“On the other hand, if Vancouver was the first to embrace a player like Marcus, not only would they be making history, they’d go a long way toward a more modern image, and that certainly can’t hurt them,” Guern pointed out.
“You’ve brought up some very good points,” Williamson said. “For my part, personally, I think it’s about time an NHL player stood up for himself. I know of several closeted players, including a good friend of mine, although you didn’t hear it from me.”
Marcus nodded, his hope rising steadily, though Williamson wasn’t done yet.
“However,” he continued. “The final decision is not up to me. Nothing I’ve seen here will change my recommendation, though perhaps keeping things under wraps would help?”
Marcus’ heart sank, but he couldn’t take steps back now that he’d come so far. “I’m sorry sir, but that won’t be possible. I made the decision to come out knowing full well what it might mean for my career, and I can’t change that now, nor do I want to. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”
“I understand,” Williamson said. “And I hope it works out for you.” He shook Marcus’ hand firmly and gestured to Guern to follow, turning and heading away.
“That was...hopeful,” Esca said, moving closer and wrapping an arm around Marcus’ waist. Marcus lifted his arm and wrapped it around Esca’s shoulders, looking down at him with a soft smile.
“It could have gone worse,” Marcus agreed, putting aside all his worries when he met Esca’s eyes, suddenly remembering what they’d been doing before they were interrupted. “Now, where were we?”
**
Saturday morning Marcus woke up eager to get to the arena, knowing that he’d get a chance to see Esca as usual. Marcus had tried to convince Esca to stay with him the previous night, but Esca had refrained, citing his Nan’s insistence that he spend the weekend at home.
“But you’ve been home every night this week,” Marcus had protested, but Esca had held firm.
“Yeah, but you’ve dropped me off after dinner every night, or later,” Esca said. “And she’s been complaining that she hasn’t seen enough of me.”
“Ugh,” Marcus said, shaking his head in exasperation. “She won’t even see you tonight, and you’ll be at the rink early.”
“Not as early as you,” Esca pointed out. “And she’s usually up before me, the tea is always ready when I get up and we sit and have a chat before I leave.”
“Oh,” Marcus said, deflating. “Well, I guess if she insists.”
“She’ll appreciate your sacrifice,” Esca drawled and Marcus just had to laugh, and kiss him again.
Marcus didn’t waste much time getting ready that morning, packing a smaller duffel bag with his skates, gloves, pucks and pylons and some extra tape. Then he grabbed a couple sticks and was out the door.
He warmed up as usual, gradually lengthening his strides to stretch his muscles, building speed and loosening up. Then he set some pucks in random places in the neutral zone, choosing a corner of the net to aim at and retreating to the other end. He built speed again before nabbing a puck and following it’s trajectory towards the net, working his way through various angles, shooting one puck and turning behind the net to fetch the next.
He finished up rather quickly, only missing his chosen target a handful of times, and missing the net only once.
After that he laid some pylons out, using the whole arena, and dropped a few pucks into the mix as well, trying not to pay attention to where they were placed, building some speed once more and then taking every puck through the full series of pylons before dumping it in the net, again in his chosen spot, and going back for another, the random spacing of the pucks changed up his route through the pylons, keeping him on his toes.
He’d gathered the pucks out of the net and was beginning to grab the pylons when he heard the scratch of another set of skates on the ice.
He looked up, knowing it was Esca, but thrilled to see him nonetheless. “Hi,” he called, smiling and skating over, grabbing Esca around the waist and twirling him around.
“Hey,” Esca said, clinging to Marcus’ arms until they’d stopped, then giving him a shove. “This isn’t pairs skating,” he said, and Marcus laughed.
“I don’t know, we make quite a pair,” Marcus said, pulling Esca in closer and kissing him soundly.
“We do,” Esca said when they broke apart. “But I have work to do, so let go.” He pushed Marcus back more forcefully this time, sliding backwards and immediately building speed with alternating crossovers.
“Come back here, I wasn’t done with you,” Marcus called, skating forward, trying to anticipate in which direction Esca was going to go.
“Why don’t you catch me then, hockey boy,” Esca said back, smirking in amusement. The chased each other around for a few minutes, until they were panting with laughter and exertion and Marcus finally got close enough that he could herd Esca with his stick, chopping around on the ice to keep Esca from gaining another long stride as he closed in.
“Cheater,” Esca said as Marcus approached, reaching out again to pull him in. “No fair you have a club to do your dirty work.” Marcus laughed.
“All’s fair in love and hockey,” Marcus said with a smirk, dropping his stick and gloves in order to get a better grip on Esca, who struggled, pulling back just enough to over-compensate, sending them both to the ice in a tangle of limbs.
Their laughter echoed through the arena as they grappled for dominance, covering themselves in ice crystals, until Esca emerged the victor, pinning Marcus’ bare hands to the ice with a shout of victory.
“Ha,” he said, grinning, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks flushed. “Take that, hockey boy.”
“I’ll take you anytime,” Marcus said, the mood intensifying, their gaze deepening, until Marcus had to thrust his hips up into Esca’s ass to alleviate the pressure.
“My hands are cold,” he said softly, and Esca let them go, trailing his hands down Marcus’ arms to his chest, sitting back as Marcus sat up and wrapped his arms around Esca’s waist. They snogged for a few long moments, not long enough for Marcus, but then his ass was getting very cold.
“I could do this all day,” Esca said, pulling back and cupping Marcus’ head in his hands. “But I really should get warming up. I haven’t skated all week.”
“Yeah, I should get going,” Marcus said reluctantly as Esca used his shoulders to lever himself up into a standing position, then reached down to help Marcus up. “Will probably need a change before I pick you up for breakfast.”
“Might be a good idea,” Esca said, leaning up for one more kiss before helping Marcus gather the pylons.
“Thanks,” Marcus said, remembering the first time they’d had the same exchange, how much he’d wanted Esca even then, and how far they’d come since then. He grabbed Esca by the wrist and tugged him in, kissing him passionately, remembering the feelings that Esca had sparked in him when they were new, feeling an immense sense of relief to know that they were reciprocated. He felt safe with Esca in a way he could never have imagined before, perhaps it was odd to feel that way so young, but Marcus didn’t care. He’d always been a bit beyond his years, and he supposed this was just another side of that.
“See you soon, hockey boy,” Esca said, rubbing a finger over Marcus’ lip where he had bitten it red, making Marcus shiver at the sensation.
“I’ll be waiting,” Marcus said, squeezing Esca’s ass for good measure. Esca laughed and pushed away, calling, “get out of here now, you’re distracting me,” as he skated away.
“Fine, fine,” Marcus said, picking up his stick and gloves and heading for the locker room with one more glance in Esca’s direction.
**
Marcus was just packing up his duffel when someone entered the locker room, surprising him as the arena was usually empty at that time in the morning.
“Esca?” he called and then was shocked to see Elliot Williamson standing there, an inscrutable smile on his face.
“Mr. Williamson,” Marcus said, standing up to take his hand, glad that he’d washed his only moments before.
“Mr. Aquila,” he said, shaking Marcus’ hand. “I prefer Elliot, if that’s alright. May I call you Marcus?”
“By all means,” Marcus said. “Would you like to sit?” he asked, gesturing at the bench.
“I’d prefer to go up into the arena, if you don’t mind.” Elliot said.
“Not at all,” Marcus said, picking up his duffel and motioning for Elliot to lead the way. They walked in silence, climbing that back stairs so as not to attract Esca’s attention. When they come out into the bleachers, Marcus watched Esca twirl out of a spin for a moment before taking a seat next to Elliot in the top row.
“What brings you out so early?” Marcus asked, nervously wiping his hands on his pants.
“You,” Elliot said simply, pinning Marcus with a shrewd gaze. “Coach Guern told me that you are in the habit of practicing solo as well as with the team, and I thought that perhaps I should see how you go about it. It was quite impressive actually, your methods are quite sound, and it’s encouraging to see a young player so dedicated as to rise early every Saturday just to get in more ice time.”
“My uncle says I would be on the ice all day, if I could,” Marcus said. ‘And I reckon he’s right. I never seem to get enough ice time. I’m fortunate to have the means to secure it, though.”
“Indeed,” Elliot replied. “It’s credit to you that you are so dedicated to your game.”
Marcus wondered where he was going, but Elliot seemed happy to sit in silence for a while, and both of them watched as Esca performed a sequence of footwork before stopping and turning a corner, repeating the same moves on the way back down the ice.
“He’s an exceptional skater,” Elliot said, breaking the silence. “I took the liberty of watching some videos on YouTube and I was quite stunned.”
“He’s going to win gold in the Olympics next year, I know it,” Marcus declared proudly, his eyes tracking Esca’s progress up the ice.
“How long have the two of you been together?”
“Since February,” Marcus replied. “Though we met last summer, on the ice.”
“And I understand the relationship is rather serious,” Elliot queried, and Marcus’ heart began to sink, but he steeled his determination.
“Very,” Marcus said, turning to face Elliot, who was watching him closely. “He means everything to me. I finally understand why my father acted the way he did, because I might do the same thing if I were in his shoes.”
Elliot’s brows rose in surprise at that statement, but Marcus pushed on.
“I would give up hockey for him, if it came to that,” Marcus said, his voice unwavering although his stomach was churning. “In fact, I know I might have, coming out the way I did. But I’d do it again.”
“Some would think that such a statement is cause to doubt your dedication,” Elliot stated.
“Well, they’d be wrong,” Marcus replied, hoping he wasn’t coming across too harshly. “Hockey has been my world, all my life. I was dedicated to it and my uncle was dedicated to me, so he gave me every opportunity he could, and I am so grateful to him. I love this game. So much it almost hurts sometimes, you know?” Marcus stopped for breath, not quite knowing what he was getting at.
“But then Esca came into my life and he turned it upside down. I’ve always known I was different, always known on some level that I’m gay, but I fought it so hard. So hard that I almost screwed things up with him, beyond repair.” Marcus turned back to the rink, watching Esca hungrily.
“But he made me realize that by hiding myself and pretending to be what I’m not, I would be miserable. I can’t live that way, following someone else’s rules, missing out on the love of my life in order to be what other people think I should be.”
He paused, hoping and praying that he wasn’t screwing up his own chances at a draft pick. “Do you know what I mean?” he asked, turning to face Elliot again. “I don’t know how well I’m explaining it.”
“Very well, actually,” Elliot said. “You are surprisingly eloquent for a boy your age, it’s rather refreshing. Many of the most talented players are dull as spoons, but not you.”
“Thank you,” Marcus said, resisting the urge to wring his hands.
“I have to tell you that, should you go in the draft or make it to the NHL by other means, that it will be difficult for you. In fact, it may prove to be too much.”
“I understand that,” Marcus said. “I knew what was at stake by coming out, but I judged the risk to be an acceptable one, given the repercussions of remaining closeted.”
“Well, as I said last night, I am not the one who makes the decisions, I am simply the scout. But I can tell you, despite what I saw last night, which I have of course relayed to the appropriate people, the Canucks remain very interested in you as a prospect for the draft,” Elliot said.
Marcus’ heart stopped beating for a moment, he was sure, and then took up a pounding pace that left him breathless. “You...really?” he said, stunned.
“Really,” Elliot replied. “Talent like yours does not come around every year, and coupled with your work ethic and dedication to the game, it makes a very attractive package, even considering your sexuality.”
“Wow,” Marcus breathed, still trying to wrap his head around what Elliot had told him.
“Those involved are not ready to make a decision just yet, but I wanted to reassure you that there is nothing I have seen or heard from you that will hamper your chances in any way. Your situation is not without special considerations, but I would be sure to attend the draft in Montreal in a suit and tie, if I were you,” Elliot said, standing up suddenly and reaching for Marcus’ hand.
“Mr. Williamson, Elliot,” Marcus corrected when the man gave him a look. “Thank you very much for coming out to see me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“It has been quite an enlightening visit,” Elliot agreed. “But I must be off, I’m sure my wife would like to see me home before the day is over. I hope to see you again, Marcus Aquila.”
“Thank you, sir,” Marcus said as Elliot walked away, watching him disappear into the shadows to the back stairwell before sinking back into his seat, knees weak, though with excitement or relief, he didn’t know.
**
The week before prom saw Cottia in a constant state of agitated excitement, and woe befall the person who questioned her enthusiasm. She spent more time with her groups of girlfriends, conspicuous in the absence of Ang Reed from their circle, who had indeed taken up with Charlie. She had become the worst offender regarding the harassment of Marcus and Esca, no doubt her new boyfriend was encouraging her on that score. Charlie had been keeping very quiet on the subject, due to his healthy and very justified wariness of them both.
“She’s not worth my time,” Cottia said when Marcus pressed, and would say no more, although Marcus was certain that she felt more than she was showing. She and Luke seemed to be deepening their friendship however, and Marcus felt much happier because of it.
Finally, not a moment too soon in Marcus’ estimation, prom day rolled around and Marcus found that he was actually looking forward to it. Part of it was because of the fact that the end of the year was creeping ever closer, and with it, the draft, but another part was because Esca had promised that he’d be spending the night with Marcus when it was over.
He was more excited about that than anything.
Dinner started at seven, so Marcus left just after six to ensure that he and Esca could get there in plenty of time. If they weren’t, he was sure Cottia would have something to say. Esca’s Nan wanted pictures as well, so that would take some time. Cottia also insisted on pictures, making Marcus wonder if prom wasn’t just some big excuse for a photo op.
He straightened out his suit while in the elevator to the apartment Esca shared with his Nan, hoping that Esca would like it. It was his very best, one he rarely wore but Uncle had insisted he buy for special occasions, complete with waistcoat and the new tie he’d bought, a red tartan that, according to Stephan, really made the look ‘pop’. Whatever that meant.
Marcus thought it looked pretty good anyway, and he couldn’t wait to see what Esca would look like. Elsa answered the door when Marcus knocked, shooing him in after brushing imaginary lint off his shoulders, declaring that he looked very fine.
“Is Esca ready?” Marcus asked, suddenly nervous, though why, he couldn’t fathom.
“Just playing with his hair, dear, he’ll be right out,” she replied, gesturing him into the living room where he declined a seat and shuffled nervously from foot to foot until he forced himself to look around, studying the pictures on the mantle-piece thoroughly, even though he’d seen them before.
“There you are,” Esca said from behind him, and Marcus spun quickly, eager for the sight of him. He was not disappointed. Esca looked amazing. He’d chosen a black pinstripe suit that fit him superbly and the tie he’d bought was a slate grey, which Marcus knew matched his eyes.
And there Marcus’ thought processes stopped, for framing Esca’s grey eyes was a thick line of black, clearly defining the edges and making his eyes look bigger and more intense than Marcus had ever seen them. Marcus tore his eyes away for a second, noticing that Esca’s hair was combed neatly to one side, rising in a subtle wave, softening his features in a way that left Marcus breathless.
The combination of the whole look was stunning, and Marcus was speechless, staring wide eyed at the young man in front of him, barely able to believe his luck, that Esca was his.
“Well, don’t you look fabulous,” Esca said, padding over to Marcus in his socks. “That tie looks amazing on you, and the waistcoat...wow.” He stopped in front of Marcus and ran his fingers over Marcus’ tie and over his chest. Marcus was unable to do anything but stare.
“Marcus? What’s wrong?” Esca’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do I look okay?”
Marcus swallowed, trying to come up with something to say besides, ‘screw the prom, let’s go to bed.’
“No, you look,” he stopped, looking Esca up and down again. “Amazing. Gorgeous. Spectacular.”
Esca grinned, looking just a little smug. “Tell me what you really think,” he said, quirking a brow.
“Smoking hot,” Marcus added. “Do we have to go to prom?”
Esca threw back his head and laughed, and it did nothing to help Marcus’ thought processes. “So you like it then?” he asked, taking a step back and turning from side to side, so Marcus could see all of him.
“Yeah,” Marcus said, stopping himself from saying, ’I’d like to see it off you,’ when he remembered that Elsa was in the room. “Especially the eyes.”
Esca looked up at him, his face intense, eyes filling with heat, corresponding directly to the heat rushing to Marcus’ groin. “It’s a special occasion after all,” he said, pulling Marcus down for a quick kiss.
“You’re dressed for the occasion as well, I never would have thought you’d own a waistcoat,” Esca said, running his hands over the fabric in question.
“Oh, yeah,” Marcus said, snapping his mind back to the present and not what he hoped they’d be doing in the very near future. “Uncle bought it for me last year and insisted I wear it. I’m lucky it still fits. You don’t think it looks too...stuffy?”
Esca chuckled, shaking his head. “Not at all,” he replied, his hands smoothing the material at Marcus’ waist. “Very grown up. Makes you look older.”
“It is a very flattering suit, Marcus,” Elsa said, moving toward them with a camera in hand. “And while I don’t fancy the eyeliner, you do look rather stunning, Esca.” She kissed him on the cheek and then positioned them for pictures. Marcus smiled widely in all of them, with Esca pressed warm against him.
**
By the time Cottia was done taking pictures, Marcus’ smile was much less enthusiastic. He was very grateful that everyone was called inside the restaurant where their prom was being held, and directed to the dining room for their meal. Marcus thought the idea of a catered prom was a good one, keeping everyone in one building, he could see the decorated ballroom through the open doors as they made their way in for dinner.
“So, how long do we have to stay now?” Esca asked Marcus when they were done and the music was starting in the next room.
“Only as long as it takes Cottia to forget about us,” Marcus said with a grimace. “It could be a while.” The dinner had been excellent, and it was interesting to see everyone in their finery, the girls decked out in colorful dresses, the boys in suits or tuxes. Everyone was in a celebratory mood, taking the chance to relax before they began to study in earnest for their upcoming final exams, which was part of the reason for having the prom in late April or, in their case, early in May.
“I wonder if Luke will be able to help us out there?” Esca asked, leaning closer and whispering into Marcus’ ear. “I really want to get you out of that suit and into bed.”
Marcus’ breath caught as Esca spoke the words that mirrored his earlier thoughts exactly. “I’ve been thinking that since I laid eyes on you,” Marcus said, turning to give Esca a kiss that spoke of all his intentions. Esca pulled back just when things were getting interesting, making Marcus groan in dismay.
“Come dance with me, hockey boy,” he said, standing up and tugging Marcus’ arm to make him follow. “We can’t stay in here all night.”
“If you insist,” Marcus said, taking Esca’s hand and letting himself be led into the darkened ballroom to join their classmates.
**
It was almost two hours later when it got a bit ugly. Marcus and Esca had joined Luke, Cottia and a few others on the dance floor, moving in groups or couples depending on the songs. They had quickly abandoned their suit jackets, although Esca had insisted that Marcus leave the waistcoat on, the fire in his eyes assuring Marcus’ compliance.
It was during a ballad, just another love song that Marcus would forget he’d ever heard after that night, when Charlie had caught sight of Luke and Cottia together and had decided to make a scene.
“What the fuck are you doing, Cottia?” he asked, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of Luke’s embrace. Marcus had been pleased to see them kissing, hoping that they would be happy with each other, especially since he cared about them both. It didn’t hurt that he thought they were perfect for each other.
“Let go of me, Charlie,” Cottia snapped, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “What’s your problem, anyway?”
“Oh I dunno, I was just a little surprised to look over and see my sister acting like a slut with this loser,” Charlie said with an ugly sneer.
Marcus took a step forward, but Esca stopped him as Luke took a step forward into Charlie’s personal space.
“I don’t care what you think of me, Henderson,” he said, glaring dangerously at Charlie. “But you’d better watch what you say about Cottia, or I’ll have to kick your ass.”
“As if you could,” Charlie said with a laugh.
“If Esca, a guy who is half your weight and several inches shorter, could do it, I’m sure you wouldn’t present much of a challenge for me,” Luke said, but Cottia pushed him aside before they could get any further.
“Charlie, you are acting like a complete idiot,” she said, glaring up at her much taller brother with flashing eyes. “I’m allowed to kiss my boyfriend at the prom, thank you very much.”
“Boyfriend?” Charlie exclaimed. “You’re not seriously telling me you’re dating him, are you? Are you going to turn him gay now too?” The crowd that had gathered to watch gasped and ‘oohed’ at that, and Esca had to hold Marcus back again, as Cottia did to Luke.
“You seem rather obsessed with people being gay, Charlie,” Cottia said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t more to it than just you being an asshole.”
“What do you mean by that?” Charlie said, his forehead creasing in consternation.
“I mean you talk an awful lot about who is or isn’t gay,” Cottia said sweetly. “Is there something you’d like to tell us? Or do you need your girlfriend to do all your dirty work these days, since you had your ass handed to you by not one but two oh so prissy gay boys.”
“Leave her out of this,” Charlie said, ignoring everything else she said.
“Why should I?” Cottia said. “Since you’ve been using her as a tool to continue harassing Marcus and Esca, she’s clearly involved.”
“You’re just jealous I have a real man who isn’t afraid to speak out against something so...disgusting,” Ang piped up from behind Charlie, making Cottia laugh.
“A real man? You have got to be kidding me,” Cottia said, still chuckling. “I’ve lived with him all my life sweetheart, and let me tell you, you couldn’t find a boy further from being a man this side of puberty.”
The crowd laughed at that and Marcus felt a surge of admiration for Cottia. Yes, she would be good for Luke, and she deserved a guy as great as he was.
“Fuck you,” Charlie snarled, but Cottia only laughed harder.
“Good comeback little brother,” she said, highly amused. She stepped closer to Charlie and reached a hand up to grasp his ear, tugging him down so she could whisper in his ear. Marcus couldn’t hear what they were saying as the music was still blaring from strategically placed speakers, but he could see Charlie paling as she spoke, before pulling back and hissing, “you wouldn’t dare!”
“You’d better believe I would,” Cottia said seriously, giving Charlie a look that, from his reaction, must have been inherited from their mother. “Now go play with your ego somewhere else, I’m busy.” She turned back to Luke, who promptly took her in his arms, shooting Charlie a smug look over her shoulder.
Marcus thought for a moment Charlie was going to hang on and do something stupid, but Ang tugged him away, sneering at Cottia and Luke, who were once again dancing close.
**
They all retreated to the dining room after that dance, for a drink and a laugh.
“The look on his face!” Esca was saying gleefully, laughing despite Cottia’s blush. “It was priceless. You are my hero,” he added, raising his glass in salute.
“Hear, hear,” Marcus said. “It was truly lovely to see him taken down a few notches. What did you whisper in his ear?” Marcus asked.
“Oh, I told him that if he didn’t back off I would tell everyone about the dirty magazines under his mattress. The one filled with pictures of naked boys,” she said, grinning mischievously.
“He doesn’t!” Esca exclaimed, shocked. Cottia laughed and shook her head.
“No, it’s all girly magazines, but who do you think everyone would believe? Me, or the homophobic asshole?”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Luke commented, and Cottia smiled at him.
“I doubt you could,” she said sweetly, lifting her face for a kiss, which Luke gladly gave her.
“You two are so sweet together that I just have to get out of here,” Esca declared, downing the rest of his drink and standing, taking Marcus’ hand in his. “Have a good rest of the evening folks. I know we will.”
Marcus flushed at that, but he could not bring himself to deny it, standing up instead and shrugging on his jacket.
“You’re leaving so soon?” Cottia said with a pout.
“Yep,” Marcus confirmed. “As lovely as this has been, especially the part where you tore Charlie a new one, we have things we’d rather be doing right now.”
“Okay, okay, we don’t want to hear about it,” Cottia said, standing up to kiss them both on the cheek while Luke shook their hands. “Have a great evening boys.”
“See you Monday,” Esca called out as he and Marcus made good their escape.
**
They hadn’t wasted any time in getting back to Marcus’ house, and they hadn’t stopped for more than a few kisses, knowing that Marcus’ uncle would want to see them before they went to bed, as he also wanted pictures, and Marcus had promised that they wouldn’t be too late.
It was just before 11pm when they arrived, Marcus calling out to his uncle when they entered.
“In here,” Uncle called from the TV room, although he came out to meet them before they’d had a chance to get halfway down the hallway.
“Well, don’t the two of you look wonderful,” Uncle declared, delighted. “And not very rumpled at all, Stephan owes me a twenty.”
“What?” Marcus asked, while Esca laughed.
“Oh, he bet me you’d be quite disheveled when you arrived home, but I assured him that you were patient enough to do the rumpling after you got here.”
“Uncle, you did not just make a bet with Stephan about my love life,” Marcus begged, hiding his face in his hands.
“I think he did,” Esca said, still very amused. “And he won, so cheer up, lets get these pictures done and then I’ll get you sufficiently rumpled.”
“Oh god, someone shoot me,” Marcus said, his voice muffled by his hands.
“Now, now, don’t be so dramatic,” Uncle said, putting a hand on Marcus shoulder and steering him toward the rarely used living room. “Although Esca, I must say the eyeliner is very dramatic on you, well done.”
“Thanks,” Esca said brightly, and Marcus cursed his uncle for bringing it to his attention once more, the fact that Esca looked more like sex than ever. He’d been trying to ignore it the whole evening, but hadn’t been having much success.
“What do you think of Marcus’ suit? Quite sharp, isn’t it?” Uncle asked, and Marcus rolled his eyes.
“It really is,” Esca replied, eying Marcus up and down with this kohl lined eyes, making Marcus shiver with want. “He told me you insisted he wear it. Thank you.”
Uncle laughed. “You’re very welcome. The fact is, Marcus wears the suit and tie all the time, so I thought he should have something a little more distinctive. Although I fear this suit won’t be around for much longer. He’s filling out far too much in the shoulder area.”
“All that hockey must be good for something,” Esca said with a smirk, his eyes sliding over Marcus’ shoulders in admiration.
“If you two are done, can we get these pictures taken?” Marcus said, probably sounding more annoyed that he was.
“Oh Marcus, it’s not the end of the world,” Uncle said, patting his arm. “We can always buy you a new suit.” Esca laughed but, at the look on Marcus’ face, stifled it.
“Sorry,” he said apologetically, though Uncle grinned widely.
“Pictures, then,” Uncle said, and they arranged themselves appropriately. Marcus was very grateful that Uncle was much less camera happy than Elsa or Cottia, taking only two pictures and declaring them perfect.
“Excellent, thank you boys,” Uncle said, turning off his camera. “And now I am off to bed. I will see the two of you in the morning.”
“Good night Uncle,” Marcus said.
“Good night,” Esca echoed, and Uncle gave them a wave before heading up to his bedroom.
Silence fell for a moment, while Marcus looked at Esca, for the first time that night, he let the longing and desire flow through him unhindered, now that they were finally alone. The dark lines of kohl matched his suit, and both served to bring out the grey, his eyes and his tie...it was a striking look, but all Marcus wanted then was to remove it, piece by piece until Esca was laid bare, his only adornment the black around his eyes.
“Let’s go upstairs,” Marcus said, his voice feeling scratchy, his eyes holding Esca’s.
“Yeah,” Esca agreed, taking a few steps back toward the foyer. “I’ve been wanting to get you out of that suit all night.”
“I know the feeling,” Marcus said, following him as if tethered. They kicked off their shoes, Esca grabbing the bag he’d tucked into Marcus’ truck earlier that evening. They went upstairs without a word, though the tension was thick between them. It didn’t seem to matter how often they came together, it was always just as exhilarating as the time before.
When they got to Marcus’ room and the door was closed behind them, only then did they reach out for each other, hands sliding possessively over each other as their mouths came together in a desperate, needy kiss.
“You look so amazing,” Marcus whispered, diving in for another kiss before continuing. “I’ve been half hard since I saw you, and you knew it, didn’t you?”
Esca laughed breathlessly as Marcus’ lips attacked his jaw, sucking harshly on his earlobe before retaking his lips.
“I thought you might like it,” Esca said as Marcus pushed his jacket off, sliding his hands down Esca’s arms to ensure its removal, immediately fumbling with Esca’s tie, as soon as the jacket fell to the floor.
“I did, you great tease,” Marcus said, gasping when Esca pulled their bodies close, his hands stilling as their erections rubbed for the fist time that night.
“What about you?” Esca said, pushing Marcus’ jacket off as well, dragging his hands down Marcus’ back, cupping his ass and squeezing while Marcus shrugged off the jacket, his hands returning to Esca’s tie, pulling it loose at last and flinging it to the floor with the rest.
“What about me?” Marcus asked, making quick work of the Esca’s shirt buttons. “There’s no possible way I could have looked as amazing and sexy as you do tonight.”
“No, you’re wrong,” Esca said, tugging at Marcus’ belt, pulling it through the belt loops with a whoosh. “You clearly have never seen your arse in these trousers.” He reached around and squeezed in emphasis, licking a path up Marcus’ jaw, capturing his lips in another wet, messy kiss.
“And the waistcoat,” Esca said, panting when they had come up for air, though Marcus’ lips had already dropped to suck at the skin that Esca’s shirt had fallen open to reveal. “I will be eternally grateful to your uncle for making you wear it. It looks amazing on you. We are so buying you another when you outgrow this one,” he insisted, undoing the buttons awkwardly as Marcus sucked a love bite onto his collarbone. “Your uncle is right, you’re filling out quite a bit, I’ve noticed you’re bigger now than when we met.”
“Oh yeah?” Marcus asked, only paying half attention, pulling Esca’s shirt from the waistband of his slacks and setting to work on the belt.
“Mmm, yes,” Esca said. “And I thought you couldn’t get any sexier than you were that day.”
Marcus lifted his head, meeting Esca’s eyes. “You really wanted me then? I couldn’t tell, you were so...prickly.”
Esca chuckled softly. “I’ve always been prickly,” he said. “Mum used to call me a bad tempered hedgehog when I was angry.”
“It suits you,” Marcus said, grinning when Esca scowled at him. “But I like it.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me,” Esca said, pushing Marcus back so that he could remove the waistcoat. “And you were cheerful and friendly and I was a bit overwhelmed. Wanting you was the first positive thing I’d felt since...” he trailed off, his mood darkening.
“I’m glad,” Marcus said, cupping Esca’s face and kissing him gently. “And I realize that I never...I wanted to apologize.” Esca furrowed his brow in confusion, so Marcus continued.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass to you, that I treated you so badly,” he said quietly. “It was all so messed up in my head, I didn’t even know what to think. I’d had a plan, it was all figured out and then you were there and suddenly everything shifted and I--”
“Shh,” Esca said, pressing a finger to Marcus’ lips. “It’s alright, I understand now.”
“That still doesn’t make it okay,” Marcus said with a wry smile.
“I know. But I forgive you, and that does,” Esca replied, rubbing Marcus’ bottom lip with the finger. “And anyway, you’re mine now, and that’s what counts, alright?”
“Alright,” Marcus said, closing his eyes and pressing their heads together, happy to just be with Esca in that moment. Happy that he hadn’t screwed it up beyond repair.
“Good,” Esca said. “Now let’s get you out of this gorgeous suit and into bed.”
“Good idea,” Marcus agreed, and they began pulling each other’s clothes off in earnest, Marcus’ tie and shirt becoming the first casualties of their eagerness, then Esca shrugged off his shirt as Marcus shucked his trousers, and everything beneath. Marcus looked up from pulling his socks off to see Esca on the edge of his bed, pulling his trousers and socks off, his naked ass visible under his flailing legs and the fabric. And Marcus could not resist the sight.
He was at the bed the next minute, pulling the clothes from Esca’s hands and pressing him back to the bed, his legs draped over Marcus’ arms, his eyes wide with surprise. Marcus thought he’d never seen anything as enticing as Esca spread out beneath him, his wide, lined eyes staring up at Marcus.
“You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Marcus said, leaning closer to Esca so that their groins rubbed, close enough so that they could kiss, open mouthed and messy. Esca grasped his hair, tugging the way he liked, but Marcus ignored the direction for once, sliding his lips down Esca’s neck and chest, sucking one of his nipples into hardness, loving the way Esca moaned when he sucked harder.
“Marcus,” Esca said, and when Marcus looked up at him, his heart skipped at the sight, Esca’s eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, rimmed in kohl, his lips parted on a gasp. “Are you going to fuck me?”
“Was thinking about it,” Marcus said with a smirk, grinding his erection into Esca’s.
“Well hurry up, then,” Esca said, pushing back, sliding his legs further up Marcus’ arms until they were resting on his shoulders.
Marcus slid down his body, tasting the skin all the way down and then giving Esca’s cock a quick suck before pushing off the bed and heading for the bedside table.
“Oh, wait a sec,” Esca said, getting off the bed and rummaging in his bag. Marcus sat on the bed and admired the view of Esca’s buttocks and thighs framing his lightly furred balls. When Esca stood and turned around, Marcus felt a moment of disappointment before taking in the front view, complete with an erection that bobbed as Esca made his way back to the bed.
“Here,” he said, handing Marcus a piece of paper and then sitting beside him on the bed.
“What’s this?” Marcus asked, unfolding and looking in confusion at what seemed to be a lab report from a local doctor’s office.
“Just some tests I had done a few weeks ago,” Esca said. Marcus read the paper over a few times, the information it contained sinking in more each time.
“You got tested? I don’t understand,” Marcus said, looking up at Esca in confusion.
“Oh Marcus, you are so very passionate that sometimes I forget you’re practically an innocent,” Esca said, running his fingers through Marcus’ hair.
“I think you did away with my innocence a while back,” Marcus said with a laugh. He looked back at the paper again, looking worried. “Did you think you were sick? That you had..something?”
Esca smiled. “No, in fact I was sure I didn’t, but I wanted to be certain,” he said, grabbing the paper from Marcus’ hand and tossing it to the ground. “And I wanted to feel you, without anything in between us.” He laid back on the bed, spreading his legs and beckoning for Marcus to lay between them, which he promptly did.
“You did this so we wouldn’t have to use condoms,” Marcus said, a smile beginning to spread across his face.
“Mmhmm,” Esca said, lifting his legs to wrap around Marcus’ waist. “I mean, you were virtually untouched before I got my filthy hands on you. And now that I have you, I don’t intend to let you go.”
“Good, because I am not going anywhere,” Marcus replied, pressing their bodies together from chest to groin. “But I just bought a new pack,” he said with a laugh, making Esca laugh too.
“We can use them if you want to,” Esca said, still grinning.
“No, no, I’m fine without,” Marcus said, kissing the smile off his face. “More than fine.”
“Good,” Esca said, shifting his hips against Marcus’ and pulling him down for another kiss. It soon turned heavy, hot and passionate, their erections grinding against each other as their movements gained urgency. Marcus pulled back a bit, grabbing hold of Esca’s legs and pulling them back up to rest on his shoulders, shifting his position so that his cock was sliding back and forth through the crack of Esca’s ass.
“It’s a very good thing for me that you are so flexible,” Marcus said, his lips still pressed against Esca’s.
“It’s good for me too, but you’re still going to need lube,” Esca replied, scratching his fingernails lightly down Marcus’ neck, eliciting a gasp.
“I know,” Marcus said, but he made no attempt to retrieve it. Esca ran his nails over Marcus’ chest now, and Marcus gasped again, his muscles twitching under Esca’s hands.
“You like that?” Esca said, scratching him again.
“Just a little, uh, yeah,” Marcus said, his chest heaving, the sensations adding up far too quickly, topped off by the sight of Esca, his hair now mussed by Marcus’ fingers, and those eyes, Marcus was going to have fantasies about this night for a very long time.
“Interesting,” Esca said, but he stopped, pushing on Marcus’ chest instead, with his arms and legs. “Now get off me and get the lube, before you come all over me and not in me.”
“Nguh,” Marcus said, his brain picturing both of those variables, finally moving when Esca pinched his nipple.
“Ow!” he exclaimed, sitting up and rubbing at his chest. “That hurt.”
“No nipple pinching, got it,” Esca said. “But it got your attention. Get the lube, hockey boy.”
“Patience,” Marcus said, but he leaned over and pulling up the drawer, bypassing the stack of condoms with a tremor of anticipation. He flipped open the lube immediately and squirted some on his fingers as Esca lifted his legs once more, giving Marcus access. He started with two fingers, knowing by now that, as it hadn’t been long since the last time they’d done this, that Esca would be well able to take it. When Esca topped him it still took a fair amount of prep, but it was worth every second.
Soon he was squeezing more lube onto his fingers, this time using it on his cock, spreading it from tip to base, stroking gently, his eyes fixed on Esca’s loosened hole, watching avidly as it fluttered when Esca clenched or flexed.
“Are you gonna fuck me, or are you just gonna bust a nut staring at me?” Esca said, his voice conveying his impatience. “I’ve been hard for ages Marcus, come on!”
“Sorry,” Marcus said, moving into position, his cheeks heating. “It’s just that you’re so...and I’m--”
“Yes, yes, I know I’m unbearably sexy and you can’t take your eyes off me, but your eyes aren’t the part I’m interested in right now,” Esca said, and Marcus thought of what his Mum used to call him. He could practically see the quills standing up as Esca got more impatient. He smiled widely, love for Esca and his prickly, compelling personality filling him up.
Once he was ready, he pushed, not stopping until he was all the way in, all gentleness faded in the face of urgency, but Esca was not complaining. To the contrary. And it was a good thing, as the bare clench of Esca’s hole around Marcus’ cock was exquisite and excruciating. He had never felt anything so amazing, so intimate, no more barriers separating them, physically or emotionally.
“Yes, Marcus, finally,” Esca said, panting, his fingernails no longer scratching, but clenched into Marcus’ shoulders instead. “Now move,” he demanded.
“So bossy,” Marcus muttered, but he did it anyway, pulling back and thrusting in, setting a fast, hard pace immediately, knowing that both of them were reaching the edge swiftly.
“You love it,” Esca panted, his breath leaving him in a whoosh with every thrust. “Harder,” he said, shifting his hips until he found the spot that made him gasp and wail.
“Yeah,” Marcus said, but the orgasm coiling in his belly overwhelmed his brain function, so he let it take over, thrusting harder and faster than he ever had, watching in awe as Esca reached down and began tugging at his cock, in time with Marcus’ thrusts.
“Yeah, that’s, Marcus...” Esca gasped out, his face going slack and his hole tight around Marcus’ cock as he painted his belly with thick stripes of come. “Ahh,” he groaned as Marcus shuddered above him, his own orgasm being milked out of him by Esca’s grasping hole.
“Ahh, I...Esca,” Marcus stuttered, feeling the space around his cock filling with hot, sticky fluid as he spent himself inside Esca.
“Fuck, yeah,” Esca said, his head lolling back as he held his softening cock loosely, his other hand sliding from Marcus’ shoulder to lie on the bed beside him.
Marcus’ hung his head in exhaustion, his arms trembling from the strain of remaining upright, but he didn’t want to move just yet, didn’t want his cock to slip from Esca’s body, putting distance between them once more, however slight. Finally he had to move, pulling out regretfully and slumping bonelessly onto the bed beside Esca with a huff.
“That was amazing,” Esca said between breaths. shifting to his side and tangling his legs with Marcus’. “Let’s do it again,” he said with a bright smile.
“Hell yes,” Marcus said,smiling back. “But this time, you’re on top.”
Part 7