Alpha Dog
Alpha Dog is a very short story about a couple of high school senior jocks. It is intended for an audience over 18. If you aren't supposed to be reading this kind of material, please leave.
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I have written a number of tales that are posted on Nifty. You may find them by scrolling down to my name in the "authors" list: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/frauthors.html
At least three of the short stories have a Christmas theme and you might enjoy them if you haven't read them already.
I wish to thank my editors Tom and David for helping to make this story better and freer of errors.
If you are in the position of donating to Nifty, I know the guys would appreciate it.
On to the story.
Alpha Dog
Clay Johnson was king of his high school campus. He had about everything a boy of 18 could wish for, a fancy car, a pretty girlfriend, and a group of sycophants who hung on his every word and massaged his ego at every turn. Some would have gladly massaged whatever he asked them to – boys as well as girls.
He was tall, masculine in appearance, and good at about any sport he wanted to play. His handsome face was characterized by a square jaw, high cheek bones, and clear blue eyes. It was all topped by a blond crew-cut which made him look like a poster boy for a sports magazine.
His muscles were well defined, not overly bulked up, but functional - perfect for a quarterback. He looked great in a football uniform, but even better in a wrestling singlet which showcased another of his assets. He was hot!
However, as Grandma's generation would have said, "handsome is as handsome does" and Clay was not so pretty on the inside. In fact, his mother had insisted that he work with a therapist to learn to control his anger. It was something that had become increasingly problematic since puberty.
Clay had done pretty well with his temper issues until the beginning of the current school year. A new kid, Shaun, had transferred in and set him back nearly to square one. Six months of expensive therapy went down the drain quickly.
Shaun Frederick's physical description was much the same as Clay's. He had a similar face and a body most guys would kill for. He too seemed to have a natural gift for most physical pursuits.
After being the uncontested ruler of all he surveyed for so much of his life, Clay felt threatened. He was afraid that the kids who surrounded him were beginning to have their heads turned. Even his girlfriend, Gina, made a remark about how hot Shaun was. That happened one night when they had been making out heavily, but Clay had declined to bring their love-making to its logical conclusion. It had felt to him like she was trying to make him jealous and prod him into something he was not ready to do. He had reminded her of their vow to wait until they were at least engaged, if not married. He held up Tim Tebow as his hero, saying that he could hold out if Tim could.
Clay began his campaign against Shaun the following day during football practice. He started with criticism of Shaun's playing, but that didn't last long. The coach overheard what he said and took him aside.
"Shaun executed that play exactly as I instructed him to. He's a fine athlete and I'm the coach, not you. If you keep this up, you'll be warming the bench and I'll put him in as starting quarterback in our game against Lincoln."
"You can't do that, Coach! I've always had that spot and you know I'm the best we have."
"Son, I can, and will, put any player in any position that I feel he's qualified for. As I said, that is my job, not yours."
Clay had enough control to shut his mouth and not dig himself into a deeper pit.
"Sorry, Coach."
The coach gave him a pat on the butt and told him to get back on the field and prove his worth.
Coach Gabe Patterson loved his team and they knew it. They also respected him in return. If he'd have asked them to move the gym three feet to the left, they'd have begun immediately to figure out a way to do it, brick by brick.
Having had no success in dissing the new kid about his playing, Clay took another approach. He started rumors that Shaun was gay. He said that the new kid had left his previous school because of harassment after he got caught on his knees in front of another boy in the locker room.
Many of his cohorts repeated his words, but most of them weren't convinced. Shaun came off as very masculine. Also, one of the guys on the team had a father who worked at the same firm as Shaun's dad, and his father had remarked about how long the company had been courting Don Frederick to work for them on a new communications device that could make the iPhone obsolete.
Still, the guys on the football team had to go along with their "homey" or at least felt they did.
Clay began making asides to Shaun, like calling him "fag" or "fudge-packer" when no adults were within ear-shot to overhear. His purpose was to rile Shaun enough to cause him to fight. If he could get the kid to throw the first punch, he'd paint Shaun as a troublemaker and avoid taking any of the blame personally.
Shaun was irritated at first, but began to wear an enigmatic smile, like he was up to something whenever Clay called him a nasty name. Of course that pissed Clay off and he came very close to physically attacking Shaun.
After about a week of this, Clay noticed a wire with a tiny mike taped to Shaun's chest. He might not have seen it except that Shaun said a four-letter word and cringed when removing it before going to the showers. The adhesive had evidently pulled out some chest hairs.
Clay didn't ask about the device attached to the wire. Knowing that Shaun's father was an expert in electronics, he was sure it was for the purpose of recording the epithets he was constantly hurling at Shaun. He stopped that tack immediately and hoped that Coach Patterson wasn't yet aware of it.
Shaun smiled all the more broadly the next day, realizing his ploy had worked. With all the wires and electronic bits in his house, it had been easy to come up with something that looked like a listening device.
Clay had a particularly lousy weekend. His performance in the game against their cross-town rivals had not been topnotch. When he overthrew his favorite receiver in the first quarter, the coach replaced him with Shaun. Shaun played flawlessly. He was the hero of the hour in the stadium and on the local sportscast which followed on the late news.
Clay's mood on Monday morning was worse than usual. Shaun could have taken advantage of the situation and goaded him into starting a fight, but he didn't, much to Clay's surprise.
Instead of scrimmaging on the field, on Monday, the team reviewed a video of Saturday's game. It was obvious, even to Clay's toadies that he had been totally out of control. He had made a couple of careless errors early on that would not have been expected from a senior. On the other hand, Shaun's game was very smooth.
Clay slouched further down in his chair, trying to make his profile as low as his spirits. He hated it when most of the team high-fived Shaun on the way out of the room after Coach Patterson asked his two main quarterbacks to stay.
"I'm well aware of the animosity between you guys. I think it's pretty much one-sided, and I'm totally tired of it! You need to settle your differences. Since you both have wresting experience, I want you to put on your gym shorts and unroll a mat in the wrestling room. I don't want you to fight! I don't want a lot of blood, but plenty of sweat! I'm not looking to get fired if one of you gets hurt, but I am looking for some kind of truce between you. Whoever wins, I want him to extend the hand of friendship to the other one. You may not end up best buds, but I want you to be civil to each other. I think a bit of physical exertion may help that to come about. When you're done, come to my office and let me know that you can work together. It's either that, or I'll have to think about replacing both of you for our next game. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir," both boys agreed, Shaun looking him in the eye and Clay studying the floor.
"I'm gonna take you down and show you who's boss," Clay taunted. "You're gonna wish you'd never heard of this town."
"Please don't mess me up too badly," Shaun responded. "I was gonna have my senior pictures taken next week. I'm probably no match for your superior wresting skills."
"You've got that right, dipshit! I'm the reigning champ of the district."
Clay went on the attack with all his might, but Shaun slipped out of his grasp and turned the tables on him. Clay soon found himself on the floor in a hold from which he could not escape.
"Let go of me or I'm gonna mess up that pretty-boy face."
"Ooh, you think I'm pretty?"
"Shut up and let me go!"
"Why would I do that? As long as I have you subdued, I'm in no danger of getting hurt."
"You're messing up my arm and I won't be able to play on Thursday."
"And is there a reason I should care about that? I don't mind being starting quarterback. Besides, if you'll relax, your arm won't be injured. `Let it go, let it go, let it g-o-o-o." Shaun crooned in a smooth baritone.
"You probably sit up watching Disney movies every night, you big wuss!"
"How would you know what movie it's from if you don't?"
"Shut up!"
"You've already used those words and they didn't work. You've tried all kinds of things to make life hard for me. Wouldn't it be easier on both of us to call a truce? We're a lot alike in many ways and we could be a team. I could support you in football and wrestling and you could support me. It's not like one of those old cowboy movies where the one guy says to the other, `This town ain't big enough for the both of us, you lowdown sidewinder!'" Shaun said in a cheesy western accent."
During this exchange, Clay had relaxed and sensed that Shaun had too. So, he tried to break the hold when he thought Shaun would least expect it. He was wrong, and slumped back on the floor in pain.
"Dude, what was that, a death wish?" Shaun asked. "I forgot to mention that I was the state champion in my weight class in Florida last year. Sorry about leaving out that detail."
"What is it you want from me?" Clay nearly screamed in his frustration.
"I've already told you. I'd like to be friends. We may not ever be bosom buddies, though you do have nice pecs," he teased. "But at least we could be civil to each other. It would benefit the whole team in the long run."
"Maybe, if you knew your place, this could have worked from the start."
"Okay, I'll yield to your alpha nature. I think other dogs show their subservient status by licking the alpha dog's balls. I'm willing to do that if that's what it takes."
"You'd probably get off on tasting my sweaty scrotum."
"I might, and you might like to return the favor, for all I know."
With that, Shaun licked and nibbled on Clay's ear, making the latter moan involuntarily.
"Sorry," Shaun murmured. "You're so hot I just couldn't resist. Pull down your shorts and I'll do what I said I would."
"Wait," Clay said, his face pale with a mixture of anxiety and desire.
Shaun released his hold, half expecting Clay to make a punching bag of his face. Instead, Clay drew their lips together and kissed him.
They writhed together, wrestling as one – the two large mounds in their shorts stimulating each other. Their nearly-naked frottage session tripped both of their triggers almost simultaneously, soaking their gym shorts with copious amounts of jizz.
"Shit!" Clay grinned.
"No, I'm sure it's cum!" Shaun countered. "I may not be in love with you at this point, but I have a healthy case of lust!"
"Me too! Could we give it a try and see where it leads?"
"Like as in boyfriends?"
"Yup, if you don't think that's too corny."
"I think it sounds awesome!"
"Guess what?" Clay commented in surprise. "I'm not angry at the world anymore. It will take awhile for this to sink in, but I think I've been pissed off ever since I knew I liked boys and didn't have the balls to do anything about it."
"You definitely have balls!" Shaun begged to differ. "And they were loaded!"
They were sharing a tender post-coital kiss when the coach came looking for them. He stood quietly for a few seconds before clearing his throat to alert them to his presence.
"I was hoping you'd kiss and make up, but more as a figure of speech," he grinned.
"We were just..." Clay began, nervously.
"I can see that," Coach Patterson smiled. "I'm happy you resolved your differences. Um, I think you might want to take your shorts home and launder them or bring a different pair to wear to drills tomorrow."
"Yes, Sir! Consider it done," Shaun giggled.
"You wanna go for pizza?" Shaun asked as they were dressing after their shared shower.
"Sure, let me see how much I have in my billfold."
"It's on me," Shaun said. "That's a very small sum to pay for the best orgasm I can ever remember having."
"Oh, so now you're trying to turn me into a kept man?"
"Yup, I'd love to keep you! Besides, the lower dogs have to treat the alpha male to whatever he desires."
"I think the title belongs to you. You were stronger and cooler than I was. I tried to mess with your head, but it backfired on me. I played like a 7th grader Saturday."
"You weren't that bad," Shaun giggled. "Maybe more like a 9th grader. If you're worried about the title thing, we could have a rematch in my bed after we eat. My parents won't be home until late. Call home and say you're eating with a friend and we're doing our homework together."
"I don't have any homework tonight."
"Neither do I, but the `rents don't know that!"
Wrestling in Shaun's bed led to the expulsion of more life-generating fluid. Both boys were spent and smiling as they cuddled naked in the afterglow, Shaun's semi-hard snuggled up to Clay's butt crack.
Shaun pulled the sheet up to their navels and the two fell into a blissful sleep. So deep was their slumber that they didn't hear the garage door open and close.
Shaun's mother came up the stairs calling his name as she discovered the scene through his open door.
"Sorry, I'd have made more noise had I known. Who's your friend? I don't think I've met him before."
"Um, this is Clay. He's the other main quarterback."
"I thought you were mortal enemies."
"We, uh, sorta worked out our differences," Shaun blushed.
"I suspected there was some kind of animal attraction between the two of you when we were at Saturday's game.
Clay, would you like to call your parents and ask to stay over? It's getting rather late and they'll probably be worried."
"Thanks for the invitation, but I'll need clothes and clean gym shorts."
"I'm certain Shaun has things that will fit you. It might give you a little lead time to come up with a logical explanation for the amount of time you've spent here, assuming you didn't sneak out of your house in the past hour."
"Sheri, what's taking you so long?" Don called up the stairs.
"Sorry, I was getting acquainted with Shaun's new friend. They want to have a sleepover which is fine since they both have their homework done.
Right, boys?
You might get dressed enough to meet the rest of the family," she said in a whisper.
After Clay cleared it with his parents and the boys had snacked on popcorn with Shaun's family, they set out clothes for the following day and took a quick shower together. They went back to Shaun's room clad only in bath towels and slid into bed nude.
They slept intertwined, flesh to flesh all night. Clay awoke totally rested in the morning. It was awesome to share a kiss as soon as they'd brushed their teeth.
Then he began to worry about how his parents would react when he told them he was gay. Shaun's family seemed completely at ease with their son's orientation and the discovery of a boy in his bed. Don was as comfortable as Sheri had been, asking them if they needed any supplies before he went off to the master bedroom. Shaun's little sister was blasé about the whole thing, though she was probably too young to know what was going on.
At school the next day, anyone who knew Clay was shocked at his happy-go-lucky demeanor. The guys on the football team welcomed Shaun to their table with a good deal of warmth. They didn't have to choose sides about whom they would hang out with because the rivalry had completely disappeared.
"Hey Tebow, Jr. did you get laid last night? You're the most mellow I've ever seen you," tight end Marty Wilson grinned. "I've been lookin' around the cafeteria, but Gina doesn't seem to feel the same. Did you hurt her with that big tool of yours?"
"You can have sexual satisfaction without penetration," Clay reminded him with a grin.
"Does getting a blow-job count as penetration?"
"I'm not sure. What do you think, Shaun?"
"I believe it's technically classified as sodomy, at least in some states."
As the guys were giggling over the definition of sodomy, Gina came to the table looking like she could kill someone or something. Her expression reminded them of how Clay, until recently, had looked.
"Where were you last night? I thought we had a date."
"You thought wrong," Clay said quietly.
"But we always go out for a while on Monday nights."
"Just because we've done that a few times doesn't mean we always have to."
"But you didn't call me or anything!"
"Are you my mother?" Clay asked. "I told her what I was up to. I'm an individual and I'm not tied to you with an umbilical cord!"
"I suppose you were with a guy friend."
"That is my business and none of yours." Clay said with a smile.
"BOYS!" Gina exclaimed as she went back to the table where her friends were sitting.
"Girls!" Clay laughed.
Clay seemed preoccupied during football practice, but was none-the-less jovial. Coach Patterson hoped his new attitude would continue. He suspected that Clay probably had a lot on his mind in light of what had transpired the afternoon before.
After dinner, Clay asked if he could speak with his parents about an important matter without his younger siblings around. The three of them went into the den and closed the door.
"Does this have anything to do with your new attitude?" his mother asked.
"Yeah," he grinned.
"You're not on drugs are you?" his father questioned.
"Nope."
"It's love isn't it!" his mother exclaimed. "I hope you're not getting too serious about Gina. I know you wanted to be like Tebow."
"I think Tebow is a wuss. I think he uses the bit about saving himself for marriage so he doesn't have to admit that girls don't do it for him."
"I've thought that all along," his father agreed. "I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with being gay, but I wish he'd come out and get it over with."
"Would you feel that way if Bret or Tom or I were to come out?"
"Yes I would. Is that what you're trying to tell us?"
"Un-huh," Clay gulped and started to weep silent tears of relief.
"Do you have a crush on the boy you stayed with last night?"
"Yeah I do. Shaun is fantastic!"
"Uh, isn't he the one you hated last month?"
"As recently as last week, actually," Clay admitted. Coach made us go the wrestling room and work out our differences and we ended up kissing. I think I was angry with him because he was too much like me."
"But you've had a mad-on against the whole world for the past four years. That seems to have disappeared too. I guess the money we paid the counselor was worth it."
"I hate to burst your bubble, but it was when I kissed Shaun and began to accept myself as a gay man that everything seemed to change in me."
"Congratulations!" his parents said in chorus.
Later, when they talked on the phone, Clay and Shaun got emotional over their good fortune.
It would be nice to be able to say that the two boys stayed together from that point on. However, like with many high school romances, things changed as they went off to different colleges, half a continent apart. Shaun had a scholarship to a topnotch engineering school. He couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Clay received a football scholarship to the major university in their state. It would pay for everything on his business degree and possibly set him up for the pros if he did well on the gridiron.
After they had drifted apart, neither of them felt like they wanted to find a new relationship, at least until they'd graduated from college. In November of their senior year, Shaun decided to go to Clay's final game of the season while he was home for Thanksgiving break. He managed to get a ticket from a student, although he paid dearly for it.
He beamed as he watched his former boyfriend light up the scoreboard with play after flawless play.
With a few minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the opposing team sacked Clay. He went down hard on his head and didn't move immediately.
Dodging the security officers, Shaun ran out on the field to where Clay lay.
"I'm here for you, Bud!"
"Did I die and go to heaven?" Clay asked with an unfocused gaze. You look like an angel."
"No, It's me, Shaun, and I'm as healthy as ever."
"Kiss me!"
"I don't think the team doctor's going to let me do that."
"Come with me if they take me to the hospital."
"Of course!"
"Young man if you don't leave the field immediately, I'll have you arrested for trespassing!" a campus cop warned.
"I'm outta here sir. He and I were best buds in high school. Which route will the ambulance take?"
A few hours later, family members were allowed to visit Clay. Since Shaun still looked enough like him to be his brother, everyone went in together.
Clay's head was bandaged, but he looked pretty good.
"The surgeon wants to talk to you guys, Clay said. "It looks like my football days are over. There's a temporary tube to drain off excess fluid around my brain..."
Clay's siblings went with the `rents to give Shaun and him some privacy to talk.
"You still want that kiss now that you're not in a daze?"
"Definitely!"
The pair kissed tenderly until they were interrupted by a nurse.
"Ah, there's nothing like love to help heal a guy physically and emotionally," she grinned.
"You're not upset?" Clay asked her.
"This is a liberal university and it's the 21st century, not the 19th. I'm not upset because it's none of my business. Now if one of you were my husband, that might be a different scenario!"
"Shaun, is there anyone special in your life?" Clay asked hoping to get a negative answer.
"Only you; I've never found anyone who fits with me like you do."
"Mom will be really happy to hear that. Do you think we could be boyfriends again, or is that too junior high?"
"I don't know what it is other than fine by me! I still love you like I did the last time we were seniors. I wish I'd have stayed here for school instead of going to the coast."
"Don't say that! You're getting a degree from a first-class institution and you'll be able to write your own ticket. That way you can keep me in the style I'd like to become accustomed to!" Clay grinned. "I'll be okay with my business degree, but you're gonna be wealthy like your father."
"I'd live in a feakin' mudhut if that's what it took to be with you," Shaun said with tears in his eyes. "Please say we'll stay together this time; marry me!"
"I promise to marry you and be your companion for the rest of our natural lives if that's what you want too," Clay vowed, getting choked up too.
So, there was a happy ending after all. A few years later, they could be seen at the T-Ball games with their sons on Saturday mornings. The boys were about a year apart, but looked almost like twins because they favored their dads in build and coloration.
The dreams of two high school sweethearts had finally become a reality.
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Author's notes: Not all families are accepting of their gay sons and daughters. The link below shows one dad who was.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/03/15/fathers-heartwarming-letter-to-son-after-overhearing-his-plans-to-come-out-goes-viral/
The second link is a sweet story about two high school guys who came out at prom. http://www.outsports.com/2014/12/16/7378317/michael-martin-gay-soccer-west-virginia-high-school-coming-out#comment_tease
Love and peace,
David