Chapter 26

26

Nick

Since this is college and the frat houses need no reason to party, they’re having a block party on a Wednesday for International Women’s Day. Since women are badasses, it’s a hero costume party.

So here I am in jeans and a hoodie with ‘Hero’ written on the front, looking for my favorite Anxious Andy. He’s going to stress himself into a heart attack if he doesn’t let go of some of the pressure he puts on himself.

The street has been blocked so no one can drive down here. All the houses seem to have their own theme, and there are people everywhere. The Barbie house looks like it’s vomiting pink shit, and I am so glad I don’t have to clean that up.

One house is clearly superheroes, there’s one with what looks like Renaissance vibes, and another that looks like they sprayed the entire thing with glitter. They are going to be fucked if they can’t get all that off, though the disco ball hanging from the porch is kinda cool.

As I wander around, getting a feel for everything, I notice every house has a drink station set up on the lawn and they are all different. Since Jell-O shots are the bomb, I grab two red ones.

“Oh nooo,” Joey whines behind me. I turn with the little plastic cup to my lips and laugh—which turns into me inhaling Jell-O—when he looks distraught at the table I’m at. “Not Jell-O shots. These guys are going to be wasted and Coach is gonna be pissed.”

I cough up the offending red gel then pat his shoulder. “Well, if you don’t get drunk, it won’t be your problem.”

“I’m the captain, they are my problem.”

I sling my arm over his shoulders and turn him in a circle to see the entire street. “They are grown-ass adults. You are not responsible for their lack of self-control.”

A group of his guys—Brendon, Jeremy, and Paul—run past us, capes flapping behind them, laughing and shoving each other.

Brendon grabs Jell-O shots, completely oblivious to the fact that Joey is glaring at him, and wanders back to the group.

“At least Paul is here to keep Brendon from dying but where is Preston?” My poor boy is already stressed out and the night is just starting.

Leaning my mouth toward his, I lower my voice so only he can hear me. “You seem a little tense.I happen to have a great way to relieve that.”

Joey glares at me next. “I can’t take my eyes off these chaos gremlins long enough for that.” He walks out from under my arm, his head constantly swiveling. I can’t help but sigh and follow after him.

A couple of my teammates stop me to talk, wanting to know when spring training starts and how much time they’ll have before summer camp. There’s a pang of sadness in my gut that I won’t be a part of it this year. I’m done. No more college football for me. Football has been such a big part of my life for so long that I almost feel lost without it. I should see if there are any peewee coaches that are needed. Teaching kids to play could be a lot of fun.

“What are you doing after graduation? You moving back home?” Allen, one of the freshmen, asks.

I shrug. “I dunno, man, maybe. That’s future Nick’s problem.”

“Uh, it’s almost current Nick’s problem.” His eyes get wide.

“Yeah, I’ll figure it out. Enjoy the party.” I pat him on the shoulder and walk away, only to realize I have no idea where Joey went. Shit.

Walking up the street, there’s music blasting from the houses, laughter, and vomiting everywhere. It’s amazing. So far, I haven’t seen any fights but I’m sure there’s been something. Cheering from a house across the road from where I am has me turning to see what is happening. On the grass is a big tub with water and something floating in it. A guy in a Superman costume is kneeling next to it, face drenched, and holding something up in the air.

Is that one of those stress balls shaped like a tit?

Obviously I have to know more, so I cut through the crowd to get a better look. Superman is none other that Jeremy Albrooke, one of the guys from the hockey team. He’s flushed with alcohol but looking damn proud of himself as he shoves the boob in his costume before bounding away. Amazing.

“I hear,” hot breath against my ear makes me jump, but a quick glance tells me it’s Joey and I relax, “you have a cure for tension.”

“I may know of something.”

“Teach me your ways, magic man.” Joey steps around me and without looking back, he takes off. With a smirk on my face, I follow him at a leisurely pace. Maybe there’s hope for us, after all.

He disappears into the shadows between two houses. The second I’m in the dark, hands are on me, and his mouth is ravaging mine. I groan into his kiss, my body pressed against him while he drags his fingers across my skin. He’s on edge and ready to snap.

Without breaking contact with his lips, I open his pants and slide my hand against his throbbing cock.

Joey thrusts against me and digs his fingers into my flesh, probably leaving bruises.

“Please make me come. I need to come,” he begs through panting breaths.

With a sure grip, I stroke him hard and fast. Joey bends forward, mouth open in a silent moan, before he’s able to gasp in air. I love the way he clings to me, the way he responds to me. “Are you going to come? Out here in the open where someone can walk by and see what a needy slut you are?”

He shudders and thrusts into my grip. It’s so fucking hot when arousal has him in its grasp and he’s unable to keep still. His back bows again and every breath that leaves his mouth has a moan accompanying it. Quickly dropping to my knees, I bring the head of his dick into my mouth and suck. The sound he lets out can only be described as a sob and he fills my mouth with warm, salty cum. The explosion of his taste on my tongue makes me moan, which makes him shiver.

I stroke and suck him through his orgasm, achingly hard myself, and lick him clean when he’s done. He’s weak against the wall, flushed even in the dim lighting of the dark, and breathing too hard.

“You’re beautiful like this,” I cup his face and brush my thumb over his cheek. Joey’s smile is shy and I chuckle. “Men are beautiful too.”

“I know that,” he huffs but reaches for my jeans. “Let me? I want to taste you.”

“When you ask so nicely…” I lean my palms on the wall on either side of his head and move my feet back to give him enough room to kneel. “Make it fast, we’ve been back here a minute.”

Joey doesn’t need any more instruction. In the next instant, his hand is wrapped around me and his mouth is working my head. He finds a rhythm quickly and I thrust into his mouth.

“Eyes on me.” I can’t see him perfectly, even with my eyes adjusted to the dark, but it’s enough. He groans when I speed up my hips and I feel it through my whole body. Without much thought, I let my body take over, taking my pleasure from him and chasing the orgasm I desperately want.

“Oh fuck.” I grip his hair with one hand as tingles break out along my skin and pressure builds in my groin. “I’m gonna come, baby, swallow it.”

Joey whimpers and the first wave washes over me, damn near taking my knees out from under me and filling his mouth. Spurt after spurt shoots into his mouth until I shudder and lean heavily against the house. He gives me a final lick, then pulls off my dick with a self-satisfied smile, and stands.

“Kiss me,” he breathes against my mouth. The taste of us mixes, like the air in our lungs, until we’re one and the same.

High heels clacking on the sidewalk near us reminds us where we are and that we don’t have all night.

“Thank you,” Joey says as he watches me put myself away.

I wink at him. “The pleasure was all mine.”

He leaves me with a quick kiss and wanders down to a table selling beers. I watch him from my spot in the shadows as Paul stops next to him in a Batman costume. They stand there, drinking beer for a few minutes, talking about something I can’t hear and watching the people around them. I get the sense that Paul also has a high sense of responsibility that isn’t his, so they get along well. Like kindred spirits.

Superman bounds up to them and Joey gets a confused look on his face before he points to Superman’s crotch. That must be Jeremy. A discussion is had before Paul gets down on his knee and reaches his hand inside Jeremy’s pant leg.

What the hell is happening right now?

Then, like a jack-in-a-box, Brendon pops up and jumps onto Superman’s back. All three of them fall over into a tangled heap. I don’t know if I should offer to help or laugh. Joey sighs, I swear I can hear it from here, but he puts his beer down and lifts Brendon off the pile. He’s not at all perturbed by what has occurred, probably because he’s drunk.

I guess I’m starting to understand why Joey freaks out at things like this. His guys are…intense. Paul is messing with his shoulder, Jeremy is holding his nuts, it looks like, and Joey has had enough and walks away.

Once I leave my hiding spot and catch up with Joey, we wander around for a while. We stumble across Riggs—Joey’s freshman—passed out on a lawn. Joey has both hands on his hips and sighs.

“I swear to God.”

“This time, you can’t prove it was one of my guy’s fault.” I hold my hands up.

“What am I supposed to do with him? I can’t leave him here.”

Okay, he has a point since it’s March in Denver. It’s cold as fuck, we just don’t care because…beer. But it’s also why I’m not in some dumb-ass costume.

“We can either two-man carry him or one of us can toss him over our shoulder,” I offer.

“Two-man carry would suck to get all the way back to the dorms.”

“Correct.”

“But what if he pukes? I don’t want him to choke.”

That’s a fair point. “Okay, you carry him over your shoulder and if he starts to puke, I’ll make sure he doesn’t choke.”

“So I’m getting puked on then?”

“Hey, you’re his captain, not me.”

Joey drops his head back and sighs. “Okay, fine, help me get him up.”

It takes us a minute but we manage to get him up on Joey’s shoulder. Dude doesn’t even blink, it’s kind of creepy, so I check his pulse just in case. It’s there.

The walk back to the dorms is quiet once we leave the noise of frat row and I find myself wanting to just hold his hand, lay out on the grass under a blanket to watch the stars, and just exist. Maybe someday we can do that, but not today.

I open the door for Joey, and Riggs starts to grumble, so we freeze. If he’s going to upchuck, it’s better to do it outside than on the floor. He settles and we continue on, into the elevator, then to his room.

I try the handle but it’s locked. Of course it is.

Joey growls and slides the unconscious man off his shoulder. He looks exhausted, poor guy.

“Go on up to bed, I’ll wait for the roommate.” I sit on the floor across from where Riggs is laying.

“No, it’s not your job to wait for Willis.”

“It’s not your job either, man. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Joey sits down next to me anyway. “Since everyone is at the party and he’s out cold, it’s a good idea to stay with him in case something happens, but that’s not the captain’s job.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Joey yawns and lays his head on my shoulder. “Talk to me so I don’t fall asleep.”

“How about you tell me why Paul was shoving his hand up Jeremy’s pants?”

Joey starts laughing so hard he snorts. “He’s such a dumbass.” He sits up but there’s a smile on his face. “Jeremy got one of those squishy boobs and shoved it in his costume. Well, it kept falling to his crotch and he couldn’t get it out because alcohol makes him dumber than usual, so Paul reached up to get it.”

Joey laughs again. “Honestly, it looked like his nut was swollen to the size of, like, a baseball. It was terrifying for a second. But no, he’s just an idiot.”

We start talking about nothing in particular, just getting to know each other. Little stories from years of sports and travel, school, and siblings. Nothing heavy or painful. I don’t know how long we sit in that hallway, waiting for people to come back—waiting for Willis. Joey texted him at one point but he didn’t respond, not that it’s surprising.

Eventually, Joey falls asleep on the floor with his head on my leg like a pillow and my hand in his hair. It’s so damn perfect, I take a picture of it and set it as my phone’s wallpaper.