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It was the first day of June, and Ted was buzzing with excitement. It was Pride Month! Ted had always wanted to celebrate pride, and now he had the chance!
It was a Thursday night, just Beard and Ted alone in the dog track. Ted was holding in a big secret, he was decorating the locker room for pride. Beard had gotten a banner, a very bright rainbow one with some stars. Both coaches were taking their time hanging it up, not wanting to have any more injuries. (Using a moving chair to hang things is NOT a great idea)
When it came to Friday, Ted had cancelled practice. Since there wasn’t a game until next Wednesday, he figured he could have some time with his boys. What the boys didn’t know, is that he was hiding a master plan. He was going to give the boys a slumber party in the track!
Of course, Friday rolled around faster than Ted could say ‘barbecue sauce’, meaning the boys were gathering at the track. In the group chat, Ted asked if they could come for a very important meeting. He hoped they would come.
Luckily for Ted, everyone on the team showed up. The greyhounds had gathered themselves in the locker room, taking notice of the banner. Beard ushered Ted into the room so he could see their reaction.
“So boys, how does it look?" Ted asked nervously as he glanced at the players before him, hoping to get a positive reception. Instead, the boys silently glanced at the banner above while whispering to each other. Eventually, they turned to look at Ted.
"Coach, is this because of Pride Month?" Colin asked suddenly, cautiously eyeing the man. Ted lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Well of course! I was hoping ya'd notice." Ted replied happily, pressing his hands together. "Since it's pride month and all, I really want y'all to be at home here! Everyone should be comfortable with themselves, no matter what gender ya are or who ya love. I'm hoping nobody got any issues with that, or we'll have a stern talkin! That clear?"
"Yes Coach!"
"Good, now, I called everyone here because I thought we could have a slumber party! Here at the track! Won't that be fun?" Ted suggested while gently teetering on his heels. He watched with excitement as the boys started to gather around in a circle. They had motioned for Ted to step back, wanting some space. Clearly Ted could see the message, and backed up into the office. When the coaches was out of earshot, they began to whisper to each other.
“Oi, we outta do it, for the gaffer.” Jamie whispered to the group as they huddled close together, their heads touching as they whispered among themselves. While the boys were thinking, Dani had peeked up to look at Ted, but Colin swatted at him to stay low. There were more whispers from the boys until they disbanded. Once they had scattered around Ted, Jamie was finally the one to crack.
“Alright, we’ll do it!” Sam exclaimed to Ted before Jamie could, whose face lit up lit up like a Christmas tree. Of course, everyone couldn’t help but smile, Ted’s own smile was infectious. After a few seconds, Jamie interrupted. “Oi, where da fuc we gonna sleep?”
“We can set up tents and a big screen on the pitch.” Beard suggested as everyone agreed out loud. “Saturday night, be here at 7! We’re gonna need some games, and it’s bring your own drinks!”
The boys cheered loudly as they gathered around Beard and Ted, pulling them into a group hug. This was going to be fun!
Saturday night finally appeared and it was already starting to get wild. The boys had brought their own drinks, Beard setting up the projector to watch some movies later on. Meanwhile, Ted was making hot dogs American style (like the boys had asked.)
It wasn’t long before everyone was sitting on the ground underneath blankets while eating hot dogs, everyone enjoying themselves while they chatted.
“Oi, this has been great.” Isaac told Ted, giving the coach a nod. “Thanks Coach, you’re good at this.”
“Amen to that!” Jamie cried out as he nudged Ted with his shoulder. The older man laughed, grabbing Jamie’s left shoulder and gently pulling him into a hug.
“Ah shucks, it’s nothin!” Ted had assured them softly, still holding onto Jamie. “Beard and I wanted y’all to have some fun, ya know? I mean, I know we’re old, but we can have fun.”
“Coach, don’t say that, you’re not old.” Richard told Ted, who only laughed. He just shook his head as he listened to the player. “We do appreciate everything you do for us. This was for pride yes?”
“You could call it that.” Ted said while nursing his cup close. “Always wanted to celebrate who people are, no matter what.”
“Coach, we didn’t know you celebrated Pride.” Colin spoke softly, carefully watching everyone around him as everyone else agreed. Isaac had an arm around Colin’s waist as they sat together, quietly giving his friend some much needed grounding while they talked the subject of Pride. He knew everyone here supported him, even the gaffers, but sometimes it was still scary to talk about. Ted softly assured the player by starting his confession.
“Well, I didn’t at first. I’m gonna be honest with’cha. Let me start off with this, I sure didn’t have a clue about any of this growin up. When I got to college, I learned a lot of things that made my head spin a bit. Learned about different sexualities, all the likes. Course, I had my own crisis in college, Beard was there for all that. Eventually, I got to experiment…and not with Beard!” Ted had explained, giving the boys a hard glare as they wolf whistled and barked with the mention of their assistant coach. The head coach couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head before continuing. “Anyways, it turns out this fella was bisexual, but it sure did take ages to find that out. Couldn’t really decide on a label, ended up reading on that years later. Oh, hang on! You boys do gotta explain one thing to me though. What’s the difference between Pansexual and Bisexual?”
“Pansexual means attracted to everyone, no matter the gender. Bisexual usually refers to liking male and female genders, but now that’s usually just meaning your attracted to more than one gender. Pansexual is attraction to all genders, including non-binary and other genders. Some people use pansexual to include transgender individuals, even if they are male or female.” Moe explained, earning some nods and cheers of encouragement. Colin couldn’t help but smile, as Ted and Beard took in the information with stride.
“Ah, now that makes sense. You sure are a book full of knowledge Bumbercatch!” Ted said as he raised a cup towards the boys.
“I do have question Coach, if that’s alright. What about your family back home?” Colin questioned the head coach, not noticing Beard’s somewhat panicked expression. Instead of telling Colin a lie, Ted went ahead and continued on with the truth.
“Ah, well my ma’s a bit confused, bless her heart. Now my ex-wife, didn’t understand a lick of it, somethin’ we never talked about it. Told her about it while we were datin. She had a lot of homophobic folks.”
“Shame, some people suck and clearly have issues within themselves.” Jan Maas added suddenly, everyone on the field turning to face him. “I’m sorry coach.”
“Well, I appreciate y’all.” Ted chuckled, smiling as he leaned against Beard. “That goes for all of y’all. If you ever need a dad, you’ve got me as a dad! I’d be more than happy to be y’all’s honorary dad. Beard’s in it too, the same goes for him.”
“We appreciate you coach!” Moe called out, earning some nods and shouts of approval. The conversation then became light, talking about life experiences. Midway though the conversation, Jamie had gotten up and walked back into the building. He needed a moment to himself, there were so many things going though his head. Did he really like birds? Was he secretly into blokes but the fear of a relationship weighing him down? What was wrong with him?
Jamie had found his way into the locker room, sitting down on the bench with a loud huff. He really loved being with the guys, but it was one of those moments where he needed to be alone. His brain was having way too many thoughts.
He didn’t hear the door open, or hear someone approaching him. Jamie was in his own little world, and it wasn’t until someone touched his back that Jamie had snapped out of his trance. It was Dani Rojas.
“What is the matter, is this not fun?” Dani asked his friend, frowning heavily as he wrapped one arm around Jamie’s shoulder. He felt Jamie flinch under his arm, but didn’t say a word. “Jamie, are you hurt?”
“Nah! Mate, just thinkin n’ shit.” Jamie sighed in confession, turning his head to face Dani. He could feel the heat rising to his face, as Dani kept staring at him. “Just uh, thinking about life, and who…I wanna date maybe..”
“Jamie, are you having what the coach is calling, a sex crisis?” Dani asked with pure intentions, not expecting Jamie to laugh. The Mancunian smiled, giving Dani a pat on the back.
“It’s called a sexuality crisis mate.” Jamie explained softly as Dani listened closely. “But uh, yea, I guess I am. Got to thinkin’ ‘bout what Coach said.
“Ah I see. What is troubling you?” Dani asked softly while watching Jamie sit up on his own. He had sighed, looking straight at Dani.
“Well, I was thinkin about…what label am I? I wasn’t sure if I liked birds or blokes, or even both? Could I kiss a bloke? I mean, I’d kiss you…you’re fuckin hot…I mean…how could anyone not be attracted to you?”
Suddenly, Dani immediately leaned in closed the closed the gap between him and Jamie. It felt like sparks igniting.
The kiss was short and sweet, and while it was happening, both players almost didn't want to pull apart. However, Jamie pulled apart first in almost in a state of shock. He looked at Dani and stared into his eyes, almost trying to find his soul. Dani didn't seem fazed, mostly buzzing with excitement. He smiled, his hand slowly grabbing Jamie's.
"Does that answer your question?"
“Fuck me.”
The two stared at each other in silence, somewhat broken by Jamie’s whine as Dani squeezed his hand.
“Do that again.” Jamie whined in demand, giving Dani a pout as Dani leaned away. He removed his hand from Jamie’s, placing it on the other players cheek.
“Be good for me, and I might.” Dani purred lightly as he leaned toward, giving the side of Jamie’s neck a nip with his teeth. Jamie stilled, holding in the heavy moan from his lips. Eventually, Dani pulled back with a smirk on his lips. The little shit knew exactly what he was doing.
“Take me to dinner tomorrow on a date” Dani asked softly, watching Jamie desperately try to look at him straight. The other player absolutely smitten with Dani, and he was very sure Dani knew that. “I believe I like you, Jamie Tartt.”
“Oh I will, whatever you want.” Jamie responded with a light huff as Dani chuckled. “I think I like you too…You’re doing things to me mate…got me all turned on and shit…”
“I see.” Dani replied while eyeing the other player up and down. “Shall I help you, Jamie Tartt?”
“Oh fuck yes.” Jamie said suddenly, getting onto his feet quickly while pulling Dani with them. While making their way to the boot room, both players attacked each other with heated kisses, unable to keep their hands off each other. Eventually, Jamie managed to open the door, letting it slam behind the two of them.
It has been a hot minute since anyone had seen Jamie Tartt or Dani Rojas. Nobody had mentioned it, but it was quite weird for them to disappear at a time like this. The two party animals never missed karaoke. Ted and Beard had noticed it also, but decided karaoke was not a good distraction. So, while setting up the Nintendo Switch, Jamie Tartt has stumbled out into the pitch and crawled back into the group. Colin was the first to notice.
“Where the hell did you go?” Colin asked as he faced his friend, noticing how light and happy Jamie seemed. The other player shrugged him off.
“Just a piss, nothin’ fancy mate.” Jamie lied through his teeth as he sat down inside the group circle. He sighed as he sat down, adjusting the collar of his shirt quietly. It wasn’t very hard to spot the hickey sitting along Jamie’s neck, which Colin and Sam had spotted easily. Colin had started to ask what had happened, but was loudly interrupted by Ted and Beard standing up.
“Alright boys! It’s game time!” Ted has called out as he eyed the group. “Beard says that Richard has this Nintendo Switch like my son has, and y’all have some games on there. Can someone help me set it up?”
”Alright, I’ve got this!” Moe answered before Jamie could make a sound, getting up from his spot from the ground and going to Ted. That left the rest of the boys, along with Jamie, sitting on the ground.
”You alright boyo?” Colin asked as he scooted closer to Jamie’s right side, Isaac following his friend and sitting on Colin’s other side. Jamie didn’t say a word, just kinda stared ahead. He huffed, and was just going to deny it, but he knew they would see past the lies. Jamie waited until Moe came back, who was clearly interested in what was happening. Eventually, Jamie looked up.
“Oi, got a confession..” Jamie called out to his friends, who turned and faced the younger player. “Wanna say thanks for the night, been a real treat. But, been thinkin about what Coach was talking about….Having myself a sexuality crisis. Think I’m gonna ask Dani out.”
"Took ya long enough mate!!" Isaac cried out in response as everyone laughed with him. Jamie huffed while reaching over to playfully toss some chips from the middle of the blanket at Issac. "You kept staring at Dani's ass way too long bruv, figured you were gonna tap that."
"Maybe I will!" Jamie yelped, hiding the tremor in his voice as he felt a warm hand on his back. Looking up, he could see Dani crouching down to sit beside him. Slowly, the hand moved from his back and around to his waist, giving Jamie a light squeeze.
“What did I miss?” Dani had asked while sitting down, leaning against Jamie heavily as to ground him. Everyone noticed immediately.
“Jamie is takin you on a date.” Jan Maas commented as everyone turned to face him. “Jamie stares at your ass when your not looking.”
“Oh fuck you Jan Maas!” Jamie shrieked out as he hid his face in his hands. The boys laughed around him, while Dani gently rested his chin on Jamie’s shoulder.
“Do not be ashamed mi vida, I stare at your ass sometimes.” Dani whispered softly in Jamie’s ear, nudging him softly with his head.
”Does this mean you two will stop staring at each other and actually kiss for once? You become distracted easily while at the restaurant.” Sam added while the other boys whooped and hollered. Dani just laughed with them, smiling as Jamie kept hiding his face.
“Yes, I believe so.” Dani responded after everyone had calmed down. “I do hope you boys understand.”
“It’s not an issue, ain’t that right bruvs?” Isaac asked aloud while giving the boys his deadly glare, earning some nods and verbal confirmation. “Besides, it’s pride month! It’s the month of the gays!”
“It sure is boyo.” Colin agreed happily, patting Isaac’s shoulder. “If you don’t have a label, that’s perfectly ok. Don’t need to have one ya know. As the coach was saying-“
”I think…I’m bisexual…” Jamie interrupted suddenly as he looked at Colin. “Just been, thinking about…stuff..”
”There is no shame in finding a label.” Sam piped up cheerfully, giving Jamie a nod. “We are glad you are finding yourself Jamie. If I may ask, what would you consider yourself Dani?”
“Oh! I am pansexual!” Dani accounted with full pride in his chest. “The idea of gender does not matter to me, as long as someone is truly human.”
“Here here!!” Isaac cried out, raising his plastic cup in the air. The team followed suit, cheering loudly as they all raised their cups in the air.
The tension eventually faded as everyone fell into conversation, keeping a close eye on Jamie and Dani. After a while, Jamie had looked up and saw Ted staring at him. He carefully eyed Jamie, giving him a wink. Jamie knew things were going to be ok. He had found his place, and that he should be his authentic self.
Jamie Tartt, the bisexual, falling in love with Dani Rojas, the pansexual.