Hi readers:
I hope you like the story that follows, but I will ask for your help. I like rugby, I don't know much about rugby (indeed, some of you may very well say "he knows nothing about rugby").
I stand, or sit, ready to be educated. Be kind, but don't be shy about correcting things that are wrong. I will thank you and the story, should it proceed, will incorporate those changes. Now, let's begin.
"Sir, would you like another beverage or anything to eat?" The flight attendant brought Russ out of his daydream. "Oh, sorry. No thank you. I'm fine." She smiled at the handsome, muscular 27 year old. "Well, you let me know if you need anything, Sir." Russ was on his way to a major city to start a new job and a new life. His rugby contacts had gotten him the job and now, he hoped, those contacts, especially Darien, would be helping him start his life.
Russ Sherman had grown up in a small town obsessed with rugby. In other cities in the US, people were nuts for football, or baseball, but where Russ grew up, EVERYBODY played rugby. It wasn't just the men, it was the women, the boys, the girls. It was fair to say it was an obsession. Russ had three brothers: they all played. His father had played in high school and in college, and played in an amateur league. He had from the day he finished college and wasn't eligible for the college games. His two older brothers played in his father's league (but on different teams) and his younger brother was on the varsity team at his high school, with a scholarship, just like the one Russ had had, to the same college that Russ, his brothers, and his father, had all attended.
There was one thing that separated Russ from the rest of his family. Well, two things. One had to do with rugby. He had been a star. No question about it. In high school, he had played various positions, but usually wound up playing hooker. He did anything his coach asked him to do, without argument, and while his high school coach thought Russ was a very competent, team oriented player, he valued other players more. Coach Bob O'Hara, who directed the rugby program at the college Russ and his family all attended, had scouted Russ and his team mates at the high school championships. "That boy is in the wrong position. If I've ever seen a wing, it's that one," he remembered thinking. He remembered Russ' father from his playing days and at the time he made the call, one of Russ' brothers was a flanker on the varsity team. "Coach O'Hara. It's been a long time. I hope Vince isn't in trouble." Coach O'Hara laughed. "No, Stan, Vinny's a good kid. Real good kid. Takes after his father. Stubborn as a mule, but he gets the job done. No, no trouble. Usual school kid stuff, nothing unexpected." Stan laughed. "I'm glad to hear that. So, how can I help you coach?" Well, Stan. Let me start by telling you, I hope that Russ is going to apply to our program. " "REALLY Coach? I mean, the word is that Russ is a good player but.. is he good enough for your squad." "I think he COULD be, if he'd be willing to try another position." "Tell me more Coach. I didn't want to interfere with him at school, could cause all kinds of trouble but... you think he should be a winger?" "You should have coached, Stan. You're on the money. " "Yeah, you know, Russ was a compact kid until junior year. Then I guess he was like a colt. Just kept growing. I think he's got like a 37 inch inseam: wife says she has a helluva time finding him pants, that's why he's always in shorts. I gotta feed him like a coal engine to keep weight on him, and GEEZ, the boy is fast." "That's all good to hear, Stan. I had a gut feeling that he has the ability, and he's just not getting the chance to show it off. " "Let me talk to him Coach. " "Do. Bring him by. I'll talk to him. I have no doubt that if his grades are any good, he'll get in with my recommendation. Then you and I: we'll turn him into a winger."
And that conversation, between Coach O'Hara and Russ' father, had much to do with the path Russ had followed thereafter. His dad brought him to meet Coach O'Hara. His father always remembered the look when he knocked on Russ' door. He had to knock three times before Russ looked up from his computer science text book. Russ had two passions: rugby and computers. If he wasn't playing, he was tinkering, and vice versa. "Russ. How about a Saturday trip this week?" "Well, sure dad. Where are we going." Stan couldn't help but break into a grin. "How about to go and see Coach O'Hara. He saw you play and he wants to talk some more." Russ was shocked. "COACH O'HARA WANTS TO SEE ME????" Stan smiled. "Sure does. He thinks that if you apply, and you agree to play rugby for him, State will accept you and you'll get a full scholarship. Just one thing. I hope this doesn't bother you or change how you clearly feel." "What's that Dad?" "He thinks you're playing the wrong position. He thinks you should be a winger." "WE WERE RIGHT DAD! WE WERE RIGHT!!!" Stan and Russ had discussed this. A lot. Russ loved rugby, but he didn't love playing hook or anything else. He dissected every match and always concluded "our wings SUCK". "He thinks that he can turn you into a varsity winger. " Stan smiled some more. "There's never been a winger in the family. You'd be the first." Russ didn't go to practice that weekend, and as a result, he was benched for the next game, but he didn't care. He was a nervous, frantic bundle of energy on the ride. He and the Coach hit it off, and as soon as he and his dad drove back home, he put together his application papers.
The person most surprised when Russ was accepted to State with a rugby scholarship, was his high school coach. "They must have a REAL weak application pool this year," he said to anyone who would listen. He had three players who had been scouted by State, but Russ was the only one going on scholarship. "Honestly, Russ just isn't that good." It never dawned on him that perhaps Russ wasn't enjoying the sport. That's high school sports for you.
Up above, I wrote that two things separated Russ from his family. Now you know the rugby one. The second one: Russ was gay. Or he was, as he wrote about it in his journal, "theoretically gay" since he was still a virgin. Those posters on his walls? All rugby players, which made sense to the family. No one picked up that every single player was a blond. And none of them knew that every night, before he went to sleep, Russ picked one of his "poster boys," and imagined he was in bed with him, kissing, fondling each other and winding up together forever. Russ couldn't remember when he didn't feel that way about guys, but it wasn't until his junior year in high school that he began to feel very lonely, and very set apart because of how he felt. There was no one he could tell. At least that's what he thought, and when he DID tell people much later, there were surprises. But we'll see that. For now, though, let's say that Russ couldn't wait until high school and that summer ended (he was working on the help desk in the IT department at his father's company), to get to college. That summer was also the first time another boy kissed him. It was at the farewell party that the high school gave for their graduate seniors who were moving out of town to college. Russ was looking around, trying to remember the place where he had spent four years, thinking of the good times, when he heard a voice cracking behind him. "Hey. Russ?" He turned around. It was Jason, one of the truly brilliant guys in his computer science class. Someone had referred to Jason as an asparagus, because he was so thin and so pale. He was very nervous, all the time, but whenever Russ was stumped by a problem in computer science, or calculus, Jason had helped him out. Jason was going to California. To Berkeley. He was a true egg head, with no interest in sports. "I just want to say, I'll miss you Russ. Very very much." Russ smiled. "Gee, Jason, that's so kind of you, I'll miss you too. I'm just so surprised that State accepted me. I'm not nearly as smart as you."
Jason blushed and looked down. He kicked at the ground. "Russ, I... I wonder if I could ask you a question." "Sure. " Russ began to laugh. "I asked you so many, you should get to ask me at least one." "If... if you could only have computers, or rugby, which would you pick?" "WOW. I should've asked you if the question was hard or easy Jason. I don't know." Jason smiled. "I think I know the answer, Russ. I think you'd pick rugby." "Really? Why?" "Well, you know, I watched you play and.. you have such a joy on the field. You're like... this is gonna sound corny Russ, but you look like a horse that's been given a field to run in as long as he wants. And you're gonna keep on running, and never come back. Because you like running so much. And you wanna get away from all of this." Russ stood quietly for a few minutes. "Not all of it, Jason. I'll miss my family. I'll be coming back to visit them." "It's good you have them, Russ. " Jason's family was NOT supportive of him or what he was doing and the entire community knew it. "I hope maybe you'll come and visit California sometime because, well, I'm not coming back here once I leave." "Gee. I'll make it my business Jason. And I hope you'll come visit me and if I get to play, you'll come to matches." Jason smiled. "Really? You'd like me to watch you play?" Russ didn't understand what was happening, but he felt "warm and fuzzy at that moment." "I wish I were playing right now Jason. I'd play for you." "AWWWW. That's sweet Russ. " He looked down again. "I wanted to give you something before we went our separate ways, Russ. I hope you won't mind." "A gift? For me?" "Well, I don't know if you'll think of it as a gift, Russ. I've been wanting to give you this for about 3 years, and.... " He got close to Russ and before he knew it, Jason was kissing him, flat on the lips. "You've been MY poster boy Russell Sherman. I wanted to do that since sophomore year." Russ grabbed Jason and kissed him back. When he let Jason go, the boy ran off. They didn't see each other for a long time after that. Years.
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The first weeks of freshman orientation went by in a blur for Russ. Everyone remembers the shock of "BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE JUST LIKE HIGH SCHOOL," until the first lecture contains 350 students and a professor who never learns your name. And cafeteria food that makes you long for the lunch ladies back home. Add practice with Coach O'Hara's squad to Russ' list. O'Hara was the "winningest" Coach in the history of the university. His teams had won the state championship for 11 years in a row. His program was well designed, and rigorous. Because of his successes, O'Hara was allowed to recruit way more players than he would use. Being at State on a rugby scholarship, was not a guarantee you would play. There were try outs. And more try outs. And physical fitness tests. Body mass measurements. All of it. Coach O'Hara was at ever single one of them, with his assistant coach, Darius Miller. Darius had played rugby for O'Hara and when he graduated, stuck around for a couple of years. Miller stood out : he was from the West Indies. He was also 6'5". His height and complexion turned more than one head. The turned head stayed turned because of how fit Darius was. No one could say he was conceited, though. He wasn't. Part of that was his upbringing before he came to State, and part of that was O'Hara himself: if he learned that one of his players was anything other than a perfect gentleman, they sat out two games. Russ made the JV team and at the end of his sophomore year, Coach O'Hara put him on varsity.
Darius still worked out with the teams occasionally. Russ noticed him in the locker room one day. He had never seen Darius without a shirt, and like everyone else, he was transfixed. Darius turned and smiled. "Hey Sherms. Good work out there yesterday. Keep it up." Russ wasn't used to being noticed and he blushed. "Uh, thanks Coach Darius." Darius walked over to him. "We've needed a good winger for a while. You think you're up to it." "I don't know. I'm gonna try though." "Good answer, Sherms, good answer! Know what I think? I think you're in good shape but you could be in BETTER shape. If you're interested, and you can take the time, how about we start working out together? I may be able to give some pointers and you never know? Maybe I'll learn something too." Russ, who had always gone for big, muscular pale blond men, began to get what he called the "warm and fuzzies." "I'd like that Coach. I'd like it a lot." "Tomorrow. 5pm." He held out his hand for Russ to shake it.
Well, you know what happened next. Not right away though. The two of them had been working out for about three weeks when Darius raised the question. "None of my business, Sherms, but... you seeing anyone?" Russ got nervous. "Uh, no. I guess I sorta live like a monk." "Ha. All work and no play makes Sherms a cranky jock. You like boys or girls?" Russ was surprised by the direct question, but he answered in a low voice. "boys." "Me too" Darius answered. "I got the screaming purple hornies. You wanna come over?" Russ looked down. "I've never had sex, Darius. Just jerking off and fantasizing." "Well, Shermy, time to change that." Scared, nervous, and everything else, Russ went home with Darius that afternoon. Darius kissed him in a way that Jason didn't. He was gentle when he undressed Russ, and even more gentle when he climbed on top of him and began licking Russ' body, as Russ moaned. "I guess asking you whether you bottom or top is a stupid question, since I'm your first. What do you wanna try, Russ?" Darius kissed him. "I want to try it all, I guess." "Ok, then we'll try it all." They did. In the weeks that followed, Russ learned that he was as bad at topping as he was at dancing. That was ok, because Darius topped as well as he danced - and he was a GOOD dancer.
It was on their fifth hook up that Darius said "Sherms, time to introduce you to the joy of dick." And with that, Russ lost his virginity. Darius held him in his arms that night, and told him how brave he was, and what a good lover he was, and Russ crooned when Darius dropped his hand to his left butt cheek and squeezed it.
Darius was clear to Russ that he was versatile. He wasn't going to get everything he wanted from Russ, and he'd date other guys when he wanted someone to do to him what he was doing to Russ. Russ would fill those nights with a mix of studying and gym going. He knew the gym work was having an effect: he heard the whistles, and once he had an anonymous note at his locker. It was creepy but flattering. The note said "You don't know me but I think you're hot. I have a bunch of pictures of you and I jerk off to them at night. xoxoxoxoxoxox" He never got a second one, but the one was enough.
Half way through senior year, at the end of one practice, Coach O'Hara came into the locker room with Darius. "Boys, I have some sad news. Sad news and good news. The sad news: Darius is going to be leaving us. The good news: he's leaving us because he got a job as a head coach back East. One of the universities is beginning a rugby program and... well, meet Head Coach Darius." They cheered as only rugby players do. Coach treated to pizza and beer that night. Halfway through the party, Darius came over to Russ "Wanna come by tonight?" Russ looked at him. Darius didn't know it, but he was the only man Russ had slept with through college. Russ wondered how many more times he'd have to sleep with this handsome man, and he didn't hesitate to say yes. "I wanna try something tonight if you don't mind, Sherms, ok?" "Sure. You're in charge." That was the first night Russ had ever been tied up. Darius tied his wrists to the headboard, and before he fucked Russ, he edged him, talking about what a big, beautiful cock his lover had, how a cock like that really needed to be used. Then he gave Russ a blow job. It was Russ' first. Then they moved on to "butt sex" as Darius called it. He started tender, and ended rough. The load he put into Russ was huge. When he was done, he covered Russ' lips with his. "I'll miss you Shermy. Don't settle for second best." Russ smiled. "I can't. I've had the best."
It was a couple of weeks after that when Coach O'Hara asked Russ to his office. "Russel, what are your plans for after graduation?" "Well, Sir, I don't know. I mean, I've started looking for work, but what I learned is that... I probably need more education if I'm going to work with computers. Everyone wants someone with a Master's Degree and.... " he shook his head. "Grad students don't get to play rugby so... I don't know how I'm gonna afford it." "How long is the graduate program here? Two years?" "Yes sir." O'Hara sighed. "I'm not sure anyone could replace Darius but... you've done nothing but surprise me, Russ. Do you think you could step into his shoes as Assistant Coach while you take your classes? " "I... You think I'm good enough Sir?" "Yeah, I do. I do because you've had bad coaching and good coaching. You've experienced being put in the wrong position, and now, in the right position. And you excelled . (Russ had just been named MVP for the second year in a row). I think we could give it a try. Call your dad: I already have" Russ smiled. "Thank you Sir. I really appreciate this." O'Hara smiled. "Thank Darius. He made the recommendation."
"We'll see each other again Sherms. That I know" Those were the last words Darius said to Russ before he hugged him, turned, and got on his plane. Russ was starting as assistant coach the next day. Coaching never ends, and while the students were dispersed to their homes for the summer, he moved into a grad student apartment, and began planning for the next year with Coach O'Hara. He had been at the grad apartment for three days when someone in another apartment saw him. Russ looked up at the tall blond man and smiled. The man smiled back. Then he approached Russ. "You up for a drink, jockboy?" By now, Russ knew how the game was played. "Yeah, I think I am." "Put your stuff down and come on over. You can leave your shirt in your place if you like." And that night, Russ learned about nipple play. He had much more to learn, The guy's name was Peter. He had absolutely no trouble with Russ taking the bottom bunk. When he found out that Russ was an assistant coach, that just made him hornier for this big slab of meat. "You ever been tied up, country boy?" Peter asked him . "A few times. With an ex." "You like it?" "Yeah. A lost." "GOOD. Put your hands behind your back." "Yes Sir," Russ answered and Peter crooned. "OOOO. Someone who knows how to address his topman. I like that. " He began massaging Russ' nipples from behind and whispered. "I'm gonna be your Master, stud. You'll do what I say, as often as I say it, and you won't ask any quesitons. Understand?" Russ' breathing got deeper. He had never done anything like this with Darius and.... now he wondered why. "Yes sir. Anything you say. " "On your knees." "Yes sir." That night, Russ learned about how a man could cock tease him by beating his penis against his face , until he was pleading to suck it. He learned how to wear a collar and to be led by a leash. A week later, Peter shaved his pubes and chest. When Russ came in the middle of the shave, Peter punished him by beating his balls with a small spatula for ten minutes. "I'm sorry Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. " "Better not happen again, fuckboy. Or you'll coach with a plug up your big ass instead of the big dick you're about to get." Tied down, shaved, with Peter pulling on his collar, Russ realized he had never been happier. He forgot, at least for a little while, that Peter would be leaving in 3 months, and his own graduate studies would eventually end. He'd have to start looking for jobs.
When Peter left, Russ essentially became a monk, and prepared a resume' busted his ass on his Master's project, and applied for jobs. One day, he received a letter from an engineering firm in the city where Darius was coaching: he was offered an entry level position to start in September. It was June. He needed to talk to Coach O'Hara. And to Darius. And to call home. Maybe he could visit one last time before he went East.