A Marine Called Jason
(Revised)
by: Peter

(© 2007-2015 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 90
High School 

The boys excelled at sports. In high school, their first year, Kyle was the second string quarterback on the junior varsity squad.  Devon was a tight end.  Yeah, Devon not only went out for sports, he excelled.  He preferred to hang with other boys, mostly jocks, while his brother divided his time between his male friends and girls. This was the year they learned to drive, both the truck and the Jeep, so they would know how to drive stick shift. They were only allowed to drive up and down the lane but it was hard to keep them out from behind the wheel. They began to take a keen interest in their bodies. They were filling out nicely but that didn’t satisfy them; they were in a hurry to grow bigger and stronger. We bought a set of youth weights and all of the peripheral equipment and set up a workout room.  Jason bought mirrors and we set up a workout routine. It was fun to watch them try not to strut around in their new strength and awareness. 

Their sophomore year Kyle moved up to varsity as second string quarterback. It didn’t bother Devon that his brother moved up. He was proud of him.  Kyle was equally proud of his brother’s prowess on the swim team.  It was time to get their driver’s license. They had enough experience that they passed the test with flying colors and after grilling each other on the written they both aced it. We had the talk about drinking and driving and drugs, and insurance.  That summer was the year of their growth spurt. Almost overnight it seemed, Kyle shot up to nearly six feet with his body packing on tight, lean muscle, while Devon’s slightly shorter frame became layered with thick muscle. Their mutual admiration was heartwarming to see.

By their junior year they both made varsity on both the football and baseball teams, and Devon was named captain of the swim team. Their social habits changed since they were both driving. I honestly didn’t know about their sex lives. They didn’t volunteer anything and I didn’t inquire. I just knew that Kyle was always trying to fix Devon up with dates or inviting him to double date with him. 

“You’re bi, dude, that means you like girls too,” Kyle told him.

I had forgotten all about the special jockstraps I was going to order till Devon mentioned that he had lost one of his. I told him I would get him another one.  I phoned in the order the next day and asked for second day delivery.  I ordered three each; a Marine Corps jockstrap with the emblem on the pouch, a Phys Ed jock with a big number 7 on the pouch, and a lace-up. They were impressed and delighted.

 “Man, these are neat!”

“Yeah, these are sharp as hell.  Everybody’s gonna be so jealous.  Everybody’s gonna want one like ‘em.”

Everybody was jealous except the coach. The boys came home with the news that he said they couldn’t wear them. Kyle had worn his Marine Corps jock and Devon Phys Ed jock. The coach saw them and asked if they had anymore crazy jockstraps and to go get regular jockstraps.

“Now that’s a bunch of horse shit,” Jason said. “Do you want to handle this one, or do I?”

“Well, I haven’t met the coach up close and personal.  What say we both go get acquainted,” I said.

Jason called for an appointment and we were scheduled for the next day after school.  The coach’s office was just off the locker room and we arrived early enough to walk in on a few dozen young, boisterous, naked jocks.  The coach waved us into his office.  He didn’t introduce himself but he asked us our names.

“Jason Seaborne. I’m Devon’s Dad.”

“Brad Courter.  Kyle belongs to me,” I said.

“What can I do for you gentlemen?”  He seemed unusually stern, like he didn’t want us there.

I thought I would handle it, but Jason spoke up first.

“It’s pretty simple. You can let our boys wear the jockstraps we bought for them,” he said.

“The jocks they brought in aren’t regulation.”

“You have regulation standards for jockstraps? In high school?” I asked.

“And since when would a Marine Corps jockstrap not be regulation, anywhere?” Jason asked.

“We were both Marines. I bought them special,” I said in a calmer tone.

“And they ones with the big seven on the pouch? Is that supposed to be some kind of advertisement?” Coach asked. “And the lace-up thing….I never seen any like those before.” He leaned back with a sigh. “I suppose I could reconsider letting them the Marine jocks, in honor of your service, but the lace-ups, and the Phys Ed jocks….that big number on the pouch.…well, it gives off a certain connotation. I just don’t think they’re appropriate.”

“That was the highest number available on the Phys Ed jocks,” Jason said with a sly, knowing grin.  It didn't bring a smile to the coach's face.  “Look, Coach, can we cut through the bull? We’re all men here.  If you’re saying the number seven gives some hint as to the boys’ size, we just walked through the locker room full of naked jocks, they’ve got no secrets from each other.”

Just then, there was a light tap on the door and a muscular youth stepped into the office, wearing nothing but his jockstrap; a white jockstrap, with a large “8” hand-drawn on the pouch.

“Excuse me, coach, we need the key to the gear locker so we can put stuff away.”

The coach got some keys out of the desk and tossed them to the boy.

“Was that regulation?” I asked.

The coach sighed.  “Well, it looks like your boys have made a fashion statement.  I probably oughta know where you bought them because everybody’s gonna want one just like ‘em.”

“I’ll send the catalog to school with one of the boys,” Jason said.

“Better yet, get the styles they want, and the sizes, I’ll order them for everybody,” I said.

Even Jason did a double take over that.

“That’s a lot of jockstraps,” Coach said.

“Have ‘em pick out what they want,” I said.

And so the matter was settled.

Jason and I never missed a game, and I went to most of Devon’s swim meets. Jason went to those that he could. I was a foreman so I could arrange time off easier than Jason.  I made casual mention of that in talking with my brother one time and next thing we knew, Jason’s foreman was offering him time off to go to Devon’s swim meets.  Jason and I were quickly accepted as simply the dads of the two athletes, and nothing more.  I suppose there were those parents who had their suspicions about us, but it didn’t matter, not to us, and not the boys. 

“Did you ever think that those two scared little urchins we took out of that orphanage would come to this?” Jason asked at a football game. 

“I wonder if they ever think about it,” I said.

Both boys made a lot of friends, many outside the realm of their teammates.  They were proud thinking of themselves as athletes, not jocks, and we were proud of them for that. They were fiercely supportive of each other, and Kyle tended to be a bit protective of Devon.  The “fag thing” never seemed to come up that we knew of. I still had no idea about their sex lives but Devon seemed to be happy in his skin.  I think that could be attributed to our acceptance of who he was.

We had upgraded the weight room with heavier equipment, intended as much for Jason and me as for the boys. They were able to handle the heavier weights now but they worked out at school a lot. We encouraged it, saying it was a good idea for them to work out with the other boys, where it would tighten the bond as a team. They both took to the weights naturally, and their bodies responded well.  We gave them an advantage by buying supplements, like protein drinks, energy bars and protein powder, and discouraged them from eating a lot of junk food.  Along with their natural growth process, the results were most gratifying. By the start of their senior year, they were two of the best built boys in school, and I thought two of the best looking. I might have been prejudiced on that last count. The one thing that was very noticeable was their flawless complexion, thanks to their Vietnamese heritage.  They gained a high level of self confidence but remained grounded. 

Devon was as popular with the girls as Kyle even though Kyle was more the ladies man and dated more.  Part of their popularity was because they were athletes, and the way they wore their uniforms. They were absolute perfection in both their baseball and football uniforms. Tall, slim-hipped, broad shouldered with solid muscle depth that was obvious even under the uniforms just by the way they moved.  Kyle’s butt was prominent in his football pants, made more so by the way his dark colored jockstrap showed through the material, framing his taut butt muscles.  Both boys were blessed with butts that flexed and churned when they walked, and they attracted a lot of attention. Devon attracted even more attention in his Speedo swimsuit, the way he filled it out, front and back.  I was careful to observe people watching him at swim meets. His private audience was varied; boys and girls, women and men alike.  Besides how he looked, he was like a torpedo in the water.  Their athletic abilities didn’t overshadow their academic achievements, however. Devon always made the honor roll while Kyle moved on and off of it.

It wasn’t too long after our second, serious birds-and-bees talk that Kyle told me he was in love.  I didn’t ask, but I naturally assumed it was with a girl.  He volunteered that it was, just so I wouldn't be confused about it, he said. 

“I guess we ought to have another quick birds-and-bees talk,” I said.  He sighed and rolled his eyes, to which I responded, “Sex is like drugs and alcohol, we’re not going to stop talking about it.  I just wanted to remind you about condoms.”

“I know all about condoms, Dad,” he said.

“I know you know all about them.  Most boys who get girls pregnant know all about condoms.   Do you have any?”

“Yes, I, uh….I do, as a matter of fact,” he said.

“Why the hesitancy?” I asked.

“I borrowed some of yours.”

“Borrowed? You’re going to give them back after you’ve used them?”

He laughed.  “You know what I mean. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked you, but I didn’t know if I could buy them.”

“Yes, you can. But there's no need to be hesitant about that,” I said. “So you think it’s going to come to that; you really have feelings for this girl?”

“Yes, I do. And yes, I think it’s coming to that.  It’s gotten close several times.”

“Is this Sara that you’ve talked about?”

“Yes.”

“Not to interfere, but would it be too much to ask that I meet her before you have sex with her?”  I said, half jokingly.

He laughed.  “No, it’s not too much to ask, but it’d better be pretty soon,” he said.

“Invite her to dinner,” I said.

“I don’t know….maybe I could just bring her over and invite her in for a little bit, just to get acquainted,” he said.

“You don’t think I could put out a decent dinner?”

“No, it’s not that, you’re a great cook.  It’s just that….well, our living situation is a bit different, and I don’t know how comfortable she would be having dinner with four guys, all guys.”

“Tell me we’re not an embarrassment to you,” I said.

“You’re not an embarrassment, Dad. I just would rather work Sara into things a little at a time.”

“All right.  Bring her around.  No invitation to dinner.  I will only offer her a coke,” I said.

I told Jason about Kyle’s concerns over the girl he was “in love” with.  He just laughed.

“You know what I oughta do?  I oughta kiss you right in front of them.”

“Oh, Godd, he would shit his pants.”  Deep down, I was truly concerned about my son's feelings about his family, and his own confusion.  He was not only straight, with a brother who was undeniably gay, I had to wonder if he might be having sex with his brother.  There weren't that many towels in our hamper anymore, which led me to wonder if Devon was taking personal care of his brother.

But we hit it off just fine with Sara and that led to an invitation to dinner.  She was fine with having dinner with four guys.  She even told us that she's heard people say how they admired Jason and me, the way we were raising sons without their mothers.

The boys were growing up too fast, growing out of their clothes on a too-regular basis, and at times I feared, outgrowing us. They were, after all, seniors; it was the natural course of things.  It really hit home when we celebrated their eighteenth birthdays and they reminded us that they were ‘legal’ now. 

To which Jason replied, “We say what’s legal in this house, and if you ever get the idea that we can’t back that up……”

“We were just kidding, Dad,” Devon said, laughing.

“Yeah, I’d rather face a cop any day than either one of you,” Kyle put in.

To be continued...  

Posted: 04/10/15 rp