Page 105 of Make the Play
All these years Emerson’s been looking for a home, it wasn’t a place—it was a person. It was,is,Jason.
“Look, Emmy.” Jason’s cheek presses against his own. His joy at seeing the shark is palpable, infinitely more affecting because Emerson knows its excitement not for himself, but for Emerson. “There’s your shark. You ready to pet it?”
Freya swims closer, her coloring all but disguising her against the sandy bottom, yet now that he knows what to look for he can’t miss her. He draws two fingers over her smooth back, a smile growing on his face.
Under his hand is a shark, but in Emerson’s heart, there is a King.
20JASON
Strumminghis fingers on the wheel, Jason tries not to let his nerves get the best of him. He’s not usually one to get too anxious about things, but this feels big. Itisbig.
While he’s brought girlfriends to meet his parents before, it was almost always out of a sense of obligation because they’d wanted to meet his family, to check off boxes in the next step of a relationship, and not because Jason wanted the people he loved most to love the person he’s dating.
The weeks following the homecoming dance and their first date have been a whirlwind. Between alerting HR to their new relationship, followed by a subsequent meeting and paperwork to ensure no one like Caldwell can accuse them of misconduct, to his regular teaching duties and the start of playoffs, he’s been run ragged. One bright spot in all of the stressful recent events is that Caldwell announced his retirement. Jason can’t wait until that miserable jerkwad is gone forever. Sure, he hasn’t tried any other shit since things went down with Matty, but Jason can’t forgive him for the stress he caused Emerson. The day he found out Caldwell was finally going to be leaving Santa Leon High was one of the best days of his entire life.
The only downside in recent events is that he and Emerson haven’t had time for a second date, though that hasn’t stopped them from spending all of their admittedly scant free time together. Aside from their morning rides to school and shared lunches, Emerson occasionally comes to watch practice now, often bringing his grading outside, something that earns Jason a lot of chirping from his players. Emerson even came to his first football game last night, as did Theo and Alec, who came to the game for morale and to keep Emerson company. While Jason doesn’t mind if Emerson never cares about football, the sight of his boyfriend sitting in the stands, watching him coach and wearinghiscoaching hoodie—the nameKingplastered across his chest for any and all to see—had done funny things to Jason.
Turns out, Jason has a bit of a possessive streak, at least where Emerson is concerned. Knowing that their relationship is now public, that people who saw Emerson wearing his hoodie would know what it means, had driven Jason to coach his best game of the season. After which, he’d taken Emerson home and fucked him in that same hoodie. It had been unequivocally the best sex of Jason’s life.
Emerson rode his cock while wearing his hoodie, a mental image that is now permanently burned into his brain. They spent the next morning in bed, alternating between cuddling and fucking. Inevitably, it devolved into Emerson’s favorite thing, which Jason has affectionately dubbed cuddlefucking. Much like their normal fucking, it involves a lot of nakedness and cocks but also a lot of cuddling, often ending with Emerson stuffed full of Jason’s dick while they cuddle. It’s the absolute fucking best. According to Theo, this is technically called cockwarming, but Jason likes cuddlefucking better.
So yeah, weeks have been full for football and fucking and cuddles, which is basically Jason’s dream come true. Despite his busy schedule, when his parents called and pointed out he hadn’t been to a family dinner since August—his dad all but begging him to come so they could have all their boys under one roof—Jason easily agreed. After he hung up the phone, he turned to Emerson and invited him along because why wouldn’t he?
“Are you nervous?” Emerson questions, dragging Jason out of his thoughts and back to the present. He startles, blinking at the road while wondering when they got all the way across town.
“Me?” Jason asks, feigning what he hopes is a casual tone as he turns onto his parents' street. “What makes you ask that?”
“You’re trying to play drums on the steering wheel,” Emerson answers. He leans his head back on the headrest, angling his body sideways to better watch Jason. Judging by the way he frantically spins his fidget ring, he’s more nervous than Jason is. “If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay.”
“I definitely haven’t changed my mind,” Jason asserts, refusing to let Emerson worry about that. He takes his right hand off the steering wheel, resting it on Emerson’s thigh and giving it a firm squeeze before turning his palm up in a wordless offering. He’s rewarded when Emerson slips his hand into Jason’s.
“If you’re sure,” Emerson hedges. There’s no outward reflection of his anxiety, but the way he grips Jason’s hand tight enough to make his fingers go numb tells him all he needs to know.
“I’m sure, Emmy. I’m just excited and alright, maybe a little nervous, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Emerson’s inhale is so deep Jason feels the echo of it in his chest.
“This is going to be great,” Jason intones.
Emerson’s expression is unreadable as they round the corner. He spent this morning showing Emerson photos of the house he grew up in, hoping he might be less anxious if he was familiar with it. Despite their preparations, Emerson tenses up when his parents’ house comes into view.
As expected, his mom and dad’s cars are in the driveway but Theo’s and the twins’ cars are noticeably absent from the front of the house. Jason’s relief at being the first ones here is palpable. He hoped getting here a little early would give Emerson time to meet his parents before anyone else arrived, but there was always a chance someone else might already be here.
Jason pulls alongside the curb, removing his hand from Emerson’s grip long enough to put his truck in park and shut the engine off before returning it to Emerson’s lap. Immediately, Emerson reaches for his hand, linking their fingers, then holding their joined hands tightly with his other hand.
“You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” Jason questions.
“Me?” Emerson blinks, as if the question has taken him by surprise. “I’m more worried about you. In the span of two weeks, your entire life has changed and…and it’s because of me.” Emerson breathes in slow and deep, holding his breath for long seconds before letting it out in one shuddering exhale. “What if they blame me?”
“First of all, I’m a grown man so whatever choices I make, good or bad, I can take responsibility for. Second of all, you are a good choice, the best I ever made. Not my sexuality because that’s not a choice, but you. Third, and this is important—my parents are going to love you because I do and?—”
“What did you just say?” Emerson interrupts, his grip on Jason’s hand tightening.
“My parents are going to love you,” Jason repeats slowly.
“No, I mean, yes, you said that, but the other part. You said…you said—Jason.”
Jason stares at the man he loves, several things clicking into place. Perhaps he should be panicking, or backtracking. Surely it’s too soon. Yet all Jason feels is a certainty that makes him inexplicably happy, the kind of happy that makes him want to pump his fists in the air or sprint across the field because loving Emerson feels like a goddamn championship win.
