Chapter 1.2

ORIGINAL CONTENT OF D.C. BLU. DO NOT COPY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION. PLAGIARISM IS CRUEL. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.

1.2

Mitchell ignored the screams and hollering coming from the car trunk as he leaned his hip against the shiny black paint and sucking in a gulp of air. Dammit, Bats… He bowed his head in thought, shutting out the fear and panic tightening his chest. Several people had their phones out… There had to be pictures.

Mitchell hated that he cared what the media thought but football was too damn conservative to be openly gay.

Taking out his phone, trying to push aside the worry, he called his second favorite woman, after his mother.

“Hey Mitch, what’s going on?” Cody’s sweet tone entered his ear.

“We may have a problem. Dorian lost his mind and-“

“Shit. Please no-“

“Kissed me in public where some cameras were flashing. Blame me. I know how unstable he is when it comes to our relationship, but I insisted on hanging out. Didn’t think it would get this bad though.” He finished while rubbing the knot in his chest.

“Don’t you dare blame yourself for that grown ass man,” Cody said sternly.

Mitchell sighed feeling some relief that she hadn’t sounded as bad as he feared.

“Blame yourself for spoiling his ass!”

Mitchell flinched. He listened to Cody curse the both of them until he feared she’d go into labor early. “Cody…please calm down, it’s not good for the babies.”

“Bite me. I’m going to call your cousin and hope like hell he can minimize this. But there is no telling how many pictures have already hit social media. Fucking hell, Mitchell! You and I both know gay ain’t exactly popular in football! I hope you’re ready for the backlash!” Cody abruptly cut off the connection.

Mitchell sighed. That was one of his fears. While some of the newer players were pretty liberal, many of the older players were more conservative in their views. As were many of the fans. He didn’t like hiding who he was, but the world wasn’t exactly flying rainbow flags everywhere. Some places and professions were more open. But that didn’t mean all were. While Mitchell had been fully aware of that and always conscious of it, Dorian’s mind didn’t work the same way. His best friend never had a conventional thought.

Rubbing his forehead, trying to keep the headache from forming, he walked around the driver’s side and got in. Though he knew how to drive, Dorian was always the one to do it. So, it felt odd to get behind the wheel. After some minor adjustments to the mirrors, seat, and the steering wheel, Mitchell started up the car and peeled out of the parking lot at top speed. When he heard the satisfying thump of his best friend rolling around in the back of the trunk, a tiny bit of anxiety leeched out of him.

The phone rang as he pulled into their apartment complex. It connected to the in-car speaker.

“Hello cousin,” Mitchell said to Jerry who called. While Jerry wasn’t his blood cousin, he was Dorian’s and therefore Mitchell’s according to the guy.

“Sorry you have to put up with his drama,” Jerry said not sounding sorry at all. “Is he with you now?”

“In the trunk.”

“Trunk?”

“Of the car.”

Jerry snorted a laugh. “Nice. Okay, so I’ll give you the bad news first. There was a picture taken, it was at a weird angle, but it got your face, not Dorian’s. I’m working on deleting what I can via a customized virus, but it’s already spreading so I don’t think it will be much help. That’s the price of being popular.”

Mitchell leaned his head back looking out the front view window with a hooded gaze, not wanting to face the media. He shouldn’t have to explain his sexual orientation. It was nobody’s fucking business… But just thinking of those eyes of condemnation…those nasty comments… His father’s response. Dorian’s father’s response…

Dorian’s father was pretty nasty to his son when he found out that both were in a relationship. Though Mitchell’s own father hadn’t found out yet, he hoped the response wouldn’t be as bad as Dorian’s father.

“You okay?” Jerry asked.

“Is there any good news?”

“Dorian’s ugly mug wasn’t in the shot. Which would have killed my eyes. But it also lessens the impact if I can make Dorian out as an obsessive fan. It will minimize the damage.”

“No,” he said while shaking his head. He loved Dorian too much to deny their relationship. Yeah, it was tempting to cover his own ass. But Dorian was his best friend, lover, and the man he’d spend the rest of his life with. With Dorian as his partner, there was no way that the relationship would stay in the dark forever. Dorian was too bold to keep a lid on it for long. It was a miracle that his crazy ass lasted through college…barely.

“Mitch,” Jerry called.

Realizing he had been too quiet for too long, he spoke up. “I’m still here.”

“They can’t cancel your contract because of this.” Jerry reminded him. “Cody negotiated four years, sixteen mil, no-trade. At most, they just won’t let you play much and keep you out of the spotlight. The amount of money on the contract should keep you and Dorian fed for life if you invest it and save properly… If the worse comes to worse.”

“I know. Dorian’s handling all the financial stuff. He might be crazy, but he knows his shit.”

“I agree. So? What are your plans?” Jerry asked.

“First, pretend to be mad with Dorian so maybe he will behave in public.”

“You mean you’re not mad now?”

“Scared. Frustrated. But I don’t think the anger has set in yet. Too shocked I guess.”

“Or you just don’t know how to be mad at him. He knows you too well. He knows you don’t get mad that easily. And you forgive too easily. Send his ass to timeout,” Jerry said sounding angry on Mitchell’s behalf.

Mitchell rubbed his forehead unable to prevent the ache from forming. Dorian always warned him he was too laid back and easy going. And it was that character of his that allowed Dorian to act a fool. Yeah, he could control some of Dorian’s crazy, but Mitchell had gotten so used to it, he just shrugged it off. And he always though Dorian understood him. He thought Dorian respected his decision to keep their relationship quiet.

Now…now Dorian’s outbursts were affecting his career. Though he loved Dorian more than football, he didn’t want to just depend on Dorian for all the money in the future and be a kept boy. He shivered at the thought.

“I need to have a minute. Let me call you later,” Mitchell said.

“Ok, cous, take care of yourself. And let me know if things get out of hand, and I’ll have Philip send guards.” Jerry offered.

“Guards?”

“For the raging homophobes?”

“You think there might be violence?” Mitchell asked, shoulders finally drooping at the thought of what might happen.

“People can be ignorant and irrational, so you never can tell. Just be careful. If something happens to you, Dorian will go apeshit.”

After saying goodbye, Mitchell got out of the car and used the electronic key to pop the trunk as he headed up to the apartment without waiting for Dorian to join him.