The Master [MxMxM+]

37

The coaches at the basketball court totaled to three. It was bigger than the one back home, but it didn't seem to intimidate Riley in the least bit.

The coaches stood with their clipboards as they waited for Riley to say he was ready.

The Master should have been sitting down, he'd been offered a good seat over and over but he declined it every time.

He stood to one side watching Riley with so much pride swelling in his chest.

Riley was reluctant to try this at first. In fact, the first time he'd brought it up, he'd pretended not to hear even a word.

But he finally got him to being comfortable enough to talk about it. They talked back and forth until Riley warmed up to the idea.

The Master has asked him to try his chance at basketball again.

He'd known when to push and when not to. And people like Riley, the best way to push them was the utmost subtlety.

When he finally got Riley to the stage where he was excited to talk about it, he could finally relax.

He didn't even have to bring it up anymore, Riley would do it all by himself. And he was always more than willing to indulge him.

The uncomfortable part came when Riley suddenly asked him why he was going to such lengths for him. He always said it was because he wanted to, but the truth was that he never really knew why either.

Right now, the thoughts didn't cross his mind, all he saw was Riley holding a ball, like he was in love with it. It was sexy as fuck.

There were several people sitting randomly in the stands. Some watched Riley, others didn't. Others were focused on the other divisions of the huge court.

The media was being kept outside at his orders. Alexander had tried to do this as discreetly as possible but somehow a few reporters and paparazzi had caught a whiff of it. Annoying bastards.

Riley's safety was the most important thing at the moment. The coaches knew that, and he hoped no one in there knew who he was. To them, he wanted to look just like another man in a suit.

He was glad there was another way to exit when they were done. One that didn't have to involve several camera flashes and everyone trying to shout in your face.

He didn't hate the media, but a little truth serum wouldn't really hurt them. They just pissed him off.

If everything they said about him was true, then he might as well be an alien living in a mansion on the clouds.

Riley finished his warmups and started following the instructions as the coaches told him to.

Alexander paced back and forth along the outside of the line a little distance off.

Maybe he was the only one seeing it or maybe there was something wrong with his eyes but there was something off about Riley.

He couldn't quite place it, but because Riley himself functioned perfectly, he decided it was something else.

He watched him critically like he was the one making the assessments. It was fascinating, every tiny thing he did.

Everything was a major turn on. Especially just seeing him like that, in his element. Totally focused. Fuck.

From what the Master observed, Riley had at least one last shot to make and then they'd be leaving. If it was up to him, Riley outdid himself. He'd done beautifully.

But just when he expected Riley to take the shot, he didn't.

Riley stood frozen with the ball in his hand, just like he was about to throw the ball except he didn't.

He couldn't hear anyone it seemed. Because he didn't even acknowledge that the coaches were trying to talk to him, didn't even budge.

When Alexander saw his face, he oddly got the feeling that right there, Riley was stuck in another time, not quite able to get over it.

He was already walking towards him before he knew.

He took the ball from Riley's hands and dropped it, letting it bounce away and without thinking put his arms around him.

Riley's hands went to grip the sides of his suit jacket as he buried his face in his shoulder.

A hush seemed to fall over the entire place but Alexander paid it no mind.

"You did good darling, it's okay," he soothed.

He signaled to the coaches that it was over and they immediately got to discussing amongst themselves.

Riley was silent as he felt his unsteady hands. "You're okay," he said and held him just a little tighter.

"We're going to go home now okay?"

Riley nodded into his shoulder but didn't move.

They hugged for a really long time. Long enough for probably all the attention on the court to be on them.

Only Riley existed in that moment. Everything else became a blur, until he heard the click of a camera.

꧁_____꧂

At first Pierre had denied there was anything wrong with him but Zel wasn't about to let it go.

He bugged Pierre until every word was out of his mouth.

Zel now sat with him after he'd heard everything. And if he was honest, nothing felt right with him.

It was really hard to believe and for that reason he had not made up his mind yet.

"Do you really think Jet would say that?" He asked Pierre.

"What do you mean?" Pierre asked.

Somehow Zel understood that it might have been confusing because Jet was general, kind of a mean person where Linder was so sweet.

He would never believe they were lies coming from Linder's mouth, but neither could he believe that Jet had said all those things about Pierre. And all of it confused him all the more.

"I don't know... did he admit it?"

"Linder wouldn't just want to hurt me like that. I think... I think he cares about me," said Pierre.

"I think so too," Zel admitted but somehow kept the rest to himself.

He couldn't even say he knew Jet all that well, but Jet wouldn't. He couldn't really let himself accept it.

"You're beautiful, you know that right?" Zel suddenly said, frustrated enough as it was.

He sat cross legged on Pierre's bed as the other sat up, sharing a bowl of Doritos with him.

Pierre shrugged.

"Well I think you are, it doesn't matter who said what," said Zel.

It was instant, how color filled Pierre's cheeks as he tried to avoid meeting Zel's eyes. He munched cutely with his head turned down.

"Can I trust you?" Zel asked.

"Do you have reason not to?"

"I've got a secret. Promise you won't tell," Zel bit his lip in an effort to stop himself from smiling too much.

"I won't tell," said Pierre. He held out a Dorito to Zel at the same time Zel held one out to him.

They both giggled and lowered their hands.

"Okay." Zel got up on his knees and leaned in to Pierre's ear as the other waited expectantly with his hands clasped together in front of him.

He covered the side of Pierre's ear with one hand and bent to whisper softly.

"I love you," he said.