Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 12:28:33 -0800 (PST)
From: Lillian Luthor <lilli_luthor1961@yahoo.com>
Subject: Yo Puedo Ayudar - Part 1

Title:        Yo Puedo Ayudar
Fandom:  	Going to the Mat
Pairing:    John/Jace
Rating:     NC-17
Feedback:  lilli_luthor1961@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:  Going to the Mat is copyrighted by Disney.
Author's Note:  This is all Jim's fault.
Summary:  Lost in translation.  By the way, I used a Spanish-English
translation website, so if the language is too formal, forgive me. 

John Lambrix stood staring at himself in the bathroom mirror.  At 5'9" and
150lbs he was lean and well toned.  He flexed his pecs before towel drying
his hair.  Most students would envy him.  The seventeen year old blonde was
a star athlete on his high school wrestling team and dating the most
popular girl in the school.  He was courting a scholarship for college
wrestling and scouts were even considering him for the Olympic team. Only
two problems stood in the way of John's perfect life.  He was flunking
Spanish and he was gay.  To top it off, the latest sensation on the team
not only was blind, but also had become the main source of John's wet
dreams.

John had though about quitting the team several times.  He just wanted to
be himself, tell the whole world he was gay and be done with it.  But he
lived in a small town, and that wasn't something that was readily accepted.
Besides, as arrogant and self-centered as Jace Newfield was, he was the
only thing interesting to happen to their school in a long time.  John had
convinced himself that his decision to stay on the team was to show
Newfield up.  *** John stood in Spanish class angry.  The instructor had
just informed him that if he didn't pick his grades, he would be off the
wrestling team.  Lost in thought he heard a low and almost seductive voice
of Jace Newfield behind him.

"Yo puedo ayudar", he whispered.

His breath was warm against John's cheek and the athlete felt his own
breath hitch and his body respond.  He caught himself before his eyes
fluttered closed and whirled around to face the teen.

"What did you just say?"  The athlete spat out angrily, standing face to
face with the blind teen.

"Don't worry. I said I can help...in Spanish."

John studied the boy for a few minutes.  'I don't need this shit', he
thought, 'You're the last person I want help from.'

The truth was John felt guilty about accepting help from Jace.  Although
the teen was hard to get along with, John realized how difficult it must be
to fit into a new school, especially with a handicap.  He also knew the he
and his other teammates didn't make it any easier for Jace.

"You'd help me", John asked sheepishly.  He stared at the vacant brown eyes
of his worst enemy and best fantasy.  *** Jace knew he hadn't managed to
endear himself to anyone during his first weeks at school.  His first
encounter had been with John.  Since then, they butted heads constantly,
even more so since Jace joined the wrestling team.  John had been very
vocal about having a blind guy on the team. Jace knew he was arrogant and
cocky and had started off on the wrong foot.  In fact, offering to help his
teammate with Spanish had been his attempt to make amends. He respected
John for speaking his mind and not tiptoeing around the fact the he was
blind.  John didn't feel sorry for him or pity him.  Jace liked that.  He
also liked the way John smelled after workouts, and the cologne he wore and
the sound of his voice when he was ragging on him.

Although he was blind from birth, Jace imagined how beautiful John must be.
He wanted to touch his face and trace the lines and contours of his lips,
his jaw.  He wanted to let his fingers read every nook and cranny of John's
body. But he was already a blind freak, being a gay blind freak was more
than he was willing to handle at the moment.  *** John barely got to sleep
the night of his first Spanish lesson.  He had agreed to help Jace with his
weight training in exchange for tutoring.  The athlete closed his eyes and
slipped his hand beneath his sheets recalling the rich sound of Jace's
voice speaking Spanish to him.

"How do you say I love you", John had asked and was instantly grateful that
the teen could not see him blush with embarrassment after asking.

"Te amo", Jace purred and John was almost sure it was a confession.

"Te amo Jace", John murmured as he drifted off to sleep.