Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2017 01:59:08 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aiden  Chapter 43

Welcome back. Baseball league season is over and it's tournament time.
Somehow the games change from recreation baseball to serious
competitive baseball.

Please give to the Nifty Archive. Help the flow of stories keep on coming.

I love reader emails. Send to Douglas. thehakaanen@hotmail.com

CHAPTER 43
TOURNAMENT TIME

When his alarm went off Thursday morning, Aiden woke up happy. There
was only a week of school left, Marty was in town, his party was approved,
his big overnight was approved—life was good. He pulled back his covers
and headed for the bathroom to pee and shower.

He started up the water, set the temperature, stepped into the tub, closed
the glass door, and let the warm water flow over him. While he stood
soaking in the warmth, he let his own stream of warm water flow. He felt
just like his cousin Chase, who had told him how he liked to pee in the
shower in the morning, especially when he had morning wood.

Aiden didn't do it often, but every now and then he went into the shower
and just let go, whether he woke up with a boner or not. He didn't wake up
with them very often, at least not yet. Chase had told him having morning
wood almost every morning would start happening to him, and his dads
had told him the same thing. When he did pee in the shower, it made him
feel older and even sexy, the way he imagined older boys like Chase or
Sammy or even Miles's brother John must feel.

He washed himself as the shower water washed his urine down the drain.
The smell quickly followed the yellow liquid. He turned off the shower, dried
himself, and went to his room. He picked out his clothes for the day, but
only put on his slippers. He went downstairs in the nude—he was in that
kind of mood.

Larry was in the kitchen cooking up a thick waffle for Aiden. Phil had left for
work an hour before and Larry had eaten with him.

Aiden walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Larry from
behind. "Good morning, daddy."

"Good morning, kiddo. You sound bright and cheery this morning."

"That's because I am. I got my party coming, and the baseball tournament,
and Marty is taking me to practice and then to dinner today." Aiden let go of
his daddy and sat at the kitchen table. Larry dropped the waffle onto a plate
and served it to his son.

"Oh, my, did we forget something this morning?" Larry asked.

"Not me. I didn't forget anything." Aiden spread some butter on his waffle.

"Well then, you must be wearing the Emperor's new clothes." Larry set a
glass of orange juice next to Aiden.

"Nope, because I know I'm not wearing anything."

"I thought we had rules for meals," Larry said as he placed three
microwaved sausages on the plate.

Aiden finished pouring syrup on his waffle and commenced eating. "That's
for when we're eating together," the boy said after swallowing his first
mouthful. "And I'm just eating by myself. So, if it's okay for me to be naked
when I watch television or read in the big room, then I should be able to be
naked when I eat by myself."

Aiden waited for Larry to pop a gasket. He was surprised by Larry's reply to
his request. "Okay, that makes sense, and I am okay with it. But, you'll
need to have the table cleared, your dishes in the dishwasher, your clothes
on, and be ready to catch your bus on time, all with me leaving before
you're finished."

"You mean I have to put my clothes on to go to school?" Aiden flashed
Larry one of his grins and popped some sausage into his mouth.

"It would be a good idea. You'd end up shocking all of the girls and making
all of the boys envious of your wares if you didn't dress for school."

"Plus, I'd get cold." He took a swallow of orange juice. "I promise to have
everything done. You know I get it done all the time anyway."

"I was worried about the getting dressed part," Larry teased. "But, I would
like to ask what possessed you to push the rules this morning."

"I did it because I'm happy, and being naked makes me happier."

"I see," Larry said. He remembered his love of being naked in the house
when he was a young boy like Aiden.

"It's draft day today," Aiden said. "I hope Marty is a number one pick."

"He's more likely to go in a later round," Larry reminded him.

"Nope, he'll be in the first round because he is Marty and is a really good
player."

"So are a lot of other players. Remember, he's picking you up after school
today."

"I already told you I know."

"Just being sure." Larry finished putting his cooking utensils into the
dishwasher. "Okay, I'm off to my school. I'll see you tonight after your
practice. Have fun with your hero."

"He's not my hero, he's my friend."

"He could be both," Larry said as he left the kitchen. Aiden heard the car
pull out of the garage. He finished eating, took care of his tasks, and was
ready to catch the bus in plenty of time—with his clothes on. He was
becoming a very responsible little boy.

The big news at lunch was Aiden's upcoming party. Collin was pleased to
find out that he was invited and that he wouldn't be the only fifth grader to
be there. Everybody said they would have to ask for permission. All of
them, except Mason, were certain their parents would approve of their
attending.

"It depends on what day you have it," Gordy said. "My parents could have
something else happening, but I hope not. I know our vacation isn't until
July."

"Do you think we could go skinny dipping?" Mason asked.

"Dang, Mason, you'll be lucky that your mom won't make you wear a shirt
and trunks both," Miles said.

"It would be cool, though," Collin said. Collin had been mostly neutral when
the fourth graders got "nasty", so everybody was surprised he went for the
idea so quickly. "Hey, it's something different."

"Not to mention nasty," Mason grinned.

After school, Aiden went to his locker, grabbed the books he needed,
stuffed them into his backpack, and was out the front door of the school
before anybody else. His smile was a mile wide when he saw a familiar car
in the pickup area. He ran to it and hopped into the front seat.

"Hey, Marty, who drafted you? Was it the Mariners? I hope it wasn't the
Athletics or the Angels," Aiden babbled.

"Hello to you too, sport." Marty ruffled Aiden's already disheveled hair. "As
predicted, the first round wasn't mine. I'm hoping for tomorrow."

"Rats," Aiden said sadly. "Where are we going to eat?"

"I know where you're going right now—into the back seat."

"Do I have to?" Aiden wailed.

"Unless you had a sudden growth spurt that I missed, the law says you sit
in back. So, go sit there and we'll head to practice."

Coach Hallion had taken off from work early so the Knights could hold a
quick practice. The practice was slated for 4:00 at the park on the east end
of the lake. They stopped at Aiden's house so he could change into his
practice gear. He grabbed his equipment bag, which contained his mitt, bat,
and rubber cleats.

Marty waited patiently on the deck, declining Aiden's invitation to come up
to his room. Aiden was hoping Marty could see him in his underpants so he
could tell him how good his body looked. Aiden kept wondering if he was
too skinny or was just right and hoped Marty would agree with his dads that
his build was just right.

Practice went very smoothly considering that Marty's presence was a bit of
a distraction. Even though none of the boys remembered watching him play
in high school, they knew what kind of star he was and were excited to
have him at practice. Coach Hallion put him right to work helping run drills
and giving some individual attention. The boys hung on to every word like it
was coming right down from the baseball gods themselves.

Marty had come prepared to sign autographs after practice, and every
player got one with a comment on a blank sheet of paper. Many of the boys
had their practice shirts, their gloves, their book covers, and even their
backs and arms signed. Mason felt proud of having Marty's autograph
strung across his skinny chest.

"Are you coming to our game tomorrow?" Trent asked Marty.

"I will if you guys don't get rained out," Marty replied.

"It ain't raining yet," Luke pointed out. "The weatherman is going to be
wrong."

The rest of the team agreed. Everybody gathered their gear and started for
their rides.

"Mason, you were funny," Aiden said as the two boys clambered into the
backseat of Marty's car. Marty had agreed to take Mason home, which
thrilled Mason. He had ridden to practice with Muddy and his uncle.

Mason was still shirtless, proudly showing off his autographed chest. "I was
not. I won't take a shower all week." He held up his autographed sheet of
paper which said, `I hope you have lots of hits in your life. Your friend,
Marty Carlson.'  "And this is going be on my wall forever."

"It wasn't easy signing your chest," Marty chuckled. "I had to work around
those ribs of yours."

"I know. Me and Aiden are both skinny runts."

"I still need to change for dinner," Aiden told Marty. "Are you going to go
around the lake and stop at my house?"

"You can change at my house," Mason offered eagerly.

"It would be quicker to change at my house since I need to change as well,"
Marty said. He knew he would be helping with practice and was wearing his
practice garb.

"Okay," the little brown-haired boy said, obviously disappointed. He had
been hoping to see Aiden stripped down to his underpants and for Aiden to
see him naked. "Maybe you can come over some other time."

"That would be cool," Aiden said, although he wasn't real excited about the
prospect. Mason's house, to put it politely, was cluttered and Aiden was a
boy who liked things relatively neat.

When they got to Mason's house, his mother came out to greet them.
Mason introduced Marty as the best baseball player in Mayfield history. He
showed off the autograph on his still bare chest as well as his autographed
sheet of paper. His mother shook her head and told him to put his shirt on.
He got out of the car and retrieved his backpack out of the trunk, not
bothering to put his shirt on. "Bye, Aiden, see you tomorrow. Bye, Marty,
thanks for the autographs." He sprinted to the front door of the house,
turned and waved, and then disappeared through the open door.

"Thank you for giving Mason a ride home," she told Marty. "I hope he
wasn't too much trouble for you."

"He was fine. He's very enthusiastic about baseball."

"He often has problems settling down and focusing, but he's a good boy.
He's a very talented singer, you know."

"I did not know that."

"I did," Aiden said. "His mom is right, he's really good."

Madeline Johnson smiled, stepped back from the car, and then turned and
followed Mason into the house. Marty drove off, heading for the Bednarzyk
residence, which served as his home.

He lived in a small mother-in-law type residence which was located across
the pool deck from the main house. He and Aiden walked into the main
house, where Lois Bednarzyk was busily working on dinner. As she
greeted Marty and Aiden, Marty walked across the kitchen and gave her a
big hug. Lois had been a second mother to him and was a very special
person.

"The boys are in the sunroom studying," she told Marty. Marty and Aiden
went to the sunroom, which was located at the back of the house, with
windows looking over the backyard as well as the pool area.

When Jeffrey saw Marty walk in, he jumped up and gave him a bigger,
tighter, more loving hug than the one Marty have given his mother. At
fifteen, he was almost as tall as Marty, but his lanky body had yet to start
filling in.

Sammy grinned and greeted Marty, but ignored Aiden, who was keeping in
the background. Sammy wasn't quite as big on hugs as his older brother,
but he also didn't have the deep, long-time relationship with the ballplayer
that his brother had.

"Sorry you didn't get drafted," Sammy said.

"He is going to get drafted, dork," Jeffrey corrected, "just not in the first
round. Some lucky team is going to snag him tomorrow."

"He should have been first round," Aiden said.

Sammy looked across the room and acted like he had seen Aiden for the
first time. "Hey, Aiden, when did you get here?" he asked facetiously.

"I got here with Marty."

"Well, you're right, he should have been first round. None of those teams
know what they're doing."

"Amen to that," Jeffrey said.

"We got to get going," Marty said. "I owe my little bro, here, a dinner."

"Hey, I thought I was your little bro," Jeffrey said.

"You're not so little," Marty laughed. "You're almost as tall as I am. Besides,
a guy can't have too many brothers, right Aiden?"

"Right," Aiden agreed. "That means you and me and the Hurricane and
Sammy are all brothers."

"That is an excellent way of looking at it. Now, let's go get ready for dinner,"
Marty told Aiden.

Lois invited Marty and Aiden to stay for dinner. Marty politely declined,
saying that he and Aiden had planned on eating out.

"But, I'll come to dinner some other time," Aiden said.

"Then, I'll just have to see about arranging that."

Marty and Aiden left the main house and walked across the pool deck to
Marty's apartment. Aiden was excited about walking into the place where
his hero and big bro had lived when he went to high school.

"You can shower first," Marty told Aiden.

"Where can I change?" Aiden had packed fresh underpants, socks, as well
as the shorts and t-shirt he'd worn to school.

"The bathroom works." Marty's little apartment had a small living room, a
kitchenette, a bedroom, and a bathroom.

"Okay." Aiden had hoped he could strip naked in front of Marty. He knew
that wasn't going to happen, so he didn't argue with Marty's request to take
his clothes into the bathroom. He opened the bathroom door, then stopped
for one last try. "We could shower together."

"Get in there and don't use all of the hot water."

Aiden took a quick shower, but after pulling his briefs on, he decided to
finish dressing in the living room rather than in the steamy bathroom. He
walked out half-naked, carrying his gym bag. "It's too hot and steamy in
there," Aiden explained.

Marty looked at the gorgeous young boy clad in nothing but tight, white
briefs. He was almost skinny, but not like Mason had been. His ribs were
visible, but barely. His ass was as sweet as the ass on a boy that young
could be.  Marty could feel his old sensations bubbling in him—the
sensations he'd had for Jeffrey.

Truth be told, they were feelings he still had for the Hurricane. His years
living in the same household with Hurricane Jeffrey had been special. The
boy had been incredibly sexual since he was a preteen, wanting
desperately to experience everything. Sammy had the same desires, but in
a quieter way, and was more oriented to females than males—or so he
said.

But, Marty knew he could no longer act on those emotions; he was a
married man with a bright future ahead of him. And, unlike, Jeffrey or
Sammy, there was something innocent and fragile about Aiden—something
that Marty didn't want to tarnish.

Even though Aiden said he wanted to do certain things, Marty didn't sense
the almost desperate desire for sex that Jeffrey had displayed. Like most
boys his age, Aiden was curious and wanted to push the boundaries, while
at the same time not always wanting to push them as far as he said he
wanted to. Still, Marty couldn't help but admire the beauty of the boy
standing in front of him, but in the end responsibility trumped hormones.

"I'll get my shower while you dress." Marty had grabbed a change of
clothes while Aiden showered. He took his shower. As much as he wanted
to walk naked into the living room, he dressed in the muggy bathroom. He
did wish he had the time to satisfy his rock hard cock.

When Marty asked Aiden where he wanted to eat, he instantly said, "I want
to go to The Bear for pizza." Marty had no problem with that request.

When Gary Miller, the owner of The Bear, saw Marty walk in with Aiden, he
immediately came out from behind the counter and greeted the two. "My
God, I have two celebrities here, tonight. Welcome to both of you," Gary
gushed.

"Two celebrities?" Aiden looked around to see who else was there.

"I most certainly do. I have the best baseball player in Mayfield Mustang
history and the best nine-year-old baseball player in Mayfield right here in
front of me."

Aiden looked around again, but saw no boys he knew. "Who's the nine-
year-old?" he asked.

"That would be you," Marty informed him as he ruffled the little boy's blond
mop.

"I'm not the best one. Gordy is the best one and..."

Marty cut him off. "I hear you're pretty good, so just accept that and let's
eat." Marty led Aiden to a booth. Gary followed them and quickly took their
order. The boys didn't need to look at the menu—they'd already agreed
that they would be getting a pepperoni and sausage pizza with side salads.
Aiden wasn't real keen about the salad, but Marty insisted.

"Your dads would string me up by my thumbs if I didn't make you eat your
greens," Marty told him.

"So? They don't need to know."

"Haven't we had talks about rigorous honesty?"

"Yeah," Aiden nodded meekly. He should have known better than to cross
his hero.

Gary brought their drinks—Coke for Marty and Dr. Pepper for Aiden. "Sorry
you didn't go in the first round," Gary told Marty.

"I didn't expect to. But I am pretty sure I'll go tomorrow."

"I'll be following the draft." The same went for a large number of the citizens
of Mayfield, who were more than ready for Marty to put their town on the
sports map.

Marty and Aiden enjoyed their pizza. They talked about Marty's season,
about how the Major League draft worked, and about the level of the
minors where Marty would probably play. They also discussed Aiden's
baseball season and about the upcoming tournament that weekend.

"I try to focus and be in the zone all the time when I play, but it's hard,"
Aiden said.

"Well bro, it's pretty hard for me as well. I'm more experienced so I can get
there more often, but some days it's really tough. But, let me give you a
special piece of advice."

"What?" Aiden was focusing on Marty's every word.

"Make sure that whatever you do, you have fun. Play your best, play your
hardest, but don't get hung up on `the zone'" Marty used his fingers to
make quote marks in the air when he said "the zone."

"But, aren't I supposed to do my best to win?"

"Play smart, play hard, and play to win—but don't let it ruin your fun. Doing
your best is always fun, and if you do your best everyday...well, nobody
can ask you to do more, including yourself."

Aiden shook his head and put Marty's advice into his memory banks. His
daddy Larry had told him after one game that he didn't look like he was
having a lot of fun. Now he understood what his daddy was talking about.

Gary thanked Marty for coming in and told him that the pizza was on the
house. Marty said he wanted to pay so he could treat his little bro, but Gary
insisted, saying that he was sure Marty would find a way to pass it on.

It rained that night and into the morning. By two o'clock the rain stopped
and the clouds started to clear. But, that was a teaser as the rain returned
by five o'clock and the two games scheduled for 6:30 were rained out.

The big news of the day, however, was Marty being drafted in the second
round by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners always passed on Washington
State players, preferring to draft on what they considered more talented
players from other parts of the country. This time they took Marty, who was
considered one of the best collegiate players in the country. Many scouts
thought Marty wouldn't go as high as second with any team because of his
being gay and married to another man. But, that apparently didn't affect the
Mariners' thinking.

The town of Mayfield was ecstatic about the news. Aiden's excitement was
so high it more than eased the disappointment of being rained out. By early
afternoon the media had invaded Mayfield to talk to Marty. Marty was
almost happy Aiden's game was rained out because it would have been
tough for him to find the time to attend the game.

The rain stopped around midnight. The infields at the park complex had
been covered. Larry and the tournament committee members were on the
phones and meeting with the park department groundskeeper all night. The
groundskeeper said that if the rains didn't return he could have the fields
ready by nine in the morning. He didn't quite make it and the start of the
tournament was delayed for another hour, with the first games starting at
ten.

Larry and Phil knew how the attitudes of the community and parents
changed from the supposedly low-key play of the league season, to the
more passionate feelings of the tournaments at both the ten-and-under and
twelve-and-under leagues. The twelve-and-under tournament was being
held in Kentburg that year. There were booths at the complex selling
souvenir t-shirts and hats, and various baubles and knick-knacks as
volunteer booster groups were out to raise funds with their sales. The
Recreation Department ran the concession stand for food and drink, which
was also manned by volunteers. All of the profits would go towards funding
the recreation program, including the tournament.

All of the ten-and-under teams, except Clark Pass, were in the tournament.
The Clark Pass coach told Larry, who was the tournament director, that he
didn't have enough boys available to field a viable team.

When asked what had happened to his players his answer was about what
Larry expected considering the reputation of the small town hidden in a
mountain valley.

"It's rutting season," the coach explained "All of the boys are with their
sisters, cousins, mothers, brothers, dads, hell, even nephews and nieces
learning the incestuous life of the hill country."

"At least they are too young to get anyone pregnant," Larry observed.

"For now," the coach laughed. "Now that we've laughed about the legends
of the hills, some of which might even be true, the real reason is that fishing
season opens that weekend and a lot of the dads in these parts	 put fishing
and beer drinking ahead of baseball. And believe me, those boys will learn
how to handle their beer."

"I was more than willing to believe in the legend—it has more intrigue
behind it."

"Like all legends there is some truth to it, but not to the extent you guys in
the lowlands like to think."

Without Clark Pass, there were six teams in the tournament. The Knights
played the Meadow Park Phillies at ten on Field #1. The Knights had
defeated the Phillies twice in league, 11-7 and 14-1. Coach Hallion started
Collin at pitcher. He threw 36 pitches over the first three innings and turned
a 13-0 lead over to Vance. Vance had his usual problems throwing strikes,
but the Phillies simply weren't good enough to compete with the Knights,
who ended up winning 18-4 in a game shortened to four innings by the
mercy rule.

The Mayfield Dodgers beat the Kentburg Cougars 13-8 on Field #2. The
tournament was what was known as a true-double, meaning the teams
kept playing until every team but one had two losses. As a result, every
team would play at least two games.

Marty watched the Knights game and rooted for his little bro who had a
single in his first two at bats and grounded out to second in his third. It had
been awhile since Marty had had such unfettered fun at a baseball game.
Larry and Phil sat with him and helped fend off well-meaning fans, telling
them Marty had come to enjoy the games. The two had no problem playing
the bad guys so that Marty wouldn't have to offend anyone. The parents,
fans, and kids were all understanding. Marty said he would be happy to talk
to people after the game.

The next two games started at noon. As the top two teams in league play,
the Meadow Park Royals and the Kentburg Wolves had first round byes.
They would be playing the winners of the first two games: The Royals
would play the Knights while the Wolves would play the Dodgers.

Aiden was the starting pitcher against the Royals. Knowing Marty was
watching made him want to be at his best. As he warmed up, however, he
remembered Marty telling him that he played for his teammates not for his
family, or his friends, or the parents in the stands. He also remembered
Marty telling him how important it was to have fun.

When the game started, he shut Marty out of his mind and focused on the
game. When he was on the pitching rubber, Marty wasn't there. His dad
and daddy weren't there. All that he needed to know was that Muddy's
glove was there for him to pitch to.

There was one distraction, however, and that was the second hitter for the
Royals, Nolan Moyer. He really had to concentrate when Nolan came up to
bat. Even with a batting helmet and a baseball uniform on, Aiden kept
thinking how much he liked looking at Nolan. As a result, he walked Nolan,
but Nolan was the only batter to reach base against him in the first three
innings. The Knights, who were the home team, led 4-0 as the game
entered the fourth inning.

"You were right," Marty told Larry and Phil. "Aiden is a strike-throwing
machine."

"He's the anti-Vance," Phil laughed.

"Well, he did walk somebody on four pitches," Larry pointed out.

 "He seemed a little distracted," Marty observed.

"If you want my opinion, I think Aiden has a bit of a crush on the kid."

"Interesting," Marty said. "I didn't get my first crush on a boy until I was
eleven—and then I seemed to have a crush on every boy I saw," he
laughed.

Aiden gave up two hits and a run in the fourth, but that was all of the
scoring the Royals would do off of him. In order to keep him eligible to pitch
again in the tournament, Coach Hallion relieved Aiden with two outs in the
fourth. The Knights went on to win the game 6-2. The Kentburg Wolves
beat the overmatched Dodgers 16-3 in four innings on the other field.

The two o'clock games matched the four losers, with the loser of each
game being eliminated from the tournament. The Royals defeated the
Dodgers 11-4. It was the first time Aiden had been able to watch Nolan play
without his being on the opposing team. Aiden sat in the Field #2 stands
with Muddy, Trent, Mason, Miles, Collin, and Russell. The other members
of the Knights had migrated to Field #1. They ate hot dogs and chips, drank
sodas, watched baseball, and giggled and joked, just like the young boys
they were. Nobody seemed to notice how Aiden went quiet and
concentrated entirely on the game when Nolan came to bat. The Kentburg
Cougars beat the Meadow Park Phillies 8-5 on Field #1.

The last two games of the day were at 4:30. The Knights and the Wolves
played each other on Field #1, with the winner being the last undefeated
team. The Royals played the Cougars on Field #2 in a loser out game.
Aiden wished that he could play his game and watch Nolan play for the
Royals game at the same time. What he didn't know, is that Nolan had the
same feelings.

Trent was the starting pitcher for the Knights. He ended up pitching five and
a third innings, leaving when he reached the 80-pitch mark. The Knights
had a 4-2 lead when he left the mound, but Russell couldn't hold the lead.
The Wolves scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to steal a 5-4 walk-
off win over the Knights. On Field #2 the Royals eliminated the Cougars 6-
3. Nolan had been the starting pitcher for the Royals.

The Knights' game went ten minutes longer than the Royals' game on Field
#2. While Aiden was unhappy that his team blew a two-run lead in the last
inning, it felt good to see Nolan hang around to watch the end of the game,
even if he was there with his teammates.

Nolan was still hanging around after the gear was gathered and Coach
Hallion had his last words. The two boys gravitated to each other and
exchanged fist bumps.

"That loss really sucked," Nolan told Aiden. "I thought you guys had it won."

"So did I. I guess we all did and that's why we blew it. Marty says never
think you have a game won or you could be wrong real quick."

"Who's Marty?"

"I am," came a voice from behind them. "Tough loss, bro."

"Too bad Trent couldn't pitch all the way," Aiden said.

"Wait," Nolan interrupted. "Are you the Marty who is going to play for the
Mariners?"

Marty smiled and nodded. "Well, at least for one of their minor league
teams."

"Cool." He held out his fist and the two fist-bumped. Marty was surprised
that Nolan didn't beg him for an autograph. "My dad says you are really
good and that you and Aiden are friends." Aiden noticed Judge Moyer was
talking to his dads.

"We're more like brothers," Marty said, "which I guess makes us friends."

"If Aiden and me didn't live in different towns, I bet we would be friends."
Aiden was surprised by the shiver that went through him when he heard
Nolan's comment. "Come on, Aiden, I gotta pee."

"So do I." Aiden said, although he wasn't sure why Nolan needed him to go
with him to the restroom.

What happened there was something Aiden wouldn't forget. Because
neither boy's uniform pants had a zipper, they followed the rule of uniform
pants without zippers and pulled their pants, jocks with cups, and
underpants down past their knees as they stood in front of the urinals.
Aiden was certainly not shy about displaying his wares and was pleased
that Nolan apparently wasn't either. And so, for the first time, the two boys
saw each other's cock and balls.

Nolan's little pecker barely stretched over his smooth, tight ball sac. He was
uncut with a small, pinkish head. Like most ten-year-olds, he had no hint of
hair in his pubic region. Neither boy moved as they unashamedly looked
each other over. Apparently approving of what they saw, they waddled over
to one of the urinals, and pissed. They stood far enough back so the other
boy could watch if he wanted—and the other boy definitely wanted.

After finishing their business, they wordlessly pulled up their pants, washed
their hands, and walked back to the field. They looked at the board on the
concession stand that had the tournament bracket. It told the two boys
what they already knew—they would be playing each other at ten the next
morning in a loser out game.

"That sucks that one of us has to lose and be out of the tournament," Nolan
said.

"I know. I'd rather play you for the championship."

The boys followed their parents as well as Marty, his husband Rich, and
Jeffrey the Hurricane to the parking lot.

"Hey, Aiden," Nolan said quietly. "I like how you looked in there."

"You mean in the bathroom?" Aiden asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah." Nolan looked a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable, knowing he'd
just said something he shouldn't have said.

"Me, too," was all Aiden could think to say. He did like what Nolan had
below the waist, but it hadn't occurred to him that it was okay to say that to
a boy, especially one he hardly knew.

"Quick, let me teach you my secret handshake," Nolan said. He quickly
showed Aiden how the hand and thumb shake worked, and they executed
it quickly and flawlessly.

"See you in the morning," Aiden said. He went over to the Odyssey happy
that there was no doubt he had a new friend in Nolan Moyer. Nolan walked
to his parents' car thinking the same thoughts about Aiden.

"Can I spend the night with you?" Aiden asked Marty.

"Sorry, sport. The hubby and I have plans."

Aiden knew Marty's answer would be something like that, but he felt like
asking. What he really wanted to do was spend the night with Nolan.

"Okay, kiddo, plans were made during the game," Larry told Aiden as the
pulled out of the parking lot. "Mason's mother has to work tonight, so we
are going to pick him up at his house and then take him to the Burger Barn
with us for dinner."

"Cool," Aiden said, happy that he would be able to sleep with somebody.
That would have happened, anyway, because he would have slept with his
dads. But now, he would sleep with somebody he thought was sexy.

"You and Nolan seemed to really be hitting it off as friends," Phil observed.

"Nolan is really cool. I like him a lot."

"We'll have to see if we can find ways for you two to get to know each other
better."

"Yeah, that would be really fun." The talk then changed to baseball and the
Knights' disappointing loss.

When they picked up Mason he was dressed in street clothes, carrying his
gym bag with his uniform in it. His mother had given Larry money for his
dinner. As little as he was, Mason could really pack away the food. Larry
didn't bother to mention his going over his meal budget.

By the time they got to Aiden's house, it was almost eight. Aiden and
Mason stripped naked and showered together. Mason loved it when Aiden
washed his cocklet and instantly popped a boner that didn't quite stretch to
two inches. Aiden was so worn out, that even Mason washing his privates
couldn't get him fully hard.

They came downstairs clad in only briefs and a t-shirt and sat together on
the love seat watching the Mariners on TV with Larry and Phil. Because of
the rainout, the Knights had played three games that day. The intense day
had Aiden physically and mentally exhausted. Mason didn't expend nearly
the mental energy on playing that Aiden did, but he was tired as well.

Aiden fell asleep on the couch just before nine. Mason pointed to Aiden's
sleeping form and let Larry quietly know that he was zonked out. Larry
smiled and woke his son up.

"Time to wake up and go to sleep," Larry said.

Aiden mumbled and closed his eyes. "Come on, kiddo, let's get your fangs
brushed and get you into bed." Aiden was in bed within fifteen minutes and
Mason climbed in next to him. Mason had hoped he and Aiden could have
slept naked and messed around together, but, like his friend and
teammate, he was tired. He cuddled up to Aiden and joined him in the deep
sleep that can overwhelm tired young boys.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Aiden woke up he couldn't figure out why it was so hard for him to
move. He finally became conscious enough to realize the reason
movement was so difficult was that Mason was draped over him. He
couldn't remember going to bed the night before. He wondered why he was
wearing a t-shirt and briefs instead of sleeping naked.

He noticed Mason wasn't wearing a t-shirt. He moved his hand down his
friend's back until he came to a point just above his buttocks and felt the
waistband of his briefs. It then dawned on him that his dads must have put
them to bed. He knew there was no way that his dads would completely
undress him or Mason, which explained why they were partially dressed.

Aiden moved Mason off of him and managed to work his way out of bed.
He took off his t-shirt and underpants, throwing them into the laundry
hamper even though he'd just put them on fresh the night before. He
glanced at his clock and saw that it was 7:30. Their game started at ten.
Coach Hallion told them to be at the field by 9:15. He needed to hurry to
shower and eat.

"Are you awake?" Mason asked from the bed.

"No, I always sleepwalk naked," Aiden replied.

"You're silly. Why are you naked? We didn't sleep naked."

"I'm naked because I'm going to take a pee and a shower."

Mason pulled off the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. "We just
took a shower last night."

"I know. I just feel better if I shower in the morning."

Mason pulled off his briefs and threw them next to his t-shirt. He'd taken off
his t-shirt sometime during the night, although he didn't remember doing
so. "I'll shower with you."

"Okay." Aiden thought for sure he and Mason were going to mess around a
little before they went to sleep, but they had been too tired to do so. And
even though he liked the idea of showering again with Mason, he didn't
want to mess around because of the game that was only a couple of hours
away.

As he and Mason walked across the hall to the bathroom he heard
someone coming up the stairs. Phil's head showed itself and the rest of him
followed as he reached the landing. His eyes widened a bit as he saw the
two naked little boys standing in the hall.

"Good morning, dad." Aiden was not the least bit self-conscious about
being seen naked with Mason, and Mason certainly didn't care, although he
did blush a little. Aiden knew there would have been a different reaction if
he had been with Gordy or Miles instead of Mason.

"Good morning, Mr. Miller," Mason said politely.

"Good morning, boys," Phil said. "I was just coming to wake you boys up,
but it looks like I'm too late for that."

"We're going to shower," Aiden told him.

"You showered last night. You're just going to get hot and sweaty playing."

"That was to get us clean. This is to wake us up the right way," Aiden told
his dad. Phil shook his head as if that was one of the strangest things ever
said to him. Aiden thought his explanation made perfect sense.

"Your daddy has pancakes ready to grill up for you. Lots of carbs to give
you boys lots of energy." As if two hyper nine-year-olds need extra energy,
he thought to himself. "So, how about eating first and then showering."

"Can we eat naked?" Aiden asked. While he knew what the answer was
going to be, he also felt duty bound to ask. The answer would never end up
being yes if he never asked the question.

"Get something on."

"You mean we gotta get some underwear on so we can go downstairs and
eat and take our underwear off again so we can shower."

"We could shower in our underpants," Mason giggled.

Aiden thought the idea sounded interesting, but not at this time. "We'd still
have to take our wet underpants off," he pointed out. He looked back at
Phil. "Please, dad, just this once. It would be faster."

"It would be even faster if you just quit begging and put something on."

Aiden turned and walked into his bedroom. "Come on Mason, my dad is
being dumb today." Aiden was determined to win the war for total nudity
eventually and understood he would lose some battles until the right
moment came.

"Don't forget that your dad's still smart enough to know when to put you on
restriction for not knowing when to keep your mouth shut." Aiden knew
exactly when to keep his mouth shut, and that time was now. But the time
would come to start a new battle in his nudity war.

Aiden put on the underpants and t-shirt he'd tossed in the hamper a few
minutes ago and Mason put on what he'd thrown on the floor. Aiden also
put on a pair of socks, but Mason stayed barefoot. His feet weren't quite as
sensitive to cool temperatures as Aiden's were.

As boys will do, Aiden and Mason wolfed down their pancakes in what
seemed like one big bite. They still managed to get a few words said in
between chews, however.

"Did you and daddy put us to bed last night?" Aiden asked Phil.

"Yes we did. You were zonked out and Mason was close. I thought you
were awake, though."

"I guess not, since I wasn't naked." Aiden put an added emphasis on the
word "naked."

"Your daddy and I were certainly not going to undress you, and you didn't
have the wherewithal to do it yourself."

"Somebody took my shirt off," Mason said.

"It must have been you."

Mason shrugged and shoved another forkful of pancake into his mouth.

After they finished eating and clearing their plates, Larry told them to hurry
taking the shower they didn't need. The boys hustled upstairs, tossed their
underwear on the floor and jumped into the shower. Aiden wanted to get
naughty on more than one level, but knew time was short.

Lack of time didn't stop Mason from getting on his knees and putting his
friend's flaccid little cock into his mouth. Aiden shivered with pleasure, but
his big brain took control over his little one. It was a situation that would last
only another year or two, if that.

"Stop, Mason. We gotta be ready soon," Aiden said reluctantly as his cock
quickly shot up to its hard two inches of steel.

Mason continued sucking, loving the feel of Aiden's cocklet in his mouth.
He was a born cocksucker and hadn't had the pleasure of tasting one in too
long. But while he was a bit more driven than Aiden, he was also only on
the cusp of puberty and reluctantly removed his mouth from the little boner.

"I wish we had more time," Mason said. "I love sucking."

"Suck on your thumb," Aiden suggested as he quickly soaped himself.
Mason didn't do any washing, figuring he was already clean. He had gone
into the shower so he could be with Aiden.

The boys were dry and in their uniforms a couple of minutes later. They
arrived at the field ten minutes early, which Larry told them was at least five
minutes late.

Coach Hallion and Coach Johnson, his assistant, had worked the previous
evening on how to handle their pitching. The Knights were in a loser out
situation, but they needed to be prepared for a win. The winner of their
game against the Royals would play the Kentburg Wolves.

If the Wolves won that game, they would be the champions since they
would be undefeated and the losing team would have two losses. If the
Wolves lost, both teams would have one loss and would have to play an "if"
game with the winner being the tournament champion.

Coach Hallion had also called Larry for help the night before, wanting to
use his experience and expertise. Larry turned him over to Phil, who had
more experience at coaching in true double tournaments. "In the end, if you
don't have the horses, you can't pull the cart," Larry told the Knights' coach,
meaning that once you run out of pitching you were toast.

"I understand," James Hallion said. "And a lot of pitching is not something
we have."

"Just remember," Phil laughed, "that the chances are they don't either."

During warmups, Aiden hoped to catch a glance of Nolan. He managed to
get a couple of glances, but not much more.

Collin and Trent accompanied Coach Hallion to the home plate conference.
The home and visiting team for each tournament game was determined by
a coin flip. The team that traveled the farthest to the game got the honor of
calling the flip. That team was the Royals and Dylan Carp, a fifth grader,
called heads. The home plate umpire flipped the coin and it landed tails.
Trent picked home team. The umpires went over the ground rules and the
game was ready to begin.

Collin was the starting pitcher for the Knights and Nolan started for the
Royals. Aiden was surprised to see Nolan starting. Nolan had never
mentioned that he was a pitcher, but he and Nolan hadn't really said much
to each other in the brief times they'd talked.

Nolan hadn't pitched very much, and it showed. He was inconsistent and
didn't throw very hard. Collin, on the other hand, was a big fifth grader who
was one of the Knights' top three pitchers. Nolan failed to make it through
the third inning. The game was 6-1 with the Knights ahead when he left the
game.

Collin had to come out at the end of the fourth inning with a 7-3 lead after
reaching his pitch limit. Coach Hallion had Aiden warm up between the
third and fourth innings and he was ready to pitch. The coach wanted to
save Aiden so he could start him in the next game, but he knew that if the
Knights didn't win this game, there would be no next game.

However, the pitcher who followed Nolan had only pitched in one game and
the Knights treated him rudely. They had built up a 12-3 lead at the end of
the fourth, so Coach Hallion pitched Vance in order to save Aiden. While
Vance was better than usual, the Knights got sloppy as they usually did
when Vance was pitching. They held on for a 14-7 win in a game that was
called after five innings due to the time limit.

The game between the Knights and the Wolves was slated to start thirty
minutes after the end of the first game. That gave the Knights just enough
time to use the restroom, get something to drink, and scarf down a
sandwich provided by the game parents. Phil had fixed up some of the
sandwiches, which everyone agreed were the best of the lot.

Nolan came up to Aiden, Muddy, and Miles, wishing them good luck. "I hate
the Wolves," Nolan said, echoing the feelings of the players on the Knights.
"They think they're so much better than everybody else."

"We beat them once," Miles said, "so we can beat them again."

"And you should have beat them twice," Nolan said, referring to the
Knights' one-run loss to the Wolves the day before. "You guys got a good
team. You should go kick ass."

"Thanks for coming over," Aiden said. Aiden liked how Nolan's lilting boy
soprano sounded out the naughty "kick ass" phrase. He liked even more
that Nolan wasn't afraid to say it.

Nolan flashed a smile that almost melted Aiden's heart. "I like you guys," he
said.

Once again the Knights won the coin flip and were the home team. Aiden
got his warmups in and was ready to go when the home plate umpire said,
"Play ball!" Aiden was happy that Muddy was his catcher. He liked pitching
to Muddy better than any of their other catchers. Muddy not only could
catch the ball better, he was getting good at blocking pitches. Plus, Muddy
was one of his best friends and understood him.

The Wolves were a little bit deeper in pitchers than the Knights were. Aiden
held his own against a big fifth grader who threw hard. More importantly, he
threw a curve ball that tied the Knights hitters up in knots. But sloppy
fielding and too many walks allowed the Knights to score two runs in the
second and fourth innings. They were ahead 4-1 when Aiden left the
mound at the end of the fourth inning after reaching his pitch limit.

Russell, who couldn't hold the lead the day before, relieved Aiden. He gave
up two runs in the top of the fifth, but the Knights helped him out by scoring
two in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-3 lead into the sixth and last
inning.

Once again Russell was a little shaky. He wasn't helped when Aiden
booted a grounder at third, and the Wolves ended up tying the score before
the Knights could get out of the inning.

"Your turn for a walk-off," Aiden heard Marty yell.

"He's right," Miles said. "Let's do to them what they did to us."

The walk-off didn't take long to happen. Mason drew a walk from the
number twelve spot in the order, earning him a lot of praise from his
teammates and from the bleachers. Vance, who was a much better hitter
than he was a pitcher, singled to center.

Mason, who wasn't used to being on base much, put his head down and
ran past second and headed to third base. The boys had been taught to
pick up the third base coach, who was Coach Hallion, in that situation, but
Mason's excitement overwhelmed his good sense and he never looked for
him. But, as Larry was fond of saying, sometimes it's better to be lucky than
good.

The center fielder threw a rainbow over the head of the cutoff man. The ball
was way off target and the third baseman let it go past him. Mason didn't
even hesitate at third, he ran right through Coach Hallion's stop sign. The
pitcher was backing up the play like he was supposed to. He got to the ball
and threw it to the catcher at home. His throw was hurried and off line as
well, although not by much. The catcher reached for it and tagged Mason
sliding into home. But, his tag was too late—Mason's left foot had already
touched the plate. Mason had chugged all the way home from first base on
a single to score the winning run in the 7-6 game. For the first time in his
young life, he was a hero in an athletic event. It was a moment that would
have a huge influence on the young boy's outlook. But right then it was
simply a moment when he had to hope he wasn't squashed to death by his
celebrating teammates.

Coach Hallion was ecstatic with the win. He had no plans to chastise
Mason for running like a wild boy—nobody could argue with the final result.
Mason was the hero, and he would leave it at that. His problem was that he
was now out of pitchers. He had a couple of boys who'd pitched a couple of
innings and a couple of boys who'd only pitched in practice. All he could do
was hope that the Wolves were as badly off as his team.

That turned out not to be the case. He juggled his pitchers the best he
could and the Kentburg coach juggled his. But Kentburg's pitchers were
more athletic and more experienced. While the Knights didn't embarrass
themselves, they were never really in the game, losing by a final score of
12-5.

The Kentburg Wolves were the tournament champions, but the Knights had
finished a good second. Coach Hallion was proud of his team, as were the
parents and fans. The Knights had played six games, more than any team
in the tournament. They were 4-2 in the tournament and 12-6 for the
season. Coach Hallion praised his team. He told them they were great kids,
great ballplayers, and he was proud to have been their coach.

Nolan stopped Aiden as he walked to the parking lot. "I gotta go with my
dad. You guys played really good. It was fun when you guys had a walk-off
win."

"Thanks for staying to watch," Aiden said.

"I had to. My dad wasn't going anywhere," Nolan laughed.

"We're all going to The Bear for pizza. You should come, too."

"I'll ask, but dad will probably say mom is home getting dinner ready.
Maybe I'll see you during the summer."

"Maybe," Aiden said, wishing that would come true. "It would be really
cool." They exchanged their secret handshake and headed to their
respective dads.

Marty and Rich joined the end of season celebration at the Bear, as did
Jeffrey and Sammy. Even though they didn't win, the Knights finished the
season feeling good about how they played.

Gary Miller, the owner of The Bear, provided six large pizzas for the group.
The parents paid for everything else, including more pizza. The group filled
the party room and overflowed into the main restaurant.

"You pitched really well," Marty told Aiden as they sat next to each other
eating pizza. "You threw strikes, and looked really confident out there."

"I made an error at third," Aiden said. "We would have won easier if I didn't
make that error."

"Quit beating yourself up. Every fielder alive makes errors. You either let
them eat you up, or you play harder. You played harder."

"I know, but I wanted to play third base perfect with you watching me."

"Bro, you know all I want is for you to play hard, play smart, and..."

"...and play to win," Aiden finished.

"And besides, you set up the situation for Mason to be the hero of the
game. I think your little friend will be walking on air for at least the next
month, if not longer."

Aiden leaned against Marty's strong shoulder. "Thanks for being my big bro
and my friend. I can't wait to watch you play for the Mariners."

"And I will work hard to make that day happen." Marty ruffled Aiden's hair,
as once again he realized how much he loved the young boy. He saw his
husband smiling at him and there was no question in his mind that he and
Rich would need to work to have a child of their own.

That night, Aiden looked at the framed pictures of Marty on his wall. He felt
so good and so lucky to have his two dads and to have a big brother like
Marty Carlson. He wanted to grow up to be like all of them.

Next: Mayfield Summer