"This is the last tee-off time, right?"
"That's right, Mr. Astin. You've got about two hours before it's too dark to see the ball. D'you want
it?" The pro-shop clerk poised his pen over the ledger expectantly.
"We'll take it. He's a beginner and we don't want to hold anyone up." He signed the chit and
smiled. "We'll play only nine holes - don't want to put him off the game, eh?"
"Mr. Astin, if you're teaching him, he's in good hands. Have fun, okay?"
"We will. Thanks."
~~~~~
"Remind me again why I'm doing this, Sean."
Elijah eyed the undulating fairway with trepidation. The flag seemed impossibly far away. The
old-growth trees lining the course seemed to wait mockingly for the chance to swallow
his ball into their dark green maws.
"We want to play together when we go on holiday, don't we? You said you didn't want to be a 'golf
widow-er', remember?" Sean lifted his club above his head and stretched, limbering up and
breathing deeply. "Can you think of a better way to spend an afternoon?"
Elijah ran his eyes down Sean's clean length, paying special attention to the ripple of muscle
under the smooth golden skin. His cock stirred fitfully. "You bet I can," he muttered under his
breath.
"Come on, you. Start warming up." Sean's eyes glowed amber in the sun. "It's good for you.
Exercise - getting close to nature - you don't spend enough time in the fresh air."
"Had enough nature in New Zealand to last me a lifetime." Elijah pouted. He clapped his hand to
his mouth, eyes wide in mock contrition. "I'm whining, aren't I. Sorry, Sean. I'll behave."
"You'd better - or I'll turn you over my knee and spank you." Sean laughed. "And don't look at me
like that - you imp! We've got to concentrate, Lijah. Remember your lessons, okay? Let's play
ball."
~~~~~
Walk, walk and then walk some more. Swipe at the ball, curse and walk again.
"Take a mulligan, Lij."
"A what?"
"Just tee up another ball and hit again. We've got lots of time."
Thwack
"This isn't fucking golf - this is fucking croquet!"
"Keep your eyes on the ball until after you hit it." Sean walked over to stand in front of him.
"Here - try again." He lifted his club by the blade and laid the grip against Elijah"s left temple.
"Now hit. Mind you don't move your head."
"Fuck."
"No, no - that was good. You kept your eyes on the ball - see - it went straight this time."
"That's it? Didn't go far, did it." Elijah's face darkened with disappointment. "Thought I was
stronger than that!"
"You didn't use your body, love. You've got to shift your weight from your right foot to your left.
That's how you get distance. Here, let me show you."
Sean moved to stand behind him, his hands on Elijah's arms,their bodies moulded together from
shoulders to knees. "Okay - bend from the hips, push your ass out." Sean's breath warmed
Elijah's neck, and he felt tendrils of heat radiate from the spot. "Now swing - turn your shoulders,
yes - now back - slowly - follow my weight-shift - yes! Got it?"
"Mmmm---" Elijah tilted his head back and turned, capturing Sean's mouth in a greedy kiss,
wriggling his hips provocatively.
"No, Sean. I didn't. Can we do it again?"
Sean's hands clamped down on Elijah's hips, stilling him, then pushed him away gently. "You're a
terrible tease, Mr. Wood. Now come on - light's going soon. Don't forget the weight shift, okay?
Practice - and your body will remember."
Elijah watched as Sean took a preliminary swing. He loved the fluid grace of him - loved the
mastery he had over his body. He moved all of a piece, music in motion - and Elijah ached to play
him.
Your body will remember...
His skin remembered - the tingling warmth of Sean's hand splayed across his belly; anchoring
him, claiming him. When Sean was gone, filming in Vancouver - oh god, how his skin missed him.
Grabbing a pen in the dark, tracing the warmth, imprisoning it. Looking into the mirror in the
morning, seeing the perfect imprint of Sean on his skin.
His lips remembered - the slight overbite that Sean was so self-conscious about - the way their
lips fit just so. His tongue remembered the taste of Sean's mouth. The wet heat and the melting
sweetness of him.
His nose remembered - sweat and sun overlaying clean masculine smell. He always slept on
Sean's side of the bed when Sean was gone. Didn't change the sheets. Sean's scent wrapped
him in love, in security. It kept the nightmares at bay.
His hands remembered - luxurious flesh, warm and alive. All the different textures of Sean's
body. The thick soft hair, the stubbly scratchiness, the jut of bone, the firmness of muscle - and
the silken slide of skin.
His - fuck. Where'd the ball go?
"You sliced it into the trees, Lij. We'll find it - it didn't go far." Sean turned to him, eyebrows
raised. "Relax, will you? You're too tense - it's just a game, okay?"
Elijah trudged after him, discouraged. He had so wanted to share Sean's enthusiasm for golf,
longed to discover why Sean loved it so much. He had wanted to be able to listen intelligently
when his lover got home after a good round, afire with pride and success. He still cringed when
he remembered that time...
"Lijah! I did it! An eagle on a par 5!" Sean burst through the door, eyes shining, fists raised in
self-congratulation. "I was paired with a pro - and I beat his score!"
"Uh - great, Seanie! Um - is that better than a - um - hole in one? " Sean had laughed at him, but
Elijah had seen the flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
Golf was the only part of Sean's life he couldn't share. When Sean went there, he couldn't follow.
And he wanted to - so bad he could taste the acrid tang of wanting it.
~~~~~
He found his ball in a tiny clearing ringed about by pines, not far from the fairway. The air was
still in here, cool and moist with the scent of evergreen sap, and sounds seemed muffled and far
away. It cowered under a tangle of brush and he reached in with his club to knock it out.
"Rule number one, Elijah. Play the ball where it lies." Sean was right behind him, back in
lecturing mode. Elijah spun around in disbelief - and Sean laughed at the expression on his face.
"You ----"
The club slammed into the ground and Sean found himself shoved hard against a tree by a
furious man. Eyes of incandescent blue bored into him, swimming with tears of pent-up
frustration.
"Don't." Elijah panted. "Fucking. Do. That."
Sean stared at his lover with fascination. Now this was something he didn't often see. Elijah
angry was magnificent. Energy crackled about him - sparks flared in his eyes, spots of hectic
color rode his cheeks. Sean felt his cock swell, felt totally, incredibly aroused. He took a step
forward and wrapped his arms around Elijah, pinioning him, crushing his mouth against the taut
lips. He twisted deftly and pinned the struggling young man to the tree, his mouth moving,
sucking, his tongue sweeping across the clenched teeth. Slowly the lips began to soften, to
respond.
Elijah felt rough bark against his back and wondered dazedly how he'd gotten there. The anger
and tension drained out of him at the feel of Sean's hardness against his thigh and his mouth
opened to Sean's insistent tongue. A warm hand cupped his throbbing crotch and he tore his
mouth away with a whimper.
"Sean, please - uhhhfuck - I need -" he pushed down on Sean's shoulders insistently and Sean
sank to his knees on the mat of fallen needles. Elijah's cock remembered Sean's soft lips and it
lifted into the cool air eagerly. His lover kissed the rosy head and took it in, suckling gently,
tongue flickering. Elijah moaned as Sean took him deeper, into hot, wet silk, his restless tongue
in perpetual motion. His fingers spasmed in Sean's hair as calloused hands cupped his aching
balls and he screamed into the still green air, arched against unyielding wood, and pumped his
whole being into Sean's pulsing throat.
Elijah felt his knees give and slid down the trunk into Sean's arms, gasping for breath. He
shuddered against Sean's chest and felt loving hands stroke his sore back, and gentle fingers
comb though his hair.
"Jesus, Elijah. You should let go more often - d'you know how fantastic you look when you're
mad?" Sean nuzzled the soft hair against his cheek.
Elijah shook his head in quick protest. "No - Sean. Not at you - I couldn't. I was just so frustrated,
you know? I've never had any trouble learning anything - until now. Why? Why is golf so hard for
me to learn?"
"You just started, Elijah. Give yourself time. Just don't give up, okay? You'll learn to love it - you
will!" at his lover's skeptical look. "And I really enjoyed this afternoon - playing with you makes it
even better, somehow." He gave Elijah an apologetic kiss. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't know you were
taking this so seriously. I shouldn't have teased you."
"'s okay, Sean. I shouldn't have lost my temper either. Like you said, it's just a game."
"A game you're trying just for me," Sean said tenderly. "God - I love you, Elwood."
They raised their heads at the electric whine of an approaching cart. "Shit - it's the course
marshal." Sean gathered up the discarded clubs quickly. The sky had turned a soft violet and a
froggy chorus filled the air. "Let's get this over with - only one more hole to go."
Elijah stood over the ball, hefting his driver. He felt relaxed, almost boneless. Stupid game, he
thought, almost fondly, and swung. He didn't even try to follow the ball; just expected more of
the same incompetence. Sean's delighted shout brought his head up with a jerk and his jaw
dropped in surprise. The tiny white sphere described a perfect arc against the rosy sky, flying
straight for the distant flag. It hit the green, bounced twice, and stopped - a foot from the cup.
"Perfect! Ohmigod - 200 fucking yards! You did it Lijah - you did it!" Sean grabbed him and
whirled him around, chortling madly.
Elijah shook his head, dazed. "If that's what it takes--" he grinned suddenly. "Astin - you do
realize, don't you? You'll have to blow me before every hole!"
Instead of replying, Sean dug into his pocket and came up with the rulebook he was never
without. He ran a finger down the page and looked up. "Don't see any rule against it," he said
with a teasing grin. "I warn you, though. Turn and turn about is fair play, yes? And I'm not carrying
you the last nine holes, mind."
Elijah's shout of laughter startled the ducks in a nearby pond, and the whirring of wings filled the
air as their lips and bodies met. He sighed contentedly against Sean's mouth and thought that
perhaps you needed to let go of ambition, needed to stop trying so hard - 'cause if you did, why
then - you'd enjoy the learning more.
~~~~~
"Well, Lij? Where to? D'you fancy some dinner?"
"Let's go home, Sean, and order out." Elijah placed his hand over Sean's on the gearshift and
laced their fingers together.
"Tired?" Sean turned his head to look at him, concerned.
"Not a bit." Elijah replied, a wicked glint in his eyes. "I seem to remember that we only played
nine holes. I wanna play some more - and I think someone will be lucky enough to make a
hole-in-one tonight, hmmm?"
Sean flushed, and his eyes went hot and emerald. He licked his lips and whispered.
"Home it is."
END
"That's right, Mr. Astin. You've got about two hours before it's too dark to see the ball. D'you want
it?" The pro-shop clerk poised his pen over the ledger expectantly.
"We'll take it. He's a beginner and we don't want to hold anyone up." He signed the chit and
smiled. "We'll play only nine holes - don't want to put him off the game, eh?"
"Mr. Astin, if you're teaching him, he's in good hands. Have fun, okay?"
"We will. Thanks."
~~~~~
"Remind me again why I'm doing this, Sean."
Elijah eyed the undulating fairway with trepidation. The flag seemed impossibly far away. The
old-growth trees lining the course seemed to wait mockingly for the chance to swallow
his ball into their dark green maws.
"We want to play together when we go on holiday, don't we? You said you didn't want to be a 'golf
widow-er', remember?" Sean lifted his club above his head and stretched, limbering up and
breathing deeply. "Can you think of a better way to spend an afternoon?"
Elijah ran his eyes down Sean's clean length, paying special attention to the ripple of muscle
under the smooth golden skin. His cock stirred fitfully. "You bet I can," he muttered under his
breath.
"Come on, you. Start warming up." Sean's eyes glowed amber in the sun. "It's good for you.
Exercise - getting close to nature - you don't spend enough time in the fresh air."
"Had enough nature in New Zealand to last me a lifetime." Elijah pouted. He clapped his hand to
his mouth, eyes wide in mock contrition. "I'm whining, aren't I. Sorry, Sean. I'll behave."
"You'd better - or I'll turn you over my knee and spank you." Sean laughed. "And don't look at me
like that - you imp! We've got to concentrate, Lijah. Remember your lessons, okay? Let's play
ball."
~~~~~
Walk, walk and then walk some more. Swipe at the ball, curse and walk again.
"Take a mulligan, Lij."
"A what?"
"Just tee up another ball and hit again. We've got lots of time."
Thwack
"This isn't fucking golf - this is fucking croquet!"
"Keep your eyes on the ball until after you hit it." Sean walked over to stand in front of him.
"Here - try again." He lifted his club by the blade and laid the grip against Elijah"s left temple.
"Now hit. Mind you don't move your head."
"Fuck."
"No, no - that was good. You kept your eyes on the ball - see - it went straight this time."
"That's it? Didn't go far, did it." Elijah's face darkened with disappointment. "Thought I was
stronger than that!"
"You didn't use your body, love. You've got to shift your weight from your right foot to your left.
That's how you get distance. Here, let me show you."
Sean moved to stand behind him, his hands on Elijah's arms,their bodies moulded together from
shoulders to knees. "Okay - bend from the hips, push your ass out." Sean's breath warmed
Elijah's neck, and he felt tendrils of heat radiate from the spot. "Now swing - turn your shoulders,
yes - now back - slowly - follow my weight-shift - yes! Got it?"
"Mmmm---" Elijah tilted his head back and turned, capturing Sean's mouth in a greedy kiss,
wriggling his hips provocatively.
"No, Sean. I didn't. Can we do it again?"
Sean's hands clamped down on Elijah's hips, stilling him, then pushed him away gently. "You're a
terrible tease, Mr. Wood. Now come on - light's going soon. Don't forget the weight shift, okay?
Practice - and your body will remember."
Elijah watched as Sean took a preliminary swing. He loved the fluid grace of him - loved the
mastery he had over his body. He moved all of a piece, music in motion - and Elijah ached to play
him.
Your body will remember...
His skin remembered - the tingling warmth of Sean's hand splayed across his belly; anchoring
him, claiming him. When Sean was gone, filming in Vancouver - oh god, how his skin missed him.
Grabbing a pen in the dark, tracing the warmth, imprisoning it. Looking into the mirror in the
morning, seeing the perfect imprint of Sean on his skin.
His lips remembered - the slight overbite that Sean was so self-conscious about - the way their
lips fit just so. His tongue remembered the taste of Sean's mouth. The wet heat and the melting
sweetness of him.
His nose remembered - sweat and sun overlaying clean masculine smell. He always slept on
Sean's side of the bed when Sean was gone. Didn't change the sheets. Sean's scent wrapped
him in love, in security. It kept the nightmares at bay.
His hands remembered - luxurious flesh, warm and alive. All the different textures of Sean's
body. The thick soft hair, the stubbly scratchiness, the jut of bone, the firmness of muscle - and
the silken slide of skin.
His - fuck. Where'd the ball go?
"You sliced it into the trees, Lij. We'll find it - it didn't go far." Sean turned to him, eyebrows
raised. "Relax, will you? You're too tense - it's just a game, okay?"
Elijah trudged after him, discouraged. He had so wanted to share Sean's enthusiasm for golf,
longed to discover why Sean loved it so much. He had wanted to be able to listen intelligently
when his lover got home after a good round, afire with pride and success. He still cringed when
he remembered that time...
"Lijah! I did it! An eagle on a par 5!" Sean burst through the door, eyes shining, fists raised in
self-congratulation. "I was paired with a pro - and I beat his score!"
"Uh - great, Seanie! Um - is that better than a - um - hole in one? " Sean had laughed at him, but
Elijah had seen the flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
Golf was the only part of Sean's life he couldn't share. When Sean went there, he couldn't follow.
And he wanted to - so bad he could taste the acrid tang of wanting it.
~~~~~
He found his ball in a tiny clearing ringed about by pines, not far from the fairway. The air was
still in here, cool and moist with the scent of evergreen sap, and sounds seemed muffled and far
away. It cowered under a tangle of brush and he reached in with his club to knock it out.
"Rule number one, Elijah. Play the ball where it lies." Sean was right behind him, back in
lecturing mode. Elijah spun around in disbelief - and Sean laughed at the expression on his face.
"You ----"
The club slammed into the ground and Sean found himself shoved hard against a tree by a
furious man. Eyes of incandescent blue bored into him, swimming with tears of pent-up
frustration.
"Don't." Elijah panted. "Fucking. Do. That."
Sean stared at his lover with fascination. Now this was something he didn't often see. Elijah
angry was magnificent. Energy crackled about him - sparks flared in his eyes, spots of hectic
color rode his cheeks. Sean felt his cock swell, felt totally, incredibly aroused. He took a step
forward and wrapped his arms around Elijah, pinioning him, crushing his mouth against the taut
lips. He twisted deftly and pinned the struggling young man to the tree, his mouth moving,
sucking, his tongue sweeping across the clenched teeth. Slowly the lips began to soften, to
respond.
Elijah felt rough bark against his back and wondered dazedly how he'd gotten there. The anger
and tension drained out of him at the feel of Sean's hardness against his thigh and his mouth
opened to Sean's insistent tongue. A warm hand cupped his throbbing crotch and he tore his
mouth away with a whimper.
"Sean, please - uhhhfuck - I need -" he pushed down on Sean's shoulders insistently and Sean
sank to his knees on the mat of fallen needles. Elijah's cock remembered Sean's soft lips and it
lifted into the cool air eagerly. His lover kissed the rosy head and took it in, suckling gently,
tongue flickering. Elijah moaned as Sean took him deeper, into hot, wet silk, his restless tongue
in perpetual motion. His fingers spasmed in Sean's hair as calloused hands cupped his aching
balls and he screamed into the still green air, arched against unyielding wood, and pumped his
whole being into Sean's pulsing throat.
Elijah felt his knees give and slid down the trunk into Sean's arms, gasping for breath. He
shuddered against Sean's chest and felt loving hands stroke his sore back, and gentle fingers
comb though his hair.
"Jesus, Elijah. You should let go more often - d'you know how fantastic you look when you're
mad?" Sean nuzzled the soft hair against his cheek.
Elijah shook his head in quick protest. "No - Sean. Not at you - I couldn't. I was just so frustrated,
you know? I've never had any trouble learning anything - until now. Why? Why is golf so hard for
me to learn?"
"You just started, Elijah. Give yourself time. Just don't give up, okay? You'll learn to love it - you
will!" at his lover's skeptical look. "And I really enjoyed this afternoon - playing with you makes it
even better, somehow." He gave Elijah an apologetic kiss. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't know you were
taking this so seriously. I shouldn't have teased you."
"'s okay, Sean. I shouldn't have lost my temper either. Like you said, it's just a game."
"A game you're trying just for me," Sean said tenderly. "God - I love you, Elwood."
They raised their heads at the electric whine of an approaching cart. "Shit - it's the course
marshal." Sean gathered up the discarded clubs quickly. The sky had turned a soft violet and a
froggy chorus filled the air. "Let's get this over with - only one more hole to go."
Elijah stood over the ball, hefting his driver. He felt relaxed, almost boneless. Stupid game, he
thought, almost fondly, and swung. He didn't even try to follow the ball; just expected more of
the same incompetence. Sean's delighted shout brought his head up with a jerk and his jaw
dropped in surprise. The tiny white sphere described a perfect arc against the rosy sky, flying
straight for the distant flag. It hit the green, bounced twice, and stopped - a foot from the cup.
"Perfect! Ohmigod - 200 fucking yards! You did it Lijah - you did it!" Sean grabbed him and
whirled him around, chortling madly.
Elijah shook his head, dazed. "If that's what it takes--" he grinned suddenly. "Astin - you do
realize, don't you? You'll have to blow me before every hole!"
Instead of replying, Sean dug into his pocket and came up with the rulebook he was never
without. He ran a finger down the page and looked up. "Don't see any rule against it," he said
with a teasing grin. "I warn you, though. Turn and turn about is fair play, yes? And I'm not carrying
you the last nine holes, mind."
Elijah's shout of laughter startled the ducks in a nearby pond, and the whirring of wings filled the
air as their lips and bodies met. He sighed contentedly against Sean's mouth and thought that
perhaps you needed to let go of ambition, needed to stop trying so hard - 'cause if you did, why
then - you'd enjoy the learning more.
~~~~~
"Well, Lij? Where to? D'you fancy some dinner?"
"Let's go home, Sean, and order out." Elijah placed his hand over Sean's on the gearshift and
laced their fingers together.
"Tired?" Sean turned his head to look at him, concerned.
"Not a bit." Elijah replied, a wicked glint in his eyes. "I seem to remember that we only played
nine holes. I wanna play some more - and I think someone will be lucky enough to make a
hole-in-one tonight, hmmm?"
Sean flushed, and his eyes went hot and emerald. He licked his lips and whispered.
"Home it is."
END
| Staying the Course |