Wild Card Ch. 01

Hokies Draw the Wild Card

So, can we please stop talking about Cory already?

~J. Strap, FuckYeahAggies

Virginia Tech, in what has been described in some circles around Austin and College Station as a "major upset", seduced graduating senior Cory Card away from the Great State of Texas. Yes, the baby brother of Connor, Caiden, and Cameron will not be playing for UT or TAMU.

Thank. Fucking. God.

Don't get me wrong. The kid has talent, and would have kicked some serious ass on the Aggie roster (and been a viable threat on the Longhorn side). And while it makes me vomit in my mouth to say it, if he keeps progressing like his brothers, he could go pro. There's even been wistful talk (mine mostly) of holding one or two brothers back so we could field them for or against each other. I, for one, could do with more moments like the time Connor sacked Caiden during a last ditch effort, or, well, anytime Connor has sacked Caiden in the last couple years.

For the record, I worked with Caiden during an internship, and he's a pretty awesome guy. Yet, there's nothing like watching your bud getting laid out by his big brother. I just wish they wouldn't ruin the moment with their "I still love you, bro" shtick.

But, I digress.

Nearly ten years ago, recruiters started salivating over this brick shithouse of a high school junior, Connor Card, and then started drooling over freshmen Caiden and Cameron Card (Caiden has refused to comment on his father's super-sperm). And, as if they weren't doing enough to quench the Texas drought, recruiters began losing their collective shit over some little nine-year-old playing tackle football for the first time because he was too big to play flag.

Thus began a goddamn decade of bad poker puns—stacking the deck, drawing a Card, shuffling Cards, trading Cards, playing Cards. Don't get me started about the time Caiden won Homecoming King. Or the Pokémon inspired "a Wild Card appears" headline, back when Cory finally settled in his role as linebacker.

The "Wild Card" bullshit was just the whipped cream on a shit sundae—the scummy algae bloom on the surface of the scummy waters that spanned the years leading up to Connor's time at UT to Caiden and Cameron's years with TAMU and UT respectively. That was all two years ago. But, did it stop the Card nonsense?

Fuck no.

Y'all had to swarm Cibilo, TX to watch high school football games because some junior's big brothers played for Texas' biggest college football rivals.

I mean, I get it. The older brothers are attractive guys (no homo), and the kid was so cute in his little youth league uniform that you just wanted to pinch his cute little goddamn cheeks (um, no pedo?).

He has dimples for fuck's sake!

Of course we talked about Cory Card.

Ad. Fucking. Nauseam.

God, why couldn't the guy just suck at football?!

For the record, I met the kid when he visited Caiden for a TAMU tour, and he's every bit as likeable as his brother. Fun fact: they used the poor boy as chick bait until he hit puberty. Some shit about PetPlanet and cat rescues. It works, though. Cory got more play from chicks (the dimples!) than I'd managed in all four years of college.

I got fucking out-gamed by a baby-faced seventeen-year-old and his goddamn dimples.

But, I digress.

Cory Card went to Virginia. Hear that? The Wild Card has fled the Lonestar State! To a team we've only played the odd bowl game against! He has completely and totally removed himself from the age-old Aggies vs. Longhorns rivalry. Barring some last minute college transfer, Cory does not pose a threat to either football franchise. The "dynasty" is over! I repeat—the Card College Football Dynasty is dead!

So, please, just this once, stop fucking talking about him. Let "Wild Card" die. Cease making a mockery of poker with lame turns of phrase. Quit harassing the poor guy.

And, for fuck's sake, stop trying to make fetch happen.

Chapter One—String from Your Tether Unwinds

There was a time when I thought Texas in winter was cold. Cold enough to wish for those triple-digit summers. Hell, there was that one snowstorm a few years back when we got like a whole inch of snow overnight, and they had to close down all the schools. And, then there was the "graupel" thing more recently that looked like someone had thrown bean bag stuffing all over the place.

I remember layering hoodies under my warmest jacket and wearing my compression pants under my jeans (and then contemplating wearing my sweatpants over that) just to make it through the day. Before they left for college, my brothers and I would fight over the extra blankets to put over our beds at night.

Well, they fought, and I just crawled in bed with whoever won.

Usually Connor.

Strange how things change.

I'd grown accustomed to the colder Virginia winter, and the thick comforter Mom had on my bed had been too much. I thought I would need it since I was used to having an extra blanket over me, as well as a very hot wide receiver-shaped bed warmer, to keep me nice and toasty, but I ended up shoving the heavy comforter off the bed in the middle of the night. I switched to the lighter comforter I used during the summer, but even that didn't last long. I'd been sleeping with just the top sheet for most of my stay back home.

But, even that was getting too hot. I had just rolled over, waking up, yet again, sweating my ass off. I kicked the top sheet off my legs and flipped the pillow to the cool side. Although, if I'm honest, I think it was more my excitement than the relative warmth in my old bedroom that was keeping me up tonight.

I was finally going to do it. After years of tossing the idea around in my head, of going back and forth with Keenan about it, I was finally going to come out. I was still worried about how my family would handle the news. Cameron had already found out about me, and he seemed cool with my secret enough to keep it under wraps until I was ready, but we hadn't really talked about what I was doing. However, if his reaction was any indication, this would work out pretty well.

I kept running that through my head as I lay awake, but the doubts kept circling. I was fairly sure my parents would be okay with it—your mom and dad will always be your mom and dad; they're the ones that love you no matter what. Sure, Dad can be harsh, but I'd never heard him say anything really racist or homophobic. I'd even heard him correct a friend who'd said some racist shit. Dad had told him that all the guys at the plant worked hard, no matter what race they were, and he respected that. And, I've always been Mom's baby. We grew close when I was little, because it was just me and her at home when Dad was at work and my brothers were at school, and we grew even closer when my brothers had all gone off to college and started living their own lives. I didn't really doubt my parents' love. But, I didn't know how certain I could be about Connor and Caiden.

I love my brothers a lot. I mean, I feel closer to them than my friends feel to their own siblings. I've idolized them for as long as I could remember. I don't know if I could live without that bond, especially with Connor. God, the thought of him hating me, of never wanting to see me again, made my stomach twist into agonizing knots.

I had a lot to lose if this went wrong.

But, I had a plan.

My brothers weren't coming home until Christmas Eve. That gave me today to tell Mom and Dad. I'd take that leap, then enlist their help over the last hurdle. I didn't know if we'd tell my brothers before the holiday, and get it out of the way, or after, when we weren't so riled up by the holiday. However, I was pretty certain Mom and Dad would have an answer.

I sat up in bed, having given up on sleeping, and got a good start on the day with a nice shower and a cup of coffee. I shot out a text to Keenan, since we were meeting up later. Maybe he'd help me celebrate. That reminded me to text Preston, as well. And, I know it had been all of seven hours since I'd last spoken to Efrain, but I texted anyway. I thought back to last night when I had told my boyfriend all about my plan for today.

I thought I had kept the explanation short and to-the-point, but my "So, what do you think?" had been met with a decidedly groggy "Huh? Tell what?" Which wasn't surprising. Efrain had been sending me Snapchats all day as his family dragged him all over hell and creation while getting ready for Christmas. His reaction made me chuckle, and feel slightly guilty. He and I had stayed up pretty damn late the previous night talking on the phone, and over Skype. It had started out innocently enough, but then our families were definitely asleep for the night and our inhibitions dropped faster than we could drop our pants. I had bought a couple toys yesterday afternoon; had to sneak over to San Antonio so no one I knew would see me walking in or out of the store, let alone what I had picked up, and I had been pretty turned on by my own daring. I couldn't wait to watch him lose it while watching me play with myself, but I realized that he was too tired to even carry on a phone conversation.

I didn't want to let him go last night, but I felt bad making him stay up when he needed to sleep. I wouldn't really have another chance to play with him over Skype (sharing a room with your older brother wasn't conducive to late night video cam sex), but I'd be seeing him after the holiday anyway. I could live with a quick text while he slept.

As I set down my phone, I reminded myself to hide my recent purchases before my brothers got home. Or, better yet, before my parents woke up. I pulled on some lounge pants and a t-shirt, then grabbed the black plastic bag that screamed "I bought naughty stuff at a sex shop". I threw on a hoodie and shoved the bag underneath before I even stepped outside my bedroom. My shirt somehow magnified the sound of plastic crinkling, rather than muting it, and I swear to God it got worse when I walked across the front porch. That, along with the sound of my bare feet crunching through the gravel in the driveway, echoed from one end of the neighborhood to the other, announcing for everyone within a three-mile radius that Connor and Elaine's youngest son now owned a buttplug.

I juggled the bag under my sweatshirt while I looked for a likely place to hide everything. I couldn't risk it under the front seats, where anyone could just look under and find them. If I separated them, I could put one box in the center console, and another in the glove box, and the last one in my toolbox. Of course, that would be inviting disaster. Could see Dad going for something in my truck and coming across a random cockring or whatever. Plus, that plan would require removing things from the bag, which I was not about to do. The moment I pulled out the lube would be the moment that nosy old biddy across the street looked out her front window. That woman loved to rat me out. Why did my parents have to settle down right in front of the only old lady in the whole world who didn't immediately love me? However, that whole line of thinking became a moot point when the ball gag box tumbled out.

"Shit!" That curse was soon followed by another when the whole bag dropped as I scrambled after the box. I prayed the swishing curtain was just in my head.

It took me longer than I thought it would to find just the right spot, but I eventually settled on folding the bag up in an old hoodie and shoving it one of the little cubbies behind the back seats. Maybe I was being paranoid. There could be any number of reasons a guy would have anal and kink play things, but I didn't want their discovery to come on the heels of my family learning that I had a boyfriend who'd be using them on me.

I noticed the tree as I came back inside. This had been the first year that I didn't get to help put it up, but Mom saved special ornaments that we'd get to put on later tonight. Since she and Dad were still in bed, I decided to put out the Virginia Tech charm I got for her James Avery bracelet and the socket set I got Dad. I even secreted a few things in their stockings—a car decal, this cute little stick figure in a football helmet and a VT jersey, to go with the stick figure family Mom had on the back of her SUV, and a small VT pennant with my name and jersey number on it for Dad to put up in his cubicle with the ones he got from my brothers.

And since I was already there, and they still hadn't come out, I had a little peek underneath the tree. A few things were already out, mostly stuff from out-of-town relatives or family friends. Dad's parents would be here tomorrow to open gifts with us, so their gifts weren't under here yet, but there were a couple things for me and my brothers from Mom's family.

Mom's parents never spent the holiday with us, and preferred to go either to Uncle Johnny's or Aunt Mary's. I was never sure of the details, but there had been some kind of falling out before I was born, which meant I didn't get to see them a lot. We almost didn't get our gifts from Mom's side of the family, let alone visit with them, until thirteen years or so ago, when Uncle Johnny convinced Dad that it was important for us to know both sides. My uncle had a pretty cool relationship with my dad as he was the only one who could get Dad to change his mind.

As we grew older, our presents from the Frederick side tended to be of the gift card variety. There were three or so card-sized envelopes for each of us, however, the one with my aunt's handwriting on it was attached to a large garment box, all nicely wrapped up with a bow. I shook the box a little and heard soft rustling. Clothes, maybe?

I hid all evidence of snooping and headed for the kitchen to get some coffee going. Despite the time I wasted secreting my stash and peeking under the tree, Mom didn't wake up until well after my first cup.

"You're up early," she said.

"It's a good day to be up early."

"Oh, is it now?" She pulled out a huge pale green mug with botanical prints of each of the five species of Texas bluebonnets painted on it, and started rummaging in the cabinet. "Shouldn't you college boys be sleeping in past noon? I couldn't get your brothers out of bed for nothing when they came home for the holidays. Oh, where could it..." She looked at my hands. "Uh oh."

I looked down at the mug I'd pulled out at random. One side was maroon with the Texas A&M logo, and burnt orange with the UT logo on the other. The words "A House Divided" were printed along the handle. I got Mom a shirt with something similar done in glitter and rhinestones the Christmas after Cam and Caiden went to college. "What's wrong?"

"You're using your father's mug," she said.

"Since when has he had 'a mug'?" I laughed. "Didn't he just use whatever was in the cabinet?"

Mom frowned.

"You can't be serious."

"He likes that one," she said, then shrugged.

"I'll get a different mug," I said, rising from my usual seat at the end of the breakfast bar.

But, Mom waved me off and selected another mug, a black one with "Aggie Dad" in maroon and white. Probably something he got from the guys at work, as they'd gotten him a "Longhorn Dad" travel mug when Connor went to school. I wondered if they'd give him a "Hokie Dad" mug.

"It's okay, he likes this one, too."

After Mom poured coffee for herself and Dad, and went to their room to rouse him, I hopped off the barstool. I picked up how to make pancakes from Efrain and figured I'd try my skills out on my parents. Soon enough, I had sausages going in the cast iron skillet, the griddle getting to just the right temp, and a decent batter whipped up. I used biscuit mix, which I was not going to tell mí lobo about, but the results were just as fluffy and tasty as the ones he made for me on Sunday mornings (well, it was close enough).

I was pulling the first batch off the griddle when my parents shuffled back out of their room.

"Smells wonderful, Cory," my mom said. She pulled back out the egg carton to start the scrambled eggs.

I ladled on another round, then leaned against the counter and sipped my coffee while I waited for the right amount of bubbles on the surface before I flipped them over.

"Mug thief," my dad grunted.

"Sorry 'bout that."

The corner of his mouth ticked up and he patted my shoulder. "You make a mean cup of coffee, so all's forgiven." Dad filled his mug, and sat at the breakfast bar while Mom and I finished up.

We'd already caught up over the last couple days, so most of our breakfast conversation centered on our plans for the day. I told them about meeting up with Keenan this afternoon, and Mom talked about last minute cleaning and preparation for my brothers' return. This would be the first Christmas since Connor got married, so Mom was excited to have a daughter-in-law for the holiday, even though Leslie had been coming for Christmas for years (along with Cameron and Caiden's girlfriends).

And, that's when my palms started sweating.

I knew what question was coming next. Mom had asked Connor about it his first holiday back, and asked Caiden and Cameron when they'd returned. I had already planned for this; this was my opening. I could either take the plunge now, or blow the opportunity and have to screw up the courage to go for it later.

"So, have you met someone special yet?" she asked. Mom was all sly and nonchalant about it, but I knew she was going to pump me for details.

"Yeah, actually," I said, feeling a small blush come up.

"She got a name?" Dad grunted. He knew Mom's game and I think he wanted to hurry it along. He had some shows to watch, and the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could run through Mom's "honey do" list. Neither of us would be let out of her sight until everything was done to her satisfaction. Breakfast was a mild reprieve.

I took a deep breath.

"He," I said. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.

"He?" my mother repeated.

I nodded, feeling more confident now that I'd set the whole thing in motion. "His name is Efrain."

"His name?" she said.

"Yeah, I have a boyfriend," I said. "He's on—"

"You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. I have picture I can show you." I pulled out my phone and started looking for a better picture, since we had our shirts off in the one I had as my background image. Couldn't have my mom looking at my guy without his shirt on, no matter how hot as hell he looked. "His parents weren't really surprised when they found out about us. Actually, they pretty much knew already. Even had bets going. I met them when I went to his house for Thanksgiving. Hey, maybe you could come out for Parents' Week this spring, and I could introduce you!"

"Oh, Cory," my mother sighed.

"I suppose you've suspected something about me, so this might not be a shock."

"Why couldn't you have found a nice girl to date?" she asked, and that's when I finally looked up from my phone. Mom had an almost pained look on her face; Dad was staring at his plate. "What about that girl you took to senior prom? Tonya Lewis, right? Or, Amaryllis Guzman. You took her to homecoming. She was a pretty thing, and you two looked so sweet together."

"Mom, Amaryllis and Tonya are just friends. And, I do like girls," I said. "But, I like guys, too."

"But, why—"

"I did date some girls at VT," I shrugged. "But, sparks just flew with Efrain." I felt a smile creep up on my face, deepening the blush. "I think I'm in love with him."

"I can't believe this." Dad threw his fork down.

"What?"

"Since when have you been gay?"