Maybe He's Canadian, 18: Shooting Hoops

Graham let Xander sleep.  It was Saturday.  He didn't have to go to work
today, and besides, he deserved the sleep. Plus he just looked so innocent
lying there sprawled across his bed.  Graham was content just to watch him .
for a while anyway. He started to play with his hardening cock, just looking
at Xander was enough to get him hard.  But then he decided he it might be
more fun to wait till Xander woke up.  He sighed contentedly and then
drifted back to sleep himself.

He opened his eyes.

"Morning, sleepy head."  Xander grinned down at him, leaning on one elbow.

"Morning, Xand."  Graham leaned up and kissed him very gently, letting his
head fall back down.

"I thought you initiative types got up at the crack of dawn, and here it is
almost eleven ."

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"  Graham sat up in a panic.

"What?"

"I always shoot hoops with Rye on Saturdays, right after he finishes
watching Speed Racer down in the TV room."

"And shooting hoops with Riley is more fun than ."  pouted Xander, with more
than a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Fuck no! I mean no.  I mean ...I'm sorry." Graham sat on the edge of the
bed, and put his head in his hands.

Xander sat up and massaged his shoulders.  "Like I told you before, tell him
when you're ready.  I'm cool."

"Yeah?"  Graham was uncertain, and he'd admit to being horny, too.  But if
he didn't meet him downstairs in four minutes, Riley was gonna come looking
for him.

"Yeah.  Absolutely.  I should put in some face time at home, anyway."
Xander gave him a light slap on the back. "Run along outside and play with
your little friend."

Graham flashed him a grateful grin, and rushed to pull on shorts and T-shirt
and pull on his basketball shoes.   He didn't want Riley to come looking for
him and find out that he wasn't exactly alone.

Basketball under his arm, he darted over to the bed, and kissed Xander.
"I'll make it up to you tonight, Xander."

"Believe it, soldier."  Xander said in his best attempt at a gruff voice.

Graham  broke into a huge grin and stared at Xander sprawled in his bed.  He
snapped off a perfect salute.  "Yes, *sir*!"  he whispered, and ran out the
door.

Xander got out of bed slowly.  He hunted around on the floor and found his
clothes.  He pulled on last night'spants and T-shirt and jammed his hands
through the sleeves of his shirt without bothering to button it.

He headed out.  Coming down the stairs he ran into another Lowell House
commando guy, who, judging from the look on his face, was wondering what
Xander was doing there.

"Uh, have you seen Buffy?  Blonde girl, she's Riley's,  uh, ..."

The guy grinned.  "She took off about an hour ago.  Doesn't share Riley's
Speed Racer obsession, I guess."

"Thanks, I'll check her place.  Later."

"Later."

As Xander rounded the corner of Lowell house, he heard the sound of a ball
bouncing on concrete.   Xander followed the sound round to the back of
Lowell House and saw the two guys playing on a concrete half court.

He watched Graham go up for a shot.  Riley had the height advantage, but
Graham drove hard, leapt and made it.  Xander grinned.

Riley took the ball back, dribbling just for the practice, Graham moved in
to guard.  Xander watched the man move.  Maybe it was the one-on-one aspect
of this game, or maybe he was just paying closer attention, but Graham
looked better playing basketball than playing Frisbee. Xander shook his head
as he realized the frisbee game was only a few days ago, even though it felt
like a lifetime.  He watched the game.

He was pretty frankly staring at Graham, who was resting a sec, bent over
slightly after missing a block, the muscles on his arms tensed and shining
with sweat.  Xander licked his lips unconsciously.

Xander suddenly realized that he hadn't played basketball (other than the
obligatory gym games) in almost three and a half years.   He used to play
all the time.  OK, he and Jesse used to play all the time.    They weren't
all-stars, but they were decent pick-up players.  From the time they were in
elementary school, the two spent many afternoons at Jesse's house, around
back where Jesse's dad had nailed up a backboard on the side of the garage.

Xander remembered being really jealous when Jesse first told him that his
dad had put it up for him.  He couldn't imagine his did ever doing anything
like that.  To be honest, one of the early attractions of shooting hoops
with Jesse had been precisely that he wasn't home dealing with his parents.

His mom asked him exactly once where he had spent the afternoon, instead of
folowing his established routine of coming straight home and watching TV.
He told her he'd been at Jesse's.  She'd nodded and turned back to the
stove, never bothering to ask what he was doing there, or even who Jesse
was.  Somewhere in her mind, she knew that mothers were supposed to know
where their kids were.  Now that she knew, her maternal obligation was
fulfilled.  He'd gotten the distinct impression that she was just as glad
not to have him in the house.

Jesse's mom was different.  She brought out glasses of lemonade or Kool-Aid
or cokes and jokingly informing the two that it was half time, asking Jesse
and Xander what happened at school that day, and chuckling at their
smart-ass comments, while they wolfed down their drinks.  She would tell
them to have fun, and take the empty glasses or bottles back in the kitchen
door, throwing her son a grin and a little wave, which always embarrassed
him, but which made Xander jealous as hell.

Shit, practically his only happy school memories were of being with Jesse,
recounting the stupid answer that some dumb jock had given in history class,
or making fun of the cheerleaders,

"Cordelia sure had the fashion victim thing going on today."

"Xand, if skunk-skin shoes were in fashion, she'd have six pairs."

Then tossing their bookbags by the back door, Jesse would grab the ball from
the back porch and passing it to Xander, the two would play one on one until
suppertime.

Playing with Jesse had just been fun.  They both played at about the same
level:  pretty good, not quite good enough to make the team, but good enough
to  make it fun.  Jesse had a jump shot that wasn't bad, and Xander was good
at putting the ball in from the side.  They were always trading wisecracks.
Jesse was the only one who could consistently out wise-crack Xander.  With
everyone else, it was Xander who played the joker.

And it was while playing basketball that it first happened.   That was when
Xander had gist first moment of realization.

He was watching Jesse carefully as his bud took the ball back to the far
edge of the driveway, dribbling all the way.  Jesse was kind of a goof,
walking into people in the halls, banging his head against his locker while
distracted by talking to Xander.   But when he was playing basketball, all
of the sudden he came alive.  No longer the awkward gawky kid, he moved with
grace and purpose.  Xander grew to enjoy just watching him.

Jesse glanced at Xander, who was moving up to guard him.  He faked left.  It
was his favourite move, so Xander was ready for it.  But instead of going
right, he actually went left, moving fast around Xander.  He took four steps
around him and went up for a jump shot. It was a beautiful shot, no hoop,
nothing but net.  He landed and pumped his arm and said "yes!", and grabbed
the rebound and turned to Xander to toss it to him.  Xander was standing,
hands on hips just watching with an admiring smile on his face.

"Nice shot!"  He exclaimed, impressed by the shot.

"Thanks."  Jesse's grin was genuine, his voice a mixture of pride and
surprise,  since Xander rarely complimented him on anything.   Xander just
kept looking at him, realizing that he just plain looked good. Jesse was
moving easily from side to side as he slowly dribbled the ball, that grin on
his face, his eyes twinkling with pleasure at Xander's compliment.  He
tossed the ball to Xander.

Xander caught the ball, and took it back to the far edge.  He moved up
dribbling, but was watching Jesse so intensely that Jesse just snatched the
ball from his hands, and turned around, dribbling,  his back to Xander as he
went to the back of the drive.  He looked at Xander then at the hoop,
deciding how to play this one.

Jesse charged, Xander took position to block his advance, moving back
slightly so as not to foul him.  Jesse went up for a shot just as Xander
stopped moving back.  Jesse came down on him and the two landed in a heap,
Jesse on top of a sprawled out Xander, hands on Xander's chest.  Xander
looked up in panic, because he was suddenly very aware that he was rock
hard.  And Jesse couldn't miss it since his butt was right on top of his
hard-on.  Jesse just grinned down at him, and stood up, reached down a hand,
Xander took it and Jesse pulled him to his feet.   Jesse gave him an
embarrassed cockeyed smile.

"Happens to me all the time, too."   Jesse whispered softly, a slightly
embarrassed smile on his face.

Jesse picked up the ball and tossed it to Xander.  "Come on, play."

The very next Saturday, Xander casually mentioned to Jesse as they played
that he had found some 'interesting' videos at his Uncle Rory's, and had
kind of borrowed them, sort of without asking.  Jesse grinned widely, took
one last shot, put the ball back on the back porch and yelled to his mom
that he'd be home for supper.

And as they sat on the couch in Xander's basement, watching the video, their
eyes kept darting furtively at each other as they pulled their hard-ons out
and relieved the tension.

"Hey!  Xander!"  Riley's voice boomed out, startling Xander.

"Hey, Riley!"

"Buffy took off."

Xander approached the court, and said, teasingly,
"Yeah, some guy inside gave me the whole scoop on you and Speed Racer."

Riley grinned, and accepted the good natured kidding.
"Speed Racer rocks."  Riley informed Xander, who grinned at him, and
suddenly started finding Riley's Speed Racer obsession oddly endearing.

"Heads up!" Riley tossed Xander the ball.  Xander surprised himself by
catching it easily.

"Come on, play."

Xander stared at the ball in his hands, a little shocked that Riley was
being totally friendly guy to him.

"I'm not in your league, Riley." Xander bounced the ball once and made to
pass it back.

"We're just goofing around, nothing serious, come on."

Xander shrugged his shirt off leaving only the T-shirt. He dribbled the ball
a few times then looked up at the hoop.  He surprised all three of them when
he took a shot and made it..

"Nice!"  said Graham with a slightly proud smile as he grabbed the rebound.

"You two know each other?  Graham, Xander."

The two weren't sure what to do, so they shook hands.

"Hey."  "Hey."  Both were fighting hard to suppress a grin.

"How about we play 'Defense'?"  asked Riley,  "two against who ever has the
ball, then whoever gets the rebound has the next shot?"

Graham shook his head, "How about me and Xander against you?  I'm getting
creamed here."

Riley kidded him, "Sure, if ya think it'll take both of you to beat me."

Graham tossed him the ball hard.  Riley took it back to the far side of the
half court.  Graham nodded at Xander who moved up to guard him.  Xander
realized just how huge Riley was.  Riley charged, Xander tried to block him,
and instead got pushed back and onto his ass, Riley went up for the shot and
made it.  Graham moved in on Riley  "Easy!"

Riley reached down and helped him up, "You OK, Xand?"

Xander nodded, "Nothing bruised but my ego. Unfortunately, it's used to the
battering."

Riley chuckled at that and brushed off Xand's backside, and handed him the
ball.  Xander took it back, looked at Graham who nodded over to the right.
Xand nodded back slightly, he faked right suddenly, catching Riley
off-guard, and passed to Graham who put it up, and in.  The two high-fived
each other, and Graham tossed Riley the ball.

"Have you two played together before?" asked Riley mock accusingly, by way
of complement on the play.

"Play."  Graham ordered, by way of not answering the question.

This time when Riley moved around Xander, Graham is waiting for him, and
Xander moved in the other side, and snatched the ball as Riley moved it away
from Graham, he jumped and missed the shot, but Graham grabbed the rebound
and the two points.

Another set of high fives.  Riley looked at the two.  "OK, you two, no more
Mr. Nice Guy."

They played for another half an hour or so, Riley actually managing to hold
his own against two guys.

Finally, Riley broke it off.  "OK, I've had it."  He high-fived Xander,
"Next time it's you and me against this bozo."  He tossed Graham back his
ball.  Graham bounced it once and did a jump shot.  It went in.  He pumped
his arm, "Yeah!"

Xander was grinning at him, Graham shot him a smile and a look.  Xander
recognized it as 'that look'.  Xander went over and got his shirt off the
grass, and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Later Xand!"  Riley said over his shoulder as he headed inside.  Graham
winked at Xander and followed Riley in.

"You two made quite the team out there.  Xander has more moves than I
thought."

Graham was working hard at suppressing a grin, and failing.  He managed a
"Yeah."  He and Riley slapped hands, and he headed into his room, leaving
the door slightly open.

<< Stay tuned for part 19, in which Graham makes Xander an offer he can't
refuse; same Graham-Time! Same Graham-Channel!>>