Page 167 of Slew Foot
Mickey shook.
Rafe did too. “Deal,” he said with a big smile, looking forward to it. He was already counting the minutes until next season started.
EPILOGUE
The sun beat down on Mickey’s bare shoulders and he wondered if he should have put on sunscreen before they left this morning.
It had been a great day so far. They’d lazed around in bed for a while, talking and making out. Which had inevitably led to Mickey pinning Rafe down and giving him the blowjob of his life before they headed into the heart of Boston for brunch.
After, they’d checked out the public garden, which neither of them had been to yet. There was art—mostly sculptures—to see, including a giant bronze frog they posed next to, Rafe using his long arm to grab a selfie before a nearby woman offered to take a few shots for them.
They’d also seen the famous Make Way for Ducklings statue, which was a bronze sculpture of a mother duck and her eight babies all walking in a row behind her. It was charming but Mickey had been vaguely confused about why Rafe was so excited about it.
Apparently it was based on a book he’d read as a kid.
“The babies are named Jack, Mack, and Quack and, well, I don’t remember all of the names, but they were all rhyming and it was really cute,” he said with a little shrug.
He was so earnest about it Mickey had to kiss him for it.
“Do you want kids someday?” Mickey asked when he drew back.
“I think so,” Rafe said as they started walking again. “After we retire. Oh, well, I’m a little older than you are so maybe I’ll stay home with the kids after I retire and be a full-time SAP for a while.”
“I think you’realreadya sap,” Mickey teased, although he loved how easily Rafe suggested it. How easily he imagined their future. The image was appealing though. As much as Mickey loved playing beside Rafe, he could also picture him with a kid or two at the games, watching Mickey play and waving at him from behind the glass.
He said as much to Rafe, who grinned and kissed him. “Sounds good to me. We’ve gotta win a Cup or two first though.”
“Oh, no big deal,” Mickey said with a laugh. “Just one or two.”
“Yeah, you know.” Rafe shrugged. His face lit up. “Ooh, hey, I bet there’s some real ducks on the Frog Pond over there!”
Up ahead, they could see a glimpse of the large body of water, so hand-in-hand they followed the path over to it. For a few minutes, they stood there watching the light glint off the water and ducks lazily float by.
A boat appeared a minute later, and Mickey asked, “You wanted to go on the Swan Boats, right?”
“Yeah.” Rafe shot him a bashful little grin. “It seems romantic, you know?”
“Then let’s go.” Mickey was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to be Relationship Mickey with Rafe now. He’d made Rafe all flustered this morning when he pulled out a chair for him at the restaurant where they’d eaten brunch.
The Swan Boats were small paddle wheel vessels which held about twenty passengers and were powered by a pedal. The driver was tucked inside half of a large metal swan. The boats were both pretty and a little quirky, both of which Mickey enjoyed, and he happily forked over the small fee for two tickets.
On the boat, Rafe slung an arm over Mickey’s shoulder, and he snuggled in, enjoying the sun on his face and the chance to relax with Rafe. He was pretty sure a couple of people they’d run across today had recognized them, but they’d been polite and unobtrusive about it, so he didn’t mind.
It was relaxing out on the water and although the weather was warm, it wasn’t unbearably hot yet. The breeze helped relieve a bit of the humidity and Mickey sighed, feeling content.
The season might not have ended the way any of them wanted, but there was hope for the future.
After the boat ride, Mickey pulled off his backpack and pulled out the inline skates and pads he’d been carting around all day. Rafe had been the one to remind Mickey he needed a helmet and, remembering all of the information about head trauma he’d read, Mickey hadn’t argued.
After they had all their gear on, Mickey slung the backpack over his shoulders and Rafe did the same with his. They started off, taking slow, easy strides to warm up. The paths were toocrowded by people to skate side by side, so Mickey let Rafe go ahead. It was either brilliant foreplay or absolute torture to watch Rafe skate in his short shorts and tee. Mickey hadn’t decided which yet.
After a while, when they paused to have a sip of water, Rafe took off his backpack and shirt. Sweat trickled down his chest, meandering over one brown nipple, and Mickey bit his tongue instead of leaning forward and getting his mouth on it like he wanted.
Losing more clothing wasn’t going to protect Rafe’s skin from sidewalk rash if his skate caught a rut in the concrete but Mickey certainly couldn’t argue with the view.
Mickey stepped forward, looping his fingers around the back of Rafe’s neck and pulling him down so he could whisper in his ear. “Fuck you look hot. When I get you home later …”
“Yeah?” Rafe asked, grinning.
