Page 41 of Jockstraps & Newspapers

Chapter twenty-five

Getting back something lost

Elliot

E lliot glanced from the field as a pair of sneakers moved into his line of view. He dropped his knees to the grass and sat back on his calves. Staring up at Renner, he squinted in the sun. Sweat burned his eyes as he brushed his floppy, drenched hair back through his horns.

"You got visitors." Renner nodded toward the track around the field. Two Minotaurs stood near the fence, smiling sheepishly. Elliot climbed to his feet, grabbing his towel and bottle. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot dried off his face with a swipe of his terrycloth towel.

"Your brother's been stabbed," Renner raised his own bottle to his lips and took a heavy gulp.

"H-how did you know?" Elliot glanced around. The whole team was in individual strength training, scattered across the field.

"Wounds healed, but his body hurts, I can see it in the way he's standing and walking." Renner spared Elliot a smile, "When you're coach, you'll be able to spot the pain in your players and others. I've stitched together my fair share of players."

The minotaur furrowed his brow, "Stabbings?"

"You didn't think I always taught the rich and famous, did you?" Renner snorted, "You and I are more alike than you think, we both ran with the beer league before getting our shot out in the lights. It's why I picked you, Bonesaw, you understand and empathize and don't judge. It'll get you far."

Elliot smiled at the bald-headed elf, "Thanks, Coach."

Renner flashed him a finger gun before sauntering over to other members on the field.

Elliot dried the fluff around his horns and his face as he jogged across the field to his brothers.

Rex and Jessie leaned back against the fence, both in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

He stopped a foot from them as he realized his face was on their chests with the words 'Bonesaw?

More like Bone me!' circling the cut out of his face.

"You got my merch?" Elliot tossed his arms out to his side.

"You don't like it?" Rex whined, glancing down at his chest.

"They were bogo." Jessie popped the fabric with a shit-eating smirk.

"Who sold you that?" Elliot huffed, stomping forward. They giggled evilly, skirting away from him as he lunged for them.

"Don't stain the threads!" Rex shrieked as he flew out of Elliot's reach. Jessie wasn't as fast. Elliot whirled him into a head lock.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jessie wailed, slapping at his brother's arm.

"Say it!" Elliot cackled, rubbing his knuckles mercilessly against Jessie's floppy hair.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Jessie stomped his hooves.

"Wrong, but I'll accept it." Elliot twirled his brother out of his arms. "The code word was 'wumpus'."

Jessie swung at Elliot without much weight behind it.

The brothers sharing cheap and playful blows as Rex tackled them to the asphalt flying squirrel style.

They tumbled and broke out of the knot of limbs, all three cackling.

Jessie groaned, clutching his side, but didn't stop laughing.

Rex climbed to his hands and feet, wheezing for air.

"Who names the safe word 'wumpus'!" Jessie roared, stomping his hooves recklessly against the track.

"His knotty girl, duh!" Rex teased, wiggling his horns at Elliot.

"She's not my knotty girl," Elliot swatted at his brother’s horns with a huff. "You need a buff, your horns are dull."

"Yes, moooom! " Rex scuttled out of reach of Elliot before he could swat his youngest brother again.

"So, what is she? You didn't propose yet, right?" Jessie sat up with much grunting and grimacing.

"What if I did?" Elliot raised a brow.

"Ma's gonna be pissed if you asked her before telling her you were thinking about it," Jessie snorted, rubbing his side. "Ow, fuck, I know the wounds gone but my everything hurts like a bitch."

Elliot sobered his laughter, sitting up on the track. Jessie stilled, eyeing his older brother with confusion as Elliot's face fell. Rex sat back on his calves, head cocked to the side. "What's wrong?"

"I uh—don't think Ma's gonna care if I propose or not." Elliot climbed to his feet, dusting off his palms on his mesh shorts. He offered a hand to Jessie. His brother locked eyes with him, his face falling as he took the hand.

"Uh, yeah she is! She's been berating us since we were calves about getting her grandbabies, why wouldn't she want to know?" Jessie crossed his arms over his chest.

Elliot offered a hand to Rex, hoisting his baby brother to his hooves.

"Pops kicked me out when you got stabbed…because I blamed him for why you got stabbed," Elliot picked up his towel and water bottle from the ground.

"That's bull, Elle, I didn't—"

"Who stabbed you?" Elliot whirled to face him, stoney faced.

"Elle," Jessie warned.

"Who. Stabbed. You?" Elliot cocked a brow.

"Timmy, Jimmy Three Thumbs’ brother," Rex confessed, looking at Jessie apologetically before squaring up with Elliot.

Elliot dead stared at Jessie as the three stood in silence. Jessie broke first, sighing as he shook his head. "He wanted Dad, but I got in the way."

"I love you, Jessie. And I will support you in whatever you do, but…

I don't approve. Because I'm protective of you.

I don't know if Dad will forgive me, but I hope you can for choosing to leave that life behind.

" Elliot's heart thundered as Jessie stared at him, the silence between them thick as the Minotaur's thighs.

His muscles ached from use but not stretching enough yet.

Yet, the only thing he was worried about was his brother staring at him like he was going to break Elliot's heart.

He couldn't speak, his throat closed with snap.

Jessie exhaled shakily, "Elliot, I never blamed you."

His lungs collapsed as all the air left him in a whoosh. "What?"

"I don't need to forgive you, big guy, because I never blamed you.

And you know, maybe Pops has lost his head a little, he wasn't thinking right, but I'll talk to him.

Elliot, you're a Bonesaw, you're my brother—our brother," Jessie grabbed Rex by the bicep and pulled Elliot by the forearm.

"We stick together. So, you do the sports thing, I'll do the shop thing, and when Rex's old enough, he can decide what path to choose, but we never stop being the Bonesaw brothers, alright? "

Elliot pulled the other Minotaurs into his arms and hugged them tight.

Heart hammering against his chest, he squeezed them with all his might till his arms shook.

The words didn't come out, but he'd come to learn that words weren't always his forte.

Elliot Bonesaw was a Minotaur of action, and they spoke volumes when his voice failed him.

He didn't let them go for a long moment before Rex sniffled and broke the hug.

Elliot punched both brothers in the meat of their chest with a warm smile.

"Yeah, we are," he breathed.

"And you're gonna get us tickets to the game, right?"

Elliot roared with laughter as he caught Rex in a chokehold, roughing up his stylized fluff until someone called his name from the field.

He caught Toad's wave from across the grass, beckoning him over.

Elliot spared his brothers a wicked grin, "You get tickets, but as long as you don't wear those to the game. "

Jessie cackled, puffing his shirt once more, "But it's my best shirt."

"No!" Elliot bellowed over his shoulder as he jogged back toward Toad on the field.

Renner and Trainer Lee were on the other end of the field, going over something on their phones.

As Elliot got to Toad, he saw the look of horror on the Dragos face.

"Oh no, don't do this to me, Toad, I can't take any more bad news. "

"It's not me, Cap…it's you."

"Bonesaw!" Renner barked, beckoning him over. Elliot spared Toad a look of shock and horror before crossing the rest of the field to his coach.

"What's up, Coach?" Elliot tossed back a gulp of water.

"We have a problem…a Slimy Stevie problem," Renner huffed, flipping the screen around.

Smeared and Cleared: A Stevie McMatterson Tell All. Elliot slapped a hand to his forehead. Oh great. "How much did he pay to do this?"

"Probably not as much as we paid for the article on you, but more than Newsie got paid to write his, guaranteed." Renner flipped the phone back around. "We're all about to be under public scrutiny, Bonesaw, get prepared. You thought you were famous before…that's nothing on what's about to happen."

"What's about to happen?" Elliot furrowed his brow.

"Press conference, after the game. There’s going to be about 80 journalists all packed sardine-style into the gym press room.

I need you and Newsie to be prepared. Remember how I said being a coach was protecting my players?

This is a part of that." Renner nodded his chin back to the field.

"Back on the pitch, and a full night's rest for you.

I need you more Elliot Bonesaw than you've ever been before. "

Elliot turned on his hoof and followed Toad into the fray of bodies on the pitch.

He itched to rush to the locker room, call out to Cassie and see what she thought, but he couldn't think of that now.

He needed to practice with the team, run them through drills, and somehow figure out how to be more him than he'd ever been.

"You good, Cap?" Toad whispered as they stood at the center of the field.

"I sure hope I am," Elliot grimaced.

"You got this, remember, you're Elliot Bonesaw." Toad clapped him on the arm.

"You're right," he laughed nervously. Elliot survived press junkets before, he was King's Fall's sweetheart. He could do this. This was no different than strategy, a play—he just needed to get his head in the game.