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K here's the next chapter of Senior Soul! Please note that this is an M/M story and is not intended for those under the age of 18. Also, please do not plagiarize this work or any of its following works. Please enjoy!

Senior Soul

Chapter 9

Luke swooshed past a pile of leaves on the road in Alice's Mini Cooper. The sky had already been taken over by darkness before the game had begun, but now, since the field's lights weren't igniting Luke's eyes, everything seemed darker and more ominous.

He had been running down a road surrounded by trees for awhile, trying his hardest to remember the way to the secret place where Ace had taken him not too long ago. It was all made harder because of the sun's absence, but Luke had remembered that Ace hadn't made any turns after he got on the outskirts of Fort Smith, and he figured he would be able to pick out the area if he kept his eyes in front of him and his focus on the set goal.

Ace, I'm going to find you and fix everything. I have to. I...can't lose you, Luke thought, as he stepped on the gas a little harder to speed up.

Luke knew that when he found Ace he was going to have to explain himself. The problem was there really was nothing to explain. His common instinct got the better of him...and it was a mistake Ace did not take lightly, or seriously. It's something he's already tried to tell Ace, but he just wouldn't listen. One more try wouldn't hurt, Luke thought.

Luke looked out the window to see the blur of dark green trees that he had once saw before in Ace's car. He was starting to remember the times they had, before any of this started. When they met, all the classes they had together, all the practices, all the fun...

Luke's grasp on the steering wheel gradually got tighter. His future with Ace was going to be decided on the words he says and the actions he performs tonight. And this all suddenly became clear to him.

What if I'm not able to get him back? What if, after all this time, he just turns me down? I don't feel like I have anything to look forward to in my life if Ace isn't in it. It's all riding on this...

Luke took a deep breath, loosened his grip on the wheel, and continued driving along the dark road.

It took Luke less time than he remembered, because he was going so fast, but Luke eventually was able to stop Alice's car, get out, and take a look at the smooth, glazing plantation that he remembered as the place that Ace had described as his special thinking zone. More importantly, he was able to spot the hilltop in the darkness, where Ace had fully made love to him.

And, if Luke was to squint his eyes, he could make out a big figure at the bottom of the hill that looked vaguely like a car, and a smaller figure under the enormous tree on the hilltop, that Luke made out to be a furry.

Luke checked the time. It took him about 45 minutes to get to the site. The game only lasted for two hours, if it ended without a tie. If he was going to make things right with Ace and also get to the game on time, he was going to have to do some serious explaining on his part.

Luke closed his eyes.

No.

He flipped his hair back in the night wind as he jumped over the wooden fence and started running through the grass.

No, the only thing that matters now is that I fix what I did wrong. It doesn't matter if I miss the game. The only reason I even joined the team was because of Ace...he's the only reason I never complained anymore about moving to Fort Smith. He's the reason I was able to get through my senior year, and the reason I'm in love... and I'll be damned if I leave this town without him knowing that.

Luke continuously ran fast through the grass to get to the somewhat faraway hill. There was wind, but not enough to cause harm. It was calm and quiet...as it always seemed to be at Ace's hideout.

As Luke got a little closer, he started to see the Altima more clearly. It was still overly dark, making it hard for Luke to spot twigs or underlying roots as he stopped running and walked, as to not be heard by Ace too early.

The moon was covered by clouds, and so were the stars...though Ace's field still had a nice glow to it that never seemed to leave. Luke was starting to feel a little less anxious himself as he pushed through the grass.

As Luke walked, he started thinking about what he might say to Ace when he finally reaches the hill, which would not be far from now: Hmmm...it's not my fault I go both ways?...no, that's stupid...I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you?...no, that's too dramatic and fake-sounding...I couldn't stop my natural instincts?...it's the truth, but it still sounds like an excuse...

It went on like this inside Luke's head all the way to the bottom of the hill, and Luke didn't realize he had gotten there when he did, since he was looking down.

Luke looked farther up the hill at the tree. He couldn't see Ace, so he figured he was on the other side of it. That gave him a chance to go up the tree slowly and get behind it without Ace knowing he was there. Luke wasn't sure why he felt the need to hide, but it didn't seem right in his head to just go up to Ace and start blurting out his emotions.

Well, here we go.

Luke started up the hill. It wasn't a long way to the top, but Luke milked it all he could, since he still hadn't thought of anything decent to say.

I mean...I know WHAT to say...but I don't know how to convey it without it sounding...bad...maybe that's just how it is, and there's no changing it...it was a stupid mistake, and unfortunately it got worse than it should have. But I can't think about that now. I just have to find a way to make it right, but how...?

No matter how hard Luke tried to make it last, the hills length came to an end at the top, when Luke turned round the tree and put his back to it, as to not be seen by Ace. Luke knew he was just on the other side of him. He could feel it.

Luke was still lost for words, and there was really no time left now. The feeling of calmness Luke had had from the scenery was long gone and his anxiety along with his heartbeat was at the maximum rate.

It was all riding on these few moments. Luke took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to turn around sooner or later. But just as he tried to push his legs to turn the corner, he somehow became paralyzed. He was shaking.

Luke was realizing how much was at stake here. He could fuck this up in a matter of seconds. His grasp on the tree tightened, and his legs were buckling.

"Are you gonna come out or not?" An annoyed-sounding voice said from the other side of the tree.

Suddenly, all Luke's symptoms of anxiety were gone. The quick formation of someone else speaking to him woke him up. He really didn't catch what the voice had said.

"Don't act like you not there. I could smell you from a mile away."

Luke's eyes widened. It was Ace.

Luke felt it stupid of him not to remember that dogs have a very good sense of smell, especially when there familiar with the scent already.

Being able to move again, Luke figured he didn't have a reason to stay behind the tree any longer.

"Hi." Luke verbalized after a while of not talking except for in his head. He looked down at his lover, lying on the grass with his arms around his kneecaps.

Ace was looking out in to the dark distance, and it wasn't until Luke said something that he turned his eyes to look in his direction. It didn't seem like he had been crying anymore, but had thought a lot more about what had really happened, and now just seemed angry, if anything.

"What do you want?" Ace said, very unconvinced that he may even care what Luke wanted at this point.

"I...had to explain myself to you...alone." Luke said.

"Pffttt...don't you have a game to be playing?" Ace said, still not sounding like he cared.

"Yeah, and you do too. But...none of that matters right now. The only thing that I want to get to tonight is talking to you and, hopefully, making you see how I really feel..."

"Heh, how noble of you." Ace snickered, looking away from Luke.

Luke knew this conversation would go on like this if he just kept making small talk. Ace would eventually get tired of hearing it, too. Luke still couldn't find the words to explain himself. He was so scared of what Ace would say...

"Are you gonna talk or just stand there like a dumbass?" Ace started.

Ace's comment went through Luke and it stopped him from concentrating. He continued to stand there, unsure of what to do or say that wouldn't piss Ace off more than he already was.

Ace got up and walked over to Luke. Apparently Luke didn't have to do anything. Ace had enough time to let it all boil in him.

"So? Are you gonna explain yourself or not? Gonna say why you kissed her?...No, made out with her? Why you would betray me like that? When I had given you EVERYTHING?!" Ace grunted, shoving Luke a bit.

Luke still did not respond. He felt like crying, and hugging Ace. He knew he messed things up, he knew it was his fault, and yet...

Luke's mood suddenly changed. He knew playing the victim was not going to solve anything. Instead of staying shy and quiet with Ace, he started to get angry too.

"Well?! TALK, DAMN IT! What do you want to say, Lu..." Luke did not even let Ace finish saying his name.

Right then Luke pushed Ace back with all his might and caused him to fall back on the ground.

"What the fuck are you..."

"Stop. Let me talk." Luke said, stopping him again.

Luke didn't even give Ace time to settle as he started to explain himself.

"What I did with Alice was completely instinctive. That may sound like an excuse, but it's the complete, honest to God truth. I came to Fort Smith thinking I was fully gay. I had absolutely no interest in girls, and when I met you, I was sure my theories were right. Alice seemed different from all the other girls. I was able to connect with her in ways I thought only possible with you. We were both spilling out our emotions, and it just happened, okay? I know that sounds bad, and a total lie, but...(Luke lowered his head a little)...but you have to believe me...I don't know any other way I can explain it..."

Ace didn't move. Or say anything. Luke continued.

"Alice knows what happened, and she understands now what you and I have. Ace...you're everything to me. I can't find the words to express how thankful I am to you for loving me like you have...and I know all the sorrys and explanations for what I did with her won't make up for my betrayal...but I promise you that will never happen again. I lost my mind for that split second...but it will never happen again."

Ace still didn't talk.

Luke wasn't sure if he was getting through to Ace. He hoped he was, because every word he had spoken was the truth. Everything he had said had come out like word vomit. None of it was thought of or rehearsed.

Luke sighed, and then chuckled a bit as he shook his head.

"You know, Ace, my father's here on temporary time. His job caused us to come down here, and I recently heard that that was no longer the case anymore. We'll be moving back to California soon..."

Ace's eyes widened.

"...I guess I just didn't want to leave things like this. I know no matter what I say it probably won't change the way you feel about me kissing Alice, but...I just had to try. Even if it didn't make a difference, I just...(Luke lifted his head and looked directly at Ace with serious but gentle eyes)...Ace, I don't want to lose you. I'm willing to go through this, our distance apart, my dad, people like Trent, and any other obstacle to get to you. I want to stay with you forever, and I being bisexual or I starting to like another will never get in the way of that again. What I really, mean...(Luke walked over to Ace, bent down, and touched his paw)...eghh, is that I love you. I love you Ace."

Ace stared at Luke. He had said "I love you" before, but not like this. This time, he knew it was real, if it had ever been fake before. He knew he was telling the truth, and that Luke wanted no one more than he wanted him.

Ace turned his head slowly away from Luke, Luke's paw still over his.

"Luke...I believe you...or at least I want to believe you..."

Luke gently touched Ace's face, which caused Ace to look back at him.

"Then do it. Believe in me." Luke said, and he moved his face closer to Ace's. Ace soon got the message, and was dying for what Luke was aiming for, too.

Ace moved closer to Luke as there muzzles soon met and they began kissing. When they did, they both allowed themselves to fall on the grass, lying sideways, close together.

Luke had missed Ace's lips pressed against his. The feeling was divine to him, and he never wanted to be separated from that feeling again.

After a few seconds of slow smooching, Luke got excited and stuck his tongue into Ace's early. Ace did not mind, and did the same to Luke, as he held Luke's head with his right paw, stroking his light orange hair.

Ace opened his eyes to look at Luke as he kissed him. He realized he never was really angry with Luke; he just wanted him to admit his mistake, and wanted to make sure his love was true. Now that Ace has that, there was no reason to fight anymore. They could go back to the way things were.

Suddenly, Ace stopped and pulled out of Luke's mouth.

"Hey." Ace whispered to Luke.

"Hey." Luke whispered back, smiling.

"I love you, too." Ace whispered, smiling his warm smile again.

Luke giggled as Ace closed his eyes and pulled Luke back closer to begin kissing again.

BEEP.

Luke's phone went off, signaling he got a text.

"I think it's your girlfriend." Ace whispered.

Luke pulled the phone out of his pocket and read the message. He suddenly got up.

"Crap." Luke said.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked.

"Alice said we're down 6 points, and the game's half over..."

Luke didn't realize how upset he sounded by the score, and caught himself before he said anymore.

"...but as I said, none of that matters right now. What matters is that we've gotten this whole thing behind us, and that we're happy, and..."

"Oh, let's just go already! We're burning...nighttime!" Ace said, as he grabbed Luke's paw and rushed him down the hill.

Many supporters of Ace and Luke's team in the stands were getting frustrated at the score, being so low when the team was so good. When a member of the team doesn't show up for a game, they have to reset a routine to play the game, so they have the best chance of winning. Since the coach was so strict, the players didn't usually miss the games...but since Luke AND Ace were gone, it caused the team to be stuck without forwards (which is a key element to winning, as forwards are meant to score the goals).

Coach was pulling his cat hair out, being so stressed as to how badly they were doing and to the fact that this wouldn't be happening if he had his forwards.

"TIME OUT! TIME OUT!" Coach called to the referee.

The referee blew the whistle as all of Coach's team members rushed towards him.

"What the fuck is going on out there?! There's only 15 minutes left in this game, and all we've been able to do is get it 9 to 12! Are we really going to lose a match just because Ace isn't here? This is ridiculous!" Coach screamed.

"It's not just Ace, Luke isn't here either. There our best forwards, and this IS the championship match...we need 'em, Coach." Said Tails, the ferret.

"Urrrghhh..." Coach grunted.

"Did someone say "Luke?"

"And "Ace?'"

Luke and Ace both popped up, almost out of nowhere, behind Coach.

Coach didn't see them there and jumped when he saw them, but not a moment later was he screaming and hugging them both that they were there.

"Oh, THANK GOD you boys finally showed up!!!" Coach said, squeezing the daylights out of Ace and Luke.

"Coach...it hurts..." Luke said, grunting.

"Oh! Sorry boys..." Coach said, as he let go and composed himself.

"Wow...well at least you're both here guys. Welcome to the championships. Luke, you were here, so welcome back, I guess." Tails said, his teammates laughing.

"Sorry, guys. Ace and I had to work a few things out...but we're here now, and we're gonna turn this game around!" Luke said, sounding confident enough to get a "Yeah!" from his teammates.

Ace and Luke both took the two forward positions after they had put on their jerseys and pads and were checked by the referee. The ball was in Luke's possession in the middle of the field, with Ace right beside him, Tails to his right, and an otter named Flake to his left.

"Okay, so I'm going to kick it gently towards you, and you kick it back to Jerrid, then he'll kick it forward as Tails and I run for it and you and Flake stay back. If I can't get past the defenders and I know it, I'll kick it back to you, so..." Luke started, but Ace stopped him.

"Let's just win this. I know we can." Ace said, smiling at Luke.

Luke grunted, but he eventually smiled back, and nodded, as he kicked the ball to the left to give it to Flake and to start the last minutes of the game.

Flake got the ball successfully while Ace and Luke ran parallel to each other up the opponent's field, not going back too far, as to not be called off sides.

Flake was about to get scrunched with the other team's players as they were running towards him, and he knew he should pass it back down the field, but he could see Ace in front of him calling for the ball.

So, flake put the ball under his cleats and slipped it in the air as the opposing players came to get it. He then jumped up and hit the ball with a powerful head butt that he was known well for.

The ball went a little to the left of Ace but he was still able to retrieve it. Ace then ran down the field with the ball, faking out a defender, and getting closer to the goal. Everyone had rushed to Flake, so no one was guarding the goal except the goalie. Ace purposely got close to the goalie (just to mess with him) and he shot it dead straight into the left corner of the goal.

"WWWHHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" A heard of cheers came from the crowd of Dellington High fans as the difference in scores changed and Luke and Ace's team were closer to winning.

The other team acquired the ball this time. Ace knew that they felt like they had the upper hand by the way they nonchalantly talked about their plays before they actually did it. This didn't get him aggravated, but just presented a challenge to him.

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, one of the forwards kicked the balls his left side.

And just like lightning, Ace shot up the field and before the opposing player could reach the ball, he had already retrieved it and was running down the field again.

Another wave of "HORAYS" and "YEAHS" came from the crowd as their usually star player had put their team back in motion.

But Luke wasn't going to let Ace have all the fun. He caught up to him quickly as he was just about if not faster than him, and once again ran parallel by his side.

This time, two defenders were teaming up on Ace. At first Ace was successful in faking out the first one, but the second one came around and stole it as he did.

Ace wasn't about to have that, as he stole it back before the defender could kick it up the field. He didn't want to fight the defenders for the ball any longer, as he saw Luke on the other side of him, just waiting for the ball.

Ace kicked it hard, sent it straight to Luke, and then Luke countered with his own powerful kick, and sent the ball flying into the net.

The crowd was now going wild, as was Luke's teammates. In less than 5 minutes they had scored 2 goals, and they only needed 2 more to win the game.

"TIME OUT!" The other team's coach suddenly called, as his team huddled by him.

At this time Luke and Ace's team also huddled back to Coach, only to find that he was screaming with joy.

"Coach...you're hurting us again..." Ace grunted, as Coach had given them another enormous hug.

"Sorry boys, I'm just so happy...two more and WE WIN CHAMPS!" Coach hollered, as the team rooted for Luke and Ace.

After Coach let go, Luke turned around to look at the other team.

"I wonder what their planning." Luke said.

"Probably their excape route." Tails said, everyone once again laughing at his comments.

Luke looked closer. Before he started the game, he had taken an okay look at the members of the opposing team. They didn't seem like anything special, until now. If Luke wasn't going crazy, he could see two overly-sized bears putting on the team's jerseys.

The opposing team suddenly called the time out over, and everyone was told to get back on the field again. Except this time, the forwards were no longer the furs Luke and Ace had already dealt with. The forwards were the bears.

Luke compared how big they were to Ace and him. They were at least their size and a half, maybe more than that.

"Don't worry. We can take 'em." Ace whispered.

"How can you be so sure? Look at them." Luke whispered back.

Ace shrugged.

"The bigger they are the slower they are." Ace stated.

Luke thought about this, and figured it was pretty logical. Either way they would have to deal with the monsters in front of them some way or another.

"I'll push forward quickly like I did before. They're not gonna have time to even think." Ace said, confidently.

Luke took his word for it, and waited with the rest of them until the referee blew his whistle.

One of the bears kicked it to the left again.

That move again? How stupid. Ace thought, as he flashed to the ball as it slid across the grass.

Then suddenly, the bear from the left side was right in front of Ace, like he had teleported there.

He was about to kick it, and Ace couldn't do anything but get out of the way as his leg slammed the ball across the field and to the defender's area.

Ace recovered himself and looked at the kick's power as it sailed over the field.

"That move again? How stupid." The bear smiled slyly, as he demonstrated his speed once again by running down the field to get the ball.

Ace was surprised by his speed, but that's not the same as beaten.

I'm not letting that oversized forest ranger get the best of me, Ace thought, and he motioned Luke to go up the field as he went down.

Ace ran directly behind the bear that had bested him, but far enough away for him not to notice it.

The bear was running casually now, as he figured he had it made with the defenders. One of them, a golden retriever named Oscar, got the ball and tried to kick it up the field to the left side, but the bear on the right had caught up with his identical friend and head butted it to him.

But Ace caught this moment to speed up and catch the bear by surprise, taking the header away from his competitor and quickly kicking it through his legs, as he was so big there was no other alternative.

Ace was surprised by how far the ball had gotten through the bears legs, as it actually got very close to Luke; he was on the other side of the field, waiting for Ace's actions to send him the ball. When he did, it was no problem for Luke to pass the remaining defenders and get close enough to the goal to shoot.

Luke had just gotten to the goal and took his left net shot when-

POWW.

"WHHOOOO!!!!!!" Another outburst from the crowd(excluding the opposing teams fans) filled the night air. The ball went in, but the bear on the right had sped up to Luke just in time to catch his leg while he was kicking the ball and cause a collision of the bear's bottom cleat and Luke's calve muscle. The ball went up while Luke went down.

Once Ace realized Luke was in pain he rushed over to him, but by that time Luke had already gotten up.

"Oh shit, are you okay?" Ace said.

"Yeah...I'm fine...I just don't think I can run as fast as I was anymore..." Luke said, not too sure of his abilities as he was.

"Sorry, bro. I was aiming for the ball, but I guess I was a little too late, huh?" The bear chuckled as he ran back to his position.

"We should say something about this to the ref..." Ace started.

"No, we have one more point to get and we win. We only have about 5 minutes left, and we can't afford the ref to take a point off just because he fouled me." Luke said.

Ace didn't like it, but he went along with Luke's plan, since he and everyone else wanted to win.

Coach had also seen Luke's hit, and asked him if he wanted out, but Luke refused, because he knew Coach really wanted him to continue. They were all in place, the bears, Ace and Luke, along with the rest of the team members, with only about 4 minutes left on the clock.

"We can't use your technique again." Luke said.

"I know. I'm trying to think of what we could do..." Ace said, moving his eyes as if he was making out plays in his head.

"What are some of the plays we did in practice?" Luke asked.

Ace just shrugged, but then, his eyes got wider.

The referee was about to blow his whistle, when Ace said, "I've got it!"

The game had started, and the bear on the right already kicked the ball to the left side.

Luke was going to ask what the idea was, but he stopped, because Ace had already dashed to the ball.

By a stroke of luck, Ace actually acquired the ball before the bear, and sent it down the field.

But he did not send it down on the opposing team's side of the field. He sent it down his own.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Coach screamed at Ace as he ran down his side of the field with the ball, everyone puzzled by the sight (even the opposing team).

Luke hoped Ace hadn't lost his mind, and hopefully watched as his lover planned out his strange technique.

Ace continued to run the ball. He wasn't going very fast, and he kept getting closer to the middle until he actually got there. Both bears were on either side of him, running to catch up to him and get the ball, but...it seemed as though they had used a bunch of their energy in the last play and were a little slow now.

"Hah, the pressure getting to you boys?" Ace asked, smiling at them.

"Heh, we'll show you pressure." The bear on the right said, and without Ace's knowledge but by his common sense, he could feel that the bear nodded to the other as the one on the left did the same.

Ace was waiting for this. He got down to the end of the field, where his goalie was.

Then, both bears suddenly ran towards Ace with all their might, hoping one of them would get the ball. But just when they did, Ace slipped the ball under his cleat and flipped it over his head, while bouncing back his body at the last second.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Two things happened in about one second. The two bears collided with each other while trying to ram Ace, and fell on the ground together, while Ace, who had backed up while the ball was still in the air, performed the most devastating bicycle kick, causing the ball the fly over everyone's heads, and land straight in the goal.

"WWWHHHAAAAAAAAOAOOOOAOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The crowd roared for the last time after seeing a barrage of scores from Ace's and Luke's team. Even some of the other team's audience cheered due to the amazing ending.

The referee declared the game was over with three whistle blows, though nobody could hear it except for the players. As soon as the game was over, Ace ran to where Luke was as Luke ran to him, not caring about his leg anymore.

They met up near the middle field, while everyone was still cheering.

"You did awesome, Luke!!!!" Ace declared over the screaming.

Luke looked at Ace. He was glowing, and so was Luke. Luke then looked at the audience. He could see many of his friends, his teachers, and even though he couldn't find them, he knew his parents were also there, cheering for them. This was it.

"What's wrong, Luke?" Ace asked, still with a loud voice.

Luke then put his paws around Ace's neck and head.

Some people caught this and stopped what they were doing, but for the most part everyone continued on cheering.

"W-what...you're not thinking..."

"Ace..." Luke started, "I don't have to pretend anymore."

And Luke moved his muzzle to Ace's and kissed him.

AUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH it feels like forever since I've posted something new, imma sorryL iM TERRIBLE WITH ENDINGS. Though this rly isn't the end, but trust me, we're getting there! im hoping to work a lot on my writing during the spring break, so maybe I can post more stuff then! Or if I get the chance, before than! Anywho im glad I finally finished with this part. Cyaz guysXD