Hello everyone!

I was torn between two endings for my original story, so I just decided to write the second one out and post it today! Hope y’all enjoy!

Once again, thank you to u/more-fact and u/mrremy10 for the inspiration to this story!

“Bake & Tackle” (The sfw version)

The warm scent of bread followed August wherever he strode throughout school. It was as though his family’s bakery had sown itself into the fabric of his red jacket, and was constantly warming some fresh delight for whoever crossed his path. Gus liked to joke that everywhere he went, men and women would drool when they saw him, and yet he wasn’t too far off from the truth. His scent made up for his slightly smaller-than average height, which would often make him difficult to find in a crowd. Those looking for him needed only to follow the aroma of bread and sugar.

Tina was just the opposite of Gus. After an hour of gym class, one could smell a bitter tinge of sweat emanating off her person. One would also have no trouble finding her in the halls of Waltman High, as Tina easily stood a head taller than most of her peers. Despite this, she could hardly be described as lanky. Where Tina’s body wasn’t curvy, she was chiseled and muscled. The smell of sweat was the sacrifice she made to keep her body and mind in prime condition and to keep her position as captain of the football team.

At the moment, Tina was wading through the crowds of hurried students, steadily making her way towards Algebra class. One of the perks that came with Tina’s height (in addition to longer strides and an advantage on the field) was the ability to see over the many heads criss-crossing through the greenish hallway. All kinds of hair and tops of heads floated past and swirled around her: shades of brown and blonde, braids and ponytails, even the occasional baseball cap here and there. Yet there was only one she was hoping to come across.

Tina felt like a fierce jungle cat, tracking down her prey by his sweet scent. Today would finally be the day that she caught him for good. As his aroma wafted to her, she could tell that Gus was nearby, but his exact position was still a mystery.

Tina heard a locker slam shut to her right, and at last her eyes locked on to August’s scruffy brown hair. The Baker was trying to shut his bag after filling it with far too many books, lost in his own world. His obliviousness was so strong that he failed to notice the giantess creeping up behind him. Tina placed a hand on the locker over Gus’ head and loomed patiently above him.

Gus soon turned and found himself face to face with the smirking linebacker.

“Heya Gus!” she smiled widely.

Gus was pleasantly taken aback. “Oh hello Tina!” He chuckled nervously. She was (literally and figuratively) August’s biggest crush. He admired the strength of her personality, and how she put so much dedication into becoming so physically strong. Unfortunately, she was also his biggest customer. Despite Tina’s diet, she simply couldn’t resist patroning the Greene Bakery four times a week for an almond croissant. When she stopped by and flirted with Gus, he ached to ask her out, yet every single time he would tamper his urges down. If she meant nothing by it and was simply teasing him, he would lose one of his favorite customers.

“H-How are you today?” He sputtered.

Tina cocked her head at his greeting, draping her auburn hair over her outstretched arm. Even when surprised, he was polite and sweet.

“Better since I saw you, Baker Boy.”

August could only giggle and stutter a few nonsensical words. This amount of explicit flirting was very new to him. He dared to think that she was hitting on him. Gus futilely tried to cover his red cheeks by putting a hand over his mouth. Tina was loving every second of watching him squirm.

She continued to lead, “Are you gonna be cheering for me at the game?”

August vigorously shook his head. “o-Of course!” His voice cracked. Why was talking to her so hard?

“Showtime.” Tina thought confidently.

She stood up to full height and flipped her hair back behind her head. “Anyway, I was wondering…” Tina gave him her slyest smile. She knew his answer already; the question was just a formality. “How’d you like to go out before I take the field tonight?”

Gus’ heart sank into his stomach. “W-well I’d totally love to b-but I have a shift until 7 today.” His first chance to have something with Tina, and it already started with a complication.

“Hmmm.” Tina pursed her lips. She should have foreseen this. She quickly formed a backup plan. “Maybe I’ll pop in this afternoon.” Why not? It’s how she had earned his affection.

“W-well I’d lov- errrr... It’d be great to see you!” Gus beamed.

The warning bell rang, leaving them with only a minute to get to class.

“Sorry to hold you up.” Tina piped up as she began to saunter away. “I’ll see you!”

“Yeah!” Gus waved, his heart still pounding. “I’ll see ya.”

The rest of the day seemed to fly by in just a few moments, and before Tina knew it, she was on her bus ride home. …

“Do you remember my first time here?” Tina closed her eyes to remember the moment. The table she and August were sitting at had not yet been added to the bakery’s decor, and he was just barely able to see above the register. “I was only a few inches taller than you.”

Gus smiled and looked around his family’s pride and joy. The pastry case had been smaller, there was no espresso machine, and the menu had been far more limited. In just a few years of his adolescence, the Greene Bakery had gone from a mere bread shop to a small cafe.

August quickly turned back to Tina and nodded in agreement. “I still remember you asking me what to get.”

“You were the one who recommended the almond croissant to me.” Tina recalled biting into the fluffy pastry for the first time, how the buttery bread had mixed with the chopped pieces of nuts and almond spread. “I blame you for getting me hooked.” She teased.

Gus chuckled and put his hands up in false surrender. “Guilty.”

They both laughed, taking a second to savor the moment.

Tina reached out and placed hand over Gus’ fingers. Her touch made him shiver a bit. Her grasp was a bit cold and, more importantly, he wasn’t touched very often. Her fingers were calloused, and still a bit green from digging into the freshly-mowed football field.

“The first time we met, you were so shy.” Tina matched Gus’ gaze and looked at his hand. It was red where the ovens had burnt him, and his wrist still had a smattering of white flour. “I thought it was a bit weird at first, like you didn’t like me.”

Gus shook his head apologetically. “I was just taken aback by how…” He chose his next phrase tactfully. “Outgoing you were.”

“You weren’t used to Tomboys.” Tina said jokingly, flexing her biceps dramatically.

“Heh heh, yeah…” Gus smiled. “After a little while I think I started to realize that seeing you made my days a lot better.” He put an open hand under his chin and looked up into Tina’s green eyes.

“Unlike the other people who come in, you talk to me and you really listen. I don’t ever feel like talking to you is just a formality or like it doesn’t matter. I guess…” He looked down at the table as his cheeks began to heat up. “You just make me feel like ‘I’ matter.”

Tina grinned. He was sweeter than any pastry she could buy, it seemed. She slipped her fingers into his, and gripped them tightly. Gus reciprocated as his blush grew brighter.

“And you took my advice about the croissants, which helps.” He quickly added before pretending to look out the bakery’s front window.

“Well…” Tina figured that she owed him the same courtesy. “I think after spending so much time around competitive guys and girls I started to appreciate your attitude a bit more.”

With her free hand, she reached out and softly cupped Gus’s cheek, lightly turning his bright red face towards her. “You aren’t constantly trying to one-up me physically or bragging about your grades. You’re just soft and sweet.”

Gus tried to sputter out a thank you, but again, the words seemed to catch in his throat. He finally settled for a grateful smile, and placed his hand over Tina’s. They were hard, and covered with small scrapes.

Finally, he found his voice. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you tonight.” Gus almost whispered. Tina gave him a knowing smirk. She would need to play extra hard if he was watching. “And….”

“I’m really looking forward to going out.” Gus nodded.

…

The rest of Gus’ shift was agonizingly slow. To his dismay, only half a minute seemed to pass every time he checked the clock. The only bright side to time’s snail-pace was that it allowed Gus to think about Tina, and the kind of gift he wanted to give her. When foot traffic died in the last hour, he set to work making a new pastry just for her.

At last, Kelly finally came by to take the closing shift, and August sprinted home to get dressed. He had only been able to see Tina at three home games this year, and was sadly low on Waltman High paraphernalia. He quickly decided to put on some clothes that at least matched his school colors. Gus was able to scrounge up a bright red shirt that he wore as part of the bakery’s holiday uniform and a white baseball hat. While one couldn’t quite call him a fanatic, he would certainly blend in with the crowd.

With what little time he had left, Gus made the final preparation.

After another small run to school, August arrived just before the larger crowds of students showed up. He used this as a chance to grab a front-row seat for all the action. Before him, the field was green, and the white meter lines were still sharp. The floodlights beamed intensely over the empty metal bleachers, protesting against the setting sun.

After about ten minutes, the bleachers were completely filled with fans clad in red and white. Students shouted to their friends to be heard over the din of the crowd and the thunks of noise sticks.

Tina watched the bleachers fill from the entrance of the locker room, rearing to go. At the moment, the Waltman Marching Band was taking the field, stirring up the crowd with familiar fight songs. The floor beneath her feet shook with each blast of the tubas, rattling her cleats.

Tina and her teammates were almost fully dressed for the game. She felt powerful being clad in her shoulder pads, scarlet ‘4’ jersey, white compression pants, and knee pads. She felt like a warrior in armor. The adrenaline she felt and the thumping of her heart was only increased by her inability to find August. He had surely come, right? He had to be in the crowd somewhere…

“Looking for your Loverboy?” Daya asked, slapping her hand onto Tina’s shoulder and shaking her a bit.

Tina smirked but didn’t turn to face her. “Exactly.”

Daya shook her braids out and grabbed her helmet off a bench. The team began to line up for their exit. “Well you’d better find him quick, cause we’re up!”

Tina’s eyes refocused on the gridiron. She saw that the other team had taken the field, and were lined up for the National Anthem. Their black and green colors seemed to counter her own. Tina snapped back to reality and quickly shuffled over into the line.

As the players emerged from the locker room to deafening cheers and applause, Gus leaned out as far as he could over the metal railing and held out his large cardboard sign.

Tina’s eyes were scanning the crowd when she saw it: a cardboard sign with a message written in black permanent marker.

“LEAVE EM DOWN “4” THE COUNT!!”

Above it, Gus’ face was grinning from ear to ear.

Tina’s heart fluttered at his support. While she was normally not one to break the rules, but just this time she decided to make an exception. She broke rank, ignoring the protests from her teammates, and jogged to the bleachers. Even with the break from procedure, the crowd was still going wild with anticipation for the game.

“I knew you’d show!” Tina shouted up to Gus. He stood just a bit taller than her on the raised bleachers.

“I wouldn’t miss it!” August put his sign down and stuck his hand out to her. She clasped it tightly with her glove.

“Hey! I made a new recipe! Just for you!” Gus shouted as best he could over the frenzied crowd.

Tina tilted her head and grinned. “Meet me by the lockers after this!”

Gus nodded to her, smiling wider than ever.

“Gus!” She leaned up as far as she could, gently grabbing August’s collar and pulling his ear to her mouth. “This game’s for you.”

Tina put both of her gloved hands on Gus’ cheeks and looked into his elated eyes. Without missing a beat, she kissed him as best she could. It was passionate, though not quite picture-perfect. Gus was surprised by her, and could barely react or move his lips. Regardless, time moved in slow motion for that one second, and they savored the feeling of finally pressing their lips together.

Tina broke away and, with a smirk and a wink, jogged off onto the field. The crowd behind Gus was cheering louder than ever at the display of affection, and several of the adjacent boys shook him around with congratulatory elation. August, however, was still in too much of a lovesick daze to notice.

The rest of the game was a whirlwind of jerseys and bodies flying everywhere. It wasn’t uncommon for Gus to catch sight of Tina during the start of a play and then lose her halfway through. The tackling and dog piles were nearly unbearable for him to watch. With every girl that flew into Tina’s stomach and dragged her down to the sod, Gus’ heart would skip and his fists would clench harder.

Tina made sure to give back every hit she took, however. Her ability to guard her quarterback from every threat was uncanny. She was a shield of muscle and might, throwing herself into the fray with all her power. No amount of bodies thrown at her would diminish her performance or weaken her iron-clad resolve.

…

After a stunning victory of 31 to 21, Tina and her team returned to the locker room in high spirits. They shared hugs, threw sports drinks at each other, and dog piled Coach Levens.

A short while later the team finished changing out of their gear, and Tina emerged from the locker room dressed in a scarlet and white letterman jacket and jeans. She quickly sent August a text, then tried to wait as casually as she could. No position seemed immediately comfortable, but eventually she was able to lean against the brick exterior of the lockers with a single foot on the ground, the other uncomfortably pressed to the wall.

Gus had to squeeze past quite a few lingering students to reach the locker rooms, but was able to round the corner after a minute and only a few awkward ‘Excuse Me’s. As the brick building came into view, so did Tina. Despite the incredible victory, she looked cool as a cucumber as she waited for him.

“Hey,” Tina flashed a smile. “Ready to head out?”

“Sure…” Gus was happy to go with her, if a bit confused. “Where to? Were you thinking of going to one of the parties?”

“Aha!” Tina gave a small laugh at his confusion. “I was thinking we could go for a little ride in my car.”

She produced a key from her pocket, then waved a hand towards the nearby parking lot. With the press of a button, Gus saw the headlights flash on a black car. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a black convertible, its top already down. Its design was sleek, and clearly from at least two decades prior. The leather seats were a shade of adobe red, and seemingly glowed in the light of the football field.

Gus nodded to Tina and they approached her ride hand in hand. With the pastry bag still clutched in his free hand, he climbed into the vehicle and strapped in. An old but well-loved scent could faintly be smelled off the leather seats, and the convertible purred happily when Tina turned the key in the ignition. With one hand on the stick shift, she reversed out of the parking lot, then drove out onto the main road.

The crowd noises and celebratory band music slowly drifted away as they accelerated down the residential street. Gus couldn’t help but feel everything in that moment: the cool breeze of the night air whisking past his cheeks, how the suburban houses seem to dim in the bright orange street lights, the way his stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies flittering beyond belief.

Out of sheer curiosity, he turned to Tina, her hair waving in the wind behind her like a flag.

“Are we headed somewhere?” Surely this journey had some destination.

Tina gave him a quick glance and smiled coyly. “I wanna take you somewhere special. It’s just a five minute drive from here.”

Gus closed his eyes and smiled, “Okay.”

Tina soon turned onto what appeared to be a dirt road. It ran between two houses and opened up into a small park that August had never seen before. This unfamiliarity with the area, coupled with the dark of night, gave him an apprehensive feeling. On one hand, Gus enjoyed the dream-like feeling of the ride. On the other, this amount of unknowns scared him just a bit.

The car seemed to lift upwards, and he realized that they had just reached some sort of hill. Around them, Gus could only make out the lanky bodies of trees against the night, and it appeared as though they had gone from a park into a forest. Tina noticed his posture beginning to stiffen and curl inwards. Gus’ left leg was clearly hopping up and down out of nervousness. She slowly reached her right hand out and put it atop his left, lightly gripping his fingers.

Gus looked up to Tina’s light smile, and was eased. His fear now seemed silly, almost. Wherever Tina was taking them would surely be worth any and all of the darkness they were driving through.

After just another minute of speeding up the hill and through the darkened forest, Tina began to slow down. Gus peered over the dashboard and noticed the sky was becoming clearer, as the canopy of trees slowly dissipated from above their heads. The dirt road seemed to be turning into grass, as the top of the hill came into view ahead of them.

It wasn’t until Tina had stopped the car and killed the lights that Gus fully understood where they were. He looked out into the night. Spread out before him was a massive view of the Waltman Valley. He could see his neighborhood spread out for miles, casting a warm glow through the blanket trees. Beyond it, the mountains rose proudly against the darkness, soaking in the light of the moon. As his eyes focused, he could slowly start to make out the many stars hanging above them like a curtain.

Tina loved the look of wonder upon August’s face. It was similar to her own when she had scoped out the hill the night before.

She relaxed in her seat, relinquishing the steering wheel and taking in the view. Because of her height, she didn’t need to lean so much in order to get the full view. “My teammate Daya told me about this place, and I think she was right.”

Gus turned to her, “About what?”

Tina casually reached an arm over Gus’ seat, drawing the two of them closer. “It's a great place to kiss and be kissed” She whispered, “If you’d like.”

Gus blushed for a moment, but resisted the urge to look away from Tina, keeping their eyes locked together. “I think I’d like that a lot.” He whispered back.

Tina finished coiling her arm around him, and they leaned into each other. Far more gently than last time, their lips met and interlocked. Tina took the lead, gently pushing into Gus’ face. Gus reciprocated as best he could by following her lead; he turned his face where he felt she could better kiss him.

Neither had ever wanted and received so much all at once. It was a moment of near picture-perfection, and they could feel everything. The breath on each other's cheeks. The soft, wetness of their lips. Gus acutely felt the wool of Tina’s jacket sleeve. Tina’s hand touched Gus’ neck, and she could feel his heart pounding.

After a few moments, they broke apart. Gus needed to catch his breath, and Tina needed to see the bright red blush she knew would be splashed across his cheeks.

Out of all the thoughts he could have had, Gus’ mind went away from Tina. He instead recalled his gift.

“Oh, hey.” Gus leaned away from Tina and reached back between his door and seat. “I almost forgot to give you this.” He lifted up a white paper bag and presented it to her.

The bag seemed to shrink in front of Gus’ eyes as she grasped it with her large hands. Tina slowly uncurled the bag’s wrinkled mouth and gingerly reached into it. Her finger clasped something soft, and she lifted it out. It appeared to be some kind of cake in the shape of a football. The exterior was a crispy, browned surface, and the “laces” were drawn with a few white lines of icing.

Tina took a bite, and her tongue was met with an explosion of flavor. She seemed to be tasting a mix of vanilla, cinnamon, nuts, and perhaps… just a hint of chocolate.

“Wow,” Tina chewed, savoring each new flavor that rolled across her tongue. “Just… wow.”

“I know, right?” Gus smiled excitedly, happy to hear that she enjoyed his cooking.

Tina swallowed then gave him an excited look. “Guess I’ll just have to drop by the bakery a bit more often then.”

August reached out and lightly grasped her free hand. “I’m looking forward to it.”