Touch Football mega thread

[nola_eleanor]

There was a field not too far from Phoenix Effect that was too small for all the various sports leagues in the city to have snapped up for weekend practices or games, but big enough for the fairly flexible game of touch football, so that's where they played. People came and went for most of the afternoon, though the game itself only lasted an hour and change. Almost everyone played, but there were several people watching, choosing to cheer or heckle or talk amongst themselves as it suited them.

When everyone got together enough to actually start the game, they divided into two teams, with Matteo as the referee. Zach's team was made up of Hazel, Max, Hanne, Nori, Nick, Alex, and Oliver; Kyle had Elspeth, Joel, Carrie, Caleb, Irene, Sam, and Elena on his team. It wasn't a blowout, but Zach's team won by a few touchdowns and were crowned the victors. Despite a couple minor accidents, everyone came out of it in one piece. More or less.

Comments

[nola_eleanor]

Elspeth was happy to wrap her arms around him; Joel gave good hug, and tucked up against a hot boy was one of her favorite places to be. "I can think of like half a dozen games I would much rather play now that you're here, but I guess I'll settle for football. If I have to."

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Are you trying to distract me from the game before the teams are even chosen? Because it's working."

[nola_eleanor]

"Good. I have weeks' worth of distracting pent up over here," she told him, leaning up and kissing him to illustrate her point.

[nola_buckybarnes]

Joel kissed her back, and it was so, so nice to feel normal for a moment. To be with someone he cared about, who wasn't secretly an Avenger, who didn't make him feel complicated and exposed.

But no, that was a little inaccurate, wasn't it? Because now when he was with Elspeth—when he was with a lot of people, actually, he had the niggling feeling that he must be missing something, that there was more going on that he couldn't see. He wanted it to be paranoia so badly, and maybe it was. When he pulled back from the kiss, it wasn't like she transformed into Loki before his eyes.

"I've been a bad boy toy," he told her with an apologetic smile. "I should have been distracting you."

[nola_eleanor]

"You're not wrong." Hey, she wasn't going to argue with what was obviously the truth. "I was this close to giving in to my impatience and coming to your dorm room, possibly giving your roommate the show of his life."

[nola_buckybarnes]

"I'm pretty sure he's not into women, but I still think he would have been fascinated. Maybe popped some popcorn." He felt sure she couldn't be a HYDRA agent or something, trying to keep tabs on him, because if so she'd have made damn sure he wasn't out of her sight for long.

[nola_eleanor]

"Which I would probably steal. You know how I like to snack after strenuous physical activity." As long as Elspeth had generous amounts of sex, food, and sleep in her life, she was generally a happy girl. "What are you doing the rest of the weekend? I'm hoping the answer is me." Elspeth was no HYDRA agent; her reasons for keeping tabs were mostly selfish and the only place she particularly wanted to spy on him was in the shower.

[nola_tristan]

“Wow, that’s so interesting,” which yes, could be the worst sentence, but Max said it with sincerity and enthusiasm. “What happens in a dance MFA.”

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Are you asking me out?" Joel teased. "I can't tell, you're so demure."

[nola_wanda]

"That's gotta be weird, studying history that's just a little different from what you remember," Dani pointed out. "Of course my country doesn't even exist here. I guess we'll both have to be careful not to slip in class."

[nola_buckybarnes]

"I never even thought of that," he admitted with a wince. "Note to self: cancel my dissertation on Captain America USO shows."

[nola_wanda]

One would think they'd both be used to experiencing culture shock by now, but it kept finding new flavors to come in. "I mean, someone on the internet would probably want to read it, still." Then again, Joel might not want to fuel the people on the internet discussing his experiences as purely fictional any more than Dani did.

Oliver

[nola_wanda]

After Joel left to talk to someone else, Dani scanned the newly-arrived faces for another familiar one. When she found Oliver's, she waited until he was looking in her general direction before lifting her hand in a wave.

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Probably not as much as they'd like to look at fanart of me wearing lingerie or something," he said. His...popularity, online, was a staggering surprise.

Katie

[nola_wanda]

With the game starting soon, the people who were actually playing had to group up. Dani decided to stay, for at least a little while, so she headed for the sidelines. In particular, she aimed for the woman Oliver had pointed out to her as the one who was, like Dani herself, someone Pietro knew but from a different universe.

"Can I sit here?" she asked Katie, pointing to an open space next to her.

Re: Katie

[nola_jeangrey]

Katie was glad she had come. She’d finally gotten to meet Hazel’s boyfriend, she’d spent some time with Caleb, she’d caught the eye of the woman she’d made out with for most of last night... and now someone completely beautiful wanted to sit next to her! Lucky Katie. “Yes, please sit here,” she replied happily, looking up at Dani. “I’m Katie.”

Re: Katie

[nola_wanda]

"I'm Dani." She sat down with a grateful smile, glad she had someone to sit with so she felt less awkward and exposed. "Oliver said I should say hi." Which wasn't exactly right, but Dani hadn't quite worked up the nerve to launch straight into discussing impossible things with someone she didn't personally recognize.

[nola_wanda]

"Well there's an image that's going to pop into my head at some inopportune times," Dani noted wryly.

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Sorry, but you can imagine how I felt to find it."

[nola_eleanor]

"Oh, did you need me to be more specific?" Elspeth grinned wickedly and looped her arms over his shoulders, pressing close. "I was asking if you're going home with me after this so I can make you come so many times you seriously consider googling if sex-related dehydration can potentially kill you."

[nola_wanda]

"I...don't spend a lot of time on those kinds of places on the internet."

[nola_quicksilver]

Oliver's face lit up. He couldn't help it—even if Dani wasn't his exact Wanda, he still felt a similar peace knowing she was nearby. He ran her way immediately, saying, "You came, hi!" with slight breathlessness that was unbecoming of a Quicksilver.

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Neither do I," Joel sighed. "But when I google myself, that's where it takes me. If you do the same, make sure Safe Search is on."

Re: Katie

[nola_jeangrey]

Oliver, huh? Katie considered the few potential meanings of that connection, but she also just smiled. “I just met him but he was really nice to me. And it’s nice to meet you. You’re not playing either?”

[nola_wanda]

Dani smiled as Oliver ran over to her; she wasn't used to anyone being that eager to see her. "I did! Hi." She was glad she did; she felt better having met Joel, less like she was just an incidental inclusion with a bunch of people she didn't know and was only connected to through Oliver.