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_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_buckybarnes]

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

[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_buckybarnes]

This was killing him, because of course he wanted to say yes please and spend the night happily having fun with Elspeth. But now that he remembered things, he knew the dangers of dating someone like him. Hell, even being friends was a risk. He also didn't want to hurt her, though, and didn't want to be an utter asshole. And of course he still loved the feel of her against him. "Why would you waste all that energy on a jerk like me?" he murmured, just for her ears.

[nola_eleanor]

"You are not a jerk. Trust me, I know jerks," she reassured him, pressing a kiss to his jawline. Where was this coming from? If it was just for being busy for a few weeks, there were far better ways to make it up to her than feeling bad about himself. "You are hot and fun to be with and I like you. And it's not wasted energy when I'm getting just as much out of it." Elspeth kissed him slowly, encouragingly, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth as she broke it again. "What, you think I get you off out of the goodness of my heart?"

[nola_buckybarnes]

"I thought you were just a born teacher," he joked, genuinely touched by what she'd told him. He kissed the top of her head and said, "You're a star, you know that?"

[nola_eleanor]

"Only when I'm inspired by the right student," she replied cheekily, grinning. "So is that a yes to coming over? I miss you."

[nola_buckybarnes]

"Let's see how we feel after the game?" he suggested. "I might be destroyed by all this exercise and wholesomeness."

[nola_eleanor]

"Well now I'm vindicated in my belief that exercise and wholesomeness are the worst." But she wouldn't push it. Elspeth was nothing if not very good at pretending to be less needy than she actually was.