Closed Seeing Stars

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas was feeling sad about Hufflepuff losing their previous game, but was still a bit hopeful about them at least beating Gryffindor. It was perhaps a bit of a long shot, but Elliot was definitely a better seeker than Flynn was. Lucas had been practicing in his free time as well, in case he would need to sub in for Elliot. He had spent most of his afternoons lately flying around on the Quidditch pitch, which was also because he was avoiding his studies a bit. The boy was up in the air now, trying to practice making speedy turns in case it would help him catch the snitch. For now, it was mostly making him dizzy.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake's final year at Hogwarts was wearing on, and his time on the Quidditch pitch had changed shape quite dramatically. Sure, he was still practicing for his team, he wanted to make sure Slytherin stayed champions, but even more so he was practicing for his own sake. He had to start trying out for professional teams to make sure he would have a career after school, and every second of practice counted. So he made his way out to the pitch at just about every free second.

He wasn't totally surprised not to be alone, though it took him a moment to recognise the boy practicing as Hufflepuff's alternate seeker. For a moment the familiar feelings of rivalry spiked and Blake wanted to shoot into the air and show this kid up, though it quickly passed. What would be the point? They were never going to play against each other, and he was just a kid. Watching more, Blake could see he was struggling a bit with quick turns, and the solution came to Blake easily. He was barely even thinking as he took to the sky, flying up to where the boy was practicing and speaking clearly. "You gotta turn your head first." He said firmly, remembering the spotting techniques he had learned from kids who figure skated during his own hockey days. "It's called spotting, it'll stop you getting so dizzy. Set your eyes to the direction you're trying to go before you pull the broom around."

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nearly fell of his broom when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He turned around in mid-air, not following the advice the boy gave a moment later, which made him feel decidedly dizzy. Or maybe it was being face to face with the star seeker of the school, who Lucas had privately thought was both handsome and extremely cool. "Oh." Was all he said, blinking rapidly. "Thanks." He managed to add.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake nodded when the younger boy thanked him, hesitating before speaking again. He knew this might be overstepping some boundaries, but it felt... nice to help. That was... the kind of person he was trying to reinvent himself as, so... why not? "If you want more help.... I mean, obviously Elliot's... a good Seeker, he's probably taught you everything already, but.... I mean, I'm here now, if you... if you want..." Blake trailed off into an uncomfortable shrug, wishing he had been as eloquent out loud as he was inside his head.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas wondered what the older boy would say to him, half expecting him to say something mean. He was a Slytherin after all, they weren't exactly known for being kind. But the boy's words were a complete surprise. Not only was he nice about Elliot, but he offered him help. Lucas blinked. "Really? You'd help?" He asked, voice full of wonder.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake was a little taken aback by the Hufflepuff's reaction, nodding nervously. "Yeah, totally..." He said a little awkwardly, flying closer. "Not like I'm giving secrets to the enemy, I'll graduate soon anyway. You'll be Ruben's problem." He added with a small smile. "Do you wanna work on those quick turns?"

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas grinned in excitement as Blake agreed to help him. He laughed at the boy's joke, grinning slightly at the idea of having his own Quidditch rival. "I guess so." He said, hoping he wouldn't fail to get on the team after Elliot graduated. Being an alternate didn't necessarily guarantee him a spot, after all. "Yeah!" He said. "Can I try again and you can tell me if I'm doing it right?"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake was relieved that Lucas seemed enthusiastic at his offer of help, smiling back at the Hufflepuff. "Cool." He smiled. "Yeah, go ahead. Try the thing with your head this time, it'll help you keep focus through the turn." He explained, trying to remember what the figure skating kids had taught him in what felt like another life altogether.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded eagerly at Blake's words and got started. He flew a small distance, then turned his head before turning the rest of his body. He grinned and gave Blake a thumbs up, before trying it a few more times. He really did feel better than he usually did. "It works!"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake had always enjoyed coaching younger people in sports, and he grinned brightly when Lucas managed the turn much more cleanly than before. "That's it!" He called out, letting go of his broom for a moment to applaud. "Looks way cleaner."

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas beamed at Blake, glad he was doing it right. He did it a few more times, until he still started to feel a little dizzy. Still, it was a lot less than it would have been otherwise. He flew closer to the older boy. "Thanks!" He said earnestly. "Do you have any other tips?"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake smiled as he watched Lucas practice, feeling almost paternal. It felt good to pass on his skills, to be useful to Hogwarts' future seekers. Made him wish he hadn't squandered so much captaining time being a shouty jerk to his team. He paused when Lucas asked for other tips, thinking for a moment. "I'd adjust your grip very slightly. If you hold the broom further forward you'll have better balance, and it'll be easier to accelerate quickly if you need to."

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas listened closely as Blake gave him more advice. He looked down at his hands and adjusted his grip accordingly. He then zoomed around Blake, using both of the tips he gave him. He held his broom differently and turned the way Blake had told him to. "Ta da!"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake watched Lucas put the tips into practice, giving the boy an encouraging clap. "Yeeeah, that's it!" He grinned. "How was that, did it feel different?"

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded eagerly, then grinned a little bashfully. "Yeah, it did." He said, nodding a bit more. "Thanks..." He said, suddenly feeling shy again.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake grinned, glad he had helped the younger boy. It felt good to teach like this. "Awesome." He smiled. "How about I grab a snitch and we have a little friendly game? First to catch it wins..."

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas had the feeling Blake would leave now and go do what he had come here for and was honestly grateful the older boy had given him this much of his time. So when the Slytherin suggested playing a friendly game, his eyes widened. "Uh, you sure?" He asked, hesitant. "I mean, you'll probably win." He added with a small laugh. "You're like, legendary."

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake laughed a little awkwardly at the younger boy's compliment, shrugging slightly. "I mean.... a lot of it is luck." Years ago, he had felt self-conscious and.... unimportant, admitting the same to Lars. Now, though... all the things he had built his ego on mattered less. "There's skill involved in being able to fly quickly and accurately, but all the good flying in the world won't win me a match if the snitch pops up right next to Flynn." He smiled slightly. "You've got about as much chance as any other seeker." He gave the boy another reassuring smile before flying down to quickly grab a snitch from the equipment trunk, clutching it in his hand as he flew back up to meet Lucas. "We on?"

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas shrugged when Blake said a lot of it was luck. "Not all of it." He insisted. "You haven't just been lucky to win all those matches." He said a bit surprised Blake would talk about it like that. But then he nodded. "Sure!" He said, grinning slightly. His eyes already fixated on the snitch in Blake's hand.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake snorted softly when Lucas said he hadn't just been lucky, but quietly Blake didn't know if that was true. It was easier to focus on the challenge at hand and he grinned. "Alright, I'll release it, count to five, then we'll go." He let go of the snitch, counted down for the two of them, and then shot off at once, searching for the snitch.