Subtle Watching

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares had thoroughly enjoyed the quidditch try-outs, he had always loved that time of year, seeing the new faces and the new talent that would be added to the team, especially since they were a winning team, they had won and they would hopefully continue to win under his leadership. Ares had at a certain point during the try-outs as he flew around watching people spotted someone who appeared to watching, this was not entirely uncommon, but his eyes seemed to be mostly on Ares rather than on the other players, that and the boy didn’t appear to be wearing any hufflepuff indicators. As the try-outs continue Ares flew close enough to eventually spot who it was and that made him smile. He concentrated on the task at hand, the try-outs, only when they were closed and the results announced did he decide to go talk to the certain person. Ares got on his broom and flew over to him, landing near the boy, ”Damide,” he greeted with a small smile, ”What are you doing here?” he couldn’t help but ask, he didn’t think Damide interested himself much to quidditch, but certainly as a ravenclaw what would interest him about the hufflepuff try-outs. Ares ran a hand through his now sweaty hair, keeping his gaze on Damide, ”Watching for someone?”
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[Damide Snow]

Damide thought he'd've been nothing more than an ant in the stands to the quidditch team circling and dipping above him, but as he watched, he too was being watched in return. The Hufflepuff quidditch team captain surprised him by waiting till the end of tryouts to fly down and greet him, which had definitely not been on the Ravenclaw's agenda. He'd come to have a quiet perv and leave just as quietly, but fate had other plans.
"No, I'm ... I'm just here to take some yearbook pictures," Damide said hurriedly, standing as Ares touched down onto the planks of the otherwise empty stand. Damide wasn't in charge of the pictures, and in any case, his camera was nowhere in sight. "Anyway, I'll just be going. Nice seeing you again, Jeffreys."

Ares was right to think that the Ravenclaw didn't concern himself with quidditch or Hufflepuff goings-on. The two students knew of each other, of course, but that was outside the game of spin the bottle they'd played last year in the north tower. Ares had cheekily dared Damide to lick the floor (disgusting), but Damide had gotten his own back when he'd dared another student to shave Ares' legs. The game didn't go much further than silly challenges and embarrassing confessions, but from that point on, he'd kept an eye out for the blonde Hufflepuff in the halls. A mild interest had developed into quite a crush without any assistance from Ares, which was why he'd found himself sneaking about the pitch to catch a glimpse of the fifth year whizzing about in his very handsome quidditch uniform. Now he was caught, and his cheeks were flaming.​

 

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares smiled at Damide, he was more than certain the boy was taking pictures for the yearbook but it didn't stop the smile that appeared on his features as he said so. He was sure that it was true, but he couldn't help but also think it wasn't entirely true, but he was surprised when the boy seemed to turn away to leave, "Don't leave yet," he said. Though they didn't know each other all that well, Ares couldn't help but admit how he did like Damide and thought that Damide was a rather cute. He didn't know if the boy played for his team, but he was happy to give it a try, and the boy had just spent some time staring at him during the try-outs.

"Can I see the pictures?" the boy asked, looking for just about any reason to get Damide to stay. He didn't know how else to, the boy probably didn't want to linger around when Ares had caught him, but it didn't matter to Ares. He wanted to spend the time with him. He was also curious about the pictures, the ones he usually saw were at the end of the year, and wouldn't mind seeing a few early. The teen smiled at the other boy, "I don't mind that you were watching the try-outs, the pitch is a free place where everyone can come," It was the truth, he didn't mind it, and he didn't mind that Damide had maybe been watching him, if the roles were reversed he would be the one with pink, blushed cheeks.
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[Damide Snow]

When he was asked to stay, Damide couldn't help but obey, weak as he was to that go-lucky grin and the hopeful look. Embarrassed, he half-smiled at Ares and looked away, hoping to find another excuse before the jig was up. His cheeks only grew redder when Ares asked for the pictures, which Damide knew very well did not exist. What was the point of taking pictures before the team had been decided yet?
"You know I can't show you those," he laughed a touch nervously, proud of his quick thinking. "I wasn't really watching- I'm not so interested in sports- I just had some other work to do before classes started clogging it all up, you know how it is." Well, maybe not in sixth year, although it was still dreadfully hard, but at least Ares could empathise since the younger boy was heading into OWLs this year, which Damide had only just scraped through (in his mind).

"You, um ... You did a cool thing before, though," the Ravenclaw continued, blushing even harder after inadvertently revealing that he had been watching after all. "What's that called, when you threw the quaffle over your shoulder?"
It was simply called a Reverse Pass, not that Damide would know, but it was too late to feign complete ignorance of the move, after he'd spent half an hour just watching Ares fly.​

 

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares was almost happy by how embarrassed it seemed that Damide was. It was just funny to him, he liked the other boy and it was pretty nice to actually like someone. He didn’t know if Damide liked him back but it was still fun to him. He was beginning to question if Damide had even taken any pictures. He hadn’t it thought it overly likely that the boy was taking pictures but there was no denying that he could’ve been. He smiled at him, ”Oh I get that,” he replied, since quidditch was Ares’ own escape from the life that he was usually dragged down by in classes, he didn’t like classes or hadn’t liked classes and this was one way he achieved, ”This semester in particular, I’ve got a lot of work to do for this and classes, but flying and the pitch always settles me,” he loved being on the pitch and even though he now had work on it, he liked the pitch.

He was surprised when the older boy complimented him, even going so far as to try to use lingo from quidditch or sports in general. Ares smiled, ”A reverse pass,” the chaser said with a warmth on his expression. He was definitely happy to know that Damide had been watching, ”Thanks Damide, have you ever considered playing, or do you prefer watching?” Ares asked him, ”But I’m thankful you liked it, I’ve been working on that move for a while,” Ares wasn’t the one who usually went for flashy moves but he knew if he wanted to get on a team, he couldn’t just be good, he had to be the best. ”If I’m going to get on a team after all this, I need to be fancy as well as good,” Ares shrugged with a small smile.
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[Damide Snow]

Ares' indulgent expression made his cheeks heat again, but Damide made a staunch effort to ignore them. He hadn't banked on receiving any attention from the handsome fifth year, but now that he was it was pretty nice. There was nothing he could do but laugh when the Hufflepuff asked him if he flew.
"Neither, to be honest," he admitted, hanging his thumbs in his robe pockets sheepishly. "I did first year flying lessons but that was it. Could barely get off the ground." This, too, was a source of some embarrassment, so he felt the need to explain.
"My father hates flying, it freaks him out, so I never got a toy broom as a kid. I mean, I got other stuff, but I didn't come from a muggle background, so it is a bit weird. I didn't get much higher than a few feet in class and then I just chickened out," he laughed. "So I watch sometimes, but it just makes me feel bad that I can't do it too so I don't come to games very often." Only when Ares was playing.

Looking at the younger boy, an exhilarating thought occurred to the Ravenclaw. It was humiliating to ask, but the payoff would be worth it if Ares said yes.
"Hey, um ..." Damide grinned and ducked his head a bit. "Maybe you could take me up? I could just hang on behind you. You're pretty experienced, so I reckon I'd feel alright up there if ..." Ah, hell, he was making an idiot of himself. "Well, only if you've got the time." And the inclination.​

 

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares has grown used to the opposite sorts of people at hogwarts, those that flew and those that didn’t, for any various reasons. He was surprised that Damide had barely flown and largely because of his father. He hadn’t really learned till he’d gotten to school, having been raised in a mostly muggle household. His brother being the one to eventually teach him, but his desire to play had always been great. Hearing stories about flying wizards was the most appealing thing to him. It was the greatest thing. He loved it, but he knew that others might not. Though perhaps by the way Damide was talking about it, he might be swayed to the quidditch life. If he only got the opportunity to play a little, ”You shouldn’t feel bad, out of a large school only a handful actually play,” Ares was trying to make the boy feel better but perhaps empty words wouldn’t help that.

The hufflepuff captain was surprised at the way the boy asked for Ares to take him up. Ares looked down at the broom, to the sky and back to Damide, a smile appearing on his features, ”I’d always have the time for that,” he replied, he put the broom in a steady position, and got on, creating enough space so that damide could sit behind him, ”I’ll try to not go too fast, just hold on tight and tap if you want to stop,” the boy smiled at him. He liked Damide, the boy was nice, friendly and he was cute. Ares had no idea if Damide was gay or bi, but Ares would certainly date him if given the chance.
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[Damide Snow]

Damide could hardly believe that he'd been so brave, but his candidness had been rewarded. Ares didn't even hesitate to offer him a ride, and the Ravenclaw boy looked left and right just to check that no one was watching before giving the blonde a tentative smile. Looking at the broom, Damide did well not to gulp, but he was more concerned about holding onto Ares than he was with falling off. The olive-skinned young man mounted the broom a bit awkwardly and put two hands on the Hufflepuff's waist like they were in a conga line, but as soon as they took off he was clinging for dear life, pressed back to chest as the stands shot away from them.

Damide buried his face in between Ares' shoulder blades as they rose to greater heights. It was difficult to do since he was taller than the younger student by several inches, but either that or accept the fact that there was nothing between them and the ground except a stick of splintery wood. It took several rounds of the pitch before he was game enough to open his eyes, and a few dips around the goal posts before he could peel his head away to watch the sky. When he finally did, he laughed for joy- flying as as exhilarating as it was terrifying, and he definitely appreciated why so many people took the risk.​

 

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares adjusted himself on the broom and allowed Damide to jump on the back. He took a little moment to adjust himself properly upon it and made the space that Damide needed. Then he shot off, flying high into the air. He glanced around to him, but noted the head buried into his shoulder. Ares couldn't help the grin which surfaced as the boy did this. He though it was cute. He was pressed into him, tightly holding on, but Ares wouldn't let anything happen to him. Of course not. What kind of person would he be if he allowed that to happen. Ares kept a steady pace, flying high but at a reasonable height that he could enjoy it. Eventually, after flying round a few times, he could feel the grip upon him loosen, and the head be removed from his shoulder slightly. That was clearly all it took. Ares couldn't help the grin upon his lips at this. At the laugh which filled the air. This was why flying was the best, even those who were scared or terrified could just enjoy it, could scream out for joy. He took the time to make sure Damide could enjoy it properly before heading back to the ground.

After getting off the broom, he looked towards Damide and smiled, "I have to head back to the dorm room, quidditch prep you know, but if ever you want to do that again or even just hang out, come find me?" he said, for the first time in the conversation appearing more shyly, he liked Damide, but he wasn't sure the boy liked him back, certainly not in the way Ares liked him, "Or maybe I can come find you," he added a little nervously, but he just took a deep breath, "Sorry, just if you want to hang out, I'd be happy to," he put the broom over his shoulder and gave one last smile, "I'll see you around Damide, don't tell anyone about what you say at the practice," he added with a joking tone before giving a small wave and walking away. God, that had been amazing.
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