Closed Worst Game Yet

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel had never been more disappointed about losing a game of Quidditch. Still, he wasn't particularly sad to be back on the ground; the pain in his side was throbbing, and he knew he needed to get checked over in the hospital wing as soon as possible. He couldn't believe he'd been hit just seconds into the game. It was like the Slytherin beaters had it out for him - just like everybody else. He took as long as he possibly could getting changed in the hopes Analei would get bored of waiting and leave without him. All but one of the other boys had left by the time Arvel was finally dressed, and even then he sat for a while on the changing room bench, nursing his ribs. Quidditch was the only thing he really enjoyed at school, and today that had been taken away from him as well. Maybe he would stay in the changing rooms all night. Maybe nobody would think to come and find him. It was a nice thought, but Arvel suspected that if Analei didn't report him missing, the caretaker would find him when he came in to clean. Arvel sighed and rolled his head back against the wall. This had definitely been the worst game yet - and the worst year at Hogwarts.

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian had been very nervous for his first match, and as he sat here in the changing room after it was over, those nerves still hadn't really left. Abian didn't really feel like he had played at all, the match had been so short. It was all in all, a pretty disappointing experience. Abian was lingering in the changing room because a part of him didn't feel like the match was over yet. He still held a fragment of hope that they would be called back out to actually play, even though he knew logically that wasn't going to happen. He had dressed a while ago, and then spent some time trying to locate one of his socks. It had made its way over to the other side of the room somehow, and with it found, Abian was starting to run out of reasons to stay here. "Hey, Arvel... are you okay?" He asked the only other boy still there. "That looked like a nasty hit." he added. It really was a shame that the short game had included a hit, especially to one of his fellow chasers.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel hadn't been paying much attention to the other boy in the changing room. He was a chaser like Arvel and Analei, but he was also in the year below them, which meant Arvel had never made much of an effort to talk to him. Not that he made an effort to talk to anybody in his own year, either. He let go of his ribs and looked down, embarrassed by the boy's concern. Now his hand didn't know what to do with itself. He ran it through his hair. "I'm fine," he said, becoming more certain of this fact as he gave it a voice. "Probably just bruised..." He trailed off, almost willing Abian to leave him alone. His sympathy made him uncomfortable. "You... you were great out there. You played really well," he added, a tiny quiver on his lips the only clue that he was making a joke.

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian thought Arvel was one of the cooler people on the team. He wasn't much older than Abian, but had already been on the team for at least a year. He admired the boy, and felt sad that he had been hit. "I think the hospital wing has stuff against bruises." He said, approaching and taking a seat next to him. The boy's next words made him frown in confusion for a moment. "Uh," then he noticed Arvel's lip quiver a bit as if he was going to smile, and he got it. "Oh! You're joking." He laughed a little. "I really wish I could have played more. But you actually did play well in those few minutes we got. You got your hands on he quaffle! First!" He looked excited as he remembered it. "I was sure we were going to score lots and lots. Or at least, you and Analei would. I would have been happy to help out." He sighed, drooping a bit. "Too bad the seeker got the snitch so fast. What is a real game like? One that's longer than five minutes?" He asked him, looking at him curiously.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel had already decided he would go to the hospital wing, though not so much because he cared about his ribs as so he could avoid bumping into Analei for a little longer. His smirk turned into a real smile as Abian got his joke. Most of the time, when Arvel tried to be funny, people thought he was being sarcastic. Of course, sometimes he was actually being sarcastic. Sometimes he couldn't even tell. "Yeah, and then I dropped it," he said, warming suddenly to the idea of a conversation. It was nice, talking to someone who didn't think he was a total loser. Someone who actually thought he was good at something. He looked Abian in the eye for the first time, blinking. "Me and Analei? You would have scored, too. I've seen you in practice..." Arvel trailed off, unsure how to actually give a compliment. "It's OK. When you don't get hit. Sometimes... when you're flying with quaffle, as fast as you can, it's like..." He blushed and looked down. "I don't know. Like you're a bird, sort of. Like you're free."

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian shrugged as Arvel dismissed his praise by adding that he dropped it. "Well, yes. But you got further than I did." He said with a shrug. "AND you only dropped it because you were hit. Anyone would've dropped it when they are hit by a bludger I reckon." He said confidently. Abian blushed a little as Arvel looked at him for the first time, and then complimented him for how he'd done in practice. He hadn't really thought anyone had noticed. "Oh... thanks." He said, a little shy at the sudden praise. "But you guys have more experience, you're both great." He said with a smile. He listened intently as Arvel described the feeling of playing when the game lasted a little longer. He sighed wistfully, looking up at the ceiling for a moment as if it was the sky. "That sounds great, I want to play like that..." He said softly. "Is it bad that I'm more sad the game was over so quickly than that we lost? I mean... both are bad, but I wish we could've played a bit more even if we had to lose. You know?"

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel wasn't sure what was making him more flustered: Abian's compliments, or the fact he was so... well, cute. Attractive. Or perhaps it was neither of those things, but the fact he felt so guilty for suddenly thinking about how cute Abian was in the middle of a conversation about Quidditch. It was unusual, and embarrassing, but also in some way relieving; for over a year now, the only person Arvel had thought about like that was Nixon. "Um - yeah," Arvel agreed, standing up suddenly and stuffing his Quidditch kit in his bag. "Maybe we could... practice," he added. "Together. Some time." Why was his heart racing? He stopped and turned, slowly, to look at Abian. Why was he even still here? Everybody else had left ages ago. "If you want."

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian was looking at Arvel carefully, hoping to see if he was actually making him feel better or not. He seemed to go a bit quiet, and Abian wondered if he had said something wrong. His face fell a bit as Arvel suddenly stood up and started putting his Quidditch stuff away. Was he done with the conversation? Abian supposed he was keeping him here a bit longer, which hadn't been his intention. But then Arvel suggested they could practice together sometime, and Abian's entire face lit up again. He grinned. "Really? You would want to?" He asked, getting to his feet too. "I would love that!" He had assumed Arvel and Analei would train together a lot, being more experienced than him and also close friends. The fact that Arvel wanted to train with him made him feel like the boy saw him as an equal, and he really enjoyed that feeling. He beamed. "It would be awesome to learn from you." He said earnestly.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel's face split into a rare grin. "Aye, of course," he said, his Scottish accent growing with his enthusiasm. Somehow, he hadn't really expected Abian to say yes. His earnest expression of admiration filled Arvel with a kind of pride he'd never known before - an odd warmth that made him want to keep smiling on and on. It was nothing like anything he'd ever felt around Nixon, or anybody else ever. "No, I'd be happy. Really." He finished packing his kit into his bag and turned properly to face Abian. His heart stuttered in his chest. He was so close. He was... lovely. In every way. And almost certainly not gay. Still, he dared to step forward and put a friendly hand on Abian's shoulder, lowering his chin to look at him. "You're a good chaser. You don't have anything to worry about, OK?"

 

[Abian Hunter]

Seeing Arvel grin like that made Abian's heart jump in a way that wasn't entirely unfamiliar. It was just a feeling he'd so far associated with Jacob, and that one time he spoke to Emily, the pretty girl with the skateboard. What was it doing here, now? He couldn't stop grinning as Abian insisted he would be happy to train with him. "Could you teach me some tricks how to score?" He asked, trying to keep his mind focused on the topic at hand. But that was rather difficult as Arvel suddenly stood very close to him, and Abian felt himself blush as the older boy put a hand on his shoulder. Arvel was someone he admired, a lot. Not quite as much as Jacob, but definitely the most on his own team. He was a chaser like Abian himself, but had been on the team for a while already, and had been playing in real games. And he was only a little bit older than him. The boy standing so close to him was making his heart beat a little faster, and Abian feared the boy could tell, somehow. At his nice words, he only flushed deeper. "Th-thanks." He stammered out, suddenly shy in a way he almost never was. He just didn't know what to do in this situation, he'd never really felt this way before with someone standing so close to him.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel didn't know what he wanted - his mind was racing almost as fast as his heart - but he knew it wasn't this. He was making Abian nervous; and though it could have been a good kind of nervous, the kind of nervous that accompanied excitement, he didn't like it. Maybe it was because Abian was younger. Because he looked up to Arvel. Maybe it was because when Arvel had been his age, confused and naive, Nixon had played with his feelings, and he couldn't bring himself to do the same thing to Abian. He took away his hand and slung his bag over his shoulder, deciding his friendly gesture had been just that. "OK. I'll see you tomorrow," he said. "For practice." Abian had been a temporary distracted from the pain in his ribs, but he still needed to get them checked out. Blushing, he turned to walk away.

 

[Abian Hunter]

Abian wondered for a moment if Arvel was feeling something in the air too. Or perhaps it was all in his head? He had no idea if he was making things up, just basing them on movies he'd seen about teenagers. He was silently wondering what to do next, when Arvel removed his hand and placed his bag over his shoulder, a clear end of the moment. Abian felt disappointed, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "See you!" He said, trying to sound as cheerful as he had been before. "I look forward to practice, only if you're okay enough though!" He wasn't forgetting that Arvel had been hit by a bludger. He watched the boy walk away, feeling confused. The way he was feeling was a lot like how he felt around Jacob sometimes, and now he was even more confused about those feelings. He sighed, then finally started getting ready to leave the changing room himself.