Foul Play
folder
Original - Misc › -Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
2,844
Reviews:
46
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Original - Misc › -Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
2,844
Reviews:
46
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Three.
Chapter Four: The 20th Strikeout
x.x.x.x
“It’s a homerun!”
I stared stunned at the ball that was soaring across the field, James Harrison’s figure hurriedly stumbling through grass to reach it before we won the game. “Huh?”
Alec, next to the pitcher on the opposite team, sported a huge grin. “Told ya he could handle it!” He said to no one in particular, yet everyone was listening.
My fingers clung to the bat, heavy with the heady feeling of scoring a hit. I stood still in question for a few seconds, before the catcher finally got annoyed. “Olsen, what the Hell are you waiting for? Run!”
It took a moment for me to realise that behind the diamond fence, my teammates were swearing and cheering all at once, telling me to run to first base – and eventually home.
So I did. And Alec, as though he was waiting for the outfield runner to toss him the ball so he could tag me, ran through the bases with me. Faster, always a little faster, and almost as giddy.
“It only took twenty or so strikeouts, hey, Quin?” He yelled over the wind that was roaring in my ears as I felt the commotion of James returning, ball in hand, behind me.
I laughed, nearly tripping in my excitement, but I finally made it home, along with two other runners.
We didn’t win the game, though. No matter the situation, Alec was always the winner.
x.x.x.x
Sometimes I want to touch him so fucking badly.
I mean, past the nudging. Past the playful, and purely platonic touches we already share. What I want is for the touch to linger, and it takes all my restraint to keep my arm from staying around his shoulder just a second longer than it should.
Kissing Hannah was fantastic, because I’m not void of hormones. But there’s something about Quin’s neck, the way it connects the veins in his throat and curves into the angle of his chin, perhaps. It’s as if that small hollow, the first part of his body to grow warm in a nervous flush, would fit perfectly against my palm.
Shit. And here I thought my angst had fought war against my romanticism and won.
x.x.x.x
“Up for a game?”
Alec threw his catcher’s mitt at me with a small smile. I held the tough glove in my hands for a moment, before tossing it back. “Can’t! Remember that history test on Monday?”
“It’s Wednesday, you dweeb. You have almost a week to study for that shit.” Shoving his glove back in his bag, he looked at me almost exasperatedly. “It feels like you haven’t scored a homerun since your first... and that was what? Last summer?”
I cringed. I’d only hit three homeruns in my lifetime, but I’d been hanging out on the field less and less with each passing month. It was Alec’s favourite sport, and even though he didn’t play on a team so didn’t have a lot of playtime, he always skived off a game to hang with me instead. “I’m really shady on the renaissance, Alec.” I ventured slowly, feeling a sort of tension in the air that was completely new to me. “I’ll meet up with you and the guys later, if I can.”
It was just a courteous phrase – one I knew he would decline before throwing his bag onto his shoulder with a sigh, yet still pausing to chuck his history book next to his baseball glove inadvertently choosing to study with me instead.
“Yeah, okay.” He said, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Rubbing the back of his head, the green pieces prominent against his pale skin, he nodded. “I’ll see you later then?”
Blinking, my history book seeming twice as heavier than before, I nodded slowly back. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah.”
I guess a friendship is unhealthy when you expect to be showered with attention, but at Alec’s retreating back, I felt my spirit drop. Eventually, I walked home myself, reminding myself it was just a baseball game.
x.x.x.x
“Hey!”
I shoved my history book aside, the ink of my ballpoint pen streaking against my palm as a side effect of my haste. “Hey!”
“Umm... how’s the studying?”
I stared at the scribbler in front of me, streaked persistently with jumbled words and hours of studying. “Eh,” I replied noncommittally, kicking the papers away and leaning against the headrest of my bed. I had moved away from my desk a long time ago, after my body began to cramp from sitting for the entire evening.
“Hey look, sorry to bug you while you’re digesting the renaissance, but... Uh...” He hesitated, and suddenly, there was a gnawing in my stomach. “I’m not going to be able to make it this weekend, for that Star Trek thing.”
“It’s not Star Trek...” I began lamely, holding back a sigh. I wouldn’t allow myself to be clingy, so after tapping the back of my cellphone a few times in agitation, I relented. “All right, okay. Is that all?”
“You’re not mad?” Alec’s voice seemed to untangle also.
“Nope.” Instead of dwelling on it further, I sunk against the comforters of my bed. “So what are your plans anyway?”
“Hanging with Ryan...” I could practically feel his wince. “I mean, I didn’t blow you off just to hang with him, but he’s got these tickets to that football game on Saturday.”
If I had followed football, I would have known he was lying. When I later discovered that fact... well, you can imagine the conclusions I came to. But at that moment, I smiled a bit in relief. “You’re going to be missing out, man.”
Alec finally laughed. “Yeah, yeah. What was it really? Some documentary on botany?”
My silence said it all.
“You’re such a wimp, Olsen.” His laughter continued, even as I grumbled discontentedly.
“Have fun at your game.”
x.x.x.x
I would push through three hours of botany crap for Quin. But there’s that touching problem of mine. His couch is small, and after our growth spurts, it’s even harder to sit comfortably spaced away from each other.
His foot always manages to sneak into the crease that separates our cushions. Even though he stares at the TV, never sparing it a second thought, I can’t help but notice his close proximity.
Just the thought of how close he is, and how my hand can brush up so easily against his hip, feigning it as an accident....
The only thing more dangerous that pushing him away, is pulling him closer.
Hell. If I’m going to lose Quin’s friendship one way or another, I’m going to lose it on my terms.
x.x.x.x
A/N: Super tired. My 8AM class tomorrow is not going to be fun!
Thanks for reading!... and once again, another short chapter. I’m actually enjoying this length, to be honest. It allows me to collect my thoughts before I post the next. :) Sorry if it’s unfulfilling, and I’m still hoping to broaden the size after a while.
Now, onto the responses! Everyone is read and appreciated!
x
2Anise: I’m so glad you’re enjoying the double POV! I actually am finding it thrilling to write in the perspective of the character that isn’t pining for someone, but actually the other way around! It’s sort of new to me! And yes, I am Canadian :) I love my toques! Haha.
2ariesgirl: Alec’s POV is short, because I don’t imagine him as the dramatic type that writes pages upon pages into his diary. As for the second part of your review – yes, totally a typo! And a huge mistake, haha. Thanks for pointing it out, and it is fixed! :)
2Illyric: Hahah! Yeah, that would’ve been a nice little random edition, hey? Death by cannibal... followed by pizza and Star Trek. It would fit in quite well, I think. I chose cancer because it was real, and though overdone, a huge global issue of today. Thank you so much for your reviews!!
2julianYES: I’m glad it’s not too confusing anymore. :P I kind of want to mould them together, so it doesn’t feel like a harsh shift from character to character. Alec is supposed to be more of a little connective insert, after all, rather than a fully formed POV. I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed it thus far, and I hope it only gets sweeter. :)
2Bexy31: Sorry the chapters are so short! The plotline doesn’t progress too much because of it, but I hope you continue to enjoy the read, nonetheless!
2kls: Thank you! More quirks to come. :)
2aki: It’s a little of both! All my writing starts off from a small plotline, and progression happens mostly as an impulsive hunch. But I do know where this is going to go, so that’s a good sign, haha! I’m not very good at planning – but my fingers seem to type anyway :P
2Rachel: That always happens to me, lol! I glance past a summary 10 times or more, before finally reading the story ... and I’m surprised when it becomes my new favourite. I’m happy that my fic was a positive experience for you, haha! Alec is quite fun to write, maybe we’ll get to see a little further into him later, hey? ;)
x.x.x.x
x.x.x.x
“It’s a homerun!”
I stared stunned at the ball that was soaring across the field, James Harrison’s figure hurriedly stumbling through grass to reach it before we won the game. “Huh?”
Alec, next to the pitcher on the opposite team, sported a huge grin. “Told ya he could handle it!” He said to no one in particular, yet everyone was listening.
My fingers clung to the bat, heavy with the heady feeling of scoring a hit. I stood still in question for a few seconds, before the catcher finally got annoyed. “Olsen, what the Hell are you waiting for? Run!”
It took a moment for me to realise that behind the diamond fence, my teammates were swearing and cheering all at once, telling me to run to first base – and eventually home.
So I did. And Alec, as though he was waiting for the outfield runner to toss him the ball so he could tag me, ran through the bases with me. Faster, always a little faster, and almost as giddy.
“It only took twenty or so strikeouts, hey, Quin?” He yelled over the wind that was roaring in my ears as I felt the commotion of James returning, ball in hand, behind me.
I laughed, nearly tripping in my excitement, but I finally made it home, along with two other runners.
We didn’t win the game, though. No matter the situation, Alec was always the winner.
x.x.x.x
Sometimes I want to touch him so fucking badly.
I mean, past the nudging. Past the playful, and purely platonic touches we already share. What I want is for the touch to linger, and it takes all my restraint to keep my arm from staying around his shoulder just a second longer than it should.
Kissing Hannah was fantastic, because I’m not void of hormones. But there’s something about Quin’s neck, the way it connects the veins in his throat and curves into the angle of his chin, perhaps. It’s as if that small hollow, the first part of his body to grow warm in a nervous flush, would fit perfectly against my palm.
Shit. And here I thought my angst had fought war against my romanticism and won.
x.x.x.x
“Up for a game?”
Alec threw his catcher’s mitt at me with a small smile. I held the tough glove in my hands for a moment, before tossing it back. “Can’t! Remember that history test on Monday?”
“It’s Wednesday, you dweeb. You have almost a week to study for that shit.” Shoving his glove back in his bag, he looked at me almost exasperatedly. “It feels like you haven’t scored a homerun since your first... and that was what? Last summer?”
I cringed. I’d only hit three homeruns in my lifetime, but I’d been hanging out on the field less and less with each passing month. It was Alec’s favourite sport, and even though he didn’t play on a team so didn’t have a lot of playtime, he always skived off a game to hang with me instead. “I’m really shady on the renaissance, Alec.” I ventured slowly, feeling a sort of tension in the air that was completely new to me. “I’ll meet up with you and the guys later, if I can.”
It was just a courteous phrase – one I knew he would decline before throwing his bag onto his shoulder with a sigh, yet still pausing to chuck his history book next to his baseball glove inadvertently choosing to study with me instead.
“Yeah, okay.” He said, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Rubbing the back of his head, the green pieces prominent against his pale skin, he nodded. “I’ll see you later then?”
Blinking, my history book seeming twice as heavier than before, I nodded slowly back. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah.”
I guess a friendship is unhealthy when you expect to be showered with attention, but at Alec’s retreating back, I felt my spirit drop. Eventually, I walked home myself, reminding myself it was just a baseball game.
x.x.x.x
“Hey!”
I shoved my history book aside, the ink of my ballpoint pen streaking against my palm as a side effect of my haste. “Hey!”
“Umm... how’s the studying?”
I stared at the scribbler in front of me, streaked persistently with jumbled words and hours of studying. “Eh,” I replied noncommittally, kicking the papers away and leaning against the headrest of my bed. I had moved away from my desk a long time ago, after my body began to cramp from sitting for the entire evening.
“Hey look, sorry to bug you while you’re digesting the renaissance, but... Uh...” He hesitated, and suddenly, there was a gnawing in my stomach. “I’m not going to be able to make it this weekend, for that Star Trek thing.”
“It’s not Star Trek...” I began lamely, holding back a sigh. I wouldn’t allow myself to be clingy, so after tapping the back of my cellphone a few times in agitation, I relented. “All right, okay. Is that all?”
“You’re not mad?” Alec’s voice seemed to untangle also.
“Nope.” Instead of dwelling on it further, I sunk against the comforters of my bed. “So what are your plans anyway?”
“Hanging with Ryan...” I could practically feel his wince. “I mean, I didn’t blow you off just to hang with him, but he’s got these tickets to that football game on Saturday.”
If I had followed football, I would have known he was lying. When I later discovered that fact... well, you can imagine the conclusions I came to. But at that moment, I smiled a bit in relief. “You’re going to be missing out, man.”
Alec finally laughed. “Yeah, yeah. What was it really? Some documentary on botany?”
My silence said it all.
“You’re such a wimp, Olsen.” His laughter continued, even as I grumbled discontentedly.
“Have fun at your game.”
x.x.x.x
I would push through three hours of botany crap for Quin. But there’s that touching problem of mine. His couch is small, and after our growth spurts, it’s even harder to sit comfortably spaced away from each other.
His foot always manages to sneak into the crease that separates our cushions. Even though he stares at the TV, never sparing it a second thought, I can’t help but notice his close proximity.
Just the thought of how close he is, and how my hand can brush up so easily against his hip, feigning it as an accident....
The only thing more dangerous that pushing him away, is pulling him closer.
Hell. If I’m going to lose Quin’s friendship one way or another, I’m going to lose it on my terms.
x.x.x.x
A/N: Super tired. My 8AM class tomorrow is not going to be fun!
Thanks for reading!... and once again, another short chapter. I’m actually enjoying this length, to be honest. It allows me to collect my thoughts before I post the next. :) Sorry if it’s unfulfilling, and I’m still hoping to broaden the size after a while.
Now, onto the responses! Everyone is read and appreciated!
x
2Anise: I’m so glad you’re enjoying the double POV! I actually am finding it thrilling to write in the perspective of the character that isn’t pining for someone, but actually the other way around! It’s sort of new to me! And yes, I am Canadian :) I love my toques! Haha.
2ariesgirl: Alec’s POV is short, because I don’t imagine him as the dramatic type that writes pages upon pages into his diary. As for the second part of your review – yes, totally a typo! And a huge mistake, haha. Thanks for pointing it out, and it is fixed! :)
2Illyric: Hahah! Yeah, that would’ve been a nice little random edition, hey? Death by cannibal... followed by pizza and Star Trek. It would fit in quite well, I think. I chose cancer because it was real, and though overdone, a huge global issue of today. Thank you so much for your reviews!!
2julianYES: I’m glad it’s not too confusing anymore. :P I kind of want to mould them together, so it doesn’t feel like a harsh shift from character to character. Alec is supposed to be more of a little connective insert, after all, rather than a fully formed POV. I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed it thus far, and I hope it only gets sweeter. :)
2Bexy31: Sorry the chapters are so short! The plotline doesn’t progress too much because of it, but I hope you continue to enjoy the read, nonetheless!
2kls: Thank you! More quirks to come. :)
2aki: It’s a little of both! All my writing starts off from a small plotline, and progression happens mostly as an impulsive hunch. But I do know where this is going to go, so that’s a good sign, haha! I’m not very good at planning – but my fingers seem to type anyway :P
2Rachel: That always happens to me, lol! I glance past a summary 10 times or more, before finally reading the story ... and I’m surprised when it becomes my new favourite. I’m happy that my fic was a positive experience for you, haha! Alec is quite fun to write, maybe we’ll get to see a little further into him later, hey? ;)
x.x.x.x