tales as old as time

Darling boy, just who do you think you are? You walk with your head held high yet you trip over your own feet. You're l o s t in this vast chaos, attempting to show a confidence you lack. Promise, they said you'd have. A future worth millions. Yet you're nothing but a child scrambling at c r u m b s. Oh darling boy, I am FATE and let me tell you something. If you have dreams and ambitions, stop being a coward. Be g o l d e n, be a k i n g. Bow to no one and show your true worth and your true self. Stop living in the chaos. So darling boy, who are you?

[aidenbotsch-blog]

gloryhoskinss:

Pulling a slice from the box, she can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the boy, wondering if the food was about to come with some kind of ultimatum or condition that she had to fill. She wasn’t about owing people favors, and she didn’t want to have a debt to someone she hardly knew, but the offer was too nice (and the pizza smelled too good) to resist. Picking up a slice, she resisted pulling the pepperoni from the top, knowing she was much more fond of onions on top of her pizza, but she wasn’t going to complain. It was free, after all.

She didn’t know if Aiden was being nice to her because he wanted something, or if this was just the kind of person he was. The people that Glory seemed to interact with always came with a price, whether it be physical or that they needed something from her. Looking at Aiden, though, she couldn’t see him doing that. There was something genuine behind his smile, which was different to her. She couldn’t the last time she experienced a genuine smile from an actual person (and her baby brother didn’t count,) but somehow it felt… nice. Like she had needed this all along.

Her ears perking up at his interest, her eyebrows raise at the mention of a willow tree. She had always been fascinated by the way that they droop, almost like they were weeping, too sad and delicate for this world. Standing abruptly from the bench she was sitting on, and right in the middle of Aiden’s story, she holds her hand out to him, raising a brow. “Well? Are you going to show me this tree now or not? I didn’t find it.”

Aiden was someone who couldn’t ever really just settle himself down. He was always antsy, a leg bouncing or hands shuffling something around. It was primarily due to never being able to just calm his mind down, to think clearly or not think at all. It tended to be the reason Aiden annoyed many people, not able to stay on a single topic, not able to really make a decision if it was a relatively bad day for those thoughts. But that tree? Sitting under it always managed to calm Aiden down, to slow his brain down and let him relax. It was a lot like back home, the tree in his backyard that he’d grown up spending every day playing around.

Glory suddenly standing in the middle of his story of the tree on campus took Aiden by surprise but he smiled and let out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll show you the tree! As far as I know not too many people seem to know it’s there or just don’t really go near it. Shame for them, it’s the best place.” Aiden grabbed his things, making sure to close the top of the pizza box to toss away in the trash can nearby. “Come on, it’s not too far.”

Aiden let the way to the tree, walking away from most of the campus buildings until reaching one of the far ends and there stood the giant willow tree, leaves blowing in the wind gently. He walked over and reached out to pull back the branches like a curtain, motion for Glory to slip through. “And into the magical world of the willow tree, we go. Like I said, you gotta just lay on the grass and just watch the sun twinkle in through the leaves, It’s one of the best things.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

kentcheongs:

What. The. Fuck.

Those words were quickly becoming the motif of Kent’s evening. It started at the first remark from the Tornadoes, a hissed “what the fuck did you just say?” on the court line when one of their strikers thought they could get a rise out of the Fox, and they were right. That voice was the only other thing Kent could hear, aside from his racing heart and the slight ringing in his ear from the buzzer and his own cheers moments ago, as tensions settled and silence washed over the court in anticipation of the next play.

That first what the fuck apparently didn’t fly with the Tornadoes, and Kent could only find himself muttering “oh, what the fuck do you think you’re doing,” as sticks clattered to the floor and gloves fell after them, though the words weren’t meant to be heard. They didn’t need to be communicated when his body language did it for him, anyways, chest puffing out as his own stick and gloves hit the floor, sending a clear message: you don’t mess with Kent Cheong.

Fortunately, they wouldn’t. Unfortunately, the referees did. A whistle blew, and with it came a smug smirk from Kent, who immediately assumed justice would be served. Instead, the yellow card was shown his direction, the neon color reflecting in his eyes as they narrowed. “Wait, what the fuck?” he shouted, the first expletive that would immediately put the referees against him as he tried to argue his point. When the second was shown his way, he could only shout those three words again as he stepped off the court, fuming.

Now, finally back in Fox Tower, Kent was unable to let this anger wash away. He should have been able to let it settle; they won, after all. However, Kent was never the type of person who let things go. It all simmered within him, waiting for the right amount of heat to push him to his boiling point (which wasn’t very hard to achieve in the first place). So, instead, his anger burned red hot, causing the words to bubble up once more as he hissed at the person who approached. “What the fuck do you want?”

After the game, Aiden had some fun with some of the Vixens but then was quick to head to the Den to shower. He was hot, tired, and gross. The whole night he did exactly what was his job. He smiled, he cheered, he got the crowd roaring for the Foxes. The only thing missing was his head. It hadn’t been in the right frame of mind since earlier that day, a single phone call enough to throw him off. Aiden Botsch, the guy always ready to have fun and party it up just wanted to call it quits for the night.

He took his sweet time in the shower until he heard the loud voices of other Vixens and Aiden forced himself out of the shower, knowing others would want the bathroom eventually. He went to his room, roommate gone, and Aiden able to just get changed and grab his phone and keys before he headed out. Of course, like always, Aiden couldn’t just leave and turned with a big smile to tell everyone he’d be back before he let the door shut behind him.

The night air felt great, cooling Aiden but also warm enough it could dry his damp hair a bit. As he walked along the campus, Aiden had his phone out and was texting a classmate of his, a soccer player he’d become good friends with. That’s precisely how Aiden ended up stepping out from one of the rooms in the Fox Tower, running his hands through his hair and attempting to be quiet for the sake of whoever was actually on the floor in the dorm hall.

Aiden was making his way out when he saw Kent, a smile forming at the familiar face but it was quick to vanish as he raised his hands defensively. “Whoa, was just on my way out.” He lowered his hands, arms falling to his side as he sighed. From the sidelines, he knew Kent hadn’t had the best game ever. There had been a lot of anger from both sides and Aiden could feel tension even from where he stood on the sidelines. “Sorry ‘bout the game. Kinda bullshit what happened. I’d ask if you’re okay, but I’m gonna go with no...”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

mckennamonroe:

McKenna didn’t argue after that. She wasn’t going to turn down pizza if he was genuinely offering to to her. It wasn’t often that she allowed herself to eat something so indulgent, usually sticking to healthy dinners, but she liked cheese too, and let herself eat it sometimes. Like now as she reached into the box and grabbed a slice, taking a careful bite. The cheese was perfectly melty and delicious that she couldn’t help the happy moan that escaped her. “Thanks,” McKenna laughed, grabbing a napkin.. “I didn’t realize how much I needed pizza, until I had it.” 

She didn’t know much about juggling parties, like Aiden seemed to. Sure, she got invited to some, but not enough where she had options. She knew a thing or two about pushy people though. Her roommate last year was constantly trying to get her to go out with her and seemed to forget that homework was still a thing. “I’m sure there’s a way to do both,” She suggested with a small shrug, not that she’d know. She had the tendency to drown herself in homework and neglect the other side of college living. 

Usually, she’d turn down Aiden’s idea, claiming that she also had homework to do and that the study session was her only option. But she knew she needed to branch out–that she couldn’t miss out on the fun part of being a college student, so she nodded eagerly and pulled out a coin from her bag. “Here,” She handed it to him. “Go ahead and flip.”

“Everyone always needs pizza,” Aiden pointed out, waving a finger in the air to add to the point he’d made. If there was one thing that Aiden couldn’t live without when it came to food, it was pizza. There was something magical about the grease mess that sorta made everything in the world better. It was exactly why he’d decided to buy pizza to help make him feel back about slacking on either homework or his social life depending on what he decided to do. Aiden would be lying if he said he wasn’t leaning toward going to a party.

And McKenna appearing to be up for joining if fate decided so? Aiden was all for that. The more the merrier! Aiden took up the coin from her, spinning it on the table just for fun first. “Look at us, letting fate decide what we do for tonight. Why can’t every decision be made like this? Just leave it up to a single precious coin to make every decision for you. I might actually do that for a day and see what happens,” Aiden said with a laugh. He was considering the idea though, to let chance make his decisions. “Alright, let’s flip this coin and find out if we’re gonna be doing homework at the Vixen Den tonight or if we’re gonna go party and have some fun.” Aiden shoved the rest of his pizza slice into his mouth, finishing it before he set the coin in place and tossed it up into the air, quickly catching it. He snapped his hand over the coin to hide the results, biting his lip. “You look first!” Aiden said, uncovering the coin so McKenna could see it and he couldn’t.

[aidenbotsch-blog]

gloryhoskinss:

Sitting down apprehensively across from him, she couldn’t help the strange look she gave him. She didn’t know many people on campus yet. She had really only associated herself with her team mates and her roommate and that was hard enough. Socializing was out of her wheelhouse - she had rarely done it when she was in group homes. In school, she ended up fighting anyone that looked her the wrong way. So now, someone offering this amount of kindness felt like it was going to cost something - and she wasn’t going to have that.

“I’ve never heard that, but i guess it’s true.” She agrees quietly, looking down to the food in front of her. Most days - either in her real home or her group home - fighting for food was a struggle. Between all of the kids in her family, and then all of the girls in the group home, she essentially had scraps. Pizza was a luxury, and she still looked at it that way. Sure, it was one of the cheaper foods, and it wasn’t necessarily expensive, but it was delicious. She didn’t want to be greedy. Grabbing a slice, she takes a bite and feigns an elated facial expression. The cafeteria’s pizza wasn’t this good. It was probably one of the better meals that she’d had in years.

Swallowing before speaking, she looked to him, still holding the slice in her hand. “Walking around? Kinda making a map of campus. Scouting out good spots, shortcuts, anything here and there that I can find…”

Aiden took another bite from his pizza slice, one that may in fact already be his second slice. Whenever he did eat, it always ended up being quickly and a lot of it. His attention was mostly on Glory, piqued considering she was a Fox and it wasn’t very often that he was able to actually interact one on one with the Foxes. Each one of them was different and as an outgoing person who wants to be friends with everyone, he’d always wanted to befriend the Foxes since he joined the Vixens. Unfortunately, that had been easier said than done so far.

People. He loved everything about them. He loved the intricacies of people and their stories. Every person had their own little web, a tale that made them who they were. Aiden wouldn’t know half the things he did if it weren’t for the people he’d met and the lessons and stories they told him. Each was a book that Aiden respected and wanted to know more about. And for Aiden, that seemed to get him in more trouble than anything else.

“That’s actually kind of smart. If I knew half the shortcuts I know now when I first came here I would have saved myself so much trouble. There’s also this really cool spot behind building the science building where if you go at just the right time at the end of the day, the sun shines through the leaves of the willow tree and it’s amazing. I’ll just sit behind the curtain of leaves and just relax.” Aiden set down the crust of his second slice of pizza, grabbing a napkin from the side. “Winter’s coming through, not much time left to actually be able to do that. I should show you one of these days!”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

gloryhoskinss:

Wandering was something that Glory had always done well. It had come in part with living in a completely rural area. There wasn’t much to do when you couldn’t drive (and your brother had scrapped your bike for parts to fix his own), so instead she took to the forest instead. She began scaling trees, thriving with nature and learning the ins and outs of the forest and the river even on the bleakest of nights. Palmetto was different. She hadn’t experienced a nasty day from the moment she arrived. There was sun almost all of the time and not enough places to hide.

She didn’t know why she felt the need to constantly disguise herself, especially here. There was no one that knew her here. She was a clean slate, open to a world that hadn’t shunned her yet. She still liked to climb up, and further away from people that she feared would never understand her. In a way, she knew she was running from emotion. People were often crippled by their emotions and she swore to herself when she got out, she wouldn’t ever allow herself to be that weak.

Trying to map out her surroundings and get to know the campus by heart, her head turned up at a voice, her eyebrows raising. She recognized him. He was a vixen, one that she didn’t remember that well… but it was free food. Setting her bag down beside her, she sat apprehensively across from him, looking down at the pizza and then back up to him. “You sure? You could always save some of it for leftovers, you know.”

Aiden was obnoxiously drinking from his fountain drink, eyebrows raised at the Fox. Glory, he knew only by name. Despite being a Vixen, there weren’t too many of them that he ran into and talked to on a constant basis. Aiden had a truckload of classes, practices, and a social life that he was somehow managed to keep from driving him crazy. And most of the social events he went to there weren’t ever Foxes. Not unless it was at the Vixen Den. 

“Why keep myself leftovers when I could just share my pizza with someone? Isn’t that what people teach when we’re kids? Share your crayons and that’s how you’ll make friends.” Aiden set his cup down and reached for a slice of pizza, taking a few bites. He couldn’t really remember the last time he ate which wasn’t shocking. Aiden tended to forget that he needed to eat if he wanted to survive and usually that ended up with people reminding him. His parents always worried that he was running a million miles a minute and that’s why he tended to forget. It wasn’t surprising for him to get text messages from his parents asking if he had eaten that day.

“Were you out doing something fun or just walking around?” Aiden asked with genuine curiosity.

[aidenbotsch-blog]

louishgranger:

Aiden might be the only person in the world that’s more extroverted than Louis but when they’re together, they have a habit to become what one might call ‘a force to be reckoned with’. He’s Louis’ go-to guy when it comes to parties and pretty much anything social related because even if Louis isn’t feeling it, he can almost always guarantee that Aiden will be feeling it more than enough for the both of them. Right now Louis is doing pretty good but hanging out with Aiden can only make the banquet more fun.

“I wasn’t planning on trying that until later but now that we’re here…” He winked at Aiden then grinned lazily, side stepping the small puddle of drink on the floor now in favour on resting his arm over Aiden’s shoulders companionably. “Urm, it looks cool because we did all the decorating,” Louis said, “but I’m having a good time. Are you?” He then dropped his voice and leaned in a little closer to murmur to Aiden. “Tell me you’ve also noticed that there’s a lot of really cute players on these other teams because I have definitely noticed.”

Louis didn’t put a lot of effort into getting with people, especially when there was a chance he could see those people again. He was self conscious of his scars and how painfully visible they were once clothes came off, he either needed a room to be pitch black or he needed to be drunk enough that he didn’t care if someone saw. He didn’t even change in his room if Aiden was there, he always went to the bathroom to get dressed and he also turned up to practice already in his uniform. It didn’t mean he couldn’t admire from afar though.

Trouble. It could easily be what the look in Aiden’s eyes held. That mischievous glimmer that usually signified that Aiden had done something he shouldn’t have or he was going to do something that he shouldn’t do. So far, he’d been on his best behavior but it wasn’t a guarantee that it would stay that way.

“Well, you did all the decorating. I conveniently had to disappear and showed up right back when you guys all finished decorating,” Aiden said with an innocent smile. Decorating wasn’t his cup of tea and he wasn’t about to be yelled out for not twisting a streamer the right way. “The banquet hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been talking to a lot of people but there isn’t much excitement going on. Might be a good thing, don’t think we really need an all-out Exy war going on right now. That’d make headlines in the morning.”

It was a little troublesome knowing that the Ravens were on Palmetto territory, locked away in the same room as the Foxes. He knew enough about the history of the two teams to know that they were nothing but bad news and meant trouble to the Foxes and Vixens.

Aiden chuckled quietly at Louis’ quiet words, nodding his head. “It’d be a shame if I hadn’t noticed. I spent a lot of the beginning of the banquet flirting with a bunch of the Exy players and now I’m seriously debating sneaking off with one of them. Or more. Would that be awful of me?”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

cadencelowell:

She slid her eyes toward him at his initial observation, wondering if he was just saying it to be contradictory or if he really believed it. “How many people in this room do you think actually want to be here?” She was betting not many, especially from the expressions she’d seen, especially from her own teammates. “Me dancing usually ends in someone else having a broken toe." 

Aiden made a show of raising his hand and pointing around at different people, acting as if he was counting how many people wanted to be there. Who knows, maybe someone actually was thrilled to be at the banquet. “Exactly zero is my estimate,” Aiden said with a laugh. “It’s why you have to just have fun with it and forget about all the bullshit.” He pointed over to the large group of people dancing around by the DJ, having their own fun. It was more about making the most of the time they had. “Oh, come on, that can’t be true. I’m sure you could go over there and dance with all the others and be the best. Look at them, they all look like thrashing flamingos.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

mckennamonroe:

McKenna frowned when her phone lit up with a call from home. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to talk to her grandparents, but their last conversation didn’t go very well. Also, whenever they called, she had to censor everything she said to prevent them from finding out what she now did in her free time. “Hello?” She greeted, stepping out of the food line, so she wouldn’t get too distracted. It was her grandma, and she instantly began drilling her about her classes, homework, social life, etc. She found herself quickly zoning out, scanning the room, until she spotted Aiden having a loud conversation with another girl. She seemed insistent that he needed go to a party. She couldn’t help the slight giggle that escaped as her grandma lectured her about the importance of keeping up her GPA.

“Oh sorry, I wasn’t laughing you, Grandma. Just…something in the cafeteria. Let me go outside.” Forgetting about her quest for food, she stepped outside to finish the conversation, trying to politely wrap it up, because there was only so many times she could explain to her that she studying hard. “Me and my roommate formed a study group. Of course, she’s a girl,” She blinked in surprise, shaking her head. Finally, she managed to end the conversation, making sure to tell her she loved her before hanging up with a loud sigh.

She didn’t realize she wasn’t alone anymore, and gave Aiden an apologetic smile, taking a seat across from him. “Are you sure?” She asked. “I don’t want to steal your food, but I’m starving,” She admitted. She could always get back in line, but it was probably a lot longer now. “That girl looked devastated you aren’t going to that party. Sorry, I overheard.”

Aiden shifted the pizza box so that it was closer to Mckenna, between the two of them. He was more than happy to share the pizza, something glorious that no one should miss out on. “You’re totally not stealing my food, take however many slices you want. I’d rather share it knowing nothing is going to go to waste.” Not like he couldn’t eat the whole pizza if he really want to do that but he’d probably have to ask Mckenna to help make sure he didn’t get sick. Granted, last time he’d done that he’d also been drinking.

At the mention of the party, Aiden shrugged his shoulders as he took a bite from his pizza slice. It was very rare that Aiden would say no to a party and it wasn’t like he didn’t want to go. There was just a pile of homework waiting for him and Aiden didn’t want to be pressured into a party by Cassidy. Great girl, not so good intentions. Aiden learned that the hard way last time he’d gone with her to a party. 

“It’s not a big deal. Maybe to her, but that party isn’t really going to be that great and last time I went to a party with Cassidy, I regretted it. Great classmate and she’s a great girl but she’s pushy.” Aiden took a sip from his drink. “Besides, there are two other better parties going on and I have a giant pile of homework waiting for me so I’m sorta stuck between this ‘do I wanna live my life and go have fun’ or do I wanna actually be productive and get work done.”

Aiden had already been trying to reason with himself that he could get it all done Monday, that he could spend his weekend living it up and forget about homework for just a little bit longer. “I have an idea! How ‘bout I flip a coin. Heads, you and I do a study session. Tails, you come with me to a party and we have fun. What do you say? Or you can totally ignore me and do your own thing.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

isadoraelbert:

                    School wasn’t easy for Isadora. People thought it did because she ended up getting decent grades, but it was actually a lot more difficult for her than she ever wanted to admit. Maybe she was good at math and science and those subjects were easy, but when it came to everything else, she had to take twice the amount of time to study the material before she felt comfortable with it. Luckily, she had a nice spread of classes and felt comfortable with the material that she was currently learning. She wanted about ten more math classes, but of course she still had more general education classes that she needed to take. 

                    A few of her friends from her math class had messaged her earlier about going to a party, but honestly Isadora wanted a night where she could study. It had been an interesting weekend so far. Being a Vixen was still strange getting used to. She’d missed cheerleading, but she had other interests too. Isadora’s face was in her math textbook when she heard the voice that brought her to reality. Almost. She looked over to see Aiden. Part of her didn’t want to talk to him, but she also didn’t want to be rude. She wanted to give the Vixens a chance, but it was difficult. None of them knew what she’d been through and she didn’t really want to explain it yet either. 

                    “I’ll pass, but thanks. I don’t eat pizza,” she replied. “But I’ll watch you eat it and I’m sure you can bring it back to the Den and someone will eat the leftovers.”

Aiden flickered his eyes up to Isadora, mouth open as he’d been just about to shove a piece of pizza in his mouth. Moment paused. Someone didn’t eat pizza? That was a first for Aiden. “You don’t eat pizza? Pizza? The gift that was given to us from the gods of the world of dough and cheese land?” He pressed a hand over his heart, the shock evident on his face. Chocolate and pizza. It was the two things that Aiden cherished in this world and if he heard that someone didn’t like them or eat them, he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. “What in the world has pizza ever done to you?” He playfully teased.

Taking a bit of the pizza, he had no regrets getting the entire pizza. Isadora was right, if there were leftovers then he could just take them to the Den and it would be gone in no time flat. That is if there was any pizza left. “Got your nose pressed into a textbook too. You do know weekends are supposed to be for relaxing, eating, and not studying, right?” Hypocrite considering he’d been telling himself that he was going to have to start doing his homework before it piled up and got out of hand.

[aidenbotsch-blog]

striker-brayden:

At some point, Brayden lost Arlo during the room shift to accommodate the DJ booth. The whole point of being “dates,” the word still makes Brayden shudder, is to be each other’s buffer for the brothers they didn’t want to see. Wymack’s threat still resinates deeply with Brayden, so he quickly scans the room to see if he can find Arlo, hoping he doesn’t see a blonde in the process. A hand grips his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise, whipping around to see it’s just Wymack. “Jesus fuck,” He curses, resting a hand over his pounding heart. 

“Wrong, but close enough,” Wymack comments. “I came over remind you what I said in our meeting. You’re staying here tonight. I don’t care what happens.” 

By the tone of his voice, Brayden can tell he’s not fucking around. He’ll take him out of the game in the blink of an eye if he fucks this up. Wymack’s tolerance for his bullshit is at an all time low after he stormed out of the interview. “Alright,” He agrees flatly, pursing his lips. He’s not going to argue, even if he wants nothing more than to leave. 

“I’m serious. You so much as go outside for a cigarette break and you’re done. You’re lucky I didn’t pull you out of the game for the shit you pulled last week. Couldn’t even keep it together for the sake of your teammate.” There’s a huge difference when Wymack is disappointed in him than when anyone else is. He actually feels guilty–hating himself for making Wymack doubt his place on the team. Even though he respects the fuck out of him, it just isn’t enough to fix his need to self-destruct. Which is why his gaze shifts from Wymack to search the floor again, needing to check if Landon is near–if he can overhear them. 

Wymack has known Brayden long enough to know what he’s doing and his expression softens slightly, “Stop standing here by yourself and actually hang out with your team.” 

“I have a date,” Brayden mutters, even though he has no fucking clue where he is.

Wymack clearly doesn’t believe him as he lets out an annoyed huff, “Shut up. And stay inside,” He suddenly looks at someone over Brayden’s shoulder and points to them, “That goes for you too.”

 Wymack moves on to the next person as Brayden turns around to see who’s behind him, wondering how much they heard. “He loves me,” Brayden smirks, just trying to not show how fucking uncomfortable he is. He can’t even erase it with alcohol this time. 

Aiden hadn’t felt content since the beginning of the banquet. It seemed like all the Exy players were constantly on edge, a mixture of wanting to have fun and make the event a great time and also an opportunity to trash talk and rile each other up. Aiden had overheard so many different conversations ranging from on end to the other that he felt dizzy. Being a Vixen, Aiden wasn’t really involved in all of it. He had to give the Foxes credit for all the shit they had to put up with from the other teams.

Boredom had started to set in not too long after the banquet started. Aiden was all about partying, but the type that meant being at the Vixen Den with multicolored lights, alcohol sloshing around, and Aiden forgetting about everything he had to worry about. This? Wasn’t his cup of tea. It felt so much like the one and only event he’d gone to with his grandparents and other family members. Stiff. Pretend. Exhausting. It wasn’t the environment that Aiden preferred.

And this wasn’t a time to cause trouble to cure the boredom. Aiden kept to the edges, tempted to duck out and find something else to occupy his time (he wasn’t a Fox and figured the attendance rule couldn’t possibly apply to him). It was when he came around full circle that he paused, hands shoved in his pockets and leaning back on his heels as he watched the exchange between the Fox and Coach Wymack. Maybe he should have kept walking, but Aiden ended up rooted in his spot.

Aiden let out a low whistle after Brayden spoke, shaking his head afterward. “Sure seems like it. Loving little pep talk.” Aiden stepped closer, eyes glancing around at all the bodies within the room and spotting the mix of Exy teams. “Not really fair,” Aiden started quietly and giving away he’d been eavesdropping. “You guys deal with enough bullshit from all those other teams on the court and even outside of it. I get the making impressions things and standing tall. I know about that all too well... but it still doesn’t seem fair.”

He’d never really understand a fraction of what the Foxes went through and might still be going through. Aiden respected all of them nonetheless. “I give you guys all the credit in the world. If being a Vixen’s taught me anything, it’s that you guys are pretty incredible and the rest of the world is just full of shit.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

vivbrooks:

Vivian had spent a good majority of her week planning the decorations of the Banquet. The head cheerleader didn’t have any clear relationship with the Exy coach but Wymack was pretty clueless about event planning. Luckily for him , Vivian had been on the Event Planning Committee in high school. Now finally at the event, Vivian surveys her surroundings delighted that it didn’t look too shabby. 

Shimmery silver dress does plenty to accentuate her features and the Vixen certainly knows it. Catching one of the Ravens giving her a lewd stare, Vivian gives a secretive middle finger before downing her drink and facing the person closest to her.”Honestly I don’t think the Ravens are far enough. We should have put them in the car park or near the bins so the garbagemen don’t forget to collect them too.”

Aiden wasn’t much of a party decorator since his favorite part was the actual party. When it came to decorating the banquet, Aiden helped in carrying things in and putting together a few things. But, conveniently, he had to go to the bathroom for a very long time and avoided the rest of the decorating. His little disappearance gave him time to get together his suit that had been hidden away in the depths of his closet. He had his good suit, a gift from his parents, that had stayed hidden until an occasion like this arose. And the banquet was the perfect occasion. Now standing in the banquet and looking around at everyone, Aiden couldn’t help but be impressed by the entire scene.

And most of the thanks went to Vivian, the fellow Vixen Aiden found himself next to. He bit back the laugh but couldn’t help the smile at what she’d said, his eyes wandering over to some of the Ravens. “Sadly, we’re supposed to be the good people here. Remember, take the high road, don’t stoop to their level, all that bullshit nonsense people say.” Aiden shrugged his shoulders and finished the drink in his, reaching over to set the glass on a nearby table. “Part of me wants to believe at least one of them has to be okay but being entirely honest, that seems impossible.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

louishgranger:

Louis was always the life of the party and never part of the set up. It’d always been like that; in boarding school, parties never got started until Louis and his friends turned up and if they weren’t going then the party wasn’t happening. Things were different now, he tried to keep a barrier between himself and the kid he was at school but sometimes he still itched for that kind of fun, even though helping to set up is pretty satisfying.

He generally keeps out of the way during the ‘prom’ itself because this isn’t his territory and the last thing Louis wants to do is try and turn this into more fun than it’s ever going to be. So he mostly sticks with the Vixens, eventually venturing off to talk to a couple of the Foxes and deadass nearly ruins someone’s night when he walks straight into them with a drink in his hand. “W-oah!” Louis exclaimed, taking a step back and looking the person up and down, checking to see if any of his drink had spilled on them. “My bad! Totally wasn’t looking where I was going. Did I get you?” He asked, grinning a little sheepishly. And this is why you don’t check out players from other teams whilst walking.

When the Exy teams were all arriving, Aiden threw himself at the chance to be part of the welcoming party, greeting everyone and smirking at more than a few people he wouldn’t have minded sneaking off with. When the actual party began, Aiden kept to himself and listened to the Foxes’ coach. He couldn’t imagine how the Foxes might have felt, being surrounded by all the teams who seemed to have a history of being asses. But Aiden wasn’t here to be sad and feel bad. Aiden was here to have fun and maybe hook up with someone.

After eating, Aiden entertained himself by talking to players from other teams. He flashed smiles, laughed loudly, and flirted to his heart’s desire. Aiden knew how to be on his best behavior and he would be for the banquet. After the banquet was a different story. With half promises to meet up with people later on, Aiden went to fo find himself something to drink. It was on his way that someone ran into him, realizing a second later that it was actually Louis. “Jeeze Louis, I didn’t know you’d concocted some grand plan to get my shirtless,” Aiden teased lightheartedly.

“You enjoying the banquet so far? Looks pretty cool even though we had to do all the decorating.” Aiden slipped his hands into the pockets of his suit pants, relaxing considerably more.

[aidenbotsch-blog]

cadencelowell:

Music pulsed through her chest as she moved around the room, eyes sweeping from left to right. She felt dangerously out of place in the thin-strapped dress and heels. She longed for her sweats and her couch. There was no avoiding the event, though and she did her best to smile and chat until she found a familiar face. 

“If there is a God, he is laughing at me right now." 

Aiden raised his eyebrows, glancing around at the dances, the stragglers, and the ones who looked like they were in their own little world. “Oh, come on. It isn’t that bad.” He was always up for a good time or making a boring party a good time. “Let loose a little, dance like no one’s watching! Or just keep standing here.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

Aiden Botsch - Fall Exy Banquet.

“Fuck it, I’ll wear the suit during the banquet. But for the after party? Breaking out the red leather jacket. Best way to pretend I’m a badass and not a total softie.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

akiraxsato:

Akira stuck to a strict schedule most days, nominally because if he didn’t he wouldn’t get near as much sleep as he needed…or he’d end up missing classes and he hated having those conversations with Wymack. Really he just hated professors that snitched but what could he do about that at the end of the day? Nothing. But no matter how many times he rolled over or shoved a different leg out from under the covers he couldn’t get to sleep. The worst part was he had no excuse other than he didn’t feel like it. The hall was blissfully quiet and none of his room mates were up playing the TV at a god awful volume. He just couldn’t go to sleep. So he’d finally given up the ghost and gotten dressed again. He’d take a walk or something, tire himself out. If that didn’t work…well it wouldn’t be the first nap he took somewhere in the Fox’s locker room. Someone was bound to wake him up eventually and he’d make his way back to the dorms.

He’d made one lap of campus feeling the odd urge to do something. Anything would do, even if it meant working ahead in his homework load. Something Akira rarely did. He was the champion of doing homework an hour before it was due. One of his best papers had totally been written in the hours before class started. Nothing like getting an A he didn’t really work for. Half way through his second lap of campus he spotted a familiar face next to a box of pizza. He didn’t know the guy well but after two games he was pretty sure he was a Vixen. 

“I’ll help but only if you promise not to tell my captains I was eating pizza on the weekend. My cheat day is Thursday.” He smiled a little and sat down, already reaching for a slice of pizza. Cheat day was almost every day for Akira but he didn’t really care. He worked off all the calories and then some. He needed this food. “Why’d you get a whole pizza anyways? Don’t tell me I just gate crashed a date that never was.”

Seeing Foxes outside of the games was always a weird experience for Aiden. He stood there on the sidelines, pumping up the crowd and cheering on the Foxes. Outside of those games? Aiden wasn’t sure if most of them knew his name or if he was even supposed to talk to them. The only time that seemed to go out the window was whenever the Vixens had a party at the Vixen den. But really, Aiden couldn’t pass up on the chance to talk to one of the Foxes.

“Oh, don’t you worry. I won’t tell a single soul! If they come to me with some sneaky suspicion that you had pizza, I’ll tell them I’ve never seen you eat anything other than lettuce.” Rabbit food. Aiden wasn’t a fan of healthy eating options, but he was trying to cut down on the bad food. Giant pizza in front of him? Not really doing a good job.

Aiden set down a stack of napkins he’d shoved in his pocket before he took up a slice of pizza and started eating. “Totally. I had this date with this beauty but they flaked on me for a date with a giant marshmallow man,” Aiden teased before he shook his head. “Nah, I had enough points to get a free pizza so I figured I might as well cash in on it. Probably could have called up some girl or guy for a date to share it with but now I have you here! No pizza to go to waste.”

Aiden took another bite, chowing down and happily filling up his stomach. He’d be lying if he said he’d eaten previously that day. He had an awful tendency to forget to eat... maybe explaining his habit of eating all the junk food in one go. “Great game, by the way. You guys killed it and your fans are pretty excited.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

“Come on, don’t be an asshole.”

Aiden raised his eyebrows, tilting back on the heels of his feet as he let out a low breath. How it had come to this, Aiden wasn’t even sure. “Look, I’m not being an asshole. I told you I didn’t want to and you should just leave it at that.” All he wanted was to come get food, enjoy the weekend, and have fun. Now Aiden found himself in an argument he wanted nothing to do with. It started with the girl in front of him, a classmate from his math class. Nice girl, shockingly louder than Aiden. At first, she’d just asked about their homework assignment and now she was trying to get him to go to a party.

Sure, Aiden tended to quite a few parties and had no problem having a little fun. But he had a giant stack of homework, bags under his eyes, and no desire to actually party before class on Monday. He wasn’t that stupid. “Aiden, you have to go. It won’t be fun without you.” Sighing, Aiden grabbed his drink from the counter where he’d set it while he waited for his food. “Looks like you guys are gonna be bored. See ya later, Cassidy.” Aiden grabbed his food from over the counter and made the quickest exit he could possibly make before she chased him down.

Aiden had already spent too much of his school career slacking off and not caring. He wasn’t about to start doing that again. Outside, Aiden headed over to his favorite spot at a stone table under a tree. He set his drink down and opened up the pizza box. Spotting a familiar face, Aiden pointed down to the pizza. “Want some? As much as I’d want to eat all of it, I don’t think I’d be able to do it.”

[aidenbotsch-blog]

louishgranger:

Louis felt genuinely lucky to have a friend like Aiden. His energy was infectious and when they were around each other so often, whether it be just hanging out in the house or at practice, it was impossible to avoid having it impact you. In some ways that was definitely a good thing, Louis still got days when he didn’t feel as bright as he came across and Aiden made it significantly easier to deal with. “No complaining,” Louis confirmed, taking another sip as he looked over at Aiden. “Dude, don’t even,” he groaned, “I’m not ready to graduate. I can’t be an adult yet, I’m too young for all that.” Right now, Louis just wanted to focus on practices and games and homework. The idea of graduating terrified him, the idea of having to do something with his life terrified him, and Aiden was right: it felt like time was just flying by.

Aiden defensively raised a hand as his other held his milkshake. “I don’t want graduation either. Who the fuck knows what I’m going to do after all this? I get business if what I’m studying and my parents want that for me... but I’d happily just live in a little apartment and keep doing YouTube as long as I can.” He took another sip from the milkshake, sighing happily. This. This was the life he wanted to keep living. Drinking chocolate milkshakes, sitting next to his best friend, and not worrying about anything else going on in the world. “Oh, by the way, I got a text from that girl...Amanda that was in my one class last year? She says there’s huge group of Palmetto students going to Columbia next weekend. You up for going? We could maybe rope some of the Vixens and Foxes into going? Although, you’re asking the Foxes, not me.”