weeds or wildflowers

let's get foxy. jasper lewis. goalkeeper.

[hearturs]

[jasperlewis-blog1]

graysonsharpe·:

Grayson might’ve missed Jasper’s soft singing otherwise, but he’d heard  it once before, knew to associate it with the other man. It had seemed so fitting back then too—of course Jasper Lewis rescued kittens and sang sweetly when he wanted to. He’d learned more about Jasper since then, but his opinion hadn’t changed. If anything, it had only solidified. Others might mistake him for simply quiet or uncertain, but Jasper was a force to be reckoned with, because he was something better than most. He was good, all the way down to his bones. The kind of man Grayson would never be able to manage to be, even if he’d tried. 

Jasper settled down beside him, alcohol evidently making them both forget the distance they normally kept between them. The distance Grayson normally kept between them, at least, the same as he did with nearly everyone else—saying it was for their sake, not his own. He’d never had to wonder whether that was true before though, because people usually backed off when he pushed them away. It was easy, sometimes. A few harsh words and they’d look the other way, writing him off just like he’d asked them to. 

He’d already tried that once with Jasper though, halfheartedly lashing out at Eden’s all those weeks ago, and the goalkeeper was still here. No wonder Jasper was Jen’s best friend. The two of them weren’t the same, but they had the same effect on Grayson—sliding into his life too neatly, tricking him into believing this could be easy, when he knew it wasn’t. Friendships like theirs would only complicate everything. 

Grayson wasn’t going to think about any of that tonight either though.

It was already too warm out, but the extra heat radiating from Jasper was somehow welcome anyway, and Grayson didn’t move away. He took another drink from his cup though, pretending to focus on that burn instead. “Good,” he said after a moment, voice low in the darkness. “It wasn’t very exciting out here. We’ve got dirt. Stars I don’t recognize. It’s just like home.” 

It was meant to be bitter humor, but somewhere along the line his wires got crossed, and his tone came out fond instead; because despite everything, he loved Dubois. It hurt, sometimes, missing a place that certainly didn’t miss him, but he was used to it by now—and what the hell would he even do if they did want him back anyway? It was hard enough hoping for change with his dad. He couldn’t envision anything more than that, even in the daydreams he pretended he didn’t have. 

Jasper almost gasped, and when he looked up, their faces were a smidge too close, as Jasper tried to wrap his head around the fact that Grayson Sharpe didn’t know the stars. “That’s so sad. Oh no, Gray, that’s so sad- Oh, we have to fix that, hold on.” Jasper took another sip of his drink, and then set it down beside him. There was a smile on his face now, and when he twisted back to face Grayson, there was a determined light in his eyes. In a quiet and also quite intense voice, he murmured to Grayson, “I fucking love the stars dude.”

Jasper scooted even closer, and how there could be space found between them before seemed like an improbable question when you had to look at how close they were now, pressed together from knee to him as Jasper cocked his head back and started trying to orient himself. Finally, he pointed upwards, tracing his finger in a line across the sky. “Alright, we’ll start small. Do you know the dippers?” Jasper turned back to Grayson, and again, their faces were too close, and everything was warm around the edges.

The goalkeeper felt his breath hitch for just a moment, and he wondered at the stars in the backliner’s eyes, at the constellations he could see there. Jasper wanted to chart those as well, and the feeling rested heavily in his chest. This warmth was different than Eden’s Twilight. There was quiet around them, but music playing in the distance, spilling out of the doors every so often whenever people drunkenly stumbled outside. But they were shaded, far enough away that they could be tucked into the shadows and far from any prying eyes. 

Jazz carefully slid his hand down Grayson’s, and lined their fingers up so he could point to the same stars he was looking at with the other’s hand.

“That’s the little dipper, or Ursa Minor, and this one over here is the big dipper, or Ursa Major. The little bear and the big bear. They were the first constellations I found that actually meant something.” Jasper hummed a little in the back of his throat, his cheek brushing once against Grayson’s shoulder as his free hand braced behind them, tucking him even closer as he guided Grayson’s hand across the sky. “And over here is Orion’s belt, those three in a line. If you look close enough, you can see the rest of Orion, standing like Grant does whenever he gets mad at us in practice.” Jasper’s giggle was sweet, and he reveled, for just a second, in the feel of Grayson’s skin before moving on. 

“There’s Leo...” 

Jasper paused for a second, tilting his head a little bit, and looked at Grayson again.

“I can stop, if you want me to,” he whispered. His hand loosened around Grayson’s, and he shifted, putting just a bit of space between them again, just enough for a breath. “I’m sorry. I- I just wanted-”

Something.

[jasperlewis-blog1]

rollinsgrant‌:

Location: The Court Date: Friday, Sept 14th, post game (closed to @jasperlewis​) 

For once, he didn’t come back to the court with the intention of practicing. Grant still ached from the game, sore all over in a way that would’ve been satisfying had they won. With another loss under their belt though, it was just an uncomfortable reminder—that no matter how hard he’d worked these past few weeks, they’d still fallen short. He would always be fiercely proud of the Foxes, and there was a sliver of him that wanted to be pleased about the score coming so close, but in the end, they hadn’t come close enough. 

Not tonight, at least. They weren’t out of chances yet.  

Grant knew he needed to rest—he’d been here all day, from Neel to the game to now, but he was drawn back anyway. He didn’t put his armor on, but his feet found their way out to the court anyway, mentally replaying tonight’s game on repeat. They had weak spots, glaring and obvious, but it was his job to fix that; his job to take all the restless, violent energy that threatened to drag the Foxes under right now and direct it towards something that mattered, something productive. He could do it. He would do it. He wasn’t going to let this team down. 

Grant almost didn’t see him at first, until his gaze traveled down, and he saw the other goalkeeper splayed out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn’t the first time he’d run Jasper out on the court, and Grant was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Jasper wasn’t practicing tonight either though, and for a moment, Grant felt like he’d interrupted something he shouldn’t have, some private moment of grief in the wake of that game.

Grant remembered being there though—young and hungry his sophomore year, determined he could change the world for each and every Fox, taking each loss like a personal blow. 

Few things had changed. 

He was more used to this by now though, and more importantly, more used to dusting himself off after a bad game and starting anew. Grant settled his expression into something calm, something assured. It was his job to lead this team. They didn’t need an anxious fifth year, an upset player. They needed someone to remind them that this was only the start of the season—with a long fight ahead of them, there was still plenty of time to turn the tides. He walked over towards Jasper, and Grant hesitated for a moment, before sitting down beside him on the court, the goal only a short ways behind them. “You know, I’ve fallen asleep here before,” he admitted, staring out at the orange and white bleachers and Plexiglass around them. “I don’t recommend it. It’s hell on your back.”

Jasper heard the footsteps first, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn his head to see who, exactly, had found him here. He didn’t even rush to hide the fact that tears had been slipping out of the corners of his eyes, when the world felt like a weight on his chest and all he could think about was ones and twos. When he realized it was Grant, the burning in his eyes increased almost immediately, and he clenched his eyes shut to stop the flow of the tears that moments before he’d been unashamed of.

The last thing he wanted was for Grant to think less of him, and even if there was nothing wrong with crying, Jasper felt the embarrassment on his tongue like milk gone sour. 

It was still the immediate response when he fucked up, the drive to start over, to push himself until his bones felt like liquid and he couldn’t stop shaking. He couldn’t remember how many nights he’d stayed outside until he’d gotten Derek’s drills just right again and again and again. But when he’d gotten here and unlocked the door, he’d pushed straight passed the locker room and quietly laid down on the court instead, and the lights were nowhere near as intense as they were during the games.

And he had cried, because it felt like the only way he could safely vent what he was feeling. The fear, the desperation, the years of muscle memory and training, the craving for victory. Sometimes, he felt like he loved the game too much, like somehow he’d made it more than it was. 

Jasper’s head slowly rolled to the side, and he opened his eyes to look up at Grant quietly. Grant was larger than life in a lot of ways. The first captain in ten years to take them almost all the way. A real life Dan Wilds, almost. And if history was to believed, this year they’d make it. They’d make it all the way, under Grant Rollins’ guidance. Jasper blinked once, twice, and he could see it playing out so perfectly in front of him, bit by bit. A slow start to the season wasn’t the end of the world.

You’re going to get shit.

You have so much time.

You’re going to get shit every single day of your life, Jasper.

You’re not running out of time, so don’t give up yet, Jasper.

“Thanks for the advice.” His words were soft and genuine, and Jasper couldn’t quite bring himself to look away from Grant for a minute, but he finally closed his eyes and rolled his head back to the center, so when he next opened them, the ceiling was all that looked back. “Being here helps. Calms me down.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

akira-sxto‌:

Location: The Court Parking Lot Date: September 14 Time: 10:25 p.m. (OPEN)

With the final hugs goodbye Akira watched as his family got into the car and drove away, Mei turned around in the back seat to wave at him until they couldn’t see each other anymore. He missed them already, Mei’s infectious enthusiasm after that disaster of a game had probably been the only reason he hadn’t stormed out and away as soon as he’d gotten his gear off. She’d snuck into the locker room to hang out with the team, sprawled out on the couch in her pilfered Fox jersey in the common area, looking at all of the pictures on the wall and talking about how much fun she’d had at the game. He could only wish that it had been a better game for her to be there, the Foxes were anything but volatile after a loss. And Akira was no exception, Octavia’s less than professional playing had been, in Akira’s mind, the beginning of the end for that game and he was madder than a hornet about it, among everything else. So he hadn’t let her linger long. Taking long enough to shower before swooping in and shoving her out the doors before she could step on anyone’s already frayed nerves. But as they drove away, waving and smiling from ear to ear, Mei even getting Naomi to wave for a little but, he found he missed them almost immediately. What little good mood he had left was gone and he simply felt deflated.

He sighed, pulled out his phone and sent his sisters a farewell text before adjusting the strap of his bag and starting the trek back to the Tower. He wasn’t about to go to a pity party or hang out and discuss the thorns and the roses of tonight’s game in the locker room. What he what he wanted was to go back to the court and work himself until he dropped but he knew Wymack would kill him and having the janitors watch him just took something out of it. So he’d go lick his wounds in the privacy of his dorm room and ice his shoulders. He never drove to home games, unwilling to put his car in the lot with so many people he didn’t trust. “What a bullshit game.” Akira said to himself, shoving his phone into his pocket a little harder than necessary. He felt better complaining out loud, even if there was no one around to hear it. “Fucking Terrapins.“ His bad mood was settling in now. “Stupid fucking game. What piss poor way to start the season.” One loss was an anomaly. Two losses was, admittedly, a harder pill for Akira to swallow. His team was worth so much more than another shitty season. Especially not after how far they’d come last year. “Bullshit.”

Jasper felt a little lost, and a little fuzzy around the edges. He’d just started to feel more like himself, like somehow things were going to be okay, but another lost game knocked his ribs open with a sledgehammer of disappointment, stinging at him. He felt too exposed, too bare, and he couldn’t stand it. He wasn’t really sure where he was heading, but he couldn’t stand to stay inside anywhere at the moment. He and Derek had always practiced outside or at Derek’s school, after hours, but any time he fucked up, Jasper always found his solace looking at the sky. 

The stars were the things that made him feel safest, counting them out and slowly marking them out, finding the constellations he knew and making up his own as well.

Two games in a row, lost.

He needed the stars, and he found one, but not the sort that he was really looking for, and Akira would certainly hate to be called a star. Jasper stopped short for a long few moments, watching his friend from the shadows. His words were stuck in his throat, and his skin felt like it was sitting wrong on his body. His chest didn’t feel right, and his whole body was just wrong. 

Jasper stepped out slowly, eyes on the ground, but he stopped a little closer to Akira, his head slowly tilting. He couldn’t make his mouth open, but he hoped that his worry was written across his face loud enough to outweigh the sorrow dug into his bones.

[jasperlewis-blog1]

graysonsharpe·:

Location: Outside of the Vixen Den Date: Sept 12 Time: 11:47pm (closed to @jasperlewis·)

Grayson hated September. 

He could easily picture Dubois right now. The weather turned back home, and the bugs started coming inside, adding more cobwebs to a house that was already dusty enough already. Their animals would be restless, the changing seasons bringing them closer to home, some primitive part of them remembering that winter months might mean less food in the wild. The shorter days never saved Grayson from chores, and there were plenty of Septembers where he’d worked into the night to ensure that they had enough hay for the coming winter, that all their auction dates were lined up in time.

None of those differences were necessarily bad, but his dad changed with the season too. Grayson Sharpe Sr. was never talkative,  never easy with his affection, but Grayson felt like he tried during the spring and summer. Fall was different. His dad pulled back further in fall, completely out of reach, because this season was a constant reminder, and Grayson was an even worse one. They’d lost his mom in the fall. Late September. He remembered that well enough, even if some of his memories then were blurry. So he hated the whole fucking month. Why not?

But this year things felt different. He wanted to pretend there were complicated reasons, but it was simple—his dad coming to Parents Weekend, even in September, felt big. Grayson told himself over and over again that he’d never need forgiveness, but Grayson knew that wasn’t completely true. He only wanted it from one specific person, but Grayson wanted it from him so, so badly—and maybe this was the first sign of it.

But maybe not. Most likely not. Grayson was a terrible optimist, and even tentative hope scared him, especially when he couldn’t help it. 

 The conflict tired him out enough that he wasn’t going to think about it tonight though. Because he felt good, right now, despite everything. The weather didn’t turn the same way in Palmetto, keeping the ground warm well into autumn. It made the boundary between seasons blurrier, easy to ignore. He was already a few beers in too, sitting a ways outside the den in what still felt like a warm summer night—complete with clear skies, bright stars. It was easy enough to regulate everything else to the sidelines tonight, even if some part of him still waited with baited breath until this weekend. 

He hadn’t expected anyone to come for him, but he hadn’t been outside long when he heard footsteps. Grayson shifted, looking up, and found Jasper there. For a moment, he didn’t question it—Jasper was there so often now; standing behind him in the goal, at his door each night to borrow Grayson for extra hours at the court, in the hallways and at Eden’s. They’d been teammates before though. It wasn’t completely new to look over for Jasper, even if it felt like it sometimes—he was just more aware of it now, their strange friendship somehow holding strong. “If you’re here for our usual practice sessions, then I’m gonna have to take a rain check,” Grayson said, holding his cup up as evidence. “But if you wanna sit down and have a drink with me instead, feel free.”

Jasper had never done the partying thing in high school. He and Derek had gone to the celebratory parties, but Derek had always been the charismatic one, the one who everyone knew and liked. Jasper was his shadow, tucked against his back until he found a safe corner to hang out in, watching the way that people danced and laughed. It was always easy to tell where Derek was in a party, because the cheers would always get raucous for just a second, Derek’s name echoing drunkly for a moment. Exy had been so important at their school, and Derek was the king of his own little castle, and Jasper had been his quiet little number two.

He’d never drank at those parties, at least not enough to get more than just a little bit tipsy. He’d always just watched, nursing whatever bruises lay under his clothes.

Things were different now, though. The Foxes were safe. There were no unneeded bruises. There were some fading from practices, from him tripping over his books or dancing away from Ophelia and falling anyway. He was safe.

Right now, the goalkeeper felt warm down to his bones, loose from the alcohol in his system, the mixed drinks that one of the Vixens had made him because the Vixens were the best, and fuck did they make their drinks strong. He cradled his drink in his hands, but slowly was wandering towards the door, wanting the still-warm night air to brush against his face and make him feel even softer around the edges. He giggled softly to himself as he stepped outside, tipping his face back and just breathing it in. 

He swayed for a moment, but it wasn’t because of the alcohol in his system. There was a song stuck in his head, and as he stepped down into the grass, it blossomed out of him, soft and tumbling and slow. “Take a trip into my garden... I’ve got so much to show ya. The fountains and the waters are beggin’ just to know ya.” Jasper hummed sweetly, and then stopped short as he finally saw Grayson in the distance. His feet continued to carry him forward after just a moment, still softly singing even as the older backliner looked up and spoke to him. 

Jasper’s smile was like cotton candy, and he slumped down next to Grayson, closer than they normally ever were, thighs close enough to almost burn.

“Well I-” and he held up his drink to prove a point. “am also not in any state to be playing Exy right now. But I would really like to stay right here.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

01 / BASICS

Full Name: Jasper Theodore Lewis Nickname: Jazz Birthday: March 2nd Gender: Transgender male Orientation: Panromantic / Homosexual Astrological Sign: Pisces sun, Virgo moon Spoken Languages: English Birthplace: Wheeling, West Virginia Relationship status: Single (but crushing so ridiculously hard)

02 / PHYSICAL TRAITS

Hair Color/Style: Jazz tends to keep his hair natural and curly, but short. He does love bleaching it and dyeing it fun colors however, and his favorite is a soft pink. Eye Color: Warm brown Face Claim: Keiynan Lonsdale Height: 5’4” Tattoos: The first tattoo that Jasper got was on the inside of his right wrist, and it’s of a small geometric fox done in stark black lines and watercolor. (x) He has the Martin Luther King Jr. quote “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” on the left side of his ribs. He also has a little bundle of lavender tattooed on his left wrist. Piercings: Both of his ears are pierced. He also has an industrial piercing on his right side, and his helix pierced on his left. The helix piercing is always connected to the first stud with various little chains. Unique Attributes: His way of speaking, so slow and careful.

03 / PERSONALITY TRAITS/TYPES

Positive Traits: Honest, gentle, hardworking, patient, empathetic Negative Traits: Shy, nervous, stubborn, solemn, too quiet Hobbies/Interests: Reading (anything and everything), history (of all sorts), art, helping out at animal shelters, Exy Insecurities: His insecurities center around him being trans and also the ‘slow’ start he got at life, and whether or not he’ll ever be able to keep up with everyone else. Quirks/Eccentricities: Jasper, when he’s very anxious, will wrap the hem of his shirt around his knuckles and stretch it out, a left over habit from when he was a kid. MBTI Type: INFJ-T Enneagram Type: Type 2 Moral Alignment: Neutral good Temperament: Melancholic/phlegmatic

04 / FAMILY & HOME

Immediate Family: Mother, father, brother (all adopted). Henry Lewis is a bear of a man, but the cuddly sort. He’s a history professor, and he’s who Jasper got his love of all things historical from. María Isabel on the other hand is almost ice cold at times, serious and awkward with feelings. She is not a soft woman but she still loves Jasper viciously, and wasted no time in cutting ties with Derek even when Henry was still caught up in everything. And when it comes to Derek, Jasper hasn’t properly spoken to his adopted brother since the day that Derek left for college. How do they feel about their family?: Jasper would do anything for his parents. He absolutely loves them, from the tops of his curls to the soles of his feet, with every breath he takes. The love he feels for them could span galaxies, and he’ll never stop being grateful to them for seeing the skinny, sick baby he was and giving him the chance at life he so sorely deserved. (And once upon a time, he would’ve done anything for Derek. Jump. How high? Derek is still sunk into his bones, and he’s still learning how to be without him in a lot of ways. That sort of dependency, synchrony, it was the same as the muscle memory that Exy taught him. You’re going to get shit every single day of your life, Jasper.)   How does their family feel about them?: Henry gets a little emotional every time he talks about his son, stars in his eyes and a million pictures on his phone from Jasper’s games and screenshots of press videos and blurry videos of the TV whenever they can’t get away from work for long enough to go see one in person. María has the quietest smiles, and it is her quiet nature that Jasper learned from, even as he adopted his father’s ridiculous over-emotional nature. Her smiles always grow when she sees Jasper, and she always presses a kiss to her forehead when she sees him, trying to convey all the love that is sometime so hard for her to speak with words. (Jasper knows though, he always knows. He’s never once worried if they truly loved him, and he never will.) Derek was his fiercest advocate, the quickest to fight for him, never once shying away from stepping up to bat for his little brother. Nothing changed that, except when Jasper didn’t get something quite right. Exy changed them both, in good ways and bad, but it made a monster of a man and a man of nothing. Pets: Ophelia is his tiny three-legged rescue kitten, and he considers all of the animals he works with at the shelter his in some small way. He also has a boa (moonglow morph) named Florence that he got at the beginning of the summer. María cares for her in his absence. Where do they live?: When he’s not in the Fox’s dorm, he still lives in Wheeling, West Virginia, but he’s hoping to get an apartment in Palmetto or Columbia when he can. Description of their home: This is a fairly good example. Description of their bedroom: Jasper’s room back home is kind of a mess, filled to the brim with his books, comfortable blankets and pillows, and the walls are covered in art of all styles. He’s tacked up posters, song lyrics, and Exy stats there as well as in his dorm at Palmetto.

05 / THIS OR THAT

Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert Optimist or Pessimist? Optimist Leader or Follower? Leader Confident or Self-Conscious? Self-conscious Cautious or Careless? Cautious Passionate or Apathetic? Passionate Book Smarts or Street Smarts? Book smarts Compliments or Insults? Compliments

06 / FAVORITES

Favorite Color: Pastel pink. Favorite Clothing Style/Outfit: Loose, comfortable. Fashionable, for sure. Nice hats. Favorite Bands/Songs/Type of Music: Jazz loves old country music, but that’s a pretty lowkey thing. Personally, he loves pop. Favorite Movies: Anything horror. Train to Busan is a huge favorite. Favorite Books: He cried for a year whenever he read The Song of Achilles, to be honest. The Six of Crows duology is also a huge fave. Favorite Foods/Drinks: Hot chocolate. Favorite Sports/Sports Teams: EXY EXY EXY. His favorite team is the Foxes, but he also really loves the Trojans. (Alternatively, anyone but the Ravens or the Buckeyes.) Favorite Time of Day: Evening, when the sun is almost completely down and the sky turns into an oil painting. Favorite Weather/Season: Fall. Favorite Animal: Jasper doesn’t have a favorite but he’d probably say cats just to make it easier.

[jasperlewis-blog1]

[jasperlewis-blog1]

flippancies‌:

Location: The Foxhole Court Time: September 9 Status: OPEN

     Sienna seats herself on one benches of the inner court, placing herself at a good distance from the set of Foxes doing a practice round in front of her. As her gaze fixes itself on the drills playing out, her happiest memory resurfaces with visceral clarity: from behind a television screen her younger self watches as Kevin Day scores within the last two seconds of the match and earns the Palmetto State Foxes their first championship victory. And Sienna’s mother — despite obvious exhaustion from a long day of work, despite claiming to have never understood Exy, earlier protesting that replays existed and that they didn’t have to watch the live showing — is the first to scream her joy.       Sienna had been a child then. All her life she’d known nothing else but Palmetto, but there was nothing about being a Palmetto local that was worth bragging about. Nothing, until Danielle Leigh Wilds and her ragtag team of underdogs and misfits clawed their way up from undeserved infamy to hard-earned victory. Only losers root for losers, some girl from her class once said when Exy had been brought up. She’d feared their scrutiny then, but for once in her life, Sienna feels unburdened by her peers’ judgment, feels no shame for what she loves, and shows up to her elementary school in bright, Palmetto State Fox orange.       Her reverence for them died down with her idealism. As Dan and Kevin moved forward, the Foxes lagged behind, falling back into laughingstock status, leaving a grown-up Sienna to pretend she never rooted for them, never cared for Dan Wilds or Exy or her town’s joke of a team. Still, there’s a reason she’s a Vixen, however much she claims it’s a heedless choice and not a deliberate one. As a Fox walks away from the drills and to her direction, it’s as if the child in her reemerges, reminding her of every reason she held the Foxes so high in regard to begin with. She knows what it feels to be a nobody striving to be somebody, and seeing people climbing up from pasts far uglier and grittier than hers — well, there’s hope to be drawn from that.       More than the sport, it’s the people that captivate her.      “Catch,” she says, tossing a water bottle to the person approaching her. “Great work out there.” Though her words are encouraging, Sienna maintains a tone of nonchalance. She’s new to the squad, new to the university, even, and though the Exy-loving child in her is bursting with excitement, Sienna doesn’t want to look too eager on her first impression. A cheeky grin spreads across her face. “Say, does Wymack ever invite alumni to your games? Would love to know if Dan — ” Sienna bites her lip, internally cursing her fucking Freudian slip, “ — if Kevin Day’s ass is as thick in person as it is on TV.”

Exy was everything to Jasper Lewis. Even before Derek had handed him a racquet and told him try, little bro, just try, you can be my number two, we can be great together, we can be the next Riko and Kevin, Jasper had been obsessed with the game, watching it play out on the screen. The Ravens were obviously their number one team for the household, but Jasper watched games wherever he could, whenever he could. He remembered quietly huddling over the small TV in his room, watching his first Fox game, watching a team that was everyone’s least favorite slowly coming together over their first five years. 

Jasper had watched Exy when his legs were too weak, when he got too sick as a child. Jasper had watched Exy from the sidelines, as he got a little older and a little stronger.

Exy had been everything to him for as long as he could remember, and Jasper couldn’t see a world where it would be any different.

Jasper let out a slow breath, a small smile on his face as he let himself go back over what had been happening in their practice, the way it felt to block shots and send them flying back at whoever had shot them originally. He looked up at the voice, and his hand automatically flew up, catching the bottle and then cradling it against his chest for a moment before he took a quick drink. His eyes slipped over Sienna, marking her face with a quiet gaze. His smile grew just a little bit, gentling at the edges. He caught the slip, and felt his smile twitch a little at the edges.

“It is. They come sometimes. Neil and Andrew came for a game last year.”

He didn’t mention that he’d cried a little at seeing his hero because Sienna was a Fox, but she was still new, and he just didn’t know her that well.

[jasperlewis-blog1]

akira-sxto·:

“Yes. Shopping. Hop to it. Pants are required.” He winked and Akira followed Jasper in, closing the door behind him and taking up residence on the arm of the couch. He didn’t plan on staying long enough to sit anywhere comfortable. Just seeing him open the door all blank eyed and tired looking. Clearly Akira’s gut instinct had been right in this sense. He felt really bad, having neglected Jasper for so long. He resolved to do better. Starting with today. He smiled when Jasper came back out out, dressed and ready for an adventure. He didn’t need to talk to tell Akira he was ready to go, his smile said it all. Popping up off the couch and heading back to the door he held it open, mock bowing.

“We’ll take my car. Because I haven’t driven her in like, a week and I miss her.” He smiled, shutting the door behind them as the started down the hallway. “I’m not really sure where we’re going. I mean, Target is always a good option but you’d better believe that I will be borrowing that hat of yours as soon as we park.” He shot him another smile, hoping it would break Jasper out of his funk, even if for a moment. “There’s some really cool places in town too, this used book store just opened up I heard. Can’t say I’m big into books but hey, I hear they have great free coffee.”

He laughed a little, digging into his pockets and pulling out his keys with a light jingle. “I’m really down for whatever so you let me know where you wanna go and we’ll go. Even if it means we have to do highway driving to get there.”

The surge of emotion was almost choking as he looked at Akira in front of him, so casually sweeping in and making everything feel a little better with a wicked smile and a few jokes. Akira had always had that affect on him, since the day they’d met. Jazz had been a fan before they’d ever met, but it had quickly become apparent that Akira did not enjoy it when people mentioned his life before, and so Jazz had written it off as quickly as anything. Akira was simply Akira, his best friend. 

Jazz swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, but it stuck, and the embarrassment burned just like the tears at the corners of his eyes. Akira was always so bright, and Jazz had always had to pull back in public just in case, because Akira was still such a public figure, even more than himself, and anything could ruin him. But they were in the Fox Tower, and they were on their floor, and for a moment, Jazz just let himself feel all of it. He threw his arms around Akira’s neck, pulling the other boy in for a few moments where Jazz’s shaky hot breath spilled against the striker’s skin.

“Fuck,” he said, the word choked around another wave of tears. Jazz’s fingers dug into Akira’s skin for just a moment, and he trembled for a moment against his friend. “I’d burn down the world for you, Akira,” Jasper whispered, finally, and he pulled back quickly because he could never let his touches linger, not with Akira. He always had to be so aware of Akira’s boundaries, so careful, because the striker meant so much to him. Jasper wiped frantically at his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control. 

A wobbly smile spread across his face, and he couldn’t help the choked laugh that escaped him. “I’d go anywhere with you, man. Let’s go.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

jenbrookhart:

Location: Outside the academic buildings Date: September 5 (open)

There’s nine days until the game against Belmonte. Jen may or may not have a reminder set on their phone for every day until then. They know Parent’s weekend is a bittersweet moment for their old team, since the majority of them no longer have a relationship with their parents, Jen included, but it just so happens to overlap with the game against their brother and sister, so they can’t help but practically glow in excitement. They’ve been on the phone with Jackson and Jane nearly every night since last week, making plans on things to do when they get here. 

The last time Jen saw the twins was during Spring Break, which was about six months ago. They lied to their dad and said they were going on a road trip with their friends, when in reality the three of them went to Charleston. It was an amazing week, but it wasn’t enough. There was a time when Jen was glued to their hips, and now they’re lucky if they can find a time to FaceTime each other.

As if sensing their longing, Jen’s phone lights up with a FaceTime request from their brother as soon as they leave their last class of the day. Since they’re already dressed in their uniform, they have a good twenty minutes before they need to go to practice. They only talk long enough for Jackson to tell Jen a story about how he accidentally dyed his jersey pink and then he has to leave for his own practice. “Bye. Love you,” Jen tells him before they hang up.

For a moment they just stare at their phone before leaning heavily against the side of the building with a sigh. They hear footsteps approach and force themself to grin when they look up from the blank screen. “You caught me during my side job. Cheering people over FaceTime,” Jen giggles placing a hand on their hip to playfully show off their uniform.

Anyone who knew Jasper Lewis knew that he was incredibly close with his parents. If they knew him even better, they’d know the troubles he’d had with his parents after everything with his brother. Maria had always had more trouble connecting, but Jasper had never doubted that she loved all of them. She was simply more serious, more distant, emotions harder for her to comprehend. Henry, on the other hand, felt everything so fiercely and was so in tune with his emotions that it was impossible to picture how the two of them had first fallen in love. But they were the perfect contrast, perfectly happy with each other. Maria had given him the space he needed after Derek, but Henry had clung ever harder, guilt making things messier.

But years down the line, things were better.

Jasper hummed quietly under his breath, his eyes drifting away from his father’s face on the screen in front of him. Henry was talking excitedly about plans for the next time Jasper was home, and if he was going to be bringing any of his friends home for winter break, and how his mother had just finished up a pretty big case so they would definitely be there for parents weekend, and did Jasper know which of his teammates didn’t have anyone coming for them because Henry would definitely make cookies for them and wear their jerseys, or maybe he’d make a shirt with all of their numbers on it-

“Dad, you’re too much.” Jasper’s smile was fond, but it softened even more as he caught sight of Jen in the distance. He felt his heart rushing in his ears as his eyes slowly slipped down their form, the way the shorts of their Vixen uniform clung to their long legs. His cheeks were getting redder by the second, and of course Henry could see it and stopped his rambling to immediately begin teasing his son.

“Oh, who’s got your face all red? Jazz, come on now, is it that friend of yours, Jen?”

“Okay, bye dad!” Jasper ended the call quickly, sliding his phone back into his pocket and praying that he hadn’t been close enough for Jen to hear, but his luck wasn’t that good, and Jen was reacting to his approach and his father was loud and his face was still red, and Jasper sputtered for a moment as he gestured to his friend. Something about their smile didn’t seem quite right, and Jasper cleared his throat repeatedly as he tried to find the words. Instead, all he could think about was their bruised knuckles, wrapped around a set of pom poms.

Jasper opened his mouth, and then closed it again. “My dad just embarrasses me over FaceTime,” was what he finally said, the words choking.

[jasperlewis-blog1]

💬 (pax)

“Quiet. Anxious. Sweet.”

[ofpipedreams]

me every goddamn day: i’m so proud of andrew minyard

[jasperlewis-blog1]

💬(brayden and sasha)

(brayden)

“Aloof. Apathetic. Sensitive.”

(sasha)

“Callous. Spiteful. Dramatic.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

💬

“Stunning. Distant. Abrasive.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

💬(jen)

“Beloved. Stars. Warm.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

IM MOBILE BUT SPEECH BUBBLE FOR BOTH MY BOYS PLS

(grant)

“Dream. Driven. Effortless.”

(grayson)

“Safe. Longing. Lost.”

[jasperlewis-blog1]

💬

“Wonderful. Bright. Sunshine.”