Taking Boredom To New Heights pt2
As soon as they approached the area surrounding the Quidditch pitch, Mikey slowed down. The open field spread around them, the soft sway of grass under the wind, and some parts of the castle were glowing golden in the late afternoon sunlight. Here there was silence. No more yelling classmates. Only calm and he felt better already.
Mikey cast a quick glance over at Olivia once before looking back down to the broom in her hands. A slight smile appeared on his face, almost as if he did not want anyone to see it. Looking at another person holding his broom was weird now, but only because it took him so long to get used to his own. "You know," he spoke casually, "that broom is full of character." He moved closer, subtly correcting her grip on the broomstick. "It tends to pull to the left if you go too fast, that's how I hit a pole my first month having it." A small laugh slipped through his lips before he stepped back.
The wind blew through his hair as Mikey put his own broomstick down and climbed on to it effortlessly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Out here, he seemed different. More relaxed. As if it was the first time today when he finally stopped thinking. Funny how easy it was for him to make such a switch from muggle football to quidditch.
"Alright," he spoke, looking back at Olivia with a smile. "Remember to have fun with it." Amusement was clearly audible in his tone. "Don't worry, though, I'm not going to put you through Quidditch training right now, okay?" His broom drifted backwards slightly before he continued. "We'll be flying around a bit. That's all. Just try not to crash into a tree..."
Mikey cast a quick glance over at Olivia once before looking back down to the broom in her hands. A slight smile appeared on his face, almost as if he did not want anyone to see it. Looking at another person holding his broom was weird now, but only because it took him so long to get used to his own. "You know," he spoke casually, "that broom is full of character." He moved closer, subtly correcting her grip on the broomstick. "It tends to pull to the left if you go too fast, that's how I hit a pole my first month having it." A small laugh slipped through his lips before he stepped back.
The wind blew through his hair as Mikey put his own broomstick down and climbed on to it effortlessly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Out here, he seemed different. More relaxed. As if it was the first time today when he finally stopped thinking. Funny how easy it was for him to make such a switch from muggle football to quidditch.
"Alright," he spoke, looking back at Olivia with a smile. "Remember to have fun with it." Amusement was clearly audible in his tone. "Don't worry, though, I'm not going to put you through Quidditch training right now, okay?" His broom drifted backwards slightly before he continued. "We'll be flying around a bit. That's all. Just try not to crash into a tree..."
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@Olivia Williams
Taking Boredom To New Heights pt2
@Mikey ForvilleOlivia walked half a step behind Mikey all the way out of the castle and down to the field. Her gaze was fixed on the broom that she held tightly. It had been true what she had told Mikey. This broom was one of the finest things she had ever received, second only to the bracelet from her mother. Neither of these things were important because of their appearance or their monetary value but because of who had given them to her and why.
As they approached the field, Mikey slowed down and Olivia did the same. Mikey had been right. It was quiet and peaceful out here. She thought she could almost see Mikey's shoulders slump from just being here in an environment that he loved. She smiled to herself.
Then Mikey turned and looked first at Olivia and then at the broom in her hands that she held as if it were a newborn unicorn foal, hard but gentle. A slight smile spread across Mikey's face and he stepped closer while he talked casually about the broom. He subtly adjusted Olivia's grip on the broom and she looked at him. "...that's how I hit a pole my first month having it." He looked up and their eyes met before he stepped back.
Her eyes followed Mikey as the wind blew through his hair as he put down his broom and climbed onto it like it was the easiest thing in the world. This was truly his element, Olivia thought.
"Alright," came Mikey's voice and Olivia was pulled out of her thoughts to see him smiling at her. He told her to have fun with the broom and that he wouldn't drag her through a full Quidditch practice.
"Thank goodness," Olivia said, a little hoarse because it was the first time since they left the castle that she had spoken.
"We'll be flying around a bit. That's all. Just try not to crash into a tree..." Mikey said as his broom floated peacefully.
“No promises,” Olivia replied, setting the broom down on the ground and climbing on it. Wow. She was surprised at how much better this broom felt compared to the school broom. Mikey must have caught her expression of wonder as she looked up at him. “It’s amazing,” she said, letting it float forward a little. She took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.” She said it more to herself than to Mikey, and her hands gripped the broom handle so tightly that her knuckles turned a little white. But Olivia wasn’t going to back down. She was going to do this, for herself… and a little for Mikey.
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Taking Boredom To New Heights pt2
Banner by Hazel Nelson
Mikey couldn't help smiling when he saw the look on Olivia's face. The moment she settled onto the broom, something changed. He recognized it immediately because he'd done the exact same thing the first time he'd flown a broom that wasn't one of the battered school ones. There was always that moment where you realized flying didn't have to feel awkward. "Pretty good, isn't it?" he asked.
He hovered a little closer, still keeping enough distance that she wouldn't feel crowded. The wind tugged at his robes as he watched her carefully. Not because he thought she was going to fall, but because he knew how nervous people got when they were trying something new. Then he noticed her hands. Or more specifically, how tightly she was gripping the broom. "Liv, I think you're strangling it." He sounded amused. "Relax a little." He gestured toward her hands. "The broom already knows how to fly. You're just helping it decide where to go."
It sounded ridiculous when he said it out loud, but it was honestly the best way he knew how to explain it. Mikey drifted lower until he was only a few feet above the grass. His broom barely moved beneath him. Flying had become so natural that he rarely thought about it anymore. "Everyone overthinks it at first," he continued. "I did too. My first few times flying I was convinced I was going to fall off every ten seconds." The breeze picked up again, carrying the scent of fresh grass across the field. Somewhere in the distance a few birds took off from the edge of the pitch, disappearing into the sky. Mikey glanced up for a second before looking back at Olivia. She looked nervous but excited too.
A lot of people assumed flying came naturally because he played Quidditch, but they forgot there had been a time when he was sitting on a broom for the first time too. "How about this?" he suggested. "Forget about speed. Forget about turning. Forget about all of that." He pointed toward a spot further across the field. "Just fly over there. Nice and easy. Then come back." Mikey shifted slightly on his broom before floating backwards a few feet. The open field stretched around them, quiet except for the wind. Out here he looked and felt completely comfortable. "You know," he said, "I wouldn't have given my old broom to just anyone.” He realized that was an incomplete thought but he thought she would understand that he meant it as he believed she could do it. What else could he mean.
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@Olivia Williams