InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I aim to misbehave!"

Billie Trimble (takenbythewind) wrote in valesco,
@ 2015-05-12 23:34:00

Entry tags:

billie trimble, camilla clearwater, thomas mccormack

Thomas!
"Damn..."

Billie let out a huff as she dropped back down onto her heels, placing her hands on her hips as she stared up at the top shelf of her locker. She didn't have her wand on her, and she knew there was something towards the back of the shelf that she just couldn't reach. She was tall, but not tall enough to grab the last of her belongings.

This was what she got for waiting so long to get the rest of her things from Appleby's stadium. She had been trying to get there on a day where she knew none of management would be around, since she really didn't feel like facing them after they had said such terrible things to her a few months ago. She didn't play for their team anymore, so she could only imagine the things that could spill from their lips when it came to a player from an opposing team. It was still strange, to think that she was no longer an Arrow. She no longer had the right to wear the pale shade of blue she had been playing in for the last few years. Instead, she would be donned in a darker shade with gold accents, and would be flying alongside players like Caden Flint, Drystan Fawcett, and Matt Summerby. She respected all of these players, and was glad to have a friend in Matt, making her transition a bit easier. Still, she was going to be playing for Puddlemere United, which meant she had a lot to prove, and-

She ran her hands through her hair as she thought about all the new changes that were happening in her life, and was quickly reminded that her hair was one of them when her fingers ran out of something to comb through. She had just gotten it all lopped off about an hour before arriving at the stadium to get the rest of her things. She was still deciding whether or not it was too short, but it was too late to go back now. That seemed to be Billie's mantra about life in general - it's too late to go back now. She wanted that to change. She wanted so much to change, and while her appearance wasn't going to change anything, she thought that it would be a nice addition to the fresh start she wanted to make in Puddlemere.

Climbing up onto the bench, Billie carefully leaned forward, balancing precariously as she reached to try and wrap her fingers around the tiny, stuffed bird that had somehow gotten pushed to the back of her locker.

"Got you, y'little bastard," she said victoriously, though it took her a few moments to realize that the position she had gotten herself into was going to be a tricky one to get out of. The front of her right sneaker was just barely on the bench behind her, while she had used her left foot to get leverage from the locker next to hers, which belonged to Andrea. She groaned, wondering how the hell she was going to get out of this mess without breaking something. It would be her luck, getting injured before the season had even started. She wobbled for a moment, and then froze like a cat when she heard someone approaching. She turned her neck awkwardly, and when she saw who it was she let out a breath of relief that it wasn't management...and then she remembered that she was stuck, and blew some hair out of her face, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"A little help, please?"

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slingarrows
2015-05-16 03:45 am UTC (link)

There was a very childish voice singing in Thomas' head that he should get a camera and let Billie teeter until he was able to get a good shot. But, that would probably mean rummaging, and it would take much more time than he had, so instead he shook his head and with a few long steps moved to stand beside her near-hovering form.

"But what if you're here for some espionage?" he asked, a sly grin forming. Thomas moved quickly under the bridge Billie's body had formed to examine how easily it would be for her to drop. He took a moment to appreciate how lovely her curves were as she stretched across the aisle of the locker bay. He also noticed her haircut, and his eyebrows rose. "I hear there's a lot of secret meetings going on in Puddlemere..."

Thomas put his arms out as if Billie should drop into his arms. "How much do you trust me?"

He couldn't keep a straight face, however, and a second later he lifted his hands to her waist to help get her down from her stuck state. When Billie was safely on the ground, his hands remained where they were, and he eyed her curiously.

"You know, I could've picked up everything for you. Or were you hiding something in there?"

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takenbythewind
2015-05-16 05:59 am UTC (link)

“You caught me,” she replied with a smirk at the idea, though her amused expression was strained due to the fact that it was taking a lot of strength to remain in such an awkward position. “Puddlemere wants all the dirt on what it’s like inside an empty locker room during preseason,” she quipped, her short hair framing her face as she looked down at Thomas, glad that he had decided to help when he had, since she could already feel her right foot slipping away from the bench when he finally reached out to help her back down.

It seemed like Thomas was always helping her get out of trouble, in more ways than one, and had he actually left her with no other options than to let go and trust that he would catch her, she would have. She wasn’t sure that she would have been quite so confident a few months ago, but he had never let her down before, especially when it mattered most.

Once she knew that he had her securely in his grasp, she placed her free hand on his shoulder for support as she lowered herself down. The fingers of her other hand continued to clutch the bird she had been reaching for against her palm, and she looked down at it when he asked if she was hiding something. She gave a shake of her head, bringing her large, feline-like eyes to focus on his face.

“I know,” she started, giving him a small smile to show that she knew he would have gotten her things if she had asked him to. “I just-,” she paused, looking away from him to take in the details of the locker room.

“I just know that as soon as I’m all packed away, I’m never going to be allowed in this locker room again,” she began to explain, looking up at him again. “I feel like this is the last thing I need to do before I officially begin playing for Puddlemere, and…I don’t know,” she said with a shrug, “This place was my home for so long, and now it’s…not.” She lifted her hand, dragging it down the back of her locker door. She felt all the familiar grooves and dents that she had been responsible for after one or two high-stakes games. She took in a breath and then released it as a heavy sigh, finally looking over at Thomas.

“And I wasn’t hiding anything, he just managed to get himself stuck in the back.” She then unfolded her fingers so that Thomas could see what she was holding. It was a very small stuffed blue jay, attached to what looked like a keychain.

“I guess you can call him my good luck charm.”

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slingarrows
2015-05-17 07:16 pm UTC (link)

He understood the feeling. Emptying out his locker in Montrose had taken him far longer than it should have. The Magpies were where he'd grown as a player, won his first championship, and made some friendships that would last a lifetime. Thomas was never much of a sentimental person, but his teammates held a special place in his heart; he knew he would have never left the Magpies if it hadn't been for the chance to lead the Arrows into a new era.

And now, he was losing another teammate, and this time the sting was different. Billie was going to do great things in Puddlemere, but their time together was going to be cut drastically short. While...he didn't know how to define what they'd had for the past few months, Thomas was enjoying it. He enjoyed the lack of pressure that came with titles, but he enjoyed more her presence. They were similar in a lot of ways, something he'd seemed to have forgotten over these past few years.

"A good luck charm?" he said, eyeing the little bird carefully. Thomas looked back up to Billie, his hands staying firmly put on her waist. He didn't believe in luck, though bad luck seemed to follow him around. "Does that mean we'll have to find something else to call lucky? A rabbit's foot, perhaps?

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takenbythewind
2015-05-24 02:38 am UTC (link)

Billie had never had this sort of trouble, having been bounced around from one team to the next. She had never lasted longer than 3 years in one place, but something different had happened while she was on the Arrows. Since she was 14 years old, she had experienced a series of highs and lows that often left her feeling dizzy. She had dealt with the pain she felt by using sex and alcohol as distractions, all while trying to keep her shit together to be the best she could be out on the pitch. She wanted to believe that her quality of living hadn't affected her during games, but she was left feeling disappointed after many matches - if they lost, she thought of all the things she could have done different, faster, better. Then, she would go home, down a bottle of whatever she had lying around before seeking the company of someone who made her feel wanted, if only for a night.

She thought it was working, for a while. She thought that no one would notice, because quite frankly, she didn't think anyone cared. She had lost herself for a while, and forgot about all the responsibilities that came along with being a professional athlete. The reality check she had received from Arrow management was gut wrenching, and it made her feel terrible, and dirty. She thought about that day often, but it wasn't so much because she kept dwelling on their words, which were painful and unflattering. She focused more on what she imagined could have happened if Thomas hadn't been there that day. She wondered what she would have done if she had been left to her own defenses - she wondered what other cruel names they could have called her, and how deeply that would have effected her. She didn't know if she'd have the courage to ever show her face in front of them again, but Thomas had gotten her through it. He didn't condone her behavior, she was sure, but he didn't judge her for it, either. He didn't make her feel like a complete fuck up, which was a welcome change of pace.

"Do you think you're going to need it?" She questioned with a curious lift of her brow, her arms sliding around his neck, the key chain dangling from her pinkie finger as she looked up at him. As she searched his eyes, she gnawed on the corner of her lip. "I feel like I need all the luck I can get....because, if I'm being honest, I'm absolutely terrified about what's to come." She swallowed thickly at the admission, thinking back to her sessions with Healer Diggle. She had stopped seeing him for a long time, while she was spiraling downwards, but had resumed her sessions with him not long after Thomas had shown up at her door on Valentine's Day. He told her she needed to be more honest with herself and others about what she wanted, and that she needed to focus on what was going to make her happy.

"I'm going to miss coming into this locker room every day for practice. I'm going to miss the way Andrea and Holly used to have great debates on whether Gilderoy Lockhart was a fraud," she recalled with a smile, though she could already feel the sting of tears forming behind her eyes as she looked at him.

"I'm going to miss you most of all," she said, her voice a bit small, the concept of voicing her feelings not coming naturally to her. "It's not going to be the same without you barking orders at me out on the pitch," she tried to joke, but it fell a bit flat because she was also being completely serious.

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slingarrows
2015-05-30 05:26 pm UTC (link)

He had never been good at being sentimental, and while he found himself smiling at Billie's revelations, Thomas felt a knot in his throat. Should he tell her he felt the same? Did she need to hear it? Did she already know? He and all of his Arrows girls were close, he liked to believe, but these past few months with Billie let him see that perhaps they did understand each other on a deeper level. Holly had always teased, but he'd been so set on being a good captain that he'd never allowed himself to think past that. Valentine's had been months ago, but whatever spell he'd been struck with hadn't rubbed off, so...

His hands moved to tighten his grip around her. Billie had unexpectedly become one of his closest friends, and it was a shame she was leaving Appleby. He knew why, he understood why, and he was proud of her for making the decision, but it was, yes, bittersweet. Though, with her on Puddlemere, it wouldn't be seen as too peculiar that they were seeing each other. Her trade admittedly did lift some weight off his shoulders, though he didn't think it would be wise to voice that.

"I'm going to miss you too," he said with a nod, deciding that it wasn't too much to say, especially since it was true. "I'll just have to yell at Troy and Johnson double-time."

Thomas grinned and pushed forward to finally kiss Billie. It felt good to be able to do that freely, and the snog deepened (quickly, as per usual). He was in the middle of deciding, on the bench or against the lockers? when the sound of someone clearing their throat knocked him back to his senses. Thomas jumped away from Billie, mostly from being startled, and covered his face with his hand before looking up.

Of course they were caught on the last day she'd ever be in the locker room. Of course.

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takenbythewind
2015-05-30 06:10 pm UTC (link)

She wasn't sure if Thomas would ever truly understand how much it meant to know that he would miss her when she was gone. Most of her life, she had been able to bounce from one place to the next, and the people she left behind barely even seemed to realize she was gone. Maybe it was all in her head – maybe she was just assuming that no one cared about her since her parents had died, and she was forced to live with family who wanted nothing to do with her, who blamed her for everything that had happened because she was born different. Thomas knew what she was, knew who she was, and he had accepted her despite her many flaws. He never made her feel like she was worthless, and something as simple as saying he would miss her made her feel like she was wanted.

She let out a laugh despite the glisten of tears in her eyes, her lashes falling shut as he leaned in to kiss her. Her arms secured themselves behind his neck, pushing herself up onto her toes as she cherished the feeling of his lips against hers. Her body always felt like there was electricity coursing through it every time they kissed, as though it were the workings of some sort of spell. Sometimes Billie feared that maybe this was too good to be true - that she would wake up one day and he would stop caring about her, or that within a week of her being on Puddlemere he would stop missing her, but when he kissed her the way he was kissing her now, it made it easy for her to push these negative notions to the back of her mind. He made her thoughts quiet down, which was not a very easy thing to do.

This was short lived, however, because the sound of someone else in the room made them part ways as though they had both been electrocuted. She looked up at Thomas wide eyed, swallowed thickly, and finally turned her neck to look behind her and see who had caught them.

"The captain of the Arrows and the newest chaser for the United, snogging in an Appleby locker room," Camilla Clearwater observed, looking between the two of them, her arms folded across her chest. "If you were trying to be discreet, I have to question whether either of you understand the definition of the word."

Billie could feel her cheeks burning, and she stared at the floor, her back against the lockers. Camilla let out a sigh of mild annoyance, her focus directed on Thomas.

"Does anyone else know about this?" She questioned with a slight lift of her brow. "I can only assume the answer is no, since I imagine I'd have been pulled into several pleasant meetings with management. You know how open minded they can be," she drawled.

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