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Jack Sloper (jackisnimble) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-09-12 10:19:00

Entry tags:

!2003: 09, !complete, andrew kirke, jack sloper

Who: Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke.
When: September 12th. Morning.
Where: Outside.
What: Flying re-lesson.
Rating: Low?
Status: Complete/Closed.

Jack was determined to get Andrew back on a broomstick. His friend hadn't always been afraid to fly. And he knew the fall had shaken his nerve a whole lot (which he didn't entirely understand, but Jack was someone who had fallen from many things, broomsticks included, and so he didn't have the same vantage point) but he also was sure Andrew could get over that. As was often the case, he seemed to have more faith in Andrew than Andrew had in himself. Which he wished was not the case.

It had taken some cajolling, and then some more, but finally Andrew not only agreed, but agreed to a specific time and place and not a general 'okay'. And so Sunday morning had them heading outside, Jack with his broomstick in hand, and Andrew on the other hand.

It was a nice day, for mid-September, warm enough but not hot. "This is going to be good, you'll see," he told his bestie as they made their way to a bit of secluded park area where they wouldn't be seen by anyone, wouldn't be interrupted. "Everything's going to be okay." He gave Andrew's hand a squeeze for good measure.

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kirkevsgravity
2010-09-12 02:18 pm UTC (link)

Okay, Andrew had known for a long time that he felt a different love for Jack than Jack professed to feel for him at times, but he hadn't known it would drive him to these lengths; he was about to try and face one of his phobias and it was all because he had trouble saying no to Jack.

His hand in Jack's was cold, the fear he was already feeling just from the anticipation of flying turning his blood cold, making him shiver and he wasn't even on the broom yet.

He tried giving Jack a smile back for his troubles but it was weak and disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared. "Sure, yeah, okay." he agreed, nodding his head while his grip on Jack's hand just got tighter and tighter.

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jackisnimble
2010-09-12 02:24 pm UTC (link)

It was love that drove Jack to want to help (or make!) Andrew overcome these phobias, these obstacles. The difference was, Andrew was fully aware of how he felt. And Jack was clueless in it, not realizing that the way he felt about Andrew went above and beyond friendship, or family, or anything else.

Nor was he at all aware that Andrew might feel more for him. Oh, Jack.

He let Andrew hold onto his hand as tight as he wanted. "Andy, you know I won't let anything bad happen, right?" he said as they walked across the grassy knoll, as he looked for just the perfect spot. "You'll be just fine, I promise. You'll see!" He smiled in his winesome way, over at his bestie as he came to a stop.

"Okay. Broomstick," he said, holding it out to Andrew. "Just mount it. Feet on the ground, that's all."

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kirkevsgravity
2010-09-12 03:24 pm UTC (link)

Andrew nodded, because he trusted Jack - it was everything else he distrusted, gravity included. And crap, he couldn't back out of this even if he'd wanted to couldn't even voice his discomfort at even getting on the damn broom because Jack was smiling at him like that.

He took the broom reluctantly, feeling the heft of one for the first time since he'd left school, and then gingerly straddled it; yes, his feet were definitely on the ground. "There, is that it?" he asked, hoping without hope because he knew this wasn't enough for Jack. He could already feel his heartrate creeping up.

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jackisnimble
2010-09-12 11:30 pm UTC (link)

"Not quite it. But that's a good start!" Jack said encouragingly as he watched Andrew straddle the broomstick. There was a little pang there, because he remembered when Andrew had been fearless about flying. He wished that hadn't changed - they had had such fun, flying together!

"Here," he said, and he stepped onto the broomstick behind Andrew, and looped an arm around his waist before he said "Up." The broomstick sprang to life, hovering between their legs, ready to fly. "Put your feet up," he said. "I'm not going to take my feet off the ground, so we won't really be going anywhere."

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kirkevsgravity
2010-09-13 07:11 pm UTC (link)

Andrew watched Jack with pleading eyes but knew they'd be ignored, and he was proven right when Jack proceeded to the next stage. He took in a slight breath at Jack behind him, the arm around his waist, but then did so again as Jack commanded the broom to rise, only this time it was a little tense noise of anxiety.

He wanted to refuse and tell Jack that he couldn't, but it was no worse than sitting on a bench or something and he was already a laughing stock as he was; he didn't want Jack to be anymore ashamed of him than he imagined Jack to already be, and so he gingerly, timidly, took his feet off the ground, his knuckles white around the broom and the tension felt in his body as he tensed up.

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jackisnimble
2010-09-13 07:14 pm UTC (link)

Jack could feel the tension as if it was his own. He scooted up closer to Andrew, as close as he could get to him without crawling inside of his clothes with him, and the arm became more snug around his waist.

"That's good," he said, his voice a soft murmur against his ear. "Very good," he prased as Andrew picked his feet up off the ground. It was a small thing, and yet such a huge thing for Andrew.

"That's good," he said, and he curled his other arm around him as well. "Now I'm going to walk, just a little - but my feet won't ever leave the ground, okay?" With Andrew's feet off the ground it would feel like flying to him, a little bit, but Jack was going to keep them anchored.

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kirkevsgravity
2010-09-13 07:38 pm UTC (link)

Andrew sighed heavily as Jack's arms came around him and he could almost close his eyes and be spooning (could almost close his eyes and pretend that the soft voice against his ear would turn into a kiss just as gentle) but then Jack made noises to move and Andrew's feet went down.

"I can't!" he said suddenly, only not jumping off the thing because Jack still had his arms around him. "I can't, I can't do this, I can't."

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	jackisnimble 2010-09-13 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	For a moment or two it was smooth sailing, and Jack took a single step forward before Andrew was suddenly riddled with tension again and yelping. "You can," he said, although he did stop moving altogether, and let Andrew leave his feet on the ground. "Tell me. Tell me what scares you," he said, rubbing a hand against his stomach. "What gets you all nervous." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kirkevsgravity
2010-09-13 07:54 pm UTC (link)

Jack's hand against his stomach was almost dangerously distracting, had Andy not been too riddled with fear to do anything but think about that. He put his hands over Jack's, feeling the hot shame run through him because really, first years could do this and he couldn't.

"I don't know." he said miserably. It was hard to narrow it down to one thing - the sick twisting feeling he had in his stomach when he glided across, the lack of control he had, the anticipation of rising higher...

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jackisnimble
2010-09-13 07:55 pm UTC (link)

"Andrew," Jack said in an admonishing voice. He knew the other boy well, better than almost anyone in the world - and he certainly knew when Andrew was feeling down on himself. "You're not allowed to feel bad about yourself. Everyone's afraid of something." Andrew's just happened to be flying.

"Well then, tell me how it feels," he encouraged. "When you get scared."

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kirkevsgravity
2010-09-13 08:24 pm UTC (link)

Andy felt like a bad dog when Jack used that voice on him and all he could do was rub his thumb against the back of Jack's hand, convincing himself that this wasn't one of his parent's shouting matches; this was different because this was them.

"First years can do this." he said under his breath, and then Jack asked a really difficult question. "I don't know..." he said, uncomfortable talking about it. "Just... panic. Like a hand around my throat. Like I'm going to fall out of my skin."

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jackisnimble
2010-09-13 08:26 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, but that doesn't make it bad that you can't," Jack replied, with all the patience that he always had for Andrew. "You can fly, anyway. You're just afraid to. There's a difference." Andrew had taken a very bad fall and it had affected him.

He nodded his head, although he didn't really know what that felt like, but he could imagine. "Must be awful," he murmured. "But I would never let bad things happen, Andy."

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	kirkevsgravity 2010-09-13 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	"No, doesn't make it bad." Andy agreed. "Just embarassing. And I can't fly anymore." That much was clear, but then he tried to turn to make sure Jack understood how seriously he took his next point. "I know, you'd NEVER let anything bad happen to me, I know that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jackisnimble 2010-09-13 08:39 pm UTC (link)
	"So what's the worst thing in the world if you couldn't fly anymore? There's Floos and Apparation and everything else," Jack pointed out. "It's not like you need to fly." He smiled, trying to be encouraging and cheer Andrew up. "The only reason I want you to do this is so you don't feel so down on yourself anymore." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kirkevsgravity 2010-09-13 08:42 pm UTC (link)
	Andrew couldn't help but smile back at Jack and his smile; it didn't matter how crap he was feeling, Jack's smile was the best kind of antidepressant. "I don't feel down on myself..." he claimed, but he looked guilty as he said it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jackisnimble 2010-09-13 08:47 pm UTC (link)
	"Andy, I know you better than anyone else. You can't lie to me, you giant fibber," Jack informed him, tickling his side. "So don't even try." He wished it was true though, that Andrew didn't get down on himself the way he did. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kirkevsgravity 2010-09-14 08:10 pm UTC (link)
	Andy reflected that this was true, and wondered if this was a bad thing, but he didn't have time to say anything before Jack was tickling him and making him yelp and twist to get away from evil digging fingers. "No!" he exclaimed breathlessly, tried to hop off the broom to get away and ended up tripping over the thing and falling to the floor. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jackisnimble 2010-09-14 08:14 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes!" Jack replied, and he snorted in laughter as Andrew tripped. He let the broomstick fall so he could help his friend back up. "Oh come here, you," he sais, taking hold of both of Andrew's hands so he could tug him back to his feet. "That was good, for today! We'll try again another day soon!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kirkevsgravity
2010-09-14 08:24 pm UTC (link)

Andy pouted up at Jack as his best friend had the audacity to laugh at his prone position, taking Jack's hands to get back up and trying not to hold onto them for too long, trying not to make the moment where they were face to face again into an uncomfortable one filled with meaning for him and nothing for Jack.

He let go but his smile didn't drop. "Soon? You mean later." Well, it was better than never.

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jackisnimble
2010-09-14 08:26 pm UTC (link)

"Well yes later, in that it won't be now," Jack agreed cheerfully. He picked up his broomstick again and slung his other arm over Andrew's shoulder so that they could leave the park area together.

"But soon in that it won't be months in the future or anything like that!" No, it would be... soon! Which was a random date of randomness until Jack went and put some spoecifics on it!

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	kirkevsgravity 2010-09-15 08:03 pm UTC (link)
	Andrew tucked himself comfortably under Jack's arm, pleased to have an end to the broomstick torture and lifting an eyebrow sceptically at what Jack said. "No, it'll be years. Maybe millenia. We shall have to see." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jackisnimble 2010-09-15 08:03 pm UTC (link)
	"Definitely not years," Jack replied just as cheerfully as before, unwavered by Andrew's reluctance. He grinned at him. "You'll see," he said, and then they started back towards home. (Reply to this) (Parent)