c h a p t e r. 31

"You shouldn't blame others for the conditions you endure; we each have the freedom to follow which path we desire in life." -Steven Redhead

chapter 31

Viv and Payton are the two team captains for volleyball, simply because they're too chaotic to ever have the chance to be on the same team together and the way they picked teams were amusing, to say the least.

Everyone got on a team with either people they'll be fighting with the whole time or people who were a powerhouse together.

Like Nyx and Damien together worked really well but they also fought a lot and Eris was best friends with Payton and Lavender but when they're on the same team they get competitive and end up messing with each other just for shits and giggles, as does Axel and Nyx. Isaiah and Anadi didn't like each other too much but they kicked ass and with Arabella in that mix, were practically unstoppable. Dela and Ahmik were naturally athletic but way too unmotivated so they got stuck together with Atticus, Cara, Nymphadora and Aiko. Scar and Fly got on opposite teams and Jazz got paired with Scar while Castor-- to his carchaign-- got paired with the tinsel colored blondie.

So the two teams were the Oranges (most of the Reds and D'Silvettas were on this team): Jasper, Scar, Dela, Ahmik, Damien, Nyx, Viv, Isaiah, Anadi, Arabella, Axel and the Potatoes (no reason): Castor, Fly, Lavender, Cara, Eris, Aiko, Nymph, Atti, Isaiah, Payton, and Aiko.

It was pretty fair, craziness versus athletic ability evened things out pretty well.

The game had yet to start, the Potatoes were the team with the red jerseys while the Oranges were the shirtless team, which Jazz didn't like too much but said nothing about, him just taking his shirt off while everyone else did besides Viv who yoinked his away from him to wear herself and Damien-- the girls in tank tops or bathing suits of their choice.

Everyone in his family knew not to judge, so showing skin was never a big deal, even if someone had scars.

He did find it a little funny that Axel was on his team while Fly was on Castor's-- meaning both of them would get jealous at one point or another in the game just because that stupid D'Silvetta liked to annoying and Fly didn't know how to stop.

The god wasn't standing too far away from him, only about two feet to the right with Scar and Fly talked to him while he had the D'Silvettas all around him and picking fights with each other-- no shocker there, that bunch of weirdos loved a good bicker.

That's when he noticed, compared to Fly's tall frame, Castor looked a bit short.

And Jazz was a lot taller than the blondie.

Tilting his head, he eyed his boyfriend's body, half checking him out and half realizing just how... tiny the celestial was compared to him. He was attractive, lean but fit with a beautiful face and song.

He was lucky, really lucky, to have someone as amazing as the god as a boyfriend.

And he was very appreciative that his boyfriend was hot.

It's normal, and completely enjoyable, to like looking at hot people and this was his hot person, so it was extra special eye candy.

Raising his eyes from Castor's head, he realizes-- somehow, just now, for the first time-- that he didn't even come up to the musician's shoulders.

And his hair! His hair was fluffy and messy and added extra height.

...exactly how much extra height?

His body moved on it's own accord until he was right next to Castor, hand pressing down on the top of his head until his hair was flat. Jazz tilted his head, not noticing all three of them were staring at him, and moved his hand that was on top of the god's head towards his own body-- which reached the middle of his biceps.

His mint eyes widened and he looked back up at his fluffy hair.

It added a good inch or two of height. His star was short. That's so cute, how did he not notice before?

"Did... you just compare our heights?" Castor's voice startles him slightly, the incredulous tone, the teal and chartreuse blocking him from comparing for just a brief moment.

"Oh!" Jazz gently rested his hand on the back of his boyfriend's neck, bending down until they were eye-level. "It's the green's fault, and your hair! The fluffiness made you look taller, and I never noticed how short you were before, because the green distracted me. You're so cute." He kissed his nose. "Cute and tiny."

When he looks into those lightning-strike gray eyes again, and sees that his ears have turned red, he notices that 'you're one to talk' look he's getting and grins.

"Got something to say, Star?" He asks, not even trying to hide how happy he is with the new realization. When the god says nothing, and decides to be smug just a little bit more, Jazz growls at him-- seeing the surprise light up his song and eyes as he's not able to stop from growling back.

"You're too hot to be playing dirty like that," Castor mutters, his cheeks flushed too and the musician can't help but to reach out and run his knuckles over the heated skin. "It's not fair."

"If how hot someone is determines how fair it is for them to play" He replies. "You should never be allowed on the field again."

Then, without any prior warning, his god is ripped away from him by the tinsel blondie, making his annoyance flare and also for his amusement as Bella points at him in warning.

"No getting yourself worked up before a game!" She scolds.

Before long, the game starts.

On his team, Jazz and Nyx are wing spikers, Damien and Axel are mid blockers, Viv is their setter and Scar is their outside hitter. On the god's team, Castor is the Libero, Fly is the setter, Nymphie is the wing spiker and Atticus is their ace while Isaiah is their middle blocker.

It seemed pretty even, with everything the musician knew ability-wise.

They had stronger people with more hitting a spike ability but they had Castor as a libero who could block better and send more receives, which gave them a just as equal advantage.

It was going to be a pretty even game.

The weirdo serves from the back, and he watches, anticipating that it would at least be able to get to the other side-- only for it to smack right into Ahmik's ass and sent him sprawling into the sand.

"That's all I know how to do with a ball," Viv admits with a way too wide grin. "I'm a shit serve. Big bro?"

Jazz did wonder why they let her be the setter when her aim was, well... It needed work.

Damien, knowing she only calls him this and not Axel, raises an eyebrow and reaches out towards the weirdo only to be swatted away and for Viv to throw the ball right into Axel's face.

It's never a dull moment with the D'Silvettas around, that's for fucking sure.

If Payton and Atticus were on their team too, only time would be able to tell what absolute chaos would happen in their wake.

Having passed off her position to her brother, Viv switched to middle blocker.

Now the setter, the stupid D'Silvetta serves it with a jump and sends the ball spiraling into the opposite side's court, bouncing off pf Isaiah's arms in a rather poor half-relieve.

And, somehow, Castor could tell that Fly was about to go into a set and managed to bounce it off his foot. Which, well, was pretty impressive.

The blondie manages to make the set, giving it to Nymphie to try and score it and although three of them dive to get it, none of his teammates manage to get to the ball before it hits the sand.

Oh.

So Castor was a good libero, he moved quick and thought fast. Pairing that with the way he was able to read Flynn's body language, they make a deadly team. Blocking should be a priority, but with their spiker and good sets, they'll have to watch out for that.

Then, for whatever reason, Fly is giving them a perfect set-- right to Scar, so then the gentleness makes sense,

What happens next is not funny and unfortunate.

Jazz spikes the ball, and Isaiah had always been a little slower than him and missed blocking it so the momentum of how hard he hit it made it fly right past his fingers.

Right past his fingers, rebounded from Castor's hand.

Then seemingly right to Axel's face, who panicked, and hit it very hard with a giant shriek and slaps the ball as hard as he can.

Making it go right back to Castor-- right to his face, too.

Only, this time, there's no time to block it.

The god crashes to the ground, hands already up to his face but Jazz could see the blood already trailing down his face. The green surrounding turned mostly annoyed with a little pain.

Why is it always his nose that gets hurt?

He misses what Castor and Fly say to each other, besides the blondie telling him, "Let me check if it's broken." as he's jogging up to see if one, his bleeding boyfriend is okay, and two, to know if there's anything else he can do to help.

But then the god is trying to shove Fly away from him and, well, that must make the blondie lose his balance because the next thing Jazz saw, he was squishing his boyfriend into the sand.

"Yeah, no," Jazz mumbled to himself before hauling Flynn off of the celestial and dropping him to the side before picking up Castor and making him stand, moving his head up to see the damage.

There's a lot more blood than he thought there'd be.

Maybe it is broken.

"I'm okay." Castor pulls himself out of his grip. "It really doesn't hurt that much. But if that dumbass hits me in the face with the ball because he got scared by it, even though we're playing volleyball I'm-- mother duckling-- going to kill him."

Fair, fair.

But Axel really was scared.

"Oh come on," Fly snarks out, hand waving towards the star's face. "You wouldn't kill a fly!"

Castor doesn't even kill spiders, he knows this from when a giant wolf spider made a home in their dorm and he freaked out and instead of killing the evil thing, he just put it outside.

"You're right, I wouldn't kill an innocent fly. Or any creature that never knowingly harmed anyone but," He looked over to Axel. "I will maim."

Lavender throws the god a towel to clean up before going back over to Dela and the scoreboard which she controlled between the games, adding another point onto his team because, technically, that did count.

But Castor was hurt so, in his opinion, it shouldn't.

"C'mon Jitterbug, it was an accident, I'm not broken." Raising up, Castor pressed a quick kiss to Jazz's adam's apple-- which shouldn't have felt as it did. "Why don't we keep playing the game?"

"But what if I hurt you?" Jazz pouts.

"It's volleyball, I'm the libero." He shrugs. "If not you, it's that fucker." What a sweet and thoughtful nickname for Axel. "Take a guess which one I'd prefer."

He huffs at the god, "I'd prefer it if you weren't hurt at all."

"The only other libero is Nymphadora, and I'd much rather be the one kicked around in the sand, Jitterbug." Castor pauses. "Plus, the adrenaline rush can be fun."

"I want to make sure you're okay," Jazz says, then adds, "It's my job!"

Looking him in the eyes, Castor quite rudely deadpans, "Quit."

"I refuse." Jazz narrows his eyes.

Like he'd ever do that.

"Then you're fired," Castor shrugs, turning away but Jazz wasn't done with the conversation and circled his arms around the god's waist.

"You can't fire me Star," The musician says. "I'm union."

Scarlette scoffs at them both, gathering their attention, "You guys have time for fucking later. Let's play this game already."

They weren't talking about fucking! Where'd she get that idea?

"You heard her Jitterbug," Castor winks, an attractive smirk on his lips. "That's for later."

Jazz flushes, and the god laughs at him-- all sunflowers, seafoam, and emeralds.

Actually... later doesn't sound too bad.