(no subject)

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

Time: August 15, 2000
Status: Open to spectators or joiners in
Setting: The manor lawn
Summary: Brian teaches the way of the rugger


Brian was excited-- for several reasons. The main one just now was that he got to share his passion with a friend-- the passion for tossing an odly shaped ball around, running after it, and knocking people right over. ...and making a human shield turtle and ramming the other team, only they didn't have nearly enough people for a scrum right now.

He'd dragged Adam out onto the front lawn, and waved madly at Shadow to join them-- he'd love to use Shadow as a tackling dummy. The big ones were always the hardest-- and the most satisfying.

"C'mon, Adam, c'mon! It'll be great! It's loads of fun. Oh, one thing, you can't throw the ball forward. Or touch it if you're in front of it."

The ways of rugby are arcane and violent.

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Er," said Adam eloquently, looking uncertain. "How do I know if I'm in front of it?"

He wasn't sure about this venture. It was Brian, so it had to be okay, but he tended to prefer games without a lot of rules. And did he really have to be wearing such a small pair of shorts?

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"...easy. The other person's tri-line is over THERE," Brian said, pointing to the imaginary goal. He put the ball down. He stood between the enemy goal and the ball. "In front of it."

And then between their imaginary goal and the ball. "Behind it. An' if you are in front of it and you touch it, that's off sides and it's a penalty."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Shaking his head, Adam tried to force himself to think in only two dimensions. He'd been rubbish in geometry.

"All right. Stay to the west of the ball. But if you can't move it forward, how do you get it into their goal?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

Brian beamed. "You can't THROW it forward. You can run with it-- and toss it to the side and a bit back to another teammate who's coming up behind you. And then you may be tackled, but they can run."

Wasn't it wonderful?

[classic-palm.livejournal.com]

Shadow chuckled at Brian's enthusiasm and Adam's confusion as he stood off to the side and did his best to follow the haphazard explanation that was being given. He'd watched a little rugby on TV so he knew the basic rules. More or less, anyway.

Shadow liked organized sports, too, and was glad for the chance to learn the game better. And anyway, Brian's enthusiasm was contagious.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Shadow, c'mere!" Brian said. "Help me show Adam, huh?" He pitched the big man the ball.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam almost wished Greasy Johnson were around. At least he'd understand this.

"Does that mean you hafta run into the goal holdin' the ball then? 'Cause if you keep passin' it back, it'll never go in."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Yes, it does," Brian said. Gosh, imagine not knowing that.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam waved at Shadow and smiled weakly hoping that he'd be able to explain better.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"C'mon," Brian coaxed. "Not that hard. Simple goal, right? Get this ball to the other end of the field, and touch it down nice and controlled. Simple way to carry it around and throw it. It's an easy game."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"'Cept when thirty big guys are ready to jump on you to stop you from doin' it," he retorted. Adam didn't mind getting a bit beat up. He was a physical boy. What he did mind was being interrupted while he tried to attain his goal...

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Adam, there's only fifteen men on a team, and only eight who'd tackle you. And you can just toss it away to someone who ISN'T about to be tackled."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"But it's all happenin' behind you... Isn't it hard to tell what's goin' on? And what's that bit where you get thrown up in the air to catch the ball. That seems fun." He tugged on his shorts.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"No, it ain't. Your team's behind you. And the people you'd be passing the ball to, they're not too far behind-- you can see them easy. The other team's in front of you-- they can't tackle you from behind, cos then they'd be in front of the ball and that'd be offsides."

Brian grinned. "You like lifting? Shadow, c'mon, let's lift'm!" The bigger man came to stand right by.

"What'd'ya say, Adam? Want to see what it's like?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Well this was going to end in tears...

"I'll try," said Adam hesitantly. "Go on and walk by a bit."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

Brian did-- walking slowly but firmly, not spreading his legs apart far or anything else.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Trying to copy Brian's move from before, Adam ran, crouched down low, grabbed Brian's knees and held them together as his momentum carried them both over. Or that was the plan anyway...

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Bit high, isn't it?" Brian said. Adam hadn't locked tightly enough-- which was hard to learn, he admitted, he'd done it more times than he could think, and now he'd spread his legs a bit to move Adam's arms up to his thighs. And kept walking. "That sudden tight clench is important."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Being dragged along by Brian for a few steps, Adam let go and dropped to the grass, laughing. When he calmed down a little, he looked up, eyes shining. "All right, Brian. You're goin' down. This is a special Adam rugby tackle."

He jumped up, threw himself at Brian, and started tickling him mercilessly. He wasn't going to stop until Brian was on the ground.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Oh, NOT ON," Brian said, going down in a torrent of giggles. "Not on atall!" He wrestled with Adam, trying to pin his arms, or at least his wrists and STOP THE TICKLING. "You're not allowed to DO this," he said, ignoring the fact that he too was doing it. "That's playing it on the ground. Penalty!"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam stopped and flopped on top of Brian, laughing. "Don't care if I get a penalty. That's much more effective than just hittin' them in the knees."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"What if they aren't ticklish," Brian said, shoving to dislodge Adam. "What then, HUH?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Everybody's ticklish," he said knowledgeably. "'Specially you."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Everyone is NOT. Pep's cousin's boyfriend's little sister isn't."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Pep's cousin's boyfriend's little sister hasn't been tickled by me."