sortinghat_logs | [In which Mituna makes good use of his helmet]

WHO: Mituna Captor and Dirk Strider
TONE: General/Friendly
RATING: G
WHEN: Afternoon of November 12th
WHERE: Quidditch pitch
WHAT: Mituna is out on the pitch between classes practicing some sick moves. And some sick falling off. Dirk comes across him and shenanigans ensue.
STATUS: Ongoing.

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It had been a common thing, even long before the events which had damaged most of his mental faculties as well as his balance and co-ordination, to find Mituna Captor on the quidditch pitch between classes. Even his father's concerns, and the undeniable fact that he hurt himself almost every time he did it wasn't going to stop him from enjoying his favourite hobby and the afternoon found him indulging in it again. The cold was no deterrent at all, even higher up where the chill in the air bit at his skin and forced a flush into his cheeks.

Anyone walking onto the pitch would find him zipping up and down between the goals, flying about the pitch in lazy circles and occasionally turning upside-down, ankles hooked together to keep him from falling off. There was no fear as he climbed higher than the tallest goal post, higher than the stands, hovering there for a moment before he dived sharply, body pressed low to the broomstick and fingers clasped tightly around it. Moments before he could have hit the ground he pulled up, knees skimming the grass, jack-knifing upwards in a giddy spiral. There was an expression of uncommon determination and concentration on his face as he flew between the goal posts, from one end of the pitch to the other and back again.

It was on the return, flying several metres from the ground, when Mituna abruptly fell. There didn't seem to be a cause for it. One moment he was on the broom, and the next he was hitting the grass, a quiet grunt leaving him on impact as he rolled once, then lay still, half curled up on his side.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dirk wasn't sure why he had decided to venture out to the quidditch pitch. He definitely hadn't the nerve to even get on a broom, which was probably going to prove to be problematic, but his anxiety levels rose too much at the idea of even getting on. Sometimes he liked to watch other people fly though. Even if it ~~scared~~ made him hesitant, watching people was still cool. Maybe one day he'd be able to get over his own reservations and stop being a chicken about it.

This was one of those moments where he thought that would be possible. The person on the broom was doing some sick stunts and it was so cool. Dirk couldn't take his eyes off of it. And then abruptly, the flyer was on the ground. What on earth...

He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Was the guy dead? Hurt? What was he supposed to do? It took longer than it should have to react, but as soon as he could get his legs to work, he ran over to Mituna. "Are you okay?"

Sudden surprises took him a few moments to recover from, so although he was perfectly fine it took him a little while before he could move. It was hearing Dirk's voice that provoked him to movement and he hissed, one eye squinted half closed as he gingerly sat up and rubbed his arm. He pulled his helmet off, scuffed one hand through the mess of hair on his head and looked up at the blond boy.

"I'm okay. I.." He trailed off, looking around. "... Did you thee where my broomstick went?"

He rubbed his arm again. It hurt a bit, but he'd had worse falls than that before.

"Yeah it... it's over there." He pointed in the general direction of the broom. He was honestly amazed that this guy didn't seem hurt. Dirk had yet to realise that he actually knew who this was, too. Oh, journals.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to see the nurse?"

He looked off in the direction that Dirk pointed to find his broom idling not far away. A quiet sound of relief left him and he pulled himself to his feet, brushing his clothes off and quirking a smile at the younger boy.

"I'm okay."

There was a pause, while his mind ticked over, then he narrowed one eye slightly.

"What are you doing out here."

Dirk shrugged. "I was just coming to look at the quidditch grounds." That's really all there was to it. Sort of. "And uh, the weather is nice for once."

He glanced up at the mention of the weather, then left Dirk to jog across the pitch and retrieve his broom. The teenager brushed himself off on his way back - he was used to falling, and though it still sometimes stunned him it hardly bothered him.

When he got back to Dirk, he rubbed the back of his neck, then offered the broom out to the younger boy.

"Wanna try?"

The thing is, he did and he didn't. The idea itself was terrifying, but he understood that it was something that he eventually needed to know. It was an integral skill or something, apparently.

"I don't know. I've never even tried before."

"Then you should!"

Mituna was of the opinion that everyone should know how to fly a broom, even if they couldn't pull off the kinds of moves that he and Latula can. He offered his helmet as well, and a crooked smile.

"Here. You can use thith. I don't mind."

The helmet offered some reassurance, and Dirk didn't hesitate in putting it on. He just looked at the broom a bit uncertainly then glanced back to Mituna. "How do I even do it? I mean, I know in theory, but."

"Here, I'll thow you."

It didn't even seem to have occurred to Mituna that if Dirk didn't know how to do this then he must have been skipping Flying lessons. He set his broom down on the ground, then put his hand over it.

"Up!" he commanded, the broomstick immediately lifting from the ground and into his hand. He grinned, then set it back down again, beside Dirk. "Put your hand out and do what I did."

Dirk was honestly glad that Mituna hadn't caught on. That would've led to awkward questioning, probably. He didn't want to deal with that. So he just watched intently. When it was his turn, he stared down at the broom and tried positioning his hand in the exact manner that Mituna had. Did it make a difference? He just didn't know.

"Okay. Up." The broom was almost like a Magikarp, to be honest. It shifted around and did nothing otherwise. "I guess I can't."

If he'd been to his classes, he would've known that's normal.

Mituna just shook his head and moved over, a twitch of hesitation visible in his fingers before they took hold of Dirk's wrist and he guided the boy's hand out over the broom. Lots of kids failed at this their first time, he remembered that. He hadn't, but he recalled seeing that others did.

"You have to really want it. If you don't it won't come."

Dirk nodded dutifully. Now he was determined to make this work. Maybe he could convince the broom that he really wanted it. "Up, up, up. C'mon, broom, I want you."

The entire time, he kept his eyes closed, as if that would somehow help. It took a little longer, and broom was wobbly, but it started working its way upward.

Mituna watched, a small grin quirking at one corner of his mouth, and when he saw the broom begin to move he placed his hand on Dirk's shoulder. It was odd for him to volunteer contact like that, but it always helped when someone treated him like he was.. normal. He'd grown far too used to the stares and whispers over the past couple of years, and though he knew something was different about him, he didn't know what, and thinking about it too much made his head hurt.

"You're doing it. You're making it happen. Conthentrate."

Perhaps it worked in Mituna's favour, then, that Dirk viewed him just as that. A normal person. He knew something was off, but he didn't think it mattered enough to actually look at the older boy any differently. He could easily see past it. Besides, Mituna was nice. That mattered more than anything else.

"Okay. I'm trying harder." He clenched his eyes shut even tighter. The broom was still working its way up.

He watched with baited breath, nodding to himself in encouragement and grinning widely when the final inch was closed and the broomstick hit up against Dirk's palm. Quickly, he closed his fingers around the boy's and firmed his grip on the broom, patting his shoulder with his free hand.

"Look, you fucking did it, buddy!"

"I did it." He could hardly believe it. "I did it!" It was the greatest accomplishment; he never expected to be able to make make so much progress so quickly. And this really was progress.

And he was so proud of himself.

[In which Mituna makes good use of his helmet]

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