Title: Space Jam
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Notes: Part one of an iTunes shuffle meme. The song in question is 'Space Jam' by Quad City DJ's.
Space Jam
Duo feinted left before darting right, barely managing to duck under his opponent's outstretched arms. A breathless laugh lingered on his lips as zeroed in on his goal. He straightened. Aimed instinctively. And made his shot.
Swish.
Nothing but net! Duo whooped triumphantly as one of the boys playing on the skins team chased after the rebound, his customary grin infected with a slight smug tilt. Yeah, this is how you play. Sweat trickled through his hair, getting a bit too close to his eyes. He shook his head like a dog, spraying Jase a bit as the scrawny boy gave Duo a friendly clap on the shoulder.
Duo's gaze followed the ball as it came back into play, but took a moment to stretch an arm up behind his head. One of the taller boys had managed a vicious elbow into the muscle just below the shoulder of his arm, the result of which would be a nasty discolored lump in a few hours. None of that lame civilized crap from the boarding school.
This was a real game. Rough and tumble. Tempers flaring. Endless streams of mockery holding nothing sacred. Boys in ratty sweaty clothing, lean, and hungry for any type of victory, even one that didn't matter. Street toughened girls in small groups, leaning against rusted chain-linked fences, looking unaffected but secretly hoping their chosen boy would be on the winning team.
The game didn't matter to any of them, players and spectators alike. It was all about being alive. Claiming. Straining. Surviving. Being real.
Duo watched as his team lost the ball once again. He waited until the other team attempted a chest pass, then darted smoothly passed for the intercept. This was what he fought OZ for. This run down city basketball court, with its cracked concrete and street wizened kids, could have been any one of a million littered throughout the Earth Sphere and Space. They were all home.