Words: 3,087
Disclaimer: I don't benefit financially from any of this.
Notes: I wanted to get this out now before the NBA Finals, which are technically in like 8 hours. Only two kisses left?! Damn straight.
(4th)
this is why we play
"Really, children, I have a very important meeting with the board of directors in an hour, I can't waste my time on such menial activities involving sweaty youths and plastic trophies."
"First of all, Your Majesty," Daphne snaps as she keeps walking briskly towards the main gym. "I'm fourteen-years-old, and your sons are over four thousand years old so we can hardly be considered 'children' anymore." Mustardseed glances at Daphne warily as the three of them turn a corner, his and Daphne's sneakers squeaking against the linoleum and his mother's heels clacking away loudly.
"Second of all, your office is a seven minute drive away from school and Duncan is outside at the front waiting for you, which means there is no way you'll miss your meeting with only the fourth quarter left on the clock." From the corner of his eyes, Mustardseed can see his mother give an exasperated but quiet sigh, obviously not taking too kindly to Daphne's scolding, but at least she isn't trying to interrupt, which is a big step for Titania.
"And lastly, one of those 'sweaty youths' is your son, who happens to be one of the star players on the team, and he's making history collecting those 'plastic trophies' which are going to get him the scholarships to all those Ivy League schools you keep mentioning," Daphne takes a moment to look right at Titania as she says this and gives her a sweet smile.
"Oh, alright, already," Titania hisses, giving up and tucking her sleek phone back into her purse, snapping the cover shut by her side. "Where is this gym and how long is it going to take?" Mustardseed has to resist rolling his eyes before gesturing to the gym doors in front of them.
"We're already here, mom, and it's just the last quarter," he says placatingly, knowing that the only reason she's been whining so much about attending this championship game is because the meeting with the board of directors is actually pretty important and will help her business take not just multiple steps but maybe even a huge leap in the market. It already says a lot about her that she even showed up today.
"Good," Titania mutters. Daphne doesn't bother hiding a quick eye roll as she pushes the gym doors open, releasing a wave of vibrant colours, ear-splitting cheers, and the sweet, putrid smell of puberty and healthy competition. Titania instantly stiffens, holding her Michael Kors clutch closer to her and keeping one paranoid hand on the flap. When Daphne turns around to guide Titania to their seats at the bleachers, she immediately notices how out of place Puck and Mustardseed's mother looks in the main gym of a high school in New York, with her exquisitely pressed and cut business suit, sleek beige high heels that make her legs look miles long, and her pale blonde hair curled to perfection. Daphne grins to herself when she feels a rush of sympathy for the woman and before she can hesitate, reaches over to touch Titania's shoulder gently.
"He'll be really happy you showed up," she assures Titania, to which the woman smiles thinly, hoping the uncertainty in her eyes doesn't betray her emotions (they do). The three step over all the yelling teenagers and families scattered along the length of the bleachers, taking care to stay as far away from the boundary line as possible, until they make it to the middle of the bleachers, where Sabrina, a brunette Titania isn't familiar with, and the rest of the Grimm family are on their feet screaming their throats raw.
"Alright, fancy feet, show 'em what you've got!" Sabrina yells at her home team, clapping her hands fiercely as she watches the teams change position, eyes following Puck, playing the team's point guard, as he takes possession of the ball. She's stumbled one too many times over his moniker at school ("Robin") and his actual name, so she's taken to giving him slightly insulting but generally endearing nicknames instead. The "fancy feet" label began when Puck had started high school with her and discovered the glorious game of basketball, specifically his own abilities to dribble, crossover, and sidestep almost every single player with his impressive hand-eye coordination and swift footwork. Sabrina constantly teases him that it "must be an Everafter thing" that he ended up being such a remarkable basketball player but he hasn't let that stop him from rising to the top of his game and leading his team to countless victories. And with a current score of 77-72 in the fourth quarter in favour of their high school's team, the Eagles, it's looking like another victory, as long as they stay vicious for the ball.
"What'd we miss?" Daphne asks her sister loudly over the noise of the gym. Sabrina leans over to respond, never taking her eyes off of the game.
"Tigers #11 made another three pointer so it's 77-72 now but Puck just needs to keep his shit together and run the play. They'll be fine!" Sabrina yells back in response, to which Daphne nods, focusing her gaze on the court and honing in on Puck.
"Good heavens, it's never quite this loud during tennis matches," Titania says out loud, mostly to herself, but Veronica, who's standing on the bleacher behind her, hears her and leans over, grinning.
"This ain't tennis, sweetie, but I can guarantee it's a whole lot better," she says, her attention immediately flying back to the game when Puck powers through the Tiger's defence and makes a layup, giving his team another two points.
"Attaboy!" Veronica screams proudly, pumping up into the air. On either side of her, Henry and Baz mimic his wife, whooping loudly and just as enthusiastically. Titania watches them for just a few moments, pondering about their seemingly unlimited supply of energy, before her attention is captured again by the fast-paced game in front of her.
"So is Puck's team winning?" she asks Mustardseed quietly. He looks at her incredulously before frowning when he realises she actually doesn't know who's winning and gives his mom a lopsidedly, affectionate smile.
"Yeah, Mom," he explains to her patiently in a loud voice. He leans in close and points to the scoreboard on the wall across the gym. "It's 79-72, and we're winning. We're the Eagles, the guys in white, and the Tigers, the guys in black, are our arch-nemeses. We have to win this or we'll never live it down until we're seniors next year for the following season."
"Oh, I see," Titania says, though she doesn't really, but she keeps her eyes on the game nonetheless. In her defence, she's never watched a full game before, though she's not a complete dunce when it comes to basketball, since Oberon used to stream NBA playoff games every now and then. She knows the general basics (she thinks), that the players need to defy the laws of physics with their own bodies to put that big, rubber ball in the hoop, that players aren't allowed to "travel" (whatever that is), and that, for some ridiculous reason, if a player is good enough to "dunk" the ball, the crowd goes wild. The only thing she's positive of is that basketball is just another sport where the players always leave the court as hot, sweaty, stinky messes she wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. No wonder Puck loves it so much. But her? No, she really much prefers tennis.
She wonders in the back of her mind, as the Tigers make a lucky steal and bring the ball back to the other end of the court for a successful layup, if Puck is aware that his father had also been a big fan of basketball. Then, as her son brings the ball up after changing possessions, she decides that it might not be a good idea to tell him that anytime soon, but she figures he wouldn't mind knowing about it in the future. He's only been maturing every day (God bless Larry and all his persistency) and at this point, she's quite certain Puck's going to be just fine as future king of Faerie.
"What the hell was that!?" the brunette next to Sabrina suddenly cries out so angrily, she startles Titania. "Foul! That is a shitty call, ref! Do your job, man! Everyone saw that! Ref!" Titania scans the court to find the person the girl is addressing when Sabrina lends her voice as well.
"Make the call!" Sabrina yells at a tall and thin balding man waving his hands in a universal No gesture as members of the Eagles, including Puck, walk towards him with their hands up in the air in protest. "Jesus, there are only two minutes left! These referees are gonna cost us the game!"
"What? What's happening? What happened?" Titania asks, completely lost, eyes bouncing between the players, the referee, and her companions.
"So, Puck just passed to Mike, #13, who's a senior and like the best player on the team," Daphne explains. "And Mike tried to make a layup but Tigers #5, who's been fouling all night, just fouled him now and the ref didn't call it."
"Well, that won't do," Titania muses. "All forms of crime need to face suitable punishment."
"Tell the ref that," Sabrina snorts next to Daphne, having heard Titania.
"I intend to," the Queen of Faeries declares, turning to give Sabrina a pointed look, but the blonde completely misses it, still intently focused on what's unfolding on the court in front of her.
"How does one express their disapproval with utmost poise in these gatherings?" she asks Daphne, who's always been the more patient sister, but the younger girl looks at her as if she's speaking Mandarin, clearly having some difficulty in processing Titania's words.
"You…" she starts to say, trailing off in confusion before Sabrina interrupts.
"You yell, Your Highness," she answers quickly, her tone laced with irritation at the misfortune of her home team. Titania stammers, still fully intent on informing the referee that it is his responsibility to uphold the rules on the court as well as his duty to carry out all forms of punishment in light of any infringements of the previously aforementioned rules, but she's not quite sure yelling at the man is the right way to get her point across. Queens don't really have to yell; they have regents and viceroys for that.
"Is that appropriate?" she wonders out loud, head snapping to the side when Mustardseed breathes out a laugh at her predicament.
"Mom," he waves his hand slightly in a sort of 'Isn't it obvious?' manner, gesturing at the packed crowd of livid, noisy, and above all, spirited people around them. "Just go for it, no one's going to care."
"Right," Titania mumbles albeit a little hesitantly, rethinking whether or not she really cares enough about this game to expose her presence and purse in such a pungent venue. She prepares to … yell at the referee and squints her eyes as she thinks about what she could possibly say to knock some sense into the gentleman. Titania catches the look on Puck's face and even at a distance, she can recognise the snarling arch of his lip, baring just a little bit of teeth, the frustrated line of his sweaty brow, and the piercing fire in his eyes. He's wearing the same look of irritation Titania occasionally wears herself, the one she practically patented, and that recognition is what really brings it home that her son is probably in love with this sport as much as she is in love with coming home with a beautiful new coat or a new pair of heels (which is, to say, a lot).
She figures if this sport is worth something to her son, then it should be worth a little something to her, too.
"Excuse me, good sir!" she yells in a shrill voice, drawing a smile from Mustardseed, startling Daphne and attracting the Grimms' attention. She knows that the ref probably can't hear her under the noise of louder, more experienced fans raging their disapproval at him, and that the game's already starting to continue without any penalties against Tigers #5, but she forges on.
"If you know what's right for you, you'll see to it that every single infraction receives the appropriate punishment, especially for #5's countless infringements, do you hear me, you corrupt celery stick of a man!?" Daphne erupts into giggles at Titania's idea of name-calling and Sabrina and her brunette friend break down laughing next to her. Mustardseed, quite used to his mother's fits, only grins, an endearing and possibly even proud look on his face.
"Were my husband present at this very game, he'd have you thrown in a dungeon but should you allow another bout of unlawful fraudulence again, sir, I'll have you beheaded!" From behind Titania, Veronica winces at the threat, Henry cocks an eyebrow and even seven-year-old Baz frowns.
"Okay," Veronica says gently to Titania, placing a cautious hand on the woman's shoulder in a subtle attempt to silence her.
"And you call yourself a referee! Incompetent!" Titania bellows the last word, cupping her mouth even as the Eagles capture the crowd's attention again, whizzing by after a speedy steal, making another basket and bringing the score up to 81-74.
"Felt good?" Daphne beams up at Titania, who surprises her by flashing the slightest grin that's startlingly identical to the Trickster King's.
"Surprisingly, yes," Titania responds with no hesitation. "I just hope that wretched man doesn't waste anymore time."
"They'll be fine!" Sabrina repeats. "The Tigers need to make eight points in just over a minute. And with Mike there to cut off #11's three-pointers, they'll be hard-pressed to pull it off!"
Sabrina's proven embarrassingly wrong when the Tigers make not one but two shots, closing the gap between the scores even further at 81-78.
"You jinxed it!" Daphne hisses at her sister in between chanting "Defense!" with the rest of the crowd.
"They'll be fine!" Sabrina insists stubbornly. Titania wonders in one corner of her mind if the older Grimm sister has a little too much faith in her home team or if she's just delirious. She glances at the 24-second clock, heart picking up speed with the combined pounding of the bleachers, the endless cheering, and the pressure of the clock.
11
Sabrina worries her bottom lip while the boys are stuck on the Tiger's side of the court, heavily focused on maintaining a tight defense, her eyes widening and blood roaring in her ears as she watches the ball move dangerously closer to the opposing team's three-point shooter.
9
Daphne's eyes blow up to almost twice their size when the Tigers manage a lucky pass to #11, almost shrieking in agony, and then Mustardseed's jaw drops, actually drops down a few inches when Mike Jones, Class of 2016, literally jumps three feet into the air to slap the ball away a split second after it leaves #11's fingers.
7
Out of nowhere, the crowd watches a blur of blonde hair and glistening skin grab the ball and sprint down the court, Mike's dark, sweaty skin right behind him.
6
The Tigers are right on Puck and Mike's heels, of course, but they're much too late to intervene.
5
Titania watches with rapt attention as her son races to the side of the basket…
4
…and swings the basketball around his waist, effectively fooling the Tigers and passing it to Mike, who takes the opportunity to redefine the whole meaning of a slam dunk.
83-78, Eagles.
The next three seconds before the buzzer sounds are possibly the loudest three seconds Titania has ever experienced in her thousands of years but she's too busy bouncing up and down, her left hand clasped in between Daphne's hands and her right hand never leaving Mustardseed's shoulder. The players on the Eagle's team, on the court and from the bench, race over to Mike and Puck, swarming them, rewarding them with congratulatory punches, and showering them with the attention and praise they so very much deserve.
Eventually, the boys remember their audience and excitedly make their way to the bleachers to celebrate with their friends and families. Titania scans the crowd of white jerseys for her eldest son, prouder than she's ever remembered being, when she spots him pushing through his teammates to get to them.
She opens her mouth to call out Puck's name (his real name, since no one's bound to notice with all the commotion) when he suddenly breaks free from the crowd, steps over to Sabrina, wraps a sweaty hand around the back of her head, leans down, and silences her cheers with an effective kiss, eliciting unheard grumbles from Henry and even louder yelling from their peers around them.
From what Daphne and Mustardseed have heard around the grapevine, even the normal kids at their school are aware that Puck (or Robin, whatever) and Sabrina's relationship was a longtime coming, and if anyone had been confused whether or not the two were together, they're definitely sure of it now.
Daphne giggles gleefully into her hands, watching Sabrina and Puck kiss fervently in the chaos of a thousand voices and the glorious bliss of triumph. She notes that her sister doesn't even seem to mind that Puck's a sweaty, slippery mess and the only thing she can really grab that has any friction is his jersey. Daphne shares a mischievous grin with Mustardseed (and her mother) when she notices her dad start to twitch behind them, and laughs along with Baz, who's pointing at his champion and his eldest sister with his mouth open in a wide, scandalous 'O.'
And then Daphne turns to face Titania and the grin slips off her face faster than she can say "foul."
Puck pulls his lips away from Sabrina's, leaning in quickly again to kiss her nose, still drunk on euphoria and victory when he finally notices his mother's presence.
"M-mom?!"
To say Titania's a little confused would be the understatement of the century. The moment Puck had pressed his lips to Sabrina Grimm's, she had decided then and there that she'd take a little - no, a lot more care to stay updated with his life.
She's going to have to cancel that meeting for now.
- fin -
Notes: Sorry guys, I know that was really self-indulgent of me but I really love basketball. Who's up for some angsty smooches next? #spoilers