adam-radford-blog

[adam-radford-blog]

akiraxsato:

Akria watched Adam’s face warily, trying to decide if each facial tick was a sign that he should back pedal out of this conversation as fast and as gracefully as he could. If graceful was even possible that was. He wasn’t the least bit surprised by Adam’s answer, he’d half been expecting it honestly. It was Adam after all. Akira sighed himself and shrugged, leaning against the slightly damp door frame to stare at the guy. He’d give it another go before giving up on him. Akira liked when the team felt like a team, but he wasn’t going to bend over backwards for it. “What’s so wrong with pretending to like the people on your team for an hour?”

Adam dropped the towel and Akira didn’t flinch. He’d seen it all before, if not more impressive. If Adam was trying to use this as a way to get rid of him faster it wasn’t going to work. You got over stuff like that when you played exy and worked in show business. “Because the point of me being here is because I figured you should be there with us. We’re a team.” He shrugged again, forcing himself not to take Adam’s heavy sigh as a bad sign. “So put your damn boxers on and get dressed so we can go.”

The particular teammate in front of him tended to keep to himself most of the time as far as Adam could tell. They didn’t interact much and more often than not, Adam didn’t even notice him, not that it wasn’t hard to go unnoticed by Adam. He was self absorbed, more concerned with what was right in front of him than anything else and Akira had never made much of a point to toss himself in Adam’s line of sight. That was before of course. Adam outwardly hoped Akira didn’t plan on making a habit of his. 

“You’re a team.” He corrected. “I’m just here till someone else decides I’m not anymore.” It was vague and he didn’t plan on explaining. At this point, things could go any which way. While Texas was Adam Sr.s main concern, he would settle with Adam being anything but a fox. There was also Wymack who could let Adam go whenever he wanted. Either way, Adam didn’t imagine staying was a strong possibility. 

“Are you def?” He was getting fed up with the conversation, with the requests to explain himself. “I said no.’

[adam-radford-blog]

mckennamonroe:

“You would’ve seen if I went for a walk,” McKenna murmured as she placed her cup in the cup holder and opened her wallet. She parked right by the entrance, so he would’ve noticed if she had left and didn’t return to the car, unless he just wasn’t observant. She quietly counted out the money she owed him and handed it over, assuming that he would never pay for her coffee, considering he made it seem like she dragged him here by his hair. For a moment, she just sat there, unsure of what to do next. She guessed she should just drive him back, so they could part ways. McKenna’s next class wasn’t for another two hours, and she wasn’t sure if anyone was up to let Adam in yet. 

She busied herself for a moment by sipping her coffee before looking over at him. She was quickly becoming desensitized to his shirtless state after being around him for a good hour. “You think someone will let you in now?” She asked as she set her drink back down. “We could always go to Target and get you a new shirt.” It was a joke, but she wasn’t sure if it would come off like one. It was hard to be funny around someone she was so uncomfortable with. She didn’t like being around people she couldn’t read. She didn’t know people well enough for that, which was ironic since she was literally studying the way people’s brains worked. It was probably why she chose psychology in the first place, so she could learn.  

Adam promptly shoved the money back at her, gentleness absent from the gesture. “Jesus Christ, keep it.” He ignored her spew about how he would have noticed, deemed it unimportant. This was probably partially due to the fact he didn’t quite like starting arguments he couldn’t win. If he replied it would be a wet start, the fire would take far too long to ignite. Pointless.

His hand retrieved, not waiting to see if her hand would grip the money or if it would fall flat in her lap but he pulled his eyes away to make the point that he didn’t care. It was out of his hands, his gesture was made. If she argued he would have to push it further, insult her standing in society or lack of money in general. It wasn’t a means he often liked to take, not when it wasn’t necessary or the person wasn’t capable of handling it. Adam didn’t think McKenna was. 

“Are we still on the nipple thing?” He turned to her, his eyes only reaching her face as he shot her a sideways glance. his one brow held raised, the space between it and the other pinched as if to patronize. He didn’t wait for a reply. “Depends if anyone’s outside.” He sighed, his eyes returning forward to stare back through the windshield. Without another word he lifted his coffee to his mouth gulped, the sheer amount of liquid he downed making his ears pop as he ignored the pain of the heat. 

[adam-radford-blog]

mckennamonroe:

Uptight. It definitely wasn’t what she wanted to be described as, after she tried so hard to have people think the opposite. It was the initial reason she joined her high school cheerleading team, so she’d stop being the prude girl who lived with her grandparents. Cheerleading wouldn’t change her personality completely. She hated it, but she wasn’t as carefree as she tried to be. Still, she wasn’t going to let him see that he hurt her. She didn’t even know him, and it would only give him too much power. So, she forced a smile and opened the door, “You don’t know your movies very well.” Neither did she, but that was besides the point. 

For a moment, she considered taking her keys with her, but she didn’t want to make him sick from being stuck in a hot car. If he stole her car, she knew exactly what he looked like, what he did with his day, and where he lived, so it would be quick to solv case. “I’ll be back,” She murmured and climbed out of the car, leaving him alone with the keys. Most people were in class, like she was supposed to be, so there wasn’t a line, allowing her to quickly get her iced latte and his black coffee. 

She lingered longer than she needed to, hovering by the coffee bar so she could sip at her drink and enjoy the air conditioning. It was much nicer in the cafe, where Adam wasn’t, still marveling that she invited him in the first place. She was too accommodating. Figuring she should check if her car was still there, she left the cafe, happy to find it was still in the same spot. “Here you go,” She handed him his coffee as she sat back down in the driver’s seat. 

She smiled at him and it only made him roll his eyes. She reminded him of the girls in highschool who handed out abstidence pamphlets and tried to get kids to show up at their youth groups. There weren’t many in PA, even les in NJ but he was farmiliar with the type none the less. Those types always werre strict on avoiding him. He imagined McKenna would be the same after this ineraction. He imagined her avoding him on walk ways and dismissing glances her way if he were to offer any. “You’re too rigid. They’re nipples not machine guns, relax.” Their conversation hadn’t refered to his shirtlessness but it was currently the most obscene thing about him. It was easily the most noticible at the moment and while she was likely to miss the general point, Adam didn’t grasp that fact.

The door shut behind her and Adam sat up to tinker with the sterio, the volume on low as he flickered through channels for a rock station.. He didn’t mind rap and some pop was tolerable but the angsty, agressive tons of rock seemed to fit his image better and so he often settled there. It only took a few moments before his fingers started tapping against his crossed arms, tongue running over his teeth with impatients. He knew the lines could be inconvenient but that didn’t do anythin g for his lack of patients. He didn’t imagine she’d keep him waiting on purpose, he obviously made her nervous and he was left with her car buthe was starting to question that right as she began to exit the building. 

“What- did you go for a walk?” Adam took the coffee, turning the cup in his hands as he watched her settle in. She didn’t hand him change and he didn’t expect her too. He wouldn’t upright offer to buy her coffee, not with his words but if she left him with no choice but to take the money or make it clear some was intended for her own drink he would be sure to add an edge to it,. He often did nice things, reached out to help or make things even when he could but there was nothnig more vonurable than offering. He was always sure to be rude about it. The confusion it causaed evened out the field.

[adam-radford-blog]

akiraxsato:

Akira was pretty sure, based off the sound Adam’s nose was making alone, that he’d probably just pissed him off. No one breathed out like that when they were happy. And if they did well, it was probably really, really, really rare. And knowing Adam…he was probably mad. Akira mentally started combing over what he’d said, trying to find anything worth finding offense over. He watched Adam warily, the buzz from the game a little on the dampened end. His blase response took Akira a little off his game and it took him far longer to reply than he’d have liked. “Well, I mean, I was headed that way when I heard the shower start and I figured I’d see who the lollygag was.” He managed a smile and after another minute felt like the earlier shake up was passing.

“I didn’t figure I should leave you behind. There’s no doubt going to be a raging party at Fox Tower. We can go together…once you got dressed of course.” There was no way in hell Akira was going to walk across campus with Adam wrapped in a towel. He was pretty sure Adam wouldn’t walk across campus in a towel. Or he might. It really depended on how much he’d had to drink in that flask. A part of him wanted to confront him about the drinking thing, ask him if he’d been drinking during the game but an instinctual part of him told him to drop it, and he did without argument. He’d pissed him off once. He wasn’t about to do it again on purpose. “Now come on and get dressed. The others will definitely notice if we both don’t show up.” Akira alone might have gotten away with it, he avoided most parties on principle, but even he showed up to winning game parties for a little bit. Someone was bound to notice their absence.  And he didn’t really want to leave Adam to sit and stew by himself when he really should be celebrating with his team. That’s what teams did, celebrate together. Even the dysfunctional ones.

Any anger that had built in Adams chest left at the hesitation Akira took before replying. This particular person was the least threatening, his hesitation automatically placed him on the short list of people that Adam would pay little attention to as far as keeping up a guard went. He was passive. If it were any other night he might have found this interesting, probed at Akira’s sense of calm to measure the chances of them being acquaintances. As it was though, tonight wasn’t the night.

An eyebrow raised but he didn’t give a response to his teammate's weak defense. Instead, Adam let him continue. His brow stayed raised slightly, the discontent of his face remaining hard as stone as he glared through the words spoken to him. “Yea, I’m sure the festivities are going to be to die for.” As if uninterested in continuing he opened his locker, the flask being chucked onto the messy metal floor as he reached for a pair of clean underwear from the top shelf. 

He paused again as Akira continued. “Then why don’t you get your happy ass down there and contain their deep concern.” He wanted to slam his locker shut to make a point but he wasn’t dressed yet. Instead, he let out a hearty sigh, his towel dropping so that he could replace it with his boxer briefs.

[adam-radford-blog]

striker-brayden:

Parties weren’t apart of his contract. Was that an argument Brayden could use? He never really ever read his contract–too fucked up at the time when he signed it. If there was nothing in it about dinners or parties or whatever the fuck else they did, then there was no legal obligation for him to go. As much as he would like to think it was a valid point he could use against people like Wymack or Colin, he knew it wouldn’t go over well. “I don’t give a shit whether or not it’s in your contract,” He could probably imagine Wymack saying. 

If Brayden was going to come up with a comment, he lost it the moment that Adam tried so hard to insult him. The other could call him the scum of the earth, and Brayden would walk away forgetting it was said moments later. Incompetent was nothing compared to some other shit he heard. It wasn’t that far off either, so how could he be insulted? “I’m not going,” He snorted, still standing awkwardly by the door with the carton in his hands. His bed was more tempting by the second, especially when Adam brought up smoking.

If Brayden could go a day without hearing a comment about his habit, it would be a good day, but people loved to insert themselves into his business and tell him what was or wasn’t good for him. “It probably does,” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Good thing I’m an art student and don’t need the brain cells to join NASA,” He pointed out while tapping his pack. It was shitty for his lungs and his stamina, but not bad enough that he would ever consider quitting. As he constantly told himself, he could only quit so much.

The insult wasn’t meant for Brayden alone but Adam assumed it would be taken that way, the way Adam spoke of the team as if he wasn’t apart of it making it an easy misunderstanding. The comment was a much broader attack, referring to the team as a separate entente from himself, a team in which he didn’t belong to. Growing up in Exy Adam had always connected himself to his team, it had always been apart of him, a single unit in which he operated and that carried all the way through Texas despite his poor showmanship. The foxes were something else though. He assumed it was the lack of pride he felt being there but regardless it was all he had. He wasn’t about to admit that to anyone though. He didn’t get enough of a reply to clarify though and so he let it go, not really caring how the words were received one way or another.

“Too mainstream for you?” Adam raised a brow sarcastically, the space between it and the other closing slightly so that the slight distaste that always rested on his face didn’t falter. Despite not having spent a lot of time around the particular guy he had noticed enough to know that Brayden wasn’t much for the scene. If he were they would most likely be much better acquainted. 

Humorlessly, he let a hard chuckle escape through his nose, the air hot and almost flavored from the previous chugging. “I think the least of your concerns are your brain cells.” He almost added a ‘no offense’ but he doubted Brayden took anything he said seriously and besides, what good could it do? He considered throwing another slur at him, making a correlation between the smell of smoke and poverty but decided against it. The tension in his chest took too much of his energy to be witty. "I’m sure NASA is crushed though.” Was all he offered up, assuming the conversation was coming to a close from both ends.

[adam-radford-blog]

mckennamonroe:

McKenna might have thought Adam was asleep if it weren’t for the hint of a smile, causing her hands to tighten on the wheel. She couldn’t read him, which made her nervous. He seemed to want nothing to do with her, and yet he was in her car. She couldn’t help but be suspicious that it was all apart of some elaborate prank somehow. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the road, choosing to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Luckily, the cafe wasn’t far, because coffee would help her handle life and Adam better.

“Mary Poppins?” McKenna gave him an incredulous look before focusing on the road, so she could turn into the parking lot. The sudden nickname made her forget all about her fear of getting kicked out of the cafe. Was it meant to be an insult? Mary Poppins was probably one of the best Disney characters of all time. She brushed it off as she turned off the engine before looking over him with pursed lips, quietly debating if she should press him on what his deal was or just let it go. Letting it go seemed to be the better option, because he didn’t seem like the time to explain himself. 

“What do you want?” She asked instead as she pulled out her wallet, forcing, what she hoped look like, a friendly smile. 

McKenna was almost a relief. She was obviously uncomfortable around him, the constant shifts in her tension giving that away at an almost constant but uncomfortable didn’t bother Adam. What bothered Adam was when his aggression was matched. He didn’t particularly like to argue but character flaws left him constantly in the wake of argument. McKenna seemed to have a gift of knowing how to manage him. It took the team of Texas about two months to catch on, to stop arguing and just let him be. The fact this girl just adapted almost felt like breathing through water-filled lungs. Despite the relief of air, he was still tense, ready for the drowning to continue on as it had been the whole of the past insufferable two months. 

He didn’t catch her glance, his eyes still closed as to give off the illusion he was completely relaxed. “Yea all like, I don ‘t know uptight.” His face scrunched, a shrug matching it before he opened his eyes again, sitting up to continue on. “Or maybe that’s the other nanny, I don’t know- Black coffee.” He didn’t really want a Disney education as he was sure McKenna could provide one. He held out his hand, the money being promptly shoved on top of her wallet where it sat in her hand. He didn’t tell her to use the money for herself but he wasn’t expecting change. 

Adam retracted his hand, placing it back on his other bicep as he recrossed his arms. I won’t demolish your property, scouts honor.” He tilted his head in an almost solute, his fingers lifting and falling where they sat on his arm. He’d really prefer she left the keys, the heat sure to warm the metal quickly. He wasn’t wearing a shirt but he still rather not sweat all over her passenger seat. 

c: mckenna

[adam-radford-blog]

camtrask:

Cameron didn’t take her eyes off the road but simply raised her eyebrows. “Uh, you’ve met Logan, right? He’s going to want to fight you if he finds out you had me drive your car without a license. Imagine his reaction if I crashed.” She wouldn’t try to justify her brother’s protectiveness over her, figuring it spoke for itself even if someone didn’t know their story. He was a big brother, she was a little sister. Protectiveness kind of went without saying. “And he’s plenty bright, just not when it comes to me.”

This time she did spare him a glance, unfazed by the hostility, for lack of a better word. “Did I say the word friend? I said know better than me. If you’re going to be a dick, I’m going to stop and you can have your little brooding party all on your own.” There had been a time when she may have just let him be snippy with her and just take it in and let it happen, but not anymore. He could be pissed or moody or sad, or whatever he was, but that had nothing to do with her. “If you wanted a punching bag, we have a state of the art gym.”

It didn’t exactly sound like a compliment. Being the least hated out of all the other hated people wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for his desire to be around her. But if he didn’t want to be around anyone, including her, she still felt baffled as to why she was even here then. Cameron made it a habit to try not to drag others down with her when she was in a mood, so she wasn’t sure how to navigate someone doing the complete opposite.

“Thanks, I guess. I strive to be at least mildly tolerable at all times.”

Adam rustled in his seat, sitting partially back up again, his arms tightening over his chest as he tried to find a position that eased his anxiety. “Maybe you need it.” He huffed. “You got in a car with me after all.” His tone was dry like the idea he was a danger at all annoyed him. He was supposed to be, that was part of the point but Adam knew quite well how safe his new driver was in his company., not that he could let anyone else know. “Maybe you’d have more self-preservation if he let you sort things out on your own.”

“I don’t know any of you ‘better’.” He almost scoffed, his eyes rolling. He wasn’t sure when he decided to open them again but it seemed he had at some point made the decision. Adam laughed at her comment, the humor obviously lacking from the action as he shook his head, his chest tightening with her words. He missed being around people who understood him enough to just tolerate him. It was a conflict of interest, to be understood. Adam was a constant conflict, two opposites combating each other to make a point. More often than not Adam was the only casualty. 

Fists balled between his ribs and biceps. Being pleasant wasn’t an option. The idea in itself was painful, to be nice to someone, to let them in and admit he appreciated anything, cared about anyone. There were times, now being one of them, where he considered it but his body wouldn’t allow him. The beast within his chest would roar, slam its fists against his rib cage till Adam dropped the idea completely, submitted to the fires of his own making. He wanted her to just ignore the venom, to be immune to it and sit through the shit storm long enough for Adam to work past his own aggression. Eventually, it would subside but not if everyone kept fighting him. To Adam, the lack of progress was their fault. 

“Congratulations on your short-lived success.” He spoke through a half-clenched jaw as he tried to hold back the scorn. He was trying. He hoped that would be enough for her. 

Damage control : Adam x Cam

[adam-radford-blog]

striker-brayden:

A date. Brayden visibly rolled his eyes. He guessed he deserved that after he played the same tactic on Grant, continually calling their one-on-ones dates, purely to annoy him. “You caught me,” He replied sarcastically, taking a seat on a bench and placing his duffel on his lap. Turning away from Adam, he fished through it to search for his pack of cigarettes, needing nicotine after a game like that. “I just hate showing up to parties thrown by my own team alone. What would they think?” He snorted. 

His hand landed on the Marlboro carton, zipping up his bag after he placed them on the bench before sliding it on to his less-bruised shoulder. Ready to leave, he looked back up at Adam, shrugging slightly. “Just checking to see if you’re the team player type. Apparently, your attendance is a vital part of our success,” He answered for real this time as he got to his feet. Brayden didn’t care either way himself, but it determined whether the others would start focusing on Adam’s attitude rather than his own. It wasn’t like he was aggressive towards the others, unless they pulled the right strings, he just didn’t care. 

Eyes rolled at Brayden’s response, landing back at his locker as he tugged on a shirt and slammed it shut. These were some of the easier interactions he had with his teammates, the ones where they didn’t try to fight every one of Adam’s own fighting words. He would have pressed forward with the conversation, taken the time to enjoy it but his mind was clotted with other priorities. It seemed though, that he had overestimated Brayden’s own attitude. Maybe he was one of the more tolerable ones. Maybe. 

Attention was pulled to the pack that sat on the bench as he shut his locker. People often made the mistake of assuming Adam smoked himself, the action apparently fitting his ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude but in honesty, he hated the damn things.  A grimace found his face before he reminded himself that he didn’t care. Eyes lingered on the carton another moment while he listened, only turning back up to Brayden himself to answer. “Parties aren’t in my contract.” Adam would show up on the court, play games and run drills at practice but he only did what little Wymack required of him for now. The party was sure to get a visit from Adam later, his inability to avoid a crowd surely getting the better of him. He never showed up on time to these things anyway. It was always better if no one noticed when he showed up, couldn’t remember how he got there to begin with. 

“don’t worry though. I’m sure all your incompetence will distract from my absence.” As a whole, the team was still a disaster in Adam’s eyes. Suddenly his anger hound it’s way back and his eyes flickered hard. “I’m sure smoking has nothing to do with that. by the way.”

[adam-radford-blog]

camtrask:

Cameron wasn’t sure if she was witnessing a personal crisis at the moment, but she certainly wasn’t the type to just walk away when a teammate was displaying strange behavior. Until probably right this very second, Adam had displayed no outward signs of wanting to get to know her at all. A year prior, she may have taken personal offense to that, but now she’d learned that as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t convince every one of her fellow Foxes to be her friend. They had a certain amount of fondness toward her due to the unique nature of her situation, having essentially been part of the Foxes since she was 16, but fondness didn’t mean friendship. So she shrugged and fished out the car key itself from the rest of his keys, finally falling into step beside him.

“Whatever floats your boat I guess.” She didn’t necessarily dislike driving but she much preferred to catch rides from teammates, or her brother. Logan had been the one who taught her to drive, but getting her license had hardly been a priority. It’d been hard enough to get him his, risky enough to find a way to get a license without a parent being involved. Getting hers would just be taking risks nobody needed, and now, she just didn’t see the point when she had others to help her.

She was truly helping the Jeep wasn’t his, not only because it had no doors but also because it was incredibly tall. “Did you ask me to do this because you wanted to watch me struggle to get into this thing? Actually, ask is the wrong word. Casually demanded would be better.” Sighing dramatically, Cameron struggled before finally hoisting herself up into the Jeep, letting out a little ‘oof’ as she landed on the seat. As she bucked, she shot him a glance, eyebrows raised. “I’m not going to crash your car. I mean, whatever you’ve got going on, cool, but Logan would absolutely kill you.”

She started the Jeep, backing out cautiously to adjust to how the Jeep handled, before turning out of the parking lot, which was long empty now. The post game traffic was gone, and the night was peaceful. She found as she settled into the speed limit that the lack of doors was nice, though she had to talk a little louder to be heard over the wind rushing by.

“So… can I ask why I’m here? I mean, I don’t mind or anything, but I’m sure there are people on the team you know better than me.”

Cameron’s situation was all but foreign to Adam. He was new to the foxes, not having spent summer here only having truly been with them a short few months. He didn’t have any friends here. He wasn’t close enough to anyone to have heard stories of the others, to know anyone's story and so if he couldn’t piece it together himself, he simply didn’t know. He knew Cameron was seemingly younger, that he had been floating around a while before she was even of college age and that it had something to do with her less desirable brother.  Her story him. Anything involving Cameron and her own feelings was far from his mind as he settled himself into the passenger seat of his own jeep.

Her lack of license didn’t concern him. He didn’t care if they got pulled over or if she couldn’t drive at all. As long as his ass stayed out of jail he was satisfied enough. Apart of him considered the arrest but he knew better now. There were lines that were perhaps, too far. The concept was new to him, the idea that some things weren't worth it but the lines were still a bit blurred. It took a lot of convincing from himself. 

Adam shot her a sideways glance at her words. He didn’t consider her getting in, just assumed she could manage herself. To disprove her point he turned his eyes away quickly and simply listened as she climbed in. There were plenty of things to hold onto and she was an athlete, she should have no issue hoisting herself up. If it took too long though he would ‘reluctantly’ help her. 

Her words confused him and he turned to look at her. His expression mocked his confusion, eyebrows pulled together until the moment her words clicked. He rolled his eyes, his expression relaxing into something of indifference. Adam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping further into his seat. “Yeah, you crash my car and I get fought. Makes tons of sense. Your brother isn’t very bright though, is he?” It was more of an accusation than a question.

It seemed she wasn’t looking for an answer though because there was no hesitation between her words and the roar of the jeep. He closed his eyes as the frame vibrated, the engine coming to life. There was so much nostalgia there. A bitterness flooded over him, a wave of distaste for his current situation. 

His eyes stayed closed till her words reached him. He opened his eyes, immediately glaring at her from a side glance. “Name one person you think I’m friends with.” He nodded in challenge. As far as he was aware, they all hated him. It only made it easier to hate them, to hate his situation, to hate Texas and his father. They fed his reasoning, made them seem less dramatic and more called for. 

After only a breath he continued. “Besides, you’re the most tolerable right now.” He turned his head back forward, his eyes closing again, head leaning back against the seat so he could try and pretend he was somewhere else. 

Damage control : Adam x Cam

[adam-radford-blog]

striker-brayden:

Brayden didn’t know Adam’s story, other than the fact that Texas didn’t want him, so now he was at Palmetto. Getting kicked off of a team though usually meant a shitty attitude and trail of red cards to follow, so Brayden could only assume what he was like. Brayden already wrote off all of the other Foxes when he first arrived at Palmetto five years ago, and Adam definitely wouldn’t be an exception, especially given the way he was studying him. He didn’t care enough to associate with someone that tried to start shit. 

Adam’s comment drew a surprised snort from Brayden. Never in his time on the Foxes–or in his life, for that matter, had he been referred to as a saint. It only reinforced the fact that Adam was new, and was clearly still learning about the team. “Yeah, okay,” Brayden said slowly in response, not sparing the mirror another glance as he went to his own locker, which was only a few away from Adam’s. Silently, he let the towel drop, and quickly stepped in to the legs of his sweats, wincing from how fucking sore he was already. Fuck playing aggressively. It wasn’t worth it in the end. 

Usually, it was his arms he tried to keep hidden from the team, not his legs, but getting into his sweats was easier than his shirt, considering his shoulder was a bruised from the fall. It wasn’t like he was trying to hide his tattoos, though they did tend to draw in conversations that he didn’t want to have. “Fuck,” He hissed to himself as he lifted his arms over his head and tugged the shirt on. 

Brayden nearly forgot that Adam was still there, causing him to briefly glance his way, his gaze going to the flask in his hand. If anything, maybe Colin would start going on his self-righteous tirades with him instead. At least, Brayden wasn’t fucking drinking in the locker room. “You going to the after party?” He asked, just to see if he was the type.

Brayden seemed to give up on the antagonizing then, his next response being rather dismissive so Adam took the last few steps to his own locker in stride, his pace reaching that of a normal speed. He pulled it open. his clothes lay messily spilled over the hook, pants, and shirt held up by a leg and the hem. His uniform and pads were in a pile next to the bench, the space between the locker itself and the pile only being a foot and a half. Adam wasn’t a dirty person, not particularly. He was, however, use to being cleaned up after. His friends used to joke that his mom wiped his ass for him till he was 12 and while it wasn’t nearly that long, it was a longer time span than normal.

His own towel dropped but Adam didn’t hold the same urgency to cover as his company did. He allowed himself to stand there bare, the flask in one hand while the other rummaged around the shelf for his phone. There were several missed texts but he didn’t open them.

‘Fuck.’ Adam gave Brayden a sideways glance, his eyes calculating for only a moment before he realized what caused the sound to begin with. Poor bastard had no stamina it seemed. Adams own muscles were tired but there wasn’t any hurt. He probably exerted himself twice as much during practice and three times as much if he blacked out enough to make someone lucky. Suddenly, the flash in his hand felt heavy from the contents and he debated tossing it to miserable fuck to ease his suffering. In the end, he decided that Brayden wouldn’t take it and the only thing more embarrassing than a kind gesture was it being denied. He shoved his phone into the pocket of his jeans and pulled them out.

He opted for finishing off the container himself, shoving it under the pile of clothes once it was finished to allow both hands to pull up over his jeans. It wasn’t until his pants were already half way up his knees he realized he forgot underwear but he was too wired to care and besides, the deed was half done. He could deal with any chafing that occurred tomorrow. What was one more inconvenience at this point?

Standing erect again, Adam turned his head to stare at his teammate, his neck twisted so that he could hear his spine pop with the effort. His eyes looking over Brayden’s face again to take in the meaning behind his question. When he came up short he pulled his shirt off the hook and slammed his locker. “Why you need a date or something?” It was incredulous, not an offer but not quite a mockery. Not yet anyway. 

[adam-radford-blog]

camtrask:

Cameron was a bit of a nurturer despite her age in comparison to her teammates, and it was often that she had an opportunity to truly take care of anyone. It was like having a bunch of Logans around, refusing anyone comforting them or looking out for them and it could be frustrating. But tonight, apparently, someone at least wanted her to play chauffeur.

Her hair was damp from the shower she’d taken after press duty, planning to drop in on the party and hang out and dance for a bit, but knowing she’d be sound asleep long before most of her teammates even thought about finding their way to their beds. Or someone else’s. Maybe she could convince Justin to turn in early tonight too.

She was distracted as she walked, having insisted everyone with a car go on without her instead of waiting for her to finish showering, and if it weren’t for her goalie reflexes, she wouldn’t have caught the keys suddenly flying at her. “Uh… we are?” Adam, like basically everyone else on the planet, was taller than her, and she jogged a little to catch back up to him. “You know I don’t have my license, right? I mean, I can drive, but I did just publicly denounce my life of crime to those reporters.”

She wasn’t actually afraid of driving without her license. She drove like an old woman and she’d done it all the time when she’d had a day shift while Logan had a night shift back in Pittsburgh, driving the beat up old car that’d been left behind by their mother. But still… what did Adam want? They’d barely exchanged anything remotely resembling a conversation before. “Is this a kidnapping? You’re really bad at it.”

The sound of feet reached his ears before her voice, the small thuds of feet against concrete carrying in the space between them as she tried to match his pace. He hadn’t exactly singled Cameron out. She wasn’t his only option but she had been the most convenient one, her being both alone and the most approachable just happened to make her the best option. Well, he didn’t exactly know she was the most approachable; Adam hadn’t ever tried. She wasn’t that much younger than him but something about her made her seem young to him. Perhaps it was her soft features or height, he didn’t much consider but the vague impression the others gave him was that Cameron was the team baby sister. It was probably a cowardly decision to place his burdens on what he would currently consider the most vulnerable member of their team. Adam's mind was too occupied to consider that though.

‘Are we?’ Adam didn’t answer this, he kept moving, his pace unyielding as he approached the black monster of a jeep. The doors were long gone, removed by Adam himself during senior year of high school so that he could better scoop people from parties. Back then it was called the night sweeper, Adam and a select two or three friends occasionally opting to skip the parties themselves and instead opt for picking up drunk randoms from other schools to go on small adventures with. Perhaps it’s what had eased the opinion of him, the generosity that was extended for the sake of a good time. Despite how rude he was, he still extended a hand, giving rides and dragging along strangers as if they were his friends - even if only for one night. 

“Good enough for me.” The tone was even, his mind absent from the words he spoke. Adam doubted they would get pulled over. If he earned anything from the south it was that cops were either scarce or lacking in an attention span. He was raised in an area where there were more cops than streets. New Jersey was notorious for its crime, both petty and not so much. Besides, one of them was sinning tonight and given the circumstance, it was better her than him. 

Adam gripped the roof of the car and swung himself into the passenger seat, his body hitting with a thud so that the frame shook on its large tires. The jeep was perhaps too shiny, too well maintained. Adam didn’t pay for it himself, he had never so much as seen the insurance bill, the most he put into it the new stereo that was bound to be stolen any day now and the gas. 

“Feel free to crash it if you’d like. I think my dad’s running out of shit to buy anyway.”

Damage control : Adam x Cam

[adam-radford-blog]

mckennamonroe:

Adam. He said it like this entire situation was the most painful and inconvenient thing that ever happened to him, which made McKenna wonder why he ever agreed to come in the first place. One of the Foxes would’ve let him in eventually, he didn’t have to follow her to her car, and yet he did anyway. She debated questioning his reasoning, but she decided against it. Form his attitude, she was sure she wouldn’t get an answer anyway. 

McKenna could feel Adam study her as she settled into the drivers seat, and she did everything she could not meet his calculating gaze as she fiddled with her keys and turned on the car. Everything about him made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking, even if she knew it probably wasn’t nice. It brought her back to her conversation with Graham in the cafe. She knew she shouldn’t care, especially since she was sure he was like this with everyone, but caring was ingrained in her. 

Biting her lip nervously, she pulled out of the parking space and kept her eyes on the road as she pulled out of the lot. “I could grab the coffees, while you wait in the car. Or we could find a spot outside,” She shrugged. It wasn’t her fault he decided to leave his room without a shirt. She wasn’t going to get banned from her favorite cafe, because of him, especially when he seemed to want to be anywhere else but with her. 

Pupils flickered from under closed eyes but he didn’t open them, the small rise and fall of his shoulders the only movement from him in the addition to the sly smile that found itself placed on his lips. He chuckled at her suggestions, the circumstance not necessarily calling for sarcasm. He could just as easily be laughing at her. He was surprised she would trust him in her car alone, though it was an easy guess that she would take her keys with her. No one outside of Montville or Blairstown trusted him with a stick and while externally he knew why a deeper part of him had a hard time grasping the same understanding. He was hard to understand himself if you hadn’t been around long enough to notice the pattern. Those he had left to call friend had watched the sudden transcend he made to the monster he now was and while taken aback, they saw that underneath the cruel laugh and aggressive tone he was the same. These new people didn’t have the same luxury and Adam made no move to make it easier on them. In his mind, they were wrong for not looking in the right light. 

Her curiosity was mutual though, the same questioning thoughts babbling about his head but much like her, he knew better to ask. Surely, she would answer, would explain to him why she had both invited him and tolerated him despite her obvious distastes. Still, something held him back as well. She didn’t ask because she knew he would dismiss her, Adam didn’t ask her because it was weak. 

“You know they won’t kick you out right?” He opened one eye after a moment to peek over at her, his tone incredulous to make up for the lack of edge his laugh had left him with. Before she could answer he sighed, shaking his head and closing his now open eye once more. “What ever you say, Mary Poppins.” He didn’t truly mind either of her suggestions. He imagined he’d have to keep his order quite simply, though he had considered giving her a long list of orders. He dismissed them though, not feeling particularly cruel. At least not yet. 

[adam-radford-blog]

akiraxsato:

Akira had taken his time in the showers washing off the sweat and letting the warm water rush over his shoulders, relaxing his muscles. It was honestly the only place other than his dorm bathroom he felt comfortable enough to stand there and just relax. They were the only places he didn’t feel naked without his armbands or sleeves. He would forever be immensely grateful for the stalls in the locker rooms. It was with a heavy heart he finally turned off the water and started toweling himself off. Wrapping a towel around his waist Akira went and grabbed his clothes, slipping into his long sleeved shirt first and then the rest of his clothes. By the time he’d gotten everything where it needed to the locker room had emptied out and all that was left in the wake of the celebrating foxes were some gross towels in a pile. Akira was headed out when he heard a shower start up, pausing he turned back around to see who it was. The team was supposed to be out celebrating and who ever waited this late after a game was clearly trying to avoid that.

He probably shouldn’t have stuck around, but he did, curious as to who was still in here with him. He hesitated in the locker room for a moment before he heard the water turn off. Like it was the push he needed he entered and came face to face with, perhaps, the last person he really wanted to be talking to tonight. It wasn’t that he hated Adam, no. Just that his abrasive personality tended to grate on him and he’d rather spend the night of this win in a good mood. Damn his curiosity. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Akira found his voice. “Shouldn’t you be joining the rest of us in celebration? I mean, we won after all!” He smiled at him, letting his earlier enthusiasm infect him again. “Not sitting around…drinking in the showers. Gross.” And kind of lame, but Akira wasn’t going to open a can of worms he didn’t think he could win.

Air left his nostrils so fast it sounded like a nitrogen leak, the chuckle so humorless it didn’t hold any of the qualities of one at all. The fact they were all truly excited about this was almost pathetic. A win felt so rare it needed to be celebrated, like Christmas that only came once a year. The happier they were about it the sicker he felt. How many games would he lose this year? In comparison to Texas’ singular yearly loss, he imagined quite a lot. He thought of taking another sip but he didn’t think his acid reflex could handle it. The flame in his chest flared, the anger he felt about the whole thing pressing back up to the surface with his impulse to gag. No matter how many times this summer he had tried to smother the shame it always crept back up, made its way back into Adam’s ears to scream at him so that he wanted to claw his eardrums out.

Adam stared at him another moment, his expression unmoving as he pretended to evaluate Akira. Usually, he did just that - pretended. He didn’t care much for sizing anyone up. More of them than not, he wasn’t interested in a fight at all. It was yet another personality flaw, an impulse of aggressive behavior that came without consideration. More often than not, the feeling behind Adams actions was indifference.He wanted to make a crude remark, to talk down about the foxes but he couldn’t do so without ruining himself. This time,  he drank.

Ignoring Akira’s later comment, he began to walk toward his locker, not wanting to look Akira in the face while he tried to assess how hard it was going to keep himself from trying to punch a hole through the steel. “Shouldn’t you be?” Was all he managed. Despite his tone, it was tame, at least from Adam. 

[adam-radford-blog]

striker-brayden:

The scolding water against his sore body was the best thing Brayden felt all night, and it would probably stay that way, because he planned on passing the fuck out as soon as he got in his bed. Usually, he would finish the night with a few swigs from one of the many bottles stashed below his bed, but he was even too tired for that. It wouldn’t be celebratory drinking as much as it would be, “What the fuck did I do?” drinking, which was the kind he was more familiar with, but would try not to entertain, because it was the dangerous kind.

Getting any sort of card was almost unheard of for him, apathy getting in the way from ever truly putting any sort of passion behind his game. He ran fast and scored. He didn’t fuck with the players that got in his way, and he didn’t put much stake into the end result, as long as they made it far enough. Tonight though, he managed to get in a shoving match with some asshole who wouldn’t stop checking him. He felt like an idiot for giving into his frustration, but he also didn’t care. A yellow card didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, considering they still won. 

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and turned to go to his locker, narrowly running into Adam in the process. “Jesus,” He mumbled, taking a step back to put some distance in between them. Brayden didn’t like being practically naked around the others, because his tattoos didn’t fully cover his track marks. Adam met his gaze and took a sip from his flask, causing Brayden to roll his eyes. “Nice,” He commented flatly before stepping around him. He didn’t think much of his new teammate, but he knew he had a bit of a reputation, not that he cared. It wasn’t like he didn’t have one himself.

The other pulled back, his feet carrying him a step away from where Adam held his ground. He didn’t mind being close to people, the proximity of bodies never quite making him uncomfortable. Despite his relentless attitude problems and the fact he was prone to pushing people away, he quite liked having them around. Adam was most comfortable around others. Though, it was much more pleasant when they ignored his snide comments and continued on. Ignorance and stubbornness were never a good combination.

None of that mattered now though, Adam’s mind painting pictures that burned both in front of and behind his eyelids. His egotistical nature seemed to be everywhere at once as he tried not to hear his own thoughts. He stared perhaps too intently at the face in front of him, his eyes unblinking as he used the Brayden’s pale features as a distraction from himself. He didn’t think much of this teammate. He managed to stay pretty well out of sight so far, Adams usual trail of destructiveness seeming to pull in other directions. 

Adam’s lip twitched as the other rolled his eyes, a smirk playing at the corner of his lip to Brayden’s reaction. It was temporary, wicked as it twisted with a dark humor that only intensified by the trauma that rested behind his eyes. For a moment, he was stuck in a mental stalemate. His eyes didn’t trail Brayden’s body, didn’t look for anything but the expressions that sat on his face. Other peoples stories didn’t appeal to him, he didn’t care what or who they were because no one cared what or who Adam was. He didn’t much like that fact. 

“We can’t all be saints.” His tone was flat, the evenness of it even surprising Adam as his thoughts pushed once more at the thin beerier he had managed to procure. He lifted the flask again as he began to slowly step forward toward his own locker once more. 

[adam-radford-blog]

Damage control : Adam x Cam

The small metal container was well empty now, buried deep in his locker under his clean clothes collection so that he could return it to Wymack when he knew exactly what he wanted to say to the man. He felt victimized, not warned by Wymack and torn apart by his father for more or fewer words. He was used to the rough interactions with his father but to hear him admit that he should have taken Adam caused a mixed reaction. On the one hand, Adam felt he finally made his point, felt he taught his father a lesson but to what end? He couldn’t just back down now, he was too deep in, the false attitude he had conjured taking root so that whether or not it was genuine, it was his now.  On the other, he said it as if he didn’t care. His father had dismissed it as just being more inconvenient now than it would have been then. Some how, it made any victory feel less than. 

The dry current from the air conditioning blew cold on his scalp through his wet hair, the sensation stopping abruptly as he left the building, the warm summer breeze taking its place. It wasn’t as humid at night, the air still thick but the absence of sun allowing the earth to keep some of the moisture for itself. It was almost pleasant. It complimented his freshly rinsed skin and despite not being at all clean, it gave his body the illusion he was.

He turned his jeep keys in his hand, his knuckles almost white around them as he walked. Adam’s legs weren’t sore like he would like them to be, didn’t hold the same heat he would have normally felt after a long game. Instead, they were numb, almost absent from him as he stared at the small frame that hung over the patch of side walk infront of him. As he neared, he snapped his gaze away, his eyes following straight as he gently tossed his keys her way, expecting her to catch them. 

“We’re going for a ride.” He huffed bluntly, his voice dry and lacking as he focused on keeping his mind at ease. It was easier now after Wymack’s peace offering, the fuzzy sensation it left his brain making it easier for him to fight off the thoughts that poored from it. He didn’t stop to see if she were following, not yet. If she didn’t continue on he expected he’d had to hurry her along. She was seemingly an odd choice for a companion but something about her seemed easy. She was smaller, and from what he could tell calmer than the rest of his teammates. If he had to take a guess, and it seemed he did, she was the most likely to play along.

@camtrask

[adam-radford-blog]

The locker room was just starting to fill (Or empty, he wasn’t sure) as Adam pulled up the metal latch of his locker. Voices started to pile in, echoing off the walls with foot stems in a myriad of sound. He tried to ignore them. The flask half empty sat on the bench as he tore off his uniform, stripping down to his boxers and socks. He should shower. He knew that but still, he didn’t think he would. He imagined standing alone in the stall, his thoughts screaming over the water and the only conclusion he could come to was that his fists would find their way through walls. When the anger was real, he was tired of being angry. 

He wiped the sweat off his back and face with a towel before deciding it wasn’t any use, that at the very least he should rinse off. He took the flask with him, not trusting his teammates to leave it be while he was gone and turned the water on in a stall. He dropped his underwear before entering, not bothering to wait for it to warm and took another long swig as he let the cold trickle down his face and neck. He couldn’t stay in here long. He shoved at his thought, pressed it further out of his mind with another swig and ran a free hand through his hair before turning the water back off. It would have to be good enough. 

He wrapped the towel around his waist, not bothering to dry off his hair so that it dripped down into his face and eyes. He ignored it, slamming the stall shut behind him, his weight shifting on his heels as he turned. When he did, he came face to face with someone else. Adam didn’t say anything, he just stared, his gaze not falling as he took lifted the flask to his mouth again.

[adam-radford-blog]

mass text

Claudia: Yeah sure why not.

Adam: 👍