#alexa play ‘the alchemy’ by taylor swift | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

withclawandvine · 10 months ago

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those olympic edits of athletes running to celebrate with their partners had me thinking about my gadge high school au again so here’s a drabble about that state qualifier that gale secured for his baseball team ok bye

After a rocky start to the season, the Covington Jays had found their stride; going on a fourteen game winning streak that put them back in play for the state championship for the first time in over a decade.

But only if they won this final regular-season game, and the Fort Treze Rebels were putting up a hell of a fight. Enough to drag the game into extra innings, going run for run.

From where he stood at second base, Gale watched the raucous welcome for the runners he brought in turn into shouts of Send it, man! as Bristel jogged up to the plate. Behind him, a reinvigorated home crowd. And at its center, a cluster of tar-black hair and keen gray eyes.

Noticing they had his attention, Posy jumped up, her gap-toothed grin brighter than the stadium lights as she waved at him enthusiastically with both hands.

No, not just waving — pointing.

To a girl wearing a pretty white dress, emblazoned with a cobalt pin featuring her own last name in bold letters. Gale blinked disbelievingly at her; she winked.

Returning to the field up only one run, the Jays couldn’t afford to give anything up — and that started with Gale. But despite that pressure, he stepped onto the mound with a clear head and something bright and buoyant in his chest.

The first strikeout was swift and decisive: three hard swings that hit nothing but air and shoulderblade. The second — drug out by two fouls and a rogue pitch so high Thom had to jump for it — wasn’t earned so easily.

The first baseman stepped up to the plate. He was a heavy hitter, and Gale knew that if he got the right pitch, that ball was a goner.

Gale was known to throw a lethal fastball, but the pitch that really got him attention from scouts was his change-up. It wasn’t something many of his peers had in their arsenals. Batters fell into it like a trap: thinking the ball was coming in hot, only for it to drop to a breezy 78, sailing right below the bat.

The un-countered momentum of that final swing nearly brought the Rebel to his knees.

The umpire hadn’t even finished calling the strike before a tide of blue and white swarmed him — rushing in from their positions, tripping over each other clearing the dugout.

Teammates clumsily worked their shoulders under Gale’s legs, lifting him up. And as they jostled him up and down, fellow classmates and family members ran onto the field to join the celebration.

A coach once said that you’d never be able to tell if we was winnin’ or losin’ by lookin’ at Hawthorne’s face. Up five runs or down, Gale remained unruffled and unreadable — getting emotional stimied his game, and letting his opponents see it bolstered theirs. But that was hardly the reason he tolerated hero treatment for only another minute before rolling, throwing his weight down so the team had no choice but to drop him.

And when his cleats hit the ground, and he took off, it wasn’t because he wanted to run away from his team, or their riotous joy. It wasn’t because he wasn’t feeling it himself.

Gale was running to home plate. Or rather, to the blonde girl in the white dress standing next to it, diamond dust already smudging her glossy heels.

He swept her right off of them, wrapping her in a spinning embrace.

Madge clung to him, her legs locked around his waist and her fingers interlaced behind his neck. She was saying something, but it was lost to the celebrations and the thunder of his own heart.

As cliche as it seemed, Gale was on top of the damn world.

Trusting Madge had a strong enough hold on him, Gale let go of her waist to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. His lips met hers once, twice, before his smile was too big and toothy, and he had to settle for just staring at her in astonishment.

His cheeks were starting to hurt. “What’re you doing here?”

Madge leaned back as far as her grip on his neck would allow, getting a good look at him, that rare smile, before answering, “As if I’d miss this.”

Gale was too caught up in it all — the thrill of victory, the reignited hope of getting another, the girl in his arms — to notice the reporter for the local paper until after the blinding flash of the camera.

#alexa play ‘the alchemy’ by taylor swift #HE JUST COMES RUNNIN’ OVER TO MEEEEE #oh but that camera flash does NOT bode well for our lovebirds #it actually leads to a “but daddy! i love him!” moment for madge 🫢#but that’s a story for another day #i think i got a lil carried away here but fun fact i am a Sportsball Enthusiast #gadge #gadge fanfiction #the hunger games #thg #thg fanfiction #the hunger games fanfiction #my writing: thg #ship: gadge

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