Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 42
The voice of the pilot came over the private jet's speaker system, "Welcome to Denver, Colorado, everyone. Please watch your step on the way out and we'll see you on Tuesday."
Gathering their belongings, the team shuffled off of the craft and into the Denver National Airport. With the altitude of their surroundings, Zechs decided, wisely, to arrive a couple days early so that his athletes could get adjusted to the thinner air. While it meant going all weekend without a practice since they could not use the Avalanche's stadium, he was convinced it was worth the sacrifice.
On their way through the gates, there was not many a friendly face amongst the people coming and going. Some people outright glared at the Wolverines in passing and others muttered crude remarks. Snorting, Duo huffed, "Nice town. Granted, we could possibly take away their team's winning streak and lead in the league, but you'd think that they would be a little more hospitable around here."
Just beside him, Heero chuckled quietly, "It's not that bad. Besides, we're only here for three days. I think we can manage that."
"You suck, Maxwell!" someone from the passing crowd shouted. "You think you're hot shit, don't you, Yuy!" a second bystander yelled. Several other jeers aimed at the team as a whole as well as other individual players followed. Doing their best to ignore, Zechs and the coaching staff continued to lead the way out of the area as quickly as possible.
Sighing deeply, the quarterback muttered, "Then again..."
* * * * * *
No one on the team even thought of leaving their hotel during their stay that first night. Considering the scene at the airport, it was just best not to make an already uncomfortable situation all the more uncomfortable.
Fans tended to be pretty testy when their hometown team was performing as well as the Denver team was. And with Pittsburgh having just as much to lose if their record was taken away, it was going to be a very tense couple days leading up to the game.
The following afternoon, with baseball caps and bulky coats to shield the mountain air, the group parted ways to get out and exert themselves a bit. It was both an excuse to stretch their legs and get more accustomed to the altitude that they were at.
Zechs and the coaching staff stayed behind to watch the clock and see how long the majority lasted out there before becoming winded.
A few trickled in after a half-hour, most of that lot being the second and third-stringers that were not as conditioned as the starters. After two hours, nearly the whole of the team was back and practically panting for breath. Wufei, Trowa, Heero and Duo lasted the longest at two-and-a-half hours. That surprised few when everyone knew the work that they put in to their training and prepping. It still did not mean that they weren't hurting just a bit.
Satisfied with the results of the outing, Zechs grinned to his young men as they gathered in the lobby. "Rest up for the rest of the day," he told them. "You're going to need it for tomorrow night."
Not long after everyone broke for their rooms, Relena checked in and quickly caught up with Wufei. Quatre and Lady Une soon arrived and took up their shared room before heading out with Trowa and Trent for some personal time together. That left Heero and Duo for a night on the town on their own.
In one of the many gift shops that they visited that evening, the running back's violet eyes lit up at the sight of a little, porcelain carousel horse. "There's Camille's gift," he announced with a wide smile. "She loves collecting these." Taking up the white stead, he appraised it before nodding firmly and heading for the register.
Heero just followed with a smile on his face. Just as every other city they hit, Duo wanted to take some time to get some souvenirs for his children to bestow the next time they were in Chicago. The braided young man now had several bags of different shapes and sizes in both hands, each carrying a memento for each youngster.
Snickering as they headed back out to the streets, the quarterback smirked, "And you accuse Quatre of spoiling your kids. Yet, you can't help but get something for each of them whenever we're playing in a different city."
Duo took the light jab with a sheepish grin and shrugged, "Yea, but they may never get to see the places that we see. At least this way, I can bring something back for them to enjoy."
Lightly brushing their shoulders together in the most contact that either felt comfortable with in such a public place, Heero smiled, "I know. And I'm not criticizing you. I think it's... sweet." 'And it really is,' he thought to himself. One of the running back's most endearing qualities was that he did everything with his kids in mind.
Even at the end of a game, the fact that regardless of what praise and accolade Duo would get- from teammates, coaches, owners, fans or commentators- all that mattered to him was making his family proud. It was that call that he made to his children after every game that he looked forward to the most.
Breaking through the quarterback's thoughts, Duo readjusted the bags in his hands and snickered quietly, "What are you thinking about? You look like you're a million miles away."
His cobalt eyes blinking and regaining focus on his surroundings, it was Heero's turn to grin sheepishly. Moving to take up some of the bags to relieve some of the burden from his lover, Heero replied quietly, "Just thinking of what a great father you are."
With a small gasp, the running back's violet eyes widened. Quickly regaining his composure, he smiled lovingly and reached over to give a quick squeeze to his teammate's hand in appreciation instead of trusting his voice at that moment.
The way that the heart-shaped face glowed for the rest of the night, Heero knew that there were few compliments that would ever mean more to his partner.
* * * * * *
"Set!" Heero cried at the top of his lungs over the deafening sounds of the stadium. Straining their ears, the offensive line struggled to hear the call while eyeing their grey-and-black- clad opponents. Glaring heatedly at each other, the two sides dug their cleats into the hard ground to find their footing.
As he reached his arms out in preparation for the snap, Heero screamed, "Set! Hike!" Trowa tossed the ball black as clean as ever just before having to push back two defenders. Ball in hand, the quarterback spun and handed it off to Duo just as he was running past.
By the time reached the wall of bodies wrestling each other, the running back had to dodge and weave this was and that to find an opening. When he broke through, he charged down the field for only eight more yards before being taken down from the side. But it was enough for a first down-four more tries to get ten more yards down with a total of thirty-eight to go before reaching the end zone for a touchdown.
"This has been a nail-biter of a game this Monday night, folks," Adam said as he and his co-anchor watched from their booth. "So far, neither team has had more than a three-point difference in their lead at any given time. Right now, the score is 21 to 17 in favor of Denver. But, with only this and one more quarter to go and so many mistakes on both teams, it's anyone's guess right now to who is going to remain undefeated after this game."
Shaking his head, Tim commented, "Well, this crowd has been doing everything that they can do try and distract the Wolverines and break down their communication lines. So far, it hasn't managed to slow them down thanks to some clever change up in hand signals that they've been giving each other. I can't follow what they're going to do from one play to the next, which means the Avalanche side is having the same problem."
On the Wolverine sideline, Zechs smirked and pat both Trent and Howard on the shoulders. "Brilliant work on those hand signals, guys," he grinned. Both coaches returned the smile and nodded firmly.
Quickly taking his place a couple yards behind the center, Heero shouted, "Set! Hike!" At the snap, he gazed down the field for a receiver when Wufei appeared in the open, just a few yards away from scoring.
Locking onto his target, the quarterback wasn't aware of a defender that had broken through his line. Just as he was about to launch the ball, he caught the muscular giant out of the corner of his eye and took his sight away from Chang while the ball left his hand.
The ball missed it's mark by quite a bit, landing right into the waiting arms of an Avalanche blocker. "Interception!" Adam cried. "Yuy just threw his first interception of the season and now Denver has possession of the ball!"
"Fuck!" Heero hissed, his eyes narrowed as he and his teammates charged the man now running right for them in hopes to break through and down the other side of the field. He was finally taken down at the fifty-yard line dividing half of the field.
The Wolverine offensive team ran off the field so the defense could talk their place to try and stop the Avalanche once again. Sighing deeply, Heero roughly removed his helmet and shook his head in frustration. Interceptions happened, but it was never easy to deal with.
Gently patting his lover's shoulder, Duo reassured him quietly, "It's all right, 'Ro. Shit happens. You'll make up for it the next time around." Smirking, he added, "Their quarterback had an interception earlier that we picked up on, remember?"
Howard was actually quite calm as he approached his team with a supportive, "Shake it off, guys. They've made just as many turnovers as we have. We're just a good match-up. There's still time to get things together and win this one. Let's not fall apart now."
"Right, Pops," his young men replied at the same time with firm nods. Finally easing and allowing himself a little slack, Heero turned to gaze into the violet eyes that were on him. A small smile of appreciation curled his lips and he quickly pat his partner's back to let him know that he was all right.
Sighing deeply in relief, Duo moved to the water jug while tuning out the ever-present commotion from the stands. One thing to be said about that torture that he had to endure at practice that week-he did learn to just ignore the ruckus.
No sooner had the running back finished taking a sip from the plastic cup that he filled did the crowd suddenly explode with frustrated cries and boos as his teammates started jumping and hollering. Turning with wide eyes to the field, Duo watched in shock as one of their own red-and-gold uniformed defenders now had the ball and was charging back towards their end zone.
"They just had a fumble! We have possession again!" Trowa yelled in explanation as his braided friend reached his side. Letting out a hoot, the American joined his comrades, leaping and cheering.
The other scene on the other sideline was quite different. The Denver head coach was throwing his headset off while yelling at his men with a reddening face as the players behind him covered their faces and shook their heads in shock and disgust.
When the defender was taken down, it was at almost the same spot where the Wolverines were at the time of their interception. "We still have some yards to go to score, but we can pull this off," Wufei grinned while grabbing his helmet.
All but dancing, along the sideline, Howard slapped each of his offensive liners as they returned to the field. "Get on out there are give it to 'em, boys!" he hollered excitedly. "We're still in this!"
On their way to forming a line along where the ball was placed, Heero raised a hand when all of his teammates were watching. Opening and closing his fist three times, he gave the signal that the ball was to be run in. Gasping sharply, Duo shouted, "No! No!" Raising his hands to make them form a 'T', he called for a timeout.
Blowing a whistle, the head referee stopped the clock and announced into his microphone, "Time! Three-minute break for the teams to talk!"
Every Wolverine, on and off the field and including the coaching staff, watched the running back with wide eyes and slack jaws. None looked more surprised than Heero. Quickly recovering, his cobalt eyes narrowed as he yelled, "What the hell are you doing wasting one of our timeouts like that!? We only have two left with a whole quarter to go after this!"
Zechs and Howard were talking anxiously amongst themselves on their part of the field, trying to make sense as to why the braided athlete acted on his own in such a way. High up in the stands, Quatre bit his lip and Lady Une held her breath at the obvious disturbance that the move had caused.
"Well, this is an interesting development," Adam smirked in amusement to the camera. "It looks as though we have a breakdown in the communication now with Duo Maxwell calling a timeout when no one on his team was expecting it. And his team does not look happy with him right now."
Going into a huddle, Duo winced at the heated glares aimed at him from the others. Even Trowa looked about ready to tear his head off. "Look," he shouted to be heard by everyone, but he kept his eyes on the quarterback across from him. "They're expecting the ball to be run because of that interception back there and I won't be able to get very far because of it!"
Quickly raising a finger when his lover opened his mouth to protest, the running back's own eyes narrowed as he cried, "I know that you're still shaken up by it, and that's why you're making the call to keep the ball on the ground, but we should be throwing it in again! They'll never see it coming! We could score with that to our advantage!"
Those glares on him eased into wide-eyed looks of surprise at the logic. Swallowing roughly, Heero kept his own concern at bay. His partner was right- his recent error had shaken him and he was going to have to work at controlling that.
With a deep breath, the team captain sighed, "All right! We're going for a fake, then!" Turning to Chang, he hollered, "Find a way to break past their blockers! Don't look back until you're clear!" Wufei gave a sly grin and nodded firmly that he understood.
Breaking, the Wolverines lined up against their opponents. Heero swallowed roughly once more and raised his arms. "Set! Set!" Slowly drawing a deep breath, he prepared himself for what lay ahead and screamed, "Hike!"
Like clockwork, Trowa snapped the ball back to him without fail. Quickly covering it with both hands, the quarterback turned back to act as though he was about to hand it off to Duo. Wrapping his arms around his chest as though he was accepting the ball, Maxwell charged to the defenders that were trying to get at him.
Just as he had thought, the Avalanche had been counting on the ball to be run in as they made a wall to stop him. And it was damn near impenetrable.
At the last second, just before his opponents could see that he still had the ball, Heero looked down the field just as Wufei ran past the last blocker. That instant, the receiver turned to face the quarterback and raised his hands.
"It's a fake!" Tim exclaimed to the listeners and viewers. "It's a fake! Yuy still has the ball!"
Realizing the same thing a heartbeat too late, the defenders all but froze with wide eyes as Heero launched the ball into the air with a loud grunt of effort. Head up and gaze on his target, Wufei ran on and opened his arms for the ball. Jumping for it, he propelled himself forward to make the catch in midair and landed into the end zone.
Their arms thrusting into the air, the Wolverines yelled and screamed in joy at the play. Laughing, Heero and Duo ran up to each other for a tight embrace before running to the end zone to celebrate with the rest of their teammates. Throwing his playbook in the air, Zechs allowed himself a moment to shed his normally serene exterior to embrace his coaching staff with hoots and hollers.
Adam jumped from his seat, cheering, "Touchdown Pittsburgh! That was a forty-three- yard toss by Heero Yuy and what a beauty it was! He could not have thrown it better than that!"
By the time the last quarter rolled around, the extra point was kicked to give the Wolverines a lead in the score of 24-21.
From there, the Avalanche could not regain the lead. They had thrown everything they had in the first three durations and were winded in the end and could only score a field goal. At the final whistle blow to announce the end of the game, the score was Pittsburgh: 31 Denver: 24.
And it was amazing how quickly the noise died down to an eerie silence when it was over.
Shaking his head, Tim chuckled deeply, "Well, sports fans, we are witnessing history in the making. The Pittsburgh Wolverines are now leading the whole of the American league with a victory over the Denver Avalanche to remain undefeated. This could very well be a Cinderella story in the making this season."
In the locker room, Zechs was actually fighting tears in his eyes as he gazed on his team. "I'm damned proud of you, boys," he said with a rough voice. "Damned proud. And I don't have anything more to say than that. Get showered and get to bed. We head back to Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon."
Every face was still grinning from ear-to-ear as the team headed off and parted ways before returning to their hotel for the last night in Denver.
On the way to their rented car, Heero reached over to squeeze Duo's hand. "Thanks for believing in me back there," he said quietly, voice scratchy from having to yell all night.
Smiling lovingly, the running back met his gaze and replied with an equally gritty tone, "There's never been a day I didn't believe in you, 'Ro. And I don't mean just on the field." By the way that his lover's face lit up at that just before he pulled him in for a heated kiss, Duo knew that he could pay no better compliment.
* * * * * *
Upon their arrival to their hometown- completely unlike their arrival at the Colorado airport- they received a hero's welcome... their very first.
TBC...
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