The Catch

Rated: M for language and innuendo

This game is Super Bowl XLII, I have no fan affiliation with either team (Eagles fan) and I was mere witness to this event and stole a lot of dialogue from my bf's crazy football obsessed friends. I love you, Pats fan, but that was one hell of a catch!

The best she could hope for, Rei reasoned to herself as she popped the top off another bottle, was that she could keep drinking imported beer until this stupid game started to make even a hint of sense, and, by judging how the first half had gone, meant that she most likely would end up shitfaced and passing out, a state of being she would prefer over watching more of this pointless bullshit any longer.

Makoto had stayed with her, thank fuck, but the rest of the traitors had taken off to go shopping, Minako leading them out the door with the excuse that she needed "supplies" for later, feel free to read between the lines. Normally, Rei would jump on a weak excuse like that like white on rice and be out the door before she had both shoes on, but for some reason, some asinine reason, some ungodly, inhumane, callous reason, it was important for Jason for her to watch a this game with him. He had been talking about it for weeks.

Which was why she was stuck now, sitting on the floor between his legs, pounding down her third beer and wincing every now and then when something would happen, she had no fucking clue what, and he would move and pull her hair or kick her in the side. He couldn't stay still under the best of circumstances, and the minute this game had gone on all of his self-control and brain cells seemed to fly out the window.

Makoto sat on one end of Mamoru's couch, her head on her hand as she sat next to Noah, who was sitting at the very edge of his seat, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. Jason sat above her at the other end. Mamoru had pulled a chair from somewhere and sat near the edge of his couch. Kevin had captured the recliner early, his Patriots cap pulled down low across his forehead and smug expression on his face. He was being called every four-letter word in the book at least once a minute since the opening kickoff.

Rei threw her bottle back and nearly choked when Jason nearly leaped over her, and the room erupted in noise. Kevin started laughing, deep and loud.

Zach, who hadn't sat down yet, kicked the edge of the couch. "Fucking PI!"

"Hey, watch the couch," Mamoru said loudly, trying to make himself heard above the noise.

Jason was livid. "Pierce, you worthless shit, just fucking kill yourself and save me the trouble of going to New York, finding you and killing you myself. "

It had been like this all afternoon. Rei rolled her eyes and grabbed a napkin, wiped her face, and tried to remember what a "PI" was.

Makoto saved her that trouble. "What happened?"

"You can't interfere with the receiver before he has the ball," Noah explained. "It's illegal contact and they spot the ball on the—oh nice, thank you stupid. Now the Pats are up. Shut up Kevin."

"I didn't say anything."

"You're thinking it. Fuck you, you cocky asshole. Take your undefeated season and shove it up your ass."

Kevin simply shrugged his shoulders, struggling to keep his smile down.

It must have started to get more interesting in the second half, Rei realized, only because the intensity of the screaming was louder, the insults angrier, and the empty green bottles were starting to make quite an impressive pile on Mamoru's coffee table. The majority of the wrath was directed at Bell-someone, who apparently was the coach or manager or something, and had decided not to score points by kicking the ball somewhere, and the cute player with the cleft chin, whom Zach took particular pleasure in mocking whenever he was tackled by a player on the opposing team.

"Argh!" Jason screamed behind her again. "They're going for it on fourth and one!"

Something was happening, Rei noticed, because now even Kevin was leaning forward, holding his breath.

"INTERCEPTION!"

"No!" Zach was standing practically inches from the television screen. "They called it incomplete!"

"Show the replay!" Noah shouted at the screen. Rei wondered if any of them realized that no one on the television could hear them.

Maybe this was getting interesting. She completely chalked it up to her raised blood alcohol level, but all of the tension that choked the room was getting her kind of excited. She turned her body and looked up at Jason. "Can I cheer now, too?"

"Not yet." His left leg hammered out a nervous beat. She shrugged and took another drink.

The snap. "Manning!" Zach was jumping. "Holy shit, holy shit, oh fuck he's sacked, no way oh shit, OH MY GOD, nice spin! HE'S OUT!"

"Throw!"

The roar was deafening. Jason didn't even try to be gentle as he jumped to his feet and started pointing and screaming. Noah pounded poor Makoto on the leg, laughing hysterically and screaming. Zach grabbed his hair with both hands and paced the floor, screaming. Kevin sat motionless, his arms crossed over his chest, looking like someone had just stomped a puppy to death in front of him.

"Did you see that fucking—how the hell did he stay up? Thomas had his jersey!" Zach bellowed.

"On his helmet! Kevin, did you see that? ON HIS HELMET!"

"Good catch. Great fucking catch. What a fucking catch. Fifty-nine seconds. Oh my God, what a catch."

"Tyree, if you were a woman, I'd fuck you." Makoto shot him a look. "Sorry, hon."

Everyone was standing, so Rei jumped up and did the same, and nearly ate it as the blood rushed to her head. "Come on, D!" Kevin spoke for the first time in a while, wringing a throw pillow like a limp rag.

Jason grabbed Rei's hands and squeezed, whispering, "Come on, come on…"

Rei thought her eardrums would explode as four male voices screamed "TOUCHDOWN!" in unison, although one voice added a "FUCK!" while the others merely shrieked with hysterical laughter. Kevin spiked the pillow as hard as he could off of the floor, prompting Mamoru to remind him not to punch a hole in the wall.

"You can cheer now!" Jason yelled.

"Yay!" she shouted, raising her bottle. Kevin sunk into his seat, his expression caught between murderous rage and abject despair.

Zach was screaming in his face. "Oh my God, fuck your perfect season and your stupid cheating coach and your pretty boy QB right in the hole! GOD! What a game! That was so incredible!"

Noah was still laughing. "Oh, Eli, I'll never refer to you as the 'shitty Manning' ever again!"

Makoto went over to Kevin's chair and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Want a sandwich?"

"I want a gun with a single bullet it in."

Mamoru left and returned from the kitchen with an unopened bottle of Crown Royale. He handed it to Kevin. "Here, this should be enough to erase the last four hours of your short-term memory."

Well, it was kind of fun, Rei thought to herself as Jason grabbed her in a bear hug, one hand sneaking a grab at her behind. She had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time; the game was confusing, it stopped too much and had too many rules, but it was fun to watch Kevin's overconfidence deflate like a week-old helium balloon that had been stomped on by spiked boots, and watching the players chase the guy with the ball, and cheering when something went right.

She plunked down her sixth beer and admitted that alcohol had made all the difference in her renewed attitude towards American football. How embarrassing. Jason holding her tight to him now, kissing at her neck and pressing his face against her own. She ran a hand through his blond hair, breathing in his scent. Maybe it was time for them to head home and have their own post-Super Bowl party.

The front door opened; the girls were back. "What's going on?" Ami said, noticing that Zach was sitting inches away from the TV again, watching post game recaps.

Minako came in behind her, holding an Agent Provocateur bag. Rei crossed the room and took it from her. "Sorry, hon," she said, pointing at the man slumped dejectedly in his chair. "You're not going to need this tonight." She sat back on Jason's lap and started rifling through the bag. "I'll put it to good use for you."