Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose

Note

Okay, so this is a long note!

There are lots of jokes and references to movies/television, especially Friday Night Lights and Tim Riggins. There are also references to American politics and Thanksgiving, as it is an American AU.

I am not from Texas and I apologize for any errors about Texas or the places mentioned. I set it in a fictional university in northern Texas, but I'm sure there will be things that seem a little off to native Texans. I also apologize for my sports blunders, of which I'm sure there are plenty.

There is not a University of Texas at Amarillo, as far as I can tell, and it is intended to be fictional. The fraternities and sororities mentioned are fictional and not meant to resemble any real life organization. I am not at all implying anything about the state of athletes and students at any university in Texas and no offense is intended.

There are a lot of original characters, including teammates and family members. Some characters are unpleasant, which is why I did the change. Please note that if a character uses hateful, homophobic, ableist speech or terminology, that does not mean the author feels that way.

Warnings for...
-Vomit
-Blood
-Mentions of sexual activity as a teenager or with an age difference (someone under eighteen with someone over eighteen)
-Characters using ableist, homophobic, ignorant, hateful language
-Past exploitation of participants in sexts (all age 18+)...Potentially triggering for sexual abuse.
-Brief bursts of non-sexual violence, usually due to too much testosterone
-Mentions of off-screen parent death of a minor original character (who you never even meet)
-Drinking at parties that leads to blackouts
-SPOILER and TRIGGER WARNING for Sexual Abuse: A scene occurs in Chapter 4 that may be triggering to those who have been sexually abused or exploited. When the timing starts (you'll know what I mean as you read) I'd suggest jumping to Chapter 5.

Because issues are mentioned, that does not mean I condone them. Please let the fictional characters be fictional characters and, hopefully, grow throughout the entire story. Please do not take this story as an endorsement for drinking so much that you blackout. This is a fictional story that involves fraternities and sports, which is sometimes a dangerous combination in real life.

Some readers feel that the Harry character exhibits characteristics of stalking, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse (which I politely disagree with). Please do not take this story as an endorsement for any behavior like that. Whenever a character acts out of turn or in a rude way, there is usually someone there to call them out on it, meaning it is not okay and should not be romanticized.

The prompt from docilelou, who I hope enjoys this story!, is at the end.

There is a suggested soundtrack for this story, though you do not have to listen if you don't want! , and I also linked to YouTube videos.

I have a long list of thank yous for this story, because so many people were very encouraging and helpful with this story.

Thank you to and for their support and being lovely people during tough times.

Big thank you to who, in addition to being an amazing writer and human, offered her time and eyes to look over this monster for any potential snags. Her perspective was so fun to hear while I was writing and she definitely helped me so much in navigating potentially touchy issues. Thank you!

My final thank you is, no surprise, to . I can't believe how many thousands of 1D related words she has read and advised me on, talking me through stressful, frustrating moments and making me laugh when I needed a laugh most. That level of generosity and kindness blows my mind, and I am so, so thankful for everything she does. She even made amazing art for this story! I can't thank you enough, J! <3333

I hope you all enjoy!