#winterx

Title: Playing To Release The Tension Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandoms: X-Men - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Relationship: James "Bucky" Barnes/Scott Summers Characters: Scott Summers, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Songwriting, Morning After, Mutual Pining, Body Worship, Implied Sexual Content, Fade to Black, Tattoo Artist Bucky Barnes, POV Scott Summers, Minor Emma Frost/Natasha Romanov Language: English Collections: Scott Summers Secret Santa Bingo 2023 Published: 2024-01-31 Words: 1,162 Chapters: 1/1

Summary:

Scott starts writing a song, inspired by waking up with Bucky for the first time as he reflects on the little steps that led them there.

Skiing with two broken wrists Simon Dumont didn’t even think he’d make finals in the 2013 X Games, much less be in medal contention. Five weeks prior Dumont had decked out on the Dew Tour pipe in Breckenridge, shattering his left wrist and breaking another bone in his right arm. He had surgery immediately and doctors put a litany of metal in to hold it all together, but he still headed to Aspen to compete. Skiing without poles because he couldn’t hold them, the consequences of any fall were magnified from the significant usual risks.

He skied well in practice and qualifying rounds, building confidence, though still only barely qualifying on the ‘bubble.’ But when the night of finals rolled around he was ready—and you can see the focus in his eyes in the first image above (probably my favorite X Games shot). He brought his trademark amplitude to finals, landing the double cork 12 that had been elusive in practice. When the dust settled and everyone’s runs were done, even with two broken wrists, he won the Bronze. A Rocky Balboa story from X if I ever saw one.

(at Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen Colorado)

I was grounded from TV for some reason. Not entirely sure why anymore, but I was not allowed to watch TV during the X Games. So I snuck a busted old no-remote, dial changer with UHF, faux wood grained brick wall of a TV into my bedroom closet to watch Mike Metzger do the first competition moto backflip. My mom caught me eventually, saying “I KNEW it was too quiet up there!” It was so worth it.

So this weeks #throwbackthursday print is to the kids of #WinterXGames — from the kids watching at home just hoping for a ringside seat like this, to those with dreams of competing — dream big & go big. Who knows? Maybe this little girl will be at the top soon, with her coach, visualizing the run ahead, hearing “30 seconds to drop” followed by the countdown. 5…. 4…. 3…. 2… 1…

“Dropping!”

Photo taken at the 2013 Winter X Games.

Limited edition print: https://www.christopherdthompson.com/prints/2020/1/23/aef416axpnn45zki1c6js3ui55xjcm