THAT WAY (suna)

spotting.

「 13 : 19 - GYM 」

you tried to frown at your
phone as though
there was a deeper reason
to look at it.

it probably looked stupid.

no one in a gym looked at their phone
as if they were really analyzing
something. no one did, in general.

you don't go to the gym to look
at your phone, you don't even take
it out. frowning wouldn't help.

until now, the boy had done some dead
lifts with an acknowledgeable
weight of 320 lbs. his face looked like
it didn't cost him any effort.

you had watched him through the mirror,
look at his muscles not even twitch
when he lifted the barbell.

his muscles were admirable.

you wished for hana or ren to be here
so they'd admire him with you.

eventually, you'd averted your
gaze and focused on your
overhead triceps extension.

he did catch your eye though
when you noticed him approach you.

your phone vibrated but
you shoved it aside to look
concentrated. as if you would
not see him, you resumed your
exercise.

???
"hey, excuse me?"

you stopped, bringing the dumbbells
back to rest on your thighs.

he was fastening his waist belt while
looking at you. you put your weights
on the ground and wiped your hands
on your leggings.

y/n
"yes?"

???
"could you spot me?"

you looked helpless at first, until he
pointed at the bench. in your mind it
clicked and you realized what he meant.
spot him. of course.

y/n
"yeah, sure."

you'd done it with bokuto before but
since he had never failed, you wished for
this pretty stranger not to either.

you didn't know whether you
could help him if he did.

when he put on 250 lbs
your hands got damp.
even though you'd seen him
lift more, you were afraid
that he couldn't
press it. you got nervous.

you couldn't help a lot with that
much.

you'd never interacted with anyone
else than your friends here, mind you
spotted someone else.

???
"alright."

he hit his chest with his fists a few times
as if to prepare his muscles for
the upcoming work.

it was weird to watch.
he looked like king kong.

the guy lay down on the bench and
looked up at you, who was positioned
above him, ready to assist with the barbell.

you steadied your feet as if it
would be harder for you than
for him.

???
"ready?"

y/n
"i should ask you."

he chuckled and closed his fingers
around the bar.

???
"ok then."

you watched as he lowered the weight
to touch his chest, just to press it up steadily.
you breathed out, your hands still
extended in case he needed support.

with the fourth repetition his face had
become red and he looked strained
for the first time. your arms were tensing
and your fingers twitched.

his fifth rep was shaky and halting.

y/n
"come on! a little bit more."

he showed you his teeth when contorting
his face in exhaustion. he was holding his
breath and his body was fully tensed.

y/n
"keep going. don't forget to breathe."

with your hands a hair's breadth beneath
the bell, he lifted the bar into the holder.
you could hear him sigh.

he slowly set up and loosened his belt.

???
"thanks."

y/n
"that was impressive. well done."

???
"you're a great motivator."

you laughed awkwardly, unsure if it was
a joke, and pushed back
some baby hair that had escaped your
braid. you would re-tie it later.

i just told you to breathe, you thought.

y/n
"first time hearing that."

he circled his shoulders and looked at you.
he was chuckling, so it had been a joke.

???
"what's your name?"

y/n
"i'm y/n. you?"

???
"i'm rintarou suna. you can
call me rin, though."

y/n
"nice to meet you, rin."

you did not shake hands. you were just
looking at each other. it was getting
awkward.

rintarou suna
"is there any chance i could get
your number?"