The odors in the locker room were unbearable. 12 sweaty boys, all cramped together in the tiniest of rooms, right after playing one of the most demanding games of the season, clearly doesn't add up to the smell of roses. We had just beaten one of the best schools in the prefecture and now Karasuno was moving forward in the national tournament. Although the excitement and joy in the room were palpable, the mountain we had just climbed was a hell of a big one, and none of the guys could even stand up. Everyone's exhaustion was just crystal clear; Tanaka was way quieter than usual, Hinata wasn't jumping around as he always does, and Kageyama wasn't arguing with him at all - he barely said a word to the little demon since the last whistles announcing the victory of Karasuno. A streak of concern penetrated my body; they weren't being their true selves and that fact spoke for itself. I should probably do something for them. The only thing that came to my mind in that instant was trying to replenish their energies. I announced that I was leaving for a moment to buy them some snacks and drinks, and was appalled by the almost nonexistent response I got in return. All the boys just murmured a low "hmmm" without even lifting their heads. Coach Ukai handed me some coins and I was out of the room as quick as possible - I could handle neither the smell nor the effect the fatigue had on them.
I headed towards the little cafeteria that the stadium had (if it could be called that way). They were just a bunch of tables stashed together in a little corner of the main parlor, surrounded by some vending machines - I swear to God, everywhere you go in Japan, there's a vending machine. Amazing. This place was quiet as well, no one was here except a bunch of players from another team. They were wearing red and black uniforms, and on their backs, I could read "Nekoma". I approached the machines and realized that the guys were leaning against the one that dispensed isotonic drinks. For Christ's sake, couldn't they be gossiping anywhere else? I exhaled a sigh of resignation and started nearing the little group. I suddenly noticed that one of them - the tallest, with spiky black hair - was looking intensely at me. His eyes were sweeping my whole body, from head to toe, while a cocky smirk was drawn upon his face. He was totally checking me out, and he probably thought that I was coming over to flirt with him. Men can be real idiots some times. I need to admit though, that he actually was pretty good-looking, and certainly had that "bad-boy aura" that is kind of irresistible. But I was in no mood to flirt with an arrogant guy at that moment. Instead, I decided it was time to have some fun teasing him.
I started moving my hips around a bit more while walking. I added an innocent hair twirling, to make me look flirty and cute - which I had learned Japanese guys love. I was coming near them, and as doing so, I made sure to keep eye contact with him the whole time. Once I was just some feet away from the boys, the tall one opens his mouth to talk. But I interrupt him before any sound comes out of his throat and I politely say:
"I'm so sorry, but could you guys please move? You're blocking the machine."
His face suffered from a sudden metamorphosis. His eyes widened, his eyebrows arched, and the smirk faded away in the blink of an eye. I pleasantly watched his confidence and smugness being crushed to death, replaced by embarrassment and awkwardness. His cheeks were burning red, I could actually feel the heat from quite a distance. He tried hard to play it cool, murmuring a "sure" while leading his hand to scratch his neck, having an excuse to look down directly to the ground. Although I usually enjoyed using my self-confidence for teasing smug boys, I felt kind of bad for him, and guilt pierced through my heart when I saw him back away from the vending machine so abstracted from everything. And that's exactly when he tripped over a chair and fell straight to the ground. My first instinct was to approach him and kneel beside him to ask him if he was fine. A few seconds went by, and I still didn't have an answer. He was holding himself up with both knees and arms, his face a mystery to me hidden between locks of his hair. He was breathing rapidly, probably because of the humiliation. I placed my hand on his back, feeling responsible for his fall, and I noticed how his breathing seemed to come back to normal.
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Bandaids
Fanfiction"My legs were jello. My mouth was a pool. My crotch was a tap that had been left running. Images of the two of us flooded my mind. I couldn't move. I couldn't think of anything else but Tetsurou Kuroo running his long slender fingers through my whol...
