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Chapter Text

Dear Shidou Ryuusei,

I like you.

Ryuusei read the six words, his eyes hovering over the last three a second longer. I like you. They were typed. All of the words were typed and printed on a small strip of paper. He recognized the font as the standard Arial.

Ryuusei flipped it to the back; the clean white stared back at him innocently. No identification. No unique handwriting. Nothing except a confession. Anonymity was clearly this person’s specialty.

Glancing up from the paper, Ryuusei’s pink eyes scanned the room to find the possible owner. The girl who gave him a Hello Kitty band-aid for the cut on his cheek. The girl who screeched at him for kicking her boyfriend’s balls (he deserved it for being a dick). The foreign-exchange student that arrived this September who helped him cheat on his English quiz. And more girls huddled together over their phones giggling about some stupid shit.

Ryuusei cracked his neck, the satisfying relief making his shoulders slump. None of the girls in his class liked him. Was it someone from a different class? Ryuusei quickly dismissed this thought because none of them liked him, either. Their detest and fear for him grew every time he sent a student to the nurse’s office.

Was it a guy? Ryuusei stiffened at the thought. It was possible, but it couldn’t be a guy. None of the guys liked him, either.

Ryuusei peered down at the profession of love, doubt on the accuracy of the sender’s statement increasing. Judging from what other students thought of him, this could be a prank. It was very likely to be a prank.

But his gut enforced the opposite. This wasn’t a prank; it was the truth, the raw emotion of someone who liked him. It would be quite rude of him to label it as a joke.

Even though the thoughts of this being a prank bubbled quietly at the back of his mind, Ryuusei ripped a corner of a page from his math notebook and wrote:

Who the fuck are you

Chapter Text

Ryuusei sauntered over to his desk, receiving curious glances that soon declined into uninterested ones. His teacher finished his sentence and briefly frowned at his student's late entrance. It was the third time this week of Ryuusei's delayed appearance. It was also the third time this week that he was greeted with his reply to the confession.

Carefully tucked in at the edge of the inside of his desk, Ryuusei's question settled, unbothered. Ryuusei had trusted this anonymous person to know a response awaited him, located at Ryuusei's desk, but now the former wasn't sure.

So every time Ryuusei spotted the crinkled paper, he felt the urge to shred it into thin pieces or chuck it into the nearest trash can.

The next morning Ryuusei sulkily approached his desk on time. His anger spiked at the sight of the tiny slip of paper resting gently where it had been first placed.

Ryuusei kicked the corner of his desk, the sudden noise shocking his classmates. He ignored their stares and collapsed into his chair, crushing, in the palm of his hand, what had been the cause of his vexation for the past few days.

Wait--this wasn’t his. On a better glimpse, it was white paper identical to the first one he received.

The gleam in his eyes brightened as he unfolded and read its content.

Shidou Ryuusei,

I’m obviously your secret admirer. Are you that dense?

Typed. No name. Should he have expected a hint? They avoided the question by stating the obvious. And how could Ryuusei miss the rhetorical question? So they were comfortable enough to joke around with him. Or insult him. Or both.

At least Ryuusei wasn’t mistaken. The confession wasn’t a prank; it was real.

Ryuusei leaned back in his chair at this conclusion, the ceiling with its patterned lights only in his vision. Who would be insane enough to like him? He wasn't a great or even the typical student by all means. Did they like the way his fists made bruises or spilled blood?

Too many questions and not enough answers, Ryuusei thought as he etched out a reply even he wasn't sure was a good reply:

Hey my secret admirer, wanna play a game?

Chapter Text

The paper was replaced the next day. His secret admirer's answer was folded neatly.

Sure.

Ryuusei grinned, delighted at the response.

Here’s my number. xxx-xxx-xxx. Let’s play 8-ball.

Coming back from the cafeteria after lunch, a new note awaited Ryuusei. The quick reply was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

No, I'm not giving you my number.

Ryuusei frowned. This little shit–

Out of frustration Ryuusei tore the paper in half. A few nearby classmates rolled their eyes at his behavior but nothing more than that; it was Ryuusei after all.

After some consideration Ryuusei scrounged a piece of paper from his desk and wrote, This letter thing is getting tedious. Let’s text each other. He paused, thumbing the ragged edge. Or we can cut to the chase by you revealing yourself. He scratched that out, thoroughly. Don't you want to play 8-ball with me? I'm a master at it.

Ryuusei drew a smiley face for the fun of it. The smile looked a little sloppy and the eyes too far apart. Perfect. He mentally patted himself in the back for his brilliance and left the note at the corner of his desk.

Chapter Text

Ryuusei looked forward to the weekend every time Monday rolled around. He also looked forward to them on Tuesday, Wednesday, and pretty much every weekday. Thankfully, today was Friday, and this weekend, like every other weekend, meant no nagging teachers, no irritating bells, and no homework (he procrastinated until the last minute). Instead it meant football, just football.

"Pass here, Ryuusei!" Isagi called out, waving his arm frantically as he ran beside him. Like Ryuusei would ever pass to someone like Isagi. No offense. If anything, Ryuusei wouldn't pass to anyone.

He was about to retort that he was going to make their next goal when suddenly the ball he was so in control of vanished between his feet in a flash.

"Coming through!" Bachira hooted, dribbling the ball straight toward the goal.

"What the hell!" Ryuusei yelled, sprinting after the thief. Ryuusei truly hated everybody on his football team, especially when they pulled this ridiculous shit and got in his way.

Sae gathered everyone around him after Bachira managed to score the goal. Ryuusei was furious and almost knocked out Bachira's teeth if his teammates did not hold him back. He was ordered to calm down for a couple minutes before joining the team meeting.

Ryuusei's anger bubbled quietly inside him, and he couldn't bother focusing on Sae's irrelevant speech. Even the announcement of the end of practice defeaned in his ears until Isagi shook him out of his state.

"See you, Ryuusei." Isagi held out his hand for a fist bump. Ryuusei reluctantly gave in; the former beamed and skipped away. Typical Isagi.

Ryuusei was fiercly hurling his water bottle, towel, and other items into his bag when Sae's figure came into his view. "Stay out of trouble this weekend," the captain warned. The blonde merely yawned in response and trudged away.

Ryuusei was almost out the gate of the school campus when there was a tug in his gut. It felt like it was telling him to go back, not to the football field but his desk.

So he did. It was easy to break into the building (don't ask him how), and he quickened his pace as he neared the classroom. His footsteps echoed throughout the empty corridors–he had never been in school alone. It felt quite exhiliarating to be breaking the rules. I should do this more often, he thought.

Ryuusei spotted his desk as he entered the doorway, reached into it, and read the new message from his secret admirer:

Fine, but I have rules.

Chapter Text

1. We don't text each other during school
2. Set my contact name as Dragon
3. If you've read this, I will text you "blue," and you have to reply with "lock"

So calculated , Ryuusei snorted.  It would be nice of his secret admirer to simply reveal themselves instead of playing this game.  Although I was the one who suggested playing a game…  But the game was 8-ball not this stupid shit.

There was a warning at the end that if Ryuusei were to break any of the rules listed above, the texting would stop.  Indefinitely.

The blonde crumpled the paper into a ball and squeezed until his hand went numb from the pressure.  Realizing he had been holding his breath for the duration he exhaled.  He could feel a trickle of sweat slithering down his back.  Slightly gross, but also cool.  A chilling sensation, almost so cool and chilly it felt hot.

Ryuusei unfolded the wrinkled ball and reread the message, a grin emerging and stretching with every word absorbed.  He wasn't one to follow other people's rules, but if it meant being one step closer to discovering the identity of his secret admirer, he could oblige.

Chapter Text

Ryuusei was disappointed.  He had hoped his secret admirer would text him during the weekend.  He usually left his phone on his desk or inside his backpack, but this time his device was sunk deep into his right pocket.  He had been waiting to feel the vibration and see the screen light up from a strange number's text but no, none of that happened.  Not yet anyway…

But even as he left for football practice, no surprises appeared.  It was the same old, same old.  The black cat around the corner who hissed when it spotted Ryuusei, the small kids he sometimes bullied when the boredom ate him from the inside out, the sun, the air, hell, why was everything the same?  Except–

"Where's Itoshi?"  The team had been practicing for 15 minutes when Ryuusei noticed he couldn't spot the set of teal eyes that observed his every move.

"Rin or our captain?"  Isagi questioned, which earned a dagger glare from Ryuusei.  "Um…  Vacation in Yakushima."

"What the hell is he–are they doing in Yakushima?"  Ryuusei barked.

"They called it a weekend getaway," Bachira chirped, fidgeting with his cleats while comically rolling in the grass, "but I heard they're having their own special training program."

"Without us?"  Kunigami piped in.  "Those two will surely do everything."

Ryuusei liked Sae.  He wouldn't admit to his face of course (he had screamed it in his face multiple times during matches), but he liked Sae.  Sae was great.

Rin on the other hand…  Rin was so easy to hate.  He was also easy to annoy, whether that was in school or during football.  Even a gentle poke could set him on fire.  Most of the time Ryuusei purposefully did so because it was fun to watch Rin's reaction.  Exciting almost.  But Rin never spoke to Ryuusei first, so their only interactions consisted of Ryuusei inciting the jabs.  Ryuusei didn't mind that.  Why would Rin be interested in speaking to Ryuusei first?  They weren't even friends.  The closest they could be were teammates.

"Stupid Itoshi," Ryuusei muttered to himself.  He couldn't stand that guy.  Well, more like understand him.

And so the weekend passed.  Ryuusei clearly felt the absence of the Itoshi's, and somehow that made him uneasy.  Thankfully, he was able to see them on Monday, starting with the captain.

"I told you to stay out of trouble, Shidou, " Sae snapped.

"And I did," Ryuusei grinned.

Sae glowered; it reminded Ryuusei a lot of Rin.  "That includes not sending our goalie to the nurse."

"Sounds like a him problem," Ryuusei shrugged.

Sae looked like he was going to scold him further but merely sighed and brushed past him.  Ryuusei cheerfully called out "See you soon!" and skipped toward his classroom.

Crashing onto his chair, he swung his feet over his desk.  Whistling a familiar tune he checked his desk for a slip of paper only to find a few broken pencils and the last crumbles of an eraser.  Right, they had decided to start texting for convenience.  Ryuusei smiled as he imagined the possibilities of what could occur when his phone alerted him.

Ryuusei's world halted to a stop.  Notification, unknown, them .

Unknown
Blue

Ryuusei
bout time don't u think

You have been blocked by this number

"What the fuck!" he hollered, banging his fist on his desk.  His classmates' eyes shifted to him from the sudden noise.

Shit.  Ryuusei groaned.  He may or may not have forgotten about the rules due to excitement.  They're not going to unblock me.

He was right.  The next morning they had returned to the paper notes at Ryuusei's desk.

Chapter Text

The paper had been surprisingly blank, but Ryuusei knew what it meant: back to square one.  He sighed at the loss.

I want a rematch, he scribbled.  ASAP, he added.  Then he crossed it out.  It seemed too desperate of him.

The incident left Ryuusei groveling and mumbling under his breath, kicking the ground here and there wondering why oh why on Earth he made a stupid mistake like that.  Well, he shouldn't be too hard on himself–it was honestly his secret admirer's fault catching him off guard like that.  But still!

Of course Ryuusei lucked out and bumped into someone's shoulder a little too hard that it hurt their fragile ego.  Honestly, this wasn't his fault either–he wasn't the first one to swing a punch.  So why was he the only one caught and forced to wipe the already-clean floors?  Fuck.

It certainly wasn't gruesome nor important work (not that many things are considered important to him), so Ryuusei finished it sloppily.  An unfortunate victim might find themselves with a sore ass if they ran a little too fast.

Chuckling to himself at the thought, Ryuusei returned the supplies to their original place and headed to his class to pick up his backpack.  At the doorway he bumped into a familiar face.

"Rin-chan!" Ryuusei greeted.

Rin's eyes slightly widened at the blonde's appearance, but his expression quickly turned into an icy stare.  Those teal eyes of his could probably cut Ryuusei into tiny pieces.

"What do you want," he muttered.

Ryuusei leaned against the door frame, blocking Rin's path.  "Enjoyed your weekend trip?"

Rin's gaze seemed to soften at Ryuusei's inquiry.  "Yes, actually.  I didn't have to practice with you," he taunted.

"Same here," Ryuusei retorted.  "Practice was much quieter without you."

Rin looked confused.  Admittedly, Ryuusei wasn't sure why he said that; he wasn't even sure what it meant.

Cheeks heating up, Ryuusei ducked his head and shouldered past Rin.  "Whatever.  Get out of my way.  I need to head home."

Ryuusei stood by his desk, clutching the strap of his backpack and closing his eyes, waiting for both the embarrassing color on his face and Rin to disappear.  It felt like an eternity before he heard footsteps growing fainter.  However, he knew there was still a red tint flaunting itself.

Ryuusei released his breath he had been unknowingly holding.  What the hell was wrong with him today?

Out of habit, Ryuusei checked for the paper.  It was gone, and there was no note.

Chapter Text

Ryuusei was a deep sleeper.  He liked sleeping.  His body was always exhausted from the constant physical fights and training he had endured that day.  It took less than a minute for him to be unconscious.

But that night Ryuusei laid on his bed too awake to fall asleep.  He thought about today.  The last time he checked to see if his paper was gone was at the end of class.  He was very sure about this.  Then he got into a 1v4 fight when he was leaving the building.  He had broken one person's nose at the very beginning, sent someone's jaws rattling, and was about to roundhouse kick another when his fitness teacher interrupted.  He hated that bastard for always stopping his fights and being stronger than him.  After he dutifully served his punishment, he stomped back to his classroom and found the note gone.  So his secret admirer had to have taken the note after school.

Rin. Rin was currently the only suspect on the list.  He'd have to ask Shitty Eyelashes why he was there and if he had seen anybody else.

Ryuusei wasn't too concerned with Rin's business after school; he doubted Rin was actually his secret admirer.  He hoped Rin had some useful information, though.  At this rate, Ryuusei would never be able to uncover the secrecy.

Luck was on his side when he spotted Rin on the school grounds before class started.  (This must have been the first time Ryuusei was on time.)

"Shi–Rin Rin!"  Ryuusei called out, barely catching himself.  He couldn't afford to piss off Rin at the moment.  Maybe another time.

The dark-haired boy whipped his head toward the direction of the caller of his nickname and stopped in his tracks.  Ryuusei was glad he didn't have to chase someone so early in the morning.

"Hey, listen," Ryuusei began, "I want to ask you a question."

Rin had that same surprised look on his face as yesterday before he remembered he had to scowl.  "Make it quick."

Ryuusei grinned; Rin's cooperation was going to make this much easier.  "What were you doing yesterday after school in my class?"

It was funny catching Rin off guard once more.  Not that it was intentional, but Rin looked startled every time Ryuusei asked a question.

"None of your business," Rin replied.

Ryuusei chuckled.  "So cold, and for what?"

Rin didn't respond and instead stared intently at Ryuusei.  Being up so close, Ryuusei could pick out each individual eyelash of Rin's, particularly his bottom lashes.  They adorned his jewel of an eye.

Ryuusei swallowed the lump in his throat.  "One more question, then I'll leave you alone.  Did you see anybody while you were there?

Rin pressed his lips in a thin line.  He looked… uncertain.  Wary, almost.  His gaze that moments ago were locked on Ryuusei casted down to the ground.

"No," he murmured.

"Got it.  Thanks a bunch Rin-chan!  And accept it because this is the only time I'll give you my gratitude."  With that, Ryuusei brushed past those striking eyes and strutted off toward his classroom.

Ryuusei wasn't sure what he expected Rin to say.  A proper response?  That guy could never, at least not to Ryuusei.

Rin must not have seen the person.  He was probably there briefly and missed him.  Damn.  Ryuusei would have to catch his secret admirer himself.

Chapter Text

Ryuusei flipped a page of Chainsaw Man Volume 1.

This would be his third reread of the series, though only his first with this exact copy he picked up from a middle schooler.  The kid ran away in a funny fashion and happened to drop Ryuusei's favorite manga.

Ryuusei liked Chainsaw Man, at least more than his dull class.  It would be the last class today, and man, was he tired from being at school since early in the morning.  Of course, the obvious solution to his exhaustion was to kill some time before football practice.  The roof was sunny and warm, the perfect environment for some alone time to read the manga.

Ryuusei enjoyed seeing Power pummeling down on the devil with her hammer, but he couldn't stop the yawn.  Perhaps a quick nap would soothe his body.

Ryuusei laid on his back, his hands neatly folded beneath his head.  A light breeze washed over him.  He inhaled and exhaled deeply, relaxing his muscles as well.  Except, fuck, why was it so blindingly bright?

He stubbornly refused to let the sun bother him and squeezed his eyes shut.  It was so annoying.  The manga he only had one volume of, the sun with its daring rays, and his secret admirer who couldn't bother to reveal themselves.  Well, his secret admirer wasn't that annoying.  They were fine.  Ryuusei must confess that it was nice to know someone had an interest in him.  Good for the secret admirer, Ryuusei was also interested in knowing who they were.

It wasn't until after the bell that the root of Ryuusei's leading curiosity emerged anew in the form of a simple note.

Are you curious, Shidou Ryuusei?

Ryuusei's initial thought was that his secret admirer was stupid.  He couldn't imagine who would ask a question like this.  Was Ryuusei curious?  Of course he was!  He wasn't some cold stone statue.  The moment he knew who his secret admirer was, his long-lived curiosity would be resolved.  That was, if his secret admirer revealed themselves before he did.

Once again, Ryuusei mentally went through his (very short) list of people who could possibly like him and unsurprisingly concluded there was nobody in his life who would truly want him.  Even if there was, like his current secret admirer, it was too mind-boggling–why did they like him of all people?  What did he have to offer that was so enticing to them?  Ryuusei could play football well, but that wasn't a skill that benefited his partner.  Hell, not even his teammates could reign him in to tackle the game together.  Ryuusei was a force of his own, an anomaly that elevated his teammates to victory and/or destroyed them to smithereens.

Now it wasn't that Ryuusei doubted his secret admirer's feelings but rather their knowledge of him.  Truthfully, Ryuusei possessed no qualities of a friend, much less a boyfriend.  It was very likely the secret admirer constructed an image of Ryuusei that deviated from reality.  If Ryuusei's actual self was disclosed…  Could the secret admirer blame Ryuusei for being himself?  It was their fault their imagination took them too far.

But if Ryuusei were to change, perhaps the secret admirer would be interested because that changed Ryuusei would be more similar to the imagined version.

Maybe this was his sign to stop skipping class so often to read manga.

Ryuusei sighed.  Who was he trying to fool?  There was no way he would change just to get the attention of someone he didn't even know.

It admittedly pained Ryuusei to know that his secret admirer's blissful ignorance of his personality would eventually lead to sore disappointment.  If Ryuusei was unable to support whatever delusional figure his secret admirer fabricated, the liking would ultimately cease to exist.  In the end, things would go back to normal.  Nobody would like him (not that Ryuusei was unfamiliar with that concept).

There was a tap on his shoulder.  "You coming to practice?"

"What are you doing here, Bachira?"  Ryuusei growled, his voice low with threat.

Bachira tilted his head, befuddled.  "We're in the same class?"

Ryuusei wrinkled his nose.  "The hell we are," he snarled.

"It's been months since school started!"  Bachira pointed to a desk in the front corner of the room.  "I sit by the window!"  he insisted.

Fuck.  Ryuusei's absence was clearly visible, but he did not want to entertain the idea of acknowledging this.

"Are you going or not?  What's that?"  Bachira leaned forward to get a better look at the paper in Ryuusei's hand.

"Get the fuck away from me!"  Ryuusei barked, pushing Bachira's face away.

To much of Ryuusei's disgust, Bachira gave a tiny lick to the palm.  "Bleh."

"Do you want to die?!"  Ryuusei roared before launching himself toward his teammate who looked way too happy for his own good.

Bachira managed to maneuver around the desks before being straddled by Ryuusei's crushing weight.  "I abstain!"

Ignoring Bachira's pleas, Ryuusei pulled his fist back to land the most satisfying punch of his life on that pesky brat's clean slate of a face when the door slid open.

"What are you two doing?"  an unimpressed voice interrupted.

A snap of his neck and those same alluring teal eyes from this morning locked onto Ryuusei's pink ones.  Rin stood with his bag's strap slung across his chest.  His voice matched his expression, nonchalant but judgmental.  His piercing gaze followed Ryuusei's fist high in the air, then Bachira on the floor.  Ryuusei could tell Rin's stare lingered where Ryuusei sat on top of his victim before returning to Ryuusei's face.

"Save me–" Ryuusei clasped a hand over Bachira's mouth, effectively muffling the rest of his sentence.  Rin's gaze flickered down to Bachira but returned to their original spot.

"None of your business, Rin Rin," Ryuusei answered.  He meant to say it as a warning, but it sounded too soft to be one.

Rin scoffed.  "Don't hurt him."

And before Ryuusei could respond, the younger Itoshi was gone with a rattle of the door.

Ryuusei hated when Rin did that, having the last word in the conversation.  The two would keep fighting to reach the top of a perpetual staircase, and once Rin managed to be just one step ahead of Ryuusei, it was over.  Rin wouldn't smirk, goat, or crow in triumph, but he would make eye contact with Ryuusei to ensure the latter saw this.  And Ryuusei, instead of noticing his loss, would spiral downward into those eyes.

Cursing inwardly, Ryuusei stood to grab his backpack.

"You really need to stop attacking everyone," Bachira advised, dusting off his uniform.

Ryuusei glared at his teammate.

"You also need to stop glaring at everyone."

"Get out."

"Is that any way to treat your dear secret admirer?"  Bachira sighed.

Ryuusei swore his heart stopped beating for a moment.  He clenched the note in the palm of his hand.  "What?"

Bachira laughed.  "Don't worry, I'm not him."

"How the fuck do you know?"

Bachira shrugged, a proud grin on his face.  "Lucky guess."

Ryuusei wanted to say a million things.  "Fuck off."

Bachira merely laughed harder than earlier at Ryuusei's pathetic attempt at a counter.  "Lucky guess!"  he repeated while Ryuusei reached for his bag.

It wasn't until Bachira was already at the doorway that something clicked in Ryuusei's mind.  "Wait–him?"

"We're going to be late!"  Bachira dashed away before Ryuusei could question him any further.

Chapter Text

There was only one thing that Ryuusei knew for certain and that was football.

The first day of tryouts was when Sae, the new captain, decided the team had to split into two divisions.  Not that one was performing worse, but the clash between Rin and Ryuusei was too much for anybody to handle.  The final straw was when Ryuusei had gotten incredibly close to smashing Rin's nose with his foot that not even a nose job could fix it.

"Teams A and B rally against each other," present Sae instructed.  "Isagi is sick, so I'll play with Team B."

Ryuusei perked up.  "You?"

Sae gazed flatly.  "What about me?"

"Hell yeah!"  Ryuusei slung an arm around Sae's shoulder.

Itoshi Sae did not nearly look as cheerful.  "Get to your positions," he said, throwing off Ryuusei's limb.

Sweet.  Isagi was a good player for sure, but playing with Sae got Ryuusei so excited.  This was going to be a good match—Ryuusei could feel it in his muscles.

"You want to play defense?"  Ryuusei overheard Kunigami ask.

"I like to switch things up," Bachira's voice replied, followed by light laughter.

Ryuusei heard Kunigami loudly crack his neck.  "Suit yourself."

Bachira was being weird today, not that he was never not weird.  But he was being weirder on this particular day, especially back in their classroom.

Him.   That one word still rang through Ryuusei's mind, bouncing off the confines of his anatomy.  It was like those gas particles stuck in a box Ryuusei learned about, except those gas particles were just him, him, him.

Was Bachira messing with Ryuusei?  That was it, wasn't it?  The guess was a fluke, a stroke of luck.  Bachira himself said it after all.  Ryuusei could laugh at himself for being so gullible enough to believe that wretch.

And if Bachira wasn't?  Crap.  Now there was an issue.  Or issues.  If Bachira wasn't lying about being a genius speculator, how did he know that Ryuusei had a secret admirer?  Did Bachira read their exchange?  Shit—there was no way Bachira was his secret admirer, right?

Ryuusei felt sick at the thought.  There was no way it was Bachira.  It could not be him.  So it had to be someone else.  Him.

The more Ryuusei thought about the entire ordeal, the more he wanted to shake the answers out of his supposed classmate.  If Bachira was uncooperative like earlier, well, that was no problem.

In the end, it was clear Ryuusei would have to hunt down that guy later for some much-needed truth (all paths indeed led to violence).

"Oi, get to your position.”  Sae's order snapped Ryuusei out of his daze.

"Sure thing, Underlashes Senior!"  Ryuusei grinned widely and sprinted to the center of the field, his troubles stored for later.  It was time for football.

Itoshi Rin, Team A's striker, stood nearby, his long bangs swept across his forehead like some sort of model.  Ryuusei wondered if Rin was ever bothered by them.  Ryuusei often contemplated cutting his own two strands that framed his face but ultimately never did.

"Time to explode!"  Ryuusei shouted to no one in particular, rolling his shoulders.

Instead of contributing to what would be the start of a routine back-and-forth banter, Rin stayed silent.

Ryuusei was about to say one more unnecessary comment to rile up his rival when Sae arrived before the former.

"Wake up.  It's time for you to go wild."

Ryuusei nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes fixated on Rin's distant figure.

A whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the match.

First was Hiori and Rin.  Hiori didn't typically start the kickoff, but it seemed Team A was trying something new today.

The two players started slow, passing and inching closer to the goal.  Then they sped up, smoothly weaving through the players that tried to block them.

Ryuusei observed from a distance, how Rin and That-Other-Guy whizzed through the field, ball gliding between the two of them.  Rin moved like he was born to play football.  He effortlessly swerved through his opponents like the waves of a vast ocean, and his deadly gaze swallowed their boats of hopes and dreams.  He overflowed and capsized their pride to pitiful rummage.  The field and its players were in his domain and his to dominate; Rin was an unstoppable force.

Igaguri approached Rin as his next opponent and yelled something inaudible.  What the former said didn't stir anything as it didn't take long for him to be brushed off by Rin.

"Hey, Chestnut!  Get your shit together!" Ryuusei yelled.

It was a massacre.  The victims were left behind in a sorrowful trail as Rin and Hiori approached the goal and its goalkeeper.

In a flash it was just Rin and the goal now.  He looked calm as he sprinted, but anybody who knew him could tell that underneath that veil of serenity Rin was blazing with fervor.  As Rin swung his foot to score, his pants rode up very slightly.  His thighs were clenched, and a bulging vein boldly peeked out.  Ryuusei watched in slow motion as the leg that kicked like a winner propelled forward, making contact with the ball.

The goalkeeper dived.  The ball spun, curving right into the net.  The whistle blew.

Rin wiped his sweat with his collar as Hiori jogged up to give him a high five.  Team A crowded around Rin to praise his goal.  He ignored the high five and his teammates' admiration.

Ryuusei also found himself gravitating toward Rin.  "Pretty cool, Itoshi Rin."

He must have heard it because Rin looked straight at Ryuusei.  Rin looked like he was trying too hard to appear unbothered when he had just sprinted down the field.

A tingling sensation crept up Ryuusei's legs.  He stepped closer as the crowd dispersed.  "Things sure are getting interesting," he remarked when Rin didn't say anything.

"They really aren't," Rin finally spoke.

They stood in front of each other.  Ryuusei put his hands on his hips.  "Don't be like that.  Let's see which one of us is the real number one, Rin-chan."

Rin hesitated, seemingly studying Ryuusei's face.  "Sure.  I'll gladly crush you so you'll leave your roach print behind on the ground for someone to remember your sorry ass."

Before Ryuusei could respond with a smart remark denying his ass was never sorry, Sae called him over to start the next round.

"You're ruining it," Ryuusei grumbled.

Sae narrowed his eyes.  "I don't ruin things, moron.  Now focus."

The whistle blew once more for the kickoff.  Sae nonchalantly kicked the ball to Ryuusei.  Ryuusei passed it back to Sae.  Sae began taunting his next poor victim, and Ryuusei was left to do as he pleased.

Ryuusei could feel it.  His heartbeat was picking up again like all the other times.  Ryuusei didn't think; he just moved along with his body.  His body carried him; left, right, left, right, left again.  A spin for fun.  Ryuusei was free, free to explode.

He was reminded of how Isagi had attempted to explain what his thinking process was, and it caused Ryuusei's head to throb.  Who thought that much while on the field?  He knew reflex alone could carry him.

Ryuusei felt warm all over.  He was like an engine about to overheat.  Fuck.  He loved this feeling; he was pulsing.

Kunigami stepped into Ryuusei's path.  "You're not getting past me, psycho."

"Look, it's the knight in shining armor," Ryuusei cooed.

Kunigami furrowed his brow.  "Get ready."

Ryuusei could see the sweat on Kunigami's forehead.  He laughed.  "You still don't get it, Hero-kun.  I told you, I'm not playing football!"  With that, Ryuusei sprinted to the right with Kunigami on his tail.

In his peripheral vision, Ryuusei could see the ball that Sae forwarded spiraling toward his way.  "I love it when you're rough."

It was fucking perfect.  The ball rotated through the air so wonderfully, a manner only Itoshi Sae could craft from scratch.  The magma bubbling inside Ryuusei that threatened to erupt was drumming in his ears.  It pushed him to jump, jump so it could be freed from this mortal body.  Ryuusei could feel his muscles contracting and his cleat making contact with the black-and-white ball.  Every bone, every muscle, every fucking cell in his body screamed in euphoria as he drove the sphere toward the goal to catalyze the explosion.

The whistle triumphantly screeched.

Ryuusei cupped his cheeks, eyes rolling up.  "Haha yes!  I'm feeling it!  That's it…"  he smiled with glee.  He was throbbing, and his body, inside and out, was on fire in the most pleasurable way.

"We've only tied the game.  Don't bust just yet," said Sae.

"Let's do that again, Itoshi Sae."  Ryuusei trembled.

Itoshi Sae brushed off the request, but Ryuusei knew that was a yes.

Of course, Itoshi Rin was staring at him.  After all, Ryuusei and his performance were hard to miss.

Ryuusei closed his eyes, letting the adrenaline, dopamine, and everything good in between disseminate.

The next kickoff soon started.  A standoff between Sae and Hiori initially presented itself, but Sae managed to swiftly steal the ball.

Bachira proved to be a more formidable opponent as he kept Sae busy.  But Sae, being Sae, eventually scored a goal by himself.

Ryuusei showered Sae with praise.  He did not say much.

Another kickoff.  Another steal by Sae.  Another shift to the offensive.

By now Ryuusei thought Bachira would try to do something to the former, but the latter didn't.  It wasn't until Ryuusei was rushing down the field all by himself with the ball that the brat provoked Ryuusei by saying, "I know who your secret admirer is."

A one-second pause of Ryuusei's movement to process what was said was enough time for Bachira to dribble away with the ball toward the opposite side.

Ryuusei chased after Bachira and tackled him.  The two collided on the ground, limbs tangling and hands flying.  A whistle blew somewhere in the distance.

Ryuusei fisted the collar of his teammate's jersey, pulling Bachira to sit upright.  "What the fuck did you just say?!"  Ryuusei screamed at Bachira, spit flying everywhere and shaking him like a rag doll.

Two pairs of hands hauled Ryuusei back.  Bachira had a bruise on his knee and a torn lip.  Sae looked irritated with his arms crossed.  And Shidou Ryuusei felt impossibly hot, hotter than the sun with its cancer-giving rays.  It was like he was back on the school roof but ten times worse.

"Take a ten," said Sae.  Ryuusei heard the captain calling someone else to sub in.

Ryuusei was dragged to the benches with a towel thrown on his head.  He turned away from the game and gripped his thighs.  He felt so hot.  His heart was pounding.  Was this the beginning of a fever?

Was he mad?  He didn't exactly feel angry.  His entire body was burning, and his face hurt.  Ryuusei touched his cheek–his palm was cool.  He was not (blushing).  And if he was, it was from the goal he scored earlier.

Fuck.  Dammit.

Bachira was just messing with him.  Ryuusei kept reminding himself that, softly murmuring to himself over and over what was said wasn't the truth and most likely a lie.

Ryuusei felt a gaze upon him.  He spun around and noticed Rin staring from a distance.  Why the fuck was Rin always staring at him during his worst moments?

This wasn't supposed to happen.  None of this was supposed to happen.

Ryuusei sat there simmering in his heated state, his only thought of Itoshi Rin.