- Genre: Angst, Fluff
- Word Count: 1,417
- Pairing: Reader x Juumonji
- World: Eyeshield 21
You stared at Monta and Sena skeptically as they tried to persuade you to go running with them. You weren’t exactly the most athletic person in the world and you tried to avoid running (or physical activity in general) as much as possible. Being friends with people on the football team made that slightly difficult…
“Come on, it’ll be fun to the Max!” Monta grinned, grabbing onto one of your arms.
Sena nodded, grabbing your other arm. “Just this once?”
You let out a sigh of defeat, knowing that you couldn’t say no to Sena when he used that puppy dog face. “Fine. But don’t expect much! I’m not a runner!”
The two boys nodded enthusiastically, chorusing an “Of course!” before dragging you to the football field where Hiruma and the others were waiting.
“You’re late! Ya-ha!” Hiruma laughed in a psychotic manner, holding two automatic guns and firing them into the air.
“So-Sorry!” Sena cried, shaking slightly at the intimidating blonde.
Hiruma moved his eyes to meet yous before his mouth pulled up in a grin, showing off his extremely sharp teeth. Clearly, he was plotting something, and it sent a shiver up your spine. “Yosh! Let’s get going!”
As the group started to head off, you missed the light blonde haired male that stared at you, his cheeks harboring a small tinge of pink.
You wheezed, your chest aching painfully as you attempted to continue walking. Your feet were aching and your legs felt like jello; it was agonizing.
Everything had been going well – at first. You were able to keep a nice pace alongside Eyeshield and Monta…. until Hiruma intervened, causing the two rivals to have a race to see who could get back to school first, leaving you in the dust without a second thought.
You ran and ran and ran and ran, pushing yourself harder than you ever had before in an attempt to keep up with them, but they slowly faded into the horizon until they vanished from your sight altogether. And to make matters worse, they had left you behind in an area that you had never been in before.
So, here you were, barely able to stand and feeling like you were about to pass out, lost in an area you had never even seen before. You thought that, maybe, if you pushed hard enough you could manage to find a familiar area and be able to make it back without a problem. But fate was not on your side. No matter how far you walked, you couldn’t find a single familiar street. It was all foreign to you. You were lost and going in circles.
Finally, after two hours of trying to return home, you stopped, falling to your knees in a wide alley before hitting the cold cement. Despite how cold it was, it wasn’t enough to cool down your burning body. Every part of you felt like it was on fire. You were covered in sweat and couldn’t move a single inch. Your lungs burned as you breathed in and out heavily, eyes squeezed shut.
It was beginning to get to get dark, the sun having just set. The sky slowly became darker, the street lights coming on in a poor attempt to imitate the sun.
You knew you were screwed. You were too tired to move and you had left your cell phone at home that morning. You were probably dehydrated, too. You didn’t know the area, so you weren’t sure if anyone would mess with you or not. Even if they did, there was no way you’d be able to fight them off, not in the state you were currently in.
It may have just been the pounding of your head or the fact that your heart had split and gone into your ear and legs, but you could swear you heard the sound of rushed footsteps.
Was this your end?
You felt pathetic. You couldn’t even touch the football team and, instead, were laying in the middle of god knows where unable to move. Sure, you were un-athletic, but this was just downright pathetic!
Only half of your tired mind was conscious, but you managed to pick up the sound of your name being called. It was faint, sounding as if it was very far away. You couldn’t answer even if you wanted to; your throat was bone dry.
Through blurry, half-opened eyes, you managed to see a pair of shoes appear in front of you before you felt yourself being picked up. You grunted in pain at the movement before finally letting the darkness claim you.
Why did you ever listen to Monta and Sena?
A groan passed your pale lips as your eyes slowly peeled open to stare at a bright white ceiling. Had you died?
Remembering what had happened, you shot up from the bed you were lying on, instantly regretting it when pain shot through your legs and back, making you groan in pain as your hands tightened around the sheet.
“Oi, you shouldn’t be moving.” A pair of strong hands grabbed your shoulders, gently pushing you back into a lying position before resting on your forehead.
Your whole body was in pain, but most of it was focused in your feet and legs. After lying still for a few moments, you slowly opened your eyes. You had to blink a few times before your eyes could focus properly. You were surprised to see just who was standing at your side, waiting for you to wake up.
“Juumonji..?” You questioned, voice cracking; you felt so thirsty.
He nodded lightly, removing his hand from your forehead. Was it your wild imagination… or did he actually look worried?
“What… What happened?” You groaned, attempting to sit up again.
He handed you a glass of water, his hand against your back to help you stay sitting up. “Drink this. It’ll help.”
You nodded, taking the glass from his hand and swallowing about half of the cold liquid that sat in the glass. It coated your dry throat, making it feel tight before the feeling started to fade. You were more thankful for water at that moment than you had ever been in your whole life. “Thank you.”
“You’re really not a runner… are you?” He muttered, rubbing your back lightly.
“Che. I tried to tell them that.” You scoffed, looking away from the male at your side. You felt so embarrassed by the whole situation.
“I found you passed out in the middle of an alley. You were breathing pretty heavy, and your face was red.” He mused, staring intently at you.
You scratched your cheek with an index finger, looking anywhere but at Juumonji. You had to admit, you were surprised that he was the one to save you. Normally he was the kind of guy to not care about anything or anyone, must less a pitiful person like yourself. You let a sigh pass your lips at the thought.
“I uhh… I’m glad… that you’re okay.” He rubbed the back of his head and looked away from you. Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the pink spreading across his cheeks.
You blinked in surprise, resting your palm against his warm cheek. “Thank you, Kazuki.”
The pink deepened at your touch and he slowly rose his hand to cover your own. “I-It was nothing!”
You grinned, pushing yourself forward until your lips reached his own. The action made you blush, but it was un-noticeable due to the flush of redness from your run. Juumonji shook his head and decided that a small peck wasn’t a big enough reward to satisfy him for his deed. He grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him. Without hesitation, he crashed his lips against yours, pushing you back onto the bed and crawling on top of her, careful to balance his weight to keep from hurting your already sore body.
The aftermath of your decision consisted of you barely being able to move for the next three days, having to rely on Juumonji every time your legs began to buckle. It was hard having to go through school while still being so sore, but with Juumonji at your side, you managed. It was a painful experience, but you were happy that you had gone through it. The experience itself may not have been very fun, but the result of it was amazing – it was something you would value for years to come.
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