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You liked to think of yourself as strong. After all, the bullies never talked back to you, the girls would stare at you in awe, and the scrapes you’d get on your knees never made you cry. You liked to think that you were the strongest person in Salt Middle School.
Life always had a funny way of working, though. For as many bullies you could take on at once with your bare fists, you still got hurt. You got hurt so often that you and everyone else barely noticed the bruises anymore. Well, other than a few weirdos.
…
Kageyama Shigeo was a weird one; he was a boy you never really paid attention to. After all, the day gets busy when you’re so swag. Kidding, but you get the point. He was an extra in your life, you were just another person that Kageyama didn’t talk to. Until suddenly you weren’t.
The big bulky guys at your school had a special place in your heart. For as big as their muscles were, their brains simply couldn’t compare. However, the members of The Fitness Club were your favorite of the bunch. Meaty, huge, jacked, unbothered softies. You loved the guys, and they completely agreed with your ‘harmless until provoked mindset.
So, when you saw a familiar flash of a white t-shirt with a red collar crowded around a bunch of slease-bags, you didn’t hesitate in stepping in. Fighting was always exhilarating, as crazy as you sounded admitting it. So when your head whipped to the side in response to an especially hard hit, you couldn’t fight the grin that crawled onto your face. You were an adrenaline junkie, to put simply.
“Ugh,” you groaned, frowning at the sight of your scuffed knuckles. The boys that limply surrounded your form had it a lot worse though, unconscious and beautifully decorated with cuts and bruises. You felt like you were forgetting something. Why did you fight these guys in the first place?
You suddenly perked up, remembering the familiar gym uniform you had seen. Whipping your head to the side, you narrowed down your gaze to focus on the black haired boy pressed up against the school’s wall. He stiffened up at the sudden eye contact, mouth still open in shock, and hand reaching out in front of him.
The boy quickly shut his mouth closed, hand stiffly making its way back to his side once he processed the situation. You tilted your head in confusion, eyes scanning his baby face in confusion. You recognized him from somewhere, but you couldn’t really put your finger on it.
“You,” you began, shifting your weight in order to prop your hand on your hip. “I know you from somewhere, what’s your name?” You inquired, looking down at the boy in curiosity as you steadily came down from your high. Your heart steadied as you waited for the boy’s response.
He couldn’t look up and make eye contact with you for some reason, instead opting to anxiously stare at the ground as he struggled to form words. You huffed in irritation after a few moments, causing the boy to frown. “What? You can’t speak?” You inquired, suddenly dropping to a crouch in front of the kid.
Kageyama found himself blinking at you in shock and discomfort as you suddenly dropped to eye level. Too close, he thought. You were way too close. It seemed that you didn’t have the same worries as him, more focused on remembering where you recognize him from rather than the fact that you could probably count his eyelashes at this distance.
Finally, Mob found the courage to swallow thickly, still unable to look at you properly as he opened his mouth. “K-Kageyama. Kageyama Shigeo,” he finally uttered out. He hesitantly let his gaze travel back up to your face, where you had brightened up to the point where it caught him off guard.
“Right!” You exclaimed, deciding to drop back onto your bum and sit down on the dirty ground. “We have homeroom together,” you hummed, scanning over the increasingly flustered boy. You paused before tilting your head.
“Do you know my name?” You asked, watching in amusement as your classmate’s eyes would flicker to meet yours only to flicker back to the ground. Cute, in a way. He nodded, a small smile making its way onto his lips as he told you your name.
“Woahhh,” you exhaled, leaning back to the point where you landed on your back, dust rising with the impact. Shigeo looked at you in interest, tilting his head at your reaction. “Now I feel like a total jackass for not remembering you!” You groaned, harshly slamming your hands down onto your cheeks.
The boy jumped at the smacking sound, quickly waving his hands out in front of him. “D-Don’t worry! It’s just that you’re really well known!!” He insisted. You glanced over at him through your lashes, watching as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment, “People don’t really focus on me.”
You looked back up at the sky, humming in acknowledgement as the colors above slowly took on a redder shade. You suddenly swung forward, the movement causing Kageyama to lean back in surprise. “You’re kinda weird,” you grinned, the boy blinking at you.
A beat passed before you yelled out in frustration, hiding your face in your hands. “Shit! That’s not what I meant!” You cursed. You tilted your head back, exhaling sharply through your nose before looking back at Kageyama. “I meant like, you’re different compared to most people, you know? Not like other girls, or some shit like that,” you tried to joke.
Shigeo could only find himself to stare at you, eyes noticing something as you slowly planned your own grave. He was just staring at you! You probably sounded fucking stupid! “Urgh, sorry, I’m not trying to offend you-” You started to ramble.
Mob shook his head. “It’s not that,” he reassured, effectively cutting you off. “It’s just…” He trailed off, hesitantly bringing a hand up to trace your cheek with his finger. “You’re hurt,” he stated simply.
At that moment, all you were able to do was stare. Look at this idiot, pointing out your injuries as if they weren’t the most common thing for you. You were notorious for your bandages and hello kitty band-aids (courtesy of the fussy girls in your classes). Yet here Kageyama is, looking at you in concern.
For some reason, you found yourself swallowing thickly. His touch was soft, delicate, as if he was scared of touching you -- for both your sakes. His eyes were usually dull, but the flash of concern was strange, yet welcomed. The slight narrowing of his eyes showed you a completely foreign expression on the boy, one you didn't quite mind.
In that moment, Mob was unexplainably...cute.
He didn’t give you the same feeling as Kanako from down the hall when she fussed about your bruises. This time, it felt intimate, sacred for some reason. And instead of warmth, you felt sick. It felt like butterfly season in your stomach, the flapping of wings causing your stomach to churn in a strange and foreign way.
Shigeo was more focused on your injury at the moment until he felt your face get warmer. His eyes widened, before he suddenly leaned closer in concern. "Y-You're getting a fever!" He exclaimed in worry, eyes darting to meet your own. You didn't say anything, staring at him for a moment longer before flopping backwards onto the group once more.
"Weirdo," you hummed, zero malice in your words. Mob paused again before hesitantly laying down next to you, as if he wasn't sure he should. You smiled at his actions, sighing contentedly at you looked up at the colored sky. "But I think I'm fine with you being a weirdo," you reassured, Kageyama looking over at you.
"How come?" He asked, causing you to laugh at the plain question. He wasn't offended, just curious. You hummed in thought before looking over at him. "I think I like you," you grinned. Kageyama stared at you, processing your words.
You didn't mind the silence, though. Being right next to him gave you the pleasure of watching his eyes turn wide and his cheeks go rosy pink when he realized what you meant. You watched as he shot upright, sitting criss cross applesauce as he looked over at you in shock and embarrassment. "L-Like me?!" He exclaimed, causing you to laugh and nod.
Puppy love, is this what they called it?