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The hallway was way too long in Sam's opinion. Or maybe the locker room was just too far away. Either way, the bottom line is, he disliked that he's walking side by side with T'challa.
He loudly sighs before gripping the edge of the box tighter. "Thanks for helping me back there." He mutters and looks down at the contents of the box. If he's giving T'challa the impression that he was rude, then his intentions were succesful and there's nothing T'challa can do about that.
Except this is T'challe he's talking about and the guy was unpredictable most of the times.
T'challa chuckles, adjusting the box on his arms so it balances better. "You have never liked me, Samuel. So why start now?"
"Damn straight I don't." Sam mutters again under his breath but much more lower this time. He intentionally did not answer T'challa's remark and focuses on the way ahead.
Sam had thanked T'challa out of practice, not out of gratitude or because he was nice. Steve has been on his ass for years to be more polite to the President of the Student Council. Sam figures, it's already senior year so why not he cared a little less in disliking T'challa.
"We're here," Sam announces loudly on purpose as he stopped near the door to the gymnasium. "Just place the box out here and I can handle them later." He suggests, eager for T'challa to go away.
T'challa grins, shaking his head. "I think I would know the way to the locker room, Samuel," Sam leans his head back, irritated by the way T'challa keeps calling his first name. "Let me help you carry them until we are there." He adds before wasting no time to push through the gym doors with the annoying grin still on his face. Sam slouched a bit, tired of putting up with T'challa's bullshit, but followed after.
God, he really hates the boy.
Once they arrived at the locker room, Sam had hoped his highness to take in the after-practice condition and decide that he couldn't go through it. Unfortunately, T'challa only slowed down his walk to carefully step over the wet tiles. No doubt caused by the other boys who had just taken their showers and left minutes ago. Sam could still hear a few voices from the direction of the shower area.
"Put the boxes on that bench." Sam orders as he points with one of his fingers.
"Here?" T'challa asks as he lowered it on one of the benches on his left.
Sam sighs, he wants to get this over with and go back home and far away from this guy. He lets go one side of the box to better point the direction. "No, there-" His sentence was shortened when the box starts to tilt heavily to one side, making Sam's wrist to bend in an awkward angle to hold it.
In his frantic state of trying to grab the box back, his foot slipped on the wet tiles and he started to fall back. The unoccupied hand waved around trying to balance himself or grab anything close to him.
To his dismay, T'challa had reacted fast. Placing down the box on the bench that he was lowering it down onto, he turns to grab Sam's flailing arm. He then pulls Sam aginst his body, the other arm wrapping itself around Sam's waist to steady him. Sam lightly gasp upon landing against T'challa's chest.
The box Sam was holding completely fell to the ground, it's contents slipping out to hit the tiles with soft clunks. But Sam could care less about that.
He was now close to T'challa, feeling the warmth and the rise and fall of T'challa's chest. His eyes were wide and staring into T'challa's who was equally as big. Has T'challa eyes always been a gorgeous shade of light brown?
Sam was also very aware that both of his hands is trapped against the firm muscle of T'challa's chest, and he started to find his heartbeat quickening. Fuck no, Sam. Not now.
T'challa broke their eye contact to look down at his hand which was loosely grabbing Sam's arm now. "Are you okay-"
"Is everything alright here?"
Sam pushes T'challa away at the sound of Steve's voice. T'challa was quick enough to release him and step back just as a boy with blond wet hair poked out from the edge of the locker row behind Sam. Sam turns to look at Steve with a nervous smile.
"Everything's good." Sam swallows a lump in his throat as he crouched down to put the exercise equipment back into the box. The heaviest being 2 sets of dumbells which explained why the box tilted. Sam wanted to hit his head at how stupid he was to forget that.
T'challa crouched down right beside him to help and their eyes crossed again. This time, Sam looks away, quickly putting in the rest of the things into the box with T'challa helping.
"Good afternoon, president. You helped Sam carry these?" Steve asked as he also went over to help. He wrapped the towel he was holding around his neck and wiped his hands on the pair of sweats he was only wearing.
"Afternoon, captain. Yes I did and it fell to the floor, I apologize." T'challa motions towards the base of the box that is now starting to soak because of the water.
Sam furrowed his brows and turned his head to look at T'challa when he apologized. "Why are you apologizing? It was my fault." He then looked at Steve. "It was my fault." He emphasized it to him.
Sam saw how Steve's eyes slightly shifted to glance at T'challa for a moment. "Alright," Steve slowly says and Sam could hear T'challa softly chuckling. "It's your fault, Sam, but don't worry about it." Steve adds.
"You wish, I would worry. The equipment is fine." Sam then stands and crosses his arms. "You can go now, T'challa. We'll take it from here."
T'challa looks up at him for awhile before the annoying grin formed on his lips. He gave a firm nod before standing up. "I will be taking my leave then. Have a nice day, captain," He tilted his head at Steve. "Samuel." He says with a lingering gaze towards Sam. Sam did not start thinking back towards the small moment they had. Don't do it.
It was when T'challa had walked out of the locker room door that Sam realized he wasn't as irritated by the boy calling him by his first name anymore.