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Ryusei wasn’t a bad fighter. He knew that. He was the best in his hometown, the best in school, and the best in Blue Lock. He could’ve been a boxer, if soccer didn’t call to him like a nagging ex-girlfriend. So, why was he being pinned down on the cold floor as if he weighed nothing? As if he were nothing? It pissed him off to the utmost degree. Who the hell had the audacity to take away his reign of best fighter so easily?
Purple and green. That’s all Ryusei could make out as he strained his head over his shoulder to get a view of the culprit. Said culprit looked back at him, and smiled. Smiled, as if the musclehead didn’t just embarrass him in front of the entire U-20 team. Ryusei wanted to punch that stupid ass smile off of his face, badly. Obviously, he couldn’t, given his current circumstances. So, like an idiot, all 31 teeth — he’d lost one in a street fight a couple years ago — smiled back at him. He didn’t know why, but, oddly enough? It felt natural. But, God, he was SO going to kick this guy’s ass after this match.
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Ryusei wasn’t upset at the fact that the U-20 team lost. If anything, he was ecstatic for two reasons. One, Sae-chan’s number was secured, making this his first friend in who knows how long, and, two, he could finally kick that damn captain’s ass.
“Hey, shitty demon,” A monotone voice rang into Ryusei’s ears, making him smile wide. “Don’t tell me he’s still got you angry. I thought you were better than that.” Sae Itoshi came into Ryusei’s view, his typical blank expression donning his face.
“Thought wrong, Sae-chan,” Ryusei replied with a cheeky tone of voice, leaning down slightly to speak to him at his level. He recently discovered that he really enjoyed their difference in height. It made him feel tall and special. “That brute can’t kick my ass and think he can get away with it! I still have scratches on my arm from him! Shit burns like the pits of hell!”
Sae raised an eyebrow at Ryusei’s choice of words, “Like you’ve been there?”
Ryusei shrugged as his lips moved into a smirk, “Might as well have been.”
Sae sighed, his eyes closing as he thought over his next words carefully, “You have ten minutes. Don’t cause trouble. If you’re not back here by then, you’re getting left here.”
Ryusei smiled widely at Sae’s words, bringing his arms around his newfound friend in a tight hug. “Thanks, Sae-chan! You’re the best! Ten minutes, I promise!”
Sae rolled his eyes, his body untensing slightly as he got hugged. He was too obvious.
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“We need to talk,” Ryusei spoke firmly as he stood over the U-20 captain, his eyes lidded as he took in the man’s current appearance. He looked drained, both physically and mentally. His head was down, a towel over it and his neck. It made sense to Ryusei. Compared to the rest of the fodder on this team, this guy was a star player for a reason. He was on par with both him and Sae, which he liked. “You and me. Now. Let’s go.”
Oliver peeked up from his towel, giving Ryusei that same stupid smile that pissed him off to no end. “Oh, I’ve heard this one before. You breakin’ up with me or somethin’?” He stood slowly, more than likely due to his body being sore, before looking down at Ryusei, who looked back up at him with a scowl in response. “Sheesh, tough crowd. Alright, lead the way, Blondie.”
The walk outside of the changing room into the hallway was quiet. It remained quiet for a few moments once the two of them reached their destination. Only until Oliver spoke up with a mere, “You bring me out here so you could get me to yourself?”, which automatically put a scowl back onto Ryusei’s face, that is.
“Patch me up.” Ryusei deadpanned, his arm reaching out for Oliver’s eyes to see. The captain’s face scrunched up, a look of pure confusion overtaking his features as he looked between Ryusei’s arm and his face. “What exactly am I lookin’ at, pup?”
Ryusei scoffed, as he shook his arm in Oliver’s face, “This! You scratched me, you brute! And, stop callin’ me that!”
Oliver stepped closer, gently taking Ryusei’s arm in his hand as his eyes traced over it, finally taking notice of a light scratch right on his forearm. He blinked in surprise, his eyebrows furrowing as he held Ryusei’s arm up and pointed to the minor injury. “There is no way you’re talkin’ about this damn cat scratch.”
Ryusei went silent, facing away from Oliver as he felt his gaze burn into the side of his face. “What the fuck else would I be talkin’ about? I don’t give a damn how small it looks! You’re gonna fix it, then I’m gonna kick your ass!”
“Oh, is that how it’s gonna go?” Oliver replied cockily, letting go of Ryusei’s arm and putting his hands on his hips. He shifted his weight to one side of his body before giving Ryusei a once-over, almost as if he were sizing him up, before letting a sigh pass from his lips. “Fine. Stay here.” He nodded before walking away, leaving Ryusei standing in the hallway alone.
“You got five minutes, Shitty Eggplant-head!” Ryusei yelled to Oliver, not knowing (or particularly caring) if his voice reached him. He pursed his lips together in thought as he took a close look at the scratch on his forearm, resting his back against the cool wall before sliding down onto the floor. Oliver was right, as much as Ryusei didn’t want him to be. Ryusei had gotten much worse injuries than this, and he had managed just fine. So, why was this one bothering him so much?
“Your arm, pup,” A baritone voice snapped Ryusei out of his thoughts, lifting his head to see Oliver holding a first aid kit and a water bottle, knees bent to be at his level. “C’mon, don’t be shy.”
Ryusei took a second to look into Oliver’s eyes, a strange yet comforting feeling settling into his body as he did so. He didn’t know why he felt that way, considering he’d just called him that stupid name again. But, he decided to go with his gut, like he always did.
He lifted his arm once more, leaving it in Oliver’s hands. Oliver quietly began to go to work, taking the water bottle and pouring some into a cloth that was inside of the kit before gently tapping the cloth against Ryusei’s skin. It was impressive, the way that Oliver easily disinfected the scratch and bandaged it; as if he had plenty of experience. Maybe he did, considering the fact that he’d been playing since he was a kid, Ryusei thought. He’d heard that in passing when the shitty eggplant was talking to that prissy redhead on the team.
“This is the quietest you’ve been since we met,” Oliver teased as his lips turned upwards into a smirk, his eyes never once leaving Ryusei’s forearm. “Nothin’ to say now?”
Ryusei’s nostrils flared as he gave Oliver a death glare. He hated how easy this guy could get underneath his skin. He hated how he barely had any comebacks for him, too. Ryusei always had comebacks for everyone. “You piss me off. Real fuckin’ bad.”
Oliver raised his head, tilting it to the side and furrowing his eyebrows to display a look of confusion. “Care to share why with the class?”
Ryusei’s lips pursed, “I don’t know why! You just… do.”
Oliver let out a breathy chuckle, “It’s because I put you in your place, huh?”
Ryusei stared into Oliver’s eyes again, his teeth grinding together out of habit. “You don’t put anybody into shit, you damn brute! You just caught me off guard once because I was about to put that dumbass redhead in his place!”
“Sure, you can go with that,” Oliver quipped, eyes blank as he traced over Ryusei’s face. “But, I think you’ve never had someone tell you no before. No one to stop you from acting out. Hence why you don’t know how to act around me.”
Ryusei went mute, only being able to continue listening to Oliver’s words. There was a certain allure to his speech, almost like he wanted to hear this. Like he’s been needing to hear it. Just so his irrational actions seemed… rational.
“You played well with Mister Prodigy on the field. Real good. That’s because he let you be free. He let you be yourself. I see why you get along with him,” Oliver continued, finally pulling away from Ryusei’s forearm with a huff. “But, he also doesn’t seem to care about what happens when you let your independence get the best of you. It’s okay to express your freedom, but it’s not wise to let it get you into trouble.”
“You don’t know who I am, Aiku-chan.” For once, Ryusei sounded serious. Deadly serious. At least for him, that is. He looked over at the U-20 captain as if he were just read like an open book, something that’s never been done before.
“You’re the idiot that had to be put in a straitjacket because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.” Oliver blinked, and Ryusei could’ve sworn that his eyes were darker than usual, as if the words coming out of his mouth angered him.
“Who the hell–”
“Who do you think?”
Ryusei grimaced. Sae-chan.
“You have a bright future ahead of you, Shidou. Anybody can see that,” Oliver proceeded on, resting his hands atop his knees. “But, personally, it would soothe my wellbeing to see you make it there as safely as possible.”
“And, why the hell should I care about soothing you?” Ryusei raised an eyebrow, both offended and slightly curious about Oliver’s statement.
“Because I’m your captain.”
Ryusei simply laughed, “You were for one game.”
“Once your captain, always your captain.” Oliver shrugged, his saying making sense to only him.
Ryusei parted his lips to speak once more, but as soon as tried to, the words merely died on his tongue. For the umpteenth time since meeting this guy, he was at a loss for words. He clenched his teeth in frustration before moving his face closer to Oliver’s, both of them now mere inches apart.
“Stop doing that shit!” Ryusei practically growled as his aggravation increased within seconds, his finger angrily poking the captain’s nose as he spoke. “Stop sayin’ shit that makes it seem like you care about me!”
“I do care about you,” The words slipped out of Oliver’s lips so… easily. It was as if he were stating the most obvious fact in the world, and Ryusei despised it to no end. He took notice of how Oliver’s heterochromatic eyes softened as he looked at him, took notice of how they traced over his face like he was committing each one of his features to memory, and took notice of how they stopped at Ryusei’s lips for a bit longer than he’d ever admit out loud. “Like I said, you’re my teammate regardless of where you end up. As captain, it’s my job to care for and look after my guys, y’know?”
“You slammed me into the ground in front of your entire goddamn team—”
“Our entire goddamn team.”
“Aiku.”
“Ooo, I like the sound of that.” Oliver smiled cheekily, which only earned him another scowl from Ryusei.
“You don’t know anything about me,” Ryusei attempted to steer the conversation back to its original course. “So, stop pretending like you give a damn about a stranger. I just came here to help your shitty team win, and I couldn’t even do that! It’s so goddamn annoying! You’re so goddamn annoying! I just wanna play soccer with people that understand me, like Sae-chan! You don’t get it!”
“Then, how about this,” Oliver bit down on his bottom lip, digging into the pocket of his shorts, pulling out his cellphone and handing it to Ryusei with a wide Cheshire-like grin. “You put your number in this, and as soon as Blue Lock gives you free time, I’ll be there to try and get it. How’s that sound, pup?”
“Sounds like you’re asking me out, shitty captain.” Ryusei snorted, completely disregarding the way Oliver’s eyes shined in excitement when he snatched the phone out of his hands to place his contact into it.
Oliver went silent as he watched Ryusei thoughtlessly type his number into his phone, a knowing expression taking over his features. “...Shidou.”
“Mm?” Ryusei hummed, giggling to himself as he took just the right picture to go onto his contact picture.
“Shidou.”
Ryusei’s body tensed, not understanding why his stomach began to twist and turn as he hesitantly looked back up at Oliver. It only took him a few seconds to catch the lidded gaze and softened grin of the shitty captain before the entirety of the situation came rushing to his head as clear as day.
“...You really are a shitty captain,” Ryusei could feel his breath catch in his throat as he shoved the phone back into Oliver’s hands, only for Oliver to capture his hand in both of his. “You do this to every fuckin’ teammate of yours?”
Oliver looked down at Ryusei’s hand in his, a childish giggle passing through his lips. “Just the ones I wanna take out.” He replied honestly, which made Ryusei snatch his hand back from Oliver’s hold.
Ryusei easily stood up from his spot against the wall, stretching out his body before kicking Oliver’s side, “See, this is why I wanted to kick your ass!”
“Wanted?” Oliver quipped, looking up to where Ryusei stood with a curious expression.
Ryusei wanted to scream. He didn’t mean to say that. But, after talking with the shitty captain, he was convinced that he could become less shitty with time. “...You heard me. It’s not worth it anymore.” Oliver stood up tall from his spot on the ground, making sure to display their obvious height difference to the blond. Ryusei knew that he did it on purpose, and, suddenly, he didn’t really mind having to look up to someone for once, either.
“What, you chickenin’ out on me, Blondie?” Ryusei’s eye twitched. He lied. He really wished he could have stared down this behemoth of a man so he’d have gotten the message.
“I don’t chicken out.”
“Then, c’mon. I gave you that baby scratch you were bitchin’ and moanin’ about,” Oliver taunted, stepping closer to Ryusei with each word, only stopping when the both of them were pressed against the wall. “Only fair if you gave me one back, yeah?”
Ryusei felt his entire body heat up. This was exactly how he felt when Oliver pinned him down. It was such an annoying feeling, and he hated how he only felt it when Oliver was involved. “Sounds like you want it.” He mustered out, his hands twitching at his sides. God, why was he shaking? He felt a pair of hands grab his own, and suddenly, he was holding the waist of the U-20 team’s captain. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Usually, he was the one that was this forward and upfront about his advances. Even with Sae, it was always him laying it on. Why was someone outfreaking his freak? More importantly, why was he enjoying it?
“I might. Does it feel like I do?” Oliver pressed against Ryusei a tad bit more, and shit, Ryusei could feel heaven. At least seven inches of it, if he was calculating correctly. How the hell could he play so well with a monster like that in his— “Shidou.”
Ryusei jumped slightly, his hands gripping Oliver’s waist tighter in reflex as he heard his name. He looked like a deer in headlights. He knew he did. But, at this point, he didn’t particularly care. He had a point to prove, and by the god named Hideto Matsumoto, he was going to prove it.
“I’m on a time limit today,” Ryusei’s voice was nearly hoarse, the plethora of emotions in his system not knowing what to do with themselves. “But… I’ll give you what you want in due time.”
Oliver let out a huff, resting his head on top of Ryusei’s. “You know what I want?”
“A fight with the best, obviously,” Ryusei replied cheekily, not wanting to say what they both meant. Although, if anyone were to come into the hallway, they’d definitely assume that the two of them were on the bone train to Poundtown. “You’re not the only one. I’m famous for kickin’ ass on and off the field now.”
Oliver could only chuckle, feeling that Ryusei’s words were only to distract himself. “You are. M’proud.”
“Shut the hell up, Shitty Eggplant.”
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Ryusei’s first one-on-one experience with U-20 captain Oliver Aiku wasn’t what he’d expected. Compared to their first encounter, Ryusei almost wondered if that was the same guy from a couple days ago. The guy that he pictured was tough, brutal, and stern, a guy ready for action. In some ways, he was. “Just not the action I was thinkin’ about,” Ryusei muttered to himself, feeling a chill go down his spine. “Stupid shitty captain.”
Ryusei made it back into the locker room, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked around the now empty space. “The hell? No way those shitheads packed up in ten minutes!” He exclaimed as he sped through the room, checking each and every corner to see if any of his teammates were still there, to no avail. “Even Sae-chan? I guess he was serious, after all.”
“Need a ride?” A familiar voice spoke, and Ryusei swears that he can hear the smirk that’s on said voice’s face. “Your Sae-chan left you high and dry, yeah? I’d never do that to ya.”
“...Stupid shitty captain.”