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When Maki entered the room, he knew that there would be no escaping Nicholas' "fussing". Retired as he was, Nicholas was still a boxer at heart. On top of that, he knew all of Maki's tells from just one glance. And surely he noticed the way Maki flinched away from a few hugs today, despite how hard Maki tried not to. It was an occupational hazard, he supposed. Nicholas was his coach, after all.
"Maki," Nicholas' voice was calm. Final. Like the tolling of church bells that signalled the end of an hour. "Are you feeling alright?"
Maki sat down on the couch, sprawling out in a way he hoped looked careless before shooting Nicholas a winning smile, "Me? I feel like a million bucks— ow—!"
Nicholas' hand had swiftly travelled up to Maki's ribs before pressing down. Maki couldn't help but squirm, the bruises there throbbing at the pressure.
"What's this then, Mr. Million Bucks?" Nicholas said with a sigh before he grabbed at Maki's shirt.
"Hey my modesty—!" Maki didn't even get to finish complaining before his shirt was pushed up. Well fuck. There wasn't really anything he could do now, not when Nicholas' eyes were already sharply dragging over the bruised skin.
"You didn't tell me they hit you this hard during the fight," Nicholas mumbled. His fingers brushed over the purpled skin, and Maki's muscles unconsciously flexed underneath his palm.
"Well," Maki mumbled sheepishly, his own hand stopping Nicholas' own from wandering. "I didn't want you to worry."
"My job is to worry Maki," Nicholas sighed, though he didn't move his hand. Nicholas' hand was warm against his skin. "What kind of a coach would I be if I didn't worry?"
I want you to worry about me in another way. It wasn't like Maki could say such a thing. He bit his tongue instead, trying to keep his expression neutral. Like he had said something out loud anyway, Nicholas sighed, long and hard.
"You need to tell me about these things. What if I okay-ed you for another fight today, not knowing about this?" Nicholas' hand moved away and Maki missed the pressure of it already. "You could have seriously been hurt. What then?"
"You know I'll never push myself that far. I know my limits," Maki said instead, hoping that he didn't sound as lame as he felt. There were too many words that he wanted to say, all caught in his throat at the sight of the furrow in Nicholas' brow. So of course he added, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Next time—"
"Next time you don't tell me, I'll knock you out myself," Nicholas grumbled, though he was standing up and moving toward the kitchen. Maki trailed after him, feeling a lot like a puppy with his tail tucked between his legs.
"C'mon, coach, you know I'm good for it," Maki said, trying to look at the older man's face. "I'll do whatever you want me to, just say the word." Maki narrowly avoided getting hit by the freezer door as Nicholas opened it, before it shut and a bag of ice was being thrust into his arms. He looked down at it for a moment before Nicholas sighed. His coach took his hand, pressing the ice against his ribs.
"For someone who wants to be obedient, you seem to have a hard time showing it," Nicholas clicked his tongue and Maki felt a shiver flee down his spine. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Nicholas. "You have to trust me with these things, Maki. You can't just shake it off when you get hurt this bad."
"I do. I trust you," Maki's voice felt small, the ice already starting to melt against his palms. The coldness did nothing to calm the beating of his heart. "I promise. I'll tell you if it happens again."
Nicholas practically glared at him, searching for any sign of a lie or insincerity. Maki just tried his best to look as sincere as he could. He even threw in a few blinks, knowing it made him look a little more pitiful.
"Fine. I believe you," Nicholas' knuckles tapped his ribs. "Ice this and then I'll help you with the bruising cream. I think I have some in my room.. And then you rest afterward. Got it?"
"Yessir," Maki answered quickly. He was rewarded by a fleeting pat on the head. Nicholas' fingers barely brushed over his hair before it was gone. And with it went Nicholas' warmth.
Maki leaned back against the fridge, ice already soaking a patch of wetness on his shirt. He looked down before looking back up at the door Nicholas disappeared behind.
There was something about the way Nicholas cared for him— earnest and stubborn— that had Maki's heart accelearting against his will. It was bad. Beyond bad because Nicholas couldn't ever like him in that way, but Maki didn't care.
Nicholas' voice floated through the doorway, "Are you coming? Or else I'll let you do the cream yourself."
"I'll be there in a sec," He called out. A dumb smile made its way to his face as he mumbled, "Wow, I should get injured more often if coach is gonna treat me like that every time."