Sena

Sena breathed a sigh of relief as the end of the second quarter was called, and then tried not to wince visibly.

"Hey, fucking manager! Get the fucking moron some water."

Mamori-neesan grumbled as she turned away to rummage in her bag. "One of these days, Hiruma-kun, you’re going to learn how to actually ask a favor…"

Hiruma-san snorted, and added very quietly as Sena passed behind him, "Cold packs are in my bag in the changing room. Hurry up."

Sena smiled and bobbed a grateful nod and hurried before Mamori-neesan could finish and ask if he was all right. He also carefully kept his lips buttoned over any observations about how Hiruma-san was still protecting him from Mamori-neesan, even after she had stopped protecting him from Hiruma-san. He already hurt enough without getting shot anywhere.

The changing room was deserted, so he let himself hiss and yelp as he peeled his shirt and padding off. He couldn’t see any bruise, craning his neck to look over his shoulder, but it felt like his ribs were jabbing his kidneys with every breath.

Holding a cold pack on his lower back when it hurt to flex his arms too far was a bit of a challenge. He’d just fumbled the pack for the second time when the door opened.

"Mm. I thought so."

Sena blinked. "Shin-san." He smiled a bit wryly. "It was a very good tackle." It had just been a slightly bad landing, was all; on someone’s shoe, he thought.

"Just a cold pack won’t be enough," Shin-san told him, letting the door fall shut as he came to hand Sena a small jar. "Use this."

The scent, when Sena unscrewed the lid, was sharp and spicy and very strong. He looked up at Shin-san, tipping his head in question.

Shin-san frowned just faintly. "If you don’t play your best in the second half, winning won’t mean anything."

Which wasn’t the question Sena had meant, but was one he’d had, so he smiled and ducked his head and scooped up a fingerful of the stuff. "Thank you, Shin-san."

Spreading something on his back turned out to be even harder than holding something there. After a moment the bench creaked as Shin-san sat down behind him.

"Here."

Sena gave the jar back with a sigh of relief. It turned into a bitten-off gasp as two large fingers smoothed the salve over a lot of his lower back and briskly rubbed it in. He twitched a bit as what had to be a huge bruise twinged, but whatever was in that stuff was warm, and the warmth seemed to dissolve the knot over his kidney.

"Ah." Sena sighed out. "Oh, that’s better." Shin-san silently spread another layer over his skin and rubbed it in a bit more firmly. That seemed to find another layer of twinges and they jerked and pulled at him, drawing him taut. He kept his teeth clenched on his yelps and sighed gratefully as the heat unwound the twinges again. "Ahh… oohhhh… " Maybe the gasping for breath had made him lightheaded, or maybe it was just the pain going away, but whichever it was was just fine with him, really.

Shin

Seijuurou smiled faintly as Sena sighed, that wincing tension easing, and then blinked as Sena swayed back against his chest. Sena’s eyes were closed and his lips were parted on a slow breath, and he was rather flushed. Probably with relief from the pain; he was familiar with how that went. Seijuurou’s body was interpreting things a little differently, though, and he had to swallow in a dry throat as Sena relaxed bonelessly against him.

"Is that," he cleared his throat, "better?" He tried to find something to think about besides how slim and strong Sena’s body was against his, and how nice Sena’s bare skin felt. It didn’t work very well.

Sena opened his eyes and smiled. "Lots. Thank you." And then he blinked, and seemed to realize that he was more or less lying in Seijuurou’s arms, and shot upright, stammering. "Ah! Um, I, um, excuse me please!"

The relief was only partial, because Sena was still very close and, now that Seijuurou was thinking of it, he had an even better view of how sleek and taut Sena’s body had gotten. He tried again to think calming thoughts, like training and football technique, and found himself thinking of new tackles he might try on Sena.

That wasn’t helping.

The door flew open to a firm kick and Hiruma looked in. "Hey, aren’t you done yet?" His brows rose as he took in who all was present.

Sena smiled brightly. "All finished, Hiruma-san! Shin-san was very kind and helped out. I’m fine now!"

Hiruma’s brows rose further as he eyed the two of them. "Right, then. Get going." A corner of his mouth curled up as he looked at Seijuurou. "As for you. I said I’d bring him to you. I didn’t say you could have him."

Seijuurou rose silently and strode out of the room as well as he was able at the moment, trying not to pay any attention to Hiruma’s wicked laugh and just be grateful for Sena’s look of total incomprehension.

There had better be time for a cold shower before halftime was over.

End