10Title: Love hits hard
Fandom: Gekkan Shōjo Nozaki-kun | 月刊少女野崎くん
Pairing: seowaka
Theme: 23. things you said [when you were taking me to the infirmary] / or in which Seo breaks Wakamatsu's nose at basketball practice and walks him to the nurse office + two bonus seowaka drabbles at the end
A/N: This story was inspired by one of tumblr's many writing chalenges and is also posted on my tumblr accout (you can find me under the same url without the number). Dumb title, I know, but whatcha gonna do about it? Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc. are the property of their respective owners. The story and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
Love hits hard
After getting hit by Seo Yuzuki's killer shoots so often, one would think Wakamatsu Hirotaka got used to it by now. To that feeling of nausea as the world kept spinning around, the pain that gradually turned into numbness from being hit directly in the face with a basketball. . .
Heck, the boy himself believed so a little earlier that day, too, but sooner or later they all had to be proved wrong.
Suffice to say that the boys' basketball team had another practice match against the girls' team and Seo was, once again, tagging along. She was just as enthusiastic as ever to play so the chance of leaving with an injury was pretty high. Most of the time the poor players had to run or duck in order to save themselves from the danger anyway.
In the end, all he remembers is the sound of sneakers scuffing on the gym floor, Seo's booming laugh, the incoming ball and the numerous, aghast calls of his name as he plummeted into unconsciousness.
To say that Wakamatsu is surprised the next time he opens his eyes, only to be greeted by Yuzuki's face hovering above his, would be an understatement because there are not enough words to describe the jumble of emotions stirred inside him by her fixed stare.
He makes a strange sound between a gasp and a whine as he focuses on Seo's fiery eyes. Wakamatsu breaks out in a cold sweat, having no idea what to expect now that he's awake and all but a breath away from his tormentor. The déjà vu of the situation is making him sick seeing that in the past he's happened to wake up in a similar way only two times: on that trip back in summer with the drama club and when Nozaki and Seo were playing manager and supporter for the basketball team.
In neither case was he spared from Yuzuki's unnecessarily rude words so why should he expect anything different now?
For a moment he wonders if he should take advantage of Seo's newfound weakness. After all, it is sure to halt her from letting out whatever unpleasant words are just about to roll off her tongue. However, Waka doesn't want a replay of what already happened. Especially when the outcome won't be any better either way.
He doesn't like to be ignored and, as he continues to stare up into her eyes, Wakamatsu realizes that he can't imagine a world without Seo–senpai anymore. That much the high school girl has affected his life.
"What are you doing?"
Seo blinks at him and it takes a while for Wakamatsu to perceive that the words fell from his mouth and not hers. Has his voice always been this nasal?
Yuzuki smirks down at him. "Good, you're back in the world of the living."
She straightens up and gathers in her lap a few — many; way too many if you were to ask Waka — paper towels from the restroom. Wakamatsu tries to sit up, but when his sight falls on the bloody paper mess in her hands he feels nauseous all over again. Where did all that blood come from?!
"The bleeding stopped not long before you woke up." As usual, Seo is completely obvious to his newfound discomfort and continues to press, fold and wrap the bloodied towels into one, big paper ball. "It's not swollen yet, but press this to your nose."
Yet? Are you by any chance a sadist, senpai? Waka glares at the soda can she hands him, confused by the situation. What nose? I don't feel any pain. . .
Still, he tentatively touches around his nose only for pain to travel through the area, making him wince. At this, Yuzuki leans forward and presses the improvised ice pack between his eyes.
"Geez, Waka. It's as if you didn't hear me," she says good–naturedly. "It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking, you know?"
Wakamatsu is gnashing his teeth in response. I don't need a lecture about rudeness from you of all people! But that's all in his mind so nobody hears him, much less Yuzuki who just lifts herself off the ground and gestures over her shoulder. "Let's get you to the infirmary for some painkillers. Also, I'm no expert, but your nose might be broken."
She turns around to leave the gymnasium and Waka has no option but to follow her lead, bitter about the whole issue. However, he cannot help but watch as the rest of the team continues to practice and he wonders why did Seo leave the game just to bug him — help in her own way — on the sideline. Sure, she did hit him and all, but is that really enough to make her give up on something she enjoys?
The boy knows he won't get the answers he's looking for anytime soon, but the other club members must be happy that he managed to relieve them of Yuzuki yet again.
Am I always going to be the unfortunate guy?
It is after they walk out the double doors and into the school building that Seo tosses the bloody paper ball away. Waka follows its trajectory until it lands in a trash can a few yards away. That has him glaring at the back of her head. Why can't you do that with the basketball for once in place of trying to send us all to the emergency room?
The school halls are chilly compared to the gymnasium and Wakamatsu regrets not picking up his jersey from the bench. He's all sweaty from playing and the cold air is making him shiver. He considers turning back to retrieve it, but that would mean that Seo will tag along or worse — tease him about it.
No, he decides in the end. The faster he gets to the infirmary, the faster he'll be rid of her.
For now he will have to endure the discomfort.
"You know, the other club members offered to help you, but I said no and took responsibility, " she comments nonchalantly. "Aren't I a wonderful person?"
Wakamatsu gives her a skeptical look, but deep inside knows that she means every word she says. That it's just how she is and will ever be. That there is nothing he can do in order to change it. Though, that doesn't mean he has to deal with it.
"Aren't you grateful?"
When he answers, Waka looks like he wants to be anywhere but here with her, "Thank you, Seo–senpai."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let's have a good game tomorrow too."
"Senpai, if my nose really is broken I won't be able to play for a month at least," he mutters dejectedly.
"Then you should be more careful next time."
"You should follow your own advice since you are the one who hit me, Seo–senpai. You said that you're taking responsibility!" Wakamatsu raises his voice at her offhand remark as much as one with an injured nose can.
"You're pretty funny, Waka," she laughs at him and Wakamatsu's lips press together to hold in his annoyance from showing.
He really doesn't like to be ignored.
There's nothing more to be said so they keep on striding along the hallways, Seo still snickering by herself and Waka fuming behind her.
Soon after, the nurse office's door comes into view and Wakamatsu moves past his senior to get to it, but stops to look back at her. Should he say something to her or just go on in?
"This is as far as I go otherwise I'll be late for choir club activities," Yuzuki exclaims, not giving him any chance to speak. He thought he'd have to find some lame excuse to throw her off, but Wakamatsu can't say he's disappointed by the lack of a protest.
"Sorry, Waka, but try not to miss me too much. I'll pick you up after practice is over."
He doesn't seem the least bit happy at her promise, but still won't utter anything in response. Wakamatsu will just have to make sure to leave as soon as possible, then, even if he knows that he won't be able to get too far before she'll find him.
Still, when Seo doesn't leave right away and looks like she wants to say more, Waka dreads that she will ditch club activities in the end just to tag along and that's not something he's willing to put up with right now.
His supposition is proved wrong when her eyes snap from staring into his to glaring at the clock above the door.
"Geez, they're waiting for their star and I didn't even change yet." Yuzuki's frowning down at her tracksuit and Wakamatsu blinks owlishly back at her.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. See you later, Waka!"
That being said, she turns on her heels and dashes down the hall before disappearing behind a corner.
Wakamatsu looks as confused as ever, with his hand raised as if unsure whether to knock on the door or not, still staring at the spot he has last seen her. Unbeknown to him, when Seo reaches the locker room she can't seem to wipe the smirk off her face.
"I'll tell him later for sure."
bonus:
(SeoWaka | Seo finds Wakamatsu's shoujo manga)
It was bound that she'd find out after all this time when he acted rather strange for his character and after getting that stupid letter of challenge too which, oddly enough, resembled the typical love letter (or was it the other way around?) she should've been at last a little suspicious that something was wrong — that Waka was hiding something from her.
Maybe he was afraid that once he'd been figured out his senpai would have even more reasons to tease him and laugh about and basically make his life more miserable; who'd blame him for thinking that anyway since it was about Seo and her unpredictable (and usually unnatural) reactions and behavior?
But it's because she's Seo that he shouldn't have worried so much about it as in the end she hadn't made a single comment about his shoujo preferences but proceeded to list her favorite horror manga — every tragedy spoken of in detail.
(SeoWaka | swimming!AU)
"Yo, Waka, follow my form," Seo shouts from the middle of the pool while vigorously backstroking towards him, "And relax for a moment, would you?"
But try as you might and Wakamatsu still won't be able to drop his guard around Seo-senpai and her unpredictable actions, neither will he acquire Seo's. . .unique sports capabilities however much he tries to.
"Look, Seo-senpai, I don't think—" Wakamatsu doesn't get to finish as slender arms twin around his neck and pull him underwater, directly into his senpai's chest and it's all so sudden he doesn't hear her reply when they emerge from the water: "Good job, son. You sure know how to hold your breath."