Summary: Losing can be almost unbearable. Like a weight that's crushing you with every passing second. But it's so much easier when you have someone there just to stay with you. Shunsuke Imaizumi x OC.
Losing is such a hard thing to deal with.
All of the time, sweat, tears and effort that was accounted for suddenly is lost with the realization that you weren't the best. That there was someone better than you. Sometimes it's so unbearable that even the most experienced athletes break down under the reality of their loss.
That was especially true for Shunsuke Imaizumi.
The first year's head hung low, a cool, damp towel draped around his head, hiding his face from the outside world. He needed to be alone to think, process and accept the loss that he would've sworn would never occur. He didn't have the desire to socialize with anyone right now, friend or foe.
His entire body was tense as he sat in the empty locker room, the feelings of failure and disappointment surging through his lean figure. He brought his two hands together and clasped them tightly, squeezing his fingers within each other as hard as he could.
He was numb, and needed just a small indication that he was still there - that he wasn't in the hell that he believed he was in.
A single tear rolled down the left side of his nose before dangling shortly on the tip and falling onto his sweat drenched Sohoku bike suit. The pattern was repeated as he sat there, almost motionless, his hands flexing and flexing as he silently let out his anger.
He bit his lower lip as he leaned back onto the cool, concrete wall that stood behind him.
All of that time. All of the instances that he pushed himself harder and harder, to a point the's never been before, just gone.
He let out a pained sigh as his fist came down hard on the wooden bench he sat on top of. The last few, adrenaline filled seconds of the race flooded back into his mind.
He was neck and neck with Midousuji, pushing himself to the point where his legs screamed in pain, where his heart felt as if it were about to jump out his throat. But that was what he trained for, to finally beat him, the only person who seemed to beat Shunsuke in everything. His fist came down hard on the bench again, as the tears began to flow more freely from his dark, thin eyes.
He sat there, motionless as the tears continued to fall, his eyes trained on the lockers that lined the wall before him. He remained as still as a rock as the locker room door creaked open before clanging shut just seconds later. The footsteps echoed quietly as they approached him before stopping just a few feet to his right.
Without moving his head, he shifted his eyes to the right of him before they locked onto the gaze of the blue eyes that were so keenly trained on him. He didn't move a muscle as he continued to look into the face of the girl that stood before him.
Her long, blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was now loose and slightly messy thanks to the movement it endured. Her dancing, azure eyes matched the blue fabric of her racing suit, the uniform of the school that placed just a spot below them. Her skin was lightly tanned thanks to the constant exposure to the sun. Her rosy pink lips were open slightly, as she took silent deep breaths, showing her exhaustion from the race. She held her white, cycling shoes in her left hand with her helmet in the other.
The link in their gaze remained for just a few silent moments, but it was just enough to convey all the feelings that the other was experiencing.
Shunsuke tore his eyes away, training his gaze back to the lockers before him.
The girl took a few steps forward, closing the short distance between them as she took a seat beside him, just close enough to feel the heat of the sun radiating off her apricot skin.
Shunsuke picked up on her faint smell, the same one she's had since they were young. His eyes slid shut as a comfortable wave of silence washed among them. His fist slowly came apart, her presence soothing his anger so much more than a vacant room could.
"You rode well today, 'Suke," she whispered, breaking the silence between them, "A lot better than you did when we were younger." Shunsuke could hear the light smile through her voice without having to look over at her. "I'm proud of you."
Shunsuke lunged forward, his elbows resting on his knees with his head hanging low. She looked over at him, not saying a word as she took in the image of him.
"I lost," he responded in a voice deeper than his usual one. His hands found the other and continued to squeeze, his fingertips turning red with the sudden pressure put on them.
"You did," she agreed, earning the first look from Shunsuke, "but you tried. Plus, in my opinion, third place is pretty damn amazing for your first Inter-High."
"Your team did amazing," she added, "There's nothing to be sad about." Her voice was soft and low, as her blue eyes watched as he finally got up, walking towards the window the lined the wall to the left of them.
"All of that time," he said quietly, the damp towel finally falling from his head and onto his shoulders, "All of the training I did, was for nothing."
The girl hummed in response as she placed her shoes and helmet on the bench before she got up and walked up behind Shunsuke.
He saw her reflection in the window he gazed out of. She was much smaller than his five foot, eleven inch figure. The top of her blond crown barely met his shoulder, even with her height being made up mostly from the length of her legs.
She stood there silently until Shunsuke finally looked over his shoulder, turning to face her. His dark eyes looked down on her, as she looked up at him, not a hint of nervousness or anxiety coming from her.
The area around his thin, cat like eyes were a faint pink, matching the flushness of his cheeks from the heat that he spent so long in. His shoulders were shrugged over, reflecting his mood almost perfectly - which didn't reflect the usual arrogant, haughty Shunsuke everyone was used to.
The girl's rosy pink lips pulled back into a light smile, "It would truly be a waste if you give up here, now wouldn't it?" She finally replied, her small hand raising to pulled the towel from around his neck gently. "Now you know what he can do," she continued, referring to Midousuji, "And now it's up to you to show him what you can do," she paused, "After you train a little more of course." she added with a light chuckle that was almost contagious to the boy that she gazed upon before her.
She folded the towel into a small square before turning back around and placing it on the bench that they were once seated on.
"I'm sure you'd like to be alone right now, huh? I'm sorry if I bothered you, Shunsuke," she said looking back at him as she picked up her shoes and helmet. "Take care of yourself." She knew him too well to be able to overstay her welcome, especially when he needed time to process the events that occurred just less than an hour ago.
He liked to be alone, especially when he just wants to think.
She smiled lightly as she rose her hand in a short wave before making her way back to the locker room door, her hand reaching out to grasp the handle.
"Adalia," he uttered, her name leaving his lips for the first time in what seemed to be years.
Her tan hand hung on the cool, metal handle of the door as she looked over her right shoulder, back at Shunsuke.
"Could you stay a little longer?" He asked, his shoulders dropping just slightly in helplessness.
Adalia's smile grew as she turned around fully to walk back to the bench and placed her cycling equipment onto the wooden plank, before walking back towards Shunsuke. "Of course, Shunsuke."
Shunsuke cracked a small, sad smile before leaning down, resting his head onto her right shoulder. Adalia could feel the warm tears as they seeped from his eyes, through her biking suit and onto her cooling skin.
She tilted her head to lean on it Shunsuke's, as her arms rose up to wrap around Shunsuke's torso as much as they could. She could feel his core tremble as he finally let all of his emotion out on her shoulder.
"Please, just stay with me," he whispered into her shoulder, as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her as close as he could.
"I will," she responded in a soft voice, "I won't leave you."
Waaah, this manga just makes me melt. It really is an amazing story and I wish it got so much more love than it's getting currently! Specifically, I wished Shunsuke got more attention, but that's none of my business~
I hope you enjoyed whatever this is, because I actually had fun writing it! Even though I haven't written anything in I dunno, almost a year? Please leave your thoughts, because I love love love to read them. :*