#i’m p sure i pulled a muscle while taking the ref for this

[els-moonleaf]

hey! *rotoscopes your fool*

[cutiepatoodie]

Floo Powder and Charades P.1

Y/N floo’s to the Burrow after a massive fight with their mother, they find themselves in the middle of the weekly Weasley family game night

Pairing: Fred Weasley x GN Reader

Warnings: abusive mother, angst, also tooth-rotting fluff

Word Count: 2k 

Cross posted on ao3

You slam your door and crumple into a ball, silent sobs wracking your small body as you fight to keep them back. The urge to scream rises in your throat and you fight it back, tamping down on your fear to better hide from her. But it doesn’t seem to matter, you can hear footsteps pounding up the stairs, heavily beating in time with your rabbit-like pulse, closing in on your bedroom. And you can feel it automatically kick in, mind working to calculate how long you have before she reaches you, whether you can escape, where you can escape but-

“Y/N L/N get your ungrateful ass down here you little shit.” And you can hear her heavy breaths, dragged in through bared teeth, lips curled in a snarl. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”

And you almost want to laugh because this seems like anything but talking.

“After everything, I've done for you and you have the gall to disrespect me? Get out here filthy bitch!” The door rattles as her heavy-handed fist fights to twist the doorknob, violently slamming it back and forth as the locking mechanism holds true. “Open the goddamn door or else I'm knocking it down myself!” 

Stumbling away from your door you know that there is no escape. Your mom is going to force her way in no matter what you do to stop her. Fresh waves of tears were making rivers down your cheeks but the idea of wiping them seemed too exhausting, mind already resigned to your inevitable fate. Blearily looking around you remembered the small box you kept on the mantle on the other side of your room that Ron had given you for your birthday. Instinct takes over and struggling to overcome your leaden feet you rise, stumbling to the boarded-up fireplace. Your hands grip the wood and try to pry the boards away, mind desperately catching onto the sliver of hope. This was your only chance to get out of this house. Having to go to Azkaban for improper use of magic at this point seemed better than staying locked up in her house. 

The banging on your door was getting louder and more repetitive and as your nails scrabble to find purchase on the aging wood, digging in with the strength of survival fueled desperation. Finally, after what felt like forever you hear a crack and one of the boards break giving you more leverage to take down the rest and you clear just enough for you to climb through.

“What’s all that noise in there? Y/N open the fucking door.” And finally, the lock gives way with a groan as your mother bursts inside, hair tangled and chest heaving, flexing with rage and fury. This is it, she’s finally going to kill me this time. The small box heavy in your hands is the only thing grounding you. The thought of your mother crossing into the only place in the house you felt remotely safe from her taunts and screaming makes your chest tighten, breath leaving your lungs in a panicked whoosh. You can barely feel your fingers as they fumble with the box’s delicate clasp revealing the small amount of glittering powder inside. Throwing the powder into the hearth you choke out a small “the burrow” before being zapped into the floo network. 

And even before the flames have properly cleared you can smell farmland, the rich, earthy scent of hay, grass, and freshly turned soil laden underneath the softer scent of warm vanilla, cinnamon and something uniquely home. There were so many voices. Blending together, some words appearing clearer than others. 

“Not knowing how to dance!”

“Good one Georgie but I’d say He’s outrunning a Moose!”

“Maybe he’s trying to swat a fly?”

“What if Dad’s trying to play quidditch?”

“It’s probably some muggle thing anyway. Do you know what he’s on about Harry?”

“Uhhh, it could be… Y/N?” Harry yells, astonished, while looking straight at the fireplace where his friend had just appeared. 

“What do you mean Harry? Y/N is staying with their mother over the break.” Hermione is quick to reply as silence falls over the living room. Everyone turns towards the fireplace to see you caught like a deer in headlights, disheveled and unexpected in the Weasley’s living room. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know where else to go. I can floo back home. You know what nevermind, I can just leave. Where do you keep the Floo Powder?” You were rambling now going off apologizing for coming in unannounced. You know your voice is cracking and fighting against the fresh sting of tears that prickle at your eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry darling you can be on the twin’s team. Arthur was just about to tell us if we had won or not.” Molly’s voice is so soft and comforting. She gestures to the open spot between her and Fred in front of the couch. Without much thought, your legs bring you there sitting down, back pressed to Hermione’s legs as she reaches down to put a kind hand on your shoulder. Molly pats your knee with reassurance and the game continues. 

“All of you were wrong, I was swimming!” Arthur announces, pleased to have won the round. 

“If that’s how you swim it’s no wonder we never go to the beach.” Fred chortles, clutching his stomach and leaning into George for support. The familiar tug of a smile pulls at your lips and soon enough you are laughing the tension out of your muscles. As the beams from the setting sun started to cast a peachy pink glow around the room Molly stands up and excuses herself and Arthur to start putting dinner together. A familiar tension grew thick in the room. No one wants to be the one to bring it up but everyone is thinking it so Ron finally speaks up. 

“Who’s up for a quick scrimmage in the backyard before dinner? We’ve probably got another two hours before the sun sets.” The seven of you make your way to the shed in the back yard to grab the brooms. Upon reaching the doors Harry pulls you aside. 

“Hey, I know I’m not the best with feelings but… if you need anything, from any of us, we’re here.” Harry awkwardly pats you on the back, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Thanks, Harry, but really I’m okay. I’m just stressed about that potions project Snape assigned for us to have done when we come back in April and I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one going crazy over it.” You let out a breathy laugh and Harry can see that the smile plastered on your face in no way reaches your eyes. He looks at you, seeming to weigh the worth of calling you on your shit before relenting with a huff. “Yeah Snape never misses a chance to be a damn prick.” You know that he doesn’t believe you, but it does not matter since he’s not pushing it. 

The teams were decided, Ginny, Ron, and Harry, against you and the twins. Hermione was reffing and made sure to agree to settle any fight that came up over scorekeeping. The three on three went on for about an hour before Fred caused a distraction so that you could catch the snitch. Returning down to earth your knees buckled and you decided to lay on your back for a bit before standing up again. Everyone followed suit, laying in the fresh grass covered in drying sweat and a few scrapes and bruises. 

“I can’t believe we beat the famous Potter in a game Y/N. You have to tell Cedric that when you go back to practice.” Fred said, lazily punching your shoulder. You didn’t mean to flinch. It was an accident but by how tense Fred was on the grass beside you, it was obvious he had noticed. 

“If you’re going to ask if I’m okay, just don’t. You did nothing wrong, okay Freddie?” Your voice felt distant as you tried to reassure the lanky beanpole to your left. You sat up feeling a bit more clear headed and yelled. “I call the first shower!” before running back into the comfort of the Burrow. 

The water rolled off your body as your muscles finally were able to relax. The familiar sounds and smells of the Burrow were doing wonders for your anxiety. You poured some soap into the palm of your hand and absentmindedly scrubbed dirt from your skin. While washing your mind began to wander through the events of the day. Thoughts of your mother tried to creep back in but suddenly there was a banging on the door as it swung open. 

“Close the curtain Y/n I need to take a leak and Georgie is taking forever downstairs.” Fred called before the sound of a zipper rang through the bathroom. Your heart was pounding as you tried to bring yourself back to the world around you. The toilet flushed and the sound of the sink was barely audible through the beating of your heart. The doorknob started to turn and before your brain could catch up the words were out of your mouth. 

“Can you stay?” It came out so softly Fred could have sworn he made it up. His cheeks dusted pink and thank goodness for the obnoxious shower curtain Molly insisted on putting in their bathroom which covered him from your gaze. He cautiously sat on the toilet seat afraid that if he made too much noise you’d try to push him away again. 

“Do you want me to ask around for some clothes you can change into? I mean if it were me I wouldn’t want to put my quidditch clothes back on.” Fred scratched the back of his neck staring down at the floor. 

“Oh yeah I didn’t even think that far ahead to be honest. I mean if it's okay just like a hoodie and a pair of shorts would be awesome. I’m almost done in here anyway.” Your voice sounded more like you than it had all day. Fred released a breath he did not realize he was holding. He just wanted you to feel safe. 

“Yeah of course! I’ll uhh go and grab some clothes and a towel and uhh yeah meet you back downstairs when you're dressed is that okay? I know that you wanted me to stay but I kind of have to leave if you want me to get ya some clothes. Or I mean I can always text Gin and see if she can bring some….” Fred devolved into muttering about what the most effective way to grab you some clothes and not leave you alone longer than is comfortable. 

“Freddie it’s okay, I’m not going to break. Your room is right across the hall and I already have a towel in here with me.” Hearing the teasing smile in your voice calmed down his nerves. Why did he feel so nervous anyways. You had been around the burrow for a while and it shouldn’t be making him this nervous. With a quick be right back he slipped out of the door. Grabbing a pair of shorts and his newest Christmas sweater his mother knitted for him last year he padded back to the bathroom. The water wasn’t running anymore so he figured he probably should just set the clothes outside.

“Hey Y/n I’m just gonna put these outside the door. So uhh whenever you're ready I'll see you downstairs.” He placed the clothes in a neat pile and scuttled to the head of the stairs. 

Pulling Fred’s sweater over your head made you feel way calmer than you first had expected to. It was warm and cozy and smelled of firewood and smores. It was quite big on you but that did not matter. Drying your hair one last time with the towel you left the bathroom hearing the voices of your friends from all the way down on the main floor. A smile spread to your lips knowing that no matter what happened next did not matter because right now you felt safe. 

[wonder-kid-pugh]

Her Defender - (Tobin Heath x reader)

I growl for I'd say about the sixth time as I see Tobin being thrown to the ground again by Chapman. But it seems like the ref must have lost her whistle or maybe she's blind because once again there's no foul called. But like always Tobin still gets up. I'm in the middle of glaring down Chapman when Alyssa calls my name. I turn around to see her giving me a look, "Keep focus Y/n! Don't lose your cool".

"No promises" I mutter as I get back into position. I swear Tobin had spent more time of the ground than I have had on the ball. The US vs Canada game was always a tough match and was known for being a really scrappy and chippy game. But it seems that they were extra aggressive today.

Especially against Tobin

And the only reason I hadn't decked Chapman myself is because I'm too busy making sure no one gets down my side.

And because Alyssa has stopped me everytime I've tried

Matheson made a run up my side but I quickly shouldered her off the ball and dishes it off to Lindsey who played it up to Tobin. Tobin had barely gotten a touch on the ball when Chapman rammed into her from behind. Finally the ref called a foul which Chapman had the audacity to argue. I growl again sick of all these bullshit challenges about to march up to her but I feel a hand on my shoulder, "Y/n don't".

I keep my eyes on Chapman hoping that if I glare at her hard enough she'll somehow drop on the field with an injury, "She keeps going after Tobin". "I know but it won't do us any good if you get sent off" Alyssa says. After being checked out Tobin gets up and looks for me, giving me a thumbs up showing that she's okay. "See? Tobin's okay now don't do anything reckless" Alyssa tells me before going back to the goals.

The play continues but I don't get a chance to get revenge because half time is called. Making sure my path doesn't cross with Chapman's, Alyssa wraps an arm around me and guides me to our dressing room. "Lyssa let go" I grumble as we make it to the tunnel. But she tightened her grip making sure I couldn't get out, "No cause I don't want you doing anything stupid". I scoff as she pushes me into the locker room.

I turn around to glare at her but I'm met with my girlfriend, "Hey". I let out a heavy sigh letting my shoulders slump for the first time since the game started, "Hi". I look her up and down frowning at all the grass stains on her jersey and shorts, "Are you okay?" She grins up at me and stands on her tippy toes to reach up and kiss my cheek, "I'm fine. Definitely going to be sore tomorrow". I furrow my eyebrows and let out a low growl.

"Hey. Hey what's wrong?" She asks wrapping her arms around my torso. I hug her back hiding my face in her hair, "They keep going after you". She lets out a chuckle as she rubs her hands up and down my back, "Yeah but I always get back up don't I?" "Yeah" I mumble into her hair. She tilted her head up putting her chin on my chest looking up at me, "So you have nothing to worry about"

I pout as she chuckles giving me a quick squeeze. She leads me over to her cubbie and makes me sit down in front of it while she sits behind me. She starts to rub my back, tracing the numbers on my jersey. I hum as she digs her fingers into the tense muscles in my back. I close my eyes as I focus on her massaging my back leaning back into her.

I'm vaguely aware that Vlatko walks in and starts talking but I just sit and relax. Tobin pulls my hair out of my hair tie and runs her fingers through my hair while massaging my scalp. In just a few minutes I was purring under her touch.

"I'm sorry. Did you just pur?" Rose asks from her seat beside us. "Shut up" I grumble as Tobin stops her hands. I turn and look at her and whine, "I didn't say stop". Tobin laughs before bending down to kiss my head because continuing on her menstrations. I sigh as I relax back in between her legs.

"How did you do that?" Sonnett asks mouth wide open. "Do what?" Tobin asks. "How did you get the big bad 6 foot giant that is Y/n L/n, to turn into a soft cuddy teddy bear?" Sonnett says waving their arms around. "Shut up" I narrow my eyes at the defender and she shrinks back. But Tobin tilted my head back and gave me a quick kiss. I drop my head back down with a dopey smile. "Vicious to soft in point 5 seconds" Christen teases to which I stick my tongue out at her.

"I've never seen Y/n so soft before" Kelley cackles but is quickly silenced by a glare from me. We have to head back out for the second half but Tobin stops me holding my hand giving me a stern look, "No killing out there". I try and pout at her but she holds her look, "I mean it Y/n. You can't be making reckless tackles just because I get hurt". I sigh and tighten my ponytail and mumble, "Fine".

Tobin gives me her signature grin before grabbing me by the jersey and pulling me down to her height and giving me a kiss. A dopey smile appears on my face when she pulls away and pats my cheek and jogging into position. But not before shouting over her shoulder, "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, Lyssa!" Alyssa shrugs as she gets into goals, "So business as usual'.

"Hey!"

My fellow teammates laugh as we wait for the game to restart. We get back into play and Canada are already back to their obvious fouls and the ref still isn't calling them. Thankfully we're up 3-1 and there's only around 10 minutes left if the game. Tobin is making another run up the wing but once again gets taken to the ground which the ref thankfully calls. But Tobin doesn't get up straight away.

And at that point I had had enough

"That's it!" I growl before marching up to Chapman who is being pulled away from the ref by her teammates. Alyssa tries to stop me but I've already made my way to the Canadian player before she can do anything. I shove her backwards which she returns weakly barely moving me at all.

I get in her face, well as best as I can with me towering over her, glaring at her, "Touch her again and I'll make sure you'll have to be carried off the field. I see her gulp hard before I'm pulled away and shown a yellow by the ref for shoving her. I wave him off before going to Tobin who is still on the ground. I hold out a hand to her helping her up, "You okay?" She nods, "Yeah just knocked my knee a little. I told you no killing". I shrug, "She's alive last I checked". She rolls her eyes before laughing, "Let's just finish the game".

We finish out the game with nothing much happening. Chapman didn't so much as move within 2 metres of Tobin resulting in her getting subbed off soon after it resulting into another goal for us. Once the whistle blew we shook hands, with me giving Chapman a tighter squeeze than necessary before she scrambles off the field.

I glare at her watching her get off the field which I feel arms slip around my waist, "I think you scared her". I shrug, "She'll live". She chuckles as she nuzzles herself into my side, "Thank you for standing up for me". I duck my head kissing the top of her head, "Anything for you". Tobin smiles as she takes my hand leading me to the dressing room, "Cmon I want to go back to the hotel and cuddle". I smile letting her drag me towards the tunnel, "I'd like that". I hear Kelley scoff behind us

"Softie"

"Watch it O'Hara before I kick your ass back to the hotel".

[hokagee]

Prompt: AU 

Rating: T

The cheers from outside echoed through the empty locker room, the metallic red of the lockers faintly illuminated by the dim light of the single overhang bulb.

Alone on a bench, Naruto sat with hunched shoulders and bandaged hands limp between his knees.

“Well aren’t you the picture of positivity.”

Naruto doesn’t even look up to acknowledge his coach. With a sigh he asks, “Is the match done?”

Kakashi comes over and sits on the bench across from him, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his folded hands, watching him closely.

“It’s not,” he answers steadily. “There seems to be a major disagreement over a violation call.”

Naruto can’t help but roll his eyes. ‘Killer Bee’ always disagreed with the ref whenever he was called out, and the fact that he refused to speak without a rhythm only lengthened the already annoying ordeal.

“Are you still upset from last week’s match?” Kakashi asks plainly.

Naruto scoffs and toes the tiled ground with his orange sneaker.

“Hardly,” he replies in a low voice. “If anything, it’d be good if I was, because that’d meant I still cared about this shit.”

Kakashi raises a silver brow. “I thought boxing was your greatest passion?”

The resentment in him simmers back to the defeat he was feeling earlier.

“Is it?” he asks more to himself than Kakashi. “I dropped out of high school when I was 16. No parents, a best friend as if, if not more, fucked up than me, a girl I’ve loved since I was 12 that was in love with said psycho friend...Boxing started out as an escape from all that bullshit. But now? It’s become the bullshit.”

“Because you lost a match?” Kakashi questions patiently.

“Because there’s no point!” Naruto explodes, jumping up to his feet. He’s so angry it’s like he can feel steam firing out of his pores. “What can I say is the purpose of my life? Punch someone and be punched back? I’m tired, Kakashi! In the beginning, I could genuinely say I felt a true fulfillment as I got better and better, but what am I getting better for?”

“So your issue is not with fighting,” Kakashi comments lazily as he absentmindedly scratches his chin. “But not having something….or perhaps someone to fight for.”

Hmm. Now that Naruto thought about it, that was exactly his problem.  Even Sasuke, that emo bastard, had found happiness with Sakura and was on his way to becoming a successful lawyer, while Naruto was still stuck at square one. Square zero if he was being honest with himself.

“Yeah,” Naruto grumbles, kinda annoyed that Kakashi was always one step ahead of him, in and out of the rink. “I guess.”

“What about your guardian angel?” Kakashi asks with a slight smirk.

Naruto doesn’t even dignify that with an answer. For months everyone has been teasing him over his mysterious “guardian angel”. Apparently, some pretty girl came to his every match and cheered him on, but every time he scanned the crowd, no girl really stuck out, and according to Kakashi she always snuck out right when his match ended.

He didn’t particularly care who she was since he wasn’t even sure if she existed, but he did hope she wasn’t one of the women who would sometimes throw their panties at him.

Shuddering, he’s pulled out of his thoughts when Kakashi stands up.

Giving him a cheezy smile and a thumbs up, Kakashi sends him off.

“Good luck. And try not to have an existential crisis out there.”

Why would he think about extra...teresticles? Whatever was the fancy word for aliens. Man, was he in a dark hole, surrounded by idiots.

Naruto barely dodges to the side as Juugo’s fist flies through where his head just was.

Pushing through the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him, he takes advantage of Juugo’s outstretched arm baring his side and throws a punch with all his power to his ribs.

Juugo is able to block him, but Naruto still gets in a good graze. Watching the much larger man stumble back in pain momentarily thrills him, but all too soon he’s moving, dodging and jumping from Juugo’s merciless attacks.

The light’s are too bright. The cheers are too loud. The sweat that clings to his skin disgusts him. Blood from a cut on his forehead keeps pooling by his eye and he can’t wipe it away. He knows he’s breathing because he’s moving around, but his chest feels as if its shut in a vacuum.

As he stares into Juugo’s amber eyes, he wonders if that bloodlust in his opponent's eyes is always present, or if it only comes out when he was fighting. If only he could bring himself to feel such strong emotions during matches. Anything would be better than this hollow emptiness.

As his shoulder is brutally hit with Juugo’s punch, Naruto wonders if he’d have a career other than being someone’s punching bag if he wasn’t an orphan. He wonders if he wasn’t so stupid, where he could have gone with his life.

But no...he was a fucking moron with no one to love and no one that loved him. This life was more than fitting for such a loser like him.

Juugo makes a direct impact with his jaw, and Naruto is flung across the match box from the force of impact. He isn’t sure if he’s ever felt such crippling pain before; it felt as if someone had taken a pickaxe and smashed his face through.

He can’t even hear the roar of the crows anymore. His blood is pumping so loudly in his ears, that he wouldn't be surprised if it was simply leaking out of them like water from a faucet.

The trained boxer in him tells him to get up. To face defeat with dignity. Naruto tells the trained boxer in him to fuck off.

What dignity is in this? All my life...I’ve been beaten down. That’s just how things are.

“Naruto!”

Huh? Blearily, he opens his eyes to an unfamiliar voice screaming his name.

“Naruto!”

There was that voice again...what was that lady’s problem? Couldn’t she see he was giving up on life here...

“NARUTO!”

Finally, his eyes refocus, and suddenly he isn’t sure if he’s actually awake or not. Staring back at him are the lightest gray eyes he’s ever seen. They belong to a woman with a heartbreakingly beautiful face, and dark hair that flowed around her. Was she an angel?

It’s only after several moments of staring at her does he realize she’s saying something to him urgently.

“Don’t you remember what you said to me?” she asks him desperately. He notes with shock that she’s crying. “You said, ‘It doesn’t matter how many times you’re pushed down, what matters is how many times you pick yourself up!’.You can’t give up now, not when you’ve come so far!”

The memory of those gray eyes resurface in his hazy mind, and he realizes with a jolt that he’s looking at none other than Hinata Hyuuga herself.

*

Technically, he was supposed to be in biology class, but he freaking hated Mr. Orochimaru, that slimy creep, and slipped out to the faculty parking lot to have a smoke.

Just when he finds a good spot that hides him from the school’s view, a nearby voice interrupts his much-needed smoke break.

“That’s right, princess,” the nasal-y voice sneers. “Fork it all over.”

With a frown, Naruto drops his cigarette and crushes it with his heel before going over to see what was going on.

He was shocked to find his classmate from middle school, Hana? Well, whatever her name was, on the ground, her hair held tightly by one senior boy while the other looted through her backpack.

“Found it!” the nasal-voiced one declared as he took out what he assumed was her wallet. “I knew the Hyuuga-princess would be loaded.”

“Please let go of my hair,” the chick whimpers pathetically. That’s what sets him off.

About one minute and 45 seconds later, the boys sprint away from the scene, bruised and bloodied.

“Here ya go,” he says as he hands her the fallen wallet. “You ok?”

“I-I...y-y-yes, th-thank you,” she whispers as she wiped away her tears.

“How’d you even get robbed at school?” he asks somewhat incredulously, leaning against the car parked next to them.

“Th-those two...have a-always p-picked on me,” she whispers again, staring down at her hands as if she was ashamed. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t get off of the road.

“They can only pick on you if you let them,” he tells her kindly, crouching down so he can meet her gaze. He almost topples over when her eyes finally meet his. He’s never seen someone with such light eyes before. They nearly looked white.

“A-anyways, it's not about how many times you get pushed down,” he continues with a grin. “It’s about how many times you pick yourself up!

“B-but I-I’m not strong like you…” the girl confesses in a crushed voice. Her words left him shocked.

She thought he was strong?

“Well…” he pauses, wondering if he should tell her this. But one look at her sad face makes up his mind. That was an expression he wore himself too many times when he was younger. “To tell you the truth, it took me a long time to get where I am. It wasn’t easy, but I promise you, the only person standing in your way of becoming stronger is you.”

“H-how do I g-get stronger then?” the girl asks him breathlessly. He notices that she looks a lot less pale now, with a lot of color in her cheeks.

“Ha, a question I can actually answer!” he laughs heartily before offering her a hand to get up. She takes it shyly, and he’s jolted by how soft her skin is. It’s only when she stares at him expectedly does he realize that he hasn’t answered her question. Dropping her hand to rub the back of his neck, he chuckles kinda awkwardly.

“To get stronger you need to work hard, but more importantly, you need to believe in yourself!”

*

He returns to the present at the feel of something soft against his skin. Blinking, he realizes Hinata is cupping his cheek.

“You’ve worked so hard, Naruto!” she cries, the intensity of her voice starkly contrasting against how softly she stroked his face. “You need to believe in yourself!”

It takes him a few tries since his facial muscles won’t stop spasming, but slowly his lips stretch into a grin.

Reaching up to hold her hand against his cheek, he slowly gets to his knees. He’s aware that the crowds are shouting louder than he’s ever heard. Spitting out blood and a tooth, he locks eyes with Hinata, his grin widening at the sight of her awestruck expression.

“You’re absolutely correct,” he says, slurring through his words. He lets go of her hand and stands up fully, facing Juugo once more.

“Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in Konoha history, we have found a boxer that was able to take a direct hit to the face from none of than the MIGHTY Juugo himself, and still stand up!” the commentator practically screams into his mic. The crowd's response was so loud, he could feel the match box vibrating from its intensity.

“Why get up?” Juugo asks with a sigh. Either Naruto had double vision currently, or Juugo has found a way to make a doppelganger. “We both know you’ll only lose.”

“Heh...maybe,” Naruto agrees as he begins to hop from foot to foot. “But winning isn’t everything, idiot.”

*

“Ow! Jeez, would it kill you to be gentler?”

“I have to disinfect your wound or it will get infected,” Kakashi responds evenly as he continues dabbing the cut on his forehead with an alcohol wipe.

“Can you hurry up then?” Naruto whines as he holds an ice pack to his jaw. “I gotta...go.”

“Are you meeting up with your guardian angel then?” Kakashi asks, his curiosity barely hidden by his cool tone.

“Huh?” Naruto finds himself blushing for no reason. “What are you talking about!”

“Well, everyone saw you two speak during the match,” Kakashi points out. Lowering the wipe, Kakashi looks at him head on. “What did she say to you, by the way? It must have been some pep talk if it got you to land a solid punch on Juugo’s solar plexus after taking a face shot.”

“Wait,” Naruto stands up and quickly regrets that move. God, he was aching all over. Oh shit. He dropped his ice pack. You couldn’t pay him to bend over and pick that up. “Are you saying that-”

“E-Excuse me?”

Naruto whirls his head so quickly he nearly faints from the rush of blood to his head, but he is rewarded with the sight of Hinata standing hesitantly by the entrance of the gym’s makeshift clinic.

“Hinata!” Naruto can’t help but exclaim her name. “I can’t believe you came to my match! How’d you find out about it? How are you? You look really nice!”

“I’ve been coming to a few of your matches for a while now,” Hinata answers shyly, her cheeks a pretty pink. “My cousin Neji has a friend that knew about you...and he told me where you have your matches. I’m fine, and...t-thank you.”

“Why are you saying thank you?” Naruto asks, confused.

“She’s responding to your compliment of how she looks,” Kakashi contributes with a smirk. Naruto feels his face grow warm. He hadn’t even realized he had said that. Damn his loud mouth.

“How did you and Naruto here meet, Miss?” Kakashi asks Hinata politely. Pfft. His courteous gentlemen act annoyed Naruto. If only Hinata knew how big of a perv his coach really was…

“We were classmates all the way till high school when he...left,” Hinata answers, fidgeting slightly.

“It’s been what, four years?” Naruto asks as he tries to do the math.

“Five,” Hinata corrects with a smile.

“I just remembered, I have some reading I need to finish,” Kakashi suddenly speaks up. “Miss, could you please finish dressing Naruto’s wounds for me? I’m afraid it’s urgent.”

“Reading?” Naruto repeats incredulously. “Do you mean those goddamn-”

“Tata~!” Kakashi waves as he leaves the room in a flurry of giggles.

What in the fresh hell…

“Is he always like that?” Hinata asks as she walks towards him.

Naruto sighs. “I don’t even know. He’s a freak.”

“Are you alright?”

Naruto glances down and realizes that Hinata stands right in front of him. With him standing, she comes only to his shoulders, but she’s close enough for him to see the worry in her eyes as she takes in his wounds.

“I’m fine!” Naruto exclaims enthusiastically, giving her a vibrant thumbs up, only to immediately wince from the pressure that puts on his bruised ribs.

“Sit down,” Hinata orders gently. “I’ll patch you up as best as I can…”

Naruto complies and finds himself eye to eye with her. She picks up the alcohol wipe Kakashi was using and returns to the scrape on his forehead. He hardly feels the sting.

He had a lot of questions to ask her, but now, with her so close he could smell the jasmine perfume she apparently wore, his mind was wiped clean of everything as he simply stared at her. He couldn’t decide if she had suddenly become beautiful in the five years they were apart, or she always looked like this and he was too stupid to notice.

“You have a cut on your lip,” Hinata says, startling him from his thoughts. “I’m afraid it will sting…”

“I can take it!” he assures her with a smile. She smiles back, though there is concern in her eyes.

Naruto’s breath catches as she takes a hold of his chin and tilts his face upwards. Despite the habit of fluorescents drowning out color with their harshness, her blue-black hair glowed. He wondered if she could see his pulse thrumming wildly in his neck.

She dabs his lip with a new wipe, and she’s right, it does sting, but before his mind can fully process the pain, she’s blowing cool air onto his lips, and it’s like his mind loses all ability of forming a coherent thought.

“Are you alright?” Hinata asks worriedly. “Did it sting a lot?”

“I-It helped when you blew on it,” Naruto responds hoarsely, clearing his throat and awkwardly averting his eyes. What was going on with him? He was never this out of it after a match…

“I’ll remember that,” Hinata giggles before wiping his lip once more. This time she cleans more of his lip before blowing, making the anticipated coolness so much sweeter. He can’t help but part his lips as his body relaxes.

“I think that should be alright,” Hinata says as she throws the used wipes away. “Are there any other cuts you need disinfected?”

For some reason, he wished he did. “Uh, no. Thanks, Hinata!”

She smiles sweetly at him as retrieves a box of bandages. “Of course, Naruto.”

His mind clears a bit and he realizes the woman before him is very different from the girl of his memories.

“You’ve changed,” he blurts without a thought. At Hinata’s confused expression, he hurriedly clarifies, “In a good way! I mean, it’s just...you seem a lot more confident with yourself.”

Hinata stares at the bandage box in her hands and Naruto is worried he’s offended her in some way, but she surprises him when she looks back at him with the widest smile he’s seen on her.

“I...couldn’t be happier you think that,” she tells him cheerfully. “To tell you the truth, it took me a long time to get where I am. It wasn’t easy, but someone helped me realize the only person standing in my way was myself.”

Naruto’s jaw falls open as he hears her words. He couldn’t believe…all those years later, she remembered word for word what he had said to her, and more importantly, she had taken them to heart.

“When I found out you had matches here, I knew I had to come and see you fight,” Hinata continues, though her face grows sadder. “But the Naruto I saw in the ring today...Naruto, is everything alright?”

Naruto could say confidently he had friends. Mentors. Fellow fighters. But in all his years of boxing and bonding with everyone at Konoha Gym...no one has ever looked so concerned for his well-being. He genuinely did not know how to respond.

“Uh…” Naruto trails off as he looks away from her. Confessing to a woman how lonely you were was extremely uncool, even by his standards.

“I know we aren’t exactly friends,” Hinata sighs, twiddling her fingers together nervously. “But you have helped me in my life more than you realize...the very least I could do is return the favor.”

“Don’t be silly,” he chides her gently. “I haven’t done anything, it’s all you. Give yourself more credit for your own accomplishments!”

Hinata smiles but shakes her head in disagreement.

“You’re wrong,” she says quietly. “Even when we were younger, I used to watch you. Seeing you...never giving up and always smiling, regardless of how others treated you...it gave me hope that one day I too could be happy despite how others t-treated me.”

“Even now,” she adds in a louder voice as her shoulders straighten. “I tell my first graders stories of you whenever they’re discouraged. To them -and me- you’re a hero Naruto!”

He doesn’t think when he reaches for her. All he knows is that if he doesn’t hug her right now, he’ll explode. Hinata, for her part, does not resist being pulled into his embrace but is undeniably rigid. After a few moments of having his arms wrapped around her, however, she finally relaxes into his hold and even embraces him back.

It’s the best hug Naruto has ever had in his life. She was so soft and warm and sweet, but most importantly she was there because she wanted to be here...with him.

“Thank you,” he whispers into her hair, not even caring as he began to cry. “You have no idea...how badly I needed to hear that.”

“Wherever, whenever, whatever it is that you ever need,” Hinata pulls back from his chest to give him a watery smile, droplets of tears clinging to her long lashes. “I’ll do my best to give it to you, Naruto.”

He’s about to ask her why she would go so far for a near stranger, but she pulls one arm off of him and gives him a thumbs up as she shuts an eye in a form of an exaggerated wink. With a slight start, he realizes she’s mimicking his signature ‘move’ from back when they were kids.

“And I never go back on my word.”

It’s only after hearing his own words repeated to himself does he realize how far he’s strayed from his own mantra.

*

He sees Hinata a lot more after that. He’s also had an undefeated winning streak since his match with Juugo. He’s made so much money recently he seriously does not know how to spend it, so a lot of it goes to gifts for Hinata.

Maybe he should ask Sasuke if he should save up for something…

Going back to the main point, he simply felt more energized every time he saw his dark-haired...friend. Yes, that was what they were. Or were they? Wait, what was he thinking? Of course, they were friends! What else could they be? It was a wonder why Hinata tolerated his dumbass. I mean really... she was so pretty and nice and funny and smart, she could hang out with any guy! Why him? Not that they went out on dates. Though that restaurant they had dinner at the other day was pretty romantic...but that’s because they had her favorite dessert and he couldn’t say no! Not that he’d ever say no to her. Because he liked her. A lot. AS A FRIEND….

“You seem conflicted, my good friend! What troubles your youthful heart?”

“Hey, Lee,” Naruto greets his pal with a fist bump. “Here to train?”

“Of course!” Lee answers jubilantly. “But you did not answer the question, my friend.”

“Wellll,” Naruto draws out the word as he rubs the back of his neck nervously. “You know how I was kinda in a slump a few weeks back?”

Lee nods his head vigorously. “Indeed I did! I even consulted my friend Neji, who is most knowledgable in...well, everything. He suggested antidepressants, but by the time I got some for you, you were healed!”

“Wait, it was you who-! Ugh, forget it,” Naruto shakes his head, not even wanting to get into how Lee could be friends with Hinata’s mysterious cousin. “Anyways, yeah I’ve been a lot happier in terms of my personal life, but I still don’t know if boxing is what’s meant for me, you know?”

Instead of sprouting off an energetic answer as he expected, Lee simply smiles sadly at him.

“I see you are at a crossroads, my friend,” he states with a nod of his head. “All I can tell you is to pick what your heart tells you.”

Naruto purses his lips and considers bushy brow’s advice.

I wonder what Hinata thinks of me as a boxer…

*

“Aw, Hinata, are you sure you can’t do dinner tonight?” Naruto pouts as he balances his phone on his shoulder as he attempts to unlock his apartment door while holding groceries.

“I’m sorry Naruto, but it’s a family function I can’t miss out on,” Hinata apologizes earnestly.

“It’s ok,” Naruto sighs. “I just miss you.”

“You saw me yesterday,” Hinata points out with a giggle.

“But not today,” Naruto counters petulantly. Meeting up with Hinata were the highlights of his days, and whenever he didn’t get to see her, he’d be terribly cranky until he saw her again.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow,” Hinata offers. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Meet?” Naruto repeats as he places his groceries on his sticky counters. Man, he needed to clean those...the last time Hinata came over, he had been more than embarrassed by his state of living. “Who?”

“It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll really like him,” she replies mischievously.

Naruto frowns suddenly. “Him?”

“Yes, him. Listen Naruto, I need to go now. See you tomorrow!”

“Wai-” he’s too slow. Hinata’s hung up.

Suddenly in a foul mood, Naruto abandons his groceries (something he only really bought so Hinata could have something to eat whenever she came over), he stalked over to his ratty couch and flung himself onto it.

Who the hell was this ‘him’ Hinata was talking about? As far as he knew, the only ‘hims’ in her life was her cousin Neji and her stingy-ass dad.

He’d already met Neji thanks to Lee (truly one of the most awkward encounters of his life) and he didn’t think she would just spring a surprise visit from her dad onto him.

Which left the million dollar question: WHO WAS THIS GUY?

His phone suddenly buzzed and Naruto jumped towards it as if a fire had been lit underneath him. Maybe Hinata could do dinner after all!

Sakura: Hey Naruto! It’s been a long time since we hung out, how about we grab something to eat and catch up?

Naruto frowns at the text. Just a few years ago, he would have wept with joy at this offer, but now it further annoyed him. Was Hinata not eating dinner with him because she was meeting “him”?

Naruto: srry bzy 2nite

*

If this punk even looks at Hinata wrong, I’ll pummel him Naruto thought to himself darkly as he waited outside Konoha Gym for Hinata and Mr. Dreamy Mystery Guy.

He was wearing black pants and a white tank top that conveniently revealed his hard-earned muscles. He may have kept his boxing bandages around his hands on as well. It was always better to be prepared than sorry!

He was contemplating going back in to put some grease on under his eyes when he heard Hinata call out his name.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turns around.

And sees Hinata. With a kid.

“Sorry we’re late,” Hinata apologizes breathlessly. “We had to make a quick potty break stop.”

“Um. Who is this,” Naruto asks, pointing to the kid with his chin.

This seems to set the brat off.

“MY NAME IS KONOHAMURU SARUTOBI!” he shouts angrily. “I’ll fight you if you show me any dis….dis..diz-ray-speck!”

“It’s pronounced, disrespect,” Hinata corrects gently, ruffling the boy's rowdy brown hair. “Konohamuru, this is Naruto, my friend that is a boxer. Naruto, this is Konohamuru, a big fan of yours.”

Konohamuru’s demeanor immediately changes upon learning Naruto’s identity.

“You’re Mr. Naruto??” Konohamuru squeals. Dropping Hinata’s hand and lurching towards him, Naruto is nearly toppled backward as he latches himself onto his legs. “Please please please teach me how to be a boxer!”

Naruto looks up at Hinata bewilderedly, but she simply gives him an encouraging smile.

“Well...I guess I could show you the basics,” Naruto chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “But you gotta listen to everything I say, ok? It’s important to always follow the rules in boxing.”

“Yes, boss!” Konohamaru chirps excitedly.

A warm feeling spreads in Naruto’s chest. He’s never had a child look at him so reverently before...It was something he could get used to, if he was being honest.

*

Konohamuru is a surprisingly good student, even gathering praise from other fighters at the gym, but he’s also only six, and after a good hour of training and another 15 minutes of snack time, he’s fast asleep in Hinata’s arms.

“Little guy’s got potential, I’ll give him that!” Naruto laughs, wiping away some of his sweat with a towel.

“You’re a good teacher,” Hinata praises him with a smile. Naruto blushes and waves off her compliment.

“Ah, don’t say that! It makes me self-conscience cause you’re a teacher, ya know?”

“Conscious,” Hinata corrects kindly.

“Hehe, right,” Naruto chuckles sheepishly before realizing that Hinata is holding a sleeping kid. “Um, what are you gonna do with it? I mean him!”

“I called his Uncle Asuma, he’ll be here soon to pick him up,” Hinata says, smiling down at Konohamuru and wiping away his hair from his face.

“Here, let me,” without waiting for her response, Naruto bends down and gently extracts Konohamuru from Hinata’s lap, holding him up against his chest.

“Are you sure you’re ok holding him?” Hinata asks worriedly.

“I got him!” Naruto reassures her with a grin. “Follow me.”

Naruto leads Hinata out of the main floor, but unfortunately, they have to pass by Suigetsu.

“What’s this Uzumaki?” Suigetsu cackles as his eyes go between Konohamuru and Hinata. “Playing house?”

“Shut up,” Naruto growls, grabbing Hinata’s hand to pull her along quicker. Thankfully, they’re able to the destination without further interruptions.

“Is this someone’s office?” Hinata asks as he slowly lowers Konohamuru onto the couch.

“Kakashi’s,” Naruto answers, straightening up. “It’s his dog’s birthday today, or whatever, so he won’t be coming in.

Hinata raises an eyebrow but otherwise doesn’t comment. She takes a seat on the chair in front of the desk, and Naruto goes over and brings Kakashi’s chair over so he’s sitting next to her. They both do their best to ignore the Icha Icha and dog posters.

“I’m glad you brought Konohamuru today,” he says in a quiet voice, glancing over at the snoring kid. “It was fun.”

“I’m glad too,” Hinata replies. “Recently, Konohamuru lost both his parents and grandfather in a car accident...it affected him deeply. When I told him you are also an orphan, he begged me to take him to you.”

Naruto gapes at her and looks back at Konohamuru, feeling his chest tighten with a familiar pain. So that kid...was just like him, huh?

“Today was the first time in months I saw him laugh or even smile,” Hinata reveals. “You really helped him today, Naruto.”

“I-I didn’t do anything much,” Naruto protests weakly.

Hinata’s eyes meet his and in that moment, he feels as if she can see every thought he’s ever had.

“I know you have doubts about boxing,” she admits. “And I’m no one to tell you what you can or cannot do with your life, but trust me, Naruto, you could help many young kids just like Konohamuru through your work. It’s something to consider.”

It hits him. It finally hits him. Harder than any punch any boxer could throw.

Without warning, he leans forward and scoops Hinata into his arms, twirling her around. She’s just barely able to contain her shriek, and he has a much harder time holding back his laughter.

“I get it now,” he whispers, setting her down so she can look at him. “The very reason I started boxing in the first place...was because I needed an outlet for my anger, for my grief. But then it grew into something more. It gave me the ability to not only fight, but to protect.

Except for so long, I didn’t have anyone to protect. I have that now. I want to protect kids like Konohamuru. Give them a chance to channel their hurt into something good and strong. But more than that, Hinata, I want to protect you.”

“M-Me?” Hinata squeaks, face tomato-red.

Naruto nods and cups both her cheeks.

“Yes, you. The one who has stood by my side all this time, the one who understands and cares for me...the one I love.”

A/N: I apologize for the length, I got a bit carried away lol...But what can I say, boxer!naruto is my weakness!

[wordsandshawn]

AU: Uni Shawn - athlete/trainer

Requested: An imagine based on these bullet points with Shawn as a hockey player and y/n as a trainer.

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~~~

You grab the foam roller before re-entering the training room. Handing Steve the roller, you look around the room as a few more players are filing in, needing different things before they start to suit up and warm up for the game tonight. “You can go over there,” You tell him, pointing to the side of the room where he’ll be out of the way, so he can roll out his tight muscles.

He takes the foam roller from you, and says, “Thanks, y/n,” Before turning and heading over to the spot you told him to.

Now that he’s taken care of, you turn your attention to James who you noticed just walked in. “How’s your ankle?” You ask him, while motioning for him to take a seat on the table.

“Still sore,” He responds truthfully, while sitting down and lifting his foot up a bit so you can take a look. It still looks bruised.

“Have you been icing it?” You ask, and he nods. After moving it a bit, and taking into account his pain levels, you say, “It isn’t ideal, but I can wrap it, and you’ll be able to play tonight.”

“Thanks, y/n, you’re the best.” He tells you.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” You tell him then you walk to the cabinet to grab the pre-wrap and tape. While you’re digging through the cabinet, wondering what happened to all the pre-wrap, you feel someone come up behind you. A hand lands on your shoulder, and he presses a kiss to the back of your head before continuing on his way. When you turn around, Shawn is already halfway across the room, greeting Steve with a handshake. You just smile and shake your head at the fact that even after all this time, he still manages to make your heart speed up when he enters the room. Returning your attention to the cabinet, you finally locate the pre-wrap, and go back to James to wrap his ankle.

After wrapping James’ ankle, you notice Shawn is seated on the other trainers table, just looking at his phone. “Is there something wrong?” You ask him, wondering why he’s in here when you’re pretty sure he wasn’t injured or anything, and he should be in the locker room getting his gear on by now. He looks up at you and shakes his head, “I just wanted to see you,” He says, reaching out for you, but you don’t let him grab you or pull you closer to himself, “Shawn, I’m working,” You remind him, sparing a glance at the other trainers, but they’re both too busy to be looking your way.

“Yeah, I know, but,” He pauses, a small smile spreading across his face. “My wrist, it really needs to be wrapped.”

You roll your eyes at his antics, but you can’t help but give in. You quickly retrieve the rolls of pre-wrap and tape you were using earlier, and you hold out your hand for Shawn to place his in yours. He does, the warmth radiating from his large hand warming your cold fingers immediately. “Your hands are so cold.” He comments squeezing your hand in his.

“Its cold in here,” You defend yourself, and he just laughs as you begin to wrap his wrist.

After five minutes of wrapping his wrist and talking to him about nothing in particular, you’ve finished. “Go get ready now,” You tell him, “Good luck tonight babe, you’re going to kill it.”

“Thanks y/n.” He tells you. You want to give him a kiss for good luck, but you know better than to do that while you’re still on the clock, so instead, you just pat him on the shoulder and move on to see what Tony needs.

-

After you finish up in the training room, you walk out to the rink to see the players warming up. You stand on the side, watching them play. You’re lucky that you get to work as a trainer because you love watching hockey, and pretty much all sports, and you’re even luckier because your boyfriend is on the hockey team. This means you’re able to be at every one of his games, and you get paid to watch him play hockey.

After taking a few shots, he skates to the side where you are, “Can you help me stretch?” He questions, and you nod. It’s basically your job, and you’d much rather be helping him stretch than anyone else.

-

You always have one of the best seats for watching the hockey games because you’re on the bench. James had just gotten off the ice, and you’re checking in with him about his ankle, making sure it’s still okay. Shawn walks by, getting ready to sub in. He has both his gloves and his stick in one of his hands. As he passes you, his free hand brushes against your butt, lingering for just a second, making it obvious it wasn’t on accident. You just glance at him briefly, and then turn your attention back to James. Shawn always gets jealous when you’re helping the other guys, and you can tell by the smallest gestures, or the glances he shoots you. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you so much as he doesn’t trust most of them, and he just doesn’t like it that you have to touch them so much, even if it is your job. You end up joking with him about it, but he doesn’t normally find it as funny as you do.

After about ten minutes, the game has suddenly increased in intensity for some reason. You’re carefully watching the play, but you sort of wish you weren’t when you see Shawn take a big hit and go down. He’s extremely tough. He has to be since he’s played hockey his whole life. This means most of the times he gets hit, he just gets right back up, but that doesn’t happen this time. The ref calls for a trainer, and you’re on the ice, rushing towards Shawn before anyone else has a chance to even get to the opening. He’s writhing in pain, but he isn’t making a sound, and that’s how you know its bad. “Is it your shoulder?” You ask him once you’re kneeling above him.

He just nods. The other trainers have followed you onto the ice, and John, who is in his forties and has been doing this nearly as long as you’ve been alive, is trying to figure out what is wrong. You’re on the side of Shawn opposite of the shoulder he injured, so you unconsciously grip his forearm since you can’t hold his hand because of his glove. It only takes a few seconds for John to tentatively diagnose Shawn with a dislocated shoulder. You both help him up, being careful of his injured shoulder, and he skates off the ice, trying not to move his shoulder any more than necessary. Once you’re off the ice, John says that he’ll have to pop it back in because based on the pain Shawn is still feeling, it is still dislocated, and it isn’t good to leave it like that for long. Shawn takes a seat on the bench, and you sit next to him, probably too close for a trainer, but you don’t even care at this point. Shawn is in so much pain, it is breaking your heart, and you just want to hold him, but you know you can’t.

John pops Shawn’s shoulder back into place, and that helps with the pain. Although it is still hurting, you can see it on his face, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. You quickly get him ice, hoping that will alleviate some of the pain. Shawn insists on sitting and watching the rest of the game, although you can barely see anything else that happens because you’re too busy worrying about him. He says that if he doesn’t move it, then it doesn’t hurt, but that doesn’t really help to ease your worries much. You want to kiss him, to be closer to him, to make him feel better, but you can’t. You’re already sitting, as close to him as you can, and you don’t want to be unprofessional. Although you’ve already probably behaved in unprofessional ways, you couldn’t help it.

-

You enter Shawn’s apartment to see him sitting on his couch and working on a paper.  After you greet him, you ask, “How is the shoulder?”

“It’s the same.”

“Did you ice it?” You ask, and he just shakes his head. “What do you mean you didn’t ice it?”

“I forgot.”

“I texted you to remind you, twice.” 

“But I wasn’t home when you texted me.” He tries defending himself, but you just roll your eyes and head over to his freezer to grab an icepack. You place it on his shoulder, and he looks up at you, “You’re the best.”

“You’re an idiot, you need to take care of yourself.”

“I know babe, I’m sorry.”

-

It’s about an hour into the three-hour drive to the University that the team is playing at that night. You had stayed up most of the night before to finish a paper since you knew you wouldn’t be at class, but you had to turn it in before you left this morning. Because of that, you’re exhausted. You had been sitting with the other trainers and coaches at the front of the bus, but you stand up from your seat and head a few rows back to find an empty row. You sit down, and lean your head against the window. Just as you’re about to fall asleep, you feel someone slide into the seat beside you. There is only one person you want it to be, and when you open your eyes, you’re glad that it’s him because you wouldn’t want to have to make conversation with someone or worry that you’re taking up more than your share of space.

“Tired?” He questions.

You just nod, and he reaches out his arm, pulling you towards him. You let yourself lay across the seats, resting your head on his lap, and he gently rubs your shoulder. The sound of voices pulls you from your sleep. You can’t exactly identify who’s talking, but also, you don’t really care, you just want them to stop so you can sleep again. “Aww you guys are so cute.” The statement is sweet,  but you hear the teasing in Shawn’s teammates voice as he says it. 

“You’re whipped, Shawn.”

You feel his hand find its way back to your shoulder, gently rubbing it. “Shut up,” He tells them. “Go away before you wake her.” He whispers to them, and they tease him a bit more, but finally the bus is mostly silent again, and you fall back asleep.