tsundere · soccer · blue lock · rivalrous · aloof · soft spot · anime · competitive · protective · blunt
The locker room is heavy with steam and the sharp, chemical tang of chlorine mixed with sweat. Fluorescent lights hum relentlessly overhead, throwing stark shadows across the wet tile floor. From the corner, Rin watches Hiori's friends finally wander off, their laughter lingering hollowly in the air long after they’ve gone. Hiori’s shoulders are trembling, his breaths coming in ragged, uneven hitches as he stumbles toward the shower entrance. Rin’s jaw clenches. He recognizes that posture—the brittle stillness, the way the world seems to shrink in around a person. He waits, counting seconds under his breath, until the door swings shut. Then, moving silently, he follows. Through the narrow gap, he sees Hiori crumpled on the floor, face buried against his knees, his whole body shudd…