#sevenfivetwo

The thin strap was wrinkled and frayed at the edges from overuse and mindless fiddling. The buckle in the back was broken and slightly cropper-ish brown from nights under the rain. Lance traced a finger on the heart shaped pendant that hung in the very middle, a simple design that wasn’t meant to stand out, and it was suppose to be a sweet little present.

Lance had worn the choker so much so that it had become a habit. He had worn it every time Keith and Lance went on a “date,” which became a regular thing every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and the weekend. The early days of his and Keith’s relationship were bittersweet memories. Partly because it had started with a paid agreement, which made it hard for Lance to believe in Keith’s feelings for him sometimes.

Lance had been dating the aloof smartass for almost two years, and it was both unbelievably perfect and a living nightmare. Don’t get it wrong, Keith treated Lance like a damn queen, but it was almost too good to be real.

Lance often worried that he’d wake up one horrid morning to find himself in an empty bed with no trace of Keith. Lance had fallen hard for Keith, and that thought alone scared the crap out of him. All the messy dates, terrible kisses, awkward hand holding, and arguments the both of them went through meant as much to Lance as the cute nicknames, the anniversary dates, and the feeling of home in each other’s arms.

It was like a dream and Lance was scared to death about the cold bucket of water that’ll force him awake.

“Hey, babe.” Keith murmured, careful not to startle Lance even more than he has, and squatted down next to him. “I brought take-out on my way home. You’ve been craving the cheddar and broccoli soup from Paul’s Diner, right?”

It took a moment for Lance to fully come back to the here-and-now, to blink back unshed tears, to realize that Keith was there with him. It took him a moment, but when Lance felt Keith wrap his arms around his waist, it was like a rush of warmth that he clung toward.

Lance turned to face Keith, smiling as he cupped his cold face in his warm hands, bringing their lips together in a chaste kiss.

"I guess I did a good? What is it so I can do it again?” Keith smirked, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist. “Was it the take-out?”

Giggling and wrapping his own arms around Keith’s shoulders, Lance started peppering small kisses all over Keith’s face, “No, not the take-out. Just reminiscing and thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”

“Pretty sure it’s the other way around, but please don’t stop.” Keith mumbled as he became distracted by the gentle pull of Lance’s arms, and the warm lips.

Time passed as the two became engrossed in each other, Lance sharing small kisses just shy of suggestive and Keith submitting to the slow, innocent pace. It wasn’t until Keith’s back hit the wall that he remembered there was food going cold in the kitchen counter. Though reluctant, Keith pulled away from the addictive man he had grown to crave and said, “Food. There’s food we gotta eat before it gets cold.”

Lance gave in, his stomach choosing that moment to rumble, and stood up. He yawned and stretched his limbs as Keith stood with him. A clink caught his attention and Keith glanced down to find a familiar choker laying on the floor.

“Hey, I remember this.” Keith picked it up, fiddling with the ends, “It’s been-what? Two years? One and a half? Since I brought you this choker.”

                                                   ~Crush~

               Another day of vigorous afternoon practice had just finished and everyone was resting inside the clubroom before they all head home, most of them were busy doing their own thing and talking about almost anything. Imaizumi sighed, heading straight to his locker where he quickly grabbed his water bottle, mind blank from fatigue as he began to drink silently as he attempted to block out everyone’s conversation, but mostly, Naruko’s loud voice.

                This went on for some time, Imaizumi standing in front of his locker, back facing the rest of the team while the others conversed with whomever was willing to talk until he heard Naruko almost screaming about something incoherent due to what Imaizumi assumed to be utter excitement. Curious as to what prompted the already loud redhead to babble about something in a much louder volume, the dark-haired teen finally turned around, prepared to tell Naruko to keep his voice down only to find the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. Speechless and unable to look away, Imaizumi felt as if he was put in some sort of trance, a kind of spell that only Naruko could cast, something that only affects him. And the sudden thoughts that crossed his mind was of no help either. And at that moment, all Imaizumi could blame was the way the setting sun seeping through the club room’s window was shining almost perfectly on Naruko, the glowing orange light highlighting most of the sprinter’s features. Imaizumi was also convinced that the weird feeling stirring within him, causing the butterflies in his stomach to flutter and his heart to race, was all because of the way Naruko’s eyes light up with both joy and excitement, a wide toothy grin spread across his lips, the redhead flailing his arms with such energy that makes Imaizumi smile—not that he’ll ever admit such a fact though—silently commenting on how cute and adorable Naruko looks at the moment.

                Wait…

                What????

                Did he just thought about Naruko being cute…and adorable?

                Imaizumi felt heat rise to his cheeks, blushing as his already racing heart beat even faster at the realization of his own thoughts, his hands automatically moving to cover his face out of embarrassment. Wondering why he would think of such a thing, the all-rounder tried to look at anything but the redhead idiot, turning his head away slowly. It worked for quite a few seconds, until Imaizumi noticed that he was once again staring at Naruko who doesn’t seem to realize the eyes that was following his every move. Imaizumi tried to avert his gaze only to fail each and every attempt until it gotten to the point that he just gave up altogether. There was no point in trying to look away, he concluded, when every time he tried to do so, he always finds himself focused on Naruko, a little more than before. There was just something about the redhead, Imaizumi thought, which makes it extremely hard for him to ignore the flashy sprinter. He felt a certain pull, too strong to ignore, coming from the redhead that ignites something in him. Imaizumi had no idea what it was exactly, but it was warm and it makes him strangely happy, as if he was in love.

                …

                …

                …

                IN LOVE…

                It makes him feel as if he was in love…

                …with Naruko.

                Imaizumi’s face turned red again, this time, even darker than before. He didn’t know how to react, rather, he couldn’t think properly. His head was spinning and his heart felt as if it was going to explode…and yet, strangely, he wasn’t bothered by it, at all, as a matter of fact, his eyes automatically softened, a gentle smile making its way upon his lips. It was as if everything had finally fallen into place, as if all the puzzle pieces were finally placed where it should, because maybe, everything is how it should be. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t embarrassed though, but it wasn’t because of his new-found feelings for Naruko, mostly it was because of the fact that he still couldn’t look away, not when the redhead turned to give him a wide smile, the sprinter’s cheeks slightly tinged pink—and somehow Imaizumi knew it was a smile meant only for him.

              Not realizing he had spaced out—due to the fact that he was, kind of imagining what it would feel like to be with Naruko—Imaizumi almost jumped when Teshima slapped his back, the second year grinning cheekily at him, “Try not to stare at Naruko too much or he might melt.” Then added as an afterthought, “Oh, and Aoyagi says you should do something with that crush of yours.”

                Imaizumi tried to say something, but he was too flustered to do so, his face burning brightly until the heat rising up to his cheeks became too much and he fainted…