8

"WOOO! LEO! EARTH! LEO! EARTH! LEO! EARTH!" Fiat slides down his seat and covers his face as Ann and her friends grief him with their cheers. The group of five overpower the majority as their section alone garners everyone's attention. The competition part of the arena is similarly set up as the practice side to accompany many different games at once. It is their third game after winning their last and they move up the leaderboards. This game, if won, qualifies them for tomorrow's semi finals.

"Match point before the switch!" The ref calls out before checking if both parties were ready. With the sound of the whistle, Fiat groans in pain as the circulation in his arm ceases with the viper grip that Ann had on him. He repeatedly taps her hands to release him and she pulls away only to join hands with her other friend. First massages his forearm and intently watches the game. Leo and Earth are ahead, but it is obvious that the other team is playing with their stamina. The two have to prance around the court with a strong defense and it is taking a toll on them. Fiat straightens in his seat as he sees Earth falter. The teammates and audience stand as Earth bounces on his toes. He got the receive, but it cost him his ankle. Their coach calls for a time out and everyone huddled around him. The other team are in stifles and pass around low fives as if they have the game in the bag.

"How are you feeling?" the coach asks Earth who grits his teeth as the teams medical person, Earn tends to it. Earth denies his discomfort despite how obvious it was on his face. "The call is yours, Earth. You still have games tomorrow if you win this, or we can forfeit the team."

"I'll win this game. I'm not letting them have the satisfaction. I'll be fine for tomorrow. I'll rest it right after," Earth proceeds to push for the game. The coach instructs Leo to help cover  and watch Earth's right, where his sprained ankle is. A minute later, the team disperses and the players return to he court. First sets his jaw tight as he crosses his arms to watch the game. He does not even take the chance to sit down as he grows anxious. His hand stays covering his mouth as the game commences. Multiple times during the game, Earth is seen pushing his limits. Despite them winning the game and wiping off the smirks of the opposing team, their own teams morale is dampened. As the next players take the court, Earth, Leo, and Earn leave to the team section to treat the injury. Fiat pats Ann's shoulder and lets her know that he would check on them. When Fiat reaches them he hears Earth's strained voice, "It was worth it. Did you see their faces? They play dirty. They needed to be booted off the board."

"What a martyr, Earth," Fiat rolls his eyes and glances over at the bruising ankle. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. Earn tries her best to treat it with what they have by wrapping and applying an ice pack to it. Earth chuckles and says he should have his photo put up at the teams's trophy cabinet. "Yeah and say 'Biggest Doofus' for willing to sacrifice his ankle for the sake of fair games for other teams."

"Shut up! Not everyone is as nimble as you, Fiat! You should be the one having your stamina tested. You and Leo would kill that team in no time," Earth shoves at Fiat who chuckles. apparently he still has energy to fool around like this. Fiat glances over at Leo who had a hard look on his face. He was sweating, obviously drained from the game as well. "No seriously, if the other teams allow you to sub in for me if I can't tomorrow, you should take my spot. You and Leo played well together earlier. At least there will be a bit more to me sacrificing my ankle. Max and Mike could use a bit of humbling."

"Nah, this is you and Leo's win. You guys should start and finish this together. I'm just a singles player. I don't know if the other teams or the organization would allow it," Fiat shakes his head and pats Earth's shoulder. He checks his watch and lets them know that he will update the team and check on the game. Fiat leaves them in Earns hands and makes his way back out to the main arena. As he walks down the walkway, a hand catches his arm and he looks up to find Leo. They had not exchanged a word since earlier, so having Leo stop him with a bothered expression makes Fiat confused. "Need something, Leo? Did Earn or Earth need something?"

"No, they're fine," Leo shakes his head and Fiat waits for him to speak. Leo scratches his head and retracts his hand that was still holding Fiat's arm. "If I talk to coach and the teams and organization allow a substitute, would you be willing? You said you wanted to play doubles didn't you? We may not have days and hours of practice, but it's worth a shot. We both know Earth isn't standing back on court with that ankle this tournament."

"I'll be whatever the team needs me to be, but you and Earth went into the competition together. I don't want to overstep," Fiat was surprised by the offer. His answer was not a definite yes, but it put a look of relief on Leo's face. Fiat pats Leo's shoulder. "Hey, make sure to rest okay? You still have a game later. That one will take more energy out of you. Find me during lunch and let's gain some energy from the goods, okay? You played really well."

"Thanks. I'll talk to Earth and Coach about getting you as a sub. I might be with Earth and making sure he is settled before going for lunch. Save me a bag and a seat?" Leo requests. Fiat nods and continues his way out to the arena. Ann looks at him worriedly and Fiat first addresses the situation with the coach and team before plopping into the seat beside her. He lets her know what is going on and she deflates knowing that that Leo is troubled with an injured partner. Fiat reassures that there were still the singles category and she nods. Her group of friends are now more motivated to cheer him on even more to support him during his next game. Fiat can only shake his head. He is surprised that he actually feels a bit jealous with not having someone cheering him on like that, but he can only assume Ann will give him some encouraging cheers when he's up.

Just as planned, Fiat has to leave Ann for a moment as he joins his team for lunch. With an extra bag of lunch and an empty seat beside him, Fiat pulls out his sandwich and munches on it as he listens to music to prep his mind for his game an hour and a half later. His head shots up the moment there is movement beside him and he pulls out an earbud and asks about Earth. The two converse over the morning games when the Coach approaches them. "Alright, Fiat. You're in tomorrow for doubles. I want safe plays. I don't need another player injured. Both of you still have singles comp to win. Tonight I want you both to run drills before getting a good night rest. Fiat, you were late this morning. I don't want you drained for tomorrow morning games. I don't know what you do in the morning, but Fiat is now Leo's responsibility and Leo is Fiat's."

"Of course sir. I'll personally make sure that Fiat comes on time tomorrow, too," Leo answers while Fiat just nods his head without really knowing how Leo plans to do that. The coach leaves them to their meal and Fiat turns to look at Leo. Leo grins and takes a nice bite from his sandwich. "I told you I would ask about it. A lot of the other teams were happy that that one school got disqualified. A lot of them talked about how they have bad sportsmanship and purposely made some foul plays in a half in order to turn the game around in the second half. After a bit of deliberation and testimonies from some of the players, the entire team was disqualified for the rest of the tournament."

"I guess Earth really is the tourney martyr. It only took his ankles to do it," Fiat shakes his head. He pulls out two containers from his bag and sets it out in front of them. "Let's make this last and motivate us for tomorrow then, partner. Sorry, Pipsqueak. We'll need the extra goods."

"We'll make it up to her by winning. How crazy do you think she will be after finding out we are doubling?" Leo smiles wide for the first time since earlier this morning. Fiat unconsciously smiles himself as he sees it.

"Me joining is the least of her joy. She'd be slapping my back to tell me that I better give you a win and not drag you down," Fiat recalls the war huddle he left Ann, Fern and her friends in and shivers. He was glad to not be on the opposite end of that. "Be prepared later for some crazier screams and cheers later. I fear for the opposing player."

"Hey, she'll cheer for you too, no doubt," Leo attempts to ween off the attention he was getting from Ann and fiddles with the lid of the chocolate container. "Are you working at the market tomorrow morning?"

"No, so you really don't have to worry about me running late tomorrow," Fiat chuckles. Leo offers to pick him up and Fiat just raises a brow. He wonders if Leo lacks trust in him, but Leo quickly adds that he is offering because they can have more time to discuss the players they will be up against and review strategies. "Your call, Leo. Less stress for me."

Fiat checks the time and clears his things. He tells Leo he was going to walk around the practice area to help digest before warming up. He goes for a few laps before changing it up to a jog. "Oi, Fiat. Light game to warm up?"

Leo and Fiat grab rackets, a container of shuttle cocks and claim a court. They start a rally of alternating between short and long tosses. When they finally get warmed up, they head to the main area to watch a few of the games that have started before theirs. Ann and Fern wave them over and Fiat gives his seat next to Ann to Leo while taking the spot on the floor at their feet. Regardless of Leo being next to Ann and her squealing friends - sans Fern, Leo and Fiat were in their own little world again to point out habits people had in other teams in case they were to meet them in their lineups. Fiat was leaning against Leo's leg while Leo bent down for them to quietly talk to each other. Little did they know that their photos were being taken and chatter began to form.

Fiat's game came first and he wipes the bottom of his shoes and rolls his ankles around to loosen them a bit while stretching out his shoulders and wrists. To his luck, or lack of it, he versed Mike. The lanky man smiles wide across the court and wiggles his brows annoyingly. Fiat can only sigh to himself as he waits for the referee to go over the rules. As repetitive as it is, it is necessary for each referee to go over it to avoid future issues such as false claims that a player did not know the rules.

Tossing a coin, Mike gets to serve first. They stand on opposite sides, preparing for the start when suddenly a deep voiced cheer, followed by a few high pitched ones interrupt everyone's focus, including the referee's. Leo has somehow lead Ann and her group to a full on cheer for him and Fiat drops his head and covers his face in embarrassment. The referee blows his whistle at them and tells them to quiet down. They quiet down, but continue their cheers and the referee can only roll his eyes before checking if First and Mike were ready. Receiving two nods, another sound of a whistle and the game starts.

The game did not disappoint. The audience grew as even other teams have made their way over to watch. When they finally reach the half, both are drenched in sweat and the coaches agree to a mutual time out. Fiat collapses onto a chair and immediately is met with a towel to wipe off his sweat. He chugs water and tries to level out his breathing. While Fiat has his head lowered as he leans against his knees, his coach gives a rundown on how the game has been. Fiat and Mike were up at par with each other and it is a tough game to assume who will win. "Yo, Garfield! You better win this or else you aren't my best friend anymore!"

Fiat raises his head and gives his friend an incredulous expression. The seriousness and focus is gone as soon as she opens her mouth and Fiat takes a slow breath before cupping his mouth to respond back. "What kind of motivation is that, Pipsqueak!? Got anything better?"

"Win this and I'll buy you dinner tonight while we practice and bring you breakfast when I pick you up tomorrow morning!" Leo calls out and Fiat's brows raise. Now that sounded like a good offer. Fiat holds an 'okay' sign up and Leo gives Ann a high-five. Fiat chuckles to himself and shakes his body out as he stands. The break is over and he meets Mike at the center.

"Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Mike tilts his head with a crooked smile. Fiat's brows furrow and he shakes his head, denying both as he clarifies that they are just good friends of his. "No straight man can simply be friends with a girl and no bi or gay man simply accepts a date like that from another man. Who's got your eye N'Fiat? Either one is eye candy. Would you be so kind to let me have the other-"

"They aren't things that you just hand over, P'Mike. They are people who have a right to their own person. And if I had a choice, I would never let you have either. They're friends. Just focus on the game," Fiat grits his teeth. Mike knew how to push his buttons every tournament. Mike smirks triumphantly and twirls his racket around before walking towards the back of his side of the court. Fiat buffs and goes to his place. He was a point behind and he hated letting Mike have the upper hand. He wipes the bottom of his shoes and takes his stance as the referee blows the whistle.

Fiat collapses on the floor later that night and groans. He had the worst lineup possible for the first half of the tournament. He met both Mike and Max in his games while also playing other schools. Then after all of that, he is here at their campus gym to run drill with Leo who is just as drained as him. While he did not meet formidable opponents, he did have morning games. Fiat is not looking forward for tomorrow's games. "Remind me again why I agreed to this?"

"For the sake of the team and because it's me who asked," Leo mumbles from beside him. Both are laid side by side with their arms sprawled out beside them. It is almost midnight and they are already practicing for three hours now. "For the sake of our sanity and our muscles, let's call it here? Please? I beg you or else I don't think I will have enough energy to leave this place."

"Yeah, I'm beat. I can only imagine how you are feeling. Thanks for dinner. I expect an energizing breakfast in the morning," Fiat chuckles and Leo joins in as he is reminded of his bet for Fiat to win his game against Mike. "Oh, don't forget you'll also bring my breakfast for a week for winning against Max."

"Right, who knew free food was the best way to motivate you," Leo sits up and shakes out his hair. He turns towards Fiat who just rolls his head over to look at him. "Do you have fears of being alone? You seem like an independent person, but everyone fears being alone, right?"

Fiat turns away from Leo and stares up at the ceiling. A dark cloud passed over his eyes. Flashes of judging eyes and sneers greet him and he shuts his eyes tight as if it will make it go away. He feels a warm hand clasp around his and he takes a deep breath. When he feels himself calm he slowly opens his eyes and sits up, unable to look at Leo's face. "There is nothing wrong with being alone. Everyone and everything is temporary anyway. It's not like you can force people to stay."

Fiat stands and walks to grab his things only to have his hand taken once more. He clenches his jaw and wills himself to breath evenly. Leo's hand is warm and as much as Fiat wants to pull his hand away, he cannot help but feel happy to be held back by someone. "What if I ask you to stay? Not here physically, but beside me? Would you?"

"Doesn't matter what I do," Fiat finally pulls his hand away and takes his bag in his hand. He looks up at Leo with a hard expression. "People can ask or tell you how much you mean to them at one moment and then toss you the next. It's not worth dwelling over it-"

"But you dwell over it. Don't you? That's why you're building walls up this very second?" Leo's words stun Fiat. He feels exposed. Seen. Leo takes a step closer to Fiat who is rooted to the ground beneath him. "I may have learned a bit more about you than you know. I didn't mean to hear, but I did. I heard you talk with Ann. It's why you had the nightmare and why you ran out after our presentation, right? Is it also why your so against opportunists? Did something happen, Fiat? Did someone hurt you?"

Tears threaten to fall down Fiat's cheeks and Leo looks at him sympathetically. Fiat takes a sharp inhale before dropping his head as his facade disappears and his walls start crumbling down. His shoulder shake with every sob and he is slowly encased into a warm embrace. He is unable to utter a single word as cries escape his lips. Leo just rubs his back soothingly as he holds him against his chest. They do not know how long they stayed like that, but eventually Fiat grows even more tired than he was before and Leo makes the decision to drive him home.

Fiat falls asleep as soon as his back hits the seat and only wakes when a hand shakes him. His eyes flutter open to find Leo at his side, leaning down with the door wide open. Fiat blinks as he looks at where they are and he apologizes for falling asleep. Leo just smiles and offers a hand. Fiat groggily takes it with one hand while the other grabs his bag. His eyes are heavy and he does not realize why his hand felt so nice and warm as he walks into his building and up to his apartment. It is not until he tries to grab his key that he notices that he held Leo's hand the entire way. He immediately apologizes as he releases it and scrambles to find his keys. A low chuckle comes from the man beside him and he feels his neck and ears heat up. "Are your hands always cold?"

"Most of the time, unless I'm active," Fiat mumbles as he inserts his key into the lock. When he opens the door he turns to Leo. "Uhm, thanks for taking me back. You can just ignore what happened and forget about it-"

"I'll see you in the morning, Fiat. I'll be here early with breakfast. Don't worry about anything else, alright? Sleep well. We have lots happening tomorrow," Leo cuts Fiat off and ruffles Fiat's hair. Fiat just looks up at him with wide eyes. Leo smiles at him as his hand moves down from the top of his head to his cheek and rubs it with his thumb. Fiat opens his mouth with the intention to say something, but nothing comes out. "Sweet dreams, Fiat."

Leo drops his hand and steps away. Fiat stays at his door as he watches Leo take his leave. Fiat's eyes are trained at his back all the way until he turns at the corner. He blinks before biting his lip as the grip on his bag tightens. Fiat takes a deep breath and finally enters his apartment. With light steps, he moves around and showers before settling in his bed. He stares at the ceiling with thoughts whirling in his head before finally feeling the fatigue again as his eyelids grow heavy and he finally falls asleep.

*******

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

thoughts??

I honestly love the friendship between Ann and Fiat. Their dynamic is a complete tsundere vibe, meaning they are both cold and soft for each other. They tease each other and act like they don't care for them, but you can always depend on them to be on your side.

Does anyone have that kind of person that no matter how you end your last conversation, you kind of just continue the next one as if it never happened?

Fiat and Leo will be playing doubles together in a competitive setting for the first time next chapter. I wonder how perfectly they will work together considering how much they bond over strategies and easily filled in with each other during the practice game last chapter.

A lot of things happened in one day, don't you think? A whirlwind of emotions all the way until the end. Fiat breaks down in front of Leo for the first time. Leo broke down the barriers that Fiat was building right in front of his eyes. What really happened to Fiat in his past that he so helplessly collapsed into tears?

Can we hope for a different kind of support system that Fiat did not know he needed? Unknowingly, whether he blames the exhaustion or denies it completely, Fiat held onto Leo's hand all the way until he was at his apartment door. A place he calls his home. Home - a safe place for most.

And can we share some love for Leo. The man had so many things going on himself, yet is still concerned about Fiat. They were both exhausted by the end of the day, yet Leo took care of Fiat. He drove him home, gently woke up him up and walked with him all the way up his building and to his door. Leo could have easily let Fiat go after waking him or even driving him, but he stayed. He stayed until he knew Fiat would be okay.

—

Not even 24 hours later because I had the urge to write even before posting the last one. Also, felt like posting this early instead of waiting because of P'Alex's recent post of First's photos. He's honestly such a beautiful person. I want to know what made him smile like that. I mean look, isn't this just a beautiful sequence of photos?  Sometimes I want to thank P'Alex for her insomnia, but she needs more rest than anything especially when dealing with monkeys like this one >>>