âOrder when youâre ready.â
âlemme get uhhhhâŠâ energy
this is by far my longest one shot sooo
âWhat do you think would happen ifââ
ââŠI didnât even get to finish.â
âIâd rather you not honestly.â
âWhat? Itâs not gonna be bad or anything.â You try to hold back a laugh at the sheer amount of annoyance youâve given the man in less than thirty minutes of his workout.
He sets down the barbell he was benching and adds more weight to it. 25 pounds to be exact. He could really add 40 more but he didnât want to seem like he was trying too hard in front of you.
âIf any of your sentences start with âwhat ifâ I know itâs gonna be something outrageous hun.â He shines you a pretty, lopsided smile. One that meant his words hold no harm.
âSo you should be used to it. Anyways, like I was saying, what would you do if I slappedâholy shit are you benching 315 right now?â The last thing on your mind was your dumbass question.
Quite frankly, youâd already forgotten it after being so caught up in shamelessly ogling Kirishimaâs tensed muscles as he benched. Amidst the intense staring, you hadnât even noticedânor countedâhow many weights heâd actually been putting on. 315 pounds? Thereâs no way he could lift that much. He had to have been showing off. Yeah, thatâs it.
The sharp clang of metal meeting metal brought your focus back to the redhead as he set the last weight on the bar. âSpot me?â Of course youâd happily agreed and made your way behind the bar as Kirishima made quick to re-tie his hair in a neat bun. Heâd always looked so good with his hair up. Over the years, itâd grown long enough to tie back. But even having used box dye for years on end, his hair is beautifully kept. Shiny and soft, ends neatly trimmed and laid.
Making his way over to you, he leans his back against the cushion of the bench and plants his feet flat on the floor on either side of the seat for stability. He doesnât grab the bar yet but he does gaze up at you, his face upside down from your view.
âI know itâs a lot of weight but if I start sputtering and flailing just let the bar crush me.â
âThe hell? You know I could just slide the weights off right?â
âMmh true but I wouldnât want you to hurt yourself trying to save me. Hypothetically.â
âThat has to be the dumbest thing youâve ever said to me.â
âNow you know how it feels to be on the other end of a dumb question huh?â You give him the blankest stare you can muster.
âDo you want me to spot you or not?â
âNo wait please. I actually do need you to watch. Havenât benched this much since high school.â High school?
âKirishima what the actual fuck were you going through to be able to bench 315 in high schoolâŠâ
âI was in situations.â Silence.
âYup. Iâm legally bound to an NDA. Canât say much else babe. Ready to start?â Your expression is a mix between âwhat the fuckâ and simply trying to shake the odd conversation.
âYeah uhm. Go ahead I guess.â He grabs the excessively weighted bar and starts his reps. Up, down, up, downâŠupâŠup, down, up, down, downâŠ
Wait, how many has he done already? You were too busy gawking at the sight before you. Tanned arms packed and loaded with muscles from regular training. Scars and faint freckles littering his biceps from hours in the field. A death-like grip on the barbell, veins practically on the verge of bursting with each upward push of the bar. His face contorted in concentration. Bottom lip slightly reddened from his teeth as he bit his lip with strain to lift the weight. Forehead sparkling in the gym lights, liquid evidence of his fortitude and strength. It left his white tank glued to him like a second skin. And that damn manbun.
âLift.â Youâre brought back from your thoughts at his call to end his set. Your hands wrap around the bar alongside his to raise and set it back in its place on the rack above his head. He lifts his back off of the cushion but stays seated, using the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
âHoly shit that was heavier than I remembered. Did I slip on a wrong weight?â The corners of your mouth lift up in a small smile as you round the bench to stand in front of him.
âEven so, you could handle it. You did real good Ei. Barely had to help you.â
A shy smile graces his face. âAh please. I was just trying to make sure I didnât die in front of you.â Reaching down, he grabs a small towel near his right foot and starts to dab away the sweat from his face.
Itâs almost crazy how he can be so modest after having lifted the weight of a small refrigerator with his own bare hands. And heâs still got the nerve to be reserved about it.
âYeah right. Try tellinâ that to someone who hasnât seen you lift before.â A rough voice comes from behind you, lowkey scaring the shit out of you. You turn your head around and of course itâs none other than the walking ray of sunshine himself.
âYou mind alerting people of your presence before you just pop up outta nowhere?â You say.
âSounds like a personal problem. You should fix that.â Katsuki strides up to you both clearly worn from his workout. He gives you a blank look. You shake your head in dismissal and turn back to Kirishima.
âYâknow, heâs right though. You could probably bench a car easy.â Kirishimaâs eyes crinkle at the sides as he laughs at your comment.
âNah, no way! This was seriously challenging guys, trust.â
Katsuki butts in. He raises a brow, lips set in a straight line.
âNot even a Fiat?â You let out a choked snort, trying not to laugh at his confidence in Kiriâs manpower. Said man raises from his seat, standing to his feet in front of you both. Kirishima chooses to ignore his last question, greeting his long time friend by dabbing him up.
âDidnât know you were gonna be in the gym today man.â Katsuki shrugs nonchalantly, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his grey shorts.
âHad some free time. Thought Iâd come out and brush up on endurance.â His eyes flick from Kirishima to you. âHow long you two been in?â
You pull out your phone to check the time. Kirishima puts a muscular arm around your shoulder and dips his head down a bit to look at your screen. The time reads 4:24 PM. âJust a little over three hours. Why?â You both look back up at Katsuki, awaiting his response.
âNo reason. New smoothie shop down the street just opened. Wanna try it before they close.â
âNo reason,â my ass. This was his nonchalant was of saying âIf you guys are all wrapped up here Iâd love it if youâd make my day and join me for post workout drinks.â
Kirishima is the first to respond. His eyes are all aglow and his eyebrows raise in recognition at the mention of the new spot.
âAh, the one on Delview right? Near the old antiques shop? We should totally go! People have been saying itâs pretty good.â Katsuki gives a short nod and looks at you.
âYou in?â He folds his arms across his broad chest, raising a blonde brow.
Kirishima tightens his hold on you and looks down at you. The beefy arm draped over your shoulders now squeezing you into his side. His eyes light up even more than thought possible. âCâmon hun, Iâm wrapped up here anyway and if you are too we should go!â His gaze drifts back up to land on the man in front of him. âPlus, itâs been a while since the three of us got time to hang together.â
And thatâs how you three ended up in Katsukiâs black Jeep Wrangler with the windows down and Kiri on aux. Or at least he tried to be. After two overly cheery pop songs off his playlist played back to back, Katsuki demanded a change of tune or heâd âChuck the fuckinâ phone out the window and run over it.â Kiri settled for Yeat.
Pulling up to the drive-thru, Katsuki holds his foot on the brake, keeping the car still while he surveys the menu.
âItâs a fuck ton of shit on this menu. You two got any ideas what you want or what?â His eyes are still glued to the menu, squinting while trying to read the small print under the even smaller print. Kirishima leans over as he tries to read over Katsukiâs shoulder, his elbow digging into the carâs center console box.
âHmm. Honestly Iâll take anything with coconut in it. Or watermelon. Oh! Or those little spiky fruits with the white insides.â
âLychee?â You suggest.
âYeah, those! Theyâre so good hun. Have you ever tried oââ
âWill you two chucklefucks just pick already? Weâre holding up the damn line!â The blondeâs voice booms in the car.
You let out a short snort. âChuckle-whats?â
âI swear to god Iâm gonna drag you out of this fucking car if you donât quit,â he threatens through clenched teeth.
Kirishima thinks out loud, ignoring your banter. âEhh actually I think Iâll go with watermelon.â
âYou better make up your mind Red or you ainât gettin shit.â
âHe ainât gotta do a muthafuckinâ thing.â The blonde whips his head around to glare at you where youâre seated in the backseat.
âThe hell did you justââ
âWelcome to Smoothie King. How may I help you?â The butchered voice of an employee rings through the order speaker making you all go silent. Katsuki grumbles something under his breath at you before turning to face the speaker.
âGimme a sec here.â His right hand taps impatiently on the steering wheel. A crackle sounds from the speaker before the employee chimes in again.
âSure. Order when youâre ready.â Katsuki looks back to Kirishima with a vicious glint in his eye.
âHurry the fuck up Red or Iâm ordering for you.â Kirishimaâs teeth pull at his bottom lip before making a decision.
âRight. Uhh, Iâll take a medium smoothie. Half coconut, half watermelon and ask if they can drizzle some lychee syrup on top.â The look Katsuki gives Kirishima is so comically hilarious it takes everything in you not to lose your shit. He just sits there and stares at him. The left corner of his mouth is turned up and his eyebrows pinch in the middle to show an expression of âare you fucking serious right now?â
The silence is so loud itâs deafening. And poor Kirishima doesnât seem to get it. He adds on a forgotten âPlease?â as if thatâs what Katsuki was making that face for.
âAll that bullshit just to get all three fuckinâ flavors in the same goddamn drink,â he grumbles before looking at you in the rear view mirror. âCâmon shit stain. Order.â
âBitchâ yâknow what, never mind.â Choosing to ignore the rude ass name he spit, you tell him your order and sit back in your seat and wait. He sticks his head out the window and finally places your orders then pulls up to the first window.
Handing the cashier his card, he waits for the receipt to print up, taking back his card and pulling to the second window. The server brings out the drinks and hands them carefully to the onry blonde before he then passes them to you and Kirishima.
You both chirp out a brief thanks to the man before happily sipping your drinks. Left hand on the wheel, Katsuki makes a smooth turn out of the drive-thru before taking a sip of his drink held in his right hand. âYou two shitheads better be thankful Iâm generous.â You glare at the back of his head in disbelief.
âOf course man! Super nice of you to treat us today. Next time itâs on me.â Katsuki side eyes Kirishima, a little thrown from his comment.
ââNext timeâ? Hell no. Thereâs not gonna be a next time. You two idiots would lose your heads if they werenât attached to your shoulders.â
âAww câmon man donât be like that. We gotta hang out more. Right hun?â He turns around in his seat to smile at you in the back.
You chuckle and nod, tone sarcastic. âOf course Iâd love to see more of my best friends.â You hear Katsuki grunt from the driver seat.
âMânot your best friend.â Kirishima turns back in his seat to face front, brow raising as he speaks.
âYou act like you havenât known them since middle school dude. That sounds like best friends to me.â You snicker and tap Kiriâs shoulder to give him a hi-five, the slap resonating in the car.
His knuckles turn white as he grips onto the steering wheel at his wits ends. âIâm gonna kill you both.â You all made plans to meet up again later that week.