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paperficwriter · 4 years

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I Told You That I Love You, Please Believe Me

I’M REALLY SORRY, OKAY.

(Some spoilers for the manga, but an alternate take) Ippo has started showing the signs of being punch drunk. He might be able to come back from it, but he can't do it alone. Luckily, Sendo has never planned on making Ippo do anything alone, if he has any say in the matter.

Cut is for length, not for content. Some reference to sex, but SFW.

Hey, I’m Sendo. Uh, Sendo Takeshi. I ain’t from around here, I’m a pro boxer in Osaka. But, uh, I’ve been here for a while now, so I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to be in this group, right?

Okay. Okay, good.

I’ve been, um...I’ve been here takin’ care of my boyfriend, Ippo. Aw, shit, fuck, am I allowed to tell you his name? Is this supposed to be one of the anonymous things? Shit.

...no? Okay. Phew. Alright, that’s good.

Anyway.

So like I said, been here for a while. I was supposed to be jumpin’ into my first bout of the season, and the night before I get a call from his ma. ‘It’s about Ippo.’ And my heart sank so hard. In those three seconds, I thought, this is it, this is the call, there was an accident or someone hit him the wrong way, he’s paralyzed, I lost him, what the fuck am I supposed to do now.

But then she starts talkin’ about therapy and meds. And she’s goin’ on about he ain’t doin’ so well with it, and they basically told him he ain’t allowed to come back to the gym without a note from the doctor. But he still keeps tryin,’ and the last time that piece of shit Takamura hit him. Not, like, on purpose I guess but the guy’s an asshole, so. There ya go.

And she goes, ‘I don’t want you to feel like you have to come, but I don’t know what to do with him. He’s so upset and mad, and the meds help but sometimes he won’t take them.’ She’s cryin’ her damn eyes out, and I stay on the phone with her for two, three hours. I’m supposed to get at least eight or nine hours before a match, but...well...that wasn’t happenin.’

And not only that, but...I stayed up longer, thinkin’ over all of it. I was like, what would that be like for me, huh? What if someone told me I couldn’t even train, let alone fight, and all I had was a bunch o’ punch-drunk fuckin’ energy to kill and nowhere to put it, and I just…

God, Coach was pissed. He was all, “Think about what you’re doing, Sendo! Do you think Makunouchi would want this? He’d want you to keep fighting and doing what you do!”

I just...went off. And I feel bad, ‘cause we haven’t really talked since, and I know it’s probably ‘cause he had to find someone else to fill my spot, or do all the paperwork, but I’m not stupid. I screamed at him. Told him, “This ain’t about what Makunouchi thinks! It’s about what I think! If I leave him all alone to deal with this by himself, I’m a fuckin’ piece of shit, and I don’t deserve him.”

And I left. Packed as much as I could, since I didn’t know when I’d be back, took the first flight, and the train, and I was there the next day.

You would think I was the Buddha himself, the way Ma Makunouchi looked at me when I got there. Hell, she already had a room set up for me where they normally kept fishin’ gear. I wasn’t gonna say that I would probably be in Ippo’s room a lot, but…

I asked where he was and she said he was sleepin,’ ‘cause he did sleep an awful lot when he took one particular med. I probably got everything unpacked before she went out grocery shoppin’ and I finally let myself into his room. I laid down next to his futon, and he didn’t even stir. It was crazy. I had probably been there five hours, and I wasn’t bein’ loud on purpose but I ain’t good at bein’ quiet.

Finally he wakes up, and he blinks at me, and holy shit, he just launches himself at me. He does that sweet goofy squeal of his, all, “Sendo-saaaaaan!” and he’s huggin’ and kissin’ me and I’m like...this is my boy, ya know? This is Ippo, he hasn’t changed, this is gonna be fine.

...fuck, man. It was...just...it got hard, okay?

Because the next morning, maybe two days after that, he gets up, gets his sweats on and all, and I think… okay, maybe he’s going for a run. But then he looks at me, big and bright and smiling. “You’re going to help me get back into the gym, right?”

I got all queasy. Not good. I tried to kind of laugh. “What? Nah. Ippo, ya can’t go back to the gym yet...I can’t give ya a doctor’s note, ya know?”

And he got...really mad. Like, madder than I ever seen him. He starts stormin’ around, even knocks over this stack of magazine. “I thought you wanted to help me!”

I’m all, “‘Course I do. Babe, I’m here, it’s gonna be okay.”

“What are you going to do, then? Just sit inside here and babysit me when my mom’s not around. Is that why she called you?”

I...I fuckin’ blanked out. What was I supposed to say to that? I tried to give him a hug, but he shoved me and stormed off. Down to the beach. And I sat there and stared at him, because he just went down there and sat, and I didn’t know what to do. I felt so damn powerless. And I don’t...I’m...I’m not used to feeling like that.

He came back a bit later, and honestly it was worse, because I was watchin’ TV, trying not to think, and he busts in sobbing. And he wraps his arms around me, and he’s cryin,’ and he’s beggin’ me not to leave, that he’s sorry, that he doesn’t know what happened. And I tell him, “I ain’t leavin,’ okay? Don’t cry, Ippo. S’okay. I know it ain’t your fault.”

He takes the meds and goes back to sleep for, like, hours and hours. I just sat there with him. Think I read five books, and I ain’t exactly a readin’ type.

That next week, we did some other stuff, and it was good, ya know? We did couple-y shit. Went out to movies and had some food. We did all this touristy shit that Ippo had never actually done, ‘cause with his ma always workin’ and whatnot, and not havin’ his dad there, all he did was school before boxin.’

We, uh...listen, we’re all adults here, so I think I can tell ya that we tried to be...ya know...intimate, yeah? But the meds...fuck, he got so upset because he couldn’t really...um...we just couldn’t do it like we used to, ya know? And I remember this one night, he looked up at me all pouty - I felt so bad, because I knew he was upset, but he was fuckin’ adorable - and went, “Is it okay? Do you not want to be with me anymore? If I can’t do it with you?”

I gave him the biggest hug, and we just stayed there like that in the futon, with me strokin’ his hair and rubbin’ his back. Kissin’ him. Holdin’ him. Tellin’ him how I didn’t care about that shit, that it was fine, that it would get better and that we could try as much as he wanted, and we’d have all the other stuff, and I think I told him a hundred times that it didn’t matter to me.

Heh...then he really gave me a punch when I told him that his ma would probably be relieved we were keepin’ our hands to ourselves.

So.

They kept changin’ his meds. They’d get him into different therapies, and there were all these pills and brain scans and shit. And they said it was helping, that he was getting better, overall, but that it would still be a long road.

He continued askin,’ every time, to every person who would see him, “Can I box again?”

And they tell him not yet. Every time, and he’s just. A mess. Goes home to the beach and cries and I’d sit by him, and I’d tell him I was there, and he’d just...look at me. And I could tell he wasn’t sayin’ it, except with his eyes, that it wasn’t enough, that there was nothin’ I could do.

There was one pill they gave him that got him real fuzzy, and I...that was the worst, I think. Other than what came later.

He was in this fog, and shaky, and I found him outside staring at the leaves as they were falling. He was trying to catch them. Nothin’ crazy, just...reachin’ out for them, and he’d overshoot, or he’d come up short. And I come out there and I ask him, “Whatcha doin,’ Ippo?”

And he looks at me. Looks at me like he doesn’t quite know it’s me, and I can’t tell ya how I nearly fell over when he said, “Oh, Sendo...I...I thought if I...caught enough, they might tell me I could come back.”

I went out drinking that night. Alone. After he was asleep, and his mom was asleep, I just. Went down to this bar I knew was open and I started drinking. And I started doing that a couple of nights a week. And then it became most nights a week.

He caught me, though. Once. And once was enough, because he thought I was… thought I was seein’ someone, and he was so...him about it. “I get it! We’re young, right? It makes sense! You just do what you need to. I love you, Sendo.”

It hurt so fucking bad, because he kept sayin’ it. Sendo. Sendo. He never called me Takeshi anymore, and it killed me.

“There ain’t nobody else,” I tell him, shaking him a little, because I was still tipsy. “There ain’t never gonna be nobody else but you, hear me?”

He goes, “You don’t have to tell me…”

I yelled at him and said there was nothin’ to tell, and I said I was at the bar, and that...I wonder if that was worse. He got real quiet, and I felt like such a shithead, like I was wasting this one fucking lucid moment. And he said, so damn sad, so defeated. “Because of me.”

I...don’t really remember how the rest of that night went. The conversation kinda died. But I did stop goin’ to the bar mostly. Which was rough at first. I was sick.

And then there was the night of the storm. I just...I remember everythin’ about that night. It had been cool all day, and we could see the clouds roll in by the evening. His ma made Ippo’s favorites, because whenever he asked for ‘em, she did. He seemed real, real good. We were talkin.’ It was nice.

We went to bed early. He was tired, and after dinner he had gotten kinda low on mental energy too. We fell asleep together, and after a little bit, the storm hit. Usually I can sleep right through that shit, but that night...I woke up. I’m fucking glad because I always feel like I’m gonna throw up when I think, what if I didn’t?

Ippo was gone. I look all around the house, everywhere. I don’t wake up his ma yet. Don’t wanna panic her.

But I get outside, and I just make him out, since the big light stays on outside.

He’s on the boat.

He’s standin’ there, swayin.’ Hell, he looks half-asleep himself, and he’s goin’ through all these motions: liftin’ anchor, headin’ to the ropes, and the whole boat is rockin.’ And I call out to him, and he looks up at me.

And I see him fall.

I know...what happened, after that, in a general sense. But at the time, it was like I was seein’ it all from a camera on the back of my head. I ran and jumped over the side, into the water. I feel it pulling me, and I fight it, choking. And somehow, Ippo is floating, and I grab his shirt, and I start swimming. As hard as I can, rain pourin’ down into my eyes with the seawater, and eventually there’s just...it gets more shallow, and I’m crawlin’ on all fours onto the beach.

The only reason I can see him is because of the lightning. It’s so wild, and real, and he’s blinking up at me, right before I hurl an entire fuckin’ ocean amount of saltwater. And I yell, I’m like, “What were ya thinkin’?! What were ya gonna do, huh? Were ya gonna just go?!”

“I...I don’t know. I don’t…” His face gets all screwed up and he’s crying. “I don’t know...I don’t remember…”

We don’t get up and go until the storm stops, and we track in all this mud and sand. I remember bein’ at such a loss over everything that that makes me feel the guiltiest. That we’re messin’ up his ma’s place.

I get him in the shower...we’re in the shower together...and he says to me, and it ain’t the first time, but it is different, he says, “I really...I really need your help, Takeshi.”

And I hold him so tight, and I tell him I ain’t goin’ nowhere. Not now. Not ever.

...and that was last week, so…

I guess that’s how I’m doing.

---

Six months later:

“How was group?”

He’s waiting outside with a bag of the candy Sendo likes. He smiles his dopey Makunouchi smile, and Sendo kisses him before he answers, “It was all right. How was therapy?”

“It was good. I like this new one. She listens, and she’s given me a few new things to do without messing with my medication. And they said I could start running again, along with the thirty minutes a day.”

“Hey! That’s great, babe.” He picks up his hand and kisses that too. He nuzzles the ring on his finger, rubs his palm. “We can get back into it tomorrow, if ya want?”

He smiles. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. It’s been a while. And I thought maybe we could see if the guys want to do karaoke?”

“Oh god.” Sendo groans, taking one of the candies out. “They’re just gonna wanna do that one obnoxious song over and over…” He eats it, and then fishes out another and feeds it to him. He blushes. God, he’s cute.

“But that’s okay, right?” He rubs up against his side until Sendo puts an arm around him. “You don’t mind?”

Sendo buries his face into the top of his head, nodding, breathing him in. “Nah. Don’t mind at all.”

#my paperfics #hajime no ippo #ipposendo #ipposendou #makunouchi ippo #sendo takeshi #sendou takeshi #angst #so much angst #mental instability #mental health triggers

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paperficwriter · 6 years

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Got Your Back

This is a request I wrote for @a-strange-1ne, who requested some of that sweet, sweet Ipposendo. Today’s special? Greaser/preppy!AU. And I was happy to oblige. Thank you again!!

Cut is for length, not for content.

“C’mon, Makunouchi, get back in the car!”

Ippo focused on the road in front of him, trying not to seem as nervous as he felt about Takamura’s red Mustang slowly rolling beside him, following him down the twisty hillside road. What was he doing out here, anyway? Takamura had invited him out for a soda at the diner, and that was fine and all, but...geez! He was a university senior, and Ippo was only just starting sophomore year after transferring, and --

The car horn beeped and made him jump. “I was just messing around! It’s five miles back to town! Let me give you a lift!”

“I can manage it!”

Messing around, he said. Messing around and taking him home on the “scenic route,” pulling up to that make-out spot and grabbing his thigh, boxing him in with his big arm against the door, the sensation of his curly pompadour pressing against his head being the one thing that finally brought Ippo back to reality so he could open the door and jump out. He was so stupid!

“Last chance, kid! I’m not playing around out here all damn night!”

“Then go!” Ippo didn’t actually think Takamura would try something again - or at least he liked to think that - but getting back into the car with him...he was already embarrassed and angry and it was bad enough this was probably going to get around campus.

“Fine!” Takamura roared as loud as his engine, and the wheels of his car picked up dust and gravel as he sped off. Ippo could barely make out something he said, something that sounded like…

Prude.

“I’m not a prude,” he said to no one, coughing as some of the dirty air got stuck in his throat. His eyes stung, and as Takamura’s car disappeared in sight and sound, he gazed down at the twinkling lights of the city below, the shimmer on the water past the beach. Folding his arms over the chest of his cableknit sweater, he started the long walk back.

After only about fifteen minutes, Ippo’s calves started to ache. It wasn’t even that it was that bad of a trek but the slight incline combined with the fact he wasn’t wearing any of the right clothes? Loafers and slacks were not ideal for this…

He should have just stayed in his dorm.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ippo started to shake. Not dramatically, but enough to let him know that something other than a car was making its way down the road. He stepped back and waited for whatever it was to come by, making sure he kept his distance. There were only occasional streetlights, and the last thing he needed to finish this night was to either cause or be in an accident. The noise of an engine got louder as it was revved right before the motorcycle was driven into view, a small black bike with a single rider in jeans and a leather jacket. For a moment, the scene seemed to slow, and Ippo could swear that somehow he was able to make eye contact with the person on the other side of the shiny helmet.

He knew it was going to stop even before it actually did, creating a single track in the dirt on the road’s shoulder. As Ippo watched muscular legs that still straddled the seat dance the wheels back, he thought maybe he should run. Or at least keep walking. And yet all he could do was stand there, playing with his fingers, as the person booted the kickstand and finally came over to stand in front of him.

Words from the other side of the helmet were too muffled to make out.

“Sorry, I...I can’t understand you,” Ippo said, shrugging. They were taller, broader, and he figured it was a man based on the shape, but it had been a weird night anyway, so…

A hand raised to flip the visor and opened it. The eyes that gazed out at him were dark but bright, attentive, and for some reason it reminded Ippo of some wild cat. Which, frankly, he would have been less nervous about running into at night like this, compared to the stranger. “I said, do ya need a lift?” a deep, accented voice gruffed at him.

“Oh! Um. No. No, thank you. I’m just going to walk.”

For a second, the eyes took him in, up and down (and Ippo was fairly certain that any crinkling at the corners was definitely his imagination, couldn’t be a smile, why would he be smiling?), and then glanced down the hill and finally behind them. “S’gonna rain, ya know. No way ya won’t get caught in it before it starts, walkin’ back to town. Where ya headed? The university?”

Ippo nodded as he followed his gaze back up. Sure enough, storm clouds were building in the distance, lightning arcing between the gaps. He didn’t want to get sick, not this soon after classes started, but he didn’t want to end up in another precarious situation. A situation that his own stupidity had put him in. But…

“Hey.”

When Ippo turned again to see the biker, he had taken off his helmet completely and…geez, he was something else. Tan with dark hair that he ruffled until it looked soft and messy. Sharp teeth, but not scary sharp. And when the guy smiled, Ippo swallowed, and he could swear the lump in his throat went all the way to his toes.

“Name’s Sendo Takeshi. You?”

“I’m...Ippo. Makunouchi Ippo.”

He nodded and pursed his lips before holding the helmet out to him. “Did ya have a rough night, Makunouchi?”

“Yeah...that’s putting it lightly.”

“Listen. I’m gonna feel like an awful guy if I just let it get worse, okay. So if ya let me, I’ll take ya home. Just to the front door, yeah? No funny business, I promise.”

Ippo took the offered headwear and held onto it tight. There were a hundred and one warning alarms going off in his brain about strangers and getting into cars with them, although to be fair he had given Ippo his name and this was a motorcycle, not a car, so… He smiled just a little. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to die, all that good stuff.”

His cheeks warmed as he put the helmet on and snapped it under his chin. It was a little big, but they weren’t going far. “Aren’t you worried about something happening if I’m the one with the helmet?”

Sendo chuckled, scooting forward as Ippo swung a leg over the back of the bike. “Guess that just means you’re gonna have to hold on real close and tight so that skull o’ yours takes most of it.” Did he just squeeze his arm? “If we go down, we’re goin’ down together, right?”

“Heh...yeah, I guess so…”

Ippo had expected the motorcycle to take off like a horse. That’s what it looked like in the movies, after all, screeching and rearing up on one wheel. Instead, it was smooth, the wind creating a wild bluster through Sendo’s hair. As he squeezed his waist and tried to stay still, he wondered how warm he was under his jacket, what he had in his pockets, what kind of soap he used. Where had he come from? Where was he going?

Was this going to be the last time he saw him?

The ride was over before he knew it, and Sendo hopped off with his hands down on the front of the bike and his legs going over, like a gymnast clearing a wooden pony. He took Ippo’s arm and pulled him off. This was it. He was going. He would be gone in seconds. Say something, Makunouchi!

“Thank you. For the ride.”

“You got it.” Ippo gasped as Sendo’s hands went for his cheeks, but then hoped he didn’t notice, because it was just to pull the helmet off his head. Sendo rubbed his nose and gave him a lopsided grin. “Gonna be okay from here?”

“I think so.” They stood. And stared. “Are you just...passing through, or…?”

“Was on my way home, actually.” Please be here, please be here, please be here. “My Gran’s auto shop’s right down the road.” Ippo must have made a heck of a face because Sendo laughed. “She don’t exactly work there nowadays, but I do.”

For a second, Ippo was relieved. An autoshop! He could just...then, his heart sank. “I don’t have a car...I don’t even have a bicycle.”

“You can come by anyway!” His invitation was yelled, ecstatic, and any insecurity was chased away by it. “Come have lunch with me tomorrow, yeah? Gran made so much dim sum tonight that we got loads of leftovers!”

“But...but I should be the one treating you! You’re the one who saved me!” Oh God, had he actually said that? Flames erupted in his face, and he smothered them with his hands. “That is...I mean…”

“Hey, it’s okay! I was happy to do it!” He could hear Sendo raking through his hair again. “‘Sides, I ain’t got many friends in this town, so it’s payback enough jus’ to see ya again.”

Friends. Of course. Not that there was anything wrong with that! Just…

Then, Ippo shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts that threatened to ruin this sweet few seconds. It was fine. All of it was just fine. And he gave Sendo his biggest smile.

“Okay! I’ll be there!”

---

“Takeshi! Is that you?”

At the sound of his name, Sendo figured there was no point in being quiet, so he dropped his helmet and keys on the kitchen counter with a crack. “Yeah, Gran...s’me.” Yup, just me, ruining my damn life one stupid move at a time… Friends! Why did he say that?!

When he opened up the fridge to take a drink of orange juice straight from the carton, he heard her voice crackle. “I know you had a bad night, but in this house we use glasses.” He rolled his eyes. “And we do not make nasty faces at our elders.”

“Seriously, Gran, are ya sure ya ain’t a spy or somethin’? Is the auto shop some kinda front?”

“I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you. Come give me a hand, would you?”

Sendo walked into the garage and then broke into a run as an engine block hung precariously over his grandmother’s head from a chain. “Gran! I told ya not to handle the heavy stuff when I’m not here!”

The small woman gave him a sour look and shook her head. “I’m not trying to lift it. It’s perfectly secure.” She smacked it several times with her multitool, setting it swinging, and Sendo held out a hand to stop it. “See? It’s fine. What has you all riled up tonight, huh?”

And it was only after she let him lower the engine to the large crate on the floor that he told her. About the man on the side of the road. About giving him a ride home. And…

“I think I’m in love with this guy.”

And then Gran laughed at him. “Takeshi, you fall in love once a month. You fell in love with that pizza delivery boy.”

“But I’m serious this time! I invited him to come over tomorrow.”

“Oh my, that is serious. I better bring out the good china.”

“Gran. What if he doesn’t come? What if I never see him again? What if he thought I was some biker weirdo that’s tryin’ to make him join a gang and he calls the cops?”

“Again, it would not be the first time.” But when Sendo put his head into his hands, the old woman reached over and patted the top of it, shaking his knuckles gently. It left black smears from the automobile’s many sundry fluids. “Takeshi. If you like this boy, do what all those rock stars and movie cowboys do and...be a man.”

Sendo looked up at that. “Seriously. That’s your sage advice.”

“I’m not saying do it all the same way that they do, boy. You don’t need a horse or a guitar. Because being a man isn’t just cool hats and hip thrusts.” He really wanted to pretend he didn’t hear that part. “It’s about being straight with him. Telling it like it is. Treating him well.”

“Okay.”

She went on, ignoring him. “Getting him to eat my cooking without sass talk. Introducing him to your aging grandmother…”

“Okay, Gran, I got it.”

Be a man.

Sendo kept thinking about that the rest of the night until the following day. It wouldn’t mean anything if Ippo didn’t show up, and he half-expected that. Would Sendo have gone to visit some random guy on a bike that had given him a ride all of once? No way. So it wasn’t like he could get mad if Ippo was the same way.

By ten to twelve, he had already given up for the most part, until a loud, echoing knock made its way through the garage. He walked over to the side door and peered out, only to see…

“Holy shit, ya came!” he said, exploding out into the afternoon air. Immediately, he regretted it as Ippo held up the small package he was carrying in two hands, yelping. “Sorry! I jus’...I wasn’t sure…”

“We said twelve, right?” The other man suddenly grabbed at the watch on his wrist, panicky. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Nah! You’re perfect!” Perfect. Was that what he wanted to say? As pink rose up the rims of his ears, he pointed at Ippo’s hands. “Wassat?”

“Oh! I stopped by a sweet shop and picked up some cake! I hope that’s okay. I know you said you wanted to take care of lunch, but I had to do something to thank you for getting me home.”

Be a man.

“Yeah, well.” Sendo jutted his chin out as he popped the collar of the jacket he was wearing. He hadn’t thought that would be weird, wearing his leather in the garage - why would it? It was cool - but now it did seem like he was on his way out. Should he take it off? Nah, too late. He couldn’t turn back now. “Ain’t no big deal or nothin.’ I give rides to guys all the time.”

The words sounded a lot better in his head, especially when Ippo’s face fell to the floor, and Sendo very, very quickly wanted to die. “Oh...you do?”

“Not like that! I ain’t easy!”

“I would never think that! Me neither!”

“Good!”

Sendo was panting. Oh God, he had to save this. Luckily, though, Ippo looked around the open floor, just as obviously needing some other topic, and he settled on the punching bag suspended from the ceiling. “Sendo-san, are you a boxer?”

Be a man. Yeah! What could be more manly than boxing?

“Yeah! Featherweight. Do you?”

“No, but I’ve seen a few matches.” He smiled shyly, putting the cake down so he can press his hand against it, moving the bag a little, and Sendo walked over to brace himself against the opposite side.

“C’mon. Give it a real hit.”

“No, no, that’s okay…”

“Do it! Square up, pull back and then step in. Tighten your fist and use your hips, yeah?”

Ippo’s eyes sought his from under his bangs. Man, he was cute. The cutest guy he’d ever seen. “If you say so.”

Sendo smiled as he loosened up a little bit. What he was expecting was that Ippo would give it a dull little punch and then he’d walk over and really show him how it was done. Then, he could have him come back. Have little lessons. Chat. Badabing-badaboom.

That wasn’t the reality at all.

The reality was that Ippo stepped in and gave the bag the hardest punch he could muster. He followed Sendo’s directions so well that he even followed through, sending the bag straight into Sendo and knocking him off his feet until he crumpled to the floor, the room spinning.

“Sendo-san! Sendo-san, are you okay?!”

Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the situation. Maybe it was the fact that everything kept turning around on him. Or maybe it was that this preppy kid from the college was proving to be more of a man than he could ever be. Whatever it was, Sendo’s shoulders started to shake.

“Sendo-san...are you...laughing?”

Not just laughing. Sendo snorted. He kept laughing so hard he couldn’t even get back up to his feet. Then, it spread to Ippo until he plopped down on the floor next to him, chuckling into a hand that was become more and more swollen. And perhaps it was the fact that they were in this together now - or ‘on this’ as it were, the greasy floor of the garage - but Sendo’s nerves melted away, and he reached out for Ippo’s bruised hand.

He was surprised when the other man let him take it.

“S’gonna need some ice.” Ippo winced as he prodded at his fingers, making sure it wasn’t broken. “That’s a hell of a straight left ya got there, Makunouchi.”

“Y-you think so?” Sendo finally stood and carefully lifted Ippo back to his feet. He didn’t pull his hand away, and Sendo didn’t let go. “Maybe you can show me some of your moves too. After that ice, I mean. And lunch?”

Sendo grinned. “Sure.” Be straight with him. “Can we call it a date?”

Ippo stared, not even long enough for him to start worrying before the widest smile, even bigger than the one the night before, split across his face. “Definitely!”

They kept holding hands all the way to the kitchen.

#my paperfics #hajime no ippo #ipposendo #ippo makunouchi #makunouchi ippo #takeshi sendo #i love them #so much #the boys #what good dudes

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