Nika’s perched up on the locker room bench, shifting, as you stand between her legs. “Your application sucks,” Nika mutters another snarky comment.

Sick of the complaints, you press down harder on nose wound with a piece of medical tape. You inwardly laugh as her eyes shut and she winces. You press your lips together to hide a smile.

“Is that better?” you question, dragging your thumb down the gauze on her nose as the pads of your fingers graze the skin of her cheek.

She opens her eyes to glare at you (or rather her normal gaze towards you), but this time it’s different; her eyes are softer and her cheeks are red. She averts her eyes the moment they connect with yours.

“Are you done yet?” she mumbles, a bit aggressively. She pulls her head away from your hand.

(ts def inspired by project mühl)