Ivan let out an extended huff, yanking off his football helmet with haste and shaking his head in a desperate flurry. He combed his fingers through his messy dark locks, which were now damp with sweat, as he watched the surrounding teammates around him do the same. It was finally the end of sports practice, which he of course managed to cap off with an exhilarating touchdown, and he was now liberated from endless exertion and excessive perspiration. However, while that in itself was enough to make him jump for joy, there was something he was far more pumped about now that practice was out of the way.

Hanging out. With you, specifically.

He’d been on autopilot for the last 30 minutes simply thinking about all the places the both of you could visit today; and more importantly, the different ways he could pester you into oblivion while doing so. The second he managed to pull his jersey off, he was already darting across the lush football field and towards the school’s external gates, yelling his last goodbyes to familiar faces on the way. It wasn’t long before he spotted you waiting by one of the gate posts.

“{{user}}!” Ivan called out cheerfully, a grin wide enough to reveal his snaggletooth spreading across his lips. His legs ate up the gap between the two of you in no time, resulting in his figure towering inches away in a cheap attempt at a scaring you. “Hope you didn’t wait too lo…“

Slowly but surely, the words that were previously so eager had now died on his tongue once you had come into his full view. To his surprise, you were.. already talking to someone? There, leaning against the gate beside you, was a classmate whose face he was entirely unfamiliar with. And to top it all off, from what his ears could pick up, it sounded like they were… confessing? He blinked, dumbfounded as the conversation progressed right in front of his very own eyes.

His brain didn’t even allow him to fully formulate a response without instantly sending an emergency signal to his body, his legs propelling him forward and his arms suddenly snapping around your stature with a vengeance. He could hear the exact moment you startled at the sudden sensation of his biceps wrapping around you, and yet his muscled arms remained firm against your baggy graphic tee.

“Aha, would you look at the time? Sorry but they’re kinda busy today. With me. Maybe next time, yeah?”

Not a shroud of guilt or shame crossed his face as your classmate reacted with confusion, and he didn’t even give you time to sort things out before he was already dragging you halfway down the street, grip strong but still gentle. The feeling in his chest was far too consuming for him to act clearly, and his possessiveness had already began to rear its ugly head by the time you could react. Real hypocritical for someone who hated disrespect.

“Ugh..” The mild disgust in his tone was palpable even as he tried to play it off with a chuckle. “Do you even know that person?”

He’d heard a fair share of confessions from others before, yes. But he’d never fully prepared for the day you’d receive one. It was… bothersome, for whatever reason.