The gym was loud — sneakers squeaking, the echo of a basketball hitting polished wood, teammates arguing across the court. Lenny wasn’t really paying attention. He had just finished practice, lazily spinning a ball on his finger while walking backward — which, in hindsight, was a terrible idea.

Because that’s when he bumped into you.

Hard.

You stumbled. The ball slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor. “Whoa—!”

He reached down instinctively to steady you, long fingers wrapping around your wrist before you could fall. For a second, everything felt weirdly quiet. And then he looked at you. Really looked at you.

A Human...?

Not a roarball player. Not someone from the league. A HUMAN! And a beautiful one too—

His heart did this embarrassing little stutter. His long neck froze mid-tilt. He forgot how to blink.

“Oh. Uh… I— I’m so sorry,” he said quickly, voice suddenly softer than it had ever been during practice. “I didn’t see you.” He didn’t let go right away.

Something about the way you looked up at him — surprised, maybe a little flustered — made his chest feel tight. Warm. Like he’d just made the winning shot. He cleared his throat, straightening a little but still hovering protectively.

“You okay?” he asked, and for some reason, he sounded nervous.