staring contest. sanada shunpei

You never have any intentions for losing, ever. Not for school, not for sports, and not for games. Even trivial things like who can climb a tree faster or finish showering first got you riled up. It didn't mean you always won, though. No, far from that. To Sanada, your constant competitiveness is a little troublesome, endearing and amusing at the same time. 

He takes advantage of it lots. He'll challenge you whenever, knowing well you'd accept it. There's never a dull moment when Sanada is with you. You keep him on his feet, and your determination is seriously contagious.

So when he looms over your head with a smile while you're laying on his bed, you know what's up. You take your eyes off your book, lay it on your chest and peer up at him. There's a glint in his eyes as he stares down at your own, his forearms propping him up.

You don't exchange a word to each other. His angular eyes are slightly wider than usual, and you grin. Good thing you catch on quick, or else you would have blinked.

"Doesn't matter how spontaneous the challenge is, Shunpei. I'm gonna beat you anyway." You say, craning your neck up towards his chiseled features.

"But it's going to be my fifth consecutive win after this," Sanada says coolly, eyes unwavering. Your eyes are starting to feel dry already, but you have to win to reclaim victory.

"We'll see about that."

You can see that his eyes are studying your face, watching for a fault, trying to get you to lose your composure.

Truth be told, this is more difficult than you had expected. Staring wide-eyed like a freak while Sanada is up close and personal, that is. A faint scent of cologne and worn out deodorant from rigorous practice.

Being this near, you inevitably observe the lines and features of his face you never noticed before. His eyes have flecks of hazel, you note, as you raise your brows even higher to keep your eyes open.

A low chuckle leaves his lips and tickles your forehead. "Don't hurt yourself,"

It's not even his nonchalant, teasing tone that frustrates you. It's the fact that he's so damned good at this staring contest. Sanada has barely moved. His eyes are still set, unfaltering. You feel a sudden urge to clap in his face, but if you shifted even half an inch, you might just lose focus and blink.

"Not... Gonna lose," you manage to grumble through your teeth as your eyes twitch.

"Might as well just give it up already. What do you even earn from winning this, hm?" 

"I could ask the same thing," 

"One, this, is the closest distance we've been from each other. Two, I get to admire your pretty face up close." He says, tilting his head to the side with a coy smile.

Your stomach flutters at his confession for a milisecond. Then you sputter and jerk up from your laying position, clashing foreheads like they weren't hard as steel. The two of you let out a short yell before recoiling and holding on to your throbbing heads. Sanada couldn't even give one of his triumphant smirks. And of course, you blinked somewhere along the accident before him.

Now, the two of you have matching bumps on your forehead! 

Sanada leans back on his arms, throwing his head back in pain. The pitcher laughs feebly. "You are, quite literally, headstrong."

"You said that to win, cheater." You mutter into his mattress, clutching your forehead.

"Are you alright though?"

"Yeah. Are you." 

"I'm good."

He looks at you sprawled on his bed in utter defeat. A tender expression spreads across his face, and his lips split into a silly grin. He scooches over to you, ruffles your hair, and slides off his bed. Glancing out the window, he realizes it's gotten dark but he still hasn't showered yet. 

"It's gonna be hard to break my winning streak now, you know?" Sanada slings a towel over his neck. He doesn't even have to look back to know you're bubbling with rage. Sanada can almost predict what you're going to retort with. That just shows how well he knows you and acknowledges your nature. 

Your head jolts up. "Not as hard as your freaking skull! Go take your dumb shower and prepare for a rematch."

"As you like. Forgive me when you lose again!"