A/N So hey, I know I have a lot of other fics I need to work on and update, buuuuut stuff happened, so have this Eyeshield 21 fanfic, starring a fem!Sena and me actually doing romance right from the very start!
Whoops!
Anyways, keep in mind I have another Eyeshield 21 fem!Sena fanfic in the making that I consider the main fic, which this is not, but this fic is kinda connected to that and, for the most part, this fic is just here because I am shipping trash. And so is my friend, XenoTranceR, who is co-writing this story with me (even though I'll be doing all the writing while he'll be doing all the art—yeah, there WILL be art).
Disclaimer for the entire story: I don't own Eyeshield 21 (nor does XenoTranceR) or anything related to the franchise. We are in no way Riichiro Inagaki (writer) nor Yusuke Murata (illustrator).
XenoTranceR and I just have so many Eyeshield 21 feels that we just had to do something about it. So have this fic that'll consist of multiple one-shots, which will consist of many things that we felt wouldn't fit into the main fic that'll be put up sometime this month (hopefully).
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Information regarding this one-shot:
This takes place just a few days before the game between the Deimon Devil Bats and the Hakushuu Dinosaurs. It's also through Hiruma's perspective, so yeah…oh, and there be ShinSena, so have fun with that!
One-shot also inspired by a suggestion from firebirdeternal on tumblr.
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Hiruma Yōichi was aware that he was staring. He was aware that he was staring when he should have been more focused on actually observing the situation before him involving Shin Seijūrō and Kobayakawa Sena. They were on a date—a date that Hiruma had absolutely nothing against because it wasn't any of his business to dictate what the fucking chibi did (even though he had no qualms about spying on her, but that was something else entirely for the sake of Hiruma's threat book). If anything, Hiruma was still baffled that Shin actually managed to ask Sena out on a date.
It wasn't that Hiruma hadn't been expecting that to happen—Shin had already made it clear many times that he held an interest in Sena. Everyone was aware of that. What they weren't aware of, however, was that Shin's interest in Sena shifted from a purely platonic rivalry to something else entirely. And if it wasn't for the fact that Hiruma kept a close eye on anyone who interacted with Sena (for personal reasons), he would have been just as clueless. Thankfully, Hiruma was more perceptive than that (unlike a certain fucking chibi).
The linebacker had a crush on Sena and had absolutely no fucking idea how to get the message across. His attempts at trying to court Sena were so painfully awkward that Hiruma almost wanted to intervene. Almost—Hiruma honestly found the sight too damn amusing to have any desire to end it. It made for great blackmail material in the long run, but Hiruma preferred to have diverse forms of blackmail. He'd also prefer it if the fucking chibi learned to pay attention to the people around her!
After all, Shin wasn't the only person crushing on Kobayakawa Sena. Hiruma would know because he had been keeping track of all the people who had somehow fallen for the short running back. Amongst those who had fallen for Sena, Hiruma was included and suffered quite a number of frustrations because Sena was as dense as a fucking brick.
Was Hiruma annoyed that Shin managed to get to Sena first before him or anyone else could? Maybe, but only because Shin, of all people, managed to have the balls to ask Sena out on a date in front of so many people…days before the match between the Ōjō White Knights and Deimon Devil Bats. It certainly made for an awkward game because Sena was now aware that her rival actually liked her.
Like, fuck—he could have waited until after the match to ask Sena out on a date! But no matter—what's done is done. Now Hiruma was stuck watching over these two awkward idiots. Talking about football while they're on a date—who does that?! This is the sort of shit they could talk about on a daily basis—of which they had yet to do because Shin had little to no social skills.
And yet, it was those same social skills (or lack thereof) that landed Shin a date with Sena. How ironic…and by ironic, Hiruma meant annoying. Because Hiruma hated being surprised—it was like a huge "fuck you" to the face. So imagine the look on his face when he saw Shin ask Sena out on a date—a month earlier than Hiruma had expected it would take before the linebacker decided to make a move.
Was Hiruma jealous? Hell no—anyone who said otherwise was going to get shot in the face if they didn't learn to keep their mouth shut. After all, for whatever reason would Hiruma feel jealous of Shin? None whatsoever—just like the amount of fucks Hiruma could give, unlike fucking manager, who needed to get her shit together if she wanted to stop being Mamori-nee-san to Sena.
And yet…Hiruma couldn't help but feel conflicted as he continued to stare at Sena. The way she looked in that outfit of hers. Sena sure had a knack for fashion, for someone who seemed to be lacking in feminine clothing, with the exception of the Deimon High female school uniform. Of course, Hiruma knew that wasn't true—not when Mamori was involved. Hell, Mamori probably helped Sena pick out an outfit for her date…that sly bitch. She probably convinced Sena to buy a few more outfits while they were out shopping.
If that was the case, Hiruma just wanted to know why Sena picked that outfit specifically—a scarlet-colored dress worn over a white, long-sleeved turtleneck. The dress was about mid-thigh in length and was worn with a pair of mahogany-colored boots and black tights. It was a simple enough outfit, but still feminine enough to bring out Sena's hidden charm. The black tights sure did bring attention to Sena's legs, accentuating the length and the curves they possessed…
Okay, so maybe Shin might have been one, lucky bastard. Hiruma could agree to that (albeit, reluctantly)…still didn't mean he felt any less frustrated because, god dammit, why did Sena dress up so nicely for the occasion? Unless fucking manager dragged her into it, like the "friend" she was (Mamori had it so bad, it was almost hilarious, if it wasn't so sad…), Sena preferred to stick with clothes she felt much more comfortable wearing. Though, there were extremely rare exceptions to this, such as when Sena somehow felt comfortable enough in the swimsuit she wore at the beach back when the Deimon Devil Bats were in America.
A mental image of Sena in a two-piece swimsuit returned with such a vengeance that it only served to piss off Hiruma even more. He still recalled how Sena looked that day, with her darkly tanned skin and the soft pudge of her stomach. He especially recalled how absolutely happy she appeared, despite the circumstances that had brought her and the others to America. It was a nice look (that Mamori definitely enjoyed—Hiruma had caught her staring, even though he was just as guilty as she was).
Nothing much seemed to have changed since that summer, with the exception of Sena's tan fading away, though the same could also be said the majority of the Demon Devil Bats who had also tanned in the sun—with the notable exception of Yukimitsu Manabu, who was the only unfortunate soul that got sunburned…that poor bastard. There was also the fact that Sena was no longer as soft as she used to be, due to developing muscles from her training. And had she not gotten her hair cut upon arriving back in Japan, Sena's hair wouldn't have been the short, spiky mess it usually was.
If someone were to ask Hiruma what it was about Sena that made him fall for her, he wouldn't even hesitate to say that her appearance wasn't a factor that caused the crush to develop. Hiruma didn't even start noticing Sena in that manner until after he realized that he liked her. It was a realization that occurred minutes after he had watched the short running back get the shit knocked out of her when she gained the Devil Bats a yard, instead of running out of bounds as he had expected her to do.
It was, by far, one of the worst experiences in Hiruma's life because he now had an idea of what Mamori went through, when it came to worrying about Sena's wellbeing. At the time, Hiruma absolutely refused to acknowledge that the reason why his thoughts kept shifting over to Sena was because he liked her—especially since hated the idea of being on the same level as fucking manager.
That was all in the past now, since Hiruma decided that if he was going to have a crush on Sena, the very least he could agree on that separated him from Mamori was that he had better self-control. He was quite adamant about it in the same way Mamori was with denying any claims that she was desperate. She wasn't that desperate—it was just that Hiruma got a kick out of her reactions when he insinuated that she was.
Of course, even that was starting to wane the longer he watched these two idiots stumble around on their first date. It was so tempting to crash this sad excuse of a date in order for him to give them a clue. Fortunately, Hiruma did not need to intervene as a nearby crêpe cart provided enough of a distraction from the ever-growing awkwardness between Sena and Shin. Yes, now Hiruma was starting to see what he would typically find in Togano's shoujo manga (that Togano secretly owned). This was getting good.
And about a few minutes later, it was starting to get rather clichéd as these two awkward lovebirds found themselves a bench to sit on in the park. Hiruma almost wanted to ask if it could get any more clichéd, but refrained from doing so because at the very least, these two were getting somewhere. Now for him to ensure he wasn't missing out on anything crucial…
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It was surprisingly easy for Hiruma to get as close as he could without either Sena or Shin noticing him while he climbed up the tree behind them—not that he was complaining or anything. It made his job even easier than it already was (as if it was ever difficult for him in the first place). He was able to watch them without any difficulties and overhear any discussions between them, even though the only thing Sena was doing was eating her crêpe in such a nervous manner while Shin just stared at his, not knowing what to do with it since he was rather strict about what he ate.
Sena was halfway done with her crêpe when Shin finally said something, along the lines of, "You look nice."
What proceeded to follow was the audible sound of Sena nearly choking as she swallowed hard, a result of Shin catching her completely by surprise. It was honestly beautiful how someone could be so nervous. Hiruma almost wanted to laugh, but he had to stay quiet—he could not be seen.
"Are you…okay?" Shin looked noticeably concerned as he watched Sena cough a few times.
"I'm fine!" Sena insisted, ignoring the tears that had welded up in the corners of her eyes. A luminescent blush turned her face a brilliant shade of red as she continued, "I-I'm fine…"
Sena was most definitely not fine and Hiruma knew it. He had known it for a while, because honestly, what else was he expecting to see on her very first date with anyone? A lot more than he had already seen, to be honest—he probably should have reconsidered lowering his expectations, knowing the type of person Sena was. It was too late for that, so Hiruma was jumping on anything that wasn't Sena and Shin just basking in awkward silence.
Though, Hiruma made a face when Shin decided to change the subject back to football, starting by bringing up the upcoming game between the Deimon Devil Bats and the Hakushuu Dinosaurs. Hiruma wasn't even that surprised to see Sena continuing the conversation, even though he would rather she not. If anything, he was disappointed.
After all, Hiruma gave Sena a day off from training with everyone else for a reason and it was to go on a date with Shin. The least she could do, while she had the chance, was forget about the upcoming game that was just days away (she could remember that all she wanted to after her date—Hiruma would make sure of that). It would probably do her some good, since the aftermath of the game between the Seibu Wild Gunmen and the Hakushuu Dinosaurs was still fresh on everyone's mind. While Sena looked calm and composed, the fact that she managed to finish off the rest of her crêpe so quickly said otherwise (Sena had a rather bad habit of eating whenever she was nervous).
Shin seemed to catch on (somehow), with the way he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I'm…" Sena was having some difficulties saying what was on her mind. "I'm just…worried about Hiruma-san getting hurt."
Well, it seems as though Shin wasn't the only one catching Hiruma by surprise. The only difference was that Hiruma had a completely different reaction, with how his face heated up as a light blush tinged his cheeks. And even though he was completely out of sight from everyone else, Hiruma still found himself covering the lower half of his face with his hand. He had been hoping to see how things progressed between Shin and Sena—he did not sign up for this shit.
"Fucking chibi…" Leave it to Sena to make Hiruma lose his cool… Hiruma had been aware that everyone was training their hardest to ensure that Gaou Rikiya didn't completely obliterate him. That still didn't make Sena's concern any less flustering, because it was Sena—why was she worrying about him on her date with Shin?
"Speaking of hurt…" It seems Shin was trying to change the subject and Hiruma was not at all against this tactic. "Sorry about all those times when I…hurt you."
"N-No—i-it's fine!" Sena insisted, even though her red face said otherwise. "It's fine…"
"I see…" A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Shin's face. He focused his attention back on his crêpe, pausing to think for a moment. "Here."
Without warning, Shin practically shoved his crêpe in Sena's face. Sena froze still as cream got on her face, her eyes wide as a nervous smile crossed her face. Meanwhile with Hiruma, he was trying his hardest not to laugh—really, he was, but that still didn't stop him from snapping a picture with his cellphone. Now this was the content he signed up for!
Hiruma wasn't expecting any professionalism from Shin and Sena during their date. He was just waiting for either one of them to fuck up and Shin did just that, so now Hiruma was waiting to see what happened next. Sena sure had a lot to learn from her first date (as did Shin)…
"Sorry," was all Shin said.
Sena did nothing and just continued staying still…before taking a bite out of the crêpe. Shin blinked and pulled the crêpe away, blinking again when he noticed the cream on Sena's face. Then, without even hesitating, Shin used his hand to wipe away the cream on her face…disregarding the fact that he was wearing gloves. It was only after that Shin noticed.
Shin stared at his hand blankly, taking a moment to consider his options before using his mouth to pull the glove off his hand. He immediately discarded the glove in a nearby bush, not even caring that he was now only wearing one glove.
Hiruma was almost impressed…if only he wasn't so close to laughing his ass off. These two were going to kill him. They were just so adorable, that it was fucking disgusting. He was almost curious to see how Sena and Mamori would have acted on their date (though, that would take some time since Mamori still needed to get her shit together)…or anyone else with Sena, actually. Maybe even Hiruma, himself…
"What?" Hiruma paused. "Where did that come from?"
It wasn't that Hiruma was against it. He was more confused over how specific that thought of his was. After all, he hadn't been excluding himself and Hiruma was not jealous (he was still willing to shoot anyone who said otherwise), either, so why…?
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Hiruma ceased thinking altogether as he focused his attention back on the scene below him. He had no intent on interrupting Shin and Sena on their date, nor did he have any plans on doing so. All he wished to do was observe, and yet…the longer he watched Sena and Shin interact, the more that conflicting feeling returned.
Shin and Sena were rather adorable (not that Hiruma would admit that out loud), and Hiruma was honestly glad that it was Shin, out of everyone else, who had asked Sena out first. It would be a good experience for Sena. It was also a good experience for Hiruma, considering Shin proved to be an unexpected game changer…
Which reminded him…Hiruma still needed to have a talk with Shin, in regards to informing him that he wasn't the only person who liked Sena. There was no room for jealousy or conflict—Hiruma would make sure of that. Because the last thing Hiruma wanted, was the development of any sort of tension or drama.
But until then, Hiruma was stuck watching these two. And it was only until he noticed Sena's attempts at trying to hold Shin's hand, as the two of them stood up, that Hiruma realized what it was that made him feel so conflicted. Well, he had certainly been right when he insisted that he was not jealous…
Because Hiruma was not jealous…he was envious. He was envious that Shin had been able to make his feelings known to Sena in a way that made it seem so easy, when everyone else was still struggling to even approach Sena in that manner. Frustrated with how he wished to be in Shin's position, where Sena dressed up so nicely for the occasion. Because Hiruma wasn't the type to feel this way, and he'd rather it stay that way.
One would think Hiruma would have already made it clear to Sena about how he felt about her…and he had, in his own way. Unfortunately, Sena was under the impression that Hiruma had been messing with her, and, much to his immense frustration, Hiruma didn't blame her—he just couldn't. Not when Hiruma was aware that Sena had been subjected to many pranks during her middle school years, of which she fell victim to male students asking her out on a date as a joke, or leaving fake love letters in her shoe locker, making her wait for hours on end for someone who would never show up.
As much as Hiruma had his complaints over how dense Sena was, he didn't blame her. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't tell the difference when someone was deliberately fucking with her or actually being serious. In retrospect, it was rather sad that Sena had presumed that Shin was playing some sort of mean joke on her when he had asked her out. It was almost as if the idea that someone could actually like her romantically was so implausible, when really, nothing could be further from the truth.
So while Hiruma waited for an opening to climb down the tree and following after Shin and Sena without being noticed, he put an unwrapped stick of sugarless gum in his mouth and started chewing. An idea popped up in his mind as he was blew a bubble, his thoughts now shifting over to something other than what went on between Shin and Sena. The instant the bubble popped, a smirk crossed Hiruma's face. He now knew what he was doing tomorrow, but for now, he had a couple to observe.
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The next morning at Deimon High, Hiruma could be found waiting patiently by the shoe lockers near the entrance. He paid no particular attention to any of the students that were making a quick stop at their lockers before heading off to their classrooms. They, however, did pay attention to his presence and averted their eyes as they walked past him. Hiruma's reputation was still holding strong on anyone who knew about him and he felt oddly smug about it. It certainly provided some form of entertainment to pass the time as he waited for a certain someone to show up…
"Speak of the devil." Hiruma had to keep himself from smiling when he saw Sena approaching her shoe locker. He watched her as she opened up her locker, a look of confusion crossing her face when she noticed a note that had been placed on top of her uwabaki. "Don't disappoint me, fucking chibi…"
Sena stared at the note for a few moments, wondering if she should pick it up or leave it alone. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, so she reached out and grabbed the note. She paused to read over the note's contents, her eyes widening as she did. Not knowing whether or not she was just seeing things, Sena read over the note a few more times, her face gradually growing redder and redder each time she did.
"I saw what you were wearing yesterday."
By now, Sena's face was as red as a tomato and Hiruma was not at all disappointed with her reaction to finding the note he had left for her. He watched Sena look around the area. She was most likely wondering who had left the note for her, because Hiruma had purposely left the note unsigned. A devilish grin crossed his face when his eyes finally met Sena's—she finally noticed him.
"Ah…Hiruma-san…" Initially, Sena was just surprised that she hadn't noticed Hiruma until now. Then it occurred to her that Hiruma was grinning, which was never a good thing because that meant something was on his mind and whatever it was, Sena was too hesitant (or rather, too afraid) to ask. At least, that's how it was before everything suddenly clicked into place.
Hiruma started laughing when he saw how absolutely scandalized Sena looked when she realized that he had left that note for her. He was almost tempted to tell her to wear it again, if only to get a reaction out of her. But he refrained from doing so. Instead, Hiruma decided he had done enough for the time being.
"This is good for now." That was how Hiruma felt so far about his relationship with Sena. And despite how much it was starting to frustrate him, he had no plans on changing his relationship with Sena just yet. At least, not until Sena realized that Shin wasn't the only person who liked her. Clearly, Hiruma had his work cut out for himself.
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Envy: A longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another.
Jealousy: A feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves.
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A/N And this is pretty much an introduction of what to expect when I get that main fem!Sena fic up, so let me start things up by saying that no one, in this fic, is straight unless I say they are (here's your cue to drop this fic entirely if you're not okay with this).
XenoTranceR and I have been aware, for some time, that a fem!Sena already guarantees a reverse-harem (in the same way a female Tsunayoshi guarantees a reverse-harem in a KHR fic), so we decided to go the harem route for this story. Of course, notice how I said harem instead of reverse-harem…that's because the harem includes girls—like Mamori. So as I said before, no one is straight unless I say they are because that's how I am (again, here's your cue to drop this story).
Also, polyamory is a thing, because XenoTranceR and I do not like the concept of love triangles and typical harem drama (we like people getting along and having healthy relationships instead of fighting over one person…). So Hiruma is pretty much the one managing this harem, because there will be no drama nor tension on his watch.
And while I do want to talk about this fem!Sena, I would rather save that explanation when I get the actual main fic up, if only because the time setting for this chapter takes place just a few days before the game against the Hakushuu Dinosaurs (meaning Sena's been through a lot already). Also, the title of this fic, Half-Time, is relevant in the way that what makes the main fic the main fic, is because there are no actual football games and this fic pretty much takes a break from the main storyline of Eyeshield 21, so yeah…
Also, uwabaki are pretty much indoor shoes, in case anyone is wondering. Anyways, like…not all the chapters in this fic will be connected to the main fem!Sena fic, so do keep that in mind (because XenoTranceR and I have some cracky ideas). And here's where the fun part of this story comes into play: XenoTranceR and I are taking suggestions.
So if you guys have anything, do feel free to suggest them, just be aware that you won't get any smut out of me. I can do suggestive things and awkward boners (Façade will forever be my main example for this), but no full-blown smut. Other than that, suggest away and please, do feel free to suggest anything that's on your mind.
And if you guys have any questions regarding this fic, feel free to ask me on tumblr, KlonoaDreams, because that's where I've been rambling about this fic (as well as the main fic) since November.
So that's about it for now, I've been struggling so long with this chapter, I'm just glad to get it up. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter up, since I'll be working on Apathy for some time (unless something comes up), so until next time, everyone! KD out!