So, B over at @guessmonsta had a rough day and in efforts to
draw up her spirits I present a slightly melancholy but overall silly piece
featuring her fave boy: Tendou Satori. Hope you feel better B!

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“Tendou, you’re Princess Peach, get your ass over here!”
shouts Semi.

“Oh you are so going down, pretty boy,” Tendou exclaims
hopping over the back of the second, or possibly third, hand couch in his dorm.
He lands heavily next to Semi, his former teammate sending him a glare.

“Says the one currently playing a character sporting pink,”
retorts the blonde.

“Tch, for your information, pink happens to be my favorite
color! Plus, Peach is a badass! Make no mistake, she will fuck you up on the
track,” Tendou quips, selecting the motorcycle as his choice for race vehicle.

Semi, Reon and Goshi all make their own selections, they
being Mario, Bowser and Toad respectively.

“Heh, did you choose Toad to match the aesthetic of your
hair cut?” Tendou asks.

“Screw you fire head, let’s just get to racing so I can wipe
the track with your ass,” Goshiki shoots back.

Tendou laughs as the timer counts down to zero, each of
their representative characters jumping off the starting line with the press of
the green button. The race is fierce and filled with flying shells, mushroom
speed bursts and loud curses from all participants.

“So where’s Toshi?” Tendou asks through a hiss as Peach
barely dodges an oil slick.

“Couldn’t make it, practice,” Reon answers shortly, thumbs
moving with practiced ease sending Bowser into a perfect drift.

“Shit, can’t that guy ever get a break?”

“You know him Tendou, it’s all volleyball, all the time.
Especially after last year,” Semi comments, cursing a second later when he gets
hit with yet another red shell from
Toad. “How the fuck are you getting so many of those?!”

“They’re pity shells cause he’s in last place,” Tendou
smirks.

“Oh yeah? Pity this!” Goshiki yells, launching a blue shell
which takes out both Peach and by proximity Bowser, leaving just Mario as the
last obstacle to his glory. There’s no way the others can catch up now and with
one last screech around a bend, Toad emerges victorious with a perfectly timed
mushroom boost.

“Damn it!” Semi shouts, throwing down the controller.

“Hey! Careful with those, I got this second hand you know,”
Tendou complains taking a sip of soda.

A knock at the door draws all their attention, Tendou
standing to open it since they’re in his dorm. “Probably the pizza guy,” he
calls over his shoulder, unnecessary considering they’re in a single room
together. When he opens it, it’s to find a rather cute, but annoyed looking
girl standing in the hall. “Definitely not the pizza guy,” he comments lowly.

“What? You know what, never mind, I don’t care,” she snips.
Fixing fierce eyes on him she goes on, “Do you think it possible for you to
keep it down? There are some in this hall trying to actually get work done
around here.”

Tendou leans against the threshold, crossing his arms.
Smiling he replies, “Working is for classrooms and libraries, where else are we
supposed to unwind?”

“The bar? A club? Hell, go back to your parents’ basement
for all I care, just keep the noise down!”

Tendou’s smile widens; he likes her snark. “One, we’re under
age still so no bars. Two, do we,” he points behind him to the guys now
watching the proceedings, “look like the clubbing type to you? I think not. And
three, as long as we’re throwing around stereotypes here, why don’t you take
your self-centered, eldest child, type A personality and chill the fuck out? We
just got out of high school, time to live a little before we hook on the ball
and chains of responsible society, don’t you think?’

As he’s been talking, her cheeks have been growing steadily
redder and redder with each point he nails on the head. Tendou likes a good
battle of wits and insults and this little lady had no idea whose door she was
pounding on when she attempted to exert a guilt trip.  Her mouth opens to retort, only for the pizza
guy to finally arrive.

“Order for Tendou Satori?” he asks looking between them.

“That’s me! Oi, you lot of losers! Gimme your penance,” he
says, hand out to receive money from Semi and Reon after which he draws the
remaining balance from his own wallet. Handing the guy the money, along with a
small tip because he’s not a complete asshole, Tendou passes the two pizzas
to Semi who takes them to his desk. Looking back at the girl still fuming
outside his door he grins.

“I’d offer for you to join us but since you’re a no-nonsense
type, I’m sure it will be a waste of breath. Have a good night.” He’s about to
shut the door when her hand slams against it startling him. “You’re a dick,”
she glowers. There’s a pause and he can’t wait to see what comes next. Taking a
deep breath, she looks up into his eyes. “But you’re also right.” Tendou’s so
stunned he almost falls over. With less hostility and a slightly shakier tone
she goes on, “I…I’d really like that…if you’re serious.”

He blinks, unsure what exactly just happened but steps to
the side, silently offering her entrance. A moment later, he’s introduced all
of them, including himself properly, before they settle to consume their meal
of cheese, carbs and grease.

“Being an adult, or at least transitioning into one, sucks,”
she comments around a bite of pizza.

“Amen to that,” Reon replies toasting his slice with hers.

“So, what’re you studying?” Semi asks politely.

“Chemistry, it’s a bitch.”

“Shit, you must be a genius or something. I’m barely making
it through my general ED, still tryin’ figure out what I wanna do,” Goshiki
remarks.

“Hey! No gloom and doom talk here, guys! This is our time to
shut out the rest of the world and just have fun! To forget our problems and worries,”
Tendou proclaims. Deftly he slides the controller into their new companion’s
hands, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

“You gotta earn your keep sweetheart, that pizza doesn’t pay
for itself you know.”

Leaning forward, she bops his nose. “Bring it on, pretty
boy.”

Semi laughs uproariously at the look on Tendou’s face as his
cheeks heat up but the red head recovers quickly, sliding next to her with a
controller of his own. The race is intense, but she emerges victorious,
whooping and hollering about her win.

“Hey, you might wanna keep it down, I hear there’s a warden
about these halls,” Tendou teases.

“Then we’ll just tell them to go fuck themselves. It’s our
time to be young and alive, right?”

He grins, shoving his shoulder into hers. “You got it,
warden.”

“Shut up and race, pretty boy.”

And for the rest of the night into the wee hours of the
morning, Tendou, Semi, Reon and Goshiki provide what she never knew she needed.
A safe haven away from the responsibilities and expectations piled on her till
she can’t breathe. They let her laugh and curse and belch without judgement.
They tease and mock her, treating her quickly like one of their own.

But most of all, they allow her to just be a “kid”.