Messy Situations
Our StoryA/N: For any YutoRio fans out there... be sure to guard your heart!
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Rio expelled a heavy sigh after finally placing three heavy bags filled with emergency medical equipment on the floor. The rest of the medical team had already left the arena for the day, leaving her to tidy up the medical room.
"I'm not even supposed to be a first-responder." She mumbled under her breath as she placed the items from the bags into their appropriate drawer. Just as she thought she had finished handling everything she needed to for the day, the door flung open and Rio turned towards it in confusion.
"Miyata san?" She greeted, bewildered at the girl's unexpected presence.
"Do you have a moment?" Satoko asked as she continued to approach the latter.
"Yes, of course. Is everything okay?"
Rio was surprised when Satoko stopped within an arm's length of her. Furthermore, she also wasn't expecting her next string of blunt commands.
"I don't like beating around the bushes so let me just be frank with you." The older one began, narrowing her eyes. "Can you do me a favor and stay away from Ryosuke?"
"Huh?" Rio uttered, her mind not believing what her ears were hearing. "I'm sorry but I think you have the wrong idea. Ryosu- I mean- Yamada and I aren't even close."
"Then why are you trying so hard to win him over?" Satoko sighed as she folded her arms across her chest. "I saw you both yesterday in the lobby. I know you like him but can't you be more considerate given that he already has a girlfriend?"
"But I- I don't like him at all. That was just..." The younger one began to protest. However, she stopped as soon she realized that the details of yesterday's encounter weren't something she could tell her.
Satoko, on the other hand, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Rio's hesitancy. "If you're going to lie, could you at least try a bit harder?" She asked as she glanced at the girl from head to toe. "Ryosuke's eyesight must really be getting worse. He has to be blind to fall for someone like you." She said, stifling a laugh.
Rio was stunned by the girl's rudeness. "I'm telling you, he doesn't have any feelings towards me." She insisted. However, her efforts went to waste when Satoko decided to disregard her persistence. The older one's gaze fell upon a bottle of water on a nearby table and instantly reached for it.
Without any additional context, she unscrewed the cap and dumped the entire contents on Rio's head, the water completely soaking her clothes. "Seemed like you needed an awakening too."
Rio stood there in complete disbelief as Satoko crunched the bottle in her hands before dropping the piece of plastic on the younger one's head. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?" Rio asked as she watched the bottle fall onto the wet floor around her.
"Oh, you still don't get it? I'm only trying to teach you a lesson, sweetie. Maybe next time you'll think twice before trying to break up a relationship between two happy people. I promise you, I won't be as lenient the next time around." Satoko threatened, taking a step back before turning around to make her way out the door.
However, before she could exit the room, Rio decided to speak up again, stopping her in her tracks. "He wasn't happy." She muttered staring at droplets of water that were now dripping onto the floor from her shirt.
"Excuse me?"
"How can you expect him to be happy if his girlfriend spends every day taking him for granted?!" She exclaimed. "You don't even know how lucky you are to have him by your side!"
Furious at Rio's remark, Satoko immediately reached for another bottle and unscrewed the cap. But this time, it wasn't water.
It was isopropyl alcohol.
"Seems like water wasn't effective at all. Maybe this will be."
Rio immediately threw her hands up to shield her face as Satoko raised the bottle over her head. However, instead of feeling the liquid against her skin, she heard the echo of the empty bottle on the floor not too far away and she slowly raised her head in puzzlement.
Directly in front of Rio, stood Ryosuke with his back towards her, his entire body shielding her from Satoko's harm. The contents were spilled all over the floor and the bottle was now halfway across the room. Judging from the distance, Rio could tell that he had knocked the bottle from Satoko's grasp just in time.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Satoko?!" Ryosuke exclaimed, anger fuming in his tone.
"I- I just-" Satoko stammered, not expecting him to suddenly appear - it wasn't part of her plan at all. Needing to suddenly defend her actions, she decided to come up with an excuse. "Rio attacked me so I was only trying to defend myself."
"Enough with the lies," Ryosuke muttered. "Rio would never hurt another person."
"Are you really doubting the words of your own girlfriend?"
Ryosuke lowered his eyes after hearing the one particular word that pained him. "You're not my girlfriend anymore, Satoko."
"Sorry, I think I heard you wrong." Satoko chuckled. "Did you just say that I'm not your girlfriend?"
"You heard me correctly the first time." The boy responded. "I can't be with someone who is so willing to step on another person for the sake of their own benefit." He explained before pausing to carefully think of his next sentence. Ryosuke had originally intended to end things on a good note. However, after seeing what just unfolded, he decided to spare no fluff.
"We're over."
"Ryosuk-"
"Just leave us. I have nothing else to say to you."
With eyes filled with tears, Satoko quickly shifted her glance from the boy to the girl behind him. Then with an expression filled with hate and anger, she immediately ran out.
After the two were left alone, Ryosuke slowly turned around to meet Rio's gaze in hopes of making amends. However, the girl was quick to speak up first.
"I'm sorry... I wasn't expecting any of this to happen." Rio began.
"Why are you the one apologizing?"
"Because I'm the reason why you two had broken up."
Ryosuke let out a soft exhale as his lips curved into a soft smile. With his right hand, he reached up and poked the girl's forehead. "Despite the amount of knowledge you have in here, you can be pretty oblivious, you know." He said, taking a step closer to examine her arms. "Are you hurt anywhere?" He then asked in a gentle voice.
Rio shook her head. "Just soaked with water. No harm done." She assured him.
"Then let me change the question," Ryosuke said. "Are you okay? I know her words can hurt."
"Yeah." The girl responded, averting her gaze away from him. Truthfully, Satoko's harsh words were like a broken record, playing over and over in her mind but Rio didn't want him to worry. "It's nothing I can't handle." She said, her gaze landing on a rag on the table. However, before she could walk towards it, the boy enclosed his hand on her wrist and pulled her back gently.
"We lived together for half a month, Rio. I know that troubled expression of yours better than anyone does." Ryosuke said as he released his grasp on her. "I know you have Yuto but just don't forget that you have me too, okay?"
The boy's words were enough to heal nearly all of Rio's open wounds and she couldn't help but to finally relax her worried expression. "Why are you always the nicest at the worst times?"
"What do you mean? I'm always nice."
"Ryosuke, are you hearing yourself right now?" Rio chuckled, her lips curving into a soft smile.
The latter smiled back and nodded. "Loud and clear."
Figuring that this would be the right time to end their playful banter, Rio took one long last glance at him before reaching for the rag to clean up the mess on the floor. However, before she got to make any substantial progress, she suddenly noticed Ryosuke taking off his jacket and throwing it gently on the table next to him. He then reached for the bottom hems of his own shirt before eventually lifting the fabric up from the upper half of his body.
"Eh?! What are you doing?!" Rio exclaimed in panic, averting her gaze away from the boy's now-bare torso. She could feel her heartbeat even faster as he walked towards her with his shirt in his hand.
"Here." Ryosuke said, placing his shirt in her free hand as he reached for the rag in her other hand. "Go change your shirt."
"But what about you?"
"I still have my jacket so it's fine. The air conditioner is on full blast in here so I don't want you catching a cold."
Giving into Ryosuke's request, Rio nodded before hurrying into the storage room at the other end of the room. After closing the door behind her, she expelled a quiet sigh and glanced at his shirt in her hands. Never in her entire life would she imagine that she'd be borrowing a piece of clothing from someone she used to despise so much.
'But technically, this would be Jimusho's property... right?' Rio thought, hoping to ease her nervousness by convincing herself otherwise. After switching out her shirt with his, she could smell the scent of his cologne emitting from the piece of fabric. The last time she came across this scent was the day he left her apartment. She could still even remember his warm touch from the hug they shared and his lingering fragrance when they separated.
Mustering what was left of her courage, she pushed down on the door handle and ste
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