Mother of Pearl: A Floyd Leech x OC Fanfiction

Chapter 23

"The gym?" I stood in the center of the basketball court.

"I felt like playing, so we're gonna play," Floyd got out a basketball and started to mindlessly dribble.

"One v one you?! You got to be kidding," I put a hand on my hip. "I might not even know how to play, for all you know."

Floyd passed the ball to me. I caught it. The blow nearly knocked the wind out of me.

I don't have a choice in the matter...

I sighed. I could feel my binding rub against my armpit. This was going to hurt. I dribbled forward. I cut to my left to try and get around him. In an instant, he was in front of me. Floyd stole the ball and sprinted to the other side of the court. I ran after him, but he made a basket before I got there.

"Dang it," I hissed. The competitiveness in me rose.

"It was so predictable Leafy Sea Dragon," Floyd spun the ball on his finger.

"Oh, was it now?" I scoffed. I took my blazer off and unbuttoned my vest. I threw my blazer to the side. "I guess I'll have to step up my game then."

"Eh, hehehe~" Floyd passed me the ball once more. This time I managed to get past him at least. I attempted a basket at the foul shot line. Floyd didn't even have to jump to block it.

"Oh, you little-!" I grumbled as I went after the ball.

The game went on like that for a bit. Floyd got point after point, while I tried to keep up. It felt more like a game of "keep-away" than basketball. I was given the ball again. The braids around my neck felt heavy. I faked him out and rolled past him. He pivoted to go after me but fell over. I took a jump-shot and got my first set of points.

"Ah ha! Finally!" I jumped in joy. I turned to see Floyd still on the ground. He poked at his ankle. He tried to get up but winced and went back down. "Floyd? Are you okay?"

I went up and knelt at his side. He had a dark look in his eyes as he wore a bored expression. "Stupid feet. What good are they if they get injured so easily?"

"Yeah, feet can do that to you. Sometimes, I think they have a mind of their own with how much they trip me up," I chuckled at my own joke.

"My fins wouldn't have had a problem with a turn like that in the sea," he muttered.

"But fins can't get you far on land," I pointed out, going along with his metaphor. "Let me take a look."

I rolled up the hem of his pant leg and pulled down his blue sock to see his swollen ankle. It was already turning purple. I lightly touched it, earning a small hiss from the pouting upperclassman.

"Stop touching it!" he snapped.

I ignored his outburst and continued my analysis, "You probably sprained your ankle. You'll have to go to the nurse to get it wrapped."

"Ah~. Azul is going to scold me~," Floyd whined. "I'll just walk it off."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned. He tried to get up and walk but couldn't put any pressure on his foot. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What did I just say? You're not going anywhere with your ankle like that. If you sit down, I can at least ease the pain enough for you to walk."

Floyd plopped back on the ground in front of me. He tilted his head and his earing jingled at the motion. "How?"

"Duh, magic silly," I lightly bonked him on the head. "Just hold still, alright?"

"Hmm, fine. But if you do anything weird, I'll squeeze you."

"Alright with me. I'll just run away, since you can't chase me," I smirked. I placed my hand over his ankle. "Darling Mother!"

The peachy aura surrounded me. It pulsated with the beating of my heart. I controlled my breathing and concentrated on Floyd's ankle. The peach color wrapped around the area and seeped into the skin. My vision began to go black and the magic around me popped. The aura was gone, and I had a splitting headache. I rested my head in my hand as I slowly regained my vision. I leaned back on my other arm.

"So, how does it feel now?" I asked in a breathy tone.

Floyd touched his ankle and moved it ever so slowly. The swelling was still bad, but the bruising was gone. "Much better! What was that Leafy Sea Dragon? It was awesome! They don't teach spells like that in the first-year courses!"

"Oh, uh, it's my unique magic. I call it 'Darling Mother'. I'm still getting used to it," I looked away. It felt awkward getting a compliment from him.

"Well, we can keep going now!"

"Oh no you don't. Just because it doesn't hurt anymore doesn't mean it is fully healed!"

Floyd stood up and clicked his tongue, "Tch, I can still play."

"I am not going to force you to go to the nurse," I stood up as well. I buttoned my vest as I went to pick up my blazer, "But I'm not going to keep playing with you either. I don't have the stamina for it."

"Leafy Sea Drag-Ah!" Floyd tried to come after me but winced when he put his full weight on his bad ankle.

"See what I said? Take care of yourself," I waved at him. I slung my blazer over my shoulder and gave him a wide smile. "I had fun!" I left before I could hear him say anything else. When I looked at the time, it was early evening.

I wonder if Yuu is still in the library. I should see if I can join them.

I looked down the hallways and chose a direction, hoping that at some point it would take me to the library.