Chapter Text
Ryoma sat next to his best friend helplessly; he was the last person anyone should call for comfort, but he couldn’t not be here for the boy who had become closer to him than anyone else since they met three years ago. Who would have guessed hitting someone in the face with a tennis ball would spawn such a deep friendship?
Tetsuya’s face was just as blank as usual, but Ryoma could see the trembling of his hands as he struggled to gain control over his emotions.
“I can’t do it anymore, Ryoma-kun.” Tetsuya’s natural deadpan was flatter than ever. “They don’t care about what they’re doing. I … I don’t even think they notice.”
Ryoma shifted uncomfortably. This was worse than any time a crying first year had sought him out as their erswhile responsible captain, worse than constantly avoiding Ryuzaki’s shy attempts at confessions. He cursed the stupid idiots who had hurt Tetsuya so badly and left him to pick up the pieces. “They’re not worth it.” Ryoma grimaced as the trite words, but it didn’t make it any less true.
Tetsuya clenched his hands together into fists where they rested on his knees, shoulders tight with tension. “They could have been,” he whispered. “They could have been something great. We could have been a team that everyone talked about.”
“People already are talking about them, these Generation of Miracles,” Ryoma sneered at the title. “I won’t pretend like I understand your sport, Tetsuya …” He sighed and removed his hat, running a hand through his hair. “But you’ve given them enough of yourself. Maybe it’s time to quit that.”
Tetsuya cut him a look, pinning him in place with sharp blue eyes. “Would you have quit tennis if this happened to you?”
Ryoma did his best not to bristle at the implication. “Tennis isn’t like this. Besides, I’m not saying quit basketball!“
“But they’re my team, Ryoma-kun. What else can I do but support them?“
“No one who acts the way they do deserves that kind of attention.” From what little he had observed, Teikou made a worse team than he and Momo had made doubles partners.
Tetsuya’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I just want everything to go back the way it was in first year.”
Ryoma nudged him “I don’t. No one would let me forget how short I was,” he said petulantly. “Don’t you remember that time I was mistaken for an elementary school student?”
He could see the slight smile threatening at the curve of Tetsuya’s lips. “You’re over 186 centimeters now Ryoma-kun, I think you‘re safe.”
“Still,” He blew out a breath to dislodge his long bangs. “It’s better now.” Ryoma saw Tetsuya’s face return his habitual blankness.
“Maybe.” They sat in silence for several long moments before Tetsuya leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. “Ogiwara-kun is refusing to speak to me now. What they did to his team destroyed him.”
Ryoma’s chest tightened at the weariness in his friend’s voice and his inability to do anything to combat it. He moved closer and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Tetsuya. Eyes still closed, Tetsuya’s hand found his and Ryoma tangled their fingers, hoping to convey with his presence some form of comfort since words felt pretty useless right now.
“Thank you for coming over, Ryoma-kun.”
He sighed and pressed further back into the couch cushions. “Not like I could just leave you here with this big empty house.” Ryoma never had any qualms about letting Tetsuya know just how he felt about his friend’s parents consistent absence abroad for work and play. His own father might be a lazy pervert, but at least he was there. All the money they left at Tetsuya’s disposal couldn’t replace a presence in their son’s life.
“Still, I know you had a match with some of your old teammates today.” Tetsuya’s grip on his hand loosened, as if he were going to let go and Ryoma tightened his own. Sitting here like this was … nice, better than he had imagined, even though it was under such awful circumstances. Tetsuya didn’t try to tug his hand away, so Ryoma took it for a win.
“They just wanted to get together for a practice, I can do that any time with those weirdos.” As he was saying it, Ryoma inwardly winced at his own tactlessness. Team practices were a sensitive subject for Tetsuya.
“It’s fine, Ryoma-kun. Don‘t worry.”
“You’re my best friend,” he drawled, ignoring the way his stomach clenched when Tetsuya’s thumb ran absently over his own. He had been successfully pushing away his feelings on such things for the last year, what was another day? “I think that’s in the job description.”
“True,” Tetsuya said as he opened his eyes and looked at Ryoma seriously, as if he were searching for something. Ryoma just squeezed his hand as reassuringly as he could, uncertain as to how other, more emotionally sensitive people would react in this situation. Tetsuya was always better at this, which didn’t help at all.
Ryoma was so lost in his nonsensical thoughts of how he could be Tetsuya for Tetsuya that he nearly missed his next words. “Would you like a promotion? From best friend?”
He tried not to show his bewilderment on his face, though his response was a less than intelligent, “Uh, what?” He definitely tried not to flush as Tetsuya leaned closer, blue eyes shining, but it was a losing battle.
“I think it’s past time for one, really.”
Ryoma couldn’t reply, because Tetsuya was even closer now and kissing him lightly, swallowing whatever he was going to say. After only a few seconds of frozen indecision, he closed his eyes and used his free hand to touch Tetsuya’s cheek gently, clumsily deepening the kiss. Tetsuya responded eagerly to his touch, which was enough to make Ryoma even more breathless than before.
He pulled away as he became too light-headed to think past the softness of Tetsuya’s skin or the taste of his lips, but only far enough away to lean his forehead against Tetsuya's. “Yeah,” Ryoma said raggedly, wondering dazedly how they had gotten from where they were an hour ago to here, but he wasn’t going to question a good thing. Especially not when Tetsuya smiled at him like he was now, a feat so rarely achieved. “I think this is a better fit for me.”
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER
Ryoma sat on the bench in the locker room and dug through his bag for his buzzing phone, ignoring the looks of his new (old) teammates.
From: Tetsuya @ 17:24
I was right about Seirin. The air here even feels easier.
From: Tetsuya @ 17:26
Will I see you later?
He let out an imperceptible sigh, though he was happy that Tetsuya had found somewhere he could play again. Basketball was far too complicated; tennis was just him and his racket and a single opponent. Still, Ryoma had been hoping to convince Tetsuya to transfer to his school if Seirin didn’t work out after the first week. It looked as if luck wasn’t with him this time.
To: Tetsuya @ 17:27
I already told the old man I’d be staying the weekend with you.
From: Tetsuya @ 17:27
So presumptuous, Ryoma-kun. You’re lucky I like you as much as I do.
Ryoma resolutely ignored the fluttery feeling Tetsuya’s words gave him, conscious of the others around him as he pondered a reply. A heavy arm dropped across his shoulders and he quickly locked his phone, trying and failing to appear casual about it. “What’s this? Who could be texting you when we’re all here?”
He pulled his cap down further on his head. “I could have other friends.“ Ryoma ignored the loud, overly theatrical scoffing noises the older boy made. He wasn’t that badly socialized.
“You’re a crap liar, ochibi.”
“Kikumaru-senpai, you do know I’m taller than you now, right?”
The redhead just grinned at him. “Ochibi is ochibi, nothing is going to change that!” Ryoma wrinkled his nose, but decided not to argue. It had never gotten him anywhere in the past and he assumed Kikumaru had just gotten more stubborn since they last shared a team. “You didn’t answer my question~”
Momo proved he was eavesdropping by waggling his eyebrows at them both suggestively. “Maybe Echizen has a secret girlfriend, senpai!”
Ryoma rolled his eyes as he heard Inui say something about “unprecedented events” somewhere behind the third row of lockers. He stood and shoved his phone into the pocket of his jeans, knocking Kikumaru off his shoulders in the process. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Ah!” Momo pointed at him, looking even more excited than usual. “You didn’t deny it!”
Most of the team was looking at the spectacle they made now. Kaidoh was pretending not to be interested, Inui’s pen hovered over a blank page in his notebook and Tezuka was moving through his shoulder stretches with a stone-faced disinterest in all proceedings. Ryoma sighed. “Why should I bother?”
Momo and Kikumaru’s faces were identical in their shock. Fuji poked his head around the corner from where the showers were, somehow managing to look directly at him with his eyes closed. Ryoma shuddered, inching closer to the door. Nothing good ever came from Fuji’s interest. “Mou, it looks like our Echizen is a prodigy even in the dating world.”
“Don’t say things like that, Fuji-senpai, it’s weird.” Ryoma slid his bag over one shoulder and tossed a wave to the rest of the team. “See you on Monday.”
“Wait, Echizen!” He turned to see Momo scrambling back into his street shoes. “Do you want to go get some burgers?” They both ignored Inui’s muttering about healthy diets.
“Sorry, Momo. I’ve got plans.” With that, he was able to finally escape the locker room and pull his phone back out.
To: Tetsuya @ 17:37
I’ll be there soon. Are you going to feed me?
From: Tetsuya @ 17:38
Since you asked so politely.
From: Tetsuya @ 17:38
But I want something nice in return.
Several weeks later saw Tetsuya staring at his phone in a similar situation, though only Kagami seemed to notice.
From: Ryoma-kun @ 15:33
The district preliminaries are next Saturday.
He bit back a smile. Ryoma would never ask him to come watch him play, but Tetsuya had known him long enough to read between the lines.
“That’s not that bastard Kise again, is it? Do you want me to go and beat his pretty face in until he gets that you’re not transferring?” Kagami’s eyebrows were furrowed in mild irritation while the rest of the team perked up at Kise’s name.
“Ah, no.” At his denial, Kagami tilted his head, waiting for a reply to his unasked question and the other boys went back to changing, disinterested in the conversation now. “I didn’t know you thought Kise-kun was pretty, Kagami-kun. Should I set you up? His fans will be very disappointed.”
Tetsuya slipped his arms into his school blazer as Kagami sputtered out denials. He listened to them with half an ear while he tapped out a quick message.
To: Ryoma-kun @ 17:45
Oh, are you playing?
Tetsuya knew that Ryoma would be playing, considering his prodigious talent, but it was fun to rile him up. Ryoma was only ever excitable about tennis and Karupin.
And me, Tetsuya thought, remembering the last weekend they had spent together at his empty house. He was almost certain there were still bite marks on his thighs, but thankfully none of his teammates had noticed. His fantasies were interrupted by Ryoma’s quick reply, which meant he was out of practice now too.
From: Ryoma-kun @ 17:46
Oi, you’re asking for it.
A pleasant shiver went down his back. Ryoma was too perceptive for Tetsuya‘s own good. It was a trait they both shared and used on one another with equal fond ruthlessness.
“So what’s got you all googly-eyed?” Kagami led the way to Maji Burger, having become a ritual them most days of the week.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean, Kagami-kun.” Tetsuya was relatively certain that such a phrase would never actually apply to him.
“I think I actually saw something that looked like a smile. For you, that’s pretty much the same thing.”
Tetsuya didn’t bother justifying that with a response. He just watched as Kagami ordered his usual improbably large number of burgers and a vanilla milkshake without prompting. It was something his friend had starting doing once he noticed how long it took Tetsuya to get the attention of cashier on a good day.
When they were settled in their normal booth, Kagami mowed through four burgers quickly and then paused in the unwrapping of his fifth. “So? You never talk about anyone but your old teammates. Was it them?”
Tetsuya sipped his milkshake thoughtfully. While he and Ryoma had never discussed keeping their relationship secret, he was well-aware it wouldn’t be looked upon with favor by many people. He had no idea what his parents would think, though it had been months since he had even seen them. Still, Kagami was becoming his friend and he didn’t want to keep something so big from him if they were to trust each other on the court as well as off of it. “Ryoma-kun.”
“Huh?” Kagami mumbled through his mouthful of burger. Tetsuya manfully refrained from making a face at the sight, thankful for his naturally blank resting expression. “Who’s that?”
“My boyfriend.” Tetsuya let out a soft sigh at Kagami’s wide eyes and frozen features; he had hoped for a better reaction, but he hadn’t banked on it. “If you have a problem with that …”
“No!” Heads turned their way as Kagami nearly yelled at him and he flushed, face nearly as red as his hair. “No,” he mumbled in a more normal volume, “I don’t … I don’t care about that. It was just a surprise, is all.”
Tetsuya swirled his milkshake, still refusing to look at Kagami. “Are you sure? You don’t have to pretend, Kagami-kun.”
“Kuroko. Seriously.” He looked up. Kagami gave him an uncertain smile and something eased in his chest, a knot of tension he hadn‘t even been aware of until just that moment. “What does it matter to me who you date?”
“Thank you, Kagami-kun,” he said softly.
This garnered him a more awkward but no less sincere smile. Kagami went back to his burgers with a terrifyingly single-minded efficiency, only slowing down when there were three left on the tray. “So, uh, does your boyfriend play basketball too?”
Tetsuya huffed slightly in amusement. “Ryoma-kun is not meant for basketball.”
Kagami was visibly surprised by either his statement or his show of emotion. “Not an athlete?”
He hummed against his straw. “I didn’t say that, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami ripped into his second-to-last burger and then used the half the was left to point at Tetusya across the table. “You’re a cryptic bastard, Kuroko. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Tetsuya wasn’t bothered. “You’re the first.”
“Hmph.”
After a moment of silence, Tetsuya took pity on Kagami and said, “Ryoma-kun is a tennis player. A very good tennis player.”
Kagami made a face as they got up to throw away their trash and headed outside. “Tennis is so boring! How can he stand it?”
Tetsuya felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket. “Oh,” he said, looking down at the image he had chosen for Ryoma’s number, a photo of him sleeping with Karupin on his chest. “I think you’d be surprised, Kagami-kun.”