Chapter Text
1.
When Tatsuya was very young, his mother would tell him stories from the Holy Bible. She had been Christian, though not a very devout one, the type who only ever stepped into a church on Easter Sunday or Christmas day, but sometimes when she leaned over he'd catch flashes of light reflecting off the silver crucifix hanging around her neck. When it was late at night and he couldn't sleep, she'd sit at his bedside and tell him tales of miracles and redemption. Tatsuya admits that had never quite understood or taken interest in the stories about Jesus and his twelve disciples; those stories had always put him to sleep the fastest. However, he does recall a few sagas from Genesis and Exodus. He'd always loved hearing about the adventures and wars set in lands so far away and long ago that had reminded him of fairytales that he'd read in storybooks.
Sometimes, for lack of anything better to do, Tatsuya's mind wanders back to those stories, and he reflects on them. Cain's jealous murder of his younger brother Abel, Jacob's swindling of Esau's birthright, and the way that Joseph, with his many-colored cloak, rose from slavery to nobility to rule over his brothers. If anything, he should have realized a recurring trend through all these tales: Younger brothers always surpass their elders.
2.
Tatsuya's family flies to Japan tomorrow night, and most of the belongings in their LA apartment have either been sold, given away, or shipped ahead of them. Deprived of all its furnishings, Tatsuya's room looks eerily bare. There'd been so many things that he'd found when clearing out his things and moving away all the furniture. He'd found a few pens and trading cards that he'd assumed long lost hiding in the gap between his closet and the wall (god knows how they got there), and in a dusty corner under his bed, he'd scavenged a dirty sock that he must have stuffed there eons ago. Sorting through his childhood belongings and deciding which to keep or discard had been a markedly nostalgic experience as he'd sifted through the relics of his younger self. It had been difficult to donate his old stuffed animals to the Salvation Army, but it wasn't as if he'd be using them anymore.
When he'd peeled off the basketball posters on his walls, he'd found several pencil marks on the wall that prompted his curiosity and warranted further inspection. As he'd suspected, it was a height chart, with small dates, numbers and letters scratched into the white paint of the wall. The writing was a small and messy scrawl, so Tatsuya had needed to inspect it for a while before he could make out the words. Looking closely, he'd found that all the higher marks had the word "Tiger" messily scratched next to them, interspersed with several shorter "Tatsuya"s. Taiga had come to Tatsuya's house quite frequently before, and they'd measured their heights here, hadn't they? Taiga had become taller the moment he hit his growth spurt, and had never stopped shooting upwards. Tatsuya had never been able to catch up, and he's quite certain that should he meet Taiga again in the future, he'll still be shorter.
Height is not proportionate to talent in basketball, but it's hard to deny that it's a distinct advantage. There's a reason why short players are so rare in the NBA, and Tatsuya knows that he's no Yao Ming. He'd accepted a long time ago that things like inherent talent and height are just a matter of luck and genetics, and thus not worth being bitter or jealous over. Not even a little bit.
3.
When Tatsuya first joins the Yousen basketball team, he notices that Murasakibara is very much like Taiga, and hates him for it. Besides the towering stature and ability to suck food up like a human black hole, they're blessed with talent far beyond what any normal person could ever hope to achieve. The largest difference is Murasakibara is far too unmotivated and unwilling to display his talent, and it's impossible to tell whether this is out of apathy or simply sheer laziness. Between him and Taiga, Tatsuya finds it hard to decide which one he hates more.
Murasakibara isn't ever willing to play at full strength, simply because he knows that he doesn't need to, that he's untouchable as long as he fulfills the bare minimum. Taiga refused to give Tatsuya his best out of pity. Tatsuya can't quite fathom the mind of a genius, but it seems like a matter of superiority. Whether they realize or not both Murasakibara and Taiga are at least subconsciously aware that they're at a level beyond that of normal players, and know that the rest of the world, Tatsuya included, is beneath them. Murasakibara knows that if he put more effort into his basketball, his opponents would be crushed and the game would become even more dull than it already is. In the same way, Taiga must know that if he were to play against Tatsuya at full strength, then he'd emerge as the clear victor, and Tatsuya would be crushed. Tatsuya knows that Taiga had meant to protect him and spare their friendship, but his pride will not allow to take his brother's pity as anything less than an insult.
In the end, Tatsuya hates them both, but decides that it's easier to play with Murasakibara rather than against him.
4.
It's strangely cathartic, to have seen both Taiga and Atsushi played so hard for once. It's really true that only gods can fight gods, but to have seen Atsushi so motivated for once, and beaten so soundly is amazingly satisfying. It also comforts Tatsuya to know that Taiga had certainly given his all without holding anything back, he can tell from the sweat on his brow, and the light of hard-won victory in Taiga's eyes. This time, there was no pity, no superiority, and although Tatsuya is sore about Yousen's loss, although he's still bitterly jealous of the sheer amount of talent his peers possess, it's also gratifying. Tatsuya can look up at the scoreboard, feel the sharp burn and strain of his muscles every time he tries to move, and know that he did well, that his team had held their own against a Miracle at full force. It's the closure to a wound that's been left raw for years.
When Alex thrusts his necklace and ring back into his hand, and tells him to face up that he's being a proud dick, Tatsuya listens- truly listens- for the first time in a long time.
5.
After the Winter Cup ends, the Yousen team is allowed to linger in Tokyo for a few days, shopping and sightseeing, before they have to return to Akita. Taiga somehow gets hold of Tatsuya's phone number (no doubt through connections and candy bribes from Kuroko to Atsushi), and messages Tatsuya, asking if he'd like to celebrate Seirin's victory together. The words of Taiga's text are formal and terse, as if tentative and fearful that he and Tatsuya have not yet truly reconciled. Tatsuya decides that maybe he can take a bit of Alex's advice for once, and besides, he doesn't think he can stomach another day-long candy-shopping expedition with Atsushi, so he replies in agreement. Tatsuya's thumb hovers over the send button on the screen for a moment, his moment of hesitation telling of his doubt, but he ultimately just decides to add a smiling emoticon at the end of his message before sending it.
They agree to meet at a train station, and while the winter chill of Tokyo is far different from Los Angeles, the temperature is nothing compared to December in Akita. It isn't difficult for Tatsuya to spot Kagami, whose towering figure and red hair cause him to jut out from the crowd like a lamppost, drawing the stares of passing commuters. Tatsuya hesitates again before calling out to him, but Taiga spots him before he can really make a decision, and surges in Tatsuya's direction, waving and calling out his name. Perhaps it's best this way, for Taiga to initiate these things before Tatsuya has time to second-guess or doubt himself.
They agree on grabbing some food at a Maji Burger before retreating to Taiga's apartment for some celebratory video games and movies. It's a relief to know that some things never change, Taiga's insatiable hunger being one of those things, Tatsuya thinks as he watches Taiga cradle a veritable mountain of burgers in the crook of his arms. They leisurely spend at least an hour in the fast food restaurant, sitting at a table near the windows of the shop and watching the bustling crowd on the cold street outside. While they catch up on each others' lives, Tatsuya sips a cheap coffee while Taiga casually shoves burger after whole burger into his mouth, stuffing his cheeks like a clueless hamster. Tatsuya can't help but feel that it's easy to pretend that nothing has changed in all these years of estrangement and tension.
When they get to Taiga's apartment, they argue over who sleeps on the bed, the owner or the guest, and end up creating a pillow fort in the living room between the sofa and the TV because neither of them are willing to concede victory, so they'll just both camp out together. Tatsuya kicks Taiga's ass in a few fighting games, which is brilliantly gratifying, and when Taiga pops NBA Live into the PS3, they spend a few hours eking out epic matches and battles that eventually come to roughly the same amount of victories and losses on both side.
At one point, when they're staring at a loading screen that they've already memorized by heart, Taiga speaks up, very softly. "You know, I knew you were hurt that day." Tatsuya doesn't quite understand what he means, and Taiga sighs, pausing for a moment before elaborating on his statement. "On the day of that last streetball match back in the States, I saw you break up a fight between two guys earlier, and I knew that you'd injured your arm." Taiga fumbles awkwardly with the game controller between his hands, and his eyebrows knit together anxiously. "It didn't feel right, going full force against you that match. I was scared I'd hurt you, and thought that it wasn't a fair game. Can't run a race when your opponent has a broken leg, right?"
Tatsuya allows himself to contemplate this for a moment, and by then, the loading screen is gone, and they play the next round in silence, the in-game announcer's voice echoing hollowly through a living room that seems suffocatingly large all of a sudden. It isn't until after the virtual match ends a close win for Taiga, that Tatsuya gives his response.
"I didn't know that. Okay then." With that, he selects his players for the next round of the game, and gives a small smile.
It's progress.