Chapter Text
There was a shadow in the distance, a silhouette of whom he does not recognize. The boy had his back turned towards him, but Tetsuya could see his features from the way he had his face directed to the side. He looked familiar— but the blue eyed teen could not place his finger on who the boy might have been.
He kept walking on uneven grounds, without knowing where exactly it was, when exactly it happened, what, why, how— Tetsuya’s mind reeled, and the place shifted, not quite forming a picture just yet. The boy stayed still ahead of him. He thinks he could hear a slow drip, drip, drop from somewhere below, but all he could see was his own reflection. And if he did suspect, he could not focus on the thought.
Tetsuya walked, determined to catch up to the still person, breathless. Determined not to lose him again. He didn’t seem to be making any progress though, only growing distant from the silhouette.
The boy smiled at him, then.
That was when he heard it. A faint echo from somewhere in the back of his mind. A low rumble coming from his chest. Maybe it was his own voice, maybe it was the boy who said it.
The low ‘Tetsuya’ rang through his ears anyway, and he felt his world crash, finally realizing who the boy in front of him was—
“Young master, you need to get ready for school.”
The sun rays burned through his vision, eyes still closed as he mourned the loss of his sleep. He waved the butler off, and after hearing him retreat back into the labyrinth of hallways, he was slowly drifting back to sleep.
Akashi Tetsuya, born and bred with soft blue hair and dull blue eyes as serene and calming as his persona, was never a morning person. His energy would be at its highest peak at the dead of the night, which makes him incompetent with pretty much every early morning risers. Ever.
Enter Akashi Seijuuro; the elder twin with fiery red hair and bright red eyes, his looks as fierce as his personality. Some people have dubbed him a lion. Everyone, even Tetsuya would somehow admit he was the better brother in every aspect of life. Tetsuya would like to chalk it up to his father’s genes, but that would be saying his mother was incompetent in more ways than one. He’d just keep quiet then.
Despite knowing Tetsuya since their days of sharing a womb, Seijuuro would never let the bluenette miss the wee hours of early morning.
They had a routine. Seijuuro wakes up, wakes Tetsuya up, they go about their day as graceful and meticulous as they could. Tetsuya would keep Seijuuro up until the ungodly hours of morning no matter how much the redhead insisted they had to have a few good hours of sleep come morning, but Seijuuro let himself get carried away with his brother’s whims anyway. It had been that way since they could remember. Today was no different.
As a different set of much more enthusiastic footsteps approached, Tetsuya braced himself.
The bluenette jolted awake when warm water worked its way through his scalp. “Hn— go away, Sei.” In other circumstances, it would be relaxing. But right now, it was soaking his precious pillows and his precious bed and damn it why can’t Sei be mature for once and wake him up a normal way?
Tetsuya scoffed, reaching up to mess up his brother’s hair. Said brother caught his wrist before he could do anything. “Tetsuya, you do not defy me. Wake up now, or we’ll be late for school.”
“Hai, hai, onii-san,” was all he mumbled, which would have been more convincing if he didn’t sport half lidded eyes. “Give me a minute.”
“No, you need upsies now.” Seijuuro said, pulling the sheets off his brother. He forced Tetsuya off the bed, leading him out and into the maze that was their mansion. “I am not risking being late for our first day in Teiko just because you decided you needed five more minutes of sleep.”
“But...”
“No, Tetsuya. Go bathe yourself. I’ll be waiting in the living room.” And with that, Seijuuro left his brother to his own devices as he maneuvered himself through countless hallways and maids scuttling about.
Tetsuya sleepily dragged himself to fixation, making sure to check himself in the mirror twice until he was satisfied and without a bed head. It took him no less than a few minutes this time, and he thinks the bed head finally understands his pain.
“I’m done, Sei-kun.” The bluenette called when he reached the kitchen conjoined with the living room where Seijuuro promised to wait for him.
Seijuuro merely nodded, getting up and ready to leave— with a bento box in his hand, Tetsuya noted —when their father called from his usual spot in the dining room.
“Are you going to head out without eating breakfast?”
Tetsuya nodded, knowing without being addressed who it was directed to. He felt himself stiffen, but relaxed as soon as his brother took hold of his wrist to lead him out. He thinks he saw guilt in his father’s eyes for a brief moment, though he quickly dismissed the thought. Ever since their mother passed away, Seijuuro and Akashi Masaomi had been in ignoring-each-other-unless-necessary terms, only interacting when business or the like was involved. Tetsuya does not understand, but he let them be in fear that it would only make things worse if he stepped in. If worse comes to worse, he does not want to take either side. They were still his family, no matter how broken.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when Seijuuro tugged at his sleeve, looking at him like he just told the red head he won a million dollars. Which meant he was gaping at him— because who needs a million dollars anyway? “Don’t overthink. You’ll hurt your brain like that.”
Tetsuya huffed, pulling his arm away. “Don’t get cocky just because people think you’re the smart one.”
“It’s the truth,” Seijuuro shrugged in response, “I can see a lot of cogs spinning in your head though. What’s on your mind, little brother?”
“Just thinking.” When he was met with a blank stare, Tetsuya continued, “I just feel bad… about father.”
“You know why we’re like this.” The redhead flipped his wrist around, gesturing to himself but it looked more as if he was fanning himself. “Besides, you are the favourite…”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“That!” Tetsuya slapped his brother’s hand away when the redhead moved closer to him. “I’m not a favourite, you’re just being childish.” The resigned sigh made Tetsuya flinch, already knowing where the argument was taking them. He thinks he was being unreasonable— they both were at that point, but he was too worked up to notice his brother’s sudden recoil. Then— “stop here.”
The driver did as he was told and the atmosphere from before was halted, replaced with melancholia. It was silent for a few beats. “I’m sorry,” Seijuuro spoke first, and the tension dissolved.
Tetsuya nodded. “Me too.” He took a peek at his twin, who offered him a small smile, and mirrored his expression.
It was only when they got off the car did Tetsuya realize where they were. “Sei-kun,” He whined, causing Seijuuro to grip his sleeve tighter when he stopped walking. “The school is miles away! Why did we have to stop here?”
“Would you prefer getting swamped by the fanclub then? You know the first days are horrible, you’re just lucky you can disappear at will.” Seijuuro did not stop walking, pulling a reluctant Tetsuya along as they ventured the streets to Teiko. As an afterthought, he added, “maybe you should teach me so we won’t need to walk this far.”
The rest of their journey was silent. It took the twins twenty and a half minutes to get there, and Tetsuya was panting by the time they took their first steps inside the prestigious powerhouse school.
At first glance, the school seemed like a normal, even mediocre kind of middle school. There was no indication of what Teiko was known for, no telltale signs of the countless silver and gold they took home over the years. The striking difference was that there were way too many plants, it looked like a theme park promoting ‘save the earth!’ and ‘go green go earth’ . A flashback to when his brother was campaigning for sixth grade class president crossed his mind and Tetsuya had to stop himself from giggling, opting to survey the outer walls instead. Sure enough, there were varying degrees of decay symbolizing the age of the building. He wishes it wouldn’t suddenly collapse during their three years of middle school.
The school yard was filled with enthusiastic first years, indifferent second years and desperate third years, all with one purpose: clubs.
So far, there had only been one club president who was very insistent on convincing them both to join— only Seijuuro at first, really, until he noticed how Tetsuya served as a potential candidate for managing the horror department with his ‘jumpscares’. Before Tetsuya could make his great escape, Seijuuro caught his wrist. “Nice try.”
“Ugh. You’re the worst.”
“I know, I love you too.” It did not end there, and Tetsuya soon found himself with a mountain of club flyers and promotional pins on behalf of his older brother. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, wistfully thinking for the school hours to end already so they would be able to try out for the club of their choice.
On the way to the basketball club stand, Tetsuya bumps into a tall blue haired teen like him, only with a much scarier aura. The tall man did not get to reprimand him before he slipped away, this time holding onto his twin’s hand. Just as Tetsuya had expected, said brother was grumbling under his breath about the multiple different ways scissors could penetrate through human flesh or something, and Tetsuya thinks he should take away the stack of scissors stored in Seijuuro’s night stand before the obsession becomes too far gone for them to handle. “Sei-kun, I was the one who bumped into him.”
“...doesn’t excuse his behaviour. At least let me cut off his pinky?”
“Seijuuro, Tetsuya.” Both twins turned their heads to the newcomer, and Tetsuya was mildly annoyed at how he had been cut off before he could scold his twin further. His demeanor brightened when he realized who the mop of green hair accompanied by a stuffed animal belonged to. “It’s been a while nanodayo. I hope you both had a good break.”
“It’s good to see you again, Shin-kun.” Tetsuya nudged his brother. “...Sei-kun also says hello, I think.”
“Don’t speak for me, little brother.” Seijuuro spoke, finally inserting himself into the conversation. The green haired teen, Midorima Shintarou, childhood friend and son of Akashi father’s business partner, raised a delicately trimmed eyebrow at the odd behaviour but said nothing. “...Hello, Shintarou.”
“Are you alright nanodayo? You seem a little lost, Seijuuro.” The older twin shrugged, seemingly diffused of his earlier annoyance after their friend accompanied them. “Alright, then.” Tetsuya shook his head at the exchange, momentarily wondering why they were still so formal when they had known each other for years. He chalks it up to familial formalities and swore he would not let his future children be as stuck up as his brother and best friend as they are now. “Basketball club, yes?”
Both of them nodded, “the basketball team is the best club in this school. Of course, we’ll get on the team in no time.”
“I heard they never lost a championship for years.” Tetsuya’s eyes sparkled a different light, over enthused by the prospect of being on the team. The two males walking slightly slower than him shook their heads in amusement.
They reached the booth, where only two forms were handed out to them and Tetsuya was only belatedly noticed for the umpteenth time that day. This irked Seijuuro, but the look Tetusya gave him was enough to keep his mouth from blurting unnecessary remarks that might get them off the future roster.
“Now to find our classes…” The bulletin board showed four separate classes, sorting out all the accepted first year in the school. What surprised Tetsuya was where their names were written, separated by an inch from each other. While the bluenette was in class A, his older twin was placed in class B. Tetsuya did not know how to feel about that, considering they had been together for all of their years in school, and Seijuuro had been his knight in shining armour whenever he needed his help— now there was no Seijuuro by his side at all times.
...that was fine. “This is not fine. Tetsuya, call father and tell him to call the school, we need to—“
“No, it’s fine Sei-kun. Please be quiet.”
There was a loud crunching of chips from above him, and Tetsuya fought the urge to make a scene at how unfair the world was for giving people ridiculous height advantages and letting them sprinkle chip crumbs on his hair, but the bluenette ignored the purple giant in favour of pushing his brother towards the far end of the bulletin board. There were still hoards of students pushing past one another and trying to catch a glimpse of their classes, but the trio managed to escape. Midorima had just finished looking for his name, surprisingly under class B as well. Seijuuro let out a loud groan, clearly opposed but kept still while his brother fished something in his bag.
“Here, your agenda book and your phone. I put notes in case you forget anything. We’ll have lunch together, so message me when your class ends.” Tetsuya gave as promised, meticulous in his nature. All Seijuuro had to do was blink and he was set for the day, the items in his hand supposedly his guide for the day. Tetsuya felt like he was smothering Seijuuro too much, but he took some credit for it so he guessed it was fine.
“A-ah. Thank you, Tetsuya.” When it was clear the bluenette had nothing else to say, Seijuuro cleared his throat. “I’ll see you later then. Let’s go, Shintarou.”
There was one last hug goodbye, lasting longer than it should have, and Tetsuya was certain his brother worried for him as well. His slight hitch in breath and the tension on his shoulders did not escape Tetsuya’s watchful eye, clearly weighing his options. But given Tetsuya had his brave face on, his twin understood there was no reason to worry and potentially crack his brother’s resolve.
“Have fun, Sei-kun.”
Tetsuya soon found himself seated on the far end of the classroom he was occupying in the next ten months. There was no one around him who had an idea of who he was, and he thinks he prefers it that way. Sleeping would be more enjoyable without his brother nagging him every five minutes to pay attention to the class. He’d worry about his grades later. Just then was he reminded that oh, he’s definitely not a morning person.
Maybe having no Sei was a good thing after all.
Tetsuya’s head hit the smooth desk with a soft thump, welcoming him to dreamland for at least another hour. Homeroom was becoming his new favourite subject.
Screeches and squeals distracted him from having any good dreams whatsoever, and Tetsuya had to cover his ears in annoyance at the newcomer. Superstar blondie who just walked through the door of their classroom pointed finger guns at random classmates and greeted everyone with fake enthusiasm. At least the bluenette could tell it was a fake. He couldn’t be bothered more though, until the blonde decided to sit on his seat, missing his whole being.
The yelp he got in return was satisfying enough. Tetsuya will forgive the blond idiot this time.
“W-w-w—“ The stunned blond turned to him, only noticing his presence. His face was wiped of his cheeky grin, now replaced with a look of terror as if he was the main character in a horror movie. Tetsuya thinks it was a little too staged, though there was no way the other boy planned this beforehand, so he shrugs and tries to return back to his nap. “Y-you’re— can you all see— are you real?!”
The bluenette yawned and turned away, nodding his confirmation though too sleepy to deal with the popular kid’s barrage of questions. Tetsuya tried to ignore the crowd seemingly materializing around the kid. Said boy didn’t seem to realize it— or maybe he also just didn’t care. Either way, the camera shutters behind him was going to be a real pain sometime in the future.
When the blond did not make an attempt to move away, he turned back to the source of noise this early in the morning— and flinched.
There was no way his seatmate was going to be this obnoxiously loud teenager.
Tetsuya huffed, which did not go unnoticed. “Hi! Sorry about earlier, I just didn’t see you there. You’ve got a really low presence! And— oh! Where are my manners… my name is Kise Ryouta, what’s yours?”
He was hesitant to shake the hand that was offered to him by the annoying teen, but shook it nonetheless. Tetsuya had a feeling he would not get to live through another day if he ignored the blond at the very first meeting. “Akashi…”
“Akashi?!” Tetsuya was rudely interrupted, but he paid no mind to it.
“...Tetsuya. Nice to meet you, Kise-kun.”
For a moment, Tetsuya started with a confused expression as Kise spluttered and bowed simultaneously. He got a gist of why the blond was antsy in his presence, though he was used to that treatment. People only approached him and his brother when they wanted something, and left in disappointment when the twins politely rejected them. Tetsuya was prepared for when Kise treats him differently and leaves him with disappointed eyes when he gets rejected of whatever favour he would ask of him— teenagers are all the same. Predictable. Exhausting.
Disappointing.
What he didn’t expect was for the loud blond to suddenly exhale a breath and pat him on the shoulder. “Tetsuyacchi, isn’t it exhausting? I mean, always getting mistaken for your brother and everything. Don’t you get annoyed?”
Tetsuya sucked in a breath. “...what?”
“Ah, no, I was just thinking. No wonder you looked familiar. I thought you were the evil twin and I’m doomed for death for sitting next to you, you know.” Kise grinned, though this one lacked his previous charm. This one just seemed nervous, like he was waiting for Tetsuya to unleash something. His inner demon, maybe. Tetsuya was even more confused, now.
“Evil twin? Do you mean... Seijuuro?” Tetsuya cocked his head to the side, pulling on a piece of sticky note from his bag absentmindedly.
Kise nodded fervently. He pulled a magazine from his bag, and Tetsuya sweatdropped at the sight of it. This boy was… strange. Tetsuya does not know whether it was the good or bad way yet. “Here,” he pointed towards a photo of the Akashi family being interviewed by press, the twins tucked away from view but definitely featured. “Someone told me about you two in the company I work for, and they told me I have to watch out if I ever bump into Seijuuro. He’s a demon when you upset him… is what they said. Definitely shouldn’t get on his bad side, especially his brother’s. Lucky if they bumped into Tetsuya instead. Apparently you’re the angel of the family. I didn’t understand why— until now, I think.” There was a pause. Kise’s knees bumped into the table and he groaned out loud, only to gasp as if he’d forgotten something. “Also, Akashi corporation is one of the main sponsors in my model department!”
“That’s… a lot to process.” Tetsuya scratched his chin, striking up a thinking pose. “Sei-kun definitely looks like the evil twin.”
Kise’s smile wavered. “Looks like?!”
The loud ringing of the school bell interrupted their conversation. The bluenette twitched, his supposed nap was forgotten because the blond had distracted him. Tetsuya made a mental note to ignore the blond in the future. Kise chattered a little too much for his liking— his social battery was already dried out for the day.
While he turned away, students slowly trickled into the classroom, and the buzzes of different voices helped drown out the obnoxious blond’s voice.
The rest of the class went as it usually did: teacher starts making everyone introduce themselves, and when she calls for Tetsuya, he wasn’t noticed right away, making him sigh in defeat. Kise came to his rescue and Tetsuya does not know whether he should be grateful or mortified that another student had to come to his aid during mere introductions. The smug grin on the yellow haired fool was something he definitely wanted to wipe off.
Lunch time came. Tetsuya did his best to avoid the blond before he could ask him anything unrelated to school, anything that might lead to a future hang out. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be acquainted with the blond model just yet. It was a good thing his brother had their bentos with him; the escaping part was easy. Disappearing really had a huge advantage at times like this.
Tetsuya ignored the cries of his name behind him. He knew he'd have to deal with Kise again after lunch so he thinks he’ll need all the recharge time he could get away from Kise. Midorima seemingly had the same idea as he did, since he ushered Seijuuro away as quickly as he could leaving his brother disgruntled at their urgency but went along with them anyway. Midorima nodded to Tetsuya in passing before they made their great escape.
The swish and squeaks filled the gym as hopeful first year boys tried out for the nationally strong Teiko team. Tetsuya wiped his face with his shirt as he panted, barely able to keep up with the rest of his team as they shot hoops after hoops. He felt Seijuuro’s eyes on him, silently rooting for him and hoping alongside Tetsuya that the hours of practice they did in the private gym in the corner of their manor paid off at least a dime during this try out.
It’s blurry, he thinks, observing his surroundings. I can’t see clearly .
Another clumsily received pass, another missed shot.
When the whistle blew, Tetsuya stepped off the court with teary eyes and sticky skin, moving to stand beside Seijuuro. He didn’t look at the elder, knowing first hand the disappointment that lies behind the red orbs.
“That play was pathetic. You let your nerves get to you.” Seijuuro told him in his usual calm and collected self, his only response to look away with clenched teeth. “I hope you’ve learnt from your mistake.”
He did. As much as people whispered about Seijuuro never having lost anything in his life, Tetsuya hates losing just as much. Maybe even more. He vowed to do better next time, like he would always do after Seijuuro, far behind Seijuuro, ever successful Seijuuro— though that doesn’t mean the criticism didn’t hurt him any less.
I’ll go on ahead . He’d tell Tetsuya after his team was called, as always, and making good on that promise when he was running and passing and shooting three’s here and there. Tetsuya shivered, watching his brother dominate the court without so much as sweating.
It was only to be expected that his elder twin was called for the first string as soon as their game ended. There was no thinking about it necessary.
Tetsuya could only watch as his brother went ahead, standing alongside two tall first years and their equally basketball inclined childhood friend, carefully eyeing him with a different emotion than the pity he had expected to receive.
“Hey, Sei-kun,” the bluenette calls out one night during their walk home after a gruesome practice.
He had been dead tired this day, with the coach yelling much more than usual and he thinks their training menus were multiplied by fours. Overhearing some of his teammates quitting did not help the sudden fatigue that he couldn’t ignore and the sudden remorse he felt for joining the basketball team, for ending up where he was now. At one point, he’d thought ‘what’s the point?’ but Tetsuya swallowed his words before they even flew out of his mouth.
Seijuuro turned to his twin, lightly running his fingers through the light blue locks, subconsciously comforting. Tetsuya shrinked under his attention but continued forth, subtly unminding of the weight of his brother’s arm around his shoulders pulling him back whenever he would try to take a step ahead.
“If I… if I never catch up to you—“ Tetsuya was cut off by a hand on his mouth, the boy beside him stopping abruptly. They almost stumbled forwards if not for the incredible balance Seijuuro possessed.
“I believe in you.” Seijuuro whispered back, though they both heard the underlying ‘don’t’ behind his words. His flame colored eyes held burning passion and a hidden fear, and it was all it took for Tetsuya to knock away every bit of self consciousness, every hint of his lack of confidence, out of his lithe body. The grip on his shoulder tightened before he was forced to stare back into the eyes of his mirror image. For a minute, it seemed like one had a golden hue hidden in its depth, but it was gone as soon as Tetsuya could blink. “We’ll stand on the same court one day, Tetsuya, remember? Don’t give up on me now.”
Tetsuya only nodded, a strong wave of conviction hitting him enough to reignite the flame of his love for basketball.
It was during a cold autumn night when he met a blue eyed teen, his hair just a few shades darker than his own and his skin a beautiful tan complimenting his eyes. He entered Tetsuya’s life with a burning passion for basketball that rivalled Seijuuro’s— and quite possibly, Tetsuya’s.
Tetsuya trained under Seijuuro’s watchful eye most days, in which days Aomine cut back the hours he had spent with them (Seijuuro, specifically. He would not miss a day he could hang out with Tetsuya, the better twin, alone) in fear that he’d someday provoke the red head to plot his death. Most possibly painful. With the use of scissors.
In turn, Seijuuro grew to ignore Aomine’s presence— or at least Tetsuya hoped he did instead of secretly plotting his demise —after the ganguro somewhat grew a nerve and performed a strike against Seijuuro for being born as Tetsuya’s evil twin. It was a stupid episode, but amusing nonetheless. Seijuuro would stay silent in the bleachers as Tetsuya dribbled away with his new playmate, neither commenting nor making a move to exit the scene. The bluenette didn’t complain, but having his twin watch his every move was unnerving and the drive he felt to perfect everything was stronger than before.
Only, the results never showed.
The bluenette was now on his twenty-eighth shot, mentally briefing how his form would look like before he made the actual shot. The ball hit the rim. Tetsuya ducked his head when Aomine’s ball rebounded, nearly hitting his skull, before handing it back to the taller boy while grunting at Aomine who suddenly jumped after Tetsuya appeared at his side.
“Tetsuya,” Seijuuro called suddenly, wide eyed with a different resolve like something had clicked, beckoning him over with his free hand. “Can you do one thing for me?” He did not need the confirmation; Tetsuya would do it either way, but Seijuuro asked for his consent regardless. This puzzled Tetsuya, though he did nothing but listen. “Steal one from Aomine when he does a drive.”
Tetsuya went up to Aomine to ask as he was told, and when the move was executed with a failed result, Seijuuro merely blinked at them, leaving both teens as confused as ever.
“Interesting,” was all he said, turning back to his Shogi game.
“I’m quitting basketball.” The words stung, ringing in the air like he had yelled in the place of a whisper. It felt like a slap to the face anyway— the way Aomine looked at him. Tetsuya doesn’t know whether Aomine wanted to crack a joke or demand if Tetsuya himself was cracking his own wicked joke. He doesn’t know which one was worse.
Aomine’s gaze fell to the floor. His face was sporting a look of shock, though his mouth parted open made him looked like he was relieved more than anything. Both of them knew he was anything but. “Tetsu, give me one good reason why you think that’s a good idea.” The fact that he didn’t utter a single curse word in his current state mortified the smaller teen.
“I’ve never been good enough for the team,” he replied, only being able to see it through without cracking because the line had been rehearsed a hundred times in his head and a hundred more for when he would speak to his brother. “I love basketball,” he continued, feeling weightless all of a sudden. Tetsuya feels like he was floating, that he wasn’t the one in control of his body at that moment. “I love basketball, but...” Tetsuya took a deep breath, shaking as he voiced his worst fear coming true. “I’m never going to be able to play in your court no matter how hard I try.”
Time stilled, the air vents and the rustling of the leaves outside caused by the winter chill was all that could be heard. Maybe Tetsuya will also hear a pin drop from this silence.
“What the hell kind of reason is that?!” Aomine grabbed his shirt, feeling his pounding heart at the back of his hand. Maybe it dawned to Aomine that Tetsuya was just as frustrated as he was, because he had stepped away, voice cracking as spoke, and Tetsuya clenched his jaw at how vulnerable the ace looked right then. “You—Tetsu, you shouldn’t quit.” The force behind his tone made Tetsuya still, his breathing coming out in tiny gasps.
He can’t breathe .
But he stood still, waiting, even anticipating Aomine’s next words. “Idiot. Who cares if you’re weak?!” Aomine grabbed him again, with much less strength than the last. This one was not meant to hurt, it just meant to get the point across, the bluenette concludes. “You work harder than others, you stay later and do so much more. You— you— “
Tetsuya had to wipe his eyes from the tears he was yet to shed, knees weak as Aomine continued to hold him up by his shoulders.
Quitting hurts. Being told you can’t be good enough to do something you love hurts a little too much , but being told all this by Aomine when he already knew knocked him down harder than a punch to the face.
The bluenette wondered for a moment whether Aomine was only trying to hold him up now, but he had no time to process before the ace spoke again, a much softer tone this time, “you’re not useless to the team. You’re not useless… to me.“
Tetsuya had no time to think up a reply for footsteps echoed near the duo, and out of the shadows came Seijuuro, followed by Midorima and an unnamed purple haired who was as tall as a pole. Tetsuya remembers him from the way he had dropped crumbs on top of his head during the first day. He guessed this was the Murasakibara who excelled in defending whom his brother and friends alike had been telling him about. “...can I steal your height, giant-san?”
The tension dissipated as quickly as it came. Choked laughter and silent chuckles erupted around him and the giant teen quirked up his lips as he placed a hand on top of Tetsuya’s hair. Tetsuya feels him ruffle his hair lightly. “I like you, Aka-chin’s brother. I won’t crush you.”
The bluenette gasped as the grip on his hair tightened a little, forcing him to look up into the slanted eyes. “I’ll give you height, but don’t steal. I won’t share my snacks.” Tetsuya nodded, not completely understanding, removing the heavy hand on top of his head.
“...if you all would excuse us,” The younger twin didn’t realize Seijuuro was speaking with the other two before he had been dragged away from the group, “you can go on ahead. I need to speak to my brother.”
Tetsuya tried to forget how hurt Aomine looked before the doors closed.
The walk back was strange. Tetsuya wondered how often they had walks like this, where the drama always unfolds whenever he walks home alone with Seijuuro. There were a few he could name in memory, the hushed exchange of words clear in his mind— he doesn’t want to walk through the memory lane yet. Not when his brother had something say, anyway.
“You quitted.” The silent plea laced with malice coupled with Seijuuro’s voice made him turn his head to look at the red head, wide eyed and fearful. He knew then that the calm persona his older twin showed earlier was nothing but an act, that Seijuuro was angrier than he was supposed to be . “You gave up on me,” Seijuuro accused. Tetsuya had to look away before he got trapped.
“I’m sorry.”
“What will your apology do ?”
Tetsuya did not know. His speech earlier felt half assed and unworthy of an argument now that his brother was the one on the receiving end. His mouth felt dry, he couldn’t utter a single word in response.
Seijuuro strode forward, tugging his brother along with their connected hands. His grip was tighter as if he was holding on to his twin for dear life — and maybe he was, though Tetsuya couldn’t find it in himself to complain about the pain. The air felt heavy between them. The bluenette wants to escape, but he doesn’t think he could. Not when Seijuuro was this resolute, and Tetsuya couldn’t figure out why.
They stopped near a park in the corner of their street. It was a good mile away from their home, enough to isolate themselves from the prying eyes of the countless house servants.
Seijuuro sat them in the swingset, letting go, pushing himself higher and farther while Tetsuya stayed unmoving. The red haired teen was the one amusing himself with how much higher he could go, but like this, Tetsuya felt like the child he was, so small and so very naive.
He’s always watched Seijuuro go higher.
When Seijuuro stopped, he was out of breath much more than he was after practice. He seemed to glow a different light.
“I had a feeling,” Seijuuro started, “that you were different.” Tetsuya cocked his head to the side, encouraging the elder to continue. “Your play is different. It wasn’t clear to me before, but you shine brighter when you’re not in the spotlight, Tetsuya.”
Tetsuya blinked, unsure of what his brother had been implying, though he could guess. His brother always had his way with riddles, but the bluenette thinks he’s used to it after all the years they’d spent together. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Sei-kun. We’re…” he paused to clear his thoughts, looking for the right phrase, “still talking about basketball, aren’t we?”
Seijuuro nodded, averting his eyes to the nearby slide, old and rusty, obviously not cleaned for a while. “I saw it first when you were playing with Aomine. Not the one on one,” an uncharacteristic snort disrupts the flow of his speech, “but whenever his gaze drifts to the ball and you come up behind him, his attention wavers. There’s something there, at least.” The younger twin stayed still while Seijuuro ranted, knowing full well what happens whenever his brother was this uncomposed with his thoughts. He stammered out a few words, seeming to look for the right ones, before he utters another complete thought. “I’m not sure what it is I see— what it is he sees, but he’s interested, and I can see why. There’s a limit to what we can grasp, but it’s there , Tetsuya. Please don’t stop trying. Don’t give up on me. I know you can show us when you’ve found the answer.”
Tetsuya pretends he doesn’t see Seijuuro placing the book of misdirection in his study desk and a cotton jacket over his shoulders when he falls asleep doing research on Magic 101.
Another clang rang through his ears as the pass he had been working on reached farther than the first. He was getting better at it, Tetsuya knew— but not good enough for the team , his subconsciousness would helpfully provide.
Tetsuya was practicing alone outside today as the gym was currently being used for practice matches, the regulars having their hands full of guests from other powerhouse middle schools. The bluenette wiped his sweat, looking up at the hoop before looking back down because no, the hoop isn’t your goal .
He closed his eyes to envision an imaginary set of teammates, moving in sync with that one milisecond of window to sneak in a pass. Tetsuya dribbled hard until the ball was high enough mid air for him to work with. His hand flew to his side, twisting enough to put force into the ball to send it flying.
On the left, there was someone open—
“Excuse me! Can you toss to me?” A new voice asks from the side, causing Tetsuya’s momentary concentration to dissolve back into thin air. He halted his execution of the difficult pass as he glanced to the other side of the metal fence, to the newcomer who had too much of a presence in contrast to his lack of one.
The bluenette’s eyes slowly focused on a bright eyed boy with striking orange hair, fierce and scorching as a sun it almost rivalled his brother’s own features. “I’ll, um, help you with your passes?” He bargained, like he was expecting Tetsuya to strike a deal if the bright boy wanted his help. Tetsuya’s eyes shifted to the volleyball in his hands wearily. “Please toss to me!” He repeated, bowing a ninety degree angle.
Tetsuya, stunned, nods after a beat, mind still processing after his focus had been abruptly distracted. He mentally noted how he was finally able to look down on someone during his middle school days before considering that a) this boy might not even be in middle school yet and b) it was just plain rude to mention someone’s height. He knows that by experience.
The boy brightens considerably anyway despite already radiating light that could blind him, and Tetsuya briefly wonders how.
“My name is Hinata Shoyo, nice to meet you!” He told the bluenette after he ran around the fence to greet the silent boy and hand him the volleyball he had. He takes Tetsuya’s hand in his, and it felt much too warm, like he was burning. Maybe this boy was the human embodiment of a sun after all.
“Akashi Tetsuya.” He replied, noticing how the boy just kept shaking him for a solid minute. “Nice to meet you too.”
Hinata stared at him, only looking away when Tetsuya tugs at him. The boy suddenly lets him go, then, red coloring the skin on cheeks and neck. “S-sorry! I just— your eyes are like bwaaah — they’re beautiful!” Tetsuya’s face heats up, his mind doing a flip at how the boy seemed to blurt out his honest and genuine thoughts. The bluenette thinks it was endearing in its own way.
“Are you new here, Hinata-kun?” Tetsuya asked instead, straightening up and playing with the volleyball now in his possession. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”
“Ah, yes!” Hinata seemed to recover instantly, making animated motions with his hand while he spoke. Tetsuya was reminded of a certain blond, only less annoying and more endearing. “We actually moved here last week! It’s my first year, mom wanted me to go to a top school for sports ever since she learned about my passion for volleyball, for a change.” Hinata looked down, idly fiddling on his fingers. “But apparently Teiko didn’t have a good team for volleyball last year, and since victory is everything for everyone here, they just cut the team off altogether. All or nothing, right?”
The orange teen sighed, going quiet. It only lasted for a second, not enough for Tetsuya to say something before he looked up again, determination settling on his features. It was a good look on him, Tetsuya thinks. “Anyway, today is my first day here and I haven’t really made any friends yet and I saw you practicing here alone so I thought maybe you can help me and I can help you!”
“I see.” Tetsuya said after his mind wrapped around the onslaught of information. “I’ll help you.”
“Really? Thank you!” Hinata jumped as he celebrated like he won the lottery. His excitement was kind of infectious, Tetsuya felt excited just watching him.
The blue haired teen tossed the volleyball in his hand around, making a feel for the ball. It was lighter than a basketball, but Tetsuya concludes he could work with it. He might not know much about volleyball but it was easier to play the basics than playing one on one basketball. Volleyball relies on passing a lot more than basketball, after all.
Hinata went into a receiving position quickly as soon as Tetsuya beckoned him over. The bluenette serves at him, and when the ball goes up, Tetsuya got ready to set. He watched as Hinata jumped— Hinata flew , seemingly spreading his wings with his hands.
Time seemed to slow down as Tetsuya gazed up at the sight of Hinata taking flight with wonder in his eyes. He doesn’t know whether he should be amazed or jealous at how easy it was for the other boy to defy gravity, to be very good at fighting his battle— and he doesn’t know what battle Hinata was fighting, but he seemed to be winning anyway. The bluenette felt the air knocked out of his lungs as he marvelled at the spectacle Hinata had become.
He hadn’t remembered he had to set until the ball was an inch away from his fingers.
Tetsuya didn’t expect the ball to feel as light as it did, much more than holding it in his hand. The ball was set much higher than he wanted, completely missing Hinata’s waiting palm. Hinata stares at the ball as it falls, Tetsuya gapes.
“Oops,” Tetsuya offered, glancing at his hand. He heard Hinata double over in laughter and the sight of him made Tetsuya want to try again just to set to the glowing teen.
“One more time!”