"Probably," Marui solemnly says, "it's best if Akaya knows nothing."
It's probably true. Kirihara Akaya tends towards the oblivious at best, often missing the most obvious things (unless they are related to tennis), and when it comes to his teammates' romantic liaisons…
"Make sure he isn't in the locker room when you start asking about things, then," Jackal hisses. "Why do you do that, anyway?"
Marui blinks up at him, blowing a particularly large bubble that pops across his lips. "Because Niou has useful information."
"He does not! My back does not make a good ramen bowl!"
"Shhh. It was definitely a good bowl."
"It was hot."
Marui hums and shrugs and licks the gum off of his lips. "Yeah, well. I like eating things off of you."
Jackal relents-he always relents, it's safer that way, and it isn't like he dislikes Marui eating normal things off of him-and just when Marui leans up on tip-toe to kiss him, the locker room door slams open.
"Marui-senpai, Jackal-senpai!"
If he had hair, Marui's gum would be in it. As it is, the gum ends up stuck to the collar of his jersey instead, and Jackal spends the rest of the afternoon scowling and picking at it while Marui sulks about interrupted, unfinished kisses (and wasted gum).
"You always did have a taste for those younger than you, Sadaharu."
Inui's face turns an interesting color. Yanagi decides he likes it. "What are you talking about? You're only 23 hours, 4 minutes and-"
"I'm still younger."
Inui scowls, shoving his glasses up. "For as much as my tastes haven't changed, it seems yours have."
That doesn't compute, and Yanagi's head cocks to the side before he can rein in the reaction. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Or perhaps," Inui continues as if Yanagi had said nothing, "we both simply prefer second years now."
"You can't possibly mean…no. Please stop with those insinuations, he's a child."
"A child that took half of my face off at the Nationals!"
"Yes, well, he did get a bit carried away."
Inui exhales a frustrated noise that is not the most flattering. That's nothing to write a haiku about. "Then you two aren't-"
"Absolutely not." Yanagi's eyes slit open and he leans up, their faces a mere 3.762 centimeters apart. "You should perfect your data before making such ridiculous accusations, Sadaharu."
Inui's mouth opens, closes again, and the locker room door slams open loudly. "Yanagi-senpai! I want to practice a new doubles thing against the Golden Pair, let's go!"
Yanagi does enjoy the way Inui slides down the wall of lockers in a wobbly mess, but he does not enjoy having to entertain Kirihara when he has other things on his mind. Perhaps it is time to let him know.
"Puri."
"No, Niou-kun. We are not putting Kirihara-kun out of his misery."
Niou makes a face. "Seems like he'd be so much easier to deal with if we didn't have to tiptoe around him."
Yagyuu shrugs, gently digging his fingers into the strings of his racket. "He's a young boy. Let him preserve his innocence for a bit longer."
The excuse doesn't quite work when Niou has done the mental math regarding their ages at least ten times over, and Yagyuu knows it. Rather than say anything, though, Niou merely snorts, grabs Yagyuu by the collar, and flops back into the lockers, dragging Yagyuu with him.
"Niou-kun-"
"Shut up and kiss me, or I'm going to suck your cock right here-hey, might do that anyway-"
"Yagyuu-senpai!"
Niou kind of ends up on the floor anyway when the door slams open and Yagyuu shoves him down (accidentally!), and Yagyuu hates not being able to turn around immediately because his dick is too hard and Niou being at his feet doesn't make it any easier.
"He needs to know."
It's shocking sometimes how in-sync the entirety of the Rikkai regulars can be. When something is said in unison by five different people, even Yukimura has to blink, and Sanada's brow furrows, his arms folding tight across his chest.
"He can learn on his own time," Sanada insists, trying not to let his face turn an interesting shade of red and failing. Yanagi might be taking notes. "It is hardly our responsibility to-"
"Now, Genichirou," Yukimura hums, placing a hand on Sanada's arm-a delicate, pretty, soft hand, no matter the strength behind it, and Sanada makes a noise that is not entirely masculine. "Where would you be without proper guidance?"
Less light-headed all of the time because my dick would not be so permanently filled with all the blood in my body. "I just think that maybe-"
"I'll talk to him," Niou pipes up.
Sanada jerks to his feet instantly. "I have this under control."
He doesn't. Where does one even start to tell Akaya that every last one of his teammates is in a homosexual relationship? Maybe Niou would have been better for this job after all-
"Did you talk to him yet?" Yukimura asks on the bus ride to the U-17 camp, and Sanada just starts sweating.
"Shiraishi will be able to handle him," Yanagi says when they supposedly leave after their matches. Sanada hates his life.
"We are not leaving the raising of that boy to others," Yukimura reminds him in a snarl when Sanada returns, after Sanada has bathed and they've kissed and Yukimura has curled up between his legs, clingier than Sanada remembers him being in awhile. "Just look at Tooyama-kun. Look at him."
Sanada doesn't want to look at him, but that being said, he doesn't like the way Shiraishi grooms Kirihara like he's his own, either.
He's going to do this. He's going to get this done and over with. He's basically just going to shove Kirihara in a room where Niou is passed out over Yagyuu's lap or possibly where Marui has made a nest in Jackal's new jersey-
"Sanada-fukubuchou!"
He's sweating already.
"I-forgive my impertinence!" Kirihara bows deeply, straight enough to eat bentou off of (he knows, they've done that before), and Sanada merely blinks. "But you should take greater efforts never to leave Yukimura-buchou alone again! He's not the same without you and you're the only one we trust at Rikkai to look after him properly!"
Ah.
Well.
Maybe there isn't any need for a talk if Kirihara is already aware of far more important things.
Sanada swallows, and sets a hand atop his hair, ruffling it thoroughly. "…I won't leave him alone again."
There's definitely no need for a talk. Kirihara knows more than they give him credit for, anyway. They've raised him well.