Ukai doesn't even look surprised when he comes out of the gym and Takeda's waiting for him. Takeda considers this a victory, or at least a major step up from the growling eye-rolling he got initially, and he doesn't pause before he falls into step with the blond.
"So how was it?" he asks before Ukai can put together some protest to hide his obvious pleasure at playing again. "It was fun, wasn't it? You'll be back tomorrow, won't you?"
"You're persistent," Ukai sighs without looking at him. "I already told you I'll coach them until the practice match."
And beyond it, Takeda hopes but doesn't say. He has bought himself a few weeks, at least, for the players and for himself as well. Though he thinks he may be somewhat closer to his personal goal than he expected.
"I am," he agrees rather than pushing the subject. "It is my only charm."
Ukai glances at him sideways. "I don't know about that." He's not quite looking at Takeda, and he focuses forward when the older man turns to look at him properly, but even so Takeda is pretty sure that was intended as the compliment he heard. He doesn't have a response ready, at least not a verbal one; he does flush pink with pleasure, smile at the path ahead of them, but there's a moment of silence before Ukai clears his throat and picks up the thread of conversation again.
"You really did pull out all the stops," he says. "Playing on my old rivalries, dragging my history into it - how much research did you do on me, sensei?"
"Research is just a different form of persistence," Takeda points out. "I did enough to get you to join us, didn't I?"
"What if I had said no?" Ukai asks, but when Takeda looks up at him he's smiling into the distance.
"I would have kept trying," he says honestly. Then, because he really does think that was a compliment and he wants to return the effort: "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to seduce you." They're Ukai's own words - Takeda wouldn't have put it quite so bluntly - but he's been playing that phrase back over in his head all day and the sentence rises to his lips before he has quite thought through the implications.
The blond misses a step. Takeda is moving fast, nearly jogging to keep up, and with the other man's stumble he's in the lead for a moment before he can stop and look back. Ukai is moving again by then; Takeda gets a glimpse of a dark flush over his cheeks before the other man has caught him up and taken the lead and he's back to trailing in his wake.
"So." Ukai's voice is a little higher than normal. "That's how it is?"
For a moment Takeda considers playing dumb, acting like the implications of his last statement were entirely accidental. But he's never been very good at feigning ignorance in the rare cases when he lacks it, and Ukai doesn't sound angry. That's got to be a good sign.
"Yes." He drops into a run for a handful of steps so he draws alongside the blond instead of at his heels. "That's how it is."
"Huh." Ukai is still not looking at him, though Takeda is absorbed in what he can see of the other's expression in profile. "You shoulda just said something."
"I did," Takeda points out. "Just now."
That makes the taller man laugh, earns him a sideways glance that fires Takeda's blood with enough courage to keep talking. "So. Should I start camping out at the shop to learn your favorite food to get you to come to dinner with me?"
There's a pause, so long if Takeda weren't watching a slow smile creep onto Ukai's face he would be worried. Then the blond clears his throat, and turns his head to actually look at Takeda, and says, "No. It's not worth fighting you, I know a lost cause when I see it."
"You're a fast learner," Takeda says. When he tips in sideways to bump his shoulder against Ukai's arm the other man leans back into him, the pressure as reassuring as the embarrassed pleasure shining in the blond's face. "I'm always glad to have a willing student."
"Yeah, I bet you are," is all Ukai says.
They walk the rest of the way back to the shop in silence more comfortable than awkward. Ukai doesn't take Takeda's hand, but his fingers brush against the other's wrist more than once, and Takeda doesn't pull away. By the time they arrive at their endpoint, Ukai's slowed his pace enough that Takeda isn't half-jogging, and Takeda is flushed and too pleased to be self-conscious about the color high in his cheeks.
"So," Ukai says as they stop, and Takeda swallows and talks quickly.
"Tomorrow night. After the team's done practicing. Somewhere casual, so we can go straight out after."
Ukai nods, though his blush is getting darker with every word. "Yeah. Good. Sounds good."
"Okay!" Takeda feels like he's flying, too excited and too pleased to bother trying to hide it. "I'll see you tomorrow then!"
Ukai laughs, raises one hand in a wave. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
Takeda wants to kiss him, maybe just his cheek or his wrist if not his mouth. But that would be too much, too fast, so he doesn't, just smiles and waves and continues down the road.
It's okay. The flush on Ukai's cheeks and the smile curving over his lips will be enough to tide him over until tomorrow.