Pairing: Niou/Yagyuu
Warnings: None
Niou sat alone on the bench, staring at the tennis racquet in his hands. There were broken strings all over, and what had been the beginning of small cracks were now large crevices along the frame. His eyes were dark as he stared at it, haunted by the image of the destruction of something that, in all honesty, meant more to him than many of the other things in his life. He'd known it was showing wear, but he hadn't expected it to crumble like this, in the last match of their last year, before all the seniors retired from the tennis team to prepare for the college entrance exams.
He had other racquets. No regular on the team used just one, after all. This one was special, that's all. He wasn't even aware of the fact that his hand was shaking as his fingers ran over the fractures in the frame. They'd won the match, but the last volley had destroyed the racquet. It was fitting, in a way, he supposed. Symbolic of the end of something that had begun years ago in junior high.
"It's broken." Niou didn't even look up as the owner of the voice settled next to him on the bench, looking over his shoulder. "I don't think we're going to be able to get it repaired this time, Masaharu."
"I know." Niou kept running his fingers over it, unaware of the sadness showing in his eyes. "I suppose I should just get rid of it."
Yagyuu took it away from him, twisting and turning it carefully. "We could get it repaired enough to have it mounted, I suppose. Have the old man put it in a framed box or something."
Niou watched, eyes widening in surprise. "Mount and frame it?"
"Of course." Yagyuu gifted him with the smallest of smiles, something few people ever saw. "This is the racquet you played with when you convinced me to join the team. We can't just throw it away or toss it in a box."
"You remember that?" Niou raised an eyebrow at him.
"I remember everything about playing with you, Masaharu." Yagyuu handed him the racquet again. "We'll bring it in this weekend before we go to the library, if that's acceptable?"
"All right, Hiroshi." Niou nodded and tucked the racquet into his bag. "Maybe we can pick out a new one while we're there."
"Of course." Yagyuu grabbed his bag and they both headed to the team bus. "We'll need to replace it for college, right?"
With that, Niou's mood distinctly improved.