I'm not scared. They're just my classmates. Mahiru's here too. I'm not alone. I'm not scared.

Maybe if Kuro told himself that often enough, he'd eventually wind up believing it too.

Practice was about to start, and Kuro was a nervous wreck. He had no idea what had possessed him last night that had made him come here despite all his fears, but right now he was cursing himself for it, regretting every second that had led up to this very point. He wanted to leave. He wanted to turn a one-eighty and run out of here and hide in a place where he could never be found, covering his eyes and ears from everything until the sports festival was over.

But he couldn't do that now. It was too late; he was here, lined up with all the others, and there was no going back. The only good part was that Mahiru was next to him, smiling his most encouraging smile, but even that faded in the face of all the hostile eyes on him, glaring at his back when they thought he didn't notice. And he wanted to leave.

Mahiru, however, didn't seem to notice. Grinning at everyone, he turned to face them, planting his hands on his hips. "Alright, let's warm up!"

And then there's that too. Kuro had been so invested in the acceptance aspect of this tournament that he had completely forgotten about the sports part.

This was about to quickly turn into his worst nightmare.

Sighing, he joined his teammates as they started running laps around the court, falling into stride next to Mahiru and watching Ryuusei, Koyuki, and those girls whose name he could never remember run alongside them, some darting ahead, others already out of breath after half a lap. The two girls were talking as they ran, completely ignoring that they barely had enough breath for running alone; Ryuusei was sprinting like he wanted an entry in the Guinness Book of Records while Koyuki, gasping and panting, tried to keep up with him. Kuro allowed himself to relax a little. At least they were all too busy with themselves and each other to take notice of him for the moment.

"Kuro?"

Kuro blinked, turning to look at Mahiru, who was quickening his pace as he spoke. "Remember what I told you? Try to get along with the team. You can't just stay with me the whole time, you know?"

Stumbling, Kuro nearly tripped over his feet, catching himself at the last minute and hurrying forward to catch up with Mahiru again. "Not my fault if they don't wanna get along with me."

"They will." Mahiru smiled. "Trust me. You won't even have to approach them on your own, I'm gonna do that for you, okay? So don't worry, try to be nice and do your best!"

With that he sped up again, darting after Ryuusei, overtaking Koyuki in a heartbeat. "Ryuusei, slow down already! This is volleyball practice, not the Olympics! You'll run out of steam!"

Kuro sighed, watching Mahiru lapse into full-on scolding mom mode as he chased after Ryuusei, who laughed and picked up his speed. "What a pain..."

There was a startled yelp at his side. Turning, Kuro found Koyuki jumping three feet away from him, eyes wide with shock, his face turning pale as soon as he was met with Kuro's gaze. "S-So sorry!" he stammered, backing away till he hit the wall. "I-I-I didn't see you at all and got startled when you suddenly spoke up... I'm sorry!"

Kuro closed his eyes, turning his head away. See this, Mahiru? This is what they think of me. They think I'm gonna kill somebody over something like this. There's no way I can get along with them.

Well, you could at least try.

Kuro wasn't sure if the voice in his head was Mahiru's, his own, or someone else's entirely, but he knew it was right. He couldn't complain about these guys fearing him if he never tried to change their minds. Maybe Mahiru would stop trying to make him socialize when he saw that things really didn't work, even with him trying.

And besides, how much worse than this could it possibly get?

"What a pain," he said, trying to sound as calm as usual, concealing the fact that he was getting an adrenaline rush just from talking to Mahiru's friend. "I'm just a friendly neighborhood shut-in. I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me."

That one had worked on Mahiru. But what if it didn't work on other people? Should he have said something different? What if he sounded weird, what if he'd just made it worse, what if–

He opened his eyes again, carefully letting his gaze stray back to Koyuki. His classmate was still standing with his back to the wall, looking nervous and terrified... and confused. Mostly he looked confused, surprised to hear the dreaded delinquent utter such things, things that didn't fit his troublemaker image at all. Kuro just gave him a half-tired, half-apologetic look. What? This is me. Sorry if you thought otherwise.

Koyuki let out the breath he'd been holding, stepping away from the wall. There was still fear in his face, mistrust, but most of all there was confusion and... just a tiny bit of curiosity.

Kuro was just about to say something when Mahiru called out to them from the other side of the gym. "Kuro, Koyuki, what are you guys doing? Everyone else is done!"

"Coming," Koyuki called back as Kuro sighed. No matter how he put it, running was still a major pain.

Mahiru nodded and planted his hands on his hips. "And no cutting corners, you two!"

"But Mahiru!"

"What a pain..."

Kuro and Koyuki blinked, surprised. They had both spoken at the exact same time, both of them thinking the exact same thing.

"What?" Kuro asked, almost defensively, squirming under Koyuki's puzzled stare. "Running's a pain."

Koyuki fidgeted a bit, then he ventured a half-smile that turned into a nervous laugh. "I know, right?"

Kuro blinked in surprise, the slightest hint of hope and joy fluttering in his chest. Had this guy seriously just smiled at him? And agreed with him? Screw that, had he seriously managed to start some sort of conversation with him? They hadn't talked much... and Koyuki still seemed afraid of him... but still.

Maybe this guy wasn't so bad. No... maybe joining this team wasn't so bad.

Heaving a sigh that didn't sound half as exasperated and tired as he meant it to sound, he turned, falling into a severely unmotivated jog. Koyuki followed suit, running beside him, although he still kept as much distance as he possibly could. They finished their last lap in silence, but the silence wasn't nearly as awkward or uncomfortable as Kuro had feared it would be.

"Dude!" Still out of breath, Ryuusei fell down on the bench, leaning back to rest his head against the wall. "Nobody told me volleyball was this hard!"

Koyuki sat down next to him with a laugh. "You think so? I think it's not half as hard as running all those warm-up laps."

"That's because you're tall, man! Do you have any clue how high I have to jump to get those goddamn spikes over the net?"

"But you can jump amazingly high, Ryuu-chan!"

Taking a giant gulp out of his bottle and splashing a handful of water over his face, Mahiru joined his friends, giving them both high fives. "Good job, guys. You're doing great!"

Ryuusei and Koyuki exchanged a quick glance, then they leaned forward, tackling their friend and knocking him to the ground. "Mahiru!" they whined, holding him down even as he protested. "Help us, we're so tired!"

"Guys, stop it! I can't breathe!"

"Look at this freak!" Ryuusei shouted out, continuing to wrestle him down. "How can he still stand after all this? Tell us your secret, man!"

Koyuki nodded and laughed. "Our ever-reliable Mahiru-sama! Captain Mahiru-sama!"

"Hey, don't just make me captain!" Mahiru protested, trying and failing to shove his two friends off while suppressing a laugh. "Kuro!" he called out to the delinquent, who had flopped down on the ground a few steps away. "Don't just sit around like that, help me!"

Kuro looked up, unsure what to do. He could easily help Mahiru, of course... but should he? His two friends were still terrified of him. If he tried anything now... wouldn't that just terrify them all the more? What should he do?

"Dammit, Kuro!" Mahiru shouted again, craning his neck to give him a playful glare. "What are you doing, help me already!"

"What a pain." Standing up as slowly as he could, Kuro made his way over to the squabbling and laughing trio, coming to stand next to them. Mahiru was giving him a look that was half pleading, half impatient, but the amusement in his eyes was too bright to overlook. And suddenly Kuro knew exactly what to do. It might scare Mahiru's friends a little... but not nearly as much as forcibly dragging them off their friend.

Kuro swallowed, forcing down the nervousness stirring in his chest. Was he really about to do this, join Mahiru and his friends in their playful banter like that? Wasn't that like an intrusion? Calm down, he tried to tell himself. Mahiru just invited you in. You're not intruding if you're invited. What could possibly go wrong?

Bracing himself, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and flopped down on top of Mahiru, joining Ryuusei and Koyuki.

Mahiru struggled underneath him. "Kuro! What are you doing?"

"Helping," Kuro replied, trying to sound as casual as possible while Mahiru tried to shove him off. "Like you said."

"Like hell you are! You're not helping!"

Ryuusei and Koyuki exchanged a puzzled glance, shrinking back ever so slightly, but amusement over the absurdity of the situation won in the end, and they started grinning. "Looks like you lost that one, Mahiru-sama!"

"And you guys call yourselves my friends! Geez!" Mahiru gave all of them playful smacks over the head, then his expression slipped, a wide grin crossing his face. Laughing, he tried to shove his three friends off, to no avail until he gave a mischievous grin and tickled Koyuki's side.

Koyuki yelped and jumped three feet in the air, only to leap back and retaliate. Ryuusei joined in, and a moment later they were all caught up in a three-way tickle fight. Kuro hurriedly scrambled out of Mahiru's reach before his friend thought of tickling him too. He was ticklish as all hell, and he wasn't sure he'd be comfortable laughing around these guys who were still at least a little afraid of him, a feeling that was entirely mutual.

Watching the scene from the sidelines, he couldn't help but marvel at everything that had just happened. Had he really just joined forces with Mahiru's childhood friends to mess with their mutual friend? And had they really laughed at it instead of shrinking away in terror? It had only been for a moment... but just now, they hadn't seemed as afraid of him anymore. Maybe it was just the relaxed atmosphere. Maybe it was that they felt safer when Mahiru was with them. Yeah, that was probably it. There was no way they hadn't been scared just because Kuro had allowed himself to act a little silly.

But still... it was going so much better than expected.

Looking back on today, Kuro couldn't help but feel amazed. Not only had he somehow managed to play with these guys, he had enjoyed it a little. Setting the ball for them to spike was getting easier and easier, and sometimes he couldn't help feeling like they were having fun too. At least they weren't afraid of him hitting the ball in their faces anymore.

Well, that was probably a little too optimistic. They must still be a little scared. It wasn't like they'd suddenly grown to like him or anything; they probably never would. At the moment they were just trying their best to work together with him, for the team's sake or to please Mahiru, or maybe both. There was no way they'd willingly interact with him outside of this.

But it was okay. It was better than Kuro had thought or dared to hope. It was fine, somehow. Fun, even. If they all just managed to keep going like this until the tournament was over, he'd be grateful forever.

Mahiru managed to free himself from his friends' grip, jumping to his feet and running off to hide behind Kuro before they could catch him. "Alright," he announced, "break's over! Let's get back to practice, everyone!"

There was a groan from Koyuki, Ryuusei and the girls, and Kuro sighed. "Already? What a pain..."

"Of course! Are you planning to win this or not?" Walking past Kuro, Mahiru placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, giving him a smile. "You're doing great, Kuro. Good job!"

Kuro turned away, hoping Mahiru wouldn't see the slight blush crossing his cheeks. "Are you trying to bribe me into working harder?"

"Wha–?! No! That was a genuine compliment, you egg!"

"Ow... Don't hit your innocent teammates... what a pain."

Sighing, Kuro stretched and followed Mahiru back on the court. This was all still a little too good to be true. Why were things going so stupidly well? It was so much easier than he'd thought... so much more fun.

It wasn't like he wanted to spend more time with these guys. But just playing with them... he didn't mind that half as much as he'd thought he would.

"...Munchkin? Heyooo, Munchkin!"

Misono jumped, harshly snapping out of his reverie and back into reality. What was he doing again? Oh right, he was supposed to get this bunch of idiots organized and make them study a proper cheering routine. Not that he knew the first thing about cheering, but the choreography wasn't his job anyway. His job was to help deal out tasks and sort these loudmouths into groups that didn't range from two to eight in size. And when he was done with this, he'd have to find some referees... and then...

Great, the festival was still weeks from now and his to-do list was already growing over his head.

"Hey, Purple! Eggplant? Jelly bean!"

Huffing with annoyance, Misono finally turned around to glare at Watanuki, who was giving him his stupidest, most shameless grin. "Watanuki Sakuya," he said with overemphasized patience. "Don't you have a patient bone in your body? I was thinking, you bastard! And in your place I'd be very careful with comparing other people to vegetables if I looked like a lettuce myself."

There were laughs and hoots from their classmates. Watanuki looked annoyed, then he grinned, more fiercely this time, red eyes gleaming with something suspiciously akin to murderous intent. "Huh, looks like you're so far down you can't see my head from down there," he sneered, stepping forward to loom over Misono as if he was trying to intimidate him. "Should I lend you a telescope?"

"No, but I'd appreciate a microscope so I can finally see your intelligence." Misono didn't back down, meeting Watanuki's gaze with a cold glare. "What did you want from me, bastard? I assume you had some sort of reason for talking to me."

"Duh." Watanuki still looked like he had more arguing in him, but thankfully he let the matter slide for now. "I was saying we're planning to make signs and posters so we need some paper and pens from the art classroom, which you'd know if you hadn't been daydreaming but whatever."

Misono jolted, feeling caught. "I-I wasn't daydreaming, you bastard!" he sputtered, blushing. Like hell he was telling this idiot and half the class that he'd been distracted because of Sendagaya! It wasn't his fault he couldn't get that impossible first-year off his mind. Who wouldn't be stuck thinking of someone after being asked to watch them play at the festival this very morning?

"Sure you weren't," Watanuki replied with a smirk. "Spacing out, then?"

"I was thinking! Which you would know if you didn't have the attention span of a plastic houseplant."

"Wow, rude. So are you gonna get all that stuff or not?"

Misono rolled his eyes, brushing past his classmate. "Alright then, since you won't be quiet about it." At least that would give him a few more minutes to be alone with his thoughts, without a certain lettuce-head getting on his last nerve. He was already regretting this whole committee thing, honestly.

"Why don't you go with him, Sakuya?"

...Or so he thought.

"Wha–?!" Thankfully Watanuki didn't seem much happier about the suggestion than he was. "Hey!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea! Go with him, Sakuya, he can't carry all those posters and stuff by himself!"

"Wait! If you think he needs help why don't you guys go–"

"C'mon, Sakuya! Be a nice guy and help him, okay?"

Watanuki gave his smugly grinning classmates a long-suffering look. "You guys are enjoying this, aren't you?"

The smiles he received in return were more than enough of an answer.

"Okaaaay," he drawled out, sticking his hands in his pockets and starting to walk in the direction of the art classroom. "But if Hair Antenna's short legs can't keep up with me, I'm not waiting for him."

Misono glared at him, then at their smug classmates, then back at him, hurrying to follow his sworn frenemy before he actually got left behind for real. "I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of–"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

They walked side by side, as far apart as the hallway would permit, pretending not to know each other, neither of them saying a word. Misono had been fully expecting to have to hurry to keep up with Watanuki's long legs, but to his surprise he could easily keep pace with him. Had his speed improved, or was Watanuki walking a little slowly on purpose?

He brushed off the thought. Watanuki was the last person who'd do something nice for him; if he was walking slowly it was just because he was a slow walker in general, or because he was tired or lazy or looking for something on the way or some other perfectly logical explanation Misono couldn't think of at the moment, but would definitely be able to understand. There was no way he was doing this for him of all people.

Letting his gaze roam, Misono let his eyes rest on his classmate for a few steps. Watanuki Sakuya. Tall, popular, outgoing, athletic, fun to be around– he had always been everything Misono was not, and that, along with his incredibly annoying tendency to make fun of certain people's height and hair, had always rubbed him the wrong way. They were like cat and dog; there was no way they could possibly get along. And even if they could, Misono wasn't sure he'd want to. Embarrassing as it was, he actually found himself enjoying their little squabbles, their neverending exchanges of creative insults, sarcasm, and nicknames. Even if Watanuki was terribly annoying, at least he made Misono's life a little less boring.

"By the way, Shrimp?"

Speak of the devil. Misono forced himself not to groan, mentally preparing for whatever ridiculousness Watanuki was going to spout out next. Was he planning to resume their fight from earlier? In that case, Misono was prepared. He, too, still had a number of comebacks in store that he couldn't wait to use at the next opportunity.

"How'd you become friends with Mahiru?"

Misono stopped short. Spinning around, he gaped at Watanuki, completely taken aback by his question. "Why are you asking?" he replied warily, frowning. Watanuki wasn't suspecting anything, was he? Why was he bringing up Shirota all of a sudden?

"No... No reason." Tucking his hands in his pockets, Watanuki leaned against the railing of the stairs, his eyes not meeting Misono's. "Just... I'm curious. Mahiru's my friend, so I wanna know about his other friends." He grinned. "Even if they're pint-sized little pricks like you."

"Who are you calling a pint-sized prick, you bastard!" Huffing in annoyance, Misono pointed an accusing finger at him, glaring. "Well," he added in a calmer tone, clearing his throat, "I just think you might as well ask Shirota himself, then. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you the whole story."

Unless... you can't do that for some reason. Misono frowned at the thought. Watanuki suddenly speaking to him in a normal manner was strange– suspicious, even. Him bringing up Shirota all of a sudden was suspicious. The simple fact that he'd decided to ask Misono, his arch-rival, about their friendship instead of going to his best friend was suspicious. Misono knew how religiously Shirota was keeping the Servamp business a secret from his old friends... it couldn't be that Watanuki was suspecting something, could it? Had he found something out? Did he know...?

But how? Shirota certainly hadn't told him, and Misono couldn't think of anyone else who might, unless Watanuki had heard some strange rumors and got worried again, like all of Shirota's friends had back when the class representative befriended Kuro. But in that case, who could have started the rumors? Had they been too careless? Had someone found out? Or...

Did Watanuki have some... other means of information?

Misono's mind flashed back to the kidnapping, fragments of dialogue replaying in his head. Shirota had admitted that he had told Watanuki about Todoroki falling sick and Hyde taking care of him, and a short while after Hyde had disappeared. Coincidence? Misono knew that Shirota trusted his friend completely, that he had sworn he had nothing to do with the boys' disappearances, but Shirota was idealistic and naïve. Easy to deceive for people who weren't nearly as well-intentioned as they seemed to him.

Was Watanuki suspicious because he was in league with the kidnappers? Or was Misono's suspiciousness and dislike of his classmate just playing a trick on him?

One way or another, he shouldn't sell Shirota out. If Watanuki had nothing to do with the business Shirota would never forgive him for pulling his friend into a fight that wasn't his, and if he was in league with their enemies there was no point in revealing their alliance with the Servamps to him.

"You know how Shirota is," he said carefully as he resumed walking, Watanuki following suit. "He'll befriend anyone and everyone, whether they like it or not. He'd be friends with the entire world by now if he could have his way."

The hint of an affectionate smile crossed Watanuki's face for a split seconds. "Yeah, that's Mahiru for ya." The expression faded, and he frowned again, looking mildly disgusted. "But seriously, what does he see in a purple shrimp with a king-sized ego?"

"Who are you calling a purple shrimp with a king-sized ego, you overgrown houseplant? I seriously wonder what Shirota sees in you!" Misono huffed, feeling annoyed at the insult but relieved that Watanuki had returned to more familiar waters. "Why do you worry about Shirota's taste in choosing his friends in the first place? Are you jealous, bastard?"

Watanuki jolted and blushed. "He's my best friend, okay? And he thinks the best about everyone and their mothers so of course I'm worried! What if someone's gonna take advantage of him?"

Misono turned his head, glaring daggers at his classmate. "Are you saying you suspect me of taking advantage of him?"

Watanuki grinned. "That's what you said. Can't really say it's wrong, though."

"You...!" Misono clenched his fists and picked up his pace, storming ahead. "Just so you know," he declared over his shoulder, "Shirota Mahiru was my first friend. I'd never betray him!"

"Your first friend? What about that third-year pretty boy?"

"Lily's family."

"Huh," Watanuki said slowly, easily catching up to Misono's pace again. "Huh," he said again, more quietly this time. "Your first friend, huh."

Misono avoided his gaze. Declaring it like this was still embarrassing, especially to Watanuki Sakuya of all people. But he felt like he still had to do it. The thought of being suspected of using Shirota was insulting, infuriating, unbearable. This, at least, was something he seemed to have in common with Watanuki. They both cared about Shirota Mahiru and wanted him to be all right.

Well, almost everyone did. That didn't mean much. It certainly wasn't anything Misono would be willing to bond with him over; Watanuki was still insufferable.

And if his gut feeling was right and Watanuki really was up to no good...

Misono stopped walking and turned around, planting his hands on his hips. "If anything, I'll protect him. As a friend, I'll protect Shirota Mahiru from anyone who could hurt him!"

Watanuki gaped at him for a second, eyes widening. For a moment he looked surprised, moved... a little grateful?... but then he regained his composure, giving Misono a mocking smirk. "Wow," he jeered. "That's gotta be the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."

"Shut your mouth!" Misono blushed bright red. "I was only speaking the truth, you bastard!"

"Yeah, yeah." Watanuki caught up to him, grinning. "If it wasn't you, I'd actually say you sounded kind of cool for a sec."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment, you bastard? I can go well without that!"

"You're so scary when you're mad. Not."

Squabbling back and forth, they closed the rest of the distance to the art classroom and returned with enough equipment for the entire cheer squad. Watanuki carried the posters; he said Misono couldn't carry them because they were bigger than he was and would get dirty, but to Misono it seemed like an almost friendly gesture. Almost. Not that he cared; Watanuki Sakuya was still as annoying as ever, and they had absolutely nothing in common. Misono wasn't planning on changing that one anytime soon.

But for some strange, incomprehensible reason, he couldn't help feeling like Watanuki respected him a little more now. Just a tiny bit.

"It's not working! Geez!"

Huffing in frustration, Hyde slammed the ball against the ground, watching as it bounced over the gym floor and rolled off the court. Why in the world was volleyball so hard? Everyone else was managing just fine! What was it that he alone was doing wrong, and why wouldn't everyone else's tips just work for him, for crying out loud?

"Quit trying to toss," Licht remarked from the side, picking up Hyde's ball and spinning it in his hands. "I'm the only setter this team needs. Why? Because I'm an angel!"

"Yeah, yeah," Hyde mumbled with a pout, not really feeling like making fun of his classmate or picking a fight at the moment. Because unfortunately, Licht was right. He was a great player and a great setter, and Hyde would probably already have bragged about him being invincible if he hadn't been doing so miserably himself. "You do your thing, Angel-chan."

"...Hyde."

Something about Licht's tone made Hyde look up, meeting those piercing blue eyes to blink in surprise. The pianist looked worried somehow, no anger or disdain in his eyes, only confusion and the slightest hint of compassion. Even he must have noticed how much it was getting him down– no, wrong. Licht was always the first one to notice. Aloof and short-tempered as he was, he understood Hyde's feelings even when Hyde himself didn't.

Still spinning the ball in his hands, Licht stepped closer, eyes still interlocking with Hyde's. "I wanna try something, shit rat. Spike a toss for me."

Hyde gaped at him like he had just spoken in an alien language. "...What?"

Spike a toss? Him? But he couldn't even get everything else right, so why was Licht giving him a task like that? He couldn't possibly be expecting him to succeed at the hardest part of this game when he was already messing up all the easier ones?

"Just do it!" Licht insisted, impatiently tossing the ball up and down in his hands. "Run, jump and hit! Even you can do that."

Hyde was seriously beginning to doubt that bit, but he nodded. After all, what could go wrong now that he'd already failed at everything? He couldn't possibly make things any worse than they already were.

"Fine," he said, marching to the back of the court, ready to start a sprint. "Send me a toss, Angel-chan!"

Licht flung the ball at their teammates. From the corner of his eye, Hyde could see one of them catching it and throwing it back at him just as Licht jumped, ready to send it flying.

Now.

Hyde darted forward. Four more steps– three– two– one. The perfect distance from the net. He'd have to jump now. Now!

His foot hit the ground, launching him up in the air. Jumped too late, he realized, cursing himself. No, he didn't have time to think about that now, he had to focus on the ball! As long as he hit the ball it was fine. There it was... calm down, focus. Swing now and–

The ball whooshed past, only inches away from his hand.

"Dammit!"

Hyde landed on the ground, pulling at his hair in frustration. "It's not working, dammit! So what was your genius plan, Angel-chan? Everything's still the same as always! Stupid useless Angel-chan!"

"Look who's talking! Can you really call anyone else useless right now, shit rat?" Licht scowled, stomping over to him, right into his personal space, planting himself inches away from Hyde. "Be grateful I'm trying to help!" He paused. "Not that I'm doing this out of kindness. I just don't want the team to lose because you suck."

"Whoa, we actually agree on something!" Hyde said almost bitterly, not budging even though all his instincts were telling him to step back and bring some much-needed distance between himself and Licht, who was still looking dangerously annoyed. "But do you have a plan? Since practicing more obviously doesn't cut it, you know!"

"...Spike another toss."

"Huh?"

"Spike another toss." Licht's eyes were glowing with intensity, two orbs of blue fire locking down on Hyde, holding him captive. "With your eyes closed."

"Yeah, like that'll work! I already spiked enough tos–" Hyde stopped in his tracks, sputtering as his brain caught up to the second sentence. "Eh? You want me to do what?"

"Just do it!"

Hyde stared at him in confusion, trying to make out the thoughts hidden behind those incomprehensible blue eyes. What on earth was Licht up to? He obviously had a plan. He knew something that Hyde didn't, something he had noticed in his last attempt to spike. But what? And how could doing it with his eyes closed help matters? He couldn't even do it when he could see the ball, so how...

"Uh, Lichtan?" he ventured, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed gesture. "If I can't see anything then how exactly am I supposed to hit the ba–"

"Forget about the ball."

Hyde blinked at him, dumbfounded. What was Licht talking about? "Forget...?"

Licht marched back to his position and turned, upright and proud, a pillar of strength and confidence. His eyes were flashing with determination, glowing as he met Hyde's gaze, standing tall like a hero from long-forgotten legends. "I'll get the ball to you!" he declared, his clear voice reverberating in Hyde's ears, echoing through the gym as the world seemed to fall silent. "So just trust me and jump!"

A chill crept over Hyde's skin. His heart beat faster, pounding with excitement. Adrenaline spread through his veins. His eyes lit up, an enthusiastic grin spreading over his face as his whole body filled up with bubbling, explosive determination. Something about Licht had eliminated all his worries, all his doubts. He wanted to do this. He wanted to trust Licht. Something about his teammate was telling him he could do this. He knew he could win.

He was on fire.

"Alright!" he burst out, sprinting to the back of the court. "Bring it on, Angel-chan!"

Licht smirked back, his eyes glowing with the same excited fire Hyde could feel in his body. "That's the spirit, Hyde!"

Their teammates passed Licht the ball. Hyde started running.

Don't think about the ball. Leave it all to Angel-chan.

Just close your eyes and jump.

Hyde launched into the air, closing his eyes, spreading his wings. He felt like a bird taking flight, floating higher and higher, the ground beneath him disappearing. Even with his eyes closed he could tell he'd never jumped as high before. He felt powerful, invincible. Right now, he was no longer the former gang member who was struggling with the basics of volleyball. He was flying. He could do anything.

His grin widening, he extended his arm and swung.

Something hit his palm, something light and hard and smooth. He slammed it down, slammed it to the ground with all his power. There was the sound of a ball hitting the ground. Somewhere far below, a few voices cheered.

Hyde opened his eyes.

He was up in the air, looking over the net on the other side of the court. The ball was bouncing over the ground, jumping from the impact. His teammates were on the sidelines with looks of amazement on their faces.

I did it.

Hyde looked to the side. He looked right at Licht, beaming with pride, his eyes shining with gratitude. And Licht was smiling back at him, not smirking but smiling from ear to ear, all pride and joy and shaky childlike excitement, his whole face glowing, a sparkle in his eyes. "I did it!" Hyde cheered, pumping his fists in the air as he landed for a short moment, jumping back up and bouncing like a happy child on Christmas Eve. "We did it! We did it, Angel-chan!"

Licht smirked with satisfaction. "Told you so."

Calming down a little, Hyde landed on the ground, giving him a questioning look. "How'd you know this would work?"

"You're too stiff," Licht replied like it was the most simple thing in the world. "How many times did I tell you to imagine what you wanna do, shit rat? You just kept seeing your failures over and over!" Hyde jolted and stuttered, and Licht nodded as if he had just proven a point. "So of course it helped when you couldn't see anything at all."

"I could still imagine, though..."

"I took the pressure off your shoulders." Licht turned away, slipping under the net to retrieve the ball. "Just reminded you that there's more than one guy on the court. That's all."

Hyde gazed after him in awe. Licht was amazing. It was something he was reminded of every day, but Licht Jekylland Todoroki was without doubt the most incredible, fantastic human being Hyde had ever met, or would ever meet, even if he lived for a thousand years. How did Licht always know exactly what to do to pull him out of a slump? How did he always know what to say? He seemed so brash, so rude, so aloof. He lived with his head in the clouds. And yet...

And yet he was so perceptive, so kind. No matter what he said, he always helped Hyde, supported him, gave him hope. Hidden beneath that harsh exterior was a big heart full of warmth, and Hyde couldn't believe he seemed to have taken his own little place in it.

He wanted to give back to this guy. He wanted to deserve more of that kindness. He wanted to help Licht when he needed it, to support and protect him and pull him out of any slump he couldn't get out of himself. He wanted to see more of that proud, happy, sparkly-eyed smile, the smile that had ingrained itself in his heart, giving him a fluttery feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain. He wanted Licht to be proud of him, to rely on him and trust him more, just to repay him for everything he owed to this ridiculous, violent archangel.

He wanted to stay with him. He wanted to stand by Licht's side, not just for the tournament or until they ended up in different classes or high school graduation. He never wanted to let go of this boy again, ever.

This feeling... it was familiar. Where had he felt this before?

The image of Ophelia flashed through his mind. Ophelia, sitting in her window, holding up signs and waving and smiling from ear to ear, making his chest flutter and butterflies take flight in his stomach. Ophelia, smiling and climbing trees and dragging him around the town, holding his hand like it was the most normal thing in the world.

This feeling...

Did he like Angel-chan?

No, no, no, no, no. He didn't like him, not like that! Well, he cared about him a lot, and he admired and respected him and wanted to be with him and wanted to see his adorable smile again. One could say that he had a lot of feelings for him, platonically. But he wasn't in love with Licht or anything. What he felt was platonic love, strong friendship, nothing more. He'd just gone without close friends for so long that he'd momentarily confused the two emotions.

Probably.

Following Licht with his gaze, part of Hyde wasn't so sure. Was it normal for your heart to pound like this when you watched your friend? Was it normal to start feeling all jittery like a million butterflies? Was it normal to think your friend was the most beautiful human being to ever grace the earth?

Well, Licht was beautiful, even when he scowled and yelled insults. That wasn't Hyde's opinion, that was a proven fact. And those jitters were probably just remaining excitement from his successful spike.

"Hey, hey, Angel-chan!" he shouted, running after Licht. "Send me another toss!"

Licht looked at him with a blank, icy stare. "Nope."

"Why not?" Hyde pouted at him. "Stingy!"

"Shut up!" Scowling, Licht swung a kick at him and missed by inches. "If you want another toss then learn how to serve and receive first, you useless shit rat!"

"But then I'll never get to spike again! Pleeeease, Lichtan!"

"Not my problem! Just don't be stiff and practice the rest!"

"Toss! Toss! Toss!"

"No!"

"Come on! Just one more and then I'll shut up." Hyde blinked at him with the roundest, shiniest puppy-dog eyes he could muster. "Pretty please?"

Licht blushed, his expression torn between embarrassment and irritation as he turned away, scowling at the net. "...Fine."

"Yay! Thanks, Angel-chan!"

"But just one!"