A/N: Some angst, some space adventures, some fantasy, some more canon-esque moments, and some friendship in here for ya. I think the next chapter will be a little expansion on Youngblood from Chapter 1 ^^ lmk if anything else piques anyone's interest enough for a single chapter extension ^^
Dare You (1/4)
Shin was a man of few words, and Sena was getting sick of it. Shin would put up his stoic front and become cryptic. Maybe it was Sena's fault for confessing the way he did, but Shin had completely shut down on him after that. They still met up for their runs, but hadn't talked about it.
"Just… just let me down easy," Sena finally said. "If you're not interested, I understand, but I just need to know."
Hard Feelings (2/4)
"I don't feel that way," Shin answered. He looked at Sena with wary eyes, cautious eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Right," Sena said. His voice cracked. "Right, okay."
He thought about all the time he'd spent with Shin: he thought of their training, and their time on the field, and getting to know each other off of it, and all the summer afternoons seeming endless, like they had been connected with something tangible between the two of them.
Maybe he had been reading too much into their friendship, but it had been real to him.
He hadn't realized he'd already started his trip home until he stopped in front of his front door. His heart felt weirdly heavy, but there was a calm that came with rejection.
But at least there was finality in knowing. He could move on from this, finally.
Bunny Do (3/4)
Sena ran through the motions of his routine the next few days. He could tell that his family and friends had noticed something was off about him. His mom took extra care in the morning when making him breakfast, his dad asked him careful questions about his day and activities, his friends shared curious glances over his shoulder when they thought he wasn't looking, asking through eye contact 'What happened? When did it happen?'
Sena didn't want them to see him like he was – transfixed in a loss he never thought he'd face.
"Leave him alone already for fuck's sake," Hiruma grunted after practice. It had been two weeks since… the Incident. Sena was still in the shower – everyone else had already migrated to the changing room – but he could make out the talking over the sound of the water. "He's gonna do what he's gonna do, and then get over it."
Sena stared at his wrinkled fingertips before turning the shower off. When he joined everyone else, the talking died down briefly. No one would meet his eyes.
'It's time to wake up,' Sena reminded himself. 'Time to do what I do.'
I've Been Waiting (4/4)
Sena was so – confused. Shin had – after he'd said – and Sena'd just barely –
He wasn't making sense even in his own mind.
"You okay, bro?" Monta asked him, already stripping off his gear. "Did Shin say something weird to you?"
'Yes.' "N-No, of course not," Sena waved Monta off. His head was woozy. He faced his locker and closed his eyes, working through all the steps that had led to this one confusing moment.
Sena had confessed to Shin weeks ago. He'd been rejected. They no longer trained together after Sena couldn't bear the awkward silences anymore. (Sena had changed his schedule to morning jogs, but it was still possible that Shin was running their same evening route which made Sena's throat burn.) Sena had moved on past all that.
(Even though he still liked Shin a bit… liked him a lot… he was going crazy, dreaming about a touch that would never come.)
He was doing fine.
But then today, a gritty scrimmage against Oujou which ended in Deimon's close loss. The sickness in Sena's stomach wasn't due to losing, it was due to Shin crowding him before the teams had split into their locker rooms after the match and said:
"I made a mistake before." Shin looked as close to miserable as Sena had ever seen on him. His face was the picture of regret or guilt or some other nasty feeling. "I would like to try dating, if it's still possible. I'll be waiting by the bridge like always."
The bridge was where they had met up to run before this whole mess had happened.
Sena would be lying if he said he was going to turn down Shin. He didn't know what to expect, but Shin was everything he wanted. If he could have a taste of being together, he would.
Spaceman (1/2)
Shin's mission was a simple tag and collect exploration: zip everything up in PVC bags to be experimented on once he got back to Earth. He was light years away from home, such a dizzying number of miles that he barely could wrap his head around it.
This world was similar to Earth, Shin noted. The atmosphere was barely too acidic, the clouds too dense and thick that he could walk on them, the water mostly ice. The difference was enough to keep him on edge and alerted at all times. Shin felt every mile of separation from him and Earth. The incredible loneliness of being the only human for billions and billions of miles.
"It's not so bad," the voice in his ear piece said. It belonged to his handler. His handler was good at his job, but he was higher strung than what would be professional. Handlers usually had soothing voices (which his handler had in spades), but he was prone to panicking and worrying over Shin, which was distracting but oddly comforting.
"It's lonely," Shin remarked bitterly one day. He was packing up more rock samples.
"But you have me for company," his handler noted cheerily if cautiously.
"I suppose. It's not the same however." People didn't even know how far out he truly was. When he had left the galaxy, it hadn't even been televised due to liabilities.
"Maybe not, Seijuro," his handler said. They weren't supposed to use their first names to keep from being attached. (It was very likely that Shin was going to die before he returned to Earth. It was certain that his handler would die before Seijuro was even a quarter of the way done with his mission due to the time dilation.)
"You're a rookie handler, correct?"
"Possibly… okay yes." The handler paused briefly, before whispering, "I think it's so cool what you're doing. I – not to sound corny – but I really admire you."
Shin felt his face heat up. "Thank you."
"My name's Sena by the way."
"Thank you, Sena."
"Oh, wait a second, your heart rate's increasing. Is everything okay out there?"
Shin focused on his breathing, soothing his racing chest. He decided he felt a little less lonely. "Yes, everything is okay," he said, and found that he wasn't lying.
All The Time (2/2)
Sena kept him company every day, through every mission. It was like he was on 24/7 call. Handlers had to be, in essence. Sena had been trained to memorize every detail and fact about Shin in order to be able to help him if things went… wrong. Shin had already had one handler before, and although she had been efficient (maybe more so than Sena), it had been like talking to a robot.
Sena was full of life. He chatted at Shin's ear about current events and interesting things he'd read, and he even kept Shin updated on his favorite sporting teams.
They avoided topics about families. Shin had been gone for… a long time. They also avoided talking about Sena's eventual retirement. The time dilation was steep, the mathematics complicated in keeping their communication constant.
It felt like they had all the time in world when, in reality, it was the opposite. It was the one resource that was truly finite between them.
Sometimes Sena would joke about using a sustained sleeping chamber and waiting for Shin's return. Shin would chuckle ruefully, careful not to indulge in those thoughts. 99% of astronauts sent on his types of missions did not return alive.
But, for the time being, he listened to his handler talk quietly in his ear and pretended he wasn't alone.
Holiest
A flurry of doves fluttered before the priest's silken robes. His eyes were dark and liquid and determined. He held prayer beads between nimble fingers.
Seijuro knew this was the only option. Inside him was a beast – a monster that hungered for blood and pain and hedonistic pursuits. He wondered if the little priest would be any use, but his power was whispered upon. The white magic he used, the spells he prayed, the rituals he followed. Hallowed, powerful, pure.
The monster inside Seijuro rumbled at the sight. He hoped it wasn't too late for himself. He'd been living possessed for so long he feared that there was no distinction between himself and the beast. He knew his mind had already been perverted, but he still held out hope.
"We will begin now," the little priest said as white light swirled around his feet, approaching Seijuro.
Blue Hundreds
Sena and Shin dated (in their own strange way) in high school. Their friends had witnessed the most distant, intense relationship they would probably ever see.
"Are you and Shin still dating?"
Quizzical look. 'Of course why?'
"Eh… when was the last time you guys talked?"
'Last week, after the game.'
"And nothing since then?"
Shrug. 'No, not really.' Slow, dreamy smile. Lidded eyes. Red ears. 'But I'm spending the weekend.'
"That's more than I ever wanted to know."
'Not like tha~at.'
Weird, both teams had agreed. Shin and Sena's relationship seemed to fizzle out. They went to different schools, but didn't appear to end things or define things, and their friends just assumed that had been it for the star duo. (They were wrong.)
'It's our three year anniversary tomorrow!'
"What? I thought you two broke up when you graduated!"
'Of course not! I l-love Shin-san.'
And yet Shin and Sena still hadn't moved on past using last names in public. Who knew about their private life? (No one wanted to pry.)
But, their friends supposed, Sena and Shin were like volcanoes, always rising up to meet above whatever shitstorm was circulating around them. If they fell off, they'd always meet once again. They were well suited for each other, even if it was the most perplexing arrangement anyone had seen.
Old School
Seijuro's parents had met in high school and married once they'd graduated. He was a little old fashioned about romance. He'd always assumed he'd find some nice girl his senior year of high school and that would be that.
He hadn't accounted on football taking such a large role in his life come first year, but he welcomed the addition nonetheless. He figured he still had plenty of time. His second year came, and with that came higher aspirations for the team. And some rookie that went by the moniker Eyeshield 21. His younger sister had tried introducing him to one of her friends, but it was never the right time with Seijuro's schedule becoming more involved now that he had a true rival to compete against.
Then his third year came, and football was still there, but so was Kobayakawa Sena: matching him stride for stride on the field, by his side while out on evening runs, during weekend workouts, family dinners, walks in the park. (The list of shared activities was extensive.)
Seijuro had always thought that nice girl-next-door type was just around the corner. He hadn't accounted on finding a nice boy attending a rival school.
(They don't get married right after high school despite the Shin's pestering, but they do eventually get together – officially – Sena's second year of university. Seijuro's a patient man.)
Sort It Out
Through the commotion of being drafter and navigating the NFL with his less than average English, Sena ends up relying on one Shin Seijuro more than he'd thought he ever would. They understand each other more than just on a linguistic level.
Everything is different. The food. The culture. What's considered respectful and what's not.
"We'll sort it out," Seijuro tells him one day after a grueling practice. It's a wakeup call not being the fastest or best player on the field anymore, but an almost welcome one. They're both rookies and get benched, but their coaches see potential, eye them hopefully between drills.
Still, there's the apprehension and anxiety.
"I feel so much pressure to perform well for everyone who didn't get the chance," Sena admits, placing ice packs on his sore ribs.
"I know," Shin says simply, "I feel the same."
The acknowledgement settles in the aching spots between Sena's pulsing ribs and makes him feel whole.