Author's Note: Thank you very much to everyone who's reviewed. Feedback makes me almost unreasonably happy. ;-) I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I'll try to update soon to make up for it.
There were a lot of people at the public courts, as was usual for an early Saturday afternoon. They couldn't find a free court, so in the end Syuusuke talked two high school students into playing doubles against them. The older boys seemed confident that they would win easily; Yuuta looked forward to popping a few holes in their inflated egos. He hadn't played doubles with his brother in a few years, and he hadn't done much doubles playing at all lately, but he was sure they could do it. It was always easier to win when your opponents underestimated you.
Syuusuke let the first serve go right by him, and the second, and the third. It wasn't a bad serve, but neither was it particularly impressive, and there was no question for anyone who had seen him play before that he could hit it if he tried; he was just biding his time. Yuuta didn't believe in taking the time to judge your opponent or letting them win a few points to feel better about themselves before playing seriously, but in doubles you had to work with your partner's style, so he didn't object. Contrary to popular belief and overwhelming evidence, he could, on occasion, be patient.
The other boys were starting to gloat, saying that this would be over within fifteen minutes. Then they hit a fourth serve and Syuusuke reached out almost casually and hit the ball into the far right corner of the court. Their opponents were so surprised they didn't even react before the ball had hit the fence and bounced back toward them. Yuuta felt the familiar twinge of jealousy at Syuusuke's abilities, but he also had to suppress a smile; it was easier to appreciate his talent when they were on the same side.
It turned out as the game continued that in addition to being disgustingly talented in general, Syuusuke was a surprisingly good doubles player. Yuuta had seen him play before, but somehow he'd still assumed that someone as talented as his brother wouldn't have the patience to work with anyone less skilled, which obviously wasn't the case. He also discovered, as much as galled him to admit it, that he was very bad at doubles, or at least at playing doubles with his brother. He kept going for shots that shouldn't have been his and generally playing like a singles player with something to prove. Well, doubles tennis would just have to be another point on the list of Things Syuusuke Is Better At Than Yuuta, which was already long enough for one more thing to make no difference.
They won the match in half an hour, leaving their opponents standing shell-shocked on the court. "That was fun," Syuusuke said brightly as they put their rackets away. Yuuta wasn't sure if he liked winning or having a chance to show off or just playing tennis in general, but he was definitely happy with the game.
"That was boring," Yuuta grumbled. He wasn't really in a bad mood, but his natural reaction to a happy Syuusuke was annoyance. "They weren't much of a challenge." Still, he had to admit, it was fun to trounce someone like that from time to time, and it had been far too long since he'd played with his brother without getting angry.
"Sometimes it's fun just to play," Syuusuke said, turning to smile at him. Yuuta noticed suddenly that he was holding his wrist in front of him, seemingly unconsciously, as though it needed the support of his other hand. In an instant, all his bitterness dissolved away into concern; he'd forgotten for a while why he was here to play with his brother in the first place, but now it all came back and the grudging smile fell from his face.
He didn't want to call attention to what he had seen, but Syuusuke must have noticed his attention because he dropped his arms to his sides a moment later. "Let's go home," he said, and if his smile was a little less bright than it had been a moment before, Yuuta pretended not to notice.