Chapter 6: Off the bounce

"Sorry, were you waiting a while?" Hikigaya apologized as he approached. He thanked all the gods that he wasn't too sweaty after the game. The last thing he wanted was to gross her out before they started to know each other. Speaking of grossing her out, he forced his wandering eyes directly onto her face and kept them there. It was one of the most significant tests of his willpower that he'd ever experienced.

"Don't be sorry. You were here early anyways, so it would only make sense that you find a way to entertain yourself." Yukinoshita reassured him. She, in turn, took in his body, examining all the newly revealed parts of Hachiman Hikigaya that his uniform kept hidden. The tank top and athletic shorts showed off his rugged arms and muscular calves. "Besides, it was interesting to see how good you actually were. I mean, you'd said that you could play basketball but judging by what I've seen, you clearly have a superior understanding of the game compared to even the average enthusiast."

He smirked. "Did I just get a compliment from the Yukino Yukinoshita?"

"Savor it. That may be the only one that you ever receive from me." She smiled.

"Then it makes it an even more momentous occasion." He chuckled.

Her shoulders shook in a way that said she was suppressing her own laughter. They both smiled at the other before looking away. Hikigaya spoke first, his cheeks still showing a hint of flush. "What do you already know about basketball?"

"Last night, I read the Wikipedia page, so I know all the modern rules and strategies." She declared with a defiant tilt of her chin.

He smiled, a fond exasperation playing across his face. "So, do you know how to dribble?"

She tilted her hand in a so-so gesture. "I watched a tutorial online last night, but that doesn't necessarily translate into practical skills. I don't imagine I'll be particularly good at it, especially because I have small hands."

Hikigaya shrugged his shoulders. "Anyone can get good at it, but it takes time." He smiled with a note of reminiscence. "I was terrible the first time that I tried to play. I was maybe four, and my grandfather had given me an official NBA regulation ball 29.5 inches in circumference for my birthday." Hikigaya made a rough gesture with his hands to indicate the size. "I overinflated to the point that it was almost bursting. The slightest bounce could send it sky-high; naturally, on my first dribbling attempt, I slammed it down, and it smacked me in the face."

Yukino laughed gently. "Hikigaya, that is a lovely story. But clearly, you improved at least a little; what happened?'

Hikigaya picked up the basketball near his feet with the molten design style. "I practiced. I played a ton of basketball at the park. On weekends I played with adults who were stronger and faster, and at night I played with kids who were meaner. I slowly developed my own style, and it began to work effectively as I got better. My shots got cleaner, my handle grew tighter, and my tolerance for trash talk grew exponentially."

Yukino's eyes shifted into the sly slits of a feline. "So you became good at taking verbal abuse. That's good to know."

Hikigaya scrunched his face with protest. "That's not a free invitation to roast me harder now. I'll have you know that my tolerance is the only reason I'm not bothered by what you say."

"I'll concede that I can be slightly harsh about you sometimes." Yukinoshita twirled a strand of her hair. "But you do have the occasional moment that shows your potential."

Hikigaya was tempted to thank her and acknowledge the moment of vulnerability. But, he knew that she would shy away if he did. So he turned his gaze to the hoop. "Why don't we do a half court scrimmage to start with. I promise to go half-speed."

Yukinoshita glared at him. "You shall go full speed once you're warmed up." He opened his mouth to protest and she silence him with a glare. "You'll play with maximum effort and like it. Am I understood?"

"Fine, whatever." Hikigaya grumbled, scuffing his basketball shoe against the ground. Yukinoshita smirked.

~/~

His large hand swiped downwards and interrupted her dribble. They hand-fought for position for a moment but Hikigaya overpowered her and stole the ball stepping away from her and pulling up for an easy shot.

Yukino was no longer smiling. They had stopped keeping score, but she had been counting. Hikigaya was beating her 25 to 8 and he had played more slowly once he'd gotten his fourth lay-up in a row.

She was sweating buckets and panting. Hikigaya had an athletic sheen of sweat and deeper pattern of breathing than when they'd started. They both thought the other looked good when they were sweaty. Neither of them dared to say it.

Watched Yukinoshita bend over slightly and gasp for breath. Hikigaya took pity on her. "My knee is kind of acting up, could we sit for a moment?" He asked, pantomiming pain by clutching slightly at his joint.

"Yes, that should be fine." Yukinoshita replied but gave him a grateful nod. She picked up the basketball and they both slowly made their way toward one of the park benches, neither in a rush.

They sat for a moment, watching a pickup game on an adjacent court. Yukinoshita observed the individual players and how they could've been better. Hikigaya studied the total team, how they were positioned, how they controlled space, and how they could've better used each other for the sake of efficiency.

"Why did you want me to go full force against you?" Hikigaya asked. He sat on the back rest of the bench with his feet mounted on the seat.

Yukinoshita turned to him. "I wanted to learn from someone going at full effort."

Hikigaya's fingers drummed softly on the backrest, nimble but strong digits tapping on the stained wood. "C'mon we both know you didn't learn much with me constantly stealing the ball and blocking shots."

Yukinoshita looked away. "I wanted you to enjoy training me. I know that compared to you, I'm slow and clumsy but I still hoped you'd have fun stretching your legs against me."

Hikigaya chuckled. "You didn't have to do that, I have fun hanging out with you. I was happy that you wanted to learn basketball, even if you were a total beginner, teaching you would have been fun."

Yukinoshita didn't reply but she slid closer to him, the warmth of her body just lightly touching his leg.

~/~

Aomine frowned at the coach. "Are you sure that there's no way we could fit him into our current scheme?"

"Daiki, this isn't up for debate? We run pick and roll action with multiple shooters to punish sagging. That clears the paint for easier points later with our big men. Altering all of that for a kid who barely shoots and doesn't add any real defensive value just doesn't make sense." The reedy man looked up from his clipboard and offered a more sympathetic expression. "I understand that he's your friend but that doesn't mean I'll compromise the competitive integrity of our program."

"I see." Aomine sighed, the tanned boy stepping away from the coach. "I'll break the news to Momoi the next time that I see her."

The coach scribbled something on the clipboard. "See that you do, she was pestering me about him and said he'd be a great asset for the team. Usually she's spot on but this was a dud."

Daiki bristled and spoke back with a respectful but agitated tone. "Sir, she was doing me a favor because I asked her to sell you on Kuroko. I apologize."

"Drop and give me 100 push-ups." The coach scowled. "50 for lying to me and another 50 for wasting my time."

Aomine dropped to the floor and started the pushup-ups, tilting his neck so that he could still face the coach while speaking. "I wasn't trying to waste your time. I do genuinely think that Tetsuya Kuroko would be a genuine asset to the program. He works hard and brings an infectious level of passion to the game. You know that I don't just compliment anyone like that."

The coach scowled. "Fine, he can have a backup spot, but it's up to him to prove that he can be useful."

Aomine popped to his feet. "Thank you, sir." He nodded, the closest to a bow that he would perform.

The coach turned away. "Get back to the push-ups; you're not off the hook."

~/~

The ringing of his cell phone woke Hachiman from his nap. He rolled over and extended an arm toward his bedside table. He tapped the answer call button. "Daiki, this better be good."

"I think that I might want to tell Satsuki how I feel." The words were thrown out in a hesitant cadence.

"Then do it."

"What?"

Hikigaya sighed. "You should tell her how you feel."

"But what about-"

"It's better to be rejected than regret never asking." Hachiman stared around the dark room. He felt like a hypocrite, but it didn't matter. He didn't want Daiki to end up like him.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so."

"Would it be okay if I called again for more advice?"

"Sure."

There was a click as Aomine hung up. Hikigaya fell back into the soft embrace of his bed. Hand still clutching the phone.