••••••••••••
Chapter Eleven
The sum of all things
••••••••••••
"It's only the third place match but they're still giving it their all," Momoi comments from her vantage point at the stadium bleachers with the rest of Touou. "It's amazing."
Beside her, Aomine lets out a yawn. "It's boring," he declares. "I wish they'd get it over with already."
"Under the usual circumstances Seirin should've dominated the game by now," Wakamatsu chips in. "But as expected, their core isn't as stable ever since the Iron Heart was officially out of play. It's a shame, really."
On the other side of Touou's retiring captain, Sakurai is finding it difficult to focus on the game.
Kaijou occupies the column right next to theirs and Kise is effortlessly shining bright as ever. He's laughing and bonding with his teammates, giving no hint of any problem he might have. Sakurai dearly wishes he'd kept his mouth shut but his conscience was eating away at him and he had to confess before he lost his mind. He was fully prepared to cut off all non-platonic ties with Aomine and it completely threw him off when Kise e-mailed him earlier saying that everything is fine, that he can still be with Aomine.
Sakurai didn't believe it. He still can't believe it. Considering Kise's high spec status, it's unthinkable that he'd be willing to share (for a lack of a better term) his partner and yet –
Feeling a set of eyes on him, Sakurai straightens up and looks around. A cold chill breaks out when he meets an amber gaze from the neighboring column. He gives an awkward nod in acknowledgement and Kise sends him a blinding smile. Not for the first time, Sakurai feels disheartened knowing how he just can't compare to him. Still, the kindness in Kise's expression eases the tension that's been festering in the pit of Sakurai's stomach for the better part of the morning. Slowly, shyly, Sakurai smiles back.
Down on the court, the battle rages on. Every score achieved is quickly taken back, what seemed to be Shutoku's breakthrough in the second quarter has been squashed by Seirin's comeback in the third. And now the fourth quarter is drawing to a close with the scores tied at 64-all.
"Substitution!"
Furihata exits, clapping Kuroko's hand with less than two minutes of game time remaining. The game restarts with Izuki dimly aware of the shot clock ticking away. He dribbles around a defender, thinking fast.
The ball soars in Kuroko's direction but the rubber barely grazes his palm before he passes it to another player. It goes past Shutoku's defense and right into Hyuga's hands. Seirin's captain goes for a three-pointer but Midorima blocks it just in time.
Hyuga bites back a curse, the momentum of his shot thrown off. Under the basket, Jenrya jumps to take possession of the ball but a different hand gets to it first.
"Uryaahhh!" Kagami goes for a rebound, unstoppable when he slams the basketball in with one second on the shot clock. Seirin leads by two points.
Huffing, Jenrya gets the game back in motion, driving the ball towards the other end. He passes to Hisagi who has escaped Mitobe's watch. They pass the half-court line but a quick swipe takes the ball from Shutoku.
Takao grits his teeth, too late in warning his teammates of Seirin's lurking shadow. The soles of his shoes skid on the polished floor as the gameplay is redirected from their goal. His path is blocked by Izuki but Takao manages to slip through thanks to Marufuji who provides a screen.
Shutoku is quick on the defense. Kuroko can't find any opening to transfer the ball. He has to take the shot but he finds his path blocked by Takao. Sweat mats the other teen's bangs to his forehead but he's still smiling.
"You sure know how to make a comeback," Takao grins, matching the pass specialist's moves and locking him in.
Kuroko shuffles his feet, dribbling where Takao can't reach, and he attempts to drive past but a shrill whistle stops him in his tracks. At the referee's signal, Kuroko realizes he has kept the ball too long. Takao's defense eases as Kuroko bounces the ball to the referee for the turnover.
Seirin retreats and spreads out to play defense. If they can keep Shutoku from scoring, the third place title is theirs. There's little more than a minute left.
Takao steps to the sideline to accept the referee's throw-in. He bounces the ball to Hisagi who takes it forward and leads their fast-paced offensive. The crowd is swayed by the performance, chanting and shouting their support.
It's 66-64 in Seirin's favor but Midorima won't let it end as such. Long strides take him to the perfect shooting distance but Kagami shows up to keep him in check.
Hisagi passes back to Takao, focusing instead on Hyuga. He keeps the Seirin captain from interfering. The Hawk's Eye finds a route for them to take back those two points. Takao passes to Jenrya who's within the field goal area. Mitobe solidifies his defense but Jenrya still tries for a tear drop shot. The ball is swatted away before it even touches the rim.
"Gah–!"
The ball is hurtling to the back court. Thirty seconds.
Izuki catches it, carrying it over to attempt another two-points but he's tailed by Shutoku's center. Marufuji shoots out his hand, trying to grab the ball but he only succeeds in pushing it out of Izuki's grasp. The rubber ball hits the court without direction and players from both sides scramble to take possession.
One inch from the borderline, Hyuga gets his hand on the ball and throws it back into play. It slams into Kagami's palms and the red-haired ace charges towards the hoop. He jumps but two blockers from Shutoku obscure his view; Jenrya swats the ball away.
The crowd goes wild. Twenty seconds.
Marufuji gets the ball but he has barely taken two steps when Kuroko steals it from him. Takao switches from the offensive and pursues the shorter shadow but his path is suddenly blocked by Izuki. They dance around each other, Takao rearing to break past and taking the opportunity when his opponent falls for a fake jump to the left. Swerving right, Takao heads straight for the inner goal area where Kuroko has just released the ball.
It won't go in, that much is clear. The ball won't reach the hoop. Ten seconds.
Kagami shakes off his blockers and jumps, grabbing the ball. He makes to score another two for his team but the force of his shot makes the ball bounce away from the rim.
Takao's heart is pounding. Everything falls into slow motion. The Hawk's Eye pinpoints the location of everyone else on the court. Five seconds.
He swipes the ball from mid-air feeling blood pump through his body as he propels the ball diagonally in a cross-court pass.
Midorima is ready at the three-point line.
Four seconds. Everyone rushes to the back court.
Three. Midorima's form is perfect. Kuroko forces his feet faster.
Hyuga sprints the last few feet, jumping with open palms to block a shot that isn't coming. A fake?!
Two seconds. The air is wide open. Midorima jumps. And so does Kagami.
Takao can't remember whose name he calls out, barely even aware that he's shouting. In any case, he's too far away to do anything.
With less than a second on the clock, the ball soars and the referee blows his whistle. The hoop shakes with the ball's impact.
"Blocking foul. Black number 10."
The buzzer sounds, the timer a flat zero on the display board.
"White number six. Three free throws."
••••••••••••
The court is cleared save for Midorima who stands tall at the free throw line. He adjusts his glasses, handling the ball with one hand. Every bounce echoes in the buzzing stadium.
Coach Nakatani sits back, fingers digging into the meat of his arms. His players are on the edge of their seats, not daring to breathe lest it throws off their ace. In spite of himself, Takao's hands find the leather suitcase with Akashi's shogi board inside it. He grips the handle tight, a wordless prayer for success.
Midorima shoots and it's 66 – 65.
Riko holds firm under the growing tension. Her team is somber in contrast to the ringing cheer of the first free throw going in. Kagami is standing still as a statue, knuckles white with the knowledge that there's nothing he can do. Hyuga has his head bowed, seemingly in prayer. He has a towel over his head and Kiyoshi's hand on his shoulder.
Two bounces, then Midorima lifts the ball. It soars from his fingers in a perfect arc towards the hoop.
Akashi closes his eyes against the barrage of noise from the pumped up crowd. On the other side of the stadium, Murasakibara's chewing slows. Yosen's other ace has his gaze on the sidelines, his lips pulled into a thin sympathetic line. Kise is sure that the final shot will go in and he tells his teammates as much. Aomine doesn't need to see the results, instead he leans back and flicks his crumpled up ticket at Sakurai to get the teen's attention. Startled, Sakurai bursts out an apology, tearing up even more when he sees Aomine looking at him.
"I'm sorry for not paying attention!" Sakurai cries. "D-Did you need something, Aomine-san?"
Navy eyes study the brunet for a brief moment and Aomine settles into a lazy grin. "Nothing. Just checking."
On what, Sakurai can't even form the words to ask. He averts his eyes from Aomine's, face growing hot. Aomine has his own way of showing that he cares and Sakurai is slowly but surely learning them.
The referee throws the ball back to Midorima who catches it with a sense of finality. He feels the grooves on the rubber surface, absorbing what little heat it has retained from the intense game. Every eye is on him, no doubt about it, but his focus remains on the basket that's seemingly calling him forth.
Kuroko leaves the bench, approaching his light with careful steps. Kagami doesn't stir when Kuroko stands beside him but his tightly-clenched jaw eases somewhat when smaller hands cover his fist.
Silver eyes follow the ball's trajectory. The swish of the net as the ball goes in pulls him out of his seat, leaving the lucky item behind. Takao rushes onto the court along with the rest of Shutoku's basketball team. The cool composure Midorima has been exhibiting is crushed under the tidal wave of his teammates' jubilation. Their supporters from the bleachers go hoarse in cheering on their victory and Midorima thinks he might have gone deaf except…
"Shin-chan…"
It's nothing close to a shout yet Midorima hears it loud and clear. He finds Takao and emotion wells up in his chest. Midorima none-too-gently pulls free from all the congratulatory pats on the back. He swims across a sea of sweaty limbs and jerseys and Takao meets him somewhere in the middle. They stand one foot apart, staring.
"We won," Midorima finally says.
"We did," Takao confirms, giddily rocking on his heels with his hands behind his back.
Takao is trembling like he's badly holding himself back. From what, Midorima can only guess. Shaking his head, Midorima opens his mouth to comment on it but something just beyond his partner catches his attention.
Takao turns, following Midorima's gaze. "Tai-chan!" He's about to head over but then he reconsiders. Grinning, he grabs Midorima by the wrist and pulls him along.
"Takao, what–!"
"Be a good sport, Shin-chan!" Takao smiles, meeting with Seirin's light and shadow at the half-court line. "Hey!"
"Congratulations," Kagami mutters, half-assed and with more than a hint of regret in his tone. Behind him, the rest of Seirin are coming up from the sidelines.
"Thank you," Midorima replies, equally stiff as he pushes his glasses up.
"That was fun, yeah?" Takao jerks his head at Kuroko whose bland expression is lightened by a wan smile. "I thought that it'd be your win for sure but I'm not complaining at the turn out." Sensing Kagami's stare, Takao faces him with a teasing grin. "Aw, don't be like that, Tai-chan! Everybody makes mistakes."
"I know that," Kagami huffs, wearing something that's close enough to a pout. He scratches the back of his neck. "Glasses over there just got lucky…"
"Not just lucky," Midorima heatedly corrects. "I obtained the day's lucky item and did everything to ensure my best performance in our match. There's no question as to why fate has favored me."
Chuckling, Takao slaps Midorima's shoulder. "You tell 'em, Shin-chan."
Rolling his eyes at the shooting guard, Kagami's attention zooms back to Takao. "Good work on that last pass, by the way. It's awesome how you swooped the rebound like that – the ball went straight to the other side and–" Kagami catches himself, feeling his cheeks heat up; the stares from Midorima and Kuroko are telling him more than enough. He flushes but the expectant look on Takao's face forces his tongue. "I thought… it's stupid… but I kind of wanted to catch it."
Takao's expression brightens at the compliment. "Aww. Maybe next time," he winks.
Midorima clears his throat.
"Will the members of both teams, please line up," the referee calls, dispersing the huddle and bringing order on court.
An announcer calls out the final score, declaring Shutoku's win to the packed stadium. After the customary bow, the players file out in two straight lines.
Kagami sees Takao from his periphery and all the embarrassing words he'd blurted out earlier comes back to haunt him. He couldn't help himself. They were never shy of complimenting each other when they played one-on-ones, mostly because Takao is too chatty for his own good, but Kagami kind of misses those times. More importantly, there's a buzzing inside of him that just won't go away, an adrenalin rush that's unlike any other. It's kind of distracting and for some reason Takao's presence only riles it up.
"Tai~chan."
Kagami instantly straightens, throat closed up at hearing that tease of a voice. He glances at Takao, hoping that he can keep a neutral expression because the last thing he needs after losing a match is some stupid epiphany.
"Game's over, buddy," Takao says, light and easy. "Stop worrying your pretty little head."
"I'm not worried," Kagami lies because he is. He's suddenly fretting over insignificant details when it's only Takao. Annoying, bubbly, and cheeky-confident Takao who's a good player, a great friend and now… "You deserved that win," he mutters.
Takao blinks at the fist held up to him. He looks confused for a split second then his face breaks out into a sunny smile. His own hand curls into form and he bumps knuckles with Kagami. "Thanks. Couldn't have done it without you."
"Ugh. Shut up," Kagami grouses and Takao snickers in response. "We're not going to lose next time."
"Whatever you say, Tai-chan~"
"And stop it with the nickname!"
••••••••••••
Rakuzan makes a big comeback at the championships, overpowering Yosen and ultimately reclaiming their throne. The awards ceremony is held with much fanfare as usual. By the end of it all everyone is dead tired, especially the winners who've gone through interview sessions with the media. The coaches call on their players, shouting for them to head for their vehicles so they could all go home.
With the stadium steadily emptying out, Kagami wonders what he's stalling for.
They've lost and the third years have officially retired save for Riko who will continue to coach them until university starts. The speech Hyuga made in the locker room post-game was stern but no less heartfelt. Kiyoshi and the rest of the seniors stood behind him, wearing a look of contentment at what they have achieved together in the past season. Despite this (or maybe even because of it), each and every single one of the underclassmen felt the shame of not being able to give them a proper send-off. And though no one pointed fingers at him, Kagami knows that their loss came at his hands but the thing is… he played the game with all he's got so he doesn't have any regret.
Cheerful whistling comes from around the corner but it gets cut short as it nears the lone player in the hall.
"If you keep your shoulders hunched like that, people might think you're moping."
Kagami turns around, telling himself that it's only surprise that made his heart palpitate the second he heard that voice. "Takao."
The Shutoku point guard tips his head in acknowledgement. "What're you doing here?"
"Uh." Kagami searches for an excuse but upon finding none, he opts to throw the question back. "What about you? Shouldn't you be hoarded by reporters right now?"
Takao chuckles, sauntering past Kagami. "My five minutes of fame has passed. They're all fawning over Shin-chan now."
At the casual mention of Shutoku's light, Kagami ventures with a question. "So you guys patched things up. That's great, y'know."
"It wasn't easy," Takao replies, sliding coins into the vending machine that's right beside Kagami and punching the button for a soda. "I had to woo him with flowers and promises and everything. Ah, my Shin-chan really is a princess~"
"Was it worth it?" Kagami asks, surprising himself with the question.
The canned drink clunks as its deposited and Takao pauses in the middle of reaching down. He grabs the cold can and straightens up with an icy glare.
Shit. Kagami quickly makes a placating motion with open palms. "Forget I asked."
"No, no, you said it," Takao persists. "And I'm going to tell you that regaining Shin-chan's trust is worth everything. You have a partner, too, you should know this better than anyone."
"I do," Kagami says in earnest because even just the thought of losing Kuroko is enough to give him nightmares. "But that doesn't make me worry any less. I wanted to contact you – and I should have – but I kept thinking what if Midorima sees and makes assumptions. I didn't want to cause you any more unnecessary trouble."
The rigid lines on Takao's face softens. "Thanks for thinking of me. To be honest, these past few days have been hectic and I barely had time for myself." Takao moves to lean against the wall. "Sorry I haven't been in touch."
"It's fine." Kagami shrugs. "With the way you guys played today, I could tell you're doing better. I just wanted to confirm, is all."
Carbon fizzles out as Takao pops open his drink, he takes a sip before carrying on. "Is that why Tai-chan's all alone out here?"
"Er, yeah..." Kagami scratches his cheek, sheepish. "I was hoping to run into you..."
Amusement lights up Takao's silvery eyes. "Oh?"
"Yeah, I was wondering if you'd like to have – uh, hangout this Friday." Kagami mentally pats himself on the back for that save.
"After school?" Takao steps closer, licking the corner of his lips to catch a drop of soda.
Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, Kagami is quick to dissuade the shorter player in hopes of getting back some semblance of control over the situation. "Don't you start," he warns. "It's just a congratulations dinner for taking third... which is a pretty lousy achievement but I'm feeling generous so..."
Takao snickers. "So why are you blushing?"
"Am not."
"You totally are!" Takao is way too amused. He takes another step forward, delighting in the way Kagami defiantly holds his ground.
"If you don't feel like going just say so," Kagami mutters.
"No, I'll go," Takao says. "You know that I never turn down free food. Dinner, right?"
"Mm."
"You cooking?"
"Mm."
"Just you and me?"
Kagami stares at Takao who stands almost chest to chest with him. In that moment, all the white noise in his head gets muted, like he's entered a vacuum of sorts. He licks his lips and Takao follows the movement with his eyes.
"Tai-chan…"
A shudder goes through Kagami's frame and he forcibly turns his burning face away. Their position and proximity are mirroring a scenario that is too recent – and too vivid – for Kagami to feign obliviousness. "Damn it, Takao. Get away from me before I fucking kiss you."
Takao's eyes go wide but his grin remains. "Pfft. Hahaha. That's not threatening at all!"
Bristling, Kagami shoots the other guy a glare. "Do you want another riot?"
"No but…" The flush on Takao's cheeks brightens as he bites down on his bottom lip. "You sure look like you need one."
"I like Kuroko," Kagami states with conviction. "And you're crazy for Midorima. We shouldn't…"
"Okay," Takao concedes, smoothly stepping back only to be stopped by a hand around his wrist. He hears a curse a split second before the very mouth that uttered it covers his own. His vision is filled with Kagami's adorably scrunched up features and Takao is unable to stop his smile from growing. Angling his head for a better fit, Takao cups Kagami's cheek with his free hand, pressing closer at the same time.
For a reason that escapes him, Kagami finds Takao's presence assuring. Kissing him just feels so right it can't possibly be wrong. His hand slides from Takao's wrist to his palm and the Shutoku player takes the opportunity to return his hold. They part with the taste of fizzy soda lingering on Kagami's lips.
"See. That wasn't so hard." Takao pats Kagami's cheek like he's praising a pet. "Though you kind of owe me a new drink now."
"Huh?" Kagami looks down at Takao's lead, finding puddles of bubbly caramel-colored liquid trailing the aluminum can that's lying on its side some feet away from them. "Ah, sorry about that."
"But not about this?" Takao clarifies, squeezing his hand around Kagami's.
Kagami looks at their hands, then at Takao's face. "No. I don't think so."
"Hmm." Takao lets go so he can pick up the fallen can and dispose of it properly. "I still like Shin-chan, though," he says with his back to Kagami. "And I know that Kuroko likes you."
"He's important to me, there's no doubt about it, but…" Kagami exhales, resisting the notion to come up behind Takao like the couples in Alex's chick flicks always do. "You're important, too. I hated not being able to do anything when Midorima left you like that. Being just your friend… it wasn't enough."
His chest feels constricted but Takao is calmer than he can imagine. "I'm going to tell you a secret, Tai-chan – last Saturday, it wasn't nothing. I may be an incurable flirt but I don't do those things with just anyone."
"Well I didn't expect to like you this much, either," Kagami supplies, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So what does this make us, then?"
Takao turns back to him with a gleeful expression. "Boyfriends?"
Messing up his hair to delay his answer, Kagami remembers Sakurai and his problematic relationship. "It's kind of weird, though, I feel like I'm already cheating on you."
"I'm not going to tell you to hold back your feelings for Kuroko," Takao says, moving closer. "That'd be hypocritical of me. So how about this – let's have that dinner on Friday but with plus ones?"
Kagami mentally berates himself for not thinking of that solution first. "Sounds good."
"All right."
••••••••••••
A/N: The longer I work on this fic, the more complicated it gets. I'm sorry. I want this to end as much as you do.