Disclaimer: I own very little.

Chance Meetings

Chapter 3

Soon enough the matches at the street courts became a frequent occurrence. Despite the occasional availability of the singles courts, more often than not they opted for the doubles instead, their combination getting better and better with the experience they gained. It wasn't a wonder they soon spent time together outside the courts as well, talking – well, Dan did most of the talking, but still – and eating ice-cream and, given that they were both tennis players, practising. Kabaji found he quite enjoyed this time spent with his new little friend.

It was one time they were eating ice cream, Kabaji slowly enjoying his plain vanilla as Dan licked at his spoonful of some overly sweet flavour, that he was finally forced to think about exactly why he enjoyed it as.

"You know, Kabaji-san," Dan suddenly said thoughtfully, looking down at his half-eaten ice cream, "I used to have this senpai I really liked desu."

"Oh?" Kabaji looked at Dan. Why was the younger boy telling him this? Sure, they were friends, but…

"I absolutely adored him from the moment I first saw him," Dan continued. "He was… well. Everything I wasn't, I guess desu. Tall and strong and brave and – and a bit of a delinquent, too desu." The smaller boy flushed a bit. "Somehow… He was two years older than I, and when he graduated, I finally managed to gather enough courage to confess."

"And he rejected you." It didn't take a lot of thinking to guess that much, after all. What was somewhat harder to figure out, though, was why Kabaji felt almost compelled to go and seek out whoever this senpai had been.

"Pretty much, yeah." Dan took a lick of his ice cream, still with a somewhat absent look in his eyes. "And he was a bit mean about it – but not as mean as I'd expected him to be desu. At least he didn't seem disgusted or anything and didn't tell me to get away from him desu." Was that a slight smile Kabaji spied on Dan's face? "Anyway, he said I'd find someone else to like – or, like he put it, to obsess over – and maybe the next time I wouldn't be such a coward about confessing so I wouldn't waste my time pining after someone who wasn't interested desu."

"Yes?" Kabaji nodded slowly. "And you're telling me this because?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Now, Dan looked up at him again, a somewhat weak smile on his lips but a smile nonetheless. "I think I like you, Kabaji-san."

For a long time, Kabaji was silent, not knowing what to say. What could one say at such a confession? Well, reject or accept, generally, but what should he do – what did he want to do?

Finally, Dan broke the silence, standing up. "I see. Goodbye, Kabaji-san desu." He was smiling, but the smile looked somewhat strained. With a little bow, he turned around, walking away. It wasn't until now that Kabaji realized it was the first time ever since their second meeting that Dan hadn't asked about seeing him again.

Dan hadn't even finished his ice-cream.

"I must say, this is quite a surprise." Atobe eyed Kabaji somewhat carefully. "I presumed you preferred not to see me anymore."

Kabaji blinked. "Whatever made you think so?"

"Well, you didn't contact me until now," Atobe pointed out. "Had you been missing me, you hardly would have waited this long."

Kabaji cocked his head to the side. "Keigo, do think about it," he said calmly. "Ever since we first met, have I ever been the one to contact you?" He hadn't. Atobe had always been the one to lead, the one to call for Kabaji, the one who dictated every aspect of their relationship. Kabaji had never had a problem with this – which also meant he hadn't tried to break the routine. "I assumed you had no need for me anymore."

"Munehiro, what am I to do with you?" A small smile curled Atobe's lips as he shook his head in exasperation. "Friendship shouldn't be a matter of need."

Friendship. It was rare of Atobe to classify their relationship as such, aloud at least. Yet Kabaji supposed it was true – even though they hadn't been in touch for a while now, Atobe was the one he had first contacted when faced with a problem he could not solve by himself. Thankfully, Atobe hadn't seemed too unwilling to meet him. He'd always quite liked giving advice, after all.

"…So. What is the thing that troubles you so much you felt compelled to break your habit of no contact?"

Kabaji looked away momentarily. "I… someone told me they like me."

"Someone confessed their feelings to you?" Atobe eyed him sharply. Kabaji nodded. "I see. And did you reject them?"

"No, I didn't."

"Oh?" Atobe's eyebrows flew high. "Then, did you return the confession?"

"No, I didn't." Kabaji's voice was confused more than anything.

"…Let me get this straight. Someone confessed their feelings to you, and you said nothing?"

Kabaji nodded slowly. "Usu."

"And what did they do?" Was that a sigh? Why was Atobe sighing?

"They left."

This time it was definitely a sigh that escaped Atobe's lips. "Munehiro, Munehiro, Munehiro," he said. "Clearly the matters of the heart are beyond your scope of understanding."

Someone else might have taken this as an insult, but this was Atobe, and Kabaji, and Kabaji knew all too well that it was true. "Usu."

"I presume you would like to resolve this situation one way or another." Atobe raised his eyebrows. "So… do you like this person?"

"I… am not sure." Kabaji looked helplessly at Atobe. How was he supposed to know? It wasn't like he had ever dealt with such things before.

Yet another sigh. Apparently he was somewhat troubling, himself. "Well. Do you enjoy spending time with them?"

"Usu." That, at least, was very clear. He never felt lonely or sad when Dan-kun was around.

"Excellent. And how would you feel if you never met them again because of this incident?"

Kabaji thought of this. He thought back to the long days he had spent wandering around, before he had met Dan-kun for the first time. He thought of the loneliness, the way there was no one he could talk to. He thought of the way Dan smiled, how he laughed, how they managed to beat almost anyone in doubles as they went to the street courts.

"It would… hurt." And given Dan-kun's reaction… No, better not think about such things.

"Very well." For a moment Atobe eyed him speculatively. Then, Atobe spoke again. "What would you do if this person, say, kissed you?"

Kabaji blinked. Then he blinked again. If Dan-kun kissed him…

Slim arms around his neck, Dan-kun's light form within his arms, those always smiling lips pressed against his…

Now, there was a smirk on Atobe's lips. "I'll take that blush as somewhat clear an answer."

Kabaji ducked his head. "…I guess."

"Great." Atobe leant back in his chair, smirking some more. "Now, here's what you'll do…"