synergetic | Feet, feet don't fail me now

Feet, feet don't fail me now

There are multiple avenues Yukimura can take.

The coaches are one. Put his thumb on lever for Marui to get his chance-- but Marui wouldn't want that, he doesn't think.

He doesn't want to approach Kimijima, mainly because he doesn't want to be in his debt.

And it would be a little hypocritical, he realizes, to swoop in and bend the future to his will. Hypocritical and not at all disproving of Marui's point.

But it angers Yukimura, and what angers Yukimura only lasts as long as it takes to bend the future to his will. It is, simply, what he does. Nothing is unconquerable (Seigaku's day of reckoning is coming), so long as he gets in front of it.

So Yukimura finds himself in front of Marui's room. He's already made sure of his roommate's whereabouts, made sure he has time enough to take control of the situation around his boyfriend.

He knocks as a warning and not for permission, giving just enough time to be noticed as he opens the door and pokes his head in.

And his determination is cut by a smile when he sees Marui.

"Let me come in for a while."

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"Why don't you ask Kimijima-senpai to do the same for you?"

The proof of the futility of that was in the pudding, wasn't it? Kite had two high schoolers' interest, Bunta had zero.

He's not bitter about it; it's simply how things are. Kite's tennis was more versatile, as was typical for those competing in the World Cup. Bunta was a serve & volley doubles player who depended on having a solid rear guard with certain qualities. Combination made all the difference in doubles. His guts in the first string match had gotten him into the cut, but even Bunta could see that his level was not up to the standard that was needed for global competition. That was a him problem, and the high schoolers were correct to seek out the doubles partners that they deemed most likely to pair well with their own skills. The goal was to win as a team.

What he needs is a new evolution in his tennis.

These are the thoughts that turn over in his mind as he lies in bed, his hands folded behind his head and his gaze through the ceiling. They're the thoughts that break off as he hears the knock on the door, tearing his consciousness back to the room. He sits up just barely, propped on his elbows and craning his neck towards the door as it cracks open and reveals an instant spirit lifter (for him, anyway). The pleasure to see him can be heard in his voice and seen in his brightened smile.

"Oh-- Yukimura-kun! C'mon in."

He sits up properly and swings his feet over for the floor to stand. Yukimura is still his captain too, after all.

"No, lay back down," Yukimura says, because it suits his purpose. He doesn't wait, though. He leaves his shoes behind and crosses the distance and slides up next to Marui.

He hesitates just a moment, sizing Marui up. He feels a frisson of triumph when Marui smiles. That's step one completed.

It gives him the last push he needs to just take Marui's personal space for his own. His head lowers to Marui's shoulder and he feels himself loosen and relax against the warmth, eyes closing almost involuntarily.

Mine, he thinks, brief but a little smug all the same.

"Keep me awake for a little while."

Lay back down? What is Yukimura--

Bunta's eyes widen, all thoughts of tennis gone in an instant as Yukimura joins him on the bed and makes him into a human pillow. He's fully welcome, of course. Bunta's just never known a sugar rush that got his heart racing this quickly, and he eats a lot of sugar. That's just the effect Yukimura has.

It's incredible to see him relax like that, though. He looks so at peace, and as the surprise fades the warm smile reclaims Bunta's expression. His fingers brush over Yukimura's forehead and down his cheek, shifting through the dark fringe of his bangs. At peace. Even days after Yukimura's match against Tezuka, Bunta still feels how deeply it moved him to see Yukimura finally break the psychological chains that had kept his mind and heart ensnared for so long. He was finally free, and Bunta couldn't be more proud of him. It meant the world to see him truly happy again.

Being Yukimura, well. Bunta's already gotten a class in how he approaches intimacy, and it seems counterintuitive to have him lie back down on the bed and join him there if the goal is to stay awake. Yukimura isn't the type to make a tactical error like that, which leads Bunta to only one possible conclusion, and no amount of fighting it can keep the color from his cheeks. He's very aware that Akaya's out with Shiraishi and Tanegashima-senpai for the evening. This too, was doubtless a calculation on Yukimura's part.

"That sounds a little naughty," he jokes, mostly as a transition. A transition and a subtle confirmation of intent.

"Eh?" Yukimura stills, thrown off guard, and reviews the sequence of events that led up to this point.

And then giggles, his face reddening, too.

But already Marui's joking, so he supposes this particular weakness wasn't a true weakness. The plan is still on track.

"You think I'm coming on a little strong?" he asks. "I didn't mean to."

Miscommunication confirmed! Yikes, good job he clarified. Yukimura looks adorable all surprised and flustered, and the fact neither of them moved away in response is a good sign. No harm done.

"Well, if it wasn't strong, it wouldn't be Yukimura-kun."

Strategic placement of Yukimura's elbow, with just a little pressure against Marui's ribcage... but he closes his eyes, relaxing again either way.

"I'll try to be more thoughtful, but I wasn't thinking about how I was presenting myself," he admitted. "I just wanted to see you."

Which is honest enough. Though Marui isn't showing the same despondency to him as he was to Kite. Perhaps he misinterpreted it.

"But if you like strong, then I'll just continue."

Yukimura's elbow is easily more uncomfortable than any other product of his presence, but Bunta won't be the one to acknowledge it. He's just glad for the company. Yukimura's attention is always welcome, even when he's putting him through the wringer like he did a few days ago.

"Do whatever you like," he tells him. "Just wanting to see each other is a feeling we have in common."

But if the goal is staying awake and that isn't what Yukimura had in mind, what did he mean? Talking? Bunta takes a quick moment to brainstorm a subject.

"Do you have any plans for the intra-ranking tournament for the finals?"

"Doubles with Yanagi," he answered. "I felt nostalgic after playing doubles with Sanada again, but he's been working so hard for singles one, and the competition there is going to be fierce enough."

He said it easily and without much thought.

"The two of us together were usually enough for most of our seniors, weren't we?"

Doubles, huh?

Doubles with Yukimura would have been fun. Of course it makes sense for him to ask Yanagi instead. Yanagi was a stronger player, a close friend, and as Yukimura said, they had a proven record. He was a smart choice.

Well, it wasn't like he was available as a partner for the tournament anymore in the first place. Kite had cleaned that right up, hadn't he? More importantly...

"That's certainly true. One or two?"

"Two," he said. He couldn't remember exactly why Yanagi chose that bracket, he'd been plotting this evening instead, and part of Yanagi's attraction as a partner was his ability to analyze something so thoroughly that even Yukimura felt comfortable relying on him entirely.

He started casting about for a subject in his mind. Yukimura wasn't sure if he wanted to draw Marui out on this topic or distract him entirely. His eyes open, seeing as well as feeling just how much of Marui's personal space he's taken control of, and reveling a little bit in how quickly he'd been welcomed to do so.

"Why do you ask?"

"Hm? Because I'm interested. Watching your matches is the best part of the World Cup."

It's easy for the response to sound natural-- it's the truth, after all. And if there happens to be more to it than that, like the flicker of comprehension in that answer of what inevitably lay ahead of him and Kite if they want to prevail, that's nothing Yukimura needs to be troubled with. It wouldn't be the World Cup if it wasn't a challenge of the tallest order. The best pair will win; that's all there is to it.

It's aggravating that he can't answer in kind. Watching other people play was never something Yukimura particularly loved-- someone else's victory could never be as exhilarating as your own wrought by your own hands. But it's the kind of sweet, mildly embarrassing thing you're supposed to say to a new boyfriend, and not having something equally nice to say leaves Yukimura feeling wrong-footed.

His irritation turns to the coaches. He'd have something timely to say if they'd given Marui a damn chance.

"I'm not sure I'm a fan of this sort of mini-tournament. It seems like a waste of our energy, and anyway, this is how Seigaku does things, with their little ranking matches."

Loyalty only goes so far for a pragmatist, though. Even as he says it, he's armchair quarterbacking the entire tournament. How would Yukimura have set up the matches? The corner of his heart that is solely concerned with finding excuses to kiss Marui is still new, still a muscle that aches when Yukimura overextends it or uses it in a novel way.

The calculating tennis captain is a much more comfortable costume to wear, one he's broken in and made much more his own over such a long time, and that part of him can't really find a proper place for Marui, flashy serve and volley doubles expert, either. Tanegashima, perhaps, would be a good partner, or Niou, but... yet... and then...

"It's a sign of indecisiveness that the coaches don't know what they're doing yet," he said. "Possibly even weakness."

"You think?" Marui asks with genuine inquisitiveness. He can see that angle, now that Yukimura's pointed it out. And maybe it was a waste of time when you were as incredibly gifted at tennis as Yukimura was, both in the physical skill of returning the ball and in the mental skill of strategizing for victory.

"Then, what lineup would you recommend against Spain?"

Yukimura rolled onto his side, trying to disguise sudden discomfort.

"Not a question I can answer instantly," was his dismissal of that.

"But I think I'd have kept the boy where he was," he admitted grudgingly, because that was the first thing that came to mind. "I'd have sent Fuji and Oishi after him before we left Japan, at the very least. This is what I mean about weakness. They're too laissez-faire. Not exploiting their assets."

That phrase warmed him up, though. He twisted around a little, trying to find a new, comfortable place to rest his head.

"All the pairings are random. Putting Yanagi with Mouri-senpai ended up working well, but I would have never, not without some practice matches and much more vetting. On the other hand, they've never paired me with Tokugawa-senpai again despite being the only Japanese pair to achieve howling. This kind of haphazard planning makes me think we'll win in spite of everything."

He tilted his neck to look at Marui critically. And here was an asset they refused to exploit at all. His pair with Kite excited everyone in the camp when it happened, but it's since been ignored. Niou made an excellent Jackal. Yanagi knew Marui's tennis inside and out, and wouldn't have needed to waste so many sets gathering his data the way he did Mouri's.

"I would have taken our whole club, probably, and left off Ishida and Akutsu, I think. For starters."

The deflection seems more than fair. It isn't like Yukimura has Spain's data to work with Yanagi on. He can't strategize for the completely unknown.

That ought to be an indication that maybe this internal tournament wasn't such a terrible idea, but Yukimura supports his criticism with context of the known past, and the base claim that the coaches aren't being smart or deliberate about their decisions makes sense against those observations. Bunta certainly isn't prepared (and even less inclined) to mount a counterargument to any of them. This sort of ruthless dissection is what made Yukimura strong both as a player and as a captain. And the pride he takes in that team he captains is evident in his change of the starting lineup, a response that Bunta can't help a giggle at.

"Right? Ishida and Akutsu are both strong, but no Rikkai would lose to them. And..."

He hesitates, worried for just a moment of hurting the mood, but it's too late to take it back now, and smiles with wistful resignation.

"Well. It's a little sad not having Jackal along. He probably was overlooked because he isn't flashy, but you can't find a more dependable guy. He's the type that brings out the shine in the players he supports. The whole team could have benefited from that."

It's only the last sentence that keeps it from being completely selfish. It feels like a weak cover.

"It's not bias if I happen to be right," Yukimura agrees loftily.

Watching the soft light of that amusement slowly darken into that admission of missing his partner, in turn, causes something to flicker to life in Yukimura. A little misplaced, irrational envy at not being the one missed, he can set aside-- there were plenty of attenions Jackal wouldn't be paid and Yukimura was happy to hoard them for himself.

And everything Marui said about Jackal was correct. Jackal was ever loyal to the club and his doubles partner, and his (comparative) lack of need for the spotlight made him an invaluable piece on Yukimura's chessboard. His ego was healthy enough to accept assistance, or even to survive a break in an established pattern, like Marui's split-second decision to vanquish Seigaku's second years.

"More proof of my theory," said Yukimura. "We're not lacking in flashy around here."

But that's not going to cheer Yukimura's boyfriend up to dwell on that. Yukimura's eyes narrow.

Was he wallowing? It was such an alien idea to Yukimura. Marui did so much work cheering him up, and so effortlessly. How was it that Yukimura was unable to achieve th same?

"Anyway, if flashy was the only criteria they noticed, they're lucky cream rises to the top."

The door handle jiggles violently with a sudden attempt to get in, followed immediately by a grouchy "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Of all times--!"

Bunta's eyes widened and met Yukimura's in a moment of horror-laden comprehension. That was Akaya on the other side of the door. And he was about two seconds away from joining them.

"Akaya, you better not have lost your key!"

Two warring impulses, either Yukimura can push his boyfriend off the bed and pretend they weren't cuddling or he can defiantly claim before his errant kouhai and everyone else that Marui is his, and everyone else can accept it or die.

But he needs a minute to figure out which is the best course of action, so until then, he tries to scare Akaya into stillness.

"Sanada's going to have to hear about this!"

"Y... Yukimura-buchou?!"

It's the surprise of hearing Yukimura inside more than the threat itself that stalls Akaya first. And as usual, Yukimura's crisp, stern voice snaps him straight to attention and on his guard.

It's a surprise, but he doesn't even think to question why Yukimura is in his room. His brain leaps straight to the next most pressing part of this discovery.

"No, I didn't lose it!! I just wasn't expecting..." The door to be locked. That's fixable though. And obviously he has to show Yukimura-buchou look he has his key don't get Sanada-fukubuchou involved! He digs into his pocket, fishes out the room key, and fits it into the lock.

The stall is enough for Marui to regain his composure. As expected of Yukimura! He knows exactly how to take charge of a situation, and Marui is ready to play along with whatever Yukimura decides to do. Never let it be said he wasn't a master at improvisation.

Of course Akaya wouldn't stop to think about the wisdom of unlocking a door Yukimura clearly intended to be locked. But that was Akaya's problem to deal with, not Marui's.

How has he not figured out what to do yet? It isn't like Akaya would dare to tease him. And it isn't like Marui deserves to be kept secret... but having a secret, having something that only they know about between them, is undeniably... well, fun.

Yukimura leverages his shoulders, as if he's going to just push him off the bed and then act like he must have fallen, but hesitates, just long enough to commit himself to the other direction.

But he does sit up. Sits up and gives Marui back enough oxygen to breathe for himself and not just exist on the radiation of Yukimura's presence.

The idea of hiding his boyfriend away in a tower where nobody and no one could sneak up on them... Yukimura suddenly understands certain fairy tales better than he had before. But it's going to have to wait.

"Don't get on the bed if you're sweaty," he warned. Almost as good as keeping Marui tucked away for himself was making Akaya do what he wanted.

He glanced a little longingly at Marui. He'd wanted to concentrate on him for a while.

The doorknob jiggles again and this time yields to Akaya's key. By the time he sees Yukimura on Marui's bed with him, Yukimura is sitting up, Marui is lounging like he normally would, and there's really not any questioning it beyond that. It's not surprising for them to be talking, being teammates.

"See? I've got it!" He announces proudly.

"You sure do," Marui grants him, rather less impressed. "What're you doin' back already, though? Weren't you with Tanegashima-senpai & Shiraishi?"

"Ah!" Akaya cried as that question jogged his memory. "That's right! I'm in a big hurry. Racket, racket... where did I leave it?"

"Left side of the closet."

"Right, right!" Akaya beelines for the closet and pulled his tennis bag out. "I'm gonna play those two at the same time! It's good chance, right? And it's helping them practice for the tournament. They're aiming for Doubles 2."

"Stop relying on Marui to keep track of your belongings," he said mildly. It was that or tell Sanada for real. It was on the tip of his tongue to remind Akaya, too, not to pester Shiraishi and Tanegashima-senpai, but they'd really done a number and a half for him, and Yukimura wanted nothing to get in the way of Akaya's growth-- not even himself.

"What are you aiming for, Akaya?" He wanted nothing less than the sky.

"Obviously, I'm aiming for Number One," Akaya answered with a confidence and pride reminiscent of his first day at Rikkai before a brutal humbling at the hands of, among others, Yukimura himself.

Without a drop of shame to acommpany what could almost be taken as self-awareness, he grinned cockily over his shoulder as he turned to leave. "Naturally, that means I'm coming for you, Yukimura-buchou. There's still time before the school year ends! Be ready..."

"Do you need time?" Yukimura taunted gently. "Come at me as many times as you like."

He had to keep smiling with his teeth bared until he knew Akaya wasn't looking. Akaya didn't need to see him laugh.

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Feet, feet don't fail me now

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