Chapter Text
Tetsurō couldn’t sleep.
Gold flickered against his skin, rendered pale in the moonlight streaming through his open curtains to bathe Tetsurō’s room in a soft glow. The numbers had been steadily reducing over the past two years - over two years, by that point, and as he watched they trickled down past the next milestone.
Less than five hundred thousand minutes left on a timer that had seemed endless when it first appeared.
He perhaps shouldn’t be this invested in something which might, in the end, mean very little. Though in his defence, he hadn’t paid all that much attention to the numbers recently - his third year in junior high had been frantic right from the start. Classes were getting more difficult, he seemed to be spending more time than ever studying - not to mention the amount of time spent practicing with the volleyball team, attending matches, winning tournaments.
Less than a year to graduation, and he would need to start thinking about which high school he wanted to attend very soon. Somewhere nearby, certainly - travelling any distance regularly was an expense that he didn’t want to push onto his father, and until he could get a part time job he wouldn’t be able to pay his way. In fact, depending on the school he attended, he might not be able to have a part time job until he graduated at eighteen.
He needed to stick around to help with his grandparents, too. They still managed to do pretty much whatever they wanted, and his grandmother still worked part time at the flower shop around the corner - mainly, she said, because being around his grandfather all of the time would drive her crazy - but they were still getting on in years, and who knew how much longer they would be able to continue in this way? Without his mother on the scene and as an only child he couldn’t leave everything to his father to manage.
Then there was Kenma to think of; Tetsurō couldn’t imagine going anywhere without his best friend, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Kenma probably wouldn’t bother with high school at all if he didn’t have Tetsurō there to make sure he went. Kenma’s parents were a little better off than his own family, but not by much, so that needed taking into account too.
Finally, there was the issue of his numbers. If Tetsurō did something outlandish - going to school across the country, or another country entirely - he could set into motion a series of events which took him from the path that had been decided for him. If that happened...he didn’t want to think about the numbers dropping and vanishing, because of some stupid decision he had made.
But then, what if he was supposed to make some stupid decision? What if meeting his match hinged entirely on his high school decision?
No, that wasn’t likely. It wasn’t unheard of, but it wasn’t likely. The path to meeting a destined match was almost always the easiest one, hence why they were considered ‘destined’ in the first place. Tetsurō would stick around the Tokyo area, keep as much the same as possible, and hope that their timers matched up as they were supposed to.
Maybe even at the high school he picked.
There were two on his radar; Nekoma High and Fukurōdani Academy were both excellent schools, with strong volleyball teams that would ensure Tetsurō’s growing skill in the game was as thoroughly utilised as possible - he couldn’t imagine going to a school that didn’t have a team, not at that point. His house was also close enough to both to make the commute possible, and he had met the coaches for both teams at a training camp he had dragged Kenma to a few months back.
He had spoken to both coaches, in turn - even if he had been rendered speechless most of the time, the familiar anxiety brewing in his chest as he stumbled over his words and regressed back to the awkward child he was trying to run from. Nekoma’s coach had been warm, open in a way that Fukurōdani’s hadn’t. And his words had stuck, somehow - that nothing was more important than the absolute joy of playing.
It resonated with him. Stuck in his head and bounced around until it was all he could think about. It felt right. He knew in his heart that he had made his decision - had made it months ago, in all likelihood, and yet-
What if it was the wrong one?
Tetsurō stared at his numbers, a clock counting down to a future he desperately wanted to race towards.
“Dude, how can you be so hyper this early in the morning?” Bokuto Kōtarō simply grinned in response, thumping Tai on the back and making him stumble a little as they walked the short distance from the bus stop to the school gates.
“Because today’s gonna be awesome. ” He replied, the smile on his face having been fixed in place ever since he had woken up and seen the newly-leading four that decorated his wrist in place of the five that had been there the night before. He had slept like a baby, hadn’t really thought about the passing of another milestone until the numbers were right there and he could run his thumb over them reverently.
“For you, maybe - did you even revise for the test we’ve got in modern history?” And they both knew that he hadn’t, because Kōtarō was entirely incapable of revising alone. Even with another person to coax him into doing the necessary work - usually Tai, their friendship having been cemented some time in elementary school - his attention span was short enough that focus came and went.
“Nah, I’ll do that at lunch.” Shoving his sleeve back, Kōtarō took another look at his numbers, checking they hadn’t vanished in the past few minutes. “You’ll help me study, right Tai?” That earned him a good-natured shove, which Kōtarō returned in kind, other students giving them a wide berth as they messed around on the pavement.
“I swear, she’d better be seriously pretty to make up for having to deal with you these past two years.” Tai grumbled, though there wasn’t any heat in it.
Oh.
Kōtarō stopped dead, a first year almost running into his back and having to side-step quickly with a low curse. His expression dropped, face going oddly neutral as that particular thought worked its way through his head. Because he hadn’t even considered that before. It hadn’t occurred to him that his intended might be-
“What’s up with you?” Kōtarō turned his attention back to his friend, yellow eyes wide as something seemed to click, almost audibly, into place.
“What if- what if they are?” He looked so strangely lost for a moment, and the expression seemed so foreign on his face, so out of place it was almost frightening.
“The hell are you talking about?”
“My soulmate, what if they are a pretty girl?”
“Don’t call it that, that’s corny.” Tai wrinkled his nose in displeasure, turning to face his friend as Kōtarō seemed to shrink in on himself a little. It was disconcerting, seeing his normally-energetic best friend like that - he didn’t like it. “Just say ‘intended’ like everyone else. And anyway, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
“I hadn’t even thought about it.” Kōtarō’s voice had dropped down to scarcely a murmur, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “I’d just always assumed they’d be a boy.”
“Dude, are you seriously coming out to me right now?” Tai huffed out a laugh, throwing his arm around Kōtarō’s neck and dragging him along without protest. “You have seriously shitty timing - we’re going to be late if you don’t move your ass.”
“Coming out-” Kōtarō’s steps slowed and Tai hauled him forward, keeping their pace brisk. “Huh. I hadn’t thought about it like that.”
“How do you get better test scores than me when you’re this dense?” Tai muttered, a little happier when Kōtarō’s own arm looped up over his own shoulder, their heads kept close together so they could talk without fear of being overheard. “I know we don’t talk about this stuff, but you do you. I don’t care who you love, just don’t try to kiss me and we’re cool.”
“Like I’d kiss your ugly mug.” Kōtarō shoved his friend off him and set off running, his laughter carrying back on the breeze and dragging an amused huff from Tai, mouth shifted into a wry smile. With a yell, he set off after Kōtarō, bag smacking against his legs as they dodged through the other kids, racing towards the school gates.