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Going to Nationals wasn’t anything new. Semi had been once for every year of high school, though he was on the sidelines for the entirety of his first year. He was pleased that he got to go again, though not nearly as excited as he’d been the year before, when he’d been a starting player. He would probably get to step in as a pinch server a time or two, but the thrill of that wasn’t quite the same as knowing he would be in the thick of the game.
This wasn’t anything new, so Semi didn’t have that edge of nerves that had kept him awake before many big games. He was perfectly at ease, and would have had a perfectly restful night if it hadn’t been for the randomly assigned roommate with whom he was forced to share his Tokyo hotel room.
The bathroom door swung open, slapping against the wall, and Tendou posed dramatically in the doorway, a towel slung around his hips. “What are you doing in bed, Semi-Semi? The night is young!”
Semi buried his face in his pillow, hiding from the bathroom light. “It’s eleven o’clock, Tendou. I’m sleeping.”
“You don’t sound like you’re sleeping. Oh, unless you talk in your sleep!”
Semi flung his pillow to the side and sat up with a scowl. “What are you even doing?”
“I’m glad you asked,” said Tendou with a grin. He gripped the edge of the towel and whisked it away in one quick pull.
Semi’s gut clenched in anticipation, but that dissolved quickly when he saw what Tendou was wearing underneath. He flicked his eyes back up to Tendou’s face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Tendou pressed a hand against his chest, expression falling into sudden solemnity. “I would never joke with you, Semi-Semi.” A smile cracked across his face and he snapped the band of his swim trunks. “Now get out of bed and let’s go! I saw a sign downstairs that said they keep the pool heated.”
“I know,” said Semi. “You read it to me. Loudly. It also said the pool closes at ten.”
“Which is why we’re going to sneak down,” said Tendou. He tiptoed toward Semi’s bed to illustrate his point. “Come on, it’ll be fun. We won’t stay long. Just a little tiny quick swim. This is the only benefit of staying at a hotel.”
“No. We have a game tomorrow. You need to sleep.”
“I won’t sleep anyway,” said Tendou. He plopped down onto Semi’s bed, jostling him. “I’m too excited. If anything, this will wind me down a little. I’ll be able to rest afterward. Don’t you want me to rest, Semi-Semi?”
“I want you to shut up and let me sleep.”
Semi burrowed into his pillow again. He was left alone for four seconds. Then Tendou gripped the sheets and flung them completely off of Semi.
“Hey!” Semi barked, aiming a kick at him.
Tendou cackled and dodged the blow. “C’mon, Semi-Semi, please? Just for a few minutes!”
“I said no.”
Tendou sighed and dropped to his knees beside Semi’s bed. He clutched his hands together and blinked up at Semi with huge eyes. “Please, Semi? I’ll never ask you for anything ever again for the rest of my life. Just do this one thing for me. Please.”
Semi breathed a sigh and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t see the sad face then it wouldn’t affect him.
He wasn’t doing this. He was absolutely not going to go downstairs and sneak into a closed swimming pool. It was ridiculous. Tendou was ridiculous. He wasn’t going to do it.
“I don’t even have a swimsuit,” he mumbled.
He heard Tendou’s sharp intake of breath. His eyes were still closed, but he could feel the strength of Tendou’s smile.
Tendou knew he’d won.
“Don’t worry, Semi-Semi!” said Tendou. “You don’t even need one. No one else will be there. You can just strip down to your underwear.”
Semi opened his eyes into a glare. Tendou was still grinning.
“I’m not swimming in my underwear.”
“We’ll go skinny dipping then,” said Tendou with a shrug. “I won’t complain.”
Semi huffed and swung his legs out of the bed. “I’ll go downstairs with you but I’m not swimming. I’m just going to make sure you don’t get in trouble.”
Tendou leapt to his feet and snapped off a salute. “Whatever you say, Semi-Semi!”
“And stop calling me that!”
Semi dragged himself out of bed and yanked on some sweatpants. Tendou did the same, and also slipped into a t-shirt.
As they descended to the ground floor – taking the stairs, because Tendou insisted that the elevator was too obvious and they would get caught – Semi mentally rehearsed what he would say when the hotel staff found them at the pool.
I tried to stop him.
I don’t know why he’s like this.
Please don’t tell our coach.
It wasn’t as if they would get in significant trouble, anyway. Coach Washijou would probably make them run extra laps, but not until they got home from Nationals. The punishment would be suspended until then so it wouldn’t impact their playing abilities.
That would be the case for Tendou, anyway. Semi wasn’t sure exactly what the coach would do with him.
That wouldn’t matter, because if they got caught, Tendou would technically be the only one breaking the rules. Semi was not getting into that pool.
They slipped out the back door unseen and Tendou led them around the corner of the massive hotel building. The pool was on a patio, surrounded by a waist-high black fence that was padlocked shut.
Semi sighed and glanced at Tendou. He hoped the lock would be enough to deter him, but he also knew Tendou well enough to know that he wouldn’t even hesitate.
As expected, Tendou slung a leg over the fence and jumped across in one smooth motion. His legs were so long that he could have practically just stepped over the fence.
“C’mon, Semi-Semi!” whispered Tendou. He grinned and then padded across the concrete, toward the pool that rippled in the slight breeze.
Semi thought about just going back. He glanced over his shoulder at the corner of the hotel. Then he looked back onto the patio and saw Tendou shimmying out of his sweatpants.
He sighed again and gripped the gate with both hands before swinging a leg over. He was a little too short to bounce over it like Tendou had done, so he was forced to resort to an awkward shuffling hop that nearly dumped him onto the ground. He righted himself, grasping at the gate for balance, and found Tendou watching him with a curved smile.
“Shut up,” hissed Semi. “I don’t have grasshopper legs like you.”
Tendou dropped into a crouch and sprang up again, as if confirming his point. He beckoned Semi over with a wave of his hand and then whisked his t-shirt over his head.
It was dark on the patio. The external lights on that side of the building had been cut off, and the overhang blocked out the lights that glowed from above. Still, despite the darkness, Semi saw the pale, lean lines of Tendou’s chest as he tossed his shirt onto the concrete.
He took a breath that smelled of chlorine and stepped closer.
Tendou dipped his toes into the water and looked at Semi over his shoulder. “It’s so warm,” he said quietly. “Feel it, Semi-Semi.”
“No. I’m not getting in.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“What? I already told you I’m not. I don’t have a swimsuit. I’m not-”
“And I already told you,” interrupted Tendou, “you don’t need one.” He reached out and tugged at Semi’s sweatpants, yanking one side down past his hip before he slapped Tendou’s hand away. “Strip, Semi-Semi! I won’t look at your underwear. I promise.”
“That’s not- I’m not getting in the pool, Tendou!”
Tendou tilted his head slightly, his smile maddening. “You can get in on your own terms or I’ll throw you in. Your choice.”
“You’re bluffing.”
Tendou wiggled his fingers, creeping a step closer. “Am I?”
That made Semi hesitate. He felt he knew Tendou pretty well, but he wasn’t certain about this. He liked to think Tendou wouldn’t be inconsiderate enough to actually toss him into the pool, but that manic light in his eyes suggested otherwise.
It was probably best to play it safe.
Besides, it was deserted out here. As long as they kept quiet they probably wouldn’t get caught anyway.
“Fine,” Semi snapped under his breath.
Tendou raised his arms and did a little twirl. “Yes!”
With a huff, Semi gripped the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, dropping it beside Tendou’s. He hooked his thumbs into the band of his sweatpants and was about to push them down when he realized Tendou was still looking at him. “Do you mind?”
Tendou’s eyebrows shot up and he quickly turned away to stare at the surface of the water instead.
Semi shucked off his pants and moved closer to Tendou, staying a step behind him.
“You can swim, right?” said Tendou, still facing the pool.
“Well yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this.”
“Good.”
Without warning he turned, threw his arms around Semi’s waist, and heaved him over the edge.
Semi flailed as he fell and barely remembered to slap a hand over his nose right before he hit the water. The warmth rose to swallow him, pressing against his closed eyes and rushing into his ears. He reached out with his legs until he felt the floor, then bent his knees and propelled himself back toward the surface. He broke the water with a gasp, shook the stinging water out of his eyes, and opened his mouth to snap at Tendou.
Then a hard wave of water slapped him in the face as Tendou cannonballed into the center of the pool.
Semi sputtered and spat water, pushing his dripping hair off of his forehead. He pedaled his feet to stay afloat, arms out to his sides.
Tendou emerged a foot in front of him, rising from the surface slowly. His hair was completely flat, plastered to his forehead, wet strands tickling at his eyes. He looked like a lake monster.
Semi splashed water directly into his face. “You’re an ass.”
Tendou popped the rest of the way up and grinned. “It would’ve taken you forever to get in. You’re too much of a worrier.”
Semi slapped water toward him again, but Tendou ducked below the surface and dodged it. Semi floated back a little, waiting for Tendou to emerge again. He didn’t, and it was too dark for Semi to track him.
Then a hand gripped Semi’s ankle and yanked him under.
Semi kicked out automatically, but the movement was slow and weak. He hadn’t closed his eyes quickly enough and now they burned with a burst of chlorine. The water had rushed up his nose, too, and he exhaled a colony of bubbles with a scowl.
Suddenly Tendou was in front of him, the planes of his face barely visible in the murk. He was smiling though, lips pressed together, eyes narrowed into slits. His hair floated above him in a parody of his usual hairstyle. Semi shoved his shoulder and started to push back toward the surface, but Tendou grabbed his wrist. They looked at each other, suspended in warm darkness.
It was comforting, somehow. Semi’s lungs were beginning to beg for air and his eyes still burned and the water in his nose was annoying, but being there with Tendou was soothing. Everything was still and silent. He breathed out the rest of his air, and it bubbled between them.
Then Tendou jerked his head up, eyes widening. He made an urgent gesture and swam upward, his long limbs graceful and sinuous. Semi followed him, sucking in a loud breath when the cool air hit his face.
Before he could gather enough air to speak, Tendou grabbed his arm and tugged. “Come here,” he said, breathless. “Be quiet.”
There was a rare sense of urgency in his voice. Semi followed without argument, propelling himself silently with small kicks.
They reached the edge of the pool and Tendou’s hands gripped Semi’s shoulders, maneuvering him into the corner. The concrete edge bit into Semi’s back. He started to protest but then Tendou was there, too close, gripping the edge on either side of him. His arms caged Semi in, his chest floating a bare few inches away.
Semi’s complaint died on his tongue as he stared at Tendou.
“I heard something,” Tendou whispered, floating just a little closer. “I think someone is coming.”
Panic flared like a fresh flame. Semi reached back for the concrete, planning to pull himself up, but Tendou yanked him back.
“Shh,” hissed Tendou. “Stay still. It’s dark out here. If we don’t move they can’t see us unless they come onto the patio.”
“But what if they do?” said Semi, matching his low volume. “Our clothes are laying there. They’ll see them. They’ll know we’re here.”
Tendou shook his head. “People leave stuff all the time. It’ll be fine, just don’t move.”
Semi did not think it would be fine, but he didn’t waste his breath arguing. He pressed his back closer against the wall of the pool, dipping down until the water covered his shoulders. Tendou followed his lead, sinking down a little, his arms still braced on either side of Semi. Gradually he floated closer, until Semi felt the tickle of Tendou’s swim trunks against his leg.
He suddenly remembered that he was wearing only his underwear and felt warmth rise to his cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Semi-Semi?” whispered Tendou with a lopsided grin. He pressed a light fingertip against Semi’s face. “Are you blushing?”
“Of course not,” snapped Semi. It was getting a little harder to breath. It must have been the pressure of the water squeezing his chest. “Even if I was, you couldn’t see it. It’s too dark.”
Tendou floated even closer. Their knees rubbed together. “I can feel it, though,” he said. The quiet words were so close that Semi felt them against his lips. “Are you embarrassed? I’ll back off if you want me to.”
Semi should have said yes. He should have told Tendou to go hide in the opposite corner, where the two of them could have their own space and Semi wouldn’t have to struggle with the fluttering sensation in his stomach.
He should have said that, but instead he found himself reaching out a hand and curling his fingers around Tendou’s thin, freckled shoulder. It was only for balance. He had one foot braced against the wall of the pool, but he needed the extra stability. That was all.
Tendou’s fingers were still on Semi’s cheek. They dipped down, traced the line of his jaw, and then curved gently around the back of his neck. He floated just a little closer, and their legs tangled beneath the water. He dipped his head toward Semi and hesitated, his exhales hot against Semi’s mouth.
A nervous thrill stabbed into Semi’s chest. He sucked in a breath, looped his arms around Tendou’s neck, and closed his eyes as Tendou kissed him.
Despite the chill of the air, Tendou’s mouth was hot. His lips pressed against Semi’s, slick with pool water, and his free hand dipped beneath the surface to rest on Semi’s waist.
It lasted only a moment. Tendou pulled back and the two of them stared at one another in matched surprise.
The kiss had been good, but that wasn’t the surprising part. Semi had been trying to keep himself from thinking about Tendou like this since the middle of their second year. He’d tried so hard to suppress it that he’d convinced himself it would never happen.
Now that it was, an entire year’s worth of possibilities burst in his mind like fireworks.
Tendou liked him.
Tendou just kissed him.
From the way Tendou was looking at him, it might happen again.
Semi felt like he needed to say something, to confirm what was going on. Tendou liked to joke around. Maybe he was just playing. Maybe this didn’t mean anything to him.
But the planes of Tendou’s face, barely visible in the darkness, looked very serious.
Semi tightened his arms around Tendou’s neck and pulled him back down, their lips meeting with a little more force. Tendou’s hand slipped around to Semi’s back, pulling him closer. His other arm stretched out to grip the concrete, keeping them anchored.
Semi wrapped his legs around Tendou and let himself be pushed into the pool wall. His hands slid into Tendou’s wet hair and he kissed him with more abandon, their parted lips sliding together, exchanging exhales, until Tendou slipped his tongue into Semi’s mouth.
Semi tilted his head back and let Tendou lick deeper, moving his own tongue in response, shivering at the unfamiliar sensation.
Tendou withdrew and they both took a minute to catch their breath, still clinging to one another, the water rippling away from them.
Semi was perfectly content, floating with Tendou’s arm wrapped around him, the taste of Tendou and chlorine in his mouth.
Then he remembered why they’d crowded together in the first place and whipped his head around.
There was no one in sight. They must have gone unnoticed.
“We should get out,” said Semi, more of a rasp than a whisper, “before they come back.”
The curve of Tendou’s mouth was smug. “There’s no one here, Semi-Semi. I didn’t really hear anything. I was kidding.”
“What? Why would you…” he trailed off, heat flooding his cheeks as he realized Tendou had played him. He released his grip on Tendou and shoved him away, scowling. “You’re such a jerk. You did that on purpose.”
Tendou’s laugh was subdued. “You didn’t seem to be complaining. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you liked it.”
“Shut up,” grumbled Semi. He ducked his head under the water to try and drown his embarrassment. Then he pushed off and swam to the opposite wall, emerging to grab onto the metal ladder and heave himself out of the pool. He pulled on his sweatpants and they were soaked through immediately. As he struggled with his shirt he heard a subdued splash, followed by the subtle sound of wet footsteps.
He yanked his shirt down just as Tendou’s fingers skimmed across his shoulders. Semi twitched away and spun to face him, still scowling.
“Are you mad at me?” asked Tendou, inflectionless.
“No,” said Semi. “I’m not mad. I’m just…”
Embarrassed.
Tendou’s fingers danced up Semi’s arm, slid across his shoulder, and rose to cradle his jaw. He was close again, so close that Semi saw the water dripping down the sides of his face, despite the darkness.
“I like you, Semi-Semi,” said Tendou quietly. “But I guess I probably shouldn’t have kissed you like that, huh?”
“No, it’s fine,” said Semi. It was more than fine. “That’s not what I-”
A shout made Semi spring back.
“Hey! What are you kids doing?”
The beam of a flashlight swiveled toward them. Semi froze in surprise, but Tendou was in motion. He scooped his clothes off of the ground and seized Semi’s wrist, dragging him along as he sprinted toward the gate.
Semi stumbled but followed, his bare feet slapping against the concrete.
Tendou laughed, the sound high-pitched and exhilarated.
Semi couldn’t keep from smiling.
“Stop running! Get back here!”
Tendou cackled and launched himself over the fence. He cleared it like a runner jumping a hurdle, landing gracefully on the other side. A burst of breathless laughter punched its way out of Semi’s chest. He clutched at the fence and smiled up at Tendou, who grinned back.
Semi crawled over the fence, equally as awkward as he’d been the first time. Then he and Tendou dashed around the corner of the building, slowing only when they’d reached the back door of the hotel.
Semi was breathless, but not from the short run. It was the exhilaration pumping through his veins, the thrill of breaking the rules, the fresh memory of Tendou’s lips against his.
They paused at the door and Tendou pulled on his clothes in a rush. They strolled inside casually, discreet except for their soaking hair.
They took the stairs again, Tendou bouncing a few steps ahead until Semi grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop somewhere around the third floor.
Tendou turned toward him, eyes wide and curious.
Semi climbed the three stairs separating them to stand on an even level. He still had to tilt his head back a little to look at Tendou, but he didn’t mind. Tendou was something worth looking at.
Tendou’s hair was stuck to his forehead, the water dyeing it so dark that it hardly even looked red anymore. The brightness of the stairwell highlighted the drips of water that left clear trails on pale skin. His lips were parted a little, as if he was on the verge of speech.
Tendou was gangly and awkward and weird most of the time, but Semi couldn’t deny that there was still something appealing about him.
“I like you too,” said Semi, keeping his voice low. Still it echoed, the quiet tones rebounding off of close concrete walls.
Tendou blinked, and his surprise gave way to a wide grin. “Really?”
“Don’t look so surprised,” scoffed Semi, forcing a scowl. “Why else would I have kissed you back?”
Tendou shrugged. “Peer pressure?”
Semi rolled his eyes, but felt his face falling into a smile despite himself. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, sometimes.”
Semi shook his head and gripped the front of Tendou’s damp shirt, yanking him forward. “Shut up and kiss me again.”
“I don’t know, Semi-Semi. I feel like you’re peer pressuring me.”
Semi stared at him. Then he released Tendou and turned away. “Whatever.”
He made it one step before Tendou spun him around and swooped forward, pulling Semi into a kiss that tasted less of chlorine and more of Tendou. Semi’s hands cupped Tendou’s long neck, thumbs smoothing over the skin, keeping him in place.
This time when Tendou’s lips parted, Semi moved first, flicking his tongue against Tendou’s teeth, collecting and memorizing the taste of Tendou.
Tendou nipped Semi’s lip before pulling back with a grin.
“Good thing we’re sharing a room, right?” said Tendou. “We can do this all night.”
Semi felt a pulse of heat, immediately chased by a bite of panic.
Tendou must have interpreted his expression.
“I’m kidding, Semi-Semi,” he said, pressing slightly swollen lips against Semi’s temple. “Obviously we need to get some sleep before the match. Isn’t that what you were whining about earlier?”
“Shut up,” said Semi. He gave Tendou a gentle shove and started up the stairs again. “We have to play Inarizaki tomorrow. You need to be well rested.”
“So do you,” said Tendou, taking the stairs two at a time to catch up. “We can’t win without our best pinch server.”
“Whatever.”
They stepped onto the fifth floor landing and Tendou led the way into the hall. As they walked to their room, Semi reached out and bumped the back of his hand against Tendou’s. He kept his face straight ahead, but still felt the brightness of Tendou’s smile.
Tendou laced his fingers through Semi’s. He only let go when they reached their room and he had to strip out of his wet clothes. Their hands found each other again when they went to bed, Semi relenting and crawling in beside Tendou. Tendou was warm, and Semi curled loosely into him.
“I changed my mind,” Tendou mumbled, his lips moving against Semi’s still-damp hair. “The pool isn’t the only benefit of staying in a hotel.”
Semi kicked him lightly, but then slipped his ankle between Tendou’s calves, twining their legs together. “Shut up and go to sleep.”
Tendou’s chest shook against Semi’s back as he laughed silently. “Whatever you say, Semi-Semi. Goodnight.”
“’Night.”
Going to Nationals wasn’t anything new. Semi would have slept without any problems, free from the burden of pre-match nerves.
Whatever was happening between him and Tendou was new, but still he didn’t feel the expected twist of anxiety that should have kept him awake. All he felt was serenity and security and Tendou’s warmth. He curled closer, closed his eyes, and slept soundly.