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Winter was one of Imayoshi's least favorite season, he wasn't someone who liked the cold very much. But then again, Winter was the season of the Winter Cup and Imayoshi did like the Winter Cup, if only because it meant he could play baskbetall and think only about basketball all day long. It was rare, his mind was always racing with a ton of things, important and unimportant both, he just couldn't shut it up. So he was grateful for the few moments of the year when his brain didn't disturb him for petty things.
He didn't like winter but he liked snow, snow was good. When he managed to be alone somewhere while snow was falling, he felt calmer. If it snowed during the Winter Cup then, it was perfect.
Snow excited other people, making them easier to trick, easier to deceive, snow was fun. Imayoshi liked to have fun.
The problem this year was that his perfect winter days had been disturbed by their crushing loss against Seirin. This year, his last year of high school, he couldn't play in the Winter Cup. He was a bit sad about it, of course, but their match has been great and, he wouldn't admit it, but he would be even sadder if Seirin lost to anyone but Rakuzan. And so he dragged, or tried to drag, his whole team, ex-team, to the Winter Cup. To watch. Only to watch. No matter how frustrating it may be for all of them.
Even if he didn't play, he still loved the excitement of looking at basketball players fighting against each other. He loved using his brain to find out their strategies instead of using it to solve equations. He welcomed the break. Playing or not. And it was snowing.
His team had left before the end of the day, he stayed alone, watching the last match unfolding in front of his eyes, enjoying the way the players struggled even if the match had been decided from the start. He loved that. Watching the suffering of a team who's not giving up, who keeps their hopes up from start to finish only to be beaten at the end. He loved that.
Maybe his teammates were right, he might have a slight sadistic streak. Not that he minded. It made life a bit funnier, it made it a little less easy to predict people's reactions.
What he didn't expect was to run into an old under-classman of his who also happened to have a slight sadistic streak. Funny how life always like to reunite people like them, for better or for worse.
"Yo, Makoto-kun!"
Said Makoto was visibly startled despite his usual cool demeanor, he snickered, waving his own teammates away. It made Imayoshi chuckle, "You don't want them to interupt our fateful reunion do you?"
"As their captain I'm mindful of their well-being, didn't want them to be subjected to seeing your face." He shrugged. Imayoshi didn't react, as expected. He was so used to Hanamiya Makoto's words of distaste that he didn't even care anymore.
"And, as their captain, you should show them a good example and greet me properly."
"That is, assuming you actually deserve proper greeting. And I don't think so, Shouichi."
Sometimes, Imayoshi himself didn't know what to think of Hanamiya. He was very aware of the dangerous aura coming from him, he knew he had the same, he liked to think they were alike in a way, he liked that he always provided good distraction. Hanamiya never gave up and never hoped for anything so, while a worthy adversary, he was also a unique one. Beating him just didn't have the same flavor as beating the other, it was less exciting, more plain, a bit more boring.
But he liked it anyway.
He also really, really liked the face he made when he felt the first blow of something cold and wet in his face and the sound of his voice when he snarled "I didn't think you'd dare ..."
"You should know me by now. I am a daring man Makoto-kun."
A second snowball hit Hanamiya before he finally gave in and started throwing some on his own.
Somehow, this was good, this was refreshing, this was fitting. He never felt like he actually won whenever he beat Hanamiya at anything. This kind of game was nice, no one would win anyway. He might make it a new habit.
When both were left alone and panting, pausing to catch their breaths, they had a smile on their faces. Tonight, and only tonight, they settled for a draw.
And a hot coffee, together, at the nearest place. Imayoshi liked coffee. He didn't really care for Hanamiya's preferences.
But he liked coffee. With milk.