Chapter Text
That one evening, there was a call, an unexpected call, may he add. He was just about done with his nightly routine of adjusting his bandages, and was ready to tuck in, when his phone rang. Now, it wasn’t at all out of ordinary that he had incoming calls at that hour. Sometimes it was one of his teammates making sure when to come for practice in the morning, or a classmate asking last-minute questions about assignments that were due in the following day. In any case, he didn’t expect anything out of ordinary.
Boy, was he wrong.
He got up to his feet when he saw who it was; jumped off his seat and almost earning himself a head bump to the wall on his back if he wasn’t careful enough. It was no stranger, on the opposite, it was someone he knew rather well. The fact that it was this person, out of everyone he had expected to call him that night, sent a strange chill down his spine and put his heart to a race. A rather bizarre reaction over a single phone call, but it was the last thing going through his mind.
He could’ve sworn his heart momentarily stopped beating when he answered the phone, it was as if his entire body stopped functioning just for those few short seconds.
There was silence, and he didn’t know what he expected. It wasn’t as if he thought he’d get a merry greeting and a full blown Christmas carol sung right into his ears the moment he pressed that button.
He didn’t, but it did both his palpitating heart and suffocated breath worse.
“… Shiraishi?”
One mention of his name sounded like a permission rightfully earned to finally breath again.
“Shiraishi? Are you there?”
“Yes!” It came out sounding harsher than intended. He took another breath. “Yes, I’m here.”
“Ah,” the voice from the other side of the line responded, a pondering tone to it. “You were silent.”
It wasn’t like Shiraishi to have to make up excuses, and even if he had to, he would put all his might into it to make it sound legit. But this time he didn’t go as much to even bother to.
“I thought you were someone else.”
“You were expecting a call?”
No, I wasn’t. It’s just…” Shiraishi paused, mentally contemplating his replies over and over again. “You haven’t called…”
There was another round of silence, but of course, the young man wasn’t expecting an immediate response to his vagueness. “You haven’t called in a long while. I thought you’ve … forgotten me.”
His remark was welcomed by a light chuckle, and Shiraishi wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did he mess up? Did he somehow manage to make a fool out of himself?
“You thought I’ve forgotten you?”
“Well, you used to call every other day…” Shiraishi bit his lip, wondered if that made him sound whiny and needy, the last thing he would want the other person to think of.
“I know, I’m sorry.”
An apology. That was a good sign.
“Ever since the hospital, it’s been--”
Yet another silence. But this time Shiraishi didn’t waste any time to think about it.
“I know.” He assured, “I know, Yukimura.”
“But I did read your messages. Well, all of them, actually.”
Shiraishi tilted his head, trying to put it into perspective. He would be lying if he said he had never gotten slightly upset that Yukimura had never replied to any of his texts, on top of the fact that he had abruptly stopped calling, and never answered whenever Shiraishi was the one making the call. He knew what had happened, he had heard the news when the infamous ‘Child of God’ became ill and had to be admitted to the hospital, hence declaring him ‘temporarily’ absent from the courts. He knew how hard it must have been, and there were times when Shiraishi would place blame upon himself that he was unable to be there for his fallen friend. And yet the tiny speck of anger and disappointment in him still flickered every once in a while. It made Shiraishi feel bitter, not at Yukimura, but at himself. What a terrible person he was.
Yukimura, on the other hand, didn’t take the lack of response from the other male as an offense. Instead, he accepted it as a sign that it was his cue not to make the conversation sour that early.
“Your messages encouraged me. It felt nice to know that you still cared, despite me cutting ties for a good few months.”
“I couldn’t just stop caring, could I? You’re a good friend of mine.”
He attempted to put emphasis on the words ‘good friend’, hoping it would make him feel a tad less bitter. It didn’t.
“I can’t wait to meet you again.”
“Me too, but with the Nationals coming up, that probably has to wait.”
If Shiraishi could, he would take the earliest train in the morning to go visit Yukimura. But of course, that would be crude and indecent of him, what of him being nothing than just a less significant friend when compared to Yukimura’s other bunch.
“That being said, it probably doesn’t have to wait that long.”
“You’re saying?”
“Shiraishi,” the soft, almost flowery tone in his voice slowly disappeared, as he once again called his name, this time firm and assured. “I’m playing in the Nationals.”
The sound that came out from Shiraishi’s mouth sounded almost like blurted choking, followed by a tiny apology for the inappropriateness. Yukimura didn’t mind, it would probably take a little longer for the folks there to hear the news of his recent release from the hospital. He couldn’t blame Shiraishi for being surprised.
“I sure hope you and your team will stay around until the very end.”
The other wasn’t responding, and perhaps it wasn’t his place to.
“I will win. My team will take our third consecutive win.”
Shiraishi didn’t bulge, didn’t smile at the overflowing sheer confidence going into his ears. Never had he doubted that Rikkai would be one of the challenging opponents they had to face, given they made it far enough. Shiraishi himself would be more than honored to be graced by a match against Yukimura, if it would come to that.
But there was something else that was bugging him, something deep in the back of his head that he couldn’t quite put his finger into. And whatever that was, it wasn’t pleasant.
“Good luck,” he whispered, just enough to be audible to the other. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Yukimura didn’t need luck. He believed not in faith or in miracles, but in himself and his teammates to present victory to themselves. As much as Shiraishi was an important friend, there was no sympathy to be spared for the other if it shall come the day where they stood against each other. Still, whether he would have to crush the other and bring him down to his knees, Yukimura wanted Shiraishi to be aware of his intentions, as much as he wanted him to be a part of them.
For no reason that could be explained in mere words, he wanted Shiraishi to witness his triumph, else, it would mean a little less.
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