Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Just get him some flowers, everybody likes flowers!” Teshima says, leaning over, writing a note and adding it onto the batch that was covering the table like a colorful cloth. Across from him, Imaizumi looks defeated, like he just lost one of his stupid arguments with Naruko. Unfortunately for him, he was losing a much more important fight.

“What kind of flowers?”

“Any kind of flowers! If they're pretty, who cares?”

“Don’t they have meanings and stuff?”

“What? Worried you’ll accidentally send him the flowers of ‘I hope you die’ and have him wilt away?” Teshima huffed, bordering on a laugh, but Imaizumi looked far from amused. Teshima sighed. “I think you’re taking this a bit too seriously.”

“If you think so then you can leave.” Imaizumi leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms. “Your advice is obviously not useful.”

"You're making being a good senpai very hard, y'know that?" 

"I don't even get why you're helping me."

"So you're saying it's weird for me to be nice? I'm offended.” Teshima grabs the pencil and puts it between his teeth, balancing it from side to side. As if watching a pendulum on a clock, Imaizumi’s eyes are fixed on the movement. Eventually, Teshima drops it and Imaizumi snaps back to reality, his attention shifting to the conversation.

“We were never that close so yes, seeing you so eager to try and fix my issues is jarring to say the least.”

“Ah, well, I suppose you’re not wrong. To be frank, I’m not doing this for you.” Imaizumi can’t help but feel a bit offended. Sure, he knew Teshima must’ve had some sort of ulterior motive, he was way too invested into this whole situation, but it still bothered him for some reason; bothered him a bit too much. “It’s obvious to everybody but Onoda that you have a big, fat crush on him. It’s none of my business to interfere but I do want to see you two become a couple. I think it’d be good for Onoda, he can be pretty naive and obedient, he’s easy to take advantage of, but I trust you’d take good care of him. I know you’re a good person, it’d be beneficial for both of you.”

“Teshima-san…” Now, Imaizumi was at a loss for words, Teshima’s answer was nicer than he would’ve anticipated. He felt the odd urge to treat him like a parent who just gave him permission to marry his child. He considered what to say, feeling proud of himself for earning a senpai’s approval. 

“You could use some company too, from the looks of it.” Just like that, Imaizumi’s respect for Teshima Junta plummeted. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you spend time with anyone besides Onoda?”

Imaizumi opened his mouth for a rebuttal before realising that no, he didn’t really have any other friends. The closest thing to being one were Naruko and Kanzaki, and he realised he’d rather keep them away from that title.

“Do you spend time with anyone besides Aoyagi-san?”

“Yeah.” Teshima responded so quickly, so self assured, that it chopped off some of Imaizumi’s smugness. Perhaps he shouldn’t have played the game Teshima is best at, although the idea that he was good at talking back only with low hanging fruit like Naruko irked him. 

“Let’s just continue. What else did we write?”

“Let’s see. Moonlight serenade.” Imaizumi shook his head. “Romantic dinner.” He shook his head again. “Confession under the starlit sky.” And again. “Karaoke, also includes a sung confession.” And again. “Racing each other to the peak of a mountain then screaming ‘I love you’ at the top of your lungs so if he turns you down you can say you meant it for your bike?” This time Imaizumi took a second to consider it, in which Teshima actually grew hopeful, before it crashed and burned again with a simple shake of the head.

“Imaizumi, this is why you’ll die alone.”

“They’re all so cheesy, it’s not my fault!”

“Well then hurry up and come up with something better because you’re running out of time! What if somebody else gets to him before you?”

Imaizumi gets ready to retort something again before falling quiet. Unconsciously, he never thought confessing to Onoda was an urgent matter, he didn’t think he’d be that desirable to other people besides himself. Onoda was shy, insecure and sort of a klutz, not to say scrawny and small. Thinking back on it, perhaps it was a bit of a mean thought, but he knew that from the outside Onoda wasn’t conventionally attractive. That was, most likely, his biggest mistake. He viewed it from the lens of the world at large, where people overlooked Onoda until they started kissing his ass for being a winner, usually not out of genuine respect either. But now that he thought about it… in their little corner of the racing world… Onoda has somehow managed to win over so many of their opponents by virtue of being himself. On the road, he’s a different person entirely, you don’t need to be a pro to see how impressive his skills are, you don’t need to know him for long to see how genuinely kind and friendly he was. Christ, even Midousuji seemed somewhat into him! Suddenly, Imaizumi feels tense, like he’s in a race and the pack has caught up to him without him realising.

Did he truly have so much competition?

Chapter Text

"Do you really have to join me every day?" 

Teshima simply smiles in the sweetest way that he can and nods, feigning innocence. Imaizumi gives him a glare but the upperclassman's smile just widens. Imaizumi thinks that he could be literally throwing daggers at him right now, and that still wouldn't erase that annoying freaking smile on his face. 

Why is he even looking at his lips so much, anyway? 

"Technically, it's evening." 

"Okay, thank you senpai! You are here for only five minutes and yet you have already explained to me the geographical concept of earth's rotation around its own axis and around the incandescent star that is the sun." Teshima is a bit amused to hear Imaizumi at his most sarcastic yet. "Now you can leave." 

"See, you can learn so much from me! I better stay here more to teach you further." 

Imaizumi groans, which is music to Teshima's ears. Now Teshima makes himself even more comfortable on the desk he put his club application form last year (big mistake that was) and starts moving his legs back and forth, watching as Imaizumi turns back to the notes he was writing for his and Onoda's special date. 

From what Teshima had said, Imaizumi thought that from that point on, he would only talk more and distract him from his silence requiring activity. But to his surprise, the curly haired man sits in total silence next to his teammate. Imaizumi notices that he had closed his eyes and seemed to have entered his own world, so he takes this as an opportunity to look at him for more than a minute without being accused of thinking of Teshima as handsome. 

It was one time, okay?! 

The first thing he notices is that unlike yesterday, he had his hair up in a ponytail. Probably because it had been so scorchingly hot today, Imaizumi can't blame him. Another thing that catches his eye is Teshima's smile still not dissapearing, making Imaizumi wonder if he really did just want to annoy him earlier, or if he's genuinly glad to be here. 

The latter option dissapears as a possibility as rapidly as the blink of an eye. 

Speaking of eyes, he also notices how Teshima's got some noticeable dark cicles under his eyes. They're a contrasting purple with the pale skin, like a murky ocean, and they can be nothing other than the result of Teshima's hard work as a captain. Imaizumi is a little proud of him for having them, because they are the most irrefutable proof of the man's passion for the sport and serious attitude. That same attitude that makes him take every single loss like a falling star from the sky coming to burn him alive instead of making his wish come true. 

But it also hurts Imaizumi that he now has this image burned into his memory. The image of a hardworking captain that totally gives too much of himself so that others can be happy. Even today, of course Imaizumi took notice of how Teshima's responsibilities seem to have doubled from the last time he checked, he heard his name being called at least twenty times by Kaburagi alone. 

And yet, he still remains here until evening comes around. 

Until Imaizumi is finished. 

"Senpai? Did you fall asleep?" It's the softest wishper he can manage. 

"No..." came Teshima's response. "But you said you wanted concentration today, so..." 

That sleepy tone of his... he would totally be better off in his home right now, sleeping away today's hard work. After all, he's not some energy ball like Naruko that can stay up all night. 

And yet... here he was. 

Imaizumi can feel a blush coming, so he changes the subject. 

"You really shouldn't be sitting on that desk like that. Kinjou-san would never do that." 

"Well, I'm not Kinjou." He retorts. Then his smile falls. "Sadly." 

But then it looks like Teshima gets an idea, because a mischievous shine makes his eyes sparkle. 

"Unless..." 

His shoes make sudden contact with the floor as he runs to grab something from a drawer, which turns out to be a pair of glasses. He then clears his throat to give that rough nuance to his voice and does his best Kinjou impression. 

Imaizumi has always found Teshima's impressions of their senpais scarily accurate, but this one had to take the cake. He lets out an involuntary laugh before covering his mouth and ruining what was left of his cool persona. He sometimes wonders if Teshima does any impressions of him when he's not around. He doubts it. I mean, unlike Naruko or Kaburagi, for example, there isn't much about him that he can mock. 

Right? 

Right. 

"So, have you managed to come up with any new date ideas? Or have you bettered any old ones?" Teshima's voice snaps him from his thoughts. 

"They're all beyond saving, Teshima-san." 

"Then you and them have something in common." Imaizumi has no time to go on a rant because Teshima starts looking for something in his back pocket. "Fortunately for you, I managed to note a few of my ideas during the pauses from today's practice." 

The note is passed to Imaizumi, but he can't read much over the shock and confusion on how did Teshima even manage to do this, with the impossible schedule he had today. He had three pauses of five minutes in total, and yet he used them all to write Imaizumi some ideas for his shitty crush situation that probably mattered to no one but himself? 

He looks up and he can see Teshima's expectant and slighly impatient gaze. 

"Come on, elite, we don't have all day." 

"It's evening, actually. And can't you use your telepathy powers to get the answers out of me or something?" 

"Nah, that only works on Aoyagi. To my knowledge, at least." 

He then takes a few steps forward until he's half a wheel away from Imaizumi, staring into his eyes like the next InterHigh's results were written there. And Imaizumi's heart starts to race, for some goddamn reason. Don't ask him why, he doesn't know either. It's just that he doesn't think he's ever had Teshima, or anyone for that matter so close to him, except maybe Naruko in his ever so awful attempts to intimidate him. But he never felt like this because of Naruko. Like he was drowning in his own sweat and choking from his own heart in nervousness, like a deer caught in a street light. Looking at him so closely also allows Imaizumi an even better glance at Teshima's eyes and lips, and even when he tries to look elsewhere, knowing Teshima's eyes are on him is enough of a magnet to pull him back. 

Why was he suddenly believing that he meant it when he called him handsome that one time? It was a ludicrous fact, an unexplainable event. But maybe he did think that his senpai, his captain at that, was quite the nice sight. 

Before even realizing it, a small blush starts to color his cheeks. 

"Aha!" The sudden raise in volume startles Imaizumi. "I bet you were thinking of something innapropiate just now, didn't you? 

"W-what?" Imaizumi is fully panicking now. He gets the impulse to scream in defense that he's not, but that's the most "yes I was" thing he could possibly do. Instead, he calmly settles on: "C-Could you really read my mind just now?" 

"Nah, I could just tell by your blush." He hits Imaizumi's back and brings about a more lightheard atmosphere. "But I'll have you know, Imaizumi. If you even think about doing something dirty with Onoda earlier than your first ten dates together..." His voice dropped for about two octaves there. "I'll ship you off to Hakone academy."

Chapter Text

“I was thinking…” Teshima begins one day and Imaizumi looks at him, seemingly listening but his mind running at 100 thoughts per minute. “If you don’t feel like confessing yet, we could change our strategy. First, we find out what kind of person Onoda is into, then try to make yourself a bit more appealing to him. Maybe that could raise your confidence a little.”

“I am confident!” Imaizumi says and stands up, except his legs are trembling a bit and he takes an askew step forward, knee smacking the table and sending the notes flying everywhere. Both of them look at the mess they now need to clean. “So… how do we find out what Onoda likes?”

***

"Yo, Onoda!" 

"Ah, Teshima-san!" Onoda says, glee obvious in his voice as his senpai moves to bike next to him. "Are you going home?" 

"Nah, I was thinking of going to Akiba, actually." Hearing this, Onoda's form breaks and his bike starts to rattle a bit, he almost goes off the road. 

"Do you have some business there?" Onoda tries sounding casual but his voice is wavering a bit, another question hiding right behind his teeth. 

"Sorta, I want to get the DVD for this one anime I started watching, it's called Joran University Host Club." 

"Do you like anime?" Onoda blurts out right as Teshima finishes speaking. He smiles in return, gotcha. 

"I occasionally watch it. Did you hear of Joran?" 

"I have! I even read the manga, didn't think you'd be into this kind of show though, Teshima-san." 

"That so?"

"Well, I've seen very few boys who watch reverse harem. Not like anything is wrong with it though! I enjoy them too, romance makes me all fuzzy and happy, usually they're pretty good if you want to relax." Onoda smiles so, so softly and Teshima sort of understands how Imaizumi fell so fast and so hard. 

"Who's your favourite character?" 

"Ah, maybe the protagonist, Natsu-chan." 

"I see… but out of the boys who do you like most? They're the reason people tune in, isn't it?"

"NO!" Onoda blurts out before he starts blushing and looking the other way, letting out a few small coughs. He takes a deep breath and starts speaking again. "Everybody thinks the love interests are what's the most important because they draw people in, but the story matters too! If you don't have a good, interesting, likeable protagonist then the plot suffers as well! I hate this sort of mentality, authors neglect their main characters to focus on the fan favourite supporting cast. It's such a big issue, especially in harem anime, reversed or not. A bland, dry character will amount to nothing for the people who want to enjoy a well written narrative!" 

"Okay… um…" Teshima is rendered speechless, not expecting Onoda to be this offended about his words. 

"But, well, if I had to choose a favourite…" He begins speaking again as if absolutely nothing happened and Teshima is just a tad bit unnerved by him. "I'd say Mokunozuka, maybe." 

"Eh, wasn't expecting that, how come?"

"I like the quiet, mysterious sort of characters! They're always so cool, plus he's nice to Natsu even if they don't interact a lot." 

"I see." Teshima says and smiles, Imaizumi already has a stick up his ass most of the time so this shouldn't be hard to replicate.

"So… well… I'm going to Akiba as well, actually! Would you want to…" 

"Yeah, I'd like to go together." Teshima is taken aback by just how bright Onoda's smile is. He tries to return the gesture but feels like his smile pales in comparison and that he should stop. 

Until they reach Akiba and come back, Onoda speaks of nothing else but anime, with questions about biking and their practice next week sprinkled in. Teshima loves the kid, he really does, but not having much of an interest nor knowledge of the media ends up tiring him out. Not only that, but now he actually had to spend money and buy the DVD or he'll look suspicious. Teshima thinks he'll make Imaizumi watch it later for "training purposes" so it can be of use.

***

"What am I looking at?" Imaizumi says, analysing the DVD box in his hand. 

"Your guide to winning Onoda Sakamichi's heart, have a good watch!" Teshima smiles back at him and rests his head on his palms. If he weren't a senpai, Imaizumi would've wiped the smirk off his face.

"I don't like romance."

"Yeah, I can tell. That's why you don't have a boyfriend." Imaizumi glares at him with the force of a thunderstorm and Teshima has to try his best not to start laughing. If Imaizumi didn't want to be made fun of then he shouldn't be so easily annoyed. "Hey, be grateful, I had to pay good money for this!" 

"What am I even supposed to learn from this?" 

"See this character?" Teshima points to a tall boy with short black hair from the cover. "Keep your eyes on him, he's Onoda's anime crush. See how he behaves and speaks then we'll try to emulate it. You role-play as him, get Onoda to fall in love with you and I can rest at peace knowing both of you won't die alone. It's a win for everyone!" 

"I don't like romance." 

"Yeah, we've been over this already." Teshima rolls his eyes and sighs. "Bear with it, aren't you a man? Didn't you watch Love-Hime, how is this worse?"

"What?" Imaizumi smacks the box on the desk and Teshima jumps a little. "I don't watch Love-Hime for the romance, I do it for the plot! The struggles of Kotori-chan are relatable and raw, just because she's a girl doesn't mean she only cares about boys! She's surprisingly tridimensional and the story has actual depth." 

Now, Teshima truly can't hold back anymore and starts going into a giggle fit. Realising how long he's ranted, Imaizumi backs away and starts blushing, not looking Teshima in the eye anymore. 

"Please stop." 

"Didn't know you were so into this show. I am surprised, truly." Teshima tries to wipe the tear from his eye as subtle as possible. 

"I… Onoda introduced me to the show. I didn't like it at first, I only watched out of curiosity, but every time I talked to him about it his face lit up. Before I realised it, I continued watching just so I could see him smile and get all excited, I could tell he was happy to have somebody listen to him. Unconsciously, his love for the show rubbed off on me too." 

"Imaizumi, as much fun as I'm having laughing at you, I'm also kind of happy." Teshima says and Imaizumi gathers the courage to look him in the eyes. To his surprise, Teshima is smiling, fondly, watching him softly. Imaizumi’s breath hitches for a moment. "It's cute that you care so much about him, I respect that." He gets up and closes the distance between them, suddenly Imaizumi becomes very aware of his presence next to him and he's stunned, feeling too nervous to move. When Teshima's hand moves to touch his shoulder, he manages to regain his composure and look at him. "But this also means I have expectations of you now. I'm sure you'll learn a lot from Mokkun, good luck!" 

***

"Imaizumi!" 

It takes Teshima a couple of tries to get Imaizumi's attention, since he had a pair of headphones on while walking to school. When he finally notices Teshima running after him though, he takes one out. Which is a good thing. Teshima didn't feel like getting fined for minor abuse today. 

"Good morning, Teshima-san." 

"Morning. You seem pretty happy today." The captain notes with a little inflection in his voice that suggests amusement. "I've never seen a high school student smile while walking to school. Well, besides Onoda." 

Despite himself, Imaizumi laughs. Teshima feels a cold chill run down his spine and looks at Imaizumi like he just killed someone, in turn making the other cut off all happiness from his face and resort to just stare. 

"Is there something on my face?" 

"Yeah, happiness!" 

"And why is that motive to get scared?!" Imaizumi yells into nothing but the echoes of his own mind. 

But when he looks back to Teshima, he still looks kind of scared, the corners of his mouth no longer forming a smirk. Imaizumi stops for a moment and takes a step towards the captain, at which he responds with a step back. His lips part to let a frightened sigh escape, a sweaty palm comes to scratch the back of Teshima's head and his face loses color, his skin now ghost levels of translucent. 

And yet Imaizumi smiling is the scariest thing that he's seen today! 

Before he can recommend him a mirror though, he notices Teshima looking a little thoughtful. After which he starts walking again. 

Was that all an act or is Imaizumi not the only bipolar on the team? 

"Hey, did you perhaps get to watch Jouran last night after I left?" Even though the captain is smiling and genuinely doesn't mean any harm by it, Imaizumi still freaks out a little bit and covers Teshima's mouth. He looks left and right. Some people are staring at him weirdly and for Imaizumi, it's enough to make him panic, and already reconsider changing his name and moving to Zanzibar or something along those lines. Well okay, it's not that bad yet. But he did start to think at least about what schools could be found near the Chiba prefecture that might accept new students, he's not gonna lie to you. Teshima sees all this and can't help but roll his eyes a bit, the staring most likely caused by Imaizumi's strange actions rather than anything Teshima said. 

These kids are gonna be the death of him before the race exhaustion can even lift a finger. 

"I did not. Also, please speak quieter." 

"But why? I promise it'll help you with Onoda! And trust me, you need all the help you can get." 

Imaizumi did not appreciate the tone in Teshima's voice. 

"Well that was already made obvious by me accepting your help in the first place." 

He's kind of proud of that remark. He's been getting better at snarky comebacks, he thinks. Teshima looks more confused than hurt though, as he keeps staring at him, and, in classic Teshima fashion, gets closer to Imaizumi's face with a finger on his chin. The second year averts his eyes with a small blush that looked more like a bad fever. Teshima's eyebrow raises following this strange movement. 

"Are you sure you didn't watch it?" 

"Yes, Teshima-san. Trust me, I was there when it happened. Or well, didn't happen." 

He pauses to ponder on what he heard for a couple seconds, which, as it turns out, was absolutely nothing. 

"You sure, sure?" 

"Yes I'm sure! The anime DVD you gave me is currently in my trash at home. I'm sorry to say, but you wasted your money." 

"Ehh? You threw a gift away just like that? Meanie." 

At first Imaizumi thinks it's a joke, but when he turns back to Teshima, he swears he can see actual hurt in his eyes. His lips have formed into a pout that held all of his curent irritation. His eyes gave off another vibe entirely though, and he looked a little less guarded than usual. His eyes were half lidded and he was breathing in a soft pattern, loose black strands falling over his cheeks with the morning sunlight reflecting to form a certain shine within them. 

Imaizumi's heartbeat felt a little different after seeing that sight, but it wasn't at a particularly quick rate, more like it beat with more volume. A little bit more of an oomph that rattled his ribcage, echoed in his ears and forced him to swallow the saliva in his mouth. 

"And here I thought you would be happy. I would have even watched it with you over tea time sometime." 

Imaizumi has absolutely no idea why, but this chance having slipped past him left a bitter taste in his mouth, much like Teshima's favorite tea. Why did he even consider this an opportunity was also confusing. Did he like anime that much? Has Onoda converted him completely? 

Or was it... 

Imaizumi shakes his head, preferring not to think about that other possibility. The day has barely started and yet he's already had about four headaches. 

"But eh, what can ya do." Teshima shrugs. "I can't force you to do something you don't like. Unless we are at practice, where I can pair you up with Naruko as many times as I want." 

Thank god for Teshima speaking up again, seemingly back to his cheery self and that pretty smile. Pretty annoying, that is. Still, he SO knew the bastard was pairing him with Naruko on purpose! 

As the school gate approaches more and more (or rather, they approach it), the air around them doesn't carry any more sound waves. Imaizumi is glad that he finally gets some peace and quiet, and he's glad he can use that peace and quiet to return to his musical endeavors. He puts his earphones back in and just prays to god he hasn't broken any social rules by doing this, he's pretty sure that every time he needs to see the line between polite and impolite he just becomes blind. Hm. Maybe that was why Kinjou-san got along with everybody so well and always had the perfect response to everything he was asked. 

Those damn glasses. 

Imaizumi smiles and instinctively glances towards Teshima, who, he now sees, occasionally looks up at him as well and smiles. The ace barely manages to control the ten shades of pink threatening to form on his face. 

Why was Teshima-san looking at him like that? And why was that so disarming?! 

Now, equipped with a fifth headache and about ten more questions about the meaning of life, Imaizumi chooses to deal with this inner adversity like he does with any problem. 

By completely and utterly ignoring it with the help of pop music. 

Teshima of course, a huge fan of music in general, can't help but butt in. 

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What are you listening to?" 

"It's nothing." 

"Oh, come on, music elite. Or should I call you music elitist? Let me hear." 

"No." 

For a second there, Imaizumi thought, foolishly so you might say, that this will be the end of it. That their captain will be contempt with such a clear, transparent answer. That he would leave the matter alone, and perhaps even be deterred to cause Imaizumi any more suffering today, just today. His tiny little heart would activate for Imaizumi's sake and Teshima would listen to it for a change. 

Teshima however, is a cyclist. And if Imaizumi knew anything about cyclists, they were very competitive, wild individuals. They were creatures of instinct, selfishly thirsty in their chase for their goals. They were, most of the time, completely unpredictable and lacking morals, quite ruthless when challenged and definitely not above petty things like honor. 

So he really should have seen Teshima trying to yank his earphones out coming. 

Which he actually suceeds in, and then, shock hits him and Teshima both as palpitations start to appear in his heart once they both hear some very, very familiar lyrics. 

Hakugin no honoo ten o kogashite

Tatoe kokoro o hikisaite mo

Anata dake ni sasagetai no

Watashi no mune no juujika o! 

"Is that..." 

Now, Teshima wasn't particularly an anime fan. He wouldn't label himself as such, anyway. He used to watch two or three shows when he was young, the ones that everybody watched at least once at some point in their lives. Things such as Dragon Ball W and Naruko (he always wondered if their Naruko's parents named him with the show in mind, considering his similarity with the character). 

He would occasionally sing popular anime songs when he went out to karaoke with classmates, mostly as a joke. 

He was forced in the past to watch Boku no Hero Daigaku by a friend, which he got bored in two episodes by. And he also watched about twelve episodes of something called Inazuma Seven, a soccer anime of all things. It was reccomended by Aoyagi who apparently got to episode 79 out of 127 and really, he doesn't understand how an anime can have this many freaking episodes. Don't people get tired of watching the same continuous story for so many episodes straight? 

Especially a sports anime. What could possibly happen that is interesting during a sports anime? 

One thing he was sure of, however. A single thing, a melody he would recognize anywhere, anytime. Including now. 

And that was... 

"Is that the Jouran opening?!" 

Imaizumi stops in place, making Teshima almost bump into him. They are pretty close to the school's gate now, but he does not even notice how his route of escape is so within his reach. One more step, and he could be in the school right now. Protected by the power of anonymity. Yet here he was. 

Suffering. 

"I-It's not!" 

"Oh my god that is so the Jouran opening! You actually watched it!" 

"I did NOT." 

Imaizumi really, really does not appreciate the smirk playing at Teshima's lips at all. 

"So that was a lie, huh?! In fact, you didn't just watch it, you actually enjoyed it and are now listening to the intro song! Just like you did with LOVE HIME!" 

"COULD YOU SPEAK ANY LOUDER?!" He finally yells, way louder than Teshima did before. 

Which, in turn, makes everyone and their bike look at him like he was some sort of escaped patient from the mental hospital. 

Imaizumi wants to cry. He feels a burn within his body, both from the blush that appears on his cheeks, and from his brain short circuiting. 

He turns to Teshima so at least he can experience this pain as a shared thing with a friend, but he soon realizes he's too late. Teshima was already waving him off and running faster than he ever did on a bike, yelling something about him seeing Imaizumi at practice. 

That dirty scoundrel.

Chapter Text

"Did anybody follow you here?"

"Please don't make it sound like we're doing something illegal." Imaizumi already sounds exasperated and the worst has yet to come; but it's not his fault! Teshima-san is acting as if he's the one about to do something very embarrassing and humiliating.

"Do you want people to find us out?" 

"Now you're making it sound like something else entirely."

"We can do that too, if you want to." Teshima says, smirking, his smile only widening when Imaizumi’s face flashes red. First, it's because of embarrassment, but soon it burns red with rage. 

"Just let me in already." 

"Alright, alright." Teshima makes way for him to enter and Imaizumi hopes the lack of light will hide the colours of his face. "I knew you wouldn't accept anyway, your heart belongs to Onoda after all." 

"The DVD you gave me was useless. Mokunozuka barely speaks for its entirety." Imaizumi complains and hands the thin box back to its rightful owner. Imaizumi has never been happier to give something away.

"Maybe you should learn a thing or two from him then." Imaizumi turns to face him, ready to attack with a nasty look as he is starting to run low on comebacks, but is stunned instead. Teshima is looking awfully fond at the DVD box, slowly caressing the almost untouched surface with his fingers. "It's weird, but I'm kinda glad you didn't throw it away." 

"It's weirder that you actually thought I'd do something so crass." Imaizumi says with a huff before crossing his arms, putting on dignified airs. To be honest, he actually wanted to keep it for a bit longer, to analyse it more like he'd have to write a report for school afterwards. But seeing Teshima so upset at the idea that he discarded the DVD urged him to give it back prematurely, only to prove that he was not, in fact, an insensitive jerk. "Watching those episodes might have reduced my mental intelligence by a few good years but even I know better than to channel my anger at an object." 

"How mature of you." Imaizumi can't see Teshima's face but he knows there's that cheeky, slightly condescending grin shining brightly on his face. When he looks at him to check if he's right or not, he notices two things: Teshima was indeed grinning but, most importantly, he has once again claimed Imaizumi's personal space as his own. While sitting so close next to him that they could hear each other breathe, Teshima's smile felt less playful and more threatening, like a predator beckoning his prey closer. "Just as mature as this morning." 

"I still haven't forgiven you for that."

"For what? Exposing your music taste to the whole school? That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't caused a scene. It's entirely your fault to be honest."

"For running away." 

"In life, you must face your mistakes on your own, Imaizumi." He puts an arm on his shoulder and pats it a few times, looking him earnestly in the eye. "You'll understand when you're older." 

"Can we begin already?" Imaizumi shakes off his hand and Teshima holds his arms up in defence, turning around to grab his notebook. 

"Alright alright, if I knew you were so eager to talk about anime then I would've given you more episodes to watch." 

"I still don't understand how this whole experience would benefit me." 

"Well, let's take it from the start. What was your first impression of Mokkun?" 

"Boring, plain, quiet, he really has had few lines." 

"So we're on the right track." At this Imaizumi frowns again and Teshima mutters a small apology. Thankfully, Imaizumi doesn’t seem too hurt by the constant bullying and looks at him expectantly. “Try to act like him, maybe? See if you managed to gather any of his mannerisms or something.”

Imaizumi looks around, a bit lost, as if the small club’s room wasn’t as familiar as the road from the back school gate. Still looking unsure, he cups his hands together and bends them at the wrist twice before taking on the most apathetic face Teshima had ever seen. His eyebrows were lacking any sort of arch, standing perfectly flat, his mouth mimicking the shape, his eyes looking dejectedly forward at a spot behind Teshima’s head. With such a face, he even rivalled the likes of Aoyagi or Hakone’s Fukutomi.

“I’m giving you points for the accuracy, but honestly you spacing out like that is starting to get a bit creepy.”

Afterwards, Imaizumi blinked and his eyes regained a spark of emotion. It was like seeing a corpse come to life, the poor lighting of the room did not help make Teshima less uncomfortable. 

“Was it bad?” Imaizumi asks, sounding somewhat concerned. Teshima almost felt like a teacher who had to check a student’s homework and laughed at how silly their entire situation was. Seeing Teshima on the verge of cracking a laugh did not seem to ease Imaizumi’s worries.

“I told you, it’s good! Maybe a bit too good, even.” Imaizumi was listening carefully. Despite his indignance earlier, it was obvious he was trying to make this work. Having his words be taken so seriously, being regarded with such meticulous care, made Teshima awfully happy. Not even Onoda was eating up his words this way, eagerly awaiting for the next advice or suggestion. “Try to do it again.”

Hearing his order, Imaizumi starts getting back into character. Before doing anything else, he cups his hands again, this time his wrists let out a small crack that echoes in the quiet of the room.

“Is that like, a nervous tic?” Imaizumi looks down at him, looking somewhat surprised. “Your hands, I mean. Why do you do that? Is it a habit?”

Teshima can’t ignore the way Imaizumi seems to swallow hard and avoid any eye contact for a moment. Now that he’s taking a closer look, Imaizumi’s ears might have even turned a faint red, or perhaps it was just the sun setting through the hazy window. 

“Yeah…”

“Why are you lying to me?” Teshima steps closer, hand on his chin, more curious than annoyed, really. In return, Imaizumi takes a step back before straightening his back, trying to assert some sort of confidence but Teshima sees it waver when they make eye contact.

“I’m not lying.”

“What are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing.”

“You know I know you better than that.”

“I said nothing!” Imaizumi decided to stay still while Teshima marched forward. Now that he was right in his face Teshima could guarantee Imaizumi was blushing. If it were red from anger then he wouldn’t have tried to avoid looking at his face as he does now.

“Tell me.” 

Imaizumi closes his eyes and gives Teshima a light push before turning his back to him. Teshima is frankly surprised and freezes in place. Only now does the thought that he’s pushed the wrong buttons cross his mind and he feels sort of bad. Thinking he’s overstepped, he starts forming an apology but before he can say anything Imaizumi’s voice rings up.

“I practiced!”

“Huh?”

“Before we met up, last night, in the mirror… I tried practising acting as Mokkun! I looked at tips on the internet and found one saying that making a certain gesture before acting could get you into character more easily, a Pavlov effect sort of thing. So if you associate the gesture with action it could help. That’s the gesture I chose.” He spoke loudly and at a steady pace, as if he was confessing to some great sin. Teshima started breaking into laughter, the noise bouncing off the walls and crashing into Imaizumi like a wave of gut punches. Even with his back towards him, Teshima could tell his voice was a bright red.

Neither of them said anything until the last of Teshima’s laughter left the room. Despite his reaction, Teshima felt joyful to hear Imaizumi be this serious. This morning he genuinely thought he was capable of throwing away the DVD yet here he was now, admitting he’s been more committed to this than Teshima himself. He closes the distance between them and tries to twist the other boy’s shoulder so they can face each other. Imaizumi is relentless though, constantly pulling himself from Teshima’s grip.

“Imaizumi.” He says, firmly, but doesn’t even get a nod in response. “Hey, Elite, don’t tell me you’re going to sulk all day. You were the one always saying time was of the essence!” 

At this, Imaizumi lets out a small chuckle and Teshima feels like he’s won. When he tries to move Imaizumi again, he lets himself be turned to face him.

“What is it?” 

“Let’s try again, shall we? Wouldn’t want all of your hard work to have been for nothing.” Teshima’s voice is as teasing as usual but Imaizumi feels less offended than he normally would. The teasing is covered in a coat of fondness and just plain happiness, he doesn’t feel like Teshima wants to mock him, but cheer him up. Imaizumi has never felt more intent to oblige one of Teshima’s wishes.

“To be honest with you, senpai, I don’t think we’re on the right path.” At this, Teshima raises an eyebrow.

“You got any other ideas then, Elite?”

“Well, no, but what we’re doing is too vague. We need something more solid to work off of, like a more specific idea or concept.”

“Like a date draft?”

“I suppose? Just something to give us some aim.”

Teshima puts a finger to his chin, walking around, seeming to think. Suddenly, his eyes light up and he smirks. Imaizumi has never felt more threatened in his life, and he’s raced against Midousuji multiple times.

“Think I’ve got a better idea.” Suddenly, Teshima grabs his arms and yanks him closer to the wall. Imaizumi is breathing hard, already on edge, but lets himself be manhandled by his senpai like a ragdoll. His brain doesn’t process anything until Teshima has laid his hand flat next to his head, standing slightly above him. A bench was leaned onto the wall and, feeling his legs turn into overcooked noodles, Imaizumi dropped down onto it, Teshima’s knee falling in place right next to his thigh. Imaizumi had no way to escape his grasp yet he wasn’t feeling trapped nor stressed by his predicament, the only word he could think of to describe the adrenaline pumping his veins was excitement. An excitement greater than any race, if Teshima wasn’t going to move away soon he might become addicted to it and want more. Imaizumi wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or not.

"I… I don't think Mokkun would act like that. He's more reserved." Imaizumi barely manages to say, being too aware of Teshima’s presence next to him. They ended up right next to a window and the sunset was starting to bleed through on their scene. Ribbons of red and gold were wrapping around his face, flowing down his hair, glinting and mixing in with the blue of his eyes. It reminded Imaizumi of the figures made of stained glass, a colourful, hypnotising array of shapes so captivating that they didn’t feel real.

"Well, that's what Teshima Junta would do." He says with a small laugh and Imaizumi feels like he’s grounded again. He feels the wood beneath him and the smell of dust covering the entire room, trying his hardest not to take in Teshima’s scent as well. “Is it not something Imaizumi Shunsuke would do?”

“Not really.” 

Teshima laughs, even if Imaizumi cannot grasp what’s so funny. His head is spinning with all sorts of thoughts, about love and friendship and if out of body experiences can happen even when you’re awake. To his surprise, Teshima doesn’t back away, staying still a bit longer. With his consciousness back to the scene at hand, Imaizumi starts hearing other things besides his heart ramming against his ribs. He hears a ceaseless quiet. They set up the time for their meeting so the school grounds would be empty, the only exception being faculty and staff members. Occasionally the wind would rattle the windows, sneak under the door and freshen the air, but nothing else. Perhaps there was also Teshima’s own heartbeat, his even, steady breathing that Imaizumi was trying to imitate; but he didn’t think to count that one. After all, it wasn’t distracting or annoying, it felt pleasant, like the humming of his favourite song. Imaizumi was considering gaining this silence more than the one at the front of the pack, though he felt like he would have to fight harder for this one, it would all be worth it. 

Suddenly, a sharp sound rips apart his bliss. Teshima quickly gets up to grab his phone from the table while Imaizumi feels too overwhelmed to stand up yet.

“It’s my mom, she’s asking why I’m not home yet. It has gotten pretty late.” Imaizumi turns to look outside the window to be met by pitch black. While he was stuck in his trance, the sun had already set.

“Well, this was enough for today anyway.” Teshima nods in approval and starts gathering his stuff. Imaizumi waits for him to mention whatever that was that just happened, but the remainder of their time is spent in silence. Before he realises it, Teshima was already set for departure, hand on the knob. As he pushed the door open, he gave Imaizumi one last gleeful smile.

“So, same time tomorrow?”  

Chapter Text

"Okay, Imaizumi. Once again from the top." 

Teshima makes a circling movement using his finger, and can't help but feel a little like a conductor signaling a chorus to begin singing. He can almost hear the classical music, too. Maybe it was Ashikiba's influence on him. They did say you are the product of the three people you spend most of your time with. 

The captain glances at Imaizumi, who he found himself spending more and more time with lately. He wonders what is it that he took from him. 

"No thanks." 

For sure not that fucking attitude. 

"What do you mean, no thanks?! That's the only reason we are doing this in the first place! So that you can charm Onoda by imitating his anime crush!" 

"But I already said this line like ten times. I'm tired. I wanna go home." 

For a split second, Teshima feels like he's been magically transported into a kindergarden. Imaizumi is sure he sees a vein popping when he looks at him and he can kind of understand the sentiment. They've been practicing for five days now and Teshima has wasted about six hours of his precious life doing something as idiotic as anime roleplay, with somebody as pathetic as Imaizumi. And now, the same idiot he is trying to help is saying he wants to officially give up. Who wouldn't get irritated at that? 

"You can go home in a second, just make sure you can pull off that line first." 

"I don't even know why I need to learn the exact line, anyway. Wouldn't it be suspicious, and downright weird for Onoda to hear me say the same things a character he likes does? I need to give off the vibe Mokkun does, not become him." 

Something lights up in Teshima's eyes, most likely realization, and he brings a hand up to run through his hair. He scratches his scalp while his other hand sits sternly on his hip. Imaizumi takes advantage of the unexpected break and sits down, letting out a weary sigh.

It sure was hard work being a pretty boy. 

And acting as Mokkun, too. 

A glass of water is brought to his lips and Imaizumi thanks the gods Teshima hasn't brought tea this time. 

"God, I hate it when you're right." Finally, Teshima comes to the painful conclusion. Even if the perfectionist inside of him was screaming for more fuel to his motors. "Fine. We can go home for today." 

It was fun playing conductor, as little as it lasted. 

Without saying anything more, Teshima began gathering all of his paper sheets filled with neat handwriting and detailed explanations about Mokkun's gestures. Or rather, lack of thereof. After making sure they were perfectly folded, he lightly tapped them against the hard wooden material of his desk and put them in his bag. 

Imaizumi watched all this with the laziness of thousands. He wanted to get up, but he was so tired at this point, he could barely lift a finger. He shook his head. He just needed five more minutes, and then he'll get up. He'll be back to normal. He thinks. 

If not though, he would have to tell Teshima to please call an ambulance. 

The underclassman was still analizing his current situation, when at some point, Teshima gently approached him. Without giving Imaizumi any more time to think he grabbed the glass still in his hand and drank some of the water still inside, finishing it all off with a satisfied sigh. 

Imaizumi gulped. 

The whole time his eyes were glued to Teshima's warm lips making contact with the cool glass, watched as his soft breathing turned the material foggy. How his lips wrapped around the edge and were soon coated by the crystal clear liquid, giving them a shiny overlay. And then how his pink tongue peaked out to moisturize them even further and dissapeared out of sight much too soon for Imaizumi's liking. 

He became even more flustered, if that was even possible, when another thought popped into his mind. How Teshima drank from the glass that just mere minutes ago had been used by Imaizumi. Techically making this an indirect kiss between the two of them. 

He felt sweat pour out of him like a waterfall. 

"Imaizumi." 

Imaizumi wants to punch himself in the face for succumbing to such ridiculous fucking beliefs, who was he, Kaburagi? Was he the kind of guy that thought eating out of a bento box who was made by a person of the female sex basically meant they were already married? 

"Imaizumi?"

But nevertheless, here he was now, stuck with these intrusive, embarassing thoughts. He seriously had no clue what was up with him, and why was he so hyperaware of everything Teshima said or did lately. Was it because of the heat? Was he ill? 

Was he, maybe... starting to feel things that he's never come into contact with before?

That he never even imagined will be tied to someone like him, things like the burning pain of failure, the sweet aftertaste of friendship, the mystical rush of romance. Or was it just his imagination, after all? 

"IMAIZUMI!" 

"YES?" He yelled in response, almost out of instinct. 

"Sorry for yelling. You just seemed like you were spacing out is all. And your face became really red all of a sudden. I was worried you had a fever." 

That voice was so soft, it was downright unfair. 

"No, no. I'm fine. It's just... it's hot. Outside. The weather is... yeah." Imaizumi thanked god for blessing him with these kinds of conversational skills. He really gave Makishima-senpai a run for his money. 

"Oh. Okay then. Glad you're okay." 

Teshima smiled and held a hand out for Imaizumi to help him up. Despite Teshima's hand still feeling cold from the glass, the touch makes him melt. 

He finally starts packing his things as well, the awkward sound of paper remaining as the only soundtrack to this episode in his life. That's why Imaizumi's glance briefly falls on a notebook page that held the lines he had to practice today, and it gets him thinking. He starts to wonder why, out of all the pretty boys that the show throws at you in hopes of you falling in love with them and buying their questionable merchandise, did Onoda choose Mokkun. A character this... static, would be the best word. Someone that didn't feel alive. Who was Onoda's very opposite, Sohoku's ball of happiness and life. 

He voices these insignificant thoughts to Teshima, who takes them rather seriously. 

"I don't know. My favorite has always been Amaki. Frankly, I don't see what Onoda sees in Mokkun." 

If Imaizumi remembered correctly (and he's dissapointed he does), Amaki was the quote on quote "leader" of Jouran Academy's host club. The blonde, slightly british archetype of a rich boy, the one who showered the main character with gestures of love and rather forward words of appreciation. 

Imaizumi isn't that surprised. Liking him was quite the obvious pick, many fans have expressed online their sympathy towards his funny yet cute hijinks and it was oh so very obvious he was gonna be the one to end up with Natsu-chan in the end. 

But for some reason, Imaizumi's heart drops after hearing that. From the knowledge that Teshima also is a fan of his, someone as far from Imaizumi's personality as possible. Fucking Arakita could probably pull off a better Amaki than him. He's not sure why this upsets him. Onoda liked Mokkun, after all. 

"Who is your favorite character, Imaizumi?" 

"Natsu-chan, of course." It's kind of funny how quickly Imaizumi's answer slips past his lips. "She's pretty relatable and down to earth, but also inspiring in her quest to prove she's a person of her own that can do anything she puts her mind to, even ignoring her many love interests to do so. She reminds me a lot of Kotori-chan in that regard." 

Teshima's face contours into shook and he brings his fingers up to rub his eyes, feeling like he's looking at Onoda instead of Imaizumi for a couple seconds. 

He wants to say that this had been what Onoda had said too. The fact that he and Onoda can share this one cute, albeit small thing would surely make him happy. Imaizumi was the type of person that would be happy about small things like this. 

For some reason, he doesn't though. 

"Okay okay, let's not turn this into an anime club. Althought Onoda would surely enjoy that." 

Imaizumi laughs. The tension between them (even if mostly on Imaizumi's side) seemed to have dissipated. And so he happily follows Teshima as he approaches the room's entrance to go get his bag. Imaizumi waits until the cyclist checks if he forgot anything. Everything seems perfectly natural. 

Then, Imaizumi is subjugated by some god forsaken force telling him to look closely at Teshima. To feast his eyes on how the captain bends down with his back turned in order to prepare his bag, thus revealing the nape of his head. His long strands of hair part and gently undulate past his shoulders, the black contrasting the white of his shirt.

Imaizumi wants to come closer. 

Which he does. So close in fact, that if they were on their bikes, they would have crashed into the pavement by now. 

He thinks back on the kind of guy Teshima likes, and how hard would it possibly be for someone like him to imitate. He scans his brain for all the scenes with Amaki that stood out to him and remembers a particular gesture. The same force he encountered earlier tells him to try that. 

So when Teshima bends back up and turns around, he's now faced with a flustered yet serious looking Imaizumi gluing his hand next to his head. 

"I-Imai-" 

Imaizumi doesn't say anything, but neither does Teshima, because his roleplay partner places a finger on his lips. 

"Still cold to the touch", Imaizumi comments to no one but himself. 

The captain is frozen in place, but he can't look away from Imaizumi. And neither can Imaizumi, too lost in his character to even realize what he's doing. Only after a torturous silence does the ace lift a hand to touch Teshima's right cheek, before leaving it in favor of one strand of hair. He plays with it and wraps it around his finger, at this point controlled by a dazed, slacken kind of happiness that he's sure he's never felt before. Teshima's bag slips through his fingers and he resorts to just stare at Imaizumi, not particularly minding what was happening, in fact looking kind of... besotted. 

Their surroundings slip away from their grasp and the romantic situation is quickly the only thing the two of them are willing to pay attention to, the sun iluminating inside with a mixture of picturesque purple and gallant gold. 

That is until Imaizumi finally comes to his senses, sobers up from the love-drunken state he had been under and gets himself off Teshima like the captain had been hot to the touch. This makes Teshima snap out of it as well, though compared to Imaizumi, whose cheeks can't seem to decide between a particular shade of red, he simply blinks twice and looks at him in confusion. 

In fact, he barely even did that, and Imaizumi had already finished packing up all his stuff (and dropping most of it at least once) and rushing out the door in pure and utter mortification. 

He mumbles a hastily thrown togheter amalgam of words ("okaybysorryforwhateverthehellthiswasIllseeyoutomorrowhaveagoodnight") and gone he is, leaving Teshima to bask in all of the embarassment of their shared encounter and come up with explanations through his own logic. 

Now alone, Teshima still hasn't quite returned to his normal self. He gently graces his bottom lip with his index finger, following Imaizumi's trail, and then feels the state his own cheeks have been left in. Similar to Imaizumi's. 

He turns towards the door that was left open thanks to the hurried manner he left. He only says one thing before he takes his stuff and leaves as well, a single sentence that mixes togheter puzzlement, regret, delight and hopefulness. 

All topped off with a very, very subtle hint of longing. 

"Guess you weren't so tired, after all..."

Chapter Text

"Teshima-san, when are you gonna cut your hair? Are you trying to get to Makishima-san's level?" Imaizumi points out during one of their evening meetings, rather carelessly. It happened in the small window of time where he took his eyes away from his paper and caught Teshima tying up his hair in a ponytail, but not managing to get all of it inside.  

Teshima turns to stare at him, quite surprised, and blinks. 

I mean, Imaizumi had no right to judge other people's preffered way of boosting up their appearence, but it had always been quite the mystery to him why some guys let their hair grow that long. It always seemed like such a nuisance. Something to get in your way during day to day activities, make you sweat even harder during summer, get things tangled in it and take ages to get them out. 

"What is this, elite? Have you turned into Toudou since the last time we met? I don't see a headband, though." 

"No, of course not." Imaizumi answers honestly, a hint of awlwardness hidden in there as well. "I just prefer a shorter style, myself. It's neat, clean, and easy to take care of. It's the optimal hair." 

A laugh escapes Teshima's mouth involuntarily. That response had just been so Imaizumi-like, he couldn't help it. 

"Okay, Kinjou junior. I wouldn't really use "optimal" as an adjective for hair. Hair's supposed to be sort of a signature. It's an important part of your identity. It's something to get recognized by, so why not take pride in it?" 

"I'm not sure I ever looked at hair that deeply." 

"Well, you should. Look what happens when you don't. People get you confused with Hakone's Arakita." 

Imaizumi can't see Teshima's face anymore, but he can almost hear the smirk forming. Maybe a raised eyebrow as well, to signify Teshima's expectance of Imaizumi to have a response to that. (and doubt it's a good one). When he turns to check, surely enough, he realizes if there ever was a class in guessing their captain's reactions, Imaizumi would get only 10's. 

"Still, it really did grow since last year. Do you plan to have it grow even more?" 

It's kind of a stupid question, the ace ('s assistant, he adds later, bitterly) thinks. He returns back to his business and only then realizes Teshima basically answered it already in an indirect way by going on this Naruko-esque tangent about identity and hair as a personality component. And yet he thought it was still needed to ask if he planned to get rid of it. At this point Imaizumi was just waiting for what kind of snarky comment he would get in response, if he was being honest, or what kind of laugh would his ears have to be subjected to this time. 

Teshima had lots of different kinds of laughs, Imaizumi had come to find out. There was the annoying one, the loud one, the giggle, the sarcastic one, the- 

"Nope. I plan to cut it when I graduate." 

But there never came any. 

That gets the sounds coming from Imaizumi's pen to come to a sudden halt and Imaizumi himself turns his head to face Teshima again, shock written all over his face. Like he had been using that pen on himself. 

"R-Really? But, why? Are you sure that's okay?" He tries his best not to sound alarmed, but does a very poor job. 

"What's this, Imaizumi? Weren't you the one yapping about "the optimal hair" just now?" 

"Yeah, but... I-I didn't expect for you to-" 

"Contradict myself?" 

All sound ceases. And the world around Imaizumi seems like it ceases to exist as well, everything save for Teshima-san, who has now garnered his whole and undivided attention. Imaizumi found himself in this predicament quite often lately, paying close attention to Teshima, of all people. But he guesses it's not that surprising. Despite what other people say, Teshima had always been a very interesting person, with very interesting values and views on life. Without having realized it, Imaizumi had started to selfishly want to hear all of what he had to say. He was thirsty to listen to this unassuming person, especially knowing he was probably one of the only ones willing to. 

He was still thirsty for a win though, as if he had the entire world as his competition. 

"I know what I said. But my hair, it has a strange history behind it. It was....a promise I made with Aoyagi." 

Teshima glances from the ground back up to his underclassman and giggles. Imaizumi was beyond confused. How could hair be a promise? 

"Back when we were first years and we won our very first race, we realized that togheter, we were stronger. We could survive among the elites. Even get past them." 

Imaizumi nods. It all checks out until now. Teshima has already told him this story before, back during the training camp. 

"Then, Aoyagi patted my shoulder. He took out his glove, and he said that "from this point on, I'll always wear this one glove until we will both stand on the Inter High podium togheter, surrounded by cheers of victory." 

Imaizumi wants to say something, but is very stuck on what could he say. What could he say, to such an integral part of another person's soul, especially when he wasn't even there? To something so deep and personal to Teshima, something so raw and intense that he felt through each and every one of his bones? 

He really had nothing to say. Hell, he was the very thing he used to hate at that time! 

"It moved me." 

"Huh?" 

"It moved me. Aoyagi's resolve. So then, I decided to make a promise as well." With a quick movement, Teshima frees his strands of hair from the confines he put on them mere minures ago. "I told him that I wouldn't cut my hair until that happens, either. I mean, isn't that kinda sweet?" 

Imaizumi thought it was tooth-rottingly sweet. 

"Gloves were something that you could get out of any time you wanted, they were just a piece of fabric, after all. But hair... hair is an integral part of you. Wether you get through tough or good times, it's gonna be there. No matter what." 

It made sense. It really made sense. Teshima made sense to Imaizumi, and he's not sure he did to anyone else. He couldn't imagine Toudou for example ever agreeing to this kind of bet, too into his beloved hair. Or he couldn't imagine Onoda of all people trying to grow his hair out. 

Suddenly, an image of a tough looking Onoda with a rocker-long hair and a ripped sleeve shirt popped into his mind. Right as he let his tongue out and did a weird, probably satanistic symbol with his hands, Imaizumi couldn't take it anymore. He giggled. 

Thank god Teshima got rid of that image by speaking again. 

"And now, look at us. The captain and vice-captain of a national winning cycling team, ready to pass on our will to the next generation, just like Tadokoro-san did to us. We finally did it. We're finally here." 

When he said his last word, he looked right at Imaizumi, his hair flowing with his movements. The genuine nature of that smile on his face, with a few undertones of sweet nostalgia sent chills down Imaizumi's spine, never expecting something as casual as Teshima's hair to lead to such a heartfelt conversation. So many things about Teshima were interesting, inspiring. It may not be his cycling skills, but everything else, every little part that came togheter to form the man known as Teshima Junta, was like a piece of a puzzle. It gave you multiple things to think about, and even when you had the whole picture, you still realized there were additional pieces you forgot about. 

He smiled back. Responded to Teshima's feelings. 

"Besides, Shikiba said that it suited me really well. And he usually has a good eye for these kinds of things. Then again, Shikiba says everything about me is great." 

"Shikiba being...?" 

"That tall, orange haired all rounder from Hakone." 

Imaizumi's smile soured. 

"Ah. That." 

Hakone's giraffe, Imaizumi bitterly mutters. He really didn't like that guy one bit. For one, he was a complete and utter idiot. He didn't even know who Imaizumi was when they first raced togheter! 

For two, he won against Naruko, who he knew has worked so fucking hard for that win. He saw him practice day and night, drown in his own sweat and tears, and when he saw him after his loss to Ashikiba, he felt his dissapointment as if it were his own. And he didn't even like Naruko that much! 

For three... well, there was at least one more reason why Ashikiba irked Imaizumi, but he couldn't tell it to you, if he was being honest. He hasn't figured it out yet himself. When he will, he'll tell you though. He promises. 

"Hey, didn't you say I was handsome a while ago, too?" Teshima remembers and winks. 

"IT WAS ONE TIME!" Came the eternally, long exhausted line of defence. 

Teshima laughed as Imaizumi's blush deepened, it was just way too fun to taunt Imaizumi. 

"Still... do you really plan to cut your hair short, Teshima-san? I know the promise has been fullfiled, but... it's just so shocking for you to make such a change. That wavy, weed-like hair has become such an iconic "you" thing. It's part of your personality." 

"I have no personality." Teshima only says. 

The line breaks Imaizumi's heart. There's never been a time when it didn't.

"Teshima-san, that's..." Imaizumi swallows because of the tension that formed in the clubroom. "That's not true. Who told you such a thing?" 

"I don't have to be told to know. I know myself better than anyone else." 

Well that's a big fat lie if he's ever heard one. 

"I'm painfully average at everything I do. I'm not a cycling elite like you, but I never stand out as being obviously awful either. I'm just right in the middle, always meant to be overshadowed by somebody else. And that's almost even worse." 

Teshima's eyes hide behind his long lashes, before being directed back on the ground. He tries his best to obscure his expressions, but Imaizumi sees the way his lips quiver, and his upper lip bites his bottom one, a sure sign of frustration. This sentiment seems to have a grip on Teshima's entire being, it always did, even back in Imaizumi's first highschool year and probably way earlier than that, too. 

Yet he never takes it out on anyone but himself. He suffers in silence. 

It's so inspiring, yet so mind-numbing at the same time. 

"Teshima-san, you are not plain! You're down to earth! There's a difference." There's a lot more vigor in Imaizumi's voice, Teshima can hear it. "You're kind, forgiving, and you want everyone to have a fair, equal chance." 

Sorta like Onoda, Imaizumi realizes just then. 

"Stop saying and thinking awful stuff about yourself. You're one of the people that inspired me the most! It's because of how you lead me in this year's Inter High that I saw my own strenght. So criticizing yourself, sort of feels like you're criticizing me." 

Teshima quickly looks up to him, not having thought about that. There's a small glow in his eyes that looks like a tear. Imaizumi wants to get rid of it. Wants to hug Teshima. 

He thinks back on Naruko. Naruko has been beaten by Tadokoro. Has been made fun of because of his height. Has had his whole cycling identity changed by Midousuji when he had to give up being a sprinter. And yet he's still here. He's still smiling, and in fact - he's smiling ever brighter than he had before. 

The brunette can only guess what other events has Teshima gone through to think so lowly of himself. He's not a weak person at all, Imaizumi can tell. If you were to tell him just once that he's pathetic, Teshima was the kind of person who would politely tell you that you were wrong and go on with his life. So it must mean he's been told he's pathetic a lot of times, for him to let it get to him this badly. 

Something in Imaizumi's chest heaves. 

It might be that something that pushes him to say what he does next, though. 

"I-If you still think that you mean so much less than someone like me..." 

He looks down, and when he looks up again, he sees that Teshima's sight became a little blurrier than usual, his eyes starting to fill with more tears he was desperately trying to hide. 

"I'll have you know I feel meaningless sometimes, too." 

Surprise replaces shame. Teshima reacts with a sudden movement, accompanied with a wave from his hair. He's not leaning against a wall anymore, and looking straight at his teammate. 

"Really? But Imaizumi, you're so..." 

Imaizumi wonders what is Teshima gonna say next about him. He does so with a little swell of pride in his chest, thinking about all the possibilities and being okay with any of them, really. So strong? So nice? So amazing? Any compliment from the captain would be greatly appreciated. It would also be something he's been looking foward to ever since they started to meet up like this. Teshima aknowleging Imaizumi has positive qualities without having to follow them with some snarky comments, as well. 

But what he ends up saying, makes Imaizumi realize a very, very sad little fact. 

"So Imaizumi." 

That Teshima might suffer from a disease that simply prevents him from complimenting Imaizumi. 

"What." 

"So Imaizumi. You're so Imaizumi." 

"..." 

Of course, Teshima repeats it as if it actually made any kind of sense, and Imaizumi had been the crazy one for not understanding such a clear, well thought out statement. This kind of infuriates him even more, thought. He could have used any other word. Just any word. 

"THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!" 

Like exhasperated for example. Because that he surely was. 

"Why are you so mad? It's a compliment!" 

Not Teshima sounding actually upset that Imaizumi didn't understand?? 

"Like you're so... elite, I guess. So popular, always so dignified, always so admired by hoards of fangirls and the favorite for any newspaper wanting to take pictures of us! Man you really piss me off you know that!" Okay, now Teshima was full on mad, his voice dropping an octave. He somehow talked himself into despising the person trying to comfort him. How did they get here? 

It was kind of a relief, though, and Imaizumi smiled. He liked the elite hating, smack talking Teshima so much more than self deprecating Teshima. When his face was illuminated by life and he had a cute pout on his face and eyebrows furrowed, no sign of any tears anymore. They dried as fast as his attention to Sugimoto once he started talking about his "experienced rider" status. 

"It's true though. What I said about feeling meaningless. I'm popular, yet I barely have any friends besides Onoda and Naruko. Who I fight with all the time, anyway. None of those fangirls like me for me. They really would cheer for anybody pretty-looking." 

This gets a laugh out of Teshima. 

"I can't be that cool if I feel like strangling somebody every five minutes. And cycling is really the only thing I'm good at. Which, even then, I lost more times than I can count. To Midousuji no less. That's like, triple the despair." 

Teshima smiles to encourage him and comes closer to his underclassman. He gets it. He gets it so much. The struggle of feeling inadequate, and having to constantly work for it. In that moment, Teshima also thinks about how it might be even harder for somebody like Imaizumi, who has expectations attached to every single thing he does, and how tiring must that be. 

The captain feels bad, so he wraps his hands around Imaizumi (who's only now realized he probably needed a hug, as well.) He's been throwing pity parties for himself, when there was somebody right next to him that never complained, and even found the time to give some of that strenght to somebody else. 

Maybe elites aren't so bad, after all. 

"Imaizumi." 

"Yes?" 

"You know I consider you a friend too, right?" 

His grip tightens, and then Teshima finally lets him go, but not daring to get any father from him yet. 

Imaizumi blinks. 

"And by the way... I like you for yourself. Not just cause you're good looking." 

Teshima closes in a little more, gets on his tiptoes and glues his lips to Imaizumi's ear. His words are barely a wishper. 

"Which you are, by the way." 

His words are barely a wishper, but they ring loud in Imaizumi's ears.

Also he blushes.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Onoda." 

The familiar voice causes the aforementioned boy to direct his attention to Imaizumi instead of his phone, which on one hand was pretty nice, because Imaizumi was his dear friend and a really kind person. 

But on the other, he really wanted to finish reading this one Love Hime fanfiction. 

"Oh, hey Imaizumi-kun! Did you finish the ten laps we had to do today?" 

"Yeah, I did just now. But it seems like you beat me to it by quite the big stretch of time. How did you finish so fast?" 

Onoda looks a bit surprised and tries to gather the right words to explain his situation, which Imaizumi patiently waits for. It was kind of amazing to observe Onoda's duality in these kinds of cases, the juxtaposition of his usual self and his racing self. How he could go from clumsy moves to a practiced, organized riding style. How he had the speed of a jaguar while on his bike, but he could take forever to mutter a single sentence. Nevertheless, that wasn't the only thing about Onoda that intrigued Imaizumi. 

"W-Well you see, I started reading this one Love Hime fanfiction about Kotori-chan and Arimaru-kun last night. It was really cool, because it explored an alternate universe where Arimaru-kun never became evil and instead teamed up with Kotori-chan and their feelings started to blossom that way instead. It was a multi chapter fic, it was about 84 chapters-" 

"84?!" Imaizumi mentally screamed. "How have your eyes not burned?!" 

"- and I got to about chapter 51 before my mom said I had to go to sleep or else she would't let me participate in the next race. Because of that, sadly I had to end it there, and so I hurried today to finish this morning's practice as fast as I could so I could read the last 33 chapters and see the story to the end, whether or not Kotori-chan will accept Arimaru-kun's confession and leave with him 15 years in the future." 

"The future?!" Again, Imaizumi's inner self gasps. "When did he mention something about time travel?!" 

"I-I see. Sounds pretty interesting." 

"Right?" Onoda's face contors into pure and unfiltered joy, and Imaizumi gulps. 

Like I said, that wasn't the only thing about Onoda that intrigued Imaizumi. 

What also intrigued him, was his absolute obssession of anime and the pure motivation it gives him. 

Five metters or so away from them, Teshima has long forgotten his captain notebook to listen in on their conversation. He watches each and every one of Imaizumi's expressions with a vigilant attention and can't help a smile from forming on his face, because the boy's just so interesting and fun to watch. People say he's boring and cold, but Teshima honestly just can't see it. For the past five minutes, he noticed Imaizumi's expression going from curiosity, to embarrassment, to shock and to interest before finally settling on serenity in a relatively short amount of time, each coming with a specific arsenal of movements and little, almost inaudible sounds. He doesn't understand how someone could call such a passionate person boring. If Imaizumi's boring, then Teshima is a can of freaking wall paint. 

He realizes he has tapped his pen against the same spot for about thirty times now only when he finally looks down and sees a really, really big period. He quickly scatters his notes to grab an eraser. Then he remembers that erasers don't work on pens. Then that the page he messed up wasn't even part of his clubroom notebook, but a simple, plain math notebook he draws funny doodles of Aoyagi when he gets bored. 

Speaking of Aoyagi though, he also notices that the man has been standing next to him for a few minutes now. 

"Aoyagi! Don't scare me like that!" Teshima struggles to gather all his notes back into his notebook. "Why didn't you say anything?" 

"I did." 

"What? I didn't hear you, though." 

"That's because you were staring at Imaizumi the whole time." The blonde simply states, as if he were voicing a mathematical formula. 

"Ah, that." The captain regains his characteristic calm. "That's because me and Imaizumi are working togheter right now with something. You see, he has a huge crush on Onoda, and I had been helping him try to make a move these last two weeks. I was observing their interactions to see how my pupil is doing." Teshima doesn't see why he shouldn't tell Aoyagi. He told Aoyagi everything. And additionally, the whole team knew that Onoda was Imaizumi's crush anyway. 

"No, Junta. You weren't staring at Imaizumi and Onoda. You were staring at Imaizumi." Comes the quick, concise answer, just like Aoyagi himself; and Teshima feels like resigning from the bycicle club as a whole right then and there. 

"Wh-What?! I-I-" his voice trembles, "I mean, of course I was! I wanted to see if there was anything between those two or not!" 

"In that case, wouldn't you be looking at Onoda too? To see how he reacts to what Imaizumi says?" 

"I was looking at Onoda too! I know that he was smiling just a minute ago!" 

"Onoda's always smiling." 

Ugh, damn Aoyagi and his perfect, logical responses. Imaizumi always thought trying to win a talk back battle against Teshima was the ultimate goal towards gaining the title of the taunting king. Little did he know, the final boss in this particular game has always been Aoyagi. Frankly, he thought Imaizumi was better at talking back than him already. But then again, what wasn't Imaizumi good at? He was tall, athletic, popular, smart, kind, motivated... 

"Junta." 

And what were they talking about again? 

"Yes?" 

"Do you... like Imaizumi?" 

"H-Huh?! Of course I do. I like all my friends!" 

"No. Like as in you'd like to ride him instead of your bike." 

"Oh my god where the fuck did you learn that." 

"The internet." He quickly thinks of a random yet plausible answer, because he knew Teshima would be heartbroken to know that Tadokoro had also been teaching him this type of stuff. And Teshima has enough on his plate already. He has a crush on Imaizumi, for one. 

"Either way, I don't like Imaizumi! What even made you think that! That's so stupid and obviously not true!" 

Teshima suddenly remembers where he's at and takes the time to check whether there was anybody that could have heard him, looking franatically left and right. Thankfully, nobody was there. Just Imaizumi and Onoda, but they seemed too into their otaku talk to pay attention to anything else. 

He catches a glimpse of Imaizumi who, right at that moment, gives Onoda a goofy yet kind smile. Teshima hears angels singing.

Then he blushes, and an unpleasant, forceful truth blocks the course of all of his thoughts like a winter avalanche. 

"Oh my god, do I?" 

Aoyagi only nods. He gives Teshima a pat on the shoulders, understanding and comforting as he always is, even when Teshima feels like his whole life is falling apart. And that happens quite a few times in his case. 

"But... Nothing about this makes any sense..." 

He sits back on the chair he hadn't even noticed he left, his arms wrapping around his head. The blush increases in intensity and so does his heartbeat, forming a rhytmical, powerful tune that sends shivers through his whole body. His only comfort is the part of his hair that obscures his view of the world and the world's view of him, giving him the facade that nothing was wrong at all and this had been just a regular day, as many had been until now. 

"Imaizumi likes Onoda... and, Onoda probably likes Imaizumi too... They should be togheter... so why am I..." 

Teshima didn't even have the strenght to think of how to end his thought. 

Why was he interfering? 

Adding himself into their story? 

Complicating things? 

Or, perhaps... 

Why was he an extra, in his own story? 

And why did that make so much sense for someone like him?

Chapter Text

The sky was a clear, bright blue. Teshima found a sense of tranquility hidden in its plain colours. A simple sky, void of any interesting shapes or phenomenons, so utterly ordinary it wasn't even worth being talked about. Somewhere in there, Teshima found a reflection of himself, and the boring sky gained his attention.

He would be content watching the calm sky all day, but other people don't seem to share his sentiment.

"Is he an underclassman?"

"He's so tall."

"And handsome."

His classmates erupt in whispers around him and there's dread pooling in Teshima's stomach with every passing gossip. He knows who they're talking about but he doesn't dare confirm his theories, instead choosing to look out the window.

"Teshima-san!" Imaizumi's voice had a certain ring to it, the slight inflection of his voice that meant he was happy. Before Teshima started helping him up his romance game, he wouldn't have picked up on those small nuances. He ardently wishes he never noticed them.

Imaizumi's steps start off fairly urgent before slowing down as he approaches Teshima's desk. Teshima doesn't have to look, he can feel the hesitance emanating off of Imaizumi's body in waves.

"Teshima-san? Hello." Imaizumi attempts to initiate conversation so Teshima decides to entertain him. Its the least he can do.

"Hey. What brings you here?" Teshima tries to make himself sound as nice as possible but it only comes off as socially required politeness. Imaizumi hates it.

"About our... movie nights." Ah yes, the code they had settled on using because Imaizumi turned down the idea of gigolo training. Teshima would laugh at the memory if the mere mention of their "movie nights" wasn't making his body run cold.

"What about them?"

"We haven't had one in a while. I just find it weird considering how often they'd happen. I hope I haven't offended you somehow or?" Imaizumi's words faltered towards the end, unsure if he should continue speaking or not. Teshima feels a pang of guilt in his chest and tightens his hand into a fist.

"Besides the many drama queen moments, no, not really."

"I am not a drama queen!"

"That's what a drama queen would say." Teshima smiles, a little bit less empty. Imaizumi can tell because he's been cataloguing every reaction from Teshima lately. Without really attempting to, he's become a Teshima expert in the past couple weeks. Because of that, he thinks he might be close to becoming a Teshima enthusiast as well, finally understanding the likes of Aoyagi and Hakone's Ashikiba.

Now not only is his presence not annoying him anymore, but... he believes it might have been replaced by a deep feeling of regret and sadness over losing this excuse to spend time with Teshima. What they had, whatever it is that they had cased him in a satin box. Its material brushed up against him and created a dull warmth against his skin. It still made him feel trapped, sure. But it also made him feel good.

"Then... why?"

In lieu of an answer, Teshima averts his eyes. That is not good enough for Imaizumi, who just recently learned that avoiding social interaction will get him nowhere in life.

"Teshima-san, at least look at me."

Teshima did, but what Imaizumi hadn't expected was a confident look instead of a dejected one. The words he spoke were even more of a punch for him, especially since his senpai sounded serious when uttering them.

"Imaizumi... I think it's about time you confessed to Onoda."

The ace assist takes a step back, but not far enough to mask his subtle vocal reactions. He tries so hard not to seem bothered though he already knows he was surprisingly expressive for a walking wall, Naruko wouldn't get the better of him so many times otherwise. He would chew on him a little before eventually getting bored and leaving like a dog that was done playing with its toy.

Teshima's eyes visibly soften, but in a way you couldn't have noticed unless you kept your eyes on him to see the transition. It was something Imaizumi did, but it didn't make his landing any softer after the fall he just pushed him towards.

"But... I'm not ready."

And he really wasn't. Just the thought of going up to Onoda with these words hanging on the edge of his tongue made him weak in the knees.

"You'll never be at this rate. You just gotta go for it, enough time passed already."

"But... what about our movie nights? I feel like I need more training." Imaizumi abtained from comparing himself to a soldier that's been sent out to war with only the combat skills he pulled out of high school PE classes.

"To be honest with you, I'm not sure our movie nights helped you all that much in the first place. Looking back on it, I think what I was doing was just stall you. You didn't need any of that. You should have just been yourself and walked up to Onoda from day one."

"That's wrong! They were not a waste of time!"

How could they? The moments they shared between those small walls did wonders for Imaizumi's self eestem, Teshima brought him a certain spiritual warmth and helped him unpack things that really needed to be unpacked before he continued onto the journey called life. Besides, they were just plain fun. It made the ace assist realize that there were fun things to do out there that weren't done on a bike.

Teshima, however, didn't seem to share the sentiment. Neither did he seem like he wanted to debate much, judging by his tired sigh.

"Are you nervous? I know it's a natural feeling, but what's there to be scared about? I guarantee everything will work out fine."

"But doing it so out of the blue..."

"What's the issue? Onoda clearly likes you too."

Imaizumi blushes, this was the last thing he expected to hear today and the second to last thing to believe. First place would have to go to Teshima's abberant insistance that Imaizumi could actually confess to someone without falling apart.

"But Jouran taught us that every good thing in life takes time and preparation! Rushing into things just because you want to get it over with never turns out well, does it?"

Teshima feels the need to blink twice after Imaizumi brings up the argument, starting to wonder if his love for anime was a congenital affliction rather than an accident. Here Teshima was trying to forget his happiness so that Imaizumi can achieve his own in spite of his chronic stupidity, and Imaizumi refused both his finger and his hand. He just took his sanity and ran with it. There was no winning against this newly self proclaimed lawyer which only left Teshima with the option to play his own game and adapt to the unadaptable.

"But what did Jouran also teach us?"

Imaizumi looked at him funny, if Teshima wasn't busy with his emotional turmoil he would have definitely chuckled. He almost did when Imaizumi proceeded to let out a sigh of defeat, closing his eyes at the same time.

"That main characters always end up together..."

Teshima nodded through his dilapidated spirit, eyelashes heavy all of a sudden. He only showed Imaizumi his smile, there was somethig funny about this straight A student and serious cycling prodigy using anime quotes to built up an argument. But his actual feelings couldn't reflect through a proper laugh. Imaizumi was dissapointed. He thought seeing Teshima enjoy himself would make up for the fact that he just embarassed the fuck out of himself, but it looked as if something was weighting down on his heart that neither of them could pinpoint.

Imaizumi feels a weird burn across his face, as if he had just been slapped.

Since when did he activately seek out Teshima's laughter?

"That's right. And I don't really have a place in your story, you know?"

Imaizumi didn't know, because he wanted Teshima in his story, he's become accustomed to having him star in all of his thoughts and he doesn't feel like getting a replacement.

"You do!"

"As what? Wait, hold on." Teshima puts a finger on his chin. "What was that thing Amaki said at one point? That all the other characters are the homosexual supporting cast?"

"I didn't get that far into the story." Imaizumi lied with full confidence, he finished season one by the time their 5th meeting came around and was patiently waiting for season two like a college student waiting around for a laptop battery.

"Is that what you want me to be? Your homosexual supporting cast?"

"Teshima-san, I just don't feel ready to-"

"I guess me and Aoyagi are a little touchy-feely for two friends who have just met in highschool."

"Teshima-san!" Imaizumi's vocal eruption changed the flow of the dialogue in a matter of seconds, since he really didn't like where this conversation was heading.

As always, Teshima's eyes were drawn to the corners of his lips, shaking slightly with anxiety at the prospect of what Teshima was suggesting. And still as always, Teshima's expression was elusive enough to hide the real turmoil that was going through his mind and spread over his body like blood poured into the ocean. Through his heart was dirty with a stain of guilt his smile was immaculately clean and shown with the expres purpose of calming Imaizumi down.

"Are you scared that he'll reject you? That you can't possibly do this without fucking it up?

Teshima's hand was suddenly draped over Imaizumi's. It felt comfortable, but it also acted like a manta hiding the true uproar of Teshima's desires.

"Don't be, Imaizumi. It's my turn to tell you to look at me."

Imaizumi did, because earlier he was staring at their connected hands like a precious jewel that just came in his possession.

"You're good-looking, hard working, intelligent and clearly have everything and anything in common with Onoda. I know you're anxious, but... in a way, I feel like that just makes you more appealing. Even your flaws add to your charm. You're so charming, it's actually annoying."

Imaizumi held back a grunt, but not of sadness. More like a grunt of agony after feeling pain shot through his hand when Teshima squeezed him a little too tight. Teshima was still smiling, but didn't particularly do any efforts to hide his annoyance with the reminder of his elite status.

He took a deep breath at the same time Teshima did, probably to calm his boiling anger. Imaizumi just did it to cope with the not at all gentle touch, if he was being honest.

Then Teshima took hold of his shoulders and reminded him of Kinjou with his determined, reassuring look. It was at this moment when Imaizumi felt something travel through his body. He had a fervent desire to do something, but he just didn't know what exactly.

"Listen. If you still feel like you need a little more practice, how about we meet up one last time so you can practice confessing to me first? That way, maybe you'll gain the confidence to confess to Onoda."

And you would stop looking at me with that pitiful look, Teshima adds to himself what he can't reveal to Imaizumi. Not unless he wants to kill him after.

"I guess..." Imaizumi says but its merely a whisper. He's so upset it almost starts irking Teshima, Imaizumi should be thankful he can at least express himself freely, with no limitations, with no excuses.

"Alright then. I'll message you the set time and date, I need to check my schedule first." Teshima said and Imaizumi nodded obediently. Despite their conversation obviously being over, Imaizumi didn't seem like he was going to make any attempts at leaving. Teshima felt like an annoyed director who gave his actor a cue and got the cold shoulder instead. Teshima contemplates gently ushering him out but is hesitant to do so, he's afraid that any sudden action may make Imaizumi look even more like a pathetic wet cat.

"Where are we doing it?" Imaizumi asks, but the wording makes Teshima blush as much as laugh.

"When you put it that way, it makes it sound as if we're doing something else..." Teshima trails off, cheeks heating up now that he actually gave that thought life. Did he really need to ask such an obvious question in the first place? Is his stupidity going to end him eventually?

"What?..." Imaizumi also trailed off, stopped to think then realised what his comment may imply. "I didn't mean it that way!" He almost yells, which only makes him more suspicious to innocent witnesses.

"The club room."

"What?"

"You asked where, right? We're meeting where it all started, make it poetic for the last time." Teshima smiles, and he meant what he said as a joke, but it doesn't stop Imaizumi for looking even more melancholic.

"Yeah... understood." Imaizumi stops to contemplate God knows what once more until the bell rings, making him jump. "I guess that's my cue to leave." He rubs the back of his head and Teshima doesn't have the heart to tell him his cue was long overdue.

He starts dragging his feet to the doorway, stopping awkwardly halfway out to look back at Teshima one last time.

"See you, senpai."

"Yeah, see ya."

Chapter Text

Training's done for today, so Imaizumi's first instinct is to stick his hands into his pocket. After little rummaging he pulls out a phone (his phone, he wasn't in the habit of stealing) and scrolls through the apps until his eyes land on the calendar. He calculates the days left until his last meeting with Teshima is supposed to happen and sighs at the prospect of it being three days away. Going straight home after practice felt so... wrong now. It felt as if he was missing something, someone, and the ride from the school to his house became a long pause of Imaizumi getting his thoughts in order.

Even now as he carefully organized his things, all he could think about is how he didn't feel like leaving yet. It was weird. Imaizumi wasn't one to not feel like doing something, he didn't possess the same lack of maturity Naruko did. But he really, really didn't feel like leaving yet.

This desire significantly slowed down the process of packing his things, so today he stuck around long enough to watch Aoyagi help Teshima clean the clubroom.

"Alright, Aoyagi, can you move the trophies over here?"

The blonde merely nodded and acted faster than an android programmed to do that would've.

Imaizumi rolled his eyes. He guessed it made sense, Teshima was the captain and Aoyagi the vice captain. If there was anybody in charge with clubroom maintanance those two would have that role and he already saw how Teshima was the one to lock the door every day. But would it kill Teshima to hang out with somebody else for a change? Preferably somebody who actually needs his assistance, like Imaizumi's awkward self?

Though... thinking about it now, Aoyagi wasn't far off from being antisocial either.

"How were things in class today?" Teshima asked and Aoyagi proceeded to once again nod. Somehow, this elicited a response out of Teshima other than confusion.

"Really? And what did you do after?"

Aoyagi grunted and Imaizumi is pretty sure Teshima responded to that too, but his voice became a faraway dream to him as he decided to ignore any follow up questions. This conversation was starting to bore him so he retracted in his idyllic, unrealistic world where he was somehow the only man to speak, ever.

It was only Teshima's cheer of happiness that brought him back as he raised his fist in the air and went to hug Aoyagi's neck.

"Aoyagi, I can't believe you actually did that! I'm so proud of you!"

Well, that definitely got Imaizumi's attention. Teshima's voice was one of those sounds that he has become accustomed to perking up at, unwillingly of course. But the way his warm affection manifested into such an intimate touch instantly changed the trajectory of any thoughts that weren't related to him prior, or that weren't enveloped in jealousy. If there were any, that is.

He's so absorbed in his own projections, he doesn't even notice Aoyagi picking up on his sour expression.

"It was nothing, Junta."

"Ahh, a man of few words, as always. Come on, tell me at least the juicy bits!" Teshima's arm pushes Aoyagi closer. Imaizumi secretly thinks about how he'd also like a few more details about whatever the hell were they talking about, since he was even less aware of the subject than Teshima.

After a few more attempts at prying his mouth open, Imaizumi finally pieces together the puzzle. He's still not quite sure if he's got the story in its original form, but apparently, Aoyagi had gotten into a fight with a classmate that used to bully him ever since he first entered high school. This bully had started tormenting him again yesterday after a few weeks of break, and Aoyagi decided that he was finally brave enough to stand up against him.

Not at all believably, the altercation had apparently ended with Aoyagi punching him with a fist that he's got coming for years. And even less believably, that had been enough to shut the bully up for good now and change his attitude towards Aoyagi, thus ending an annoyance that has been following him around for ages.

"Look at you, being such a macho man! Oh, how fast they grow..." Teshima sniffs in the most exaggerated way possible and wipes his eyes. Aoyagi looks like he'd want to roll his eyes, but instead looks fondly at the other boy, making Imaizumi flinch like he almost got run over by a realization.

"If only I grew in the right ways..." Aoyagi says and looks wistfully up at Teshima, right above his head. It takes Teshima a minute to register the meaning of his joke, but when he does, the laughing doesn't stop.

It really wasn't that funny.

And since when does Aoyagi make jokes? He never jokes! That's reserved for people who speak more than 20 words a day. Although the same could be said for people who stand up to their bullies...

"Oh cmon, I think this sort of growth is more important." Teshima takes a break from his fit of laughter to squeeze Aoyagi's arm softly.

"Do you really think that?" Imaizumi watches how Aoyagi, in his absolute non-finite charm, tries his best to lower his tone. His voice enters an uncharted territory of seductiveness as he gives Teshima a purposeful look. He looks as if he intends to grab Teshima's hand, but then chickens out at the last second and clasps his fingers over his wrist.

"Of course! I always tell you how proud I am of you." Teshima says, sounding a bit sad at the prospect of Aoyagi doubting him. He pats his friend on the back although to Imaizumi it feels like the touch lingers for a bit too long, evolving from a platonic pat to an affectionate caress. "Don't ever doubt that."

"You're right. Sorry about that, Junta."

Aoyagi looks a tad regretful as he touches Teshima on the shoulder. Did they always touch eachother so much? Or did Imaizumi just start noticing it now? Either way, it was making him want to strangle himself with bike spokes.

Then Aoyagi takes Teshima's hand into his and makes Imaizumi want to strangle him. After a few seconds of exchanging confident smiles, Aoyagi holds his up for a high five. As Teshima reciprocates, the sound of their gloves brushing against each other reverbrates throughout the entire room.

They hold the pose until the silence is broken by a ringing other than the one in Imaizumi's ears. It came from Teshima's pocket and was quickly identified as a phone call.

"Ah, I have to take this. I'll be right back."

Imaizumi didn't mind this much, considering that he was used to intreruptions like this during their "training sessions". Of course, that was before he realized that now he was all alone with Aoyagi-san, the man that's been infuriating him more and more lately for rather unexplainable reasons. When he wished for this room to only be inhabited by two people, that wasn't what he meant!

"So... Teshima-san sure knows how to get out of cleaning, huh?"

After two minutes of a silence so awkward even he can't appreciate, he finally strikes conversation. He half recognized how childish he was being just now. Maybe Aoyagi wasn't so bad after all, and he had just been feeding his brain with too many irrational delusions.

"Junta is usually so hard-working, I feel like he deserves this break."

Or maybe not.

"Of course, I would never imply otherwise." Imaizumi says and straightens his back, standing tall and proud. Without even trying, he's towering over Aoyagi and just that fact alone makes him feel like he's winning this one-sided war. "Teshima-san is always working so hard for us, but I feel like his work can go underappreciated."

Aoyagi nods, but Imaizumi feels no satisfaction from having his opinion be validated. He refuses to even look at Aoyagi, as such missing the curious look he's giving him.

"Sometimes I feel like he bites more than he can chew. Honestly, he needs to know his limits better."

Imaizumi frowns.

"I think Teshima-san can handle himself just fine." Imaizumi barks out, a bit too defensive for it not to feel personal. Out of everybody in their club, he least expected Aoyagi to undermine Teshima like that. "It's not just hard work, he's smart and he's skilled. He might take on too many things at once, but that doesn't mean he can't handle them. He's capable."

The blonde reveals an ever so faint smile that goes unnoticed by Imaizumi's haughty self. But of course the ace wouldn't have noticed such subtlety when he had been wearing his heart on his sleeve.

This was going to be as easy as taking a piece of cake from a baby, although he did intend to give it back to him after the fact, 'lest Imaizumi started crying. He'd say Teshima had become Imaizumi's favorite toy if it weren't Teshima who was toying with him all the time.

"I'm just worried about him is all. He may look strong to you, his underclassmen, but I've been there for him throughout all high school years. I've seen all his failures. I've seen the same ones repeat, too."

Imaizumi hasn't seen them per say, but he has heard about them. What Aoyagi said cut deep in spite of him still not being that used to his voice. After their after-school training sessions, Imaizumi was really starting to believe he and Teshima had gotten closer, closer to him than anyone in the clubroom besides the suspiciusly talkative blonde in front of him. And until this moment, there hadn't really been anybody to deny that.

Aoyagi was a new character in this manga, however.

"Don't think you know all of Junta now that you spent a few additional hours with him, Imaizumi."

"Just because you've known him for longer doesn't mean you're allowed to speak of him like that." Imaizumi turns to look at Aoyagi for once, staring at him with a level of intensity he thought could only be brought out during races.

Aoyagi's expression doesn't shift. He doesn't let anything show. At least to the untrained eye, that's what he looks like, as plain and expressionless as ever, making Imaizumi irrationally angry with how little he seems to care.

"What exactly am I saying that is so wrong? I know Junta better than you ever will."

"You can't know that."

"You're just upset that I'm right. If it weren't for him becoming captain, I bet you wouldn't have even given him the time of day. Do you really care about him? Or do you just listen to him because his position demands you to do so?"

"I DO CARE." Imaizumi's voices shakes the walls. Even Aoyagi's unreadable expression seems to waver, although, to Imaizumi's surprise, he seems more pleased than upset.

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason to care for my..." Imaizumi suddenly pauses, stops to think. "...my... friend." The word feels bitter on his tongue, it itches and burns and feels so >i>wrong, but Imaizumi feels scared to probe further, to ask himself why he feels such a thing.

"So you're fine with that? Friendship? Or do you want more?" If Imaizumi didn't know any better, he wouldve thought Aoyagi was mocking him. It felt as if he was dangling the answer right in front of him, nudging him along the right path without giving him the satisfaction of the truth.

What is "more", even? Doesn't Imaizumi ask enough of Teshima as it is? Wouldn't it be too greedy to want more than what he's already been given? But Imaizumi can't help his desire. Playing pretend is just that; theatrics, lies, smoke and mirrors. Yet behind all those layers of deception there was something genuine. A budding feeling, a sensation stronger than anything Imaizumi has ever felt until now. As the realisation slowly seeps in, his ears turn redder and redder.

Wasn't he the one that said Teshima was capable? He may not deserve Imaizumi's selfishness, but that doesn't mean he couldn't handle it. At least he wants Teshima to know that it's an option. Maybe, just maybe, they could be selfish together.

Either way, something in Imaizumi's head just clicks as he straightens up, more determined than ever. And Aoyagi can't help his body from responding to his movements, nodding along.

He's finally realized it.

But at least now he can stop pretending to be into Junta. Being a charismatic playboy was more exhausting than climbing a hundred mountains, which was why it shocked him how some people did both (like Toudou). Imaizumi certainly didn't, though.

"I... do want more, it seems. So if you intend to keep talking about Teshima-san like that, just know that I'm not gonna let you."

"Don't worry. In spite of what I said, I actually have quite a high opinion of Junta. He was the one that saved me, after all."

Join the club, said Imaizumi to his own ego, resisting the temptation to eyeroll. Of all people he had to fall for, why did one of them have to be a lovable ray of sunshine and the other a magnet for socially inept outcasts? Could Imaizumi ever get a break?

"That's why, I intend to confess to him a few days from now."

"You- what?"

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Teshima's voice is peppy and cheerful as he waltzes back into the trenches that were the clubroom. Still, not even the warmth of his smile could stop Imaizumi from breaking into a cold sweat.

"So if you're planning to do anything, I reccomend you do it quickly." Aoyagi gives Imaizumi a pat on the back before walking past him and towards Teshima. They start chattering, talking about something or other that Imaizumi can't quite make out over the loud buzz in his head. The looming threat of a love rival was swirling around his head like a particularly annoying bee. What Aoyagi just did was declare war on him and Imaizumi had to come to terms with the fact that hes running out of time.

"What are you so tense for?" Teshima said and gently touched Imaizumi's arm, only making the latter become even stiffer. It felt like a cold bucket of water was just dropped on Imaizumi's head. "Wow, am I that scary? You hurt me."

"Teshima-san." Imaizumi said, earning a confused expression from both og his senpai. He placed his hands on Teshima's shoulders just to further steel his resolve, although his knees were feeling wobbly. "Can I see you tommorow?"

"I don't plan on skipping training if that's what you were worried about." Teshima laughs, although it's a little awkward, a bit forced. He knows there's something else left unsaid and is bracing for impact.

"Not at training. Or, well, um..." Imaizumi takes a deep breath, hoping it'll cool off his burning ears. He speaks a bit more quietly, careful so Aoyagi can't hear him. "Not at club training? But, yknow, our training. I want to see you sooner, in private. For our last training session. Could we?"

Imaizumi thought that after he'll finish speaking, he'd be able to relax, but he feels even more tense. He's certain his heart stopped beating and won't start again until Teshima responds. Teshima himself looks stuck between a moment of realisation and a tiny bit of surprise. Nevertheless, he nods.

"Sure. We can. I'll see you tommorow evening then."

"Great! Okay! Thank you!" Imaizumi pats Teshima's shoulders awkwardly before scrambling to find his broom again.

Meanwhile, he makes eye contact with Aoyagi, who looks flabbergasted, eyebrows shooting up in genuine surprise. Imaizumi flashes him a cocky smile. This war is as good as won.

Chapter Text

Imaizumi had previously referred to this whole thing as a war, but if he was being honest, he didn't feel like much of a fighter. He was a gentleman, in fact, a pacifist. A pacifist so big actually, that he doubted he would have been in front of the clubroom right now if Aoyagi hadn't provoked him.

Yet, here he was.

His fists were clenched and his heart was beating in a completely uncontrolable manner, but he somehow felt at ease. He felt at ease because, if he played his cards right today, he might be coming out of this clubroom officially in a relationship. He might come out a changed man, he might be dating Teshima with the intention of marriage.

Then again, he might also come out with the red mark of a slap on his cheek.

Imaizumi begins walking away from the clubroom.

"Imaizumi? Is that you?"

Well, too late for that now.

"Woah, you came early. I think we still had 15 minutes until we were supposed to begin. Did you miss me that badly?~"

Imaizumi can't find any way to stop himself from blushing, so he gives up and lets his biology completely and utterly betray his trust. Teshima, thankfully, seems a bit too lost in his own thoughts to notice, slapping a hand on his forehead as if to scold himself.

'What was that about never flirting with him again, Teshima Junta?'

"Teshima-san?"

"Yes?!" Teshima slightly jolted.

"Should we enter now? I'm starting to get a little cold."

"Ah, of course. Sorry." He almost drops the keys while trying to get them out of his pockets, but he avoids such crisis and they enter with no further obstacles.

When Teshima tries to reach for the light switch, he feels something shift behind him. Imaizumi quickly reaches the destination before him and the lights of the clubroom flicker open, making the room feel a bit gloomy. There's something weirdly personal about the poor illumination of the room, the way the furthest corners are still shrouded in darkness. It makes the room feel a tiny bit smaller, but it's not suffocating. On the contrary, Teshima feels weirdly cozy, if a bit awkward. He'd rather spend as little time as possible here, in such close proximity to his crush, trying really hard to pretend he's okay with handing him over to someone else.

"Well then, let's get started." Teshima says and throws his bag onto a nearby table. He starts pulling out his clipboard and miscellaneous papers. Then he hears a loud thud. "What the-"

Teshima swiftly turns around, coming face to face with Imaizumi's crouched figure. He's surrounded by scattered papers, a fallen chair behind him. Teshima sighs and drops down to help him clean.

"I see somebody's a bit nervous." Teshima says as he straightens up, carrying the papers over to a nearby table.

"I can't help but be. It's a big day for me." Imaizumi says, sincerely. He's been nothing but sincere ever since he arrived here, even to a point where his own body was betraying his feelings. "Do you... do you feel anything?"

Teshima doesn't know how to feel about his question, doesn't know what Imaizumi is hoping for when he gives him that eager expression. In all truthfullness, he was nervous. Perhaps even more so than the main character himself, but his job was supposed to be to bring confidence now when Imaizumi lacked it, so he forces a smile and turns a blind eye to the way his heart is drumming against his chest.

"I suppose I don't."

"Ah... I see..." Imaizumi's dejected tone makes it obvious that he's dissapointed. Was he hoping Teshima was just as much of a wreck as him?

He's left to ponder this as he organizes the papers in a neat little pack and taps it against the wood. The sound of it all is kind of loud, so it works as a way to mask Imaizumi's presence as he comes behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Imaizumi?"

"May I?"

He tugs at the material of Teshima's coat, and his slightly masculine tone kind of tugs at Teshima's heart. Was he trying to act like a gentleman? If so, why couldn't Teshima make fun of his earnest behaviour? Did he hit his head or something? Did they both hit their heads?

"Thanks."

The coat leaves his shoulders and gets carried away by Imaizumi. Heat starts to gather in his cheeks, so he turns away to hide it from sight. Unfortunately, the heat doesn't spread anywhere else within his body.

"On second thought, maybe not?" Teshima giggles awkwardly as Imaizumi walks back with a little pep in his step. He halts once he hears his words, the pep disappearing along with it.

"What?"

"It's a bit cold in here. Can you give me back my jacket?"

"Oh. Alright." Imaizumi nods but doesn't turn around. Instead, he quickly takes off his own jacket. Teshima wants to protest but before he can, the weight of Imaizumi's coat is already falling on his shoulders.

"No, Imaizumi, it's okay. I have my own jacket."

"Yeah, but this one is warmer." Though maybe not as warm as Imaizumi's cheeks, Teshima adds to himself.

"So what are you going to wear?"

"I'm not that cold. You should have it, I insist."

Teshima gives him a weird look that unknowingly raises the other's anxiety through the clubroom's roof. Was that a bit too intimate? Was it too forward, or was Imaizumi just so awkward that Teshima didn't even have time to tell him to leave the cassanova gestures to someone who would actually be able to do them?

On Teshima's side of the romance telenovela he got unwillingly dragged into, he starts wondering if he's ever seen Imaizumi pamper somebody. Was he practicing on him for Onoda's sake, just to make sure he doesn't drop Onoda's jacket while taking it off or something? Teshima finds the explanation sound, so he shakes his head. He's just trying to test the waters, which is techically all that he's been doing since their meetings started.

Teshima doesn't mind. He doesn't mind it when Imaizumi looks at him as if he's the only thing worth looking at, and he doesn't mind his ever so awful attempts at flirting that actually come back around like a boomerang and end up being charming. And he certainly wouldn't mind if Imaizumi decided he wanted to try practicing kissing, too, if they-

"Teshima-san?" Imaizumi says, breaking Teshima out of his trance. He shakes his head to rinse off the lingering thoughts of Imaizumi's lips. How soft they looked, the slight shine from whatever fancy moisturiser he must be using, the promise of sharing warmth if their lips did actually manage to touch. "You're spacing out a bit. Are you feeling alright?"

"What? Yeah! Sorry! I guess I'm just a bit tired." Teshima tries to reassure him with a smile but it doesn't seem to break past Imaizumi's grimace.

"We could... reschedule." The word barely makes it past his gritted teeth. Truth be told, last thing he wanted was to postpone this any further, to give his rival more chances to strike. Still, Teshima's health was more important. Imaizumi would much rather put his chances in jeopardy than Teshima's health.

"No! I'm fine, really. Plus, I saw the way you're shaking like you're at the interhigh starting line. If we put this off, I'm afraid your anxiety will explode your brain before you have the chance to confess."

Imaizumis face immediately reddens.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Well, if you were trying to hide it, then you did a very poor job of it." Teshima says and laughs briefly, although when his eyes lock in on Imaizumi's pathetic, sad expression, he feels a pang of guilt. "But no worries! There's nothing that can't be fixed with some hard work."

"Yeah, you probably know that the best out of anyone." Imaizumi says, meaning it as a compliment. It doesn't seem to land quite as he wished, though.

"Of course, me and adversity, a tale of the ages." Teshima chuckles but it lacks any humour. He doesn't think Imaizumi's intention was to hurt, but being reminded of his shortcomings still stung, especially in this situation. What a liar he was - you can't win at everything just because you put in a lot of work. If that were the case, he would've been able to call Imaizumi his already.

"I..."

Imaizumi falters. He's not that socially inept, he's aware this is his opportunity to bestow some words of comfort upon Teshima, be his shoulder to sigh on. Unfortunately, words have never quite been his forte.

It's still not enough to stop him.

"You're very persistent. I always respected that about you."

"Maybe too persistent, some would argue."

"There's no such thing as that! If you want something, you should go and grab it! Otherwise you won't get anything done in life." Imaizumi says, louder than intended. It's not just Teshima he's speaking to, but himself as well. Might as well try to hype himself up for the big moment.

"You know, Imaizumi, not everybody likes somebody persistent. You might come on too strong, that scares people!"

"I... it does?" Imaizumi stutters, even though he knows it does. Is Teshima giving him a hint? Should he calm down?

"Yeah, trust me on that, I know from experience."

Imaizumi does a little head tilt, as if he actually believed Teshima to be the epitome of a charmer and was suprised to hear he had romantic regrets. The cuteness of the gesture aside, that couldn't be true, right? In the first few meetings they held it seriously felt like all Imaizumi was doing was whine about how Teshima was no help at all in his love endeavors.

"It happened in my first year. I know, I know, a long time ago."

Teshima snickers just remembering it, then makes a joke about how Imaizumi probably didn't think Teshima was ever at his age, like how small kids think their parents were born as parents. It's been a while, so Teshima has no problem thinking fondly of the memories now. He has dissasociated enough to be able to enjoy it for what it was.

"I used to like this girl that was in my class, Mizuko. She wasn't that popular with the other students, but she was kind of pretty, so I had a thing for her. Otherwise, I think we've spoken like, three times in total."

Imaizumi would say he's shocked, but he guessed that was reason enough for any first year in high school to fall in love, even for someone as diligent as his captain.

"I first started paying attention to her when we accidentally bumped into each other in the hallways. After that, my eyes would sometimes avert to her during lectures, and... before I knew it, she started to talk to me."

"She did it first?"

"Yeah." Teshima rests his head on his hand, looking nostalgic. "To ask for help with homework.”

"How romantic."

"Oh, very much so! There's nothing more romantic than algebra." Imaizumi chuckles in response, earning a satisfied smile from Teshima. "I used to walk her home everyday, we'd take the road through the hills... I'll have you know, when the sun sets through the crowns of the trees, it's absolutely gorgeous. Great confession spot, if you ask me." Imaizumi's eyes widened hearing that, suddenly looking more attentive. He was probably making a mental note for his future confession, Teshima was proud to have such a diligent student.

"And... what then?"

"One day, we were walking down the hill. It was a beautiful view, the sky was pink and red, straight out of a shojo anime. I knew the mood was just right. So I laid my heart out to her, told her how much I like her, how she's as beautiful as this sunset here." Teshima made a hand movement to underline his point. Imaizumi followed it with his eyes. "Then she turned to me and..."

Dramatic pauses. He's always loved them, especially when it gets his audience simmering with curiosity.

"And?"

"Teshima-kun." Teshima softened his voice, setting it to a higher pitch. He came and grabbed Imaizumi's hand, squeezing it lightly. Unbeknownst to Teshima, his kouhai's heart was beating like crazy, the drumming in his ears almost drowning out their conversation. His breath hitched, he squeezed back, their eyes making contact. Then, just as softly as before, Teshima said:

"I'm sorry, I like Koga-kun."

The tension was broken with a sudden, scattered laugh. Imaizumi didn't know what was more impressive, that Teshima had him wrapped around his finger so effortlessly, or the fact that he broke his own trance with one single joke.

Quickly Imaizumi regains his composure. He wasn't afraid of Teshima per say, but he didn't want to upset him by laughing at what might have been a traumatic experience. He knows for sure that it'd be one for him if Teshima told him he liked Aoyagi.

"I apologize, Teshima-san. That was kinda rude of me."

"What? No, don't worry about it." Teshima slaps his back in a very characteristic way, with a very characteristic smile that had Imaizumi forget any other adjectives. "It was forever ago. If it still bothered me, I wouldn't have told you in the first place."

Teshima was still surprised he told him, though, seeing as this was a story he hadn't even told Aoyagi. He felt weirdly comfortable around Imaizumi, and even if he didn't, his laugh would've been enough to get any info out of him. Just as he started to think Imaizumi'd make a good policeman, the underclassman decided to speak again.

"I wish I could be more like you."

"Who doesn't?" Imaizumi's head snapped toward him, just to check if he turned into Naruko for a sec there. Naruko could never make his heart race quite this fast, though...

Teshima lightlt hit his shoulder and urged him to elaborate.

"I just wish I had your courage. The courage to tell someone how you feel, even though there's a chance they will reject you. I, for one, become a wreck whenever I think about doing it."

"The proud Imaizumi, a wreck? You're a dissapointment for all elites out there." Teshima throws him a dignified glare while searching within the confines of his own mind for what to say. He wants to encourage the one in front of him, but his brain isn't working, keeps skipping back to the way Imaizumi said "I wish I was more like you". In the end, all he can muster are cheap facsimiles of things he had said before, so he chooses to offer some romantic guidance instead.

"If you don't know how to go about confessing to Onoda, why don't you start by listing off what you like about him?"

"Alright, I can try." Imaizumi says and straightens his back, with all the airs of a dignified soldier marching into the battlefield. To Teshima, though, he looks more like a baby bird flapping its wings, trying to get ready to leave the nest.

To leave him.

"Well, for starters, he has a great sense of humour."

"He? You're not confessing to him in third person now, are you?" Teshima says, lighthearted, wondering if Onoda was known for being secretly hilarious.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Well, this is practice after all. A simulation of sorts. So it would be more fitting if you talked as if you were speaking to him directly."

Imaizumi blushes at the idea and Teshima isn't too far off from mirroring his expression, although for different reasons. Was that too much for him to ask? Imaizumi might just find it embarassing, but Teshima finds it shameful. The realisation slowly creeps up on him that maybe, just maybe, he wants to hear Imaizumi confess to him. Even though he's well aware he isn't the real recipient of his love, he wants to allow himself to be selfish, just for one last time.

What a fool Imaizumi is, why would he ever want to be similar to somebody as pathetic as himself?

"You always make me laugh." Imaizumi begins, breaking Teshima out of his trance. Despite himself, he can hear his heart beat like crazy.

"On second thought, maybe you shouldn't do this. If you're not comfortable." Teshima laughs awkwardly. He can almost hear his heart beat echo in the club room, he wonders if Imaizumi can hear it too. If, maybe, their hearts are beating in tandem.

"No matter what, you always find a way to cheer me up." Imaizumi says and takes a step closer to Teshima. "You're always so kind and gentle, even though you may come off as a bit mean, I know you never mean to hurt. Or, well, I think."

Indeed, Onoda isn't always the best with words, perhaps his intentions can get muddied, his reasons get lost in translation. Although, Teshima starts to feel as if this isn't about Onoda at all.

"You're patient and you're kind," Yes, that's more like it, more like Onoda. Teshima wishes he could say it calms him down, but if anything, he thinks he's even worse than before. "I feel like I can always tell you stuff. I feel safe around you, comfortable. I feel like I belong with you. When I stumble, your words keep me walking."

Then, to Teshima's shock, Imaizumi walks even closer. He tells himself to step back, to create distance between them, but his body refuses to obey. Teshima is bewitched by this fantasy, by this thought that Imaizumi could belong to him instead. For once, he doesn't want to willingly walk away from the prize, to give it to someone else. As awful as it is, he wishes he could jump on the stage and claim it all for his greedy, neglected self.

The soft touch of Imaizumi's fingers draping over his own has Teshima look down, and then look back up. He finds Imaizumi looking at him with the exact kind of yearn that'll get Onoda to comply. Or maybe Teshima's just easy and falls apart under the gaze of any handsome guy, even if nobody could ever compare to-

"Your hair is so beautiful..." Imaizumi, in spite of himself, closes his eyes in rapture. The realist is letting himself dream and Teshima finds the sight endearing. "Every time I see you I feel the urge to touch your hair. Card my fingers through it... watch them dissapear..."

Dissapear? Teshima didn't think Onoda had long enough hair for that. In fact, that almost sounded like something directed at Teshima himself. If Teshima didn't know any better, he would've let himself believe he had his own figure in mind when he started singing him praises. That he had a chance to leap at Imaizumi right now and kiss him without the other pulling back in anger.

But even a dreamer like Teshima had to be a realist every once in a while.

"I've always loved how soft it looks. The way your hair looks so neat, but there's just one rebel strand stubbornly finding its place on your forehead. It would've looked cute if it didn't hide your pretty eyes." Imaizumi somehow manages to come closer, opening his eyes to stare into Teshima's perfect sky blue. His thumb brushes over Teshima's cheek, the close proximity just confirming how much he likes the man in front of him. Otherwise there was no way he would find conversing with him both comfortable and heart-wrenching.

"A rebel strand? I don't think I've ever seen something like that on Onoda. I didn't know you were a magnifying glass, Imaizumi."

"Didn't need to look that hard for something that was calling for me.”

Imaizumi reaches out to touch Teshima's hair, letting his curls wrap around his fingers. It seems less like an attempt at being suave and more like a subconscious movement, an inner desire manifesting when he let his guard down.

"Don't get too used to that, Onoda's hair isn't long enough to play with." Teshima laughs, small and awkward and forced, like all of his smiles ever since he realised he would want  Imaizumi's attention all on himself. He tries to redirect, to conceal his enjoyement of this. It almost feels as if Imaizumi is mocking him, giving him a whiff of something sweet that he could never get his hands on. "Though maybe he could grow it out, what an idea that would be."

"I don't like longer hair. You've always been an exception." Imaizumi speaks, perhaps to the hypothetical Onoda they've been discussing. Then, to Teshima's utter shock, his hand moves slightly, caressing his cheek instead of his hair.

"You- Onoda. Would he- you're close." Teshima stutters out, uncharacteristic, nervous. Would it be too much if he leaned into the touch? Can't he roleplay too?

"I wish I could get closer." Imaizumi's voice is but a whisper. He didn't mean to let that slip out.

It makes Teshima feel his body grow weak, soft, as if Imaizumi's touch is melting him away.

"Maybe you should." He says before he can catch himself in the act. The only thing holding Teshima back from any further comments is the way Imaizumi's fingers start tracing his lips.

"I like how untamed your hair is, but I like it tied back, too, even though it's bad for my heart."

"Huh?"

"Everything you do is bad for my heart." Imaizumi proves his point by placing Teshima's hand on his chest. He's blushing at the chaotic beats of his heart. If he were Onoda, he'd have melted into a puddle by now.

Teshima starts to wonder where the hell did Imaizumi even learn to be that suave. It surely wasn't from Teshima's training sessions, no? Teshima had some confidence that he wasn't a complete baffoon (althought Imaizumi chipped away at that every minute) but he also wasn't no shoujo love interest, either. Was it because of the anime he watched? Teshima doesn't think so, otherwise girls would be falling at Onoda's feet (and the only girl that did actually fall at his feet was his mother fussing over his untied shoes).

Onoda. Onoda. His kouhai is the only one Teshima can think about now, who he attempts to keep in mind after Imaizumi forces his way into his psyche anyway, who Imaizumi should be thinking about in his stead but for whatever reason he's playing a cruel prank on Teshima (that Teshima will forgive him for no matter what).

So he stops his own delusions and unknowingly bruises Imaizumi's heart when he grabs at his wrists, creating a distance between them.

"Imaizumi. If you like Onoda, you should only get this close to him."

Imaizumi looks at him a bit weird. Teshima's heart almost breaks on command when Imaizumi's expression softens into a sad smile before he brings Teshima closer for a hug.

"Who ever said anything about Onoda?"

Because of their close proximity, Teshima could hear the rhythmic beat of Imaizumi's heart. He almost thought his own stopped once the words registered in his brain, once he got confirmation that their hearts did beat in tandem.

But Teshima likes to keep himself grounded. Despite his belief in miracles, he knows their power have a limit too. The warmth on his skin, the quiet evening, the sweet nothings whispered in his ear-- they felt too romantic. Not like something he could ever experience. So, for one last time, he couldn't help but question his reality.

"You did? It's why we're here, isn't it?" Teshima means for it to be a joke, to perhaps lighten the mood and the heaviness weighing down his heart. Instead, it comes out as annoyed, bitter, a bite back to his perceived mockery.

"You're right, it was about Onoda at first." Imaizumi wraps his arms around Teshima, squeezes lightly. Light enough for him to break out of his grasp if he wishes. "But not anymore. It hasn't been about Onoda for a while now."

Imaizumi breaks away just a bit, enough for Teshima to be able to see his face. It's soft, so soft that it almost doesn't look like Imaizumi, infamous for his sharp edges and unapproachable nature. It's a face that only a select few are privy to, and Teshima's chest tightens when he realises he's one of them.

I feel safe around you, comfortable, that's what Imaizumi had said. Teshima can't help but let the words repeat inside his head.

"I couldn't care less about him now, not romantically, at least. I didn't come here for advice, I came here because I wanted an excuse to see you, to talk to you, to be close to you. When you're next to me, my heart beats so fast that I can barely hear my thoughts. When I do hear your voice, it draws me in, captivates me, I savour every word. I could listen to you read off the back of a water bottle and I wouldn't get tired of it." Imaizumi chuckles.

Before, Teshima could've counted all the times he's heard him laugh on one hand. Now, though, he doesnt think he has enough fingers for all of them. What a beautiful sound it is, Imaizumi's laugh, his heartbeat, his honeyed words. It almost doesn't feel real.

"I think I've fallen in love." Teshima whispers, more to himself than anything. But he's not the only one that hears it.

Because Imaizumi's lips part to reveal his surprise, and then to form a confession of his own that Teshima wouldn't have believed if he didn't feel Imaizumi's hands on him so keenly.

"What a coincidence. I think I've fallen in love, too."

Teshima's heart winces in pain, beating againt his ribcage. But it's not the kind of pain coming from the strain he puts on his body when he pedals. He's just hurting from how much pressure comes with these feelings, with the realization that Teshima's hopes bore results instead of failures for once in his life. He believes in miracles but even among them, the idea of Imaizumi falling for him was something out of a movie's plotline.

Pedaling was easier than love in that regard - miracles aren't likely to happen but they could be brought about by Teshima's own efforts, the incessant way he keeps pedaling every night even after the others stop. But no amount of outside intervention could bend somedy's heart and Teshima didn't think Imaizumi's feelings were a flat tire he could switch out.

Yet he loved him. He just said it, there was no way Teshima imagined that, right?

It really wasn't a dream. And if Teshima somehow believed that it was, that thought would've perished the moment Imaizumi moved his hands up and started leaning forward, lips puckered.

The intention was clear - a proof for his earlier confession, a way to officialize their relationship.

Imaizumi was in a bit of a trance but he was still lucid enough to feel proud, if he was being honest. He somehow managed to pour his heart out without fainting, and he somehow impressed Teshima enough to not have his lips met with a punch. He was grateful for their after-school training sessions for allowing him to fall in love, this time more deeply than the teenage crush he had on Onoda. But maybe they fullfilled their original purpose in shaping him into a cassanova, too, as an added bonus.

At least, that's what he would've thought, if it wasn't for Teshima harshly grabbing his collar to hury the kiss Imaizumi was trying to initiate.

Because he just had to have the last word, one way or another.

Teshima's first thought is that Imaizumi's lips aren't as soft as he thought. They're a bit rough and dry, and Teshima is reminded that they are cyclists, after all. They have to endure harsh conditions everyday while they ride, the wind splitting past them as they run. But it is warm, pleasant. It's not like the fantasy Teshima had, it's better, it's real, it's uniquely Imaizumi's and just that thought alone makes him kiss deeper.

Truth be told, Teshima never kissed someone this hungrily in his life. He never thought he'd be capable of such a display of desperation, would have never thought someone would make him shake with excitement at the thought that this is their first, but not their last. That Teshima could do this again, that this isn't just a fleeting moment of pleasure and satisfaction.

He did it. He won the game, and earned his prize. It's better than any trophy, any roar of applause, any glory.

Teshima is the first one to break away, taking in a big breath of air. His heaves soon turn into laughter as he giggles manically into Imaizumi's shirt.

"Just to make sure, it's me you've fallen in love with, right?" Imaizumi asks with a chuckle but there's just the tiniest bit of curiosity in his voice, as if he couldn't believe it was all real either. Teshima laughs harder.

"Is there anyone else here?"

"I don't know. Maybe my poetry about 'Onoda' was enough to convince you to give him a chance."

"He seems like a great guy, but I think I've found something better." Teshima controls his laughter for once, putting his hands around Imaizumi's neck. He takes note of the fact that it's burning hot.

Pulling back, Imaizumi takes Teshima's hand into his own. For once in his life, he feels like an Amaki rather than a Mokkun. Teshima's eyes are fixated only on him, his smile is reserved only for him. And there was no way he would ever share any of it with a certain blond teammate that declared war against him. Pride swells in Imaizumi, that rare feeling of satisfaction after winning a race that doesn't often materialize into bragging unless it's forced out of him by his rivalry with Naruko.

Imaizumi, the unprecedented charmer, kisses Teshima's palm.

"Thank you, Teshima-san."

Teshima indulges him by asking what for, but he turns his head away. Because as much as he loved him, he really didn't think he could sit through him spewing some overly-romantic line that didn't fit him like "thanks for falling in love with me".

Thankfully, Imaizumi's smile is sincere and not at all practiced, obvious by how he's subtly gripping the hand he's given. Teshima's overly loud heart from earlier helped mask how much his own heart was beating while confessing to him. Imaizumi was a romantic disaster since the moment he walked into the clubroom with Teshima in tow, and Teshima can't say much has changed, except for the many kisses he wants to plant on his face whenever he looks at him now.

"For helping me confess to the person I like."

"Ehhh? Imaizumi-san and Teshima-san are dating?!" Kaburagi squeezed the bottle in his hand so tightly Aoyagi thought it would burst, just like his frustration with his antics.

The aforementioned couple looked at each other knowingly, before Imaizumi rolled his eyes. He wondered what was it that clued Kaburagi in: the way he was curently holding his boyfriend in his arms just like he did every single time the team took a water break? Or the way they've been walking home together continuously for the past couple days?

Onoda smiles as he closes his locker.

"Did you only now realize it, Kaburagi-kun?"

"He was faster than I predicted." Naruko sighs and very begrudgingly hands some money over to Aoyagi, who takes them with no aparent shift in expression. That was almost more annoying than a smirk.

"And that's not all, Kaburagi." Teshima laughs as he gets ready to do the one thing he specialized in more than cycling.

Mercilessly tease the people around him.

"Did you you know this guy also used to like Onoda before he started liking me?" He points to Imaizumi. Or whatever remained of Imaizumi, he should say, because the way he froze up and then turned bright red wasn't normal for any living person.

Any attempt at escaping the scene is made impossible by a smirking Teshima whose grasp keeps tightening. Imaizumi may be regretting this relationship already, but Teshima was doing it for his sake, too. So that he may get closure.

"Teshima-san!"

"He used to WHAT?!" Kaburagi yells and almost spills his Orange Beena juice all over Aoyagi's lap, but that's nothing compared to Onoda's loud gasp, accompanied only by the loud click of his Love Hime keychain making contact with the ground.

"R-Really?!"

"Onoda-kun, it was super obvious."

"Not to everybody, clearly." Aoyagi throws Kaburagi a glare which does nothing since Kaburagi's brain didn't allow fear in his system.

"I-Imaizumi-kun." Suddenly, Onoda turns towards Imaizumi and he starts twiddling his fingers. Imaizumi feels like there's a spotlight directly on him so that everybody may see the shine of his rapidly sweating face. "I-I appreciate you as well, b-but I don't think I could ever look at you as more than a friend."

"Thank you for your consideration, Onoda." Imaizumi says, as least awkward as he can, before pulling Teshima in closer to him. "But it's okay, you're just a friend to me, too. I'm long over it."

"Oh? Oh! Yeah! Obviously."

Onoda seems to realize how he may have come off as silly, but Imaizumi sees how his body relaxes, relieved. Imaizumi is relieved, too - he can't help but imagines a confession as was first intended: him, at sunset, pouring his feelings out to Onoda. Then Onoda, as nicely as possible, letting him down. Perhaps they both dodged a bullet with this arrangement.

"Anyway." Aoyagi of all people pipes up, everybody's attention suddenly on him. It was unusual for him to speak unprompted, even Teshima seemed a little surprised. "Congratulations to you two."

"Ah," Imaizumi chuckled, suddenly his ego inflating like a deflated wheel under maintenance. "It must be hard for you, Aoyagi-san, to deal with this."

"It really isn't."

"But I'm sorry, that's just how it was meant to be." He squeezes Teshima's hand to make his point clearer. "Too bad I was faster than you. A bit shameful too, if you ask me. With you being a sprinter and all."

"Imaizumi, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah, you didn't know, Teshima-san?"

In a rare moment of pettiness, Imaizumi actually scoffs as the corners of his lips morph into a smirk. The rush of that superior feeling he lost once he became a part of Sohoku's whole comes back full force.

"Aoyagi-san was also in love with you, but he didn't get to confess because I was faster."

Teshima raises a curious eyebrow, but the lack of reaction doesn't deter Imaizumi, even as Aoyagi's expression also remains unchanging.

"Was he now?"

"Not really." The blond's response is simple and straightforward, much like the way he conducts himself daily.

"Aoyagi-san, no need to hide your true feelings. If you wish to cry, you can go ahead. Nobody would hold it against you."

"Alright, thank you." He agreed but there was still no apparent change of mood, still no tears. Imaizumi thought it was getting harder and harder for Aoyagi to beat the robot allegations. Who in their right mind wouldn't cry if they knew they lost someone like Teshima? Not that he would, of course.

"Are you... not upset?"

"I'm devastated." Imaizumi didn't know a flat tone could annoy him so much.

"Then why do you sound like you're thanking the convenience store cashier for some average quality products?"

"Imaizumi, I think Aoyagi was just messing with you." Teshima put a stop to this fiasco with just a hand on his shoulder and then watched Aoyagi nod in satisfaction from the corner of the room - Junta could always tell what he was thinking from just a single glance.

"B-But he said-"

"What people say and what they're actually thinking isn't always the same, wouldn't you agree? Otherwise you'd have told me how horny it made you feel every time I'd get close to you during role-play."

To prove his point Teshima sneaks his hands around Imaizumi's neck and watches in delight as his face turns red. Naruko, the most diligent senpai (when Teshima isn't present) does his part and covers Kaburagi's eyes from the indecency. It didn't help that this so-called "role-play" was a term he was only familiar with in a sexual context.

After Imaizumi recovers from the interaction, he's only left to take his boyfriend's words and ponder on them. He couldn't help but question the events that unfolded just a few days ago. In the end, the biggest mystery that remained unsolved boiled down to Aoyagi's reasoning. Why would he go through the (certainly big) effort to pretend he feels something for his friend? Just the thought that Imaizumi himself could ever like Naruko made him nauseus.

Just as he was starting to believe it was just something that the world may never know, Teshima looked at Aoyagi and pulled the answer out of him with terrifying accuracy.

"I think all Aoyagi did was play the bad guy this time in order to encourage you to confess."

Whenever Imaizumi's stare wasn't on Teshima, he looked at Aoyagi intermittently, almost as if asking for more details, waiting to hear it from the man himself. It surely seemed like an unbelievable theory the way Teshima put it, but that would explain Aoyagi's current behaviour.

Finally, after a couple minutes of silence, Aoyagi nods soon before Teshima puts a hand on his mouth to not erupt into a plethora of giggles.

"For real?"

"Come on, Imaizumi." Teshima's eyes are shining with suppressed laughter. "As a cyclist, you should know that nothing motivates people better than a rival."

"I guess... but still!" Imaizumi sounds indignant, like Aoyagi had kicked his dog, not just led him around like one. "Are you certain you don't love Teshima-san?"

"I do." Imaizumi's eyes light up with one last glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, Aoyagi has more words left to speak today. "Platonically."

Imaizumi felt something bubble up to the surface of his being. Annoyance? Embarrassment? Certainly, realising he's been the fool did hurt his ego. The fact that he got so riled up only added to his shame.

"Aoyagi-san, you..." Imaizumi breathed in, his cheeks flushed red. He won't let himself be treated like this! He'll tell Aoyagi one or two about messing around! He didn't need his help, he could've confessed to Teshima on his own... surely... certainly...

Imaizumi suppressed his annoyance for a moment, gaining a moment of clarity. As much as he hated to admit it, Aoyagi's plan was successful.

"I... thank you, Aoyagi-san." Imaizumi finally blurts out, although the embarrassment doesn't get any easier to swallow.

Aoyagi, as humble as always, simply nods.

"Aw, are you blushing, Imaizumi?" Teshima teases, leaning onto his arm, their hands linking together. They lock eyes, and Imaizumi's blush deepens. "How well mannered you are. What a nice kouhai we have, right, Aoyagi?"

Aoyagi just nods but, thank the gods, it's only Teshima that could get Imaizumi to look like a ripe tomato.

Before Imaizumi could say anything else, Teshima pulls him down and lands a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"There. A reward for being so polite and for having been a diligent student."