Work Text:
Mitsui drummed his fingers on the wooden table’s surface as he watched the text on the sample exam laid out in front of him turn into a blur. He pressed his lips tightly to stifle a yawn then lifted his eyes to look at Kogure, who was seated across with his nose buried in what seemed to be a mystery novel. At least that was what Mitsui could glean from the title.
Mitsui wondered what the novel was about, or at least what was happening on the page that seemed to have gotten Kogure so focused. Kogure seemed to be his usual calm self, with his posture upright, and both his hands seemingly relaxed as they held the book open. The way his eyes shone behind his glasses, and how his lips formed a thin, straight line, though, told Mitsui that Kogure was really engrossed in what he was reading. Mitsui had seen that look on Kogure’s face a lot of times before, when Mitsui would often find himself stealing glances at Kogure during games. Regardless of whether Kogure was watching from the sidelines, or playing on the court himself, he would have that same focused look.
This time, however, Mitsui wasn’t rushing to the other side of the court to switch to defense, or if he was the one sitting on the sidelines, distracted by his own exhaustion. That night, he found himself unable to draw his eyes away from Kogure. It was probably the first time he could watch that look on Kogure’s face for more than a second. Or so he thought.
Kogure suddenly lifted his eyes from the book and looked at Mitsui. “Everything okay, Mitsui? Need help?” he asked. The light from the ceiling of the Akagi family’s living room reflected against Kogure’s glasses, and obscured his eyes, much to Mitsui’s dismay.
“Uh, yeah,” Mitsui answered, forcing out a chuckle in an effort to not look too surprised. “I was just curious, that book looks pretty intense. What’s it about?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Kogure answered with a soft smile. “Are you done with the sample physics exam? Can I see?” he then asked Mitsui, with what seemed to be a slight edge in his tone.
Mitsui cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to the opposite side of the Akagi family’s living room, hoping Kogure would look in that direction rather than at the unfinished sample exam on Mitsui’s side of the table. There, Miyagi and Ayako were seated on the couch, with a piece of paper between them. From the way Ayako’s hands moved, it seemed she was drawing figures on the piece of paper while she explained the mechanics of cell division to Miyagi. Miyagi, on the other hand, had his eyes locked on Ayako’s face with a dazed grin that made Mitsui scoff.
“Look at Miyagi –” he paused to draw quotes in the air – “study,” he remarked lazily. “He isn’t even looking at the material.”
“Just like you,” Kogure replied, his tone the same as before. “How are you doing with the sample exam again?”
Mitsui felt heat climb up his cheeks in embarrassment and hastily turned his gaze back to the piece of paper in front of him. He wondered if Kogure said that because he had noticed Mitsui was staring at him while he was reading the book, or if he meant how Mitsui was just looking at Miyagi and Ayako.
“Mitsui?” Kogure asked him again.
There was a firm quality to Kogure’s tone this time, which reminded Mitsui what he was in Akagi’s house for. He hesitantly turned his eyes to the piece of paper in front of him. He had so far answered only one out of the five calculus questions Kogure had laid out in front of him. He could remember that one from lectures during the latter half of the term. The rest of the questions, though, were another matter entirely. They had terms he could only vaguely remember, and he had some awareness that there were a bunch of formulae he needed to use to find the answer. When he tried to recall them, however, he could only think of a jumble of Roman letters and numbers. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
“This isn’t fair,” Mitsui complained with a frown. “Why are four out of the five questions from the earlier part of the term?”
Kogure scratched the back of his head. “I saw your test and noticed you got a lot of the questions from the more recent lectures correctly, so I thought we need to focus on the ones you missed.” He paused to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “The more recent lectures build upon the earlier lectures, too, so if we worked on those, I think you could more easily figure out the rest on your own tomorrow.”
Mitsui couldn’t find anything to say to that and sank in his chair, with his frown at Kogure relaxing into a blank stare. In his mind came front and center the reason why he didn’t do well particularly on the questions from the earlier portion of the term. He couldn’t feel greater regret over hanging out on the school rooftop or intimidating a group of kids playing basketball by the beach with Norio and the others instead of going to school. He then pressed his lips into a thin line, to keep himself from voicing his regret out loud.
“Let’s go through the questions one by one,” Kogure spoke. Mitsui managed to bring his gaze towards Kogure, and found him with an effectively comforting smile. Mitsui couldn’t keep the corners of his own lips from curving slightly upwards.
Kogure reached out for the sample exam, but Mitsui held it down, covering most of the content with one hand. He was embarrassed at the thought of Kogure finding that he had barely been able to answer the questions. Mitsui really didn’t think of himself as stupid. His grades in junior high were actually acceptable. After all, he needed to have at least passing grades in order to keep playing basketball for the school, so he applied himself to his studies as needed.
When he quit basketball during his freshman year, though, he also found himself without motivation to even bother with academics, and skipped classes whenever he could. It wasn’t until he rejoined the team a month or so into the current term that he regularly attended classes again. But by then, it had been too late for him to catch up, and he couldn’t and he couldn’t summon again the minimum ability he used to have to focus in class. As a result, he failed four subjects during the exams at the end of the term.
Mitsui didn’t want to dwell yet again over quitting basketball, as he had done so countless times already since he had returned. He wished, though, that he could have at least focused on academics. If he had done so, he wouldn’t have to be studying at Akagi’s house that night for remedial exams, at least, and his chance to play for Shohoku at the national tournament, which only came after a grueling series of preliminary games, wouldn’t be at risk. It would be a shame if he wouldn’t be able to play in the nationals just because he failed his term exams. He didn’t need more reasons to blame himself.
“Hey, Mitsui?” Kogure asked again, with a faint concerned frown on his face. His fingers hovered over the edge of the sample exam.
He didn't answer Kogure and started re-reading the first question he couldn’t answer a while ago, summoning all his concentration into understanding what it wanted him to do in the first place. Unfortunately, exhaustion was making his mind feel foggy. This was already the last of the four practice exams Kogure had prepared for him, after all, so he had reason to be tired already. He couldn’t help but let out a yawn.
As soon as he realized that he had done so, he shot a look at Kogure, hoping he didn’t see him. He found Kogure, however, smiling uneasily.
“How about I make some hot chocolate? The weather might be too warm for that already, but I’m thinking it could give you a bit more energy,” Kogure suggested, though he was already rising from his seat. Mitsui stood up as well to stop him, but Kogure was already addressing Ayako and Miyagi. “You guys want hot chocolate?”
“Please, Kogure-san!” Miyagi raised his hands with a grin. Mitsui scoffed to himself. Miyagi looked too high in spirits to be even needing coffee.
“Oh, no, let me do that!” Ayako offered, standing up from the sofa. “You already look tired, senpai.”
Mitsui then noticed Miyagi’s face fall slightly, making Mitsui roll his eyes. He walked over to Kogure’s side, used his elbow to nudge him briefly in the side, and draped an arm across his shoulders.
“We’ll make hot chocolate!” Mitsui declared. “Consider it a special favor from your seniors.” He then gave Miyagi, who seemed to be about to say something, a pointed look. After locking eyes with Miyagi, he then briefly turned his gaze in Ayako’s direction.
Miyagi’s face lit up as he stood up to make a low bow. “Oh, thank you, dear seniors!” he cried out in a voice loud enough to be considered inappropriate at midnight.
“Be quiet!” Ayako hissed and drew her paper fan from what seemed to be nowhere. It swiftly and soundlessly made contact with the back of Miyagi’s head. “Akagi-sempai’s parents live here, you know!” She then turned to where Mitsui and Kogure were standing. “I’d like a cup, too, please!”
Kogure laughed, with Mitsui feeling his shoulders move under his arm. “You don’t seem like you need an energy boost that much, Miyagi, but we’ll go ahead and make hot chocolate for you.” He then turned around to make his way to the kitchen. Mitsui drew his arm away, placing his hands in the pockets of his pants and trailed behind Kogure.
They entered the dining area, where Akagi, Haruko, Sakuragi, and Rukawa were seated around the table. Rukawa was already asleep, with his head on top of a pile of paper. Haruko, seated across from him, was looking at him helplessly. Beside him was Sakuragi, peeking at Akagi from behind the sheets of paper he was only probably pretending to read. Akagi, meanwhile, was staring Sakuragi down, with his arms folded across his chest.
"Not fair, why is Rukawa allowed to sleep already?" Mitsui hissed as soon as he set his eyes upon the quartet. He took a step in their direction.
“I don’t think he’s really allowed to.” Kogure took hold of Mitsui’s arm and gently tugged at him. “Let’s not disturb them.”
Mitsui scoffed and allowed Kogure to lead him towards the Akagi family’s spotless kitchen. Kogure made a beeline to the counter, towards the corner between the stove and the sink.
Kogure then turned to Mitsui with a soft smile. "I hope you don't feel too bad about struggling with calculus," he spoke softly. “That portion of the calculus exam you weren’t able to answer was really difficult. I struggled with it, too.”
Mitsui straightened up and cleared his throat. "Of course, I don't." He couldn’t help but smile a little, despite the lie. He realized that he must have looked rather upset earlier, and Kogure was trying to make him feel better now that the two of them were by themselves. Mitsui found it fascinating how Kogure just had the knack of knowing the right thing to say at the right time, almost as if he knew what a person needed to hear. He had already noticed this back during their freshman year. Two years later, Kogure spoke with much more confidence, and a comforting smile that almost made Mitsui believe what he just said.
Kogure let out a chuckle, which told Mitsui he wasn’t buying the lie. “You can do it,” he said, looking directly into Mitsui’s eyes, and then reached out to briefly lay his hand on Mitsui’s back. “You already finished studying for three exams. What’s one more, right?”
Mitsui felt heat rush up his cheeks. “O… of course. I’ll be fine.”
Kogure’s voice then took on a cheerier tone. “If Akagi’s free later, we can also ask for his help! He’s much better at calculus than I am.”
Mitsui felt something heavy rapidly sink inside him, then settle at the bottom of his stomach into something he easily knew was annoyance. He turned away from Kogure, hoping to hide whatever look was appearing on his face. He knew how perceptive Kogure was, and if he became too visibly upset, Kogure would surely ask him what’s wrong.
It wasn’t Kogure he was particularly irritated at, however. Mitsui had always known that Akagi was good at academics, and he had pretty good grades despite having to invest time in basketball as well. Mitsui realized, though, that he wasn’t too happy to hear that Akagi did well in the subject Mitsui was most miserable at, and how that was another reason for Kogure to heap praise on Akagi.
“He’ll have his hands full with Sakuragi for sure,” Mitsui mumbled, doing his best to soften his voice. “Anyway, I already said I’ll be fine.”
An entire second of silence hung between them before Kogure spoke again. “Right. Of course, you’ll be. I just wanted to assure you you'll have the help you need.”
Mitsui couldn't help but smile a little despite himself. "Your help is more than enough!" As he declared this, his right hand slid out of his pocket, and before Mitsui knew it, it was hovering between his and Kogure's faces, with his palm turned towards Kogure's direction. Mitsui quickly pulled it back and used it to cover his own mouth, which he then opened in a fake yawn.
He realized he had just tried to ruffle Kogure's hair. It wasn't like he hadn't done that before, so he also didn't completely understand why he held back, and in such a clumsy and obvious manner at that.
He couldn’t tell if Kogure noticed anything strange about how his hand had just moved, as Kogure only continued to smile.
“You can push through this, Mitsui,” he said, pumping a fist in the air, before turning around to open the cupboard right above them. He produced four sachets of instant hot chocolate. He then opened another cupboard and took out a measuring cup, which he filled with water from the tap. Afterwards, he heated the water using a kettle on standby sitting atop the stove.
Mitsui took a step back. There should have been something comforting about watching Kogure move with ease around the Akagi family’s kitchen, but instead, he felt something start to tighten in his chest.
"Wouldn’t you… need to ask Akagi for help around their kitchen?" Mitsui asked.
"It’s fine, I know my way around here well enough," Kogure explained, then turned around to face Mitsui. "Let's go get mugs," he said cheerfully, then opened up another cupboard, where the Akagi family stored their crockery.
Mitsui let out a chuckle as he joined him. “Do you cook for their family or what?” He took out a couple of mugs from the open cupboard, and brought them close to the stove. Kogure did the same with two mugs he took out on his own.
Kogure laughed. “It’s not that! When Akagi and I get hungry while we’re here, we fix ourselves snacks. Sometimes, Akagi doesn’t feel like it, so I do it on my own.”
Mitsui found himself blinking at Kogure’s answer. “And you were able to memorize their kitchen just by that…?”
"Well, yeah, I guess I go here often enough for that to happen,” Kogure answered, smiling sheepishly. “But it’s just mostly instant noodles and popcorn, and –” he pointed to the mugs in front of them.
“Nerds,” Mitsui hissed, despite the increasingly tight feeling in his chest.
“Of course, we don’t just study all the time!” retorted Kogure with another laugh. “A lot of times, we’re just here to hang out, too.”
Of course. Mitsui knew Kogure and Akagi were close, and they even went to junior high school together. He also knew Kogure lived nearby and they took mostly the same way home. It was only common sense that Kogure came over to Akagi's house frequently. Maybe Kogure moving around the Akagi family’s kitchen like it was his own was a little unusual, but it made sense. Akagi and Kogure already had a long friendship outside being basketball teammates, after all. None of what Kogure was telling him should come as a surprise.
Mitsui knew, though, that the increasingly tight, all too familiar feeling in his chest wasn't that of surprise.
He found himself at a loss for words, and he could only turn his gaze towards the mugs in response. Kogure, just as Mitsui expected, picked up on his silence right away.
“Mitsui? You okay?”
Mitsui managed to force out a chuckle and turned back to Kogure with what he hoped was a convincing smirk. “I’m fine, just baffled at how terrible a host Akagi is.”
Kogure laughed yet again. “To be fair, when I don’t feel like it, Akagi makes the snacks.”
Mitsui couldn’t help but feel a little irritated that Kogure had to defend Akagi from an awkward joke Mitsui merely scrambled to put together just to hide how uneasy he was feeling. He briefly pressed his lips tightly together, trying to put more thought in what he should say next.
“That’s not an excuse,” he muttered, and turned his nose up in the air. “This is still his house. He’s still a terrible host in my book.”
“Why, who makes the snacks when friends come over to your place?” Kogure asked with a soft laugh, before he turned off the stove. He slowly poured the hot water into each of the four mugs.
Mitsui opened his mouth to answer, then he found himself in need of a pause. It had been a while since he’d had friends over his place. His parents, after all, weren’t exactly fond of the crowd he’d gotten with in high school. Mitsui didn’t like staying home for most of high school, too. There was a lot more trouble to make outside, after all, and he didn’t want Norio and the others to see all the basketball memorabilia he had. Mitsui, during that time, didn’t want to see those objects either, but he also couldn’t bring himself to put them away.
“Well, no one has come over for a while now…” Mitsui answered slowly, while he watched Kogure carefully replace the kettle back atop the stove.
Kogure’s eyes briefly widened in surprise, but he quickly put back on a smile. “I was just curious about how you’d be as a host, since you seem to know a lot about being one.”
Mitsui straightened his back and let out a scoff. He proceeded to stir the contents of one of the mugs. “Well, not that much, really, but I know I won’t make you prepare your own snacks, that’s for sure.”
“I look forward to your hospitality, then,” Kogure answered, looking up at Mitsui.
Kogure’s smile was still the same as before, but this time, Mitsui felt his cheeks warm up and his heart race, and he had to turn away quickly. He wasn’t expecting that Kogure was already willing to come over to his place before Mitsui could even properly invite him.
“Uhm, don’t expect a lot,” Mitsui spoke in a low voice to hide his sudden nervousness. “I’ll probably just buy snacks from the convenience store across the street.”
“That still sounds good to me,” Kogure answered.
Mitsui took a deep breath. It was only then that he noticed that the tightness in his chest had gone. Instead, he felt a sense of urgency. It was almost August already, after all. The nationals would be starting in a few weeks. After that, and depending on how Shohoku would fare, there would still be a few weeks before the fall term would commence. Kogure, Mitsui knew, would be starting to take cram sessions for the entrance exams by then. Mitsui was well aware of how the past two years flew by; the next few months would be over in an instant. Before they’d know it, they’d be graduating from high school already.
“How about you come over tomorrow – after the remedials?” Mitsui asked. He then started to feel excited. “My mom recorded last night’s pro-league game and I haven’t seen it yet. Let’s watch it together. You haven’t seen it yet, either, right?”
He saw Kogure’s eyes go wide for a brief moment again. What he seemed so surprised about, Mitsui could only guess. Perhaps, tomorrow night was too soon, but he thought it would be a shame to delay things at that point. In his mind, there was not a moment to be wasted.
Kogure shook his head. “It’d be great to watch it with you.” His grin then turned into a look of concern. “Won’t you be tired from the remedials, though? And we’re gonna be up pretty late tonight, too.”
“Of course, not.” Mitsui let out another scoff. “You’re teaching me, so I’ll be fine, I’ll finish up calculus, then we’ll get enough rest.” He then took two of the mugs by their handles. It was best for him to resume working on the sample exams. “You won’t be too tired, too, right?”
“No, that sounds like a good plan,” Kogure replied. He gave Mitsui a pat on the back, before picking up a pair of mugs, and leading the way out of the kitchen.
Mitsui followed, realizing the mugs of hot chocolate in his hands had already gone lukewarm, but he figured he didn’t have much need for them anymore anyway.