Chapter Text
1.-
The question didn’t come as surprising for Yohei. No, actually he had been expecting it. He blamed it on him helping the Shohoku team so much when he shouldn’t have, but Hanamichi was there and the guys were no help at all either, just laughing at Hanamichi’s failures. Not that he didn’t, but those were lessening with time and so the presence of his friends lessened too.
So, Yohei in his ever-in-love state remained with Hanamichi like a watchdog and when a guy remained so long in a club made up of basketball freaks, you could only expect this much to happen. It didn’t help that the question was made by the lovely Haruko.
He frowned to make the answer less predictable, but he was sure he was joining. He had thrown aside part time jobs before just to watch Hanamichi practice with no promise of fidelity. What difference was there between that and helping him become a better player for real?
At last he answered with a short yes and smiled at Haruko, who looked happy, euphoric even. It highlighted her beauty and Yohei understood for the umpteenth time what Hanamichi saw in her. There were no hard feelings towards her though, just recognition of something he couldn’t quite become.
He didn’t linger too much on the thought and preferred to listen to her well prepared speech of welcoming. She told Yohei that Ayako would stay with them the entire year, but that since the club was growing they needed someone else, and who would be better than the trusted Yohei Mito that so many times helped them before?
Haruko listed the tasks they had to do before confirming the entrance of Yohei, but he already had the hang of it, had seen it in the making. So, he easily accepted the spot for new manager of the basketball club of Shohoku high school.
……
The same afternoon he was asked to go to observe the team train, something he had done for over a year already, but he knew he needed to be introduced. The reactions of the team were exactly what he expected: Ryota, now captain, somewhat disappointed, Rukawa, no expression just a low hum, the second and third years happy, the freshmen scared and Hanamichi surprised out of his wits.
“You could have told me!” The redhead claimed, but Yohei simply laughed.
“It was a surprise.” His eyes turned into his mocking ones as Hanamichi ran after him to punch him.
Hanamichi caught him half across the court and they were all smiles when they heard a loud yell coming from the place where everyone was lined up.
“Hanamichi, we are making the introductions for this year! Not playing tag with our friends…”
Yohei didn’t miss the pointed look he gave Hanamichi and Ayako, but it did little to deter the fun he just had with his best friend. When they arrived back with the rookies, Ryota was still mad at them.
“If you are here, you are here to help, do you understand?” He looked at Yohei and then at Hanamichi. “And for you, ten laps around the court so you don’t forget that you came to practice!”
He all but shouted and Hanamichi’s frown warned Yohei immediately that perhaps this whole basketball thing wasn’t so good. He gave a light touch to Hanamichi’s back and he began to run like he was told. Ryota continued like nothing had happened as Hanamichi ran with his eyebrows furrowed and mumbling something under his breath.
It was not news for Yohei that after Gori left and Ryota became captain, Hanamichi wasn’t there to accept it and so it had become a growing problem of the redhead not understanding the new status quo. Though, back in the day he would have started a riot for getting told what to do, so at least that was good.
Once Hanamichi’s laps were over he came back to the rest of the team, who stared at him running like a madman as they didn’t pay attention to Ryota. This only angered Ryota further, but Ayako was thankfully there to calm him down. In all truthfulness, Yohei didn’t see the team without Ayako and wasn’t too sure that his presence as new manager would be of actual help to the team. A team that worked with victory in their mind, but that was missing some of its best pieces, such as Akagi, their pillar, Mitsui, their best shooter and Kogure, the other pillar of the team.
From the regulars remained Ryota and Rukawa, and by extension Hanamichi who was just recovering from the injury in his back. The rest of the team were okay in Yohei untrained eyes, aside from a spectacular first year big guy that by tallness alone screamed center position, but that was overly shy. Hanamichi liked to tease him as the baby Gorilla, but since the guy didn’t know Akagi he always thought Hanamichi was being cruel to him.
The team began their usual practice after Hanamichi’s ruckus and Yohei was called by Ayako to explain what his job on the team was. He had to learn the players' positions, which he already had the hang of, learn the statistics that were useful for the team and each player, the best training regime and important players who could be used as examples for Shohoku. Apparently, Michael Jordan wasn’t the only good player in the world and Hanamichi shouldn’t focus on him so much if he wanted to advance. Dennis Rodman was his best option and Yohei was supposed to help him understand.
Since Yohei was wearing his school uniform he didn’t help with the actual practice, unlike Haruko. And oh, boy was Hanamichi happy to have her as the other manager. It had taken him two weeks to get used to her being around, but now he freely enjoyed the promised presence of the gentle princess as Yohei liked to call her inside his head.
And so, after two hours practice came to an end. Yohei had many things in mind, mostly about basketball, but also about Hanamichi, as usual. Some things coincided as Hanamichi was a basketball player in all order, but the others not so much. They were somewhat worrying because staying with Hanamichi meant staring at him constantly. It was good luck on his side that he took the seat in front of Hanamichi’s, otherwise he would have spent his whole day watching him do the most atrocious yet amazing things in the world.
He had always had this mindset, but it turned into feelings in Yohei's second year of middle school, right when Hanamichi was on his way to his 25th rejection. There was something inherently attention calling about the way his heart broke time and time again over any girl that crossed his path. Yohei was there to witness the ups and downs of each crush Hanamichi had and without noticing, without wanting to, he expected a new rejection when this happened. Only after much needed introspection, he realized that he wanted to see Hanamichi getting rejected because that meant he was free, free to love him. Free to console him and nurture his broken heart back to health.
It took him months to accept this new piece of information and to understand that his way of thinking was wicked. It was vile of him to expect a rejection just so he could be close to the redhead, so with trained patience when he joined his friends' jokes and antics after one, he did it just for the jest. Deep down he felt for Hanamichi and worried about the day he would find someone he would truly love as he didn’t want to see him get brokenhearted.
With these worries, Yohei stared at Haruko who bid him farewell after they were done with practice and putting the balls away. He knew Haruko was the one for Hanamichi and as much as it hurt, he was happy his friend had finally found someone so good. However, the pain in his own heart remained, which led to question, why in God’s name he accepted the best spot to observe a romance unfold?
He didn’t have answers, but knew that his love for Hanamichi was big enough not to care about such questions.
When he was done with Haruko and got out of the court, he wasn’t expecting to see Hanamichi waiting for him. To see him standing there, posture relaxed in his big body, made Yohei’s heart clench. His friend’s expression was of worry despite the unstrained limbs.
“Why you joined?” He asked upon seeing him.
Yohei chuckled and replied, “You don’t want me on the team that much?”
Hanamichi’s eyes opened wide, realizing his mistake and said, “No, no, it’s not that. I’m worried because you usually work at this hour.”
Yohei grinned wider. Worry by Hanamichi always made his heart swoon. “I can work later, I’m happy I can help.”
It was a confession, but he felt at ease with Hanamichi, enough to reveal this kind of embarrassing information.
“And I’m glad, too! Out everyone to be our team manager, you!” Hanamichi turned his head towards Yohei as they walked to the main entrance of the school.
He smiled genuinely and continued talking. “The guys wanted a girl though, so if you saw anyone making faces it was because of that. Except for Rukawa, he doesn’t care as long as you know about basketball.”
Yohei stayed quiet listening to Hanamichi’s ranting about Rukawa’s lack of response to his “magnificent” welcome to the team, but Yohei was actually worried about this prospect. He wasn’t there just for Hanamichi and when he accepted the position he had to comprehend that he would have to deal with people like Rukawa. In a fight he wouldn’t be intimidated by him even if he had seen his strength, but something the boy took seriously was different; it felt like a challenge.
Hanamichi realized his quietness and stopped walking through the streets. “Are you scared about being manager?”
He didn’t feel naked in front of Hanamichi so he accepted his frightment. “It’s kind of a big responsibility…”
Hanamichi grabbed his arm lightly and said, “You just have to work for me and everything will be alright!”
If Yohei was expecting something deeper, he didn’t show it, but this expression of self-esteem, maybe even arrogance, was what he loved the most about Hanamichi. He laughed loudly and his heart felt light again.
When they reached the corner where they turned different paths, Hanamichi squeezed Yohei’s shoulder again and said a low thanks, almost imperceptible, but Yohei caught the gesture and he felt happy like always. One could say that Yohei settled for little, almost nothing, but to him Hanamichi was so precious he could work as a basketball manager just to see him grow as a player and person.
What kind of charm did the redhead have on this young boy? Only Yohei knew, but for the moment he was happy and he hoped things stayed the same.