Chapter Text
Miko cried on his bed, questioning himself: why would Tiger leave him?
What did he do wrong? Was Tiger upset??
Suddenly, someone called.
"Hello?" Miko said, his voice barely holding together through his sobs.
"Miko?? Wait, are you crying?" Miko recognized that voice immediately; it was Tiger.
"No! What the fuck do you want?" he snapped, clearly upset.
"Dude, are you crying because I left Nakama? What’s wrong??" Tiger asked, confused and concerned.
Miko just hung up.
He rolled his eyes. Why did Tora even try to act like he cared???
Miko stood up from his bed and dragged himself to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
He looked into the mirror, his hair was ALL over the place, cheeks red, eyes irritated. He hated seeing himself like this. He knew tomorrow, Ura Giri would call a meeting to talk about how Tiger betrayed them, and it was the only time Miko could actually agree with their crazy coach.
He knew he wasn’t being rational, because it was insane to agree with Ura Giri of all people… but still. He was heartbroken. It felt like Tiger had stabbed him in the back and twisted the knife.
Eventually, exhaustion took over. He fell asleep, tears still rolling down his cheeks.
Tiger sat at a table with his new teammates. He had tried calling Miko multiple times, but nothing worked. He didn’t care about the rest of his old teammates; Miko was the only one who truly mattered.
He couldn’t even imagine his life without him. Miko had been the one who stayed with him, the one who helped him after the darkest night of his life — when he tried to end it all.
But now, something deeper was stirring inside him. These past few weeks, Tiger had started seeing Miko differently.
He had already come to terms with being gay, but being in love with his best friend? That was different. Miko had never really talked about girls. Neither of them had. Inyo was the only girl they ever spoke to, and Tiger had only realized Inyo was a girl after they parted ways.
Miko always caught the attention of girls, not because of his personality, but because of how he looked.
And Tiger had to admit it... Compared to Miko, he felt like the ugliest guy alive.
But still... who cared?
Tiger didn’t even know if what he was feeling was real. A crush? On Miko? His best friend??
He remembered, back when they were teenagers, sneaking glances at Miko, even fantasizing about him.
At the time, he brushed it off; maybe it was normal? Miko was the closest thing to a girl he knew.
Long hair. Pretty face. Soft voice.
Maybe he was just confused back then.
But now?
Now he wasn’t so sure.
The red-haired Japanese boy buried his face in his hands.
What was he supposed to do now?
"Tiger? Tiger!! Earth calling Tiger?? Twisting Tiger??"
Tiger blinked twice, pulling himself out of his thoughts. His new teammates were staring at him.
"Are you okay?" Dancing Rasta asked.
"Oh, yeah! Don’t worry, I was just lost in my thoughts…" Tiger forced a smile.
"Probs thinking about that one black-haired teammate of his," El Matador joked, only to be smacked on the back of the head by North Shaw, who sat beside him.
"El, shut the fuck up," North muttered.
"Don’t worry, he’s always like this. You’ll get used to it," North added, whispering to Tiger with a small smirk.
The night slowly passed, and one by one, his new teammates left the small restaurant. Soon, only Tiger and Rasta were left, sitting across from each other.
"So, Miko’s one of your best friends, right?" Rasta asked, sipping his tea.
"Yeah… I don’t think he still sees me as his best friend though…" Tiger replied quietly, eyes on his untouched coffee.
"Oh? Why?" Rasta tilted his head.
"I think he’s really mad at me. I tried calling him earlier when I went to the bathroom, and when he finally picked up, he sounded like he was crying. I asked him if he was mad… but he just hung up. He won’t answer any of my calls." Tiger sighed.
"He’s really important to you, huh?" Rasta asked with a soft smile.
"Yeah… really important." Tiger looked up at him, eyes heavy with emotion.
"Maybe you should give him some time."
"What?"
"You know… he might just need space to process things. I’m sure you’re important to him, too." Rasta reassured him.
"You think so?"
"Yeah! You guys have been together since forever, right? Maybe he’s just in shock you switched teams."
"Hm…" Tiger nodded, finally offering a more genuine smile.
"Well, I gotta go. It’s getting late, and I need all the energy I can get for the BBQ tomorrow! You’re coming, right?" Rasta asked, pulling out his wallet to pay the waitress.
"Maybe…" Tiger yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
"You need a ride? Looks like it’s pouring out there," Rasta offered, glancing at the window.
"No, don’t worry. I’ll just grab a taxi." Tiger stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Okay, but if you need help, just call me!"
They left the restaurant together, heading off in different directions in the rain.
Time went by, and Tiger was finally home.