Work Text:
Kayleigh's been dead for three months before Kevin smiles again.
He's standing under the floodlights at Castle Evermore. Uncle Tets—the Master, his brain corrects him; that had been a shock too, watching his mom's friend turn into an entirely new person after he walked into the Nest—the Master wants him and Riko to start practicing on a full-size court.
Kevin's grief is a dull throb in his chest, but excitement pulses through it nonetheless. He's always wanted to play on a full court. He thinks he can do it; the Master's assigned him and Riko running drills all week. Kevin's got longer legs but Riko keeps up anyways. He likes that about Riko—Riko always keeps up, where other kids fall back, or complain to their parents, He's too good, or never come back to practice with him.
Kevin and Riko play as the strikers for one side while the Ravens' second string fill up the other team and the rest of the spots. The Master had said he wanted them to learn how to work together—he had sketched out a vision of the two of them on the US Court, the greatest pair of strikers to ever touch an Exy racket. Kevin sneaks a glance at Riko. He tries to imagine spending the rest of his life playing Exy with him.
"Focus," hisses Riko, when his eyes catch Kevin's. Riko always smiles when they go to exhibition games or children's tournaments outside Evermore, but his face seems permanently set in a scowl inside Edgar Allen.
Kevin purses his lips, and gives all of his attention to the ball. He shoots off like a rocket the second the whistle blows. The second string are taller and stronger and merciless, but he and Riko are fast—and they've been breathing Exy longer than any of the Ravens have been playing.
When they win, Riko giggles. He catches Kevin's hand, painfully squashes their fingers together. Kevin leans down to look at him; he's an inch or so taller than Riko, and normally the reminder makes Riko fume, but today's win has wiped away all grudges.
"You and me," says Riko, dark eyes blown wide, gap-tooth smile blinding, thumb pressing into the flesh of Kevin's palm, "we're going to be the best in the whole world."
And Kevin believes it.
He smiles back, presses his own hand into Riko's. They clack their rackets together. The second string is silent around them, but there's no humiliation in being beaten by Exy's heirs. They look resigned to being a footnote in the Master's prodigies' story. Kevin hopes he'll never look like that after a loss.
"Why would you?" says Riko derisively, after Kevin tells him the whole thing. " We're never going to lose like that."
I think I'll enjoy playing Exy with you forever, thinks Kevin. He doesn't say it out loud though—it seems cheesy. Riko might laugh at him, or tell him he would have to play Exy with him forever, since the Master would make him do it anyways. Kevin didn't like thinking about that. He focuses instead on the image Riko sketches out for them; Olympic golds around their necks, making Kayleigh proud, and maybe, said Riko, maybe the Head would be there in the crowd too.
"He definitely will," says Kevin, although he doesn't know the faintest thing about Kengo Moriyama. He does know his mother wouldn't have missed his Olympics for the world. He cautiously puts an arm around Riko. Riko allows the touch today; he sighs and leans his head on Kevin. They stay curled up like that till Kevin nods off, head filled with Olympic medals and Exy strategies. And Riko, of course, always by his side.