Chapter Text
Echizen Ryoma was no fool. He may be young, but he’d spent enough time watching people to recognize that look that Tokugawa got when he saw Byodoin. He’d seen it plenty. It was the same look that Oishi-senpai gave Kikumaru when he thought nobody was looking.
In Ryoma’s opinion, it was all fairly obvious. He wasn’t sure why nobody else seemed to notice it.
Tokugawa-san was in love with boss. Seemed clear enough to him. So when Tokugawa showed up to pull Byodoin aside at Atobe’s fancy banquet Ryoma really wasn’t surprised.
Besides, it wasn’t like he cared much. He had other things to focus on... like the fact that he still hadn’t managed to beat Tezuka. Losing to him in the finals of the Japan Open had been frustrating. It was going to take some time to get over.
Tezuka was still watching Tokugawa and Byodoin’s retreating forms, looking thoughtful. Ryoma wondered if he’d noticed it too. Maybe?
“What do you think Tokugawa needed Boss for?” Kirihara mused.
Oh yeah, he was here.
“Maybe he’s planning to confess.” Ryoma shrugged. He turned his attention back to Tezuka, who looked entirely unbothered.
Kirihara let out a small gasp. “Do you think that’s it? You think Tokugawa is going to confess!? We should follow them and see!”
Ryoma looked at Kirihara like he’s lost his goddamn mind. “Why would I want to do that?”
“To see how it goes?” Kirihara shrugged.
Ryoma looked unimpressed. “Nah, that would be rude to Tokugawa-san. How would you feel if I followed you around snooping while you were trying to have a moment with your weird-ass boyfriends?”
Kirihara blinked. “Ah... that would kind of suck...”
“Yeah, so give Tokugawa-san some privacy.” Ryoma instructed, turning to refill his cup of punch.
Kirihara sulked, but sighed and nodded. “Okay, okay. In that case I’m going to hang out with Kura and Shuu-san for a while.”
“Yeah, have fun. Don’t let the press see you.” Ryoma waved Kirihara off.
The eighteen year old menace laughed. “Okay, okay! I’ll be careful! Have a good night, Echizen! I’ll beat you next time.”
“I doubt it. You still have a lot more to work on.”
Ryoma watched Kirihara leave, letting out a sigh of relief. “That guy is a lot. At least he calmed down a lot from when he was in middle school.”
Tezuka nodded, sipping his own cup of punch.
Ryoma found himself noticing, somewhere between his second cup of punch and Kirihara’s exit, that Tezuka looked just about as comfortable at the party in his honor as Ryoma felt.
Which was to say, not at all.
His face was impassive. It was a look that on the courts always seemed like he was assessing the situation, but in a situation like this, without a court to assess... well, it seemed a lot more like plain patience. Just a man waiting for the evening to be over.
Ryoma could respect that.
He refilled his cup a third time. Nothing better to do while stuck at a party like this. It wasn’t like anyone was going to allow him to drink anything actually alcoholic. Might as well pump himself full of sugar instead.
"You played well in the finals." Tezuka said eventually, like the words had been sitting there for a while waiting for a gap.
Ryoma glanced at him. "I lost."
"You pushed me further than anyone has this year."
Ryoma considered that. It wasn't a consolation. Tezuka didn't really do consolations. It was just a fact, stated plainly, the way Tezuka stated most things.
"Next time I'll win." Ryoma replied.
Tezuka nodded once. "I expect so."
That was it. No encouragement, no empty flattery. Just a simple acknowledgement that yes, he was bound to beat his old captain someday, and Tezuka was fine with that.
Ryoma was fine with that. He drank his punch in silence.
The silence didn’t last long, however. Not when a group of women re-entered the hall from outside, chattering loudly about something they’d just witnessed out in the hallway.
"Did you see that?"
"I knew it, I knew something was going on-"
"Byodoin just kissed him, right there in the hallway, in front of everyone!"
Ryoma watched them descend on the nearest group of interested parties with the detached interest of someone watching a nature documentary.
"Called it." He said.
Tezuka made a sound that was almost, almost something like amusement. Not quite. But almost.
Ryoma glanced at him sideways. He filed that away.