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Riko is figures and statistics, she is regimented and steadfast, and she knows what each of her boys could be, knows what they need to bring them there. She'll push them as far as she has to, because she understands drive, she understands necessity and perseverance. Just because she's not out there playing doesn't mean she wants the dream any less. She is nothing without the team, but they'd be nowhere without her.
She's used to the derision that other teams throw in her direction. They don't faze her. A girl can belong anywhere she wants, as long as she has conviction. And Aida Riko has it in spades.
But even the strongest falters, and Riko's weakness is the tiniest of things, but she sees it everyday, and the heart cannot withstand a constant assault.
It can be anything, from a slap on the back, to a shared water bottle, to the increasing volume in Hyuuga's voice as another fight flares up. Riko will watch the way Hyuuga's contentious personality shines through; he unfurls like the most bristling of flowers under Teppei's smile. She'll see Teppei, the pillar of the team, consistently draw Hyuuga's wandering attention back to him. Two people of the same stock, grown differently, but searching for the same sun.
And Riko will realize: yes, they need her, but they need each other more. Teppei's the one who brought Hyuuga back to the game. Hyuuga's the one who promised Teppei the championship. They've talked each other from the edge over and over, in the way only someone's anchor can. There's a bubble surrounding the court that she can't slip through, and when she peers from the outside in, it feels like they're pulling farther and farther away from her, as a unit. They're still the same people - Hyuuga, who used to train in her father's gym everyday during middle school, and Teppei, whose first words to her were "Will you coach our basketball team?" - but out there on the court they're Seirin's #4 and #7, the heart of their ragtag, upstart team.
These are the moments she wishes, everything else be damned, that she had the same kind of strength, that she could shoot and run the way her boys can, that she could be what they both need off and on the court.
But Riko is not a player, or a captain, or an ace. She's just a catalyst, always on the outside, effecting an internal change. And most days, that's good enough for her. Most days.
--
Teppei doesn't have an iron heart. He's just a guy who cares a lot, about both the right and wrong things, and he cares so well that everyone else gets caught up in the fervor. He's a whirlwind, a magnetic field, the pull of the tide, drawing people out of their shells, out into the game. For him, it's a matter of feeling alive: if something sets fire to your blood and clears your mind, why would you ever choose to live without it?
He won't say that everything he does is so straightforward, though he certainly isn't the dastardly mastermind everyone suspects he is; it's fun to push people in directions they don't realize are available, to shape the world around them with a careless word or half-smile. Teppei's not brilliant the way Riko is, but he understands how people tick, and if occasionally he uses it to the team's advantage, well, who's going to call him out on it? He just wants everyone to understand how much fun there's to be had, but sometimes you've gotta make a few enemies before showing them the light.
In short, Teppei's not quite a nice guy, and his heart certainly isn't anything worth writing home about. If anybody has a good heart, it's the first years, so earnest and loyal. He's got a protective streak in him anyhow, but seeing the way they fought for the cup, fought for his sake too - he can't quit now, there's no way he can lie down and accept that he'll never play with these guys again. For now, he'll leave it to Riko and Hyuuga to steer them through; they did a good enough job of it while he was away the first time.
Riko and Hyuuga, though, that's where he knows for a fact that he's not a good guy. If he were, they'd be dating already. But Teppei doesn't like losing, and the second they reach a proper awareness of each other, it's over for him. No couple needs a broken third wheel. So he'll monopolize each of them while he can, while he's still got a stake in the game. It's surprisingly easy to maintain the status quo. To keep Hyuuga in line, he just needs to tease a little more, turn up his oblivious charm and call Riko's name with casual nonchalance. To keep Riko from Hyuuga's side, he just acts the same way as usual, throwing an arm around Hyuuga or pestering him for a high-five, while seeking Riko out to study or chat away from the club. They'll catch on someday, but for now, he has control over the court.
Knowing the right buttons to press to rile up a rival or a stranger is one thing, but Hyuuga is laid out before him like a blueprint. He knows his captain like he knows Seirin's basketball, and he doesn't know where he would be without having experienced either one. He owes Hyuuga a lot more than he realizes. Riko is a bit like Teppei, if more analytical, and he respects her enough to let her be. She's too focused to stray from the path, anyway, and he's fine with that. If they're all too consumed with Seirin and their dream, as they should be, it'll be a little longer yet before those two really see one another. He'd do anything for the team, short of quitting basketball itself, but this, well, he can't quite bring himself to let go yet.
If there's a chance that he can't have basketball anymore, can't he at least have Riko and Hyuuga for himself? Is that too much to ask?
--
Junpei is surrounded by idiots.
Although, to be fair, he's pretty much an idiot himself. But he's not completely obtuse, and Kiyoshi and Riko have been alternatively ignoring him and harassing him to an extent that's out of the ordinary, and he doesn't like it. Right now, he's hurrying back to the gym after fetching a schedule for Riko. When he enters, his team is cleaning up, albeit very slowly, since somehow they invoked Coach's wrath recently and received Riko Training x 2 as punishment. Their coach herself is nowhere to be seen, which is probably why the underclassmen seem to be playing rock-paper-scissors in order to push all the duties onto one person.
"Oi, you guys, where's Coach? And wouldn't you be getting things done faster is you just worked together?" Koganei shushes him and he holds off his questions long enough to see Kagami lose to Kawahara and Kuroko, and pick up the broom in defeat. Honestly, Kagami's pretty terrible at that game.
"Sorry, what was that, Hyuuga?" Koga asks.
"I want to know where Riko went. She wanted me to bring this to her."
"Ah, she's in the health room, taking a look at Kiyoshi's leg. You can probably find them together there," Izuki informs Junpei as he walks by. Their eyes meet for a second, and Izuki inclines his head toward the door, silently saying everything they're both thinking. His mouth twitches into a wry smile, and Junpei resists his instinct to whack his friend with the papers in his hand. The eagle eye sees far too much for its own good; Kiyoshi and Riko might be his closest friends, but Izuki is the one who understands best how Junpei really feels about them.
"Yeah, thanks, I'll go search there," Junpei growls, squinting menacingly as he can at Izuki, as Koga blinks at them in confusion. Izuki just shrugs off his glare, and he belatedly realizes again that he probably would've been a godawful gangster.
Leaving the team to their antics, he walks back out, and heads for the health room, getting fired up to chew them both out for whatever he can think of. He prepares to shove the health room door open with unnecessary force, but through the window he sees Riko massaging Kiyoshi's leg gently, brow furrowed in concentration as she checks him over. Kiyoshi's saying something, laughing it off, and she smirks back at him, before pinching his flesh. He gives an exaggerated start, and pouts, causing her to roll her eyes and go back to examining his leg. It's not like Junpei didn't know they got along well, but what really shakes him is the look in Kiyoshi's eyes, as he reaches out for her, but retracts his hand at the last second. Kiyoshi is burning, engaged in watching Riko in the exact same way he tracks the movement of an opponent, or the path of the ball. He watches her like it's the last quarter, and it's do-or-die, and he's got nothing to go on but her instruction and his trust in the team. It's overwhelming, what Junpei reads in Kiyoshi's face, and something in him reacts viscerally to that expression. He wants to tear Kiyoshi away from Riko, wants to put as much space between them as he can, just as much as he wants to keep them both so close that everything he sees and breathes is them.
There Junpei stands, frozen, until Kiyoshi turns away from Riko for a moment and catches him hovering there. The fire in his gaze flickers out, and the familiar, dopey grin settles in and he waves until Junpei reluctantly enters.
"Hyuuga! Why didn't you come in? Do you want a massage too?"
"I have the schedule Riko was asking for." Junpei tries to shake the earlier image of Kiyoshi from his mind. It clashes with the way he appears now, well-meaning and innocent, but Junpei's not buying it. He knows Kiyoshi is so much smarter than he pretends to be, and this is just one more guise that he made the mistake of letting slip.
Riko stops her treatment and looks over at him with a smile. "Oh, thanks, Hyuuga-kun. You can leave those there; I'll get to them later." Her hands are still on Kiyoshi's leg, and he knows those hands - they're firm and self-assured, moving with purpose, no energy wasted - and he's felt them before, but somehow, this is different. He wants to feel that hand cupping his face, or brushing against his wrist as he walks alongside her. He wants a lot of things, right now, in the quiet of this secluded room, with the afternoon light drifting lazily in, washing over Riko's chestnut hair and Kiyoshi's bare skin.
So he gets the hell out of there.
"Right, yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow then," Junpei babbles out, before rushing out the door and slamming it shut. He pretends he can't feel Kiyoshi's eyes on him as he leaves.
That night, lying in bed, with no moderate amount of guilt, he imagines, fleetingly, what it would be like to date Riko. To hold her hand on the way to school, and suffer alone through a home-cooked meal, and maybe even kiss her. And in every scenario, as the picture gets clearer, his subconscious keeps filling in one other important detail. Kiyoshi, his arms wrapped around Junpei's shoulders, or calmly eating a second serving of Riko's curry, or bending down to press a kiss to Junpei's forehead.
Junpei's not so dumb that he doesn't notice the pattern here, but admitting it to himself is still hard. It was bad enough knowing he liked both of them, but being unable to choose one without thinking about the other makes him feel like a real lowlife. He falls asleep thinking about two different pairs of brown eyes.
At school, his classes pass by in a blur, interrupted only with Izuki making even more meaningful eye contact at him. By the time practice comes around, he's exhausted his brain trying to come up with good reasons why having feelings for his friends is a bad idea and how to get rid of them pronto. Junpei is so worked up by his own thoughts that Kuroko actually scares him when he asks, "Are you alright, Captain?"
"Fuughaaa, what the hell, Kuroko, how long have you been- oh never mind. From the very beginning, right?"
"Yes sir," Kuroko responds, a basketball tucked under his arm, and wearing the same placid expression as usual.
"Well, in any case, don't worry, I'm fine. Let's get moving before Coach shouts at us." Junpei bustles them toward the rest of the team, where a practice match is being set up. Riko and Kiyoshi sit on the bench and spectate, the latter being restrained from joining in by Coach's steel grip.
They play on teams of mixed upperclassmen and freshmen, trying to prepare the other first years for their first real matches. Once he gets lost in the game, all his other worries leave his mind. Everything is now a pass to Furihata, a rebound from Tsuchida, and the sudden appearance of Kuroko followed by Kagami's slam dunk; all he sees is the ball. That is, until the halftime break, when he's wiping the sweat from his forehead and he lands a glance at the bench. Riko is explaining something to the freshmen, but Kiyoshi is watching him, and Junpei is taken aback at the force behind his stare. At first he isn't even sure Kiyoshi is looking at him, because he recognizes that rare expression. He'd seen it when Kiyoshi first came back from rehab, watching the rest of the team play without him, much as he's doing now. It's the restrained heat of someone seeing something they can't have, but that should be theirs.
And it's directed at Junpei.
When Kiyoshi registers that Junpei is staring back at him, resignation flashes in his eyes for a second, but before Junpei can go interrogate him, Coach blows her whistle and it's back to the game. In the second half, his concentration is much shakier, but eventually he gets into the flow of things again. His team wins by a small margin, so the other side promises to treat them to an afterschool snack.
As they all head out for some restaurant Mitobe vouches for, Junpei grabs Kiyoshi's arm to slow him down.
"Hey, come walk back here with me. I need to talk to you about something."
Kiyoshi smiles mildly at him and slows his pace. "What is it, Hyuuga? Do you want some candy?" He offers the bag to Junpei, who pushes it away impatiently.
"No, you idiot, this is totally serious. I need to know, okay, so don't try to change the subject on me," he snaps, as he tries to gather the courage to ask what he wants. He's let this issue go for so long that he had half assumed it would just...go away, eventually, like the fading of an old scar. That it was just a phase of his life he would bid farewell to, the pathetic state of having two first loves, neither of which would lead anywhere. Maybe in the far future, he'd look back and remember the way Riko lit up the bench, her fingers flying as she wrapped tape, or the steady pitch of her voice as she directed players. Maybe he would think, once in a while, about the sight of Kiyoshi's back as he walked onto the court on his bad leg, or the fierce determination in his eyes as he jumped to block, or that irritating way he'd tell them to go out and have fun. They would become nostalgic, sepia-tinted memories he would hold close but never reveal to anyone.
But now, he's started to reevaluate the evidence he's gathered through the years, and it's making his world unbalanced. For months, he's assumed that Riko's lingering hand against his shoulder was just a figment of his imagination, or that it wasn't unusual for Kiyoshi to occupy so much of his personal space. Because he'd had just as much proof that Riko's tolerance for Kiyoshi is higher than for him, and that Kiyoshi treats her with a level of respect not accorded to anyone else. And Riko and Kiyoshi always manage to talk without devolving into a spat, which Junpei can't seem to do. But it's the right thing to do, isn't it, to try to get over your best friends when there's someone else much better suited for them?
He's not so sure anymore. Junpei's more and more aware as each day passes that he's just been in denial for a very long time, and that the same applies to Kiyoshi and Riko. Because he's certain now that Kiyoshi looks at him and Riko the same way, like someone who's repressed his longing as best he can, but can't help an occasional lapse when his emotions are running too high. And Kiyoshi would be the kind of stupid fucking martyr to never say a word, to simply accept that he would be the one left out in the cold, just like he'd assumed he had to be the one to protect Seirin. This time, it seems like all of them are fighting to play that role. But no matter how certain Junpei is, he needs to hear it from the sources themselves. If he's right, then maybe he can move forward, and if neither of those two are going to step over this threshold, then it's up to him, no matter how embarrassing. He's got it in him. He's the captain, after all.
"Hahaha, okay, I'm listening," Kiyoshi says, so Junpei digs in deep and spits it out.
"Do you like Riko?"
Kiyoshi looks a little surprised, but it passes. "Well, Riko is Riko, you know? Of course I like her."
Junpei fights really hard not to punch Kiyoshi. That bastard knows what he's really asking, but he's dodging the question anyway.
"Screw you, that's not what I was asking and we both know it. So I'll ask again, do you like Riko?"
There's no response at first, as Kiyoshi regards him silently, and then turns his gaze up ahead to where Riko is talking to Fukuda and Koga. Finally, he says, "Riko's smart, and pretty, and a great coach. Why wouldn't I like her?" Before Junpei can jump him and start beating him up, he continues, "But it's more than that. Riko takes things seriously, maybe even more so than we do, and she wants to be cute, but doesn't realize she already is, and she tries her hardest even when it hurts. If I didn't like a girl like that, I'd be an idiot, wouldn't I?"
He says it like a challenge, one thick eyebrow slightly raised, so Junpei goes all in and decides to give Kiyoshi what he wants, even as a blush starts up in his cheeks. "Yeah, you would. That's why I like her too."
This time, Kiyoshi does honestly look like he's been ambushed, because he probably didn't expect Junpei to give in to his goading like that. There's something sort of bitter reflected in his eyes as well. Junpei allows himself a little satisfaction at besting Kiyoshi's little tease for once, and then goes in for the kill.
"Next question. Do you like me?"
That stops Kiyoshi in his tracks. He looks stricken, but still manages a response, for which Junpei has to give him credit; if Kiyoshi had asked him the same thing, he would've fled.
"Ah, well, you're special, Hyuuga, but..." Kiyoshi trails off, and his vision flits away from Junpei, off to the ground.
Junpei wants to die of embarrassment, but he's gone too far to stop now. Time to sink the shot. He reaches up and turns Kiyoshi's head back so that they're making direct eye contact again, and says it.
"I like you too, Kiyoshi."
There's so much he's trying to say with those words. He wants to thank Kiyoshi for forming the basketball club, and he wants to hit him for bearing the burden of an entire team's fate. He wants to show him what it's going to feel like when they win it all, he wants to congratulate him for the day he'll finish his surgery and make a full recovery. Because they're going to accomplish these things together. There was never any doubt. But Junpei doesn't have the capacity to properly express those sentiments, so this is all he can do.
But even a guy like Kiyoshi isn't impervious to hearing that phrase, and soon he's sporting a blush to match Junpei's. His mouth opens, as if to say something, but doesn't have the chance, because there's suddenly another voice calling for them.
"Hey, you two, why are you dragging behind? Everybody's already gone on ahead!" Riko comes up beside them, but stops short when she sees how close they're standing. Junpei has pieced enough together by now to understand what it means when she holds back like this, as if she shouldn't be intruding. He's never thought about how Riko must feel, thinking of herself as outside of the team, when really she's one of the most important pieces of all. And this, what she thinks Junpei and Kiyoshi have going on, is just another extension of that. So before she can shut herself out, Junpei latches on to her hand without thinking it through.
"Oh, Riko. Come here, uh, if you don't mind."
She moves slowly, but complies. "What's going on, Hyuuga-kun? What are you and Teppei doing back here?"
Junpei isn't sure how to proceed. He has almost absolute faith that he's reached the right conclusion, but he isn't sure how to bring the other two there. More than that though, it would be rude to presume that Riko feels for him what he does for her. So fuck it, he'll tell her as basically as he can.
"Riko. This may seem out-of-the-blue, but I really mean it, so please consider this seriously. W-will you go out with me?"
There's a moment of silence.
"Eh?! But isn't Hyuuga-kun...with Teppei, aren't the two of you...?" Riko is genuinely flustered, and Junpei wants to reassure her, but he feels like he's rapidly losing control of the situation.
"The two of us aren't anything yet," is the best he can come up with, and Kiyoshi interrupts.
"What do you mean, not yet? Aren't we best friends?"
"Well, yeah, unfortunately, but if you would just answer my last question, I could tell you whether or not we're something else too!"
"Ah, so you do really like Teppei..." Riko confirms.
Junpei has no idea what to do with these two. They're so bothersome that he might actually be insane for wanting to get involved with them. Grabbing Kiyoshi's arm, he lugs them both to the back of the restaurant, away from the sidewalk.
"But you're the one he asked out, Riko," Kiyoshi tells her as they move.
Riko looks away and clutches her arm. "That's true. But wouldn't I be in your way, if we dated? Especially with the way you two are. The dynamic would be all off."
Kiyoshi waves it off. "No, no, it's obvious that it's you and Hyuuga who should be dating. Just because I like Hyuuga doesn't mean we would fit together."
That's it. Neither of them are getting this, and Junpei's had enough. There's no other choice. "Stop, just stop! Listen to me, would you? Okay, neither of you are allowed to say anything unless you're answering one of my questions. And you better answer as truthfully as possible!" They nod obediently, but he can see a tick of annoyance starting at Riko's temple. Better settle this as quickly as possible.
"You!" Junpei shouts while pointing at Kiyoshi. "Do you like Riko?!"
"Yeah, but you already knew that."
"Not the point! Now, you!" This time he jabs at Riko, who recoils slightly. He's probably going to be in trouble after all this.
"Y-yes?"
"Do you like Kiyoshi?"
Riko flushes, but says with confidence, "Yes."
"Great! Look how damn easy that was," Junpei exclaims. Riko smiles with uncharacteristic shyness at Kiyoshi, who grins back and slides a little closer to her. That's one obstacle out of the way. Now's the real trial. If he's wrong, the heartbreak will hit him twice as hard. Junpei takes a calming breath, before rounding back on them.
"We're not done yet. Kiyoshi! D-do you like me or not, you fucking bastard?!"
Kiyoshi's a jerk, so his mouth quirks up as he says, at an agonizing speed, as if he's actually deliberating on this, "Ahhh, well, if it's Hyuuga...then the answer is probably, ye~s, right?"
Junpei hates himself so much sometimes for his taste in people. Kiyoshi, really? What a terrible life choice that was.
"Don't make it a question! But I'm taking that as a yes. And you already got my confession, so there's definitely no way I'm saying it again. Which leaves you, Coach."
They both know what question is coming, but his pulse skyrockets anyway, and Riko begins fidgeting too. Junpei takes the plunge before he can chicken out.
"R-riko. I like you a lot, maybe even since we were kids, but especially now. And I wanted to know. How do you feel about me?"
There. He's finally said it, expressed this formless affection for Riko that's been years in the making. Did it start when they met, young and clueless? Or perhaps when she used to watch him jogging in the gym, or maybe not even until the first time he saw her again in high school, her whole body shaking with laughter at his blond hair. No matter when, Riko's always been there, and the best he can do is hope she won't leave him behind. Riko's the best of them, meant for great places, but somehow tied up willingly in all their madness. He wants to be there when she bursts onto the scene of whatever path she chooses, ready to watch her dazzle the room. He wants to be for her what she's always been for him.
Riko looks down, before answering, and takes one of his hands into hers. She runs her fingertips over the lines in his palm.
"I was upset at you for a long time, you know, the summer before high school. You'd loved basketball so, so much, and then suddenly, you dropped it like it was nothing? I hated it, because I thought you were better than that. I said to myself, I'll never waste time on such a guy again. An unreliable guy with no goals or self-confidence - how could I possibly like someone like that? But the thing is, I still liked you, which just upset me even more. It wasn't until Teppei came along that I realized I'd been right about you all along; you couldn't quit, but you just didn't know yet. We needed Teppei to bring you back to the right path. We needed the last point of our triangle to balance us out.
So I guess the answer is: I like you, Hyuuga-kun. I like both of you, but I couldn't understand why, because I never thought, statistically, that it would ever work out. That we could be so lucky. I thought I'd be fine with just watching you two the way I've been doing. But it's not good enough. So if you'll still accept my response, then yes, I'll go out with you, but only if it's all three of us."
She finishes speaking with a huff of breath, and Junpei can't help it, he laughs. All this time, it would've been so simple for anyone of them to suggest what they all wanted, but they had to wait around for someone like him to finally snap. After all they've been through together, to let something as easy as this worry them - they really are idiots.
"Don't be ridiculous. Obviously it has to be all of us, or it wouldn't work, right?"
Junpei closes his hand around Riko's and turns to Kiyoshi, reaching out for him too, but instead of taking his hand, Kiyoshi grabs them both in a hug. It's obvious during moments like these how much taller he is than them, but that doesn't necessarily make him stronger. Wrapped up in Kiyoshi's long arms, Junpei can feel the other boy's heart, hammering away, and the tightness in his muscles. Riko must sense the same thing, because she curls her free arm around Kiyoshi's chest, so Junpei mirrors her until they're holding hands around him. It's their job to support him as much as he has for them, but sometimes it's hard to get that through Kiyoshi's thick head.
"If it's okay, can we just stay like this for a minute?" Kiyoshi murmurs against Junpei's hair.
Riko pushes up onto her tiptoes and leaves the promise of a kiss against his cheek. "Of course. But not too long, or the team will be done eating before we even enter the restaurant."
Kiyoshi laughs, and Junpei can feel the sound reverberate through his own body. It's not as hard as he thought it would be, holding two people at once, feeling their warmth from all sides. It's actually kind of perfect.
But after a bit, Junpei starts to feel a little shifty about hugging in the shadows behind a building while the team eats away their food budget, so he pulls away. "Okay, that's enough for now," he says gruffly. "We'll have time for all that later."
"And what would 'that' include, hm, Hyuuga? Oh, or can I call you Junpei?" Kiyoshi gives him his best guileless smile, the one Junpei knows he can't trust for a second. Riko, still by Kiyoshi's side, turns her own version of that crafty look on him as well, and Junpei backs away. It's only been two minutes and they're already scheming. Letting these two team up against him was a fatal mistake.
"Senpai?" And suddenly, the saving grace: Kuroko's melodious voice summons them from where he stands a few paces away.
"Kuroko! Hey. Uh, what's up?...And when did you get here?"
"Just now. The rest of us have already ordered, so Izuki-senpai sent me out to see if you would be joining us. Has something come up?"
"No, we were about to come in just now. Right, guys? Sorry for the holdup." Kuroko nods and heads back into the restaurant.
Junpei beckons the other two impatiently and starts to follow Kuroko back. As they walk behind him, Riko and Kiyoshi discuss something in low tones.
"But won't it be hard for three people to kiss at once?"
"Well, that's why we'll take turns, you see? We'll just go in a little circle, like, me to Junpei-kun, then him to you, then you to me. We can figure it out from there."
He spins around to tell them be quiet, dammit, they're about to see the whole team, for crying out loud! But when he's turned, they're leaning in, awfully close to his face. Before a word of protest can escape Riko and Kiyoshi (...Teppei?) each lean in and kiss him on the cheek. His brain shuts down.
"Ah, wait, that wasn't the plan, was it?"
"No matter, it's fine. Anyway, let's go in, Teppei. I'm starving!"
Junpei is left staring after them as Kiyoshi opens the door for Riko, and they disappear into the restaurant.
Dear god, he is totally, utterly, hopelessly screwed.
And a little bit happy...
...kind of...
...maybe.