PSL with takenwithhim

[yellowcopycat]

[continued from this TFLN thread]

The train ride to Iwatobi from Yokohama was a pretty long ride. A little more than six hours, with a line change at Okayama station. Kise was feeling tired and hungry when he got off the train at the Iwatobi station around noon. He was used to being up early for practice, but he was used to actually doing things instead of just sitting around watching the scenery go by. Actually, now that he thought about it, that sounded like class, and he sometimes dozed off during lectures. So maybe it wasn't so different.

The trip had been nice. He came down early so he could spend the rest of the afternoon with Yamazaki before retiring to his hotel for the evening for an even earlier start for tomorrows shoot, and then hopefully spend that afternoon with Yamazaki as well before getting back on the train to be back in Yokohama on Monday morning. Thankfully it was a teachers' conference that day because other he might have seriously considered skipping. He wouldn't because that would make Kasamatsu mad, and Kise had the current policy of trying to keep his captain happy. It didn't always work.

He cast his eyes about. Looking for Yamazaki. It had been awhile since he had seen him. And, ah, there he was. He was taller than last time they saw each other two years ago, but now Kise had a couple centimeters on him. He was still as broad shouldered as ever, broader now. It was a good look on him. He took off the sunglasses and knit cap he was wearing to disguise himself and waved before making his way over to him. "Yamazakicchi!" He chirped happily. "Long time no see!"

Comments

[takenwithhim]

Someone else might've woken up early and made sure to be there or nearby with an hour to spare. Sousuke... was content to go about his morning like normal and arrive at the station a few minutes before the train was set to roll in. After all, there was still a quick morning practice to throw in so that he could earn the afternoon off. Couldn't just go skipping now, right? That'd earn a frown from Rin and probably questions about it later. Not that he'd been able to avoid the teasing when he told his best friend he was meeting up with a Tokyo acquaintance.

How long had it been since they'd seen each other? Two years or so. The blooming trees in later spring made a pretty nice backdrop for the entire thing, the scents of soon-to-be summer flowers drifting off the leaves and buds. Iwatobi's station was a casual as ever, a small coastal town without a huge inflow of traffic. Far different than the busy stations of Tokyo and other major cities in Japan. It'd been a shock to go from his hometown to Tokyo in the first place all those years ago. He wondered what Kise would think of it. That one of the top ten in Japan came from this kind of place. A small town and apparently raised up future olympians...

It wasn't hard to miss Kise. The shock of golden hair appearing out of nowhere from beneath a knit cap, the sunglasses lowering to reveal those similar golden eyes. Poor thing; he'd find out Iwatobi wasn't all that into the professionals. Even Sousuke's return to his hometown didn't do much. Samezuka's swim team didn't even realize he was one of the top ten swimmers in Japan (though at least they were impressed when the coach told them). Kise would be just fine here. He was simply “another boy” among the rest. And as he made his way closer, Sousuke realized that the other athlete had gained a few centimeters...

...more than him.

Ugh. Dammit, Kise. Sousuke was used to being the tallest one in his group of friends. Why'd you have to outgrow him? At least his shoulders were broader still. Though it looked like Kise had done plenty of growing on his own over the years. He looked good. A soft sigh slipped out. -icchi. Same old same. “Yo,” he greeted, hands in his pockets like normal, a small smile appearing on his normally impassive face. “Aa, been a while.”

[yellowcopycat]

"It's been too long! After my shoot got canceled last year I was worried it would be during the break before I got to see you. I'm glad this shoot came up and gave me an excuse to see you earlier!"

He tucked his glasses and cap into his bag and beamed at Yamazaki. "So, I'm starving! And you have to tell me all about how nationals went. I haven't had a chance to check out the results."

[takenwithhim]

The other guy wasn't even all the way over and he was already spilling out his story. He reminded him of two friends of his... one with pink hair and the other with rusty orange. Loud, excitable, overflowing. Kise at least had some buffer to his. “Aa.” Way too long. “Glad you could make it.”

Sousuke glanced at the disguise being tucked away into the bag, then back up to Kise as he got closer. For a moment, he was silent, giving him a once over. Then scowled a little despite himself. Ugh... He really had gotten taller than him. No comment. But then that topic came around and he turned to the side so they could start walking.

“I didn't compete, Kise. My best friend ranked highly though.”

Best topic, copycat. Best topic...

[yellowcopycat]

That brought Kise up short. He just stood there, staring at his friend.

"What?" That was news. He had known Yamazaki had gotten scouted during his second year. Known he had chosen to move back to his hometown and swim at Samezuka Academy, a school known to have a good swimming team. So... why hadn't he swam at Nationals?

He studied his friend. Something was off. Something was wrong. Later, he decided. This was a discussion for later, not for a public train station.

"You mean Matsuoka, right? That's good!" He continued walking forward until he was only a few feet from Yamazaki. "You mind if I drop off my bag at my hotel before getting lunch? It'll be quick!"

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke only offered a single glance before moving forward. Of course it was news; the last Kise knew, he'd been an unbeatable swimmer, on his way to becoming an Olympian like he'd always dreamed of. To swim beside his best friend once again. Yeah, he told Kise he'd been scouted, but... He could feel golden eyes studying him, but he didn't think Kise really had the same discerning understanding that Rin did, the kind that could see past his icy facade and look at the truth he had kept buried way down in the dark.

But he didn't think Kise was stupid either and that piece of news wasn't going to just go by accepted. So... later then. “Aa. Rin Matsuoka.” The faint trouble on Sousuke's face turned into a fond pride as the topic changed. “He's the one that was in Australia for five years training.” Hn. His best friend... “Rin's going to the Olympics. He's already had plenty of scouting offers.”

A lazy nod was all the answer Kise got for making that detour. “Which one are you staying at?”

[yellowcopycat]

"The one you went to Samezuka for," Kise nodded. He didn't know all the details about Yamazaki's relationship with this guy, but he thought had a good grasp of the situation from Yamazaki's end. It was, unfortunately, a situation he was familiar with.

And Kise really didn't like how Yamazaki wasn't saying anything about how he was going to the Olympics. That was troubling.

"The one across the street from the hotel, so I don't have so far to walk when I leave." He said with a slight laugh. "No, it's where our agency booked us. I need to put you on the allowed visitors list, so this will kill two birds with one stone."

He gave Yamazaki a smile. "So where will we eat lunch?"

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke tensed a fraction. “I didn't--...” But then quieted the automatic response. His shoulders dropped a little and a softer expression appeared again. “Aa... guess I did.” He returned to his home down for Rin. To protect his best friend's dreams... and to have one more chance to swim with him again before he gave up on his own. He was a little surprised Kise was able to pin that so instantly, but then again... Kise had always been on a team.

“That's a good choice. From the reviews I hear.” Since he'd never had to stay in a hotel in his hometown. His house was nearby after all or he was living at school. “Allowed visitors?” Sousuke didn't stop the arched brow and a small glance. “You're really that famous, hm?”

Lunch... “What kind of food do you like? There's a lot of seafood around here.” Coastal town with fishing boats and all.

[yellowcopycat]

"It's not just me. Other models are here for the shoot as well. I'm actually mid-level compared to most of them." He shrugged. "We're all booked into this hotel. Um... One of my colleagues has a stalker at the moment too, so it's tighter than usual."

The ugly side of fame that most people don't think about.

He points to a very muscular man in suit that somehow didn't look too small on him. "That's the head of security, Yamamotocchi. I've already given him your picture and I'm pretty sure he did a background check on you, go talk to him while I check in."

And five minutes later Kise's checked into the hotel, has his key cards, and is just waiting for Yamazaki to finish speaking with Yamamoto.

[takenwithhim]

“You brought an entourage?” Sousuke murmured, glancing to the side as he walked them towards the hotel. Well it made sense that they'd all be in the same place. Easier to track and easier to get from shoot to shoot without having to go all over the town. A slight face tugged at his visage when Kise noted a stalker. “Really... New or has it been going on for a while?”

He noted the strong man in the suit, giving him a quick once over. Not that Sousuke had any plans on making trouble, but he wasn't one to follow rules if he didn't feel like it either. A brow arched regardless. “You gave him my picture? Clip it out of a magazine or something?” he asked, not commenting on the background check. He knew he was clean as far as drugs went, but he didn't like just anyone looking at his medical records for obvious reasons.

Five minutes later, he returned to Kise's side, having spoken with the bodyguard and checked out okay. “Looks like I pass.”

[yellowcopycat]

"Yeah, it was from last year." Kise said, no shame whatsoever. "Downloaded off the internet and printed it off. It was the quickest way."

"And of course you passed. Why wouldn't you?" It wasn't like he was privy to that information. Just Yamamoto and his team.

"Anyways, my room's over here." He lead Yamazaki to the elevators and pushed the up button. The doors opened and he went inside and pushed the button for the third floor. The doors closed and the car began to rise, leaving them alone.

"Are you okay?" Kise asked after a moment. He had been dying to just ask why Yamazaki hadn't swam at Nationals, but he didn't want to offend him and risk their friendship.

[takenwithhim]

“Guess I can't blame you for that.” He had his face in magazines before and all, but nowhere near what Kise put out. Least there was a way for his friend to get his security prepared for Sousuke showing up. The question merely earned a shrug. Rhetorical and a little teasing. “Because I'm not sixteen anymore?” he offered.

And rounded to the side as he was directed to the elevator. Good, he wasn't fond of first-floor rooms either. Sousuke slipped inside the elevator once the doors opened and leaned back against the wall, one ankle crossed over his other, his arms crossed over his chest.

A dark brow arched. “Aa. Why do you ask?”

[yellowcopycat]

"You don't look that much different," Kise said. "Aside being taller and bigger shoulders, your face is pretty much the same."

The door opened on his floor Kise lead them to his room which was at the end of the hall.

He waited to answer Yamazaki's question until they were both in his hotel alone.

"I'm asking because you didn't compete at Nationals." Kise tried to keep his voice light, but worry crept in anyways. "I mean, that's not like you, Yamazakicchi. You're almost as competitive as me."

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. He'd grown, but yeah, it wasn't like he'd completely changed; he was still easily recognizable even from when he was a kid. “Can't say you've changed much yourself. You've filled out though.” He could tell, from the way Kise's shoulders moved and how he held his body as he walked out of the elevator and into the hall.

Soft footsteps, odd for someone his size, followed after the other athlete, keeping a casual distance so he wasn't walking all over him. But as the hotel room door opened and closed behind him, he knew Kise wasn't going to let the topic drop. Even if he dodged it.

For a few moments, he was silent, letting Kise's words linger in his ears. Even if he'd had to face the issue thanks to Rin and the rest of his teammates, it wasn't something he enjoyed talking about. Because of what it meant. But... Kise would only keep asking and it wasn't fair to keep him in the dark over something he was obviously concerned about.

Sousuke let a quiet sigh drift past his lips. “My shoulder broke down from over-training,” he murmured, looking towards the window. “But I never really gave it time to heal.”

Sorry for the delay, rough week

[yellowcopycat]

"Yamazakicchi," Kise said quietly. He looked at his friend for a moment. With a sigh he sat down on the bed and gave him a sharp look and patted the spot next to him. "Sit," he ordered.

He wasn't as hungry now. Food could wait.

"Sit and tell me who let you do something so stupid and why you thought it was a good idea."

Because Yamazaki should have known better. And who ever was his coach was should have kept a better eye on him. There were many, many times that Kise and the other Miracles had wanted to push themselves in training, only to be told to cut back before they damaged their bodies. Both their coach and Akashi had been on them about not going to far until their bodies matured. Kise had pushed himself too far in his games against Fukuda Sougou and Seirin. Haizaki had hurt him, and he played through through both games, it was why he wasn't allowed to play Midorima and Shuutoku.

He was pretty sure he knew why Yamazaki over trained. Matsuoka. He had never pried too much into the nature of the relationship between the two swimmers, but he figured it was something like his and Aomine's, where there was tension. Though he didn't know if Yamazaki's was as one-sided as his. (He's mostly over Aomine. Mostly. Just like he's mostly over Kuroko.) He hoped it wasn't.

S'all good~ Going through the same myself.

[takenwithhim]

The name made him feel a little worse, considering he knew the other athlete had obviously been watching for him. But even if he was facing the window, he saw that sharp look from those golden eyes and his own teal narrowed a bit. Even now, Sousuke wasn't someone to let people order him around (only Rin got away with that kind of thing). But eventually, he lowered his head, offered a soft sigh of relent, and turned to head over as Kise wanted.

The bed shifted a little as he sat beside him. “You know as well as I do no one “lets” me do something. I go my own way and do my own things.” To be responsible for himself was his way of thinking, to share neither the glory of winning or the burden of defeat with anyone but himself. Yes, it was stupid and yes, he'd seen the error of that thinking earlier in the semester. But old habits die hard and he still had to struggle to push through those feelings sometimes.

“My coach and therapist worked with me, but every time the doctor said I could take the brace off, I threw myself back into swimming as hard as I could to make up for all the time I'd lost.” He leaned back, slid his hands behind his head, and settled on his back on the bed, eyes gazing up at the ceiling. “My best friend was trying his best over in Australia; we both dreamed of going to the Olympics together. I couldn't let myself break that promise and fall behind. So I fought. Even if it was stupid.”

He should have known better. And his coach did everything he could to stop him, bar chaining him up. But he was as stubborn as a glacier and found his way back to the water or the gym regardless of what happened. Even after everything broke and he watched his teammates get further and further ahead, leaving him behind, he still fought. Miserable. Hurting. Therapy. Rehabilitation. Breakdown. Therapy. Rehabilitation. Breakdown. Over and over. Until he finally realized that his dream would never come true. And he decided to give up swimming forever.

Until he watched Rin swim in last semster's regional race. To see him going from failing alone in his heat to dominating the competition in the relay with his friends, Sousuke found one more flare, a tiny spark of a dream that fueled his body once more.

Kise wasn't stupid. The swimmer knew the basketball player could guess what the real reason was for his intentions. A friend. Sure, Sousuke was the first to tell anyone that Rin was his rival, that he swam against or alongside him, but never “with” him. But in reality, he simply had been denying the very real reality that Rin was his best friend. The one who introduced him to swimming and nurtured that raw, amazing talent as both coach and rival. Rin gave him his dream. And Sousuke sacrificed everything, his sport, his dreams, even his future, for the chance to swim with him one more time.

All of that, he quietly explained to the other athlete. Until it was left out in the open, said and done. And he fell silent once again.

I am so sorry

[yellowcopycat]

For a beat Kise was silent. Then he let out a small sigh and wrapped his arms around Yamazaki's shoulders. He was tearing up a bit. For multiple reasons. He felt sad for Yamazaki loosing his dream, for why he lost it, for the fact that Matsuoka didn't seem realize just how much he meant to Yamazaki. Also because, ever since suffering injuries from Haizaki that he was afraid of becoming to the Miracles what Kiyoshi was to the Uncrowned Kings- the one who wouldn't be able to forward with their dream.

"Sousuke," he said quietly, hoping the other boy didn't mind that he was using his given name. "Did you ever tell Matsuoka how you felt?"

It's all good~

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke tensed up the second arms wrapped around his shoulders. One, because he wasn't really a person that let or had people invading his personal space so easily (then again, this was Kise). Two, even if he wasn't swimming at the moment, it still didn't mean his shoulder had recovered immediately. The sensitivity and instinctive guarding were still there. But he didn't push the other boy off, simply let him have his moment. Kise had always been a more tender person than people gave him credit for. He could already guess where some of the other athlete's thoughts were going.

Teal eyes shifted to the side for a second. Kise went for the one question he'd rather not talk about. Fitting. Then lowered his gaze, eyes closing again. “Only after he pieced things together at regionals.” The unspoken truth of If I had my way, he'd never have known wasn't hard to pick up on.

[yellowcopycat]

"You know if you don't tell people what you want you'll never get them," Kise said in response the unsaid statement and pulled back from Yamazaki, looking at the older boy.

He thought for a moment. Wondering exactly what Yamazaki wanted from Matsuoka. He had assumed Yamazaki was in love with Matsuoka... but he might have been projecting his own feelings on the matter. "Did you only want to swim with him?" he asked gently. "Or did you want more?"

He shook his head. "You don't need to answer that, sorry that was a really personal question."

[takenwithhim]

“Some people are content not getting everything they want, Kise,” Sousuke responded, his voice lowering. He no longer had the chance at the future he wanted so desperately. The last thing he wanted was to drag Rin down with him because of his blind drive forward.

He settled his elbows on his knee and propped his chin on interlaced fingers, gazing ahead of him with the normal stoicism he'd grown into. Kise was a smart guy; he could read somewhat between Sousuke's lines, probably due to his own experiences and knowledge on athletes. But Sousuke was a stubborn person even if he was sometimes an idiot about them. The question Kise posed next... well...

Sousuke offered a little “heh” of slight embarrassment, slight incredulous. Really, Kise? “I could ask the same about you and your captain,” he countered, glancing to the side at the other athlete. Besides, Kise was like Rin, a romanticist. “What do you think?”

[yellowcopycat]

What about Kise and his captain? He let out a sigh. "What I think is that just because you're content with not getting what you want doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

He stood. "Knowing you won't succeed, but trying anyways, you sorta did that. But you..." He paused, and then went ahead and said what meant. "You did it in a stupid way. You got yourself hurt worse than before, didn't you?" He looked down at Yamazaki. "Sousuke, that makes me very worried for you."

And as for his captain. "We're.. it's complicated, but I've talked to him about it."

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke didn't reply to that one immediately. It'd be the furthest thing from the truth to say he hadn't tried. As far as achieve his goal. But if Kise really was talking about his feelings for Rin, that was a completely different topic altogether. There were things that Rin needed to focus on... things that didn't need to be compounded by his best friend admitting to some feelings for him. But...

He glanced up when Kise stood. Only to sigh and lean back when the other athlete lowered the proverbial boom on him. Stupid. He'd hurt himself worse than he had already. Even if his intentions had been noble, his dream to swim at the top with his best friend, his methods hadn't helped him get there. Despite all his strength and power.

“Aa.” It was all he could say. He'd told Kise the truth and the other athlete could see the entire thing straight through. From his feelings for Rin to the real reason he'd put himself through such rigors. Lying to him would only get him in worse trouble. “You're not the only one worried,” he admitted quietly. After regionals, he'd been back in a shoulder brace with only meager allowances into the pool, always under Rin's watchful eye. There would be no more swimming for him this semester.

“If the time's right, I'll tell him too. But I don't want to burden him with something he doesn't need.”

[yellowcopycat]

"When will be the right time?" Kise challenged, but after a moment of studying Yamazaki for a moment and then put a hand gently on his shoulder. "Never mind, let's... go get lunch and talk about fun things. We can hit the beach afterwards and we can wade out a bit. We can talk about feelings later."

Because feelings were annoying really. His own for Kasamatsu were... not getting him where he wanted. But they could talk about that later.

"Please? I can tell I'm only making you feel bad and that's not what I wanted."

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke had just been about to answer, already having at least that ready to go on his tongue. But Kise, like a true basketball athlete, passed the ball elsewhere and left him with open air to speak of. The right time... He knew the right time. When Rin wouldn't be burdened by knowing it. When he wouldn't be held back by Sousuke. Rin had a dream to accomplish, unfortunately a dream he'd have to accomplish without him.

Even though he said he'd wait for him...

A soft sigh was Kise's only answer instead and he pushed himself up with a silent motion in spite of his large body. “Don't feel bad, Kise. Rin already laid into me when he found out about my shoulder.” A bittersweet smile appeared, gentle at the memory. “I'm not really a team player, Kise. I always thought that swimming was a solo sport. You dive in the water and you're alone.”

But his growth over the years, his friendship and separation from Rin, the breakdown of his shoulder and wreckage of his dreams, his reunion with his best friend... They'd changed all of that. Though, old habits and thoughts die hard even still. “I was wrong. I know that now.”

But lunch and the ocean were good options to leave this behind.

[yellowcopycat]

"Well, yeah," Kise said, "But I'm just as guilty. You at least have the excuse of solo events to let you think that."

Because at the beginning he had thought he could win on his own, that his teammates would only be there to pass him the ball. He was good, he was exceptional, and his skills would only keep growing. He had thought that the only opponents that would give him trouble were the other members of the Generation of Miracles. He was wrong, even more wrong than Yamazaki was.

Looked like they had more in common than he had originally thought.

"You know, you can call me Ryouta if you want. I've decided that's okay." Then after dropping that he turned to the door, a spring in his step. "C'mon I'm hungry. Let me pack a bag and let's go. I'm a growing boy and I need food."

[takenwithhim]

Sousuke shrugged, not about to get into some kind of competition over who's guiltier. They both have their own burdens from the past; it's simply a matter of whether or not their special someone's are going to be able to knock it off their stubborn shoulders.

He was one of the top ten in Japan, had been in a period of time where no one could beat him in his entire nation. But he swam not for them, but for his own dream and for the future he was going to share with Rin. That'd been his goal... that was why he loved swimming. Life wasn't always fair though and as he slid his hands into his pockets, he tried his best to let the topic roll away. They could deal with things later.

Food sounded good about now anyways. “Hn, you've decided?” he echoed with a small smile, one that said he'd decide for himself what he'd call Kise. Mostly just to be a bit of a dick about it. Sousuke wasn't one to have others tell him or “permit” him to do things. Still, he appreciated the gesture was was only teasing him. “Aa. Grab a towel or two.” Passing by, he went close enough to offer over Kise's shoulder--

“Swimsuit's optional.”