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Mibuchi Reo ([personal profile] showyousomethingnice) wrote2015-03-14 10:23 am

Soulmates AU (Reo, Kise)

[cont. from here]



After he's given Ryo-chan enough time to leave, Reo leaves too, heading for Rakuzan's locker room. He doesn't know how much of the team will still be there, but he expects that Coach Shirogane will be waiting to hear his decision directly for him, and he also needs to get his bag.

Most of the team has gone - off to lick their wounds, Reo thinks, back in their rooms where they don't have to face anyone but their assigned roommates. Without Ryo-chan here to occupy his attention, the full impact of the loss is beginning to hit him, and what he feels first and forement is guilt. Sei-chan didn't say it directly, but it doesn't take a genius to guess that it was Reo and Ryo-chan finding each other and leaving the court that changed the flow of the game. He'd thought it would be Kaijou that would be crippled without its ace, that Rakuzan would absorb his own departure smoothly and Sei-chan adapt his strategy accordingly, but. Well.

Obviously, that isn't how it happened, is it?

It occurs to Reo to wonder: when was the last time Rakuzan - or Sei-chan - had to adapt to anything? Shirogane warns them frequently of the dangers of complacency, but when was the last time even he had to consider the possibility that Rakuzan could lose? Reo may only be one piece of the machine, but removing him was still enough to make it wobble and crash.

He lost his team this match, this tournament, and now he's leaving them to join the team they lost to.

Standing in this mostly-deserted locker room, without Ryo-chan by his side, it's a lot harder to justify that decision.

He only has a few seconds to dwell on that, though - the room's three remaining occupants all look up when he comes in.

"Reo-nee." Hayama is subdued in a way Reo has never seen before, lacking his customary exclamation points, but he still manages a smile. "Ditch your soulmate already, huh?" Nebuya snorts a little next to him, while Shirogane withdraws into the background to give Reo a moment with his erstwhile teammates.

"Not for long," Nebuya says, "from what Akashi said."

"I'm so sorry," Reo says helplessly; he must look and sound as guilty as he feels, because from there the conversation is mostly the other two trying to reassure him and celebrate his good luck, and Reo's heart aches as he realizes how much he is going to miss them. It's always seemed like they drive him crazy more often than not, Hayama frustratingly careless and Nebuya utterly without shame about his tendencies toward vulgarity, but they've become his friends too, the first friends he'd had among his teammates in a very long time. They haven't showered yet, but for once Reo doesn't care about that, and he hugs them goodbye anyway.

Eventually, Shirogane gently shoos them along to the showers - "He has a soulmate to get back to, you two, you'll understand someday" - and turns to Reo in the quiet of the room.

"I won't keep you long," he says, and smiles a little. "I don't want to take up any more of your first day than I have to. You've made the right decision. We're going to miss you, but Kise-kun wouldn't be a good fit here. I think you understand why."

Reo does understand. Rakuzan has a lot of big personalities on it, a lot of talent, and a lot - not to put too fine a point on it - of ego. It's why he was so relieved when Sei-chan agreed to come to Rakuzan; otherwise, Reo would have been captain, and he knows he doesn't have the right touch to maintain the delicate balance Rakuzan requires to stay functional. Much as Reo loves his soulmate, he can easily admit that the addition of his personality would upset that balance and cause unnecessary waves until Sei-chan could smooth them down.

"It did seem like the best decision for everyone," he says. Then he hesitates, long enough that Shirogane raises an inquiring eyebrow.

". . . How is Sei-chan?" he finally asks. "He seemed . . ." Reo shakes his head a little, unable and unwilling to look for the words he wants.

Shirogane sighs.

*

Sei-chan, as it turns out, does not want Reo's company for the evening.

"It's kind of you to offer," he says, a softness in his expression that Reo can't seem to look away from, "but I'd just spend the whole time feeling guilty about keeping you two apart, and that wouldn't help either of us."

As he has done so often before, Reo has to admit that Sei-chan is right.

"But I'd like it if we could stay in touch," Sei-chan continues.

"Just you try to get rid of me," Reo says, mostly steady. Sei-chan smiles, mostly steady.

*

He sends the text less than an hour after he made the promise.

On my way, Ryo-chan!! Sei-chan gave me your address too, so don't worry about that. I'll see you soon. ♥ ♥ ♥
kichan: (pic#8655555)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-03-23 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Reocchi..." Even though the bond makes it feel like Reocchi's been in his life forever, Kise's still not used to the idea of someone expressing such earnest affection for him. He tilts his head over onto Reocchi's shoulder for a moment, but it's impossible to eat in that position so he doesn't linger.

"Where does she go to school? Maybe we could go to her one day!" Kise's not against the idea of traveling to meet Reocchi's family. Not everyone lives as close to their family as he does, after all, and he knows that. Besides which, Ryoko's not here so there will be travel involved in meeting up with her, too.

He watches Reocchi's face when he looks up from his meal and talks about his sister, nodding a little. "Then I'll absolutely like her. Anybody who is on Reocchi's side is already ahead of the curve."
kichan: (pic#8655551)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-03-28 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
Kise listens intently, food forgotten while Reocchi speaks. Even someone who is sometimes the social equivalent of a bull in a china shop (or who does a great impression of being so) can tell when something's this important.

Kise's relationship with his family is far from the standard expectation of Japanese society and he knows it, but in general they've all always been pretty hands-off, emotionally speaking. Kise's always been cute and talented and his sisters were the same before him--they all had enough of each trait that they didn't need a ton of close support from each other or from their parents. Of course, Kise's starting to wonder how things will work out with his mother now that he does need that support, but it doesn't seem anything like what Reocchi and his family have together. The one thing his parents have never done is give up on anything about him, so hearing that leaves a strange hollowness in Kise. He's never even met her but he appreciates Reocchi's sister a great deal listening to this.

He lets Reocchi talk until he seems talked out, then lifts one hand and carefully moves his hair away from the side of his face. No more hiding, Reocchi. "She's right, you know," he says lightly, not dismissing the heavy atmosphere but trying to navigate in it the best way he knows how. "I'm really glad you had her around, Reocchi. She sounds very smart."
kichan: (pic#8655555)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-03-31 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Kise tucks Reocchi's hair behind his ear as best as he can, knowing it's not really long enough to stay but wanting to drive the point home. His smile is gentle but he's very glad Reocchi didn't mind.

"Your secret's safe with me, Reocchi!" He even crosses his heart. "Sometimes you need to take your soulmate's side against even the best older sister. I'm sure it's in the rules somewhere."
kichan: (pic#8655552)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-04-01 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Reocchi's sudden declaration has Kise blinking a little, even though the little kiss makes him beam. It's not exactly a secret--Kise never paid much attention to the things people said about the Uncrowned because they just didn't matter as much (in his opinion, obviously much changed in the last twelve hours), but it was impossible to avoid the chatter in the Kaijou locker room before the last match. Kasamatsu-senpai barked at anyone he heard saying anything about Reocchi, but it only stopped them for so long. Thinking about it now, Kise wondered a little what the rest of the first-years thought now that he and Reocchi were soulmates. Only a little, though.

"OK! Don't worry, Reocchi--I thought I'd fall in love too. It's what you're supposed to do, right? Which is why it didn't really matter who it was for me, but I'm so glad it's you." He was confused at first, too, but Kise doesn't tend to linger in confusion, especially when there's an easy way out like accepting the situation in front of of him. After all, you don't play for the Generation of Miracles and let yourself spend a lot of time thinking about what's realistic or likely. At first he thought he might like guys more just because he spent more time around them, but girls were great too. Eventually it just seemed that he liked people and things like gender weren't really a factor, so rather than fight it, he went with it. Most people thought it was just him playing coy as a model which made it a lot easier to slip real flirtation and interest under the radar.

"And we could still fall in love later! After all, it will be very hard for Reocchi to not fall in love with me." He gives a little, 'what can you do?' shrug, knowing full well that the odds of getting teased for that are high. It's worth it if it makes Reocchi feel more comfortable talking about things like this, and Kise knows no matter what happens their bond will still be exactly right.
kichan: (pic#9007138)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-04-06 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not like there's even a choice in sides to take: a high school basketball team who may or may not even remember Kise in ten years, or the person he's as likely as not going to end up buried next to. In the end, if Kise hears Kaijou say one negative thing about Reocchi, he'll... well, he'll probably turn them over to Senpai because Kise's not really that good at yelling at people but he'll make aggressive faces over Senpai's shoulder the entire time.

(If it continues, though, if it looks like there's a single person at Kaijou who's going to give Reocchi a real problem being on the team, Kise's not afraid to hold his talent hostage. He won't play on a team that doesn't accept his soulmate.

Luckily for everyone involved, Kaijou's not likely to be very resistant.)

He starts to go back to his supper when he hears Reocchi's reply and turns a suspicious look at him.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you were picking on me, Reocchi. Don't you think I'm lovable?" Kise is the most lovable, obviously.
kichan: (pic#9007181)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-04-11 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Kise doesn't mean to stare but Reocchi's whole face changes when he answers. Any thought that Reocchi might be teasing him just flees from Kise's mind--he's not sure he's even capable of an expression as honest as Reocchi's. Something in his chest gets a little tight in reaction to the sheer loveliness of his soulmate and when Reocchi turns back to his meal, Kise just sighs. He's so lucky!

He picks his way through his own meal while Reocchi eats, pausing only for a moment when he asks about Kaijou. "I think they'll love you." He realizes that's a flip answer to an important question, though, so he stops and sets his utensils down, counting on his fingers.

"Moriyama-senpai will be glad to have someone who won't compete with him for girls, and also since you and I are bonded he'll probably be happy that a lot of girls will think I'm unavailable now too. Nothing really bothers Kobori-senpai so I don't think he'll have anything much to say about it but if he does it'll probably be kind. He's been very nice. Nakamura-senpai will probably be disappointed that you're likely to take Moriyama-senpai's place on the first string when he retires, but you're more talented and Nakamura-senpai has always been supportive of whatever's best for the team. Hayakawa-senpai is very loud but he means well. At least, I think he does..." Kise can't always understand his teammate, but to be fair most of them can't understand Hayakawa-senpai.

"And Kasamatsu-senpai doesn't care who you are or where you come from as long as you're respectful and serious and play good basketball. I think they might be confused by our bond but it'll make the team stronger so even if they don't understand I don't think they'll mind." Even if respectful and serious are things Kise often struggles with, his admiration and affection for not just his captain but his entire team shines through as he speaks.

"You won't regret coming here, Reocchi. They're good people."
kichan: (pic#9007205)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-04-17 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
Kise was looking forward as he was counting, so he misses the frown on his soulmate's face, but he doesn't miss the strange tone in his voice or the way he repeats his statement of certainty. He's trying to convince himself as much as anyone, Kise's sure of it. Something in the way he's sitting, though, in the air around Reocchi tells Kise that to oversell Kaijou right now--something he's not even sure is possible, he loves his school so much--would be counterproductive. Sometimes, you just have to see a thing to believe it.

"I hope your transfer comes through quickly. I know they're looking forward to meeting you, even though I'll be sad not to be able to keep Reocchi to myself anymore." It just means he has to make the most of the time he does have before everyone else realizes how great his soulmate is, right?

Speaking of which...

"Reocchi? When did you want to try to get in touch with your sister?" When in doubt, change the subject.
kichan: (pic#9007181)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-02 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Seeing Reocchi smile, even if it's one that clearly takes a little bit of effort, is one of those things that Kise knows has always felt good even if it's only been happening for a few hours. Seeing it now in particular gives him a sense of relief and he knows he made the right call, changing the subject. Besides, he's curious about Reocchi's sister, and he works toward finishing his meal a little more quickly with the knowledge that that's all that sits between them and contacting her.

"Everyone deserves a good reason to skip their homework, and we are an awesome reason." Of this he's completely certain, both the awesome part and obviously the homework part. He's hopeful Reocchi feels the same way, if only because it will make it much easier to explain to Kasamatsu-senpai why Kise's homework is so often neglected.

"I hope I'll get to meet her in person too, though, before too long! Maybe all five of us could go out, or even go away somewhere!" Is he getting ahead of himself? That's hardly even possible in Kise's mind.
kichan: (pic#9007188)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-03 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Where do you think we could go? I know Aneki always talks about wanting to go up north because she likes that kind of thing, skiing and stuff, but it's going to be so cold. I want to go to a beach."

Of course he'd spend the entire time, or a fair portion of it, under an umbrella anyway, but it's the sunshine that counts, not the sunburn. He's concerned that Reocchi's sister will side with Ryoko since Reocchi's already said they seem somewhat alike, but maybe he can sway his other sister to the side of warm weather...

Somewhere along the way, Kise's just about cleaned his plate, but he tries to slow down at the end so he doesn't finish before Reocchi, and so that he at least sort of doesn't look like he inhaled his entire meal. He's a gentleman, really! He swears! (Sort of!)
kichan: (pic#9007186)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-10 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
Yes! Score for Team Kise! He even wiggles where he's sitting, a subdued victory dance. Cold drinks and swimming and sunshine and people in very little clothing and did he mention sunshine? Life is grand.

Kise sips at his drink while stealing glances at Reocchi's plate. Almost... almost... OK, this shouldn't be too rude now, right? "If Reocchi is almost done, I can start my computer up and make sure the camera is working?" It's a little unnecessary--Kise would never let a camera in his presence be anything less than operational--but he's trying to be a good host so he wants everything to be ready as soon as Reocchi is.

"We can take care of the dishes later, too. Dad cooked so I told him I would clean up." Which automatically means they will, right Reocchi? But in time, of course. Kise's not about to tell Reocchi he's been roped into chores right before a call like this.
kichan: (pic#9007186)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-16 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
If Kise notices anything different on his soulmate's face, he's more than willing to accept it as a normal expression of amusement. After all, he's a very funny guy, right? And endearing? Of course.

Kise carefully sets his empty plate down and moves to turn his laptop on. It's a modest machine but he doesn't use it for much--homework, tracking the Google news alert he has set up for his name, the sorts of things he can't do on his phone. Naturally it has a camera, though, and he's quick to test it, turning it until it catches Reocchi where he's sitting and waving to his image on the screen.

"Up and running!" He comes back and offers it to Reocchi for signing in and whatnot. Kise will just be here peeking over his shoulder until everything's set up. There was supposed to be a preparatory phone call or something, wasn't there? Oops. Patience is for people who don't have anyone to impress.
kichan: (pic#9007186)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-19 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
There's the smile Kise's really started to learn to look forward to. It's a real one, not the stiffer ones Reocchi had on earlier. That's better.

Kise's doing his best to make sure he's in the shot over Reocchi's shoulder, but of course only in profile (on his good side). He does glance over at the screen once or twice but really, he should wait to be invited in, shouldn't he?

Even if she is very cute. And even if she does know his name already...!

He's about to say something when she--when Seiko-san? Can he call her that?--insinuates they might be dating, but then Reocchi's pulling him toward his shoulder and Kise can only beam. He props his chin on Reocchi's shoulder, holding himself up on the bed with one arm while the other loops lightly around Reocchi's waist.

Wow. She must really like him. Kise's used to the sounds his fangirls make but Seiko-san is still pretty loud. Even so, he can't help grinning right back at her and nodding over Reocchi's shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you, Seiko-san!"
kichan: (pic#9007189)

[personal profile] kichan 2015-05-22 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, Kise likes her. She's playful and free and so affectionate to her brother, which is of course something that makes anyone rank very high in Kise's list of good people now. He files the other name, Naomi-chan, away for investigation later and joins in the laughter.

She's also just as eager to tease as Kise's sister, but this time Kise can gang up on Reocchi. Just a little. "Don't listen to him, it's OK to remind us! Teiko won and Reocchi got to shine!" Sure, Teiko had their faults, but they did win games, and the Generation of Miracles' collective talent had just made what Reocchi brought to the game stand out that much more. Kise didn't see it that way at the time but in hindsight (slightly rose-tinted), of course Reocchi was the star.

And then Kise switches sides again when Seiko-san says Reocchi should've been feeling people up. He startles too--she's shameless, it's amazing--but one of them has to be able to roll with it and clearly Reocchi is not going to say anything back to his sister. "Seiko-san! You should know that even now, Reocchi hasn't felt me up yet. He's been a perfect gentleman. Well, except when he drew me into a foul. That was rude."

The last is punctuated with a patented Ryo-chan pout. Seiko-san needs to start building immunity immediately.

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