"They used to call you The Grand King," Koushi sighs, his voice tempered with fondness as he strokes his fingers through the short hair at the back of Tooru's head. "What are you now? The Gloomy King?"
With his face buried in Koushi's lap, Tooru replies with a groan. Koushi chuckles, his fingers wandering lower, tickling their way along the nape of Tooru's neck, slipping under the collar of his t-shirt. His hand just sits there, four fingers against Tooru's skin, like he's just indulging in the warmth to be found there.
"You're meant to be comforting me," Tooru grumbles. "And you're meant to be better at it than this."
"Of course," Koushi says indulgently, pulling his hand away, grabbing the back of Tooru's shirt and tugging until he sits up properly. "Come here."
Tooru is pouting as Koushi pulls him into a kiss. He can feel Koushi smile against his lips, and he allows it because as far as things go, losing a practice match isn't the worst thing in the world. It doesn't count for anything, and it gives the entire team a chance to grow and improve. His time as captain has taught him that much.
Still, he's spent the past few weeks building up his serve into something even more terrifying and his misses cost them more points than it earned them. He feels personally responsible for the loss and it doesn't matter that his teammates have assured him that they don't mind because they know it'll pay off in the end, it still gets under his skin and bothers him.
But Koushi has been good at pulling him out of these moods ever since they first started attending the same university. Perhaps even before then, starting as something that was half rivalry and half respect on opposite sides of a net. It's grown into something different now that they play on the same team. There's always the undercurrent of rivalry that comes from them both playing the same position, but they both take such different approaches to setting that it's difficult to begrudge the other when they're the one on the court.
He's also the best at teasing Tooru out of his slumps, smiling and poking fun at him until Tooru remembers that he isn't to be taken seriously all the time anyway, especially not by himself.
Not by Koushi either, if his ever-present smile is any indication. Tooru will never put it into words, but he likes that about Koushi. He's sure that Koushi knows anyway.
FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G
word count: 438
"They used to call you The Grand King," Koushi sighs, his voice tempered with fondness as he strokes his fingers through the short hair at the back of Tooru's head. "What are you now? The Gloomy King?"
With his face buried in Koushi's lap, Tooru replies with a groan. Koushi chuckles, his fingers wandering lower, tickling their way along the nape of Tooru's neck, slipping under the collar of his t-shirt. His hand just sits there, four fingers against Tooru's skin, like he's just indulging in the warmth to be found there.
"You're meant to be comforting me," Tooru grumbles. "And you're meant to be better at it than this."
"Of course," Koushi says indulgently, pulling his hand away, grabbing the back of Tooru's shirt and tugging until he sits up properly. "Come here."
Tooru is pouting as Koushi pulls him into a kiss. He can feel Koushi smile against his lips, and he allows it because as far as things go, losing a practice match isn't the worst thing in the world. It doesn't count for anything, and it gives the entire team a chance to grow and improve. His time as captain has taught him that much.
Still, he's spent the past few weeks building up his serve into something even more terrifying and his misses cost them more points than it earned them. He feels personally responsible for the loss and it doesn't matter that his teammates have assured him that they don't mind because they know it'll pay off in the end, it still gets under his skin and bothers him.
But Koushi has been good at pulling him out of these moods ever since they first started attending the same university. Perhaps even before then, starting as something that was half rivalry and half respect on opposite sides of a net. It's grown into something different now that they play on the same team. There's always the undercurrent of rivalry that comes from them both playing the same position, but they both take such different approaches to setting that it's difficult to begrudge the other when they're the one on the court.
He's also the best at teasing Tooru out of his slumps, smiling and poking fun at him until Tooru remembers that he isn't to be taken seriously all the time anyway, especially not by himself.
Not by Koushi either, if his ever-present smile is any indication. Tooru will never put it into words, but he likes that about Koushi. He's sure that Koushi knows anyway.
"Better?" Koushi asks, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not convinced," Tooru hums. "Kiss me again."