Ship: Kyousuke/Tomoe, Heath/Tomoe Fandom: Prince of Stride Major Tags: tags omitted Other Tags: tags omitted Word Count: 482 words
Hi it’s me, DON’T WORRY IT’S NOT ACTUALLY THAT SAD and I tried again at the OT3 thing- also that first song is AMAZING, I’m going to have it stuck in my head forever.
***
Kyousuke never had any illusions about Tomoe returning his feelings. He knew from the start that the only thing Tomoe loved was running.
Tomoe would outrun the wind, outrun the past, outrun everyone that tried to hold him still. He was the essence of motion, he was something that would die if it ever stood still. Even when he couldn't run, he held himself like a bird poised for takeoff, as if he were perpetually caught in that moment before leaping.
Kyousuke could not help but love him. Kyousuke knew better than to love him.
"Don't," Heath advised, watching where Kyousuke's gaze lingered. Tomoe was stretched against a wall, all long, lean legs and elegant arms, his body arching with the easy grace of a ballerina's.
(Kyousuke couldn't help but look and Heath couldn't help but notice.)
"Don't what?" Kyousuke asked with a wry smile. "Don't watch our teammate stretch and try to learn from him?"
"You know that's not what I meant," Heath said mildly and a second later, when Kyousuke didn't argue, "And you know that's not what you were doing.
"He just..." Kyousuke's voice trailed off. How could any words made by humans describe Tomoe? Perhaps the birds had words for it, mingled in their songs. Perhaps they could sing of the glory of flight, of freedom, of the sensation of being able to outpace the world and run so fast that you felt your soul rise free from your body. A runner's high, it was called, an endorphin rush that was the gift of an overtaxed body, nothing more than a chemical reaction but Kyousuke loved it. Kyousuke clung to those moments of lightheadedness and freedom the way that he would cling to Tomoe if he weren't so sure that there was no faster way to make Tomoe run away from him.
"Yeah," Heath echoed, dry and a little sardonic. "He just makes you look at him."
Something about the tone of voice made Kyousuke look at Heath properly and take in the way Heath’s lingered on Tomoe - the regret in his words, the rough fiddling with a piece of paper between his fingers as if he couldn’t stay still either.
"...You too?" Kyousuke asked and Heath laughed, leaning over to clap Kyousuke on the shoulder.
"Might as well tell the waves not to follow the moon as tell you not to look," he said and flashed Kysouke a smile that only looked a little strained. "Come on. Let's get Tomoe and start practicing. I found a new route that you're going to love."
"Sure," Kyousuke said and dropped the topic. Tomoe would never love either of them back so what was the point of fighting over it?
They loved, knowing Tomoe couldn't love, and their shared suffering brought them closer together.
(And then Tomoe left and their shattered hearts broke apart from each other too.)
FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, T
Fandom: Prince of Stride
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 482 words
Hi it’s me, DON’T WORRY IT’S NOT ACTUALLY THAT SAD and I tried again at the OT3 thing- also that first song is AMAZING, I’m going to have it stuck in my head forever.
***
Kyousuke never had any illusions about Tomoe returning his feelings. He knew from the start that the only thing Tomoe loved was running.
Tomoe would outrun the wind, outrun the past, outrun everyone that tried to hold him still. He was the essence of motion, he was something that would die if it ever stood still. Even when he couldn't run, he held himself like a bird poised for takeoff, as if he were perpetually caught in that moment before leaping.
Kyousuke could not help but love him. Kyousuke knew better than to love him.
"Don't," Heath advised, watching where Kyousuke's gaze lingered. Tomoe was stretched against a wall, all long, lean legs and elegant arms, his body arching with the easy grace of a ballerina's.
(Kyousuke couldn't help but look and Heath couldn't help but notice.)
"Don't what?" Kyousuke asked with a wry smile. "Don't watch our teammate stretch and try to learn from him?"
"You know that's not what I meant," Heath said mildly and a second later, when Kyousuke didn't argue, "And you know that's not what you were doing.
"He just..." Kyousuke's voice trailed off. How could any words made by humans describe Tomoe? Perhaps the birds had words for it, mingled in their songs. Perhaps they could sing of the glory of flight, of freedom, of the sensation of being able to outpace the world and run so fast that you felt your soul rise free from your body. A runner's high, it was called, an endorphin rush that was the gift of an overtaxed body, nothing more than a chemical reaction but Kyousuke loved it. Kyousuke clung to those moments of lightheadedness and freedom the way that he would cling to Tomoe if he weren't so sure that there was no faster way to make Tomoe run away from him.
"Yeah," Heath echoed, dry and a little sardonic. "He just makes you look at him."
Something about the tone of voice made Kyousuke look at Heath properly and take in the way Heath’s lingered on Tomoe - the regret in his words, the rough fiddling with a piece of paper between his fingers as if he couldn’t stay still either.
"...You too?" Kyousuke asked and Heath laughed, leaning over to clap Kyousuke on the shoulder.
"Might as well tell the waves not to follow the moon as tell you not to look," he said and flashed Kysouke a smile that only looked a little strained. "Come on. Let's get Tomoe and start practicing. I found a new route that you're going to love."
"Sure," Kyousuke said and dropped the topic. Tomoe would never love either of them back so what was the point of fighting over it?
They loved, knowing Tomoe couldn't love, and their shared suffering brought them closer together.
(And then Tomoe left and their shattered hearts broke apart from each other too.)