a/n: can anybody tell that I have a massive crush on Shin yet or...?

"So, who's becoming a regular?" Shin asks when Kai and Ren enter his office that's connected to the gym. "And who's on the bench?"

"We're still regulars," Ren says as they take seats opposite Shin. "And so is Tetsu. I'm point guard, Kai's power forward, Tetsu's shooting guard. We just need to decide the next two players."

"Anyone you recommend?"

"Miwa Taishi," Kai says automatically, and Ren's smirking at him again, eyes holding that insufferable look that he tries his absolute best to ignore. "He can be small forward, he's definitely versatile enough for it."

"Okay… so all we need is a centre. Any final recommendations?" Shin asks, writing all of this down on his worn cork clipboard.

"None that stuck out to me." Kai says.

Ren nods. "Me neither, but Aichi's got potential."

"Aichi? The blue-haired kid that quit at four laps?" Kai asks, and if his face had any emotion in it, it might have been incredulous.

"It was five," Ren corrected, "and he's done well in all the exercises."

"The pressure of an actual game would kill all of his little exercises."

"Well we'll never know until we give him a chance.

"Looks like you're the one with a crush," Kai mutters, folding his arms across his chest.

Ren has the decency to blush.

Shin watches all of this with his eternal dorky smile. "Well, we have to figure this out so I can post the list by noon tomorrow."

"Aichi can't be a centre," Kai says with finality in his voice. Ren sighs.

"Fine," he whines. "But Kamui's no better off with his height."

"I said he can't be centre. We all shift around on the field, except for you and Tetsu. Sometimes I end up centre. But Aichi can't be centre."

"What about Yahagi Kyou?" Shin asks, eyes scanning the list.

"No," Kai and Ren say simultaneously before immediately launching back into their Aichi-debate.

Shin laughs. "You guys are so in-sync with each other sometimes it's unnerving."

"You said he can't be centre, but he can be on the field. Tetsu's a good centre and since we play mainly offensive anyway, it's not a big deal if we put a throw-away member on the regulars," Ren says, and Kai nods - albeit, fairly reluctantly.

"We'll put him in on a practice match and see how it goes, but as it is he hasn't even played for a junior high team. Both Kamui and Yahagi have that over him."

"But Kamui's so short," Ren complains, "and bratty."

Kai shrugs. "He might prove useful. No one's expecting a dwarf on the court. Maybe he can be our invisible advantage."

"So you're saying a runt is better than Aichi?"

"Maybe."

"You suck."

"So… no fifth player as of yet?"

"We'll have them go one on one tomorrow," Kai says, getting up and grabbing his duffel bag. "That'll decide it."

"And no to Yahagi?"

"No," the two boys chorus, and Shin laughs again..

"Alright, alright… I'll post the list along with the match up on the gymnasium's bulletin board."

—:~:—

Kai is exhausted when he sits down in his assigned seat, and the sun pouring in through the window beside his desk is not helping, the heat like a blanket. He's just about to rest his head on his arms when Ren slides his ass onto his desk and starts swinging his feet.

"Hey Kai," he says, and even though Kai's not looking, he can feel the smirk.

"Ren," he says in basic acknowledgement.

"Where's your pretty boy? I thought he was usually earlier than us?"

Kai fights the urge to slam his head into Ren's thigh, thereby inflicting pain on him and effectively headdesking all in the same go. In actuality, Miwa was always later than them, but Kai was not going to rise to that bait.

"How am I supposed to know?"

Ren shrugs. "Maybe you're the kind that stalks his crushes."

Kai ignores this, and it totally doesn't have anything to do with the blonde who has just walked into the classroom, wearing his pink hoodie under his uniform blazer as usual. He's grinning, bobbing along to whatever music he's listening to through obnoxiously expensive bright pink headphones.

Ren whispers "gaaaaay" and Kai ignores him. Maybe his white laundry accidentally turned pink with an unexpected red item of clothing once and he just rolled with it?

It was totally possible.

He stands up from his seat and Ren lets out a low whistle that Kai vehemently ignores again and picks his way across the classroom toward Miwa's seat. He's not entirely sure what he's going to say, but he's wanted to tell him about his spot on the regulars ever since he left Shin's office. It's exciting news, and who wants to push through a crowd of first years just to get a glimpse of a list anyway?

Better to let him know now.

He pokes him in the shoulder and waits for him to slide his headphones back until they're resting on his shoulders.

"Yo, Kai! What's up?" Miwa greets him like it's the easiest thing in the world.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know you have a spot on the regulars."

Miwa's grin showed exactly sixteen of his teeth. Now that could stop keeping Kai up at night.

"Really? I didn't think I would," he says, laughing.

"Don't have to be so modest, I'm pretty sure everyone knew you would."

"Heh, maybe I am laying on the humble a little too much…" What a shit.

"So, yeah. We'll be practicing team plays next week starting Monday. You know Misaki? She'll want to talk to you during practice today so she can personalize your training menu."

"Sounds good. Thanks a lot, Kai!"

The bell rings and Kai makes his way back to his seat. Ren's finally sitting in his seat instead of on Kai's desk, but it doesn't prevent him from leaning over and whispering "You're so obvious, it's painful" while their homeroom teacher starts the roll call.

—:~:—

Lunchtime, aka the time when Ren Suzugamori takes a pair of chopsticks out of his bag and steals bits of food from Kai's store-bought bento. And then proceeds to systematically eat any of the bentos girls make him (which is exactly one today because the rest have given up).

Kai swipes his chopsticks at Ren's. "You've got your own, why don't you eat them?"

"Because bento bought with your money just tastes better," Ren giggles and fakes a swoon. Kai shoots him a look and he quickly sobers up. "But you have to admit, those girls aren't my type."

"What about Asaka?"

"She's my friend, Kai. She's different, she makes it because she thinks I don't eat enough."

"Well considering you eat my scraps, she's not far off."

"Hey," Ren whines. "That's not completely true!"

Kai rolls his eyes. "You're pathetic."

And then, as if on cue (and it totally is because Kai's life is actually a sitcom in disguise and Ren is his laughtrack), Miwa walks back into the classroom with his lunch from the cafeteria. Kai is momentarily distracted long enough for Ren to trace the tracks of his eyes.

"Who's pathetic again?" he asks slyly as they both stare at an otherwise oblivious Miwa who's bobbing his head along to whatever is playing in his headphones. "I bet you 1000 yen that it's SNSD's Japanese album," he adds in a whisper.

"REDMAN. Or Daizystripper," Kai immediately throws back.

"You're on," Ren says before calling across the room, "Yo Miwa, whatcha listening to?"

He grins widely, turning his eyes into crescents that Kai thinks are really kind of cute… right before happily answering "Kyary Pamyu Pamyu!"

Kai feels betrayed.

Ren's eyes turn into teasing slits as they slide back to Kai. "Shut up, just shut up," Kai mutters before finishing off the last piece of his karaage. Ren smirks and steals another riceball.