A/N: There's a teeny manga spoiler. You probably won't even notice. If you've read the manga though, you might notice that that I actually haven't. What I know about what happens is mostly pieced together from fanart I've encountered, so I'm sorry if something is totally off. D;

invincible

"H-Hey," Onoda said hesitantly, looking over towards the seniors, who working on their bikes, "Do you think Teshima-senpai and Aoyagi-senpai are fighting?"

Naruko and Imaizumi looked up from their homework.

It was an exam week, and it had been decided that practice would start an hour later than usual for the duration so that everyone had time to get some studying and homework done. Naruko, in particular, needed to ensure he remained eligible to participate in club activities.

"What are you talking about, Onoda-kun?" Naruko laughed. "They're as lovey-dovey as usual, aren't they?"

Imaizumi also glanced over at the seniors a moment. "They've been quieter than usual," he said.

"Quiet-senpai is always quiet," Naruko pointed out.

"And Teshima-san usually speaks enough for the both of them," Imaizumi agreed, nodding. "But he's been quieter."

"Ahhh, so Imaizumi-kun noticed it too!" Onoda sounded a little relieved. "Teshima-senpai hasn't been as talkative to us or Aoyagi-senpai lately... I wonder if something is wrong…"

"Ehhh... Maybe they've just gone into full telepath mode," Naruko said, joining them in staring across the yard towards the upperclassmen. "I guess Captain Perm has been a little quiet in general though... I bet he's just embarrassed I caught them making out in the club room last week."

Onoda blushed. "You did?"

Naruko cackled. "You should have seen Captain Perm's face! He turned bright red and couldn't speak without stuttering! Can you believe it? I think he thought we didn't all already know?"

"Hm," Imaizumi said, raising an eyebrow. "Technically no one's ever said anything about it."

"But they're so obvious about it!"

"Maybe they don't think so," Imaizumi said. "Or at least, maybe Teshima-san didn't think so?"

"T-That's not something to be upset about though, is it?" Onoda asked worriedly. "That we know?"

"He hasn't said anything about it though," Naruko pointed out. "Even when I was there, it wasn't like he asked me not to mention it later...though I guess he was too busy trying to melt into the floor, ka ka ka!"

"I didn't realize Teshima-san was so self-conscious." Imaizumi said.

"I was surprised too!" Naruko said. "Quiet-senpai seemed to think the whole thing was funny though."

"Hm..." Onoda looked back to his homework. "Well, I hope everything is okay..."

"Do you want me to ask?" Imaizumi turned towards him.

"Aaaa... You don't have to...!" Onoda said hurriedly. "I'm probably just worrying for no reason... I-I'm sure they're fine! T-Teshima-senpai and Aoyagi-senpai are always very lovey-dovey, like Naruko-kun said. I really imagine they're fighting or anything..."

Imaizumi looked at him. "I'll ask Teshima-san later," he said decidedly, then turned towards Naruko. "Why don't you ask Aoyagi-san?"

"Imaizumi-kun..."

Naruko laughed. "You worry too much Onoda-kun! But sure, I'll talk to Quiet-senpai during practice and see what's up!"

"Thanks, you guys..."

The downhill slope of the main road was gentle and a good way to rest and prepare again to climb the steep slope of the old road. Naruko still wasn't particularly great at climbs, but he knew he was getting better. Aoyagi was faster him on hills and shorter sprints, but Naruko had more stamina and could plow on at maximum speeds for longer.

He didn't know yet whether Teshima intended to use just one or both of them for various stages of the Inter-High. While Naruko did view Aoyagi as a rival the same as he did Tadokoro (and everyone else on the team, really), it was still difficult for him to read the older cyclist, and he wasn't sure that they would be able to push each other in the way he and Tadokoro had the previous year.

Aoyagi always got aggressive in close races, but he spoke so rarely that Naruko often wasn't sure if it was good-natured rivalry or genuine anger.

"Hey, Quiet-senpai!" Naruko called out as they sped down the hill.

Without turning his head, Aoyagi looked at him a second, then put his eyes back on the road.

"Captain Perm's been quieter than usual lately… He isn't mad about last week, is he?"

Aoyagi glanced down at the handlebars of his bike, then back at the road. Naruko waited. He wasn't very good at waiting, but he was used to it now. Sometimes it took a few minutes before Aoyagi was ready to speak.

The bottom of the slope was coming up rapidly. They had a good tailwind and hurtled along with little effort. There was just a half kilometer of curved flats before the road wound around to the back of the school and the old road, and then their third lap of climbing would begin. They traveled around a fair bit on different days to train, but to save time during exams, they had been mostly sticking to laps around the school. It was just as well though, since Naruko and Aoyagi were mostly working on climbs, and the back road's climb was as arduous as any.

"He's not mad about last week," Aoyagi said finally, keeping his eyes to the road.

"Is there something else he's upset about?" Naruko asked, proud of his own perceptiveness.

The slope ended and they switched gears, one after the other. Aoyagi sped ahead of him as the road began to curve, but Naruko powered after him quickly and overtook him for a few seconds just before they began climbing the old road.

"Is Captain Perm worried about the Inter-High?" Naruko guessed, determined to get some answers, if mostly for Onoda's sake. Though if it had been nothing, Aoyagi would have already said so, so now Naruko was feeling a little antsy as well.

"No," Aoyagi said. "Well, not more than usual. Probably."

"What's he gotten all quiet for then? He's got Onoda-kun worried, you know!"

Aoyagi glanced again at him and seemed to narrow his eyes before returning them to the road. Naruko got the sudden impression that he was intruding on a private matter. It was none of his business, whatever the problem was. How was it that the other cyclist could communicate so easily without words?

"It's me," Aoyagi said at last. "Junta's upset because I'm mad at him."

"Ah...you noticed?" Teshima looked up at the sky a moment and seemed to fidget a bit in his seat. "I'm sorry to have worried you guys... it's nothing important."

They rode smoothly through the short length of flat road and began to climb the old road back up towards the school, with Teshima pulling Imaizumi. They would probably never achieve the same "straight twin," perfect efficiency that Teshima had with Aoyagi, but still they ascended at an impressively brisk pace.

Now and again, it struck Imaizumi just how strong of a cyclist really Teshima was, and he didn't understand why he wasn't an ace. Teshima was smart and fast and had good endurance; it didn't make any sense to Imaizumi that he had never won a solo race.

"It's obviously important enough to bother you," Imaizumi said stiffly.

Teshima smiled wryly. "Does nothing trivial ever bother you, Elite-kun? You don't worry about dumb things you can't do anything about sometimes?"

"I don't mind hearing about trivial things," Imaizumi said, after a pause.

Teshima sighed loudly into the wind. "That wasn't my question."

"It's no good if you're distracted from the Inter-High; you should take care of your problems, especially if they're trivial."

Teshima laughed. "So talk it out, is that what you're saying? I can't tell if you're trying to be single-minded about the In-High or if you're trying to be considerate. Or which I'd prefer."

"What's bothering you, Teshima-san," Imaizumi asked bluntly, with a hint of impatience now.

The pair lapped Naruko and Aoyagi a third of the way up the hill. The red-head yelled something at them as they sped past, but Aoyagi didn't look up from the road. Imaizumi looked back at the sprinters right before they disappeared from view, but the Sohoku captain did not turn around.

"Aoyagi's mad at me," Teshima said, some moments later. He sped up slightly as he spoke, pedaling hard over the steepest part of the hill. "He's frustrated because I'm...I'm too self-conscious and self-deprecating."

Teshima laughed again, but there was no mirth in his voice, and he was breathing hard as he pedaled. "He's right, of course, that I'm too self-conscious and self-deprecating. I don't think I deserve him, or to be captain, or a million other things. I don't really know what to do about that though."

"You deserve to be captain," Imaizumi said.

Teshima shrugged. "It's just because I'm the senior now. It-"

"No," Imaizumi said, somewhat forcefully. "You're smart. Smarter than anyone else on the team. I don't think about the races in the way that you do, and I don't think most cyclists do. That gives Sohoku a tremendous advantage."

The captain smiled and shook his head. "Kinjou-san said something similar. Tadokoro-san and Aoyagi, too. Maybe Onoda and Naruko think so as well. I hear you all say it, but I don't know. I don't know that I believe it. There's nothing really to be done about that, right? I'm just that kind of a person."

"You don't have enough faith in us if you don't believe us when we tell you these things," Imaizumi said.

"Maybe that's true. That's part of why Aoyagi's mad, after all. Because I have such a hard time believing him when he tells me...anything, sometimes." Teshima blushed and pedaled harder. "I'm not good at these things. I guess Naruko told you what happened last week. It's embarrassing. I'm embarrassing. And Aoyagi deserves better."

"Even if that's true," Imaizumi said, "He obviously likes you. Don't you care enough about him to respect and believe in that?"

In response, Teshima sped up even more. Even from behind, and with his mess of hair blowing wildly in the wind, Imaizumi could tell that his face had turned beet red.

"You're breaking pace!" Imaizumi yelled, tearing after him. They were only ten laps into a twenty lap practice. Teshima had stamina and he was good on hills, but he was no sprinter and there was no reason for him to be accelerating as much as he was.

The flats from the top of the old road to the top of the new road were about the same length at the top of the hill as it was at the bottom, and it wasn't long before they were speeding downhill again. Teshima kept pedaling though, which, along with gravity, propelled him forward at almost worrisome speeds. Imaizumi allowed the distance between them to widen somewhat, but otherwise kept up. They were going too quickly to talk anymore, but the climb would come again soon enough.

Imaizumi had never really thought that Teshima was one to run away from his problems, but he had also heard that Teshima had almost quit cycling before high school... he had, perhaps, contributed to that. And maybe he had exacerbated this issue too. He still wasn't sure exactly what had happened between the third years, but even if he was only concerned about Teshima for the sake of the Inter-High, it seemed that there may be more reason for concern than even Onoda thought.

(Last Week)

"Junta... he's gone," Aoyagi said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Teshima was leaning heavily against the club room lockers with both hands covering his face. His ears were still pink, which probably meant that his face was still flushed red.

"Are you okay?"

He heard Teshima inhale slowly and deliberately, then sigh as he dropped his hands from his face. "Y-Yeah," he said shakily. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I just... freak out when other people see us..."

Aoyagi turned his boyfriend around and wrapped both his arms around his waist. Teshima did not relax into him like he usually did though, and instead tensed up slightly.

"S-Sorry," the taller boy said again. He hugged Aoyagi, but it was stiff and awkward, and he still didn't relax.

"Are you embarrassed to be with me?" Aoyagi wondered quietly, looking over Teshima's shoulder.

"Of course not!" Teshima said loudly, then sighed again, sounding distracted. "You're the one that should be embarrassed...that I'm so embarrassing."

Aoyagi clicked his tongue. "Junta..."

Teshima pulled away and sat down on the bench, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry," he said a third time. "There's no reason for me to be self-conscious about it, I know... I just..."

"It's okay," Aoyagi said, sitting down next to him.

"It's not though!" Teshima insisted. "It's stupid of me. It's stupid of me and I should be able to not freak out every time someone sees us even just holding hands but...I just...think about how easy it must be for them to see that I'm not good enough for you."

Aoyagi took his left hand and laced his fingers into those on Teshima's right hand. "You're good enough for me," he said, staring seriously the other boy's face.

Teshima squeezed his hand but didn't return his gaze, instead closing his eyes and turning slightly away. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it.

Aoyagi knew what the words were though.

I don't believe you.

I don't trust you.

I don't...

"Junta..."

"Ah...sorry, Aoyagi," Teshima said once more. He turned back towards him and smiled. "You're right, of course. You're right... It's okay; I'm okay. Don't worry about it! Come on... let's go home."

Teshima stood and pulled Aoyagi up with him to kiss him on the forehead. "I love you," he said.

But Aoyagi didn't believe him.

Teshima was as upbeat and chatty as usual after practice, though the light never seemed to reach his eyes. He laughed easily and smiled a lot and had nothing but positive and encouraging words to say to his team. He gave helpful feedback on everyone's performances over the last week and quickly went over their post-exams training schedule before dismissing them for the day.

He and Aoyagi changed and packed up their things together in the same oddly synchronised way they always did and left together on their bikes, but while each waved and said goodbye to the rest of the team, neither said a word to the other at any point after practice.

"It's worse than I thought!" Naruko announced dramatically, setting down his backpack and collapsing into the booth.

They'd arrived at a little cafe conveniently located near where the three of them usually split up to go their separate ways home.

"I thought you were sure that everything was fine?" Imaizumi ribbed automatically.

"I never said that!" the redhead fired back.

"W-What happened?" Onoda asked anxiously, sliding into the seat across from Naruko. "What did they say?"

"They're fighting," Naruko confirmed.

"Teshima-san is feeling insecure," Imaizumi said at the same time that Naruko continued with "Quiet-senpai is feeling insecure."

They looked at each other and Imaizumi raised an eyebrow as he sat down next to Onoda.

"Captain Perm is a pretty straightforward guy," Naruko explained. "It's weird that he gets so embarrassed about their relationship, right? Quiet-senpai said he was mad about it, but I don't think he's actually mad. I think it makes him worried he's doing something wrong."

"Teshima-san doesn't think he's good enough for Aoyagi-san. Or anything, seems like," Imaizumi said. "I don't think it really has anything to do with Aoyagi-san, though he seems to think Aoyagi-san dislikes his lack of confidence."

"I see..." Onoda said. He looked down at the table. "I-It kind of sounds like they aren't listening to each other..."

"Or themselves," Imaizumi added.

"And here I was so convinced they were psychic," Naruko said with loud sigh. He looked thoughtful a moment, then shuddered and added: "Though Quiet-senpai has to be at least a little telepathic...it's super creepy when he glares at me and I suddenly know what he's thinking."

"I wonder if there's anything we can do to help..." Onoda said timidly. "B-But we probably shouldn't interfere..."

"He's working hard to hide it, but I think Teshima-san is really pretty upset," Imaizumi said. "If they don't figure it out, I don't think either of them will be able to do their best at the Inter-High."

Naruko furrowed his brows and nodded. "The woes of dating a teammate!"

"They're an old married couple," Imaizumi corrected matter-of-factly. "I'm sure they'll be able to work it out…"

Onoda nodded fiercely and blushed. "I'm sure they will!"

"Will they before the In-High though?" Naruko wondered.

Imaizumi and Naruko were at a loss as to what they could do to repair their senpais' confidence in each other and themselves, and both seemed resigned to letting them work things out on their own. Onoda had never been good at thinking of plans either and still felt very awkward about barging into what really wasn't his business at all, but it bothered him a lot to know that Teshima and Aoyagi weren't happy.

Everyone always told him not to think too hard about things, but even when he didn't dwell on it, it bothered him.

It made him sad every time he saw Teshima smile fake smiles. Aoyagi's smiles had always been rare and brief, but it seemed to Onoda that they had disappeared altogether in the last week, and that week stretched into two more. He couldn't help but notice, especially after Imaizumi and Naruko confirmed what was going on.

What if they broke up? It was just a misunderstanding. He didn't want to see anything severe happen because of it

He didn't think too hard about things, but he still wanted to help. He still wanted everyone to be happy.

"T-Teshima-senpai..."

It was morning, before classes started, and Onoda had spotted the Sohoku cycling captain sitting alone at the bottom of the steps leading up to the roof. Even with the faint, unhappy aura around the pair of them in the last few weeks, it was rare that he saw them apart, especially at school, where they had most of their classes together.

"Hm?" Teshima looked up from an English novel filled with dozens of sticky notes. "Oh, good morning, Onoda," he said, smiling. "What's up?"

"Ah…" Onoda looked around. "Is Aoyagi-senpai not here today?"

Teshima's smile turned into a smirk. "He's re-taking a math test he did poorly on, and he'd better do better this time or he might be trouble for the Inter-High!"

"I see…"

Teshima was acting perfectly normal, maybe more normal than he had been in weeks, and it threw Onoda off. What if they had resolved things already?

"Um…" Onoda fidgeted. "I know it's none of my business, and I'm very sorry for asking, b-but are things… Are things with you and Aoyagi-senpai okay?"

Teshima's face went dark a moment.

"I don't know," he said, looking back down at his book. He smiled again, but now the expression was strained. Teshima looked tired all of a sudden. "We haven't really talked about it. I guess… I guess we'll have to eventually, huh?"

Onoda sat down on the steps next to Teshima. "Why don't you?"

"I don't know."

"Aoyagi-senpai loves you," Onoda said, blushing slightly. "You know that, right?"

Teshima groaned and turned away from the second year, burying his face in his arms. "I know…I know."

"Really?" Onoda pressed. He was still blushing, but he felt his own confidence and determination rise the longer he spoke. "Does he know that you know and believe that?"

"I don't know… maybe." Teshima sighed heavily somewhere in his own tangled arms. "I guess I never act like I believe him."

"You should let him know," Onoda said earnestly. "If he doesn't think you believe him, then he might not think you trust him."

"I do trust him…" Teshima mumbled. "I trust him with my life."

"You should tell him that. And you love him too, right?"

Teshima tightened his arms around his head, as if trying to suffocate himself. "Of course I do," he muttered from underneath them.

"Don't be embarrassed about it, Teshima-senpai!" Onoda said, surprising both himself and Teshima with his enthusiasm. "Love can only make you stronger!"

Teshima laughed, but Onoda felt emboldened by the laughter.

"You should be proud of it! You should be proud to feel it! You should wear it boldly on your chest and show everyone how strong it makes you every day!"

Teshima laughed harder now, and he emerged gradually from the tangle of his arms and looked fondly at Onoda.

"That was from one of your anime, wasn't it? There's no way you came up with that by yourself."

Onoda blushed deeper. "L-Love Hime understands love!" he stuttered, nodding and trying to sound confident. "It does make you stronger!"

Teshima was still laughing, but Onoda was laughing too. He was so happy and relieved to hear a genuine laugh from the older student after so many weeks. He didn't mind embarrassing himself for a good cause.

"Ah…you're probably right though," Teshima said with a small sigh. "Hime-chan probably does understand love. Better than I do, anyway…"

He laughed again and stood up, ruffling Onoda's hair as he did so. "Thanks, Onoda. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'll talk to Aoyagi…"

"Hey… Aoyagi."

The sun was setting. Near the train tracks where they always parted, there was a good view of the town below and the distant ocean. On days when practice ran late, they sometimes watched the sun set there.

Practice had actually adjourned early that day, but they had taken their time and meandered through town silently, each lost in his own thoughts, and somehow the sun had already fallen halfway out of the sky by the time they got to the tracks.

Aoyagi turned to him, but said nothing. His expression was blank; his eyes were clouded.

"I love you," Teshima said. "You believe me when I say that, don't you?"

Aoyagi looked down, then back towards the town and the sea.

"I'm sorry if I ever made you think otherwise…but I believe everything you tell me, even when I kind of don't want to."

Aoyagi turned back to him, now looking confused. Teshima smiled weakly and took his turn to look away.

"It'd be easier to not believe, you know? If I'm not good enough, if I'm not worthwhile… then there's nothing for me to lose because I've already lost. But if…"

Teshima took Aoyagi's hand and pulled him into a tight hug. "But if I'm good enough for this…if I'm good enough for you right now… what if I end up disappointing you someday? And if everyone else knows…they'll know when I disappoint you, too. I don't want to deal with that."

Aoyagi sighed into Teshima's shoulder. "You can't disappoint me," he muttered. "I'll never be disappointed by you."

"How do you know?"

Aoyagi stepped back and pulled on Teshima's tie until they were at the same level, then kissed him. "Because I love you," he said, then let go and watched Teshima carefully. "Do you believe me?"

Teshima laughed softly. "I believe you," he said.

The crowds seemed to stretch on forever on both sides. In spite of the oppressive summer heat, everyone was talking loudly and excitedly, eagerly anticipating the start of the race. They waved banners and flags and pointed out the cyclists and teams that passed by.

They walked their bikes to their starting positions, and all around them, the other teams buzzed nervous energy.

Teshima felt oddly at peace.

He stopped his bike, stared down the stretch of road they'd soon be parading down and smiled.

"…Hajime."

Next to him, Aoyagi startled visibly. It was the first time he'd called him by his first name.

Teshima leaned over and kissed him. Behind them, he heard Naruko whoop loudly and whistle for second before someone – probably Imaizumi – hit him on the head.

Aoyagi smiled, and Teshima pulled away, grinning.

They had worked and waited years for this. It was the Inter-High. Their very first and very last. They were going to win. Their victory was certain. He felt invincible.