A/N: Thanks for all the great ideas, I'll try to incorporate as many as I can. Also, I have to beta-reader so if I missed something during editing, please let me know.

Rating: K

Warning: Grammar/spelling errors, of blood, sport-related injury, character interactions that can be interpreted as romantic, OOCness, crossover, Makoto and Kagami-centric, MakotoxKagami friendship

Summary: They weren't mages or alchemists with the ability to reshape everything around them. They weren't death gods or ninjas with the power to level a city. They were just two teenage boys that loved their favorite sport, but even though they weren't going to change the world, they could change each others.

The third time Makoto and Kagami meet, it's at a basketball court.

They haven't seen each other in nearly a month and set up a day to hang out, and during an unusually cool weekend, they decide to play. At first Makoto worries about it being uncomfortable, this whole not-hanging-out-in-person-a-lot-and-then-suddenly-meeting thing, but it there's no awkwardness between them with how much they've talked on the phone and texted each other before, during, and after classes (besides practice or games but that's a given) and it's a bit of a relief.

"Oi, Mackerel! You paying attention?"

Makoto blinks, resurfacing from his thoughts only to see Kagami's vaguely grumpy expression a few feet away, and smiles apologetically.

The nickname had stuck after their second meeting, one that Makoto thought would be more appropriate for someone like Haru, but he doesn't question it. It's just a little strange, he supposes. Not because he's not used to nicknames or dislikes it – his little siblings had called him everything under the sun at one point before settling on "nii-chan" and growing up with Nagisa has left him immune to anything girlier than his actual name, but Makoto has a feeling Kagami isn't one to give out nicknames in the first place and feels a little humbled by the honor.

He grins sheepishly with an apologetic smile. "Mm, sorry. Spaced out a little."

They're walking towards a rarely used basketball court a few blocks away from Kagami's house. It isn't the one he uses frequently so they won't be interrupted, and Makoto is faintly grateful. He doesn't need anyone seeing how bad at basketball he is, and from all the crazy stories Kagami's told him about a few of his matches and the people he's come in contact with through basketball including his team, he knows he's not quite ready to meet Kagami's friends or enter his world quite so completely.

They're chatting amiably until they reach the court, Kagami filling him in on a few rules and guidelines to follow since he hasn't played in so long, but right when they step past the tall chain fence, Makoto feels a subtle shift.

His eyes catch Kagami's, brilliant and wild, before the redhead moves ahead with a feral grin, footsteps thundering and air crackling with energy as he swiftly reaches the hoop. His feet leave the ground for what feels like an eternity, arm high above his head with the basketball in one capable hand, and Makoto watches in slightly dumbstruck awe as the other teen slams the ball through the net, bringing the entire force of gravity and his weight into the action. The backboard wobbles and creaks ominously in the ensuing silence, almost unbearably loud if not for Makoto's thundering heartbeat ringing in his ears.

Kagami's handsome face is smug and cocky, but the expression is overshadowed by the bright grin on his face, arrogance tempered with reverence, ferocity weathered by contentment, and Makoto's grin is just as wide and dazzling.

"Uwaa! That was amazing Taiga!"

He hurries to drop his bag by the old bench next to him, puzzled and amazed to find Kagami's bag there as well even though he hadn't seen Kagami drop his off, and rushes to catch up with the redhead. He's embarrassed to admit that he gushes for another few minutes before reigning himself in with a sheepish smile, but Kagami looks inordinately pleased with the attention.

It's clear Makoto's made his head a little bigger and he ends up mentally laughing at an image of an imposing tiger fluffing it's fur proudly before they begin to do some warm ups. When the ball is finally in Makoto's hands, he's a little nervous. The rough texture and considerable weight is far different from the volleyball he's been practicing with, but it helps him play up the inexperienced, 'what-this' and 'how-do' newbie player image even as he gains confidence within the first few passes.

After a good warm up, they begin.

"First to 30 sound good to you?" Kagami asks, eyes glinting competitively as he settles into a familiar position.

For a moment, Makoto is sure he's looking at a predator.

He swallows nervously. "Uh, yeah, sure–"

Before he can finish, a red blur rushes past him with the ball and he doesn't even need to turn to know that Kagami has scored two points already.

He doesn't admit he's pouting. "Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!"

Kagami snickers like the evil cat he is.

They start again, and the result is the same despite Makoto preparing for the worst.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And–

Kagami doesn't know this but Makoto's been watching basketball games almost nonstop for the last two weeks since they agreed on a time and place to hang out, observing and learning as he watched as many games as he could –

(high school, college, professional, it wasn't important because no matter what level they were at, they were all still learning and valuable to learn from)

– with his eyes following amateur hands as they passed the ball to their teammates and studying professional feet as they breezed up and down the court. He doesn't really know why he's dedicated so much time and effort into it but writes it off as habits from being a good student. And in these last few rounds, Makoto's been tracking Kagami's movements – slow, Makoto knows, slower than usual because he's so many levels above him in this particular game, has so much more experience, but winds down the intensity so that Makoto can enjoy the game too – and can pick up a pattern for the most part.

He pretends to fall for Kagami's admittedly convincing feint to the right, but years of swimming have made Makoto's calves and ankles more than able to make the difficult turn to block Kagami's advance. He smiles and snatches the ball from a stunned Kagami's hands, dribbling around him with more dexterity than he thought he had, and manages to score a basket.

Kagami lets out a startled laugh. "How the hell'd you do that?" he demands, still slightly bewildered, but he's grinning too. "I thought you didn't play!"

Makoto smiles proudly, passing the ball to Kagami with more force and confidence than when they started because, well, cat's out of the bag. He scratches his nose a bit sheepishly when Kagami continues to stare at him like he's never seen him before, suspicion creeping into his focused gaze. "I don't, but when we decided to play, I didn't want to be completely hopeless so I watched a bunch of basketball games and practiced what I saw with a volleyball."

Kagami is quiet for a moment before he starts laughing, chuckles at first before they raise in volume, becoming loud and unrestrained, and Makoto squawks indignantly. "You – haha – you used a – hahaha – a v-volleyball?" the redhead wheezes, clutching his stomach, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he drops to his knees and lets the ball bounce away.

Makoto's face burns hotly as he snatches up the basketball, holding it almost protectively in front of his chest. "Well, I didn't have anything else! It's not that funny!" he whines. "Stop laughing Taiga!"

"S-Sorry but I – haha – oh god, my stomach – I just pictured you throwing it at a w-wall and it hitting your h-hea-head – hahaha!"

"That only happened once!"

"Oh my god stop, I c-can't breathe."

"Taiga!"

It takes a bit longer for Kagami to compose himself, and even then he can't help but snicker uncontrollable into his hand once in a while, but when he stops, he grins at Makoto and claps him on the shoulder. "No but seriously, that was impressive. I don't know any non-basketball players that would be able to get around me with a move they saw on tv. Even most of the first years would have a helluva time pulling that off."

Makoto's face is burning again, but it's not from embarrassment. At least, not completely.

They pick up the game again, deciding to double the points with Makoto's newfound proficiency, and as expected, the score ends 57-18. Makoto's a little amazed he managed a four three pointers, two lay-ups, and a dunk that Kagami high fived him for. Of course, he'd had more tricks up his sleeve, some that made Kagami's strange eyebrows raise in surprise and interest and made him underestimate him a even less, but those were exhausted quickly and the last ten points were like a mad rush, a blur of adrenaline and excitement that left them both panting and more than a little heated despite the slight chill.

And it's in those last few points that Kagami sees how much of a klutz Makoto can be.

A bad combination of Makoto stumbling over his own feet from an unexpected bout of exhaustion and Kagami pushing passed in what would've been a rough and clumsy but harmless maneuver sends them to the ground, ball bouncing away as both boys groan on the asphalt.

Makoto ends up below Kagami, knee smarting, head stinging, chest hurting, and lungs aching, lamenting his poor coordination and hoping Kagami isn't too hurt as a result. Kagami shifts above him with a curse, pushing himself up onto his elbows which eases the pressure on Makoto's chest with a knee between his legs, both positioned in a classic-cliché picture of clumsy, wayward teenage romance, and they kind of stare at each other in a half-daze of shock and pain and creeping fatigue. Fortunately, what would've been an awkward moment turns into something else entirely when the corner of Makoto's lips quirks up in amusement because, if he didn't know any better, Kagami looked like a ruffled cat.

He says so out loud, barely able to keep a semi-straight face.

Kagami grumbles but it makes his cheeks, flushed from exertion and rising irritation, look puffy and pouty, like an even angrier feline, and Makoto chokes back another laugh but can't quite hold it all in.

That sets off a chain reaction and in a few moments, both boys are laughing uncontrollably, smiles stretching impossibly wide, to the point where their cheeks hurt and they can't catch their already labored breath and Kagami ends up collapsing on top of Makoto again because he doesn't have the strength or energy to hold himself up.

It takes a while but Kagami finally rolls off of him once their laughter dies down into breathless chuckles and Makoto's surprised at how content he is.

Kagami's first to get up and offers a hand that Makoto takes gratefully, legs feeling like jelly and one knee stinging from a fairy nasty looking scrape, a product of their tumble to the ground. They agree to leave the score as is, three points short of their original and ridiculous sixty-point goal as Makoto concedes defeat in the face of his injury, and they collapse next to each other on the bench, knees knocking into each other when one of them moved too much. Kagami digs through his bag for a small first aid kit.

One corner of Makoto's lips tilt up in vague amusement at the thought of a nurse-Kagami.

"Get hurt a lot?"

Kagami grunts at him, not a confirmation or denial, and expertly patches up Makoto's knee.

"You're really amazing, Taiga." Makoto says after a short silence. "Thank you."

Kagami's red eyes slide to him, water bottle still between his lips, and raises a questioning eyebrow. For what?

Makoto smiles, smaller than before, gentler than the raucous laughter and uncontrolled mirth from moments earlier. "Well, you're amazing at basketball. And being a nurse too, I guess." He gets a glare for that but Makoto ignores it easily. "And thanks for being my friend. I had a lot of fun today. It's been a while since I laughed like that."

Kagami looks a little surprised – at his blatant sincerity or the words themselves, Makoto isn't sure, but he laughs a little at his embarrassed expression all the same even if laughing makes his diaphragm hurt.

Kagami looks away, brows furrowed and expression almost soft when he replies, "Yeah, me too."

They don't say anything more on the topic but Makoto feels like they've met another milestone, and even though this is only his third time meeting the redhead, he feels like he knows the mysterious, fiery, passionate redhead that made a country boy like him feel at home in the middle of a huge city a little better now.

Just then, Makoto notices how long the shadows are and the evening chill nipping at his fingers, and he's not going to admit his heart jumps in his throat at a small crack in the distance, sounding suspiciously like someone stepping on a tree branch.

Kagami notices right away and blinks, tone dubious when he says, "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark."

Makoto tries to smile reassuringly or at least refute it, but a cold wind carrying dead leaves blows by and a crow screeches in the distance, and instead he's crowding by Kagami's side and clutching at the sleeve of Kagami's t-shirt, trembling from more than the encroaching cold. The basketball player's shoulders shake as he tries to bite down on the huff of laughter that threatens to escape and Makoto tries to reason petulantly, "I'm not scared of the dark, I'm scared of what's in it." It comes out more of a whine.

Kagami laughs louder at that and looks at him incredulously. "Dude, you're, like, six foot and at least a hundred and seventy pounds. What the hell could scare you?"

Makoto's opening his mouth to protest, shaking off the sound of thunderous waves and angry storms and a kind old mans laughter echoing in his head and heart, but the shrill ring of two phones going off simultaneously turn his words into a slightly girlish shriek.

At least he's not the only one.

Kagami yelps and jumps a foot in the air, clinging to the material of Makoto's shorts, and they look at each other with wide eyes after a moment of stunned, paralytic fear before laughing nervously. They don't let go.

Kagami sticks his free and into his bag to fish out his phone. "That didn't happen. We didn't just scream because our phones went off. Right?"

Makoto hastily agrees. "Right."

They check their messages and lo and behold, their friends are texting them, asking where they are or inviting them to do something or complaining, and they both sigh in mutual exasperation. Kagami groans when he stands, stretching his arms above his head. "I'd invite you over for dinner since it's getting late but Kuroko's making me study at his place and Ahomine's complaining that Kuroko's making him study. Lazy bastard."

Makoto smiles sympathetically. "If I wasn't babysitting Ren and Ran, Nagisa would be dragging me and Rei to Haru's house anyway to get him out of the bathtub." He shakes his head at Kagami's questioning look. "You don't wanna know." He stands, shouldering his bag, and asks, "Next time?"

Kagami smirks. "Next time."

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! Let me know if you prefer heavier chapters like this one or lighter ones like the first two.