im supposed to be asleep but let me just upload this for the night hi this was written out of nowhere and published on my tumblr and since the original post is nearing 40 notes im like "why not let this one-shot be my first story on ffnet?" so enjoy me buds!

They were in the changing room, the only two left. The rest of Shinsei Inazuma Japan had already left for dinner. Tenma hummed to himself, pulling his jersey over his head and keeping it in his locker. Today's practice had been a good one, albeit Ibuki and Shindou still argued with each other. Manabe had apologized to Matatagi too, for his careless attitude and rude accusations. Thankfully the brunet forgave him and it brought joy to Tenma to see things working out, even if the new members still weren't good at soccer.

"Tenma," Tsurugi called for him and he felt his heart skip a beat. He turned his head around to the forward, who was already in his tracks. "Can we talk?" Tsurugi continued.

"Sure, how about during dinner?" Tenma smiled, assuming Tsurugi wanted to talk about Shindou and Ibuki's unhealthy bickering and a way to solve it, but then he frowned in confusion when Tsurugi shook his head. "No, we need to talk now, when nobody can disturb us," he sat down on one of the chairs.

"Okay?" Tenma didn't have the slightest clue to what Tsurugi wanted to discuss about but he pulled on his jacket anyway and closed his locker door before sitting next to him. Tsurugi looked the same as always and didn't give off any hint that whatever he was going to say would be serious, sad, or good news. "What is it?" the brunet asked, after realizing the forward wouldn't say anything unless he inquired.

His face heated up when Tsurugi turned to look at him in the eye. It was hard trying to keep eye contact and act like normal buddies, when Tsurugi looked so damned attractive at the current moment. All Tenma wanted to do was stand up and run before his face gave away his act. The fact that they were alone wasn't helping too, if they had been in the dining room surrounded by their teammates, it would have been a different story and Tenma would have been comfortable keeping their eyes locked.

"It's about… you and me,"

Wait, what? Was Tenma hearing this right? He gulped and stammered, "W-What do you mean?" he didn't know where this was headed at all. What about them?

"I was just thinking… that it's weird for me to call you by your first name and yet you still call me by my family name,"

"T-That's it?" Tenma heaved a sigh of relief. That was all. But wait, why did Tsurugi care about first names basis? And Tenma didn't even thought about calling Tsurugi by his first name at all. But after Tsurugi pointed that out… he felt embarrassed. Calling him by his first name when they weren't in a relationship? No, he couldn't possibly do it! It was an impossible task! He could barely take hearing his first name roll off of Tsurugi's tongue.

"But it's the same with me and Shindou-san, isn't it?" he found a loophole, thank god. How he wished the mentioned elder would walk in on them right now and disrupt the conversation. But Tsurugi didn't seem amused. His creased forehead said so. "It's not the same between you and him," he pointed out.

What was it between Tsurugi and him that were different from Shindou and him? His feelings for Tsurugi were one thing but that was all. He didn't have legitimate permission to call the other 'Kyousuke' even if he really wanted to. And in the same time he really wanted to, he also felt really embarrassed at the thought. Never had he made an attempt to hear how Tsurugi's first name sounded in his voice. And he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel like wanting to know now. But then again, Tsurugi… why was he bringing up such a topic in the first place? He couldn't possibly return his feelings, right? Why would Tsurugi ever fall for a simple minded, careless and dumb person like him?

"So you really want me to call you by your first name now?" he intended it as a joke, to ease the tension and to calm his rapidly beating heart. He even chuckled, in hopes that Tsurugi would join in and dismiss the topic, saying that they were late for dinner and should be going. But luck was not on Matsukaze Tenma's side today.

"Yes."

His heart stopped and he froze. He felt his eyes widened. Tsurugi had sounded so… confident—like he really did want Tenma to call him 'Kyousuke' and this was no joke. Tenma didn't dare look into Tsurugi's eyes again; he even turned his head away after he realized he was blushing. It would be horrible if Tsurugi saw his red face. "N-No way! That's impossible!" he repeated his thoughts from earlier out loud, forcing a laugh along the way.

"Why?"

Ah, damn. What was he supposed to answer now? He couldn't tell Tsurugi that he was embarrassed to do that because that would bring out another 'why' question—and that 'why' question would bring to Tenma confessing his feelings for the golden eyed soccer player. It would certainly ruin their friendship—Tenma was content with how things were now.

"Tenma, tell me. Why won't you refer to me by my first name?"

No, no, no! He couldn't answer. He didn't want to answer and yet Tsurugi was pushing him. He gripped his fists before he pushed himself off the couch and made a break for the door, leaving Tsurugi with unanswered questions.

People often missed the small details—but not Matatagi Hayato. Not everyone realized this but he was quite the observant person. And maybe he wasn't the only one; Minaho was a detective's son so observing things for him came as a natural thing to do. But he was sure even the detective's son missed the small detail on today's practice.

There was tension between the captain and the ace striker.

At first Matatagi thought he was imagining it. He reasoned with himself that the tense atmosphere between the two was not real, because they had a great relationship to start with. He heard they were best friends of sorts. But as the day went by he realized he was wrong. He wondered if the two had gotten into a fight and he had no choice but to conclude they did, after a little incident during evening practice.

Tenma was with him, training with him. Captain was giving him tips on what to improve when Matatagi's eyes caught Tsurugi's, who was walking towards them. He remembered wishing he had imagined that hurt look on his face because it had lasted for a mere second before Tsurugi wore his poker face again.

"Matsukaze," the forward said and Matatagi raised his eyebrows. Last names basis? Didn't Tsurugi call the captain by his first name before? And he realized the captain had frozen in place before slowly turning around. He noticed his shoulders were tight and there was a tremble in his voice when he replied with a, "Yes?"

"Shindou-san wants to talk to you about the next match," and after he said that he quickly left, apparently to practice his shots with Ibuki. Tenma turned to him again and there was a crestfallen look on his face. Matatagi was sure. Something did happen between them. "Ah, sorry Matatagi but will you do fine on your own?" when he nodded the captain walked away and he swore there were tears in his eyes.

Honestly, what happened? He really wanted to help but he didn't know them well enough. Maybe he could tell Shindou of this, he knew those two much longer than he did and probably had a few ways to make them reconcile. Or maybe he could hope for the best and the two would get along again.

It continued this way for the next day too. The captain and the forward didn't talk unless it was business. They were still on last names basis and Matatagi realized during breaks they stayed away from each other as far as possible. Surely, he wasn't the only one who noticed this. He asked Manabe about it and he was relieved when the glasses wearing boy said he realized it too.

"It surely does feel weird seeing them like this but there's nothing we can do about it. If they're fighting, then they have to solve it on their own," Manabe said and Matatagi nodded. "A depressed captain leading the team is not good, though. I hope they return to normal soon," the brunet said and Manabe agreed. The captain had not encouraged them at all for the two days. He was often seen lost in his own thoughts and occasionally they would catch Tsurugi off-guard as well—he was even snappier too.

Tsurugi hissed when he stubbed his toe against the table. Shindou turned his head around and raised his eyebrows. "Are you okay?" he asked and Tsurugi waved him off. He carried his tray to the tables and realized Ten- Matsukaze wasn't with them. He wanted to ask someone where he was but decided against it. He didn't care. He didn't care at all. But apparently someone else did.

"Eh? Where's Captain?" Nozaki asked, her head turning left and right. She halted buttering her bread. When her eyes landed on him, Tsurugi ignored her and chewed on his food. It wasn't his business.

"Captain told me he already ate without us. He's resting in his room right now," Matatagi answered.

That damned Matatagi. Tsurugi didn't like the way he and Tenma were getting along. He stabbed his knife into the chicken and instantly regretted it when a few eyes turned to him. They turned away quickly though, obviously aware of his bad mood.

No, no, he shouldn't care about Matatagi and Tenma. They can do whatever they wanted to do, he didn't care. He didn't care.

"That's not like him," Shindou said with worry in his voice. Yes, Shindou-san, you're right it's not like Tenma at all but no, Tsurugi didn't care.

Matatagi shrugged. "He looked a little bit down though, like he has some problems,"

Tsurugi swore that damned Matatagi flicked his eyes to him when he said 'problems'. Did he know? Was it obvious? Wait… with the way they were acting right now, of course it was obvious Tenma had problems with him. Damn it all, he didn't care. He realized Shindou's eyes were on him too when the brunet replied, "Really…?" in a tone of voice that was like challenging Tsurugi. Damn you Shindou-san. Damn you Matatagi. Damn everything.

"I'm going to check on him," Shindou declared and stood up. Tsurugi felt the urge to stand up too and follow him to Tenma's room but glued his feet to the floor. He reminded himself over and over again that he didn't care. It didn't matter. Shindou would lift Tenma's spirits again.

Wait, why was Tenma depressed in the first place? It couldn't be because of the last names basis they were on again, wasn't it? It would only be logical to call each other by their last names when there was nothing between them. Tenma made it clear too that he thought it was inappropriate.

"Tsurugi, aren't you coming?"

He turned his head to Shindou. Was the guy serious? Okay, the look in his eyes said he was. He was practically glaring at him. Tsurugi shook his head. "Matsukaze can take care of himself," he said and chewed on his chicken, completely unfazed by Shindou's death glare.

"If you say so,"

There was something in Shindou's voice that sounded like he had solved something. Tsurugi didn't like that. Something was going to happen, he could feel it.

The sight of Tenma sulking on his bed had not been a sight he expected when he entered without knocking. He had seen Tenma sulk before, sure, but not this bad. The covers were wrapped all around the brunet and Shindou swore he was crying.

"W-Who is it?"

Tenma's voice was trembling and hoarse. Shindou cleared his throat and sat on the chair, watching the big lump on the bed. "It's me," he said and he saw how the lump softened a little as if in relief. Tenma peeked from under his comfy fortress and Shindou smiled. "Are you okay?" he continued.

The younger one of them shook his head before hiding into the covers again. Shindou heard a few more sniffs. "C-Can you hand me a tissue?"

Shindou obliged. He placed the tissue in the hand outstretched from under the blanket and there was a small thanks coming from the brunet. He really was worried for Tenma. At first he thought the stress of the world championship was finally getting to him and Tsurugi but then he realized that wasn't the case at all. The strange behaviour between his two juniors had come from their own doing; whatever happened between them that was unbeknownst to the others.

The blankets moved and Tenma sat up, leaning against the wall with the covers still hugging him like their life depended on it. His eyes were red, Shindou noticed. He must have been crying ever since he told Matatagi he wouldn't be joining them for dinner. At this point he even wondered if Tenma ate in the first place. He was pretty sure it was a lie what he told Matatagi about already eating.

"Something happened between you and Tsurugi," he pointed out. He could have said it like a question but that was the problem. He didn't doubt it at all—it was a fact. And Tenma only proved it further when he stopped wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his tracks and froze. "W-Was it obvious…?"

"The whole team noticed by now, maybe—especially when Tsurugi started calling you by your family name again. He's crankier too. I think he was trying to murder the chicken on his plate. Poor thing," he retorted and smiled when Tenma laughed at his comment on Tsurugi's chicken stabbing. As Tenma's laughter slowed down, Shindou shifted in his seat. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. It must be a serious problem, if Tenma was crying like this and Tsurugi was probably still murdering that chicken a second time. And he remembered all the times during practice where he caught Tsurugi glaring at Tenma's direction. However, he was sure that the glare was directed at the person Tenma was practicing with—Matatagi. Jealousy? Possible.

Tenma shook his head. "I think… I can solve this on my own," Tenma declared with a forced smile. "Thank you for worrying, Shindou-san,"

It was quite a surprise to him at first but Shindou understood. He nodded his head and stood up. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?" and when Tenma shyly nodded, he ruffled the other's hair. "You better eat something after everyone's done then. And don't forget to wash your face,"

"Okay,"

He grumbled as he jumped into his bed. Shindou came back to the dining room and said Tenma was fine. That was it. Nothing else—and it annoyed Tsurugi. Surely, the other was lying. Tenma couldn't be fine. Right? Maybe it was just him that was irritated by this. Maybe whatever happened didn't affect Tenma at all.

Tsurugi groaned and closed his eyes. "Matsukaze," he reminded himself. "It's Matsukaze," damn, the name felt weird on his tongue. He was so used to 'Tenma' by now. Why did he stop calling the other by his first name in the first place? He could have just forgotten what happened in the locker room and continued the rest of his days like normal.

But he couldn't. He was mad that Tenma refused to use his first name to call him. So this was like a little payback and yet he was the one who suffered, seeing Tenma with Matatagi again and again. He really was jealous, wasn't he? Why should he feel jealous, when he already knew that Tenma had feelings for him and not the newcomer? Was it because Tenma wasn't paying attention to him? Tsurugi sighed. He really was a weird guy, wasn't he? Instead of saying that he already knew Tenma liked him and tell him he felt the same, he continued to play like this. Did the other guy really felt nothing about this?

Someone rapped on the door. Tsurugi looked at his clock; it was almost midnight and long past curfew. Whoever was out there, he was almost begging to get caught. Tsurugi stood up and walked to the door. "Who is it?" he asked with his hand on the doorknob. He was about to turn it when the person on the other side said otherwise.

"D-Don't open the door!" he hissed in just above a whisper. Tsurugi's eyes widened. "T- Matsukaze?!" he managed to correct himself in time. He hoped the other didn't notice. "What are you doing?! You know the coach is strict about the curfew. It's almost midnight!" he warned. The last thing he wanted was for the other to get in trouble. He couldn't get over his shock though.

"I know that!" Tenma replied. Tsurugi wished he could see his face right now. He hadn't looked at the other in the eye for the past two days and it was agonizing not being able to see those metallic blue eyes. "Then what are you doing here?" he repeated his question again. "I…" Tenma seemed to hesitate. Was he calculating his words? "I missed you,"

Tsurugi's heart skipped a beat.

Ah, Tenma wanted to scream and run. He couldn't believe he just said that. He was embarrassed, really embarrassed—and a little cold too. He should have brought his jacket with him. He was standing here in a thin shirt and shorts after all, why should he not be cold?

Tsurugi didn't reply. Tenma expected that, so he continued. He planned on to explain everything behind a closed door, because it'd be easier without Tsurugi staring at him, and then run off into his room with hopes that everything would be better tomorrow. "Look, about the other day… I'm sorry. I knew I shouldn't have left without saying anything but I was…" he gripped his shirt in his fists, looking for every bit of courage he had in him. "I was too embarrassed. You suddenly brought that up and I didn't know how to properly respond. C-Calling each other by our first names makes us l-look like we're in a re… relationship," he was stuttering too much and his knees were wobbling. Tenma's jaw tightened. "A-And I'm sure y-you don't want other people to misunderstand and think that we are a c-couple, e-even though we're not,"

"So you're saying that you don't mind it if other people think we're dating?"unexpectedly, Tsurugi replied to that, catching Tenma off-guard. He blushed. Oh man, he didn't mean that at all. Of course, he didn't mind but still—

The door creaked open and Tenma gasped. "I-I thought I said don't open the door!" and he yelped when a hand grabbed his wrist, pulled him inside and locked the door behind him. "Tsurugi!" Tenma yelled, more in surprise, when the other pushed him against the wall, now both of his wrists held tightly by the other, leaving him no chance of escape. He swore his face went redder when he saw how close Tsurugi's face was to his.

"You're cold," the forward noted, his thumb making circles on his wrists. Tenma sighed at the touch. It was warm and he definitely preferred this than standing outside. But he came back to his senses when he realized their position. "Tsurugi, l-let me go!" what was he doing? Suddenly dragging him in and locking the door. Tenma struggled under his grip but Tsurugi wasn't letting him have his way. "Tsurugi!"

"Say my name,"

"W-What?" Tenma was confused. He wondered if Tsurugi was drunk.

"Say my name," the other repeated, sterner. Tenma dared to look up and into his eyes. He was serious. Why did he want him to say his name so badly? It didn't make sense to Tenma at all. The brunet gulped. He felt his knees gave way—he was only standing because Tsurugi pinned him against the wall with his hands. Tenma looked down at their feet and he had to muster up even more courage than before.

"K-Kyou… suke?"

The moment he said that, a hand pushed his chin up and his lips were sealed with a kiss. His eyes bulged. He couldn't understand what was going on. Was Tsurugi… kissing him? Was he really? Tenma blinked. Impossible. It couldn't be happening. This was a dream. And yet the warmth on his lips felt real. The quick heartbeats in his ears were real. The tightening grip on his wrist was real. This was happening—it really was.

He felt his body relax as his eyes closed. Tsurugi had his body pressed against his and Tenma's cheeks flushed, returning the gesture by pushing back. His breath was warm and sweet—and tasted mildly of orange. Did they have orange juice for dinner? Shame he missed that. Tenma groaned when Tsurugi pulled away. But he gasped when Tsurugi moved to kiss him on his neck. He wanted to move, to hold Tsurugi but the other was still keeping his wrists, having let go only to push his chin up before holding his wrists again. His breath was uneven as he felt those lips move on his skin, marking one spot from another. "Ts-Tsurugi," he stammered—his voice shaky again. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, the heat was too much.

The other looked up. He stared into his eyes and Tenma saw a loving flicker in those golden orbs. Finally, finally, Tsurugi released one of his wrists, so that he could caress Tenma's face. Tenma's own free hand caressed Tsurugi's, the handsome face he so dearly wanted to touch. He smiled and Tsurugi did too. "Tenma…" the striker murmured. Tenma sighed in bliss. He missed that. He missed everything about him. He missed the sound of his name in his voice. This felt great, even better than the distance that Tenma found comfort in—even better than anything else.

Tsurugi pulled him away from the wall and into an embrace. He rested his chin on his head. Tenma hugged back, relishing the smell of Tsurugi's shirt and his warmth and his touch. He loved him. He loved him so much. He buried his face into Tsurugi's chest, breathing in the scent he recognized as Tsurugi. He hadn't expected things to come to this at all. And he was happy—he was happy it did.

"I love you, Tenma,"

He stopped breathing. It hadn't occurred to him that Tsurugi… loved him. That Tsurugi returned his feelings. He instantly felt silly and when he turned his head upwards, he grinned broadly. Embarrassed? He definitely was. But happiness won over him as he chirped, "I love you too… Kyousuke," he felt Tsurugi's arm squeeze him and there was a smile on Tsurugi's face. He couldn't tell in the darkness but he was sure Tsurugi's cheeks were pink. "So we're official now?" the forward asked, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. Tenma nodded quickly.

Then, Tsurugi smirked. "You're sleeping here tonight,"

"W-What?!"

"I'm not letting you go now that we're comfy in each other's arms,"

"B-But—!"

And he was shut up with another kiss, as Tsurugi led him to his bed.

Matatagi Hayato didn't need to be the observant type to see that something had happened. The captain shined bright—brighter than usual that morning. And he had greeted him so cheerfully it made Matatagi wonder if he was still sane.

Tsurugi wasn't cranky too and during breakfast the two sat side by side, chatting away, completely oblivious to the world around them. Matatagi realized the forward had called the captain by his first name again and the captain called the other by his name as well. A big leap, Matatagi noted—a drastic leap, really, when compared to two days ago. At least now one problem amongst the team members was solved, he mused to himself as he continued his breakfast. Now there was only problem left. The brunet turned his head to Shindou, who was glaring at Ibuki, who returned the glare. Both looked like they wanted to claw each other's eyes out.

Matatagi sighed. "They're at it again…"