Heroes Without Capes

Places

Ooshiba was still an emotional mess when Kimishita finally, finally closed the shop for the day. His head was spinning, his heart overflowing with too many feelings at once. The scene earlier felt surreal. Like a dream, or maybe an illusion, yet all too real at the same time. It had happened... and yet his memories of it were blurry, vivid images engraved in his mind that lacked sequence and made no sense.

What had happened earlier? He remembered throwing something at Kimishita to get his attention – Kimishita getting angry – a fight. Or was it? Hadn't it just been Ooshiba pouring his heart out? He remembered clenching his fists into the captain's shirt, yelling something at him that he couldn't recall. All he knew was that he'd been on the verge of tears. Part of him still was. And then?

He opened and closed his hand, recalling the warm feeling that still lingered against it. Kimishita's hands closing around his. Kimishita's green eyes meeting his gaze with a gentle, confident smile. His voice, honest and steady, promising that he wasn't going anywhere. The overwhelming urge to place a hand on Kimishita's hands and squeeze them.

And Kimishita had promised to tell him everything. He'd promised to answer all his questions and explain everything that needed explaining over a round of soccer. Why soccer? They might as well talk about it at home if Kimishita just wanted to be undisturbed.

Not that he cared. Kimishita would tell him everything he wanted to know. Kimishita was fully letting him in on the secret. He didn't know what he'd done to change his mind, but he was glad he had. He was glad his captain finally trusted him enough to make a promise like this.

Thanks, Captain. I promise I won't disappoint you.

"Kiichi, what are you doing?"

Ooshiba snapped out of his trance. Kimishita was standing in front of him, an impatient look on his face, drumming his fingers on the doorframe he was standing in. "Spacing out or what?"

"'Course not!" Ooshiba shot back, even though he'd been doing just that. "I've been thinking! You know, that thing where you use your head to–"

"I'd much appreciate it if you actually did use your head and told your legs to hurry the fuck up, because I'm about to leave you behind!" Kimishita stepped through the door as Ooshiba hurried to follow him with a huff. "Leave the thinking to me. Your brain's not made for this much exercise, you'll give yourself a headache."

Ooshiba couldn't think of a clever comeback, so he just flipped the finger at him, falling into stride beside Kimishita. For awhile they just walked next to each other in silence, each busy with his own thoughts, until Kimishita turned a corner and brought them both to a halt at an empty soccer field.

Eyes wide with wonder, Ooshiba looked around. He'd never expected to find something like this in the neighborhood. The pitch was too big and professional-looking to be part of a playground or a random spot where the neighborhood kids kicked a ball around. It was huge, the lawn was well-tended, with floodlights illuminating the field, and standing on the other side of the pitch was a row of locker rooms that were deserted at this time of the day. A low fence surrounded the whole place, only interrupted by a locked gate.

Ooshiba stepped closer, one hand resting on the gate. "What is this place?"

"Training grounds," Kimishita answered, stepping up to the fence. "They belong to the local soccer club. Mostly kids, so it's empty at this time of the day." Placing a foot against the fence, he swung his leg across, climbing onto the other side with the ease of someone who'd done this a thousand times. "Good place to train by myself after school."

Ooshiba eyed the lock on the gate with suspicion. "You sneak in here?"

"I used to play here when I was a kid. They know I still come here, so it's not sneaking, technically. Just don't have a key." Unzipping the bag slung over his shoulder, Kimishita pulled out a soccer ball, tossing it up and down in his hands. "You coming or not?"