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Kindaichi Yuutarou was having a great day. He found ¥5,000 on the sidewalk on his way to school, he’d gotten a 96% on his math test, and it was pizza day in the cafeteria. He was walking on air as he arrived at afternoon practice, causing his best friend Kunimi Akira to squint at him as if he was trying to look at a bright light.
“What’s up with you?” he asked.
Yuutarou grinned at him, “I’ve been having really good luck today!”
His luck continued throughout practice. Each time Yahaba set to him he slammed the ball past the blockers and his serves were the best they’d been all week. He was in such a good mood that when practice ended he helped the first years clean up the stray balls from around the gym. As he began to take down the net, Yahaba called him over to the bench where he stood with Kyoutani and Akira. Kyoutani was glaring at no one in particular since as they had all learned in the past year and a half, his default expression was just a little bit hostile. Akira looked bored, which was his default expression. As Yuutarou joined them, Yahaba smiled brightly at him.
“So, obviously, the third years will be graduating soon and we’ve been thinking a lot about who will lead the team next year.”
Yuutarou nodded politely, wondering what this had to do with him.
Yahaba looked at Akira. “Kunimi-kun, we’ve seen that you’re much harder working and dedicated than you let on, and Ken and I think you’d be an amazing Vice Captain!”
Akira’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded his acceptance with a small, pleased smile on his face.
Yuutarou clapped him on the back, smiling broadly. Akira would be a great Vice Captain, though it would probably keep him pretty busy next year.
Yahaba turned to Yuutarou, saying “And Kindaichi-kun, we think you would be a wonderful Captain!”
Yuutarou felt his jaw drop open but his brain was buzzing too loudly to send a notice to close it.
“I- what? Me? Why?” he stammered. This had to be a mistake. “I can’t do what you or Oikawa-san did, I’d mess it all up!”
Yahaba smiled gently, making half of a rather odd pair since Kyoutani was definitely glaring at him now.
“Give yourself more credit,” he growled. “Hell, give Shigeru and I more credit. We know you can do it, we wouldn’t have picked you if we didn’t.”
Despite everything whirring in his head, Yuutarou was present enough that he could feel himself blushing at Kyoutani’s praise.
“If you really think so I’ll- I’ll try!”
Kyoutani looked appeased and Yahaba beamed at them before turning and yelling at a first year who somehow managed to get stuck in the net, striding away with Kyoutani at his side.
Still shocked, Yuutarou let Akira guide him out to the club room, going through the motions of his shower and changing on autopilot as he tried to reckon with what had just occurred.
As he pulled on a clean shirt, it hit him that he and Akira would be leading the team together. His previous worry that Akira would be too busy to hang out with him was out the window. If anything, they would be spending even more time together, planning training camps and setting up practice games. Excitement began to simmer as he finished changing. He turned around to find Akira already looking at him, dressed and waiting to walk home together like always. Yuutarou grinned as he grabbed his bag and they headed out.
“Congratulations, you’ll be a really good Vice Captain!” he said as he practically bounced down the sidewalk.
Akira smiled, wider this time since only Yuutarou was around to see it.
“Congrats yourself, Captain.”
Yuutarou felt himself blush again at the title. “Thanks! I really thought it was gonna be you, you’re so close with Yahaba-san and Oikawa-san,”
Akira huffed a laugh. “I can’t wait to tell Yahaba-san you thought I’d be a nepotism baby,” Over Yuutarou’s sputters of protest he continued, “I knew it’d be you, the first years all look up to you a lot.”
They walked in contented quiet for a few minutes before Akira spoke up, his smile turning devious.
“Y’know, if I’m the Vice Captain, maybe you'll finally realize you like me back.”
Yuutarou would have been less shocked if Akira had brained him with a frying pan.
“I don’t-it’s not- like you ba- huh?”
“You had a crush on both Iwaizumi-san and Kyoutani-san, don’t even try to deny it,” Akira was full out smirking now, and Yuutarou felt a whole swarm of butterflies swooping around in his stomach at the sight.
“I don’t-”
“And what do they have in common? Both Vice Captains,” Akira cut him off, taking a step closer. Yuutarou hadn’t even realized they’d stopped walking.
“So now I’m a Vice Captain. Your Vice Captain,” he said, taking another step closer.
Yuutarou made a strangled noise in his throat. He could feel his face blazing and he wondered if the stuttering in his chest was a heart attack.
Akira came to a stop right in front of him. “So. Do you have a crush on me?”
Yuutarou desperately tried to reboot his brain and form a coherent response.
“I- did you say like you back?”
Akira nodded, his usual sleepy expression gone and now the way he was looking at Yuutarou was almost as intense as Kyoutani’s glare.
“I like you, Yuutarou. A lot. I have for a long time,”
Yuutarou was pretty sure he was going to cook Akira’s face with the heat radiating off his own.
“I like you- I like you too. For a long time as well,” he blurted out.
“Eloquent,” Akira said with a snort before leaning in to close the gap between them, his lips soft against Yuutarou’s. Yuutarou’s eyes fluttered shut as his hands flew to Akira’s waist.
As they walked home hand in hand, Yuutarou snuck glance after glance at his boyfriend, delighted each time he caught Akira doing the same thing.
A lucky day indeed.