On route to the host university, Kei found himself staring out the bus window, getting lost in the gorgeous fall scenery. As they drove through the residential areas, he admired all of the amber, yellow and orange foliage that blew around in the air until they eventually descended onto the streets and surrounding areas. Japan was always a sight to be seen around this time of year. Every tree was more beautiful than the next as they swayed perfectly in sync with each other in a dance that was orchestrated by the strong fall time wind.

“You look so focused,” said Yuuta, his voice small and soft.

Kei turned to the boy who was sitting beside him. “Do I? I’m just thinking about how I haven’t been out much to appreciate how pretty the maples are.”

“Yeah they’re nice,” Yuuta smiled. “My parents used to take my sister and I out red leaf hunting when we were kids.”

“Must’ve been fun.”

“It was. Have you ever done it?”

“Nope,” Kei answered. “You know my dad’s a doctor so he was busy a lot.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, are you good now?” Kei wondered, since Yuuta looked terrible during breakfast.

“I’ll be glad when it’s over…” Yuuta said while scratching his short black hair. “I’m always so stressed right before we compete. Maybe this just isn’t for me.”

“Don’t say that,” Kei asserted, lightly jabbing Yuuta’s side. “You’re still only a year into doing group gymnastics competitively. Too early to say it’s not for you. Just focus on your performance. Not the judges or the audience. And definitely don’t think about Akio ripping us apart when we watch the tapes.”

“Well I wasn’t thinking about that until you mentioned it.”

“My bad,” Kei chuckled.

The bus pulled into the university parking lot with great timing, ten minutes to spare before their scheduled arrival. Tokai University was very different in comparison to their home university. The school was a lot larger to hold more students and it looked a lot like an old castle. The architecture was old fashioned and every single stone brick was perfectly square, as if those who built it took great pride in their creation. As they got off the bus, it was like stepping into a whole other world. The parking lot was filled with buses from other universities all across Japan. Tall archways with intricate details, and hundred-year old trees were uniquely placed along the pathway to the entrance of the school. It was expected that this would be a busy day, but the amount of people that had shown up was surprising to the boys as they observed the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Alright, follow me,” Hirato told his team. “And stay close. As you can see, there are a ton of people here today. I’m not finding any of you if you get lost. We’re going to head to the change rooms, then stretch and practice for a while until it’s our turn to perform. ” Hirato made eye contact with each of the boys to make sure he was understood before they began to walk to the entrance.

Once they were inside, Kei could feel Akio’s arm loop around his own. He smiled at Akio who was busy admiring the school.

“The ceilings are so high,” Akio marveled with the enthusiasm of a child at an amusement park.

“Every ceiling must seem high to you, midget.”

“I’m five foot seven, Jiki. I’m sure every girl you sleep with must feel loose, small dick.”

“What girls?” Hideo added, smirking at Akio.

Akio returned the smile and said, “You’re right, I meant vacuum hose.”

“Enough. We’re in public now.”

“True,” Akio agreed, feigning regret. “Sorry, coach.”

The school’s halls seemed like an endless maze as the team continued on to the change rooms. They went through hall after hall, meeting the occasional statue of an important Japanese figure or display cases filled with student accomplishments. Luckily Hirato knew exactly where he was going and they eventually arrived, got changed and went to a quiet open area where they could stretch and prepare.

“How many teams before ours?” Jiki asked Hirato as the coach helped him stretch out his long muscular frame.

“We go on in about an hour and a half. After the female solo division finishes there are three male group gymnastics teams ahead of us.”

“I see,” The spiky haired boy replied. He looked over to his right and saw Daichi sitting alone, facing the wall with his eyes closed. “What are you doing?”

“Meditating. Be quiet.”

Akio crawled next to Daichi asking if he could join him.

“No,” Daichi answered firmly.

Akio frowned and turned his attention to Kei, who was on his back, stretching his legs and hips. He made his way over to his best friend, placed a hand on his leg and gently pushed down to deepen the stretch.

“Thanks, that feels good.”

“Good. Sit up and I’ll make you feel even better.”

With a drawn out groan, Kei sat upright and watched Akio maneuver his way behind him.

“Is your dad coming?” Akio asked, rubbing circles into Kei’s shoulder blades.

Kei lowered his head and let his eyes flutter shut, letting the massage soothe him. “No, he’s working.”

“Ah, well my parents will definitely be supporting both of us.”

“What about Shion?”

Akio smiled. “My brother doesn’t need support. The team he coaches has the support of practically everyone here. This is their home university.” Akio traveled down Kei’s back, kneading his muscles in a gentle circular motion. “Does this feel good?”

“Amazing, as usual,” Kei quietly replied. He couldn’t get enough of feeling Akio’s hands on his body and hoped that once he confessed, those same hands would be willing and wanting to explore more than just his back. As the massage went on Kei thought about what it might be like to date Akio. He concluded that not much would have to change. The dynamic that they already had was perfect and precious to Kei. Their friendship had been built on love, trust, loyalty, empathy, compassion, openness and respect. The only piece that was missing was sexual intimacy.

“I’m excited,” Akio said, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Kei’s shoulders. “I’m feeling really confident in our team.”

“Same. We worked hard.”

“Okay,” Hirato said loudly to get the attention of the six athletes. “Let’s go to the gym to make sure we’re in good condition." This was the standard procedure. They’d run their routine a few times before it was their turn to perform, just to make sure everyone was on and focused.

The gym was busy with a few different groups of hopeful gymnasts preparing for their upcoming performances. Athletes practiced on and along two large spring floor mats, black with a bold red border to match the school’s colors.

“Alright boys.” Hirato clapped as the group entered the gym. “Let’s do some laps around the mat and then I want to see some beautiful tumbling lines.”

Daichi took off first, setting a comfortable pace for the rest of the team to follow. The group was silent as they focused on getting warmed up. All that could be heard from them was the occasional light panting and their feet kissing the floor almost in unison. The warm up lasted for five minutes, and by the time they were finished a few groups had left, freeing up the spring floor.

“Ikeda,” Hirato said, calling Kei to attention. “You’re up first.”

Kei nodded and walked onto the spring floor. He started with a few simple front handsprings that were followed by aerial flips, and then finished with a front tuck. One by one, the team freestyled beautifully executed lines until Hirato said that he had seen enough. Next, they ran through their performance to make sure everything looked clean.

“Yuuta, you’re stiff,” The young coach commented, walking onto the floor to give the boy a gentle shake. “Relax, okay?”

“Yes, coach,” he murmured, biting his lip.

“You guys look great otherwise. Balance is on point today and the dance breaks are in perfect unison. Let’s bring it in before we head to the stadium.”

The group huddled together in a tight circle. Heads down and arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

“You’ve got this boy’s,” Hirato stressed. “You’ve done the work. It's now or never.”

“Now or never,” the six teammates said in unison.