Groups came and went, and it was finally time for the team to perform. Hirato whispered words of encouragement to each of them as they stood in a group beside the mat waiting to hear Takeyama University to be called.

"Big... crowd," Yuuta commented. "I-I don't know if I ca--"

"I told you not to think about it," Kei interrupted. "Focus bringing out your best performance yet. Think only about the spring floor."

"O-Okay."

Jiki turned to Yuuta and said, "Yeah, you're gonna be just fine, tubby. If you weren't ready, trust me I'd tell you."

Yuuta smiled weakly. "Yeah… I can do this."

"Of course," Akio added. "I believe in all of you."

A female voice over the P.A system finally introduced them, and Akio lead them in a line, one after the other. When they were all lined up at the border of the spring floor mat, Akio glanced at his teammates, raised a hand, and yelled, “Ready!” to signify that the group was good to go.

“FIGHT!” and “GO FOR IT!” could be heard from members of the large audience. It was comforting to know that even as a rookie team, the boys had some support.

The team walked into the center of the mat, froze in their starting positions, and waited for the music to start. The song began, and it came in sounding fierce, full of energy and vibrant with powerful foreign vocals that sprung the boys back to life. They danced across the spring floor, arms extending and legs leaping in flawless synchronization that immediately captivated the judges and audience. The team of six spread across the mat and begun to tumble over each other in a beautiful series of flips, handsprings and somersaults, showcasing their accuracy and strength. The audience clapped with enthusiasm as they stood still in arabesque position to demonstrate their flexibility and balance in unison. Next, they glided across the floor in another intricate dance sequence and then came back together to toss Kei into the air. He looked impressive as he flipped and twisted midair. Somehow Kei always managed to make things look easy. He was the ace of the team. The most flexible, agile and just behind Akio when it came to expressiveness when he performed. The music picked up even more and another series of dramatic tumbling was executed. They gathered together again and Akio was the epitome of confidence as he lead the group through a final ballet style sequence. The audience was ghost quiet, admiring the beauty and perfection of the team of talented rookies. For their entire three minute routine they were perfect. Yuuta managed to pull himself together, Daichi, Hideo, and Jiki were just as stunning as they were during practice. Everyone in the room could feel them expressing their passion through the movement of their bodies. Not one foot was out of place or even a subtle movement to dock points. Finally the music ended and the crowd roared with applause. The boys took a moment to revel in the crowd’s response, breathlessly bowed in unison and made their way off spring floor to await their final scores.

Out of a possible 20 points based on difficulty and execution of the routine, the team was awarded a total of 19.70.

After receiving their scores, they exited into the hall and exploded with joy over their performance. Hirato was practically in tears as he hugged each member with brutal force.

“Nineteen point fucking seven!!” Jiki exclaimed, giving Hideo and then Daichi a double high five. He then hugged Yuuta, who couldn’t stop shaking with a blank expression on his face.

Akio was speechless. A steady stream of tears fell down his cheeks while he tried to process what had just happened. Kei grabbed his hand, pulled him into an embrace and let Akio sob into his chest.

“Little brother,” a voice said from behind Akio and Kei.

Akio batted away his tears and turned around to the sound of the familiar voice. “Sh-Shion,” he said.

“Great performance. Congratulations.”

“Thank you..." he sniffled,  "but I’m still mad at you for copying my hair color.”

Shion chuckled and ran a hand through his short hair. “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, little bro. My team is up next though, so I can’t stay and chat.” He waved and his team followed him down the hall and into the stadium.

“Should we go watch them?” Kei inquired, bringing a hand up to Akio's face to wipe his tears away.

“Yes.”

Akio and Kei announced they were going to watch the next group and the rest of the team decided they’d go for a quick water break before joining them.

The pair took another route to their teams assigned seats and when they arrived, they watched as Shion’s group took the stage. The crowd was quick to make noise for their home team.

“Could their costumes be a brighter shade of red?” Kei remarked when the music started.

Akio didn’t reply, he was too laser focused on his brother’s team. Knowing his brother wouldn’t accept anything other than perfection, Akio knew they were the team to beat.

They were accurate, strong and had beautiful lines. All of the things that the judges loved.

As confident as Akio always was, he couldn’t shake the doubt and dread he was starting to feel. In an attempt to calm his nerves, he grabbed Kei’s hand and held it tightly.

“They’re good, but I wouldn’t worry, Aki. And even if we do lo—”

“Stop,” Akio interrupted, his gaze never leaving the spring floor. His heart was in his throat. He couldn't breath.

“Sorry,” Kei smiled. To Kei, it was adorable how invested in winning Akio was. Not that he didn’t want to win, but as he looked down at the hand that was entwined in his own, all he could think about how much he wanted to hold this hand forever.

The music faded away and all that was left was to see their scores. It felt like forever before they appeared, but when the numbers flashed on screen, Akio gasped.

“Nineteen… point four,” Kei read slowly.

Akio stared at the screen for a few seconds before his eyes brightened and smile went wide. "We won."

~

 Akio was right. No other team could break eighteen points before the competition ended, and at the awards ceremony Hirato’s team stood center, bowing humbly after they received their first place medals and trophy. The crowd showed their support with deafening cheering and clapping. Shion's team came in second and third was another great team who had scored 17.9 points. Closing statements were made and the winning teams were eventually released back into the hall. There would be another intermission before men's solo gymnastics, which none of the boys from Takeyama University took part in. 

“We’re going out for ramen for dinner, right?” Yuuta asked as soon as the ceremony ended and the teams were exiting into the hall.

“Yes, piggy,” Jiki teased, poking the boy in the gut. “We’re gonna get some food.”

“The bus leaves in thirty minutes boys, so go see your families, grab your things and head to the bus.”

"Yes, coach," everyone said.

The team broke up to go find their families and friends. Kei had no one there for him so he quickly said hello to Akio’s parents and then headed for the change rooms. Left and right people complimented and congratulated him as he walked down the halls sporting his pretty gold medallion. He smiled politely and even stopped for a few selfies with new fans. The process was very slow, but he eventually arrived and was able to get changed in peace. Before exiting the school, Kei found a vending machine on his way out. He purchased a sports drink and drank from it greedily until it was finished and then discarded. As he opened the doors to exit the school, it was like reality hit him once he passed the threshold. Soon Akio would know how he truly felt. It terrified him and excited him at the same time." 

With fifteen minutes left before the bus took off, Kei was the first to get on board. He didn’t mind the time alone since it would give him time to think about what he would say to Akio once they were back at the dorms. Akio, I’m in love with you. The thought had his breathing going shallow, his heart racing, and his brain going foggy. One by one, his teammates began to pile onto the bus, and when Akio arrived and sat down next to Kei, he thought he was going to die.

“You’re quiet,” Akio mentioned to Kei while trying to get into his line of sight. “You’re not upset that your dad didn’t show up right?”

“No,” Kei replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “He’s never come to a competition… I’m used to it.”

“Then what’s up?”

Kei took in a deep breath before saying, “I just need to talk to you when we get back.”

“Of course.”

The drive back was filled with lively chatter from everyone besides Kei. Even Yuuta was participating in the conversations about their victory and excitement for the future.

“So what time are we heading to the restaurant?” Hideo asked as everyone stood up to get off the bus.

“Does six work for everyone?” Akio added.

The team agreed that they’d meet at the ramen restaurant at six and then went their separate ways.

Akio and Kei went to their dorm room and once inside, Kei impulsively grabbed Akio’s hand and lead him to the center of the room. “There’s something I really want to tell you,” Kei said, warmth starting to travel to his face. He couldn't stop the shaking that he was overcome with so he took in a few shallow breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. 

“So… let’s talk,” Akio replied, a little confused as to why Kei was suddenly a shaking mess.

Kei nodded and swallowed hard before speaking. “Aki, you’ve... you've meant more to me my entire life than anyone else." He swallowed again, searching his brain for what to say next. He let out a nervous laugh before saying, "As you know, I’ve never been very good at expressing how I feel in words. So I’ll just say it simply. I’m in love with you, Akio." Kei paused for a moment to search Akio's eyes for a reaction, but there was nothing. Akio's expression was eerily blank so Kei went on. "Even now my heart is racing just being here in front of you. I hope that you’ll accept how I feel and that maybe you feel similarly about me. You—"

He had heard enough. Akio raised a hand to cut Kei short. "I really want to just laugh in your face, Kei. But because you're my best friend and I treasure you no matter what, I'll give you the satisfaction of understanding why I could never date you. As a boyfriend you'd be... boring. Dry as dust. You're also a virgin. While I admit taking a v-card could be exciting, the idea of having sex with you seems disgusting and weird. You don't know how to use your cock and it would just be borderline incestuous."

Kei parted his mouth to speak, but no words could form. He knew that if he tried to talk his emotions would overwhelm him and he'd start to cry. That was the last thing he wanted to do in front of Akio. So he remained quiet, silently trying to hold his composure.

Akio shook his head. "Even the way you're standing there with that shocked expression is boring. I'm leaving."

"A-Aki," Kei managed to say before Akio could leave the room.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?" Kei stuttered.

"I'm going to Daichi and Hideo's room. I don't want to stay here with you right now. It'll just be awkward. I'll see you at the restaurant later."

He was falling apart but managed to fake a smile and choke out a quiet, "Okay."

Akio opened the door but not without leaving Kei a final statement. "You're a great friend, Kei. Not dating material."