Katsura remains disgustingly happy, as far as Kouichi can tell.

Not that anyone would notice from looking at his boyfriend Shibata, who has been on a low simmer since Katsura and Kouichi joined A-U University's archery club three days ago. Shibata Sou is a world-class sulker who apparently thinks the very presence of the lecherous archery coach will somehow seduce Katsura out from under his nose. This is ridiculous, since Katsura is one of the steadiest people around, and he already turned the coach down once when he was in high school.

Kouichi could have said something to Shibata like, "You've been dating for two years, will you just get a grip and pretend you're an adult-type person?" But he hasn't said anything like that yet, because if he does, Katsura will give him those serious, disappointed eyes and ask him, "Don't you think I can take care of myself?" And then Kouichi will feel like a scumbag and probably pout as much as Shibata. A disgusting idea, really.

Kobayakawa Yamato, Katsura's older brother, is already vice-captain of the archery club. In high school, Yamato and Shibata had been captain and vice-captain, even as Kouichi and Katsura were after them. It seemed a little strange to join a club where Yamato and Shibata weren't already running things, but then again -- it feels stranger still to be a freshman once more, stuck with the gruntwork and ducking his head to every upperclassman.

He catches Katsura out of the corner of his eye, and he can see the hard-won calmness that Katsura pursued so fervently during their first two years of high school. He found it, somehow, and Kouichi's pretty sure it has something to do with Shibata. Kouichi doesn't know how he himself feels about Shibata, exactly, because there's admiration and envy and irritation all mixed up. He hates that Shibata can be such an insecure dick at times, because it makes Katsura unhappy, and if there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that making Kastura unhappy is like kicking small baby animals. Totally, and in all ways, completely and utterly wrong.

Still, that doesn't explain why someone hasn't walloped Shibata before now, unless Yamato does it in secret.

Kouichi's mind temporarily goes to a bad, bad place, before he realizes it's his turn to shoot.

Yamato is standing next to him, already in the proper stance. Stop thinking dirty, sweaty things about Kobaykawa-sempai and Shibata-sempai, Kouichi warns his brain. In the first place, that is so wrong, and also, you have to shoot soon so shut up already.

It's not Kouichi's best showing ever, but his initial shoot three days ago was quite good, if he did say so himself. Still, this consolation isn't enough to pacify Katsura afterwards.

"Kouichi, you'd better be taking this seriously," Katsura says, and Kouchi's not so over Kastura that he can't still find his threats charming. "Just because you're not captain anymore is no excuse to space out!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Kouchi says, holding up his hands in surrender. "But in my defense, anyone would have been distracted by that mental image."

Katsura's brow furrows. "What image?"

Kouchi doesn't have to entirely fake the shudder that runs up his spine. "You don't even want to know, trust me."

Shibata's behavior is still irritating him. Kouichi decides to call for reinforcements.

"This is the Kobayakawa household," a man's voice says.

It must be their father. "This is Sakurasawa," Kouichi says. "May I speak with Kobaya - I mean, Yamato-san?"

"Just a moment," the father says warmly.

He hears the extension being picked up. "This is Yamato."

"Kobayakawa-sempai, are you going to let Shibata-sempai get away with being such a jerk?" Kouichi demands with little concern for any sort of introduction to the problem.

He can almost hear Yamato's shrug over the phone. "It's Sou's problem. If Katsura gets frustrated, I'll say something, but really -- Katsura can handle it. He turned down Coach Takatou before, so I can't imagine he'd have any problem doing it again if it were necessary."

Kouichi frowns. "I guess you're right."

"And anyway, what are you worrying about them for? It's been two years, and barring Takatou, they seem to be more or less happy."

"I suppose. But still."

There's a pause on the other end of the line, and then Yamato sighs softly. "Sakurasawa, don't you think it's time you gave up?"

Kouichi is equally silent for a moment, because that both hurts and doesn't. "I have, I just -- I just don't want Katsura to be troubled."

Yamato snorts. "You and me both. But if you keep butting in, you're going to get squeezed out. Let them work it out by themselves."

There's nothing more to say to that. "All right. Thank you, sempai."

"Sakurasawa."

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow morning, at the dojo. Come shoot with me."

Kouichi can't help it; he smiles into the phone. "Aren't you even going to lie to me and tell me that Katsura is coming too?"

"Do I need to do that anymore?"

Yamato hangs up before Kouichi gets the chance to get another word in, and he rolls his eyes at the disconnection beep.

"I guess you don't," he says, and hangs the receiver up.

It's one of those cool spring mornings that Kouichi loves best -- bright sunlight and an invigorating chill that will dissipate by midday. It makes him feel especially focused, so that he loses all track of time as he and Yamato shoot in peace and quiet.

When his arrows are all embedded in the target, he takes a deep, centering breath, and then turns his attention to Yamato.

For a long time, Kouichi only thought of him as Katsura's older brother. An obstacle, maybe, in Kouichi's pursuit of Katsura. But that was before the day that Yamato lured Kouichi to the dojo under false pretenses, and shot his bow, just once, just for Kouichi.

It had been beautiful, and in that moment, Kouichi ruefully acknowledged that he still had a long way to go.

After Yamato's last arrow lands with a thunk in the dead center of his target, Kouichi remarks casually, "I know you admire the coach's bow. You may seem similar, but you're really not, are you?"

Yamato looks over at him. "How would you know?" he asks, and his tone isn't dripping with sarcasm; he just sounds curious.

"I watch," Kouichi says, and it's a half smart-ass, half serious answer.

Spring melts into sticky, humid summer, and tempers flare correspondingly. Kouichi doesn't know how someone can be in a snit for an entire season, but Shibata manages it.

At least, he does until Katsura gives him the fight he's obviously been spoiling for. Oddly, Shibata doesn't get much of a chance to participate in said fight, mostly because Katsura corners him in the shooting hall and starts yelling.

"I don't understand you!" Katsura fumes. "Why can't you just say something's bothering you? I kept thinking you would tell me what was wrong, but you were never going to, were you?"

Kouichi and Yamato are doing their level best observe the fight without getting involved - in other words, spying on them from the other end of the dojo, safely hidden in the target viewing side room.

"I would have told you," Shibata says quickly, but everyone in earshot knows that's a lie.

"But you didn't, and I had to hear from Kouichi!" Katsura shoots right back, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"Why are you listening to what Kouichi says?" Shibata asks, clearly thinking he had some sort of moral weight to bargain with now.

"Didn't I tell you not to tell him?" Yamato hisses in Kouichi's ear.

Kouichi squirms a little, equal parts embarrassment at being found out and sensitivity to warm breath tickling his skin. "Didn't you think it had gone on long enough?"

Yamato grips Kouichi's bicep. "You don't get to decide these things. He's my younger brother."

"He's my best friend!" Kouichi snaps. "And hell if I was going to let this keep going on!"

That last part is a little loud, and the both turn to make sure that Shibata and Katsura haven't heard them.

"Well," Yamato says. "I guess the fight is over."

"Guess so," Kouichi echoes faintly. The fight has evidently resolved itself without them; Shibata and Katsura are engaged in a passionate lip lock, and Shibata's hands are definitely wandering in interesting places.

Kouichi swallows. "We should probably be leaving," he whispers.

"How?" Yamato whispers back. "The only way out is right past them. Unless you want to interrupt them."

Kouichi sneaks another glance out. "They'll leave soon, right? They're not really going to -- I mean, they wouldn't do it in the dojo, would they?"

Yamato's lips are a thin, angry line. "Quit looking. We'll just stay here until they leave." He pulls Kouichi away from the wall and back into the corner, and when Kouichi bumps into him, Yamato freezes, his eyes widening.

"You -- are you -- that's my little brother, Sakurasawa!"

"It doesn't have anything to do with him!" Kouchi protests, but Yamato isn't exactly backing off, which is making things even more uncomfortable.

"What do you mean, it doesn't have anything to do with him?" Yamato says in almost a snarl.

And between one breath and the next, the confusion melts away from Yamato's face. The hands that were pressing Kouichi into the wall suddenly soften their grip, one sliding down to rest at Kouichi's hip.

Kouichi doesn't know what to say, because he didn't mean for this to happen -- at least, he didn't really know he wanted this to happen --

And maybe Yamato feels just as lost as he does, because he's looking at Kouichi with an oddly helpless look in his eyes, like he doesn't know why this is happening but he's in no condition to stop it.

Kouichi kissed Katsura once, but if he had ever thought that kissing one Kobayakawa brother would be just like kissing the other, he was terribly, wonderfully wrong.

The kisses don't stay slow and soft for very long - soon they're pulling each others' gi down off their shoulders, so that Kouichi can kiss and nip at Yamato's collarbone, shoulders, anywhere he can reach. Part of him is still in shock that he's making out with Kobayakawa-sempai, but a much larger part of him deeply appreciates Yamato nibbling on his earlobe and rubbing their groins together slowly.

Kouichi tries to yank at the ties to Yamato's hakama without much success, and Yamato makes an impatient noise and takes Koichi's hand, shoving it through the hakama's side slit. And after that, Kouichi's fingers find their way beneath the gi and inside Yamato's boxers, and then he's gasping because Yamato is doing the same thing to him.

They're still trying to be quiet, but Kouichi doesn't know how much longer that will last. Yamato is heavy and hard in his hand, and Kouichi strokes him just like he likes it, and bites his lip when he feels the steady caress of Yamato's archery-callused hand on his own erection. They're gasping into each other's ears and thrusting into each other's hands, and it's humid and hot and so good, and Kouichi starts to pant and Yamato grunts softly, their hips moving in unison.

Yamato's eyes are almost closed, his face contorted in pleasure, and that's when Kouichi loses it. His head drops back and his hips move helplessly into Yamato's grip, and Yamato jerks him steady and slow until the end. And just as he's almost finished, Yamato braces himself with one arm against the wall and pushes into Kouichi's slackened grip, and when that's not enough, thrusts short and hard against Kouichi's belly until he groans in Kouichi's ear, spilling over Kouichi's fingers as he comes.

They're still breathing hard some minutes later, and Kouichi reflects that it's a wonder they both stayed upright. He can't hear Katsura and Shibata, so he can only assume they took their activities to a more appropriate place than the dojo.

Unlike themselves.

It's a little awkward in the end, because they're sticky and in uniform, which means they need to do some laundry posthaste.

Kouichi wonders if he ought to take off, but Yamato just helps him straighten up and says, "Come on, we'll go back to my house. If we're lucky, we can throw everything in the washing machine without anyone to bother us."

So they left for the Kobayashi household, which is mildly uncomfortable journey for several reasons, including an image of Yamato immediately before orgasm that wouldn't get out of Kouichi's head, no matter what.

As Yamato had predicted during their walk, his father is out, which means they can swiftly steal up to his bedroom for a fresh change of clothes, before throwing their uniforms in the wash. On their way back upstairs, they see Katsura peek out of his bedroom.

He looks...mussed. He is wearing a sheet wrapped around his waist. He is staring at the two of them in open-mouthed shock.

"Nii-chan? he asks, sounding totally scandalized.

Kouichi belatedly realizes that they don't look much better, dressed in Yamato's boxers and t-shirts. And if they had had any brains whatsoever, they would have checked for Shibata's shoes in the entryway. But no, they just had to come running in.

"Kouichi -- are you -- that's my big brother!" Katsura says, his voice breaking at the end in his embarrassment and surprise.

Kouichi rolls his eyes. "What is it with you guys? Jeez, you'd think you had some sort of--"

"That's enough," Yamato says firmly. Katsura watches in shock as Yamato all but drags Kouichi into his bedroom.

"Aren't you kind of creeped out? That's your brother in the room over," Kouichi says, after Yamato draws him over to the bed.

Yamato frowns. "Are you going to pay attention to them or pay attention to me?"

"You, definitely you," Kouichi says. And it's possible that this is the stupidest thing he's ever done, but then again - he's been looking at Yamato's bow for so long that it was only a matter of time before he started looking at Yamato himself.

Their mouths twitch a little when they hear a giggle float through the wall, but Kouichi's always been good at focusing when it's important. He leans over for a kiss, and brothers, annoying upperclassmen, and all other concerns fade away just as surely as if he were sighting the target, his arm poised to release.