The sky was fading into dusk when Gojo found himself once again sitting on the steps outside the gym, watching the sunset spill its golden light over the horizon. He could hear the faint sounds of the city in the distance, but here, in this small world they had built, everything felt still, almost serene.
The past few weeks had been a whirlwind. The team was growing, not just in skill, but in trust—both on and off the court. There were less moments of silence now, less tension. Instead, they were starting to feel more like... a unit. An odd, complicated, but undeniably strong unit.
Kuroko joined him, sitting down with a soft sigh. Gojo glanced over at him, sensing that there was something more on his mind.
"Something bothering you?" Gojo asked, his voice casual but knowing.
Kuroko's gaze remained forward, his usual impassiveness in place, but there was a subtle weight to his silence. He was thinking, Gojo could tell. And Kuroko's thoughts were never light.
"I don't think the team is as strong as we believe," Kuroko said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper carried by the evening air.
Gojo tilted his head, considering the words carefully. "What do you mean? They're getting better every day."
Kuroko nodded. "They are. But they still don't trust each other completely. Aomine fights alone. Midorima holds back. Kise wants approval, and Murasakibara… he's indifferent. Akashi, too, still wants to control everything."
Gojo's eyes softened. Kuroko had always been able to see the subtle fractures in people, even when they tried to hide them. "You're right," he said after a long pause. "But they're not lost causes."
"They're not," Kuroko agreed, "but we need something more than just the will to win. We need unity."
Gojo thought about it. "I can't exactly force them to change. People don't do well with being pushed into something they don't want to be."
"I know," Kuroko replied, his voice quiet but firm. "But we can't keep playing this game by pretending everything's fine."
A long silence followed, but it was different from the silence before. This wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that came from understanding, the kind that came after a long conversation where nothing had been said, but everything had been understood.
Gojo stretched his legs out in front of him, then glanced sideways at Kuroko. "I get it. It's not just about making them better players. It's about making them a team. A real one."
Kuroko looked at him, his eyes reflecting a quiet gratitude. "I think you understand that more than anyone else."
Gojo shrugged, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "I've got a lot to make up for. It's not just about the game. It's about them, too. Maybe I've been too used to standing alone. But… maybe it's time to try standing together."
Kuroko's small nod was almost imperceptible, but it was all Gojo needed to see. It was a step forward—a shared understanding that they both had a hand in this, and neither of them could do it alone.
"I'll keep pushing them," Gojo said, standing up and brushing off his pants. "Not forcefully, but I'll make them see what they're missing. All of them. Aomine, Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara, Akashi…"
He looked at Kuroko, his eyes softer than before. "And you. Don't sell yourself short, Tetsu. You're the glue holding us together."
Kuroko blinked, surprised by the sincerity in Gojo's voice. "I… I'm just the shadow. I'm not—"
"No," Gojo interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. "You're not just a shadow. You're the core of this team. The one who understands the balance, who sees what we can't. Without you, we're just five strong players with no direction."
Kuroko remained quiet for a moment, as if weighing Gojo's words, but then a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Thank you," Kuroko said softly.
Gojo waved him off, his usual grin returning. "Don't thank me yet. We've got a long road ahead."
The two of them stood there, side by side, looking out over the city as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon. Neither of them spoke, but for the first time in a long while, they didn't need to.
---
Later that night, during practice, there was a change in the air. The tension that had been a constant, lingering thing was now replaced with something else. A subtle shift. A quiet determination.
Gojo, Kuroko, Aomine, Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi were still the same team they had always been, but now they moved differently. There was more trust in their passes, more understanding in their movements. They weren't just playing to win anymore—they were playing for each other.
As the practice session ended, Gojo caught Kuroko's eye across the gym.
It wasn't the first time they'd made eye contact, but something in that moment was different.
It was the beginning of something new.