“Come on, babe, show some enthusiasm!” Dee bounced the ball, making it look so easy.

“I’m better at soccer than basketball,” Ryo reminded his lover.

“Which is why we’re doin’ this. You wanna be a supportive dad to the runt, don’t ya?”

Ryo planted his hands on his hips. “Yes, but d’you have to call him that? He does have a name.”

“I know.” Dee rolled his eyes. “Look, the kid has big ambitions, and there’s no denyin’ he’s got the talent to go with ‘em. He gets the right breaks, gets spotted by the right people, he’s got a chance to make it all the way to the majors. It would mean a lot to him if you were willin’ to shoot hoops with him occasionally.”

“Can’t you do that? I mean, you already play, and you’re good at it. I’d just make a fool of myself.”

“I’m not his dad, you are, and anyway, you’re the one who wanted me to teach ya.”

That was true, Ryo HAD asked Dee to give him some pointers, but that was mostly so he’d understand what was going on when he watched his foster son play. He hadn’t expected his request to turn into a training session.

“I didn’t know it would be this hard.”

“Was soccer easy when ya first started playin’?”

“Yes! That’s just kicking a ball around!”

“Well, basketball is just bouncin’ and throwin’ a ball around. You’re never gonna match the kid’s skill level…”

Ryo cut his partner off before Dee could finish. “Then why am I even bothering?”

“Because it’s fun, and it’ll make Biks happy. C’mon, give it another try.” Dee bounced the ball a couple more times before directing it back at Ryo. He wasn’t giving up until Ryo mastered the art of dribbling!


The End