Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s like this: the Snaps have won two rounds out of three in the match, but it’s too soon to celebrate; the opposing team - the Quicksilvers - can still clinch a victory with a team knockout. The Snaps are tired, and it’s entirely possible a few well-timed hits could lose them everything. Both teams know it. Fire is flying, sweat is pouring, and tensions are high. This suspense is what the audience lives for. 

(It’s what Akihito lives for, too.)

But something about this round feels different. It’s not until a clay disk whizzes dangerously past Akihito’s ear for about the sixth time, that he’s convinced something’s up with the ref. 

Akihito had let the first few cheap shots go, knowing that a healthy number of tricks are expected in these unofficial bending matches. Kou had wind-walled some fire blasts that had dragged on a second too long to be legal. Even Takato had tripped a few people up with ice across the Quicksilvers’ water grates. It’s fine . 

But after Akihito is forced to duck away from another attack clearly aimed at his face, he’s ready to rip somebody’s arms off. Preferably the earthbender across the court who seems intent on bouncing clay disks off his head. 

“This game is FUCKED.” Kou snarls, equally frustrated, as Akihito steps from behind him and retaliates with his own potent fire punch. His attack flies across center field and nails the offending earthbender in the shoulder, causing the stocky woman to spin on her heel and stumble. 

Akihito barely has time to release a cheeky laugh before he’s diving to the ground to avoid a fireball from the Quicksilvers’ own firebender, aimed directly at him. Takato’s already there, though, pulling water from the grates on their end of the field to shield Akihito from the heat. The fireball meets Takato’s water wall with a hiss, and steam blows back into Aki’s face. He clicks his tongue in annoyance as his visor fogs. He supposes he deserved that for stepping from out of his cover.

There’s a swell of noise and excitement from the crowd around them at Akihito’s near encounter with peril - he doesn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes. 

Akihito is a good firebender. No, scratch that, he’s a great firebender. He has to be, when the Snaps don’t have a heavy-hitting earthbender to even their offense out. With only three members allowed per team, not many have airbenders, and even fewer use them defensively. Takato, their waterbender, compensates by being versatile in both offense and defense - and Aki usually takes point due to his physical flexibility. That means Akihito has to be loud and flashy as well as forceful, and more often than not, Takato has to cover him when he extends too far. 

Right on time, Takato nags, “Get your ass up!” before shooting a spray of water tauntingly at the opposite team and fixing his stance.

Akihito throws a tiny glance at the referee as he rolls to his feet. As expected, the black-clad man isn’t sparing the Quicksilvers a glance. Instead the ref’s eyes are trained on Aki’s team, his hand ready with a yellow card to deal a penalty at the smallest foul. 

Fucker.

The Quicksilver firebender has clearly concluded that Akihito is out of his league, instead focusing the majority of his strikes at Kou. Takato and the other waterbender are going toe-to-toe, sending vicious attacks each other’s ways. Takato is slightly faster, however, and he manages to neutralize and deflect just about everything thrown at him. Aki’s team is doing okay for now, but they’re going to have to be careful if the ref is against them - he flashes a hand sign behind his back, signaling his partners to return to their defensive formation. They just need to last until the timer runs out. 

There’s a brief pause in the fight as both teams regroup.

Akihito returns his gaze to their opponents, falling into stance as he makes quick work of reading them. The Quicksilvers’ gear is covered with obnoxious silver spray paint; the visors covering their eyes make them look nearly identical, their only distinctive features being the colored sashes tied around their waists - the same that Akihito’s team wears. Aki bears the red of a firebender, Takato in blue, and Kou with yellow. They lack the green of an earthbender, the green on the woman across the ring who has been making Akihito’s life hell the past few minutes. She’s got a cocky smile on her face, clearly visible below the eyeshield, and her shoulders roll back as she prepares to launch another onslaught of disks at them. 

“Cover me.” Akihito says to Kou, glancing to the side just in time to see Takato blasted in the chest with water and fire, merging to create a powerful steam strike. There’s no doubt in Aki’s mind that the Quicksilver’s waterbender used the water from the Snaps’ end of the field to have attacked so quickly - an illegal move - but there’s no time to react. Takato is flung, the force of the pressurized steam sending him flying backwards. His body rolls and comes to a stop outside of the third ring, and stays there. 

“Knockout!” The ref calls and raises a red card. Takato is out for the round, and therefore the rest of the game. The audience roils. 

“Damn it!” Kou curses, kicking out to deflect a disk. There are two however, one hiding in the shadow of the other, and the errant one grazes Akihito’s jaw before he spots it.

“You’re mine, Firewhip!” The opposing earthbender taunts, and Aki’s decided he’s had just about enough of her. 

Signaling to Kou that he’ll be relying on him to deflect any water attacks that come his way, Akihito steps dangerously close to the center line, exposing himself but giving him better reach into their opponent’s side of the playing field. Fire attacks are more forceful at close range, he knows, but instead of shooting off the blast attack that the other team is probably expecting, Aki summons two tendrils of fire that he appears to grab before lashing them into the Quicksilver’s first zone, long enough to reach the far edges of the centermost area. 

This is one of his signature moves as well as the source of his nickname - Firewhip - and it has the intended effect of making all three enemy benders abort their attacks and dance away from the licking flames. This buys Kou a few precious seconds to slide in behind Akihito and kick out with a low air blast, which catches their firebender off guard and sends the man tumbling into the second zone when his knees are knocked out from under him. 

The crowd around them cheers at the Snap’s successful combination move, but the cheers quickly morph into an excited shout as the Quicksilver’s waterbender retaliates by sending a surging wave directly at the two of them, clearly hoping to catch the both of them while they’re gathered together and sweep them out of the ring for a team knockout. 

Akihito instinctively punches down with his arms and releases a controlled blast of fire, propelling himself high into the air into a backflip. Kou instead spins in an almost breakdance-like fashion out of the path of the wave, carried by the wind which takes him dangerously close to the far edge of their first zone. This is a calculated risk, and it backfires on the airbender when the Quicksilver earthbender brazenly sends a clay disc directly into the side of Kou’s head mid-maneuver. 

Kou cries out and falls into the second zone, his yell of pain drowned out by the jeers of the crowd upon watching the clearly illegal move. The referee blows his whistle and raises a yellow card - and a lightning bolt of anger shoots through Aki when he sees it’s a penalty not for the Quicksilvers, but the Snaps. 

“Illegal maneuver - maximum height exceeded!” The man in black calls out, referencing Akihito’s earlier backflip, “The Snap’s firebender will retreat to the second zone.” 

Akihito’s jaw drops angrily at the blatant favoritism, and glares at the black-clad man who watches the firebender with his chin jutted out. Aki doesn’t immediately move, vibrating with fury, and the referee brandishes the yellow card menacingly.  

“Want to make it the third zone?” The old man threatens, and Akihito resists the urge to flip him off as he spins on his heel and stomps to the second ring inside the circular arena without a word. 

Seriously, fuck that guy. 

The Snaps win in the end, though, on a technicality. 

During the remainder of the last round, Kou had been knocked back to the third zone and Akihito had managed to hold on to the second. And as the minutes had ticked down closer and closer towards the end of the match, the Quicksilvers’ attacks got even more desperate and questionably legal. The referee hadn’t called out any of them, of course, and by the time the buzzer blared to signal the end of the game, Akihito was certain his body looked like a masterpiece of bruises and burns underneath his soaked maroon uniform. 

Even so, the opposing team hadn’t gotten the team knockout they needed to win the game, and in the end the Snaps clinched victory after having won the majority of the three rounds.

In the locker room showers, Akihito’s team nurses their wounds.

“That earthbender better pray I never pass her in the street.” Akihito mutters darkly as he scrubs the sweat from his hair, his arms throbbing in exhaustion. “That referee, too. Shady asshole.”

Kou sits on a nearby bench with an ice pack held to his bruised temple, still looking a little dazed from the head-tap. Takato paces the locker room looking like a caged tiger, no doubt frustrated at himself that he’d been knocked out so early in the last round. The waterbender, while usually laid-back, tended to beat himself up for any small mistake after their matches. It usually took Kou and Aki forcing a few drinks into him to get him to relax. 

“Well, at least we got the prize money.” Kou says eventually, his voice a little fainter than usual. “What’s fifty thousand yen divided three ways? Thinking is hard right now.” 

“Not enough for the shit we just went through,” Akihito quips bitterly as he finishes washing and shuts off the shower. He wraps a towel around his waist and steps into the small locker room where his teammates wait, before pausing and casting a worried glance at Kou when he sees how pale the airbender is. “You sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” 

“Nah,” Kou replies, “I’ve had concussions before, this is nothing. Just a little headache.” 

It isn’t the first time one or more of them has gotten injured in a match, but such is the nature of amateur ‘Pro’-bending, affectionately called Underground-bending by the community. Televised games in the major leagues could be counted on to have squeaky-clean refs and play-by-play reviews to make sure all the rules were adhered to. But in these Underground matches, a little dirty fighting isn’t just permitted, but expected - to an extent. It’s something Akihito usually enjoys, but in cases like these where the referee had had it out for his team or had been bribed (or both), he ended up feeling sore and sour by the end of the game. 

The three of them finish recuperating about fifteen minutes later and decide to get their customary post-match drink at the nearby hole-in-the-wall bar. They could usually count on some of the match spectators to be there as well, and their fans were always generally happy to buy them a round or two of beer whether they won or lost. 

As they exit the warehouse that had long ago been repurposed as an unofficial arena, however, they’re surprised to see a small entourage waiting for them outside at the back door: a group of four men, clearly a stooge and his bodyguards. 

It’s almost laughably stereotypical: three muscled brutes who look like bouncers stand in a defensive formation (Aki knows one when he sees one) around a more slender, suited man. The stooge’s hair is cropped short, and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses sits delicately upon his nose. Before Aki can let out the snide remark at the tip of his tongue, something along the lines of well this should be good , Glasses steps forward and gives a controlled bow with his head. 

“Congratulations on the win, gentlemen,” Glasses greets in a diplomatic tone. “That match was quite hard-won.” 

Immediately, this man gives Aki the ick. He likes to think he’s always been good at reading people, and something in Glasses’ eyes tells him right away that this man is a snake. Nevermind the glaringly out-of-place expensive watch, tailored suit, and menacing babysitters - it’s the eyes that dart between Aki and his teammates, coldly assessing and measuring, that tells the firebender that this man is more than he tries to appear. 

Kou, ever the most polite amongst their trio, returns the bow and counters with a neutral “Oh, you were watching? Thank you for your patronage.” Anyone who enters the warehouse has to pay a fee, so if Glasses and his group had been inside, their money now lines the Snaps’ pockets (after the match organizers had taken their cut, of course). 

“My name is Kirishima Kei,” Glasses says, which Akihito promptly forgets. As the man introduces himself, the bodyguards pull out business cards and hand one to each of the Snaps in unison. “I am a representative of the Sion Corporation. We specialize in consultation and holdings, but to cut right to the chase, we’re looking to expand into other industries and attract new clientele. As such, we’re looking to sponsor a Pro-team to increase our public presence, and are seeking an appropriate group of benders to fit our needs.” 

“Uh, you should probably go talk to some Pro-benders then.” Aki says, his voice flat with suppressed irritation. “We’re Underground. Not exactly the same as the Big League benders, as I’m sure you saw.” 

The corner of Glasses’ mouth twitches upwards as his gaze settles on Akihito. “On the contrary,” he replies, “Your team displayed a professional level of flexibility and skill, as well as exceptional teamwork obviously borne from diligent practice. And you played a clean game. Not that you had a choice with how the referee was conducting the match.” 

Takato shakes his head. “We definitely used some tricks of our own, but that’s not unusual in the Underground. We’re not clean in the slightest.” 

“From what I saw, your techniques in the last game were nothing that would raise eyebrows in a Pro-bending arena,” Glasses counters, “Plus, we’re not opposed to the idea of our players being… creative in their strategies, when the need arises. We’ve had our eye on your team for a while. You’ve proved you can think on your feet. With a little bit of polishing, you could Pro-bend with the best of them.”

Akihito snorts. “More like it’s cheaper to register a new team than try to poach an already recognized one away from their current sponsor. Do you even care about how well we can play, or do you just want to rub elbows with the big shots?” 

“Such is not the case,” Glasses says, voice still annoyingly controlled and proper, “Money is no object to us. Sion Corporation is looking to shake things up and bring some new blood into the sport. We want to cause a stir with a flashy new Pro-bending team to catch the public’s attention, and I’d venture to say that describes your group pretty well.”

The man’s honeyed words have captured the regard of Takato and Kou, but Akihito can only look on with narrowed eyes. His day job as a freelance photojournalist had brought him face-to-face with many shady figures who knew how to say the right things. Politicians, public figures, bankers, fixers… Sion could be connected to any one of them, and Akihito and his friends wouldn’t know who until it was too late, if they weren't careful.

Perhaps detecting the venom in Akihito’s stare, Glasses holds up his hands in a placating gesture and adopts a small but disarming smile. 

“You are under no obligation to agree to anything at this moment.” The bespectacled man assures them. “Consider this an invitation to visit Sion at a later time to discuss further details. Please take a week or two to discuss amongst yourselves and consider our proposal.” 

“Considerate of you.” Takato replies noncommittally as he inspects the business card in his hands more closely. 

Glasses inclines his head towards the waterbender in acknowledgment, before returning his gaze to Akihito. Aki never claimed to be the leader of the Snaps, but for some reason this man seems more concerned with his thoughts on the potential sponsorship than those of his two partners. It makes him want to take another shower despite having taken one only minutes prior.

“With that being said, I would advise against taking too long to make a decision.” Glasses adds suddenly, as if it’s a thought he’d almost forgotten to mention. He checks his watch and holds out his hand to the side, and one of his goons hands him a briefcase. “Your group is not the only one we have considered and approached. We at Sion are hoping to secure a final contract with a team soon. But I’ve taken up much of your time – good evening, gentlemen.” 

Kou is kind enough to send the group of men off with a polite bow while Takato continues to consider the business card. Akihito only scowls at all of their suit-covered backs. 

Once the coast is clear, without further ado, the three of them are finally able to make their way to the bar - where they are indeed greeted by a larger than usual group of supporters who congratulate them on their victory. Complaining about the referee’s obviously one-sided calls buys them quite a bit of sympathy, and that sympathy buys them quite a bit of beer. By the end of the night, Akihito has nearly forgotten Glasses and his goons. The alcohol takes the edge off of most of his aches as well, and he bitches to anyone who will listen about his new nemesis, the Quicksilver earthbender. 

The bar closes at two, and the three Snaps share a taxi to Takato’s condo before Aki and Kou make their way to their own nearby abodes. When Aki lets himself into his studio apartment around three, he immediately strips and collapses into bed. 

His jeans, as well as Kirishima Kei’s business card in the back pocket, lay forgotten on the floor. 

As they say: When it rains, it pours. 

It’s strange how misfortune and difficult circumstances seem to suddenly haunt Akihito and the other members of the Snaps after that day. To think that only a week before, everything had been going well for them.

First, it begins on Wednesday when Akihito’s top client - a local newspaper that frequently bought Aki’s photos, who Aki had carefully been nurturing a professional partnership with over the last year - reaches out to let him know that while they thank him for his hard work, they’ve recently hired an in-house photographer and will no longer need his services.

Then, two days later, Kou sends out a distressed text to his two best friends and teammates, asking to meet with them as soon as possible. The three of them gather at Kou’s family home and hear the news: apparently Kou’s parents - who own a restaurant - have been indebted to a questionable lender for years. This lender had abruptly sold his parents’ debt to a new holder a few days before, and the new debt-collector expected to collect the full remaining amount next month. 

Upset but determined, Aki tells Kou that of course he and Takato will help pool together the funds to help his family pay off the debt. But then, a grim-faced Takato announces that actually, his girlfriend found out she was pregnant a month prior, and he’s been trying to gather the courage to ask Kou and Aki if they’d be willing to sign up for more Underground matches so that he could start saving up for his future baby. 

The three of them can’t help but have a cry for each other at that meeting, feeling overwhelmed at the sudden life changes and hardships that seem to have hit them all at once. But supporting each other is what they’ve always done best, and they start to strategize.

“I promise I’ll do what I can to help, Kou.” Akihito sniffs after drying his eyes, wrapping his arms around the airbender’s shoulders. “Being a freelancer fucking sucks, though. I’m going to try to find another job soon, and I’ll do what I can.” 

“Thanks Aki,” says Kou, wiping at his tears. His upset expression morphs into one of awe, then, as he looks at Takato. “I can’t believe you’re going to be a dad, though.”

“Right? I’m so fucking scared.” Takato chuckles, but it sounds empty. “You guys will be great uncles… I might be a shit father, but, I guess we’ll see.”

The three of them, having gathered in Kou’s childhood bedroom, sit around each other in silence for a long, contemplative minute. All of them stare at a different corner of the room, lost in thought as they process their current collective circumstances. It’s Takato who breaks the stillness. 

“Aki, you made several good points about that guy from Sion being a suspicious motherfucker,” the waterbender murmurs, “But… maybe we should meet up with them and see what they’re offering? Even if they’re blowing smoke about us being able to play against the Pros, if they have a decent salary in the contract, then… who cares, right? I don’t mind taking some beatings from Pro-benders and looking bad if it means my kid will have a college fund.” Kou nods in agreement with this, as if he’s thinking the same in regard to his parents. 

Aki’s chest tightens in guilt for having railed against Sion earlier that week, without knowing the circumstances of his friends. “I’m not the boss of you guys, you know? You don’t need my permission to meet with Sion if that’s what you need to do.” 

Kou butts Akihito’s shoulder with his head. “But we’re a team. We’ve trained together for years, you think we’d go behind your back and meet them without you? This is a three-yes, one-no situation. We won’t split up the Snaps. Just tell us if you absolutely won’t do it, and we’ll figure something else out. Promise.” 

But of course Aki can’t say no in that position. He would always want his friends to succeed, even if it meant meeting some rich assholes with questionable motives.

That’s how, a few days later, Akihito finds himself in an entirely too-fancy elevator at the Sion Corporation. 

The company building itself is somewhere in the depths of Shinjuku, and when the Snaps step into the building’s lobby, Akihito is enraptured despite himself by the sleek and modern interior design. They stop at the front desk to confirm their appointment with Kirishima Kei himself (Takato is the only one who had saved the man’s business card after their previous meeting, which the lobby security guard holds like it’s a precious artifact), and the three of them are eventually guided to a small elevator behind the desk after the necessary authentications are made. 

Akihito only has time to note that there’s a fucking chandelier in the lift before the elevator doors slide closed, and then Aki’s world narrows to the four walls that suddenly seem oppressive and suffocating around him. He tries to control his breathing and focus on the chandelier and mirrored ceiling instead of the walls as the elevator feels like it takes forever to reach its intended floor. He’s not sure how successful he is, and after a few moments, Kou’s hand wraps around his own as Aki tries to breathe in through his nose and exhale quietly through his mouth. 

The elevator must be for executive use only, as it makes no stops until it reaches the second highest floor of the office building. Though the elevator is fast, it’s quite a tall building, and Aki doesn't step out so much as fall out when the doors open. He is infinitely grateful to his friends at that moment, who press against either side of him so that his shaking legs don’t collapse under him. 

An unexpectedly average-looking businessman meets them as they exit. The trio are led into a nearby office, which is easily the largest singular workspace Akihito’s ever seen. There’s a damn waiting room outside the main suite (offices can apparently have suites, which is news to Aki), and they wait for ten minutes before they’re finally called inside. 

Glasses is sitting at a large desk, accompanied by what appears to be a half-dozen chatty lawyers to one side at their own work station. Akihito faintly feels like he’s on trial as he takes the leftmost of three chairs placed in front of the desk, and as he settles into his seat, the din of the room quiets down until everyone silently watches the new arrivals as if waiting for them to speak. 

“...Err,” Kou says first after a few seconds, obviously unnerved by the anticipatory atmosphere, “Thank you for the formal invitation to Sion Corporation. I’m glad we had the chance to meet and discuss a possible partnership.”

Glasses looks far too comfortable at his desk as he smiles sharply and steeples his fingers together, leaning forward in his chair. “I am pleased we could meet as well, Hirakawa Kou-san,” he agrees, “After all, Sion was about to extend a contract to another team before you called, but we’re looking for the best - we want to consider all of our options before setting anything in stone.” 

Akihito knows manipulative bullshit when he hears it. He sits up straight in his chair, ready to say something distinctly unprofessional, when Takato jumps in to take control of the conversation. 

“How truly fortunate that you made time for us, then.” The waterbender says in a flat tone, while giving a smile as sharp as the one they were given. “We know you prefer to get right to the chase, so please allow us to present our own conditions for a possible future sponsorship.” 

Takato fishes two binders out of his backpack - one he hands directly to Glasses, the other he passes to the nearby table of lawyers. While the lawyers nearly fall on top of each other to be the first to grab the binder and inspect it, the bespectacled representative of Sion doesn’t even touch his own copy. Instead he glances at the lawyer nearest to him, and within seconds the second binder is also being passed around the legal advisors’ table. 

“I’d prefer it if you told me your terms directly, Tachibana Takato-san.” Glasses says frankly, but not unkindly. Ever maintaining the diplomatic persona, the man glances evenly between the three younger men seated before him, looking expectant. 

Takato clears his throat and doesn't beat around the bush. “We’re asking for private insurance enrollment, guaranteed workers’ comp in case of injury, two month’s paternity leave in the event that any of us have children.” The waterbender’s voice is even as if he’s negotiated terms of employment in front of a panel of lawyers a million times before. “We’d also like a dedicated trainer, and a permanent training facility if possible. Twenty paid vacation days a year. Finally, a starting yearly salary of no less than ten million yen per year, per player, with guaranteed pay increases in the event of consecutive victories in our matches.” 

Glasses’ eyebrows are high by the time Takato is done listing their demands. Akihito’s hackles are raised, ready to not give an inch, and so he’s not really prepared when the bespectacled man says, “That’s all?” in an innocent, questioning tone. 

The lawyers as one look to their boss, appearing a little surprised themselves. 

Glasses leans back in his seat slightly, looking thoughtful and picking up a tablet that had been resting on the desk in front of him. His eyes move to the screen and he begins to speak. 

“Sion is offering full benefits, as you’ve requested. Any injuries you receive in matches or training will be treated at no cost to you, and salary will be paid regardless of necessary medical leave or approved personal days. Sion has recently completed construction on a new training facility, located underground on this campus. We’ve also secured a contract with a former Pro-bending coach, who will conduct training during on and off seasons. The salary itself starts at twenty million yen for each of you, not including bonuses and any commission you make from advertisements or other sub-sponsorships. Depending on performance, raises can be negotiated. We are also happy to negotiate paternity leave as needed, though I wasn’t under the impression any of you were married.” 

There’s a brief pause as Glasses looks up from the tablet and glances between them, before he places the device back on the desk and continues. “As for our terms. Upon accepting Sion’s sponsorship, you would be required to rebrand away from your Underground personas, undergo monthly medical check-ups, and shoot any promotional materials requested by future clients. You’ll receive media training for future interviews before your debut, which will take place at the beginning of the season four months from now. As Pro-benders you would be held to very high fitness and dietary standards - Sion will not tolerate any of you partaking in illegal substances either, so if that’d be an issue, best to mention it now.” 

Takato shakes his head. “None of us mess with that stuff,” he assures. 

“But you probably know that already, don’t you?” Akihito pipes up, unable to suppress the irritation that had been building throughout the exchange. Something was off. He hasn't been able to shake the feeling ever since they'd met Glasses, that the man knew too much but asked too little. “I notice you haven’t mentioned anything about a background check. ‘Not under the impression’ that any of us are married? Give me a break. A big company like you? You’ve probably even got our credit scores, school records, and social media accounts on file in that little tablet of yours, right? You guys wouldn’t be offering us anything unless you already had us investigated and knew what you were getting into.” 

Akihito doesn’t like strangers knowing about his past, and the idea of Kirishima Kei possibly holding documents related to his stint in foster care or past police records - maybe even the sealed ones - in his hands, rankles him. He feels exposed and vulnerable, and that makes him mad enough to consider throwing the whole Pro-bending idea away at that moment, even if he knows how badly his friends need it. 

And then the ghost of a thought passes through his mind, but it’s horrible enough to stop him cold in his tracks. 

His friends do need this contract. All three of them do, very badly. And how convenient for Sion that they’ve all become so desperate at the same time, just as the corporation started trying to convince them to sign on to this sponsorship in the first place. 

But trying to think of the collective events of the past week as anything other than an unfortunate coincidence is frightening. Because if all of it hadn’t been pure chance, then it hinted at the influence of something - or someone - more sinister and powerful than Aki could possibly imagine. And what hope did Akihito and his friends even have against that?

“I need some air,” he says, abruptly standing. 

He grabs his jacket from the back of his chair, ready to leave and possibly never come back, when the phone on Glasses’ desk starts to ring and stops him in his tracks. Glasses immediately picks it up. 

Akihito doesn’t have time to recover from being caught off guard by the telephone’s sudden ringing before the call itself is done, and the bespectacled representative hangs up the phone almost as quickly as he’d answered it. 

“Takaba-san,” Glasses says (Akihito realizing faintly that it’s the first time the man has referred to him specifically by name), “Asami-sama would like to speak with you for a moment.” 

“…Who the hell is that.” The firebender asks flatly, coming back to himself as his fingers fist into his jacket. At the question, the lawyers’ heads swivel to stare at him, looking owlish. 

Glasses raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t miss a beat. “Asami Ryuichi-sama is the CEO of Sion, his executive office is upstairs. He’s been listening in on this conversation, and he would like to speak to you privately to apologize for any misunderstandings - as well as answer any additional concerns you may have.” 

There’s no way the phone call lasted long enough for whoever was on the other end to have said all of that. But, Aki had promised his friends to at least hear Sion out, and now he was getting a chance to speak with the CEO himself. Takato and Kou, who had initially looked a little shocked by Akihito’s outburst, now likewise watch him expectantly with every other occupant of the room. 

He thinks about Kou’s parents, and about Takato’s girlfriend and unborn baby. 

“Fine,” he grits out, spinning on his heel and stomping towards the door of the office and slamming it shut behind him. “Don’t bother following me. I remember where the ritzy elevator is.” 

What Akihito is expecting as he rides to the top floor, is for the CEO to be a wrinkly old man dressed to the nines, just as slimy and a thousand times more cocky than Glasses is. He imagines this old man will offer empty apologies and spin more conniving, manipulative bullshit to convince Akihito that it’s a good idea to sign on with Sion. And he fantasizes how he’s going to tell the older geezer to kiss his ass and forget he’d ever heard of the Snaps in the first place, unless he wanted his office burned to the ground in the middle of the night. Then Aki will go back to his friends and apologize, and explain that he doesn’t think this sponsorship is going to work out, and they’ll find some other way to make ends meet. 

Aki visualizes the whole scenario in the two minutes it takes him to travel to the top floor, and he already can’t wait to get it all over with - it’s been a long day.

What he sees when he steps off the elevator into the Executive Suite, however, is not what he expects. 

The elevator opens directly into the CEO’s office, which resembles a small apartment. There’s a large and long meeting table in the center of the floor, lined by a dozen (currently empty) chairs. A small kitchenette and a bathroom area are barely visible to the rightmost side, and at the far end of the room sits a hefty desk bigger than Akihito’s bed. More doors sit shut to the left side of the room, too, but the firebender doesn’t have the faintest idea of what could be behind them, nor does he care to wonder.

Two people are immediately visible: the first, a conspicuous suit-clad man with bright blond hair - who must be bigger than a bear if Aki had to guess - standing to the side of the elevator with his hands folded together loosely in front of him. He’s most likely another goon, so Akihito disregards him and focuses on the other figure in the room.

This person, who by process of elimination must be Asami Ryuichi, appears to be a well-built man in his thirties, dressed in a polo shirt and slacks. He lounges against the edge of his desk closest to the window, a lit cigarette in one hand and a manila folder in the other. Even across the room Akihito can tell this man’s face is sharp and conventionally attractive, though there’s an edge of severity to it that keeps him wary. 

Asami pores over the folder as Akihito enters, and the man doesn’t look up even as the firebender trudges to the end of the meeting table farthest away from the CEO and stops. Instead, Asami takes a long drag from his cigarette and blows the smoke towards the window, which Aki belatedly realizes is slightly ajar. 

“Takaba Akihito,” the CEO suddenly says, his voice deeper than Aki expected it to be. “Twenty-four years old, lifelong resident of Tokyo, Japan. Firebender. Not married. High school diploma but no university degree. In the daytime, a freelance photographer. At night, member of the Underground-bending team, the Snaps. Colloquially known as ‘Firewhip’ amongst fans and the Underground community.” 

The man drops the folder on the desk and finally deigns to look at Akihito with deep amber eyes, fixing him with an assessing stare. He takes another drag from his cigarette, and Akihito says nothing as he glares back at the executive with all the venom he can muster. 

After a few seconds of Aki’s defiant silence, Asami’s serious expression cracks and the man gives an amused smirk. “Quite the little spitfire, aren’t you?” 

Akihito feels like he’s just been slapped in the face. He’d been one hundred percent correct about the cocky prediction at least. Asshole—

Kou’s parents. Takato’s baby. Kou’s parents. Takato’s baby.

Exercising an uncharacteristic level of restraint, Akihito takes a deep, calming inhale and does his best to muster a professional persona. And fails. 

“Your henchman said you called me up here to apologize,” he grinds out, shooting daggers from his eyes. “Whenever you’re ready, I’d be happy to hear it.” 

Asami puts out his cigarette and stands, tucking his hands into his pockets and taking slow steps to where Akihito has positioned himself. There’s an aura around the CEO that seems to suck in the air around him like a black hole, and Aki swears that it gets harder to breathe as the man stalks closer.

“Apologize for what, exactly?” Asami asks sarcastically, “Knowing how to use Google? I’ll get on my knees and beg for forgiveness shortly. You’d probably enjoy that a bit too much, though.”

Immediately Akihito can feel himself blushing hotly in anger. 

“More like apologize for being a shady freak,” he nearly hisses, fingernails digging into his palms. How much does Asami know about him? “We both know you can’t just Google somebody’s marriage status, school records, or their residence history. Not if you don’t have their confidential personal identity information.” 

Asami’s face is serious, but Akihito can see a hint of mirth dancing behind his eyes. “Such accusations,” the man muses. “Surely it’s not a bad thing for a prospective employer to do a little research on the people who might be the new faces of his company?” 

“We both know you’ve done more than ‘a little research’ on me and my friends, so cut the bullshit.” Akihito feels pissed and steamed, like he might burst into flames. Asami’s said so little but has already gotten so deep under his skin. “Why all the games? Maybe you're just a sadistic bastard.”

The CEO finally reaches where the firebender stands and stops in front of Akihito, staring down at the shorter man curiously. “Don’t you want to be famous?” he asks, ignoring Aki’s question. “Don’t you want money? Connections? Women throwing themselves at you? Or do you prefer men?” Asami sizes him up, all the while maintaining his infuriating little smirk. “What can I offer for you to seriously consider my proposal?”

The words slip out of Akihito’s mouth before he can stop them. 

“I want to kick your ass.” 

Asami’s smirk grows into a wolfish grin. “Oh my– you want to play with me, Akihito?” 

Aki’s face gets impossibly redder at the innuendo underneath Asami’s words, but it doesn’t take away from the rather violent urges the firebender is feeling towards the arrogant man.

“You’ve got a new training facility downstairs, right?” He growls, “Probably sparring gear too, yeah? I wonder if you’d be so cocky after I made you dance you around the ring.” 

The amused expression falls from Asami’s face then, and he stares silently at Akihito for several long seconds. Aki fidgets uncomfortably, but he still meets the stare defiantly. The mirth is gone from Asami’s eyes, instead replaced with something more predatory. A desire to own. Hunger. 

The sudden switch, and the intensity of Asami's leer, again leave Akihito wondering what the man's true intentions are for the Snaps. Why was Sion's head so determined to not let Aki slip through his fingers? Why did it feel like some kind of obsession?

“Have it your way then.” Asami finally replies, the smirk making a reappearance even as his eyes remain fixed on Akihito’s face. “We can go pick up Kirishima and your teammates, then head to the basement right away. We’ll have a one-on-one match - and if I win, I’ll have the sponsorship contract drawn up, and your signature will be on it by the end of the day. If you win, I’ll throw out your file and pretend like we’ve never met. Sound like a deal?” 

Aki hasn’t even had the chance to discuss things with Kou and Takato yet - but more than his one signature would be required to contract their team anyway, and his two partners could always decline to sign if they decided that they didn’t like what Sion was offering. More than anything right now, though, Aki wants to wipe the arrogant expression off of Asami’s face and prove to the man - and maybe to himself - that the firebender can’t be caught or pushed around so easily. 

He juts out his chin and regards Asami with a final, challenging glare, and makes his choice. 

“You’re on.” He says, and the deal is struck. 

Chapter Text

“So you went up there to meet with the CEO, were gone for hardly five minutes, and now you’re going to…’kick his ass’?” Kou asks in confusion as the three Snaps ride down to the basement floor, accompanied by Glasses.

Akihito still feels hot and frazzled from his interaction with Asami, and he’s sure the irritation on his face doesn’t escape his friends’ notice. It’s enough to even distract him from being in the elevator again, if only barely. “You’ll understand when you meet him,” he mutters darkly. He doesn’t say more, not with Glasses standing right next to him. 

“And if he wins the spar, you’re going to sign the sponsorship contract? Do I have that right?” The airbender continues, looking incredulous but amused. “That’s got to be the most ‘Aki’ thing you’ve ever done, Aki.” 

Takato looks more worried than amused. “You won’t hurt him, right? It’d be bad if we have to pay for hospital bills. Or worse, get sued.”  

Before Akihito can reply, Glasses shifts on his feet, looking away from Akihito as if trying to hide his expression. 

“I don’t think there will be anything to worry about.” The man says cryptically. 

They arrive at the basement training center within a few minutes, and even Akihito has to admit that the facilities are quite impressive. 

The center is easily the size of the warehouse where they have their Underground matches, with the customary ring in the middle of the floor. The ring itself resembles an ovular archery target, with a central circle surrounded by two outer oval tiers - known as the second and third zones - with the entire arena itself bisected vertically and measuring about ten meters across horizontally. Along the border between each tier is a grate to store water, and next to the grates in each zone are three receptacles embedded in the ground for clay discs to be loaded into. Except for a gap at each far end of the oval, the outer edge of the ring is lined with large rubber ropes to keep the players inside.

In an official Pro-bending arena, the ring itself would be elevated five meters over a pool of water so that anyone flung out of it would have a safe (though wet) landing and require a special lift to get back into the game for the next round. In this training center the ring is ground-level, but surrounded by thick, cushioned mats for anyone flung out. Weighted fire-proof nets cascade from ceiling to floor and encircle nearly the entire circumference of the ring and surrounding mats, no doubt intended to keep clay discs from striking anyone outside the ring during practice. 

Outside of the ring, around the edges of the room, is a menagerie of assorted exercise equipment: weights, treadmills, all kinds of machines, medicine and rubber balls, bowflexes, rowers - Sion had practically assembled a fully functional gym in their basement. 

“What, no trampolines?” Akihito snorts derisively, though he can’t help looking around with suppressed awe. Pro-benders really had it good. 

“Everything is new and top of the line.” Glasses explains, pulling a phone out of his pocket. “Though if there’s anything else you specifically desire, we can have it ordered… if you accept the sponsorship, that is.”

The firebender rolls his eyes. “Fat chance. Where is Asami, anyways? I thought he was going to come down here with us.”

“I would appreciate it if you could address Asami-sama with the appropriate honorifics,” Glasses says and taps away on his phone. “He is changing into flame-retardant clothing and will arrive in a few minutes. Please be patient until then. You are welcome to inspect the facilities while you wait.”

“He’s not a firebender, huh?” Akihito’s clothes are all already fire-proof, as most firebenders bought their wardrobe from specific brands that catered to their needs. Most people didn’t use their bending day-to-day, but firebenders in particular - especially hot-headed ones like Akihito - liked knowing that their clothing wouldn’t go up in smoke in case of an accident. 

Glasses doesn’t answer, though, so Akihito and his friends curiously examine the exercise equipment along the wall closest to them: a trio of bulky leg-press machines. Just as the Sion representative had said, they're practically gleaming with newness and don’t have a single scratch on them. Everything else they look at exudes the same ‘fresh from the box’ shine. How much all of it must have cost, none of them can guess. It must have been astronomical. 

Asami comes a few minutes later, stepping out of the elevator with the blond, bear-sized guard from before at his side. The CEO is dressed in black sweats and athletic shoes, a far cry from his earlier polo shirt, slacks, and Oxfords. 

Despite the man’s more casual attire, he gives a polite bow to Kou and Takato. 

“Thank you for taking the time to come to Sion to consider our proposal.” Asami says neutrally, his arrogant attitude completely gone and replaced with the picture of perfect professionalism. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch recordings of your matches, and I profess that I’m impressed by your level of skill. I apologize that my busy schedule prevented me from meeting you earlier.”

Akihito’s friends silently look to the firebender, their faces bewildered, and it’s clear as day that they’re thinking ‘This is the guy you want to fight?’

But Akihito already knows that this is just another one of Asami’s games, trying to make Akihito look unreasonable and crazy in front of his teammates to make himself look rational and mature. Akihito hasn’t forgotten how the Sion executive acted in his office earlier, the taunting, the innuendos…

Akihito exhales sharply and cracks his knuckles. “So are we doing this or what?”

Asami’s eyes flick to the firebender, and Akihito sees a hint of the man’s earlier mirth sparkling in those amber depths. 

“As you wish.” The CEO says and gestures towards the ring. “At the very least, I’m glad we have this opportunity to stress-test the new facilities.”

The group of men make their way to the center of the room, Bear-Man going ahead to grab two protective eye shields and pull the net aside for his boss as Asami takes one of the visors and steps into the arena. Akihito follows and briskly walks to the center circle, while the match observers stay outside the protective netting. 

“Tie-breaker rules okay with you?” The firebender sneers, “Or is that gonna be too difficult? You’re not a firebender, right? Need a handicap?” 

In a Tie-breaker, two benders of the same element (though they’re clearly not abiding by that rule this time) are typically confined to the central circle of the arena. In an official Pro-bending match, the center was then elevated about a meter from the rest of the arena, and the objective essentially became a King-of-the-Hill game: the first player knocked off the side was the loser, whether it be by bending or grappling. 

Asami smiles blandly, giving nothing away as tilts his head to the side. “Tie-breaker rules are acceptable to me,” he says, then adds with (obviously fake) concern in his voice, “But Takaba-san, don’t you need to stretch first? I’d hate for you to not be prepared or get injured.” 

I’d hate for you to use excuses when you lose , his sharp eyes seem to say instead. Akihito detests how easily he can hear the CEO’s taunts in his head, without the smug bastard even having to utter a single word. 

Akihito has no idea what kind of bender Asami is, but he’s going to thoroughly enjoy knocking the man to the ground. 

“I’ll be fine.” The firebender says dismissively, tugging the protective visor over his head and falling into his offensive stance before calling out, “Takato, give us a countdown once this old man is ready!” 

Without fanfare Asami dons his own eye shield and falls into a stance, one that Akihito can’t immediately place despite swearing he’d seen something like it before. Earthbenders usually hold their hands closer to their sides, relying on strong stomps and punches to quickly launch discs at the start of the round. Waterbenders tend to begin with a more open stance, using wide and flowing arm movements to direct the water from the nearby grates, while airbenders keep the center of their body closely guarded to be ready to redirect any projectiles away from themselves. Firebenders like Akihito like to attack and defend with both their arms and legs, so all of his limbs are tensed in anticipation, a telltale sign of his abilities. Meanwhile, Asami keeps his arms close to his center like an airbender might, but his legs are tensed and positioned apart like that of a firebender, ready to jump or lead with a kick attack– 

Akihito is so focused on trying to pinpoint what Asami’s element and opening move could be that he nearly misses Takato beginning the countdown. 

“--ee! Two! One!” the waterbender calls out slowly, then, “Begin!” 

Akihito punches hard with fire, aimed directly at Asami’s chest, as Asami dives to the side and rolls. 

The fireball sails across the ring, but before it can even dissipate, Akihito is already following up with a second attack from his off-hand. Asami has just finished coming up from his roll into a kneeling crouch when the second fireball comes his way, and the larger man uses his momentum to do a forward sprawl, leaning down to press his chest to the ground and avoid the flames. 

Akihito feels briefly proud of himself that his opening volley had been so fast that Asami hadn’t even had time to counterattack, when he sees the man use his arms to propel himself across the floor towards the firebender, and Akihito feels a strong sweeping kick to one of his ankles before he starts falling backwards.

Instinct kicks in, and Akihito uses his hands to shield the back of his head and keep it from bashing against the floor as he falls. He still lands hard, and he grits his teeth as dull pain erupts across his back and fingers. Meanwhile, Asami uses the seconds he’s bought himself to jump to his feet. 

Scowling, Akihito does a kip-up; planting his palms flat by his ears, swinging his legs up and over his head, then kicking out and using the momentum to carry his whole body forward to land upright. 

Asami is fast too, though - once Akihito is up, he can only blink and take a surprised inhale before the CEO’s foot connects solidly with his chest. It knocks the wind out of the firebender immediately, but despite the power behind it, nothing in Akihito’s chest cracks or breaks. Notwithstanding a few hairs out of place, everything about Asami indicates that he’s still in complete control of every move he makes - he’s not trying to purposefully harm his opponent. 

Nevertheless, Akihito endures the blow despite it almost causing him to get flung away. He feels the shock of it through his whole upper torso - no doubt he’s going to wake up with a bruise tomorrow - but he frantically grabs onto Asami’s leg before he can fly backwards again and uses it to balance himself. Asami raises an eyebrow, looking just the tiniest bit impressed that Akihito hadn’t been sent sprawling, before turning on his heel and yanking his leg out of the firebender’s grasp. 

Akihito sees an opening for an attack: he brings his knee up and performs a spinning jump-kick, gathering flames around his heel and swinging it towards his opponent’s face, intending to push Asami back. It works: the larger man takes three steps away, so Akihito does it again. 

When Asami dodges a second time - putting about a meter of space between them - instead of going for a third kick, Akihito lunges forward and goes for a grapple. The CEO is much bigger than him, but Akihito knows how to leverage his own below-average size and has scrapped with larger players before.

His visor hits against Asami’s stomach as Akihito goes low, wrapping his arms around one of Asami’s thighs and locking his hands together behind the man’s knee. With his face pressed against Asami’s abdomen he can’t see how the amber-eyed man intends to react, but his plan is to quickly use his weight to disrupt the CEO’s balance and send the smug bastard tumbling to the ground in a heap. 

Instead, it happens like this: Before Akihito can throw his weight anywhere, he feels Asami’s chest press against his upper back as the man slides his hands under and across Akihito’s own abdomen, lacing his thick fingers together just above his groin. Then, using a monstrous show of strength, Asami heaves upward and tosses Akihito up and over his head. 

Akihito is so shocked, he can’t even react. As he sails upside-down through the air, his wide eyes connect with Asami’s - sharp and victorious and not amber, but golden - through their visors. 

The net catches him, and then his body slams into the ground, and everything goes black. 

…

“Kou, I say this with love, but if you call an ambulance I will fucking kill you.” 

The airbender holds an ice pack to Akihito’s temple, while Akihito himself holds a rag under his nose to stop the bleeding. His head throbs, but out of pain or fury, he isn’t sure. In the meantime he sits on a weight bench with his two teammates hovering around him, who had pulled him off the floor and revived him after his humiliating defeat to Asami.

Kou clicks his tongue in disapproval. “You sure, Aki? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fall that hard.”

Don’t fucking remind me , Akihito wants to shout. But he knows that Kou is just being a concerned friend and doesn’t deserve his ire, so he holds his tongue. It’s himself he’s most mad at. 

Losing to that asshole had been bad enough. But to think that Asami hadn’t had to bend once to win over Akihito… it’s enough to make him see red. 

The smug bastard himself stands off to the side, looking like the cat who’d gotten the cream as he talks quietly with Glasses and Bear-Man. As soon as Akihito had woken up, the first thing he saw was the CEO standing over him, sipping a bottle of water before asking “Would you prefer to sign in black ink, or blue?” 

God, the memory makes him want to breathe fire. 

“Suit yourself,” Kou hums, “But after we leave here, you’re coming home with me tonight. I’m going to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t have, like, brain damage or something.” 

Takato shakes his head in disbelief. “So you’re really going to sign with Sion after all that?” 

“A deal is a deal.” Akihito grits out, though it sounds a little strange as he pinches his nose with the bloody rag. “You both should think over it more, but… I made my choice and I intend to abide by it. I’m sure they’ll be bringing in the contract shortly.” 

“On the contrary,” says Glasses (and all three of the Snaps jump after not having heard him approach), “We’d prefer it if all of you could return tomorrow to continue our discussion. Hirakawa-san and Tachibana-san should have some more time to consider our terms. As for you, Takaba-san - we’d prefer it if you rested after your fall, and receive medical treatment if you deem it necessary. We wouldn’t want anyone to claim that you’d been coerced to sign while not of sound mind.” 

These conniving, clever bastards, Akihito thinks in disbelief. Already they’re making plans to ensure Akihito can’t squirm away from their grasp - it feels as though a phantom noose is tightening quietly around his neck. 

Maybe it’s the feeling of his future slipping out of his control, of Sion owning him, of Asami underestimating him, that causes Akihito to suddenly scowl and jab a finger in Asami’s general direction - causing amber eyes flick to him as he starts to shout. 

“Spar with me again!” Akihito barks as he tosses the rag to the side. “I don’t know what kind of weird techniques you used, bastard, but there’s no way I’ll lose to you a second time!” 

Asami, apparently still trying to appear diplomatic, smiles kindly at the firebender. “Surely Takaba-san isn’t a sore loser? That’s not a good trait in this industry.” 

Akihito snarls. “I’ll sign your damn contract like I promised. Fight me again.” 

Asami steps around Bear-Man and strolls over to where Akihito sits on the weight bench, all the while maintaining an artificial appearance of concern. Kou steps away as the CEO lifts a hand to gently brush the hair away from Akihito’s face, then leans in as if he’s inspecting the wound he himself had inflicted minutes prior. 

“I’m a busy man, Akihito,” Asami then murmurs lowly and ghosts a finger over the firebender’s jaw. “I’ll play with you again, but you’ll have to be patient. How about once a month, if you behave?” 

Then the man straightens and continues to the elevator without another word. Akihito jumps up to confront the obvious taunt, expletives already clawing their way up his throat - but as Bear-Man jogs past to keep up with his master, he puts a single meaty hand on the firebender’s shoulder and shoves Akihito back down onto the bench, as if in reprimand . 

Akihito is so mad he could bite. 

But he knows how to pick his battles - this feud with Asami isn’t over. He’ll get his licks in before the end, he’s sure of it. He’ll get a chance to avenge himself.

Even if he has to wait a month.

Akihito isn’t surprised when Kou and Takato also decide to sign Sion’s contract when they return the next day, and are officially offered the sponsorship after passing their drug tests. 

Still, he can’t help sulking a little that his fate is now sealed (quite literally as the three of them provide their hanko seals as well as their signatures). He knows logically that his teammates didn’t have a choice but to sign it either, circumstances being what they are, and he holds no ill feelings towards them. But he just can’t get over the fact that Asami - that arrogant, smug, infuriating asshole - is his fucking boss now. The idea of possibly having to see the man around the office day-to-day fills him with dread, and Akihito still has no idea what the CEO is scheming - and he’s definitely scheming something , Aki is sure of it. 

He maintains a grim expression the entire time he and his friends are at Sion, all through the signing and stamping of documents and Glasses giving them the formal congratulations and welcome, until he steps foot outside of the company and sags dramatically in defeat against Takato’s side. 

“Ah, don’t be like that Aki.” Takato teases and bumps the firebender’s shoulder with his own. “I’ve never seen someone look so down after just getting their dream job, a tenfold increase in salary, and a ticket to fame all at once.” 

“Hothead’s gonna hothead~” Kou sing-songs, grinning. The airbender, in contrast to Akihito, looks as if the weight of the world’s been lifted off of his shoulders - Glasses had agreed to give him an advance on his salary so that he could help his parents, which at least takes some of the sting away from Aki’s defeat. 

Akihito pouts at their gentle ribbing, so Takato musses up his hair and jostles him playfully. “You know what this calls for? A celebration. Let’s go out and get shit-faced tonight. We can even go to that overpriced club you like.” 

“Gotta enjoy our last days as free men before we start winning the hearts of the public and getting swarmed by adoring fans wherever we go.” Kou agrees, smiling impishly. 

And it’s hard for Akihito to argue with that.

They do go to the aforementioned club that night and spend an obscene amount of money on drinks, though Takato continues to remind them that they can afford it now. The club is a bit more upscale than their usual hole-in-the-wall bar, so the trio even decides to have fun and dress up a bit for their night out: Takato, happily in a relationship, keeps things modest but classy, while Kou and Akihito both wear some of the tightest and/or lowest-riding clothes they own. Kou, bless him, even turns up with some eye shadow.

The three of them let loose, and the fun atmosphere helps Akihito forget some of his woes. The Underground-bender has never been much of a clubbie, but he thrives being around other people and feeding off their energy, like air to a fire - to that end, it's hard to beat getting on a dancefloor and bumping and grinding against the other dancers there. His sweat pours, his muscles ache from hours of dancing, and it feels like being in the ring all over again - he forgets the anxiety that Sion had made him feel, the feeling of the noose around his neck.

After he’s had enough drinks to make the room pleasantly swim, he even has his eye on someone across the room: a pretty man with bleach blond hair, who Akihito would describe as petite if it weren’t for the muscles exposed by the sleeveless tunic and leather pants he wore. It’s after Akihito sees the man at the bar, lighting his neighbor’s cigarette with nothing but a snap of his fingers, that he makes his way over to introduce himself (Aki doesn’t particularly prefer men over women or vice versa, but he would always get drawn in by a fellow firebender). 

The events of the rest of the night are a bit of a blur - but Aki does remember buying the pretty blond more drinks, introducing himself (maybe a bit too confidently) as an upcoming Pro-bender, and exchanging flirtations before inviting the smaller man back to his place. Takato and Kou, who look a little wasted themselves, give their best efforts at salacious grins, wolf-whistles, and obscene gestures as Akihito catches their attention from across the dancefloor and signals that he’s headed home, all while the small blond presses up behind him and slides his hand up Akihito’s shirt. 

The two firebenders get to Akihito’s place after midnight and have a roll in his sheets, and Akihito is finally able to fully enjoy himself for the first time that day - even if, in the midst of relishing in his partner’s creamy skin and (literally) hot touches, he imagines a flash of teasing golden eyes. 

In the morning, Akihito wakes up alone in his apartment, and his head pounds. 

“Well someone had a good night.” Takato laughs, Kou giving a surprised whistle, when Akihito trudges up to where the pair wait for him in Sion’s first-floor lobby. 

The firebender feels like shit (and knows he looks like it too), but that’s to be expected with how hard the three partied the night before. His teammates don’t look as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they normally do either, a sign they also hadn’t escaped the night completely unscathed.

“I drank too much,” he croaks. “And that guy I went home with liked to bite and I’ve got bruises all over. Why didn’t we wait until the weekend to go out?” Glasses has them scheduled for their first physical assessment this morning, which Akihito distinctly isn’t looking forward to in his current condition. 

“Because we’re young and wild and free!” Kou says cheerfully and steps forward, taking it upon himself to rearrange Akihito’s hair and adjust his clothes to be more neat. “There, now you look less like you got hit by a car on the way here.” The airbender then pokes a spot on his neck. “That hickey is too high up for me to do anything about, though.” 

Akihito just shrugs in indifference, so Kou raises an eyebrow and gently slaps the side of his neck, as if punishing him for his lack of concern in his appearance. 

The three of them ride up to Glasses’ office, who takes one look at them and sighs deeply. 

“I initially had your physical assessments scheduled for first thing this morning,” he says, sounding put-upon. “But clearly it’d be better if we rescheduled for after lunch. I don’t think we’d get a good baseline for any future readings at the moment.”

Akihito groans. “So we came all the way here for nothing?” 

“On the contrary, I’ll arrange for someone to take you on a tour of the office building instead. I’m unfortunately too preoccupied to do it myself, so please give me a moment to make a few calls.” 

The Snaps sit outside of Glasses’ office for a handful of minutes, before the nearby elevator pings and a familiar face steps out: the unexpectedly average-looking businessman they’d encountered on their first day visiting Sion. 

The man looks just as average today. Or at least, average compared to the usual goons Akihito associates with Asami’s corporation. He’s actually not bad-looking at all, and he smiles at the trio kindly as he approaches before giving a deep bow. “My name is Yoh Shàn, but please just call me Yoh. I am Kirishima-san’s personal assistant, so I’m sure we’ll be working closely from now on.”

Akihito and his friends return the bow, before Kou tries to give his own formal introduction. Yoh starts to chuckle, though, and stops him quickly, causing the airbender to immediately taper off. 

“Pardon my rudeness,” Yoh says apologetically, “But I know who you are, Kou-san. Or should I call you Koko? And you, Takato-san, are professionally known as Gambit, right? And of course, the Firewhip. The three of you are the current hot gossip around the office - even the employees who know nothing about Pro-bending have been getting an earful about Sion’s new official team. The company-wide email went out yesterday, you see. I’m happy I can be the one to show you around today.”

The assistant starts their tour without further ado or fanfare, gesturing to the lobby and collection of suites around them. 

“These are the executive suites. You’ve been to Kirishima-san’s - the corporation’s combined COO and CFO - office, but you can also find the office of the head of security, Suoh Kazumi, up here. Though if you’re looking for the man himself, you’ll usually find him in Asami-sama’s shadow.” Yoh points upwards as he says ‘Asami-sama’, gesturing to the only floor above them. “The top floor is the CEO’s office, obviously. Also, just so you know, none of the elevators go straight from the lobby to Asami-san’s office - if you’re summoned to the top floor, you must first come to this floor to receive the special override code that changes daily. Or you can be buzzed up from the CEO’s office directly. It’s for security reasons, you see.” 

Yoh continues to go on about the different security measures inside the building: badges, key cards, full camera coverage except for in bathrooms, face recognition software for different sections, et cetera. Akihito feels a little disquieted the longer the assistant goes on, wondering why Sion has a need for more comprehensive security than some casinos. 

But Yoh is so unlike the other members of Sion that have given him a shady impression, that Akihito wonders if the man even knows the reason. Maybe most of Sion is a regular company after all, and the chief officers are just statistical anomalies of assholery.

This impression doesn’t change as Yoh takes them from the top-to-bottom of Sion, the man even kindly allowing them to take the stairs when Akihito gets queasy in the elevator after the first few floors. Despite giving quite a few curious stares as the Pro-team is taken around each section, the employees look like regular Japanese office workers. No black suits and ties, no yakuza tattoos, no scars or missing fingers. A few of them even come up to shake the hands of Akihito and his teammates, expressing their excitement to be represented by such promising benders. 

Just above the first floor lobby is the company’s employee gym and cafeteria. To Akihito’s delight, Yoh tells them they’ll have unlimited access to the canteen at no cost, once they get their badges. 

“You really said the magic words, Yoh-san.” Takato chuckles upon seeing the firebender’s happy expression, “Food, especially free food, is the way to our Aki’s heart.” 

The assistant smiles, inclining his head to Akihito. “It’s nothing Michelin-level, but the meal selections are generally delicious and nutritious. The cafeteria is open Monday through Saturday, seven am to eight pm, to accommodate our dedicated workers that are here late or on weekends. Please grab a bite at the company’s expense if you’re ever here training in the evening.”

And then they go to the first basement level: the dojo. It’s the first floor that they visit that is only accessible by elevator, and Yoh must also scan his keycard before the button to the floor lights up as an available option. 

The dojo is a completely different world. 

Akihito’s first thought as he steps off the elevator into a Japanese-style genkan is; Oh, so this is where they were hiding the gangsters. 

A dozen or so men dressed in black gi currently use the space for sparring practice, the occupants ranging in physical size from ‘ overenthusiastic gym rat, ’ to ‘ seriously, what cave did they find you in? ’ Bear-Man isn’t among them, but several of the men who are present resemble Asami’s personal guard in that they look like they could pick Akihito up with one hand and toss him across the tatami. Most of them have cropped hair, one or two of them have scars, and the firebender swears he sees the flash of a tattoo as one man throws another in a judo maneuver.

“Due to some of our clientele, Sion also employs a private security force.” Yoh says casually and succinctly, as if he hadn’t just led them into a scene resembling an excerpt from a yakuza movie. “They use the facilities on this floor daily, so if you ever require use of the dojo, please contact Suoh-san to arrange a reservation time.” 

Yoh doesn’t elaborate or try to introduce them to anyone on this floor, he merely checks his phone and herds the Pro-benders back onto the elevator. Akihito is happy to leave, and Kou and Takato look at each other with wide eyes. They appear as if it’s dawning on them that Aki was deadly serious when he implied Sion could have ties to dangerous entities.

The only other floor below the dojo is the practice bending arena, which Aki and his friends are already well acquainted with, so the assistant instead takes them back up to the executive suites. 

“Kirishima-san has ordered you all some sushi, it’s waiting for you in meeting room 1-A,” Yoh informs them and points them in the right direction as they step off the lift. “He asks that you finish eating by one pm and then make your way down to the training center, where you’ll be fitted for your new uniforms and begin your physical assessments. Please enjoy your lunch.” The man steps back onto the elevator and bows, before the doors close and he’s lost from sight. 

The three Snaps make their way to the aforementioned meeting room where they indeed find several trays of high-quality sushi waiting for them, as well as lanyards with badges and key cards donning each of their faces next to each tray. 

Takato is the first to step forward and pick up the lanyard with his company IDs, looking first at the badges, then the sushi, and then his friends in bewilderment. 

“Guys,” the waterbender says faintly, “I think this is gonna be kind of awesome.” 

All of them immediately dig into their lunch, quieter than usual and looking somewhat shell-shocked by everything they’d seen that morning. Akihito doesn’t even know where to start in trying to form an opinion on what working for the corporation is going to be like based on everything he’s seen, but maybe it won’t be awful. He hadn’t even seen Asami the entire day.

When he checks his IDs, he sees that his official company title is “Sion Ambassador and Pro-bending Representative.” 

Kind of pretentious, but…he supposes he’ll have to reserve his final judgment.

At one o'clock sharp, Akihito and his friends take the elevator down to Sion’s bottom basement floor. 

When the doors open, it’s hard to miss the small gathering of men and women clustered in front of the practice ring. As one the group of stranger’s attention falls onto the Snaps as the lift doors ping and open, and as the trio shuffle out, they’re quickly approached by two figures in particular. 

One is a smiling young woman, wearing a measuring tape over her shoulders like a scarf despite the rest of her attire being neat and fitted to the point of perfection, down to the manicured nails and her light, carefully styled hair. Akihito knows immediately this must be the worker here to fit them for their uniforms, and if the matching outfits are anything to go by, the group behind her is her team - they all hold clipboards and brandish their own measuring tapes in anticipation. 

The other figure is an older man seemingly in his fifties, broad in the chest with hard lines around his eyes. He’s physically dissimilar from the woman in almost every way: dressed casually in a tracksuit and a no-nonsense expression, with his hands shoved into his pockets. 

“Nice to meet you!” the young woman greets warmly and bows, “I have no doubt you must be the new Pro-benders. My name is Momohara Ai; My team and I have been contracted by Sion to be your official stylists for the foreseeable future. I look forward to working with you! If you would please kindly step this way, we’ll begin by taking your measurements..” 

The older man looks to Ai, rolling one of his shoulders back as if to relieve some tension there. “I’d appreciate it if you could have everything done within the hour,” he says gruffly, eyes flicking to the team of stylists with a look of something close to weariness. “No need to plan the whole wardrobe today, miss. I still need to do my assessment before these guys get too worn out.” 

“Oh!” Kou pipes up, suddenly looking excited. “Are you the trainer?” 

The man nods, causing the three Snaps to glance at each other in interest. 

A coach and trainer is something they’ve always wished for, knowing they could only get so far as competitive benders without professional guidance. On looks alone, Akihito would bet money that this man is an earthbender - his stockier build and muscled shoulders are typical for users of that element. This is a good thing, since earth is the one element their team doesn’t possess and typically struggles most to defend against. 

“I’m Endo Tadashi.” The trainer says without flair. “Call me Coach Endo. I’ll go ahead and make sure everything is ready for the assessments while the young lady gets your measurements out of the way.” 

Then, without another word, Coach Endo ducks out of the conversation and begins to make his way to the gym equipment, doing arm stretches as he goes. Ai and the Snaps blink after him, caught off guard by his non-nonsense style of speaking, before the stylist shrugs it off and looks to the group in front of her with renewed excitement. 

“Right this way, gentlemen!” The young woman chirps excitedly and ushers them towards her group of assistants. 

What follows is what could be expected: All of their body measurements are taken. Waist, bust, bodice, arm length, leg length, inseam, outseam, all the seams. Akihito kind of zones out after the first fifteen minutes and lets the assistant move him like a doll, though Ai does come around a few times and ask him conspicuous questions like Is your hair color natural? Would you ever be opposed to dyeing it? Are you allergic to latex or any kind of makeup? 

Bewildered, Akihito can’t help but ask, “Is this… Do Pro-benders wear makeup during matches or something?” 

Ai giggles, like the firebender had just told a joke. “For promotional materials,” she then explains, “for the website and posters, and you’ll probably have a televised interview or two at some point. And though we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, if any companies reach out to feature you in advertisements, they may have their own styling requests that we’ll try to accommodate. Though we promise not to do anything over the top. Unless,” she peeks at Akihito out of the corner of her eye, “you’d want to try something like that.” 

Takato snorts from somewhere nearby, out of view. “The craziest I’ve ever seen Aki get with his look is that one time I saw him wear a necktie.” The waterbender taunts. 

“I think I saw him wear an earring once.” Kou calls from the other direction, his voice amused. “It was a press-on, though. And he was drunk off his ass.” 

Akihito’s arms are already raised at shoulder-level, so it’s a simple thing to thrust them in the direction of his friends and flip them off. “Fuck you guys, you don’t know me!” he shoots back, despite the grin growing on his face. “I’d rock the shit out of some makeup! I’ll wear jewelry! Give me a face tattoo any day!”

The stylist covers her mouth with her hand, hiding a smile as her eyes positively shimmer with laughter. 

“I’ll see what I can do.” She says. 

The Snaps’ session with Coach Endo strikes a completely different tone entirely. 

It’s not that the man is rude or unkind. But as before, it’s easy to see the earthbender’s straightforward attitude and no-nonsense way of speaking from the moment they step foot into the ring to begin their assessment with him. 

“From this moment on, I want the three of you to forget all of the cheap shot tricks you learned in the Underground.” Endo says by way of greeting. “They may still win you points in the Pro-Bending arena, but every move you make will now be watched by thousands of people and scrutinized over replay. And you represent a company now. More importantly, you represent me . And I will never be accused of training my team to play any way but clean.” 

The older man looks between the three of them slowly as he talks, an unspoken warning in his gaze, and Akihito knows immediately he never wants to see a pissed-off Coach Endo.

“Yes, sir.” All three benders reply seriously and give a bow. 

The coach gestures to the floor, then, satisfied. “Go ahead and do some warm-up stretches. Then we’ll do some sets and reps on some of that shiny exercise equipment so I can see what I’m working with.” 

For an hour they do just that, breaking in the equipment as Endo has them exercise every part of their bodies with just about every machine available to them, especially focusing on their arms and legs. Their coach watches them closely, brandishing his own clipboard from somewhere at some point, and takes notes as he directs each of the Snaps in turn and gives them advice on their forms. 

Just as Akihito’s body begins to seriously ache, Endo calls them back over to the practice ring.

“I’m not displeased at all, gentlemen.” The coach says. “I think those Underground matches kept you in pretty good shape, and you’ve got above-average endurance. What’s more, based on what I’ve seen, you work together in the ring better than some Pro-benders I’ve worked with.”

Kou, despite looking even more exhausted than his teammates, perks up a bit. “You’ve seen our matches?” 

Endo hums. “That Kirishima guy had a horde of videos, most likely from when he was having you scouted.” 

More like having us stalked , Akihito wants to grumble, but he dare not interrupt his new trainer. 

“Kou-kun, your airbending style is especially unique,” the man begins. “As you know, not many teams use airbenders, and all the ones I’ve met have been offensive players whose strategies boiled down to trying to push back the opposing team when they could find an opening. Which is certainly something you’re capable of and we’ll develop, but you have a strong instinct for redirecting attacks away from your teammates, or in some cases, bouncing attacks back at the other team. You’ll be a dark horse after your debut for sure.” 

Kou ducks his head in shyness, obviously not expecting the praise. 

“Takato-kun,” Endo continues, “You are quite skilled at neutralizing fire attacks, and you can manipulate your element with the speed and familiarity of a seasoned Pro-bender. Did you perhaps have a job that required you to waterbend day-to-day before this?” 

“Y-yes,” Takato stutters out in surprise. “I was a swimming instructor.” 

Their coach nods, satisfied with the answer. “It’s apparent. I think we can further polish your offensive ability, maybe increase your range, and you’ll be even more of a force to be reckoned with in the ring.”

Then, Endo’s eyes fall to Akihito, and the firebender feels a sense of nervousness take over him as he wonders how his skills will be judged. 

“Of course I don’t have to tell you that you’re an excellent firebender.” The trainer says. “You're fast, physically flexible, and your flame strikes pack a punch.” Endo raises an eyebrow. “But I also don’t have to tell you that you’re hot headed and have a cocky streak. Not that it doesn’t sometimes work to your team’s advantage, it certainly takes some of the attention away from them. But I’ve watched you overextend yourself and then get punished by the other team for it, many times.”

Akihito likes Coach Endo, he decides. 

The man knows his stuff, he knows each of the elements in and out, and furthermore, he’s not afraid to call Aki out on his shit. Normally that kind of thing might rankle the firebender, but he can tell Endo speaks from a place of experience, not self-importance. And, it hadn’t escaped him how the trainer had spoken to each of them in turn: to Kou, arguably the kindest and gentlest member of their team, with praise and encouragement. To Takato, who beat himself up and second-guessed himself, with reassurance and insight. And to Aki, the obvious hotspur of the three, a straightforward assessment with a summary of his strong and weak points.

Adding on that the man didn’t seem beholden to Asami or Glasses, Akihito felt optimistic that he and his friends would thrive under Endo’s tutelage. 

After some more pointers from their coach on how they could each improve, Endo dismisses them for the rest of the day and tells them they’ll officially be starting on Friday, when their uniforms should be ready. He tells them to rest and eat well until then, and before Akihito knows it, he’s strolling out of Sion with his friends, all of them having quite a bit of information to chew on.

All in all, Aki decides, it hasn't been a bad day. To think, he hadn’t even seen Asami once. 

Small blessings. 

By the time Friday rolls around, Aki is actually looking forward to beginning his training. 

Sion and its shady executives aside, Akihito has always been passionate about Pro-bending, ever since he was a little boy. After mulling over what he learned the last time he was Sion, he concludes that it’s likely he won’t even have to see Asami or Glasses day-to-day, which is certainly agreeable to him. 

He can just throw himself into what he does best: firebending. 

Akihito arrives at the training center and sees Takato, Kou, and Endo already there. The coach is guiding the waterbender and airbender through some stretches, while both of his friends look just as well-rested and excited as Akihito feels. With all three of them having had their financial burdens relieved, it’s feeling more and more like they have a bright future ahead. 

The firebender joins his teammates in their stretches, and as they finish, they spot Endo hauling a large box off the top of a cart and dropping it on the ground in front of them with a booming thump . 

“After much suspense,” the earthbender drawls, “Sion has finally settled on your team colors and your new, official team name. Each of you will receive your match uniforms today, as well as workout gear for everyday training. Tell me if any of them are too loose or tight, and we’ll have them refitted.” 

Without fanfare Endo crouches and opens the box, ripping the cardboard between his hands like paper. Akihito and his friends jump to their feet and gather around their coach, excitedly waiting for the not-so-grand reveal. 

“Looks like you’re up first, Akihito-kun.” Endo remarks, as he stands with a sleek, black jersey in his hands. 

At a glance, Aki is pleased to see that his Underground name had made the cut: FIREWHIP is emblazoned in large white letters across the shoulders, with a thick strip of red running up and down the back to signify him as the team’s firebender. 

“Ooooh,” Kou coos in excitement, “Go on then, show us the front! Let’s see what our new team name is!” 

The firebender does, feeling his own anticipation, and a second later he can feel his blood freezing in his veins as all eyes fall onto the letters printed on the front of the uniform. 

“ The Sion Spitfires,” Takato reads, sounding impressed, “Damn, that’s cool!” 

“Yeah,” Akihito says flatly, feeling like his soul is leaving his body. “Cool.” 

Quite the little spitfire, aren’t you?

Scratch anything positive Akihito had ever thought about Sion over the past week. This was going to be hell, he was sure of it. 

Fuck Asami. 

“Let’s see what your uniforms look like, guys.” The firebender grinds out, and thankfully his friends are too excited to do just that to notice Akihito’s sudden dark mood. 

As the remaining Snaps – no, the Spitfires – rummage through the box with exclamations of increasing excitement, Akihito stands to the side and silently seethes. Black sweats with red stripes and their new name are piled into his hands, and all the while he bites his tongue, not wanting to ruin any of his friends’ excitement. 

Instead, thinks to himself that he’s very much looking forward to his and Asami’s next sparring match. He mulls over the CEO’s techniques, his personality, the man’s weaknesses that the firebender can exploit. 

Akihito thinks of how he’s going to win.