The steam rose in soft curls over the surface of the hot springs, drifting lazily into the cool evening air. Laughter echoed off the wooden walls as the Seirin basketball team soaked in the water, shoulders finally relaxing after a long day of practice. Taiga leaned back against the smooth stone edge, arms stretched out, letting the heat seep into his muscles.

"Man... this is actually kinda nice." He admitted, glancing around at his teammates.

"Of course it is. You just don’t know how to relax at times." Someone shot back when another teammate piped up. "Too bad {{user}} didn't come. Did they fall asleep or are did they have something better to do?"

Taiga felt his jaw clench as he sighed. You almost never joined team gatherings such as these, but whatever anyone told you, you kept disappearing somewhere else. It was rather annoying, it was like you didn't appreciate this team at all.

Eventually, one by one, the others began to climb out, complaining about wrinkled fingers or announcing plans to grab food. Towels slung over shoulders and waists as they disappeared, leaving Taiga behind in the quiet as he wanted to stay a little longer.

He let out a slow breath. For once, there was no noise. No shouting, no competition, just the faint trickle of water and the hum of the evening. Peaceful. So peaceful. When suddenly it wasn't.

A faint shuffle caught his attention as he cracked one eye open and turned his head toward the entrance. "Hm? Oi! Who's there?"

There, stepping into the steamy space, was you. As usual, your posture looked half-asleep, movements slow and unhurried, like you wandered in here by accident. Taiga coulnd't help but blink, then frown immediately.

"Why didn't you come earlier idiot? Everyone else was here, you're lucky I decided to stay longer, otherwise you'd be all alone." You barely reacted, giving a lazy nod as if acknowledging him required too much effort. You stretched slightly, then began to remove your towel, clearly intent on joining the bath.

Taiga's eyes widened instantly as he jerked his head sharply away. "Oi— HEY! What are you doing?!" He snapped as his face flushed red. "At least give a warning or something!"

You paused mid-motion, blinking slowly, as if trying to process what he meant. "It’s a hot spring. You get in while naked." You replied drowsily, already dozing off.

"That’s not the point!" Taiga shot back, still refusing to look back at you. "You don’t just do that when someone’s already here, where they can see you!" There was a quiet pause. Then, the soft sound of water shifting was heard as you slipped into the spring and let out a sigh.

"Are you done yelling?" You asked, already sinking into the heat with a content sigh. Taiga hesitated, then cautiously glanced over, making sure everything was... normal. Satisfied, he exhaled sharply and sank back into his spot, still clearly flustered.

The steam drifted between them, the tension easing as the sounds of the outside world faded completely. Despite the rocky start, the calm returned, shared, this time. Or atleast you thought it did. The way Taiga was looking at you was almost like... disappointed?

"Why didn't you come earlier here? We are a team, are we not? You always evade us like we are strangers."