Prince of Tennis: Ibu Shinji, 001: Beginnings
Title: Categories
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Echizen Ryoma
Prompt: 001: Beginnings
Word Count: 608
Rating: G
Summary: The bonding powers of grip tape.
Author's Notes: Of all of the possible interschool friendships, I think the potential of this one is always at the top of my list.
Main table can be found here
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shinji knew that he formed friendships in odd ways. His friendship with Kamio had started as a teaming of social outcasts. His friendship with Ishida had started under the same guise, when he and Kamio took the other under their wing in sixth grade. With Tachibana-san and his other teammates, friendship grew out of the common bonds of tyranny and oppression.
And with Echizen Ryoma, friendship started with a roll of grip tape.
Shinji had a long habit of getting fixated on things. He had spent over a year once trying to match Kamio’s exact hair shade to a color name. When he was four, Shinji had an absolute obsession with penguins. Now that he was older and playing tennis, many of his fixations came to revolve around that sport. It was in the small details; the brand of socks he wore, the exact shade of his wristband, and, of course, the exact type of grip tape for his racquet.
It wasn’t even a popular brand. Shinji had grown used to it being there whenever he needed it. Therefore, his shock was doubled when, not only was there only one roll on the shelf, but Seigaku’s prodigy reached for it too.
It should’ve been a simple thing, really. Even if Echizen did keep the grip tape, there would’ve been more on the shelves in a day or two. It would’ve been no trouble for Shinji to get a new roll, as he walked by the shop on his way home every day.
However, Shinji took it personally. He was, as much as he hated to admit it, already pretty impressed by Echizen. The kid’s play was, frankly, incredible. Shinji could think of no one else-besides Tachibana-san, but Tachibana was a special case-that could’ve kept playing injured like that. Plus, Echizen clearly had good taste, if his choice of grip tape was anything to go by.
Shinji was observant. He knew that Echizen wasn’t the most socially aware person alive. Echizen had three categories for people, it seemed: teammate, rival, and opponent. Shinji was firmly in the latter category. He wanted to be in the middle category.
As talented as Shinji was, he knew he was no Tezuka, or Fuji, or Atobe. It would be hard to capture Echizen’s attention through tennis alone. So grip tape was really the only thing he could use.
And Echizen bought into it.
Whereas friendships with Kamio and Ishida had been fairly instantaneous, friendship with Echizen developed over a few clashes on the street courts. Slowly, it became less and less about tennis and grip tape and more about exchanging snarky comments about the various people on the courts. Momoshiro and Kamio’s “rivalry” was a favorite target, as was anything Mizuki said or did.
The day when they both sought each other out, Shinji had his revelation. “Echizen? Would you call us friends?”
Echizen shrugged. “I don’t know what else to call you.”
Shinji shook his head. “Echizen needs some work on his vocabulary. There are many things that he could call me. Saying that he doesn’t know is lazy and inexcusable. I wonder at his senpais for allowing that laziness to develop. I know Tachibana-san doesn’t allow laziness in thought or play. Maybe-”
“Ibu.” Echizen elbowed him. “Shut up. You’re giving me a headache. Less babble, more staring at Mizuki. That shade of purple is not found in Nature.”
Shinji’s retort was cut off as Mizuki crossed his field of vision. “Maybe he’s colorblind.”
The banter continued, but Shinji was smiling inside as he added a new category to Echizen’s classification scheme: friend.
And Shinji was on that list.
--The End--
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Echizen Ryoma
Prompt: 001: Beginnings
Word Count: 608
Rating: G
Summary: The bonding powers of grip tape.
Author's Notes: Of all of the possible interschool friendships, I think the potential of this one is always at the top of my list.
Main table can be found here
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shinji knew that he formed friendships in odd ways. His friendship with Kamio had started as a teaming of social outcasts. His friendship with Ishida had started under the same guise, when he and Kamio took the other under their wing in sixth grade. With Tachibana-san and his other teammates, friendship grew out of the common bonds of tyranny and oppression.
And with Echizen Ryoma, friendship started with a roll of grip tape.
Shinji had a long habit of getting fixated on things. He had spent over a year once trying to match Kamio’s exact hair shade to a color name. When he was four, Shinji had an absolute obsession with penguins. Now that he was older and playing tennis, many of his fixations came to revolve around that sport. It was in the small details; the brand of socks he wore, the exact shade of his wristband, and, of course, the exact type of grip tape for his racquet.
It wasn’t even a popular brand. Shinji had grown used to it being there whenever he needed it. Therefore, his shock was doubled when, not only was there only one roll on the shelf, but Seigaku’s prodigy reached for it too.
It should’ve been a simple thing, really. Even if Echizen did keep the grip tape, there would’ve been more on the shelves in a day or two. It would’ve been no trouble for Shinji to get a new roll, as he walked by the shop on his way home every day.
However, Shinji took it personally. He was, as much as he hated to admit it, already pretty impressed by Echizen. The kid’s play was, frankly, incredible. Shinji could think of no one else-besides Tachibana-san, but Tachibana was a special case-that could’ve kept playing injured like that. Plus, Echizen clearly had good taste, if his choice of grip tape was anything to go by.
Shinji was observant. He knew that Echizen wasn’t the most socially aware person alive. Echizen had three categories for people, it seemed: teammate, rival, and opponent. Shinji was firmly in the latter category. He wanted to be in the middle category.
As talented as Shinji was, he knew he was no Tezuka, or Fuji, or Atobe. It would be hard to capture Echizen’s attention through tennis alone. So grip tape was really the only thing he could use.
And Echizen bought into it.
Whereas friendships with Kamio and Ishida had been fairly instantaneous, friendship with Echizen developed over a few clashes on the street courts. Slowly, it became less and less about tennis and grip tape and more about exchanging snarky comments about the various people on the courts. Momoshiro and Kamio’s “rivalry” was a favorite target, as was anything Mizuki said or did.
The day when they both sought each other out, Shinji had his revelation. “Echizen? Would you call us friends?”
Echizen shrugged. “I don’t know what else to call you.”
Shinji shook his head. “Echizen needs some work on his vocabulary. There are many things that he could call me. Saying that he doesn’t know is lazy and inexcusable. I wonder at his senpais for allowing that laziness to develop. I know Tachibana-san doesn’t allow laziness in thought or play. Maybe-”
“Ibu.” Echizen elbowed him. “Shut up. You’re giving me a headache. Less babble, more staring at Mizuki. That shade of purple is not found in Nature.”
Shinji’s retort was cut off as Mizuki crossed his field of vision. “Maybe he’s colorblind.”
The banter continued, but Shinji was smiling inside as he added a new category to Echizen’s classification scheme: friend.
And Shinji was on that list.
--The End--