RP Log
Who: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Echizen Ryoma
What: Echizen runs into the woods. Tezuka follows.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Setting: Woods/beach
Why did he have to be such an idiot? He was the worst kind of person and he was well aware of it, he just didn't know how to change it. He'd screwed up three lives, including his own and he didn't even have an excuse for it. He knew full well it was dangerous, but still he headed for the forest, ignoring the buzzing of people messaging telling him not to. Normally, he'd go vent to Karupin, but his best friend wasn't there and he needed some space. His room wasn't a haven anymore, it was hell and he was constantly terrified to even walk into it. He didn't want to see Atobe, to be given that hate-filled look again. All he wanted was to be alone and rest far away from everyone.
Tezuka saw Echizen's journal entry. His lips tightened marginally. For a moment he started to move his fingers over the keyboard; he shook his head and changed his mind. Tezuka stood up, put a few waters and snacks in a drawstring bag, and set out. He was confident that he could could outpace the upset freshman and catch up easily. After all, his kouhai was of no mind to hide his trail.
When he spotted Echizen by his white hat and distracted gait, Tezuka proved himself correct. In a few more paces, he brought himself level to Echizen's side. He said nothing.
Ryoma felt someone approach and moved a bit to the side to allow them to pass. When they didn't though he looked over in surprise, only to find the stoic buchou standing there. He stared at him for a moment then looked straight ahead again. Tezuka was almost as good of company as Karupin...though he definitely talked less than the cat....
Tezuka met Echizen's gaze and allowed the silence to continue. With his experience in the forest, he could easily lead Echizen through without any harm to either of them. Tezuka could see the invisible weight set on the shoulders of his kouhai; burden was familiar to him, and welcome. He had a feeling that whatever sat on Echizen's neck was not welcome. But he stayed quiet, but for the sure fall of footsteps. Tezuka was taking Echizen to the beach.
Without even intending to, Ryoma fell into pace with tezuka and let the other man lead him. He lost track of how long they walked, but by the time they got to the beach, the tall skinny boy just wanted to sit down. He kicked off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot through the sand over to a rock where he plopped himself down to stare at the waves.
Keeping a firm eye on his kouhai's back, Tezuka neatly unlaced his sneakers and placed his socks inside. His feet sank a little in the sand as he made his way toward Echizen. He sat on the sand beside the rock and handed Echizen a water bottle. The waves took over the role that their feet on the ground had, filling the silence with their crash.
Ryoma reached over and took the bottle from him, finally breaking the silence, "Thanks...." He murmured softly and took a long drink from it, glad the older boy had come prepared. Sitting like this it was easy to remember why he'd had such a big thing for Tezuka for so long.
"It's nothing," Tezuka replied, burying his squared toes in the warm sand. He let a few more waves fill the silence before he said, "No one is going to kill you, Echizen. But you might get yourself killed, or seriously hurt by going off by yourself." Despite the harshness of his words, Tezuka did not sound angry, just certain of the truth in his statement.
"You haven't talked to Atobe lately, have you?" Ryoma let out a sad little laugh, "Fuck.....Why am I such an idiot, buchou? Why can't I just.....be honest with people?" He knew the reason, he knew he was a coward and was scared of people making fun of him again. He got teased constantly in the states for being a 'girly boy' and showing any kind of emotion and it didn't help that he was always daintier than the women too, "I just......want to go to sleep and not wake up lately....you know?"
Tezuka certainly didn't think Echizen was dainty; he showed that by pushing his kouhai right off the low rock and into the soft sand.
Ryoma's eyes went wide and he let out a surprised little yelp as he hit the sand. He hadn't expected that, "O-Oi!" He pouted over at Tezuka with a huffy expression as he sat up.
"What do you want, Echizen?" Tezuka's hazel eyes met that pout seriously. The simple, direct question cut around all of the rhetorical statements from the upset, panicked boy. He's still a boy, Tezuka reminded himself. Echizen had a lot of growing to do, and that was perfectly fine. As a captain and friend, he would be there to supervise.
Sighing, Ryoma sat in the sand on the other side of the rock and pulled his knees to his chest as he stared at the water, contemplating the question, "I want my cat...." He finally answered simply.
The undertow washed the sand from Tezuka's feet. As he considered Echizen's statement, he went about sinking them under again. "Your cat is better off at home. This is a dangerous place." Tezuka certainly understood. He missed people too. But solving the mystery of this place was the only way he could be reunited with his family. "What would you do with your cat, if you saw Karupin before you right now?"
Ryoma wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees, "I......" Just thinking about it made his eyes water and he looked away. How pathetic could he get? Fuck. He swallowed thickly and tried to act like he was fine, "I'd take Karupin back to the room and hope that Atobe was allergic to cats..." He mumbled and took another deep breath, trying to get a hold on him emotions.
Tezuka didn't particularly care if Echizen wanted to cry; better he cry here than at the school. He didn't judge. Instead, he gave Echizen a few moments. "Regardless of Atobe's allergies, would that be the end of your problems?"
"Maybe they'd finally give me a roommate who didn't hate me...." Though there weren't many people who didn't hate him. He was well aware of how few friends he actually had, "And maybe then I could actually sleep....or go into my room without feeling like I'm going to throw up..." Just the thought of walking into his room filled him with dread and he shuddered, "I miss junior high...things were a lot simpler.....the person I liked had no idea and I was alright with keeping it that way back then....but now....now I had to decide to tell them. How fucking stupid am I?"
"Quite stupid, to keep things as they stand," Tezuka agreed. Deciding to pretend he knew nothing of the situation at all, so he could get Echizen's side of things, he continued, "Running away from your situation will not change it. How did things come to be this way?"
11:26 (tezuka doesnt much keep up on gossip. he knows what he knows from whatever appeared on the journals, and from the few conversations hes had with atobe)
"I opened my mouth," Ryoma said simply and looked at the older man like it was the stupidest question in the world, "Maybe I should become one of those monks who take a vow of silence and celibacy, I wouldn't have nearly as many problems that way..."
Tezuka gave Echizen a speaking look. "In that case, I assumed you formed words with your mouth when you opened it."
"Yeah....and you know as well as I do nothing good ever comes from me doing that..."
Tezuka didn't agree with that, but what Echizen thought of himself was more important than what Tezuka thought. It wasn't for Tezuka to do all that self discovery for him. "You have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with other people, Echizen." Consider how vague Echizen had been, he assumed his kouhai did not want to share specifics.
The younger boy sighed and buried his face against his knees, "I am honest with myself....it's the other people thing I have problems with........I thought I was doing better.....and...being honest only brought me a world of problems.....now Atobe despises me, Shiraishi too....and somehow I may have convinced Atobe that he should confront the guy I like and go out with him....because I know I'm not good enough for him. Just....like I wasn't good enough to ever confess to you." See? He could be honest.
"The only person who can tell you that you're not good enough is yourself," Tezuka pointed out. The last bit of information quieted him for a few minutes more. Echizen did not have to confess for Tezuka to know.
Just as surely as Tezuka knew that Fuji stared a little too low when they ran laps, he knew that Echizen used to hold him in quite a different regard. "A relationship is more than just one person. If…that person decides that Atobe is the one he wants, that has nothing to do with you."
Similarly, just because Tezuka wasn't ready to see anyone in that light didn't mean that Echizen wasn't worthy of love and affection.
Once again silence fell over them for a bit as Ryoma closed his eyes and listened to the waves while he mulled over Tezuka's words, "You just........you don't get it...." He finally mumbled with a frustrated sigh. He wanted Tezuka to understand, but he didn't want to have to explain it to him. It was uncomfortable, talking to his first love about the guy he had a crush on.
"I don't listen to gossip, Echizen," Tezuka stated plainly. "And even if I did, I would want to hear it from you." If things didn't come to this extreme, Tezuka wouldn't insert himself into the drama at all.
Ryoma groaned in frustration, "I like Kabaji Munehiro, Atobe wants me to die in a hole for even thinking about it. I was stupid and confessed to Munehiro because I couldn't sleep from thinking about it so fucking much--'Hiro said he'd think about it and now he says that he wants to get to know me better. I thought maybe Atobe would stop being such a dick about it, but he's not......then I ruined some weird fucking moment that him and Shiraishi were having--- and I opened my stupid mouth and told Atobe how much Kabaji really likes him and that what he was doing was probably breaking the guy's big heart....so now Shiraishi wants me to die too. I just want 'Hiro to be happy and god I really don't want to always be second in someone's heart...I just....want someone who likes me....more than anyone else...someone who actually fucking wants to be around me....maybe that's why I like Karupin.....the one being in the world who regularly seeks out my attention and affection...."
Tezuka listened quietly as the pieces came together. Considering the way Echizen thought about all of this, he had to wonder if the boy was even ready for a relationship at all. "Can you see land, Echizen?" Tezuka asked after a few minutes. His hazel eyes peered through his glasses at the long expanse of ocean, with no land in sight.
Ryoma shook his head a little, "No.........not at all..." He mumbled then looked at the ocean again, confirming what he'd said, "I...never thought I'd say this...since I hate my house and my idiot father...but....I really want to go home, buchou...."
"We all want to go home," Tezuka said. Long, heavily scarred and calloused fingers wrapped around a rock that he set before his kouhai. "Land is right here. It's easier to remember the things that we want, the things that we don't have, instead of what we do." (cont)
12:29 Tezuka, too, was guilty of that fault. He often dwelled on the fact that he would never be able to play professional tennis, even though he knew he was gifted with a mind sharp enough to make something of himself all the same.
"Behave honorably to the best of your ability. If you want to make Kabaji-kun happy, do that in the way that seems most effective and things will work out." Exactly how was for Echizen to figure out for himself, unless he asked explicitly. "And perhaps, at the end of the day, even if you don't have a lover on this land, you will still have your friends, your pride, and your cat waiting for you at home."
"You're not very good at cheering people up," Ryoma said simply but moved over to sit closer to Tezuka, taking comfort in the closeness for a bit, "but....thanks for trying.....I...don't really understand...what you mean by 'act honorably'.....or how you think I still have pride in anything but tennis..............or that i have much in the way of friends...." The scrawny boy mumbled then sighed, "I'm....glad you care enough to try though....and to not leave me to die in the forest......"
"Aa," Tezuka confirmed, unbothered by Echizen's proximity. Probably the boy didn't understand how the things he said were hurtful and insulting. Tezuka was tempted to assign him laps, but he doubted that would change anything. He swallowed it up into the recesses of his mind to ponder at a later time. "To act honorably is to behave in a way that you can be proud of. Facing things head on will earn the respect of your enemies. If Kabaji-kun does indeed love Atobe, and Atobe Kabaji-kun, do you want Kabaji-kun to carry the weight of your misery for the rest of his life?"
Ryoma shook his head and moved a bit closer so their arms brushed together when they moved, "No.....of course I don't want that....I want him to have the best....and right now, I'm just...not. At the same time though, I can't help but want him." The younger boy thought about Tezuka's words, "I tried to face this all head on...and it only made it worse..."
Tezuka's brows raised into his hair: the most expression he had shown thus far. "I did not think I would ever year you say that Atobe is better than you." Nor did he hope to hear Echizen say it, but that was another matter.
"Not in everything obviously..." Ryoma flushed lightly and grumbled, "I'll still kick his ass at tennis and anything else...." except maybe volleyball, he couldn't play that to save his life, "But...when it comes to taking care of Munehiro....he's known him forever, he has money, he understands him better than anyone else, he's just....he seems.....like he's better for him than I am....you know?"
"If that's the attitude that you keep, then you'll see your own words come true," Tezuka said, scolding neither Echizen's grumbling nor his emotions. It was his own fault for letting Echizen run amok for so long. He had thought too well of Echizen's maturity. "People are not so simple. Kabaji-kun hardly seems like a wilting flower."
Briefly, Tezuka entertained the image of Kabaji up in a tower with Echizen and Atobe at the bottom: Echizen picking petals from a daisy and Atobe preening atop his horse.
Ryoma looked at him then looked back at the water and leaned against the older man's side finally, "Yeah...you're right...I know...." He took a deep breath, feeling a bit better after venting completely to someone who actually listened instead of just calling him names and treating him like crap. Living with Atobe really wasn't good for him.
"Sorry...for being such an idiot and so....I don't know...depressing, I guess...." He closed his eyes and relaxed against the other man, "I really needed to get that all off my chest......and...I feel a lot better....."
Tezuka did think Echizen was being melodramatic, but he did not think the boy an idiot. Still, it seemed all for the best to remain silent. He had nothing left to say. There was only thinking left to do. He shifted an arm about the boy's shoulders and allowed Echizen to fall asleep on him.
"You're the best.....Promise I won't be so lame anymore....or make you worry by wandering off into the forest..." Echizen mumbled before slumping more against the older boy's chest, exhausted from the emotional turmoil he was going through and from the hike out to the beach. He hated being this stupid hormonal age, it was so much more stressful than his year at Seigaku had been.
It didn't take long for the tired kid to fall asleep against Tezuka's warm chest and when he did, he was out cold.
Tezuka did not have to look down to know that Echizen was completely asleep. Since staying the night int he forest was a bad idea, Tezuka shifted Echizen against the rock a bit more so he could pack up their things. Shoes taken care of, he returned to lift Echizen into his arms. He was ready for the long walk back to school. Tezuka carried Echizen through the woods and into the school to deposit him safely in bed, with a full water bottle and a health bar at his side.
When Ryoma woke up again, he found himself in bed, somewhere he hadn't been in days and got quite confused until he realized how he'd gotten there. Tezuka was still too great for his own good.
He ate the health bar without complaint then drank his bottle of water before snuggling back up in bed to go back to sleep, now that he didn't feel like the weight of the world was resting on him. He'd thank Tezuka later. Profusely.
What: Echizen runs into the woods. Tezuka follows.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Setting: Woods/beach
Why did he have to be such an idiot? He was the worst kind of person and he was well aware of it, he just didn't know how to change it. He'd screwed up three lives, including his own and he didn't even have an excuse for it. He knew full well it was dangerous, but still he headed for the forest, ignoring the buzzing of people messaging telling him not to. Normally, he'd go vent to Karupin, but his best friend wasn't there and he needed some space. His room wasn't a haven anymore, it was hell and he was constantly terrified to even walk into it. He didn't want to see Atobe, to be given that hate-filled look again. All he wanted was to be alone and rest far away from everyone.
Tezuka saw Echizen's journal entry. His lips tightened marginally. For a moment he started to move his fingers over the keyboard; he shook his head and changed his mind. Tezuka stood up, put a few waters and snacks in a drawstring bag, and set out. He was confident that he could could outpace the upset freshman and catch up easily. After all, his kouhai was of no mind to hide his trail.
When he spotted Echizen by his white hat and distracted gait, Tezuka proved himself correct. In a few more paces, he brought himself level to Echizen's side. He said nothing.
Ryoma felt someone approach and moved a bit to the side to allow them to pass. When they didn't though he looked over in surprise, only to find the stoic buchou standing there. He stared at him for a moment then looked straight ahead again. Tezuka was almost as good of company as Karupin...though he definitely talked less than the cat....
Tezuka met Echizen's gaze and allowed the silence to continue. With his experience in the forest, he could easily lead Echizen through without any harm to either of them. Tezuka could see the invisible weight set on the shoulders of his kouhai; burden was familiar to him, and welcome. He had a feeling that whatever sat on Echizen's neck was not welcome. But he stayed quiet, but for the sure fall of footsteps. Tezuka was taking Echizen to the beach.
Without even intending to, Ryoma fell into pace with tezuka and let the other man lead him. He lost track of how long they walked, but by the time they got to the beach, the tall skinny boy just wanted to sit down. He kicked off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot through the sand over to a rock where he plopped himself down to stare at the waves.
Keeping a firm eye on his kouhai's back, Tezuka neatly unlaced his sneakers and placed his socks inside. His feet sank a little in the sand as he made his way toward Echizen. He sat on the sand beside the rock and handed Echizen a water bottle. The waves took over the role that their feet on the ground had, filling the silence with their crash.
Ryoma reached over and took the bottle from him, finally breaking the silence, "Thanks...." He murmured softly and took a long drink from it, glad the older boy had come prepared. Sitting like this it was easy to remember why he'd had such a big thing for Tezuka for so long.
"It's nothing," Tezuka replied, burying his squared toes in the warm sand. He let a few more waves fill the silence before he said, "No one is going to kill you, Echizen. But you might get yourself killed, or seriously hurt by going off by yourself." Despite the harshness of his words, Tezuka did not sound angry, just certain of the truth in his statement.
"You haven't talked to Atobe lately, have you?" Ryoma let out a sad little laugh, "Fuck.....Why am I such an idiot, buchou? Why can't I just.....be honest with people?" He knew the reason, he knew he was a coward and was scared of people making fun of him again. He got teased constantly in the states for being a 'girly boy' and showing any kind of emotion and it didn't help that he was always daintier than the women too, "I just......want to go to sleep and not wake up lately....you know?"
Tezuka certainly didn't think Echizen was dainty; he showed that by pushing his kouhai right off the low rock and into the soft sand.
Ryoma's eyes went wide and he let out a surprised little yelp as he hit the sand. He hadn't expected that, "O-Oi!" He pouted over at Tezuka with a huffy expression as he sat up.
"What do you want, Echizen?" Tezuka's hazel eyes met that pout seriously. The simple, direct question cut around all of the rhetorical statements from the upset, panicked boy. He's still a boy, Tezuka reminded himself. Echizen had a lot of growing to do, and that was perfectly fine. As a captain and friend, he would be there to supervise.
Sighing, Ryoma sat in the sand on the other side of the rock and pulled his knees to his chest as he stared at the water, contemplating the question, "I want my cat...." He finally answered simply.
The undertow washed the sand from Tezuka's feet. As he considered Echizen's statement, he went about sinking them under again. "Your cat is better off at home. This is a dangerous place." Tezuka certainly understood. He missed people too. But solving the mystery of this place was the only way he could be reunited with his family. "What would you do with your cat, if you saw Karupin before you right now?"
Ryoma wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees, "I......" Just thinking about it made his eyes water and he looked away. How pathetic could he get? Fuck. He swallowed thickly and tried to act like he was fine, "I'd take Karupin back to the room and hope that Atobe was allergic to cats..." He mumbled and took another deep breath, trying to get a hold on him emotions.
Tezuka didn't particularly care if Echizen wanted to cry; better he cry here than at the school. He didn't judge. Instead, he gave Echizen a few moments. "Regardless of Atobe's allergies, would that be the end of your problems?"
"Maybe they'd finally give me a roommate who didn't hate me...." Though there weren't many people who didn't hate him. He was well aware of how few friends he actually had, "And maybe then I could actually sleep....or go into my room without feeling like I'm going to throw up..." Just the thought of walking into his room filled him with dread and he shuddered, "I miss junior high...things were a lot simpler.....the person I liked had no idea and I was alright with keeping it that way back then....but now....now I had to decide to tell them. How fucking stupid am I?"
"Quite stupid, to keep things as they stand," Tezuka agreed. Deciding to pretend he knew nothing of the situation at all, so he could get Echizen's side of things, he continued, "Running away from your situation will not change it. How did things come to be this way?"
11:26 (tezuka doesnt much keep up on gossip. he knows what he knows from whatever appeared on the journals, and from the few conversations hes had with atobe)
"I opened my mouth," Ryoma said simply and looked at the older man like it was the stupidest question in the world, "Maybe I should become one of those monks who take a vow of silence and celibacy, I wouldn't have nearly as many problems that way..."
Tezuka gave Echizen a speaking look. "In that case, I assumed you formed words with your mouth when you opened it."
"Yeah....and you know as well as I do nothing good ever comes from me doing that..."
Tezuka didn't agree with that, but what Echizen thought of himself was more important than what Tezuka thought. It wasn't for Tezuka to do all that self discovery for him. "You have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with other people, Echizen." Consider how vague Echizen had been, he assumed his kouhai did not want to share specifics.
The younger boy sighed and buried his face against his knees, "I am honest with myself....it's the other people thing I have problems with........I thought I was doing better.....and...being honest only brought me a world of problems.....now Atobe despises me, Shiraishi too....and somehow I may have convinced Atobe that he should confront the guy I like and go out with him....because I know I'm not good enough for him. Just....like I wasn't good enough to ever confess to you." See? He could be honest.
"The only person who can tell you that you're not good enough is yourself," Tezuka pointed out. The last bit of information quieted him for a few minutes more. Echizen did not have to confess for Tezuka to know.
Just as surely as Tezuka knew that Fuji stared a little too low when they ran laps, he knew that Echizen used to hold him in quite a different regard. "A relationship is more than just one person. If…that person decides that Atobe is the one he wants, that has nothing to do with you."
Similarly, just because Tezuka wasn't ready to see anyone in that light didn't mean that Echizen wasn't worthy of love and affection.
Once again silence fell over them for a bit as Ryoma closed his eyes and listened to the waves while he mulled over Tezuka's words, "You just........you don't get it...." He finally mumbled with a frustrated sigh. He wanted Tezuka to understand, but he didn't want to have to explain it to him. It was uncomfortable, talking to his first love about the guy he had a crush on.
"I don't listen to gossip, Echizen," Tezuka stated plainly. "And even if I did, I would want to hear it from you." If things didn't come to this extreme, Tezuka wouldn't insert himself into the drama at all.
Ryoma groaned in frustration, "I like Kabaji Munehiro, Atobe wants me to die in a hole for even thinking about it. I was stupid and confessed to Munehiro because I couldn't sleep from thinking about it so fucking much--'Hiro said he'd think about it and now he says that he wants to get to know me better. I thought maybe Atobe would stop being such a dick about it, but he's not......then I ruined some weird fucking moment that him and Shiraishi were having--- and I opened my stupid mouth and told Atobe how much Kabaji really likes him and that what he was doing was probably breaking the guy's big heart....so now Shiraishi wants me to die too. I just want 'Hiro to be happy and god I really don't want to always be second in someone's heart...I just....want someone who likes me....more than anyone else...someone who actually fucking wants to be around me....maybe that's why I like Karupin.....the one being in the world who regularly seeks out my attention and affection...."
Tezuka listened quietly as the pieces came together. Considering the way Echizen thought about all of this, he had to wonder if the boy was even ready for a relationship at all. "Can you see land, Echizen?" Tezuka asked after a few minutes. His hazel eyes peered through his glasses at the long expanse of ocean, with no land in sight.
Ryoma shook his head a little, "No.........not at all..." He mumbled then looked at the ocean again, confirming what he'd said, "I...never thought I'd say this...since I hate my house and my idiot father...but....I really want to go home, buchou...."
"We all want to go home," Tezuka said. Long, heavily scarred and calloused fingers wrapped around a rock that he set before his kouhai. "Land is right here. It's easier to remember the things that we want, the things that we don't have, instead of what we do." (cont)
12:29 Tezuka, too, was guilty of that fault. He often dwelled on the fact that he would never be able to play professional tennis, even though he knew he was gifted with a mind sharp enough to make something of himself all the same.
"Behave honorably to the best of your ability. If you want to make Kabaji-kun happy, do that in the way that seems most effective and things will work out." Exactly how was for Echizen to figure out for himself, unless he asked explicitly. "And perhaps, at the end of the day, even if you don't have a lover on this land, you will still have your friends, your pride, and your cat waiting for you at home."
"You're not very good at cheering people up," Ryoma said simply but moved over to sit closer to Tezuka, taking comfort in the closeness for a bit, "but....thanks for trying.....I...don't really understand...what you mean by 'act honorably'.....or how you think I still have pride in anything but tennis..............or that i have much in the way of friends...." The scrawny boy mumbled then sighed, "I'm....glad you care enough to try though....and to not leave me to die in the forest......"
"Aa," Tezuka confirmed, unbothered by Echizen's proximity. Probably the boy didn't understand how the things he said were hurtful and insulting. Tezuka was tempted to assign him laps, but he doubted that would change anything. He swallowed it up into the recesses of his mind to ponder at a later time. "To act honorably is to behave in a way that you can be proud of. Facing things head on will earn the respect of your enemies. If Kabaji-kun does indeed love Atobe, and Atobe Kabaji-kun, do you want Kabaji-kun to carry the weight of your misery for the rest of his life?"
Ryoma shook his head and moved a bit closer so their arms brushed together when they moved, "No.....of course I don't want that....I want him to have the best....and right now, I'm just...not. At the same time though, I can't help but want him." The younger boy thought about Tezuka's words, "I tried to face this all head on...and it only made it worse..."
Tezuka's brows raised into his hair: the most expression he had shown thus far. "I did not think I would ever year you say that Atobe is better than you." Nor did he hope to hear Echizen say it, but that was another matter.
"Not in everything obviously..." Ryoma flushed lightly and grumbled, "I'll still kick his ass at tennis and anything else...." except maybe volleyball, he couldn't play that to save his life, "But...when it comes to taking care of Munehiro....he's known him forever, he has money, he understands him better than anyone else, he's just....he seems.....like he's better for him than I am....you know?"
"If that's the attitude that you keep, then you'll see your own words come true," Tezuka said, scolding neither Echizen's grumbling nor his emotions. It was his own fault for letting Echizen run amok for so long. He had thought too well of Echizen's maturity. "People are not so simple. Kabaji-kun hardly seems like a wilting flower."
Briefly, Tezuka entertained the image of Kabaji up in a tower with Echizen and Atobe at the bottom: Echizen picking petals from a daisy and Atobe preening atop his horse.
Ryoma looked at him then looked back at the water and leaned against the older man's side finally, "Yeah...you're right...I know...." He took a deep breath, feeling a bit better after venting completely to someone who actually listened instead of just calling him names and treating him like crap. Living with Atobe really wasn't good for him.
"Sorry...for being such an idiot and so....I don't know...depressing, I guess...." He closed his eyes and relaxed against the other man, "I really needed to get that all off my chest......and...I feel a lot better....."
Tezuka did think Echizen was being melodramatic, but he did not think the boy an idiot. Still, it seemed all for the best to remain silent. He had nothing left to say. There was only thinking left to do. He shifted an arm about the boy's shoulders and allowed Echizen to fall asleep on him.
"You're the best.....Promise I won't be so lame anymore....or make you worry by wandering off into the forest..." Echizen mumbled before slumping more against the older boy's chest, exhausted from the emotional turmoil he was going through and from the hike out to the beach. He hated being this stupid hormonal age, it was so much more stressful than his year at Seigaku had been.
It didn't take long for the tired kid to fall asleep against Tezuka's warm chest and when he did, he was out cold.
Tezuka did not have to look down to know that Echizen was completely asleep. Since staying the night int he forest was a bad idea, Tezuka shifted Echizen against the rock a bit more so he could pack up their things. Shoes taken care of, he returned to lift Echizen into his arms. He was ready for the long walk back to school. Tezuka carried Echizen through the woods and into the school to deposit him safely in bed, with a full water bottle and a health bar at his side.
When Ryoma woke up again, he found himself in bed, somewhere he hadn't been in days and got quite confused until he realized how he'd gotten there. Tezuka was still too great for his own good.
He ate the health bar without complaint then drank his bottle of water before snuggling back up in bed to go back to sleep, now that he didn't feel like the weight of the world was resting on him. He'd thank Tezuka later. Profusely.