PoT fic: Sonata
Ah, and so I ask for fic requests and have several excellent responses, and what do I wind up writing?
None of them.
*sighs heavily* I most humbly beg the indulgence of my requesters, but an old, half-finished fic of mine suddenly decided that now was the time to sort out how it would end and stole all the muses. So instead you get Prince of Tennis fic. I WILL get on with the requests soon (and I'm still taking new ones should people still want to request). In the meantime...
Sonata
A Prince of Tennis fanfic
By Jaelle
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairings: Tezuka/Ryoma.
Setting: High school.
Sonata
A Prince of Tennis fanfic
By Jaelle
**
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Rating: PG-13.
**
Tezuka always finds it strange when people comment on how similar he and Echizen are. He wonders what it is they see that makes them compare the two boys. Because aside from their skill and dedication to tennis, he can see no similarities at all. They are not physically alike (and probably never will be, now that Echizen has developed into a well-muscled but still short young man). They come from entirely different backgrounds (traditional Japanese vs modern International), and although they both socialise (to a degree) with their teammates, they gravitate towards different personalities (Tezuka has always been closest to Oishi and Fuji, while Echizen most frequently hangs out with Momoshirou and Kikumaru).
They don't even like the same foods (Tezuka cannot understand how Echizen can possibly drink that revolting ponta beverage, and Echizen loathes tea with a vengeance). In fact, Tezuka often thinks that if they didn't both attend the same school and play the same sport, they would have absolutely nothing to talk about.
(And to be honest, even with these factors they rarely converse).
Their personalities are considerably different as well, although both of them tend towards silence as a default (but for different reasons - Tezuka is somewhat shy and reserved; Echizen simply cannot be bothered to talk to most people).
Tezuka is polite and proper, Echizen is not. Tezuka has always been mature for his age, while Echizen (he suspects) will always remain a brat at heart.
Tezuka defers to authority, Echizen defers to noone.
Even their tennis, their lone shared interest, is different:
Tezuka plays with reserve.
Echizen plays with fire.
Tezuka cannot imagine Echizen being attacked for his talent, despite his general insolence. Or rather, he can't imagine Echizen allowing himself to be attacked and then letting his attacker get away with it. For this reason, it did not surprise him when Momoshirou discovered that at Echizen's previous school he had been suspended twice for fighting. When questioned by his other teammates, Echizen had merely glared and pretended to have forgotten the incidents.
He cannot help contrasting this to his own experience with jealous seniors. How would Echizen have reacted in his place, he wonders sometimes. No doubt he would have found a way to get some sort of revenge on the courts, probably by using his twist serve. Tezuka has heard about some of his encounters with bullies since his arrival, and after witnessing the game against Akutsu himself he can tell that Echizen has used his skills to attack (defend?) before. And despite his firm belief that violence should not be a part of tennis, he can't quite bring himself to blame the other boy.
It seems clear to Tezuka that they are absolutely nothing alike, and yet people still insist on comparing them to each other. One day, after no less than three such comments, Tezuka expresses his confusion shortly to Fuji and Oishi. Oishi seems startled by his vehemence on the subject, and stutters when he tries to explain, finally giving up and turning to Fuji.
Fuji smiles at Tezuka gently. "You're overfocusing, Tezuka," he says quietly. "You need to listen to the song as a whole. Stop concentrating on the difference between your melodies, and try listening to the harmony you make."
A typical Fuji comment, Tezuka thinks in annoyance. Confusing and teasing at the same time. What does music have to do with tennis?
**
It isn't until three weeks later, when he next plays a match against Echizen (a reward for the younger boy for behaving himself at the Regional games), that he realises that he no longer needs to watch him to know where to go. His body moves of its own volition, matching the pace set by his opponent. Slide, step, turn... it responds to the moves Echizen makes without needing to consult his mind. Confused, he tries to bring himself under control, and finds himself suddenly on the defensive, his rhythm destroyed and careful moves upset. Echizen arches an eyebrow at him as he passes when they change courts. "You feeling alright, Captain? I don't want to win just because you're sick."
"The game is not over yet," Tezuka says calmly, even though inside he is panicking slightly. Somehow he has let himself get careless, and he cannot afford that kind of mistake. Looking up as he takes his place, he spots Fuji smiling at him, eyes wide open, and glinting with suppressed merriment. He frowns.
Listen to the song?
He watches Echizen serve, and his body tugs him to the right a half-second before his brain whispers the word. He fights it for a while, before giving in, and it feels right when he does. The game picks up as he loses himself in it, and he becomes aware that Ryoma is matching his every move, step for step, stroke for stroke. He feels the gravity of the game pull them both in, swirling around and pulling them together. They finish the next two sets and move to change courts, when he feels a tug at his arm.
"Fuji," Tezuka blinks. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to come onto the court in the middle of a game!"
Across the net, he can see Oishi halting Ryoma as well, and feels anger welling. Fuji tugs at his arm again and he turns to frown at the shorter boy.
Fuji's eyes are still open and the merriment is no longer suppressed. "Tezuka, the game is over," he says, laughter bubbling in his voice. "You two just played an extra set for no reason and since you didn't look like you'd noticed we thought we'd better stop you before it got too late."
"Over?" Tezuka stares at him in confusion, then looks around at the people watching the byplay, most of them awed by the display they had just witnessed, and one or two giggling at the no-doubt confused expression on his face.
He inhales sharply as realisation hits and a single voice choruses in demand with his own.
"Who won?"
And Fuji doubles over in laughter.
**
It isn't until much later that Tezuka has a chance to analyse the match, and the uncanny rhythm it established between Ryoma and himself. Even hours after the game is over, he can still feel the pulse of it thrumming in his veins. Weeks pass and it refuses to disappear, and one day he realises that it's not just the game, it's everything, it's everywhere. Suddenly the whole world has a heartbeat, and he can't help but notice that it seems to speed up everytime Ryoma is near.
(When did Echizen become Ryoma?)
He struggles against this new tempo as best he can, but it only takes a few mis-steps and strange looks for him to realise that it's far too late. It's not a new melody at all. It's the same one that's always moved him through life, but now it's picking up volume and speed, building to a crescendo which will take him...
Where?
The invisible orchestra pauses briefly, a beat of silence before a single instrument sings out in a plaintive solo, and Tezuka gazes at Ryoma after a private match and wonders where the hell the next stanza will go.
And Ryoma tilts his head back and meets his eyes knowingly, and a second instrument joins the first in a quiet duet of understanding.
Even now, Tezuka realises, they are different. For Ryoma, the decision is easy. He follows his instincts in this, as he does in everything else, without care or concern for what other people might think. Tezuka though, Tezuka is staggered by the effects this will have. On himself, on his family, on his world.
Ryoma slants a glance upwards at him and nods in understanding. He reaches out and gently takes Tezuka's hand, raising it to his lips and pressing them against Tezuka's palm gently. Then he curls Tezuka's fingers closed around it and leaves, leaving Tezuka alone with his thoughts, and the gift of Ryoma's love in his hand.
Tezuka wrestles with this new dimension for the next few weeks, before giving in and going to the person who first pointed out the change to him for advice. Fuji laughs at him for days, but finally takes pity on his poor captain and provides him with some data that he hopes Inui never manages to acquire, and which has him blushing furiously from the moment Fuji tells him, to the moment when he and Ryoma finally collapse in a sprawling, panting, exhausted heap on the couch at his house.
**
Tezuka still finds it strange when people comment on how similar he and Echizen are, but he no longer lets it bother him.
Because he knows now that although Tezuka and Echizen have nothing in common except tennis, Kunimitsu and Ryoma are ticklish in all the same places.
**
End
**
Sonata: Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo, rhythm, and melody; but are held together by subject and style. (Definition sourced from: http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html).
None of them.
*sighs heavily* I most humbly beg the indulgence of my requesters, but an old, half-finished fic of mine suddenly decided that now was the time to sort out how it would end and stole all the muses. So instead you get Prince of Tennis fic. I WILL get on with the requests soon (and I'm still taking new ones should people still want to request). In the meantime...
Sonata
A Prince of Tennis fanfic
By Jaelle
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairings: Tezuka/Ryoma.
Setting: High school.
Sonata
A Prince of Tennis fanfic
By Jaelle
**
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Rating: PG-13.
**
Tezuka always finds it strange when people comment on how similar he and Echizen are. He wonders what it is they see that makes them compare the two boys. Because aside from their skill and dedication to tennis, he can see no similarities at all. They are not physically alike (and probably never will be, now that Echizen has developed into a well-muscled but still short young man). They come from entirely different backgrounds (traditional Japanese vs modern International), and although they both socialise (to a degree) with their teammates, they gravitate towards different personalities (Tezuka has always been closest to Oishi and Fuji, while Echizen most frequently hangs out with Momoshirou and Kikumaru).
They don't even like the same foods (Tezuka cannot understand how Echizen can possibly drink that revolting ponta beverage, and Echizen loathes tea with a vengeance). In fact, Tezuka often thinks that if they didn't both attend the same school and play the same sport, they would have absolutely nothing to talk about.
(And to be honest, even with these factors they rarely converse).
Their personalities are considerably different as well, although both of them tend towards silence as a default (but for different reasons - Tezuka is somewhat shy and reserved; Echizen simply cannot be bothered to talk to most people).
Tezuka is polite and proper, Echizen is not. Tezuka has always been mature for his age, while Echizen (he suspects) will always remain a brat at heart.
Tezuka defers to authority, Echizen defers to noone.
Even their tennis, their lone shared interest, is different:
Tezuka plays with reserve.
Echizen plays with fire.
Tezuka cannot imagine Echizen being attacked for his talent, despite his general insolence. Or rather, he can't imagine Echizen allowing himself to be attacked and then letting his attacker get away with it. For this reason, it did not surprise him when Momoshirou discovered that at Echizen's previous school he had been suspended twice for fighting. When questioned by his other teammates, Echizen had merely glared and pretended to have forgotten the incidents.
He cannot help contrasting this to his own experience with jealous seniors. How would Echizen have reacted in his place, he wonders sometimes. No doubt he would have found a way to get some sort of revenge on the courts, probably by using his twist serve. Tezuka has heard about some of his encounters with bullies since his arrival, and after witnessing the game against Akutsu himself he can tell that Echizen has used his skills to attack (defend?) before. And despite his firm belief that violence should not be a part of tennis, he can't quite bring himself to blame the other boy.
It seems clear to Tezuka that they are absolutely nothing alike, and yet people still insist on comparing them to each other. One day, after no less than three such comments, Tezuka expresses his confusion shortly to Fuji and Oishi. Oishi seems startled by his vehemence on the subject, and stutters when he tries to explain, finally giving up and turning to Fuji.
Fuji smiles at Tezuka gently. "You're overfocusing, Tezuka," he says quietly. "You need to listen to the song as a whole. Stop concentrating on the difference between your melodies, and try listening to the harmony you make."
A typical Fuji comment, Tezuka thinks in annoyance. Confusing and teasing at the same time. What does music have to do with tennis?
**
It isn't until three weeks later, when he next plays a match against Echizen (a reward for the younger boy for behaving himself at the Regional games), that he realises that he no longer needs to watch him to know where to go. His body moves of its own volition, matching the pace set by his opponent. Slide, step, turn... it responds to the moves Echizen makes without needing to consult his mind. Confused, he tries to bring himself under control, and finds himself suddenly on the defensive, his rhythm destroyed and careful moves upset. Echizen arches an eyebrow at him as he passes when they change courts. "You feeling alright, Captain? I don't want to win just because you're sick."
"The game is not over yet," Tezuka says calmly, even though inside he is panicking slightly. Somehow he has let himself get careless, and he cannot afford that kind of mistake. Looking up as he takes his place, he spots Fuji smiling at him, eyes wide open, and glinting with suppressed merriment. He frowns.
Listen to the song?
He watches Echizen serve, and his body tugs him to the right a half-second before his brain whispers the word. He fights it for a while, before giving in, and it feels right when he does. The game picks up as he loses himself in it, and he becomes aware that Ryoma is matching his every move, step for step, stroke for stroke. He feels the gravity of the game pull them both in, swirling around and pulling them together. They finish the next two sets and move to change courts, when he feels a tug at his arm.
"Fuji," Tezuka blinks. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to come onto the court in the middle of a game!"
Across the net, he can see Oishi halting Ryoma as well, and feels anger welling. Fuji tugs at his arm again and he turns to frown at the shorter boy.
Fuji's eyes are still open and the merriment is no longer suppressed. "Tezuka, the game is over," he says, laughter bubbling in his voice. "You two just played an extra set for no reason and since you didn't look like you'd noticed we thought we'd better stop you before it got too late."
"Over?" Tezuka stares at him in confusion, then looks around at the people watching the byplay, most of them awed by the display they had just witnessed, and one or two giggling at the no-doubt confused expression on his face.
He inhales sharply as realisation hits and a single voice choruses in demand with his own.
"Who won?"
And Fuji doubles over in laughter.
**
It isn't until much later that Tezuka has a chance to analyse the match, and the uncanny rhythm it established between Ryoma and himself. Even hours after the game is over, he can still feel the pulse of it thrumming in his veins. Weeks pass and it refuses to disappear, and one day he realises that it's not just the game, it's everything, it's everywhere. Suddenly the whole world has a heartbeat, and he can't help but notice that it seems to speed up everytime Ryoma is near.
(When did Echizen become Ryoma?)
He struggles against this new tempo as best he can, but it only takes a few mis-steps and strange looks for him to realise that it's far too late. It's not a new melody at all. It's the same one that's always moved him through life, but now it's picking up volume and speed, building to a crescendo which will take him...
Where?
The invisible orchestra pauses briefly, a beat of silence before a single instrument sings out in a plaintive solo, and Tezuka gazes at Ryoma after a private match and wonders where the hell the next stanza will go.
And Ryoma tilts his head back and meets his eyes knowingly, and a second instrument joins the first in a quiet duet of understanding.
Even now, Tezuka realises, they are different. For Ryoma, the decision is easy. He follows his instincts in this, as he does in everything else, without care or concern for what other people might think. Tezuka though, Tezuka is staggered by the effects this will have. On himself, on his family, on his world.
Ryoma slants a glance upwards at him and nods in understanding. He reaches out and gently takes Tezuka's hand, raising it to his lips and pressing them against Tezuka's palm gently. Then he curls Tezuka's fingers closed around it and leaves, leaving Tezuka alone with his thoughts, and the gift of Ryoma's love in his hand.
Tezuka wrestles with this new dimension for the next few weeks, before giving in and going to the person who first pointed out the change to him for advice. Fuji laughs at him for days, but finally takes pity on his poor captain and provides him with some data that he hopes Inui never manages to acquire, and which has him blushing furiously from the moment Fuji tells him, to the moment when he and Ryoma finally collapse in a sprawling, panting, exhausted heap on the couch at his house.
**
Tezuka still finds it strange when people comment on how similar he and Echizen are, but he no longer lets it bother him.
Because he knows now that although Tezuka and Echizen have nothing in common except tennis, Kunimitsu and Ryoma are ticklish in all the same places.
**
End
**
Sonata: Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo, rhythm, and melody; but are held together by subject and style. (Definition sourced from: http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html).