Happy Spring kai882!
Title: Food for Thought
Recipient's name: kai882
Rating: PG
Pairing: Tezuka/Ryoma
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Warnings: None. Except for complete fluffy goodness.
Author's notes: Thank you so much to M for the last minute beta, I really
appreciate it. I hope that you enjoy this, kai882 :D
The start of Tezuka's final year of high school saw him as tennis club captain once more. There was something about it that he had missed terribly, though he would deny vehemently that that something was the power to order laps - as Fuji had joked at the announcement at the end of their second year.
He traced his fingers over the material of his jacket, and they lingered above the bold lettering of 'Seigaku' on the left breast. It was going to be a great year for Seigaku's tennis, he could just feel it. They had some strong players lined up from last year, and there was still the potential talent of the first years to weigh up once training got underway. He eventually pulled the zip down so that he could slip the jacket on, feeling oddly at home once he had done so.
There was no chance that this year would come anywhere near the unprecedented success of his year of captaincy during junior high, but there was that lingering feeling at the back of his mind that told him that reaching the Nationals again wasn't just a dream. Doubles wasn't as weak a spot as it had been previously - Inui, Kaidoh, and Momoshiro had been practising their combinations diligently since last year. Yes, this year was going to be great.
The walk to the clubroom seemed endless, as though it had more than doubled in length since his first year, and Tezuka caught himself quickening his pace more than once. He blamed it entirely on the anticipation of standing before the team once more, in the position to guide the team to victory in the rapidly approaching tournaments.
Tezuka stopped outside the clubroom and took a deep breath, readying himself to open that door to a brand new season. The nostalgic sound of excited chatter was like music to his ears, but he made sure that the remnants of that little smile was not on his face. He would be every bit the professional captain, not smiling stupidly over his team talking. He pulled the handle down and pushed open the door, immediately greeted with a blast of warmth from inside the building - a stark contrast to the lingering chill of outdoors.
The chatter continued.
"You didn't even tell us you were coming here!" Tezuka heard Kikumaru all but shout over the rest of the conversations. He could see the shock of red hair from where he stood in the doorway, but the crowd around him obscured his view of who Kikumaru was actually talking to. Tezuka assumed an old friend from junior high.
"Yeah, you sly little thing. You could have said." Momoshiro spoke that time, and Tezuka found himself increasingly curious as to who was there - Kikumaru and Momoshiro didn't have many mutual friends outside of the tennis club, especially not ones who would warrant this level of attention.
Tezuka noticed Oishi moving from beside Kikumaru, a worried look on his face. "Eiji," he admonished. "You should let him go, he probably can't breathe."
There was a slight commotion after that, as Kikumaru relinquished his hold. As interesting as it was to continue watching the display they did have training to begin. He opened his mouth to say something, but Fuji beat him to it.
"Oh, look. Our captain is here." Tezuka suspected that Fuji had known he was there all along, but had opted to stay silent about it for whatever reason - he had a smile on his face that hinted that that was the case. Fuji noticed a lot more than he was given credit for.
All eyes were on him, he realised, and it was easy enough to slip into his 'captain mode' because of it. "What is going on here? I want everyone ready in five minutes, and running ten laps around the courts."
The crowd dispersed pretty rapidly after that, not wanting to incur the wrath of their captain further, and left just a few familiar faces standing around their 'mystery person.' Though whoever Tezuka had been expecting it certainly hadn't been the person he was facing now.
"Captain," Echizen said, in that breathy voice that always managed to sound so incredibly intimate to him.
Perhaps that was what he had missed most.
---
It didn't take long for Tezuka to get used to the fact that Echizen had changed.
It was stupid to have thought that he'd have remained exactly as Tezuka remembered from junior high, puberty happened after all, but he hadn't really thought about it beyond Echizen getting a little taller. In fact every time he had thought about Echizen it had all boiled down to that cocky smirk, sure eyes, and the way he said 'captain' in that sinfully alluring tone - and also the subsequent guilt he suffered once he realised exactly what he'd been imagining.
The physical differences were simple enough to notice. Echizen was taller, in fact he was almost as tall as Fuji now. Inui had remarked how drinking all that milk had paid off whilst scribbling something in his notebook. Tezuka hadn't missed the sour look that had crossed Echizen's face. Echizen had even let his hair grow, it brushed the base of his neck in back, and the front was quite a bit longer too. It suited him, Tezuka thought. He'd also noticed that Echizen had stopped wearing his Fila hat as much as he used to, in fact he couldn't seem to recall a recent training session where he had been wearing it. It unsettled him a little, because for Tezuka it was one of the more abrupt changes, though Momoshiro had said that it had been a gradual thing.
Physical differences weren’t the only thing, though; his tennis had changed too. It took only one session of training to see the increase of power in his serves, and the heightened speed and accuracy on his returns. Tezuka often caught himself staring at the graceful arc of Echizen's back as he tossed the ball to hit a perfected twist serve, and at the lines of his legs as he dashed around court effortlessly to return every damn shot. Most people would have thought it impossible for Echizen to have improved that much, but he had. Tezuka couldn't help but feel proud of him.
Despite all the changes, however, one thing remained exactly the same: Echizen still drank grape ponta like an addict.
He watched as Echizen sat on a bench one lunch time, sipping away at his beverage of choice, surrounded by first years that Tezuka remembered only vaguely. Tezuka didn't let his thoughts linger on the number of additives in that drink, nor thoughts of how water would be a much more suitable choice - a healthier choice. He intended, of course, to just walk straight past the group, but Echizen seemed to have other plans.
"Captain," Echizen called, and suddenly he was right next to Tezuka, taking longer strides so that he wouldn't fall behind - even if he had grown he was still a lot shorter than Tezuka. Tezuka slowed his pace so that Echizen could keep up. Echizen seemed at a loss for words after that, as though he hadn't actually had a reason for stopping him. Tezuka thought that that was a little strange, as Echizen usually had reasons for his actions. "Play a match with me," he blurted out eventually.
Tezuka shook his head, he really should have been expecting that. "Soon, Echizen," he said, sparing a glance over his shoulder to look at the group of people Echizen had left behind. Sitting on the edge of the bench was the can of ponta that Echizen had been drinking from, though Tezuka assumed that it was empty now. "Don't leave that can there. Throw it away if you're finished with it."
Echizen opened his mouth, as though he was going to say something snarky in response, but seemed to think better of it. Instead his lips turned down into a frown, and he stalked off back to his friends. When Tezuka looked over his shoulder again the can was gone.
Perhaps Echizen hadn't changed that much after all.
---
After a few weeks’ worth of training, the timetable for the ranking tournament was posted. Tezuka pressed the final pin into the corner of the sheet, taking a step back to observe it. He'd made sure to carefully select members of the team and pit them against those who would test their skill to the full, so that Seigaku would end up with the strongest team possible. It was his role as captain to help create and maintain a group of regular players that could lead them to victory.
During the weeks that Tezuka had taken to prepare the schedule Echizen hadn't asked him for a match. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen the first year; in fact, they seemed to be bumping into each other quite a lot outside of practice. He remembered Echizen's brattish determination to get him to play a match against him in junior high, not letting the subject drop until he got what he wanted. He wondered what had made Echizen back off.
"That's a rather interesting lineup, Tezuka," Fuji said, peering at the tournament sheet over his shoulder. He hated it when Fuji did that. "Yourself and Echizen in the same block, he will be pleased." Fuji smiled at him then, and Tezuka averted his gaze back to the sheets.
"Yes, I suppose he will." Tezuka wouldn't say it out loud, but the only reason he'd turned down Echizen's request for a match in the first place was because he'd planned this. He wanted to play Echizen in an official match with something at stake, as an incentive to try harder than their best - not that they needed it.
The door burst open and Momoshiro marched in, followed closely by Kikumaru and some other members of the club. It didn't take long for them to notice the four large pieces of paper pinned to the notice board. "Ah, the ranking tournament matches have been posted!" Momoshiro said rather loudly, standing next to Tezuka to look over it.
"They have?" Kikumaru slung an arm around Momoshiro's shoulder and leant forward. "Oh no, I'm in the same group as Inui. How cruel!"
There was laughter from the few who had already arrived, and as the rest of the players entered the clubroom they took their turns in searching for their own names. Some left with their heads bowed, looking rather dismayed, but nearly all sent a sort of enquiring gaze at Tezuka. He supposed that's what he got for putting Echizen in the same group as himself.
Speaking of Echizen, he was late today.
"Well, I'm in the same group as Kaidoh," Momoshiro told Kikumaru as he laced up his trainers. "I'll beat him this time."
Tezuka was sure he heard a hiss of 'you wish' from his left where Kaidoh was tying his bandanna, but he wasn't entirely certain so he dismissed it from his mind. He was pulling the zipper up on his jacket when Echizen walked into the clubroom, Horio in tow.
"I had classroom duty," was as all Echizen offered as an apology before walking straight past the tournament schedule to get dressed in his tennis uniform. Tezuka had to stop himself from rolling his eyes; how very like Echizen to do that.
"Oi, oi," Momoshiro exclaimed, grabbing Echizen's wrist as the first year tried to walk past him. Tezuka couldn't help but feel a jolt of something akin to jealousy wash over him, but it left as quickly as it had come, especially when Fuji chuckled knowingly. "Aren't you going to check the ranking schedule?"
Echizen shrugged, and tugged his wrist out of Momoshiro's grip. "I guess so."
"You guess so?" Momoshiro spluttered, waving his arms indignantly. "You brat, you get to play against the captain."
Echizen froze. He had been undoing the buttons on his school jacket; Tezuka had been watching the way his fingers nimbly pulled them open. Now, though, Echizen was just looking at Tezuka in pure astonishment. Tezuka lifted his gaze to meet Echizen's eyes, and they stared at each other for a moment, then Echizen smirked. "Really."
Tezuka picked up his racket. "Everyone on the courts, and start warming up."
The members of the tennis club that had already changed trickled out of the clubroom, chattering amongst themselves about the lineups. Tezuka had to walk past Echizen to get to the courts himself, and once he was standing almost directly beside him Echizen spoke.
"Let's have a good match, captain."
Tezuka nodded and continued to make his way to the court. He looked over his shoulder once and replied, "I'll be looking forward to it."
---
The ranking tournament approached very quickly, and for the most part the matches panned out how he had imagined. He found himself looking at the board, following Echizen's scores. All sixes and zeros, lined up like some sort of intricate pattern. Echizen was storming through his matches without so much as breaking a sweat. Tezuka had the same sort of results though, and he couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation at the prospect of playing Echizen after so many years. He glanced at the clock by the side of the board, the steady tick, tick, tick counting away the seconds until his match.
"Nervous?" Oishi asked, writing a six and a zero next to Fuji's name. That final score secured Fuji as a regular for the Prefectural matches.
"I don't think he is," Fuji answered for him, smiling widely at Tezuka from where he was leaning on the desk, head resting against his hands. "I think he's excited. Am I right, Tezuka?"
Tezuka kept silent, instead shouldering his bag and turning to head back to the court. To himself - and to Fuji - it was clearly obvious that he was excited about this. It was true that there were many formidable opponents out there, he'd told Echizen as much before, but Echizen was one of those that posed the greatest challenge, one that gave him the most satisfaction when they played.
When he arrived at the court Echizen was already there, sitting on the bench and running his fingers around the rim of a can of ponta. Tezuka joined him, and they sat side by side in silence, never once looking at each other, just waiting for the umpire to call for the start of the match.
They stood together, almost in complete synchronisation, and walked onto the court. Tezuka could hear nothing from the crowd that had gathered, not a single word. All he could hear was the steady beat of his feet hitting the ground.
"Don't hold back," he told Echizen as they parted ways at the net.
Echizen just smirked, and it took him back to all the matches they had played previously. This one was going to be different though. They had both improved vastly over their time apart, and they hadn't seen enough of each other's games to fully understand just how much.
From the moment the ball left his hand for the first serve everything turned into a blur. It may just be a ranking tournament match, but for Tezuka it was something he had been waiting for for a long time. It was unquestionable that they were each going to give this match their all. Serve, smash, volley. Everything had so much power behind it, and more than once Tezuka could feel his hand shaking, though his grip remained sure.
The first game went to him, but not until he pulled out a well timed Zero-Shiki, and that was testament to how far Echizen had come because he had never used it that early in a match before. Echizen returned the sentiment with his powerful twist serve, and Tezuka couldn't remember it ever being that hard to return.
Tezuka's world gradually narrowed, to just Echizen and the court that separated them, to the backhand, slice, and spin of the ball. There was a moment where Echizen looked almost certain to lose a point - he'd been facing the wrong way - but managed to surprise everyone with a cheeky little flick under his legs. Tezuka, though he had lost that point, had found himself smiling just a bit. This was tennis, exhilarating and able to push Tezuka to his limits. It felt like flying and falling all at the same time, and even the slow burn of his muscles wouldn't stop him from pushing harder. He was giving Echizen everything he had in this match. It wasn't difficult for Tezuka to see that Echizen was doing exactly the same.
Tezuka found the Zone in eleventh game - six-five, six-five, six-five, he chanted in his head - and noticed the frustration apparent on Echizen's face. No matter where Echizen hit the ball it always returned to Tezuka. He supposed that was what clinched it in the end, the final point being a shot that just skimmed the frame of Echizen's racket.
They stood still as the umpire announced the final score, trying to catch their breath. Tezuka could feel his hair clinging to his forehead, soaked with sweat, and he slowly approached the net. Echizen was already there, breathing just as heavily as Tezuka was, but wearing a grin that reached his eyes.
"A good match," Tezuka whispered, his voice too hoarse to speak any louder. If he had lost the match he sincerely doubted that he would feel any different. It had been such a match that it was a victory no matter what.
Echizen's reply was drowned out by the applause and cheering from the spectators, who had finally decided to break their silence. Tezuka was entirely satisfied when he walked off the court - tired, but satisfied. A smile from Echizen as they both picked up their tennis bags let him know that the feeling was mutual.
---
After the ranking tournament Tezuka found himself running into Echizen outside of practice more often than not, and he was starting to think that they weren't coincidences. Seeing him at the shop buying cat litter or running into him at the school library was one thing, but when he showed up in the park at exactly the same time as Tezuka… Well, even Tezuka had to admit that perhaps something was going on.
"Captain," Echizen acknowledged, slipping onto the bench next to him. It was a relatively warm day, so Tezuka had taken one of his set-texts from school to read outside - in peace, he had hoped, but apparently that was too much to ask for.
"Echizen." Tezuka placed his bookmark between the pages, and shut the book.
Echizen smirked and lounged back against the bench. "Fancy seeing you here."
Fancy that indeed, Tezuka thought, putting his book back in his bag. He looked over at Echizen at the sound of a can being opened and watched as the younger boy took long sips of ponta. He became entranced for a moment with the way Echizen's throat moved when he swallowed, but managed to look away before Echizen noticed. Tezuka paid his attention to some children playing tennis on the courts opposite him instead.
"We should play another match sometime, captain," Echizen said after a while, seemingly having noticed the children too, and put his can down on the bench between them. Tezuka recognised this. It was almost like junior high all over again, with Echizen dogging his heels for a match, and him declining - over and over. It was kind of nostalgic in a way; however, it wouldn't do to have Echizen focusing solely on him - the Prefecturals were looming, and no tournament was an easy win.
"Concentrate on the opponent in front of you, Echizen," Tezuka told him, just like he had when he'd been his captain before.
Echizen pushed the can until it touched the tips of Tezuka's fingers. "I am," he said, standing up and stretching, and Tezuka tried to ignore the way that his shirt lifted up when he did that. "You can finish that off," he told him before walking away.
Tezuka just watched him leave and shook his head, picking the can up. He took a small sip from it, chastising himself a little because of the thought that had just crossed his mind. They had just shared an indirect kiss. He placed the can in the bin before making his way home for dinner.
---
They didn't stop running into each other. Granted, Echizen didn't always demand a match from Tezuka, but he just seemed to constantly be there. Perhaps Tezuka had just become acutely aware of whenever Echizen was in the general vicinity. It was almost getting ridiculous, because when Echizen wasn't there Tezuka found himself thinking about him; it wouldn't do to get distracted by those thoughts when he was trying to concentrate in class, but it had been happening more often lately.
Today he had intended to eat lunch alone on the roof, as usual, and go over some notes from his classes, so that everything would be more clear when he attempted his homework later. When he reached his usual spot, however, Echizen was already there and nibbling on a sandwich. Before he realised what he was doing it he was sitting down next to Echizen.
"My Mum made too many," Echizen said to him, pushing his bento box closer to Tezuka. "You can eat as much as you want."
Tezuka raised an eyebrow, before glancing down the box beside him. He didn't actually believe Echizen's excuse about his mum making too many sandwiches - there was enough to feed an army in there. Regardless of if that had been the case though he still picked one of them up. "Thank you."
Between them they managed to finish off at least half of the sandwiches made, and Tezuka couldn't remember eating a lunch that had left him this full in a long time. He sighed contentedly, brushing the crumbs from his hands. He turned towards Echizen when the first year started laughing.
"Is something wrong?"
Echizen tapped his cheek with a smirk. "You have something right there."
Tezuka lifted his own hand to rub where Echizen had indicated. When he pulled it away again, however, there was nothing on his hand to indicate that there had been something on his cheek.
"You missed it," Echizen said, picking up a tissue that had been tucked underneath the lid of the bento box, so that it wouldn't fly away in the light breeze. "Here." He leant over and wiped whatever had been on Tezuka's cheek away. Echizen had probably planned this from the start, the sneaky little brat, but he didn't react to it in any way. Tezuka was stronger than that.
"Ah, thank you, Echizen." He offered Echizen a sort of half smile, before picking up the bento box and securing the lid on top of it. "And the food was delicious."
"You're welcome, captain." Tezuka watched as Echizen stuffed the tissue into his pocket and busied himself with putting his box back into his bag. He wondered idly about how much time he seemed to be spending with Echizen lately, but forgot about it when Echizen turned back to him. "Lunch is almost over. I'll see you later."
Tezuka realised as Echizen left that he hadn't done any of the studying that he'd intended to do.
---
The first few rounds of the Tokyo Prefecturals went by without a problem. Seigaku High practically breezed through them, not even needing to break into singles one to progress to the next round. There had been a little 'moment' wherein Echizen had arrived rather late - he'd slept through his alarm - but he'd promised not to do it again; Kikumaru had joked that at least it hadn't been a pregnant woman this time.
It was after their match with Yamabuki high schooljunior high - their final one before moving on to Kantou Regionals - and Tezuka had just stepped off the bus. It had been a good victory, with wins in both doubles as well as their singles matches. He turned to face the rest of the team once they'd all joined him outside the bus, adjusting his tennis bag so that it sat more comfortably on his shoulder.
"Well done, everyone," he said, making sure to raise his voice a little so that it could be heard over the sounds of passing traffic. "That was a good victory, but we can't get complacent with the Kantou Regionals approaching. Training will resume as usual on Monday. Dismissed."
The team split off into small groups after Tezuka finished his parting words, muttering amongst themselves. Echizen, however, stayed behind. Tezuka had been expecting it, and hadn't made a move to return home himself. Random moments like this with Echizen threw off his schedule, but he had warned his mother that he might get home a little later than usual.
"Is anything wrong, Echizen?" Tezuka asked.
Echizen shook his head. "No. Not really." He pointed over his shoulder, in the general direction of a street well known for its food. "My parents are going to be out late, so I was wondering if you wanted to get some ramen with me."
Tezuka wondered where his sanity had disappeared to when he found himself agreeing. "I don't see why not."
"Great," Echizen said, starting off in the direction he'd been pointing. "Don't worry, I won't make you treat your underclassman, captain." Tezuka didn't miss the smirk on Echizen's lips, and found his own tugging upwards into a smile. Echizen was such a brat.
They walked side by side - their shoulders brushing against each other occasionally though neither of them said anything - keeping their eyes open for a decent-looking ramen stand. They passed by plenty of restaurants that looked acceptable, but they were all full to bursting point with people - Tezuka blamed it on the late time of day. They found an acceptable stand around half-way down the street, though it was devoid of people. They had all likely opted for the restaurants rather than the cheaper ramen stands. They settled down onto the seats, placing their tennis bags at their feet, and looked at the menu.
"They probably don't have ponta," Echizen muttered, and Tezuka found himself biting back an amused chuckle.
"I think you could survive with a glass of water, just this once."
Echizen sent him a sort of withering look, as though he was trying to say 'I highly doubt that,' which just amused Tezuka all the more. Echizen didn't look particularly amused, though, and there was a decidedly adorable scowl on his face. It disappeared rather rapidly, however, when their ramen was placed in front of them.
They ate in silence as usual, save for the few sounds of slurping as they both worked through their meals, and at some point Echizen moved closer until their knees bumped together. Tezuka assumed, at first, that it had been an accident, but Echizen didn't move away again, nor acknowledge that they were even touching. Tezuka didn't say anything either; the warmth of Echizen's leg pressed against his own was pleasant.
They stayed like that until everything in their bowls was gone, and even for a short while after when Tezuka asked for two glasses of water so that they could wash the meal down. Echizen didn't complain once that it wasn't ponta, and was even the first one to finish off the drink. When it came time to pay for the meal Echizen turned in his seat to get some money out of his bag, but Tezuka raised a hand to stop him.
"I've got it, Echizen," he said, taking the right amount of yen from his wallet.
"But-"
"It's fine." Tezuka handed the money over to the vendor to halt any further arguments from him. He didn't even know why he was paying for Echizen's meal - this clearly wasn't a date or anything. He just brushed it off as treating his underclassman for a game well played. Which wasn't exactly a lie, winning six-four was an accomplishment against a player like Sengoku.
Echizen seemed to resign himself after that. "Thank you, captain," he murmured.
Whilst they'd been sitting at the stand it had got quite dark, and Tezuka didn't feel entirely comfortable letting Echizen wander the streets on his own. Echizen wasn't helpless by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't exactly safe to let him walk home on his own. "I'll walk you home," Tezuka told him, picking up his tennis bag.
"It's okay, captain. I don't live far from here," Echizen replied, flashing an easy grin at him. "I'll send you a message to let you know I got home safely, I promise."
Tezuka didn't like the idea, but didn't want to press it any further. He was probably just worrying too much, and the promise of a message made it easier to agree. "All right then, Echizen."
They said their good-byes then, heading off in opposite directions, and Tezuka kept glancing over his shoulder until Echizen was out of sight. For the entirety of his journey home Tezuka's mind was plagued with a multitude of bizarre 'what if' scenarios - they ranged from 'what if Echizen got attacked by a stray dog?' to 'what if the Yakuza kidnapped Echizen?' It was stupid of him, he knew that, but Tezuka wouldn't feel comfortable again until he heard the message-tone sound from his phone.
He still hadn't received anything by the time he reached his home, and he thought about phoning Echizen once he'd stepped inside. Tezuka decided against it before he even toed his shoes off, once Echizen got home himself he would let him know. There was no logical need for Tezuka to panic.
"Kunimitsu," his mother called, walking out of the kitchen to greet him. "How did your matches go?"
Tezuka hung his jacket up on the coat rack, before placing a kiss on his mother's cheek. "We won and made the Kantou Regionals," he said. "I had dinner with one of my team-mates, so I'm going to go do my homework."
His mother smiled. "Don't work yourself too hard, okay? And have a bath to relax yourself, there should still be enough warm water left."
"Thank you," Tezuka said and then made his way up the stairs and to his room. He'd barely even sat down on his bed when his phone vibrated, the message-tone he'd been waiting for joining it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.
「1 Message Received.
From: Echizen.
You worry too much, captain.」
Tezuka couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips, and flopped back on his bed.
---
The third years settled into a routine after the Prefectural Tournament: training and studying, training and studying, training and studying. Tezuka was glad that he had decided not to run for student president, it would have almost doubled his work load. He was actually surprised at how well Atobe managed to do it on his own; it was nothing short of amazing really - though Echizen had commented over lunch one day that Atobe probably hired people to do the paperwork for him.
Lunchtime with Echizen had become a regular occurrence. It was a non-verbal sort of arrangement; they'd never organised who brought lunch on what days nor that they would meet on the same roof everyday. And yet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Echizen would come to school with a bento made for two, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays Tezuka would. No one said anything about where they disappeared to during the lunch hour, nor mentioned to them that they were carrying too much food for just themselves. Tezuka preferred it that way.
Tezuka found that conversing with Echizen was actually quite pleasant. They talked about inane little things like the weather and the latest film starring Bruce Willis. They didn't always see eye to eye on a lot of things - for example, Echizen thought that fishing was boring - but Tezuka assumed that most people didn't when it came to Echizen. Which was not a sly jibe about his height in any way, though Tezuka had caught himself teasing Echizen about it more than once.
"Hey, captain?" Echizen leant over and used his chopsticks to swipe a piece of grilled fish from Tezuka's side of the bento. Tezuka was used to this behaviour by now, and returned the favour by stealing some of Echizen's rice.
"Hm?"
"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Echizen asked, popping the fish he'd filched into his mouth.
Tezuka had to think for a moment. It was a Saturday and there was no school, so he was free to do whatever he wanted technically. "I need to do some studying," he answered eventually, noticing the flash of disappointment on Echizen's face almost immediately.
"I see," Echizen replied. "Never mind then."
Though he had done nothing wrong, it hadn't been a guarantee that Tezuka would be free for whatever grand plan Echizen had, he suddenly felt guilty. They sat in silence for a while, just eating their lunch, before Tezuka broke it by saying, "I'm not doing anything on Sunday."
Tezuka was sure he fancied a smile on Echizen's face, but he could have been mistaken. "We should go see a film," Echizen said, and it was probably the last thing that Tezuka had been expecting him to say.
He found himself answering before his brain could quite comprehend what was happening. "We should."
---
"Tezuka," Fuji said, inquisitively, as they packed up their tennis gear after training. The other regulars had long since left - having more important things to do than wait for their captain to lock up the clubroom. Fuji, for whatever reason, had lingered. When Tezuka turned to face him, neatly folding up a pair of shorts, Fuji continued. "Would you like to come over on Sunday so we can study together?"
Tezuka shook his head, carefully placing his shorts into his bag and pulling the zipper shut. "I already have plans, sorry."
When he turned his gaze to Fuji once more he was met with one of his eerily all-knowing smiles. It was as though Fuji had already known that he'd be busy. It made him wonder exactly who the data collector around here actually was. "With Echizen," Fuji told him, putting his coat on.
"With Echizen," Tezuka confirmed, seeing no reason to hide it. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, before grabbing the clubroom keys from the bench. Tezuka inclined his head towards the door. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah." Fuji picked up his own bag and they both made their way outside slowly. "So, are you two going anywhere nice?" He teased lightly.
"Just to see a film." Tezuka shut the door behind them, slipping the key into the lock, attempting to put an end to the conversation. Fuji, however, was far more persistent than that.
"That sounds wonderful," Fuji replied. "I hope that you enjoy your date."
Tezuka turned around slowly, trying to keep the look on his face as impassive as possible - though it was a rather difficult task. He couldn't even begin to imagine where Fuji had got that idea from. "It's not a date, Fuji."
"It's not?" Fuji sounded mildly surprised, and when he opened his eyes they glinted with mischief. "Then what have you been doing with Echizen for the last few weeks?"
It took all of Tezuka's remaining willpower not to splutter indignantly. Sure, he had been spending more time with Echizen recently - most of his time - but that didn't mean that they had been dating. Not in the least.
He thought back as quickly as he could, trying almost desperately to remember what they'd done. They'd had dinner together a lot, and shared lunches - in Tezuka's case he'd even made them. Then for the last two weeks they'd been walking home together. But that didn't mean anything. Except for the fact that Fuji thought that it really did.
As they neared the main gate of the school Tezuka noticed a familiar mop of dark hair. Echizen was leaning against the pillar, waiting for him. Tezuka couldn't keep a smile from slipping onto his face.
"I thought so," Fuji said, softly. "I'll see you on Monday, Tezuka."
Tezuka's thoughts felt a complete and utter mess as he tried to make heads or tails of what Fuji had brought to his attention. Then Echizen smiled at him and it didn't seem to matter any more.
---
Tezuka considered the Seigaku public library a sort of haven, and he would spend the better part of his weekends there studying. He'd been trying to do so today, as he had planned, but found his thoughts drifting back to what Fuji had said almost constantly. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He wouldn't stay too late tonight; he was already starting to feel his eyes burn from staring at the pages for so long. He'd not exactly had the best night’s sleep, either, which didn't help in the least.
He returned to his reading, though it didn't last long as the sound of something being placed on the desk disturbed him.
Tezuka looked up from his book, surprised to see Echizen standing there with a sort of self-satisfied smirk on his face. He didn't care to entertain thoughts about how Echizen knew that he would be here. He glanced back down at the table and the polystyrene cup that Echizen had set down in front of him. "This is a library, Echizen," he told him, sternly. He didn't even need to add anything on about the rules, Echizen could probably tell from the disapproving tone he'd adopted.
"You need to take a break sometimes, captain." Echizen sat down opposite him and pulled a notepad and book from his own bag. "Don't get careless, right?"
That wasn’t even worth dignifying with a response, so Tezuka turned back to his book and continued to read. They sat in amicable silence, only the sound of Echizen's pen scrawling across paper breaking it. It wasn't as distracting as Tezuka had originally thought it would be; in fact, it was oddly comforting.
As was the aroma and the bitter taste of coffee on the tip of his tongue.
Whilst his thoughts had drifted when Echizen hadn't been here, he found himself able to concentrate when Echizen was here. As strange as that was it was true, and when he looked at the page number he found that he'd accomplished more in the short time Echizen had been here than in the entire time he'd been alone. The coffee had helped to wake him up a little too, though he supposed that it was about time for him to head home. His mum was expecting him back a bit earlier today, and he'd offered to help her out with the dinner.
"Thank you for the coffee, Echizen," Tezuka said, picking the book up and returning it to the shelf.
Echizen stopped writing on his notepad and looked up at him. "You're going home?"
Tezuka nodded, and put the empty coffee cup into his bag. Though Echizen had managed to smuggle it past the librarian Tezuka doubted that he would be as lucky. He'd throw it out once he got outside. "I am."
"Captain... would you like to come over for dinner?" Echizen looked a little nervous when asking, but Tezuka knew that he couldn't accept the invitation. Both because he had plans and it was kind of sudden.
"I can't. I'm sorry, Echizen," he said, lifting his bag onto his shoulder. "But I will see you tomorrow."
Echizen nodded, and turned back to his work, swinging his legs back and forth. "See you tomorrow, captain."
Tezuka smiled as he left. He was looking forward to it.
---
Tezuka had been standing outside of the cinema since quarter to eleven. It was decidedly chilly out and he was shivering, despite being wrapped up in a thick coat and scarf. He lifted his wrist so that he could look at his watch - it was now ten past. Echizen had phoned him the night before to remind him that they were meeting at eleven - it had been a pretty long conversation, and they'd diverged from the point to talk about a tennis match that had been on the television.
He sighed and wondered idly if Echizen had slept in. It was the most likely situation, seeing as Echizen had a bit of a problem with waking up early. Tezuka had found himself phoning Echizen before matches on more than one occasion, just to make sure that he wouldn't be late.
"Captain!"
Tezuka looked up instantly and saw Echizen running towards him, weaving in between the crowds. When he stopped next to Tezuka he was panting and his cheeks were flushed. Knowing Echizen, he'd probably run all the way from his house.
"Sorry I'm late," Echizen said, his voice sounding hoarse. "I slept through my alarm."
This wasn't surprising to Tezuka in the least - he'd predicted it, after all. He opened his bag and pulled out a bottle of water: he never bought anything at the cinema, the prices were far too extortionate - handing it to Echizen. "Here."
Echizen took it from him. "Thanks," he said, before unscrewing the lid and proceeding to gulp it down. Tezuka remembered lectures from his mum when he was younger about how drinking water too fast could give you an upset stomach. He didn't particularly want that to happen to Echizen.
"Slowly, Echizen," Tezuka chastised, and was glad when Echizen heeded his words and took sips instead. He placed his hand at the small of Echizen's back, trying to ignore the way his body heat radiated from him, and guided him gently in the direction of the ticket booth. They needed to get tickets to see a film and go inside: it was too cold to stand around out here.
They didn't deliberate over a film for long, the wind was starting to pick up enough that it stung their cheeks and even when they stood closer it was still cold. Echizen pointed at some random title - the kind of one that sounded like a typical generic action film - and they purchased their tickets. Tezuka didn't care much if it wasn't the type of film that he'd usually go to see, he would watch it if it was with Echizen.
"Do you want some popcorn?" Echizen asked as they walked inside.
Tezuka tapped the top of his bag. "I brought some for both of us."
Echizen laughed and put his wallet back into his pocket. Tezuka loved Echizen's laugh - it was a rare thing and like a gift to hear. "You think of everything, don't you, captain?" He smiled and Tezuka forgot what he'd been thinking about.
They bypassed everyone waiting in the queues for confectionary and headed straight for their screen. It guaranteed them seats together in any case - they'd gone to the cinema as a team once, and had been scattered everywhere because they'd turned up late. Tezuka remembered how Eiji had flicked popcorn at the back of Oishi's head for attention.
Tezuka didn't know where to sit once they got there, it wasn't as though there was the perfect seat to see the screen from. All he knew was that he didn't want to sit right at the front, where he'd have to crane his neck to see properly. That would be painful. Echizen took the decision from him, wrapping a hand around his wrist and tugging him into the empty back row. It was as good a place as any, and he could see just fine from here.
They settled down in the seats at the middle of the row. Tezuka placed his bag on his lap and opened it, pulling out a still slightly chilled can of grape ponta and passing it to Echizen. Echizen took it from him and muttered a quick thank you, before depositing it into the cup holder on the arm rest.
More silence followed after that, and continued until the lights dimmed and the film began. As Tezuka had suspected from the title, it was the usual generic action flick, and in the first five minutes there had already been a gratuitous shoot-out and a multitude of special effects. He'd been stealing glances at Echizen, admiring the way the flashes from the screen lit up his face and made his eyes shine.
The film didn't interest him much at all, though he did try to follow the basic plot. Some secret agent was on a mission; there were gadgets, fast cars, things blowing up - oh, and the token beautiful girl that was starting to fall in love with him. Same old, same old, really. He realised that he should have been paying a little more attention to the screen, rather than the fact that Echizen had just placed his hand on the arm rest between them - yet sure enough his gaze kept finding its way there. After a while, once a few more cars had crashed or been blown up, Tezuka found himself placing his hand on top of Echizen's and lacing their fingers together. Echizen didn't seem to mind this in the least.
He ran his thumb over the skin gently, marvelling at how smooth Echizen's hands were and how warm they felt. Echizen, judging from the slight hitch in his breath, hadn't expected this move.
"Captain," Echizen said in a hushed voice. Tezuka looked down at him but didn't stop brushing his thumb over Echizen's hand. "Is the film boring you?"
"No, Echizen, it's not," Tezuka replied, his voice as low as Echizen's had been. He didn't want to disturb the other cinema-goers after all.
They both turned their attention back to the film after that, and Tezuka couldn't stop thinking about how perfectly things were turning out. Perhaps he should thank Fuji after all.
---
Tezuka had spoken too soon.
Monday came and went without any contact at all with Echizen - the first year had skipped their usual lunch, leaving Tezuka to mooch food off Fuji instead - and it had him worrying for the whole day. Echizen had even gone back to wearing his hat for tennis training, mostly so that he could use it to avoid eye contact with Tezuka. He'd had to suppress the urge to order him to run laps, because with no viable reason other than 'you're avoiding me' he couldn't do it. Tezuka couldn't even think of a simple reason as to why Echizen would be avoiding him, either: they'd only held hands in the cinema. There was no logical explanation for Echizen to have backed off so suddenly. Unless Fuji had been completely wrong. Tezuka didn't even want to think of that possibility.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday went much in the same way. It both hurt and had Tezuka in an unreasonably bad mood. People had begun to notice, too. Eiji had quieted down a little and occasionally exchanged worried glances with Oishi, and Momoshiro and Kaidoh hadn't fought since the beginning of the week. Tezuka was completely on-edge, and if one little thing happened to go wrong he knew that he'd most likely snap. His impassive, responsible, captain mode only worked when he didn't feel like strangling the person nearest him.
When Friday looked to be the same as the rest of the week Tezuka knew that he couldn't let it continue. He was, technically, avoiding Echizen as much as Echizen was avoiding him. It was stupid. One of them had to make the first move, and for once Echizen didn't seem bold enough to do it himself. So it was up to Tezuka to take the initiative.
He decided that training after school was the best option that he had, and he approached Echizen whilst the first years were cleaning up the court. A few of them darted out of his way, likely afraid to incur the wrath of their captain whilst he was still in his bad mood. "Echizen," he said, sounding as commanding as he could. "I'd like a word - follow me."
"Yes, captain," Echizen mumbled, dropping some tennis balls into the basket and following Tezuka off of the court. Tezuka could feel his heart thudding so loudly against his chest that it was echoing in his ears. The sun had begun to set, casting the sky in an orange glow, and the whole situation was so familiar to Tezuka that it was making him slightly uncomfortable.
They stopped away from earshot of the courts so that no one could overhear them. Tezuka placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tennis ball. He ran his thumb over it once and chucked it at Echizen, hardly fast enough that it would be totally unexpected. He ignored the shocked look on Echizen's face and the way that he fumbled the ball. "We're going to have a match tomorrow, at the Haruno University courts. Three pm. Come alone - I'll be waiting."
He turned and walked away then, leaving Echizen alone with just his thoughts. This would all be resolved tomorrow. For better… or for worse.
---
Tezuka found himself at the courts earlier than he had planned, and he sat on a bench at the side of the courts, cradling a can of grape ponta in his hands. He didn't even know if Echizen was going to turn up or not. He flicked the pull tab of the can. Twang, twang, twang. The sound practically echoed across the empty court.
Twang, twang, twang. Thump.
Wait, thump? That wasn't right. He looked up there was Echizen, kneeling down beside his tennis bag and pulling out his trademark red racket. He was still wearing his hat, he noticed, as though it was a barrier to try and prevent Tezuka from looking at him. Tezuka breathed deeply and put the can down on the bench. He retrieved his own racket, which he had left leaning against the fence. Neither of them said anything. They didn't even decide on who would take the first serve, but as they approached their respective baselines Tezuka noticed that Echizen already had a ball in his hand.
When they started to play Tezuka instantly knew something was not right. The power in Echizen's serve was off - he was dropping his arm too soon, and Tezuka wanted so badly to tell him. He botched his returns, and even missed some easy shots. He kept his head low and the whole thing lacked the passion that their match during the ranking tournament had had. Tezuka could feel the confusion from Echizen in every single one of his returns, and Tezuka tried his best to answer them with every shot he took.
Echizen just wasn't trying, and that probably hurt more than all the days that Echizen had avoided him put together.
"What are you doing, Echizen?" Tezuka shouted as he served for the final game. It was fierce and powerful, and shook Echizen's racket when he tried to return it. "Why aren't you trying?"
The final point came via a shot that landed in the upper right corner. The match ended in a complete whitewash. Six games to love. He'd never, ever won a match against Echizen with that score, not even in the first match they'd ever played. His stomach lurched and he felt slightly sick, but mostly disappointed.
Approaching the net felt like they were both walking to their impending doom. Echizen looked nervous and twelve again, Tezuka thought, standing on the other side of the net like that - small, and almost vulnerable. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, and keeping his gaze anywhere but on Tezuka himself. After what he'd just done, Tezuka wasn't going to settle for that. Not at all.
"Echizen," he prompted, gently. Echizen just continued to look down. They weren't going to get anywhere at all if Echizen wouldn't even look at him.
"Echizen," Tezuka tried again. He wasn't about to give up, especially when Echizen was just acting like a stubborn brat.
There was only one thing left, he supposed, as he grabbed the top of the net and leant forward, taking Echizen's hat off his head. He couldn't hide anymore. "Ryoma."
Echizen's head snapped upwards so quickly that it bashed into Tezuka's forehead, leaving them both cringing and rubbing at the offended spots. The hand that Tezuka had on the net tightened until his knuckles turned white. All he could think was ouch, that had hurt, dammit. Though despite that he still didn't miss what Echizen said.
"I'm so sorry," Echizen whispered, sounding so young that it almost made Tezuka feel guilty. He couldn't even think at that very moment what Echizen was even sorry about - the match or avoiding him - but it didn't matter after what he did next.
His hand grabbed the front of Tezuka's shirt loosely and he pushed himself up on his tiptoes, closing the small gap between them and mashing their lips together. It wasn't perfect by any means - it was clumsy and awkward, their noses had bumped together which kind of hurt, and Tezuka's lips stung where Echizen's teeth had knocked into them. Echizen pulled away almost as quickly as he'd initiated the kiss, looking at Tezuka as if to gauge his reaction. There was a slight rosy hue on his face, as though he was just a little embarrassed.
Echizen's hand was still grasping at his shirt when Tezuka lifted one of his own to guide his face back up. With Tezuka taking the lead this time, he could angle the kiss so that there would be no bumping of noses, or teeth against lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, almost like a promise that this was just the beginning and, if Echizen wanted, there would be more - much more. But for now, this was just fine.
Tezuka pulled away a moment later and slowly released Echizen's chin. He let a sort of amused smile tug at the corners of his lips, and said, "You still have lots more to work on."
All of Tezuka's worries from the last few days melted away when Echizen smiled back and laughed. Disaster of a tennis match and first kiss or not, right now Tezuka felt ridiculously happy.
"Come over for dinner, captain," Echizen said as they walked back to their bags. "We can practice."
This time Tezuka did not decline the offer, he could think of nothing else that he would rather do at this particular moment in time. Studying could wait for another day. "Okay, Echizen."
They packed their rackets away in silence, though Tezuka noticed Echizen stealing a few glances at him while they did. Fuji had been right after all. Perhaps Echizen had just been overwhelmed and confused, and needed to figure out what he wanted for himself. But now he was certainly glad that he had taken the initiative. He stood up and waited for Echizen to do the same, so that he could lead the way to his house.
Just as they were about to leave the courts, Echizen spoke. "Oh, and captain?"
Tezuka looked at Echizen curiously. "Hm?"
"Don't leave that can there. Throw it away if you're finished with it." Echizen smirked like the cheeky little brat that he was, and Tezuka couldn't help but laugh.
Things were going to get very interesting from now on, he thought, as he picked up the can to put it in the bin.
And that was enough food for thought.
Recipient's name: kai882
Rating: PG
Pairing: Tezuka/Ryoma
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Warnings: None. Except for complete fluffy goodness.
Author's notes: Thank you so much to M for the last minute beta, I really
appreciate it. I hope that you enjoy this, kai882 :D
The start of Tezuka's final year of high school saw him as tennis club captain once more. There was something about it that he had missed terribly, though he would deny vehemently that that something was the power to order laps - as Fuji had joked at the announcement at the end of their second year.
He traced his fingers over the material of his jacket, and they lingered above the bold lettering of 'Seigaku' on the left breast. It was going to be a great year for Seigaku's tennis, he could just feel it. They had some strong players lined up from last year, and there was still the potential talent of the first years to weigh up once training got underway. He eventually pulled the zip down so that he could slip the jacket on, feeling oddly at home once he had done so.
There was no chance that this year would come anywhere near the unprecedented success of his year of captaincy during junior high, but there was that lingering feeling at the back of his mind that told him that reaching the Nationals again wasn't just a dream. Doubles wasn't as weak a spot as it had been previously - Inui, Kaidoh, and Momoshiro had been practising their combinations diligently since last year. Yes, this year was going to be great.
The walk to the clubroom seemed endless, as though it had more than doubled in length since his first year, and Tezuka caught himself quickening his pace more than once. He blamed it entirely on the anticipation of standing before the team once more, in the position to guide the team to victory in the rapidly approaching tournaments.
Tezuka stopped outside the clubroom and took a deep breath, readying himself to open that door to a brand new season. The nostalgic sound of excited chatter was like music to his ears, but he made sure that the remnants of that little smile was not on his face. He would be every bit the professional captain, not smiling stupidly over his team talking. He pulled the handle down and pushed open the door, immediately greeted with a blast of warmth from inside the building - a stark contrast to the lingering chill of outdoors.
The chatter continued.
"You didn't even tell us you were coming here!" Tezuka heard Kikumaru all but shout over the rest of the conversations. He could see the shock of red hair from where he stood in the doorway, but the crowd around him obscured his view of who Kikumaru was actually talking to. Tezuka assumed an old friend from junior high.
"Yeah, you sly little thing. You could have said." Momoshiro spoke that time, and Tezuka found himself increasingly curious as to who was there - Kikumaru and Momoshiro didn't have many mutual friends outside of the tennis club, especially not ones who would warrant this level of attention.
Tezuka noticed Oishi moving from beside Kikumaru, a worried look on his face. "Eiji," he admonished. "You should let him go, he probably can't breathe."
There was a slight commotion after that, as Kikumaru relinquished his hold. As interesting as it was to continue watching the display they did have training to begin. He opened his mouth to say something, but Fuji beat him to it.
"Oh, look. Our captain is here." Tezuka suspected that Fuji had known he was there all along, but had opted to stay silent about it for whatever reason - he had a smile on his face that hinted that that was the case. Fuji noticed a lot more than he was given credit for.
All eyes were on him, he realised, and it was easy enough to slip into his 'captain mode' because of it. "What is going on here? I want everyone ready in five minutes, and running ten laps around the courts."
The crowd dispersed pretty rapidly after that, not wanting to incur the wrath of their captain further, and left just a few familiar faces standing around their 'mystery person.' Though whoever Tezuka had been expecting it certainly hadn't been the person he was facing now.
"Captain," Echizen said, in that breathy voice that always managed to sound so incredibly intimate to him.
Perhaps that was what he had missed most.
---
It didn't take long for Tezuka to get used to the fact that Echizen had changed.
It was stupid to have thought that he'd have remained exactly as Tezuka remembered from junior high, puberty happened after all, but he hadn't really thought about it beyond Echizen getting a little taller. In fact every time he had thought about Echizen it had all boiled down to that cocky smirk, sure eyes, and the way he said 'captain' in that sinfully alluring tone - and also the subsequent guilt he suffered once he realised exactly what he'd been imagining.
The physical differences were simple enough to notice. Echizen was taller, in fact he was almost as tall as Fuji now. Inui had remarked how drinking all that milk had paid off whilst scribbling something in his notebook. Tezuka hadn't missed the sour look that had crossed Echizen's face. Echizen had even let his hair grow, it brushed the base of his neck in back, and the front was quite a bit longer too. It suited him, Tezuka thought. He'd also noticed that Echizen had stopped wearing his Fila hat as much as he used to, in fact he couldn't seem to recall a recent training session where he had been wearing it. It unsettled him a little, because for Tezuka it was one of the more abrupt changes, though Momoshiro had said that it had been a gradual thing.
Physical differences weren’t the only thing, though; his tennis had changed too. It took only one session of training to see the increase of power in his serves, and the heightened speed and accuracy on his returns. Tezuka often caught himself staring at the graceful arc of Echizen's back as he tossed the ball to hit a perfected twist serve, and at the lines of his legs as he dashed around court effortlessly to return every damn shot. Most people would have thought it impossible for Echizen to have improved that much, but he had. Tezuka couldn't help but feel proud of him.
Despite all the changes, however, one thing remained exactly the same: Echizen still drank grape ponta like an addict.
He watched as Echizen sat on a bench one lunch time, sipping away at his beverage of choice, surrounded by first years that Tezuka remembered only vaguely. Tezuka didn't let his thoughts linger on the number of additives in that drink, nor thoughts of how water would be a much more suitable choice - a healthier choice. He intended, of course, to just walk straight past the group, but Echizen seemed to have other plans.
"Captain," Echizen called, and suddenly he was right next to Tezuka, taking longer strides so that he wouldn't fall behind - even if he had grown he was still a lot shorter than Tezuka. Tezuka slowed his pace so that Echizen could keep up. Echizen seemed at a loss for words after that, as though he hadn't actually had a reason for stopping him. Tezuka thought that that was a little strange, as Echizen usually had reasons for his actions. "Play a match with me," he blurted out eventually.
Tezuka shook his head, he really should have been expecting that. "Soon, Echizen," he said, sparing a glance over his shoulder to look at the group of people Echizen had left behind. Sitting on the edge of the bench was the can of ponta that Echizen had been drinking from, though Tezuka assumed that it was empty now. "Don't leave that can there. Throw it away if you're finished with it."
Echizen opened his mouth, as though he was going to say something snarky in response, but seemed to think better of it. Instead his lips turned down into a frown, and he stalked off back to his friends. When Tezuka looked over his shoulder again the can was gone.
Perhaps Echizen hadn't changed that much after all.
---
After a few weeks’ worth of training, the timetable for the ranking tournament was posted. Tezuka pressed the final pin into the corner of the sheet, taking a step back to observe it. He'd made sure to carefully select members of the team and pit them against those who would test their skill to the full, so that Seigaku would end up with the strongest team possible. It was his role as captain to help create and maintain a group of regular players that could lead them to victory.
During the weeks that Tezuka had taken to prepare the schedule Echizen hadn't asked him for a match. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen the first year; in fact, they seemed to be bumping into each other quite a lot outside of practice. He remembered Echizen's brattish determination to get him to play a match against him in junior high, not letting the subject drop until he got what he wanted. He wondered what had made Echizen back off.
"That's a rather interesting lineup, Tezuka," Fuji said, peering at the tournament sheet over his shoulder. He hated it when Fuji did that. "Yourself and Echizen in the same block, he will be pleased." Fuji smiled at him then, and Tezuka averted his gaze back to the sheets.
"Yes, I suppose he will." Tezuka wouldn't say it out loud, but the only reason he'd turned down Echizen's request for a match in the first place was because he'd planned this. He wanted to play Echizen in an official match with something at stake, as an incentive to try harder than their best - not that they needed it.
The door burst open and Momoshiro marched in, followed closely by Kikumaru and some other members of the club. It didn't take long for them to notice the four large pieces of paper pinned to the notice board. "Ah, the ranking tournament matches have been posted!" Momoshiro said rather loudly, standing next to Tezuka to look over it.
"They have?" Kikumaru slung an arm around Momoshiro's shoulder and leant forward. "Oh no, I'm in the same group as Inui. How cruel!"
There was laughter from the few who had already arrived, and as the rest of the players entered the clubroom they took their turns in searching for their own names. Some left with their heads bowed, looking rather dismayed, but nearly all sent a sort of enquiring gaze at Tezuka. He supposed that's what he got for putting Echizen in the same group as himself.
Speaking of Echizen, he was late today.
"Well, I'm in the same group as Kaidoh," Momoshiro told Kikumaru as he laced up his trainers. "I'll beat him this time."
Tezuka was sure he heard a hiss of 'you wish' from his left where Kaidoh was tying his bandanna, but he wasn't entirely certain so he dismissed it from his mind. He was pulling the zipper up on his jacket when Echizen walked into the clubroom, Horio in tow.
"I had classroom duty," was as all Echizen offered as an apology before walking straight past the tournament schedule to get dressed in his tennis uniform. Tezuka had to stop himself from rolling his eyes; how very like Echizen to do that.
"Oi, oi," Momoshiro exclaimed, grabbing Echizen's wrist as the first year tried to walk past him. Tezuka couldn't help but feel a jolt of something akin to jealousy wash over him, but it left as quickly as it had come, especially when Fuji chuckled knowingly. "Aren't you going to check the ranking schedule?"
Echizen shrugged, and tugged his wrist out of Momoshiro's grip. "I guess so."
"You guess so?" Momoshiro spluttered, waving his arms indignantly. "You brat, you get to play against the captain."
Echizen froze. He had been undoing the buttons on his school jacket; Tezuka had been watching the way his fingers nimbly pulled them open. Now, though, Echizen was just looking at Tezuka in pure astonishment. Tezuka lifted his gaze to meet Echizen's eyes, and they stared at each other for a moment, then Echizen smirked. "Really."
Tezuka picked up his racket. "Everyone on the courts, and start warming up."
The members of the tennis club that had already changed trickled out of the clubroom, chattering amongst themselves about the lineups. Tezuka had to walk past Echizen to get to the courts himself, and once he was standing almost directly beside him Echizen spoke.
"Let's have a good match, captain."
Tezuka nodded and continued to make his way to the court. He looked over his shoulder once and replied, "I'll be looking forward to it."
---
The ranking tournament approached very quickly, and for the most part the matches panned out how he had imagined. He found himself looking at the board, following Echizen's scores. All sixes and zeros, lined up like some sort of intricate pattern. Echizen was storming through his matches without so much as breaking a sweat. Tezuka had the same sort of results though, and he couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation at the prospect of playing Echizen after so many years. He glanced at the clock by the side of the board, the steady tick, tick, tick counting away the seconds until his match.
"Nervous?" Oishi asked, writing a six and a zero next to Fuji's name. That final score secured Fuji as a regular for the Prefectural matches.
"I don't think he is," Fuji answered for him, smiling widely at Tezuka from where he was leaning on the desk, head resting against his hands. "I think he's excited. Am I right, Tezuka?"
Tezuka kept silent, instead shouldering his bag and turning to head back to the court. To himself - and to Fuji - it was clearly obvious that he was excited about this. It was true that there were many formidable opponents out there, he'd told Echizen as much before, but Echizen was one of those that posed the greatest challenge, one that gave him the most satisfaction when they played.
When he arrived at the court Echizen was already there, sitting on the bench and running his fingers around the rim of a can of ponta. Tezuka joined him, and they sat side by side in silence, never once looking at each other, just waiting for the umpire to call for the start of the match.
They stood together, almost in complete synchronisation, and walked onto the court. Tezuka could hear nothing from the crowd that had gathered, not a single word. All he could hear was the steady beat of his feet hitting the ground.
"Don't hold back," he told Echizen as they parted ways at the net.
Echizen just smirked, and it took him back to all the matches they had played previously. This one was going to be different though. They had both improved vastly over their time apart, and they hadn't seen enough of each other's games to fully understand just how much.
From the moment the ball left his hand for the first serve everything turned into a blur. It may just be a ranking tournament match, but for Tezuka it was something he had been waiting for for a long time. It was unquestionable that they were each going to give this match their all. Serve, smash, volley. Everything had so much power behind it, and more than once Tezuka could feel his hand shaking, though his grip remained sure.
The first game went to him, but not until he pulled out a well timed Zero-Shiki, and that was testament to how far Echizen had come because he had never used it that early in a match before. Echizen returned the sentiment with his powerful twist serve, and Tezuka couldn't remember it ever being that hard to return.
Tezuka's world gradually narrowed, to just Echizen and the court that separated them, to the backhand, slice, and spin of the ball. There was a moment where Echizen looked almost certain to lose a point - he'd been facing the wrong way - but managed to surprise everyone with a cheeky little flick under his legs. Tezuka, though he had lost that point, had found himself smiling just a bit. This was tennis, exhilarating and able to push Tezuka to his limits. It felt like flying and falling all at the same time, and even the slow burn of his muscles wouldn't stop him from pushing harder. He was giving Echizen everything he had in this match. It wasn't difficult for Tezuka to see that Echizen was doing exactly the same.
Tezuka found the Zone in eleventh game - six-five, six-five, six-five, he chanted in his head - and noticed the frustration apparent on Echizen's face. No matter where Echizen hit the ball it always returned to Tezuka. He supposed that was what clinched it in the end, the final point being a shot that just skimmed the frame of Echizen's racket.
They stood still as the umpire announced the final score, trying to catch their breath. Tezuka could feel his hair clinging to his forehead, soaked with sweat, and he slowly approached the net. Echizen was already there, breathing just as heavily as Tezuka was, but wearing a grin that reached his eyes.
"A good match," Tezuka whispered, his voice too hoarse to speak any louder. If he had lost the match he sincerely doubted that he would feel any different. It had been such a match that it was a victory no matter what.
Echizen's reply was drowned out by the applause and cheering from the spectators, who had finally decided to break their silence. Tezuka was entirely satisfied when he walked off the court - tired, but satisfied. A smile from Echizen as they both picked up their tennis bags let him know that the feeling was mutual.
---
After the ranking tournament Tezuka found himself running into Echizen outside of practice more often than not, and he was starting to think that they weren't coincidences. Seeing him at the shop buying cat litter or running into him at the school library was one thing, but when he showed up in the park at exactly the same time as Tezuka… Well, even Tezuka had to admit that perhaps something was going on.
"Captain," Echizen acknowledged, slipping onto the bench next to him. It was a relatively warm day, so Tezuka had taken one of his set-texts from school to read outside - in peace, he had hoped, but apparently that was too much to ask for.
"Echizen." Tezuka placed his bookmark between the pages, and shut the book.
Echizen smirked and lounged back against the bench. "Fancy seeing you here."
Fancy that indeed, Tezuka thought, putting his book back in his bag. He looked over at Echizen at the sound of a can being opened and watched as the younger boy took long sips of ponta. He became entranced for a moment with the way Echizen's throat moved when he swallowed, but managed to look away before Echizen noticed. Tezuka paid his attention to some children playing tennis on the courts opposite him instead.
"We should play another match sometime, captain," Echizen said after a while, seemingly having noticed the children too, and put his can down on the bench between them. Tezuka recognised this. It was almost like junior high all over again, with Echizen dogging his heels for a match, and him declining - over and over. It was kind of nostalgic in a way; however, it wouldn't do to have Echizen focusing solely on him - the Prefecturals were looming, and no tournament was an easy win.
"Concentrate on the opponent in front of you, Echizen," Tezuka told him, just like he had when he'd been his captain before.
Echizen pushed the can until it touched the tips of Tezuka's fingers. "I am," he said, standing up and stretching, and Tezuka tried to ignore the way that his shirt lifted up when he did that. "You can finish that off," he told him before walking away.
Tezuka just watched him leave and shook his head, picking the can up. He took a small sip from it, chastising himself a little because of the thought that had just crossed his mind. They had just shared an indirect kiss. He placed the can in the bin before making his way home for dinner.
---
They didn't stop running into each other. Granted, Echizen didn't always demand a match from Tezuka, but he just seemed to constantly be there. Perhaps Tezuka had just become acutely aware of whenever Echizen was in the general vicinity. It was almost getting ridiculous, because when Echizen wasn't there Tezuka found himself thinking about him; it wouldn't do to get distracted by those thoughts when he was trying to concentrate in class, but it had been happening more often lately.
Today he had intended to eat lunch alone on the roof, as usual, and go over some notes from his classes, so that everything would be more clear when he attempted his homework later. When he reached his usual spot, however, Echizen was already there and nibbling on a sandwich. Before he realised what he was doing it he was sitting down next to Echizen.
"My Mum made too many," Echizen said to him, pushing his bento box closer to Tezuka. "You can eat as much as you want."
Tezuka raised an eyebrow, before glancing down the box beside him. He didn't actually believe Echizen's excuse about his mum making too many sandwiches - there was enough to feed an army in there. Regardless of if that had been the case though he still picked one of them up. "Thank you."
Between them they managed to finish off at least half of the sandwiches made, and Tezuka couldn't remember eating a lunch that had left him this full in a long time. He sighed contentedly, brushing the crumbs from his hands. He turned towards Echizen when the first year started laughing.
"Is something wrong?"
Echizen tapped his cheek with a smirk. "You have something right there."
Tezuka lifted his own hand to rub where Echizen had indicated. When he pulled it away again, however, there was nothing on his hand to indicate that there had been something on his cheek.
"You missed it," Echizen said, picking up a tissue that had been tucked underneath the lid of the bento box, so that it wouldn't fly away in the light breeze. "Here." He leant over and wiped whatever had been on Tezuka's cheek away. Echizen had probably planned this from the start, the sneaky little brat, but he didn't react to it in any way. Tezuka was stronger than that.
"Ah, thank you, Echizen." He offered Echizen a sort of half smile, before picking up the bento box and securing the lid on top of it. "And the food was delicious."
"You're welcome, captain." Tezuka watched as Echizen stuffed the tissue into his pocket and busied himself with putting his box back into his bag. He wondered idly about how much time he seemed to be spending with Echizen lately, but forgot about it when Echizen turned back to him. "Lunch is almost over. I'll see you later."
Tezuka realised as Echizen left that he hadn't done any of the studying that he'd intended to do.
---
The first few rounds of the Tokyo Prefecturals went by without a problem. Seigaku High practically breezed through them, not even needing to break into singles one to progress to the next round. There had been a little 'moment' wherein Echizen had arrived rather late - he'd slept through his alarm - but he'd promised not to do it again; Kikumaru had joked that at least it hadn't been a pregnant woman this time.
It was after their match with Yamabuki high schooljunior high - their final one before moving on to Kantou Regionals - and Tezuka had just stepped off the bus. It had been a good victory, with wins in both doubles as well as their singles matches. He turned to face the rest of the team once they'd all joined him outside the bus, adjusting his tennis bag so that it sat more comfortably on his shoulder.
"Well done, everyone," he said, making sure to raise his voice a little so that it could be heard over the sounds of passing traffic. "That was a good victory, but we can't get complacent with the Kantou Regionals approaching. Training will resume as usual on Monday. Dismissed."
The team split off into small groups after Tezuka finished his parting words, muttering amongst themselves. Echizen, however, stayed behind. Tezuka had been expecting it, and hadn't made a move to return home himself. Random moments like this with Echizen threw off his schedule, but he had warned his mother that he might get home a little later than usual.
"Is anything wrong, Echizen?" Tezuka asked.
Echizen shook his head. "No. Not really." He pointed over his shoulder, in the general direction of a street well known for its food. "My parents are going to be out late, so I was wondering if you wanted to get some ramen with me."
Tezuka wondered where his sanity had disappeared to when he found himself agreeing. "I don't see why not."
"Great," Echizen said, starting off in the direction he'd been pointing. "Don't worry, I won't make you treat your underclassman, captain." Tezuka didn't miss the smirk on Echizen's lips, and found his own tugging upwards into a smile. Echizen was such a brat.
They walked side by side - their shoulders brushing against each other occasionally though neither of them said anything - keeping their eyes open for a decent-looking ramen stand. They passed by plenty of restaurants that looked acceptable, but they were all full to bursting point with people - Tezuka blamed it on the late time of day. They found an acceptable stand around half-way down the street, though it was devoid of people. They had all likely opted for the restaurants rather than the cheaper ramen stands. They settled down onto the seats, placing their tennis bags at their feet, and looked at the menu.
"They probably don't have ponta," Echizen muttered, and Tezuka found himself biting back an amused chuckle.
"I think you could survive with a glass of water, just this once."
Echizen sent him a sort of withering look, as though he was trying to say 'I highly doubt that,' which just amused Tezuka all the more. Echizen didn't look particularly amused, though, and there was a decidedly adorable scowl on his face. It disappeared rather rapidly, however, when their ramen was placed in front of them.
They ate in silence as usual, save for the few sounds of slurping as they both worked through their meals, and at some point Echizen moved closer until their knees bumped together. Tezuka assumed, at first, that it had been an accident, but Echizen didn't move away again, nor acknowledge that they were even touching. Tezuka didn't say anything either; the warmth of Echizen's leg pressed against his own was pleasant.
They stayed like that until everything in their bowls was gone, and even for a short while after when Tezuka asked for two glasses of water so that they could wash the meal down. Echizen didn't complain once that it wasn't ponta, and was even the first one to finish off the drink. When it came time to pay for the meal Echizen turned in his seat to get some money out of his bag, but Tezuka raised a hand to stop him.
"I've got it, Echizen," he said, taking the right amount of yen from his wallet.
"But-"
"It's fine." Tezuka handed the money over to the vendor to halt any further arguments from him. He didn't even know why he was paying for Echizen's meal - this clearly wasn't a date or anything. He just brushed it off as treating his underclassman for a game well played. Which wasn't exactly a lie, winning six-four was an accomplishment against a player like Sengoku.
Echizen seemed to resign himself after that. "Thank you, captain," he murmured.
Whilst they'd been sitting at the stand it had got quite dark, and Tezuka didn't feel entirely comfortable letting Echizen wander the streets on his own. Echizen wasn't helpless by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't exactly safe to let him walk home on his own. "I'll walk you home," Tezuka told him, picking up his tennis bag.
"It's okay, captain. I don't live far from here," Echizen replied, flashing an easy grin at him. "I'll send you a message to let you know I got home safely, I promise."
Tezuka didn't like the idea, but didn't want to press it any further. He was probably just worrying too much, and the promise of a message made it easier to agree. "All right then, Echizen."
They said their good-byes then, heading off in opposite directions, and Tezuka kept glancing over his shoulder until Echizen was out of sight. For the entirety of his journey home Tezuka's mind was plagued with a multitude of bizarre 'what if' scenarios - they ranged from 'what if Echizen got attacked by a stray dog?' to 'what if the Yakuza kidnapped Echizen?' It was stupid of him, he knew that, but Tezuka wouldn't feel comfortable again until he heard the message-tone sound from his phone.
He still hadn't received anything by the time he reached his home, and he thought about phoning Echizen once he'd stepped inside. Tezuka decided against it before he even toed his shoes off, once Echizen got home himself he would let him know. There was no logical need for Tezuka to panic.
"Kunimitsu," his mother called, walking out of the kitchen to greet him. "How did your matches go?"
Tezuka hung his jacket up on the coat rack, before placing a kiss on his mother's cheek. "We won and made the Kantou Regionals," he said. "I had dinner with one of my team-mates, so I'm going to go do my homework."
His mother smiled. "Don't work yourself too hard, okay? And have a bath to relax yourself, there should still be enough warm water left."
"Thank you," Tezuka said and then made his way up the stairs and to his room. He'd barely even sat down on his bed when his phone vibrated, the message-tone he'd been waiting for joining it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.
「1 Message Received.
From: Echizen.
You worry too much, captain.」
Tezuka couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips, and flopped back on his bed.
---
The third years settled into a routine after the Prefectural Tournament: training and studying, training and studying, training and studying. Tezuka was glad that he had decided not to run for student president, it would have almost doubled his work load. He was actually surprised at how well Atobe managed to do it on his own; it was nothing short of amazing really - though Echizen had commented over lunch one day that Atobe probably hired people to do the paperwork for him.
Lunchtime with Echizen had become a regular occurrence. It was a non-verbal sort of arrangement; they'd never organised who brought lunch on what days nor that they would meet on the same roof everyday. And yet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Echizen would come to school with a bento made for two, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays Tezuka would. No one said anything about where they disappeared to during the lunch hour, nor mentioned to them that they were carrying too much food for just themselves. Tezuka preferred it that way.
Tezuka found that conversing with Echizen was actually quite pleasant. They talked about inane little things like the weather and the latest film starring Bruce Willis. They didn't always see eye to eye on a lot of things - for example, Echizen thought that fishing was boring - but Tezuka assumed that most people didn't when it came to Echizen. Which was not a sly jibe about his height in any way, though Tezuka had caught himself teasing Echizen about it more than once.
"Hey, captain?" Echizen leant over and used his chopsticks to swipe a piece of grilled fish from Tezuka's side of the bento. Tezuka was used to this behaviour by now, and returned the favour by stealing some of Echizen's rice.
"Hm?"
"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Echizen asked, popping the fish he'd filched into his mouth.
Tezuka had to think for a moment. It was a Saturday and there was no school, so he was free to do whatever he wanted technically. "I need to do some studying," he answered eventually, noticing the flash of disappointment on Echizen's face almost immediately.
"I see," Echizen replied. "Never mind then."
Though he had done nothing wrong, it hadn't been a guarantee that Tezuka would be free for whatever grand plan Echizen had, he suddenly felt guilty. They sat in silence for a while, just eating their lunch, before Tezuka broke it by saying, "I'm not doing anything on Sunday."
Tezuka was sure he fancied a smile on Echizen's face, but he could have been mistaken. "We should go see a film," Echizen said, and it was probably the last thing that Tezuka had been expecting him to say.
He found himself answering before his brain could quite comprehend what was happening. "We should."
---
"Tezuka," Fuji said, inquisitively, as they packed up their tennis gear after training. The other regulars had long since left - having more important things to do than wait for their captain to lock up the clubroom. Fuji, for whatever reason, had lingered. When Tezuka turned to face him, neatly folding up a pair of shorts, Fuji continued. "Would you like to come over on Sunday so we can study together?"
Tezuka shook his head, carefully placing his shorts into his bag and pulling the zipper shut. "I already have plans, sorry."
When he turned his gaze to Fuji once more he was met with one of his eerily all-knowing smiles. It was as though Fuji had already known that he'd be busy. It made him wonder exactly who the data collector around here actually was. "With Echizen," Fuji told him, putting his coat on.
"With Echizen," Tezuka confirmed, seeing no reason to hide it. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, before grabbing the clubroom keys from the bench. Tezuka inclined his head towards the door. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah." Fuji picked up his own bag and they both made their way outside slowly. "So, are you two going anywhere nice?" He teased lightly.
"Just to see a film." Tezuka shut the door behind them, slipping the key into the lock, attempting to put an end to the conversation. Fuji, however, was far more persistent than that.
"That sounds wonderful," Fuji replied. "I hope that you enjoy your date."
Tezuka turned around slowly, trying to keep the look on his face as impassive as possible - though it was a rather difficult task. He couldn't even begin to imagine where Fuji had got that idea from. "It's not a date, Fuji."
"It's not?" Fuji sounded mildly surprised, and when he opened his eyes they glinted with mischief. "Then what have you been doing with Echizen for the last few weeks?"
It took all of Tezuka's remaining willpower not to splutter indignantly. Sure, he had been spending more time with Echizen recently - most of his time - but that didn't mean that they had been dating. Not in the least.
He thought back as quickly as he could, trying almost desperately to remember what they'd done. They'd had dinner together a lot, and shared lunches - in Tezuka's case he'd even made them. Then for the last two weeks they'd been walking home together. But that didn't mean anything. Except for the fact that Fuji thought that it really did.
As they neared the main gate of the school Tezuka noticed a familiar mop of dark hair. Echizen was leaning against the pillar, waiting for him. Tezuka couldn't keep a smile from slipping onto his face.
"I thought so," Fuji said, softly. "I'll see you on Monday, Tezuka."
Tezuka's thoughts felt a complete and utter mess as he tried to make heads or tails of what Fuji had brought to his attention. Then Echizen smiled at him and it didn't seem to matter any more.
---
Tezuka considered the Seigaku public library a sort of haven, and he would spend the better part of his weekends there studying. He'd been trying to do so today, as he had planned, but found his thoughts drifting back to what Fuji had said almost constantly. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He wouldn't stay too late tonight; he was already starting to feel his eyes burn from staring at the pages for so long. He'd not exactly had the best night’s sleep, either, which didn't help in the least.
He returned to his reading, though it didn't last long as the sound of something being placed on the desk disturbed him.
Tezuka looked up from his book, surprised to see Echizen standing there with a sort of self-satisfied smirk on his face. He didn't care to entertain thoughts about how Echizen knew that he would be here. He glanced back down at the table and the polystyrene cup that Echizen had set down in front of him. "This is a library, Echizen," he told him, sternly. He didn't even need to add anything on about the rules, Echizen could probably tell from the disapproving tone he'd adopted.
"You need to take a break sometimes, captain." Echizen sat down opposite him and pulled a notepad and book from his own bag. "Don't get careless, right?"
That wasn’t even worth dignifying with a response, so Tezuka turned back to his book and continued to read. They sat in amicable silence, only the sound of Echizen's pen scrawling across paper breaking it. It wasn't as distracting as Tezuka had originally thought it would be; in fact, it was oddly comforting.
As was the aroma and the bitter taste of coffee on the tip of his tongue.
Whilst his thoughts had drifted when Echizen hadn't been here, he found himself able to concentrate when Echizen was here. As strange as that was it was true, and when he looked at the page number he found that he'd accomplished more in the short time Echizen had been here than in the entire time he'd been alone. The coffee had helped to wake him up a little too, though he supposed that it was about time for him to head home. His mum was expecting him back a bit earlier today, and he'd offered to help her out with the dinner.
"Thank you for the coffee, Echizen," Tezuka said, picking the book up and returning it to the shelf.
Echizen stopped writing on his notepad and looked up at him. "You're going home?"
Tezuka nodded, and put the empty coffee cup into his bag. Though Echizen had managed to smuggle it past the librarian Tezuka doubted that he would be as lucky. He'd throw it out once he got outside. "I am."
"Captain... would you like to come over for dinner?" Echizen looked a little nervous when asking, but Tezuka knew that he couldn't accept the invitation. Both because he had plans and it was kind of sudden.
"I can't. I'm sorry, Echizen," he said, lifting his bag onto his shoulder. "But I will see you tomorrow."
Echizen nodded, and turned back to his work, swinging his legs back and forth. "See you tomorrow, captain."
Tezuka smiled as he left. He was looking forward to it.
---
Tezuka had been standing outside of the cinema since quarter to eleven. It was decidedly chilly out and he was shivering, despite being wrapped up in a thick coat and scarf. He lifted his wrist so that he could look at his watch - it was now ten past. Echizen had phoned him the night before to remind him that they were meeting at eleven - it had been a pretty long conversation, and they'd diverged from the point to talk about a tennis match that had been on the television.
He sighed and wondered idly if Echizen had slept in. It was the most likely situation, seeing as Echizen had a bit of a problem with waking up early. Tezuka had found himself phoning Echizen before matches on more than one occasion, just to make sure that he wouldn't be late.
"Captain!"
Tezuka looked up instantly and saw Echizen running towards him, weaving in between the crowds. When he stopped next to Tezuka he was panting and his cheeks were flushed. Knowing Echizen, he'd probably run all the way from his house.
"Sorry I'm late," Echizen said, his voice sounding hoarse. "I slept through my alarm."
This wasn't surprising to Tezuka in the least - he'd predicted it, after all. He opened his bag and pulled out a bottle of water: he never bought anything at the cinema, the prices were far too extortionate - handing it to Echizen. "Here."
Echizen took it from him. "Thanks," he said, before unscrewing the lid and proceeding to gulp it down. Tezuka remembered lectures from his mum when he was younger about how drinking water too fast could give you an upset stomach. He didn't particularly want that to happen to Echizen.
"Slowly, Echizen," Tezuka chastised, and was glad when Echizen heeded his words and took sips instead. He placed his hand at the small of Echizen's back, trying to ignore the way his body heat radiated from him, and guided him gently in the direction of the ticket booth. They needed to get tickets to see a film and go inside: it was too cold to stand around out here.
They didn't deliberate over a film for long, the wind was starting to pick up enough that it stung their cheeks and even when they stood closer it was still cold. Echizen pointed at some random title - the kind of one that sounded like a typical generic action film - and they purchased their tickets. Tezuka didn't care much if it wasn't the type of film that he'd usually go to see, he would watch it if it was with Echizen.
"Do you want some popcorn?" Echizen asked as they walked inside.
Tezuka tapped the top of his bag. "I brought some for both of us."
Echizen laughed and put his wallet back into his pocket. Tezuka loved Echizen's laugh - it was a rare thing and like a gift to hear. "You think of everything, don't you, captain?" He smiled and Tezuka forgot what he'd been thinking about.
They bypassed everyone waiting in the queues for confectionary and headed straight for their screen. It guaranteed them seats together in any case - they'd gone to the cinema as a team once, and had been scattered everywhere because they'd turned up late. Tezuka remembered how Eiji had flicked popcorn at the back of Oishi's head for attention.
Tezuka didn't know where to sit once they got there, it wasn't as though there was the perfect seat to see the screen from. All he knew was that he didn't want to sit right at the front, where he'd have to crane his neck to see properly. That would be painful. Echizen took the decision from him, wrapping a hand around his wrist and tugging him into the empty back row. It was as good a place as any, and he could see just fine from here.
They settled down in the seats at the middle of the row. Tezuka placed his bag on his lap and opened it, pulling out a still slightly chilled can of grape ponta and passing it to Echizen. Echizen took it from him and muttered a quick thank you, before depositing it into the cup holder on the arm rest.
More silence followed after that, and continued until the lights dimmed and the film began. As Tezuka had suspected from the title, it was the usual generic action flick, and in the first five minutes there had already been a gratuitous shoot-out and a multitude of special effects. He'd been stealing glances at Echizen, admiring the way the flashes from the screen lit up his face and made his eyes shine.
The film didn't interest him much at all, though he did try to follow the basic plot. Some secret agent was on a mission; there were gadgets, fast cars, things blowing up - oh, and the token beautiful girl that was starting to fall in love with him. Same old, same old, really. He realised that he should have been paying a little more attention to the screen, rather than the fact that Echizen had just placed his hand on the arm rest between them - yet sure enough his gaze kept finding its way there. After a while, once a few more cars had crashed or been blown up, Tezuka found himself placing his hand on top of Echizen's and lacing their fingers together. Echizen didn't seem to mind this in the least.
He ran his thumb over the skin gently, marvelling at how smooth Echizen's hands were and how warm they felt. Echizen, judging from the slight hitch in his breath, hadn't expected this move.
"Captain," Echizen said in a hushed voice. Tezuka looked down at him but didn't stop brushing his thumb over Echizen's hand. "Is the film boring you?"
"No, Echizen, it's not," Tezuka replied, his voice as low as Echizen's had been. He didn't want to disturb the other cinema-goers after all.
They both turned their attention back to the film after that, and Tezuka couldn't stop thinking about how perfectly things were turning out. Perhaps he should thank Fuji after all.
---
Tezuka had spoken too soon.
Monday came and went without any contact at all with Echizen - the first year had skipped their usual lunch, leaving Tezuka to mooch food off Fuji instead - and it had him worrying for the whole day. Echizen had even gone back to wearing his hat for tennis training, mostly so that he could use it to avoid eye contact with Tezuka. He'd had to suppress the urge to order him to run laps, because with no viable reason other than 'you're avoiding me' he couldn't do it. Tezuka couldn't even think of a simple reason as to why Echizen would be avoiding him, either: they'd only held hands in the cinema. There was no logical explanation for Echizen to have backed off so suddenly. Unless Fuji had been completely wrong. Tezuka didn't even want to think of that possibility.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday went much in the same way. It both hurt and had Tezuka in an unreasonably bad mood. People had begun to notice, too. Eiji had quieted down a little and occasionally exchanged worried glances with Oishi, and Momoshiro and Kaidoh hadn't fought since the beginning of the week. Tezuka was completely on-edge, and if one little thing happened to go wrong he knew that he'd most likely snap. His impassive, responsible, captain mode only worked when he didn't feel like strangling the person nearest him.
When Friday looked to be the same as the rest of the week Tezuka knew that he couldn't let it continue. He was, technically, avoiding Echizen as much as Echizen was avoiding him. It was stupid. One of them had to make the first move, and for once Echizen didn't seem bold enough to do it himself. So it was up to Tezuka to take the initiative.
He decided that training after school was the best option that he had, and he approached Echizen whilst the first years were cleaning up the court. A few of them darted out of his way, likely afraid to incur the wrath of their captain whilst he was still in his bad mood. "Echizen," he said, sounding as commanding as he could. "I'd like a word - follow me."
"Yes, captain," Echizen mumbled, dropping some tennis balls into the basket and following Tezuka off of the court. Tezuka could feel his heart thudding so loudly against his chest that it was echoing in his ears. The sun had begun to set, casting the sky in an orange glow, and the whole situation was so familiar to Tezuka that it was making him slightly uncomfortable.
They stopped away from earshot of the courts so that no one could overhear them. Tezuka placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tennis ball. He ran his thumb over it once and chucked it at Echizen, hardly fast enough that it would be totally unexpected. He ignored the shocked look on Echizen's face and the way that he fumbled the ball. "We're going to have a match tomorrow, at the Haruno University courts. Three pm. Come alone - I'll be waiting."
He turned and walked away then, leaving Echizen alone with just his thoughts. This would all be resolved tomorrow. For better… or for worse.
---
Tezuka found himself at the courts earlier than he had planned, and he sat on a bench at the side of the courts, cradling a can of grape ponta in his hands. He didn't even know if Echizen was going to turn up or not. He flicked the pull tab of the can. Twang, twang, twang. The sound practically echoed across the empty court.
Twang, twang, twang. Thump.
Wait, thump? That wasn't right. He looked up there was Echizen, kneeling down beside his tennis bag and pulling out his trademark red racket. He was still wearing his hat, he noticed, as though it was a barrier to try and prevent Tezuka from looking at him. Tezuka breathed deeply and put the can down on the bench. He retrieved his own racket, which he had left leaning against the fence. Neither of them said anything. They didn't even decide on who would take the first serve, but as they approached their respective baselines Tezuka noticed that Echizen already had a ball in his hand.
When they started to play Tezuka instantly knew something was not right. The power in Echizen's serve was off - he was dropping his arm too soon, and Tezuka wanted so badly to tell him. He botched his returns, and even missed some easy shots. He kept his head low and the whole thing lacked the passion that their match during the ranking tournament had had. Tezuka could feel the confusion from Echizen in every single one of his returns, and Tezuka tried his best to answer them with every shot he took.
Echizen just wasn't trying, and that probably hurt more than all the days that Echizen had avoided him put together.
"What are you doing, Echizen?" Tezuka shouted as he served for the final game. It was fierce and powerful, and shook Echizen's racket when he tried to return it. "Why aren't you trying?"
The final point came via a shot that landed in the upper right corner. The match ended in a complete whitewash. Six games to love. He'd never, ever won a match against Echizen with that score, not even in the first match they'd ever played. His stomach lurched and he felt slightly sick, but mostly disappointed.
Approaching the net felt like they were both walking to their impending doom. Echizen looked nervous and twelve again, Tezuka thought, standing on the other side of the net like that - small, and almost vulnerable. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, and keeping his gaze anywhere but on Tezuka himself. After what he'd just done, Tezuka wasn't going to settle for that. Not at all.
"Echizen," he prompted, gently. Echizen just continued to look down. They weren't going to get anywhere at all if Echizen wouldn't even look at him.
"Echizen," Tezuka tried again. He wasn't about to give up, especially when Echizen was just acting like a stubborn brat.
There was only one thing left, he supposed, as he grabbed the top of the net and leant forward, taking Echizen's hat off his head. He couldn't hide anymore. "Ryoma."
Echizen's head snapped upwards so quickly that it bashed into Tezuka's forehead, leaving them both cringing and rubbing at the offended spots. The hand that Tezuka had on the net tightened until his knuckles turned white. All he could think was ouch, that had hurt, dammit. Though despite that he still didn't miss what Echizen said.
"I'm so sorry," Echizen whispered, sounding so young that it almost made Tezuka feel guilty. He couldn't even think at that very moment what Echizen was even sorry about - the match or avoiding him - but it didn't matter after what he did next.
His hand grabbed the front of Tezuka's shirt loosely and he pushed himself up on his tiptoes, closing the small gap between them and mashing their lips together. It wasn't perfect by any means - it was clumsy and awkward, their noses had bumped together which kind of hurt, and Tezuka's lips stung where Echizen's teeth had knocked into them. Echizen pulled away almost as quickly as he'd initiated the kiss, looking at Tezuka as if to gauge his reaction. There was a slight rosy hue on his face, as though he was just a little embarrassed.
Echizen's hand was still grasping at his shirt when Tezuka lifted one of his own to guide his face back up. With Tezuka taking the lead this time, he could angle the kiss so that there would be no bumping of noses, or teeth against lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, almost like a promise that this was just the beginning and, if Echizen wanted, there would be more - much more. But for now, this was just fine.
Tezuka pulled away a moment later and slowly released Echizen's chin. He let a sort of amused smile tug at the corners of his lips, and said, "You still have lots more to work on."
All of Tezuka's worries from the last few days melted away when Echizen smiled back and laughed. Disaster of a tennis match and first kiss or not, right now Tezuka felt ridiculously happy.
"Come over for dinner, captain," Echizen said as they walked back to their bags. "We can practice."
This time Tezuka did not decline the offer, he could think of nothing else that he would rather do at this particular moment in time. Studying could wait for another day. "Okay, Echizen."
They packed their rackets away in silence, though Tezuka noticed Echizen stealing a few glances at him while they did. Fuji had been right after all. Perhaps Echizen had just been overwhelmed and confused, and needed to figure out what he wanted for himself. But now he was certainly glad that he had taken the initiative. He stood up and waited for Echizen to do the same, so that he could lead the way to his house.
Just as they were about to leave the courts, Echizen spoke. "Oh, and captain?"
Tezuka looked at Echizen curiously. "Hm?"
"Don't leave that can there. Throw it away if you're finished with it." Echizen smirked like the cheeky little brat that he was, and Tezuka couldn't help but laugh.
Things were going to get very interesting from now on, he thought, as he picked up the can to put it in the bin.
And that was enough food for thought.