Cracked Reception [R; Eiji/Momo]
Title: Cracked Reception (2/2)
Author: worblehat
Genre: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Eiji/Momo
Rating: R
Notes: Written for prillalar as part of the santa_smex exchange. Beta'd by regulusa. I pretty much fail at archiving in a timely manner. Sorry?
Summary: Eiji's summer is not what he expects.
Word Count: ~12,000
The next few days are not as excitement-packed, but they are full of fun and relaxation. Eiji sits next to Momo for most meals, enjoying the consistency - the thing that feels so lacking on Oishi's end. Eiji doesn't have time to think about that as much. Everyday he trains. He finds that he really likes water polo and tries to get more people to play with him. His eye heals very slowly but the raccoon jokes stop almost entirely by the start of the second week.
He goes for running practice with Momo in the morning. Momo tells him he'll be late. “I'm going to beat Kaidoh for that top bunk. No more of this bottom bunk stuff for me!” Eiji grins and tells him he'll be there to cheer him on.
The game they choose this time is hockey. Since there is no ice skating rink, they borrow two pairs of roller skates, setting up an impromptu court in the basketball area. Kaidoh goes first, hissing, glaring at Momo with determination. Momo smiles back and Kaidoh's glare intensifies.
Eiji cheers when Kaidoh misses. Kaidoh looks over at him and Eiji waves. “Sorry, Kaidoh-kun! But if Momo gets the top, we can talk before bed a lot easier!”
Kaidoh mutters something and focuses back on the game.
Momo's form is less sharp than Kaidoh's and he misses - once, twice, three times. Kaidoh wins without Momo gaining a single point. Eiji has to jump over the small barrier they set up to restrain Momo; Inui follows him, holding firmly onto Kaidoh from behind and guiding him to the bleachers, speaking possibly calming words. Kaidoh hisses in triumph and jerks away from Inui, taking time to remove his skates and pick up the borrowed equipment. Eiji follows after with Momo.
“I can't believe I lost!” Momo exclaims, putting back his hockey stick with more force than necessary. “I hate sleeping on the bottom.”
Eiji is almost tempted to offer to switch beds until he realizes that he doesn't like sleeping on the bottom either. It was easy to get the top bunk from Inui, who seemed more intent on being able to reach his notebooks. “Unless there are hidden cupboards up there, I have no intention of sleeping on the top bunk” - had been his exact words.
“It's only for another week,” says Eiji consolingly. “It's not that bad!”
Momo gives him a look but doesn't elaborate.
***
The cabin is silent that night. Eiji is awake, alone with his thoughts. Confusion fills his mind - guilt following as a close second. He still misses Oishi, in a way - he still thinks of Oishi as a friend. But being here, at training camp, and having the chance to get to know Momo (who is not nearly as serious or hesitant as Oishi) - he is having a good time. He barely thinks about how it hurts not to know where Oishi is or if they're actually still friends. Maybe he should think about it more, but he has too much fun and besides that, he is too tired after all the exercises they are instructed to do every morning, never mind the extracurricular water polo he's playing on a daily basis.
I do miss Oishi. But Momo is...Momo listens. I feel comfortable telling him stuff and he doesn't laugh at me.
Is that bad?
“Hey...Momo,” he whispers, turning on his side. He can hear people shifting in their sleep in response. Something creaks. “Momo? Are you awake?”
“Shh,” says someone.
Eiji flops onto his back and stares at the ceiling.
Creak.
He frowns. What is that?
Creak.
Eiji wonders if he should say something or if he should keep silent, watching for something to happen. He leans his head on his elbow and looks at the other beds in the moonlight. His heart is beating a little faster than normal. He runs his tongue along his lips. “What -”
The following crash loud and followed by much swearing. Eiji jumps down from his bed and is the first to get to the lights.
“Who is disturbing my beauty sleep?” shrieks Mizuki, ripping his off his eye mask. “I need six solid hours! Six!”
Eiji can hear Inui scratching away in his notebook and wonders if Mizuki can hear it too. When he looks at Mizuki's face, he decides not.
“Calm down,” says Yuuta, falling over himself as he climbs down from his bunk.
It's hard to hear over the shouting. Momo is laughing between angry retorts. Kaidoh's sheets are off the bed, partly wrapped around his leg. He is holding Momo by the shirt, shaking him hard.
“I won this bunk fair and square!” he shouts.
“Baka Mamushi,” laughs Momo. When his head hits against the bed frame, he growls and grabs the collar of Kaidoh's shirt. “Stop shaking me you idiot!”
“You woke me up!”
“It's not my fault your bed has crappy springs!”
“It does not! You kicked me off!”
The room gives a collective sigh.
“Do you think they'd let us trade them for a different two?” asks Saeki, watching in sleep-deprived fascination. “Or maybe they could give them their own cabin and we could visit if it got boring.”
“I'm not sharing a cabin with him!” Momo and Kaidoh shout together.
“I don't see why not,” says Saeki.
Yuuta pulls him back in just enough time to duck Kaidoh's punch. Momo follows and they fall to the ground. Everyone scrambles to pull them apart.
“Provoking them is a bad idea,” Yuuta mutters to Saeki.
“Amusing though,” Saeki responds under his breath.
***
Eiji steps outside with Momo, promising to calm him down as the rest of the cabin deal with Kaidoh, who is brooding and refusing to go back to sleep until Momo comes back and fixes his bedsheets that are tangled together on the floor. Yuuta volunteers to do it instead and Kaidoh hisses at him, causing him to retreat.
The stars are clear this late at night and they walk along in their pajamas. Eiji's has a bear decoration on it while Momo's are a solid, basic green. Neither says anything as they climb up the small hill overlooking the rest of the camp.
“It's nice up here,” says Eiji as he takes a seat on the somewhat-damp grass.
Momo continues to stand, hands at his sides. “Yeah, it's calm.”
Eiji feels the former haze of tiredness dissolve in the cool air. “Looking up at the stars like this always reminds me of my sister,” he says quietly.
Momo sits down next to him, grimacing at the wetness of the ground. He rests his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the night sky.
“She would always tell me her favorite constellations and I'd always forget them.” Eiji laughs. “But I had fun, leaning against her and watching.” Eiji looks at Momo, who seems to tense a little under his gaze. Eiji scoots closer, resting his head on top of Momo's shoulder. “It's nicer this way.”
Momo turns his head, resting his cheek against Eiji's hair. “Yeah. It is.”
***
“Say cheese!”
Ryoma doesn't smile for his picture on the last day of camp. Eiji complains at him to look decent and Momo laughs, holding the camera steady.
“Smile, Echizen!” he taunts.
“Shut up, Momo-senpai,” says Echizen, scowling.
“I'm going to follow you around all day until you smile,” chimes Momo as if Ryoma hasn't said anything.
“Che.”
Eiji puts up his V for victory hand sign and Momo snaps another frame. Eiji bounds over to him and they both scrutinize the screen, judging Ryoma's almost-smile between them.
“I don't know, he looks more constipated than happy,” says Momo.
“I think he looks like he swallowed a lemon,” says Eiji.
“Two lemons, maybe,” says Momo. He looks up. “Uh oh.”
“What?” asks Eiji, taking back his camera, flipping through the pictures with a gleeful look on his face.
“He ran off.”
Eiji looks around. “Nya.”
“That's a nice picture,” says Fuji over his shoulder. Eiji glares at him, muttering about him needing to stop sneaking up on people like a stalker. Fuji laughs. “Do you want me to take a picture?”
“Sure!” says Eiji. He hands the camera to Momo, who snaps another for the Kikumaru collection.
Fuji's smile widens a little. “I meant of you two.”
“Oh,” says Eiji thoughtfully. “Okay.” He takes the camera from Momo and hands it to Fuji, who tells them to get closer. Eiji wraps one arm around Momo's neck, Momo's hand on his waist. They both signal V for victory and Fuji clicks down.
***
Back at home, Eiji searches for his camera. With a happy flush, he flips through the pictures again.
The matches between Kaidoh and Momo - part one and part two.
The cabin.
The blue team after their big competition day.
A confused-looking squirrel.
A close-up of his and Momo's bruised eyes that first night.
More pictures...
The last one makes him pause. He knows Fuji only takes pictures once in a while, claiming that few things in the world make for truly enjoyable photographs. Eiji isn't sure how true that is, but he knows that the two times Fuji has shared his photographs, Eiji couldn't look away for more than ten minutes.
When Fuji offered to take a picture of him and Momo, Eiji didn't think about it at all. He hasn't looked at the picture closely until now, when things are settled and he is about to go to bed. A big part of him is glad he waited.
Eiji has a lot of pictures with him and Oishi around his room, mostly after tennis meets. He keeps one on his desk from the first time they won playing doubles. It brings back memories, reminds him of many evenings spent on top of the crate, talking over tennis losses with Oishi. He looks at them sometimes - for one, two, maybe ten seconds.
He watches the picture of Momo and himself for fifteen minutes before turning off the camera. Sleep comes easily, warm and soothing.
***
The letter he finds downstairs the next morning is short.
Eiji,
I'm so sorry for all this. Really. Truly.
I'll understand if you don't want to be friends anymore.
Oishi.
The paper crumples a little as his fingers clench. His vision blurs and he swears softly.
“Oishi. Why are you so stupid sometimes?”
***
Stamina is the last thing on his mind. He runs, continues to run, through red lights and green, ignoring the shouts directed at him from hastily-stopped cars. His lungs hurt and his eyes are burning with anger, with pain he knows Oishi has no clue he is causing. If Eiji didn't know Oishi well enough, it wouldn't be like this, not this urgency, not this need that spurs him on to run faster the closer he gets.
He knocks on the door and Oishi's mom opens it. “Kikumaru-kun,” she says pleasantly. “How are you?”
“...Oi...shi...”
“He's in the living room. Come in.”
Eiji makes an attempt to control his breathing; Oishi's mom is looking at him curiously, but she doesn't say anything, just leads him to where Oishi is sitting on the floor.
“Shuichiro, you have a visitor.”
Oishi looks up and stands. His eyes are glassy and distant. “Eiji...”
Eiji waits until they are alone before he takes a step forward. The letter is still in his hand, the edges now ripped. He advances, holding it in front of him, angry and confused and worried.
When he grabbed the keys and ran out, he only thought of yelling at Oishi. He still wants to yell at him, but something makes him hesitate. Where he's angry, Oishi just looks broken. The normal, caring smile is replaced with a shell of good intention.
“This letter...” says Eiji, then stops. He can't find the words. “This letter...it...” he tries, but still nothing. His eyes are dry now and there is an awkward, nauseous feeling spreading up from his stomach up through to his throat. He feels sick, the words he'd planned on using weigh heavy on his tongue, unspoken and full of poison.
They stand in silence, Oishi staring at him blankly. Eiji keeps him in his line of vision, walking closer. He leans down, looking at the photo album. Picking it up, he glances at Oishi, whose eyes are avoidant, looking at a spot just past Eiji.
He flips through the album. Most are pictures of Oishi, younger, smiling happily. There are quite a few of him on people's laps. The page he has open is of a gentle woman with a kind face, eyes sharp but not unkind, holding onto a younger Oishi with firm hands. “Who is this, Oishi? Your grandmother?”
When Oishi doesn't answer, Eiji looks up. “Did something happen to...” He gasps when he sees two thin trails of tears spilling down Oishi's face. Slowly, he puts the photo album, keeping it open to that one page, setting it onto a nearby table. Oishi's lips are trembling, his hands clenched into fists, eyes on the ground.
His whole body is full of sadness. Eiji raises one hand to Oishi's shoulder, squeezing gently. He isn't good at this sort of thing, doesn't know what to say, but he cares for Oishi - he wants to say something. “I don't want to stop being your friend,” he whispers.
Oishi looks up at him, his eyes grateful through the pain. “I don't want to stop being your friend either.”
Eiji's eyes are wet when he pulls Oishi close, hugging him, holding him as Oishi cries. The house is still, everything silent in the small living room except the sound of Oishi sobbing as quietly as he can against Eiji's neck.
***
“...and they said that even though I went to camp, I could still go to that week at the beach resort with them! Isn't that cool?” Eiji's eyes are wide, happy, excited. He slaps Momo on the knee, laughing when Momo winces. “I can't wait! Beach, suntan - they probably have a pool there too. Maybe I could find people to play!”
“What, water polo?” asks Momo as he lies back against the pillow. Eiji grumbles and forces him to sit up so he can adjust it; the back of the couch is too hard to sit against, but he likes sitting on the floor better when playing video games.
“Yeah,” says Eiji. “Did you save the last game?”
Momo leans forward, checking the console. “Oops!”
“Oops?” Eiji shrieks. “We spent five hours trying to beat that level!”
“Sorry, sorry,” mutters Momo. “We can do it again, I remember how to get the key this time.”
Eiji sighs. He leans back as Momo starts the game. “Anyway, I'll have to miss the last week of tennis practice before school starts. I hope I don't have to run laps to make up for it,” says Eiji, making a face.
“You might,” says Momo, pressing down on the controls and shouting victoriously as three bad guys explode. “So what's Oishi going to do?”
“Huh?” asks Eiji, biting his lip in concentration.
“Is he going to double up with someone else while you're away?”
“Um. I don't know...”
“Well, what did he say when you told him you were going?”
“...I didn't tell him yet,” answers Eiji. It's getting harder to focus on the game the more questions Momo asks him. Something gnaws at the back of his mind and he's not sure what it is...
“Are you still mad at him?” asks Momo as he kills off two more bad guys.
“No, we made up,” says Eiji. “I told you we did.”
His eyes widen suddenly and his character dies in the three-second span of shock.
I told Momo...
“Hey, I have to go,” he says, standing up. “I'll text you later, okay?”
“Eiji-senpai...?”
***
He walks this time, letting his thoughts take shape. When he arrives at Oishi's front door, he doesn't feel any clearer. He knocks and Oishi answers this time.
Oishi looks less empty now, something that makes Eiji feel happier in his heart. He is still sad, the hole in his life that his recently-departed grandmother used to fill still healing, but he has started calling Eiji again, talking for a little bit each day, like old times. Eiji makes him promise not to ask him the question in his letter ever again - not to say those words. Oishi blushes as he promises, muttering his thanks to Eiji for being a good (if stubborn) friend. Eiji smiles and says it is no problem.
“Oishi!” says Eiji, stepping inside and kicking off his shoes. He grabs Oishi's hand, holding it within his own.
“What is it?” asks Oishi when Eiji fails to continue. “Is something wrong?”
Eiji shakes his head. “I'm going to the beach this summer.”
Oishi chuckles. “Then why do you look so sad? I thought you loved the beach.”
“I do, but Oishi,” says Eiji, “I forgot to tell you.”
“You're telling me right now,” says Oishi.
“Yeah, but...I told Momo first.”
Oishi's eyes flicker for a few quick seconds before he regains his smile. “Are you and Momo close now?”
“I don't know, I guess so...”
Oishi laughs - for real this time.
“What's so funny?”
“Eiji,” says Oishi fondly. “If you don't know who you're friends with, who does?”
Eiji's cheeks darken. “It's hard! I mean,” he explains, blushing a little more and not knowing why, “my friendship with you is...different than how Momo and I are friends.”
Oishi leads Eiji into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Eiji sits next to him, one leg tucked underneath. “Okay, so what's different?”
“I don't know,” says Eiji honestly. He fidgets, his thoughts scattered, his hands playing with the seam of his pants. He looks at Oishi, waiting for him to speak.
Oishi sighs. His eyes are still distant, this time with something else.
“Oishi,” says Eiji gently. “You're not...I mean...I didn't make you jealous, did I?”
Oishi looks down at his hands. He inhales deeply, waits, closes his eyes and exhales. “No. No, I guess not.”
Eiji reaches for Oishi's hand, squeezing it. Oishi looks up at him, his face more readable than Eiji can remember seeing before. There's devotion, dedication, caring - all the things Eiji has seen in Oishi for years. Yet, despite his words, there's still that tint of jealousy. Eiji looks down at his feet, feeling apologetic. There is nothing he can say to make it better without lying. Oishi is important to him and will always be, but...
He looks up when Oishi squeezes his hand. “It's okay,” he says, and Eiji can see how hard it is to say.
“Oishi is great, nya?” he says, smiling.
***
“Shuichiro, you have another guest.”
Eiji rests on the couch, his head at the edge of Oishi's lap. He looks up. Momo's upside down face greets his line of vision. “Momo!” he says.
“...oh,” says Momo.
The door closes and Eiji blinks. “What...?”
“Maybe...you should go after him,” says Oishi.
Eiji puts on his shoes and runs.
***
Momo's bike is visible for only a little while before Eiji loses sight of it completely. Eiji flips open his phone, stopping momentarily to text Oishi. He waits impatiently until he gets Oishi's reply.
“That's just three blocks over!” he says thankfully. All this running is probably great exercise but Eiji prefers running on a track instead of after people he frantically wants to apologize to.
The door is open when Eiji gets there. He can see Momo's bike locked up. Music filters down, faint but definitely there. He walks inside, knocking the door cautiously. “Uh...hello?” No one answers and Eiji hesitates briefly before slipping out of his shoes, placing them by the door and then thundering upstairs. He walks through the house, creeping up to what sounds like Momo's room. He knocks but no one answers.
The door opens with a slight creak. Momo is at his computer, watching the screen with a dazed expression, resting his cheek to his palm.
Eiji knocks again, much louder this time.
“I'm not hungry,” says Momo absentmindedly.
“You? Not hungry?” asks Eiji.
The music volume lowers drastically and Momo turns around. “Eiji-senpai!” he says in surprise. His eyes narrow. “How did you know where I live?”
“I texted Oishi for your address.”
Momo's eyes look odd before he turns away. “Oh.”
Eiji closes the door behind him. He advances in small steps, taking a seat on the edge of Momo's bed. “Why are you mad at Oishi?”
“Huh?” asks Momo, scrolling through his e-mail. “I'm not angry at Oishi.”
“You get this weird look on your face whenever I mention him now,” says Eiji, his voice thin.
Momo lets out a sigh and turns around. His knees brush against Eiji's as he swivels the chair to and fro. “It's nothing. I didn't know you were close with everyone like that. That's all. I thought it was...never mind”
“Close like what?” repeats Eiji, genuinely confused.
“I don't know,” Momo answers, looking up at his ceiling.
Eiji puts one hand on Momo's knee to get his attention, happy when this tactic works. He isn't prepared for the weird jump it gives to his chest, or the spine-sharp feeling that flows down his back at the flush in Momo's cheeks.
“Like what you're doing now,” says Momo, the flush in his cheeks rising at the release of words.
Eiji stares. He doesn't know what else to do. Momo's eyes are light and it takes a few seconds for him to stop feeling uncomfortable under their watch. He shifts closer, angling Momo's knee gently between his own. “Momo?” he asks, his voice strained.
“What?” asks Momo, his eyes focused on Eiji's hand.
“I don't.”
Momo blinks, the spell temporarily broken. “Don't what?”
Eiji looks at the ground for a few seconds, trying to gain a hold on his nerves, to ignore the way his stomach is jumping around, his whole body tense at the idea of what Momo's reaction might be to his next few words. “I don't do things like this with Oishi. Or anyone else.” He lets the bubble of indecision pour out of his lips in one large breath. “Just you,” he adds.
Momo stops in his chair, looking at Eiji. Their eyes shift up to meet for a few seconds, then move back to the floor; then up again, each attempt growing longer. A familiar sensation spreads out from Eiji's stomach, blood rushing downward and he squeezes Momo's knee. Momo slides closer, their pants noisy as the fabric slides together. He places one hand on Eiji's knee and leans in.
Eiji can't remember kissing a lot of people in his life - maybe during spin-the-bottle games, but never anything serious. Nothing like this, where Momo watches his mouth, then closes his eyes and brings his lips low until they touch. He can't remember anything so soft against him before.
Momo slides back a little in his chair and then forward, Eiji between his knees and his between Eiji's. Their mouths part slightly and Eiji exhales just as Momo's mouth covers his again. Momo's tongue moves slow, running along the edge of Eiji's mouth, along the thin lips before slipping inside. Eiji's hand squeezes hard and Momo flinches temporarily; not enough to break the kiss, not enough to stop the needles of anticipation and pleasure sharp at every point where their bodies touch. Eiji makes a small noise in the back of his throat and Momo's tongue slides in more firmly, licking.
At first the kisses are a little sloppy, tongues experimental and unsure. Eiji whimpers when Momo bites into his lower lip and Momo moans, low and deep in the back of his throat. Eiji's hand slides up Momo's leg, his heart racing.
How far can we go?
When Eiji's fingers curl over Momo's leg, slipping between, Momo breaks the kiss, pressing his forehead to Eiji's. “Maybe...”
“Should we stop?” asks Eiji, not really wanting to. He knows there is no lock on the door and that doing this here when he's never formally met Momo's parents is a bad idea, but his hands, lips, skin - everything feels so good and he wants a little more, just a little more...
Momo laughs quietly. “I was going to say maybe we should both be on the bed.”
Eiji tenses up for a second, suddenly afraid. He's never done anything before - then again, he doesn't want to stop. “For a little bit,” he whispers. “Okay?”
Momo nods and he kisses Eiji, sweet and chaste, on his cheek. Eiji blushes at the tenderness before scooting back further onto the bed. Momo looks at the door, his expression worried; then he grins, shifting close. Eiji wraps one leg around him loosely and feels a happy flutter in the middle of his chest when Momo places one hand at the small of Eiji's back, pressing their bodies closer together. Eiji kisses him first this time, slow at first. It doesn't last long as he realizes Momo is rubbing against him, the low moans in his voice more frequent. Eiji angles himself differently and gasps against Momo's mouth when he feels Momo's erection sliding against his hip.
His heart skips two full beats.
Momo's...and I'm...we're both trying to...
Eiji feels too embarrassed to complete the thought, even in the privacy of his own mind. He kisses harder, loving the drawn-out moans he can feel vibrating from Momo's throat into his own. Momo's hand slides beneath the hem of Eiji's pants and he grabs, kneading the soft skin of Eiji's ass.
Eiji's hand slips beneath Momo's shirt, scratching down his back when Momo comes. Eiji feels the trembles wracking Momo's body and their kiss breaks, Momo gasping, moaning, swearing and whispering things Eiji has never heard another person say before. He stays still until Momo's eyes open, a satisfied, spent look on his face.
It quickly vanishes when they both hear a woman's voice downstairs.
“It's my mom!” whispers Momo urgently.
Eiji jumps out of bed, painfully aware of his erection but not wanting to be caught. “Quick, give me a book!”
Momo points to the shelf. “Take that one!”
“Which one?” asks Eiji, lunging over and frantically searching through the titles. “The science one?”
“No - take the math, I wasn't going to do that homework anyway,” says Momo.
Eiji holds the book in front of him. He raises his voice as footsteps are heard in the hallway. “THANKS, MOMO-CHAN,” he says. “I'M SO GLAD I GOT TO BORROW YOUR BOOK.”
“YOU'RE WELCOME, KIKUMARU-SENPAI.”
“I LOVE STUDYING.”
“ISN'T IT THE BEST?”
“I WISH I COULD STUDY ALL THE TIME.”
“ME T - yeah right, my mom's not going to believe that,” says Momo in a normal tone of voice, pulling the covers over his torso.
When Momo's mother walks in, Eiji introduces himself with a red face and the urge to run for a very, very, very long time.
***
He's still hard when he gets to his room, sweating from the run as well as the anxiety and excitement running through his veins. Making sure his door is shut tight, he shimmies out of his clothing as fast as he can and burrows under the covers. Eyes closed, he remembers the sounds, the feel of Momo's teeth in his lip - Momo's cock pressing into him, rubbing hard and desperate.
“Momo...”
Eiji's hand wraps around his cock and he pulls in quick strokes. He can still taste Momo, warm and intense, the strained moans still loud in his mind. He whimpers as he gets closer, thinking about the words Momo said as he came, wondering if he really meant them, hoping in that moment that he did.
He comes fast, his stomach and fingers painted across in white release.
***
Eiji almost breaks Momo's window by accident. He drops the small rocks he's brought from home when Momo comes to greet him downstairs. It's two in the morning and Eiji feels lucky beneath the stars. Momo walks close to him he leads him to a nearby park.
They spread out the small blanket together, leaning against one another, watching the sky overhead. Eiji leans in and kisses Momo's neck and it's the riskiest thing they've done since that time, their first kiss, two weeks ago. Momo kisses from his cheek down to his lips, urging Eiji's head higher with gentle nuzzles.
Their mouths meet and Eiji wraps one arm around Momo's neck, wanting to be closer. Momo lowers them both onto the ground.
“Momo,” whispers Eiji.
“Huh?”
Eiji tries to force himself not to blush, keeping his eyes firmly trained on Momo's. “I can't stop thinking about you said that one time, when you...”
“When I came?” asks Momo plainly.
“Yeah,” says Eiji. “Did you mean any of that?”
“I don't really remember what I said,” admits Momo after a few awkward moments of silence.
This makes it more difficult.
“The part about your mouth and...me,” says Eiji, flushing despite his best efforts.
Momo's eyes flash and he kisses Eiji, gentle and sweet, one hand sliding down Eiji's chest, pulling up his shirt, exposing a thin sliver of skin. He undoes the small threads holding up Eiji's pajamas and slides his hand beneath, body moving closer on the blanket when he realizes Eiji's already hard.
Eiji pushes up against the warm palm, biting Momo playfully as he is straddled. Momo kisses him as his hand twists and strokes, drawing out moans Eiji has trouble controlling. He is desperate for air and Momo breaks away. Eiji feels his shirt pushed higher and then Momo's lips, kissing down the center. He squirms a little when Momo blows against his skin, the action ticklish.
His eyes close when Momo's mouth, warm and wonderfully wet, slides slowly along his cock. Momo moves back and forth a few times, and Eiji wonders if he's trying to see how much he can fit in. Eiji's hands claw desperately at the edges of the blanket when he realizes Momo can fit him all the way, his mouth relaxed around him. Momo sucks and licks, trying different speeds, listening for Eiji's small moans that cause him to lower one hand to his own erection, stroking softly.
One of Momo's hands comes to rest at Eiji's stomach and Eiji covers it with his own hand, holding it tight, squeezing all too hard every time Momo does something that sends shivers through his whole body. He thrusts up into the waiting heat, enjoying the wet sounds that result as Momo tries to adjust.
Eiji moans Momo's name over and over as he comes. He holds tightly to Momo's hand, squeezing hard and then harder, body shaking with how good it all feels. Momo's throat tightens and Eiji realizes he's swallowing; the thought causes a second release, warm spurts spilling into Momo's mouth and down his throat.
Momo places his free hand on the blanket, leaning over Eiji. “You look...” He doesn't finish the sentence, but the look on his face is enough for Eiji.
“Did you want -” he begins, but Momo cuts him off.
“I'm too...just...here.” Momo guides Eiji's hand, tugging at his pants, lowering them enough for Eiji to be able to wrap one hand around the hot, blunt length. He watches Momo's face, everything feeling hot and wrong in that moment. Momo comes, pushing his cock fast, faster into Eiji's hand, release spraying onto Eiji's stomach.
Momo bends down for a kiss and Eiji finds he likes the way their bodies feel against each other, relaxed like this, close and intimate.
***
Eiji leans against the bridge, watching the water below with boredom. He fiddles with his phone, looking at the time in the display and it beeps.
Where are we meeting again? I forgot.
Eiji rolls his eyes. He begins typing in the location when his phone beeps again. Saving the message just in case, he clicks over to see what else he's been sent.
Never mind, I think I know.
“Kikumaru-kun.” Eiji turns to see Fuji and Taka walking along together, groceries in hand. They stop when they get to him.
“How was your trip?” asks Fuji.
Eiji sticks out his tongue and points to his face. “Burnt.”
Fuji laughs.
“Did you get to meet any interesting people?” asks Taka.
Eiji shrugs. “Not really. I was sort of looking forward to coming home after two days.”
Fuji smiles and says nothing. Eiji ignores him.
“Eiji-senpai!” Momo runs up, his face shining.
“You're late,” says Eiji.
“What? No I'm not,” Momo protests.
Eiji points to the time listed on his phone. “Five minutes.”
“Your cell is wrong.”
“No it isn't! This means you pay for burgers this time!”
“But I don't have any money!”
“Why is that not surprising?” says Eiji, turning with faux annoyance and beginning to walk towards the mall.
Momo grumbles, then follows. “Eiji-senpai! Stop walking so fast!”
Fuji's brow furrows, lips curled in amusement. “Taka-san.”
“Eh?”
“Hold this for a second.”
“Okay."
Taka takes Fuji's grocery bag, watching in silence as Fuji fiddles with something in his pocket. When Taka hears the zoom, he realizes it's a camera.
“What are you taking a picture of?”
Fuji doesn't answer. Instead, he zooms in on the two retreating figures. He watches their mouths, working in argument; their backs, walking at the same speed; their hands, close but not touching.
He waits, clicking shut when two fingers link together casually.
Author: worblehat
Genre: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Eiji/Momo
Rating: R
Notes: Written for prillalar as part of the santa_smex exchange. Beta'd by regulusa. I pretty much fail at archiving in a timely manner. Sorry?
Summary: Eiji's summer is not what he expects.
Word Count: ~12,000
The next few days are not as excitement-packed, but they are full of fun and relaxation. Eiji sits next to Momo for most meals, enjoying the consistency - the thing that feels so lacking on Oishi's end. Eiji doesn't have time to think about that as much. Everyday he trains. He finds that he really likes water polo and tries to get more people to play with him. His eye heals very slowly but the raccoon jokes stop almost entirely by the start of the second week.
He goes for running practice with Momo in the morning. Momo tells him he'll be late. “I'm going to beat Kaidoh for that top bunk. No more of this bottom bunk stuff for me!” Eiji grins and tells him he'll be there to cheer him on.
The game they choose this time is hockey. Since there is no ice skating rink, they borrow two pairs of roller skates, setting up an impromptu court in the basketball area. Kaidoh goes first, hissing, glaring at Momo with determination. Momo smiles back and Kaidoh's glare intensifies.
Eiji cheers when Kaidoh misses. Kaidoh looks over at him and Eiji waves. “Sorry, Kaidoh-kun! But if Momo gets the top, we can talk before bed a lot easier!”
Kaidoh mutters something and focuses back on the game.
Momo's form is less sharp than Kaidoh's and he misses - once, twice, three times. Kaidoh wins without Momo gaining a single point. Eiji has to jump over the small barrier they set up to restrain Momo; Inui follows him, holding firmly onto Kaidoh from behind and guiding him to the bleachers, speaking possibly calming words. Kaidoh hisses in triumph and jerks away from Inui, taking time to remove his skates and pick up the borrowed equipment. Eiji follows after with Momo.
“I can't believe I lost!” Momo exclaims, putting back his hockey stick with more force than necessary. “I hate sleeping on the bottom.”
Eiji is almost tempted to offer to switch beds until he realizes that he doesn't like sleeping on the bottom either. It was easy to get the top bunk from Inui, who seemed more intent on being able to reach his notebooks. “Unless there are hidden cupboards up there, I have no intention of sleeping on the top bunk” - had been his exact words.
“It's only for another week,” says Eiji consolingly. “It's not that bad!”
Momo gives him a look but doesn't elaborate.
***
The cabin is silent that night. Eiji is awake, alone with his thoughts. Confusion fills his mind - guilt following as a close second. He still misses Oishi, in a way - he still thinks of Oishi as a friend. But being here, at training camp, and having the chance to get to know Momo (who is not nearly as serious or hesitant as Oishi) - he is having a good time. He barely thinks about how it hurts not to know where Oishi is or if they're actually still friends. Maybe he should think about it more, but he has too much fun and besides that, he is too tired after all the exercises they are instructed to do every morning, never mind the extracurricular water polo he's playing on a daily basis.
I do miss Oishi. But Momo is...Momo listens. I feel comfortable telling him stuff and he doesn't laugh at me.
Is that bad?
“Hey...Momo,” he whispers, turning on his side. He can hear people shifting in their sleep in response. Something creaks. “Momo? Are you awake?”
“Shh,” says someone.
Eiji flops onto his back and stares at the ceiling.
Creak.
He frowns. What is that?
Creak.
Eiji wonders if he should say something or if he should keep silent, watching for something to happen. He leans his head on his elbow and looks at the other beds in the moonlight. His heart is beating a little faster than normal. He runs his tongue along his lips. “What -”
The following crash loud and followed by much swearing. Eiji jumps down from his bed and is the first to get to the lights.
“Who is disturbing my beauty sleep?” shrieks Mizuki, ripping his off his eye mask. “I need six solid hours! Six!”
Eiji can hear Inui scratching away in his notebook and wonders if Mizuki can hear it too. When he looks at Mizuki's face, he decides not.
“Calm down,” says Yuuta, falling over himself as he climbs down from his bunk.
It's hard to hear over the shouting. Momo is laughing between angry retorts. Kaidoh's sheets are off the bed, partly wrapped around his leg. He is holding Momo by the shirt, shaking him hard.
“I won this bunk fair and square!” he shouts.
“Baka Mamushi,” laughs Momo. When his head hits against the bed frame, he growls and grabs the collar of Kaidoh's shirt. “Stop shaking me you idiot!”
“You woke me up!”
“It's not my fault your bed has crappy springs!”
“It does not! You kicked me off!”
The room gives a collective sigh.
“Do you think they'd let us trade them for a different two?” asks Saeki, watching in sleep-deprived fascination. “Or maybe they could give them their own cabin and we could visit if it got boring.”
“I'm not sharing a cabin with him!” Momo and Kaidoh shout together.
“I don't see why not,” says Saeki.
Yuuta pulls him back in just enough time to duck Kaidoh's punch. Momo follows and they fall to the ground. Everyone scrambles to pull them apart.
“Provoking them is a bad idea,” Yuuta mutters to Saeki.
“Amusing though,” Saeki responds under his breath.
***
Eiji steps outside with Momo, promising to calm him down as the rest of the cabin deal with Kaidoh, who is brooding and refusing to go back to sleep until Momo comes back and fixes his bedsheets that are tangled together on the floor. Yuuta volunteers to do it instead and Kaidoh hisses at him, causing him to retreat.
The stars are clear this late at night and they walk along in their pajamas. Eiji's has a bear decoration on it while Momo's are a solid, basic green. Neither says anything as they climb up the small hill overlooking the rest of the camp.
“It's nice up here,” says Eiji as he takes a seat on the somewhat-damp grass.
Momo continues to stand, hands at his sides. “Yeah, it's calm.”
Eiji feels the former haze of tiredness dissolve in the cool air. “Looking up at the stars like this always reminds me of my sister,” he says quietly.
Momo sits down next to him, grimacing at the wetness of the ground. He rests his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the night sky.
“She would always tell me her favorite constellations and I'd always forget them.” Eiji laughs. “But I had fun, leaning against her and watching.” Eiji looks at Momo, who seems to tense a little under his gaze. Eiji scoots closer, resting his head on top of Momo's shoulder. “It's nicer this way.”
Momo turns his head, resting his cheek against Eiji's hair. “Yeah. It is.”
***
“Say cheese!”
Ryoma doesn't smile for his picture on the last day of camp. Eiji complains at him to look decent and Momo laughs, holding the camera steady.
“Smile, Echizen!” he taunts.
“Shut up, Momo-senpai,” says Echizen, scowling.
“I'm going to follow you around all day until you smile,” chimes Momo as if Ryoma hasn't said anything.
“Che.”
Eiji puts up his V for victory hand sign and Momo snaps another frame. Eiji bounds over to him and they both scrutinize the screen, judging Ryoma's almost-smile between them.
“I don't know, he looks more constipated than happy,” says Momo.
“I think he looks like he swallowed a lemon,” says Eiji.
“Two lemons, maybe,” says Momo. He looks up. “Uh oh.”
“What?” asks Eiji, taking back his camera, flipping through the pictures with a gleeful look on his face.
“He ran off.”
Eiji looks around. “Nya.”
“That's a nice picture,” says Fuji over his shoulder. Eiji glares at him, muttering about him needing to stop sneaking up on people like a stalker. Fuji laughs. “Do you want me to take a picture?”
“Sure!” says Eiji. He hands the camera to Momo, who snaps another for the Kikumaru collection.
Fuji's smile widens a little. “I meant of you two.”
“Oh,” says Eiji thoughtfully. “Okay.” He takes the camera from Momo and hands it to Fuji, who tells them to get closer. Eiji wraps one arm around Momo's neck, Momo's hand on his waist. They both signal V for victory and Fuji clicks down.
***
Back at home, Eiji searches for his camera. With a happy flush, he flips through the pictures again.
The matches between Kaidoh and Momo - part one and part two.
The cabin.
The blue team after their big competition day.
A confused-looking squirrel.
A close-up of his and Momo's bruised eyes that first night.
More pictures...
The last one makes him pause. He knows Fuji only takes pictures once in a while, claiming that few things in the world make for truly enjoyable photographs. Eiji isn't sure how true that is, but he knows that the two times Fuji has shared his photographs, Eiji couldn't look away for more than ten minutes.
When Fuji offered to take a picture of him and Momo, Eiji didn't think about it at all. He hasn't looked at the picture closely until now, when things are settled and he is about to go to bed. A big part of him is glad he waited.
Eiji has a lot of pictures with him and Oishi around his room, mostly after tennis meets. He keeps one on his desk from the first time they won playing doubles. It brings back memories, reminds him of many evenings spent on top of the crate, talking over tennis losses with Oishi. He looks at them sometimes - for one, two, maybe ten seconds.
He watches the picture of Momo and himself for fifteen minutes before turning off the camera. Sleep comes easily, warm and soothing.
***
The letter he finds downstairs the next morning is short.
Eiji,
I'm so sorry for all this. Really. Truly.
I'll understand if you don't want to be friends anymore.
Oishi.
The paper crumples a little as his fingers clench. His vision blurs and he swears softly.
“Oishi. Why are you so stupid sometimes?”
***
Stamina is the last thing on his mind. He runs, continues to run, through red lights and green, ignoring the shouts directed at him from hastily-stopped cars. His lungs hurt and his eyes are burning with anger, with pain he knows Oishi has no clue he is causing. If Eiji didn't know Oishi well enough, it wouldn't be like this, not this urgency, not this need that spurs him on to run faster the closer he gets.
He knocks on the door and Oishi's mom opens it. “Kikumaru-kun,” she says pleasantly. “How are you?”
“...Oi...shi...”
“He's in the living room. Come in.”
Eiji makes an attempt to control his breathing; Oishi's mom is looking at him curiously, but she doesn't say anything, just leads him to where Oishi is sitting on the floor.
“Shuichiro, you have a visitor.”
Oishi looks up and stands. His eyes are glassy and distant. “Eiji...”
Eiji waits until they are alone before he takes a step forward. The letter is still in his hand, the edges now ripped. He advances, holding it in front of him, angry and confused and worried.
When he grabbed the keys and ran out, he only thought of yelling at Oishi. He still wants to yell at him, but something makes him hesitate. Where he's angry, Oishi just looks broken. The normal, caring smile is replaced with a shell of good intention.
“This letter...” says Eiji, then stops. He can't find the words. “This letter...it...” he tries, but still nothing. His eyes are dry now and there is an awkward, nauseous feeling spreading up from his stomach up through to his throat. He feels sick, the words he'd planned on using weigh heavy on his tongue, unspoken and full of poison.
They stand in silence, Oishi staring at him blankly. Eiji keeps him in his line of vision, walking closer. He leans down, looking at the photo album. Picking it up, he glances at Oishi, whose eyes are avoidant, looking at a spot just past Eiji.
He flips through the album. Most are pictures of Oishi, younger, smiling happily. There are quite a few of him on people's laps. The page he has open is of a gentle woman with a kind face, eyes sharp but not unkind, holding onto a younger Oishi with firm hands. “Who is this, Oishi? Your grandmother?”
When Oishi doesn't answer, Eiji looks up. “Did something happen to...” He gasps when he sees two thin trails of tears spilling down Oishi's face. Slowly, he puts the photo album, keeping it open to that one page, setting it onto a nearby table. Oishi's lips are trembling, his hands clenched into fists, eyes on the ground.
His whole body is full of sadness. Eiji raises one hand to Oishi's shoulder, squeezing gently. He isn't good at this sort of thing, doesn't know what to say, but he cares for Oishi - he wants to say something. “I don't want to stop being your friend,” he whispers.
Oishi looks up at him, his eyes grateful through the pain. “I don't want to stop being your friend either.”
Eiji's eyes are wet when he pulls Oishi close, hugging him, holding him as Oishi cries. The house is still, everything silent in the small living room except the sound of Oishi sobbing as quietly as he can against Eiji's neck.
***
“...and they said that even though I went to camp, I could still go to that week at the beach resort with them! Isn't that cool?” Eiji's eyes are wide, happy, excited. He slaps Momo on the knee, laughing when Momo winces. “I can't wait! Beach, suntan - they probably have a pool there too. Maybe I could find people to play!”
“What, water polo?” asks Momo as he lies back against the pillow. Eiji grumbles and forces him to sit up so he can adjust it; the back of the couch is too hard to sit against, but he likes sitting on the floor better when playing video games.
“Yeah,” says Eiji. “Did you save the last game?”
Momo leans forward, checking the console. “Oops!”
“Oops?” Eiji shrieks. “We spent five hours trying to beat that level!”
“Sorry, sorry,” mutters Momo. “We can do it again, I remember how to get the key this time.”
Eiji sighs. He leans back as Momo starts the game. “Anyway, I'll have to miss the last week of tennis practice before school starts. I hope I don't have to run laps to make up for it,” says Eiji, making a face.
“You might,” says Momo, pressing down on the controls and shouting victoriously as three bad guys explode. “So what's Oishi going to do?”
“Huh?” asks Eiji, biting his lip in concentration.
“Is he going to double up with someone else while you're away?”
“Um. I don't know...”
“Well, what did he say when you told him you were going?”
“...I didn't tell him yet,” answers Eiji. It's getting harder to focus on the game the more questions Momo asks him. Something gnaws at the back of his mind and he's not sure what it is...
“Are you still mad at him?” asks Momo as he kills off two more bad guys.
“No, we made up,” says Eiji. “I told you we did.”
His eyes widen suddenly and his character dies in the three-second span of shock.
I told Momo...
“Hey, I have to go,” he says, standing up. “I'll text you later, okay?”
“Eiji-senpai...?”
***
He walks this time, letting his thoughts take shape. When he arrives at Oishi's front door, he doesn't feel any clearer. He knocks and Oishi answers this time.
Oishi looks less empty now, something that makes Eiji feel happier in his heart. He is still sad, the hole in his life that his recently-departed grandmother used to fill still healing, but he has started calling Eiji again, talking for a little bit each day, like old times. Eiji makes him promise not to ask him the question in his letter ever again - not to say those words. Oishi blushes as he promises, muttering his thanks to Eiji for being a good (if stubborn) friend. Eiji smiles and says it is no problem.
“Oishi!” says Eiji, stepping inside and kicking off his shoes. He grabs Oishi's hand, holding it within his own.
“What is it?” asks Oishi when Eiji fails to continue. “Is something wrong?”
Eiji shakes his head. “I'm going to the beach this summer.”
Oishi chuckles. “Then why do you look so sad? I thought you loved the beach.”
“I do, but Oishi,” says Eiji, “I forgot to tell you.”
“You're telling me right now,” says Oishi.
“Yeah, but...I told Momo first.”
Oishi's eyes flicker for a few quick seconds before he regains his smile. “Are you and Momo close now?”
“I don't know, I guess so...”
Oishi laughs - for real this time.
“What's so funny?”
“Eiji,” says Oishi fondly. “If you don't know who you're friends with, who does?”
Eiji's cheeks darken. “It's hard! I mean,” he explains, blushing a little more and not knowing why, “my friendship with you is...different than how Momo and I are friends.”
Oishi leads Eiji into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Eiji sits next to him, one leg tucked underneath. “Okay, so what's different?”
“I don't know,” says Eiji honestly. He fidgets, his thoughts scattered, his hands playing with the seam of his pants. He looks at Oishi, waiting for him to speak.
Oishi sighs. His eyes are still distant, this time with something else.
“Oishi,” says Eiji gently. “You're not...I mean...I didn't make you jealous, did I?”
Oishi looks down at his hands. He inhales deeply, waits, closes his eyes and exhales. “No. No, I guess not.”
Eiji reaches for Oishi's hand, squeezing it. Oishi looks up at him, his face more readable than Eiji can remember seeing before. There's devotion, dedication, caring - all the things Eiji has seen in Oishi for years. Yet, despite his words, there's still that tint of jealousy. Eiji looks down at his feet, feeling apologetic. There is nothing he can say to make it better without lying. Oishi is important to him and will always be, but...
He looks up when Oishi squeezes his hand. “It's okay,” he says, and Eiji can see how hard it is to say.
“Oishi is great, nya?” he says, smiling.
***
“Shuichiro, you have another guest.”
Eiji rests on the couch, his head at the edge of Oishi's lap. He looks up. Momo's upside down face greets his line of vision. “Momo!” he says.
“...oh,” says Momo.
The door closes and Eiji blinks. “What...?”
“Maybe...you should go after him,” says Oishi.
Eiji puts on his shoes and runs.
***
Momo's bike is visible for only a little while before Eiji loses sight of it completely. Eiji flips open his phone, stopping momentarily to text Oishi. He waits impatiently until he gets Oishi's reply.
“That's just three blocks over!” he says thankfully. All this running is probably great exercise but Eiji prefers running on a track instead of after people he frantically wants to apologize to.
The door is open when Eiji gets there. He can see Momo's bike locked up. Music filters down, faint but definitely there. He walks inside, knocking the door cautiously. “Uh...hello?” No one answers and Eiji hesitates briefly before slipping out of his shoes, placing them by the door and then thundering upstairs. He walks through the house, creeping up to what sounds like Momo's room. He knocks but no one answers.
The door opens with a slight creak. Momo is at his computer, watching the screen with a dazed expression, resting his cheek to his palm.
Eiji knocks again, much louder this time.
“I'm not hungry,” says Momo absentmindedly.
“You? Not hungry?” asks Eiji.
The music volume lowers drastically and Momo turns around. “Eiji-senpai!” he says in surprise. His eyes narrow. “How did you know where I live?”
“I texted Oishi for your address.”
Momo's eyes look odd before he turns away. “Oh.”
Eiji closes the door behind him. He advances in small steps, taking a seat on the edge of Momo's bed. “Why are you mad at Oishi?”
“Huh?” asks Momo, scrolling through his e-mail. “I'm not angry at Oishi.”
“You get this weird look on your face whenever I mention him now,” says Eiji, his voice thin.
Momo lets out a sigh and turns around. His knees brush against Eiji's as he swivels the chair to and fro. “It's nothing. I didn't know you were close with everyone like that. That's all. I thought it was...never mind”
“Close like what?” repeats Eiji, genuinely confused.
“I don't know,” Momo answers, looking up at his ceiling.
Eiji puts one hand on Momo's knee to get his attention, happy when this tactic works. He isn't prepared for the weird jump it gives to his chest, or the spine-sharp feeling that flows down his back at the flush in Momo's cheeks.
“Like what you're doing now,” says Momo, the flush in his cheeks rising at the release of words.
Eiji stares. He doesn't know what else to do. Momo's eyes are light and it takes a few seconds for him to stop feeling uncomfortable under their watch. He shifts closer, angling Momo's knee gently between his own. “Momo?” he asks, his voice strained.
“What?” asks Momo, his eyes focused on Eiji's hand.
“I don't.”
Momo blinks, the spell temporarily broken. “Don't what?”
Eiji looks at the ground for a few seconds, trying to gain a hold on his nerves, to ignore the way his stomach is jumping around, his whole body tense at the idea of what Momo's reaction might be to his next few words. “I don't do things like this with Oishi. Or anyone else.” He lets the bubble of indecision pour out of his lips in one large breath. “Just you,” he adds.
Momo stops in his chair, looking at Eiji. Their eyes shift up to meet for a few seconds, then move back to the floor; then up again, each attempt growing longer. A familiar sensation spreads out from Eiji's stomach, blood rushing downward and he squeezes Momo's knee. Momo slides closer, their pants noisy as the fabric slides together. He places one hand on Eiji's knee and leans in.
Eiji can't remember kissing a lot of people in his life - maybe during spin-the-bottle games, but never anything serious. Nothing like this, where Momo watches his mouth, then closes his eyes and brings his lips low until they touch. He can't remember anything so soft against him before.
Momo slides back a little in his chair and then forward, Eiji between his knees and his between Eiji's. Their mouths part slightly and Eiji exhales just as Momo's mouth covers his again. Momo's tongue moves slow, running along the edge of Eiji's mouth, along the thin lips before slipping inside. Eiji's hand squeezes hard and Momo flinches temporarily; not enough to break the kiss, not enough to stop the needles of anticipation and pleasure sharp at every point where their bodies touch. Eiji makes a small noise in the back of his throat and Momo's tongue slides in more firmly, licking.
At first the kisses are a little sloppy, tongues experimental and unsure. Eiji whimpers when Momo bites into his lower lip and Momo moans, low and deep in the back of his throat. Eiji's hand slides up Momo's leg, his heart racing.
How far can we go?
When Eiji's fingers curl over Momo's leg, slipping between, Momo breaks the kiss, pressing his forehead to Eiji's. “Maybe...”
“Should we stop?” asks Eiji, not really wanting to. He knows there is no lock on the door and that doing this here when he's never formally met Momo's parents is a bad idea, but his hands, lips, skin - everything feels so good and he wants a little more, just a little more...
Momo laughs quietly. “I was going to say maybe we should both be on the bed.”
Eiji tenses up for a second, suddenly afraid. He's never done anything before - then again, he doesn't want to stop. “For a little bit,” he whispers. “Okay?”
Momo nods and he kisses Eiji, sweet and chaste, on his cheek. Eiji blushes at the tenderness before scooting back further onto the bed. Momo looks at the door, his expression worried; then he grins, shifting close. Eiji wraps one leg around him loosely and feels a happy flutter in the middle of his chest when Momo places one hand at the small of Eiji's back, pressing their bodies closer together. Eiji kisses him first this time, slow at first. It doesn't last long as he realizes Momo is rubbing against him, the low moans in his voice more frequent. Eiji angles himself differently and gasps against Momo's mouth when he feels Momo's erection sliding against his hip.
His heart skips two full beats.
Momo's...and I'm...we're both trying to...
Eiji feels too embarrassed to complete the thought, even in the privacy of his own mind. He kisses harder, loving the drawn-out moans he can feel vibrating from Momo's throat into his own. Momo's hand slides beneath the hem of Eiji's pants and he grabs, kneading the soft skin of Eiji's ass.
Eiji's hand slips beneath Momo's shirt, scratching down his back when Momo comes. Eiji feels the trembles wracking Momo's body and their kiss breaks, Momo gasping, moaning, swearing and whispering things Eiji has never heard another person say before. He stays still until Momo's eyes open, a satisfied, spent look on his face.
It quickly vanishes when they both hear a woman's voice downstairs.
“It's my mom!” whispers Momo urgently.
Eiji jumps out of bed, painfully aware of his erection but not wanting to be caught. “Quick, give me a book!”
Momo points to the shelf. “Take that one!”
“Which one?” asks Eiji, lunging over and frantically searching through the titles. “The science one?”
“No - take the math, I wasn't going to do that homework anyway,” says Momo.
Eiji holds the book in front of him. He raises his voice as footsteps are heard in the hallway. “THANKS, MOMO-CHAN,” he says. “I'M SO GLAD I GOT TO BORROW YOUR BOOK.”
“YOU'RE WELCOME, KIKUMARU-SENPAI.”
“I LOVE STUDYING.”
“ISN'T IT THE BEST?”
“I WISH I COULD STUDY ALL THE TIME.”
“ME T - yeah right, my mom's not going to believe that,” says Momo in a normal tone of voice, pulling the covers over his torso.
When Momo's mother walks in, Eiji introduces himself with a red face and the urge to run for a very, very, very long time.
***
He's still hard when he gets to his room, sweating from the run as well as the anxiety and excitement running through his veins. Making sure his door is shut tight, he shimmies out of his clothing as fast as he can and burrows under the covers. Eyes closed, he remembers the sounds, the feel of Momo's teeth in his lip - Momo's cock pressing into him, rubbing hard and desperate.
“Momo...”
Eiji's hand wraps around his cock and he pulls in quick strokes. He can still taste Momo, warm and intense, the strained moans still loud in his mind. He whimpers as he gets closer, thinking about the words Momo said as he came, wondering if he really meant them, hoping in that moment that he did.
He comes fast, his stomach and fingers painted across in white release.
***
Eiji almost breaks Momo's window by accident. He drops the small rocks he's brought from home when Momo comes to greet him downstairs. It's two in the morning and Eiji feels lucky beneath the stars. Momo walks close to him he leads him to a nearby park.
They spread out the small blanket together, leaning against one another, watching the sky overhead. Eiji leans in and kisses Momo's neck and it's the riskiest thing they've done since that time, their first kiss, two weeks ago. Momo kisses from his cheek down to his lips, urging Eiji's head higher with gentle nuzzles.
Their mouths meet and Eiji wraps one arm around Momo's neck, wanting to be closer. Momo lowers them both onto the ground.
“Momo,” whispers Eiji.
“Huh?”
Eiji tries to force himself not to blush, keeping his eyes firmly trained on Momo's. “I can't stop thinking about you said that one time, when you...”
“When I came?” asks Momo plainly.
“Yeah,” says Eiji. “Did you mean any of that?”
“I don't really remember what I said,” admits Momo after a few awkward moments of silence.
This makes it more difficult.
“The part about your mouth and...me,” says Eiji, flushing despite his best efforts.
Momo's eyes flash and he kisses Eiji, gentle and sweet, one hand sliding down Eiji's chest, pulling up his shirt, exposing a thin sliver of skin. He undoes the small threads holding up Eiji's pajamas and slides his hand beneath, body moving closer on the blanket when he realizes Eiji's already hard.
Eiji pushes up against the warm palm, biting Momo playfully as he is straddled. Momo kisses him as his hand twists and strokes, drawing out moans Eiji has trouble controlling. He is desperate for air and Momo breaks away. Eiji feels his shirt pushed higher and then Momo's lips, kissing down the center. He squirms a little when Momo blows against his skin, the action ticklish.
His eyes close when Momo's mouth, warm and wonderfully wet, slides slowly along his cock. Momo moves back and forth a few times, and Eiji wonders if he's trying to see how much he can fit in. Eiji's hands claw desperately at the edges of the blanket when he realizes Momo can fit him all the way, his mouth relaxed around him. Momo sucks and licks, trying different speeds, listening for Eiji's small moans that cause him to lower one hand to his own erection, stroking softly.
One of Momo's hands comes to rest at Eiji's stomach and Eiji covers it with his own hand, holding it tight, squeezing all too hard every time Momo does something that sends shivers through his whole body. He thrusts up into the waiting heat, enjoying the wet sounds that result as Momo tries to adjust.
Eiji moans Momo's name over and over as he comes. He holds tightly to Momo's hand, squeezing hard and then harder, body shaking with how good it all feels. Momo's throat tightens and Eiji realizes he's swallowing; the thought causes a second release, warm spurts spilling into Momo's mouth and down his throat.
Momo places his free hand on the blanket, leaning over Eiji. “You look...” He doesn't finish the sentence, but the look on his face is enough for Eiji.
“Did you want -” he begins, but Momo cuts him off.
“I'm too...just...here.” Momo guides Eiji's hand, tugging at his pants, lowering them enough for Eiji to be able to wrap one hand around the hot, blunt length. He watches Momo's face, everything feeling hot and wrong in that moment. Momo comes, pushing his cock fast, faster into Eiji's hand, release spraying onto Eiji's stomach.
Momo bends down for a kiss and Eiji finds he likes the way their bodies feel against each other, relaxed like this, close and intimate.
***
Eiji leans against the bridge, watching the water below with boredom. He fiddles with his phone, looking at the time in the display and it beeps.
Where are we meeting again? I forgot.
Eiji rolls his eyes. He begins typing in the location when his phone beeps again. Saving the message just in case, he clicks over to see what else he's been sent.
Never mind, I think I know.
“Kikumaru-kun.” Eiji turns to see Fuji and Taka walking along together, groceries in hand. They stop when they get to him.
“How was your trip?” asks Fuji.
Eiji sticks out his tongue and points to his face. “Burnt.”
Fuji laughs.
“Did you get to meet any interesting people?” asks Taka.
Eiji shrugs. “Not really. I was sort of looking forward to coming home after two days.”
Fuji smiles and says nothing. Eiji ignores him.
“Eiji-senpai!” Momo runs up, his face shining.
“You're late,” says Eiji.
“What? No I'm not,” Momo protests.
Eiji points to the time listed on his phone. “Five minutes.”
“Your cell is wrong.”
“No it isn't! This means you pay for burgers this time!”
“But I don't have any money!”
“Why is that not surprising?” says Eiji, turning with faux annoyance and beginning to walk towards the mall.
Momo grumbles, then follows. “Eiji-senpai! Stop walking so fast!”
Fuji's brow furrows, lips curled in amusement. “Taka-san.”
“Eh?”
“Hold this for a second.”
“Okay."
Taka takes Fuji's grocery bag, watching in silence as Fuji fiddles with something in his pocket. When Taka hears the zoom, he realizes it's a camera.
“What are you taking a picture of?”
Fuji doesn't answer. Instead, he zooms in on the two retreating figures. He watches their mouths, working in argument; their backs, walking at the same speed; their hands, close but not touching.
He waits, clicking shut when two fingers link together casually.