Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Breakfast ❯ Breakfast ( Chapter 1 )

From the day he started college, breakfast was Eiji's favorite part of the day. Sure, there were a number of great things about being in college, like the freedom to go where he wanted, playing tennis on the school team as well as the competition circuit he and Oishi participated in regularly, and learning all sorts of wonderful things. There was the late night snack service in the dining hall, and the many vending machines in the dormitory, not to mention the absolute lack of any sort of curfew or parental oversight.

 

Still, breakfast was what made Eiji the happiest, that first year. He loved the potential of the new day and the excitement that came with thinking about all the things he would do. Not even the merciless horror of the dining hall food could change that, although the number of days he found himself planning his day over cold cereal and milk were increasing. Really all it had taken was one bad greasy egg experience to begin that transition.

 

It wasn't really the food, though, that he loved. It was a lot of little things that made up breakfast. Eiji loved the cool air that would shiver across the back of his neck as he made his morning dash across the commons to eat, knowing that by midday it would be gone, but back to tickle him again the next morning. He loved catching the sun peeking up over and between the tall buildings on campus as it rose, seeming to chase him across the walkways. The sound of dozens of voices mingling together interspersed with casual greetings from those he knew as he settled with his tray at an empty booth was something he enjoyed as well.

 

The best part of Eiji's breakfast, however, always came when another tray would slide across the table, bumping into his gently. Every morning he would look up and grin as a very sleepy and rumpled Oishi he knew was only awake at this ungodly hour to see him. He knew very well that left on his own, Oishi would sleep in until the last minute before practice and rush about frantically to get ready and bolt down whatever horror of a breakfast bar or canned shake he had stored in his dorm room on the way out the door. Eiji, of course, was horrified at the thought. A good breakfast was vital to a good day, after all.

 

Being a good partner, Eiji knew, required that he prevent that horror at all costs. A bit of cheerful cajoling and a hint of shameless begging and manipulation had earned him a promise to meet every morning for breakfast before they headed off to tennis practice and later, class. It wasn't that they didn't spend endless hours together already, what with team practice and their private doubles practice several times a week, not to mention studying, eating, and random appearances at each other's door for no particular reason.

 

It was just that Oishi always took such good care of him that Eiji felt he should care equally in return. So every morning he would grin and reach out, ruffling Oishi's bangs while he settled into the seat across from him, too sleepy to fight the redhead off successfully. He would chatter cheerfully about things that he'd already told Oishi when they'd talked on the phone before bed, or e-mailed the previous day, or even text messaged, knowing Oishi wouldn't mind hearing them again and that it would allow Oishi to pretend to pay attention as he woke up, but not miss anything important.

 

It was even better, Eiji felt, on days when they would come to breakfast together. That happened most often when it got too late for one or the other to make the walk back to their dormitory the night before and decided to bed down for the evening wherever they were. Those were the mornings Eiji would have taken care of Oishi's hair for him and shared his favorite toothpaste if they ended up in his room, or Oishi would patiently allow Eiji to groom him and then tease him mercilessly about his oral fetish as he rummaged for his toothbrush in his bag if they ended up at Oishi's. On those mornings, Oishi would slide into the seat next to Eiji without even thinking about it, creating a wall of warmth that Eiji had no problems leaning against, practically purring at the heat and comfort it gave him.

 

Neither of them really cared what anyone else thought about this routine of theirs, although they received quite a bit of teasing for it from friends and teammates. They were aware of what people assumed, and would just shrug cheerfully when anyone brought it up. Breakfast was important to Eiji, Oishi would calmly explain, as though that was more than reason enough. For the both of them, it was.

 

In their second year of college, Oishi decided that his favorite time of day was late at night, particularly when they were lying side by side on one of their beds, exhausted from tennis and studying and simply talked, pressed close in the tiny single bed. The habit had begun randomly in their first year of college, when Eiji had struggled to adjust to the discipline needed to do well in his studies, as well as the increased physical activity of their doubled training. By the start of their second year, it happened at least twice a week, depending on their class schedules.

 

He'd spent many long nights reviewing subjects, quizzing the redhead, and helping him learn to do well in school. In return, Eiji would quiz him, proofread, and offer suggestions as well. By the end of their sophomore year, both of their roommates had abandoned them but they'd decided to keep separate rooms, so that they each had a private space when needed. After all, they still fought occasionally and needed space to cool off.

 

On those nights together they would simply lay there and talk for another hour at least, their books scattered around on the floor and tennis bags leaning against the wall. More often than not, whoever was visiting wouldn't bother with the trek back to his room. Instead, it was a simple matter to strip down to the essentials and climb into bed together, fighting over the pillow and blankets.

 

What he particularly loved was when Eiji would curl around him, arms and legs winding here and there until he found the most comfortable position for sleeping, which always involved being at least half on top of Oishi, who was in his words `a furnace'. The happy noises and purring Oishi would catch as he ran his hands up and down that lean back were something he treasured, as well as the soft kisses Eiji would press against his chest and neck as he drifted off to sleep. He knew that his Eiji slept best in his arms, which made it even more special.

 

In their third year, they each held fast with their favorites, although other things in their lives seemed to shift as the year went by. They began to find ways to meet for lunch more and more, as time allowed, preferring to find a place outside so that they could enjoy the weather together when possible. Often, anyone looking could find them in a sunny corner of the commons, lounging in what Eiji had declared his `favorite sunbeam', enjoying the sunshine and sneaking bits of each other's meal.

 

No one knew that the two often met there at night as well, on the weekends, to stargaze on a blanket and just relax. They might someday tell someone that their first `real' kiss happened there one spring night, when Eiji was clinging to Oishi snugly for warmth and they'd both turned their heads at just the right moment. Neither of them were terribly shocked by it, but they both had certainly enjoyed it, which was most likely why the first had led to many more, and random inquiries the next day on campus as to why a pair of boxer shorts were tangled in one of the trees. They'd both simply laughed with everyone else and wandered off, Oishi silently mourning the pair of bowling pin boxers that his mother had bought him for his birthday but far too embarrassed to actually retrieve them.

 

By the time their senior year was drawing to a close and they were preparing for graduation, the bare essentials of clothing were clearly no longer required in bed. They both found they preferred the feeling of skin on skin, rubbing gently as they shifted at night. The split rooms had ended as well, Oishi finally succumbing to Eiji's pleading and offers to stop mussing his hair in the mornings. They tended to trip over the combination of tennis and book bags randomly, and squabbled over closet space almost daily, but they'd found a way to push both the beds together at night, giving them more room that they barely needed, but allowing for two pillows, and more blankets. After that, Oishi would appear at breakfast much less rumpled, and Eiji found that more and more, he was shifting to Oishi's point of view regarding the best time of the day, although he still preferred breakfast.

 

As they began shopping around for an apartment to house them through graduate school for Eiji, who had decided he wanted to be a history professor and medical school for Oishi, they took each other's favorites into consideration. Oishi insisted on a breakfast nook in the kitchen, stating firmly that the habit was too firmly set in him now to not need one. Eiji insisted on room for a larger bed, and windows in the bedroom, so that they could still see the stars at night while he wrapped himself around Oishi.

 

When they threw their housewarming party, everyone noticed that there was one bedroom, and one bed, but by then couldn't be bothered to tease or comment. It wasn't as if they hadn't expected it, after all. Instead they celebrated, ate, drank and had a wonderful time, leaving a pile of gifts to be sorted. Later that night, or morning, really, by the time they managed to strip down and curl up together in their new bed, they knew they'd miss breakfast, and Oishi pointed it out teasingly. Eiji simply stated that really, Oishi was the most important part of a good breakfast, and the food was just to give himself something to do while he had Oishi all to himself and didn't have to share.