Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Dealing with Davide ❯ Chapter 1

Dealing With Davide

Pairing : Bane x Davide
Rating : R
Warnings : Yaoi, lime, some strange humour, boy angst/sap
Disclaimer : Tennis no Oujisama belongs to Konomi Takeshi. Not me.

Summary : A year later and a high-school freshman, a troubled (and hormone-charged) Bane finds his friendship with Davide at crossroads and an unthinking kiss becomes the start of things to come. ^^

A/N : I love these two guys SO much. (Rokkaku is underrated! T__T) Just a note : Davide's pun jokes that appear in the fic are not a product of my mind. ^^;; I'd like to think I'm not capable of such jokes, LOL.

He plopped himself onto the wood, letting his legs dangle off the beam as he gazed around him. It was such a nice day today...even if the pairing trials hadn't gone as great as hoped. That thought dampened his mood a little. Then, other thoughts came flooding into his mind and his mood went from dampened to drenching resignation. Again and again, everyone said he was not suited to playing singles. He was a great shot-retriever, he had one of the best return-serves in the whole team, he had a pretty fast serve too. And...well, that was about it, really. People said he didn't have enough...enough...

What WAS that damn word again?!

Finesse.

He decided he hated big words as much as the fact he didn't have enough finesse. So, okay, he had to play doubles where his strengths could be utilised. That was okay with him. As long as he could play, he'd do anything. Then came the second problem. At the pairings trials, other people could find partners...except him. He was starting to think that the problem really was just *him*. His game was too reliant on power and counter-punching, he was too tall, blah blah blah...

Moaning loudly, he drew his legs up and tucked his knees under his chin. Today wasn't such a good day after all. And by the looks of things, he wasn't going to find a partner by his second year. Jeez...he was going to be *old* when he did find anyone.

"Bane-kun."

"Hey..." he said without turning. He didn't have to look to recognise that voice. Saeki Kojirou from Class C.

Saeki sat himself next to Bane, then leaned back on his elbows to stare up at the sky. "Don't mind, Bane-kun...you'll find a partner soon."

Bane shook his head glumly. "I've already been paired with everyone on the team and no one's right."

"What about the freshmen?"

"Even the freshmen." Bane said truthfully. The coolest thing about Rokkaku was that there was no real hierarchy in the team. Everyone - from the lowest first-year members to the seniors - all got along. So yeah...when he said he had tried pairing with *everyone*, he meant everyone.

"I don't mean those already in the team."

Eh? Now Bane's attention was fully captured. He turned to look at Saeki. The boy was in his usual bishounen-mode - all silver-white bangs, pretty dark eyes and prettier smile. Most people underestimated Saeki, and most people didn't know that Saeki's mind worked in ways that were anything but the norm.

Saeki arched an eyebrow back at him, before sitting up and pointing with his wooden racquet towards the playground tennis-court. Bane blinked in surprise. He had been so busy feeling sorry for himself he hadn't even noticed that the court was occupied. He squinted against the fading light, trying to make out the features from the silhouette of the strange figure. He could see it was a...boy, and tall too.

"First-year?" he couldn't help blurting in surprise. It was rare that freshmen were so tall.

"Let's go find out." Saeki leapt from the beam, landing lightly on his feet.

At the chain-link fence that separated the court from the playground, they had their good look at the stranger. He was a first-year student, all right, Bane could see straightaway from the colours of the freshman phys-ed jersey and trackpants that the boy wore. In no time, Bane also found himself admiring the form of the unknown freshman. The boy was serving ball after ball into the opposite court, and even then, it was not difficult to tell that he had a strong stroke and a good forehand. It was strange that he wasn't already on the tennis team.

"Inconsistent." Saeki was saying.

Bane grinned inwardly. Just like Saeki to start picking on the various weaknesses of other players.

It was quite possible the freshman heard Saeki's not-so-flattering commentary on his form, for he paused, before turning and began striding towards them. He stopped when he was right before the fence and for a moment, all three boys were silent as they did nothing but stare.

Up close, the freshman seemed even bigger. Already he was taller than Saeki and was about Bane's height. He was interesting-looking, Bane thought. He had hair that was a mop of wild, russet curls and a face that seemed to be permanently carved into a boyish scowl. He also had the brightest, most piercing grey eyes Bane had ever seen. And those eyes were now slowly tracking from him, to Saeki, and back to him again.

"Kurobane Harukaze." Bane introduced himself.

"Amane Hikaru." The voice was gruff and croaky like it hadn't finished breaking, or the boy was just being brusque.

Bane grinned into the intense grey gaze of the other boy. So grouchy. "Hey, you're not bad. We can play. You got any time for me?"

The wild-haired boy shook his head gravely. "Only Love."

...Huh?

"Love. Never winning at tennis."

Bane and Saeki blanched.

And satisfied with their response, Amane Hikaru's scowl dissolved into a giggle.

++++++++++

Like they said, the rest was history, really. Amane Hikaru - or Davide, as he was almost officially known for looking too much like his namesake - was an excellent player. Nobody would easily forget the tag Hyotei Hakyuningiri to his name for finishing off a hundred Hyotei members, just as they wouldn't forget the uber-long racquet he wielded. But like Saeki had pointed out more than two years ago, Davide lacked consistency, and being paired with Bane helped both of them get a hold on their games, and improve. So officially, Bane played both foil and complementation to Davide.

Unofficially, he played disciplinarian. Well...*someone* had to do the job.

Bane shook his head, growling under his breath. Okay, he'd admit he was in a foul mood. First year at high school had proved more challenging than anticipated. Not the studies part, which he dealt with in his usual pass-them-as-they-come method. He was on the tennis team, naturally. And high-school tennis was something else altogether, on a whole new dimension. It was all one big challenge for him, except for one thing.

He couldn't get rid of that feeling like there was something missing. He just couldn't! Something was just not *there* when it should be. It was a terrible feeling, because the worst part was he didn't know what that *something* was. If he didn't know what it was, then how could he fix it?!

He had already tried everything he knew to try and plug that hole in his existence. Sometimes he went to run for hours, at others he forced his fellow freshmen teammates to play with him for even more hours. At his most frustrated, he would grab Davide and coerce the younger boy into tagging along wherever his legs went. It was kinda low, he admitted. While Davide didn't have the word 'senpai' in his vocabulary, he would agree to anything Bane wanted, even if it was most grudgingly so.

So, here they were, traipsing aimlessly on a directionless street, with people trying Bane's patience every ten seconds or so. He flinched, pulling up short when a crazy cyclist sped past him, barely missing him by inches.

Behind him, Davide said sagely, "Psychopath...Cycle-path." Then he snickered.

Freezing in his tracks, Bane spun around on his heels and glared. Oh, he had a good glare, one which he used rarely but it was effective. On most people, that is.

Behind him, Davide merely looked surprised when he nearly walked into him.

Yup, the Glare was impotent on Davide.

In a fit of desperation, Bane contemplated driving his head against the nearest wall. But no, he had to restrain his suicidal urges. He still had a Davide to deal with. It was nothing short of amazing. Davide was already in his third-year at Rokkaku, and a full and proper senpai, for god's sake, yet he still behaved like a child. Oh yes, he still looked gruff and fierce with his too-wild hair and flashing eyes, but the moment he opened his mouth, he sounded all of five years old.

Maybe even younger.

Right now, Davide had his hands stuck in his pocket, fidgeting like an impatient kid, and his full lips were pursed into an impetuous scowl. Bane wasn't deceived. He'd bet his life - and Davide's too - that Davide was already thinking up the next pun he could crack. He was right. Grey eyes suddenly brightening, Davide opened his mouth.

"No," Bane interjected crossly. One more joke and he *would* kill.

"But - "

"NO!" Bane boomed.

Looking so much like a kicked puppy it wasn't funny, Davide scowled at him again, before sticking his hands deeper into his pockets and striding ahead.

It didn't take too long before Davide was already out of sight.

+++++++++

Long-suffering, Bane waited for a moment longer, before picking up his steps again. So here he was, trying to work out his problem and wallowing in that sixteen-year-old angst - that he was entitled to, thank you - and there was Davide, being...*Davide*. That boy was really most unhelpful. Other than cracking jokes every chance he got, he didn't do anything but...just being there. And of course, he had to go piss Bane off again - as usual!

Bane looked up, blinking out of his reverie. Home already? Silently, he let himself into the Amane Residence. Yup, Bane was staying there for this school term, until the new blocks of dormitories at his high school were completed. Plus, it was really convenient that Davide lived so near to his high school, and coupled with the fact they had known each other for years, Davide's parents had been really cool about the whole thing with Bane moving temporarily into their house.

Later, much later that night, Davide still hadn't emerged from his room and Bane was left alone downstairs, chewing viciously on his lip and wondering what exactly he had said that could provoke Davide so much. He also wondered why he even gave a damn. He had his own problems in school, trying to integrate himself into the tennis team without upsetting the pecking order too much, realising how much he badly he missed Rokkaku, making new friends at school, unable to stop himself from wishing his old junior-high schoolmates were there with him. Some of them were, but many weren't, so scattered they were now.

Davide wasn't there.

Then he caught himself fast. What did Davide have to do with anything?!

Bane popped a mint into his mouth, before pausing. That was what was most disturbing, he abruptly realised. It was the fact that a simultaneously infuriating and endearing Amane Hikaru had insinuated himself into his life, lodged somewhere real deep in Bane's psyche and refusing to budge.

Frowning, Bane looked up at the darkened stairs. He knew without of a doubt Davide was in his room sleeping. With a certain fondness that he'd rather die than admit to, he recalled that Davide's time-table was totally whacked. Davide took naps in the evening, wake up and do his schoolwork till after midnight before collapsing back into bed again.

Still frowning, Bane made his way up the stairs. He planned to return to the guestroom where he stayed, but found himself hovering indecisively outside Davide's room instead. The door was unlocked, slightly open. From where he stood outside, Bane could see the end of the bed in the middle of the dim interior, and he could also see one foot dangling off the strewn bed-covers.

Technically speaking, Bane should try his hand at reconciliation when the other party was actually awake and willing to listen. Or at least...awake, and not sleeping like the dead like what Davide was doing now. But well...Bane had never ever had the experience of mending things between the two of them. He just never needed to, and now that he was faced with that option, it was quite daunting. Of course, by now he had conceded that his tone with Davide earlier that day *had* been unnecessarily harsh. So, all he needed to do was march in, drag Davide awake and make the boy listen to and accept his apology. Right?

What really happened was the total opposite of his plans. Instead of marching in, he *stole* in, stealthily. And instead of dragging Davide awake, he found himself inexplicably, helplessly stranded at the end of Davide's bed, staring down at his former doubles partner.

It was quite a weird predicament.

Stiffly, Bane moved himself around the bed to the side instead, and felt no small amount of satisfaction that his legs were still obedient. Of course, just moving didn't actually help him wit his two core aims of waking Davide and then reconciling with Davide, but hell, it didn't stop Bane from feeling proud anyway.

So here he was, feeling like he was some dirty old man or something for his staring. Because at the moment, Davide was looking like he belonged in a hentai advertisement.

When horizontal, the fifteen year-old's frame wasn't as tall or large, and when sleeping, he wore nothing but a pair of boxers. It was familiar, the boxers he had on right now. It was the tatty, old pair with the faded prints of fluffy animals and the practically dead elastic band, which also meant that the boxers were practically *just* hanging onto Davide's hips. And when you add that together with the stretches of nude golden skin from the waist up, ruffled burnished hair and a chiselled face that looked so innocent in sleep...yeah, hentai advertisement.

It was a very wretched Bane staring down at his ex-junior. How *could* he even *think* of such ecchi thoughts about Davide!

It was really, really bad, the situation right now. Deep down inside, Bane was aware that his problems with tennis and with his mood swings weren't the....well, weren't the *only* problems he had to handle. His *hormones* were also screwing with him. Of course, it didn't help that his whole bunch of seniors thought that sharing porn magazines in the clubroom and 'helping out' with each other's 'problems' during breaks was perfectly fine. And it *didn't* help that his body reacted so easily to anything that involved too much bare skin, and that these days, he highly suspected that he thought with his hard-on, rather than his brain.

It was just all really bad.

Head dropping into his hands, Bane could barely keep himself from grabbing a pillow and thwacking Davide with it. Then maybe it *would* wake Davide up and Davide would see him and maybe crack a few stupid jokes so that the normalcy would be repaired between them and Bane would stop thinking of Davide under such a horribly perverted light. Or maybe Davide would leap awake in reaction, get pissed and hopefully get a good hit at Bane's head so that his mind could maybe stop its weirdness.

But he didn't do anything, and Davide didn't awaken, so Bane was ready to slunk off and hide himself in a corner and wallow in his pent-up frustrations and maybe *die* of them. Yay.

"Bane..."

Bane looked up sharply, barely managing to rein in a gasp. Did he wake Davide with all his prowling?! But no...the younger boy was still soundly asleep, now stretched out on his back, hands resting on his chest and stomach.

It was really time to leave the room.

Sucking in a deep, deep breath, Bane turned resolutely on his heels.

"Senpai..."

Shit. He'd never heard Davide call him that! Bane's eyes widened into saucers. He'd also heard Davide's voice too many times and he knew Davide's voice inside-out and he'd recognise it anywhere...but when had he ever heard Davide speaking with such a tone?! It was deep, yet whispery, and husky with what Bane's testosterone-hazed mind defined as a sultry promise. Bedroom voice. Davide had a freakin' bedroom voice.

Even sleeping, Davide was doing a number on his mind! Seized with angered confusion, Bane found himself right back at square one. Worse, actually. Instead of hovering at the side, he was now standing right next to the head of the bed, and even closer so now he could touch if he just reached out...

Nervous dark eyes flicked to the face of the slumbering occupant. The same dark gaze grew darker still as it lowered to take in full, pursed lips.

Bane swallowed. He had kissed before, several girls back at junior high, and even a sophomore in his current high-school. He'd just never kissed a boy before, and certainly not his own junior! Well, ex-junior. Would it taste like the sweet-softness as it was like with a girl? It was with intense curiosity and a certain measure of untimely arousal that Bane watched the unknowing Davide. Bane couldn't explain it, but it felt forbiddingly erotic, having someone vulnerable and helpless to his whims and fancies. Pillowed by carelessly-strewn golden-red curls, Davide's face lay open, even tilted slightly upwards as if it was just waiting for him.

If he took one kiss...just one...

Gingerly, he placed his palms on either side of David's face. Lowering his head until his face hovered just inches away from Davide's, Bane paused, his heart pounding wildly. His throat had gone very dry. He was so, so close to Davide he could see the tiniest imperfections in the boy's face, but most of all, the rosy beckoning mouth. Later, he'd blame it on hormones. Now...

With just the littlest dip of head, Bane barely brushed the other's mouth, before jerking back. By now, his heartbeat was going so fast and so erratically Bane wouldn't be surprised if he went into cardiac. He hung back, nervous gaze alert for any signs of consciousness from Davide. There was a tiny crease between the younger boy's brows, as if he had felt something but not enough to be awoken. But of course...the kiss had been so light Bane wasn't even sure he *had* kissed Davide or not.

With no small amount of foolish bravado, Bane tried again. This time, he fitted his mouth snugly over the other till he felt the firm pressure of lips yielding to him in a slide of jolting friction, then he sank into the kiss, gently prying apart unresisting lips. He was light-headed from the onrushing sensations from this single act of touching mouths with his partner. It wasn't like it was with a girl. The taste that flooded his mouth was a dizzying mixture of sleep, boyish masculinity, and the faintest traces of sports cologne that still clung to Davide.

"...Hmmphh..."

Bane recoiled at once, pulling away with his own intake of air loud in his ears. His lips were tingling, too warm, and still tasted of the other boy. Yet, he didn't have too long to contemplate about how obviously-kissed Davide's mouth - all moist and reddened as they were - looked right now.

Grey eyes were fluttering open, heavy with slumber as they rolled around before focusing on Bane. They widened sharply, the shock and surprise all too apparent in them.

Was Davide aware of what Bane had done? Did Davide feel the same electrifying thrills Bane had felt during the kiss?

Bane didn't stay to find out. Forcing his voice steady, he grinned awkwardly at a dazed Davide. "Just came to tell you that...uh, there's still some dinner left. Downstairs." He stalled, before shaking his head and forging on. "If...you want, that is."

Then he turned on his heels quickly, headed towards the door, nearly halting when he thought he heard Davide try to speak. But he left, and the door slid shut with a loud click behind him.

+++++++++

The ball impacted with his racquet and his arm trembled from the force. This wouldn't be enough to stop him anyway! His arm swung in an arc, slamming a beautiful backhand down the line. He still couldn't rest easy, however. The ball was returned almost as easily back into his partner's side of the court.

And Bane watched, wanting to growl when the other boy's racquet just missed the return. He shrugged, called out 'don't mind' when the older boy turned to him with a frown like it was Bane's fault for that miss. Bane struggled to keep his mouth shut at that. He got along with everyone in the team, but he was the freshman, and his teammates wouldn't hesitate to rub that fact into his face if he asked for it.

Bane almost missed being back in junior-high where he was a third-year student - the most senior. It felt strange to be a freshman again.

The match ended with Bane's side losing four-six, three-six. Bane sighed inwardly when his partner, a sophomore, came over and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"We'd get them the next time, kid."

Bane tried not to grimace. He knew how he must look to them with his tousled black hair and his height - that had once been an invaluable asset back in Rokkaku - now not quite so significant next to his just-as-towering seniors. Kid. Just like what they liked to call him.

"Next time, senpai," Bane shot back with trademark easiness that was smooth foil to the smirk in his eyes. "Maybe you'd like to work on your strokes first."

All throughout packing his bag, Bane ignored the irritated looks directed at his back. Call him a fool but he had no problems with doing his own thing even if the whole world was against him. If they were pissed off with him...then fine! There was, admittedly, a niggling ache that had to do with being alone now, when he used to have a partner to shoulder half the burden and...half of everything else too.

If he were partnering Davide, it'd be a totally different story.

That thought was stuck in his mind all the way as he walked back to Davide's home. And as he neared his temporary home, that thought was replaced by the singular image of himself bent over his ex-junior, their lips meshing, Davide moaning into his mouth.

When he entered the house, Davide's parents were just leaving, presumably on another one of those high-brow functions. Bane grinned weakly as he exchanged greetings with them. They were nice, both of them, and way cooler than many parents he knew...other than his own, probably. And now, as they smiled benignly at him and asked about his day, Dad Amane even cracking a very Davide-esque joke about high-school, Bane felt very guilty. Just wait till they found out that Bane had molested their son in his bed while they were out, and Bane would surely be booted out from their house.

He waved when they left. Then he looked around the house. It was starting to feel like THAT day, where the house was half-dimmed with only a couple of ceiling lights glowing softly and Bane had trotted upstairs to Davide's room where...

Sighing explosively, Bane ran a hand through his cropped hair. He was getting too good at digging himself into holes! These days, he had been doing nothing but entangling himself into tricky situations. Today had been the same! On hindsight, although his sophomore partner *was* a pompous ass, Bane himself had been one when he had first partnered Davide years back! Plus...now that he thought about it, senpai hadn't sounded all that condescending and God forbid, maybe that 'kid' thing was just in the name of fun.

The thing with Davide was worse...much, much worse. The first thing was whether this made Bane gay now that he had *kissed* another boy. And the second and far more troubling matter was if he had freaked Davide out for good and effectively ruined their friendship beyond repair.

He was going up the stairs again, his steps leaden and unsure. People were going to *laugh* their asses off if they knew that the staircase in the Amane Residence also doubled as a rite of passage for troubled teenaged boys. Each of his steps felt like he had to make a decision all over again, except he wasn't even sure what those decisions were.

When he reached the top and felt like he had conquered a mountain, Bane's gaze rested on the doorway to his room...and then on Davide's room. Oh shit, it *really* was starting to feel like That Day. Bane again found himself hovering uncertainly on the landing. He had to go talk to Davide, possibly apologise, maybe let the younger boy get in a good punch somewhere. But Bane was also deathly afraid of finding Davide asleep again, and then heaven knew what his severely unstable temperament and hormonal level would do again?!

But...he did have issues to clear up with Davide. What issues he wasn't sure, but he knew there *were* issues.

He reached the door - this was one of the easier parts. And he knocked this time. When silence still greeted him, he used voice instead. "Oi! Davide! It's me. Open up!" Then he knocked harder.

At this, the door did open, but not because Davide did it for him. Unlocked, the door slid open at his knockings.

Again, he saw the feet first. Bare and crossed at the ankles. A quick glance the rest of the way and quite dismally, he realised that Davide was again, asleep. What kept Bane from bolting from the room was that this time, it wasn't quite so bad.

Davide was actually sitting up, back resting against the headboard, head tilted back to the wall. His hands were slack, half-cradling the thick General Chemistry textbook and his ears were firmly plugged with earphones, from which the faint filtering of pounding music could be heard even from where Bane stood. He was definitely asleep; chest rising and falling in deep, slow movements. He was covered too, thank God. The sleeveless tee and shorts were definitely more decent than the boxers of before.

Feeling safe enough to approach, Bane paused next to the bed. He wanted to laugh when he noticed that Davide's wavy hair was pulled back into a ponytail, like how he did every time he got serious about something. Bane's eyes fell on the textbook and his grin turned a little wistful. Hoh...lucky textbook, probably. Davide was serious about *few* things.

Right, anyway, it was time to get this over and done with. Bane squared his shoulders resolutely. "Oi..." he tried to speak as comfortably as he could to a sleeping boy. "Wake up, will you. We gotta talk."

Silence.

"Davide." Bane said again, louder. "Amane Hikaru!" Again, nothing. Honestly!

Griping under his breath, Bane began pulling out the plugs stuck in the other boy's ears. The music was so loud Bane could hear everything being sung - or screeched - even without putting the plugs close to his own ears. Christ. No wonder Davide could be so spacey at times; he was probably going deaf!

The wire tangled into stray curls, and Bane's touch grew hesitant as he tugged the coils free. The feel of the hair startled him. It felt softer than it looked, and cooler than its fiery colour. Before Bane could catch himself, his fingers had brushed over the curve of one carved cheekbone, then down to slack lips. These were the lips he had kissed just days ago. These were also the lips that spouted the weirdest things Bane had ever heard. Things that seemed funny only to Davide. Nobody ever understood or appreciated them. Bane included...but maybe he kinda missed them.

Of course, he also missed those grey eyes now watching him so -

Watching him?!

Bane was sure he leap several feet backwards in his mortification. What the fuck?! Davide was awake the whole time?! Or did he just wake up? Hard to tell. The younger boy had straightened and was staring at Bane with grey eyes that gleamed with an undecipherable expression in them.

"Da-Davide," Bane gave a croaky chuckle. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. Shit, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this anxious! "I thought...maybe we can talk or something."

"Why?"

Why? Bane was taken aback. Had he taken things so far that there was really no room for remedy?

"Just do it like last time."

Like last time...the kiss! Bane's eyes widened. Davide knew! And Davide didn't mention a thing about it until now. And wait...wait a minute. Did Davide just tell him to repeat it?!

Completely unhelpful as before, Davide just held his gaze unwaveringly, his face expressionless if not for the still-present emotion that couldn't be read in his eyes.

"Like last time?" Bane muttered uncomprehendingly.

"So the last time was the last time."

Instinctively, Bane felt his leg twitch. For heaven's sake, this was *not* the time to joke about things! "No!" he snapped.

"No," Davide repeated after him, then fell silent. His head cocked slightly, as if wondering what Bane was thinking.

Well, Bane himself would love to know what he was thinking too! He didn't get it. If Davide knew, why was Davide so...nonchalant about it?! Bane was sure he didn't know *any* other pair of tennis doubles partners who could share - of all things - kisses! Then abruptly, he was reminded of the Tokyo's Seigaku and how weirdly close all of the tennis members seemed. So okay...at least Bane didn't know any other tennis partners in Chiba who could, you know, kiss and be okay with it! He had expected anger from Davide, maybe even confusion, but not this strange...acceptance of sorts.

"You're..." Sighing, Bane sat himself on the edge of the bed. He was acutely aware of how close the other boy was and was also too aware that he was in Davide's bed, but his legs didn't seem like they could support him any longer. "You're okay with it? I mean - I DID ki - do something that I...shouldn't." He glanced up uncertainly.

Two large hands flew up and clapped Bane soundly on both cheeks.

A groan and a grimace later, Bane was rubbing his face with a wry grin.

"Now are you okay with it?"

"Yeah," Bane chuckled sheepishly, awkwardly. Actually he still didn't get what was going on, but he did get the most important part of it all. Davide was okay with it. It struck him then, how Davide was all right with so many things that Bane insisted upon. It made him wonder if Davide was agreeing with this only because he was used to agreeing to Bane, or if Davide really didn't mind.

At any rate, that issue could be left for later, because at the moment, Bane could only focus on how the younger boy was just seated there, inches away, completely acquiescent. That was it. Davide was *willing*, and Davide never did anything that he truly didn't want to do.

Shifting forward a little, the motion causing the textbook to slip off the bed, Bane decided he was not quite ready to kiss Davide again. Not on the mouth anyway. Kissing the boy when he was asleep and unknowing was not quite the same as kissing him with his eyes wide open and focused on Bane so intensely. Maybe he could...another time, but for now...there was that fascinating spot right at the base of Davide's ear which was always touched by a stray curl. Reaching out with a shaking hand, Bane pushed that curl away, before dipping his head and pressing his lips to the skin.

Bane was very, very conscious of what he was doing. The kisses he rained over a tanned ear and down a hard jaw, nudging his nose against the softer underside of the jawline. The rush he was getting was heady, assaulting his senses with Davide's clean, bed-tinged smell, but he was still very conscious, even when he tentatively suckled at the prominent Adam's apple and felt Davide jerking against him in surprise...and he suspected, pleasure.

Both of them were moving awkwardly, hesitantly, two lean, hard bodies grating against each other as they shifted in and out of caresses. It was so laughably unlike their seamless partnership in tennis, but Bane thought it still felt good. It was almost...comforting, like taking refuge when Bane ran his hands over familiar limbs and mouthed kisses over dips and angles of a form he had known for so long but had never touched in this way.

And Davide was responding, in his own Davide way. He neither kissed nor touched Bane like Bane was doing to him, but he moved in tandem, leaning into Bane's caresses, breaths growing heavy and husky.

Bane wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to stop...maybe just shy of fucking Davide right in his own bed - a thought that was daunting even to a arousal-crazed Bane right now. Of course Davide wasn't going to pull the brakes; he was practically draped over Bane, a mass of quivering nerve-endings and instincts, and ticklish hair.

"Davide," Bane pulled away, slipping his hands out from under Davide's shirt. He pushed against the boy's chest, nearly laughing despite his rather painful hard-on when he saw the indignation in Davide's grey eyes. "Move, Hikaru."

It was a technique, calling Davide by his given name. Use it at the right time and Davide would do *anything*, which was good right now. A year older, Bane was also taller and had put on enough muscles to be obviously larger, but Davide wasn't exactly pixie-sized. If the boy got stubborn, it'd take *wrestling* for Bane to win physically.

Davide obeyed, sliding down the bed and forward till there was enough space for Bane to move onto the bed behind him. Stretching out his legs on either side of Davide, Bane wrapped his arms around his former partner and pulled him back against his chest. It was tough, sitting up and spooning each other, but it'd work. Bane's hands went back under the shirt

Davide's ginger, curly head had fallen forwards, stray curls plastering to his face. His hands twisted into the sheets as Bane began sliding his hands randomly over warm skin, caressing as he did. Davide's body was so hard, without the slightest ounce of fat, and Bane fitted against his back, equally angular. There was nothing soft about this meeting between their bodies, just smooth skin encasing muscles.

"Up," Bane whispered hoarsely as he slipped his hands under Davide's knees. They rose obediently, bending at the knees. Bane's mind was losing control of his resolve. Fast. He was no longer thinking, just feeling a strange euphoria at having another boy, with a temperament, a game, and even an intensity that matched his own, pliant in his arms.

Stifled groans were tumbling ceaselessly from Davide's full lips, his legs twitching as if he wanted to escape from Bane's hands. There was no escape however. Settling his hands on the younger boy's knees, Bane spread them further apart, before stroking down surprisingly soft skin of inner thighs. And it made Bane grit his teeth, biting off his moan with a snap of teeth as Davide's firm, muscled ass ground back into him, sparking fiery pleasure that pooled deep in Bane's groin.

"Davide..." Bane groaned into the nape of the boy's neck. His hand was at the opening of Davide's shorts, pausing, asking for permission.

Again, Davide didn't speak. If Bane weren't so fucking blinded by lust, he might have laughed at the realisation. Davide, always speaking too much and too freakishly for his own good, was speechless in pleasure. As if confirming that, Davide's head fell back onto Bane's shoulder, red-gold curls tumbling into Bane's neck. His mouth was open, panting in ragged breaths.

There was some acknowledgement of Davide's acquiescence as his legs widened even further, and Bane wasted no time plunging his hand deep into the inviting warmth. The shorts were very loose and all the better, as Bane's exploring fingers found the velvety smoothness of the most intimate parts of the fifteen-year-old. No underwear...that hedonistic redhead.

"Senpai..."

Bane decided that he liked Davide's only vocalisation in bed. Senpai...It meant giving in to his wishes, it meant bending himself to Bane's will, it meant forgoing protestations and letting himself be opened and vulnerable to the pleasure Bane was giving him.

Bane's free hand worked at the buttons of the shorts. God, these white shorts. Who'd have thought they would look so good on the tanned, lithe body? They'd be his undoing yet! The zipper was slid down carefully, a quick tug and heated flesh spilled into Bane's hand.

The red head at Bane's shoulder tossed fitfully, arching as Bane massaged that stiffening length, his other hand still fondling the boy inside his shorts.

Bane hadn't expected Davide to really participate. This was almost all Bane's idea, so it startled the older boy when a wiry arm suddenly reached backwards, hand groping blindly as if trying to find something.

"Hang on..." Bane muttered, taking his hand out of Davide's shorts and pulling at his own. His groan came out an almost-growl as his touch closed around his own erection. He was so fucking hard it wouldn't take much more to finish him off. And he did growl, teeth sinking into the side of Davide's neck when he felt another hand, not his own and feeling entirely different, began to work at his erection.

The angle was off, Davide half-twisting as he much as he could with Bane's hand still gripping him between his legs, and hellishly awkward with them pumping each other's arousal in their positions. But they were also two horny teenaged boys and all that they really heard and felt were their own harsh panting, and their feverishly-stroking hands.

It really didn't take too long. Davide willing jerking him off and the raw pleasure of his already rock-hard erection being so roughly fondled by an unschooled hand were too much. Bane came hard, muffling his moans against the shirt-covered back before him. He felt the flex of the burning flesh in his palm and then Davide was shuddering, whole body seizing as he climaxed into Bane's hand.

Damn. Bane's mind actually worked after seeing nothing but stars for a good minute. That felt *good*.

++++++++++

They must have spent ages just staring at the ceiling of Davide's bedroom. Earlier, they had cleaned the bed, tossed off the soiled sheets and wiped up any residue with tissue. Then they had collapsed back onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Bane thought he should have left the room, but he didn't, not wanting to do it, and then ditch it. It was weird, thinking this way. Davide was a guy, not some frail-hearted girl, but still...this was his doubles partner - nevermind they were no longer partners now - they were talking about. And Bane didn't think it was okay just for him to kiss Davide when the boy was sleeping and defenceless, later swoop down on him and manhandling him, and then leaving just like that.

And he was feeling better now. No, not just the physically sated part. Yes, he was sated, but he was also satisfied in a way that left him mindless and almost grinning as he picked out the cracks on the ceiling. It was the first time in ages since he last felt so...devoid of thoughts. It was also the first time in some time that he hadn't felt like something was missing. Next to him, Davide was a quiet presence. Bane sneaked a peek at him. The younger boy was also staring at the ceiling, his grey eyes almost dreamy in his reverie, and his hair a rakish mess that made him look rumpled...and adorable.

"Hey..." Bane said, his voice a rather awkward vibration in the still air.

Grey eyes riveted on him.

"That day...when I shut you up and you left me stranded on the street. What was it you were trying to say?"

Pouty lips tightened into a stubborn line, and Bane chuckled wryly. "Don't get pissy on me now, Davide. You know, you - "

"Do you wanna play doubles at the Spex?"

Surprised, Bane turned onto his side and regarded the other boy. Oh he knew about the Spex. A prefectural tournament free for all. Players entered the tournament on their own credit and were unaffiliated to their respective schools. So, that was what Davide had been trying to tell him? Not some dumb joke?

"We can partner."

Bane's throat worked for a moment before he could speak. "Ah...sure." It'd be something, partnering Davide again, conquering the courts as doubles. His smile turned a little fond as he watched an embarrassed Davide turn his face towards the wall. Bane himself was feeling more than inadequate. Both of them really suck at this communication thing. Well, talking communication anyway.

"So," Bane began to sit up and get off the bed. "I'll be going back to my - geh!" His sentence ended in a croak as grey eyes were suddenly back on him. When had Davide's eyes gotten so scarily piercing?!

"The bed is big enough."

The corners of Bane's lips twitched. That was no pun joke, but it certainly had hidden meaning.

The bed is big enough. You'd better stay or ELSE.

"All right, all right," Bane grinned as he slid back down. The ceiling was back in his vision, and his thoughts were running free with tennis courts, tournaments, and a redheaded partner.

Plus, his Davide problem had been solved...kinda.

Life wasn't so bad after all.

fin
July 2004

more author's ramblings : The biggest problem is the guys' characterisation, which is rather woefully developed in the series, IMO. So a big part of whoever they are in the fic is my own interpretation. ^^;;