Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Sense for Trouble ❯ Sense for Trouble ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Sense for Trouble

Author: <lj user=”justsonya”>

Rating: PG

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Pairing: Oishi/Kikumaru

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never were, never will be. I'm making nothing but pride off of doing this, thanks.

Notes: Written for <lj-comm=”fanfic100”>. #35: Sixth Sense.

 

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Oishi seemed to have a sixth sense for Eiji. Specifically, a sense of when his partner was in desperate need of help or saving of some sort. Eiji had begun to suspect it back towards the end of junior high, when he'd been desperate for just a bit more money to buy the shoes he desperately wanted, and fled the store only to see Oishi standing there, as if waiting for him to ask for help. Oishi was his rock, his savior, in all things stressful or dramatic or dangerous.

 

It had continued over the years through high school. Like the time he'd been cornered by his own fan club after they'd taken the Nationals tournament their second year, seemingly determined to have some sort of souvenir of the redhead and the wild acrobatics that had won them their last game and then the match. Oishi had appeared out of nowhere and pulled the fire alarm, dispersing the crowd and escorting his partner to safety. Or the time Eiji had been lured into drinking while out at a party, and had more than a bit too much their last year of high school, and Oishi had found him doing something stupid with a girl they both still blushed to think about, and had cleaned him up and taken him home with him.

 

Eiji had thought that perhaps going to different universities and only seeing each other for training and matches might weaken Oishi's sixth sense somehow, and had been depressed at the thought. Sure they still spent a lot of time together, but Oishi wasn't there all the time, something he missed terribly during his long days of classes and homework. Truthfully his day only fully began when he got off the train to find his partner waiting for him on the platform, ready to walk him to the practice courts their coach reserved for them six days a week. Then it seemed like the distance melted away, lost in their chatter and the casual touches that had become habit over the past six years.

 

He learned, in the end, that Oishi was indeed remarkable the first time he found himself studying frantically late into the night for a math exam he was sure he would fail. It wasn't that he hadn't paid attention, or attended class, or even taken notes. The subject just seemed to elude him completely. Already to the point of near-insane frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair, he jumped nearly a foot when the knock came at his dormitory room door. It shouldn't have surprised him, he realized almost immediately, to open the door and find Oishi there looking worried as he slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

 

“You didn't call,” his partner chided him gently, setting his book bag down on Eiji's bed. “You always call before bed, to remind me of things I'm supposed to know. Like your birthday coming up, or practice tomorrow, or to remember to pick up your favorite snacks before meeting you at the train.”

 

Eiji's answer was to simply point at the offending math text and wail, tossing his arms around Oishi's waist and burying his face in the slightly taller man's chest. While he'd given up much of his more childish behavior over the years, his need to cling to his partner when distressed hadn't faded in the least. Just wrapping his arms around the person he trusted the most seemed to calm him somewhat, and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent that was just Oishi, exhaling with pleasure as he responded by wrapping and tightening his arms around him in return.

 

“Math test?” Oishi asked while rubbing his hands gently along Eiji's back to comfort him. “Why didn't you say something earlier? We could have studied after practice, you know. I don't have an exam at all this week, and my paper is already done.”

 

“Didn't want to bother you,” Eiji whispered, nuzzling deeper into the embrace. “I'm always asking you for things, and you always take care of me. I thought I should do this on my own.”

 

“Really, Eiji,” Oishi pulled back and grinned down at him, eyes full of laughter. “If you want to assert independence, you should at least choose a subject you're good at, like biology. Not asking for help with math would be like playing a match without me. Frustrating and exhausting, and you probably wouldn't smell very good at the end either.”

 

Eiji's face shot up at that, and he replied simply by sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes, before pulling back finally. Not giving it another thought, he ruthlessly stole his roommate's chair and pulled it up next to his own, before settling in at his desk again, patting the seat next to him demandingly. Oishi obediently sat, and they spent the next two hours reviewing until Eiji was comfortable enough to declare the studying done for the evening.

 

Looking up at the clock, he frowned. It was one in the morning already, and he doubted Oishi could make it back to his own campus on the trains this late. Shrugging lightly, he gestured with his head to the digital display and then to his bed. Oishi nodded agreeably, and tucked his book bag into the corner. It wouldn't be the first or the last time one or the other had been forced to camp for the night in a single bed, although it was often more likely to be Oishi's, as he had a single room. Getting up, Eiji rummaged a bit in one of his drawers before pulling out Oishi's stash of clothing, tossing him a t-shirt and boxers and his spare toothbrush before turning to straighten his bed.

 

Before long they were settled, if a bit cramped, and dozing lightly. Sometimes it amused Oishi that Eiji thought nothing of tugging his arm around the redhead's waist as they settled in, spooning comfortably. He certainly never seemed to mind the soft kiss Oishi dropped on the nape of his neck as a fond goodnight, or the possessive way that arm remained in place all night, keeping them close. Instead, the redhead only seemed to purr lightly as he drifted off to sleep, secure in his partner's arms.

 

Someday, they both knew, they'd have to really look at this, but both were content with the way things were for now and unwilling to push. They'd been the Golden Pair for going on seven years now, and nothing was going to tear that apart. Oishi would always be there to save Eiji, and Eiji would always be there to drive Oishi to do things he would never otherwise think to do. For now, that was more than enough.