Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Talking Through Actions, Actions Through Talking ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Hoseki 
The gang's all here!
Anime/Manga: Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.11.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 1.5K | Status: Completed
The gang's all here!
Anime/Manga: Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.11.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 1.5K | Status: Completed
A/N: wootzorz! Chap two has FINALLY come out! Been a long time comin, but I do have TWO other fics that are published on AFF & MM that I'm workin on as well *Go take a look at them and tell me what you think!* Many thanks to my lovely beta ladygizarme who fixes all my crap mistakes lol Love ya girl *huggles* Oh and another thanks to my girl Ren for not wanting Ryoma to have a devastating illness, thus making me write out a lil something for her that she truly didn't want *giggles* that was altered and placed into this chap to make things a bit more interesting ^__~ It's all good Ren! You helped me!! hehe And thanks to all who have reviewed thus far! The more reviews the quicker I write!!
Anywho, this chapter has an important warning, so listen and listen good! Warning: This chapter mentions half a dozen different Japanese cuisines that might make one hungry, so do have something to eat before you read on. You have been warned ^__~
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Key:
Tempura can usually be ordered by the piece, but many people prefer the more economical set meal (teishoku). The teishoku includes several varieties of tempura, plus rice, pickles, and soup
Nigiri-sushi: prepared by putting a slice of raw fish onto a bite-size portion of hand-rolled, vinegar-flavored rice
norimaki: in which vinegar-flavored rice and seasoned boiled vegetables are rolled in paper-thin layers
sembei: aka the Japanese rice cracker
yasai sembei: vegetables that have been thinly sliced, covered in sugar and baked
itawasa: sliced kamaboko fish cakes served with wasabi (green horseradish)
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~Chapter Two~
Echizen Ryoma was sitting in the middle of Kawamura Sushi, surrounded by his old friends. Kawamura-san closed down the restaurant for his son's friends to have a proper welcome back party for their old teammate. He prepared a feast fit for a god, which he held Ryoma to that pedestal.
Lining the table were plates full of nigiri-sushi, norimaki, yasai sembei, and, fresh out of the vat of hot oil, teishoku. The boys sat in awe as Kawamura-san laid out all the food. A particular plate of itawasa was placed directly in front of Fuji.
"Heavy on the wasabi, just for you Fuji-kun," the older man said with a wink.
"Arigatou, Kawamura-san," Fuji said with a slight bow of the head in thanks.
With a quick, "Thanks for the food!" the boys dug into all the awaiting plates, particularly aiming for the "cooled enough" tempura. At first the meal consisted of the sounds of chewing and pleased moans emitting from their mouths as they enjoyed the food. When Ryoma happened to bite down into a rather tasty sweet potato, he moaned his gratitude quite loudly, which had the ex-Seigaku members cracking up madly. The boy's face turned a slight shade of pink as his friends mocked him, he glanced to his left where a particular light brown haired man sat, his slate colored eyes boring deep into Ryoma's soul.
Tezuka Kunimitsu got a call from Oishi after he returned home, explaining that they were going to have dinner at their old hang out to welcome home Ryoma. Not even thinking twice on the matter, he said he'd be there. The chance to see the green-haired boy again made his stomach tighten in anticipation as he got ready to meet his friends.
Now he sat catacorner to Ryoma, watching his every move out of the corner of his eye. He figured the young prodigy had no clue that every little move he made was with such a fluid and precise motion, just like how he was on the tennis courts, but he'd be doing something like wiping his mouth with a napkin or leaning over to pick up a sweet potato from the teishoku plate. His chopsticks clasped around the fried piece of vegetable, his arm bent to bring it back over his plate, mouth opened slightly as he brought the food to his lips and took a small bite. The juices spilled forth, Ryoma closed his eyes and he moaned at the sweet taste of the hot veggie. Tezuka almost fell backwards when he heard the boy moan so loudly, never expecting to hear the delectable sound come from his lips so soon. He glared at Echizen, trying to see if he was purposely doing this to him. His face had turned pink once the group heard his moan, and he flashed his eyes towards Tezuka to see if he too was laughing.
No, Ryoma was not playing around. Ryoma was being himself, one who takes pleasure in the little things, and who doesn't hide his true feelings. Unlike Tezuka who will keep everything bottled up, won't express his anger, sadness, or joy. Tezuka stared at the purity of the soul deep within the younger man. Wanting to express himself like Ryoma could when he wanted or just didn't care. Tezuka was tired of holding back all emotions, he wanted to be free, free like Ryoma.
When Ryoma realized Tezuka wasn't laughing, he lowered his head to finish his sweet potato, and when he glanced back up to still see the man staring intently at him, he began to get uncomfortable. 'He looks like he's trying to not blurt out "20 laps around the court, Echizen!"' Ryoma laughed to himself. He locked eyes with the older man, trying to find what it was that Tezuka was looking for. The two stared each other down for what seemed like hours, but was truly no more than thirty or forty seconds. Their staring contest was interrupted when wails from Eiji filled the sushi restaurant.
"Oi, Eiji, you should no better than to steal food from Fuji's plate," said Oishi as he handed Eiji a glass of water.
The group laughed as Eiji downed his water, Oishi's water, and about a third of everyone else's water before he laid his head on the table. Oishi reached out and rubbed the back of Kikumaru's neck, trying to distract him of the burning sensation in the front of his throat, and the embarrassment for being a curious kitty who wanted to taste the yummy looking itawasa, which were made up already of wasabi, and were then filled with more wasabi for Fuji's tastes.
Ryoma stared blankly at Seigaku's Golden Pair. 'Oishi was always the mother of the group,' Ryoma thought to himself, 'he's just making sure Eiji is ok, just like he would any of us..right?' Wrong. As he picked up his chopsticks to grab a sembai, he watched as Oishi wiped the sweat off of Eiji's brow, and leaned down and kissed his forehead. The sembai fell with a clatter as it landed on an empty plate.
"Echizen, you ok?" asked Momoshiro, waving a hand in front of the boy who couldn't take his eyes off of the redhead and his apparent...lover?
"H-Hai," Ryoma stumbled, coming out of his daze.
"Echizen has been away from the group longer than the rest of us, he is not aware of Eiji and Oishi's relationship," Inui spoke up.
"Hoi! Hoi! This is true!," lifting his head back up from the table, Eiji smiled happily as he took hold of Oishi's hand.
"The two blind idiots finally realized their feelings for each other just last year," came a hiss from Kaidoh at the end of the table across from Tezuka.
"Momo-kun, why not tell Ryoma your good news too?" asked a very innocent Takashi.
Eyes wide, Momoshiro clasped his hands over Kawamura Takashi's mouth, slowly turning to look back at Ryoma, or was it Kaidoh? Stuttering, Momoshiro started, "Ano..I-I..oh..I am d-dating s-someone too, E-Echizen." Momoshiro sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, grinning widely. The table sat quietly, waiting for Momoshiro to confess who it was he was dating.
Closing his eyes as he took a sip of sake, Ryoma opened an eye to look at his best friend, "Oi, Momo-senpai, if you want to tell me you are dating Kaidoh-senpai, then just say so."
At the end of the table you could hear Kaidoh spitting out his drink, sputtering at Ryoma's accusation, true as it was. Ryoma had closed his eyes again to take another sip, his body seeming to relax more each time he let his eyes close, but realized that the group had not said a word since. He set down his cup and opened his eyes and glanced around the table to see everyone's mouth gaping and staring to his left, across the table. He looked over to where Tezuka was sitting, and a chuckle escaped his lips. The boys diverted their attention to Ryoma who covered his mouth quickly, but the shaking shoulders didn't hide the fact that he was laughing at the now soaked captain. Kaidoh must have taken a long swig of sake in attempts to cool his rage, but did not have the chance to swallow when Ryoma opened his mouth.
After some silence, except for a few escaped chuckles from Ryoma, the entire room burst out in laughter. All, except for two blushing senpais, and a very irate captain. Not holding his laughter back now, Echizen bellowed out his laugh, holding his stomach as he glanced back up to see his captain glaring daggers into Ryoma's eyes. Echizen smirked at the wet man and winked. Tezuka rolled his eyes at this, and grabbed a napkin to dry himself off of Kaidoh's spit and sake.
After everyone came back down from their high of laughing, they began to ask Ryoma more questions about his life in the last couple years. They only got so much out of him on the way to the restaurant after they found him after practice.
Momoshiro slapped Ryoma's back as he asked, "Oi, Echizen, how's the love life? Still got girls screamin' your name down the halls?"
"Did you ever end up dating Ryuzaki Sakano, Echizen?" questioned Fuji.
Stilling at the name, Ryoma looked over to Fuji across from him and took a quick side glance to Tezuka who sat to Fuji's right. Apparently Ryoma wasn't the only one who stilled to Fuji's question. "Ah, h-hai, Sakano and I dated for s-some time," Ryoma stumbled.
"Oi! Echizen! Did you finally learn how to take a girl on a proper date?" asked Momoshiro with a wide grin.
Rolling his eyes, Echizen stood, his body feeling heavy, used the table for leverage. "It's getting late, and we have practice in the morning, ne buchou?"
"Hn," and a nod followed from the seemingly brooding captain. He stood along with the others, all thanked Takashi's father once again for treating them to such a wonderful dinner, and the group began to head home.
Oishi and Eiji, hand in hand, walked towards Eiji's house, Eiji giggling most of the way. Momoshiro and Kaidoh walked side by side, arms brushing nonchalantly, towards Momoshiro's house. Inui and Fuji headed one way until they split to their separate homes, and Ryoma and Tezuka walked quietly down the sidewalk towards both their homes which was in the same direction.
The tension was thick between the two. Neither one knew what to say, to do. Tezuka was still a bit upset knowing that Ryoma had dated the Ryuzaki girl, even though he had no right to be. The more he thought about it the more jealous he got. The two's first date, dance, kiss, making love. Now his insides were turning, his fists clenched tightly and he closed his eyes trying to erase the images that would pop up in his mind of the two laying in bed together after hours of making love, Ryoma whispering to her how much he cared for her and he'd never leave her, for nobody.
"Tezuka-senpai?" Ryoma grabbed the older man by the elbow to stop him. Tezuka opened his eyes to see a look of concern in bronze eyes. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why Ryoma had stopped them. "Your hands," he said, reaching for the tightly gripped fists, "they're turning white." Ryoma slid his fingers down Tezuka's forearms and wrapped his hands gently around the tightly bound ones. He stroked them and looked pleadingly into Tezuka's eyes.
Melting at the look Ryoma was giving him, he breathed out and slowly uncurled his fingers. Instantly Ryoma held them up to his face, examining them to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. He placed his thumbs in each of Tezuka's palms, and began to rub gentle circles to erase the fingernail marks and loosen his hands more.
'What's wrong with him? He's been acting weird all night,' Ryoma said to himself as he continued rubbing the large hands of Tezuka. 'Gah, I wanted to tell him about me and Sakano when we were alone. Damn those guys and being so nosey! Things were going seemingly well, and they had to open their mouths and--'
"Echizen? Echizen?" Tezuka interrupted Ryoma's thoughts. Looking up to the man, Ryoma looked at him confused. "You were digging your thumbs into my palms, it wasn't feeling good anymore," he said with a wince, trying to pull his hands away from the amazingly strong teen.
"Eh?" Ryoma looked down to his hands and indeed they were digging a little too deeply in the captain's hands. "Gomen-nasai, Tezuka-senpai!" Ryoma released the light haired man's hands and backed away, blushing slightly.
"What were you thinking about, Echizen? You seemed to have zoned out and that's when you began to, um, get a bit more forceful with the hand massage," Tezuka said stepping closer to the darkhaired teen.
"Ah, ano..it was nothing. Gomen about your hands, I wasn't thinking," he wrapped his arms around his shoulders, realizing that it had gotten quite cool throughout the evening and there was a bit of a chill in the air. "But what of you, Tezuka-senpai? What were you thinking about that made you close yourself up?" he asked, the last part coming out with a yawn. It was getting late.
Caught off-guard at the question, hoping to have kept the conversation on Ryoma's thoughts, Tezuka stepped back and stared into piercing golden-bronze eyes. After seconds passed, he lowered his head, "I was thinking of you, and Ryuzaki." The last part came out in a whisper.
Ryoma clearly hearing it even though it was said quietly, stepped closer to Tezuka, indicating he wanted to hear more. Tezuka looked up and saw the teen looking him over curiously. He then noticed that Ryoma was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the temperature had dropped immensely throughout the day, and he was now holding his arms close to his body.
"You're cold," a statement, not a question, came from Tezuka.
Ryoma arched a brow at the words, "Hai, I was not expecting to be out so late."
Frowning, Tezuka turned back to the path they had stepped off of, "Let's get you home then, Echizen." He began walking up a hill, and after a few moments, realized Ryoma had yet to join him. Turning to look down at the place the two had been standing, Tezuka did not find Ryoma there standing still, yet lying on his side against the concrete!
A look of horror washed over Tezuka's face before he called out to the motionless teen. "Ryoma!" he hollered as he ran back down the hill to Echizen's side. He fell to his knees, his hand reached out to brush away stray strands of green hair that were plastered against the younger boy's forehead. "Ryoma? Ryoma! Please, wake up," Tezuka pleaded gently rubbing his thumb across his face.
'He's so cold, and his skin is clammy. What's wrong with him? He was fine just minutes ago! He can't do this! Not now! I just got him back in my life, he can not leave me!' Tezuka's mind screamed.
He leaned down and placed his face over Ryoma's. "You're breathing, thank the gods!" he sighed in relief. Taking off the jacket he was wearing, Tezuka wrapped the warm cloth around Ryoma as he slid his arms under his back and knees. He hoisted the young one up, his head rested against Tezuka's shoulder as he carried the still body to his home.
Carefully balancing Ryoma in his arms, Tezuka fished out his keys in his pants pocket and hurried to unlock the door. He slid in, and kicked the door gently shut. He tossed his keys on the side table in the entry way, and slipped his shoes off and house slippers on before adjusting Ryoma more comfortably in his arms and headed to his bedroom. Once inside, he pulled back the covers to his bed and slid the teen under. Replacing the covers over Ryoma after he pulled off the teens shoes, Tezuka tucked him in tightly before heading to the bathroom. After a few seconds he came out with a cold washcloth, and sat down on the bed next to the sleeping boy.
He looked down fondly at the sleeping form, a shine coming from his face from all the sweat. He began to dab the wet rag across Echizen's forehead and cheeks, down his neck and back up again. Ryoma's breaths began to become deeper as Tezuka continued to wipe down his face and neck, reassuring the older boy that his friend would be fine. After some time the rag was warm from Ryoma's slight fever, Tezuka stood and headed back out towards the bathroom to wet the cloth in cool water.
Tezuka set the wash cloth on the side of the sink and gazed into the mirror as he leaned his body against it. Taking off his glasses, he squeezed the bridge of his nose, his body screaming for him to get some sleep. He didn't notice how tired he had become, but after today's events, it was no wonder. Looking deep into his dark eyes, he attempted to see down to his very own soul, like he was trying to do with Ryoma earlier that evening. Tezuka wanted to know if he could give himself over to Ryoma fully. He knew that Ryoma wanted to be with him, he cleared that up for Tezuka within one day. But if Tezuka wanted this to work, it was all or nothing. No backing out. He would fight to keep Ryoma by his side for all eternity. At that thought, Kunimitsu smiled. He knew this was real, that this was what he wanted, and everything would be good.
Tezuka yawned suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts. With a slight smile, he went ahead and jumped in the shower to get himself ready for bed. Half way through the shower, though, he realized that a certain green haired boy was passed out in said bed. A few solutions crossed his mind as he finished up and turned the water off. Tezuka dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. He of course had no change of clothes in the bathroom. After he brushed his teeth and resoaked the wash cloth, Tezuka headed back to his bedroom.
He entered the room quietly, and walked over to the side of his bed. Ryoma was still sound asleep, but his face looked to be lost in a nightmare. Beads of sweat were dripping down the boy's face, and his breathing was becoming a bit harsh. Tezuka placed a hand on Ryoma's shoulder to try to comfort the boy. He had not expected the teen to grab hold of the arm tightly and sit straight up, eyes wide open, and breathing in air that seemed to have escaped him. Tezuka stood over Ryoma, quickly using his free arm to rub gentle circles on his back to calm him down and steady his breathing once again. As quickly as he had shot up, Ryoma collapsed, eyes fluttering shut, sleeping once again as peaceful as he had been earlier. Tezuka on the other hand, had his right arm still locked in Ryoma's tight hold, and his left, now completely stuck under the boy's back. Attempting to slide his arm back out, Ryoma let out soft whimper, which caused Tezuka to stop and look down. Feeling defeated, Tezuka crawled into the bed with Ryoma.
Laying his head on the same pillow as Ryoma, having left his glasses in the bathroom, Tezuka focused his eyes on the sleeping form holding on to him. 'He looks so peaceful,' Tezuka thought. A drop of perspiration fell from Ryoma's brow that caught Tezuka's eye. 'The wash cloth!' Looking to the side of Ryoma, Tezuka saw the wet rag and tried to move his (and Ryoma's) arm over to retrieve it, but the boy held him firm. 'Damn, he's still got a fever and I need to get the wet cloth on him.'
"Ryoma," he said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. Let me get the rag next to you. I need you to get better." The strong arms around his loosened, but did not completely let go, he shifted a part of his body over Ryoma's and grabbed the rag. Luckily it was still wet and hadn't dried up in the sheets. He rolled back to his previous position and began to dab at the teen's face. Once satisfied, he placed the cloth over Ryoma's forehead. No less than a second after he moved his hand away from Ryoma's head, did the teen tighten his grip on Tezuka's arm, as if to make sure he would not leave him now that he was finished. Tezuka smiled at the boy's action and rested his hand on Ryoma's chest. As the light-haired man's body relaxed, Ryoma began to loosen his hold. Feeling sleep finally take over his exhausted body, the last thing Tezuka heard was the faint whisper of his name from the younger man's lips.
Hours passed and the two males had moved unconsciously throughout the night. Ryoma's eyes fluttered open to gaze upon a sleeping Tezuka Kunimitsu. His left arm now held Ryoma's by the wrist, his right arm hung across his side, against the boy's back. Ryoma noted that his own left arm was slung across Tezuka's waist. The dark haired boy also noted that, even though he felt warm against the man, Tezuka's body was chilled. He figured that since the man was over the covers, and wearing a wet towel, had something to do with it.
....wet towel? Ryoma's eyes bulged as everything came crashing down on him. He was not at his apartment, he was obviously in Tezuka Kunimitsu's, but why? And why was his captain holding him so closely while only wearing a towel? 'I didn't have that much to drink last night did I?' he asked himself. 'Think Echizen, think!' he hollered to himself. 'The last thing I remember was buchou said we should get home, and then...I blacked out, I guess.' His thoughts were interrupted by a shivering sigh that emitted from between his captain's lips. 'He's cold, but I don't want to wake him. He looks so calm and almost, happy?'
Pulling the blanket out from under Tezuka was an easy task for the strong tennis prodigy, and he flung it over the shivering male. Ryoma placed his arm back over the sleeping man's waist, like it was the most natural thing to do. He watched as the quivering lips slowed, but didn't cease. Recalling the wet towel wrapped around the light haired man's waist, Ryoma used his free arm yet again and slipped it back under the covers and gently tugged at the cloth trying to not wake the other. Finally freeing Tezuka of the wet cloth, Ryoma placed his warm arm back on Tezuka's bare waist.
Every part of Ryoma's body that was touching Tezuka seemed to come alive at that moment, and it felt like all of his cells were on fire. Wanting to feel more of this sensation, Ryoma pulled the other man closer to him, while he scooted closer to the other. Resting his forehead against Tezuka's first, their chests meeting next. The tingling feeling had Ryoma's body quivering in excitement. He stared at his captain who slept on throughout Ryoma's actions. His hips met the older man's, and Ryoma's eyes rolled to the back of his head. His heart was racing and even though he still had his clothes on, he could feel the heat of his bed partner through his thin clothes. Ryoma's groin sent shivers up and down his body when it made contact with Tezuka's. He slipped a foot first between Tezuka's legs, sliding between them up to his knee where it rested right below the other man's naked crotch.
His free hand caressed the sleeping captain's back, gentle strokes up and down with his fingertips. Ryoma could feel himself getting harder by the second. His breathing became heavy, and it was all he could do not to thrust into Tezuka and receive more pleasure from their closeness. His left hand crept along Tezuka's skin, memorizing each dip and the softness of his skin. Ryoma's fingers glided over Tezuka's back and shoulders, stopping right at his waistline on his trek down. On a trip up he slipped his fingers through the light brown strands of Tezuka's hair, amazed at how soft it felt between his fingers.
His eyes followed his hands' exploration of the body against him, sometimes missing that his hand had already started back up but his eyes kept going down. The younger man could not get enough of the other male's rump. His eyes went over the slight hump a dozen times before he realized his hand was sliding over the soft flesh. Catching himself, he paused, and glanced back up to look into dark eyes.
TBC....
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A/N: Ruh-Roh!! Ahaa! Yeah, so how'd you like THAT?! hehe Found it to be a quite fitting ending for this chapter ^__~ If you liked it, REVIEW and tell me WHY ya did. If you hated it, REVIEW and tell me WHY ya did. ^__^ Reviews make the author's heart grow fonder, and gets these chaps out a lot quicker! Until next time...
Houseki
Anywho, this chapter has an important warning, so listen and listen good! Warning: This chapter mentions half a dozen different Japanese cuisines that might make one hungry, so do have something to eat before you read on. You have been warned ^__~
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Key:
Tempura can usually be ordered by the piece, but many people prefer the more economical set meal (teishoku). The teishoku includes several varieties of tempura, plus rice, pickles, and soup
Nigiri-sushi: prepared by putting a slice of raw fish onto a bite-size portion of hand-rolled, vinegar-flavored rice
norimaki: in which vinegar-flavored rice and seasoned boiled vegetables are rolled in paper-thin layers
sembei: aka the Japanese rice cracker
yasai sembei: vegetables that have been thinly sliced, covered in sugar and baked
itawasa: sliced kamaboko fish cakes served with wasabi (green horseradish)
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~Chapter Two~
Echizen Ryoma was sitting in the middle of Kawamura Sushi, surrounded by his old friends. Kawamura-san closed down the restaurant for his son's friends to have a proper welcome back party for their old teammate. He prepared a feast fit for a god, which he held Ryoma to that pedestal.
Lining the table were plates full of nigiri-sushi, norimaki, yasai sembei, and, fresh out of the vat of hot oil, teishoku. The boys sat in awe as Kawamura-san laid out all the food. A particular plate of itawasa was placed directly in front of Fuji.
"Heavy on the wasabi, just for you Fuji-kun," the older man said with a wink.
"Arigatou, Kawamura-san," Fuji said with a slight bow of the head in thanks.
With a quick, "Thanks for the food!" the boys dug into all the awaiting plates, particularly aiming for the "cooled enough" tempura. At first the meal consisted of the sounds of chewing and pleased moans emitting from their mouths as they enjoyed the food. When Ryoma happened to bite down into a rather tasty sweet potato, he moaned his gratitude quite loudly, which had the ex-Seigaku members cracking up madly. The boy's face turned a slight shade of pink as his friends mocked him, he glanced to his left where a particular light brown haired man sat, his slate colored eyes boring deep into Ryoma's soul.
Tezuka Kunimitsu got a call from Oishi after he returned home, explaining that they were going to have dinner at their old hang out to welcome home Ryoma. Not even thinking twice on the matter, he said he'd be there. The chance to see the green-haired boy again made his stomach tighten in anticipation as he got ready to meet his friends.
Now he sat catacorner to Ryoma, watching his every move out of the corner of his eye. He figured the young prodigy had no clue that every little move he made was with such a fluid and precise motion, just like how he was on the tennis courts, but he'd be doing something like wiping his mouth with a napkin or leaning over to pick up a sweet potato from the teishoku plate. His chopsticks clasped around the fried piece of vegetable, his arm bent to bring it back over his plate, mouth opened slightly as he brought the food to his lips and took a small bite. The juices spilled forth, Ryoma closed his eyes and he moaned at the sweet taste of the hot veggie. Tezuka almost fell backwards when he heard the boy moan so loudly, never expecting to hear the delectable sound come from his lips so soon. He glared at Echizen, trying to see if he was purposely doing this to him. His face had turned pink once the group heard his moan, and he flashed his eyes towards Tezuka to see if he too was laughing.
No, Ryoma was not playing around. Ryoma was being himself, one who takes pleasure in the little things, and who doesn't hide his true feelings. Unlike Tezuka who will keep everything bottled up, won't express his anger, sadness, or joy. Tezuka stared at the purity of the soul deep within the younger man. Wanting to express himself like Ryoma could when he wanted or just didn't care. Tezuka was tired of holding back all emotions, he wanted to be free, free like Ryoma.
When Ryoma realized Tezuka wasn't laughing, he lowered his head to finish his sweet potato, and when he glanced back up to still see the man staring intently at him, he began to get uncomfortable. 'He looks like he's trying to not blurt out "20 laps around the court, Echizen!"' Ryoma laughed to himself. He locked eyes with the older man, trying to find what it was that Tezuka was looking for. The two stared each other down for what seemed like hours, but was truly no more than thirty or forty seconds. Their staring contest was interrupted when wails from Eiji filled the sushi restaurant.
"Oi, Eiji, you should no better than to steal food from Fuji's plate," said Oishi as he handed Eiji a glass of water.
The group laughed as Eiji downed his water, Oishi's water, and about a third of everyone else's water before he laid his head on the table. Oishi reached out and rubbed the back of Kikumaru's neck, trying to distract him of the burning sensation in the front of his throat, and the embarrassment for being a curious kitty who wanted to taste the yummy looking itawasa, which were made up already of wasabi, and were then filled with more wasabi for Fuji's tastes.
Ryoma stared blankly at Seigaku's Golden Pair. 'Oishi was always the mother of the group,' Ryoma thought to himself, 'he's just making sure Eiji is ok, just like he would any of us..right?' Wrong. As he picked up his chopsticks to grab a sembai, he watched as Oishi wiped the sweat off of Eiji's brow, and leaned down and kissed his forehead. The sembai fell with a clatter as it landed on an empty plate.
"Echizen, you ok?" asked Momoshiro, waving a hand in front of the boy who couldn't take his eyes off of the redhead and his apparent...lover?
"H-Hai," Ryoma stumbled, coming out of his daze.
"Echizen has been away from the group longer than the rest of us, he is not aware of Eiji and Oishi's relationship," Inui spoke up.
"Hoi! Hoi! This is true!," lifting his head back up from the table, Eiji smiled happily as he took hold of Oishi's hand.
"The two blind idiots finally realized their feelings for each other just last year," came a hiss from Kaidoh at the end of the table across from Tezuka.
"Momo-kun, why not tell Ryoma your good news too?" asked a very innocent Takashi.
Eyes wide, Momoshiro clasped his hands over Kawamura Takashi's mouth, slowly turning to look back at Ryoma, or was it Kaidoh? Stuttering, Momoshiro started, "Ano..I-I..oh..I am d-dating s-someone too, E-Echizen." Momoshiro sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, grinning widely. The table sat quietly, waiting for Momoshiro to confess who it was he was dating.
Closing his eyes as he took a sip of sake, Ryoma opened an eye to look at his best friend, "Oi, Momo-senpai, if you want to tell me you are dating Kaidoh-senpai, then just say so."
At the end of the table you could hear Kaidoh spitting out his drink, sputtering at Ryoma's accusation, true as it was. Ryoma had closed his eyes again to take another sip, his body seeming to relax more each time he let his eyes close, but realized that the group had not said a word since. He set down his cup and opened his eyes and glanced around the table to see everyone's mouth gaping and staring to his left, across the table. He looked over to where Tezuka was sitting, and a chuckle escaped his lips. The boys diverted their attention to Ryoma who covered his mouth quickly, but the shaking shoulders didn't hide the fact that he was laughing at the now soaked captain. Kaidoh must have taken a long swig of sake in attempts to cool his rage, but did not have the chance to swallow when Ryoma opened his mouth.
After some silence, except for a few escaped chuckles from Ryoma, the entire room burst out in laughter. All, except for two blushing senpais, and a very irate captain. Not holding his laughter back now, Echizen bellowed out his laugh, holding his stomach as he glanced back up to see his captain glaring daggers into Ryoma's eyes. Echizen smirked at the wet man and winked. Tezuka rolled his eyes at this, and grabbed a napkin to dry himself off of Kaidoh's spit and sake.
After everyone came back down from their high of laughing, they began to ask Ryoma more questions about his life in the last couple years. They only got so much out of him on the way to the restaurant after they found him after practice.
Momoshiro slapped Ryoma's back as he asked, "Oi, Echizen, how's the love life? Still got girls screamin' your name down the halls?"
"Did you ever end up dating Ryuzaki Sakano, Echizen?" questioned Fuji.
Stilling at the name, Ryoma looked over to Fuji across from him and took a quick side glance to Tezuka who sat to Fuji's right. Apparently Ryoma wasn't the only one who stilled to Fuji's question. "Ah, h-hai, Sakano and I dated for s-some time," Ryoma stumbled.
"Oi! Echizen! Did you finally learn how to take a girl on a proper date?" asked Momoshiro with a wide grin.
Rolling his eyes, Echizen stood, his body feeling heavy, used the table for leverage. "It's getting late, and we have practice in the morning, ne buchou?"
"Hn," and a nod followed from the seemingly brooding captain. He stood along with the others, all thanked Takashi's father once again for treating them to such a wonderful dinner, and the group began to head home.
Oishi and Eiji, hand in hand, walked towards Eiji's house, Eiji giggling most of the way. Momoshiro and Kaidoh walked side by side, arms brushing nonchalantly, towards Momoshiro's house. Inui and Fuji headed one way until they split to their separate homes, and Ryoma and Tezuka walked quietly down the sidewalk towards both their homes which was in the same direction.
The tension was thick between the two. Neither one knew what to say, to do. Tezuka was still a bit upset knowing that Ryoma had dated the Ryuzaki girl, even though he had no right to be. The more he thought about it the more jealous he got. The two's first date, dance, kiss, making love. Now his insides were turning, his fists clenched tightly and he closed his eyes trying to erase the images that would pop up in his mind of the two laying in bed together after hours of making love, Ryoma whispering to her how much he cared for her and he'd never leave her, for nobody.
"Tezuka-senpai?" Ryoma grabbed the older man by the elbow to stop him. Tezuka opened his eyes to see a look of concern in bronze eyes. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why Ryoma had stopped them. "Your hands," he said, reaching for the tightly gripped fists, "they're turning white." Ryoma slid his fingers down Tezuka's forearms and wrapped his hands gently around the tightly bound ones. He stroked them and looked pleadingly into Tezuka's eyes.
Melting at the look Ryoma was giving him, he breathed out and slowly uncurled his fingers. Instantly Ryoma held them up to his face, examining them to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. He placed his thumbs in each of Tezuka's palms, and began to rub gentle circles to erase the fingernail marks and loosen his hands more.
'What's wrong with him? He's been acting weird all night,' Ryoma said to himself as he continued rubbing the large hands of Tezuka. 'Gah, I wanted to tell him about me and Sakano when we were alone. Damn those guys and being so nosey! Things were going seemingly well, and they had to open their mouths and--'
"Echizen? Echizen?" Tezuka interrupted Ryoma's thoughts. Looking up to the man, Ryoma looked at him confused. "You were digging your thumbs into my palms, it wasn't feeling good anymore," he said with a wince, trying to pull his hands away from the amazingly strong teen.
"Eh?" Ryoma looked down to his hands and indeed they were digging a little too deeply in the captain's hands. "Gomen-nasai, Tezuka-senpai!" Ryoma released the light haired man's hands and backed away, blushing slightly.
"What were you thinking about, Echizen? You seemed to have zoned out and that's when you began to, um, get a bit more forceful with the hand massage," Tezuka said stepping closer to the darkhaired teen.
"Ah, ano..it was nothing. Gomen about your hands, I wasn't thinking," he wrapped his arms around his shoulders, realizing that it had gotten quite cool throughout the evening and there was a bit of a chill in the air. "But what of you, Tezuka-senpai? What were you thinking about that made you close yourself up?" he asked, the last part coming out with a yawn. It was getting late.
Caught off-guard at the question, hoping to have kept the conversation on Ryoma's thoughts, Tezuka stepped back and stared into piercing golden-bronze eyes. After seconds passed, he lowered his head, "I was thinking of you, and Ryuzaki." The last part came out in a whisper.
Ryoma clearly hearing it even though it was said quietly, stepped closer to Tezuka, indicating he wanted to hear more. Tezuka looked up and saw the teen looking him over curiously. He then noticed that Ryoma was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the temperature had dropped immensely throughout the day, and he was now holding his arms close to his body.
"You're cold," a statement, not a question, came from Tezuka.
Ryoma arched a brow at the words, "Hai, I was not expecting to be out so late."
Frowning, Tezuka turned back to the path they had stepped off of, "Let's get you home then, Echizen." He began walking up a hill, and after a few moments, realized Ryoma had yet to join him. Turning to look down at the place the two had been standing, Tezuka did not find Ryoma there standing still, yet lying on his side against the concrete!
A look of horror washed over Tezuka's face before he called out to the motionless teen. "Ryoma!" he hollered as he ran back down the hill to Echizen's side. He fell to his knees, his hand reached out to brush away stray strands of green hair that were plastered against the younger boy's forehead. "Ryoma? Ryoma! Please, wake up," Tezuka pleaded gently rubbing his thumb across his face.
'He's so cold, and his skin is clammy. What's wrong with him? He was fine just minutes ago! He can't do this! Not now! I just got him back in my life, he can not leave me!' Tezuka's mind screamed.
He leaned down and placed his face over Ryoma's. "You're breathing, thank the gods!" he sighed in relief. Taking off the jacket he was wearing, Tezuka wrapped the warm cloth around Ryoma as he slid his arms under his back and knees. He hoisted the young one up, his head rested against Tezuka's shoulder as he carried the still body to his home.
Carefully balancing Ryoma in his arms, Tezuka fished out his keys in his pants pocket and hurried to unlock the door. He slid in, and kicked the door gently shut. He tossed his keys on the side table in the entry way, and slipped his shoes off and house slippers on before adjusting Ryoma more comfortably in his arms and headed to his bedroom. Once inside, he pulled back the covers to his bed and slid the teen under. Replacing the covers over Ryoma after he pulled off the teens shoes, Tezuka tucked him in tightly before heading to the bathroom. After a few seconds he came out with a cold washcloth, and sat down on the bed next to the sleeping boy.
He looked down fondly at the sleeping form, a shine coming from his face from all the sweat. He began to dab the wet rag across Echizen's forehead and cheeks, down his neck and back up again. Ryoma's breaths began to become deeper as Tezuka continued to wipe down his face and neck, reassuring the older boy that his friend would be fine. After some time the rag was warm from Ryoma's slight fever, Tezuka stood and headed back out towards the bathroom to wet the cloth in cool water.
Tezuka set the wash cloth on the side of the sink and gazed into the mirror as he leaned his body against it. Taking off his glasses, he squeezed the bridge of his nose, his body screaming for him to get some sleep. He didn't notice how tired he had become, but after today's events, it was no wonder. Looking deep into his dark eyes, he attempted to see down to his very own soul, like he was trying to do with Ryoma earlier that evening. Tezuka wanted to know if he could give himself over to Ryoma fully. He knew that Ryoma wanted to be with him, he cleared that up for Tezuka within one day. But if Tezuka wanted this to work, it was all or nothing. No backing out. He would fight to keep Ryoma by his side for all eternity. At that thought, Kunimitsu smiled. He knew this was real, that this was what he wanted, and everything would be good.
Tezuka yawned suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts. With a slight smile, he went ahead and jumped in the shower to get himself ready for bed. Half way through the shower, though, he realized that a certain green haired boy was passed out in said bed. A few solutions crossed his mind as he finished up and turned the water off. Tezuka dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. He of course had no change of clothes in the bathroom. After he brushed his teeth and resoaked the wash cloth, Tezuka headed back to his bedroom.
He entered the room quietly, and walked over to the side of his bed. Ryoma was still sound asleep, but his face looked to be lost in a nightmare. Beads of sweat were dripping down the boy's face, and his breathing was becoming a bit harsh. Tezuka placed a hand on Ryoma's shoulder to try to comfort the boy. He had not expected the teen to grab hold of the arm tightly and sit straight up, eyes wide open, and breathing in air that seemed to have escaped him. Tezuka stood over Ryoma, quickly using his free arm to rub gentle circles on his back to calm him down and steady his breathing once again. As quickly as he had shot up, Ryoma collapsed, eyes fluttering shut, sleeping once again as peaceful as he had been earlier. Tezuka on the other hand, had his right arm still locked in Ryoma's tight hold, and his left, now completely stuck under the boy's back. Attempting to slide his arm back out, Ryoma let out soft whimper, which caused Tezuka to stop and look down. Feeling defeated, Tezuka crawled into the bed with Ryoma.
Laying his head on the same pillow as Ryoma, having left his glasses in the bathroom, Tezuka focused his eyes on the sleeping form holding on to him. 'He looks so peaceful,' Tezuka thought. A drop of perspiration fell from Ryoma's brow that caught Tezuka's eye. 'The wash cloth!' Looking to the side of Ryoma, Tezuka saw the wet rag and tried to move his (and Ryoma's) arm over to retrieve it, but the boy held him firm. 'Damn, he's still got a fever and I need to get the wet cloth on him.'
"Ryoma," he said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. Let me get the rag next to you. I need you to get better." The strong arms around his loosened, but did not completely let go, he shifted a part of his body over Ryoma's and grabbed the rag. Luckily it was still wet and hadn't dried up in the sheets. He rolled back to his previous position and began to dab at the teen's face. Once satisfied, he placed the cloth over Ryoma's forehead. No less than a second after he moved his hand away from Ryoma's head, did the teen tighten his grip on Tezuka's arm, as if to make sure he would not leave him now that he was finished. Tezuka smiled at the boy's action and rested his hand on Ryoma's chest. As the light-haired man's body relaxed, Ryoma began to loosen his hold. Feeling sleep finally take over his exhausted body, the last thing Tezuka heard was the faint whisper of his name from the younger man's lips.
Hours passed and the two males had moved unconsciously throughout the night. Ryoma's eyes fluttered open to gaze upon a sleeping Tezuka Kunimitsu. His left arm now held Ryoma's by the wrist, his right arm hung across his side, against the boy's back. Ryoma noted that his own left arm was slung across Tezuka's waist. The dark haired boy also noted that, even though he felt warm against the man, Tezuka's body was chilled. He figured that since the man was over the covers, and wearing a wet towel, had something to do with it.
....wet towel? Ryoma's eyes bulged as everything came crashing down on him. He was not at his apartment, he was obviously in Tezuka Kunimitsu's, but why? And why was his captain holding him so closely while only wearing a towel? 'I didn't have that much to drink last night did I?' he asked himself. 'Think Echizen, think!' he hollered to himself. 'The last thing I remember was buchou said we should get home, and then...I blacked out, I guess.' His thoughts were interrupted by a shivering sigh that emitted from between his captain's lips. 'He's cold, but I don't want to wake him. He looks so calm and almost, happy?'
Pulling the blanket out from under Tezuka was an easy task for the strong tennis prodigy, and he flung it over the shivering male. Ryoma placed his arm back over the sleeping man's waist, like it was the most natural thing to do. He watched as the quivering lips slowed, but didn't cease. Recalling the wet towel wrapped around the light haired man's waist, Ryoma used his free arm yet again and slipped it back under the covers and gently tugged at the cloth trying to not wake the other. Finally freeing Tezuka of the wet cloth, Ryoma placed his warm arm back on Tezuka's bare waist.
Every part of Ryoma's body that was touching Tezuka seemed to come alive at that moment, and it felt like all of his cells were on fire. Wanting to feel more of this sensation, Ryoma pulled the other man closer to him, while he scooted closer to the other. Resting his forehead against Tezuka's first, their chests meeting next. The tingling feeling had Ryoma's body quivering in excitement. He stared at his captain who slept on throughout Ryoma's actions. His hips met the older man's, and Ryoma's eyes rolled to the back of his head. His heart was racing and even though he still had his clothes on, he could feel the heat of his bed partner through his thin clothes. Ryoma's groin sent shivers up and down his body when it made contact with Tezuka's. He slipped a foot first between Tezuka's legs, sliding between them up to his knee where it rested right below the other man's naked crotch.
His free hand caressed the sleeping captain's back, gentle strokes up and down with his fingertips. Ryoma could feel himself getting harder by the second. His breathing became heavy, and it was all he could do not to thrust into Tezuka and receive more pleasure from their closeness. His left hand crept along Tezuka's skin, memorizing each dip and the softness of his skin. Ryoma's fingers glided over Tezuka's back and shoulders, stopping right at his waistline on his trek down. On a trip up he slipped his fingers through the light brown strands of Tezuka's hair, amazed at how soft it felt between his fingers.
His eyes followed his hands' exploration of the body against him, sometimes missing that his hand had already started back up but his eyes kept going down. The younger man could not get enough of the other male's rump. His eyes went over the slight hump a dozen times before he realized his hand was sliding over the soft flesh. Catching himself, he paused, and glanced back up to look into dark eyes.
TBC....
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A/N: Ruh-Roh!! Ahaa! Yeah, so how'd you like THAT?! hehe Found it to be a quite fitting ending for this chapter ^__~ If you liked it, REVIEW and tell me WHY ya did. If you hated it, REVIEW and tell me WHY ya did. ^__^ Reviews make the author's heart grow fonder, and gets these chaps out a lot quicker! Until next time...
Houseki