Written for sempai-sama, after I made her wait for a good half a year XD I'm sorry v.v
That aside, uhm. Beware the crack?
It had always been An's dream to go to the beach with the one she loved, play around in the water, and maybe even have a nice picnic in the sand afterwards. Of course, she had assumed that that loving boyfriend would be Akira, or Shinji, or maybe even Momoshiro, since she had always known they were interested. Akira with the blushing, Shinji couldn't hide anything with his constant mumbling, and Momoshiro... well, he even openly argued about it with Akira. Of course, Akira was still afraid of onii-chan, and while Shinji mumbled, he would never ever actually admit to liking An, but she had expected at least Momoshiro to make a move before it was too late.
Instead the ones who had enticed her, drawn her in more and more with every meeting were so much different from those three that she could never even have imagined it before it happened. They were pretty, so of course she had been looking. Everyone had done that, even the boys - although she supposed that was because they were mistaken for girls the first time. That wouldn't have happened in middle school, everyone knew the twins back then. But apparently high school was different. One of the Rikkai boys had even made a move on Ryou, except that had resulted in a very bruised shin and an even more bruised ego. Oh, An did love remembering that round of Senbatsu.
She did not even know why those two had fascinated her so much. They were nothing special, pretty faces, but their tennis skills weren't exceptionally great, like Yukimura's or Fuji's. No, but there was something about them that she still could not lay a finger on. Maybe the familiarity with which they treated each other, despite living in different cities, attending different schools. Maybe it was the way Atsushi would always smile at her whenever they passed each other, or the way Ryou's eyebrows would rise, just slightly, whenever his twin did that. Maybe it was because she noticed how their touches would linger just a little too long every so often, or how Ryou's eyes would follow her even when practicing his swings while she brought drinks for the boys.
It made her think of them at night, listening to the quiet breathing of the girl she was sharing her room with. It made the thought of getting Akira to ask her out be shoved to the very back of her mind; instead the Atsushi's little smiles kept flashing before her eyes, her brain conjuring up an image of how soft Ryou's hair must feel under her fingers. It was an odd fascination for sure, but not one she could just shake off and ignore. The twins interested her, more than Shinji had ever done, and perhaps it was time to show some initiative after all.
Days passed and she gradually got to know them, through small conversations at dinner, talking just a little while they had their breaks, wiping the sweat from their faces. And even though she learned more and more, it just wasn't enough. It just made them seem more intriguing and An was genuinely sad to have to bid them farewell after the camp was over. But there was still next yeah, and Atsushi lived in the same city anyway.
She was not sure when exactly it started, phone calls getting longer and longer, sometimes Atsushi even texted her in the middle of class when he got bored and An would happily write back. Sometimes they met up for ice cream, sometimes it even turned into a cinema date, complete with popcorn throwing and accidentally spilling coke on the seats. Sure, Akira had always paid for her ice cream when they were out, and Momoshiro had asked her to the movies on more than one occasion - but it had always been a completely different feeling.
"I'm visiting home in a few days." An could feel her heart starting to beat faster. Going home meant Atsushi was going to where Ryou was, and if she was right in assuming... Of course, she had hoped, but hope and having it actually happen were two quite different things. Maybe Ryou wanted to see her again too? Maybe - since she was sort of dating his brother - Ryou would approve and... no, she shouldn't spin that thought too far just yet. But still...
"Ryou said to ask if you want to come along." Perhaps the thought wasn't too far-fetched after all.
Of course she knew the twins would likely take her to the beach, all things considered, but she didn't expect it to be quite this pretty. Sure, she had seen adverts for Hawaii, or Okinawa, she had been staring for hours at the photos from the Caribbean. But An had not thought there was a beach as pretty and secluded like this anywhere near. Probably a secret shared by the Rokkaku boys, and she was proud to have been let in on that. What mattered more was the fact that Ryou kept shooting her those Looks, though.
Or maybe they were directed at his brother, after all Atsushi didn't stay away from her for long, even while he was engaged in conversation with his twin. Or maybe it was directed at them both – jealousy, perhaps, or maybe calculating thoughts, hidden away carefully behind a polished, polite mask. Silently she cursed her inability to really read either of them, only to admonish herself right after. It was part of what had drawn her to the brothers in the first place, the silent promises hidden behind polished expressions.
But in no way it explained the jolt that ran through her when a calloused hand ran across her neck softly, Ryou's face coming into view right after as the boy offered her a cone of ice cream. An smiled, daringly and leaned forward, eating right out of the older twin's hand. Maybe those two were not so different from each other. Maybe Ryou would not mind sharing his brother. Or maybe Atsushi would not mind sharing her. It certainly needed investigation.