In the summer before his 8th birthday, Atobe Keigo found himself back in Japan to visit family while his father worked on important things at the Atobe headquarters in Tokyo. Being a precocious boy with lots of energy and not saddled with homework, his mother and his army of staff, were desperate to keep him occupied.
So it was that one day, they decided to visit the Atobe sports facility for some tennis practice. It was a sport that Atobe had just recently taken up with and Atobe was thrilled to have a chance to practice it again. He tried playing on the courts at the Atobe mansion but after being in England for several years it seemed his body was no longer used to the extreme heat and humidity of a Japanese summer.
But in the large air conditioned center filled with tennis courts, his mother would have no reason to worry about him. He bounced on as he looked out over the courts. There was one available that he was supposed to play on with one of the facility instructors as his partner but when he looked at the one beside it, he saw another young boy, around his age, also playing with a facility instructor. Surely it would be more fun to play with someone his own age than an old boring guy.
"Mother, I want to play with that boy," Atobe said pointing to the brown haired boy with glasses. Perhaps if the other boy was nice and interesting they could even be friends for the summer. It would be nice to have someone besides his maids and butler to play with, especially since Kabaji had to stay in England.
"I suppose I can talk to his mother," Atobe's mother said. She waved off the butler and the tennis coach that was following them and headed over to where the brown haired boy was and then toward where a lovely lady who was obviously his mother was sitting.
Atobe wiggled out of his mother's hold on his hand and stood by the edge of the court watching the boy rally with the tennis instructor. When they had finished the boy turned and looked at him. Atobe couldn't tell if he was annoyed, surprised or just shy. Any of that was okay, Atobe was sure he could get the boy to like him and agree to practice tennis with him.
"Hi, my name is Ke- I'm Atobe," Atobe said, remembering at the last moment that in Japan it was more polite to introduce yourself with your last name.
"I'm Tezuka," The boy said after a long moment.
"Tezuka, are you ready for another serve?" Asked the instructor from the other side. Fortunately for Atobe, Tezuka shook his head no, sending his brown locks back and forth before they settled even more messily around his head.
"My mother's going to ask your mother if we can play tennis together. Is that okay?" Atobe asked. He was feeling more confident now that Tezuka had turned down another rally with the instructor.
"I don't know…" Tezuka said. And then much to Atobe's surprise he walked away from him and right to his mother. Atobe trailed after him, hoping that he wasn't going to say anything bad about him.
"Mother," Tezuka's voice interrupted the conversation. When his mother looked at him, he held up his left arm, showing his mother his hand or his wrist. Was he injured? Well if he cut himself and couldn't play because of that, Atobe supposed it was okay… but it would be disappointing.
"What is that?" Tezuka's mother asked. "Dirt?" She didn't seem to be looking too closely as she was already digging in a bag for a packet of wet wipes that those who dealt with young children just seemed to keep on hand.
After some wiping, Tezuka's mother frowned and Atobe watched as she pulled Tezuka closer to her and looked at the mark again. "Keigo?" She said.
"Hmm?" Atobe answered, curious to why she called his name. He certainly hadn't done anything to Tezuka.
"What?" His mother asked.
"It says Keigo. Is that your boy's name?" She asked.
"Yes, it is." His mother leaned over to look at Tezuka's wrist and Atobe tried to do the same but couldn't see anything before his mother pulled him back and closer to her side. "Is this some type of joke?"
Atobe made a face. He'd learned long ago that his mother wasn't a fan of the type of jokes that made her sound like that. It looked like he wouldn't get to play with the cute brown haired boy after all.
"Why would I joke about this?"
"Oh don't play coy. He's the heir of the Atobe company, including this facility you're playing in. Don't think you're the first one who tried to use soulmate tattoos to get a piece of the corporation."
"Mother, is he my soulmate?" Atobe asked, catching some of the words that his mother was saying.
"I would never do such a thing. I swear, there was nothing on his wrist when he started playing earlier. You can ask the instructor if you'd like," Tezuka-san said.
It was at this point that Atobe's mother looked around and saw that while there wasn't many people on the courts, they were still attracting unwanted attention. "Follow me. There's an easy way to resolve this." She picked up Atobe's tennis bag that he had dropped and took his hand and tugged him along out of the courts and down a hall to a change room.
Once the Tezukas were inside and she had checked that the room was indeed empty, she locked the door and then walked back over to him. "If this is not some sad attempt to connect yourself to the Atobe family, then Kiego should have a mark on him, too. Keigo, hold out your arms for me?" She asked.
Atobe glanced over at Tezuka who was standing beside his mother and clutching his oversized children's racket to his chest as he watched him. Were they soulmates?
He held out his arms as he thought about what it would mean. He was too young to know all of the details of what having a soulmate meant. But he did know that if you were a lucky child, you had parents who were soulmates and you knew that they would always be together and would always love each other and you. And he knew that the tattoos were special and meant to be treasured and that there were rules about them. But his butler and nanny had always told him that he didn't have to concern himself with soulmates and such until he was older. It seemed they may be wrong.
His mother continued to look for a mark on his body and so far was finding none. "Take your shoes off, Keigo," his mother asked. She paused in her checking to look back at Tezuka-san. "If you admit that this was a joke taken too far by a child, I will let you two leave now without calling the cops. I may not be so lenient when I've finished."
"Mother…" Tezuka said looking up Tezuka-san.
"It's okay, dear. I believe you." She put a hand in Tezuka's brown locks and tried to straighten them in an attempt to soothe them both.
Atobe had tugged off his shoes and his socks and still hadn't found anything. They were running out of places to check but as his mother kept looking, Atobe was happy to be away from the people watching on the courts.
Finally, Atobe's mother gently tugged Atobe's shorts and underwear down a little so she could peer at the skin there and then tugged them a little further down revealing Atobe's right hip. "Oh no," She said.
"What is it?" Atobe asked and craned his head to see around his mother's hands. There was several black marks on his skin. "Kanji?" He asked. He was not very good at kanji yet and definitely not when reading them upside. He wondered what they said.
"Kunimitsu?" His mom asked as she turned to look at Tezuka. He nodded and Atobe's mother sighed. "It seems I owe you an apology. I"m sorry for not believing you." Atobe was surprised to hear his mother sounding so nice after being so upset. Perhaps soulmate tattoos really were magical if it could change his mother's mood like that.
His mother helped him to straighten out his clothes and then he sat to tug his socks back on before putting his shoes on once more. He smiled at Tezuka as he brought over his other shoe that had moved just out of reach and handed it to him.
"If you're really the Atobe family, I can understand why you would be cautious," Tezuka-san was saying politely. "But I would never use my son that way. Having a tattoo this young is complicated."
"It is. And I'm not sure they'll understand why they need to be kept apart."
"Apart?" Atobe asked. He reached out to grab onto Tezuka's hand and pulled him down beside him on the ground. "Why?"
The two mothers exchanged looks and it was finally Atobe's mother that spoke. "Because you live in England and Kunimitsu lives here," She said.
Atobe, even at that young age, could tell that something was not completely true about that but he nodded anyway. "But we can still play this summer, right?"
Again the two mothers exchanged looks and slowly they both nodded. "When time allows. Kunimitsu is a busy boy."
"Do you like tennis?" Tezuka asked.
Atobe nearly did a double take. The other was always so quiet. But at the question he smiled brightly and nodded. "I love it. I wanted to play with you."
Tezuka gave a small smile back at that. "And fishing?"
"Yes. I sometimes go fishing with my butler in the river not far from my house," Atobe said. It seemed this was also the correct answer as Tezuka's smile grew a little brighter.
Perhaps this soulmate stuff wasn't so bad. Tezuka seemed nice, if quiet, and it meant he made a friend in Japan without even trying that hard.
Their mothers talked for a bit longer and Atobe and Tezuka continued to ask each other what things they liked and didn't. When Atobe's mother declared it time to leave, Atobe pouted that he hadn't even gotten to play tennis.
"Maybe we can play together next time," Tezuka said quietly to him.
That stopped Atobe from pouting and he went over and gave him a big hug. "Yes. Next time," Atobe said. And then he let go and skipped to his mother. He didn't notice the look his mother was sharing with Tezuka-san again. He was too busy waving goodbye to Tezuka.
He didn't realize that between busy schedules, a summer cold, and perhaps devious parents he wouldn't get to play Tezuka at all that summer and would in fact only get to see him one more time before he had to return to England. If he had, he definitely would have demanded a match before they went anywhere.
-0-0-0-0-0-
At first, Atobe didn't understand what having a soulmate really meant. He did know that he missed not being able to see Tezuka. And he knew that he sometimes dreamt about the cute messy haired boy. The dreams were about fishing, playing tennis or even teaching Tezuka how to ride his favourite mare.
When he told his parents that he would like to invite Tezuka over to visit and meet Kabaji and ride horses with them his parents exchanged looks very similar to the ones that his mother had shared with Tezuka's and he knew that he wouldn't be getting to see Tezuka again anytime soon.
"How about you write letters instead. It would be a good way for you to practice your Japanese," His mother suggested after a moment.
Atobe perked up. He wasn't very good at writing in Japanese but he thought it might be worth the effort if he could tell Tezuka about all of the amazing things he had been up to.
So the next day, with the help of his Japanese tutor, he wrote Tezuka his first letter. It was hard to say all he wanted to with his limited skills but he did the best he could. And three weeks later he received a reply from Tezuka. To his surprise, and partial relief, it was in English. It wasn't perfect but he decided that it was likely his Japanese hadn't been either.
From then on, they exchanged letters. And Atobe kept them all, safely folded, in a box under his bed. And then it became two boxes and then three. And it certainly didn't help that the length of the letters grew longer as they both learned to read and write better. Though Atobe still cherished those early letters from Tezuka with his childish handwriting and occasional backwards letters that managed to convey very little about what Tezuka had been doing or thinking at the time.
-0-0-0-0-0-
While their letter writing continued and improved, Atobe found that he still very much wanted to see Tezuka in person. At first, he didn't really understand the desire though his nanny explained that a soulmate was his other half and that of course he'd feel a little lonely so far away from his other half.
Well that didn't make sense to Atobe. He'd always been given the best of everything in life and if not being near Tezuka made him feel sad, surely his parents should bring him closer to Tezuka.
"Mother, why can't we go visit the Tezukas?" He asked one morning at breakfast. His father had already gone off to work but his mother was home for once.
"It's complicated," She said. She then reached over to try and smooth down Atobe's hair.
"Why?" As far as Atobe was concerned it was easy to travel around the world whenever you wanted.
"There's rules, Keigo."
"Rules? About soulmates?" This was the first time he was hearing about such things. Usually all he heard about it was happily ever afters and how wonderful it was to have found a soulmate. He wasn't sure finding Tezuka was the most amazing thing that had ever happened in his life like it was in stories but he did like his new friend.
"To protect you. Well perhaps not you. But others who find their soulmates when they're young."
Atobe didn't understand. Why would he need protecting from Tezuka?
"You'll understand when you're older. But for now, just focus on your school work. The teacher called a few days ago to say your book report wasn't up to your usual standard."
"Yes, mother," Atobe said. He then excused himself to go double check his school work and once satisfied with that, he pulled out his favourite stationery to pen Tezuka another letter and tell him of his failure at trying to visit him.
-0-0-0-0-0-
"Kabaji, can I tell you something?" Atobe asked one day when he and Kabaji were sitting under a leafy shade tree in the garden of his mansion.
Kabaji nodded before reaching over to pick up the kitten that was trying to sneak away from them. The kitten gave a squeak before being safely cuddled against Kabaji's chest. The cat that lived in the stables had given birth not that long ago and today the stablehand had let them take the kittens and mother out to play under the tree.
Atobe fed the mama cat a treat as she stretched and peered up to look at her kittens. "You can't tell anybody. You have to promise me."
"I promise," Kabaji said in a voice that already seemed too deep for someone his age.
Atobe stared at his friend a bit longer before deciding that he could most definitely trust him. He then moved the kittens off of him and onto Kabaji's lap and stood.
"I have a soulmate," Atobe proclaimed. He then tugged down his shorts and underwear band to reveal the 'Kunimitsu' written on his hip.
"Since when?" Kabaji asked, never questioning if Atobe was kidding.
So Atobe sat back down and took back a kitten before telling Kabaji all about Tezuka and how unfair it was that he still couldn't see him.
"Junior high school?" Kabaji asked finally.
Atobe looked at him and frowned. Now was not the time to be talking about school. Then he realized what Kabaji meant. The Atobe family had a long tradition of attending Hyoutei in Tokyo. But would his parents still say no because of rules?
"I don't know… my parents have been quite stern."
"Ask," Kabaji encouraged.
But who should he ask? Then Atobe smiled and reached over to hug Kabaji making a couple kittens meow in surprise. "You're the best, Munehiro. I know just who to ask."
So later that week, after carefully planning what to say he phoned up his grandfather and mentioned how he'd like to be closer to him and of course attend the famed Hyoutei school that he and his father had gone to.
Atobe had had to suffer nearly an hour of reminiscing about his grandfather's time at the school but by the end of it he had agreed that it was a grand idea and that he would talk his parents into bringing him back to Tokyo for the start of junior high school.
Atobe was so excited when he wrote the letter to Tezuka that he had to restart three times before he stopped smearing ink across the page or making mistakes. Kanji was difficult to write when he was bouncing up and down in anticipation.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Atobe smiled as he looked out over his new domain - Hyoutei Junior High School. He was going to make them be awed by his greatness and then when he was done aweing them he would turn his sights on Tezuka. He hadn't seen him in years and he wanted the other to know that his soulmate was the best soulmate he could hope to get.
He had worked hard to build up his confidence and of course to be one of the best tennis players he could be. Because of that, he found it laughingly easy to overcome the current tennis team and declare himself captain. The school was no harder to conquer. And after a week in school, Atobe smiled as his grandfather praised him and rewarded him with a cellphone to use with his friends.
He wondered if Tezuka also had a phone. He quickly penned him a letter, reminding Tezuka of his new address. Being so close to his friend once again was both thrilling and frustrating. But Atobe as confident that Tokyo wasn't as big as it seemed and their paths would cross sooner or later.
So used to waiting weeks for a reply to his letters that Atobe was amazed when two days later a maid greeted him and produced a familiar looking letter on a tray. He grabbed it at once and ran straight to his room to read it. His box of letters had been transferred to under his new bed and this letter would soon join his collection just as soon as he memorized it all.
Tezuka was attending Seishun Gakuen and was going to try out for the tennis team and hoped they could meet at the matches. Atobe smiled at that and knew he had made the right decision by taking over the tennis club. They had to become good enough to face off against this Seishun place.
He then frowned as Tezuka mentioned he didn't have a phone but hoped to get one for his next birthday. Atobe sighed. That was six months away and it was only an if. Still, letters only took a handful of days to make it to him now and that was a big deal. Maybe in his next letter he could suggest phoning.
Phone calls early on had led to some awkward conversations with each other's parents but the handful of times they had been able to talk had made it all worth it to Atobe. And with his own phone and phone number, surely Tezuka could find a way to call him to talk.
He debated putting the request in his next letter to Tezuka but felt it best to wait a week or two. He didn't want to look weak and needy in front of Tezuka.
A few weeks into the school year, the boys and girls went to separate classes for health class and what turned out to be sex-ed. Atobe was bored through most of it but at the mention of soul mates he perked up and listened intently.
It was in that class that he found out about some of those mythical rules that his mother had talked about and just why their mothers had sworn them to secrecy on the topic of being soulmates.
It's not like having a soulmate was bad or even finding your soulmate when that young was wrong. It was just there were certain stigmas to it that their mothers wanted to protect them from.
The main rule that seemed to be causing them both stress was the one that stated soulmates could not be together before the age of majority in their country. Ostensibly it was a good rule and protected young people with much older soulmates from being taken advantage of until they were ready for that type of relationship.
But Atobe didn't want to have sex with Tezuka. He wanted to play tennis with him and show him his dog.
But apparently everyone thought that all soulmates wanted to do was kiss and have sex and if people knew that he and Tezuka were soulmates they would think they were doing those things already or something ridiculous.
To be honest, Atobe wasn't even sure Tezuka and him could have sex. The long class had gone into detail about reproductive organs and safe sex with women but never with two men. He would have thought that fate had made a mistake and Tezuka couldn't be his soulmate since he couldn't be with him the way that others would assume but he knew that couldn't be true. Tezuka was his perfect match.
Atobe wanted to share all of this news with Tezuka as soon as he could but Tezuka didn't call that night. So he wrote it out in a letter and mailed it to Tezuka the first thing in the morning.
When his phone rang after dinner, he expected it to be the annoying glasses wearing guy from Osaka but instead was greeted with the lovely voice of Tezuka.
"Tezuka!" Atobe said excitedly before composing himself. "Did you get my letter?"
"I did."
"Don't you think that law is ridiculous. And what's more, I looked it up, the age of majority is twenty in Japan. Twenty!" Atobe felt that as an incredibly long time to wait when other countries had it set at eighteen.
"It does seem a little long."
"You don't sound surprised. Did you know about it?" Atobe asked.
"A little bit," Tezuka admitted and Atobe could hear the hesitancy in his voice. Had Tezuka not wanted to tell him?
"What do you mean?"
"My grandfather told me there was a law that said young soulmates can't be together… but I didn't know the exact law."
Tezuka's voice was so earnest and straightforward that Atobe believed him. Of course his friend wouldn't withhold something important from him on purpose. Hadn't Atobe been told there were rules that said they couldn't be together. They had both been given part of the law but nothing concrete.
"Okay. Hey, Tezuka?"
"Yes?" Tezuka asked.
"I want to play tennis against you."
The line was quiet for a while an Atobe worried that they'd been disconnected. But finally Tezuka spoke. "I'd like that," He said but something was off in his voice. Atobe knew Tezuka wasn't very talkative so he liked to think he had become something of an expert at interpreting what Tezuka did say, even if they'd only spoken by phone a handful of times.
"But?" He asked.
"I had a small accident. I can play… but I want to be at my best when I play you."
Atobe smiled. He didn't like Tezuka being injured but he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Tezuka wanting to be good for him just like he wanted to be good for Tezuka. Surely this was more important when it came to soulmates than kissing and sex.
"Then I'll wait for you, Tezuka."
"Thank you." And with that, Tezuka hung up on him. It was okay. He knew he'd get his match eventually.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Tezuka finally got his own phone and the first message he sent Atobe was to tell him that Seigaku would be playing Hyoutei in the Tokyo finals after Seigaku had won their latest match. Atobe was excited. It was his chance to finally play against Tezuka. He was sure with Tezuka's skill that he would be in singles one even if he wasn't the captain. Just like he would be in singles one and his captain, the somewhat useless third year, would be in singles two.
He was grinning madly when he went down to dinner and when his father asked him why he was so happy he just told them about the good results of the tennis matches that day and avoided mentioning Tezuka.
The next day he was still in a good mood as he headed to the courts where the matches would be had. His good mood lasted exactly until he found out that Tezuka would be in singles two and it was too late to switch their own line up.
Still, he would get to see his soulmate and if they were lucky, they might even manage to talk a little in person.
As they lined up to greet each other at the net, Tezuka and him ended up across from each other and he smiled at the Seigaku boy and was pleased when he got the barest of smiles in return. He looked down to Tezuka's wrist and noticed the large wrist band covering it. That just made him smirk. He knew exactly what the other man was hiding under it.
"Good luck," He said. Yes, he probably shouldn't be wishing the rival team good luck but just because he wanted Hyoutei to win it didn't mean that Tezuka couldn't win his own match. If it reached that far, Atobe was sure he was more than capable of taking care of Seigaku's captain.
"And you," Tezuka said quietly before turning and walking back to the Seigaku bench. Atobe stayed and watched him a moment longer than proper and then turned to head back to the bench.
"Who was that?" Oshitari asked leaning far into his personal space.
"A tennis rival," Atobe said smoothly. Just because they had yet to play against each other did not make Tezuka any less of a rival. He had heard all about his skill, even before junior high school, and knew he would be a worthy challenge.
"Only a rival?" Oshitari asked quietly as doubles two started.
"What else would he be?" Atobe asked answering Oshitari's question with a question.
"Hmmm… he is quite handsome. I was merely curious if my dear little Atobe has finally blossomed into a young man."
"Pardon?" Atobe asked and then tried to put more space between them. Oshitari could be so weird at times. And he had yet to figure out if it was just Oshitari or a general trait of all people from Osaka.
"Do you want to kiss him?"
"What?! Of course not!" Atobe said and then realized he had spoken a little too loudly when those closest to them had stopped their chanting. He waved them off and leaned in closer to Oshitari. "Why would you think such ridiculous things?"
"You have admirers throwing themselves at you by the dozen and you barely give them a glance beyond what is required for politeness. But that look you gave that man was anything but polite," Oshitari explained.
"You're delusional."
"I am not. And you know there's nothing wrong with being with another man. My uncle, not Kenya's father but my other uncle's soulmate is a man."
Atobe gave an annoyed huff. Not only at Oshitari's continue belief that everyone liked to hear about his cousin but because he acted like he knew more about the world than Atobe. Atobe had travelled more of the world than Oshitari could ever hope to. He was definitely the most worldly.
Though… he had to admit to being intrigued about Oshitari's uncle and his male soulmate. Did they kiss?
He snuck a glance over to Tezuka who was studiously watching the match. Atobe was a bit disappointed that Tezuka wasn't sneaking glances at him but then he always knew that Tezuka was a good boy. He doubted Tezuka would spend a match gossiping about love lives.
"While I am a great lover of the romance of soulmates I am also practical enough to know that there's nothing wrong with casually exploring things with others. It's a good way to practice for your chosen one," Oshitari said.
Atobe didn't know how he was meant to practice for his soulmate on his soulmate. And dating others when he already knew who his soulmate was just seemed a little crass to him.
"Oh, he's looking over this way," Oshitari whispered.
Atobe glanced Tezuka's way just in time to see him look away. He wondered who the two boys flanking him were. They seemed close. Maybe Atobe would ask him later.
"I definitely think he's more than a rival," Oshitari said.
"Oi! Will you two stop gossiping already. We're supposed to be cheering," Shishido said from behind them and nudged them both.
Thinking that was for the best, Atobe tried to push thoughts of Tezuka and Oshitari's uncle out of his mind and focused on the matches.
The doubles and singles three matches went by quickly and then it was Tezuka's turn. If he lost this, Hyoutei would win. But Atobe already knew as he watched Tezuka take the court that he would be playing next. There was just something about the way that Tezuka stood on the court that made it seemed as if he owned it.
As the match started, Atobe's eyes were glued to Tezuka. His playstyle was precise and not as flashy as his but it was amazingly accurate and efficient. He hoped Tezuka found his playing as impressive as he found Tezuka's. The man was amazing on the courts.
Later that night, as Atobe soaked away the exertion of the day he thought of Tezuka and his tennis. He wanted even more than ever to play against him now. His soulmate was a force to be reckoned with. Smiling slightly, he looked down at Tezuka's name on his hip and gently ran a finger over the fine kanji there.
His thoughts then shifted from Tezuka easily defeating his captain to the words Oshitari had said to him. Two men together, kissing… doing more than kissing?
He pictured Tezuka as he was after his match. Hot, sweaty, panting, and with a fiery look in his eyes. Before he knew what he was doing his hand had moved from the Kunimitsu kanji on his hip to slowly stroking his cock. He had, of course, done this before. But he had never done it while thinking about Tezuka. The realization made him pause in his movements but then another image of Tezuka letting out an audible groan as he returned a smash filtered through his mind and his hand started moving again.
He thought about what it might be like to have Tezuka touching him. His hands would likely be rough from hours holding a tennis racket, too. But would he do soft tentative strokes or would he be firm and take control like he did on the courts.
Atobe let out a soft moan as he stroked himself harder. He could practically hear the way Tezuka said his name as he continued to stroke himself.
It only took a couple of more strokes before he came into the cooling bath water. After a few minutes, when his limbs no longer felt like jelly, he pulled himself from the tub and toweled off. Touching himself like that had always left him feeling somewhat unsatisfied and dirty. But this time, it had felt amazing and he felt recharged. Was it because he had done it while thinking of Tezuka? As he dried off, he couldn't help but keep stealing glances of the tattoo on his hip.
Smiling lightly, he headed back into his room and saw that his phone was flashing. Curious, he looked to see who it was. A message from Oshitari that he would ignore for now and one from Tezuka. He was just about to hit reply when he remembered what he had just done in the tub.
Tezuka's message to him had been so innocent and straightforward. He could hardly reply to it while only moments before he was touching himself while thinking of how Tezuka had look on the courts.
He hastily placed his phone back on his side table and walked to his closet for pyjamas. He'd just message Tezuka back tomorrow or in a few days… when his emotions and mind were being less weird.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Nearly two weeks later and just as many mornings of waking up with an awkward mess to deal with thanks to dreams filled with Tezuka and Atobe still hadn't worked up the courage to talk to him. Would he be able to even message him without Tezuka just feeling what he'd been doing?
He was holding his phone and debating for the thousandth time what to write when it started to ring. He nearly dropped it in surprise but quickly recovered and answered it before he could consider the name on the screen. "Hello. Atobe speaking," he said.
"Keigo?" Tezuka's voice filtered through to him from the other end. He nearly dropped his phone again. Tezuka so rarely called him and Atobe was sure that he had yet to do so since getting his own phone. But he could hardly hang up now especially when there was that tone in Tezuka's voice. Had he caused the other to worry about him.
"Yes, it's me. How are you?" He asked.
"Good. I was…" Tezuka hesitated and Atobe leaned forward as if he could physically help compel the words from the other. "I wanted to congratulate you on your win."
That had not been what Tezuka was going to say. But as Atobe wasn't about to volunteer that the reason he hadn't called is because he felt guilty about his new found enjoyment of masturbating to thoughts of Tezuka playing tennis he decided not to press Tezuka for the truth.
"And you on yours. Even if Seigaku lost, your match had been quite the lesson in technique," Atobe said. And while it may have sounded like flattery he meant every word. Tezuka was not the type of player who relied on luck.
"Thank you… Perhaps we'll play again in the Kanto tournament," Tezuka said and Atobe really wished he could see him.
Obviously his sudden disappearance from Tezuka's life had caused the other to be concerned for his well being and even now that they were talking about one of their favourite topics, Tezuka still didn't sound as sure as he usually did. He owed him an apology or an explanation for why he hadn't written or called but knew he wasn't ready to admit that truth.
"I'd like that," He said instead. "Look, Kunimitsu…"
"Yes?" Tezuka said.
"I'm sorry about not calling or writing."
"It's alright. I assumed you were busy with a mix of exams and extra practices like I've been."
Clearly Tezuka was too good for him if he would let him get away with such stupidity so easily. "It has been rather hectic at Hyoutei lately. But that's no excuse. I'll make sure to not let it happen again."
"I'd appreciate that."
Atobe swore he had heard a small sigh of relief and vowed to not give Tezuka a reason to worry again. His rampant hormones were his own problem and he'd handle them himself without dragging Tezuka into them.
"So those two you were talking with at the match. Are they the friends you've mentioned before? Oishi and Fuji was it?" Atobe asked.
"Yes. Oishi is the taller one with darker hair. Who was the teammate you were speaking with?" Tezuka asked.
Atobe wondered if that was a note of jealousy in Tezuka's voice but decided that would be ridiculous as they were soulmates. "Oshitari Yuushi. He's from Osaka and has the weirdest sense of humour. I'm still trying to figure out if it's just him or if it's all people from Osaka that are that weird."
"Osaka is famous for its comedians," Tezuka supplied. He often told Atobe little tidbits about Japan, filling in the information gaps that growing up abroad left him.
"Maybe that's it. They just feel obligated to be strange."
"Have you had any trouble understanding Kansai-ben?"
"No more than anyone else around thankfully. And Gakuto and Shishido are noisy and rude enough to pick on Oshitari if he starts being too incomprehensible."
"That's convenient."
"It really is. It saves me from having to admit to any weaknesses." His Japanese not always being on par with what it should be was still a frustrating point for Atobe but after more than a year back in Japan and with the help of an expert tutor his vocabulary and kanji ability was nearly as flawless as the rest of him.
"Keigo, next time I want to play you," Tezuka said in a sudden u-turn to their earlier conversation.
"Excellent. I've been wanting that for years now. I was disappointed at seeing you singles two."
"I felt the same when it was your captain and not you who walked out onto the court."
"So what's your plan?" Because all of their previous plans to play casually together had fallen through thanks to their parents but they could hardly control it if their schools played against each other again.
"No matter when we meet, at Kanto's or next year, I will be in singles one. I will be waiting for you there," Tezuka said, his usual confident manner returned.
"I'll be looking forward to it." And there was little doubt in Atobe's mind that Hyoutei and Seigaku would meet up again. If not this year at Kanto then next year in the Tokyo matches or the Kanto ones.
"I should go. Goodnight, Keigo."
"Goodnight, Kunimitsu." He hung up and stared up at his ceiling wondering why he had been such an idiot to think he could avoid the other man.
His life was intertwined with Tezuka's and he had to remember that. He also had to figure out just what to do with these new thoughts and feelings about Tezuka because running away was not an option.
While admiring his ceiling, a part of him couldn't help but hope that Tezuka also shared the same feelings and confusion of him regarding each other and their futures.