#13 : Excessive Chain
Tezuka's first boyfriend is not – contrary to what anyone may think or hope – a team-mate or even a member of the tennis club. His first boyfriend is a second-year swimmer who hates it when Tezuka refers to him as senpai.
His swimmer is all long legs and smooth skin, and always moves with a slow kind of grace as though in the water. He is passionate for his sport, but not passionate enough and never understands Tezuka's dedication to tennis. His hair always smells like a different shampoo, and he is always cheerful – though not to the same extent as Kikumaru – yet doesn't feel that silence needs to be filled with chatter.
Tezuka likes him, and especially likes his smile when they kiss by the pool when everyone has gone home.
"Why do I get the feeling you're going to leave me for tennis?" he says, joking and teasing and making Tezuka's heart flutter. He always has one hand tangled in Tezuka's hair and sometimes one on Tezuka's waist. Tezuka just likes to touch him, but he won't say that out loud – ever.
"You're very funny," he replies dryly and kisses his swimmer. When they're together Tezuka sometimes wonders if his is what your first love is supposed to be like.
He wants to teach him tennis: how to play, how to feel, what it's like to break serve and to serve. Tezuka thinks this would be fair; he knows how to swim, after all.
They are together though the summer and into the fall. Tezuka goes to many of his swim meets and he is at every game of the Kantou tournament is there when Hyoutei knocks them out of the Nationals in the first round.
Echizen comes back in October and Tezuka starts cancelling plans they've made to see how much he has improved. The last time they're on the phone together Tezuka apologizes and the swimmer sighs.
"What did I tell you," he mutters, and hangs up.
Tezuka is ashamed a month later when he remembers every point Echizen scored on him, but not his ex-boyfriend's name.
Tezuka dates a boy with bright blue eyes in his second-year of high school. They meet one week after Echizen loses in the semi-finals of the US Open to Nadal, when Tezuka is vice-captain and Seigaku doesn't make it to the Nationals.
"How are you so good at tennis?" Yori asks him, sketchbook under one arm. He's all smiles and too shy; Tezuka thinks he is weak enough to be annoying at first.
"Practice," Tezuka replies, bowing his head as he turns to leave.
"It's more talent, isn't it?"
Tezuka stops and narrow his eyes at the boy. "Talent needs to be nurtured into ability." He responds, a little more coldly than planned.
Yori continues to smile. "I guess that's why I never got into it."
Yori is in the art club, but very modest about his work. Tezuka doesn't pry and neither of them ever brings up talent. Their relationship is fragile and slow-moving, and Tezuka wonders what they're both waiting for.
"Echizen is very good," Yori says, lowering his tennis magazine and watching Tezuka flip through a textbook. Yori's voice is softer than usual. Tezuka hopes this is only because of the library's bookie silence. "Is that all talent?"
No, Tezuka thinks as he turns a page. Talent always has to be nurtured.
Yori is very bad at tennis and Tezuka is a truly crappy artist.
In Tezuka's third-year of high school, he almost dates the boy across the street except Echizen comes back properly and Tezuka thinks he'd rather date him instead.
His mother is confused when Tezuka returns later than usual from tennis practice, excusing his missing dinner with 'captain responsibilities'. Tezuka Ayana simply smiles and nods and tells him to apologize to his grandfather and father. Somehow, she manages to refrain from asking how many laps he did or if Echizen-kun is a regular member yet.
Kevin Smith comes to the semi-final match against Rikkai but no-one notices until they're leaving to celebrate the victory with the absent Kawamura. He approaches Echizen and commends him on a match well-played and then there is a tense silence between them.
Eventually, Echizen nods and moves around him to join the waiting and confused Kikumaru and Momoshiro. Tezuka is extremely pleased by this and is tempted to suggest a haircut to Smith: perhaps his tennis would improve.
He would assign himself laps for such a thought, but he's too busy kissing and being kissed by Echizen to run later.
Fuji says that he's continued to play tennis just for this at dinner. He's smiling when he pops a wasabi roll in his mouth and Kikumaru flinches out of tradition. Tezuka doesn't really understand, but he is worried about the scowl on Echizen's face as his tennis bag vibrates on the floor.
When everyone else is gone and Echizen is clutching at the back of Tezuka's dress shirt (he manages not to worry about what to tell his mother), the smile on the freshman's lips is warm and his eyes are bright. "You know, buchou," he says, leaning his head on Tezuka's shoulder. "I've been waiting for this, too."
Fuji makes a little mores sense then, but Tezuka doubts he and Echizen mean the same thing.
The swimmer comes to the final three days later and the entire tennis club is curious as to what the ex-vice-captain of the swim team is doing at their game. Tezuka takes a moment away from his team to greet their visitor; he's not as nervous or as shocked as he supposes he should be.
"Be a little more grateful, Tezuka-kun," the swimmer says, hands in his jean pockets. His hair looks longer, and he doesn't make Tezuka's heart beat any faster, but everything else about him is the same. "I skipped classes today to watch your game." He is casual as always, teasing Tezuka.
He nods and mutters a 'thank you,' before turning to meet with the regulars one more time. This time, there won't be a chance to be together again and Tezuka knows tension is high.
"Is that Echizen?"
Tezuka stops and looks at the swimmer (does he still swim? He must.). There is silence and then he follows his line of sight to where Echizen is watching them with a small frown. He nods.
"Yes."
He looks back at the swimmer in time to see him roll his eyes.
"Thank you for coming, senpai." Tezuka says, ashamed once again that he can't remember the young man's name anymore.
The swimmer smiles. "My pleasure, Tezuka-kun."
At the beginning of the second set against Akutagawa, Tezuka remembers the name Moriyama Akira but can't place a face to it.
When first doubles begins at the end of his match, the swimmer is gone but he doesn't notice because Echizen is shaking, looking forward to the match with Atobe.
Tezuka's looking forward to it as well.
-owari