Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

Warning: Shonen-ai one-shot. Crack Pairing.

Pairing: Tezuka X Kabaji

Stoic Attraction

By: Gwynhafra86

Tezuka's POV

Tezuka, Seigaku's wooden block buchou, has never ceased to be amazed by one Kabaji Munehiro. With his arms folded, he watched as the hulking sophomore trailed behind the Monkey King...er...no...Atobe Keigo. Goodness. Echizen's nickname for the diva was getting to him. Tezuka wondered how Kabaji was able to endure all of Atobe's chewing without a word of complaint. Atobe was always sending him on errands, or making him agree to the most narcissistic comments, but Kabaji would always reply without missing a beat with his usual toneless 'usu', with his blank expression unchanging.

Tezuka leaned back against the wall, which gave him a clear view of both Kabaji and Echizen. More often than not, his gaze would follow Kabaji, even though he was supposed to be tutoring Echizen and watching his moves for weaknesses. He vaguely wondered how anyone was able to put such a perfect emotionless mask on his face. He had prided himself to be the only one in the tennis world who was able to do so, that was, until he met the Hyotei sophomore. As he was distracted by Kabaji again, he mused to himself what it might be like to be in Kabaji's shoes instead...

Kabaji's POV

"Usu." Ah. There he went again. Kabaji was never able to really string a sentence of words together. As Atobe put it, Kabaji had the mentality of a child, and therefore he wouldn't be what Atobe would consider as 'intelligent'.

The reality was, Kabaji was not stupid. Quite the contrary, he was actually quite intelligent. His inability to string words together...well...he would have to blame the lack of coordination between his brain and his mouth. He always had sentences perfectly formed in his head, but somehow, his mind worked so fast that by the time he opened his mouth to say the words, they had long flown past, miles and miles away. All he could manage to say by then is a simple 'usu."

Atobe twirled a lock of hair between his fingers before giving one more of his speeches. "Ore-sama will always be better than Tezuka. Ore-sama is far richer and far better looking, with much larger cheering squad. Right Kabaji?"

'The far richer and larger cheering squad part was true, but Tezuka's far better looking than you.' Kabaji thought. He didn't manage to say the words though, as it had already flown past his head. All he could do was his usual reply. 'Usu." He muttered a little mournfully, even if it didn't show in the tone of his voice. He had a mild crush on the stoic Seigaku captain, but now, he wasn't able to even open his mouth to defend him.

Atobe handed Kabaji his bag, which Kabaji took obediently. "Come on, Kabaji. We need to return to the others."

"Usu." Kabaji trailed behind his captain, as usual.

Kabaji kept his stare fixed ahead. He could hear someone hitting tennis balls against the wall, but he didn't turn over. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that the person was Echizen, and Tezuka was keeping watch over his junior. Kabaji turned away, not wishing to see that anymore. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't know there was a brick in his path. He soon knew though, for he tripped over it.

He didn't fall flat on his face. No, a hand prevented that from happening. Kabaji looked up and realized that the Seigaku captain had caught him just in time, and the sight of his crush up close caused his cheeks to explode with colour. Tezuka steadied him and stepped back a little, much to Kabaji's disappointment. Atobe was calling to him in the background, but Kabaji couldn't hear him. All he could see was the person standing before him at the moment.

Tezuka's gaze was stern, though Kabaji could have sworn that it was gentle, and not harsh as most people take it to be. The Seigaku captain's mouth moved, and Kabaji watched, entranced.

"Yudan sezu ni ikkou (Don't let your guard down)."

Kabaji was completely smitten. The stoic captain, the one whose lines could be counted by hand...had actually spoken to him! He could see stars now!

"U-usu!" Now he couldn't even string together his usual word. For a different reason this time though. He was pretty sure his expression was showing on his face. The both of them said nothing, as they merely stood there.

POV of the others

"Ka-Kabaji?" Atobe had tears streaming down his face. Kabaji wasn't listening to him! Him, the great Atobe Keigo, had never been ignored in his entire life, so why was he being ignored by his most loyal subject? Just the thought of it was making him cry.

Meanwhile, Echizen had stopped his practice against the wall and now dark clouds were surrounding the boy. What on earth was buchou doing there for? Wasn't he supposed to be watching him practice? So what's the point in practicing anymore?

Both of them were ignored, as Tezuka and Kabaji were too busy in their own world.

::End::

A/N: This fic was inspired by my fellow evil empire pal Nekogal's TezuKaba doodle.

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn