Yuushi surreptitiously slid his new Nora Roberts book out of his bad and behind his geography textbook. He already knew exactly what the chapter he was supposed to be studying – and the next few chapters as well, for the record – so he really couldn't see anything wrong with attempting to satisfy his daily fix for fluffy romance right now.
Why was he hiding it? Well, he was studying with his temperamental doubles partner, and thought they'd known each other for years and Gakuto knew (in detail) about Yuushi's chick-lit fetish, he still managed to get a kick out of catching him reading a bright pink book.
He was just getting to the climax of the story – the female protagonist was about to confess to the male – when a pale hand snatched away the book and poked him hard. "Yuushi! I need help; I can't understand a word of this stupid chapter!" whined Gakuto. "Stop reading and explain it to me!"
Yuushi grabbed for the book – it was the last installment of the Garden Trilogy and he wanted it back. When the flexible redhead easily evaded him, he offered, "I'll give you my summarized notes on this chapter if you give it back."
There was a glint in Gakuto's eyes; he knew he had the upper hand, at least for the moment. "This one and the next one too. I know you did them."
While Yuushi was still debating on whether or not to agree to his demand, someone else took the book out of Gakuto's outstretched hand.
Staring at the object he'd plucked out of his teammate's hold as if it were something the dog had done, Atobe sniffed, somehow managing to communicate his extreme distaste with just that one noise. "Ore-sama cannot believe you would give up your notes for this… this piece of… unmentionable trash."
"It is not trash," protested the blunette. "Give it back, Atobe."
"Ore-sama would gladly do so to get this befouling thing from his glorious presence," retorted the other boy. "However, doing so would sully you, my fukubuchou, and that would subsequently pollute the purity that exudes from Ore-sama's person."
Yuushi would have rolled his eyes had it not so high a chance of marring his reputation of the untouchable tensai. "It is a romance novel, not a piece of animal excrement."
"They are essentially the same, in this particular context. Ore-sama condemns this paper bag of trash to the incinerator!" declared the diva of Hyotei.
Gakuto laughed. "Too bad, Yuushi. You suck."
The taller boy kicked him under the table, not even deigning to dignify that with an answer.
Atobe, meanwhile, had turned ot one of his ever-present fangirls. "You, girl. Toss this into the nearest bin."
The fluttery girl blushed fiery red, taking the book as if receiving a gift from a member of the divinity. Then again, to her, that was probably what he was. And he, of course, wasn't going to change that opinion anytime soon.
Well, Yuushi wasn't about to let his book go so easily. After all, it wasn't as if he could just go to the nearest bookstore to buy it, since it wasn't even available to the general public in Japan yet – he'd gotten the very first copy straight from the publishers, almost before the ink had dried on its pages, and the amount of negotiation he'd had to go through had been phenomenal. He glared at his buchou. "You do not want to know what dirt I have on you."
Atobe flipped his hair, saying with great conviction, "Having dirt on Ore-sama is impossible."
Giving a smile that should have struck fear into the hearts of those who saw it – Gakuto was inching away slowly; unfortunately, Atobe being the way he was, the effect was lost on him – Yuushi said, "I have enough to make you give me your inheritance three times over. For example, when you were ten, you peed in your pants…"
Seeing that Atobe didn't seem to have heard, the blunette raised his voice slightly. "… peed in your pants at your father's important business part-"
This time, Atobe heard, and he clapped a hand over his fukubuchou's mouth to prevent further juicy information from leaking out. Pale with fury and embarrassment, he said, "Enough. Ore-sama is convinced." Leaning closer, he added in a hiss, "Such details of Ore-sama's life should never be spoken of before fangirls. Or teammates, for that matter."
Yuushi shrugged. "Gakuto doesn't seem to understand anyway." He was right; Gakuto had the confused look on his face that showed that he was busy trying to work something he didn't fully comprehend out. "Now kindly return me my book."
"It's Ore-sama's pleasure to return that piece of defiling trash –" here, Yuushi muttered, "It is not trash," – "to you," finished the haughty diva. "Nevertheless, Ore-sama would insist that you only read it outside the reach of the waves of glory that flow from my persona."
"I have enough dirt to make you give me your inheritance three times over," reminded Yuushi.
Had Atobe been any less refined, he would have grimaced. "Very well. Ore-sama will not punish you for reading those trashy books as long as your tennis doesn't suffer." Snapping his fingers, he imperiously beckoned the aforementioned fangirl (who was still clutching the book as though it were a treasure). "Give it back to him." At her instant conformity, he turned back to the Kansai boy. "Ore-sama will not forget this blackmail."
Frantically flipping through the pages to locate his place, Yuushi did not reply. His silence prompted Atobe to repeat himself, raising his volume to get his message across. "Ore-sama said, Ore-sama will not forget this blackmail, Yuushi."
"As you say," mumbled Yuushi, having found his place and already engrossed in the story.
"Good for you. You have extra laps to look forward to at practice later."
This part, at least, Gakuto understood. "Hah! In your face, Yuushi!"
OWARI
A/N: Randomness inspired when my friend asked me why Yuushi seems to like romance novels in fics. Erm… I think I exaggerated a bit too much… but then, exaggeration is what makes it fun – at least I think so… XD