Title: Heartfelt
Summary: When it comes to a gift, it doesn't matter the look or the price. It's the thought that is put into it right? Well, he doesn't really know what to get the male, so he's going to try something that money can't buy whatsoever. It's his birthday, and he's going to show the other just how much he means in their relationship.
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. The anime and its canon characters belong to their rightful owners.
Ryoma sighed as he thought about what he was going to write onto the paper in front of him. Tomorrow was his, Tezuka's, and Fuji's third boyfriend's birthday, May 21st, and Ryoma was still trying to think of what he was going to get for the older male.
Tezuka had mentioned to him and Fuji how he was going to get the other male a new uniform for the kendo practice that Sanada took a part in. Fuji even mentioned something about a photo album from back when they were all in middle school with some pictures that former Rikkaidai students had taken of the tennis club.
Ryoma was the only one that didn't know exactly what to get the other male, so he had to call in for some help earlier on.
Ever since that near accident on April Fool's Day, Ryoma had been spending more and more time with Hanako. She was pretty much the same age as him, so she was able to spend more time with him that Fuji, Tezuka, and Sanada who were all in high school. Not to mention that Hanako probably had to deal with the same school stuff that Ryoma had to deal with considering they were both about to graduate into high school.
Sighing at the paper in front of him, Ryoma picked up his cell phone and dialed the girl's number.
"What's up Ryoma-kun?" Hanako questioned as she picked up the phone, obviously in the middle of something as there was a lot of noise in the background.
"I need help… again…"
Hanako chuckled on the other side of the line. "Alright then. What letter?"
"I can't think up anything for the letter 'N' at all at the moment…" Ryoma admitted, leaning back in his chair.
He was happy that the other three were out for the day and wouldn't come back until later that evening. Before, he used to hate the fact that his boyfriends seemed to leave him alone, but at the moment, he was glad. If they were with him, he wouldn't be able to get any time to think about the present he wanted to give…
Sure, he still hated being alone, but Ryoma hoped that the reaction he would get from Sanada later on would be worth it.
"Let's see what I can think of Ryoma-kun," Hanako said, shuffling around with the phone considering the change of volume in her voice during the sentence.
"Thanks," Ryoma said, sighing in relief that he would be getting help again. "Sorry for the trouble."
"You saying 'sorry' is weird Ryoma-kun," Hanako chuckled before humming a bit in thought. "Never going to leave you?"
"Already somewhat have that with 'Always there' Hanako," Ryoma replied, scratching the back of his head with the end of his pencil.
Hanako hummed. "Nothing would be the same?"
"That'll work. Thanks," Ryoma said, getting a reply from the girl before they both hung up on the call.
Ryoma smiled just slightly as he twirled his pencil in his hand and jotted down something on the paper in front of him.
"Let's hope I can finish this before they get back…" Ryoma said, biting his lower lip slightly as he continued to work.
"What do you think Ryoma-kun is doing at the moment Gen-kun?" Fuji questioned Sanada, walking through the park with him and Tezuka.
"I'm not exactly sure," Sanada admitted with a shake of his head.
"You'd think after he was so angry about being left alone that he wouldn't ask us to go out for the entire day," Fuji stated, thinking back to earlier that morning when Ryoma had practically ordered them all to go out for the day and spend some time together.
"Maybe he's trying to make us closer to each other," Tezuka tried to reason, putting his hand in his chin in thought.
"Probably. I did spend most of my time with Ryoma before we started our relationship. He's probably trying to make sure that I spend just as much time with you two perhaps?" Sanada questioned at the end, not sure of the exact reason himself.
"Do you think he's okay with us leaving him alone for most of the day though? I mean, he seemed a bit stressed out in the morning," Fuji said, frowning a bit as he remembered the look that Ryoma had given the three when the younger told them all to get out of the house for the day.
"His eyes seemed a little more tired than usual…" Sanada commented, knowing what Fuji was worried about with the youngest male in their relationship.
"Do you think he's overworking himself with everything he has to do for high school next year?" Fuji questioned, making them all stop to think over the entire situation.
"He has to deal with all of the placement testing, not to mention how he has to start thinking about what he is going to do for a living," Tezuka mentioned, thinking back to what he thought about when he had entered high school.
"Not to mention all the pressure of getting the grades and getting the necessary papers needed for college. I'm not exactly sure whether he has even chosen a college as of yet," Sanada added, sighing at the end as he thought about the trouble that Ryoma would probably go through in the next year at least.
"We'll ask him what the matter is later when we all go over to his home tonight alright?" Tezuka questioned, trying to get the topic to move away. All this talk about worrying Ryoma was starting to make him more worried than he should about Ryoma. He knew the boy could handle himself, and he knew that Ryoma wouldn't want the three of them to worry about him so much.
"Come on. We should keep walking around if we want to stay out as long as Ryoma wants us to," Fuji said, nodding because Tezuka's suggestion.
Sanada gave them each a small smile as he led them further into the park to show him one of his favorite places in it.
"Hmmm… I don't recognize this area of the park," Fuji commented, looking around at the forest-like area that Sanada had taken them to. "I've only seen the open areas, but not this…"
"I found it a while ago when I was walking around on one of my visits," Sanada commented.
Fuji hugged Sanada's arm in response to the comment. "It must be hard for you to keep coming over here from where you live so often. Are you handling it well?" Fuji questioned, looking up with concerned eyes at the taller male.
Sanada gave a nod and pecked Fuji on the cheek to reassure him. "I'm not that behind in my studies, and Seiichi understands the reason why I'm coming over so often. Not to mention it is the summer, so I have more free time instead of having to study and practice," he explained.
"That's good to hear that you aren't overworking yourself," Tezuka said, nodding with a small smile. "Ryoma would probably be concerned if you were pushing yourself just to make the relationship work between the four of us."
"I know he would," Sanada answered with a warm smile at the thought of the younger male. "I really have to thank him for getting us together. Him and that girl…"
"Hanako. Her name's Hanako," Fuji supplied for him, noticing the hesitation to say the female's name.
"Right. Who is she to you all again?" Sanada questioned, having not gotten an explanation as to who the girl was in the first place.
With a chuckle, Fuji started explaining exactly who Hanako was to the group and how she had met each of them in the first place, starting with her meeting with Tezuka and Ryoma at her portrait booth in a festival.
The group of three couldn't help but smile as they continued talking on their walk. They talked about subjects ranging from school to Hanako's relation to them to their own relationship between each other and everything in between.
Smiling at the piece of paper in his hands, Ryoma left his room to go downstairs and meet his three boyfriends in the living room.
The three had gotten in late last night, having lost track of time from playing tennis in the public courts for a while. They had completely forgotten what time they were supposed to get back, and by the time they did get back, they could do nothing more than collapse on the couches and pass out from exhaustion.
When Ryoma had seen that, he snickered while grabbing a camera and some blankets to take some pictures and throw onto the three males to make sure they didn't get sick.
"Wake up you three," Ryoma called out, sliding down the stair rail and jumping off at the bottom as he went to the kitchen to grab the cake from the fridge that Hanako had picked up for him.
Karupin nuzzled up against Ryoma's leg, purring happily as he gave the cat a good scratch behind the ears.
"Hey Karupin, mind helping me wake them up?" he asked with a smirk on his face.
Karupin gave a cat's grin before scampering off to the living room.
Next thing Ryoma knew? There was a bit of screaming as well as three rushed footsteps to head to the bathroom… Maybe he needs to clip his cat's nails a bit… they were starting to hurt.
Ryoma snickered as the three came back into the kitchen and sat down with a few scratches on their faces from his cat.
"Are we going to eat first before doing anything else?" Fuji questioned.
"It's Gen-chan's birthday. Let him decide," Ryoma suggested, earning nods from the other three.
Sanada decided to eat breakfast first before doing anything and then showered into his casual clothing.
During that time, Ryoma, Fuji, and Tezuka were setting their presents on the table. Tezuka's present was a large box with Fuji's present in a rectangle box. Ryoma's was the only one whose present was inside an envelope.
After opening Tezuka's and Fuji's gifts, Sanada smiled as he gave them both a kiss on the lips as his thanks, earning smiles from them in return.
It was Ryoma's gift that had him slightly confused as he opened it up to find a black piece of paper with golden writing on it.
"Well? Aren't you going to read it?" Ryoma asked nervously, seeing how Sanada practically pierced the paper with his eyes.
"Read it aloud Gen-chan," Fuji asked, leaning his head onto the table as he was curious to what Ryoma's present was.
Sanada shrugged before clearing his throat and reading the letter aloud.
Sometimes I feel as if you're too busy for me.
Always working hard in everything that you do and usually away.
Nevertheless, I know that you are trying your best to make this relationship work,
And I know that you have a lot to take care of with your own personal life.
Don't ever think that I'll ever leave you because
A life without you is one I wouldn't dare to try.
Good luck with all your studies and your hardships,
Every single one of us is cheering for you to succeed.
Nothing would ever be the same without you,
I know that this is forever true.
Come over whenever you have the time or the need.
Here I'll stay and here I'll remain by your side.
I don't know whether this will make you happy.
Right now, I only want to see you smile and laugh alongside us
Or at least let us know that you'll remain with us.
Understand this though. I love you, and I cannot bear to live without you or the rest…
The three older males were silent once Sanada had finished reading the letter.
Ryoma was nervous as he clenched his hands together behind his back and chewed on his bottom lip.
"Is it really that bad?" he questioned quietly, not really knowing what to do if they said 'yes'. He had worked really hard on the letter, so he had hoped it would be perfect for the male…
"Did you write this up yourself?" Sanada questioned, not giving any indication whether he liked it or not to the younger male.
Ryoma gulped before responding that he had wrote it himself.
The next thing he knew, he was being pulled into a strong hug, the taller male burying his face into Ryoma's neck.
It looked like Ryoma didn't have to worry about whether Sanada had liked the present or not.
Smiling as he hugged the male back, Ryoma knew that this reaction was all he needed.
"Thank you," Sanada whispered, lifting his head from Ryoma's neck and putting all of his emotions of love for the boy into a single kiss.