Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not ours... yet.
This fic is dedicated to awin-chan for... something. xD Something that I am not allowed to tell. xD. Have fun. XD
A Fall and a Catch
By Sweet Obsidian Rain
Echizen Ryoma grunted as he was rudely awakened by warm hands in the limousine. "Ryoma, get up. We're here."
Blinking, he sat up yawning and climbed out of the black vehicle. He let his eyes take in his surroundings before asking, "Monkey King, what are we doing at a stable?"
Atobe swept his arm in a welcoming gesture. "Be awed my Ore-sama's beautiful property."
"I didn't ask where we are. I asked why we are here."
"Ungrateful brat. Ore-sama brought you here to ride horses of course!" The Hyoutei king glared half-heartedly at his lover.
The response he got was merely a blank stare.
"Well? Are you not happy? Ore-sama has the most beautiful horses here."
"Che." Ryoma tugged his at the rim of his cap and walked off, hoping to find a shady place for a nice nap. However, Atobe didn't have the same idea in mind. Within a moment, he had boy wonder over his shoulder, smirking as the freshman of Seigaku protested loudly.
"Let me go, you ugly orangutan!"
Atobe frowned, but let the insult slide off him. Arriving at the stalls where the horses were kept, the gray haired man stopped to greet the trainer, "Nice seeing you again, Fei-san."
The trainer known as Fei, was a man in his thirties with pure blond hair. "Of course. You too, young master. I'm assuming you are here with your friend to ride?" He gestured to Ryoma who had long stopped struggling and instead, had settled for an angry scowl on his face. It looked more like a pout though.
"Yes please. If it isn't too much trouble, could you prepare our mounts for us?"
Fei nodded with a smile. "Of course. The usual for you?"
"I would settle for nothing better."
Ryoma glared at the creature in front of him. The pony snorted and wiggled around, still not comfortable with the saddle on her back.
The boy scowled.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't tall enough to ride an actual horse! The stupid Monkey King was off riding a beautiful white mare, enjoying the weather, while he was stuck here with this… this hideous thing!
Come to think of it, it was the Monkey King's fault that he was stuck in this situation. The boy stalked off into the fields, and growled possessively when he saw his Keigo petting the damned horse tenderly.
I am so not jealous.
Ryoma twitched when he caught his lover smirking at him. "That old monkey…"
Huffing, the boy returned back to the stable mumbling to himself. He found himself staring at the pony in front of him again.
"First time riding?" A gentle voice asked from one of the entrances. Fei stood leaning against the wooden doors with an amused expression on his face.
Adjusting his hat, Ryoma nodded.
"Would you want me to help you get on Ryuuko?"
"Ryuuko?"
"That's the pony's name. Ryuuko. The young master bought her a few months ago." Fei walked over and reached out a hand for Ryuuko to sniff.
Ryoma observed quietly, thinking that riding the creature might not be so bad after all.
"Scared?" A haughty and all too familiar voice whispered next to Ryoma's ear. The boy felt shivers travel down his spine and yelped in surprise. He was even more shocked when Atobe suddenly picked him up by the waist and settled him on top of the pony.
Atobe had already fastened some of the straps on the saddle to make things more comfortable when Ryoma finally regained his senses. "What are you doing?!"
"Helping you get on." Taking the lead, Atobe led the pony (and Ryoma) out into the fields. "Do you want to trot in circles, or do you want to take a trail?"
The other boy snorted. "How should I know?"
A smirk. "Then I say we take a short trail." Without waiting for an answer, he led Ryuuko to a small pathway in the small woods.
Ryoma tightened his hold on the pony when his lover let go and set off jogging in the direction in front of him. "Where are you going?"
"Ahead. To wait for you."
"Oi! I don't know how to ride this thing." The color on Ryoma's face drained. What if he fell and broke his bones? Then he wouldn't be able to play tennis!
"Don't worry." Atobe turned around after stopping about two yards away from Ryuuko and Ryoma.; he started clucking and the pony followed the sound.
The boy screwed his eyes shut in panic and cursed the Monkey King a thousand times and over. I'm not going to fall… I'm not going to fall…
Off to the left, Ryoma heard the sounds of snapping twigs… Unexpectedly, the pony started reeling and kicking. Ryoma felt himself thrown off in less than a second.
I am not going to fall!
Damn right he didn't fall.
Because right before hitting the ground, a pair of strong arms caught the boy and pulled Ryoma's face towards the person's chest. "Are you alright, Ryoma?"
The dark haired boy opened his eyes and glared. "What do you think, Monkey King?!"
"Hmph. Ore-sama sprinted all the way over to save you from breaking a few bones and all you do is yell at me? I'm hurt."
"Che. You deserve it. I wouldn't have even fallen if it wasn't for you." The boy scowled and looked away.
Atobe sighed, and apologized resignedly, "I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted us to have some fun."
When the boy in his arms didn't answer, the diva became frustrated. "Ryoma, look at me."
"Yadda."
"Ryoma."
"I don't wanna."
"Ryoma!"
"No— Ow! That hurts! Okay, okay, I'm looking." Ryoma glared and massaged his chin. Damn monkey… It better not bruise. "What?"
Soft lips brushed against the freshman's and all the anger rushed out of the boy. Eventually, Ryoma began to return the kiss.
"I'm sorry," Atobe mumbled when they broke apart.
Ryoma sighed. "Apology accepted. Now get me back to the stupid stable, Keigo."
Omake
The cap wearing boy slid into the limo and leaned his head against the cool window. He was so tired…
"You finally called me Keigo for the first time this week."
A growl admitted from Ryoma before he attacked his lover viciously. "Shut up!"
Owari
xD Has not been beta-ed and I just skimmed through it. I apologize for any mistakes and/or OOC-ness. X-X I'm tired… My poor poor brain cells. xD