Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Konomi Takeshi does. I'm merely playing with them for the moment.

A/N: Ever since the 1st of December, I have been posting one fic/update a day over at my LJ, lumelle. These updates have been in series of five fics sharing a theme.

The second series of five are set in a future RyoDan universe loosely based on the LJ-based RPG TeniCamp.

At this point, Ryoma has retired from professional tennis and they're finally settling down "for good".

Homecoming

"Turn the lights on, please."

"I can't," Ryoma replied, shaking his head. "We didn't get the lamps up, yet."

Dan sighed, trying to find his way through the dim room. There were boxes and piles of stuff every which way, just simple paths allowing them to make their way around. "Of course we didn't. Nothing's gone right today."

"Well, I guess that's the way it goes with all big things." Ryoma shrugged, following his lover's shadowy form. "That lamp we want for the living room is a bitch to put on, so we'll have to wait until we can actually see something."

"Yeah... We'll have to get to that first thing tomorrow, or tomorrow evening we'll once again find ourselves without light."

"Yeah." Ryoma walked on, almost bumping into Dan as the taller man suddenly stopped. "…Tai? Something wrong?"

"…Nothing. Just, nothing." Dan shook his head, a vague gesture in the near-darkness. "I just… I don't know. All this seems so… surreal."

"What does?" Ryoma asked, slightly puzzled. "The maze of boxes in a dark apartment? Seems damn well real to me. I think I've stubbed my toes at least three times."

"Well, that too." Dan chuckled a bit. "It's just… well. It feels like we've just been running on without stopping for a moment these past few years… and suddenly, we're here. In a new place, with all the new stuff, with no other schedule than having to clear all this up before we go crazy desu. And everything's so new but there's nothing else coming and… I don't know."

"…Yeah." Ryoma reached his arms around Dan, pulling him close. "I know what you mean, Tai. I still expect to wake up and notice not only was all this a dream but I'm late for a match."

"As though I ever let you sleep through your matches." Dan smiled faintly, a hand coming up to cover Ryoma's. "We're going to be here for a while, aren't we? No more hotels and training camps and travelling around all over the globe. No more nights spent on the plane..."

"Yeah, well, I'd say that's a good thing." Ryoma smirked against the back of Dan's neck. "You know I never sleep well on the plane."

Dan chuckled again. "I know, I've seen it often enough. But now... we'll sleep here, won't we. Every night of every week of every month." He turned around in Ryoma's arms, reaching to return the embrace. "We'll be... home."

"Yeah," Ryoma said, and knew that even through the darkness Dan knew he was smiling. "Finally, we're home."

He pulled Dan down for a kiss that was eagerly returned, his hands sliding down along his lover's body. For all that it was dark all over the apartment, they certainly found their way into the bedroom well enough.

Their bed was just about the only thing that was right where it was supposed to be. There weren't any lights in the bedroom, either, but somehow they managed to stumble their way along, Dan falling on his back as his legs met the edge of the bed. Ryoma climbed on the bed after him, seeking to kiss, to touch, to hold.

The darkness hid the typical mess of a freshly moved-in apartment, empty walls echoing with the soft sounds Dan made as they moved together. Maybe it wasn't home yet but it would be, Ryoma knew that for sure, day by day they'd make it more of a home, a home just for the two of them, and as they made love in the darkness he almost felt like it already was.