Bold Serve
Summary: Sevendays without touching Ryuuzaki. Should be easy right, Ochibi? RYOSAKU
XXXXXXX
SATURDAY.
He was supposed to be enjoying a quiet afternoon of tennis.
Momoshiro and Eiji were supposed to be out scouting at rival schools.
And Ryoma Echizen was quite annoyed at this point.
"It's really unhealthy, I mean," Eiji continued, "Wouldn't you agree, Momo?"
Momoshiro looked thoughtfully nodded, "Indeed, you could probably cut the tension with a knife."
"Sexual tension," Eiji corrected and as he did so Momoshiro agreed appreciatively.
"You guys..." Ryoma muttered.
"Ah, but of course," Momoshiro concluded, "He probably doesn't want to hurt her."
"The gentle bunny and the fierce cat," Eiji sniffed, "Tragic."
"I'll say. Have I ever told you about mine and Ann's-"
"Momo senpai,"
The forced politeness was soft on the upperclassman's ear. Momoshiro turned and easily grinned at Ryoma, who was looking quite annoyed and red. In front of him was an ignored lunch of hamburgers and fries.
"Yes, my sweet Ochibi?"
"Shouldn't you be out scouting," Ryoma seethed.
"About that," Eiji shrugged, "Turns out they don't practice until five- talk about having it easy, nya?"
The previous training from yesterday was still fresh and sore in Ryoma's mind. So he couldn't help but silently agree. However that didn't excuse that Momoshiro and Eiji had dropped in on Ryoma's practice. Then, under the excuse of him buying them lunch (Why should the youngest pay for the older people, anyways?), Ryoma was dragged away.
So what now?
It was still early noon, Ryoma dryly noted. He already dismissed his barely eaten meal and looked off.
Today was supposed to be his day off because Saturdays' were for him. Fridays' were usually tennis practice then going home and Sundays...
Ryoma blinked. Sundays' were spent teaching the ever clumsy Ryuuzaki Sakuno how to hit a ball, for once. They practiced for usually two hours before she would either take him out to lunch or make food for him herself. This took all about an hour or two depending if Ryuuzaki was cooking. Afterwards, if he wasn't already at her house, he would help her with homework, or dare he admit, she would help him.
Yes, Sunday was also a day to catch up on homework with Ryuuzaki. It was certainly a new habit that Ryoma wouldn't enjoy if it hadn't been so helpful and efficient.
An obnoxious laugh shook Ryoma out of his pig tailed thoughts. He turned blank faced at the two, supposed mature pair in front of him, currently making faces with their fries.
Enough was enough.
"If you're finished, senpai. I'll be leaving now," Ryoma excused himself.
"Nya?" Eiji remarked, potato fries were up his nose, "Going already? But we have a whole five hours before we gotta get going."
Ryoma merely shrugged, "Not my problem, senpai."
"Aw, don't be a spoiled sport," Momoshiro said. He for one, had a fry tucked beneath his lip, "This isn't because we teased you, huh?"
Eiji gasped, "Ochibi, you should know that whatever happens between you and Sakuno chan is completely your business... though you should let your senpai in once in a while, ha?"
Ryoma felt his vein twitch, "There's nothing going on between Ryuuzaki and me."
Nodding slowly, Momoshiro said, "Sure. Oh, by the way, give a hug to Sakuno for me. That is, if you're not already touching her."
Eiji spat laughed, shooting the fries out of his nose, "Nice one!"
Frustrated, Ryoma said, "I don't touch her.'
"Are you kidding?! You're always touching her, Ochibi," Momoshiro said. His eyes held no joke and he would've looked dead serious if it weren't for the fry lining his teeth.
Flushing, Ryoma looked horribly insulted. "I do not-"
"Yes, yes you do," Momoshiro interrupted, "You always stand to close to her. You're arm is almost always touching hers', and especially when there's other people around. You may not be holding hands, but you do always pat her head you know. What else is there? Oh, this one's my favorite. It's not footsie, but you always gotta be have your knees touching when you're sitting next to each other."
As he was listing, Momoshiro was counting on his fingers. When he got to the last one, he looked at Ryoma and wiggled his eye brows. Eiji was cracking up.
"You..." Ryoma indignantly looked off to the side, "Are you stalking me, senpai."
Momoshiro rolled his eyes, "Everyone knows, Ryoma. Hell, even Akutsu commented to Kawamura about it."
"Akutsu," Ryoma deadpanned, "Jin Akutsu talked about me touching Ryuuzaki to Kawamura."
"Yup," Momoshiro cheerfully replied.
The idea of Akutsu Jin gossiping to Kawamura seemed like as normal as the wind, apparently.
Shaking his head, Ryoma decided to run off before any more brain cells were lost. However, he could not help but have a final word.
"I don't touch Ryuuzaki."
Momoshiro shrugged, "Whatever you say."
Ryoma seemed unconvinced.
"Nya! I got an idea!" Eiji happily intervened, "Why don't we have a bet?"
A knowing glanced passed between Momoshiro and Eiji. Expecting this behavior, Ryoma only looked bored because he knew better.
"No, thank you." Ryoma curtly said. He turned and was about to leave.
"Wait, you didn't even hear me out!" Eiji yelled. As Ryoma was just out the door, Eiji hollered, "I'll buy you Ponta- every day for a year!"
It seemed to work, because Ryoma's hand hesitated, even if it was only for a moment.
Then, "Like I would fall for that, senpai."
"No," Eiji insisted, "No, in fact, I'll pay for your racket strings for a whole month!"
This caught Ryoma's attention. Playing tennis, especially at Ryoma's level, to have your racket pop was sadly common. The strings were the most annoying part. It was horrible to anxiously wait for your racket to be stringed.
"Alright, senpai," Ryoma easily slid back into his chair with a knowing smirk, "What do you have in mind."
Of course, Eiji gave a knowing grin back, "But remember, Ochibi, we get something if you lose."
As if reading Eiji's mind, Momoshiro added, "If we win, you have to do the scouting for us for the rest of this semester."
Ryoma looked between Eiji and Momoshiro and then shrugged, "Okay."
"Excellent!" Eiji grinned, "So here's the damage- seven days."
Ryoma looked at Eiji's out spread hands and repeated, "Seven days."
Eiji nodded, "Yup. Seven days, and you can't touch Sakuno chan."
"Easy," Ryoma coolly said.
"Ah, don't agree so easily, my friend," Momoshiro mocked bowed, "Something tells me it's going to be a lot harder than you think."
Ryoma shrugged, but shook hands with both Eiji and Momoshiro.
"We'll be watching," Eiji winked, "But you don't seem like the type to cheat."
"Who knows, Eiji," Momoshiro laughed, "This might increase the sexual tension."
"You're right," Eiji gasped, "You're still free to leave, Ochibi."
"I won't," Ryoma said.
"Okay," Eiji shrugged.
"We'll have it start on Monday," Momoshiro winked, "We'll let you have one Sunday to have all the touches you can have."
"You sure you want to do this, Ochibi?" Eiji kittenishly grinned.
Ryoma replied, "Mada mada da ne."
XXXXXXX
SUNDAY.
"Ryoma kun? What's wrong, you seemed distracted."
"Nothing."
Sakuno looking genuinely worried and Ryoma sighed.
His attention still focused on his book, he accurately found Sakuno's head across the table and ruffled it. Because his eyes were on his open text, Ryoma did not notice Sakuno sheepishly blush.
"Ano, do you want some snacks?"
Ryoma muffled a reply, appearing to still be interested in his homework more than Sakuno.
Used to the off handed attitude, Sakuno politely excused herself into the kitchen, where she would prepare a light snack before dinner.
Although the homework seemed to be important, Ryoma couldn't help but rethink on his day and of course the bet.
Sunday went smoothly, of course. Ryoma tried to notice himself touching Sakuno in such a way that even Akutsu would comment on. However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Of course, he would have to teach Sakuno how to hold a racket, touching her wrists and moving her legs was required in order to correct her movement.
Then there was lunch, which was bought at a stand by the park. Perhaps their hands brushed when Sakuno handed him a ketchup packet, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there, was it?
Even now, studying, Ryoma could not think of any moment that he had touched Ryuuzaki, right? Ryoma thought hard, if he had been touching Ryuuzaki so loudly, wouldn't he had noticed? Wouldn't she had said something?
Ryoma shook his head.
The bet was in the bag, already.
"Here's some snacks, Ryoma kun," Sakuno said.
She laid a plate of different crackers in it. Then, she took out a grape Ponta.
Sakuno smiled, "Here you go, Ryoma kun."
"Thanks," Ryoma absently minded said. For the time being, his mind was some where else, but he took the soda from Sakuno.
She sat next to him as he took his sip. Looking down at his book, Ryoma unconsciously lifted his hand to Sakuno's shoulder to lightly roll it in his palm.
Sakuno smiled to herself. Although she admittedly appreciated his touch, she wondered if he was even aware of his seemingly casual actions. Even now, sitting at the table, Sakuno was flushed to notice that yet again their knees were touching.
Meanwhile, Ryoma couldn't help but conclude in his thoughts, that he would definitely and most confidently, win the bet against Eiji and Momoshiro.
.
.
.
We'll see.
.
.
.
XXXXXXX
Friday, May 8, 2009 (1:15 AM)
*** DEDICATED TO iKiohri- Your reviews made me smile, and no, they weren't annoying. I'm sorry my fic made you so sad. Hopefully, this one will make it better? :)
No, I should not be starting a new fic. But this one won't be updated at much anyways, with The Devil Plays Tennis still hung over my head.
Yes, like every other author, I am stimulated by reviews. But I don't ask for them- that's just silly.