TITLE: Painful Interjections

PART: Side Story 3 to Who Says College is Easy?

PAIRING: Akutsu Jin x Shishido Ryou

GENRE: Shounen-ai (Humour/ Continuation/ Angst / Romance)

DISCLAIMERS: The series I'm referring to does not belong to me… only this weird story does.

NOTES: Blah or Blah is for emphasis. /Blah/ is for conversations over the phone or flashbacks (if any). /Blah/ is for the conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking. Blah is for thoughts or random Japanese words. Some of these words are footnoted at the end of every page (I'm beginning to understand the need for footnotes in fiction. Thank you dear friend, you know who you are. XD).

Side Story 3 (Part One): Your Basic Nightmare

"Shishido-san!"

He turned around just in time to see his best friend hurrying towards him, breathing quite hard, if he had anything to say about it. Briefly, he wondered why... after all, Ohtori Choutarou was one of the regulars in their tennis club... and they were part of Hyoutei Gakuen's Senior high team... could it be that he was... getting fat? His eyes instantly travelled down the expanse of the younger boy's stomach... down to his belly...

"SHISHIDO-SAN!" Came Ohtori's scandalised voice. Instantly, his eyes snapped up to his reddened face, obviously embarrassed. "What are you looking at?"

Shishido, with all his might, tried not to show any sign of being flustered. "Nothing."

"Shishido-san, you are looking down THERE."

He raised a mocking brow. "What's THERE?"

"Shishido-san!"

He laughed, a singular sound, now that his voice was deeper... much more... well... manly –

"Oshitari-san was right... now that I think about it... your laughter does sound like ringing church bells."

Or not.

Dark brown brows furrowed in annoyance. "Leave Oshitari out of this, Never believe him, Choutarou... he was just being a jackass of himself teasing me. He was also the one who said I hit like a girl, right? And we all know that it isn't true." He huffed.

There was a short uncomfortable silence... and then Ohtori finally relented. "Hai, Shishido-san." He said it so meekly that Shishido wasn't sure if he was placating him or he was telling the truth. Did he really believe that he hits like a girl? He had beaten Inui Sadaharu of Seishun Gakuen twice now, first in junior high, and second, in the winter games of senior high! That was a tall, powerful guy! He couldn't be hitting the ball weakly, right?

Right?

Suddenly, he did not know.

"Shishido-san..."

"SHISHIDO! YOU'RE QUALIFIED TO APPLY FOR K UNIVERSITY!"

He was about to respond when he suddenly stiffened. I WHAT? Slowly, he turned around to face the one who had boldly said such words... "Tell me it's not a joke." He started, only to be cut off by another more imposing voice.

"Congratulations, you're actually going to take advantage of having a shot at college – I thought for sure, with your skills and brain power, you'd reconsider."

Shishido sucked in a calming breath of air. "Atobe, I am not in the mood for another verbal tussle." He grated out, glaring.

"Ah, I know... but Ore-sama wants you to realise that you're being complemented. If you don't want to hear it, then fine. Let's go, Kabaji."

"Usu."

Shishido was at a loss for words. Was that really Atobe? The one who tormented him endlessly about his being 'girly'? He couldn't quite believe it. They had gotten a bit close during senior high, but never did he receive any form of complement from him. What was happening to the world?

"Uh... oi, Shishido, are you alright?"

Snapping out of his reverie, he looked at the wondering eyes of his former teammate, Mukahi Gakuto. "UwaH! I am so envious! I wanted to go to that university... but look at me, I didn't even qualify! My grades weren't up to par. Mou... What am I going to do? Yuushi... he qualified, and he will be taking the exam in K University! By the time he steps in that place – if he passed that is – he would surely forget about me!"

Shishido did not have any idea on whether to console his sulking friend or to laugh over such stupid line of reasoning. But what did he know? After all, he wasn't in any relationship... he didn't know how it feels like being parted from someone you consider as a significant other. A painful feeling shot through his heart as he slid a glance at his best friend... He did not have a chance.

He shook his head, clearing such stupid thoughts. No, it certainly wouldn't do. He turned back to Gakuto, eyes softening at the other's misery. "You can see each other still... after all, the one you qualified to take an exam in is just a couple of kilometres away..."

"And you would have lots of time to spend out of school that way... just imagine all the fun you'd have! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?" Ohtori smiled indulgently.

"That is what they say..." Gakuto pouted. "But look at Atobe and his online boyfriend last year, that Gustav guy! They drifted apart since they don't see each other much!"

Shishido stifled his laughter. "Gakuto, the German guy you're talking about wasn't Atobe's boyfriend. He was the one who got his late father's heart tissues. They just became friends."

"Then what about that silver cross dangling from buchou's neck?"

"A gift, I guess... sort of a gratitude thing... nothing more than that, he said." He responded knowingly – all to knowingly in fact that the smaller boy's eyes narrowed.

"How did you know that? Have you been stalking him?"

Shishido snorted, then burst into hysterical laughter. "I... am... not stalk... ing... him!" He said between guffaws. He couldn't say anything anymore; fortunately, Ohtori came to his rescue.

"Atobe-san and Shishido-san are good friends now... I think." Ohtori offered with a smile. "They're hanging around together more than we are nowadays... In fact, I'm kind of jealous."

"Choutarou!" Shishido glared at him in annoyance. "Stop with the innuendoes."

The tennis club senior grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Gakuto raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you guys playing with me?" He asked. "Because if you are, I'm going to pound both of you to smithereens."

Shishido was still debating on whether to laugh or to start running.

After all, Gakuto was smaller and skinnier than he was.

There was never any problem even if he did any of the two.

X o X o X

The test was gruelling, but that did not stop Shishido from feeling all too mighty. He actually KNEW the answers to the questions! Ohtori sure was a pretty effective reviewer. They had been going at it with the question and answers for more than a month now (When he finally decided that he wouldn't survive just studying alone, even with review school and everything, since his scores kept hitting all-time lows) and the hard work and tiring nights finally paid off.

"That was hard!"

Shishido's ears perked up. That voice sounded familiar.

"Yeah... I think I might not get in after all the hard work I've done."

Yes. And that one too. He snuck a glance at the source of the forlorn voice. A tall dark-skinned guy was walking with some girl... Wait... That person... no breasts... eh? Could it be... he wondered silently, trying to place the familiar face. The first comment certainly came from the smaller one... the not-so-girly girl. If the voice was familiar, then, he must've had known at some point. But she... she doesn't have breasts... could it be that... that she's...

She's a survivor of breast cancer?

So, it was known fact that Shishido wasn't exactly perceptive when it came to these types of things. After all, he was one of those peculiar guys who liked their hair long, primped them almost all the time, tossed them off their shoulders and still insist that they were not the least bit gay.

He shook his head as if to clear it and wandered away to the other direction. He could only take so much thinking in a span of a day.

X o X o X

"Ryo-chan..."

Shishido suddenly turned a horrible shade of green. "Okaasan, please don't call me that." He hissed in embarrassment. As per usual, his mother just laughed, pinching his cheek in amusement.

"Oh I'm sorry darling, it's just that I still see you as my cute little boy..."

"Ah, good morning Shishido-san, and to you too Ryo."

Shishido wanted to hide. He knew it was cowardly but it truly would alleviate some of the mortification he felt. Why of all days did Atobe decide to shop for food? Why was he shopping for food anyway? He had lots of servants at home! "Atobe." He muttered quite rudely, earning him a more painful pinch on the arm from his mother. He winced. What was the world coming to? Was he the only sane one left? Sighing, he nodded more courteously this time, and judging from the smug features of his captain, he would get harassed once next practice day, which will be...

"I'm shopping for the tailgate party tomorrow. We will be meeting in Shibuya rather than in school – Sakaki-san's orders.

Tomorrow. He thought crossly, sighing in defeat as his mother engaged the other boy in a conversation about the finer points of party food.

"Oh, but you absolutely have to have something sweet!" His mother gushed. "Kids like you should not deprive yourselves of such – after all you cannot eat them when your teeth are falling out due to old age!" His mother gushed, her brows knitting a bit in disapproval over the food that would be prepared tomorrow by the Atobe Kitchen Army.

"Oh." Atobe seemed thoughtful, and after a few moments, his eyes shone. "Okay, I'll make them prepare something sweet then – for more than two hundred people." It was truly amazing, the way he deferred to the wishes of Shishido's mother, and frankly, Shishido was stunned. What was happening? Was this... really Atobe Keigo? How could he have changed in just a span of a year? Feeling eerily out of place, he coughed, snatching the attention of everyone around him. He flushed in embarrassment. He must've sounded like someone suffering from tuberculosis.

"Ryo-chan, are you alright?"

He flushed some more. Mom... stop it with the stupid nicknames... And flushed even more when he saw Atobe snicker. "I'm fine... just has something lodged in my throat. Come on, dad's waiting at home for our meal, we have to get these to the counter..."

"Ah!" His mother said exclaimed with flourish. "Why don't I go on ahead and you help this handsome young man with his groceries? After all, you're from the team too!"

Shishido choked on his saliva. Unfortunately though, it prevented him from protesting, and his mother, grinning, went away, leaving him to his doom. The only thing rolling around his mind was the question why Atobe did not utter even a word of protest himself. They were not friends. They were not – except when he literally saved him from being kicked out of the team during junior high. His coughing fit finally subsiding, he turned and reluctantly met his captain's eyes. "What now?" He muttered gruffly, scuffing his shoes against the smooth surface of the supermarket floor.

To his surprise, Atobe just shook his head in complete amusement, grasped his wrist and dragged him off to the cold cuts section. He tilted his head slightly, and Shishido, even if he could only see the shiny length of hair swishing side to side, could almost see the smirk on his captain's face.

Atobe then, in his most annoying voice yet said:

"What now? Simple... We shop!"

X o X o X

"Atobe." Shishido sighed, exasperated. "How come you are only carrying one grocery bag when I am carrying three? And why are the meat with me?"

"Because I hate carrying heavy loads."

"Atobe. You carry your books don't you?"

Atobe smirked, tossing his now-longish hair off his shoulder. "Kabaji carries them for me."

Shishido sighed once again, more defeated now. "I hate you, do you know that?"

"For the life of me, I don't see why." His captain responded airily. "I am perfect!"

"Atobe..."

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. Ore-sama doesn't want his cute stomach to suffer because ore-sama's companion is such a slowpoke!"

Shishido could not do anything but mutter all the way. He made him carry all these... he had the right to demand a free meal.

X o X o X

Shishido could not sleep. It was not that he was excited for the party tomorrow. In fact, he was thinking that he shouldn't come at all, but then decided against it, since he was the only one his best friend would want to sit with without getting either molested or mobbed. After all, Ohtori Shishido had lots of fans inside the tennis club... and there were club members who were openly... gay. So that was a huge problem.

Contrary to what Gakuto insinuated, he was not protecting his territory. He was not protecting any territory for that matter, because he wasn't... well, maybe he was... or he was thinking that maybe he was, depending on the size of the lump in his throat whenever Ohtori was sitting ultra-close to him after practice. But that was out of the question already, since he knew that his best friend saw him only as such... a friend – a good one, and nothing but. It gave him comfort at least, no matter how minuscule. Whatever happened, it seemed, they would always be friends.

He shook his head. His mind was crawling away from the issue.

Why was he so anxious?

He considered all the possibilities... yes, even the Ohtori issue. Maybe he was just anxious because his mother insisted on making him bring a huge batch of choco chip cookies. He would look so girly then, that would be a major setback on his reputation. He was already rumoured to be, well, different, what with the hair he had been growing for quite a long while now. That coupled with the cookies? All he needed was a jumper skirt to complete the ensemble and he would look like a girl scout selling cookies for a fundraiser.

Maybe he was anxious because he was truly psychic... that the thing he envisioned before that came true was not entirely a fluke. Maybe his power was manifesting itself now and he saw a bad omen – which was Atobe being very friendly and treating him to dinner earlier – that would prove to be relevant to the party tomorrow. Maybe it would rain and a great flood would wipe all the members of the club to sea. It was a farfetched idea he knew... but it could happen.

Maybe he was actually anxious of the exam results. He wanted to go to college after the first take. He wanted to pass to show the world that he was a good student despite his misgivings. He wanted to prove himself to every person living and breathing that he was better than most of them thought he was. He wanted...

He wanted people to take him for what he truly was, not what they thought of him as... and his intellect was the most undermined of all the aspect of his existence that it hurt. He wanted to prove them wrong, for as far as he knew, apart from his family, the only ones who knew he actually had a brain was Ohtori... and ironically – Atobe Keigo.

He sighed. Shaking his head and pressing his hands on it, willing the insecurities to be gone –

At least, for the night.

X o X o X

He was late and was running as fast as his legs could carry him when he bumped into a brick wall.

Or at least, something resembling a brick wall.

Or... to be precise, someone resembling a brick wall.

Rubbing his aching nose, he looked up angrily, his eyes spitting fire, mouth open and ready to fire away the hidden list of expletives he only aired out when he was absolutely mad... only to stop and stare as a pair of unique golden eyes glared back at him. His heart skipped a beat. Those eyes were familiar...

"Look at where you're going sissy-boy." Came the angry words.

Sissy-boy? If it was only any other insult, he might've had stepped back in fear. Those eyes were livid, even more than his own and he was in no condition to fight one on one, since his mind was a little disoriented from lack of sleep. But he couldn't just take that without protest – it was simply... degrading!

Brows furrowing, he glared right back, noticing with slight victory that his adversary's eyes flashed with surprise. "Look, I'm late for school and you're in my way." He grated out. "So move."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Came the cutting reply. "I take orders from no one – least of all from someone like you."

Shishido was close to blowing his own head off. He was late, and here was some strange guy...

"I'm not some strange guy. I have a name."

He wanted to kill him. "Duh." He said sarcastically. "We all do. Why, do you want me to scream your name right here or something? If so, then why don't you tell me so you can have your wish?"

There was an eerie sort of amusement playing in his oppressor's golden eyes. "That wouldn't do." He said. "You see, I'd much rather you scream my name... in private."

It was the innuendo alone that made Shishido blush to the roots of his hair. What was this guy thinking? That he wanted to scream his name in...? He gulped, eyes wide in shock. Hentai! "I don't –"

"Heh. Guess not. You aren't man enough to take the pain after all. Feh. See ya around, boy."

And he left Shishido gaping after him; eyes dazed as perverted thoughts filtered through his mind.

X o X o X

Stab.

Stab.

Stab.

Ohtori was nervous. From the way Shishido handled the barbeque, he was sure that something untoward happened only recently. He was sure that it wasn't the entrance exam result because it wasn't even out yet. So what was wrong?

Stab.

Stab.

Stab.

He was just having second thoughts on whether to ask him or not.

He didn't want to die anytime soon.

X o X o X

"Why are there holes in this thing?"

It was Gakuto who had the first say on the condition of the party food. Shishido's mind was still filled with corrupting thoughts – all thanks to the jerk who had insinuated such brand of lewdness and completely twisted his indignant quips – from this morning. Somehow, the thought of screaming the guy's name in bed was...

He instantly reddened and shook his head.

"Shishido."

Atobe's voice rang in his brain. "Yeah?" He answered back gruffly. What now? He thought in annoyance. Oh man... this is such a bad day...

"Why are there holes in the veal?"

"How should I know?"

"You presented yourself as the barbeque guy."

Shishido had nothing to say to that. Nor did he have anything to say about why there were holes in the freakin' piece of unimportant meat. His brain was raped this morning. That was all. And he did not have any explanation whatsoever that would make everything fine. His mind would forever be corrupted. He just hoped that he would never see the guy again. He didn't seem to come around from these parts anyway. Heaving a huge sigh, he cleared his thoughts, turning away from the perplexed features of his captain... to a more dangerous one – Ohtori's.

Oh, it was not as if Ohtori was going to club him because of such silly thing. It was just that... Ohtori, being Ohtori, he was too kind for his own good. He would surely ask about it... and right then, he could see a number of questions in his eyes. Silently, he sent him a pleading look, eyes straining for his friend to understand that the matter was not a free one to be discussed with two hundred other guys. It would be downright embarrassing to do that. Thankfully, his friend nodded and focused back on his veal.

Surprisingly, Atobe did not push the issue further; he was silent for a short while before turning to Oshitari to ask about the schedule of the release of exam results. It comforted Shishido at least. It seemed that Atobe was no different than he was regarding the results. He was anxious as well.

"Ah, even if it has holes... it's kind of good!" Gakuto crowed once again, digging in, and pigging out. He was well into his second plate when Oshitari's hand landed gently on his head. The sight gave Shishido a warm feeling. Those two had survived a lot of things since they got together in junior high, and frankly he had no idea how they understood each other. They were so different!

Maybe it was the sex.

Shishido shuddered, the events this morning came crashing back in his brain. Coupled with the disgustingly nasty scene he witnessed when the lovers were alone in the tennis clubroom, the perversion was starting to take root...

"Shishido-san!" Ohtori exclaimed in panic. "Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding!"

X o X o X

He glared at him as evilly as he could.

"Stop laughing." He growled.

"I'm sorry, Shishido-san..." Ohtori laughed, rubbing his eyes off the leaking tears of mirth. "But that was..."

"Choutarou..." Shishido growled, all to no avail. "You are evil."

And Ohtori did not respond – he just laughed some more.

It was then that Shishido decided he wasn't going to tell Ohtori any embarrassing story from this point onward.

TSUZUKU

A/N: Wah! I finally finished the first part of my story! I'm gonna make my cousin type and post it for me though... I'm sick – again. For three days now, actually. Well, I'm sure by the time you see read this, it's typed already... erm. XD I hate the weather fluctuations in my country... so hot in the morning, too cold during the night. Ugh. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! More to come, soon!