What Wilt Thou Do When I Give Thee Choice?

"Ryoma-kun," called a small, sweet voice.

If Echizen Ryoma were anyone else, he would have smiled, even though she had interrupted his tennis date with the wall. However, he was Echizen Ryoma, apathetic star tennis player, so he turned to her with his usual apathetic gaze. And he had to look up. Oh, yeah. She was taller than him now. Damn.

"Ryoma-kun, obaa-chan was looking for you," she told him in her soft tones. "S-she wants to go over the line-up and wants to see you right away."

He hated having to look up to see her honey-brown eyes. He couldn't really explain why it bugged the hell out of him. It just did. He better hit his growth spurt soon, or he would have to start taking some frustration out on his sempai-tachi. He was sure Ryuzaki-sensei wouldn't appreciate blood on her courts. But, damn it; she was almost a head taller than him!

He must have been frowning at her because she was starting to fidget nervously.

"R-Ryoma-kun? D-did I say something wrong?"

He sighed and started walking away.

"Come on, Ryuzaki," he ordered, heading toward the tennis courts.

"But, she doesn't want to talk to me," she mumbled, falling into step behind him anyway.

If she wasn't going to speak up, he had no problem ignoring her comment. It served her right for getting taller than him. They were the same age. So what if girls started growing sooner than boys. It wasn't fair that she should surpass him like this! She was supposed to be the small and meek one always relying on her bigger, much more confidant savior. How could he look cool protecting someone who didn't look like she needed it, no matter how much she actually did?

"R-Ryoma-kun, o-obaa-chan said to just tell you if I saw you. I was actually on my way home so…"

"So?" he prompted, throwing her a demanding glare that told her to keep following.

She quietly moaned in the back of her throat and kept following him. The silly girl really was far too accommodating for her own good.

Speaking of accommodating, Ryoma remembered what she had been doing yesterday.

"Why were you at Fuji-sempai's house?" he asked abruptly.

The girl was staring off into the distance and hadn't heard what he said. He called to her and finally got her attention. He had never had that problem with her before. He was forced to repeat his question.

"Ano…he asked me to give him some cooking lessons…"

"At his house?"

"H-hai," she said with a confused look, probably wondering what was so strange about teaching him in his own kitchen.

He huffed at her naïve attitude. The two had been alone in Fuji's house. He had gone over to Fuji's in hopes of finding a friendly tennis match to cure his boredom. As he waited outside for someone to answer the doorbell, he had heard a crash. Naturally, he had to make sure his sempai was okay, so he rushed inside. He had found the two of them on the floor, covered in flour with noses almost touching. Fuji had taken his sweet time getting off of her too. The girl had blushed madly, red despite the flour, and had apologized profusely for her clumsiness.

When Fuji had sent her home, he had said the unthinkable to Ryoma.

"She's really grown in all the right places. Ne, Ryoma-kun?" Fuji had asked with a sly smile in the direction the girl had left. "Have you noticed those two wonderfully squeezable-"

"Let's play a game, Fuji-sempai," he had interrupted.

It was safe to say that Ryoma delivered righteous punishment to the sempai that had the gall to look at his best girl friend there. Fuji would think twice about looking again. Or at least, he would think twice about letting Ryoma know he had been looking.

Well, it wasn't like Ryoma couldn't empathize. He had taken his own looks. Don't get him wrong, though. He wasn't a pervert like his father or anything. It's just that they were right in his line of vision now (damn slow growth spurt). As such, he could concede that the girl had a nice set. Too nice of a set if he had anything to say about it. If he had to deter Fuji-sempai, he could only imagine the number of other guys who were salivating over her and just waiting for their chance. Che, as if! He had no problems Twist Serving their asses into the ground.

Ryoma stopped outside of Ryuzaki-sensei's office. The girl was so busy off in her own little world, she hadn't noticed he had stopped, so she ran right into him. She naturally lost her balance and started to fall back. In order to save herself, she had latched onto him. He was pulled back into her and almost lost his balance but he managed to keep the both of them upright with his superior balance and skills.

And suddenly there was a boob on either side of his head. He was facing away from her (whether that was better or worse than the alternative, he couldn't tell), held flush against her by her arms around his shoulders. He could feel her sharp intakes of breath, each inhalation pressing the tips of her boobs into the back of his ears. He forgot to breath and his face got hot.

It was over all too quickly as she hastily pulled away, apologizing profusely. She took the blush on his face to be anger. He didn't mind that interpretation (manly pride and all that goodness).

He glared at her and told her to wait there for him while he dealt with Ryuzaki-sensei.

As he shut the door, he still had to look up into her honey-brown eyes, but now, somehow, he couldn't find the will to be upset about the height difference.

The meeting with Ryuzaki-sensei didn't take long. She just went over the basic style of his opponent in the upcoming match and asked his opinion of the line up. He nodded here and gave his opinion there and was out within five minutes.

When he met up with the girl outside Ryuzaki-sensei's office, he was surprised to see her staring off into space again. He had to call to her to get her attention, something he was not used to and didn't plan on getting used to doing, and told her to hurry up.

He walked in front of her, pace unhurried and his mind on her. What was up with her today? She was acting so spacey. Even now as they were walking down the hall, she was giving more attention to the clouds outside the window than she was giving him. That had to stop. It just wasn't natural.

In a decisive move, Ryoma stopped walking. The inattentive girl tripped over him just as he thought she would. Her arms went out and she was once again pressed against him for the briefest moment before she recovered enough to try to pull away. Ryoma wouldn't let her, though. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her arms over his shoulders, trapping her against him.

Her position was a little awkward and her boobs were cradling his neck, but this time he didn't blush. He just tilted his head back, resting it on her chest, and looked up into her astounded eyes.

"Oi, what's up with you today?" he asked.

"W-what do you mean, Ryoma-kun?"

He frowned at her. "Why are you acting so distant today? You keep staring off into space."

She inhaled sharply, bordering on a gasp, which pressed her a little bit closer to Ryoma. This time, he couldn't help the slight tint of pink in his cheeks.

"Sumimasen, Ryoma-kun," she apologized, turning her head in shame. "Fuji-sempai said something this morning that has me a little…confused."

"What did he say?" Ryoma questioned with a glare.

"T-That if I ever wanted to do something more than cook with him, all I had to do was ask," she said, pausing a moment to let that bombshell take effect. "What did he mean by that, Ryoma-kun?"

Ryoma scoffed. Leave it to Fuji-sempai to be so forward yet aloof all at the same time.

"He wants you," Ryoma said plainly with a frown.

"Wants me?" she wondered, looking just as confused as she had been before.

Ryoma couldn't blame her. It didn't seem like Fuji to lust after a girl, especially this girl. But Ryoma knew that while Fuji seemed oblivious to most members of the female species, he was still male and took note of certain things. Ryoma did not understand why the tensai would choose this girl as the first girl he would make a move on. Regardless, Ryoma wouldn't stand for it.

"Aa," he told her, "but he can't have you."

Her eyes went wide. "Can't have me?"

"Un."

He relaxed into her form and basked in her warmth and the feel of her touching him. He smirked when she still looked the slightest bit confused and her brow knit with worry. He reluctantly let her go, but held onto her wrist and started to pull her behind him.

"R-Ryoma-kun, where are we going?"

"My house."

"For what?"

He threw her a charming smirk. "To do more than cook."

"Oi, Fuji-sempai, guess what I just saw?" Momoshirou asked with an excited grin at the chance to gossip.

"What?" Fuji asked with his usual smile.

"No," he whined. "You have to guess."

"Saa, a parade of big, pink bubble elephants?" Fuji guessed, closed eyes taking on an interested cast.

"Um, no. But you were close. I saw Echizen and Ryuzaki-chan holding hands! They're most certainly dating," he said with a wise nod of his head. "Ah, they're so young, so young."

Fuji's eyes came open and he fixed his piercing gaze on Momoshirou.

"O-Oi, Fuji-sempai, everything alright?"

"When did you see this, Momo-chan?"

Momoshirou couldn't deny that compelling glare. "J-just now. It looked like they were headed toward Echizen's. Why?"

"I have to stop them."

"What? But we've been trying to get those two together for like…ever."

"Iie, you and Eiji have tried to get them together. I wanted Sakuno-chan for myself."

"Nani? Fuji-sempai, you like Ryuzaki-chan, too?!"

"Aa. She has the strange ability to come through for you even when the situation is the most impossible. She is the type to blaze brightest when the situation is most adverse. She's kind, intelligent, beautiful, and worries far too much. She would be the perfect girlfriend."

Fuji's candor was striking and his shining eyes assured Momoshirou that he was passionate about her.

"I-if you say so, Fuji-sempai."

"Saa, now if you'll excuse me, Momo-chan, I have to go interrupt something."

Old habits died hard. Momoshirou was still rooting for Ryoma.

"Ch-chotto matte, Fuji-sempai. I don't think…"

"Will you try to stop me, Momo-chan?" Fuji's tone was light, but his cerulean eyes promised pain should he get an unfavorable answer.

Momoshirou backed down and simply shook his head in denial.

Fuji curtly nodded to his kohai and set off for the Echizen residence.

Ryoma pulled the both of them inside and hastily shut the door behind them. He slipped off his shoes and let go of the girl to sweep the house for any potential disruptions. He had to smirk when he found his cousin at classes, his father gone to who knew where, and his mother still at work. It was perfect. He turned from the staircase to look at the girl who was just now stepping daintily out of her shoes. She looked at him with deep, questioning, honey-brown eyes. With him standing on the step and her still at the entrance, they were about the same height.

He smirked and sauntered over to her. She stood there nervously, twisting the end of one long braid in her hands.

"R-Ryoma-kun," she began.

He cut her off by leaning in and touching his nose to hers. His hazel eyes gazed into hers, searching for any sign of unwillingness. All he found was surprise. Surprise wasn't enough to keep him away. He leaned in closer and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

Her lips were soft and warm. She immediately closed her eyes and he followed her example. With his eyes closed, he could focus on the feeling on her lips. He pressed a little harder and he felt her push back. That only made him want more.

He quickly slipped his hand to the back of her neck, tilting her head for better access. He flicked his tongue across her lips to see if she tasted like honey, like he imagined. She gasped and he took the chance. He slid his tongue into her mouth and was surprised to find she tasted like honeysuckle.

She was addicting. The feel of his tongue on hers. The smoothness of her teeth. The slight, sensual movement of her lips. And then she moaned.

It drove him crazy. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. The hand at her neck came down to her hip. He bent her across his arm ever so slightly. She almost purred at him and her arms came up to circle his neck, her hands twining in his hair.

She was driving him insane. He wanted to touch her almost as much as he wanted to taste her. But he needed his hands for that. If he let go, she wouldn't be up against him anymore. Backing her into a wall would solve his problem. He took a step toward her and promptly ended up falling on his butt.

Damn height difference! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

He forgot that he was still on the step and she in the entryway. When he took a step forward he felt air where he thought there was floor. He overcompensated for the loss of balance and ended up falling back.

He glared up at her, frustrated with this new problem. He smugly noticed her swollen lips and glazed eyes. He could tell she was shocked as she struggled just to remember to blink.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the couch. He grinned. If they were lying down, the height difference wouldn't matter. He jumped up and pulled her over to the couch. When they were right in front of it, he looked her in the eyes and captured them with his. He reached up to grab hold of her braids and lightly pulled her face down until it was level with his.

He attacked her lips, the warmth turning hot and tingling. He flicked his tongue across her lips and her lips immediately parted for him. He slipped his tongue in readily. He peeked open one eye to see she was totally into it. She didn't even notice when he grabbed her hips and guided the both of them to lie on the couch.

It was wonderful. Better than tennis, if that were possible. It was at least on par with his favorite pastime. Every point of contact between them sparked fire throughout his body. Her tongue now shyly rubbing against his had the both of them moaning. He ran a hand up and down her side. His other arm snaked around her waist, pushing her further into him where gravity was insufficient.

He decided to push for more. The lightning in his veins demanded it. He pushed his hand in between them and stroked her boob. She moaned in response and thrust her hips up to grind with his. He decided then that he was taking it all the way.

And then the doorbell rang. He cursed under his breath. He tried to ignore it and started nibbling on her lip so as not to lose momentum, but the damn bell rang again, more insistently if that were possible. He ignored it and started stroking her nipple as she started to lose focus. The bell rang again.

"R-Ryoma-kun," she said, breaking their kiss, "I think you should answer the door."

"They'll go away eventually," he said and kissed her again just as the bell sounded once more.

"What if it's important?" she argued, breaking their kiss again.

The doorbell chimed again and he growled in the back of his throat. He sat up and gave a last longing glance at the beautiful girl spread out along his couch looking so touchable and kissable. At another sound of the doorbell, he sighed and went to answer it.

Ryoma cracked the door open to see a smiling face and lidded eyes.

"Yo, Echizen-kun, care for a game?" Fuji asked.

"I'm a little bu-"

"Excellent. Mind if I come in?" Fuji asked, pushing past Ryoma without waiting for a response.

Ryoma glared at the older boy now standing in his entryway, taking his shoes off as if he had every right to be there, which he didn't.

"Who is it, Ryoma-kun?"

Fuji and Ryoma both looked up to see the blushing girl standing at the living room entrance. Her lips were puffy and her braids were messy. She looked like she had just been making out with someone. Somehow it made her look twice as sexy. If Fuji hadn't been standing there, he would have attacked her lips again. If Fuji hadn't shown up, they wouldn't have even left the couch. Why the hell was Fuji here again?

Heh. That didn't matter. One look at the girl and Fuji would be able to tell she was all his now. The "cooking lessons" would stop and the girl would spend all her time with him, preferably on the couch. Hell, maybe he could somehow get her up to his bed if he played his cards right.

But Fuji wasn't looking at her like she was another man's girl. He was looking at her like he had been the one to kiss her senseless just moments ago. Where the hell did the so-called tensai get the gall to stare at her like she was a piece of yummy chocolate right in front of him no less?

"Ah, Sakuno-chan. I didn't know you were here," Fuji said with a too-charming smile. "What have you been up to?"

And the stupid ass had the nerve to wrap his arm around her and lead her to the couch that she and Ryoma had just been making-out on. Fuji was trying to steal her away from him. Under his own roof! Where was a tennis racket when you needed one?

The girl blushed ten different shades of red as Fuji sat down next to her. Scratch that. He was almost on top of her, damn it! She started stuttering while she tried to answer Fuji's question. She was too embarrassed to form coherent sentences, though. Ryoma would have to step in.

"Did you want something, Fuji-sempai?" he asked rudely with a vicious glare at his fellow regular.

Fuji's bright blue eyes opened and he smirked meaningfully at Ryoma. His expression answered for him.

Only your girlfriend.

Ryoma grit his teeth and glared with all he had.

"I was in the neighborhood," Fuji replied, "and I thought I would pay a visit. I know how you love tennis and a match might be interesting."

While he was talking, Fuji's hand had snaked its way from her shoulder, down her back, to reappear on her hip. From the shiver that ran up the girl's form, he knew Fuji's touch had been anything but innocent. Fuji wasted no opportunity.

"Are you cold, Sakuno-chan?" he asked after her shiver.

"A-ano…"

"Here," he said and pulled the girl onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, "sit close to me. I'm very warm."

The girl was looking very unsure. Her brow was wrinkled in a cute frown and her lips puckered slightly as she nervously bit her cheeks. Fuji rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed defiantly into his eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Echizen-kun?"

Yes, there was something wrong, damn it! No one could hold his girl like that except him! Fuji had no right to make her blush! And damn it, they had done this before! He could tell. She wasn't squirming and jittery in Fuji's arms. Never again! Fuji would never touch her again!

He stalked over, grabbed her hand, and pulled her away from the blue-eyed boy. She let out a small sound of protest, but he would hear none of it.

"Ryoma-kun!" she scolded. "That wasn't very nice."

"Betsu ni. Get out of my house, Fuji-sempai."

"Ryoma-kun…"

"No," Fuji replied sharply. "Not without Sakuno-chan."

"She stays with me."

"Why? So you can molest her again?"

Fuji stood and grabbed her other hand, pulling her closer to the bastard. Ryoma tugged her back.

"It's not molesting if she kisses back."

"But she doesn't shiver from the slightest touch from you, does she?"

"Fuji-kun!" she admonished, blushing furiously.

"No, she does better. She moans."

"Ryoma-kun!"

"If I was low enough to force myself on her, she would do more than moan."

"Stop it, you two!"

"Just because you don't have the courage to kiss her."

"Courage enough. I take my time with a girl."

"You're both jerks!" she cried, ripping her hands away from the both of them.

The two boys were too surprised by her outburst to do much more than watch her hastily gather her shoes and run out of the house.

Great! Just great! She was mad at him. And she ran off without him. With her lousy sense of direction, she would get lost, even if she only lived a few blocks away. Knowing her, she was probably crying too. She would make easy prey for whatever pervert or bully tried to accost her. Damn it!

He went after her, only to be stopped at the doorway as he and Fuji tried to leave at the same time.

"Back off, Fuji-sempai. You've screwed it up enough already."

"You should have just stayed out of it, Echizen-kun."

"I could say the same to you."

"This isn't important right now. We have to find Sakuno-chan."

Ryoma nodded and let Fuji out first. As they raced out to the street, they were just in time to see a pair of long braids disappearing around a corner. Well, she was on her own street at least.

The two of them went after her, neither paying much attention to the other, focusing only on the girl. They caught up to her a few houses away from her home. She was crying.

"Sakuno-chan," Fuji called.

"Ryuzaki," Ryoma said, finding his old name for her inadequate. He corrected himself quickly. "Sakuno."

She stopped and stood with her back to them. Her shoulders were shaking and she gave a small sniff every now and then.

"Sakuno-chan, why are you crying?"

"I'm mad," she told Fuji.

"Why are you mad?" he asked softly.

"Because you both talk about me like I'm not there and you don't even care how I feel about it! I don't want to see you two fighting! Especially over something so e-embarrassing! And don't act like you own me either! And…and…I can't deal with this right now."

Both boys were stunned by her uncharacteristic outburst. She really was mad. And he could tell she was confused. He blamed Fuji for that. He reached out for her hand to turn her around, and also just to touch her when she was being so distant. He saw Fuji do the same with her other hand and almost growled. But the two of them had reached an unspoken truce agreement until the girl was calm again. Together they turned her around to face them.

"We'll stop fighting, Sakuno-chan," Fuji assured.

"You will?" she asked hopefully, eyes a bright honey color from the tears.

"Hai," Ryoma agreed.

She smiled then. Ryoma felt his toes curl.

"And we'll give you time to think it over before anything else happens," Fuji added.

Ryoma was less likely to agree with this one. He didn't want her out of his sight right now. Her glimmering eyes made his agree, though.

"Hai," he agreed sullenly, hiding underneath his hat.

"Arigatou," she said simply and slipped her hands out of theirs and ran inside her house.

There was no following her now. That was no man's land, where a dragon of a coach guarded the princess with a sharp tongue and even sharper pinch. Ryoma sighed at the loss.

He glared at Fuji and his sempai glared back.

"I won't lose, Echizen-kun."

"Me either."

And with that, the two boys set off for home.


Author's Note:

Oh, my good, golly gosh! Seriously, I hope you're all laughing right now. It's crack. It's crackity crack, crack-a-lackin' cracky goodness. I cannot believe I wrote this… Seriously! It's hilarious. I can't get over it.

But you know, that's exactly how boys think. All I can think of when I read this is that if Ryoma and Fuji were real, normal, straight boys, this fic is entirely possible. I think I wrote this with a light mood, so please do not take this seriously. I didn't even post it when I wrote it, so I must have known it was seriously bad. Not to mention this fic leans toward Fujisaku and I have it saved under Ryosaku. However, I could play this off as a chaptered fic instead of the oneshot I'm posting it as and give an in-depth study on love v. lust, which I can see I set up rather well. Hmmm.

Nah, I don't have time for another chaptered fic. I'm struggling enough as it is. Enjoy the crackish fluff. I hope I didn't tease anyone too much.