Constructive criticism is welcome, since this is my first fiction on Prince of Tennis and I definitely need to improve. Must always improve…! X.x
Don't flame me just because you don't like this couple. I, personally, adore them.
Just something short and sweet I typed up, because I was in a rather soft mood.
Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis… T.T
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First Date
She was late.
The urge to tap his foot was strong, before he quelled it. Anyone observing the scene would see a cool, young boy sitting at the coffee table, arms folded casually to give the very image of indifference. It was a picture that demanded to be acknowledged, and many passer-bys did, choosing to give that split second they had to focus on the striking teenager. A beautiful picture: the absolute interpretation of insouciance.
A deeper probe in it, however, would have destroyed earlier sentiments.
She was so late. Every minute, every second ticking by meant another minute, another second of their time together being shortened --- and the possibility of being stood up widened. He was painfully aware of his heartbeat thudding against his chest, painfully aware of how long he had sat there. His mind was frantically trying to justify her lack of punctuality and ---
No.
He was used to feeling calm, and controlled… and he was not going to let some slip of a girl throw him astray. Two more minutes, he resolved. That was all he prepared to give. Two more minutes and ---
"I'm so sorry!"
A gasp spilled out of the girl that had suddenly materialized in front of him; bent over at the waist, she was clearly winded. He was quite appalled at himself for the rush of intense relief that swamped him.
"It's nothing." The bored tone he responded in gave no indication of the panic he'd been feeling earlier --- the alarm and relief had now been replaced by a feeling of ridicule at himself --- after all; this was Sakuno he was talking about. It would probably be stranger if she were on time.
Sakuno straightened up, blushing under his gaze. "Um… you didn't wait long, did you?" she asked timidly.
"Half an hour," was the blunt reply.
His words immediately sent her blush at double force. "I'm so sorry to put you out like that!"
"It's nothing."
The girl looked up hesitantly at him, forcing a sigh out of him. "Sit down."
She gave a startled jump. "…Oh! Um, thank you."
Cautiously, she seated herself, murmuring a thank you to the waiter that handed her a menu, whereupon she found herself unable to resist peering over the top of it at him. Smiling a little shy smile, her eyes softened at the boy in front of him. He was so typically Ryoma, with his trademark white cap, and the way he was sprawled with careless grace in his chair.
Unintentionally, she caught golden cat shaped eyes looking questioningly at her, and a fiery crimson lit her cheeks. Ducking her head, she paid attention to the menu this time.
Amber eyes flickered over her, before settling on the menu Sakuno shielded her face with. He coughed a little, the menu lowering enough to see slightly concerned brown eyes look his way.
"…You look nice." Ryoma tugged his cap down to cover his eyes, and the slightest tint of pink on his face.
"T-thanks." A soft whisper let him know she had heard, and he let a moment pass to disperse the blush, before glancing up at Sakuno again. "Ready to order?"
A small nod, and a little mumble. "…I guess so."
Ryoma sat up easily, and caught a waiter's eye. The order proceeded without difficulty, and once again the couple were left alone to their own devices.
Silence, normally, was something Ryoma welcomed. It meant no distractions, no effort upon his part to pay attention to anything he felt undeserving.
Maybe it was the fact he'd never really been in this kind of situation, but silence here made him feel restless. Ryoma found himself focusing on Sakuno instead, the way you would if you were forced into an art gallery, and boredom drove you to admire the pieces on display.
She had a pretty, if small mouth, delicately shaped, and her lips looked soft. Idly, he wondered if they felt soft too, and an unbidden image sprang to mind: of him pressing his mouth to hers and finding out.
A gentle brush of skin met his bare knees, and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was a Boy, and she was a Girl. And that Boy and Girl were on Date.
Date.
The word rang through Ryoma's mind, and sent tremors though him. Reluctantly, he sifted his memory for advice for how to go about one, and found nothing. Momo-senpai had obviously not been much help at all, despite all his lecturing about how to treat a girl. And well, his father… Ryoma shuddered mentally. It was best, probably, not to mention him.
"Ano… Ryoma-kun?" Warm brown eyes looked up at him expectantly.
"Mmm?" He picked his gaze up from her lips, finding a subtle blush on her face. It appeared she'd noticed where he'd been looking after all…
Sakuno shifted, and her knees bumped against Ryoma's again. Hurriedly moving her legs out of the way, she apologized, settling them to the side of his. He could feel the length of her smooth leg against his. Ryoma considered cursing or thanking his luck to be wearing shorts, then decided to do both.
She was speaking again, and he tried, he tried to pay attention, but he found his gaze wandering. Those petal soft lips gently pursed and opened as she spoke, and he found himself lazily watching the motions, eyes narrowed at her mouth.
"…R-Ryoma-kun? Did you hear what I said?"
A clink of cups indicated the arrival of coffee, and saved Ryoma from answering. Sakuno herself was distracted by her latte, which was laid out in front of her elegantly in a tall cup.
Ryoma picked his espresso up, sipping and trying hard not to grimace. He didn't like coffee anyways, but coming here had been Sakuno's idea --- his brain blanked after Sakuno blushed and stuttered out that heart stopping, "Yes," and he couldn't have come up with a suitable place to save his life (did tennis courts count?).
He ordered espresso, because it'd seemed the manliest thing on the menu, and his Oyaji always had it when they'd lived in America, and declared it 'the' coffee. As usual, Ryoma thought with a scowl (he'd just swallowed a particularly bitter mouthful), his Oyaji was wrong.
"Ryoma-kun?"
He looked up, to see Sakuno lift a flowery bag onto her lap, rustling deeply into it. It took a full two minutes for her face to light up, and she lifted out a can of what looked like ---
Grape Ponta.
"I didn't know if Ryoma-kun liked coffee…" A sheepishly sweet smile, and the can was placed gently in front of him, a slight 'ting' as it hit the surface.
He couldn't help the slight upward crookedness of his lips at the tender gesture, saying a heartfelt, "Arigato," before pulling the metal ring on the can and drinking deeply from it. It was slightly warm, doubtless ice cold when she'd purchased it, but it swept the bitter taste of the coffee away.
It also swept the last of the doubts and reservations away; he was touched by her considerateness.
"I'm so sorry!" It had to be at least the sixth time the pretty pink had crept across her cheeks, but Ryoma enjoyed it far too much to admit.
"It's nothing."
Sakuno bit her lip, not seeing his eyes darken at the sight of her lips colour a rosy red. "I'll pay you back tomorrow!"
He smirked, pulling his cap slightly down. "You remember Ponta, but not your wallet?"
A slow flush of her cheeks told him her answer --- not that he needed it to confirm his question (again, the sadistic tendencies had risen). He paid, leaving a tip, and stood up. "Come on."
Sakuno nodded, eyes on his face. "T-thank you." She rose clumsily, and the inevitable came (after all, it was Sakuno): her foot caught on the table-leg, she tilted, a gasp was heard, and Sakuno fell through the air ---
To hit the ground.
Rather painfully, in fact.
"Itai!" She found herself staring at Ryoma's sneakers, before sitting slowly upright, rubbing her arms, since she'd flung them out in front of her to ease her fall a little. Sakuno turned her head upwards, looking into amused golden eyes, tinged with slight concern. "I-itai! Why didn't you stop me from falling?"
A slight smirk, before he took her by the hand and pulled her upright. "You should learn how to save yourself. I can't always be around."
"Obaa-chan is expecting me back now…" She shuffled her feet shyly, glancing between her watch and Ryoma.
His mouth moved on it's own accord, taking action before his mind could think about it properly. "Ne… do you want to meet up next Saturday?"
A light pink covered her features, and a pleased smile kinked her lips upwards. "I'd like that."
They both stood a little awkwardly, not knowing how to say goodbye, not wanting to either. But it was getting to the point of ridiculous, the time slipping by as they shifted from one foot to the other, and in the end it was Ryoma who took the situation into his own hand.
He stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders, drawing her close and dropping a quick kiss on either cheek. He heard her suck in a sharp breath, and he was going to step away --- really, he was, but then he caught her spellbound gaze, and it was possible, inevitable even, that his lips met hers.
It was just a light kiss, a chaste kiss; a feather light brush of his mouth against hers. He pulled away after that. "…Ja."
"M-mm." She nodded, before turning around. "Ja ne…"
Both went their respective ways, a secret smile pulling at their lips, a cherished kiss in their hearts, and a promise to meet again.
Fluff is nice… I like fluff. :)
Tell me what you think!