Love Triangle
Ryoma looked at his captain, who is currently playing a match against Kikumaru. The late afternoon sun hitting Tezuka's damp and sweaty figure made him look beautiful like an angel, hot, and drop dead gorgeous. Ryoma mentally shook his head. 'I should not be thinking like that about him; he is out captain for tennis' sake!'
If Ryoma were any other girl, he would've sighed dreamily. But he isn't even a girl, so he couldn't- wouldn't- even think of sighing dreamily. Instead, he just kept his poker face and watched on sidelines, not breaking his stare at Tezuka.
xXx
Tezuka won; six games to three. He watched as Kikumaru stomped towards him, pouting, and now, ranting. He tuned him out like he always does, walking towards the bench to quench his thirst. His game was no different, he still won like always; but there is something off: he felt like there is someone who is staring at him.
Of course, people stare at him when he plays; but he felt as if one of them beholds possessiveness at the stare. When he thought about it, he always feels like it. Like someone is staring at him from afar, as if observing his every movement.
"Here," Tezuka stopped abruptly only to meet face to face with his water bottle. He looked down, acknowledging Fuji with his signature close-eyed smile. He took the water bottle being handed to him and started drinking it, thanking the tensai by a nod.
xXx
Ryoma's jaw dropped as Fuji walked towards Tezuka. He couldn't believe it; someone is actually trying to steal his Tezuka-buchou… and just in front of him!
Wait…
His… Tezuka-buchou?
Right. If you hadn't noticed earlier, Echizen Ryoma has a big crush at Tezuka Kunimitsu.
Unbelievable, right?
'If he walked closer to him, I'll make sure to drown him by the river after the practice!'
Fuji took one-step closer; then another, and another; until it was only a five-inch distance from his head to Tezuka's throat. Ryoma's eyes narrowed in anger and jealousy; one can even see smoke bursting out of his nose and ears. He stomped towards the two, practically disrupting their senseless conversation.
Tezuka blinked. "Do you need something, Echizen?"
"Fuji-senpai, let's have a match!" He completely ignored the captain as he stared at Fuji with his golden orbs, fire of determination igniting within them.
Fuji smiled; his initial reaction towards everything. "Of course."
xXx
"Don't talk to him!" Ryoma threatened, recklessly backhanding the tennis ball to Fuji who returned it still gracefully.
"Hm?" Fuji gave him a curious expression. "What do you mean?"
"Don't come closer to Tezuka-buchou…" Ryoma replied. Really. Hasn't he realized how he looks much like a fangirl?
Fuji's eyes snapped open as his smile widened. "You like him too? I knew it."
Ryoma gritted his teeth. "If you get closer to him…"
"What will you do?"
"I will…"
Fuji smirked. "Are you threatening me, Ochibi?" he prepared a return. "In anyways, you will not win. I am closer to him more than you are, and I can confess to him whenever I want. You are hopeless."
Ryoma froze, letting the ball fly past him. And no, it's not because of lack of reflex.
"Game and match, Fuji, six games to two."
"Looks like I win." Fuji stated, walking past the frozen Ryoma.
'I… am… hopeless?'
xXx
Ryoma faced the ceiling, unmoving, the previous statement of Fuji still echoes inside his head like a mantra.
You're hopeless…
He gritted his teeth. 'Why did I let him affect me like this?'
He pulled his grey-colored mobile and dialed a number.
He waited.
"Hello?" a feminine voice answered in curiosity.
"Ryuuzaki," he addresses his girl best friend. Ryuuzaki Sakuno became his best friend since she discovered his secret feelings for Tezuka, Sakuno's surrogate elder brother (Apparently, he was sleep talking that time in an empty classroom after class, and she heard his mutters as she walked inside). She had volunteered to help him keep his secret; until the two became close as best friends.
"Ryoma-kun? Do you need something?" she asked. Ryoma nodded, partly aware that he's using a mobile.
"Yes. Can I go there?"
Sakuno furrowed her eyebrows. "But it's late, and…"
"Sleepover."
Sakuno grinned. "Very well then."
xXx
Sakuno set a futon beside her bed as Ryoma busied himself with her video game. "Why the sudden call, Ryoma-kun?"
Ryoma kept on playing the game in silence for a few minutes.
"I have a competition."
Sakuno snapped a look at him. "Huh?"
Ryoma dropped the joystick and lay on Sakuno's bed, again, facing the ceiling. "Fuji-senpai also likes Tezuka-buchou."
"Eh?" Sakuno also dropped the joystick at her failed attempt of cleaning Ryoma's mess. "Fuji-senpai?"
"And…" Ryoma paused. "And he said…"
"What did he say?" Sakuno urged.
"He said that I'm hopeless." Ryoma finished with a sigh.
"Why don't you just confess to him, anyway?" Sakuno asked, sighing as well. 'Shouldn't I be asking that to myself?'
"I'm afraid to be rejected," Ryoma admitted. It doesn't look like him at all! The Prince of Tennis wouldn't care at what people would think of him. Yet, Tezuka-buchou…
"But Fuji-senpai and Tezuka-senpai are close to each other."
"You know, Ryuuzaki," Ryoma started, making the braided brunette look at him. "You're not helping me at all," he finished as he threw a pillow at her.
xXx
Fuji paused from scrubbing his arm as he heard the clubroom door open. He blinked. 'I thought all of them had left.'
He turned the shower off, drawing the curtains and peeking at the lockers. Then his eyes snapped open as he saw Tezuka shifting through the files at the captain's desk. He smirked.
xXx
Tezuka is about to do the lineups for the next tournament when he realized that he forgot the forms on his desk at the clubroom. He sighed. He knew it. Thinking about something is really the cause of one's stress. He pinched his nose. He's being out-of-character now.
And worse, he is not thinking about something; but someone.
He looked at the clock. 5:26 post meridiem. He gave Fuji the clubroom keys for he had to leave early, and Oishi hadn't attended afternoon practice, saying that he has to attend his monthly check-up. And if he remembered correctly, Fuji mentioned something about taking a shower. So maybe he can catch up if he sprinted.
He closed the door of his room, muttering his permission to his mother and running out of the house.
xXx
Tezuka heard footsteps as he rummage the files on his desk. 'Maybe Fuji.'
He glanced at the shower area to give an acknowledging nod to Fuji; only to see something unexpected; and maybe interesting.
Fuji is standing at the entrance of the shower area, head tilted slightly, body dripping wet, and naked- 'Oh, there's a towel'- with only a towel wrapped around his waist… looking rather innocent, if not naked.
Fuji walked towards Tezuka, swallowing a lump forming on his throat. 'It's now or never.'
He placed his hands on Tezuka's chest and looked up, opening his gleaming cerulean orbs to stare at Tezuka.
Tezuka was startled at the unexpected boldness. He stared at Fuji's eyes beholding different emotions: self-hatred, cockiness, jealousy, anger, and…
'Love?'
His thoughts shattered as a pair of lips crushed on his own, kissing him passionately. His eyes widened even more as Fuji's arms roamed around his body before wrapping them around his neck. Tezuka's hands unconsciously rose to clutch Fuji's locks, tilting his head slightly to have more access on their open-mouthed kiss. Fuji moaned before pulling away, tears invisibly dripping down his eyes as he realized something... something that hurt him deeply.
Tezuka blinked as Fuji pulled away. Then an image of a certain someone flashed in his mind. He froze, staring dumbly at Fuji and wondering if he really did what he had done.
"Tezuka likes someone," Fuji chirped, leaning closer on Tezuka's face, his eyes hidden on view once more. "Now, now, who is it?"
Tezuka's eyes fluttered away, not knowing how to respond without lying. 'Is Fuji just playing a prank on me?'
"I am, Tezuka... I am..." Fuji started, seemingly answering Tezuka's unvoiced thoughts. "Who~ is~ it~?"
"E..." Tezuka sighed in defeat. "Echizen."
"I knew it," Fuji giggled, starting to dress up rather quickly. "You know, just confess to him."
"It's not that easy, Fuji," he returned to finding the lineup forms.
It's Syuusuke for you," Fuji tsk-ed, getting his tennis bag. "Echizen is an attractive kid. You'll not know, maybe, tomorrow, I will confess to him..." he chuckled at the impossibility of his thought as he walked towards the door. "I..."
Tezuka snapped a look at him, wondering if Fuji is to add something. Fuji turned to look at him, his usual smile plastered in his face. "Ja... Kunimitsu"
'...love you, anyways'
xXx
"I had confessed to him," Fuji started, making Ryoma, who was tying his shoelaces, look at him disbelievingly. 'Not really. But he doesn't love me. So why confess?'
"Wha...?" Ryoma's jaw dropped. His chest tightening with hurt. The object of their affections exited the clubroom, making his way out of the tennis courts.
"Kunimitsu!" Fuji called, glancing at Ryoma and giving him a wink. He then ran towards Tezuka, who nodded in greeting.
Ryoma stared at them, biting his lips and tears threatening to fall down his eyes. 'I... I lost.'
xXx
Ryoma sighed as he stood up. He has left the practice after the scene, running towards the playground and breaking down.
'Jeez… so what if Tezuka-buchou likes him back? It's not like he's the only person in the world.' He tried to think cockily. But he sighed once again and slumped on the swing, his eyes puffy, aching, and heating to release tears…again. 'Why Fuji-senpai, anyways?'
Erm. Maybe he forgot that he hadn't confessed yet.
"Why do I even care?" he screamed. Or at least he tried to. His voice cracked and is hoarse, as if he had just run a million laps. Hey! He just cried!
He stood up once again. 'I just need to sleep. Then it's all forgotten…I hope.'
xXx
Ryoma turned another corner as he staggered his way home. He felt dizzy, after all the crying. 'Damn these hormones. I think I'm near from collapsing…' he reflected at his thought. 'All better, then. I need not to walk home.' His train of thoughts stopped as he felt a presence behind him. He looked back; no one. His eyes narrowed. He's sure he felt someone's presence a while ago. 'Maybe Tezuka-buchou still gets on me.'
He was about to continue his trek if not for the blow being thrown on the back of his neck. He looked back to see who the hell dared to mess with him; but instead found his vision blacking out, knocking him unconscious.
Slender arms caught him before he drops on the ground; as long, elegant fingers caressed his cheek and twirled his emerald locks. The figure smirked, his gleaming cerulean orbs making its way into view.
xXx
'H-hot…' Golden eyes fluttered open and widened a split-second later. Ryoma blinked. 'What the hell?'
Everything is black…dark. 'What the hell happened?'
He raised his arms forward.
Wall.
He tapped it once. He felt nothing. He concluded that something must have been covering his hands. 'What the hell happened to me?'
He perceived that he is standing, for his legs were aching. He's also leaning against a wall; and if he turned ninety degrees, his shoulders nearly touches the wall beside him. It's as is he was caged and the cage is perfectly made for him.
'W-what?'
He inhaled to calm down, then, it struck him: he can't breathe.
'God…'
His claustrophobia is attacking. His breathing became shallow and ragged as beads of sweat trickled down his temple and through his lithe figure. He could feel his vision blurring and he feels dizzy. He leaned against a wall for support and threw his head back, mouth parted open at the miserable attempt on breathing. He weakly raised his hand to pound on the wall. Then another. And another until his arms lifelessly dropped on his sides.
'Ta… tasukete…'
xXx
Tezuka is currently working on his homework when the doorbell rang. He blinked; his mother and father attended a reunion and won't be coming back until tomorrow. He glanced at the clock: 8:53 pm. 'who will be here at this hour?'
He opened the door only to see empty air. 'Prank.' He would've shut the door if not for the glimmering orange light that caught his attention.
There is a human-sized box outside that was attached to stroller so it can be pulled easily. And since Tezuka originated the 'Yudan sezu ni ikou', he checked the box first. There is a note that says, 'Please press the orange button.'
Tezuka contemplated if he should press the said button. 'Maybe one of Fuji's prank.'
He, slowly but surely, pressed the button and blinked as the hologram image of Fuji's chibi came into view.
"Happy Sunday, Kunimitsu!" the hologram squealed. "Take this as my apology for kissing you yesterday…" the hologram paused, putting a finger under its chin. " Though I'm not really sorry… but still…" it shrugged. "Just Happy Sunday!"
Tezuka sighed but pulled the box inside their house and inside his room. 'For appreciation.' His eyes narrowed as he examined it. 'Will it explode if I open it?'
He twisted the knob and opened it, expecting to feel something exploding, or something being thrown at his face. But he did NOT expect to have someone to fall on him and he did NOT expect to fall backwards. On his butt. With a mass of emerald stuffing his face.
He blinked as the mass of emerald groaned, breathing harshly on top of him. As Ryoma regained himself, he raised his head only to see his ultimate crush's confused eyes staring back at him rather rudely. He gasped as he realized their position and clumsily crawled and stumbled backwards.
Then he noticed it.
He stared, wide-eyed. 'Heels?'
His eyes nervously traveled upwards.
Net stockings.
Then upwards.
Tail.
And upwards.
Cat paws.
'C-cat costume?'
He shut his eyes tightly and miserably tried to cover his now exposed body.
In a frilly black cat costume.
xXx
'Why the sudden rise of temperature?' Tezuka had wondered as he dumbly stared at Ryoma's failed trial. He hardly noticed his own flushing face as he stared at the tennis prodigy's ones. 'Isn't he cute with that attire?'
He blinked at his thoughts and coughed slightly to compose himself. He stood up to grab his blanket and placed it around the near-to-tears Prince. The younger boy looked up, his eyes mouthing his thanks to his captain.
Tezuka nodded as he moved few inches backwards and sat on the floor, giving the younger boy more space. Ryoma shyly raised his head and looked at Tezuka but shut his eyes quickly as they made an eye contact with the captain's eyes.
"I… buchou…" Ryoma let out a distressed sigh. He opened his mouth again to speak. "I…"
'It's now, or never.'
"I like you, Echizen," he snapped a look at Tezuka and found his jaw dropping as he realized what the captain had said.
"B-but, F-f…" he was cut off as Tezuka's lips pressed on his own. His eyes widened as he stared at Tezuka's glasses-less closed eyes. 'Must've fallen earlier.' Tezuka's eyes slowly fluttered open. He pulled away and coughed a bit to ease the tension.
"Gomen," he whispered, taking another batch of inches backwards; but Ryoma had stopped him. He wrapped his arms around Tezuka's neck and leaned on his chest.
"I…" tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked up, staring at Tezuka's eyes. "…like you too, buchou."
Seemingly overjoyed by the younger's reply, Tezuka tilted Ryoma's chin and kissed him for the second time. Ryoma tightened his hold on Tezuka's neck to keep himself upwards; but failed as he realized his head banged on the floor.
They care about nothing; just the situation they are in.
Situation with a lingering thought that no matter how many love triangles they put themselves in, still, they know, they can force themselves in.
_owari_
_omake_
Click. Click.
Soft rustles were heard behind the bushes as Fuji climbed the tree across the window of Tezuka's bedroom. He continued clicking on his camera as the new couple continues their intimate moment.
Snap. Snap.
Fuji chuckled evilly as his eyes glinted maliciously. "My love for Tezuka doesn't exempt him from my… doings," he paused to watch the arousing moment between the two, at the same time creeping closer towards the end of the branch. He gaped in amazement, "Hell! I didn't know that Echizen is such a great kis…! Kya!" and yelped as he fell off the tree for the second time of the night.