Edited... because Ryoma's not that crude.
Atobe blinked. He looked at the next photo. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw, recollecting the painful memories.
Ryoma was crushing Atobe's foot under a table in an expensive café, and just in the corner Atobe could see the boring Seigaku regulars with that bouncy cat-boy…
When They First Went Out: Memory #2
Ryoma was having a match with his captain. Everyone had crowded around to watch Tezuka and Ryoma play.
This wasn't like any other match. It wasn't like Arai against Horio (where the results were decided in the first serve as Horio ran off the court) and it wasn't like Inui against Katsuo (again, the Data Master II prevails as Katsuo's racket is knocked out of his hand by Inui's weakest return yet).
It was like Atobe versus Yukimura. But, then, he's never really had a match with the Child of God so no one can really use it as comparison… except for the fact that Atobe versus Yukimura is something to be seen all over the world.
Speaking of Atobe, who was the guy walking over to the grounds?
No prizes for guessing the giant behind him.
'Ryoma!' Atobe called cheerily. 'Ore-sama wants to say something to you!'
From where Atobe was, he heard very, very audible groans as everyone flew from Court A, where Atobe could see Ryoma playing Tezuka.
As he entered the court, shrouded in Kabaji's shadow, he saw a few – let's say a lot of – girls ogling him from the corner. That could NOT be the Seigaku girls' teams. Hell, they didn't even have one.
'RYOMA!' He yelled as soon as he touched the netting of Court A.
Echizen ignored him. 'ECHIZEN, YOU BRAT—'
'Mada mada dane, Monkey King.'
That's it. Echizen was going to DIE. Atobe ordered Kabaji to stay where he was. Then he strolled inside and snuck up on the split-stepping tennis prince.
'Atobe!' Ryoma screamed, abandoning his match with Tezuka (who was later pulled away by Fuji). 'Give my cap back!'
'Who are you kidding?' Atobe handed the cap to Kabaji who raised it above his head.
That was quite unnecessary. He could've just held it up, because even if Ryoma jumped with his hand outstretched he'd reach only Kabaji's elbow and a little bit above that. There were thirty-nine centimetres between them, after all.
For a few minutes, Ryoma bounced. Atobe hung back and watched with smug glee. He could hear a couple of sniggers from the corners of the tennis ground.
'Monkey King, give me my cap back or I promise, no bed activities for a month—'
'Let's go out on a date.' Atobe said. He was very well aware of the fact that everyone (though in hiding) was watching them warily and Fuji had a camcorder in case they decided to do something here.
'Mada mada. Give me my cap back and we'll see.' Ryoma jumped in vain. Frankly, Kabaji was getting bored. Like he wasn't all the time.
Atobe said, 'Go on a date with me and I'll give you your hazardous-to-fashion cap back.'
'Fine!'
Kabaji allowed Ryoma to swipe his cap back.
***
'What will you have, sir?' A pretty waitress approached them. The two were sitting at a window table and Ryoma had a protective hand on his cap, in case Atobe snagged it away for something else.
'Café au Lait.' Atobe answered. Damn, he knew his coffees. The waitress smiled at him. 'Very well. And for the little boy?'
Ryoma glared at her. 'Plain Ponta.'
'Very well.' Now the waitress was in a hurry to get away from the white-capped murderer, even though his companion was so handsome.
Ryoma turned his head away from the retreating waitress to look at Atobe shaking in silent laughter. 'Way to go for your first introduction to a waitress at a café.' Atobe laughed.
'Shut up.' Ryoma snapped. 'Do I honestly look like a little boy?'
'Hmmm, yes!'
Ryoma glared even more. They were both in their respective school uniforms and people were stealing glances at them occasionally. 'Oh, you and ore-sama make such a good pair…' Atobe breathed, leaning in.
Ryoma leaned away. 'Mada mada dane.'
Atobe was soon bored. Did it take so long to prepare a coffee? And Ponta was ready as soon as you popped the can and poured the gunk into a glass.
He rubbed his leg against Ryoma's. 'Ryo-chan…' He said slowly. 'Let's… do something.'
He received a swift kick where it really hurt as the waitress came toward them with their order.
'Your Café au Lait, monsieur,' The waitress tinkled with laughter as she set down the cup, and so did Atobe, 'And your Ponta, sir.' She put the glass of the purple liquid in front of Ryoma.
Then she left. Atobe looked at Ryoma and was surprised to see discord on his face. 'What's the matter?'
'You flirted with her.' Ryoma accused.
'Yes, yes ore-sama did.'
'Who are you on a date with? Me or her?'
'Her.'
'Fine then, I'm going to ask Sanada out soon.'
'Don't you dare, brat.'
They finished their respective drinks (although Atobe took a lot more time – he wanted to piss Ryoma off) and then Atobe paid (and Ryoma allowed him to) and they left the café.
'Were you jealous?' Atobe asked Ryoma. Unknown to them, the Hyotei and Seigaku regulars were following them around sneakily. Kabaji was banned from his "Usu", Kikumaru was banned from his "Nya", and Kawamura was banned from his "BURNING!"… although nobody had given him a racket yet.
'What do you think?' Ryoma said, pulling his cap down.
'Ah, Ryoma was jealous!' Atobe proclaimed to the whole world. People ignored him. The males, anyway, while the females were too busy fantasizing about him and his hotness to bother about his words.
Somewhere in their vicinity, the Seigaku team's mouths dropped. Even the usually-stone-faced Tezuka had surprise on his face.
'Keigo—' Ryoma realized he had used Atobe's first name.
'Yes? Ore-sama commands you to speak.'
'Let's play tennis.'
'If the brat says so.'
'Monkey King.'
They walked on, and somewhere along the road their hands clasped together. Sweet moments.
***
Fuji said, 'Saa… now I've got three hundred-thirty pictures of their date.'
'Lemme see!' Kikumaru jumped on Fuji. Fuji smiled, awaiting the next events.
There was a cough from beside Fuji and Kikumaru. Kikumaru turned to see Tezuka, who fixed him with a stony glower.
'Ah, Captain, sorry, sorry!' Kikumaru got off Fuji before someone could say "jealous" and bowed a million times. Oishi said, 'Eiji, behave.' He was seething too. Really, Kikumaru was so insensitive.
'I love you!' Eiji kissed Oishi out of the blue. Everyone turned to look at them with utter shock.
'We're focusing on Atobe and Echizen here! Next time, Oishi, Kikumaru.' Momoshiro grinned while Kaidoh and Kawamura blushed like hell, regretting even coming along. They could've done their homework instead.
***
Atobe was losing, 4-3. Ryoma was good. And Ryoma's clothes were distracting.
Sometimes he wondered whether Ryoma was flexing purposely to bring his clothes up in that way.
As if Ryoma was reading his mind, he smirked. 'In your dreams.' He did his famous Twist serve, and Atobe returned it. Ryoma managed to get it past the narcissist, who in turn swore as he lost another point.
'Imbecile!'
In the end, Atobe lost, 6-3.
He approached the net, and so did Ryoma. They shook hands and then Atobe pulled Ryoma to him, the net still between them. 'Ore-sama loves you.' He mumbled in Ryoma's ear and then kissed him. With the passionate way Ryoma reacted, Atobe understood he felt the same. So the brat felt for something other than tennis, the poison he loved to drink and his cat. He wondered whether Fuji was stalking them again.
Someone sneezed.
Atobe broke the kiss and looked at the shaking clump of bushes. He signalled to Ryoma to give him the ball.
He flung the ball up into the air, and then hit it straight toward the bushes.
Like a disturbed beehive, everyone swarmed out of the bushes, mumbling and screaming. They made straight for the duo. In the midst of the fray Atobe caught a few words – 'Bastard!' 'You're the imbecile, not us…' 'Only peasants hit the ball at us.' 'You self-loving f—'
'Are you going to stalk us like this everytime we do something? Are you going to watch us have sex too?' Ryoma's voice drifted above everyone and he was rewarded with vehement protests. 'We're not perverts!'
'Hmm, yeah, you aren't… Mada mada dane...' Ryoma straightened his cap and began walking out of there.
'HEYYY!' Everyone roared at him. Honestly, they were attracting quite a few eyes, what with Tezuka standing glued to Fuji in case the feline tennis player decided to jump his boyfriend again. He needn't have worried, though, Eiji was too busy trying to kiss Oishi who was blowing him off every chance he got.
Atobe shook his head. The Hyotei regulars buzzed around him – "Still don't want the Hyotei teamsome?" "We asked you before, aren't we a better choice than that little boy?"
***
Ryoma was again ignoring his teammates. After Inui requested his blood for YET another aphrodisiac.
He was lying on a bench, trying to sleep, when he found himself in a shadow. Atobe and Tezuka glanced at him. 'Hey, brat.' Atobe smirked. Tezuka looked at him. 'Echizen, get up.'
'Yes, captain.' Ryoma got up, ignoring Atobe, who looked miffed.
'Brat, ore-sama greeted you. Greet ore-sama back.'
'Hmm… go away, Atobe.' Then Ryoma turned away from him and accompanied Tezuka.
One…
Two…
Three…
'YOU FUCKING IMBECILE, YOU PEASANT HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ORE-SAMA LIKE THIS—YOU—' Atobe was interrupted only when Ryoma made a rude hand gesture at him.
That day Hyotei and Seigaku were in an uproar over Atobe's flattened ego and Echizen's aloofness.
***
Atobe stared at the picture for a long time. 'Ryoma.' He shook the brat awake. 'Remember our first date?'
'Mada.. mada..... .... dan--' Ryoma nodded off again before he could complete his sentence.