Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

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By TG

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Disclaimer: I don't own POT or the song that I bummed the title off of.

Warning: Probable OOC-ness, boy/boy relationship(s), unbetaed and written in 10 minutes

Author's Note: Might not seem like it, but this really is AtoRyo. So please don't bombard me with reviews about it. Also, please read the additional author's note at the end.

Summary: Sometimes changes are necessary.

Snark2 Theme # 15: Fresh Starts

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Ryoma flopped angrily down onto the couch. He hated it when his boyfriend dragged him to Atobe's parties. Especially ones in which alcohol was involved. His last party at Atobe Keigo's mansion had been one he wished he could forget. Unfortunately, his overly stuffy boyfriend had forbidden the use of alcohol and he couldn't forget what had happened even if he tried. And he really tried, but the image of Fuji-senpai, who was naked, tickling an equally naked Sanada with a feather would not leave him alone for weeks. He had nightmares.

Shaking his head to dislodge any memories he had of the incident, he looked over as another weight settled itself on the couch. He expected it to be his boyfriend and he turned to chew him out, but instead he found Atobe, prissily sipping champagne from a crystal glass. The man winked.

"Yo. You're alone tonight? I thought surely Tezuka would be supervising you to prevent you consuming any alcohol," Atobe grinned from behind his glass. Ryoma merely rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but wonder where Kunimitsu had gone.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while; Ryoma stared out the French doors at the swirling snow and Atobe sipped his champagne, watching the smaller man out of the corner of his eye.

About a half hour later, Ryoma glanced over toward Atobe to find the latter staring. Ryoma blushed slightly, not really understanding why, and looked away. Atobe smirked.

"I need to use the bathroom, Monkey King. I'll be back," Ryoma mumbled, glancing over at the annoying monstrosity named Keigo before walking out of the room.

It had been a nice half hour, he had to admit. When he spent time with Kunimitsu, it was usually in silence or playing tennis, but that silence and the silence that had just occurred with Atobe were different. Atobe's presence was somewhat more comfortable to him than his over-stiff and conservative boyfriend's. Ryoma shook those thoughts out of his head. He had a boyfriend, he didn't need to be thinking those thoughts about other guys, especially the Monkey King.

He turned a corner, stopped, and stared. The door across from him was gaping open, revealing a sight that felt slightly déjà vu to Ryoma. Through the door, he could see Fuji-senpai, shirtless, sitting on the lap of another man who was lying on the bed. Fuji-senpai was smiling and fiddling with a pair of glasses.

Ryoma blinked.

Those looked like Kunimitsu's glasses.

Inside the door, the man who was lying on the bed mumbled something and Ryoma froze.

No way.

The black haired man crept closer to the door, determined to prove himself wrong. He was distracted by movement inside the room as the man under Fuji-senpai sat up. Ryoma brows furrowed; the man's hair was tousled and his face was red with alcohol and his glasses were missing, but he would recognize the face of his boyfriend anywhere.

Ryoma straightened up and turned around, not caring if the two fooling around in the bedroom heard him walking back down the hallway. He wasn't angry, but he couldn't help wondering why. Alcohol was like a truth serum, right? So if Kunimi-Tezuka wanted to have sex with Fuji-senpai while drunk, did that mean he would rather be with Fuji-senpai?

He wandered around the mansion, lost in thought, not really angry but not really calm either. After taking several turns to try and get back to where the party was, he realized he was lost. He sighed. This was perfect. Not only had he discovered his boyfriend of two years cheating on him with their fellow regular, but now he was lost in Atobe's mansion and was probably going to get mocked into oblivion. So he just decided to sit down in the middle of the floor and wait for someone to discover him.

He leaned against the wall and tipped his head back against it, closing his eyes. He suddenly felt exhausted and wanted to go home. It had been a bit too much.

A few minutes later he felt a light hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. Whoever it was must've thought he was asleep, so he kept his eyes shut. The shaking continued, but when he didn't respond, the person picked him up bridal style and soon he found himself laying on something soft. He felt fingers trailing his cheeks lightly and he abruptly felt the need to know who it was.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into Atobe's. He expected the Monkey King to pull his hand away from Ryoma's face, but instead the rich heir kept it there, gently stroking his cheek.

"Why are you upset?" Atobe asked quietly, backing away and holding out a hand to help Ryoma up. Ryoma frowned at him and tried to turn away, but Atobe wouldn't let him. "Look, whatever happened, it doesn't matter anymore."

Ryoma stared at him and understood what the idiot was trying to imply. In the background, he could hear the countdown begin for the new year and he sat up. His hand clasped with Atobe's and a genuine smile flitted across his face as the man pulled him up.

"A fresh start, eh?" Ryoma asked, grinning.

Atobe smirked at the younger man and put an arm around Ryoma's slim shoulders. In the background, they could hear the crowd shouting 'ZERO!'

"You know, they say that whoever you are with when the countdown ends is who you'll end up with for the rest of your life," Atobe said casually. Ryoma looked at him and smirked.

"Shut up, Monkey King."


Hey, it's totally awesome that I've gotten 5255 hits for this story. I really appreciate that people read it, but I'm a little disappointed that I've only gotten 37 reviews out of all those hits. So it would be a real confidence booster if you guys would hit the review button, even if it's just to say hi!