Title: Lessons of Loving

Author: DnKS – giRLs

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: FujiRyoFuji

Disclaimers: TeniPuri is the property of Konomi who had its game developed by Konami

Warning: animal abusing, rambling stuff, OOC, shounen-ai

Chapter 7 – How to Date

When Ryoma strode beside Fuji while they walked to see a monkey eating his banana, Ryoma wondered as to why he decided to do this. Sure, going out with Fuji was a wonderful affair, but why did his boyfriend had to choose a zoo of all place to go to in their first date? Who the hell wanted to go on a date to a zoo at winter, after all?

Well…apparently Fuji and a lot number of people he saw that day did.

Ryoma had grumbled at that decision when Fuji determined them to go to the zoo after he asked him to go to a date, an advice by the courtesy of Kevin and Lucy. Yet he knew that he should not refuse his decision if he wanted to use as many opportunity to get close to Fuji, especially after his little disappointed feeling on their first kiss together.

It's not a bad event, but Ryoma's head was already poisoned with how electrifying and heavenly feeling that was described in his recourses, so he already expected more from it. Well, he felt kind of warm anyway if he remembered they already shared a kiss, but he thought that they could progress their relationship by this date. And that thought made him felt that he really should do this date…even though it took place at the zoo.

Sighing in his heart, Ryoma returned his attention to Fuji after letting himself distracted with his predicament. He was taking pictures with broad smile, while commenting at how cute the monkeys were, his honey braided hair glinted by the lamp. Ryoma just looked at the monkeys with a bored look, not knowing which aspect Fuji found cute in the monkey. He thought that Fuji was cuter, anyway.

After taking a few shots of the monkeys, they went through the zoo for some more, looking at various animals displayed in cages. Ryoma coped up with Fuji who looked like a child, sighing happily when he got good shots from the animal attraction that was being performed, because for him, his smiles were the most important thing. And especially not the penguins that he swore throwing him a fish purposely as if jealous when he slipped his hand on Fuji's waist. Animals these days…

Fuji laughed at his face when that 'accident' happened, and Ryoma decided that he wanted to take a break at seeing the 'vicious' animals. Fuji smiled and accompanied him to the nearest restroom, where he helped Ryoma washed his hair with peach fragrant soap that was available there. Of course Ryoma grumbled to why he had to smell like a girl, yet he couldn't counter when Fuji said he didn't want to have a date with someone that smelled like fish.

They had a lunch after that at a family restaurant that was stationed inside the zoo, and when they waited for their order to come, Fuji said something out of the blue to Ryoma that made his mood darkened a little. "I'm attracted to Tezuka since I'm in my first grade in junior high school," he said.

Ryoma perked at that sentence. He looked at Fuji with indifferent face, but his eyes gestured Fuji to continue. "What attracts me was how strong he seemed to be. He was like an unshakable pillar, strong at the face of the strongest gust of wind. I felt that I was secure within the shadows of that pillar, and it was an incredibly comfortable feeling…." Fuji paused. "I realized that that attraction was more than just that when I saw you came, Ryoma."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at that.

"When you came, I felt somewhat jealous," Fuji continued. "When you came, almost all of his attention was shifted to you, and I felt that I was almost forgotten by him. I was mad, I was angry at him, but then, I didn't understand what is that feeling was. I was confused as why did I feel like that, it shouldn't be matter at who he took his notice upon, since it was his business and not mine. More importantly, I know that he had to shape a new pillar for Seigaku. And yet, I still feel angry at him."

He sighed before continue, "I noticed it as jealousy a few months later, and after I realized that…everything didn't feel the same as before. My heart jumped when I heard his name was called, it was beating faster when he was near me, and I felt that it skipped a beat when he called my name.

"I then concluded that it was love, after lots of denial." Fuji's eyes opened to reveal cerulean eyes that stared at the scenery outside the restaurant's window, as if seeing something that Ryoma couldn't see farther outside. He fell silent for a while, and Ryoma just let him be like that, not knowing what to say otherwise.

Those beautiful eyes then focused at him, making Ryoma felt that he was opened bare in front of Fuji, when Fuji asked, "What make you want to be with me, Ryoma?"

Ryoma frowned. He shrugged while saying, "I just wanted to."

Fuji chuckled at that answer before he pondered deeper, "And what exactly was that something that had made you wanted to do it?"

"Dunno, just an impulse."

Fuji sighed, "Why am I not surprise when you answer like that?"

Ryoma smirked. He watched Fuji still looked at him curiously with those eyes, which made Ryoma somehow addicted, and he decided to open up a little bit more. He knew that those curious eyes meant that he had to spill it sooner or later, so why bother pending giving answers that he already knew?

"I always trusted my instincts," he said finally. "It told me that I had to make you happy, because I like your smiles. And because I believe that I could make you forget your attraction to him and smile again, I decided to ask you to be with me."

"How confident."

"If I'm not confident of myself, I will not be the same person you know."

Fuji chuckled. "True, that's how you are," he said. "But Ryoma, how could you ask me to be together with you because you had the impulse to make me happy? Was it mere pity or your competing nature that you decided to do that?"

"No," he answered firmly. He already thought about that when he read all those yaoi mangas that consisted of denials and problems concerning with the character's clarity of feeling, and he didn't found another words to describe his feelings to Fuji other than, "You're special."

"Huh?" Fuji looked rather surprised when he heard Ryoma said that.

"I already knew that you're special since a long time ago, but I don't know what that feeling was. Even though I can't tell you what it is until now, I'm sure that it was not pity, and it was definitely not just mere competition."

"And how did you felt so sure?"

"Instinct."

Fuji chuckled at that word, but before he could say something in response, their order came. The conversation was dropped and they eat together in a comfortable silence. It was not until they got out from that restaurant and walking to an elephant's attraction rink did Fuji continued their conversation.

"If I was happier with someone else other than you, then what would you do?" Fuji asked.

"If it was before I got together with you, then I could care less as long as you're happy. But since I already know now that I could make you smile after you're depressed by being together with you, I won't let you go. I'll surpass that person, whoever it is, to make you a happy boyfriend."

Fuji snorted. "And you think that you could do that? People's feelings are not some tennis game, you know?"

"I know. I said that because I hate it if I have to lose," Ryoma paused before continued with, "Especially when the losing stake is you."

"How possessive."

Ryoma just shrugged.

"Well, I'm not easy to be subdued unless it was by someone I recognized as an important one to me," Fuji said; his eyes opened with a challenging glint.

"I know."

"It's good then," was all Fuji said before he brought out his sweet smile that had never seen before by Ryoma. It was different than the usual off-handed smile that Fuji gave. It was so soft, so gentle, and it somehow told Ryoma that he had succeeded in bringing Fuji genuine happiness. He was so proud of himself that he almost didn't notice Fuji whispered, "You know, it's not bad…being together with you."

But alas, when he tried to ask what was that mean, the elephant in the rink shoot him a peanut, and he was busy grumbling that he forgot all about it. And when he did, all he could think was had Fuji finally became comfortable with their relationship? But how far had it gone to? Ryoma shrugged mentally at that, and decided that he should see what tomorrow would offer for him.

-end chapter 7-

(A/N: zoo in winter… not really bad idea, it's worse if you attempt to go to a zoo while there was rainstorm raging… bleh… never want to experience that again… anyway, hope you like this chapter. Ryoma is such a cute idiot here isn't he, but don't we luv him for that? So, any review will be cherished a always… sorry if we took so long to post this, we're stuck with piles of homework and for the recent two weeks we've been running from a dreadful entity called midterm exams… sigh… but your review can always make us happy so please do review (now, that makes us look like some review-whores…) thanks for reading and see you next chapter!)