Hyoutei

10

After school, Matt didn't leave campus immediately since Atobe was now his personal ride home. It honestly wasn't what he had in mind for when he won the card game. Tenka suggested it even though he insisted that Atobe wasn't necessary. Whatever he had planned wasn't good for Matt's benefit; he knew it.

He walked into the now empty courtyard and sat down on the grass under a tree, his broken leg propped up on his backpack in front of him. It would be about three hours until tennis practice was over and he could go home. So what could he do now? Sleep, obviously.

Lifting his arms up to his head and falling back, he got comfortable. His thoughts began to drift again as he stared at the cloudy sky. Today was fairly all right, despite Oshitari's pain-in-the-ass meddling and Shishidou's inexplicable glare. The Pocky he got still bugged him. But the fact that today was all right worried him. Sooner or later, every student on campus would look at him different. There would be someone who picked a fight with him for a stupid reason, like his hair or his eyes or his personality. Whatever wasn't liked, it was ridiculed. His secrets would be found out if Oshitari kept meddling. The pattern would restart at Hyoutei, and he wouldn't be able to escape from it. He hated relying on Tenka, but he seriously hoped he could talk some sense into Oshitari.

His negative thoughts grew dramatically, and he shut his eyes, willing them away. Being a pessimist sucked at times, though it was for good reason. People were hard to trust when he was different from everyone. His mother used to tell him that being different was better. He believed her words too until his father decided to twist those very words and torture it into his mind. Matt was still waiting for those words to be true.

Fresh tears streamed down his damp cheeks, leaving hot tracks in their path. His silver eyes looked up and met the cruel brown eyes of his father. "Wh-What do you mean…? What do you mean?!"

"I mean what I said and you know it yourself, you naïve brat." He gripped his fingers through Matt's hand and held his skull tightly, shoving him in front of a mirror. "Have you met anyone that looks like you? Maybe one or two, but they're most likely as weird as you. Being different means you stand out, leaving you to be judged at the hands of normal people. You won't be able to escape that. You can try as much as you like, but when they look at you and how different you like, they'll remember you're not like them."

The boy compared his reflection to his father's. They didn't look alike, but the boy understood that not everyone looked alike. But then he remembered how a lot of boys had his father's black hair and brown eyes. There wasn't anyone who had silver hair or eyes like him. And he was small compared to them and they liked different things from him. He tried to fight away the comparisons, but they kept coming back in waves.

He broke down crying, sobbing into his hands. His father finally left him alone. But not even the soothing words of his mother who had wrapped her arms around him were enough comfort. The damage was done.

Matt's expression turned to sadness after reliving that painful memory. He was only six at the time. As much as he wanted to forgive himself for being an innocent kid, he couldn't. His father's words lasted up until now, turning him into a person who didn't trust easily. Besides, that was the year his mother couldn't reassure him anymore. He was alone to deal with the abuse.

Sleep came to him easily in the daytime compared to nighttime. He simply had to think about his mother and fall right to sleep. Slowly, he drifted into a warmer, happier state, remembering the first time his mother told him about tennis and how fun it was.

"So… when are you free, Yuushi-kun?" Tenka spoke casually while performing his stretches.

"Any day would do." He responded simply.

For some reason, Tenka's stretches seemed deliberately long. He kept pausing in between in positions that showed off his muscles most. Oshitari supposed he was just as narcissistic as Atobe or he was being a flirt again, which was rather unconventional compared to how men wooed their fair maidens eloquently in his romance novels. And he wasn't a maiden either.

A frown came to his lips. That wasn't right… Oshitari wasn't a maiden or even female. He was clearly a male. Although Tenka made odd advances towards him, he assumed that was to annoy him or make him uncomfortable. It didn't occur to him that Tenka was homosexual.

"It's bisexual."

"Excuse me?" hissed the bespectacled male. Another quality of Tenka that annoyed him was the fact he seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I'm bisexual, in case you're wondering." He leaned to the side and stretched. "Took you long enough to figure it out. I swear, I thought I had to grope you or something until you finally got it. I put in more effort than usual with you."

"…you wanted me to know?" He didn't know where this was going, but at least knew that he wouldn't like the response he would soon receive.

"Yup," Tenka spoke with enthusiasm, amusement coloring his tone, "I have no shame in admitting the fact, but it's more fun seeing whether or not people notice."

"…how'd you know I thought you were homosexual rather than bisexual?"

He cocked an eyebrow while upholding his amused smile. "I'm not a mind reader. You were looking at me differently that's all, like a realization had struck you. How I know it's because you're wondering about my sexuality in general? Because, like I said, I intentionally wanted you to know."

"You're being cocky, Tenka…" Oshitari was not pleased. He didn't like these implications. It was as though the redhead assumed he thought about him on a regular basis, which was not true.

"Am I? Well, it doesn't matter. I just wanted you to know and now you do." He finished his stretches and grabbed his racket by its throat. "Anyway, in about… two weeks, keep your weekend open. That's when you'll be spending the day with me."

He watched him saunter away to play a match with Kabaji. That bastard… what sort of purpose was there to tell him he was bisexual other than for attention?

Practice went on smoothly. There was the only issue of choosing who would be playing after Shishidou's dramatics a few days ago. With Hiyoshi being knocked down to a reserve player, Tenka was incapable of participating in this match. Atobe would have to work out another compromise. Though Tenka joined only some time ago, he was an exceptional player and Sakaki wanted to test out his capabilities in official matches.

He waited until all 215 tennis club members were out before locking up. Kabaji was sent home early although it pained him a little. The second-year looked lost being sent home before him twice in a row.

Tenka was the last to leave, his eyes more on his phone rather than on Atobe. He spoke with a snap of his phone, "Matt's probably sleeping since he didn't pick up. I'll help you find him. Usually, he sleeps under a tree or in it, but given his broken leg, you're lucky. You don't have to spend time climbing up trees." He said it as though it was completely normal.

Why would he sleep in a tree? Atobe could imagine the kinks he would get for trying. Regardless, he followed Tenka towards the courtyard after locking the door.

"Oh yeah, I meant to play the innocent bystander, but I'm curious. How do you intend on becoming a trustworthy guy in Akriel's eyes? Do you intend on becoming friends with him? He told me about the Pocky while we were discussing the penalty for losing Egyptian war."

"He has to like me first. I intend to show him that I am someone to like and thus trust." His eyes narrowed slightly at Tenka. He had his own suspicious that required answers. "Now that you bring it up, I wonder why you suggested I give him rides. He obviously isn't too pleased with the arrangement. You're doing much more than playing an innocent bystander."

"I'm sorry. My involvement has been found out too easily." He didn't sound rather sincere. "Call it a whim or a coincidence, but I gave you a better way to interact with him."

Tenka for the most part was an irritating trickster from his teasing smiles to his intelligent mind. But that was why Atobe liked having him around. He was useful when it worked to both their advantage.

"Ore-sama does not need your help although it was admittedly useful of you."

"I know you don't. Matt does." His expression turned solemn before he smiled again. "Anyway, let's find the lost kitty. I got to go home before my aunt sends someone to get me."

Atobe followed without another word, but he began seeing a bigger plot that he hadn't noticed before. Akriel's subtle persistence and Tenka's shameless involvement – they both were using him for Matthew's sake. And Matthew clearly knew what was going on judging from his outright proclamation that he didn't need friends. Although he hated being used, Atobe couldn't do anything at this point. He would still carry himself as planned for his pride was on the line too. And the challenge was too good to give up on.

Finding Matthew was easy since he was sprawled out under a tree and snoring lightly. His silver hair flicked and curled in an unruly manner as always. And his uniform was a mess of wrinkles. But he somehow managed to appear innocent. His expression was of complete peace, not a trace of those scowls or frowns he treated people with. It was quite possible that he was having a good dream.

"Found him. Well, see ya." Tenka turned to leave, finding trouble hiding his smirk.

Atobe shook his head and knew exactly what he was smirking about. He had been tasked to wake up Matthew and somehow manage to accomplish it without getting damaged. Taking caution, he stopped a mere meter away.

Arms crossed and he contemplated on how to go about waking him up. Since his presence unreasonably annoyed him, he spoke impatiently, "Do you plan on making ore-sama wait, neko-chan?"

The still boy stirred with a groan. He didn't even bother opening his eyes again, his legs bent towards his chest. "Considering that you have to give me rides anyway, yes."

At least there was no physical damage. But it wouldn't do being demoted to a chauffeur. Atobe took a step forward and knelt down, wary of grass stains on his trousers. Whenever he had to wake up Jirou, he usually knew how to go about waking him up. Matthew's case was entirely different when he had to get the boy to like him. "You'll get sick if you keep lying there." They were the first words that came to mind.

Instead of gazing upon eyelids, Atobe saw silver. There was an unfathomable gleam in the irises that normally held all emotions.

"If you wish to marvel upon my beauty, you could do it in the limo." A smirk settled upon his fine features. "There is proper lighting."

"…you're lucky I had a good nap…" He rubbed his eyes and pulled himself up with his crutches. "But for two seconds of your life, can you stop being an ass?"

Atobe tapped his fingers impatiently against the seat as he watched Matthew ignore his existence. Infernal earphones plugged his ears, preventing the boy from hearing his amazing voice. He didn't face him either. He had his entire body turned away and paid more attention to whatever passed them outside than him. Had the boy not called him an ass, he wouldn't have minded. Silence was golden, but not when that crude insult rubbed him the wrong way. His arms crossed along with a leg on top of his other. He was not an ass. He was much more than that.

He noticed Matthew giving him a funny look. "Do you have something important to say or are you going to continue gawking at me?"

"Funny… and you're the one that likes being stared at…" He turned in his seat so he was facing him. He leaned in, his eyes narrowed slightly. "…are you… sulking?"

For a moment, he wanted to snap back, but stopped himself in time. No, it would be improper to snap back like a child. He had better composure than that. "I have no need to sulk over something as trivial as an insult."

Matthew blinked and stared a few seconds longer before shrugging. He didn't say anything afterwards, more attentive of the music in his ears rather than the king in front of him.

Before the conversation fell into silence again, Atobe pointed out, "You seem to be in a better mood."

"I said it before, I had a good nap." He pulled out both of his earphones. "Tenka noticed this before although I thought it was pretty obvious. I'm in higher spirits when I get enough sleep."

"You sleep as much as Jirou from what I could tell. I don't see how you're not as excitable as him." Now he was getting somewhere. This boy seemed a lot more open than he let on.

Another silence developed between them, and Atobe was sure he was not the cause. Whatever the reason was it resided in Matthew's mind. From what he could tell, something was on his mind.

"Would it interest you if I wanted to join the tennis club?"

Now it was Atobe's turn to give him a funny look. He didn't like abrupt changes in subject. He tried reading his eyes again and found them unfathomable again. Matthew was making an effort to hide his secrets. For the first time, he noticed that they had a desperate yet appealing glow to them. Treating this as a whim, he decided not to press for answers and answered the question, "I would if you hadn't expressed any interest when Tenka joined."

"I need to join a club. It's required at Hyoutei, you know that. And it fills up time." He paused in his speaking before he appeared annoyed. Now his eyes were easy to read.

"Hm… perhaps I would allow entrance. Oshitari did seem to hint that you have a tennis background. He wouldn't request a match unless he knows you play."

Another long pause and Matthew's eyes flashed for a split second. Sorrow, anger, regret – the mess of emotions were effortlessly read. Whatever memories he had associated with the sport, they were certainly negative.

"I… I was forbidden to join the tennis clubs at the other middle schools I attended." He exhaled heavily, his eyes glancing up as he recalled the memories. "Long story, short, the captains didn't like me. Even when they said I had to beat everyone in the club, they wouldn't let me join. I had humiliated them. So… I took it upon myself to join tournaments solo. Won every single one and would have had a fun time had I not made a few enemies along the way. I ended up quitting when it was clear I was unwanted. No one was eager to play me." His eyes were cast downwards at his hands, particularly at his wrists, which had the weights underneath the sleeves. "I honestly don't know why I'm telling you this crap. I'm not asking to join out of pity. I figured… well, since you've won a handful of tournaments yourself, you might actually know where I'm coming from." He added offhandedly, "This is probably the only subject I am comfortable speaking with you."

So the boy was thinking about him in the silence. How cute that he was willing to reach out to him despite his dislike. The blunt bit at the end rubbed him the wrong way though. He was a lot more sociable than him. What sort of subjects would the magnificent Atobe have trouble talking about? In any case, Matthew was a little too honest, but it was a nice touch hearing how he admitted their shared experiences.

After hearing such honesty, the king decided to take it upon himself to be helpful. His interest in him grew. Now he wanted to know what sort of thoughts Matthew had and what sort of experiences he had. Looking at his own experiences, striving to be king meant he would have to make enemies, in which they would be dealt with swiftly. He made a clear point that any who opposed could speak their mind. That was his intent – to make enemies and rivals in order to further prove his prowess. But what did the boy want out of tennis?

"I don't see what's bothering you, neko-chan. You should have taken those victories and enemies in stride for you had the means to win and they didn't. But seeing that's not what you want to do, I fail to see why you bother playing tennis at all. What is the purpose of winning if you're going to quit in the end?" He held his gaze, anticipating a reaction. He did want him in the club though, for the purpose of keeping an eye on him. "And in consideration to your desire to join my club, I will allow if after you answer my question. If I find it satisfying, then your membership will extend to the team."

The boy was prepared to respond, except he shut his mouth quickly. Atobe could understand that he was about to speak out of impulse. He saw the confliction in his eyes as he tried to come up with a proper response.

"I'm not cruel to make you answer now. There is no time limit for I am patient. You will be a part of the club but as the manager. The position has been open for awhile. Your leg won't be healed for some time anyway. You might as well make yourself useful." He sounded smug, glad that the situation worked out in his favor. "I wonder what you would have done if I said no, neko-chan."

A stiff laugh came from him, unsettling the king. What was so funny? He started adjusting his broken leg into a more comfortable position. "You have a way of making everything sound self-centered. I wonder what you would have done if I rejected your 'generosity' and joined soccer instead." And then something unexpected happened. The boy smiled despite how mocking it appeared.

Atobe felt a brow twitch. There were over two hundred members in his club. Each and every one of those boys flocked and submitted to him the moment he became captain. Matthew wasn't even grateful for getting the spot of a manager. Countless of females asked him for that position. They were rejected for their antics, so the club agreed not to have any more managers. Was he honestly throwing back his generosity for another club?

A smile forced itself upon his face. "You are quite the puzzle, neko-chan. Stubborn and strong-willed, I like that. Well, if you're going to imply that you won't take my offer, then I see no reason to convince you otherwise."

Despite how persistent silence seemed to develop between them, Atobe managed the long quiet seconds a lot better. The conversation was in his hands and in his control.

"…I'll be the manager. I still plan on answering your question. Don't forget about it."

"I don't intend to forget, neko-chan. I eagerly await your answer." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that they passed by the snack shop Jirou constantly spent his allowance in. "I need to make a detour."

Akriel couldn't stop tapping his pen against his textbook. His eyes continuously glanced at the clock. He shouldn't be worrying in the living room for crying out loud. Tennis practice ended around 7:00. So Matt should be home in about twenty to thirty minutes. Tenka had called ahead, informing him of the new arrangement of Matt's transportation. It was a lot safer walking on crutches, but getting a ride from that Atobe kid made him uneasy. Imagining his godson alone with someone he clearly loathed was worrisome. So here he was, acting like a paranoid parent rather than a procrastinating college student.

He sighed and leaned on his elbow. He turned to Lucie who was asleep on the cushion next to him. "I know I called him out on his trust and whatnot, but how did he take it as becoming friends with Matt? Self-centered and overconfident brats make no sense at times. I wonder if he has another motive for this." But then he recalled how Tenka described him one time. He didn't seem to have any limits with what he can do. He was also surprisingly charismatic despite his narcissism. "…maybe the idea of Matt disliking him is something he's self-conscious of… I wonder if he's more insecure than he seems. I guess that's like Matt except he does the opposite. Instead of surrounding himself with people who like him, he pushes them away." He rubbed his forehead and laughed to himself. "I'm probably over-analyzing this. They're just kids…"

Lucie was the first to notice the sound of the door unlocking and sliding open. She jumped from the couch and raced towards the door, meowing her "welcome home".

"Hey, Lucie…" Matt could be heard, tired and soft.

Akriel met him at the door and raised an eyebrow at the plastic bag that hung in his hand. It was bulging with Pocky. "I see that you took advantage of having Atobe as your personal driver."

He frowned for a moment and looked down at the boxes. "He wanted to make a detour and bought me all of this. I don't remember his reasoning. Something along the lines of his generosity having no bounds… We actually had a decent conversation too. He didn't piss me off as much like last time." As an afterthought, he said, "I'm the team's manager now."

There was something wrong with this image in Akriel's blue eyes. Atobe bought him Pocky? He didn't see the logic behind it. Even though the brat had money to spare, he wouldn't go out of his way to buy all these boxes, right? And then letting Matt become the manager… there was probably another story to that.

"I guess you're all right having him take you home and to school."

"I'm… not sure… I guess so. I still don't like him though. He's too much like Tenka in terms of arrogance." He shrugged and made his way towards the stairs. The plastic bag swung with each step up.

Akriel reached out and ruffled his hair. "Night, Matt."

"Night."

Once he heard the boy's door shut, Akriel chuckled and shook his head. "If he's like Tenka, then maybe you'll warm up to him too." He wanted to point that out but reconsidered. It would be better letting things fall into place. But he did point out one other thing, "You better not eat all those boxes in one go!"

Author's Note: I swear, I think I need to write longer chapters rather than cutting them short and prolonging everything. But I think I can pick up the pace now. College started off pretty well, so I still have time to write more chapters.

In response to Pri-Chan 1410, I do plan on putting up a chapter on Rikkaidai (or is it Rikkai, I can't tell…) the chapter after the next, so that would be Chapter 12, I believe.

Thank you all for coming by and reading! I hope you enjoyed~!