Valentine's Day
Part II
Tezuka set off for
the tennis courts, keeping a somewhat wary lookout for girls in general. He
wished, very briefly, that the school would ban Valentine's Day completely for
being completely disruptive to the education process, but recognised it as a
lost cause. For one thing, the principal and not a few teachers of Seishun
Gakuen actually enjoyed receiving chocolates from their female students.
Tezuka twitched slightly.
It happened every
year. There would be the many 'anonymous' packages littering his locker, and
his desk. There would be the blushing girls who would come up to him and hand
him some frilly package, all the while staring at the floor, so that the only
thing he could see of them was the top of their heads. Or those who would
thrust gifts into his hands and run away before he has had a chance to react.
There were those who would turn into a shrieking bundle of over-excited nerves
when he thanked them for the present. And every year, there was at least one or
two who would cry.
And he didn't even like
chocolate.
This year, he had
taken to hiding in the securely locked tennis club room in self defense. He'd
still gotten caught by some of the female students, but thankfully, it was
nothing like last year, when he was mobbed enroute to tennis practice. Even his
best 'buchou' command voice hadn't worked then – the girls had only squealed
louder. In the end, he had to suffer being rescued by Ryuzaki sensei, and Inui.
Tezuka was
determined that that would not happen again this year. This year, he had chosen
to wait an hour after classes had ended before emerging from his safe-house. By
this time, the majority of the students should have either gone back home, or
are busy with their own extra-curricular activities. Or so Tezuka hoped.
It worked to a
certain extent. There were only two determined girls still waiting outside with
presents – chocolates again. Always chocolates. Tezuka accepted the gifts and
thanked them with only slightly gritted teeth, and escaped as quickly as he
could.
Still holding the
two pink packages, Tezuka hurried towards the tennis courts. It was beneath his
dignity to peer around corners to watch for his fellow students, but Tezuka did
take a deeper than usual breath being turning into the second to last corner to
his destination.
The coast was clear.
Tezuka felt that
tiny curled knot of tension between his shoulders ease, and he continued
walking.
About halfway there, he suddenly spotted a very familiar figure seated on the
isolated bench behind their locker room.
"Atobe?"
The figure looked
up. Dark blue eyes met brown eyes. "Tezu…ka?"
Tezuka felt as if he
was suddenly thrown back to the day of their first meeting after he returned
from Germany. Atobe had looked exactly like that. Vulnerable. Open.
Tezuka took two
instinctive steps closer to the Hyoutei boy and stopped.
Atobe's eyes had
dropped to the pink packages that he was holding, and suddenly a mask fell over
the other boy's features. A mask of brittle pride and a hint of bitterness that
Tezuka could not understand. Atobe raised his chin in an unmistakable show of
bravado, and threw something at him.
Tezuka caught it
automatically with his right hand, well trained tennis reflexes coming to the
fore. He looked down at what he'd caught – a white package tied with pale gold
ribbons – and looked back at Atobe with a slightly raised eye brow.
"For you,
obviously," explained Atobe in a light voice that had a edge to it which Tezuka
disliked. "I had too much time of my hands today, and I thought it would be
amusing to give you something. You can dump it together with the rest of the
presents you've already received. I don't care," he ended with a light mocking
tone.
Tezuka looked at the
package again with a slight frown, turning it over in his hands. Atobe was
giving him a Valentine's Day present? But… A barely noticable flush rose
from his neck. He looked up to say something to Atobe, but the boy was already
slinging his bag over his shoulder and turning away from him.
"Atobe, wait!"
Tezuka called out. Atobe turned slowly and looked at him.
The mask that Tezuka
disliked was still there. He found himself wanting to step up to the other boy
and do something to wipe that expression off his face.
He had told Ryuzaki
sensei once before, that most top-ranking players had that certain quality that
attracted others to them. A certain charisma. He was talking about Echizen
then, but the same statement could be applied to Atobe Keigo in spades.
They have met
before, him and Atobe, at earlier matches and tournaments. They may not have
played each other until the Regionals tournament this year, but Tezuka had
always been acutely aware of the comet-like ascent of one Atobe Keigo. He had
always known that they would have to advance beyond this person in order to assure
Seigaku's entry to the Nationals.
He hadn't been
prepared to be amused by him though… Or attracted.
He waited by the
net, watching Atobe come onto the courts, orchestrating his fan's responses.
Watched him gesture with his racket, the brightest figure in the court, drawing
out accolades from the 200-strong Hyoutei crowd, and reflecting the glory back
a hundred-fold to them.
He would, Tezuka
knew, soak up all the cheers and screaming, and in return, provide an almost
terrifyingly competent, well thought out, strategic game of tennis. Tezuka had
to admit to a sense of private amusement at the consumate showmanship exhibited
by Atobe, even as his heartbeat accelerated in anticipation of a true test, a
match of strength to like strength.
He lost. Went away
to heal his arm, then came back to play again. Seigaku went on to the
Nationals. Life went on. Until one day, Tezuka walked into the tennis club room
to find a slightly different Atobe waiting for him.
He had that same bright confidence, the same arrogant tilt to the head, the
same proud manner of speech. But his eyes were open, honest in a way that
Tezuka had never seen before.
He thought it was
because he wanted to continue to see those eyes that he had agreed to meet with
him again. And again. He had continued to be amused by the sheer amount of
confidence generated by the dark haired boy, the occasional grandstanding, how
he instinctively knew to put himself in the perfect position that best showcase
his physical perfection and attract attention whether he was in a crowd of
hundreds or alone with Tezuka.
He liked watching
Atobe walk around, lighting up people, places where ever he went, drawing out
responses from the people around him. He liked listening to him talk, because
his remarks on the people and events around them were always pithy, to the
point and occasionally able to draw blood.
He found his
attraction for him deepening the day he discovered that the boy didn't need
crowds or sycophants around him, that he could quite happily spend a quiet day
without them.
He wanted that Atobe
back. Not this stranger, standing before him, staring at him with carefully
blank eyes and a mask of remote pride. He wanted that new/old Atobe back very
much.
Tezuka realised that
they had been standing like that for a few minutes now.
He dropped the other
gifts he was holding, and began to methodically remove the wrapping on Atobe's
gift. The pale ribbon went into his pocket, the paper was folded into neat
squares and tucked away as well. Tezuka opened the box and pushed the soft
tissue and found… chocolate.
"Nn… Did you make
this yourself?" He asked, looking back up at Atobe calmly.
Atobe's gaze shifted
away from him. A minuscular shrug, and Atobe said somewhat loftily, "I was
bored. I thought it would be fun."
"Nn."
Tezuka looked down
at the chocolate again. He could predict impending culinary disaster when he
see it. He was the captain of the Seigaku tennis club, after all.
But *Atobe* made
this.
Tezuka broke off a
good-sized piece and put it into his mouth expressionlessly, all the while
looking at Atobe. He chewed slowly. Swallowed. Ran his tongue against the back
of his teeth. Swallowed again. Atobe was watching him with eagle sharp eyes,
fingers drumming lightly on the strap of his bag. Tezuka made sure that his
expression did not change one whit throughout the entire process of ingestion.
He swallowed one
final time, trying to get the last of the flavours out of his mouth. Atobe was
still looking at him. Tezuka's expression was still unchanged.
A glimmer of hurt
flashed across Atobe's face. He was the first to look away. He shifted on his
feet, about to turn and just leave, but all of a sudden Tezuka was
there, taking the two steps necessary to close the distance between them, Tezuka's
arms were coming around him, one hand gently pushing his face up to meet
his eyes, and then Atobe knew nothing but Tezuka's lips, gently pressed on his
own.
They stayed that way
for a moment. Lips pressed lightly together, a hand cupping Atobe's face, the
other hand draped around his shoulder.
Tezuka broke off the
kiss, shifting just a half pace back. There was a strange look on Atobe's face,
half stunned and more than slightly dreamy. Tezuka smiled and gently brushed
Atobe's soft lips with his thumb, then let go, dropping his hands back to his
sides.
Atobe blinked and
refocused on Tezuka's face. Awareness crept back, and a slow unformed
happiness.
They stood like that for a while, bodies close but not touching. After a minute
had passed, Atobe realised that Tezuka was not going to move. He blinked and
smiled. Swayed closer to Tezuka, their lips just two breaths apart. "It tasted
terrible, didn't it?" He said, with a hint of laughter in his voice.
Tezuka did not
react. "Nn," He thought for a moment. "Mildly horrible."
Atobe pouted
lightly, moving even closer towards him. "I spent hours making that thing.
You'd think I'd get a little more appreciation for it."
"Ah." Tezuka looked
down into Atobe's bright eyes. He took the hint. And showed Atobe exactly how
much he appreciated his gift.
- fin -
Author's Notes: Just realised from the various LJs I've been
stalking that the anime has Hyoutei playing practice matches with the Regulars
-- apparently because Tezuka asked Atobe for this favour. So, this fic takes
place in the manga-verse, where Oishi asked Fudoumine for practice matches
instead. But there *are* definite references to stuff that only happened in the
manga… And Tezuka *did* go to Germany to fix his shoulder as per the anime…
Err, the timing doesn't work out either, it's impossible for them to remain
3-years unless all the matches and Tezuka's return happened before Feb… Or
unless they're all high-school freshmen now… But I need my Horio-tachi…
*sweatdrops* Call it a confused AU then. Where the matches, Tezuka's injury and
subsequent recovery all took place, and they are all into a new year but are
still 3-years and buchous of their respective teams. Thank you. Now, please hit
the comment button and review.
