Snippets of creativity: Prince of Tennis (sue me. I like it.)
Warnings: Eiji-kun is talking. Ficlet. I don't own PoT. First written Prince of Tennis ANYTHING.
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This kid practically drips grace on the court, wild eyes shaded from the ever-present cap on top of his head. His fingers separate slowly and the ball drops to the line below, hitting the ground and popping back up to the hand it had just left. I can see his smile even from the other side of the fence, and I stop myself from opening my mouth to cheer him on because I know everyone else would give me odd looks.
He's gripping his red racket in his right hand, occasionally lightening his grip to twirl the object around in the curve of his palm. Another light popping sound echoes towards my ears as gravity pulls the ball from his hand and it bounces off the ground by his sneaker-clad feet. The kid is still hidden in the shadow of his own clothes, head tilted down so he can observe the tennis ball connecting with the court in rhythmic timing.
Those thin fingers curl around the ball as it pops back up, and his head moves from the court to his opponent. His smile fades as his sees the person standing opposite him, then he tilts his face up towards the sky as he casually tosses the ball into the air.
We all pause like it's a ritual, and then a voice off to my side breaks the sudden silence.
"Go Echizen!"
His dark eyes follow the ball as it hovers in the air, and his smile reappears when the yellow object slowly descends back towards him. For a second, the sun's glare shines under the cap and his face is completely lighted up. For a second, I see the determination glinting in his young eyes and I'm proud to admit that I'm on the same team as him. His head tilts down a little when the ball grows closer and his face falls under the shadow of his hat again, leaving me wondering if I had really seen that look on his face or not.
His right arm flies into the air and I smile as he serves to his opponent, throwing himself into motion the second the ball leaves his racket. We all stand in perfect silence as he sprints towards the net, watching the other player return the ball.
Another voice. Calm.
"Here he goes again."
The ball hits clean court, and he knows he scored just by watching his opponent stumble towards the flying yellow.
"15 - 0."
I take a quick peek at the person next to me, and our eyes lock for just a second. A huge smile spreads across his face as he turns away from me, not daring to miss a second of the match.
"He's good."
I can't hold back a smile.
"Ohh, our baby boy's growing up so fast!"
Warnings: Eiji-kun is talking. Ficlet. I don't own PoT. First written Prince of Tennis ANYTHING.
================
This kid practically drips grace on the court, wild eyes shaded from the ever-present cap on top of his head. His fingers separate slowly and the ball drops to the line below, hitting the ground and popping back up to the hand it had just left. I can see his smile even from the other side of the fence, and I stop myself from opening my mouth to cheer him on because I know everyone else would give me odd looks.
He's gripping his red racket in his right hand, occasionally lightening his grip to twirl the object around in the curve of his palm. Another light popping sound echoes towards my ears as gravity pulls the ball from his hand and it bounces off the ground by his sneaker-clad feet. The kid is still hidden in the shadow of his own clothes, head tilted down so he can observe the tennis ball connecting with the court in rhythmic timing.
Those thin fingers curl around the ball as it pops back up, and his head moves from the court to his opponent. His smile fades as his sees the person standing opposite him, then he tilts his face up towards the sky as he casually tosses the ball into the air.
We all pause like it's a ritual, and then a voice off to my side breaks the sudden silence.
"Go Echizen!"
His dark eyes follow the ball as it hovers in the air, and his smile reappears when the yellow object slowly descends back towards him. For a second, the sun's glare shines under the cap and his face is completely lighted up. For a second, I see the determination glinting in his young eyes and I'm proud to admit that I'm on the same team as him. His head tilts down a little when the ball grows closer and his face falls under the shadow of his hat again, leaving me wondering if I had really seen that look on his face or not.
His right arm flies into the air and I smile as he serves to his opponent, throwing himself into motion the second the ball leaves his racket. We all stand in perfect silence as he sprints towards the net, watching the other player return the ball.
Another voice. Calm.
"Here he goes again."
The ball hits clean court, and he knows he scored just by watching his opponent stumble towards the flying yellow.
"15 - 0."
I take a quick peek at the person next to me, and our eyes lock for just a second. A huge smile spreads across his face as he turns away from me, not daring to miss a second of the match.
"He's good."
I can't hold back a smile.
"Ohh, our baby boy's growing up so fast!"