Overlap
By: JC Maxwell-Yuy
______________________
JC: And so… it begins.
Ryoma: Make it stop! Make it stop!
Momo-chan: JC… why must you torture me like this?
JC: Because I can.
Tezuka: JC doesn't own the characters and plot of Tennis no Oujisama and never ever will. Now run 50 laps everyone.
JC: Feel the burn!
_______________________
"ACHOO!"
"Oy, Oy, Echizen. That sounded pretty bad." Momoshiro winced as Ryoma sneezed for what seemed the 100th time that day.
It had rained during practice, and being the stubborn brat he always was, Ryoma had continued to practice, soaked to the bone, until Ryuzaki-sensei came along and bitched everyone indoors. When pouring rain tapered off to a light drizzle, practice was ended and everyone started home.
Momo grimaced as Echizen sneezed again. He'd packed the smaller boy on the back of his bike, but every time Ryoma sneezed, the bike shook, and Ryoma's arms tightened around Momoshiro's waist… sometimes, too tight.
"Momo-senpai! Watch where you're going!" Ryoma's voice sharply brought Momo back to reality. A reality where the bike was careening towards a garbage can.
"GGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" the bike screeched to a halt, inches before… Momo's foot that he was using for a brake slipped and knocked the can over.
"Baka Momo-senpai." Ryoma mumbled, his body leaned forward against Momo's.
"E… e… chizen…" Momoshiro froze, his face burning red. But when he turned around and saw the flushed, half-awake face of his teammate…
"GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Arigato Momoshiro-kun." Nanako said as she and Momo helped Ryoma into bed. "I'll be right back with the thermometer."
"Mada Mada… GAACHOO!" Ryoma sneezed.
"You're so cute when you're like that Echizen!" Momoshiro blurted out.
"Hm?" Ryoma muttered.
"You… weren't listening, were you?" The older boy sighed.
"Baka." Ryoma sniffed.
"Baka? Ore wa Baka ja nai! Baka!" Momo snarled.
"Hm…?" Ryoma mused. "Momo-senpai's not very cute like that."
"EH?!" Momo froze.
"Mada mada dane… ACKCOUGH!" Ryoma hacked out as Nanako walked in.
"Momoshiro-kun, here's the thermometer. I need to go put the kettle on for some tea." the girl thrust the device into Momo's hands and quickly ran downstairs.
"Momo-senpai… you really don't have to." Ryoma protested as Momo started shaking the thermometer.
"Poor Echizen. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Momo smiled wickedly and stuffed the thermometer into the protesting boy's mouth.
After watching the time, Momo pulled the glass tool out of Ryoma's mouth with a loud 'pop' and examined it.
"You don't hold back do you?" Ryoma muttered and rubbed his throbbing lips.
"Only for you." Momoshiro quickly turned away so he wouldn't have to see Ryoma's red puckered lips.
"Well, what does it say?" Ryoma demanded as he tried to unsuccessfully snatch the device away from his senpai.
"Well… that's youth." Momo sighed. "You have a fever, so quit squirming and lie down. Senpai's orders!"
"You're too pushy." Ryoma muttered and leaned forward to hit Momoshiro lightly but then his head suddenly felt fuzzy and light before everything went black.
"Echizen?" Momoshiro said as Ryoma flopped back onto the bed.
"ECHIZEN!!!"
The next day, Ryoma was feeling much better.
"I'm going to get you for that Echizen." Momo glared at Ryoma, who blinked innocently.
"Is that any way to treat your beloved senpai?" Momoshiro huffed and followed Ryoma into the clubroom to change. "I knew you were faking that faint all along."
"Mada mada dane."
"I don't want to hear that now!" Momo angrily grabbed Ryoma by the shoulders and spun him around so they were face to face.
"Let go Momo-senpai…" Ryoma felt his face turn bright red as Momo leaned his face closer… and closer… eyes closed…
BANG!
"WAH! MOMO! OCHIBI!" Kikumaru squeaked from the clubhouse door.
The two broke apart in a flash. Ryoma sat down hard, panting. Kikumaru danced out the door, eager to spread the news with Momo chasing after him, screaming that it wasn't what it had looked like.
A few minutes later, Oishi came in.
"Echizen… did Momo… do anything?" the vice captain inquired, his face burning as he finished the sentence.
"Not really."
"Echizen… just remember… that… abstinence is…" Oishi started and yelped as Tezuka entered the clubroom.
"Twenty laps." Tezuka simply said before leaving.
"You know Echizen…" Oishi continued with his face still burning red, "If you have any concerns…"
"Not really… I'm fine." And with that, Ryoma left Seigaku's mommy and the 'talk' behind and began running his twenty laps. Momo had gotten thirty laps.
"Tezuka… you don't have anything against those sort of… relationships do you?" Oishi asked as he watched the two boys run their laps.
"… If you disturb practice…"
Oishi laughed. Fuji, in the meantime continued to practice while thinking of various many 'things' to do with certain people. The turn of events wasn't surprising, and very welcomed.
"BURNING!" Kawamura's racket went flying and nearly knocked out the mamushi.
"Taka-san, I think that racket needs to be re-gripped." Fuji called.
"Gomen Kaidoh, Fuji."
"HHHHHSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH…"
"Oh… it's raining again." Fuji smiled. "But I'm so looking forward to…"
After everyone was herded into the gym. Ryuzaki and Inui made an announcement.
"Due to the number of people who caught a cold or fever, you all are required to drink my newest vegetable juice…" Inui held up several bubbling pitchers filled with thick, green liquid… or sludge. It was hard to tell.
"Would you like some sensei?" Inui turned to Ryuzaki who held up her hands in refusal and gestured at the bottles of vitamins she had in her pockets.
"Saa! DRINK!" and screams echoed throughout the room.
Next week…
"Momo-chan-senpai's sick!" Horio announced before practice.
"Sou desu ka?" Kachiro mused. "Come to think of it, Oishi-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai are absent too."
"I think Kaidoh-senpai and Kawamura-senpai went home early." Sakuno put in and twisted her hair in worry.
"I guess we'll cancel practice for today." Her grandmother walked back from the courts, where very little people were rallying. "There's too many people absent. You're all dismissed, although feel free to stay on the courts and practice."
"Ryoma-kun… are you going home too?" Sakuno asked as her prince returned from the courts and started putting his stuff away.
"Aa… did you want something?"
"No… just that… are you going to visit Momo-senpai?" Sakuno looked at the floor.
"Why are you asking me that sort of thing?"
"I… I… just thought that… well, he'd be happy to see you… that's all. I'll see you later Ryoma-kun." Sakuno clutched her racket to her chest and ran off to where the girls were still having their practice.
"Her hair's still too long…" Ryoma muttered as he zipped his bag up and started home.
Meanwhile, Momo-chan was home in bed miserable. His stomach was cramped up and it hurt to move. He felt just awful. He didn't have a fever, but what did that matter if he couldn't even move from the bed?
"Momoshiro! You have a visitor!" called his mother.
The door creaked open and Momo cracked open one eye… after seeing who it was, the other opened and the jaw dropped.
"Echizen!"
"Uisu." Ryoma shut the door and dropped a pile of books onto the bed.
"What the hell is all this?" Momo struggled to sit up.
"Homework, Momo-senpai."
"EH?! But… did you volunteer to deliver this… for me?" coughed the older boy as Ryoma turned to leave.
"…"
"I knew it! You do care!" Momo reached to grab Ryoma by the shoulder with the intention of pulling him into a kiss however… he missed and fell out of the bed, taking the books with him.
"Momo-senpai. Get better soon." and the door slammed, leaving Momoshiro alone, on the floor covered with text books and papers, unable to move… oh, Echizen was going to get it later on… as soon as he got better… and as soon as he could climb back into bed for more rest.
The End