Being Sensible
A/N: Hiya, it's me! A belated Ryoma birthday fic, finally. I had been overly lazy these few weeks and never seem to have the energy to start typing. But one look at the calendar and gasp, it's Ryoma's birthday! I HAVE to write something! Otherwise, Momoshiro is gonna kill me! So here is the product of my procrastination. Sort of a sequel to "Hot Chocolate", but it can stand alone as well. Many thanks to all my reviewers, I feel extremely honoured. Especially Tora. Your emails made me so happy! This is for ya! Comments to reviewers are put after the fic. Enjoy this and keep loving Momoryo
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: -plays tape recorder- They don't... don't... don't... -bangs recorder- ...belong to me.
Summary: Poor Ryoma. It's his birthday and Momoshiro was not around. (Sort of a sequel to "Hot Chocolate")
Preparing the table for lunch, Nanako looked up at the clock. Five past twelve. It was awfully late, yet Ryoma was still not up. Her cousin liked to sleep in and since this was the holidays, he tended to indulge a bit more. However, sleeping till lunch was unusual. Furthermore, it was a special day. He should be awake and excited.
"Ojisan?"
"Ya?" Nanjiroh answered, not looking up from his daily dose of entertainment.
"If you don't want me to confiscate your magazine, please go and wake Ryoma-san up."
Nanjiroh looked up at his smiling niece with no amount of guilt. Reluctantly, he stuffed his magazine away for future consumption and walked up to his son's room.
"Oi, seishounen! Rise and shine!" Nanjiroh bellowed at the top of his voice. However, there was no reply. Finding the door unlocked, Nanjiroh pushed it open and stepped inside the dark room.
Ryoma was where he was expected to be but should not be. Lying on his bed, covered up to his neck by a thick blanket. It was obvious though that he was already awake, as his hand was slowly stroking Karupin's fur beside him.
"Ryoma, can't you hear me? Wake up, it's already noon!"
Angry at the lack of response, Nanjiroh went over to the side of the bed and gave the blanket a slight tug. "Ryoma! I know you are awake. C'mon, wake up. It's your birthday! Show me more energy!"
"Go away!"
Ryoma shouted and buried himself deeper within the blanket.
Deciding against a tug-of-war with his son, Nanjiroh grumbled rather loudly as he walked away. "Tsk tsk, I can't understand the kid anymore. Don't tell me he is already becoming rebellious..."
---
Hearing the click of the door closing behind him, Ryoma's head slowly emerged from his cocoon. Karupin's big eyes stared back at him innocently. The Siberian cat then sniffed the hand of his master before rubbing his furry face against it affectionately. Ryoma gave a slight smile and resumed stroking the beautiful fur of his beloved cat.
Rebellious... No, he was not being rebellious. He was too sensible to be rebellious. Ryoma was just... upset. Upset and angry. Upset at how things turned out and angry at why he could not do anything to change it. So what if it was his birthday today? So what if it was supposed to be a special day? It would no longer be special if his special someone was not around...
"Baka Momo-senpai..."
Momoshiro was away with his family to spend the vacation at their relatives' house all the way in Hokkaido. And lucky them, his family decided to take the trip during the long Christmas weekend, taking into consideration everybody's schedules except for Ryoma's. There was nothing Ryoma and Momoshiro could do.
Of course, Ryoma was looking forward to spending his birthday with Momoshiro, but how could he demand Momoshiro to stay behind? He knew family was important to his senior, it would be unfair to hold him back. Ryoma was not that insensible. And thus, he had sent Momoshiro off with a look of indifference on his face, convincing his senior that he was okay with it. However, now Ryoma wished he was not that sensible. He wished that he had kicked up a fuss, crying for Momoshiro to stay regardless of his family, locking him up so that Momoshiro could spend the day with him. Then, he would not be feeling so upset, angry, lonely and definitely not okay.
"Gosh Karupin, what is happening to me?"
There was no reply from the cat. However, Ryoma's stomach chose to respond at this point of time and rumbled angrily. Ryoma's hand went to his stomach and he turned to look at the clock. It was already thirty minutes past noon. Lunch time. However, Ryoma was not in the mood to get up and eat.
'Great. Now I'm starving for him. First step to insanity. How sensible.'
Rubbing his rioting stomach, Ryoma finally decided that he could not defy the orders of the Almighty One and had to eat something to have some peace and quiet. Shivering from the cold, Ryoma slowly walked down to the dining room. Nanako and his parents were there, finishing up their lunch.
"Well, well. My dear son has finally decided to grace us with his presence."
"Ryoma, are you feeling okay? You look a bit sick." Ryoma's mother asked with a tone of concern.
Ryoma simply nodded and sat down for lunch. Logically, he should feel warmer, with the heater driving away the winter cold. But somehow, he still felt cold and numb. Or maybe it was his emotions driving him crazy. Hopefully, some hot soup would make him feel better.
---
Ryoma sank himself down onto the sofa, staring aimlessly at the white ceiling. White... Reminded him of snow. Wonder what Momoshiro was doing in Hokkaido now. It must be freezing there... No! He should not be thinking of Momoshiro now. It would only make him feel worse.
The ebony hair boy shifted his body so that he now laid across the whole sofa, head resting on the armrest. The television set sat invitingly in front of him. If he just stretched out his hand, he could grab hold of the remote control. However, Ryoma did not feel like moving. There was a tennis magazine on the table, but Ryoma was also too lazy to flip it open. He was simply not in the mood for anything. Staring at emptiness seemed to be the best option now.
Suddenly, a mug of hot liquid was placed on the table in front of him. Ryoma looked up to see a concerned smile on his mother's face.
"Maybe you have a cold. Here, have some hot chocolate, it'll make you feel better."
Not wanting to worry his mother, Ryoma sat up and slowly held up the mug with both of his hands. The sweet smell of chocolate reawakened his senses and as he slowly sipped the hot liquid, Ryoma felt his body being immersed in a comforting warmth.
Ryoma always liked hot chocolate. The sweet taste never failed to satisfy him and drive away some of the cold. However, things were different now. Along with the temporary warmth came another wave of loneliness. Ryoma was reminded of the greater warmth that Momoshiro provided and how much his senior tasted like hot chocolate. He was reminded of the sweet kisses, the strong hugs and the many times Momoshiro was there to shield him from the cold. Biting his lower lip, Ryoma placed the half-full cup back onto the table. Damn his memories.
"Ryoma, are you sure you are okay?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Though this would probably not happen for the time being, Ryoma thought hopelessly.
"Your friends wanted to come over to celebrate your birthday... Shall I cancel it for you?" Rinko (1) sat beside her son on the sofa and put her arm around his shoulders. She could see that Ryoma wasn't in the best of moods for a party.
"Ya... Thanks Mum." Ryoma gave his mother an awkward smile and laid back down on the sofa. What's the point of a party if Momoshiro was not around? Seeing his teammates hand-in-hand would only add to his depression.
Rinko smiled back and left her son alone to rest.
---
One hour, twenty-five minutes, and three seconds.
That's how long Ryoma had been wasting his time doing nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. The television set was finally turned on and a stupid variety show was currently on air. Not that Ryoma was watching it. Karupin, who was sitting on the table, seemed to enjoy the senseless behaviour of the humans on the show though. Ryoma chose to stare blankly at the clock instead, watching its hands going round in circles after circles. At least it was more meaningful.
Suddenly, a piercing ring disturbed his concentration. Ryoma turned to frown at the telephone for a second, then returned to the very entertaining clock.
"Ryoma! Pick up the phone!"
He need not pick it up, the others in the house could do it. If they wanted to know who was calling, they could just walk over to the living room. It was not very far from the other parts of the house. Ryoma decided that clock-watching was a more demanding task.
"Ryoma!"
"Rebellious little kid..." Nanjiroh grumbled and stormed into the living room. His son sure was acting weird today. And it upset him a little that being his father, he did not know the reason for such strange behaviour. "Moshi-moshi, Echizen here."
"... Haha, I'm not sure if he wants to talk to anybody right now. Wait a sec. Hey seishounen! It's for you!"
"I assume that's a no?"
"Who is it? Just tell him to call some other time." Ryoma finally responded lethargically.
"Well, you can do whatever you want. It's your call anyway." Nanjiroh shook his head then returned to the caller. "Hey boy, I'm sorry. The kid said he doesn't want to speak to you."
Boy? Ryoma's ears perked up a little hearing that word. That tone of his father sounded familiar. He only used it for some people. For example, Nanjiroh never ever referred to Tezuka or Fuji as 'Boy'. In fact, it was probably used on him and...
"Dad, who's on the other side?"
"Huh? It's that irritating senpai of yours... Momo-something-"
Before Nanjiroh even completed his sentence, Ryoma had snatched the phone away and clutched it possessively against his chest. The sudden burst of energy definitely shocked Nanjiroh as he just stared at his son wide-eyed.
"I... I'll talk to him." Ryoma said in a hurry and dashed up to his room.
Nanjiroh blinked at the disappearing back of his son. Pouting, he sat on the sofa and focused his attention on his... informative magazine.
"Tsk tsk. That's what I get for all the things I had done for him. Choosing to talk to his friend over his own father... I don't even have someone to share my interests..."
---
Locking himself in the room, Ryoma sat down on the floor beside his bed. Then, with trembling hands, he held the phone up to his ear.
"Momo-senpai?"
"Hey Ryoma."
Upon hearing the familiar voice of his senior, a stream of emotions flowed to his heart. Gosh, how he wished Momoshiro was with him now. How he wished that warm voice was right beside his ear, whispering "happy birthday" to him.
"How's... How's Hokkaido?"
"Ha, it's freezing cold down here. I feel like I'm in the Arctic or something. With snow everywhere, I can't even play a proper game of tennis!"
"Really?" At least Momoshiro was not enjoying himself there. Otherwise, Ryoma would feel even worse. He knew that thought was rather selfish but... He just wanted Momoshiro to come back.
"Ya. Maybe it's not that bad in spring, but winter Hokkaido is just not for me. My family loves it though."
"Oh..."
"Ryoma..."
"Gomen... I don't think I can go back in time, my family wants to stay here a little longer..."
"Oh..." Momoshiro had said he would try to come back in time, but it was probably too much to hope for. Ryoma couldn't demand Momoshiro to abandon his family right? That would be too unreasonable.
"Ryoma..."
"You feeling okay?"
"Ya..."
No, I'm not okay. I feel like shit. How can I be okay when you're not around?
"I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."
"It's... It's fine. Just accompany your family."
Baka Momo-senpai. I want you to come back now! I feel sick and cold, and I want you to accompany ME!
"Ryoma, are you sure-"
"I'm fine Momo-senpai. Don't treat me like some weakling."
If being weak means that you can be with me, I don't mind being weak...
Ryoma heard a slight chuckle coming from the other side of the line.
"Ha, stubborn as always."
"By the way, has Kikumaru-senpai been to your house?"
"Eh? Kikumaru-senpai? No... Why?"
"Haha, nothing. Just asking. Anyway, I gotta go. My sis wants me to go snow-sleighing with her."
"Sure... I see you soon then." Ryoma frowned, they had only been talking for less than five minutes.
"Yup... I love you Ryoma."
"Me too."
A buzzing sound signified the end of the call. A cold and heartless buzz. Unable to hide his frustration any longer, Ryoma threw the cordless phone on his bed and buried his face in the blankets. There were no tears as he sobbed; his heart torn apart by the loneliness he had never ever felt before. He always called Momoshiro a baka, but in fact, he was a fool as well. A lovesick fool. A fool for falling so deep in his emotions and finding himself forever stuck in them. A bigger fool for not saying anything to Momoshiro, not doing anything to try and keep him around.
---
Furious knockings woke Ryoma up from his nap. Dazed, he blinked and looked around, not even realizing that he had fallen asleep. He yawned and scratched his head, messing up his hair. Well, since he got nothing to do, he might as well sleep some more. However, the knocks were persistent.
"Ryoma-san! Are you alright? Your friends are here to see you!"
"Ochibi! Wake up! We brought presents! Can you hear us? Ochibi!"
Oh no, it's Kikumaru-senpai. That meant Ryoma won't be able to get back to sleep. His hyperactive senior would probably bang on the door until he got a response. Ryoma pushed himself up on his feet reluctantly and opened the door.
"Oh gosh. Echizen! Are you okay? Your eyes are all red and your hair's a mess! Have you been sleeping well?"
Damn. Oishi-senpai was here also.
"But he looks so cute with messy hair nya!" Kikumaru giggled and pounced on Ryoma, ruffling his hair and making it messier than usual.
"I'm... fine." Ryoma choked out the words, trying to detach the human koala from him.
"Well then, I shall leave you with your friends." Nanako smiled and left the room.
Finally pushing Kikumaru away, Ryoma asked as he tried to strengthen his hair, "Why are you here?"
"We brought presents! Look!" Kikumaru took two wrapped boxes from Oishi's hands and pushed them into Ryoma's face.
"The presents are from the team." Oishi added.
"Thanks." Ryoma smiled weakly and placed the boxes on the floor. "But why are there two of them?"
Kikumaru hopped over to Ryoma and whispered into his ear. "The one in red is from Momo-chan. He said he got something special for you." Then, he gave his junior a knowing wink.
Ryoma blushed, realizing that Kikumaru knew about him and Momoshiro. Were they that obvious?
Grabbing hold of Kikumaru's arm, Oishi smiled at Ryoma. "Well, I think we should leave you to open the presents. Have some rest and happy birthday!"
"Wa? We're leaving so fast? Bye Ochibi! Happy birthday!"
Waving enthusiastically at the gloomy boy, Kikumaru trailed down the stairs after his partner.
---
Looking down at the two presents, Ryoma decided to ignore the bigger box given by the team. Who knows what crazy things might pop out from it, with Fuji and Inui contributing the ideas? Besides, he was more interested in Momoshiro's gift.
Sitting on his bed, Ryoma started to unwrap the box covered in red festive wrapper. So that's why Momoshiro asked about Kikumaru-senpai. Wonder what Momoshiro had planned for him that needed to be so secretive? Ryoma's mood was becoming better with the anticipation of the surprise present.
Once the box was opened, Ryoma blinked his big golden eyes in surprise. Lying inside was a scarf and a small card, with the words 'Happy Birthday' written simply on it. Ryoma took out the beige-coloured woollen scarf and stroked his hand over it. It felt smooth, soft and very comforting. Inspecting the scarf, Ryoma smiled upon discovering the small peach-shaped fabric sewn on the edge of it.
'Momo-senpai...'
Ryoma flipped open the small card and as his eyes scanned over the words, his heart started to malfunction again. Oh man, since when did Momo-senpai become such a romantic?
Dear Ryoma,
To keep you warm for the times when I'm not around. Sorry for not being there.
Happy birthday!
Love,
Momoshiro.
Ps. I want to see you wear this the next time we meet! Otherwise, I want a free burger!
Holding the cloth against his face, Ryoma could feel the warmth of the material infiltrating his skin and into his heart. Almost as if Momoshiro was right there beside him.
Ryoma lied down on the bed and held up the scarf high above his head. Staring at the peach on the cloth, Ryoma smiled genuinely for the first time in the day.
---
-A few days later-
Ryoma played with the edge of his scarf as he waited impatiently on the busy platform. Momoshiro was coming back today. Finally, Ryoma would get to see him after a week of absence. Hopefully, he would not look too eager when he saw Momoshiro, otherwise he would surely get teased.
The train steered into the station right on the dot and droves of passengers swarmed out of it, immediately blocking the small teen's view of everything around him. This was one of the many times that Ryoma hated for being so short. Standing tiptoe, Ryoma searched around anxiously. And suddenly, Ryoma saw him. Less than ten metres away, Momoshiro was getting out of the train with his family. He was talking to his father, loud as ever. It was at that moment that Momoshiro turned his head and their eyes met. Ryoma's heart thumped in excitement at the sight of the purple orbs.
Noticing Ryoma, Momoshiro grinned and waved exuberantly. Then, making an excuse to his family, he walked over to Ryoma.
As his senior came closer and closer to him, Ryoma tried to calm himself down.
'Ok Ryoma, you don't want to look like a lovesick idiot in front of Momo-senpai... That just seems so desperate.'
However, when there were only a few steps left between them, all logic flew out of Ryoma's head. The days of longing just overwhelmed his thoughts as Ryoma closed the distance between him and Momoshiro, hugging the taller boy tightly around the waist.
"Momo-senpai..."
"Gosh, Ryoma! You're killing me!" Momoshiro joked, while he lovingly caressed the hair of the boy he loved.
Ryoma buried his head in Momoshiro's chest, breathing in the unique scent that belonged to his Momo-senpai. The heat from Momoshiro embraced his whole body, warming him in a manner that no substitute could ever replace. Not even hot chocolate.
Momoshiro sighed and lifted Ryoma's head to meet the eyes that always managed to captivate him. Brushing his thumb across the soft cheek, he realized that he had a lot to make up for.
"I'm sorry, Ryoma..."
Shaking his head, Ryoma smiled, "It's no big deal." And it's true. Somehow, now that Momoshiro was back, everything seemed so much better and brighter. He no longer felt upset, angry and lonely.
"Ryoma... I miss you."
"... Me too."
He was not going to let Momoshiro leave him again. Gosh, if they weren't in a public place, Ryoma would make sure that they would not be only hugging now.
"Hey! You're wearing the scarf that I gave you! Heh, seems that you like it a lot huh?" Momoshiro grinned cheekily and lifted the corner with the peach fabric.
Ryoma looked away with a slight tinge of pink on his already rosy cheeks and retorted, "It's just a coincidence. Who would like such an ugly scarf?"
"Why you..."
"Takeshi, we got to go."
The two boys turned to face Momoshiro's family. Momoshiro's mother was smiling at them, though there was a weird look on his father's face. Probably a look of disapproval. His siblings were chasing each other around the station, already bored of waiting.
"Ok Dad. You all leave first, I catch up with you later at the entrance."
The stern father nodded and left with the rest of the family.
Momoshiro turned back to Ryoma and said, "I gotta go."
"But..." Ryoma clutched onto Momoshiro's coat tightly, refusing to let go. Why must Momoshiro leave so fast? It had only been a few minutes... Ok, now is the time to be insensible, Ryoma thought to himself. Whine to Momo-senpai and make him stay.
"Ryoma, I'll go visit you at night okay? I need to help carry the luggage home." Momoshiro bent down so that he was eye-to-eye with Ryoma and ruffled his hair lightly. He knew Ryoma would understand.
Ryoma stared into the ever so persuasive eyes and nodded. Sigh... It would only be a while. He would see Momo-senpai again in a few hours. It was just not his character to whine and be a nuisance.
Momoshiro smiled and immersed Ryoma in a tight cuddle. Softly, he whispered, "I'll try to stay the night." Then, Momoshiro winked and ran off in the direction of the entrance.
Ryoma blushed as he fully understood the meaning behind those words. Well, he had more to anticipate now. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Ryoma looked longingly at Momoshiro's back. Finally, Ryoma smiled and shook his head before leaving the station as well.
Ya, he sure was a fool. For allowing his Momo-senpai to upset him so easily, and to make him happy just as simply.
Maybe... He wasn't that sensible after all.
(1) I don't know what Ryoma's mother's name is but I saw some writers referring to her as Rinko, so I shall call her that also.
A/N: Haha, I made Ryoma a lovesick idiot, though I'm sure he's not too happy about it. :p Anyway, I combined a few of my ideas, cross-bred the bunnies and made this fic a bit longer, and so much more sappier. Hope you guys enjoyed it! As usual, please REVIEW! Free pens and paper for everyone to write on! (Though you wouldn't need it anyway.) And... I promise, fingers crossed, a lemon sequel for this. It's hinted in the fic anyway. So fans of all things fluff and sour, rejoice! By the way, my site is up! R and NC-17 fics will be put there. Just join the html address together or link to it via the author's profile page.
free. angeltowns. com/ hotchpotch
January 2005
To my beloved reviewers of my previous fics -inexhaustible pens for all-:
Tora: -big hugz- Oh man, I don't where to start thanking…The kind reviews, the many wonderful fics that you have written… And the sweet Momoryo fluff is driving me crazy! –additional pens for ya!-
Hakudoshi-chan: Thanks for reading. –buries you in a mountain of cheese- Hope you enjoyed this as well.
Aku-chan: Haha, I loved Ryoma sulky too. Then he can start complaining and pouting. Lucky Momo. And thanks for the ramen! –giggles- Here's some wasabi sushi for ya!
Ruji: Haha, did Momo catch Ryoma in the end? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. First, you must steal some data from Inui regarding their running speed…
AmanoAndin: Haha, I'll try to finish the sequel soon. But I'm hungering for some lemon now… –licks lips-
Rubymoon17, shuusuke, kagome girl, Kenz, kittkit, AM, drifting wanderer: Thanks!