Smile for the Camera
Well I apologize for taking so long with the next chapter but I just started school and a new job. Sigh. Ok enough about me- read and enjoy.
Thanks so much to my reviewers: Ishka, Fanny chan, shadowcat15, RuBuMoOn17, and ki-ku-maru BEAM. ki-ku-maru BEAM- wow your review made me blush- thanks for all the compliments. Shadowcat15- yes I went for the Fuji/Tezuka angle but Tezuka is not a major part of this story. Fanny chan- thanks for retyping your review for me- oh and I'm flattered you compared my fic to yours. (Now will you pretty please update yours? -Just kidding- )
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine.
Chapter 4
He hated packing. Granted, there wasn't a lot of material to pack into boxes for his new apartment, but still it was just the premise of the matter. Maybe most people would have assumed that he enjoyed this since he was so eager to move out on his own but they weren't the ones trying with limited success to stuff all his clothing into a small suitcase already half filled with books and then sit on the lid so it would close properly. When the lid finally made a clicking noise, the raven haired boy breathed a sigh of relief and stood up slowly, carefully reaching down to pick up the oddly shaped monstrosity.
The heavy weight of the luggage pulled on his back, arms, and legs which in turn caused his knee to start throbbing. Cursing under his breathe Ryoma slowly started the long walk through their apartment, down the hallway, down three flights of stairs, and across the parking lot to his car. He got exactly 3 steps closer to relief when the clicking noise happened again and without his permission Ryoma's belongings staged a mini revolution as they fell down to the floor with no sign of getting back in the suitcase. Letting out a moan Echizen dropped the suitcase on the carpet as well and kicked the faulty equipment which was postponing his new found freedom.
"For someone who's so eager to leave you don't seem to be getting very far," an amused blond commented from behind him as he walked over and started picking up the clothes on the floor.
"This would go a lot quicker if you hadn't refused to help me." Ryoma retorted, harshly pulling the clothing from his best friend's grasp.
"I'm not going to assist you in such a stupid decision Echizen." Kevin declared, waving his arms widely to gesture to the suitcase. "This whole idea is crazy. You belong here in this apartment with me. Can't you get that through your thick head before you carry your stuff to the car? I don't want to have to wait to eat dinner tonight."
"Yadda." Echizen scoffed, turning to glare at his ex-roommate. "You're the one who doesn't get it. I'm not coming back."
"Whatever," Smith scoffed, waving the thought away with his hand as he turned into the kitchen. "If you put away this mess in the hallway I'll cook dinner."
Kevin Smith was very methodical when it came to making meals. He always took the time to set out all his ingredients on the countertops before starting, along with measuring cups and bowls and pans that he'll be using. The recipe went directly in front of all that, so he could easily look at it when going about making dinner. The blond took pride in the fact he was always so organized when he started cooking, unlike a certain lover who usually just pulled out whatever came out of the cabinet and would cook instantly in the microwave for dinner.
The smug tennis player now reached for the pot sitting on the counter top and cursed loudly as his elbow accidently hit the bag of flour, knocking the powdery mixture all over the floor. Deciding to clean that up after he had the meal cooking, Kevin instead reached for the pot again and started filling it with water. As he walked over to put it on the stove to boil, he quickly came to the realization that he probably should have cleaned up the flour on the floor as his sneakers stepped on the mixture and slid across it, causing him to loose his grip on the pot of water which went flying across the kitchen and landed loudly on top of most of his carefully laid out ingredients. Of course not before giving Kevin a sudden downpour. The pro tennis player sat sullenly on the wooden floor of the kitchen, covered in flour and soaked from the water.
"You look like an idiot." Ryoma stated with a smirk as he tossed a towel to the other boy. As the blond slowly lifted himself up from the floor, Echizen reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two apples, tossing one to his lover. "Here, don't say I never make dinner anymore."
"This isn't dinner." Kevin pointed out as he brushed some of the white powder from his hair. "Why don't you let me grab a shower and then we can go out for sushi? Unless you'd rather join me in the shower?" He didn't give the model a chance to respond but rather, assuming a yes he headed down the hallway and into their bedroom. At first the tennis pro didn't notice anything since he had left the towel over his face as he walked around. But then when he opened the closet to reach for some fresh clothes and noticed a distinct lack of clothing he slowly pulled the towel off his head. The closet was nearly empty of clothing. Swearing under his breathe, Kevin swung around to notice all the dresser drawers open and half of the clothing gone in them as well. The suitcases which Echizen had been fighting earlier that night were suspiciously absent, but the mastermind of the clothing kidnap was sitting patiently on the bed, a look of resign covering his features.
"You're really leaving aren't you?" Kevin said with a sigh as he sat on the bed next to his lover.
"Hai." Ryoma agreed softly.
"Does this have anything to do with your new job?" the tennis player asked.
"It has everything to do with my new job." Echizen replied rolling his eyes at the obvious question. "Where do you think I got the money for the new apartment baka?"
The blond bristled at the insult but held his tongue since he would rather have his questions answered then start a fight. "I meant does this have to do with your new boss Fuji that you seem smitten with? Is this your way of telling me you're moving on?"
The raven-haired boy didn't speak for a moment, instead turning his head to stare out at the brilliant blue sky outside the window which was rapidly darkening as night fell. "Do you want the truth or would you rather I lie?" Echizen finally asked bluntly, still staring out the window.
Kevin felt a pang of nausea at the fact that there was no longer any doubt that his lover, roommate, and best friend had found someone else. "Lie to me." he declared suddenly, eager for once in their all too honest relationship to gloss over the truth, and soften the harsh reality.
Ryoma turned to look at him then, and apparently what he saw made him soften because then he was draped over his lover's back, whispering lies in his ear and placing kisses down his neck.
Kiss
"There's no reason to be jealous."
Kiss
"Fuji-san is ugly."
Kiss
"I'll never leave you."
Ryoma moved up then to attack the blond's mouth with a needy kiss with such force that it left both of them gasping for breathe afterwards as they stared into each other's eyes. "I love you." Ryoma half whispered, and half gasped as he got his voice back first.
It was a lie, and Kevin only had to look in his lover's eyes to see it. "Baka." the blond scoffed as he pushed the raven-haired youth onto the sheets below them, carefully avoiding the golden orbs which might ruin their fantasy until they were too bright and clouded over with lust to tell anything.
Fuji Syusuke was already wearing his coat when Ryoma showed up for work the next morning and the younger boy snuck a quick look at his newly acquired watch to make sure that indeed he wasn't late for work. So why was Fuji-san leaving?
"Fuji-san?" Ryoma questioned as he stepped into the office.
"Saa Echizen, I'm glad you showed up on time today. Although I will miss our shopping trips. We have a lot to work on today so I need you to hurry up and get dressed so we can start shooting." Fuji-san lectured as he reached over to hand the model a bag full of clothing.
Echizen stared at the clothing for a moment before sighing in resignation and heading off to the bathroom to change. Fuji actually was patient enough to wait all of 30 seconds before pulling open the door to the bathroom and joining his model who was currently still completely clothed in his street wear. "Fuji-san!" Ryoma stuttered in embarrassment even though he was fully clothed.
Fuji chuckled at the blush that now covered the younger boy's cheeks and gently pried the black form fitting t-shirt out of the model's hands. "Saa you know Echizen this would go a lot faster if you took off your other clothes before you tried on the new ones." Without waiting for an answer, Fuji reached out to firmly tug on the bottom of Ryoma's shirt, lifting it up over his head and exposing a wide expanse of pale perfection. Fuji's smile seemed to grow wider, but then he was stretching the black shirt over Ryoma's chest, and the sexy vision had disappeared. When he reached to unbutton the boy's pants, Echizen seemed to come out of whatever daze he had been in because he quickly swatted at the older boy's hands.
"Yadda, Fuji-san. I can finish it from here." Ryoma growled as he stepped away from the other boy and pulled down his jeans, revealing blue boxers and well-toned legs before he slid into the tight black leather pants. Fuji watched closely as he finished with a pair of black boots and then grabbed the smaller boy's arm, yanking him out of the bathroom before he could stop to figure out what he looked like.
There was a brief stop at the photographer's desk while he went to pick up his camera bag and then Ryoma was hustled out of the office and down the hallway until they were outside the building. Ryoma suddenly understood why his boss had been wearing a jacket that morning as he slumped against the brick wall of the building. There was a flash in front of him as Fuji-san pulled his camera out of the bag at his side and smiled at him. Ryoma, however, simply scowled and tugged stubbornly at his clothing as the t-shirt started to rise up and his pants started clinging lower on his hips.
"Saa Echizen I need you to stand still and do exactly as I tell you alright?" Fuji asked pleasantly. Ryoma nodded, and let go of his clothing to stand perfectly straight and stare expectantly at the brunette.
"Good, Now Ryoma, I need you to pay attention, try really hard, and put all your energy into smiling." Syusuke ordered, lowering the camera he was holding for a moment so he could demonstrate the technique to his model.
A flash, and Fuji lowered his camera to stare critically at Ryoma's expression. No, most people would not consider a frown in the same category as a smile. "Try again Echizen- smile."
Click - Flash. A scowl. "Saa how about if you think of something that makes you happy Echizen?"
Click - Flash. A sneer. "Can't think of anything Echizen? Maybe if you just copy my expression this time."
Click - Flash. "I'm quite certain that my face has never looked like that Echizen." Fuji stood for a moment in thought before his face lit up and his smile grew longer. "I have an idea Echizen."
"Fuji-san!" Echizen yelped before calming down and staring crossly at his employer. "Fuji-san how exactly are you going to take my picture when your hands are pinching my cheeks?"
"Saa I never thought of that. Hmm maybe if I get some tape I can get your expression to stay like that for the photos."
"Fuji-san." Ryoma sighed, but then squeaked as the older boy squeezed his cheeks with his hands. "Saa you're so kawaii when you smile Echizen-kun. Even if I have to glue your face into place I'm getting a picture of this."
"Fuji-san!" Ryoma stuttered as his entire face turned a light rose color. Silently, Fuji pondered how far down exactly that blush spread.
The phone rang later that night in Fuji's apartment and he was both surprised and pleased to see that it was Yuuta calling.
"Saa this is a pleasant surprise Yuuta." Syusuke commented with a low chuckle.
"Aniki I need a favor," Yuuta blurted out.
Syusuke blinked at the sudden request. Usually his adorable brother was too shy to ask him for anything. "Of course I'll do anything for you, younger brother." Fuji responded pleasantly, "Do you need me to take your picture? Or is there maybe some pervert who's bothering you? I can get you a restraining order if you need one. In fact we could make a whole day of it- after we go to the police station we can stop by your stalker's house to show him the error of his ways, and then we can get ice cream. I've just discovered that strawberry ice cream tastes delicious with maple syrup and hot sauce on top."
"Aniki!" Yuuta cried, desperate to stop his brother before he had the rest of their lives planned out together. "I don't need any of that stuff. What I do need is for you to come by my apartment tomorrow night."
"Saa you sound mysterious Yuuta, how cute. What exactly are we going to do then?" Syusuke asked curiously.
"I'm not cute!" Yuuta grumbled under his breathe but sighed and tried to answer his brother's question as much as he could without angering his brother. "It's all Yumiko's fault." Apparently there was no easy way to say this.
"Yumiko? What does our sister have to do with this?" Fuji was now very interested.
"Well she was reading our fortunes and saw a new love in your future so she turned to our parents who turned to me and now we're stuck with tomorrow." Yuuta hurried to finish the sentence in one breathe and then hesitantly held the phone receiver a bit away from his ear as if the angry wrath of his brother could somehow sneak through the phone.
Instead, he heard his brother's soft chuckle. "Saa a new love interest. Interesting. So this means that tomorrow night is-" Fuji asked, holding out the sentence and letting his brother fill in the dismal news.
"A double date."
Tbc...
Ah well was that enough of an evil ending? I plan to put the date from hell in the next chapter and this way if you want you can guess who was unfortunate enough to be Fuji's blind date. I'll give you a hint- it's not Tezuka, anyone from St. Rudolph, and I absolutely refuse to give Fuji a girlfriend.(Unless Ryoma goes cross-dressing -Smirk-)