That stupid little rat and his stupid, immature little tricks. What was Gakuto thinking, making him stand under mistletoe with Choutarou. He couldn't very well just stand there and kiss his kouhai in front of the team. Well, maybe it was just the three of them in the kitchen and Gakuto was trying to sneak out, but still- it wasn't right. Shishido couldn't take advantage of Choutarou like that. It would be wrong.
So, to vent his frustrations, he punched Gakuto, good and hard. Shishido's knuckles were going to be bruised, but it was worth it. He'd wanted to pop Gakuto one since first year, when Gakuto put blue hair dye in Shishido's shampoo. Now Gakuto was on the floor, unleashing a string of curses that was turning Choutarou's face a reddish-purple. "Stop that," Shishido grumbled, giving Gakuto a small kick.
He never expected to be bull-rushed from behind, much less by Oshitari. Oshitari had a mean punch to him, too. Shishido's eye was going to be black for a while, no doubt. Shishido looked up and, with his good eye, glared at the tensai. "Get the hell off of me," he grunted, pushing at Oshitari, though the boy wouldn't move.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't manhandle my doubles partner." Oshitari's voice was smooth and calm. Just once, Shishido wanted to hear him scream.
"Yeah, well tell him to mind his own damn business." Shishido shoved again to no avail.
"Oshitari-senpai, please stop hurting Shishido-senpai. Mukahi-senpai already kicked him in the stomach." Choutarou's voice was soft, like a hot silk wrap sliding soothingly over Shishido's boiling mind. It didn't matter if Oshitari hit him again, Shishido wouldn't feel it.
"Ohtori, please take Gakuto and go wait in the living room. Ryou and I are going to have a conversation." Oshitari turned and smiled at Choutarou. Shishido didn't mean to growl, it just came out.
"You should hit him again. I think you jostled his brain back into position," Gakuto laughed, sticking his tongue out as he rose from the floor.
"Gakuto, please," Oshitari warned. It was the first time Shishido had ever heard Oshitari be stern with Gakuto and, judging from the fall in Gakuto's shoulders, it was the first time it had ever happened.
Shishido contemplated apologizing but, as he caught Gakuto's half-teared eyes, he knew that now wasn't the time. Gakuto probably knew he didn't mean it anyway. They always got into fights like this, which was why they were friends. Oshitari never understood how Shishido and Gakuto's relationship worked, which was why Shishido was still pinned to the floor and had an elbow lodged in his sternum.
&-&
Atobe never minded Jiroh's erratic sleep schedule. In fact, he rather preferred Jiroh's sleepy countenance to his overly hyper one. Jiroh, when asleep, reminded Atobe of a stuffed puppy he had as a child. It was orange, with floppy ears and two large, bright button eyes. Atobe's mother made him give the puppy away when he was old enough to leave the nursery, but Atobe never forgot the feeling of warmth and safety that was associated with the stuffed animal. Jiroh, when quiet, was just as warm and just as safe.
Jiroh was also cutting off the circulation to Atobe's thigh. In his constant shifting while Oshitari was lining up his shot, Jiroh grabbed hold of Atobe's leg and used it as a pillow. Now that he was asleep, Jiroh was using Atobe's leg as a pillow and a plushie, which perplexed the soon to be buchou because he was fairly certain his leg was not, in any way, shape, or form, resemblant of a plushie. Atobe worked very hard to keep his legs, and his body in general, lean and compact. He was quite proud of the musculature of his legs.
"You're warm, Keigo," Jiroh yawned, holding Atobe's leg a bit tighter.
"Jiroh, let ore-sama go." Atobe tapped Jiroh on the head. Atobe's efforts were met with a snore. Atobe frowned and grabbed ahold of Jiroh's shoulder, shaking it firmly. "Jiroh, this is undignified and ore-sama cannot feel his toes. Wake. Up." He had to admit, though, that the burnt orange of Jiroh's hair complimented his red Santa pants nicely. The velvet was very soft, probably a nice enough surface to lay on, and, warmed from Atobe's body heat, it might not make a bad place to rest for a moment- not a very long moment, but a moment. Jiroh had been resting more than a moment.
Jiroh let out a little moan and adjusted himself slightly, slackening his hold on Atobe's thigh and tucking into a ball next to the chair. Atobe moved to say something, but was struck, again, by the sheer beauty of the sight before him. It wouldn't do to be walked in on, though. Gakuto would be sure to take everything the wrong way and jump to embarrassing conclusions.
"Jiroh, wake up." Atobe grabbed hold of both Jiroh's shoulders and shook violently. "Wake up or you're going to miss watching ore-sama open his gifts."
Jiroh yawned and blinked up at Atobe before smiling. It was a rare smile, one Atobe had only seen a few times. It was the one that Atobe kept, always, at the back of his mind, the one that he thought of first whenever Jiroh's name came up in conversation. It was the smile that had won over a man who had formerly scorned sentiment as useless and a distraction from tennis. It was the smile that Atobe had fallen in love with.
&-&
"I think we should intervene," Ohtori whispered. He and Mukahi-senpai were pressed against the kitchen door, waiting for something, anything to happen. So far, it had been five minutes and there hadn't been any screaming. "Shishido-senpai is strong, but Oshitari-senpai has more body weight. He'll crush Shishido-senpai."
"Don't worry, Ryou's quick. He'll weasel out of there before Oshitari can beat him too badly."
Ohtori frowned and looked down at his senpai. "Anou…Mukahi-senpai, is there a problem between you and Oshitari-senpai?" Mukahi-senpai looked up at him and frowned a bit before covering it with a smirk.
"Nah, why'd you ask?" Mukahi-senpai was fidgeting. He didn't fidget unless he was nervous.
"You called Oshitari-senpai Oshitari and not Yuushi like you normally do." In Ohtori's recollection, Mukahi-senpai had never been formal with Oshitari-senpai unless it was in jest.
Mukahi-senpai quirked a small, sad smile and looked away, back into the throng of the party. "Hey Ohtori, can I ask you something?" Ohtori nodded, perplexed by his senpai's somber mood. "You like Shishido, right?"
Ohtori was very careful in phrasing his response, not wanting to sound inappropriate. "H-hai. He's always very nice to me."
"No, you really like him, in a way that makes everything better when he's there, right?" Mukahi-senpai still wasn't looking at Ohtori, which was more than unsettling the freshman. Mukahi-senpai was never spacey or vague. He always said what was on his mind and ridiculed those who hid behind flowery speech.
"I…I…" Answering Mukahi-senpai's question would mean admitting something that only Jiroh-senpai knew. It was a big step; one that Ohtori wasn't sure he wanted to take. Mukahi-senpai waited for him. He didn't prod or grumble, like he usually did, he just stood there, quiet. "Yeah," Ohtori admitted, realizing that, on some level, Mukahi-senpai already knew.
The other boy turned, then, and gave another of those thin, twitchy smiles. "The way you feel about Shishido, that's how I feel about Yuushi." Mukahi-senpai closed his eyes and sighed. "He doesn't know, though. Don't you think it would be weird; playing doubles with a guy you know has the hots for you?"
Shishido-senpai played singles, so Ohtori had never given that particular angle much thought. "I suppose so. But senpai, I always thought you and Oshitari-senpai were together." He couldn't say it without blushing.
Mukahi-senpai looked sad again, and his eyes wanted to cry even though he was sniffling the tears back. "Nah, we just play doubles."
&-&
In the kitchen, Oshitari was taking calm, deep breathes. When Gakuto and Ohtori left, Oshitari's anger deflated into a hopeless flood of guilt. Now there was absolutely no way Gakuto would ever accept his affections. Well done. And he was supposed to be the genius. Shishido, by contrast, looked fine, the bastard.
"Staring at the door isn't going to help," Shishido quipped while preparing an icepack for his eye. Oshitari was rather proud of the large circle that marred Shishido's too-perfect face.
"And what do you suggest I do, Shishido; hide in the bathroom until the problem goes away?" Shishido's wince told Oshitari that his comment stung at Shishido's pride. Good, he'd have something to match the big bruise on his face. "Before you go handing out advice, please consider your own troubles and how they affect your credibility." Or, in Shishido's case, how they completely annihilated his credibility.
"Your circumstances and mine are completely different," Shishido argued, zipping closed a sandwich bag of ice. "For one, Gakuto already likes you." Shishido hissed when the ice pack touched his skin. "I'm going to kick your ass for this later, Oshitari."
"I look forward to your feeble attempt at retribution. Was there a second reason our situations weren't similar or have you simply forgotten how to count now that your hands are occupied?" Oshitari knew it was dangerous to rile Shishido up, but watching the short boy seethe was like watching an angry hamster on a wheel. All Shishido needed were the fuzzy ears and he'd be a perfect replica.
"Forget it. I was going to help you out, but forget it." Shishido stalked past Oshitari and threw the kitchen door open.
"Well, that was lovely," Oshitari sighed, moving to the counter to pick up a few pieces of ice Shishido left in his wake.
&-&
Atobe entered the living room with Jiroh trailing, sleepy-eyed, behind him. A quick look to his chair and Hiyoshi was scuttling out of it, moving to stand in a corner. At least the seat would be warm when he sat down. Atobe snapped in the air once and servants came rushing in, carrying a table laden with gifts. "Ore-sama will be opening presents now." He sat and, not unexpectedly, Jiroh curled up on the floor beside the chair. Atobe only hoped Jiroh wouldn't use his leg as a pillow again. It would be embarrassing.
Much to Atobe's surprise and despite Jiroh's curled position, the volley specialist was wide awake. "Open mine first! Open mine first!"
Atobe looked down with a rare, patient smile. "Ore-sama will open it in time." Atobe looked up and noticed Gakuto snickering. "Is there a problem, Gakuto? Do share your amusement with the group." Despite the fact that Gakuto loved to be the center of attention, Atobe knew that the acrobatic player couldn't stand to be put on the spot. Perhaps this incident would teach Gakuto to keep his infantile impulses in line.
"Nothing," Gakuto grumbled, moving to stand next to Ohtori of all people.
"Aah?" Atobe looked around the room and, sure enough, Oshitari was standing on the other side, as far as he could from Gakuto. So, they were fighting. He looked down to Jiroh, who was tugging on his sleeve.
"They were arguing because Ryou and Gakuto got into a fight," Jiroh whispered. "Then Yuushi and Ryou got into a fight, which upset Ohtori, so Gakuto was upset, so now he and Yuushi are fighting."
"Children," Atobe sighed, making sure to give each of the three involved (surely Ohtori hadn't instigated anything) a healthy glare. "Ore-sama will open Hiyoshi's gift first." A clap of the hands and the gift was sitting on Atobe's lap. It was simply wrapped and had a good bit of weight to it. Atobe considered the package a little longer before carefully unwrapping it.
Atobe was aware he had certain…odd character traits. One of these was his methodology for opening gifts. First he would examine the outside of the package, taking in its size and weight. He would then make a guess as to the contents of the package. Primary examination done, he carefully unwrapped the gift, removing first one corner, making sure to peal back any tape in such a manner as to not damage the wrapping. Atobe was not overly sentimental- he was not going to keep the wrapping or reuse it- he simply wanted to unwrap the package properly. As a child, Atobe learned that the tidy way was the proper way. Tape removed, Atobe folded the wrapping and set it aside. All the squares would be piled in a stack and later thrown away.
Once the wrapping paper was gone, Atobe did a secondary examination. If the item was in its original box with a photo or description, then the game was over. He tended to enjoy these sorts of gifts slightly less than those that had been repackaged. If the item was repackaged, he could examine the weight and box and better feel how the weight of the item related to the box. A second and final guess at the package's contents would be made.
Hiyoshi's present was repackaged and when Atobe opened the box, he found a fountain pen set with inkwell and lavender ink. "Ore-sama approves." And that was all the thanks that Atobe gave. If he disapproved, he simply set the gift aside and moved on.
&-&
Kabaji watched Atobe open his gifts. Hiyoshi's gift was approved, which was good. Hiyoshi would've been upset otherwise. Kabaji always thought Hiyoshi to be a touch oversensitive about trivial things. The boy could take as much physical damage as an oxen and not blink, but if you publicly snubbed him, he'd enter into a bitter depression. You could tell that Hiyoshi was depressed when he started putting too much spin on his returns. Kabaji always thought the spinning effect would be a good tactic during game play, but Hiyoshi refused to believe that he ever deviated from his standard play style. That was why Hiyoshi was never going to be anything other than an alternate.
This party was boring. While Atobe opened gifts, taking twenty minutes to open every package, there was nothing the attendants could do but watch and wait. Kabaji was tired of watching. He was also tired of listening to Oshitari, who was standing beside him, sigh every time Gakuto spoke. The doubles pair needed to get it together. They went everywhere together, consulted eachother on everything- was dating really that much of a stretch? Kabaji thought not.
"I'm gonna go get some air," Shishido grumbled, earning a slight glare from Atobe, who was unwrapping Kabaji's gift. Kabaji had wrapped the gift in two layers of wrapping, out of spite. He'd also purchased a very light item so as to throw Atobe's guessing off. The gift, itself, was a feathered fan. Kabaji's sister liked it, so there was a good change Atobe would too.
"Come back safely!" Ohtori called after Shishido, staring as he often did, with eyes wide and a little bit determined. He was probably going to confess tonight, which was good, seeing as Shishido was never going to get up the nerve to do it. For all the tough-guy routine, Shishido was, at his core, a horrible coward. Hopefully Ohtori could help him with that.
&-&
While Atobe did his silly little present opening ritual, Jiroh did what he did best: observed things. He observed them with eyes half open, to be sure, but the air was far too tense to sleep in. The problem was four-fold, those folds being Gakuto, Yuushi, Ryou, and Choutarou. If those four could get it together, then Atobe could stop worrying and start paying attention to Jiroh again.
It wasn't such a horrible situation, really. It could be handled in a few easy steps. Step one was to get Ohtori outside with Shishido. From there, Jiroh was certain Ohtori would be able to handle things. When he wasn't presented with an audience, Ohtori-kun could be very bold. With Ohtori and Shishido taken care of, there was only Oshitari and Gakuto to handle. Those two would be difficult; they were both stubborn and held grudges that could last for years. In fourth year of elementary, Jiroh put glue on Gakuto's seat and Gakuto wouldn't speak to him for the rest of the year. Gakuto still mentioned the glue sometimes. At least Gakuto didn't say rude things to you while sounding nice and smiley like Oshitari did.
Jiroh's thoughts were distracted by the feel of a hand running through his hair. He yawned and pretended to be roused from sleep, though Atobe probably knew he wasn't asleep anyhow. It would make a nice show and save Keigo the embarrassment of explaining why he was touching Jiroh. Keigo needed time and space; Jiroh could give him that. "My present yet?" Jiroh yawned, stretching a bit to cover up his goofy Keigo-touched-me smile.
"I was thinking of opening Shishido's gift, but he seems to have run away." Atobe caught Jiroh's eye and Jiroh saw a hint of mirth shining down. "Ohtori!"
"Hai buchou!" Ohtori snapped to attention and nearly bumped into a lamp.
"Fetch Ryou, would you? We'll have some refreshments while you go get him." Atobe dismissed Ohtori with a few loose-wristed waves of his hand. "Gakuto, Oshitari, go into the kitchen and fetch ore-sama a glass of juice."
"Don't you have people for that?" Gakuto sighed.
"Ore-sama wishes for you to fetch him juice and you shall do it. Now go." Atobe turned and looked down at Jiroh.
"That was quick," Jiroh whispered when he was sure no one was listening. Well, Kabaji was probably listening, but Kabaji never talked to anyone. He probably didn't care. "I thought you were going to let them squirm a bit more."
Atobe dropped down a half-quirked smile and Jiroh was very proud of himself for not swooning. "Ore-sama is tired of trivial matters taking away from the splendor of his presence. The party will not resume until ore-sama has everyone's undivided attention."
In the back of Jiroh's mind, he liked to think that, someday, he would be enough to sustain Atobe's attention addiction. It was doubtful, though. "Do you want me to check on Shishido and Ohtori?" Jiroh shifted, making ready to stand, but was held down by Atobe's hand on his shoulder.
"It will be difficult to pass the time without you. Gakuto and Oshitari will take time. Ore-sama prefers that you stay here." Atobe didn't look at him as he said it, but Jiroh could feel the blush that must be covering Atobe's cheeks. The hand on Jiroh's shoulder shook, just slightly, before it lifted up.
Jiroh scooted a little closer and curled an arm around Atobe's calf. "If you say so." Jiroh set his head on Atobe's thigh and sighed. "You're warm, Keigo. Can I take a nap?" The hands sifting through Jiroh's hair were all the assent he needed before he dozed off, content.