Category: Anime, Prince of Tennis, TWT, Yaoi
Warnings: shonen ai
Pairings: Kamio-Shinji, reference to Ishida-Shinji
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Another Day
Part 2: Kamio, tennis, weirdness, and Shinji
Kamio had never considered himself a secretive person. He wasn't like Ishida, with his compulsive bird-watching hobby that he'd hidden for two years until Sakurai discovered it and spread the gossip to all his friends. Sure, he liked to keep his friends away when his cousins were visiting, or when his little sister had her giggling troop stay the night. But aside from rare occasions like that, he'd never thought twice about having a friend over to his house. He was honestly surprised at how much he was thrown by having Shinji ask him where he lived.
He'd never realized the boy didn't know, and that was just…weird. Weird, like the fact that he didn't know where Shinji lived, either. He was fairly sure none of the guys did, but he thought he at least should have known. They'd been practicing at the street court for months and it had never occurred to him to wonder which direction Shinji went after he left. He was always the first to leave since he liked to run for an hour or two before going home. And Shinji always seemed so distracted he was lucky to get an absentminded nod when he headed off.
And now that he thought about it, that was weird, too. What did he have to be so preoccupied with after they were done practicing? Shinji was constantly distracted, but he could be counted on to wake up and pay attention if tennis was involved. Kamio knew the boy could drone on for hours about a match, no matter how mundane it had been. So why, when it was just them, did he drift off the second they were done practicing? And why hadn't he noticed it? Better yet, what did it matter? He was used to Shinji being weird.
Like insisting on helping him home, just because he'd gotten a little roughed up. Where had that come from? The last he'd heard, Shinji was mad at him about that stupid fight they'd had. And he'd had the nerve to tattle on him to Tachibana, which was just plain embarrassing because Kamio hadn't thought it was that big a deal.
He'd spent the last week on his best behavior to show his senpai he wasn't some obnoxious kid who couldn't keep from blowing up every time someone annoyed him. Then there was the source of his troubles, popping up at the court when they definitely hadn't made plans to meet, and finding him like that. Did Shinji think he'd come to his rescue or something? They hadn't even been members of their tennis club, just some idiots looking for easy cash. He'd held his own just fine. He didn't need Shinji acting all weird and-
"…it's a simple question," Shinji muttered. "If you don't want to tell me, just say so. I'll take you to Tachibana-san's house instead and he can walk you home."
They'd been standing at the edge of the street court for nearly ten minutes. Kamio had been fuming for just as long, surprising Shinji with the lack of yelling. He hadn't decided what made the redhead so mad, but he thought it might have been how quickly the thugs had run off at the thought of a two-on-two fight. He probably shouldn't have interrupted when Kamio was finally getting to take his frustration out on someone who wouldn't get him thrown out of the tennis club. But Shinji had already apologized for that. He didn't see any reason for Kamio to be so stubborn about having someone walk him home. The two thugs hadn't been much by themselves, but guys like that were dirty. They were the type who'd come back later with friends and it was already getting dark. It was just common sense to be careful.
All he could think was that Kamio really didn't want him to know where he lived. That was understandable, but it wasn't as if he'd planned to go in or anything. He just wanted to make sure Kamio got there without being ambushed. He'd have done the same thing for anyone else on the tennis club, excluding the regulars, of course.
"You're really stubborn," said Shinji, a vague frown pulling at his face. "I'm going to follow you either way. If you don't want me involved, you can go to a store first and call someone else to walk you, instead. As long as it's Ishida or Sakurai, it should be fine."
Kamio gritted his teeth and did his best to mutilate the strap of his tennis bag – the closest non-living thing in reach of his hand. He had promised himself he wouldn't act immature anymore. One lecture from Tachibana about how much the team relied on him had brought out a swell of determination in him. He'd really considered himself the leader of their little group before their captain transferred to their school, and he wanted to hold onto at least some part of that responsibility. But Shinji was so…irritating.
He couldn't even argue with him. No matter how loud he got, Shinji just kept that same bored tone, like he wasn't even interested enough to raise his voice. And that made no sense at all considering Shinji was the one who usually started it. How was he supposed to argue with someone so stubborn when the guy just gave him that bland stare? And Shinji thought he was stubborn! It was like trying to argue with a statue, only statues weren't nearly as annoying. And he'd promised Tachibana he wouldn't yell at his teammates, so he couldn't even-
"Wait," Kamio said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You know where Tachibana-san lives? How can you know where he lives and you don't even know where I live? We've been going to the same school for three years. He just transferred here!"
"He told me," said Shinji. "Just because you don't want to practice with me anymore, doesn't mean no one does. We played doubles with Uchimura and Mori last night. They're pretty good. But I don't think Tachibana-san is used to playing doubles. That or I'm not good enough to play with him. He hogged the entire court…"
Kamio couldn't help but smile at Shinji's disgruntled expression. He couldn't really picture Tachibana playing doubles, but he couldn't picture Shinji playing doubles, either. They were like him, singles players who were used to owning the court.
"So you just...stood there?" asked Kamio.
"For a while," Shinji muttered crossly. "Then I left. I didn't think Tachibana-san would notice, but he did look at me funny at school today. I was going to see if he was here and apologize or something. Not that I did anything wrong. I wasn't even playing. I didn't think you'd be here, though. You haven't come by all week."
"Yeah, well, I didn't know Tachibana-san was having matches here," Kamio frowned. "And the last time I came by, you wouldn't even practice with me."
"You were hurt."
"Right," Kamio said quickly, with a tight smile. "Let's not get into that again, okay? You still planning to walk me home?"
Shinji nodded, his frown fading back into that sober 'don't-argue-with-me' statue look of his. Kamio sighed and shouldered his bag.
"Let's go, then. But I still don't see the point."
"It's safer with two people," said Shinji.
If there was any hint of satisfaction in his tone, Kamio couldn't make it out. That was another reason it was irritating to argue with Shinji – the boy wouldn't even gloat when he got his way. He'd seen him smirk enough on the court to know he was capable of looking smug during a game. It was like Shinji didn't see getting his way in an argument with him as a major accomplishment. That was sort of insulting.
"Just so you know," said Kamio, "it's not like I care if you know where I live. I just don't need anyone walking me home. That's stupid."
Shinji nodded. "You were stronger than those guys. But if they got help, two is safer than one. It's just practical to be careful."
Kamio resisted the urge to pick up his pace and fell in step beside Shinji instead. As long as the boy was acknowledging the fact that he could handle two incompetent thieves, he could accept the 'escort home' as more of a friendly precaution than anything.
"So," Kamio muttered, more tired than cross. "What made you think I didn't want to practice with you anymore?"
Shinji looked at him without turning his head. His expression was slightly suspicious, but his tone came out bored. "You weren't at the court Tuesday. Mori said you were practicing with Sakurai instead. Ishida was really smug about it, too."
He looked forward again and scowled, his voice dropping. "I don't see why he was so smug, bragging like that. And acting like he didn't think I'd hear him, when I was right there. Did he think I'd be jealous or something? I was annoyed that I had to hear it from Mori, but it's not like I was surprised. Ishida acts like I don't exist, so he was probably mad Tachibana-san offered to practice with me. I bet he was hoping Tachibana-san would ask him instead."
Shinji sniffed and scowled a little darker, his gaze dimly focused on the sidewalk in front of him. Kamio couldn't help but stare at the boy's profile with a disgruntled and exasperated expression. That was yet another thing that made Shinji so weird. How could anyone notice so much - while seeming completely oblivious of his surroundings - and misinterpret half the information until he really was as oblivious as he appeared to be?
It had started as a joke, a rumor Sakurai created and spread a few days after they joined the tennis club. He'd done it to get back at Ishida for some prank his friend had pulled on him the week before. No one had expected Ishida to get as angry as he had, especially not Sakurai, who never would have said a word if he'd known there was any truth behind the rumor. Within the space of a day, they'd all heard about Ishida's crush on Shinji, all of them except Shinji, since no one had thought to pass the rumor on to him. The short-lived fiasco only lasted a few days, but it left Sakurai with a vividly bruised jaw and a guilty conscience, and Ishida with a chip on his shoulder and a determination to prove Shinji wasn't significant enough to merit so much as a glance from him.
Kamio was convinced the crush had died a mutilated and painful death, but the resentment lingered in its place. So Shinji was right about Ishida acting like he didn't exist when he was around the rest of them, but he was oblivious as to the reason. He was also borderline correct about Tachibana.
It was clear to most of them that Ishida had a serious case of hero-worship for their senpai. As jealous as Kamio was to know Tachibana had been practicing with the others - and he hadn't been told, let alone invited to join - he could bet Ishida was twice as mad. They'd been going to school together for years, so Kamio knew when Ishida fell for someone it was fast and hard. And possessive. He was very relieved to know his own feelings for Tachibana were steadfast respect and an urge to gain acknowledgment from someone he saw to be the perfect role model leader. He had charisma, patience, confidence, skill-
Kamio snapped out of his thoughts long enough to catch Shinji's arm and pull him to the left. "It's two more blocks down, on the corner."
"Across from the park," Shinji murmured thoughtfully. "I thought I'd seen you there a lot. That explains it."
Kamio shot him a disgruntled frown. "You've seen me? Why didn't you say something?"
"You had your headphones on," said Shinji.
"I usually do," Kamio shrugged. "Next time tap me on the shoulder or wave, or something. I only go over there when I'm bored."
Shinji gave a noncommittal 'mm' sound and looked at him. "Are you mad that I told Tachibana-san about us arguing? Mori said you got lectured."
"Mori talks to much," Kamio fumed. "I still can't believe you tattled on me. I swear, I've never been so embarrassed."
Shinji stopped walking and turned to give him a funny look. "I didn't tattle. I've never tattled on anyone. It's no one's business. Tachibana-san saw you running off and asked about it. He was watching out for the team and didn't want us fighting. I didn't want us fighting, either. That's why he talked to you, so you wouldn't have to talk to me."
"We weren't fighting," Kamio scoffed. "We had an argument. But that explains why he kept on about my temper and not 'taking it out on the team.' You probably made it sound like we were trying to maim each other. It was so embarrassing, I felt like I was six years old. You overreact too much, Shinji. Seriously. We argued. It's not a big deal."
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "No? You avoided me all week."
Kamio gave a dismissive wave and started walking again. After a moment, Shinji followed. Once he was back beside him again, Kamio shrugged.
"You weren't talking to me, either," Kamio pointed out.
"Oh."
"Yeah," Kamio smirked, "oh. Anyway, it's funny Tachibana-san was playing two on one - that's what I was doing with Ishida and Sakurai. They have a really good combination. We should start playing doubles against them once in a while. There's no way Mori can return Ishida's shot, even with Uchimura on the net. I couldn't keep up with them at all."
"Ishida should play Tachibana-san," Shinji nodded. "I returned his shot the last time we played, but he's getting stronger every time. I keep having to control the ball so he can't use it."
"At least you can control it," said Kamio. "That's why I said doubles. You seal that shot, and I'll run them ragged. It'll be fun."
"And good practice," said Shinji.
"Right?" Kamio smirked. "You were saying you couldn't play doubles with Tachibana-san hogging the court, so you can play with me. If Ishida gets mad about you sealing his move, he can practice with Tachibana-san and we'll do singles instead. That would leave Sakurai with Mori and Uchimura, which would probably be good for him. If you ask me, he's getting a little too dependent on Ishida. It's the same thing with Mori."
"Mori was better when they played Tachibana-san," Shinji remarked. "I think he was showing off, though..."
"Well, sure," Kamio grinned. "They were playing Tachibana-san. Who wouldn't show off?"
Shinji tilted his head a little, a small frown pulling at his lips.
Kamio rolled his eyes with a playful smirk. "You don't count, Shinji. You show off every time you play."
"You do, too," Shinji frowned.
"Yeah, but I show off more if it's someone I really want to beat."
Shinji thought about that for a moment in silence. Then he gave a small, but definitely smug smile. "You must really want to beat me, then."
"Only because you're so damned conceited on the court," Kamio said, his grin proving it wasn't an insult. "Gotta bring you down a peg or two."
"It's fun watching you try," Shinji admitted.
"See?" Kamio sighed. "Totally conceited."
It wasn't until later that night that Kamio reflected on how quickly they'd gone from not talking to planning their next practice as if the last week hadn't happened. Talking tennis made it easy to brush aside or sidestep arguments. But it wasn't just tennis. He'd found that any common ground - any safe point of discussion that they were both interested in - made Shinji easy to be around. As long as he wasn't distracted or ill at ease, the mumbling pretty much went away. And still, that sense of weirdness remained.
The moment he noticed how normal Shinji was being, Kamio became aware of his own weirdness. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the way of spending time with Shinji, Kamio had picked up the habit of talking a lot more than he usually did. It was like he instinctively rambled in order to keep Shinji from rambling to himself. That was weird because the only time Kamio normally rambled, that he was aware of, was when he was furious and yelling every angry thought that came into his head. Now that Tachibana wanted him to curb the yelling, he couldn't help worrying that Shinji would rub off on him and he'd start mumbling resentfully instead.
As far as Kamio was concerned, the mumbling was the real problem Shinji had, and it seemed to be getting worse rather than better. It was as if he couldn't meet someone without mumbling within the first five minutes and giving himself away. He'd certainly proved that when Kamio introduced him to his mother. And damned if she hadn't assumed he was mentally challenged because of it.
Kamio rolled over in his bed and thumped his head on his pillow. He'd skipped dinner after Shinji's very short visit, but he couldn't get over how embarrassing it had been.
He'd expected Shinji to mumble, or do something weird. But he'd never have invited him in if he'd known his mom would act so...so patronizing...
Shinji had already been uncomfortable about going inside, weirdly so, to the point where Kamio had to grab his arm and tug him to get him through the front door. Then his little sister had cornered them, going on about how pretty Shinji was and how he didn't say much, did he? But she was nine, so she had an excuse. His mom had all but patted Shinji on the head and told him what a sweet little boy he was. And she'd had the nerve to suggest Kamio bring his 'poor shy friend' home with him more often. As if. Even if he could look Shinji in the eye long enough to apologize at school tomorrow, he knew the boy would never willingly enter his house again.
He hadn't seen Shinji look so miserable since the day he'd transferred to their school. He'd felt sorry for him back then, just because of that downtrodden expression and how he'd drug his feet when he went to the head of the class to introduce himself. But then he'd given his name and promptly mumbled that he really didn't want to be there, and how he'd leave if he didn't think the teacher would make him come back and lecture him for trying to walk out, and that really it probably wasn't worth the trouble to even attempt it. He'd gotten an appreciative laugh for that, but it wasn't long before people realized the mumbling wasn't done for humor.
He'd made a name for himself during the first week as the weirdo who talked to himself and looked like a little girl. Kamio didn't remember exactly when Shinji stopped being the center of jokes, but it must have happened gradually. Sometime during his first year he'd cut his hair. It had gone from being long enough to braid to being jagged and loose around his shoulders. Kamio remembered that because it had happened right after an exam. The fact that Shinji got the best scores in all his classes had never helped people like him, and that exam had been one of the harder ones.
There were incidents Kamio remembered vividly, but only because he'd been friends with some of the louder boys in his class back then. If he hadn't been friends with Mori, who was just all around nice, he probably would have remembered more about Shinji's move from class pariah to anonymity. As it was, he'd noticed him in a sort of wincing way, feeling sorry for him, but also wishing he were in a different class because, honestly, how hard could it be to just shut up when a teacher was talking? It was one thing to know more about the subjects than the rest of the class, but to correct the teacher, especially in a mumbling way that was just plain rude, was asking for people to notice and mock.
Some time, probably during that first year, the mumbling trickled off. Now that Kamio knew more about him, he suspected it was because Shinji had stopped paying attention to his classes. His grades slipped down enough for the teachers to stop praising him, and without the strikingly long hair he didn't look as much like a girl. With nothing calling attention to him, he just sort of faded off radar. Kamio could have sworn they were in the same classes last year, but he couldn't have said where Shinji had sat. He might have felt guilty about that, but he'd never ignored or snubbed him or anything. It was just that he hadn't noticed him.
Even now, with them in the same club, there were times when Shinji seemed to disappear, particularly when they were picking up balls and being verbally abused by the regulars. When he'd first seen him on the court the day they joined the club, he'd remembered that first impression. He'd actually been shocked to realize Shinji was still at their school. And then the whole mess with Ishida had made most of them avoid speaking directly to Shinji for a while there. By the time they started having their own practices after the club, Shinji's silence seemed normal. Then they started playing him and the mumbling slowly came back.
After talking to someone who shrugged or nodded or stared off into space, the monotone comments and mumbled complaints were a welcome change. Sure, it was weird if he thought about it, Shinji was weird. But that was just the way he was, and at least when he mumbled Kamio knew he was aware of things, participating. Because really, talking to Shinji after practice made him all too aware of his silence during school and the club sessions. A quiet Shinji was unnerving and wrong. And if his mom had driven him off to the point where he went silent when they were playing after school, he didn't know what he'd do.
As weird as Shinji and his mumbling was, he liked him that way. It was almost cute, watching Shinji grumble about this or that, or just life in general. Yes, arguing with Shinji was annoying, and being on the wrong side of a debate with someone even more stubborn than himself was incredibly annoying, and trying not to respond to Shinji's mumbled insults - when he happened to be the subject of one of his monotone rants - was more annoying than anything he could think of. But it was Shinji.
Although he probably wasn't aware of it, he was the most well-liked member of their little group, Tachibana not withstanding. The reason they all addressed him by his first name wasn't because he was simple, like the regulars had assumed, but because it was really hard not to feel familiar with someone who habitually shared his every thought. They did their best not to listen when he mumbled, to not invade his privacy, even when he seemed to be inviting it. But Kamio knew there was only so much a person could pretend not to have heard before he felt as if he'd known Shinji his entire life. Had his mom just waited a while before jumping to conclusions, she'd have seen the same thing.
.-.
TBC
Next part, Shinji's disfunctional home life, Kamio deals.
