It's a Date

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #8. our own world

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG-13

It was a very nervous Inui who knocked on Shinji's door, though one wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. Inui looked as cool and composed as ever, the only difference about him from his normal meetings with Shinji being his wearing of casual clothes rather than a school uniform. Inui had had half a moment of debate about wearing that or not before he decided that he would look silly, wearing a school uniform out on a Saturday night.

He had money, he was dressed as well as he could be, and he was eagerly anticipating spending an evening in Shinji's company. Now all he needed was for the door to open, and Inui resisted the urge to fidget as he heard footsteps approach the door.

The door cracked open, and Inui looked down, further than he had thought he would have to, to see a young girl of about seven or eight looking back up at him. Her face was like a feminine version of Shinji's though the eyes were different and her hair was pure black, with none of the highlights that Shinji's had. She gazed up at Inui, clearly confused. "Do we know you?" she asked finally.

Inui smiled. "My name is Inui Sadaharu. I'm a friend of your brother's."

"Oh…oh! You're the one Shin-chan's been talking nonstop about. Come in. He should be down in a minute." The girl opened the door wider, then took off for the stairs, shouting, "Shinji! That new friend of yours is here!"

Noticing that he had basically been abandoned, Inui stepped into the entryway, closing the door behind him. He was...pleased, to know that apparently Shinji liked him enough to talk about him with his family. Something in Inui's chest lightened, so when he heard footsteps on the stairs, he was able to look at them with a genuine smile on his face…a smile that changed to a gasp when he saw Shinji.

To most people, Shinji wasn't wearing anything special, just jeans and a long-sleeved black polo shirt. Nothing unusual at all. But all Inui saw was how the denim hugged every curve and muscle of Shinji's legs, and how the shirt made his skin seem to glow. Briefly, Inui wondered what Shinji's ass looked like in those jeans, but pulled his mind back to Earth when he realized Shinji was speaking to him.

"—hope Rumi-chan didn't give you many problems. She's actually the more polite one of the two. Is it chilly out? I'm not sure if I need a jacket or not."

Inui shook his head. "It's actually a mild evening. You should be fine in that." He glanced around before moving closer to Shinji and lowering his voice. "Besides…I'm more than willing to keep you warm if needed."

Shinji blushed a little. "Well…how sweet of you." He looked Inui up and down, taking in Inui's own jeans and his green sweater. "You do look like you might have some heat to spare in that getup…I'll keep it in mind." Smiling, he opened the door. "Going out now, Mama…I'll be back by curfew!" He didn't wait for an acknowledgement, but opened the door and pulled Inui out it behind him.

Inui blinked. "Is that…all right?"

"She knows where I'm going and who I'll be with already. I was just letting her know I was leaving, that's all."

"I see." Inui glanced back at the house. "So…you said you have two sisters? Yet I only met one."

"Rei-chan was in bed. She's sick, so Mama is trying to keep her quiet. Not that it's possible to keep a five year old quiet."

Inui laughed. "I wouldn't know. I have no siblings."

"Well, if you want mine, you're welcome to them. I've wondered what it's like to be an only child."

"It's very lonely. Especially since both my parents work and are rarely home for long, much less at the same time. Sometimes, I wonder how I was born. Conception seems like an odd feat if both genetic contributors are rarely in the same room."

Shinji reached over and squeezed Inui's arm briefly. "Well, if you ever get too lonely, you're always welcome at my house. "Quiet" will be a thing of the past."

Inui looked over at Shinji. "You have your own room, right?"

"Of course. My sisters share a room, but I got my own, being a boy and the oldest and all."

"Does the door lock?"

"It has one—Inui?" Shinji looked up at him, clearly confused.

Inui grinned. "Oh, nothing. Just imagining making out with you on your bed."

Shinji flushed scarlet. "Let's just get through the first date before you go getting any ideas about me and my bed, all right?"

"Are you telling me that you haven't thought about it yet?" Inui's grin was wicked as he asked the question.

"What—no!" Shinji looked like he was going to burst into flames, he was that red. "Inui…that's not nice."

"Fine…I'll back off." Inui smiled, though, for he could see in Shinji's eyes that he was thinking about it now. "Where do you want to eat?"

"I don't know…anything's fine with me, really. I'm not that picky."

"You realize that could be an implied insult to me, Ibu-kun."

"No! Of course not. I'm not picky about food, not my…companions." Shinji smiled up at him. "You know…you don't have to call me that."

"And what should I call you? Calling you by someone else's name just seems rude."

"I have a name. And I know you know what it is, Inui."

"Oh…you mean "Shinji"?" Inui smiled. "If you want me to."

"It doesn't bother me, Inui."

"Well, if that's the case…maybe you should be calling me Sadaharu?"

Shinji shook his head. "Not yet. It still seems disrespectful right now."

"When will it not seem that way? I don't want you calling me that," Inui quickly censored his original thought, "forever, you know." Or in bed, for that matter.

"I won't…soon, probably. At least let me get through the date? Then if we still want to keep seeing each other, I'll consider it."

Inui's heart sank a little. "If?"

"Well…." Shinji looked down. "Spending extended time with me might make you realize that I'm not all that exciting or special."

"Shinji…." Inui looked at him, then away, gathering his thoughts. "I haven't met anyone more special than you, ever. As for exciting…I don't know if you know all the ways that you…excite me."

Shinji turned bright red. "Inui!"

"What, you think I don't enjoy it when I kiss you and you kiss back? You think I don't like listening to how breathless your voice gets sometimes and thinking about other methods that I could use to produce that state?"

"I…I don't know if this is appropriate conversation for a first date, Inui." Shinji was trying his best to hide his embarrassment. "At least not before dinner, anyway."

"So we can revisit this topic after?" Inui paused and looked into the window of a pizza shop that he remembered some of the other students saying was good. "Is pizza good for you?"

"I'll…consider it. No promises, though. And pizza sounds fine."

"Excellent." Inui guided Shinji into the shop, grabbing a table and a menu for them. "What do you like on your pizza?"

"Oh, anything, really. I'm always up for trying something new."

"So." Inui's glassed glinted almost evilly in the light. "I could suggest b any /b combination of toppings, and you'll be willing to try it?"

Shinji leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just try me, Inui."

"I'm going to take that challenge." Grinning, Inui went over to the counter and ordered. Shinji watched, and noted the counter attendant's face turning slightly green, and he started to worry a little, but there was no way he was bailing now.

Finally, Inui came back and sat across from Shinji again. "About fifteen minutes. Then we'll see how brave you are."

Shinji laughed. "Inui…have you seen where I go to school? Have you seen who some of my teammates are? I really don't scare that easily."

"So you don't get scared?"

"I didn't say that."

"So tell me something that's scared you." Seeing Shinji's reluctance, Inui added, "I'll do the same if you tell me."

"Fine." Shinji closed his eyes for a minute as he thought. "Believe it or not…that match I played with Echizen at the city tournament. I know I seemed like I was annoyed and mad at him, but…well, I was annoyed. But I was mad at myself, too. I wasn't trying to hurt Echizen, and I know his own actions contributed to his injury, but…when you see someone holding their hand to their eye, and the blood isn't stopping, it's hard not to be frightened."

"I never knew that anyone that wasn't from our team was scared then," Inui mused.

"We were. It's a game, you know. Not a life or death situation. Yes, accidents happen, but injury by and large shouldn't be a major fear. I think that's why Akira stayed mad at Kirihara for so long…he couldn't understand how tennis could be a weapon. And I really can't, either."

"There are some people who believe in winning no matter what, like Kirihara…though I have it on good authority that his attitude has greatly approved. And there are others, like Aktusu…who just enjoy inflicting pain." Inui sighed. "That's what I fear most, you know."

"Pain?"

"Not pain, per se. But inflicting it. Enjoying it. I fear becoming a sadist. You've…heard of my juices, I'm sure."

Shinji nodded. "Echizen and Momoshiro speak of them often." He grinned. "Not usually in flattering terms."

"I can understand that." Inui sighed, then smiled. "There is nothing harmful about the juices. They are perfectly optimized for nutritional value. The taste…may possibly leave something to be desired, though. Still. When I first started making them, I simply wanted to help the health of my team. When I realized that they weren't as…receptive to the juices as I had hoped, I began using them for…motivational purposes. But now I find myself watching their reactions to the juices and…enjoying myself. I wonder if that makes me a sadist."

"Do you enjoy watching people in pain?"

"No."

"Well…have you ever gone out of you way to inflict harm on your teammates while they're down?"

"No!" Inui was clearly shocked by the thought.

"If something did prove to be dangerous to them, would you repeat that situation?"

"Of course not! I don't want to hurt them."

Shinji nodded. "Then, I don't think you're a sadist. A sadist enjoys inflicting pain…something that it seems you do not enjoy doing."

Inui looked visibly relieved. "I knew there was a reason that I wanted you."

"For the ego boost?" Shinji laughed.

"No…just for being you."

Shinji blushed, then sniffed curiously. "Is it me, or does it almost smell like something just died?"

Inui frowned, smelling the air as well. "Maybe they had an accident in the kitchen?"

Just then, a waiter approached their table, holding a pizza tray as far from him as possible. "Here's your…pizza, sir." The teenager then beat a hasty retreat, looking like he was going to be very, very ill.

Shinji and Inui just stared at the thing in front of them, before Shinji found his voice. "Tell me…just what did you get on this?"

Inui looked a little sheepish as he replied, "Squid, corn, eel, seaweed, raisins, and…squid ink."

Shinji turned very pale. "I take back what I said. You, Inui, are definitely a sadist."

"You're the one who said he'd try anything."

"And implied in that was that you would be eating what you chose, too." Shinji waved at the pizza. "Go right ahead and dig in, then."

Inui stared at the pizza, feeling uncomfortably like it was staring back at him. "What do you say we skip this, go right to the movie, and fill up on popcorn instead?"

Shinji looked visibly relieved. "I think that's the best idea you've had so far tonight."

Since Inui had paid when he had ordered the pizza, he dumped a few dollars on the table as tip, then pulled Shinji up out of the booth. "Let's get out of here, then, before that pizza tries to eat us, rather than the other way around."

The movie was definitely going better than dinner had.

After finding a movie that they both could agree on, Inui and Shinji settled into the theater with a large bucket of popcorn. The popcorn was filling and the movie amusing, so the first half of it passed smoothly.

When the popcorn was done, Inui put the empty bucket down by his feet, then glanced over at Shinji. He seemed wrapped up in the show, something that was proven to be true when Inui reached over and gently picked up Shinji's hand, holding it in his own. Shinji's only reaction was to squeeze it gently and shift a little closer to Inui.

Feeling encouraged by this, Inui removed his hand from Shinji's, only to drape it around his shoulders, pulling Shinji as close to him as the armrest would allow.

This time, Shinji did react. Leaning a little closer, he whispered in Inui's ear, "Trying to make a move on me, are you?"

Inui shivered a little and grinned, whispering back, "Why else did you think I wanted to sit in the back row? It improves the chance for…relations by at least 77 percent."

Shinji shook his head. "I should've known, really." He glanced around, and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, leaned in a little closer to Inui and took the initiative for once, kissing Inui gently on the lips.

Inui was a little startled by this, but wasn't protesting by any means, instead turning a little more into Shinji to kiss him back, keeping one arm around Shinji, and running his other hand through Shinji's hair to cup the back of his head as Inui deepened the kiss, running his tongue across Shinji's lips.

Shinji sighed softly, parting his lips in answer to the silent request. He let Inui explore his mouth for a minute before some wickedness overtook him, and he started to suck gently on Inui's tongue.

Inui broke the kiss with a gasp, pulling back to look at Shinji panting a little. "You…you…." He wasn't able to finish the thought, his mind still mush from the sensation.

Shinji grinned. "I what?"

"You…tease." Inui smiled and shifted some, trying to ease the sudden tightness in his pants. "Now I'm going to spend all night thinking about that mouth of yours…elsewhere."

Shinji laughed softly. "Not on the first date, Inui. I'm not that kind of boy."

"I'm not either," Inui had to admit. "But you may make me one very quickly if you keep doing things like that."

"Oh, I'll be good." Shinji shook his head, but was still smiling. Inui, feeling like he was being teased still, leaned forward to capture Shinji's mouth in another kiss.

The movie continued on without their attention.

The house lights coming back up was what eventually brought Inui back to reality, and he sighed in disappointment as he pulled away from Shinji. "The movie's over…." He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I see." Shinji sounded equally disappointed. "I guess that means we need to go?"

"Not…just yet." Shifting so that he was sitting fully back in his own seat, Inui took a few deep breaths, calming himself down the best that he could.

Next to him, Shinji was in a similar state. "Maybe we shouldn't do that again?"

"Are you kidding?" Inui looked incredulous. "Do you think I'd pass up doing that again? Even with the…inconvenient side effects, it was still incredibly enjoyable."

Shinji blushed a little as he replied, "I have to agree." Glancing down at his watch, he groaned. "You can sit some more if you like, but I need to leave if I want to be home on time." Shinji stood, straightening his clothes some.

"I'll walk you home." Inui stood as well, bending to grab their discarded popcorn container. "If nothing else, I want my goodnight kiss."

Shinji laughed as he led Inui into the main aisle. "What makes you think that that wasn't it?"

"Because the date's not over yet." Seeing Inui's grin, Shinji just laughed harder.

The walk home was a comfortable one, as they talked about the bits of the movie they had actually seen, school, tennis, and whatever else came to mind until, before they knew it, they were outside Shinji's gate again.

"Well." Shinji looked down, suddenly feeling shy. "I had a wonderful time, Inui."

"I did as well." Inui tilted up Shinji's face so he could see it. "Would you…like to do this again?"

"I would." Shinji smiled at him, and Inui relaxed some.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Unless I call you, first." Shinji smiled, then sighed. "I really have to go in."

"I know…." Inui didn't want to let Shinji go, but, knowing that he had to, he pulled Shinji close and kissed him gently. "Good night, Shinji."

"Good night…Sadaharu." Disentangling himself from Inui, Shinji smiled and went into his gate. "I'll talk to you tomorrow sometime."

"I…yes…." Inui was floored by Shinji actually using his name. "Sleep well?"

Shinji laughed. "I will. Be careful going home, please, and pleasant dreams." With a last wave to Inui, Shinji slipped into his house, closing the door behind him.

Inui watched Shinji disappear in a daze, then, shaking himself, turned himself towards home.

He had a feeling that his dreams were going to be much more than "pleasant" tonight.

--The End--