Attempt #1
Make him notice you by becoming a part of his daily life.
Not Another Seigaku Fieldtrip
Note: Italics are Mizuki's thoughts, unless otherwise specified. As in the beginning.:)
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Damn him. How the hell does he know about Kuma-chan? Was all Yuuta could think furiously as he strode down the packed Tokyo streets the following week on a cool morning. He had been caught—and caught well, if he were to be honest with himself. Although he may not look it, Yuuta was a huge Gravitation fan, especially of Ryuichi. Usually he kept this hidden since people assume that if you are a guy who likes a show that supports homosexuality, then you are gay yourself. However, Yuuta hadn't been able to resist purchasing a fluffy rabbit in a fan store (orange, since they were out of pink) and naming it Kumagoro. (1)
Now Yuuta was on his way home to interrogate his brother when he caught snatches of familiar voices in conversation, as he passed the entrance to the ice cream parlor where all the madness had begun.
"So tomorrow then, okay?"
"Yay! This is going to be so fun! We haven't had a single day off since before qualifying for the nationals!" squealed an excited voice.
"I think that the beach was Tezuka's original plan, so be ready, alright?…"
Yuuta recognized the voices as belonging to Kikumaru and Oishi, the famous Seigaku doubles pair, but he didn't bother to stop and say hello. It would take them a moment to recognize him, and then Kikumaru would probably jump on him or something. Nevertheless, the overheard excerpt gave Yuuta the opening he needed with his brother. The walk home was excruciating; Yuuta had spent the last several years trying to become independent of his family, especially his brother, and now he had to act as if he needed his Aniki again. Damn that Mizuki!
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Yuuta took a deep breath and raised a fist, bracing himself for what was probably going to be the most derogatory event of his young life. He knocked lightly on the white painted wood door.
"Come in." came his brothers reply.
He opened the door unwillingly and entered the immaculate room. Syuusuke was rummaging through his desk in the corner, but looked up immediately when he realized who it was.
A brief flash revealed his light eyes in surprise before he began to smile in delight and they disappeared again. Really, Yuuta couldn't blame Mizuki for thinking his brother was blind.
"Yuuta! How very, very kind of you to visit me! Although it is rather unexpected. I thought you had taken to spending all of your time at St. Rudolph."
"Yeah, well…." He shifted uncomfortably, "it's okay to come home every once in a while, right?"
There was a slightly awkward pause as Syuusuke watched Yuuta expectantly. He did not believe for a moment that his brother had come home for no other reason than the simple joy of seeing him.
"Listen," said Yuuta in a rush, hoping that saying something this embarrassing would be less painful if he got it out quickly. "On the way here I actually sort of ran into your friends from the team—Kikumaru and Oishi, I think."
"Did you?" Syuusukes confusion increased.
"Yeah, they were just talking about how they and the rest of the team were going to have some sort event tomorrow. Like a party or something."
"Yes, there's a team fieldtrip we're taking to unwind from the stress of nationals."
"Okay, well I was wondering..., um...would it be okay if...if..."
Suddenly Syuusuke understood. His face broke into a delighted smile.
"Yuuta, would you like to come with us on our trip tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that would be gr…." He couldn't bring himself to finish the lie. He was already blushing at having his brother "graciously" save him the embarrassment of asking the question himself.
"That would be excellent, Yuuta! I'm sure that the rest of the team would be happy to have you there too."
"Okay, but one thing. Since I don't really know your friends that well, would it be okay if I brought someone along?"
"A friend? Yes, yes of course! Bring as many as you like!"
"Thanks, Aniki." Still exceptionally irked and humiliated at having to request an invitation, Yuuta scurried out of the room. Mizuki had pointed out last week, that he, Yuuta, was the only one who had sufficient connection to Seigaku to land an invitation to one of their events. That served as little consolation, however.
Syuusuke watched his brother go with a mixture of satisfaction and bewilderment. Why would Yuuta suddenly want to hang out with him when he had spent the last five years putting as much distance between them as possible? Was he really going to show up?
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Syuusuke was already there when Yuuta and Mizuki arrived the next morning, but that was how it had been planned out. Mizuki could make an impressive entrance and catch the tensai's eye. Oh damn, he's blind though. he suddenly remembered.
The eight members of the Seigaku tennis team plus Yuuta and Mizuki had convened in front of the bowling alley. It was interesting to see all the Regulars in clothes other than their tennis or school uniforms. Fuji wore a preppy vest and collared shirt, looking calm and smiling genially. He stood with an impressive bearing despite his small frame, hands in his pockets, and an Eiji slung around his neck. Mizuki felt himself bubble inside with a strange shyness that seemed to take place whenever around Fuji. Damn. How was he supposed to charm Syuusuke if he couldn't be his usual arrogant self? It was like a mean Oishi or a loud Tezuka. Speak of the devil...
"Everyone ready?" called Tezuka, who had just arrived. "Okay, head count!" The captain quickly counted the seven other Regular member heads as he saw them. "Good, everyone's here."
"Kawamura isn't here!" Said Oishi in a worried voice.
Tezuka brushed off this comment. "I should have been more clear. Everyone who matters is here."
Oishi mouthed wordlessly at the captain as he continued, "Right then, as you all know, we are going to the beach today to celebrate our victories thus far and have a relaxing break before the nationals."
It was apparent that they had not all known, though. Most of the students weren't dressed for the beach at all. Mizuki saw Syuusuke glance worriedly down at his vest and felt a brief stab of pity, but it was overwhelmed immediately by the greater victory that he could show himself off at the beach. A similar thought seemed to have struck Yuuta, who looked pissed off and more than a little dreading.
"Yuuta, you came!" exclaimed Syuusuke, his permanent smile changing into a more genuine one. "I'm so glad you decided to spend time with us. And…you've brought a friend?" His brows furrowed slightly as he surveyed Mizuki in a politely puzzled way.
"Mizuki Hajime." Mizuki casually introduced himself, suave as hell, before Yuuta could say anything. "But of course you already knew that. We had that excellent match at the quarter finals. Actually, I've been hoping for a long time that we could have a rematch." He cocked his eyebrow in a suggestive way.
Syuusuke was staring at Mizuki in a way strikingly similar to how a child stares at an adult who is a friend of their parents, and who claims, "we met when you were young."
"Ahh…Minori-san," he replied finally, inclining his head slightly, although it was obvious he didn't remember. "It's nice to see you again."
Mizuki swallowed hard, but managed to shake off this minor setback before they arrived at the beach.
It was a perfect day for swimming: sunny and blue skied with not too much breeze. However, that also meant that the beach was packed. The troop stopped where the sidewalk became sand and simply stared, clearly unsure of where to proceed from there. Mizuki, eager not to waste a moment that could be spent basking in Syuusuke's admiration was about to pull off his shirt when a voice interrupted,
"Well, well, well….Seigaku, it is? Taking a nice, relaxing day off?" The team spun around, coming face to face with none other than the un-exorcised Kirihara and the Shuichi Shindou wannabe, Marui.(2)
"Not taking the finals too seriously, Captain Tezuka?" Kirihara drawled on. "I thought that your catchphrase was 'don't let your guard down.' Are you guys so good that you don't need to be practicing at a time like this?"
"I could say the same." Tezuka pointed out.
Marui's eyes widened and he pointed over his left shoulder without looking. Following his gesture, they saw Jackal and Yagyuu practicing on the beachside tennis courts..
"We never take breaks, only change scene." Said Marui smugly.
"How about a few matches, before you go splashing about?" asked Kirihara. "If we win—
"NO!" Screamed Echizen unexpectedly.
Everyone stared at him.
"Sorry," he said, "but……couldn't we just once have an outing as a team where it doesn't end with all of us showing off our tennis skills?"(3)
"He has a point." Muttered Inui, flipping through a notebook he had seemingly produced from nowhere. It contained all the records of Seigakus fieldtrips. Indeed, each one had included a lesson-teaching encounter with tennis noobs and an un-kosher amount of "mada mada dane" s.
So they went to the planetarium instead.
Damn. Damn. Mizuki had to work to conceal his disappointment at not being able to show himself off to Syuusuke, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with those Rikkai- bastards now. Think again. Double taking, Mizuki realized that the four from Rikkaidai had casually joined their party and seemed to be following them to the planetarium. Tezuka had somehow arranged for them all to take the bus and was busily handing out tickets.
"Hey, Tezuka…" whined Eiji upon arriving, "what does the planetarium have to do with tennis, nya?" he turned his puppy eyes upon the captain.
"Tennis players should be well rounded, in all aspects, and that means having a good education outside of twist serves and triple counters." Answered Tezuka in one breath without looking at Eiji, but rather examining the tickets at the reception box in front of the planetarium. I expect you all to learn a great deal, and not be too tense, but don't let your guard down!"
"Perhaps, Captain, to make sure they do their jobs, they should be taking notes as they go through the museum?" suggested Inui.
"Optimal idea." Said Tezuka tonelessly. "Everyone gather information on what they have learned, to be turned in at the end of the day."
Yuuta and Mizuki, unused to this treatment at the hands of Tezuka nervously gulped. "Other than that, you are to have fun here."
"Saa, Yuuta come with me!" said Syuusuke, grabbing his astonished brother's arm and leading him off to the first exhibit, leaving Mizuki standing alone as if he were a umbrella holder.
"Syuusuke…I like you, but you are difficult…" he mumbled to himself before quickly heading off after the pair and stepping on Momoshiro's toe in his haste.
The first exhibit turned out to be a short video on the basics of the solar system.
Perfect! Thought Mizuki. A nice dark room with an informational film playing...I can sit next to Fuji! Or even better; I'll take the last seat and force him to sit on my lap! He was definitely NOT thinking of jumping Syuusuke in the dark. Nfu nfu nfu nfu nfu nfu nf--
Oh drat.
Snapping out of his internal monologue, Mizuki found that Eiji and Kirihara had already claimed seats on either side of Syuusuke. Kirihara was speaking animatedly to him. To top it off, all the other seats had already been taken. Ignoring Oishi's kind offer of his place, Mizuki had to stand, with a stiff jaw, leaning against the wall through the film.
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Mizuki suffered failed attempts at the older Fuji all morning. However, at least it had helped him gather some good data on approach techniques. For example, involving the younger brother hadn't proven to be too helpful. In fact, it was rather detrimental. He needed to dismiss him.
"Yuuta-kun, go hang out with Jackal." Said Mizuki, and Yuuta rushed to obey, probably before he could be scarred for life.
Right. Now was his real chance. It was the dome room of the planetarium where they would watch a presentation about stars in a pitch black room. Not only was this his favorite room in all planetariums, but it was the optimal place for an unheard conversation.
The students filed into the circular theatre and began to disperse into seats.
Himself, Mizuki headed over towards Syuusuke, but the lights went out as he was walking, so he had to stumble in the darkness over to where the tensai had been standing.
The beautiful crystals that have lit our night skies since ancient time are called stars. A smooth, melodious womans voice proclaimed. Despite their appearance, stars are actually enormous clouds of glowing plasma.
Mizuki found his place and sat down as the show commenced.
The domed ceiling filled with images of the solar system, and with its curvature and the surrounding darkness, it was easy to forget that the middle school tennis players were inside a building and not simply lost in the eternity of space.
Today we will explore the properties of stars that allow them to live for billions of years.
"Wow, it's really beautiful isn't it?" Mizuki murmured as the screen rapidly spun the students through the galaxy.
He received no reply, but this didn't surprise him at all. He would just have to persist and break that icy front that Syuusuke seemed to have built around him.
Mizuki sucked in a deep breath, plucking up his courage for what he was about to do.
Of course, the stars that we see in the night sky are so far away that they have already died by the time their light reaches us.
"I've been wanting to talk with you for a while now." Mizuki said finally. "Ever…ever since I first met you, actually."
Still no reply.
The more massive the star is, the shorter its lifeline, because large stars burn hydrogen more quickly. Our sun is considered to be a medium star in both breadth and temperature.
Mizuki scooted slightly closer and tentatively reached out his hand in dark. He found Syuusuke's shoulders and inched his arm around them. After a moment when he was not thrown off, he smiled broadly and blushed, grateful for the cover of darkness to hide both; it would destroy his polished exterior.
Syuuske didn't respond, but he didn't push Mizuki away either, so Mizuki took it as a good sign. Why finish with the confession and freak him out? Just enjoy what you have now. So Mizuki happily watched the rest of the program, his heart lighter than it had felt in a long time.
It ended and the lights came on.
Illuminating Mizuki with his arm around a hat stand.
Mizuki stared at it for a full ten seconds before he was able to react at all. Then, in a flash, he retracted his arm and looked around to see if anyone had seen. Most people were chattering; Momoshiro was telling an involved tale of his bravery and cleverness to a bored looking Kaidoh and Echizen. Good.
He sighed with relief. Then, feeling as if eyes were on him, he turned around. Tezuka, it seemed, had been sitting rather nearby.
Mizuki's heart missed a step. Had he heard something?
But Tezukas glasses had suddenly become as impenetrable as Inui's and Mizuki could not read the expression.
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Lunch came and went pretty well, except for when Tezuka, glaring at Mizuki, had asked him what he had learned, and Mizuki who had been thinking about Fuji throughout all the exhibits had to quickly make something up.
Mizuki felt slightly injured overall after lunch and was careful to keep his distance from Tezuka. Also, it was becoming apparent that the direct approach was premature for use on Fuji. He was sure Syuusuke knew who he was, but for whatever reason, he was denying his feelings, and Mizuki would have to smooth that over before proceeding.
Finally, Mizuki was rewarded for his efforts by dinnertime. For some reason, the more pissed off Tezuka became, the more unusually kind he was and he had agreed that they should all go out for dinner at a nice restaurant.
Mizuki had leaned throughout the day that to get a seat next to Syuusuke required lightning speed capabilities. He did not have to make his move though. Perhaps the "genius" had finally noticed his efforts to get near him all day, but to Mizuki's utter shock (and Yuuta's by the look of it), Syuusuke came over and sat next to him.
"Did you and Yuuta enjoy the planetarium?" he asked, though the question was clearly directed primarily at Mizuki. He flashed a brilliant, glacier-melting smile.
"Um…" Mizuki suddenly felt rather breathless. Damn, DAMN, think fast! "Yeah…yeah I did…" Yuuta nodded as well, looking as though he meant it.
What the hell was that? Mizuki admonished himself internally. You couldn't think of anything more interesting to say?!
"I saw Mizuki." Chirped Yagyuu unexpectedly. "He may be in trouble…." Oh crap, did he see the hat stand incident? "….he didn't take any notes like Inui told us to."
"I don't think that applied to people not attending Seigaku," replied Yuuta tartly.
"Fuji-senpai didn't take them either though, he can be your partner in crime!" Momoshiro chipped in with carrying voice.
"You ignored Inui-senpai's rules, Fuji-senpai?" asked Echizen.
"Saa…. what's the fun of going to a planetarium if your nose is in a notebook and not on the stars?"
"But Inui-senpai might punish you harshly!" Gasped Momo dramatically, lowering his voice so the other, Inui side of the table wouldn't hear him. "His glasses will glint; his cruel smile will be in place; he might force you to drink bucketfuls of his Super Excellent Marvelous Inui Delight Juice!"
"Oh come on, I would never get that lucky." Replied Fuji lightly.
Everyone at the table stared at him.
"What? It's good juice."
...
Momoshiro and Echizen managed to get into an eating contest halfway through dinner, polishing off half the menu, which was rather disgusting, but other than that, Mizuki felt that the affair had gone rather well. He was actually able to hold a conversation with Syuusuke for a few moments at a time, but usually someone annoying like Kirihara would interrupt.
"Phew" Echizen and Momo leaned back in their wicker chairs, unable to eat another bite. Mizuki privately wondered how the hell they were going to lug themselves home.
"Gotta say," said Momo, massaging his stomach, "it's great to finally have a Seigaku event that doesn't end with Kawamura-senpai running in with a burning racquet and sushi for everyone."
"Seriously." Agreed Echizen.
Mizuki was glowing a little bit, thinking he had been rather successful throughout the meal, at least in not repelling Fuji from his company. Slowly, people began to disperse.
Yuuta seemed ready to leave and looked questioningly at his brother. Fuji smiled and leant over to speak in Mizuki's ear.
"I advise you get a move on now. This is an old tradition: the last one sitting pays for the meal..."
He trailed off and Mizuki noticed that indeed members of the team were sneaking out. Tezuka had just excused himself to go to the "bathroom". He smirked, pleased to be included in Fuji's plan. The brothers and Mizuki left together, walking casually at first away from the table, then sprinting once they reached the foyer area of the restaurant.
Out in the street they laughed triumphantly and Syuusuke began to head home, while Yuuta decided to spend the night at St. Rudolph.
"Well, it was fun to hang out; I'm really glad you came, Yuuta."
He gave Mizuki a very slight smile that melted him nonetheless. Mizuki felt a balloon of hope swell in his chest.
"And it was nice to bring your…." Here Syuusuke suddenly frowned, like he was trying to remember something. "…Makoto-san."
The balloon popped.
Mizuki ground his teeth and Yuuta was discreetly trying not to laugh.
"Well, goodnight anyhow!" Said Fuji merrily, clearly amused at Mizuki's distress. And he turned and disappeared off into the night.
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Surprisingly, Yuuta was the one who seemed to have had the best time in the end. He had gotten a nice dinner (courtesy of the Echizen and Momoshiro) a lot of interesting facts about the solar system, and his brother had been too busy warding off advances of Mizuki to give him a hard time.
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A/N:
(1) and (2) I somehow ended up putting more Gravitation references in here than intended….I hope you've seen it.
(3) I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. But has anyone ever noticed how all of Seigaku's outings become tennis showdowns? I had to take them down a notch.
...Reviews, please?