Title: Polite Conversation is a Lot Like Catching Up
Pairing: Yagyuu x Oshitari
Disclaimer: not mine, cool? cool.
Notes: Um... oh yea. We're in that alternate reality where homosexuality is accepted as equally as heterosexuality, because I like it better that way.

He didn't particularly look forward to his match that afternoon with Niou. The tournament worked as a kind of round robin - teams didn't play off against each other, and everyone played singles. Everyone would play one person from every other school. Oshitari's first match was against St. Rudolph's Mizuki Hajime. He won six-two - he'd been a tad too careless in the beginning, and Mizuki had definitely improved since they'd last played at the prefecturals consolation match almost a year ago. It was tough already, he realized. No one at the tournament had enjoyed their losses the year prior, and no one would stand a loss, even at this supposedly relaxed tournament.

Oshitari carefully wrote in the scores for his game on the board next to reg, and noticed that Atobe, Shishido and Jirou had all won their matches, six-love. He hadn't heard of any of their opponents before, but that didn't matter much. All of the Rikkai members had won their matches six-love, with the exception of Marui Bunta, whose game with Gakuto was still going. That was an interesting match, he noted, before sauntering off in the direction of the C courts, where Jirou had surely dragged Atobe and Shishido to watch Marui's match.

Sure enough, he saw Jirou's excitedly bouncing yellow head the second he turned the corner and the C courts came into sight. "Are you cheering for Gakuto, or for Marui now, Jirou?" he asked, smiling. Rikkai was standing on the other side of Atobe, who was talking with Yukimura and Sanada - probably bragging about how easily he won his match, Oshitari thought wryly.

Jirou stopped hopping up and down long enough to think. "Marui-san!" he ended up chirping, before returning his attention to the game. Sometimes, Oshitari really wondered if they were the same age.

"Oshitari-kun, how was your match?" Yagyuu, ever the polite one, was clearly just trying to make conversation. But that didn't matter, if they were able to talk. He could study the boy some more that way.

"It was OK. I started off kind of weak, I think - didn't expect Mizuki to have improved so much. How was your's?" There was no need to go into detail about his match - not if Niou was staring at them with that unnerving smile, as though he had sent Yagyuu to collect data for him or something. Even though that was clearly not the case - Niou didn't play with data, he just played with other people's data on him - he still didn't feel like describing the match in detail, as he otherwise might have done.

"A little too easy. I didn't even use the Laser," Yagyuu replied. "My opponent put up a good effort though, for someone who just started playing competitively last year."

"I see. So how has the match been going between those two?" he asked, tilting his head towards the courts to indicate their teammates.

"Game, Rikkaidai, Marui, four games to two," the referee conveniently called out just then.

"There you go," Yagyuu said. He seemed about to say more, when a familiar voice cut in.

"Shishido-san! Oshitari-senpai! Jirou-senpai! Atobe-san!" Ohtori was waving cheerfully at them, running up to Shishido. Oshitari smiled softly as the scowl formerly gracing Shishido's face was replaced by a gentler look, the word "Choutarou" inhaled as if it were more precious than air itself. "Sorry we're late; Hiyoshi thought we were meeting at the bus stop and we got sort of confused for a bit," Ohtori explained, as Hiyoshi nodded his greeting to everyone. "How was the first round?"

"Are they together?" Yagyuu queried. Oshitari nodded. Shishido and Ohtori had finally admitted their mutual attraction right after graduation, after much prodding from Gakuto and Jirou. "Interesting. I wish I had someone like that."

Oshitari's mouth practically dropped open as turned to face the taller boy. "I thought you and Niou..."

"No, Niou's my best friend," Yagyuu murmured. "He's straight."

"Oh." What did one say to something like that? "I believe Gakuto and Hiyoshi are the only straight ones on our team."

"Really? Mukahi? Never would've guessed."

"Yea, most people find it surprising."

"I'd always assumed you two were together."

Oshitari could almost feel Yagyuu's eyes burning into him. He turned away just in time to see Shishido steal a quick kiss from Ohtori. Wow. What timing he had. "No, he's just my partner," he replied, just as the referee announced the end of the match. "Game, set, Rikkaidai, Marui, six games to two."

"Wow, Marui's so great," Jirou cheered excitedly, stopping only when Gakuto scowled at him from inside the court. The OCD boy immediately yawned and started showing symptoms of falling back asleep.

"We should get back to the postings area," Sanada said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Oshitari was thankful for the interlude, since Niou fell into step with Yagyuu and Gakuto started to whine about the match to him, but he knew that wouldn't be the end of it.