Here we go... xD
To LaVenDar: Thanks for your reviews ^^ I understand, and will try to not make them hurt much... Thank you for bearing it for this story's sake... :)
To HK-kun: Thanks for liking it, I'm happy that you like Platinum pair too! :D
DON'T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE HIS TENNIS STYLE (Platinum Pair)
Chapter 3 – Too Close
"Niou-kun… Niou-kun… Wake up…" Yagyuu said to me while tying his tie. "We'll be late for school…"
"5 more minutes…"
"We don't have 5 minutes, Niou-kun… You have to hurry up…"
"Then help me," I reached out my right hand for him to drag me up.
"It can't be helped, then…" Yagyuu was going to help, but I grabbed his wrist and dragged him down on the bed again.
Hiroshi fell and lied on top of me.
"Niou?!" Now, he tried to stand up again.
"Yagyuu, let's… Skip school…"
"What…?"
"I'm not in the mood to have class… Can't you just stay here with me? You already have top grades… Skipping a little won't hurt…"
"Um… If you say so, then… But lying like this is kind of wrong…"
"Why?" Please don't reject me… Don't… Reject me…
"Well, we both are boys, and you already have a girl you love. In my opinion, this is too close, even if we are doubles partners…"
"Don't worry about that…"
"How can I not worr-" Yagyuu was interrupted in the middle of his sentence, because I pulled his tie and kissed him.
Yeah, I knew I shouldn't have, but it happened… And this time, it wasn't just a light kiss on the cheek…
Yagyuu ended it, by moving away. "What was that for…?" He asked. "I know you are a trickster, but this has gone too far…"
As expected of a gentleman… Even in this kind of situation, he was sitting there, being so calm…
"It's okay, isn't it…? As long as no one sees…"
"It won't always okay, Niou…" Yagyuu stood up and went towards the door. "I'm going to make breakfast… Just get ready, okay…?"
"It won't always be okay… Maybe that's true, but…" When hearing that I had something to say, he stopped.
"Don't leave me, Yagyuu…"
I need you… I need you…
"Niou-kun…?" He turned around and looked at me.
"I don't want to be alone anymore… Anything but that… Please don't leave me…"
He stood on the same spot for some time, but then came and sat beside me, on the bed. "…I won't…"
"Yagyuu…" I looked up at him and he looked kindly at me.
"Why would I…? We are the platinum pair…"
"Thank you…"
He sat there beside me, without realizing that his class would soon begin.
"Ne, what would you say if I told you I was gay?" I suddenly asked.
"?!" Yagyuu seemed shocked and almost fell backwards.
"…Are you going to leave me now…?"
"No, I won't…" He answered calmly and pushed his glasses.
"That's good to hear…" I knew that gay people disgusted him… But even if I was one of them, Hiroshi wouldn't leave me…
"But… Are you serious?" He seemed surprised.
"About what?"
"That you are… Ahem… Yeah…?"
"No!"
"I see…" Yagyuu replied, and we both laughed.
-
We skipped class, but not our training.
It was fun to play tennis and hang out with our team members.
"You failed at the English test." Sanada didn't sound happy as he talked to Akaya.
"So what?" Kirihara was rude as always… "Listen, I don't really care about that subject at all! Besides, how is English related to tennis anyway? It's like saying that bucho is good at tennis because he likes English…"
Sanada grasped his shirt collar. "Don't you dare talking back at me like that! And don't you dare mentioning Yukimura's name in these circumstances!!!" he yelled and lifted up his fist.
"This is not good… I'll-" I wanted to stop him, but Yagyuu held me back.
"Let them be, Niou… Sanada is the vice-captain, we shouldn't mess with him…"
"Akaya is in trouble! Like hell if I care about Sanada being the vice-"
"Genichiroh… Let go…" Yanagi sounded calm as always.
"What did you say?!" Sanada said coldly.
"I said, let go…!"
Everyone gasped. Yanagi had never talked like that to Sanada before.
"Renji… Tell me, what is the meaning of this…?"
"Akaya is my doubles partner, that's why I'm the one who're going to deal with him," Yanagi said, with his eyes open. "Now, let go of him."
Sanada looked at Yukimura. He nodded, and Sanada let go of Akaya's collar.
"Are you alright?" Yanagi asked and fixed his shirt.
"Y… Y… Yanagi-sempai!!!" Kirihara threw himself at him.
Yanagi seemed a bit surprise at first, but then, he put his arms around him and smiled.
"You're such a good boy…"
"See? Akaya is not alone anymore…" Yagyuu looked at me. "I know that you hate when Sanada wants to hurt the members, but… They are doing just fine even without us."
I don't care if Sanada hurts the other members, but I do when it's about that little devil… I have always been the one talking against the vice captain to help him out of trouble…
"I know, but I'm still worried about Akaya…"
"Yanagi is very knowledgeable and protective, so there's no need to worry…"
What's with those comments about Renji?!
Anyway, Kirihara was just someone I could trick and tease, but still… Now that he had Yanagi, and didn't need me anymore… Of course you would feel a little jealous… I glanced at Akaya.
"Niou…"
I wonder if Akaya likes Yanagi…
"Niou…"
They seem to be a happy couple… I wish I could be happy like that…
"Niou-kun!"
"Hai? Did you say something, Yagyuu?"
"…"
"What?"
"…Never mind…" Yagyuu turned around and walked away.
"Wait, where are you going? Hey, Hiro!"
"Drinking water…"
I love Yagyuu… I really do… But… There's still emptiness between us…
I've always wondered about how he feels about me… I want to know… Because… If he doesn't like me… Then I have to try to move on as soon as possible…
I'm afraid… I'm afraid I won't be able to forget him…
-
Yagyuu came back and was very wet, which was unusual for him.
Water drops dripped down from his hair.
"You said you were going to drink water, not take a bath, puri." I laughed.
"I just felt for it…" He looked depressed… Before he came back… Did he just… Cry…?
"At least, you should use a towel to dry yourself…" I threw a towel to him, but he didn't even move…
"Yagyuu, can't you even catch something like that?" I went and took up the towel. "Here." I reached it to him, but he didn't take it.
"Don't tell me that you can't even dry yourself? Then let me do it…" I started rubbing the towel gently on his hair.
"Yanagi is such a loving person… He would make a perfect boyfriend, don't you think?" Yagyuu suddenly said, looking at Renji, who sat under a tree.
What did Hiroshi just say about him?! The towel slipped out of my hand and fell on the ground.
"Niou-kun, this isn't how you're supposed to help someone dry himself…" Yagyuu smiled a tired smile, and took up the towel from the ground. "Ah… It has become dirty…" He said and went to wash it.
I was stunned over what he had said… Could it be… That Hiro… Liked Yanagi…?
-
I was sitting by Yagyuu, in his room, and we did our homework together.
"Ne, Hiro… By any chance, do you like Yanagi?"
"What makes you think that…?" Yagyuu kept looking down on his book.
Right now, he kind of reminded me of Rikkai's data-man, who usually looked down on his notebook, even while talking to others…
"You give him positive compliments, and always ask him if he's okay… Seems like you really care for him…"
"Can't I?"
No, you can't! Uh…
I knew that Yagyuu always admired Yanagi… Their personality are alike too; both are calm and intelligent… Maybe they would fit better as a doubles pair…?
"So you do have feelings for him? Puri."
Now, he looked up from his textbook. "For your information, I'm not gay!"
"Oh…?"
I pushed him lying down on the floor and licked his neck.
"Niou-kun?!"
"How do you like this…? Puri."
"Stop! Niou! Stop it!"
Before he could continue, I started kissing him and sticking my hand under his shirt, touching him. After a lot of struggling, he pushed me away.
"Niou, from now on, don't do those stuffs to me… Like kissing, hugging and… Such… It's weird…!" Yagyuu tried to act calm, but his voice trembled, and I could see in his eyes that he was terrified.
Hiro was the kind of person who didn't want people to come too close, and seeing him reacting like that, made me regret what I did…
"If it really bothers you, then I won't do it anymore…" Of course it bothered him… I'm so stupid… Why did I get carried away like that…? Hiro is never going to forgive me!
"That doesn't matter, but it's not right to do this… You already have a girl you like…"
"You don't have to think about that…" What's the big deal with this 'girl'…? She doesn't even exist…
"Don't play with my feelings!" Hiroshi startled me.
"Y-Yagyuu…?"
"I'm not an idiot, Niou… I know we aren't supposed to do this... Boys aren't supposed to be this close, even if they're doubles partners."
Tears fell down his cheeks. "You like someone else, but continue to stay close to me and do these kinds of things… Making me feel so nervous… Making me lose my cool like this… Making me… Feel so unsure about everything… My life… My future… My… Feelings… Stop messing around with me! I can't take it anymore!"
The calm and collected gentleman had finally showed his weak side…
"Hiroshi…" I didn't know he felt that way… Yagyuu thought I just had fun teasing him… That must have been awfully painful for him…
I took off his glasses and used my thumb to wipe away his tears. "I'm not messing around with you…" I hugged him. "Why would I…? Look, I'm sorry that I started doing those weird things to you… I don't know why, I just… I… I don't really know… But the truth is that you are the only one I could never lie to, trick or hate… Because you're the one I love…"
"Niou-kun… Is that… True…?"
I nodded. "I know you are disgusted by people who like the same gender, but… Just so you know… I don't like boys… The one I fell in love with just happened to be a boy – You."
"I guess I accept it, since it's Niou-kun…" He held his arms around me.
"Then, I'll get this straight… Yagyuu Hiroshi, I love you…"
"Niou Masaharu… I love you too…"
We smiled. It felt like a heavy weight over us had been removed, and we were finally free…
"I won't allow you to like any other person than me… Got it? Puri." I said in a playfully tone.
"The same goes for you…" He smirked.
Slowly, I moved in for a kiss… This time, he closed his eyes and didn't protest…
-End of Chapter 3-