Ryoma carefully climbed into the hammock and lay there, panting, using one hand to shield his eyes from the scorching sun.
Practising under the hot, Californian summer sun was not the greatest idea he'd ever had, but Tezuka was coming to visit him the next day and Ryoma just couldn't sit still. He hadn't seen his boyfriend for months and, even though they'd have his father annoying him, he couldn't wait to have Tezuka back by his side again. Even if it was just for a week.
It was going to be a great week, Ryoma decided. Full of tennis and exploring. He just better not let Tezuka find him wearing his Seigaku polo shirt. He'd probably think he was disrespecting it by wearing it to just practice at home or something.
Ryoma enjoyed practising in it, it reminded him of his friends back in Japan and of Tezuka in Germany. Reminded him of all those games he'd played and all the opponents he's played against.
It was getting a bit ragged around the edges now and one of the seams had come undone a bit at the back thanks to Ryoma's lack of care when taking it off and storing it. He was close to growing out of it now as well. He wasn't too sure how he felt about that.
I'll just steal Buchou's when I do get too big, he thought and then grinned to himself. Tezuka had probably had his uniform sealed away in a safe somewhere… either that or had created a shrine around it.
The thought of Tezuka's Seigaku shrine made him laugh out loud and almost fall out of the hammock as he curled up with laughter.
He probably gives it offerings of tennis balls, he thought as tears started to trickle down his cheeks.
He couldn't wait to see Tezuka again.
Eventually, his laughter subsided and he lay back, wiping the tears from his eyes. After a couple of minutes lying in the sun, he got up and went to convince his father to play a game against him.